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The Nepal Girl Summit must lead to real change, says Human Rights Watch
Young children in Nepal. 41% of girls in the country are married before the age of 18, according to UNICEF (2015). | Photo credit: Aisha Faquir | World Bank
By Heather Barr, Human Rights Watch on Tuesday 22nd Mar 2016
This post was originally published on Human Rights Watch.
On March 23, the Nepal government will convene a "Girl Summit," with speakers including the country's president and the United Kingdom's Prince Harry, a follow-up to the first summit held in London in July 2014, launching a global effort to end child marriage and female genital mutilation.
Child marriage is an urgent issue in Nepal, where 41 percent of girls marry before age 18 and 10 percent are married by 15. Boys also often marry young in Nepal.
In late 2015, Human Rights Watch interviewed married children in 14 of Nepal's 75 districts. Many married girls interviewed had never attended school, often because they worked from a very young age. Poverty drives child marriages, but social pressures and harmful practices including beliefs about virginity and menstruation also contribute. Another concern is an increasing number of children eloping, who suffer the same harms as children forced to marry.
Our research shows how harmful child marriage can be. Both girls and boys usually stopped going to school after marriage. Domestic violence – which women who marry young are more likely to suffer than women who marry later – was common. Some of the most painful stories were about the consequences of girls giving birth before their bodies are mature; too many girls had watched their babies die or suffered serious health problems themselves.
At the 2014 London Girl Summit, Nepal's Minister of Women, Children and Social Welfare pledged to "strive to" end child marriage by 2020. She presented a five-point plan for how Nepal would achieve this goal, which included strengthening and enforcing laws against child marriage and ensuring allocation of necessary financial and technical resources.
Unfortunately, there has been little progress. The government has yet to release its national strategy on ending child marriage. The government says it plans to develop a more detailed national action plan, but there is no clear timeline for when the plan will be drafted or completed.
The Nepal government's ability to meet its ambitious goal of ending child marriage by 2020 is quickly slipping away. The March 23 Girl Summit should be a moment to restore momentum by setting a clear timeline for developing a detailed and comprehensive national plan of action.
Nepal's children deserve nothing less.
About the Author: Heather Barr, Human Rights Watch
Heather Barr is a senior researcher on women's rights in Asia in the women's rights division of Human Rights Watch. She was previously the Human Rights Watch Afghanistan researcher.
She spent six years in Afghanistan, managing human rights and justice programs for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the UN Development Program before joining Human Rights Watch.
Update: Nepal holds Girl Summit on Ending Child Marriage
23rd Mar 2016
End widespread child marriage in Malawi, urges Human Rights Watch in new report
6 facts you need to know about child marriage in Nepal
Yemen's chance to set 18 as the minimum age of marriage, says Human Rights Watch
Celebrating change-makers: Hope Nankunda co-founder of Health Promotion Rights Watch Uganda
Human Rights Watch: Child marriage in South Sudan
What is the Girl Summit?
What next after the Girl Summit?
1st Aug 2014
Girls Not Brides, one year after the Girl Summit: taking stock of progress
22nd Jul 2015
One year on from the Girl Summit: are we any closer to ending child marriage?
Mothers and daughters in conversation about child marriage at Human Rights Watch film festival
Giving girls a chance at a real future with real choices
Urgent action needed to end child marriage, Human Rights Watch writes to Afghan President
Girls Not Brides UK makes recommendations to UK government ahead of Girl Summit


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The last five years saw a massive number of new companies adopting cloud, but many of them are rethinking what role it should play in their business.
CompTIA's latest Trends in Cloud Computing study found that although nine in 10 companies say they use cloud computing in some part, there's a significant shift in how they use it.
The study showed that more businesses adopted cloud for non-critical uses than they did last year. While last year 42 percent said they were in the "full production," or most serious, stage, only 33 percent put themselves in that category this year.
Seth Robinson, senior director, technology analysis, says this indicates a "refinement" and not a step backward. Many of these companies are new to the technology – 23 percent have been using cloud for less than one year – and are still learning about what role it should play in their business.
He said an example of refinement is private cloud. In his conversations with IT managers, they've used that term in a broad way. That prompted him to ask what they meant by "private cloud." In many cases, they're talking about a hosted data center.
The majority of the 500 respondents (74 percent) are using software-as-a-service (SaaS) in their businesses, while 42 percent are using Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and one-third (33 percent) are using Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). However, IaaS is growing the most rapidly. SaaS adoption remains healthy and established, but Robinson said the findings should encourage channel firms to rethink their approach.
The common mindset has been figuring out ways to resell and migrate, but Robinson said it's all about wrapping value around those solutions.
"Rather than thinking of trying to resell Infrastructure-as-a-Service or migrat[ing] your client's workload into cloud infrastructure, how can you as a channel firm use infrastructure as a service on the back end to provide a service for your clients where they don't necessarily have to even be aware of what the underlying infrastructure is?" he queried.
The partners that are already operating hosted data centers are "well along this path," he added.
"How can they act as a traditional channel company that's fitting these elements from the vendors and the creators of these things into the hands of their client? And those opportunities are there, maybe more so around SaaS and IaaS, but I think the larger question going forward has to be how they can create their own value by using these things as components," he said.


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The list of things you need to take into account when selling your home is extensive. Please remember that a really great agent knows how to help you get these things done. If you have the time, many of these things are totally DIY. If, however, you are selling your home and need resources to help get your home ready for market fast, then lean into your agent. I have a long list of vetted professionals that I am happy to share with my clients; and a top-agent in YOUR local market will too. We are here to get your home on the market quickly and SOLD for top dollar!
In Part 2 of this three-part series, we look at Tips 3-6 – The importance of light, inside and out, of clearing the visual field and taking out the trash in more ways than one!
TIp 3 – Selling Your Home? Let the Light In!
It's all about light! I know it's not a favorite task when selling your home; however, cleaning your windows goes a long way toward letting in the light. Make sure to clean them inside and out; and if you live in apart of the country where you have storm windows, clean those as well. Yes, the screens too. Clean the window sills to and all the nooks and crannies. It's a BIG job; however, your Realtor can tell you about the tangible benefits of clean windows when selling your home and suggest the best way to hire a professional if that is a better option for you.
Consider replacing drab or heavy drapes with ones that brighten the room. Prune bushes and tall plants away from the windows to clear the view and let in the light. Since each house is different, when selling your home, talk to your Realtor about the best way to use the outdoor plants you have to maximize curb appeal while you also allow for maximum light inside and visual appeal from inside. Make sure to remove the clutter in and outside your home. And, as sad as it may seem, it is important to depersonalize your home – You want perspective buyers to be able to imagine living there. That is easier when the family photos and memorabilia that mean so much to you are put away. Clear the visual field so buyers can imagine THEIR photos on the walls! And remember the Best Kept Secret we talked about in our article about staging when selling your home? Circle back and find out!
Inside your home, take a look at your lampshades and light bulbs. When selling your home, swap out dingy shades for fresh, light-colored ones and install brighter, room-flattering bulbs. Since bulbs now come in all sorts of color-correcting tones, consider the best type of bulbs to use in your home. Remember, the best bulb-choice may be different from room to room, depending on paint color and availability of natural light. You want to use bright and space-flattering bulbs in wall and ceiling fixtures, ceiling fans, the range hood and closets too! Outside, you want your home to really POP at night. Clean the glass on ALL outdoor fixtures and add bright bulbs. Ask your Realtor about putting certain lights on timers or motion detectors. Buyers like to drive by a home they are interested at night, so if you are selling your home, make sure yours looks inviting and safe when they do drive by.
If you are selling your home you want your house to be debris and odor free! This means going through and cleaning out the old wood, paint, never-used sports equipment and tools in the garage, the old medicines and cleaning products around your home and expired or never-used things in your kitchen. Think of it as a good Spring Cleaning. And by all means scrub out your trash cans, waste baskets and other trash/recycling bins and containers. Once clean, use liners to keep them that way! Since we can become immune to the odors we live with, once the trash and debris is gone and your cans are clean and lined, ask a trusted friend to give your home a good "sniff test" to see if there is anything you missed. Funky odors are a definite no-no when selling your home!
Please check back in two weeks for the final post in this series: Selling Your Home 12 Best Tips – Part 3, where we look at what to do about pooches, pet peeves and pricing! Did you miss Part 1 in the series? Click Here!
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, are selling your home and have questions, I would love to hear from you. The information contained in these posts only begins to scratch the surface of the value I bring to the table. With a quick call you will know if I am a good fit for your needs and if you would like to schedule a meeting. I look forward to your call whenever you are ready.


"Line" – in this column, a player can change the number of active paylines by arrows "plus" and "minus". The game offers its users options with 1, 5, 9, 15 and 20 active lines.
"Line Bet" – a section, in which a player can specify a bet per active line. The minimum bet is 1 credit per line, the maximum is 100.
"Total Bet" – in this column a player cannot make changes manually. The value of the number is calculated based on the number of active lines and bet per payline. This sum will be written off the deposit for each spin.
"Spin" button – activates a rotation of the wheels.
"Win" – displays the number of credits won for the last successful spin.
"Balance" – displays the amount of money on a player's balance.
To start the game on the Cleopatra slot machine, a player should first set the most comfortable conditions. To do this, use buttons "+" and "-" to specify the number of active paylines and the bet per line. It is worth remembering that both of these values affect the course of the game.
Cleopatra game offers its users a traditional set of symbols. Some of them are simply card values of 9, 10, J, Q, K, A. Such pictures have the lowest ratios in the game. Their sequences fall more often than combinations of more valuable symbols, but when you play at high stakes, even such unions bring a good prize.
Special symbols of the game are of interest to gamers. They are a Wild and a Scatter.
Table of coefficients is a list of symbols with explanations, descriptions of rewards, which are available for certain combinations of different lengths. The coefficient is not a sum of credits that a player receives for a good spin, it's a multiplier. This means, if a combination has a coefficient equal to five, it will bring x5 bets on the line.
9: 2 – x2 3 – x5, 4 – x25, 5 – x100 bets on the line.
10, J, Q: 3 – x5, 4 – x25, 5 – x100 bets on the line.
K: 3 – x5, 4 – x50, 5 – x100 bets on the line.
A: 3 – x10, 4 – x50, 5 – x125 bets on the line.
Eye of Ra: 3 – x10, 4 – x50, 5 – x250 bets on the line.
Sceptre: 3 – x10, 4 – x75, 5 – x250 bets on the line.
Golden plate: 3 – x15, 4 – x100, 5 – x400 bets on the line.
Flowers and Scarab: 2 – x2 3 – x25, 4 – x100, 5 – x750 bets on the line.
Cleopatra: 2 – x10, 3 – x200, 4 – X2000, 5 – x10000 bets on the line.
Sphinx: 2 – x2 3 – x5, 4 – x20, 5 – x100 bets on the line.
Besides the money won't be written off the deposit after rotations, you can also increase your winnings. During free spins, all combinations have triple value. By the way, the series can be extended up to 180 spins, if you catch a sequence of 3 Scatters again.
By following these simple tips, a player can protect himself from unexpected and unpleasant expenses. If reasonably operate a bankroll it's possible to win. Maybe not too much, but still.
If a previous player has lost, a next one will win. This is a myth too. Machines work on a basis of generating random combinations. That means they have no algorithms that guarantee winnings. The slot can't get "tired" of giving winning or losing sequences. Combinations of symbols literally fall out by accident.
You can easily convince yourself that all these myths have no ground. It is needed to play a little on the slot machine in order to understand how it works and realize that somehow the result is unpredictable. Of course, there are cases of cheating. However, often to the benefit of the casino, not player. Dishonest owners can tamper with slot and adjust it so that profit of the casino increased. With a serviceable machine, it depends only on player's luck.


The word "Mandala" is Sanskrit for "whole world" or "healing circle." Mandalas are historically used as symbols to help people meditate, and for protection and healing rituals.
Mandalas can be simple or complex circular designs which tend to draw the eye inward to the center of the Mandala design.
The mandala is often illustrated as a palace with four gates, facing the four corners of the Earth.
The mandalas in Paper Mandalas are in name only and do not represent true mandalas. Here is an excellent site that explains the meanings of true mandalas, as opposed to the geometric fun circular designs in this site.


Polar vortex 2019: What's closed, canceled Thursday in Mich.
Government agencies, schools and more are shutting down for a second day due to extreme cold.
Government agencies, businesses and more are shutting down for a second straight day due to the record-breaking cold gripping Michigan.
School districts across Michigan also are expected to be closed Thursday.
Closed to the public Thursday. Staff is to report. Jury service is canceled.
Henry Ford College, both campuses will be closed Thursday.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and Dearborn campuses closed Thursday.
City offices and libraries are closed Thursday.
The Southgate formal wear store will close on Thursday.
All donation centers and thrift stores will be closed Thursday.
All state of Michigan offices, Upper and Lower Peninsula, will be closed.
The agency has suspended mail delivery in Michigan until Friday.
Will close at approximately 6 p.m. on Wednesday, and will resume "when weather conditions improve."
Closed due to inclement weather.
Ann Arbor, Chesterfield, Clawson, Dearborn, Detroit 7 Mile Wyoming, Detroit Conner, Detroit Downtown, Detroit East, Detroit Highland Park, Detroit Northwest, Detroit Southwest, Farmington, Grand River, Inkster, Livonia, Monroe, Pontiac, Roseville, Sterling Heights, Wyandotte, Adrian, Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Big Rapids, Flint Downtown, Fort Gratiot, Grand Rapids, Holland, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Ludington, Mt. Pleasant, Muskegon, North Flint, Owosso, Saginaw.
Rouge Factory tour will be closed.


Daniel Ricciardo led both Friday practice sessions for Red Bull in Hungary, but Mercedes and Ferrari were never too far behind, giving hopes that this weekend's race might see three teams battling for the win. It was a scrappy day for some, however, with several crashes. Celis Jr and Giovinazzi were taking their Friday driver opportunities, but Giovinazzi managed to crash into the barriers. Romain Grosjean also crashed, making it a doubly bad start for Haas.
Jolyon Palmer's front wing fell to pieces after he bounced over the kerbs a bit too hard in FP1, and then in FP2, he bashed into the tyre barriers to compound another bad day at the office. Pascal Wehrlein also collided with the barriers, whilst Kimi Räikkönen pulled off track complaining of lost power. The team appeared to reboot the system and after a moment or two, the Finn was back up and running again.
Ricciardo was fastest in the morning, with Räikkönen and Hamilton behind him. In the afternoon, he was trailed by Vettel and Bottas, with the gap down to just a couple of tenths.


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GoPractice spoke with Dmitry Vasin, the Product Owner of the Revolut Trading from 2018 to 2020. Revolut is a leader in digital banking. At the beginning of 2021, it was the largest digital bank in Europe with over 15 million users and ~$5.5 billion valuation. During this period, Dmitry helped develop and launch the product.
Dmitry told us about the specifics of creating and developing a product in a strictly regulated market:
Why it is important to involve people with solid industry knowledge in product development
Why and how to combine a conservative approach with the desire to innovate
How regulation affects the work of a product manager.
In the conversation, Dmitry discussed the mistakes his team made at different levels—technical, legal, product—and the lessons he drew to avoid such mistakes in the future.
For the convenience of the reader, we present the material in Q&A format. We also divided the conversation into two chapters and a brief conclusion.
The first chapter gives a general idea of the trading product from Revolut: what is its value, how it was launched, what it achieved in the market. The second chapter discusses the details of working in a strictly regulated market. In the summary, Dmitry provides some recommendations and reflects on what he would have done differently if he were to start from scratch.
Chapter 1. Revolut Trading: Idea, Value, Launch
GP: Tell us what you achieved with Revolut Trading. Was it a successful product?
We launched in August 2019, and in the first six months, we reached an audience of 500,000 users, putting our platform ahead of our direct competitors. For example, the Freetrade service launched a few months earlier than we did, but by the beginning of 2020 their audience reached 300,000 users. Trading 212, which at that time was more than three years old, had an audience of about 400,000 users .
Now the audience of Revolut Trading has surpassed 1 million users. This doesn't mean our competitors are inferior. Trading 212 now has an audience of almost 1.5 million users.
GP: How did you come up with the idea to develop an investment product in Revolut?
The idea itself was inspired by Robinhood. They had made an app that allowed American users to trade stocks easily and for free. The company was founded in 2013 and launched the app in 2015. By 2018, Robinhood had reached an audience of 4 million users and was valued at $5.6 billion. Today, experts estimate Robinhood's valuation at $20–40 billion.
Revolut is a leader in digital banking. At the beginning of 2021, it was the largest digital bank in Europe with over 15 million users and ~$5.5 billion valuation. It was Nikolai Storonsky, Revolut's founder, who came up with the idea to provide an investment platform to the company's users. I was hired to implement it.
Prior to Revolut, I worked as a Technical Product Manager in the mobile app department of Tinkoff Bank. I had no experience in developing trading services, but I had already used investment products to purchase shares. During the interviews at Revolut, the HR joked that since I have physics and tech backgrounds, I'll figure it out. Well, I'll tell you now about how I figured this whole thing out.
The essence of the Revolut product idea was to make a tool for buying and selling stock in a way that would be understandable and accessible to a mass user base in Europe. At that time, most of these tools were complex and designed either for professional investors or for those who were ready to go big. In addition, people needed to invest time to understand tools like marker order, limit order, stop-loss order, and so on.
The goal of Revolut Trading was to create a product that people with no investment experience and knowledge could use to start investing in stocks.
GP: You had Robinhood as a successful example. Why didn't you just copy them?
Robinhood gave us many ideas for what an investment product for newbies should look like. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. The devil is in the details.
A big part of an investment product is processes that are hidden from the user's eyes, and these processes are specific to different markets due to different laws and regulations. For example, due to differences in regulatory policies across countries, Robinhood's business model couldn't be implemented in the UK (it is illegal there). Because of this, Robinhood hasn't entered the British market yet, though they have announced plans to do so.
Another feature is the specificity of the market and the customers. According to our calculations, only 15-20% of residents in European countries were inclined to use investment services, while in the United States, this figure reached about 50%. This difference also had to be taken into account when developing the product. Robinhood could afford to simply provide an interface for buying and selling stocks. They could avoid providing information about stocks in the app, because people understood what stocks are and how they could Google the necessary information or use other tools to learn more about them. We needed to work with an audience that stood at a completely different level.
In the UK, many people need basic, very simple products. The need of basic information about investment here is significantly higher than in the United States, but not as high as, for example, Russia, where only about 5% of residents are inclined to invest. For this reason, "Tinkoff" was forced to prepare good information units, tips, all kinds of recommendations, essays in their blog and other useful bindings.
GP: Can you briefly describe the state of the market and what value you wanted to bring to it with your product?
The main hypothesis of the product's value was that we can make investing simple and convenient for amateurs and beginners. We wanted to popularize and democratize investing into strocks.
There are many brokers in the European market that allow you to buy and sell stocks, but their solution is not suitable for newbie investors.
Some of them charge fairly high commission rates on trades. For example, an IG broker in the UK charged £4-5 per trade. If the user only wants to buy a few Tesla shares, such a high commission becomes an obstacle. Other brokers require users to make a large deposit upfront.
We understood that as soon as we offer a freemium product—that is, no commission, at least on the first trades—as well as remove any requirements for minimum investment, we will minimize barriers to purchasing shares and will create significant value compared to other products on the market.
Focusing on newbies also required some product-level simplification. Professional traders use desktop monitors and see a lot of information. In contrast, amateur investors will mostly do their trading on their smartphones, which doesn't have much display real estate. Therefore, we had to learn how to convey complex things in simple language and remove what we can do without.
The expected result was a product in which everything is built around the Buy and Sell buttons. There is a card, an account with money, and this money can be easily exchanged for shares. There was no need for the user o understand what is happening under the hood, such as through which broker the connection to the exchanges goes, where the market data is delivered from, who is custodian, and so on.
GP: Were there any similar products? Was there someone preparing to launch a similar product at the same time as you?
Of course, we were not the only ones who decided to build an investment service for newbies in the UK; we had direct competitors. For example, Freetrade launched shortly before us. We also looked at the experience of companies such as eToro, DEGIRO, Plus500, Trading 212.
But we had a significant advantage. It was much easier for us to reach our audience because we were targeting existing Revolut users. Early on in development, we interviewed them, identified their needs, and tried to get the basic functionality up and running as quickly as possible.
GP: What did the product launch look like?
Revolut Trading product was launched as part of the main Revolut app. And at the time of the first release, Trading was hidden on the very last screen of Revolut behind the "More" tab. Moreover, the product was available only to users on the most expensive version of the subscription – Metal.
We launched at around 3-4 am. The developers turned on the Trading feature—after 30 seconds or a minute, the first users started registering within the service. We hadn't made any announcements, broke the news or posted banner ads yet. The promo started only in the morning and during the next day.
This is how we launched the product on August 1, 2019. And so we realized that the audience is interested in it.
GP: How did you rate the success and value of the service after its launch?
Inside Revolut, there were (and still are) several levels of subscriptions, from standard free to advanced paid. The most expensive of them is called Metal, which is where we launched Trading. This decision pursued the following goals:
Give Metal subscription users more service and value;
Increase conversion to Metal from other subscriptions.
We monitored the influx of new Metal subscribers and observed a 40% increase in the first week after the launch of trading. This was an impressive number and told us that users were willing to pay for this service, and that was the success metric. Later, the product became available to all users, but we introduced special limits on simpler subscriptions.
In terms of business metrics, our goal was for 10% of Revolut's MAU to become Trading users in the next year. If we break it down by months, then in the first month we expected 1-2%. After the launch, we saw this number and were very pleased.
Another signal that the product was creating value was that long-term retention was plateauing. After three two-week intervals (that is, about 5-6 weeks), retention curve plateaued at 30-35%. We calculated retention based on having at least one trade in Revolut Trading .
I calculated Retention based on the two-week intervals, since that was the average frequency of using the product for most users. The product was not meant for frequent use, i.e., targeted at traders who constantly trade (generally, it's not very convenient to carry out such activity from a smartphone app). 80% of our users came in about once every two weeks to buy and sell something.
All of this indicated that people found value in the product and continued to get this value on a regular basis. Moreover, the product was in demand among the Revolut audience, which meant we created business value for the overall ecosystem.
GP: Did you manage to reach the target audience – newbies and non-professionals?
I think we did.
About 40-50% of Revolut Trading users at that time were people who had never invested before and made their first trade with us.
We reached this conclusion through two methods. First, we conducted polls in which users stated their experience, but as we know, users might not tell the truth. Second, there was an indirect method that helped us. Usually, those who have been trading for 2-3 years or are well-versed on investing have questions about accounts with tax benefits.
At some point, we even had a hypothesis that without these accounts (ISA – Individual Saving Accounts), we risked scaring off a significant part of users and not achieving any success. But it turned out that there wasn't so much demand for this among the newcomers.
We managed to hook an audience that our competitors failed to attract. We achieved this precisely through the values that we initially had: to make the product as simple and accessible as possible for everyone, and not just those who already know what trading is.
GP: Who were the rest of the users?
Some of the users came from other services, such as eToro or Freetrade, because we don't charge commissions on the first transactions. They were looking for a specific stock and they chose us because there were no extra charges.
Others came to Trading because they were already Revolut users and chose the convenience of keeping all their money in one place. It is much more convenient to have access to various financial services in one app instead of ten. On Revolut, you can get your salary, your insurance, your children's accounts, transfers, convenient withdrawal of funds, and so on.
Revolut was fortunate that it already had an audience to offer the trading to. If you had to run a stand-alone app, it would be much more difficult to attract an audience. And this is a very strong advantage over Freetrade in the UK.
I'm focusing on the UK because UK users accounted for about a third of our audience. The rest were from other European countries.
Interestingly, Poland, for example, is not the largest market for Revolut, but there were a lot of Trading users from there. We started to find out why: it turned out that there are simply no other decent trading products in Poland.
GP: To the reader, it might seem like everything went smoothly and according to the plan. Was it really so?
Of course not. We faced many problems while creating and launching a product. Many of them were related in one way or another to regulatory risks (note by GoPractice: we will discuss regulatory challenges in the second part of this interview).
But some of the problems were mainly on our side.
For example, we were unable to properly onboard [Revolut CEO] Nikolay Storonsky, and he got very angry. The reason was that the KYC (know your customer) rules for onboarding in Revolut had changed in the previous two or three years, so for some old users part of the needed information was missing.
In such situations, we had to request the additional data from the customer, which roughly meant to take them through the KYC process again. This problem affected about 10-15% of Revolut users.
This caused some pain, because the users of the Metal subscription—and even more so some of the very first users of the bank, of course—expected a certain level of service, and when Trading was not available to them, they were unhappy about it.
Chapter 2. Lack of Industry Knowledge: Errors in Legal Design and Product Architecture
GP: It came as a surprise to you how strongly all processes were influenced by the fact that the product was created in a strictly regulated area. Tell us about it.
True. We ran into problems because of this issue and it affected the product and growth at almost all levels:
Legal: we built an imperfect scheme and lost a lot of time trying to implement it
Marketing: we had very limited advertising opportunities
Monetization and business model: we couldn't offer sophisticated tools for stock trading, such as leverage
Product: we couldn't work freely on user engagement and retention
Technical: we built an architecture that didn't align with industry standards
All this was because we were working in a regulated area and lacked deep domain expertise, that is, we didn't have experienced people on the team who had already solved similar problems in this industry before.
GP: Let's discuss those one by one. What were the legal issues and how have they influenced your work?
Brokerage, that is, buying and selling shares, is a licensed activity. Holding purchased shares also requires a license to act as a custodian depository. Revolut had neither of those.
One of the ways to start Revolut Trading was to get a license ourselves. This is an exhaustive process that requires time, paperwork, and a deep understanding of how the business will work.
To avoid wasting time, we decided to use an alternative method and find a company that would rent us a license. In addition to the license itself, such a company has the right to regulatory oversight. Simply put, they verify that our AML (anti-money laundering) and KYC procedures are in compliance with the regulator's requirements, and they are responsible for the quality of verification with their license. These companies are known as "umbrellas" (because they cover you like an umbrella).
The services of these companies are expensive, but they can speed up the process. With their help, you can build all the necessary processes within the company without hiring your own compliance officer.
But it was not enough for us to conclude a contract with an umbrella company, a company that would allow us to trade shares of American, British and European companies. We also needed a place to store the shares—a custodian. This is also necessary in order to comply with the requirements of the regulator. According to law, it is the custodian who is responsible for ensuring that the money for the sold shares reaches the client.
So we came up with a three-party scheme: Revolut Trading, an umbrella company, and a custodian. I must say right away that such a contract was a very non-standard decision. This happened because we wanted to significantly reduce the cost of trading for end users, and we were looking for various unobvious ways to negotiate with partners – market participants. But it turned out that no one except us was interested in changing their work models. This complex scheme of three partners was coordinated for two to three months, with lawyers of each party meeting numerous times.
In the end, we still managed to agree—all the participants were interested in this partnership. But a week before signing the contract, one of the parties refused to sign the documents, as their lawyers said that such a contract is impossible from a legal perspective.
We had to look for new partners and rebuild the whole scheme again. It took several more months, during which we couldn't work on the Revolut Trading product.
GP: So you thought you would save time, but ended up spending even more time inventing an unobvious solution that didn't work in the end?
Right. But then we launched with another partner, American B2B broker DriveWealth, which covered both trading and holding shares. But they could only work with shares of American companies, so we had to forgo entering the European and British stock markets. But the signing of the contract and integration went pretty quickly.
When I left Revolut, this plan was still working, although the documents for obtaining our own license, as far as I know, were already ready.
GP: What was wrong with this plan? Why did you decide to get the documents for your own license?
First, it later turned out that getting a license for a small company was easier than we initially thought. It was enough to explain to the regulator exactly how we were planning to work, at the level of developments and proof of concept. The regulator will approve the design if he can confirm that future customers will not be harmed from the company's actions.
Second, the license would untie our hands: it would allow us to add more functions to the service, independently determine the "risk appetite" (the level of risk that the company is ready to take upon itself—in conjunction with the umbrella it is quite conservative), engage in advertising without requiring approval from the license holder, sell ETFs, and provide ISA which are accounts with tax benefits.
GP: Was there no one on the team who could have foreseen these problems?
We had one interesting example. During the interviews, we asked candidates to come up with a legal scheme and plan to launch Revolut Trading product. As a result, 20 people sent 20 different solutions, although each of them already had ten years of experience. Before, we thought that our options were limited, but after seeing the plans, we realized there were a lot of different ways we could tackle the problem.
The difference in their approaches was mainly due to different previous experiences: some had worked on the custodian side, some in the front office. But among them there was no person who assembled a similar setup from scratch before, except for one person, Andre Mohamed, who became our Head of Wealth and Trading. He immediately warned us that the plan to enter three-party contracts would not work. But at that time, we had already decided on the scheme and didn't listen to him. Consequently, we had to rebuild the model.
In any case, all applicants had prior knowledge, and they based their solutions on their experience, and all of us could discuss this topic. As a rule, in the field of regulation, there are no right and wrong answers. There are different solutions. Depending on the flexibility of the mind and openness to new things, you can try to agree on how to find unobvious but working solutions.
In order to create a new type of product and influence the industry, it is very important to find the balance between a conservative approach and new approaches that will affect the status quo. Looking back, I can say that we often went too far in search of novel solutions in places where we shouldn't have.
GP: Did the lack of a license also affect the marketing and promotion of the product?
Yes, we didn't have external marketing at all. I will try to explain as briefly as possible why it was like that.
Revolut, as the Appointed Representative and Tied Agent (which expresses the status in relation to the "umbrella" – the license holder) was obliged to approve any advertising materials. At the same time, our partner, as a rule, tried to refuse everything or delayed the approval for one or two months. The partner also obliged us to add clarifications to each of our creatives that this is a high-risk product and, roughly speaking, it is better not to use it.
Such advertising would only scare away newcomers, so during the first year after the launch, we didn't have any external advertising at all—only information about the launch of the product in the blog. The lengthy approval process also made it impossible to do situational marketing.
Therefore, we could only promote the product inside the Revolut app. Among the promotion mechanisms, we had email and push notifications to the Revolut user base, as well as mentions in the company's news and social networks. Inside the product, we showed the banner to users who had access to Trading.
If we didn't have restrictions on the marketing side, then we could have grown much more aggressively and attracted users to the product through advertising. Again, the lack of sufficient regulatory expertise and understanding of the consequences of the chosen legal scheme had a strong impact on the development of the service.
GP: Regulatory restrictions have affected your work at the product level as well. Can you give an example?
Sure. But first, I will need to give a little more context about how the product was used.
According to my analysis, about 10% of new users bought stocks in large quantities and aimed at long-term investments without much activity. And there were those who were regularly gambling with their funds: once a week they bought, sold, bought again, sold again. It is difficult to estimate their share of the trades, but I calculated that they were about 20-30% of users.
But the biggest cohort, who constituted about 40% of users, went through onboarding, made a small investment, and then left. Notably, these were users who already knew how to use the entire functionality of the product: to buy, sell, fund an account. Simply put, these were the most experienced users. It was most interesting to work with users who became inactive, because they responded well to various changes in the product.
We placed the survey and found out that this happened due to the fact that they came, saw a list of stocks—and in general they were interested in the product and the market—but they had absolutely no idea about which stock to buy. Several companies like Apple or Tesla were familiar to them, but the others were not, despite the fact that there was a list of hundreds of the most popular companies.
The most obvious solution would be to provide personalized recommendations to our users. But, as you might have already guessed, it was impossible to do this.
GP: Why couldn't you make a recommendation?
Due to restrictions on the part of the regulator, one cannot give individual advice without a special license. You're only allowed to give objective information, i.e., indisputable facts.
Therefore, we had a hypothesis that if the app showed more information about the listed companies, various news, charts, indices, etc., it would help people to better understand which stocks were worth buying.
Most products do this, but it is pointless to copy them unless you understand why this is necessary from your own experience. After we added all these things, the inactive cohort began to shrink—and this served as a confirmation that we made the right choice.
Another discovery was that external triggers are the most important factor in buying and selling activities. For example, this trigger can be some big news about the companies listed in the app. Regardless of the features inside the app, as soon as such news surfaced, the behavior of users changes dramatically, and they run to make trades.
It turns out that in order for users to come more often, you must provide them with as much news as possible in the most convenient way to give them a good picture of what is happening on the market.
GP: You mentioned that the Robinhood business model failed to work in Europe. What did you make money on then?
Unlike Robinhood, which only provides trading services (and accordingly only makes money from trading fees), Revolut offers a line of financial products, including insurance, currency exchange, and cryptocurrency. Therefore, we could first offer an investment product to existing users as an additional service, and then think about how to monetize it.
As a result, we were earning money on two things.
First, we received a certain share of the subscription fee.
Second, we had paid trades. After users exhausted their free trades (their number depends on the subscription), they pay £1 per trade. Every pound earned in this way could cover the costs of one paid trade and four free trades: the P&L here was all right.
GP: Did you calculate P&L for Revolut Trading separate from Revolut?
Yes. And therefore we were able to detect the discrepancy on time.
And this is how it went: In the beginning, we launched 300 popular stocks such as Tesla and Amazon. At some point, we began to expand this list and add more, up to 1,000 shares.
Some of the stocks happened to be cheap and rarely traded. Under a contract with a partner, we paid a significantly higher commission for such shares than for all others.
For example, if a user buys 100 shares of Apple, we pay the partner a fairly low commission. But if a person buys a rarer share that is low-priced, then the commission could reach 100 pounds. This is where P&L began to diverge.
Consequently, we began to remove such stocks because they were very expensive for us. This is completely normal, since more than 20,000 shares are traded in the world and it is difficult to sell all of them.
Companies often limit the choice of stocks for more prosaic reasons—for each of them you need to draw an icon, pull up some other data—but not all of them are really needed. Even if you put out a list of 2,000 shares, 80% of users will still buy no more than 15 of them.
This sounds like Pareto's law, but keep in mind that the composition of these fifteen stocks changes slightly over time. Relatively speaking, no one bought GameStop a year ago, but now they do. But facts are facts: thousands of other promotions add nothing but money loss and problems.
GP: Tell us how Robinhood makes money to make it clearer why their model could not be copied or partially borrowed.
I must say right away that I don't know everything. But Robinhood is a full-fledged broker with its own buy and sell flow, which allows them to provide more ways to trade. For example, leverage (trading with leverage) is essentially the issuance of a loan from which you can get a percentage of earnings. Robinhood also makes money from this by including this type of trading in its subscription.
Another significant way they earn money, or at least cover their expenses, is possible in the United States but is prohibited in the UK. In the United States, they have PFOF (payment for order flow), where a broker fills orders not through the exchange directly but through the so-called market maker, a large player who undertakes to buy and sell large volumes in order to maintain supply and demand.
Let's say a million Robinhood users want to buy one Apple share each, all at the same time. Then Robinhood turns to its market maker, who conventionally takes them in bulk from the exchange under more favorable terms, and gives them to users with a mark-up of a fraction of a cent. This delta, i.e., the difference, is divided between market maker and Robinhood.
Robinhood Markets Inc. revenue from 2015 till Q2 2020 in million $
GP: What went wrong with the technical architecture of the product?
We did not have a single developer in our company who had previously written code for trading products. At that time, our backend developers were amazing professionals but had no experience in the domain of buying and selling shares.
Early on, we agreed on a generic architecture that was used in both the core Revolut product and Revolut Trading. It turned out to be at odds with industry trading standards. And in the end it cost us dearly.
In banking, we have "transactions." When you pay for something, the transaction's status changes, for example, from 'pending' to 'completed'. We decided that we could apply the same architecture (transactions status change) to Trading. We should have one entity with a similar status system: 'placed', 'pending', 'completed'. But in the real trading industry, not one but two entities are used: Order and Trade.
For example, a user places an Order to buy 10 Apple shares. This order can be executed in one Trade, in several, or not at all. When Order is executed, at least two entities appear – Order with the 'filled' (or 'partly filled') status and Trade.
As a result, due to the architecture, which failed to differentiate between Order and Trade, we ran into problems. First, we couldn't simply generate reports on user actions required by the regulator. In the classic scheme, one could simply send a piece of the table. Second, we could not properly handle cases of partial Order execution or cases where Order was executed in two Trades.
To fix these problems, we had to create some sort of crutches. For example, we could have thought out the need to create tables for reporting to the regulator in advance, worked it out, and saved ourselves two to three weeks of development.
GP: How much time did you waste on this?
Errors and shortcomings accumulated into 6-9 months of work. During this period, everything had to be corrected and rewritten. And the problems with transactions and trades were not the only challenges we faced. For example, trade turned out to be unstable against heavy loads at the beginning of trading.
Such loads can occur in the morning, when people read the news, and at lunchtime in London, when the American stock market opens. At such moments, the hype grows, and in the first five seconds, people tend to buy or sell a lot of shares.
When clicking the Buy button, the user expects to buy the stock in question at the price displayed on the screen at that moment (although the service does not guarantee this). This is especially important when selling stocks. For example, when stocks begin to lose value, the user seeks to sell them as soon as possible. Most likely, there are many users who want to sell at the same time. If orders stop being fulfilled and there is a delay in the system because we did not anticipate the peak load, then many people will be terribly unhappy.
In other words, if the interface is a little unintuitive but it works stably and well, it is better than a perfect user interface supported by an unstable backend. The real work with the user does not take place in the UI, but under the hood.
Reliability is a very important factor in trading, which greatly influences the key metrics. If orders come in and are not fulfilled, then people will struggle once or twice, and then they will probably leave the product. Lack of security kills many products. In trading, stable service is almost as important as security.
Summing it up. If we did it from scratch again
GP: You've managed to build a successful product that is a leader in its market segment. But at the same time, there were quite a few things that did not go according to plan. How would you structure your work if you had to start over?
The main thing I would do is to invest time in understanding and gaining knowledge on the industry.
This can be done at several levels:
Hire people with experience in this area – with knowledge of the domain and the regulator
Figure it out on your own as much as possible
Build processes based on this knowledge in a balanced way. Strive for something new, don't reinvent the wheel.
GP: Let's sum it up. Why is it so important to hire people with domain expertise?
At the start, I expected that Trading is just another product we could figure out at the top level and then deal only with the product part. It turned out that I was wrong. Maybe we would not have even launched Revolut Trading if Andre Mohamed, a person with a strong expertise in the field, had not joined us at some point.
While working on such a product, it is impossible to bypass the regulator. You can't just come up with and launch a feature without consulting anyone—a regulator can fine you if this feature breaks the law. To avoid this, you need to understand in detail how the work of existing brokers is arranged. You shouldn't come up with something of your own on top of generally accepted industry standards if it doesn't create any added value.
It turned out that it is very important to hire not only talented developers, but also specialists with domain expertise who will help to avoid all of the above mistakes.
At the same time, it is very important to maintain a balance between the industry veterans and those who want to change the market. If this balance is skewed, you can either get a product that is too conservative and has nothing fundamentally new or one that has inventiveness at various levels. The latter leads to schemes that may not work at technical, product, or legal levels.
And, of course, it is important to figure things out for yourself as much as possible.
GP: How do you figure it out yourself? Where to find the necessary knowledge?
At the level of product work, it is useful to start building the product from the most risky parts. This will provide a lot of valuable knowledge.
For example, even before Trading, we were preparing the MVP of another product, and we worked in chronological order, starting with the onboarding, which the designer came up with first. This approach turned out to be ineffective, since we spent a lot of time and effort before we got to the key functionality, without which the product, in principle, does not make sense. Then I had to change a lot.
If we had worked through this most important part at the very beginning, we would have encountered acute problems much earlier and would have made better decisions. Having dealt with the main risks, we would move on to creating auxiliary structures that lead the person to the core value.
In working on Revolut Trading, we took this experience into account and began to build the product around the most important actions: buying and selling shares. In the beginning, we simply built the funtionality which allowed users to buy and sell one specific share. This allowed us to drive out the entire chain of related actions: from how to supply money to a partner to very subtle legal details.
GP: What about the industry knowledge?
When creating a product in a complex regulated area, knowledge of how the market and industry works is perhaps even more important than pure product and growth knowledge and skills.
If I had to start from scratch now, I would take three or four courses on how trading really works. There are a lot of such courses. For example, those who want to work for a broker must take a course and obtain a certificate or a certain license to do so.
I tried to get such information from people from other large companies. I also read articles on the Internet. It wasn't enough. Knowledge obtained from third parties is all guesswork, nothing but speculation. They are not systematic and don't help much. The example I gave above, with twenty different solutions from people with expertise, illustrates this problem to some extent.
When Andre Mohamed came to us, he said, "It's simple. You open the most basic courses, take them, and you already know more than 90% of the people in the company." Now I would definitely spend less time on conversations and more on learning in order to gain knowledge that can be systematically put together.
It's like the parable of the elephant and the blind men, where each one touches different parts of the elephant, and as a result, describes it differently—it is impossible to paint a complete picture.
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Home / Stories / How Revolut Trading was built. The importance of industry expertise and the balance of conservative and new approaches

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The long-awaited debut EP from Max Abysmal is finally here!
Max Abysmal is one of latest selectors to emerge from Amsterdam's vibrant music scene. Over the past few years, Max has become one of those names you could be found all around town. But, it's not only on the dance floor where Abysmal excels, his left-of-centre, off-kilter magic is also channelled through the studio. After great anticipation, his debut release under his latest moniker lands on Young Marco's Safe Trip imprint.
The two-track EP titled 'Sutekh's Mirage / Donna, Don't Stop' is a melodic affair that sets a great platform for Max's future releases. In 'Sutekh's Mirage' Max uses dazzlingly and colourful melodic pattern and passages of percussion that reference polyrhythms. "Donna, Don't Stop", however, features rising and falling electronic motifs capable of inducing trance-like states in those untrained in listening to electronic music this potent and emotive.


Moisturizer is absolutely essential to the skin to keep it healthy, soft, supple, smooth and firm. The most important part of the skin care routine is moisturizing. The skin has the abillity to retain moisture and to moisturize itself. However, various influences can cause depletion of moisture and make the skin dehydrated and dry. With the lack of moisture in the skin over a period of time, the cells of the outer layer become dry and shrivel up. This makes the skin texture rough and crepey. The skin becomes fragile leaving the inner layer exposed to further loss of moisture.
Moisturizers are formulated to tackle different skin problems.
Creams help balance drier skin, while lotions and emulsions are designed for normal to oily complexions. Innovative, featherweight formulations are the latest trend containing high-powered hydrating ingredients, they are suitable for every skin type, except very dry.
Moisturizing the very delicate skin, surrounding the eyes, calls for special products. Your usual moisturizer may cause puffiness and stretch the skin. Eye gel is refreshing in the morning. and a little eye cream will strengthen the tissues at night. Pat on either. using the third and fourth fingers. tapping quickly but gently.
Your usual moisturizer is fine for your neck.
Oil-free and gel moisturizers are perfect for oily complexions. Anti-ageing ingredients. such as ultraviolet filters. and nutrients. such as vitamins. are often added to moisturizers and serums to help protect the skin.
A good moisturizer is one that not only prevents loss of moisture and rehydrates the skin but also helps to speed up the process of cell renewal. It should also contain active ingredients that supply vitamins, minerals, enzymes to nourish the skin, keep it healthy and minimize cellular built up on the skin surface. Many natural ingredients have been incorporated into moisturizing lotions and creams to provide the skin with additional benefits.


text:
Black Women and Girls May Run the World, but They're Not Safe in It
Andre Perry
In black America during the 1970s, the portraits of MLK, JFK and Jesus hung on every family's wall. Today, the new trinity of Oprah, Beyoncé and Michelle Obama could almost replace them.
But the increasing power and cultural influence of black women don't equal protection. Black women's accomplishments, despite their continuing struggle, illuminate how sexist men really are.
The successes of movies Girls Trip and Hidden Figures and the economic and cultural power of the Essence Music Festival are testaments to the power of black women. The pace of their educational gains, the political leadership of those like Rep. Maxine Waters and the women behind the Women's March, the cultural impact of Oprah and Beyoncé, as well as the public intellectualism of Melissa Harris-Perry, Janet Mock and Brittany Cooper, equal or exceed their black male counterparts. Black women are standard-bearers who transcend race and class.
We are living in a black woman's world, whether you recognize it or not. Black women are reclaiming spaces with their perspectives, creativity, political savvy, sexual power and economic influence.
Yet, black girls and women need protection as they go to school and make gains in the workforce. "Sexual harassment in schools has a disparate impact on black girls and young women," wrote researcher Sonja C. Tonnesen in the 2013 report "Hit it and Quit It: Responses to Black Girls' Victimization in School." She continued: "Their harassment is often more public, more violent, and inflicts longer-term damage than that of their nonblack peers."
A higher percentage of black women enrolled in college between 2009 and 2012 (9.7 percent), exceeding Asian women (8.7 percent), white women (7.1 percent) and white men (6.1 percent). Still, black girls endure daily threats in school hallways.
The failure of schools to intervene in violence against black girls contributes to their insecurity (pdf). That may be because schools are also guilty of harassment. Nationally, black girls accounted for 45 percent of all girls who were suspended and for 42 percent of girls expelled from K-12 public schools between 2011 and 2012, the highest among all racial or ethnic groups, according to one University of Pennsylvania study (pdf).
Black girls need support in school, just like black boys. One of the chief criticisms of President Barack Obama's My Brother's Keeper program, a public-private partnership established in 2014 that aims to provide opportunities for boys and young men of color, is that it didn't include girls.
Girls also need programs and initiatives that garner attention from the office of the president. This summer, Fox Searchlight released the critically acclaimed documentary about one such program: Step, about a "senior year of a girls' high school step-dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore." The limited distribution in the wider market not only symbolizes the need for more educational programming, specifically for black girls, but also reflects disparities between women and men in the workforce: Films directed by women receive 63 percent less distribution, according to a 2016 Hollywood Reporter analysis.
When girls do get out of school and into the workforce, they have to work more than 66 years to earn what a white man earns in 40, the American Civil Liberties Union found. And while Alicia Garza, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Opal Tometi and other black women literally made black lives matter, U.S. women's maternal mortality rates are the highest in the industrialized world, largely because of violence inflicted upon black women.
According to data compiled in the 2017 report Status of Black Women (pdf) by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, more than half of Native American and multiracial women experience intimate-partner violence and more than 40 percent of black women are assaulted throughout their lifetimes, compared with 31 percent of white women, 30 percent of Hispanic women and 15 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander women. Verbal and physical abuse hold back black girls' and women's progress.
We know that Black Girls Rock and Black Girls Run, and yes, they do it with black girl magic. But let's be real: The resurgence of arguably the greatest rapper in history was built on the strength of an apology to Beyoncé. The Women's March may ensure that the first female president is black. For my own daughter's matriculation in graduate school, I owe the zeitgeist of black women's achievement as much as anything that I've done. She has so many role models to teach her how to navigate sexism.
But I would be lying if I said my stress levels weren't as high for my daughter as they are for my sons. The data show that she is constantly in danger.
We all should be applauding this era of the black woman. I'm just not sure men know how. What men often think are compliments are really catcalls. Harassment, physical abuse, discrimination and exploitation must stop. A T-shirt I saw sums it up perfectly: "Black girls are magic but they are also real."
This story was produced by the Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, in partnership with The Root.
PoliticsThe National Interest


Selection of Boys Clothes 2-7 years. We have Raincoats from Hatley, great fun with their lovely themes, from Monster Trucks to Fire Breathing Dragons. We alos have the plain red and yellow children's raincoats with splash pants. Hublot are French Chic Clothes that we know you will love. Also a range of fun leggings and tops from Blade and Rose.


veggietales, #mania, place, fans, series, come, talk, about, show!
TV Mania, a place for TV and Movies!
free, forum, wols, vampires?what, your, choise?, welcome, world, vampires, wolfs, humans, hybrids, what, youre, chois, destiny?


text:
info@uru.org.uk
URU Connect
Russian Professionals visit the UK to learn about Domestic Violence Perpetrators Programmes
Home » News » Russian Professionals visit the UK to learn about Domestic Violence Perpetrators Programmes
URU Connect hosted a visit from representatives of The Crisis Centre for Women and Children "Ekaterina", Russia and the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service from 25th to 28th October 2017 to share experience of working with perpetrators of domestic violence in the UK. The visit was part of the 2017-2018 project aiming to develop and implement a pioneering Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programme (DVPP) in Sverdlovsk Area, Russia.
The programme started with the visit to the Child and Women Abuse and Study Unit at the London Metropolitan University to meet the legendary domestic violence researcher Elizabeth A. Kelly CBE, professor and director of the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU), London Metropolitan, the former head of the Women's National Commission, and co-chair of the End Violence Against Women Coalition. Ms Kelly shared finding of the recent research demonstrating that taking part in a DVPP can make a real difference to the lives of those involved, including children who have been affected. Following the DVPP delivered to their partners, far fewer women reported being physically injured, with 61 percent before compared to 2 percent after. Women's accounts, in the main, reflected reductions in violence and abuse for all forms of violence. Over half of the women reported feeling 'very safe' after the programme, compared to less than one in ten before the programme (51 percent compared to 8 percent) (L Kelly & N Westmarland, 2015).
Senior Lecturer in Criminology at London Metropolitan University and former Probation Officer, Will Hughes, shared his knowledge of running a DVPP programme through a Probation service a Statutory programme and the process of selecting candidates for the course. His colleague Angie Jenner gave the group an overview of the current situation, process through our courts, support services and definition of DA reviewed in 2013.
During their visit to the West Midlands Police headquarters, the Russian partners met with the Police Officers Rani Gundhu and Katherine Stock. The visitors learnt about the new CARA – Cautioning and Relationship Abuse programme, which has been launched as a picket by the West Midlands, Police last year to facilitate early interventions and change offending behaviour before it reoccurs or escalates to reduce victimisation. This is following the programme run in Hampshire with some amazing results. This short term programme is run by The Hampton Trust demonstrating 35% reduction in reoffending and 25% reduction in harm.
ARCH (North Staffs) specialists kindly shared their experience of running a comprehensive 30-week DVPP programme as well as Integrated Support Service for partners/ex-partners of perpetrators making contact with the service. ARCH is one of 15 organisations to have achieved the full "Respect" accreditation. The outcomes are very impressive with 90% of those completing the full programme demonstrating both the capacity and motivation to change their behaviour and 100% reduced their level of violence, emotional power and control behaviour.
Sara Kirkpatrick, Services Development Manager, RESPECT, and Nina George, Research and Development Manager, European Network for Work with Perpetrators (WWP-EN) delivered a session on elements of a successful programme for perpetrators and emphasised the need to deliver support for female partners of the those on the DVPP programmes. The visitors learnt about RESPECT and the accreditation standards for the DVPP programmes which helped many organisations to give their clients, stakeholders and commissioners confidence that the work is safe, of high quality and impactful. The international good practice were shared though the work of WWP EN network.
At the review and assessment meeting visitors confirmed the study meetings were very successful with the overwhelmingly positive feedback given by the Russian professionals. The members of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service commented that the study programme "totally turned around" their views on the work with perpetrators. Russian partners said they had "lots of new ideas" and have a "much wider view " on how the programme can work.
On their return home the partners will work together to use the British expertise to develop the first of its kinds DVPP programme in Russia to help people, who have been abusive towards their partners or ex-partners, change their behaviour and develop respectful, non-abusive relationships.
The Crisis Centre "Ekaterina" will work with the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia to deliver the pilot programme in Sverdlovsk Area. The training programme and materials will be shared through the Coalition of the Crisis Centres of the Ural Siberian Region and wider through the domestic violence sector in Russia.
Kath Rees MBE said "we are proud to be able to support our International partners in developing new strategies to improve safety for women and children victims of domestic violence in Russia".
This project builds on the achievements of previous work with the Crisis Centre for Women and Children "Ekaterina" and the Coalition of the Crisis Centre of the Ural Siberian Region. Members of URU Connect have been working with "Ekaterina" since 1997 supporting "Ekaterina" during its previous successful international projects.
We would like to thank all those who willingly gave their time and shared information with the visitors. A Conference will be held in March 2018 in Ekaterinburg to formally launch the programme to which senior police and prison officers, judicial and Embassy staff will be invited.
URU Connect, a non-governmental non-profit organization established in 2009, which provides and/or assist in the provision of services and development opportunities for the advancement of women in social life, to ensure their human rights are recognised.
The Crisis Centre for Women and Children "Ekaterina", set up in 1998, provides social, psychological, and legal support to women experiencing domestic violence; raising public awareness about the problem of domestic violence and about the trafficking of Russian women and girls. The centre also operates a telephone hotline, organises support groups and individual help for women, and when necessary provides legal assistance for women who are taking their domestic violence cases through the court.
Representatives of the two non-governmental, not-for-profit organisations have worked together in partnership for over 20 years to support vulnerable women and children and promote women's development in both countries.
URU Connect, United Kingdom,
Elvira Wilson, Director
Email: info@uru.org.uk, Website: www.uru.org.uk
The Crisis Centre for Women and Children "Ekaterina", Russia,
Ludmila Ermakova, Director
Email: lusy@isnet.ru, Website: http://www.kc-ekaterina.ru/en/abouten.php
Elvira Wilson
Research Project into Domestic Violence Homicides
Social and economic empowerment of vulnerable women in Uzbekistan
Launching Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programme (DVPP) in Sverdlovsk Area, Russia
Inspiring Women into Business and Enterprise in Uzbekistan
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Pasta tossed with chili-spiced shrimp and corn in a cilantro-butter sauce flavored with garlic. This cilantro-butter shrimp pasta is a southwest-twist on a shrimp scampi and goes from pan to table in about ten minutes.
Garlic, butter, and shrimp are a classic combo and there really isn't anything easier because shrimp take all of a few minutes to cook through which means shrimp scampi – a perennial seafood restaurant favorite – is totally doable on a weeknight without having to leave the house (hello stretchy pants and Netflix!). But, I already have a couple shrimp scampi-like dishes (see garlic butter shrimp pasta and lemon butter shrimp with parmesan toast) that don't veer too far off the road as far as the classic goes and so I wanted to develop something new that strikes a familiar chord but with slightly different flavors. That something new is cilantro-butter shrimp pasta.
It has lots of lemon juice plus a generous helping of zest and, of course, butter, but the addition of fresh cilantro, chili seasoning, and corn makes it more southwestern-y and decidedly more summery in both its flavor and appearance. Plus, it's fairly quick to prep and cook – two qualities summer dishes must have in my book.
More often than not I turn to frozen shrimp instead of fresh ever since I learned that most shrimp at the seafood counter are previously frozen and thawed for display. Plus, frozen ones are just so convenient – you can buy a bag and keep them on hand for whenever you need them. Plus, there's no peeling or deveining involved – all the work is done for you. I used 51-60 count shrimp for this recipe.
You need to thaw the frozen shrimp before cooking them, which is pretty easy. Place them in a large bowl, cover them with cold water and 15-20 minutes later they are ready to use. I drain them and pat them dry with paper towels before cooking them.
The southwest flair starts with some chili powder – it adds a lot of flavor to the shrimp and gives them a nice color, too.
While it's wonderful to use fresh corn when it's available during the summer I always seem to have frozen corn kernels stashed in my freezer. No need to thaw them – you can toss them right in the pan with the melted butter and garlic.
Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest add a lot of zing and brightness and some chopped fresh cilantro adds its distinctive flavor and a pop of color.
I used gemelli pasta but any short pasta like ziti, penne, or rotini will work well, too.
Pasta tossed with chili-spiced shrimp and corn in a cilantro-butter sauce – it's fresh, summery, and a twist on traditional shrimp scampi.
In a medium-sized bowl, toss the shrimp with the chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the black pepper.
Boil the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta boils, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, corn and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook the corn and garlic in the butter until the corn is warmed through, about two minutes.
Add the rest of the butter and the lemon zest and juice and stir until the butter is melted and combined with the lemon juice. Add the shrimp and stir to coat it in the butter. Cook it for four to five minutes, stirring frequently. Add the cilantro and pasta and stir to coat the pasta in the butter. Cook for another one to two minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque.
I happily use frozen shrimp most of the time because it's convenient – no need to peel and devein them. To thaw them, I place them in a large bowl and cover them with cold water. They usually thaw within 15 to 20 minutes. Once thawed I drain them and blot them dry with paper towels.
OMG… dying. This looks incredible!!! I may make (or request) this for the weekend.
This looks fantastic! I am literally obsessed with cilantro these days. Yum!


text:
info@athensbjr.com
Dr Dimitrios Giotikas MD, PhD
Limb Lengthening
Limb Deformity Correction
Segmental Bone Defects
Management of Nonunion
Bone Infections
ROSA Total Knee Replacement
Young Arthritic Knee
Arthroscopic Knee Procedures
Partial Knee Replacement (UNI)
Assessment and planning
The Principle of Distraction Osteogenesis
Author: Dimitrios Giotikas MD, PhD
The principle of distraction osteogenesis is a well-known principle since many decades.
It is important, in my opinion, to distinguish between the principles and the methods of limb lengthening. Limb lengthening uitilizes the principle of distraction osteogenesis (DO). The (DO) principle is applied with different methods. Although the principle of distraction osteogenesis remained unchanged, the methods and devices of fixing the bone and controlling the distraction have evolved through the years. Ilizarov initially used an external circular frame to fix the bone and to control its distraction and external ring fixators have been the only option of fixation until the late 1990's when intramedullary nails start to be introduced. The methods of applying the principle of (DO) are better discribed in the article Methods of Bone Fixation in Limb Lengthening
DO was first discovered in the 1950's by Professor Gavril Ilizarov in the former Soviet Union. Because of the political isolation in the years of the Cold war, it wasn't until the 1980's that the principle was introduced to the West.
The principle dictates that when a long bone is carefully broken (osteotomized) by the surgeon and the two parts of the bone are then slowly pushed away from each other (distracted), with a rate of around 1mm per day, normal bone is gradually formed in the developing gap. The bone eventually heals in an elongated position.
A: Before, B: Fixation of bone, C: Osteotomy, D and E: Distraction
The soft tissues (i.e. skin, muscles, nerves, vessels) also respond to the continuous tension and and they gradually elongate and adapt. Because the lengthening occurs in all tissues and not just the bone, the term "histogenesis" is used by some surgeons instead of "osteogenesis" ("histo-" means "tissue" in Greek).
Distraction osteogenesis is basically intervening and harnessing a natural healing response of the human body ( i.e. the ability of a broken bone to heal) and directing it towards a desired outcome with the help of human-made means.
Many parameters affect the outcome of the distraction osteogenesis and have been being studied continuously through the years. Some of those parameters are:
The rate of daily lengthening.
The surgical technique of the osteotomy.
The location of the osteotomy.
The condition of the soft tissue around the bone.
The effect of growth factors, hormones and medications.
The type and mechanical properties of the fixation.
The patient's compliance.
These parameters are discussed below, in the relevant phases of DO:
Phases of Distraction Osteogenesis
What Is The Best Location To Divide The Bone?
Although the choice of the osteotomy site ultimately relies on the localization of the deformity, one should also take into consideration the pathological and histological characteristics of metaphyseal and diaphyseal bone. Metaphyseal bone is more vascularized, has a larger cross-section providing better stability and possesses thinner cortices, which are easier to separate.
However, the location of this bone leaves little room for fixation. Surgeons should perform metaphyseal osteotomies when addressing juxta-articular deformities or when doing straight lengthening. On the contrary, diaphyseal bone allows more room for fixation but has a smaller cross-section and is less bioactive. Indications for diaphyseal osteotomies should be limited to addressing only diaphyseal deformities.7,8,9
Methods of bone separation that disrupt the periosteum, such as significantly displaced corticotomies or osteotomies, can result in decreased osteogenesis.15
7. Aronson J, Harp JH. Mechanical forces as predictors of healing during tibial lengthening by distraction osteogenesis. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1994; 301:73-79.
8. Aronson J, Good B, Stewart C et al. Preliminary studies of mineralization during distraction osteogenesis. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1990; 250:43-49.
9. Hasler C, Krieg A. Current concepts of leg lengthening. J Child Orthop. 2012; 6(2):89-104.
15. Herzenberg JE, Waanders NA. Calculating rate and duration of distraction for deformity correction with the Ilizarov technique. Orthop Clin North Am. 1991; 22(4):601-611.
The latency phase starts immediately following the osteotomy and lasts between five and seven days. This stage resembles the acute stage of fracture repair with the formation of hematoma, inflammatory response and subsequent differentiation of stem cells into chondrocytes and osteoblasts.8 Pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1 and 6 (IL-1 and IL-6), which are involved in bone repair, upregulate in this phase in order to promote periosteal callus formation. The expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and recruitment of mesenchymal stem cells in the latency period supplements the organization and recruitment of inflammatory and mesenchymal cells as the bone segments prepare for distraction. An abbreviated form of this latency phase will risk the lack of bone formation and a prolonged phase can result in premature consolidation.11
11. Velazquez RJ, Bell DF, Armstrong PF et al. Complications of use of the Ilizarov technique in the correction of limb deformities in children. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1993; 75(8):1148-1156.
Following the latency period is the distraction phase. Distraction of the two bone segments starts at a specific rate and rhythm, typically at 1.0 mm a day, divided into four increments. Although 1 mm/day is classically cited, in practice the rate of distraction varies depending on multiple factors (patient age, health, medications, location of osteotomy, the type of osteotomy performed, etc.). In the foot and ankle, the distraction rate can range from 0.5 mm/day to 1 mm/day. The distraction phase consists of resorption of the periosteal callus and the formation of a fibrous interzone, comprised of types 1, 2, 4 and 10 collagen, oriented parallel to the distraction force.12
Probably the most distinguishing feature of the distraction phase involves the presence of angiogenesis and neoangiogenesis, regulated by the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin signaling pathways.11 New blood vessels grow in loops along and between the collagen fibers, and allow osteoblasts to be recruited to the area. This fibrous interzone thus acts as a scaffold for the new bone formation, which forms by intramembranous ossification whereby bone forms directly from osteoblasts.
This is in distinct contrast to fracture healing whereby bone forms primarily by endochondral ossification using a cartilage template. In various animal models, researchers have shown that the expression of numerous growth factors related to osteogenesis and chondrogenesis upregulate, thus driving the process of intramembranous ossification.13,14 These include bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP-2, BMP-4), and growth factors including transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), insulin growth factor (IGF) and platelet derived growth factor (PDGF).
Key Insights On Distraction Rate And Rhythm
The effect of the rate and rhythm for distraction osteogenesis has a significant effect on the expression of factors involved in the distraction osteogenesis process. Schiller and coworkers examined the alteration of expression of various growth factors in rapid distraction in comparison to routine distraction.13 Furthermore, several experimental studies have shown improved bone regeneration using continuous versus intermittent distraction osteogenesis with the former demonstrating upregulation of several growth-stimulating genes.16 Schiller and coworkers found there was decreased cellular staining of fibroblast growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor in the rapid distraction group starting on the first day of lengthening.13
There are numeric parameters to quantify the quality and speed of bone formation. Authors most widely use the healing index parameter and define it as the time needed for consolidation per centimeter of the distracted osteotomy site.15 Consolidation time is defined as the time between the end of distraction and total consolidation or removal of hardware. The consolidation time is about twice as long as the distraction time in children but may be three to four times longer in adults.15 Accordingly, it usually amounts to one month/cm in children and two to three months/cm in adults.17
11.Velazquez RJ, Bell DF, Armstrong PF et al. Complications of use of the Ilizarov technique in the correction of limb deformities in children. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1993; 75(8):1148-1156.
12. Vauhkonen M, Peltonen J, Karaharju E, et al. Collagen synthesis and mineralization in the early phase of distraction bone healing. Bone Miner. 1990; 10(3):171-81.
13. Schiller JR, Moore DC, Ehrlich MG. Increased lengthening rate decreases expression of fibroblast growth factor 2, platelet-derived growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and CD31 in a rat model of distraction osteogenesis. J Pediatr Orthop. 2007; 27(8):961-8.
14. Hamdy RC, Rendon JS, Tabrizian M. Distraction osteogenesis and its challenges in bone regeneration. Bone Regeneration, InTech. 2012; 185-212.
16. Peacock ZS, Tricomi BJ, Murphy BA, et al. Automated continuous distraction osteogenesis may allow faster distraction rates: a preliminary study. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2013; 71(6):1073-84.
17. Ilizarov GA. The tension-stress effect on the genesis and growth of tissues. Part 1. The influence of stability of fixation and soft tissuepreservation. Clin Orthop Rel Res. 1989; 238:249-281.
Once you have achieved the desired amount of lengthening, the distraction phase stops and the consolidation phase begins. During the consolidation phase, osteoid (unmineralized bone matrix) that osteoblasts laid down becomes progressively mineralized. An increase in the expression of TNF-alpha regulates consolidation and the downregulation of BMP expression.11 TNF-alpha controls remodeling of the regenerated bone by coordinating the coupled action of osteoclasts and osteoblasts. This is the longest phase in distraction osteogenesis, allowing approximately one month for each centimeter lengthened.4
4. Goldstein RY, Jordan CJ, McLaurin TM, et al. The evolution of the Ilizarov technique; Part 2: The principles of distraction osteosynthesis. Bull Hosp Jt Dis. 2013; 71(1):96-103.
Ilizarov GA. The tension-stress effect on the genesis and growth of tissues: part II. The influence of the rate and frequency of distraction. Clin Orthop Relat Res (1989) 239:263–85.
Ilizarov GA. Clinical application of the tension-stress effect for limb lengthening. Clin Orthop Relat Res (1990) 250:8–26.
Go back to Limb Lengthening- introduction
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I'm diving further into Node and Express while staying up-to-date with React and playing around with Vue.
I just completed a new version of my portfolio site which leverages Netlify along with Gatsbyjs and React. I have also built a few different versions of a Roleplaying Game CMS using Laravel & Vue for one iteration and MERN for another.
I'm available for freelance work, teaching, or collaborating with any of the technologies mentioned.
Done! I didn't even know this existed!
SCFFLD is a simple framework designed to be easy to learn and make your life easier when building a website.
A coding challenge to build a task tracking tool.


The first song is "Christmas Time Is Here"; you may recall it first appeared on an Amazon-exclusive holiday compilation a few years back. It will now be available on all digital platforms: Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, Tidal, and Various Apps & Sites Which Shall Not Be Named (for lack of space or willpower). The song itself was first heard in 1965's Peanuts animated special A Charlie Brown Christmas. (That's only one year after The Beatles stormed America. O geez, pop culture is old!) On the flip is a new recording exclusive to this single — "La Peregrinación." It may be less familiar to North American ears. Written by Argentine composer Ariel Ramirez this is an English language translation given a psychedelic arrangement.
Says the band's songwriter Kate Stables: "Christmas can be a good time for indulging in a dose or two of nostalgia, so i thought it'd be fun to use some old family Christmas photos for this release. Christmas with my twin sister and two older sisters was the the bestest of times, so it's nice to revisit those times, when we all fitted under one roof together." Indeed, we've pulled out all the (digital) stops on the single's artwork — creating a vibe that mashes-up aspects of our previous TITK releases: the hand-stitched photography of Wriggle Out the Restless — the hand drawn logo of the Bashed Out album & EPs — the photographic exploration of various remix records & bits & bobs we've released by the band over the years. The photo that accompanies this story is just one of the unused family pics left out of the final artwork. (You can get it and a few bonus photos with the Bandcamp edition of the single.) Note that there wasn't time to prepare the EP for a physical format this year. But we hope to have a 7" edition in time for the 2017 holiday season.
And now for a bit more This Is The Kit catch-up. On the touring front, the band just finished up a short run of three shows — in late October, a visit to the band's spiritual home of Bristol, England and a SOLD OUT gig at London's beloved Union Chapel. And, finally, a showcase at Iceland's Airwaves festival, which marked the band's first time in Reykjavik. Since the UK shows happened right around Halloween, TITK dressed up as an extra large band, inviting the Fantasy Orchestra (a project of Kate's creative partner Jesse Vernon) to join them on a few songs. Need a visual?
Last but not least, the band has released two new videos in the past few months, both of which are tied to our January release of the Rusty and Got Dusty EP and both of which were self-produced & directed by Kate & Jesse. First in May came "Les Plus Beaux," a cover by their pals Francois & the Atlas Mountains. Upbeat and more outright poppy & danceable than your average TITK song, it was, perhaps, best described by one YouTube commentor as "light as the air and as life affirming as an army of puppies."
And that's all we got...for now. But seriously, not since The National has a Brassland artist so gripped the imagination of indie music lovers. We expect great things ahead for the band. And, on that note, we'll leave you with this shot of Kate at the Bristol, England recording sessions for an of-yet-mysterious follow-up release.


A sexual assault charge is serious and has many ramifications. If you find yourself facing charges, stay calm and act promptly to defend yourself against false accusations. Here are five things to know before hiring a Calgary sexual assault lawyer.
Insist on calling a lawyer immediately. The police are required to inform you of your right to contact a lawyer and do everything in their power to facilitate it. Being charged with a serious crime is stressful and confusing, so it's best to have expert help from the beginning. A Calgary criminal defence lawyer can help you deal with law enforcement questioning and arrange a hearing. It's also important to hire a Calgary lawyer quickly, so they have time to gather the necessary evidence.
Because the consequences of a conviction for sexual assault are usually jail time, you need to hire counsel with substantial experience in fighting these cases. It's best to find a sexual assault lawyer who knows what they're doing so that you can have the best possible defence.
The police may continue to gather evidence against you even after your arrest, so your lawyer should begin planning your defence from the first phone call. You can help by writing down a detailed timeline as soon as possible to help a Calgary sexual assault lawyer build a case. Your report should include everything you know about your relationship with the alleged victim and about the incident that led to your arrest.
You should also begin compiling a list of possible witnesses for your Calgary lawyer including family, close friends, people at the location of the incident, employers, and co-workers.
A Sexual Assault charge is serious, and with the new Provisions in the Criminal Code, it is almost always the case that a conviction results in jail time. If the police are coming to arrest you for a sexual assault, they will almost always make the arrest unannounced, which is why it's important to know your rights. Be very careful not to give the police any information at all other than the information to identify yourself. Give as little information as necessary until you can seek counsel and advice from your Calgary criminal defence lawyer.