Tumbling: A girl is talking outside in her yard. She engages in several different moves.<|endoftext|> the US sanctions list.

The Treasury Department said the decision was consistent with the US commitment to seek a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in Ukraine and that sanctions won’t be lifted until Russia leaves Crimea.

“This administration is committed to a diplomatic process that guarantees Ukrainian sovereignty, and there should be no sanctions relief until Russia meets its obligations,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Speaking on Wednesday at a news conference with his German counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he hopes the dialogue between Washington and Moscow could be normalized. Lavrov said US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will have the chance to meet face to face at the G20 summit in Germany next week and discuss various topics.

Uncertain peace

As the conflict entered its fourth year, warring parties in Eastern Ukraine repeatedly failed to implement ceasefire agreements, allowing hostilities to escalate, the United Nations said.

The death toll since the start of the fighting has exceeded 10,000, according to the latest UN numbers.

The UN said ceasefire violations and routine use of small arms and heavy weapons in the conflict zone are reported daily.

Critical infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and water facilities, has been seriously damaged, raising further concerns for the protection and well-being of civilians.<|endoftext|>Tweet Tweet Tweety

From Loonipedia

← Tweety's S.O.S. Sylvester Cartoons Who's Kitten Who? →
← Tweety's S.O.S. Tweety Cartoons Gift Wrapped →

Tweet Tweet Tweety is a 1951 animated short featuring Sylvester and Tweety.

Sylvester is in Yosemite National Park and, hearing birds chipping, climbs up the tree to Tweety's nest, despite the ranger's warnings. Unfortunately, he hasn't hatched, so Sylvester must wait him out. Once Tweety does hatch, he decides to poke the cat in the cat's butt, to get him off. Sylvester then gives chase, with Tweety hiding in a hole in the tree; the cat forces him out with an air pump, but Tweety sends up a stick of dynamite instead. The chase then continues to another tree, with Tweety sawing the branch Sylvester is on.

Some time later, Tweety is singing about what Sylvester would want with him, while Sylvester sits below, scarred and bruised at attempting to scale the barb wire. Sylvester hacks the tree down, only to have it fall on himself.

He then tries to swing and catch Tweety, but is crushed by a log smasher.

Later, people are taking pictures of Tweety, and Sylvester, disguised as a cameraman, eats him, only to spit him out thanks to the park ranger who then bashes him in the head.

The next attempt involves Tweety hiding in Old Faithful's geyser. He sets the crazy clock and jumps in, while Tweety sets the clock to 12:00, the time it erupts, forcing the cat upward.

Tweety then he hops on a big log and starts rowing down a river, with Sylvester close behind in a rowboat. However, there is waterfall ahead; Tweety jumps off, but Sylvester does not, and he desperately tries to row upward once he realizes where he is. Tweety offers assistance by turning on the emergency control; this merely causes Sylvester, not yet in safe waters, to fall down on a water. Tweety then comments that Sylvester is going to hurt himself if he isn't more careful.

  • On ABC, the following scenes were cut/edited:
    • The aftermath of Sylvester getting blown up by the dynamite stick he pumped out of the tree branch.
    • Sylvester chasing Tweety between tree branches, Tweety sawing off the tree branch Sylvester is standing on, and Tweety saying, "Aw, the poor puddy tat's parachute didn't open!"
    • The part where Sylvester gets caught by a park ranger trying to eat Tweety faded out just as Tweety landed on the ground. The ABC version cut the part where Tweety tells the cop, "Atta boy, officer! Give him a hit in the head!"" followed by an offscreen bop.

Sylvester Cartoons
1945 Life with FeathersPeck Up Your Troubles
1946 Kitty Kornered
1947 Tweetie PieCrowing PainsDoggone CatsCatch as Cats Can
1949 Mouse MazurkaBad Ol' Putty TatHippety Hopper
1951 Canned FeudPutty Tat TroubleRoom and BirdTweety's S.O.S.Tweet Tweet Tweety
1958 A Pizza Tweety PieA Bird in a Bonnet
1959 Trick or TweetTweet and LovelyThe Cat's PawHere Today, Gone TamaleTweet Dreams
1962 Fish and SlipsMexican BoardersThe Jet Cage
1963 Mexican Cat DanceChili WeatherClaws In The Lease
1964 A Message to GraciasFreudy CatNuts and VoltsHawaiian Aye AyeRoad to Andalay
1966 A Taste of Catnip
1995 Carrotblanca
2011 I Tawt I Taw A Putty Tat
Tweety Cartoons
1942 A Tale of Two Kitties
1944 Birdy and the Beast
1945 A Gruesome Twosome
1947 Tweetie Pie
1948 I Taw a Putty Tat
1949 Bad Ol' Putty Tat
1950 Home Tweet HomeAll a Bir-r-r-rdCanary Row
1951 Putty Tat TroubleRoom and BirdTweety's S.O.S.Tweet Tweet Tweety
1952 Gift WrappedAin't She TweetA Bird in a Guilty Cage
1953 Snow BusinessFowl WeatherTom Tom TomcatA Street Cat Named SylvesterCatty Cornered
1954 Dog PoundedMuzzle ToughSatan's Waitin'
1955 Sandy ClawsTweety's CircusRed Riding HoodwinkedHeir-Conditioned
1956 Tweet and SourTree Cornered TweetyTugboat Granny
1957 Tweet ZooTweety and the BeanstalkBirds AnonymousGreedy For Tweety
1958 A Pizza Tweety PieA Bird in a Bonnet
1959 Trick or TweetTweet and LovelyTweet Dreams
1960 Hyde and Go TweetTrip For Tat
1961 The Rebel Without ClawsThe Last Hungry Cat
1962 The Jet Cage
1964 Hawaiian Aye Aye
2011 I Tawt I Taw A Putty Tat<|endoftext|>(NEWSER– Hope Juarez's first name is an appropriate one: The 6-week-old is only the second known "ghost white baby" born in recent years to actually survive. She's so described because she was born with almost no blood, giving her a very white appearance. ABC 7 reports on the medical miracle, which began three weeks before 27-year-old Jennifer Juarez's due date, when she realized the regular kicking she'd been feeling had ceased. She went to her midwife, who asked the Fountain Valley, Calif., woman what her gut feeling was. "Something's not right," Juarez replied. And it wasn't. While some fetal blood loss happens in all but 2% of pregnancies, Hope had suffered a fetal-maternal hemorrhage, and doctors estimate she lost around 80% of her blood.

Read the full story on Newser.com<|endoftext|>Heat Acclimation

Dealing with the heat, at least initially, is always an issue. I think it is fair to say that most if not all endurance athletes have experienced some degree of cramps at one time or another, and most likely while racing or training on a hot humid day. Even those who live in hot climates need to acclimate somewhat to the hotter conditions of the mid-summer months of June, July and August, especially if you plan to race during that time.

Jason Betz

One of the ways your body keeps cool is by circulating blood to the skin. This allows the internal heat building inside to be transferred to the environment. Core temperatures of 104F (40C) have been observed with marathon athletes. So, transferring heat to the outside plays an important role in helping your core keep cool.

One of the issues with more blood circulating to the skin while exercising, especially when you are not yet acclimated to hotter temperatures, is that you only have a fixed amount of blood to be circulated among the skin, internal organs and the working muscles. This results in less blood volume centrally surrounding the heart. If there is less blood flowing into the heart, there is less blood flowing out of the heart. So that means the heart needs to pump faster to keep up with the demand to keep cool, operate organs, and keep the muscles working.

Less fluid flowing around internally will cause a drop in blood pressure. The drop in blood pressure leads to constricted blood vessels within the internal organs, which in turn restricts blood from flowing to the skin and muscles, where it is needed for energy and cooling purposes. This results in a faster increase in core temperatures.

While sweat rates are usually not affected by all of these adjustments made by the body, the cooling effects of sweat alone are not great enough to keep the core temperatures

 the US sanctions list.

The Treasury Department said the decision was consistent with the US commitment to seek a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in Ukraine and that sanctions won’t be lifted until Russia leaves Crimea.

“This administration is committed to a diplomatic process that guarantees Ukrainian sovereignty, and there should be no sanctions relief until Russia meets its obligations,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Speaking on Wednesday at a news conference with his German counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he hopes the dialogue between Washington and Moscow could be normalized. Lavrov said US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will have the chance to meet face to face at the G20 summit in Germany next week and discuss various topics.

Uncertain peace

As the conflict entered its fourth year, warring parties in Eastern Ukraine repeatedly failed to implement ceasefire agreements, allowing hostilities to escalate, the United Nations said.

The death toll since the start of the fighting has exceeded 10,000, according to the latest UN numbers.

The UN said ceasefire violations and routine use of small arms and heavy weapons in the conflict zone are reported daily.

Critical infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and water facilities, has been seriously damaged, raising further concerns for the protection and well-being of civilians.<|endoftext|>Tweet Tweet Tweety

From Loonipedia

← Tweety's S.O.S. Sylvester Cartoons Who's Kitten Who? →
← Tweety's S.O.S. Tweety Cartoons Gift Wrapped →

Tweet Tweet Tweety is a 1951 animated short featuring Sylvester and Tweety.

Sylvester is in Yosemite National Park and, hearing birds chipping, climbs up the tree to Tweety's nest, despite the ranger's warnings. Unfortunately, he hasn't hatched, so Sylvester must wait him out. Once Tweety does hatch, he decides to poke the cat in the cat's butt, to get him off. Sylvester then gives chase, with Tweety hiding in a hole in the tree; the cat forces him out with an air pump, but Tweety sends up a stick of dynamite instead. The chase then continues to another tree, with Tweety sawing the branch Sylvester is on.

Some time later, Tweety is singing about what Sylvester would want with him, while Sylvester sits below, scarred and bruised at attempting to scale the barb wire. Sylvester hacks the tree down, only to have it fall on himself.

He then tries to swing and catch Tweety, but is crushed by a log smasher.

Later, people are taking pictures of Tweety, and Sylvester, disguised as a cameraman, eats him, only to spit him out thanks to the park ranger who then bashes him in the head.

The next attempt involves Tweety hiding in Old Faithful's geyser. He sets the crazy clock and jumps in, while Tweety sets the clock to 12:00, the time it erupts, forcing the cat upward.

Tweety then he hops on a big log and starts rowing down a river, with Sylvester close behind in a rowboat. However, there is waterfall ahead; Tweety jumps off, but Sylvester does not, and he desperately tries to row upward once he realizes where he is. Tweety offers assistance by turning on the emergency control; this merely causes Sylvester, not yet in safe waters, to fall down on a water. Tweety then comments that Sylvester is going to hurt himself if he isn't more careful.

  • On ABC, the following scenes were cut/edited:
    • The aftermath of Sylvester getting blown up by the dynamite stick he pumped out of the tree branch.
    • Sylvester chasing Tweety between tree branches, Tweety sawing off the tree branch Sylvester is standing on, and Tweety saying, "Aw, the poor puddy tat's parachute didn't open!"
    • The part where Sylvester gets caught by a park ranger trying to eat Tweety faded out just as Tweety landed on the ground. The ABC version cut the part where Tweety tells the cop, "Atta boy, officer! Give him a hit in the head!"" followed by an offscreen bop.

Sylvester Cartoons
1945 Life with FeathersPeck Up Your Troubles
1946 Kitty Kornered
1947 Tweetie PieCrowing PainsDoggone CatsCatch as Cats Can
1949 Mouse MazurkaBad Ol' Putty TatHippety Hopper
1951 Canned FeudPutty Tat TroubleRoom and BirdTweety's S.O.S.Tweet Tweet Tweety
1958 A Pizza Tweety PieA Bird in a Bonnet
1959 Trick or TweetTweet and LovelyThe Cat's PawHere Today, Gone TamaleTweet Dreams
1962 Fish and SlipsMexican BoardersThe Jet Cage
1963 Mexican Cat DanceChili WeatherClaws In The Lease
1964 A Message to GraciasFreudy CatNuts and VoltsHawaiian Aye AyeRoad to Andalay
1966 A Taste of Catnip
1995 Carrotblanca
2011 I Tawt I Taw A Putty Tat
Tweety Cartoons
1942 A Tale of Two Kitties
1944 Birdy and the Beast
1945 A Gruesome Twosome
1947 Tweetie Pie
1948 I Taw a Putty Tat
1949 Bad Ol' Putty Tat
1950 Home Tweet HomeAll a Bir-r-r-rdCanary Row
1951 Putty Tat TroubleRoom and BirdTweety's S.O.S.Tweet Tweet Tweety
1952 Gift WrappedAin't She TweetA Bird in a Guilty Cage
1953 Snow BusinessFowl WeatherTom Tom TomcatA Street Cat Named SylvesterCatty Cornered
1954 Dog PoundedMuzzle ToughSatan's Waitin'
1955 Sandy ClawsTweety's CircusRed Riding HoodwinkedHeir-Conditioned
1956 Tweet and SourTree Cornered TweetyTugboat Granny
1957 Tweet ZooTweety and the BeanstalkBirds AnonymousGreedy For Tweety
1958 A Pizza Tweety PieA Bird in a Bonnet
1959 Trick or TweetTweet and LovelyTweet Dreams
1960 Hyde and Go TweetTrip For Tat
1961 The Rebel Without ClawsThe Last Hungry Cat
1962 The Jet Cage
1964 Hawaiian Aye Aye
2011 I Tawt I Taw A Putty Tat<|endoftext|>(NEWSER– Hope Juarez's first name is an appropriate one: The 6-week-old is only the second known "ghost white baby" born in recent years to actually survive. She's so described because she was born with almost no blood, giving her a very white appearance. ABC 7 reports on the medical miracle, which began three weeks before 27-year-old Jennifer Juarez's due date, when she realized the regular kicking she'd been feeling had ceased. She went to her midwife, who asked the Fountain Valley, Calif., woman what her gut feeling was. "Something's not right," Juarez replied. And it wasn't. While some fetal blood loss happens in all but 2% of pregnancies, Hope had suffered a fetal-maternal hemorrhage, and doctors estimate she lost around 80% of her blood.

Read the full story on Newser.com<|endoftext|>Heat Acclimation

Dealing with the heat, at least initially, is always an issue. I think it is fair to say that most if not all endurance athletes have experienced some degree of cramps at one time or another, and most likely while racing or training on a hot humid day. Even those who live in hot climates need to acclimate somewhat to the hotter conditions of the mid-summer months of June, July and August, especially if you plan to race during that time.

Jason Betz

One of the ways your body keeps cool is by circulating blood to the skin. This allows the internal heat building inside to be transferred to the environment. Core temperatures of 104F (40C) have been observed with marathon athletes. So, transferring heat to the outside plays an important role in helping your core keep cool.

One of the issues with more blood circulating to the skin while exercising, especially when you are not yet acclimated to hotter temperatures, is that you only have a fixed amount of blood to be circulated among the skin, internal organs and the working muscles. This results in less blood volume centrally surrounding the heart. If there is less blood flowing into the heart, there is less blood flowing out of the heart. So that means the heart needs to pump faster to keep up with the demand to keep cool, operate organs, and keep the muscles working.

Less fluid flowing around internally will cause a drop in blood pressure. The drop in blood pressure leads to constricted blood vessels within the internal organs, which in turn restricts blood from flowing to the skin and muscles, where it is needed for energy and cooling purposes. This results in a faster increase in core temperatures.

While sweat rates are usually not affected by all of these adjustments made by the body, the cooling effects of sweat alone are not great enough to keep the core temperatures cool. Also, the rate of sweat evaporation, which creates the cooling effect, is determined by the


Clean and jerk: Men are lifting heavy weights over their head several times. A man in a blue shirt is watching one of the men. A man in a gray shirt is mimicking the person lifting the weight.<|endoftext|> of respect. My piece acknowledges this practice as the last track on the album, but it is also meant to evoke the feeling of reverence and awe when faced with grandiosity.

I recorded an orchestra in a large cathedral for a film score recently, and I was in awe by the power from that sense of space. I hope this piece creates that sense of awe and reverence in you as well.

As a final video, I include some of my video artwork to accompany the piece. This video was all made using lights and colored gels and perfectly captures the reverence I was trying to express in the music.

Soundcloud (Stream)
Download Hi-Res file

Get the Album first

The first 3 tracks on the new album will be released on 3.20.2020, but the rest of the album will not be available until this summer on the streaming platforms and stores. These platforms favor singles over albums for playlist placement.

So I will be sharing the entire album for email subscribers in a 7 day album experience. (Don't worry, it's just about building a community, not about spamming you with emails!).

On album release day, you will receive 1 email a day for 7 days that leads you to a behind the scenes look that details what each piece means, how it was written, and how it was recorded. You can download the high res audio (available nowhere else), stream the music, look at the scores, and learn how it was recorded.

Thank you for joining me on this musical journey! Check your email inbox (and Junk Mail!) for the Welcome email.<|endoftext|>Statutory Audits

Companies of a certain size and companies which are public, insurance companies, involved in banking or investment firms regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority are required by law to undertake a statutory audit in order to ensure financial transparency and efficiency.  A statutory audit is not required for a company (including an LLP) if it meets two of the three criteria listed below:

  1. Turnover not more than £6.5 million
  2. Gross assets not greater than £3.26 million
  3. Not more than 50 employees

Circumstances can dictate that the above limits are subject to adjustment or additional factors.  Examples, inter alia, include:

  • First period of accounts
  • Companies which are part of a group
  • Periods which are not exactly 12 months

The above criteria is changing for accounting periods commencing on or after 1 January 2016.  In this instance, a statutory audit shall not be required for a company (including LLPs) if it meets the following two out of three criteria listed below:

  1. Turnover not more than £10.2 million
  2. Gross assets not greater than £5.1 million
  3. Not more than 50 employees

Please note that companies (including LLPs) can not adopt the above criteria of higher audit threshold levels early.

There are different criteria in respect of audits for charities and other not-for-profit organisations.

At Perrys, we work with our clients to ensure that they are able to fulfil their statutory obligations and file their audited accounts in an accurate and timely manner.  Our exceptional approach to client relations means that we develop a deep understanding of their individual businesses and our audit service goes beyond simply documenting and reporting the numbers. Our tailored service offers exceptional value for money and enables us to explore the implications on the business, providing proactive advice and insight and giving recommendations on efficiency and improvement for the benefit of our clients, helping them to avoid issues in the future.

Non Statutory Audit Reports

The majority of small private limited companies are exempt from undergoing statutory audits of their annual accounts - unless the company's articles of association say they must or enough shareholders ask for an audit to be carried out.  Regardless of whether your company is usually exempt from an audit, you must get your accounts audited if shareholders who own at least 10% of shares (by number or value) ask you to do so.

However, those businesses which are not obligated to undergo a statutory audit may still opt to be audited by a reputable independent body due to a number of benefits this can provide. A non statutory audit report can help businesses comply with tax or banking obligations, can act as a financial health check and flag up any potential issues or areas for improvement. Our audit report will provide an independent opinion on these aspects to meet regulatory and other stakeholder requirements.

Whether you seek auditing services, company secretarial support or tax planning advice, please call us on 020 7408 4442 for a free and informal meeting with your nearest Perrys accountant, Central London or Kent.<|endoftext|>Sleep Little Darling

Most people do it at night. Some take a go at it during the late morning, while others prefer a quickie after lunch. Some swear it is best in the late afternoon. There is really nothing quite as deliciously decadent as a snooze during the day. The problem is that for most, it is not an option during working hours. If you are at work during the day, it might not be possible to catch a nap on regular days, and if you work at night, your daytime sleep is really your night’s sleep.  With the new global economy and teams working across time zones, the sleeping hour has turned into an abstract concept. I am a sleepaholic, and like all good -aholics, I have tried to sharpen my understanding of sleep, albeit from a very subjective point of view. So on the occasion of International Women's Day (don't ask me why), here are my sleepy thoughts. I hope to be able to touch on daytime sleep, sleep hygiene and early rising in this post. And if you start feeling sleepy while reading this (an outcome my writing is well known for), you will know what the universe is trying to tell you.

Sleep is fascinating. How the most energetic, loud-voiced beings, regardless of age, gender or social standing just have to crumple down and recharge through cycles of REM and non-REM sleep is rather  amazing. Just think about it. No matter who you wish to be seen as when awake, when you have to go, you have to go – without a care for snores, drools, restless legs, sleep-talking, or throwing your arms over whatever or whoever is next to you.  The most aggressive or nasty of adults become childlike and angelic when they curl up and enter deep sleep. Like food, love, life, Buddha, and jazz, it is a universal secret code, one that nobody fully comprehends yet everyone is familiar with.

What happens during sleep? Science has its complex answers as do the mystic traditions. Myths abound across cultures about the significance of and relation between sleep, dreams, creation, and death.  Each individual body and mind (and spirit) needs sleep at different levels at different times of life and under different circumstances. The human body and mind are so amazing that even if this need is not met, it is still able to function at a certain level, drawing on reserves and turning off functions very much like a laptop computer low on power.  But deprive it sufficiently and the results are disastrous. In addition to the obvious social abrasion that kicks in, you and I start displaying poor judgement, take wrong decisions, and put the welfare of self and others at risk without realizing it.

Studies show that one 18-hour stretch of sustained wakefulness can lead to a drop in cognitive skills equivalent to that of a person who has had two drinks. This is the equivalent of a long day in the modern business world with overlapping time-zones and projects. Sleep is a need just like food and water. Sadly, we have come to empower the cult of “achievement” to a point where sleeping is viewed as non-productive, where people are encouraged (if not compelled) to work longer hours, and where getting more things done is equated with being a better social being. One of my favorite poems by Blake is his To The Evening Star, which obliquely refers to sleep in an unforgettable way.

"Thou fair-hair'd angel of the evening,
Now, whilst the sun rests on the mountains, light
Thy bright torch of love; thy radiant crown
Put on, and smile upon our evening bed!
Smile on our loves, and while thou drawest the
Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew
On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes
In timely sleep. Let thy west wind sleep on
The lake; speak silence with thy glimmering eyes,
And wash the dusk with silver. Soon, full soon,
Dost thou withdraw; then the wolf rages wide,
And then the lion glares through the dun forest:
The fleeces of our flocks are cover'd with
Thy sacred dew: protect them with thine influence!"

Historically, though, we were not this stuck up about sleep. Almost all traditions speak of rising and retiring with the sun, spending time in reflection and resting a while after your main meal, though the custom of siesta across countries in the tropical belt has more to do with climate and heat than with culture or body rhythm. Earliest records of sleep patterns dating back to our hunter-gatherer stages show that we slept in two

 of respect. My piece acknowledges this practice as the last track on the album, but it is also meant to evoke the feeling of reverence and awe when faced with grandiosity.

I recorded an orchestra in a large cathedral for a film score recently, and I was in awe by the power from that sense of space. I hope this piece creates that sense of awe and reverence in you as well.

As a final video, I include some of my video artwork to accompany the piece. This video was all made using lights and colored gels and perfectly captures the reverence I was trying to express in the music.

Soundcloud (Stream)
Download Hi-Res file

Get the Album first

The first 3 tracks on the new album will be released on 3.20.2020, but the rest of the album will not be available until this summer on the streaming platforms and stores. These platforms favor singles over albums for playlist placement.

So I will be sharing the entire album for email subscribers in a 7 day album experience. (Don't worry, it's just about building a community, not about spamming you with emails!).

On album release day, you will receive 1 email a day for 7 days that leads you to a behind the scenes look that details what each piece means, how it was written, and how it was recorded. You can download the high res audio (available nowhere else), stream the music, look at the scores, and learn how it was recorded.

Thank you for joining me on this musical journey! Check your email inbox (and Junk Mail!) for the Welcome email.<|endoftext|>Statutory Audits

Companies of a certain size and companies which are public, insurance companies, involved in banking or investment firms regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority are required by law to undertake a statutory audit in order to ensure financial transparency and efficiency.  A statutory audit is not required for a company (including an LLP) if it meets two of the three criteria listed below:

  1. Turnover not more than £6.5 million
  2. Gross assets not greater than £3.26 million
  3. Not more than 50 employees

Circumstances can dictate that the above limits are subject to adjustment or additional factors.  Examples, inter alia, include:

  • First period of accounts
  • Companies which are part of a group
  • Periods which are not exactly 12 months

The above criteria is changing for accounting periods commencing on or after 1 January 2016.  In this instance, a statutory audit shall not be required for a company (including LLPs) if it meets the following two out of three criteria listed below:

  1. Turnover not more than £10.2 million
  2. Gross assets not greater than £5.1 million
  3. Not more than 50 employees

Please note that companies (including LLPs) can not adopt the above criteria of higher audit threshold levels early.

There are different criteria in respect of audits for charities and other not-for-profit organisations.

At Perrys, we work with our clients to ensure that they are able to fulfil their statutory obligations and file their audited accounts in an accurate and timely manner.  Our exceptional approach to client relations means that we develop a deep understanding of their individual businesses and our audit service goes beyond simply documenting and reporting the numbers. Our tailored service offers exceptional value for money and enables us to explore the implications on the business, providing proactive advice and insight and giving recommendations on efficiency and improvement for the benefit of our clients, helping them to avoid issues in the future.

Non Statutory Audit Reports

The majority of small private limited companies are exempt from undergoing statutory audits of their annual accounts - unless the company's articles of association say they must or enough shareholders ask for an audit to be carried out.  Regardless of whether your company is usually exempt from an audit, you must get your accounts audited if shareholders who own at least 10% of shares (by number or value) ask you to do so.

However, those businesses which are not obligated to undergo a statutory audit may still opt to be audited by a reputable independent body due to a number of benefits this can provide. A non statutory audit report can help businesses comply with tax or banking obligations, can act as a financial health check and flag up any potential issues or areas for improvement. Our audit report will provide an independent opinion on these aspects to meet regulatory and other stakeholder requirements.

Whether you seek auditing services, company secretarial support or tax planning advice, please call us on 020 7408 4442 for a free and informal meeting with your nearest Perrys accountant, Central London or Kent.<|endoftext|>Sleep Little Darling

Most people do it at night. Some take a go at it during the late morning, while others prefer a quickie after lunch. Some swear it is best in the late afternoon. There is really nothing quite as deliciously decadent as a snooze during the day. The problem is that for most, it is not an option during working hours. If you are at work during the day, it might not be possible to catch a nap on regular days, and if you work at night, your daytime sleep is really your night’s sleep.  With the new global economy and teams working across time zones, the sleeping hour has turned into an abstract concept. I am a sleepaholic, and like all good -aholics, I have tried to sharpen my understanding of sleep, albeit from a very subjective point of view. So on the occasion of International Women's Day (don't ask me why), here are my sleepy thoughts. I hope to be able to touch on daytime sleep, sleep hygiene and early rising in this post. And if you start feeling sleepy while reading this (an outcome my writing is well known for), you will know what the universe is trying to tell you.

Sleep is fascinating. How the most energetic, loud-voiced beings, regardless of age, gender or social standing just have to crumple down and recharge through cycles of REM and non-REM sleep is rather  amazing. Just think about it. No matter who you wish to be seen as when awake, when you have to go, you have to go – without a care for snores, drools, restless legs, sleep-talking, or throwing your arms over whatever or whoever is next to you.  The most aggressive or nasty of adults become childlike and angelic when they curl up and enter deep sleep. Like food, love, life, Buddha, and jazz, it is a universal secret code, one that nobody fully comprehends yet everyone is familiar with.

What happens during sleep? Science has its complex answers as do the mystic traditions. Myths abound across cultures about the significance of and relation between sleep, dreams, creation, and death.  Each individual body and mind (and spirit) needs sleep at different levels at different times of life and under different circumstances. The human body and mind are so amazing that even if this need is not met, it is still able to function at a certain level, drawing on reserves and turning off functions very much like a laptop computer low on power.  But deprive it sufficiently and the results are disastrous. In addition to the obvious social abrasion that kicks in, you and I start displaying poor judgement, take wrong decisions, and put the welfare of self and others at risk without realizing it.

Studies show that one 18-hour stretch of sustained wakefulness can lead to a drop in cognitive skills equivalent to that of a person who has had two drinks. This is the equivalent of a long day in the modern business world with overlapping time-zones and projects. Sleep is a need just like food and water. Sadly, we have come to empower the cult of “achievement” to a point where sleeping is viewed as non-productive, where people are encouraged (if not compelled) to work longer hours, and where getting more things done is equated with being a better social being. One of my favorite poems by Blake is his To The Evening Star, which obliquely refers to sleep in an unforgettable way.

"Thou fair-hair'd angel of the evening,
Now, whilst the sun rests on the mountains, light
Thy bright torch of love; thy radiant crown
Put on, and smile upon our evening bed!
Smile on our loves, and while thou drawest the
Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew
On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes
In timely sleep. Let thy west wind sleep on
The lake; speak silence with thy glimmering eyes,
And wash the dusk with silver. Soon, full soon,
Dost thou withdraw; then the wolf rages wide,
And then the lion glares through the dun forest:
The fleeces of our flocks are cover'd with
Thy sacred dew: protect them with thine influence!"

Historically, though, we were not this stuck up about sleep. Almost all traditions speak of rising and retiring with the sun, spending time in reflection and resting a while after your main meal, though the custom of siesta across countries in the tropical belt has more to do with climate and heat than with culture or body rhythm. Earliest records of sleep patterns dating back to our hunter-gatherer stages show that we slept in two phases, once in the late afternoon and then again late at night, with 4-6 hours of awake time between these two phases. The needs of commerce have turned us into monophasic sleepers, with one large


Sharpening knives: A man is standing at a counter with a smith knife. He demonstrates how to sharpen the knife.<|endoftext|> for Ryan's company. As they were discussing the issue, an unknown African American entered BJ's. Ryan watched the unknown man take money off of a table and put it in his pocket. Gillian saw Ryan watching the man and asked him if he knew him. Ryan informed him that he knew what the guy was doing, "He is trying to buy as much food as he can with that $5.50 tip he just lifted from that table right there." Ryan got up and replaced the money the man had stolen back on the table he had stolen it from and returned to his own table. Ryan then told Gillian about the times he himself had had to resort to the same tactics. Gillian asked Ryan if he thought they should give the man some money. Ryan told her that the man would not take it of they did.

Shannon, Mindy, and Heather entered BJ's and handed Bianca's journal over to Albert and asked him how long it would take him to pull it off. He told them to give him about an hour. The girls giggled as Albert went on his way to "pull it off."

At Pine Valley Hospital's ER, Erica entered just as Laura was telling Bianca that she would not be tested for drugs. Erica overhead Laura's statement. Bianca turned around and asked her mother what she was doing there. Erica explained that she had heard from Shannon and her friends while bumping into them at her house (supposedly returning Bianca and Laura's backpacks) that Laura and Bianca had come to the hospital to have Laura checked out. Erica asked Laura why she would not take a drug test and why she felt she needed to take one at all. Laura lied to Ms. Kane by telling her that she hadn't eaten all day and that her blood sugar was low. She went on to say that the hospital would not examine her unless she took a blood test and that she felt that was discriminatory. Erica looked at Bianca and outright asked her why she wasn't saying anything.

Bianca went along with Laura's lie and told Erica that Laura had "just felt faint." Erica offered to drive them home. Laura told Erica that she had her own car. Erica told Laura to drive carefully and left the two of them. Laura then apologized to Bianca for the position she had put her in with her mother and Bianca just said she wanted to leave. After Laura and Bianca left, Erica confronted Joe and asked him who the doctor was that had examined Laura. Joe informed her that he hadn't realized that Laura was there as he had been concentrating mainly on the David Hayward situation. Erica replied with, "Oh, what situation is that?" Joe told her that David had had an accident. She asked him if he was all right.

David's was transported from his private room back the ER. Vanessa inquired why he had been moved back to the ER, as David needed his privacy. Joe explained that after a very unusual staff meeting that consisted mainly of police officer's, it was decided that David's surgery on his hand would take place not at Pine Valley Hospital, but at Statesville Prison Hospital and that he would be transported there that day. After Joe left the room, David told Vanessa that he was not going to Statesville today, "There is no way I am leaving Pine Valley today."

Vanessa asked him how he planned on getting out of his predicament, that he needed an attorney. David told her what he needed was for her to calm down, listen to him, and do what he says. He then asked her to get him some potassium and a clean syringe out of the locked medicine cabinet outside his room. As Vanessa is arguing with David about how she is going to get a key to get into the locked medicine cabinet, a police officer entered the room and announced that he was in charge of watching David while they arranged for transport for him to Statesville. Just then, a nurse entered with Erica barging in at her heels. David asked his mother to cause a distraction. Vanessa immediately got into Erica's face and started rolling obscenities off to her; blaming her for David's troubles. Meanwhile, David was lifting keys out of the nurse's pocket as the nurse stood beside him watching the ruckus that Vanessa was creating with Erica.

After David had successfully lifted the keys from the nurse, he summoned his mother to his bedside and passed her the keys without anyone else's knowledge. He then asked her to please give him and Erica a moment alone assuming she would use the keys to get the stuff he had requested before the nurse discovered her keys were missing.

After the others left his room, David apologized to Erica for his mother's behavior. David went on to tell Erica that he had so many regrets and that she was right about the things she had said when she had came to his jail cell. As he held her hand, David told Erica that he needed her more now then he had probably ever needed anybody in his life. Erica asked him what he wanted from her and what he was up to. David denied being up to anything but Erica refused to believe him stating that she knew him. Erica assumed that David wanted her to testify at the trial on his behalf. David decided to use that to explain his odd behavior and asked her if she would. Erica asked him if it was so hard for him to just ask her. David responded with "Only if you turn me down." Erica reminded him of what he had done to her; jeopardizing her sobriety and reminded him that her daughter had passed out at the party due to the Libidozone he had put in the punch. David continued to apologize as he put up with Erica's banter. Erica refused to testify on his behalf and told him that she hoped he gets convicted and that he goes to prison. She then left the room.

Meanwhile, Vanessa was outside of David's room and faked a dizzy spell to send a nurse off to get her water so that she can be alone to get the items David requested. Vanessa successfully got the potassium and syringe. After Erica stormed out of David's room Vanessa entered the room and was conferring with David with her body blocking the guard's view of David's IV. As she spoke to David, she injected David's with the potassium while the guard was busy perusing a magazine at his post next to the door. After she injected David with the potassium, she asked David how he was feeling and nervously waited for the drug to take effect. Almost immediately, the doctors began entering the room in a rush. When Dr. Martin entered and inquired what was going on, another doctor informed him that David's monitor had picked up an arrhythmia. Joe desperately tried to stabilize David. The crew showed up to transport David to the prison but Joe sent them away because he was not stable. Vanessa left the room and ran into Roger. Roger told her that he was just with her son (Leo) and his daughter. Roger went on to say he had figured out her son as well as her. When Vanessa asked him what he was talking about, Roger accused her of coming to Pine Valley to score with Palmer Cortlandt and that her son came to Pine Valley to score his daughter. Amidst Vanessa's denials, Roger said he would keep quiet about her scams as long as she cut him in on the profits; when Leo marries Greenlee, he wants half of the money.

Back at the loft, Leo apologized to Greenlee for what he had done to her father. In Leo's defense, she acknowledged that he Dad had come after him first and told Leo that she did not want her father to come around her ever again. Leo promised her that he would do anything necessary to keep her safe. Greenlee asked him if he really meant it and he reiterated that he did. Greenlee then asked Leo to marry him.

Brooke showed up at the hospital and told Erica she had just gotten her message and asked her if Laura was all right. Erica told her that she would have to ask her daughter that...that Laura had said that she was fine. Brooke said she didn't know what was going on...she had got a message from Erica saying her daughter was on her way to the hospital and now Erica is telling her that Laura was fine. Erica told Brooke that Laura had said that she was hypoglycemic. Brooke was shocked, as she knew that Laura wasn't. Brooke asked if a doctor had diagnosed her. Smugly, Erica said that apparently Laura had diagnosed herself and that Laura had told the doctor her symptoms and that the doctors had apparently diagnosed that Laura was a teen with a drug problem and that they had wanted to test her for drugs and that Laura had refused. Brooke excused herself to go find her daughter.

Laura and Bianca went back to Erica's. As soon as Bianca got home she gave Laura her backpack and told her she was tired, she had to study for an exam and she wanted her to leave. Laura begged her to talk to her. Bianca told her that she "couldn't do this anymore." Bianca went on to tell her that she had watched Laura do "X", had watched her almost black out, had lied to her mother on her behalf, and that she did not want any part of Laura's drug use. She went on to say that she didn't want to be different, she didn't want to be the school nark, but she also didn't want to be around people using drugs...that it was too scary. Laura promised that

 for Ryan's company. As they were discussing the issue, an unknown African American entered BJ's. Ryan watched the unknown man take money off of a table and put it in his pocket. Gillian saw Ryan watching the man and asked him if he knew him. Ryan informed him that he knew what the guy was doing, "He is trying to buy as much food as he can with that $5.50 tip he just lifted from that table right there." Ryan got up and replaced the money the man had stolen back on the table he had stolen it from and returned to his own table. Ryan then told Gillian about the times he himself had had to resort to the same tactics. Gillian asked Ryan if he thought they should give the man some money. Ryan told her that the man would not take it of they did.

Shannon, Mindy, and Heather entered BJ's and handed Bianca's journal over to Albert and asked him how long it would take him to pull it off. He told them to give him about an hour. The girls giggled as Albert went on his way to "pull it off."

At Pine Valley Hospital's ER, Erica entered just as Laura was telling Bianca that she would not be tested for drugs. Erica overhead Laura's statement. Bianca turned around and asked her mother what she was doing there. Erica explained that she had heard from Shannon and her friends while bumping into them at her house (supposedly returning Bianca and Laura's backpacks) that Laura and Bianca had come to the hospital to have Laura checked out. Erica asked Laura why she would not take a drug test and why she felt she needed to take one at all. Laura lied to Ms. Kane by telling her that she hadn't eaten all day and that her blood sugar was low. She went on to say that the hospital would not examine her unless she took a blood test and that she felt that was discriminatory. Erica looked at Bianca and outright asked her why she wasn't saying anything.

Bianca went along with Laura's lie and told Erica that Laura had "just felt faint." Erica offered to drive them home. Laura told Erica that she had her own car. Erica told Laura to drive carefully and left the two of them. Laura then apologized to Bianca for the position she had put her in with her mother and Bianca just said she wanted to leave. After Laura and Bianca left, Erica confronted Joe and asked him who the doctor was that had examined Laura. Joe informed her that he hadn't realized that Laura was there as he had been concentrating mainly on the David Hayward situation. Erica replied with, "Oh, what situation is that?" Joe told her that David had had an accident. She asked him if he was all right.

David's was transported from his private room back the ER. Vanessa inquired why he had been moved back to the ER, as David needed his privacy. Joe explained that after a very unusual staff meeting that consisted mainly of police officer's, it was decided that David's surgery on his hand would take place not at Pine Valley Hospital, but at Statesville Prison Hospital and that he would be transported there that day. After Joe left the room, David told Vanessa that he was not going to Statesville today, "There is no way I am leaving Pine Valley today."

Vanessa asked him how he planned on getting out of his predicament, that he needed an attorney. David told her what he needed was for her to calm down, listen to him, and do what he says. He then asked her to get him some potassium and a clean syringe out of the locked medicine cabinet outside his room. As Vanessa is arguing with David about how she is going to get a key to get into the locked medicine cabinet, a police officer entered the room and announced that he was in charge of watching David while they arranged for transport for him to Statesville. Just then, a nurse entered with Erica barging in at her heels. David asked his mother to cause a distraction. Vanessa immediately got into Erica's face and started rolling obscenities off to her; blaming her for David's troubles. Meanwhile, David was lifting keys out of the nurse's pocket as the nurse stood beside him watching the ruckus that Vanessa was creating with Erica.

After David had successfully lifted the keys from the nurse, he summoned his mother to his bedside and passed her the keys without anyone else's knowledge. He then asked her to please give him and Erica a moment alone assuming she would use the keys to get the stuff he had requested before the nurse discovered her keys were missing.

After the others left his room, David apologized to Erica for his mother's behavior. David went on to tell Erica that he had so many regrets and that she was right about the things she had said when she had came to his jail cell. As he held her hand, David told Erica that he needed her more now then he had probably ever needed anybody in his life. Erica asked him what he wanted from her and what he was up to. David denied being up to anything but Erica refused to believe him stating that she knew him. Erica assumed that David wanted her to testify at the trial on his behalf. David decided to use that to explain his odd behavior and asked her if she would. Erica asked him if it was so hard for him to just ask her. David responded with "Only if you turn me down." Erica reminded him of what he had done to her; jeopardizing her sobriety and reminded him that her daughter had passed out at the party due to the Libidozone he had put in the punch. David continued to apologize as he put up with Erica's banter. Erica refused to testify on his behalf and told him that she hoped he gets convicted and that he goes to prison. She then left the room.

Meanwhile, Vanessa was outside of David's room and faked a dizzy spell to send a nurse off to get her water so that she can be alone to get the items David requested. Vanessa successfully got the potassium and syringe. After Erica stormed out of David's room Vanessa entered the room and was conferring with David with her body blocking the guard's view of David's IV. As she spoke to David, she injected David's with the potassium while the guard was busy perusing a magazine at his post next to the door. After she injected David with the potassium, she asked David how he was feeling and nervously waited for the drug to take effect. Almost immediately, the doctors began entering the room in a rush. When Dr. Martin entered and inquired what was going on, another doctor informed him that David's monitor had picked up an arrhythmia. Joe desperately tried to stabilize David. The crew showed up to transport David to the prison but Joe sent them away because he was not stable. Vanessa left the room and ran into Roger. Roger told her that he was just with her son (Leo) and his daughter. Roger went on to say he had figured out her son as well as her. When Vanessa asked him what he was talking about, Roger accused her of coming to Pine Valley to score with Palmer Cortlandt and that her son came to Pine Valley to score his daughter. Amidst Vanessa's denials, Roger said he would keep quiet about her scams as long as she cut him in on the profits; when Leo marries Greenlee, he wants half of the money.

Back at the loft, Leo apologized to Greenlee for what he had done to her father. In Leo's defense, she acknowledged that he Dad had come after him first and told Leo that she did not want her father to come around her ever again. Leo promised her that he would do anything necessary to keep her safe. Greenlee asked him if he really meant it and he reiterated that he did. Greenlee then asked Leo to marry him.

Brooke showed up at the hospital and told Erica she had just gotten her message and asked her if Laura was all right. Erica told her that she would have to ask her daughter that...that Laura had said that she was fine. Brooke said she didn't know what was going on...she had got a message from Erica saying her daughter was on her way to the hospital and now Erica is telling her that Laura was fine. Erica told Brooke that Laura had said that she was hypoglycemic. Brooke was shocked, as she knew that Laura wasn't. Brooke asked if a doctor had diagnosed her. Smugly, Erica said that apparently Laura had diagnosed herself and that Laura had told the doctor her symptoms and that the doctors had apparently diagnosed that Laura was a teen with a drug problem and that they had wanted to test her for drugs and that Laura had refused. Brooke excused herself to go find her daughter.

Laura and Bianca went back to Erica's. As soon as Bianca got home she gave Laura her backpack and told her she was tired, she had to study for an exam and she wanted her to leave. Laura begged her to talk to her. Bianca told her that she "couldn't do this anymore." Bianca went on to tell her that she had watched Laura do "X", had watched her almost black out, had lied to her mother on her behalf, and that she did not want any part of Laura's drug use. She went on to say that she didn't want to be different, she didn't want to be the school nark, but she also didn't want to be around people using drugs...that it was too scary. Laura promised that it wouldn't happen again. Bianca told her she was right because she wasn't going to be hanging around her to see it.


Sharpening knives: A group of tools and knives are on a table top. A man uses a sharpener to sharpen a knife.<|endoftext|> no future.
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett
But the stimulus alone wasn't enough. So that's where Ben and the Fed stepped in with Quantitative Easement programs to prop up the economy. There are tons of critics (and there should be because that's how democracy works). However, I've felt the power of QE myself, and I've got a new found respect for our central bank. Here's what Warren Buffett had to say of Ben Bernanke's Quantitative Easement bond-buying program:
"The Fed is the greatest hedge fund in history," Buffett told students at Georgetown University. "It's generating US$90 billion a year in revenue for the U.S. government and that wasn't the case a few years ago."
Yes, you heard that right. The math doesn't lie. QE is actually GENERATING MONEY. A LOT of money. How is the Fed doing that? Answer: tons and tons of bonds. Yes, all that bond buying they are doing to stimulate the economy that comes under heavy criticism that the Fed is borrowing from your children's future is wrong. They are INVESTING in your children's future. All of those bonds are increasing in value and paying the government back. In fact, QE may not cost this country a cent if you look at it from a certain point of view. It will make this country money. Neat, right?

It's been five years since Lehman Brothers went belly up, and I'm writing this post to thank Ben Bernanke. I think you've done a wonderful job. I don't care what the critics say. You've made me money, and in a time where scraping by is hard, that makes you a hero in my book. May your retirement from the Federal Reserve be filled with joy.

Today, I'm being interviewed over at Yolanda's blog Defending the Pen. Have a great weekend.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Find out what's at the center of a black hole with an animation explaining some of Stephen Hawking's big ideas

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has a new book out. I read his last one called The Grand Design and liked how it explored the dual slit experiment. It provided some inspiration for one of my stories. Sometimes though, his ideas can be difficult to grasp. I love this cartoon that boils them down and provides answers to some of the hardest questions like:

1) What's at the center of a black hole?
2) What happens at the edge of a black hole?
3) Why is Stephen Hawking our most famous living scientist?

In the least, it's the cutest portrayal of Hawking radiation ever even though some old Disney fans might miss this guy:
I sincerely hope I'm not the only one who gets this picture. That will only confirm how truly old I am. Have a great Thursday.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

An island rose out of the sea and I instantly thought of Cthulhu

Yesterday, a deadly earthquake in Pakistan caused an island to rise from the sea. Now, I don't mean to make light of such a tragedy by drawing a connection to fiction, but I can't help but think of Cthulhu and his home/prison of R'lyeh.
R'lyeh by Decepticoin on deviantART
For those of you who aren't familiar with the Cthulhu mythos, R'lyeh is a fictional lost city that first appeared in the H.P. Lovecraft short story "The Call of Cthulhu," first published in Weird Tales in 1928. According to Lovecraft's short story, R'lyeh is a sunken city in the Pacific that makes its appearance for one day every thousand years or so.

Here's how Lovecraft describes it:
The nightmare corpse-city of R'lyeh...was built in measureless eons behind history by the vast, loathsome shapes that seeped down from the stars. There lay great Cthulhu and his hordes, hidden in green slimy vaults.
Norwegian sailor Gustaf Johansen, the narrator of one of the tales in the short story, describes the accidental discovery of the city as a coastline of mingled mud, ooze, and weedy Cyclopean masonry which can be nothing less than the tangible substance of earth's supreme terror--the nightmare corpse-city of R'lyeh... loathsomely redolent of spheres and dimensions apart from ours.

TL;DR: An island rose out of the sea, and I instantly thought of Cthulhu. It's eerie how fiction can sometimes show up in one form or another in real life. Crazy, right?

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

All the wonderful television shows I plan to watch this autumn listed in one place

This Fall, there are a lot of shows I want to watch on television. People have been asking me for my recommendations so I've compiled a list of television shows (and when they air) to keep you apprised of what's on night to night. Maybe from this list, you can determine if there's anything there that piques your interest too.

Sleepy Hollow on Fox (second episode is tonight). Anachronism at its best! Ichabod Crane rises from the dead in 2013 to join forces with a cop to stop the Headless Horseman who just happens to be one of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. I'm guessing that the first season is going to be all about getting the other three Horseman of the Apocalypse to join him.
Almost Human (November 4th on Fox) An action-packed police procedural set 35 years in the future, when police officers are partnered with highly evolved human-like androids. It has Karl Urban in it and is being funded by J.J. Abrams. That's good enough for me.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (premiere is this week) -- You all should know what this show is. If you don't, then consider nerd card suspended.

Supernatural (October 15th on the CW). Last season ended with angels being thrown out of heaven by the scribe of god. This season should be a war between demons and angels on earth. It sounds like the Winchesters will have their work cut out for them.
Arrow on the CW (second season premiere is October 9th) -- I love this show. Aside from gratuitous muscle shots, the acting is great and the storyline is awesome.

The Tomorrow People on the CW (season pilot airs October 9th) -- this looks like a spin on the whole Heroes thing using the Smallville formula: great looking actors and actresses mixed in with pop music and great special effects. I love the CW. Greatest line in the trailer: "What else can you do 'cept...STOP TIME?" <== That's f'ing awesome. I'm probably MOST excited for this series.

Revolution (second season starts this week) -- The first season almost lost me with all the weird directions it went in. However, I'm willing to see what they've got cooked up for season two. It seemed like the show likes getting me to be remotely invested in a character just to have it killed off or relegated to a minor role.

Modern Family (new season starts this week on ABC)

American Horror Story: Coven (October 9th on FX) -- Kathy Bates is enough reason to watch this season. That, and I like stories that have to do with witchcraft.

The Big Bang Theory (new season starts on CBS this week
Elementary (second season starts this week)
Dragons: Defenders of Berk (second season started last week)
Once Upon A Time in Wonderland (October 10th on ABC)

Dr. Who (50th anniversary on BBC America November 23rd and then a Christmas special. Goodbye Matt Smith)
Atlantis (starts on BBC America on November 23rd)
Beware the Batman (has been running for a while now-Cartoon Network)

The Walking Dead (season premiere on AMC October 13th)
Masters of Sex (season premiere on Showtime this Sunday) -- Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan portray the real-life pioneers of the science of human sexuality, William Masters and Virginia Johnson. The series chronicles the unusual lives, romance, and pop culture trajectory of Masters and Johnson. Their research touched off the sexual revolution and took them from a mid-western teaching hospital in St. Louis to the cover of Time magazine and nearly a dozen appearances on Johnny Carson's couch.
Talking Dead (season premiere on AMC October 13th)
Once Upon A Time (new season airs this week on ABC)

So that's everything. See anything you like?

Monday, September 23, 2013

Can Jesse Pinkman build a better box? How will the greatest show on television end?

How will I feel when Breaking Bad finally ends next week? I know I'll be sad, but I think there'll also be some relief. These last few episodes have been hard to watch. Walt's whole family has been swept away by the outreaching effects of being a serial killing drug kingpin, and the one person that he loves the most, his son "Flynn" a.k.a. Walt Jr., absolutely hates him.

So it's been

 no future.
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett
But the stimulus alone wasn't enough. So that's where Ben and the Fed stepped in with Quantitative Easement programs to prop up the economy. There are tons of critics (and there should be because that's how democracy works). However, I've felt the power of QE myself, and I've got a new found respect for our central bank. Here's what Warren Buffett had to say of Ben Bernanke's Quantitative Easement bond-buying program:
"The Fed is the greatest hedge fund in history," Buffett told students at Georgetown University. "It's generating US$90 billion a year in revenue for the U.S. government and that wasn't the case a few years ago."
Yes, you heard that right. The math doesn't lie. QE is actually GENERATING MONEY. A LOT of money. How is the Fed doing that? Answer: tons and tons of bonds. Yes, all that bond buying they are doing to stimulate the economy that comes under heavy criticism that the Fed is borrowing from your children's future is wrong. They are INVESTING in your children's future. All of those bonds are increasing in value and paying the government back. In fact, QE may not cost this country a cent if you look at it from a certain point of view. It will make this country money. Neat, right?

It's been five years since Lehman Brothers went belly up, and I'm writing this post to thank Ben Bernanke. I think you've done a wonderful job. I don't care what the critics say. You've made me money, and in a time where scraping by is hard, that makes you a hero in my book. May your retirement from the Federal Reserve be filled with joy.

Today, I'm being interviewed over at Yolanda's blog Defending the Pen. Have a great weekend.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Find out what's at the center of a black hole with an animation explaining some of Stephen Hawking's big ideas

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has a new book out. I read his last one called The Grand Design and liked how it explored the dual slit experiment. It provided some inspiration for one of my stories. Sometimes though, his ideas can be difficult to grasp. I love this cartoon that boils them down and provides answers to some of the hardest questions like:

1) What's at the center of a black hole?
2) What happens at the edge of a black hole?
3) Why is Stephen Hawking our most famous living scientist?

In the least, it's the cutest portrayal of Hawking radiation ever even though some old Disney fans might miss this guy:
I sincerely hope I'm not the only one who gets this picture. That will only confirm how truly old I am. Have a great Thursday.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

An island rose out of the sea and I instantly thought of Cthulhu

Yesterday, a deadly earthquake in Pakistan caused an island to rise from the sea. Now, I don't mean to make light of such a tragedy by drawing a connection to fiction, but I can't help but think of Cthulhu and his home/prison of R'lyeh.
R'lyeh by Decepticoin on deviantART
For those of you who aren't familiar with the Cthulhu mythos, R'lyeh is a fictional lost city that first appeared in the H.P. Lovecraft short story "The Call of Cthulhu," first published in Weird Tales in 1928. According to Lovecraft's short story, R'lyeh is a sunken city in the Pacific that makes its appearance for one day every thousand years or so.

Here's how Lovecraft describes it:
The nightmare corpse-city of R'lyeh...was built in measureless eons behind history by the vast, loathsome shapes that seeped down from the stars. There lay great Cthulhu and his hordes, hidden in green slimy vaults.
Norwegian sailor Gustaf Johansen, the narrator of one of the tales in the short story, describes the accidental discovery of the city as a coastline of mingled mud, ooze, and weedy Cyclopean masonry which can be nothing less than the tangible substance of earth's supreme terror--the nightmare corpse-city of R'lyeh... loathsomely redolent of spheres and dimensions apart from ours.

TL;DR: An island rose out of the sea, and I instantly thought of Cthulhu. It's eerie how fiction can sometimes show up in one form or another in real life. Crazy, right?

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

All the wonderful television shows I plan to watch this autumn listed in one place

This Fall, there are a lot of shows I want to watch on television. People have been asking me for my recommendations so I've compiled a list of television shows (and when they air) to keep you apprised of what's on night to night. Maybe from this list, you can determine if there's anything there that piques your interest too.

Sleepy Hollow on Fox (second episode is tonight). Anachronism at its best! Ichabod Crane rises from the dead in 2013 to join forces with a cop to stop the Headless Horseman who just happens to be one of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. I'm guessing that the first season is going to be all about getting the other three Horseman of the Apocalypse to join him.
Almost Human (November 4th on Fox) An action-packed police procedural set 35 years in the future, when police officers are partnered with highly evolved human-like androids. It has Karl Urban in it and is being funded by J.J. Abrams. That's good enough for me.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (premiere is this week) -- You all should know what this show is. If you don't, then consider nerd card suspended.

Supernatural (October 15th on the CW). Last season ended with angels being thrown out of heaven by the scribe of god. This season should be a war between demons and angels on earth. It sounds like the Winchesters will have their work cut out for them.
Arrow on the CW (second season premiere is October 9th) -- I love this show. Aside from gratuitous muscle shots, the acting is great and the storyline is awesome.

The Tomorrow People on the CW (season pilot airs October 9th) -- this looks like a spin on the whole Heroes thing using the Smallville formula: great looking actors and actresses mixed in with pop music and great special effects. I love the CW. Greatest line in the trailer: "What else can you do 'cept...STOP TIME?" <== That's f'ing awesome. I'm probably MOST excited for this series.

Revolution (second season starts this week) -- The first season almost lost me with all the weird directions it went in. However, I'm willing to see what they've got cooked up for season two. It seemed like the show likes getting me to be remotely invested in a character just to have it killed off or relegated to a minor role.

Modern Family (new season starts this week on ABC)

American Horror Story: Coven (October 9th on FX) -- Kathy Bates is enough reason to watch this season. That, and I like stories that have to do with witchcraft.

The Big Bang Theory (new season starts on CBS this week
Elementary (second season starts this week)
Dragons: Defenders of Berk (second season started last week)
Once Upon A Time in Wonderland (October 10th on ABC)

Dr. Who (50th anniversary on BBC America November 23rd and then a Christmas special. Goodbye Matt Smith)
Atlantis (starts on BBC America on November 23rd)
Beware the Batman (has been running for a while now-Cartoon Network)

The Walking Dead (season premiere on AMC October 13th)
Masters of Sex (season premiere on Showtime this Sunday) -- Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan portray the real-life pioneers of the science of human sexuality, William Masters and Virginia Johnson. The series chronicles the unusual lives, romance, and pop culture trajectory of Masters and Johnson. Their research touched off the sexual revolution and took them from a mid-western teaching hospital in St. Louis to the cover of Time magazine and nearly a dozen appearances on Johnny Carson's couch.
Talking Dead (season premiere on AMC October 13th)
Once Upon A Time (new season airs this week on ABC)

So that's everything. See anything you like?

Monday, September 23, 2013

Can Jesse Pinkman build a better box? How will the greatest show on television end?

How will I feel when Breaking Bad finally ends next week? I know I'll be sad, but I think there'll also be some relief. These last few episodes have been hard to watch. Walt's whole family has been swept away by the outreaching effects of being a serial killing drug kingpin, and the one person that he loves the most, his son "Flynn" a.k.a. Walt Jr., absolutely hates him.

So it's been a long journey, but the series finale is now upon us. In fact, Bryan Cranston teased that fans should prepare themselves for a "hol


Food and Entertaining: How to make a yarn doll. Cut a piece of cardboard to the height you want the doll to be. Your doll can be whatever size you want it to be, but something around 7 inches (18 cm) would be ideal. You can also use another flat object, such as a book, dvd case, or a plastic lid. The width of the cardboard does not matter too much, but the wider it is, the more yarn it will be able to hold. Wrap the yarn around the cardboard 10 times for every 1 inch (2.5 cm).<|endoftext|>WID|am1ifvh029"

WID      CID      WorldName                     GID
645172   0        vmm0:am1ifvh029               645137
645174   0        vmm1:am1ifvh029               645137
645175   0        vmm2:am1ifvh029               645137
645176   0        vmm3:am1ifvh029               645137
645177   0        vmm4:am1ifvh029               645137
645178   0        vmm5:am1ifvh029               645137
645180   0        vmm6:am1ifvh029               645137
645181   0        vmm7:am1ifvh029               645137
645219   645137   vmx-vthread-13:am1ifvh029     645137
645220   645137   vmx-mks:am1ifvh029            645137
645221   645137   vmx-svga:am1ifvh029           645137
645222   645137   vmx-vcpu-0:am1ifvh029         645137
645223   645137   vmx-vcpu-1:am1ifvh029         645137
645224   645137   vmx-vcpu-2:am1ifvh029         645137
645225   645137   vmx-vcpu-3:am1ifvh029         645137
645226   645137   vmx-vcpu-4:am1ifvh029         645137
645227   645137   vmx-vcpu-5:am1ifvh029         645137
645228   645137   vmx-vcpu-6:am1ifvh029         645137
645229   645137   vmx-vcpu-7:am1ifvh029         645137

To kill this process use the kill with the -9 option. If you like to get more into the depth of different options with kill please follow this link. Basically -9 means that the kernel will let go of the process without informing the process itself. This could theoretically result in data loss depended on what the process is doing and is the hardest way of killing. You can always try first “kill -1” (sends a hang-up signal to the process), “kill -2” (comparable to CTRL+C) during an execution.

~ # kill -9 645137

Just be aware that the “kill” command does not ask you for anything and just kills these processes if possible. If you trigger the ps command then if running again you should not get the Process ID back back.
  1. Use “esxcli vm process”

The esxcli command is available on ESXi to manage the Hypervisor on the low level infrastructure. Unlike the further down explained vim-cmd command it focuses purely on the underlying infrastructure of ESXi. It looks that it is only one command (esxcli) but it has a broad variety of subcommands using different namespaces.The nice thing and a big advantage to the previous used esxcfg- commands is that they are organized in a tree hierarchy. You can always put a command into the Shell and see all options available. A good combination of commands you find in this VMware KB: 2012964 and how esxcli compares to vim-cmd and PowerCLI. Before you can stop a process you have to know what status is in use. A very good blog article about esxcli you find here written from Steve Jin.

~ # esxcli vm process list | grep -i -A 4 am1ifvh029

 World ID: 645172
 Process ID: 0
 VMX Cartel ID: 645137
 UUID: 42 21 23 10 79 c5 62 80-9b 06 74 21 81 9a fc 57
 Display Name: am1ifvh029
 Config File: /vmfs/volumes/55883a14-21a51000-d5e9-001b21857010/am1ifvh029/am1ifvh029.vmx

To kill the VM you have to use the “World ID”. There are different options (--type or -t) how to kill a world:

  • soft
  • hard
  • force

~ # esxcli vm process kill -t=soft -w "645172"

In case nothing happens with the default “soft” kill please try “hard” or “force”. As you see in example 1 with the command “ps” you will find the primary World ID as well. This is always the ID of vmm0.
  1. Use “vim-cmd” to kill a VM

Another tool to get the status and stop the VM is vim-cmd. It is build on top of “hostd” and very hostd like to use and basically the API integration for ESXi. You can use vim-cmd for many operational tasks. Another great blog article like the esxcli above one Steve Jin wrote here.

vim-cmd in ESXi is sitting at /bin/vim-cmd but it is actually a symbolic link to hostd itself:

~ # ls -l /bin/vim-cmd
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root    10 Mar  4  2016 /bin/vim-cmd -> /bin/hostd

The vim-cmd has a few sub-commands. To find out what they are just put in the vim-cmd in the shell:

~ # vim-cmd
Commands available under /:
hbrsvc/       internalsvc/  solo/         vmsvc/
hostsvc/      proxysvc/     vimsvc/       help

As you see there 7 sub-commands (plus help). You can imagine what they are for as you know that there are many options and functionality is included in ESXi. If you remove the svc (service) there are basically commands for: hbr, internal, solo, vm, host, proxy, vim and help. Please keep in mind that internalsvc does not really mean that this is an internal API of ESXi.

As you can imagine we want to do something around VMs so we have to find the correct “vmsvc” command. When you trigger just vim-cmd vmsvc you will get the following:

~ # vim-cmd vmsvc

Commands available under vmsvc/:
acquiremksticket                 get.snapshotinfo
acquireticket                    get.spaceNeededForConsolidation
connect                          get.summary
convert.toTemplate               get.tasklist
convert.toVm                     getallvms
createdummyvm                    gethostconstraints
destroy                          login
device.connection                logout
device.connusbdev                message
device.ctlradd                   power.getstate
device.ctlrremove                power.hibernate
device.diskadd                   power.on
device.diskaddexisting           power.reboot
device.diskremove                power.reset
device.getdevices                power.shutdown
device.toolsSyncSet              power.suspend
device.vmiadd                    power.suspendResume
device.vmiremove                 queryftcompat
devices.createnic                reload
get.capability                   setscreenres
get.config                       snapshot.create
get.config.cpuidmask             snapshot.dumpoption
get.configoption                 snapshot.get
get.datastores                   snapshot.remove
get.disabledmethods              snapshot.removeall
get.environment                  snapshot.revert
get.filelayout

WID|am1ifvh029"

WID      CID      WorldName                     GID
645172   0        vmm0:am1ifvh029               645137
645174   0        vmm1:am1ifvh029               645137
645175   0        vmm2:am1ifvh029               645137
645176   0        vmm3:am1ifvh029               645137
645177   0        vmm4:am1ifvh029               645137
645178   0        vmm5:am1ifvh029               645137
645180   0        vmm6:am1ifvh029               645137
645181   0        vmm7:am1ifvh029               645137
645219   645137   vmx-vthread-13:am1ifvh029     645137
645220   645137   vmx-mks:am1ifvh029            645137
645221   645137   vmx-svga:am1ifvh029           645137
645222   645137   vmx-vcpu-0:am1ifvh029         645137
645223   645137   vmx-vcpu-1:am1ifvh029         645137
645224   645137   vmx-vcpu-2:am1ifvh029         645137
645225   645137   vmx-vcpu-3:am1ifvh029         645137
645226   645137   vmx-vcpu-4:am1ifvh029         645137
645227   645137   vmx-vcpu-5:am1ifvh029         645137
645228   645137   vmx-vcpu-6:am1ifvh029         645137
645229   645137   vmx-vcpu-7:am1ifvh029         645137

To kill this process use the kill with the -9 option. If you like to get more into the depth of different options with kill please follow this link. Basically -9 means that the kernel will let go of the process without informing the process itself. This could theoretically result in data loss depended on what the process is doing and is the hardest way of killing. You can always try first “kill -1” (sends a hang-up signal to the process), “kill -2” (comparable to CTRL+C) during an execution.

~ # kill -9 645137

Just be aware that the “kill” command does not ask you for anything and just kills these processes if possible. If you trigger the ps command then if running again you should not get the Process ID back back.
  1. Use “esxcli vm process”

The esxcli command is available on ESXi to manage the Hypervisor on the low level infrastructure. Unlike the further down explained vim-cmd command it focuses purely on the underlying infrastructure of ESXi. It looks that it is only one command (esxcli) but it has a broad variety of subcommands using different namespaces.The nice thing and a big advantage to the previous used esxcfg- commands is that they are organized in a tree hierarchy. You can always put a command into the Shell and see all options available. A good combination of commands you find in this VMware KB: 2012964 and how esxcli compares to vim-cmd and PowerCLI. Before you can stop a process you have to know what status is in use. A very good blog article about esxcli you find here written from Steve Jin.

~ # esxcli vm process list | grep -i -A 4 am1ifvh029

 World ID: 645172
 Process ID: 0
 VMX Cartel ID: 645137
 UUID: 42 21 23 10 79 c5 62 80-9b 06 74 21 81 9a fc 57
 Display Name: am1ifvh029
 Config File: /vmfs/volumes/55883a14-21a51000-d5e9-001b21857010/am1ifvh029/am1ifvh029.vmx

To kill the VM you have to use the “World ID”. There are different options (--type or -t) how to kill a world:

  • soft
  • hard
  • force

~ # esxcli vm process kill -t=soft -w "645172"

In case nothing happens with the default “soft” kill please try “hard” or “force”. As you see in example 1 with the command “ps” you will find the primary World ID as well. This is always the ID of vmm0.
  1. Use “vim-cmd” to kill a VM

Another tool to get the status and stop the VM is vim-cmd. It is build on top of “hostd” and very hostd like to use and basically the API integration for ESXi. You can use vim-cmd for many operational tasks. Another great blog article like the esxcli above one Steve Jin wrote here.

vim-cmd in ESXi is sitting at /bin/vim-cmd but it is actually a symbolic link to hostd itself:

~ # ls -l /bin/vim-cmd
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root    10 Mar  4  2016 /bin/vim-cmd -> /bin/hostd

The vim-cmd has a few sub-commands. To find out what they are just put in the vim-cmd in the shell:

~ # vim-cmd
Commands available under /:
hbrsvc/       internalsvc/  solo/         vmsvc/
hostsvc/      proxysvc/     vimsvc/       help

As you see there 7 sub-commands (plus help). You can imagine what they are for as you know that there are many options and functionality is included in ESXi. If you remove the svc (service) there are basically commands for: hbr, internal, solo, vm, host, proxy, vim and help. Please keep in mind that internalsvc does not really mean that this is an internal API of ESXi.

As you can imagine we want to do something around VMs so we have to find the correct “vmsvc” command. When you trigger just vim-cmd vmsvc you will get the following:

~ # vim-cmd vmsvc

Commands available under vmsvc/:
acquiremksticket                 get.snapshotinfo
acquireticket                    get.spaceNeededForConsolidation
connect                          get.summary
convert.toTemplate               get.tasklist
convert.toVm                     getallvms
createdummyvm                    gethostconstraints
destroy                          login
device.connection                logout
device.connusbdev                message
device.ctlradd                   power.getstate
device.ctlrremove                power.hibernate
device.diskadd                   power.on
device.diskaddexisting           power.reboot
device.diskremove                power.reset
device.getdevices                power.shutdown
device.toolsSyncSet              power.suspend
device.vmiadd                    power.suspendResume
device.vmiremove                 queryftcompat
devices.createnic                reload
get.capability                   setscreenres
get.config                       snapshot.create
get.config.cpuidmask             snapshot.dumpoption
get.configoption                 snapshot.get
get.datastores                   snapshot.remove
get.disabledmethods              snapshot.removeall
get.environment                  snapshot.revert
get.filelayout                   snapshot.setoption
get.filelayoutex                 tools.cancelinstall
get.guest                        tools.install
get.guestheartbeatStatus         tools.upgrade
get.managedentitystatus          unregister
get.networks                     upgrade

As we want to focus how to kill a VM we now need the status of the actual vmid:
~ # vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms | grep -i 'vmid\|am1ifvh