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With no medical dispensaries yet open, campaign for Missouri recreational marijuana begins – News – The Rolla Daily News – Rolla, MO
Last updated February 3, 2020 by C.E. News on February 3, 2020
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A week after Missouri officials announced winners of nearly 200 medical marijuana retail dispensary licenses, officials with a group dubbed Missourians for a New Approach announced their intent to campaign for a recreational, or "adult-use," marijuana initiative.
They want to get recreational marijuana onto the November 2020 Missouri ballot.
"We believe Missourians are ready for this," campaign manager John Payne told the News-Leader late Thursday. "This has been an issue that's advanced very quickly nationwide. Sometimes the progress has been surprising to those of us who have been advocating for a long time."
A Pew Research poll published in November found that 67 percent of Americans say "the use of marijuana" should be legal. USA TODAY reported on an April poll by CBS News that indicated 65 percent of Americans said medical marijuana should be available to adults.
The April poll highlighted a major demographic split: 49 percent of people 65 and older supported legalization; the number jumped to 72 percent for people ages 18 to 34. The poll found that 56 percent of Republicans supported legalization compared with 72 percent of Democrats.
Payne and fellow activists hope to gather roughly 160,000 required signatures between now and May and thus get on the Missouri ballot in time for a recreational weed question to accompany the presidential election. Many observers see this as a difficult task with a short timeline.
But Payne said he thinks gathering that number of signatures is "definitely doable."
"I'm not going to say that's an easy task," he said. "I think someone telling that would be kidding you."
But, Payne said, a signature-gathering company, FieldWorks, is "already on the ground" preparing to gather the signatures needed to get on the ballot. "Hundreds" of workers are required, he said.
Payne, who said he was also tied to the 2018 New Approach Missouri campaign for medical marijuana along with a 2016 campaign, said that FieldWorks worked with the 2018 campaign successfully.
According to past News-Leader coverage, 11 U.S. states currently have legal recreational weed. Reports indicate "adult-use" measures could end up on the ballot this year in Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Medical weed could go on the 2020 ballot in Idaho, Mississippi, Nebraska and South Dakota.
Illinois approved recreational cannabis in 2019 with a bill signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, allowing recreational retail sales to begin Jan. 1. The state had approved medical marijuana in 2013 through another bill that went through the legislature.
Initiative petition 2020-128, one of multiple Missouri recreational weed petitions certified for circulation by the Missouri Secretary of State's office, provides for several changes to Article 14, currently the medical marijuana constitutional amendment.
It would remove Missouri prohibitions on personal use of marijuana for adults 21 and older. The same group would be allowed to possess up to 1 ounce of the plant and cultivate up to three plants;
It would tax retail sales of marijuana at 15 percent, with the funds being split between veterans' services, state highways, and drug addiction treatment;
It would require local voter approval to ban retail marijuana facilities;
It would allow Missourians with certain marijuana-related offenses to expunge their criminal record.
The petition language published by the Missouri Secretary of State's Office states that should petition 2020-128 make it to the ballot and then be approved by voters, state government is expected to have one-time costs of $21 million, annual costs of $6 million, and annual revenues between $93 million and $155 million by 2025.
Local governments estimate "unknown costs" and could realize annual revenues from $17 million to $27 million by 2025, according to the official ballot title certified Dec. 18.
What about medical marijuana?
Meanwhile, medical marijuana is in the process of being implemented by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, with slightly more than 30,000 patients approved for medical marijuana ID cards as of this week, according to the department.
Missourians adopted a medical marijuana constitutional amendment in November 2018 with about 65 percent of the vote. The Amendment 2 ballot measure competed with two other marijuana items in the general election.
Marijuana in MO:Everything you need to know about medical marijuana in Missouri
Since then, the state health department has been working toward implementation. Seed-to-sale tracking announcements were expected to be made Friday.
But no dispensaries are yet open for retail sales. They must be approved through "commencement inspections" conducted by state authorities, and state-licensed cultivation operations need time to grow weed on Missouri soil. The cannabis then has to be deemed safe by a state-licensed testing lab before it can go on sale to patients.
Medical dispensary sales are thus expected in late spring or early summer.
Jack Cardetti, a spokesman for the Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade Association, said in an email late Thursday, "MoCannTrade is singularly focused right now on building this new industry in Missouri and making Missouri's medical marijuana program the very best in the country. As this ballot initiative progresses, we will evaluate it more closely and work with our board and members to determine our support."
Hemp Depot Receives One of the First GMP Certifications for Manufacturing and Storing CBD
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Concurrency, Inc. Awarded in Crain's Chicago Business' "2018 Best Places to Work" | Switzerland Posts
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Concurrency, Inc. Awarded in Crain's Chicago Business' "2018 Best Places to Work"
Apr 12, 2018 | Business
Recognized for workplace environment, culture and benefits based on employee survey responses
MILWAUKEE, WI, April 12, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ — Concurrency, Inc., a Microsoft-focused professional services firm helping clients achieve digital transformation, has been named among Crain's Chicago Business magazine's 2018 Best Places to Work. Concurrency was named the third-best place to work among all 100 finalists and among all medium-sized employers.
"We are honored to be recognized by Crain's Chicago Business, especially because this award comes as a result of survey responses by Concurrency employees," said Ted Wentzel, Director of Marketing at Concurrency, Inc. "The culture at Concurrency results from the hard work of everyone in the organization, both to serve clients and make Concurrency a great place to work. It's a culture we're pleased for more people in the Chicago region to know about."
To determine award winners, Crain's Chicago Business surveyed employees in a questionnaire covering "everything from workplace comforts to benefits and culture," as reported by the magazine. The ranked list of 100 winners will be published in the April 16 issue of Crain's Chicago Business, along with details about each winner. As a top-three winner in its category, Concurrency will be profiled.
Concurrency and other winners were honored at an awards luncheon today at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Chicago.
Founded in 1989, Concurrency, Inc. is a professional services firm helping organizations throughout the Midwest realize Digital Transformation to achieve business results.
Concurrency is a multiple-time Microsoft Partner of the Year winner and has been named to Redmond Channel Partner's list of Microsoft's Top 200 U.S. Partners and CRN's Solution Provider 500 list.
Clients choose Concurrency for its team approach, top talent, project-scoped work plans and business value. Across all technologies and business needs, Concurrency focuses on helping clients realize more value from their IT investments through creative solutions that consider people, process, and technology needs.
Concurrency has offices in Chicago and Minneapolis in addition to its Brookfield, Wisconsin headquarters. Learn more about Digital Transformation and Concurrency at www.concurrency.com.
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by	Julio Thyme
Red-hot featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa continues to bide his time in waiting for a superfight with Juan Manuel Lopez to materialize, staying busy with a convincing 12-round decision over Orlando Salido on Saturday evening at The Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The win earned Gamboa his second alphabet title at featherweight, on a night that was dedicated to John Arum, the late son of Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum who died last week at the age of 49 in a hiking accident just outside of Seattle.
Eyebrows were raised when Gamboa was listed as an 11-1 betting favorite over the durable Salido, but the Cuban blue chipper justified the wide margin from the opening bell. The difference in speed, skills and overall talent was overwhelming, as Gamboa dazzled his fellow titlist with jabs, right hands and left hooks while taking very little in return.Salido danced as hard as he could to make a competitive fight out if, charging forward in the second but often coming up empty. Gamboa fought a far more disciplined fight than is usually the case, playing smart defense and coming back with hooks to the body and flurries upstairs.
Gamboa fronted like he wanted to end matters in the third, charging off of his stool and tagging Salido with repeated head shots, but unable to land the type of blow that could send everyone home early.
The sequence proved telling, as the next three rounds became an awkward affair. Both fighters received warnings over the course of the fourth and fifth rounds for roughhouse tactics, the type of fight favored Salido, who tried to make a fight of it midway through.
As the second half began, Gamboa came out with renewed energy, taking the fight to Salido but suddenly easing off of the gas and returned to boxing and dancing. The most memorable sequence of the seventh came after the bell. Both fighters connected, though Gamboa's was more visible (and also the last to land), drawing a warning from referee Joe Cortez.
Both fighters came out energized for the eighth. Gamboa jumped off to a strong start, but suffered a mental lapse just long enough to get clipped with a counter shot from Salido the resulted in the fifth knockdown of his young career.
Gamboa smirked as he rose to his feet, but Salido gave him reasons to take the fight seriously with several landed power shots once action resumed, offering the suggestion that he was more hurt than he let on. His corner certainly sensed it, demanding that he didn't need to do anything other than box.
The Cuban listened to some degree, mixing boxing and finessing in the ninth, but not offering much in the way of activity. Salido did enough to close the gap on the scorecards, but Gamboa settled down and chose his punches wisely in the tenth.
Salido continued to charge forward, but Gamboa's left hooks and overhand rights were enough to control the tempo and keep his opponent one step behind. Consecutive left hooks had Salido in considerable trouble, but managed to stay on his feet (save for a brief slip) long enough to survive the round.
Finally realizing that he could hurt his foe, Gamboa fought with a greater sense of urgency in the 11th. Unfortunately, the spurt was short-lived, as an accidental clash of heads left Salido with a cut along his forehead which required a brief exam from the ringside physician.
To his credit, Gamboa didn't allow the unexpected break in the action to interrupt his rhythm. If anything, he offered some of his best work of the night once the bout resumed, screaming "ahhh" every time he landed a punch, which was quite often in the round.
Gamboa connected even more in the 12th and final round, although one sequence –and the ineptitude of Joe Cortez – nearly cost him the fight.
Salido was twice sent to the canvas in the round, but only once was officially ruled a knockdown. Gamboa floored his opponent for the first time in the night with a right hand upstairs and left hook underneath .
For whatever reason, Salido vehemently protested, even going so far as to shove his hand at the referee, though not receiving a warning. He would instead absorb more punishment, with Gamboa scoring with repeated head shots, including a right and a left-right combo that sent Salido to the canvas for the second time.
However, because Cortez was so badly out of position, the sequence was never ruled a knockdown, nor was Gamboa ordered to back off and move to a neutral corner. In the spirit of protecting himself at all times, the Cuban continued to throw until instructed to stop doing so.
By the time Cortez moved into position to intervene, the knockdown was missed and the way-past-his-prime third man instead docked two points for what was ruled an intentional foul.
Fortunately for Gamboa, it wasn't enough to severely impact his massive lead on the official cards at the end of the night. Scores were 116-109, 114-109 and 115-109 for the 2004 Olympic Gold medalist and now unified featherweight titlist, who improves overall to 19-0 (15KO) with the distance win.
Quigg-Allione for WBA Intercontinental belt


KABUL, Afghanistan — The United States is trying to sell or dispose of billions of dollars in military hardware, including sophisticated and highly specialized mine resistant vehicles as it packs up to leave Afghanistan after 13 years of war, officials said Monday.
But the efforts are complicated in a region where relations between neighboring countries are mired in suspicion and outright hostility.
A statement by the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan said Islamabad is interested in buying used U.S. equipment. The statement said Pakistan's request is being reviewed but any equipment it receives, including the coveted mine resistant vehicles, will not likely come from its often angry neighbor Afghanistan.
An earlier U.S. Forces statement was definite: Pakistan would not get any U.S. equipment being sold out of Afghanistan.
Mark Wright, Department of Defense spokesman, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that the U.S. would like to sell to "nearby countries" the equipment that is too costly to ship back home.
Among the items for sale are 800 MRAPs, highly sophisticated Mine Resistant Ambush Protected armored vehicles. Selling them off could mean a savings of as much as $500 million and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues, he said. The computerized MRAPs have been used by U.S. service personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, as protection against the deadly roadside bombs used relentlessly by insurgents.
According to an Associated Press count at least 2,176 members of the U.S. military have died in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001. Many were killed by roadside bombs.
Still it seems certain that Afghanistan's nearest neighbor Pakistan won't be getting any of the excess 800 MRAPs that are up for sale by the departing U.S. military, although roadside bombs have been one of the deadliest weapons used by Pakistani insurgents against an estimated 170,000 Pakistani soldiers deployed in the tribal regions that border Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Earlier this month the head of coalition forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford told a Pentagon briefing that Pakistan would be interested in getting MRAPs.
A statement issued on Monday by the U.S. Embassy said the U.S. is "currently reviewing" Pakistan's request for a variety of items under what the U.S. calls its "excess defense articles" — a category that includes the 800 MRAPs in Afghanistan.
Reports that Pakistan might be interested in the MRAPs raised hackles in Kabul, with the authorities saying all the equipment should stay in Afghanistan.
"We are strongly opposed to any deal in this regard without consultation with Afghanistan and we have clearly conveyed this to the U.S," Karzai's spokesman Aimal Faizi told the AP on Monday. "It is in contradiction to the cooperative norms between strategic partners, Afghanistan and the U.S."
In a statement last week aimed at easing Kabul's concerns that no military equipment from Afghanistan would go to Pakistan, Dunford said "our commitment to the Afghan people and the Afghan National Security Forces is unwavering."
Afghan President Hamid Karzai routinely lashes out at the United States for not attacking Pakistani territory where he says insurgents waging war against his government have found a safe sanctuary.
He has said the last 12 years of war should not have been fought on Afghan territory, but rather in the areas where insurgents hide, a reference to Pakistan. Islamabad routinely denies Karzai's accusations that it aids insurgents while at the same time saying its tribal areas that border Afghanistan are infested with insurgents.
More than 4,000 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in the protracted battle against Pakistani insurgents hiding in the tribal areas.
Wright said the United States has also been trying to dispose of $6 billion of non-military hardware — such as desks, chairs, tables and generators — ahead of the final withdrawal of U.S. and NATO combat troops by the end of this year.
He said just this month the U.S. military received approval from Afghanistan'sFinance Ministry to sell off the non-lethal items to Afghan vendors. However Wright also said even non-lethal items could pose a threat and as a result some of it would be destroyed and sold to Afghans as scrap.
The U.S. began selling scrapped equipment to Afghans last year and made more than $42 million.
Wright said the reason for junking the equipment first is that "many non-military items have timing equipment or other components in them that can pose a threat. For example, timers can be attached to explosives. Treadmills, stationary bikes, many household appliances and devices, have timers."
As a result they are sold as junk, which has infuriated Afghan vendors who told The Associated Press that they could make more money selling functional equipment. They also said timers are available for the equivalent of $1 making it unlikely insurgents would pay upward of $100 for a functioning treadmill just to get a timer.
Check out more military equipment at Military.com's Equipment Guide.


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SC reserves order on Assam detentions centres issue
By Sarkaritel May 11, 2019 07:38
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New Delhi, May 11 The Supreme Court on Friday reserved its order on a plea seeking release of foreigners who have been detained indefinitely at detention centres in Assam.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi was hearing a petition filed by human rights activist Harsh Mander seeking release of foreigners who have been detained indefinitely.
On May 2, the top court has appointed Prashant Bhushan as an amicus curiae and replaced Harsh Mander, the litigants in the PIL, with SC Legal Services Authority.
Bhushan strongly opposed the state government inaction in providing humane condition in the detention centres, terming it as a breach of human rights. Bhushan pressed for detenuees' right to liberty, saying they are being held against international laws.
Bhushan has argued that the foreigners have a constitutional right against indefinite detention, and also right to liberty; and they deserve humane conditions in the detention centres.
Harsh Mander filed a PIL in February 2019 asking the apex court to look into the matter at the earliest, as the condition of the detunees was extremely poor.
When the matter came up for hearing in April, the court expressed its dissatisfaction with the data provided by the Assam government. More than 900 foreinger are in detention centres, four have been deported and nearly 100,000 have been identified as illegal foreigners, according to the state government data.
TAGS: Assam detentions centres issuesupreme court


Before you even consider paving your asphalt driveway, concentrate on the method a great gravel is put down as a base. Your base needs to neither be too thick or too thin. You can have a gravel base in between 2 and 8 inches thick which is currently adequate.
Whether you prepare to set up asphalt paving, concrete or gravel, including some plants at the sides of your driveway will immediately increase its appeal. Talk to experts in driveways Melbourne has today for any suggestions on how you can enhance its appeal.
You can go with cacti and succulents or other blooming plants that can grow in severe conditions. It would likewise help if you cultivate your lawn so its charm might match your driveway.
If the sight of plain concrete is not pleasing to your sight, you can go with stamped concrete rather. This offers your visitors an impression that you used a top quality product such as bricks, stone or other pricey construction product.
This is achieved by pushing moulds into the concrete while it is still damp. This develops a charming pattern that assists enhance your curb appeal. Trusted professionals in driveways Melbourne clients recommend today can help you decide a pattern for your stamped concrete.
If you desire a long-term low maintenance driveway, then choose put concrete. You can put concrete to form various patterns or you can utilize it to pave your driveway. Concrete paved driveways can be more costly than asphalt, nevertheless, they last for years without rotting.
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Are you in the food solution business? Then you should know that commercial refrigeration services are crucial to maintaining your components fresh. Messed up food can lead to considerable losses. This is why you only need to purchase from experienced commercial refrigeration service providers.
Suitable refrigeration is essential whether you are running a dining establishment, food truck, or event catering for occasions. In any one of these instances, you need to maintain your products at perfect temperatures to make certain top quality and protect versus waste.
Prior to purchasing a system from commercial refrigeration professionals, you need to understand where to put your system in the cooking area. Analyse the space and also make some measurements to acknowledge what measurement you should certainly get.
Besides the area, identify the quantity of food you will keep in the fridge. Mount a system that is little and you are going to lose some products. On the other hand, a huge device will certainly have gaps, which will not be cheap; thinking about those industrial refrigeration gadgets would certainly eat substantial amounts of power.
Purchasing a new commercial fridge is never ever affordable. Therefore, you need to observe regular commercial refrigeration services for your device to continue to be in leading running problem. There are maintenance tasks you can do on your own on a once-a-week basis like cleaning.
For the much more technical jobs, you really need an expert in commercial refrigeration services. Connect with your firm whether they have an upkeep program for your system.
You can acquire systems from commercial refrigeration professionals that come in different layouts. If you run a little cafe, as an example, after that you could need a glass screen fridge. If you are developing a dining establishment service, on the other hand, then go with large systems that can fit huge quantities of food items.
You should also acknowledge how to cleanse the system. Select one that is most problem-free on your element. If you're looking for cool rooms installations, you should get from a cool room dealership that offers a coolroom service.
The professionals, in addition to the brand names, will certainly make a large difference in your refrigerator use in the long run. If you are getting your system from a respectable company, you can stay clear of spending on expensive industrial refrigeration repairs and throwing out food in the future. Besides, you will probably be getting a widely known, warranty-backed, along with a durable product.
Look for examinations of carriers and also the particular brand before calming down.
As formerly gone over, commercial fridges will consume considerable amounts of energy as they will certainly execute substantial work.
While you would certainly pick gadgets that you can manage, you must likewise consider their power efficiency. Some low-priced fridges may rather cost you a great deal on power expenses in time.
Ascertain to get a gadget with an Energy Star rating. This is specifically critical if you're going for a trendy space setup Melbourne contractors are supplying.
Whichever sort of device you need for your business—walk-in cooler, display fridge, or glycol chillers Melbourne suppliers are offering—selecting the industrial refrigeration is vital for your earnings.
Normally, you require acquiring it from a relied on business. On that particular note, you can look at the best commercial units at nksrac.com.au. NKSRAC also offers cold storage refrigeration repairs.
Whether you are looking for a roll door manufacturer or repairs service provider, it is important that you choose a reliable company to go to. Here are a few tips to help you land on the right door shutters firm.
The number of years a door shutters company has been operating its business plays an important role in your hunt for the top company to hire. A company who has been on the business for an ample number of years tends to have a wider experience when it comes to manufacturing, providing repairs, and installation service on different types of roller shutters.
In your search for top-quality manual or automatic rapid roller doors Sydney has to offer, you must not overlook each door shutter company's customer feedbacks. Looking into client reviews will help you evaluate each individual door shutter firms and see if they are worth purchasing from or not.
Moreover, make sure you are reading genuine and unsolicited reviews from reliable review sites such as Yahoo, AngiesList, YellowPages etc.
The word of mouth is among the most effective ways that will help you select the best roll door shutters company to go for. You can ask your friends or family who have a roller shutter installed in their properties for recommendations and suggestions. The door shutter company that gets the most recommendations is generally the top dog.
You can never consider a certain roller door shutter manufacturer or service provider as reliable if they do not have any certifications and permits that prove they are authorized to do such business.
A reliable roller shutters firm will not have any problem presenting any certifications to show their business' legality. If one of your chosen company refuses to present the necessary certificates and permits, it is an early warning sign that tells you to go look for another firm.
A top-rated door shutter firm can offer a wide selection of roller door shutters to cater to the varying needs of their customers. If you are looking for a shutter that is convenient and easy to use, your chosen manufacturer must be able to offer high speed roller doors options.
A top-rated roll door shutters company must not only be able to offer good quality products and reliable service, but also an exceptional customer support. Some companies are so focused on their branding and marketing strategy that they often overlook the importance of being responsive to customer queries. Thus, a reliable door shutters firm should take pride in providing quality products while responding to customer questions in a professional and timely manner.
There are tons of roller shutters brand you can find on the market but only a handful will give you the best product and service you deserve as a customer.
If you are on the look for a company that offers great quality roller doors and a reliable service, you may visit Hold Fast Industries. They also offer automated high-speed door shutters and industrial freezer doors.
Curious About Kinesis and Cryptocurrency? Check This Out!
Cryptocurrency is an exceptional principle because of its cashless offer. Yet, it has its own share of problems. Supplying the highlight on its instability, it is hard to expect its worth which activates significant outcomes to crypto financiers. As a result, new cryptocurrencies like Kinesis has been developed to create exceptional improvements. However, before you try investing in this new currency, you need to figure out if Kinesis is backed by gold or silver.
When it concerns cryptocurrencies like Kinesis, listed below are leading concerns you must ask before dedicating to it.
1 – Are you preparing to purchase a from reliable business?
Kinesis backed by gold offers the best options and solutions to your business's financial resources. Thus, it's important to do a background check of the company, review their evaluations, and read their whitepapers. Basically just make ways to determine if their kinesis is backed by gold or silver.
Failure to check their legitimacy can lead you to a bad monetary investment. You can have a gold backed cryptocurrency with no genuine physical gold backing it up. You want to avoid such mistakes; thus, being meticulous about the organisation's reliability is the most vital action.
2 – Have you investigated how digital currency offers better stability in regards to worth?
3 – Have you studied the huge modifications of gold-backed Cryptos to the marketplace?
Gold Backed Cryptocurrency (GBC) is crypto money that bases its worth particularly to the estimate of physical gold. For instance, if Kinesis is backed by gold, it has the estimate of 1 KAU equivalent to 1gm of gold.
Other innovative financial requirements have their physical partners. For instance, silver and various important metals too, similar as 1KAG in Kinesis ITO which is comparable to 10gm of silver. This implies that Kinesis still holds it's value and is the very best readily available choice in the market today.
4 – Are you familiar with stability by reducing inflation of value?
Because the worth of metal-backed cryptos depends upon physical rare-earth aspects, the abrupt inflation and deflation of its worth were handled and lowered. Like the gold-backed cryptocurrency, 1 coin may be comparable to the rate of 1gm of gold. Needless to say, you can be sure that the worth of gold will not fall or increase substantially in the market, thus the crypto-coin will be the extremely exact same.
5 – Have you attempted purchasing genuine precious metals using a new metal cryptocurrency?
Yes, people can acquire rare-earth aspects with a cryptocurrency called Kinesis money. With the direct dependence of metal backed currency's worth to metal, gold and silver, it is safe to state that financiers and owners of such cryptocurrencies have their own physical gold, silver, or metal. With this, they can rapidly buy gold and silver with crypto anytime they prefer.
Upon the enhancement of digital currency backed by gold and silver, physical gold and silver have, in fact, returned to the market as its old function of being currencies.
You can even see such a concept as a mix of ancient currencies and modern platforms into one. You can use it to buy items or change it into any currencies worldwide relying on the worth of such rare-earth aspects.
If you desire more details on Kinesis money or their public sale ending in 40 days, visit https://kinesis.money/en/.
If you know the 1975 song "House for Sale" by Lucifer, you can tell a little bit what emotions are going through your mind when you are standing at that point when you need to sell your house. Selling your house is not just a transaction; it's a life changing experience. Wondering how to sell my house fast London and get the best value possible in the market?
It is not always an easy decision and it is not an easy process either. If you go back to the day you bought your house, you can probably still remember that awesome feeling you had when you signed all the papers and your realtor give you the keys to your new home. Together with your spouse you walked around in the empty house, imagining seeing the furniture you already ordered, placed exactly like you want them to appear.
You can probably still remember the first night you slept in your own house, and that first morning you woke up, knowing that you were sleeping in your own bed in your own home. Through the years that you have lived in that house you've made so many memories, with children growing up, parties in the backyard, friends coming over and all those dinners with family and friends.
But now, just like the singer says in the song says, you're standing in front of the house, looking at it knowing that it's time to say goodbye. It is time to sell my house fast London and possible get some good value for money. Although you always thought this would be the last thing you would be thinking of, now there is this big question running through your head, "how can I sell my house fast London"?
Well you don't have to grapple long with this difficult decision. Luckily for you, there are companies like White Knight Property solutions that can help you out with this. This company is specialized in helping their clients to sell their house very fast in cases of divorces, repossession, or some financial emergencies.
White Knight Property Solutions is the kind of Realtor Company in London that gets it done without any headaches for you. These real estate experts know what the market needs and how to get the best deals. They are so confident about their services that they will buy your house within 7 days, paying you in cash. In those moments when you urgently need the cash and don't have the time to arrange selling your house through the traditional real estate agencies, this company is like a white knight in shining armor coming to the rescue.
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In times where everything seems to get wrong in your life, working with White Knight Property Solutions will be like the one bright light at the end of the tunnel.
This is probably the most common mistake most homeowners do that irritates real estate agents. We get it; we all want to get the highest possible price for our house. However, if you have chosen an experienced real estate agent, chances are, they know how to price your home right. Real estate Sunshine Coast develops, for example, uses a system that ensures competitive pricing of properties. This system accounts all aspects concerning the property in relation to the current market. Check out rw noosa.
There are indeed, many sellers out there who will still try to insist, and even argue with their realtor about their home's selling price. Some will even try to explain about certain items inside and around the house and compare them to other houses in the neighborhood. While there is nothing wrong on being persistent, you will never get to sell your house fast, and for a good price, if you keep on insisting for a higher price on your realtor.
An open house used to present good opportunities for home selling, but that was years ago, before the invention of the internet and online selling's rise to popularity in Sunshine Coast. Times have changed however, and most buyers, if not all, will take the internet to find a property for sale Sunshine Coast over open houses. Online search is by far, the fastest and most convenient way to search for multiple properties, as people can pretty much do almost anything through their computers, especially in the first stages of home purchase. They can simply send an email, direct message, or even pick up the phone and call the agent to schedule for showing schedule.
The open house scheme has gone obsolete. Real buyers nowadays don't just roam the streets to search for perfect homes to buy.
Good realtors, like many real estate Sunshine Coast agents claim, know exactly how to highlight the best aspects of your property and minimize its negatives. When homeowners hang out in home showing, they make it hard for realtors to direct the conversation and make the sale. Most homeowners think they can help their realtor in selling by talking to prospective buyers. But most often than not, buyers can easily get discouraged from too much sales pitch.
Let your real estate agent handle the negotiation. Let your prospective buyer walk through the house unfettered.
If you have a land for sale Sunshine Coast investors developed, or anywhere near southeastern Queensland, visit real estate Noosa or http://www.rwnoosa.com.au today and get help from a professional realtor.


Working with our partners and associates we can provide solutions to meet the individual needs of each client through a customized claims handling strategy and administration programme, designed to exceed client's expectations and benchmark against leading third party administrators of Europe and North America.
We can white label systems into our client's brands with the objective of providing a transparent, efficient and cost effective solution that enables a hassle free outsourcing of the management of claims, recovery management and related services.
These Systems allow Insurance Companies to achieve higher efficiency, greater awareness and penetration of product sales to a larger section of people. The primary focus is to bring a reduction in claims cost by effective claims administration without compromising the customer service experience, and bringing new standards with the help of advanced IT solutions.
On line registration of claims by the Customer, Insurance Company, Broker or Agents and also directly at our Associates' offices.
Claims department of Insurance Companies will have access to claims information 24/7.
Capability to inform "Recovery" claims to Third Party Insurers electronically. The Third Party Insurer will be informed of the claim, with an access through a web link.
Customers will be updated on repair status and completion of repairs via sms.
Effective controls at all levels of Claims Management movement.
Savings will directly provide benefit by bringing better profitability to Insurers and Reinsurers.
Insurers can increase the portfolio of business they underwrite without increasing their Claims Management Team.
Recovery of claims handled on an "Exchange" platform between various Insurance Companies.
A Professional Administration Solution will enable the clients of insurers to be provided with a high degree of customer-centric services to satisfy each and every one of their requirements.
Clients will have access to a facility to register their claims "on line" and also upload vehicle documents like registration card and driving license copies, police report copy and accident vehicle's photographs.
Claim status can be viewed online 24/7, without the need to call or visit workshop for updates.
With processes enabling real time online uploading of documents, and notifications via sms and mobile, turnaround times of each claim will be reduced dramatically.
We can facilitate the availability and delivery of IT solutions and with the 24 hour support of call centres can provide a robust and comprehensive solution, either to end users or third parties and intermediaries seeking to provide a value offering.


text:
Asian Carp: Threat to Great Lakes
By Andy Soth Nov. 1, 2011
"You're taking your life in your own hands if you go waterskiing on some parts of the Illinois River," observes aquatic invasive species expert Phil Moy of the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant. He's talking about the Silver Asian Carp that have infiltrated much of the Mississippi River System.
The threat to life and limb comes from the carp leaping out of the water when startled by loud noise, like the roar of an engine. It's changed life and culture in communities along the Illinois River south of Peoria. Bath, Illinois, hosts an annual Redneck Fishing Tournament where fisherman compete for the largest haul of Silver Carp either by catching them mid-air with a net or just letting them flop into the boat. The most recent competition netted nearly nine thousand of the invasive fish.
The changes in the river have been much more dramatic, and destructive, for native species. The Silver carp and the related Bighead carp are crowding out more desirable fish. "They are quite prolific and they can compete directly with other fish that eat the plant plankton or animal plankton. And animal plankton forms the first food for essentially every sport fish species," says Moy.
That voracious appetite for plankton is the reason Asian carp were first imported to the United States. Commercial catfish farmers in the South employed them to keep their ponds clean and clear. But flooding allowed the fish entry into the Mississippi ecosystem.
As carp populations have expanded northward, the fish have gotten closer and closer to Lake Michigan. If they become established in the Great Lakes, they have the potential to wipe out a seven billion dollar fishery. "The commercial fishery regularly refers to itself as the largest fresh water fishery in the world" says Peter Annin, author of The Great Lakes Water Wars.
"Once the toothpaste is outside the tube, it's really hard to put it back in. And so, there's a lot of effort, energy going into preventing these Asian carp from ever entering the Great Lakes," says Annin.
The most direct route for the carp to reach Lake Michigan is through the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal which connects to the Des Plaines River which flows into the Illinois. The canal is a man-made link between the Mississippi and Great Lakes water systems constructed over one hundred years ago. It was a way for Chicago to flush its sewage away from Lake Michigan, the source of its drinking water.
To create a chokepoint to prevent the fish from getting any closer, the US Army Corps of Engineers has maintained an electric barrier on the canal. "Like a cattle fence that keeps those fish from moving to the next basin," says Kevin Irons of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
The barrier works by sending electrical waves into the water that repel fish. While it has been proven effective on test fish with transmitters, evidence of Asian carp upstream of the barrier has raised questions and a call to close the canal.
"For years, environmentalists have called for the closure of the Chicago artificial connection," says Annin. "They were kind of laughed away. The laughter has subsided somewhat in recent years because of the threat of the Asian carp knocking on the door of the Great Lakes."
Asian Carp: Threat to Great Lakes 10 March,2016Andy Soth
Explore: Biology, Environment, Television, Video, Water, Asian Carp, biodiversity, environmental DNA, fisheries, Great Lakes, invasive species, QUEST Wisconsin, television
Andy Soth
Andy Soth is a senior producer at Wisconsin Public Television based in Madison. His work has included environmental, technology and feature reporting for the magazine program, In Wisconsin, as well as numerous Web projects. He is content editor for WisconsinVote.org, which was recently named best election Web site by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association. The WBA, along with the Milwaukee Press Club and the Northwest Broadcast News Association have frequently honored Soth's television stories. In 1999, Soth shared in a national Emmy as segment producer for The :30 Second Candidate.
Soth has an MS in Life Sciences Communication from the University of Wisconsin and graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in Art History. He has also attended the WETA Producers Academy and was recently selected a Fellow for the Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources Asian Carp Institute.
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Jennifer M. Schlecht Mar 2nd 2018 - 3pm.
Tell us about your roles in agriculture?
I am an owner/operator of a farm and ranch in south central Montana. I am a fourth-generation farmer and work alongside my dad and husband. We raise wheat, corn, safflower, sunflower, malt barley, alfalfa and forage grains. My husband and I also have a small cow/calf operation.
You are the Montana Grain Growers Association's first female president. What can be done to get more women comfortable in taking leadership roles in agriculture?
I saw a comment a few weeks ago that stuck with me in terms of women's involvement in commodity organizations. Someone said, it was not that they did not feel welcome; they were just choosing not to. They wanted to devote time to 4-H, PTA, church groups, etc.
I had honestly never thought of it in that regard. There are certainly a lot of organizations that need volunteers and usually not enough time to do it all. I am hopeful, though, that women who do love policy see individuals such as myself, or Whitney Klasna (secretary of U.S. Cattlemen's Association), or Denise Conover (chairperson of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee) or Janice Mattson (past-chairperson of U.S. Wheat Associates) and realize that they can do this, they can be successful, and they can be comfortable in these roles.
I also think it is important for women to step forward if they are interested in these leadership roles. Sometimes we do not make it known that we are interested in an opportunity. If no one knows you are interested, they likely will not think to volunteer you for a role. I honestly elected myself to the Montana Grain Growers Association board in 2012 when I saw we did not have any candidates for director in my area.
Why did you decide to start blogging as Bigskyfarmher?
I have always liked writing and recently I have developed an interest in photography. I thought blogging was a great way to combine the two as well as provide my readers with a window into the life of a farmer. We are only 2 percent of the population, and my story is unique in a lot of ways in that I have spent so much time outside the agriculture community. I felt I had the ability to reach a lot of consumers in urban areas through my many friends from high school, college, and my career at UPS and Amazon.
You've written about your struggle with postpartum depression and the greater issue of mental health in rural areas. What do you see as the most important step to improve the outlook?
I think opening up about our experiences, offering a listening ear for others, and providing support whenever possible is an important step. For me, it was a huge relief just to be diagnosed with postpartum depression, because I suddenly knew that this was not normal, it was not supposed to be this hard, and there were options for recovery. Improving access to local mental health physicians and hospitals will also always be an important part of the equation for individuals who live in rural areas.
What do you see as the biggest obstacle facing your farm?
I think like many producers we are trying to find ways to improve our bottom line, cut costs and make it through the low price environment we currently find ourselves in. It is not easy to add another generation to the farm, and the transition period adds costs to the operation, and we are just working our way through that.


It got me thinking about the WFB of my youth. My friends and I used to get together over Christmas/winter break and play a giant multi-day game of WFB, trying to put as much of our armies on the table at once. We still used a pre-determined points limit. We also had some really basic scenario rules (usually just an objective, centered around capturing Santa Claus and his sleigh of goodies.) This was way back in the days of 3rd edition.
At any rate... thinking about a big game now. Bigger than what's pictured in the above image. Need to get back to painting!
Nice work, that is a good sized army. Really nice.
Impressive line-up so far, and looking good. Interesting to see what you add next though.
Heh, I didn't see the Figgybloggy thing before. My photo isn't very good, though.
Coming up next? Probably clearing out odds & ends of the spearmen, artillery crews, etc. just to finish off the figures I've got prepped. The big project I'd really like to do for thi army is to get a horde of halberdiers assembled & painted. That and get to work on those elephant riders I posed a few weeks ago.


Batch rename WordPress user_nicename - WordPress Optimized!
(If you know exactly what this is about, and just come in for the tricks, please go directly to the bottom of the post). If you don't know much about it yet, here is how it works for hackers.
In WordPress, username (user_login) is used for login and user_nicename is used to create author permalink. Username is chosen by user (or administrator), but user_nicename is an automatically generated, url sanitized version of user_login. Simply put, if there is no special characters in username, user_nicename is username.
Without extra protection, user_nicename can be obtained via author query. I.e., the username for login.
To login to a website, one requires username & password. When insecure easy password is used, hacker can easily test out a valid login using a real user login (abtained via author query) and a popular passwords list downloadable from the Internet. If you are interested in learning more about this, you can check my other post on this subject: WordPress security with WPScan: Username.
The bad news: user_nicename is not user changeable at WordPress admin dashboard.
"Is it that serious"? One may ask this question. Well, let's check it out.
I use a plugin called "Limit Login Attempts" as one security measure to tighten up the security on WordPress website. It limits the user login attempts, which very effectively helps in against brute-force attack.
The plugin offers a very important piece of information, an IP lockout log. It shows you in each lockout, what usernames have been used to login from which IP.
When I started to noticed real usernames were used to login by hackers (judged from IP), I changed the user_nicename so it is different from user_login. Very predictable, usernames showed in lockout records then changed to the new user_nicenames.
Apparently, hackers are using the default setting, which is conveniently accessible on most WordPress website default installation, to obtain the legit login username as their 50% of the key to start the brute-force attack. We need to stop this.
I use phpMyAdmin. For WordPress developer, this requires no further introduction.
For website with only a handful of users, the easiest way is to edit the user_nicename value in the database directly.
For website with more than handful of users, manual edit becomes tedious or even impossible. If so, here is the command I use to speed up. This command is useful when user display name is provided and different from username. For example, my username is: iamwebmaster, and the display name is "Jerry Wang". I can then compose the user_nicename to jerry_wang instead of using my real login username.
Security is really NOT just few tips and tricks, it is all about the right concept and good habit. As long as you follow the right security practice, have the right security measures applied on WordPress website, choose the right (strong) password as recommended. You are in a better position protecting yourself.
If you simply repeat what others tell you, no "admin" user, but don't know why. Your site can get hacked easily even you don't have an "admin" administrator user.


text:
Delphinium quercetorum är en ranunkelväxtart som beskrevs av Pierre Edmond Boissier och Hausskn.. Delphinium quercetorum ingår i släktet storriddarsporrar, och familjen ranunkelväxter. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Storriddarsporrar
quercetorum

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Mobile marketing is taking the real estate industry by storm. These technologies allow potential buyers to browse homes – inside and out – right from their smartphones. If your business relies on successful home staging, then QR codes can certainly make things much simpler for you. Here's how.
Smartphones have been an imperative part of the real estate business for years now. They allow realtors to snap photos of homes for prospective buyers, and the buyers can receive those photos in real time. What's more, smartphones offer up the perfect method of communication, particularly when it comes to setting up appointments for showings. However, with the introduction of QR codes, real estate agents and those in the home staging business have been able to automate more processes than ever. QR codes can store an abundance of information, which makes things simpler on everyone.
When someone decides to buy a home, one of the first things they will do is contact a trusted real estate agency to get listings. Thanks to the convenience of the internet, these individuals can send a quick email or even text message and get a list of available properties in response. Rather than contacting a real estate agent to go to showing after showing, it is possible for a realtor to include a QR code with each listing in an email or a link inside a text message. Then, all the prospective buyer needs to do is scan the QR code associated with the home they like to get all of the information they could ever need.
Staging a home for sale is truly an art. It takes plenty of knowledge to ultimately decide how to decorate a home to improve not only the length of time it takes to sell, but also the amount of money the property owner can get. Staged photos make it simpler for potential buyers to take virtual tours of dozens of homes at a time. They can view multiple photos of multiple rooms, all shot at different angles, to get an idea of what the inside of the home can offer. This process makes shopping even more convenient for the buyer, and it gives the real estate agent more time to work on staging the homes and closing the sales.
In today's day and age, people are quite used to instant gratification. Thanks to the internet and mobile technology, if they decide to buy something, all they have to do is pick up their smartphones and complete the purchase. Although buying a home is a little more complicated than simply putting an item in a cart and sending a payment, the gist of it is still the same. People don't have to wait for days to see a home; all they have to do is scan a code, and they can get all of the information they need.
Being able to automate the home staging and showing part of the real estate business is one of the best things any real estate agent or company can do to improve overall productivity and their bottom line. It makes things faster, simpler, and more convenient for everyone involved.


Mumbai/New Delhi: Concerned about producing a generation of children with hunched backs and other spine problems, India has denounced schools for making students carry heavy school bags and giving young children homework.
The government has issued weight guidelines for school bags depending on a child's age, citing studies that show how the load can affect soft, developing spines.
'If they (schools) plan, they can repeat the subjects taught and thus reduce the load. My kids find it difficult to carry so many books,' Tapke, whose children attend a private school in Mumbai, said.
'My frail daughter has to haul about 4-5 kgs of books in her school bag and also carry her lunch box and water bottle in a separate bag,' said driver Rajinder Shukla, whose child attends a school in most populous Uttar Pradesh state.


The National Parks Board is looking for a Senior Program Officer (Coastal and Marine Section).
The Coastal and Marine Section works towards providing Singapore with a strong basis to adopt a proactive, balanced and forward-looking approach to coastal and marine environment-related policy, management, and research-direction issues, consistent with Singapore's long-term economic and sustainable development goals. The Section also has the responsibility to ensure that our limited but rich coastal and marine biodiversity is conserved as part of Singapore's natural heritage.
Our interdisciplinary team undertakes a broad range of technical projects, including ecology & the environment, coastal dynamics, legislation & regulations and other technical areas of coastal and marine environment concern. An external committee of domain experts provides advice on these projects. Publication of results and policy recommendations for the conservation and management of the coastal and marine environment are key deliverables of the team. Team members are expected to work collaboratively with each other, and with counterparts working in related areas within NParks and other agencies.
The Senior Programme Officer will join a team of officers who manage technical projects, monitor key issues and support the day-to-day operations related to the goals of the Coastal and Marine Section. Preparation of reports and formulation of coastal and marine conservation policy will be key deliverables; supporting the team in the organization of technical meetings and conferences is also part of the scope of this position.
• At least two years' work experience in ecology, environmental management, coastal dynamics, environmental legislation or one related to the CME Programme will be a strong advantage. Fresh graduates who can show evidence of capabilities will also be considered.
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Business as usual should be history for the giving sector.
The recession should be spurring nonprofits, giving organizations and individual givers to regroup and find innovative ways to address urgent social and global needs that only are getting worse because of the growing economic crisis.
Three new studies underscore the need for givers and nonprofits alike to change the way they operate.
On study looks at steps U.S. foundations are taking to cope with the crisis, another looks at the need for U.S. nonprofits to fill key jobs, and a third says U.S. corporations and nonprofits could do more with pro-bono and skilled volunteers to offset a decline in corporate giving.
Foundations already are retooling their work, with nearly two-thirds expecting to reduce the number or size of their grants, or both, according to a new survey by the Foundation Center.
Over half the more than 1,200 foundations responding to the survey say they are responding to the crisis by taking on more work other than grantmaking, with two-thirds aiming to collaborate more, one-third planning to act as convenors, and one-fifth planning more staff-led work such as technical assistance, bridge and emergency financing, or advocacy.
Foundations also say they will tap a range of resources to fund their giving this year, with nearly 40 percent expecting to dip into their endowments.
Fourteen percent of foundations have made or launched, or plan to make or launch, special grants or initiatives to address the economic crisis, mainly by shifting existing grants budgets.
And in response to the economic downturn in 2000-02, nearly one-third of foundations say, they made operational changes, such as adjustments in their investment strategies or reductions in their operating expenses, that they believe better prepared them for the current crisis.
In a separate survey of nonprofit executive directors, Bridgespan Group finds a leadership deficit projected in 2006 may have widened in 2009 and that, despite tighter budgets, nonprofits already see a need to fill 24,000 vacant or new jobs, in areas such as finance and fundraising, in the face of growing management complexity and retirements by Baby Boomers.
Developing nonprofit leaders remains critical, Bridgespan says, with nearly three-fourths of 433 executive directors responding to the survey saying they value skills from the for-profit sector.
But despite big layoffs of corporate managers, 60 percent of those nonprofit executives believe they will not get enough qualified candidates.
The third survey, by Deloitte, finds that while nearly 40 percent of nonprofit executives say they will spend $50,000 to $250,000 of "hard-won" cash on outside contractors and consultants this year, 24 percent say they have no plans this year to use skilled volunteers or pro-bono support.
"The current economic crisis and the new [Obama] Administration's national call for service underscores the need for corporations and nonprofits alike to broaden their definition of corporate giving," says Barry Salzberg, Deloitte's CEO.
The ruins of the U.S. economy and capital markets can be the seedbed for innovation in the charitable marketplace.
Instead of bemoaning the obvious, which is that times are tough, nonprofits and givers alike can look for ways to work smarter and make a greater impact.
The giving sector, especially in the face of the continuing economic crisis, needs to retool its model for charitable giving and fundraising.
Nonprofits, for example, should start looking at building social media into their overall fundraising and communication strategies.
Often reluctant to move beyond traditional strategies, whether or not those actually produce positive results, nonprofits should look at social-media tools that are changing the way people communicate, connect and spur one another to action.
"If you don't get started now, you're going to be playing catch-up," says Beth Kanter, a social-media strategist who is serving as scholar in residence for nonprofits and social media at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation in Los Altos, Calif.
Consider Facebook, the wildly-popular online meeting place for young people that has been attracting a growing number of Baby Boomers.
Membership on the site hit 200 million active users in April, double the total just last August.
Or consider the unprecedented use of social media that Barack Obama made in raising money and recruiting supporters in his successful 2008 presidential campaign.
Kanter says nonprofits should be strategic about their use of social media, starting with small experiments linked to their marketing or fundraising plans.
At 3:01 p.m. on Dec. 13, 2007, one minute after the Case Foundation launched a social-media contest, promising to contribute $50,000 each to the four social-media campaigns that raised the most money, Kanter entered the contest, using several tests of social-media tools and strategies.
And while conducting those tests, she also was blogging to her network of readers about the progress she was making.
Through GlobalGiving, using an application on its site, along with email and blogging, she raised $43,000.
Altogether, including seven different campaigns she launched, plus the Case Foundation match, she now has raised over $215,000 for The Sharing Foundation, a charity that works to address the needs of children in Cambodia living in poverty.
In addition to starting small, Kanter says, nonprofits should pay close attention to what people are saying about their cause or organization in the blogosphere.
"You listen and you learn and you adapt," says Kanter, who with Allison Fine is co-writing a book, to be published by Wiley, about how social media are reshaping the way nonprofits operate, creating a more networked nonprofit.
And nonprofits cannot afford to ignore new social media, she says.
While nonprofits should "not throw out the baby with the bathwater," she says, they cannot stand still and simply expect old fundraising tools are all they will need in world increasingly driven by social media.
Nonprofits also should not use the failing economy as an excuse to avoid social media.
As they regroup and rethink how they do business to survive the economic crisis, nonprofits of course need to get back to basics.
But innovation always has been basic to the giving sector, and nonprofits need to begin testing social media and building those strategies into the way they operate.
The crisis in the financial marketplace should be sounding alarm bells in the charitable marketplace.
With the failure of the capital markets, the value of the endowments of U.S. foundations fell nearly as much last year as the total grants those foundations paid out over the past four years.
Despite those huge losses, foundation endowments still total roughly $550 billion, yet foundations are blowing a big opportunity to shape social and economic change because they continue to operate as passive investors, says Michael Passoff, associate director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Program at As You Sow.
Foundations typically delegate their proxy-voting responsibilities to investment managers who often vote the foundations' proxies based on recommendations from management of the companies in which the foundations own stock, say As You Sow and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
So foundations fail to influence corporate policies on a broad range of governance and business issues and even can support actions directly opposed to their own philanthropic values and goals.
Passive oversight of their investments also can put foundations at serious risk.
As The Wall Street Journal reported last week, that was a key message from New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in a fraud charge filed April 6 against J. Ezra Merkin, the former chairman of GMAC Financial Services who Cuomo says was a middleman for the convicted investment manager Bernard Madoff.
Big losses to charities that invested through Merkin underscore how charity boards fell down on the job, the Journal said.
A key step foundations can take to be more responsible investors in the charitable marketplace is to be more responsible investors in the capital markets, say As You Sow and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisers.
"The surge in shareholder scrutiny of financial matters that cut across the traditional 'governance' and 'social' divide should signal that foundations now have greater opportunity than ever to exert more influence in how companies conduct business," says Doug Bauer, a senior vice president at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisers.
Taking a more active shareholder role is an important step foundations should take to put their assets to more productive use in addressing the charitable purposes for which givers gave those assets to foundations in the first place.
Private foundations, which are required to pay out at least five percent of their assets in grants and overhead, typically do not pay out more than that minimum.
Community foundations, which do not face a mandated minimum payout, often pay out a bigger share of their assets than do private foundations.
But far too few foundations treat their investments as assets they can use to address the social and global problems they care about.
That is a huge waste because, as shareholders, foundations can play an important role in shaping the corporate and business policies of the companies in which they own stock.
Foundation boards have a lot to answer for: Their hoarding of assets, combined with plunge in the capital markets, has cost the charitable world billions of dollars that now will never be used to address urgent problems.
And in providing only passive oversight of the investment of their assets, foundation boards have acted as enablers of corporate boards and executives in setting and carrying out business strategies that have seriously damaged our economy, our environment and our national security.
For the fifth year, As You Sow and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisers have published a "Proxy Review" that aims to provide the leadership of foundations with guidance on shareholder proposals on social and governance issues directly related to their mission.
Also available on the websites of both organizations is a downloadable copy of their earlier publication, Unlocking the Power of the Proxy, which offers information on how foundations can exercise their fiduciary responsibilities in voting their proxies.
Foundations can do much more to address the economic crisis and the human toll it is taking.
Instead of hoarding their assets so they can perpetuate their wealth and the power, foundation boards should be voting to pay out more in assets and better fulfilling their governance role by taking a more active role as shareholders.
Foundations should be putting all their assets, including those they pay out and those they invest in the capital markets, to more productive use to address the critical and escalating social and global problems we face.
Should nonprofits 'strike' against foundations?
I work for a large foundation and agree with many of your points but also want to acknowledge that it can be complicated.
Our endowment must last into perpetuity and other foundations are not allowed to dip below corpus.
That means all of us have to manage spending to meet the obligations we have to the founders; meet our obligations to non-profits; and create a cushion so we can weather market downturns.
We, for example, make on average about 10 percent on our investments each year.
We spend 5 percent to meet federal tax regulations.
Inflation averages 3 percent so we really only make on average 2 percent a year.
That percent annual growth allows us to build up a cushion so we can maintain spending in down years.
We obviously make a lot more during the up years and lose a lot more during the down years but on average it works out to be fairly reasonable.
I do agree, though, that foundations can and should do more when the opportunity is there.
I also agree that nonprofits need to kick the habit.
The rate of return on grants can be appalling because the time invested in writing the grant can be disproportionate to the size of the grant.
I know this sounds crazy, but nonprofits could band together and refuse to take foundation money until the rules changed.
Foundations would get desperate to find places to spend their required 5 percent and would potentially come to the table to talk about real systemic change.
Nothing will change, though, as long as nonprofits are willing to spend four days applying for a $1,000 foundation grant.
It is clear that foundations need to be pushed to change and that we could and should do more.
We have no outside influencers to force us to change so please keep pushing.
In the same way the breakdown of the economy is forcing businesses and policymakers to change the way they operate, it should be prompting the giving sector to remake the way it does business.
And because the economy's collapse shows no sign of hitting bottom any time soon, the giving sector needs to get started on its makeover immediately.
Nonprofits and foundations typically find it tough to move outside their comfort zone and take a hard look at how they operate, but that is precisely what they must do.
Many of these groups have strayed beyond their mission, and many have become more preoccupied with perpetuating themselves than with truly serving their constituents.
To retool, nonprofits and foundations must get back to basics and find innovative ways to streamline their costs and improve their impact.
They need to move quickly because challenges for the giving sector are rising quickly.
Fewer than half of nonprofits raised more money in 2008 than the previous year, for example, and increases in fundraising lost a lot of ground, according to new data from the Association of Fundraising Executives.
And fundraising fell across the board, regardless of cause, organizational size, or geography, the data show.
Equally troubling, if not more so, is a new report from the Foundation Center that says assets of the more than 75,000 U.S. grantmaking foundations fell $149.4 billion in 2008, or nearly 22 percent.
That loss is nearly as much as the $165.4 billion in grants those foundations made over four years, from 2005 through 2008.
And the combined value of gifts to foundations will drop sharply this year from a record high in 2007, with foundation giving likely to decline even more, the Foundation Center says.
Instead of continuing to treat givers as automated teller machines, nonprofits must treat them as partners, involving them in their organizations, understanding their values and needs, and keeping them informed about the impact of their giving.
And instead of continuing to hoard their assets and treat nonprofits as supplicants, foundations must pay out more and treat nonprofits as partners, better understanding and addressing their operating and programmatic needs.
Lawmakers have given the giving sector tax-exempt privileges because it serves the indispensable role of taking on the symptoms and causes of critical social and global problems.
The giving sector, in short, can be a leading force for progress.
But it cannot make progress if it continues to act like it is entitled to special treatment.
What it must do, now more than ever, is justify the privileges it enjoys by adapting itself to an economy and a charitable marketplace that will never again be the same.
Indeed, the giving sector must help shape the new economy by redesigning the charitable marketplace to operate more fairly, efficiently, creatively and collaboratively.
Instead of fighting to protect their own turf, for example, nonprofits should think hard about consolidating back-office services, or even merging, with other nonprofits.
And instead of focusing on perpetuating their own wealth and power, foundations should think about pooling their assets with those of other funders, or finding innovative ways to put their assets to more productive use, such as making loans to nonprofits that help them equip themselves to stand on their own feet.
Before they can fix the world, nonprofits and foundations must fix themselves.


Kellee Maize was born in central PA in the 1980's. Her mom always says she was singing and dancing before she could talk and walk.
She moved to Pittsburgh to go to college with a dream of making an impact on the world. While attending the University of Pittsburgh she began performing live with hip hop bands. She was drawn to performing hip hop as an outlet for activism. After experiencing many life challenges including coming to terms with being adopted, watching her adoptive mother battle lung cancer, her adoptive father dying, and her birth mother rejecting her attempts at connecting, Kellee turned to music as a means to cope with depression and anxiety she faced. She also found inspiration from various metaphysical and new age teachings, like Zen Buddhism, which motivated her to share this wisdom to help others through her music.
Listen to Kellee Maize now.


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Engaged scholarship is the integration of education with community development. Ethical participatory research in education is introduced to high school and undergraduate curricula to serve the mutual benefit of students, faculty, and the communities that surround and support academic institutions. Engaged scholarship is a type of education, "that can be directly applied to social problems and issues faced by individuals, local communities, organizations, practitioners, and policymakers." Engaged scholarship originates from the perceived disconnect between academic research and practical research and knowledge that can be meaningfully used to solve problems in communities.

Engaged scholarship in practice

Engaged scholars can use social media as boundary-spanning technologies for the networking, framing, investigating, disseminating, and assessing aspects of their research so as to leverage insights from non-academic stakeholders and bridge the research-practice gap.

Engaged scholarship programs are emerging at a number of universities throughout the United States.

A program at UC Berkeley integrates curricula with community-based action for students to develop awareness of the social impact of the work they do in school and their intended profession. The American Cultures Engaged Scholarship initiative includes travel-to and work-with non-profit advocacy or action-based organizations to mobilize student power to help tackle social and environmental problems in the region. More specifically, a program for incoming engineering students integrates environmental justice work with academics that explore the impact that technical actors have on issues of social justice.

References

Educational practices
Community development


An aquaponic system is an example of an integrated farming method in which the waste byproduct from one production process, like raising fish and other seafood, serves as a nutrient for another part of the system—like growing plants, for instance.
The hydroponic crops in a recirculating aquaponic system use the nutrients from fish waste as fertilizer while the fish benefit from the plants' nutrient uptake capability to improve water quality. The treated water is recirculated to the plant grow beds and fish culture tanks via a pipe system.
"The fish tank and pump have the most significant impact on the initial and operational costs of these systems," said Ivaylo Nedyalkov, researcher at the University of New Hampshire whose team is studying ways to improve water flow for more efficient aquaponic systems.
Nedyalkov will present his team's research at the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics 71st Annual Meeting, which will take place Nov. 18-20 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The team also includes Todd Guerdat, assistant professor of agricultural engineering who is leading the biological aspect of the research, and researchers Hannah Thomas and Danielle Coombs.
Nedyalkov will focus on a study in which he investigated the water flow in a 2-meter-by-2-meter square (6.5 square foot) fish tank with rounded corners and two different inlet configurations. The first configuration included inlets at all four corners of the tank. The second one included inlets at two corners only.
A Vectrino acoustic Doppler velocimeter was used to map the flow at three different depths. Detailed repeatability and uncertainty analysis were performed to ensure the validity of the data.
"Initial results suggest that the configuration with fewer inlets and lower flow rate resulted in similar velocity profiles compared to those obtained with the configuration with more inlets and higher flow rate," Nedyalkov said. "Our research suggests that aquaponic systems can offer the same benefits using lower power consumption and thus decrease the operational cost of these systems."
"Aquaponic production is an ideal integrated farming model that produces fish and plants for food, both locally and sustainably, through the integration of recirculating aquaculture systems and hydroponic crop production," Guerdat said. "Our research is geared toward providing a model for integrating land-based aquaculture systems with hydroponic plant production systems that can be used locally and regionally to increase sustainable food production."


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← Lobbyland: How the lobbies hijacked school education
The perils of outsourcing (privatisation) on many fronts →
Deregulation or better regulation?
By Michael Keating | On 5 October 2020
Too often the public debate is around whether there should be less regulation, but typically regulation exists for a reason, and the issue should be how to regulate more effectively.
The Prime Minister has embraced deregulation as a prominent feature of his reform agenda. But what does that mean? For business, the catchcry of deregulation is welcomed as they see it as removing controls over them. On the other hand, too often, those people who have misgivings about a market economy react negatively to any suggestion of regulatory reform.
Instead, I contend we need to judge regulations by what they are intended to achieve, then how well they are working, and what are the costs and benefits to various legitimate interests. To illustrate this conclusion, I first consider the regulatory reforms introduced by the Hawke/Keating Governments and second, the possible reforms that Morrison has indicated that his Government is thinking about.
Regulatory reform in the Hawke/Keating era
I will argue that the key regulatory reforms of the 1980s did lead to improvements in the economy that were of widespread advantage to living standards and general welfare. This is probably a majority view, but there are some critics who believe that these reforms were a key element of a "neo-liberal" agenda which unreasonably preferenced individualistic market values and economic growth to the detriment of other values.
In fact, the three most important regulatory reforms introduced by the Hawke/Keating Governments were:
Deregulating the exchange rate and floating the Australian dollar.
Enterprise bargaining to improve productivity and the flexibility of the labour market.
Removal of industry protection.
First, floating the dollar, along with a more flexible labour market, are the principal reason why Australia was able to go for nearly thirty years without a recession. Avoiding the costs of a recession in terms of unemployment and loss of incomes is an enormous plus.
Maintaining full employment in Australia has always been more difficult because of our reliance on the export of primary commodities, and this in turn has made Australia especially vulnerable to external shocks. With a fixed exchange rate, there was no way of avoiding these shocks, which then flowed through to the domestic economy. But now the floating exchange rate acts as a shock absorber and mitigates the impact on the Australian economy from fluctuations in overseas demand.
Equally, the fact that Australia's labour market is now more flexible with enterprise bargaining, means that relative wage rates can more readily vary to encourage the redeployment of labour in response to shifts in industry demand. We continue to have a safety net, and award wages provide an alternative benchmark, if enterprise negotiations seem likely to fail. But the new flexibility in wage determination meant that for the first time, in the last mining boom Australia managed to achieve the necessary redeployment of labour to the new jobs, without setting off a wage explosion.
Second, the removal of protection for manufacturing industry meant that other non-protected industries were no longer disadvantaged competitively, and consumers gained from lower prices as well. The fear, however, was that lower tariffs would come at too high a cost to manufacturing itself and its workers. But in fact the volume of manufacturing production continued to increase after protection was removed, and it only peaked in 2007-08. This, of course, was almost two decades after protection was withdrawn, and the fall in manufacturing production after 2007-08, initially reflected the global financial crisis and then the increase in the real exchange rate associated with the subsequent mining boom.
Nor can it be shown that these regulatory reforms led to any increase in inequality. Instead, the increase in inequality over this period was largely driven by technological progress, which hollowed out middle-level jobs. Furthermore, the Hawke-Keating Government's fiscal policies responded to largely minimise that negative impact from new technologies on the distribution of income. (see my book, Fair Share, co-authored with Stephen Bell, and my article, "Why Blame Neo-Liberal Economics, poste in Pearls & Irritations, 17 July, 2017).
Nevertheless, I also agree that regulatory reform in the Hawke/Keating era was not perfect, and some mistakes were made. The critical issue is whether these mistakes were of sufficient gravity that the regulatory reform should not have proceeded.
Two examples of mistakes in regulatory reform in the 1980s and 1990s of which I have some familiarity are:
Banking deregulation, and
The provision of vocational education and training (VET).
In both cases the key mistake was to put too much trust in markets to preserve the quality of service provision. Subsequent experience suggests that there is not always sufficient consumer sovereignty and/or competition cannot be relied upon to ensure that business always then acts in the customers' interests.
Thus a response to banking deregulation was that some banks took excessive risks in a more competitive less regulated market to increase their share of that market. Consequently, some banks went broke when their borrowers defaulted during the 1991 recession, and some other banks nearly did. However, the authorities responded by re-tightening prudential regulation, including insisting upon greater bank capitalisation, and this is a principal reason why Australia later avoided the financial collapses experienced in some other countries during the GFC.
Similarly, initially the regulatory framework for VET in most States was very poor when VET was first opened up to private providers. However, the experience in South Australia, which did insist that only the best private performers would be eligible for public subsidies was that their training outcomes improved, and the unit cost came down. So again, it is the quality of the regulation that matters, rather than whether or not to regulate.
In sum, I suggest that both these two cases of banking deregulation and the private provision of VET services illustrate that regulatory reform can produce net benefits, but the new regulatory regime needs to be carefully designed, and reform does not mean little or no regulation.
The Morrison regulatory reform agenda
To date the Morrison Government's regulatory reform agenda has highlighted:
Industrial relations reform – the hardy perennial of conservative governments
Skills and training
Financial deregulation
Simplifying environmental regulation
Industrial Relations Reform is being pursued using five working groups comprised of employer and union representatives, as well as some individual experts, and covering:
Award simplification
Enterprise agreement making
Casuals and fixed term employees
Greenfields agreements
From the limited public information, it would appear that these working groups are only intended to fine tune the regulatory system for industrial relations, and no revolutionary changes are contemplated. Even so it appears that none of the working groups have been able to achieve agreement, and the government may have to make its own decisions on any changes if it wants to proceed.
I also think the evidence shows that the Australian labour market is now very flexible and therefore not much further change is needed. I acknowledge that the changes introduced under JobKeeper to allow the employer to redeploy the labour within a firm were useful in that context, but how much difference they would make and whether they are necessary in a buoyant economy is less certain.
To my mind, the starting point in any consideration of changes to the industrial relations regulatory system should be a focus on what is necessary to protect the wages and job security of workers, both of which have fallen in recent years. This has damaged aggregate demand and is the principal reason for the economic stagnation experienced since around 2013.
If employers were prepared to concede how best to improve these protections, then it might be possible to make more progress on the other issues that could further improve labour market flexibility.
Skills and Training: Much of the Morrison Government's agenda for skills and training reform relates to changes in the funding arrangements, but the agenda also includes review of the arrangements for the regulation of the quality of training and the number of qualifications and competencies approved.
This agenda is fine as far as it goes, but it misses the two most important issues. These are (i) the nature of skills needed in the future and how these are taught, and (ii) workforce development and the use of skills in the workplace (see my article posted in Pearls & Irritations, posted 2 July, 2020 for more detail).
Financial regulation reform: Only a year ago the Hayne Royal Commission found that financial regulation in Australia was sound. The main criticism was that it needed to be better enforced. And we have seen what can go wrong when financial regulation is inadequate – in the 1991 recession in Australia's case, and in the GFC elsewhere.
Now however the Morrison Government wants to relax the financial regulation of bank lending to make it easier for customers to obtain a loan in future. No evidence has been produced that such a change is needed. Instead the risk is that mortgage defaults and bankruptcies will increase in future if loans are too readily available without sufficient regard for the credit risk.
Indeed, it is ironical that the Government wants to avoid propping up zombie businesses through the extension of JobKeeper, while it is encouraging their creation through poor lending practices.
Environmental regulation: The Government proposes to simplify and reduce the time taken for businesses to achieve environmental approval by handing the responsibility over to the States. This could work, but there is a need for care, and the Government has ignored the major concern that in many instances the environmental regulations have not been properly enforced.
It is therefore worrying that the Government apparently does not intend to act on the recommendation from its own review to establish an authority to better enforce environmental regulation in future. This would seem to be even more important if approval of projects under those regulations is to become the responsibility of the States.
In present circumstances it is not surprising that many people are suspicious of calls for regulatory reform that imply more deregulation. Too often these calls for deregulation come from vested interests and ignore what the purpose of the regulation is, and what is necessary to ensure that this purpose can continue to be protected.
Instead of just removing the regulations we need to review whether there are changes that could be made that would achieve the original purpose of the regulation more effectively.
Michael Keating
Michael Keating is a former Secretary of the Departments of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Finance and Employment, and Industrial Relations. He is presently a visiting fellow at the Australian National University.
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