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Impact on respirable dust levels when operating a flooded-bed scrubber in 20-foot cuts
By Colinet, Jay. ; Reed, W. R. ; Potts, J. Drew.
Source: Report of investigations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) ; 9693
Series: Report of investigations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)
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Title : Impact on respirable dust levels when operating a flooded-bed scrubber in 20-foot cuts Personal Author(s) : Colinet, Jay.;Reed, W. R.;Potts, J. Drew.; Corporate Authors(s) : National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Office for Mine Safety and Health Research. Published Date : December 2013 Series : Report of investigations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health);DHHS publication ; no. (NIOSH); Source : Report of investigations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) ; 9693 URL : https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/21408 Journal Title : Report of investigations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health);DHHS publication ; no. (NIOSH);
Colinet, Jay. ; Reed, W. R. ; Potts, J. Drew.
Colinet, Jay. ; Reed, W. R. ; Potts, J. Drew. Less -
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Office for Mine Safety and Health Research.
Underground coal mining companies that operate continuous miner sections often apply to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) for approval to take extended cuts to depths of up to 40 ft as a means of improving productivity. Historically, MSHA has granted approval of this practice if the mine has successfully demonstrated the ability to control the roof, methane, and respirable dust while extracting these extended cuts. A key component for controlling dust generated by continuous miners in 40-ft cuts has been the utilization of flooded-bed scrubbers. These fan-powered scrubbers pull dust-laden air from the mining face and remove respirable dust particles by passing the collected air through a wetted filter panel. The filtered air is then discharged back into the mine atmosphere. To effectively use scrubbers in faces that employ exhaust ventilation, the return ventilation curtain or tubing should be located outby the scrubber discharge on the continuous miner, which results in a setback distance from the face of approximately 40 ft. Over the last several years, MSHA has emphasized that mines demonstrate effective dust control before granting approvals for taking extended cuts with extended curtain setbacks. Each mine operator must successfully demonstrate control of workers' dust exposures in standard 20-ft cuts before MSHA considers approving extended cuts.
The goal of the research conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was to compare dust levels generated in 20-ft cuts when using traditional exhaust face ventilation without a scrubber to dust levels in 20-ft cuts when using extended curtain setbacks with a scrubber operating. Dust surveys were completed at three mines, with area and personal sampling conducted to quantify respirable dust concentrations on a cut-by-cut basis. Dust sampling results did not show a statistically significant difference (Wilcoxon two-sample test, α = 0.05) in respirable dust concentrations between these two test conditions (scrubber-on and scrubber-off) at the continuous miner or shuttle car sampling locations at the face. However, with the scrubber operating, respirable dust concentrations in the return airstream downwind of the continuous miner showed reductions of 91%, 86%, and 40% at Mines A, B, and C, respectively. The reductions at Mines A and B were found to be statistically significant when using the Wilcoxon test. Likewise, reductions in respirable quartz dust levels in the continuous miner return were observed at all three mines, with statistically significant reductions of over 80% observed at Mines A and B. Although operation of the flooded-bed scrubber did not impact respirable dust levels in the face area, it did significantly reduce respirable and quartz dust levels downwind of the continuous miner. Consequently, operation of the flooded-bed scrubbers, in conjunction with the dust controls required in the MSHA-approved ventilation plans at these mines, was advantageous from a respirable dust control perspective.
Suggested citation: NIOSH [2013]. Impact on Respirable Dust Levels When Operating a Flooded-bed Scrubber in 20-foot Cuts. By Colinet JF, Reed WR, Potts JD. Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication 2014–105, RI 9693.
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 20043447
Report of investigations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) ; 9693
Report of investigations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) ; DHHS publication ; no. (NIOSH)
Report of investigations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) ; DHHS publication ; no. (NIOSH) Less -
urn:sha256:36d5ce34459f123b18ac841fbf9166fbd34a060c5b1fcdd087b81dae047574e7
Self-contained self-rescuer long term field evaluation; combined eighth and ninth phase results
Title : Self-contained self-rescuer long term field evaluation; combined eighth and ninth phase results Corporate Authors(s) : National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory;National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health;United States, Mine Safety and Health Administration.; Published Date : October 2006;2006; Series : Report of Investigations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) ; 9671 URL : https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/7052
[PDF - 21.85 MB]
National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory ...
October 2006 | Report of Investigations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) ; 9671
"The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) and the Mine Safety and ...
Development of a mine hoist and ore pass research facility
Title : Development of a mine hoist and ore pass research facility Personal Author(s) : Beus, Michael J.;Ruff, T. M.; Corporate Authors(s) : Spokane Research Center (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) Published Date : February 1997 Series : Report of investigations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) ; 9637 URL : https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/6363
Beus, Michael J. ;
Ruff, T. M.
February 1997 | Report of investigations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) ; 9637
"A hoisting and ore pass research facility was developed at the Spokane Research Center, Washington to assess methods for improving the safety of mine...


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Hong Kong's richest family, the Kwoks, loses US$8 billion in a single year
Mr Thomas Kwok recently returned to a company subsidiary after serving time in jail on a corruption sentence. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
https://str.sg/Jn25
HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) - If ever there was a bad time to own the biggest developer in the world's most expensive real estate market, this would be it.
Just ask the Kwoks. The family behind Hong Kong's largest property empire has seen its fortune shrink by almost US$8 billion (S$10.97 billion) in the past 12 months, the steepest drop among Asian clans on Bloomberg's ranking of the world's wealthiest dynasties.
Battered by Hong Kong's worst political and economic crises since at least 1997, shares of the Kwoks' Sun Hung Kai Properties are now trading at less than half the value of the company's net assets - within a hair's breadth of the most depressed level on record.
The sell-off is more than just bad news for Hong Kong's richest family, which will endure with a diminished net worth of US$30 billion; it also reflects a sobering outlook for the city as a whole.
With its portfolio of office towers, hotels, shopping malls and apartment blocks, Sun Hung Kai has more riding on Hong Kong's success than almost any other company. The stock's dismal performance - especially at a time of soaring equity valuations globally - points to mounting investor concern that the free-wheeling financial hub's best days are over as China tightens its grip on the city like never before.
"The long-term value of these assets is tied to Hong Kong and the integration of Hong Kong into China," said Professor Gilles Hilary at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, referring to the city's developers as a group. "Growth in the future will not be as high as in the past."
While the Kwoks have repeatedly expressed confidence in Hong Kong and the group's chairman came out in support of the city's controversial new national security law, they have also been taking steps to diversify - particularly into mainland China.
Sun Hung Kai, which appointed its first board member from the mainland in August 2019, is building one of its biggest commercial projects in Shanghai and paid US$1.9 billion last year for a parcel of land in the coastal city of Hangzhou. The firm's largest new investment in Hong Kong is also geared towards China: In November, it spent a record US$5 billion for land that sits atop a new cross-border railway station. China's Ping An Life Insurance later acquired 30 per cent of the project.
Sun Hung Kai's push to increase ties with the mainland is understandable, given the challenges in Hong Kong, but it is far from a surefire strategy, said Mr Jackson Wong, asset-management director at Amber Hill Capital in Hong Kong. The city's developers have long struggled to generate outsized returns in China, in part because they lack the guanxi, or personal relationships, that often underpin business success on the mainland, Mr Wong said.
In an e-mail response to questions from Bloomberg News, Sun Hung Kai said it remains focused on Hong Kong and plays a key part in supporting the city's role as a financial centre. "The group would maintain its strong focus on Hong Kong in the future as it has full confidence in the One Country, Two Systems principle," Sun Hung Kai said. The company has about 80 per cent of its assets in the city and the remainder on the mainland.
The Kwoks have a history of defying sceptics. When the Asian financial crisis and Sars plunged Hong Kong into one of its worst property bear markets from 1998 to 2003, the family invested heavily to build the International Finance Centre, noted Mr Philip Zhong, an analyst at Morningstar. The office and mall complex in the city's Central business district is now one of Sun Hung Kai's most iconic properties, commanding some of the highest rents worldwide.
Hong Kong billionaires break silence, urge protesters to ease off
Hong Kong developers slash retail rents by up to 60% amid coronavirus battle
HK's property prices prove resilient in face of protests
Hong Kong tycoon Walter Kwok's sons inherit US$3.1b stake in developer Sun Hung Kai Properties
With trophy assets, plenty of cash and more than 129 million sq ft of land between Hong Kong and mainland China - an area about one-fifth the size of Manhattan - the Kwoks can weather a property-market slump, said Professor Joseph Fan, a finance professor at Chinese University of Hong Kong. "The family and the group are financially sound, enabling them to endure a long and cold winter," he said. "Having deep pockets helps."
Meanwhile, Sun Hung Kai's stock could become a tempting target for bargain hunters. Anyone who bought when the company's valuation last sank this low in August 1998 would have more than tripled their money in two years, data compiled by Bloomberg shows.
That said, there are plenty of reasons to doubt a similar recovery this time around. In the short term, Hong Kong is still grappling with the economic fallout from anti-government protests and a resurgent coronavirus. The city is mired in its deepest recession on record, office vacancy rates are the worst in 15 years, shopping-mall rents are plunging and home prices have slipped from all-time highs.
Even if some of those headwinds fade, the longer-term risk for the Kwoks is that China's increasingly assertive role in Hong Kong erodes the city's appeal as a financial and commercial hub.
A majority of US businesses surveyed by the American Chamber of Commerce in July said they were worried about the new security law, with nearly one-third saying they would consider moving assets, capital or operations out of Hong Kong in the medium to long run. A related concern is the threat of American sanctions on Hong Kong after United States President Donald Trump's administration began rolling back the city's special trading privileges - part of its effort to punish China for undermining the former British colony's autonomy.
Declining business confidence could put pressure on the city's commercial rents, even if demand from mainland Chinese companies increases. A similar dynamic also risks playing out in the residential market as more Hongkongers and expatriates move overseas, according to Mr Patrick Wong, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.
The Kwoks will have to cope with all of this while navigating some unusually complex succession issues.
Mr Raymond Kwok, 67, the youngest of three second-generation brothers, has been chairman of Sun Hung Kai since December 2011. Analysts do not expect that to change any time soon, but uncertainty around the company's next generation of leaders has increased in recent years. Mr Raymond Kwok's brother Walter died in 2018, passing his stakes in Sun Hung Kai to two children. Thomas, the third brother, recently returned to a company subsidiary after serving time in jail on a corruption sentence.
While several third-generation Kwoks have important roles at Sun Hung Kai, it is unclear whether any have emerged as contenders for the top job. Mr Thomas Kwok's son Adam runs the company's property business in southern China, while Mr Walter Kwok's son Geoffrey manages the hotel division. Mr Raymond Kwok's eldest son, Edward, is his alternate director; and younger Christopher oversees sales, project management and leasing of residential and commercial properties.
The Kwoks have a mixed track record when it comes to corporate governance, notes Prof Fan of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In 2008, for example, a family feud roiled the company and led to Mr Walter Kwok's ouster as Sun Hung Kai's chairman.
"It remains to be seen whether the third generation is capable of dealing with the many challenges ahead," Prof Fan added.
BILLIONAIRES/MILLIONAIRES
PROPERTY MARKET/SECTOR

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Dr. Axel Rauschmayer's free to read online, deep & delicious book.
Know what supports what and how.
Some vanilla JS resurgence ie."no framework"
Read: What happened to web components?
will somehow make a cross platform browser. it will be the best one you've ever used.


Ashutosh is a software engineer working at EnterpriseDB. He has more than 6 years of experience in DBMS development, with special expertise in distributed RDBMS. He is one of the core members of the Postgres-XC development team. His other interests include distributed computing, music technologies and sound engineering.


text:
HomeNewsSUVs
Most capable full-size SUV for towing? The 2018 Ford Expedition, again
Aaron Cole Managing Editor
One of the last provinces for full-size SUVs are its ability to haul, tow, drag, or lug myriad toys up and down interstates, from one campsite to the next.
After all, car-based seven-seaters can offer the same interior space with better fuel efficiency and a better ride.
Eager to hold the high ground, Ford's new Expedition can lay claim to the superlative of best-in-class towing potential among full-sizers. It took the crown from itself.
The company announced Thursday that the new 2018 Ford Expedition can be equipped to haul up to 9,300 pounds attached to its stern. Ford measured the capability using the widely accepted—and more stringent—J2807 SAE standard.
The new Expedition will come equipped with a 3.5-liter turbocharged V-6, which Ford calls EcoBoost, and a 10-speed automatic as standard. Last year's version was equipped with the same engine, but a 6-speed automatic instead, and was rated to tow up to 9,200 pounds when equipped with a Heavy Duty Tow Package. The package included a heavy duty radiator, auxiliary transmission oil cooler, hitch, and wiring kit for $560 on lower models, but was standard on Expedition Limited, Expedition King Ranch, and Expedition Platinum versions.
Ford didn't specify if the 9,300-pound rating was with an optional package, or what the rear axle ratio for the Expedition would be when it arrives later this year.
MUST SEE: 2018 Ford Expedition video preivew
Nissan uses the same SAE standard to rate its V-8-equipped full-size 2017 Nissan Armada, which tows up to 8,500 pounds. Samesies for Toyota, who says its 2017 Toyota Sequoia is rated to tow up to 7,200 pounds.
The Tahoe/Yukon twins from GM? The best they can do—for now—is 8,600 pounds in certain versions of the 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe, which is equipped with a 5.3-liter V-8. The more powerful 2017 Cadillac Escalade tops out at 8,300 pounds.
In theory, GM could make it a competition in years to come—if they wanted. For 2018, Chevy announced it would equip the Tahoe with a 6.2-liter V-8 in a performance version of the Tahoe, which is based on the Silverado pickup. The Silverado, with the same engine, is rated to tow more than 10,000 pounds with that engine when equipped with a taller rear axle ratio. Chevy already announced that the 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe RST would be rated to tow up to 8,400 pounds, but the hardware is on the shelf to bring it up higher.
Of course, that would sink the overall fuel efficiency for the Silverado, but bragging rights have no logic.
2018 Ford Expedition News Ford News News SUVs
Ram pickup could spawn new full-size SUV
The most important new crossover SUVs for 2020
2021 Honda Ridgeline priced, 2021 Audi Q5 Sportback preview, Tesla touchscreen recall request: What's New @ The Car Connection
Best performance cars of 2021, Toyota Land Cruiser revisited, Hyundai Ioniq 5 teased: What's New @ The Car Connection
Looking ahead to 2022 cars, Hyundai Kona N teased, Nio solid-state flagship teased: What's New @ The Car Connection


text:
require 'mkmf'

have_func("labs", "stdlib.h")
have_func("llabs", "stdlib.h")

create_makefile('bigdecimal')

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
We chat with the developers behind Xperia PLAY exclusive FIFA 12
by XB on 1st December 2011
in Games, Xperia PLAY
EA Mobile has officially launched FIFA 12 today. The blockbuster game will be an exclusive on the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY until February 2012 and as confirmed yesterday it will be FREE for a limited period. You can find FIFA 12 on the Xperia PLAY game launcher and you'll need around 1.5GB of space on your SD card.
FIFA 12 has improved upon FIFA 10 in several areas including gameplay depth, authentic commentaries, updated teams from the top leagues and new replay systems. Interestingly, we are told that FIFA 12 will also be available exclusively on the wider Xperia range in due course.
Sony Ericsson held a live webchat for the media yesterday with EA Mobile. We've included excerpts of the transcript below that is well worth a read. You can read how EA Mobile ported FIFA 12 to the Xperia PLAY, improvements it has made to the game as well as thoughts on the Xperia PLAY hardware. Read it all below.
Live webchat transcript discussing FIFA 12 on the Xperia PLAY
Below are excerpts from a live webchat that took place on 30 November to discuss the launch of FIFA 12 on the Xperia PLAY. In attendance was Tim Harrison, Head of Content Marketing & Strategy at Sony Ericsson who hosted the call and Andrei Lazarescu and Alexandru Ruse from EA Mobile.
Andrei Lazarescu has produced FIFA games on mobile platforms since 2009 and when not creating FIFA for mobile devices, he enjoys gaming and getting on the pitch himself.
Alex Ruse has been working in mobile gaming for the past six years and on FIFA since 2010. He considers it an honour to work on such a globally renowned franchise with such a talented team, heralding FIFA as one of the most challenging yet exciting projects he's worked on during his career.
FIFA12 requires no introduction, it's a huge global franchise and the release has been a huge hit, most recently on consoles with the recent FIFA12 launch, so what will this latest instalment bring to Smartphone gaming?
Andrei Lazarescu: This year, fans can expect greater gameplay depth, authentic commentaries, updated teams from the world's top leagues, and new replay systems and stadium designs to make for a more powerful FIFA mobile experience.
What was the most challenging aspect of taking a huge game like FIFA 12 and porting to the Xperia PLAY?
Andrei Lazarescu: A lot of things, but surely the most important one is optimizing the engine so that it could run on a mobile platform. We're really proud of what we have managed to achieve this year, we think fans will agree that the game is a beautiful game and also adapted to the Xperia Play.
How has the game been optimized for the Xperia PLAY?
Alex Ruse: One of the things we spent the most time on was the controls. We went through a lot of iterations to make sure they fully exploit both the touchscreen, and the hardware PLAY controls.
Regarding the multiplayer aspect of the game: is it going to support servers or only have local options like Bluetooth.
Alex Ruse: For our first foray into Android, we wanted to make sure we get the football gameplay just right, and that we fit perfectly with the platform. So no multiplayer right now, not in the first release. We want the single-player to be 100% right first.
Did you feel limited in any way by the Xperia PLAY hardware when developing FIFA 12, or were you able to keep your original vision intact?
Andrei Lazarescu: We have managed to include in the initial release all the features that were planned for and the Xperia Play hardware even allowed us to have top notch graphics.
What do you think has been the biggest step forward with this iteration?
Alex Ruse: Definitely the graphics and the football engine. It's an amazing experience, and everyone play testing this was blown away by the new visuals. It runs silky smooth, and the PLAY controls really blend in with that.
When you look at FIFA 12 for the consoles: where there any key aspect like physics or something you definitely wanted to carry over to the Xperia PLAY version?
Andrei Lazarescu: We would have definitely wanted to emulate the ball and player physics from the console version. However, the mobile platform doesn't yet allow us to use the full engine of the console version.
Based on the other titles EA have produced as exclusives for the PLAY, do you think PLAY owners sway towards the sporting genre as it's most popular? What kind of gamer has the PLAY predominantly attracted, based on the sales of your titles?
Tim Harrison: Certainly sports is a popular category. Shooters too. The physical gamepad certainly lends itself very well to any games that utilise directional rather than gestural controls
Andrei Lazarescu: I think we got really close, the game flow is very enjoyable and users have a lot of possible plays at their disposal.
With graphics being a huge part of gaming do you see a Tegra 3 version of the game coming in the future or will the current version perform better with that type of CPU?
Alex Ruse: At the core of the FIFA franchise, our vision is to create the most authentic FIFA experience that fosters one of the largest football communities on the planet so the team took special care to ensure that authenticity carried through on PLAY.
Tim Harrison: That said, we're seeing a very broad range of content downloaded on PLAY – it isn't easy to generalise. PLAY just makes good games even greater and owners are responding!
In terms of market share where do you see mobile gaming for this series in comparison with the PSP market? Will it outsell in volume the number of units sold?
Alex Ruse: The current version won't be significantly improved running on Tegra's but the engine we built is very capable and expandable. It will should allow us to scale gracefully on anything I can think of at least for a year.
How long is the Xperia Play exclusivity period? Once this comes to other devices will we see it optimized for Android tablets as well as handheld devices?
Tim Harrison: The title will be exclusive on Android to Xperia until February. And we're delighted it will also be coming to the wider Xperia family very soon.
Alex Ruse: We're certainly seeing major growth on mobile gaming right now, with the platforms becoming increasingly more powerful. Hard to speculate on who will come out on top, but we're really excited about the upcoming mobile games, and the market trend.
According to you, what part of FIFA 12 is more awesome in this version?
Andrei Lazarescu: The whole game is more awesome! To highlight the two things I am most excited about I would have to say the graphics and the controls. The player models and animations are top notch and the controls are beautifully adapted to both the PLAY hardware buttons and touch screen.
Did you use a previous FIFA android engine or the engine from a FIFA 12 console game?
Alex Ruse: The engine is not based on a previous Android one. We used a lot of knowledge and libraries from the Console team into building an optimized, high-end smartphone engine.
Is FIFA 12 cross platform between Xperia Play and PSP for example?
Alex Ruse: No, FIFA 12 Xperia and the PSP version are quite different games right now. There won't be any cross-play or anything like that for now.
And what are the key differences/improvements between FIFA 10 and FIFA 12 on the Xperia PLAY?
Andrei Lazarescu: The most significant difference is the engine. As mentioned earlier, for FIFA 12 we have created a completely new engine and have adapted it to the mobile platform. All game areas have been completely revamped: AI, controls, speech, chants, graphics and menus.
As developers, how confident are you in the Xperia Play's ability to compete as a gaming platform alongside faster multi-core phones over the next year?
Alex Ruse: We were pretty amazed by the PLAY's performance during development. It really is a very powerful device. I don't think it will become obsolete in a year's time, developers won't really build for just one super high-end device. And upgrading game engines takes time too.
Will Ultimate Team ever be part of the game on the mobile?
Alex Ruse: Nothing to announce on Ultimate Team just yet. That said, we feel it really fits with the mobile gamer, the freemium mobile model, and it's a superb game mode to take on the go.
PES and FIFA have always been compared, with this mobile variant are the key features that make FIFA stand out, the same as with its console counterpart?
Andrei Lazarescu: We're on a different market here, the mobile one. We have adapted the game to fit both the device and the market we're in so for this release we have focused on the core features: controls, AI and graphics. Right now, we believe these are the features that make the game stand out. At the same time, this version meets the same FIFA brand values that we are used to.
Was it challenging to provide the same feeling of playing FIFA like on consoles?
Andrei Lazarescu: I believe PLAY is the closest to replicating the console experience in smartphone gaming.
What is the minimum hardware spec needed to make the game run when it's released for other handsets?
Alex Ruse: Ballpark figures, the engine should run smooth on at least 600MHz CPU, PowerVR SGX 535 graphics and at least 256 MB of RAM. That's the lowest, but it can scale very well to monster devices, with dynamic shadows, lighting, weather conditions, antialiasing, background audio mixing and animated crowds.
Have you had any feedback from footballers who have played FIFA 12 on the Xperia PLAY? And were any of them involved in the development of the mobile game?
Tim Harrison: Well, we sent Jack Wilshere a PLAY to take his mind off things, and he thanked us at least.
Andrei Lazarescu: We know that footballers, as well as athletes outside the sport are loyal FIFA fans. PLAY gives them another way to experience it.
Tagged as: EA Mobile, Games, Sony Ericsson, Xperia PLAY
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text:
Photo by TED Conference on Flickr
First the good news: extreme poverty halved between 1990 and 2010. This amazing fact shows what is possible. But still 1 in 10 people in the world live on less than $1.90 a day. In nearly 25 years, the average annual income of the poorest 10% of people in the world has risen by less than $3 and their daily income by less than a single cent each year.
Even the world's wealthiest countries have pockets of extreme deprivation. In some of the poorest regions of the American south, such as Alabama, poor sanitation means people still suffer from intestinal parasites more commonly found in developing countries. In the US economy, a rising tide doesn't lift all boats: instead, the poorest are sinking. In 2018, the UN's special rapporteur on extreme poverty in the US found the poor were "becoming a more deprived and destitute class". In the UK, the number of people dying from homelessness has more than doubled in the last five years.
And it's clear that we could be going further and faster if it weren't for our broken economic system.
Finance has the potential to lift people out of poverty. But all too often our system does the opposite.
Since 2010, the poorest half of humanity have received only 1% of the total increase in global wealth. Their wealth has actually been falling – to the tune of around $1 trillion.
How does finance affect this?
By preying on the most vulnerable people and countries, our financial system encourages a cycle of poverty and debt:
Through "vulture funds"
Perhaps the most notorious example of predatory finance profiting from poverty! The nickname 'vulture funds' refers to sophisticated hedge funds that buy up the debts owed by nearly bankrupt nations at knock-down prices, and then sue them aggressively for the full amount the debt was originally worth. Vulture funds target:
—- Debt-ridden countries: Back in 1999, one fund bought $30m of Zambia's debt for just $3m, just as it was about to be cancelled by the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. They then sued Zambia for the full amount plus interest – $55m – and won. The fund gained 17 times the value it had invested; Zambia lost 15% of its social welfare budget, funds that could have been spent on alleviating poverty.
—- Developed countries: Argentina suffered a similar fate after its financial crisis in 2001. It ended up paying out $4.65bn after being dragged through the US courts for over a decade. Vulture funds also began circling over Greece after it ran into problems following the financial crisis, and more recently over Venezuela.
—- Poor individuals: In Ireland, vulture funds like Lone Star are also buying up the bad debts of ordinary people who defaulted on their mortgages during the crisis – raising concerns that these people could be pushed out of their homes. The EU is even promoting this solution as a way of getting bad debts off banks' balance sheets.
Through microfinance
In the global south, small loans (or 'microfinance') have been championed for decades as the answer to poverty – but evidence shows they can make it worse. Most people don't use them to start up businesses, but to pay for their basic needs, trapping them in a spiral of indebtedness. In South Africa, 94% of microfinance loans are used in this way. The real winners are the lenders, who often charge exorbitant rates of interest.
Through legal loan sharks
Legal loan sharks target the poor in the global north as well. Having originated in the US, so-called "payday lending" – specifically targeted at people whose wages are not enough to make ends meet – have became a major industry in the UK. In a victory for citizen pressure, the regulator capped the cost of these loans in 2015. But lenders will surely move on again to other countries with lax regulation to prey on the poor. Meanwhile, loopholes in the cap mean that 'doorstep lenders' are still charging some UK borrowers eye-watering interest rates of up to 1,500%.
Through expensive payment systems
It's not just a few predatory lenders, but also the way finance and payment systems are designed. Migrant workers sending money home are hit with extra transfer fees, sometimes costing 12% or more, costing them 3.6 billion euros a year in Europe alone – more than the entire European emergency aid budget. Some groups, such as those experiencing homelessness, find it almost impossible to access the finance system at all – locking them out of the economy and trapping them in poverty. As digital payments replace cash, the finance system becomes even more powerful as the 'gatekeeper' to the economy. Exclusion from finance means exclusion from society.
Through reckless global finance
Some of these crises were caused by reckless global finance in the first place. For example, even in countries with good credit ratings like the UK, austerity was introduced after the financial crisis. This was done on the grounds that it would keep bond markets happy – despite hurting the economy and leading to a new wave of stories like Donna's.
In other words, our financial system plunges nations and individuals into poverty, and its most unscrupulous players then swoop in to profit from the resulting chaos.
Poverty is not an identity. As Donna's story shows, any one of us could find ourselves experiencing poverty by an unlucky chance. And even if we are lucky enough to avoid this, as human beings we care about the poverty experienced by our neighbours, our friends, our families, and by children across the globe. In a world of abundance, nobody should be forced to go without food, shelter or healthcare. And when a financial system worth trillions of dollars is manufacturing poverty instead of preventing it, this is unacceptable. We must demand a finance system that works for people instead of profit.
What's the way forward?
FIGHTING INEQUALITY. Financial services should be designed and regulated to reduce their contribution to discrimination and inequality. Tax avoidance and secrecy havens are closed, debt relief is made possible for over-indebted countries. A fair taxation system redistributes wealth from the 1% to middle and working classes and from large corporations to the public purse.
GOOD FINANCIAL SERVICES. Everyone should have access to basic, low-cost, transparent and un-exploitative financial services. Financial workers should be free to act in the best interests of customers.
LESS PRIVATE DEBT. Society should be less dependent on the creation of private debt and money. Credit regulation should aim to prevent over-indebtedness and credit-fuelled speculative bubbles.
Our economic system is broken, but together, we have the tools to fix it. Join in.
World Bank, Poverty Overview
Oxfam, An Economy for the 1%
UN Human Rights Council, Report on Vulture Funds
FESSUD, Financialisation and Wellbeing
FESSUD's library of research on financialisation and wellbeing
Droits sociaux et travail
Populismes
Abondance & Gâchis
Guerre & Paix
Si vous aussi vous pensez qu'il est temps de changer les choses
Une décennie après le début de la crise, la finance gouverne encore le monde, impose sa volonté aux Etats, aux entreprises et aux individus. Nous, coalition citoyenne, exigeons une économie qui soit à notre service. Souhaitez-vous nous rejoindre ?
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Welcome to Change Finance!
Here are other ways you can get involved with the campaign.
Des porte-parole média sont disponibles pour des entretiens et commentaires.
Contactez-nous pour plus d'informations.
Till Ehrmann
T: +32 (0)2 880 0440
E: till@changefinance.org
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Building Bridges to Opportunity: Interim Internships
Mar 30, 2022 | Alumni, Blog, Impact, Innovation, Inquiry, Interim, Uncategorized, Upper School News
At the beginning of the School year, Dr. Jacobsen spoke to the Mount Vernon community at Convocation about bridges, specifically around how they are able to connect people and places. Through that, he encouraged us all to be connectors this year – to close gaps, to remove the space between one side and another, thus connecting people and ideas.
During Interim Term, students are able to participate in weeklong internships. Upper School teacher and Interim Internship Coordinator Marie Graham connected two Mustangs with similar passions and ideas, Class of 2022 Livi Sweeterman and MV alum, Class of 2017 Wells Maley (UGA '21), which led to an amazing experience for them both.
After studying fashion merchandising at the University of Georgia, Wells went out on her own, starting her own business in the fashion industry. Livi, planning to attend Colorado University Boulder, hopes to also pursue fashion as a career in her future. We recently sat down with them to learn more about their week together.
MV: Wells, tell us a little bit about your company and how you got started:
WM: Swells of Splendor started while I was home from college during Covid during my junior year at University of Georgia. Originally I just did it for a fun passion project and carried it through senior year. Just before I graduated, I decided to go for it full time and pursue it as my career after UGA.
In the summer of 2021, I was in an intensive business bootcamp and after that things kicked into full gear. The main bread and butter of Swells of Splendor is silk scarves. I design textiles that are then printed digitally onto silks or fabrics by the yard for upholstery, and the whole business revolves around that artwork.
MV: Livi, how were you and Wells first connected? How did this Internship come to be?
LS: I've always known that I want to do something regarding fashion that allows me to be creative in the future, but I've never seen what the business side of that might look like. While planning for my internship, Mrs. Graham told me about Wells and her company and she connected us.
MV: Walk me through your week together. What did you do? What did you accomplish?
WM: It was an exciting week! We did a pop-up shop at a sorority at Georgia Tech. Livi assisted with research on resale shops and locations we could hold future pop-up events. Marketing is a big part of the work – Livi brought a lot of creativity, thinking through how we could use Spotify and Instagram reels. One of the days we spent creating content around the city. She really got to dabble in all of it.
LS: We had so much fun!. We had a set schedule of what we wanted the week to look like and what we wanted to accomplish. One of my jobs was to find boutiques around the area that would be interested in selling Wells' product, so I found a few unique shops and connected them to Wells for future business.
We did a lot of Instagram promotions through reels. I learned a lot about advertising and the public relations team that she works with, too. The last day we were together we got all dressed up and went around Atlanta taking photos and videos to showcase the product.
MV: Wells, what was this experience like for you? I'm sure it was a learning experience having an intern for the week. Livi, how do you feel MV prepared you for this experience?
WM: I said so many times throughout the week that I was so impressed with Livi. She brought such a standard of excellence to everything she did – it was wonderful! It was great to have her fresh perspectives, too. It helped re-spark my passion and motivation.
WM: Mount Vernon fosters so much creativity. Through these internships but also through iProject. Livi shared her previous iProject with me and there are so many skills and talents she was able to grow during that experience.hose skills were there and helpful when she came to work with me.
LV: Mount Vernon has been so helpful growing our skills on the business side of things, for sure!
Students participated in a myriad of different internships during Interim Term, taking the opportunity to explore their unique passions. Check out a few other highlights below.
Class of 2023 Lyndsey Franklin, The Boys and Girls Club of America
"I loved working with the Boys and Girl Club of America because I not only got to see what work is put in behind the scenes, but also how well it translates to the children they take care of! I'm so grateful that I had this opportunity to help and learn more about this community."
Class of 2025 Amelia Katz, Schauben & Co., Americasmart
"My goal going in was to add value to the Schauben & Co. showroom at AmericasMart by being professional and to learn as much as possible from merchandising and sales to customer service and inventory."
Class of 2023 Maggie Sims, Mount Vernon Studios
During Interim, Maggie worked with Vann Thornton at Mount Vernon to write and produce a new original song If You Had Known.
"This song is one of my favorites of all the songs I have written. When I write lyrics, it is more so a story than a song. I construct songs based on my own experiences and how I am feeling, but also from stories I hear on the news, on social media, or tragedies or successes my friends and family have experienced."
Maggie's first EP, Stay, can be found on Apple Music, Spotify, or anywhere you listen.
In case you missed it, check out more on Interim Term in the Upper School, in the Middle School, or a sampling of both on this episode of the Made in MV podcast


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Tag Archives: Character
Mad Men – "In Care Of" and the Narrative Engine of Place in Season 6
"In Care Of" and the Narrative Engine of Place in Season 6
"This is where everything is."
Mad Men began with a spatial divide. In the series' pilot, we are introduced to Don Draper in Manhattan but only get the full picture when we follow him onto the train to the suburbs, and to the family life he leaves behind every day he travels into the city. The show was invested in exploring the distinct ebbs and flows of those two spaces, and on Don's ability to travel between them. While we would come to learn that Don had been living a double life for most of adulthood, initially we watched a man live two lives separated by the train ride between them.
The show evolved beyond its urban/suburban divide, adding enough complexity to both Don's family life and Sterling Cooper as a setting that it would seem reductive to boil the show down to this dichotomy. And yet although Don was no longer traveling to the suburbs since separating from Betty, the spatial divide stuck around thanks to characters like Pete, who began the season in his city apartment that would become his primary residence after he proved less agile in his duplicity than Don was. And as Betty explored the life of young runaways or as Peggy let Abe talk her into living in a nascent neighborhood, New York City was no longer confined to the offices of Sterling Cooper, gaining diversity and perspective as the turmoil of 1968 played out over the course of the season.
Mad Men's sixth season was far from the first time the show has become invested in the meaning of space and place, but "In Care Of" highlights how central the idea of "going somewhere else" has been to this season in particular. For a season that began in the escape of Hawaii, and jetted to Los Angeles and Detroit and to upstate New York in a very tiny plane, it ends with multiple characters imagining what life would be like away from New York. In the process, we can imagine a final season spread across the country, even if we can also picture a season that remains tethered to the Manhattan Mad Men has over time embedded into the fabric of its storytelling.
Filed under Mad Men
Tagged as AMC, Analysis, Character, City, Detroit, Don Draper, Episode 13, In Care Of, Los Angeles, Matthew Weiner, Narrative, New York, Pete Campbell, Place, Production Design, Season 6, Season Finale, Ted, Television, TV
Game of Thrones – "Dark Wings, Dark Words"
"Dark Wings, Dark Words"
"I try to know as many people as I can. You never know which one you'll need."
When HBO's decision to order Game of Thrones to pilot was first announced, I went back and began rereading the books in preparation. At the time, I wrote a piece thinking about how the structure of the books—specifically the chapters told from specific characters' points-of-view—would prove a challenge, but how there remained thematic through-lines that could be capitalized upon.
More recently, Benioff and Weiss have said that they aren't structuring the show around themes, suggesting they're for grade school book reports. It's a silly comment, and I will continue to remark upon clear themes that run through both the series and the novels on which that series is based, but I do think that they're right on one point: this is not, primarily, structured as a thematic story. And yet, given the fact that the narrative has become dispersed from a clearly outlined conflict—the War of the Five Kings—into a scattered collection of individual narratives, a question is raised: how exactly is the show being structured?
To suggest that Game of Thrones is a character-driven show is not exactly groundbreaking, but I was struck during "Dark Wings, Dark Words" how the show is actually organized by character. In thinking about some of my pre-air thoughts regarding how audiences might respond to some characters better than others, I watched the episode thinking through one primary question: who is this scene about? While the fragmentation of the narrative means that no single episode will be about one single person, the focus of a given scene nonetheless often falls to a single character, and not always the character we might presume it to be. And while there is a collection of new characters introduced in this week's episode, none of them feel like their scenes were about them so much as the existing characters they were meeting. At the same time, meanwhile, some characters whose existence was once defined by their support of other characters have become subjects of their own storylines, even if their role within the larger narrative hasn't necessarily changed.
Filed under Game of Thrones
Tagged as Analysis, Arya, Bran, Brienne, Catelyn, Character, Dark Wings Dark Words, Episode 2, HBO, Jaime, Jojen Reed, Lady Olenna, Margaery, Review, Sam, Season 3, Shae, Talisa, Television, Theon, Thoros of Myr, TV
Glee – "Grilled Cheesus"
"Grilled Cheesus"
If you ever needed proof of a higher power, take the fact that "Grilled Cheesus" more or less works.
While problematic in a number of areas, there is an emotional core to this spirituality-themed episode which manages to ground what seems like a really terrible idea in theory. While the show has handled some bigger issues quite effectively, like Kurt's sexuality, it has also botched numerous issues, like (at times) Kurt's sexuality. For every moment of emotional honesty, there are situations (like Burt's big speech admonishing Finn) which seem to undermine those moments; while inconsistency is problematic in almost any series, here those inconsistencies often write over previous developments of character, theme, and universe.
"Grilled Cheesus" does nothing to solve the series' problems of consistency as a whole, wildly different from everything else this season, but by grounding a difficult subject with the series' most proven recurring storyline Brad Falchuk has created a stand-alone take on religion that only rarely offends my sensibilities.
And that, my friends, is some sort of miracle.
Filed under Glee
Tagged as Brad Falchuk, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Burt Hummel, Character, Chris Colfer, Episode 3, Finn, Football, FOX, God, Grilled Cheesus, I Want to Hold Your Hand, Jane Lynch, Kurt, Lea Michele, Losing My Religion, Mark Salling, Mercedes, Mike O'Malley, One of Us, Only the Good Die Young, Papa Can You Hear Me, Prayer, Rachel, Religion, Season 2, Spirituality, Sue Sylvester
Davis and Defictionalization: Treme's Inherted Crisis of Continuity
Davis and Defictionalization: Treme's Inherited Crisis of Continuity
When I was watching Treme earlier this week, I knew that there was some buzz in early reviews about one of the show's characters, although I had stayed far enough away from those reviews that I actually didn't know which character it was going into the premiere. However, there was no doubt after watching the episode that the response was to Steve Zahn's Davis, a character who is a bit too much of a jerk for some viewers.
I wrote about this a little bit in my review of the premiere, arguing that the character has yet to be given a reason for this sort of behaviour, which keeps the audience from relating to him in any way. However, I've since that point read a lot of comments from others (including Ethan Thompson at Antenna) which have started to paint Davis as something more intriguing, something which speaks to both the series' complicated intertextuality and its unique relationship with historical reality.
So, after the jump, a few thoughts (with probably a few Wire spoilers) on the defictionalization of Simon and Burns' Baltimore and its influence on the response to Davis' incongruity within Treme's New Orleans.
Filed under Treme
Tagged as Baltimore, Character, David Simon, Davis, Defictionalization, Drama, Entertainment, HBO, Historical Fiction, Hurricane Katrina, Jazz, New Orleans, Steve Zahn, Television, The Wire, TV, Ziggy
October 12, 2009 · 11:19 pm
The Big Bang Theory – "The Pirate Solution"
"The Pirate Solution"
Usually, my reviews of The Big Bang Theory end up devolving into my frustration with the show's treatment of Sheldon (a subject that many disagree with) and the ill-advised nature of Leonard and Penny's relationship (which pretty much everyone agrees with, outside of a vocal minority), but "The Pirate Solution" is a rare occasion where I get to focus my analysis elsewhere.
I often feel that the show is held back by is adherence to the sitcom tradition of a fundamental lack of character development, focusing instead on character interaction. There are episodes where I totally buy into the value of this, accepting that although it holds the show back it nonetheless can result in some really fun comedy. However, there are episodes like "The Pirate Solution" which focus their attention on a character and in the process remind us that while some have turned into full-featured individuals others have, well, not.
Raj Koothrappali is a character who, like Penny, is a good foil for nearly every other character, but when you isolate him on his own things become starkly simple. Kunal Nayyar is an engaging actor, but the problem with Raj is that his lack of development is proving detrimental. When the show designates a Raj episode, it means the show recycles cliched India jokes and once again has Raj's inability to speak to women prove detrimental. I won't argue that this isn't entertaining, as I think the Raj parts of this episode were charming; however, I think that there's a point here where I wonder why Raj needs to be reduced to these stereotypes, and at what point his evolution would only improve the show's dynamics.
Filed under The Big Bang Theory
Tagged as Alcohol, Character, Columbus Day, Deportation, Entertainment, Episode 4, Eye of the Tiger, Gremlins, I swear to cow, Jim Parsons, Koothrappali, Kunal Nayyar, Leonard, Penny, Physics, Raj, Season 3, Television, The Pirate Solution, TV, Twitter, Wolowitz
Lost – "Lafleur"
"…now what?" – Jin ; "…then what?" – Juliet
It has been said that the last two episodes of Lost, "316" and "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham," were sort of a launching point for the rest of the show's fifth season, the one bit of major story material (focusing entirely on off-island activities beyond the bookends of each episode) that felt like it needed to be blatantly exposed to switch gears. "Lafleur," then, has a lot to live up to: it takes us back to the storyline we've abandoned for two episodes, and has created new expectations and new mysteries upon which it is going to rely in the future.
But to answer Jin's question immediately (and get to Juliet's later), "Lafleur" establishes that the moment the island stopped "skipping," the show has gone back to a familiar tune, one less driven by the series' structure and far more by the series' characters. What we have in this episode is the closest Lost has come to its initial purpose all season, offering up a few really intriguing character arcs that have created two parallel but ultimately very different series of flashforwards in regards to how these characters got to this place. Faraday seems to indicate that the record is playing the wrong song when they end up stuck in 1974, but the establishment of the "when" doesn't lead the show to a detailed investigation as to why.
Because James Sawyer isn't something fascinated with the question of "why," and when he gets stuck in 1974 he's going to do everything he can to survive, as if he's been marooned all over again. And in the absence of Jack and Locke, Sawyer is the closest thing these people have to a leader, and what we see in "Lafleur" is a man finally ready to step into that position and his three-year journey to a sort of peace that operated entirely outside of the show's mythology, the simple sort of life he never got to lead before.
And then Flight 316 happened, and the show comes to Juliet's question, and all of a sudden two groups of people fundamentally changed by time are sent back to another one entirely, although this time entirely metaphorically.
Filed under Lost
Tagged as 1974, 1977, 2009, ABC, Amy, Anubis, Birth, Black Rock, Character, Charlotte, Daniel Faraday, Dharma Initiative, Entertainment, Episode 8, Flashes, Flight 316, Four-toed statue, Horace Goodspeed, Hurley, Jack, James Lafleur, Jin, Jughead, Juliet, Kate, Kevin Rankin, Lafleur, Miles, Patrick Fischler, Pregnancy, Reiko Aylesworth, Richard Alpert, Sawyer, Season 5, Television, The Others


TIP! Make sure that you are not overusing any keywords, plug-ins, Adsense ads and images. This will send up red flags to the search engines, which will negate all of your previous efforts.
Any person can benefit from blogging as they all have something to share with the world. Everyone has a message they want to get across or information that they want to share. The harder part of running a blog can be deciding how to accomplish that. Read on to learn how to accomplish goals related to blogging.
TIP! A key to a successful blog is to blog often. One way that many new bloggers fail is that they start a new blog and only update it once every two weeks or less.
Keep your content fresh. New content that is fresh and relevant is what will attract and retain your audience. Without new content, your visitors will not be compelled to visit your blog, or even return! Post on your blog once or more each day.
TIP! Reach out to successful bloggers in your niche, and see if they will post guest pots on your blog. This is a great way to increase the quality of your own blog and generate excellent content.
When you make your blog, think about buying a domain name instead of putting your blog on a free site. Though there will be some initial expense involved, your blog will have a professional appearance. It will be far easier for your readers to remember. This is even more true if your domain name contains your business name or other aspects of your branding.
TIP! Read all of your comment,s and try to respond to any feedback given without taking it too personally. Regardless of the topic, someone is always going to have something critical to say.
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Read all of your comment,s and try to respond to any feedback given without taking it too personally. Whatever the topic of your post, someone will disagree with it! If you read some constructive criticism, find a way to use it to improve your blog. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, you should politely respond to flames and trolls, as well, but don't dwell on them. This will demonstrate that you are a mature blogger, which will positively affect your readership.
TIP! Ensure that you are not over-simplifying your approach to blogging. You should always be learning, researching, evaluating and planning.
One of the first things you should do when setting up a blog is to start a mailing list. The sooner you start compiling email addresses, the more time you have to expand your mailing list. In the future, you can use this list to generate more money. Not developing and utilizing a mailing list can prove to be very detrimental.
While trying to build a blog following, stay patient. It takes everyone some time to develop a loyal readership. Additionally, until you have a reasonable amount of content, there will simply not be much available for readers to view. The key to getting more views is the amount of time your blog has existed, as well as the quality and quantity of content.
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TIP! Try to avoid using tons of keywords. Having good keywords will help with your blog a lot.
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Eid Mubarak to all our readers from our Editorial team.
Eid-ul-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) is a festival comes about ten weeks after Eid-ul-Fitr, and marks the completion of Hajj (Holy pilgrimage to Mecca). It is the festival of Sacrifice that commemorate the obedience of Hadhrat Ibrahim and his son Hadhrat Ismail to the commandment of Allah. Hadhrat Ibrahim had a series of dreams in which he saw himself sacrificing his eldest son Ismail. He inferred that it was perhaps the will of God that he should sacrifice the life of his son. Hadhrat Ibrahim, being most obedient to God, was about to sacrifice the life of his son Ismail, when God commanded him to stop and gave him the good news that he had indeed fulfilled His command. God was so pleased with Ibrahim because of his obedience that He multiplied his progeny into billions. He was also given the great honor of being the forefather of the Holy Prophet of Islam . On the day of Eid those Muslims who can afford to sacrifice an animal are enjoined to do so after Eid Prayer.
It is bringing out the urgently needed Separation of Mosque-Church and State in every country of our Global Village.
The Muslim Times presents the peaceful image of Islam and aims to diffuse Islamophobia on one hand and Islamomania of short sighted Muslim fundamentalists, on the other. It tries to aggregate all positive activities in all the Muslim communities, irrespective of the sect, to bring out what Islam can contribute to our contemporary society, our Global Village.
The Muslim Times is providing a forum, for open and peaceful dialogue between the Muslims and the Christians on one hand and the Muslims and the agnostics and other religions, on the other. It is also catering to a dialogue between the Ahmadi Muslims and moderate non-Ahmadi Muslims, without falling prey to human vulnerability to stereotype and lump everyone, in the opposite camp, in a group together. We want to distinguish between moderate Muslims from different sects and the extremists.
Honestly TMT is doing great and provide us with the update and excellent information.
TMT Edithor will remove the awaiting moderation soon.


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Amazon Woos New Customers With Cash
By Matthew CochraneFool.com
American consumers overwhelmingly favor using credit and debit cards over any other method of payment. In the Total Systems Services'2016 U.S. Consumer Payment Study, 75% of respondents cited one of those two methods as their "most preferred payment form." In a distant third place was cash, which was selected by 11% of consumers.
While it is not surprising credit and debit cards garner the most support among American consumers, what is mildly surprising is the consistent support cash gets. Far from dropping out of the race as more digital and mobile payment options become available, cash has steadily ranked as a preferred payment option for several years, steadfastly holding onto its double-digit support mark. As the study puts it, "The resiliency of cash is also interesting."
Cash is still king for many consumers. Image source: Pixabay.
It is this last segment of people that Amazon(NASDAQ: AMZN) hopes to capture with its latest program, Amazon Cash. Using this program, Amazon customers can print out a bar code from their home computer or save one in their smartphone, bring the bar code to a participating location, and pay cash that will be deposited in their Amazon account. The bar code is reusable and once money is applied to the account, it cannot be withdrawn for other uses. Participating retail locations currently include CVS, Sheetz, Speedway, Kum & Go, and SpartanNash Co'sVG's Grocery and Family Fare grocery stores.
Why does an online retailer need cash checkout options?
At Amazon's 2016 annual shareholder meeting, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said, "Our goal with Amazon Prime, make no mistake, is to make sure that if you are not a Prime member, you are being irresponsible." This is Amazon's latest example of proving to potential customers that there is no excuse for not joining Amazon Prime.
Image source: Amazon.com Inc.
Of course, until now, customers could still use Amazon without linking a bank or card account. All consumers had to do was fund an account through gift cards either purchased online or at retail locations.
Amazon's move is not particularly unique as it's practically a copycat of PayPal Holdings Inc's (NASDAQ: PYPL) My Cash Card. Under that program, consumers visit a participating retail location, purchase a My Cash Card using cash, and then input the card number into their PayPal account via an online or mobile portal. Hmm, sound familiar?
But imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and, in business, it can pay handsomely to incorporate competitors' features and services into your own platforms. After all, there's no extra credit for originality in capitalism.
Who does the program target?
While a sizable segment of U.S. consumers still prefer cash, most of this population represents lower-income households. For instance, according to the Total Systems Services' consumer report, 23% of U.S. households making less than $25,000 favored cash. That percentage fell to only 6% of U.S. households with over $75,000 in annual income and a minuscule 1% for households making over $100,000.
Seen charitably, Amazon Cash is a program designed to reach out to include these disadvantaged families so they can partake in the advantages of being an Amazon customer. Of course, not all potential new customers would have to come from lower-income brackets. This program should also appeal to the 1% of households of upper-income families that still prefer cash over other forms of payments.
There are also other possibilities Amazon shareholders might want to consider. In much of the rest of the world, cash is still used far more than other forms of payments. According to Mastercard, 85% of all transactions across the world are negotiated with the local form of currency. It is not hard to imagine Amazon looking for a way to grow its international business by experimenting with different ways cash might be used to add funds to an existing or new account.
None of this should suggest success is guaranteed. For many of its customers, the appeal of using Amazon is to avoid going to the store in the first place! If trips to the store are required, this convenience is lost.
It also stands to reason that customers who do not trust the giant online retailer with their bank account information might not be eager to deposit non-refundable cash in Amazon accounts. And, of course, online commerce will naturally appeal far more to customers who automatically link their accounts to their debit and credit cards.
Yet the investment in this program is minimal for Amazon. Amazon Cash's barcode system simply piggy-backs on Amazon's existing use of gift cards to fund accounts. For various reasons, a surprisingly formidable segment of the U.S. population still favors cash payments over all other methods. If Amazon can capture even a small portion of this demographic as future Prime members the effort will have been worthwhile. If these efforts later prove fruitful in wooing international customers as well, then Amazon might really have unlocked a driver for future growth.
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Q: Ajax post using json doesnt send data or show error messages I'm trying to send contact form data to database and get response with json.
Only error what I get is:

SyntaxError: Unexpected token T in JSON at position 0

My ajax:
$(document).ready(function(){
  $('#send').on('click',function(e){
    e.preventDefault();

    var name = $('#name').val();
    var email = $('#email').val();
    var phone = $('#phone').val();
    var subject = $('#subject').val();
    var message = $('#message').val();

    $.ajax({
        url : '<?php echo $baseurl;?>/contactus.php',
        type: 'post',
        dataType : 'json',
        data : {name:name,email:email,phone:phone,subject:subject,message:message},
        success:function(response){
          if(response.type == 'error'){
              output = '
'+response.text+'
';
          }else{
             $('#form')[0].reset();
              output = '
'+response.text+'
';
          }
          $("#contact_results").html(output);
        },
        error: function(xhr, textStatus, error){
          console.log(xhr.statusText);
          console.log(textStatus);
          console.log(error);
        }
    });
  });
});

My PHP:
header('Content-Type:application/json');

include('include-global.php');

if($_POST){

    if(!isset($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH'])) {
        print "Can't access directly!";
        exit;
    }

    $sender_name    = $_POST["name"];
    $sender_email   = $_POST["email"];
    $phone_number   = $_POST["phone"];
    $subject        = $_POST["subject"];
    $message        = $_POST["message"];

    if(strlen($sender_name)<3){
        $output = json_encode(array('type'=>'error', 'text' => 'First and lastname is too short!'));
        die($output);
    }
    if(strlen($subject)<3){ //check emtpy subject
        print json_encode(array('type'=>'error', 'text' => 'Subject too short'));
        exit;
    }
    if(strlen($message)<3){ //check emtpy message
        print json_encode(array('type'=>'error', 'text' => 'Message too short'));
        exit;
    }

    try{
        $database = new Connection();
        $db = $database->openConnection();
        $sql = "INSERT INTO contact SET name = :name, phone = :phone, subject = :subject, email = :email, message = :message";
        $qry = $db->prepare($sql);
        $qry -> bindParam(':name', $sender_name, PDO::PARAM_STR);
        $qry -> bindParam(':phone', $phone_number, PDO::PARAM_STR);
        $qry -> bindParam(':email', $sender_email, PDO::PARAM_STR);
        $qry -> bindParam(':subject', $subject, PDO::PARAM_STR);
        $qry -> bindParam(':message', $message, PDO::PARAM_STR);
        $qry -> execute();
    } catch (PDOException $e) {
        echo "There is some problem in connection: " . $e->getMessage();
    }

    if(!$qry){
        print json_encode(array('type'=>'error', 'text' => 'Error.'));
        exit;
    }else{
        print json_encode(array('type'=>'message', 'text' => 'Thank you '. $sender_name . '.'));
        exit;
    }
}

I dont understand what I'am doing wrong...
Code and JSON seems to be correct, I got example from google.
Im using dataType, header content type json but still shows error.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Home/Liberia news/AMA/Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Announces Additional Support to Promote Locally Led R&D; Calls for Proposals
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Announces Additional Support to Promote Locally Led R&D; Calls for Proposals
BRUSSELS, Belgium, October 24, 2022 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced a series of initiatives and a call for proposals to advance locally-led innovation that supports work by scientists and researchers in developing economies. The announcement was made at the Grand Challenges Annual Meeting earlier today.
This year's meeting focuses on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the need for high-impact R&D platforms, partnerships, and policies that effectively bridge the gap between innovation and equitable access. The meeting brings together researchers from around the world to share work, learn about cutting-edge advances in the health care field, and collaborate with other investigators.
"Health equity shouldn't just be a statement of why we do this work. It should guide how we do it," said Kedest Tesfagiorgis, deputy director of Global Partnerships & Grand Challenges at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "When we support locally led innovation, we maximize impact by bringing different kinds of knowledge and perspectives to the fore."
As part of the Grand Challenges Global Call to Action, a 10-year initiative announced at last year's meeting to help ensure scientists and institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) play a central role in shaping the global R&D agenda, the foundation announced two new Grand Challenges initiatives:
Pathogen Genomic Surveillance and Immunology in Asia: This is an invitation for proposals from investigators in South and Southeast Asia to design and pilot a genomic surveillance program or develop capacity for immunology and immune sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 to inform epidemic response. Up to $300,000 per year for up to two years will be available for each project, with potential additional funding for projects that include a focus on monoclonal antibody discovery.
Building Data Modeling Capacity for Gender Equality: This is an invitation for proposals from investigators in low- and middle-income countries for projects aimed at addressing disparities and gaps affecting women and girls in health. This initiative is focused on innovative approaches to modeling that advance gender equality. Each project will receive up to $500,000 over one to three years.
"Societies measure what they value, and for most of history, society hasn't valued women. This means we're trying to tackle global health and development challenges with missing information," said Anita Zaidi, president of the Gender Equality division at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "It is long past time to put women and girls at the center of the data modeling that guides our solutions."
In partnership with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), the foundation will also provide grants to researchers investigating and detecting emerging pathogens in LMICs. Researchers will receive up to $200,000 each for up to two years, as well as operational support and technical training from the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub (CZ Biohub).This funding commitment builds on a 2018 partnership between the foundation, CZI, and the CZ Biohub that is focused on building metagenomics capacity in LMICs through a Global Grand Challenges initiative.
The 2022 Grand Challenges Annual Meeting in Brussels is hosted by Global Grand Challenges and the European Commission, and co-sponsored by Grand Challenges Canada, USAID, Wellcome, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The two-day event features dozens of leaders from across the global health innovation landscape, as well as Gates Foundation leadership, including Bill Gates (co-chair and trustee); Anita Zaidi; and Trevor Mundel (president, Global Health Division). The plenary sessions will be posted shortly after the meeting at grandchallenges.org/annual-meeting.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
About Grand Challenges
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recognizes that solving the most pressing challenges in global health and development requires more of the world's brightest minds working on them. The Grand Challenges family of initiatives seeks to engage innovators from around the world to solve these challenges. Grand Challenges initiatives are united by their focus on fostering innovation, directing research to where it will have the most impact, and serving those most in need. To learn more, visit grandchallenges.org.
About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Co-chairs Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and the board of trustees.
media@gatesfoundation.org
The post Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Announces Additional Support to Promote Locally Led R&D; Calls for Proposals appeared first on African Media Agency.


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