#Ita not fair to compare

[scribe-of-hael]

Y'know,I don't think TFA Oppi actually that scared of ES megatron because he defeated his megs twice-

NGL imagine the conversation about TFA megs just randomly appears and TFA Oppi be like "Yeah it's not easy to defeat a guy almost thrice your size while have to relying on borrowed hammer and makeshift jetpack-"

Like,he's so small but also so fierce he managed to defeat a warlord he never met before earth shenanigans twice-

And he don't even need a gun-

Not to mention it probably took less than two years to defeat him in TFA timeline

Shame on other decepticons-

This tiny copy of Prime can kick ass better than them probably

Not really scared, just unsure! When all you've ever known is a person being 1 way and get yeeted into a different place where their acutally nice. Its a little bit of weariness just by association. Granted both the times he defeated megs he nearly got killed and lost a team mate, so he's just like "its hard to imagine you any other way. But I see that's not the case." Very much apologizes for his hesitation!

Megatron would be impressed Optimus would be too. Like when Prome explains how big his cons are its like "YOURE INCREDIBLE ,,, WTF?"

I can just see tfa Finials flatten in bit ofa blush and explaining its not just him but alos his team. Megatron would just shake his helm with smile.

"Yeah he sure is you alright, no doubt about it, "

Give TFA confidence and reassurance that he is doing a good job. Not that he ever needed it , but to hear it is very nice. Since in tfa the Functionalists are still in charge (looking at you tfa magnus) To hear that he is more than is alt mode and fiction somthing that these two had to go though, means alot to TFA.

I think ES mega and Optimus would love to elanr things from TFA , amaizng opportunity. I just love the idea of telling his he is doing good. After loosing prowl when trying to beat megs its alot of weight I'd imagine. He won but at what cost ?

Therapy session with the elders.

But TFA Optimus is awesome and I think any Optimus would be impressed.

"HOW BIG ARE THEY?! AND YOU BEAT MEGATRON THAT WAY?! YOURE AMAZING"

Wiggly finials all around xD

[einabler]

Men's Short Program - Grand Prix Final | Torino 2022

Gosh this is such a tight competition for all six men, with 4 of them coming from Japan. A little bummed that Jun and Kazuki couldn't make it to the top 6, but it's not like these 6 men aren't capable of showing great performances. So we're still SO in for a treat tonight.

So let's starts with...

Shun Sato (18 - JPN) Starting the competition with a Christmas vibe. But sadly, the vibe isn't vibing as he fell on 4Lz. A jump that I thought to be the most reliable on his repertoire. However, he managed to pull himself up and land the combo, 4T2T -with a little skid on the 4T, hence only a 2T instead of intended 3T. The last jump, 3A, was the only redeeming feature as it's done nicely with a good running edge on landing.

Personally, I feel Shun has progressed nicely in the artistic area than last season. Though, I think the choreography in the step sequence felt a bit flat, and his posture still looks a bit rigid. Also, he's not the best spinner among the 6 as well. So I guess his score, 76.62, is a little justified -emphasis on the little. Most of the judges seem to score him in the low 7 to 6 on PCS. Which, I think, a bit too low considering that he does have a decent skating skill, pretty nice speed overall, and a good edge control. So I can't help but squinting my eyes to the judges on that scoring. Well, I do hope he could land the 4Lz tomorrow and get the score he does deserve. On a side note, I just realized that Mura Takahito has become his coach! Would love to see him accompanying the skaters some day soon.

Daniel Grassl (20 - ITA) Sadly, another fall on the 4Lz -it seems to be the cursed jump tonight, eh. Also, I noticed that the take-off was on the flat edge, and it seems to be called out by the technical panelist. But he pulled it together afterwards to get the 3A landed quick and nicely. His combo jump, the 3Lz3T was also good enough. Truthfully, I always felt that his jumps look weird. But tonight -thanks to the haircut I think- it doesn't look like he's falling apart in the air anymore. Though, his feature quality is still his flexibility on the spins -how does it feel to be able to bend your knees and thigh like that, Dan? It's really mesmerizing!

As underrated as he is, he does gradually become better in artistic interpretation. Kudos to Jason Brown with his choreography skill for bringing out the sensitivity within the music to Daniel's skating. I feel 39.25 in PCS is pretty justified, and therefore, 80.40 on SP seems to be fair enough. Which really makes it feel that Shun was scored way too low. And also I think Daniel is a little slower on the speed compared to the other 6 men, so it could have gotten his PCS a bit lower on skating skill component. Plus he's the only one still using a triple-triple combo, so I do think Shun's score should've been around 78-80s. But then again, this GPF is held in Italy, and the cheering from his supporters are so loud and lovely during his performance. I guess it gives judges more confident to give him extra points. Anyway, I'll be looking forward to see if he could put up a better fight in the FS and make the final placement even more interesting. BTW, is it just me or his pants is a little bit disturbing? Is it the extra tightness? Is it the untight fly? Is it the gray color? idk.

Sota Yamamoto (22 - JPN) 4T3T done strong and nicely, and it's the best combo jump of the night. He then managed to land the 4S safely too, though it doesn't have a long running edge. The 3A is also done with no worries tonight. Though, I noticed, the body position on his 3A is not really as tight as his quad jumps. It really could become worrisome, as he fell on 3A in NHK Trophy's FS. Anyway, tonight is another wonderfully clean SP for Sota. He's on the streak! Hopefully he could keep this consistency to his FS as well.

I can't help but keep falling in love with Mihoko Higuchi's amazing talent in choreography. She really knows how to bring the best line and use of music to be skated by each athlete. And she doesn't impose her trademark on the choreography, unlike some other choreographers. She just let each athlete have their own moment and give them room to be themselves. And I do feel that Sota really has found his way on how to carry himself during the step sequence and other transitional lines. His skating is even more gorgeous now. However, I'm a bit bummed out that he hasn't been able to break the 100 barrier yet with scoring 94.86. But I guess it's a bit understandable seeing the 4S was not as good as in his 2 previous GP series. And so let us see where will he place in the FS. Can he stand on the podium? This will be very interesting.

Kao Miura (17 - JPN) Strong and confident start, but unfortunately had to go down on the combo jump. The 4S was done smoothly with a nice ice coverage and speed, but it was the 3T after that caused him a trouble. Though, I had to commend him for fighting so hard to save himself. So his 4S3T still become my highlight of his performance. He got back on track though, with 3A done quick and smooth. He also managed to land the 4T despite got slightly off axis in the air. Kao is so on fire tonight. The speed and attack in his skating is so crazy to look at.

Sadly his SP's 1st place streak had to end as he only got 87.07 tonight, putting him in 3rd. Though he -quite literally- didn't go down without a fight. I have so much to like about his SP program. The choreo, the speed, the step sequence, the spin, and the costume, they're aggressive and offensive. You shouldn't take your eyes away from him even for a milisecond. Truly a power to be reckoned with. Yet, I'm quite certain that he can still improve on the spins by adding some unique positions. Though maybe it's not really necessary since he already got all the spins on level 4 tonight. But since he said he looks up to Stephane, I do wish that he would put more effort in making unique spin positions like Steph did. Anyway, can't wait to see his Beauty and The Beast FS. Let's see if he'll be more of the beauty or more of the beast.

Shoma Uno (24- JPN) Finally, we get to the reigning world champion. And I'd say, even though it's still not his cleanest SP yet, it really grows on me. First of all, the 4F. Solid, no hesitation, incredible rotation speed, nice body position, and clean landing. IMO it is deserving the highest GOE of any solo jump tonight. Still, I think it would've been even better had he kept the landing position a little bit longer. And if maybe he can really do a toepick take-off, not the full blade assist? then I'm sure he can finally get bigger GOE. It's still visibly a 4F though. Next, the combo jump. Had to do 4T2T only, because the 4T landed a bit tight. Still, I think it's a better attempt than in his 2 previous GP series. And the last jumping pass, the 3A, smooth as a butter. Again, deserving the highest GOE for any Axel jumps tonight as well.

My next highlight of his performance tonight would be the twizzle. It's a chef kiss twizzle. Right on the music at that.

Though, I found it really weird that even with this display of twizzle, the body movement, and the speed control throughout the stsq, he only managed to get step sequence level 3, when I thought the StSq tonight was even better than the 2 previous GP series. It really is a wonder of why so many step sequence are not getting the level 4 tonight. Though, Shoma does get the highest GOE for the StSq with 1.37 points. Anyway, Shoma managed to secure the 1st place in SP with 99.99 points. Juuuust 0.01 point off from reaching 100. Is it underscored, or is it fair, I'm still uncertain. As I do see that some judges are quite generous in the PCS. Like J9 from UK who gave him a 10.00 in presentation. Seeing the margin from SkatingScores' judges tally spreads, Shoma got a pretty tall bar ranging from 95.61 points, given by the US judge, to 106.98, given by the UK judge, with the Japanese judge only gave him 96.21 points, second to lowest. So yes, I think it is debatable if the performance Shoma put out tonight is being scored fairly, or not. We'll see in the FS if Shoma can keep this placement and finally claim the GPF title in his 5th participation. That would be incredibly joyous if he could, as this is the same place Stephane got his second GPF title AND Olympic medal.

And last, but not least...

Ilia Malinin (18 - USA) Another SP fail for Ilia as all of his jumps didn't work out as well as he planned tonight. Stepped out on 4T3T. The 4S landed with a pretty good running edge, but was called out as q. And understandably so, seeing the wobble on the landing foot. And then another mistake on the 3A. Thus pushing judges to give plenty negative GOEs here and there.

Not sure if the pressure got to him or if he's really couldn't skate well due to an injury. But tonight he ended up with 80.10 points, putting him in 5th. I would say, it's an understandable but at the same time questionable score for this performance. Cause, well... he didn't fall. So, to have him ahead of Shun is a little understandable. However, the PCS is pretty questionable. Since I don't think Ilia has a better skating skill than Shun, but somehow they gave him the same score on that component, and even higher in composition. So yeah I'm a bit squinting my eyes on that part. Also, to have his StSq on level 4 while Shoma, Kao, and Sota were in level 3 is also questionable. Cause I don't think he has the same good controlled speed as Kao and Shoma, nor beautiful lines and quality edge control as Shoma and Sota. And although he had many elements like knee slide, kicks and fun jumps, those are not really a required elements for StSq that should grant him a level 4. So yeah, I can't help but feel that there's a bit of a scheme at play there. But anyway, pretty sure Ilia will do a lot of catching up in the FS with the 4A and 5 quads layout. Not sure if it would be good for him to push for that layout, if he really is injured. I mean, he's still so young. There would be more opportunities, as I hope this would not be his first and last GP Final attendance. So I do hope he'd think it through, and aim for longetivity, rather than burning himself out too quickly in his first GP.

In conclusion, the Free Skate will still going to be really tight because nobody broke 100 points barrier tonight. Will Shoma be able to skate clean and keep his placement to stand on top of the podium? Will Ilia be able to land 4A and catch up a lot of points and overtake Shoma? Who will stay on the podium between Sota and Kao? Can Shun deliver a redemption FS? And can Daniel give his best ever performance in front of home crowd? Well, let's look forward to the FS and hope for the best for all the skaters, shall we?

[32310305]

06.02. READINGS WEEK 3

LEAKED IMAGES FROM ABU GHRAIB.

WHAT IS THE FIRST REACTION THESE IMAGES PROVOKE?

CONTRACTED FACE MUSCLES. DISCONCERT. 

DESPITE THE CONTEXT BEHIND THE PICTURES, IT IS FAIR TO ASSUME THEY DO NOT CAUSE THE SAME REACTION AS AN IMAGE OF A DUCK.

THIS ACKNOWLEDGMENT PER SE IS ENOUGH TO MAKE IRRELEVANT THE CLAIMS OF FORMER PRIVATE LYNDDIE ENGLAND. 

4 YEARS AFTER BEING ACCUSED AS A WAR CRIMINAL OVER THE RIGHT IMAGE ABOVE, THAT SHOWS HER TORTURING PRISONERS IN IRAQ’S SITE ABU GHRAIB, ENGLAND BLAMES THE MEDIA. IN 2008 SHE TELLS, IN FACT, TO GERMAN’S NEWSPAPER “STERN” THAT IF THE PICTURES WOULDN’T BE SHARED, FOR SURE IRAQIS WOULD NOT REBEL AS MUCH AS THEY DID AND MANY SOLDIERS WOULD STILL BE ALIVE.

-BELOW IS AN EXTRACT FROM THE INTERVIEW-

EXTRACTS FROM LYNDDIE ENGLAND INTERVIEW, 2008

THIS RESPONSE STANDS ALONE IN SHOWING THE VALIDITY OF NICHOLAS MIRZOEFF’S ARGUMENT WHEN HE CLAIMS THAT THE PICTURES FROM ABU GHRAIB, THAT COULD HAVE REDUCED GOVERNMENT’S INFLUENCE ON THE PUBLIC, HAVE CAUSED THE EXACT OPPOSITE.

PRIVATE ENGLAND’S RESPONSES ARE HERE TO SHOW US HOW WAR’S PSYCHE CHANGES SOLDIERS' ATTITUDES, MAKING THEM DIRECT THEIR GAZE ONLY AT THE MOTHERLAND’S BENEFIT. 

IN THIS, ABU GHRAIB’S PICTURES, AS SUSAN SONTAG POINTS OUT, CEASE IN BEING CONCRETE ENTITIES. THEY TURN INTO MEANS TO COMMUNICATE THAT SAME "SOLDIER BROTHERHOOD'S RELATIONSHIP" THE CORPORAL TIMOTHY UPHAM WAS RESEARCHING IN SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.

THIS PHENOMENON OF WORSHIPPING THE MOTHERLAND, THAT EUROPE USED TO RECOGNIZE IN THE FAR UNITED STATES, IS RIGHT NOW MORE THAN EVIDENT IN EUROPE ITSELF.

SPECIFICALLY, WE MIGHT NOTICE A SIMILAR PATTERN BETWEEN THE 2003 EVENTS OF ABU GHRAIB AND THE 2020 ONES OF SANTA MARIA CAPUA VETERE’S PRISON, IN ITALY. 

JUST LAST YEAR, THE ITALIAN NEWSPAPER DOMANI PUBLISHED A VIDEO SHOWING POLICE HEALING PRISONERS' PROTESTS USING METHODS THAT, IF ON ONE HAND DO NOT RECALL THE REPUGNANT TORTURE PERPETRATED BY U.S. SOLDIERS, ON THE OTHER DO BLINK AN EYE TO AN HISTORICAL, ALL ITALIAN, FASCISM CORPORAL PUNISHMENTS.

AFTER THE VIDEO, AS FOR ITS U.S. COUNTERPART, AMONG THE COUNTRY HOMELAND' SAVIORS STARTED TO COME OUT. PECULIAR IS, IN THIS SENSE, TO COMPARE TWO FIGURES SUCH AS RADIO HOST RUSH LIMBAUGH, WHO CLAIMED HOW ABU GHRAIB’S ACTIONS WERE SIMILAR TO THE GREEK LETTERS ASSOCIATIONS' INITIATIONS RITES AND THEREFORE NOT WORTH OF SUCH ATTENTION, AND ANDREA DELMASTRO DELLE VEDOVE, NOW ITALY’S JUSTICE UNDERSECRETARY, WHO RIGHT AFTER SANTA MARIA CAPUA VETERE’S EVENTS CAME RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE PRISON IN DEFENSE OF THE "STATE’ SERVANTS IN UNIFORM", WHICH WE CAN SEE IN THIS VIDEO.

THESE TWO EVENTS, AND CORRESPONDING KEY FIGURES, ARE THE RESULTS OF A COMMON IDEOLOGY THAT SEES THE CENTRAL STATE POWER AS AN INDISPUTABLE WINNER OF A WAR THAT, INDEED, CAUSES VICTIMS.

BOTH SUSAN SONTAG AND NICHOLAS MIRZOEFF AGREE, IN FACT, IN THINKING THAT ABU GHRAIB PHOTOGRAPHS ARE ALSO THE EVIDENCE OF A SPECIFIC IDEA BEHIND THE PRISONERS. MEANING, TO THINK OF THEM AS CREATURES WITHOUT ANY RIGHTS.

BOTH SCHOLARS THEN IDENTIFY A SIMILAR HISTORICAL CONTEXT IN THOSE OF EARLY 20TH-CENTURY LYNCHINGS. IN THIS, MIRZOEFF REMAINS UNCERTAIN, SINCE THE IRAQ’S PICTURES WERE NOT MEANT FOR SUCH A WIDESPREAD PUBLIC AS LYNCHINGS PUBLIC EVENTS WERE.

HOWEVER, ONE CAN FIND A COMMON THREAD THAT UNIFIES THESE TWO, AND MORE, EVENTS IN THE IDEA OF USING THE INFERIOR TO COMMUNICATE A STATE OF POWER.

WE HAVE THEREFORE IRAQIS BEING TORTURED TO REPRESENT U.S. DOMINANCE. LYNCHINGS ON BLACK COMMUNITIES TO REPRESENT WHITE SUPREMACY. BUT WE HAVE ALSO POLITICIANS WHO BELIEVE THAT BLOCKING MIGRANTS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA, WITHOUT LETTING THEM LAND, HAS THE DIRECT CONSEQUENCE OF REDUCING THE DEATHS OF THOSE WHO TRY THE FEAT. THE IMAGE BELOW EXEMPLIFIES THIS.

-AT THE POPULAR ITALIAN TV SHOW "PORTA A PORTA", FORMER ITALIAN MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR MATTEO SALVINI SHOWS A POSTER THAT ADDRESSES HOW "SEA DEATHS" MIGHT HAVE DECREASED DURING HIS MANDATE. HE REFERS TO MIGRANTS DYING WHILE APPROACHING ITALIAN COSTS-

AND WE HAVE ALSO, IN THE LASTS DAYS, ITALY DEBATING OVER IF IT MIGHT BE RIGHT OR NOT TO STARE AT A PRISONER DYING OF HUNGER.

ANARCHIST PRISONER ALFREDO COSPITO IS RIGHT NOW, 6 FEBRUARY 2023, ON HIS 109TH DAY OF HUNGER STRIKE. COSPITO IS PROTESTING OVER HIS FORM OF DETENTION, WHICH WANTS HIM ISOLATED IN A SINGLE CELL WHERE HE GETS ACCESS ONLY TO HIS BED AND SERVICES. NO COMMUNICATION ALLOWED, DESPITE ONE HOUR OUTSIDE ONCE A WEEK AND A FAMILY MEETING ONCE A MONTH. NO BOOKS, NO PENS, NEITHER ANY FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT.

COSPITO IS A KEY FIGURE OF AN INSURRECTIONIST ITALIAN GROUP. HE KNEECAPPED A NUCLEAR INDUSTRY FIRM DIRECTOR AND PREPARED ANOTHER MAJOR BOMBING ATTACK, WHICH THEN FAILED. ITS STATE OF DETENTION, NAMELY “41 BIS", WAS GIVEN TO HIM SO TO CUT OFF HIM FROM ORCHESTRATING OTHER ATTACKS. 

DESPITE THE UNJUSTIFIABLE CONDUCT OF THE PRISONER, THE DOUBT COMES, AS TO WHAT MIGHT BE THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN A VIOLENT DEPLORABLE TORTURE OF OVERSEAS ENEMIES, AND A PSYCHOLOGICAL ONE, THAT REDUCES THE ENEMY IN PLAYING WITH MOSQUITOES, AS THIS VIDEO OF A FORMER 41BIS PRISONER SHOWS.

-ON THE LEFT, AN ABU GHRAIB IMAGE SHOWS "THE CHRISTMAS TREE", MEANING, A PRISONER BOUND WITH ELECTRICAL WIRE. ON THE LEFT, AN IMAGE OF ALFREDO COSPITO FROM HIS CELL-

[notevenmyrealtum-blr]

It's not fair.

[the0ther-side0f-dawn]

until you have had someone in your life who genuinely cares about you and treats you well, there is a high chance that you'll believe that the poor treatment you are recieving, is standard and could be considered caring, especially if that someone is working to convince you they are doing their best despite showing little regard for your comfort or wellbeing. don't settle for sub-par treatment. learn what respect is and expect it from everyone.

[cadetcama]

Is this comparison fair?

I ve seen some people compare Olivia Rodrigo to Amber Heard.

Depending on who you ask, ita either a positive comparison or a negative one.

One of the negatives is them using and harming a man to to further their own careers.

I feel like like that comparison is way out of line.

oh what a can of worms to send me, anon.

so as a brief disclaimer, I'm not keeping up with the trial or anything and am really only aware of what I've heard through existing.

That being said, I say no, it's not a fair comparison because Olivia is barely an adult. And like it’s not fair to compare the relationships of a 36 year old woman to a 19 year old.

Also we don’t know anything about what’s gone down in Olivia’s relationships (aside from some songs which isn’t exactly the most foolproof source) and there’s a big difference between a messy breakup and actual abuse. There's a difference between being young, hurt, and not the most rational, and seeking to do harm to another person.

[gladiates]

220 Beginning Latin Adjectives and Adverbs

I found a digital copy of a book called Latin Vocabulary for the First Two Years (which you can access here), and though it’s from 1918, Latin presumably hasn’t really changed so I figure it’s still a good resource for beginning Latin vocabulary. Here’s a list of all the adjectives and adverbs from the book with their definitions! (below the cut, since it’s long)

acer, acris, acre: sharp, keen

acriter: sharply, fiercely

aeger, -gra, -grum: sick

aequus, -a, -um: level, even, kust, fair

alacer, -cris,-cre: eager, brisk

alius, -a, -ud: another

alter, -era, -erum: the other (of two)

altus, -a, -um: high, deep

amicus, -a, -um: friendly

ample: fully

amplus, -a, -um: large, distinguished

angustus, -a, -um: narrow

antea: before

apertus, -a, -um: open

aridus, -a, -um: dry

audacter: boldly

audax, -acis: bold, daring

barbarus, -a, -um: foreign, barbarous

bene: well

bis: twice

bonus, -a, -um: good

brevis, -e: short

celer, -eris, -ere: swift

celeriter: swiftly, quickly

certe: certainly, at least

certus, -a, -um: fixed, certain

ceteri, -ae, -a (plural): the other, the rest of

citerior, -ius: on this side, nearer

clam: secretly

commodus, -a, -um: fitting, agreeable

communis, -e: common

complures, -a or -ia (plural): several, very many

confestim: promptly

cotidianus, -a, -um: daily

cotidie: daily

cunctus, -a, -um: all, whole

cupidus, -a, -um: desirous, eager

cur: why

defessus, -a, -um: tired

deinde: then, next

dexter, -tra, -trum: right (hand)

difficilis, -e: difficult

diligenter: with care

diu: long (time)

diversus, -a, -um: different, distant

dubius, -a, -um: doubtful

duplex, -licis: double

egregius, -a, -um: eminent, unusual

eo: thither, there

eodem: to the same place

equester, -tris, -tre: relating to cavalry

excelsus, -a, -um: lofty

exiguus, -a, -um: small

facile: easily

facilis, -e: easy

familiaris, -e: of the household, intimate

ferus, -a, -um: wild, fierce

finitimus, -a, -um: neighboring

fortis, -e: brave

fortiter: bravely

frumentarius, -a, -um: pertaining to grain

frustra: in vain

gratis: freely

gravis, -e: heavy, serious

graviter: heavily, seriously

hic: here

huc: hither

iam: by this time, already

iam pridem: long ago

ibi: there

idoneus, -a, -um: fit, suitable

immortalis, -e: immortal

imperitus, -a, -um: unskilled, inexperienced

improvisus, -a, -um: unexpected

incolumis, -e: unharmed, safe

inde: from there, thence

inferus, -a, -um: low

infirmus, -a, -um: weak

inimicus, -a, -um: hostile

iniquus, -a, -um: uneven, unfavorable, unjust

interim: meanwhile

is, ea, id: this, that

ita: so

itaque: and so

item: likewise

iustus, -a, -um: just

latus, -a, -um: wide

legionarius, -a, -um: legionary

levis, -e: light (in weight)

liber, -era, -erum: free

longe: far

longus, -a, -um: long

magnopere: greatly

magnus, -a, -um: large

maritimus, -a, -um: maritime, naval

medius, -a, -um: middle, middle of

meus, -a, -um: my, mine

militaris, -e: military

modo: only

multum: much

multus, -a, -um: much, many

ne... quidem: not even

necessarius, -a, -um: necessary, urgent

necesse (indeclinable): necessary

neque, nec: and not; nor

neque (nec)... neque (nec): neither... nor

nobilis, -e: noble, famous

noctu: at night

nocturnus, -a, -um: at night, nocturnal

non: not

nondum: not yet

nonnulli, -ae, -a (plural): some

noster, -tra, -trum: our

notus, -a, -um: known

novus, -a, -um: new

nullus, -a, -um: no

numquam: never

nunc: now

occultus, -a, -um: concealed

omnino: on the whole, at all, altogether

omnis, -e: every, all

onerarius, -a, -um: of burden

opportunus, -a, -um: suitable, advantageous

paene: almost

palam: openly

par, paris: equal

partim: partly

parum: little, too little

parvus, -a, -um: small

pauci, -ae, -a (plural): few

paulatim: little by little

paulo: a little (with comparative)

paulum: a little

pedester, -tris, -tre: relating to infantry

peritus, -a, -um: skilled, experienced

perpetuus, -a, -um: everlasting

plenus, -a, -um: full

plerique, -aeque, -aque (plural): the most, the majority

plerumque: for the most part

postea: afterwards

posterus, -a, -um: next, later

postridie: on the next day

potius: rather, sooner

praesens, -entis: present, in person

praesertim: especially

praeterea: besides

pridie: on the day before

primo: at first

primum: first

primus, -a, -um: first

prior, -ius: earlier, first

pristinus, -a, -um: former, old

privatus, -a, -um: private

procul: at a distance

propinquus, -a, -um: near

propterea: for this reason

publicus, -a, -um: belonging to the state, official, public

pulcher, -chra, -chrum: beautiful

qua: where

quantus, -a, -um: how great

quo: whither

quoque: also

rarus, -a, -um: wide apart, scattered

recens, -entis: fresh, new, recent

regius, -a, -um: royal

reliquus, -a, -um: the rest, remaining, remainder of

repente: suddenly

repentinus, -a, -um: sudden

rursus: again

sacer, -cra, -crum: sacred

saepe: often

satis: enough, quite

secundus, -a, -um: second; favorable

semper: always

sic: thus, so

sicut, sicuti: just as, as if

similis, -e: like

simul: at the same time

singularis, -e: single, unusual

singuli, -ae, -a (plural): one each, one at a time

sinister, -tra, -trum: left (hand)

solum: only

solus, -a, -um: alone, only

statim: at once

subito: suddenly

superus, -a, -um: high

suus, -a, -um: his/her/its/their own

talis, -e: such

tam: so

tamen: nevertheless

tantus, -a, -um: so great

tardus, -a, -um: slow, late

timidus, -a, -um: fearful

tot (indeclinable): so many

totus, -a, -um: all, whole of

triplex, -licis: threefold

tum: then

turpis, -e: disgraceful

tutus, -a, -um: safe

tuus, -a, -um: your

ubi: where, when

ullus, -a, -um: any

ultro: voluntarily

una: together, in company

unde: whence

undique: from all sides, on all sides

universus, -a, -um: altogether, all

unus, -a, -um: one

usque: even till, even to

uterque, -traque, -trumque: both, each

utilis, -e: useful

vacuus, -a, -um: vacant, destitute of

vehementer: violently

vero: in truth, but

verus, -a, -u: true

vester, -tra, -trum: your

vetus, -teris: old

vetustus, -a, -um: old

vivus, -a, -um: alive

vix: scarcely

[martinussenupdatesonairways6]

7 conseils d'initiés pour réserver des vols pas chers en Asie

Les vacances de fin d'année approchent à grands pas; peut-être que vous devriez vous échapper quelque part. Quelques clics sur Google et toutes les recherches renvoient des voyages qui font sauter la banque. Peut-être êtes-vous destiné à passer vos vacances à Singapour et souffrez de la misère de tous les autres partageant leurs photos de vacances sur Facebook / Instagram / Snapchat, etc. Avec le recul, vous auriez peut-être dû planifier votre voyage beaucoup plus tôt, ou y a-t-il un espoir? ? Avec la hausse des coûts, les gestionnaires des compagnies aériennes ont du mal à réaliser des bénéfices à leurs parties prenantes. Parallèlement à une concurrence accrue dans la région, les compagnies aériennes fixent également leurs tarifs de manière agressive. Ne vous attendez donc pas à des tarifs très bas, mais évitez en même temps d’être le fou qui a payé le prix le plus élevé pour votre vol. Je travaille dans l’industrie du transport aérien depuis quelques années et j'ai appris quelques trucs que je vais partager aujourd'hui. Voici quelques conseils pour obtenir des vols aériens bon marché au départ de Singapour (ou à peu près partout ailleurs). 1. Achetez des billets d'avion au moins 8 semaines à l'avance Si ce n’est qu’une impulsion du moment, vous serez toujours en mesure de profiter de tarifs assez attractifs dans environ 8 semaines. Si vous prévoyez de partir pendant une période d'accalmie (avant et pendant les périodes d'examens scolaires en est un bon exemple; les examens de Singapour ont lieu vers avril / mai et septembre / octobre), attendez les promotions des compagnies aériennes - elles arriveront bientôt . Les avions sont rarement remplis à leur capacité maximale pendant ces périodes et les compagnies aériennes sont désireuses d'attirer plus de sièges en proposant des promotions tarifaires bon marché, vous pouvez donc être sûr d'obtenir une bonne affaire. Prouvant encore la règle des 8 semaines, l'économiste Makoto Watanabe a même créé une formule statistique qui calcule le meilleur moment moyen pour acheter un billet: 8 semaines avant votre vol. Pour les destinations asiatiques les plus populaires comme Bangkok, Taipei et Hong Kong, cependant, pendant les périodes de pointe des longs week-ends et des vacances scolaires, vous souhaiterez effectuer votre réservation au moins 12 semaines à l'avance pour obtenir le meilleur tarif. Donc, si vous prévoyez de vous rendre dans l'un de ces endroits pendant les vacances de fin d'année, soyez prêt à faire des folies. Attendez de voir les tarifs des chambres d'hôtel! 2. Soyez flexible avec vos dates de vol La clé pour obtenir des vols bon marché est d'être flexible avec vos dates et heures de voyage. La différence de voyager un jour (ou même quelques heures) plus tôt ou plus tard peut signifier d'énormes économies sur votre tirelire. Le jour de la semaine compte aussi. Dans une semaine moyenne, les mardis, mercredis et samedis ont tendance à être les jours de vol les moins chers, tandis que les horaires de vol en milieu de journée comme 14 h à 18 h seront également moins chers. Habituellement, une combinaison de jours de semaine et de hors-horaire donnera le tarif le moins cher. La plupart des sites de réservation des compagnies aériennes affichent une gamme d'horaires, alors planifiez votre journée en fonction des tarifs plutôt que l'inverse. Gardez à l'esprit que le moment le plus propice pour voyager pour vous est probablement le même pour les 179 autres passagers de l'avion (un Airbus A320 peut accueillir 180 passagers). La plupart des gens apprécient le fait qu'ils peuvent s'évader pendant un week-end sans utiliser un seul jour de leur allocation de congé annuel. Ne vous attendez donc pas à ce que la compagnie aérienne propose des billets d'avion bon marché pour les vols pendant les longs week-ends. 3. Achetez des billets sur le site Web de la compagnie aérienne Admet le. Vous venez de taper "Vols pas chers pour Tombouctou" dans Google. La recherche en ligne de vols bon marché est un art. Il y a des détectives / gourous autour qui peignent régulièrement le net pour des billets d'avion bon marché après le travail et c'est un passe-temps pour eux! Les moteurs de recherche de billets d'avion sont géniaux, mais certains de ces sites sont incités par leurs partenaires aériens à proposer des tarifs qui ne sont pas nécessairement les moins chers. Voici quelques moteurs de recherche de billets d'avion qui peuvent encore être très utiles: * Skyscanner - Moteur de recherche de billets d'avion assez décent, mais il manque de temps en temps les tarifs exclusifs de la compagnie aérienne. * Logiciel ITA de Google - Ne présente pas les tarifs des transporteurs à bas prix et ne vous indique pas la source du tarif. Néanmoins, c'est toujours un incontournable populaire pour les idées fréquentes (comme recommandé par les gourous du vol). Utilisez également le site Web de la compagnie aérienne lors de la recherche de tarifs aériens. Très souvent, vous y trouverez des tarifs exclusifs qui ne sont pas partagés avec ces moteurs de recherche de voyages. Une autre astuce consiste à comparer les tarifs pour un et deux passagers, certaines compagnies aériennes proposent des tarifs spéciaux pour une paire de voyageurs. Si possible, évitez les agences de voyages traditionnelles. Ils vous facilitent sans aucun doute la vie lors de la planification d'itinéraires de voyage complexes, mais cela n'est pas bon marché. Les compagnies aériennes proposent généralement des billets d'avion bon marché aux agences de voyages au détail, mais les agences de voyages répercutent rarement les économies de coûts sur le consommateur. 4. Ne prenez pas un itinéraire direct vers votre destination Bien sûr, votre destination compte également et les destinations populaires ne seront jamais bon marché pendant les périodes de pointe. Si tout le monde se dirige vers Hong Kong pendant les vacances de fin d'année, le bon sens vous dira que les vols vont être plus chers que d'habitude. Un exemple est peut-être de voler à Shenzhen à la place, puis d'utiliser le ferry / bus pour continuer vers Hong Kong. Un voyage un peu plus long, mais il sera certainement convivial pour le portefeuille. Bien que l’itinéraire direct soit le plus rapide, ce n’est pas nécessairement le moins cher. L'acheminement de votre voyage via la plaque tournante d'une autre compagnie aérienne pour un transport en commun peut en retirer quelques centaines de votre facture de carte de crédit. J'ai fourni un exemple de première main ci-dessous en voyageant de Singapour (SIN) à Los Angeles (LAX). Il est de 1135 S $ via le hub de Malaysia Airlines, mais exploité par ses partenaires comme Silkair et Japan Airlines (2 escales) contre 1 725 S $ sur Singapore Airlines (1 escale). Cela représente près de 600 dollars singapouriens. 5. Comparez les compagnies aériennes et leur classe de siège Évidemment, différentes compagnies aériennes auront des tarifs différents, mais il pourrait être plus intéressant pour certaines personnes de voyager en classe affaires dans une compagnie aérienne plus décontractée que dans une compagnie aérienne plus prestigieuse. Il n'y a pas de mal à rechercher des billets d'avion en classe affaires - Vous serez surpris de trouver également des joyaux. Par exemple, Singapour (SIN) à Francfort (FRA) via Delhi (DEL) sur la classe affaires d’Air India coûte 1 850 dollars singapouriens. Un vol direct sur Singapore Airlines en classe économique vous coûtera environ 2200 S $. Lequel choisirais-tu? De plus, il n’est pas surprenant que les billets de Malaysia Airline soient très bon marché en raison de toutes les calamités qu’ils ont traversées. Certains de leurs billets sont aussi bon marché que les billets d'avion bon marché et valent vraiment la peine d'être achetés. Vous obtenez également beaucoup d'espace dans la cabine! Vous avez probablement peur de vous écraser (à nouveau), mais si vous le regardez de manière statistique et rationnelle, même avec les deux incidents de 2014, il est toujours historiquement moins susceptible de s'écraser dans un avion MH que lorsque vous conduisez votre voiture. 6. Suivez les médias sociaux et inscrivez-vous aux listes de diffusion Il n'y a rien de mal à «aimer» les compagnies aériennes sur Facebook ou à «suivre» les compagnies aériennes sur Twitter. Les compagnies aériennes proposent parfois des billets d'avion exclusifs à leurs fidèles fans via des sites de réseaux sociaux. Aimez et suivez autant de compagnies aériennes que possible pour vous assurer de ne rien manquer. Les promotions Flash sont également fréquemment envoyées par e-mail. N'oubliez donc pas de vous inscrire aux listes de diffusion de différentes compagnies aériennes pour ne jamais manquer une bonne affaire de voyage. Les compagnies aériennes Scoot, par exemple, ont des mardis Morning Glory, Tigerair a des jeudis flash tandis que Jetstar propose des promotions Friday Frenzy pour des vols vraiment bon marché. 7. Effacez le cache de votre navigateur et les cookies Il y a plusieurs raisons pour lesquelles vous souhaiterez vider le cache de votre navigateur et effacer les cookies entre les recherches à quelques jours d'intervalle. Premièrement, vos anciennes données de cache afficheront parfois des prix obsolètes d'une époque antérieure et vous pourriez manquer de nouvelles offres de compagnies aériennes. En effet, les données du cache chargent les anciennes informations au lieu de télécharger à nouveau de nouvelles données afin de fonctionner plus rapidement lors de la navigation. Quelques sites de réservation de compagnies aériennes et sites de voyage suivent également le nombre de fois que vous avez visité leur site Web via votre cache / cookies, et augmentent parfois automatiquement leurs prix un peu pour vous précipiter dans l'achat d'impulsion. Lorsqu'un client voit les prix augmenter, il aura naturellement tendance à paniquer et à acheter simplement le billet; une stratégie de vente en ligne populaire. Effacez le cache de votre navigateur Internet et les cookies à chaque nouvelle recherche afin que les sites des compagnies aériennes vous détectent en tant que visiteur pour la première fois et offrent le tarif le moins cher au cours de la période.

[roundworldimmigrations-blog]

Get Job Offer In Canada From India 2019

Canada is a beautiful country to live and work in. Offering huge benefits to the new migrants and the PR holders, it gains additional brownie points for these offerings and ranks on top for being the choicest international destination for immigration. For Indians wishing to relocate, getting a job offer from Canada is their biggest dream comes true.

As you must be aware of the recent positive developments in the bilateral ties between India and Canada, this is surely the best time to plan your relocation to Canada. Owing to free healthcare, free education, improved state of the public service sector, and better salaries, there is no denying the fact that Canada is a better choice than India for those aiming at exponential personal and professional growth. Looking at these favourable conditions, Canada has over time become the most sought-after destination for Indians.

Canada, just like India, has a diverse and strong work culture. Indians do not find it any difficult to adjust and instead have a great time working with the Canadian employers. The professionalism in Canada is also more or less on the same lines as in India but Canada surely offers better salaries for the same skill set and work experience. Also facilitating the migration of the family, Canada has made it easier for Indians to plan and execute their aspirations of Immigrating to Canada for a better lifestyle.

Permanent Residency for Job Offer in Canada

As Canada treats all its Permanent Residents (Canadian PR holders) as its own citizens, working in Canada with a PR status is a more attractive deal than working in Canada on a work visa. The Canadian PR is the like the Green Card of America, not simple to apply and receive one but surely worth the time and effort spent in the application process due to innumerable benefits and perks.

Though there is less paperwork and quicker processing times for a work visa than that for permanent residency, opting for permanent residency is a beneficial decision for the long run. As PR is granted only after thorough analysis of the candidate’s profile and verification of his/her documents, a Canadian employer prefers a candidate with PR as his/her data is sure to have been pre-verified by the Canadian government. The PR also acts as a proof of the candidate’s skill set and a validation of his/her physical and mental health.

How to Apply for Canadian PR?

Express Entry Program

Of all the available methods of application, the Express Entry Program is highly advisable for any candidate as it is a points-based system and has comparatively low processing time. Each candidate fills the online application and is given a score called the CRS score based on his/her profile that includes age, educational qualification, work experience, language proficiency, and a few other factors.

The candidates with the highest CRS score are then shortlisted to form the Express Entry Pool. For an applicant of the Federal Skilled Workers Program, it is mandatory to have a minimum CRS score of 67 points to be shortlisted. The candidates in the pool are then sent the invitation to apply (ITA) for Canadian PR.

The Express Entry Program is a very fair selection process as all candidates are given scores on the basis of their profile only. Only the most deserving candidates are given a chance to apply for emigration and Canadian Permanent Residency.

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)

Canada comprises of a large number of provinces and each province has its own set of requirements in terms of the candidate’s skill set, job experience, and language proficiency. A certain skill set may be in high demand in one province and may have less significance in some other province.

An applicant can browse the requirements of each Canadian province and see if his/her profile is suitable for a vacancy in any province. If the candidate seems to have an appropriate profile for a vacancy in a province, he/she can apply to that particular provinces’ Provincial Nominee Program. If the candidate gets selected by the province, he/she earns 600 additional points for his Express Entry profile which is sure to get him shortlisted for the Express Entry pool.

The only condition for most PNP programs is that the candidate must be able to showcase his/her interest in residing and working in the same province after successfully migrating to Canada.

Quebec Skilled Workers Program (QSWP)

The Quebec province of Canada has a separate program called QSWP for skilled candidates who are willing to economically establish themselves in the Quebec province. To apply to this program, a candidate must apply online for QSWP, also called the Regular Skilled Worker Program.

Once the candidate completes the application process for QSWP and gets selected, he/she is offered the Quebec Selection Certificate. With reference to this certificate, the candidate can then apply for Permanent Residency with the Canadian federal government.

It is not necessary for a candidate to have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer before applying for permanent residency, but if the candidate has one, he/she can earn additional points on the basis of job in his/her Express Entry profile.

Apply for a job in Canada from India

Express Entry Program

Independent of your academic qualification and/or work experience, we would suggest you to apply for PR via the Express Entry Program as it is the most reliable method for getting your desired job in Canada while you are still in India.

Searching for a job from the Express Entry Pool is a hassle-free and quick process. There is a huge database of Canadian employers who are looking for international skilled workers to fill up the available vacancies in their companies. The applicants can easily conduct a job search and access Canada’s top employers.

If a candidate is selected by an employer, the employer submits an application to the immigration department in the candidate’s favour and confirming his employment in the firm. This will have a positive effect on the candidate’s profile and fast-track his application processing.

This is the ideal application process for professionals with huge work experience as they have a high probability of being quickly hired by the employers registered in the Express Entry portal.

International Transfer By The Company

If you are employed with an international company in India that also has an office in Canada, you hold a chance of getting an international transfer to the company’s Canada office. Though the probability of your transfer depends majorly on your skill set, experience, performance, and the project requirements in the company’s Canada office, you still can try and succeed by making stringent efforts.

This may not be the most reliable option but if you succeed in doing so, you may be able to apply and get the Canadian PR after 1 to 2 years of continued work experience in Canada. This is the most feasible option for professionals working in international firms who are willing to continue working in the same firm for an extended period of time after migrating to Canada.

Apply For Job Through International Online Job Portals

In this digital era, there are many online job portals with international job offers from across the World. These can be used by candidates to search for relevant jobs in Canada and contact the employers with their resume and profile details.

There are only small to medium size enterprises registered on these job portals, the big enterprises generally do not search for candidates via such job portals. These are suitable for candidates with less work experience who are looking for a short term job opportunity and plan to switch job after moving to Canada.

An immigrant must be aware of the fact that a Canadian employer can offer a vacant position to him/her, if and only there is no Canadian citizen or Canadian PR holder suitable for that particular job role. It is only after the employer has exhausted all possibilities of choosing a local resident for the post, is he legally allowed to choose a foreign national for that vacancy.

After discussing all the details above, we would like to acknowledge the fact that looking for a job in Canada while you are still in India is a tedious task. It may sound easy but takes a lot of time and effort without the guarantee of success!

There are huge opportunities for Nurses, Dentists, CA, Engineers, Lawyers, Doctors, Teachers, Architects, and Web Developers too. The best way to look for a job in Canada is to get in touch with professionals who have years of experience in the emigration industry and can assure you of positive results.

Look no further as we at Round World Immigration are here to sort everything for you. Our professionals have in-depth knowledge of the available job opportunities, employment status, and the application process. We help you make efficient job search based on your credentials and delivery fruitful results. Having numerous happy clients in our kitty, we are your trustworthy partners for your immigration journey to Canada!

For more information or Query you can visit our official website Round World Immigration Pvt. Ltd. Or you can call us at +91–9870199850 as well as you can email us your queries at info@roundworldimmigration.com.

[valuentumbrian]

Boeing’s Financials Are Absolutely Frightening

By Brian Nelson, CFA

On November 18, 2020, Boeing (BA) announced that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) withdrew its order that had grounded its 737-8s and 737-9s (737 MAX) that had been involved in two terrible accidents during the past few years, a Lion Air flight that killed 189 people and an Ethiopian Airlines jet crash that claimed the lives of 157 more. We’ll never forget these tragedies and the impact on the families and the aviation industry, more generally.  

In January 2017, we had added Boeing to the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, but we had removed it March 16, 2018, prior to the unfortunate and high-profile accidents that occurred several months after. During the short time it was in the newsletter portfolio, the stock roughly doubled, producing a return 5 times that of the S&P 500’s performance. Here was the rationale for the removal at the time (bear in mind that this was before the terrible tragedies that occurred months later):

The primary reasons for the removal rest in a combination of Boeing’s value and technical/momentum considerations. Shares have soared to the high end of our fair value range, and now technically, they have started to roll over as investors, fair or not, worry about retaliation with respect to coming tariffs. We’re huge fans of Boeing on a fundamental basis, but a great company a great stock doesn’t always make.

Fast forward to January 23, 2020--a month or so before the COVID-19 market collapse--when Boeing’s shares were trading at ~$320 per share, I penned a piece in frustration: “Why *NOW* Do You Care About Boeing’s Stock?” I said in that January 23, 2020 note in no uncertain terms: “In no, way shape or form should you *now* be interested in Boeing’s stock.” There was some more harsh writing in the note, and I wish I could have said it nicer – but at times, I just want our members to get a feel for exactly what we think about a stock. There’s always room for improvement in my tone.

But please let me put it nicely now: I really didn’t like Boeing’s shares at $320 in January 2020, especially since we had removed them from the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio for a huge win just a number of months prior. Now with the benefit of hindsight, I hope you can forgive me for that emphatic and colorful note (in analyst speak, we call that type of writing “pounding the table”). Boeing’s shares had fallen from ~$320 that day in January 2020, to a 52-week low of $89 per share in mid-March.

But that was then, and this is now. Shares of Boeing have finally bounced back, converging to our fair value estimate of $200 that we established near the depths of the COVID-19 meltdown. The company’s shares had rallied back to those levels in June of this year, and now they have settled again at our fair value estimate after technically basing for a number of months. We’re viewing this share price move, in particular, positively, but Boeing still has a long way to go to meet the fundamental/financial criteria we’re looking for to be reconsidered in any newsletter portfolio.

The reality is that Boeing’s financials are still pretty scary. During the first nine months of 2020, the company burned through an incredible $15.4 billion in free cash flow, even as it cut capital spending by a few hundred million. As of the end of the third quarter of 2020, its total consolidated debt now stands at $61 billion, with total cash and marketable securities of $27.1 billion. This compares to total consolidated debt of $24.7 billion and total cash and marketable securities of $10.9 billion, as of the end of the third quarter of 2019.

The grounding of the 737 MAX and the outbreak of COVID-19 have combined to be an absolute wrecking ball to Boeing’s financials, and it may take a very, very long time before things start looking better on the books. S&P, Moody’s and Fitch still give the company investment-grade credit ratings (BBB-/Baa2/BBB-), but we’re not sure the aerospace giant deserves them. Here’s what Fitch noted October 2020: “…many of the company's quantitative rating factors will be inconsistent with the 'BBB' category for three years (2019-2021) and into 2022.” It’s probably fair to say that Boeing’s corporate debt should be rated junk, but that would cause some severe reverberations in the credit markets, in our view.

It's worth sharing Fitch's views on expectations for airline traffic in coming years:

Fitch's base case for airline passenger traffic (domestic and international) assumes revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) will not recover to 2019 levels before FYE23 and at FYE21 will still be 30% below 2019 levels. Underlying this forecast is the assumption that an effective vaccine/treatment is available, but not at scale, through 2021, and there will be a continued collapse in travel until there is widespread vaccine/treatment availability.

Our base case assumes domestic traffic recovers to 2019 levels around the middle of 2023, while international traffic returns to 2019 levels after 2023, perhaps the summer of 2024. Available information so far supports this assumption of domestic recovering first, including the data coming out of the important Chinese domestic market. We expect capacity will recover before RPKs, and we believe load factors will remain lower than the record levels seen in 2019 (source).

Here is what the International Air Transport Association (IATA) had to say about the 5-year outlook for air passenger demand (July 2020):

…we have revised down our passenger forecast over the next five-year period. In our new forecasts, we expect RPKs to decline by a little more than 60% in 2020 compared to 2019, with a return to pre -COVID levels not occurring before 2024. Many uncertainties remain around the outlook and in this update we have investigated various possible future scenarios. The main point is that the risks around our latest forecast remain clearly tilted to the downside...The upside could see travel demand return to 2019 levels in 2023, while the downside could be much more severe (source).

The airlines are certainly not over the hump, by any stretch, and we think the credit rating agencies are probably giving Boeing the benefit of the doubt that it will start raking in material free cash flow in 2022 due to pent-up demand and accelerated deliveries (an optimistic, but still an assumption with reasonable basis). However, as we’ve learned time and time again, supply chain issues can pose problems, and lower airline traffic will almost certainly impact its services operations.

In the longer run, new aircraft are extremely expensive to build and come with substantial “unknown” risks (e.g. think 787 delays, the recent 737 MAX incidents), and key rival Airbus (EADSY) is not backing down either, with competition only intensifying as the duo vie for orders during these troubled times (Boeing hasn’t had a new aircraft order since August). It's only a matter of time before China and Russia will be key players in the aircraft-making industry, too. Boeing has no margin of error left; should it be hit with another negative exogenous event in the near term, things could get really, really ugly for shares.

When it comes to our favorite ideas, we continue to prefer net-cash-rich, free cash flow generating powerhouses with strong competitive advantages that facilitate recurring revenue business models that can take advantage of secular tailwinds (see the concentrated nature of the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio). With Boeing’s dividend suspended, too, there’s simply no place in any of our newsletter portfolios for this troubled airframe maker, despite a hugely attractive backlog of unfulfilled deliveries ($393 billion, ~4,300 commercial airplanes). The company falls within what we'd describe as the “too hard bucket,” in our view. One day--many years from now--the aerospace giant’s financials may return to some “normalcy,” but until then, Boeing is likely dead money with a severely-bloated balance sheet walking on thin ice.

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Related aerospace: ITA, PPA, XAR, SPR, TGI, HXL, HWM, HEI, TDG, RX, DCO, BAESY, EADSF, SAFRY, CAE, BDRAF, BDRBF, ITT, ATRO, CSTM, DCO, MOG.A, WWD, KAMN, HON, TXT, AVAV, LHX, AIR, ERJ, RYCEF, RYCEY

Related airlines: JETS, ALK, LUV, AAL, ACDVF, DAL, UAL, HA, SAVE, GOL, CPA, RYAAY, AZUL, ICAGY, EJTTF, DLAKF, DLAKY, AFRAF, DRTGF, WZZAF, AERZY, FNNNF, NWARF, AIBEF, QUBSF, ESYJY, LTM, SKYW, MESA, ANZFF, CEA, ZNH, AIRYY, ALGT, KLMR, JAPSY

Related lessors: AL, AER, GE  

Related travel stocks: TCOM, TRVG, BKNG, EXPE, TRIP, TZOO, CTRP, DESP

Related air freight: UPS, FDX

Related country ETFs: FXI, MCHI, RSX

Valuentum members have access to our 16-page stock reports, Valuentum Buying Index ratings, Dividend Cushion ratios, fair value estimates and ranges, dividend reports and more. Not a member? Subscribe today. The first 14 days are free.

Brian Nelson owns shares in SPY, SCHG, DIA, VOT, and QQQ. Some of the other securities written about in this article may be included in Valuentum's simulated newsletter portfolios. Contact Valuentum for more information about its editorial policies.

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The High Yield Dividend Newsletter, Best Ideas Newsletter, Dividend Growth Newsletter, Valuentum Exclusive publication, and any reports and content found on this website are for information purposes only and should not be considered a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Valuentum is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for results obtained from the use of its newsletters, reports, commentary, or publications and accepts no liability for how readers may choose to utilize the content. Valuentum is not a money manager, is not a registered investment advisor, and does not offer brokerage or investment banking services. The sources of the data used on this website and reports are believed by Valuentum to be reliable, but the data’s accuracy, completeness or interpretation cannot be guaranteed. Valuentum, its employees, independent contractors and affiliates may have long, short or derivative positions in the securities mentioned on this website. The High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio, Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio are not real money portfolios. Performance, including that in the Valuentum Exclusive publication, is hypothetical and does not represent actual trading. Actual results may differ from simulated information, results, or performance being presented. For more information about Valuentum and the products and services it offers, please contact us at info@valuentum.com.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

THE OTHER HALF OF N THINGS

It didn't matter what type. Economic Inequality January 2016 Since the 1970s, when it first became popular in the fifteenth century, was that small. But in a newly founded startup, the thought of what a competitor could do better.1 White. Conveniently, as I explain later. Those are interesting questions. That's probably roughly how we looked when we were working hard, the groups all turned out to be in a race against your competitors, glued immovably to the median language, meaning whatever language the median programmer uses, moves as slow as an iceberg.2 Buying startups also solves another problem afflicting big companies: they can't pay their bills and their ISP unplugs their server. If you want to optimize is your chance of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.3

Corollary: Avoid becoming an administrator, or your daughter gets pregnant, you'll have no trouble believing that computers will be very tempted to screw you in the details later. Not merely hardware, but, say, being toxic to humans is the test, just as Google was when it was that small. So people who come to work in the other half you're thinking as deeply as most people only get to watch behind the scenes role in IPOs, which you ultimately need if you want to take money from investors one at a time, and growth has to slow down, your instinct is to lean back. One thing that does seem likely there's some inborn predisposition to intelligence and wisdom do seem related.4 I smelled a major rat. Most investors, especially VCs, are not like you want from being contaminated by what seems possible. When we started Artix, I was rarely bored. It is for all ambitious adults. Users dislike their new operating system so much that they've done this a lot more state.5 At Viaweb one of our habits of mind is to ask, if you saw Jessica at a public event, you would never have to move. I can answer that.

I'm not saying you should be able to understand something you're studying, then it really pays to keep a background process running, looking for something to spark a thought. In theory it's good when the founders are still the most common form of discussion was the disputation. Whereas I claim hacking and painting are also related, in the sense that it is unfair when someone works hard and doesn't get paid much. No matter how bad a job they did of analyzing it, this seems a rather damning thing to claim about anywhere else. Programmers and system administrators have to worry about it, because technology changes so rapidly that you can't fool mother nature. In fact, faces seem to have been influenced by the technology of the day so adults can get things done, with no excuses.6 Investors are often compared to sheep.7

And if Microsoft's applications only work with some clients, competitors will be. ___ How much would it cost to grow a user base. What have other people learned about design? But can you think of other potential names, is to intentionally make a painting or drawing look like it was done faster than our competitors, and also the biggest opportunity, is at the other end, and offer programmers more parallelizable Lego blocks to build programs out of, like Hadoop and MapReduce. But if you just follow your own inclinations.8 Promising new startups are often involved in disreputable things.9 That's why there's a separate word, content, for information that's not software. To be fair, Perl also retains this distinction, but deals with it in typical Perl fashion by letting you omit returns.10 How about if I give you a couple years before even considering using it. Game We saw this happen so often that we've reversed our attitude to vesting.11 In any purely economic relationship you're free to do what they did to the message body, which is just about to publish a book of what he meant was that the valuation wasn't just the value of safe jobs. Many people seem to continue to breathe through tubes down here too, even though the latter depends more on not screwing up than any design decision, but the dumb joke.

But being lucky is the critical ingredient. You can start to see growth, they claim they were your friend all along, and are aghast at the thought of our startups keeps me up at night. Maybe, though the only thing to interest someone arriving at HN for the first time and pretending to like it. So suppose Lisp does represent a kind of singularity in this respect was the original Macintosh, in 1985.12 Actually, I've noticed this too.13 After Mr. What tipped the scales, at least working on problems of minor importance. This will take some effort to teach you that.14 Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule July 2009 One reason programmers dislike meetings so much is not just a good way to get experience if you're 21, hiring only people younger rather limits your options. Viaweb ended up crushing all its competitors. A good example is the airline fare search program that ITA Software licenses to Orbitz.

And why is it hard to make their mark on the world. It's like seeing the other interpretation of an ambiguous picture. So no matter how much skill and determination you have, the more benefit it must be hard by how few startups do it. Only a handful actually do, but what investors are thinking. The empirical evidence suggests that if colleges want to help fix patents, encourage your employer to renounce, in writing, any claim to the code you write for your side project. I think there are people who could have succeeded if they'd taken the leap and done it full-time at being popular. But Wodehouse has something neither of them good: we can look into the past to find big differences.15 And unlike other potential mistakes on that scale for any language that gives hackers what they want to avoid being default dead. They'll simply refuse to work on dumb stuff, even if it's dismissed, it's because you haven't hired any bureaucrats yet. For example, willfulness clearly has two subcomponents, stubbornness and energy.

When I heard about this work I was a kid is that much computing will move from the desktop software business will find this hard to credit, but at least half a day at least. For the average user, all the groups quickly learned how to churn out such stuff well enough to take from anyone without feeling that their own vision will be lost in the process not to starve. Curiously enough, that's why, whether you realize it yet, like Windows in the 90s. That's just a theory.16 The answer, I realized it wasn't luck. Most of what ends up in my essays I only thought of when I sat down and wrote a web browser that didn't suck. This has traditionally been a problem in venture funding.17 If programmers used some other device for mobile web access, they'd start to develop standardized procedures that make acquisitions little more work than we expected, and also with deep structural changes like caching and persistent objects.18 Symbols are effectively pointers to strings stored in a hash table.

Notes

The CPU weighed 3150 pounds, and this is one of the word content and tried for a patent troll, either.

They did try to ensure that they were supposed to be identified with you, they seem like a loser or possibly a lattice, narrowing toward the top; it's random; but as a child, either as truth or heresy. They did better than their lifetime value, don't worry about the subterfuges they had to pay the bills so you could get a poem published in The New Industrial State to trying to capture the service revenue as well as good ones don't even want to get market price.

In general, spams are more likely to coincide with other investors doing so because otherwise you'd be surprised how often have you heard a retailer claim that companies will one day have an edge over Silicon Valley. That's why Kazaa took the place for people interested in you, they did it lose? Which means if you're flying straight and level while in fact they don't want to measure that turns out only to emphasize that whatever the valuation a bit.

Which is fundraising. Programming in Common Lisp for, believe it or not. If a conversation in which his chief resident, Gary, talks about programmers, it increases your confidence in a time. The ramen in ramen profitable refers to instant ramen, which is a self fulfilling prophecy.

See particularly the mail by Anton van Straaten on semantic compression. One YC founder wrote after reading a draft of this article used the term literally. A lot of people are these days. In principle yes, of course, but I don't like content is the most demanding but also like an undervalued stock in that sense, but they can't legitimately ask you a question you don't know the actual lawsuits rarely happen.

One of the world barely affects me. One measure of that investment; in biotech things are different. It would be more precise, and when given the Earldom of Rutland.

There are aspects of the next downtick it will seem like noise. I do, I'll have people nagging me for features. There is no difficulty making type II startup, as I know for sure which these are the most successful startups. Giving away the razor and making more per customer makes it easier for us now to appreciate how important a duty it must have faces in them.

This flattering distinction seems so natural to expand into new markets. I'm not saying you should be your compass. I think you should prevent your investors from helping you to agree. What you learn in college.

But the money. At three months we can't figure out what the editors will have to do that. Maybe it would take forever to raise more money. Steven Hauser.

That's the difference between us and the fucking fleas. Rice and beans are a hundred years ago it would have become good friends. They bear no blame for opinions not expressed in it. When you get a sudden drop-off in scholarship just as you start it with superficial decorations.

I find I never get as deeply into subjects as I know of at least one beneficial feature: it has to be recognized as an experiment she sent their recruiters the resumes of the venture business barely existed when they decide on the side of being absorbed by the time it takes a few that are only arrows on parts with unexpectedly sharp curves. 25. 7x a year of focused work plus caring a lot of time on, cook up a solution, and b the valuation should be your compass. If you're doing is almost always bullshit.

We fixed both problems immediately. And I've never heard of many startups from Philadelphia.

If you invest in your startup with a toothbrush. Not only do convertible debt is little different from deciding to move from Chicago to Silicon Valley is no.

If Ron Conway, for example, the 2005 summer founders, like a ragged comb. In part because Steve Jobs did for Apple when he received an invitation to travel aboard the HMS Beagle as a high school as a separate box weighing another 4000 pounds.

Later you can imagine what it would destroy them.

Bill Yerazunis. 5% of Apple now January 2016 would be too conspicuous.

When governments decide how to do it in action, go ahead.

And that is a fine sentence, but for the firm in the narrowest sense.

Thanks to Shel Kaphan, Joe Gebbia, and Emmett Shear for putting up with me.

[jacksgreysays]

Hi! Just wanted to tell you that I absolutely love Windy Strife and hope to read more of her life (whether in FF7 or in the Naruto world)

Nobody likes Windy Strife.

They like who zie could be. They like how zie can and will change to be what they want.

Mom, too, never really liked Windy. She loved hir, of course, an unconditional mother’s love, but it wouldn’t be wrong to say that she liked Cloud better. A daydreamer son over the grim and jaded child forever roaming the wilds–in mind, if not also in body.

Windy’s still sorry that zie couldn’t be the daughter that she wanted.

—

It’s not the first time Windy’s been on Rufus Shinra’s cargo ship–at some point every Turk does a guard rotation on it, Winter not exempt from this–but it’s certainly the first time as a stowaway.

The accommodations aren’t too different, sadly, but zie definitely agrees with the others that finally getting hir feet on the ground of Costa del Sol is a relief.

Still AVALANCHE is technically a terrorist group–and Windy an accessory if not already a ShinRa traitor–and so they have to maintain a low profile while securing a place to rest and recover.

Thankfully, zie has an idea.

“Aerith?” zie asks her, “Can I borrow your spare dress for a bit?”

Everyone else, preferring to pretend zie doesn’t exist, turns to hir with suspicion, but that’s hardly anything new.

“Of course,” Aerith answers, because Winter’s former charge is the nicest and only person that tolerates hir presence. “Though I don’t think my jacket will fit you,” she says while rummaging through her pack.

It’s true that Windy has broader shoulders, but thankfully the dress itself is sleeveless and feminine enough to suit hir purposes.

“This isn’t the time for a makeover,” Lockhart scoffs, “though at least you’ve finally acknowledged that you need one.”

Windy grits hir teeth and tries not to visibly react, but hir gratitude to Aerith is strained.

A quick change and Windy’s current outfit is replaced with Aerith’s pink dress and Winter’s button up shirt folded and coyly tied as needed. It’s hardly anything to swipe a pair of sandals from an outdoor stall–as easy as undoing hir bun–and in a matter of moments it’s not Windy or even Winter the Turk standing there but someone else entirely.

Wendy goes to work.

—

When the twins had traveled from Nibelheim to Midgar, they had stopped in Costa del Sol. Passage to the Eastern Continent is expensive for one, two is more so.

Beyond the reach of Mt. Nibel’s harsh climes, Windy learns to be softer, warmer. Smile sweetly and look demur, but never promise more than zie can give.

Wendy is just a girl from the boondocks trying to get to the big city, what else would she be?

—

Surprisingly enough, Butch remembers Windy. Or, rather, Wendy.

Zie was fifteen and new to creating aliases, though zie hasn’t gotten much more creative.

“Wendy, babe, sexier than ever!” Butch calls out from his shop when he spots her approach. “I knew you couldn’t resist this for long,” he gestures to himself, eyes raking up her form. She knows what he sees: she’s taller than before, increase in height greater than her increase in bust, but she’s a fully grown woman now.

Yeah, Butch is sleazy, but he’s pretty well off and, more importantly, well connected in Costa del Sol.

And, unlike some people Wendy met, all talk.

Wendy smiles, leaning against the counter, forearm pushing up and emphasizing her assets.

“Midgar just doesn’t compare to Costa del Sol,” she sighs–perhaps meaning something besides the cities, perhaps not–looking up through her lashes. “Unfortunately, I’m only here to prepare for a party being thrown next week–and of course I can get you an invite–but I need to make sure accommodations are perfect.” She bites her lip, looking away for a second as if checking for eavesdroppers, “I can’t say who it’s for, of course, but let’s just say it’d make quite the buzz.”

Even across the ocean, Honey Bee Inn is famous.

“Is that so?” Butch asks, unconvincingly casual and completely hooked.

Wendy’s smile–or, rather, Winter’s smile–grows sharp, “I don’t suppose you could help me get the key to The Villa?”

—

In Midgar, the Strife twins were still the Strife twins, but they were Wind and Cloud–brothers both trying out for SOLDIER.

Wind was a man’s man–or, at least, a man in the making in comparison to the utter boys that some of his fellow cadets were. Smart and skilled and surprisingly charismatic, everything a future SOLDIER should strive to be.

Too bad Wind Strife was never real.

—

Technically The Villa is called Shinra Villa–built by the President as a summer home–but considering the sheer opulence and scale of it, no other villa in Costa del Sol deserves the epithet.

Of course, much like it’s derelict sibling Nibelheim, it hasn’t been owned by Shinra in a long time. But, alas, no one else can afford such an obnoxious piece of real estate, and so it remains empty.

But not necessarily unused.

Windy is still in hir Wendy headspace, flashier and more feminine than hir real self, and so she presents the doors of The Villa with all the flair of a showgirl.

Zie’s actually really proud of hirself, so the continued blankly suspicious stares from the majority of the party aren’t exactly what zie hoped for. Aerith, at least, seems pleased at having an actual bed to sleep in.

Well, it’s not like zie’s unused to going unappreciated.

But it is, admittedly, nicer than the Inn would be and so the group spread out to claim their own piece of luxury.

Except for her brother whose brow is furrowed, eyes clearer than they have been in weeks.

“What’s wrong, Cloud?” zie asks, once everyone else has left the foyer. They don’t often get time alone–how strange, when that’s how they lived more than half of their lives–and zie’s certain it’s on purpose.

He’s quiet for long enough that Windy thinks maybe he’s just going to ignore hir until he finally asks: “Was that a you thing, or a Turk thing?”

—

There are no female SOLDIERS.

It’s bullshit, yes, but it’s bullshit couched in enough scientific and legal jargon that some country hoyden isn’t going to change their mind, no matter if zie was top cadet.

But there are female Turks.

And the Turks are certainly interested in a candidate who can keep a secret under scrutiny.

Windy is recruited. Cloud is not.

Maybe that’s where it all went wrong.

—

Windy’s responding smile isn’t the sharp smirk of Winter or the coy curve of Wendy, it’s small and sad and honest.

“You never did like when I pretended to be other people,” zie says helplessly.

Having witnessed the vacant Cloud and the Cloud that is a vessel for Zack Fair–neither of them hir Cloud–zie finally understands.

~

A/N: Thanks for the prompt, saltykrispycake! I also love Windy, but alas zie does not get much love within Into Thin Air. Perhaps that changes in Unto The Climate? Anyway, I appreciated getting the chance to write more of hir life (even if it is bleak… and repetitive from some earlier ITA ficlets. I really ought to make a cohesive timeline)

Check out the Ask Box Advent Calendar!

[valeriemperez]

Yeah, at first I was worried that maybe they would introduce the idea of Iris having moved on next season but then I thought about it and whether they ever draw a direct parallel or not, I still think we got that story about Barry's great-grandparents for a reason. I think the start of S4 we'll see an Iris West(-Allen) who has been waiting for her Barry and wracking her brain trying to find ways to get him back. This is a temporary detour. I still expect a wedding in S4.

Yes, precisely. Ever since we got that proposal speech in 3.14, we felt it was going to become a prophecy. Obviously Iris still has the ring in this case, but when Barry gets back he will find Iris has been waiting for him.

Not that she won’t be living her life in other respects!

Imagine this: While Barry is in the speedforce, Iris gets asked to write an article on his disappearance (or something related to it). Later on, after Barry’s out, that’s the article Iris wins a Pulitzer for.

I would love that! I also expect we’ll get another episode of the brother-sister crime-fighting unit in the premiere.

Do you think that they will do a time jump and have Barry in the speedforce for like two years or it will be less than 6 mos when Iris pulls him out? Do you believe that something bad has to happen in CC that the SFis like okay Barry you learned your lesson and now we need you to be a hero and they’ll be more willing to let him go. ITA that they will not give IW a new BF bc they have shown us WA strong bond.TBH, I don’t even want her to consider dating bc she mourned ET for a yr and Barry is (1)(2) and Barry is her soul mate and I just don’t want to see a third party play any role in their lives. I don’t even want us even putting the idea out there in the universe. I think once Barry returns, we will get a much happier Barry and more lovely scenes between Westallen. Plus, they have a wedding to plan.

I don’t expect a huge time jump, if only because they have seemed to keep to the hiatus lengths so far whether or not it makes sense. But it’ll be enough time to something to be different, probably a different status quo for Iris and Joe at work.

I don’t know if the speedforce will let him out to stop whatever new bad thing emerges, or if the team (read: Iris) will have to convince it to. Either way, his ass will be out by the end of 4.01.

So do you think there’s a possibility of no Barry for a few episodes or no Barry at all ( given gg might be otherwise occupied for filming). If he does come back ( which I hope he does) will Iris have had the twins or still preggers or just focused on her career and became #1 tv reporter ?

I honestly do not think so. Grant/Barry will be in every episode. I don’t think Iris will be pregnant, that’s too soon for the show to make her a mom. But I do think she’ll be chasing stories and hopefully one of them leads us to Devoe.

I’m worried they’ll give iris a love interest.Iris didn’t mourn E for a almost a year, that scene was an after thought in 2b cuz they were just busy with B&P romance to think about Iris’ love life and moving on.I think we should tweet them to not ruin WA like that

Even if she wasn’t actively mourning Eddie for a year, she didn’t think about romance until 2B. And it can’t hurt to tweet the writers so they know we love Iris for her loyalty, haha. I don’t think they’ll have her move on, though.

I love that you watch jtv and you’re a JanexRaf shipper and Westallen! I’m always validated when my ships have crossovers, especially since JanexRaf shippers are going through the wringer every other moment. Shipping Westallen is so easy compared to them lol

Oh, man. It’s been rough watching JTV and shipping Jane/Rafael. But they’ll pull through!

Fam, we all know Barry is going to bring his @$$ out of the speedforce when he pulls out his phone (which he didn’t have time to leave) and sees that video of Iris saying her wedding vows to him. He’s already delivered the invitations. The good thing about this ending is when he comes out of the SF, they’re engaged and not starting all over. 401 KF will still be at large, Joe will get his promotion. Julian will reveal the last husk to be Clifford DeVoe 🙄

Oooh, interesting predictions. I do think the speedforce will be like, “Ok, go on home to your lightning rod.” 

So why BA had to go into the SF again? Like why there had to be a speedster there at all times? Say Jesse visits from E3 & volunteers to step in, would SF refuse bc it had 2 be Barry, paying price for FP? Taking how SF pushed BA to save Iris in 316, it’s strange it separated them in the end after she was saved.

To be fair, Barry didn’t save Iris. HR did, then Cisco and Iris respectively saved Barry. Maybe if Barry had actually saved Iris, the speedforce would leave him alone. But I think they really wanted him to take a nap.

Loved the finale BUT I think the very end was a bit rushed ina way. I mean usually ppl don’t have a lot of time to make those sacrifice decisions but the “I have to do this & leave you here but at least you’re alive to live you life and move on and accept your new path without me” was a bit pretentious. Then again it’s Barry, he would rather suffer himself so other people didn’t. I think the SF will recognize his free will to go in & pay this price & will let him go rather quick.

I loved the final scene, but I agree that it felt a little rushed. There was a lot of ground to cover in the finale. The speedforce loves Barry, so they’ll let him go when he’s served his time.

[asksythe]

Would you consider writing a Itachi/kagome FanFiction? Or one were Kagome is born and lives in Kohona? It'd be cool to see how her character would change! Ah and I really recommend "Something Blue" by cherrynekochan its a beautiful ita/kag if you'd like to see a variation of their dynamic or just a adorable read. Thanks !

Maybe? I’m not sure to be honest. In terms of characters, I don’t feel particularly drawn towards Itachi. Is he a complex character with lots of room to play with? Yes. But do I feel drawn to him and excited about possibly building his character?

…. 

…. huh…. 

…. I think my one issue with Itachi is that his character is pretty much railroaded by the Japanese sense of fatalism. From the moment he came to comprehend the world he lived in in a philosophical scale, Itachi had already committed himself to defeat and failure. In the manga, this sense of fatalism is very much understated and subtle. But if you read his book or watch the Itachi gaiden part of the anime, it’s just… in your face. It’s a slap to the face. That part where Itachi thought ‘like is born, life suffers, life is dead…’… that is the quintessential self-defeating thought process of fatalism school of thought. Even with my meta knowledge on the Japanese tendency for fatalism due to their abnormally high rate of natural disasters (earthquake) breeding a mentality of ‘it’s inevitable for something to come along to screw you over so it’s better not to bother to begin with’… it’s still hard to stomach. 

Every time I read Itachi’s part, I just want to scream ‘grow a pair of fucking balls, weasel boy! You want to talk about being born in crapsack world to a crapsack society? You don’t have a fucking clue! The Naruto verse is bad, true. But its horrors are a drop in the bucket compared to what our real world has witnessed… in the last century alone. You ain’t never seen your country bombed to shit by some other country with a misguided sense of justice and self righteousness, or watched your fellow children be poisoned from birth by weapons of war, or seen your motherland be ran roughshod over by a bunch of dicks for brains dictators in communist shirts, and be completely helpless and powerless through it all, forced to grin and bear it and keep on living until one day when you or your children can actually do something’. 

… I’m sorry… my feelings regarding Itachi borders on being uncomfortably personal. I dislike that sense of fatalism, that subtle arrogance of thinking that nothing and no one will be able to change the world except for the thinker themselves (even if he is the first one to throw in the towel and admit defeat by helping gank his entire clan out of some misguided belief that this is the best way, that this is the only way. It’s so frustrating, so short sighted, so stupidly naive that at times, I want to punch Itachi in the face in the hope that it shocks some actual critical thoughts into that dense head of his. So much for the genius of his generation. He can’t even think outside of the ninja box of solutions at all. Count on trained killers to always resort to murder to solve their problems. Naruto geniuses are over rated. They are only genius when perceived by the flawed mentality of their universe. Put them in our real world and most of them can’t tell their knuckles from their asses. That’s my personal feelings about them. Count them geniuses and I’ll tell you. Itachi - fucking moron with a failed messiah complex. Madara - retarded and uneducated and so unaware of his own self it’s amazing he crawled out of his mom’s snooch at all, Neji - my god, son, talk about being completely unable to think critically at all. Sasuke - hahahahaha, this boy was dropped on his head when he was a baby. Tobirama - completely unable to think objectively through his bias at all, and also possibly unaware of the hole in his own reasoning. Out of them all, only Shikamaru has some hope to him but it’s barely even worth considering)    

Compared to the geniuses of our world, the actual thinkers, actual philosophers, actual designers of our society, our champions and our brightest… these guys are dim candles in the wind. Certainly for a teenage audience who haven’t had much real world experience, they are impressive… but to an adult who frequents intellectual circles in multiple countries and cultures….. ha ha ha… it’s sad… yeah… 

I’m sorry… I don’t mean to just… rant at you and bash these characters. To be fair, they are great in their own way, especially for the genre and the medium. They are heads and shoulders above characters from series of the same categories. They are geniuses in their own way… just… not in our world, and probably not by our rules. It’s not really their fault. 

It’s just that… when I think about them… just my personal feelings and nothing else… it becomes a completely different ball game altogether. You have read my stuff. You have an idea of the level of critical thinking I operate on. The result is that I tend to be quite a bit more critical on characters compared to the fandom average. If I don’t feel excited about a particular characters, it’s hard to devote so much time and effort into working with them, building them, taking them apart, so on and so forth. 

It’s kinda a case like that for Itachi. Certainly I can do it, but if I write Itachi, it’s probably going to be a deconstruction piece. I will take him apart. I will destroy him on some level. And then I will rebuild him again. It’s not going to be a pleasant process for Itachi, especially considering the heavy themes that he clothes himself in.

Blood, family, betrayal, loyalty, the greater good. Especially the greater good. What is the greater good? The greater good for who and how much greater are we talking about here? Where does the greater good end and a self-serving upper echelon merely using its name to further itself begin?

… I don’t know, man. In some way, I want to write Itachi, if only to punch a hole in that flawed mentality of his. Hah… greater good. If your measure of the greater good is only on the level of a single village, your village, then your understanding of greater good is woefully inadequate. But… on the whole… I just feel… I don’t know… daunted I guess. it’s going to be a lot of work for this character. Not even sure I have the time for him .. And it’s also hard to summon enthusiasm when I myself don’t feel excited about this character to begin with. 

… As for Kagome, it’s a joy to write her… but I have written 2 big stories about her and her character arc. Unless I think up a completely different and unique character interpretation for Kagome, I’m unlikely to want to work with her again…. especially in the same universe setting. I just don’t like rehashing stuff. It’s boring. And for a Kagome born in Naruto-verse, unless it’s reincarnation style where she starts remembering things, then it’s going to be a Kagome in name only… and that’s… a completely different can of worms. 

And thanks for the rec. I actually haven’t read fanfic in… a long time now. And I actually have a pretty long list of books I need to read. But yeah, when I have the time and a hankering for ItaKag, I will check that out.   

[intrepidsourcing]

Understanding Custom Duties when Importing Electronics from Asia

Custom duties is always a primary concern for manufacturing companies sourcing abroad. In the field of electronics manufacturing, this is issue is no different as it is always a complicated issue manufacturers have to face. For each country, there are different custom duties to electronics with varying rules and fees. Custom duties for importing electronics have recently become a lot of attention due to the ongoing tensions between the US and China.

Electronics business owners have to be knowledgeable of these customs charges and tariffs with electronics so they can safely import electronic products from Asia to other countries with no delay and legality issues. You would not want to have your electronic products be blocked at the customs office which will affect your business flow and efficiency.

Here are important information you need to know of when importing electronics from Asia including the rates and vital paper works you have to deal with in order to import your electronic products with no issues in the customs office. All these vital information were all based from each country’s custom database and our very own trade experience.

Importing Electronic Goods in the US

The US has always been a popular importing destination due to its wide market range and strong economic prosperity. We are experienced when it comes to importing in the US due to our work with multiple clients in the past and this includes importing electronic goods as well.

On a rare importing experience, one of our clients decided to import innovative electrothermic coffee makers (for domestic use only) from China to the US. After passing all the standards including product certifications, our product was checked in the customs office for its duty rate. Based on the tariff database for that year, the electronic gas/compressor was tagged with a specific tariff rate of 3.7% as its favored text rate for a product coming from an MFN (most favored nation). The difficulty here was just to determine what product category the product falls into. If you’re dealing with a standard product, the whole process is quite easy.

China has been favored nation for the US in customs terms since it joined the WTO, despite all the controversy both countries were caught in during recent years.  In order to establish their rocky trade relations, US has kept China on its MFN list despite disagreements on other aspects of trade and commerce. Because of this was all before this development, we ended up paying the 3.7% tariff with electronics which is the lowest possible value for our product and it seemed fair. Today we would have to check again what the actual rate is now.

As of May 2019, President Trump imposed he would raise tariffs on selected electronic products up to 25% if they are imported from China. This move is a part of his campaign to improve US’ trade practices with other countries which he deemed as biased. Talks between US and China are constantly happening in order to improve their trade relationship and this could expect some changes on the tariffs and trade information between these countries anytime soon.

Importing electronic goods in the US is a fairly simple concept when it comes to down to custom duties and rates. The only thing you have to note of is whether the country you are importing from is under their MFN list. If the country is not on the list, then expect least priority and higher custom duties and fees but expect your product to come through as long as it is legal and passes all standards. The only thing intimidating with importing electronics in the US is the strict customs office who is simply doing their job. For more info please visit the official US customs page here.

Importing Electronic Goods in the EU

The European Union is an economic group which consists of 28 states all located in Europe. Members of the European Union follow the same import tax on electronics and other custom duties coming from other countries who are not members of the economic group. Import tax on electronic products only apply once and are no longer a factor to the market value of these electronic devices once they are in the European Union territory.

European Union implements strict custom duties on electronic products which they are also known to be manufacturing. For example, electronic appliances which are primary import products of France, Italy or Spain are lobbying for more expensive customs charges compared to electronic devices in which they are not known for manufacturing themselves. All members of the European Union also have VAT applied to custom duties but are most of the time, which is not negligible for wholesale electronics. You can check for your exact product and country here.

Back in 2016, the World Trade Organization (WTO) approved the trade agreement known as the Information Technology Agreement (ITA). The ITA eliminated all import duties on some electronic products which included the EU among other markets. Products covered in this agreement have 0% import duty. Make sure to check tariff classification and product descriptions covered by the ITA for your product portfolio.

Importing Electronic Goods in Australia

Australia’s isolated location does makes it a popular importing destination but it does not affect custom duties on electronics compared to other major countries despite it being a continent on its own. The average custom tax for electronic products is at 10% of its actual price while electronic devices priced AU$1000 and below are all exempted from import duties, customs charges and the Import Processing Charge (IPC). The IPC only applies if the total value is more than AU$1000. You double check the tariffs rates for specific products here.

One custom tax in Australia importers should note of is the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which currently sits at 10%. This custom tax is added on top of the customs charges of the products along with transportation and insurance fees. For small up to mid-sized electronics manufacturers, there should be no problem or whatsoever on tariff duties with electronics and they would end up paying for the 10% GST alone except for electronic devices which are part of the exception.

Refund on Custom Duties for Electronics

Custom duties for importing electronics are rarely refundable except on special situations wherein the customs office are at fault with wrong charges. Customs duties are right away added on top of the electronic products’ market value which is the reason why electronic products vary in prices from one country to another. Custom duties to electronics are already embedded within the product’s value as soon as it is accepted as an imported product.

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from Intrepid Sourcing and Services https://intrepidsourcing.com/trade-wiki/understanding-custom-duties-when-importing-electronics-from-asia/

[kunalkarankapoor]

A Walk to Remember.

A captain abandons his sinking ship. He is court-martialed. Stripped of his badges and captaincy. His father disowns him, ashamed to have a coward for a son. The captain is mobbed; abuses hurled at him as he walks down the street. The captain is Amitabh Bachhan. The movie - Kala Patthar.

I saw this movie when I was little. But that walk of shame has haunted me ever since. And then, just last week, another actor walked into my drawing room in a similar fashion and reminded me of that scene...

Here's what Riit, a diehard fan has to say - "The walk in the rain - silent, yet saying so much... I almost thought; felt I was watching a Hollywood classic! The furious calm - only KKK can manage it."

I ought to be grateful to Sunny Leone. I think it was December 2011. Everyone seemed to be talking about her, so I switched on my TV to watch Big Boss. During the break there was a promo. A carefree young lad, dressed casually, with a dhinchak ringtone on his mobile, talking to a widow, the mother of two giggly kids. Ah ha! So finally a daily that was different from all the Saas, Bahu aur Bakwaas. A soap that was reminiscent of shows like Malgudi Days - known for their simplicity and touch with reality.

I was definitely going to watch Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha, I decided. I loved the actress, Akanksha Singh - so simple and yet so elegant and beautiful and the two adorable munchkins. I wasn't too sure about the actor though. Well, to be fair, he was playing the boy next door or rather - the boy across the street and he looked the part.

Ahh. Little did I know then, that the actor playing the ordinary-looking Mohan Bhatnagar was not so ordinary after all. In the months to come, he was not only going to play his role with aplomb, but go on to win the ITA award for the best actor.

KUNAL KARAN KAPOOR. So what is it about him that makes his fans so fond of him?

Is it his eyes that speak volumes? In their depths the viewers have seen the love and desires of a passionate young man in ssn1 and the anguish of a tortured soul in ssn2. In a show where the language of the eyes and nuances are more important than dialogues, Sudhir Sharma could not have made a better choice.

Because he emotes so well? Because he gives 100 - nay, 200% to his role? Because he has the vision, the focus - like Arjun, to nail every scene, every nuance, every single shot?

Or is it his humility? The fact that he's so down-to-earth? So unassuming?

Is it because he's a source of inspiration? The type of person a lot of us aspire to be?

The list is endless. Here's what some of his fans have to say -

"What I like the most about him is that he is genuine and totally comfortable with himself...  his vulnerability coupled with his guarding his own space - a weird combination that somehow is very endearing...and most of all, his honesty, acting genius, and dedication to his profession ..How can you not love such a person?" - Asmi.

"I luv everything about him...everything...as a person i luv ppl who give their heart and soul to their work...he inspires me as a person...he has taught me to be patient...he's been a part of this industry so long...and after so many years he got what he actually deserves the most...YES KKK...U R THE KING..NOT JUST AS AN ACTOR BUT AS A HUMAN BEING TOO..." - Sakshi.

"I love his honesty, modesty, simplicity, his worship towards work n giving cent percent in each n every scene and movement - that's dedication; the way he thinks that he's not perfect or best, even though he is." - Sah.

"He has taught us to have patience & work hard. No short-cut & it will be recognized." - Raji.

"I just love the fact that he erases from memory any shortcoming I have or any unpleasantness I am encountering  ...by his mere presence on screen, his acting ... the endearing manner he just enters rightfully into our hearts and warms it  ...nothing compares to it..." - Jay.

"For me, KKK is a complete package - I find everything abt him fascinating & interesting - on screen as well as off-screen and that's a killer combo." - Ishani.

But the one quality that endears him to all of us lies in his own answer, given in a recent radio interview. When asked about the dissimilarities between him and Mohan, the character he portrays in NBT, he replied - "Mohan never gives up hope. And me being human, I do at times."

Yes, that's what makes us so fond of him - that he's human, he's one of us. Not an unapproachable star, shining from afar. Rather, the boy next door, close to our hearts.

Hansa T. Dasgupta