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Hertz Global Holdings, Inc (NYSE:HTZ) saw some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders bought 21,182 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 1,179% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,656 call options.
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HTZ. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Hertz Global by 120.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,178,066 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $59,548,000 after purchasing an additional 2,826,922 shares in the last quarter. Formula Growth Ltd. raised its holdings in Hertz Global by 550.9% in the second quarter. Formula Growth Ltd. now owns 1,627,293 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $18,714,000 after acquiring an additional 1,377,293 shares in the last quarter. Glenview Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Hertz Global by 30.9% in the second quarter. Glenview Capital Management LLC now owns 5,714,904 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $65,721,000 after acquiring an additional 1,350,000 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Hertz Global by 3,974.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,270,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,414,000 after acquiring an additional 1,239,488 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1060 Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Hertz Global in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,959,000.
A number of research analysts have commented on HTZ shares. Deutsche Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $18.00 target price (up previously from $14.00) on shares of Hertz Global in a research report on Friday, October 6th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Hertz Global from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $29.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 17th. Northcoast Research reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Hertz Global in a research report on Monday, November 13th. ValuEngine cut shares of Hertz Global from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Hertz Global from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Hertz Global has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.29.
Hertz Global (NYSE:HTZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 9th. The transportation company reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.58 billion. Hertz Global had a negative net margin of 8.35% and a negative return on equity of 14.05%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.58 earnings per share. research analysts expect that Hertz Global will post -1.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.
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Hertz Global Company Profile
Herc Holdings Inc, formerly Hertz Global Holdings, Inc, is a holding company. The Company is engaged principally in the business of renting and leasing of cars through its Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty and Firefly brands, and equipment through its Hertz Equipment Rental brand. It operates through four segments: U.S.
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All the grooviest gadgets reviewed by Robert Uhlig
By recording on to fingernail-sized memory chips instead of tapes or discs, camcorders no longer need to be much bigger than the lens and screen – small enough to slip into a shirt or trouser pocket.
There are fewer moving parts to go wrong than on a tape-based camera, and prices can be quite reasonable.
All these credit card-sized camcorders have USB 2.0 connections to transfer the footage swiftly to a computer for relatively easy editing or viewing.
The king of miniature camcorders, this is the only one to offer a choice of MPEG2 or MPEG4. It has a 10x optical zoom and the quality is excellent, giving tape-based digicams a run for their money.
It comes with a 512 megabyte SD memory card, enough for about two hours of MPEG2 footage, or just 10 minutes of MPEG4. The only disadvantage is that the on-screen menus take some getting used to.
Officially the price is £1000, but it can be picked up for less than £800 on websites such as pixmania.com.
With a stereo microphone and a 3.2 megapixel image chip, this offers the best sound quality of this bunch, plus excellent still images. It is nicely styled, with a 5.8x optical zoom, but the 1.5in screen is a bit small.
For £550, it comes with a 128 megabyte SD card, enough memory for about 30 minutes of MPEG4 footage. If it only offered MPEG2, it would be a winner.
Considering that this camera has five functions – video and stills camera, voice recorder, MP3 player and webcam – crammed into its tiny body, it is quite a marvel of miniaturisation. It also has a very respectable two megapixel image chip.
The problem is that there is no autofocus on the camera, it doesn't work well in low light, even with a flash, and it comes with only 16 megabytes of working memory, which will store about five minutes of MPEG4 footage.
It costs £130 from firebox.com or £200 with an additional 256 megabyte memory card.
The smallest, thinnest camcorder I've seen, this is more like an MP3 player with a camcorder bolted on. There is no on-board memory, but firebox.com is bundling it with a 256MB SD card for £250.
The focus is fixed and it performs poorly in low lighting. Don't expect outstanding image quality, but if size is all that matters, the Mobi cannot be beaten.
- Chip rating
fantastic ***** excellent **** good *** fair ** naff *
- Previous: Chips with everything: beach essentials


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“Rick and Morty” season 5 episode 1 was an outstanding episode and the perfect way to kick off the new season. But there were two interesting characters name-dropped during the episode that fans can’t stop talking about. Here’s what we know so far.
The Episode Confirmed that Rick’s Wife Was Named Diane
The new episode confirmed that Rick’s wife was named Diane when Mr. Nimbus name-dropped her during a conversation with Rick.
Prior to this, fans had heard that Rick’s wife was named Diane, but it wasn’t clear if this was a real memory or a manipulation by Rick. We first learned Diane’s name in the season 3 premiere, when Rick shared his origin story while imprisoned by the Galactic Federation. He later claimed his origin story was fake, but many fans have wondered whether or not that was really the case.
In the origin story that Rick later said was fake, his younger self was working on inventing a portal gun. Another dimension of himself showed up to give him the real thing, talking about all the great things he could do with the gun and how he’d be the smartest entity in the universe with it. Rick said, “Sounds lonely.” He passed on the idea of being a god because he was a different kind of Rick.
When his wife Diane showed up, Rick said, “I don’t think this science thing is gonna pay off.” They decided to go out for ice cream instead, and the other dimension Rick showed up and killed them. After that, he invented the portal gun. You can rewatch that scene in the video below.
Then in season 3 episode 7, we learn all about Simple Rick. He gave up science because he realized the greatest thing he’d ever create was his daughter, Beth. He found complete happiness by living for his daughter. Sadly, he was captured by the Citadel and relives the memory, but his brain is used to add a flavor to the Simple Rick’s wafer candies. So his daughter Beth ended up without her dad anyway. Many fans pointed out that there were quite a few similarities between Rick’s “fake” origin story and Simple Rick’s memories.
While we’re still not clear on how much of Rick’s origin story was true, we now know that Rick’s wife was named Diane. So there might be more truth to Rick’s story than fans realized.
Who Was Kyle?
Kyle is another person that Mr. Nimbus named and that fans want to know a lot more about. No, Kyle had not been a character in a previous episode, and this was indeed the first time that fans heard anything about him. Mr. Nimbus seemed to imply that Rick used to travel with someone named Kyle, perhaps before Morty’s time.
Fans are now wondering if Kyle was another sidekick of Rick’s from before Morty’s birth, or if it’s possible that there’s a dimension where Kyle was Rick’s grandson instead of Morty.
Here’s one comment on Reddit from a viewer about Kyle:
Could Kyle be a grandson or child from another family? So far, the show hasn’t given any clues about him aside from Mr. Nimbus’s brief mention. But viewers are already coming up with theories about who he could be.

domain: entertainment


Changed 03 May 2020, 00:24 IST
Kevin de Bruyne will have to consider the future of his Manchester City side while the club’s two-season ban in the Champions League is in place, although he has no immediate desire to leave the club.
De Bruyne has been in the running for City this season, although the football season has been held or canceled across Europe due to the coronavirus crisis.
Prior to the suspension, De Bruyne played the role, as City took a 2-1 lead over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 match.
The club has been banned for violating Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, and it remains to be seen whether City will be able to compete in the UEFA flagship club in the next two campaigns.
Stressing that the ban could have an impact on City’s future, De Bruyne suggested he believed they had won their appeal against the club’s approval, but could carry a two-year suspension considering his alternatives.
“I’m just waiting,” De Bruyne said in a video interview with HLN Live. “The club has informed us that they are going to apply and they are almost one hundred percent sure they are right.
“That’s why I’m looking forward to seeing what happens. I trust my team. I’ll review everything after making the statement.”
“Two years [without European football] Will be long, I’ll see in a year’s time.
“But I’m very happy with City I play as one of the best teams in the world, I play in England – the best competition for my competitive philosophy – and I like it.
“Being the best still remains a challenge and I need it too. What’s coming is coming.”
Thoughts at the moment are with Pep and his family. A team. pic.twitter.com/wUKnhRG9vi
– Kevin de Bruyne (Dibruinekov) April 6, 2020
Pep Guardiola’s future at City is also in doubt, with the former Barcelona boss’s contract set to expire in 2021.
Although De Bruyne has rejected the suggestion, the decision on his next move will depend on whether he stays in Guardiola City.
De Bruyne said, “Not specifically. Pep said he would take the year of his contract anyway, then his contract would end,” De Bruyne said.
“But I’m not going to rely on my decision on what Pep is doing. Of course I’ve already worked with other coaches and I will have to continue working with someone else after Pep leaves.
“But for now, I haven’t paid much attention to that. There are more important things at the moment.”
A report released on Saturday claimed that Roberto Martinez had extended his contract as coach of the Belgian national team, a move he welcomed.
“The choice was his. Maybe he could have done something different if he had played in the European Championships this summer. But we have a project that would be weird to stop so far now. Said.
“Everyone is happy to stay longer. Why is he a good coach? Well, Martinez has a lot of experience.
“Strategically, he’s learned a lot in England. He let us play in a certain system, and it works. The team has grown in recent years.”


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Mathematical Models for Supply Chain ManagementView this Special Issue
Coordination of Supply Chain with One Supplier and Two Competing Risk-Averse Retailers under an Option Contract
This paper studies an option contract for coordinating a supply chain comprising one risk-neutral supplier and two risk-averse retailers engaged in promotion competition in the selling season. For a given option contract, in decentralized case, each risk-averse retailer decides the optimal order quantity and the promotion policy by maximizing the conditional value-at-risk of profit. Based on the retailers’ decision, the supplier derives the optimal production policy by maximizing expected profit. In centralized case, the optimal decision of the supply chain system is obtained. Based on the decentralized and centralized decision, we find the coordination conditions of the supply chain system, which can optimize the supply chain system profit and make the profits of the supply chain members achieve Pareto optimum. As for the subchain, we also find the coordination conditions, which generalize the results of the supply chain with one supplier and one retailer. Our analysis and numerical experiments show that there exists a unique Nash equilibrium between two retailers, and the optimal order quantity of each retailer increases (decreases) with its own (competitor’s) promotion level.
The current business environment is full of uncertainties, including market demand, risk preference, lead times, price fluctuation, and transport. These uncertainties entail new risks in matching supply and demand , and these risks inevitably lead to supply chain inefficiency. Such problems have been encountered by companies such as Mattel, Inc., a toy maker .
As supply chains become more and more complex, their coordination is an increasingly significant challenge for supply chain agents in industry. With channel coordination, supply chain efficiency has been tremendously improved, and issues involving double marginalization have been well resolved. Coordination among supply chain agents by setting incentive alignment contracts is a hot topic in supply chain management. Various contracts have been shown to achieve coordination in supply chains, such as buyback contracts , quantity-flexibility contracts [4, 5], sales-rebate contracts , quantity-discount contracts [7–9], and revenue-sharing contracts . The option contract is a useful tool to hedge the risk of operations management and can coordinate the supply chain effectively [1, 2, 11–15].
In fact, option contracts have been widely used in many industries and are becoming popular in supply chain management. For example, option contracts are used for 35% of Hewlett-Packard’s procurement value. In particular, its purchases of memory chips involve option contracts with its suppliers . Boeing offers option contracts to airlines for purchase of aircraft .
Ritchken and Tapiero  introduced the option contract to hedge against price and quantity fluctuation risks in inventory control. Tsay  showed that the option contract can be used to coordinate the supply chain and increase buyers’ replenishment flexibility. Early studies of this issue were based on the assumption that supply chain agents were risk-neutral [2, 11, 13, 14, 19], and few papers considered agents’ risk preference (such as loss aversion). In fact, the decision-making behavior of managers has been found to deviate from maximizing (expected) profit in a way consistent with loss aversion , as shown by many experimental studies and observations of managerial decision-making under uncertainty [21–25]. To the authors’ knowledge, Gan et al.  were the first to study supply chain coordination issues with loss-averse agents. Xu  obtained the loss-averse retailer’s optimal ordering policy and the supplier’s optimal decision under an option contract and demonstrated that both sides can benefit. Zhao et al.  demonstrated that option contracts can coordinate the supply chain and achieve Pareto improvement using a cooperative game approach. Zhao et al.  explored supply chain coordination with bidirectional option contracts and derived a closed-form expression for the retailer’s optimal order strategies with a general demand distribution. Chen et al.  investigated supply chain coordination issues with a risk-neutral supplier and a risk-averse retailer and proved that option contracts can make the supply chain achieve the Pareto optimum. Obviously, the above research is only concerned with the coordination of supply chain upstream and downstream.
In the real environment, the supply chain coordination should be involved in both the upstream and downstream, but also in the same layer. Ingene and Parry  explored the wholesale pricing behavior within a two-level vertical channel consisting of a manufacturer selling through multiple independent retailers and analyzed the optimality of channel coordination for all channel members. Padmanabhan and Png  examined the manufacturer’s return policy for two competing retailers with and without demand uncertainty. Yao et al.  further considered the manufacturer’s return policy in a newsboy model in which the random demand faced by two competing retailers was sensitive to retail price. Xiao et al.  studied a supply chain coordination model with a price-subsidy rate contract, in which there were one manufacturer and two competing retailers. Xiao and Qi  investigated the coordination of a supply chain with one manufacturer and two competing retailers, using two mechanisms, after the production cost of the manufacturer was disrupted. However, above researches did not involve option contracts and the supply chain agents are risk-neutral.
Generally, high risk implies high return, but also high loss. A risk-averse individual would prefer to receive a relatively lower return to avoid a potential huge loss. When decision-makers focus on risk control, a number of risk-related performance criteria may be used to measure the risk caused by uncertainty in supply chain management. Specifically, conditional value-at-risk, defined as the weighted average of value-at-risk and losses strictly exceeding VaR, has attracted much attention in recent years and has been widely used in finance, insurance, and supply chain management. CVaR is a consistent risk measure with better properties and computing performance than other measures [33, 34]. Yang et al.  researched supply chain coordination with a risk-averse retailer and a risk-neutral supplier and showed that the supply chain can achieve channel coordination in a CVaR framework with revenue-sharing, buyback, two-part tariffs, and flexible-quantity contracts. Chen et al.  discussed supply chain coordination with a loss-averse retailer under an option contract, although they used the prospective theory to describe the retailer’s risk preference. Chen et al.  studied stable and coordinating contracts for a supply chain with multiple risk-averse suppliers under a CVaR objective. Wu et al.  considered a risk-averse newsvendor problem with quantity and price competition under the CVaR criterion. Hsieh and Lu  extended the work of Padmanabhan and Png  and Yao et al.  researched manufacturer’s return policy in a two-stage supply chain with two risk-averse retailers and random demand via CVaR.
Different from the work of Zhao et al. , Chen et al. , Wu et al. , and Hsieh and Lu , we investigate the coordination of supply chain with a risk-neutral supplier and two risk-averse retailers engaged in promotional competition based on an option contract and a CVaR criterion. This paper will focus on the following problems: (1) What are the optimal order quantity and the promotion policies of the two risk-averse retailers engaged in promotional competition with a CVaR criterion and what is the risk-neutral supplier’s optimal production decision in the presence of an option contract and a CVaR criterion? What are the characteristics of these decisions? (2) Does there exist a unique equilibrium point between two risk-averse retailers engaged in promotional competition? (3) How can a supply chain with two risk-averse retailers engaged in promotional competition be coordinated based on an option contract and a CVaR criterion? (4) What is the impact of the promotional competition on the retailer’s optimal ordering policy, the supplier’s optimal production decision, and supply chain coordination?
To address these problems, the following scenario will be studied. There are two risk-averse retailers engaged in promotional competition, who are selling the same products. The demand for each retailer is stochastic and depends partially on the retailer’s promotion level. In the decentralized case, the objective of each risk-averse retailer is to maximize his conditional value-at-risk of profit, and the supplier’s goal is to maximize his expected profit. The existence of equilibrium point between two risk-averse retailers engaged in promotional competition will then be explored. In the centralized case, the optimal decisions for the supply chain system-wide will be discussed. The purpose of this study is to investigate supply chain coordination issues and to explore the impact of promotional competition on the retailers’ optimal order quantity, the supplier’s optimal production decision, and supply chain coordination. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this problem has not been considered in a situation with an option contract and a CVaR criterion. This paper differs from existing research on supply chain coordination in three aspects. First, there exists a unique Nash equilibrium between two retailers, and the impacts of the promotion level on the retailer’s equilibrium option order quantity are analyzed. Secondly, the impact of a shortage penalty cost on the supplier’s optimal production decision is considered. Finally, the coordination conditions for such a supply chain under the option contract and the CVaR criterion are obtained.
The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. Section 2 presents the model formulation and the assumptions made. Section 3 describes the decentralized case, involving the optimal option order quantity and the promotion policy of two retailers under an option contract and a CVaR criterion and the supplier’s optimal production decision under an option contract. The equilibrium competition between two risk-averse retailers is also analyzed. Section 4 explores supply chain system and its subchain coordination issues, and the corresponding coordination conditions are given. Section 5 illustrates the impact of the promotion level on the optimal order quantity of each retailer through numerical experiments. Section 6 concludes the paper.
2. Model Formulation and Assumptions
Let us consider a one-period, two-echelon supply chain coordination problem. The supply chain consists of one risk-neutral supplier and two risk-averse retailers engaged in promotion competition. In the traditional Cournot competition, the demand is considered as the determination , but, in fact, the demand is uncertain. We assume that two retailers order the product from the supplier with demand uncertainty. The uncertain demand faced by retailer is , which takes on an additive form, and can be expressed as . is a demand relating to the market scale and promotion level. We assume that is a linear function, increasing (decreasing) monotonically with the retailer’s (the competitor’s) promotion level , which can be described by the amount of promotional products. Let denote the promotional cost of retailer , which is a second-order differentiable function satisfying . Let be a monotonically increasing function, with its inverse function denoted as , . is a continuous, differentiable, and invertible random variable, which is independent of . For simplicity, let have the same probability density function and cumulative distribution function . is nonnegative, strictly increasing, and invertible and satisfies and . is total market demand, , which increases monotonically with the total promotion level.
The product is perishable, with a comparatively long lead time and a short selling season. This paper focuses on activities from the beginning of the production season to the end of the selling season. At the beginning of the production season, retailer and the supplier sign an option contract with two parameters, denoted as , where is the option price and is the exercise price. At the same time, each retailer purchases an option quantity, denoted as , at unit price . Then the supplier makes his production decision based on the retailers’ option order quantities and begins to produce. In the selling season, depending on actual demand, retailers begin to exercise their option quantities. The unit sale price of retailer is , and the unit production cost of the supplier is . If the supplier fails to complete the option order quantity exercised by the retailers, then the retailers have the right to punish the supplier by shortage penalty cost, denoted as , which is the cost to the supplier to obtain an additional unit of product by expediting production or buying from an alternative source.
Without loss of generality, it is assumed that the salvage of the supplier and retailers is zero and that there are no credit losses for retailers in an out-of-stock situation. To avoid trivial problem and to ensure profit for all parties, it is assumed that . The notation will be used.
3. Retailers’ Optimal Option Order Policy
At the beginning of the production season, retailer purchases an option order quantity with an option contract. When retailer is risk-neutral, the profit of retailer , denoted as , isIn (1), the first term is the sales revenue, the second term is the option cost, the third term is the exercise cost, and the last term is the promotional cost.
Then the corresponding expected profit, denoted as , is
Because retailer is risk-averse, the degree of risk aversion should be taken into account in determining the option order quantity. In this paper, retailer takes the CVaR as his performance measure because the CVaR risk measure is a relatively conservative decision-making criterion .
According to the definition given by Rockafellar and Uryasev , the definition of the CVaR on retailer ’s option order quantity and promotion level is given by the following.
Definition 1. on retailer ’s option order quantity and promotion level , denoted as , iswhere is a quantile and reflects the degree of risk aversion for retailer (the smaller is, the more risk-averse retailer is).
Property 1. is a strictly differentiable concave function on .
Theorem 2. Given the degree of risk aversion for retailer and the competitor’s promotion level , retailer ’s optimal option ordering policy is given bywhere , , and .
Theorem 2 shows that retailer ’s optimal option order quantity contains two parts, one is related to the promotional competition, and the other is determined by stochastic demand. This result is consistent with the form of demand faced by retailers. When retailer achieves the optimal level of promotional activity , retailer ’s option order quantity satisfies the following property.
Property 2. Given the optimal promotion level for retailer , then retailer ’s optimal option order quantity satisfies the following properties: , , , and .
In Property 2, the first two items show that when the option price and the exercise price rise, retailer will reduce his cost by reducing the option order quantity to ensure his profit. The third item illustrates that the higher is, the lower retailer ’s degree of risk aversion will be, making higher. This result is consistent with the intuition that risk-averse retailers would rather have a steady income than take a risk to obtain more benefit. When , retailer is risk-neutral, and retailer ’s optimal order policy iswhere . Obviously, and . Wang and Webster  derived a similar conclusion; however, their result is based on a whole-price contract for a supply chain with a loss-averse retailer. The last item in Property 2 indicates that the higher the competitor’s promotion level is, the lower the retailer ’s optimal option order quantity will be, and corresponding profit will be reduced. When retailer is in his best promotional environment, the upper bound on is obtained when in (7), and the lower bound on is obtained when in (7). Therefore, the curve is the reaction curve on for retailer , as illustrated in Figure 1.
If is retailer ’s optimal option order quantity, similar conclusions will be obtained. Figure 1 also illustrates the reaction curve of retailer 2, that is, the curve . As illustrated in Figure 1, there is an equilibrium point between the two retailers. At the equilibrium point, if each retailer knows the best level of promotional activity of the other, then the two retailers’ competition satisfies the following equilibrium equations:where .
The next theorem shows the existence and uniqueness of Nash equilibrium between the two retailers.
Theorem 3. Given that each of the two risk-averse retailers knows the best promotion level for the other, then there exists a unique Nash equilibrium between the order quantities of two retailers engaging in promotion competition, and the equilibrium satisfies the following conditions: where .
Theorem 3 indicates that at the equilibrium point, , it is possible to obtain the relationship of the two retailers on sale price, option price, exercise price, and degree of risk aversion for retailer ; that is, and . The first item indicates that the two retailers have the same profit per unit of product (promotional cost is not considered), and the second item shows that the two retailers’ degree of risk aversion is proportional to the difference between the sale price and the exercise price (excluding the sale price, option price, and exercise price, and degree of risk aversion of the two retailers is the same).
4. Supplier’s Optimal Production Decision
Before the production season, the supplier will determine the production quantity in accordance with the retailers’ option order quantity. Considering that the two retailers will not exercise all their options at the beginning of the selling season, the supplier will reduce production by running the risk of being punished. The supplier’s profit, denoted by , iswhere is the profit from the supplier’s selling of the production to retailer and is the supplier’s option production for retailer . On the right-hand side of the sum in (12), the first term is the option cost that retailer pays to the supplier, the second term is the supplier’s revenue when retailers exercise their options, the third term is the production cost, and the last term is the shortage penalty cost. The corresponding expected profit is
Property 3. is a second-order differentiable function in and satisfies the following properties:
Property 3 shows that the higher the option price and the exercise price are, the higher will be, and the higher the production cost and the penalty cost are, the lower will be. These results are consistent with our intuition and the actual situation.
In the proof of Property 3, letting the first-order partial derivative of with respect to be equal to zero,
According to (15), the supplier’s production decision for retailer , denoted as , is given bywhere .
The first-order partial derivative of with respect to is , which implies that, for given , , and , the supplier’s production is increasing in . In other words, the supplier will choose to produce more options to reduce the loss when the shortage penalty cost increases. But if the shortage penalty cost is greater than a certain critical value, the supplier will produce all the options, or his marginal loss will be greater than the marginal profit. Combining (7) and (15) yields the shortage penalty threshold value:The first-order partial derivative of with respect to is , which indicates that the penalty threshold value will be higher when retailer is not very risk-averse. According to the above analysis, it is clear that the penalty threshold value directly impacts the supplier’s production decision. The supplier’s optimal production decision for retailer is given byFrom (18), it is known that when is less than , the supplier will accept the penalty and will produce only units of options for retailer ; otherwise, he will produce all option order quantity. At the same time, the total optimal production quantity of the supplier for two retailers is given by
When , the penalty threshold value is , and the corresponding optimal production decision of the supplier for retailer is Obviously, and .
5. Supply Chain Coordination
It is well known that the optimal decision of supply chain system-wide is the benchmark for supply chain coordination. To derive the optimal decision of the channel, the supply chain is taken as one entity, and the profit of the supply chain system is formulated and denoted as :where and are, respectively, the order quantity and the promotion level for retailer in the supply chain system. On the right-hand side of the sum in (21), the first term is the sales revenue, the second term is the production cost, and the last term is the promotion cost. The corresponding expected profit is
Obviously, the optimal decision of the supply chain can be obtained by maximizing (22). Let the first-order partial derivative of with respect to and be equal to zero: where , . In addition, the leading principle minors of matrix of are as follows: , . The optimal decision for the channel in (22) can be obtained as follows:where , , , , , and .
The optimal order quantity and the promotion level of the supply chain system-wide can be used as the benchmark for supply chain coordination to adjust the option parameters. The coordination conditions of supply chain will be given by the following theorem.
Theorem 4. The supply chain of a risk-neutral supplier and two risk-averse retailers engaging in promotion competition with an option contract and a CVaR criterion can be coordinated by the following conditions:
In Theorem 4, the first two items show that if the supply chain can be coordinated, then the two retailers first achieve competitive equilibrium. The third item implies that retailers are not very risk-averse; that is, retailers will pursue profit by taking some risk. Let , , and , where is a small change on the promotion level of retailer . The fourth item shows that if the promotion level of retailer changes units, then retailer ’s demand will change units, and the other retailer’s demand will change units in the centralized case; retailer ’s demand will change units in the decentralized case. This relationship is brought about by the two retailers’ competition and promotional activities. Furthermore, the penalty threshold value must be higher than the sale price, or the supplier will not produce all option order quantity. Finally, by adjusting the parameters of the option contract, the whole supply chain profit can reach the optimum, and the profits of supply chain members can achieve Pareto optimum.
Then we will discuss the subchain coordination conditions. Figure 2 shows that the supply chain contains two subchains, and the coordination conditions of subchain will be given by the following theorem.
Theorem 5. The subchain () can be coordinated by the following conditions:
From Theorem 5, we can see that the first three coordination conditions of are similar to that of the entity supply chain. The last condition implies that , which means that the level of the promotion activity of retailer in decentralized decision is higher than in centralized decision.
Furthermore, we can derive the coordination conditions of supply chain with a neutral supplier and a neutral retailer (), supply chain with a neutral supplier and a risk retailer (), and subchain of supply chain with a neutral supplier and two neutral retailers engaging in promotion competition (). In the coordination conditions of , when and are and , respectively, we get the coordination conditions of and , which are consistent with the conclusion of , and when and , the coordination conditions of are obtained. Now we compare them in Table 1. From Table 1, we find that the penalty cost is higher than the retail price for four supply chains or subchains coordination conditions. Obviously, this condition is beneficial for the retailers to fully exercise the option, and the supplier has to produce all option order quantity to reduce loss. Table 1 shows that the sale price of is higher than , which embodies the characteristic of the retailer’s risk aversion. Similar conclusions exist in and .
6. Numerical Analysis
In this section, we carry out numerical experiments under the model assumption to illustrate our findings. We let , , , , , , , , , and and . For simplicity, we assume that the random demand variable of each retailer is uniformly distributed on , and . The retailers’ optimal option order policy and supplier’s optimal production decision in decentralized case and the optimal supply chain decision system-wide are shown in Table 2 (note that the data are rounded). In Table 2, retailers’ optimal order quantity is the same as the supplier’s production decision, and the level of two retailers’ promotional activity remains consistent in decentralized case. Furthermore, the optimal profit of supply chain system is the same as that of the retailers and the supplier in decentralized case, which implies that the supply chain consisting of a risk-neutral supplier and two risk-averse retailers in competition and engaged in promotion is coordinated under the option contract and CVaR criterion.
Then we analyze the impact of the level of the promotional activity on the retailers’ order quantities by fixing and , respectively, and varying and from to in steps of corresponding and . Figure 3(a) shows that retailer 1’s order quantity will increase when increases; however, retailer 2’s order quantity will decrease, similar to Figure 3(b). Figures 3(a) and 3(b) also illustrate the unique equilibrium point between two risk-averse retailers, which is in agreement with the conclusion of Theorem 3.
This paper investigates an option contract for coordinating a supply chain with one risk-neutral supplier and two risk-averse retailers engaged in promotion competition. Based on the option contract, the optimal option order quantity and the promotion level of two retailers are obtained with CVaR criterion. The impact of the promotion level on the optimal order quantity of each retailer is studied, and a unique Nash equilibrium between two retailers is derived. Based on the retailers’ optimal option order policy, the supplier’s optimal production decision is further obtained by maximizing expected profit. Furthermore, we discuss the coordination issues of the supply chain system and its subchain and give the corresponding coordination conditions. Both in supply chain and in its subchain, the penalty cost threshold value should be higher than selling price to stimulate the supplier to produce all option order quantity, and the retailers’ degree of risk aversion should not be too high. Numerical experiments illustrate the unique Nash equilibrium between two retailers and show that the optimal order quantity of each retailer increases (decreases) with its own (competitor’s) promotion level.
Of course, this study includes some limitations which require further exploration in the future. For example, the supply chain that we studied above is assumed to have a risk-neutral supplier, which implies that the supplier has no risk preference. However, it is known that the supplier’s risk attitude determines the option price and the exercise price, which will in turn affect the option order quantity and the coordination conditions. Therefore, in future work, the supply chain with a risk-averse supplier and risk-averse retailers can be taken into account.
Proof of Property 1. The first-order and second-order partial derivatives of in (6) with respect to are as follows:Obviously, , which implies that is a differentiable concave function of . The stationary point, denoted as , is the maximum point. From (A.1),When , then , andHowever, , and therefore the maximum point of does not exist in this area.
When , then , andIn this case, the Hessian matrix of on isThe leading principle minors of the Hessian matrix are as follows: and , which implies that the Hessian matrix is strictly negative, and therefore is a strictly differentiable concave function on .
Proof of Theorem 2. From Property 1, it is known that the first-order partial derivative of with respect to and satisfies the following conditions:With some algebra, retailer ’s optimal option ordering policy can be obtained as follows:Substituting into (6) leads to the following: , where , , and .
Proof of Property 2. According to (A.8), it is known that . With some algebra, it can be determined that . Using the chain rule for the derivative and , the partial derivative of on , , and can be obtained as follows:According to (A.8) and the assumption in Section 3, . The desired result follows, and the proof is complete.
Proof of Theorem 3. From Property 1, it is known that is strictly concave on and that the strategy space of retailer is a compact convex set. Therefore, there is a pure strategy Nash equilibrium between the two retailers. Furthermore, the equilibrium strategy of the two retailers in the game must be inside the space, and therefore the balance of the game is unique .
Proof of Property 3. Note that , , and . From (13), the first-order and second-order partial derivatives of on and the first-order partial derivative of on , , , and can be obtained as follows:The desired result follows and the proof is complete.
Proof of Theorem 4. The optimal decision of the supply chain system-wide can be used as a benchmark to search for the coordination conditions. First, if , then , , and ; that is, . Then the following result can be obtained:Based on the equilibrium competition, every retailer will compete with the supplier at the same time. If , then , or , or , but , which is in conflict with . Therefore, the supplier must satisfy each retailer’s optimal ordering quantity, that is, , which indicates that . Moreover, for , .
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.
This research has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 61273233.
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domain: literature


text:
“Mental health problems don’t define who you are. They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain, but, importantly, YOU ARE NOT THE RAIN.” — Matt Haig
The thought of living abroad in a new country comes with its excitement, making us picture a happy life full of adventures and new experiences. However, very little thought is given to the set of difficulties and concerns that come along with relocating. If these issues are not timely addressed, overtime, they might lead to serious mental health issues.
Various studies from well-known research institutes into the array of mental health of expats have concluded that that expats were three times as likely to express or endorse feelings of being trapped, isolated or depressed. On a broader level, 50% of expats were found to be at a high risk of internalising common mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
Having grown up in an Indian society, socializing and being connected to people becomes an integral part of life. When relocating to other country, one of the biggest challenge the NRI’s face is separation from friends and families. If not tackled appropriately, homesickness and isolation can become a major issue and might translate into feelings of incompleteness, depression, and isolation. Some people might even face “expat grief” when they grieve for the life and friends left behind.
Some other issues the NRI’s face can be in the form of lack of support and language barriers, cultural shock, the need to develop a high-level of self-sufficiency and facing unrealistic and unmet expectations. Also, many tend to take the routine to extreme, trying to overfill the day. This too can lead to physical tiredness impacting mental health with mood changes, trouble concentrating, and anxiety. Some of them have an added pressure of making their long-distance relationship work along with all the new changes happening in their life.
Here are some things that an NRI can do to protect their mental health.
- Getting connected with other people through various expat groups
- Joining a new activity or a team in the new city
- Attending social events with new colleagues
- Making calling friends and family at home a priority
- Regular exercise to reduce depression
- Getting enough sleep to keep up the energy levels
- Not overdoing things and having time to unwind
Early recognition of the symptoms of mental illness can be vital to getting timely help. Being moody and anxious all the times, withdrawing yourself from others, not enjoying the activities once enjoyed, feeling lonely and misunderstood – all these are indicators that one is experiencing psychological issues. Sleep and appetite changes, drop in functioning, illogical or problems thinking and increased sensitivity also point out to presence of mental disorders. People often might not take them seriously or fail to acknowledge them. Some might decide to distract themselves by pursuing activities which they might not usually do or enjoy.
Talking about the issues you are going through to your close confidants can really help tackle them. The support of the near and dear ones is of utmost importance. However, for NRI’s living on their own in an unknown country, might not have that comfort. In such cases seeking professional help can become inevitable. There is lot of stigma attached to getting help for mental issues which might discourage people from getting qualified help. Also, lack of support in the Indian language they are comfortable in, might add to the constraints from getting counseled. Counselling generally tends to be expensive and not everyone can afford it.
In such cases, NRI’s may want to approach a program specifically designed for them, available in the language of their comfort and light on the pockets. Shrinkclub is such an online platform having a dedicated NRI counselling program to find solutions for life problems, family conflicts, mental and psychological issues for Indians living abroad. The ease of approaching the mental health professionals, the effective counselling and emotional support provided on this platform enables to foster mental health. It helps you arrange discrete expert online counselling led by the best online psychologists in India to help you get back to a life that is cooler, calmer, happier and more enjoyable than ever.
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domain: sociology


text: My Brain and Me - Jenny's Story Jenny bravely tells her story of how her experience of Anti-NMDAR encephalitis has devastated her life. Like in the film version of Susannah Cahalan's best-selling memoir Brain on Fire, Jenny’s doctors thought she was suffering from anxiety. She started acting oddly but no one believed there was anything wrong until she “went crazy” and ended up being wrongly admitted to a psychiatric ward. Brain on Fire is a powerful film, Jenny’s story is equally as powerful as it’s real and told from the heart. Encephalitis devastates lives and we are here for the Susannahs and the Jennies every single day. To support our life saving work, click the red DONATE button above.

domain: artistic


text:
The Texas Legends announced today that they have acquired forward Quincy Acy as well as Los Angeles’ 2017 3rd round draft pick in a trade with the D-Fenders. In turn, Texas sends the returning player rights to Jamil Wilson and its own 1st round pick in the 2017 NBA D-League Draft.
Acy (6-7, 240, Baylor) was drafted in the 2nd round (37th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. In 225 career NBA games he has averaged 4.5 points, 3.5 rebounds in 15.1 minutes. Acy joined the Dallas Mavericks training camp and saw six games of the regular season averaging 2.2 points, 1.3 rebounds in 8.0 minutes per game. Acy spent four years at Baylor averaging 9.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks and earning Big 12 honors every season.
Acy is expected to join the team as they host the Greensboro Swarm Thursday at 7pm CT at Dr Pepper Arena. For tickets or information visit www.TexLegends.com.

domain: sports


Dream maker heavy bass drum pedal is designed for drummers seeking enhanced power and stability. It features a sturdy construction with a durable base plate and components to withstand intense playing. The pedal’s chain or belt drive efficiently transfers energy for forceful strikes, while adjustable spring tension allows customization of the pedal’s response. With a wide footboard and stability-enhancing features, this pedal ensures secure and accurate playing. Its larger, weighty beater contributes to a deep bass drum sound. Overall, a heavy bass drum pedal provides drummers with powerful performance and reliable stability.
- Brand: Dream maker
- Color : Black/Silver
- Ultra-heavy duty bass drum pedal with a single spring pendulum
- Uses spring to transfer the stroke power right to the drum head
- The beater angle is also adjustable
- Chain drive
- Made of sturdy and durable stainless steel,


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Michelin excels at providing dependable, responsive and long lasting all weather tires for light trucks and SUVs, like the X Radial LT. With a unique contact patch design, engineered to provide more grip on paved surfaces and to distribute driving, braking and accelerating forces evenly, the Radial LT series withstands road wear and provides greater traction. Innovative grooves whisk away water for wet weather handling and variable sipes produce excellent performance in inclement weather so no drive is ruined by slush and snow.
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text:
Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses, impacting more than 14 million Americans each year. A study conducted by the CDC also showed that during COVID-19, almost a third of the population experienced either anxiety or depression. No wonder many Americans are seeking the best online therapy for depression.
There are many types of depression, which are often combined with other mental health issues such as anxiety or stress, making the condition harder to diagnose or treat effectively. The good news are, that according to the American Psychiatry Association, 80% to 90% of people eventually respond well to treatment. The below list of online therapy providers for depression, offering specific online depression counseling, can help you too.
The list above is a compilation of some of the online therapy platforms we review, organized in the specific order we believe is best for online depression treatments. Our team of experts thoroughly reviews and examines each company, and we update all our pages with any new, relevant information as soon as it comes out.
As with all our recommendations, we used the following metrics to determine the best therapy sites to help with depression:
With more than 25,000 licensed therapists and 3 million registered users, BetterHelp is the largest online therapy site in the world. Combine that with the fact they have excellent software and top notch customer service, and it is no wonder why we chose it as our overall best online therapy site.
BetterHelp offers its users a weekly live session with a therapist, as well as the option to chat or mail them at any time. From our experience as well as feedback we got from our readers, therapists usually reply within the day – although sometimes it may take a bit too long to get a response. If that happens, and you feel like you need better support, you can easily choose a different counselor instead.
Even though the overall package of services offered by BetterHelp is superb, when it comes to treating depression there are a few things they lack. The platform doesn’t offer any psychiatric treatments or medical prescriptions, so in some cases you might have to combine talk therapy on BetterHelp with face-to-face meetings with a psychiatrist who can prescribe antidepressants.
BetterHelp also doesn’t work with any insurance company. If your provider covers online therapy sessions, you can file for coverage independently, and BetterHelp will help by sending any relevant document you might need. Read our full BetterHelp review to see why we think it’s the best choice for anyone who’s looking to start with online therapy for depression.
Talkspace is another extremely popular therapy platform, and our choice for the best therapy site that accepts insurance. Even though it’s also a large platform with many therapists to choose from, the experience feels more personal when compared to BetterHelp. This is due to several reasons, but mainly because you get a free chat consultation as soon as you sign up, with the aim of helping you choose the best therapist for your specific needs.
Without insurance, Talkspace is more expensive than BetterHelp, and is also slightly behind when it comes to the overall quality of the platform. However, since they do work with quite a large list of insurance providers, you should be able to find a way to reduce costs significantly.
Read our Talkspace review for all the details, or this comparison between BetterHelp and Talkspace if you want to know all the small differences between these 2 industry leaders.
Brightside is a well known teletherapy company, operating in the U.S for over 5 years now. Unlike our previous 2 recommendations, Brightside is a smaller company – with its entire focus being treating depression and anxiety disorders.
Being a smaller platform means there are much less therapists to choose from, and we have also encountered availability issues more than once. Counselors are sometimes late to respond, and you might have to wait several days before you even get to have your first session. On the plus side, Brightside’s users get much more personal treatment and attention from the site’s representatives.
The biggest reason to use Brightside is the fact they offer a psychiatric evaluation alongside talk therapy. Their therapy + meds package isn’t cheap, but it’s ideal if you want to get medical prescriptions for OTC antidepressants (SSRIs or SNRIs). Brightside also works with several insurance providers, but significantly fewer than Talkspace.
Read our full Brightside review, or a detailed comparison between Brightside and Talkspace to learn more about the platform and what it is to offer for people who are dealing with depression.
Online-therapy.com is a fairly small online therapy site, but has one of the best reputations in the industry. The fact they have been around since 2009 and maintain an impeccable reputation speaks volume of the quality of service they provide.
What sets Online-Therapy.com apart from competitors when it comes to treating depression, is the fact the entire platform is geared towards CBT treatments. With CBT being so popular nowadays, naturally you can find therapists who practice it on every therapy site – but Online-Therapy.com is the only one which requires psychologists to focus solely on it.
This is combined with a plethora of tools embedded in the platform and design to help you on your journey to better wellbeing – such as worksheets, journals, meditation videos, activity plans and other features that help you track and assess your progress. Your therapist will comment on your “homework” and help you throughout the process – which is extremely gratifying and lets you take a more active role in treatment.
Studies have shown CBT is one of the most effective ways to combat depression. This is because the whole technique focuses on finding and changing negative thought patterns – which is both a key symptom and cause of depression. Patients usually report improvement within 10 to 15 sessions of treatment.
Read our full Online-Therapy.com review and find out why we like it so much for people who prefer a CBT-focused treatment for their depression.
Unlike the sites above, HealthSapiens is a general telehealth service and isn’t solely focused on therapy. What we like about it though, is that when compared to other similar platforms (such as Amwell or MDLive for example) – their therapy section is very well developed and they view it as a much more integral part of their service package.
The counseling package costs $197 a month, and in return you get 6 live sessions with a therapist. This isn’t the cheapest option out there – but it is the best value for money. Read our full HealthSapiens review or our guide for the best affordable online therapy to learn more.
ReGain is a subsidiary of BetterHelp, designed specifically for couples therapy and relationship issues. You can create an account and invite your partner if you want to deal with depression as a couple, or you can get help by yourself if you are trying to deal with issues in a relationship that make you feel depressed.
The site has only 1 subscription plan, the price varies depending on the duration. If you opt for the monthly subscription, the most popular option, you’ll pay $65 a week assuming you don’t qualify for their financial aid programs. In return, you get access to a weekly live session with a therapist of your choice, as well as daily support and responses based on your needs.
Same as BetterHelp, ReGain does not work with any insurance provider. Still, the rates are very competitive, especially if you opt for the longer plans and not the weekly one. It is by far the best couples therapy site in the U.S, making it the perfect place to go to if one or both partners are dealing with depression. If you want to learn more, read our full ReGain review.
Another BetterHelp subsidiary, as the name suggests this one is aimed towards providing mental health services to kids aged 13 and above. Studies show teenagers are extremely prone to suffering from depression, and almost half of those who suffer from chronic depression experience their first outburst as young adults.
The parent can create an account and invite the teen to join the platform. They will take care of payments and can stand in direct contact with the therapist, but that’s it. They can’t join sessions unless the kid invites them, and everything discussed between the patient and therapist is of course confidential – unless the counselor feels there’s a clear and immediate danger to the child’s wellbeing.
Very much like the other BetterHelp platforms, Teen Counseling only has 1 subscription plan which costs $80 per week. Insurance isn’t available, but you can get as much as a 40% discount by applying for their financial aid plans. Read our guide for the best teen therapy sites or our full Teen Counseling review for more information.
Sesame is an exciting and new telehealth platform, with a strong dedication to mental health. We can easily see it go up their list as they continue to grow and improve upon their services even further. For now, the main thing we like about this site is the fact you can see a therapist pretty much as soon as you sign up.
Sometimes depression can feel overwhelming and can be accompanied by a growing wave of anxiety. In such cases, we need to see someone as soon as possible, and hopefully get some reassurance and guidance. Sesame Care does just that – you can see a psychologist, undergo a psychiatric evaluation or get medical prescriptions – all in the same day.
That said, there are also a few issues with the service currently. They do not have a mobile app, and don’t work in some states. In some of the other states where they do operate, the number of available counselors is extremely limited. You can read our Sesame Care review to get the full picture.
As mentioned, depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the modern era. Despite that, and despite being heavily researched, there’s still much we don’t know about the condition. Unlike anxiety or stress, the 2 other common conditions people suffer from – scientists are still not sure what exactly causes depression, and what’s the best way to treat it.
One of the reasons is there are many different types of clinical depression, and these often interchange and mix. This makes diagnosis more difficult, as well as treatment. Sure, it’s easier to tell when someone is suffering from a major depression, and since it feels like such a significant, life changing event, it’s also somewhat easier for patients to garner the motivation to treat it, and usually your close environment takes it more seriously as well.
But what about another extremely common type of depression – Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD)? Also known as dysthymia, it usually has very mild symptoms and affects your life in a much more subtle way. People with mild depression can still be highly functioning adults, and often won’t even realize they suffer from a condition which could be treated.
Depression is often accompanied by feelings of shame, guilt, low self esteem and more. This is especially relevant for specific types of the condition, such as postpartum depression for example, where mothers feel like they “should” not be experiencing those negative emotions and often try to hide them.
Contrary to a popular misconception that has spread in the last decade or so, depression isn’t solely a chemical imbalance in the brain. There are many other causes for depression besides a genetic tendency – abuse, addiction, life changing events and more. Antidepressants are highly effective and help a lot of people get better, but they are not some magic pill that makes it all go away. In many cases, medication is used simply to stabilize the patient and alleviate symptoms, before the actual treatment can begin.
Lastly, it might be hard sometimes to differentiate between depression and natural human feelings such as sadness or grief. Many people suffer from extreme pain and sadness during grief and getting professional help is of course welcome. But the main difference is, with grief, those “negative” emotions aren’t persistent. It’s important to note though that grief and depression can definitely co-exist, so if you are in extreme distress and in need of help don’t hesitate to contact a therapist.
Despite there being many types of depression, and the fact each person experiences it in a slightly different manner, there are a few common symptoms most people share:
As with any disease, the first step is proper diagnosis. It’s important to note that people may experience symptoms of depression, with the cause actually being physical rather than mental. For example, thyroid dysfunction or other hormonal imbalances are known to lead to depression. To rule these out, the first step should be getting an extensive blood test.
Assuming there’s no physical cause, your therapist will talk to you and together you’ll decide on an appropriate treatment plan for depression. This usually involves psychotherapy, medication or a combination of both.
It’s important you realize this is a process and it may take time. There’s no clear-cut treatment for depression and each person reacts differently when starting out. This will mostly be a trial and error process, but generally speaking you can expect to feel some relief within 2 to 3 months.
Online therapy has been proven to be just as effective as face to face treatment when it comes to dealing with depression. CBT in particular is a treatment technique which translates very well into the virtual realm – since it heavily relies on active participation and “off session” work from the patient to begin with.
If you have already been diagnosed with depression, then a place such as BetterHelp is great for managing your condition and steadily improving your situation. If you are just starting out, then perhaps a site such as Sesame Care is actually better – since you can not only book virtual therapy sessions, but also psychiatric evaluations, and meet a counselor face to face. Being diagnosed in a face to face setting is not a must, but many people find it to be more comfortable and meaningful.
Overall, no matter which therapy site you choose, you are very likely to be able to get help with your depression and dramatically improve your wellbeing. The most important thing is to take that first, difficult and brave step and get started.
If you prefer to start slowly and test the waters, there are a few good places where you can get some basic help for free. In the long run, these can’t substitute meeting a professional therapist and getting proper treatment – but they can certainly help with mild cases of depression and help you deal with some of the symptoms.
7 Cups is a community based platform that lets you join support groups or chat with people who are going through the same thing as you are. Once you feel ready, they also have a counseling program which only costs $150 a month. You can read our detailed 7 Cups review here.
Another good option is CIMHS – a platform solely dedicated to free online therapy for depression. This is a Canadian non-profit, but is also available to U.S citizens. CIMHS is a great tool for managing depression and learning to live with, through various self help tools and exercises. You can visit their site by clicking this link.
Lastly, there are also a plethora of free mental health apps, some of which are specifically designed to help people manage depression and to improve and track their mood. Check our list of the best mental health apps for a few suggestions on where to start.
Online therapy is extremely effective in helping you deal with depression and improving your long term wellbeing. The biggest upside it offers when compared to traditional therapy is the fact it is much easier to get started with and requires less mental resources.
Taking the first step is often the hardest, and with online therapy sites this becomes much easier. You can sign up with BetterHelp or Talkspace in a minute or less, choose a therapist and meet with them in the next few days. A site such as Sesame Care even takes it a step further, by allowing you to book a meeting on the same day you sign up.
That said, online therapy is not suitable for people who are in an emergency situation and are suffering from severe or psychotic depression. In such cases, you should go to the nearest hospital and get immediate help there. If you are feeling suicidal and might be a danger to yourself or others, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 as soon as possible.

domain: medical


The 10mm tactile push button switch features a slim design and compact size, ideal for applications where space is limited. ATO tactile push button switches are widely used in electronic toys, massage chairs, treadmills, cameras, recorders, etc., monitors, intercoms, etc.
- Model: ATO-TC-P6610
- Size: 6x6x10mm
- Rated Load: DC12V, 0.6A
- Insulation Resistance: >100MΩ
- Service Life: Approx. 100,000 cycles
- Contact Resistance: 0.03Ω
- Operating Force: 70-300gf
- Operation Force: 70-300gf
Life Test Method: Test the number of times it opens and closes until it is damaged, if not manually, a small motor can be used to drive the eccentric opening and closing switch, using a counter to record the number of times.
- Tact push button switches are designed to be small and compact, making them ideal for use in electronic devices with limited space.
- 4 Pin tact switches are typically designed for momentary action, meaning that they are only activated while they are being pressed.
- Tact switches have a low profile, which means that they sit close to the circuit board and do not take up much vertical space.
- Tact switches are designed to be durable and long-lasting, with a high cycle life and resistance to mechanical stress.
- 6x6x10mm Tact switches require only a light touch to activate, making them easy to operate.
Dimension (Unit mm)
Tact switches, also known as tactile switches, have a variety of applications in electronics. The tact switch is mainly used for audio-visual equipment, digital products, remote control, game consoles, home appliances, security products, toys, computer products, printers, machine tools. control devices, money detectors, laser pens, etc.
Tips: What is a tact switch?
A tact switch, also known as a tactile switch, is a type of switch that is designed to be pressed by a user's finger or thumb. Tact switches are often used in electronic devices, such as keyboards, remote controls, and other consumer electronics.
Tact switches are usually small in size and have a spring-loaded mechanism that allows them to return to their original position when released. They are typically used for momentary contact, meaning that the switch is only activated while it is being pressed, and returns to its resting state when pressure is removed.
Tact switches are commonly used as input devices in electronic circuits, where they provide a simple and reliable way to initiate a signal or control function. They are also popular in DIY electronics projects, where they can be easily integrated into custom control panels or other interfaces.
Test the number of times it opens and closes until it is damaged, if not manually, a small motor can be used to drive the eccentric opening and closing switch, using a counter to record the number of times.


text:
Two months have passed since the explosive interview with the Sussex couple. But the pill still does not pass. Whether it is for the royal family who failed to reconnect with Prince Philip’s funeral, or for close collaborators who were keen to restore the truth.
This is the case of Jason Knauf, former head of communications for Meghan Markle, who found certain statements by the American actress very unfair during his interview with Oprah Winfrey. Meghan Markle had notably declared that Kensington Palace did not want to re-establish the truth about her.
The Duchess of Sussex was referring to a discussion between her and Kate Middleton. Following this discussion, the British press reported that Meghan Markle had made Prince William’s wife cry. “She made me cry, not the other way around (…) Everyone in the institution knew that it was not true.”, Had wanted to correct Meghan Markle during the interview.
g “I did everything to protect Meghan”
While testifying in the context of the lawsuit brought by Meghan Markle to Associated Newspapers, which publishes the Mail on Sunday and Mail Online tabloids, the former collaborator of the Duchess of Sussex took the opportunity to in turn restore his truth. “I have done everything to protect Meghan”, insisted Jason Knauf who has just announced his resignation from the post of general manager of the royal foundation of Kate Middleton and William.
The exiled couple’s former press secretary in the United States also said he spoke “on several occasions” to Thomas Markle, Meghan’s father. Jason Knauf notably cited as an example, a press release dating from 2016 in which he denounced the “racist and sexist media coverage” of the princess. According to court documents, he would have made “considerable efforts for many months” to protect Thomas Markle “in addition to other measures which have been regularly taken to oppose the media hype around the Duchess”.
In a letter to the High Court of Justice, lawyers representing the Crown say Jason Knauf has made “considerable efforts” to protect Meghan’s privacy and reputation.
Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton © Zuma Press

domain: law


Faller is better known for their electric trains and scale kits for train
modellism, but in the 70s they were also active in other toy markets, such as slot
cars and speed tracks, similar to those made by Hot Wheels. The difference, is
that the Hit-Cars by Faller have plastic bodies and die-cast base
For this reason, they were very light and could make great jumps, but, on the other side, they were very fragile. Some models in very good condition reach today very interesting prices when sold online, probably due to the scarcity of mint models.
My two Faller Hit-Car models are a good example of what I say. I own a VW Porsche 914/6 in white, which is in mint condition plus a blue Mercedes 350SLC that has been stepped on and almost destroyed. So are a great percentage of used models. The first one could clearly sell for more than 30 euros, the second one is probably worth nothing.
The VW Porche was available between 1970 and 1980 and has some information on the base (110 PS and 200 Km/h). The Mercedes Model was available between 1974/75 and 1980 and the base indicates 200 PS and 210 Km/h.
Faller tracks were sold in packages that remind of the Matchbox colours. The tracks came in boxes, and the cars could be purchased in nice blisters. This line was active between 1969 and 1979, but the death of one of the Faller brothers stopped the development of this particular line.
The company is much older than that, as it was founded in 1946 by the brothers Edwin and Hermann Faller in Baden-Württenberg, Germany. Originally they produced construction sets made of wood, and other articles such as clothespins. Soon they started with the model kits for electric trains in H0 scales, which is the niche in which they succeeded and are best known at.
The main part of their production was aimed at adult collectors and hobbyist, but in the early 70, they also produced the Hittrain, which was a toy for children. Other toys were the AMS Auto Motor Sport line of slot cars and the Hit-Car which I am showing in this entry.
FACTS AND FIGURES:
- Name: VW PORSCHE 914/6 (nr. 3441) and MERCEDES 350 SLC (nr. 3455)
- Scale: Approx. 1:64
1970-1980 and 1974/75-1980, respectively
- Company: Faller (West Germany)
- Size: Around 6 cm long


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Hong Kong passes sweeping pro-Beijing electoral rules, reduces public's ability to vote
Electoral reform bill passed 40-2, as most pro-democracy opposition in legislature previously resigned
Hong Kong's legislature on Thursday passed a bill amending electoral laws that drastically reduces the public's ability to vote and increases the number of pro-Beijing lawmakers making decisions for the city.
The new law empowers the city's national security department to check the backgrounds of potential candidates for public office and sets up a new committee to ensure candidates are "patriotic."
The number of seats in Hong Kong's legislature will be expanded to 90, with 40 of them elected by a largely pro-Beijing election committee. The number of legislators elected directly by Hong Kong voters will be cut to 20, from the previous 35.
The bill, passed by a 40-2 vote, was met with little opposition, as most of the legislators are largely pro-Beijing. Their pro-democracy colleagues resigned en masse last year in protest over the ousting of four lawmakers deemed to be insufficiently loyal to Beijing.
Pro-Beijing lawmakers lauded the bill during the debate on Wednesday and Thursday, saying that reforms would prevent those not loyal to Hong Kong from running for office.
Some pointed out that multiple bills that impact people's livelihoods have been passed with more ease this year compared to in 2020, when pro-democracy lawmakers would at times filibuster or behave disruptively during meetings to stall the passage of bills that they disagreed with.
Lo Kin-hei, the chair of Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy party, said that the party was "unhappy" with the decision to pass the bill.
"We are disappointed with the way that the government is changing the electoral system, because we can see that the representation of the people from Hong Kong in the Legislative Council or in the institution as a whole is much less than before, so this is not something which is good for Hong Kong," said Lo.
He said that his Democratic Party had not yet decided if they would take part in the upcoming legislative elections in December.
U.S. Secretary of State condemns latest Hong Kong change:
The Chinese government continues to dismantle the democratic institutions of Hong Kong, including the Legislative Council. We stand with the people of Hong Kong, whose will the People's Republic of China is attempting to subvert. #StandWithHongKong—@SecBlinken
Activists, pro-democracy lawmakers arrested or muzzled
The changes to Hong Kong's elections come as Beijing further tightens control over the semi-autonomous city that saw months of anti-government protest and political strife in 2019.
Authorities have arrested and charged most of the city's outspoken pro-democracy advocates, such as Joshua Wong, who was a student leader of 2014 protests, as well as media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who founded the Apple Daily newspaper.
LISTEN | From April 8: The end of Hong Kong?
China's rubber-stamp parliament in March endorsed changes to the city's electoral system, which then led to Hong Kong's proposals.
They are the latest in a string of moves to ensure people elected to office or serving the city are loyal to Beijing. An amendment the legislature approved earlier this month requires the city's over 400 district councillors — who mainly deal with municipal matters — to take an oath pledging loyalty to Hong Kong and to upholding its mini-constitution.
The oath was previously required only of legislators and government officials such as the chief executive.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong authorities for the second year banned the June 4 candlelight vigil to commemorate the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, organizers said Thursday.
The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organizes the candlelight vigil annually, said in a statement that the police had objected to the event in light of social distancing restrictions, which prohibit large gatherings.
For years, Hong Kong and Macau were the only cities in China where people were allowed to mark the 1989 anniversary of Beijing's crushing of the Chinese democracy movement.


The Chancellor plans to bring forward proposed cuts to pensions tax relief could have come to a standstill after advisers threaten to begin a ‘political storm’ if changes affect the current system.
George Osborne is currently exploring options to scrap the current tax breaks as well as offer pensioners no relief while paying into their pension but instead giving tax-free access to savings once the individual has retired.
It’s expected the chancellor would delay these changes until the next Budget, which will be in March next year. Although, after proposed cuts to tax credits following the House of Lords’ rebellion, many people have raised concerns that Osborne could bring forward pensions cuts in an attempt to plug the deficit.
Phil Loney, Royal London chief executive, told the Telegraph:
“We’re just enrolling millions of people in the workplace into their pension schemes and it would be a huge turn-off for them if they have to trust that, 30 or 40 years from now, some politician who’s probably still in their nappies right now is going to allow them to take that money out free of tax. That’s a big ask,”
“If he really did choose to scrap tax relief on pensions and move to a different regime, I think he might find himself with the same kind of storm that he’s got around tax credits. It’s that big an issue,” he further commented.
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text:
- Charlie Barakat pleaded guilty to knowingly direct a criminal group in October
- Police uncovered messages on his phone which confirmed his rank in the Finks
- He told a court he’d left the bikie life behind him and wasn’t involved with Finks
- Barakat was sentenced to an intensive corrections order but lodged an appeal
- He is now on a community corrections order and must do 100 hours of work
An ex-bikie who once said he wanted his club to be the ‘most notorious bikie club in Australia’ will be able to live more freely in the community after he was spared jail when he said he’d left his life of crime behind him.
Charlie Barakat, 40, pleaded guilty to knowingly or recklessly directing a criminal group in October this year.
Police had uncovered incriminating texts on his phone that confirmed his senior rank in the Castle Hill chapter of the Finks Motorcycle club, in Sydney‘s north-west.
While pleading guilty in October, Barakat told Magistrate Glenn Bartley he had moved on from the Finks and was no longer involved with the club.
He was spared jail but was put on an intensive correction order and ordered to complete 300 hours of community service.
The only more serious penalty given to someone than an intensive corrections order is imprisonment.
Barakat’s legal team successfully argued the order was too harsh given he had left the bikie life behind and his risk of re-offending was low.
Last week Barakat’s sentence was reduced to a community corrections order where he will have to complete 100 hours of community service, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Some of the material uncovered on the 40-year-old’s phone showed Finks associates discussing drug deals and acts of violence under the orders of Barakat.
Messages showed Barakat discussing the logistics of carrying out methamphetamine and cannabis deals, according to agreed facts tendered to court.
Police also uncovered a video that had been sent to Barakat that shows a scuffle between Finks members with one accusing two others of stealing from the club.
‘People need to no (sic) we aren’t the most notorious bikie club in Australia for nothing,’ Barakat said.
Barakat had once said he wanted the Finks Motorcycle club to be the ‘most notorious bikie club’ in Australia.
Source: Daily Mail
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- Men charged in Raleigh murder involving rival motorcycle gangs appear in court
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domain: news


- How can I protect my CCTV camera from rain?
- Is wireless CCTV better than wired?
- How do you keep cobwebs off CCTV?
- Can wired CCTV be hacked?
- Does CCTV work without Internet?
- What is the best home CCTV system?
- Can hackers see you through your phone camera?
- How do you clean a CCTV lens?
- Where can I hide my CCTV DVR?
- Will a security camera work through a window?
- How can I hide my CCTV?
- How do you know if your phone is being hacked?
- How can I tell if I have been hacked?
- Does the FBI actually watch your phone?
- Can CCTV be hacked?
- Do security cameras deter crime?
- How can I hide my security cameras in my window?
How can I protect my CCTV camera from rain?
By far the best protection you can provide for your security camera is so enclose them in a waterproof housing.
Waterproof camera enclosures are designed two withstand elements far beyond what a rainstorm may bring..
Is wireless CCTV better than wired?
Wireless systems connect to your Wi-Fi network (either wirelessly or with a cable), however, do still require wired power. Installation is one of the main benefits of wireless systems as compared to wired systems. … As such, wireless cameras are more flexible in terms of mounting locations.
How do you keep cobwebs off CCTV?
Here are a few ideas:Apply lubricants to the outside case of your camera. … Attach a dryer sheet to the camera. … Disable the LED lights. … Loop a flea collar around your camera. … Spray bug repellent around cameras. … Sweep camera areas weekly. … Use a fan to prevent spider webs.
Can wired CCTV be hacked?
Security camera hackers may take the advantage of the data breach or unsecured passwords to hack into security cameras. That’s why many security cameras live get hacked. And that’s why the wired security cameras can also be hacked.
Does CCTV work without Internet?
You can continue to operate CCTV cameras without Internet. It surprises many people to learn a CCTV camera can even work when there is no electricity. … CCTV cameras can be mounted just about anywhere. Internet service is only required when a person needs access to their camera remotely.
What is the best home CCTV system?
Here’s what I found…Nest Cam IQ. Why we like it: A beautiful camera with brilliant quality video and a very easy setup. … Hive View. … Ring Spotlight Cam Battery. … BT Smart Camera. … Arlo Pro 2. … Arlo Q Plus. … Ring Video Doorbell 2. … Swann Wi-Fi Indoor HD Security Camera.More items…•
Can hackers see you through your phone camera?
Most of us have a camera built into our phone, tablet, laptop, or a desktop webcam we use for work, study or virtual socialising. Unfortunately, this privilege can leave us vulnerable to an online attack known as camfecting. This is when hackers take control of your webcam remotely.
How do you clean a CCTV lens?
How to clean your cameras:- Switch off the CCTV camera unit to prevent any damage to the moving parts of the camera.- If you have opted to use compressed air, use it to blow off the loose dirt & dust from the camera lens.- Next, use the microfibre cloth with gentle pressure to wipe the lens clean.More items…
Where can I hide my CCTV DVR?
Hide DVR or NVR in a Locker or Safe Box. … Put DVR or NVR on an Attic or Ceiling. … Hide Them Inside Walls. … Place Them In a Closet. … Hide the DVR or NVR in a Bookshelf. … Or Possibly Crawlspace. … Better Yet, DIY Your Own Lockers. … Backup Videos to an FTP Server.More items…•
Will a security camera work through a window?
Security cameras with a motion sensor that calculates changes in pixels will still be able to detect movement and record through glass or a glass window.
How can I hide my CCTV?
Hiding your CCTV camera indoors A clever way of concealing your spy camera is by installing it on a power outlet. Just remove the screw in the outlet and place your spy cam inside. Since most power outlets are below a person’s line of sight, it’s less likely to be detected (or disabled) by unsuspecting intruders.
How do you know if your phone is being hacked?
How can I tell if my phone has been hacked?Strange or inappropriate pop ups: Bright, flashing ads or X-rated content popping up on your phone may indicate malware.Texts or calls not made by you: If you notice text or calls from your phone that you didn’t make, your phone may be hacked.More items…
How can I tell if I have been hacked?
The clearest sign that you’ve been hacked is when something has changed. You might not be able to access your Google account using your regular username and password, or there may have been a suspicious purchase charged to one of your bank accounts.
Does the FBI actually watch your phone?
The FBI insists it’s not doing it. Man talking on his cell phone. It’s no news law enforcement agencies conduct cellphone surveillance. But how the technology works and how agencies use it has been controversial in the US.
Can CCTV be hacked?
3 Ways to Hack CCTV Cameras (and How to Prevent It from Happening to You) Though advances have been made in recent years, many CCTV cameras remain troublingly vulnerable to attack. … Once inside, they can use remote access to watch the world through your cameras—or potentially even take control of them.
Do security cameras deter crime?
Despite claims by police, private security and camera technology companies, deterrence has not been proven. There may well be more evidence that cameras have little to no deterrent effect, since crime rates and other indicators used to measure deterrence fluctuate greatly after camera surveillance installation.
How can I hide my security cameras in my window?
In 6 Ways How To Hide A Security Camera In a WindowMethod1: Use outlet To Hide the camera Near Window.Method 2: Hide your cam inside Window Box.Method 3:Hide camera in decorative case Around Window.Method 4:Disguise Cameras in Birdhouse Near Window.Method 5: Use Window Frame to Hide Camera.Method 6: Get Spy Camera or Mini Camera.


November 14 (BBC) – US President-elect Joe Biden has won the state of Georgia, the BBC projects, the first Democratic candidate to do so since 1992.
The win solidifies Mr Biden’s victory, giving him a total of 306 votes in the electoral college, the system the US uses to choose its president.
President Donald Trump is projected to win North Carolina, reaching 232 votes.
Mr Trump, who has not yet conceded, alluded for the first time to a possible new administration in January.
Looking subdued, the president stopped short of acknowledging his defeat during a briefing of his coronavirus task force at the White House, his first public appearance since his election defeat was projected by US media.
As the country faces growing outbreaks of Covid-19, Mr Trump said he would not impose a lockdown to fight the virus, adding: “Whatever happens in the future, who knows which administration it will be. I guess time will tell.”
The president, who did not mention Mr Biden by name, did not take questions from reporters. Pressure is growing on Mr Trump, a Republican, to acknowledge Mr Biden’s victory and help prepare the transition from one administration to another.
The results in Georgia and North Carolina were the last to be projected in the race for the White House. Mr Biden’s electoral votes equal the tally Mr Trump achieved in his victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016. At the time Mr Trump referred to it as “a landslide”.
President Trump has launched a flurry of legal challenges in key states and levelled unsubstantiated allegations of widespread electoral fraud. But his efforts suffered three setbacks on Friday:
- In Arizona, his team dropped a lawsuit seeking a review of ballots cast on Election Day after it became clear his rival’s lead was unassailable. The challenge was based on a claim that some legal votes had been rejected
- In Michigan, a judge rejected a request by two Republican poll watchers to block the certification of election results in Detroit who had alleged fraud in Wayne County
- In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Trump campaign’s requests to invalidate several batches of mail-in ballots were rejected
A manual recount is to be carried out in Georgia because of the narrow margin between the two candidates, but the Biden team said they did not expect it to change the results there.


Toyota Engineering and Manufacturing North Amerca (TEMA) has filed a patent application for an innovative flying helicopter car with wheels that could double as rotary wings.
The patent is for a “dual mode vehicle, wheels for the vehicle and a method of transitioning the vehicle from a land mode to a flight mode.” It goes on to describe a vehicle with wheels attached to spaced arms that are fixed to a central pivot. When the vehicle switches from the land mode to the flight mode, the arms extend upward and the wheels begin to spin. Rotors then extend from within the wheels, spinning like typical helicopter rotors and producing enough to lift to allow the vehicle to fly.
Toyota’s patent says each of the wheels/rotors would be powered by an electric motor fed by a power system. The power system could be a battery pack, gas turbine generator, a hydrogen fuel cell or “any other energy conversion device capable of generating sufficient electric power to drive the wheels of the dual mode vehicle.” The patent also says the vehicle could be steered in land mode by “changing the speed of the wheels on one side of the dual mode vehicle,” similar to how a vehicle with tracks turns, like a tank for example.
Toyota’s patent for a flying car reminds us of flying car startup Terrafugia’s concept flying car. Terrafugia, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chinese auto giant Geely, first showed its flying car concept back in 2015, which featured deployable helicopter-style rotors. Unlike Toyota’s design, though, Terrafugia’s had dedicated wheels and rotors for flying instead of integrating the two into the same assembly. Uber is also planning to roll out so-called “flying taxis” one day which use similar drone-style flying technology, although they won’t be capable of driving on public streets.
SEE ALSO: Porsche Also Wants to Make Flying Cars
It’s highly unlikely TEMA’s flying car patent will ever materialize into a tangible item. Who knows, though? This is exactly the kind of “mobility solution” an automaker could wow crowds with at CES in concept form.
Discuss this story on our Toyota Forum.


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Series: Red Hot Love, #2
Author: Elle Casey
Publication Date: April 12, 2018
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½
A million reasons to go home. One hot reason to stay.
Emerald Collins is nothing like her strong-willed sister Amber. When she found out her father was a member of the legendary rock group Red Hot, sensitive Em was determined to carry on as normal—she had no interest in finding out more about her dad or leaving her quiet sanctuary in Maine.
But while visiting Amber in New York, Em meets Sam, a tortured, sexy, and utterly unsuitable musician. Sam and Em are used to life behind the scenes but their undeniable attraction is about to put them right in the spotlight.
When Sam reveals a shocking secret about his past, Emerald has to make a choice. Will she follow her head and return home or is the magnetism between them and the excitement of the big city enough for her to follow her heart?
Emerald is not happy with her sister Amber for moving to New York to work for the band her father is in. They had an agreement not to let the band into their lives, but that’s something Amber seems to have forgotten now that she’s in a relationship with the band’s new guitar player Ty. Emerald is determined to avoid anything to do with the band. She’s able to do just that until Amber forces her to visit New York.
In New York, Emerald meet’s Ty’s brother Sam and they instantly hit it off. They have a lot in common, and Emerald decides Sam might just make this trip to New York worth it. Things are going perfectly until Sam’s secret calls him back to Los Angeles. Emerald has to decide if his secret is too much for her and the short time she’s had with Sam is over, or if she can open her heart to new adventures.
I have to admit that I didn’t love Amber. I liked it, but her personality really put me off. I was curious as to where the series would continue to go, so I wanted to read Emerald. I was hoping I would enjoy this sister’s personality and therefore the book more.
Emerald was easier to digest than Amber. Her personality was quieter, less in your face. I loved that she felt such a deep connection to her upbringing, and wasn’t so quickly swayed from that way of life. I did get frustrated with her stubbornness at times, but I understood it. I felt she had a genuine connection with Sam. I enjoyed how their love bloomed.
Sam was a surprise. I don’t know what I expected from his character, but it wasn’t what I got. He was a really great guy. Sadie proved that. The whole story around Sam and Sadie was sad, but sweet. I really liked it, and I liked how it fit with Sam and Emerald’s story. It made me like Emerald even more.
I do have a couple of complaints about Emerald. One was the insta-love. Everything happened within a week or two, and it felt too fast for me. I needed more time for Sam and Emerald’s love to grow. I guess I sort of got that with the epilogue, but I needed more. The other thing that bugged me a bit was the father storyline. I don’t want to give it away, but I still feel unresolved with it. I’m scared Rose’s book won’t give me what I want.
Emerald was a fun, fast paced romance. I had some frustrations with it, but overall I enjoyed reading it. It continued to keep me interested in the series storyline, and I am very interested to find out what comes next.