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Steps to boost financial inclusion in the Philippines
The Philippines' financial services sector entered the Covid-19 pandemic on a solid footing, thanks to decades of regulatory reform to address the vulnerabilities exposed by the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. Strong capital buffers, high levels of provisioning and near-universal public health cover insulated the country from many of the impacts that other markets continue to wrestle with. While geographic spread and socio-economic disparities remain structural barriers, increasingly tech-focused growth strategies are improving both bottom lines and financial inclusion among the population in measurable ways.
Industry Oversight
The banking sector is overseen by the central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), which was founded as an independent monetary authority in 1993. The BSP is headed by a governor, who directs and supervises the operations and internal administration of the bank, and is supported by four deputy governors, who oversee other administrative functions. The current BSP governor, Benjamin Diokno, was appointed in March 2019 by President Rodrigo Duterte, following the death of the previous governor, Nestor Espenilla Jr. The BSP's Monetary Board, which consists of seven presidentially appointed members, is the primary authority for setting interest rates and other monetary policy targets. In addition to its traditional inflation-targeting monetary policy role, the BSP enforces the Financial Consumer Protection Framework, which dictates minimum requirements for the protection of client data, the fair treatment of customers, disclosure and transparency, financial education and customer complaint resolution.
The bank is organised into four overarching focus areas, or sectors: Monetary and Economics, which sets monetary policy; Financial Supervision, responsible for the banking sector, financial technology (fintech) and other non-bank financial institutions; Currency Management, which oversees the production and distribution of hard currency; and Corporate Services, which manages corporate strategy, communications and risk, as well as internal human resources and technology matters at the central bank.
The insurance sector, meanwhile, is overseen by the Insurance Commission (IC), originally founded in 1949. It is headed by a presidentially appointed commissioner, with Dennis Funa serving in the post since being appointed in December 2016. Operating under the Department of Finance, the commission supervises and regulates all insurers, reinsurers, mutual benefit associations (MBAs), micro-insurers and ratings organisations. Companies require IC authorisation to conduct insurance business in the Philippines, including agents, underwriters, brokers and adjusters.
Another central player in the insurance sector is the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), founded in 1995 to provide universal health coverage to citizens based on income-weighted contributions from employees and employers. As of 2019 PhilHealth covered nearly 98% of the population, or some 98m beneficiaries (see Health chapter).
Banking Sector Structure
The Philippines is served by a variety of lenders, broadly divided into universal and commercial banks (UCBs), thrift banks (TBs), and rural and cooperative banks (RCBs), as well as a growing number of non-bank financial institutions, some of which perform quasi-banking activities. Savings and mortgage banks, stock savings and loan associations, and private development banks are included under the TB umbrella.
As of September 2020 the BSP registered a total of 649 bank and non-bank financial institutions, spanning all types. Of these, there were 36 TBs and 146 RCBs authorised to accept demand deposits, while 24 UCBs and five TBs had trust authority. The BSP's most recent "Factbook" for the Philippine banking system, from 2019, showed 46 registered UCBs, 50 TBs and 451 RCBs. Among the UCB cohort, which accounts for the bulk of assets, 24 were foreign bank branches, 17 were private domestic banks, three were government banks and two were foreign bank subsidiaries.
As of June 2020 BDO Unibank retained its position as the country's largest UCB by assets, with P3.19trn ($63.4bn); followed by the state-owned Land Bank of the Philippines, with P2.20trn ($43.8bn); Metropolitan Bank and Trust (Metrobank), with P2.04trn ($40.6bn); Bank of the Philippine Islands, with P1.95trn ($38.9bn); and Philippines National Bank, with P1.06trn ($21.1bn). The big-five UCBs accounted for a combined 60.6% of the segment's assets. The UCB segment also includes the country's only Islamic bank, Al Almanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines (AAIIBP), which had P776.5m ($15.4m) in assets as of mid-2020. Founded in 1973, the AAIIBP was one of the world's first Islamic banks, with a mission to service regions with large Muslim populations. The bank is now a subsidiary of the Development Bank of the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the five-largest TBs by assets were Phil Savings Banks (PSB ank), with P232.1bn ($4.6bn); Philippine Business Bank, with P115.4bn ($2.3bn); China Bank Savings, with P98bn ($1.9bn); City Savings Bank, with P88.8bn ($1.8bn); and Bank of Makati, with P43bn ($855.2m). As their names suggest, a number of the TBs are the savings arms of UCBs; PSB ank, for example, is a subsidiary of Metrobank.
Insurance Sector Structure
In the insurance sector, coverage is provided by a mixture of life and non-life insurers, consolidated insurers, MBAs, micro-insurers, health maintenance organisations (HMOs) and pre-need companies. Pre-need firms provide customers with open-ended plans to finance specific future needs, such as college education, retirement and funeral costs. HMOs and pre-need firms are unique to the Philippine market, though pre-need companies have been dwindling in footprint and importance: 15 such companies were registered with the IC as of end-2019, which decreased to 10 in October 2020, down from more than 200 prior to the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, when many became insolvent. According to the most recent consolidated financial information from the IC, dating back to the first quarter of 2016, PhilPlans First was the largest pre-need company by assets, with P41bn ($815.4m); followed by St Peter Life Plan, with P33.3bn ($662.3m); and Manulife Financial Plans, with P12.3bn ($244.6m). HMOs, for their part, are pre-paid health care providers, based on a US model that developed in the early 1900s, and operate within a network of specific hospitals and medical professionals. Contributions from members are structured on a risk-sharing basis, whereby coverage depends on the individual subscription value and can limit the type and amount of care received in a given period. As of end-2019 there were 31 licensed HMOs, the largest of which was Caritas Health Shield, with P9.8bn ($194.9m) in assets; followed by Maxicare, with P9.3bn ($185m); and Intellicare, with P8.4bn ($167.1m). Meanwhile, as of October 2020 there were 35 MBAs in the market, including professional organisations covering the police, teachers, the armed forces and other government employees. MBAs are particularly active in micro-insurance. On the conventional front, there were five composite insurers licensed as of October 2020, along with 27 life insurers, 54 non-life insurers and one professional reinsurer, the National Reinsurance Corporation of the Philippines. Philippine American Life & General Insurance was the largest life insurer by assets as of the end of 2019, with P290.2bn ($5.8bn); followed by Sun Life of Canada, with P254.5bn ($5.1bn); and Insular Life Assurance, with P133bn ($2.6bn). On the non-life side, Pioneer Insurance & Surety was the leader in 2019, with P35.2bn ($700.1m) in assets, followed by Malayan Insurance (P28.3bn, $562.9m) and Prudential Guarantee & Assurance (P17bn, $338.1m). The National Reinsurance Corporation of the Philippines, for its part, held P14.7bn ($292.4m) in assets as of the end of 2019.
Banking Performance
According to the BSP's 2019 "Factbook" on the Philippine banking system, the total assets of the banking sector stood at P18.3trn ($364bn) at end-2019, an increase of 8.4% from P16.9trn ($336.1bn) in 2018. Sector-wide net profit, meanwhile, was up 28.4% at P231bn ($4.6bn). By August 2020 total banking sector assets had increased by 7.5% year-on-year (y-o-y) to P18.6trn ($369.9bn).
In the year to August 2020 assets held by UCBs rose from P16trn ($318.2bn) to P17.3trn ($344.1bn), representing 93% of the sector total, while TB assets were down 1.6% from P1.13trn ($22.5bn) to P1.12trn ($22.3bn). According to the most recent quarterly data for RCBs, their assets increased by 5.3% in the 12 months to June 2020, from P258.2bn ($5.1bn) to P271.9bn ($5.4bn). BSP data showed P14.3trn ($284.4bn) in sector-wide deposit liabilities in August 2020, up 10.6% y-o-y, of which P12.1trn ($240.7bn) was in pesos and P2.3trn ($45.7bn) in foreign currency. Total liabilities, meanwhile, rose by 7.5% from P15.1trn ($200.3bn) to P16.2trn ($322.1bn).
The gross total loan portfolio, for its part, increased by 4.4% from P10.3trn ($204.9bn) to P10.7trn ($212.8bn) over the same period. Consumer loans, which are reported quarterly, were up 14.3% y-o-y at P2trn ($39.8bn) as of June 2020, led by residential real estate loans (P800bn, $15.9bn), motor vehicle loans (P591.5bn, $11.8bn) and credit card receivables (P412.7bn, $8.2bn). From an asset quality perspective, the gross non-performing loan (NPL) ratio stood at 2.8% in August 2020, up from 2.2% one year earlier but below the pre-Asian financial crisis level of 3.5%. This was lower among UCBs but trending upwards, from 1.7% to 2.4% over the same period. However, the NPL coverage ratio remained above 100%, rising from 108.2% to 122.1%. Capital adequacy, as measured by capital accounts relative to total assets, held relatively steady, finishing the period at 12.7%, comfortably above the central bank's threshold of 10% and the international standard of 8%. Return on assets, which is calculated quarterly, declined slightly, from 1.22% in June 2019 to 1.15% in June 2020, while return on equity eased from 9.9% to 9.2% over the same period. Additionally, liquidity saw similar declines over the 12 months to June 2020, with the gross loan-to-deposit ratio moderating from 78.2% to 74%.
BSP Response
As in much of the world, Philippine banks have been reluctant to lend since the onset of the financial headwinds engendered by the Covid-19 pandemic. To help calm turbulent markets and encourage the flow of domestic credit to the retail and corporate segments in particular, the BSP cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for UCBs by 200 basis points (bps) on March 24, 2020, and announced that up to a maximum of 400 bps of cuts were authorised to be made throughout 2020. Furthermore, the BSP stated that it would explore additional cuts to the RRRs of other bank and non-bank financial institutions. The move followed a 50-bp cut to the central bank's benchmark lending rate earlier that month, to 3.25% (see Economy chapter). Throughout the second quarter of the year the BSP cut its key policy rate by a combined 100 bps, bringing the overnight reverse repurchase rate to 2.25%. The central bank similarly lowered its overnight lending and deposit interest rates.
Insurance Performance
In the insurance sector, as of the end of 2019 pre-need companies held a combined P131.4bn ($2.6bn) in assets, up 3.9% on 2018, with 925,370 plans sold that year, an increase of 18.9% over 2018. The bulk of policy sales were concentrated in life plans, with smaller shares in pension and education coverage. Despite recording higher premium income for the year, the pre-need segment posted P718.6m ($14.3m) in losses in 2019, a significant reversal of its P2.2bn ($43.8m) profit in 2018, due to an increase in liabilities. HMOs, for their part, reported a combined P43.1bn ($867.2m) in assets at the close of 2019, an increase of 10.6% over the previous year. While revenue was up 13.8% on 2018, net income fell by 23.8% to P1.3bn ($25.9m). The IC attributed this to an increase in health benefits and claims paid, which represent more than three-quarters of total industry expenses. MBAs, meanwhile, increased their assets by 15% from P87.9bn ($1.7bn) to P101.1bn ($2bn) over the year, with their premium up 11.2% from P10.7bn ($212.8m) to P11.9bn ($236.7m). The non-life segment, excluding reinsurance and servicing companies, posted P242.6bn ($4.6bn) in assets at the end of 2019, up 11.5% on P217.6bn ($4.3bn) in 2018. Gross written premium increased by 8.9% from P92.3bn ($1.8bn) to P100.5bn ($2bn), although net profit eased 3% from P3.6bn ($71.6m) to P3.3bn ($65.6m). Among life insurers, assets totalled P1.4trn ($27.8bn) at year's end, up 13.6% from P1.3trn ($25.9bn) the previous year. The segment's premium income held relatively steady, rising by 1.7% from P230.1bn ($4.6bn) to P233.9bn ($4.7bn), whereas net profit increased by a sizeable 37.3% from P26.3bn ($523.1m) to P36.1bn ($718m).
With life insurance continuing to dominate the industry, non-life firms in the country are looking for further avenues for sector expansion. The infrastructure drive under the administration of President Duterte, and notably the $170bn Build, Build, Build infrastructure programme under way, has the potential to generate a promising line of business, according to industry stakeholders. "If Build, Build, Build takes off, it will be positive for the non-life insurance sector," Manuel Maloles, president and CEO of Fortune General Insurance Company, told OBG. "While it is not making a large difference at the moment, infrastructure development, more vehicles on the road, higher employment and wider transport options would generate opportunities for non-life insurers, with the maritime cargo insurance business representing a particularly attractive growth opportunity."
According to the BSP's most recent "Financial Inclusion Survey", from 2019, 71.4% of the adult population – or approximately 51.2m people – was unbanked, an improvement from 77.4% in 2017. The share of those with a formal account rose from 22.6% to 28.6%, equivalent to an increase of 5.1m customers. This was a significantly larger rise than the 0.6-percentage-point growth recorded between 2015 and 2017, driven primarily by new accounts in North/Central Luzon and Visayas, and among working adults, males, those aged 40-49 and those with a low level of education. In its survey, the central bank found that the primary use case for formal bank accounts is saving, noting a strong correlation between savings and account penetration. At the same time, however, the use of accounts for payments doubled, from 18% in 2017 in 39% in 2019, with the receipt of salary payments and government benefits among the most common transactions reported. Notably, particularly in the socially distanced context of Covid-19, e-money accounts recorded the highest growth: while formal bank account penetration grew modestly, from 11.5% to 12.2% over the two-year period, e-money accounts were up more than six-fold, from 1.3% to 8%.
In another reversal of trends from the 2017 survey, rural penetration (30%) exceeded urban penetration (27%) in 2019, due to the robust presence of microfinance NGOs in rural areas of the country. Interestingly, holders of both traditional bank accounts and e-money accounts continue to rely on ATMs to conduct transactions, with relatively few interactions taking place online or via mobile. Conversely, microfinance NGO accounts registered the lowest use of ATMs, according to the survey, indicating that card payments may not be as important for these account holders. On the insurance end of the financial spectrum, the Philippines has near-universal health care through PhilHealth, with coverage of the population estimated at 98% as of 2019 (see Health chapter). This has been especially relevant in the context of Covid-19, as the Philippines had experienced one of the most severe outbreaks in South-east Asia as of November 2020.
As is the case in many health systems around the world, PhilHealth has had to balance increased medical costs with its mandate to provide universal care. Early in the pandemic, in April 2020, the organisation publicly stated it would guarantee continuing coverage for patients, in addition to free testing. Given caps in compensation for different outcomes of Covid-19, however, PhilHealth encouraged patients to tap HMOs and private insurance, where possible, to more substantially cover any Covid-19-related medical costs, underscoring the benefits of securing additional policy coverage to minimise out-of-pocket expenses. Insurance cover more broadly has registered progress in recent years, with the overall penetration rate reaching 1.69% of GDP in the third quarter of 2019, as per data from the IC. According to the same 2019 "Financial Inclusion Survey", the share of adults with insurance policies increased from 18% in 2017 to 23% in 2019, equivalent to an additional 4.3m policyholders.
Among those with coverage, life was the most popular product (39%), followed by micro-insurance (30%) and health insurance (29%). The survey attributed the five-percentage-point growth in penetration to increased insurance ownership among the lowest socio-economic class, those residing in North and Central Luzon and Mindanao, women, working adults, and those aged 20-29 and 40-49. Indeed, women are more likely to have insurance (27%) than their male counterparts (19%), though geographic location is less of a determinant than it is for banking products, with 25% of those in rural areas holding a policy, against 21% in urban environments.
With a large, socio-economically diverse population spread across more than 7000 islands, the Philippines faces understandable and persistent barriers to accessing financial services, ranging from the geographic to the institutional. Policymakers have long sought to bolster financial inclusion through a mixture of hard and soft infrastructure programmes (see analysis). The Duterte administration's Philippine Development Plan 2017-22, for example, includes key objectives related to financial inclusion, such as more effective delivery of microfinance and micro-insurance products, and financial literacy education for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap, released in October 2020, goes further in prioritising digitalisation as an avenue to financial inclusion and the creation of a cash-lite economy. At the launch of the roadmap, Diokno, the BSP's governor, explained, "Our thrust to promote digitalisation of payments is also strategically geared towards furthering financial inclusion, as we view the two to be mutually reinforcing. They go hand in hand, with each one enabling the other." He added, "With the launch of the Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap, we aim to hit two birds with one stone. We are securing the digitalisation of payments, and increasing the number of Filipinos with access to financial services".
Increased availability of financial services online could help to balance out the concentration of financial infrastructure in major urban areas – particularly Metro Manila, though increasingly in Cebu and Davao as well. As of the end of 2019 Metro Manila was home to 30.4% of the country's bank offices, well above its roughly 12% share of the national population. Among UCBs, the proportion located in the capital region was higher, at 45.6%, compared to 20.1% among TBs. Of the four RCB offices, two were located in Metro Manila and the other two in the provinces.
Looking at ATMs and e-banking facilities, as of March 2020 there were 19,719 ATMs belonging to UCBs around the country, 1824 belonging to TBs and 619 belonging to RCBs, according to BSP data. BSP-approved e-banking facilities were available at 41 UCBs, 29 TBs and 41 RCBs. The latter experienced a notable increase from 16 approved facilities as of the end of 2018. A regulatory change in 2019 opens the prospect for greater financial inclusion among the Philippines' sizeable Muslim population, which accounts for roughly 6% of the national total. In late August 2019 President Duterte ratified a law granting the BSP additional power to regulate and organise the Islamic banking segment. Under the new law, Islamic banks will be able to carry out business in accordance with sharia principles, among them the issuance of sharia-compliant financing.
In addition to promoting financial inclusion, the new law could help to drive investment and diversification in the segment. Local media reported in April 2019 that a series of foreign Islamic banks – including Qatar Bank and Malaysian institutions CIMB Islamic and City Credit Investment Bank – had expressed an interest in setting up operations in the Philippines. "Islamic banking is an untapped market in the Philippines," Alex Bangcola, CEO and chairman of the AAIIBP, told OBG. "All the ASEAN countries, barring Laos, are already engaging in Islamic Banking. Malaysia, for example, has five Islamic banks, while the Philippines has only one, even though the population exceeds 100m," he added.
Fintech & Insurtech
As is the case in many modern financial services industries, fintech and insurance technology (insurtech) represent attractive routes to expanding the customer base of banks and insurers alike (see analyses). In the Philippines the fintech industry is particularly focused on data collection, which can allow firms to create a credit score system in order to gauge the level of risk of each potential borrower. According to industry stakeholders, these digital tools enable banks to create a risk-based scoring system of potential customers, which can help facilitate financial inclusion among unbanked or underbanked populations with no asset collateral.
This represents an important evolution for the sector, as a lack of collateral or insufficient financial records have historically acted as barriers to access to credit for many individuals and businesses. Such data pools can include transaction records as well as telecoms payment history and other forensic financial information."Transaction records can act as the equivalent of collateral: they can be the database from which to create a credit score and develop a risk-based lending system," John Januszczak, president and CEO of UBX, the fintech unit of Union Bank, told OBG.
Insurtech has many of the same benefits, in addition to improving premium collection and giving insurance companies an opportunity to extend their reach beyond the capital without investing in costly physical infrastructure. "Insurtech facilitates payments and collections, as well as increases penetration in different regions. Competition in Metro Manila is very aggressive, but it is significantly lower in the regions," Maloles of Fortune General Insurance Company told OBG.
With 71.4% of the population unbanked and 77% without an insurance policy as of 2019, the Philippines has significant scope to expand its financial services coverage in the years and decades to come. Recent advances in digital banking and payments, and insurtech are lowering barriers to entry across the 7000-island archipelago, bringing more Filipinos into the formal financial fold.
As in the rest of the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has underscored the fragility of health and incomes alike. If financial service providers are able to translate the population's desire for greater security into more robust financial inclusion – whether in the form of savings products, new payment tools or affordable, targeted insurance policies – 2020 could end up marking an important turning point in awareness of the benefits of formal financial products and services.
Read previous chapter from this report
Economy, from The Report: Philippines 2021
Benjamin E Diokno, Governor, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP): Interview


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Health Minister requests promptly clarifying medical incident's cause
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien has asked the Health Department of northern Hoa Binh province to clarify the cause of a recent medical incident that killed seven kidney patients on May 29.
VNA Wednesday, May 31, 2017 20:39
Deputy PM requests dealing with medical incident in Hoa Binh
Tuesday, May 30, 2017 10:08
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien visits patient (Source: VNA)
Hoa Binh (VNA) – Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien has asked the Health Department of northern Hoa Binh province to clarify the cause of a recent medical incident that killed seven kidney patients on May 29.
She made the request during a working session with the provincial authorities and medical staff of the provincial General Hospital in Hoa Binh on May 31.
Director of the hospital Truong Quy Duong said the hospital has provided enough samples for the provincial public security forces as requested.
Together with the provincial Health Department, it has also established a specialised board with the participation of experts from the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital to make clear the cause.
Deputy Director of the provincial Public Security Pham Van Su affirmed that the police are doing their best to promptly clarify the cause.
Earlier, Health Minister Tien and leaders of the provincial People's Committee and the Health Department visited families of the dead and living patients undergoing treatment in the hospital.
Medical staff said victims are recovering well.
Also on May 31, the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) presented a total of 86.5 million VND (3,760 USD) to families of the dead and living patients.
Seven patients died on May 29 with suspected anaphylactic shock while receiving treatment at the General Hospital of Hoa Binh province.
Once the deaths were reported, the provincial General Hospital turned off its dialysis machines and transferred the 11 living patients to Hoa Binh city's General Hospital and Hanoi-based Bach Mai hospital for emergency treatment.
Four doctors from Bach Mai hospital also went to the province to deliver assistance-VNA
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien kidney patients medical staff General Hospital authorities Vietnam Red Cross Bach Mai hospital Related stories Hoa Binh
Party, State leader holds Tet meeting with senior officials, veterans
Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong chairs a get-together on the occasion of the traditional Lunar New Year on January 22 with veteran revolutionaries, current and former leaders of the Party, State, Vietnam Fatherland Front, and overseas Vietnamese.
Vietnam chairs UNSC open debate on Middle East situation
Health ministry urges hospitals to prevent coronavirus
The Ministry of Health has sent an urgent dispatch to hospitals and health departments in cities and provinces to step up the early detection and good preparation for the prevention of and combat against pneumonia caused by a new strain of coronavirus.
No cases of acute pneumonia, caused by a novel coronavirus (nCoV), have been reported in Vietnam by January 19, according to the Preventive Medicine Department under the Ministry of Health (MoH).
Measures needed to prevent acute pneumonia spread into Vietnam
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has ordered ministries and relevant agencies to take drastic measures to prevent acute pneumonia, caused by a novel coronavirus (nCoV), from spreading into Vietnam.
The health sector is prompting actions to prevent the acute pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus (nCoV) from entering Vietnam and gear up to deal with it if infections are reported.
Vietnam responds to China's pneumonia outbreak
The Vietnam Public Health Emergency Operation Centre said it was developing response plans and preparing for worst-case scenarios following an outbreak of pneumonia in China.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


At Waterfront Golf you can practice your game at our state of the art driving range just a walk away from our Golf course, all on one site.
Open to the public 7 days a week our "state of the art" driving range boasts 32 bays (including state of the art teaching and fitting studio and brand new virtual golf studio), each housing the latest air compressed mats & easy access ball trays. Our range balls are a yellow, 2 piece, 100% compression Wilson ball. The outfield is also fully equipped with chipping nets, flags, greens and trampolines with exact yardages given in each bay for every target.
Please find your Range tariffs and your Range Card rewards in the table below.
By simply hitting balls into the indoor screen or outdoor onto the range, the revolutionary SkyTrak Launch Monitor captures thousands of data points to deliver commercial quality ball flight simulations that reflect a golfer's actual performance for game improvement and entertainment. When combined with Jack Nicklaus Perfect Golf simulation which is delivered in stunningly realistic HD, playing golf with skytrak is just like being on the course.
The simulator costs £25 per hour and can be split between 8 people to play multiplayer golf and test your skills around the world's greatest courses, right here in the clubhouse.


A couple of weeks ago I took some the time out of my busy schedule to drive down and see the kiosk in action. I arrived about 15 minutes before the official opening of the mall. The booth was absent of people; even the owner had not shown up for work yet. It was a perfect time to carefully examine the kiosk and snap a few photos.
Kiosks that sell eCigarette Starter Kits are spouting up all over the country; this particular one was a franchise of Smoke Free. You can visit the Smoke Free website at www.smokefreeonline.com but I warn you not to visit with a full stomach, you may lose you lunch when you get a look at the prices this company dares to charge. If you're feeling froggy try ordering (as a guest shopper) a single pack of cartomizer refills. You'll see a shipping charge of $29.98. But I digress.
There are plenty of good reasons to stop smoking cigarettes and I don't need to go over them here. But after learning so much about the vast differences in eCigarette products over these many months I'm not so sure anymore that its any safer to vape much of the 'Bull-Trash' on the market than it is to continue smoking tobacco. I'm serious.
There is a 'subset' of this industry that truly lacks any socially redeeming value. They are made up of various manufacturers, wholesales, and retailers that care so little about quality or safety of eCigarettes and they've discovered ways to produce a product at the lowest possible cost and sell it at the highest possible price. Because of this, buying eCigarettes are akin to buying produce; the best quality melons, tomatoes, peaches, apples, and so on are sold at their cheapest prices while the worst quality is sold at the highest prices. It seems the more you spend on a starter kit the worse the starter kit is.
The eCigarette industry continues to accelerate its tumble down the rabbit hole and it's becoming damn near impossible to separate the good guys from bad guys. Sometimes I get this 'feeling' that the bad guys are going to win.
Kiosks like the one in our town are popping up in every mall in the country and seem to gain traction every time there is a story in a newspaper, magazine, television or the internet on how much safer and cheaper eCigarettes are over traditional tobacco cigarettes.
Kiosks sell their wares at extraordinarily high prices to people who are finally beginning to realize that tobacco will actually kill them. Their sales pitches are particularly effective to those that already know they have to stop smoking tobacco at some point, and so they often walk away a couple of hundred bucks lighter in the wallet carrying a bag stuffed with cheap, bad tasting, poor quality eCigarettes made in poorly regulated Chinese factories.
Some of us get to a point in our knowledge about eCigarettes that when you see people vaping a cheap, Chinese eLiquid filled eCigarette you're tempted to tell them to toss the eCig and go back to taking their chances with Marlboro or Winston. Although tobacco cigarettes contain poisonous chemicals that will kill you over time, who knows what's in the Chinese eLiquid they are inhaling into their lungs?
(*Note: I'm not talking about companies like DeKang or other sophisticated companies producing eLiquid under some regulation, I'm talking about the hundreds of smaller eLiquid shops all over China selling God Knows What to smaller, cheaper-still, eCigarette manufactures that form the backbone to the offbeat brands you see offering free trial kits or that fill the shelves in some kiosks).
I mean, come on, when the owner of a Chinese pet food plant makes a conscious decision to use a 'filler' material in the pet food that will wind up on the shelves of American Supermarkets (so that the 'safe' ingredients could be stretched further) turns out to kill tens of thousands of our pets, all in the name of 'communist profit' (Where the word ChiComs comes from), who's to say that it isn't going to happen with eLiquid? Especially from one of smaller Chinese eLiquid makers when it makes its way into the offbeat brands that are sold the world over?


For the most recent updates, check my blog.
A History of the Sky for One Year:: A full-year version of the project is available online.
On July 28, 2010, I reached the one-year milestone, where I've collected images of the sky for a full 365 days. The camera continues to collect images from the roof of the Exploratorium, and I'm now in the process of post-processing the images and building the display.
Success! My Kickstarter reached its funding goal. Many thanks to all of you who helped with your support!
My project has been awarded the first Bay Area Awesome Foundation grant!
I've created a project on Kickstarter where you can purchase these matted prints to help support the project. Help out if you can, and spread the word!
Time-lapse movies are compelling because they give us a glimpse of events that are continually occurring around us, but at a rate normally far too slow to for us to observe directly. A History of the Sky enables the viewer to appreciate the rhythms of weather, the lengthening and shortening of days, and other atmospheric events on an immediate aesthetic level: the clouds, fog, wind, and rain form a rich visual texture, and sunrises and sunsets cascade across the screen.
This is a work in progress. Currently, an image of the sky is being captured every 10 seconds from a camera installed on the roof of the Exploratorium, on the edge of San Francisco Bay. The images collected over each 24-hour period are assembled into a 6 minute movie (at 24 frames/second).
The final piece will consist of a large projected grid of 365 movies, each representing one day of the year, and cycling in parallel through consecutive 24-hour periods. The viewer can stand back and observe the atmospheric phenomena of an entire year in just a few minutes, or approach the piece to focus on a particular day.
This will also be an active piece. The camera will continue to collect images and integrate them with the montage daily. The visualization will therefore vary from day to day, and will always display the most recent 365 days.
Keep in mind that all of the days are synchronized, so at any given moment, you're looking at the sky at the exact same time of day for each of the panels. The cascading effect at sunrise and sunset is caused by the variations in day length.
The rig consists of an old four-megapixel compact digital camera controlled by a small, low-power computer. I looked into some of the "netcams" that are available, but even the pricey ones had unimpressive image quality. On the other hand, my old Canon A520 takes pretty nice pictures.
I'm trying to capture as much of the sky as possible, so I attached a wide-angle conversion lens, which fits over the existing optics.
The computer is a Soekris net4801, on which I've installed Ubuntu Linux. The hardware is intended for use as a general-purpose networking computer, but it works perfectly for this job, as it has a USB port, and ethernet ports (remote access is a requirement). This system has 4GB of Compact Flash storage, enough for several days' images. The software controlling the camera is gPhoto, an open-source image capture application.
This all fits inside of a NEMA Type 3 enclosure, which I salvaged from a junk yard.
The enclosure is mounted so that the optical axis of the camera points 45 degrees above the horizon. One important factor is that the sun never enter the frame. This would complicate exposure issues, and I think the piece works best with just sky, clouds, and fog. To accomplish this, the camera is faced due north. Even with the wide-angle lens, the sun will always be just out of view.
If you're interested in building your own system, check out my how-to article, "Slow Down To Speed Up" in issue 21 of Make Magazine.
Images from the camera computer are are continually downloaded over the network to another system, sitting safely inside the building: a desktop PC running Linux, with a one-terabyte external RAID disk array.
Maintaining uptime is important for this project. The camera computer and the camera itself run off an uninterruptable power supply. If the network is tempoarily interrupted, the camera computer can continue to store image files locally until connectivity is restored, and the downloads to the storage system can resume.
This system will take over three million pictures over the course of a year. With a resolution of 1024 x 768, the image file sizes range from 100 to 200KB, which should total a bit less than half a terabyte per year.
Due to the large number of images, these files need to be managed carefully, and accurate timestamping is crucial. All of the systems are configured to ignore daylight savings time, and each image is downloaded immediately after capture, and renamed according to its EXIF timestamp (the date and time info embedded in the image file). The images are organized into directories by day.
This is done using custom-made tools coded in Java and Perl, some shell scripts, and applications such as ImageMagick (for resizing and montage) and FFmpeg (for assembling still images into movies).


text:
Hernan Garcia
Assistant Professor of Genetics, Genomics and Development
Office: 505 Life Sciences Addition
hggarcia@berkeley.edu
Garcia Lab website
Research Area(s): Biophysics
Hernan G. Garcia obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Physics from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2003. He then moved to Caltech where he obtained a PhD in Physics in 2011 working in the laboratory of Rob Phillips. From 2011 to 2014 he took a postdoctoral position in the Physics Department at Princeton University in the laboratory of Thomas Gregor first as a Dicke Fellow and later as a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface Fellow. Since 2015 he is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology and the Department of Physics at UC Berkeley.
An abiding mystery in the study of living matter is how a single cell develops into a multicellular organism. As this cell divides, its progeny read the program encoded on their DNA and adopt different fates becoming familiar cell types such as those found in muscle, liver and our brains. We now know that the decisions that cells make during development are not so much based on which genes to express, but rather on when, where and how to express them. Despite advances in determining the identities of the molecules that mediate these decisions we are still incapable of predicting how simple physical parameters such as the number, position and affinity of binding sites for these molecules on the DNA determine developmental fates. We use the fruit fly, one of the classic model systems for embryonic development, together with a combination of new technologies, quantitative experiments, and statistical mechanics in order to provide new insights about cellular decision making during development. In particular, we aim to link the specification of macroscopic body parts in an organism to the non-equilibrium molecular-scale processes inside single cells. The ultimate goal of this interdisciplinary research is to produce a predictive understanding of developmental programs which will enable the rational control of biological size, shape and function.
Physical Biology of the Cell, 2nd edition, Rob Phillips, Jane Kondev, Julie Theriot and Hernan G. Garcia, Garland Science, New York, (2013). Visit book website here. Erratum here.
For a complete list of publications, please see my Scholar Profile.


text:
Order of Manitoba to welcome 14 new members
Posted: 11:17 AM CDT Monday, May. 12, 2014
A tireless champion for refugees who arrive on our doorstep, two curling champions, and the former Canadian ambassador to the United States are four of the 14 new members who will be inducted into the Order of Manitoba this year.
Lt.-Gov. Philip Lee, the chancellor of the order, said in a statement released today that this year's induction ceremony will be notable because the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will be there and participating in it.
This year's inductee's are:
- Tom Denton, executive director of Hospitality House Refugee Ministry and the co-founder and first publisher of the Winnipeg Sun.
- Jennifer Jones, a Canadian curling champion who recently made history when she led her team to an undefeated record to win the gold medal at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
- Don Duguid, Canadian curling champion and the first Canadian skip to win back-to-back world titles. He was recently inducted into the World Curling Hall of Fame.
- Allan Gotlieb, Canada's ambassador to the United States from 1981 to 1989.
- Lorraine Brandson, the curator of Churchill's Eskimo Museum and the archivist for the Churchill-Hudson Bay diocese.
- Bob Brennan, the former president and CEO of Manitoba Hydro.
- Sam Fabro, businessman, former president of the Manitoba Sports hall of Fame, and one of the founding fathers of the Manitoba Marathon. He was also instrumental in bringing the Pan Am Games to Winnipeg in 1967.
- Raymonde Gagne, the president of Universite de Saint-Boniface.
- Israel Idonije, the first University of Manitoba graduate to play in the National Football League.
- Bob Irving, the 'Voice of the Bombers' since 1974 and the sports director for CJOB.
- Hermann Lee, assistant professor in the University of Manitoba's faculty of dentistry and who does service in the Chinese-Canadian community.
- Roland Penner, the province's former attorney general and the former dean of law at the University of Manitoba.
- Carole Vivier, CEO of Manitoba Film and Music, the province's film commissioner, and co-chairwoman of the 2014 Juno Awards.
- Doris Sarah Young, a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and assistant to the president on aboriginal affairs at the University College of the North.
The ceremony will be held at the Legislature on May 21.


Invesco is a leading global investment management firm with operations in more than 20 companies but an interesting challenge: how do you distinguish your content in a very crowded marketing landscape when your competitors are telling very similar stories to yours?
Invesco landed on a strategy that we call "claiming the expert space." Launching a series called Invesco Interactive, they embarked on a series of quarterly live video events that brought panels of their investment professionals into unscripted conversations with a third-party moderator, Bloomberg Television's Tom Keene. In creating an unscripted and dynamic environment, Invesco was able to highlight the quick-thinking expertise and perspective of their teams, allowing their people to exemplify their brand and strategy more genuinely than traditional marketing content. Audience engagement was unprecedented from traditional webinars, with the ability to ask questions and conduct audience polls live and in real-time.
BrightTALK Studios provided end-to-end service to the series, starting with defining a look and feel for teasers and brand elements, scouting prospective locations and ultimately conducting all production and live webcasting. Additionally, event production days were able to be extended to allow for creating short form video content outside of the roundtable events, making the most use of busy executives' time.


The critics regarded this album as a mere of the concept from the previous album. Due to constant SFR Yugoslavia -wide touring, with frequent stops in Belgrade , Zagreb and Ljubljana , and occasional TV spots, the band's popularity had gradually grown. During the summer of , the band released the album Ljubav Love , co-produced by the band with the Australian musician Theodore Yanni.
Ekb band promoted the release of the live album in Belgrade during January and triumphed at Dom Omladine with six sold-out shows. Pages using Timeline All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from July CS1 Croatian-language sources hr CS1 Serbian-language sources sr Articles with hCards Articles containing Serbian-language sut Articles containing explicitly cited English-language text Articles lacking in-text citations from November All articles lacking in-text citations Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers.
The live recordings were owned by Fece who initiated the album release. She had also made occasional live appearances with the bands DirektoriGlisers and Zion Banda, and appeared as guest on the albums of several Belgrade rock bands. Skv article includes a list of referencesbut its sources remain kev because it has insufficient inline citations. S' vetrom uz lice ranked No.
Catherine the Greatsometimes referred to as EKV for short, was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Belgradebeing one of the most emv and influential music acts coming out of former Yugoslavia. Later he collaborated with Vlada Divljan before moving to the United States where he has been residing ever since.
S3 Mediji Special editidon: During the earlya posthumous live album entitled Live '88 was released, featuring the recordings of the performances from Zagreb and Novi Sad held during the tour.
During the summer ofthe band released the album Ljubav Loveco-produced by the band with the Australian musician Theodore Yanni. Post-punkalternative rockart rockneo-psychedeliarockgothic rock. Of the bands heavily influenced by Ekatarina Velika, by far the most notable is Van Gogh  which has risen to the status of one of the most popular rock acts in Serbia in the second half of the s.
Antologija ex YU rok poezije - There were plans to make a new album, tentatively titled Ponovo zajedno Together Againbut the idea was shelved because of Milan's health problems. November Learn how and when to remove this template message.
The Ljubav reissue featured live bonus material made at the Belgrade Dom Omladine on 13 November and the Novi Sad SNP performance, Samo par godina za nas featured the live bonus tracks from the Avala fest held in September and Dum dum featured alternate and demo recordings and the Dom Omladine live tracks.
Rolling Stone in Croatian. BelgradeSerbiaYugoslavia. The very next day Milan was held in a hospital, and it was soon discovered that he had pancreatic cancer.
It displayed a more guitar-oriented sound, along with stylized sleeve done by Margita and artist Vuk Vidor. The Best albums of Yugoslav pop and rock musicpublished infeatures two albums by the band: On autumn of the same year, the band got the Sedam Sekretara SKOJa for the achievements on the second and third studio album.
This page was last edited on 25 Marchat Ekatarina Velika is considered one of the top and most influential acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The album, produced by Theodore Yanni, featured the prominent songs "Zabranjujem" kev Forbid""Idemo" "Let's Go""Dum dum" "Bang Bang" and "Bledo" "Pale"inspired by the outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars and the general political and economical situation in the country. EKV played what would turn out to be their last ever show on 24 August in Budva at the Pjesma Mediterana festival.
The critics regarded this album as a mere of the concept from the previous album. In earlythe band recorded their second studio album at SIM studio in Zagreb. The book YU In springthe band took part in Zagreb Biennale, receiving positive reviews. The album had also confirmed their live attraction status with two consecutive sold out shows at Belgrade's Pionir Hall sports arena.


I am a painter, photographer, and writer in north Georgia. All of my creative outlets are inspired by nature. I hope you enjoy my work and I would love to hear from you!
Your support makes it possible for me to keep creating art. I am a grateful girl!


I was born and raised in New England and now live in Washington State. I have been riding horses for over sixty years. My grandmother was noted horsewoman, teacher and author Margaret Cabell Self, and it was from her I got my love of horses. My most enduring lesson from her was something she said all the time: "It's never the fault of the horse, it's always the fault of the rider."
My specialty is working with "broken" horses that others have discarded or given up on. These are the horses that have the most to teach us, and I continue to learn more from them and about them every day. Each minute I spend with them brings me joy, and I want to help you find joy with your horse too. Click here to join me on my Blog.
I am also a photographer. Check out my Gallery for photos and memes that are free to share.
What does it mean to be mindful, and how does it relate to working with horses? The dictionary definition of mindfulness is: a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a *therapeutic technique.
One way to learn how to experience mindfulness is to meditate. There are endless free resources available on learning how to meditate, so I wouldn't expound on that here, other than to highly recommend it, and to assert that "I don't have time" is not an acceptable excuse for not at least giving it a try. All it takes is a minimum of ten minutes.
Most tutorials on meditation suggest that you sit by yourself in a quiet room, perhaps listening to music. But you can meditate just about anywhere. (Please don't try it while driving a car!) And one place you can meditate is with your horse.
You are probably already meditating with your horse, you just don't recognize it. If you like to lean on the fence and just watch horses grazing, or if after you feed you get a sense of peace by listening to the contended sounds of horses munching their dinner, those are meditative moments.
For the most simple, easy to do horse meditation, just put your arms around your horse's neck, or lean against his shouder, place your cheek against his soft coat, breath in that wonderful horsey smell. Feel the energy of the universe flow without boundaries between your being, and your horse's being. You are just two of God's creatures together in peace, and that is enough for right now.
I follow the principles taught by horsemen such as Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance, Warwick Schiller and Buck Brannaman.


20 ounce minimum order for gold.
500 ounce minimum order for silver.
Tulving does not report any sales or purchases.
After over 30 years of business,The Tulving Company filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection on March 11, 2014. If you ordered from Tulving after December 9, 2013, and you never received your order, you should contact attorney is Karl S. Kronenberger of Kronenberger Rosenfeld. Kronenberger Rosenfeld has filed a class action lawsuit against The Tulving Company and Hannes Tulving personally.
Hannes Tulving, Jr.'s parents were immigrants who found and live the American Dream. Both mother and father came to the United States in 1949 from Estonia, a small country on the Baltic Sea, that had been taken over by Russia during World War II. They arrived in this country with no money, some clothes, and big dreams. In 1953, Hannes Sr. bought his first business, a Chevron service station. He would remain a Chevron dealer until he retired in 1985.
Hannes Jr. was born July 6th, 1955, and by age eight was already doing odd jobs around his father's service station. He worked on and off at the station through his teenage years, doing such things as working on cars, pumping gas, and doing the daily books. Hannes was the Prom King and also an avid basketball player, and in his senior year at Covina High School in Covina, California, earned All-CIF honors. He proceeded to go to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, in California, on a basketball scholarship.
Hannes Tulving, Jr. became a full time coin dealer in 1976. He began by selling coins at a local swap meet, and then started to attend local coin conventions. Early in his career he was fortunate enough to meet John Wayne, "The Duke." He became one of Mr. Tulving's largest customers, buying gold bullion from him.
For 30+ years in the rare coin business, he never had a commissioned salesperson on staff, nor did he believe in cold calling people. The Tulving Company had no telemarketing operation, nor did they ever. In the past 30+ years, Hannes has bought and sold over 1.1 million individual coins.
Sensing that the Internet may be the place to be, Hannes set up www.tulving.com, in November, 1995. They did all of their business over the internet, using a website, and have done in excess of 1.7 Billion Dollars in business from January 1st, 1999 to November 31st, 2011. They have done business with over 25,000 different customers in all.
Before you buy precious metals from any bullion dealer, be sure to check out the price comparison charts for silver coins, silver bars, gold coins and gold bars, and of course read the The Tulving Company reviews below.
1.0 out of 5 from 1 customer reviews.
I ordered a monster box over 5 weeks ago and it still hasn't been delivered. My email is never answered and on their website it has some lame excuse like "Our E Mail Has Not Been Working Properly For The Last Few Days." So I finally called and they said they were behind and couldn't tell me when my eagles would come.
I wouldn't mind waiting if I knew up front that there would be delays but there was nothing on the site that indicated delays or shortages at the time I placed my order.


Marti Daly is a Certified Hypnotist who specializes in helping clients who struggle with weight, stopping smoking and tobacco, and overcoming fears such as flying and public speaking. She herself is a survivor of an autoimmune thyroid disease that contributed to nearly a decade of her own weight struggles, and also led her to the discovery of hypnotherapy as a powerful tool for overcoming them. She is the author of ThinSights – A 30 Day Journey to Mind & Body Transformation, a guidebook of self-hypnosis techniques to tackle common weight loss challenges. She has been featured on eHealth BlogTalk Radio, eWomenNetwork with Sandra Yancey on ABC Radio, and in the Colorado Springs Independent. She has also been included on panels of experts in the Sweet Dreams Online Sleep Summit, Love Yourself Skinny...Its Not about The Scale Telesummit, and Ageless: The Global Wellness Giveaway.
Marti is a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, the oldest certifying body of hypnotists in the world. She is a graduate of the University of Denver in Denver, CO and received her hypnosis training at the Eastburn Institute of Hypnosis in Westminster, CO. When she's not in the office, you'll find Marti exploring Colorado with her husband, geocaching with her four children, or hiking with her Newfoundland dog.


text:
Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology /
Blood Purification /
W.P. Brouwer (Willem), Duran, S. (Servet) and Ince, C. (Can)
Improved survival beyond 28 days up to 1 year after cytosorb treatment for refractory septic shock: A propensity-weighted retrospective survival analysis
Blood Purification
Background and Aims: It is currently unknown whether CytoSorb treatment for septic shock improves long-term survival beyond 28 days from intensive care unit (ICU) admission and which factors determine outcome. Methods: This was a long-term follow-up retrospective analysis of patients with septic shock who were treated with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) + CytoSorb (n = 67) or CRRT alone (n = 49). These patients were previously analyzed for 28-day mortality. The primary outcome was the time to long-term all-cause mortality. Factors associated with time to event were analyzed both weighted by stabilized inverse probability of treatment weights (sIPTW) as well as unweighted stratified by therapy received. Results: The median follow-up for the total cohort was 30 days (interquartile range [IQR]: 5-334, maximum 1,059 days) after ICU admission and 333 days (IQR: 170-583) for those who survived beyond 28 days (n = 59). Survival beyond 28 days was sustained up to 1 year after ICU admission for both treatment regimens: 80% (standard error [SE] 7%) vs. 87% (SE 7%), for CytoSorb vs. CRRT, respectively, p = 0.853. By sIPTW, CytoSorb was significantly associated with long-term outcome compared to CRRT (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.37-0.93, p = 0.025). Independent factors associated with long-term outcome in CytoSorb-treated patients were baseline log10 lactate levels (aHR 5.1, p = 0.002), age in the presence of comorbidity (aHR 2.60, p = 0.013), and presence of abdominal sepsis (aHR 0.34, p = 0.004). A lactate level above 6.0 mmol/L at the start of CytoSorb therapy had a positive predictive value of 79% for mortality (p = 0.013). Conclusions: Survival is achieved with CytoSorb and CRRT for patients with septic shock beyond 28 days from ICU admission and may be improved for CytoSorb treatment. Lactate levels above 6.0 mmol/L at the start of CytoSorb therapy are predictive of worse outcome with high specificity and positive predictive value.
Keywords CytoSorb, Cytosorbent, Hemofiltration, Mortality, Outcome, Sepsis, Septic shock, Treatment
Persistent URL doi.org/10.1159/000512309, hdl.handle.net/1765/132911
Journal Blood Purification
Organisation Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Brouwer, W.P, Duran, S. (Servet), & Ince, C. (Can). (2020). Improved survival beyond 28 days up to 1 year after cytosorb treatment for refractory septic shock: A propensity-weighted retrospective survival analysis. Blood Purification. doi:10.1159/000512309


text:
Q: C++ virtual function undefined at link time - why? I'm having a bit of trouble using virtual functions in C++, and I might be misusing them in a constructor. The problem is that when linking a component lib (written by me) into my final executable, a virtual function is marked as undefined, even though I have written an implementation for it, and linked it.
I have the following class:
template<class BufferType, class ConnectionType, class HandlerType>
class UdpConnection
{
public:
UdpConnection(size_t dispatchCount) : service(),
        listener(service),
        pool(dispatchCount), sysMsgHandlers(),
        bufferPool(), buffers()
    {
        assert(dispatchCount > 0);
        initBuffers(dispatchCount);
        initSysHandlers();
    }
protected:
    virtual void initSysHandlers() = 0;
}

In my subclass:
class UdpClient : public UdpConnection<SyncBufferHandler, UdpClient, ClientNetworkHandler>
{
    protected:
        void initSysHandlers();
}

And the subclass source file:
void UdpClient::initSysHandlers()
{

}

As you can see, I am calling a virtual function in my constructor. As far as I can tell, this should be fine, since I am aware that my subclass constructor won't have been called, so I can't use any instance variables, but I simply add a few sub-class specific items to a std::map.
Linking CXX static library libnetwork.a
[ 75%] Built target network
Scanning dependencies of target testclient
[ 87%] Building CXX object CMakeFiles/testclient.dir/src/test/testclient.cpp.o
Linking CXX executable testclient
src/network/libnetwork.a(udpclient.cpp.o): In function `voip::network::UdpConnection<voip::network::client::SyncBufferHandler, voip::network::client::UdpClient, voip::network::client::ClientNetworkHandler>::UdpConnection(unsigned long)':
udpclient.cpp:(.text._ZN4voip7network13UdpConnectionINS0_6client17SyncBufferHandlerENS2_9UdpClientENS2_20ClientNetworkHandlerEEC2Em[voip::network::UdpConnection<voip::network::client::SyncBufferHandler, voip::network::client::UdpClient, voip::network::client::ClientNetworkHandler>::UdpConnection(unsigned long)]+0x10d): undefined reference to `voip::network::UdpConnection<voip::network::client::SyncBufferHandler, voip::network::client::UdpClient, voip::network::client::ClientNetworkHandler>::initSysHandlers()'
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status

What am I doing wrong here? Please ask if you need more information, wanted to keep it as short as possible!

A: You are calling the virtual function from the base class constructor.  There are special rules for the dispatch of virtual functions during construction and destruction:
Effectively, when the constructor of the base class UdpConnection is executing, the dynamic type of the object is UdpConnection, not UdpClient, so the final overrider of the virtual function that is selected is the one for UdpConnection, not the most derived class, UdpClient.
This means that when you call initSysHandlers() in the UdpConnection constructor, it is UdpConnection::initSysHandlers() that gets called, ever time, not the override in the most derived class.  Because you haven't provided a definition of UdpConnection::initSysHandlers(), you get the linker error.
The expert advice is that you should "Never Call Virtual Functions during Construction or Destruction".

A: Dont call virtual functions at the construction time. The construction goes from the base class to the derived class. So the constructor UdpConnection::UdpConnection does not yet know that the class has been inherited. The vtable for the derived class was not yet formed at this point, and the address of the overloaded function to call is not known.

A: You should never call virtual functions in a constructor or destructor as they do not have the expected behavior. The object has not been fully created until the constructor has return.
The base class constructor is called before the derived class constructor; therefore the base class data member and functions are created and defined first. So in your case, the UdpConnection ctor will try to call UdpConnection::initSysHandlers, NOT UdpClient::initSysHandlers because it has not be created yet. Since UdpConnection::initSysHandlers is pure virtual, it is therefore undefined at that point.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


After months of preparation, 103 teams from across the Pacific Northwest presented their projects on May 20, 2017. At the end of the competition, the scores were tallied and the winners were announced at the Award Ceremony that evening.
Can Infrared Cameras Detect Sick Plants?
$300 for each student team member. Presented in Alphabetical order by High School.


text:
Amanda Knox Appeal Hearing: Raffaele Sollecito Waffles
A day after Knox lashed out at her dubious accuser, she got a break on Wednesday with a new report that could lead to her exoneration. Barbie Latza Nadeau reports from Italy.
Barbie Latza Nadeau
Correspondent-At-Large
Updated Jul. 13, 2017 6:47PM ET / Published Jun. 27, 2011 11:41AM ET
Franco Origlia / Getty Images
Amanda Knox's chances for freedom were bolstered on Wednesday when independent forensic experts submitted their report on crucial DNA evidence used to convict Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. In the report, obtained by The Daily Beast, the experts say that due to "mishandling of the crime scene, contamination cannot be ruled out" on a knife with Knox's DNA on the handle and what prosecution claimed was Kercher's on the blade and on the victim's bra with Sollecito's DNA on the metal clasp. The findings will be presented to the Perugia appellate court on July 25.
On Tuesday, a day marked by emotional high points, bizarre twists, and questionable lawyering, Rudy Guede confirmed his previous accusation that Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito killed Meredith Kercher on Nov. 1, 2007. Knox and Sollecito are in the midst of their appellate trial, hoping to be freed by the fall. Guede, whose 30-year sentence was reduced on appeal to 16 years for his part in the murder, was called to testify after several inmates claimed he exonerated Knox and Sollecito during prison-yard conversations. During the course of his testimony, he denied ever speaking to any inmates about Kercher's murder, refuting last week's testimony entirely. Then he confirmed the contents of a letter he sent to his lawyers in March 2010, in which he says it is Knox and Sollecito, not him, who are responsible for Kercher's murder. "It's not up to me to say who killed Meredith Kercher," the letter states. "I've always said who was there that damned night in that house."
Neither the defense nor prosecution wanted Guede to say too much in court. He is not exactly a credible witness. Unlike Knox and Sollecito, whose forensic link to the crime is highly contentious, Guede's DNA was prevalent throughout the murder room, and his feces were found in the apartment toilet. But he is the only person to ever admit being in the house the night Kercher was killed, and therefore his testimony is considered vital in this phase of the process. Before his arrest, he told a friend during a monitored Skype conversation that Knox was not involved in the murder. Then he changed his story and said the two were at the house and that he presumed they were the killers. Credibility issues aside, his placing them in the house on the night of the murder is not exactly something they wanted the jury to hear, so it is even more surprising, then, that Knox's own lawyer, Carlo Dalla Vedova, pushed Guede to talk about the fateful night. "I know what I know. I saw what I saw," Guede told the court when pressed for clarification.
Knox is not scheduled to testify in her appellate hearing, but she can make a spontaneous declaration at any time. Once Guede was seated in the witness stand, Dalla Vedova announced that she wanted to speak, perhaps to make a plea directly to Guede to finally tell the truth. But the judge referred to court protocol, and since Guede was already on the stand, he prohibited her from speaking until he had left the courtroom. She then nervously addressed the court. "I am shocked and anguished by his declarations," she said after Guede left the stand. "The only time the three of us have ever been together is in a courtroom. He knows we were not there."Sollecito then made his own plea to the court that Guede was lying. He apologized for being nervous, and then explained that Guede has been repeating the same story about seeing him and hearing Knox in the shadows that night. "He is lying. He knows the truth," Sollecito told the court. "We have been here for almost four years now. Our lives are destroyed."The rest of the day's witnesses provided only further confusion in a case that has never been completely clear. Last week mobster Luciano Aviello testified that his brother was the real assassin and was now on the lam. He said that he buried the murder weapon and Kercher's keys in a back garden in Perugia. After Guede, two inmates testified that Aviello had actually been paid by Sollecito's lawyer, Giulia Bongiorno, for his testimony. Aviello, it emerged, was saving up for a sex-change operation and needed the cash. A police officer then testified that Aviello had been a police informant who had proved unreliable, so the garden in question was never dug up to see if the keys and knife were really there. On June 30, forensic experts will submit a report to the appellate court detailing their independent examination of two crucial pieces of DNA evidence. The court will reconvene July 25 to hear the experts' evidence and both the prosecution and defense experts' rebuttals. Then closing arguments will begin in early September, with a verdict expected in October.


text:
Home / Undergraduate / Undergraduate Courses / Fall 2011 / Continental Philosophy: Hegel to Sartre (PHIL 390/001)
Instructor: James Lesher. This course meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. in Caldwell 208. Course prerequisite: Philosophy major or permission of instructor.
The continental tradition in philosophy consists of the ideas and theories developed by European (mainly French and German) thinkers during the 19th and 20th centuries. Among its main movements are idealism, phenomenology, Marxism, critical theory, hermeneutics, existentialism, structuralism, post-structuralism, and 'French literary theory'. This course will be devoted to the study of a dozen thinkers within the idealist and existentialist traditions. The goal of the course is to become familiar with some of the main themes in continental thought, to understand how earlier views helped to shape later ones, and to appreciate both the more admirable and the more deplorable aspects of philosophizing in the continental manner.
Required Texts:Brian O'Connor and George Mohr, German Idealism (University of Chicago, Press, 2006) ISBN 978-0-226-61673-5
Ludwig Feuerbach, The Essence of Christianity (Create Space), ISBN-13: 978-1456569419
Karl Marx, Selected Writings, L. Simon, ed. (Hackett) ISBN-13: 978-0872202184
Friedrich Nietzsche, Basic Writings of Nietzsche (Modern Library). ISBN-13: 978-0679783398.
Walter Kaufman, Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre (Penguin Publishing, 1956) ISBN 978-0-452-00930-1
Grading measures:
There will be one in-class exam, one class presentation (of 8 to 10 pages), and the final exam.
James Lesher's webpage