> dragging last night's hair and last night's outfit past fresh-faced soccer moms already awake to face the day.
> It's true that obligation in love is unavoidable, but it's also one of the best gifts romantic love offers; our selves who turn toward obligation are generally our best selves, willing to do what is difficult over what is available, willing to pull up out of our habits and into our better potential. The obligation of romance has the capacity to teach us to do this in a larger sense. It acts act as a lesson in accountability. At least I know that it has for me.
> The last minute is basically my only real skill. In college, (and high school, and since I can remember) there must have been things I occupied myself with in the hours between when I left class or left a social event and when, at 1am, or 3am, or 6am, I sat down to start work. But mostly what I remember is those frantic hours, the world around me silent, tunneling to the forced singularity of focus. There was a street lamp right under my dorm window, five stories down. It came back on at 5am, and at least once a week I would watch it spark to life, as the morning leaked back into the world, and I would feel like I had acquired some substance, like whatever was coming next would be survivable, like this version of myself, awake, capable of driving the work of two weeks into two hours, was worthy of praise. I felt tangibly good at something, the way I imagine athletes feel. I liked writing, but I liked at least as much being able to say "I wrote it in an hour" about something I'd written. I still do. At this point, after many years of operating this way, I can see the seams, the flimsiness of it, but I have been relying on the last minute for so long that I don't know how to do otherwise.
> If television in the last ten or fifteen has a cohesive thesis - and I believe it does - the thesis is that work will save you. Work replaces the family. It orders the world into meaning, and lifts singular identity into a high and visible register.
> It's easy to see why the promise appeals. You don't have to love anyone, or make anyone love you; you just have to be really, really good at your job.
> To do something reasonably, in manageable pieces, means to admit my limitations, to turn work from the register of miracles back down to the everyday, where it is just work.
> We had witnessed the end of its long southbound journey out of mundanity and darkness. It was one more of the small, strange, lit up events the city offers, the tree like a hallucination, devoured by the darkening avenues, brought in to offer a visible reason to exclaim about something, the city inventing something upon which to rejoice.
> The holidays feel overwhelmingly personal, but perhaps the best thing about them is that they are not personal at all.
> I was teaching writing all day but not writing myself, and on twitter so many people I knew were starting tinyletters, sending small paragraphs of heart-rending, un-pitch-able prose, family stories and recipes and album recommendations and lowkey erotica in little forward-marching scrolls of text that I'd read curled around my phone late at night while I couldn't sleep. I was jealous of my students and I was jealous of everyone starting tinyletters and of everyone publishing essays, and of the world going on one bright achievement after another all around me. I wrote some paragraphs quickly, without looking, like muttering under my breath, told myself I didn't have to edit it because no one would read it anyway, and hit send.
> The whole college application is a murderously hopeful document, and hope is the most mercenary emotion, the struck-match trick of salespeople and con artists and politicians, leaving the door unlocked at night, risking everything in a game to which no one told us the rules.
> The night of the election, at 3am, New York was the quietest I had ever heard it, absolutely silent, but it didn't feel at all like being alone. The silence was stuffed to bursting with presence, built out of all the other people awake and not making noise, people standing in the nowhere of a moment further into the future than they thought they'd ever have to get, the sound of thousands of champagne corks stuffed firm in their bottles, un-propelled.
> Pulling yourself out of the maelstrom and observing, for once a spectator rather than an actor, briefly relieved of consequence, as though you could pass ghostlike through the mass and volume of bodies and no one would feel a thing. No one could embrace you and walls couldn't hold you.
> A pet is the image of a more merciful world, a life made only of tenderness.
> I always tell him, because another one of the reasons to have a cat, to care for an animal, is to get to say things that sappy and awful, to be allowed to be un-nuanced and unsophisticated, to love in an absolutely uncritical and un-rigorous way.
> But of course, the magic of the poem, and that of many of Oliver's poems in particular, is how it creates this sense of being implausibly singled out and told what you were waiting to hear.


After a week of glorious temperatures and proper summer conditions, I am finding it hard to tear myself away from the old bach and the fishing and come into the office to focus on this week's Ad Lib.
I enjoyed your column this week and was particularly interested in your thoughts on Nick Hanauer's article published in Newsroom.
Addressing 'inequality' has been a favourite catchphrase of socialists for decades, the thing that intrigues me the most about wealthy Social Justice Warriors such as Mr Hanauer, is that they have the ability to address the inequalities that exist between rich and poor inside their own corporations – i.e. the serious discrepancies that have been created between executive pay and their average worker's pay and yet they never seem to do anything about it – average CEO pay has increased from 30 x the average worker's pay in the mid-1970s to 271+ times in the mid to late 2010s.
If the likes of Mr Hanauer paid themselves and their top executives a few less million a year and shared that wealth among the middle to lower tier workers in their multi-national corporations it should go a long way to addressing income inequality around the world.
Meanwhile the Nick Hanauers of the world would prefer governments to tax middle & high income earners a lot more, create enormous, expensive & inefficient new armies of bureaucrats to manage & distribute this large scale tax/theft and let the politicians and the bureaucrats decide who among us are the most entitled to receive a share of this unearned welfare handout.
It is surprising how many Nick Hanauer type leaders there are in the world who preach Social Justice messages but never seem to look at themselves or address these issues in their own backyards.
Why can't SJWs, politicians and bureaucrats just get out of people's lives, tax them less and incentivise them to work hard, save and make good rational decisions about what to do with their own hard earned money??
Well said reader, well said.
This issue of the proposed changes to the Tomorrow's Schools Education reforms is heating up and you can expect to hear more from David, and me, about it. But of all the arguments being put forward to retain the present system of Boards of Trustees making decisions for their schools locally, I have noticed one important omission. Boards of Trustees are elected representatives made up of parents, community members, and at secondary school-level, a student representative. This environment of small-scale local governance builds strong communities, develops skills, and provides mentoring. Members of boards of trustees from primary level upwards typically go on to become community contributors at more involved levels, using the skills acquired to chair committees, form trusts, carry out community service and charitable works – heck, even to become local government elected representatives, or members of parliament! Without boards of trustees, whole communities, particularly in isolated rural areas, could be deprived of an opportunity to build capacity in making locally-based decisions. The end to this story is: if the Government runs everything, how will people know how to govern themselves?
ACT has spent a lot of time and energy getting its natural partner, National, to acknowledge that as time passes, inflation and other factors impact on the average wage, and it grows. Next, if tax rates don't change to accommodate the growth of the average income, earners at this broadest of levels will begin to be taxed at the higher rates. They'll be experiencing tax bracket 'creep', which means that without any more effort on their part they'll begin to be considered high earners for tax purposes. During its 2008-17 term in government, the National Cabinet – of which Simon Bridges was a senior member – chose to ignore this simplest of economic concepts. Why? It's a question we can't answer; we just know that we didn't stop telling them to halt the 'creep'. Now National's in Opposition, facing a government wholly committed to increasing the average New Zealander's tax burden. It has finally accepted ACT's sage advice and now wishes to address the bracket creep problem, which is commendable. What we witnessed this week was National having an epiphany, ten years too late for many New Zealand earners. We can only expect that the changes to the personal tax regime that National is mooting will not occur until 2020 – at the earliest. In the meantime, we're very happy that ACT's role as an influencer has borne some very important fruit. We'll ensure National keeps the promises it's made this week. And we'll hold National to task if it doesn't commit Labour's jealousy taxes to the rubbish heap.
David is supporting this model immigrant Ukranian family as shown on Breakfast TV this morning.
He is hosting a rally for them on Sunday 10 February at Saint Heliers, Auckland. Details are on his Facebook Page and will go up on our website. If you can't support the rally, then please consider signing the petition.
I would love to be an elected representative where one of the biggest issues is people joyfully tooting their horns in the Mount Vic tunnel and annoying a few walkers and cyclists for the short distance involved. But one councillor wants it stopped. I noted in his TV interview he was asked why the current law around illegal horn use wasn't sufficient to deal with the problem, and he answered that it is difficult to enforce – well hullo! I have come up with a low-cost, user-pays solution to this problem.


When it comes to providing the appearance of health and vigor, the glow of a suntan can not be overcome. Thanks to advances in the chemistry and technology of tanning products, you can have a year-round color even if you reside in the harshest of winter places. Certainly, there's a tanning lotion for virtually every one who would like to turn into a bronzed beauty.
When you wish to reach that goal healthy glow, you have three choices: relax outdoors, stay inside, or go sunless. The sort of bronze you want dictates the forms of tanning creams that exist to you. To get one more perspective, consider checking out: self tanning mitt. If you choose for a backyard tan, you probably wish to begin with a cream that will help you build your foundation tan and jump-start your color. Next, you'll desire a tanning lotion that doubles as a sunscreen so that it is possible to expand your tan without burning. Eventually, you'll probably wish to choose an after-tan cream which will moisturize your skin layer, deepen your tan, and make it last.
If you decide on a salon, you'll need an inside tanning lotion. The type of tanning sleep product you choose depends upon your skin layer type, how often you get to the salon, and the tan you desire to accomplish. Generally speaking, however, a tan accelerator can be used by you to create your base and until your tan has peaked keep utilising the product. Next, you can use a booster cream to deepen your shade while moisturizing and protecting your skin. Finally, you need to use a footing tanning lotion to help keep that shine going.
If you want to (or have to) keep out of the sun or far from the salons, you'll need sunless tanning lotion. A sunless tan is momentary (about five times), but the right items will make it look just as great while the real thing. Before implementing a sunless tanning lotion, it is vital that you exfoliate the skin. It's important to slough off the dead cells prior to starting, because the sunless bronze is only going to stay as long as your skin cells are intact. You'll also need to start with your legs and apply the sunless tanning product in a circular motion in order to avoid streaking. Next, move then and to your core to your arms. Should you fancy to be taught further on sunless tanning mitt, we recommend many on-line databases people could investigate. Be sure you wash your hands every five minutes or so, and get light on the tops of your elbows, your legs, your legs, your neck, and your face.
It pays to purchase your tanning lotions from the reputable on the web source that not just offers a wide selection of services and products, but that also gives information and advice about using tanning lotions, because there are therefore many options. The best on line sources have sets from bronzers and oils to SPF creams and facial tanning products. Indeed, you should be able to find the highest quality designer tanning cream at deeply discounted prices. Happy tanning!.


text:
package com.hp.mwtests.ts.arjuna.recovery;

import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;

import org.junit.Test;

import com.arjuna.ats.internal.arjuna.recovery.ExpiredTransactionStatusManagerScanner;

public class ExpiryScannerUnitTest
{
    @Test
    public void test () throws Exception
    {
        ExpiredTransactionStatusManagerScanner et = new ExpiredTransactionStatusManagerScanner();

        assertTrue(et.toBeUsed());

        et.scan();
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


As people, and as organizations, we face social, demographic, and technological modifications which might be occurring at a tempo quicker than ever earlier than, altering the approach we work and take into consideration office. To assist us higher perceive the future of work, together with developments which might be shaping it, Insightly CMO Tony Kavanagh lately interviewed Harriet Molyneaux from London-based Scorching Spots Motion, on Insightly Gamechangers Podcast.
Working with each small and enormous corporations, Scorching Spots Motion seems at excessive efficiency throughout totally different industries by means of their advisory apply and the Future of Work Analysis Consortium, a gaggle of round 35 multinational organizations, like Accenture, Fujitsu, and Shell. The consortium offers area for members to mirror on the actions they should take to organize for the future of work.
When working with organizations in several nations, Scorching Spots Motion typically comes throughout distinctive cultural and social dynamics that they should contemplate so as to assist design an answer. For instance, whereas serving to corporations create work-life stability for his or her staff, the Scorching Spots Motion group realized that despite the fact that the difficulty appeared totally different for individuals in several nations, the answer was the similar — add extra flexibility. In Spain extra flexibility meant a shorter lunch break for workers who needed to go away earlier in the night. At a UK regulation agency that meant nonetheless lengthy working hours, however flexibility on how and when the hours have been delivered. To realize a work-life stability at an organization in Indonesia, they allowed staff to work remotely with entry to inner techniques, in order that they'd keep related with their groups.
With so many purchasers, each huge and small, throughout totally different continents, Scorching Spots Motion wants a strong inner system for buyer relationship administration in addition to challenge administration. Enter Insightly CRM. Based on Harriet, the most blatant profit of utilizing Insightly has been the automation of guide, repetitive duties that has freed up time for extra priceless and artistic work. For instance, as an alternative of recording each single lead outreach and notes in a spreadsheet, she blind copies (Bcc) her Insightly e-mail into each e mail to a lead, which routinely syncs up all the info. Scorching Spots Motion additionally makes use of Insightly for gross sales forecasting.
In Harriet's opinion, Insightly is additionally half of the greater development that's going to outline the future of work — workflow automation and its constructive influence on the future of work.
In response to Harriet, corporations of all sizes and throughout totally different industries share comparable rising office tendencies. In recent times, Harriet and her workforce have seen an enormous concentrate on individuals, "the absolute lifeblood of an organization," and fostering inclusion and variety.
One of the apparent variations is a profession development, which is far more versatile at a small firm than it is at a big one. For instance, a Scorching Spots Motion shopper based mostly in Edinburgh is a tech startup that doesn't even have position descriptions and crowdsources profession development for a lot of of their roles. In response to Harriet, such strategy "gives people so much more agency and ability to do the work that's meaningful to them." In bigger corporations, a profession development is rather more inflexible. For instance, massive consultancies and accounting corporations are structured round the notion that everybody is aiming in the direction of turning into a companion, even when that is probably not the case.
In bigger organizations, the place to be able to attain and/or hold a place of a basic supervisor of a rustic, or progress in your profession, it's essential have moved round, this presents a big problem.
Harriet makes use of an instance of a Scorching Spot Motion's shopper — Tata Consultancy Providers, a big IT consultancy headquartered in India — to explain how corporations are innovating in the face of this rising development. About 5 years in the past, the Tata management realized that as their workforce more and more unfold out round the world, their individuals have been lacking out on serendipitous connections, like bumping into one another and beginning conversations, that spark new concepts. Greater than that, the firm was disillusioned by the sort of merchandise they have been placing into the market and the type of workspace and experiences they have been creating for his or her individuals.
After some thought, they determined to recreate these serendipitous connections, solely nearly. They got here up with an inner social community, a platform referred to as Knome, and moved all inner communications to the platform. They carried it out in a really structured method, getting help from the CEO who was on-line persistently, encouraging others to undertake it. Over time they discovered that these digital conversations generated concepts that led to progressive options each for the firm and their clients round the world.
However not all progressive office options work as meant. For instance, a number of organizations in the United Kingdom had launched flexibility in distant work insurance policies as a method to help extra ladies in office. The answer backfired: they observed that in most locations individuals who have been in the workplace and have been seen, have been the ones whose careers progressed extra quickly. So, whereas the distant work insurance policies aimed toward offering extra alternatives for ladies, they ended up negatively affecting ladies's possibilities of profession progress. Regardless that the answer didn't work as meant, it turned a studying second each for the organizations who tried it and all others trying to remedy an identical problem.


text:
Glocalising digital education: challenges and opportunities
Australian Association for the Teaching of English Treasurer and Reading Australia Secondary Resources Manager, Phil Page, was invited by the International Publishers Association to speak at a side event for the World Intellectual Property Organisation Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights in Geneva in October. Phil and the AATE are passionate advocates for the value […]
Estate planning for copyright owners
This story, first published last year, is reproduced by popular demand. Could it be possible that the Will had set things right at last, and that Richard and Ada were going to be rich? It seemed too good to be true. Alas, it was! "Mr Kenge," said Allan, appearing enlightened all in a moment. "…Do […]
Canadian report recommends copyright changes to support local authors
The Copyright Agency welcomes a landmark report from the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage which has backed Canadian authors in their push to reform copyright laws in that country. Copyright Agency CEO Adam Suckling says, "Canadian authors and publishers have endured serious erosions to their livelihoods since 2012 as a result of copyright changes which […]
US Open Library is infringing Australian authors' copyright
The Australian Society of Authors has joined with similar organisations in the UK and America to condemn the Internet Archive's Open Library project, which aims to digitise and distribute books for free. A recent examination of the project by the ASA found that the site was hosting scanned copies of in-copyright books by Australian authors […]
UK Digital Content Store reaches 5m downloads
The British equivalent of Copyright Agency's new Flex platform, has seen UK students download 5 million copyright-compliant documents. Flex is modelled on the Digital Content Store, which makes the task of preparing course reading material simpler and faster for librarians and educators – eliminating unnecessary duplication of processes every term. Since the UK's Copyright Licensing Agency […]
Copyright Agency delivers more than $124 million to members
The Copyright Agency has announced its end of year results at its AGM held today. CEO Adam Suckling says 2017-18 was a solid to good year with $124m in copyright royalty payments to members, a beneficial merger, important political advocacy for fair copyright settings and almost $1.8m in grants in support of Australia's creative community. […]
MEDIA RELEASE Action launched in Copyright Tribunal
Today, the Copyright Agency, on behalf of its 40,000 members, will lodge an action in the Copyright Tribunal to determine the value of the copyright licence Australian universities rely on to copy and share extensive amounts of educational content. The action comes after a breakdown in commercial discussions with Universities Australia (UA), for a new […]
Top questions answered
In March 2018, we launched an online Help Centre to better support our members and licensees across all areas of the business. Already the Help Centre receives more than 1000 visitors each month seeking information on topics from copyright legalities and membership terms, to providing help with licence purchases and Cultural Fund applications. Here are […]
Image Credit: Photo by Shutterstock.
Image Credit: Griffith Review 70 cover image. Louise Zhang, Slosh Samples #2 [detail], 2014.
Telstra NATSIAA
Tweets by CopyrightAgency

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Calling HTTP Webservice with Jquery and getting XML back I have a web service that I am trying to call with jQuery.  It is supposed to return a bunch of XML data, but I can not seem to get it to work.
This is the ws with the params:

http://campaign.vialunatechnology.com/service/CampaignService.asmx/GetTargetDetails?urlName=richsangillo&campaignGuid=5475D3AB-313D-47C0-842D-D916B43658D1

Here is the jQuery code I am using.
var UrlName = "richsangillo";
var GUID = "5475D3AB-313D-47C0-842D-D916B43658D1";
var TID = "7006806";
var PageID = "53619";
var SID = "cd4p4y55q1i4vayzdw1fxsa0";

var arr= new Array();
var loopCounter = 0;

$.ajax({type: "GET",url:"http://campaign.vialunatechnology.com/service/CampaignService.asmx/GetTargetDetails?urlName=" + UrlName + "&campaignGuid=" + GUID,dataType: "xml",success: function(xml) {
                $(xml).find('xmlNode').each(
                function()
                {
                    arr[loopCounter] = $(this).find('xmlNode').text();
                    loopCounter += 1;
                });
            }});

A: When I run this in JSFiddle, I get the following error:

XMLHttpRequest cannot load
  http://campaign.vialunatechnology.com/service/CampaignService.asmx/GetTargetDetails?urlName=richsangillo&campaignGuid=5475D3AB-313D-47C0-842D-D916B43658D1.
  Origin http://fiddle.jshell.net is not allowed by
  Access-Control-Allow-Origin.

If you want to enable cross origin requests, follow the instructions on this page:
http://enable-cors.org/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Hello and welcome to today's webinar hosted by me, Joe Boyhan of MCO, and Paul Murdock of MCG Compliance Services. Today, we're going to be looking at the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or the FCPA. Paul Murdock has over 25 years of experience in financial services. Prior to forming MCG, he led the securities consulting, a professional services practice for Wolters Kluwer Financial Services. Previous to that, he held the Capital Americas, an investment management practice for Ernst & Young in New York.
Thank you Joe, and welcome everybody. I certainly appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to spend a few minutes with us as we go through the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, as we like to refer to it as. So, let's talk about how we got here today and just give some historical context as to why this law was enacted. So, back in the late '70's, in '77, in response to revelations about anti-bribery, or you know, widespread bribery of foreign officials by U.S. companies in order to win business, Congress decided to act. It was also in the backdrop of the Watergate scandals, so to put it in perspective, you had a lot of things going on.
As you can see in this slide, over 400 U.S. companies revealed that in some form or facet, that in fact, they probably had some dealings with foreign governments that, at the time, probably would not really rise to the level of bribery, but clearly we knew there was some issues going on there.


It's never too early to whet the appetite for the forthcoming CRAFTfest and I'm hoping that a sneak preview of some of the stalls on my team may encourage you to attend. You can come and join us with your own stall, more details here. The other way to join us, is to come with your gift list in hand, ready to choose something special for friends and family from the wide variety of stalls.
The Yellow Team is a new addition to CRAFTfest and I'm very happy to welcome some regular CRAFTfesters to my team, as well as some very talented newcomers. Below are just a few that showcasing their products. I'll be introducing you to more as we get closer to the event.
Here you'll find lots of lovely mosaics. This is one of my favourites, but why not go and visit and choose for yourself which you like best. There's frames, boxes and pictures to choose from.
I just love this wasitcoat from Designs by Lisa. You'll also find some fun cushions on her stall too.
You can always guarantee this stall will have something there to make you smile. This is just one of the many, so go and introduce yourself to some lovely characters. They are looking for adoption and I can't think of anything better to take into your home.
I hope you have enjoyed your first glimpse of what is awaiting you at CRAFTfest. I shall be back soon to introduce you to more of my team as they begin to set up their stalls.


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text:
EPPING: Family baffled by red UFOs
By Daniel Binns
A FAMILY has appealed to the people of Epping to help solve the mystery of a strange series of red objects seen flying over the town.
The three shapes, all with a red outer layer and a flaming yellow middle, were seen drifting silently in a line at a constant speed over the town centre on Saturday November 7 at around 8.30pm.
Witnesses say the objects were travelling too fast to be Chinese lanterns and were too close together to be planes.
Youngster Piers Barford, 11, saw the shapes with his parents in Broadoaks, Epping.
He said: "At first I thought they were fireworks but they did not explode and there was no noise.
"Then I thought they were planes, but why would three planes be on fire and closer than normal planes would fly, and be heading the same way and evenly spread out?"
His family, who snapped these pictures (see right) of what they saw, do not think the unidentified flying objects were alien spacecraft, but would like other residents with any possible explanation to come forward.
The Epping Forest district has previously been described as a hot-spot for UFO sightings, although some have put this down to the proximity of nearby Stansted Airport.


We are back with the 2nd edition of the much coveted Humblefool Cup. Last year, we witnessed an amazing onsite contest with the best of the best students located in India competing to win the Humblefool Cup medal. Members gargabhay and praran26 and dg_310 took the podium. You can relive the onsite finals here.
Topcoder and Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Allahabad are excited to bring back the 2nd edition of Humblefool Cup Algorithm Match in fond memory of Harsha Suryanarayana (humblefool).
Harsha is considered to be the best coder India has ever produced. A Topcoder member since 2005, humblefool – as he is known within the coding community – was a TCO World finalist twice. Up until his tragic death in an accident in 2014, Humblefool was at the top of his game in SRMs and personally trained and motivated many other members.
Humblefool Cup is organized every year to preserve his legacy and contribution to the Community.
This contest is only open to members currently enrolled in a University/College. You must have a valid college/university registration/ID card to claim the prize.
This round will be conducted alongside SRM 730. To participate in the Humblefool Cup you have to enter the Humblefool Cup Round and not SRM 730.
The top 30 students located in India will be invited to compete onsite at Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad.
The best ranked student in the qualifying round (not located in India) will be awarded $100 prize money.
The top 30 best students from the qualifying round will compete onsite to win the Humblefool Cup Medals and $450 in cash and goodies. The finalists will also receive Topcoder Humblefool Cup t-shirts.
$100 for the best performer not located in India.
$450 for the onsite event winners.
Excited to compete? Register here.


text:
Beyond the Mosque: Diverse Spaces of Muslim Worship
Beyond the Mosque is the first book to offer an introduction to the diverse spaces of Muslim worship that exist alongside the well-known mosque. Drawing on his journey across four continents – Asia, Africa, Europe and North America – the author of the book, Rizwan Mawani, shares an illuminating survey that reveals architectural responses to evolving community needs and local environments, from Senegal and China to Iran and India.
More about "Beyond the Mosque: Diverse Spaces of Muslim Worship "
Approaches to the Qur'an in Sub Saharan Africa
More about "Approaches to the Qur'an in Sub Saharan Africa"
Approaches to the Qur'an in Contemporary Iran
More about "Approaches to the Qur'an in Contemporary Iran "
On God and the World: An Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistles 49-51
More about "On God and the World: An Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistles 49-51"
Quranic Studies Series
The Institute, through the Qur'anic Studies Unit, publishes the Qur'anic Studies Series in association with Oxford University Press. The Holy Qur'an has been an inexhaustible source of intellectual
More about "Quranic Studies Series"
Epistles of the Brethren of Purity
The Epistles of the Brethren of Purity is published by Oxford University Press in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London. This bilingual series consists of a multi-authored Arabic
More about "Epistles of the Brethren of Purity"
Collections Catalogues
The Collections Catalogue Series showcases manuscripts held by The Institute of Ismaili Studies. The catalogues contain detailed descriptions of the manuscripts, discussing both the content of the
More about "Collections Catalogues"
Ismaili Heritage Series
The Ismaili Heritage Series aims to make available to wide audiences the results of modern scholarship on the Ismailis and their rich intellectual and cultural heritage as well as certain aspects of
More about "Ismaili Heritage Series"
Ismaili Texts and Translations Series
Recent advances in Ismaili studies have been initiated by the recovery of Ismaili texts. A large number of such texts, written in Arabic, Persian and Indic languages, are preserved in the collections
More about "Ismaili Texts and Translations Series"
Muslim Heritage Series
This series explores vital themes in the civilisations of Islam – including the nature of religious authority, ethics and law, social justice and civil society, the arts and sciences, and the
More about "Muslim Heritage Series"
Shiʿi Heritage Series
Shiʿi Muslims, with their rich intellectual and cultural heritage, have contributed significantly to the fecundity and diversity of the Islamic traditions throughout the centuries, enabling Islam to
More about "Shiʿi Heritage Series"
The Encyclopaedia Islamica
Encyclopaedia Islamica Online is based on the abridged and edited translation of the Persian Dāʾirat al-Maʿārif-i Buzurg-i Islāmī, one of the most comprehensive sources on Islam and the Muslim world
More about "The Encyclopaedia Islamica"


text:
Carolina Acevedo Rojas, born October 7, 1982 in Ibagué, is a Colombian actress. She played the lead character in the TV Series Mariana & Scarlett.

Life and career
She is the eldest daughter of Ricardo Acevedo and Silvia Rojas. Acevedo also has a sister named Marcela that was born in 1982. She acted in a Colombian television tv series called Clase Aparte and Conjunto Cerrado. Acevedo started with her career in 1993 acting in the TV series "De Pies a Cabeza" directed by Andres Marroquin. In 2000 she was the protagonist in "Pobre Pablo" a novel of the RCN channel. She played María Alcalá, the daughter of a rich flower distributor in the USA. She also portrayed Gabriela in Season 2 of Narcos.

Filmography
 De Pies a Cabeza as Violeta
 O Todos en la Cama as Silvia
 La Madre as Catalina Bernal
 Pobre Pablo as María Alcalá

External links

 All About Pobre Pablo in Spanish

21st-century Colombian actresses
Living people
1982 births
Actresses from Bogotá
Colombian television actresses

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Hampstead Highgate Express > News > Local Council
Wedding venue to the stars signed over to London Business School for �50million refurbishment
By Stephen Moore
A civil partnership of a very different kind has been agreed for one of London's most prestigious wedding venues - Old Marylebone Town Hall.
Westminster Council has agreed to lease the Grade-II listed building in Marylebone Road, Marylebone, and its annexe to the London Business School.
The deal was finalised on Friday at the famous central London Register Office, which has seen stars from Hollywood actors to former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr tie the knot.
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher married both his wives there, while Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour, actors John Hurt and Terence Stamp, former footballers John Fashanu and Paul Merson and TV presenter Claudia Winkleman all exchanged vows there.
But it means the auspicious venue will not host weddings and civil partnerships for the next three years.
It will be closed while the London Business School spends more than �50million restorating the building to its former glory, whilst creating a modern learning environment within.
It will become part of the school's Regent's Park campus, and when it reopens in 2016 will again be used for ceremonial and community functions, including council meetings.
10 Ashling Murphy: Camden pays tribute to murdered primary school teacher
Work on the original building, designed by Sir Edwin Cooper, began almost a century ago in 1914, and it opened in 1920. The art deco annexe was opened in the late 1930s, and the building was listed in 1981.
Cllr Jonathan Glanz, Westminster Council's cabinet member for housing and property, said: "In tough economic times, it is more important than ever for councils to make best use of their property assets.
"This agreement will not only generate an income for the council, but it will also see the multi-million pound restoration of the famous building."
Professor Sir Andrew Likierman, dean of the London Business School, said: "The acquisition of Old Marylebone Town Hall gives us a terrific opportunity to enhance the campus experience for our students and to provide for future expansion.
"Our intention is to transform the magnificent town hall into a world-class teaching facility whilst being sensitive to the original architectural design of the landmark building.
"In addition to a 200-seat and several 100-seat lecture theatres with associated seminar rooms, it is planned to include study, social and dining facilities as well as more offices. It will become an integral part of the school's Regent's Park campus."
The school is expected to submit a planning application for the renovation works before the end of the year.


Ever play the Chinese fortune cookie game where you add the phrase "in bed" to the end of every fortune?
Lately, I've been playing that game with Governor Ducey's hashtags, though I use the phrase "for special interests" instead of the other one.
My game isn't as hilarious as the fortune cookie game, but it does seem to sum up what the Ducey administration really means when it releases one of its cutesy hashtags.
The governor's newest hashtag, #ThingsThatMatter, was rolled out for his State of the State address on Monday, implying that his upcoming budget will prioritize the things that matter to all Arizonans.
But history seems to suggest this recent hashtag will be no different than the many before it. Another gimmicky slogan designed to portray an image of a governor working for everyone, while behind the scenes, his team crafts policies that favor a clique of special interests.
As an example, the governor's first big hashtag, #OpportunityForAll, sounded oh-so-promising when it was launched during his first race for governor. Like many voters, I had assumed the "for all" was a reference to Arizonans who had been hit hardest during the Great Recession.
Years after this hopeful hashtag premiered, our childhood poverty rate remains one of the worst in the nation, affecting nearly one in four kids. And our homeless population, which includes a significant number of veterans, is spiking instead of shrinking.
Nationally, the homeless population has remained relatively steady, even decreasing in major cities. But in Arizona, it rose more than ten percent last year despite an improving economy. The state's Housing Trust Fund, which was created to help offset rising rents and unaffordable housing, still receives tens of millions less than it did prior to the recession.
Policies that fail to address high poverty and homelessness do not create #OpportunityForAll.
Of course, some groups have definitely benefited from the governor's policies, most notably corporations. According to the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, almost three-fourths of Arizona's corporations pay the minimum $50 income tax. These special interests are flush with opportunity because of tax cuts and credits that have diminished their corporate tax liabilities to almost nothing.
Another one of Ducey's early hashtags, #ClassroomsFirst, inspired a similar sense of hope. I originally believed it was an attempt to secure more funding for schools, addressing low teacher pay or the abundance of desks crammed into classrooms.
The #ClassroomsFirst initiative was just another scheme to shift around existing education dollars. The plan was to revamp the finance formula, but not even Ducey's handpicked Classrooms First Council could find a way to solve or mask a $1 billion education deficit.
The chairman of the initiative went so far as to recommend a sales tax increase for public schools, something Ducey has vehemently opposed.
But the governor eventually found a way to ensure some Arizona classrooms came first. His team unveiled a #FundTheWaitlist campaign to promote a policy that effectively placed more money into the hands of high-demand charter schools, ones that just so happened to have close ties to the governor.
Since Ducey was successful in passing a performance-based funding initiative that favored special interests, perhaps he could use his bully pulpit and hashtag to fund the waitlist for childcare subsidies?
Surely the governor is aware that more than a thousand families are waiting for assistance and that, without these subsidies, parents are put in the impossible situation of having to choose between a job and a safe environment for their kids.
Isn't that worth a hashtag, governor?
There are so many #ThingsThatMatter to everyday Arizonans and those without high-priced lobbyists down at the Capitol. These things number in the millions and billions in missing funds for programs that actually #SecureAZ for future generations.
What we need from our governor isn't another corny hashtag but rather a vision that extends beyond the special interests in his close-knit circle. That's how we make #AZAwesome for everyone.


We'll do our best to find it for you. We source our plants from over 65 nurseries between Perth and Cairns and everywhere in between.
Let us do the hard work for you. Simply contact us with your request, and we will endeavour to find your plant for you.
It may take a little while, but if it's available, then we can get it.
This service is always dependent on whether the stock is available at the time of ordering, so we keep the request on file and contact you when we can source the plant. No promises, but all effort is made.
NOW DOING MAILORDER! Please contact the nursery for more information!


I've spoken before about being a tall person and the challenge of finding clothes which fit. I was emailed last week about the Long Tall Sally collaboration with Taller Than Your Average (TTYA) and got excited seeing the images. Part of the collection, which is designed by Irene Agbontaen which is released today looks gorgeous!
The other half of the collection is due out 11th May and there are so many BEAUTIFUL summer clothes in the collection. I totally need so many of them for my holiday in June! I can't wait to get something from the collection and show you!


So I thought to myself, what better way to kick off the festive season than with a Christmas D.I.Y.
And not just any 'ole D.I.Y. Something beautiful. Something that would make you want to get your tool belt on asap and get making.
This Narnia inspired Christmas stand has a solar powered light, a countdown chalkboard, a letterbox to send letters to and from Santa and the Elves in, and hooks to hang your stockings from.
NOTE: We got all of our materials for this project from our local Bunnings store. Except for the Wreath, which we got from Daiso. Our base plate and chalk board listed above were cut down from larger sheets. You can cut these down yourself using a jigsaw, or ask your local hardware if they will cut for you, to help you out.
The first thing to do is make a solid base for your post (note: we did not cut down our post at all).
Using the 42 x 42mm timber length, cut 2 x 155mm and 2 x 70mm lengths. Screw (or you could nail) these together and around the base of your post, making sure that you also screw/nail it to the post as well, so it can't slip off.
In addition to screwing the base pieces together we also highly recommend gluing them together as well for extra stability. We use Selley's PVA Wood glue.
Now it is time to attach the base plate to the post. Measure the centre point on the base of the post and also on the base plate.
Drill through the centre point of the base plate and then drill in at the centre point of the post.
Add PVA Wood glue to the base of the post and attach to the base plate and then drill in the screw to connect the base plate to the post.
We recommend that you undercoat the stand first, to seal the wood and to give a better finish to your spray. Once the undercoat has dried, then give it a sand and then spray it all over with Gloss Black spray paint. Leave to dry for a few hours and then apply a second coat before leaving to cure for 24hours.
We decided on all black for our stand, ( the main reason being we wanted it to be classic and traditional and also the brackets and light were black, so it meant we didn't have to spray them as well to match) but you could totally do it all white, or add a red letterbox, or to be totally different, why not go pastel!
Once your stand is dry, it is time to attach the light to the top of the post at the front. Next attach the 250mm bracket to the side of the stand, again at the top of the post.
And screw in a small gold hook just below the light.
This is the time you can also attach one or more of the hooks wherever you please for your stockings to hang from.
If you would also like to make and attach a letterbox to your stand, please click here for step-by-step instructions.
We bought our solar light from Bunnings. You will see that Bunnings have a good range of lights your could use. If they don't have this wall mount light option, you could also use one of their solar lights that you can put in the garden. I found with these that the top usually comes off the stake part that goes in the ground.Allowing you to easily then be able to use it for your Christmas Stand.
The final step is the countdown chalkboard. Simply drill two holes in both top corners of the (MDF Chalk board piece), so the rope can be threaded through.
Paint the board with the chalk paint and allow to dry.
Once dry it is time to transfer "Days Until Christmas" onto it. Simply print the words off (click here to download the words), colour in the back with lead pencil then trace onto the board with a pen.
Remove the paper and you should see the feint outline of the words on the chalkboard. Simply colour it in with a paint pen. We recommend Iron Lak 1mm paint markers in White, as it gives you fine details.
Attach the countdown board to the bracket with the rope, and tape it off at the board end using black electrical tape. You will cover the tape then with red ribbon tied into a bow.
When we made ours, the reactions we got from the children we showed were amazing and truly made my heart skip a beat. They wanted to interact with it, and immediately they wanted to write letters to Santa and drop it in the letterbox.
This D.I.Y is one you and your family will treasure forever.
It will bring a lifetime of memories.
Memories that your children can pass down to their children.
If you ask me, that is the best kind of D.I.Y you could ask for.
PS: Please feel free to email me any questions you may have about this project and be sure to share your creations with us on Instagram and Facebook.
Please note that this design is for private use only and not to be made for commercial resale.


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News » Society
Land for Ukrainians or the story of a moratorium
Brussels Ukraïna Review Society
On 28 April 2020, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed the Law on the Circulation of Agricultural Land, which was adopted by Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, following late-night debate on 31 March 2020, and which had been long-awaited since the declaration of independence.
"This is a historic moment for all Ukrainians and for me personally. Ukraine has been waiting for this law since independence. It was a difficult struggle. But we knew we were doing it for Ukrainians," commented Volodymyr Zelensky on this historical moment. According to the President's official press release, now we will have to form legislation for land market, and the law will enable the realization of citizens' constitutional rights to dispose of their property freely and to create transparent conditions for the acquisition of agricultural land by Ukrainian citizens.
However, are Ukrainians ready for a new "moratorium-free" reality?
Have the issues related to the reform – such as the complexity of the land situation, the existing owners of the land, transparency of existing and future land registers, and the attitude of the farmers themselves – been resolved? These are still burning questions. Until the very moment the law was adopted and signed, mass protests of agrarians and public activists took place all over Ukraine, including the Government Quarter in Kyiv. Fierce controversy, doubts, and negative opinions about the reforms were expressed in social networks. The path to the law's adoption has been quite eventful.
At the same time, given the traditionalism and paternalism of the major part of society, manipulations of politicians and a certain stability of the land market, land reform in Ukraine will be very painful.
In general, the land reform for Ukraine is a litmus test of the complexity of the entire reform process in the country. In spite of the new government's declarations about total digitisation, we remain an agricultural country.
Land arithmetic
Ukrainian land arithmetic is quite simple. We have almost 60 million hectares of land. Of these, nearly 43 million hectares – or more than two-thirds (70 percent) of the country's total area – are agricultural lands. However, land arithmetic is about more than just the quantity of the land, but about the land's quality, and fertile soils, of which 40 percent is black soil. Of these, 28 million hectares are privately owned plots. At present, over 10 million hectares remain in state and communal property. During the land moratorium, landowners (currently there are about 7 million, or every sixth Ukrainian) could only do two things with their land. They could either cultivate it themselves (one third of the land) or lease it (56 percent of private plots) at a non-market price, as well as on conditions of natural exchange (obtaining wheat, flour and other grain from the tenant). In addition to leasing and cultivation, the land circulation was conducted by way of inheritance, purchase and sale, donation, emphysevis (the right to use someone else's land plot for agricultural purposes), and mortgages. After all, 76.1 percent of agricultural land transactions fell on lease during this period. The average rent for one hectare of agricultural land amounted to 8218 UAH, and 4631 UAH for agricultural commodity production.
The ban (moratorium) on the sale and alienation of agricultural land (enacted by paragraphs 14-15 of section 10 of the Transitional Provisions of the Land Code of Ukraine) meant that landowners could not freely dispose of it. In this case, the only way to land could practically be transferred was by concluding a lease agreement. The reason for the ban was the lack of infrastructure required to introduce an agricultural land market. The moratorium covered 96 percent of agricultural land, with 68% percent (27.7 million hectares) of privately owned plots. In total, 66 percent of Ukrainian territory was captured by the land moratorium.
The history of the moratorium
The moratorium was first introduced in the amended Land Code of March 1992. After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, most of the agricultural land in Ukraine belonged to the former state farms and collective farms (renamed as "collective agricultural enterprises" or collective enterprises). The gradual reform of the collective agricultural enterprises by granting their current and former members land rights in the form of land plots started in 1995, after Presidential Decree № 720/95 was signed in August of that year. Although the Decree gave collective agricultural enterprise members the opportunity to leave the enterprises while retaining their land plots, the large-scale process of collective agricultural enterprise elimination by granting land plots actually began only in 1999. The new Decree of the President of Ukraine dated 3 December 1999 finally stipulated the requirement to eliminate all collective agricultural enterprises by April 2000 by distributing land plots and other property among their members. During the elimination process a large part of the rural population acquired the right to own land plots. At about the same time, a mass process of plot allocation was organised. As a result, millions of new owners obtained title acts for specific land plots.
After the first six years of the moratorium, fixed in the 1992 Land Code, the process of land purchase and sale commenced.
Sales volumes were not significant, but in 2001 a temporary moratorium was lobbied, first for one year and then for four years. The moratorium continued until 2008, when a new provision to the Land Code was introduced: the moratorium could only be terminated subject to two laws coming into force – the land cadastre law and the land market law. At the beginning of 2010, before the presidential election, the Verkhovna Rada created a legislative framework according to which the moratorium would be valid until the adoption of the land market law, but would not expire until 1 January 2012. The Verkhovna Rada overcame Viktor Yushchenko's presidential veto on this law on the second attempt. The moratorium was prolonged: in 2011 for one year, in 2012 for four years, and then annually in 2015-2018.
One step forward, two steps back – how the land market started
The moratorium could easily have lasted forever if not for the requirements of the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Therefore, in 2017, a large-scale, intense and professional public discussion on the agriculture development direction, on the land reform format, and the role of the moratorium on agricultural land sales was initiated. Supporters of the moratorium were considered to be representatives of the older generation, which lived in the Soviet era. At the same time, opponents of the moratorium were viewed as belonging to the younger generations who wish to witness the impact of a market economy on the rich fertile lands of their native country. This is nothing more than a battle of worldviews. Furthermore, assessments of the possible economic benefits of lifting the moratorium were added. Oleg Nivievskyi of the Kyiv School of Economics provided the following figures: USD $35.8 billion of generated added value instead of the actual USD $13.3 billion in 2018, if not for the moratorium. And in that case, GDP could be 17 percent higher. According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the lack of a land market reduced Ukraine's GDP by about 1 percent in each year of the moratorium. As at 2018, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food estimated that the normal functioning of the market for both rent and sale of land could provide revenue from USD $700 million to USD $1.5 billion each year, in addition to GDP growth of at least 1.5 percent. The World Bank's estimate was 2 percent.
Expert discussions in 2019 were often accompanied by manipulations of Ukrainian politicians and the spread of various myths. In the media, the biggest lies of Ukrainian politicians related to the opening of the land market. The main myths were: the land would be sold for nothing; foreigners would buy large volumes of land; rich landowners would buy all the land; the lack of affordable credits for farmers; and the lack of fair judicial and law enforcement systems. Proponents of the land market tried to prove the following: a ban on disposing of your own property was a sign of a non-democratic state; the land market implementation would not affect the property rights of citizens, in particular plots' owners (given that most of them had died while awaiting the reform and did not pass down their land plots); the low rent level on the land prevented farmers from making money if they did not want to cultivate it; and that without the moratorium being lifted, investors would not put funds in Ukraine and create jobs.
In addition, the state has never been an effective land owner and manager: on average per hectare in 2018, state-owned agricultural enterprises generated less than USD $106 in added value compared to private enterprises, less than USD $55 in net profit, and less than USD $218 in revenue.
The moratorium prevented farmers and large agrarian producers from purchasing land, and therefore deprived them of the opportunity to make long-term financial business plans. Local communities and the state budget experienced a shortage of funds. The Centre for Economic Strategy estimates that about 2.8 billion UAH in tax revenue is lost each year due to impossibility of legal land purchase-sale deals. Not to forget the numerous raider seizures of land under circumstances of legal uncertainty. There were other ways to circumvent the moratorium: various schemes for leasing land plots, their exchange for other land, passing down, the change of purpose and further sale, and bogus debts of the plot owner resulting in further confiscation via court orders, among others.
A May 2018 decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the case of Zelenchuk and Tsytsyura v. Ukraine[Details available here: http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng/?i=002-11941] contributed to the first changes to the land ownership situation. The Court found the land moratorium was a violation of the human right to dispose of its property, guaranteed by Article 1 of the Protocol to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights, and by Article 41 of Ukraine's Constitution, in the absence of an effective agricultural land market. Thus, Europe highlighted to Ukraine the unlawfulness of the moratorium and recommended that a fair balance be struck between the interests of agricultural land owners on the one hand and the general interests of the community on the other hand as soon as possible.
While the adoption of the Law on the Circulation of Agricultural Land seems to be a constant trouble, another component of normal agrarian life is quite successful. The Law on the State Land Cadastre was adopted in 2011. Prior to its adoption, land plots were not identified, the acts indicated only the size, area and location. In 2013, the electronic state land Cadastre was launched, and electronic services on the basis of the state land Cadastre followed in 2015. In 2017, the World Bank recognised the Ukrainian land Cadastre as one of the most advanced in the world.
Expert assessments of the land market by late 2019
In early September 2019, President Zelensky instructed the government to prepare, and the parliament to approve, a draft law on the agricultural land market by 1 December 2019. Such a draft law would include the lifting of the moratorium on land sales. On 13 November 2019, the Verkhovna Rada voted for the draft law 2178-10, which repealed the ban on the agricultural land sale, in the first reading.
On 3 January 2020, a draft law on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on the Conditions of Circulation of Agricultural Land (№2278-10), with amendments, was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada for the second reading. On 6 February, the Verkhovna Rada commenced voting for the draft law №2178-10 in the second reading. As the deputies of Ukraine submitted over 4,000 amendments to the draft law, it was estimated that reviewing and voting on the bill could take between two and four months. At the same time public discussions of the land issue were held. Some matters caused heated discussions between various political and economic groups. However, experts of the agricultural sector were quite unequivocal in their comments on matters of land ownership and the free disposal of land.
Ellina Yurchenko, a land expert at the Ukrainian Club of Agrarian Business (UCAB), observed that "[f]or almost 20 years, various political forces have been speculating on the subject of opening the land market that have generated public opinion that the land sale is evil. Therefore, the statements of agricultural land owners that they are against the land market because they do not wish to sell their land sound very absurd. But when the market opens no one will be forced to sell the land. Landowners will only be granted their constitutional right to dispose of land, and they will manage it on their own discretion. Agrarian associations have also agreed that it is necessary to open the agricultural land market, but the terms are being discussed.
The main points of confrontation remain the issue whether foreigners and foreign companies will get an access to the land market, as well as the volume of agricultural land owned by one entity and related persons. Only the opposition parties raise the issue of the all-Ukrainian referendum regarding the land market. The issue of the land market opening has been urgent and its removal from the priorities is inappropriate."
That is, despite the "combating all" image in the media, agrarians insisted on a stage-by-stage introduction of the land market, which would help to increase the efficiency of agricultural production and consolidate the rights of the main market participants, in particular farmers as the main landowners. The first stage includes the adoption of legislative preconditions for the functioning of the land market, encompassing a constitutional ban on direct or indirect ownership of agricultural land in Ukraine by foreigners and foreign legal entities, as well as persons without citizenship. Other legislative reforms envisioned in the first stage are the allocation of state enterprises' and institutions' land (NAAS) among former and current employees, the transfer of farmers' agricultural land for their permanent use, establishing a priority right to purchase land plots by current land tenants and/or their owners, filling in, making corrections in the State Land Cadastre and the State Register of Real Property Rights, and laws against the shadow cultivation of land, among other reforms. At the second stage, agrarians propose the implementation of a pilot project of land sale, which at this stage is restricted to the acquisition of up to 500 hectares per person exclusively by private entrepreneurs who are citizens of Ukraine. After the second stage and an evaluation of its results, the third stage foresees the lifting of the moratorium on the agricultural land sale to all Ukrainian citizens. The fourth stage should presuppose the lifting of the moratorium on agricultural companies founded exclusively by Ukrainian citizens. Restrictions on the maximum amount of land that can be owned by a legal entity (including related parties or antitrust restrictions) should be imposed and capped at 5,000 hectares per entity.
This position is shared by Denis Marchuk, the deputy head of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, who noted: "Although the Verkhovna Rada continues to review the draft law No.2178-10 on the land market in the second reading, and certain changes regarding the participation of foreigners in the land market and decrease of volume in one hand were made between the first and second readings, some key issues suggested by agrarians were not taken into account. First of all, it is a requirement of a transition period when introducing the land market. The main point is that at the first stage, only citizens of Ukraine should have access to the purchase of land with a limit of up to 500 hectares. As for legal entities, the right to buy land to be given them in a while when the agricultural lands are audited, law enforcement and judicial systems are established, the problem of raiding in the agricultural sector is resolved. There should be a certain limit for companies, not 10,000 hectares, but instead a maximum of 5,000 hectares per entity. Such an approach would allow small farmers to enter the land market with as little pain as possible and enable them to compete with large agrarians. After all, small agribusinesses need loans to buy land, like everyone else. Nowadays, many of them are simply not able to do this, even given the promised low interest rates, because they have neither the necessary credit history, nor reporting, nor experience of cooperation with banks. That is why a transition period is required during which small farmers and banks will learn to interact with each other. If the land market launches for both individuals and legal entities at the same time, it could lead to a collapse for small agricultural business resulting in its possible disappearance. Without the ability to get funds to purchase land, it is almost impossible for them to compete with medium and large companies that have access to financial resources."
Olexii Kushch, an expert of the Growford Institute, airs less optimistic views of the overall reform offered by the new government and possible scenarios. He says that "[t]he law-making mechanisms of the current authority can be called a 'new scheme'. Among all the indispensable reforms and legislative changes, the most toxic and disturbing issue, the land reform, has been put on the agenda. Moreover, apart from the controversial nature of the land issue for Ukrainians, given our painful history, society was disturbed by the possible changes like '200,000 hectares to one person' and 'non-residents' participation in land purchases'. It is quite possible that such controversial questions were put by the authorities before the citizens deliberately so to have a room for compromise in the points of greatest resistance of society in terms of the adoption of the land code."
With such strategy, any concession by current legislators and their beneficiaries on particularly burning issues seem to be considered as a step towards placating social unease with the reforms. Irritated by the idea of giving land to foreigners and deeply worried about the future of Ukrainian farmers against the backdrop of big landowners' large holdings , citizens and farmers did not notice other changes available to them. Everyone focused on the subject of "not giving up our native land". At the same time, the real resistance of the society to these toxic issues has been quite low. Ukrainians appear to be against the offered options, but not to actively resist them. To further pacify society, some compromises have been proposed, such as "reducing the area given to one person to 10,000 hectares" and partially reviewing the participation of non-residents in land purchases.
According to critics of the reforms, well-hidden in public and parliamentary discussions of the first stage of the land reform is the main factor in, and cause of, chaos in the land sector: the possibility of hybrid purchases of Ukrainian land by banks using foreign capital. Banks will allegedly be allowed to purchase land as collateral in instances of mortgage default. It is difficult to imagine the possible volume of land "a reliable bank" might own in the worst-case scenario. It seems like after a while, any bank with foreign capital, actively giving credits for the purchase of land, may become the owner of a large volume of agricultural land in Ukraine. The bank will have two years to sell such land. The mechanisms of bank control and the terms and conditions of their dealings with land are not currently specified, so the prospect for potentially unlawful actions on the part of banks is very realistic. The draft law does not specify either a mortgage control body for banks, nor penalties, nor mechanisms for lands confiscation in case of breach of the land legislation by the banks. Such loopholes could easily lead to fraud with the land, in a manner similar to pawnshops: to get credit without inclination for repayment. In other words, simply selling the land to the bank under the guise of obtaining a loan. The terms of such loan may vary at the discretion of the bank – inadequate timing, inflated interest rates, huge penalties, etc. – and any options for increasing the land price as a collateral can be implied to sell it later or to lease it out. Such uncontrolled processes may see the accumulation of millions of acres of land owned by banks. Unable to buy the land because of an extremely high price inflated by banks, the state (even if it wants to nationalise it) will not even be able to compensate the value of such land, as it would amount to billions of dollars.
Such a situation might be avoided by introducing legislation preventing banks from becoming the owners of land they secured as a mortgage. Such legislation would require banks to sell such land as collateral through state-owned online trading platforms (for example, a special Ministry of Justice platform, etc.). This was the primary purpose of this draft of the current government: to launch land purchases through schemes with banks with foreign capital.
Generally speaking, the current government seems to be far from being Ukraine-oriented and is not committed to quality reforms. The land reform itself should have been implemented in a step-by-step and qualitatively different way.
First, there should have been a holistic draft of a new land code, rather than superficial changes or amendments, as the current code does not meet the needs of the modern landowners. The new Land Code should have contained a real system of checks and balances, to prevent, for example, such a popular phenomenon as land grabbing (a raider seizure of land by large corporations). Second, the reform out to have introduced more robust protections of the interests of the state and the Ukrainian farmers in particular, as a major labour element in these lands. As in Poland, changes to Ukraine's constitution should be made immediately to codify the norm that Ukrainian farmers are the main users of land in the country. However, reforms did not happen as expected. The government has confined itself to writing one of the most important laws just on five pages and continued to introduce chaotic, irrelevant amendments to the existing code. The land market in Ukraine should definitely be opened, but it would be better to do so under a different, more positive scenario. The first stage, 5-10 years, would open the land market for individuals and farmers, to create a real land cadastre, to limit the acquisition of land to 500 hectares, among others. Thus, Ukrainian farmers' concerns about the inability to cultivate and manage their own land would be dismissed and the state would be able to test how the land market operates (the functioning of the land cadastre, registration of land transactions, etc.). The scenario implemented by the current government may lead to very unfortunate consequences. The redistribution of land capital, expected by the pessimists, may somehow resemble the initial redistribution of capital, assets, and the privatisation of enterprises in the 1990s, with all the negative consequences: raider attacks, general criminality, loss of land by farmers.
What about the IMF?
It is no secret that the opening of the land market is one of the requirements for continued effective cooperation with the IMF. According to some analysts, Ukraine received the last extended funding from the IMF only after adopting the land law and thereby fulfilling the IMF's land market requirements. Although the IMF generously and unconditionally disburses anti-coronavirus loans to countries to tackle the consequences of the pandemic, these two separate IMF financing programmes – one related to coronavirus, the other to the land market – seem to have merged into one in Ukraine. Therefore, the law was passed in the rush. And its provisions may carry negative consequences. There are those who refer to this law, adopted promptly and without proper professional discussion, as an unfair plundering of Ukrainian land. After the law was signed into force by the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, an investment banker, Sergei Fursa, called the legislation "a story about a lost chance" on his Facebook page.
According to Fursa, the new restriction to buy no more than 100 hectares per individual in the period between July 2021 and January 2024 will not create significant demand for land, so prices will not rise and farmers will not earn money. And the fact that state-owned land is prohibited for sale will allow "corrupt officials to continue parasitizing on it." Fursa further claims that "[t]he last amendments, adopted with little or no consideration, destroyed the whole economic essence of this reform. It will have no economic effect – neither at the macro level nor at the micro level."
What are the main provisions, and possible consequences, of the Law?
The main provisions of the law are as follows:
For the first two and a half years, individuals are limited to purchasing a maximum of 100 hectares of land. From 2024, this limit will increase to 10,000 hectares per person, as stipulated by the latest draft law;
From 1 July 2021 to 2024, only individuals will be allowed to purchase land. Legal entities will be prohibited from buying agricultural land;
Municipal and state lands are not allowed to be offered for sale;
The issue of granting foreigners the right to buy land will be resolved in a separate referendum;
Land within 50 kilometres of Ukraine's borders cannot be purchased by foreigners, despite the results of the referendum;
A person currently renting a land plot will be given priority in its purchase. The tenant has the opportunity to transfer this right to purchase the land to another person, but the owner must be notified in writing. Tenants who cultivate the land and have the right to use it granted until 2010, can purchase this land by instalments for a period of up to 10 years at the minimal price of such plots as defined by the state and without holding land auctions. The buyer receives the right of ownership after the first payment;
The minimum price until 2030 is not less than the minimum price defined by the state; and
Banks will be able to become owners of the land only if the land was given to them as collateral on a loan. Financial institutions must sell such plots within two years after obtaining ownership.
The main concerns of representatives of the economic and agrarian communities regarding the chosen land reform direction are as follows:
First, the mechanisms to control the circulation of land are not outlined. In case the tenant gives other persons the priority right to buy the land, this may lead to certain schemes of land concentration. If the owner wishes to sell his land plot and the company does not have the right to buy it, the tenant will transfer the priority right to another person for further repurchase. This will initiate speculations and frauds, as it is likely that tenants will have prior agreements with speculative investors and will become actual sellers of the land plots.
Second, the law provides no restrictions on the concentration of land per person within one region or united territorial community. Although this issue will be given urgency from 2023, the amendment on the concentration of land within a united territorial community (35 percent) has disappeared from the final version of the law. Most agricultural holdings already exceed this norm within a single community. An amendment of 35 percent would destabilise established lease relations. This is the reason why it was removed. According to the Cabinet of Ministers' Reform Office study, in most regions (except Volyn, Zhytomyr, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil, Kherson, and Chernivtsi), the share of arable land used by the largest landowners exceeds 35 percent, indicative of monopoly power. There is also the possibility that one person will purchase all the land within one united territorial community and this can make the community dependent on one company.
A third concern is that land market reform should have been implemented considering the current economic risks of a pandemic, which developed countries have already encountered. Changes should be implemented only after the crisis is over. Because, under the current conditions, the land may "come under the hammer", Ukraine may sell the country's main asset for a pittance and will not obtain any economic benefits. Furthermore, farmers, already feeling the impact of the crisis, simply do not have the funds to purchase land, so there is a high risk that speculators will take over the market. Currently, some banks refuse to give credits to farmers that would allow them to finish the sowing process. Almost no bank gives either affordable or any business loans to agricultural businesses. In such circumstances, it will be difficult to obtain credit for the purchase of land. There is also no budget support program for farmers. Some small farmers say that the scenario foreseen by experts has every chance of becoming a reality and most of them will have to sell their land plots to make ends meet. They will have to deal with the consequences of frozen economic activity and sell their land for nothing.
Except for these land-based doubts, agrarian scientists are alarmed by the lack of provisions that oblige farmers to care for the restoration and conservation of fertility of Ukrainian soils.
The Director-General of the Centre for Agrarian Reforms, Dr. Liubov Moldavan, said that she was currently working to additionally introduce into the Ukrainian legislation seven EU regulations that oblige agricultural producers to care for soil fertility: "With years the land will become even more critical resource, well, we have to learn to look ahead to the future! The population is increasing and land depletes because of constant exploitation. Everyone, not only politicians, should take care of this: a plant is the sun, water and earth from which the plant absorbs the entire spectrum of microelements, phosphorus, calcium, potassium. Microelements should be returned so that the earth could retain its qualities. This is a manual of agriculture. It is obligatory to return microelements and to fertilize the land using organics, and we either do it insufficiently or don't do it at all."
Dr. Moldavan and the Centre for Agrarian Reforms, which she heads, is furthermore lobbying for the extension of the Farmers Support Fund authorities, which could become a fund for long-term credits to farmers for the purchase of land during the crisis. According to Dr. Moldavan, "[w]e described how it worked in other countries and insisted on setting up a regulatory agency. I am afraid, due to our recklessness, current issues will prevent further development of the reform in the right direction. All this should be completed by 2023, as long as only the individuals have the right to purchase land."
However, as Ukrainians say, "wait and see". The people have sincere hopes that the government will find ways to overcome the economic crisis and will strategically (not in a corrupt way) use the money provided by the IMF for the land law. Therefore, no significant deterioration in the economic situation in the country will occur, and those farmers impoverished as a result of the crisis will not sell the most efficient agricultural lands to large corporations.
Inna Krupnik is a marketer and advertising specialist. She has worked in large companies for more than 15 years and has a high professional reputation. She is regularly published in leading Ukrainian publications as a columnist and columnist on topics such as national revival, reforms, cultural processes, microeconomic processes in Ukraine, gender issues. Participant in conferences, forums, and seminars on economic reform and political processes.
01.08.2020 • by pu
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