Mr. Shankar's network is a motley assortment of service providers, most of whom do not work out of an office or have one — a cellphone is all they need.
In a Tel Aviv apartment, Muslim lawyer and chain-smoking party girl Layla (Mouna Hawa) and her friend Salma (Sana Jammelieh), a lesbian from a Christian family who floats through an assortment of service sector jobs, welcome a new flatmate, hijab-wearing Nour (Shaden Kanboura).
Many funded startups nowadays are focused on solving first-world problems that are only mildly relevant in the long run, such as online apartment rentals, clothing lines, and an assortment of service and product distributions.
Time Warner Cable long offered a wide assortment of service tiers, including some pared-down packages, and the company was quick to slash its rates if customers called and threatened to switch to another provider.
The new Investment Company Institute study echoes the argument that the fees paid by mutual funds cover a broader assortment of services than those paid by pension funds and that their fees cannot therefore be fairly compared.
Enter the $8.10 flat-rate box, introduced in late 2004 and big enough to hold five hardcover books, as well as an assortment of services for shippers on the Postal Service's Web site.
NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine provides an extensive assortment of services through its Level I Trauma Center, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Burn Center, Bone Marrow and Blood Stem Cell Transplant Program, surgical services including neurosurgery and solid organ transplant, and OB-GYN, pediatric, neurologic and psychiatric departments.
While building the spa and salon, which opened in June, Rodolfo Valentin, 57, of Hewlett Bay Park, its Argentine-born owner, said he and his partner of 27 years, Jorge Peres, visited 30 spas in Europe trying out an assortment of services to provide a stress cure for men.
Union officials said their main contract goals included getting improved child care and an assortment of services for children 6 to 18. "If we can help the parents with their concerns, they will be better in the workplace," said Ron Gettelfinger, the U.A.W. vice president in charge of the Ford division.
A spokesman for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws says hedge fund investors and an assortment of financial service firms are starting to call around to sniff out opportunities.
The box also serves up an assortment of streaming service including Hulu Plus, YouTube, and Spotify (but no Netflix).
