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Home Γραμματισμοί Chapter 5: Functional Literacy Pedagogy Kalantzis and Cope, Debating Functional Literacy
Kalantzis and Cope, Debating Functional Literacy
Here is the story of literacy pedagogy so far. In its earlier modern forms, didactic literacy pedagogy was based on the idea that the world in general and language in particular can be described in terms of 'facts', regularities and rules. A lot of what was taught was abstract and often not very relevant to the practicalities of reading for meaning and writing with a functional or communicative purpose. However, the rules were never taught simply for their own sake. By teaching parts of speech, by demanding standards of correctness, by being prescriptive about the supposed facts of language, teachers were also teaching students some lessons of social discipline and order. With its transmission pedagogy and rote learning, didactic literacy pedagogy was the cultural tool for classrooms preparing students who would respect authority and reliably take orders.
'Don't split infinitives.' 'Say "she did it" instead of "she done it". 'Say "isn't" instead of "ain't".' Sometimes these sorts of rules were simply a waste of time, or even themselves 'incorrect' for many social contexts. Yet even in its most superficial moments of pedantry, didactic pedagogy had another social function, and that was to exclude, to mark as wrong and even to fail discourses that the school curriculum labeled incorrect—incorrect, that is, by the measure of the self-appointed 'standard English' of educated and powerful people. The logic of didactic literacy pedagogy was to serve up a universal 'standard', with pretensions to factualness and cultural universality, to pass those who found the standard and its underlying cultural logic congenial, to fail those who didn't, and then to put the consequent differences in social and educational outcome down to individual 'ability'. Given the truth of this situation of power, many teachers felt compelled to subject students to the apparent rigours of the standard, national language. This was their chance to succeed at school, and in life.
Then came what we have called 'authentic pedagogy'. Central to this literacy pedagogy was individual student motivation instead of the rule-driven authoritarianism of traditional literacy teaching. The theory posited a concept of ownership. Student texts were owned by their writers, and the teacher was no more than a resource assisting the student when called upon, a facilitator rather than the font of fixed knowledge about language. Student experience and what they wanted to say would now be brought to the fore rather than language facts and the rules of 'correct' speaking or writing.
We have briefly retold the story of didactic and authentic literacy pedagogies in order to make the distinctions clear between both of them and functional literacy. Taking authentic pedagogy's critique of didactic curriculum as given, from a functional literacy perspective, how do we explain when authentic literacy pedagogy fails and how it fails?
Authentic pedagogy fails when it does not engage all students. This happens in part because it is culture bound, with its prescriptions for individual control, student-centred learning, student motivation, purposeful writing, individual ownership and the power of voice. This matches the moral temper and cultural aspirations of white, middle-class children from households whose sensibilities are child-centred. The skills, sensibilities and resources these children bring to school, that reflect their social and economic backgrounds, mean they are more positively predisposed to do well at school. The pedagogy of immersion 'naturally' favours students whose voice is closest to the literate culture of power in modern society. Or at least, this is what we find out when we look at the formal outcomes that the school values or tests. Moreover, authentic pedagogy sometimes turns out to be no more motivating than didactic pedagogy, for instance in the case of students who do not see the immediate point of learning literacy or even like school. In these subtle ways, it has not contributed to reducing educational inequities, given the inequities in the social value placed on 'different' voices in the world outside school.
Furthermore, far from elevating teachers to the role of professional, it often reduces them to the role of manager. What often transpires is an eclectic, fragmented, worksheet curriculum. Moreover, the analogy of orality and literacy in the process writing and whole language approaches to literacy simply does not work. This is not to say that orality does not play a big part as an underpinning for writing and reading. It does. However, orality and literacy are surprisingly different as modes of meaning making, not only in their discursive structures (ways of using language) but in the different nature of the learning process that is involved (the social location of that learning and what it takes to learn each mode). Consequently, 'natural' literacy learning can at times become an inefficient use of time and resources. It leads to a pedagogy which encourages students to produce texts in a limited range of written genres, mostly personalised recounts. This is why the texts generated in the original process writing classroom ('choose your own topic'; 'say what you feel like saying') often end up monotonous and repetitive. As a consequence, some key textual genres are neglected. The most powerful written genres are those most distant from speaking in their purpose and form—for example, scientific reports which attempt to objectify the world, or arguments which are especially designed to persuade. In fact, these genres often speak in a deliberately depersonalised voice, a rhetorical strategy which has the effect of sounding authoritative.
The development of the 'genre literacy' approach needs to be explained in the first instance in terms of the politics and sociology of Australian education. Didactic curriculum was officially abandoned in Australia in the 1970s, although as in the USA and elsewhere in the world, its habits persist in many classrooms. There seemed to be very good educational reasons for this at the time—reasons that are still as strong today as they were then. Yet by the 1980s it was clear that its replacement, the new progressivist curriculum (which we call 'authentic pedagogy') was not necessarily producing superior educational outcomes. It was not producing any noticeable improvement in patterns of educational attainment. In fact, all it seemed to do was make teachers' jobs harder by giving them a huge amount of responsibility to construct 'school-based curriculum'. This meant that, despite the official paradigm shift, in practice many teachers found it more comfortable to stay with their old ways of teaching.
This is why the genre-based approach to literacy has created so much interest.
Yet, like all pedagogies, functional literacy is at times controversial. And educational controversies soon become political. The supporters of what we have called in this book 'authentic pedagogy' claim that genre literacy is just the wolf of didactic pedagogy, dressed in sheep's clothes. It seems to mean learning formal 'language facts' again. This is why it is sometimes claimed that genre literacy teaching will lead us back to the bad old days of authoritarian classrooms where some students found the authority congenial, and they succeeded, while other students found the authority uncongenial, and they failed. The advocates of didactic pedagogy, on the other hand, don't like functional grammar because it uses an unfamiliar metalanguage.
Sometimes, functional literacy pedagogy does indeed slip into a way of interacting with learners that feels like the more structured approach of didactic literacy pedagogy. However, in its strongest and most innovative moments, the functional approach used by genre literacy teaching represents a different educational paradigm from either didactic or authentic literacy. It is based on an understanding of the nature of language quite different from that of traditional grammar. Not only does it move beyond traditional grammar and the didactic focus on mainly literary texts, it also goes beyond the process pedagogies which stress 'natural' learning through immersion in experiences of 'doing' writing and reading.
If the debate around functional literacy is a vibrant one, the debate within this paradigm is at times just as vibrant. Within the 'genre school', participants have debated literacy along two related axes: the one linguistic and the other pedagogical. Taking the linguistic element of the debate first, just what is this concept of 'genre'? Here the debate within the genre school is mostly between adherents of the Martin line[1] and those whose sympathies lie in the direction of the Kress view.[2] Kress expresses concern about Martin's project of classifying genres of educational practice. Teachers keep stumbling over important 'new' texts which just don't seem to fit the generic descriptions. What if something is not quite a report, not quite a recount and not quite a procedure? The process of classification, Kress argues, seems at times to be heading in the direction of a new formalism, where the 'correct' way to write a report is presented to students in the form of generic models and exegeses of schematic structure.
In fact, Kress qualifies the idea of genre still further. 'The important point is to be aware of the fundamental tension around genre, uneasily hovering between regularity and repeatability on the one hand—the effect of social stabilities and of regulations erected around text to keep them close to 'convention'—and the dynamic for constant flux and change on the other.'[3] Kress is less interested in classifying textual forms than he is in the generative potentials of using certain kinds of text for certain social purposes. In a sense then, he has remained closer to the origins of genre literacy in Halliday's systemic functional linguistics. The important point is that register is not a basis for classifying texts into formal categories, but a tool for analysing texts in their infinite variety and subtle variations. That key for functional literacy learning is not to learn particular genres, but to recognise the many social purposes that texts are used for and how to do this in different ways.
And another difference: Kress starts by describing the social relations between the participants before he begins to take apart a text. In other words, Kress wants us to interrogate the context first, the situation and purpose of the text. Martin, on the other hand, advocates 'a semiotic theory of the social' and starts with the text itself. That is, he wants us to start with the text, then move from an understanding of its structures to an explanation of its structures in terms of the context in which it is located. By disentangling the layers of register (voice) , genre (text type) and ideology (purpose) in text, Martin believes that the critically literate reader will be able to discover all they need to know about text to understand its social purpose and to analyse its meaning. The tendency of Martin's approach to genre, Hasan argues, is to make it seem that text is a finished product to be described rather than a process to be explained. All too easily, this can lead to a kind of structural formalism—writing genres as following textual recipes—which does not reflect the fluid social and textual relations that characterise text in context.[4]
Turning now to the pedagogical element of the debate, some members of the genre school, while agreeing in principle that it is important to be explicit about text structure and its relation to social activity, argue that the formalistic tendencies and their tendency to present textual recipes, take us dangerously close to a revival of a didactic pedagogy. Kress fears this might fuel the slide into educational authoritarianism, taking schooling back to the most didactic of pedagogies. From where he stands, Kress calls for more openness about curriculum contents, and principles of generativeness or creativity in literacy curriculum instead of procedural principles of modelling that lead to the transmission and reproduction of rigid textual forms.[5] Martin, on the other hand, argues that the only beneficiaries of open curriculum and active learning in the mould of authentic pedagogy have been already privileged students and that empowerment of marginalised students requires that they are inducted into the discourses of power. He also argues that language structures and choices need to be unpacked if students are to understand the ways texts are manufactured and used.[6]
When it comes to the pedagogical details, the 'wheel' model involves telling learners how they should write. Student achievement is marked in terms of how well they realise the predetermined generic structure types. Despite the reading work that exposes students to authentic examples of the genre early in the curriculum cycle—while they read and research in preparation for a piece of writing in science, for example—in practice textual form is largely presented in an static way at the modelling stage. The joint construction stage is then meant to help students internalise the form exemplified by the model so they can reproduce that form in so-called 'independent' construction. This involves taking certain genres at their word because they are regarded as powerful, and on this basis recommending that they should be taught to groups of students historically marginalised by the school literacy. It also leaves out of the curriculum other kinds text—of everyday life, popular culture, ethnic or peer groups, and new media spaces—that might appear to be of less educational value but which are nevertheless culturally important in students' lives.
To a certain extent, functional linguists of all persuasions would agree that genre literacy should open students' educational and social options by giving them access to ways of talking about language that is of educational significance and social power. However, standing alone, this view tends to ignore the fact that many of the textual forms which constitute powerful genres also at times reflect deceptively ideological frames of cultural reference. Report is a genre that appears to be factual and voiceless. Far from it, reports carry powerful human agendas. The apparent neutrality of report is not just because it has a descriptive function. It is also a convenient pretense, an attempt at times to cover up human interests and agendas. Narrative is a genre that appears, if one takes its own textual devices at its word, to have its origins in personal creativity. Far from it, narratives are the products of social experience, and the reader of a narrative is as much a part of the meaning making process as the author of the text being read. The reader is in a position even to disrupt narrative and read things into it which its author never intended. Also in the real world of text making there are few ideal genres circulating that fit strictly into neat and consistent patterns.
Indeed, one of the problems of some versions of genre literacy is the genres it values are those found in the traditional, didactic curriculum. Just because certain genres can be identified as those that have been required for success in school in the past does not mean that schools should redefine these as genres for success in the future. Indeed, fixed classifications of genre may even mean that teachers lose sight of where the real power lies. Those who are really innovative and really powerful are those who creatively adapt, transform and even break conventions, not those who reproduce them. To become 'good readers' and 'good writers', students should be encouraged to be critical and not just toe the generic line. Indeed, the most insightful and powerful texts succeed so well precisely because they cross generic and cultural boundaries, rather than do the genre 'right'.
Moreover, schools must take the cultural and linguistic diversity of their social setting into account. The worst practices of genre literacy not only tend towards a didactic pedagogy. They also resemble the cultural assimilationist model of education. These versions of genre literacy pedagogy seem to propose that there are certain genres of social power and it is the particular mission of school to deliver these to those groups marginal to the cultures and discourses of power. In a similar situation, didactic literacy pedagogy simply failed students not attuned to 'standard' English, the literary canon and the culture of literacy. It then linked the subsequent 'results' to individual ability.
It is not our task as educators to hand down the language of power in an uncritical way, with all their cultural and ideological biases—such as reports that represent themselves as voiceless, and narratives that express the voice of the creative, literary individual. This would be to assume that what teachers identify as the language tools of power are intrinsically better than the language tools used in students' families and everyday lives.
However, the explicitness of a functional approach to literacy need not necessarily produce a one-way didactic pedagogy. Rather, it could involve a backwards and forwards conversation about the genres of the texts of students' everyday lives, comparing and contrasting these with new or unfamiliar texts of educational and social success. In this approach, curriculum is a dialogue between the culture of schooling and the cultures of students, the relation between students' ways of speaking and the discourses of educational access. It is a matter of genuine give and take.
In such a dialogue, difference is a potential resource for access. Students who come from historically marginalised cultures have a unique resource for unpacking the hidden cultural agendas and linguistic wiles of discourses unfamiliar to them. To come back to our generic examples, such students might be able more easily to see through reports, with their feigned voicelessness. Or they might be able to see through narratives that ostensibly flow from the pen of the creatively original, individual author. They can do this because these sorts of texts immediately stand out as strange ways of speaking. For students from more affluent backgrounds, these genres may appear much more natural.
A genre literacy curriculum could be a site where the cultures and the discourses of the margins are also a subject for literacy curriculum, used not only to highlight by contrast the structures and purposes in the discourses of conventional school success and social power, but perhaps also to reshape these so that they are more potent, or more explicit, or more subtle. Instead of one-way transmission, functional or genre literacy might be able to foster the cross-fertilisation of discourses and the cross-cultural hybridity which is potentially an enormously creative asset in a society that recognises and values its diversity.
Adapted from: Kalantzis, Mary and Bill Cope. 1993. "Histories of Pedagogy, Cultures of Schooling." Pp. 38-62 in The Powers of Literacy: A Genre Approach to Teaching Literacy, edited by B. Cope and M. Kalantzis. London: Falmer Press. || Amazon || WorldCat
[1] Martin, J.R. 1992. English Text: System and Structure. Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Martin, J.R. and Joan Rothery. 1993. "Grammar: Making Meaning in Writing." pp. 137-153 in The Powers of Literacy: A Genre Approach to Teaching Writing, edited by B. Cope and M. Kalantzis. London: Falmer Press.
[2] Kress, G. 1990. Linguistic Process and Sociocultural Change. Oxford UK: Oxford University Press. Kress, Gunther. 1993. "Genre as Social Process." pp. 22-37 in The Powers of Literacy: A Genre Approach to Teaching Writing, edited by B. Cope and M. Kalantzis. London: Falmer Press.
[3] —. 2003. Literacy in the New Media Age. London: Routledge. p.102.
[4] Hasan, Ruqaiya. 1992. "Contexts for Meaning." pp. 1-59 in Georgetown University Round Table '92: Theme: Language, Communication and Social Meaning. Georgetown University.
[5] Kress, Gunther. 1993. "Genre as Social Process." pp. 22-37 in The Powers of Literacy: A Genre Approach to Teaching Writing, edited by B. Cope and M. Kalantzis. London: Falmer Press.
[6] Martin, J.R. Ibid."A Contextual Theory of Langauge." pp. 116-136.


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Q: Constructing object to have a constructor method containing a set property method I'm trying to make an object as a mock to pass into a test.
I don't know if I'm constructing it correctly - I'm getting Error: User() method does not exist.
    injectedUser = {
        set: function(key, val){
            this[key] = val;
        }
    };

    injectedParse = {
        Parse: {
            User: function() {
                return injectedUser;
            }
        }
    };

    Parse = function() {
        return injectedParse;
    };

The desired behavior I'm looking for is for function Parse.User to be called with user = new Parse.User and be able to do user.set("key", "value");
But it seems like I'm not building this object properly? I have another issue but since it is more a javascript thing potentially, I made a new, more general issue about building objects
I also tried
                set = function (key, val) {
                this[key] = val;
            }
        mockParse = function(){
            this.User()
        };
        mockParse.prototype.User = function(){
            return set
        };

        $provide.value('Parse', mockParse);

That gave me the same error.

A: All the information you should know about constructing objects are at: http://ericleads.com/2013/02/fluent-javascript-three-different-kinds-of-prototypal-oo/

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Калининское — деревня в Тотемском районе Вологодской области.

Входит в состав Калининского сельского поселения, с точки зрения административно-территориального деления — в Калининский сельсовет.

Расположена на левом берегу реки Царева. Расстояние по автодороге до районного центра Тотьмы — 22 км, до центра муниципального образования посёлка Царева — 3 км. Ближайшие населённые пункты — Гридинская, Лукинская, Царева.

По переписи 2002 года население — 18 человек.

Примечания

Ссылки
  в реестре населённых пунктов Вологодской области

Населённые пункты Тотемского района

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Q: Python Tkinter not working in a .py file My problem is that my python code is not working when I run it as a .py file. Here is the code:
import tkinter
tk=tkinter.Tk()
canvas=tkinter.Canvas(tk, width=500, height=500)
canvas.pack()

There is more code to it than that, but that is the relevant stuff. It works fine when I use the python shell or type it directly into the python console, but when I run it as a .py file, it seems to skip this code and go on to the rest, without displaying a canvas. I am using windows, but I am not sure what version of python I'm using.
I was also using
from * import tkinter
before, with relevant changes to the code and i changed it to try and help fix it. It didn't work :(

A: You are missing the eventloop at the end:
import tkinter
tk=tkinter.Tk()
canvas=tkinter.Canvas(tk, width=500, height=500)
canvas.pack()

# Enter into eventloop <- this will keep
# running your application, until you exit
tk.mainloop()

Only a personal recommendation: don't use tk as a variable name, use app or root or even win/window


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Dr. Chris Bates
Dr. Chris Bates – Northeast Florida Plastic Surgeon
Meet Dr. Bates
Dr. Chris Bates grew up in Dalton, GA. Ever since being an exchange student in Germany in high school, he has loved to travel the world and has been blessed to continue this passion with his wife, Miranda. They have lived in several states and have recently relocated from California. Their families have both spent ample time in the St. Simons area and are very familiar with north Florida. They are so excited to become a part of the community and finally call the south home. Dr. Bates enjoys snowboarding, wakeboarding, golf, and loves to spend his time off with his son Brody. He is also a major college football fan. Go Dawgs!
Specialties and Skills
Dr. Bates has had the honor of practicing plastic surgery now on all three coasts and utilizes the different ideas and techniques that he's learned along the way to bring the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art, and most importantly safe plastic surgery to his patients.
One of his greatest attributes that patients comment on is his bedside manner. He holds this near and dear to his heart and wants to ensure that he makes all of his patients feel safe and comfortable during the entirety of their journey at Ponte Vedra Plastic Surgery.
His interests include mommy makeovers, body contouring, breast, surgical and non-surgical facial rejuvenation.
Dr. Bates attended and graduated with honors at the University of Georgia for his undergrad. He then went on scholarship to Marshall University Joan C Edwards School of Medicine in Huntington, WV, where he graduated first in class. At the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX he attended the 6 year integrated plastic surgery residency, and served as chief resident of plastic surgery and president of the resident body. In Laguna Beach, CA he attended the aesthetic plastic surgery fellowship with Dan Mills, MD, who is one of the past presidents of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
2004-2008 University of Georgia
2009-2013 Marshall University
2013-2019 University of Texas Medical Branch Residency
2019-2020 Fellowship Laguna Beach
McNurlen, Maria, M.D., Boson, Alexis, B.S., Bates, Christopher, M.D., and Phillips, Linda, M.D. "Children and Residency: It Can Be Done!" In Progress.
"A Study of the Safety, Tolerability, and Clinical Pharmacology of Subcutaneous 10XB-101 in Adult Subjects Undergoing Abdominoplasty." Active Clinical Trial.
Bates, Christopher, M.D. and Mills, Daniel, M.D. "The Inferiorly Based Dermal Flap for Biologic Scaffold Coverage in Aesthetic Breast Surgery." Accepted for Presentation at the California Society of Plastic Surgeons 70th Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA. May 2019.
Bates, Christopher, M.D., Junek, Kelsey S., B.S., Boson, Alexis L., B.S., Andry, Danielle, M.D., Boukovalas, Stefanos, M.D., and Phillips, Linda G., M.D. "Standardized Documentation Template Increases Insurance Approval for Reduction Mammaplasty." Oral Presentation at the Second Annual Blocker Lewis Plastic Surgery Society Research Day. Galveston, TX. April 2019.
Freudenburg, Elliott P., B.S., Gray, Kelsey M., B.S., Boson, Alexis L., B.S., Padilla, Pablo L., M.D., Ohlstein, Jason F., M.D., MPH, Bates, Christopher M., M.D., and Cole, Eric L., M.D., FACS. "Dermal Fillers and Associated Complications: A Review of the Literature and Case Series." Poster Presentation at the Texas Society of Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX. September 2018.
Bates, Christopher M., M.D., Boson, Alexis, B.S., and Moliver, Clayton, M.D. "The Role of Antiperspirants in the Perpetuation of Axillary Perspiration, A Randomized Double-Blinded Prospective Study." Oral Presentation at the Inaugural Blocker Lewis Plastic Surgery Society Research Day. Galveston, TX. June 2018.
Nemir, Stephanie, M.D., Ph.D., Bates, Christopher, M.D., and Moliver, Clayton, M.D. "Coolsculpting®: Experience, Clinical Results, and Patient Complications." Oral Presentation at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons the Meeting. Los Angeles, CA. September 2016.
Bates, Christopher, M.D., Boukovalas, Stefanos, M.D., Dillard, Rachel, B.S., Qiu, Suimmin, M.D., Ph.D., and Cole, Eric, M.D. "Intravascular Papillary Endothelial Hyperplasia (Masson's tumor): A Diagnosis the Plastic Surgeon Should be Aware Of." Oral Presentation at the Texas Society of Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX. September 2016.
Bates, Christopher, B.S., Ahmed, Rezwan, M.D., Richardson, Russ, B.S., and Bolkhir, Wesam, M.D. "Uncovering the Mystery of an Extragingival Pyogenic Granuloma in an Emergent Setting." Poster Presentation at the West Virginia State American College of Physicians Meeting. Roanoke, WV. October 2012.
Bates, Christopher M., B.S. and Shuler, Franklin D., M.D., Ph.D. "Skin Temperatures and Plaster Splint-Induced Thermal Injury in the Orthopaedic Patient." Oral Presentation at Marshall University Joan C. Edwards SOM Annual Research Day. Huntington, WV. March 2012.
"Dr Christopher Bates was a pleasure to meet and made me feel so comfortable ☺."
"I am writing to give a huge thank you to Dr. Bates. First off, this was my first surgery of any kind and he was there to answer any questions that I had along the way. Dr. Bates is very knowledgeable about his craft and you can tell from the first interaction with him that he wants the best outcome possible for each and every patient. Dr. Bates had an outstanding bedside manner, which I am thankful for since as stated prior this was my first procedure of any kind. Dr. Bates is not only a wonderful surgeon but overall a caring physician who looks out for the needs of each person he comes in contact with. Dr. Bates also has a fantastic nurse named Rosie and they will be making many people happy for years to come."
Office Visit
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text:
Megan Smith adds video coordinator Chris Malveaux to KU softball staff
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Family is a keystone value to the Kansas softball program and to Kansas Athletics as a whole. Director of Athletics Dr. Sheahon Zenger backed up those values by allocating the necessary resources to allow for a smooth transition for the growing Kansas softball family.
To that end, KU softball head coach Megan Smith announced on Monday the addition to her staff of video coordinator Chris Malveaux (maal-VOE). Malveaux, who has a combined 16 years of experience as an assistant and head coach at the NCAA Division I level, will be in charge of video capturing and analysis for the program.
Malveaux will also be in place to step up into a temporary role as assistant coach while current assistant coach Abbie Butler and her husband, Tye, await the birth their first child this spring.
"One of the things that I love about Kansas is that we are all about family," Smith said. "As female coaches, it is important that we are able to have families and take the time that we need for them. KU is stepping up by giving us the resources to bring another qualified coach on our staff. It shows the commitment Kansas Athletics has to female coaches and to the family atmosphere that is encouraged here. It is not something we just say — we actually back it up with resources. Dr. Zenger is showing again how much he cares about our program, female coaches and families in general."
Malveaux was previously head coach at McNeese for four years and spent time as an assistant coach at Louisiana and Bradley prior to coming to Lawrence.
"We are really excited to add someone with great experience and who will be a great fit in terms of his character and personality," Smith continued. "Chris is a high-character person and a great coach with a lot of great experience — he knows every aspect of the game. To have someone of his caliber come in and help us out is invaluable. He will no doubt help our program succeed this spring."
Malveaux begins his role as video coordinator effective immediately and will travel with the team on the season-opening road swing at the Leadoff Classic in DeLand, Florida, this week.
@KUSoftball
/KansasSoftball


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Tag Archives: green tea ice cream
Japan Part 1 – Urban Explorers' Schlep and First Impressions
Who schlepps in Japan? No one except a trio of New Yorkers hauling luggage, cameras, books and kids toys around Tokyo and Kyoto. Yes, we went everywhere with a giant stuffed "Perry the Platypus." Locals seemed amused. The Japanese don't schlepp; they stroll…purposefully, quietly, and the ladies often wear high heels whether they are at a stinky fish market or a smoky cafe filled with hipsters and two curious goats (more on that later).
Japan was sensory overload, and I'm still processing everything I saw, smelled, heard, touched and tasted. I have only been back in the United States for less than 48 hours and already I miss Japanese hospitality, its toilet technology, chu toro bowls, and the obsessive cleanliness that dovetails with the country's endearing relationship with water (not surprising for a nation of islands). Tokyo felt like a Western city with Eastern touches whereas Kyoto felt like an Eastern city with Western touches. Tokyo's cherry blossoms were just starting to fall while we were there, whereas Ma Nature flipped the "on" switch during our time in Kyoto, and the city was glorified in bouncy pink spring beauty. Kyoto's undulating blue mountains, pink petals, stoic temples, and geishas and monks crisscrossing uneven, ancient streets, made it impossible to take a bad picture. Kyoto was the purpose of our trip and did not disappoint. Kyoto and Tokyo offered plenty for the senses, but this quick list doesn't do it justice.
Mike is right; Japan sounds like a 1980s video game. Auditory cues for train stations, public service announcements, commercials, everything except what the Buddha is up to, cut through the air constantly. To my foreign ears, everything, even useful information coming through a loudspeaker over the train platforms, sounded like a pachinko parlor. Not understanding the language took a backseat to the constant cutesy sounds that I never heard in other major world cities.
Where to begin? If you've seen Sofia Coppola's wonderful Lost in Translation, then you have a sense of Tokyo's seductive neon glow. Tokyo IS the cleanest, safest city I have ever walked. I would let Anna eat off the sidewalks there before allowing her to pick up a dropped item on a New York City street. The dedication to cleanliness there is beyond exemplary. Where else can you walk around a city with a population exceeding 13 million and feel completely safe, free from panhandlers and from worries about stepping on someone else's gum, spilled Starbucks green tea matcha latte or dog poop? Tokyo is a metropolis remarkably liberated from its inhabitants' detritus. I could wax poetic about Tokyo Tower, the immaculate city parks, the Godzilla statue, puffy cherry blossom trees, and the Zen Buddhist temples (and I will), but the blinding cleanliness of such a busy place stands out. The other sight that stands out is Mount Fuji. I lived near Mount Rainier in Seattle and was always awestruck by it. Mount Fuji is more than 12,000 feet and coyly hid behind the clouds during our first two days in Tokyo. But when the skies cleared…wow.
Three simple words. Spring. Fish. Ginger. That's what I smelled, and I loved it.
Azuki beans…can't get enough of them and don't understand why you can't buy Azuki bean or red bean sweets here in the United States, unless you go to a Japanese specialty shop, which are few and far between. Americans don't think of beans "that" way, though I think if you start them out by putting that delicious reddish-purple sweet Azuki bean paste in a Pop-Tart, the Azuki bean would have a fighting chance among Middle Americans. I will confess right now after a week of rice, fish, and pickled things that could sometimes not be identified, I craved cornflakes (Michael Pollan is right, there is way too much corn in the US diet!). I could drink green tea and eat seaweed salads every day, but then again, green has always been my favorite color.
Gelatinous, if I can to sum things up. Gelatinous green tea ice cream or cherry blossom-flavored ice cream balanced on a tiny cone. Or gelatinous fresh fish flesh, which gets sprayed on to you as you walk through Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market; gelatinous items in Bento boxes; gelatinous globs of sticky rice sticking to everything, including your kid's hair; mushy mounds of smoked salmon for breakfast, lunch and dinner; sushi that you squished between your chopsticks yet would bounce back and regain its shape when you accidentally dropped your sushi roll on to your plate, thankfully missing the dollop of wasabi.
My five senses are still digesting the experiences of the past nine days, but I did want to reflect on those first few impressions, which often color a trip. It's those first few impressions that push us to get off the couch, spend money we probably shouldn't spend and go somewhere that feels entirely strange and new. Daily routines dull our five senses; walking around New York City I can forget to see, smell, and listen to what's going on around me because I am too focused on just getting there. Travel invites us to pause and look around, to absorb our surroundings the way children do, with trust and curiosity.
This entry was posted in Japan and tagged Asia, cherry blossoms, green tea ice cream, Japan, Japanese sushi, Kyoto, Tokyo, travel, Tsukiji Fish Market on April 15, 2013 by katrina.


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You are paid to be an authority. You are paid to make decisions.
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text:
Q: Compiling Erlang module using erl.exe I am extremely new to Erlang, I am trying to compile my first Erlang module and am getting an error that the no such file exists, although it does in fact exist.
Any suggestions as to why I erl.exe is failing to compile useless.erl is greatly appreciated.
Many thanks in advance!
erl.exe command prompt (note modules does in fact contain useless.erl)
1> filename:absname("C:/Users/modules").
"C:/Users/modules"
2> c(useless).
useless.erl:none: no such file or directory

(useless.erl)
-module(useless).
-export([add/2, hello/0, greet_and_add_two/1]).

add(A,B) ->
A + B.

%% Shows greetings.
%% io:format/1 is the standard function used to output text.
hello() ->
io:format("Hello, world!~n").

greet_and_add_two(X) ->
hello(),
add(X,2).

A: With that form, you need to execute erl the same directory as the module you are trying to compile. You can specify a file path when you use the c function.  This will create a .beam file in your current directory:
Erlang R16B (erts-5.10.1) [source] [64-bit] [smp:8:8] [async-threads:10] [hipe] [kernel-poll:false] [dtrace]

Eshell V5.10.1  (abort with ^G)
1> c("stackoverflow/passfun.erl").
{ok,passfun}
2> passfun:some_func().
hello


- After being dropped for the London Docklands show, 'Step Up' returned to the setlist and was put after 'Points Of Authority' (after previously being in the encore). 'By Myself' stayed in the encore. 'High Voltage' was dropped completely, likely in favor of 'Step Up'.
- Brad played a short 'Sweet Child O' Mine' guitar tease before 'One Step Closer'.
Comments: This is a great recording. Lossless uncirculated.


As of September, 2008, 26 million Medicare-enrolled elderly and disabled people, as well as individuals with ESRD, were enrolled in a Medicare Part D prescription-drug plan (PDP). Before 2006, these patients obtained prescription drug coverage through various insurance plans, state Medicaid programs, or pharmaceutical-assistance programs, received samples from physicians, or paid out-of-pocket. After 2006, however, the majority obtained Part D coverage. As shown on the next page, 58–59 percent of elderly CKD and general Medicare patients were enrolled in Part D in 2008, compared to 72, 61, and 53 percent of hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and kidney transplant patients.
The retiree drug subsidy, designed to encourage employers to supply prescription coverage to Medicare-covered retirees that is at least as valuable as the Medicare Part D standard plan, provides employers with a tax-free rebate for 28 percent of retirees' drug costs. Other patients are enrolled in employer group health plans or government/military plans ("creditable coverage") which provide coverage that is equivalent to or better than Part D.
The proportion of patients with no known source of drug coverage is highest in the peritoneal dialysis and transplant populations. Given that many of these patients are employed, it is likely that some have sources of prescription drug coverage not tracked by Medicare.
Prior to the start of the Medicare Part D program in 2006, patients dually-enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid received prescription benefits under state Medicaid programs. The Part D program, however, offers a substantial low-income subsidy (LIS) benefit to enrollees with limited assets and income, including those who are dually-enrolled. The LIS provides full or partial waivers for many out-of-pocket cost-sharing requirements, including premiums, deductibles, and copayments, and provides full or partial coverage during the coverage gap ("donut hole"). Compared to patients in the general Medicare population, a higher proportion of dialysis, transplant, and elderly CKD patients receive LIS benefits, and thus, in general, pay proportionally lower out-of-pocket costs for their Part D prescriptions.
Part D does not cover every medication prescribed to Medicare enrollees. Several drug categories — including over-the-counter medications, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, anorexia and weight loss or gain medications, prescription vitamins (except for prenatal vitamins), and cough and cold medications — are excluded from the Part D program by law.
The Medicare Part D program works in concert with Medicare Part B, which covers medications administered in physician offices (e.g. erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs) in CKD patients), those administered during hemodialysis (e.g. ESAs, intravenous vitamin D and iron products, IV antibiotics, and resuscitative medications), and most immunosuppressant medications required in the three-year period following a Medicare-covered kidney transplant. Medicare-covered transplant patients lose eligibility for Part B benefits after three years, but, if they become Medicare-eligible due to age or disability, they again become eligible for Part B for immunosuppressant coverage. Patients whose kidney transplant is not covered by Medicare, but who become Medicare-eligible due to age or disability, can enroll in and receive their immunosuppressant medications through Part D. Prescription drugs not covered for beneficiaries under Part B may be covered by Part D, but coverage depends on whether the drug is included on the plan formulary.
Part D benefits can be managed through a stand-alone PDP or through a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan, which provides medical as well as prescription benefits. The majority of dialysis and transplant patients are covered through PDPs (as patients may not enroll in Medicare Advantage after ESRD onset), but data in this chapter encompass both types of plans.
Sources of prescription drug coverage in Medicare ESRD patients vary widely by age and modality. In each age category, for example, transplant patients are markedly less likely than those on dialysis to have the low income subsidy (LIS). Younger patients on either modality have the highest Part D enrollment, and the monotonic decrease in the percentage of patients with LIS as age increases is striking — three in four dialysis patients age 20–44 with Part D receive LIS assistance, in contrast to just 35 percent of patients age 75 and older.
The proportion of dialysis patients enrolled in Part D varies by race and ethnicity, from 67 percent among whites to 78 and 81 percent among African Americans and Hispanics, respectively. Eighty-three percent of African Americans and Hispanics with Part D coverage have LIS, compared to 64 percent of whites, and African Americans treated with dialysis are the least likely to have no known prescription drug coverage. These general trends hold true for kidney transplant patients as well, although their Part D enrollment is less than that of dialysis patients.
The steady increase in Part D enrollment among both incident and prevalent hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients parallels that seen in general Medicare patients; the lower enrollment of peritoneal dialysis patients is most likely explained by their higher employment rate. Enrollment among the small number of patients transplanted within 90 days of ESRD initiation (about 2,300 per year) remains about 30 percent.
Patients dually-enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare qualify for LIS, and, if they do not choose a plan, are automatically enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan. Sixty-five percent of hemodialysis patients with Part D coverage are dually-eligible LIS beneficiaries, compared to 32 percent of the general Medicare population. An additional but smaller proportion of patients (6–12 percent) receive LIS after an application documenting low income and resources. Overall, 74 percent of hemodialysis patients with Part D coverage receive LIS benefits, compared to 64 percent of peritoneal dialysis and transplant patients, 51 percent of those with CKD, and 38 percent of general Medicare patients.
The proportion of Part D-enrolled patients with LIS declined slightly from 2006 to 2008, probably due to increasing elective enrollment among patients without dual eligiblity. The majority of younger patients (those younger than 65, primarily persons with ESRD or disabilities) enrolled in Part D have LIS. Among those age 65 and older, LIS enrollment is highest in the hemodialysis and CKD populations. By race, white Part D beneficiaries are less likely to have LIS than African Americans or those of other races. In 2008, the spread between general Medicare and hemodialysis patients with LIS was largest in white beneficiaries, at 33 percentage points.
CMS provides prescription drug plans (PDPs) with guidance on structuring a ''standard'' Part D PDP. The upper portion of this table shows the standard benefit design for PDPs in 2006, 2007 and 2008. In 2008, for example, beneficiaries shared costs with the PDP (as coinsurance or copayments) until the combined total reached $2,510 during the initial coverage period. After reaching this level, beneficiaries went into the coverage gap or "donut hole," where they paid 100 percent of costs. Since 2010, the government has been providing those reaching the coverage gap with more assistance each year. In 2008, beneficiaries who obtained a yearly out-of-pocket drug cost of $4,050 reached the catastrophic coverage phase, in which they paid only a small copayment for their drugs until the end of the year.
PDPs have the latitude to structure their plans differently from what is presented here; companies offering nonstandard plans must show that their coverage is at least actuarially equivalent to the standard plan. Many have developed plans with no deductibles or with drug copayments instead of the 25 percent coinsurance, and some plans provide generic and/or brand name drug coverage during the coverage gap.
The lower portions of the table show drug copayment, coinsurance, and deductible amounts for beneficiaries with full and non-full dual eligibility and with full or partial subsidies.
Patients without the low income subsidy (LIS) pay monthly premiums. Over the first three years of Medicare Part D, patient enrollment in plans with higher premiums increased. In 2008, 30–34 percent of ESRD patients enrolled in plans with premiums greater than $35 per month, compared to 25 percent of general Medicare patients.
The percentage of Part D non-LIS enrollees with no deductible is similar in the general Medicare and ESRD populations, at 72–76 percent. Gap ("donut hole") coverage, in contrast, is more common in the peritoneal dialysis and transplant populations, at 23–24 percent compared to 19 percent among hemodialysis patients, and 12 percent for those in the general Medicare population.
Most Part D enrollees with LIS (full-benefit dual-eligible patients) do not pay monthly premiums, but non-institutionalized patients with LIS do pay drug copayments or coinsurance based on income and assets. Seventy-five percent of hemodialysis patients with LIS have low or no copayments for their Part D medications, compared to 66–68 percent of peritoneal dialysis, transplant, and general Medicare patients. Only 2–4 percent pay 15 percent coinsurance for their medications. Even those patients with high copayments (23–31 percent of patients in 2008) paid a maximum of just $2.25 per generic and $5.60 for branded medication.
Total net Part D payment for patients with identified kidney disease (hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and transplant patients, and CKD patients not on dialysis) was $5 billion in 2008 — 10 percent of total Part D prescription drug costs. These costs do not include costs of drugs billed to Part B, including intradialytic medications (ESAs, IV vitamin D, iron) and immunosuppressants.
At $5,536 and $6,183, the per person per year (PPPY) total cost of medications covered by Medicare Part D is 2.3–2.5 times higher, respectively, in dialysis and transplant patients than in the general Medicare population. Proportional to total Part D costs, however, out-of-pocket costs are lower in ESRD patients, representing 8 percent of PPPY costs for hemodialysis patients and 10 percent for both peritoneal dialysis and transplant patients, compared to 19 percent in the general Medicare population.
Across populations, total Part D medication costs are approximately twice as high in patients with LIS benefits than in those without. In the LIS population, however, out-of-pocket costs represent only 2–3 percent of these total expenditures, compared to 40–41 percent in each of the non-LIS populations. Regardless of LIS status, total PPPY Part D costs are 1.8–2.4 times greater for patients with ESRD than for those in the general Medicare population.
Among dialysis patients with LIS benefits, Part D costs per person per year are $6,496–$6,945 for whites, African Americans, and Asians, compared to $5,481 for patients of other races. There is no wide variation in costs for non-LIS populations.
Medicare Part D covers most medications taken by ESRD patients at home, while Medicare Part B covers those administered during dialysis (erythropoiesis stimulating agents, IV vitamin D, and so on) as well as immunosuppressive medications for patients with Medicare-covered transplants. In 2008, Medicare Part D costs for ESRD patients reached $1.54 billion, while Medicare Part B costs were $1.87 billion.
In 2008, hemodialysis patients with LIS benefits had combined Part B and Part D medication costs of $14,536 per person per year. Regardless of LIS status, combined costs were greatest in hemodialysis patients.
Part B costs declined slightly between 2006 and 2008, most likely a result of lower ESA doses. Part D costs in dialysis patients, however, increased during this period, possibly reflecting shifting tier placement by prescription drug plans for some branded drugs. And in transplant patients, Part B and Part D costs were unstable, particularly from 2006 to 2007, which may reflect patient, pharmacy, and/or payor confusion over which program was paying for immunosuppressive medications as Medicare Part D was implemented in 2006.
Part D enrollees who do not have the low income subsidy (LIS) may encounter three coverage phases, depending on total and out-of-pocket (OOP) costs per year. In 2008, patients with total Part D drug costs up to $2,510 fell into the initial coverage phase, while those with costs over that amount entered the coverage gap ("donut hole"), in which they were responsible for 100 percent of drug costs. Patients whose total OOP costs reached $4,050 then entered the catastrophic coverage phase, in which they paid only a fraction of overall drug costs.
On average, peritoneal dialysis patients reach the coverage gap sooner than CKD or other ESRD patients, while general Medicare patients take the longest. Twenty-four to 26 percent of ESRD patients who reach the coverage gap will subsequently attain catastophic coverage, compared to 19 percent in the CKD population, and 12.5 percent of general Medicare patients. ESRD and CKD patients thus reach catastrophic coverage much faster than do general Medicare patients.
The twelve-month probability of non-LIS Part D enrollees reaching the coverage gap is 45–48 percent across ESRD modalities, but varies by demographic characteristic. Patients age 20–44, men, and African Americans are the least likely to reach the gap; by comorbidity, patients with diabetes reach it at a higher rate than do those with other diagnoses. Not surprisingly, the likelihood of reaching the gap rises with the number of prescription fills per month in the previous year. Point prevalent Medicare enrollees alive on January 1, excluding those in employer-sponsored & national PACE Part D plans.
Number, fill rate, and prescription cost influence whether patients stay in the initial coverage phase or progress to the coverage gap and then to catastrophic coverage. Among those who reach one of the latter two phases, transplant patients have the highest fill rate. Among those who reach the gap but do not get to catastrophic coverage, the fill rate declines once the gap is reached. This could be due either to a reduction in medication adherence or to a decision to obtain medications outside the Part D plan, and it is a pattern not seen in patients who reach catastrophic coverage. In these patients, the fill rate rises as each phase is reached. Patients with a higher number of Part D medications could be incentivized to fill prescriptions in order to reach this phase phase more quickly, as their out-of-pocket expenses then decrease dramatically.
Sevelamer carbonate represented 5.3 percent of sevelamer use in 2008. Together, costs for sevelamer hydrochloride and carbonate reached $270 million — about 21 percent of the $1.26 billion in Part D costs in the dialysis population. Part D claims for all dialysis patients, 2008.
In 2008 hemodialysis patients, the top 15 medications (in terms of total days supply) accounted for nearly 42 percent of all Part D medications.
Sevelamer hydrochloride represented only 4.3 percent of total Part D drugs used in these patients, but accounted for 20.3 percent of their net Part D drug costs. Calcium acetate, in contrast, accounted for 3.1 percent of the medications and 4 percent of costs, demonstrating the stark contrast in costs to Medicare between use of a generic phosphate binding agent (calcium acetate) versus branded phosphate binding products (sevelamer hydrochloride or carbonate). Similarly, cinacalcet — available only in branded form — represented 2.9 percent of total Part D drugs used in 2008, but 16.9 percent of their costs.
Among transplant patients, prednisone (a generic immunosuppressant) was the most frequently used medication in 2008, followed by metoprolol and insulin. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, used for prophylaxis against pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, was sixth on the list. Except for tacrolimus, no trade name immunosuppressant made the top 25 list in terms of frequency, not surprising given that most are covered under Medicare Part B. Valganciclovir, which is used for prophylaxis against cytomegalovirus and does not have an available generic, topped the list by cost, though not by frequency. The immunosuppressants tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, sirolimus, cyclosporine, and mycophenolate sodium do appear on the list by cost, implying that their costs are relatively higher than the frequency of their use. » Table 6.d; see page 388 for analytical methods.
Together, valganciclovir and tacrolimus represented 20 percent of all Part D drug costs for 2008 kidney transplant patients. Insulin therapies accounted for 4.7 percent of Part D medication use, but 7.1 percent of Part D costs; several new therapies continued under patent in 2008. Epoetin alfa and darbepoetin alfa, trade name products not among the most frequently used medications, were among those with the greatest cost, together accounting for 3.7 percent of Part D net costs among transplant patients.


If you have good personal credit, it's relatively easy to qualify for a business credit card. But if you're planning to finance large expenses over time, using a credit card can get expensive.
Here are some alternatives to consider that may offer lower interest rates, or won't charge interest at all.
If your business has been around for a while and has good financials, you may be able to qualify for a small business loan. Banks and commercial lenders can often offer lower interest rates than business credit cards, especially if the loan is partially or fully guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
As you shop around, make sure you know each lender's eligibility requirements, including how long you have to be in business and what your annual revenue needs to be to qualify.
Also, keep in mind that you may need to provide some form of collateral, such as real estate or business assets, to qualify for a low interest rate.
A business line of credit is similar to a business credit card in that it's a form of revolving credit. During the draw period, you can borrow money, pay it back, and borrow it again. During the repayment period, however, you can't make additional draws.
A business line of credit offers a little more flexibility than a business loan, and depending on your business and the lender, you may be able to qualify for a low interest rate.
As with a small business loan, take your time to shop around and compare interest rates, fees, and eligibility requirements. Also, think about whether you want to secure the loan for a lower interest rate, and how long you want to repay the debt.
If your business is just getting off the ground, you may have a hard time getting approved for a low-interest small business loan or line of credit. You may, however, be able to qualify for a microloan.
On average, microloans are slightly less expensive than business credit cards, so make sure to borrow wisely. You can typically borrow up to $50,000, but the average is about $6,000.
The eligibility requirements are less strict than a small business loan or line of credit, and you typically don't need to worry about collateral. You may also still be able to qualify if your credit isn't in great shape.
One microlender that doesn't charge interest at all is Kiva. It doesn't lend money directly to you, however. Instead, you request money from people in your community and in Kiva's community in $25 increments. The only downside is that the borrowing limit is $10,000. So if you need more money, compare what Kiva offers to other microloans.
It's generally not a good idea to borrow money from a 401(k) plan or a cash-value life insurance policy. But if you're having a hard time finding cheap capital another way, it may be worth considering.
Interest rates on 401(k) and life insurance policy loans are typically low, and you'll often have at least a few years to repay the debt. Whatever money you pay back goes back into your plan or policy over time.
You may, however, be limited on how much you can borrow. With a 401(k) loan, for instance, you can borrow up to the greater of $10,000 or 50% of your vested account balance, or $50,000, whichever is less.
With cash-value life insurance, you may only be able to borrow up to 90% of your cash value amount, which may not be much if you haven't had the policy for long.
Also, with 401(k) loans, keep in mind that if you leave your job for any reason at all, the loan could come due immediately. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, 86% of 401(k) loan borrowers with an outstanding loan when they leave the company default on their payments.
As you consider your options, weigh both the benefits and drawbacks to determine if these options are worth it to get what you need.
If you don't want to borrow money at all and have a unique product, crowdfunding may be an option to get money without having to pay finance charges.
Crowdfunding works by going straight to your customer base through websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. You create a compelling video showcasing your product and ask for small investments from people who are interested.
In exchange, you offer early access to your product to the people who contribute. In other words, you get the cash you need, and in return, you give your customers what you want to sell them anyway.
Keep in mind, though, that it may be difficult to get a good crowdfunding campaign off the ground. You may need to hire someone to help you create the video and campaign, and you may not get the funding you need. Be realistic about your expectations, and make sure you have a backup plan in case the campaign doesn't go as well as you want.
Business credit cards can be a great way to get rewards on operating expenses, and as long as you pay your bill in full each month, you'll never have to worry about paying interest. But if you think you'll end up carrying a balance from month to month, it may be better to consider some lower-interest alternatives.
As you look at these other financing options, take the time to determine what your business needs and your qualifications to pick the one that's the right fit for you.


text:
Time to Invest!
By TBY | Nigeria | Jan 14, 2016
KPMG outlines Nigeria's business and tax environment, highlighting the country's key sectors.
In 2Q2014, Nigeria emerged as Africa's largest economy with an estimated GDP of $479 billion, up from $270 billion in 2013, following a statistical rebasing exercise by the National Bureau of Statistics. According to the IMF, the country currently ranks as the 21st largest economy in the world with a current nominal GDP of about $574 billion. Nigeria's GDP has been growing at an annual average rate of 6% over the last decade. This has largely been driven by growth in agriculture, telecommunications, banking, insurance, Nollywood (Nigeria's movie industry), media, real estate, hotels and restaurants, and business services.
Despite its impressive economic growth, Nigeria's economy is still largely crude oil-driven, with the product contributing about 70% of budgetary revenue, over 90% of foreign exchange earnings, but a paltry 10% of GDP. However, there is a firm commitment from the country's newly democratically elected government to diversify the economy over the next five years. The government is also keen on tackling corruption, addressing the issues of inadequate power supply and dependence on imported petroleum products, and upgrading the country's infrastructural facilities, which are largely outmoded.
Nigeria's over-dependence on crude oil for foreign exchange earnings has exposed it to external shocks since prices plummeted globally in 2H2014. This has resulted in the depletion of the country's external reserves (which were about $30 billion in November 2015, representing roughly five months' import cover), a significant fall in the value of the country's currency, the naira, and the introduction of some exchange control regulations by the Central Bank of Nigeria, such as banning the "dollarization" of local transactions and restricting access to the interbank foreign exchange market for the importation of 41 listed items. Notwithstanding these challenges, the nation has managed to maintain a single-digit inflation rate (currently 9.3%), and continues to grow its GDP.
Nigeria has an estimated population of 182 million growing at an average of about 3% per annum. This makes it the largest population in Africa, and the seventh largest in the world. The country is projected to become the third largest population in the world by 2050 (only behind India and China), based on the latest UN World Population Prospects report.
Nigeria is a multicultural and multilingual country with a literacy rate of over 60%, and a rising middle class. The country has a young population of 44%, a working-age population of over 50%, and a current unemployment rate of 9.9%.
Business can be carried out in Nigeria through sole proprietorships, partnerships, or incorporated companies, the last being the only vehicle for FDI in the country. Foreigners are able to invest and participate in any enterprise in Nigeria, except those on the "negative list," from which local investors are also precluded.
There is no restriction on the percentage shareholding foreign investors can hold in a Nigerian company. However, the Nigerian government has been encouraging local content development in key strategic sectors of the economy by giving preference to companies with majority Nigerian shareholding. Specifically, the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICDA) 2010 makes it mandatory for companies engaged in oil and gas production and their contractors to give preference to Nigerian-owned companies in the award of contracts and projects in the industry. A similar posture is being adopted, albeit through regulations (not legislation), in the power and telecommunications sectors.
A foreign investor is required to apply to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Federal Ministry of Interior for incorporation of a local subsidiary and approval to employ expatriates, respectively. The investor is also required to apply for a Certificate of Capital Importation with respect to its investment in a Nigerian company to facilitate the remittance of dividends from its profits and the repatriation of capital on divestiture.
Nigeria's credit rating by S&P is B+ (stable) and BB- (also stable) by Fitch, while per capita income is $3,160.
Tax Environment
Nigeria's tax regime and policy are an integral part of its overall fiscal policy and are critical to the nation's aspiration of becoming one of the top 20 economies by 2020. Nigeria operates a "fiscal federalism," whereby each of the three tiers of government, namely the federal government, state governments, and local governments, can impose taxes and levies as stipulated in the relevant legislation. Taxes due to the federal government (principally income tax on corporate entities and customs duties) are collected by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), taxes due to state governments (mainly taxes on income of individuals) are collected by the relevant State Boards of Internal Revenue (SBIRs), while miscellaneous rates and levies are collected by the revenue agencies of local governments.
The tax regime is competitive, with a corporate income tax (CIT) rate of 30% and a capital gains tax (CGT) rate of 10%. Exploration and production companies are charged to petroleum profits tax (PPT) at a standard rate of 85% of chargeable profits (a reduced rate of 65.75% is applicable in the first five years of petroleum operations, when the company is yet to fully recover its capitalized pre-production cost). The PPT rate for companies operating in the deep offshore and inland basin areas under Production Sharing Contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is 50% flat for the contract area. Companies incorporated in Nigeria are subject to a tertiary education tax of 2% of their assessable profits, whilst companies in the telecommunications and financial services sectors pay an additional National Information Technology Development Fund levy of 1% on pre-tax profit.
The country currently has arguably the lowest value added tax (VAT) rate of 5% across Africa, which gives it a comparative advantage over countries like South Africa (14%), Mauritius (15%), Mozambique (17%), Ghana (17.5%), Angola (10%), Kenya (16%), Egypt (10%), and many other African countries. However, input VAT recovery is limited to direct production costs and goods purchased for resale.
Nigeria has a progressive personal income tax (PIT) system under which individuals are charged tax rates of between 7% and 24% of their chargeable income. The maximum effective PIT rate under the system is approximately 19%.
Nigeria's withholding tax (WHT) regime applies to major forms of income, and ranges from 2.5% to 10%, depending on the nature of the transaction, the status of the beneficiary (i.e. whether individual or corporate body), and the existence of a double tax treaty (DTT) between Nigeria and the country in which the beneficiary is resident. Nigeria currently has DTTs with Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, Italy (Air & Shipping Agreement only), Romania, Slovakia, South Africa, and the UK. The DTTs with Mauritius and South Korea have yet to be ratified by the Nigerian legislature.
In 2012, Nigeria issued Transfer Pricing (TP) Regulations, which require that transactions between related parties be conducted at arm's length. The regulations also require taxpayers to prepare documentation sufficient to verify that the pricing of controlled transactions is consistent with the arm's length principle. In addition, taxpayers are required to prepare TP compliance reports annually, and file annual TP declaration and disclosure forms with the FIRS with respect to all related-party transactions carried out during the relevant period.
Significant Sectors of the Economy
Nigeria's economy is largely service-based as the Services sector accounts for over 50% of total GDP. One of the biggest contributors to the Services sector is Information and Communications, which accounts for about 10% of the total output. Agriculture accounts for about 23% of GDP, while Industries contributes about a quarter of the total output. The two major segments of the Industries sector are Crude Oil and Natural Gas (accounting for about 10% of GDP) and Manufacturing (accounting for about 9% of GDP).
Key Investment Incentives
(i) On income
• Nigerian companies with a minimum of 25% imported foreign equity are exempt from payment of minimum tax (tax paid by a company that has no taxable profit or whose taxable profit is lower than the minimum tax).
• Tax exemption of between 40% and 100% of the interest earned on foreign loans advanced to companies in any industry, where the terms and tenor of the loan satisfy the conditions specified in the law.
• The WHT deducted from dividend, interest, rent, and royalties earned by foreign companies and remitted to the FIRS, is the final tax on the income. A 10% WHT rate ordinarily applies, but this is reduced to 7.5% for bona fide recipients in countries that have DTTs with Nigeria.
• Companies set up as approved enterprises in any of the free trade zones in the country are exempt from federal, state, and local government taxes, as well as foreign exchange regulations.
• Exemption of profits of companies investing in gas utilization from income tax for up to five years or, alternatively, up to 145% capital allowance on plant and machinery.
• Income/interest earned from federal government short-term securities is exempted from CIT and PIT. Income earned from bonds issued by the federal, state, and local governments and corporate bodies (including supra-nationals) is also exempted from both taxes. Proceeds of disposal of bonds, stocks, and shares are VAT-exempt and CGT-exempt.
• Tax losses can be carried forward to future tax years without any restrictions (other than tax loss incurred during the commencement period, which has a four-year timeline after which it lapses).
(ii) On qualifying expenditure/assets
• Investment allowance of 10% is granted on qualifying expenditure on plant and equipment, in addition to the general capital allowances (CA) granted on all classes of qualifying expenditure.
• CA of 95% in the first year with respect to plant and machinery purchased to replace old ones.
• No restriction is applied on the CA claimable by companies in the manufacturing and the agro-allied industries.
• Rural investment allowance of between 15% and 100% of the cost incurred in providing facilities/ infrastructure in rural areas are granted to the qualifying companies.
(iii) Pioneer incentives
Under certain circumstances, pioneer status may be granted to companies (including foreign-owned companies registered in Nigeria) involved in designated pioneer industries and/or producing pioneer products. The fiscal incentives available to pioneer companies include:
• Exemption from income tax for three years, with a possible extension for additional two years.
• Capital expenditure on qualifying assets incurred during the tax relief period is treated as having been incurred on the first day following the tax relief period. Pioneer companies are, therefore, able to claim CA fully on such assets post-pioneer.
• Tax-free dividends during the tax relief period.
• Losses during the tax relief period may be set off against profits after the end of the period.
Why invest in Nigeria?
• Largest economy in Africa with a large, literate, and youthful population, and a relatively cheap workforce. Middle-class households account for about a quarter of the total population.
• With the privatization of the electricity/power sector and successful unbundling of the state energy monopoly (Power Holding Company of Nigeria), huge opportunities exist in the power generation, transmission, and distribution space. Current demand is estimated at 12,800MW, while the country only generates about 4,360MW. This huge gap needs to be filled to assist the country in realizing its huge economic potential.
• The country currently imports a significant portion of its petroleum products despite being a huge crude oil producer. The call for building modern refineries to complement existing old ones cannot be made louder than now—significant (foreign and local) investment is, therefore, needed. However, the federal government must be bold enough to deregulate and liberalize the downstream petroleum sector for this to happen.
• Undeveloped rail infrastructure and ongoing plan to reform the sector and revive the nation's rail network. The road transport network with 21.3km of road per 100sqkm is above the African average of 6.84km per 100sqkm. However, quality needs improvement through expansion, upgrade and rehabilitation of existing roads, and construction of new ones—all these present significant opportunities for FDI.
• The Nigerian government has expressed its commitment to diversify the economy with emphasis on agriculture and industrialization, amongst others.
• The country has a competitive tax regime for companies and individuals. There have been improvements in electronic tax payment system in recent years, thus increasing the ease with which taxpayers pay taxes to the government. The planned introduction of the online Integrated Tax Administration System by the FIRS is expected to further improve tax administration in the country.
• Corporate governance and eradication of corruption are also at the heart of the government's efforts at sanitizing the business and economic environment and improving the ease of doing business in the country. Key institutions responsible for these are being strengthened and supported to facilitate the task, while there appears to be no "sacred cows" in the war against corruption.
• Nigeria has one of the largest stock exchanges in Africa and consistently remains one of the fastest growing mobile telecommunication markets in the world.
• Above all, the country has had a stable democracy since 1999 with a smooth and peaceful change of government in May 2015.
Nigeria's position as the largest economy in Africa and 21st largest in the world, its consistent economic growth, huge population, competitive tax landscape, abundant natural resources and tropical climate, and even its infrastructural challenges, provide significant opportunities for investors.
The country's huge solid minerals and natural gas reserves, for instance, are largely untapped, just as is its potential for generating electricity from renewable energy sources. Opportunities are plentiful in the agricultural, petroleum refining, transportation, health, manufacturing, insurance, tourism, automotive, and real estate sectors.
Nigeria will require significant FDI as it works toward diversifying its economy over the next decade. The year 2016, therefore, presents a unique chance for discerning investors to key into the numerous opportunities in the country and partner with it to achieve its national aspirations. If not in Nigeria, where else in Africa?
Co-authored by Ayo Luqman Salami, Partner and Akinwale Alao, Manager, KPMG Advisory Services, Nigeria.
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The Al-Ula Declaration – GCC diplomatic relations restored
14 January 2021 | Middle East
Legal Briefings – By Stuart Paterson, Nick Oury and Janine Mallis
In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (the "UAE"), Egypt and Bahrain announced that they would sever diplomatic ties with, and cut off transport links to, Qatar. Three and a half years later, the states have agreed to restore diplomatic relations. While details of the reconciliation continue to emerge, we highlight below some key opportunities for businesses.
On 5 January 2021, the Al Ula Declaration (the "Declaration") was signed with Qatar during the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council Summit at Al-Ula in Saudi Arabia. Although the Declaration has not been published, we understand that the participating states have agreed not to "infringe on the sovereignty, threaten the security or target the social fabric" of the other participating states. While acknowledging that more work needs to be done following the June 2017 rift, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, has said that the move is aimed at ensuring "that the security, stability and prosperity of our countries and people are the first priority".
What this means for businesses
While it remains unclear how the Declaration will be implemented and how long it will take for any benefits of the Declaration to be felt, it is a positive step for industries and sectors which have been hard-hit by the blockade.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have announced the re-opening of their land, air and sea borders to Qatar, and Bahrain has similarly said that its airspace will re-open shortly. Although it is still unclear if and when there will be the complete restoration of transportation links and border controls to pre-June 2017 levels, this will be welcome news. With this will likely come a facilitation of business across all sectors. We anticipate there being immediate advantages for the hospitality and tourism sectors, which have been hard hit by COVID-19.
What this means for investment disputes
Qatar has issued a number of claims against the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain since the blockade. Most recently, in July 2020, Qatar Airways commenced proceedings against these countries seeking damages of no less than USD 5 billion. Other claims include those relating to the suspension of postal services and pharmaceutical investments.
Initial reports suggest that a condition of the Declaration is that Qatar will withdraw its claims arising out of the blockade issued against the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, but it remains to be seen whether this will materialise.
If you have any questions, or would like to know how this might affect your business, phone, or email these key contacts.
Stuart Paterson
Managing Partner, Middle East and Head of Middle East Dispute Resolution , Dubai
Stuart specialises in financial services disputes and corporate crime. He is skilled in arbitration and litigation, and is a member of the EMEA Disputes leadership team.
Nick Oury
PARTNER, HEAD OF MIDDLE EAST CONSTRUCTION DISPUTES, Dubai
Nick is a Partner specialising in construction and engineering disputes in the infrastructure, oil and gas and power sectors.
Energy Disputes
Janine Mallis
Senior Associate, Dubai
Janine is an English qualified solicitor advocate based in our Dubai office.
The contents of this publication are for reference purposes only and may not be current as at the date of accessing this publication. They do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Specific legal advice about your specific circumstances should always be sought separately before taking any action based on this publication.
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Tag: Anti-epidemic
[Special Report on Anti-epidemic] The "Highlight Moment" of Spirit to People 2020-03-06
In 2020, a sudden epidemic continues to raging. A hot topic appeared on Zhihu: "What can technology companies do in the face of the epidemic? "Mobile disinfection robots" is the answer. In order for our robots to support the epidemic area as soon as possible, we work overtime to purchase materials. We race against time to arrange production, we forget to sleep, assemble and debug, we do our best to support the frontline, and we use practical actions to interpret the responsibility and responsibility of Lingzhi. In this [anti-epidemic special report], please join me in the story behind the disinfection robot, approach every "spirit to human" who provides support for the frontline anti-epidemic, and pay tribute to them together! Under the epidemic situation, it belongs to the "shining moment" of Lingzhi people After sacrificing all the rest days in February, Dagang sent materials back and forth, arranged product delivery, and immediately went to the customer's site to deal with the problem after lunch was solved in a hurry. Dagang fought every night until after 10 o'clock. Affected by the epidemic situation, the original cooperative manufacturer could not start work as usual, so ah Zhen had to find a new manufacturer…
Epidemic prevention and disinfection, Lingzhi is on the way! 2020-01-29
Guide The Chinese nation has always been a nation that is not afraid of difficulties and rises up to it. Our China has survived the SARS epidemic in 2003 and the great earthquake in 2008, at the beginning of the new year. Vientiane should have been updated to celebrate the year of the rat, but the new pneumonia virus The emergence of has become another major difficulty. On the front line of the epidemic Difficulties At present, people across the country are deeply concerned about the progress of the epidemic, and under the leadership of the party and the government, actively make contributions to the prevention and control of the epidemic. Our Lingzhi Technology also actively responded to the prevention and control of the epidemic, and put the new hydrogen peroxide disinfection robot developed in cooperation with the partner company on the front line of the epidemic, and applied it to actual disinfection work, which played a positive role in the prevention and control of the epidemic. "Disinfection" is an important part of the epidemic prevention and control work. However, the actual disinfection is not only inefficient, but also difficult to ensure the thoroughness of disinfection and the personal safety…
hydrogen peroxide disinfection robot