In this work, we report the characterization of a quantum cascade laser frequency comb with an optical power of 1.05 W at λ∼8.2 μm. A 4.5 mm long device has a high reflectivity coating on the back facet as well as a top cladding designed to lower the group velocity dispersion and is operated at 258 K. Very strong (more than 60 dB) narrow beatnotes are shown, and frequency comb operation is obtained on a bandwidth of 85 cm−1 in a very large range of light-versus current characteristics. A bandwidth of 82 cm−1 has a power per mode of more than 1 mW and an average power per mode of 4.1 mW. Finally, a multi-heterodyne spectrum with 215 lines covering an optical bandwidth of more than 70 cm−1 measured with lasers showing similar performances is presented with very good line separation.
There is strong interest in the development of optical frequency combs in the mid-infrared range as the implementation of dual-comb spectrometers1,2 in this frequency range which exhibit strong fundamental lines of chemicals could revolutionize chemical sensing as well as high resolution spectroscopy. As compared to other approaches for mid-infrared comb generation,3 quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) have attractive features such as being powerful, compact, and electrically driven. In these devices, frequency comb operation can be achieved thanks to four wave mixing4 and dual-comb spectroscopy has already been demonstrated.5–7 In order to further improve the sensitivity and the acquisition speed of dual-comb spectrometers, significant efforts have been dedicated to the increase in both the optical power output8 and the dynamical range for which the QCL operates as a frequency comb9,10 in order to take advantage of the maximum output power and bandwidth coverage of the laser.
Even if QCL frequency combs are stable under operation, they are sensitive to small changes in optical feedback. It is therefore important to perform all characterization studies under the same optical conditions. To ensure consistent data characterization, we adopted the setup schematized in Fig. 1(a). The laser is driven with a low noise driver and a bias-T that sends the RF part of the current on a spectrum analyzer to characterize the frequency comb beatnote. The beam is collimated with a high numerical aperture lens of NA = 0.85. In order to isolate the laser from back-reflections from the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrometer, a tilted neutral density filter (NDF) with 1% transmission is placed after the lens. A beam splitter can be used to monitor the evolution of the optical power after the NDF (see supplementary material, Appendix A). Finally, the spectra are measured using a FTIR spectrometer with a resolution of 0.075 cm−1, and the optical power is measured by placing a thermopile sensor directly after the lens. In this configuration, we verified that no element placed after the NDF will disturb the beatnote measured on the spectrum analyzer. Figure 1(b) shows two spectra obtained under the same driving conditions but once with a narrow beatnote and once with a broad beatnote. The broad beatnote was obtained by placing the NDF perpendicular to the beam to increase the optical feedback in the laser and destabilize the frequency comb operation. The two spectra have a different bandwidth; it is reduced by more than 15 cm−1 when in frequency comb operation. It is thus crucial to perform all optical spectral measurements of the frequency comb while conserving the narrow beatnote properties during the measurement. All measurements presented here were done using this method. In some cases, nevertheless, weak optical feedback can be of use such as in Ref. 11 where it allowed the generation of the self-mixing effect to confirm comb operation.
The QCL active region is a strain compensated InGaAs/AlInAs dual stack heterostructure grown by MBE (see supplementary material, Appendix B). The laser ridge is 4.5 mm long and has a high reflectivity (HR) coating on the back facet (Al2O3/Au). The Light-Current-Voltage (LIV) characteristics and the quantum efficiencies are presented in Fig. 2 for temperatures of 258 K and 293 K. Powers above 1 W and an efficiency of 6.85% are achieved at 258 K. Subthreshold spectral measurements were performed at 293 K using a nitrogen cooled mercury-cadmium-telluride detector. The deduced group velocity dispersion (GVD) and modal gain12 are plotted in Fig. 3. The top cladding of the laser has been especially designed following the approach described in Ref. 13 to obtain a low GVD to favor frequency comb operation. From simulations, it is found that it lowers the group delay dispersion (GDD) of the laser by 1800 fs2 on average compared to a very thick cladding. For this device, the GDD measured below the threshold is between –2000 fs2 and –7000 fs2 in the emission bandwidth.
At 258 K, different beatnote types were recorded across the dynamical range (the laser becomes multimode shortly before 700 mA) and are shown in Fig. 4(a). It is possible to observe these different types mostly because of the extremely high signal to noise ratio (SNR) obtained, thanks to very strong beatnote signals (up to more than 60 dB). We attribute the strong SNR to the fact that the intra-cavity power is very high, and therefore, a strong modulation of the current is induced in the laser. For most currents, a sharp beatnote was observed (showing sometimes sub-lines like for 1075 or 1375 mA but with intensities more than 40 dB below the main peak); for some currents, a pedestal was visible (at 900 and 1200 mA for example) and finally, some other currents gave broad and multipeak beatnotes (at 1330 mA for example). These observations show that many different regimes can exist in a QCL and that a careful characterization has to be conducted before using them for spectroscopy purposes for example. The corresponding optical spectra measured using a Deuterated triglycine sulfate detector are shown in Fig. 4(b). For spectroscopy purposes, it is more meaningful to characterize the quality of the beatnote with its width at –20 dB instead of –3 dB as usually presented in the literature; indeed, a very high width at –20 dB would mean a merging of neighboring lines in a dual comb multi-heterodyne signal. The beatnote width at –20 dB and the beatnote frequency as a function of current are shown in Fig. 4(c); for the beatnote width, the full circles show the frequency comb operation, while the empty circles show the high phase noise regime operation (width above several hundreds of kHz). A close up on the beatnote using a span of 200 kHz and a bandwidth resolution of 100 Hz is shown in Fig. 5(a) for a current of 1375 mA at 258 K; a sharp and strong (SNR >60 dB) beatnote is a visible signature of frequency comb operation. Neglecting dispersion and because of the similar dependence of the effective and group index on external parameters, the ratio of the optical to beatnote linewidth is given roughly by the order of the line, in our case, N = 3740. Therefore, the 3 kHz beatnote linewidth measured at –20 dB would correspond to an optical linewidth at –20 dB of 11 MHz, which corresponds approximately to 0.0003 cm−1. The mode spacing and power per mode are shown in Fig. 5(b) for spectra taken at 258 K and at room temperature for a current of 1375 mA. At 258 K, a total bandwidth of 85 cm−1 with a power of 1.05 W is achieved and a continuous bandwidth of 82 cm−1 has a power per mode above 1 mW with an average power of 4.1 mW. At room temperature, a total bandwidth of 75 cm−1 with a power of 0.664 W is achieved and a continuous bandwidth of 73 cm−1 (excluding 5 modes for wavenumbers in the vicinity of 1225 cm−1) has a power per mode above 1 mW with an average power of 2.99 mW. At room temperature, the beatnote is more robust and is a narrow peak in all the dynamic range (the laser becomes multimode shortly before 900 mA) and also at 1100 mA [see Fig. 5(c)]. These values are similar to Ref. 9 in terms of frequency comb power at room temperature, but here, the laser is able to operate in the frequency comb regime up to its roll-over thanks to its low GVD.
Following these results, two QCL frequency combs from the same processed epi-layer which show similar performances have been used as sources in a commercial dual-comb spectrometer.6 The multi-heterodyne beatnote obtained for a single shot measurement with an integration time of 20 ms is shown in Fig. 6. The shape of these multi-heterodyne spectra results both from the convolution of the optical spectra of the laser and from the optical properties of the setup such as optical element transmission spectra or beam overlap on the detector. The data processing was performed following the approach described in the supplementary material of Ref. 5. The lasers are 4.5 mm long, and one is operated at 273 K and the other at 288 K with currents of approximately 1270 and 1386 mA, respectively, without further stabilization. Even if uncoated, each laser has an optical output power above 400 mW in those driving conditions. About 215 peaks corresponding to an optical bandwidth of more than 70 cm−1 are observable between 200 and 600 MHz with a spacing of approximately 1.77 MHz. This corresponds to an increase in bandwidth coverage by a factor of at least 1.5 from previous published works.5,7,13,14 The inset shows a zoomed-in image of a few modes to pinpoint the good separation of each line of the multi-heterodyne spectra, which is of paramount importance for quantitative spectroscopy measurements. The width of each line is of few hundreds of kHz due to the drifts of the comb during the acquisition time of 20 ms. Spectroscopy measurements have been done with another pair of lasers from the same process in Ref. 15. For an integration time of 100 μs, amplitude variations of a single emission line of 2‰ rms were observed.
In summary, we demonstrated a 1 W power QCL frequency comb emitting around 8.2 μm. More than 270 modes covering a bandwidth of 85 cm−1 and a continuous bandwidth of 82 cm−1 showing a power per mode above 1 mW at 258 K have been obtained. At room temperature, the QCL operates in the frequency comb regime in almost the full dynamic range giving up to an output power of 664 mW with a similar bandwidth. Due to their particularly interesting properties for spectroscopy measurements, lasers from the same process showing similar performances have already been integrated by partners in dual-comb spectroscopy setups. In particular, we present broad multi-heterodyne spectra with 215 lines covering an optical bandwidth of more than 70 cm−1.
See supplementary material for the details about the demonstration that the optical power remains the same when operating in the frequency comb regime or in the broad beatnote regime under the same driving conditions in the first part and layer sequence of the QCL presented here in the second part.
This material is based upon work supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Program Office under Contract No. W31P4Q-15-C-0083 and the Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (SNF) under Contract No. 200020_165639.


text:
15 Amazing Bodies of Dr. Who Stars
The universe of "Doctor Who" is vast, taking us through time and space with the enigmatic Doctor and their companions. Yet beyond the intergalactic adventures, the actors who've brought these characters to life have their own remarkable stories. From battles with mental health to the challenges and triumphs of their careers, these "Doctor Who" stars provide a kaleidoscope of experiences, insights, and wisdom. Dive into the personal journeys of 20 amazing actors from this iconic series, as they reveal their vulnerabilities, passions, and the roads they've traveled in the world of acting and beyond. Let's embark on this journey, one star at a time.
Karen Gillan talked about her struggles with anxiety and mental health in an interview with Women's Health. "It's been easier to ignore my body than it has been to confront the situation. I've repressed the feeling instead of taking it seriously and listening to my body. And I'm just now turning that around."
Jodie Whittaker opened up about being the first female Doctor in an interview. "It feels completely overwhelming, as a feminist, as a woman, as an actor, as a human, as someone who wants to continually push themselves and challenge themselves, and not be boxed in by what you're told you can and can't be. It feels incredible."
Billie Piper talked about her struggles with her mental health and an eating disorder in an essay with ELLE. In it, she talked about her recovery process. "Therapy does not change who you are. My inner workaholic is still there. So is that white noise at 3am. Working on my mental health is about awareness. Being aware when I'm behaving in a certain way or being overly critical of myself or living for someone else."
Jenna Coleman shared some of her wellness secrets in an interview with Byrdie. "I take an Epsom salt or magnesium bath. I could spend two hours in a bath. I've dipped in and out of meditating. I find that yoga, in particular, is great to me just in terms of my breath and anxiety. It seems to settle my nervous system."
Freema Agyeman loves to practice yoga. She talked about this in the caption of this Instagram post. "We can't always control everything. I legit just fell out of that pose 😝 ~ but no self chastisement here cos I'm still learning, still developing – and I guess that's why it's called a 'practice' cos we're never perfect. Which is kinda wonderful really – not just for Yoga, but for life. Cos if we never turned any new corners, we'd literally just be walking in circles. So my development practice for this week – continued core strengthening and better framing on my videos so I don't chop off my feet… Lol."
Alex Kingston talked about how she approaches acting and what the world is like in an interview with the Evening Standard. "The best thing about theatre is that it is all age-embracing…It is important to always be nice. I'd like to say in all the acting jobs I have taken, I have never been difficult to work with."
Sophie Aldred talked about returning to Doctor Who with Sylvester McCoy in an interview with Express. "Working with Sylvester was an absolute dream. Obviously, we've worked together a lot in the intervening years and I'm pleased and forever thankful to call him one of my very best pals still."
Pearl Mackie opened up about her approach to acting in an interview with Fabric Magazine. "Part of the joy of being an actor is that you get to experience these different mediums, and tell different stories in different ways. I would hate to limit myself to just one of those ways. If I am lucky enough to have a career that sees me working across all of them then that would be amazing."
Mandip Gill talked about working on Doctor Who with Entertainment Weekly. "It is a really exciting series. It's very ambitious. It's bigger than it has been. Prosthetics are next level. We couldn't go anywhere because of COVID, so we've had the most brilliant set designs made. Guest actors, I've had the time of my life, because they've actually been in more than one episode this year. There's lots of through lines with stories which meant that characters could stay. We've got Kevin McNally, Jacob Anderson, Rochenda (Sandall), who I've actually worked with before, Craig Parkinson. As characters, we've been able to create better relationships, more intense relationships, that haven't had to be rounded up in one episode. I've been able to explore Yaz with all these other people in space aside from the Doctor and monsters. And then explore relationships with people like John (Bishop), whose character's from Liverpool. So for me as an actor it's been a really exciting year, restrictions aside."
Sharon D. Clarke
Sharon D. Clarke opened up about racism she's faced and what she wants for other artists of color to The Daily Beast. "For a long time, other people have been allowed to try and fail, and try again. With us, there is this sense of 'We'll try this with you, and it has to be right.' We don't have a chance to fail. Everything needs to be excellent immediately. We need the same support, and space to try things out, as others have had. That is true diversity, inclusivity, and equality. The thing I am afraid of is that something fails and the attitude is, 'We tried this, now let's go back to what we know because we know that works.' If that happens, and the chances are taken away, then it's all just lip service."
David Tennant opened up about his career in an interview on There She Goes. "Having five kids does generate a certain necessity to keep going, and I do like to know what the next thing is because I don't think one ever quite relaxes. Ultimately, though, you want your work to be seen by as many people as possible."
Ncuti Gatwa talked about being the first Black man to play The Doctor in an interview. "I feel like anyone can put themselves in those shoes. The Doctor is not from anywhere. They don't fit in anywhere and I think for marginalised people they have been a real beacon of feeling seen in a way. They are someone that can help people escape, which I love."
In an interview with Talker, Matt Smith talked about doing stunts in the film Morbius. "I think this movie for me was always an opportunity to try and explore the action side of myself as an actor. I tried to do as many stunts as I can or that my creaking body will allow. It's been quite exciting, it's like learning a dance, just you know, more repetitive and
Peter Capaldi talked about his career in an interview with The Guardian. "I wouldn't change anything. I would've loved to be a professional musician but that would've also had its ups and downs, so I'm happy to be coming to it at this late stage. My life has been enormously blessed. All the side-waters and strange corners I've gone around have made me who I am."
Christopher Eccleston opened up about his struggles with anorexia and mental health in his autobiography. He revealed that he takes antidepressants. "I am on them to this day. I could be on them for the rest of my days. I do have an issue with that," wrote Eccleston. "I would like to attempt slowly to reduce the dose, to experience reality again, to see how I do … And yet, interestingly, I have received some of the best reviews of my life since I started taking them."

domain: psychology


text:
When gum disease is diagnosed, the choice of treatment options is determined by the specifics of your condition and the extent of the issue. Our approach typically commences with the least invasive non-surgical options. Yet, for more severe cases, surgical intervention might be required.
The primary approach to combat gum disease involves a specialized cleaning technique called “scaling and root planing.” During this procedure, an ultrasonic cleaning device is utilized to remove plaque and tartar from areas that are challenging to reach with regular cleaning tools. These areas include beneath the gum line, the tooth surfaces, and around the root. Following this, the rough surfaces of the tooth and root are smoothed out (planed), establishing a clean and healthy surface that facilitates the reattachment of gum tissue to the tooth.
If gum disease is addressed promptly and is not yet severe, scaling and root planing may be the sole required treatment. However, as with any dental procedure, post-treatment care is vital. To preserve your dental health and prevent future episodes of gum disease, it is imperative to maintain daily brushing and flossing habits, adhere to a nutritious diet, refrain from tobacco usage, and schedule regular dental checkups. Even after a successful scaling and root planing, neglecting proper dental care can heighten the risk of gum disease recurrence.
SURGICAL TREATMENT OPTIONS
If the tissue or bone surrounding your teeth has sustained significant damage that cannot be rectified through non-surgical means, there are various surgical procedures available to prevent further deterioration and restore your oral health. The choice of the most suitable procedure will depend on the specific condition of your teeth and gums. Below is a list of common types of periodontal surgery.
Pocket Depth Reduction: In a healthy mouth, teeth are firmly surrounded by gum tissue and supported by the jawbone. Periodontal disease compromises these tissues, leading to open spaces or pockets around the teeth. Larger pockets provide a conducive environment for bacteria to accumulate, causing progressively more damage over time. Eventually, the supportive structure weakens to the point where teeth may fall out or require extraction. During pocket reduction procedures, also known as “flap surgery,” we gently fold back the gum tissue to access the bacteria, hardened plaque, and tartar hidden underneath. Any damaged tissue is removed, and the healthy tissue is repositioned and sutured in place. This allows the gums to reattach to the teeth after the bacterial contaminants have been eliminated.
Regeneration: In cases where bone and tissue supporting the teeth have been lost due to severe gum disease, we can initiate a regeneration procedure. This involves folding back the gum tissue to remove bacteria, plaque, and tartar. Depending on your specific condition, we may perform a bone graft to stimulate new bone growth or apply a specialized protein that encourages tissue growth to repair the areas damaged by the disease.
Soft-Tissue Graft: Gum recession, a common symptom of gum disease, exposes more of the tooth roots, making teeth appear longer and increasing sensitivity to temperature changes in food and beverages. It also exposes the tooth to additional damage from gum disease. During a soft-tissue graft, we take tissue from the roof of your mouth or another source and graft it onto the gum area to cover the roots and restore the gum line to its original, healthy position. This procedure can also be performed for cosmetic purposes.

domain: medical


Lucy Montgomery's Variety Pack
Radio 4 sketch show starring Lucy Montgomery
- Sketch Show
- 2010 - 2011
- BBC Radio 4
- 8 (2 series)
- Lucy Montgomery, Philip Pope, Natalie Walter, Sally Grace and Waen Shepherd
- Lucy Montgomery
- Katie Tyrrell
Lucy Montgomery's Variety Pack is a sketch show packed with characters performed by Lucy Montgomery and others.
Daisy and Maisie are every parent's nightmare. They are two sound-a-like public school girls who specialise in not doing what adults want them to do, intent on their own very important personal agenda, discussing the ins and outs of the Twilight movies.
Candi Karmel is an 80-year-old woman who just can't stop performing. She is still singing out the show tunes despite her advancing age and a voicebox that is shot to pieces. Wendy, the Jilted Bride has been planning her wedding ever since she got her first Barbie doll - now, she has been stood up at the altar. Despite crying hysterically she remains undeterred and delivers her wedding speech to a room full of her wedding guests.
Tim Vincent's mum just mentions her famous son to find herself showered with gifts and free from trouble.
And finally, the Dog Therapist who can talk to animals but only to tell their poor unfortunate owners that the animal in question hates them.
- Production company
- Also known as
- Lucy Montgomery's Radio Show (Working title)
- Laugh track
- Live audience
- First broadcast
- Wednesday 24th November 2010 on BBC Radio 4 at 6:30pm
- Last new broadcast
- Tuesday 16th August 2011 on BBC Radio 4 at 6:30pm
- Length of episodes
- 30 minutes
- Last repeat
- Friday 11th June 2021 at 11:00pm on Radio 4 Extra


text:
A Message from The Mayor
On behalf of myself, as Mayor of Byhalia, and our Board of Aldermen, I would like to welcome you to our newly designed website shared by the Town of Byhalia and Byhalia Area Chamber of Commerce. I hope that you will browse our website to see what we have to offer. When you come to the Town of Byhalia, you will realize that we enjoy a rural lifestyle yet we are located just minutes away from Memphis, Collierville, Olive Branch and Holly Springs, allowing us to offer even more amenities.
We are a small Town located in the northwest corner of the State of MS. We are strategically located with I-22 and I-269 surrounding Byhalia on three sides. You will see the growth and activities as you browse our site. So if you or your family would like to make your own footprint, Byhalia is waiting on you! Come be at the forefront of making and molding Byhalia into a growing community. We welcome you to be “One More Piece of the Plan” by taking action and making a difference!
Town of Byhalia

domain: geography


text:
This unique pendant features an array of stationary, as well as a little pink and white flower. Crafted on 18k gold plated twisted chain, the combination of the pendant and chain makes this a stunning piece.
If you would like a custom length, please select “custom length” from the options above and write your desired length in the “notes” section when you check out.
- materials: 18k gold plated chain and findings, enamel pendant
- measurements: pendant 5x16x24mm, chain 1x3mm

domain: design


text:
Monday 13 March 1939
It was Monday, under the sign of Pisces. The US president was Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic).
Famous people born on this day include Claude Piquemal and Eve Ruggieri.
Love Affair, directed by Leo McCarey, was one of the most viewed movies released in 1939
But much more happened that day: find out below..
Which were the most popular movies released in the last months ?
Which were the most popular TV series released in the last months ?
Find out your future
Get a FREE Numerology report based on the digits of 13 March 1939!
Which were the important events of 13 March 1939 ?
- Claude Piquemal: French Field and Track champion who won Olympic awards for the 4X100 m. relay at Tokyo in 1964 and Mexico City in 1968.
- Eve Ruggieri: French radio and TV host, she began in the 60's as Jacques Chancel's assistant on radio France-Inter.
- Neil Sedaka: Pop Singer.
- Marion Foale: English fashion designer.
Where were your ancestors 100 years before 13 March 1939
Discover their stories. Preserve your legacy.
Our team of professional genealogists provide full-service genealogical research for clients worldwide, helping them discover their roots and personal history through records, narratives, and DNA.
Make this date unforgettable
Genealogy: find out your family heritage
Which were the most popular books released in the last weeks ?
What videogames would you be playing back in the days ?

domain: history


text:
Indoor positioning using augmented reality
Unlike outdoor environments, there is no wide-spread solution to positioning inside a building. Augmented reality (AR) is recently explored for its use in indoor positioning by using Simultaneously Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) algorithms which scan the environment to find a position inside. Still, two problems remain in this context: the unaligned reference frame with the “known world” and a drift, a growing error over time. This research tries to solve these problems using shape registration. The SLAM output can be aligned to a reference floor plan, by use of a spatial matching technique. This alignment is a continuous process to account for the drift errors of the SLAM algorithm. Three spatial matching techniques are compared on their accuracy, computation time and robustness, whereas the Hough Transformation algorithm performs best. However, artefacts such as furniture or people can cause substantial errors which implies that further research is needed to create more robust methods including optimised outlier detection.
- Master thesis 'Indoor positioning using augmented reality'


To get email notification when someone adds to a thread you're following, click on the star in the thread's header and it will turn yellow; click again to turn it off. To edit your profile, click on the gear.
The Wall has a powerful search engine that will go all the way back to 2002. Use "quotation marks" around multiple-word searches. RIGHT-CLICK on the results and choose Open Link In New Window so you'll be able to get back to your results. Happy searching!
In fairness to all, we don't discuss pricing on the Wall. Thanks for your cooperation.
Elegantly Simple Heat Pipe Design
Does anyone have any first hand experience with "all glass heat pipe evacuated tube collectors"?
Since there is no copper, these must be very low cost.
I would expect some thermal shock problems... but...
Usually they are inserted into an unpressurized storage tank.
Superinsulated Passive solar house, Buderus in floor backup heat by Mark Eatherton, 3KW grid-tied PV system, various solar thermal experiments


A power tool is a tool that is actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than the solely manual labour used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric motors. Internal combustion engines and compressed air are also commonly used. Other power sources include steam engines, direct burning of fuels and propellants, or even natural power sources like wind or moving water. Tools directly driven by animal power are not generally considered power tools.
Power tools are used in industry, in construction, in the garden, for housework tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and around the house for purposes of driving (fasteners), drilling, cutting, shaping, sanding, grinding, routing, polishing, painting, heating and more.
Power tools are classified as either stationary or portable, where portable means hand-held. Portable power tools have obvious advantages in mobility. Stationary power tools however often have advantages in speed and accuracy, and some stationary power tools can produce objects that cannot be made in any other way. Stationary power tools for metalworking are usually called machine tools. The term machine tool is not usually applied to stationary power tools for woodworking, although such usage is occasionally heard, and in some cases, such as drill presses and bench grinders, exactly the same tool is used for both woodworking and metalworking.
Speed Drill Press, Hammer Drill-Driver, Combination Bench Grinder & Belt Sander, Cordless Grease Gun Kit, Heavy Duty Cordless Combo Kit, Heavy Duty Electric Demolition Jack Hammer, Makita - Lithium-Ion 36V Cordless Circular Saw, Max Brushless Pocket Driver Kit, Max Lithium Band Saw, Factory Reconditioned Dremel Multi-Max, Super-Duty Air Impact Wrench Thunder Gun, power tools, Hand tools, New Releases in Power Tools


text:
The state minister made two claims:
- None of the creditors who hold Sri Lanka’s non-ISB debt seem to show any sign of concern or stress about its (Sri Lanka’s) repayment ability
- ISB amortisations amount to USD 1 to 1.5 billion per annum and authorities have to repay this amount to avoid default.
Claim 1: Concerns regarding repayment or credit risk can be assessed by the rate of interest demanded by borrowers and willingness to lend. The majority of Sri Lanka’s government non-ISB debt consists of domestic rupee debt (53.5% of total debt). On this, interest rates have declined to very low levels, indicating low concern over credit risk. However, of the remaining non-ISB debt, it is not possible to evaluate the credit risk perception of non-market foreign debt (bilateral and multilateral loans) since new loan interest rates are not always in the public domain (e.g. March 2020 CDB loan). Furthermore, interest rates SLDBs (comprising 3.3% of total debt) have increased across the board between January 2020 and January 2021. For example, two-year SLDB increased from 5.79% to 6.92% and 54% of the volume issued at auctions during this period was unsubscribed, an additional indication of higher credit risk perception.
Claim 2: Sri Lanka does have required annual ISB capital repayments of an average USD 1,405 million each year from 2021 to 2030, which is in the range stated by the state minister. However, he failed to account for the fact that in addition to capital repayments, Sri Lanka must repay interest on ISBs in order to avoid default. As of today, based on the 6.64% weighted average coupon rate (the interest rate paid on a bond) on total ISBs, Sri Lanka will have to pay USD 933 million on average each year in interest costs, in addition to capital repayments.
On his first claim, the state minister was right, in that over half of total debt holders show no sign of stress, though it is not possible to substantiate the claim that no other creditors show signs of stress. On his second claim, he excluded ISB interest payments and thus understated the total liabilities arising due to ISBs that need to be honoured in order to avoid default.
Therefore, we classify the state minister’s claim as Partly True.
*FactCheck’s verdict is based on the most recent information that is publicly accessible. As with every fact check, if new information becomes available, FactCheck will revisit the assessment.
Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Outstanding International Sovereign Bonds as at 01st December 2020, available at: https://www.cbsl.gov.lk/sites/default/files/cbslweb_documents/about/outstanding_isb_as_at_01_december_2020_e.pdf
Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Press Releases – Government Securities, available at: https://www.cbsl.gov.lk/en/press/press-releases/government-securities
Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Weekly Economic Indicators, 12 March 2021, Table 3.2, available at: https://www.cbsl.gov.lk/sites/default/files/cbslweb_documents/statistics/wei/WEI_20210312_e.pdf

domain: economics


My car shakes/vibrates only under acceleration and from 3rd gear and above, but as soon as I let go the gas it automatically stops shaking. No matter the speed it keeps shaking under acceleration only. The whole car vibrates but not the steering wheel or when braking, only when accelerating. It's been balanced and aligned several times, checked engine mounts, tires, rims, etc.
I've had this problem since the past 18 months and it is driving me crazy.
1st gear = normal, 2nd gear = slight shake, 3rd gear = extreme shake, 4th gear low rpm = strong shake, 4th gear high rpm = strong/slight shake, 5th gear = slight shake, 6th gear = slight shake.
As soon as I let go the gas, the vibration stops completely.
My car has 73000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.
|Car is shaking or vibrating Inspection||$94.99 - $114.99||Get a Quote|
Based on your input, there are a few items that you might want to have inspected by a professional mobile mechanic to determine what’s causing this shaking issue. First would be the tires and wheels for balance. Usually they will vibrate in the steering wheel progressively worse as you accelerate through the gears, typically starting to show up around 40 mph. Sometimes when you decelerate the vibration will slowly go away, but will still be there as you’ve indicated. Second, is possibly an issue with some front end suspension parts, including CV joints or tie rod ends. It’s highly unlikely that this issue is internal (meaning with the transmission or flywheel being out of balance), but that’s also something that a mechanic will keep in mind as they complete a car is vibrating or shaking inspection.
Our certified mechanics come to you ・Backed by 12-month, 12,000-mile guarantee・Fair and transparent pricing


text:
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Shop with us and enjoy Hassle Free 90-Day Returns! (details)
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Teto 8-Inch Plush
Studio Ghibli comes to your plush collection! This Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Teto 8-Inch Plush features the adorable Teto in easy-to-transport form, and is the perfect size for sitting down and watching a movie. Measuring 8-inches tall, this great plush of Teto is a must-have for Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Studio Ghibli fans! Ages 8 and up.
Entertainment Earth, Inc. markets and sells products, including children's products, for
purchase by adults 18 years and over. If any product you are ordering is intended for a
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domain: hobby


text:
Mid-century modern is an American design movement that began in the 1940s and reached the height of its popularity in 1969.
November 4th, 2022
Mid-Century modern is a design movement that began during in America during the post-war period. The style was characterized by simplicity, functionality and innovation. Mid century modern designers sought new heights using the technologies and industrialism that evolved during the Second World War.
This period of the 20th century marked a turning point for production practices, with designers utilizing new production technology to mass produce household items and consumables for the first time. As such, mid-century modern design came to represent the individualist ideals of an optimistic post-war society – a time where possibilities were endless.
Mid century modern design is a reflection of the era in which it evolved. Simplicity, functionality, and clean lines are all paragons of mid century modern design philosophy. This was directly related to the post-war search for structure and order as the world began a slow march back towards normal life. You can recognise a mid century modern building by its large windows, classic shapes, muted curves, lack of ornamentation, and focus on the combination of indoor/outdoor spaces.
Of course, mid century modern style was not limited only to architecture. The mid century modern movement expanded across many different fields including furniture, graphic design, interior design and architecture combined. Much like the earlier Art Deco movement, mid century modernism was a collective of new age thinking, experiences and ideas.
Mid century modernism took Australia by storm in the late 20th century. It is one of the few architectural movements that has been truly embraced by the Australian populous. Mid Century modernism is still alive and thriving today – especially for home renovations.
The period of mid century modern architecture was pioneered by a few key players. Some of the most prominent figures in 20th century architecture include:
1. Richard Neutre
2. Eero Saarinen
3. Arne Jacobsen
4. Greta Magnusson
5. Robin Boyd
6. Harry Seidler
7. Hugh Buhrich
Mid century modern houses are still very popular today. Australia is home to some of the best examples of mid century modern architecture in the world. From functional homes to grand iconography such as the harbour bridge, mid century modern design has been laying its fingerprints over the Australian landscape for decades. Here are some of the best examples of midcentury modern houses in the world – both historic and contemporary.
This beautiful coastal home was transformed from a featureless brick house into a perfect example of mid century modern design by Blanchfield Architects.
Wanting a home that fell in line with its surroundings, homeowner Madeline Blanchfield completely redesigned her residence to better reflect the mid century modern style. This also allowed her to experiment with a more eco friendly design.
The Dowell residence was completed by world-renowned architect Paul Kirk in 1953 and has since been hailed as one of Seattle’s most impressive homes. This spectacular home embraces a number of Mid Century Modern design principles.
The space is based around a two-level open atrium full of crisp lines and defined spaces. Natural finishes and materials abound, with the cedar walls and large windows blurring the line between inside and outside. Kirk also included influences from Japanese design, a style which pairs beautifully with the Mid Century Modern style.
Dakota Johnson skyrocketed onto the Hollywood scene after staring in hit movie Fifty Shades of Grey. Her unique home in LA is a perfect example of the way that Mid Century Modern spaces try to combine the indoors an outdoors. The entire living room wall is a series of floor-to ceiling windows and doors which open directly onto a lap pool. The home was originally built by architect Carl Maston and was later renovated – at Johnson’s behest – by the design firm Pierce & Ward.
The renovation included clearing more living and storage space, adding playful finishes and textures, and experimenting with eccentric artwork to accentuate the neutral palette.
This home has a touch of whimsy reminiscent of the slightly earlier art deco style, though presented in a firmly Mid Century Modern frame.
This 1960s home takes a more traditional look at the mid-century modern style. Homeowners Rohrshiem and Gallant have had light renovations done to refresh the interior, but the home remains largely and structurally unchanged from its initial design.
Work done includes a palette refresh, new spotted-gum floorboards and refurnishing with mid-century modern pieces. The place was updated to fall more in line with modern technology and to ensure its longevity. The windows were replaced with contemporary glazing for better insulation, but the skeleton of its modernist design remains firmly in place.
This home has undergone a complete transformation from what seemed a very bizarre original purchase. When Bec and Marcus Dentry purchased the home, their first renovation was to remove all of the carpets – including carpet in the bathroom.
They then gave the home a full face lift before turning their attention to the outdoor spaces. The family kept as many of the original 1950s design elements intact as they could, such as the arched door and windows. The home is now a beach oasis for a family of outdoorsy surfers – a paragon of the inside-out mid-century modern design philosophy.
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Discover the newest products from a brand that is quintessentially Australian.
Whether it’s enhancing the sculptural volumes of the Cass Bay House, or creating a Piet Mondrian-like geometrical feature across the Pegasus Bay’s Esplanade Home, Neolith helps Massimiliano Capocaccia Architecture Studio augment the imaginative language of these coastal dwellings.
According to Le Corbusier, the struggle for it underpins the history of architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright described it as a “beautifier of buildings”. And Motoko Ishii famously equated it to life itself. Indispensable, life-affirming and metamorphic, light underpins all architectural and design efforts.
Zoie is ancient Greek for “life”, this new model marrying light and life in one interior planter design
Not much to see here (but plenty to think, feel, hear and smell).
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
As masters of the bathroom and kitchen, Phoenix knows a thing or two about finishes. Its Curated Finishes Collection, however, is more than just a showcase, it’s a whole kaleidoscope of possibilities that makes your bathroom the centrepiece.
Natural forms meet technological sophistication to produce GH Commercial’s Pattern Perfect® Native Collection of carpets. Step inside the factory to see how local flavours inform the design.
Carole Whiting is an artistic whirlwind of creativity, and the interiors she’s crafted have to be seen to be believed.

domain: artistic


A few month back, I had the pleasure of discovering the classical music podcast Classical Music Discoveries (CMD). Based out of Southern Utah, the show is presented by Sandy and Ken Hedgecock and is hosted thanks to the Orchestra of Southern Utah. The show features local amateur and internationally acclaimed artists, composers, orchestras and special events hosted by the Orchestra of Southern Utah. Upon checking out the show and seeing them doing artists on a weekly basis, I contacted CMD and inquired about being featured in a podcast. Mr and Ms Hedgecock were kind to agree and grant me the wonderful opportunity to be featured on their world renown podcast. Effective today, the show is online and available for all to listen and comment. I am very excited about this wonderful opportunity and I would like to thank Mr and Ms Hedgecock about the wonderful opportunity. One can listen or download the show at: http://khedgecock.podOmatic.com/entry/2 ... 5_46-07_00 The show may also be downloaded on Itunes for your iPod, iPad or iPhone.


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Buy and sell new and used Boxing Accessories
1 Ad for Boxing Accessories
You are a manufacturer of boxing accessories? - Be the first in this category!
Brand: Anderer Hersteller
Price: Price on request
Something to sell in this category? List now and you can reach the correct target groups!

domain: sports


text:
Magic Tree House
Junie B. Jones
Franklin D. Roosevelt was born into one of the wealthiest families in America, yet this ultimate rich kid grew up to do more for ordinary Americans than any other president. This appealing picture book biography...
It’s never too early to begin learning about the beauty and bounty of Planet Earth. And now with this bright and rhythmic tribute, young children will find out all the ways in which they, too, can...
Sesame Street and The Muppet Show introduced Jim Henson's Muppets to the world, making Kermit the Frog, Oscar the Grouch, and Big Bird household names. But even as a child in rural Mississippi, listening to the...
Award-winning author Kathleen Krull zeros in on the formative first 22 years of the life of Ted Geisel. This is the first picture book biography of Dr. Seuss, written especially for his young fans who want to know what made...
An inspiring true story of a boy genius.
Plowing a potato field in 1920, a 14-year-old farm boy from Idaho saw in the parallel rows of overturned earth a way to “make pictures fly through...
KATHLEEN KRULL’S LIVELY text traces the life of L. Frank Baum from his dreamy privileged childhood in mid-19th-century upstate New York through the many detours on his road to Oz. A failure as an actor,...

domain: library


text:
The novel protein MANI modulates neurogenesis and neurite-cone growth.
Bottom Line: To date, three myelin-associated proteins [Nogo or reticulon 4 (RTN4), myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) and oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein (OMG)] are known to inhibit axonal regeneration via activation of the neuronal glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored Nogo receptor [NgR, together with p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) and Lingo-1].We show that knockdown of Cdc27, a component of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC), leads to enhanced neurite outgrowth.Our finding describes the novel MANI-Cdc27-APC pathway as an important cascade that prevents neurons from extending axons, thus providing implications for the potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.Show MeSH
Related in: MedlinePlus
Mentions: Because we originally found the MANI mRNA to be down-regulated in AD brains, in a cDNA subtraction analysis , we reconfirmed this finding by RT-PCR and IHC in human patients and observed a significant reduction of MANI mRNA levels in AD patients. Protein expression analysis in human brains disclosed (though no obvious down-regulation) that MANI was present within (neuronal) axonal fibres and to be associated with myelin sheets (Fig. 1A–D; Fig. S2 [antibody specificity analysis] and Table S1). Because of our limited access to human tissue, we confirmed the down-regulation of Mani at protein levels in AD using an AD mouse model (Fig. 1E).
Affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

domain: literature


text:
Car insurance provides much-needed coverage for your automobile and not only after an accident as many critics suggest. The best auto insurance companies account for mechanical repairs, body work, and also medical treatment if you or another party is injured.
Most states even require a minimum level of coverage, as deemed by legal statutes. On average, car insurance costs over $900 a year, so taking the time to select the best car insurance company is well worth the time. I have researched the top companies to help you decide.
The Best Auto Insurance Companies: Our Top Picks
Once you know what to look for, finding the cheapest car insurance company is a lot simpler. Here I've looked at the best-rated car insurance providers in all the most relevant categories. For more info, read the full provider reviews.
Liberty Mutual Car Insurance
- 24 hour claims assistance
- Accident forgiveness
- 12 month rate guarantee
- Coverage options not available in every state
Liberty Mutual offers exceptional coverage perks like accident forgiveness and new car replacement. Along with these features, it has a 12-month rate guarantee, so you don't have to worry about any surprise increases over the first year of coverage, provided you continue to meet all its requirements. Its website also has excellent resources where you can learn more about car insurance basics, help your teen practice driving tests and learn about how aging affects senior drivers.
Esurance Car Insurance
- 24/7 claim filing
- Intuitive CoverageMyWay system
- Personalized policies
- Not as many coverage options as larger companies
- Options not available in every state
Esurance is a great insurance provider to consider if you want a quick, hassle-free way to buy car insurance. It delivers intuitive web tools that make buying a policy, managing it and even filing claims through its website or mobile app easy. Esurance also provides personalized coverage options to ensure you receive the financial protection you need while keeping your costs reasonable. It also has tools available on its website, which allows you to calculate how your premium would change if you bought a new car or had a speeding ticket.
Allstate Car Insurance
- Accident forgiveness
- Safe driving rewards
- Various discounts
- Dedicated agent
- Roadside assistance
- Coverage options not available in every state
It's no surprise Allstate earned top honors because of the myriad of great features it offers its customers. The claim satisfaction guarantee ensures you receive the best of service while tools like DriveWise will monitor your driving behaviors and reward you by reducing your premium if you exhibit safe driving practices. Allstate also offers teen driving programs, great educational resources and customer service available 24/7. When you factor up all these perks, it's no wonder Allstate is the top insurance provider.
Key Considerations When Getting Car Insurance
There are many characteristics to consider when determining the best car insurance company for you and the type of coverage appropriate for your lifestyle. This depends greatly on what type of driver you are and the conditions you encounter day-to-day. An experienced driver may not require the same level of coverage as someone hitting the pavement for the first time, perhaps even in a new city. Here are some important factors that you should investigate before making a decision:
1. Your Record and Behaviors
Your driving record has a significant impact on what sort of rates you'll receive. Insurance companies can use even the smallest violation as an excuse to charge you more. Along with this, insurance companies assess risk by examining your daily driving behaviors in detail.
As an illustration, your distance driven in miles per day will also affect how much you pay for insurance. If you don't drive much (less than 10 miles daily), you might even qualify for a discount because you represent less risk to the insurance company. Meanwhile, if you often drive daily, you will represent more of a risk to the provider, and that might reflect on the amount of your premium.
2. Credit history
Many insurance companies will pull a copy of your credit report when you apply for a policy. This is another way they assess risk because if you have a lower credit score due to being late or failing to pay bills, it indicates to them you might not pay your policy, thus making you a riskier investment. Meanwhile, if you have a great credit score and stable payment histories with creditors, it makes you more attractive to insurance companies, and they can reward you for this with better premiums.
If you spend a lot of time driving in a rural setting out in the middle of nowhere, you will probably not have to pay as much as someone living and driving in a bustling urban setting. The location also takes into account the area where you park your vehicle. If it's a riskier area where your vehicle could be more susceptible to damage or theft, then the insurance provider might make you pay more for this risk.
Now this one is really not fair, but it's, unfortunately, how car insurance works. Teens and seniors have to pay more than everyone else, and young men have to pay more than young women.
Insurance companies often make these determinations by analyzing data such as crashes by age and gender to determine risk assessment. Once you are past your teenage years and if you don't have any accidents or points on your license from moving violations, you will qualify for the better rates.
5. Your Vehicle
You pay more if your car has a lower crash safety rating. Also, insurance providers look at your car's safety equipment, and some might offer you discounts if your vehicle comes equipped with anti-lock brakes, proactive safety features like OnStar and theft-deterrent systems. In essence, any equipment that makes you safer and minimizes the risk of damage to the vehicle, the better it will be in your favor.
What is the Best Car Insurance?
To answer this question, it's important to consider the following:
1. How Much is Car Insurance?
Finding affordable auto insurance, and on all types of insurance for that matter, is an important goal, especially in state's where it's required. Saving money when it comes to buying insurance typically requires forethought, familiarity with insurance coverage, attention to detail and a good understanding of the risk insured, be it collision or death.
By following specific measures, you can keep some extra cash in your wallet and use it to build up your nest egg or fund that extra vacation to Bali you have been dreaming of all year long. You can reduce your car insurance premiums through carpooling, policy combination, higher deductible and tracking device implementation, among other factors.
2. How Do I Increase My Deductible?
You can lower your automobile insurance bill if you increase your deductible. Keep in mind your deductible is the amount of the check you would write to cover expenses before your insurer makes a financial gesture. So, for example, if your deductible is $1,000 and a traffic accident prompts you to send your car to the mechanic for a $900 repair, you are on your own and don't expect to hear from the insurance company. However, if the repair cost were, say, $5,000, the insurance company would dole out $8,000 and add it to your $1,000 to cover the whole repairs.
3. Can I Save Money Through Carpooling?
Carpooling is also known as lift-sharing, ride-sharing or car-sharing. This practice enables several people, often unrelated to each other, to share a ride to save on things like gas, tolls, and insurance bills. If you carpool, you drive fewer miles, and fewer miles translate into a lower insurance bill because the overall cost is shared by the three people with whom you're carpooling. To learn more about ride-sharing or to find carpooling options in your area, contact your city's or state's Department of Transportation.
4. Should I Purchase Only What I Need?
People often tend to buy more insurance that they actually need, out of an abundance of caution or because the insurance agent has not clearly explained things like coverage required and deductible amount. Check your car's value through Kelley Blue Book before buying insurance. If your vehicle is new, lenders and insurers would require that you get both comprehensive and collision coverage, especially if you took out a loan to buy the car and have not posted any other amount as a guarantee with the lender.
Comprehensive insurance pays for the replacement or repair of your automobile from damage that doesn't result from an accident, while collision insurance covers damages if your car is structurally disfigured. If your vehicle is old and not worth much, comprehensive coverage may not be a suitable option for you.
5. How Can I Combine Policies to Save Money?
Try to combine all your insurance policies under the same umbrella, giving that business to a single insurance company. However, make sure the insurer is a reputable player and enquire with your local Better Business Bureau branch and your state's Department of Financial Services to learn more about the insurance company.
This is important because you're putting all your coverage eggs in the same basket, and you would want to make sure that the basket is sturdy. Most major insurance companies offer clients some types of discounts if they combine multiple policies, such as homeowner insurance, car insurance, and renter insurance.
6. Drive Differently
Similar to carpooling, reduced driving takes more dollars off your insurance bill. Check your driving, keeping an eye on things like shopping patterns; how many trips to the local grocery store you make every month; whether your commute to work has increased substantially lately; and whether, say, your son's twice-a-week soccer practice has added more miles to the odometer. The goal here is not to change your lifestyle drastically but to identify patterns that invariably increase your overall mileage – and insurance bill.
7. Should I Opt for a Tracking Device?
A tracking device may result in a lower car insurance bill but talk to your insurer to see what options are available and potential discounts you could receive after purchasing such a device. The tool enables the insurance company to monitor things like your driving behavior and mileage. For example, Progressive Insurance's Snapshot mileage-based tracking device allows the company to track how many miles you drive but also how you are driving them – meaning where you go, how often you go there and how you fast you get there.
8. Can I Lower My Insurance Bill by Promptly Paying It?
As with any other bill, you need to pay promptly your insurance premium to avoid a mishmash of inconvenient events ranging from a lower credit score and nuisance collection calls to a lack of coverage and reprimanding law enforcement, especially during random traffic stops. Sending your premium checks to the insurer on time helps you build up goodwill that could prompt the company to reduce your premiums in the future.
You can save money on your car insurance through a variety of methods, from timely premium payment and carpooling to driving checks and the purchase of a tracking device. Talk to your insurance agent to see if there are other money-saving options available to a policyholder like you.
Comparing Auto Insurance Companies
When making comparisons between insurance companies, keep an eye on important metrics like deductible, coverage options, and co-pay amounts along with other terms and conditions that depend on your car's make, model, driving history, and residence.
Along with this, a provider's reputation is of utmost importance, as you want to do business with someone who will take care of you in the unfortunate event you need them. For this reason, it's important to research insurance providers by their reputation. You can examine their grades on the Better Business Bureau's website, read customer reviews to identify common problems or even ask around to friends and family to gauge the personal experiences they have had with an individual provider.
You can also access our helpful reviews on the top auto insurance companies. We offer in-depth reviews of the top providers in the car insurance field and break down their policy offerings, the benefits you can receive by going with them, how accessible their customer service is and the tools and resources they have available for you. Our reviews are a great one-stop resource you can use to compare different providers so that you can select the right one for you.
The top car insurance companies reviewed here have demonstrated unparalleled processing speeds, customer service, helpful resources, ample coverage options and affordable coverage.
Policy Sharing Helps Save Money
One way to get cheap auto insurance is to share a policy with family members. If you share a policy with a family member, then your payments will be tied to their relationship to the above variables.
We put together the following ranking based on factors like:
- The value of the product based on the quality of the services offered and prices you would pay for them.
- Each insurer's reputation with credible organizations, like the Better Business Bureau.
- The reception of each insurance company with customers based on consumer reviews which can be read on sites like Yelp and Epinions.
Consider these top car insurance companies who, again, have demonstrated unparalleled processing speeds, excellent customer service, and affordable overall coverage.
Tips & Advice
One of the best ways to learn more about car insurance is to read our helpful guides. These guides touch on a wide variety of car insurance components to help you understand all the facets of this protection. Not only will this help you understand these components better, buy you will also feel more confident when it comes time for you to buy your next policy.
- Saving money on car insurance is and will continue to be a primary concern for the average consumer. However, how do you go about finding the best ways to save money? Our in-depth piece on how to save money on your car insurance investigates ways in which you can do this such as increasing your deductible, carpooling or only paying for the coverage options you need. In addition, this article also looks at some of the drawbacks of increasing your deductible to help you remain mindful of your choices.
- Understanding all the components of car insurance is essential because it will give you the confidence you need to find the right policy for you. Our article on "Car insurance 101: How much coverage do I need?' touches on everything from the coverage types offered, a consideration for the level of coverages you need and how an insurance calculator can aid you in determining coverage amounts.
- Another aspect of car insurance is dispelling all the myths out there about it. This is important to do because it will allow you to understand the insurance factors providers examine more while also discerning what it real and what is false. Our piece on 10 car insurance myths looks at the lies out there such as "Do red cars cost more to insure?" to unfounded beliefs such as, "I'm covered if anything happens to my car." By breaking down these myths, you'll have a better perspective on how car insurance works thereby making you a wiser consumer when it comes time to buy a policy.
- Your behaviors will reflect the risk you pose to your insurance provider. Whether you pay bills on time, your driving behavior, even your reliance on continuing to buy new vehicles can affect how much you pay on your insurance premiums. Our article on costly behaviors that can raise your car insurance rates examines a wide variety of ways providers can charge you more for car insurance and methods for avoiding them.
Auto Insurance Requirements
If you insure a vehicle that you leased or financed, then it is likely you will have certain coverage options you must have on your policy. Along with this, many lenders require you to have a lower deductible (typically around $1,000.) Most will include this information in your loan documentation, but you can also contact them to find out the specific amounts as well.
Ultimately, these pieces are comprehensive in scope, touching on a broad range of factors that go into your car insurance coverage and what affects it. Therefore, these resources will help you understand all the components of car insurance better more that way you can find the policy that is most suitable to your needs.
When shopping for the best auto insurance rates, read online reviews like this one, but also contact insurers that operate in your residence area. Don't forget, if you have time, to call your state's Office of the Insurance Commissioner to ascertain the reputation of an insurance company you want to sign up with. This is particularly important if the provider is not a major player on the national car insurance stage.
Want to see how your car insurance stacks up against the competition? Take a look at our handy compare car insurance tool and save money.
If you want to cover other aspects of your life like your home or apartment, comparing the best home insurance companies is a must if you want to protect against threats like fire, extreme weather, theft, and vandalism.
If you're traveling for business or vacation, driving a car usually beats public transportation. The best car rental companies can help you find a vehicle for you.

domain: finance


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Bhubaneswar: The BJD has picked Sabitri Agarwalla, wife of the former late MLA Bed Prakash Agarwalla, to contest the Patkura Assembly seat.
The announcement to this effect was made by the BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday.
Election to the Patkura Assembly segment under Kendrapara parliamentary constituency was countermanded due to following the death BJD nominee and outgoing MLA Bed Prakash on April 20. The assembly seat, where voting was to be held on April 29, will now go to polls on May 19.
Speculation was rife that the ruling party would field Bed Prakash’s son Sanjay from the seat to take on veteran leader Bijoy Mohapatra, which is contesting the election on BJP ticket.
According to the ECI notification, the last day of filing of nomination is May 1. Verification of the nomination papers will be done on May 2 while the last date for withdrawal is May 4.
The BJP, Congress and other political parties have already finalized the name of their candidate for Patkura seat.

domain: news


text:
The 4-star hotel Charela Inn provides a luxury accommodation and gives a quick access to Times Square Mall, which is around 1300 meters away. Since 1990, it has been hosting guests in the middle of Negril.
This property is perfectly based near the sandy beach. The hotel offers perfect location 4 km from the center of Negril.
Welcoming guests with a sun terrace, an outdoor swimming pool and a library, the hotel is placed next to restaurants and bars.
Charela Inn offers accommodation in 50 guestrooms complete with an in-room safe, climate control, multi-channel television, a balcony and a DVD player. The rooms have a view over the sea. They have tile floor and polished furniture.
The restaurant entices with dishes of French cuisine. A variety of dishes are served in Ossie's Jerk Centre and Fatty's, which are 5 minutes’ walk away.
Sangster International airport is about 60 minutes by car.
The hotel provides free self parking, currency exchange and a designated place for smoking along with a meeting room and a copier to fit the needs of all guests.
Such entertainment events as live performances and live music arranged at the property. On-site sport activities include snorkeling, water skiing and horse riding.

domain: travel


text:
Have you ever taken one of those Buzzfeed quizzes to see what kind of specialty coffee beverage you are? I have. I got coffee. Just coffee. I wasn’t sure whether to be offended or not. I mean, I bet lots of people got super-whipped peppermint mocha with a side of extra mocha. And here I am getting just coffee. Even though I wanted to be something sparkly and full of sugar, I had to admit the quiz was pretty accurate, as far as what kind of coffee I like, not my personality. I hope. It’s true, I just don’t get excited at the thought of Pumpkin Spice Lattes (or PSL time, for those in the know). I don’t have Pinterest boards dedicated to Starbuck’s hacks, and to be completely honest, I actually hate whipped cream on my beverages. I can already hear the boos and hisses. I don’t like my drinks with drizzles and dollups or sprinkles or surprises. I like my coffee deep and dark and mysterious. I think it’s one of the greatest revelations on earth when my morning cup of joe has a glorious oily rainbow slick coating the top. That oil tells me my coffee is going to be rich and probably a little bitter, but in the best way possible.
Before you bah-humbug me and start throwing your shoes or something, it doesn’t mean I don’t like anything sweet. There comes a time when everyone needs a little afternoon pick-me-up, even me, just coffee. When the house is quiet and still, and I’m feeling a bit chilly, or grumpy, or anything really, I make my way to the kitchen to make a Cocoa Mocha. It’s fun to say, and fun to drink. It’s sweet, but still cocoa-y and a just a little bitter, with a nice espresso aftertaste. It’s the perfect jolt of sweet and caffeine without being cloying and overly rich. (Take that, specialty coffee beverage personality quiz! I may be just coffee, but I can get a little crazy too, sometimes!)
Here’s what I do:
Nespresso Aeroccino (not essential, but awesome)
1 cup whole or 2% milk
1 tsp dutch processed cocoa (preferably organic or fair trade if you have)
1.5 tsp maple syrup (only real…ever)
dash of vanilla extract (again, keep it real. There truly is a difference)
I have a Nespresso Aeroccino, which is seriously the best thing if you’re into frothed milk with espresso (which I am) or if you have kiddies who like hot chocolate (which I do). Of course, an Aeroccino isn’t necessary, but it does make life easier, and easier is always good! If you don’t have an Aeroccino, see below for stovetop instructions*.
If you have an Aeroccino pour in the milk, making sure you stay about .5 cm below the max line (#askmehowiknow). Add the cocoa, maple syrup, and vanilla. Put the lid on, and turn it on. That’s it!
Next make yourself a nice short espresso. If you don’t have an espresso machine or stovetop jobbie, just make yourself a small strong pot of coffee.
Pour espresso into heated cup. I usually heat mine by filling it with hot water and letting it sit until I’m ready to use the cup. This helps keep your drink warmer a bit longer. I then empty the cup and add my espresso and heated cocoa mixture.
And that, my friend, is that. Now take a seat and enjoy the fruits of your labour! (or add some whipped cream if you’re one of those people who gotsuper-whipped peppermint mocha with a side of extra mocha on their personality quiz!)
*If you don’t have an Aeroccino, all is not lost. Just pour the ingredients into a small saucepan and whisk, whisk, whisk over medium heat until the milk is hot. Don’t bring it to a boil, and don’t leave it unattended: burnt milk a)doesn’t taste awesome and b) is a pain to scrub off the bottom of a pot.

domain: food


A modernized missile of the Russian missile defense system has successfully passed tests in the Sary Chagan anti-ballistic missile test center in Kazakhstan, said Krasnaya Zvezda, the official newspaper of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
These are tests of a hypersonic anti-ballistic missile.
” We successfully conducted the test of a new missile of the modernized missile defense system, which was carried out during a test program ,” said Col. Andrey Prikhodko.
According to the Russian colonel, the tactical and technical characteristics of the new missile have been considerably improved compared to the characteristics of the weapons in service in Russia.
The missile defense system, one of the most important defense systems, is part of the anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense of the Russian armed forces and is designed to protect Moscow against air attacks.


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Olly has always lived alone with his mum, who lets Aunty Claire make all the decisions in the family. When he is grounded and unable to go to soccer camp he keeps running into Mad Martha who walks the streets with her shopping trolley. He is forbidden to see or speak with her. Who is she and what aren't they telling him?
|Series:||The Traitor and the Thief|
|Awards:||Finalist for the 2018 NZ Children's Book Awards - Copyright Licensing NZ Award for Young Adult Fiction and also the Best First Book Award. Winner of the Storylines Tessa Duder Award, 2016|
A thief, a spy and a steampunk showdown at Traitor's Gate! Discovered picking pockets at Coxford's Corn Market, fourteen year old Sin is hunted across the city. Caught by the enigmatic Eldritch Moons, Sin is offered a way out of his life of crime: join the Covert ... read more


None of us are in Denver this week for the Democratic convention (for obvious reasons), but I’ve been glued to C-SPAN watching all of the coverage live (really I’m just waiting for the balloons and confetti..it’s fun television).
The Democratic Party has just officially nominated pro-abortion Illinois Senator Barack Obama as their nominee for President of the United States. Obama is perhaps the most pro-abortion candidate ever nominated for President.
The folks in our Fed Leg Department has done a tremendous job of documenting Obama’s record on the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act in Illinois. Check it out: http://www.nrlc.org/ObamaBAIPA/Obamacoveruponbornalive.htm
And we’ve also put together a great comparison piece that factually outlines the positions of both Barack Obama and John McCain. You can download it in PDF here: http://www.nrlc.org/Election2008/Comparison071408.pdf
NRLC Communications Director


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LEED is a registered trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council.


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So, since college and research deadlines are things, I have yet to post my review of Kim’s new year speech. Expect this to come very soon, as I will have enough of a break to get it done. Also, I am working on a long-read covering the story of American detainees in North Korea, which should be an interesting post. I will work to keep you all updated with the news and apologize for my slacking.
Yesterday, or this morning at 9:00am, North Korea launched yet another satellite into orbit. This launch was the third satellite launch to occur in North Korea, the other two took place in April and December of 2012. The April launch was unsuccessful, but the December launch put an object into orbit, though no one has verified its contact with North Korean controls. Yesterday, news of the launch of minimal, with South Korean papers carrying the brunt of reporting, but now everyone has joined the party. This post will analyze the launch on February 7, 2016 and show a little into the reasoning behind the launch.
Yesterday’s launch had a similar result to the one in December 2012. Several hours after the launch, North Korean state media released a statement saying that North Korea had successfully launched an Earth Observation satellite into orbit. So, why is the world concerned about an Earth Observation satellite?
The answer is simple. North Korea has little evidence to show that this launch was purely peaceful. Also, a rocket similar to the one launched today is required to carry nuclear weapons. This compounded with North Korea’s intent to miniturize a nuclear warhead is what is driving the fear in the eyes of foreign countries, and it is doing so rightfully. International states should worry about North Korea, even more so when it is attempting to create a nuclear warhead capable of striking any country in the world.
Yesterday’s launch has placed the ball in the international court. With a slow response to the nuclear test last month, it is easy to ratchet up the response to an astronomical level. This, however, is a deadly game. Taking the nuclear test and the satellite launch as one is something the international community should not do. The United Nations, America, South Korea, Japan and all the other nations and entities with interests in the region should conduct a response to each as individual actions and work accordingly. Yes this may seam like backing down, but it actually is not and can create an international response that address each action appropriately and avoid conflict and future development.
The launch, mixed with the nuclear test, has refueled the THAAD debate in South Korea. Washington and Seoul have vowed to discuss the deployment of the THAAD defense system in Seoul, citing the growing threat of North Korea. Deployment of THAAD in Seoul, however, is also being challenged by China and Russia. China sees THAAD deployment in Seoul, for fear that the system will be used against China as well. Russia is against the THAAD deployment because it may undermine security in the region. Wether THAAD will deployed in Seoul or not, the case for the defense continues to grow. I used to be wary of THAAD deployment, but seeing the North Korean threat accelerate its provocative actions, even I am starting to see the need for some sort of defense system in Seoul.
While the test has major inclinations for the international community, internally it serves an even greater purpose. The launch, coming one month after a nuclear test, shows the rapid acceleration of North Korea’s missile and defense systems, which it sees as crucial to its survival. Also, each of the actions this year have come before major holidays in North Korea. The nuclear test was two days before Kim Jung-Un’s birthday and the satellite launch was about a week before Kim Jung-Il’s birthday. Also, as I eluded to in my analysis of the nuclear test, the Seventh Congress of the Workers Party is in May this year, which will mark the first congress since Kim Jung-Il was named successor. Kim Jung-Un authorized the nuclear test and launch to solidify his position as supreme leader, but also to show the people that the defense abilities, and the scientific field have advanced dramatically under his watchful eye. Therefore, the tests have been more to serve an internal locust of establishing the third Kim as a leader. This conclusion can also be reached by the fact that Kim has little regard for international condemnation or any fear of sanctions. Launching the satellite yesterday, while waiting for a round of sanctions following the nuclear test last month, shows – to his people – his fearlessness and his commitment to the advancement of North Korea under all circumstances. For these reasons, I will argue that the nuclear test and the launch have been mainly to support an internal agenda as its main priority, though there still exists some external locusts for conducting such tests.
I honestly never thought I would be writing this post, at least today. North Korea has clearly shown its pursuit is to aggravate the status-quo and garner a United States response, as well as an international one. However, the timing of the two events also shows the internal agenda of the tests. Kim Jung-Un is out to showcase his muscle before the big day in May, when the congress meets. He also showing his undying loyalty to his father and grandfather by placing the events around major holidays devoted to the leaders. A carefully coordinated response to the nuclear test and the satellite launch are necessary in order to not aggravate the North into any more hostile actions. The internal locusts for these events must also be addressed by the international community, which is still solidifying its response to the nuclear test. Hopefully, the response will be appropriate to the actions, currently all we can do is wait and see.
Today North Korea fired off a “peaceful” satellite. The rocket burned up to the southwest of Jeju Island, the southern most island of South Korea. So far only South Korea has acted, calling an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. Tomorrow, when more news is out about the launch, I will make a post over the launch, which will likely be more of the same. International condemnation and sanctions, but we shall see.


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Vitamin B supplements reduced negative effects of fine particle pollution on the heart and immune system, a small pilot study has found.
Columbia steps up efforts to explore the microbiome with a new working group and a core facility.
A running update with the latest information and advice on Zika virus from Columbia experts.
Columbia University Medical Center experts offer insight into the arrival of the Zika virus in South America and the Caribbean—and what it could mean for you.
NewYork-Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine are among the nation’s top cancer centers calling for increased human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for the prevention of cancer.
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute found that those who began smoking recently are more likely to have a psychiatric or substance use disorders than those who began smoking previously.


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Fahim Anwar is a Los Angeles-based standup comedian, actor and writer. He has performed as one of the “New Faces” at the JUST FOR LAUGHS FESTIVAL in Montreal. A regular in the L.A. comedy scene, and a finalist at NBC-Universal's Stand-Up for Diversity Showcase. In 2010 Fahim made his television debut with a large guest starring role on NBC's CHUCK. Most recently, he's recurred in season 3 of FOX’s LIE TO ME. Fahim was a series regular on season 2 and season 3 of MTV's DISASTER DATE, appeared on Comedy Central's RUSSELL SIMMONS PRESENTS: STAND UP FROM THE EL REY THEATRE and in season 4 of CALIFORNICATION on Showtime. He also recently provided commentary on various CELEBRITY OOPS! specials on E! Entertainment. Fahim continues to write and star in his own series of internet shorts and has had multiple shorts go viral, with many being featured on Break, Digg and Reddit.
Lukas Seely started comedy back in his hometown of Billings, MT then relocated to Seattle in 2004. Lukas soon became a crowd favorite in Seattle Comedy scene and had since moved to Los Angeles, California where he regularly performs. The comedic poise he brings to the stage is impressive. He makes audiences feel as if they were sitting at home in front of the fire place. His stories about his life in a country city and other life experiences make his performance a knock out punch.
He was nominated as an Emerging Comic in the New York Underground Comedy Festival and has also opened for such names as Dane Cook, Damon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Ron White, Bill Burr, Greg Giraldo, Jeffery Ross, to name a few. In 2010 Lukas performed his stand-up on Showtime's "Louie Anderson Presents"
Shortly after graduating USC, Karl exploded onto the LA stand-up scene. Performing relentlessly, he quickly made a name for himself as one of the best young comics in Los Angeles. He is now a regular at the top shows in LA and has performed at clubs, colleges and festivals all over the country, including Comix in New York City, the Laughing Skull Comedy Festival in Atlanta at which he was a Finalist, and the Bridgetown Comedy Festival in Portland. Karl also produces and hosts his own show, The Sunday Sunday Sunday Show, which regularly features the finest stand-up talent in the city and has been hailed as one of the best underground shows in LA. He also has a pretty solid afro.
Jade Catta-Preta has performed across the country with Bill Burr, Kevin Nealon and Bobby Lee. She is a regular at The Improv, Laugh Factory and The Comedy Store. She was a cast member last year on Punk'd, and guest starred on "Two Broke Girls" and "The Office." You can watch her opposite Steve Rannazzisi in "Daddy's Knows Best," on Hulu's "The Morning After" and she just finished production on MTV's "Hot Mess." Recently, she made her television stand-up debut on TV Guide's "Stand-up in Stilettos." You can also see her on the upcoming season of Showtime's Californication.
Hugh Moore's comedy journey began on the streets of NY where he was raised by his parents, a poor farrier and coppersmith team collectively known as the metallics.
While performing on the NY comedy scene Moore, affectionately known as "Catwoman" was an immediate stand out. His low key, deadpan, yet regal demeanor enabled him to perform regularly at the premiere comedy club The Comic Strip. Moore honed his skills at the club nightly and he wrote daily.
Working for Vibe led to him wearing normal clothing and writing on other shows such as MTV's The Lyricist Lounge Show, Fox's The Best Damn Sports Show Period and head writer on MTV's Nick Cannon Presents: Wildnout. The show that entered MooreÂ’s name into the history books for being the lowest paid head writer in the history of television. Moore continues to perform standup all over the country.
His goals are to win an Emmy award and kick Tito Santana in the head.
A handful of hilarious comedians, as well as the final competition to determine the Air Guitar Champion of the World!

domain: celebrity


Months after awarding its lucrative contract to Microsoft, the US Army has revealed additional details regarding some of the specifics surrounding the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), based on the new Hololens 2 AR HMD. The new platform intends to increase soldiers’ effectiveness on both virtual and actual battlefields. Much like traditional VR, augmented reality is seeing meaningful adoption and … Read More
The following is part of our Augmented Reality Intelligence Service, which includes data, analysis, and insights about augmented reality and related technologies. Korean Telco SK Telecom has signed a partnership agreement to become the exclusive telecommunications partner of Magic Leap in Korea. The agreement includes provisions that allow the companies to deliver the Magic Leap’s spatial computing platform to SK Telecom customers.
A consumer deciding between a Magic Leap One or a Microsoft Hololens has a difficult and multifaceted choice to make; the two leading augmented reality HMDs currently on the market both use cutting-edge integrated hardware and software design to overlay graphics and digital assets onto physical environments. Both are highly advanced, and as a result can be prohibitively expensive for … Read More
The Magic Leap One Creator Edition debuted on August 8th for $2,295. Many developers immediately took to social media to share their reactions about the long-awaited augmented reality headset. We tracked hundreds of Twitter postings about the Magic Leap One, and performed a sentiment analysis. Between August 8th and September 1st, 72% of Tweets including the hashtags #MagicLeap and #MagicLeapOne were … Read More
2018 has already marked an important year for AR head-worn displays, most notably with the Magic Leap One release. This week Apple acquired Akonia Technologies, which represents a clear step towards an eventual consumer product. AR-enabled smartglasses are increasingly being marketed to consumers, a departure from recent years of focus on the enterprise users, but are consumers ready for the future of … Read More
ANALYST COMMENT The success of the new Magic Leap One will demonstrate augmented reality’s mass appeal, says Greenlight Insights Following the news in this week that Magic Leap will begin shipping its long-anticipated augmented reality glasses to consumers at the price of $2,295, VR/AR industry observers believe Magic Leap’s success to be pivotal for determining AR’s mass adoption in the … Read More
Magic Leap held its third online developer event this week, providing key product details AT&T will be the exclusive telecom carrier of the Magic Leap’s first publicly available product, the Magic Leap One Creator Edition Hardware specifications reveal reasonable device power and the new Vignette Effect demonstrates what creators can look forward to Highlights Magic Leap’s recent video broadcast, hosted … Read More


In the context of the SOFTMANBOT project, STAM is responsible for the demonstration and validation of the robotic system in four real industrial environments. STAM, thanks to its wide experience both in funded research project and in collaborations with private companies, will represent the point of contact between end users and research partners during development and integration activities, ensuring the end users’ needs are correctly addressed and designing the final use cases’ layout for the integration of the SOFTMANBOT system.
In the first year of the project, STAM has led the initial collection of information on the end Users’ processes, through a comprehensive analysis of the end users’ production facilities, in terms of working environment, constraints and possible dangers or sources of disturbance. Despite some difficulties and delays, caused by the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, physical and virtual visits to the end users’ premises have been organized, allowing to closely see the execution of the production tasks and identify the dexterous movements to be replicated by the robots.
Following the initial analysis of technical requirements in the four project use cases, STAM is now collaborating in the design of the dedicated robotic grippers, working on the selection of sensors for the optimal handling of soft materials and on the development of dedicated algorithms to identify when the material is grasped correctly and when some slippage occurs.


Asian businesses finally recognize that employee experience (EX) empowers customer experience (CX).
But the significance of EX goes beyond CX in 2022. It also enables businesses to survive a management crisis that will occur next year, according to Forrester’s Prediction 2022: The Future of Work.
The report indicated that this management crisis would be a result of this year's talent crisis. To avoid it, employers need to manage four major shocks by prioritizing the future of work.
Systematic risk was the most prominent shock, which includes the current pandemic, climate change, political events, and other exogenous shocks that shook the entire business ecosystem at its core.
However, the other three shocks —the increasing maturity of robots and automation, the deluge of as-yet-unmanaged employee data, and the rise of employee power — are equally important and will shake up businesses in the new year.
Forrester noted that the ability to mitigate their impacts would make or break Asia Pacific companies in 2022 and the years to come. This conclusion also aligned with panelists' thoughts at the recent 2022 Tech Outlook Conference in Hong Kong.
Anywhere work failure
Forrester predicts that one-third of companies will fail to support anywhere work in 2022. It's worse in Asia. According to the consulting firm's Prediction 2022: Asia Pacific, only 40% of APAC enterprises would make anywhere work permanent, compared to the global average of 70%.
While the high number of extended families does push many Asia Pacific information workers to return to the office, Asia HR practitioners felt flexibility remains critical to attracting talents to the workplace.
According to Heather Li, director-digital workplace solutions at Vega Global, one way to stay flexible is to bring a new workspace perspective. She stressed that building a connected space is about connecting different physical locations and managing all these locations with an ecosystem perspective.
“This ecosystem includes the landlords, tenants, workers, and facility management firms,” Li said.
With more businesses reviewing the demand for physical space, Li added that landlords should also look at retaining tenants beyond simply rental reduction and help them to transform their workspaces.
No one-size-fits-all flexibility
Digital technologies remain the center of enabling flexibility.
It was one of the top five sweet spots to enable employee satisfaction, according to Sharon Chu, managing director, Greater China talent and organization practice lead from Accenture. With an increasingly dispersed workforce, she added that APAC businesses should not adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, they need to be flexible.
“The use of virtual workspace has proven to change in 2021,” added Nathan Khan, head of partnership at LinkedIn Hong Kong and Taiwan. “Our study indicates 90% of workers are using new technologies in 2021, and the users of Microsoft Teams in Hong Kong has doubled since January 2021.”
But Khan also warned that employers need to bring mindfulness to hybrid working. For example, while technologies enable virtual teams, workers should also support members dialing in remotely. “It’s important to ensure that no one is ignored; when people feel disconnected, tensions will likely surface,” he said.
Forrester predicted that 100% of companies will fail to figure out compensation in 2022. With the rising talent crisis, more firms are paying more in the short term to win these talents. But monetary compensation is not a sustainable way to win the talent war when resignation rates rise, and more workers seek meaningful purpose at work.
“All of which combine to make it nearly impossible to get compensation right,” stated Forrester’s report.
To tackle this turmoil, Thomas Huang, co-founder and chief operating officer of Happyer, an HRTech firm based in Hong Kong, noted that investing in employer branding is critical. Demonstrating a unique and strong corporate culture emphasizing purposeful business, talent development, and work flexibility can turn employees into ambassadors.
“Employer branding is super important to showcase your company culture,” he said. “It demonstrates why the talents should join your company, not the others.”
Khan from LinkedIn also suggested enterprises adopt a startup culture when managing modern talents.
“Some enterprises started to build entrepreneur mindset, giving people true ownership, giving them a voice to make a difference,” he added.
Failing to embrace DEI and sustainability
Despite the rising attention of purposeful business, Forrester predicts Asia firms will continue to lag in embracing diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI), and sustainability compared to other global enterprises.
The firm noted among the Fortune Global 200, only 26% of the Asia Pacific firms have appointed a sustainability lead at the director, vice president, or executive level, compared with 81% in EMEA and 92% in North America.
With employers becoming aware of corporate responsibility and sustainability, Forrester suggested Asia firms should cater their DEI efforts as part of strategic planning and risk management instead of compliance-driven.
“Young talents are looking to work at businesses that align with their personal values and vision. Does the company focus on things that I care about?” added Huang from Happyer.
From a risk management perspective, he said embracing DEI also enables the company to provide psychological safety at the workplace.
In conclusion, Asia firms that continue to fail to provide work flexibility, recognize the proper compensation, and struggle to escape the compliance-heavy approach to DEI and sustainability will see workers take their skills elsewhere.
“2022 will be a decisive year as C-level execs finally admit that the future of work they had envisioned coming out of the pandemic will remain elusive unless they commit to EX,” stated Forrester.
Sheila Lam is the contributing editor of DigitalWorkforceTrends. Covering IT for 20 years as a journalist, she has witnessed the emergence, hype, and maturity of different technologies but is always excited about what's next. You can reach her at [email protected].
Image credit: iStockphoto/ronniechua