text:
Q: php - Java Regex equivalent in php I am trying to modify following code for php (for finding simple sequence repeats):
Edit:  The input is like ATAGGAGATATATATAGCGAGCAGCAGCAGCAGCAGATATCCA
The output here will be pattern, which is AT and CAG, their starting and ending positions.
public static String dimer(String d)
{

   Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile("(?:([ATGC])(?!\\1)([ATGC])\\1\\2)+");
   Matcher matcher = pattern.matcher(d);
   while (matcher.find()) {
    System.out.print("Start Position: " + matcher.start());
    System.out.print(" End Postion: " + matcher.end());
    System.out.println(" SSR: " + matcher.group());

}

The problem is, while the regex implementation is quite simple in Java, I can't find it's functional equivalent in php(pattern/matcher). Is there any way to implement it in php using regex with minimum amount of code involved ?

A: Your java snippet doesn't match AT and CAG for that input, it matches GAGATATATATA and ATAT.
Start index: 4 End index: 16 Found: GAGATATATATA
Start index: 36 End index: 40 Found: ATAT

This is the exact same thing you'll get with PHP's preg_match_all with an identical regex and added delimiters.
Example:
$input = 'ATAGGAGATATATATAGCGAGCAGCAGCAGCAGCAGATATCCA';

preg_match_all(
    '/(?:([ATGC])(?!\\1)([ATGC])\\1\\2)+/',
    $input,
    $matches,
    PREG_OFFSET_CAPTURE
);

foreach ($matches[0] as $match) {
    $found = $match[0];
    $start = $match[1];
    $end   = $start + strlen($found);
    echo "Start index: $start End index: $end Found: $found\n";
}

Output:
Start index: 4 End index: 16 Found: GAGATATATATA
Start index: 36 End index: 40 Found: ATAT

A: See reference on http://php.net/manual/en/function.preg-match.php
preg_match ( string $pattern , string $subject [, array &$matches ...] )

Match example
Array
(
  [0] => Hello, how are you?
  [1] => Hello
  [2] => how are you?
)

A: $pattern = "/(?:([ATGC])(?!\\1)([ATGC])\\1\\2)+/";
$subject = "ATAGGAGATATATATAGCGAGCAGCAGCAGCAGCAGATATCCA";

/*Match regex pattern $pattern to subject $subject, outputting $matches,
  with flag PREG_OFFSET_CAPTURE, to capture position of first character each match.*/
preg_match($pattern, $subject, $matches, PREG_OFFSET_CAPTURE);

//The PHP documentation has no flag to match the end of the matched string, so....
foreach($matches as &$match) {
    //Add length of the matched string to the starting position of the substring.
    $match[] = count($match[0]) + $match[1];
}
//Unset $match because we passed by reference.
unset($match);
print_r($matches);

This outputs:
Array (

[0] => Array
    (
        [0] => GAGATATATATA
        [1] => 4
        [2] => 5
    )

[1] => Array
    (
        [0] => T
        [1] => 12
        [2] => 13
    )

[2] => Array
    (
        [0] => A
        [1] => 13
        [2] => 14
    )

)

Which is not exactly what you said should be outputted, but I didn't go over the regex itself, and just translated what you were trying to do in Java into PHP.


(Seychelles News Agency) - As the world celebrates the achievements of women on March 8th, International Women's Day, SNA met with Edwina Adrienne at her home at Hermitage on the outskirts of Victoria, the capital city of Seychelles. Adrienne spent 65 years of her life as an educator, shaping young people for the world of work through career guidance and supporting couples to raise solid families.
Now 85, the woman who started career guidance in the island nation said that she has no plans to stop supporting Seychellois families.
SNA: Tell us a little bit about your background and childhood.
EA: I was born in 1933 and spent a happy childhood in the central district of Mont Buxton. My dad was a shoemaker and worked part time with the Roman Catholic Church taking care of housekeeping. My mother stayed at home. I say happy because I was always surrounded by people. I was one of the first students to get a scholarship to pursue further studies at the Saint Joseph Convent. I was 11 years old. After my secondary education, I trained to be a teacher.
At 20 years old and working as a teacher, my father passed away. He was only 41 years old. Even though my dad died over sixty years ago, the event still affects me emotionally. As my mother did not work, I found myself taking care of my mother and siblings - the youngest being only three months old. With a salary of $13 per month, I had to give extra tuition to make ends meet. These times were tough and challenging. Four years later I married Alois Adrienne – a hairdresser, and together we had five children. One of my sons is a catholic priest - Father Lonnie Adrienne in charge of the Saint Michael Parish at Anse Aux Pins. We worked hard and after 10 years of marriage, we were living in our own house, made from bricks which we made ourselves.
SNA: How was teaching back then?
EA: I was among a first group to be trained as the British launched a first teacher training programme at what is known today as National House. My first job was at the Modern School the first non-paying secondary school on the island. I spent 18 years with the school. After that, I spent another four years at the Saint Agnes School. I have lost count of how many well-known Government officials whom I have taught over the years, and so many teachers as well. I am happy to see they are doing well and contributing to the Society.
SNA: Career guidance was the next step, tell us how you became involved?
EA: I became a youth employment officer after I left the teaching profession. I must admit that my background in education helped me a lot. I started helping young people to find work, these involved work placements. A visiting consultant from the United Kingdom told me about career guidance which was something I had never heard of before but which I was doing. I then went for a course in the United Kingdom and when I came back I set up the careers guidance unit and trained over 30 teachers. So career guidance started with me and at that time we worked closely with the employment ministry.
I also initiated the first apprenticeship programme where students could learn masonry, carpentry and mechanical amongst others. I was also involved with what was known back then as the Centre for Skills Development - where young people could work part time ad study at the same time. I left for a short stint in the tourism industry where I worked for three years in human resources at Reef Hotel and Berjaya Hotel. I retired in 1994.
SNA: When did you start to work for the promotion of families?
EA: In 1997 I was involved in the preparation of couples for married life in the Catholic Church. After a while, we – me and the late Clifford Cetoupe – started to ponder on what happens to the couples once they are married, who assists them? So we started to work around this idea, with the support of the church. The Association for the Promotion of Solid Human Family (APSHF) was founded later. Our main aim is to work with couples, married or not to assist them to better manage and resolve conflicts and difficulties that may arise. We also help couples take their responsibilities vis-à-vis their children. We give couples the life skills, the parenting skills and life values that would enable them to give the right guidance to their children.
SNA: How would you compare the families of days gone by and those of today?
EA: Currently our families face many challenges. And I feel that even though a lot is being done to help the Seychellois family, the root cause is not being dealt with. I think society needs to tackle these challenges at the source. Additionally, more resources are needed to help save our families – the pillar of the Seychellois society. Parent education is crucial. As a not for profit organisation, we are doing our bit. We work closely with the newly created ministry for family affairs but there are so much more to be done?
SNA: Even though you are in your 80s you do not plan to stop yet. What are your plans for the future?
EA: With support from missionaries from the Democratic Republic of Congo we started a programme for the parents and young people. It is called Education for Life – a holistic programme to assist individuals to develop fully - body, soul, emotion, affection, relationship, sexuality. This is an important programme for parents as they need to understand their children and interact with them better. We started these in some classes in some schools, but now we want to expand the programme. We want to train Seychellois to be facilitators as well life coaches. Our next plan is to have the training so that this programme can be implemented in all schools as well as in our community. If there are volunteers out there who would be interested in getting trained in this I would advise them to contact our office at Salle d'Oeuvres Building in Victoria.
SNA: After all these years, what will you consider your greatest achievements?
EA: I will say it is the counselling work which I am doing for 38 years. Only this morning someone came here and I could not turn them away. And during all this time I would say it is the work I have done with men so that they can play their role to the fullest in their families.


text:
using UnrealBuildTool;

public class StreamingPauseRendering : ModuleRules
{
    public StreamingPauseRendering(TargetInfo Target)
	{
        PrivateIncludePaths.Add("Runtime/StreamingPauseRendering/Private");

		PublicDependencyModuleNames.AddRange(
			new string[] {
					"Engine",
                    "MoviePlayer",
                    "Slate",
				}
		);

		PrivateDependencyModuleNames.AddRange(
            new string[] {
                    "Core",
                    "InputCore",
                    "RenderCore",
                    "CoreUObject",
                    "RHI",
					"SlateCore",
				}
        );
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Francesca di Ciaula (Padua, 13 mei 1960) is een Italiaans beeldend kunstenaar die actief is als sieraadontwerper.

Biografie
Di Ciaula is opgeleid door Francesco Pavan en G. Visentin (1979-1983) en studeerde kunstgeschiedenis aan de universiteit van Padua (1980-1982). Vervolgens had zij les aan de Gerrit Rietveld Academie te Amsterdam (1985-1986). Ze leeft en werkt afwisselend in Amsterdam en Rome.

De sieraden van Di Ciaula zijn rijk aan kleur. Ze past uiteenlopende materialen als email, parels, koper, goud(draad), edelstenen en textiel toe.

Bibliografie (selectie)
 The compendium finale of contemporary jewellers (2009). Keulen: Darling Publications. ISBN 9783939130956
 Unger, M. (2004) Het Nederlandse sieraad in de 20ste eeuw. Bussum: THOTH. ISBN 9789068683486

Externe link
 Officiële website

Italiaans edelsmid
Italiaans keramist

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Successfully complete the story (three arcs, with nine chapters in each arc) to unlock Android 21.
Earn 500,000 Zeni across all game modes, or complete "Hyperbolic Time Chamber Course" in Arcade mode with an "A" or "S" rank on the Hard difficulty. You unlock the Hard difficulty after completing the normal version of that course. To get "A" ranks, quickly win and have all your characters survive the match. Also, complete the match with a Meteor attack to get bonus points and score "S" ranks.
Earn 300,000 Zeni across all game modes, or complete "Gravity Spaceship Course" in Arcade mode with an "A" or "S" rank on the Hard difficulty. You unlock the Hard difficulty after completing the normal version of that course. To get "A" ranks, quickly win and have all your characters survive the match. Also, complete the match with a Meteor attack to get bonus points and score "S" ranks.
Complete a combo tutorial (1-10) for a character to unlock a new color for them. There are ten colors to unlock for each character.
Successfully complete the game to unlock Hard mode. In Hard mode, you fight higher level enemies and earn better skill rewards.
During the final boss fight, repeatedly keep pressing X. Do not use any directional buttons, just perform light attacks and nothing else. This does not require any skill and has a good chance at defeating the CPU. It may take a few tries, but it is an easy way to defeat the final boss.
Defeat the indicated character with their listed rival using the B attack on the corresponding map to trigger a dramatic finish.
1. Beerus vs. Goku: Defeat Goku with Beerus using the B attack on the Space map.
2. Gohan (Teen) vs. Cell: - Defeat Cell with Gohan using the B attack on the Wasteland map. Note: Android 16 cannot be on either team.
3. Goku (Super Saiyan) vs. Frieza: Defeat Frieza with Goku using the B attack on the Planet Namek (Destroyed) map.
4. Trunks vs. Frieza: Defeat Frieza with Trunks using the B attack on the Rocky Field (Noon) map.
5. Nappa vs. Yamcha: Defeat Yamcha with Nappa using the B attack on the Rocky Field (Noon) map.
6. Yamcha vs. Nappa: Defeat Nappa with Yamcha using the B attack on the Rocky Field (Noon) map.
7. Goku (Super Saiyan) vs. Kid Buu: Defeat Kid Buu with Goku using the B attack on the Land Of The Kai's map.
Beerus Removes Himself: Use Beerus and Goku Black and perform a Level 3 Super to trigger this special event, where Beerus will decide to remove himself from existence.
Krillin Android 18 Team: Use Android 18 and Krillin and perform a Level 3 Super with Android 18 to trigger this special event, where Android 18 and Krillin will perform Android 18's super together.
Volleyball Spike Attack: Use Gotenks and Piccolo and perform a Level 3 Super to trigger this special event, where Piccolo will hit up a volleyball for Gotenks to spike at the opponent.
Step 1: Successfully complete the story on the Normal difficulty to unlock New Game+ Hard mode. Play through the entire game again on Hard mode. When you reach Arc 3 in Hard mode, you must get three "Victory Zeni Up Lv. 6" skills. They are won from enemies. Arc 3: Map 15 has enemies that drop this skill. You can replay maps to farm three of these skills.
Step 2: Replay Arc 3: Chapter 7 - Map 13 from the story title screen in Hard mode.
Step 3: Equip the three "Victory Zeni Up Lv. 6" in the skill menu. You can stack three of these to increase the effect.
Step 4: Farm the match at the top of the map against Goku, Yamcha, and Piccolo. This match gives a +300 Zeni reward when you win, and the enemies are very weak and quick to defeat.
Step 5: After the match, pause the game and select the "Retry" option. You will get all your health back and can replay the match as many times as desired. It takes three minutes per match (including loading screen) if you just spam light attacks. If you are actively playing, you can do it in two minutes.
The key is to get the "Victory Zeni Up Lv. 6" skills. These are only obtainable in Arc 3 in Hard mode. It makes the match reward go from 1,800 Zeni per match to 5,000 Zeni (277% increase). Furthermore, matches in Hard mode give 250% more money than matches in Normal mode. This combined with the Zeni skills and the +300 bonus reward for this match makes it the fastest way to earn money in the game.
The "Set For Life" achievement requires you to earn 20,000,000 Zeni. To get this much money, it will take 3,773 matches or roughly 188 hours using only this method. Note: You do not have to keep all the money in your inventory; you are allowed to spend it. Zeni is also used for unlocking Vegeta SSGSS (unlocks automatically at 300,000 Zeni earned) and Goku SSGSS (unlocks automatically at 500,000 Zeni earned). You do not have to actively play for this farming method. Just use light attacks and no directional buttons. If your characters are Level 90-100, it is a guaranteed win. Using this method, it takes approximately 60-100 seconds to win a match. With loading times and transition screens, it increases to 180 seconds on average.
The following is a video of all Supers and Meteor attack finishers for all 24 characters (base game). To use a Super (consumes one Ki gauge), press Down, Right, RB. To use a Meteor attack (consumes three Ki gauges; it is the most powerful Ultimate attack), press Down, Left, RB. The timestamps for every character are listed below. There are multiple variations of some characters and their special attacks are different. They are shown in the same order as the in-game character selection (column by column).
There are a total of 240 combo challenges. You need to complete 200 combo challenges to get the "Before Creation Comes Destruction..." achievement. Each character has ten combo challenges. There are 21 characters available at the start and three unlockables characters. You have 240 challenges to choose from and can skip all of the difficult ones. The first eight are always very easy. The ninth and tenth can be more difficult. You can access the combo challenges in Practice mode.
There are three Story Arcs in the game (each one has nine chapters). The game ends after Story Arc 3. There are a total of 45 maps in the game. There are 15 maps in Story Arc 1, 13 maps in Story Arc 2, and 17 maps in Story Arc 3.
Play as Gohan (Teen) in a practice training match and perform his "Father-Son Kamehameha (Full Power)" Meteor attack (press Down, Left, RB) to inflict 6,000+ damage and get the "Practice Makes Perfect" achievement. Note: You need five Ki gauges to perform this move.
Snake Way Sensei (20 points): Arcade - Complete the Snake Way Course.
Extreme Gravity Guru (20 points): Arcade - Complete the Extreme Gravity Spaceship Course.
Hyperbolic Heavyweight (20 points): Arcade - Complete the Hyperbolic Time Chamber Course.
Care to Become the next God of Destruction? (60 points): Arcade - Complete a course with an S Rank.
I am Goku, the Legendary Super Saiyan! (30 points): Story - Complete the Super Warrior Arc.
Link Level 20 (20 points): Story - Raise Link Level to 20.
Link Level 40 (60 points): Story - Raise Link Level to 40.
To Test Myself, I Too Will Fight (20 points): Local Battle - Play a match.
Ladies and Gents, We Have a Winner! (20 points): Tournament - Emerge as champion.
Battle-Ready (20 points): Practice - Complete all battle tutorials.
Practice Makes Perfect (20 points): Practice - Perform a combo that deals 5000 or more damage in Training Mode.
Don't Underestimate Earth! (20 points): Practice - Complete 30 Different Combo Challenges.
The Power to Go Beyond the Super Saiyan! (30 points): Practice - Complete 100 Different Combo Challenges.
Before Creation Comes Destruction... (60 points): Practice - Complete 200 Different Combo Challenges.
Goku Isn't the Only Super Saiyan... (20 points): World Match - Play a Ranked Match.
You Can't Win This... (20 points): World Match - Play 10 Ranked Matches.
This Pain Will Make Me Stronger! (30 points): World Match - Play 20 Ranked Matches.
My Power Level is 530,000 (60 points): World Match - Acquire 530,000 BP.
Casual Combatant (20 points): World Match - Play 10 Casual Matches.
Arena Enthusiast (20 points): Arena Match - Play a match.
Arena Expert (30 points): Arena Match - Play 10 matches.
Just Looking (20 points): Arena Match - Observe a match.
It's Play Time! (20 points): World Match - Play a Casual Match.
Lemme Play Too! (30 points): World Match - Play 20 Casual Matches.
Stamp of Approval (20 points): Replay - Use a Z Stamp while watching a Replay Channel.
Deep Pockets (30 points): Acquire 5,000,000 Zeni throughout the course of playing.
Arena Aficionado (30 points): Arena Match - Play 20 matches.
Millionaire (20 points): Acquire 1,000,000 Zeni throughout the course of playing.
Yo, I'm Goku! (20 points): Complete a quest tutorial.
Farewell, Tien... (30 points): Complete seven or more quest tutorials.
Ho ho ho... What an Unexpected Thrill (30 points): Story - Complete the Enemy Warrior Arc.
My Appetite...Is Insatiable...! (30 points): Story - Complete the Android 21 Arc.
Bye-Bye Buu (20 points): Story - Defeat Clone Kid Buu.
Conversationalist (20 points): Story - Trigger a special conversation sequence.
Set for Life (60 points): Acquire 20,000,000 Zeni throughout the course of playing.


Dr. John Michel received his undergraduate degree in pharmacy from Ohio Northern University and his Doctor of Osteopathy degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. He completed his internal medicine residency at Philadelphia College of Medicine, where he was chief internal medicine resident his last year. He completed a fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with rotation at Hackensack University, University Hospital, East Orange Veterans Administration Hospital and Liver Institute of Newark, New Jersey. He was chief gastroenterology fellow his last year of training before moving to the Harrisburg area.
Dr. Michel is board certified in internal medicine and hepatology. He is a member of the American Gastroenterology Association, American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, American Osteopathic Association, American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine, Central Pennsylvania Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Pennsylvania Society of Gastroenterology and the American College of Gastroenterology. Dr. Michel is active on the staff at Holy Spirit Hospital and the PinnacleHealth System.
His areas of special interest including inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease and treatment modalities for obscure GI bleeding.


Samsung has unveiled its Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 Android tablet. Here we provide the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 release date, UK price and specs.
Samsung has unveiled its Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 Android tablet. Here we provide the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 release date, price and specs. You can see the Samsung Galaxy Tab S launch as it happened over on our Samsung Galaxy Premiere live video stream, and check out our Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 hands-on reviews, and Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 vs iPad mini 2 comparison review.
We were also hoping to see new Galaxy smartphones unveiled by Samsung, but the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini, Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 failed to materialise. Also see: Samsung Galaxy S5 Active and Samsung Galaxy K Zoom.
Along with its bigger brother, the Tab S 10.5, Samsung's Galaxy Tab S 8.4 will launch in the UK on 4 July. Also see: 25 best tablets 2014.
The standard Wi-Fi-only version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 will cost £319 at launch. Adding 4G LTE connectivity will add around £100 to the price. As with other Samsung devices you can expect these prices to fall rather rapidly following the launch - indeed, when the product was unveiled it was expected to cost £349, so £30 has already been taken off the price. Also see our Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 vs Apple iPad Air comparison review.
For an extra £100 you can buy the £399 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5. Again, add £100 for 4G LTE connectivity.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is an Android 4.4 KitKat tablet that's available in 'Dazzling White' or 'Titanium Bronze' with an 8.4in screen, hence the name. This WQXGA (2560x1600) Super AMOLED panel has a pixel density of 359ppi, which is higher than that of its 288ppi 10.5in sibling.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is powered by Samsung's own Exynos 5 Octa processor, which pairs four 1.9GHz cores with four 1.3GHz cores. This is combined with 3GB of RAM and 16- or 32GB of internal storage. A microSDXC slot lets you add a further 128GB with removable memory.
The 125.6x212.8x6.6mm, 294g (298g with 4G) Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is fitted with 8Mp rear- and 2.1Mp front cameras, with an LED flash at the back. It can record full-HD (1920x1080) video at 30fps, and supports H.263, H.264, MPEG4, VC-1, WMV8 and VP8 video playback formats. Audio format support stretches to MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, Vorbis and FLAC.
Connectivity-wise the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 supports 800/900/1800/2600+850 and 2100MHz LTE bands, 850/900/1900 and 2100MHz 3G bands, and 850/900/1800 and 1900MHz 2G bands. It also supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi with MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, IR, GPS and GLONASS, and there's a fingerprint scanner. See also: Best Android tablets 2014: here's where we bring to you the 22 best Android tablets in the UK right now.
Apps such as Group Play, S-Note, S Translator, Samsung Link, Scrapbook, Story Album and Video Editor are preinstalled, while Gear Manager, Gear Fit Manager, Samsung Smart Switch, Samsung Level, E-meeting, Kids Mode, Kids Piano, S-Console, Hanshow, Hancell and Hanwrite are available to download.
A 4,900mAh battery keeps it all going.
See how the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 compares to its bigger brother, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5.


text:
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Essential Epidemiology 4E
Author: Webb, Penelope
$NZ 104.50 Ex Tax: $NZ 104.50
Now in its fourth edition, Essential Epidemiology is an engaging and accessible introduction to the foundations of epidemiology. It addresses the study of infectious and chronic diseases, public health and clinical epidemiology, and the role of epidemiology in a range of health monitoring and research activities. Contemporary, historical and hypothetical examples enable students to engage with content, while mathematics is kept understandable with complex mathematics housed in optional material so the book remains accessible. With over ninety questions and answers to work through, this book is an essential resource for students, practitioners and anyone else who needs to interpret health data in their studies or work. Epidemiology's most important goal is to bring rigour to the collection, analysis and interpretation of health data to improve health on a global scale; Essential Epidemiology provides readers the tools to achieve that goal.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Campbell Hanan and why resilience is high on the agenda
Source: THEFIFTHESTATE
Climate risk has become a key consideration for Investa following its involvement with the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience and Safer Communities.
Chief executive of Investa Office Fund Campbell Hanan said there were also broader lessons for the sector to learn regarding where to develop, with greater stringency required from local consent authorities to avoid the "groundhog day" of rebuilding the same things again and again in high-risk areas.
Mr Hanan told The Fifth Estate the extreme weather events of the past five years were probably in a bizarre way an "ally" in bringing resilience to front of mind for the property sector and other industries.
"I think it is changing behaviour, and I think it has to," he said.
Mr Hanan said disasters such as the floods and cyclones in North Queensland had demonstrated the "ultimate economic consequence of inappropriate housing in inappropriate areas".
For example, in Queensland, prior to the 2010-11 floods, only 25 per cent of the state had up-to-date and relevant flood maps. After the Royal Commission into the floods, mapping was made a priority and now more than 90 per cent of the state is mapped for flood risk, and 27 per cent of land has been identified as vulnerable. Victoria on the other hand is still to engage in coordinated and state-wide flood mapping, with a tender for flood mapping of key catchments only opened this month.
"Really, for [the property sector] it simplifies the development process, also planning for councils, and it protects households from risk," Mr Hanan said.
While some developers might not think about the consequences of building in high-risk areas where the eventual householders might not be able to obtain insurance, it was also hard for the developer to be discerning about sites if the data didn't exist, he said.
"At the end of the day, reputational damage [due to poor site choice] is reputational damage, but the problem for most is [that] nothing in the way of data and mapping exists."
One thing that had become clear, he said, was that the majority of towns and cities where the bulk of the population lived had areas at high risk from natural disasters – not only flooding, but also bushfire on the suburban perimeter, hail storms, flash-flooding from major rain events, king tides and storm surges, extreme winds and cyclones.
This made community consultation a critical element of mapping, as locals had observational information on impacts from severe weather and disaster events.
Another dataset required is climate change impacts mapping, which Mr Hanan said roundtable member Munich Re had been investing in.
"It is critical for them as they are reinsurers," he said. "And they have made it clear they are happy to share their own information."
A big issue is that the "political will" may be lacking, Mr Hanan said, and the government may see that generating information that assists people in making development decisions is simply "not our problem".
"And local government says, 'It's not our responsibility,'" he said.
Mr Hannan said the recent roundtable discussions he attended with the head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction also reinforced the need for open access to disaster data to assist with improving mitigation efforts.
Building codes trying to catch up
The various building codes were also in catch-up mode for resilience and mitigation. Mr Hanan said the national construction code had only recently incorporated resilience.
At stake is the financial viability not only of households but also of businesses and whole communities, especially if insurance is hard to come by.
"If an individual business or town can't get insurance, there will be a population decline, and the value of property investment goes down. Market forces will always dictate the outcome here," Mr Hanan said.
Reducing risk is key, and the issues are interlinking – appropriate and informed planning and site selection for development; appropriate local infrastructure; and building codes that ensure the homes and other buildings in an area are designed and constructed for the applicable natural disaster risks.
The phenomenon of communities experiencing damage, and then rebuilding in the same place in the same way was described by Productivity Commission commissioner Karen Chester as like "Groundhog Day".
Instead, the approach should be to look at reconstruction as an opportunity to engage in better planning and reduce the level of damage next time, whether it be a bridge, a road, an office block or a suburb, Mr Hannan said.
"It seems staggering to me that you can have a development application in an area that is likely to flood and the local government doesn't say to the developer, 'Put some levee banks in.'"
Councils might offer to co-fund such work, perhaps, through a rates increase for that property – or simply refuse to approve the DA.
"If you build a levee that costs $3 million [around a property development], it might increase the value of the property by more than that $3 million – you can never tell," Mr Hanan said.
Ultimately, he said the property sector needed to be looking to mitigate reputational risk around developments in areas likely to be heavily – and predictably – impacted by natural disaster.
"In terms of restocking our land business, we think about disaster risk a huge amount now, and we are asking ourselves questions we didn't four to five years ago," Mr Hanan said.
The company's's experiences as a commercial property owner and previously as a home builder has generated some useful insights post-disaster, the bushfires of 2009 being a prime example.
"What we found is that from a resilience perspective [evacuated] people need to be able to charge mobile phones, so it would be good, for example, for the local council to have a generator with power points," Mr Hanan said.
"We also saw how the local shopping centre becomes a community evacuation centre, so it would be wonderful if shopping centres could have charging points supplied by generator or solar for use in emergencies."
The Brisbane floods also provided a useful lesson, with one of the office properties flooded throughout three basement levels. The substation and plant were at the bottom level, and Mr Hanan said the fact it can take months of repair, replacement and restoration works after this kind of event before tenants can return, has made Investa scrutinise potential office acquisitions more carefully in terms of flood damage risks.
"Now when we are thinking about buying assets, we ask ourselves, 'What is the climate risk?' We're asking a lot of those questions about resilience and sustainability of developments," he said.
One of the things he said took the wind out of the sails of long-term resilience planning at the public policy level was people's tendency to optimism – the "lighting never strikes twice" mindset.
"But it only takes one catastrophic event where someone loses everything. And somehow we need to keep getting that across, that social cost."
The economic cost is also one he said cannot be escaped.
"Whether you are a climate change sceptic or not, the facts are we are having more storm events and climate events, and that will inevitably lead to costs somewhere, sometimes. We saw that with the Queensland Flood Levy. At some point natural disasters will have an economic cost."


text:
Parmenion launches new risk profiling tool
Tuesday, 29 December 2020 12:00
Industry welcomes UK-EU deal…with reservations
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the trade deal on Christmas Eve
The retail financial services sector has welcomed the UK-EU trade deal announced on Christmas Eve but warned that many question remain on the future of the financial services sector post-Brexit.
The deal covers trade in goods but not yet services, including financial services.
Huw Evans, director general of the Association of British Insurers, said the deal was a positive step but much remained to be done.
He said: "While this agreement doesn't directly cover the insurance and wider financial services industry, it provides a good foundation for positive future cooperation with our European neighbours. We hope that this will also allow for outstanding issues to be resolved quickly."
Chris Cummings, CEO of the Investment Association, said: "The announcement that a deal has been reached is good news for the millions of British and European savers and investors who rely on the investment management industry and is a welcome first step in defining the future relationship between the UK and the EU.
"The investment management industry has a central role in helping to turn the savings of millions of people into investments that companies now urgently need. The best way to unleash this potential is for the EU to recognise the UK's regulatory regime as being equivalent to its own and minimise any further disruption in the market."
Edward Park, chief investment officer at wealth manager Brooks Macdonald, said: "Whilst the agreement reached is described as a 'thin' deal, it is considerably more palatable to the market than a disorderly exit. This thin deal can also be a launchpad for further integration over time when UK/EU relations are less of a political hot potato."
He said he expected news of the deal to boost UK GDP in 2021. He cited an OBR forecast that a "real" deal would boost UK GDP in 2021 by 5.5% compared to a no-deal resulting in only a 3.5% rise.
He added: "Services are a problem for 2021 but this is where the EU imports more from the UK than the other way round, so this could be a particularly difficult area. The Brexit saga will continue well into 2021."
Bob Wigley, executive chair of banking and lender trade body UK Finance, said the deal brought "much-needed certainty for businesses."
He added: "Looking ahead, it will be important to build on the foundations of this trade deal by strengthening arrangements for future trade in financial services. This can be achieved by building on the longstanding regulatory dialogue and supervisory cooperation between UK and EU authorities and reaching agreements on all appropriate equivalence determinations as soon as possible."
Hinesh Patel, portfolio manager at Quilter Investors, said the deal was "a welcome Christmas surprise after four and a half years of endless back and forth."
But she added: "The devil will of course be in the detail so it is too early to declare winners or losers just yet, but the real benefit of this news is the end to four years of 'suspended animation' and an opportunity to move beyond the bluster we have been hearing since the referendum campaign began."
She said she expected the deal to help "unblock" the backlog of international investment that has been waiting for some sort of outcome before institutions begin investing in UK plc once again.
She added, however, that the response to Covid-19 was far more important.
Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group, an international wealth management group, said: "Stock markets will be buoyed by the trade deal and the pound – consistently the most reliable Brexit sentiment bellwether – will be strengthened as a result. But let's be very clear: this is not the end of Brexit."
Richard Buxton, head of strategy, UK Alpha, Jupiter Asset Management, said it was a relief that the potential damage to both sides from a 'no deal' had been averted.
He called the deal: "Skinny, lightweight, the bare minimum required but a deal nevertheless."
James Athey, investment director, Aberdeen Standard Investments, said the deal was "pretty skinny" but should minimise disruption at the borders.
He added: "It remains to be seen if that Christmas cheer gives way to a New Year hangover when analysts start pouring over the details."
UKEU deal
Regulation biggest challenge for Planners – PFS
FCA to crack down on firms avoiding liabilities
FCA to tighten financial promotions rules
FCA cancels 4 European firms post-Brexit permissions
AIC wants FCA to introduce 'high bar' for ESG funds
More in this category: « 1 in 5 rejected for financial products in pandemic 1 in 3 to adopt permanent healthier lifestyles »


My monthly gaming group has just finished our campaign of The One Ring: Oaths of the Riddermark.
Signy's minis, mounted and unmounted, painted by our GM.
Signy had always wanted to be a Shieldmaiden. Her mother, Emma, had been a Shieldmaiden and was also a great storyteller. Signy's strongest memories of her are sitting at her mother's feet by the hearth while Emma sang of the great deeds of heroes and plaited Signy's bright, coppery hair, while Signy looked up at her parents' swords and spears glinting in the firelight over the hearth, or of sitting in front of her mother while riding, and the terrifying joy of leaping over fences at a gallop. Her mother's death in childbirth left deep wounds in Signy's heart, and from a young age Signy feared death by childbirth as the foe against whom even a Shieldmaiden could not prevail.
In time, her father took a second wife and after the birth of Signy's half-brother, Signy was given the care of a newborn foal. The dappled-grey foal became young Signy's obsession, and the girl even slept in the stables some nights. Signy devoted herself to Renna's training and to learning swordplay from her father and his thanes.
Despite her father's attempts to keep Signy from feeling like she and the memory of her mother had been replaced, Signy still felt alienated from her father's 'new' family. Even worse, when she was eighteen, Signy overheard her stepmother say that Signy should become a good wife to one of her father's thanes. Indignant and proud, Signy rode away from the homestead for Edoras and the King's hall. She was of age now; she would bring renown to her own name based on her own valor.
In Edoras, Signy became one of Thengel King's outriders, riders tasked not only with carrying messages, but also relied upon for their tirelessness and speed. Her service as an outrider sends her far across the fields of the Riddermark.
The One Ring: Oaths of the Riddermark is the third The One Ring campaign my group has played. It's set in Rohan in Middle Earth at the beginning of Thengel's reign (Theoden's father; Theoden is king in The Two Towers). The premise is that Thengel has returned from exile to claim the throne after his father's death and is now trying to fix the corruption, rivalries, and distrust his father had created during the previous reign. The adventuring party here is tasked with helping the king unify various parts of the kingdom.
At any rate, Signy Fire-hair Orc-killer Kings-guard survived the campaign and did manage to win much renown during it, though perhaps not as much and not necessarily in the manner she had wanted. She may yet go on other adventures. We are returning to the north for our next campaign and picking up story threads (and some characters) we had left off with a previous campaign. What has been happening in Mirkwood and Wilderland while we've been riding in Rohan? I guess we'll find out!
Every year I keep a list of the books I've read and then add the list to the Books Read List page of this blog. If you look at the Books Read in 2018 list and compare it to the last couple of years, you might think that 2018 was a poor year for reading.
Well, I would counter, it wasn't as bad as 2013 or 2015. Even so, I would admit that I feel a little bit of disappointment in seeing that 2018's count is twenty books fewer than 2017's.
But then I would remember that 2018 could also be described as the Year of the Podcast and the Year of the Non-Traditional Narrative: in 2018 I began listening to and watching actual-play D&D campaigns podcasts and web series, Eberron Renewed and Critical Role.
For the past few years I have chosen a book series to binge-listen to during my long commutes for my summer teaching job. Instead of choosing a book series in 2018, I chose to listen to my friend's D&D podcast Eberron Renewed. Some 90 episodes later (each weekly episode running between an hour and an hour and a half), I estimate that the amount of time I've spent listening to this podcast is the equivalent to about a dozen audiobooks. Eberron Renewed is just a very long narrative being "written" collaboratively and in improv.
Then there are the BBC and PRI news and linguistic A Way With Words podcasts I listen to at work, when I could be listening to audiobooks.
So it's not that I'm not getting healthy doses of narrative, fiction, news, ideas: I am. I'm getting them from not only reading and listening to audiobooks, but also from unexpected, non-traditional narrative sources by following along other players' D&D campaigns. Getting my entertainment from these sources and from playing RPGs myself with my friends has had me thinking about role-playing games as narrative sources, as sources or modes of entertainment: a form of oral narrative, community narrative, an exchange between those who create entertainment and those who are entertained by it and the nexus of when those groups happen to be the same people gathered around a table with character sheets and dice.
I'll be exploring some of the ideas that have sprung up in my musings about RPGs as non-traditional narrative sources in an upcoming blog series.
Do you keep track of what you read? From what sources do you get your doses of fiction?
My Tuesday-night RPG group has changed 'seasons'. Now we are playing Savage Worlds: The Last Parsec.
Askha's mini with my first set of polyhedral dice. The mini was made by Hero Forge.
Art by Bryan Syme for The Last Parsec. Askha has tortoiseshell coloring.
Askha grew up in Odezza, the capital city of Tazan on Rakhat, in the heart of what outsiders call the Tazanian Empire. The Great Empire counts non-habitable planets and planetoids among its holdings; many of these are mined for their resources even if they have not been completely terraformed to sustain rakashan life. Rakashans are often thought to exaggerate the size of their empire because the name of their empire (in Tazanian) translates literally into Common as 'The Empire of a Thousand Worlds', even if the actual tally (including planetoids) is closer to two hundred. This is because of a quirk in translation: the word meaning 'great' or 'exceedingly numerous' also translates as the word for the number 'thousand'. Sometimes the name for the empire is translated as The Great Empire; however, as a rule, Tazanian rakashans are proud of their empire and prefer the hyperbolic translation.
Askha and her twin, Nikith, are middle children. (Nearly all rakashans are fraternal twins.) Her older sisters are fierce, disciplined, and rule-abiding, perfect daughters of their retired Marine mother. Following them, Askha and Nikith both were misfits: Nikith, an introvert in a large and social extended family, and Askha, resentful of her older sisters and protective of her brother. From an early age, Askha chafed at being told what to do, especially by her bossy sisters. Manasa and Akasis dominated the cubs in their family, but Askha habitually ignored them, only increasing the tension between them. Where her mother was pleased at Manasa and Akasis' leadership skills, she also despaired at her youngest daughter's lack of discipline.
Art by Bryan Syme for The Last Parsec.
The only one of her siblings that Askha likes is her twin, Nikith. She frequently fought with the others on his behalf, fiercely protecting him when he wanted to be alone and read or keep accounts of their toys or books. When it came time for their military service, however, they were separated and served in different units. Askha trained hard and took naturally to weapons and combat. Like most rakashans, Askha's blood sings in the heat of battle: once she has drawn blood, she desires nothing else than to bring down her foes, and nothing is as satisfying as feeling her enemy's flesh give way beneath her claws. (Thus is the brutality that made their empire and puts down any rebellion.) Even so, the strict discipline of the military was too much like being ordered around by her sisters. When her military service was completed, Askha returned to Rakhat.
Both of Askha's older sisters were already career officers in the Marines, following in their mother's footsteps, and Askha had no desire to imitate them and continue to compete for their mother's favor. Instead, she tried various stints as a bodyguard or security officer, but neither saw much action in the heart of the Great Empire. Eventually, her father suggested that Askha leave both Rakhat and the empire for a more satisfying career. It pained him to send one of his children so far away, away from both clan and empire, but he also hated to see her so dissatisfied with her life in Tazan.
It's taken a while for me to get a feel for Askha. I purposefully built her to be unlike any of my other characters: Tess is the mad scientist and gentlewoman adventurer and Maya is the privileged and charismatic privateer, but Askha is the bloodthirsty mercenary. She's a fighter, not a diplomat; noncompliant, rather than rules-abiding. Case in point: During last night's session, our team ran into a group of thugs in a darkened corridor on a mining station — there were 11 of them and 5 of us. One of our team set off a smoke grenade and in the confusion of the darkness and smoke, Askha slipped forward and efficiently clawed out the throats of four of the thugs. She had to be pulled back from chasing the remaining four that fled. In addition to being an effective killing machine, Askha is also somewhat arrogant, firm in her belief that the Great Empire is the paragon of civilization; a bit aloof, but also loyal to her crew. She does care about them even if it's sometimes difficult for them to tell that she does.
Askha, obviously, is very different from my own personality; to help me play her, I've decided to channel Zoe from Firefly and Carol from The Walking Dead (the TV version). Because she is so different from what I usually play and because the setting is new without much of an established canon, I've often felt adrift when playing her. As one player put it, we all have creative imaginations but also don't want to impinge on anyone else's world-building. In order to create a shared universe, though, we each need to speak up, step on each other's toes, and negotiate when ideas clash. So, before returning to The Last Parsec, our GM asked us to do some more backstory- and world-building and we went over these developments as the introduction to our third season. This post is the product of my own world-building and definitely helped me to play her better last night.
Regarding her mini: Sci-fi big cat minis don't exist, and the existing fantasy big cat minis are ridiculously ill-suited for a sci-fi setting. Luckily, the GM who makes our minis was able to order a mini for Askha from Hero Forge, a company that uses 3D-printing to print out any mini that you design on their website. Of course, the coloring I chose for Askha (tortoiseshell, with forest green and grey clothing) makes her very difficult to take pictures of, but rest assured, she's pretty awesome.
This paper folder was fine when I had only a few character sheets to keep, but not when I had several, plus notebooks and other ephemera. It was time to upgrade. One of my fellow gamers uses an Officemate Slim Clipboard Storage Box, but after looking at it, I found that the clip was too stiff to open easily with my arthritic hands. I decided that I wanted a binder so that I could keep my system of keeping each character's papers together in a plastic protector. I didn't want just any binder though: I wanted one with a clipboard. I was always asking our hosts where the clipboards were and wanted one of my own, without having another item to keep up with or weigh down my game bag even further. Surely I could buy a binder with a clip on it, right?
Wrong. The few that I could find online were out of stock or had the clip on the inside of the front cover, rather than on the outside. Well, attaching a clip to the front of a binder shouldn't be too hard, I thought, and decided to make one myself. Since I couldn't find a binder that had the cover/design I wanted, I also decided to take a plain binder and re-cover it as well.
One of the issues pointed out on the Thrift Diving tutorial is that the paper isn't sealed to be water proof. Having had one gaming folder damaged by water already, and knowing that we often have drinks on the table, I wanted to protect the paper from getting wet by accident. My solution was to line the paper with a self-seal laminating sheet before gluing it onto the binder. The type that I used allows one laminate a single side.
After I laminated the paper, re-covering the binder was pretty straightforward. The tutorial covers each step, so I just followed along. When it came to putting the clipboard clip on, however, things started to get a bit tricky.
I used a hammer and nail to make holes for the rivets that would attach the clip to the binder. It seemed like a simple job: make the holes, put the clip into place, and set the rivets. Only, the rivets wouldn't set. I went out and bought a rivet setter, since part of the problem was not having the right tool on hand, but neither the rivets that came with the clips nor the ones that came with the setting tool would stay fastened.
In the end, I admit to using superglue. I used the setting tool and anvil to squash the two sides of the rivet together for the glue to adhere.
For a finishing touch, I used washing tape to make a border on the inside of the binder, covering the edges of the paper.
The inside, featuring a washi-tape border. I splurged and bought new mechanical pencils.
It only looks full already because of the notebooks I keep for our campaigns.
The binder in situ, with spell cards, notebook, and dice bag (which I also made).
I'm quite pleased with the final product! I have used it several times since making the binder and it is holding up well.
Now that I know what I'm doing, and have extra binder clips and rivets, I might make more clipboard binders as gifts in case any of my gamer friends decide they want one for themselves.
As mentioned in a previous post, my monthly gaming group has started a campaign in the D&D setting Eberron.
Maya is the daughter of Admiral Valanthe d'Lyrandar and heir to the dragonmarked House Lyrandar. Despite her early years and training in Stormhome, she calls the Lhazaar Principalities her home: Admiral Valanthe established a significant Lyrandar enclave in the pirate confederation due to the growing tension between herself and her twin, the House Baron Esravash.
She is captain of the airship Falling Skies, which was taken during the Last War. Maya was promoted from Midshipman Zandos to Captain Zandos a decade before her time by seizing, as she calls it, an opportunity. Airships are powered by bound elementals and when a ship is taken as a prize in battle and the crew subdued, the new presumptive captain must obtain the cooperation of the elemental in order to take control of the ship. Standard procedure allows the first lieutenant priority, and thus win a promotion and his first ship. But the elemental of Falling Skies wouldn't talk to the first lieutenant, nor to the second lieutenant. As the captain and lieutenants discussed what to do next — they were considering towing the ship back to the closest Lyrandar enclave to let other high ranking lieutenants have a go — one of the midshipmen slipped over to the dragonshard at the helm, placed her hand on it, and asked the elemental its name. 'Aeris,' it answered with surprise. 'Excellent,' said the midshipman, 'My name is Maya. What was your last captain like?' Before the officers could intervene, Maya had established a rapport with the elemental and it would talk to no other. While some in the House were disgruntled at this turn of events, others noted the daring that is admired in House Lyrandar leaders.
One of Maya's philosophies is: Good things come to those who seize opportunities.
After the cataclysm of the Mourning ended the War, Maya transported cargo and engaged in privateering — seizing opportunities — as well as attending society functions whenever she was in port. For both her status and her winning personality, Maya always gets invited to the best parties. It was at these parties that Maya came to know Lady Ceana d'Cannith, heir to House Cannith; Claire Loreden, the famous fencer-at-law; and Jett Keshi, an enigmatic Brelander spy. These four, along with Maya's ship engineer, Jerrick Torrn of House Tharashk, and the gnomes Gnor and Rong, agreed to open their own inquisitive firm in Sharn. After a mishap with the Prime Minister's cousin, however, they relocated to Stormreach in Xen'drik and took the name Skyfall Inquiries, Ltd.
Her mark looks like blue mehndi.
The dragonmarked House Lyrandar bears the Mark of Storm and Maya's dragonmark covers the right side of her face, neck, and the entirety of her right arm. With this mark she can fly or pilot an airship or elemental galleon, and (through further training?) some weather working abilities. The Eberron setting was created for the earlier editions of D&D, but hasn't been released for 5e, the system we are using. Thus, we are translating the Eberron setting into the new system, which means we're still figuring out how the dragonmarks function practically. I plan to focus on weather-related spells when leveling up.
For this campaign, our group held a pre-session party-making party to introduce our characters to each other and establish how they know each other and came to be working together for Skyfall Inquiries. We used the Fate Core system to create the character connections: using index cards, we wrote our characters' names, tag lines, and the beginning of our characters' first post-war adventure. Then we passed the cards around and added how our characters had supporting roles in those adventures. In this way we determined how Jerrick became engineer on Maya's ship; that Maya, Jett, Ceana, and Claire frequented many of the same dinner parties; how Claire and Jerrick came to be mixed up with Gnor the Gnome (and his psychic friend, Rong); and so on. Then the GM led us in a pure role-playing session (no dice or character sheets) that served as the prologue to our first session.
* Isn't she marvellous? She even has a dragonmark. He also replaced the gun in her right hand with a sword. All of the minis he's painted for this campaign are fantastic.
** I love that this quote is attributed to Rear Admiral Grace Hopper. Female admirals FTW.
This past weekend, my monthly gaming group decided to pause our campaign in The One Ring, which, if you can't guess from the name, is set in Middle Earth. The setting begins a few years after the end of the Battle of the Five Armies, though our campaign has progressed a further decade or so. This is actually our second campaign in this setting and I really like my current character — so much so that in our last session she turned down a job offer from her king (and lost standing as a result) to avoid retiring her early. As a result, I am a little annoyed that we are pausing our campaign because I might have played her differently if I had known, but I also agree with the reasons for our decision.
There was cake, though it wasn't anyone's actual birthday.
Our party consisted of three humans, two dwarves, and an elf. Two of the characters had the 'Warden' calling, meaning that their motivation for adventuring is to strive against the growing shadow spreading across Middle Earth: these were the elf and the Dúnedan (Ranger). Two others had the calling 'Treasure Hunters': the dwarves. Because we played our characters, their callings and racial prejudices, our party was often at odds whenever we encountered a crossroads and made it difficult to maintain a narrative arc as we did in the last campaign.
So the session after our characters reunited after splitting the party (never split the party, especially in a setting where it is near impossible to send messages to anyone with any speed, and especially when no one is where they told the others they would be…if they told the others at all), our group ordered pizza and discussed over the next several hours what to do next.
Our fortnightly gaming group plays RPG campaigns in 'seasons' to avoid GM burnout. Our current campaign, as I mentioned in a previous post, is in the Pathfinder setting Golarion. We are a few sessions away from reaching the end of a 'chapter' in our story, so to speak, and will pick up our campaign in Savage Worlds: The Last Parsec, GM'd by someone else in our group. This way the GMs both get to play in turns, we avoid the risk of getting tired of our characters or setting, and we all get to experience a variety of settings and systems.
Thus, instead of a profile on Myfanwy Linalwen, my character in The One Ring, you get some insight into how our group handles party dynamics and avoids both GM and setting fatigue.
My gaming group's current fortnightly RPG is Pathfinder: The Mummy's Mask.
Tess's mini, painted by our GM, and her steampunk-themed dice.
Tess — as she calls herself when adventuring abroad — hails from the aging empire of Taldor, where her father is a senator and her mother part of the old, landed but minor aristocracy.
She was tutored alongside her older brother when the tutor and fencing master got tired of throwing her out when she would sneak into the room for their lessons. Her family tried to turn her tinkering into a 'respectful' hobby of jewelry making, and she did start a craze for intricate spinning lockets that could only be opened by the owner and her timepieces were highly-valued gifts. However, when the more adventurous of her peers would have spent their Grand Tour mostly in Absalom or the major cities of Osirion, Tess went to Alkenstar in the Mana Wastes, where she learned to be a gunsmith and inventor of gadgets. Since then, she has travelled extensively through Nex and Osirion, experimenting with infusing her gadgets (and gun) with magic. Though she's dropped her mouthful of a name and is used to an adventurer's life, she still keeps her Taldan love for the finer things. Her traveller's clothes are plain until you notice the brown-on-brown and gold embroidery along the hem, with matching embroidery on her tricorne hat and leather boots. Both her pistol and prototype gun are works of art and she always has a spare neckcloth for when she needs to look respectable.
Tess is my favorite RPG character so far. Technically, I built the character for the steampunk RPG Savage Worlds: Sundered Skies, and our GM converted her character to work for the D&D setting we were going to play instead. At the time, there wasn't an official Artificer class in D&D, so he used a homebrew class called 'The Artificer of Alancia'. The Artificer class allows for a variety of proficiencies, including Gunsmith. The change of setting resulted in a different backstory for this character, so while she is somewhat-mechanically similar to the Nicola Winters in Sundered Skies, Tess Winters is a distinct character of her own.
I'm still relatively new to role-playing games, having only begun in 2015, but I find the dice mechanism in D&D 5e the easier one of the RPG systems we've played. The number of spells (or gadgets, in Tess's case) to keep track of, however, do make this setting more complicated, nor am I as familiar with the 'world' we are playing in. I'm frequently checking the Pathfinder Wiki for information about countries, customs, and creatures that Tess would likely know but I don't, and would be helpful for playing her character. I'm paranoid about stumbling across spoilers for our campaign, though, and so I read cautiously, just in case.


text:
Karl Erik Rimfeldt (born 16 February 1980) is a retired Norwegian football defender.

He started his career in Kongsvinger IL, and played for Norwegian youth national teams. He joined the senior squad in 1999, and played three Norwegian Premier League games in 1999. He played one more season before leaving. He has later played on lower levels for Sander IL and Vinger FK.

References

1980 births
Living people
Norwegian footballers
Kongsvinger IL Toppfotball players
Association football defenders


An avocado a day keeps the doctor away! This superfood is loaded with health benefits, and the best part is – they are absolutely delicious and go well with practically every recipe, and can be added to almost any meal, so it is very easy to incorporate them into a well balanced diet. You can add them onto, and into, just about anything…even a smoothie!
According to a recent study, eating half of an avocado will help increase satiety and leave you feeling full for up to 5 hours after the meal. Adding an avocado to your breakfast or lunch is a great way to curb the need for constant snacking throughout the day. It's the perfect ingredient to incorporate into your dieting meal plans.
The avocado nutrition facts label by avocado company Love One Today is compliant with the FDA Guidelines for Nutrition Labeling.
Healthy fats are essential for your overall wellness as they support skin health; they enhances the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, and other nutrient;, and they help boost the immune system. These fats can even help reduce the risk of strokes, heart attacks, and bad cholesterol levels.
Regular consumption of beta-sitosterol and other plant sterols are known to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels, and avocados contain 25 milligrams per ounce of this beta-sitosterol. On top of that, studies have shown that avocados help reduce the bad cholesterol known as LDL.
Potassium has been proven to be very helpful in managing blood pressure and avocados are full of it. Eating an avocado can help you flush out excess sodium and ease the tension in your blood vessel walls because of how much potassium they contain.
Even though people usually connect only calcium and vitamin D to bone health, vitamin K is equally important. It is what helps the body to absorb the calcium more efficiently. Without enough Vitamin K, the body does not absorb the calcium well and most of it ends up getting eliminated through urination. By eating a whole avocado you get almost half of the daily recommended intake of vitamin K in one go.
An avocado is high in fiber, containing approximately 6-7 grams per half fruit. Eating them can help prevent constipation, maintain a healthy digestive tract, and lower the risk of colon, stomach, pancreatic, and cervical cancers. By eating an avocado a day you promote regular bowel movements, which are crucial for the daily excretion of toxins through the bile and stool.
Avocados contain higher doses of lutein and zeaxanthin than any other plant. These two very important natural ingredients are carotenoids necessary for eye health and vision. They are phytochemicals that are especially concentrated in the tissues in the eyes where they provide antioxidant protection to help minimize damage, including from ultraviolet light.
Furthermore, the monounsaturated fatty acids in avocados also support the absorption of other beneficial fat-soluble antioxidants, such as beta-carotene. That is why eating an avocado daily can help fight age-related macular degeneration like blindness and eye dysfunction.
Researcher found that avocados are beneficial for people with diabetes. In a study, they had diabetes patients eat an avocado every day. By the end of the experiment, the participants' insulin and blood glucose levels evened out significantly.
Avocados are full of folate, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6 which helps baby's tissue and brain growth. Adequate intake of folate (folic acid) reduces the risk of miscarriage and neural tube defects. These vitamins also help to alleviate your morning sickness. As you can see, avocados are amazing for you and your growing baby.
One good way to use an avocado is to spread it on toast instead of mayo for sandwiches. But do bear in mind that avocados are high in fat and calories, and even though it is the good kind of fat, over-eating them could lead to weight gain.
Folate is good for more than just growing babies, it also prevents the build-up of homocysteine – a substance that can impair circulation and delivery of nutrients to the brain. Excess homocysteine can interfere with the production of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which regulate mood, sleep, and appetite. Eating foods containing high levels of folate, like an avocado, could help decrease the risk of depression.


Is that a VMware CTO and Transmeta CEO at your start-up?
We'd like to welcome all the chip and server fans out there to a fresh edition of "spot the executive." This week we'll be taking a look at the talented workers at two of our favorite start-ups - Nuova Systems and Montalvo Systems.
Cisco earlier this month laid a golden egg all over Nuova's brass. It handed the hardware upstart $50m and more or less vowed to buy the company in a couple years. That's great news for folks like Mario Mazzola, Luca Cafiero and Prem Jain who are used to sucking from Cisco's generous teat either as executives at the company or as heads of start-ups that Cisco acquires.
But what about the rest of the Nuova crew being touched by Cisco for the very first time?
Well, of special note, we've found VMware's founder and former CTO Ed Bugnion - not pronounced 'bunion' - at Nuova as the start-up's VP of engineering. Bugnion used to be a graduate student of fellow VMware founder and Stanford professor Mendel Rosenblum.
Nuova has managed to keep the nature of its products pretty quiet, although Bugnion's presence helps confirm some of the rumors we've heard. Our sources claim Nuova is working on a virtualization system that would combine server, storage and networking technology in a single box. The system is meant to align with Cisco and Intel's larger strategy around Data Center Ethernet (DCE).
Haven't heard of DCE yet? Well then, you're going to want to give this PDF a read. Broadly, DCE is a proposal to add more virtualization to networks and make it possible for myriad types of traffic to share Ethernet networks. It's not hard to image a company such as Cisco seeing Nuova and DCE as a means of encroaching on the turf of Sun, IBM, HP and Dell. But Cisco would prefer you don't think about that just yet.
Who else is at Nuova? Well, there's Fabio Ingrao, the project lead for server start-up Fabric7. And there's Dan Lenoski, the former VP of engineering at Cisco. You'll also find a bunch of former Juniper, Netillion and Sun Microsystems executives. Quite the talented bunch.
A chap from Montalvo Systems has confirmed our suspicions that former Transmeta CEO Matt Perry now finds himself as CEO and Prez of the chip start-up. That same fella, however, reckons that our past stories suggesting that Montalvo is working on a low-power x86 chip are complete gibberish.
While we take the criticism to heart, we're struck by the number of people at Montalvo with pasts in the low-power chip field. For example, there's Transmeta ex Carlos Puchol who is now a senior architect at Montalvo and former PA Semi staffer John Tseng. Montalvo also boasts other former Transmeta staff such as software engineer Tim Cheng, engineer Tom Kenville, engineer Anshuman Nadkarni, and Transmeta's old engineering manager Chris Ferris.
Say, whatever happened to the 64-bit x86 chip stuff Transmeta was working on?
To our critic's point, Montalvo does seem awfully stocked on the server front for a company meant to be beavering at a mobile processor. It has a ton of former Azul employees and some Fabric7 folks of its own.


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For those who may not know, I travel all over Southern California, and a good part of the United States, consulting with executives regarding IT Department performance.
At some point during these executive discussions, the subject of cost comes to the forefront of the conversation. I really enjoy discussing the cost of the IT Department because it is usually a highly sensitive area and tends to be lumped into one number.
The CFO of a distribution company in Los Angeles recently engaged me to help him with an IT department cost comparison.
He pulled up a financial statement and said, "I spent $300,000 on IT last year and I still can't get the kind of results I expect for that kind of investment." He proceeded to discuss how he pays so much for IT services and just can't get reliable systems, acceptable response times, or even a plan of attack for next year's IT strategy. He was very frustrated.
If you are familiar with an accounting chart of accounts, you will most likely find an account called "Computer Expense" or "IT Expenses".
We dug through the statements and really analyzed the "IT Expenses" account. After quite some time charting numbers, we found a few things of interest. First, the account had ALL of the IT Expenses in it, including miscellaneous hardware, some software licenses, Internet connectivity, IT services, warranties, and a few other annual expenses.
After we identified all of the costs and categorized them, we found that he had not spent very much at all on IT management or proactive IT services. The IT function was outsourced and most of the cost was reacting to issues that end-users had during the course of a business day.
It turns out that this company WAS investing in IT - but not in the right area!
IT cost can be very confusing to figure out and compare – you have to be able to compare apples-to-apples. I find the businesses that have IT investment formula figured out have a competitive advantage to those that kind of "let IT run".
We'd like to help you get a handle on how to evaluate your technology costs so we're making this the topic of our April webinar - "The True Cost of Your Technology: How to Evaluate Your IT Spending". I guarantee that you'll learn something that will help you to look at your costs with more objective eyes.
As always, I'm always happy to help executives sort out their IT costs and results. If you'd like some help, click here to request a time to chat.


text:
Health crops sprout as breeders and researchers focus on nutrition.
By Martha Mintz
Plant pathologist David Sands is on a mission to food the world, not feed it. A professor at Montana State University, Sands' research has taken him to corners of the world where successfully raising a crop each year is directly related to survival. First-world country inhabitants may not be starving, but they have their own life and death food issues to face.
As of 2014, more than one-third of adults and 17 percent of U.S. youth were obese according to a National Center for Health Statistics report. Obesity goes hand in hand with Type 2 Diabetes, an ailment the Center for Disease Control estimates 1 out of 3 people will develop in their lifetime.
Diet can help manage these diseases, but limiting staple comfort foods like potatoes is a strain on willpower as reflected by the multi-billion-dollar weight loss industry. Sands' solution is to change the nutritional makeup of the foods people already love, essentially making—or just identifying—health crops instead of health foods.
"If you can give someone battling blood sugar problems a low glycemic potato that's healthier for them, then everyone wins," Sands says. "There's a higher value for the farmer and it's a better choice for the consumer." Breeders, he notes, have long been focused on yield, but now may be the time to really push the nutritional components of standard crops, too.
Gary Iverson, David Sands and Kaitlin McMahon check in on high protein, low glycemic oat variety plots.
A 2015 Nielsen global survey found consumers, especially young consumers, are willing to pay a premium for products with health attributes. Fresh, natural, and minimally processed foods topped their preferences, taking that health challenge all the way to the field. It's this shift in food awareness and demand that may pave the way for researchers and breeders to give nutritional characteristics more weight in their decision processes.
Assembling blocks. "Chronic diseases [diabetes, obesity] are ones there really aren't cures for. There's just drugs to treat the symptoms," Sands says. "But, fundamentally, the body can heal itself if it has the right building blocks, which we can provide."
Sands and his collaborators are looking to assemble and deliver those missing building blocks through staple food crops. The focus of their efforts has been in increasing quality protein content and identifying low glycemic, high lysine, and high Omega-3 fatty acids crop varieties.
They hope to impact people's physical and even cognitive health. "We're about to publish a study where we supplemented high performing high school students with Omega-3," says Edward Dratz, Montana State University biochemistry professor who works with Sands on this project. "It improved reaction time, attention, and memory in a pretty spectacular way."
Health crops. Sands is working to identify and breed high-lysine tomato cultivars to add to the growing number of health crops in his seed bag. He's had success breeding a high protein, low glycemic, gluten-free oat variety—Protina—and identifying low-glycemic potato cultivars.
In the case of low glycemic potatoes, he didn't even have to breed a new variety. "I just had to find the ones that fit the low glycemic criteria," he says.
Bioassays are an affordable way to identify lysine.
His research team looked at 120 current potato cultivars and narrowed them down to 6 that were low-glycemic. Huckleberry Gold, a potato already on the market, made the cut.
Jeff Bragg benefited from this discovery in multiple ways. Formerly a potato variety developer for Green Giant Fresh and currently a seed potato breeder and potato crop consultant among other things, Bragg was diagnosed as pre-diabetic mere days after giving a presentation on the glycemic index to a Holland potato group.
Bragg was already growing Huckleberry Gold when it was declared low glycemic so he was excited to keep it in his diet and for a fresh marketing perspective for one of his products. He sees some major hurdles, though.
"We only have one nutritional label for all potatoes. That's madness. There are more than 500 different varieties and they're all radically different in nutritional makeup," he says.
That puts the onus of marketing on him and other farmers to identify it as a premium health product.
Primed market. Gary Iverson, CEO of Montana Gluten Free, has a 14-year head start walking the path of marketing a health-focused crop.
Montana Gluten Free owns the Protina oat variety Sands helped develop. They struggled through developing research to get it identified as a gluten-free oat variety, which helped them market the crop initially.
"Right now we're growing at an explosive rate," Iverson says. "We're not totally focused on gluten-free, though. The big picture now is low-glycemic due to the diabetic market."
Iverson is increasingly selling whole specialty oats to processors as demand for health crops grows. "Everybody reads labels now, which is a tremendous change from when we started 14 years ago," he says.
Sands hopes to improve health by replacing or reworking staple comfort foods. When pearled, his low-glycemic oats make a good rice substitution.
Tricky business. Selecting crops for nutritional value does have its hangups. "Farmers get paid for yield. Yield is measured by starch, which is the cheapest thing a plant can make. Plant breeders know some of the most nutritious plants don't yield the most so there's conflict," Sands says. "But people are reading labels. Crops with better nutrition will be higher value so it can be a win-win situation."
In the case of Protina, Iverson says it yields at about 80 percent of traditional varieties, but they pay the farmer 4 to 5 times more, so it works out.
Sands is working from the research side to make it more affordable for breeders to identify nutritional attributes. "We have to make it cheap and easy. Breeders aren't going to spend $100 per test on hundreds of varieties," he says. Sands identified a bacteria that needs lysine to survive. If it grows in the presence of plant juice, the plant produces lysine. "We can do that for 10 cents per variety then send the promising candidates for quantitative chemical analysis," he says.
There's also marketing issues. "We can't grow a crop unless there's a market. We have to have market development," Sands says, which is why a plant pathologist has economists and marketing specialists on his team. "We need people from many disciplines to solve these wicked problems, but we're picking up steam."
Thinking Big on the Bently Ranch
Thinking big while sustaining tradition in Nevada.
Quebec dairy offers a new home to Nepalese refugees.


compared to other competitive sports. For a quick summary of the rules of the game, www.usapa.org/rules-summary.
400,000 players in the United States and pickleball is being played in all 50 states.
Two of the four tennis courts at Whispering PInes City Park have been adapted to play pickleball as well as tennis. Don't have a paddle?
game after work! Come play the game that everyone is talking about!
is not fee to play!
For more information or questions, please call Whispering Pines City Park Administration office at 352-726-3913.


text:
Clippers' Matt Barnes fined following ejection vs. Timberwolves
Ben Golliver
http://youtu.be/vdLzKy5Zk3k
The NBA fined Clippers forward Matt Barnes $25,000 Monday for failing to leave the court in a timely manner following his ejection from L.A.'s 120-116 victory over Minnesota on Sunday.
With just under a minute remaining in the third quarter and L.A. leading 77-75, Barnes fouled Kevin Love hard across the body on a drive. Using his right arm, Barnes swung at the ball from Love's right side, contacting the ball but knocking Love off-balance by hitting his right shoulder. After a video review, the game officials assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 to Barnes, which necessitates an automatic ejection.
Barnes disputed the decision in a direct conversation with one of the referees, and he continued to protest even after teammates Chris Paul, Willie Green and Stephen Jackson intervened to direct him towards the locker room. On his way off the court, Barnes appeared to shout profanities in reaction to the call. He departed with three points (on 1-for-2 shooting) and two rebounds in 11 minutes.
The NBA league office actually sided with Barnes on this one, downgrading his Flagrant Foul 2 to a Flagrant Foul 1 upon further review. The Flagrant Foul 2 designation applies to fouls that are both "unnecessary and excessive" whereas the Flagrant Foul 1 designation merely requires that the contact be "unnecessary." The fact that Barnes was technically making a play on the ball and that his foul didn't send Love crashing to the court or cause any injury likely helped his case here.
This is the second time the NBA has fined Barnes this season. Back in November, Barnes was fined $25,000 for failing to leave the court in a timely manner and for using inappropriate language on his Twitter account following his ejection from a game against the Thunder.
Barnes, 33, recently returned from an extended absence due to an eye injury, and he is averaging 6.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this season. The 11-year veteran is on the books for $3.3 million this year.
Video via YouTube user frank den


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Кра́сне о́зеро (Красна Тоня) — заплавне озеро у Новгород-Сіверському районі Чернігівської області, на лівому березі Десни (басейн Дніпра).

Довжина понад 2000 м, ширина до 300 м, площа 0,6 км², глибина до 4,5 м. Улоговина видовженої форми. Південні береги підвищені, поросли верболозом, північні — низькі, вкриті лучною рослинністю. Живиться переважно завзяки водообміну з Десною, з якою сполучене протокою.

Температура води влітку від +18,5 °C на глибині 0,5 м від поверхні, +9, +10,5 °C на глибині 0,5 м від дна. Прозорість води до 1 м. На дні мулисті та піщано-мулисті відклади.

Серед водяної рослинності — очерет звичайний, лепешняк великий, стрілолист, плавун щитолистий, глечики жовті та кушир занурений. Із риб водяться карась і плітка. У прибережних заростях — гніздування очеретянок, крячків, куликів.

Красне озеро та його береги — об'єкт туризму; рибальство, мисливство.

Джерела

Десна
Новгород-Сіверський район
Озера Чернігівської області


In October, the City of Summit, in partnership with Uber, initiated a ridesharing program for commuters. The goal of the program – the first in the state – was to alleviate parking congestion at Summit's NJ Transit parking garages.
The program has been a success. So much so, that the program has been expanded and extended for another six months.
The initial pilot program was offered to 100 resident commuters and is now being expanded to include 50 additional residents who are on the program waiting list. Summit's Parking Services Agency is monitoring usage and will continue to expand the program to reach a goal of 100 commuters using the ridesharing option daily.
How does the program work? Under the program, Summit residents with prepaid parking permits are eligible for free Uber rides to and from the station during weekday commuting hours; residents without prepaid permits will be eligible for $2 Uber rides, which is equivalent to the cost of the city's $4 daily parking. Trips must begin or end in Summit or at the train station. The program is available between the hours of 5:00AM and 9:00PM.
For more information about the ridesharing program visit cityofsummit.org or contact the Parking Services Agency at parking@cityofsummit.org or (908) 522-5100.
Do You Like to Get Dirty When You Drink?
Can Summit Fans Share the Stands?


text:
Board index Lyceum Miscellaneous Discussions...
...on serious topics that don't fit anywhere else at present.
Re: GAME ON!
#21 Post by Dave B » October 27th, 2015, 11:03 am
Altfish wrote: I notice that Boris has (by his standards) been fairly quiet on this issue. I think he is a big winner in the Tory Leader race
Is he trying to be the "Soft Face" of Toryism (to the Cam/borne hard one) without actually rocking the boat?
Boris playing statesman?
#22 Post by Alan H » October 27th, 2015, 1:42 pm
Alan H wrote: (However, I did see someone saying that the Tories flew in (at taxpayers' expense?) Lord Webber to bump up Tory numbers.
Musicals millionaire Lord Lloyd-Webber votes to cut tax credits for the poor after flying in from New York
Musicals tycoon Andrew Lloyd-Webber broke his near-silence in the House of Lords to vote for tax credit cuts for Britain's poorest people.
The ultra-rich Tory peer took part in last night's crunch vote during a break from commitments in New York, where his School of Rock musical launches in two weeks.
Previously he had voted just 30 times out of 1,898 during his most recent 14 years in the House of Lords, around 1.6%.
His last was more than two years ago to back gay marriage, according to voting record website The Public Whip.
But last night he trooped through the Lords lobbies with hundreds of other Tories, including a line-up of millionaires, to try and defeat three challenges to George Osborne's cuts.
In a statement the seldom-seen peer defended his choice and told the Mirror he was 'pleased' George Osborne is 'reviewing the tax credits situation'.
His spokesman said he had flown from New York 'at his own expense' - and not specifically for the vote but to attend tonight's opening of Cats at the London Palladium.
thundril
#23 Post by thundril » October 27th, 2015, 6:25 pm
Much as I am relieved that somebody had the opportunity to stop Osberon's lunatic plan I would rather not leave our future defences in the hands of a bunch of bishops, millionaires and ex-celebs.
We need some sort of second chamber, , but direct election would change the primacy of the commons, and selection raises the question of ' Selection by whom? The goverrnment?'
I have a suggestion.
Suppose everyone over (say) fifty could put their name forward as a second-Chamber juror. Suppose every year from then on, 12 names were picked at random from that list, and the lucky persons were offered (subject to some health and CRB checks, and maybe a test for appropriate level of numeracy and literacy) a ten-year contract, on a very good salary, and with use of a central London flat. They would be required to attend every meeting of the upper chamber. It would be a proper, full-time job.
Of the present Lords, the longest serving ten percent could be retired each year. We would end up with a 'Senate' of 120 people, varying in experience from newbie to old hand. Of course the Senate would need a decent budget to call in a spectrum of experts to advise on any complex issue, but we would have a probably quite mature, attentive body of people, truly representative of the UK, to examine, revise etc the decisions of the Commons.
I see the review of the House of Lords after last night will be carried out by Thomas Galloway Dunlop du Roy de Blicquy Galbraith, aka Baron Strathclyde of Barskimming,
#25 Post by Fia » October 27th, 2015, 8:54 pm
thundril wrote: We need some sort of second chamber
Do we? When Scotland becomes independent why would we need a second chamber?
thundril wrote: I have a suggestion.
Great idea Thundril.
lewist
#26 Post by lewist » October 28th, 2015, 8:31 am
I agree with Thundril and Fia. However, it's too sensible to be paid any credence by the present bunch of crooks and shysters.
Carpe diem. Savour every moment.
Joined: July 4th, 2007, 10:10 am
#27 Post by Nick » October 28th, 2015, 11:37 am
thundril wrote: People are tired of the kind of school-playground nonsense-politics we've been fed the last couple of decades, where every politician has to obey the Party's press enforcer, fearing that any disagreements will be met with breathless reports of 'revolt within the (name your party) ranks', and any (God forbid) any changes of mind will be howled down as 'u-turns', and therefore signs of weakness.
Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters are trying to get away from the kind of rubbish.
Really? On the one hand, Corbynites are threatening to deselect MP's , and will have an ideal opportunity to do so when the boundary changes come in. On the other, Corbyn has voted against his own party on more occasions than any other MP.... except for the Shadow Chancellor....
Fia wrote:
Need I bother to comment....?
Altfish
#29 Post by Altfish » October 28th, 2015, 12:54 pm
I'm a great believer in a second chamber but am not sure how best to choose/elect the members. The UK system is currently failing; the US system isn't any better.
I'd like it to be non-political but that's just a pie in the sky wish and would never happen. The jobs should not be for life.
Some sort of proportional voting system, similar to the EU elections may work.
Nick wrote:
Exactly. Some Labour leftists are calling for deselection of Right-wingers, but some others, (including Corbyn himself) are against it. Their difference of opinion is out in the open, for everyone to join in the discussion. The Labour leadership are not pretending, or attempting, to keep all Labour spokespeople rigidly 'on message' for fear of what the Westminster Village Idiots might say about them.
*It's nice when we agree on something, Nick.
Perhaps we might agree on THIS?
#32 Post by Altfish » October 28th, 2015, 2:44 pm
thundril wrote: Perhaps we might agree on THIS?
Well, it is from Private Eye, so assuming it is correct; that should be good ammunition for next week's PMQs.
Tetenterre
#33 Post by Tetenterre » October 28th, 2015, 3:31 pm
Re 2nd chamber. 1/7th of the members PR elected each year on a 7-yr "rolling ballot".
Quantum Theory: The branch of science with which people who know absolutely sod all about quantum theory can explain anything.
#34 Post by Nick » October 28th, 2015, 11:58 pm
As someone with some professional experience of personal and corporate taxation, let me assure you that the whole thrust of this article is complete twaddle, and reveals a worrying ignorance of the topic under discussion.
#35 Post by Altfish » October 29th, 2015, 6:25 am
It was Private Eye for heavens sake.
But rather than asserting can you please explain the errors for us less well informed.
#36 Post by thundril » October 29th, 2015, 10:31 am
Altfish wrote:
#37 Post by Nick » October 29th, 2015, 2:10 pm
First of all, yes, it was Private Eye. And as such, should perhaps be treated as satire. Sadly, the appalling comments on Facebook, it is treated as gospel, and furthermore, misunderstood. In my defence, I have not always been ...ahem.. thanked for shedding light on such matters, and when I replied, it was already nearly midnight.
But I've had a sleep, and as I have been requested, I'll comment further.
Private Eye's contention is that tax is not being paid, when somehow, it should be. Let's examine that proposition.
So, Sir Peter received a whole bundle. On which tax is paid. Income tax, mainly at 45%, National Insurance at 12.% on 41,000 or so, plus 2% on the rest, Employers NI at 13.8% on the whole lot.
If it had not been paid, then corporation tax at around 20% would have been paid instead. If profits were distributed by dividend (which they were not, NI would not be due.
No need for tax credits; no tax credits received.
The Corporation Tax charge, per this article, is £179,000 on profits of £722,000. Which is above the Corporation Tax rate. This may well be true, as various expenses are stripped out of a set of accounts to arrive at taxable profits, but are added back by capital allowances and such like. All according to strict rules. Likewise, as there are difference between when a tax charge has to be recognised, and when it has to be paid, these are reflected in "timing differences". Most of the time, such calculations mean that tax is not paid, merely to be claimed back. The objective is that the correct amount of tax should be paid over the medium term. There is no "loss" of revenue because of timing differences.
And the idea that capital allowances are in some way just a tax wheeze is preposterous. It is merely the way the tax authorities allocate the expense of a capital item over its useful life. Corporation tax is a tax on profits, and the cost of capital items directly affects profits overall.
Similarly, tax law specifically allows losses in one tax year to be carried forward to be set against profits in later years. It is the overall profits of the corporation which are being taxed, not the amount of apparent profit in any 12 month period. An example: suppose it takes a year to design, print and distribute a new range of wallpaper. In year one, there would be a stonking loss, as there is no revenue. In year 2, they manage to sell all their sock at market value, and make a profit. Should Corporation tax be based on overall sales revenue, less overall costs? Or should costs be arbitrarily be disallowed, just because of the calendar?
They then go on to quote the amount of turnover the company has achieved over the past 7 years. So what? There are plenty of companies with larger turnovers who have made losses. Corporation tax is not payable on turnover.
But what is payable on turnover is VAT. Which will be charged at 20% of the value added by Osborne and Little. But that is not part of a set of accounts, as it is handled separately, in VAT returns, which have different rules to Corporation Tax. To conflate the two is either an attempt to mislead (which seems to have been successful) or sheer ignorance, which seems as equally likely.
We learn that Osborne & Little have receive a Corporation Tax credit of £12,000. In other words, either they have paid too much tax in previous years, (hardly tax avoidance, is it?) or they have complied with tax rules which allow losses to be carried back in certain limited circumstances. Why? To try to help the company keep afloat and maintain jobs, at a time of difficulty. But it is not giveaway; either it truly reflects the non-profitability of a dying company, or subsequent profits with reflect the carry-back when calculating CT.
So, you see, (or at least I hope you do) that the whole article is nonsense.
thundril wrote:
So, waddya think?
Interesting, and potentially useful, lesson on basic accountancy practices. Thanks, Nick. I'll stash this away amongst my growing folder of economic random bits, to be read up WIGABOT.
But are you not also making a lot of assumptions about what is happening?
The company and the owners are two different entities and both should pay tax. You mention income tax and NI but the article focuses mainly (not exclusively) on Corporation Tax which it says hasn't been paid for 7-years, despite increasing its directors' pay significantly.
Altfish wrote: Thankyou.
The company and the owners are two different entities and both should pay tax.
Not in the way you think. Certainly, a company is a separate legal entity, in that it can sue and be sued, for example, but it cannot exist without shareholders. And just as a firm (an unincorporated company) is linked to the proprietor or partners, a company is directly linked to its shareholders' tax affairs.
For example, suppose a firm makes a profit of £10,000. That profit is assessed on the income of its owner, who pays £2,000 in tax (at the basic rate of tax). The firm pays no tax.
Now suppose a company makes £10,000 profit. It pays corporation tax at 20% (for now...), so HMRC gets £2,000. The shareholder, having received no dividend, pays no tax. But if the company pays out its profits as a dividend, (in simple terms, at least. It's actually more complex in practice) the company pays 10% tax in the same way, giving the shareholder £9,000. But crucially, that is received with a tax credit of £1,000. The shareholder then pays £1,000 to top it up to 20%. So HMRC, receives £2,000. Which is as it should be. Why should its shareholders be subject to extra tax? That would be crazy.
You mention income tax and NI but the article focuses mainly (not exclusively) on Corporation Tax which it says hasn't been paid for 7-years, despite increasing its directors' pay significantly.
Why are you complaining that Sir Peter is paying more tax? And what would you say if Sir Peter had chosen a smaller salary? Sure, CT would have increased, but Income Tax and NI would have fallen at more than twice the rate. As I say, the two taxes are fundamentally linked. Not to realise that is a fundamental misunderstanding.
Any clearer....?
Return to "Miscellaneous Discussions..."


A woman was killed and two others suffered minor injuries in a crash on Highway 99 last night.
The accident happened around 10 pm last night on southbound 99 near Grantline Road. A vehicle driven by the woman was involved in accident with a big rig. According to one account from a passerby, the back wheel of the big rig was on top the car. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Another woman and a child that were also in the car received minor injuries. The driver of the truck was unhurt. The coroner has not yet released the name of the driver. CHP is still investigating the accident. Part of the freeway was closed for several hours while CHP investigated.