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The Advocate, May 7, 2020 Table of Contents
The Advocate, May 7, 2020
President's Message: Solidarity in the Time of COVID-19
Furlough/Work Share MOA
Ed Foster on Retirement/Investments
PAT PAC Endorsements
Building Rep Election Process
PAT PAC Board Election Results
Contract Exceptions
SpEd Update
Building and Classroom Moves, Article 19
California Casualty Promotion for PAT Members
President's Message: Solidarity in the Time of COVID-19
Our lives and the lives of our students have taken a gut-wrenching U-turn in the past two months.
And as I write one of my final messages before my tenure as PAT President is complete, we've been devastated all over again by what's happened to school funding as a result of the COVID crisis. I started my career in PPS in 2003. Every year we faced layoffs, and I was a temporary teacher for several years. In 2005 I got involved with PAT, and quickly jumped into the work of our Legislative Committee, dedicating myself to improving school funding. I've been a part of every school funding campaign ever since.
When I ran for President four years ago, I believed that Measure 97 would pass, and bring billions into our schools. I campaigned on the commitment that I would bring educators' voices into the decision-making process--that we would shape how those dollars were spent. Things didn't quite turn out the way I planned.
A LONG ROUTE TO BETTER REVENUE
Within days of taking office as PAT President, our longtime superintendent resigned over fallout from lead in the PPS drinking water. Within months, it was clear that Measure 97 would not pass, and then Trump was elected. Together, we've sustained our public schools through all of these crises.
While it's been an honor to serve as PAT President the past four years, I've always loved teaching, and am really looking forward to returning to the classroom next year at Roosevelt. I'll admit, part of my excitement stemmed from passage of the Student Success Act, and knowing our state's budget forecast was solid. Just two months ago I believed that we would all have a chance to enjoy the fruits of our collective action, that we would be working with PPS to fund many, many more teaching positions, and that we would be in a better place to support our students, especially those most in need.
Our collective efforts to highlight the needs of public schools and those of our students have not been in vain, but next year PPS will be in a very different place than we all hoped. On May 20th the state's next revenue forecast will be released. We don't know the magnitude of the coming recession, but some estimates project a 60 million dollar shortfall for the District. We don't yet know what this shortfall will mean for staffing at PPS. Furloughs and looming budget cuts are not the teacher appreciation message anyone ever intended to send, but once again we must shift our advocacy to meet current realities.
Of course, the state legislature could redistribute its current budget to address the projected shortfall, or draw on the Education Stability Fund. As educators, we need to send a strong message that lawmakers must shield our students and our schools from COVID-19's economic fallout. As soon as more opportunities to support our schools become available closer to home, we will let you know.
FEDERAL ACTION NEEDED
Meanwhile, urgent action is needed at the federal level. Our national union, the National Education Association (NEA), is calling on Congress to allocate an additional $175 billion to stabilize education funding. The $30.7 billion authorized thus far is not nearly enough. It's clear that the economic impact of COVID-19 could rival the Great Depression. State and local governments will need massive federal assistance to preserve public education and other essential services. A decade ago, during the Great Recession, state and local governments scrapped essential student services and laid off tens of thousands of educators. We can't let that happen again. Email your members of Congress and tell them to keep students learning and educators working.
We have already begun the process of protecting next year's budget, by agreeing to modify our contract and accept furlough days. The PPS school board approved this plan Tuesday night. Together with our other labor partners, we are saving PPS $10 million, while holding PPS staff financially harmless, thanks to the federal Work Share program. This is a very unusual situation, to be partially furloughed without any financial penalty. But it's not a loophole, this is exactly what these federal dollars are intended for--to avoid future layoffs and stimulate our local economy.
OTHER WAYS TO LEND A HAND
I know some of you are eager to help others in need. We will be announcing a few ways to help our families and students soon. In the meantime, please remember the OEA Foundation. The foundation provides grants of $100, but is running out of money for the rest of this school year. If you can, please consider a donation.
You should have received an email from PPS on Tuesday outlining the next steps for our partial furlough. If you would like, there is an information session to learn more about the Work Share program. It is not necessary for you to attend. If you can't attend live, we will also be sending out a recording. It is being hosted by one of our labor partners, LABOR'S COMMUNITY SERVICE AGENCY, INC., a United Way of the Columbia-Willamette Community Partner. This is happening today, Thursday, May 7th from 3:30-4:40 pm. To join:
Click here or call in at #1(346) 248-7799 or 1(669) 900-6833, Webinar ID# 892-5340-3568 As a reminder, beginning this Friday, there are no work expectations.
Many PAT members have also expressed concern for their students during this time. By agreeing to make up our 3 student days at the end of the year, students will be able to receive PPS meals for another week. Our students only miss two instructional days, and we all get a little more room to balance the additional stressors caused by teaching and learning at home.
As I wrap up my final months serving as your President, I want to thank each of you. It's been an honor and a privilege to hold this position. I'm proud of the way we united to move Oregon education forward. Our bold collective action last May will enhance our students' learning conditions next year and in the years to come. Meanwhile, we've been able to preserve jobs for 66 of our colleagues next year. Educators around the country are demonstrating similar commitment and creativity, looking for ways to protect students and classroom learning.
Suzanne Cohen
Recently PAT members voted to approve the Work Share Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and begin a plan for short term furlough days. Everyone understands the terms of the MOA, but some may not understand either Oregon Work Share or the CARES Act.
Because Oregon's tax revenue stream is primarily supplied by personal income tax, every state-funded program faces cuts in next year's budget. PPS is no exception. All of us recognize that cuts in PAT staffing means not only hardship for our members (loss of jobs and increased workload for those who remain employed), but also hardships for the students we serve each day because of larger class sizes and reduced programs. Luckily for PPS, PAT, and the students in Portland, there is the possibility to access funds through the CARES Act and Oregon Work Share.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act became effective March 27th, 2020. It is a package that contains 2 trillion dollars of federal relief and economic stimulus "for American workers, families, and small businesses," with the stated purpose of preserving jobs. One of the specific ways that the CARES Act is designed to work is by giving payments to states which have programs that qualify for the funding, and Oregon is one of those states.
Work Share Oregon is an example of a State of Oregon program that is able to access some of the federal CARES Act money. Work Share allows employers to leverage unemployment insurance (UI) to subsidize a portion of lost wages for employers whose work time is reduced due to market downturns or other business stressors such as the economic crisis of COVID-19. In other words, it is designed to help Oregon workers who are furloughed rather than laid off.
PPS and PAT, as well as all of the other PPS union-represented employees in DCU, ATU, SEIU, and PFSP, have agreed to address the looming budget cuts by setting aside money for next year by furloughing employees one day a week for the rest of this year.
The MOA that was approved by the PAT members and the PPS School Board is the agreement that will allow those furloughs to happen. As all of you know, by design, no one will be financially harmed as we proceed. The mechanism that allows this to happen is that PPS employees will take part in the Oregon Work Share program.
Keep in mind that our MOA specifically states that if an employee is deemed ineligible for Work Share, or if the entire Work Share/CARES Act program is stopped, PPS will return those individuals or the entire group to the pre-furlough schedule, and restore any lost days.
There are still details that we must work out, such as a workload agreement with PPS now that we will be on a four-day week. However, the PAT memberships' recognition that we needed to protect our students and each other will help make next year a little less difficult.
Example of Pay for PAT Employees
FAQ's re PPS's Work Share Program (from PPS site)
Info re Oregon Work Share program (from state website)
FAQ's re Oregon Work Share program (from state website)
Ed Foster on Retirement and Investment Questions
How would you like some good news? I thought so!
First, at present, the coronavirus situation has had no impact on PERS/OPSRP retiree pensions. Could this change? Possibly, but only after a Legislative session. Working from the classroom or working from off-site, you are still working toward your PERS/OPSRP retirement benefit.
But wait! There's more good news! If you have not received your 2019 PERS/OPSRP statement, allow me to offer a spoiler: it was a pretty good year for earnings. PERS Tier 1 regular accounts were again credited with 7.2%, with the Tier 1 variable accounts being credited 28.8%. PERS Tier 2 was credited with 13.27%. The IAP accounts (both PERS and OPSRP) had a variety of credits, depending on which fund the member was in (largely determined by age), but the average was 12.53%.
Of course, 2020 is a giant question mark right now. However, there is even good news here!: because PERS crediting does not happen until Spring of the following year (and therefore allowing for the potential of a market recovery to help the averages), Oregon State Treasurer, Tobias Read, has said "For current state employees, changes happening in the stock market right now and over the next nine months won't affect your IAP account until the spring of 2021."
If this is all very confusing I completely understand. Typically this time of year I conduct a workshop at the PAT office where I would try to explain this and answer questions such as: Should I still contribute to my 403b? What is a 403b? Can I retire now? Should I? etc.
For obvious reasons, conducting a seminar simply isn't an option at present. However, I am still more than happy to help and answer any retirement/investment questions you might have. Please feel free to contact me at ed.foster@fosterassoc.com, or through PAT.
Ed Foster
Registered Representative
Cetera Advisors
Foster & Associates, Inc.
May Primary Election: Please VOTE
The Covid-19 crisis has brought existing inequities in our society into stark focus.
Now more than ever, it is crucial that our policy makers are committed to uplifting the most vulnerable in our community, and reframing our economic policies around the values of equity and sustainability.
This May Primary, we have the opportunity to elect the leaders we need to build the future we envision: this future includes a fully-funded public education system, strong protections for workers, universal health care, racial justice, environmental sustainability, and stable housing for all.
PAT PAC's endorsed candidates share this vision. Please VOTE this primary election, and share PAT PAC's endorsements with your friends and family who vote in Portland. Ballots are due by May 19.
Please save the image below and text or post it.
You can read more about each of our endorsed candidates, plus the OEA PAC endorsed candidates for statewide and Federal races, on our website.
Our building elections are how we ensure that Reps at each site are trusted, respected leaders. Normally each spring, we ask Building Reps to hold a Rep Election at their site so that members can democratically elect their representatives.
Typically, this is done live with a paper ballot, so that votes are both secure and confidential. Without live staff meetings, we are working on developing a system to allow Reps to run a secure and confidential vote at each site, but we haven't yet worked out the kinks. Please stay tuned for more information about Rep Elections.
In the meantime, we are asking elected reps to remain in their position, and talk to people about running to be a Rep.
Notify all the members at your site that Rep Elections will be coming up, and that all members are eligible to run.
Think about who is trusted and respected in your building. Talk to them about running!
Think about representation. Does your Rep team ballot include a balance of experiences that mirrors the members at your site? Consider grade level, subject, gender, race, and age.
You get to elect 1 Rep for every 9 members, so aim to get at least that many people to run.
To run to be a Rep for your site, let your current Head Rep know you are interested. For more information, including the Building Rep Job description, go to www.pdxteachers.org/pat_elections. For additional questions, contact our Vice-President elect, Gwen Sullivan (gwenner3@gmail.com).
In April, PAT PAC contributors elected new members to serve as Directors on the PAT PAC Board. Erika Scheider and Mary Watkins will each serve a three year term beginning on July 1st. Jacob Jonas Closs and Joanne Shepherd will each begin a one year term on July 1st.
In addition to the newly elected Directors, next year's PAT PAC Board will include these members whose terms continue: Elizabeth Thiel, Madeleine Allen, Rebecca Levison, Tina Lamanna, Gwen Sullivan, and Greg Burrill.
To run to be elected as an at-large director of the PAT PAC, one must be a contributor to the PAC; a member of PAT or PMAE-Retired; and a member of the PAT Legislative Committee.
To learn more about the PAT PAC, go to www.pdxteachers.org/pat_pac
Every year, the PAT Advocacy Committee receives requests from building reps about how to seek an exception to a contractual provision. This type of exception is usually an exception that is limited to that building and limited to those teachers in the building – it is not an exception that is applied PPS-wide. We call this limited modification to a provision of the contract, a Contract Exception.
Most contract exceptions involve requests to make changes in the teacher work year (article 6), in the workday (article 7), or in workload (article 8). Simply, a contract exception must be initiated by an educator at a building, and not by a building administrator. The PAT Advocacy Committee creates the exceptions application process – not PPS.
All exceptions expire at the end of the school year in which they were granted. Meaning, if your building was granted a contract exception in this academic year, it will terminate at the end of this school year in June.
If a building wants to initiate a building exception, we have the exception application on the PAT website, along with a checklist to help you gather all the documents you'll need in addition to submitting a completed form to the PAT Advocacy Committee.
What is a contract exception?
It's a limited modification of a provision in your union contract.
Who can initiate a contract exception?
Only members of the union at your building. A building administrator cannot initiate this process.
What is the procedure?
The PAT Building Head Rep (1) educates their colleagues on the potential impact of this exception; (2) prepares a secret ballot and (3) conducts the election. Finally, the Head Rep will complete the PAT contract exception form found on the PAT website and submit to the PAT Advocacy Committee and await approval/denial.
While the original deadline for 2020-21 contract exceptions was May 1, 2020, given our changed context we will be accepting contract exceptions on a rolling basis prior to the start of school next year. Exceptions are only valid for the school year for which it was approved. Click here for the Contract Exception application.
Special Education: Challenges & Changes
Since PPS shifted to a distance learning model after closing schools on March 13th, many difficulties have arisen for educators, students, and families across Portland. Perhaps some of the greatest challenges have come to our tireless Special Education teachers and service providers. Special Education staff have been overwhelmed with a constantly shifting barrage of work tasks from both the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Special Education department in PPS. Much of the work has been redundant tracking and documenting of student information. Directives from district leaders have either lacked clear guidance for establishing priorities or conflicted with directives from supervisors at the Special Education department and their schools.
PAT leadership hosted a large meeting with SpEd PAT reps to discuss these problems and develop a plan of action. We wanted to pressure the District to address these issues so educators could focus their limited time and resources on connecting with kids, making sure they are safe, and delivering education and services for each individual student as best they can during this crisis.
A smaller group of approximately 10 PAT reps from SpEd, joined by PAT leadership and staff, met with the District two weeks ago to present our concerns and some essential ideas for change. We are happy to report that we have won some significant changes to work expectations and procedures for SpEd educators. These changes include the following:
Redundant tracking systems will be phased out, now to be left to the discretion of the educator
All building meetings will be optional and at the discretion of the educator, based on how attendance would affect their weekly workload
SpEd program administrators will commit to working with the educator on priorities, especially if the member notifies them that they anticipate going beyond their weekly 25 or 20 hours of work
The District has agreed to streamline communications to staff and building administrators by sending one communication each week, the "Special Education Newsflash"
PAT is still seeking to get agreement from the District on compensation for members that end up working beyond their daily and weekly expected hours to participate in IEP or Distance Learning Plan meetings (a document required by ODE when the IEP team determines that an IEP cannot be met and needs to be amended).
Lastly, we were happy to hear the Director of SpEd, Mary Mertz, tell us verbally that the department trusts that all SpEd educators and service providers are doing the best they can with the difficulties of adapting to distance learning. As such, Mertz says, the department will not use anything related to educators' delivery of services and instruction as data in future evaluations. PAT remains committed to getting this understanding as part of a larger agreement that covers all of our members during this period.
Article 19 provides compensation for packing and unpacking if your move is due to a district reconfiguration or change. Within your building, you are entitled to payment if your administrator directs you to move classrooms after the school year has begun or for the second year in a row.
If your move is the result of typical Spring un-assignments because of a reduction in positions in your building, or the result of your voluntary decision to apply for a transfer, payment is not required.
In the case of an extraordinary move like packing up a library, band room, theater, or laboratory, if you agree to pack up this kind of room, prior to commencing the work, speak with your administrator about the estimated number of additional hours needed to pack up this type of room. Try to come to an agreement on the number of hours it will take to pack up this room. If you are unable to come to an agreement, then please call PAT so we can help resolve this dispute.
Our Moving FAQ


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Home » Eastern Cape land reform farms mired in debt, infighting
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Eastern Cape land reform farms mired in debt, infighting
by Sipho Masondo HERALD REPORTER masondos@avusa.co.za
MORE land reform farms in the Eastern Cape have failed due to infighting and lack of capital and skills. Two weeks ago The Herald reported that several farms in the Addo area had failed and were auctioned off, and a new investigation has highlighted problems in the Gamtoos valley area.
The aim of land reform is to transfer 30 per cent of agricultural land to the previously disadvantaged over the next 15 years. This is done by grouping people together and giving then grants to purchase farms.
In the Cacadu region alone 90000ha of land has been distributed to more than 12000 beneficiaries at a cost of more than R370-million.
The latest farms to run into problems include:
In the Uitenhage area last year 22 beneficiaries auctioned their 674ha farm for about R1,1-million because they couldn't continue farming any more. The group owed the Land Bank about R400000, which with interest had escalated to about R600000.
Another set of 12 beneficiaries, the Hlanganani Trust from Motherwell, sold off its farm of 70ha for about R650000 in 2007 to a white farmer.
In Hankey the Peter Family Trust, with 10 beneficiaries, were last month rescued by the South African Fruit Exporters after the Land Bank threatened to auction the farm to recoup money it had loaned them in 2000. This was the second time the Land Bank had threatened to auction the farm.
The 36ha farm has no electricity or farming implements, and citrus trees are dying.
The 42 Dankbaar Farm beneficiaries in Hankey are having similar problems. Workers haven't been paid since January. There is no electricity on the 256ha farm, meaning citrus trees cannot be watered. Beneficiaries have accused each other of misappropriating funds. White farmers in the area are said to have expressed interest in buying the farm.
In Patensie a group of 200 beneficiaries have leased out 35ha of their 300ha farm to a white farmer to prevent the farm from going under. In 2006 Patensie Citrus rescued the group when the land bank threatened to auction the farm because of a R1,2-million loan it couldn't service.
David Uithaler, leader of 22 beneficiaries from Uitenhage of a farm which was auctioned, said: "I stayed at the farm for four years but I couldn't cope. We didn't have money to take the farm forward. We are very anxious to get farms, but you must have money to run them. My purpose was to produce food to feed the country, but if you don't have money you can't live up to the idea."
Hazel Peter of the Peter Family Trust said they had decided to go into a joint venture with the South African Fruit Exporters which has promised to revive the farm and bring it to production.
But this will be at the expense of dividends in the next two years.
"We just want our farm to be saved," she said, adding that the were also conflicts between the beneficiaries.
A land affairs department official said he would have liked to see more success with land reform. "It's not doing well. We need more support for these projects. We distribute land but we also try to help with technical skills and this is not our responsibility, but that of the department of agriculture."
Department of agriculture spokesman Fikile Black said emerging farmers should approach the district offices and request assistance, which was subject to the availability of funds.
"We also have extension officers who assist farmers with skills."
source: Weekend Post
Cacadudavid uithalerdebteastern capehankeyland bankland reform
⟵KwaNobuhle farm taking off
Rehab 'explosion' as youth switch on to tik⟶

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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This Twitter User Is Brilliantly Calling Out Politicians For Their Hypocritical Comments On The Orlando Shooting
By Jamie Primeau
Gerardo Mora/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Update: In a press conference Monday morning, Orlando police confirmed that 49 people had been killed and 53 injured early Sunday morning atOrlando's Pulse gay nightclub in the deadliest mass shooting in recent U.S. history. After opening fire on the crowd, an individual named Omar Mateen had taken hostages and was ultimately killed in a stand-off with police; Mateen had called 911 and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State shortly before the massacre. Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer declared a state of emergency, and the massacre is being investigated as an act of terrorism.
The victims' names were released by the city of Orlando on its website as their next of kin were informed. Here are some ways to help the Orlando shooting victims and their loved ones; you can also donate to the victims' fund, as well as express your solidarity with the LGBTQ community byposting a tribute online. You can also attend a vigil near you to honor the victims.
Earlier: As soon as news broke about Sunday morning's shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub, people have been reacting to the tragedy on social media. The incident has been declared the biggest mass shooting in U.S. history, leaving 50 people deceased and more than 50 in the hospital. Although messages of support are appreciated, one Twitter user is brilliantly calling out the hypocrisy of certain politicians by contrasting their tweets of sympathy regarding the shooting with their lack of actually taking action to strengthen gun control.
The Twitter user, Igor Volsky, is tweeting directly at these politicians and using stats to back up his points. For example, Tennessee congresswoman Diane Black tweeted,
Heartbreaking news out of Orlando. We are praying for the first responders, for families who have lost loved ones, and for the many victims.
In response, Volsky wrote, "Heartbreaking that you took $7,500 from @NRA and now won't stand up to their opposition of all sensible gun laws." During her time on congress, Black has accepted thousands of dollars from the National Rifle Association in donations and vocalized her support of the Second Amendment. Black shares her stance on gun control on her website: "I am committed to doing everything in my power to safeguard Americans' constitutionally protected freedom to keep and bear arms."
Of course, there's no denying this Orlando news is heartbreaking and politicians should rightfully express their sympathies. However, it is frustrating that when they post messages about how horrific the news is, their time in congress reflects a lack of doing something about it. As powerful as prayers may be, it's not the same as enacting legislation and creating concrete regulations to hopefully prevent such tragedies in the future.
Here are a few more examples of Volsky's tweets:
It's easy to be outraged when such acts of senseless violence occur, but it's another to take action. Volsky's tweets, which use numbers to back them up, accomplish a lot more than just typing messages of frustration out into an abyss. He's clearly done his homework and props to him for speaking out.
If tweeting at congresspeople isn't your go-to way to spark change, there are plenty of ways you can help the victims in Orlando. Whether donating blood or spreading the word about the city's crisis phone number (407-246-4357), it's possible to make a difference no matter where you're located.


If you haven't had a chance to help hungry families in Vermont this holiday season, there is still time.
Your gift today will help fill hungry tummies and put smiles on the faces of those who desperately need our help this holiday season. There are children in Vermont who are longing for a nutritious meal, a snack, or just that tonight won't be yet another night when they go to bed with stomachs aching from hunger.
There are children in Vermont who just want enough to eat.
With every $25 donated, we can provide enough food for 75 meals.
With every $50 donated, we can provide enough food for 150 meals.
With every $100 donated, we can provide enough food for 300 meals!
The gift you give will change someone's life – please give as generously as you can.


The spring sports season is in full swing and, after a week where many of our league schools were on break, the month of April will see the competition start to heat up. The scores are reported almost daily, so visit the Spring sport page above for updates of the teams you love to follow. Good luck to our athletes in this spring season!


Three field-proven techniques for dewatering heat-treated sludge are vacuum filtration, centrifugation, and pressure filtration. Table 7.49.1 gives the process characteristics of each technique. This table shows vacuum filter performance data obtained from the 4500 gph Porteous installation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The filter yield on heat-treated sludge averages 12 lb/ft2/hr compared to the 3- to 5-lb/ft2/hr rate achieved by chemically conditioned sludge. The moisture content of the heat-treated sludge filter influent is 50 to 60% compared to 80% for the chemical sludge, and the volume of filter cake also decreased by 50%.
The filter feed solids concentration from the thickener varies from 7 to 11%. Figure 7.49.2 shows the effects on cake yield. The filter rate also varies as a function of the ratio of primary sludge to secondary sludge. Filtration rates of 4 to 10 lb/ft2/hr can be obtained on activated sludge and 12 to 26 lb/ft2/hr on primary sludge. The filtration performance on mixed raw primary and activated sludge is proportional to the quantity, fiber content, and individual rate of each sludge.
Wastewater treatment facilities have achieved centrifu-gation results of 50 to 65% moisture in cake concentrations and an efficiency of 70 to 80% in solids capture. With polymer additions in test work, the Aire Plant in Geneva, Switzerland, reported a 95% capture of solids. Filter pressing is used extensively in England and continental Europe. The pressing time is directly related to the cooking temperature (see Figure 7.49.3).


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Design and operation of a setup with a camera and adjustable mirror to inspect the sense-wire planes of the Time Projection Chamber inside the MicroBooNE cryostat (1507.02508)
Benjamin Carls, Glenn Horton-Smith, Catherine C. James, Robert M. Kubinski, Stephen Pordes, Anne Schukraft, Thomas Strauss
Aug. 26, 2015 hep-ex, physics.ins-det
Detectors in particle physics, particularly when including cryogenic components, are often enclosed in vessels that do not provide any physical or visual access to the detectors themselves after installation. However, it can be desirable for experiments to visually investigate the inside of the vessel. The MicroBooNE cryostat hosts a TPC with sense-wire planes, which had to be inspected for damage such as breakage or sagging. This paper describes an approach to view the inside of the MicroBooNE cryostat with a setup of a camera and a mirror through one of its cryogenic service nozzles. The paper describes the camera and mirror chosen for the operation, the illumination, and the mechanical structure of the setup. It explains how the system was operated and demonstrates its performance.
Muon Simulations for Super-Kamiokande, KamLAND and CHOOZ (hep-ph/0604078)
Alfred Tang, Glenn Horton-Smith, Vitaly A. Kudryavtsev, Alessandra Tonazzo
Aug. 25, 2006 hep-ph
Muon backgrounds at Super-Kamiokande, KamLAND and CHOOZ are calculated using MUSIC. A modified version of the Gaisser sea level muon distribution and a well-tested Monte Carlo integration method are introduced. Average muon energy, flux and rate are tabulated. Plots of average energy and angular distributions are given. Implications on muon tracker design for future experiments are discussed.


long The amount of memory allocated by Unity. This returns 0 if the Profiler is not available.
The total memory allocated by the internal allocators in Unity. Unity reserves large pools of memory from the system. This function returns the amount of used memory in those pools.


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Last edited by Tojam
1 edition of UNU strategic plan 2002. found in the catalog.
UNU strategic plan 2002.
Published 2003 by United Nations University in Tokyo .
On cover: Advancing knowledge for human security and development.
Contributions United Nations University.
Pagination 43p. ;
Executing it, however, is another matter" (Zagotta and Robinson, , p. 30). Unfortunately, implementation has too often been considered a "strategic afterthought" (Raps, , p. 53), as most. The Operating Unit (OU) modality provides UNU-INRA with an effective mechanism for spreading out its work in Africa. It helps UNU-INRA to identify national competencies that serve regional research and training needs, harness limited financial and human resources of African nations, and enhance UNU-INRA's capacity to effectively network with African institutions.
Professor Govindan Parayil joined the United Nations University as a Vice-Rector in August , and was appointed Director of the UNU Institute of Advanced Studies in January Prior to joining UNU, he had served since as a full Professor with the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture at the University of Oslo (Norway), where. •11•01 Penang. UNU-IAS, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), UN-Habitat and other partners have launched the Mayors Academy for Sustainable Urban Development in the Asia-Pacific, a new initiative to create and support a network of local leaders who will be committed to sustainable urban development in the region.
Prof. Oki has published more than 10 books and peer-reviewed journal articles. He supported the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 4th and 5th assessment reports as a lead author and coordinating lead author, respectively. He also contributed to developing the Strategic Plan of the UNESCO-IHP VIII as one of the task force members. Strategic planning, an umbrella term used to include and summarize such activities as planning, performance measurement, program budgeting, and the like, has proven to be very useful but limited.
The Fireside Book of Fun and Game Songs
Take a pair of private eyes
Contemporary painting from Chongqing =
Vegan & vegetarian FAQ
Affordable new low energy housing for housing associations.
Robert Browning, (selections)
Microprocessor control of ultraviolet-B radiation exposure experiments
The Roseland Mysteries
Doctors of philosophy
Advances in Perinatal Medicine
Replacement of metals with plastics
CCC export sales
Peonies and irises [catalog]
The Popular Religion and Folklore of Northern India
Logans Way
In the trenches with the 9th Devons
Sri Kalahasti easwara mahima
Contemporary Authors New Revision, Vol. 53
Folk devils and moral panics
Development of filter media treatments for liquid filtration
UNU strategic plan 2002 Download PDF EPUB FB2
Book: All Authors / Contributors: United Nations University. OCLC Number: Notes: Cover title. Description: 43 pages: illustrations ; 28 cm: Other Titles: United Nations University strategic plan Reviews.
User-contributed reviews Tags. Add tags for "UNU strategic plan advancing knowledge for human security and development. centre and programme updated its strategic plan as a means to contribute to UNU's overall strategic plan. The Strategic Plan which was approved at the 49th session of the UNU Council in December will guide the University's programme of activities and institutional development for the next four years.
The UNU Strategic Plan sets out. The UNU-IAS Strategic Plan, – guides the further development of the institute's research, policy development, and capacity building activities. The current plan was originally adopted by the UNU-IAS Board in Octoberand subsequently revised and extended in October The strategic plan emphasizes sustainability science, which will continue to serve as the overarching.
ence gained in implementing the UNU Strategic Plan and UNU Strategic Plan An overview of this report This annual report presents a broad overview of the work of UNU UNU strategic plan 2002. book It does not attempt to provide an exhaustive inventory of the University's operations and achievements, but rather offers a representative sampling of the.
- UNU published 24 books placed articles in scholarly journals and articles in the press in / UNU Centre and IAS Publications 4 correspond to the objectives of the UNU Strategic Plan.
Prepared by the Office of the Rector for Submission to the UNU Bureau Required in order to meet Objective and (Implementation. The articles in this collection highlight the importance of strategy control and implementation in maintaining a competitive advantage.
Partial contents: The eclectic roots of strategy implementation research ; Transformational leadership. The UNU-INRA – Strategic Plan. International House Annie Jiage Road University of Ghana, Legon Campus Accra, Ghana. T: + Ext E-mail: [email protected] United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability 5–53–70 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Japan.
Tel: +81 3 Fax: +81 3 Designed and Developed by the UNU Office of Communications. Guided by the UNU Strategic Plan, which prescribes the basic direction, agenda, and priorities of this research, UNU produces high-quality, evidence-based, policy-relevant research outcomes that occupy a central place in the UN policymakers' toolkit and inform deliberations on key policy issues.
United Nations University. Strategic PlaN – Towards Sustainable Solutions for Global Problems. United nations University 5–53–70 Jingumae. Shibuya-ku, tokyo, –, Japan. United Nations University Strategic Plan – United Nations University. Get this from a library. Strategic plan: January [California.
Department of Insurance.]. UNITED NTIONS UNIVERSIT STRATEGIC PLAN – 3 Overview of the Strategic Plan The United Nations University (UNU) underwent a change in leadership in March when Dr. David Malone, former President of the International Development Research Centre, took office as the University's sixth Rector In we have built up the internal capacity and external networks to realise this mission.
We also developed a strategic plan for the next two years. I hope this report will demonstrate that UNU. the Strategic Plans andUNU's Strategic Directions is not meant to be a "final" static document. Rather, it is the continuation of an ongoing "rolling" planning process to be pursued at several levels within the UNU community and on the basis of learning and feedback from UNU's main stakeholders and partners.
Strategic management is a broader term than strategy and is a process that includes top management's analysis of the environment in which the organization operates prior to formulat - ing a strategy, as well as the plan for implementation and control of the strategy.
5–53–70 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Japan Tel: +81 3 Fax: +81 3 Designed and Developed by the UNU Office of Communications. UNU-IIGH Building UKM Medical Centre, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Bandar Tun Razak Cheras Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel: +60 F: +60 3 Designed and Developed by the UNU Office of Communications.
User-contributed reviews Tags. Add tags for "UNU strategic plan advancing knowledge for human security and development. HCE5 S 'dc21 This book is printed on elemental chlorine-free paper. Spatial Planning and Environment (VROM), Why a strategic approach to sustainable development is needed 27 The need for structural changes United Nations University.
Wittmann, Annelaure and McCann, Duncan (). E-waste Prevention, Take-back System Design and Policy Approaches. United Nations University. Solving the E-waste Problem (Step) Initiative: Annual Report / United Nations University.
Magalini, Federico, Kuehr, Ruediger and Balde, Cornelis P. (). University of Northern Iowa Fact Book, University of Northern Iowa. Contents: Quick Reference ••• Inside Front Cover Mission Statement ••• 1 UNI Strategic Plan Performance Indicators ••• 2 UNI Administration ••• 3 Definition of Terms Used ••• 4 UNI Organizational Chart ••• 6 New Students ••• 7.This Chapter on the strategic management and strategic planning process provide an insight on the basic knowledge on what is strategy and strategic management.
it further provide the strategic.UNU-IAS STRATEGIC PLAN, – 2 1. OVERALL STRATEGIC DIRECTION UNU-IAS will further develop its research, policy development and capacity building activities to advance global efforts towards a more sustainable future.
UNU-IAS has developed these activities on the basis of sustainability science, and is committed to continuing in this.
cemarkmumbai.com - UNU strategic plan 2002. book © 2020


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Shandur Polo Festival successfully concludes
Faheem Akhtar
A three-day polo festival at the highest polo ground of Shandur ended with Chitral as victorious after defeating Gilgit team by one goal.
The highest polo festival resumed after two years gap due to COVID-19. The festival was organized by the administration of Chitral, in which thousands of tourist and polo lovers attended at Shahndur, located at the altitude of 3,700 meters above sea level and famous as roof of the world.
The three-day polo festival ended with defense of the title by Chitral team after a close contest where the Chitral team scored 10 goals against 9 by the Gilgit team. Amher Sohail, who attended the festival, said that freestyle polo seems dangerous but players played it with traditional rules, we saw no empire in the game. Salman Paras, assistant director tourism department said that the festival kicked off on the 1st of July where more than one dozen polo teams from Chitral and Gilgit participated. "Polo attracts tourists from all over the world to Gilgit Baltistan and Northern Pakistan due to its freestyle" he added.
The festival also exhibits traditional, cultural, and adventurous activities including music and dance in the evening at the world's highest polo ground at Shandur. Northern Pakistan like Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral needs more attention from the government to explore its beauty, Sohail told daily times. He said "it was a source of joy and excitement to be in the world's polo festival with lush green and scenic views". The final tournament was followed by a traditional sword dance and cultural dance of Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral. The paragliders and paratroopers received special tributes from the spectators.


"I've come to one conclusion. We don't need to think too much".
"This is indeed the true problem. A single mind is what we are after. And a single mind is the mind that has come to agree with God on EVERYTHING. This basically means that I no longer have "a mind of my own."
"this is it. This is how we walk on water, isn't it"?
Sister Di, sister Phebe, and everyone else this thread may be speaking to ...This is a sermon i'm sure it will bless you!
He has been SO good lately. Just in the little things-- like my three-year-old daughter named Cassie. At lunch the other day she started talking about God. I asked her, "Does God ever talk to you, Cassie?"
"What does He say?" I asked.
"Well, actually, He's crying right now," she said.
And with that, she got down to wash her hands and left me sitting, stunned and yearning at the table.
Yes, He does want me. And He's going to have me if it's the last thing I do!!
Oh my. I will take prohecies from a three year old anyday over anything that comes forth from our modern day so called, self styled sorts.


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European Glass sets records with first of two new Glaston FC500™ lines
Headquartered in Park Royal, London, European Glass Group is the largest independent glass processor in the UK and Ireland with production in four facilities, including two in London, and sites at Swindon and Manchester. Staying at the forefront of the glass processing industry has always been the guiding principle for the company. This was also one of the main drivers late last year for investing in the two Glaston FC500™ furnaces. According to Mick Johal, owner and founder of European Glass, "We strongly believe in adding value for our customers. That's why we knew it was time to invest again in the latest technology to be able to meet the evolving needs of our market."
With its massive 3300 x 6000 bed size, the first of the two new Glaston FC500™ furnaces, installed and commissioned in July ahead of schedule, is already adding substantial value for its owner. It's the first 3300 mm-wide furnace in the UK that is capable of processing 4 mm thick glass in both clear and coated products. For European Glass, this enables the company to offer a portfolio of products unlike any other.
"Once the two new Glaston FC500™ furnaces are both up and running at expected capacity, we'll have all the latest technology for glass cutting and processing. This will ensure that our company can stay out in front for the foreseeable future," Mick explains."European Glass will be able to supply all types of high quality glass products for exterior and interior architectural applications to our main markets in the UK, Europe and the Middle East."
Source: Glaston Finland Oy/glaston.net


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Home > Press/Journalists > Press Releases > Press Release
Press Release · Monday, May 18, 1998
Washington, D.C. . . At a records management conference on May 21, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) will be the first winners of awards inaugurated by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for "Best Practices in Records Management" in the Federal government. Michael Kurtz, Assistant Archivist for Records Services--Washington, D.C., will present the awards that honor individual excellence and also help the Federal government as a whole learn from exemplary practices in all aspects of records management, including electronic records. In its Strategic Plan, Ready Access to Essential Evidence, NARA committed itself to identifying and promoting access to records management "best practices." These awards are one example of NARA's ongoing efforts in that area.
NARA is presenting the award to BPA because of its superior records management guidance and service. Over the last decade, for example, the program has been highly successful in developing and updating its records disposition schedules. BPA has also done very well in distributing records management information. The records program maintains a valuable World Wide Web site http://www.bpa.gov/EBR/Records/recman//recman.htm, and the agency records schedules are available through the NARA Agency Records Disposition Online Resource (ARDOR) web site at http://ardor.nara.gov/.
The PTO records program is receiving the award because of its highly successful records inventorying and scheduling project. In 1991, the agency undertook an agency-wide inventory of all records in all formats. The agency used the inventory to submit eight schedules to NARA, all of which have been approved. PTO now has a comprehensive records management manual to manage its records, including those in electronic form.
The awards will be presented at NARA's annual Records Administration (RACO) conference at the Renaissance Washington D.C. Hotel. The theme of the conference is "The Digital Age: Challenges For Records Management." Archivist of the United States John W. Carlin will welcome the participants and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury James J. Flyzik will present the keynote address.


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Are You Ready Player One?
What if the quest for Willy Wonka's golden ticket replaced chocolate with video games and the magic factory with a life-threatening virtual reality game system? Steven Spielberg's highly anticipated Ready Player One, based on Ernest Cline's novel of the same name, sets the stage for a dystopian life full of more gaming and pop culture references you can throw a fireball at. Ready Player One is part of our list of all the movies coming out in 2018 that gamers have to watch. SPOILERS AHOY.
In the year 2044 everyone lives in a virtual reality system called the OASIS. Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation, or the OASIS, is a virtual world that's basically replaced the physical world. In the OASIS people go to work, school and generally live, earning money in the system to work outside of it.
Earth has become a Wall-E-like world (more trash than floating chairs, unfortunately) where the majority of the populace, including our teenage protagonist Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), live in trash and poverty. So as such spend all their time playing a virtual reality video game to escape their actual reality. Good to know the future doesn't seem too far off.
Just before his death the creator of the OASIS, James Halliday (Mark Rylance), or who I refer to as Jeff Kaplan 2.0 developed the ultimate Easter Egg hunt. A three-part puzzle hidden within the OASIS to discover the Halliday's Easter Egg. The reward? Complete and control dominion over the OASIS.
When Wade aka Parzival, unlocks the first of the three keys to Halliday's game he goes from 0 to 100 pretty quick. Attracting the unwanted attention of Innovative Online Industries (IOI) CEO Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn). The goal of IOI? Basically what any publisher wants more monies. We're talking pay to play, advertising, DLCs, the works. Basically what any scumbag video gaming company wants.
A treasure trove of pop culture references, film buffs, video game nerds, and music fanatics will all find something they recognize and love in this film, whether it is in the soundtrack, dialogue, or scattered throughout the world itself. Largely but not exclusively rooted in 1980s pop culture trivia, everything from Batman to Marty McFly, Joan Jett to The Iron Giant, and Star Wars basically everything but the kitchen sink makes an appearance.
Ready Player One is just fun. It's an action film filled with fantasy, quirky humour and some extremely smooth VFX. Dat facial animation tho. The world itself is alright, messy and filled with endless detail, exactly what you might expect from a user-generated MMO. Though much of the film is spent looking at CGI avatars rather than the character's real human faces, the transitions between scenes in the real and virtual worlds are smooth and natural in the universe the filmmakers have set up. There is never a dull moment and endless silly humor.
The character of James Halliday, the creator of the OASIS, is the true embodiment of the film. Seemingly a little silly at first, he is really just full of childhood wonder and nostalgia. Combining this with the technology of the future, he creates something new for everyone to enjoy while, cheesy as it sounds, learning a little something about life and friends along the way.
In TV/Movies
1980s 2018 ben mendelsohn book earth easter egg ernest cline gamer gaming geek movie halliday's easter egg innovative online industries ioi Iron Giant james halliday mark rylance nerd nolan sorrento nostalgia oasis Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation parzival ready player one steven spielberg tye sheridan virtual reality vr wade watts
DC FanDome: Hall of Heroes 2020 – Biggest News Recap
The Umbrella Academy – Sparrow Academy Explained


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Enda Cunningham
The Spy Scare
No one will dispute that to have a camera nowadays is sufficient to get one labelled a spy. The extraordinary lengths to which this scare has extended are nicely illustrated by the following amusing incident which took place at the residence of a prominent gentleman on Wednesday evening.
American tourists are fairly "hustled" at this side of the water, but it is the womenfolk who feel the discomfort of being accosted here and there by police officers.
A party of Americans who had been touring through Connemara and taking snapshots during the week were "held up" at Clifden, and at every village, hamlet and railway station till they arrived in Galway, where they confidently hoped the worries of officialdom would cease.
In the meantime, it appears that the party lost some articles on the Clifden train, and notified the railway authorities. On Wednesday night a gentleman representing the company knocked at the residence of the excursionists with a view to getting a description of the missing articles, and his official appearance so terrified the lady, who looked from behind her husband's back, that she fainted, thinking the courteous railway official was a detective.
German spy arrested
Cleggan, Monday night:
A sensation was caused at Cleggan on Monday morning by the arrest of a gentleman who is suspected of being German spy. The traveller, who has all the appearance of being a foreigner, arrived in Cleggan by the mail car from Clifden on Monday.
He partook of breakfast at Mrs. King's, and afterwards proceeded through Mr McEvilly's fields, where he was apparently photographing the bay and its approaches. His movements were closely watched by the police, who, shortly after, effected his arrest, on his failing to give a satisfactory account of himself.
When taken into custody, the startling find was made of a number of maps and drawings of different parts of the coastline.
Cleggan, Wednesday:
The gentleman who was arrested as a German suspect here on Sunday, has been released, and is at present staying at the Renvyle Hotel. Suspicion rested on him owing to his foreign appearance and dress. He was asking much information regarding the Marconi works, etc, and was, it is alleged, taking photographs of the bay and its surroundings. However, he was able to give a satisfactory account of himself being an American traveller touring Ireland.
For more from the archives from 25, 50, 75 and 100 years ago, see this week's Tribune
Related Topics:connacht tribunegalway in days gone byarchivesWorld War IGerman spiesTribune archivesGalway history
Stephen Corrigan
A scene from the Clifden Amateur Dramatic Society's pantomime performance of Robin Hood held in the town's parish hall on January 12, 1983.
Sovereign rights
The right of opinion, especially in politics, is one conceded in all nations, but that right depends entirely on an unwritten code of honesty and honour that in forming his opinion every citizen makes use of honest intelligence and reason in guiding his judgement and is because a citizen is above lies and misrepresentation in matters affecting the national wellbeing and prosperity of his country.
On this date, January 15, 1922, every man in the West is (if not alien on Ireland's soil or temporarily in residence) a Citizen of the Irish Free State, under the authority of the Provisional Government of Ireland. This Provisional Government consists of men chosen by the Irish people to represent them and by none others, and is to be in a few months replaced by one composed of those chosen by the Irish people.
Let us now, in endeavouring to point out certain dangers, bring home to the plain people the ordinary meanings of ordinary words.
Sovereign means supreme in power.
Supreme means highest and greatest.
Sovereign rights of the people mean the highest and greatest powers of the people. Now the highest powers are those born in, given to, inherited, owned by the people, to control fully the Government of the country, or in other words, Government of the people by the people.
These God-given rights of the people had been for ages denied the people not alone of Ireland, but of other countries, so the word republic came to signify these rights, and hence we turn up a dictionary printed and published in the U.S. and we read: "Republic – A nation or state governed by representatives elected by the citizens."
Let me here point out that the Irish Free State now comes wholly and completely into that class, and no other, and that she has once again become, even unwelcomed by her own.
A thatcher at work on the roof of a house close to the Bishop's Gate at Lower Salthill on March 4, 1966.
Now that the government of the country is passing into the hands of Irishmen, who will have control of all matters affecting the welfare of the old land, it is the duty of all classes and creeds to unite in their efforts to see that law and order will be efficiently enforced, and that there will not be any repetition of the recent looting of shops, which, owing to the frequency with which it occurred, could be regarded as nothing less than a scandal.
In conjunction with the R.I.C., the I.R. police of Galway have taken strong measures to cope with the "epidemic", and in other ways are leaving noting undone to restore order.
In view of these circumstances, it is to be hoped that all right-meaning citizens and men of good-will, interested in the country's welfare, will give every possible assistance in the preservation of order, which will reflect the fact that the nation is governed and controlled as a Christian community should be.
Some of the cast of the Renmore Panto in 1979/1980.
Violent assault
At Loughrea Quarter Sessions, before his honour Judge Doyle, K.C., Mrs. Anne Lowry, Carhoon, Tynagh, claimed £100 compensation for the alleged kidnapping of her daughter, Julia Goonan (under age), by armed and disguised men, and for the cutting of her hair on the night of October 6 last. Mr. Mulcair, solr., appeared for the applicant.
Julia Goonan, examined by her solicitor, stated she was seventeen years of age, and the daughter of Mrs. Annie Lowry, who resided at Carhoon, in the Portumna district. Witness was at her service with a man named Patrick Harte, Athenry-road, Loughrea, for about six months.
On the night of the 6th October last, four disguised men came to Mr. Harte's door and knocked. They were admitted by Mr. Harte and coming in around the kitchen asked if he had a girl in the house. He replied he had, and witness, who was in a room off the kitchen at the time, was preparing to go to bed.
"The men, who were looking about everywhere," proceeded witness, "saw me in the room and they pulled me out. They took a shawl that was hanging on the door and wrapping it around me took me to a motor that was outside and put me into it. I saw another man standing beside the driver when I came out to the car. They then drove me up as far as Nonie Ryan's house at the other end of the town and on arriving there, took out Nonie Ryan and put her into the motor.
"I noticed some men outside Ryan's house when the car stopped. They then drove us away up the Ballinasloe road, and when we had gone about three miles they blindfolded us. One of the men gave me a few slaps across the face."
To his honour: Witness did not know the men. They were masked and blackened.
Continuing, witness stated the men, who apparently went astray, drove them around the roads from twenty minutes to twelve on Wednesday night, October 6, until three o'clock on the following morning. At Knockbrack witness was ordered out of the car and taken away about twenty yards, still blindfolded. She was "hung up" by the hair by one of the men and another shaved her hair in to the bone.
His honour: Don't girls "bob" their hair to make themselves look attractive? (laughter).
Witness: They do, your honour. – His honour: Did they "bob" your hair or cut it off altogether? – Witness: They cut it off altogether.
Mr. Mulcair: It is apparently growing now. When I saw her after the incident, she was very bare.
In further evidence, witness said the men told her wile in the motor they would take her to Athlone barracks and get two nice Black and Tans for herself and her companion. They subsequently stated they would take them to Ballinasloe barracks, and finally left them at her mother's house in Carhoon in the morning.
Dancers in the Renmore Parish Pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, on December 10, 1979. This promotional photo of Anne Sandys, Susan Walsh, Carole Cawley, Mary Stankard, Gisela Junold and Rosalyn Keane, was published in the Tribune ahead of staging at the Jesuit Hall in the first week of January 1980.
No port like home
We produce this message in full, because it contains its lesson for the people of Galway – a lesson which if not read swiftly and acted upon promptly may be lost and may lose for the home port the one feature around which a great city could be built in the year to come.
In the years of peace and progress which lie ahead, trade will be rapidly developed between Ireland and America, and a considerable stimulus will be given to passenger service. Galway is the nearest port to the United States and Canada.
Its claims in this connection are incontestable. Indeed, we believe that those claims are accepted by men like Mr. Arthur Griffith who knows the country thoroughly.
Money to develop the country will assuredly be available in the near future, and one of the first schemes of development is likely to be the opening up of our long-disused ports.
In the future there will be no hostile Liverpool trade interests to content against. We shall be free to develop our own resources in our own way. But theirs will be rival ports on the western coast. Cobh is consolidating its position.
The Galway Port has yet to be made. The people of Galway should see that its claims are kept well in the foreground, and the representatives of Galway in the new government should have all the facts in connection with Galway placed at their disposal.
Establishment robbed
Mr. Murty O'Leary's grocery establishment, Wood-quay, was raided at about twelve o'clock on Saturday night by burglars when tobacco, cigarettes, polish and other goods, with £5 or £6 in notes and silver were taken away.
Mrs. O'Leary had gone to midnight Mass at the time, and the door was locked when she left. Mr. O'Leary was upstairs at the time the raiders entered, and when he heard some noise at the door a few minutes after his wife had left he did not suspect that anything was wrong.
How these burglars succeeded in getting in, considering that the door was locked, remains a mystery.


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5 December 2022 / Sci-fi
The Astronauts S1
Watch all of it now
When a group of kids are accidentally launched into space, they embark on an adventure of a lifetime to get back home.
The Nickelodeon series was nominated as Outstanding Children's or Family Viewing Series at the 2022 Children's & Family Emmy Awards, among other accolades, including Daytime Emmy and Directors Gulid of America nominations.
Recommending it four ages 8+ in a four star review, Common Sense Media says: "The Astronauts stands out for its dynamic characters, smart storylines, and movie-like production quality. The kid actors are wonderful and their characters are multi-dimensional. Kids will love seeing aspirational characters being pushed to their limits and succeeding. They also will love living vicariously as the kids get to do cool space things like float around and use sci-fi gadgets. Adults may find themselves getting sucked into the compelling story too, making The Astronauts great for whole-family viewing."


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Q: stdlib Pathname#relative_path_from does not support mixed directory separators on windows The support for mixing backslashes and forward slashes in the pathname module in the standard library seems to be broken on windows
require 'pathname'
base = Pathname.new("c:\\")
filepath = Pathname.new("c:/foo/bar/file.ext")
base.relative_path_from(filepath)

raises ArgumentError: different prefix: "c:\\" and "c:/foo/bar/file.ext"
Changing filepath to contain backslashes fixes the problem
filepath = Pathname.new("c:\\foo\\bar\\file.ext")
base.relative_path_from(filepath)

=> #<Pathname:../../..>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Dream Alone | REVIEW
Posted by Lewis | Jun 29, 2018 | Nintendo Switch Review, Review
I'm always happy to try out a new platformer, especially when they look like they're heavily inspired by the likes of Playdead's brilliant titles Limbo and INSIDE, so I was naturally intrigued to play Dream Alone. Featuring an aesthetic and playstyle that looks very similar to those aforementioned titles, the screenshots alone had me excited to see what gruelling adventure it'd send me on.
Well, after playing through the game I can confirm the adventure is certainly a gruelling one, but not in a satisfying or enjoyable way. Instead, Dream Alone is painfully frustrating to play, with most of its positive points being severely outweighed by gameplay that just isn't fun.
Dream Alone puts you in the shoes of a young boy who lives in a quiet village that has been struck by a mysterious illness. With the townsfolk slowly falling into comas, he heads out on a journey to find the mythical Lady Death in the hopes that she can cure the townsfolk of the disease. The road to her is a dangerous one though, with the young boy facing plenty of different trials and tribulations along the way.
These 'trials and tribulations' take the form of a 2D platformer, with the player navigating across perilous environments where one misstep can lead to a swift (and often brutal) death. With plenty of different enemies and traps to come across, you can probably expect to die a lot.
The problem is, a lot of these deaths come from nowhere. The hit detection is so sensitive that simply touching an enemy slightly will see you die, whilst the fact they can fall from anywhere randomly doesn't help. The same goes for the traps you have to avoid and jumps you have to make, with each one demanding such precision that if you don't hit it perfectly you can expect to die. There are also times where you'll fall from a height and not see what's below you, with the game expecting you to react quickly to avoid any threats. Know what happens if you don't? You die.
I've played through games that are punishing before and enjoyed the challenge, but in Dream Alone it just feels unsatisfying and… well… not fun. It often felt like the game was simply working against you, with enemies not always following a specific movement pattern and traps seemingly coming from nowhere. Also, the game utilises a monochrome visual style, which means traps and jumps are often difficult to make out anyway – especially when played on the Nintendo Switch's portable mode. It just makes the game a bit frustrating to play, and whilst Dream Alone seems to want to play like the games that inspired it, it falls way short of the mark.
Besides the platforming, you also have powers that you have to use to help you solve a variety of puzzles. One of these powers is being able to momentarily flick into a different dimension to traverse through an alternate version of the level, with new pathways being opened and different obstacles in your path. It's a neat idea, but the amount of times I switched over only to find myself instantly killed by an enemy or a trap that I didn't know was there was incredibly frustrating.
Other powers allow you to emit a bright light to get through darkened areas or even create a clone of yourself – these can make for some interesting little puzzles, but nothing that you wouldn't have seen before elsewhere (and probably done better).
One of my biggest gripes with Dream Alone comes with its irritating tendency to add a flicker to the game's screen, with a black hue momentarily covering the screen every so often and obscuring your view. Now I get that the developers were just trying to create the effect of an old movie or something, but in a game which demands pinpoint precision and where it's already difficult to make out obstacles it just ended up feeling incredibly frustrating. There's no way to turn it off either, so you've just got to put up with it throughout the game.
It's a shame that the game has so many flaws, because there really is a lot of potential here. I'm a big fan of the game's uninviting world, whilst the narrative actually feels like one you'd expect from the Brothers Grimm. It's clear that the developers had a few good ideas too, but unfortunately their execution is just completely off and leaves the game feeling not only frustrating to play but also boring.
At least the graphic style itself is pretty neat, with plenty of eerie imagery on show throughout that fits in well with the daunting tone of the narrative. It's a real macabre world you're a part of, so you can expect vicious looking traps, gross enemies, and plenty of harrowing sights as you make your way through each level. The dimension-swapping can look pretty neat too, with it shifting to a brighter colour tone that still somehow conveys a world of desolation – it all comes together to make for a visually pleasing experience.
Dream Alone intrigued me with its haunting tone and grimy presentation, but unfortunately it was just disappointing to play. The platforming was frustrating, the puzzles bland, whilst the overly dark visuals just ended up feeling more annoying that endearing. You can see it so desperately wants to be like a Playdead game, but outside of the premise it falls short in almost every way.
With a little bit of work there's potential for Dream Alone to be a more enjoyable experience, but as it stands it's just not a very fun game at all.
Developer: Fat Dog Games
Publisher: Fat Dog Games
Release Date: Out Now
Format(s): Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), PC
PreviousKona VR | REVIEW
NextEsper | REVIEW


The offices of the UWGS, as well as those of the GSH, GSLES, GSLS, and GSST are located under the same roof in Beatrice-Edgell-Weg 21 at Campus Hubland Nord.The building is situated opposite the Mensateria and right at the end of the bridge connecting Hubland South with Hubland Nord.
You can easily reach us by using public transport. The next bus station is "Am Hubland" (direct connection from central station with bus services 114 and 14). For timetables and further information please visit www.wvv.de or www.bayern-fahrplan.de.


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Chapter VI – Who Controls Our Elections?
June 1, 2014 Christopher Bollyn	The Book - Solving 9-11: The Deception that Changed the World
Who Controls Our Elections?
The stealing of American elections is primarily a computer crime, as was the false-flag terror attack of 9/11. These crimes are carried out by criminals who produce malicious computer code and enterprise software.
I know Americans who watch television every night. I actually know people who spend virtually every non-working minute of the day in front of a television, bathing in the absolutely fake and utterly non-intellectual "reality" of TV. Millions of Americans, in fact, receive the bulk of their news and information about the world from the television. That means that a very large segment of the American population has a worldview that has been shaped primarily by what they have seen on TV. For many people, the artificial and contrived "reality" of the two-dimensional television screen largely defines and informs their view of the real world.
This is why so many Americans know so little about the Middle East. The most obvious symptom of this television-induced ignorance is that most Americans know nothing about the real history of Zionism and the State of Israel. They are completely unaware, for example, of the long history of Zionist terrorism against Palestinians, Americans, Jews, and even Israelis. Raised on Hollywood television and movies, many Americans don't have the slightest clue about the real nature of Zionism.
Think about this for a minute: When was the last time you saw a movie in which the bad guys were Israelis speaking a guttural Slavic-based language called Yiddish or "Ivreet"? Can you recall even one television program in which the criminals or terrorists were Israelis? Apart from The Little Drummer Girl by John Le Carre, I have never seen a film in which Israelis were anything but heroes or victims, usually both. The Little Drummer Girl, which is a film worth watching, shows how false-flag terror attacks are frequently committed by Israeli intelligence agents to be blamed on their enemies. Such false-flag Zionist terror attacks were carried out against synagogues in Europe in the movie, and in Baghdad in real life during the late 1940s.
In the usual Hollywood films about terrorists, such as the Die Hard films and others produced by Zionist media moguls, the bad guys are always Arabs, Germans, or corrupt members of the U.S. military. For many decades the Zionists who control Hollywood have defined who the "bad guys" are for most Americans. Israelis and their fellow Zionists are, therefore, never the "bad guys" in Hollywood films, although Israelis and Zionists play a very major role, if not the leading role, in the real world of organized crime.
Kobi Alexander, one of the high-level Israeli criminals involved in Comverse, Odigo, and 9/11. After stealing hundreds of millions of dollars, Alexander fled to Israel and Namibia seeking refuge from U.S. justice. Real Israeli criminals like Alexander are seldom depicted in Hollywood films.
For the people in the U.S. military whose job it is to protect and defend the United States, reality is largely defined by the information they receive on their computer monitors. These people spend most of their workdays sitting in front of screens that provide the data to which they respond, often in life-or-death situations.
But who really controls the information that the average American and the specialists in the U.S. military receive on their screens? You may be surprised to discover that the man behind the curtain is an Israeli with a thick guttural accent and a foreign and extremely racist view of the world.
ACCEPTING VIRTUAL REALITY
Having observed the counting of the votes in the elections in many countries, I found this critical process of democratic elections to be the most bizarre in Chicago, where there is absolutely no interest by the public or the media in how the votes are actually counted. So far gone is the democratic franchise in Chicago that it can be said that it no longer exists in any meaningful way.
An electronic voting machine: a device for stealing elections and controlling nations.
When I was at Election Headquarters at the office of the Clerk of Cook County in downtown Chicago to observe the "vote count," I was told to wait at a counter and simply watch the television screens overhead. I inquired, "But where is the vote count happening? I was informed by Scott Burnham that I could observe the counting of the votes."
The vote count, I was then told, was being done in a back room by the employees of a private company, and there I could not go. When I monitored the election in Chicago in March 2006, the back room "counting of the votes" process was being run by a bunch of Venezuelans working for a mysterious company called Sequoia Voting Systems. This privately-owned and foreign company was running the elections for Chicago and Cook County, that shining beacon of democracy.
Sequoia's website says this:
Sequoia is a leading American-owned election technology provider with major offices in California, Colorado and New York and an unsurpassed 100-year-plus history of providing accurate, reliable, accessible and innovative voting solutions dating back to the nation's first lever-based mechanical voting equipment in the 1890s.
Nobody in Chicago had the slightest clue who really owned Sequoia, nor did anybody even care. All I could find was that it was a shell company registered in the Dutch Antilles registered to another shell company in The Netherlands. The two young Venezuelans who were running the company were apparently Sephardic Jews whose fathers were film producers in the movie industry in South America.
The election results for Cook County, produced by our Venezuelan friends, were displayed on television monitors, and the members of the press simply recorded the results and called it an election. They could not have cared less about how the votes were being counted. When I told a Chicago television reporter that I was there to see how the votes were counted, and commented that they did a better job counting votes in Serbia, she ignored the real issue and glibly responded that she was glad she was not in Serbia.
That is how elections are done in Chicago, one of the most corrupt cities in the world, and it is very much the same in every other city and state in the United States. The counting of the votes in American elections, you see, has been completely removed from the oversight of the American people and has been turned over to private foreign-owned companies, who own the equipment and control the software that runs the voting equipment and counts the votes for most American voters.
Some of these companies involved in U.S. elections, such as Voxeo, which processed the tally of the Iowa caucus in 2004 giving John Forbes Kerry an undeserved boost, are owned or controlled by Israeli military intelligence. Again in 2008 the Voxeo results of the Iowa caucus gave the dark horse candidate Barack Obama an unexpected victory. In many cases, the election software is controlled by the Israelis, and through back doors they are able to manipulate the results.
The controlled media ignores the fundamental problem of lack of transparency in our elections. The theft of American elections by privately owned election and software companies tied to Israeli intelligence is an absolute non-issue in the Zionist-controlled media in the United States. So, who really controls American elections? Ask Shimon Peres or Ehud Olmert or the director of Mossad, but don't expect the Zionist-controlled media in the United States to tell you.
The stealing of American elections is primarily a computer crime, as was the false-flag terror attack of 9/11. These crimes are carried out by criminals who produce malicious computer code and enterprise software. The part of the crime done through the computer systems is very difficult to detect and trace, which gives the perpetrators a false sense of invulnerability, not unlike the bad guys in a James Bond film. There is, however, an agent who leaves a record of producing and distributing the software that is used in these computer crimes. This is the starting point from which we can determine who is really behind these computer crimes.
PTECH & 9/11 – The "Arab" Disguise Fails
During the first 9/11 "truth" events, there was a great deal of discussion about a Massachusetts-based software company called Ptech, which had been involved with the computer systems of the FAA and NORAD, two agencies whose systems completely failed on 9/11.
"Ptech was with Mitre Corporation in the basement of the FAA for two years prior to 9/11 and their specific job was to look at interoperability issues the FAA had with NORAD and the Air Force, in case of an emergency," the former risk and software specialist Indira Singh told the 9/11 Citizens' Commission hearings.
So this mysterious little company from Quincy, Massachusetts, whose software was on all the critical computer networks of the U.S. government and military, we were told, was Arab-owned, financed, and linked to terrorists. This, however, was quite false; Ptech was simply an Arab "cut out."
As I quickly discovered, Ptech's Arab identity was fake; it was nothing but an Arab "cut out." Ptech was, in fact, an Israeli-controlled Mossad front company, made to look like an Arab-owned company. When a company goes to such lengths to mask its true identity, you can be sure there is a very important reason.
In an article of January 2005, entitled "Ptech, 9/11, and USA-Saudi Terror, Part II," an author named Michael Kane wrote on Michael Ruppert's website From The Wilderness:
January 27, 2005 (FTW) – Ptech – the software company whose major investors and directors are strongly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood – produced software that derived from PROMIS, had an artificial intelligence core, and was installed on virtually every computer system of the U.S. government and its military agencies on September 11, 2001. This included the White House, Treasury Department (Secret Service), Air Force, FAA, CIA, FBI, both houses of Congress, Navy, Department of Energy, IRS, Booz Allen Hamilton, IBM, Enron and more.
Whoever plotted 9/11 definitely viewed the FAA as an enemy that morning. Overriding FAA systems would be the most effective way to ensure the attacks were successful. To do this, the FAA needed an evolution of PROMIS software installed on their systems and Ptech was just that; the White House & Secret Service had the same software on their systems – likely a superior modified version capable of "surveillance and intervention" functions.
Ptech is enterprise architecture software, which Indira planned on customizing to use as "risk architecture" software.
Enterprise architecture software is designed with the express purpose of knowing everything that is going on throughout the entirety of the enterprise in real-time. In the case of Ptech software installed on White House, Secret Service, Air Force and FAA systems, the enterprise included all of the data produced by those agencies in real-time.
How odd. What was so telling about these early reports by Kane and others about Ptech in the 9/11 "truth" movement is that these people seemed to know a great deal about how the Ptech software works, while they were completely blind about the Israeli connection to the company. They all stressed that Ptech was an Arab-owned and financed company from Quincy, Massachusetts. Either they don't know anything about who Ptech is — or they are supporting the lie that it is an Arab company. I suspect the latter.
I never accepted the notion that 9/11 had been carried out by Muslims in Pakistan or terrorists based in the caves of Afghanistan. This always seemed preposterous and it didn't take me very long to find that Ptech was controlled by an agent of Israeli intelligence. It made no sense that Arab terrorists, who could barely fly, could deceive the U.S. Air Force, NORAD, and the FAA, and that the extremely sophisticated 9/11 operation was directed from a cave in Afghanistan. I'm sorry, but that is just not believable.
Ptech, as I discovered, was from the beginning controlled by a Jewish lawyer from Worcester, Massachusetts, named Michael S. Goff. It is very clear that Goff worked for Mossad, because the prize client of his PR firm was a Mossad-owned computer security company named Guardium.
The following extract is how I reported this discovery in my article of April 2005 entitled "How Mossad Deceived the U.S. Military on 9/11":
Joe Bergantino, a reporter for WBZ-TV's investigative team, was torn. He could risk breaking a story based on months of work investigating a software firm linked to terrorism, or heed the government's demand to hold the story for national security reasons. In mid-June, Bergantino received a tip from a woman in New York who suspected that Ptech, a computer software company in Quincy, Mass., had ties to terrorists. Ptech specialized in developing software that manages information contained in computer networks.
Bergantino's investigation revealed that Ptech's clients included many federal governmental agencies, including the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Naval Air Command, Congress, the Department of Energy, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, NATO, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secret Service, and even the White House.
"Ptech was doing business with every federal government in defense and had access to key government data," Bergantino said.
The Mossad handler at Ptech was, in my opinion, an American named Michael S. Goff, who is disingenuous about what he did, when he worked at, and when he left, Ptech. It should be noted that Ptech "got on its feet in 1994." Goff implies that he left Ptech when Goff Communications began in 1994; certainly not true.
Here is what Michael Goff's website says about his work there:
Michael was marketing manager at Ptech, Inc., a leading provider of business process modeling, design and development software. In this capacity, Michael managed various marketing programs and activities including public relations, direct mail, Web development, collateral, trade shows and seminars. Additionally, Michael worked closely with the Ptech sales organization to perform competitive analysis as well as manage lead tracking and fulfillment activities.
When Michael first joined Ptech, he shared responsibilities between marketing and information systems for the company. As information systems manager, Michael handled design, deployment and management of its Windows and Macintosh, data, and voice networks. As part of this effort, Michael developed Lotus Notes-based systems for sales and marketing lead tracking and IS service and support requests. Michael also performed employee training and handled all procurement for software, systems and peripherals.
From Goff Communications website, you will notice that one of his current prize clients is an Israeli company known as Guardium. This company is located less than 5 miles from Hanscom AFB, site of MIT's Lincoln Labs and about the same distance from Boston's Logan Airport. The Israeli presence can be seen all over MIT and Boston.
Guardium, a "database security" firm, is clearly a Mossad operation working in a critical area – the same area that the two planes that hit the World Trade Center originated – Boston's Logan Airport.
Don't take my word for it, look at who finances Guardium. Three firms, all Israeli, and all manned by Mossad agents. It should be noted that Mossad's headquarters are in Herzliya. It is clear that the three firms, Cedar Fund, Veritas Venture Partners, and Stage One, are all Mossad funding outfits.
Ari Bronshtein, currently a director of Elron Electronic, the Israeli defense company behind Voxeo and the stealing of the Iowa caucus in 2004, was the manager of business analysis at Comverse Technologies, Inc. (See: Kobi Alexander and Odigo on 9/11) from 1999 to 2000. Bronshtein was also chairman of the investment committee of Stage One, one of the Mossad investors of Guardium. Do you see the links between the Israeli military intelligence and the computer crimes of 9/11 and the theft of elections in the United States? This is, however, just the tip of the iceberg.
When I exposed the Israeli players behind Ptech, it should have changed everything, at least for those who follow what happened on 9/11. Ptech, whose "enterprise architecture software is designed with the express purpose of knowing everything that is going on throughout the entirety of the enterprise in real-time," was not an evil Arab company after all. It was an Israeli-run company disguised as an Arab company.
Do you really think that the most critical computer networks in the U.S. government would accept and run enterprise software from a Lebanese Muslim immigrant from Massachusetts? Of course not, but there were Zionist agents on the inside who accepted software from Mossad agents like the Zionist lawyer from Worcester, Michael S. Goff.
Another Israeli operation with a fake Muslim facade and ties to 9/11 surfaced when I got a tip from a reader in the Fort Lauderdale area of Florida. It concerned a graphics company called Next Graphics, a firm my source had done business with and which he had thought was Palestinian-owned.
The facade of being a Muslim-owned firm at Next Graphics was entirely fake, like the bogus religious shrine they had in the entry. The principal owners of Next Graphics were Israelis and they are closely tied to the Israelis who met with Ehud Olmert in New York on the eve of September 11, 2001.
Bollyn, Christopher, "How Mossad Deceived the U.S. Military on 9/11," April 2005
http://www.bollyn.com/index/?id=10761
Bollyn, Christopher, "Is MITRE Corp. The Trojan Horse of 9/11?" April 2005
Bollyn, Christopher, "How a Private Company Counts our Votes"
http://www.votefraud.org/how_a_private_company_counts_our_votes.htm
"Michael Chertoff and the sabotage of the Ptech investigation"
http://rigorousintuition.blogspot.com/2005/01/michael-chertoff-and-sabotage-of-ptech.html
Goff Communications (Michael's image disappeared after my 2005 article appeared.)
http://web.archive.org/web/20050403162911/http://www.goffpr.com/about.asp
Original – January 2, 2008
Latest Edit – June 17, 2011


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Risk vs. reward is a principal consideration for every investment decision, not only with P2P risks. However, with peer-to-peer lending (P2P) platforms advertising rates ranging from 3% to 19% the reward can be easily visualised. The challenge, however, relates to assessing the level of risk acceptable to the reward. The nature of lending money to individuals and/or businesses creates unique risks in comparison to traditional asset classes that investors should be aware of.
It's worth noting that lending money through peer-to-peer lending platforms is an investment and for this reason funds are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Ultimately, without FSCS coverage, investors' capital and interest are at risk.
Risks can largely be categorised into: Performance Risk, Platform Risk, Market Risk, and Liquidity risk.
Although some P2P providers have put in place features to recover losses such as provision funds and asset security, there is a fundamental risk that a large number of borrowers default on their loans.
A further performance risk exists when an investor's cash sits idle in their account waiting to be matched to borrowers.
Borrower default may result from a poor initial credit decision or economic factors (see market risk). Investors are advised to diversify across a large number of borrowers to ensure that the effects of one borrower defaulting are minimal on the overall investment. A large number of borrowers defaulting on their loan commitments remains a risk even after diversification.
P2P platforms create a marketplace of borrowers and lenders. Where an imbalance exists of more borrowers than lenders, investors' capital may sit idle waiting to be lent. This can significantly reduce returns.
A number of risks exist at a platform level including insolvency, fraud and security. If a significant platform was to fail, found to be fraudulent, or if there was a significant cyber security breach, market sentiment would decline.
If a platform was to become insolvent the loan contracts between lenders and borrowers would still exist and contractually repayments should continue. FCA rules dictate that P2P platforms need to have a sufficient plan in place to ensure borrower repayments continue, independent of whether the platform is solvent or not. To a certain extent this does protect investors, however, if a P2P platform was to become insolvent this would create significant turbulence for investors and its possible losses would be incurred.
Platform fraud is a significant risk to the sector. Essentially, platforms must deliver on their promises. Nesta reported in the 2015 report 'Pushing Boundaries' the potential collapse of one or more of the well-known platforms due to malpractice was the biggest risk to the growth of the sector. In a bid to mitigate platform fraud the FCA stipulates that P2P platforms must hold client funds in a segregated client account, separated from their own operating cash.
Similar to fraud risk, 51% of P2P platforms surveyed by Nesta in 2015 regarded cyber security as a factor that could have a detrimental effect on the sector. Given that the entire P2P industry is based online, a severe cyber security breach is a real risk.
Market risks relate to macro-economic factors that may affect the ability of a borrower to repay their loan or for the capital to be recovered post default. Similarly to fixed income investments, an interest rate risk also exists.
If interest rates were to rise, the interest rate paid by a borrower might not appear attractive in comparison to other forms of investments. For example, if Cash ISA rates were to rise to pre-recession levels of 5%, being locked in to a P2P agreement which pays between 5-6% may not be worth the risk.
With interest rates holding record-low levels since 2009, the P2P sector has largely grown in a low yield environment.
The question is clear: can P2P investing still deliver value in an environment of higher interest rates. Well, the good news is that if interest rates were to rise, borrower rates would also rise. In theory both the lender and borrower rate would rise.
In the consumer lending space, if unemployment rates were to rise, the risk of borrower default would also rise. It's well documented that Zopa endured the 2007/2008 recession and during this period its default rate rose from 0.49% in 2007 to 5.10% in 2008. A rising default rate caused by unemployment would decrease investor returns and possibly lead to a loss of capital.
In 2016, 19% of the P2P sector related to some form of property lending. Whether borrowing for a property development, as bridging finance or for buy to let purposes, property generally secures the loan. If a loan moves into default the P2P provider has the ability to sell the property held as security. Two things are important here. Firstly, how easy will it be for the property to be sold and what value will the property or asset be sold at.
If property prices were to drop, the capital realised from the sale of the property price may be lower than expected. Typically, P2P platforms will not lend at 100% of the value of the property (LTV). Landbay for example will lend at a maximum LTV of 80% and an average of 68%. This should provide sufficient coverage providing the asset is correctly valued at the outset and the market does not drastically drop in value.
Investors are contractually obliged to lend funds to borrowers over the term of the loan. The inherent nature of lending is therefore illiquid unless the loan can be sold to a new investor. Depending on the P2P platform it may be possible to sell loan commitments on a secondary market. Generally, the larger the P2P platform in terms of loan volumes the more active or liquid the secondary market is. For example, there is currently high demand for loans on Zopa, RateSetter and Funding Circle, resulting in investors being able to sell their loan commitments and withdraw funds relatively quickly.
Investing in the peer-to-peer lending sector can deliver risk-adjusted, predictable returns, however there are unique risks that investors should be aware of. The illiquid nature of lending means investors should be prepared to commit for the term duration or be aware of the P2P platforms secondary market. Borrowers defaulting on their loans is an obvious risk that investors need to assess. However, further market and platform risks should also be evaluated when considering investing in the sector.


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Devyani Vaishampayan
Devyani has a diverse range of experiences as a senior HR Director across a number of industries, including engineering, telecoms, oil & gas, banking, professional services and technology. She was previously Group HR Director at BSI and AET Tankers and has experience of large international businesses, such as Citibank, G4S, AT&T, Rolls-Royce and BG Group.
She is currently Non-executive Director at the British Quality Foundation, The Law Society and Chair of TLA People Tech. She has previously been on the Boards of The Singapore Association of the Deaf, The HR Fund and BoardAgender.
Devyani is also the CEO of the HR TECH Partnership, an investment and digital innovation venture around the 'future of work'. The firm runs innovation hubs, helping organisations engage and learn about digital disruption around culture, people and skills. It also invests in AI-based workplace digital start-ups.
Devyani was named in the 2020 Asian Women's Award, 2017 FT / Empower Ethnic Minority Leaders list and the 2016 Cranfield FTSE 100 Women to Watch list.