text:
Is a Vote for OOXML (Office Open XML) as an ISO illegitimate?
Posted in Antitrust, Interoperability, ISO, Microsoft, Standard at 11:31 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
The European Commission has just published the following document in a very timely fashion.
Egyedi, a researcher of technical standards, at the Technical University in Delft, the Netherlands, doubts whether ISO should have a taken into consideration a second standard for electronic documents at all. ISO approved the Open Document Format ODF in 2006, says Egyedi: "What are we to do with a second standard, which is overlapping the first? This conflicts with rules of the World Trade Organisation."
The standards specialist refers to the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, which states that duplication or overlap should be avoided.
I could not help but recalling a discussion that I had a couple of months ago. The evidence that had been gathered by a friend (preferably unnamed until permission is granted) showed the very same thing, which we shall present here. It was never published anywhere. (Update: the evidence had been gathered by Russell Ossendryver of Fanaticattack, who sent me the following a few weeks ago and has just allowed me to reveal his identity)
There should be an immediate freeze on a vote put forth by the JTC 1
Microsoft's proposal that its Office Open XML specification become an International Standard is ineligible for further preparation as a standard on grounds that it would create an unnecessary obstacle to international trade.
"…OOXML as an ISO has become illegitimate and any vote on it should be placed on hold until all anti-trust litigations are resolved."Microsoft wants this process to be "left to the experts" and that the discussion should be only technical in nature. But the whole point of the ISO status is economic in nature: ISO is first and foremost about lowering obstacles to trade. Microsoft's OOXML would RAISE obstacles to trade by giving ISO status to only one vendor: Microsoft.
In light of the compliant filed by the ECIS, BECTA filing a anti-trust complaint with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in the UK, the calling of Microsoft to release information on the legacy formats into the public domain by NLnet,
a Dutch foundation for an open information society because as it is, it hampers third-party development, OOXML as an ISO has become illegitimate and any vote on it should be placed on hold until all anti-trust litigations are resolved.
In the complaint by ECIS (European Committee for Interoperable Systems), Microsoft is alleged to have illegally refused to disclose interoperability information across a broad range of products, including information related to its Office suite, a number of its server products, and also in relation to the so called .NET Framework. The Commission's examination will therefore focus on all these areas, including the question whether Microsoft's new file format Office Open XML, as implemented in Office, is sufficiently interoperable with competitors' products."
WTO and ISO and the technical barriers of trade
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the international organization dealing with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.
ISO — together with IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and ITU (International Telecommunication Union) — has built a strategic partnership with WTO. The political agreements reached within the framework of WTO require underpinning by technical agreements. ISO, IEC and ITU, as the three principal organizations in international standardization, have the complementary scopes, the framework, the expertise and the experience to provide this technical support for the growth of the global market.
THE AGREEMENT ON TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE (TBT)
The Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) [PDF] — sometimes referred to as the Standards Code — is one of the legal texts of the WTO Agreement which obliges WTO Members to ensure that technical regulations, voluntary standards and conformity assessment procedures do not create unnecessary obstacles
to trade.
THE CONTRIBUTION OF INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT
The TBT Agreement recognizes the important contribution that international standards and conformity assessment systems can make to improving efficiency of production and facilitating international trade. Where international standards exist or their completion is imminent, therefore, the Code of Good Practice says that standardizing bodies should use them, or the relevant parts of them, as a basis for standards they develop.
STANDARDIZING BODIES HAVING ACCEPTED THE WTO TBT CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE
The WTO TBT Standards Code Directory 2007 lists all standardizing bodies that have notified acceptance of the WTO TBT Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and Application of Standards. The Directory, which is published annually, also contains the addresses of these standardizing bodies and information related to the availability of their work programmes.
OFFICE OPEN XML is not interoperatible
JTC 1 has the authority and responsibility to clarify whether interoperability is intended to be facilitated by each JTC 1 standard and ISP, to what or whom the interoperability applies, how conformity is related to the provision of interoperability, and how to verify that interoperability is provided between relevant IT systems.
There is enormous overlapping jurisdiction between national standardization body responsibilities and those of antitrust regulators. There is a pretty fair argument that JTC 1 should put DIS-29500 on ice until the antitrust proceeding is concluded, in order to avoid the possibility of inconsistent decisions. The NBs are actually required by the TBT to consider the potential anticompetitive effects of draft standards. Further, mostly based on the implementable and interoperatible factors of OOXML, it is clearly evident that only one company benefits, Microsoft. No ISO standard should benefit just one company. The JTC 1 has the responsibility to intervene. █
Permalink 3 Comments Send this to a friend
Microsoft's Anti-Linux Dumping Crusade: Chapter 11.1
Posted in Australia, Bill Gates, GNU/Linux, Microsoft, OLPC, Windows at 10:54 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Subsidising the 'cure' to cancer Linux
It has been about a month since we last showed Microsoft's use of 'donations' to fight GNU/Linux adoption wherever it crops up. Here is a new example:
Ases Eee PC with XP – special discount for schools?
So, hold on a second! A special tender for educational institutions? And this is only for the XP version of the Eee PC, not the Linux version? I wonder who managed to line up this deal? Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft would be the one sponsoring this. Probably giving away the copies of XP more or less for free. If anyone has any information on the details of this, please let me know…
Actually, assuming that Microsoft 'pays' for this special deal makes perfect sense, considering their recent DreamSpark initiative (see my comment about that here). As far as I can see, this is yet another attempt to ensure that students, as young as possible, are being let towards Microsoft products and are prevented to experience any alternatives. And since those closed-source products always hide 'how it works' from students, the only thing the students are left to learn is 'how to use it'. Training students with proprietary software just trains them to be IT users. Click here, click there. It only trains them in a particular vendor's products.
In many recent stories you will find that Microsoft does not only give Windows for free, but it also covers the cost of the hardware. Intel does the same thing by the way, but it has a bone to pick with AMD, not only GNU/Linux [1, 2, 3]. For one's reading pleasure, other similar (and recent) examples include:
Bill Gates' Retirement Merely a Political Lock-in Crusade
Microsoft 'Buys' Dubai Away from GNU/Linux, Calls it "Charity"; Paris Also?
OOXML Sins and "Charity" Against GNU/Linux
It's Not Dumping Because They Call it "Charity"
Boosting Windows Vista Sales Using AIDS
There are many more examples, so be sure to follow cross-references (both backward and forward in time). All of these operations were not quite so prevalent a year ago, so it demonstrates Microsoft's urgency in handling this 'problem'. Openly enough, Microsoft has even stated that it's a case of fighting the adoption of GNU/Linux (it didn't use these exact same words though). █
"Asked if he could start over and develop an operating system from scratch, what would he do? [Gates:] Nothing."
From "Bill Gates: Cheap PCs won't help the poor", March 2008
"Geez, get a decent computer where you can actually read the text and you're not sitting there cranking the thing while you're trying to type."
Bill Gates about OLPC, Microsoft Government Leaders Forum
Permalink Comments off Send this to a friend
Bill Gates Makes Phonecalls Again (Politics for Derailing ODF)
Posted in America, Antitrust, Bill Gates, Europe, ISO, Microsoft, Open XML, OpenDocument at 10:35 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
The man in a sweater isn't as innocent as his media will have you believe
There are so many reports from so many countries and it's virtually impossible to keep up. We have just received some updates from Finland. More information from and about Finland you will find below (for the sake of context). It's sorted reverse-chronologically, so you can follow the links and go back in time. There are loads of stories.
Suvi Lindén and Finland's Role at the OOXML BRM
Nokia and Finland: A Mystery Behind OOXML and Silverlight
Bill Gates Invades the Land of Linus, Uses Dumping Techniques
Losing Your Job for Opposing a Monopoly Abuser? (Lassi Nirhamo)
Finland and New Zealand's Fight Against Vendor Lockin; IBM Set to Release Lotus 8 with ODF Support on Friday
"Who could ever forget the recent sentimental blackmail and scare tactics?"Groklaw receives many reports at the moment and bloggers contribute 'inside information' as well. Particularly interesting was the story about Bill Gates. Reportedly, he is once again phoning high-level figures (even a president) in order to change or influence the final outcome. This is far from the first time and by no means an isolated incident (it's all documented). Who could ever forget the recent sentimental blackmail and scare tactics?
Poland, as we wrote less than a week ago, ought to have reported irregularities to the EU Commission and it eventually did. You'll find some information in Groklaw.
And more news from troubled Poland, with news that the EU Commission is investigating the process in that country. Things have reportedly gone from bad to worse there, with threats of lawsuits in the air if folks talk publicly about what is happening.
Get a load of this, will you? Participants at the BRM were told that only technical issues can be addressed. Bill Gates, however, reportedly contacted the president of Mexico to try to influence Mexico to accept OOXML. Unless, of course, they were talking about representing dates in Excel or other technical issues. Hardy har. Like, totally. I'm sure.
This article as a whole is a recommended read. It sheds light on the high level of manipulation, which brings to mind again the following important quote from an ISO Convenor who fled. Here is his explanation, which is worth repeating endlessly:
"This year WG1 have had another major development that has made it almost impossible to continue with our work within ISO. The influx of P members whose only interest is the fast-tracking of ECMA 376 as ISO 29500 has led to the failure of a number of key ballots. Though P members are required to vote, 50% of our current members, and some 66% of our new members, blatantly ignore this rule despite weekly email reminders and reminders on our website. As ISO require at least 50% of P members to vote before they start to count the votes we have had to reballot standards that should have been passed and completed their publication stages at Kyoto. This delay will mean that these standards will appear on the list of WG1 standards that have not been produced within the time limits set by ISO, despite our best efforts.
The disparity of rules for PAS, Fast-Track and ISO committee generated standards is fast making ISO a laughing stock in IT circles. The days of open standards development are fast disappearing. Instead we are getting "standardization by corporation", something I have been fighting against for the 20 years I have served on ISO committees. I am glad to be retiring before the situation becomes impossible. I wish my colleagues every success for their future efforts, which I sincerely hope will not prove to be as wasted as I fear they could be."
–Martin Bryan, ISO 'Escapee'
Formerly Convenor, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC34 WG1
This may turn out to be an extremely busy day. It's the last working/business day before everything is finalised. Regardless of the outcome, evidence needs to be gathered. If you find something of interest, please share it here. The European Commission studies the abuses. Other continents or countries might join this investigation later.
As someone said in a forum just a few moments ago, Microsoft is likely to regret going as far as it has. Many countries are left exceptionally pissed off, and rightly so. One company has single-handedly betrayed not only trust in standards bodies, but also in local administrations who were tempted by money and pressure. Microsoft made a mockery of the whole system. █
Links 27/03/2008: Local Government Pressured to Give in to OSS; Bug Gadgets Sold Out
Posted in News Roundup at 11:33 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
CNET Slashing 120 Jobs
Microsoft's share of U.S. web search shrinks
OSBC Report: Kaplan CTO declares "Open source is the software of choice in a connected world"
Bug Labs Founder: Sold Out Of Open-Source Mobile Gadgets
DIY Drones: An Open Source Hardware and Software Approach to Making "Minimum UAVs"
Local Government Urged to Consider Open Source
Open Source Business Conference: Great, we won. So what did we win?
The state of open source: Visions of utopia
Will Content Management Be Most Affected By Open Source?
UNICEF wiki uses open source, SMS to connect kids
Website for blind and vision impaired developed with open source CMS
Publisher turns to open source for speedy site
The Current State of Open Source Virtualization
Proposed Patent Reform No Cure for Patent Trolls
Posted in America, Europe, Microsoft, Patents at 11:12 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
"Sinking me Slowly" (USPTO)
In today's patent news you find that a company assaulting Microsoft has suffered a big setback and might therefore sack 25% of its workforce in Europe.
Avistar said it 'remains hopeful of reaching a favorable resolution with Microsoft on licensing Avistar's intellectual property in the near future.'
Avistar is a developer of video-enabled communications networks for businesses and corporations. The stock closed the regular session at 88 cents.
What to learn from this? Defensive patents are nonesense. Companies in trouble will cling onto anything in their struggle to remain relevant. It's their obligation to shareholders, as even Simon Shipps told us last week.
You may be hearing about "reform this" and "reform that" every now and then, but in the context of software patents, the planned reform is of no use.
It is clear that the players, and their attitudes, that dominated the feudal period will no longer carry the day. The newly established and emerging IP business models (and the players exercising such models) are not going away. That is, neither US Supreme Court decisions such as eBay and KSR, nor any of the so-called anti-patent troll legislative proposals floating through Congress, will force intermediaries out of the market.
With as much as three-quarters of the value of publicly traded companies in America coming from intangible assets, and global IP licensing revenue now being measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars, there is simply too much economic justification for such entities to exist. In fact, new players implementing the IP business models described herein are continually surfacing. And creative new IP business models will surely come into existence. Why? Quite simply, the business of IP (ie, the IP marketplace) itself is fertile ground for innovation!
Meanwhile, a company as notorious as Rambus (very infamous for its relentless abuses [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]), managed to somehow escape scrutiny, proving that the legal system is too weak to handle even patent harrassment, ambush, and frivolous prosecution.
Memory company Rambus won a patent case against rival memory makers on Wednesday when a court ruled that the company did not engage in anticompetitive behavior or violate antitrust laws related to on-chip memory technology.
This is sad news indeed. Luckily for those on the other side of the Atlantic (over in Europe), the system remains a little more sane. Here is a good new article. [via Digital Majority]
Patent law became an issue that is debated not only within small circles, but among a broad public. Not only, that software patents could stir one of the biggest participation waves in policy decisions on the European level – it is probably the first time that plans for patent reforms are debated during American presidential primary campaigns. We asked James Babineau, an American patent lawyer with Fish & Richardson, that opened an office in Munich a few months ago, on the future of the patent systems on both continents.
To sum it all up, Microsoft did not suffer from trolling in this case, there is little hope for the USPTO even if reformed, patent abuse or ambush goes unpunished, and it's important to keep non-US patent systems under proper control. It's hard to fix something once it breaks for the same reason that retracting pricey patents is… well, too pricey due to compensation requirements. █
The Question About Posting Pace
We received some flattering feedback a couple of hours ago, but a concern was raised regarding the number of items that are published. To quote part of this message:
Your site is brilliant, the only criticism is that their is too much stuff that it can get a little overwhelming. Take this for instance on 'Patrick Durusau' and how he got his road to Damascus conversion. I totally missed it the first time round.
Given what we know about Microsoft machinations, it is obvious what has been done here. Stack the committee and co-opt the chairman of the V1 committee. It is also quote obvious that we are dealing with a sleazy organization with no ethical standards. It's not as if they paused to consider if corrupting standards bodies was wrong.
Maybe it's time to inquire and reach out to readers for feedback regarding pace. Is the site moving on too quickly? Should more items be merged or updated to reflect on related developments? █
Microsoft Invited Over to Enter the Gates and Serve the Bill
Posted in Finance, Free/Libre Software, FUD, GNU/Linux, Microsoft, Patents at 10:42 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Who left this mess on the carpet?
The Coy Microsoft
It remains rather astounding that many in the open source world still have some trust in Microsoft, despite repeated betrayals and a rapid flow of evidence which must serve as a warning. To sum it all up, Microsoft wishes to charge Free software developers per copy and also ensure that they are tied to the Microsoft stack, in which case end users must pay Microsoft anyway. That's the gist of the plan. It imposes a higher price on Microsoft's most threatening competition.
Vis-a-vis cost issues, if you thought OOXML was all open and free, think again. Groklaw has just found another gotcha in the OSP:
Eek. I understand that to be saying that there are gaps in OSP coverage. You'll get documents you can't legally open unless you are using Microsoft's software, because the extensions found in Office but not in OOXML proper, so to speak, are not covered. Let me explain what I think they are saying this means.
We knew we'd get documents we couldn't open effectively from a technical standpoint, without at least losing something in the translation. But if extensions to the OOXML format, as exemplified in Microsoft Office 2007, are not covered by the OSP, and evidently they are not, when you get a document with, say, spreadsheet macros, or DRM, what legally protects you if open the document? All Microsoft has to do, then, is extend the format, as it already has, and you then can only interoperate with them if you use Microsoft software too. So. OSP gaps. Nice work if you can get it.
As usual, it's all very implicit, hidden, vague and partly so because of the need to gain ISO's approval. OOXML is a software patent trap. Wait until it gets uglier, probably after the ambush phase.
The Angry Microsoft
Remember May 2007? Here is a new reminder. [via Digital Majority]
Microsoft Mum on Alleged Patents Violated
So basically, it comes down to what Microsoft is willing to publicly admit their reasoning of the alleged patent violations is 'because we said so!' They will not provide any other evidence (actual patents) because '(it) is not something that any other company in our industry does today'.
Yes, it figures. This was seen before. Emperor Microsoft is naked, but it wants you to wear blinders. While we're at it, Microsoft is in far greater trouble than most people realise. That's why it got so aggressive. It's a sign of desperation and inability to coexist under the current market rules where Free software beats Microsoft on TCO terms under most or all circumstances.
The Demanding Microsoft
Here comes the beef of this post and also our main gripe. Watch how Microsoft tries to phase in its software patent 'religion'.
"We live on both sides of the patent fence every day. We have more patent lawsuits than any company in our industry," he [Microsoft's Brad Smith] said. "And yet we still believe in the benefits and value of a well-functioning patent system."
Here is a newer article which is more blunt and direct: Royalties are the admission price Microsoft tells freetards [sent in by a reader]
Let's be perfectly clear. Everything is up for negotiation and nothing is off the table when it comes to Microsoft's dealings with open source. Except for one thing: patents.
Microsoft's legal chief Brad Smith this week made it abundantly clear that while Microsoft is increasingly prepared to deal with open source companies and projects, the company won't surrender ownership of patents in Windows – contrary to the wishes of many.
This bad article, which also uses the derogatory word "freetards", actually comes from Asay's friend on the face of it. Watch this new blog item.
I [Matt] had lunch with Gavin Clarke (The Register) and Dave Rosenberg (MuleSource) today at the Open Source Business Conference (OSBC). We ate in the hotel restaurant, rather than getting free food at the conference, because I needed a break. I was willing to pay for solitude. I needed to go "offline" for a bit.
This whole chain of articles just carries on and on. Even DisinformationWeek serves us some of Microsoft's bits of FUD.
The Miserable Microsoft
A reader wrote to us this afternoon, regarding the articles above. He says:
"This is the only strategy they have against Linux: Software Patents."This is the only strategy they have against Linux: Software Patents. Bet they will use the same strategy against ODF and any competing product. Microsoft Brad Smith insists on attacking Free Software (=GNU/Linux and community-driven projects) while monetizing on Open Source (as far as it runs on Windows) by trying to tax Open Source 'entities' with royalties for the use of Microsoft software patents.
Who let this guy in the conference? Microsoft should be automatically and explicitly banned from every FLOSS related event. The licences they managed to insert in the OSI should now be revoked as "open source". If it is patent-encumbered it's not open.
The answer is actually right here on this Web site. Matt Asay (of the OSI) invited Brad Smith and it's safe to insist that it was a bad idea all along. I sent Matt the following quick message:
Re: Inviting Brad
Microsoft received a lot of positive coverage from their visit to OSBC.
http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2008/03/27/microsoft_brad_smith_patents_royalties/
I warned about this a month ago, but you told me it was a good idea.
I am pretty disappointed to find out it was you who invited them/him. It was a bad idea from the get-go, IMHO.
To be fair, he was quick to respond (almost promptly) and his views should hopefully add the necessary balance.
I've seen coverage, but I'm not sure much of it has been "positive." And I see nothing wrong with Microsoft making the attempt, real or otherwise, to bridge out. When it's not real, we slap it down. You're a smart guy. doubt you're going to be easily swayed. The takeaway that I've seen again and again in the press has been, "Microsoft really needs to figure out how to make its patents play nicely with open source."
Isn't that your position, too? And if they can't (which, indeed, they can't), then they need to scrap them and join up.
The point seems valid, but it doesn't truly make up for the damage done. Business people will open up their morning paper and read about Microsoft asking open source companies to pay for software patents.
The Real Microsoft
A reader sent us some more interesting information about OSBC just a couple of hours ago when all these conversations took place. Here it is:
Matt Asay found this piece of report about OSBC. The important thing is that -under anonymity- Microsoft employees openly discuss their hatred sentiment towards Open Source/Free Software: In their mindset "free" has nothing to do with "freedom", for them it just means "no-money", so despite the politeness and deception game being played by Brad Smith and other top-executive strategist -Bill Hilf, etc- (Ballmer has some slips of the tongue, though… it reminds me about a song by "Mano Negra" titled "the monkey speaks his mind", ouch!) their true colors are these:"Kill GNU/Linux and Free Libre Open Source".
Source: http://www.uberpulse.com/us/2008/03/osbc_open_source_is_stealing.php
[OSBC] Open Source is Stealing, Copying Proprietary Software!
Story posted on: March 25, 2008
After Microsoft's top lawyer, Brad Smith, keynote I hang out with some Microsofties to get a sense of their thoughts on open source, software patents, etc… To my surprise they were very much vocal about their anti-open source feelings. In exchange, they did ask for their names not to appear, just in case "upper management" would want to reprimand them for speaking out what Microsoft really thinks "inside".
"Open source is stealing. What open source does is copying proprietary software and giving it away for free. Open source is not about innovation or innovating, it's about copying. It infringes on everybody's patents. Not just Microsoft's. But we're just the most vocal about it. We just can not see this happening and not do anything to protect our business [...] What open source and communism have in common,
is that there are both failed systems".
I just don't see the chasm between Microsoft and the open source community disappear anytime soon, not even in the middle of this century like Smith alluded to. On one side, you have Microsoft who think people should pay for software. On the other, well… software is free. In the end, it's all about money and business model.
And I think Microsoft makes so much money selling Windows, Office and its server software that it's too late for them to change their business model at least for these "legacy" activities. So I predict the fight will go on as long as Microsoft's legacy businesses are successful and that they did not find other sources of revenues to compensate the loss for "freeing" the legacy activities
Everyone, including the OSI, must be aware of the remarks that come from Microsoft. They don't wish well to the Free software world. If they are seen as forthcoming, the question to ask is, what are they looking to gain? They operate on behalf of shareholders, to whom Linux and Free software are probably the most considerable threat, by Microsoft's own admission. █
What Makes Novell the Black Sheep of the Free Software Universe
Posted in Google, ISO, Mono, Novell, Office Suites, Open XML, OpenDocument, OpenOffice, Red Hat, SUN at 9:51 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
The World Enjoys Freedom
As noted earlier, OpenOffice.Org 2.4 is released today. Sun was quick to announce its availability this morning, only a day after Document Freedom Day.
The OpenOffice.org Community announces the release of OpenOffice.org 2.4, a new and enhanced version of the leading open-source office suite. The free software package provides a viable alternative to Microsoft's Office 2007 product – and an easier upgrade path for users of legacy MicrosoftOffice products.
Many countries joined the celebrations of Document Freedom Day. For a quick overview you can read this concise post.
The inaugural DFD is purported to span some 60 countries around the world, including Argentina, France, Germany, India, United States, and Australia.
Google too joined the party.
Today, the world is celebrating the first-ever Document Freedom Day.
Red Hat? Yes, of course. No exceptions.
In 60 countries around the world, 200 teams have organized activities for today, the first Document Freedom Day. It's a day of grassroots effort (based on the model of Software Freedom Day) to promote and build awareness for the relevance of free document formats and open standards.
It is nice to see companies like Google and Red Hat welcoming this event quite so openly.
Different Agenda at Novell
What about Novell? Well, it's complicated. Novell was paid a lot of money by Microsoft in order to help derail ODF. One person from Novell who was fond of ODF (bless him!) is Bruce Lowry, but he left the company last month. Who have we left to speak for Novell? How about this Vice President, who opines that OOXML is "superb"? Here is what he said on Document Freedom Day (timing may have been a coincidence):
I have been reading the OOXML storm in a teacup for more than a year now. Am looking forward to the approval of OOXML as an ISO standard…
And then he carries on blogging about Mono and .NET. That's where he appears to be pushing GTK (GTK#, that is). Maybe they should add his blog to 'Planet MSDN' for aggregation purposes. █
« Previous entries	Next Page »	Next Page »


text:
> $2500
Sorel Etrog
Vasa Mihich
Harold Town
Art Fairs & Exhibitions
PhotographyPhotography
All InventoryAll Inventory
Art Fairs & ExhibitionsArt Fairs & Exhibitions
JOYCE WIELAND "SQUID" 1973
Joyce Wieland (1931-1998) was a versatile and highly influential filmmaker and gallery artist.
Over the course of her long career, Wieland made strives for all women working in both professional realms.
Throughout her career she established new benchmarks for what was possible for a female artist to achieve.
Notably, she was the first female artist to have a solo exhibition at the National Gallery (Ottawa) in 1971.
Her artistic practice was arguably most fruitful during the late 1960's / early 1970's during her last days in New York City, with then husband Michael Snow, and return to Toronto.
This work, "Squid Jiggin' Grounds" is younger sibling to Wieland's masterpiece "O Canada" from 1970.
In both works Wieland wears red lipstick, pressing her lips to the lithographic stone while singing "Squid Jiggin' Grounds' (a folk song from Newfoundland).
It is a fascinating (and cheeky) intersection between feminism and nationalism.
This work can be found in numerous public collections across Canada including Museum London, York University and Concordia University to mention a few.
Questions about this piece? Contact us or call +1.844.440.4287
Signed, numbered 34/50 and dated '73 by the artist.
29"W 20.5"W (work)
35.5"W 27"H (framed)
- Where does the inventory ship from?
Our inventory is divided between New York and Toronto.
- Where do you ship to?
We can ship anywhere. Typically when we ship within North America we prefer to use FedEx Ground. To Europe, Asia and beyond we generally use DHL. Occasionally we use CanadaPost, but will notify the client if this is the best option.
- How much does it cost to ship?
For shipments within North America, we typically charge a flat rate fee. Many items on our site will list the rate. For shipping outside of North America, we can easily provide a quote and will look for the most efficient and economical option.
Most of the items on our site can be easily shipped internationally.
Occasionally we will recommend that an artwork be removed from its frame for shipping. Larger framed works are typically framed with plexiglass. We export over 80% of what we sell, so we are comfortable shipping anywhere.
- Are there additional taxes or fees?
When a work is valued above $2,500 usd there is a possibility of tax of 0.35%, but this is applied sporadically. There can similarly be an additional fee for customs brokerage and this can range from $20 - $65. US Taxes, duties and customs brokerage are not included in our flat rate shipping. However most of our shipments to the US enter without any additional fees.
- Do you provide a certificate of authenticity?
Yes, we guarantee everything we sell. We can provide both a digital and printed version of our certificate of authenticity.
- Caviar20 wants you to be 100% satisfied with your purchase. We have a 7 day no-questions full refund return policy for your purchase. Shipping charges are non-refundable. Return shipping is the responsibility of the customer. After 8 days returns are given a credit note. There is no expiration for our credit notes.
Subscribe to our bi-monthly curated newsletter.
About Caviar20
Caviar20, founded in 2009, is an online gallery with an exhibition space in Toronto, focusing on the secondary market with an emphasis on works on paper. Troy Seidman, the founder, has a particular interest in sculpture and abstraction of the 60's and 70's. We also handle turn of the millenium blue-chip artists with an emphasis on works created between 1985-2005.
Service disponible en français.
info@caviar20.com
© Caviar20

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Hi gang! My name is Tara and I'm from Suburble – a blog about life in the 'burbs and the chaos (and laughs) that come with it. I am thrilled to be joining the Real Housemoms team – it's such a talented bunch here.
I will be writing about life with the kidlets, and all of the ways you can get creative with it. A huge part of my blog is about my family – I have two little girls, Lila and Lucy, and they are constantly by my side, helping. Whether that help is actually "helping" is up for debate, but they love to learn.
Today I am going to share an incredibly easy recipe for chocolate bark. Lucy, my four year old, handled most of this recipe – older kids could probably do the entire thing themselves!
I will warn you – this bark is addictive. More than once I've got a guilty-looking husband rummaging in the fridge for a piece of this chocolate treat.
A delicious and easy chocolate treat; your four year old can make this!
Take out of the freezer and break into "Bark"
You start with chocolate wafers – both milk and white chocolate. Try not to eat these out of the bag. I dare you.
The almonds are added only to the milk chocolate. I had Lucy mix this up while I nuked the white chocolate. She's a sucker for any kind of stirring.
Aside from the melting of the chocolate, Lucy pretty much handled the entire recipe. She loves anything to do with stirring or spreading. It's hard to screw this one up.
Once the white chocolate has been drizzled on top of the milk chocolate and almond mixture, it's time for the fun part. Using a butter knife, you swirl (or cut through) the chocolate to make your bark as fabulous as you need it to be.
Lucy wanted hers extra-fabulous. I can't say I blame her.
After the bark had been popped into the freezer for about an hour, Lucy and I broke it up into little pieces of "bark". I like to keep the chocolate bark in the fridge, only because I know it won't melt there. And chocolate is SO much better when it's cold – don't you agree?
A few pieces with a cup of tea, and I'm in heaven. Serve it during the day, or save it as an after-dinner treat.
Grab your kidlets, some melting wafers and almonds, and create your own chocolate bark! It's a delicious snack for those days that you're watching the leaves fall and having a warm cup of tea. If Autumn is about the trees, at least let them be made of chocolate!
Every year we make a new bark, and I hope they look as nice as yours.
What an adorable sous chef you have! Can't wait to make and share this delicious looking candy, thanks for sharing your recipe.


Learn about applying timecode to video in Premiere Pro, choosing the display format, and different ways of viewing the timecode.
You want to log clips before you capture them.
You plan to capture clips using batch (automated) capture.
You want to recapture clips because the original files became corrupted or were deleted.
You plan to export sequences to another system by using EDL.
You're using a system in which you edit quickly with low-resolution captures, and later recapture the clips at full resolution and quality for the final version.
You plan to synchronize captured video with audio recorded separately.
Unlike the numbers on time counters found in home VCRs, timecode is recorded onto videotape as part of the video signal. If footage lacks timecode, you can add it by copying it with a camera or deck that writes timecode. You can then log or capture the video from that device.
For best results, timecode should run continuously from the beginning to the end of the tape; it shouldn't restart from zero anywhere in the middle. In editing, if you log a capture in a point such as 00:00:01:09 but that number occurs on the tape two or three times because of timecode restarts, Premiere Pro can't be certain which 00:00:01:09 is the place to start its capture. It can easily capture the wrong clips from tapes with discontinuous timecode.
To ensure unbroken timecode, either shoot it continuously or stripe your tape with it before shooting.
To ensure that you always shoot continuous timecode, record at least 5 seconds of extra video past the end of the action in any shot. If you review a clip in the camera, be sure to rewind the tape back into that 5-second margin before recording again. Your camcorder reads the timecode from the frame on which you stop and begins recording timecode with the next frame number when you start your next shot. Be careful; if you leave a gap between the last frame of the previous shot and the first frame of the next, the camcorder begins writing timecode at 00:00:00:00 again.
By default, Premiere Pro displays the timecode for any clip that was originally written to the source medium. If a frame has timecode 00:00:10:00 on tape, the timecode displayed for it after it has been captured is 00:00:10:00. Source timecode often makes logging clips easy. Source timecode is shown for a clip regardless of the timebase of the sequences in which it is used. When the timebase of the clip differs from the timebase of the sequence, source timecode can make logging footage easier. For example, a clip shot in 24p has a timebase of 30 fps and 30 fps timecode. Premiere Pro shows the original 30 fps timecode for that clip, even though it is used in a sequence with a timebase of 23.976. However, you can change this default to instead show the timecode for every clip starting at 00:00:00:00.
Also, you can determine how Premiere Pro displays the frame count when a Frames or Feet And Frames display is chosen for a panel. You can make the frame count for every clip start at 0 or at 1, or you can have it converted from the source timecode. If a frame in a 30-fps clip has a source timecode of 00:00:10:00 the Timecode Conversion option gives this frame number 300. Premiere Pro converts 10 seconds at the 30-fps frame rate to 300 frames.
Select Edit > Preferences > Media (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Media (Mac OS).
Shows the timecode recorded to the source.
Starts timecode shown for every clip at 00:00:00:00.
Numbers every frame sequentially, with the first frame numbered 0.
Numbers every frame sequentially, with the first frame numbered 1.
Generates frame number equivalents of the source timecode numbers.
You can change the timecode display format in any panel where timecode is shown in hot text.
(Optional) To display timecode in audio units (Audio Samples or Milliseconds), click the panel menu button in the panel desired, and select Show Audio Time Units.
Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) a hot text timecode display to toggle through any of these timecode formats that are available. The last two are available only if you select Show Audio Time Units in the panel menu.
The timecode display format for the Program Monitor (including the instance in the Trim Monitor) and Timeline panels always match one another. Changing the display format in one of these panels changes it in the other.
You can ensure continuous timecode by recording timecode onto the tape before you use it. This process is called striping the tape. Striping is not necessary if you follow recommended shooting practices, but it can protect you from accidentally breaking timecode by miscuing a tape in your camera.
Place an unused tape in the camera. It should have no timecode.
If you're using a camera for striping, attach the lens cap and disable audio recording.
Ensure that all camera settings (particularly the audio sample rate) are the same as the settings you use when you shoot. Use all these same settings whenever shooting on that tape.
Begin recording. Let the camera or deck run until the entire tape has been recorded.
Before you record video on a striped tape, play about 30 seconds of it from the beginning. Verify that the camcorder is reading the timecode you striped before you start shooting. The 30-second empty lead on the tape also helps in batch capturing.
Check your camera's settings whenever changing tapes, especially when reinserting a tape you had begun shooting previously. Though you may want to use different settings for different tapes, its best to use the same settings from beginning to end of each tape. These should match the settings used when first striping that tape.
If your source footage is in DV format and its timecode isn't continuous, you can replace its timecode by making a DV copy, or dub, of the tape. The DV device making the copy records new timecode that is continuous, so you can then log and capture video, with the new timecode, from the copy.
This technique does not work when dubbing to the DVCAM format or using a Panasonic AG-DV2500 as the record deck.
Load the DV tape you shot into a DV camcorder or deck for playback, and fully rewind it.
Load a new tape into a second camcorder or deck, which you use to record a copy.
If the recording device includes an option to record video with the timecode from your original tape, be sure that this option is disabled. See the operating instructions for the device for information on this option.
If the recording device is digital, connect it to the DV source device using a digital cable, such as IEEE 1394 or SDI. This makes a full-quality copy.
Connect the recording device to a television monitor.
Set both devices to VTR mode.
Make sure that the recording device is set to record from the digital port.
Begin recording the new tape and then start your original tape playing. Let the camcorders or decks run until the entire original tape has been copied.
Scene Detect recognizes the starting and stopping points for each shot by looking for jumps in the timestamps. Because copying a tape this way creates a single clip with a continuous timestamp, you can't use Scene Detect when you capture the copy in Premiere Pro.
The timecode of source video is captured when you use device control. Timecode capture with controllable analog devices depends on the precision of your tape deck. If your tape deck cannot read the timecode accurately, you may have to calibrate your system or manually assign the timecode to your movie by matching frames.
Timecode is visible in the tape counter only on equipment that can recognize timecode, unless the timecode has been burned in or recorded over the picture in a copy of the tape. Most analog home VCRs cannot read or write timecode.
You can change the timecode from that recorded by Premiere Pro. For example, you captured footage from a DV copy of a Hi8 tape originally recorded with RCTC (Rewritable Consumer Time Code). The DV copy, and the video files on your computer copied from it, carry the DV timecode, not the original RCTC. For convenience in referencing shot logs made for the original Hi8 tape, you want to reset the timecode to the original RCTC numbers.
Select the clip in the Project panel.
Choose Clip > > Modify > Timecode, specify options as needed, and click OK.
As you capture and edit video, you enter timecode values many times. For example, you enter timecode values to set In and Out points for clips and to navigate a Timeline panel. Premiere Pro provides many ways to enter timecode.
In Premiere Pro, the duration between the In and Out points includes the frames indicated by the timecode. For example, if you enter the same timecode for the In and Out points of a clip, the duration of the clip is one frame. When entering timecode, you can substitute periods for colons or type numbers without punctuation. Premiere Pro interprets the numbers you type as hours, minutes, seconds, and frames.
To set a specific timecode, select the timecode, type a new timecode, and then press Enter/Return.
To adjust the current timecode by dragging, drag the timecode horizontally. For example, to set an earlier timecode, drag to the left.
To adjust the current timecode by using a relative value, type the plus sign (+) or minus sign (–) and the number of frames to add or subtract. For example, to subtract five frames from the current timecode, select the entire timecode, type –5, and then press Enter/Return.
When entering timecode, you can use shorthand substitutes affixed with period (..).For example, timecode value of 4.. jumps to the position 00:04:00:00. Premiere Pro interprets the numbers you type as hours, minutes, seconds, and frames.
You can display clip timecode within the video preview of the clip by applying the Timecode effect to that clip. You can display timecode within the video preview of any part of a sequence by applying the Timecode effect to a transparent video clip. Then trim the transparent video clip for the period when you want the timecode visible. Onscreen timecode is commonly referred to as burn-in timecode. It is used in rough edits and proofs to give frame-accurate reference points to editors and their collaborators.
In the Effects panel, click the triangle next to the Video Effects bin to open it. Then, click the triangle next to the Video bin to open it.
Drag the Timecode effect and drop it onto a clip in a sequence.
Click the Effect Controls panel to make the panel active.
Click the triangle next to Timecode to expose the options for this effect.
Adjust the options as needed.
At the bottom of the Project panel, click the New Item icon . Select Transparent Video.
You can use an adjustment layer instead of transparent video to carry the timecode effect.
Drag the transparent video clip to an empty track in the sequence higher than all other video tracks.
Drag the Timecode effect and drop it onto the transparent video clip.
If you trim a clip, the clip's source timecode is displayed.
If you perform a slide edit, the new source media's In and Out points for the adjacent clips are displayed.
If you perform a slip edit, the clip's new source media's In and Out points are displayed.
Choose Timecode Overlay During Edit from the Program Monitor panel menu. A check mark indicates that the command is selected.
You can view timecode in the Timecode panel. To view the Timecode panel, choose Window > Timecode.
You can set the following display options in the Timecode panel.
Master - This is the main master timecode.
Absolute - Absolute timecode always starts at zero at the beginning (ignoring Sequence Start Time) and increments one frame at a time.
Duration - The total duration of your timeline.
In/Out - Indicates the In/Out range.
Remaining - Indicates the remaining time from the CTI (Current Time Indicator) to the end of your sequence.
Top Clip Name - Indicates the top clip name under the CTI.
Source Tracks contain the specific number of video and audio tracks on a timeline. You can select any track to visualize the Source Timecodes for the selected track.
You can use the Format options to change the default timebase format or to visualize the timecode in Frames or Feet.
If the timecode panel is set to Full Size view, when a different format is selected, Premiere Pro displays a tag, and changes the label color from white to orange.
In Compact view, Premiere Pro only changes the label's color, but there is no tag.
Save Presets - Save different Timecode Layouts and assign shortcut to presets.
Manage Presets - Assign different shortcuts to presets or delete presets.
To increase the size of the Timecode panel, drag the lower right corner of the window outward.


Miss Mozelle Adams, a member of the Norwalk City School system for nearly 50 years, will retire this year.
The announcement was made Tuesday night when the Board of Education accepted her resignation from the system effective at the end of this school year. Miss Adams presently is elementary coordinator.
The board then hired Miss Adams for the first semester of next year to complete projects now underway in the health and social studies programs.
Born in Norwalk, Miss Adams was graduated from Norwalk High School and received her first teaching assignment -—at the age of 18 -—at Benedict School.
In 1929 Miss Adams was transferred to League St. School where she spent 21 years simultaneously as a teacher and principal. She has held her present position of elementary coordinator since 1950.
Miss Adams has served Norwalk schools under five superintendents beginning with Charles Patterson in 1920 to the present superintendent, Dr. Albion Gotaas.
BIRMINGHAM — Over four hundred people are expected at the Girl Scouts adult appreciation dinners Thursday at Camp Timberline in Birmingham.
Troop leaders, other volunteers, and their families have been invited for an afternoon and evening at camp as recognition for the volunteer help.
Local girls who will serve as swimming lifeguards for the gatherings are Pattie Arlin, Marie Fisher, Heidi Bohn, Julie Ramsey, Carole Sheehan, Brenda Waters and Leslie Woodward.
Craig Colvin, 10, son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Kousno, 13 Parsons Street, proved that little guys can be tough.
Craig, a fourth grader at Maplehurst, scored the most points among 725 Norwalk Elementary students in the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation fitness tests.
He was one of just three boys — all Maplehurst students — to earn the Presidential Award in the test.
The other Presidential winners were sixth graders Mario Ramos, 12, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Ramos, 19 Adams Street, and Jim Irwin, 11, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Irwin, 5 Indian Terrace.
MONROEVILLE — Dennis Smith, Eagle track star, received a special award at the Monroeville High School awards day.
Smith received an award for scoring the most points during the season and a silver medal for placing second in the high jump at the district meet. Along with Bob Ackerman, Tim Christman and Alan Meyer, Smith received a gold medal for participatng on the mile relay team which placed second in the state Class A meet.


text:
Rhoifolin is a chemical compound. It is first isolated from plant Rhus succedanea. The term "Rhoi" derived from generic name of plant Rhus. It is a flavone, a type of flavonoid isolated from Boehmeria nivea, China grass or ramie (leaf), from Citrus limon, Canton lemon (leaf), from Citrus x aurantium, the bigarade or bitter orange (plant), from Citrus x paradisi, the grapefruit (leaf), from Ononis campestris, the cammock (shoot) and from Sabal serratula, the serenoa or sabal fruit (plant).

References

Flavone glycosides

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
iPhone vs Jason vs Aliens announced
IPHONE 6 will be a feature film where the smartphone battles classic movie monsters Jason Voorhees and the aliens.
Sent into space to market itself to extraterrestrials, the iPhone soon finds itself in a three-way battle with hockey-masked Jason and the courgette-headed xenomorphs.
Stephen Malley of SFX Magazine said: "This is a textbook move for bringing new life into a franchise that was once exciting, but has become a bit tired and seen-it-all-before.
"The original iPhone was great, the sequels added a lot and even the fourth instalment was a cut above most series that get to that stage, but as it goes on it gets harder for audiences to emotionally invest.
"I'd expect the next one to be iPhone 0, a prequel showing how the iPhone came about, and then they'll reboot the whole franchise and declare iPhones 3-5S to be no longer part of the official canon."
Other mobile manufacturers are thought to be responding with big-budget sequels of their own for spring release, including HTC Two: Pig in the City and Samsung Galaxy S5: Assignment Miami Beach.
I am utterly pathetic, says nagging voice in iPhone queuer's head
THE inner voice of a man queueing for the new iPhone is telling him that he needs to get his shit together.
38-year-old Tom Booker spent the night on the pavement of Oxford Street in the hope of purchasing a communication device.
Booker said: "I'm all about the 5S, with its awesome finger scanner.
"Even if it has sold out before I get one, this is still a memorable experience – there's a real magic in the air."
However the nagging voice of Logan's subconscious mind told him: "What the fucking hell am I doing here?
"It all feels so wrong. How did my life end up like this?
"I am such a pathetic dupe, queueing like some Dickensian orphan for my dollop of corporate techno-gruel.
"If only I had a bit more self-esteem I might be able to resist the marketing."
Logan continued: "Apple is more than just a brand, it's a way of life, it's inspirational."
Meanwhile the voice in his head said: "I'm going to buy it, take it home, open it, tinker with it for a bit, and still my existence will have no meaning.
"I should be helping children in Africa or something. Somewhere in life I chose the wrong path, the stupid path."


text:
Q: Calling protected virtual function of another related object (for proxying) So a task: we have a third party library, there is a class (call it Base). There is a hidden implementation provided by the library call it Impl.
I need to write a Proxy. Unfortunately Base has a protected virtual function fn.
So the question is how much the code below is correct from C++ viewpoint? It currently works perfectly in Visual Studio and doesn't work in clang/gcc on Mac (but compiles without any warnings). I quite realize mechanisms which happen there, so if remove class Problem everything works on both platforms. I'd want to know if I should report a bug to clang or it's undefined/unspecified behavior of C++ standard.
Expected result of the code is to call Impl::fn() normally
class Base
{
protected:
    virtual void fn(){}
};

class Impl : public Base
{
public:
    Impl() : mZ(54){}
protected:

    virtual void fn()
    {
        int a = 10; ++a;
    }

    int mZ;
};

class Problem
{
public:
    virtual ~Problem(){}
    int mA;
};

class Proxy :  public Problem, public Base
{
public:
    virtual void fn()
    {
        Base * impl = new Impl;

        typedef void (Base::*fn_t)();
        fn_t f = static_cast<fn_t>(&Proxy::fn);
        (impl->*f)();

        delete impl;
    }
};

int main()
{
    Proxy p;
    p.fn();
}

A: It crashes on precisely this line:
    (impl->*f)();

Trying to access memory behind an allocated block. This is usually a hint that one did not setup this correctly, and indeed, swapping the inheritance order fixes the issue, confirming this theory.
    Base * impl = new Impl;

    typedef void (Base::*fn_t)();
    fn_t f = static_cast<fn_t>(&Proxy::fn);
    (impl->*f)();

So the issue is actually where fn_t points to (certainly not the vtable entry of Base::fn here).
Now we see the issue truly. You try to call a protected function of another object, trying to use &Base::fn for this is not possible, trying to use a pointer to Proxy::fn is effectively a different function, with a different vtable index, which doesn't exist in Base.
Now this works just because MSVC uses a different memory layout, where coincidentally Proxy::fn and Base::fn have the same vtable index. Try swapping the inheritance order in an MSVC build and it might crash. Or try adding another function or member somewhere, sooner or later it will crash with MSVC, too, I guess.
About the basic idea: what we try to accomplish here is to call a protected function of a different object. Referring to this list, essentially the same is said here

Class members declared as protected can be used only by the following:

*

*Member functions of the class that originally declared these members.

*Friends of the class that originally declared these members.

*Classes derived with public or protected access from the class that originally declared these members.

*Direct privately derived classes that also have private access to protected members.

*

*not the case

*no friends declared

*trying to call method on different object, not this

*not the case

So I don't think this is legal, resulting in undefined behaviour, indifferent of any clever casting etc.

A: The issue is that you are multiply inheriting from both Base and Problem.  The ABI layout of classes is not defined by the standard, and implementations can choose how they layout objects, which is why you see different results on different compilers.
Specifically, the reason for the crash is that your derived class ends up with two v-tables: one each for Base and Problem.
I the g++ case, since you inherit public Problem, public Base the class layout has the v-table for Problem in the "traditional" location, and the v-table for Base later in the class layout.
If you want to see this in action, add this to your main...
int main()
{
    Proxy p;
    Base *base = &p;
    Problem *problem = &p;
    std::cout << "Proxy: " << &p << ", Problem: " << problem << ", Base: " << base << '\n';
}

You will see something similar to this...
Proxy: 0x7fff5993e9b0, Problem: 0x7fff5993e9b0, Base: 0x7fff5993e9c0

Now, you are doing something "evil" here:
typedef void (Base::*fn_t)();
fn_t f = static_cast<fn_t>(&Proxy::fn);
(impl->*f)();

because you are taking a member function pointer for Proxy and applying it to an Impl object.  Yes, they both inherit from Base, but you have given it a member function pointer for class Proxy and when it looks up that v-table, they are in different places.
You really just want to get the member function pointer for Base but since you are doing it from within the context of Proxy you can only access the Proxy member function.  It should be obvious now that this is not desirable because of the multiple inheritance.
However, you can easily enough get what I think you want with a little helper class...
virtual void fn()
{
    typedef void (Base::*fn_t)();
    struct Helper : Base {
      static fn_t get_fn() { return &Helper::fn; }
    };

    Base * impl = new Impl;
    fn_t f = Helper::get_fn();
    (impl->*f)();
    delete impl;
}

Because Helper inherits from Base it has access to the protected member, and you can access it outside the multiple inheritance context of Proxy.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The options to society's current and emerging energy challenges require interdisciplinary approaches integrating economics and enterprise with the technical information of vitality systems and implications for our environment. The criteria for unconditional gives will vary throughout the College as entry necessities for specific courses differ and never all diploma programs might be participating within the Scheme. May be thought-about for advanced entry onto the second or third 12 months of the diploma.
HKUST Enterprise Faculty was the first faculty in Asia to be awarded dual accreditation by AACSB and EQUIS. Like Cass, HEC Montreal is triple accredited (EQUIS, AMBA and AACSB) and was the first school in North America to achieve this. Alternate alternatives with our European Enterprise Faculties are by way of the Erasmus programme.
Along with our supportive globally-ranked university partners, reminiscent of Grenoble Graduate Faculty of Enterprise, London Institute of Banking & Finance, Swiss Education Group and Concordia University Chicago, amongst others, we're dedicated to bringing the most effective schooling closer to our students.
Topic to the Government passing laws to boost the minimal charge cap, we'll raise undergraduate tuition fees from £9,000 to £9,250 for new UK/EU college students making use of to start out courses in the 2017/18 educational yr. Our Society Working group is the place employees organize charity events, soccer competitions and even bun gross sales to help local community activities.


text:
The Swiss Structured Products Association (SSPA) welcomes AIS Financial Group and Valeur Group, two new broker members, to its ranks. The SSPA now has a total of 43 members from the entire value chain.
Zurich, 27th June 2019. AIS Financial Group (AIS) is an independent investment boutique with offices in Geneva, Madrid, Nassau and Panama. AIS was founded in 2016 and advises family offices, private banks and independent financial institutions on investment solutions with a particular focus on structured products. The mission of the company with 25 employees is to create maximum added value for its clients with tailor-made products and solutions.
Valeur is an independent firm offering custom investment solutions to institutional investors for over a decade, leveraging the extensive knowledge of its principals in financial structuring gained through over 100 years of combined experience in major global financial institutions. The group has a global presence with operations in Lugano, Pfaeffikon and Zurich for Switzerland, London, Singapore and Luxembourg and counts a 30-person team. Valeur has a strong focus on structured products. Its specialized structuring team delivers cutting edge solutions and works closely with a dedicated trading team to ensure a flawless and timely execution of client orders supervisioned by an experienced management team.
Samir Lakkis, Partner and Founder of AIS, comments: "As an established player of the structured products industry, we want to strengthen our contribution to its development by becoming a member of the SSPA and by influencing relevant issues with the support of the Association".
Alessandro Noceti, responsible for Trading and Sales at Valeur, is also pleased about the opportunity to help shape the industry: "As a global brokerage firm with a strong presence in Switzerland and an extensive experience in structured investment solutions, we are interested in actively contributing to the development of the Swiss market for structured products. By joining the SSPA, we will be able to make a better contribution to industry issues".
An active industry association with 43 members
The SSPA represents the interests of the most important market participants, who cover over 95% of the market volume in structured products in Switzerland. SSPA President Georg von Wattenwyl: "We are delighted to welcome AIS and Valeur Group, two more structured products experts, to the association. Our new members will further strengthen the SSPA and will ensure a broader coverage of our interests, also geographically".


Annuities are made to provide income over an extended period of time-generally several years. There will be multiple sorts of annuities ; many lottery winners receive an annuity for their jackpot winnings, for instance. Just since the annuity guarantees payment during a period of time doesn't mean It's usually a good choice to the plaintiff inside a lawsuit however ; there are a lot of circumstances that result in the need for you receiving an annuity to gather any many of the money all directly, instead of expecting payments over several years.
When you have been injured due to someone�s negligence, and also have received a settlement as an annuity, then you may even have lots of expensive needs that go together with your injuries. Since lawsuits and settlements may take months or years to become concluded, those bills may pile up. When you have these sorts of expenses, then selling an annuity for any lump sum of cash can be a very good option for you personally ; you are able to manage bills and obtain your daily life to normal.
Another reasons you may wish to sell your future annuity payments for cash you should use at this time include wanting to cover your education-or for education for your kids or family members. You might want to purchase a house along with your annuity money. Other major expenses include cars and starting a brand new business. Altogether of those cases, it probably is sensible to undertake and sell annuity payments in exchange for any lump sum of cash.
We explained before that there are various sorts of annuities ; there will be pension annuities, lottery jackpot annuities, deferred annuities, and much more. The main annuity type that DRB Capital has the capacity to assist you with is definitely an annuity which comes given by a lawsuit. When you have received a settlement that includes an annuity payment, we will enable you to discover whether you qualify to sell your future annuity payments to obtain some or all your cash directly.
Knowing whether your annuity will qualify can depend upon lots of factors. The simplest way to know for sure is to make contact with us. One among our representatives will understand the details of your respective annuity payment and let you will know in case your annuity qualifies, and offer you a concept of how you can sell annuities as well as what the method means. With DRB Capital, you'll work with a similar representative throughout the method, so that you could be confident you will know what is being conducted.
What's Time Worth of Money?
Time Worth of Money is a crucial concept in annuities and structured settlements. Basically, the thought is as time passes the worthiness of cash tends to decrease. You are able to see it for only yourself with your everyday life : one that designed to cost $5 a couple of years back may cost $7 now.
One example of this really is that in 1983, daycare cost about $40 each week ; in 2011, however, it costs a typical of $143 per child each week. Another example is in 1985 the typical rent for the apartment was $315 per month-while in 2013 that cost has gone as much as $1, 062.
With that on your mind, consider how long it will require your annuity to complete paying you ; just simply the amount will the money be worth from the time you reach, say, the year 2033? If you want money now for any major expense, or are curious about investing in education or a brand new business, it might be a very good idea to sell an annuity for money at this time, rather than waiting.


text:
Obama Admin Continues Targeting Pro-Life Activist
Steven Ertelt Mar 19, 2012 | 5:34PM Washington, DC
The Obama administration lost one round of a legal battle it is waging in court against a Florida pro-life advocate — a battle that saw the administration unfairly seek to punish a peaceful sidewalk counselor under a law meant to stop violence and intimidation.
However, that hasn't stopped the Obama administration from continuing to target a peaceful pro-life activist.
Susan Pine is a sidewalk counselor. She counsels women who are considering abortion and provides help, resources, and support for women who choose life. Without any evidence of wrongdoing, Attorney General Holder accused Pine of obstructing the entrance to an abortion clinic in violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act ("FACE").
Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice had sought to levy thousands of dollars in fines against the pro-life activist as well as seeking a permanent injunction banning her from continuing her faithful 20-year ministry outside an abortion clinic in West Palm Beach, Florida.
"But this scheme was thrown out of court and drew criticism from Judge Kenneth L. Ryskamp, who concluded that the government lacked evidence to prove not just one, but "all three elements of its FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act) claim," said Mathew Staver, Chairman of Liberty Counsel Action, whose organization is assisting Pine.
"Eric Holder's Department of Justice (DOJ) just lost a major court battle due to their unjustified charges against a pro-life woman who was defended by Liberty Counsel," Staver added.
Judge Ryskamp concluded that "the evidence could not lead a rational jury to find that Ms. Pine's conduct [i.e., having peaceful conversations with clinic visitors on a public sidewalk] constituted a physical obstruction within the meaning of FACE." The Judge chastised Holder for seeking to apply federal law in a clearly unconstitutional manner, saying, "Stretching the terms of FACE to apply to this case…so that a desire to provide people with information about alternatives to abortion constitutes an unlawful motive, would unjustifiably impinge on Ms. Pine's First Amendment rights."
Instead of backing down, the Obama administration is moving ahead with an appeal, according to the pro-life legal group Life legal Defense Foundation.
"Mary Susan Pine thought her legal battles were over when a Florida judge dismissed all charges against her based on the complete lack of evidence presented by Attorney General Eric Holder," the organization informed LifeNews last week. "After all, Judge Ryskamp openly chastised Holder, questioning his motives for bringing the charges in the first place and suggesting a conspiracy between the government and the abortion clinic to violate Ms. Pine's free speech rights."
LLDF said: "The Department of Justice disregarded the court's sound ruling and has now filed an appeal. Despite the struggling economy and skyrocketing federal debt, apparently, the U.S. Government sees fit to expend unlimited taxpayer dollars pursuing these baseless charges against Ms. Pine. The Department of Justice disregarded the court's sound ruling and has now filed an appeal. Despite the struggling economy and skyrocketing federal debt, apparently, the U.S. Government sees fit to expend unlimited taxpayer dollars pursuing these baseless charges against Ms. Pine."
Staver also commented, saying, "The Obama administration is again turning its intimidation tactics directly against a pro-life American in order to advance its political agenda. Susan Pine, who is represented by our sister ministry, Liberty Counsel, is once again facing the full force of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). This week, Eric Holder's DOJ appealed their case against Susan, even after a stinging rebuke from the trial-level federal judge."
"I can scarcely imagine a more calculated and malicious assault on every American's First Amendment rights as has been orchestrated by this administration – perhaps most evidenced by the conduct of Attorney General Eric Holder and his Department of Justice," Staver added. "This latest action – appealing a case against an innocent pro-life hero after it was pointedly thrown out of court by a Judge who openly questioned what on earth the DOJ was thinking by bringing charges in the first place – is clearly politically motivated and patently frivolous."
The government's decision to prosecute Pine despite having no evidence of wrongdoing prompted Judge Ryskamp to suspect a conspiracy at the highest level of the Obama Administration.
"The Court is at a loss as to why the government chose to prosecute this case in the first place. The Court can only wonder if this action was the result of a concerted effort between the Government and the [abortion clinic], which began well before the date of the incident at issue, to quell Ms. Pine's activities," the judge said.
"For the past 20 years, Susan Pine has counseled women about the tragedy of such a course of action. Pine never obstructs anyone and denied she ever obstructed any vehicle, as the DOJ claimed (although with no evidence)," Staver said. "Liberty Counsel, our sister organization, represented Ms. Pine in the case of Holder v. Pine at no cost and will continue to represent her if she needs further legal help."
"Liberty Counsel Action will not stand by while the Attorney General seeks to intimidate Americans for their pro-life beliefs or for any other reason," he continued. "When Eric Holder should be prosecuting terrorists, he is wasting time manufacturing baseless lawsuits against law-abiding, pro-life Americans and engaging in other politically-inspired campaigns against pro-liberty, pro-family citizens! Such actions by the Attorney General are abuses of power and examples of intolerably misplaced priorities."
Staver says the Pine case is one reason why Holder should be removed from office.
"Mary Susan Pine is a picture of courage and moral strength. For the last twenty plus years, she has spent virtually every Saturday in front of an abortion clinic. Susan counsels women who are considering abortion and provides help, resources, and support for women who choose life for their babies," he said. "Susan's dedication made her a target of Eric Holder and the radically pro-abortion Obama Administration. But she would not be silenced. Even while targeted and harassed by the federal government, Susan continues to stand for life and defend those who cannot defend themselves."
"In 2008, Holder refused to prosecute members of the New Black Panthers who were caught on video engaging in voter intimidation during Barack Obama's first presidential campaign – yet, he will unleash his legal team to stop a pro-life woman from talking to people about the long-term effects of abortion," Staver continued. "Mary Susan Rice was the target of Attorney General Holder's misguided attempt to intimidate pro-life citizens. He failed. Yet, his DOJ is still considered (and even feared) by many to be a strong extension of Barack Obama's political agenda. How many more outrageous cases will Eric Holder initiate to advance the Obama Administration's political interests?"


While I was telling my father about my delicious refried-beans-and-fake-meat dinner, my mother cautioned in the background that fake-meat patties have MSG in them. Knowing full well such a bold claim requires rapid verification, I headed to the kitchen and checked the package. The scariest sounding thing I found was something named methylcellulose (a chemically inert emulsifier, it turns out). I noticed an "autolyzed yeast extract" but chose not to mention it. Sure enough, I soon heard Mom in the background mentioning yeast extracts. I rebuffed it after a quick Google, suggesting that the (to me, scarier sounding) "hydrolyzed" yeast extracts were probably the worser threat.
Mea culpa, Mom. All yeast extracts may contain free glutamic acid, the crystalline solid salt of which would be monosodium glutamate, MSG. Free glutamic acid is prevalent in parmesan cheese, soy sauce and grape juice— parmesan cheese, for example, has 1200 mg per 100 grams. It looks like (from this Wikipedia page) like hydrolyzed yeast extracts have 5000 to 20000 mg per 100 grams, so at least I got the point on the "hydrolyzed sounds worse." But yes, autolyzed yeast extract appears to contain MSG. I'll write more about it in the future (it is pretty strang esounding) but, really, the process and product itself don't seem any worse than anything else in modern industrial food, though. For example— Vegemite is pretty much entirely yeast extract and flavor. Looks like the only way to get by is sticking to a pure Bovril diet.
They changed it to yeast extract for a while but, don't worry— it's back to beef.
Update: Just checked my email to see the note my Mom sent at 7:23 pm, blockquoting this Wisegeek article. It even mentions Vegemite. I feel like Principle Skinner.
I've had an unfortunate little flurry of half-skulledness and noticed that all the recent episodes have occurred in close proximity to cheese. Being a good scientist, I'm going to start running experiments in removing things from my diet for a week. Hence: no cheese. It's already impinging on my lifestyle; I've been standing in the kitchen trying to decide what to add to my turkey and mushroom tortilla roll-up for lunch.
I came to the computer for a) inspiration and b) to see if youtube had any videos of scintillating scotoma, so I can stop trying to describe it to people. It does— of varying quality. I think the two below come the closest to capturing mine (monochrome, usually a thin line surrounded by a sort of oscillating fan pattern— that second video is close enough to make me distinctly uncomfortable watching it).


Juicy Booty slot machine is a interesting concoction from the Playtech slots team combining, as it does, classic fruit symbols with a pirate theme. As well as a very chunky jackpot of 10,000x, there is a progressive jackpot and also two main bonus features including a free bonus round with up to a huge 50 free spins. Whilst being a pretty weird concept we suggest you check out the full Juicy Booty slot review below to see if the game is ideal for your style of play.
We all know that pirate-themed titles are a dime a dozen in the sea of mobile slots, but we have to admit that the combination of anthropomorphic animal buccaneers and fruit symbols is a new one, and that's exactly the madhouse players will find waiting for them in Juicy Booty slot, a five-reel, 25-payline jackpot slot from Playtech.
True, the wooden galleon backdrop is nothing we haven't seen before, but the lemur to the right of the reels sporting a pirate hat certainly is. Add to that a selection of tasty-looking fruits that appear as lower value icons and you honestly have a mix that's completely unique.
Although the Juicy Booty slot machine has a minimum cost-per-spin that comes in at a slightly higher £0.50, the game can still be enjoyed across all desktop, mobile and tablet devices. In reward for their extra outlay, players will be able to chase a base game jackpot of 10,000x their stake and an additional progressive prize pool.
As an extra incentive for players to part with their hard-earned cash, Juicy Booty is packed to bursting with bonus features. First up, there's the randomly triggered Fruit Slice bonus, where the captain will use his cutlass to slice fruit symbols into pieces, thereby creating wins containing up to 15 symbols.
As if that wasn't sweet enough, the game also boasts a free spins feature that's activated whenever players land three or more gunpowder barrels anywhere in view. The more triggering symbols they land, the better their range of possible free spin amounts will be, but all you really need to know is that the lowest possible number is five and the maximum is 50 and only fruit symbols will be present.
Finally, the game's progressive jackpot can be won by landing pistol scatter symbols on reels one, three and five. When this happens, players will get to test their aim in a short mini-game where they'll have to shoot the pieces of fruit that come flying across the screen to reveal cash prizes. Finding a golden key will award an additional shot, while getting three keys will release the progressive prize.
Undoubtedly one of the more unusual video slot titles that we've encountered, the Juicy Booty slot is a breath of fresh air in the often stale pirate slot genre and provides players with plenty of fun bonus features.
Like the Juicy Booty slot review? Check out these as well…..


The reception of requests for the support of sub – measure 7.6 for investments in the cultural and natural heritage of the villages under the Rural Development Program (RDP) 2014-2020 has already ended.
The total number of submitted projects in the regional directorates of the Fund is 348. They are worth more than 209 million euro, which is four times more than the planned budget, reported the National Fund "Agriculture".
The financial aid for this reception is the lev equivalent of 25 million euro.
Projects will be ranked by points, as the total amount of requested financial aid from all of the submitted requests is more than the budget for the reception.
Sub – measure 7.6 aims to increase the quality of life and to keep the cultural identity and traditions in the rural regions. Financial aid is provided for the recovery, restoration, repair or reconstruction of buildings of religious significance.


text:
/**
 *     This code was auto-generated by a Codezu.
 *
 *     Changes to this file may cause incorrect behavior and will be lost if
 *     the code is regenerated.
 */
package com.mozu.api.contracts.productruntime;

import java.util.List;
import org.joda.time.DateTime;
import java.io.Serializable;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonIgnoreProperties;
import org.joda.time.DateTime;
import com.mozu.api.contracts.productruntime.Discount;

/**
 *	List of discounts the shopper can redeem for a product in its current state.
 */
@JsonIgnoreProperties(ignoreUnknown = true)
public class DiscountValidationSummary implements Serializable
{
	// Default Serial Version UID
	private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

	/**
	 * List of discounts available per configured conditions and criteria. These discounts are associated with products, orders, and shipping costs. Shoppers can view these discounts per order, per product in an order, or for their shipping depending on the configuration.
	 */
	protected List<Discount> applicableDiscounts;
	public List<Discount> getApplicableDiscounts() {
		return this.applicableDiscounts;
	}
	public void setApplicableDiscounts(List<Discount> applicableDiscounts) {
		this.applicableDiscounts = applicableDiscounts;
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
package com.linkedin.pinot.core.startree.v2.builder;

import com.google.common.base.Preconditions;
import com.linkedin.pinot.core.startree.v2.AggregationFunctionColumnPair;
import java.io.Closeable;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.RandomAccessFile;
import java.nio.channels.FileChannel;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;
import org.apache.commons.io.FileUtils;

import static com.linkedin.pinot.core.segment.creator.impl.V1Constants.Indexes.*;
import static com.linkedin.pinot.core.startree.v2.StarTreeV2Constants.*;
import static com.linkedin.pinot.core.startree.v2.store.StarTreeIndexMapUtils.*;

/**
 * The {@code StarTreeIndexCombiner} class combines multiple star-tree indexes into a single index file.
 */
public class StarTreeIndexCombiner implements Closeable {
  private final FileChannel _fileChannel;

  public StarTreeIndexCombiner(File indexFile) throws IOException {
    Preconditions.checkState(!indexFile.exists(), "Star-tree index file already exists");
    _fileChannel = new RandomAccessFile(indexFile, "rw").getChannel();
  }

  /**
   * Combines the index files inside the given directory into the single index file, then cleans the directory.
   */
  public Map<IndexKey, IndexValue> combine(StarTreeV2BuilderConfig builderConfig, File starTreeIndexDir)
      throws IOException {
    Map<IndexKey, IndexValue> indexMap = new HashMap<>();

    // Write star-tree index
    File starTreeIndexFile = new File(starTreeIndexDir, STAR_TREE_INDEX_FILE_NAME);
    indexMap.put(STAR_TREE_INDEX_KEY, writeFile(starTreeIndexFile));

    // Write dimension indexes
    for (String dimension : builderConfig.getDimensionsSplitOrder()) {
      File dimensionIndexFile = new File(starTreeIndexDir, dimension + UNSORTED_SV_FORWARD_INDEX_FILE_EXTENSION);
      indexMap.put(new IndexKey(IndexType.FORWARD_INDEX, dimension), writeFile(dimensionIndexFile));
    }

    // Write metric (function-column pair) indexes
    for (AggregationFunctionColumnPair functionColumnPair : builderConfig.getFunctionColumnPairs()) {
      String metric = functionColumnPair.toColumnName();
      File metricIndexFile = new File(starTreeIndexDir, metric + RAW_SV_FORWARD_INDEX_FILE_EXTENSION);
      indexMap.put(new IndexKey(IndexType.FORWARD_INDEX, metric), writeFile(metricIndexFile));
    }

    FileUtils.cleanDirectory(starTreeIndexDir);
    return indexMap;
  }

  private IndexValue writeFile(File srcFile) throws IOException {
    try (FileChannel src = new RandomAccessFile(srcFile, "r").getChannel()) {
      long offset = _fileChannel.position();
      long size = src.size();
      com.linkedin.pinot.common.utils.FileUtils.transferBytes(src, 0, size, _fileChannel);
      return new IndexValue(offset, size);
    }
  }

  @Override
  public void close() throws IOException {
    _fileChannel.close();
  }
}


TURKEY TIME: Many local eateries will be open for Thanksgiving and dishing up both traditional and nontraditional holiday fare.
While many celebrate Thanksgiving at home, others prefer to take the day off from cooking. Many Asheville restaurants and bars will be open during the holiday to accommodate those who would rather avoid the kitchen. Here is a sampling of the possibilities, with options ranging from gourmet buffets to bring-what-you-can potlucks featuring both traditional and nontraditional fare.


text:
Shumaker is a surname, being an Americanized form of the German surname Schumacher. Notable people with the surname include:

Anthony Shumaker (born 1973), American former baseball pitcher
Edward Shumaker (1896-1973), American sports shooter
John Shumaker (1929-1999), American politician
John W. Shumaker (born 1942), American educator
Robert H. Shumaker (born 1933), American retired rear admiral and naval aviator

See also
Shumaker-Lewis House, a historic home in West Virginia
Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot, a munitions manufacturing facility in Arkansas
Schumacher
Schoemaker
Shoemaker (surname)
Schumaker


text:
Penicillium levitum is an anamorph species of the genus of Penicillium.

References

Further reading

levitum
Fungi described in 1948


The best way to find out about a university or a college is to see it for yourself. Coming on an open day can be crucial in helping you decide where – and what – you want to study. Visit us at one of our upcoming open days – you'll get a tour of our facilities, have a chat with our tutors and we'll work together to find the right course for you.
If you've not visited us before, this is an ideal opportunity for you to come and have a good look around, meet the tutors and talk to current students about why they chose to study at Confetti. If you've previously visited us, it's a good opportunity to meet everyone again, find out more about your course, as well as accommodation options, finance information and the additional support we offer Confetti students.
Come see us at one of our upcoming open days – you'll get a tour of our facilities, have a chat with our tutors, talk to our support team and have a chance to go and visit our partners NTU to tour their accommodation.
If you're considering a masters degree, come and talk to our postgraduate team at one of our open evenings.
We've put together an interactive map to help you plan your trip to Confetti.


This book answers some tough questions relating to the Christian worldview. For example it provides biblical and logical answers for questions relating to:1. "Where did Cain get his wife?"2. "What about carbon-dating?"3. "Where did all the people groups come from?"It is a fabulous resource which should be read by believers and skeptics of the Christian worldview.
Great book for teens or those who like simple answers to difficult questions. I require all my kids to read this book.
I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it was (for the most part) easy to follow and went into pretty good depth. I look forward to reading more from Ken Ham!
This book changed my view on Genesis. It convinced me that the "gap theory" is wrong. I especially like the chapter on distant starlight. I recommend giving it to teens as well as adults who are confused or have questions about creation/evolution issues.
I wouldn't be sure about every fact the authors have produced (especially since it is more than a decade since I read it), but it was useful. If nothing else it helped me as a new believer to see that the case for evolution was far from solid.Liked it.
The authors starts the book with extreme prejudice against atheists saying they are the forefront of efforts to legitimize abortion, euthanasia, drug taking and basically all vices known to man. Then he goes on to claim Jesus went around riding dinosaurs. This book is a joke.
Good introduction to issues and points of friction between a biblical worldview and a worldview built around evolution.
While not a general overview of creation science, it does give an in-depth look at certain topics in the creation-evolution debate, including several I haven't come across in other books (UFOs, the "gap" and "ruin-reconstruction" theories, where Cain's wife came from).Unfortunately, the final chapter does include a brief appeal to "be saved".
I happened to run across it a few days after discussing Noah's flood with a friend, so I couldn't not read it. Seemed like an extended exercise in circular logic. But it's not like I regret reading it, for nothing else than a look at an unfamiliar worldview. Quick read, too.
Of course some facts will change when more science come to light, but overall this book is a good, short go to book when you have a question about the Bible.
Some interesting and considered stuff but mostly just embarrassing.


Hedge fund billionaire Alan Howard is betting big on cryptocurrency.
Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports that Howard, 54, began personally investing in cryptocurrencies last year and plans to continue to do so moving forward.
Howard, a co-founder of Brevan Howard Asset Management, has already hired at least one employee to assist him with managing his "sizable" cryptocurrency investments, and he intends to hire more as he expands his reach into initial coin offerings (ICOs) and private equity investments in blockchain startups.
The sources added that other Brevan Howard partners have made personal investments in the cryptoasset space as well, though the $9.1 billion hedge fund firm itself has not purchased or traded any cryptocurrencies.
This pivot to cryptoassets and affiliated companies — if only on a personal level — comes as Brevan Howard's flagship macro hedge fund suffered a 5.4 percent loss in 2017 — its largest annual loss since the fund was opened in 2003.
This poor performance has eroded the firm's assets under management (AUM), which now sit below $10 billion after once peaking above $40 billion. This phenomenon is not unique to Brevan Howard, though, as macro hedge fundss generally have not fared well during the recent economic climate and investors have been evacuating them en masse.
As CCN has reported, a growing number of the world's wealthiest individuals have begun to invest in cryptocurrencies.
Venture capitalist Tim Draper become one of the first high-profile individuals to publicly disclose his investments in the space when he purchased a large share of the Silk Road Bitcoins in 2014. Draper — who is now worth an estimated $1 billion — holds a significant percentage of his wealth in cryptoassets and equity in blockchain startups.
Peter Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal, also revealed that his venture capital firm — Founders Fund — invested in Bitcoin in 2017 and at one point held several hundred million dollars' worth of the flagship cryptocurrency.


text:
University home parent of University Calendar parent of Programme regulations parent of Interfaculty Programmes parent of The Degree of Master of Disaster Management – MDisMgt
Regulations - Interfaculty Programmes
The Degree of Master of Disaster Management – MDisMgt
1 In order to be admitted to this programme, a student needs to have completed the requirements for:
a (i) the Degree of Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) from the University of Auckland with a Grade Point Average of 5.0 or higher in 120 points above Stage III
(ii) the Degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours), or the Degree of Bachelor of Commerce (Honours), or the Degree of Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours), or the Degree of Bachelor of Laws, or the Degree of Bachelor of Laws (Honours), or the Degree of Bachelor of Planning, or the Degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of Auckland with a Grade Point Average of 5.0 or higher in 120 points above Stage III
(iii) an equivalent qualification as approved by Senate or its representative, at a level deemed satisfactory by the Dean of Faculty of Engineering
b (i) the Degree of Bachelor of Arts, or the Degree of Bachelor of Commerce, or the Degree of Bachelor of Health Sciences, or the Degree of Bachelor of Science from the University of Auckland with a Grade Point Average of 5.0 or higher in 120 points above Stage II
(ii) an equivalent qualification as approved by Senate or its representative, at a level deemed satisfactory by the Dean of Faculty of Engineering.
2 In exceptional circumstances Senate or its representative may approve admission of a student who has not met the above requirement, but who has attained an equivalent qualification or professional experience related to disaster management.
3 A student admitted to this degree under Regulation 1a must:
a pass courses with a total value of 120 points
b complete within the time limit specified in the General Regulations – Masters Degrees
c not exceed 160 points for the total enrolment for this degree.
4 A student admitted to this degree under Regulation 1b must:
5 Taught Masters
A student enrolled for this degree must complete the requirements as listed in the Master of Disaster Management Schedule.
6 A student must achieve a Grade Point Average of 4.0 or higher in the first 45 points of taught courses taken for this degree. If this Grade Point Average is not achieved, enrolment in the Master of Disaster Management cannot continue.
8 A student who has not met the requirement in Regulation 6 may apply to reassign courses passed to the Postgraduate Certificate in Disaster Management.
9 This degree may be awarded with Honours as specified in the General Regulations – Masters Degrees.
11 These regulations came into force on 1 January 2018. The 2017 regulations for the Degree of Master of Disaster Management were thereby repealed.
Master of Disaster Management (MDisMgt) Schedule
A student who has to complete 120 points must satisfy the following requirements:
30 points: DISMGT 701, 703
15 points from CIVIL 703, ENGGEN 731
30 points from CIVIL 707, 765, DEVELOP 701, 702, 709, 710, 713, 716, 717, DISMGT 705, 706, EARTHSCI 705, ENVENG 752, LAWENVIR 713, 716, 725, 726, LAWPUBL 736, PROFCOUN 707, PROFSUPV 710, POPLHLTH 715, 752, 760, SOCHLTH 732, SOCCLEAD 701 or other approved 700 level courses, other than projects and theses, offered at this University
45 points: DISMGT 704 Research Project
45 points: CIVIL 703, DISMGT 701, 703
90 points from CIVIL 707, 765, DEVELOP 701, 702, 709, 710, 713, 716, 717, DISMGT 705, 706, EARTHSCI 705, ENVENG 752, LAWENVIR 713, 716, 725, 726, LAWPUBL 736, PROFCOUN 707, PROFSUPV 710, POPLHLTH 715, 752, 760, SOCHLTH 732, SOCCLEAD 701, 706 or other approved 700 level courses, other than projects and theses, offered at this University


COLPHENE LM BARR is a single-component, liquid-applied, moisture curing elastomeric STPE waterproofing membrane. COLPHENE LM BARR's technology forms a continuous and elastic adhesion to the substrate that withstands extreme temperatures without cracking or softening. COLPHENE LM BARR is an ideal positive-side waterproofing solution for sealing foundations and between concrete slabs, equipment wells and in other underground applications. It can also be used in above-grade applications, such as waterproofing of plaza decks or planter boxes.


text:
PRC approves USPS rate increases for 1st-class mail and other "market-dominant" products
ORDER ON PRICE ADJUSTMENTS FOR FIRST-CLASS MAIL, USPS MARKETING
MAIL, PERIODICALS, PACKAGE SERVICES, AND SPECIAL SERVICES PRODUCTS
AND RELATED MAIL CLASSIFICATION CHANGES
(Issued November 28, 2022)
I. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
On October 7, 2022, the Postal Service filed notice of its planned price
adjustments and related mail classification changes for Market Dominant products.1
The planned price adjustments described in the Notice are the third to be filed and
reviewed pursuant to the new regulations of 39 C.F.R. part 3030, which were finalized in
Order No. 5763.2 The Commission applies the requirements of 39 C.F.R. part 3030,
Commission directives and orders, and 39 U.S.C. §§ 3626, 3627, and 3629 to
determine whether the Postal Service's proposals are consistent with applicable law.
39 C.F.R. § 3030.126(b).
Order No. 6341
CONTINUE READING AT » Order No. 6341.pdf
U.S. Postal Service Announces New Competitive Prices for…
New USPS price changes to take effect this month
USPS 2023 Price Increase & Impact on Shippers
PRC Approves New USPS Competitive Prices for 2023
PRC Responds to Lawmakers' Concerns Over DeJoy's Authority…
Postage Stamps Are About to Get More Expensive, So Stock Up…