text:
package org.twig4j.core.syntax.parser.node;

import org.twig4j.core.compiler.ClassCompiler;
import org.twig4j.core.compiler.Compilable;
import org.twig4j.core.compiler.LineAware;
import org.twig4j.core.exception.LoaderException;
import org.twig4j.core.exception.Twig4jRuntimeException;

import java.util.*;

/**
 * Represents something in the AST.
 */
public class Node implements Compilable, LineAware {
    // The nodes belonging to this node
    protected List<Node> nodes;
    // The attributes belonging to this node
    protected Map<String, Object> attributes;
    // The line the node begins on
    protected Integer line;
    // A tag ("block operation", i.e. "if" or "for") this node belongs to
    private String tag;

    public Node(List<Node> nodes, Map<String, Object> attributes, Integer line, String tag) {
        this.nodes = nodes;
        this.attributes = attributes;
        this.line = line;
        this.tag = tag;
    }

    public Node(Integer line) {
        this.nodes = new ArrayList<>();
        this.attributes = new LinkedHashMap<>();
        this.line = line;
    }

    /**
     * Compiles the node to Java code
     *
     * @param compiler The compiler
     */
    public void compile(ClassCompiler compiler) throws LoaderException, Twig4jRuntimeException {
        for (Node node : nodes) {
            node.compile(compiler);
        }
    }

    /**
     * Set an attribute
     *
     * @param name The name of the attribute
     * @param attribute The attribute
     */
    public void putAttribute(String name, Object attribute) {
        attributes.put(name, attribute);
    }

    /**
     * Returns true if the attribute with the given name exists
     *
     * @param name The name of the attribute
     * @return Whether the attribute exists or not
     */
    public Boolean hasAttribute(String name) {
        return attributes.containsKey(name);
    }

    /**
     * Get an attribute by its name
     *
     * @param name The name of the attribute
     *
     * @return The attribute
     *
     * @throws Twig4jRuntimeException If the node attribute does not exist
     */
    public Object getAttribute(String name) throws Twig4jRuntimeException {
        if (!attributes.containsKey(name)) {
            throw Twig4jRuntimeException.nodeAttributeDoesNotExist(name, this, getLine());
        }

        return attributes.get(name);
    }

    /**
     * Removes an attribute by name
     *
     * @param name The name of the attribute to remove
     */
    public void removeAttribute(String name) {
        attributes.remove(name);
    }

    /**
     * Add a node at a specific index
     *
     * @param index The index of the node
     * @param node The node
     */
    public void addNode(Integer index, Node node) {
        nodes.add(index, node);
    }

    /**
     * Add a node
     *
     * @param node The node
     */
    public void addNode(Node node) {
        nodes.add(node);
    }

    /**
     * Returns true if the node with the given index exists
     *
     * @param index The index of the node
     *
     * @return Whether the node exists or not
     */
    public Boolean hasNode(Integer index) {
        return nodes.size() > index;
    }

    /**
     * Get a node by its name
     *
     * @param index The index of the node
     *
     * @return The node
     *
     * @throws Twig4jRuntimeException If the node cannot be found
     */
    public Node getNode(Integer index) throws Twig4jRuntimeException {
        if (!hasNode(index)) {
            throw Twig4jRuntimeException.noNodeWithIndexExists(index, this);
        }

        return nodes.get(index);
    }

    /**
     * Get all child nodes
     *
     * @return All child nodes
     */
    public List<Node> getNodes() {
        return nodes;
    }

    /**
     * Removes a node by its index
     *
     * @param index The name of the node to remove
     */
    public void removeNode(Integer index) {
        nodes.remove(index);
    }

    /**
     * Gets the line the node is from
     *
     * @return The line
     */
    public Integer getLine() {
        return line;
    }

    /**
     * Sets the line the node is from
     *
     * @param line The line
     */
    public void setLine(Integer line) {
        this.line = line;
    }

    /**
     * Gets the tag name the node is associated with
     *
     * @return The tag name
     */
    public String getNodeTag() {
        return tag;
    }

    /**
     * Set the tag name the node is associated with
     *
     * @param tag The tag name
     */
    public void setTag(String tag) {
        this.tag = tag;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
How can the climate movement and the anti‑war movement come together?
In this article translated from German, Christian Zeller looks at the strategies the climate movement and anti war movement could explore in bringing both together.
Exit from the fossil economy and rearmament, solidarity with the Ukrainian resistance
We live in a time of abrupt turns. [1]
Global warming is accelerating. The climate is changing faster than previously thought. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is largely aimed at the territorial conquest of a neighbouring state, the destruction of its army and the overthrow of its government. [2] This is something that has not existed in Europe in this way since 1945.
Even before this assault, the NATO countries, Russia and China started an arms race. The antagonisms between the various imperialisms intensified enormously. [3]The wave of rearmament that was already being prepared and launched before the war in Ukraine is an expression of intensifying competion for access to scarce resources that are so urgently needed in connection with the energy transition.
Global warming, this war and the danger of wars to come are interconnected and should be understood in a common context.
Global warming is accelerating
Let's first look at the dynamics of global warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published the second part of its sixth assessment report on February 28th. [4] In this report, the IPCC warns more than ever about the dangerous dynamic. The climate is changing rapidly. The consequences are already being felt and will affect the lives of a large part of humanity in a very short time. The clock is ticking.
No place is exempt, and there is no inhabited region unaffected by rising temperatures and increasing weather extremes.
About half of the world's population – between 3.3 and 3.6 billion people – live in areas that are "highly vulnerable" to climate change.
Millions of people face food and water shortages due to climate change, even with current warming levels.
A mass extinction of species from trees to coral is already underway. These changes in ecosystems endanger food production for humans.
1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level represents a "critical value" above which the effects of the climate crisis will accelerate sharply and in some cases become irreversible.
Coastal areas around the world and small low-lying islands are at risk of flooding if the temperature rises more than 1.5 degrees.
Major ecosystems are losing their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, turning them from carbon sinks to carbon sources, like the Amazon, which has now become a net emitter.
Some countries have agreed to conserve 30 percent of the Earth's land area, but half that area may need to be conserved to restore the ability of natural ecosystems to deal with the damage done to them.
The COP26 in Glasgow did not decide on any effective measures against global warming. On the contrary, the conference degenerated into an institution that serves as a platform for the great imperialist powers to pit their economic policy and geo-economic strategies against each other and to negotiate their spheres of influence. Given the increasing momentum, something like a "everyone for themselves" logic is spreading. Governments have resisted effective action on global warming for decades. The compulsion of capital to multiply and generate profits seems to outweigh the laws of nature. In just a few years, this will mean that many millions of people will lose their livelihoods due to climatic change and social upheavals.
Russian war of aggression against Ukraine pushes climate protection into the background
Governments are now using the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine as an excuse to largely abandon climate protection measures, which were already inadequate. Coal, gas and oil are back in fashion and the stock market values of companies in this sector are rising.
The armaments industry and armies are among the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Instead of turning this armaments industry into useful production [5], it now receives huge new orders. In Germany, the social-democratic-green-liberal government is burying climate protection and launching an armament program that we have not seen since the end of the Second World War. Once again, a social-democratic and green government is pushing ahead with rearmament and enforcing extremely pro-capital policies. As a reminder: the red-green Schröder-Fischer government from 1998 to 2005 gave finance capital new privileges like no other government before and after. In 1999, when the Kosovo war escalated, it led Germany into a war for the first time since World War II with airstrikes against Serbia and the stationing of troops in Macedonia.
The EU and the US have decided on tough economic sanctions against Russia. So far, the oil and gas business has not been affected. This is also controversial among the governing parties in Europe. The inconsistency of EU policy can be seen in current figures. The EU countries reduced their dependence on Russian natural gas in 2021. But the share of natural gas from Russia is still around 28 per cent.
What is remarkable, however, is that the daily amounts that the EU transfers to Russia for gas supplies have risen massively since the beginning of the war, from around 200 million euros to up to 660 million for a short time. Gas prices are largely determined on the basis of the average prices of the previous month. Will prices remain at current levels? Gazprom will collect the corresponding amounts at the beginning of April.
In terms of quantity, business with Russian oil is even more important. Russia is the third-largest oil producer in the world after the USA and Saudi Arabia and is even the leading exporter of refined oil products. Export earnings from fossil fuels collapsed in the crisis year 2020 to 142 billion US dollars from 220 billion in the previous year. And oil exports fell from $121 billion to $72.5 billion.
However, business recovered noticeably in 2021 and Russia was able to benefit from the massive price increase. Russia's largest oil market is in Europe. Russia is the third-largest oil producer in the world after the USA and Saudi Arabia and is even the leading exporter of refined oil products.
Export earnings from fossil fuels collapsed in the crisis year 2020 to 142 billion US dollars from 220 billion in the previous year. And oil exports fell from $121 billion to $72.5 billion. However, business recovered noticeably in 2021 and Russia was able to benefit from the massive price increase. Russia's largest oil market is Europe. Russia is the third-largest oil producer in the world after the USA and Saudi Arabia and is even the leading exporter of refined oil products.
Export earnings from fossil fuels collapsed in the crisis year 2020 to 142 billion US dollars from 220 billion in the previous year. And oil exports fell from $121 billion to $72.5 billion. However, business recovered noticeably in 2021 and Russia was able to benefit from the massive price increase. Russia's largest oil market is Europe.[6] Revenues from taxes and export duties from the oil and gas business accounted for 45 per cent of the Russian state budget in January 2022. [7]
There is not the slightest sign that European countries want to drain this key source of financing for the Russian war machine. In all their rivalry with Russian capital, they are bound up with it too. In doing so, the EU is thwarting its own economic war sanctions against Russia. Crucial to these sanctions is the freezing of part of Russia's foreign exchange reserves (estimated at $640 billion) by Western countries. But Russia also has assets in gold ($145 billion) in the country and foreign exchange reserves in renminbi ($90 billion). But with the remittance of oil and gas money, which increases with higher prices, Russia can partially mitigate the other sanctions.
The sanctions weapon is aimed less against the Russian oligarchy and certainly not against fossil capitalism; rather, it is intended to weaken the country's economic and industrial base. As a result, and directly through the devaluation of the ruble, wage earners will bear the brunt of these sanctions. Sanctions against the ruling oligarchy, especially the oil and gas oligarchs, would have to be much more targeted. However, the governments in Europe do not want sanctions against the oligarchy and the fossil fuel economy because they want to continue importing Russian gas themselves. Some politicians are now calling for a move away from Russian gas, and suggesting instead, that fracked gas should be sourced from the USA, which has even worse ecological effects.
EU sanctions against Russia are undoubtedly a weapon in economic warfare. That is why the climate movement and the anti-war movement must take a critical view of these sanctions. They do not serve to support the Ukrainian resistance, and certainly not socio-ecological restructuring. But on the contrary. The climate movement must take the war as an opportunity to question the fossil economy both in principle and also specifically in the current situation.
European countries must immediately begin gradually phasing out imports of Russian oil. The Russian gas must not be replaced by gas from elsewhere, and certainly not by fracking gas from the USA, which is far more ecologically harmful. This is exactly what the governments are projecting now. The climate movement, in alliance with a new anti-war movement, must resolutely oppose this.
The climate movement needs to think about how to directly denounce and weaken fossil capital organized as Shell, ExxonMobil, BP, OMV, Gazprom or Lukoil. The Russian corporations should not be looked at one-sidedly, because any market losses would only be taken over by rivals. The fundamental questioning of the fossil economy should be expressed in the forms of action taken against individual corporations.
But at the same time, it is also about directly weakening the Russian war machine, which is closely linked to fossil capital. That's why boycotts of Russian gas and oil are right, so long as they don't simply help US and European rivals take over those markets in turn. The Russian commodity capital places its pension income on the international financial centres. Fossil finance capital, including Russian capital, can be symbolically pilloried, for example with campaigns and petitions. In this context, however, the investment funds, pension funds, banks and life insurance companies, which serve as investment locations and marshalling yards for this capital, should also be targeted. This would make it possible to give concrete expression to opposition both to the Russian war of aggression and to the fossil fuel economy.
The big problem, however, is that neither the climate nor the anti-war movement is currently able to really push through such ideas. This requires broad social anchoring.
How can anti-war and climate movements come together?
The traditional peace movement in Germany is discredited. For years, its exponents – many of them coming from a Stalinist political tradition – remained silent on Russian imperialism, the aggressive wars in Chechnya, Georgia, the annexation of Crimea, the orchestrated war in eastern Ukraine and the murderous mass bombing of Syrian cities. It prioritized allegedly "legitimate Russian security interests" over the well-being of the people in those regions. It unilaterally denounced the offensive nature of NATO, which is indeed offensive, while downplaying the specific imperialist character of the Russian state and its resource-extracting rentier economy.[8] Partly from this perspective, Ukraine's right to self-defence and thus to its own territorial existence is now being contested. This again amounts to support for the Russian position. It is time for a united anti-war and climate movement to put this problematic legacy behind.
If the young climate movement could be combined with a new anti-war movement that no longer has anything to do with thinking in geopolitical blocs and the traditional toleration of Russian imperialism, a strong social force could emerge. This cobined movement could converge on three closely related strategic axes.
1. Solidarity with the civil and armed resistance of the Ukrainian population against the Russian invading and occupying forces and with the Russian anti-war movement.
The Ukrainian population is legitimately resisting the occupation. Their resistance is impressive and much stronger than probably many in the world thought. We must stand up for the right of the Ukrainian people to self-determination. Of course, the people of Ukraine have the right to armed resistance and they have the right to acquire these weapons. The population that is resisting deserves our political and material support. The admission of refugees, including deserting soldiers, is urgently needed. [9]
The Zelensky government throws itself at NATO. Left and progressive movements should not submit to this government, which has an anti-worker agenda. There is also a danger that fascist forces in Ukraine can expand their influence and strengthen their own armed units precisely through the attack by Russia. The Ukrainian population must decide how resistance to the Russian invasion and occupation forces will be organized.
Should independent associations of trade unions and social movements form, they would have to be supported. This resistance in Ukraine and resistance from the Russian population can defeat Putin. That must be the goal.
People in the Ukrainian cities that are being bombed are experiencing a murderous escalation of the war and are calling for help. Nevertheless, a no-fly zone should be rejected because it would result in a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia. The delivery of NATO aircraft to Ukraine could also internationalize the escalation. This makes international mobilization against the Putin regime all the more important, especially in Russia itself.
Russian capital, derived from the exploitation of Russian workers and the plunder of natural resources, parks billions of US dollars in Europe's financial institutions, particularly in Switzerland and in the world's offshore financial centres. These assets should be confiscated. After the war, and after the fall of the Putin regime, they should be returned to the Russian population to finance the reconstruction of the Ukrainian infrastructure. But the matter is contradictory. Since these sanctions are carried out by other imperialist states with their own great power interests, we cannot have the slightest confidence that they are being carried out in the interests of the people.
Ukraine has a debt burden of around 94 billion US dollars (2020). The country is in hock to the International Monetary Fund. In order to give the country room to rebuild and develop properly, international creditors must be forced to cancel the debt.
2. Resistance to any rearmament by European countries, the USA and NATO:
NATO is an imperialist military alliance. We must completely resist rearmament in European countries. The current rearmament programs have nothing to do with Ukraine. Rather, they serve to prepare for the intensifying imperialist rivalry for raw materials that are becoming scarce but are urgently needed for the "green" energy transition. It is about the struggle for future zones of influence and markets.
This rearmament will not help the Ukrainian people now or in the future. This wave of rearmament will soon be accompanied by enormous cuts in other areas, above all in the social infrastructure and in the social sector. The armaments industry and the armies are among the most important emitters of CO2.
The US defence industry was responsible for 15 per cent of total US industrial CO2 emissions in 2017. [10] Although the defence industry in Europe is smaller than in the US, military-related CO2 emissions are significant. The massive increase in armaments expenditure that has now been decided in Germany and other countries will again significantly increase CO2 emissions. This policy, which simply ignores global warming, must be vigorously opposed.
3. For a rapid, gradual phase-out of the fossil fuel economy.
The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine is based not least on Russia's fossil-based economy. War not only pushes global warming and its consequences into the background but also drives CO2 emissions. At the same time, the war makes it clear how urgent it is to phase out the entire fossil fuel economy. That is why not only the Russian, but all gas and oil companies should be placed at the centre of information campaigns. A debate needs to be developed about how these corporations – and of course the entire defence sector – can be socially controlled and appropriated. This is a mandatory prerequisite for gradually shutting down and converting these production lines.
We need to combine resistance to government ignorance of global warming, Russia's imperialist war (as well as other wars), and too militaristic armament. The alternative is brutally simple. It's all about life instead of capital. If we choose life, we must oppose capital and its wars in East and West against people and against nature.
We live in a time that is compacted and changing rapidly and abruptly. The foundations of previous strategies are crumbling away. The contradictions of capitalist society are growing and increasingly violent, narrowing the scope for "compromises" more and more. [11] There is no longer any scope for gradual reforms of the capitalist system. This time has expired, the sudden changes in the earth system underline this.
The sketch presented here of a common perspective of the climate and anti-war movements are just a beginning. It is important to discuss further strategic hypotheses. We must open a cross-border discussion about what transnational revolutionary eco-socialist strategies in global responsibility can look like.
[1] Zeller, Christian (2021): Ecosocialist Strategies in the Anthropocene. Introduction to the series of articles. The Love of Freedom . October 17, 2021. https://diefreiheitsliebe.de/politik/oekosozialist-strategien-im-anthropozaen/
[2] Zeller, Christian (2022): War of Russian imperialism against Ukraine: Result of long preparations. sozialismus.ch . February 26, 2022. https://sozialismus.ch/international/2022/krieg-des-russian-imperialism-against-die-ukraine-result-long-preparation/
[3] Zeller, Christian (2022): Against the world of imperialism - building the world of resistance from below. sozialismus.ch . February 23, 2022. https://sozialismus.ch/international/2022/gegen-die-welt-der-imperialismen-build-up-the-world-of-resistance-from-below/
[4] IPCC (2022): Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Summary for Policy Makers , Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Working Group II contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report, WMO and UNEP, 36 pages. https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6wg2/pdf/IPCC_AR6_WGII_SummaryForPolicymakers.pdf .
[5] Zeller, Christian (2020): Revolution for the climate. Why we need an ecosocialist alternative . Munich: Oekom Verlag, pp. 83-85; accessible online at Die Freiheitsliebe: https://diefreiheitsliebe.de/politik/fuer-den-klimaschutz-unerlaesslich-Radicale-abruestung-als-erster-step-zur-infragestellung-der-armeen/
[6] Marina Zapf: Das Capital February 6, 2022 https://www.capital.de/wirtschaft-politik/mehr-als-oel-und-gas-das-sind-russias-important-exportgueter-128171
[7] IEA: Frequently Asked Questions on Energy Security, 2 March 2022 https://www.iea.org/articles/frequently-asked-questions-on-energy-security
[8] Examples of this complete misorientation are numerous. A look at the website https://nie-wieder-krieg.org/ gives an impression. The "Zeitung gegen den Krieg" (Newspaper against the War), which was included with other left-wing newspapers after the start of the war, is downright grotesque. https://zeitung-gegen-den-krieg.de/ , the latest issue can be found here: https://zeitung-gegen-den-krieg.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/zgk_50-01.pdf
[9] The proposals of the Office of the Fourth International of March 1, 2022 Solidarity with the Ukrainian and Russian resistance to the war! offer a good basis for establishing concrete solidarity with the Ukrainian resistance
[10] Zeller, Christian (2020): Revolution for the climate. Why we need an ecosocialist alternative . Munich: Oekom Verlag, pp. 83–85; accessible online at Die Freiheitsliebe: https://diefreiheitsliebe.de/politik/fuer-den-klimaschutz-unerlaesslich-Radicale-abruestung-als-erster-step-zur-infragestellung-der-armeen/
[11] Zeller, Christian (2021): Ecosocialist Strategies in the Anthropocene. Introduction to the series of articles. The Love of Freedom . October 17, 2021. https://diefreiheitsliebe.de/politik/oekosozialist-strategien-im-anthropozaen/
Source > Die Freiheitsliebe
The Anti*Capitalist Resistance Editorial Board may not always agree with all of the content we repost but feel it is important to give left voices a platform and develop a space for comradely debate and disagreement.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


As well as replacing a door because it has become rusted or been damaged in an accident, you may also need to do this job before a respray. With the doors off, the door pillars and inside surfaces can then be resprayed properly.
Most cars have their hinges at the front of the door. The door is removed from the body by releasing the hinge securing screws or bolts or a central hinge pin. You may also need to disconnect any check straps and wiring.
Some doors have a check strap to stop it from opening too far. This has to be disconnected along with any electrical wiring (such as to the speakers) and air ducting before you can take off the door.
The check strap is usually held on by a small nut and bolt or a clevis pin and split pin combination. On some cars the end of the strap is fixed inside the door pillar or frame and you have to take off the kick-strip or door trim panel (see Bodywork 8) to get at the fixings.
Once the fixing is revealed, remove the split pin and clevis pin or the nut and bolt holding the strap. The strap may have an unattached end in the door pillar - if so, after removing the fixed end, tie it up to stop it falling down inside. If the strap is held with a pin crimped at one end, the best way to remove it is to hacksaw it off.
With the check strap disconnected, open the door as far as it will go. Clean the area around the hinges and mark their positions with a felt-tip pen to help with reassembly.
Hinge bolts and pins are often very tight so soak them with penetrating oil and allow time for it to work in before you start to undo them. Then disconnect any wiring from the door (see sideline overleaf for details).
Below are the three common types of door hinge.
This type is welded to both the body and the the door and is held together by a central pin.
Or it may be bolted or screwed to both the body and door.
You can buy new replacement doors from a dealer but this has its drawbacks. Apart from being expensive, you will also need to transfer all the fittings from the old door to the new one and paint the new one.
It's cheaper to find a good secondhand door in a scrapyard. Try to get one in the right colour and with all the fittings in place. Make sure you check it carefully for any signs of corrosion or dents, and check especially for any damage that has been repaired with body filler.
The hinges may be held to the door and door pillar by bolts or screws, or they may be bolted on one side and welded on the other. Alternatively, they may be welded to the car and door on both sides and held together by a hinge pin.
If the fixings are screws, use a tight-fitting screwdriver to undo them. You may need to use an impact driver fitted with a suitable end bit to release them.
If the fixings are bolts, use a socket spanner. If they are very tight, again you can often use an impact driver on them by removing the adapter head and fitting a socket directly to the end of the impact driver.
Use a felt-tip pen to mark around the hinge plate where it rests on the pillar or door frame.
If a check strap is fitted remove it by either unbolting or releasing the split pin and clevis pin.
Lubricate the securing bolts or screws with penetrating oil then remove all but one from each hinge.
With a helper to support the door, remove the last bolts or screws, and lift the door away.
If the hinges are held on by bolts or screws, loosen all the fixings on the top hinge and take them out except for one, and then do the same for the lower hinge. Then get a helper to hold the outer edge of the door while you remove the last two fixings. When they are out, you can lift off the door.
Note whether there are any shims fitted behind the hinges and how many. Keep them somewhere safe. If your door is fixed with hinge pins, drive them out with a drift while a friend holds the door.
Get a helper to hold the door while you roughly line up the hinges. Refit any shims and then screw all the bolts or screws into place - don't do them up tight yet.
Move the door until both hinges are in line with the marks you made earlier, then fully tighten the bolts or screws. If the hinges are held by pins, fit new pins by carefully hammering them into place with a drift or the old pin.
Reconnect the check strap and check the action and fit of the door. Adjust it if necessary. Finally reconnect any wiring and air ducts, and refit the trim panel if you removed it.
Disconnect the battery earth lead to avoid any possible short circuits.
Find out where the wiring runs into the door and disconnect it at its nearest multi-plug connector. Some wires, such as speaker wires, have to be removed from the back of the speakers themselves. Pull out any grommets in the door frame through which the wiring runs, then tie the wires out of the way.
After refitting the door, connect up the wiring, then reconnect the battery.


Incredibly easy to use, the Rescue Stick™ provides rapid flotation assistance to a person at risk of drowning. Simply remove the baton shaped Rescue Stick™ from its waterproof bag and throw near the person. Once contact is made with the water it inflates in seconds to a large horseshoe shape keeping them afloat and their head above water until help arrives.
Measuring only 14 in length and weighing less than 1 lb., the Rescue Stick™ is the most versatile rescue flotation device available. Easily stowed in a boat, vehicle, backpack or by the pool it will be accessible when and where you need it. Simple to repack and reuse - insert a new bobbin and screw in the replacement handle containing the CO2 cylinder (Re-Arm Kit MA7206).
Anyone who can throw a stick can throw the Rescue Stick™ to someone in distress in the water. On average the Rescue Stick™ can be thrown between 100 and 150 feet almost triple the distance of a typical rope bag or life ring. The inflated horseshoe will float with the person in the water.
Developed with input from Search and Rescue professionals, lifeguards, firefighters and recreational boaters the Rescue Stick provides 35 lbs of buoyancy - much more than the 7 lbs required to keep a conscious person afloat. It is easy to repack and re-arm by screwing on a replacement handle that contains the new CO2 cylinder.
In an emergency, time, distance and the ability to provide flotation to someone rapidly is critical. In many situations the Rescue Stick is an effective rescue tool.
Compact, reusable and weighs less than 1 lb.


text:
Cold Hillside
When your brother turns out to be a bastard, do you still love him? Unfortunately yes.
The Settings
Martin Cooper was born in the south of England in 1950. He read English at Oxford, where he met JRR Tolkien but unaccountably missed Bill Clinton.
He worked for the BBC for a number of years, then became Technical Director of Teletext Ltd, the company which provided text services on ITV and Channel 4.
Nowadays he lives and works in Dorset.
Clare Backhouse 2017
Writing credits include reviews for Time Out, comedy material for The Two Ronnies and short stories in The London Evening News and Ambit Magazine. He holds the record for the smallest royalty ever paid to a BBC comedy writer: nine pence, shared with a colleague.
Cold Hillside is his first novel. It is vailable from Amazon UK, Amazon US, iBooks, Kobo, Barnes & Noble.
Jason Pizzey
Michael Darnton


We strive to connect with the individuals in our community who are suffering from a catastrophic illness. We've developed programs designed to familiarize the broader community with the resources that are available to them when the need for hospice care arises. There are many different ways to alleviate the stress that can overwhelm a family in times when hospice care is needed. It begins with educating those around us through printed materials, seminars and community involvement.
Showtime's groundbreaking documentary series "Time of Death" offers an intimate look at hospice pa..


Except as provided by any Practice Direction, proceedings before the Tribunal must be started by a claim form under Part 7 or Part 8 using Form P7/01 or Form P8/01 respectively.
If a claimant wishes his claim to proceed under Part 8, or if the claim is required to proceed under Part 8, the claim form should so state. Otherwise the claim will proceed under Part 7.
Proceedings are started when the Tribunal issues a claim form at the request of the claimant.
A claim form is issued on the date entered on the form by the Tribunal.
Where the claim form as issued was received in the Registry on a date earlier than the date on which it was issued by the Tribunal, the claim is 'brought' for the purposes of limitation on that earlier date.
The date on which the claim form was received by the Registry will be recorded by a date stamp either on the claim form held on the Tribunal file or on the letter that accompanied the claim form when it was received by the Tribunal.
An enquiry as to the date on which the claim form was received by the Registry should be directed to a Tribunal Officer.
Parties proposing to start a claim which is approaching the expiry of the limitation period should recognise the potential importance of establishing the date the claim form was received by the Registry and should themselves make arrangements to record the date.
(2) carried on that partnership business within Dubai, at the time when the cause of action accrued.
For the purposes of Rules 7.9 and 7.11, "partners" includes persons claiming to be entitled as partners and persons alleged to be partners.
statement of the names and last known places of residence of all the persons who were partners in the partnership at the time when the cause of action accrued, being the date specified for this purpose in accordance with Rule 7.14.
If the partners are requested to provide a copy of a partnership membership statement by any party to a claim, the partners shall do so within 14 days of receipt of the request.
(3) that business is carried on in a name other than his own name ("the business name").
Where this Rule applies, the claim may be brought against the business name as if it were the name of a partnership.
(5) his status in the proceedings (i.e. claimant/defendant).
(2) within 6 months after the date of issue where the claim form is to be served outside of Dubai.
The claimant may apply for an order extending the period within which the claim form may be served.
(2) where an order has been made extending the period within which the claim form may be served, within the period for service specified by that order.
(3) in either case, the claimant has acted promptly in making the application.
Where a claim form has been issued against a defendant, but has not yet been served on him, the defendant may serve a notice on the claimant requiring him to serve the claim form or discontinue the claim within a period specified in the notice.
The period specified in a notice served under Rule 7.26 must be at least 14 days after service of the notice.
(2) make any other order it thinks just.
The claim form and, where they are not included in the claim form, the particulars of claim, must be verified by a statement of truth in accordance with Part 22.
(2) the claimant must serve particulars of claim within 28 days of the filing of an acknowledgment of service which indicates an intention to defend.
Where the claimant serves particulars of claim separately from the claim form in accordance with Rule 7.31(2) he must within 7 days of service on the defendant, file a copy of the particulars together with a certificate of service.
(3) a form for acknowledging service.
(2) a form for acknowledging service must accompany the claim form.
(3) may disapply or modify these Rules as appropriate in relation to the claims referred to in sub-paragraphs (1) and (2) above.


text:
Q: React one time API call for multiple routes design
*

*I am new to React and trying to implement an application. Basically
my application have several routes. Each
route is backed by the same set of back end data +some api calls
specific to route taking back end data attributes as api params.

*So I wrote a Higher order component to call the
API to retrieve the back end data,store the state in redux store and
pass it as props to the wrapped component which works fine.
const withData = (WrappedComponent) => {
    class DataWrapper extends Component {
        constructor() {
            this.state = {
                c: {},
                d: []
            };
        }

    componentDidMount(){
        this.props.fetchData();
    }

    componentWillReceiveProps(nextProps){
        this.setState({
            c: nextProps.data.CSubset,
            d: nextProps.data.DSubset
        });
    }

    render() {
        return <WrappedComponent {...this.props} {...this.state}/>;
    }
    const mapStateToProps=(state)=>({
        data:state.appData
    });

    return connect(mapStateToProps,{fetchData})(DataWrapper);
}

export default withData;

class AppComponent extends Component{
    componentDidMount(){
        this.props.fetchComponentSpecificData(c.dataAttribute);
    }
    render(){
        return <div />;
    }
}

export default connect(null,{fetchComponentSpecificData}(withData(AppComponent);

*But the issue is API gets called for all routes.It should be one
time per full application flow.

*The component specific data fetch happens before the common back end data is available causing the component specific API call to fail.

*User can type in the URL and launch
into any route within application and the API has to be called only
once and the HOC has to systematically route to the correct route
based on data.
Please advise on the design approach

A: I would say that the most "Reacty" way of doing this would be to implement the global API calls in the componentWillMount method of the top-level component (say, AppComponent). Right now, you have put it in a component that will be mounted for each subcomponent of your app, and it might be tricky to prevent the API call from being fired every time it mounts.
Using a HOC to provide those data to other components of your app is not a bad idea, but it makes your app a bit more implicit, and I don't think you're gaining a lot : you're adding a component with implicit behaviour instead of just adding a line in mapStateToProps.
Firing page-specific API calls after the global API call has succeeded is quite tricky. You're going to need a way to monitor the fact that the global API call has resolved, and in React/Redux way of thinking, this means dispatching an action. To dispatch actions asynchronously, you're going to need a Redux middleware such as redux-thunk or redux-saga (I believe redux-thunk is a lot easier for beginners). Now, if you have a way to know whether or not the global API call is a success, you can wait for a specific action to be dispatched (say, GLOBAL_API_CALL_SUCCESS). Now, this is the part where I'm doing myself a bit of publicity : I've written redux-waitfor-middleware that allows you to wait for a specific action to be dispatched. If you used it, it might look like this :
export async function fetchComponentSpecificData() {
  await waitForMiddleware.waitFor([GLOBAL_API_CALL_SUCCESS]);

  // perform actual API call for this specific component here
}

I'm not saying that waitFor middleware is the best tool to achieve this, but it's probably the easiest to understand if you're beginning!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: XML Syntax when Using Colon (:), in Tags I am working on a mobile application and have to read a xml feed and parse the information. There it has a special tag as this <dc:creator> Jonethon Owens </dc:creator>
In C# I am using LINQ to XML and don't know how to exactly deal with this type of a tag to parse and get the information.
If someone can explain how to achieve this, really appreciated. Thanks in Advance

A: You need the namespace prefix.
XNamespace dc = "http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";

var query = from lst in XElement.Load(@"foo.xml").Elements(dc +"creator")

            select ...


text:
More Details Emerge In SFPD Crime Lab Scandal: Tainted DNA, Domestic Violence
by Eve Batey | March 22, 2010 1:40 pm | in Crime | 1
What's the latest news on the SFPD crime lab that allegedly mishandled evidence, causing over a hundred (and counting) drug cases to be dropped by the DA's office and inspiring an SFPD personnel reorg? The SF Examiner's been on the case, digging up info on some other evidence issues plaguing the lab, as well as details on the "criminal past" of lab tech and alleged coke-swiper Deborah Madden.
Let's start with the criminal past thing: in 2008, a San Mateo jury convicted Madden of domestic violence and vandalism "after she tossed a silver VTech cordless phone at her partner of 17 years from about 8 feet away." Not to make jokes about the very serious issue of domestic violence, but I love that they specify that it was a VTech that Madden threw at her girlfriend. You can't BUY that kind of advertising (but you're encouraged to try).
Here's the thing: legally, the SFPD should have disclosed the arrest to prosecutors and defenders, but they didn't. Because of this, the Public Defender's office is preparing to get every case in which Madden testified dismissed, saying that her "criminal past" should disqualify her from testimony. So there's that.
The Examiner is also reporting that at least two tainted DNA samples have been discovered at the lab, saying that "it was revealed that the control sample for two DNA samples contained the DNA of the lab technicians themselves."
Please stop making jokes abut lab employees having sex with petri dishes! This is serious!
Eve Batey is the editor and publisher of the San Francisco Appeal. She used to be the San Francisco Chronicle's Deputy Managing Editor for Online, and started at the Chronicle as their blogging and interactive editor. Before that, she was a co-founding writer and the lead editor of SFist. She's been in the city since 1997, presently living in the Outer Sunset with her husband, cat, and dog. You can reach Eve at eve@sfappeal.com.


text:
Joining the Incubator and Accelerator Network
The Incubator and Accelerator Network (IAN) connects and represents Britain's leading business startup programmes. Our membership consists of over 100 university, corporate, commercial and non-profit incubators across the UK.
Membership is on an institutional basis. This means an unlimited number of staff across all incubators and accelerators owned and run by one legal entity can engage with the network. Institutional membership is £750+VAT per year.
Member calls
Regular member-led workshops, expert briefings, and peer support.
Weekly email bulletins highlighting news, research, opportunities, and more.
Discounted tickets to our two-day annual conference.
GDPR-compliant contact database to connect directly with other members.
Ever-growing repository of incubation jobs for inspiration and benchmarking.
Tenancy agreements, evaluation frameworks, and other key documents.
Shaping entrepreneurship policy and representing the sector to government.
Open Door scheme
Access to other member incubators when travelling for business.
Member-only delegations to leading UK and international incubators.
"It's a really friendly, collaborative network and conference; there's no pretence, everyone is happy to share ideas and connect."
Louise Kenworthy
"Everyone is so welcoming and generous with their knowledge; there's a really good community feel. There's a real transparency culture – you feel safe asking frank questions and having honest conversations about the good and the bad times."
Kallum Russell
UNpreneur
"It's great to be part of a diverse community of incubator managers and learn from the range of incubation models that they represent. It helps me to find out what works best for the businesses we're incubating."


text:
from our friends at Relapse.com
ASG - Blood Drive
May 28, 2013 - N.America
May 27, 2013 - UK/World
May 24, 2013 - Germany, Benelux, Finland
ASG emerge from the sandy shores of North Carolina to deliver their fourth full length and Relapse debut 'Blood Drive', produced by Matt Hyde (Slayer, Fu Manchu). Sun soaked groove heavy riffs that reference equal parts Torche and Queens of the Stone Age 'Blood Drive' is nothing short of anthemic. ASG have toured the country relentlessly with the likes of Corrosion of Conformity, Weedeater and Black Tusk. But what's most remarkable about 'Blood Drive' is that any of its 12 instantly memorable songs could just as easily be FM radio smash hits. What sets ASG apart from their swampy peers is singer/guitarist Jason Shi's voice: this is a set of songs that are truly SUNG by a guy who can actually SING. 'Blood Drive' is a kick ass blast of sun that elevates ASG to the level of some of their most well-regarded Relapse label-mates like Baroness and Mastodon.
Deluxe double LP vinyl comes with exclusive bonus song!
First Press
1000 x Black Standard Gram
500 x Green w/ Orange Splatter
500 x Red/Yellow w/ Green Splatter Mailorder Exclusive
"ASG have stumbled upon a goosebump-raising formula that combines the sludgiest swamps and the sunniest sunshine" - Revolver 4/5
"It's heavy, hummable, and as electric as its artwork." Allmusic
"a trip through '90s alt-metal history with a dose of modern Sabbath-revival stonerism thrown in for good measure" - MetalSucks
Order Your Copy At Relapse
from the folks at ThrillJockey.com
Mountains - Centralia
Mountains' music is defined by slow builds, and subtle transformations, textures and melodic lines that evolve in a variety of ways to create grand soundscapes and acutely detailed compositions. For Centralia, the duo of Koen Holtkamp and Brendon Anderegg wrote and recorded in a way that mirrors the pace of their music. While the current trend in experimental music is towards hyper-prolificity, Mountains have taken their time on Centralia, resulting in an album that is as precise as it is boundless. Holtkamp and Anderegg approached the album layer by layer, throughout much of the record combining purely-acoustic recordings with purely-electronic sounds rather than using electronics to manipulate acoustic source material. Guitar, cello, organs, electric piano, and more are seamlessly combined with modular electronics, synthesizers and other sound sources. The result is a fully engrossing listen, always shifting focus between acoustic instruments, processed instruments and electronic sound.
Most of Centralia was recorded by Holtkamp and Anderegg at Telescope Recording in Brooklyn, with the exception of the side-long "Propeller" and "Liana," which are recordings of live shows later augmented with additional instrumentation. The duo recorded, edited, and mixed everything themselves, creating a sonic and aesthetic continuity only achievable through such fastidious and insular methods. Be it the gently melodic acoustic guitar and keyboard of "Tilt" or the steady, subtle pulsating haze of "Living Lens," the album is as sonically rich as it is compositionally diverse.
Centralia is the most fully realized Mountains album, it encompasses everything Mountains represents, from the analog electronic sound of Air Museum, to the gentle warmth and improvised grandeur of Choral. Mountains are utterly singular in their ability to combine such varied and complex sources into such delicately detailed songs of perceived simple pastoral ambience.
Double LP version includes a free download coupon. We've re-pressed Centralia in a limited quantity on BROWN VINYL. All mailorders will get brown-colored vinyl until we run out!
'Re-Animator' Soundtrack Vinyl Release
Waxwork Records is excited to release the original soundtrack to the 1985 horror film, RE-ANIMATOR. This limited release guarantees buyers the score on green 180 gram vinyl. A limited number of variant glow-in-the-dark vinyl will be randomly inserted.
Composed and conducted by Richard Band, the score has been specifically re-mastered for vinyl. LP sleeve includes composer notes by Richard Band and original photos of the actual 1985 recording session in Rome, Italy. This LP package includes a heavy duty jacket with a sleek matte laminate finish for added structure and a silky feel. Full LP package artwork (front and back cover, record sleeve, and vinyl center labels) created by Ghoulish Gary Pullin. Massive full color poster of cover art included. On sale July 1st, 2013.
Visit Waxwork Records for more information.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 1974 Live Album Put Off Until Next Year
The Monkees Announce Summer 2013 Tour Dates
Stephen Stills, Kenny Wayne Shepherd Team Up for Blues Album
ZZ Top Getting Box Set of Their Warner Brothers Catalog
Fleetwood Mac release Extended Play EP, first new music in 10 years
Yes Considering New Album
Kiss Add U.S. Dates to 2013 Summer Run
Lou Gramm Says He May Reunite With Foreigner for Farewell Tour
FREYA: New Album Cover Artwork Unveiled
from grimeys.com
GRIMEY'S BEST SELLERS 4/22 - 4/28, 2013
Vinyl Top 25:
1. Phoenix - Bankrupt!
2. Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Daze
3. Junip - Junip
4. Paramore - The Holiday Sessions 7"
5. Caitlin Rose - The Stand-In
6. Iron & Wine - Ghost On Ghost
7. Fall Out Boy - Save Rock N' Roll
8. White Fence - Cyclops Reap
9. Fuzz - Sleigh Ride 7"
10. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
11. Mumford & Sons - Babel
12. Hotpipes - DUST
13. The Shouting Matches - Grownass Man
14. James Blake - Overgrown
15. Ashley Monroe - Like A Rose
16. The Black Angels - Indigo Meadow
17. Josh Rouse - The Happiness Waltz
18. Luella & The Sun - Luella & The Sun 10"
19. Pere Ubu - Live At The Longhorn
20. Dawes - Stories Don't End
21. Cold War Kids - Dear Miss Lonelyhearts
22. Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
23. Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong
24. Band Of Horses - Cease To Begin
25. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
a new friend of the CVR blog has some fantastic deals, check them out at TheOmegaOrder.com
Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne
FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 29, 2013
DEAR JERRY: While trolling eBay for records, I spotted one on the Tin Pan Alley label titled "Really True" (TPA-127), and it has this most unusual way to credit the artist: "Featuring Billboard's 1954 Disc-Jockey Poll Winner, Carmen Taylor and Orchestra."
I never heard of this person, so I'm wondering if this claim is true.
—J.D. Wellington, Salt Lake City
DEAR J.D: Saying "Billboard's 1954 Disc-Jockey Poll Winner" is both an exaggeration and a misrepresentation.
Tin Pan Alley surely knew that only the top vote-getter in any poll is considered the winner. Furthermore, the claim implies Taylor was a winner in one of the primary pop categories. The truth is she appeared only among the narrow field of R&B singers. Neither winner nor runner-up there, she ranked No. 3 in the Top 15 Most Promising R&B singers. Finishing above Carmen were Roy Hamilton (1), and the Chords (2).
An honest accounting of Taylor's position in that poll would be "No. 1 Most Promising New Female Rhythm and Blues Artist." Putting it that way would still have provided them with some tasty publicity material.
An unrelated observation about this poll is that the most successful act on the entire list, the Drifters, only made it to the No. 5 position.
Billboard introduced their Annual Disc-Jockey Poll in mid-1947, by posting dozens of industry-related questions pertaining to the previous 12 months (June 1946 - June 1947).
One interesting thing about the results, particularly in the poll's early years, is the number of top-ranked newcomers who never lived up to the voters' expectations, whilst some lower ranked artists launched fabulous careers.
Regardless, we know those crystal balls are sometimes cloudy so we'll give those dee-jays a proverbial mulligan.
Just for fun, examine some of these examples of Most Promising Male and Female Newcomers:
1947 winners: Frankie Laine and Fran Warren
Frankie is a good choice but the venerable Doris Day (4) should have been the top female. That she finished below Rosalind Patton (2) and Jane Russell (3) is inconceivable.
Two other superstars that were inexplicably ranked even lower that year are Sarah Vaughan (7) and Peggy Lee (9).
1949 winners: Bill Lawrence and Mindy Carson
Billy Eckstine (3) and Patti Page (8) should have topped the list. For the women, Patti followed by Kay Starr (7) and Rosemary Clooney (3) makes more sense.
1950 winners: Eddie Fisher and Mindy Carson
No problem with Fisher, but Teresa Brewer (8) would have been a better choice — especially since Mindy Carson won in 1949 (on their poll, not mine).
We believe the Most Promising category should be reserved for newcomers. After all, you only get one rookie year.
Tessie was even passed up by Toni Arden (5) and the much lesser-known Kay Brown (6).
Other legends in the Top 15 men that year include: Guy Mitchell (3); Don Cherry (5); Tony Bennett (9); and Dean Martin (13).
1954 winners: Bob Manning and Betty Madigan
The voters misfired in both polls this time. Harry Belafonte (15) and Kitty Kallen (9) should have been on top.
Harry was much too low, even more so considering most of the names above him: Bob Manning (1); Tommy Leonetti (2); Georgie Shaw (4); Charlie Applewhite (6); Rush Adams (8); Joe Foley (9); Gary Crosby (10); Bob Stewart (11); Tommy Mara (12); and David Whitfield (13). None came even close to Belafonte's success, and several of these guys will have you asking "who's he?"
Among the ladies, here are the eight who surprisingly ranked higher than Kitty Kallen: Betty Madigan (1); Peggy King (2); Denise Lor (3); Jill Corey (4); Joyce Taylor (5); Micki Marlo (6) Chris Connor (7); and Connie Russell (8).
Making the result far more mystifying is this exact same dee jay poll ranked Kitty as the No. 1 Most Played Female, and the No. 2 Most Played Artist overall, second only to Perry Como.
First most played … yet ninth most promising? Talk about flying in the face of reason.
Carmen Taylor, who prompted this topic, does not appear anywhere among 1954's Top 20 gals.
DEAR JERRY: Just bought "Celebrate - The Three Dog Night Story 1965-1975" (MCA 10956) a double CD history of the band.
I got quite a surprise near the end of "An Old Fashioned Love Song," when the singing turned into something I'd never heard before.
I still like it, though it is definitely not the hit song played on the radio in the 1970s.
Do you know anything about this newly discovered oddity?
—Pete Musgrove, McMinnville, Ore.
DEAR PETE: You're right about it being a noticeably different track, especially at the 2:45 mark when they go into a strange sequence unlike both the original 45 (Dunhill 4294) and on their "Harmony" LP (Dunhill 50108), both from 1971.
I am at a loss to describe the variance using text, but when a person familiar with the original hears it, they'll certainly know it's different.
For you, the alternative version may be newly discovered, but it has been available on LP since the 1974 collection "Joy to the World: Their Greatest Hits" (Dunhill 50178).
This has nothing to do with the different versions, but "An Old Fashioned Love Song" is shown on some labels as "Old Fashioned Love Song."
IZ ZAT SO? For anyone wondering why Three Dog Night, who first recorded in 1968, has an album titled "The Three Dog Night Story 1965-1975," it includes pre-Dog Night solo tracks by Cory Wells and Danny Hutton:
1965 "Say Goodbye to Donna," by Cory Wells and the Enemy's (sic) (Valiant 714), and Danny Hutton's "Roses and Rainbows" (HBR 447)
1966 "Funny How Love Can Be" (Danny Hutton) (MGM 13502)
Conspicuous by their absence are three singles by the Enemys (with Wells), (MGM 13485 "Glitter and Gold"; MGM 13525 "Hey Joe!"; and MGM 13573 "Mo-Jo Woman"), and Hutton's excellent "Big Bright Eyes" (HBR 453).
Another bonus is the previously unissued Brian Wilson tune, "Time to Get Alone," recorded in 1967 when Cory, Danny, and Chuck Negron briefly performed as Redwood.
Jerry Osborne answers as many questions as possible through this column. Write Jerry at: Box 255, Port Townsend, WA 98368 E-mail: jpo@olympus.net Visit his Web site: www.jerryosborne.com
All values quoted in this column are for near-mint condition.
Copyright 2013 Osborne Enterprises - Reprinted By Exclusive Permission


text:
char *php_input(url_t *url, const char *input, const char *code, int pos);
char *php_input_rce(const char *target, const char *code);

#endif


The workshop Variation and universals in language. The implications of typological evidence for formal grammar will take place in Crecchio, Abruzzo, Italy, on June 9-11. Our very Marjo van Koppen is among the invited speakers.


You love music and the Baltimore Ravens, so its only right that you get this Acoustic Guitar. The eye-catching Baltimore Ravens graphics ensure you've got the best team collection out of all your friends. This Woodrow item is perfect for musicians and Baltimore Ravens fans alike.


Tyrus, the first dedicated documentary on pioneering Chinese-American artist Tyrus Wong — who made an indelible impact on the history of animation with his work on Walt Disney's Bambi — will get a nationwide TV premiere on Friday, September 8 at 9 p.m. on PBS. Presented as part of THIRTEEN's award-winning American Masters series, the Pamela Tom film's broadcast event comes just after Bambi's 75th anniversary. Wong passed away earlier this year at age 106.
Tyrus will also be available to stream the following day via pbs.org/americanmasters and on PBS OTT apps.
The film follows Wong's journey from his birth in modern-day Guangzhou, just before the Chinese Communist Revolution, through his dramatic immigration to the US with his father, and the struggles he overcame to become a celebrated painter, Hollywood artist and Disney Legend. Viewers will be exposed to previously unseen artwork and interviews with Wong, movie clips and archival footage. Tyrus also features new interviews with his daughters and fellow artists, including Disney animators Milton Quon, Andreas Deja, Eric Goldberg and Paul Felix.
The PBS premiere will be followed with a new, exclusive interview with Oscar nominated filmmakers Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi (The Dam Keeper) in which they discuss Wong's influence on their own work.


text:
Renaud Laplanche is a French-American entrepreneur and business executive. He is the co-founder and CEO of the fintech company, Upgrade, Inc. Prior to founding the company, Laplanche co-founded and served for a decade as the CEO of Lending Club, an American peer-to-peer lending company. He previously co-founded and led TripleHop Technologies, maker of the MatchPoint software, which was acquired by Oracle Corporation.

Early life and education
Renaud Laplanche was born in 1970 and grew up in France. He was interested in sailing and raced competitively on the national level, winning the French sailing championships on Lasers, 13.5 ft, one-sail, one-man sailboats, in 1988 and 1990.

Laplanche studied business and law. He received a post-graduate DESS-DJCE (J.D.) degree in Tax and Corporate Law from Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France, and an MBA degree from HEC Business School in Paris, France, and London Business School.

Career

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
From 1995 to 1999, Laplanche worked as a securities lawyer and senior associate at the law offices of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, first in Paris and later in New York. The cases he worked on included mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and investment transactions involving technology companies.

TripleHop Technologies
In New York, Laplanche soon left the law offices and, in 1999, jointly with Franck Nazikian, founded a software company called TripleHop Technologies. The company had an office in the North Tower of the New York World Trade Center that was destroyed in the September 11 attacks. TripleHop suffered major losses, including its computers and recently developed software code.

In 2003 TripleHop launched its MatchPoint crawler and search engine for enterprise content. The engine provided a single search point for structured and unstructured data (databases, e-mail, file and document systems, the internet), used Support Vector Machine algorithms for indexing and concept-based retrieval, and collaborative filtering for correlating related topics, created a user profile for each user on the basis of user's search history to tailor query results to particular users, and permitted context-sensitive search where queries were expanded by synonyms from domain-specific thesaurus-type taxonomies.

MatchPoint was adopted by many U.S. media companies (CNN, Turner Broadcasting, AOL, USA Today, ABC news, Dow Jones, New York Times and others) as their preferred search engine and attracted the attention of major software vendors. In June 2005, TripleHop Technologies was acquired by Oracle Corporation and MatchPoint was integrated with Oracle's other products. Laplanche reportedly earned 10 million USD from the acquisition. He moved to California and from June 2005 to October 2006 worked at Oracle as the Head of Product Management, Search Technologies, managing integration and overseeing sales of search engine products.

LendingClub
In 2006 Laplanche left Oracle and co-founded LendingClub. Laplanche had gotten the idea for the new company at the time when he started TripleHop and found that his credit card carried an 18% interest rate, while he was only earning 1.5% from the bank on high yield certificates of deposit. He thought that by connecting investors directly with borrowers, he could cut the banks out of the equation and deliver lower rates for borrowers and higher returns for investors. LendingClub first launched on Facebook to leverage existing connections among users for testing users' trust and willingness to help one another financially, and to gather user feedback about the new  service. At that time, LendingClub was one of Facebook's first applications.

In 2010, after receiving $12 million in funding from venture capital investors, Laplanche developed LendingClub into a full-scale person-to-person lending company. By June 2012, the company had raised $100 million in venture capital. LendingClub completed its IPO on December 10, 2014. The stock price increased 56% on its first day of trading.

On May 9, 2016, Laplanche resigned from his position as CEO following an internal investigation that found a violation of the company's business practices had occurred.

Laplanche later entered into an agreement with the SEC to settle the issue with no admission of responsibility.

Upgrade

In August 2016, Laplanche along with other former Lending Club executives started the fintech company, Upgrade, Inc. The company provides credit and mobile banking products. Upgrade has raised over $122 million in venture capital from several investors.

In November 2021, Upgrade grew 83% in valuation over four months to $6.28 billion after raising $280 million in a Series F funding round led by Coatue Management and DST Global.

Recognition
Laplanche was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2012 BFM Awards. He was the winner of HEC Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2002 and again in 2014. and is a member of the Young Presidents' Organization In 2013 he received an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award for the Northern California region and was a national finalist. In September 2020, Laplanche was named Fintech Executive of the Year by Finovate.

Personal life
Since April 2015, Laplanche and co-skipper Ryan Breymaier have held the speed record for sailing from Newport, Rhode Island to Bermuda in 23 hours, 9 minutes, and 52 seconds at the average speed of 27 knots. Between April 1 and September 22, 2015, Laplanche and the crew of the Lending Club 2, a 105-ft maxi-trimaran, held the speed record for sailing from Cowes to Dinard across the English Channel. Between July 15, 2015, and May 17, 2017, Laplanche also held the Transpac record between Long Beach, CA and the Diamond Head lighthouse in Oahu, Hawaii in 3 days, 8 hours, and 9 seconds.

References

Living people
American financial businesspeople
American business executives
American chief executives of financial services companies
1970 births
Businesspeople from San Francisco
French financial businesspeople
French chief executives
People associated with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Kids (and grownups!) love to learn and say crazy-sounding words-not to mention impressing others with them. Big Word Flashcards features some of the wackiest multisyllabic terms in the dictionary. Like its buddy, Silly Word Flashcards, the fun definitions, child-friendly phonetic pronunciations, and playful illustrations will introduce youngsters of all ages to the joys of loquacity. Create an instant smarty-pants!
Sometimes I use big words that I don't fully understand in order to sound more photosynthesis.


text:
Central Bank Unveils New Bank Notes Specimen, Removes Jammeh's Image
By The Chronicle	 On May 30, 2019 930
Central bank new notes
The Central Bank of The Gambia Thursday unveiled specimen of the new bank notes expected to go into circulation within two months.
"I want to confirm to you that the new banknote family is all done now and ready to go into circulation. It has taken a long time because we want to ensure that it represents The Gambia and this has been achieved," the bank's governor Bakary Jammeh told journalists in Banjul.
"The images of the former president Yahya Jammeh, and other features that have nothing to do with the country have been removed from new banknotes."
An old note bearing former president Jammeh's portrait
Jammeh said the reason behind the change of the banknotes is to come out with something that depicts the country, its people and history. The new notes feature images of Gambia's bird species, historical sites and communication occupations.
"The change of name is necessary so that everyone can see the banknotes as a national property and this is why the new banknotes carries the colour of our national flag, beautiful birds of our country and important historical images of this country," Governor Jammeh stated.
He announced that both the old and new notes are all legal tendered and are acceptable for all business transactions within the country.
The Central Bank said it would embark on a sensitization project to introduce the notes and their features to the public before rolling them out.
On 25 February 2015, the Central Bank of The Gambia unveiled a new family of notes, including a D200 note which replaced the D100 as the largest denomination. All of the redesigned banknotes bore the image of ex-president Jammeh.
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There are no deep reasons for choosing this week's quotation at the top of my Mail column. There is no 'message' hidden in this choice, other than the very important one to go outside wherever you are and whenever you can and LOOK.
I'm lucky enough to live in the countryside, to hear birdsong and spot wildlife and feel the peace of a fairly traffic-free environment. But I was brought up in the city – on an estate called The Green, which you see ahead as soon as you swing off the motorway, entering the area called Broadgreen. Our flat faced the dual carriageway of Queen's Drive; my lullaby was the sound of buses changing gear.
In those days all primary school classes had a Nature Table (is that the case now? I hope so) to help us look and learn. Did anybody else strip the leaves off a stem of privet hedge (very urban, that) and bend it over to form a loop, so you could catch a spider's web and study it? (No doubt the poor spiders weren't very pleased!). So even though I did not know it at the time, Nature already had her grip on me.
That is what Robert Browning means when he uses the word 'unaware.' His famous 'Home Thoughts From Abroad' are nostalgic for England's beauty – and quite right too. These famous lines awake the powerful feeling of patriotism that lies very close to my emotional surface. They have nothing to do with any government and they are not blind to our faults – yet I do believe that Great Britain is STILL 'great', and one of the best places to live in the world. This has a lot to do with natural beauty, which is why I am passionate about the Green Belt, among other things.
So celebrate the first bud you see today. Buy a bunch of narcissi to infuse your room with scent. Stop in a park to listen to birds you cannot name, singing for the sheer joy of song (as well as mating and territory, of course!).
You may not actively set out in search of the budding signs of Spring, yet they are there, waiting to surprise you and fill you with joy. In April, now!
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged art. nature, time on 2 April, 2016 by Bel Mooney.


text:
What is OLG?
Generally speaking, OLG in full Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, is widely known for corporate branding purposes since 2006. OLG is a Crown corporation owned entity by the Government of Ontario, Canada. The company is responsible for the region's lotteries, commercial casinos, charity and Aboriginal casinos, and slot machines at horse-racing tracks. The OLG was founded in April 2000 when the Ontario Lottery Corporation (i.e., OLC) agree on the partnership with the Ontario Casino Corporation (i.e., OCC), created in 1994. Before 2006, that merged entity was better to know in short form as the OLGC or the SLJO in French. Now, the OLG employs more than 8,000 individuals across Ontario.
The prize centre of OLG is situated in Toronto, while its primary headquarters are based in Sault Ste, Marie. It is important to mention that the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (i.e., AGCO) manages casino gaming, while the OLG is responsible for and runs a variety of gaming services. The OLG reports via its board of directors right to the Minister of Finance. From the years 2003 to 2007, the OLG was under the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal. Nowadays, the OLG provides a self-exclusion program for those people with gambling addictions, although this service and program have been controversial.
History and development of OLG
The OLC (i.e., Ontario Lottery Corporation) originated in February 1975 right under the Ontario Lottery Corporation Act, in 1975 (which later repealed in 1999 and replaced the current OLG - Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Act). On April 3, 1975, "Wintario" was the very first lottery game which was provided by the fledgeling OLC. Also, it was the very first drawing that took place on May 15, 1975. In the late 1997s, the Wintario product was discontinued after awarding more than CAD$1.1 billion in total winnings.
The OLG company has chosen to develop and modernize as, over the last 30 years, demographics have changed, as have the customers' shopping patterns. Nowadays, global gaming options become more available — especially online, virtual games. At the same time, U.S. visitors have dramatically declined. All of these facts have put the gaming industry and its contribution to the region at risk in the long term. Development of the OLG will enable the company to offer extra revenues to the Province to help fund the necessary operation of hospitals and many other provincial priorities.
As a result of the development of OLG, the company itself become far more customer-focused, renewed its main role in the management and conduct of lottery and gaming, and also, it expanded the regulated private sector delivery of gaming and lottery. Furthermore, the renewal process will help OLG to offer more jobs throughout Ontario and attract private sector investment. The general capital costs of expanding, maintaining or improving gaming facilities will no longer be carried by OLG taxpayers. Ontario visitors and residents will gain access to more fun and innovative games. Moreover, the existing gaming and lottery distribution network will soon become expanded to consist of various multi-lane sales quite at large retailers, by accommodating a customer base.
Play OLG iGaming
OLG, as a part of the improvement process, has recently introduced the iGaming portal. Generally speaking, the iGaming is the very first government-regulated, provincial internet gambling site. The OLG has also created a website known as www PlayOLG.ca as well as its mobile application version. These two are the new secure online gambling apps and programs that feature exciting, modernized, and fun games, together with a comprehensive Responsible Gambling program. The OLG official website www PlayOLG.ca provides increased player protection, safe and secure transactions along data privacy so that overall the site will prompt its players to register to play.
The PlayOLG.ca website also offers a wide selection of online lottery tickets for most national games including ENCORE, LOTTO MAX, and LOTTO 6/49, only for Ontario citizens who meet the requirement and are over the age of 18. The www PlayOLG.ca also provides a full range of virtual gaming options, to those Ontario residents who are over the age of 19. These options include the following:
Single-player poker
Online lottery tickets for national games (such as LOTTO 6/49, LOTTO MAX, and ENCORE).
OLG future state service releases will also include the following options, such as:
Sports wagering
Other different skills-based games.
The OLG has founded this website in an attempt to protect and secure its customers from offshore net gaming sites. Offshore gaming websites do not check the age of each gamer and have no secure transactions or player protection. The OLG takes a strong stand right against the underage gambling and as a result, the PlayOLG.ca registration procedure includes age verification stage that will help prevent minors under 18 from registering and creating an account.
How to register and log in on play OLG ca
To register and then log in on PlayOLG.ca you will need to follow the steps given below:
Step 1 – To begin with, go to the www PlayOLG.ca website.
Step 2 – Click on Register. Before you fill out your personal information, click and review the "Notice of Collection", and then review "Notice of Registration".
Step 3 – Now you have to enter your first name, last name, date of birth, home address, primary phone number, valid email address.
Step 4 – Then, you have to create an account. To set up your account, you need to type in the username and create a password. You should set up security questions in case of password reset or account blockage.
Step 5 – Set up account preferences. You can tick the button to agree to receive promotions and any news from PlayOLG.ca. You can also opt to gain access to play the OLG casino app.
Step 6 – After that, you should acknowledge some statements by ticking appropriate boxes. Then, click to read Terms and Conditions of OLG gaming.
Step 7 – Now you will have to re-check your account information and apply to add an account.
Step 8 – That is all. Now, you can simply log in to your play the OLG account and start playing.


text:
Photo: Paul Schlesinger
Men's lacrosse runs away from Binghamton, score 21 in home opener
By Will Scott
The Orange scored 13 unanswered to open the 2018 season.
Binghamton was expected to be a tough challenge for Syracuse in the Orange's season opener.
Early on, it was clear that wasn't going to be the case.
The Orange just kept scoring and scoring and would go into the 2nd quarter up 8-0. The Bearcats didn't find the back of the net until three minutes left in the first half when Syracuse was already up 13-0. The Orange would go onto win the game 21-4.
"Well I think it was a terrific start to our 2018 season," head coach John Desko said after the game.
"The guys really came in focused offensively and defensively. I thought Danny did a great job on the face offs to get us all those possessions."
Coach was referring to Danny Varello, who made his first career start today and couldn't have done better. The sophomore was 15-17 on faceoffs, and was the main reason for the Orange's electric start.
"I think our wings played really well. I don't think I can't recognize my wings today", Varello said in the post-game press conference.
"If you think about it, there really wasn't that many clean face offs. I think there was a lot of loose balls and I think our wings did a really good job today,"
After two Binghamton goals at the end of the first half, the Orange went into the locker room with a 13-2 lead. The Syracuse offense picked up where it left off in the 2nd half with a goal by Brendan Bomberry less than a minute into the 3rd quarter. That was just one of Bomberry's 5 goals on the day.
"Obviously {this game} is a huge confidence booster at the start of the season, especially for our offense", said Bomberry, who ended the game as SU's leading scorer. "21 goals for our offense--that's huge."
Binghamton was outshot 53-19 by Syracuse, and only won five faceoffs all game.
"We're still trying to figure out who the 2018 Bearcats are going to be", Binghamton head coach Kevin McKeown said after the loss. "This is not who we are so we have a lot of work to do. As a coaching staff we are going to go home, roll up our sleeves and figure out what we need to do to move forward from here."
As for Syracuse, they will quickly go from being a heavy favorite to potentially being an underdog.
SU will play host to Albany on Saturday in the Carrier Dome at 1 p.m.
Men's lacrosse loses badly to Albany in ranked matchup
Big East art Rakeem Christmas Syracuse Athletics Scott Shafer Trevor Cooney Ryan Nassib dining hall film John Desko Brandon Triche men's basketball Tyler Ennis Westcott Theater C.J. Fair SU football Syracuse Football Jerami Grant Kris Joseph review music concert University Union Scoop Jardine Syracuse Basketball Syracuse food New York University Lectures Dion Waiters Doug Marrone Hendricks Chapel Rick Jackson fashion Syracuse Orange basketball theater ACC Fab Melo Carrier Dome Syracuse University CNY Shows football Jim Boeheim Orange


text:
Q: Using 'where then Union' or Using 'Union then Where' Please have these two types of query in your mind:
--query1
Select someFields
From someTables
Where someWhereClues
Union all
Select someFields
FROM some Tables
Where someWhereClues

--query2
Select * FROM (
    Select someFields
    From someTables
    Union all
    Select someFields
    FROM someTables
    ) DT
Where someMixedWhereClues

Note :
  In both queries final result fields are same

I thought the 1st. query is faster or its performance is better!
But after some researches I confused by this note:

SQL Server (as a sample of RDBMS) first reads whole data then seek records. => so in both queries all records will read and seek.

Please Help me on my misunderstandings, and on if there is any other differences between query1 and query2 ?

Edit: adding sample plans:
select t.Name, t.type from sys.tables t where t.type = 'U'
union all
select t.Name, t.type from sys.objects t where t.type = 'U'

select * from (
    select t.Name, t.type from sys.tables t
    union all
    select t.Name, t.type from sys.objects t
    ) dt
where dt.type = 'U'

Execution Plans are:

both are same and 50%

A: The SQL Server query optimizer, optimizes both queries so you get nearly the same performance.

A: The first one cannot be slower.  Here is the reasoning:

*

*If the WHERE clauses in the first can efficiently use an INDEX, there will be fewer rows to collect together in the UNION.  Fewer rows --> faster.

*The second one does not have an INDEX on the UNION, hence the WHERE cannot be optimized in that way.

Here are things that could lead to the first being slower.  But I see them as exceptions, not the rule.

*

*A different amount of parallelism is achieved.

*Different stuff happens to be cached at the time you run the queries.

Caveat:  I am assuming all three WHERE clauses are identical (as your example shows).

A: As a rule of thumb, I will always consider using the first type of the query.
In made-up samples and queries with simple WHERE predicates both will use the same plan. But in a more complex query, with more complicated predicates, the optimizer might not come up with an equally efficient solution for the second type of query (it's just an optimizer, and is bound by resource and time constraints). The more complex the query is, the less chance is the optimizer finds the best execution plan (as it will eventually time-out and choose the least worst plan found so far). And it gets even worse if the predicates are ORed.

A: SQLServer will optimize both of those queries down to the same thing, as shown in the execution plans you posted. It's able to do this because in this case the queries are fairly simple; in another case it's possible for it to turn out differently. As long as you're composing a query, you should try to follow the same general rules that the optimizer does, and filter as soon as possible to limit the resultset that returns. By telling it that you first want to only get 'U' records, and then combine those results, you will prepare the query for later revisions which could invalidate the optimizer's choices which led to the same execution plan.
In short, you don't have to force simple queries to be optimal, but it's a good habit to have, and it will help when creating more complex queries.

A: In my practice 1st option was never slower than the 2nd. I think that optimizer is smart enough to optimize these plans more or less in the same manner. However I made some tests and the 1st option was always better. For example:
CREATE TABLE #a ( a INT, b INT );

WITH Numbers ( I ) AS (
    SELECT 1000

    UNION ALL

    SELECT I + 1
    FROM Numbers
    WHERE I < 5000
)
INSERT INTO #a ( a )
SELECT I
FROM Numbers
ORDER BY CRYPT_GEN_RANDOM(4)
OPTION ( MAXRECURSION 0 );

WITH Numbers ( I ) AS (
    SELECT 1000

    UNION ALL

    SELECT I + 1
    FROM Numbers
    WHERE I < 5000
)
INSERT INTO #a ( b )
SELECT I
FROM Numbers
ORDER BY CRYPT_GEN_RANDOM(4)
OPTION ( MAXRECURSION 0 );

SELECT a, b
FROM #a
WHERE a IS NOT NULL
UNION ALL
SELECT a, b
FROM #a
WHERE b IS NOT NULL

SELECT *
FROM (
    SELECT a, b
    FROM #a
    UNION ALL
    SELECT a, b
    FROM #a
    ) c
WHERE a IS NOT NULL
    OR b IS NOT NULL

The result is 47% vs 53%

A: In my experience, there is no straightforward answer to this and it varies based on the nature of the underlying query. As you have shown, the optimizer comes up with the same execution plan in both of those scenarios, however that is not always the case. The performance is usually similar, but sometimes the performance can vary drastically depending on the query. In general I only take a closer look at it when performance is bad for no good reason.


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text:
The myths surrounding and the barriers to financial inclusion
Year after year, the Nepal Rastra Bank comes up with policies to boost inclusion but they all remain unsuccessful.
Achyut Wagle
Last week, the governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), the central monetary authority of the country, issued a strong moral suasion to banks and financial institutions (BFIs) to find their merger or acquisition partner before the central bank announced its monetary policy for the fiscal year 2019-20. Including 91 microfinance finance institutions and one infrastructure development bank, there are 176 BFIs currently in operation in Nepal's financial system. About 13 percent of financial transactions are claimed to have been carried out by some 13,000 saving and credit cooperatives which the government prefers to portray as institutional inclusion of financial services—despite the fact that these cooperatives are out of the prudential regulation ambit and often suffer from rampant management dysfunctions.
There are several obvious reasons why NRB is so persistent about the merger and acquisition of these BFIs. First, although no systematic research exists, there is a general perception that Nepal has more BFIs than what the market actually requires. Second, the urban population is perceivably overbanked while the rural population's access to formal financial services is still very limited. Third, out of 28, only 15 'A' class commercial banks cover 70 percent of total banking transactions, leaving only 30 percent of the market to the rest of the 160 BFIs. Fourth, the capital base of these BFIs is relatively low, thus posing a systemic risk which NRB expects to consolidate by speeding-up the mergers and acquisition process. However, in spite of Nepal Rastra Bank's decade-long encouragement to merge, recent statistics show that the number of BFIs licensed by it has gone up to 176 in mid-May 2019 from 151 exactly a year ago.
Hollow victory
The most puzzling question here is: why did the NRB license such 'unnecessary' numbers of BFIs in the first place, which it now finds difficult to rein in? And, why were they licensed without ensuring a reasonably risk-hedging level of paid-up capital? The only plausible defence of those responsible for allowing the mushrooming of BFIs between 1995 and 2010 revolves around the dire need to create financial service architecture in the remote hinterlands and providing access to the services for financial inclusion—demographically and spatially.
Nevertheless, the state apparatus, particularly the central bank itself, failed to achieve these goals as per expectations, largely due to poor institutional efficiency and incessant leadership experimentation; thanks to unabated political meddling. However, some progress was seen on the number of individuals opening accounts.
Global Findex (2018)—the global financial inclusion database of the World Bank which provides insight into how adults in different economies of the world access accounts, make payments, save, borrow, and manage financial risk—shows that only 45.4 percent of the adult population (over 15 years old) in Nepal owns a bank account in any type of financial institution. This is an increase from 25.3 percent in 2011. The number itself is not unimpressive at all. But the same study found that 14.5 percent of the accounts were inactive which effectively means that active users of financial services are only about 31 percent. This effectively tallies with the data on savings activity of 17.1 percent and access to loans of 13.6 percent of the account holders within this age bracket. This shows that about 14 million Nepali adults, exactly half of the total population, is yet to be exposed even to basic banking services.
These experiences of Nepal and comparable economies of the developing world establish that only policy announcements and wishful goals that policymakers have of financial inclusion are not enough. They have to be accompanied by a strong framework of financial education. Nepal faces the problem of defining what exactly financial education stands for. Our financial and economic policy practices, policies and literature are still far from embracing the globally recognised 'trinity' principles of financial inclusion, financial education and financial consumer protection, for example, as espoused by the International Network for Financial Education (INFE) promoted under the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) which now has become the global benchmark. Instead, Nepali policy-making seems to be predisposed to a monolithic obsession for the access to finance narrative, which is generally confined to at least one bank account for each family.
One of the grossly ignored aspects in policy formulation and market exercise related to 'financial education and inclusion' is the apparent conflict of interests of the market participants vis-a-vis their profit objectives. Contrary to universal norms, activities such as obligatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) and product promotions—like account opening schemes of an individual bank—are allowed to be counted as a contribution to access to finance. At the same time, exaggerated product information is counted as financial education.
One ridiculous example of policy distortion is that the monetary policy itself makes it mandatory for BFIs to spend 1 percent of their profit on CSR which they spend for supposed 'financial education' as mentioned.
In addition, Nepal's institutional arrangements aimed at financial inclusion are not pragmatic, outcome weighed and reformed in a timely fashion. For example, microfinance and cooperative models of financial access are proving to be more myth and hollow rhetoric than contributing to concrete and economically beneficial inclusion of the marginalised population. According to a study by United Nations Capital Development Fund, 73 percent of Nepal's bank account holders live in urban areas, the gap between the ownership of bank accounts between adult males and females is more than 8 percent and the gap between the rich and the poor is 12 percent.
These data only vindicate that policies announced year after year for inclusion, such as priority and deprived sector lending, uncollateralised and subsidised loans, interest incentives to different targeted groups have, for all practical purposes, miserably failed. Policies on the promotion of SMEs, microcredit, micro-insurance for agricultural products and other guided lending schemes have met a similar fate. One common and insurmountable bottleneck to financial inclusion has been the exorbitant cost of funds; effectively above 30 percent. It is coupled with the sheer lack of entrepreneurship skills in the 'excluded' population. Mergers and acquisitions are less likely to remove this key barrier to financial inclusion.
Wagle is a professor (adjunct) at Kathmandu University School of Management. He tweets at @DrAchyutWagle. All views are his own.
Dr Achyut Wagle holds PhD in economics and is currently professor (adjunct) at Kathmandu University School of Management. He is Nepal's seasoned eco-political analyst, writing for The Kathmandu Post since its very early days.
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