text:
The 350.org Team December 11, 2014
PHOTOS: Largest climate march in the history of Latin America
Indigenous communities at the forefront of the climate crisis led the march in Lima. Photo credit: Hoda Baraka
Earlier this week, over 15,000 people from across the region marched in the streets of Lima making this the largest climate march in the history of Latin America. Regionally, climate change is seen as an environmental, developmental and human rights issue; thus it was no coincidence that the march was planned for December 10 which marks International Human Rights Day. Calling for a 'System Change, Not Climate Change' the march brought together numerous constituencies from across the spectrum demanding real and concrete actions to address the climate crisis. Groups marching included: indigenous communities, farmers, workers, miners, youth groups as well as faith groups. This People's Climate March in Lima comes on the heels of the recent massive People's Climate March which took place in New York and reinforces the growing momentum for the global climate movement as we look towards 2015 when a global climate agreement should be signed in Paris.
Below a series of photos showcasing the power, vibrancy and diversity of the march.
"Let's Save Lake Titicaca" reads a banner held by a woman traveling from Puno in an Andean region in the border between Peru and Bolivia calling for action to safeguard the largest lake in Latin America. Photo credit: Hoda Baraka
Thousands of workers from various labor unions also joined the march. Photo credit: Hoda Baraka
A group of youth showcasing the colourful artwork produced for the march at the art space run by Peruvian climate activist group TierrActiva Peru. Photo credit: Hoda Baraka
Women peasants from the Central region of Latin America travelled from afar for the chance to put a spotlight on the environmental plights in their region. Photo credit: Hoda Baraka
"Desde El Yasuni Para El Mundo || From Yasuni to the World" Indigenous environmental activists from Yasuni, Ecuador relay an urgent message to the world for the protection of the Yasuni Amazon region from oil drilling. Photo credit: Hoda Baraka


text:
Home > Posts tagged "Games Awards"
Tag: Games Awards
BAFTA Games Awards 2018 – Audio Roundup!
by Alyx Jones - 20/04/2018 0298
Article by Alyx Jones Edited by Sam Hughes Alyx Jones recounts her epic night at the BAFTA Games Awards last week speaking with nominees and winners at Troxy on the 12th April 2018! Check out the full playlist below: The venue of Troxy played this year's host to the BAFTA Games Awards, with nominees,
BAFTA Games Awards 2016 Nominees!
It's that time of year again and the nominees for this years BAFTA Games Awards so congratulations on all the nominees! Everybody's Gone to the Rapture leads the way with 10 nominations this year, followed by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Her Story with 7 and Batman: Arkham Knight, and
BAFTA Games Awards Tickets Now On Sale!!!
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced that tickets for the British Academy Games Awards in 2016 are now on sale. Hosted once more at Tobacco Dock in east London's Docklands, the ceremony will take place on Thursday 7 April 2016. We had a fantastic time at the

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Looking back on two terms in office, state Sen. Daniel Wolf is most proud of the pivotal role he played in getting the money and regulatory changes that powered the Cape Cod Commission's much-needed update of its regional water quality management plan.
Working with state Rep. Sarah Peake, D-Provincetown, Wolf pushed for legislative updates that created a permitting process for alternative wastewater technologies such as composting and diversion toilets. That meant towns could get credit and funding for including alternative technologies as part of their wastewater cleanup plan.
Wolf, a Harwich Democrat, and Peake also did heavy lifting in amending the state's Clean Water Act to allow the state to issue permits on a watershed basis instead of by town.
Wolf was also a key player in securing the $3.5 million in state funding needed to create the wastewater plan, which some estimate may save towns $4 billion in cleanup costs.
Wolf, who briefly ran for governor in 2013 before being grounded by an Ethics Commission ruling related to his ownership stake in Cape Air, has served both of his terms as co-chairman of the Senate Labor and Workforce Development Committee. He championed a minimum wage increase from $8 an hour to $9 next year with annual increases to $11 by 2017.
"We're really starting to understand better what the disparity of wealth and income is doing," Wolf said. The true value of the minimum wage had fallen by 25 percent since 1968, he said.
"Our act "» is a huge accomplishment for the poor and working people. It doesn't get us back to where we were, but it is one of the steps in addressing a gap which is at risk to cripple our economy."
In a district where income levels are 10 percent below state average in areas such as South Yarmouth and Dennis, Wolf sees access to education and workforce training as the most important factors in creating opportunity and leveling the playing field.
He is encouraged that Bridgewater State University is working on a satellite campus on the Cape that will offer a four-year degree program.
He would like to see the Cape be able to take advantage of jobs created by massive infrastructure projects such as transportation, wastewater cleanup, sustainable energy and climate change adjustments.
But Wolf thinks the Cape needs to bridge the gap between the average wage and the price of housing. He believes the foundation has been laid with nonprofit organizations and housing authorities, but the Legislature needs to provide the funding that will get housing built.
"The house is built, now we need to invest in it," Wolf said. He is especially drawn to redevelopment opportunities, particularly along the Route 28 corridor, where he thinks the large hotels offer the greatest opportunity for creative planning.
But affordable housing initiatives, and other programs near and dear to the Cape, face stiff competition from funding requests in other parts of the state. Wolf believes he has a close relationship with incoming Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, a Democrat from Amherst, and that many of Rosenberg's goals, such as economic disparity, protecting the environment and adapting to climate change, and confronting the substance abuse problem and affiliated criminal activity, match closely with issues the Cape is dealing with.
Overall, Wolf has a vision he calls the Cape's generational legacy.
"What should the Cape look like 30 years from now?" he asked. "What is the collective will?"
Wolf believes that good, innovative planning and zoning could lead to revitalized, walkable villages.
He thinks no other infrastructure is as critical to the Cape as the two bridges over the canal.
"I think we need a Cape Cod Canal plan," he said. Wolf believes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should gradually cede control of the bridges to Massachusetts Port Authority. He does see the need for a third bridge.
"If we manage the bridges better, there will be less congestion, less delays," Wolf said. "And not more growth on Cape Cod. We're not widening Route 3 or Route 6."


It has been a while since I posted here, the end of the year seems to prompt so many to reflect on the year just passed and contemplate prospects for the future. Well, 2011 was not without its issues, not all pleasant but through those difficulties I am so very glad I have special friends who have looked after me.
Nothing better to blow cobwebs away than a brisk walk on a chilly day with the doggies, as a post Christmas adventure we went to Virginia Water, quite a few people had the same idea so it was crowded with families with assorted dogs of all shapes and sizes but of course Angus and Posh were by far the most beautiful.
Posh has been showing some signs of her age recently so I was very pleased that she seemed to be able to keep up comfortably. Posh is usually a model of good behaviour on walks but just once in a while she turns a deaf ear to instruction and did just that as she marched very purposefully towards the lake, stepped in and paddled about defiantly, I don't think she actually got around to swimming but seemed to enjoy walking along the bottom anyway.
So cobwebs well and truly blown away its back to work and with fresh ideas for some new bears for 2012.


Every Wednesday, Share Rocket takes a look at one of the top 20 DMAs in the country and analyzes the last 30 days of data from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in that market. If you'd like to know more about Share Rocket's social media ratings and data, you can contact us at this link to ask questions or arrange a demo of our software. Here are the most-recent Orlando social media ratings.
Overall: The Orlando TV social media market returned to normal over the last 30 days after Hurricane Irma caused huge spikes in engagement in the 30 days prior. WOFL (Fox O&O) moved from second into first among stations on social media in the market in the last month with a 45.3 overall Share. WOFL's move to first dropped WFTV (Cox-owned ABC affiliate) to second with a 31.5 overall Share. WESH (Hearst-owned NBC affiliate) remained third with a 15.3 overall Share and WKMG (Graham-owned CBS affiliate) was fourth with a 7.9 overall Share.
No one station was dominant across all platforms. WOFL was No. 1 as a group on Facebook and the main station Page was the No. 1 account. On Twitter, WESH was No. 1 as a group and the main station account was No. 1 overall. On Instagram, WFTV was No. 1 and the top account was WFTV anchor Martha Sugalski.
As mentioned, every station in the market saw huge drops in engagement compared to the month prior (when Hurricane Irma made landfall). From August 18 to September 18, the four stations combined generated nearly 10 million engagements. From September 18 to October 18, they generated a little over 5 million. Only 13 of the top 100 assets Share Rocket tracks on social media in the Orlando market had more engagement in the last 30 days than they did in the month prior. The overall level of engagement in the last 30 days was fairly comparable to the engagement from July 18 to August 18, so we believe engagement rates in the market have mostly normalized.
The top three local TV stations on social media in Orlando from 9/18/17-10/18/17.
On Facebook, WOFL moved from second to first as a group with a 47.1 Share followed by WFTV with a 30.8 Share. WESH was third on Facebook with a 14.1 Share as a group and WKMG was fourth with a 7.9 Share. About 94% of WOFL's 2,352,055 total engagements on Facebook came from the main station Page, which has the largest audience in the market with more than 1.2 million followers. WFTV's impact on Facebook is more spread out. The ABC affiliate had all four of the top individuals in the market on Facebook and those four combined to account for 9.72 (or around 32%) of the station's Share on the platform. The top individual in the market on Facebook was WFTV anchor Jorge Estevez with a 4.60 Share. Impressively, the 233,691 engagements Estevez generated in the last 30 days were only -1% behind his total amount of engagement in the month prior. He also increased his Facebook audience by +9.1% in the last month, but not to be outdone, fellow WFTV anchor Nancy Alvarez increased her Facebook audience by a whopping +26.7% in that time.
On Twitter, WESH moved from second to first as a group with a 37.1 Share, moving WFTV to second with a 31.7 Share as a group. WOFL had a 23.2 Share on the platform and WKMG had an 8.0 Share. WESH's main brand account was No. 1 with a 21.91 Share on its own. That account generated nearly 25,000 engagements in the month while no other account had more than 9,000. However, WESH's main account also posted more than 5,000 times in the 30 days and no other account posted more than 1,000 times during that period. The top individual on Twitter was WFTV meteorologist Brian Shields with a 7.43 Share, which was actually down -46.2% compared to the month prior (when he had the No. 1 overall Twitter account in the market) but was still well ahead of all other individuals. The second-place individual on the platform was WOFL anchor Amy Kaufeldt with a 5.2 Share.
WFTV had a commanding lead in the market on Instagram with a 64.9 Share as a group. WOFL was second with a 16.0 Share, followed by WKMG with a 10.4 Share and WESH with an 8.6 Share as a group. The top four Instagram accounts in the market were all WFTV accounts, with Martha Sugalski leading the way with a 30.06 Share on the platform, followed by Jorge Estevez with a 14.85 Share, the WFTV station account with a 7.13 Share, and Brian Shields with a 6.29 Share. As a station, WFTV generated nearly 75,000 engagements on the platform in the 30-day period. The top individual on Instagram not affiliated with WFTV was Amy Kaufeldt with a 6.08 Share.
The top five individuals in local TV news in Orlando on social media from 9/18/17-10/18/17. Tap/click to zoom.
The top five individuals in the market over the last month were swept by WFTV. Jorge Estevez led the way among individuals thanks to his Facebook and Instagram performance, where he ranked first and second among individuals, respectively. He generated more than a quarter-million engagements on social media in the last 30 days, averaging about 425 engagements per post. Brian Shields was among the top three individuals on all three platforms and he was one of three individuals in the market to have more than 100,000 total engagements. The other with more than 100k engagements, Nancy Alvarez, was third. She also had the largest engagement per post of any individual in the market, averaging 1,044 engagements per post (which was second overall in the market even if you include main station accounts). Martha Sugalski has about 11,600 followers on Instagram, yet she generated more than 36,000 engagements on the platform in the last 30 days, which is a huge engagement-to-audience ratio. Her Instagram posts averaged 322 engagements apiece. WFTV chief meteorologist Tom Terry rounded out the top five and generated nearly 30,000 engagements in the last month from his Facebook Page alone.
Of the top 10 individuals in the market, six are WFTV employees, two are WOFL employees, and two are WESH employees.
The full rankings of news stations in Orlando that Share Rocket tracks on social media from 9/18/17-10/18/17. Tap/click to zoom.


text:
TC backs spectrum cap changes; TAIPA warns of rising deployment costs
India's Telecom Commission (TC) – the highest decision-making body at the Ministry of Communications – has reportedly endorsed the regulator's proposals to modify spectrum holding caps, the Economic Times writes, citing a senior official. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had made recommendations in November last year to alter the spectrum holding allowances, which currently limit providers to 50% of the allocated spectrum in a particular band per circle, and up to 25% of spectrum across all bands per circle. Under the TRAI's proposals, operators would instead be permitted to claim up to 35% of the allocated frequencies within each circle, and up to 50% on combined sub-1GHz frequencies (i.e. the 700MHz, 800MHz and 900MHz bands), with no limit on per-band holdings for the higher frequency ranges.
In addition, the TC has endorsed plans to provide cellcos with further relief in the form of a reduction to the interest rate on penalties and outstanding dues from 14% to 12%, as well as a increase to the tenure for spectrum purchased at auction from twelve years to 16. Having received the TC's approval, the proposals must now be approved by cabinet before coming into force.
On the other side of the coin, however, industry lobby group the Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA) has warned that the exclusion of telecom towers from certain tax relief measures under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime could lead to a nearly 10% increase in costs for cellcos. 'The telecom towers are the backbone of the telecom industry and any denial of this credit would substantially increase the cost of providing this service to the common man,' TAIPA's director general Tilak Raj Dua was quoted as saying. The official claimed that the exclusion would add a tax burden of between INR100,000 and INR150,000 (USD1,572 to USD2,359) to the deployment of each tower.
India, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Wireless


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'Call of Duty: Ghosts' DLC Onslaught Pack Lets You Be Michael Meyers
Yesterday, Activision gave the first detailed glimpse at Onslaught, the first DLC pack for Call of Duty: Ghosts. As has become the standard, the pack will include four regular multiplayer maps,…
Capcom Reveals the 'Marvel vs. Capcom Origins' Announcement Trailer
When it was rereleased on XBox Live Arcade three years ago, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was the hottest title for fighting game fans, even nine years after its release. What came…
Marvel Reveales Variant Covers For 'Onslaught Unleashed' By Rob Liefeld
The rule is to "never say never" in the comic book world. When a writer or publisher vows that they're killing off a character, never to bring them back, 9 out…
Game Review: 'Transformers: War for Cybertron' Character and Map Pack DLC
Transformers: War for Cybertron has been one of the favorite licensed games in recent memory for us. Especially after seeing what Michael Bay did to the film franchise, it was great…


text:
/**
 * index.js
 * Main application functions.
 */

var qs = require('querystring'),
  request = require('request'),
  constants = require('./constants.js');

// Use cookies & follow any redirects encountered
request.defaults({
  jar: true,
  followAllRedirects: true
});

function log(str, sameLine) {
  console.log(str);
}

var eMobile = {
  cookies: null,
  CFID: null,
  CFTOKEN: null,

  /**
   * Create the squery string to append to eMobile API calls
   * @params {Object}   params for the query string
   */
  createApiQueryString: function(url, params) {
    params.CFID = this.CFID;
    params.CFTOKEN = this.CFTOKEN;

    return url + qs.stringify(params);
  },

  /**
   * Load the eMobile login page to retreive a cookie.
   * @param {Function}  callback
   */
  getCookie: function(callback) {
    request('https://myaccount.emobile.ie/', callback);
  },

  /**
   * Login to eMobile account.
   * @param {String}    username
   * @param {String}    password
   * @param {Function}  callback
   */
  login: function(username, password, callback) {
    this.getCookie(function(err, res, body) {
      if (err || res.statusCode !== 200) {
        console.log('Error: Failed to retreive login cookie.');
        process.exit(0);
      }

      log('Logging in...', true);
      request({
        url: constants.LOGIN_URL,
        method: 'POST',
        form: {
          username: username,
          userpass: password,
          login: undefined,
          returnTo: '/'
        },
        headers: {
          "Content-Type": constants.CONTENT_TYPE,
          "User-Agent": constants.AGENT,
          "Referer": constants.REFERER,
          "Origin": constants.ORIGIN,
        }
      }, callback);
    });
  },

  /**
   * Send a text request to the eMobile API
   * @params {String}   recipient
   * @params {String}   text
   * @params {Function} callback
   */
  sendText: function(recipient, text, callback) {
    var self = this;

    this.addRecipient(recipient, function(err) {
      if (err) {
        console.log('Error: Add recipient failed.');
        process.exit(0);
      }

      log('Sending text...', true);
      request({
        uri: self.createApiQueryString(constants.EMOBILE_API_URL, {
          event: 'smsAjax',
          func: 'sendSMS'
        }),
        method: 'POST',
        form: {
          ajaxRequest: 'sendSMS',
          messageText: text
        },
        headers: {
          "Content-Type": constants.CONTENT_TYPE,
          "User-Agent": constants.AGENT,
          "Referer:": constants.SEND_TEXT_REFERER_URL,
          "Origin": constants.ORIGIN,
        }
      }, function(err, res, body) {
        if (err || res.statusCode !== 200) {
          console.log('Error: Text failed to send.');
          process.exit(0);
        }

        log('Text sent successfully!\n')
        if (callback) {
          callback(null);
        }
      });
    });
  },

  /**
   * Add a recipient to the text being sent.
   * @params {String}   number
   * @params {Function} callback
   */
  addRecipient: function(number, callback) {
    var self = this;
    log('Adding recipient ' + number + '...', true);

    request({
      url: self.createApiQueryString(constants.EMOBILE_API_URL, {
        event: 'smsAjax',
        func: 'addEnteredMSISDNs'
      }),
      method: 'POST',
      form: {
        ajaxRequest: 'addEnteredMSISDNs',
        remove: '-',
        add: '0|' + number
      },
      headers: {
        "Content-Type": constants.CONTENT_TYPE,
        "User-Agent": constants.AGENT,
        "Referer:": constants.SEND_TEXT_REFERER_URL,
        "Origin": constants.ORIGIN,
      }
    }, function(err, res, body) {
      if (err || res.statusCode !== 200) {
        callback(true);
      }

      callback(null);
    });
  }
};

module.exports = {
  sendText: function(username, password, text, recipient) {
    // Login before trying to send text
    eMobile.login(username, password, function(err, res, body) {
      if (err || res.statusCode !== 200) {
        console.log('Error: Login Failed.');
        process.exit(0);
      }

      eMobile.sendText(recipient, text);
    });
  },
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Making email as primary key is bad idea? I am making an application in which users may create their accounts. I make user email as primary key in user's table. Is this technique is really bad technique? Should I create auto increment integer as primary key?

A: Yes, it is a terrible idea. An email is something long (so your key is longer than necessary), and it isn't immutable. I've changed at least three emails in the last ten years (providers closed).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
package com.silicornio.quepotranslator;

import com.silicornio.quepotranslator.general.QPL;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.List;

/**
 * Created by SilicorniO
 */
public class QPTransConf {

    protected QPTransConf(){

    }

    /** Configuration **/
    protected QPTransConfConfiguration configuration;

    /** Objects **/
    protected List<QPTransObject> objects = new ArrayList<>();

    //----- ADDITIONAL METHODS -----

    /**
     * Get the object with the name received
     * @param nameObject String name of the object
     * @return QPTransObject found or null if not found
     */
    public QPTransObject getObject(String nameObject){
        return getObject(nameObject, new ArrayList<String>());
    }

    /**
     * Get the object with the name received
     * @param nameObject String name of the object
     * @param objectsIncluded List<String> of names of objects included, used to block infinite loops
     * @return QPTransObject found or null if not found
     */
    public QPTransObject getObject(String nameObject, List<String> objectsIncluded){

        if(objects!=null) {
            for (QPTransObject object : objects) {
                if (object.name.equals(nameObject)) {

                    //add object to the list of included
                    objectsIncluded.add(object.name);

                    //add values from includes
                    if(object.objectsInclude!=null) {
                        List<QPTransObjectValue> listValues = new ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList(object.values));
                        for (String sInclude : object.objectsInclude) {

                            if(!objectsIncluded.contains(sInclude)) {
                                //include all the values of the objects in the included list
                                QPTransObject objInclude = getObject(sInclude, objectsIncluded);
                                if (objInclude != null) {
                                    listValues.addAll(Arrays.asList(objInclude.values));
                                }
                            }else{
                                QPL.e("Check include '" + sInclude + "' of the object '" + object.name + "' because there is an infinite reference");
                            }
                        }

                        //add the values as array
                        object.values = listValues.toArray(new QPTransObjectValue[listValues.size()]);
                    }

                    return object;
                }
            }
        }

        //not found
        return null;
    }
}


text:
// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// <copyright file="BoundingBox.cs" company="OxyPlot">
//   Copyright (c) 2014 OxyPlot contributors
// </copyright>
// <summary>
//   Represents a 2D bounding box.
// </summary>
// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

namespace OxyPlot
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Represents a 2D bounding box.
    /// </summary>
    public class BoundingBox
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="BoundingBox"/> class.
        /// </summary>
        public BoundingBox()
        {
            this.MinimumX = double.NaN;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="BoundingBox"/> class.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="minimumX">The minimum x.</param>
        /// <param name="minimumY">The minimum y.</param>
        /// <param name="maximumX">The maximum x.</param>
        /// <param name="maximumY">The maximum y.</param>
        public BoundingBox(double minimumX, double minimumY, double maximumX, double maximumY)
        {
            this.MinimumX = minimumX;
            this.MinimumY = minimumY;
            this.MaximumX = maximumX;
            this.MaximumY = maximumY;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Gets or sets the minimum x coordinate.
        /// </summary>
        /// <value>
        /// The minimum x.
        /// </value>
        public double MinimumX { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        /// Gets or sets the maximum x coordinate.
        /// </summary>
        /// <value>
        /// The maximum x.
        /// </value>
        public double MaximumX { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        /// Gets or sets the minimum y coordinate.
        /// </summary>
        /// <value>
        /// The minimum y.
        /// </value>
        public double MinimumY { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        /// Gets or sets the maximum y coordinate.
        /// </summary>
        /// <value>
        /// The maximum y.
        /// </value>
        public double MaximumY { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        /// Unions the specified bb.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="bb">The bb.</param>
        public void Union(BoundingBox bb)
        {
            if (!bb.IsEmpty())
            {
                this.Union(bb.MinimumX, bb.MinimumY);
                this.Union(bb.MaximumX, bb.MaximumY);
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Includes the specified point in the bounding box.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="p">The point.</param>
        public void Union(DataPoint p)
        {
            this.Union(p.X, p.Y);
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Includes the specified point with a translation in the bounding box.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="p">The point.</param>
        /// <param name="dx">The x translation.</param>
        /// <param name="dy">The y translation.</param>
        public void Union(DataPoint p, double dx, double dy)
        {
            this.Union(p.X + dx, p.Y + dy);
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Includes the specified point in the bounding box.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="x">The x coordinate.</param>
        /// <param name="y">The y coordinate.</param>
        public void Union(double x, double y)
        {
            if (this.IsEmpty())
            {
                this.MinimumX = this.MaximumX = x;
                this.MinimumY = this.MaximumY = y;
                return;
            }

            if (x < this.MinimumX)
            {
                this.MinimumX = x;
            }

            if (x > this.MaximumX)
            {
                this.MaximumX = x;
            }

            if (y < this.MinimumY)
            {
                this.MinimumY = y;
            }

            if (y > this.MaximumY)
            {
                this.MaximumY = y;
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Determines whether the bounding box is empty.
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns><c>true</c> if the bounding box is empty.</returns>
        public bool IsEmpty()
        {
            return double.IsNaN(this.MinimumX);
        }
    }
}


text:
Boosie BadAzz Gets Removed From Tour Dates Following Onstage Brawl
C. Vernon Coleman II Published: October 4, 2021
Prince Williams, Getty Images
The brawl that broke out onstage during Boosie BadAzz's recent performance in Atlanta has resulted in the rapper being removed from upcoming shows on the Legendz of the Streetz Tour, according to Boosie.
Last night (Oct. 2), Boosie updated his fans via a video on Twitter. "Greensboro, I'm on the way," Boosie announced in the clip. "They say they ain't letting me perform on the tour tonight. But I'm at the afterparty. Yeah, bitch, we still getting it. We still at the afterparty. Thug life, nigga."
Boosie went on to explain that tonight's show (Oct. 3) is in question. "Might not let me perform in Baltimore, either," he added. "But Ima be in Baltimore. You got me fucked up if you think I ain't in Baltimore. I mean that. I'm in them bricks. You best believe that."
He captioned the video, "THEY TRYIN TO BAN ME FOR ME PROTECTING MY LIFE #godgotme ‼😉THAT TOUR NEED THIS LEGEND😎IF NOT I AINT TRIPPING "IM GREAT 👍 NEXT FILM 10/17-10/20 but MY boosiefans don't play they go want a refund http://boosiemovie.com."
XXL has reached out to Boosie's team and We Are Live Entertainment, the company responsible for putting the tour together, for comment.
The Legendz of the Streetz Tour, which also features Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Fabolous, Jeezy, Gucci Mane, Trina and more, kicked off on Oct. 1 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. However, Boosie's set was cut very short when a brawl broke out onstage while he was performing. The Louisiana rapper stopped and got involved in the melee. The show ended shortly afterward due to the disruption. According to Fox5 Atlanta, Atlanta police are investigating Boosie's entourage for vandalism as a result of the brawl.
The Legendz of the Streetz tour has eight more dates including stops in New Orleans, Houston and Miami.
These Tone-Deaf Hip-Hop Moments Prove Rappers Can Get Hit With Serious Backlash
Source: Boosie BadAzz Gets Removed From Tour Dates Following Onstage Brawl
Filed Under: Boosie Badazz


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0ecxt August 8, 2021 2 min read
Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge delivered a masterclass in running to retain the Olympic title in the men's marathon at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
The Kenyan runner, running in his fourth Olympics, crossed the finish line in Sapporo Odori Park in a time of two hours eight minutes and 38 seconds.
The time was faster than the one he ran to win Olympic gold in Rio in 2016.
"It means a lot for me, especially at this time," said Kipchoge on winning his second Olympic gold.
"It was really hard last year, it (Olympic Games Tokyo 2020) was postponed. I am happy for the local organising committee who made this race happen.
"It is a sign that shows the world we are heading in the right direction – we are on the right transition to a normal life.
"I can say congratulations to them that they made this Olympics happen."
Kipchoge, won bronze in Athens in 2004 and silver in Beijing 2008 in the 5000m, already has a full set of medals thanks to his marathon gold in Rio.
But this addition to his collection is Kenya's fifth medal in the men's Olympic marathon since the Games in Beijing in 2008.
With this win, Kipchoge joins a select group of runners who have successfully defended the Olympic marathon title. The others are Ethiopia's Abebe Bikila (1960 and 1964) and East Germany's Waldemar Cierpinski (1976 and 1980).
"I think I have fulfilled the legacy by winning the marathon for the second time, back-to-back," Kipchoge added. "I hope now to help inspire the next generation."
Source: Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) www.olympics.com
Tags: Sports World
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...what happened to Georgetown? I happened to be at a bar last night and catch that one. It's kinda why I like March Madness, the NFL playoffs etc over the NBA playoffs. I love the intensity of "Win or go home."


High-speed wireless networks can be as complex as their wired counterparts.
2 Will a Wireless-G Printer Router Work on an N Network?
Laptops that include wireless network adapters are capable of receiving wireless Internet signals not only from your office's router, but also any Internet hotspot. A wireless-n adapter is capable of receiving a signal from another wireless-n router as well as a wireless-g router. Wireless-g technology is older than wireless-n technology, but the technology is backward compatible with wireless-g and other wireless protocols.
A wireless-n adapter is also compatible with 802.11a and 802.11b technology in addition to wireless-g technology, also known as 802.11g. But you may not achieve the maximum performance of your laptop's wireless-n adapter if you are connecting to a wireless-g router. You don't need any special add-ons, additional hardware or converters to make a wireless-n adapter work with a wireless-g router. The wireless-g router broadcasts an Internet signal and any laptop or desktop computer containing a wireless-n adapter in the area can access the router.
The major difference between wireless-g and wireless-n technology is speed. Wireless-n technology is twice as fast as wireless-g in data transmission and downloads. Wireless-n's speed rating is 50 megabits per second verses 13 to 23 Mbps for wireless-g technology. Speed also depends on your broadband or other type of Internet service as well as the age of your laptop and its internal components. Wireless-n technology is also more stable, and routers based on the wireless-n standard offer better signal-broadcasting range.
If your company currently uses a wireless-g router, consider upgrading your router to one that uses wireless-n technology. You will notice an increase in overall speed and associates that are in areas away from the router will receive a stronger Internet signal from a wireless-n router. If you cannot upgrade your wireless router, consider purchasing a Wi-Fi booster, also known as a Wi-Fi repeater, to boost your wireless-g router's Internet signal.
Wireless-n routers, as well as Wi-Fi boosters, are available directly from router manufacturers, computer and electronics outlets. The devices are also available at office supply stores, retail superstores, online outlets and online auction websites. The devices contain installation instructions and software that walks you through the setup process.
Davis, Nick. "Can a Laptop Computer With an N Card Pick Up a G Router Internet Signal?" Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/can-laptop-computer-n-card-pick-up-g-router-internet-signal-69824.html. Accessed 19 April 2019.
Do You Have to Have a Computer Connected to a Router for Other Computers to Work Wirelessly?


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Anup Nagar is a census town in the Samserganj CD block in the Jangipur subdivision of the Murshidabad district in the state of West Bengal, India.

Geography

Location
Anup Nagar is located at .

According to the map of Samserganj CD block in the District Census Handbook, Murshidabad, Anup Nagar, Jafrabad, Kankuria, Kohetpur, Jaykrishnapur, Uttar Mahammadpur, Chachanda, Basudebpur and Dhusaripara form a series of census towns from Dhuliyan, a municipal town.

Area overview
Jangipur subdivision is crowded with 52 census towns and as such it had to be presented in two location maps. One of the maps can be seen alongside. The subdivision is located in the Rarh region that is spread over from adjoining Santhal Pargana division of Jharkhand. The land is slightly higher in altitude than the surrounding plains and is gently undulating. The river Ganges, along with its distributaries, is prominent in both the maps. At the head of the subdivision is the 2,245 m long Farakka Barrage, one of the largest projects of its kind in the country. Murshidabad district shares with Bangladesh a porous international border which is notoriously crime prone (partly shown in this map). The subdivision has two large power plants - the 2,100 MW Farakka Super Thermal Power Station and the 1,600 MW Sagardighi Thermal Power Station. According to a 2016 report, there are around 1,000,000 (1 million/ ten lakh) workers engaged in the beedi industry in Jangipur subdivision. 90% are home-based and 70% of the home-based workers are women. As of 2013, an estimated 2.4 million people reside along the banks of the Ganges alone in Murshidabad district. Severe erosion occurs along the banks.

Note: The two maps present some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the maps are linked in the larger full screen maps.

Demographics
According to the 2011 Census of India, Anup Nagar had a total population of 12,940, of which 6,425 (50%) were males and 6515 (50%) were females. Population in the age range 0–6 years was 2,629. The total number of literate persons in Anup Nagar was 5,150 (49.95% of the population over 6 years).

 India census, Anup Nagar had a population of 9962. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Anup Nagar has an average literacy rate of 32%, lower than the national average of 59.5%; with 65% of the males and 35% of females literate. 23% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Infrastructure
According to the District Census Handbook, Murshidabad,  2011, Anup Nagar covered an area of 4.77 km2. It had 2 km roads with closed drains. The protected water-supply involved overhead tank, hand pump, tube well/ borewell. It had 390 domestic electric connections. Among the medical facilities it had 1 hospital, 4 dispensaries/ health centres, 1 maternity & child welfare centre. Among the educational facilities, it had 1 primary school in town, the nearest secondary school, senior secondary school, general degree college at Dhuliyan 5 km away. It produced beedi. It had the branch office of 1 private commercial bank, 1 cooperative bank, 1 agricultural credit society, 1 non-agricultural credit society.

Healthcare
Samserganj CD block is one of the areas of Murshidabad district where ground water is affected by a high level of arsenic contamination. The WHO guideline for arsenic in drinking water is 10 mg/ litre, and the Indian Standard value is 50 mg/ litre. The maximum concentration in Samserganj CD block is 287 mg/litre.

References

Cities and towns in Murshidabad district

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Corporate Sector Restructuring : The Role of Government in Times of Crisis
Mark Stone
Examines the steps involved in restructuring the corporate sector. Large-scale corporate restructuring made necessary by a financial crisis is one of the most daunting challenges faced by economic policymakers. The government is forced to take a leading role, even if indirectly, because of the need to prioritize policy goals, address market failures, reform the legal and tax systems, and deal with the resistance of powerful interest groups.
Corporate Sector Restructuring
The Challenge of Corporate Restructuring
Tasks of Restructuring
Laying the Foundation
Restructuring the Financial Sector
Restructuring the Corporate Sector
Choosing the Form of Government Involvement
Government Mediation
Government-Financed Incentive Schemes
Recapitalizing Banks
Asset Management Corporation
Restructuring Director
Reducing the Role of Government
Mexico, Early 1980s
Mexico, 1995–97
Large-scale corporate restructuring made necessary by a financial crisis is one of the most daunting challenges faced by economic policymakers. The government is forced to take a leading role, even if indirectly, because of the need to prioritize policy goals, address market failures, reform the legal and tax systems, and deal with the resistance of powerful interest groups. The objectives of large-scale corporate restructuring are in essence to restructure viable corporations and liquidate nonviable ones, restore the health of the financial sector, and create the conditions for long-term economic growth.
Successful government-led corporate restructuring policies usually follow a sequence. First, the government should formulate macroeconomic and legal policies that lay the foundation for successful restructuring. After that, financial restructuring must start to establish the proper incentives for banks to take a role in restructuring and get credit flowing again. Only then can corporate restructuring begin in earnest with the separating out of the viable from nonviable corporations—restructuring the former and liquidating the latter. The main government-led corporate restructuring tools are mediation, incentive schemes, bank recapitalization, asset management companies, and the appointment of directors to lead the restructuring. After achieving its goals, the government must cut back its intervention in support of restructuring.
Corporate restructuring on a large scale is usually made necessary by a systemic financial crisis—defined as a severe disruption of financial markets that, by impairing their ability to function, has large and adverse effects on the economy. The intertwining of the corporate and financial sectors that defines a systemic crisis requires that the restructuring address both sectors together.
Successful restructuring is not possible without a strong foundation established by government action across the spectrum of economic policies.
First, overall economic stability must be entrenched to provide the confidence needed for debt restructuring. Stable prices, interest rates, and exchange rates are needed for debtors, creditors, and potential investors to have enough certainty to do business.
The scale and nature of corporate distress must be quickly assessed by the authorities, banks, and advisers to determine if the problems are systemic and thus whether the government should take a leading role. The assessment of corporate distress can be based on quick calculations of the debt servicing capacity of the aggregate corporate sector, the demand for bank credit, increases in nonperforming loans, and bankruptcies.
A comprehensive strategy for restructuring, encompassing both the corporate and financial sectors, should be drawn up as soon as possible once the crisis is judged to be systemic in scope. The involvement of all interested parties in the formulation of the strategy enhances its credibility, as does transparent presentation of its objectives, tasks, and methods of implementation. Sweden, during its banking crisis of the early 1990s, and Korea, in 1997–98, benefited from the early formulation of comprehensive restructuring strategies.
A supportive legal, regulatory, and accounting environment is necessary for successful corporate restructuring. Important legal aspects of restructuring include foreclosure standards, foreign investment rules, and merger and acquisition policies. Regulations governing debt-equity conversions and asset sales often need to be changed to make possible novel and complex restructuring transactions.
Corporate governance must be brought up to international standards to provide incentives for viable firms to restructure their balance sheets and maximize their value. Improved governance is needed not only to push managers to restructure the existing debt stock, but also to operate profitably and improve future profit flows. Often liberalization of foreign investment can promote good governance through the importing of international best practices.
Closing nonviable corporations will incur social costs that may require offsetting government actions to help the poor and to maintain political support for restructuring. Hungary and Poland took measures to reduce income disparities in the mid-1990s, which reflected more than just corporate restructuring, albeit with mixed success. In East Asia, rudimentary social safety nets at the time of the 1997 Asian financial crisis were expanded to offset the impact of the crises on the poor through income transfers, unemployment-limiting measures, and measures to maintain access by the poor to social services. Social measures should be formulated with the cooperation of corporations and unions.
Even after the foundation has been laid, corporate restructuring cannot begin to make headway without substantial progress in restructuring the financial sector. The draining of bank capital as part of the crisis will usually lead to a sharp cutback in lending to viable and nonviable corporations alike, worsening the overall contraction. Moreover, banks must have the capital and incentives to play a role in restructuring.
The first task of financial restructuring is to separate out the viable from the nonviable financial institutions to the extent possible. To do this work, financing and technical assistance from international financial institutions can be helpful, as in Indonesia following the 1997 crisis.
Nonviable banks should be taken over by the government and their assets eventually sold or shifted to an asset management corporation, while viable banks should be recapitalized. Banks should be directly recapitalized for normal operation or else, in the absence of strong competitive pressures, they may impede recovery by recapitalizing themselves indirectly through wide interest rate spreads. At the same time the government should ensure that bank regulation and supervision is strong enough to maintain a stable banking sector.
There is a degree of circularity here in that the separation of viable from nonviable banks is helped by completion of the same task for corporations, which itself is aided by financial restructuring. The best way to close this circle seems to be rapid restructuring of the banks because a cutback in bank financing to corporations amplifies the overall contraction, and has irreversible consequences—such as the sale of assets too cheaply.
Corporate restructuring can begin in earnest only when banks and market players are willing and able to participate. As with the financial sector, the first task is distinguishing viable from nonviable corporations. Nonviable corporations are those whose liquidation value is greater than their value as a going concern, taking into account potential restructuring costs, the "equilibrium" exchange rate, and interest rates. The closure of nonviable firms ensures that they do not absorb credit or worsen bank losses. However, the identification of nonviable corporations is complicated by the poor overall performance of the corporate sector during and just after the crisis. Viable and nonviable firms can be identified using profit simulations and balance sheet projections, as well as best judgment.
Liquidating nonviable corporations during a systemic crisis usually requires the establishment of new liquidation mechanisms that bypass standard court-based bankruptcy procedures. The bankruptcy code of the United States can be taken as the standard minimal government involvement approach. In practice, however, this code has a strong liquidation bias—some 90 percent of cases end in liquidation, and reorganization takes a long time. Moreover, courts are usually unable to handle a large volume of cases, lack expertise, and may be subject to the influence of vested interests. Giving debtors protection from bankruptcy during mediation proceedings allows corporations that are later judged to be viable to remain operating and enables the orderly liquidation of nonviable corporations. If debtors are protected from bankruptcy, however, monitoring of the corporations is needed to ensure that incumbent managers do not hive off the most profitable assets. Liquidation can be speeded up by special courts or new bankruptcy laws. Hungary introduced a tough bankruptcy law in 1991 under which firms in arrears were required to submit reorganization plans to creditors; if agreement was not reached, firms were liquidated. Also, a standstill on payments to banks during negotiations allows cash-strapped corporations to continue operation while their viability is being decided. Without effective bankruptcy procedures, restructuring can be significantly slowed down, as happened in many of the transition countries, in Mexico in 1995, and especially in Indonesia after the 1997 Asian crisis.
The government must also decide on disposal of the assets of liquidated corporations. Delays in asset disposal tie up economic resources, slow economic recovery, and impede corporate restructuring.
Of course, the balance sheets of viable corporations must be restructured. Restructuring will involve private domestic and foreign creditors, newly state-owned creditors, and asset management corporations, as well as stakeholders such as unions and governments. Usually, balance sheet restructuring takes place through the reduction of debt or through the conversion of debt into equity. Often minority creditors slow debt restructuring by threatening to liquidate the debtor in an attempt to force majority creditors to buy them out on favorable terms. This coordination problem can be avoided by rules that allow less-than-unanimous creditor approval of reorganization plans, which can be enforced by government moral suasion, by prior creditor agreement to a set of principles, or through bankruptcy proceedings.
Early completion of relatively clear-cut transactions can jump-start the restructuring program. Restructuring is often delayed by difficulties in valuing transactions because of economic instability and unreliable corporate data.
Long delays in implementing bankruptcy reforms greatly slowed the large-scale corporate restructuring efforts of the mid- and late 1990s. By early 2000, Mexico had still not completed bankruptcy law reform, even though there had been a sharp drop in bank claims on the private sector since the country's 1995 crisis. In East Asia, ineffectual bankruptcy laws stymied corporate restructuring by allowing nonviable firms to stay afloat, which not only precluded banks from collecting the underlying collateral, but also acted as a disincentive for viable firms to repay their debt—further hurting the banks. Delays in bankruptcy reform are due mainly to pressures from groups and individuals who would be hurt by the liquidation of nonviable firms, as well as by the time needed to bring up to speed legal systems faced with a sudden increase in bankruptcy cases (see Box 2).
Box 2.Delay in Restructuring Held Back Japan in 1990s
In Japan, after a decade of sluggish economic performance in the 1990s, it was widely recognized that economic performance would not improve and crisis vulnerability would not be reduced without large-scale restructuring of the corporate sector. Corporate leverage remained quite high in Japan, reflecting excessive investment and governance problems.
The low profitability of the corporate sector was linked to the weak balance sheets and operating income of the banks. While important progress has been made in reducing corporate leverage in recent years, this progress was attained not only by an increase in equity, but also by a relatively sharp decline in corporate borrowing, which may limit the scope for economic expansion.
The authorities in 2002 began accelerating the introduction of measures aimed at jump-starting corporate restructuring. Banks and firms were encouraged to agree to out-of-court restructuring in exchange for debt forgiveness or debt-equity conversion, subject to guidelines established by relevant ministries and the business and bankers' associations. The pillars of the new strategy were a new Civil Rehabilitation Law for corporate bankruptcies, new workout guidelines that strengthened the framework for corporate restructuring, and an increased role for the Resolution and Collection Corporation, which was established to facilitate the restructuring of bank balance sheets.
Transparency is one positive suggestion for bankruptcy reform: regular government disclosure of all the aspects of restructuring can make clear the impediments put in the way by vested interest groups, and thus lead to public pressure to accelerate reform.
Experience has shown that large-scale corporate restructuring requires the government to take a leading role so as to establish priorities, limit the economic and social costs of crisis, address market failures, and deal with the obstructions posed by powerful interest groups. The government's role in corporate restructuring is highly country-specific owing to its complexities, social consequences, and involvement of different elements of society. Thus, there are relatively few overarching operational principles or obvious ways to organize the policy choices, especially in comparison with other structural policy areas such as capital account liberalization and labor market reform. The approach taken here is to examine five government-led corporate restructuring methods in ascending order of government involvement.
Government mediation between corporations and banks or between banks is warranted if creditors are unwilling or unable to lead corporate restructuring. Reasons may include a lack of bank capital, excessive negotiating power by either debtors or creditors, or a lack of incentives for banks or corporations to work out debt problems. These factors can prolong restructuring and result in avoidable costs and even the unnecessary liquidation of debtors. To avoid these pitfalls, the government can mediate informally or in a more structured framework. The best known form of official mediation is the "London Approach," which is implemented in the United Kingdom under the aegis of the Bank of England (see Box 3).
Box 3.The "London Approach" Involves Shared Pain
The "London Approach" used in the United Kingdom is the best known example of official mediation. It constitutes a set of principles, implemented under the aegis of the Bank of England, used to create a standard framework and help corral banks into unanimity. The London Approach is based on the following principles:
if a corporation is in trouble banks keep credit facilities in place and do not press for bankruptcy;
banks work together;
decisions about the debtor's future are made only on the basis of comprehensive information shared among all banks and parties; and
seniority of claims is recognized but there is an element of shared pain.
The London Approach is not enshrined formally to avoid excess legality and because the framework needs to be flexible and adaptable and rest on voluntary bank acceptance. The London Approach was applied with the involvement of the Bank of England in over 160 cases during 1989–97.
Adaptability is the strength of the London Approach. Of course, the application of the London Approach to corporate debt restructuring in the United Kingdom is facilitated by the favorable regulatory environment and macroeconomic stability, the negligible role of foreign creditors, and most important the infrequency and small scale of corporate debt restructuring. In this setting, the London Approach, supported by the sound reputation and objectivity of the Bank of England, has proved successful.
The government mediation framework is appropriate if corporate restructuring is limited in scope and the environment supportive. This approach offers flexibility and adaptability, but requires a credible government mediator, macroeconomic stability, and the appropriate regulatory setting—all of which are attributes of the United Kingdom where the London Approach has been successful. This approach has proven to be less useful when there are a great many creditors, especially foreign creditors.
Financial incentives through a preset government-financed scheme can help if corporate distress is systemic, market or regulatory failures inhibit restructuring, and the government has adequate fiscal resources at hand. These schemes usually involve insurance or subsidy incentives made available to creditors and debtors on a voluntary basis. Incentives include compensation to creditors for lengthening debt maturities and grace periods, interest rate and exchange rate guarantees, and equity injections. The government must trade off the fiscal costs of the plan against the systemic benefits of alleviating corporate distress. Government strategies were employed by Mexico in the early 1980s and in the mid-1990s, and Chile (see Case Studies on pages 15–20).
Bank recapitalization is warranted if corporate debt problems are pervasive enough to undermine the health of the banking system, and if banks are willing and able to restructure corporations on their own. The widespread interruption of corporate loan payments, which usually reflects macroeconomic instability, will reduce and can even wipe out bank capital. If new capital is all that banks need to restructure debt (that is, they have the incentives and capacity for working out loans), and if new private capital sufficient to restore the banks to normal operation is not forthcoming, then public financing is needed to restore bank capital.
A new bank-restructuring agency is typically established to help coordinate the policies needed to ensure the success of recapitalization. The agency must gauge carefully the potentially large fiscal costs of bank recapitalization against the benefits. Existing shareholder equity should be written down before public funds are used to recapitalize banks to ensure that taxpayers do not bear more than their fair share of the burden. Requirements for the restructuring agency to unwind its equity positions upon the meeting of pre-specified conditions accelerate the return of banks to private control. Finally, the agency in most cases will play a key role in deciding whether banks should manage their own impaired assets or spin them off into an asset management corporation or other entity.
Recapitalization costs tend to be higher than for the average banking sector crisis, given the severity of systemic financial crises examined here. Bank resolution costs in a typical bank crisis tend to be equivalent to about 7–14 percent of GDP, but in Indonesia it reached more than 50 percent and in Chile 41 percent.
Bank recapitalization is warranted under similar conditions as for government schemes but where banks are better qualified to work out debt. However, recapitalization creates a fresh "moral hazard" problem: that is, banks may have incentive to gamble the new capital on risky loans with the expectation that they will again be recapitalized if these loans do not pay off. Further, newly recapitalized banks holding large equity shares in restructuring corporations may face conflicting objectives. To avoid moral hazard, recapitalization should be complemented by measures that improve bank supervision and governance, especially if banks end up owning a large share of the corporate sector. Tying bank recapitalization to specific bank measures to restructure corporate debt can be helpful.
A new government-financed asset management corporation is called for if the number of troubled corporations is large and there are microeconomic elements that severely inhibit restructuring. The most important of these are decapitalized and poorly managed banks, a shortfall of bank debt workout expertise, an uneven balance of power between banks and corporations, a lack of corporate capacity and willingness to provide reliable financial information, and, again, adverse systemic consequences. A government-financed asset management corporation can buy bad loans, provide equity to banks and corporations, negotiate with debtors, and take an active financial and operational role in restructuring. If bankruptcy courts are ineffective an asset management corporation can also serve as an out-of-court bankruptcy mechanism, since the passing of legislation and the building of institutional infrastructure for effective bankruptcy procedures can take time. The debt taken on by the asset management corporation can be converted to equity and eventually sold to the public. The asset management corporation realizes economies of scale in the specialized area of corporate debt restructuring and can develop secondary debt markets. Banks benefit from higher capital, while corporations can expect to have their debt restructured more quickly.
Asset management corporations were used in Hungary, Indonesia, Korea, and Malaysia. In East Asia, asset management corporations have taken on large amounts of debt, ranging from the equivalent of 10 to 35 percent of GDP. However, disposal and resolution of the assets have proven to be quite slow. An asset management corporation is appropriate if bank-led debt restructuring is unfeasible, but it also has risks. To be successful, an asset management corporation should have clear and predefined goals and aim to maximize loan recovery, remain clear of politicization, and be sufficiently funded.
The complexities of the corporate and financial restructuring efforts of many of the recent corporate crisis countries have led to the appointment of a restructuring director to accelerate the pace of reform. A director can clearly and transparently define the goals of restructuring, overcome excessive leverage by creditors or debtors, marshal and prioritize government financial support, and establish a place at the table for elements of society that might otherwise be excluded. Typically, restructuring directors are appointed by and report to the country's chief executive and oversee mediation efforts, corporate restructuring committees, asset management corporations, and the bank-restructuring agency.
Restructuring directors are a relatively recent development. None of the crisis episodes of the 1980s and early 1990s appear to have had such a director. In Korea, financial restructuring was directed after early 1998 by the Financial Supervisory Commission. The Commission's chairman was a member of the cabinet and reported to the President.
A restructuring director can help accelerate the pace of restructuring when there are a large number of players with conflicting interests and systemic consequences increase the costs of delays. Naturally, there are potential problems with centralizing supervision of restructuring, including excessive politicization and the absence of market incentives to guide decision making. However, as restructuring becomes ever more complicated and the systemic consequences of corporate crisis remain severe, directors may become a more regular feature of large-scale restructuring efforts.
The need for the government to first expand and then shrink its role helps explain the long time needed to complete restructuring. The new restructuring institutions are subject to economic and political constraints that force the government to weigh difficult tradeoffs, especially between restructuring's short-term costs (unemployment, dramatic falls in asset prices, learning curve of new corporate managers, for example) and long-term benefits (improved resource allocation, and safer balance sheets). Initially, the crisis atmosphere quells disagreements between interest groups brought on by unemployment and the removal of corporate owners. However, after the crisis passes and economic activity recovers, broad support for reform often wanes. Crucially, the influence of vested interest groups can delay bankruptcy reform and reprivatization that would dilute their ownership.
The completion of restructuring is marked by the sale of most or all of the government's ownership of the private sector, which can grow to large levels after a crisis. Government ownership of the corporate sector can be direct—after the conversion of debt into equity—or indirect via government-owned asset management corporations and government recapitalization of banks. Successful privatization requires a transfer of control not only from the government, but also from current management. The introduction of a strategic investor who, in a small or medium-sized economy, is likely to be a foreign financial institution is usually needed to improve corporate governance.
The successful completion of large-scale corporate restructuring can often take a long time—a minimum of perhaps five years. In Chile, the initiation of restructuring can be marked by the takeover of ailing financial institutions in late 1981, while the last takeovers and debt restructuring programs took place in 1986; the bank privatization and upgrading of the institutional framework was not finished until 1989. By 1998, government ownership of banking sector capital in Poland had been reduced to one-third and foreigners owned 40 percent of bank capital, while for Hungary government ownership was down to 20 percent, with most of the remaining share owned by foreigners.
Delays in restructuring can be costly. The perpetuation of government ownership can inhibit restructuring and long-term growth prospects by obstructing the market forces needed to promote efficiency. In addition, a slow pace of restructuring will lead foreign investment to other, competing countries—a process that may be difficult to reverse. Finally, there are fiscal costs to delaying restructuring especially from inefficient state-owned banks and corporations.
The time needed to complete restructuring can be shortened if the strategy is properly designed. As noted earlier, early and transparent formulation of an overall strategy can build public support, counter the resistance of vested interest groups, and improve policy effectiveness. Rapid establishment of a supporting legal environment is essential. A clear statement of the restructuring goals makes it plain later on when the government should pare back its role and shut down restructuring institutions. Sunset provisions for government restructuring institutions can help limit their lifespans.
During the early 1980s Mexico adopted a government scheme to restructure corporate foreign debt following the disruption of external debt payments and the drying up of new lending in 1982. The government in early 1983 established the foreign exchange risk coverage trust fund known as FICORCA, overseen by the central bank. The main incentive for corporations to participate in FICORCA was that they were able to swap their foreign debt for new peso-denominated debt under a government-guaranteed exchange rate set at the beginning of the operation, and at an extended maturity of 8 years or more with a 4-year grace period.
About $12.5 billion in debt of some 2,000 corporations was restructured under FICORCA. The scheme was run by a staff of around 50, and debt service payments were handled by Mexican commercial banks for a fee. The government assumption of foreign exchange risk resulted in large gains due to the maturity extension of the rolled over debts and the subsequent appreciation of the peso.
FICORCA was generally viewed as a success because the large amount of loans rescheduled under the scheme helped to resolve the problems that confronted the private sector in 1982. FICORCA created a stable environment for debt negotiations, fixed the exchange rate exposure for debtors, gave the debtors breathing space, and allowed for a lower interest rate on the foreign debt than the debtors could get on their own. Moreover, the government did not assume commercial risk. The relatively narrow mandate of the FICORCA scheme, however, meant that it did not have to take on many of the complex challenges faced elsewhere, such as the identification of nonviable firms, domestic debt restructuring, and creditor to creditor and creditor to debtor coordination problems. In addition, the government was exposed to exchange rate risk.
Chile recapitalized banks and implemented government plans to restructure corporate debt during the early and mid-1980s. Debt repayment problems were prompted by a recession during 1981–83 that followed a decade of financial reform and a remarkable surge of financial intermediation. To provide incentives for debt servicing and reestablish a sound banking system, the authorities improved bank supervision and regulation, recapitalized private banks by purchasing substandard loans at par in 1982, 1984, and 1986, and implemented several schemes giving financial incentives for debt restructuring. Specifically, peso- and dollar-denominated debts were rescheduled at a fixed real interest rate (7 percent in 1983, then 5 percent in 1984), and at a longer maturity (10 years and extendable to 15 years), with a grace period of 5 years for principal and one year for interest. Borrowers were allowed to convert at a discount dollar-indexed loans into peso-denominated loans before restructuring them. The central bank provided large subsidies to the banks because the schemes worsened their liquidity and profitability.
The scope of the schemes and bank recapitalization was substantial. By end-1984, 21 percent of domestic credit had been rescheduled on easier terms. Moreover, loans sold by financial institutions to the Central Bank of Chile totaled US$2.9 billion by August 1985.
Debt restructuring, complemented by bank recapitalization and financial sector reform, together with a strong economic recovery in the mid-1980s, contributed to a significant improvement in the liquidity and stability of the corporate and banking sectors. However, the measures can be seen as stretching out the impact of the crisis on the corporate and banking sectors, owing to the apparent lack of incentives for banks to separate viable from nonviable enterprises, as well as the need for multiple bank recapitalization, which reflected the insufficiency of the first recapitalization, and the slow pace of improvements in supervision and corporate restructuring. Further, the central bank experienced large operating losses as a result of the schemes.
Hungary during 1991–95 took several approaches to corporate debt restructuring. Under the tough "bankruptcy" law of 1991, firms with arrears of 90 days or more were required to file for reorganization (referred to as bankruptcy) or liquidation. Debtors then submitted reorganization plans to creditors under supervision of a trustee selected from a list maintained by the government. If agreement was not reached, then the debtor was liquidated. During 1992–93, 5,000 "bankruptcy" cases and 17,000 liquidation cases were filed. Despite the progress under this variation of the government mediation approach, a scheme resembling an asset management corporation was adopted in tandem with the 1993 bank recapitalization (banks were recapitalized four times during 1991–94 for a total of 9 percent of 1993 GDP). Under the new scheme, 55 firms were restructured by government directly, representatives of line ministries took part in the restructuring negotiations, and the State Property Agency (SPA) was given the right to purchase bad debts from banks if no agreement could be reached. All in all, almost one-half of the 603 large loss-making firms were the subject of reorganization or liquidation, but in many cases former managers retained power.
Thus the end result of corporate restructuring in Hungary was mixed; the early mediation approach met with some success, but the high degree of government involvement under the SPA was seen to slow and undermine the effectiveness of restructuring. The multiple and costly bank recapitalizations reflected delays in the improvement of supervision and regulation, the lack of turnover of bank management, and the absence of links between bank recapitalization and corporate restructuring. The slow improvement in corporate performance reflected the inability of the government to restructure or even monitor the corporations that came under its control. However, in the past several years commercial banks have been privatized and progress toward corporate restructuring has been substantial.
Poland successfully adopted elements of the bank recapitalization and government mediation approaches. Bank and corporate restructuring was addressed together in the Enterprise and Bank Restructuring Program (EBRP) enacted in 1993. The large commercial banks were recapitalized only if they carried out a plan of debtor restructuring that was acceptable to the Finance Ministry. Under these plans, banks had to subject each debtor to liquidation or restructuring ("conciliation"). Conciliation agreements for working out bad loans provided for banks to negotiate a workout agreement on behalf of all creditors subject to the agreement of holders of 50 percent of the debt. The bank kept any loan recoveries and had a greater degree of authority under court-run bankruptcy, giving them further incentives to restructure. Technical assistance subsidies funded by donor agencies were provided for bank workout departments.
Borrowers accounting for 57 percent of loans classified as non-performing at end-1991 had made full or partial payments by 1994. Furthermore, banks were in a much stronger capital position and had improved their credit evaluation capability, partly owing to measures that improved competition in the financial sector.
Poland's approach appears to have resulted in an economically rational debt restructuring and a healthy banking sector at a relatively low fiscal cost and therefore offers some positive policy lessons. First, corporate debt restructuring and bank reform were effective because they were addressed together in an integrated and transparent plan. Second, conditioning bank recapitalization on corporate restructuring contributed to sounder banks and a more viable corporate sector. Third, government subsidies to banks to develop their debt workout expertise seemed to enhance the timeliness and quality of debt restructuring.
Mexico adopted a government scheme and recapitalized banks to facilitate the restructuring of large domestic syndicated loans in 1995. After the existing legal framework and bankruptcy laws proved to be inadequate for the restructuring of the domestic debt of large corporations in the wake of the 1994–95 crisis, the Coordinating Unit for Bank-Enterprise Agreement (UCABE) was established at the initiative of President Ernesto Zedillo in January 1995 to set up guidelines, mediate in negotiations, and provide financial incentives for debt restructuring. This effort was complemented by bank recapitalization—including through the purchase of bad loans by the asset management corporation known as Fondo Bancario Para Proteccion del Ahorro or FOBAPROA—capital market deregulation and improved accounting standards and bank supervision. UCABE consisted of two private sector and two public sector members and a small staff. Only corporations considered viable by the banks and for which the banks requested the assistance of UCABE were eligible. During negotiations, payments were suspended, and a lead bank made binding agreements with the concurrence of banks representing 60 percent of total bank credit. Debtors had to give creditors access to all financial information and creditors had to share information among themselves. Unsustainable debt was paid down through asset divestment, debt-equity conversions, or write-downs. Financial incentives provided through the National Development Bank of Mexico included an equity injection of $9 million for individual restructured corporations, interbank debt-swaps, and loans for working capital. UCABE was formally dissolved on May 1, 1997 after restructuring 31 loans worth about $2.6 billion, and FOBAPROA purchased bad loans equivalent to 15 percent of GDP.
The financial incentives provided by UCABE seemed to facilitate restructuring in the context of rapid improvement in the macroeconomic and external environment and a relatively small number of debtors. The experience of UCABE points to the advantages of a flexible approach explicitly backed by the government and the centralization of information under one entity. However, at the same time poor supervision and a lack of transparency resulted in very large and not yet fully realized costs from the bad loans purchased by FOBAPROA.
In the Asian crisis of 1997–98, Thailand combined several of the restructuring approaches. To encourage banks to restructure their holdings of corporate debt, the classification rules for nonperforming loans after they have been restructured were relaxed. Tax impediments to debt restructuring were removed and the government eased restrictions on foreign participation in the economy.
Financial institutions were recapitalized in several ways. Many finance companies and several banks were closed; others were rehabilitated. Significantly, financial institution recapitalization was linked to the signing of binding agreements with debtors. An asset management corporation was established to work out bank loans. The losses of the Financial Institution Development Fund (FIDF)—the lender of last resort for the finance system—were converted into government debt, while a financial sector restructuring agency auctioned off the assets of closed institutions. A Corporate Debt Restructuring Advisory Committee (CDRAC) was established, chaired by the Bank of Thailand, and including representatives from the financial and corporate sectors. The CDRAC developed a list of financial advisers with expertise in corporate debt restructuring, and approved a nonbinding debt restructuring framework that drew on the London Approach and provided a clear statement of the approach that was expected to be adopted in corporate workouts involving multiple creditors. The Thai Asset Management Corporatation (TAMC) was established in 2001 to manage and resolve distressed corporate loans under special legal powers.
By mid-2001 corporate leverage had not been reduced to below the pre-crisis level. The CDRAC process in corporate restructuring had largely been completed, and the TAMC was expected to take the lead role by acquiring about half (US$30 billion) of the financial system's distressed assets.
Corporate restructuring on a large scale is potentially one of the most challenging tasks faced by economic policymakers. The need for large-scale restructuring arises in the aftermath of a financial crisis when corporate distress is pervasive. The successful completion of restructuring requires a government to take the lead in establishing restructuring priorities, addressing market failures, reforming the legal and tax systems, and, perhaps most important, dealing with obstructions posed by powerful interest groups.
Some general lessons regarding large-scale corporate restructuring that can be drawn from the experience of the countries examined in this pamphlet are as follows:
Governments should be prepared to take on a large role as soon as a crisis is judged to be systemic.
A sound supporting macroeconomic and legal environment is essential.
Measures should be taken quickly to offset the social costs of crisis and restructuring.
Restructuring should be based on a holistic and transparent strategy encompassing corporate and financial restructuring.
Restructuring goals should be stated at the outset, and sunset provisions embedded into the enabling legislation for new restructuring institutions based on these goals.
A determined effort to establish effective bankruptcy procedures in the face of pressures from vested interest groups is essential.
The government should pare back its role in the economy after achieving its restructuring goals in order to set the stage for higher growth in the long run.
Large-scale post-crisis corporate restructuring takes a minimum of five years to complete, on average.
Finally, crisis can ultimately boost long-term growth prospects both by weakening special interests that had previously blocked change, and through the successful completion of corporate restructuring.


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text:
Reflections of
Largest View
Mission San Jose
City of Fremont
Masonic Home
City of Newark
HISTORY: Masonic Home
Celebrating the Centennial of Masonic Homes of California
Original Watercolor by Nancy Pratt
Both Masonic Homes of California, at Union City and Covina, are showcased in this beautiful watercolor montage using an early Italian architectural style. The five arches and columns of the old and new entrance to the Union City Home provide the perfect design for the painting to give the viewer glimpses of indoor and outdoor scenes of the Victorian treasure. The flowered borders show off the flora and fauna around the home, including gladiolas from surrounding hillsides, roses, deer, the California State flower, the Golden Poppy and the California State bird, the Valley Quail.
Completed in 1898, the Home at Union City was called the Masonic Widows and Orphans Home in the old town of Decoto. The care for the residents was provided in Sacramento up to this time. Forty-one Masons, widows, and orphans were admitted during the first year. Their new home occupied 268 acres, purchased in 1893 for $33,093. The site was selected with great foresight for it's easy access to San Francisco and nearby rail transportation to Oakland and San Jose. There was a self-sustaining water and power supply on the property and fertile land for farming, producing ample crops to take to the markets of San Francisco. The residents helped with farming, ranching, cooking and preserving to make their home self-sufficient.
Donations and support came from all 251 Lodges of that year to beautify the grounds. The local Lodge in Centerville, now the Centerville district of Fremont, Alameda Lodge No. 167, planted 10 acres of fruit trees and cultivated them the first year. They also built the Memorial Arch at the entrance to the grounds as well as planting the date palms. In 1912 the ladies of the Eastern Star initiated Jam and Jelly Day, to help provide for the needs of the Home. At first by preserving the fruit that was grown at the Home, and today by a picnic and donations by the East Bay Past Matrons Association, Order of Eastern Star.
After 100 years, residents of the home in Union City still enjoy the fresh balmy air from the surrounding bay waters and delight in observing deer coming down from the hills in the evening. Today the lower fields on both sides of the security gates are leased to a commercial flower grower and the upper hills are leased for cattle grazing.
The original building is now the Main Administrative Building. The focal point of the lobby is the main staircase with the magnificent stained glass window at the head, donated by the Ladies Club, Golden Gate Commandery No. 16. The lobby has a parlor filled with many beautiful antiques. A wonderful library is down the hall with pictures on the wall of former United States Presidents who were Masons.
The South Antique Room, (right center of painting) boasts oriental furniture, donated by a resident who was a distant relative of General Douglas MacArthur. Shown in the painting is General MacArthur's desk and chair. Also shown is a chair from the Siminoff Temple originally erected in 1903 and reconstructed in 1989.
The North and South wings of the Administrative Building was added in 1914 and 1928 respectively. There are 10 buildings altogether on the site. Assisted Living Residences are in the Adams and Wollenberg Buildings Apartments. The Lorber building is for Skilled Nursing care. The newest addition to the Home is the Grider Health Care Center, which provides physical therapy, occupational and speech therapy and an exercise center. Included in this state of the art building is a large hydro-therapy pool and a Jacuzzi pool for the residents use.
The Masonic Home at Covina originated out of the 1905 Masonic Widows and Orphans Home in the Old San Gabriel Hotel. The hotel housed up to 150 people. By 1909 the San Gabriel Home became a residence exclusively for children. The adults were transferred to the Decota Home and the children were brought to San Gabriel. The orphans of San Gabriel had a good life until 1915 when storm waters washed a path through the grounds and the property was determined to be unstable. A tract of 35 acres was purchased two miles east of the City of Covina and a temporary building was erected until permanent quarters were established. In 1989 a lovely new complex for the addition of adults to the Home in Covina was opened. The Masonic Home at Covina now provides care to both children and adults on the same campus.
Today with the beautiful and serene setting of the Home at Covina, and the stately grandeur of the Masonic Home at Union City, Masons can be exceedingly proud of the contributions they have given to build and support these two Masonic Homes. They are a tribue to the Masons who have given and continue to give their help and support for the betterment of their fellow man.
The Home has a professional, caring staff to provide for all health care, social needs and recreational activities. There is an Arts and Crafts Center and a wonderful Ceramics Department. Beautician services are offerred for both men and women to take care of their grooming needs. Two chaplains provide counseling for the residents as well as studies and learning. Non-denominational services are held in the lovely chapel in Siminoff Center.
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text:
Valentine's Day Ends, but
Fond Memories will Stay
Students Spread the Love and
Cheer at the 'Valentine's Bash'
February 15, 2018 Michael Chintalan Arts and Entertainment 0
Photo Credit / Michael Chintalan
Kadisha Alberga (left) and Dominique Lane (right) spend time working on their own sand-filled hearts.
By Michael Chintalan
A&E Editor
Just one day before Valentine's Day, the Commuter's Council held an event to celebrate the upcoming holiday.
Food, hot cocoa, sand-filled hearts and designable mugs were given out to the attendees that came to the Commuter's Lounge.
Cookies were provided and could even be decorated with frosting to make them twice as delicious and special.
A miniature game of archery was set up which only added to the theme of love.
Romantic music was played in the background and it was packed within the first few minutes of the event starting.
Overall, the amount of activities kept all students entertained and gave everyone a chance to participate in something fresh.
"I think it's cute," said junior Dominique Lane. "It's really nice and something free to do on campus."
Many people came and there were even rounds of karaoke to lighten the mood.
Students danced along and even went as far as headbanging along to some of the tunes.
All around the room, students put together designs and love messages on their mugs while others filled in their open hearts with various colors and making neat little patterns within them.
Alvin Shang, the head of the event, spoke out about wanting to keep people involved and interacting with each other to give everyone a sense of belonging.
"Some students drop out because they don't feel connected, so we give them a way to feel involved," he said. "By getting people to participate they meet new people and make friends."
Most of all, the Commuter's Council wants to make commuters enjoy their time at ESU.
Through the events they host they hope to make commuters spend time making friends and having fun instead of heading home after their classes are over.
By bringing people together this way, it can make ESU a better place where anyone would feel welcomed.
"I like everything that's going on," said senior Kadisha Alberga. "It's free and it's great, especially when people can't go elsewhere."
The event succeeded with bringing people together and making adorable gifts and keepsakes.
Even though it has ended, the Commuter's Council will be having another big event in March, as they have one each month.
"[The] next event is bingo and is St. Patrick's Day themed," Shang said, "so there's going to be a bit of luck involved."
If you missed the Valentine's Day event because of time constraints or from being too busy, be sure to schedule time off to enjoy some of the council's upcoming events.
All students are welcome to join and participate for a grand time playing bingo within the Commuter's Lounge. Non-commuters are not excluded.
Along with the wonderful celebration held by the Commuter's Council, there was a Valentine's Day Bake Sale held by 90.3 WESS.
The bake sale was held in Stroud Hall and within the Science and Technology building from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Another bake sale was held by Active Minds in the Union from noon to 3 p.m.
Both bake sales had Valentine's Day themed baked goods, like heart-shaped cookies.
Along with baked goods, the Union had plenty of treats and wonderful gifts for lovers.
Stuffed animals, small vases with flowers, pink frosted cookies and even stuffed roses.
Email Michael at:
mchintalan@live.esu.edu
90.3 WESS
Alvin Shang
Commuter's Council
Commuter's Lounge
Dominique Lane
Kadisha Alberga
Michael Chintalan
YouTuber's Book Deals with Mental Illness
African Culture and Traditions Embraced by Fashion Industry


text:
Antonio Brown runs pregame routes, denies he threatened to quit over helmet
Yahoo Sports 16 August 2019
Antonio Brown's Oakland Raiders debut will to have wait beyond Thursday's preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals.
But for a guy with recently frostbitten feet, he looked pretty good running routes in pregame warmups.
Brown wore a black T-shirt and the bottom half of his silver-and-black uniform while running routes and catching balls at University of Phoenix Stadium.
DC → AB #OAKvsAZ pic.twitter.com/T6SWfoYhCw
— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) August 15, 2019
Everything's fine, right?
The Raiders tweeted out video that concluded with Brown and quarterback Derek Carr chatting as they walked off the field as if to say, "Look, there's nothing to worry about here."
To cap things off, Brown was seen wearing his full uniform — helmet included — prior to the game.
Brown denies that he threatened to quit over helmet
After the game, Brown told reporters that he never threatened to quit football if he didn't get his way with his helmet, contradicting a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter that he, in fact, did.
"I don't know where they got that, who made that up, either," Brown said, via the Los Vegas Journal-Review. "Why would I retire, man? I've got a beautiful career. I'm healthy. I love to play the game. I'm grateful to play the game."
Brown also reportedly told the NFL in a grievance that he lost over the helmet that he would hold the league liable if he's injured in a newer-model helmet.
Worth the hassle for Raiders?
Between the multiple lawsuits, frostbite and the helmet drama, Brown has already provided more spectacle than the Raiders bargained for when they traded for the mercurial wide receiver in the offseason.
But if he's able to return to the field for Week 1 and produce at his regular All-Pro level without further interruption, the Raiders will gladly chalk up the preseason drama as the cost of doing business.
Head coach John Gruden said as much in his postgame news conference.
"Hell yeah, it was encouraging," Gruden said of Brown returning to the team. "It was great to have him back. You know, it's been a strange, strange couple weeks, with frostbite and the helmet grievance.
"Can't say that that's common, at least in my history in this league. But we've weathered the storm."
Antonio Brown ran routes and wore his full uniform -- helmet included -- before Thursday's Raiders-Cardinals game. (Reuters)
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Video shows police pointing gun at Yankees GM Cashman
McGregor punches old man in head over whiskey dispute
Equal pay talks break down between USWNT, U.S. Soccer


text:
Seth Sznapstajler
VP, Sales
Prior to settling into California life, Florida native Seth Sznapstajler spent the first part of his journey on the East Coast. He called both Southern Florida and Massachusetts home at various points in his upbringing, and received his degree in Accounting from Florida Atlantic University. It was his determined pursuit of a career in the growing cannabis industry that eventually brought him cross-country.
Seth served as a Director for Greenlane for almost seven years. During that time he led sales, created a new supply and packaging department, built a dispensary retail merchandising program, and started the child resistant packaging company, Pollen Gear. He helped the company grow from a dozen to over 300 employees and was an integral part of taking Greenlane public on NASDAQ. He carried out his last couple of Greenlane years at their Los Angeles location before transferring to Sacramento for the Director, Sales position at Natura.
Seth's firm belief in Natura's business plan was what initially drew him to the company. Today, he's grateful to be working alongside what he's deemed a "dream team" of cannabis professionals to accomplish some very big goals.
What drew Seth to cannabis:
"I have always loved cannabis. It has always been a source of enjoyment and comfort for myself and others. When Colorado was deciding on going recreational, I knew cannabis was my calling. It's a career choice that would never feel like a job. I knew I'd contribute to the industry and community more than any other path. So I made cannabis my career and have never looked back."
The quote that drives him:
"If you can't fly, then run, if you can't run, then walk, if you can't walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward." – Martin Luther King Jr.
We are driven by the belief that cannabis can truly transform the world.
Each team member at Natura brings a mix of expertise and passion, reflected in the work we do day in and day out.
Our Core Values not only say who we are, they guide everything we do.
The mission and the company
are our priorities.
Our higher purpose is improving
the lives of others.
We will never stop reinventing
ourselves and our business.
We honor our commitments,
Value is realized when
vision becomes reality.
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In 1972, the Sharks were formed by Moose Zonjic. Originally dressed in leather jackets, the group matured into a professional unit clad in tuxedos. During the 70's the Sharks toured the U.S.A. and Canada from coast to coast performing with many rock legends from the 50's and 60's. When the 80's arrived the group made Detroit and Michigan its home. During this time the band recorded three full-length albums and six 45's.
Today the band has again evolved and Moose & Da Sharks now feature our very own Kool Chicks, Da Sharkettes. These three talented young women perform classic 50's and 60's girl group numbers as well as top hits from today. Their show is non-stop laughs, singing and dancing! A family fun trip down memory lane, back to the days of poodle skirts and drive-ins. It's no wonder they've become America's most exciting entertainment choice!