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Investocracy News
Latest News on Startups from emerging markets catered towards Japan
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Commentary on HealthTech Startups in Singapore
Singapore has always had a progressive healthcare system with prioritizing innovative solutions to the existing problems at a much faster pace. HealthTech startups have recently…
Singapore based cybersecurity company Silent Eight raises $8.8M
Silent Eight a global technology company that helps combat money laundering and terrorism financing using Artificial Intelligence raised $8.8M from a series B round. The…
Syfe Closes US$18.6 Million Series A funding, backed by Valar Ventures
Syfe, A Singapore based digital wealth manager on the 23rd of September, 2020 announced that it has successfully closed US$18.6 Million Series A funding round…
Singapore's healthtech startup Biofourmis raises US$ 100M
Biofourmis, a Singapore-based digital therapeutics startup, has raised US$ 100M in its latest Series C round of funding. About the funding round The Series C…
Singapore's MedTech startup See-Mode raises US$ 7M
See-Mode Technologies, a Singapore and Australia based MedTech start-up, has announced that it has raised US$ 7M in its Series A round. About the funding…
Veggie Innovation startup Unfold launches with US$ 30M funding
Unfold, a start-up focusing on innovation in vegetable varieties, has launched with an initial funding of US$ 30M and an agreement for certain rights to…
Singapore based Incomlend secures US$ 20M in Series A round
Incomlend, a Singapore based start-up, has raised US$ 20M in its Series A funding round led by Sequoia Capital India. Additionally, French-based CMA CGM…
Top Startup & VC lists
Top B2B payment startups in Singapore
B2B startup is also known as enterprise startup. Unlike any usual startups, the customers of this startup are another business itself. B2B payment required innovation.…
Top Self-driving Vehicles Startups in Singapore
What are some promising startups building autonomous vehicles in Singapore? Here are the top 4 autonomous startups in Singapore based on our research, which is…
StashAway raises US$ 16M in Series C round
StashAway, a Singapore based financial advisor operator, has announced the completion of a US$ 16M Series C fundraising round. The Series C round was led…
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Our product portfolio consists of various kinds of customized and general reports on status of Venture Capital Landscape in Asia and Africa and we offer services to connect VC with appropriate startups and vice-versa.
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Commentary on HealthTech Startups in Singapore November 25, 2020
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Commentary on Prop Tech in China November 16, 2020
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Singapore based cybersecurity company Silent Eight raises $8.8M November 11, 2020
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text:
Levels of analysis in foreign aid advocacy and research
It's been over 5 years since I started working on issues of development assistance, and yet I still get incensed when I see the polemics that periodically surface in public debate: "aid is dead!", "no, we need more aid!", "but aid experts are deluded planners!", "even so, you should give at least 0.7%!", and so on. It has taken me a while to come to the realization that this kind of crossfire annoys me because I tend to work on much more specific issues: what kind of aid can promote institutional reform? Or, what kind of donor can exact reform from a patrimonial government? This has led me to realize that aid debates take place on at least three different levels of analysis, each of them based on a different conception of what aid is: a macro resource, a meso strategy, or a micro tactic. And the peculiarities of each level have implications both for research and advocacy.
The three levels of analysis
(1) Aid at the macro level: Aggregate resource
At the macro level aid is conceived in terms of flows: inflows, outflows, in budget, off budget, tied or untied, percentage of GDP, percentage of government expenditures, and so on. Much of the debate about aid working or not working seems to take place at this level, which is also dominated by the ethical dilemmas surrounding giving and receiving assistance. Some people advocate 0.7% contributions, while others decry the fact that aid does not contribute to economic growth. This is the realm of the Bill Easterly's and Paul Collier's of the world, of political economists interested in the deleterious effects of aid as a non-tax revenue (in terms of democracy or state-building) or as a disruptor of local economies (in terms of market prices or poaching of talent from the civil service).
(2) Aid at the meso level: Donor strategies
For those interested in what aid organizations actually do, macro results are seldom useful except as framing devices: this different kind of question usually requires lowering one's gaze down from the Platonic realm of numbers and into the messiness of government agencies and departments. Donors are the subjects and objects of analysis at the meso level: what strategies they pursue, how they identify development challenges, what partnerships they establish with recipients and other donors. Debates about donors may focus on the challenges of aid harmonization and coordination, or the dilemmas of relationships with recipients (my own paper in DPR deals with these issues); they may look at how different aid donors interact within a single recipient country; and what patterns of assistance emerge over decades of interaction and negotiation (like the "ritual dances of reform" explored by Tom Callaghy and Nic van de Walle).
(3) Aid at the micro level: Projects tactics
But the minute one dares to open the black box of donor agencies one risks getting sucked into the micro level of analysis, which is much more focused on the challenges of project implementation and disbursement in complex environments. Debates at the micro level tend to deal with the tactics of development assistance, where various voices have emerged recently with various models and cautionary tales: the Africa Power and Politics Programme's collective action model; the Blair Governance Initiative's focus on central executive units; or Matt Andrews's seemingly ubiquitous problem-driven iterative adaptation approach. Micro-level arguments usually address the sources of project failure, positing alternative models for aid effectiveness; one way or another, they make claims about project design and management at a level way below that of donor strategies, much less aid flows.
What this means for aid research
Most aid research takes place at the macro level of analysis because it is relatively easy to study: all we need is aggregate date of the sort compiled by the OECD or the World Bank, and a statistical software suite.
The meso level of analysis, in contrast, is usually the realm of qualitative case comparisons: the number of significant donors per country is usually small, and even the sum total of OECD donors is not large enough for robust statistical analysis. This type of work requires intimate knowledge of the strategies and bureaucratic structures of individual donor agencies and missions, as well as the political environment that they face both at home and abroad. Studies shed light on the types of strategies that may succeed in different countries contexts, as well as the ability or inability of specific donors to adopt such strategies. Aid as a strategy is a concept for policy-minded researchers who still look at the world through conventional analytical lenses, in particular those that demand homogeneous actors.
Finally, project level-research has the feel of ethnography to it: it can illuminate and expose the inner workings of aid programs, which enhances empirical validity at the expense of generalizability and parsimony. There is an added complication here in that project-level research is usually immune from academic peer-review, dominated as it is by restricted agency evaluations and consultancy reports.
By definition, research at one level of analysis cannot directly speak to another level: aggregate inflows rarely provide insight into specific donor data points, whereas project lessons cannot often be generalized beyond a country mission. One could imagine a way in which a development agency could take findings from all three levels and combine them into a reform process reconciling aggregate impact, country strategy, and project management; but that requires a level of bureaucratic coherence and time-consistency that is seldom present in donors.
What this means for aid advocacy
It is the realm of advocacy and public debate where the three levels of analysis tend to interact with each other more closely, even if cross-level conversations tend to obscure and confound more than resolve and enlighten. The elephant in the room here is macro-level data: even when research can establish statistically significant correlations, there is no single worldwide aid organization that can adjust the mean of its activities accordingly. It is easy to say that aid does or does not foster growth on average, but much harder to tell a specific donor whether they are on the regression line or they are an outlier, and how to get from one to the other. Aid as a resource is a concept for intellectual exercises and ethical advocacy, but it does not tell us much in practice. Nevertheless, it can easily dominate superficial public debates on aid expenditures, and so generate an undue pressure on donor agencies to adapt their country strategies and project management approaches.
At the lowest level of aggregation, micro-findings about project success and failure also tend to be blown out of proportion by interested parties: aid professionals themselves have an incentive to over-report success, whereas aid detractors find in project evaluations ample fodder for simplistic criticism. At best, micro-level advocacy can drive aid effectiveness by swaying the minds of managers, specialists, and local counterparts. At worst, it can mislead the aid community by supplying a tactical miracle cure for what are essentially strategic problems (Nick Manning has written about this recently on World Bank and ESID blogs).
With the two extremes prone to misinterpretation by aid proponents and detractors, where does that leave aid as a strategy? In principle, the meso level of analysis is more suited than the macro one to practical implications (assuming research alone could sway the strategies of entire donor agencies), in terms of recipient country selection, sector targeting, and relationships with other donors. However, this more bureaucratic -and even diplomatic- kind of debate attracts only sporadic attention from the public, who are likely to fixate on specific scandals while remaining blissfully ignorant of everyday mediocrity.
Disciplining the language of aid
There is no silver bullet in development assistance. Numbers do sometimes lie. Donor agencies rarely -if ever- behave in a rational fashion. And project implementation is an idiosyncratic exercise in firefighting and improvisation. But that does not mean that aid cannot do good: it just means that it's really hard to determine all the forms of impact that aid can have.
Polemics are inevitable; but they can be smart polemics, well-informed and hyper-aware of what level of analysis they address. That means we in the aid community -as practitioners, researchers or commentators- need to be extra careful about how we express ourselves, and extra vigilant for biased implications and non sequiturs derived from the wrong kind of data.
Aggregate resource claims tell us nothing about specific interventions.
Project tactics cannot be a panacea for overall aid effectiveness.
And donor strategies cannot rely exclusively on bureaucratic considerations.
Aid ethics and political settlements research
Doing Development Differently: The future is now-ish
Listen to my Presentation on Political Economy Analysis @ Birmingham
What comes after all the shouting about politics and aid?
Politics in the trenches of development: Mainstreaming political economy analysis in aid agencies
Posted on 2 July 2014 Author PabloCategories DevelopmentTags ESID, Foreign aid, Theory, World Bank
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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African American Museum Founder Dead In Trunk, Reward For Sadie Roberts-Joseph Murder Info
The mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest and indictment of the...
Man Utd new boy Daniel James tells Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the three positions he can play
MANCHESTER UNITED new boy Daniel James has already told Ole Gunnar Solskjaer he is ready to be versatile.Manchester United kicked off their pre-season tour in...
Facebook page of Australian man missing in North Korea mysteriously reappears
The Facebook page of an Australian student in North Korea briefly reappeared on Saturday after his family shut it down.
Alek Sigley hasn't been heard or seen since Tuesday morning and is believed to be detained in North Korea.
His family had taken down his personal social media accounts to stop people from speculating what had happened to him.
The account appeared briefly on Saturday, according to the
But on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday the page had disappeared again.
His Twitter page and his website have remained online. Mr Sigley's last social media posts were on June 24.
On Friday, Australian National University North Korea expert Leonard Petrov said he believed Mr Sigley was silenced ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to the demilitarized zone, an expert said on Friday.
The worrying new theory comes as Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke of his concern for Mr Sigley's welfare from the G20 summit of central bankers and world leaders in Japan.
'It is troubling to me and I'm sure his family as well,' Mr Morrison said from Osaka on Friday.
'The expression of support and assistance that have come from other nations I've met with while I've been here is very welcome,' he said.
'We'll continue to focus very sharply on that, and seek to clarify what exactly has occurred and then take steps from there.'
Dr Petrov said the secretive communist state might have viewed Mr Sigley's regular blogging on life in North Korea as a security risk and deliberately cut him off from means of communication.
'I think that North Koreans potentially might have decided to shut down his blog … because the information was coming out of North Korea, which is unprecedented,' Dr Petrov told the ABC.
Mr Sigley, who is thought to be the only Australian living in North Korea, moved there in 2018 to study for a master's degree in Korean literature at Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang.
He also runs a tour business for foreign visitors and blogs frequently. He has a twitter account with 4,000 followers.
On his blog and social media accounts, Mr Sigley has shared non-controversial, non-political information about daily life in the hermit kingdom, that is fascinating to outsiders because it is so closed.
Dr Petrov, a friend of Mr Sigley, said he did not think Mr Sigley was in immediate danger, because he was a foreign national who had been permitted to study there.
But he remained a potential risk as he was not controlled and censored by the North Korean dictatorship, he said.
Dr Petrov said with U.S. President Donald Trump scheduled to visit the demilitarized zone on Sunday that tensions had been heightened in both South and North Korea leading to intensified security measures.
Trump is set to arrive in South Korea for a two-day visit on Saturday and will meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Sunday, following a summit of G20 leaders in Japan.
'Normally North Korea is a closed book,' Dr Petrov said.
'Information is protected, journalists are not permitted or very carefully scrutinised.
'So an international student studying at the university for more than a year and constantly bringing information about the reclusive country could have been seen as a potential distraction factor on the eve of a potential third summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.'
Mr Sigley's last social media post on June 24 was about the Ryugyong Hotel, which remained famously unfinished after construction was halted in 1992 as North Korea entered an economic crisis.
He has been open about sharing his experiences living in North Korea, writing an editorial in The Guardian about his time there.
'As a long-term foreign resident on a student visa, I have nearly unprecedented access to Pyongyang,' he wrote.
'I'm free to wander around the city, without anyone accompanying me. Interaction with locals can be limited at times, but I can shop and dine almost anywhere I want.'
The 29-year-old student has not been in digital contact with friends and family since Tuesday morning Australian time, which is unusual for him.
His panic-striken wife Yuka Morinaga, 26, of Japan, received her last message from Mr Sigley on Monday evening.
Ms Morinaga, who married Mr Sigley in Pyongyang in May 2018 in front of dozens of family and friends, normally speaks to her husband every day over WhatsApp from Tokyo where she is based.
Ms Morinaga said she hadn't noticed anything strange in their last conversation as her husband spoke about food and shared photos of a tailor-made suit he made with classmates.
Australia does not have an official diplomatic presence in North Korea and the British ambassador is handling the case.
Trade minister Simon Birmingham told ABC Radio National on Friday morning that the Australian government has been unable to confirm Mr Sigley's whereabouts or what his condition might be.
'The fact that we have not been able to confirm that is a demonstration as to how difficult it is in terms of dealing with North Korea,' he said.
North Korea was an unpredictable destination and circumstances there were beyond Australia's control, he said.
Mr Birmingham said Sweden was helping with diplomatic relations in North Korea through their embassy in Pyongyang while Australia was providing consular assistance to Mr Sigley's family.
It was previously reported that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had confirmed an Australian man had reportedly been detained in North Korea.
Daily Mail Australia contacted the Department on Friday to seek confirmation. The Department pointed Daily Mail to Trade Minister Simon Birmingham's comments that the government was continuing to seek clarification on Mr Sigley's whereabouts.
Foreigners have not been detained in North Korea since the death of University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier in 2017.
Mr Warmbier had been travelling in a group to Pyongyang when he was arrested and detained at the airport for taking a propaganda poster as a souvenir from the hotel he was staying in.
He was taken into custody in Pyongyang then returned to his family later in a vegetative state which the North Korean authorities blamed on food poisoning.
Mr Warmbier died six days after he was returned to the US in June 2017.


text:
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The `greaterThanOrEqual` assertion compares values using `>=`.

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There is also the `ge` alias for brevity:

    expect(4).to.be.ge(2);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


William J. Stromberg made an average of $7.8M in compensation at Price T Rowe Group from 2007 to 2018.
In 2018, William J. Stromberg earned a total compensation of $13.1M as President and Chief Executive Officer at Price T Rowe Group.
William J. Stromberg's 2018 compensation ranked 282nd out of 8,356 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Stromberg earned more than 96.6% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
Stromberg received $8.2M in non-equity incentive plan, which accounts for 62.66% of total compensation.
Stromberg also received $350K in salary, $4.5M in stock awards and $86.7K in other compensation.
In 2017, William J. Stromberg earned a total compensation of $11.7M as President and Chief Executive Officer at Price T Rowe Group.
William J. Stromberg's 2017 compensation ranked 439th out of 13,167 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Stromberg earned more than 96.7% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
Stromberg received $7.6M in non-equity incentive plan, which accounts for 65.12% of total compensation.
Stromberg also received $39.8K in bonus, $350K in salary, $3.6M in stock awards and $130.2K in other compensation.
In 2016, William J. Stromberg earned a total compensation of $9.1M as President and Chief Executive Officer at Price T Rowe Group.
William J. Stromberg's 2016 compensation ranked 604th out of 13,853 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Stromberg earned more than 95.6% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
Stromberg received $6.9M in non-equity incentive plan, which accounts for 75.42% of total compensation.
Stromberg also received $350K in salary, $1.8M in stock awards and $82.4K in other compensation.
In 2015, William J. Stromberg earned a total compensation of $8.4M as President and Chief Executive Officer at Price T Rowe Group.
William J. Stromberg's 2015 compensation ranked 711th out of 13,574 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Stromberg earned more than 94.8% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
Stromberg received $6.6M in non-equity incentive plan, which accounts for 78.13% of total compensation.
Stromberg also received $609.7K in option awards, $350K in salary, $807.9K in stock awards and $79.7K in other compensation.
In 2014, William J. Stromberg earned a total compensation of $8.1M as President and Chief Executive Officer at Price T Rowe Group.
William J. Stromberg's 2014 compensation ranked 750th out of 12,876 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Stromberg earned more than 94.2% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
Stromberg received $6.1M in non-equity incentive plan, which accounts for 75.21% of total compensation.
Stromberg also received $739.9K in option awards, $350K in salary, $841.5K in stock awards and $79.3K in other compensation.
In 2013, William J. Stromberg earned a total compensation of $7.7M as Head of Equity at Price T Rowe Group.
William J. Stromberg's 2013 compensation ranked 673rd out of 11,965 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Stromberg earned more than 94.4% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
Stromberg received $5.6M in non-equity incentive plan, which accounts for 73.03% of total compensation.
Stromberg also received $785.7K in option awards, $350K in salary, $860.7K in stock awards and $72K in other compensation.
In 2012, William J. Stromberg earned a total compensation of $7.1M as Head of Equity at Price T Rowe Group.
William J. Stromberg's 2012 compensation ranked 721st out of 10,949 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Stromberg earned more than 93.4% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
Stromberg received $5.3M in non-equity incentive plan, which accounts for 73.58% of total compensation.
Stromberg also received $690.8K in option awards, $350K in salary, $771.7K in stock awards and $72.6K in other compensation.
In 2011, William J. Stromberg earned a total compensation of $6.8M as Head of Equity at Price T Rowe Group.
William J. Stromberg's 2011 compensation ranked 685th out of 10,038 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Stromberg earned more than 93.2% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
Stromberg received $4.8M in non-equity incentive plan, which accounts for 70.99% of total compensation.
Stromberg also received $1.5M in option awards, $350K in salary and $71.5K in other compensation.
In 2010, William J. Stromberg earned a total compensation of $6.1M as Head of Global Equities at Price T Rowe Group.
William J. Stromberg's 2010 compensation ranked 729th out of 9,480 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Stromberg earned more than 92.3% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
Stromberg received $4.4M in non-equity incentive plan, which accounts for 71.43% of total compensation.
Stromberg also received $1.3M in option awards, $350K in salary and $71K in other compensation.
In 2009, William J. Stromberg earned a total compensation of $4.4M as Director of Global Equity Management Group at Price T Rowe Group.
William J. Stromberg's 2009 compensation ranked 818th out of 8,710 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Stromberg earned more than 90.6% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
Stromberg received $2.9M in non-equity incentive plan, which accounts for 65.38% of total compensation.
Stromberg also received $1.1M in option awards, $350K in salary and $55.9K in other compensation.
In 2008, William J. Stromberg earned a total compensation of $5.2M as Director of Global Equity Management Group at Price T Rowe Group.
William J. Stromberg's 2008 compensation ranked 687th out of 7,735 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Stromberg earned more than 91.1% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
Stromberg received $3.4M in non-equity incentive plan, which accounts for 65.01% of total compensation.
Stromberg also received $1.4M in option awards, $350K in salary and $53.7K in other compensation.
In 2007, William J. Stromberg earned a total compensation of $6.4M as Director of Global Equity Management Group at Price T Rowe Group.
William J. Stromberg's 2007 compensation ranked 510th out of 6,989 executive pay records tracked by us this year.
Stromberg earned more than 92.7% of all executives tracked by us in 2018.
Stromberg received $4.4M in non-equity incentive plan, which accounts for 69.00% of total compensation.
Stromberg also received $1.6M in option awards, $350K in salary and $57.1K in other compensation.


David M. dos Santos, 39, of Stephen St, Dartmouth passed away early Tuesday morning on November 13, 2018 in a tragic motor vehicle accident.
David is survived by his two daughters, Briana and Sophia dos Santos, his parents Victor and Maria Filomena dos Santos, his sister Jennifer dos Santos and brother in-law Jeff Clement. David also leaves his nephews, Ryan and Dylan Clement, Jacob, Simon, Matthew, and niece Charlotte DaRosa, as well as his godchildren Oscar Costa, Abigail and Adrien Raposo. Also survived by Gilbert and Conceicao Costa and his in-laws Anthony and Zeneida DaRosa.
David graduated from Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in 1998. Then proceeded to graduate from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He worked as a watchmaker and jeweler at Gilbert's Jeweler for over 27 years. He was also the proprietor of New England Time Company and a master watchmaker.
In his free time David enjoyed nothing more than spending time with his daughters. He studied taekwondo with his oldest daughter. He also enjoyed spending time with his friends on long pond and working weekends at Slainte's Irish Pub as a bouncer and bar back.
David will be remembered by everyone who knew him for his tenacious kindness, fierce friendship, and infinite generosity.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the trust funds of Briana and Sophia dos Santos via David's sister Jennifer Dos Santos.


text:
class SetupView::TableOptionView < UITableView
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    super

    @table = UITableView.alloc.initWithFrame(CGRectZero, style: UITableViewStylePlain)
    @table.styleId = 'table_view_wrapper'

    @table.frame = [
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    @table.autoresizingMask = @table.flexible_width_height

    @table.dataSource = self
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    @table.layoutMargins = UIEdgeInsetsZero
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    @table
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    SearchOption.count
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    current_option = SearchOption.all[indexPath.row]

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    cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier(@reuse_identifier) ||
           UITableViewCell.alloc.initWithStyle(UITableViewCellStyleDefault, reuseIdentifier: @reuse_identifier)

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    cell.textLabel.text = current_option.name

    cell.font = UIFont.fontWithName('Verdana', size: 16)

    cell.accessoryView  = SetupView::SwitchRadioButtonView.alloc.initWithFrame(CGRectZero, current_option)
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    cell.addSubview(separator_line_view)

    cell
  end
end


A limited number of tickets are still available for the Young Seagulls Christmas Party on Sunday 21st December, with the doors of the Amex Stadium opening to young fans at 1pm.
Open from 1pm-4pm, the huge range of activities on offer includes magic shows, football skills challenges with Albion in the Community coaches, gingerbread decorating, pets' corner, face painters, soft play area, balloon modellers and many other surprises on the day. We also have a café area if the host of activities gets a bit much!
Tickets for the event are available via the Albion Booking Line, online or in person at the Amex!
Please note that bookings are no longer being taken for Santa's Grotto, as all tickets have now sold out.
Parking is also available on-site at a price of £5 if booked before 4pm today or £10 on the day, though spaces are limited.


What does QR Ventures do?
If you are searching for investment to establish your company, develop an idea or grow your existing business but are having trouble finding angel investors that are looking to invest in your start-up or established business then QR Ventures is the place for you.
Email your investment proposal to QR Ventures and we will list brief details on the site.
We offer access to a select the angel entrepreneur service – success fee only.
We offer access to a full fund-raising capability involving investment proposal.
What type of Investment Professionals use QR Ventures and what investments engage their interest?
We only include investment professionals who can provide regulated advice to their investor pool and have angel investment experience.
QR Ventures has connections with a number of investment professionals, individual Venture Capitalists, and Venture Capital firms registered to us right now, actively seeking to invest into bright talented investor-ready businesses. These can include seed capital for start-ups, or growth capital for existing businesses.
Our network of investment professionals, Angel investment groups, and angel syndicates all subscribing to investment deal flow from QR Ventures are waiting to hear from you. We do not approve all of the investment professionals that signup to use our service.
What information can you provide that the investment professionals that use your service have access to real Angel Investors?
When we are asked this question, we understand how valid and serious of a concern it is and realise its significance. Firstly we have gone through great efforts to build our database of Investment Professionals.
Our reputation is important to us and we always do our very best to ensure that every investment professional that we approve to use our service is who they say they are and is seriously looking for investment opportunities for their clients. In fact, we have a comprehensive checklist to carry out before we approve an investment professional to use our service (more on this below). Please note however that although we guarantee legitimate contact with investment professionals, we cannot guarantee that their clients will invest in your business, this part is up to you!
What Success Stories or Case Studies can you provide of QR Ventures?
From time to time we document our success stories – although many entrepreneurs and angel investors do not wish to disclose information publicly for one reason or another, some entrepreneurs have asked us to exercise confidentiality and we have always respected the wishes of our users.
All of our success stories include company names or details of entrepreneurs that have taken advantage of our service, found genuine investors. These entrepreneurs have been overjoyed with their success and their overall experience with QR Ventures and so have enjoyed the extra press coverage that their success has afforded them.
What information checks does QR Ventures take to confirm the status of investment professionals?
QR Ventures has a number of investment professionals, individual Venture Capitalists, and Venture Capital firms registered to us right now, actively seeking to invest into seed capital for leading edge start-ups to growth capital for profitable established mature businesses. Further, we have a range of Angel investment groups, and angel syndicates all subscribing to investment deal flow from QR Ventures.
We have gone through great lengths to build our database. Only 40 - 50% of investment proposals that we approve on QR Ventures will actually receive one or more investor contacts, so even though other networks may boast about being able to get you 15 random leads, we concentrate on getting you the one or two genuine investors that have read your investment proposition and are genuinely interested in investing in you. Our investment professional pool will introduce to their clients if they are satisfied on the quality of the investment opportunity and via them we can introduce investors. For this reason many entrepreneurs use our fund-raising service.
How much does your service cost and when do I have to pay?
QR Ventures' fee for listing your proposal is free.
We do not approve all investment proposals that are submitted to us, which is why we review proposals without charge before deciding if we feel if your proposal is right for us. Only if it meets our criteria do we charge you a review fee which also includes your formal instruction for us to start promote and send your proposal out to Investment Professionals that we think would be interested in it.
Is it possible to upload Investment documents in PowerPoint, PDF or Excel format with my proposal to QR Ventures?
Yes. As always, we always recommend not uploading your full business plan with your investment summary - instead to await receiving confirmed investor interest and then to initiate the process by sending an NDA before sending over your full business plan to the individual investor that has contacted you through QR Ventures.
How is my investment idea protected with QR Ventures?
This is a very serious question. Firstly we will never display your entire business plan to an Investor. Instead we will only display a snapshot or summary of your business idea to our investment professional community.
Remember QR Ventures is NOT an 'open-forum' and we only accept executive type investment summaries from entrepreneurs. It is important to note that as a product Inventor or entrepreneur, it is fundamentally the execution of the idea that must be protected. So as an analogy - you may not be able to protect or patent the concept of a 'Pizza', but you would want to protect and patent the execution of it, i.e. the ingredients and the process in which it is made and cooked.
This is why QR Ventures only sends executive type summaries (1000-characters long) to investors and the reason why we will NEVER ask entrepreneurs' to display their entire business plan.
My business idea is a simple one, but can be copied easily. How would you protect my idea?
These ideas are called one liners and this is where a business idea can be summed up in a single line, and is very easy to replicate. An example of an one liner innovative idea that could be copied easily is the Rechargeable AA battery that is recharged through the USB port of any computer.
'The Rechargeable Battery industry is a £40 billion global industry and growing every year. The product that I have developed uses a completely different source of power and is something that any UK or Global household can recharge without using any of the traditional sources of power that consumers are used to using.' ... and continue on to say: I will disclose all details of my business plan, once I am comfortable with the investor, and have signed an NDA (note to entrepreneur: this is strictly an example of how you would protect your idea on QR Ventures website and must not be relied upon). From our experience, credible Investors', that are serious about investing, will only need a brief snapshot or executive summary of your idea or investment proposal before deciding on whether or not they wish to contact you to discuss your plan further, and this is the reason, QR Ventures will never ask an entrepreneur to upload their ENTIRE business plan to us as we recognise how valuable, confidential and sensitive these documents are.
How do I upload my Investment proposal to QR Ventures?
It will only take you two simple steps to create your investment proposal and get it sent out to hundreds of UK based investors on QR Ventures today.
Create your investment summary from your existing business plan, amending it slightly to cover the basics of your proposal in no more than 2500 characters or approximately one page.
Fill in all of the investment figures to QR Ventures' questions for example the amount you wish to raise, the return on investment figures an investor can expect to receive etc. and click the submit button and leave the rest to us.
We will then review it free of charge, and offer you valuable feedback if necessary. If it is up to the standards that we require for it to be featured, then we will approve it, and you can then pay your proposal checking fee and formally instruct us to begin promoting your proposal.
How can QR Ventures get investor contacts? Will you post my proposal on your website and hope that I get the contacts?
Can I appeal to multiple investment sources on QR Ventures like on Crowd Funding Sites?
With QR Ventures our main motive is getting you in touch with real angel investors introduced by investment professionals that can provide you with the funding and possibly mentorship and experience to get your business to the next level. So instead of simply bundling large amounts of random peoples' money together, QR Ventures allows entrepreneurs to seek to raise 'minimum investment amounts per investor'. This allows entrepreneurs that are seeking to raise large investment amounts to split the amounts between several sources. As an example, a single £500k investment is too large for one investment source.
As a chartered accountant/Financial Advisor, can I register on your site to post investment opportunities to seek finance for our clients?
Yes! This is something we absolutely cater for. If you have a client or multiple clients and are seeking to get them in touch with real genuine vetted investors then QR Ventures is the place for you.
With QR Ventures you are able to find real investor leads from our pool of regulated investment professionals and you will be able to broker a deal on behalf of your client or of course, send the investor contact leads directly to your client. If you happen to post more than 10 investment proposals per year with us, do contact us for a range of discounts we can offer you.
How can I calculate a ROI (Return On Investment) figure from an Angel Investor?
Return on Investment for an Angel Investor: The Return on Investment or ROI is the profit or loss that an angel investor may expect from an angel investment into your company.
QR Ventures specifically only lists one single ROI as opposed to Y1, Y2, Y3 etc - as we are seeking to feature high risk, high return investment opportunities as most angel investments are, and if you wish to further explain how you arrived at your ROI figure this should be explained in your own language within the investment summary, or in your business plan.
Is it guaranteed that my investment proposal will be listed on QR Ventures?
We are an investment deal-flow service for regulated investment professionals. Therefore the quality of investment proposals that we send out to our registered users have to be of a certain quality and we employ an internal review process for every single investment proposal that is submitted to us. This is the reason review of your investment proposal can take anywhere between 24 hours and 72 hours. This being said, we will never out-right refuse an entrepreneur's investment proposal, but where necessary we will give pointers as to how the investment proposal should be improved to maximise the potential of it receiving interest from registered investment professionals. It will then be up to the entrepreneur to resubmit the investment proposal for us to re-review.
My business is at the start up stage and therefore I am not sure of the investment required. Can these areas be left blank initially with a note in the investment proposal section that the angel finance (or angel investment) needed is negotiable?
As soon as we approve your proposal, we send it out to all of regulated investment professionals on our database that registered interest in your chosen industry, your region, and your angel investment range. Further, when we receive new registrations, and when their investment criteria matches yours, we email them your investment proposal. If our partners provide introductions after they have read the information you have provided, they will send you an email.
So, we will require investment figures from yourself. This way we can be sure that we are sending your investment proposal to investment professionals that are relevant to your opportunity.
Or one of our advisers can discuss this with you.
How is my Security protected with QR Ventures?
Your information is kept private and never shared with third parties and any information stored in our system is protected electronically as well as through procedural safeguards. Further, only registered regulated investment professionals can view your investment summary.
Can you ensure that my proposal will be seen by relevant Investors that are actively seeking to invest in my Industry?
QR Ventures groups all registered Investment Professionals into interest categories sorted by region, investment stage, company stage, and their very particular investment preferences. When a new proposal is submitted to QR Ventures we match it with particular investment preferences and inform them via email of your investment proposal. When a particularly impressive investment proposal is submitted, we contact our investment professionals by post, email and phone to inform them of your proposal at no extra charge to you. This ensures that your proposal receives an instant exposure the moment it is added to our database.
When I submit my proposal will it be edited by QR Ventures? And if so, can I view the edited version before publication?
We always look over all investment proposals submitted to us. This is to maintain the quality of deal flow that we send to our investment professionals. You can request us to do this, and we will gladly email you with the changes before making it live. But this is something that must be requested. Alternatively please add a note that you would like to be emailed (if you have space in your proposal) and we will follow your instructions.
How can an Angel Investor find and view my proposal?
QR Ventures' registered Investment professionals will always have unlimited access to your online business proposal (and video presentation, if you decide to upload one) which means that your chances of being introduced to their clients are high.
Can I upload my business plan to QR Ventures, along with my investment summary?
QR Ventures will never ask Entrepreneurs to upload their ENTIRE business plan to us as we recognise how valuable, confidential and sensitive these documents are. We have a policy to inform entrepreneurs to always be extremely diligent when it comes to posting or sending their business plan to third party websites or investment services.
As you might expect, QR Ventures has a zero-tolerance policy against any kind of fraudulent activity on our network. We constantly carry out checks on our registered Investment Professionals to ensure that they are real, active and qualified.
Please view the pages in this section which clearly outline all our terms and conditions and policies.
Should I make the angel investor sign a non-disclosure agreement before I provide my proposal?
When should I provide my full business plan to an Investor?
Without an international patent, how could an inventor/entrepreneur feel comfortable sharing priceless information on an 'open-forum'?
Firstly QR Ventures is NOT an 'open-forum'. We value greatly the privacy of both entrepreneurs as well as registered investors.
QR Ventures will never ask an entrepreneur to upload their ENTIRE business plan to us as we recognise how valuable, confidential and sensitive these documents are. We have a policy to inform entrepreneurs' to always be extremely diligent when it comes to posting or sending their business plan to third party websites or investment services.
For further information on this please visit QR Ventures entrepreneur resources for guides on various features such as copyrights and patents.
Should I pay an Angel investor a fee before the investment takes place in my company?
You should NEVER pay a legitimate angel investor any upfront money for them to invest in your business. There are various investment scams taking place on the internet and they are more popular than ever.
Can I list my company name, website details and contact details in my investment proposal that is sent to your registered investment professional database?
We send your investment proposal with generic details. To further promote entrepreneurs, every time an investment professional signs up and we approve their account they register very specific investment and regional data in the investments that they are looking for. We send them a break-down of all of the proposals that match their criteria.
Is QR Ventures regulated by any Financial Institution?
QR Ventures is not regulated by the FSA. as, we do not fall within FSA regulations. Each angel investor is required to attest to being a self-accredited "sophisticated investor" as well as other certification requirements which furthers places the responsibility on the angel investor to understand the risks associated with typical early-stage high risk investments.
I have more questions, how should I contact you?
You can call us by dialling 0330 053 6790. You can also email us directly at info@qrventures.co.uk or leave us a message here asking more questions.


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Get in touch | CPT +27 21 557 1510 | JHB +27 11 316 3233 | info@n1.co.za
Delicious Cured & Smoked Meats
Wholesale Meat Western Cape
by Belinda Ollewagen
30 June 2020 | Reading time: 2 minutes
At N1, leading Cape Town meat wholesalers, we offer a wide variety of delicious cold meats - ranging from pastrami and Russians to Parma ham and German salami loaf. A firm favourite amongst many, cured and smoked meats have been around since the earliest time of man – one of the first recorded recipes for 'salted pork' comes from Cato the Elder, a Roman statesman and historian who lived around 200 BC. But the technique of curing and smoking meat predates even the Romans – its purpose, by necessity, was to preserve certain foods for longer periods of time that would otherwise go bad if not treated. Which would explain why salt was said to be more valuable than gold in early history.
In curing, cuts of meat are treated with a salt solution which inhibits the growth of microorganisms by reducing the amount of water present – concentrations of salt up to 20% are needed to kill most bacterial growth. In smoking, three forms of preservation are employed: the first is heat (time and temperature dependant) which kills bacteria; second, the smoke releases certain chemical compounds which have an antimicrobial effect; and third, because the outer surface of the meat dries out, again the reduced presence of water limits the growth of bacteria.
Caribbean natives were some of the earliest and better-known smokers and their meat-smoking setup was called 'barbacoa' which is where today's word 'barbecue' comes from. If you've ever wondered about the etymological origin of the South African word 'braai', it's said to have come from the Dutch word 'braden' which means to roast.
Halaal fish can also be cured and smoked - delicious smoked Salmon, considered a delicacy the world over, was a common dish in early Greek and Roman culture. And then there's our very own smoked snoek of course - a more affordable alternative to the delicate ribbons of salmon or trout.
Today meat is cured and smoked for taste rather than convenience – think mouth-watering pastrami, a meat (usually beef) which is cured; partially dried and seasoned; and then smoked and steamed. Or delectable salami, a dry sausage which relies on the combination of lactic acid fermentation with curing salts to produce a delicacy of greater longevity, taste and colour. Also very popular is macon, Halaal certified meat similar to bacon, but prepared from mutton and beef - it is also cured by seeping in large quantities of salt or brine.
Whatever your cured and smoked meat needs might be, contact N1 today - we constantly strive to offer the best quality meat and frozen food products, and our core values of quality, service and delivery are at the heart of everything we do!
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Home Covid Treatments Active Cancer, Recent Chemo Linked to High COVID-19 Death Rates
Written by Cancer Health |	Posted on June 10, 2020 |	Filed in Covid Treatments
Active Cancer, Recent Chemo Linked to High COVID-19 Death Rates
Cancer Health
People whose cancer is progressing are at higher risk of death from COVID-19 than those in remission, according to findings from the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium registry presented as part of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting virtual scientific program. Patients who used hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin to treat COVID-19 were nearly three times more likely to die.
A related study, drawing on data from the international TERAVOLT registry, which is collecting data about COVID-19 among people with lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies, found that having received chemotherapy within the past three months was a risk factor for mortality.
"The cancer care community urgently needs data on the effects of COVID-19, specifically in patients with cancer," said ASCO president Howard Burris III, MD. "How we improve the care we provide these patients and reduce the number of deaths and severe consequences associated with this disease are among the top questions."
People living with cancer may be more likely to contract the novel coronavirus (officially known as SARS-CoV-2), although the data on this are unclear. Some chemotherapy and targeted therapy drugs, as well as bone marrow transplants for blood cancers, cause depletion of immune system white blood cells that fight infection.
What's more, cancer patients appear more likely to have negative outcomes of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus. Studies have consistently shown that older individuals, people with compromised immune systems and those with underlying health conditions are more susceptible to severe COVID-19 illness and death.
National Cancer Institute director Ned Sharpless, MD, warned meeting participants that the COVID-19 pandemic likely will have a detrimental impact on cancer mortality, which has been steadily declining since 1990. In addition to direct interactions between COVID-19 and cancer, the health crisis has led to delays in diagnosis and treatment and the interruption of clinical trials of new therapies.
CCC-19 Registry
Jeremy Warner, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, presented the first data from the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19), on behalf of a team of more than 70 investigators. The findings were also published in The Lancet.
The researchers analyzed anonymous data from 928 adults with cancer and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in the United States, Canada and Spain collected between March 17 and April 16, 2020.
The median age was 66, and nearly a third were 75 or older. Half were men, and half were women. Half were white, 16% were Black, 16% were Latino and 14% were classified as other or unknown race/ethnicity. Warren noted that Black and Latino patients were overrepresented relative to their geographical region.
The most common cancer types were breast cancer (21%), prostate cancer (16%), gastrointestinal cancers (12%), lymphoma (11%) and lung or other thoracic cancers (10%). Across all types, 43% had active, or measurable, cancer, 39% were currently receiving cancer treatment and 45% were in remission.
Half of the patients in the analysis were hospitalized for COVID-19, 14% were admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) and 12% required a mechanical ventilator, the researchers reported.
At the time of the analysis on May 7, a total of 121 patients had died, for an overall death rate of 13%. Those whose cancer was progressing were about five times more likely to die than those who were in remission. Mortality rates were 25% for those with progressive disease, 14% for those whose cancer was stable or responding to treatment and 9% for those who were in remission or had no remaining evidence of disease. As expected, mortality rose steeply with age, from 6% among those under 65 to 25% among those over 75.
Other independent risk factors for mortality included male sex (17%, compared with 9% for females), a history of smoking, having two or more coexisting health conditions and an ECOG performance status of 2 or worse (meaning a patient is capable of self-care but unable to work and is up and about more than half the time). Those who were hospitalized had a mortality rate of 23%, rising to 38% for those admitted to intensive care.
About one in five people in the registry used hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin, a malaria drug and antibiotic combination touted by President Trump; only one tenth of them did so as part of a clinical trial. Patients treated with both medications were about three times more likely to die, although there was no significant increase among those who took either drug alone. Due to confounding factors, Warner emphasized, "prospective studies are needed to truly demonstrate the risk or benefit of these drugs."
However, other factors linked to worse COVID-19 outcomes in previous studies—including race, obesity, cancer type, type of cancer treatment and recent surgery—did not appear to raise the risk of death in this analysis. Based on these early findings, the researchers suggested that surgery and chemotherapy could continue during the pandemic with "extreme caution."
In contrast, a study from China presented at the recent American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) virtual annual meeting found that people with blood cancers or lung cancer and those currently receiving cancer treatment did have a higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness or death.
"People with cancer face a great deal of uncertainty in the era of COVID-19, including whether the balance of risks and benefits in the treatment of cancer has shifted in some fundamental way," Warner said in a Vanderbilt press release. "Certain subgroups, such as patients with active (measurable) cancer and those with an impaired performance status, fared much, much worse."
TERAVOLT
Leora Horn, MD, also of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, presented findings from the TERAVOLT (Thoracic Cancers International COVID-19 Collaboration) registry of people with thoracic cancers, or cancers of the chest cavity, who were diagnosed with COVID-19. Most had non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but small-cell lung cancer, mesothelioma, thymic cancer and carcinoid tumors were also included.
"A number of factors—preexisting lung damage, smoking status, advanced age and comorbidities—make patients with thoracic cancers especially vulnerable to COVID-19," Burris said in an ASCO press release. "There are a lot of questions right now and not a lot of answers."
At the AACR virtual annual meeting in April, researchers presented the first data from TERAVOLT, which then included 200 patients in more than 20 countries, largely in Europe. A majority were hospitalized, but most were not offered intensive care for COVID-19. More than a third died, mostly due to COVID-19 rather than cancer. In that analysis, specific types of cancer treatment were not significantly associated with an increased risk of death.
The updated analysis included 428 people, about three quarters of whom had NSCLC. A majority were men, and most had a history of smoking. About two thirds had Stage IV, or metastatic cancer that had spread elsewhere in the body. A majority were on chemotherapy, and a quarter received radiation therapy.
Overall, just over a third of the patients died. The cause of death was COVID-19 for 79%, cancer for 11% and both for 9%. Here, too, older age, underlying health conditions and poorer ECOG performance status were associated with increased mortality. Most of those who died were hospitalized, 8% were admitted to an ICU and 5% were put on ventilators. (In some areas, people with advanced cancer might not have received the most advanced COVID-19 care when medical resources were overwhelmed.)
In this new analysis, type of cancer treatment did appear to play a role. Only patients who received chemotherapy within three months of their COVID-19 diagnosis—either alone or in combination with other therapies—had a significantly higher risk of death. The mortality rate among those on chemotherapy was 64%. Those who received kinase inhibitor targeted therapy or immunotherapy were not at increased risk.
The researchers also looked at other treatments not specifically for cancer. Those who received anticoagulants (drugs to prevent blood clotting) and anti-inflammatory corticosteroids before their COVID-19 diagnosis had an increased risk of death (1.5 times higher for those on corticosteroids). People with COVID-19 often develop blood clots, and some clinicians favor preventive anticoagulant therapy. Experts have raised concerns about whether steroids are helpful or harmful for people with COVID-19, but evidence to date has been mixed.
The type of treatment patients received for COVID-19 did not appear to affect their risk of death. People who died and those who survived were about equally likely to receive anticoagulants, antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, corticosteroids, drugs targeting IL-6 (such as Actemra, or tocilizumab) and hydroxychloroquine.
Horn remarked on the speed with which studies of COVID-19 in people with cancer and registries like TERAVOLT and CCC19 have been implemented in the face of the global pandemic.
"We have seen clinical trials being funded, approved and begin enrolling patients within weeks, when it can often take months or years to get approval for a trial," she said.
Click here to read the CCC19 abstract.
Click here to read the TERAVOLT abstract.
Click here to see Cancer Health's coverage of the new coronavirus and COVID-19.
About the Author: Cancer Health
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package com.felix.zhiban.presenter.news;

import android.content.Context;

import com.felix.zhiban.base.BasePresenter;
import com.felix.zhiban.bean.zhihunews.StroriesEntity;
import com.felix.zhiban.model.news.ZhihuNewsModel;
import com.felix.zhiban.modelinterface.news.IZhihuNewsModel;
import com.felix.zhiban.presenterinterface.news.IZhihuNewsPresenter;
import com.felix.zhiban.viewinterface.news.IGetNewsView;

import java.util.List;

public class ZhihuNewsPresenter extends BasePresenter implements IZhihuNewsPresenter{

    private IGetNewsView iGetNewsView;

    private IZhihuNewsModel iZhihuNewsModel;

     public ZhihuNewsPresenter(Context mContext,IGetNewsView iGetNewsView) {
        super(mContext);
        this.iGetNewsView=iGetNewsView;
         iZhihuNewsModel=new ZhihuNewsModel(mContext,this);
    }

    @Override
    public void getInitNews(boolean isLoadMore,String title) {
        iGetNewsView.initView();
        iZhihuNewsModel.initTodayNews(isLoadMore,title);
    }

    @Override
    public void getScrollNews(boolean isLoadMore,String title) {
        iZhihuNewsModel.initTodayNews(isLoadMore,title);

    }

    @Override
    public void getNewsSuccess(List<StroriesEntity>stroriesEntityList, boolean isLoadMore) {
        iGetNewsView.showNewsContentView();
        iGetNewsView.getNewsSuccess(stroriesEntityList,isLoadMore);
    }

    @Override
    public void getNewFail() {
        iGetNewsView.showNewsError();
    }

    @Override
    public void getNewsFromscrollRecycleView() {
        iGetNewsView.scrollRecycleView();
    }
}


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Business VoIP Providers Comparison: OnSIP Versus Jive - Pricing, Features, Phones, Support
Written by Joe DeBari - ⏱ 4 minute read
How do OnSIP and Jive compare in terms of pricing, features, phones, and support? We did a VoIP comparison to find out.
VoIP Resources VoIP Reviews Business VoIP Providers
Written by Joe De Bari, Lead of Marketing Communications at OnSIP. The following content was last updated on September 21, 2018. Any new information since that date may not be included in this article.
OnSIP and Jive are hosted VoIP providers that offer businesses easy-to-use cloud phone systems. Both companies have built their platforms from the ground up. While there's plenty of overlap between the providers' feature sets, the companies ultimately offer distinct advantages.
This is a deep dive VoIP comparison of how OnSIP and Jive hold up on pricing, features, phones, and support. Most of the information is freely available on Jive's website. Other information was gathered in conversations with Jive's sales team.
Jive's pricing plans are tiered on a per month per seat basis [Source]
Jive charges customers monthly on a tiered per seat basis. 1-4 seats costs $29.95 per seat; 5-9 seats costs $25.95 per seat; 10-24 seats costs $23.95 per seat; 25-49 seats costs $21.95 per seat; and 50-99 seats costs $19.95 per seat. Special pricing is available for businesses with over 100 seats. These tiers offer unlimited domestic calling and a suite of features. International calls to 52 countries are free; calls to other locations are charged at separate rates.
The features set included with each Jive seat covers mainstays such as auto attendants, voicemail boxes, ring groups, call queues, and conference bridges. As Jive was recently acquired by LogMeIn, the company is currently offering a promotion where customers get a GoToMeeting Pro License included with every Jive seat.
OnSIP's pricing plans are tailored to a variety of business needs
OnSIP offers 2 paid pricing plans:
Per Minute Plan: The Per Minute Plan pricing allows you to pay for features and calls on a monthly basis. You can customize your account with this plan by building your own feature package: starting off with a basic set of popular business phone features at $49.95 per month, you can then add (and delete) additional features as needed. Calls cost 2.9 cents per minute (and 3.9 cents per minute for inbound calls to toll-free numbers). Extension to extension dialing, in-house calling, and SIP-to-SIP calls are all free. You won't be charged when adding users or phones on this plan; you simply pay for the calls that those phones make.
Per User Plan: The Per User Plan offers unlimited Standard Area Calling for $18.95 per person per month (the Standard Calling Area covers the continental U.S. and 14 other countries). This plan enables customers to set up an unlimited amount of calling features like voicemail boxes, groups, and auto attendants; additional features like conference suites and call queues can be bought a la carte. Call recording is also included in this plan.
OnSIP and Jive both offer hosted PBX features that have become standard in the market. Each company has auto attendants, call parking, ring groups, Music on Hold, voicemail to email, call queues, conference bridges, HD voice, and call forwarding as part of their platforms.
Both companies are well known for their geographic redundancy. OnSIP operates data centers on the East and West coasts—an architected platform that has been patented by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Jive operates over 10 data centers that are distributed around the world.
OnSIP and Jive both offer call analytics and call tracking with their services. OnSIP's Enhanced Queue is an advanced call queue that allows supervisors to monitor queue calls in real-time and generate performance reports that can be exported as .CSV files. Enhanced Queues also allow for call barge (burst into conversation), call whisper (speak only to your call agent), and call monitor (listen without customer or call agent knowing). Jive offers the same features and abilities with its Contact Center package.
Jive has online faxing with a service they call Virtual Fax. It is included on all plans at no additional cost. The feature lets you send and receive unlimited faxes, as well as view faxes right from your email.
OnSIP offers sayso, a unique web calling solution in the business VoIP marketplace. Placing the sayso button on your company's website allows visitors to engage in video or voice calls with one of your staff members using only their Internet web browsers, with no downloads or plugins required. The button is made possible through a snippet of code automatically generated in the OnSIP Admin Portal.
The OnSIP app, a free softphone available for all OnSIP users, is a complete desk phone replacement. With this app, users can make and receive calls to and from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), video call coworkers, host video conference calls with up to five participants, listen to and delete voicemail, and much more. The OnSIP app is available in the browser (Chrome, Firefox, and Opera), on desktop for Mac and Windows computers/laptops, and on mobile for iOS and Android devices.
A group video conference call in the OnSIP app.
Jive provides a variety of applications that let their customers use the service on any device. Their mobile and desktop applications, as well as an in-browser interface, offer calling, coworker chat and Presence statuses, and even enable sending text messages to your contacts.
Jive Mobile enables users to make and receive calls and SMS/text messages and check voicemail. [Source]
Jive sells phones to new customers at discounted rates. The company offers a wide variety of desk, conference, cordless, and executive phones from brands such as Polycom, Cisco, Panasonic, and VTech. VoIP phones purchased from Jive arrive preconfigured with a user's extension and other pertinent account information.
OnSIP operates a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy and does not sell phones to customers, although the company does offer provisioned phones through a preferred partner. OnSIP does offer a 'boot server' to its customers that automatically configures Polycom, Panasonic, Cisco, Yealink, and Grandstream phones. But, any phone that follows the SIP RFC standards will work with the service. OnSIP also maintains its own section of objective phone reviews to help users find the right device.
OnSIP Customer Success Team
OnSIP's Customer Success Team is located entirely in Pennsylvania. It currently holds an average caller wait time of 24 seconds per call. The team's customer satisfaction rating hovers around 96% (according to Zendesk statistics). Customers can contact the company for ongoing support through live phone calls, emails, live chat, support tickets, and an online Knowledgebase. OnSIP's CEO and Co-Founder Mike Oeth answers at least one support call per day, in order to stay up-to-date with issues that customers are facing.
Jive's Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through mediums such as calls, emails, live chat, and a web support center. With the company headquartered in Utah, they also employ staff throughout the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. Like OnSIP's Knowledgebase, Jive hosts a full library of articles for DIY support issues.
JIVE is a registered trademark of Jive, Inc. Jive and its products/services are not affiliated with OnSIP or Junction Networks, Inc. OnSIP believes the statements made in this post to be accurate as of the publish date of this post.
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text:
Jessica Gonzalez (born 1992 or 1993) is an American labor organizer working with CODE-CWA, the Communication Workers of America's Campaign to Organize Digital Employees. She is known for her work organizing in the video game industry and founding A Better ABK, the worker advocacy group at Activision Blizzard, and co-founding ABK Workers Alliance, a solidarity union, and Game Workers Alliance, the Raven Software union.

Career and activism
Gonzalez joined Activision Blizzard (ABK) in 2015 as a quality assurance (QA) tester. She left the company for a few years to work for Boundless Entertainment, but returned to ABK in 2019 until leaving the company in 2021 due to what she alleged to be a hostile working environment. She worked briefly for a financial tech company following her departure, while working part-time as an organizer with CODE-CWA. She later joined CODE-CWA full-time.

Gonzalez also alleged that in QA at ABK, testers were treated as "second-class citizens", which ABK denies. A former colleague told Axios that Gonzalez "was the spark that started the explosion", referring to the founding of A Better ABK, which was founded in 2021 following a walkout in protest of the company's response to accusations of sexual harassment and discrimination. Gonzalez and the worker organizers staged further walkouts during 2021 and 2022.

Shortly after leaving ABK, Gonzalez, along with other A Better ABK organizers, started a strike fund on GoFundMe to help organizers take unpaid time off to participate in the group's walk-outs.

In 2021, Gonzalez helped form ABK Workers' Alliance.

In 2022, she and former colleague Josh Miller began a podcast on the streaming platform Twitch called Weekly Standup discussing worker's rights and unionization in tech. Also in 2022, Gonzalez appealed the $18 million settlement Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's concurrent California Department of Fair Employment and Housing v. Activision Blizzard lawsuit, which was struck down by the courts on March 22, 2022.

In 2022, Gonzalez co-founded Game Workers Alliance (GWA), a union made up of QA testers at Raven Software, a Subsidiary of ABK. GWA is the first labor union at a AAA games developer. Also in 2022, she, along with 11 other current and former ABK employees, formed an anti-discrimination committee.

Personal life
Gonzalez lives in San Pedro, Los Angeles.

See also
 Emma Kinema
 Jaz Brisack
 Sara Nelson
 Cher Scarlett

References

External links

1990s births
American social justice activists
American women trade unionists
Blizzard Entertainment people
Living people
People from San Pedro, Los Angeles
Trade unionists from California
Video game developers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Jack has all the authority and character of a product that defines an environment. The headboard is superbly rigorous, embellished by a light and delicate hand-stitched X motif that expresses Poltrona Frau's traditional artisan skills. Jack can be enriched by two bedside resting surfaces, upholstered to match the bed.
The headboard has a seasoned wood structure and soft padding. The optional circular table tops are leather upholstered and fitted with a gunmetal grey arm that allows them to slide. The poplar plywood base is lightly padded. The cylindrical feet are in anthracite steel. Jack is completed with a wide range of Bed surfaces, Mattresses and Coordinates from the Poltrona Frau Notte collection.
Upholstery in Pelle Frau leather.


text:
Beauty Browsing
Makeup Hacks
COVID-19 Symptoms to Watch For—Depending On Your Age
May 2, 2020 by 0 Comments
You've heard by now that the coronavirus can affect anyone, at any age. However, signs, symptoms, and severity of the highly infectious and deadly virus can vary from person-to-person, and more specifically, by age group. Read on to find your age and the symptoms that may befall you, so you can spot the virus when it strikes.
Older adults and/or people with existing chronic medical conditions are at greater risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19. In fact, according to the CDC the overwhelming majority of fatalities—80 percent—have been over the age of 65.
Older adults are also more likely to develop ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome). According to a JAMA study, more than 40% of individuals in the study who were hospitalized with severe and critical COVID-19 developed the lung condition—and over 50% of those diagnosed died from the disease.
The CDC lists people over 65 or people who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility as "people who are at higher risk for severe illness."
According to the Kaiser Health Network, older adults with COVID-19 may have several "atypical" symptoms, complicating efforts to ensure they get timely and appropriate treatment. They claim that older adults may have none of the usual symptoms and may simply just seem "off" and not acting like themselves early in the infection.
"They may sleep more than usual or stop eating. They may seem unusually apathetic or confused, losing orientation to their surroundings. They may become dizzy and fall. Sometimes, seniors stop speaking or simply collapse," they claim.
The chance of death due to COVID-19 does increase in this age group, according to the CDC.
As with the previous age group, blood clots and strokes have been reported in those who are asymptomatic or suffering mild symptoms.
According to the CDC, fewer deaths have been reported in the United States in adults up to the age of 40. People in this age group also tend to experience COVID-19 symptoms in a milder manner than those who are over 40.
However, blood clots—and even strokes, which are incredibly uncommon for younger people—have been reported in otherwise asymptomatic people in their 30s to 40s infected with the virus. The Washington Post recently reported that three large US medical institutions are getting ready to publish data on the subject after an overwhelming amount of patients under the age of 50 have died due to coronavirus-related strokes.
Based on the evidence, children are at a much lower risk for COVID-19 than adults, and there have been very few coronavirus-related deaths of those under 18, per the CDC.
While many of the symptoms for children are similar to adults, children with confirmed COVID-19 generally experience them in a milder capacity. In fact, one Chinese study found that 90% of those who tested positive for the virus had mild symptoms or none at all.
Reported symptoms in children, according to the CDC, include cold-like symptoms, such as fever, runny nose, and cough. Vomiting and diarrhea have also been reported. However, keep in mind that children and young adults are less likely to experience one of the main and most damaging symptoms of the virus—shortness of breath.
One bizarre symptom reported in young people has been dubbed "COVID toes." On April 9 the General Council of Official Colleges of Podiatrists in Spain issued a report after podiatrists began "registering numerous cases of sick people, mainly children and young people, who had small dermatological lesions on their feet." These purple-colored lesions, usually appearing on the tips of toes, were often in the absence or prior to an individual experiencing other COVID-19 symptoms. Luckily, most cases clear up on their own within a few weeks.
The World Health Organization is also "urgently" investigating a possible link between the virus and Kawasaki syndrome, an illness of unknown cause that primarily affects children under 5. Symptoms of the condition include "fever, rash, swelling of the hands and feet, irritation and redness of the whites of the eyes, swollen lymph glands in the neck, and irritation and inflammation of the mouth, lips, and throat," according to the CDC.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, and muscle pain, according to the CDC. Other reported symptoms include conjunctivitis (aka pink eye) and digestive issues such as diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea.
"There are things you can do to reduce your risk of getting sick," reports the CDC:
Stay home if possible.
Keep space between yourself and others (stay 6 feet away, which is about two arm lengths).
And to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these Things You Should Never Do During the Coronavirus Pandemic.
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Dr. Fauci Says Do This Now To Survive COVID
SIDE MESSY BUN || ADVANCE HAIRSTYLE TUTORIAL || EASY HAIRSTYLE TUTORIAL || BRIDAL HAIRSTYLE TUTORIAL
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text:
Begonia longicarpa est une espèce de plantes de la famille des Begoniaceae.
L'espèce fait partie de la section Leprosae.
Elle a été décrite en 2000 par Kai Yun Guan et Dai Ke Tian.

Répartition géographique
Cette espèce est originaire du pays suivant : Chine.

Notes et références

Liens externes

longicarpa
longicarpa


The first time under bright stage lights can be tough for any competitor. These five fitness tips will help you make a perfect transition to competition.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I decided to compete. I was a 33-year-old mother of two struggling to lose my pregnancy weight. I was unhappy with my decision to end the career I'd spent a lifetime planning. I felt somewhat lost and reluctantly accepted that my daily life would consist of childcare, keeping house, supporting my husband while he pursued his medical residency, and struggling to lose weight.
This sounds crazy, but I actually learned about fitness competitions through my hobby of couponing! While sitting on my couch, flipping through a free issue of "Muscle & Fitness Hers," I saw a page with mothers who had undergone physical transformations and achieved competition-worthy physiques. I knew I found my challenge—and my calling.
In photos, competing looked fun, easy, and glamorous, but when the day came for me to slip into a tiny suit and sky-high heels, and stand in front of —one of the best Pro and National Judges and posing coaches in the nation—I was a complete wreck. I quickly understood the importance of stage presence and posing.
The day I met Gary was the first time anyone had seen me in my competition suit and heels. I remember walking through the gym, clutching my cover-up, embarrassed that my fellow gym-goers were watching me teeter in 6-inch heels.
Gary Udit is one of the best Pro and National Judges and posing coaches in the nation.
While Gary was warm and welcoming, my first posing session didn't go as I'd imagined. There wasn't any music or glitz; it was just Gary and me in a room lit by revealing fluorescent lights and covered in mirrors. I presented my prepared routine using the stances I had seen in videos. The floor was carpeted, unlike the hardwood floors I was used to practicing on. I lost my balance several times, my heel caught in the flooring, and any attempt at a smile caused my lips to quiver. I remember thinking: What am I doing? If I'm this nervous now, how can I do this in front of a huge audience?
By the end of my initial 30-minute posing session with Gary, I'd seen the strengths and weaknesses of my physique and learned what poses work best for my body. I'd gained more confidence in that tiny suit, and I had been briefed on the stage and venue. Basically, I learned what to expect the day of the competition—something I would have never gotten from Internet searches alone.
Put my experience to work for you! Follow these five insider competition tips and you'll be ready to tackle your first show, minus the stumbling in heels.
As a competitor, you go through months of strenuous training and dieting to get your body stage-ready. Despite being physically ready, you have to know how to present your individual physique to showcase your strengths and conceal your weaknesses. While there are mandatory poses within each division, many details can be adjusted to make your presentation stronger. A great posing coach can evaluate your physique and—with the subtle switch of foot position, twist of the torso, or tilt of the pelvis—create lines and shape to emphasize muscles that can mean the difference between nabbing first place and being stuck in the crowd.
Hire a posing coach to evaluate your physique and show you how to pose correctly to make the most of your hard work. Every competitor should have at least one session with a posing coach. However, I recommend continued sessions throughout competition prep as your physique changes.
In my case, my legs were too big and muscular in the beginning, so I needed to pose in a variation of the basic front pose in order to downplay their size and give the illusion of a more balanced physique. However, as my legs became tighter and smaller, I was able to change my stances and eliminate poses where my legs now looked too skinny. Had I only seen a posing coach during the beginning of my prep, I would have gone on stage with stances that did not present my physique in the best possible way.
A great posing coach can evaluate your physique and—with the subtle switch of foot position, twist of the torso, or tilt of the pelvis—create lines and shape to emphasize muscles that can mean the difference between nabbing first place and being stuck in the crowd.
Mirrors are nice, but video is your best friend. How you present yourself on stage can have a huge influence on your placing. Do you smile and move gracefully through your poses, or do you look like a deer caught in headlights? Stage presence is as much confidence as it is grace. Every competitor on stage has a remarkable physique, but placing in the top positions means bringing a complete package. This is where consistently practicing and taping your routines can make all the difference.
First, pose with mirrors to see how each pose looks and feels. Once you consistently hit your poses without much correction, trade in your mirror for a video camera. Why? You won't become dependent on looking at your reflection while posing, and video playback will still allow you to check your form. Eventually you'll learn how to adjust your body based on how poses feel, not how they look.
The first time I videotaped my routine, I had a preconceived idea of how I looked. Boy was I wrong! The way I walked looked completely different than it felt; I made facial expressions I didn't even know I could make; and certain stances I thought were perfect revealed my skin folds, which is not aesthetically pleasing. Finally, I saw what the judges would see. Videotaping made all the difference. Here's a tip: Watch tapes of competitors' presentations, compare them to yours, and mimic those you like. Small details can make a big difference!
Practicing your routine as much as possible will allow you to perform it on stage without hesitation. Efficiently transitioning between the mandatory poses not only creates a polished and flawless presentation, it also allows more time to hold each mandatory pose. This becomes extremely important when considering the limited window you have to present months of hard work and training.
For this reason, it's so important to time your routine. Most competitions will only allot you approximately 10 seconds to complete your presentation. This equals roughly two seconds per pose if you present four poses and allow time for transitions. When you're on stage, you need to be able to get into your poses and "feel" how long you hold them so you don't run the risk of falling short on time and failing your routine.
Practicing your routine as much as possible will allow you to perform it on stage without hesitation.
A great trick to keep track of timing during your presentation, without having to count, is through breathing. Taking a deep breath in takes roughly one second to complete, while breathing out takes about two seconds. When holding a mandatory pose, I simply breathe out for two seconds, transition while taking a quick breath, and then hit my next mandatory pose while breathing out. In addition to helping keep time, the deep breath out ensures I tighten my core. It also prevents me from holding my breath—a move many competitors resort to that causes them to appear miserable.
The saying "knowledge is power" could not be truer on competition day. Learn as much as you can about the competition venue. Attend a competition at the location beforehand to allow you to see how large the stage and audience are, so you will know what to expect when you first walk out. If you anticipate a small stage and audience but walk out onto a long stage with an open audience, it can be intimidating.
Also, think about what will be beneath your feet. Know whether the floor you present on is wood or carpet; that will give you a leg up. Routines which use pivots to turn can work well on hardwood floors but spell disaster on carpet. Regardless of the flooring, be sure to rehearse your routine in your shoes and suit.
The first time I competed, I'd only worn my heels during short practices. The day of the competition, I had to wear them significantly longer. Before I even stepped on stage, my feet hurt and I walked differently because of the pain and fatigue. I learned a valuable lesson that day. Now, several weeks prior to competition, I begin wearing my heels around the house and add padding to alleviate pain. The less discomfort I feel on stage, the less I worry about wobbling, losing my balance, or tripping.
Also, be sure to tune in. Practicing to your music—or the type of music that will be played for your division—will get you used to the energy level created by the tempo of a song. If you practice in silence, the sudden energy of competition day and the upbeat music can result in overcompensating and adding too much flare and movement to your routine.
Finally, nothing boosts confidence like having friends in the audience cheer you on. Hearing the roar of familiar voices as you walk across the stage can quiet any negative thoughts in your head, lead to a genuine smile, and make you an eye-catching, confident competitor.
This is my greatest "insider" tip. Know who will be judging at your event, and who the head judge will be; this can be an invaluable tool. Judging can be entirely subjective. While one judge may prefer a softer more feminine physique with a more flirtatious look and more movement, another judge may prefer a harder physique with slightly more visible musculature and a more professional routine. If you're serious about competing, know your judges and their preferences. Ask via word-of-mouth, or view the galleries and videos of past winners to give you a hint.
Dr. Brandy Segura is an NPC bikini competitor, NPC judge, former physician, personal trainer, fitness writer, and mother of two.


text:
Ethan Smallwood, 7, is raising funds for the Terry Fox Foundation on Oct. 31, 2019. (Candice Smallwood photo)
Boy, 7, to dress up as Canadian hero Terry Fox for Halloween
Clarke's Beach boy raising funds for his favourite superhero, B.C.-born Terry Fox
As kids clad in their spookiest, scariest get-ups head out to trick-or-treat this Halloween, Ethan Smallwood will be dressing up as a Canadian icon and raising money for a good cause.
Smallwood, 7, from Clarke's Beach, N.L. will be going door-to-door in a Marathon of Hope t-shirt, dressed as his favourite hero Terry Fox.
Instead of collecting candy, Smallwood will be raising money for the Terry Fox Foundation and cancer research. The young boy has already raised more than $13,000 since his mom, Candice Smallwood, posted a video unveiling the special costume on Facebook earlier this month.
This year marks the 38th anniversary of Fox's iconic battle with osteosarcoma, captivating Canadians with his heroism and resilience to raise awareness for cancer research by running across the country.
Fox died one month shy of his 23rd birthday on June 28, 1981.
READ MORE: Canadian icon and hero Terry Fox died 38 years ago today
$20M Lotto Max ticket sold in northwestern B.C.
Heavy rain in forecast spooks Quebec towns into postponing trick-or-treating
Terrace city council approves inland port OCP amendments
Project still requires zoning bylaw, development permit to continue
Nisga'a youth artist wins award
Award includes $500, exhibition in Nisga'a Museum


text:
package device

import (
	"errors"
	"github.com/BPing/aliyun-live-go-sdk/aliyun"
	"github.com/BPing/aliyun-live-go-sdk/device/cdn"
	"github.com/BPing/aliyun-live-go-sdk/device/live"
)

type DevType string

const (
	CdnDevice  = DevType("cdn")
	LiveDevice = DevType("live")
)

// 初始配置项
type Config struct {
	Credentials *aliyun.Credentials
	StreamCert  *live.StreamCredentials
	DomainName  string
	AppName     string
}

// 生产实例(工厂模式)
func GetDevice(devType DevType, config Config) (instance interface{}, err error) {
	if config.Credentials == nil {
		err = errors.New("Credentials should be nil ")
		return
	}
	switch devType {
	case CdnDevice:
		instance = cdn.NewCDN(config.Credentials)
	case LiveDevice:
		if "" == config.DomainName || "" == config.AppName {
			err = errors.New("live dev: domainname and appname should not be empty ")
			return
		}
		instance = live.NewLive(config.Credentials, config.DomainName, config.AppName, config.StreamCert)
	default:
		instance = nil
	}
	return
}