Passage of the America Invents Act could trigger a tsunami of provisional patent applications. Unfortunately, it will be Fortune 500® leviathans unleashing the flood rather than emerging tech-companies.
Put bluntly, the first-to-file provision of the Act creates an opportunity for the leviathans to blanket the waterfront with provisional applications. These applications will likely cover any idea that they currently have under development or that happens to be merely on their employees' minds. The alternative for these giants would be to run the risk that some upstart might obtain a patent adversely affecting their interests. Since the last thing that these companies want is to flounder in the wake of an innovator, they are likely to blockade large areas of technology with provisional applications. Then, while entrepreneurs are busy developing the technology, the leviathans will be monitoring developments and pursing regular applications with which to torpedo the entrepreneurs when the market matures.
How will such developments effect innovation? Not well we fear. The entrepreneurial community will have to find some way to navigate through these provisional applications and their progeny. One way to fight back will be for entrepreneurs to file their own provisional applications as soon as doing so becomes commercially possible. Then, as the idea matures, they can file more thorough non-provisional applications. While good for the patent bar, the otherwise premature filings will draw resources from the entrepreneurs during the time when they need them for other activities. Nonetheless, under the pending Act, filing provisional applications early might be the only way to avoid being sued for infringing an idea that you conceived first.
The Villhard Patent Group has voiced our displeasure to Congress regarding the first-to-file provision. We encourage emerging companies to do the same.
For more information about patents and the patenting process please contact the Villhard Patent Group at (512) 897-0399 or see www.villhardpatents.com.
Planning For Success: IP Now!
The millions of dollars and man-years of effort required to pursue a patent infringement lawsuit usually makes taking such a course of action impracticable for entrepreneurs, start-ups, and even many mid-sized, flourishing companies. But, some day, we all hope to succeed. In some cases that means growing a company to a size where such tasks can be managed. In other cases it means becoming an acquisition target for a corporate giant such as Microsoft (e.g., Skype).
Should you succeed in growing your company in the future, the time is now to take steps to protect your intellectual property (IP). For instance, you should review the measures you take to keep your trade secrets secret. For trademarks and service marks that means applying for registration(s) as is appropriate and policing your competitors' use of marks that might be confused with yours. For patentable ideas that means keeping the ideas secret for as long as is commercially feasible while, in parallel, filing appropriate patent applications. You should also avoid making any offers for sale of products/service incorporating your idea(s) until you have at least a provisional applicaiton on file. For copyrights as with other forms of IP, proper "marking" of related products, services, content, etc. with appropriate symbols (©, TM, SM, ®, "patent pending," etc.) should be performed and periodically reviewed. In this manner, when/if you reach the size where infringement suits become possible, today's actions will enable appropriate legal actions – against your competitors.
Plus, part of the value in an acquisition for the acquiring company is usually the IP of the target. Indeed, in many cases, big technology companies only want the target's IP. In any scenario, if the IP has not been properly protected, the company's value can be greatly weakened. Meaning, your buy out will trend lower than would otherwise be the case.
Because a blog article is too short to discuss all of the implications of this topic, we encourage you to seek a review of you IP related activities. We at the Villhard Patent Group would be happy to discuss doing so at your convenience. For more information see www.villhardpatents.com or call us at (512) 897-0399.
The news has not yet apparently reached everyone that one year ago (in Bilski v. Kappos) the Supreme Court extended patent eligibility to business methods.
In response, many financial service companies charged to the Patent Office. They actually began stampeding in 1998 following the State Street Bank decision. In State Street, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals decided that a hub-and-spoke network used for managing mutual funds was patentable. As a result, Visa now has at least 170 published patent applications. Bank of America has 381. eBay has 399. Clearly, many financial players think that business methods are patentable and worth patenting.
So it's ironic that an entrepreneur can be hot on their business and technology development trails while letting their IP trail go cold. Admittedly, simply finding information on the Web or just moving money around electronically alone probably won't suffice for a patent. But that misstates the patentability tests. Briefly, patent eligible business methods which are also useful, new, and non-obvious can receive patent protection. These questions usually distill down to how closely the method (simple or not) resembles pre-existing methods. Moreover, if an entrepreneur invested their blood, sweat, and tears to build a system up from an idea, it seems that they might have created something more than simply surfing the Web or moving money around. And, that "something" just might be patentable.
For more information about patents and the patent process please see www.villhard patents.com.


How high will the market go? Most of the analysts are expecting a good run in KLCI in the 1H2011 while 2H2011 performance remains uncertain. KLCI at current valuations does not appear cheap anymore as it is already trading slightly above historical average 1Y Forward PER of 15x but remains below PER's historical peak of about 18x. Should the market breach historical levels, it should be able to touch above 1,800 points. However, I do not want to be too optimistic. Consensus is targeting KLCI to reach around 1,700 points which is at PER of about 17x (+1σ), about 10% upside from current level. Corporate earnings growth is going to be about 16% y-o-y this year based on consensus. The impetus for 1H2011 would be QE2 (Quantitative easing 2), roll-out of ETP projects, earnings growth and election play.
QE2 is going to flush the market with a lot of liquidity, at least in the early part of this year, causing money to flow into markets with higher returns including Malaysia. Foreign shareholding remains relatively low, though it has risen from a low of about 20% to current levels of close to 22%. Its 10-year peak was about 27.5% in mid-2007. Nonetheless, this could also contribute to greater volatility in the stock market. Investors should have the holding power to invest in stocks or risk losing out. One should take note of monetary tightening policies in major economies such as US in 2H2011 as QE2 ends in June 2011 which might adversely affect equities and bonds. Tightening measures could cause money outflow from Malaysian market, thus dipping the KLCI. Nonetheless, tightening measures will likely be gradual in the form of draining excess reserves via increasing fed funds rate-discount rate spread and interest rate hikes (or having the word 'extended period' erased from their announcements :p). Economic conditions in US such as lower unemployment, higher inflation and improving financial conditions should drive tightening measures. But for now, we are still seeing low inflation and high unemployment in US, thus tightening measures should be rather distant. Therefore, I think we could just enjoy the ride for now before unloading our chips off the table as KLCI approaches 1,700 points.
Elections should benefit sectors like construction, property and O&G sectors. Contract newsflow should be more intense ahead of the elections. Construction sector is going to benefit from rollout of LRT and MRT projects, Pahang-Selangor Water Transfer, LCCT 2 and SCORE projects. I still like Sunway Holdings (RM2.25; Target RM2.90) with news of merger with Suncity to form a newco. I'm seeing more than 30% upside from here. Naim Holdings (RM3.60; Target >RM5.00) looks attractive and could ride on Sarawak election play, another stock with possible >30% upside.
Property stocks that caught my attention: Plenitude (RM2.15; Target RM2.80) and Hunza Properties (RM1.73; Target RM2.60) appear undervalued. Plenitude has a huge cash pile of RM325mil or RM1.20 per share, about 55% of the current stock price (Wondering how they are going to utilize the cash. Acquisitions? Projects? Privatization? Bumper dividends? Plenty of financial flexibility for land purchases and projects), trading at P/BV of 0.7x and forward PER of 6x. At least the management is now taking interest in its share liquidity, as indicated by its recent 1-for-1 bonus issue in Nov 2010. On the other hand, Hunza Properties is trading at P/BV of 0.7x, relatively low gearing, forward PER of 5-6x.
O&G stocks: Generally I shun most O&G stocks, highly leveraged, high PER, earnings instability and therefore high risks in project execution. The one that I like is Coastal Contracts (RM2.46; Target RM4.00), a counter which has been highly recommended by most research houses for the longest time. At least it appears to be moving now. Having said that, it's still trading at absurd forward PER of below 5x!!! Its ROE remains one of the highest in the industry. A Forbes' Asia 200 Under A Billion company. Consensus target price is at around RM4.00. For my previous post on Coastal, click here. Another counter is EPIC (RM2.30; Target >RM3.00), trading at PER of 7x. Recently its shares were bought over by Terengganu Inc from AZRB for RM3.09. In view of its strong balance sheet, resilient earnings and beneficiaries of greater O&G activities in the east coast, it should be trading around 10x with fair value at around RM3.10. For EPIC posts, click here.
Consumer sector: Beneficiaries of removal of subsidies such as Bernas (RM2.81; Target >RM4.20) and Tradewinds Malaysia – TWS (RM7.40; Target >RM13.00). For Bernas, please refer to here. TWS is a giant food conglomerate with three gigantic business segments, namely oil palm plantations, rice and sugar. Its rice and sugar businesses are monopolies in their respective fields and have the ability to set the prices of sugar and rice. Its expected profits will touch RM400 mil this year, or EPS of RM1.35. There have been worries over its high debt which is at RM2.2 bil. However, judging by its resilient earnings (Who does not need food?) of about RM400 mil, RM2.2bil is not a big issue at all. 5 to 6 years of earnings will be able to cover that. Besides, it holds more than 70% of Tradewinds Plantation which has 150k ha of plantation land, with matured plantation of 70K ha and immature plantations of 20K ha. Looks like it is going to be another Kulim in the making. Currently trading at PER of 5.5x, it is "super duper" grossly undervalued. Should it follow other F&B counters such as QSR, F&N, Mamee, QL etc, it should be trading at PER of above 10x, which is still conservative. Target price works out to be RM13.00 based on 10x PER!! Judging by its monopoly businesses, it should trade close to valuations of QSR and F&N which are trading at PER of 15-18x. Oh well, you could calculate the fair value. Just to be conservative, let's just set it at RM13.00 first, which is already a 76% upside from current levels!!!
Conglomerates: Kumpulan Fima (RM1.70; Target RM2.20), DRB-Hicom (RM2.07; Target >RM3.00). Kumpulan Fima I've covered quite extensively in my previous posts. Refer here. I'm looking at another 25-30% upside for Kfima. DRB-Hicom is another giant, covered extensively by Dali here.
Automotive: MBM Resources (RM3.26: Target RM5.00) looks good fundamentally. But its share performance has been disappointing thus far as it has been stuck at this level for a very long time. Investors will just get fed up with it and sell the stock every time the stock price rises a little. Its PER is at 6x, net cash of RM120m or RM0.50 per share. Proton (RM4.54; Target RM6.00) remains attractive at PER of 7x supported by net cash of RM1.4b or RM2.55 per share.
Plantation: The sector very much depends on CPO prices. How long could CPO prices hold at this level? Will it be sustainable? I can't really see where it is going. But this level is at historic high, I see limited upside from here. Plantation stocks might have a short run only during 1H2011 and likely cool down in 2H2011 in anticipation of higher production and potential bumper crops in 2012 especially from Indonesia (Assuming stock prices run ahead of fundamentals by half a year). The weak US dollar could be a drag to plantation stocks as well. TDM (RM3.04) had a really good run lately, as with other plantation counters as well. Hahaha. But I will be more careful at this level.
i would like to ask how many times PE you think HUPSENG should trade. the cashpile is growing strongly, it has about 53M (with zero borrowings) or about 0.44 PS. they have a 60% dividend policy rate as announced recently.
am doing an academic research on klse plantation sector. which one do you recommend for the research where we can access fully to their company profile and annual financial statement?
IOI, KLK, IJM Plantations. I think most of the plantation companies have their respective plantation stats. You can access their monthly production in KLSE website. Their annual reports should have all the yield rates needed.
Hi David , Can you comment on MNRB ? I read the latest quarter ending Mar 2011 , i think MNRB is undervalued.
In a glance, MNRB is perhaps the most undervalued among the insurance companies. Price to book is only at 0.6x (Huge discount to other peers, wonder why?). Earnings look good for the past 3 quarters. However, insurance companies in general have volatile earnings and MNRB is no exception. There are a lot of one-off items which distort the profit figures. I find it quite hard to play and hard to convince investors of the sustainability of its earnings, unless probably they could show consistency of their earnings. Maybe some M&A would trigger a rerating on the stock, like MAA.


North Korea may want to rethink things.
If a North Korean nuclear-tipped missile makes it into the air, the U.S. and its allies have a response plan.
South Korea and Japan both rely on tiered missile defense. Stage two of South Korea's three-stage defense system is the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system, which is designed to intercept incoming missiles. To bolster that defense system, the U.S. recently began the process of deploying a THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) battery to South Korea, after North Korea fired four missiles into the Sea of Japan.
China expressed concerns the THAAD X-band radar could be used to peer into its own territory, so the U.S. has agreed to configure THAAD in terminal mode in an effort to ease concerns. In terminal mode, the radar has a range of several hundred miles and can facilitate the elimination of missiles in the terminal phase of flight. THAAD can also be configured to forward-base mode, which extends the radar's range so THAAD can target projectiles in the initial or launch phase.
China, nevertheless, continues to express opposition to the deployment.
THAAD is an important step for South Korean missile defense.
There are also a number of Aegis destroyers operating in the waters off of South Korea. The U.S. has several in the region, Japan has six, and South Korea has three. The Aegis destroyer ballistic missile system can track multiple missiles simultaneously and intercept enemy projectiles as needed.
Gaps remain, however, in South Korea's defense. For starters, South Korea's KAMD is not incorporated into the broader allied defense system, which weakens its overall effectiveness. And the South is particularly vulnerable to submarine-launched ballistic missiles, which the North successfully tested last year.
Japan is much more "forward leaning" in its defense, Klingner notes. Japan has Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-2 and 3 systems, Aegis destroyers and SM-3 interceptors, and is considering deploying THAAD and Aegis Ashore units on Japanese soil to boost national defense.
The U.S. has ground-based midcourse defense systems in Fort Greely, Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
Anti-missile systems have their limitations though.
"Certainly, there is that possibility" that a nuclear-armed ballistic missile could slip through allied defenses, Klingner told TheDCNF, especially given that most regional missile defense systems have never been tested in actual battle conditions.
"Missile defenses help reduce the threat, but they can't eliminate it," Jeffrey Lewis, the director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, told TheDCNF.
In the simplest of terms, missile defense involves hitting a bullet with another bullet, which is no easy task.
"Missile defense systems will never provide 100 percent effectiveness … The addition of THAAD does not guarantee the protection of Seoul, but it does add another piece to the constantly changing puzzle of defense," Rodger Baker, Vice President of Strategic Analysis at Stratfor, a geopolitical intelligence platform, told TheDCNF.
North Korea is rapidly developing the capabilities necessary to skirt allied ballistic missile defense systems.
"North Korea can probably build missiles (especially ER Scuds) faster and more cheaply than we can build and deploy defenses," Lewis noted. In recent weapons tests and military drills, North Korea has practiced firing off multiple missiles in rapid succession or simultaneously to overwhelm enemy missile defense systems.
The simultaneous launch of multiple missiles is "basic missile defense countermeasure," Lewis told CNN.
"One THAAD battery is not enough. We need at least two, if not many more," he told TheDCNF.
"The good news is that if defenses hold up against the first salvo, it's much easier to locate mobile missiles after they fire than before," Pollack explained, adding: "Ballistic missiles are very hot and bright upon launch, so the point of origin can be detected by satellites very rapidly. Perhaps the empty North Korean missile launch vehicles could be hunted down before they have the chance to reload," but there is no guarantee.


Located in Tbilisi City, within 400 m of Freedom Square, Royal Apartments Tbilisi offers accommodation with air conditioning. This apartment is 1.3 km from Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre and 1.4 km from Rustaveli Theatre.The apartment includes 3 bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom with a hair dryer and a bidet.Tbilisi Zoo is 4.1 km from the apartment, while Cathedral of Saint George is a 7-minute walk from the property. Tbilisi International Airport is 17 km away.
Price is indicated for one day.


All candidates are required to complete and pass the Teacher Candidacy Skills Assessment (TCSA) in order to be formally admitted to the teacher education program, and be permitted to begin the final two years of coursework. The TCSA is designed to assess candidates' musical and academic readiness for further work in music education. It also provides an opportunity for candidates to assess whether they want to continue working toward a career in music education.
The TCSA includes the following components: musicianship and academic readiness.
In addition to tests in aural and written theory and piano technique, candidates take an expanded jury examination that includes rhythmic reading, sight-reading, and melodic sight-singing.
The TCSA jury occurs at the 212 level (4th semester of applied studies) and consists of two parts: scales and rhythm. Two minor scales with arpeggios and one major scale will be selected at random by the jury for the candidate to perform. Four rhythms will be selected for the candidate to demonstrate from the TCSA Jury Rhythm Component. The TCSA jury components must be passed to qualify for Professional Education classes.
Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5.
Pass the ISBE Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP) that measures proficiency in language arts, reading, writing, and mathematics. Passing this test is also required for music teacher licensure by ISBE.


1. 1Each day a thousand treasures come to me with every passing moment. 2I am blessed with gifts throughout the day, in value far beyond all things of which I can conceive. 3A brother smiles upon another, and my heart is gladdened. 4Someone speaks a word of gratitude or mercy, and my mind receives this gift and takes it as its own. 5And everyone who finds the way to God becomes my savior, pointing out the way to me, and giving me his certainty that what he learned is surely mine as well.
2. 1I thank You, Father, for the many gifts that come to me today and every day from every Son of God. 2My brothers are unlimited in all their gifts to me. 3Now may I offer them my thankfulness, that gratitude to them may lead me on to my Creator and His memory.


text:
Northwestern Mutual was recognized this year with the Distinguished Performer for Innovation Award in the Deloitte Wisconsin 75. The award recognizes exceptionally entrepreneurial efforts that positively impact the success of the organization.
FULL COVERAGE:Deloitte Wisconsin 75
"Our products are going to have a risk management model and all the homework that we put into our products," Gouverneur said.
Northwestern Mutual is trying to extend that innovative mindset throughout Milwaukee. The company has put around $80 million toward venture funds. It teamed up with local universities to launch a data science institute.
CEO John Schlifske has called on city leaders to work together to turn Milwaukee into a technology hub.
The efforts took another step forward with the opening of Cream City Labs, a 17,000-square-foot innovation space at the Northwestern Mutual's downtown headquarters. Cream City Labs is open to all employees, houses two Milwaukee startups and serves as an event space.
Gouverneur said it's not just about serving customers better but allowing employees to use all their talents too. He sees employee involvement in the company increasing. For example, around 100 people participated in the employee venture fund at the beginning. Now, around three-fourths of the company is engaged in proposing and vetting ideas.
"If people are given the time, tools, techniques, education, training and the space to work on something that they think are great ideas for the space that they have, they're going to be happier," he said.
Sarah Hauer can be reached at shauer@journalsentinel.com or on Instagram @HauerSarah and Twitter @SarahHauer.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


PRIME ELGIN/CHANTRELL LOCATION! Balsam Cres... Amongst multi-million dollar homes. Live in this nicely cared for 4062 sqft 6 bdrm, 6 bath with your family and the value of your 1.3 acres soar!!! Very private and great for entertaining family and friends on your sunny west facing backyard. For builders/investors this gradual sloping beautifully cleared 1.3 acre private lot in a prime location, an excellent place to build your dream home. Close to shopping, golf, beaches and parks!


text:
var express = require('express');
var router = express.Router();
var fs = require('fs');
var path = require('path');
var db = require('../database/db');

var __dirname = path.resolve(path.dirname('../'));

/* GET home page. */
router.get('/', function (req, res, next) {
  let productArray = createAvailableProductsArray(path.join(__dirname, '/public/images/'));
  res.render('index', {
    title: 'Move le produit',
    products: productArray
  });
});

//  Create array with image objects from the given folder
function createAvailableProductsArray(folderPath) {
  var files = fs.readdirSync(folderPath);
  let products = [];
  files.map(image => {
    let imageInfo = {};
    imageInfo['id'] = image.split('.')[0];
    imageInfo['path'] =`../images/${image}`;
    products.push(imageInfo);
  });
  return products;
}

// Database
router.get('/dbtest', (req, res) => {
  console.log(db.products.create());
});

// Generic GET handler for database;
// function GET(url, handler) {
//   router.get(url, (req, res) => {
//     handler(req)
//       .then(data => {
//         res.json({
//           success: true,
//           data
//         });
//       })
//       .catch(error => {
//         res.json({
//           success: false,
//           error: error.message || error
//         });
//       });
//   });
// }
module.exports = router;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


For just one day or for the whole week - let us know how you can help.
There is a job for anyone who can lend a hand!
If you would like to volunteer with VBS this year, please contact Karen Wiggins by phone (257-3711) or text (864-4394) or sign up below. We need approximately 25 volunteers (adults and children 12+) in order to run this exciting and inspiring program.
There are lots of opportunities to help! We need volunteers with snack preparation, group leaders, games leaders, science leaders, registration, crafts, decorating, and mission leaders. There is a job for any one who can lend a hand!
ARE YOU 13 - 18?
High School Volunteer hours for students who have graduated from Grade 8 or who are attending high school can be earned (20 - 25 hours for the week which is half the required hours!).
YES, I would like to volunteer.
Adult Youth age 12 - 18 YES, I would like volunteer hours for high school.


Faith leaders unite: End the government shutdown now!
A number of the faith leaders, including the Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, and Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling of the United Methodist Church, will speak at a press conference scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, January 17, at 2:30 p.m. on the front stairs of the United Methodist Building at 100 Maryland Ave. NE, across from the U.S. Capitol. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other faith leaders will pray together and offer remarks about the shutdown and border crisis.
As the partial federal government shutdown enters its third week, we, the undersigned interfaith leaders of Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia, grieve the disproportionate burden the shutdown has placed on federal employees and contract workers. We are deeply concerned for all those whose lives have been thrust into economic uncertainty due to the halt in government services and agencies.
In the meantime, people are suffering and we cannot turn away. Our faith traditions call us to treat one another as we would want to be treated, to respond with compassion, for God's compassion knows no borders. Justice requires that we act for the welfare of all. Today we speak with one voice urging our public leaders to meet the obligations of their office and reopen the federal government as they continue to seek just and merciful solutions to those seeking refuge in our land.
Bishop, Metropolitan Washington, D. C., Synod, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Media interested in covering the event should RSVP to the Rev. Dr. Stacey Cole Wilson, scolewilson@bwcumc.org, 443-983-4112.


text:
Phil September 12, 2016 0
If wishes were horses beggars would ride.
This proverb often popped up in the writing of my Zimbabwean students. It was an all – purpose phrase that could be used in any context: to explain Hamlet's tortured psychology, Hitler's ambitions or as a personal reflection on life. The prince the dictator and the beggar have this in common: they are all dreamers.
My students at Rimuka High School came from one of the poorest townships in Zimbabwe. Rimuka's population of 40,000 was squeezed into a few square kilometres of dusty streets lined with elephant back houses – one room adobe walled houses with curved corrugated iron roofs. But poverty was no barrier to lavish dreams. At Rimuka the sky was not high enough. My students had ambitions to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, nurses, teachers. At the very least education was a ticket out of the communal lands and into well paying office jobs where they would get to wear shirts ties or elegant dresses and sit behind large desks. Ideally, as one of my students cheekily expressed it, they would do very minimal work while telling other people what to do and getting paid handsomely for it. This was the promise of a high school education: Freedom, prosperity, power and status.
The government was trying to temper this expectation with its policy of 'Education with Production'. The policy, in keeping with the Socialist ideology of the government, was designed to foster a spirit of contribution to the national wellbeing and keep students in touch with their rural roots. The problem was many students didn't want to grow maize or rear chickens after school. Wasn't this the life they had come to school to leave behind?
The education genie was out of the bottle. Under white rule in the old Rhodesia fewer than 20 percent of black children had progressed from primary school to high school. But in an independent Zimbabwe any family that could afford a uniform and a pair of black shoes could send their children to high school. Black shoes were a precious commodity. Some students walked to school in bare feet with their shoes draped over their heads so as not to wear them out, only putting them on when they got to the school gate. In some families the one or two pairs of shoes were shared. Because Rimuka had a morning and afternoon shift, siblings finishing at noon could hand over their shoes at the front gate to siblings arriving for the afternoon school. Never mind if the shoes were a size or two too big.
In 1982 Zimbabwe was fueled by optimism. Everything was possible. The country had won its independence after the thirteen year chimurenga, civil war. Maize was standing tall and was being exported to the rest of Africa. Mugabe had persuaded the multinationals and the white farmers to stay and invest in the new Zimbabwe, though the latter policy flew in the face of his election commitment to redistribute white farming land to black Zimbabweans. The elephant and the rhino populations were flourishing.
And for a time it was all going well. But then drought came and the maize began to wither in the fields. Doubt began to surface against a backdrop of killings in the south of the country as Mugabe sought to reel in the 'dissident' Ndebele's in the only way he knew how. He sent in the Fifth Brigade, his North Korean trained band of thugs, to impose order and stability through the barrel of a gun. Twenty thousand dead. It came to be known as Gukurahundi ' the early rain that washes away the chafe'. Observers called it genocide.
The great socialist revolution was clearly faltering. I began to wonder what sort of future awaited my students. I had a sense that we were educating them for unemployment and disappointment. There were 1500 students at Rimuka with cosmic aspirations. And this was being replicated all around the country. Young people with dreams that were about to shrivel up and die in the African sun like the maize crops all around the country. There just weren't enough jobs to go around. Through the 80s and 90s the scourge of AIDS would reduce life expectancy to 40 and hyperinflation combined with a brutal regime would make daily survival a struggle and send thousands seeking a future over the border in South Africa.
Nothing could have prepared my students for this future. This was not the world they had imagined. It was not what education had promised them.
Were they just unlucky? It is a universal truth that education empowers. I have heard it from young Andean girls in Peru, talking of how they loved school and hated holidays and weekends. School was a nurturing environment that contrasted so starkly with the alcohol abuse, domestic violence and dysfunction of home life. It was only at school that a bright future seemed possible.
And I have listened to Bangladeshi women talk of the importance of literacy classes. Women who were learning to read and write sitting on earthen floors in houses made of jute and mud, scratching letters onto slate to develop their writing skills. The classes were based on the Paulo Friere idea of empowerment through literacy and focused on topics that were of direct relevance to the women: nutrition, disease prevention, sanitation and hygiene, food production, the social impacts of dowry and women's rights more broadly, how to save money and set up small business enterprises.
For many of these women the most important motivation for becoming literate was to be able to help their children do their homework. They wanted their children to have opportunities they had been denied by a society that didn't value girl's education. Educating a girl is like watering your neighbour's field was a well known Bengali saying. These women had moved on from this thinking and were demonstrating a more powerful truth: educate a woman and you educate an entire family.
Still, the benefits for the women themselves were tangible, even if they weren't measurable. Things like increased self esteem and confidence. I could hear the determination in their voices and see it in their willingness to make eye contact when they talked about their plans to start up small businesses raising chickens or cattle, growing vegetables or setting up a food stall. I heard it in the sheepish giggles of one group of women as they entered a bank for the first time to set up an account. When they shuffled tentatively through the door they were bursting through the traditional barriers of purdah that made banks off limits to women. Some signed with their thumbprints while others were able to sign with their names, forging new identities and new futures.
But if we are going to encourage children and adults to dream then we have a responsibility to help them acquire the attributes and skills, on the one hand to make the dream a reality, on the other to cope when things don't work out as planned or the dream turns out to be nothing more than a mirage. We want them to be able to see reality how it is rather than how they would want it to be.
Schools have a role to play. Traditional schooling is geared towards academic achievement but research tells us that qualities such as determination, persistence, focus and the ability to get on with other people are more important contributors to success, however success is defined, regardless of the field of endeavour. Underpinning everything children need emotional intelligence: an understanding of themselves and others, effective communication skills, strategies for dealing with rejection, abuse and bullying. They need the qualities of empathy, compassion and courage, to learn to be kind to themselves and others, to trust their own truth and not be easily swayed by the arguments of others.
In times of rapid technological change, increasing global uncertainty and decreasing job security these skills and attributes are more important than ever. Perhaps too we need to help our children acquire the agility, confidence, willingness to fail and creativity of the entrepreneur.
One of my former students at Rimuka looked me up on Facebook recently. She was experiencing tough times. Her husband had passed away leaving her with two children and no income. She wanted money to see her through in the short term and was looking at starting up an online business selling Zimbabwean jewellery. I sent her some money and she texted me back: God bless you, may your days be numbered.
I wish somewhere in the syllabus there had been scope to help her learn about resilience, though I'm sure having survived the AIDS pandemic, the Mugabe regime and a bankrupt economy she has plenty of that. Perhaps something about running a small business, something about the skills and attributes it takes to make a dream a reality. How I wish.
Border Crossings Blog
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I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stifled. I want all the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any. Mohandas K. Gandhi


From your fresh green lap.
By seeing that your true nature is interdependence.
Not the same, not different, not coming, not going.
Like the four great oceans they never dry up.
Of red roses, the green willow, beautiful and fresh.
Wholesome seeds, sweet fruits are to be found everywhere.
Until winter comes and snowflakes fill the sky.
Making visible all the splendours of the universe.
The mind that is open to all places.
Making possible the future for all species.
Seeing ourselves in you for all of time.
And live every moment with true peace and joy.


text:
Q: Given the error in the cg-method, calculate a lower bound for the condition number Edit: If any information is missing, please tell me and I'll edit the question. Thanks again!

The conjugate gradient (cg) method was applied to a positive definite Matrix $A$. It is only known that $||e||_A=1$ and $||e^{10}||_A=2^{-9}$ (where $e$ is the error $||e^k||_A= ||x-x^k||_A$). Calculate with this information a lower bound for $κ(A)$ (where $κ$ is the condition number) and compare it with the equation
  $$k \geq \frac{1}{2}(\sqrt{κ(A)}\ln(2/ε))$$
  where ε is the factor by which the error is reduced, defined as
  $$||e^k||_A= ||x-x^k||_A \leq ε||e^0||_A$$

Here's what I have so far. If I have understood it correctly $ε=2^{-9}/1=2^{-9}$. I however don't understand how only from that can I calculate the condition number. Doesn't the condition number require knowing the matrix and it's inverse? $κ=||A||||A^{-1}||$
I have calculated what $κ$ should be using the equation $k \geq \frac{1}{2}(\sqrt{κ(A)}\ln(2/ε))$ and I got
$$10 \geq \frac{6.93}{2}(\sqrt{κ(A)})$$
$$2.89 \geq \sqrt{κ(A)}$$
$$8.33 \geq κ(A)$$
How can I move forward? Thanks in advance!

A: My attempt ... i'm not a math guy so feel free to throw it in the trash!
I think you should use the relationship between the convergence rate of CG and the condition number of the $A$-matrix. Check these lecture notes for the full details, I refer specifically to formula (52) on page 36
$$
\lvert\lvert e_{(i)}\rvert\rvert_A\leq %
2\left(\frac{\sqrt{\kappa}-1}{\sqrt{\kappa}+1}\right)^i%
\lvert\lvert e_{(0)}\rvert\rvert_A
$$
where $e_{(0)}=x_{(0)}-x$ is the initial error. In your case $\lvert\lvert e_{(0)}\rvert\rvert_A=1$ and $i=10$
$$
\frac{\sqrt{\kappa}-1}{\sqrt{\kappa}+1}\geq%
\left(\frac{\lvert\lvert e_{(10)}\rvert\rvert_A}{2}\right)^{1/10}=\frac{1}{2}
$$
the latter equation can be solved easily noting that $f(\kappa)=(\sqrt{k}-1)/(\sqrt{\kappa}+1)$ is a monotonically increasing function in $[1,\infty)$, therefore if $f(\bar{\kappa})= 1/2 \Rightarrow$ then $f(\kappa > \bar{\kappa})\geq 1/2$, implying the lower bound $\kappa\geq\bar{\kappa}$. The value of $\bar{\kappa}$ is obtained solving
$$
\frac{\sqrt{\kappa}-1}{\sqrt{\kappa}+1}=\frac{1}{2}\Rightarrow\bar{\kappa}=3^2=9
$$
Therefore the lower bound should be $\kappa\geq 9$. Now, on the lecture notes I have used, the direction of your inequality is reversed, so you should be computing a lower bound also... but i'm not sure about that! Cheers!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Many people believe that a third-party candidate cannot win under our present system of governance. For this reason, they vote for the lesser of two evils out of fear. But, there is a path to victory for Jo Jorgensen and other candidates who do not belong to the Democrat and Republican establishments. That path is narrow, but people place riskier bets every day, and with a bit of guerrilla warfare, the path widens and victory is within reach.
The Odds of a Libertarian Victory in 2020
If you ask a dozen people what the odds are of a third-party winning the presidency in 2020, they'll likely tell you it's impossible. This might be true if we had a national popular vote. But, we have an electoral college system, and its rules make it possible for a Libertarian Party victory in 2020. Consider the 12th Amendment of the US Constitution. There is a no majority clause in the amendment that calls for a contingency election.
No Majority Clause of the 12th Amendment
The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice.
No Majority Clause, 12th Amendment of the US Constitution
A Contingency Election in 2020
We define the majority of the electoral college vote as greater than 50% of the votes counted. Consider a close election where the Democrat and Republican each get 49% of the electoral vote, and third party candidates get 2% of the vote. Under those circumstances, the House of Representatives would cast a ballot vote for the President, and the Senate would select the Vice President. In other words, out of 538 electors, if 11 of them go to third party candidates, then it is possible for the election to go to the floor.
To put this into perspective, consider the northern region of New England. If a third-party candidate were to win just Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, then the election would go to the floor. Furthermore, there is historic precedent. The United States has had contingent elections twice in its history under the 12th Amendment. In 1824, no candidate for the presidency held a majority, and Congress held a contingent election where they elected John Quincy Adams as President on February 8, 1825. The US held its second contingent election in 1837. At that time, no vice presidential candidate won the majority of votes and the Senate subsequently held a contingent election for Vice President. On February 8, 1837, Richard M. The Senate elected Johnson on the first ballot by a vote of 33 to 16.
By the numbers, there have been 58 elections, and 45 administrations. One could deduce that there is therefore about a 4% chance that the election goes to a floor vote. This estimate is not very statistically significant given the small number of elections that have been held. Additionally, the President and Vice President are a package deal in the general election. But compare this to the lottery. Millions of people play for a 1/302,575,350 chance at winning Mega Millions and most of them lose. By this standard, the odds are very good that the election goes to the floor with a well-run, state-centric campaign.
Can a Libertarian Win the Floor Vote?
This is difficult, but not impossible. Democrats hold 233 seats, Republicans hold 197 seats, and Libertarians hold one seat. By these numbers, it seems likely that Democrats would choose their nominee (presumably Joe Biden), and Republicans would choose Donald J. Trump. By default, the Democrats would win. But that is only if they do not consider externalities. Imagine if Trump got 49% of the electoral college vote, Biden got 40%, and third parties including Jo Jorgensen, Howie Hawkins and others collectively got 11% of the vote. Imagine further if Trump were to also get the plurality of the popular vote. Under these circumstances, there would be uproar on the right if Joe Biden were to become president. It is possible, therefore, that to prevent major civil unrest and an attempted coup, that the two major parties would seek a compromise. This is where the Libertarian Party comes in.
The Libertarian Party vs. Other Third Party Choices
People consider the Green Party and the Democratic Socialists of America to be hard-left. They consider the Constitution Party and others to be hard-right. By contrast, the Libertarian Party does not fit into the left-right paradigm of politics. Libertarianism is about maximizing freedom, and this includes economic liberty and civil liberties. There's something there for liberals and conservatives alike. Therefore, it's entirely reasonable for the House of Representatives to select Jo Jorgensen as President to prevent the next Civil War.
How Can Jo Jorgensen Win a Few States?
One of the first things that Jo Jorgensen's campaign did after winning the Libertarian Party nomination was to hijack the #ImWithHer hashtag on Twitter.
I like #ImWithHer What do you think? Repurpose Hillary's branding for a candidate who actually stands for something? 😀 https://t.co/IzV3eVxFIA
— Jo Jorgensen (@Jo4liberty) May 24, 2020
This act triggered liberals of all stripes to come out of the woodwork. They let Jorgensen know that they were not with her. They were still with the other her. This sparked a flurry of tweets from top influencers on Twitter who made it known that they were still die-hard Hillary supporters. This tweetstorm caused the #ImWithHer hashtag to trend, and Jorgensen doubled her Twitter following overnight. But there's more.
Attacked Instead of Ignored by the Twitterati
The controversy caught the attention of comedian and Syrius radio host and writer, Dean Obeidallah. His article, The truth about 'I'm with her' appeared on CNN and dozens of other websites that syndicated the content. It made its way to Reddit and various social media posts where comments ranged from high praise to allegations that libertarians lack imagination. This candidate and primary election would otherwise have been ignored entirely by the mainstream media. But this unimaginative repurposing of a 2016 hashtag amplified her message. For better or for worse, people now know who she is, and they cannot ignore Jo Jorgensen. This is guerrilla warfare.
First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you.
Nicholas Klein, 1914
Ridiculed Instead of Ignored by Mainstream Media
Jo Jorgensen wasn't ignored by the media entirely. She got the expected coverage by Reason Magazine and a handful of liberty-leaning websites. But there's more. The Washington Times published a story, Libertarians nominate psychologist grandmother to be presidential candidate. Of note, the original title of the piece was Jo Jorgensen tapped as 2020 Libertarian Party nominee for president. But Jorgensen didn't hide from this cute jab. Instead, she owned it.
I'll have you know I will be the best psychologist grandma the country has ever had as president! https://t.co/zcCOEOvRxC
I'll have you know I will be the best psychologist grandma the country has ever had as president! – Jo Jorgensen
Guerrilla Warfare
The Libertarian Party delegates made one other move that in retrospect, was brilliant from a guerrilla warfare perspective. At the top of the ticket, they chose a pragmatic candidate who is palatable to mainstream voters. But in the VP slot, they chose Spike Cohen. Spike, an anarchist, was originally on the Vermin Supreme ticket where his policy included recreational plutonium and free ponies. Naturally, he has a real-world policy platform (of sorts) too. But those media personalities who wish to ridicule the Libertarian Party and its candidates may turn to Spike Cohen's profile picture, and this could work to the campaign's advantage.
Spike Cohen, Libertarian Party VP Nominee, 2020
These guerrilla warfare techniques are enough to drive Jo Jorgensen's name onto the national stage. But, winning states requires ground game. It also requires careful thought behind state targets. New England may be a good place to start. After all, Maine is experimenting with Ranked Choice Voting and splits its electoral votes across multiple candidates. Furthermore, you have the Free State Project alive in New Hampshire, where thousands of libertarian transplants are ready to take to the streets. But, there may be better choices.
Target Audiences, Analytics and Other Marketing Tactics
To win states, the Jorgensen campaign must define its target audiences. On the left, one audience may consist of Bernie Bros who will not vote for Joe Biden. On the right, an audience may consist of Never Trumpers who will not vote for Donald Trump. With the right data, and a talented analytics guru on staff, the Jorgensen campaign could make a data-driven decision on where to go, and who to target. Data points on a state-by-state level might include:
The number of registered Democrats who did not vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016
Total registered Republicans who did not vote for Donald Trump in 2016
The number of registered Libertarians
The total population
Metrics on the local economy under both Obama and Trump
The number of GOA members, weed smokers, and other likely one-issue voters in the state
The anticipated attention that Trump and Biden will give to the state vs. all others
The anticipated costs associated with travelling to and among the various states
Analyzing all of this data (and more) is no easy task, but it is the foundation for a successful third-party, state-centric campaign. This analysis would determine how time and money are spent up until Tuesday, November 3, 2020. With such a short period of time until the election, this analysis is even more urgent if the Libertarian Party wants a shot at victory.
Next Steps Towards a Jo Jorgensen Victory in 2020
The Dems have put forth an unexciting, somewhat creepy candidate. The GOP has put forth a highly divisive incumbent. They can find a narrow path to victory if they ground their campaign in winning a few states.
The Jorgensen campaign appears to have social media on lockdown. People will stop ignoring them, as they switch gears to ridicule and attacks. This lays the foundation for future monuments.
Ground Game, Podcasts and Other Media
Assuming that the campaign does their analytics well, they'll reach the right audiences on the ground. Their social media campaign and party connections may get them spots on podcasts like Joe Rogan and Ebro in the Morning. But there's one thing missing.
Content Strategy and SEO
The campaign needs to touch potential voters on all fronts. In this digital age, people spend more time on their mobile devices than in face-to-face conversations. Layer in the after-effects of several months under COVID-19 lockdown, and it becomes clear that maximizing their digital footprint is essential. While their social media campaign is firing on all cyllinders, the Jorgensen campaign needs to work on their content strategy and SEO.
Presently, the website has lots of inbound links, and it will get more. This is a powerful tool that will help their pages rank on Google. But they're lacking in content. Presently, the campaign's policy page is a handful of snippets with just one link to a page with greater depth. Additionally, all of the images on the website are tiny and hard to share. It is as if they did not believe they could win the party nomination, and now they must scramble to flesh out the section.
Platform Expansion
Adding pages of content to the policy section of the website is not enough. They will need to do keyword research to optimize the titles of each of the planks of their policy section, and they'll need to get a blog going. They need an army of writers, and someone to point them in the right direction.
Additionally, they need a well-developed digital ads campaign. If they do it right, they'll include Facebook, Instagram, Google Adwords, and other platforms to varying degrees. Voters are online. Therefore, the campaign must amplify their content as much as possible. Banner impressions can fill the top of their marketing funnel, and retargeted ads can bring people back to the site when they forget who Jo Jorgensen is.
Conversion Rate Optimization, Email Acquisitions & Social Media Audience-Building
If they do all of these things, it's still not enough. People will visit the website, and some will donate, but most will leave. Potential voters need other CTAs (calls-to-action) to nurture them towards the polling stations in November. This means that the website needs a bit of conversion optimization, so that voters know what to do after they read a policy plank or an article, beyond pulling out their wallets. Email capture forms and CTAs, plus stronger drives to social media where they can learn more are essential. But that's still not enough.
Herding Cats in the Libertarian Community
The Jorgensen campaign needs its community of libertarians to pull together and support the campaign. Unlike members of the more collectivist parties, many Libertarians do not have community and collaboration in their DNA. After all, they center their entire ethos on individual rights.
The good news for the campaign is that it has a unity ticket, consisting of one minarchist and one anarchist. There's something in it for voters and activists alike. The bad news for the campaign is that besides the challenging task of herding cats, libertarians fight like cats and dogs. Normies will see this as a huge problem, because they have not been fully indoctrinated into the liberty mindset. The campaign will drive disaffected Democrats and Republicans to their social media pages. Then, these people will meet a bunch of purists arguing about the nuances of perfect libertarianism who drown out the voices of the more collaborative members of these groups. This does not give them a sense of security in leaving the more familiar groups from which they came, and they leave.
Freedom of Expression vs. Free Association
Many libertarian group admins on Facebook and elsewhere give people nearly free reign in how they communicate. They do this because of accusations that they are not real libertarians from free speech absolutists. But these free speech advocates are ignoring an equally important pillar of libertarian philosophy: free association.
A Facebook group could be thought of as digital (leased) private property. This means that the property occupant, namely the group admins and moderators get to set the rules, and people are free to stay or leave. If the Jorgensen campaign wants a shot at victory, they must control the narrative in their public groups. One way to do this is to give die hard libertarians a private space where they can air their grievances. Such private (and perhaps, secret) groups can have stricter rules for admittance. Newbies can stick to the public groups, where greater attention is paid to moderation of the conversations.
Libertarian Victory in 2020?
All political campaigns are difficult. This is particularly true for third-party campaigns. But, they are not impossible. There is a narrow path to victory, but it exists. Furthermore, winning is relative. Jo Jorgensen may not become the next POTUS. However, winning states, winning voters and winning minds are all measures of success. The ultimate question is, how much winning can Jo Jorgensen achieve?
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Dennis has been published on Think Liberty and various other websites. He's a digital marketing professional with 20 years' experience in SEO, SEM, affiliate marketing, email marketing, and anything that drives traffic or increases audience engagement, mostly for ecommerce websites. He also codes and writes.
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Edward Hoefer


You are an SHO in psychiatry looking after Mr Harold Johnson, who was admitted following a suicide attempt. Mr Johnson has given you permission to speak to his wife, although he has requested that you do not mention about the suicide attempt.
You are Mrs Alicia Johnson, wife of Mr Harold Johnson. You have rushed to hospital to see your husband who was urgently admitted for an unspecified medical deterioration. You are confused as to why Mr Johnson is on a mental health ward when it appears as though he has been physically assaulted. You demand to know who perpetrated this assault and how they can be held to account. You would also like your husband moved to the main hospital 'away from the crazy people' so that he can be looked after properly. Failure to provide you with further information regarding your husband's admission increasingly frustrates you and makes you aggressive.
At home, you normally live with your husband who was recently made redundant after an investigation into financial misconduct. There is impending court action against your husband which is increasingly concerning you. Over the last few weeks, you have not been eating or sleeping well and have also taken a number of days off work due to stress. You have not sought any medical attention and are confused as to what support would be available. You are also having negative thoughts about yourself and have recently started to self-harm. You feel as though you have reached a point where your life may not be worth living.
This consultation highlights a number of challenges. The initial challenge as with many 'relative consultations' is the concept of confidentiality. It is made immediately clear that Mr Johnson would like his suicide attempt to remain confidential and thus this is imperative, despite Mrs Johnson's persistence. Failure to maintain confidentiality will result in candidates being deemed unsuitable for GP training.
The subsequent challenge is exploring the wider social environment and concerns that Mrs Johnson has. This involves sensitive probing as well as an empathetic approach. As the consultation progresses, it becomes clear that Mrs Johnson transitions from the 'relative' to the 'patient'. Safe candidates will probe regarding Mrs Johnson's own mental health including self-harm and suicidal ideation; coming to the likely conclusion that Mrs Johnson does not appear to be safe to go home on her own today.