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Description:
- Develop and implement a compliance program of the post trade services in
line with regulatory framework and international IOSCO standards
- Advice management on matters related to the organization’s compliance
with applicable laws and regulations
- Draft and revise company policies in line with supporting regulatory
framework
- Keep abreast of changing regulatory environment and update management
of impact of these changes on the organisation
- Coordinate with local and international regulators, members in the area of
compliance related to CCP and CSD
- Perform regular and surprise inspection of its members to make sure they
abide by the applicable legislations and all the regulations issued by the Market, Depository, CCP and the market authority
- Develop, implement and monitor compliance with ERM framework and
policies and procedures for the organisation in line with organisation Risk
objectives
- Create reliable internal controls and monitor adherence to those controls in
line with organisations objectives
- Assist business units in recording the risks and establishing the risk register
for the organisation.
- Evaluate and update the risk rating as per the audit reports and amend the
risk register with new risk
- Provide training to internal employees on necessary regulations and industry
practices
- Works with a long-term perspective in addressing customer needs
- Takes a partnership approach.
- Looks for long-term benefits to the customer
- Becomes intimately involved in and ‘expert’ on the customers business
- Seeks mutual gain partnership with key customers
- Reviews activities to ensure that thinking and actions are focused on
customer needs
- Identifies problems
- Secures relevant information from all sources and seeks potential solutions
- Synthesizes complex or diverse information
- In case of conflict, remains calm and thinks of logical ways to solve the
problem
- Clear about who should be given which tasks
- Capable of giving effective feedback to subordinates & superiors
Skills
Criteria:
- Fluent English and Arabic are mandatory
- Ability to translate Arabic to English and vice-versa.
- To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Audit analysis software, Audit Automation tool, and power point and Word
Processing software
- Degree in law, finance, business management or equivalent
- Certified Professional certification in compliance field is a plus
- Shortlisted candidates will be required to clear relevant accreditation exam
requirements from SCA
- 5 – 8 years proven experience in a Compliance Officer role in a financial
industry especially in Stock Exchanges, Regulatory body, Banks or large Brokering firms
- Should be well versed with local and international regulations such as
IOSCO PFMI principles and ESMA requirements related to markets
especially post trade services including Clearing house (CCP) and
Depository (CSD)
- Must have detailed knowledge of the functioning of the securities and
derivatives markets, clearing house (CCP) and the Depository (CSD)
- Must have experience in developing and implementing a compliance
program of the Organisation, advice management on the organization’s
compliance with laws and regulations and also a compliance framework for
supervising Members
- Should have experience to deal with local and international Regulators, | https://recruitsconsultancy.com/job/bilingual-compliance-officer/ |
Job Details:
The Deposit Compliance Manager will be responsible for working closely with the Chief Compliance Officer to design, improve, and manage regulatory compliance with deposit and related laws and regulations. The Deposit Compliance Manager's primary duty is to ensure the company is in compliance with all laws, regulations and regulatory guidance with respect to all deposits - treasury management, foreign exchange transactions and products and services relating to electronic funds transfers,online banking/mobile, escheat processing and other related areas applicable throughout City National Bank.
Responsibilities
- Advocating for a strong deposit and online banking/mobile compliance program, with a focus on compliance with all deposit and online banking/mobile laws, regulations, and other guidance related to business and operational activities throughout City National.
- Identifying and mitigating deposit and operations compliance risks proactively and positioning City National as a strong compliance-oriented financial institution.
- Developing sufficient internal controls to promote an effective deposit and operations compliance control environment.
- Prioritizing deposit and operations compliance activities toward areas identified as having the highest levels of legal and regulatory risk to the company.
- Performing periodic risk assessments of business and operational activities to identify deposit and operations compliance gaps and potential exposure.
- Building a best-in-class, proactive deposit and operations compliance management program that meets the needs of City National's continued growth and complexity.
- Establishing job specific deposit and operations compliance training for officers and employees.
- Partnering with business units to remediate compliance findings identified in internal and external examinations and audits.
- Integrating activities with other departments to accomplish common goals.
- Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of industry best practices to further develop effective compliance policies and procedures.
- Elevating issues to the Chief Compliance Officer's attention.
- Responsible and accountable for appropriate quality controls related to the financial products the bank provides, the services the bank delivers, the processes employed and the incentives with which colleagues are awarded.
- All City National products, financial solutions and services are to be provided ethically and with integrity in a manner that is consistent with the client-first culture and values embodied in City National's PRIDE statement.
- Minimum of 10 years banking experience required.
- Minimum of 5 years of deposit compliance experience required.
- Minimum of 3 years management experience required.
- Bachelor's degree preferred.
- Experience with Reg E, Reg D, Reg CC, Reg DD, Retail Non-Deposit Investment Products requirements, FDIC Insurance regulations, overdraft guidance and state escheat laws required.
- Strong technical knowledge of deposit banking business.
- Strong quantitative background.
- Ability to influence/motivate others to produce desired results.
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast paced environment.
- Strong ability to work in a complex team environment requiring exceptional communication and organizational skills.
- Leadership experience in enhancing/managing a compliance risk management program in a fast-growth environment.
- Working knowledge of bank technology and operating systems.
- Experience in large project management
Applicants must have the highest ethical standards, excellent judgment, a sense of personal initiative, excellent oral and written communications skills, the ability to work independently while keeping management apprised of major undertakings, and the ability to interact well and constructively with colleagues at all levels of the organization in both one-on-one and multidisciplinary team situations.
*Represents basic qualifications for the position. To be considered for this position you must at least meet the basic qualifications.
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, M/F/D/V
Note: This preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.
Note: Candidates should be advised that City National Bank does not pay interviewee travel expenses or relocation expenses for candidates who are hired unless previously agreed. | https://www.themuse.com/jobs/citynationalbank/manager-deposit-compliance |
About this role:
Our client is seeking a Lead Compliance Officer...
In this role, you will:
Required Qualifications:
• 17+ years of BFSI Compliance experience, or equivalent in Risk Management, Controls and Regulations. Extensive experience in multiple domains of Banking Regulatory Compliance across LOBs and functions
• Seasoned Risk Management and Regulatory Compliance SME with sound understanding of regulatory landscape. Highly analytical skills and ability to breakdown regulations and assess impact.
• Ability to groom team members to develop SME skills in the Regulatory Compliance domain. Provide Advisory support to key senior stakeholders on Compliance requirements across Enterprise functions HR, Finance etc.
• Has good knowledge of applicable local regulations and ability to perform impact analysis adeptly to changes in regulations
• Effective reporting and documentation skills
• Expert stakeholder management
Desired Qualifications:
• Master’s degree in corporate laws/ legal/ Regulatory Affairs. Good to have ACA/ACS or equivalent. Relevant Risk and Regulatory certifications will be an advantage
• Experience in US Banking Regulations will be an advantage.
• General knowledge of industry standards and best practices around regulatory compliance, control evaluations / testing, internal audit and risk management processes.
• Ability to credibly challenge, conduct tough conversations and effectively communicate with various levels of management, including senior leaders and executives.
• Highly developed interpersonal skills, with an ability to communicate effectively with both the line of business and technical Team Members
• Creative and strategic thinking skills, including the ability to analyse business issues and identify key risks/mitigating controls, combined with a pragmatic approach to problem solving.
• Strong analytical skills with high attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal communication skills and stakeholder management.
• Demonstrate positive attitude and readiness to work in a challenging and dynamic environment.
• Flexibility to multi task and work across domains and business groups. | https://renascencetalent.com/pages/details/323 |
Need resources from the Medieval period for your research?
Bodleian Libraries will will be running a workshop on sources for Medievalists next Tuesday 30 May. This interdisciplinary workshop will provide a general overview of e-resources relevant for British and Western European medieval studies. It will cover bibliographical databases, biographical and reference tools, web portals and collections of online primary source materials including Anglo-Saxon sources, Greek and Latin texts, chronicles, charters and literary works and manuscript sources.
This session is aimed at undergrads, postgrads, researchers, academics, staff eg. Classicists, English students, Historians, Philosophers, Theologians and anyone who needs sources from the Medieval period for their research.
This entry was posted in iSkills and tagged medieval studies on 23 May 2017 by Rewley House Continuing Education Library.
Studying History? Preparing for your dissertation?
In Trinity term the Bodleian Libraries will be running a number of workshops for historians. We will be covering sources for British and European History, US History, African History and Medieval Studies, plus special workshops on newspapers for historians, UK government and parliamentary materials and the Weston Library’s archives and modern manuscripts.
This entry was posted in African Studies, History, iSkills, Manuscripts, Medieval Studies, Official Papers, US History and tagged African Studies, articles, books, conferences, dissertations, history, journals, medieval studies, Oxlip+, Scopus, SOLO, theses on 8 May 2017 by Rewley House Continuing Education Library.
Bodleian Libraries will will be running a workshop on sources for Medievalists next Thursday 18 June. This interdisciplinary workshop will provide a general overview of e-resources relevant for British and Western European medieval studies. It will cover bibliographical databases, biographical and reference tools, web portals and collections of online primary source materials including Anglo-Saxon sources, Greek and Latin texts, chronicles, charters and literary works and manuscript sources.
The workshop will take place on Thursday 18 June 14.00-16.00. Please book your place online.
This entry was posted in iSkills, Medieval Studies and tagged history, medieval studies on 12 June 2015 by Rewley House Continuing Education Library.
WISER: Online Resources for Historians (Monday 12 May 9.30 – 10.45) – This session will give a general introduction to the vast range of electronic resources which are available for all historical periods for British and West European history including bibliographical databases, biographical and reference research aids, ebooks and ejournals, web portals and collections of online primary source materials. Please book your place online.
WISER: Sources for US History (Monday 12 May 11.00 – 12.30) – will introduce key information sources for the study of colonial America and US history. The session will start with an introduction to finding tools for US History, and will then move on to examples of source materials including archival, microform, printed and online collections, useful web portals and audiovisual collections. Please book your place online.
WISER Sources for Medievalists (Friday 16 May 2.00 – 4.00) – This interdisciplinary session will provide a general overview of e-resources relevant for British and Western European medieval studies. It will cover bibliographical databases, biographical and reference tools, web portals and collections of online primary source materials including Anglo-Saxon sources, Greek/Latin texts, chronicles, charters and literary works. Please book your place online.
WISER Information Sources for African Studies (Thursday 8 May 10.00 – 11.30) – will cover finding tools for locating African Studies materials, key portals and gateways for African Studies and online archives of primary texts. Please book your place online.
This entry was posted in African Studies, E-resources, Finding Stuff, History, Medieval Studies, US History and tagged African Studies, history, medieval studies, USA history on 6 May 2014 by Rewley House Continuing Education Library.
WISER Sources for Medievalists will be running on Wednesday 11 June 09.30 – 11.45. This interdisciplinary session will provide a general overview of e-resources relevant for British and Western European medieval studies. It will cover bibliographical databases, biographical and reference tools, web portals and collections of online primary source materials including Anglo-Saxon sources, Greek/Latin texts, chronicles, charters and literary works. Please book your place online.
This entry was posted in History and tagged history, medieval studies on 4 June 2012 by Rewley House Continuing Education Library. | http://blogs.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/skills/tag/medieval-studies-2/ |
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A lot of the pupils who learn English literature need to finish literature coursework, which reflects their course going to along with their abilities to learn necessary level of product and comprehend it. Composing this university coursework just isn’t effortless, since it requires from student’s in-depth studying of particular industry associated with the literary works, capacity to criticize objectively, to generate unique method of the research and broad analysis associated with the faculties of various areas of literary works.
To be much more precise, your task will likely be often to examine a work of literature, compare, interpret and evaluate various novels, quick tales, poetry, its plots, figures. Maybe, you shall be expected to show the essential difference between writers, their environment, design of writing, time frame they utilized to call home. No matter what the approach taken, the primary aim of your coursework writing is always to create a task which will be according to well-grounded and adequate statement or thesis.
There are numerous forms of literary works coursework writing, such as for instance English literature coursework, GCSE English literary works coursework, Shakespeare coursework and others that are many. With respect to the types of literature research work writing topics should really be chosen and research paper outline developed. Recall the primary point about your subject is the fact that it ought to be a fantastic appeal for visitors not to mention for you personally. While researching literature history for the paper writing give credence to dependable, authoritive sources from educational libraries, online libraries, journals. You may get information that is much such reviews since they are ideal for your personal literary works coursework.
Composing pupil coursework in literary works are hard for people who encounter problems whenever expressing their point that is personal of and supplying examples. To be able to help your declaration and show it within the thesis statement your better problem is to utilize quotes and some ideas of other well-known article writers and critics that are literary. Don’t forget to cite them and list within the bibliography. You will need to avoid grammar mistakes, take proper care associated with the language utilized. To make sure which you do everything correct, remember about proper essay format which include an introduction, human body and summary.
Therefore, if you’d like to finish a great literary works coursework you need to be prepared for considerable reading and research, investing enough time and efforts to produce relevant and dependable sources. But if you were to think that composing this research work is a difficult nut to split, you are able to require help instructors of literary works whom combine scholastic certification as well as professional experience and offer an amount literary works coursework.
Center Class Analysis Paper Topics That Are An Easy Task To Explore
As soon as center college students are asked to submit composing projects they begin developing their analytical and skills that are writing. Analysis paper writing is definitely an opportunity that is excellent train these. Center college research paper subjects are aimed to provoke thinking capability and writing skills. There isn’t any trouble to locate research paper subjects for center college students. The primary thing to keep in mind is finding something to one’s taste in order for a pupil is passionate about composing on the subject.
It really is real that composing a study paper requires plenty of abilities like working together with sources, efficient reading and information processing, good writing abilities and much more. Ahead of composing students needs to select a topic that is up-to-date. For center college students the subjects could be perhaps not too complicated and directed at research activity and summarizing information discovered in numerous sources. This could easily be viewpoint essays which develop capability to express opinion that is one’s shape one’s position in the problem explored. At this time pupils could be expected to publish a narration about some occasions from their everyday lives. This essay type will establish one’s capacity good site to express thoughts and activities logically and lucidly.
Analysis paper subjects which you can use for center college degree are the ones dwelling on:
• Science. The topics it’s possible to deal with are chemistry and biology, physics and astronomy, psychology and literary works. By composing in the sciences topics one develops more in-depth eyesight of this subject and gets more knowledge that is profound the matter explored. This will be a good possibility to get extended all about some problem which can be little dealt with through the classes. History topics are commonly popular in center college.
• Personal interests and views. This could be a description of individual happenings and classes taught in addition to providing individual viewpoint on this issue.
Whatever function as the research paper subjects one chooses, one should remember some middle school writing prompts:
• The topic must certanly be inspiring and interesting to look for a young researcher.
• The paper should include language that is decent term choice that will be medical or general public, perhaps perhaps not the language utilized among peers.
• Research is created in a rational purchase and contains sufficient sources to exhibit considerable research regarding the subject material.
• The paper has succinct and lucid structure so it’s effortlessly comprehended by other people.
You, you can always ask for professional help at Samedayessay.com and enjoy cooperation with the company which highly evaluates its customers when you are totally perplexed with your assignment and do not know what middle school research paper topics can work better for. It could provide customized essays, term documents as well as dissertations during the greatest possible degree beginning from center college assignments to PhD degree documents. | https://www.bestofyearawards.org/2020/01/28/develop-your-critical-reasoning-abilities-in-3/ |
A bibliographic index is a bibliography intended to help find a publication. Citations are usually listed by author and subject in separate sections, or in a single alphabetical sequence under a system of authorized headings collectively known as controlled vocabulary, developed over time by the indexing service. Indexes of this kind are issued in print periodical form (issued in monthly or quarterly paperback supplements, cumulated annually), online, or both. Since the 1970s they are typically generated as output from bibliographic databases (whereas earlier they were manually compiled using index cards).
"From many points of view an index is synonymous with a catalogue, the principles of analysis used being identical, but whereas an index entry merely locates a subject, a catalogue entry includes descriptive specification of a document concerned with the subject".
The index may help search the literature of, for example, an academic field or discipline (example: Philosopher's Index), to works of a specific literary form (Biography Index) or published in a specific format (Newspaper Abstracts), or to the analyzed contents of a serial publication (New York Times Index).
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Introduction to The Index to Chiropractic Literature
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Transcription
See also
- Citation index
- Guide to information sources
- Indexing and abstracting service
- Library catalog
- List of academic databases and search engines
- Metabibliography
- Metadata registry
References
- ^ Reitz, Joan M. (2004). Dictionary for Library and Information Science. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited. p. 353. ISBN 1-59158-075-7.
- ^ Prytherch, Ray (2000). Harrod's Librarians' Glossary and Reference Book (Ninth ed.). Hants, England: Gower. p. 366. ISBN 0-566-08018-4. | https://wiki2.org/en/Bibliographic_index |
Content of this literature review plan. How to avoid mistakes?
The literary works review often begins with a description regarding the relevance associated with scholarly research of problems. For clinical work, the urgency associated with the issue lies, to start with, when you look at the spread regarding the disease together with severity of their effects (disability, mortality, financial losings). Thus, it is necessary begin to see the results of regional and research that is international.
Exactly What would you use in literature review plan?
The effectiveness of the method of diagnosis / treatment of a disease is being studied in a large number of works. In this situation:
- firstly, it’s important to demonstrate the inefficiency of other types of its diagnosis / treatment.
- next, whenever we are referring to the treating an ailment, you can describe the pathogenesis for the disease together with apparatus of custom writing site com action associated with addressed treatment solution in order that they correspond to one another.
Therefore, the pathogenetically justified application associated with the brand new technique will be justified. Right Here, you’ll be able to describe the use of this process of therapy and its own effectiveness various other conditions by having a pathogenesis that is similar a focus on its physiological effects.
The complication associated with problem that is clinical the strategy of therapy through pathogenesis is a brilliant way out if you have no direct indicator within the literature of this use of the treatment solution in this condition. The exact same applies to developing a match up between the 2 problems that are clinical if you have no indication into the literature of the relationship.
As a whole, it’s quite natural that some relevant concerns may possibly not be studied when you look at the literary works. Furthermore, if most of the questions had recently been studied, it’s likely that the dissertation work wouldn’t be of clinical novelty. The review must not solve all of the tasks regarding the dissertation, but should justify the necessity for research.
The “summary” sets out the main tips of this literary works review without reference, abbreviations and particular figures. In fact, in conclusion is the writer’s perception of this literature review. In this part, the internal logic regarding the review must certanly be plainly demonstrated and its own concept indicated – the justification when it comes to necessity of carrying out this research.
Typical mistakes into the preparation of an evaluation plan
- 1. The composition of this plan without past analysis for the literature. This may result in:
- addition in the plan of obviously items that are unworkable
- not including important things in the program
- wrong accentuation
All of this can notably lower the quality associated with the review.
- 2. Write the true names of items and subparagraphs in accordance words
- 3. Include in the plan extremely broad points, the disclosure of that is most certainly not feasible into the range associated with review
- 4. Incorporate items that are irrelevant the program
- 5. Write a paragraph plan, unstructured
Deep elaboration of literary works in the act of developing an evaluation plan is starting to become particularly essential simply because that in the last few years graduate students are increasingly supplying dissertations which are actively examined domestic literary works and possess perhaps not been studied international literary works.
Practice shows that when analyzing foreign literature, the most unforeseen discovers tend to be experienced, which could offer interesting ideas for constructing a design of your very own research. | http://www.theunionunderground.com/content-of-this-literature-review-plan-how-to-7/ |
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Reference Books at Ellis Library
The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French
Call Number: PQ41 .N49 1995
ISBN: 0198661258
Publication Date: 1995
French Women Writers : a Bio-Bibliographical Source Book
by
Ellis Library Reference Stacks
Call Number: HQ1236.5.F8 R36 2003
ISBN: 0313265488
Publication Date: 2003
The feminist encyclopedia of French literature
Call Number: PQ149 .F47 1999
ISBN: 0313296510
Publication Date: 1999
Encyclopedia of postcolonial studies
Call Number: PN849.U43 E53 2001
ISBN: 0313311927
Publication Date: 2001
Encyclopedia of Caribbean literature
by
2 Volumes
Call Number: PN849.C3 E53 2006
ISBN: 0313327424
Publication Date: 2006
Subject Librarian
Anne Barker
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Subjects:
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Foreign Language & Literature
Books in Circulation at Ellis Library
Francophone women writers : feminisms, postcolonialisms, cross-cultures
Call Number: PQ149 .T68 2011
ISBN: 0739140302
Publication Date: 2011
French women's writing, 1848-1994
ISBN: 0485920042
Publication Date: 1996
Globalizing the postcolony : contesting discourses of gender and development in francophone Africa
Call Number: HQ1810 .G75 2011
ISBN: 0739143827
Publication Date: 2011
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Oct 23, 2020 12:17 PM
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Phases of training for pupils of humanitarian colleges and historic areas
Methods of composing a coursework feature:
1. choose an interest;
2. Drawing up an ongoing work policy for the program;
3. Identify literature and re re re sources;
4. Systematization for the built up material and its particular systematic comprehension;
5. Literary design (writing);
6. Check the manuscript in general, reprint (or rewrite).
Options that come with subject option for training
selecting a topic, a learning pupil should take into consideration its clinical relevance, their education of real information. When selecting a subject, pupil requirements to learn if you will find re sources upon it and if they can be obtained to him. The latter is very essential for a part-time pupil living far from huge libraries. Senior pupils must look into when selecting a subject, the chance of their handling right into a diploma work.
Planning associated with the working program
Having plumped for an interest, students should draw a calendar plan up aided by the manager, which can help him to understand the sequence and logic regarding the appropriate phases of work. The study of with the accumulation of material Literature, the scholarly research of re re sources, the pupil must set up a short form of this course program, which for the duration of the work is going to be complicated and concretized. This plan will be upon completion of the work changed right into a dining dining table of articles training.
Use literary works in planning and composing a program work
After control with all the manager of this work program, the pupil profits to materials that are collecting the coursework – literary works, re sources. To the final end, he should review bibliographic, resource research and historiographic reviews, bibliographic listings and footnotes, recommendations and guidelines generally speaking works, calligraphies and articles. a necessity for writing coursework is the use and knowledge of articles posted in special journals. Desirable familiarity with the conversation literary works, products of conversations on the subject under research. It is strongly recommended that pupils composing on regional record subjects contact the regional and area libraries, talk to local record bibliographers, and review regional record catalogs.
Dealing with Web sources, in specific with electric variations of Various sources that are historical requires unique skills that change from the ways of old-fashioned resource research.
The student must remember that this part of the in collecting materialswork (in addition to other individuals, because of the means) entirely lies along with it. The supervisor gives only guidelines of a nature that is general the typical path associated with search. Consequently, the learning pupil must not hope that the manager will provide him at the start of the college 12 months a total and exhaustive set of scientific studies and re re re re sources on their coursework.
The research of re sources has to start with overview of posted re sources, selections of papers, thoughts, periodicals. When working with this specific band of re re re sources, it is important to concentrate on the way they were utilized and examined by past scientists.
An essential selection of re re sources whenever writing just work at senior classes tend to be archival products, during the exact same time it’s the absolute most complex selection of re re sources. This really is as a result of troubles of reading and archive that is analyzing papers. Archival products expose their particular informational options just into the specialist which very very very carefully studied all the literary works identified on this issue and all sorts of posted sources. Just then it makes sense to begin the recognition of unpublished archival products. To essay writer the end, the pupil is recommended to mention towards the offered reference that is published publications regarding the structure and content of archival products, research publications, guidebooks on archives, stock and thematic reviews. You then should make reference to directories that are unpublished catalogs, stocks. Incredibly ideal for the newbie specialist tend to be preliminary consultations with all the workers regarding the archives.
Make use of periodicals and memoirs
There are problems and problems with other kinds of written re re re sources – periodicals, memoirs. All of them has its own specific attributes. Therefore, memoirs are interesting for the specialist because of the existence of realities in them which have maybe perhaps perhaps not already already been shown various other re re sources backstage that is describing occasions reflecting the world that is inner of modern. Periodicals tend to be important when it comes to latitude associated with display that is event, its distance over time to your occasions becoming examined. But, when you look at the base you can find unreliable details, subjective tests, distortion associated with the picture that is true of. Consequently, the important points lent from the press that is periodical memoirs, must be afflicted by thorough analysis that is critical. At current, large-scale re re re re sources utilizing computer system processing practices tend to be extensively found in historic researches. a student taking care of a certain subject should consider utilizing this number of re re re sources. | http://dotty.pl/2019/06/25/phases-of-training-for-pupils-of-humanitarian-15/ |
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*African American and African Diaspora Cultures
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The Civil War 1861-1865
African American Communities
From communal struggle to creative outpourings: uncover the everyday lives of African Americans spanning two turbulent centuries.
African Diaspora, 1860-Present
African Diaspora, 1860-Present allows scholars to discover the migrations, communities, and ideologies of the African Diaspora through the voices of people of African descent. With a focus on communities in the Caribbean, Brazil, India, United Kingdom, and France, the collection includes never-before digitized primary source documents, including personal papers, organizational papers, journals, newsletters, court documents, letters, and ephemera.
American Periodicals Series
Digitized images of the pages of American magazines and journals published from colonial days to the dawn of the 20th century. Titles range from Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine and America's first scientific journal, Medical Repository; popular magazines such as Vanity Fair and Ladies' Home Journal; regional and niche publications; and groundbreaking journals like The Dial, Puck, and McClure's.
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1741 - 1900
Black Abolitionist Papers
ProQuest's Black Abolitionist Papers (1830-1865) is an extraordinary, primary source collection and the first to comprehensively detail the extensive work of African Americans to abolish slavery in the United States prior to the Civil War. Covering the period 1830-1865, the collection presents the massive, international impact of African American activism against slavery, in the writings and publications of the activists themselves. The approximately 15,000 articles, documents, correspondence, proceedings, manuscripts, and literary works of almost 300 Black abolitionists show the full range of their activities in the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, France and Germany.
Black Thought and Culture
Covers the non-fiction published works of leading African Americans. Where possible the complete published non-fiction works are included, as well as interviews, journal articles, speeches, essays, pamphlets, letters and other fugitive material.
Civil Rights and Social Justice
HeinOnline’s Civil Rights and Social Justice database brings together a diverse offering of publications covering civil rights in the United States as their legal protections and definitions are expanded to cover more and more Americans.
Containing links to more than 500 scholarly articles*, hearings and committee prints, legislative histories on the landmark legislation, CRS and GAO reports, briefs from major Supreme Court cases, and publications from the Commission on Civil Rights, this database allows users to educate themselves on the ways our civil rights have been strengthened and expanded over time, as well as how these legal protections can go further still.
The Civil War in words and deeds
These first-person accounts, compiled in the postwar period and early 20th Century period, chronicle the highs and lows of army life from 1861 through 1865.
Empire Online
Charting the story of the rise and fall of empires; from the explorations of Columbus, Captain Cook, and others, right through to de-colonisation in the second half of the twentieth century.
Evangelism in Africa: Correspondence of the Board of Foreign Missions, 1835-1910
The records of the Board of Foreign Missions (BFM) of the Presbyterian Church provide valuable information on social conditions in developing nations and on efforts to spread the gospel during the nineteenth century
Global Commodities
Global Commodities: Trade, Exploration and Cultural Exchange provides a vast range of visual, manuscript and printed materials sourced from over twenty key libraries and more than a dozen companies and trade organisations around the world. These original sources will help scholars to explore the history of fifteen major commodities and to examine the ways that these have changed the world
Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice
This resource is designed as an important portal for slavery and abolition studies, bringing together documents and collections covering an extensive time period, between 1490 and 2007, from libraries and archives across the Atlantic world. Close attention is given to the varieties of slavery, the legacy of slavery, the social-justice perspective and the continued existence of slavery today.
Southern Literary Messenger: Literature of the Old South
The Southern Literary Messenger enjoyed an impressive thirty-year run and was in its time the South’s most important literary periodical. Avowedly a southern publication, the Southern Literary Messenger was also the one literary periodical published that was widely circulated and respected among a northern readership. Deomstrates how the hot-button topics of slavery and secession were presented in southern intellectual and literary culture in the early stages of the Civil War.
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Content for the literature review plan. Steer clear of errors?
Content for the literature review plan. Steer clear of errors?
The literary works review frequently starts with a description associated with relevance for the study of issues. For clinical work, the urgency for the problem lies, to start with, in the spread for the illness plus the extent of their consequences (disability, mortality, financial losings). Hence, it is necessary look at results of regional and research that is international.
Exactly What would you include in literature review plan?
The effectiveness of the method of diagnosis / treatment of a disease is being studied in a large number of works. In this case:
- firstly, it is important to exhibit the inefficiency of other types of its diagnosis / therapy.
- next, if we are speaing frankly about the treatment of an illness, you can explain the pathogenesis of this condition and also the mechanism of action associated with the addressed treatment thereforelution so that they correspond to one another.
Thus, the pathogenetically justified application associated with method that is new be justified. Here, you can describe the use of this method of treatment and its own effectiveness various other conditions by having a comparable pathogenesis with a focus on its physiological effects.
The problem of this problem that is clinical the technique of treatment through pathogenesis is an excellent way out if you find no direct indicator within the literary works of this utilization of the treatment solution in this infection. Similar goes for developing a link between the two clinical problems – if you find no indication within the literature of the relationship.
In general, it is quite normal that some relevant concerns is almost certainly not studied when you look at the literature. More over, if most of the questions had been already studied, chances are that your particular dissertation work would not be of scientific novelty. The review must not re solve all the tasks regarding the dissertation, but should justify the necessity for research.
The “summary” sets out the key ideas regarding the literary works review without reference, abbreviations and figures that are specific. In reality, the final outcome could be the writer’s perception associated with literary works review. The internal logic of the review should be clearly demonstrated and its idea expressed – the justification for the necessity of carrying out this research in this part.
Typical mistakes within the planning of an evaluation plan
- 1. The composition regarding the plan without past analysis for the literary works. This could result in:
- inclusion into the plan of demonstrably unworkable things
- excluding crucial items in the program
- incorrect accentuation
All this can somewhat decrease the quality associated with the review.
- 2. Write the true names of things and subparagraphs in accordance words
- 3. Use in the program points that are excessively broad the disclosure of which can be definitely not possible into the scope associated with the review
- 4. Incorporate unimportant items in the master plan
- 5. Write a paragraph plan, unstructured
Deep elaboration of literary works along the way of developing an evaluation plan is now specially important simply because that in the past few years graduate students are increasingly supplying dissertations which are actively studied domestic literature and have now perhaps not been examined foreign literary works.
Practice indicates that when analyzing foreign literary works, probably the most unforeseen finds tend to be encountered, which could give interesting tips for constructing a design of your very own research. | http://anniecohensolal.com/top-essay-services/content-for-the-literature-review-plan-steer-clear-5/ |
Visit our COVID-19 information website to learn how Warriors protect Warriors.
Baby Boomers have been referred to as the Me Generation, but new research indicates that people actually started to become increasingly self-centred more than 100 years agoBy Media Relations
Baby Boomers have been referred to as the Me Generation, but new research indicates that people actually started to become increasingly self-centred more than 100 years ago.
In the first study of its kind covering a 150-year period, researchers looked at U.S. culture to determine how and why people there became more independent and less reliant on family ties, conformity and duty. This phenomenon is called individualism.
“We found that changes in the social class structure precede changes in individualism,” said Professor Igor Grossmann, of the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo and the study’s first author. "As demands of U.S. society shifted from manual labour to office jobs, Americans gained education and wealth, both of which promote self-direction and ultimately facilitate individualism."
Grossmann and Professor Michael Varnum, of Arizona State University, found that the significant cultural change American society experienced started before the turn of the last century.
They tested six factors commonly thought to influence cultural change toward individualism: urbanization, secularism, socio-economic structure, climatic demands, infectious disease and disaster. Then in the context of those factors, they examined the growth of eight indicators associated with cultural individualism, such as presence of individualist words in books, percentage of single-child families, percentage of adults living alone and divorce rates. Since preference for uniqueness is also a key factor of individualism, the researchers looked at the prevalence of unique baby names — those not in the top 20 for the time.
"Cultural levels of individualism affect everything from marketing to election outcomes to education — based on whether we tend to prefer unique or common products, politicians who appeal to achievement or to a sense of duty and whether we motivate students through their sense of belonging to the group and family obligation or due to their being special," said Professor Grossmann. "Knowing where it is heading and what may determine the change may help in many of these domains to prepare for the future."
While the research used the United States as a case study, the Canadian culture of individualism is similar, so it is possible that the pattern of cultural change would be as well.
The findings appear in the journal Psychological Science this week.
When we can’t be physically close to anyone, social media helps keep us connected. But during these difficult and busy times, social media can also be a mentally exhausting place. Too much news intake can trigger feelings of anxiety and depression.
We asked Professor Shana Macdonald, an expert in social media, to remind us of how to limit our news intake while staying engaged and connected virtually.
Behavioural, political and social scientists offer predictions and advice for navigating COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us with alarming prevalence, the existence of people who simply refuse to listen to expert advice.
When it comes to large groups who refuse to wear masks, or the potential for many people to refuse a vaccine – there are real and often dangerous consequences to grapple with.
How do we combat this phenomenon? | https://uwaterloo.ca/news/news/society-began-shifting-towards-individualism-more-century |
AbstractBackground: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women of all ethnic groups. Breast cancer awareness reduces mortality and improves survival rates, but low levels of awareness have been attributed to various factors. To date, little is known about what factors influence breast cancer awareness among immigrant Arab women in the UK. The aim of this research was to explore the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs related to breast cancer awareness practices with Arab women living in England. Methodology: A qualitatively driven mixed methods approach was adopted. The first phase used semi-structured one-to-one interviews with 10 women. The second phase comprised two focus groups with 34 women from Portsmouth and London. A quantitative approach using the Breast Cancer Awareness Measurement questionnaire was also administered to describe first and second generation women’s knowledge, perceived risk factors and barriers to seeking medical help, compare and contrast data from these two paradigms. Findings: A lack of knowledge about breast cancer awareness, among Arab women of both generations, was evident across two phases. Revealing that socio-cultural, religious beliefs and health services barriers play an important role in shaping Arab women’s experiences and practices. Comparisons across generations showed trends towards increased knowledge for second generation women, but the findings were not statistically significant except anticipated delay in seeking help (p<0.001). The second phase, focus group discussions, revealed both strengths and weakness of current breast cancer educational leaflets with suggestions to improve format, layout, content and availability. The qualitative data provided contextual data on additional barriers which were, not revealed in the B-Cam measurements and descriptors. Conclusion: Low levels of knowledge and lack of confidence among Arab women indicate a strong need to increase relevant breast cancer awareness such as mass media and community health campaigns, together with an enhanced participation of health care providers. | https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/immigrant-arab-women |
Student appearance in the style of dress at issue in the University Malaysia Pahang (UMP). The paper outlines a perception among non-academic staff to students, especially the appearance of the dress code. The study also focused on the factors that affect how students dress and the effects thereof. There are a total of 30 respondents among non-academic staff to answer questions UMP manually. The study found that peer influence, social media and follow the current fashion trends are the main factors that cause drastic changes in student clothing. In conclusion, the staff thought that the UMP students are easily influenced by outside elements where they are always dressed in a way according to their preferred style. This situation requires undergraduates need to make improvements. | http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/26790/ |
Relationship between leadership among peers and burnout in sports teams.
Autores:
Torrado, J. y Arce, C.
Abstract:
This study has been conducted with the aim of ascertaining the relationship between peer leaders in sport teams and the levels of burnout experienced by their team-mates. A total of 219 Spanish athletes involved in football and basketball participated in the study. To measure leadership among peers, we employed the Sports Peer Leadership Scale, which comprises 24 items, grouped into 6 primary factors: empathy, influence on decision making, sports values, social support, training orientation and competition orientation. And to measure burnout, we employed the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire, which comprises 15 items which are indicators of physical and emotional exhaustion, devaluation and reduced sense of accomplishment among athletes. The results led to the conclusion that there is a statistically significant negative relationship between perceived leadership capacity and the levels of burnout experience by a team. The greater the level of leadership capacity perceived, the lower the levels of burnout will be. A multiple regression analysis with total burnout as dependent variable and social and task orientations of the leader as predictors showed standardized regression coefficients of –.241 (p = .010) and –.076 (p = .413), respectively for social and task orientation, being the effect size equal to .089. | https://cosoypa.com/2017/04/relationship-between-leadership-among-peers-and-burnout-in-sports-teams/ |
During this program students learn the concepts of self-image and self-esteem and explore factors that influence their perceptions of themselves: cultural expectations, peer pressure, media images and more.
Educators present skills for improving self-esteem and for managing external influences healthfully. The program expands its focus to social interactions, exploring the qualities of healthy relationships using role play to enforce skill building. Finally, students learn tools for protecting themselves on the internet, in social media environments and texting.
Understand the factors that make us who we are and how these factors influence our interactions with others.
Accept that we should consider the effect of our actions on others when making decisions. | https://www.robertcrown.org/social-emotional-learning-sel-grades-7-8-85-minutes/ |
Peer to Peer Accessibility in Social Networks
Over the course of the Christmas break the schedule for the CSUN conference was released. I will be contributing to three sessions (a discussion panel and two papers) all now highlighted on my diary page and available on the conference web pages. It looks like Abstracts will not be available until the event itself. As a result, I will publish mine here for preview and comment. Hopefully they will be of interest to general accessibility/social media readers as well as delegates. First up: Peer-to-Peer Accessibility in Social Networks, a paper exploring how web accessibility can be socially mediated by peers within social networks, using evidence from research with disabled students at UK Universities. The introduction is reproduced below, with a PDF of the full document (approximately 1,500 words) available below, both for download and embedded in Google’s PDF viewer. If you would like to read the paper in a different format, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Peer to Peer accessibility in social networks.
This paper considers the influence of peers on disabled user’s experiences of accessibility in the social network Facebook. It highlights the positive role that friends can play in mitigating inaccessible systems. It also highlights the importance of social dynamics for acquiring access to digital domains. This contrary observation – that disabled users with greater social resources will be better able to access and develop online social networks – suggests a digital divide that is, as yet, under researched. The paper uses findings from doctoral case study research with disabled students at UK universities to identify social aspects of accessibility and how these manifest in disabled students’ experience. | https://slewth.co.uk/blog/category/disability/ |
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been in place for year on the 1st of July. As the government prepares a mega event on the date to celebrate the roll-out and media outlets weigh in on its efficacy, read more about the early discussions about GST, its implications and implementation.
1) How Has GST Impacted Small Businesses?
Reforms must bring simplicity and not disruption. Goods and services tax was an opportunity for India to reform its cobweb like indirect taxation structure and reboot the system afresh. Unfortunately, the ground realities suggest otherwise. The way GST has been introduced is too onerous for small businesses. This may further thwart their growth. This article focuses on a few critical provisions of the GST and their possible impact on small businesses.
2) Will GST Exacerbate Regional Divergence?
This article analyses the extent of regional disparities in income per capita in India, considering both disparities amongst and within major states. It concludes with a cautionary note on the goods and services tax, which, contrary to the optimists, is likely to further exacerbate, rather than ameliorate, regional income disparities, marking the need for a turn to “place-based” economic policies.
3) Will GST Curb the Fiscal Autonomy of State Governments Significantly?
This paper argues that the proposed Goods and Services Tax would aggravate the already high degree of inequality in the country, and would inevitably curb the fiscal autonomy of state governments significantly. Contrary to the government’s claims, the implementation of the GST would not automatically enhance growth rate, reduce inflation or improve tax compliance. The calculations of the revenue neutral rates depend on various assumptions. Different states should be allowed to set their own state–GST rates with provisions for an entry tax. More emphasis should be put on direct taxes rather than the GST for improving India’s abysmally low tax to gross domestic product ratio.
4) How Can Effective Price Monitoring be Instituted in India Under a GST regime?
This article delves into the impact of the tax on prices of goods and services.The Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 has an “anti-profiteering” clause aimed at ensuring that businesses pass on tax rate cuts and cost savings resulting from the adoption of GST to the consumers. In this context, Australia’s experience with price monitoring and control during the GST transition period is looked at to draw lessons for India. It is eminently possible to institute a comprehensive and effective price monitoring and control mechanism in India to enable benefits to consumers under the GST regime. However, the anti-profiteering rules in their present form have some lacunae and may not produce the desired results of containing profits and, thereby, price rise. | https://www.epw.in/engage/article/one-year-later-taking-stock-gst |
WASHINGTON, D.C. —In response to this morning’s Supreme Court decision on Janus v. AFSCME, Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice issued the following statement:
“The Supreme Court once again ruled in favor of hyper-individualism and against the collective needs of our people. In their decision, the Supreme Court undermines labor unions that have been one bright spot for workers in our bleak time. The decision also primes the pump to further exacerbate income and wealth disparity in our nation. Income and wealth inequality is at the very heart of anguish and division in our society. This is not what our democracy should be about. ‘We the People’ are better than this.
“As a person of faith, I know that we thrive in community and we cower in fear and division when facing hyper-individualism. The Court has undermined community, but we at NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice will continue our efforts to comfort our anguished and frightened nation. We will continue our work to mend the gaps in income and wealth inequality, despite the increasing odds against us. We unite with our sisters and brothers in the labor movement in support of the common good!”
###
NETWORK, a national Catholic Social Justice lobby, which educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation, has a more than 40-year track record of lobbying for critical federal programs that support those at the margins and prioritize the common good. | https://networklobby.org/news/20180627scotus/ |
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Inclusive Technology is a cross party grouping in the UK Houses of Parliament which analyses how technology affects marginalised communities and advocates for inclusive policy reforms. WebRoots Democracy is the Secretariat and supports the APPG’s activities.
Background
Technological change is leading to unprecedented transformation and has created new benefits and challenges for society. Advances in technology have led to significant positive change in society. Technological progress has generated high growth, improved quality of life and crucially enabled people to connect, organise, strategise, and advocate.
However, there remains a considerable digital divide in society, with uneven distribution in digital access and the benefits of technological progress lacking in marginalised communities. There are also increased concerns about the possible adverse consequences of such advances including safety, ethics, privacy, transparency, and accountability in the development of technologies. In particular, some new technologies are currently being used in manners that present problems from a practical and fundamental rights perspective for disadvantaged and marginalised communities. This can further exacerbate disparities that already exist in society and could further increase inequities for disadvantaged and marginalised communities.
It is important, therefore, for technological progress to be complemented by sound public policy-making focusing on adequate strategies and policies to mitigate negative impacts. It is critical that progress is for everyone and is equitable. Accessibility, inclusion, accountability, transparency, and avoiding unintended consequences should underpin technological progress.
Upcoming reports
The COVID-19 Contact Tracing App: Considering the risks around exclusion, literacy, and inequality
Our APPG has launched during the global pandemic of COVID-19 and at a time where many are taking a renewed look at inequality in society. This inequality has, itself, been highlighted during the course of the pandemic with some groups in society suffering worse than others. In light of this, our first report will be focused on the inequality challenges facing the UK Government’s COVID-19 contact tracing app.
The report will identify key questions for the Government and NHSX as well as providing a number of policy recommendations. It will be published in the coming weeks. | https://webrootsdemocracy.org/appg-inclusive-technology/ |
In this paper we explore individual and occupational characteristics that explain earnings inequality between black and white men. Our research is motivated by the idea that the racial earnings gap is generated not only by individual differences but also by systematic variation in the occupational structure that serves to attenuate or exacerbate the effects of race. Using data from the 1990 5% PUMS and the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, we employ a hierarchical linear modeling approach that allows us to simultaneously explore the mechanisms of income inequality which operate within and between occupations. Among private sector employees, we find striking evidence that racial disparities grow larger as one moves up the occupational earnings hierarchy. This association between average occupational earnings and within-occupation racial disadvantage reveals a much overlooked source of racial earnings inequality which constrains the opportunities available to black men in the private sector. This association cannot be explained by measured individual characteristics, nor by the status, compositional, or skill characteristics of occupations. In the public sector, on the other hand, racial earnings inequality is not systematically associated with average occupational earnings, and is instead more closely tied to individual and occupational skills. We consider the implications of our results and suggest directions for future research. | https://cde.wisc.edu/wp-1999-28/ |
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), designed to create the world's largest free trade area, will cost Canada 58,000 jobs according to a US study.
"Trading Down: Unemployment, Inequality and Other Risks of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement" developed by the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University in Medford, MA, says the agreement will lead to employment losses in all countries, totaling 771,000 lost jobs, and that economic gains would be "negligible" for participating countries: "less than one per cent over ten years for developed countries and less than three per cent for developing countries."
According to the authors of the study, Jeronim Capaldo and Alex Izurieta, with Jomo Kwame Sundaram, "proponents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, the trade and investment treaty agreed to by twelve Pacific Rim nations, led by the United States, emphasize the prospect of economic benefits, with economic growth increasing due to rising trade and investment. Widely cited projections suggest modest GDP gains after ten years, varying from less than half a percentage point for the United States to 13 percent for Vietnam. However, these projections are based on unrealistic assumptions such as full employment and constant income distribution."
The study also notes that the TPP would lead to higher inequality, with a lower labour share of national income. "We expect competitive pressures on labour incomes, combined with employment losses, to push labor shares of national income further down, redistributing income from labor to capital in all countries. In the USA, this would exacerbate a multi-decade downward trend." | https://shopmetaltech.com/industry-update/free-trade-deal-will-cost-canada-58-000-jobs-study.html |
The people of Switzerland will go to the polls this weekend to vote in a potentially historic referendum to provide everyone in the country with a no-strings-attached monthly payment of 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,524).
This is regardless of whether they're currently in employment or not. CNBC gives you the full lowdown on why the vote is so important.
The basic premise of the referendum is to amend the country's constitution so that the Swiss Confederation would "provide an unconditional basic income."
The proposed figure for the unconditional basic income is expected to be around 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,524) per month. If the Swiss people vote in favor, the federal government says it would pay every Swiss resident this amount, "regardless of their income and assets."
The majority of Swiss people currently enjoy a high standard of living. According to the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development's Better Life Index, 80 percent of people between 15 and 64 are employed, above the OECD average of 66 percent, while life expectancy is a healthy 83 years old.
Average household net-adjusted disposable income per capita is $35,952 per year, the OECD says.
Switzerland has a system whereby referendums can be called if more than 100,000 eligible voters sign a petition calling for change.
"Under the Swiss constitution, a group of citizens who collect the required number of signatures can put an issue to the vote – this is the so-called 'people's initiative'," Paolo Dardanelli, senior lecturer in comparative politics and acting director of the Center for Federal Studies at the University of Kent, told CNBC via email.
Dardanelli went on to explain that this weekend's vote had sprung from "the growing debate on rising inequality in society and polarization between rich and poor." While the electorate has a tendency to be conservative when it comes to economic matters, inequality caused concern "in a society in which cohesion and consensus are highly valued," he added.
The popular initiative regarding unconditional basic income was proposed in October 2013.
Basic Income Switzerland (BIS), a campaign group set up specifically to support the initiative, says basic income should "be considered as one of the human rights."
Among other things, BIS states that wages in the private sector would become "liberated from securing the livelihood of the employee," meaning that while salaries may be high or low, people's livelihoods would become "inviolable" as a result of them receiving a basic income as a right.
The economic security of a basic income would offer people choice in the jobs they apply for, the group adds. Their rights as workers would also be strengthened, because "the threat of taking away a person's livelihood can no longer be used as a means to force employees to work under bad conditions," it noted.
Supporters of the initiative have been running a visual and vocal campaign. In May, they broke the world record for the largest poster. Measuring more than 8,115 meters squared, the poster was displayed in Geneva and bore the question "What would you do if your income were taken care of?," in large, golden letters.
Switzerland's Federal Council and Parliament oppose the initiative, however, stating that an unconditional basic income would hit both the economy and the Swiss social security system by making it more attractive to stay out of work.
"This would exacerbate the existing labor and skills shortage in Switzerland," the government states on its website.
"Furthermore, considerable cutbacks or tax rises would be necessary to finance this basic income, which could not replace today's social security system entirely," it adds.
For Vincenzo Scarpetta, policy analyst at Open Europe, the desire for a basic income is not unique to Switzerland.
"It's true that the specific issue of a basic income has come up in several European countries, in my own, in Italy, because there are certain parties – the Five Star Movement, or Podemos in Spain – that were actually initially at least campaigning on the need to guarantee basic income to everyone," he told CNBC earlier this week.
"It's interesting that this kind of referendum is coming from Switzerland and not, for example, from the French Socialist Party," Scarpetta added. The vote has surprised many who traditionally see Switzerland as a conservative nation, and such a policy seemingly jars with the right-wing populist political party that currently holds a large slice of power within the government.
Dardanelli at the University of Kent said it was "highly unlikely" that voters would support the introduction of an unconditional basic income. "Opinion polls predict over two-thirds of the electorate will turn it down," he said.
If, however, the Swiss vote in favor of the proposal, then the overall impact could be seismic.
"The initiative is formulated in very generic terms and would be up to the parliament to put it into concrete legislation, leaving the actual shape of a UBI wide open," Dardanelli said.
"That said, any UBI of (a) significant amount would have a tremendous impact, in particular on public finances, which are kept on a tight leash in Switzerland. More broadly it may weaken the health of the Swiss economy, one of the most competitive in the world." | https://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/02/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-swiss-basic-income-vote.html |
The Gastroenterology and Liver Department and GLL offers students a unique opportunity to work alongside world-leading research within state-of-the-art facilities, in direct collaboration with the UNSW and Liverpool Hospital.
There are numerous research projects available that Honours, Masters or PhD students could undertake. The following list provides example of current research. Contact the research lead to find out more.
CLINICAL LIVER RESEARCH GROUP
A/Prof Miriam Levy
INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE RESEARCH
Prof Susan Connor
GLL PROJECTS
A/Prof Miriam Levy
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission is usually prevented by infant vaccination. Anti-viral therapy in some settings is beneficial to increase protection. The optimal regimens during pregnancy and post-partum are the subject of this work.
South Western Sydney has a vast migrant population where English is not the primary language spoken at home. Health literacy is important for patients to understand their disease and treatment options. This project will devise and novel strategies to improve health literacy in these culturally and linguistically diverse populations and examine their efficacy and utility.
Liver Cancer has a poor prognosis and often presents late in South Western Sydney, outside of screening programs. This project will investigate reason for late presentation and course of appropriate surveillance in SWSLHD.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is highly transmissible and particularly endemic within difficult to access populations. Despite the advent of antiviral medications that eliminate the virus in a majority of people, difficult to access populations face many social and logistical hurdles that impacts access to specialists and effective treatment. The goal of these projects is to widen the reach for HCV eradication.
For more information about the SEARCH Service, please download the following:
Shared decision making (SDM) in chronic diseases enables and encourages patients to play an active role in the management of their health. Decision Aids (DAs) are tools developed for preparing patients for decision making about specific treatment choices and are used to promote SDM. This project will identify and assess preferences, challenges, and quality of life in patients with ulcerative colitis.
Biologics are used in the management of IBD but a proportion of patients (up to 50%) will have exacerbation of their disease with standard dosing. This has been managed with empiric dose escalation and/or greater frequency of biologic administration. However, the advent of quantitative assays for biologic levels and anti-biologic antibodies (therapeutic drug monitoring) has made individualisation of biologic dosing possible. We have multiple projects investigating the utility and cost effectiveness of biologic therapeutic drug monitoring in IBD as well as the role of TDM in personalised care.
There are numerous support tools available for clinicians to educate them on IBD and treatment options. This project will assess and determine the usefulness of these tools in clinical practice.
Both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are characterised by a series of relapses and remissions, and there is no cure. Currently, there is limited understanding of the clinical, environmental and genetic factors that may play a role in determining disease severity. This project will investigate the molecular architecture of IBD phenotypes and sub-phenotypes, and the development of predictive tools for disease natural history and response to treatment.
Malnutrition and obesity are common in patients with IBD. Patients may have nutrient deficiencies or suffer from nutritional issues. There is evidence that nutrition and diet assessments and plans can induce disease remission and this project will further investigate this.
There are different treatments for IBD but minimal information on the uses of these therapies during pregnancy. This project will investigate the different IBD treatments given to pregnant women and assess their experiences and the outcomes of their therapy during their pregnancy.
In Australia, approximately 1 in 250 people aged between 5 and 49 years suffers from IBD. It is predicted that by 2022, there will be 100,000 people in Australia affected by IBD. Of these, over 5,000 patients with IBD will be in the South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD). This project will investigate factors affecting the epidemiology of IBD in SWSLHD.
The gut microbiome plays an important role in IBD. There is currently limited understanding about which aspects of the microbiome are important in IBD and furthermore, how we can use our knowledge of the microbiome to improve disease control. We have a number of projects investigating aspects of the microbiome and IBD.
Chronic liver disease (CLD) affects >600 million people and is a leading cause of human mortality and morbidity. Importantly, chronic inflammation is a pivotal driver of progressive fibrosis and eventual cirrhosis resulting in both liver failure and liver cancer. Current therapeutic options to treat CLD are limited and there are no effective anti-fibrotics used in clinical practice. Our unique approach will both diminish inflammation and reduce fibrosis by targeting a single multifunctional ‘druggable’ protein, basigin. We have abundant data demonstrating leukocyte aggregation within the liver with injury. This project will comprehensively describe and functionally characterise basigin-dependent leukocyte aggregation.
The GLL has adopted a gene discovery approach to identify novel liver injury associated pathogenic pathways. A key discovery from this approach was that basigin can determine the severity of intrahepatic injury. In progressive liver injury, we have shown and published that basigin can regulate hepatocyte matrix metalloproteinase expression, which if blocked by a monoclonal antibody, reduces liver fibrosis. This research project will develop novel therapeutics to target basigin.
Liver organoids can be utilised as an ex-vivo model of liver injury and liver cancer. They are established from resected liver tissue, expanded in 3D culture and differentiated into mature, functional hepatocytes for experiments. This project will establish patient-derived liver cancer organoids to enable us to develop algorithms that will allow individualised treatment of liver cancer patients. Importantly, this patient-derived liver cancer organoid platform enables the testing of current and novel therapies in a truly personalised “precision medicine” approach.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth most common malignancy globally and is increasing in frequency. Due to early HCC being asymptomatic, diagnosis occurs late when only 20-25% of HCC patients can be offered curative treatments. Novel HCC biomarkers have been hampered by the heterogeneity of HCC subtypes.
Our recent discoveries may be the key to solving these problems. Firstly, we have analysed several publically-available whole exome sequencing datasets of HCC and paired non-tumour tissue. Our results have specifically identified deleterious passenger mutations (DPMs), which are mutations that decrease cell survival but are not driver mutations of HCC. We have found that HCC genomes contain significantly more DPMs than the paired non-tumour tissue, and DPMs are a potential novel biomarker for HCC risk. Further, we can isolate hepatocyte-specific microvesicles (MV) from serum, which contain quantifiable liver-derived miRNA and DNA. Therefore, we can profile miRNA and DPM to overcome the problems of HCC heterogeneity and develop a sensitive non-invasive test that is urgently needed.
If you have any enquiries or would like to make an appointment, please email: | https://www.gastroliverpool.com.au/research-opportunities.html |
Complete the form below and we will email you a PDF version of "Ferring, Karolinska Institutet Sign Collaboration "
The programme will be fully funded by Ferring Pharmaceuticals and governed by a joint steering committee.
The proposed project focuses on therapeutic areas where Ferring has extensive expertise. Karolinska Institutet has a deep understanding of the human microbiome. Parts of the research will be carried out at the Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab) that provides access to a broad technical platform for studying complex microbiological communities in well-defined human material.
The collaboration between the two partners form a solid foundation for the ambition of a better understanding of the contribution of the human microbiome to physiology and pathophysiology and opens opportunities for development of novel therapies. The research will be led by Professor Lars Engstrand, Karolinska Institutet, who will serve as director. The center will further establish an internationally competitive infrastructure with focus on translational research in the microbiome field set up to develop a comprehensive mapping of the human microbiome in health and disease. | https://www.technologynetworks.com/immunology/news/ferring-karolinska-institutet-sign-collaboration-194507 |
The UK government is planning to introduce e-consultations where patients would receive diagnoses via email from their GPs – but some doctors have criticised the plans.
Academic GP registrar and honorary clinical research fellow at Imperial College London Dr Emma Richards claims the programme lacks credibility as there is “no clear evidence” to support it.
“No evidence shows that email communication with patients is effective in improving access or saving money,” claimed Dr Richards in an article for The BMJ (opens in new tab).
Her arguments against email communication for GPs and patients centre on studies that concluded such consultations increase doctor workload and offer no real benefits to patients over meeting face-to-face.
“Given the complexities of using email and understandable caution among GPs, it seems premature to be insisting that patients can have email communications with GPs,” claimed Dr Richards.
Read more: Public Health England using big data to fight infectious disease (opens in new tab)
“The Department of Health (DoH) should first issue clear guidance on what can safely and appropriately be communicated by email and what resources are needed,” she added.
However, Elinor Gunning, Health Education North Central and East London clinical teaching fellow, has offered her support for e-consultations.
“The addition of email services has the potential increase GPs workloads, but if the service is well planned and managed then email can be a more efficient way to manage some routine conditions and requests than traditional methods,” Gunning claimed.
“GPs and our professional bodies, as experts in our patients’ care, should embrace the use of email to develop a safe and effective service.
“Although more research, investment and official guidelines are needed, sufficient strategies already exist to support the safe implementation of email services,” she added. | https://www.itproportal.com/2014/09/10/gps-brand-idea-of-virtual-doctor-e-consultations-premature/ |
Amid the often-distressing news about climate change, some good news: Existing strategies could mitigate livestock methane emissions by enough to help the sector limit its share of global warming to the 1.5°C target by 2030.
In a meta-analysis published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Claudia Arndt, Leader of the Mazingira Centre at the International Livestock Research Institute in Kenya, and a score of experts from top-level institutes around the world reviewed hundreds of peer-reviewed studies for strategies designed to decrease product-based and absolute enteric methane emissions by ruminants. The research was initiated by Alexander N. Hristov at Penn State University. They found that livestock production could help meet the 1.5°C target by 2030—with the provision that the identified most effective product-based and the most effective absolute mitigation strategies be fully adopted, a goal that would require concerted action to identify and remove adoption barriers.
However, scientists caution that to stay on track by 2050, additional strategies will be needed due to a projected increase in demand for livestock products. Thus, current strategies can meet short-term targets, but further research is needed to develop strategies sufficient to meet longer-run targets. | https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/full-adoption-of-existing-mitigation-strategies-can-help-meet-livestock-methane-reduction-targets-by-2030/ |
WASHINGTON, June 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 13, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety alert regarding the use of fecal microbiota for transplantation, or FMT:
https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/safety-availability-biologics/important-safety-alert-regarding-use-fecal-microbiota-transplantation-and-risk-serious-adverse.
Our MTIG members are committed to the development of therapeutic microbiota-based products that are safe and effective. All of our member companies are developing investigational products in compliance with the FDA guidelines for Investigational New Drugs, including donor testing and/or quality control requirements. We are working actively with the FDA to develop guidelines for the application of pharmaceutical development criteria related to microbiota-based therapeutics and for the evaluation of safety parameters related to microbiota-based therapeutic products. MTIG fully supports the continued vigilance of the FDA in regulating this field to better assure that patients have access to safe and effective treatments.
About the Microbiome Therapeutics Innovation Group
The Microbiome Therapeutics Innovation Group (MTIG) is a coalition of companies leading the research and development of FDA-approved microbiome therapeutics and microbiome-based products to address unmet medical needs, improve clinical outcomes, and reduce health care costs. The human microbiome is one of the new frontiers of medical innovation that has the potential to benefit patients suffering from numerous diseases afflicting millions of patients and consuming billions of dollars of healthcare resources. MTIG is committed to working with stakeholders who share in our mission and seek tangible policy and regulatory solutions in the emerging microbiome arena. Through a collective voice, the MTIG membership works together to enhance the regulatory, investment, and commercial environment to accelerate microbiome therapeutic product development and enable the field to reach its potential to benefit patients.
Today, the MTIG is comprised of three companies: Rebiotix, Inc., Seres Therapeutics, and Vedanta Biosciences.
All pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies pursuing regulatory approvals for microbiome therapeutics and microbiome-based products are eligible for consideration of membership in MTIG. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a member, please contact us here.
For more information, visit: www.microbiometig.org
About Rebiotix Inc.
Rebiotix Inc, which is part of the Ferring Pharmaceuticals Group, is a late-stage clinical microbiome company focused on harnessing the power of the human microbiome to revolutionize the treatment of debilitating diseases. Rebiotix possesses a deep and diverse clinical pipeline, with its lead drug candidate, RBX2660, in Phase 3 clinical development for the prevention of recurrent Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection. RBX2660 has been granted Fast Track status, Orphan Drug and Breakthrough Therapy designation from the FDA for its potential to prevent recurrent C. diff infection. Rebiotix's clinical pipeline also features RBX7455, a lyophilized non-frozen, oral capsule formulation, which is entering a Phase 2b clinical trial for the prevention of recurrent C. diff infection. In addition, Rebiotix is targeting several other disease states with drug products built on its pioneering Microbiota Restoration Therapy™ platform. The MRT™ platform is a standardized, stabilized drug technology that is designed to rehabilitate the human microbiome by delivering a broad consortium of live microbes into a patient's intestinal tract via a ready-to-use and easy-to-administer format.
For more information, visit: www.rebiotix.com
About Seres Therapeutics, Inc.
Seres Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MCRB) is a leading microbiome therapeutics platform company developing a novel class of biological drugs that are designed to treat disease by restoring the function of a dysbiotic microbiome, where the state of bacterial diversity and function is imbalanced. Seres' lead program, SER-109, has obtained Breakthrough Therapy and Orphan Drug designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is in Phase 3 development for multiply recurrent C. difficile infection. Seres' clinical candidate SER-287 has successfully completed a Phase 1b study in patients with mild-to-moderate Ulcerative Colitis. Seres is developing SER-262in a Phase 1b study in patients with primary C. difficile infection. Seres is also developing SER-401 to augment the efficacy of immuno-oncology treatment.
For more information, visit: www.serestherapeutics.com
About Vedanta Biosciences
Vedanta Biosciences is a clinical-stage company developing a new category of therapies for immune-mediated and infectious diseases based on rationally defined consortia of human microbiome-derived bacteria. An affiliate of PureTech Health (PureTech Health plc), Vedanta Biosciences is a leader in the microbiome field with capabilities and deep expertise to discover, develop, and manufacture live bacteria drugs. These include what is believed to be the largest collection of human microbiome-associated bacterial strains, a suite of proprietary assays to select pharmacologically potent strains, vast proprietary datasets from human interventional studies, and facilities for cGMP-compliant manufacturing of rationally-defined bacterial consortia in powder form. Vedanta Biosciences' pioneering work, in collaboration with its scientific co-founders, has led to the identification of human commensal bacteria that induce a range of immune responses - including induction of regulatory T cells, CD8+ T cells, and Th17 cells, among others. These advances have been published in leading peer-reviewed journals including Science (multiple), Nature (multiple), Cell and Nature Immunology. Vedanta Biosciences has harnessed these biological insights and its capabilities to generate a pipeline of programs in infectious disease, autoimmune disease, allergy, and immune-oncology.
For more information, visit: www.vedantabio.com
About The Conafay Group
The Conafay Group, led by Stephen R. Conafay, is a life-sciences government relations firm based in Washington D.C. that serves as Washington counsel and coalition manager for MTIG. The team specializes in representing life sciences companies, universities, and other organizations in the biomedical space before the federal government and associated stakeholders. Services include developing a strategy to secure federal non-dilutive funding, congressional and agency relationship building, alliance development and policy lobbying. | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/microbiome-therapeutics-innovation-group-statement-on-fda-safety-alert-regarding-use-of-fecal-microbiota-for-transplantation-and-risk-of-serious-adverse-reactions-due-to-transmission-of-multi-drug-resistant-organisms-300869439.html?tc=eml_cleartime |
Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) is one of the largest meetings for the GI professional and attracts 15,000 physicians, researchers and academicians each year. At DDW you'll learn about new developments in your field, attend high-quality educational programs and network with colleagues.
The AASLD Meeting at DDW provides a forum for the exchange of groundbreaking research and clinical information in diseases of the liver and biliary tract and in liver transplantation. This will be done in a variety of formats, including plenary and parallel sessions, courses, workshops and state-of-the-art lectures.
DDW is co-sponsored by AASLD, AGA, ASGE and SSAT. It will be held at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.
The 2019 abstract submission site closed at 9 pm ET on December 1, 2018.
AASLD's headquarter hotel is the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Make your reservation through DDW's official housing block.
To learn about AASLD and other programming, see the tabs below or visit the DDW Online Planner.
This symposium will provide a succinct but comprehensive update on clinical advances in the management of liver disease. The practice of hepatology continues to evolve as HCV has diminished as an indication for consultation while other diseases assume increasing prominence, including hepatocellular carcinoma. The program will update attendees on current and future treatment options for viral and nonviral liver disease as well as other aspects of liver disease, including portal hypertension and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Safe and highly effective antivirals (peginterferon, entecavir, tenofovir) are available for HBV but these therapies infrequently achieve HBsAg loss. New therapeutic approaches are focused on achieving HBsAg loss and/or sustained suppression of HBV DNA off treatment. Withdrawal of nucleos(t)ide analogues after defined periods of viral suppression is one strategy being studied. Additionally, multiple new HBV drugs targeting alternative steps in the viral life cycle or host immune responses are in development and provide hope for a future HBV cure.
As liver transplantation (LT) has become part of the standard armamentarium in tertiary care centers, the boundaries for selection of candidates have enlarged gradually. This session will focus on three persistent boundary limits that continue to apply: advanced age, addiction to alcohol, and in the case of hepatic tumors, tumor burden. It will use these examples to explore the dynamics of selection for and outcome of LT.
This will be a state-of-the-art lecture to review the current understanding of liver injury due to drugs and dietary supplements. The lecture will cover early recognition, accurate diagnosis and clinical management. There will be a focus on agents commonly implicated in liver injury, both conventional medications and herbal and dietary supplements.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is rising in incidence and mortality. Liver transplant offers the best chance for long term survival, but many patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage that often precludes surgery. Advancements in both locoregional therapy and systemic options have demonstrated improvements in survival but may be limited to those with preserved liver function. Continued work is needed to identify those at risk for HCC so surveillance can be initiated and diagnosis made at a curative state. Additionally, improved prognostic models and use of bio markers is crucial to personalize the treatment approach to HCC.
Liver masses have been a common reason for consultation faced by gastroenterologists, hepatologists, and transplant/hepatobiliary surgeons. The increasing and widespread use of cross-sectional imaging studies has led to an increase in detection of liver masses. It is important to consider not only malignant liver lesions, but also benign solid and cystic liver lesions. This symposium will help participants understand the diagnostic criteria of liver masses, and the management of benign and malignant liver masses.
This symposium will summarize available pre-clinical data on the role of gut microbiome and NAFLD, human clinical data that demonstrate an association between gut microbiome in human NASH and progression of fibrosis, and the role of gut microbiome in its association with hepatocellular carcinoma.
Patients with decompensated cirrhosis are known to have very high rates of hospitalization – and up to one-third experience re-admission within 30 days after discharge. Hospitals and physician groups are under increasing financial pressure to prevent these hospitalizations. This symposium will provide an overview of the problem, identify risk factors for hospitalization, and provide evidence-based interventions. Finally, we will discuss novel approaches and provide a guide to implementation.
Bleeding related to portal hypertension remains a major life-threatening clinical event among patients with cirrhosis. Strategies had been directed at preventing/treating variceal hemorrhage. This symposium will focus on risk stratification (using invasive and noninvasive tools) that will identify patients who will be more (or less) likely to benefit from certain therapies, vis-à-vis not only variceal hemorrhage but also the prevention/treatment of other complications of cirrhosis. These strategies will be discussed in a case-based setting that will help participants understand the current concepts regarding risk stratification and therapies for portal hypertension/varices at different stages of cirrhosis.
Urgent management of liver failure is challenging and the first few days can make a major difference in the prognosis. This symposium will focus on the differentiation and early management of acute liver failure versus acute-on-chronic liver failure. Cutting edge prognostication and therapeutic options, including liver transplant candidacy and outcomes will also be discussed.
Although viral hepatitis has incredibly effective therapy, disruption of maternal to child transmission (MTCT) remains an important aspect of prevention. Management of any liver disease during pregnancy is a balance between risk of therapy and benefit to both the mother and the child. This case based symposium will help participants understand and modify these challenging clinical choices. | https://www.aasld.org/events-professional-development/digestive-disease-week |
Announcement - Accelsiors joins PRI’s Board
Accelsiors is delighted to announce our new partnership with of the Pharmabiotic Research Institute and that our Director of Translational Science, Helene Cvejic Hogervorst joins to the Board members of PRI.
As a scientifically driven, global, full-service CRO, Accelsiors is pleased to be a partnering member of this main representative organization and leading professional network aimed at developing regulatory intelligence and representing the European Human Microbiome pharmaceutical supply chain. We are glad to join to this cooperation and work with PRI's members together to unlock the potential of the Microbiotic Medicinal Products and translate it into safe, effective and commercially viable therapeutics.
About the PRI
The PRI is a non-profit, pro-industry group, dedicated to make Microbiotic Medicinal Products a therapeutic reality in Europe. The microbiome and its role in human health represents a paradigm shift in how medicines will be developed. This association dedicated to helping its members conceive, develop, produce and market medicines and therapies based on the Human Microbiome. The PRI’s unique collaborative approach supports the registration of Microbiotic Medicinal Products at the European level and provide technical and regulatory intelligence for its members. | https://accelsiors.com/news/announcement--accelsiors-joins-pris-board/206 |
Dosage formulation and the efficacy of the oral to IV switch are important drug characteristics in implementing an effective therapeutic interchange. Because clinical stability is a major indicator for switching from IV to oral medication, the use of optimized dosing strategies with antimicrobials can result in earlier IV-to-oral switching and subsequent hospital discharge, leading to cost savings.
The requirement for dosage adjustments when patients are in transition between IV and oral routes of administration with can affect the risk of medical errors and clinical outcomes. In addition, because of its PK profile, ciprofloxacin must be administered twice or three times daily; by contrast, respiratory fluoroquinolones are given just once daily. This requirement increases the possibility of missed doses.
Optimized dosing strategies with antimicrobial agents, such as the use of higher doses with fluoroquinolones, can result in more rapid and complete eradication of the causative pathogen. However, not all quinolones have a therapeutic index that allows for the administration of a higher dose. Clinical studies with the 750-mg dose of have established its safety and efficacy; symptoms were resolved in a greater proportion of patients receiving 750 mg by the third day of therapy, compared with patients receiving 500 mg in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia, including severely ill patients.
CONCLUSION
Although therapeutic interchange can be an important strategy in reducing drug-acquisition costs in hospital pharmacies, an overarching review of all hospital areas affected and overall direct and indirect costs must be considered before such a program is implemented. The impact of a switch on the dynamics and workload of the hospital staff must be analyzed, particularly when a formulary change might alter dosing regimens or further complicate therapeutic decisions. When a therapeutic interchange with the fluoroquinolones is being considered, it must be decided whether a single fluoroquinolone or dual fluoroquinolones (canadian ciprofloxacin plus a respiratory) will be used to ensure full coverage of indications.
In addition to efficacy and safety, the PK profile, the spectrum of coverage, and resistance patterns of the drug to be substituted must be given high priority, particularly when overall cost differences are minimal. Further research is needed to fully assess the cost advantages of each strategy in various hospital settings. | http://www.perfecthealthinfo.com/main/considerations-associated-with-therapeutic-interchange-dosage-adjustments.html |
We aim to understand how the immune system handles the abundance of extrinsic and intrinsic challenges to the body. This includes parasitic, bacterial and viral pathogen attacks, but also cancer and metabolic pressure, as well as physiological tissue development and remodeling.
Research activities in our department cover a broad spectrum of basic and clinically relevant questions. Topics range from fundamental aspects of hematopoiesis and inter-cellular communication to the physiological principles underlying inflammation, cancer immune-surveillance and host / microbiome interactions.
Department members investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying immune disorders, such as immunodeficiencies, innate immunopathologies and autoimmunity. Using pre-clinical mouse models and patient samples, we develop novel therapeutic strategies including check-point blockade, immunotherapies and improved vaccination protocols.
State-of-the-art approaches ranging from intra-vital imaging and conditional gene manipulation to advanced genomics and proteomics are used to uncover physiological and pathological roles of the immune system. | https://www.weizmann.ac.il/immunology/about-us/overview |
NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – A new international consortium called SYSCID (A systems medicine approach to chronic inflammatory disease) has received €14.4 million ($15.3 million) to support a five-year research project with the goal of developing personalized medicine approaches for inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Coordinated by Kiel University in Germany, the effort involves academic and industry partners from nine different countries.
Philip Rosenstiel, scientific coordinator of the SYSCID consortium, said in a statement that the effort will investigating a variety of biomarkers "from the epigenome to the microbiome," as well as tools like single-cell analysis. Using build data from previous and ongoing research activities like the International Human Epigenome Consortium, SYSCID hopes to better understand patient response and non-response to current treatment regimens.
"With many new targeted therapies coming to the market, we need the right therapy at the right time," Rosenstiel added.
The project will also seek to develop new therapeutic strategies that address root causes of disease, such as epigenetics, rather than just their immune effects and symptoms. | https://www.genomeweb.com/autoimmune-disease/eu-consortium-gets-14m-personalize-treatment-inflammatory-diseases |
The gut microbiome is the subject of increasing research in medicine. Understanding this complex community offers potential new insight for treating a number of diseases—gastrointestinal and otherwise. But what’s the evidence base?
In this episode Dr Peter De Cruz FRACP, Head of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Service at the Austin Hospital, discusses his recent IMJ article “Characterisation and Therapeutic Manipulation of the Gut Microbiome in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.” To provide further review, the episode also features an interview with Professor Finlay Macrae FRACP, Head of Colorectal Medicine and Genetics at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Included in the discussion are: the early establishment of the microbiome and its genetic and environmental influences, pharmacological and nutritional interventions targeting the gut, and some guarded recommendations about faecal microbiota transplantation.
This episode is presented in partnership with the Internal Medicine Journal, the official peer-reviewed publication of the College’s Adult Medicine Division. Links to resources mentioned on the show are provided below. Dr De Cruz’s full article is available via Wiley Online Library. Fellows of the RACP can claim points for listening and further reading on this topic via MyCPD.
This episode was produced by Alastair Wilson, with editing by Anne Fredrickson. Music from Podington Bear (“Caravan”), Kevin MacLeod (“Isolated”), and Adrianna Krikl (“Every Way,” “Wednesday”); photo courtesy Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (via Flickr).
Editorial feedback was provided by RACP Fellows Dr Christian Lueck, Dr Kathryn Patchett and Dr Bruce Foggo.
PETER DE CRUZ: There's substantial evidence now that the gut microbiota plays a key role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. But at the present time the efficacy of these treatments is pretty variable, and so it's important to actually tailor the specific strategy to the patient.
CAMILLE MERCEP: This is Pomegranate, a CPD podcast from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. This month we are again partnering with the Internal Medicine Journal to discuss a recent article: “Characterisation and Therapeutic Manipulation of the Gut Microbiome in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.” The author, Dr Peter De Cruz, is an intestinal rehabilitation physician at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne.
To provide further review and discussion of the article, today's episode also features an interview with Professor Finlay Macrae, Head of Colorectal Medicine and Genetics at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Included in the discussion are: the early establishment of the microbiome and its genetic and environmental influences, pharmacological and nutritional interventions targeting the gut, and some guarded recommendations about faecal microbiota transplantation.
PETER DE CRUZ: My name is Dr Peter De Cruz; I'm Head of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Service at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne. I'm an intestinal rehabilitation and intestinal transplant physician. I'm also a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne.
I've been working in the field of gastroenterology for seven years, and I think that this foray into the gut microbiota is really very exciting because we're now starting to unravel the complex relationship between the host and the microbiota, and that should enable us to discover diagnostic biomarkers for the disease—as well as treatments that are targeted at the microbial stimulus of inflammatory bowel disease.
Really, the gut microbiome refers to all the bugs in our gut and the genetic potential in relation to telling us not only which bugs are there, but what they're actually able to do. And each human harbours up to hundred trillion bacteria, so man can now really be considered a super organism composite of human as well as microbial genes—which is referred to as the microbiome.
And the microbiome itself actually is estimated to encode about a hundredfold more genes than the whole human genome. 70% of the gut microbiota haven't actually been able to be cultured by standard culture based techniques, and that's given rise to this field of metagenomics, which is the study of the microbiota using culture independent techniques. And it's this field has really advanced our understanding of the role of the gut microbiota in health as well as inflammatory bowel disease.
FINLAY MACRAE: I'm Professor Finlay Macrae; I'm Head of Colorectal Medicine and Genetics here at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. I've been working in this field ever since my clinical research days overseas, for the last 35 years.
I think this article summarises the state of the art very well. It highlights the potential that the approach of understanding the microbiota has in understanding GI illness—and many other illnesses that are on the fringe of understanding with respect to the microbiota. It is a very complex field in terms of the variables that are involved from the point of view of the bugs that are there, their functional capacities, and the host and indeed the environment in which the patient moves and lives. So it's a very complex scenario to unscramble.
Even the approach of replacing the flora is complex because the intervention is not at all well characterised with respect to what's effective and what’s not effective. However, there are some signals there in the therapeutic end of the deal—and a lot of signals, but still unproven, of potential benefit with respect to microbiota associations with disease and health.
PETER DE CRUZ: Our current understanding of the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease is that it occurs as a result of an exaggerated immune response to the gut microbiota in those patients who have a genetic susceptibility. There seems to be a shift in the epidemiology of the disease, which was previously considered to be a disease of the West, to an increasing incidence of the disease in the East. And this might actually reflect a change in the pattern of our diet, and in particular what we refer to as "Coca-Cola-nisation" –where there's an increase in Western diets amongst those in the East.
It’s been difficult to I guess tease out the specifics in relation to what aspects of a diet constitutes or contributes to the increased risk for inflammatory bowel disease. There's some suggestion that inflammatory bowel disease may be associated with an increased risk of consuming high quantities of meat and fat, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids, whereas there's a lower risk amongst people that have diets that are high in fibre, vegetables and fruits. What we know is that we can detect changes in the gut microbiome composition even as quickly as within 24 hours of initiating a dietary modification. But as compared to short-term diet, long-term diet has a far stronger influence on the microbiome.
The main challenge associated with the clinical studies to date investigating the various dietary interventions is that there tends to be recall bias, a lack of placebo control, and insufficient correlation of these epidemiologic trends with molecular microbiologic techniques to really drill down into what are the specific changes in the gut microbiota associated with diet.
FINLAY MACRAE: The geographic differences between countries and their microbiome is of some interest, given that there is a big geographic difference in, for example, colorectal cancer incidence. Ecological research where investigators look at the average microbiota profiles in a population with a certain incidence of colorectal cancer, and compare that with another country who have a different incidence of colorectal cancer, and look at that second country's average microbiota and understand that there's a difference, and then attempt to make an etiological relationship between the two—that is one of the weakest forms of epidemiological research because it's not drilled down to an individual person level; it’s a very big group level observation.
But nevertheless, it’s hypothesis development and it's some evidence that is useful to add to the puzzle and try and piece things together.
PETER DE CRUZ: What we've discovered is that initially the gut microbiota of infants is highly unstable and highly variable, and any abrupt changes in the groups of organisms that develop during this early stage in life can be linked to illness as well as dietary change and antibiotic therapy.
What tends to happen is that there's a number of maternal and environmental conditions at the time of birth that tend to be influencing factors. And these include the mode of delivery, diet, mother's age, body mass index, smoking status, as well as the household environment and socioeconomic status that the child is born into. In addition to that, breastfeeding and mother's antibiotic usage also seem to be important factors.
The passage of the infant through the birth canal is thought to be associated with an increased transmission of the maternal microbiota to the infant. And this is actually thought to have a potentially protective effect in relation to protection from infection for the infant, and this early period of the development of the gut microbiota is thought to be crucial in determining subsequent health or disease, including inflammatory bowel disease and other such conditions such as eczema and asthma.
What we know is that over time the phylogenetic diversity of the infant's microbiome increases gradually with changes in the microbial community, increasing along a steady gradient, so that by the age of two years of age the infant's gut microbiota seems to be established, and is thought to remain relatively stable throughout the remainder of life up until the time that they reach a hundred—when the gut microbiota becomes unstable again. And it's thought to be this instability later on in life that's also responsible for the development of various diseases later in life.
We know host genetic mutations, especially those genes that are involved in the innate immune system, have been shown to influence the response to, as well as the relationship with, the gut microbiota. And this is the case with inflammatory bowel disease where we know that the host innate immune genetic mutations have been associated with dysbiosis.
In a recent study looking at more than 160 IBD susceptibility loci, several of the genes that were implicated in disease pathogenesis were also involved in detecting, processing and responding to the gut microbiota, indicating that the genes that are associated with inflammatory bowel disease do have a very close link with the gut microbiota and its potential to lead to pathogenesis of the disease.
FINLAY MACRAE: Dr De Cruz talks about two strategies with respect to understanding the microbiota and its association or even causation of inflammatory bowel disease. I would probably frame them slightly differently. I would be just talking about understanding the broad sweep of the microbiota, the entire microbiota genome in individuals, and that's what he calls the "global description strategy.” That's looking for changes in the balance of organisms in association with health and disease, including inflammatory bowel disease, as a “broad brush” approach to the understanding.
And what's come out of that is an understanding of the narrowing of the range of different organisms that occur in people with inflammatory bowel disease, as distinct to healthy people who have a much broader range of organisms living and enjoying their life in symbiosis with us. So the other approach is to think that maybe there's a single organism driving inflammatory bowel disease, much the same as say TB causes intestinal tuberculosis, and trying to pinpoint an organism that is the cause of inflammatory bowel disease.
I guess that the efforts to find a single organism or candidate microorganism have not been very fruitful. As Dr De Cruz points out, there's a couple of organisms that still have an appetite for research, that's the mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis, and the adherent invasive E. coli organisms. And certainly there's a lot of basic science appeal to those organisms being responsible, but really the research which has been going on for probably a decade or more has not been able to pin a particular microorganism as responsible unequivocally for even a subsector of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Part of this is all about the chicken and egg situation. Sure, you might find organisms in association with say ulcerative colitis, or Crohn’s disease, but one is always hampered by the possibility that those microorganisms are just there for the ride rather than being implicated in the pathogenesis of the disease. And much of the research is unable to unravel that possibility of confounding in the interpretation.
So the best evidence probably is on the first strategy, Dr De Cruz's global description strategy. Just how that plays out pathologically, causing and driving the disease, why such a restriction is associated with a disease, and how that restriction or dysbiosis actually drives the inflammatory process is rather unclear. So it's an observation rather than a deep understanding of the relationship.
PETER DE CRUZ: Functional analysis of the gut microbiota is a rapidly evolving area of investigation. And it comprises this brave new world of “omics” technologies that characterise the microbial activity at the level of DNA—which is referred to as metagenomics; RNA—which is referred to as metatranscriptomics; as well as protein expression, also known as metaproteomics. As well as metabolites, which is referred to as metabolomics.
What metagenomics has taught us, and what we've observed is that there are fundamental metabolic pathways that seem to be far more perturbed than changes in the gut microbes themselves. As far as metatranscriptomics is concerned we've found significant qualitative shifts in the composition of the microbiota at a RNA expression level, particularly in patients with Crohn’s disease compared to healthy controls. Some of the specific bugs tend to be transcriptionally active in patients with Crohn’s disease, and others relatively transcriptionally inactive in Crohn’s disease compared to healthy controls.
And patients with Crohn’s disease involving their terminal ilium have been found to have a different metaproteome to healthy controls. In particular its been discovered that there's a generalised depletion of many proteins and alterations in bacterial carbohydrate metabolism, as well as alterations in the way that the bacteria interacts with the host, as well as changes in some of the enzymes that are secreted by humans.
These findings together have indicated that there are alterations in the metaproteome, in other words all the proteins that are expressed, that may be actually reflective of underlying dysbiosis, or the imbalance between the good versus bad bacteria. The current evidence suggests that the microbiome and the metabolome actually have a bidirectional influence, where the bacteria influence metabolite composition and the metabolites contribute to microbial community architecture.
FINLAY MACRAE: Functional analysis is an interesting term. It's used in different ways in genomics. Molecular biologists, when they talk about functional analysis, they're really talking about what the transcriptome—what the RNA consequence of it changing the DNA is. And that is certainly one way to understand or measure the functional effects of a change in the microbiota as defined initially by DNA typing. And that's the way molecular biologists often talk about functional analysis, and indeed that includes the microbiota experts who refer to functional analysis sometimes, but not always, in terms of the RNA transcriptome that is coming as a consequence of the DNA makeup of the microbiota.
I think a more useful way or likely productive way to think of functional analysis is further downstream than that. What consequences do those RNA changes have for the proteome, the biochemical effects that are occurring that are actually the driving processes that are driven by both the DNA and transcriptome changes? And then we're talking about metabolic effects as the framework for a functional analysis, and that really starts to become pretty complex when you’re talking about millions of organisms with potentially interactive downstream effects through the transcriptome and into the proteome and metabolomics.
The bioinformatics of trying to understand that requires a lot of computing power to try and sort things out, and a lot of good clinical research to characterise the starting point of the patients. So, you know, we’re a long way from understanding that stream of biology from the DNA to the transcriptome to the functional metabolic effects that that might be associated with.
PETER DE CRUZ: The microbiota within the gut can be modulated with a combination of pharmacologic or nutritional interventions, and the chief aim of these interventions is to ameliorate the affects of dysbiosis, or the relative imbalance between the pro and anti-inflammatory bacteria. And there's five main strategies that are used to manipulate the gut microbiota.
Probiotics really refers to live organisms which in adequate quantities provide a benefit to the host, and in inflammatory bowel disease they’ve demonstrated efficacy in both inducing and maintaining remission in ulcerative colitis, as well as pouchitis. But the current repertoire of probiotics that we have available are fairly limited in their potency and there's no evidence that they're of any benefit in Crohn’s disease.
As far as prebiotics are concerned, they are non-digestible food ingredients that tend to be fermented by the intestinal bacteria in a fairly selective manner, and that tends to promote changes in the gut exit system that benefits the host. There's been two randomised control trials in Crohn’s disease of prebiotics, and the data of those two randomised control trials have been fairly equivocal. As far as antibiotics are concerned in Crohn’s disease, antibiotics are effective in the induction and maintenance of remission, as well as the prevention of postoperative recurrence of Crohn’s disease—as well as in perianal Crohn’s disease. But the evidence for antibiotic therapy in ulcerative colitis is relatively lacking.
In relation to faecal microbiota transplantation, the chief aim of this novel technique is really to re-establish normal colonisation resistance in patients who have a persistently altered microbiota. This technique has been found to be highly effective in a trial that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which demonstrated that it was effective in recurrent clostridium difficile infection. In inflammatory bowel disease, there have been two control trials of faecal microbiota transplantation in ulcerative colitis but the results have been conflicting.
The last strategy really is related to diet, and we know that diet has a major impact on microbiota composition. And what's specific about the gut microbiota is that they tend to metabolise fibre and starch to what are called short chain fatty acids such as butyrate, acetate and propionate, all of which serve as major energy sources for colonocytes, so the cells in the bowel, and that's been implicated in the prevention of colitis.
FINLAY MACRAE: The current trial that we're running here through the Royal Melbourne Hospital is the centre for a national randomised control trial, the AUSFAT Trial. It's taking a group of patients who have familial adenoma dyspolyposis, patients that develop hundreds and thousands of adenatomous premalignant polyps, and randomising them to a CSIRO-developed form of resistant starch which has a halo of a compound called butyrate built around the resistant starch molecule. And when that starch is ingested and reaches the colon where all the polyps are living it releases a large amount of butyrate through bacterial action on the compound. And butyrate has a very strong legacy of anticarcinogenic effects to stop tumours growing.
So why is that related to what we're talking about here? Well, this is a prebiotic in a sense, which when it meets the appropriate microbiota in the colon releases the butyrate and may well stop polyps growing. So, yes, all of this is having an impact, we are measuring the microbiota in association with this study—and of course we're measuring the quantities of this very useful chemical butyrate, a normal chemical in the bowel but we can boost it to high levels with this strategy.
Otherwise, yes, there are cross-sectional studies that have attempted to associate microbiota with the development of neoplasia, either adenomas or cancers. All of that work—particularly with cancer, I think—is difficult to understand because of the possibility that the cancer itself is changing the microbiota rather than the microbiota being associated with the origin of the cancer.
My Ph.D. fellow, Guru Iyngkaran, has just finished his Ph.D., and he started that by observing that the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in Indigenous Australians in Northern Territory was very low. He practices in Darwin and he's only got a handful or less of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, so he wondered whether it was their microbiota that was different. And so at an individual level he studied the microbiota of Indigenous Australians living in rural areas and compared it to Indigenous Australians in Darwin and Caucasians in Darwin, and those with inflammatory bowel disease. And he did indeed develop an understanding of the microbiota of our Indigenous peers in Northern Territory, with some biological basis to think that their particular microbiota could well be protective against developing inflammatory bowel disease.
So just another piece of the puzzle starting from an interesting observation within our own environment here in Australia.
PETER DE CRUZ: The implications really from a therapeutic point of view for antimicrobial strategies is that we're starting to see an approach that is targeting the bacteria in a sort of fairly bacterially-specific way. And although the effectiveness of some of these strategies might not be as potent as the immune related strategies, I suspect that we will in the future be able to select out a group of patients on the basis of their bacterial signatures for whom a bacterial targeted strategy might be more effective compared to other patients, and possibly even more effective compared to some of our previous immune-targeted strategies.
I suspect that a combination of the two strategies is going to be what is required to achieve what we now refer to as “personalised medicine” in inflammatory bowel disease.
FINLAY MACRAE: Most people in the audience are probably interested in the faecal microbiota transplantation story. We're pretty sure that technique is useful in clostridium difficile Infections and that's increasingly becoming part of mainstream practice. With respect to inflammatory bowel disease we're equivocal on an evidence base with respect to the benefit of this technique, and the wide range of other indications which are being mooted are really in fringe territory of medicine at the moment and not evidence based. That would be one of the key messages that I would put over here.
And also just be aware that the technologies for understanding the DNA profiles that we have, the metagenomics if you like, and the transcriptomics, and the functional effects of the protein and enzyme level, biochemistry level—the technologies to understand this are rapidly developing and the bioinformatics to assemble all of that and understand it are also rapidly developing. So let's hope that we will get some clarification over these interesting observations that have been made to date.
CAMILLE MERCEP: Dr De Cruz's full IMJ article is available on our website: racp.edu.au/pomcast. We've also provided links to the other studies mentioned on the program, and an easy pathway for Fellows to claim CPD points for listening and reading.
If you’re a fan of the podcast, consider sharing our site with a friend or colleague, leaving us a review in iTunes, or continuing the conversation using the hashtag #RACPpod .
Pomegranate comes to you from the College's Learning Support Unit, with special thanks this month to the IMJ. We'd also like to thank Peter De Cruz and Finlay Macrae for joining us on the program. The views expressed are their own and may not represent those of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
Pomegranate is presented by Camille Mercep, and this episode was produced by Alastair Wilson. Next month we'll be providing an introduction to EVOLVE—a physician-led initiative that seeks to identify and reduce low-value care. | https://www.racp.edu.au/pomegranate/view/episode-9-the-gut-microbiome-and-ibd |
The central nervous system (CNS) requires a tightly controlled environment freeof toxins and pathogens to provide the proper chemical conditions for synaptic transmission. Thisenvironment is maintained by the ‘blood brain barrier’ (BBB), which is composed of highly specializedblood vessels whose endothelium display specialized tight junctions and unusually low rates oftranscellular vesicular transport (transcytosis). While BBB breakdown has recently been associatedwith various neurological disorders, an intact BBB also poses a major obstacle for drug delivery to theCNS. Pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars to develop drugs that can penetrate the BBBto treat disease. However, little progress has been made on manipulating the BBB due to a significantknowledge gap in understanding how BBB function is regulated and identifying the essential molecularconstituents governing its processes. This limited understanding has also thwarted our ability totherapeutically manipulate the BBB.The major impediment to understanding the BBB is identifying its essential constituent and unravelingthe mechanism by which these key regulators control BBB function. However, the current in vitromodels rely on fully differentiated endothelial cells, which already contain unique properties that preventtheir use in reconstitution studies. Similarly, the main technique to study the BBB has been EM,however its static snapshots do not provide information on active and dynamic vesicular transport,directionality, or their specific routes to allow investigators to interrogate the key molecular mechanismsthat regulate BBB integrity.Recently, with our research background in developmental co-wiring of nervous and vascular systems,we used the traditional developmental approach, to first mapped the precise timing of BBB formationand then identified neural cues that induce CNS endothelium to acquire BBB properties, and moleculeswith possible roles in BBB function from simple transcriptome comparisons between CNS andperipheral endothelial cells. Surprisingly, we also found that instead of a physical buildup or disruptionof structurally important tight junctions as previously thought, transcytosis regulation seems to be themore likely the major mechanism underlying BBB integrity. In characterizing these developmentalproperties, I realized that these findings are just the tip of the iceberg and that truly fundamentalquestions remain in identifying the core pathway and understand how they regulate BBB function. New tools thus are needed for understanding the BBB. Here we propose first to develop a new stem cellbased system to allow reconstitution of a functional BBB in vitro, and then to develop a genetic-optical system for monitoring the functional integrity of the BBB in vivo at subcellular resolution in real time. This integrated approach will address fundamental questions about the regulation of the BBB, which will then lead to more effective therapeutic strategies and specific targets for BBB restoration and manipulation. | http://www.iddrc.org/research/research-list/new-tools-for-understanding-the-blood-brain-barrier/ |
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) held last year in Glasgow, Scotland stressed the need for an immediate reduction in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to preserve a livable climate. For many, COP26 signifies a last chance to combat the climate crisis before it is too late—countries reaffirmed the Paris Agreement goal of limiting the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. Participating countries also stressed the urgency of action “in this critical decade” when carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions must be reduced by 45% to reach net-zero by 2050.
A provision was agreed upon calling for a phase-down of coal power and a phase-out of “inefficient” fossil fuel (oil and gas) subsidies. The Glasgow conference reaffirmed the pledge and urged developed countries to fully deliver on the $100-B goal. The Glasgow Pact called for a doubling of investment to support developing countries in adapting to the impacts of climate change and building resilience. The countries agreed to strengthen a network—known as the Santiago Network—that connects vulnerable countries with providers of technical assistance, knowledge and resources to address climate risks.
Throughout the COP26 conference, many significant agreements and announcements were made, including: 137 countries took a landmark step forward by committing to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030; 103 countries, including 15 major emitters, signed the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to limit methane (CH4) emissions by 30% by 2030, compared to 2020 levels; more than 30 countries and six major vehicle manufacturers set out their determination for all new car and van sales to be zero-emissions vehicles by 2040 globally and 2035 in leading markets; and private financial institutions and central banks announced moves to realign trillions of dollars towards achieving global net-zero emissions.
Net-zero targets. Several countries have enacted laws or have policy documents made or announced their net-zero target or are in the proposal stage. According to the “Net-zero Tracker” of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, 14 countries have enacted laws for net-zero targets, 33 countries have policy documents in place, 19 countries have announced their net-zero targets and 57 countries have proposals for net-zero targets. These commitments by countries are a testimony to the potential climate crisis envisaged by the countries in near future, if unattended.
During COP26, Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi committed India to a net-zero carbon emissions target by 2070. As part of the net-zero strategy, he presented “panchamrit” (five elixirs) or goals that would help the country to achieve its target for net-zero emissions by 2070. These are:
Actions to achieve net-zero targets. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India (MoPNG), has set up an Energy Transition Advisory Committee, which is tasked to prepare a step-by-step plan for the complete transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy to achieve the net-zero emissions target by 2070. The Ministry of Power, Government of India, released its Green Hydrogen Policy in January 2022.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, is in the process of finalizing its “National Green Hydrogen Mission” document, the objective of which is to make India a global hub for green H2 production, usage and export. The mission is expected to lead to significant decarbonization of the economy, reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports, and enable India to assume technology and market leadership in green H2.
One specific objective of the mission is to progressively replace gray H2 with green H2 in petroleum refining and fertilizer industries from now to 2030–2035, with a gradual increase of green H2 percentage of the total H2 consumption by these industries.
The Indian petroleum industry and the H2 requirement. Indian petroleum refineries presently have a total of 1.4 MM metric tpy of H2 production from the steam methane reforming (SMR) process. This production is expected to reach 2.6 MM metric tpy by 2030 due to the addition of new facilities and hydroprocessing units. In addition to SMR, continuous catalytic reforming (CCR) is a significant producer of H2 as a byproduct. In some refineries, H2 recovery units are capturing H2 from H2-rich fuel gas and offgas generated from hydroprocessing units. These H2 recovery units are based on pressure swing adsorption (PSA).
Considering that H2 production from CCR and recovery from PSA are minor contributors to overall H2 production, the requirement of new SMR in India is significant (i.e., 1.2 MM metric tpy from now to 2030). This is 86% higher than the current installed SMR capacity.
SMR based on natural gas or naphtha is a major contributor to CO2 in the petroleum refining industry. One kg of H2 production can emit 8 kg–10 kg of CO2. Consequently, H2 production from naphtha or natural gas is the first target for decarbonization in refineries. The technological options for decarbonization of H2 production are blue H2 and green H2.
For Indian petroleum refineries, blue H2 has its own perceived challenges, including technologies for CO2 capture, space constraints for retrofitting within existing SMR units, high CAPEX and OPEX costs for a CO2 capture section, CO2 pipelines and transportation, and the availability of a dry well near refineries for sequestration or the availability of wells in the vicinity for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), among others. A CO2 capture section requires significantly higher power consumption. It is also believed that any additional power requirement for the carbon capture, storage and utilization (CCUS) section must be fulfilled from a green source; otherwise, it may not truly reduce CO2 from the overall H2 production. Considering this, blue H2 lacks the “buzz” in Indian refineries.
Green H2 production can be accomplished through the installation of water electrolyzers. This is independent of existing SMR and produces zero CO2 emissions. Power for water electrolyzers must be sourced from renewable power, and India is poised in an advantageous position with solar energy due to its geographical location. In the near future, renewable power is expected to be significantly cheaper than power produced from a thermal power plant. Considering this, the adoption of green H2 is comparatively easier in Indian refineries than blue H2.
Biomass gasification, another method of producing green H2, is not considered for bulk hydrogen production due to several challenges related to the aggregation of biomass, higher CAPEX, the maturity of the overall process, etc. The transition of Indian refineries from gray H2 to green H2 presents several challenges as well as opportunities, which are discussed in the following section.
CHALLENGES/OPPORTUNITIES FOR GREEN H2 IN INDIAN REFINERIES
The introduction of green H2 in Indian refineries poses several challenges (discussed in detail below and shown in (FIG. 1), including:
Higher production cost of green H2 as compared to grey H2. In India (at the time of writing), green H2 costs an estimated $4/kg–$6.5/kg, and grey H2 costs around $1.6/kg–$2.2/kg. Considering a 10% replacement of grey H2 with green H2, Indian refineries must incur an additional cost of $377 MM/yr at present H2 consumption. This cost will further increase to $695 MM/yr by 2030 due to the increase in H2 consumption. In green H2 production, 77%–90% of the operating cost is attributable to green power, while the balance pertains to other utilities, such as feed water, repair and maintenance, cyclical cost of cell stack replacement, etc. Any reduction in green H2 cost will require a reduction in green power cost—other costs may not make a significant impact.
Possibility of non-realization of benefit of future low renewable energy cost. For any new green H2 facility, an agreement with a renewable power provider must be established for sourcing the required green power. Most renewable power providers require refineries (user) to agree to a long-term supply of power—some can be as high as 20 yr–25 yr.
Renewable power providers usually ask for a fixed power tariff for the complete duration of the contract due to the upfront CAPEX for installing the power infrastructure to match current requirements.
Going forward, renewable power cost is expected to fall for new installations due to economy of scale, improved technologies, an increasingly efficient supply chain and experience gained by the providers. However, the benefits of these measures and the coinciding lower power tariff will not be available for current green H2 facilities. Because of this, the cost of green H2 for current installations is not expected to decrease during their complete lifecycle.
At present, renewable power is estimated to cost Rs. 4/kW–Rs. 5.5/kW. In the future, this is estimated to drop gradually, depending on the maturity of the sector.
Around-the-clock availability of reliable power. India has four primary types of renewable energy installed: hydro, wind, solar and bio. As of Jan 2022, the total renewable energy installation in India [hydro (34%), wind (33%), solar (26%) and bio (7%)] stands at 152 GW, which is 38.6% of the overall installed power in India.
India’s government is targeting about 450 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. Of this, 280 GW (~60%) is targeted to come from solar and 120 GW (25%) from wind. The 50 GW–70 GW balance is expected to come from hydropower and others. Solar and wind are the two prominent renewable energy being considered in India for installation.
Renewable energy poses certain challenges with its around-the-clock availability. Due to the variabilities of renewable energy, a sustained power supply to industrial users is a challenge. According to one study, the country’s capacity utilization factor (CUF) of solar photovoltaic ranges from 15%–23%, depending on each location’s average radiation and ambient conditions. Most locations have a CUF of 18%. This means that power actually generated from the plant will be only 18% of the installed plant capacity. One of the major limiting factors is the limited availability of solar radiation during the daytime, typically 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Similarly, wind power generation is dependent on wind speeds, which are dependent on climatic patterns. Normally, the monsoon season is considered a peak period for wind power generation in India. Seven states in the southern and western parts of India contribute ~95% of India’s wind energy. This concentration is primarily due to their geographical locations, where a large number of healthy wind days are experienced throughout the year. In 2020, wind energy generation in India was 24% lower in June, July, August and September compared to the same months in 2019. The primary cause for this reduction was lower regional wind speeds.
To overcome the variability of renewable energy sources, energy storage systems such as pumped hydro storage (PSP) systems and battery energy storage (BES) systems are being considered. A PSP system has multiple benefits, such as higher ramping capability, the capacity to smoothen fluctuations in renewable energy generation, support for frequency and voltage deviations in the grid, etc. A BES system presents several challenges, such as a shorter lifespan; higher capital cost; the requirement for expensive material such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, etc. Although PSP systems are being gradually adopted in India, the requirement is huge—India now has only ~3.3 GW of PSP systems under operation.
Due to the variability of renewable energy resources and the non-availability of adequate energy storage systems, around-the-clock power availability remains a challenge for sustained green H2 production at industrial scale.
Additional plot area requirement. Over the years, most Indian refineries have undergone several expansions in terms of crude capacity, fuel quality improvements, etc. Many refineries have further capacity expansion plans to meet the growing need for fuels. Additionally, Indian refineries are also considering diversification of their business into petrochemicals and specialty chemicals for improved margins and sustenance over the long time. These projects have significantly occupied available plot areas within refineries.
The installation of water electrolyzers at mega-scale capacity requires a significantly larger plot area, a challenge for already plot-constrained refineries. Considering 10% green H2 out of a total H2 requirement, Indian refineries must install ~1,100 MW of water electrolyzer plants now; this number will increase to 2,000 MW by 2030 due to the increase in H2 consumption. A 100-MW water electrolyzer plant is estimated to require a plot area of ~20,000 m2, including auxiliary facilities.
As H2 is a colorless, odorless and highly flammable gas, the installation of a water electrolyzer plant too far from a refinery and pipeline transportation may be infeasible for safety and economic reasons. For safe operation, it is essential to locate the plant either within the refinery or in close proximity. This will reduce H2 compression and transportation costs, and the plant can be operated in sync with hydroprocessing units with convenient coordination among crews. The plot plan availability for a green H2 plant within a refinery may pose challenges and/or limit other expansion or value-added project plans.
Constraints in utility sourcing. Water electrolyzers require various utilities, such as feed water, cooling water, instrument air, nitrogen, etc. For example, a 100-MW plant requires an estimated 20 m3/hr–28 m3/hr of feed water—the requirements of other utilities depend on the water electrolyzer technology selected. Water is a scarce utility and many refineries in India are operating with very limited water availability; some facilities have faced potential/partial shutdown due to water scarcity. The additional water requirements for green H2 production put additional stress on already water-constrained refineries. Coastal refineries can consider a seawater desalination plant for availing feed water; however, this is at a higher cost, resulting in higher green H2 cost. Land-locked refineries will experience challenges with water availability to supply water electrolyzers.
Idling of existing grey H2 asset. Indian refineries have already invested in SMR to meet their current H2 requirement. Considering a percentage of green H2 in the overall H2 requirement will leave the existing H2 asset partially underutilized. To compensate for the loss on return on investment (ROI) for the idle capacity of the asset, refiners must find an alternate mechanism to utilize the idle asset. Considering 10% green H2 in the total H2 requirement, 140,000 metric tpy of SMR capacity will be idle at present.
Refiners can utilize an idle asset to:
Higher CAPEX requirement compared to SMR. For future capacity expansion and hydroprocessing unit requirements, refiners essentially must consider green H2. Water electrolyzers are significantly more costly than SMR plants with the same capacity. For 50,000 metric tpy of H2 production, SMR is expected to cost $110 MM, whereas the same capacity of a water electrolyzer is expected to cost $440 MM. Although the cost of water electrolyzers is expected to reduce significantly in the future due to economy of scale, this comparison will need careful observation in future. Increasing commodity prices and the higher demand of water electrolyzer systems due to significant energy transition measures being considered by various organizations are causing some apprehension. The higher capital requirement for a green H2 facility will put financial stress on refiners unless support from the government is availed.
Several water electrolyzer technologies remain under development. Four main types of water electrolyzer technologies are available for green H2 production: alkaline, proton exchange membrane (PEM), solid oxide, and anion exchange membrane (AEM). Of these, alkaline and PEM are industrialized and being installed for commercial use. Solid oxide and AEM are still under development and are yet to be deployed at an industrial level.
While alkaline is the oldest technology for H2 production, it presents several challenges, such as larger plot area, lower current density, lower operating pressure, lower purity, corrosion, susceptibility to power fluctuation, etc. However, this is presently the most widely used technology and has a lower CAPEX requirement compared to other technologies.
PEM is an emerging technology and is being considered at a lower scale (i.e., 2 MW–10 MW). It has several benefits over alkaline technology in terms of plot area, current density, operating pressure, H2 purity, etc. However, it is not yet competitive with alkaline technology if compared over the complete life of the water electrolyzer system.
Solid oxide has a high electric efficiency that equates to higher H2 production for the same amount of electricity consumed by other technologies. However, as solid oxide operates at very high temperature, its component materials are thermally challenged. It also has a complex fabrication process and higher cost.
AEM is viewed as an alternative to PEM technology, with a lower cost due to the use of steel in place of titanium. Solid oxide and AEM are viewed as more advanced technologies than alkaline and PEM; however, further development and adoption of these technologies at an industrial scale remains imminent.
For now, Indian refiners face a limited choice of alkaline and PEM technologies for green H2 production at mega scale to meet their significant requirements. These technologies carry deficiencies or require higher capital cost that must be overcome with better, more economical technologies.
Opportunities. While several challenges exist for green H2 in Indian refineries, there are several opportunities, as well. Green H2 will help decarbonize the refining industry—Indian refineries are already setting targets to reach net-zero much earlier than the country’s target of 2070. Activities in the direction of net-zero help abate the climate risk for shareholders without disrupting returns in the long term, as well as leverage an improved reputation for serving customers that are climate conscious.
Green H2 adoption by Indian refiners provides an opportunity to diversify their businesses towards fuel products that utilize green H2.
Among the potential uses for green H2 are the shipping and transportation industries, as well as the manufacturing industries, such as steel and chemicals, where it can be used as raw material and/or fuel. Realizing the potential for green H2 will provide Indian refiners with a “first mover” advantage. The experience gained will be of immense help in utilizing it for other industries.
Takeaway. Indian refiners are already in the process of net-zero announcements and framing strategies to achieve the same. Green H2 is one of the most important levers for refiners to achieve net-zero. While the adoption of green H2 by Indian refiners presents challenges that must be overcome—the higher cost of green H2, non-realization of benefits of low renewable energy cost in the future, around-the-clock renewable power availability, plot and utility constraints, the idling of existing H2 assets, and higher CAPEX requirements, among others—it also provides opportunities that include decarbonization of the sector, a first-mover advantage, and business diversification.
To kick-start and provide the impetus for the adoption of green H2 by refiners, governments must formulate suitable policy structuring and bridge the financial viability gap for at least the short term. H2T
Author bio
SUDHIR K. KASHYAP is the Chief Manager-Commissioning, at Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (HPCL), Visakhapatnam, India. He has more than 15 yr of experience in refinery project execution involving conceptualization and strategy, technology selection and evaluation, feasibility studies and project execution for refinery projects. Kashyap holds a BS degree in chemical engineering from BIT Sindri and a post-graduate degree in oil and gas management from UPES Dehradun.
N. SHESHACHALA is a General Manager, R&D, at HPCL’s Green R&D Center in Bengaluru, India. He has more than 30 yr of experience in operations, economics and production planning at HPCL’s Visakh Refinery, as well as corporate functions like crude procurement, refinery-wide optimization, R&D, process engineering, modeling and simulation. He earned a BS degree in chemical engineering from Bengaluru University. Sheshachala holds patents in the area of PSA and rotating packed beds for gas treating applications.
S. SRIRAM is Chief General Manager, Process Technology, at HPCL’s Green R&D Center in Bengaluru, India. He has more than 30 yr of experience in the refinery projects, process safety and environment, operations and process analysis and design divisions. Sriram holds a BS degree in chemical engineering from TKM College of Engineering, Kollam, Kerala, India. | https://h2-tech.com/articles/2023/january-2023/decarbonization-efforts/green-h-sub-2-sub-in-indian-refineries-challenges-and-opportunities/ |
On June 7, Belgium-based aircraft parts manufacturer ASCO Industries suffered a cyber attack which brought its production at four locations across Europe and North America to a standstill. The incident has been the most impactful cyber attack on a manufacturing company since the LockerGoga ransomware shut down operations at aluminum maker Norsk Hydro in March 2019, which caused over USD 40 million in financial damages. While it attempts to rebuild its infected IT systems, ASCO Industries has temporary dismissed about 1,000 employees at its headquarters near Brussels as well as at production facilities in Germany, Canada, and the U.S. The company initially estimated that its systems would be restored to baseline functionality by June 13, a deadline that was later extended to June 18.
No shortages reported despite week-long production outage
Unlike Norsk Hydro, ASCO Industries has yet to provide technical details on the attack, including the name and exact type of the cyber intrusion. The company issued its first statement on June 15 acknowledging the attack, but did not provide details on whether it paid a ransom or when it expected to resume full operations.
However, some important details have been disclosed in media reports: first, the removal of systems from internet accessibility indicates that the malicious infection may have been a ransomware attack. Second, no proprietary data appears to have been stolen which reduces the probability of a state-sponsored incident. And third, ASCO sought the help of an outside IT security provider to gradually rebuild its infected IT systems. This process started at the end of last week and is expected to make sufficient progress before employees will gradually resume operations on June 18.
However, it cannot be excluded that the process may take longer, as it took Norsk Hydro about 14 days to fully resume operations in an attack of similar scale and nature. Part of US-based Spirit AeroSystems, ASCO Industries produces precision components such as for the retraction and extension of flaps of aircraft wings to customers that include Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, and Lockheed Martin.
Despite the one-week production outage, no supply shortages or impacts on production lines have so far been reported. However, should production lines continue to be disrupted for a second consecutive week, delivery delays and supply shortages are likely to occur, accelerating the search for potential alternative suppliers for such components and underlining the importance of adopting dual-source strategies for key suppliers.
Expect attacks on manufacturing companies to continue
The attack on ASCO Industries appears to be part of a series of attacks on manufacturing companies this year including on special vehicle maker Aebi Schmidt and chemical maker Hexion. These companies constitute an attractive target for cyber criminals as production outages via infected IT systems cause significant losses to the affected organizations. With such attacks generally yielding higher ransoms than in mass ransomware attacks on individuals, cyber resilience managers can expect further attacks to hit manufacturing companies, particularly those with vulnerable defence systems.
In the absence of visibility on the precise form of ransomware threat, customers engaged with and/or connected to ASCO Industries via IT interfaces should be aware of potential cyber risks to their own systems and perform a thorough due diligence to mitigate any potential intrusion. As an overall practice, those with supply chains exposed to 3rd party IT infrastructure should consult their supply chain managers and IT professionals to formulate the strongest possible defenses in anticipation of ransomware threats. | https://www.resilience360.dhl.com/news/cyber-attack-halts-worldwide-production-of-belgian-aircraft-parts-maker-asco-industries/ |
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A net-zero transition could affect the world’s energy and land-use systems and, by extension, the economic sectors that participate in these systems. Using the Net Zero 2050 scenario developed by the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) as a starting point, we look at what the decarbonization implications would be for each. We seek to measure the potential changes in demand and the necessary spending on physical assets to reach net-zero emissions, as well as the implications for costs and jobs. We also focus on the opportunities in each sector and identify key takeaways for stakeholders (see sidebar, “Our research methodology: Sources, scenarios, limitations, and uncertainties”). We find that, while all sectors of the economy are exposed to a net-zero transition, some are more exposed than others. The sectors with the highest degree of exposure directly emit significant quantities of greenhouse gases (for example, the coal and gas power sector) or sell products that emit greenhouse gases (such as the fossil fuel sector). Approximately 20 percent of global GDP is in these sectors. A further 10 percent of GDP is in sectors with high-emissions supply chains, such as construction. Other sectors accounting for about 70 percent of GDP have less pronounced direct exposure. They are nevertheless dependent on the highly exposed sectors, for example through interconnected economic and financial systems, and therefore could be affected by the transition. Below, we describe the economic shifts for some of the most affected sectors. Together they account for about 85 percent of global GHG emissions through their operations or products, and we present our analysis of the economic changes they would likely experience in the Net Zero 2050 scenario. 1 1. We estimate how much exposure these sectors have to the transition by measuring their direct emissions (scope 1 emissions, which indicate exposure to potential demand shifts, investment needs, and cost changes from having to alter production processes), emissions from products (downstream scope 3, which may affect demand, for example, if consumers shift their preferences, and in turn also affect the capital investments made by the sector and its costs), supply chain emissions (upstream scope 3, which may expose the sector to cost shifts as its core inputs are affected by the transition), and emissions from purchased electricity (scope 2 for electricity use, which could indirectly expose the sector to the effects of changes in the world’s energy mix). Fossil fuels. As noted earlier, combustion of fossil fuels produces 83 percent of global CO2 emissions. The sector is seeking to decarbonize through energy efficiency, electrification, and managing fugitive methane emissions. At the same time, it faces significant demand shifts from potential shifts in the energy mix, with a reduction in demand for fossil fuels and growing demand for other energy sources such as electricity, hydrogen, and biofuels. In the scenario analyzed here, oil and gas production volumes in 2050 would be 55 percent and 70 percent lower, respectively, than today. Coal production for energy use would be nearly eliminated. Under the net-zero transition, demand for jobs within the fossil fuel extraction and production sector could be lower by about nine million direct jobs by 2050. McKinsey research suggests that oil and gas companies are adapting to the low-carbon transition by becoming resource specialists, transforming into diversified energy players, or turning themselves into low-carbon pure plays. Sidebar Our research methodology: Sources, scenarios, limitations, and uncertainties We assess the net-zero transition along two dimensions: sectors and geographies. For the first, we examine energy and land-use systems that account for about 85 percent of global emissions: power, mobility (in particular, road transportation), industry (steel and cement production), buildings, agriculture and food, and forestry and other land use. We also looked at fossil fuels that supply energy to many of these systems. For the geographic dimension, we analyze effects in depth for 69 countries, which make up about 95 percent of global GDP. We chose not to develop our own transition scenarios and rely instead on widely used scenarios created by other institutions. Specifically, we analyze potential effects under the Net Zero 2050 scenario defined by the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS). This hypothetical scenario mirrors global aspirations to cut emissions by about half by 2030 and to net zero by 2050 (exhibit). It reaches net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050 for the economy as a whole; this means there are some low residual gross CO2 emissions in hard-to-abate sectors and some regions that are counterbalanced by CO2 removals. We chose to work with the NGFS scenarios because they cover all major energy and land-use systems in a coherent manner, provide regional granularity, are designed for use in risk and opportunity analysis, and are becoming the standard scenarios used by financial institutions, regulators, and supervisors. Exhibit We strive to provide individuals with disabilities equal access to our website. If you would like information about this content we will be happy to work with you. Please email us at: [email protected] In some cases, as a counterfactual for comparison, we also use the NGFS Current Policies scenario. This scenario projects the greenhouse gas emissions that would occur if only today’s mitigation policies remain in place (based on an NGFS assessment of policies as of the start of 2020), and it anticipates a little over 3°C of warming by 2100. The comparison allows us to account for how other factors such as GDP growth or population growth could affect the economy between now and 2050. We also collaborated with Vivid Economics to use the two NGFS scenarios to generate more granular sector variables where needed (for example, sales of new automobiles), in a manner that was based on and compliant with the NGFS scenarios. In such cases, we still refer to the specific sector variable as being based on the relevant NGFS scenario. We performed the analysis as follows. First, we used the NGFS scenarios and downscaling by Vivid Economics to quantify changes in important variables in each energy and land-use system (for example, changes in power production by source). The downscaling was done to provide sectoral or technological granularity where not available from NGFS. We used this to assess changes in demand and then assessed the implications for capital stock and investment, producer and consumer costs, and employment based on information about decarbonization technologies and their capital and operating costs, labor intensity, and effects on value chains. Where possible, we used region-specific costs and labor assumptions, as well as expected technology learning curves over time, based on McKinsey analysis. Limitations of our approach and uncertainties. We recognize the limitations of the NGFS scenarios, as with any transition scenario, given that this is an emerging field of research. First, while some variables are explored at the sector level, the scenarios often do not provide enough detail to explore how different types of activities will be affected, thus requiring downscaling to achieve the necessary sectoral granularity. Second, the models underpinning the NGFS scenarios may not capture important dynamics or constraints within a sector. For example, the model we used favors more economy-wide use of biomass in energy and industry (for example, hydrogen production) than may be considered feasible in other sector-specific decarbonization pathways. Third, although the models do capture ongoing learning and technological innovation, they may fail to sufficiently anticipate the emergence of disruptive technologies that may change decarbonization pathways and lower cost trajectories faster than anticipated. Fourth, while some NGFS scenarios have begun to incorporate damages from physical risks in the economic modeling, further work is needed to fully integrate physical risks into the decarbonization pathways. As a result, we have focused here on scenarios that do not incorporate physical risk. This approach also allows us to focus our analysis on the effects of the transition alone. Finally, the scenarios reflect climate policies and technological trends in place before the COVID-19 pandemic and climate negotiations and pledges at COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021. Our analysis largely consists of an analysis of first-order effects. Various uncertainties could influence the magnitude of outcomes highlighted here. While some of these factors could result in lower outcomes than those sized in this research, some factors suggest that additional costs and effects will likely occur as the transition unfolds. By the same token, the costs of physical climate risks could likely prove higher than those described here. Key uncertainties include the following: Warming scenario and emissions pathway. A higher warming scenario (for example, 2.0°C) may lead to smaller transition effects than a 1.5°C warming scenario, given the lower degree of emissions reduction and deviation from today’s production and consumption patterns it entails. Sectors’ decarbonization actions and activity levels. Because the focus of our work is assessing the nature and magnitude of economic shifts and not identifying decarbonization actions, we used a prespecified net-zero scenario from NGFS. It is feasible that an alternate technology mix could result in lower costs and different shifts than those described here, and that further technological innovation could result in a different pathway with lower costs. It is also feasible that the path the world undertakes to decarbonize is different from the one described here. For instance, an alternate scenario may consist of substantially more use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies and a focus on decarbonizing the hydrocarbon value chain. For example, this could happen if capture costs fall, regulatory frameworks are put in place to incentivize CCS use, and markets mature for recycled CO2 as a material feedstock. Magnitude of direct and indirect socioeconomic effects. Some effects could be larger than described here, for example, if executing the transition is more complex than the scenario here suggests, and additional capital spending is needed to maintain flexibility and redundancy in energy systems. If supply of key materials or low emissions of sources of energy do not keep up with demand, this could result in shortages and price increases, which we have not considered in our quantification. Higher-order effects could magnify risks and increase costs, particularly in the short term. For example, depending on how the transition is financed, the effects on the overall economy could be substantially higher than sized here. Finally, effects could also be larger under an abrupt or delayed transition. Economic and societal adjustments needed for the transition. Costs and investments could be higher than sized here, for example to implement social support schemes to aid economic and societal adjustments. Similarly, additional costs may arise from delays, setbacks, and urgently needed adaptation measures, particularly if restricting warming to 1.5°C proves not to be possible. For our analysis, we quantify the scale of first-order effects and describe qualitatively the adjustments needed. Aspects we did not cover. Topics we did not cover include the likelihood, validity, and comparative costs associated with various decarbonization scenarios; the comparative merits of different emissions-reduction technologies; constraints to implement and deploy decarbonization technologies (for example, scaling up supply chains); the actions needed to drive and incentivize decarbonization; quantification of higher-order economic effects of the transition, including on output, growth, value pools, valuations, trade flows, and human well-being: relative costs and merits of decarbonization and adaptation; and impacts that could result from physical climate hazards. We use benchmarks from the external literature and our past research to describe these latter possibilities. As discussed above, our analysis here represents first-order estimates. Fully quantifying the costs of rising physical risks and the transition is complex. It would require estimating impacts from rising physical risks and the cost of adaptation actions, building robust estimates of the impact of the net-zero transition on the economy that takes into account the higher-order effects described above, and doing so over time and while grappling with the various uncertainties described previously. Power. To decarbonize, the global power sector would need to phase out fossil fuel–based generation and add capacity for low-emissions power to meet the existing additional demand arising from both economic development and the growing electrification of other sectors. It would require substantial annual capital spending from 2021 to 2050, which we estimate at about $1 trillion in power generation, $820 billion in the power grid, and $120 billion in energy storage, in the NGFS Net Zero 2050 scenario. Opportunities would arise not only for power producers but also for providers of equipment, electricity-storage hardware, and related services. Our analysis suggests that by 2050, under a net-zero transition, approximately six million direct jobs could be added in operations and maintenance for renewable power and approximately four million direct jobs could be lost in fossil fuel–based power. The build-out of power infrastructure and the capital spending associated with the net-zero transition could produce as many as 27 million direct jobs in the early years of the transition, and about 16 million direct jobs associated with construction and manufacturing activity in 2050. Asset stranding could be large. Our analysis suggests that about $2.1 trillion of the sector’s capital stock could be stranded by 2050 in the Net Zero 2050 scenario. Eighty percent of this amount is today’s capacity, while 20 percent is capacity that would be built between 2021 and 2050. Mobility. Our analysis of mobility focuses on the road transportation segment, which accounts for about 75 percent of all mobility emissions. Decarbonization would involve replacing ICE vehicles with battery-electric vehicles or vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells (exhibit). In the Net Zero 2050 scenario, annual spending would be $3.5 trillion on both vehicles and to build charging and fueling infrastructure between 2021 and 2050. About 13 million direct ICE-related jobs would be lost in the Net Zero 2050 scenario, although some of this loss would be offset by gains of about nine million direct jobs related to EV manufacturing by 2050. The difference between losses and gains is driven in large part by the relatively higher productivity of low-emissions vehicle manufacturing. Exhibit We strive to provide individuals with disabilities equal access to our website. If you would like information about this content we will be happy to work with you. Please email us at: [email protected] Industry. We focus on two sectors, steel and cement , that together account for approximately 14 percent of global CO2 emissions and 47 percent of industry’s CO2 emissions. While technology pathways are still emerging, steel and cement production could be decarbonized by installing CCS equipment or switching to processes or fuels—such as hydrogen—that can have zero or low emissions. Production costs in both sectors could increase by more than 30 percent by 2050 compared with today. Buildings. In the net-zero scenario, the buildings sector would decarbonize by improving energy efficiency—for example, through the use of insulation—and by replacing fossil fuel–powered heating and cooking equipment with low-emissions systems. The average annual spending on physical assets between 2020 and 2050 would be $1.7 trillion per year. Decarbonization of buildings could result in a net gain of about half a million direct jobs by 2050 under a climate transition, driven by retrofitting buildings with insulation. The buildings sector’s biggest adjustment during this transition would be managing the up-front capital costs for end consumers to retrofit equipment and aligning incentives among various stakeholders (such as building owners who invest capital and tenants who may see the benefits of reduced operating costs). You’re invited To a McKinsey event on “The net-zero transition: What it would cost, what it could bring” on Tuesday, February 1 Agriculture and food. In the net-zero scenario, agricultural emissions would be reduced as a result of producers deploying GHG-efficient farming practices and some consumers shifting their diets away from ruminant animals that generate significant quantities of methane. The scenario would also entail an increase in production of energy crops to produce biofuels. As a result of these shifts, the net-zero transition would result in about 34 million direct jobs lost (predominantly due to diminished production of ruminant meat) and 61 million gained (related in large part to increased production of energy crops and poultry) by 2050. This net gain of about 27 million direct jobs due to the transition is about 4 percent of the 720 million or so direct agriculture jobs today. These job shifts need to be considered against a long-standing trend in the agricultural sector of workers shifting to nonfarm work in addition to productivity, population, and income growth. Through 2050, more than $60 billion of annual capital spending would be needed to enable more emissions-efficient farming. Such investment need not all be new funds; repurposing existing subsidies, many of which counteract environmental and climate-change mitigation goals, could cover a substantial amount of this cost. Forestry and land use. Land use primarily contributes to an increase in CO2 emissions today from land clearing and deforestation. Reaching net zero in this scenario would involve halting deforestation and accelerating efforts to restore forests and other natural environments to serve as a net sink of emissions. Making these changes would require capital spending of $40 billion per year between 2021 and 2050, about 75 percent of which would be spent in the next decade, primarily on acquiring and protecting land. Reducing deforestation would also require managing adjustments to subsistence-level farming activity (a substantial portion of deforestation is driven by expansion of agricultural land). Opportunities for economic gain might come from voluntary carbon markets and industries based on ecosystem services . New energy sectors (hydrogen and biofuels). The expansion of low-emissions energy technologies will create opportunities. Expanding capacity and infrastructure for other low-carbon fuels would require additional capital spending of about $230 billion per year between 2021 and 2050. We estimate that the hydrogen and biofuel sectors would create approximately two million direct jobs by 2050. About the author(s) Mekala Krishnan is a McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) partner in Boston; Hamid Samandari is a McKinsey senior partner in New York; Jonathan Woetzel is a senior partner and MGI director in Shanghai; Sven Smit is a senior partner in Amsterdam and co-chair of MGI; Daniel Pacthod is a senior partner in New York; Dickon Pinner is a senior partner in San Francisco; Tomas Nauclér is a senior partner in Stockholm; Humayun Tai is a senior partner in New York; Annabel Farr is a consultant in Montreal; Weige Wu is a consultant in New York; and Danielle Imperato is a consultant in Brussels. This article was edited by Peter Gumbel, MGI’s editorial director based in the Paris office, and Josh Rosenfield, an executive editor based in New York. Explore a career with us
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We propose to develop intelligent software that assists a crew in planning activities while living in habitats like BIOPlex, Mars Transhab, and International Space Station. Progress has been made in developing autonomous planning and scheduling technology. The next step in fielding this technology in space applications is addressing how a crew can make effective use of such automated reasoning. Our approach is to integrate existing planning and scheduling reasoners with intelligent user interface software that assists the crew in using these reasoners. This requires developing new intelligent interface software that mediates crew interaction with a planner, a scheduler, and a plan executor (e.g., 3T architecture). This interface software will enable mixed-initiative interaction between the crew and these specialized reasoners. In such interaction the crew is responsible for plan generation and the intelligent interface assists the crew in allocating tasks to the reasoners and in understanding task results. This approach makes the crew more autonomous from operations support, which reduces operation costs and accommodates the communication delays and blackouts common in space exploration. This approach also gives the crew control of activity planning, which reduces the uncertainty of planning in complex, unpredictable space environments and makes costly plan failure less likely.
POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Planning and scheduling tasks are performed in a wide variety of industries, from schools and offices to manufacturing to space exploration. The types of industries that would benefit most from intelligent software assistance in performing these tasks are industries where resources are valuable and need to be coordinated among diverse groups of users. By managing the resources effectively and guaranteeing robust, viable schedules, industries can realize significant cost savings and smoothly run operations. Some of the target industries that can benefit from an intelligent interactive planning and scheduling system include:1. Facilities Management (hospitals, education and training, space operations) 2. Plant Operations (chemical, pharmaceuticals, food processing, manufacturing, assembly) 3. Transportation Systems (airlines, delivery systems, public transportation systems) 4. Strategic Planning (military operations, project planning, space exploration)
NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Debra Schreckenghost
Metrica Inc.
1012 Hercules
Houston , TX 77058
NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR
Metrica Inc. | https://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/SBIR/abstracts/98/sbir/phase1/SBIR-98-1-09.05-6601B.html |
As economies reopen in various parts of the world, metals prices have increased by 72 per cent relative to their pre-pandemic levels – reaching a nine-year high in May 2021. The increase has been broad-based across industrial metals – copper is up 89 per cent in May 2021 (year-over-year), iron ore is up 116 per cent, and nickel is up 41 per cent. The prices of most agricultural and energy commodities are also tracking upward, but at a slower rate. Energy commodities (oil, coal, and natural gas), in particular, sit only a few percentage points above pre-pandemic levels. The four key factors for this rally are:
A manufacturing-based recovery
Manufacturing activity did not slump as much at the start of the pandemic and recovered more quickly than services, especially in China, which is the major user of metals. At the same time, sectors in which energy commodities feature prominently, like the transportation sector, remain depressed. For example, global road fuels consumption is still at 93 percent of pre-pandemic levels, restraining a further rebound of petroleum prices.
Supply-side factors
Many mining operations were temporarily disrupted by COVID-19. What’s more, freight rates for the transportation of bulk materials reached a ten-year high due to congestion in key ports, quarantine restrictions, ongoing problems staffing shipping crews, and a rebound in fuel prices from the deep troughs in Spring 2020. This all added to the cost of metals.
Expectations for faster energy transition and infrastructure spending
Buoyant expectations about the pace of the transition to a greener economy and ambitious infrastructure programs gave metals prices an additional boost. Both would increase the “metal intensity” of the global economy. A fast energy transition, for example, could require a 40-fold increase in the consumption of lithium for electric cars and renewables, while the consumption of graphite, cobalt, and nickel for these purposes may rise around 20 to 25 times, according to the International Energy Agency.
Storability of metals
Metals are easier to store than crude oil or some agricultural goods, which need special facilities. This makes their pricing more forward looking and, thus, are more sensitive to changes in interest rates. A faster energy transition and infrastructure spending is also helping the buoyancy of prices. | https://www.indoasiancommodities.com/2021/06/19/the-metals-price-rally-is-here-to-stay/ |
Interview with Pablo Ferragut, head of the Sustainable Management and Natural Gas Area at ARPEL
The natural gas market in Latin America has a secret that gives it immense potential: outstanding natural reserves and resources and clear opportunities for expansion. This part of the system is essential both for the region’s economic development and energy transition. To achieve both of these objectives, it must overcome serious challenges, such as improving its infrastructure network and managing the impact of COVID-19. Pablo Ferragut, head of the Sustainable Management and Natural Gas Area at ARPEL, explains more in this interview.
- Tell us about ARPEL, about its origins and mission within the oil, gas, and biofuel sector in Latin America.
ARPEL is the Regional Association of Companies in the Oil, Gas, and Biofuel Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was founded in 1965 by eight national oil companies as a vehicle for industry cooperation to drive continual improvement. Today, our association has 25 member companies that operate in most of the region’s countries and are leaders in the sector. We have national companies and private operators and service providers. Likewise, we have an extensive institutional collaboration network that includes both the sector’s national institutions and the main international organizations working in energy, climate, and sustainability.
Lastly, I would like to say that our primary mission gathers more importance every day, as the magnitude and complexity of the challenges facing the energy industry mean that it is imperative for there to be cooperation between the sector’s companies and, of course, with governments, international organizations, and civil society.
- You are on the Gas and Energy Committee, a source of enormous value in the region. What are the most significant potential gas reserves in Latin America?
ARPEL began its Gas and Energy Committee in 2014 to address the growing need of companies to develop this field. Today, natural gas is at the heart of discussions about the energy transition and has demonstrated outstanding growth in recent years.
From the standpoint of reserves, Venezuela is at the top with 222 tcf (trillion cubic feet). This is one of the countries with the largest reserves in the world, on par with Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, only behind the United States, China, Russia, Iran, Qatar, and Turkmenistan. However, it is not the country with the greatest level of development of its gas resources.
Brazil and Argentina follow it with around 13 tcf, and both countries have shown tremendous momentum in developing their reserves in recent years. In Brazil this is due primarily to the excellent development of offshore fields in the pre-salt region, while in Argentina it is the result of its investments in nonconventional reservoirs, particularly in Vaca Muerta.
Another step back are Trinidad and Tobago and Peru with 10 tcf. Both countries have an exciting level of development of their resources and significant potential. They also share a characteristic—the two large-scale LNG terminals existing in the region are there, both of which are important actors in the international LNG market.
Slightly further back is Bolivia with 7.5 tcf. It is, however, one of the primary producers, as it is an important provider of gas for Brazil and Argentina through gas pipelines. It is followed by Colombia with 3.6 tcf and a mature and developed internal market.
Finally, I would like to mention Mexico, which is a large consumer of natural gas and has a reserve level of 6.3 tcf.
- With regard to the gas infrastructure system, in your opinion, what would be the most important components for the Latin American region?
Due to the nature of natural gas and its uses, infrastructure is an extremely important aspect in the natural gas value chain, as it connects reservoirs with consumers.
First, I would like to note the infrastructure associated with LNG. Today there are regasification terminals in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Mexico. Additionally, there are projects under construction or being planned in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. In general, we are talking about large regasification terminals, primarily FSRUs with send-out capacities of 10-15 million m3 and storage for 150,000 m3.
Continuing with LNG and as I said in my last response, there are two liquefaction terminals: Atlantic LNG in Trinidad & Tobago and Perú LNG. The former began operations in 1999 and currently has a liquefaction capacity of 15 million metric tons per year. In addition, this country is one of the world’s main producers of ammonia and methanol, two products with a good outlook in the energy market.
Additionally, Perú LNG began its liquefaction operation in 2010 and, in 2019, exported 8.3 billion m³ of natural gas, approximately 40% of Peru’s production. With regard to new liquefaction terminals, there are projects in Mexico and Argentina.
It is also important to note the international gas pipelines and pipeline networks in each country. Regarding the former, we can say that there is a good level of interconnection in the Cono Sur region, as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay are connected by gas pipelines. Meanwhile, there are many opportunities to optimize their use with greater regional integration.
Mexico imports more than half of its consumption from the United States through gas pipelines. There is also a pipeline that connects Colombia with Venezuela.
With regard to national pipeline networks, there are certain countries with a relatively good level of development, such as Argentina, which is seen in its high percentage of residential use, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Trinidad and Tobago itself.
In Mexico, there is extensive pipeline infrastructure, however it lacks development of distribution networks; Brazil, despite having a good level of development on almost the entire Atlantic coast, is a very large country with significant opportunities to invest in infrastructure.
In Peru, distribution infrastructure is concentrated in the capital. Although there are several expansion efforts to other regions through the program for mass use of natural gas.
Other countries in Central America or the Caribbean, have no gas resources within their territory, and installing thermal generation plants is the primary driver for project development, which will allow regasification investments to be leveraged, thereby replacing oil derivative imports.
To summarize, Latin America has excellent natural gas reserves, in addition to opportunities to expand markets, but there must be a greater level of infrastructure development that can create value from these resources, generating wealth and effectively reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions both within the region and while supplying other markets.
- Could you explain to us some of the strategic projects that are underway or in planning that could have an impact on the region?
From the upstream standpoint, I believe the Vaca Muerta reservoir has already transformed the Cono Sur region’s markets and will continue to do so. Additionally, increased recovery of natural gas from Brazil’s pre-salt region could be a game changer in the region. Also, the discovery of the mega oil reservoir in Guyana, which is now in production, and more recently the discoveries made in Suriname could bring with them natural gas development in those countries in the medium term.
Next are the LNG regasification terminals, particularly Pacific LNG, which is currently out to tender to be installed in the Bay of Buenaventura on Colombia’s Pacific Coast. It is estimated that it would begin operations by mid-decade. There are also the LNG terminals to be installed in Central America and the Caribbean, which would incorporate natural gas in countries where there is currently no infrastructure. They would also be transformative projects in each of those countries.
Regarding Brazil, not just the new LNG terminals, including the one under development in Porto do Açu, the one recently opened in the northeastern state of Sergipe, and others that could be installed in the future, there are two other aspects that could be considerably transformative and have an impact on regional markets.
First, the new Natural Gas Act aims to establish a more open, dynamic, and competitive market that could drive development of projects and lower the price of natural gas, promoting greater industrial development. Second, infrastructure development could achieve greater recovery of gas resources from the pre-salt layer, primarily gas associated with oil that is reinjected today and could increase the country’s natural gas supply.
Lastly, I believe there is significant potential to undertake projects in land and sea transportation, and there are many countries working in this regard.
- From your point of view, which countries in the region have the greatest level of development in natural gas energy? Which have the greatest potential for growth?
There is significant potential for business development throughout the region. Although the opportunities are vastly different in each country as they are affected by different drivers, as I mentioned in previous responses.
- For the natural gas sector, which industries/activities currently represent the greatest demand?
Natural gas is quite a versatile product with a high level of flexibility. It can be used as fuel to generate electricity, in industry, transportation, and for residential uses such as cooking food, heating water, and heating homes. Its liquids in turn can be used as a raw petrochemical material or to produce LPG.
Although the primary uses depend significantly on each country, electricity generation is the most important market. Natural gas currently makes up 28% of the region’s electricity generation system.
This fuel is not only more efficient and cleaner than coal and oil derivatives, but it also provides significant flexibility for electricity markets as plants powered with natural gas can quickly begin operation and send energy, which is a very desirable characteristic in systems that we expect to heavily incorporate variable renewable energies (wind, solar, and others) in the coming years. That makes it an excellent complement for these energy sources and technologies that already provide security, scalability, stability, and reaction time for system operators.
In the large consumer markets, industry is also certainly a significant consumer of natural gas.
In countries like Argentina, residential consumption is a more significant component, and other resource-rich countries, like Bolivia and Peru, are making significant efforts to promote its consumption.
Finally, I would like to make a note about transportation: while not being significantly developed—except for CNG in some countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Brazil—I believe there are significant opportunities for development of that market, thus reducing emissions and improving air quality.
- How has the pandemic affected the sector? Have there been significant variations with regard to production and demand?
The impact depends significantly on the consumer market. However, what we can say is that natural gas has proven itself to be much more resilient than oil derivatives, precisely because its consumption is not as connected to transportation and international trade or aviation, which were without question the markets most affected by the economic shutdowns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Worldwide, it is expected that natural gas consumption for 2020 will decrease by 3% compared to 2019, primarily due to the pandemic and its economic consequences, but there is a good outlook for recovery already in 2021, and the long-term growth pattern is expected to continue.
- What are the primary measures that production and transportation companies have had to take to continue their operations?
These have certainly been challenging times for everyone and maintaining operations at oil and gas companies has forced us to learn at an exceedingly accelerated rate about how to effectively manage risks, care for workers, and continue to supply society.
The measures themselves are no different from what has been done in other sectors. In other words, companies began switching to remote work for the positions where it was possible, reducing shifts and contact, changing the shift system, using personal protective equipment, testing workers, establishing protocols, and, in addition, taking steps to provide people with psychological support and aid.
At ARPEL, we have supported this process by providing virtual exchange events with health and safety professionals at the region’s oil and gas companies, where they presented their challenges, questions, practices, and progress. These exchanges served as a space for cooperation to resolve specific problems.
In total, we held 17 virtual exchange meetings once a week between March and August. Professionals from more than 60 companies and organizations from around 20 countries participated in these meetings.
- Many countries have announced significant investments in a number of sectors in an effort to reactivate their economies. In your opinion, what type of investments would be crucial for the natural gas sector?
In general, investments to promote recovery take shape as infrastructure projects, and, as was mentioned before, the natural gas value chain is especially connected to the implementation of large projects such as gas pipelines, distribution networks, and LNG terminals.
I believe there are opportunities in every country, and not just large projects, but also smaller and scalable projects to drive change, such as in the transportation sector on land, rivers, and sea, which revive the economy and, again, contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Natural gas is seen as an essential component in the energy transition. How far along is the region in this field?
At present, natural gas represents a quarter of the primary energy network and a bit more in the region’s electricity generation system as a whole. Naturally, the situation is quite varied. There are countries like Argentina where 50% of their energy network is natural gas and other countries where they simply do not use this energy, as they do not have the resource and have not developed the infrastructure.
The resource is abundant in this region, and it is also a technology that is very mature and tested to be effective, which makes it an attractive cost-effective option to reduce emissions in the short term and generate development at the same time, while other energy technologies continue to mature. In addition, it is excellently complemented by variable renewable energies (solar, wind, etc.) and other very promising energy sources, such as hydrogen and biomethane.
Regarding the energy transition’s level of progress, there are countries that have achieved significant transformation of the electrical system, supplying themselves with renewable energy for practically 100% of their generation. These countries are Uruguay, Costa Rica, and Paraguay. Meanwhile, there are other countries that are making progress in decarbonization such as Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, and Panama. As a region, Latin America has the greatest proportion of hydroelectricity in its electric grid worldwide, providing it with a greater renewable profile. Additionally, several countries have successfully incorporated unconventional renewable energy sources. However, the energy sector is much more far-reaching than the electricity sector, and there are many challenges in other sectors. Moreover, there are enough natural gas resources in the region to contribute to decarbonization in other parts of the world.
I believe that, with regard to decarbonization, there is a clear tendency throughout the world and also in Latin America. Most importantly, we must find cost-effective solutions that take into account all the available technologies when establishing policies and seeking to decarbonize. In this regard, natural gas can be seen as a good alternative to promote decarbonization of the various uses of energy, particularly electricity generation, industry, and transportation.
ARPEL issued a document in 2020, a white paper on energy transitions that goes in-depth on the role of hydrocarbons in Latin America’s energy transition. The document can be downloaded on the association’s website.
- To conclude, looking towards the future, what trends in applications/uses both in the natural gas industry and the biofuel industry provide the greatest opportunities to promote the sector’s progress?
In this regard, I believe there are especially traditional uses such as electricity generation or industrial processes that continue to present excellent opportunities, as they have a particularly positive cost-effective impact on emission reduction and efficiency. However, I believe that currently cargo transportation has notable opportunities to implement projects in our region.
Technological progress will also help to reduce methane and CO2 emissions throughout the value chain and lifecycle of natural gas by using technologies such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage and the gains in efficiency achieved in every process.
In addition, natural gas offers excellent complementarity options with hydrogen—both blue and green—and biomethane. So, I think we will see a much higher level of integration in these worlds in the medium term.
Pablo Ferragut is an economist and expert on energy, climate, energy transitions, and corporate sustainability with more than 10 years of experience in the energy sector, most of which were spent working in international cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
He currently works as a project manager at ARPEL (Regional Association of Companies in the Oil, Gas, and Biofuel Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean), as head of the Sustainable Management and Natural Gas Area. | https://www.mapfreglobalrisks.com/gerencia-riesgos-seguros/interviews/the-new-natural-gas-act-aims-to-establish-a-more-open-dynamic-and-competitive-market-that-could-drive-development-of-projects-and-lower-the-price-of-natural-gas/?lang=en |
How To Resize Multiple Images in Photoshop (at one time)
Do you resize your images for a blog post one by one? If you do, you’re wasting a lot of valuable time.
Luckily, there’s a great way to resize multiple images in Photoshop, all at one time, that will save you a TON of time!
How To Resize Multiple Images in Photoshop
- Open Photoshop. Then do File > Scripts > Image Processor.
- Upon opening the Image Processor script you’ll be presented with a dialog box (see image below) that will walk you through how to configure each step before running the image processor. It’s relatively straightforward and only involves four steps.
STEP 1: Select the images to process.
In most cases you’ll check ‘Select Folder’ and locate the source folder that contains all of the images you would like resized. However, there will be occasions when you already have images open in Photoshop and instead of choosing a folder you can simply check ‘Use Open Images’.
STEP 2: Select Location To Save Your Resized Images
I like to ‘Save In Same Location’. This places the resized images into a folder within the original folder. Note: you can always create a new destination folder that you name accordingly, for saving the resized images.
STEP 3: Select File Type and Image Dimensions
You have three different file type options to choose from; JPEG, PSD and TIFF. Note: You’re not limited to only one type – so feel free to check all formats that you want. For blog posts, I go with the JPEG file format and a 12 quality.
Now that you’ve selected the file type, it’s time to put a check in the box ‘Resize To Fit’ option. Go ahead and enter the maximum width and height, in pixels, that you would like your images to fit. My blog post image size is 625 x 938 and so that’s what I’ve placed in the W and H. Place the size that’s best for your blog. Note: Each image will retain its original proportions and not be distorted.
STEP 4: Preferences
Photoshop has also included actions within the image processor preferences. So – not only can you resize your images, you can also apply existing or custom created actions to your images. For example, you could add a custom watermark to each of your resized images! I include a check in the box to include the ICC Profile with each image, but this is not necessary.
- Run Script. Now that you’ve configured the Image Processor click RUN and Photoshop will batch resize all of your images.
- You’re Done. Go to the original selected image folder, open it and you will see the new folder that contains all of your images at the new size you selected in step 3!
See how easy it is to resize multiple images in Photoshop at one time!
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning how to resize multiple images in Photoshop – you’re going to save yourself a ton of time. Cheers! | https://yourmarketingbff.com/how-to-resize-multiple-images-in-photoshop-at-one-time-2/ |
Creating and editing Titles
A title in Avid Studio’s Title Editor is built from elements of four types:
The background layer: By default, the background is fully transparent. For overlay titles, this is normally what you want. For special purposes, or for full-screen titles, you can choose a color, a gradient, an image, or video for the background. For additional flexibility, the Background Settings also include an opacity control.
Video and image layers: The resources that make up these layers originate in the Videos, Photos and Movie Projects sections of the Library. The layers support the same operations as text and shape layers except for the application of Looks.
Text and shape layers: These are ‘vector-based’ layers, meaning that they are stored not as bitmapped images like video and photo files, but as a kind of ‘recipe’ for recreating the images from straight and curved line segments to which properties (e.g. color) and special effects (e.g. blur) can be applied. Like video and image layers, these vector-based layers can be dragged, resized, rotated and grouped, and you can apply Motions to them. Unlike the other layers, however, they can also be customized with Looks from the Looks section of the Presets Selector.
Motions: Motions are animation routines that can be applied to any layer in the title composition except the background. Motions are selected and applied from the Motions tab of the Presets Selector. Once a Motion has been applied to a layer, its timing can be adjusted in the Layer List timeline.
Creating text and shape layers
To create a text layer, either click the add text button in the header bar of the Layer List timeline, or simply double-click an empty area of the Edit Window. A new layer containing default text will appear. The text is automatically selected, and will be replaced if you now begin to type.
To create a shape layer, click the add shape button (to the right of add text), then make a selection on the pop-up menu. The available choices include circle, square, ellipse, rectangle, horizontal and vertical ‘pill’ shapes, and triangle. Upon selection, a new layer of the given shape and a default size appears in the center of the Edit Window.
Please refer to the topics listed below for details on editing the background and layers in the Title Editor. | http://avidstudio.helpmax.net/en/the-title-editor/creating-and-editing-titles/ |
I select multiple bitmaps and open properties to check allow smoothing. But When I check the properties again the changes are unsaved. I think this is a bug.
Is there a workaround to allow smoothing?
Canvas or AS3 document? If Canvas, the smoothing setting doesn't do anything.
The smoothing setting in Canvas smooths images if resized and rotated, we use it all the time.
Images are always smoothed in Canvas documents. Whether smoothing is enabled or not does nothing. | https://community.adobe.com/t5/animate/bitmap-properties-doesn-t-save/td-p/10990791 |
I’m a new Anki user and I’m just struggling with image size issues. I’ve made several image-containing cards on my laptop Anki (with image-resize add-on to make the image smaller). But somehow when I review these cards on iPad Anki, the images are automatically resized to fit the entire width of the screen/horizontal axis. This makes some of my images huge and difficult to review. But if I tap the “Edit” button in a card on iPad Anki, the images in there are NOT enlarged, they are the same size as the ones I’ve resized on the laptop.
I’ve seen that some of the pre-made decks were able to make images in Review and Edit the same size. But I have no idea how they were able to do this.
Can someone help me with this??? Greatly appreciate it! | https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/for-anki-on-ipad-how-to-make-images-in-edit-and-review-the-same-size/4178 |
TRasterLayer32, as its name implies, has been designed to display raster images. However, rather than assigning images directly to the Image property, the MasterImage property should be assigned instead. This way, whenever the layer is resized or rotated, the layer's Image can be update automatically using a MasterImage transformation. This accommodates any number of layer scalings and rotations without without degrading the displayed image (and without altering MasterImage).
Note: It's important that MasterImage has any transparent pixels around it cropped to prevent the display image offsetting when starting a layer rotation. | http://www.angusj.com/delphi/image32/Docs/Units/Img32.Layers/Classes/TRasterLayer32/_Body.htm |
Whilst being simple and easy to use, the Schematic GUI also offers a high level of user customisation.
The zoom window, object repository and object hierachy can all be resized, repositioned, hidden or even undocked, so you can set
the GUI to best reflect your way of working.
Whats more, Schematic stores your user settings, so once the GUI is as required, next time. If you don't like the changes to
the GUI, the default settings can be restored using the 'View|Default Layout' option in the view menu.
Here are some example GUI customisations:
Zoom window on right, object repository & object hierachy as sliding windows on the left
Object hierachy floating, zoom window and object repositiory hidden
Toolbars repositioned to bottom and right of application
Bookmark with:
What are these? | http://hypergraphics.co.uk/SCGUICustomisation.html |
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Job description: WHAT TO EXPECT Jaguar is an iconic brand with an illustrious heritage that is now undergoing a dramatic transformation. As part of the Re-Imagine strategy for the JLR business, Jaguar will be repositioned as a modern luxury brand and...
Job description: WHAT TO EXPECT The Opportunity At Jaguar Land Rover we're working hard to create entertaining, convenient and seamlessly connected cars that fit perfectly into our customers' lives all around the world. The Connected Infotainment team is...
Job description: WHAT TO EXPECT We are looking for a Lead Software Tools Engineer to work within the Data Analytics Toolset Team, the team are responsible for supporting the Propulsion Controls department with the development of propulsion calibration,...
Job description: Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities Act as a servant leader to the team and wider organisation, championing the importance of the agile values and principles in all the decisions we make. Use the agile frameworks, i.e. Scrum, to...
Job description: WHAT TO EXPECT An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Software Integration & Test Specialist, someone that has experience developing, integrating, and testing software for embedded high integrity systems, to address the challenge of... | https://jobs.cu-fc.com/jobs/jaguar-land-rover-jobs/em-Jaguar-Land-Rover/?page=4 |
Today’s Question: I am the projectionist at my camera club. We show digital images on a large screen television using my laptop. I recently purchased a new 13-inch laptop with a 4K screen (3840×2160). My question is, when preparing images to show on the TV monitor, do I use the resolution of the laptop, the resolution of the TV, or some other resolution?
Tim’s Quick Answer: When preparing images for a digital display, they should be prepared based on the actual display that will be used to present the image. So, for example, with a high-resolution laptop display but a moderate-resolution TV monitor, if the TV monitor is going to be used for the actual display than the photos should be prepared based on that lower resolution.
More Detail: When presenting an image on a digital display the resolution of the image should match the resolution of the display, in order to optimize detail and sharpness in the image. The exception, of course, would be if the image would be zoomed in on during the presentation, in which case you would want a higher resolution.
When presenting a slideshow, for example, on a digital display, the image should be resized to fit the actual pixel dimensions of the display. You don’t need to worry about the pixel-per-inch (ppi) resolution for the image, as that only applies when printing the image. Instead, you can simply resize to fit the pixel dimensions of the display.
So, let’s assume your laptop has a 4K resolution, but the display you’ll use for the actual slideshow has a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels. You would want to size the images to fit within dimensions of 2560×1440 pixels, not the higher 4K resolution.
In general, it is also best to convert the images to the sRGB color space, to help ensure more accurate colors in the event the software you’re using to display the images doesn’t support color management. | https://asktimgrey.com/2020/12/31/image-resolution-for-digital-display/ |
Description: Coverflow Image Gallery uses the excellent Sly scrolling framework to quickly create a Coverflow-like image gallery that when clicked on displays a larger version of the image. A description can also be shown beneath the enlarged image. Both the small and enlarged images are automatically scaled to fit within the available real estate regardless of their native dimensions. Note that the 3D visuals of Coverflow isn't visible in IE due to its lack of CSS's perserve-3d value support. For those browsers a flat design is shown instead.
controls the width of the gallery. Edit to the desired value, which must be in pixels unfortunately, though you can set breakpoints in your CSS via CSS media queries to make the gallery semi-responsive.
When you modify these values, the images contained automatically scale to fit accordingly.
Here I've set two CSS breakpoints, one at 860px, and the other at 480px. On a desktop where the browser window can be freely resized, this type of responsive approach shows its major shortcoming- when the user's browser is either at 850px or 600px, the gallery remains stiff at 840px wide, making it essentially unresponsive in all but the actual CSS breakpoint itself. However, on mobile devices where the user's screen dimensions are set in stone, such a responsive approach is enough. On all devices with screen dimension 480px wide for example, he/she can expect the gallery to be at 460px, without any potential unexpected changes to this equation. | http://dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex4/coverflowgallery.htm |
Vishnu (or Visnu) is one of three great gods in Hinduism, being one of the Trimuti, the others being Brahma and Shiva. Vishnu antecedents are among the Dravidian people in the pre-Aryan past of India,
Varuna, coverer, is a major Hindu god, concerned with the secure operation of the world’s systems and of water. Lord of the asura deities, he was equated with Ahura-Mazdah. His later duty was
Vac, Sanskrit, vac, “speech,” Hindu (Vedic), is the goddess of the spoken word. In certain texts she is a daughter of Daksa and the consort of Kasyapa. Alternatively she is the daughter of
Uma, in Hindu Puranic texts, is a form of Parvati.and identified as the consort of Chandrashekhara, a form of Shiva that includes the moon among his attributes. The meaning of Uma is uncertain, but possibly
Tvastar, in hindu mythology carpenter, is a Hindu creator god, mentioned in the Vedas, and referred to as the “divine builder” who fashions living creatures on earth. The Hindus equated to
Soma, in hindu mythology and Hinduism, is a Vedic god, plant offering, and beverage. In the Vedic texts the sacred, deified substance Soma is paired with Agni fire, the devouring principle. Both were major
Skanda, a son of Shiva who was begotten without the assistance of a goddess that according to one tradition from the semen produced during the incessant lovemaking between Shiva and Parvati. He was
Shiva (or Siva), in hindu mythology and Hinduism, is one of the major gods and the center of worship of numerous devotional cults. Shiva composes a triad along with Brahman and Vishnu, and
Sarasvati is an identifiable in both Vedic and Puranic literature, being mentioned in the Rg Veda and other Vedic texts and later in the Ramayana and Puranic texts. She possibly originated as a Vedic river goddess (the actual
The origin of the name Rudra is uncertain. Its etymologies are symbolic. Possibly, the meaning is “the red one.” The god is called Rudra in the Puranas because he wept at
Prajapati in Hindu mythology is the primordial lord of creatures, and is mentioned in Vedic, epic and Puranic literature. In Vedic legends he is described in various ways as the creator of the
Parvati may have originated among the Himalayan mountain tribes. As a fertility goddess, she is the youngest of the benign aspects of the goddess Shakti, and also appears as the reincarnation
Laksmi is a major Hindu goddess, perhaps originating as a Mother Goddess, who now represents wealth and prosperity. She also epitomizes the later Hindu (Brahmanical) concept of the active female principle, | https://www.themystica.com/hindu-mythology/ |
In Hinduism, Vamadeva (Sanskrit: वामदेव) is the preserving aspect of the God Shiva, one of six aspects of the universe he embodies, as well as the name of an ancient rishi. On a five-faced Shivalingam, Vamadeva appears on the right hand side. This face/aspect of Śiva is considered the peaceful, graceful and poetic one — the lord of the female aspect of it is associated with water.
The Brahman splits into male (Parashiva) and female (Parasakti) and manifests as the universe. The parashiva has 5 faces:
The name comes from Sanskrit vāma = "left", which is the seat of the Śakti and normally associated with beauty and the female, and deva = "God".
As a God's name it is a karmadharaya and means "beautiful God".
As a man's name it is probably a bahuvrihi and means "he whose God is beautiful".
Brahma created Vamadevas, after he saw, that manasputras (the 10 sages), created by him, are not focused on creation and instead focused on meditation and ascese. Vamadeva (Rudras) created lightning, thunderbolt, clouds, rainbows, varieties of medicines all of which are immortals. They are also known as Rudras as they created immortals. Brahma then request Rudras (Vamadeva) to only create the mortals and not the immortals. Rudra (Vamdeva) saying that they could only create the immortals, stopped the work of creation.
Eleven Rudras(Vamadeva) were created by Brahma, each carry Trishula in their hand. The eleven Vamadeva(Rudras) are Ajaykapada, Ahirbudhanya, Virukapsa, Raivata, Hara, Bahurupa, Triambaka, Savitra, Jayanta, Pinaki and Aparajita.
The name Rudra figuratively means immortal is generally associated with Shiva. Unlike Sadyojata, Vamadeva is considered as the embodiment of power over elements of creation and further expansion of that which is created.
''Represents Citta rūpa and Citta rūpiṇi of Śiva. This is Turīya, attained by getting acquainted with primordial energy of the sun. This face of Śiva has special powers to heal both mentally and physically of any creature. Represents Parāliṅga. Two billion (200,00,000) mantras are trying to describe this face of Śiva. Blood red in color it represents unmatched force that is capable of transforming all elements of the cosmos. Uplifts the element of Tejasa. Direction is North. Predominates the energy of vital life force. It represents indescribable amount of brightness of light. Only those established in yoga can contain it within their physical forms, otherwise the mortal frame sheds itself immediately resulting in union with Vamadeva. The adepts contain the energy of creation of elements within themselves. (Rig Veda Samhita, Chaturtha Mandala, Vamadeva)''
Vamadeva is also the name of a rishi, credited with most of Mandala 4 of the Rigveda. He is mentioned prominently in the Upanishads as well, particularly the Brihadaranyaka and Aitareya. His father was Gautama Maharishi, said to be one of the Saptarishi or seven great sages, and his brother Nodhas also has hymns in the Rigveda.
In multiple places in the early Buddhist texts, such as the Vinaya Pitaka of the Mahavagga (I.245) section the Buddha lists the ancient Vedic rishis "Atthako, Vâmako, Vâmadevo, Vessâmitto, Yamataggi, Angiraso, Bhâradvâjo, Vâsettho, Kassapo, and Bhagu". He consistently rejects the authority of the Vedas and the ancient seers, comparing them to a line of blind men.
Avatsara was a Rishi of the Rig Veda. His name first appears in the Fifth Mandala which is older than the Second Mandala.David Frawley
David Frawley (Sanskrit title: वामदेव शास्त्री, IAST: Vāmadeva Śāstrī), born 1950, is an American Hindu teacher (acharya) and a Hindutva activist.He has written numerous books on topics spanning the Vedas, Hinduism, Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedic astrology. Whilst rejected by the academia as fringe sectarian scholarship, his works have been popular among the common masses. In 2015, he was honored by the Government of India with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in India.Gautama Maharishi
Gautama Maharishi (Sanskrit: महर्षिः गौतम Maharṣiḥ Gautama) was a Rigvedic sage in Hinduism, and also finds mentions in Jainism and Buddhism.Harihar Dham
Harihar Dham temple, commonly known as Harihar Dham located in Giridih, Jharkhand has the distinction of having the biggest Shivalinga in the world.Igor Kufayev
Igor Anvar Kufayev (Russian: И́горь Анва́р Kу́фаев, IPA: [ˈiɡərʲ ɐnˈvar ˈkufəɪf]; born January 5, 1966), is a Russian British artist, yogi and spiritual teacher. Also known as 'Vamadeva' (Sanskrit), which means "preserving aspect of Shiva in his peaceful, graceful and poetic form".List of Shiva shrines in Kanyakumari district
The Sivalayams are 12 Saivite shrines in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. On the day of Sivarathri, the devotees go on a marathon from Thirumalai, the first Sivalayam, to the last, Thirunattalam.
The Sivalayam Temples are
Thirumalai
Thikkurichi
Thiruparappu
Thirunanthikkarai
Ponmanai
Pannippagam
Kallkkulam
Melancode
Thiruvidaicode
Thiruvithamkode
Thiruppanticode
ThirunattalamMandala 4
The fourth Mandala of the Rigveda has 58 hymns, mainly to Agni and Indra. It is one of the "family books" (mandalas 2-7), the oldest core of the Rigveda.
The Rigveda Anukramani attributes all hymns in this book to Vāmadeva Gautama, except for hymns 43 and 44, attributed to Purumīḍha Sauhotra and Ajamīḍha Sauhotra.Pancabrahma Upanishad
The Pancabrahma Upanishad (Sanskrit: पञ्च ब्रह्म उपनिषत्, IAST: Pañca-brahma Upaniṣad) is a medieval era Sanskrit text and is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. The text is classified as one of 13 Shaiva Upanishads, and one of the 32 Upanishads of the Krishna Yajurveda.The Upanishad glorifies Shiva, with Vedanta nondualism terminology. The text is notable for its focus on Sadashiva, Shiva with five faces corresponding to five Brahmans (realities), and for its recommendation of meditation on "So'ham" or "I am he, He am I" to achieve moksha, the union with Brahman.Pāśa
Pāśa (Sanskrit: पाश, romanized: pāśa, lit. "bondage", "fetter") is one of the three main components considered in Shaivism. It is defined as whole of the existence, manifest and unmanifest. According to Shaiva Siddhanta, Pati (the supreme being), Pashu (atmans) and Pasha are eternal, self-consistent, neither distinguishable nor indivisible triad in the nature.Rudras
Rudras are forms and followers of the god Rudra-Shiva and make eleven of the Thirty-three gods in the Hindu pantheon. They are at times identified with the Maruts - sons of Rudra; while at other times, considered distinct from them.While the Vamana Purana describes Rudras as the sons of Kashyapa and Aditi, Maruts are described distinct from the Rudras as 49 sons of Diti, sister of Aditi, and attendants of Indra, rather than Rudra.Sadasiva
Sadashiva (Sanskrit: सदाशिव, Sadāśiva, Tamil: சதாசிவம் ), is the Supreme Being Lord Parashivam in the Mantra marga Siddhanta sect of Shaivism. Sadasiva is the omnipotent, subtle, luminous absolute. The highest manifestation of almighty who is blessing with Anugraha or grace, the fifth of Panchakritya - "Holy five acts" of Shiva. Sadasiva is usually depicted having five faces and ten hands, is also considered as one of the 25 Maheshwara murtams of Lord Shiva. Sivagamas conclude, Shiva Lingam, especially Mukhalingam, is another form of SadasivaShiva Mahimna Stotra
Shiva Mahimna Stotra (Sanskrit: शिवमहिम्न:स्तोत्र, romanized: śiva-mahimnah stotra, lit. 'Hymn about the greatness of Shiva') is a Sanskrit composition (Stotra) in devotion of Shiva that is believed has been authored by a gandharva (heavenly being) named Pushpadanta.Shiva Tandava Stotra
Shiva Tandava Stotra (Sanskrit: शिवताण्डवस्तोत्र, romanized: śiva-tāṇḍava-stotra) is a stotra (Hindu hymn) that describes Shiva's power and beauty. It is traditionally attributed to Ravana, the asura King of Lanka and devotee of Shiva.Siddha Siddhanta
Siddha Siddhanta is one of the six main Shaivite philosophical traditions. It is also known as Gorakshanatha Saivism after its founding Guru Gorakhnath.Subitism
The term subitism points to sudden enlightenment, the idea that insight is attained all at once. The opposite approach, that enlightenment can be achieved only step by step, through an arduous practice, is called gradualism.Thirty-three gods
The Thirty-three deities (Sanskrit: trayastriṃśat) is a pantheon of Vedic deities, some of Vedic origin and some developed later. All the Vedic deities are called tri-piṣṭapa, and there are three kinds of them — the Ādityas, the Vasus and the Rudras — beneath whom are the other demigods, like the Maruts and Sādhyas. Tridasha generally includes a set of 31 deities consisting of 12 Ādityas, 11 Rudras, and 8 Vasus, while the identity of the other two deities that fill out the 33 varies.
The 33 are:
Eight Vasus (deities of material elements) – Dyauṣ "Sky", Pṛthivī "Earth", Vāyu "Wind", Agni "Fire", Nakṣatra "Stars", Antarikṣa "Atmosphere" or "Space", Sūrya "Sun", Chandra "Moon"
Twelve Ādityas (personified deities) – Vishnu, Aryaman, Indra (Śakra), Tvāṣṭṛ, Varuṇa, Bhaga, Savitṛ, Vivasvat, Aṃśa, Mitra, Pūṣan, Dakṣa. This list sometimes varies in particulars.
Eleven Rudras, consisting of:
Five abstractions – Ānanda "bliss", Vijñāna "knowledge", Manas "thought", Prāṇa "breath" or "life", Vāc "speech",
Five names of Śiva – Īśāna "revealing grace", Tatpuruṣa "concealing grace", Aghora "dissolution/rejuvenationBhairava", Vāmadeva "preserving aspect", Sadyojāta "born at once"
Ātmā "self"Other sources include the two Aśvins (or Nāsatyas), twin solar deities.Trimurti
The Trimūrti (; Sanskrit: त्रिमूर्ति trimūrti, "three forms") is the Triple deity of supreme divinity in Hinduism in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified as a triad of deities, typically Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer, though individual denominations may vary from that particular line-up. When all three deities of the Trimurti incarnate into a single avatar, the avatar is known as Dattatreya.Vibhuti
In Hinduism, Vibhuti (Sanskrit: विभूति; vibhūti, Bhasma (ash), Vibhooti) is the sacred ash which is made of burnt dried wood in Āgamic rituals. Hindu devotees apply vibhuti traditionally as three horizontal lines across the forehead and other parts of the body to honor Shiva. Vibhuti smeared across the forehead to the end of both eyebrows is called Tripundra. According to the MahaShiva Purana the particles of ash which cling to the skin when tripundra is applied are to be considered as individual Lingams. The scriptures further state that bhasma purifies the soul, elevates the devotee of Shiva and works done without wearing Bhasma are infructuous. There are various methods for the application of the ashes according to the purana and various mantras to be recited during application.
Another meaning of vibhuti is a 'glorious form', in contrast with Avatar, a reincarnation of Brahman. Bhagavata Theology describes a vibhuti as 'incarnation of power', which is only a temporary occasional manifestation such as when holy men are infused with divine virtues and qualities are infused. Aurobindo mentions a vibhuti as 'the hero of a race's struggle towards divine achievement, the hero in the Carlylean sense of heroism, a power of God in man.'
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|Philosophical traditions|
|Jyotirlingas|
|Pancha Bhoota Stalam|
|Temples|
|Traditional observances|
|Mandalas|
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This page is based on a Wikipedia article written by authors
(here).
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses. | https://howlingpixel.com/i-en/Vamadeva |
# Kshetrapala
Kshetrapala is a guardian deity in Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism. According to Hinduism and Hindu mythology, Kshetrapala, that is, the lord of the farmland, is a deity who was originally a deity of the farmland, particularly in the south India. Over a period of time, Kshetrapala became a generic name applied to deities associated with a piece or parcel of land, or a particular region (kshetra in Sanskrit). His temples are generally constructed on the northeastern corner of temples devoted to Shiva, and he is worshipped prior to each ritual to ensure the efficacy of that particular ritual.
## The image
Kshetrapala's images are awe-inspiring; he is generally depicted naked, and is shown with three eyes and untidy hair. He is displayed with wielding a number of weapons and accompanied by shvans (dogs). He is sometimes identified with Bhairava. Kshetrapala temple is also situated in the village Khadagada, Tehsil Sagwara, district Dungerpur, Rajasthan. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kshetrapala |
Contrary to popular understanding, Hindus recognise one God, Brahman, the eternal origin who is the cause and foundation of all existence.
What is the name of Indian god?
BRAHMA. The first deity of the Hindu trinity, Lord Brahma, is the god of creation. The trinity being, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahma contains the entire cosmos and all its creatures.
What were the names of the Hindu gods?
The Hindu Trimurti consists of Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer. Most Hindus are principally devoted to the god Vishnu, the god Shiva, or the Goddess.
Who is the powerful god in world?
Zeus is arguably the most powerful, most famous and most interesting of all the gods in all the pantheons of the world. It doesn’t matter where you are you have heard at least one thing about Zeus in the many stories he has been in.
What are the 72 names of God?
Contents
- 1.1 YHWH.
- 1.2 El.
- 1.3 Eloah.
- 1.4 Elohim.
- 1.5 Elohei.
- 1.6 El Shaddai.
- 1.7 Tzevaot.
- 1.8 Jah.
Which name is best for Boy Hindu?
Here’s our pick of 50 modern Hindu baby boy names of 2019 you can choose from for your little one.
- Tejas (brilliant)
- Trijal (Lord Shiva)
- Umang (enthusiasm)
- Udarsh (brimming)
- Viraj (resplendent)
- Vaidik (spritual)
- Vedant (ultimate wisdom)
- Yash (glory)
What are the 100 names of God Hindu?
We also have a other male deities too.
- 101. Akshaj: A name that is fast becoming popular in India, Akshaj refers to ‘Lord Vishnu’.
- 102. Anish: This short and simple name means ‘supreme’ and is associated with Lord Vishnu and Krishna.
- 103. Amit: …
- 104. Arha: …
- 105. Amritaya: …
- 106. Ameyatma: …
- 107. Avaneesh: …
- 108. Akhurath:
Is there 33 crore gods in Hinduism?
The term koti in Sanskrit has two meaning, one is ‘type’ and the other is Crore. … So, somewhere in translation, they missed the basic fact that Sanatana Dharma/Hinduism has 33 Supreme Gods and not 33 Crore Gods. According to Vedas there are 33 Gods/Devas.
Who is the Supreme God in Hinduism?
Who is Brahma? Brahma is the first god in the Hindu triumvirate, or trimurti. The triumvirate consists of three gods who are responsible for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the world. The other two gods are Vishnu and Shiva.
Who is the biggest God in the universe?
This stands in contrast to the idea that Shiva is the “God of destruction”. Shiva is the supreme God and performs all actions, of which destruction is only but one. He is the first Brahman. The consort of Adi Parashakti.
Who are the 3 main Hindu gods?
Trimurti, (Sanskrit: “three forms”) in Hinduism, triad of the three gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
What is the oldest religion?
The word Hindu is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, many practitioners refer to their religion as Sanātana Dharma (Sanskrit: सनातन धर्म, lit.
Is Shiva male or female?
Shiva is sometimes represented as half man, half woman. His figure is split half way down the body, one half showing his body and the second half that of Parvati’s. Shiva is also represented by Shiva linga. | https://nptinagpur.com/india/you-asked-what-is-the-name-of-god-in-hindu.html |
Ram Ram is associated with the Hindu God Shri Ram, who is the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Ram is worshipped because of his righteousness, good character and bravery. According to Hindu mythology, the Ramayana was written by the Sage Valmiki who was a thief or dacoit in his earlier life.
What does RAM mean in Hinduism?
Rama was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu who descended on the earth to annihilate demons and establish the path of Dharma. Ram is a very popular mantra chanted since ages by the Hindus with devotion, faith and surrender. Lord Hanuman is the epitome of devotion to Lord Sriram.
What does Lord Rama represent?
Rama, one of the most widely worshipped Hindu deities, the embodiment of chivalry and virtue. Although there are three Ramas mentioned in Indian tradition—Parashurama, Balarama, and Ramachandra—the name is specifically associated with Ramachandra, the seventh incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu.
Why Ram is so important in Hinduism?
The uneasiness came from the fact that Lord Rama is much more than simply being name of a Hindu god. … Lord Rama, in the words of Swami Vivekananda, is “the embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband and above all, the ideal king”. He is a symbol of the victory of right over the evil.
What does Rama symbolize in Ramayana?
Rama is a symbol of sacrifice, a model of brotherhood, an ideal administrator, and a warrior unparalleled. The term Rama Rajya stands for the most exalted concept of a welfare state. Rama was not only divine; he was invested with the highest values of an enriched tradition started by Raghu.
At what age Rama died?
Sri Rama was of age 53 years when he defeated & killed Ravana. Ravana lived more then 12,00,000 years.
Is Sita elder to Rama?
There is information floating around the web that Sita was elder to Lord Rama by six months and many are quoting this to justify marrying an elder woman. … Valmiki clearly declares thus, about the ages of Rama and Sita, through Sita during her conversation with Ravana when he was about to abduct her. This is the Sloka.
Who killed Rama?
Vali (Ramayana)
|Vali|
|Ramayana character|
|Vali, the Monkey King killed by Rama|
|In-universe information|
|Title||Maharaja|
Is Rama God or human?
Rama and Sita are actually incarnations of gods. Rama is an incarnation of Vishnu, God of Protection. Vishnu is one of a trinity of the three most important Hindu gods – Brahma the creator, Vishnu the protector, and Shiva the destroyer. Vishnu has had nine incarnations on earth as different beings.
Why Ram is called God?
He is the seventh avatar and one of his most popular avatars of the god Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being. | https://tripsforindia.com/about-the-india/best-answer-what-does-a-ram-symbolize-in-hinduism.html |
When you want to cook healthy meals for yourself or your family you want to bring out the natural flavours of the food you are preparing. There are several methods of cooking your favourite foods without overwhelming the flavour by covering it in flour, salt and frying in cooking oil (fat). Next time you are preparing dinner, try one of the following alternatives to cook your foods:
- Bake instead of fry: Try to opt for cooking your food in the oven, this ensures that any of the natural fats in the meat you are preparing will be used as a way to baste the food, and no additional fats are added.
- Blanch: This is an ideal way to cook vegetables that you want to be a little raw or crispy; first you boil for around 30 seconds, then take off the heat and put in ice cold water to halt the cooking process.
- Braise: Braising food is can be done with the dry heat of an oven or on the stovetop, as well as with a wet heat that is from a liquid source.
- Broiling food which is done right beneath the heat source at a very high temperature setting.
- Grilling: the opposite of broiling; done above the heat source.
- Poaching: Immerse the food in some simmering liquid such as water, broth or wine.
- Roasting: this is when you cook the food in the oven in an uncovered pan.
- Sauté: Food is cooked over direct heat source with a small amount of broth, juice, wine, canola or olive oil, water or cooking spray.
- Steam: You can steam your food by boiling water and covering the pot with a lid with the heat off—this allows the food to maintain the original shape, texture and flavour that it had before cooking, retains a lot of the nutrients when cooking this way.
- Stir-fry: Even though the word “fry” is in this method of cooking, it isn’t the same sort of frying than is done with fats. Stir fry is done using a wok or large frying pan to cook the food rapidly using a high heat and not that much liquid or oil. You must stir quickly to prevent the food from sticking to the pan or burning.
With all these alternative methods for cooking food, there is not really a need to fry anything with the fatty oils and flours mentioned above. Once you try any of these cooking methods you will wonder why you never learned about them sooner, because the food you create will have a much better flavour and none of the nutritional value of the food will be lost through the process of frying.
If you still want to fry your food, there are some healthy alternatives you can use as a substitution for vegetable oils:
- Coconut oil is a good substitute for vegetable oils; even though coconut oil is filled with saturated fats the content that is in the coconut oil may actually have a positive effect to your health.
- Olive oil is another good substitute for vegetable oil: olive oil has a high amount of monounsaturated fats which is proven to be heart healthy.
Now you know how to cook without frying and how to substitute frying with fatty vegetable oils. You are on the right track to eating and cooking in a much healthier manner. | https://www.wavemagazine.net/healthy-meal-preparation/ |
Fat is an essential nutrient that your body needs to be healthy. There are three different types: saturated fat, unsaturated fat, and trans fat. Some fats are healthier than others.
Unsaturated fat is healthy fat. It is found in foods like:
- Olives and olive oil
- Avocados
- Nuts and seeds
- Nut and seed butters
- Fish (salmon, tuna, anchovies)
Saturated fat should be limited. Eating too much is not good for your health. It is found in foods like:
- Beef and pork
- Poultry skin
- Butter
- Hot dogs, bologna, and bacon
Trans fat is bad for your health. It is recommended to avoid trans fat. It is found in foods like:
- Solid margarine
- Shortening
- Powdered coffee creamer
- Fast food and convenience foods
- Pre-made baked goods (cakes, cookies, and donuts)
Eating too much fat can lead to weight gain, heart disease, and obesity. Read the Nutrition Facts Label to help you choose foods low in saturated and trans fats.
Here are some ways to reduce your intake of unhealthy fats:
- Choose low-fat and fat-free dairy products.
- Choose lean meat, poultry (without the skin) and fish.
- Use low fat cooking methods like baking, broiling, grilling, and stir-frying.
- Use cooking spray and oils (such as olive or canola) when cooking instead of butter, margarine, lard, and shortening.
The current WIC food package provides whole fat options for children 1-2 years old and low-fat or fat-free options for women and children two years of age and older. For more information on the WIC food package go to WIC Food Packages. | https://health.ny.gov/prevention/nutrition/wic/healthy_lifestyles/fats.htm |
According to World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death globally. In 2004, an estimated 17.1 million people died from CVDs, representing 29% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, an estimated 7.2 million were due to coronary heart disease and 5.7 million were due to stroke.
By 2030, almost 23.6 million people will die from CVDs, mainly from heart disease and stroke. These are projected to remain the single leading cause of death. The largest increase in number of deaths will occur in the South-East Asia Region. According to the Department of Statistic Malaysia, the number one cause of death in year 2006 is ischemic heart disease (12% of total causes of death).
The major causes of CVDs are:
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tobacco use
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physical inactivity
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an unhealthy diet; such as:
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excessive intake of food high in fat
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cholesterol and salt
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lack of fibre intake in a daily diet
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Fat in Food Supply
There are few types of fat in our food supply, which are:
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Saturated Fat
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Mostly raise ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) and ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) in blood.
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Usually present in coconut oil / milk, palm oil, animal fat (e.g. fat of meat or poultry), full cream milk or dairy products, ghee and butter.
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Excessive intake of saturated fat will increase blood cholesterol.
Animal fat Coconut milk Ghee Palm oil
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Unsaturated Fat
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Monounsaturated fat
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Help to decrease ‘bad’ cholesterol in blood when substituted for saturated fat in our daily diet.
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Present in high amounts in olive oil, canola oil, peanuts, pistachios, almonds and avocados.
-
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Polyunsaturated fat
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The major dietary polyunsaturated fats are omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.
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Help to decrease ‘bad’ cholesterol in blood and cardiovascular risk.
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Omega 6 fatty acids present in high amount in soybean, corn, safflower and sunflower oils.
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Omega 3 fatty acids present in flaxseed, canola and soybean oils, walnuts, fatty fish such as mackerel, herring, salmon, tuna and trout.
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-
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Trans Fat
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Raise ‘bad’ cholesterol and decrease ‘good’ cholesterol in blood.
-
High intake of trans fat have been associated with an increase of LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular risk.
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Present naturally in meat and milk and also, formed through an industrial process (hydrogenation) to produce more solid and longer lasting vegetable oils.
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Can be found in hard margarine, processed food, high-fat pastry (e.g. donuts and cookies), french-fries, potato chips and deep frying fast food.
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Intake of trans fat should be as minimum as possible.
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|Hard margerine||French-fries|
|Donuts||Pastries|
Dietary Cholesterol
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Dietary cholesterol is only found in animal products.
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Cholesterol rich foods include egg yolk, internal organ, seafood and etc.
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Limit egg yolk intake to no more than 2 egg yolks per week, inclusive of hidden form such as pastries and cake. If low cholesterol eggs are used, not more than 3 egg yolks per week.
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Internal organ intake should be minimized.
|Egg yolk|
|Internal organs|
|Seafoods|
Tips for Groceries Shopping
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Choose food labeled with ‘low fat’, ‘low salt’, ‘reduced fat’, ‘fat free’, ‘trans-fat free’ and etc. For examples: low fat milk, skim milk, low fat yogurt, ‘fat free’ yogurt, reduced fat cheese, light mayonnaise and etc.
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Low fat milk or skim milk is recommended for adults who wish to include milk as part of their diet it is advisable to drink milk as it is a rich source of calcium for bone health.
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Choose soft margarine instead of hard margarine.
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Choose lean meat instead of meat with visible fat.
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Fresh food is preferable. Avoid intake of processed and preserved foods, canned foods and fast foods which are high in salt content. Choose salt reduced products.
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Choose wholegrain products which are higher in fiber content such as high fiber cereal and oatmeal. Take at least 1 serving of wholegrain products in a day.
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Vegetable and fruit also high in fibre, which can be taken as snack to increase daily fiber intake. Recommendation intake should be at least 3 serving of vegetables and 2 serving of fruits.
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Read the nutrition information label of the product (as example);
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Component
|Claim||Condition|
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Solid food
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Liquid
|Fat||
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Low
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3g / 100g
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1.5g / 100ml
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Free
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0.15g / 100g
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0.15g / 100ml
|Saturated fat||
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Low
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1.5g / 100g
and 10% of energy
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0.75g / 100ml
and 10% of energy
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Free
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0.1g / 100g
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0.1g / 100ml
|Cholesterol||
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Low
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0.02 / 100g
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0.01 / 100ml
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Free
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0.005g / 100g
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0.005g / 100ml
|Trans fatty acids||
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Low
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1.5g / 100g
and 10% of energy
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0.75g / 100ml
and 10% of energy
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Free
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0.1g / 100g
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0.1g / 100ml
|Salt||
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Low
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0.12g / 100g
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–
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Very low
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0.04g / 100g
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Free
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0.005g / 100g
Tips for Cooking
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Food ingredient preparation
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Trim off all the visible fat and skin of meat or poultry. Avoid wings, feet and other fatty parts.
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Remove the head/brain and internal organs of seafood (e.g. prawns, squids, anchovies and etc) which are high in cholesterol.
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Use low fat milk instead of using coconut milk which is high in saturated fat in cooking. If taken, it should be limited to 2 tablespoon twice a week in any dish.
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Reduced usage of ghee in cooking. Use cooking oil as a substitution.
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Generally, for a daily calorie intake of 1800 – 2000kcal, total usage of cooking oil should be controlled to 9 – 10 teaspoons.
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Use oil of unsaturated fat source for stir-frying or cooking method with minimal heat.
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Deep frying cooking method should be minimized to avoid excess oil intake in a day.
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Use egg white or egg substitutes instead of egg yolk in bakery.
-
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Healthy cooking tips
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Cook food with healthy cooking method such as grilling, baking, roasting, steaming or stir-frying to reduce total fat (oil) intake in our diet.
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Be aware of hidden source of oil in food. Reduced intake of deep fried food (e.g. fried chicken) or fried food coating with flour (e.g. banana flitter).
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Use non-stick pan in cooking to reduce usage of oil as minimal as possible.
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Place a rack inside the roasting pan in oven when roasting meat or chicken, so that the fat in meat or chicken drip away during cooking.
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Use spices or fresh herb to add colour, taste and aroma of food without adding salt or fat.
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Use plain yogurt instead of mayonnaise as salad dressing.
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Chilled the oily soup based food (e.g. meat based soup) and remove the fat layer before reheating and serving.
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Add more vegetable in cooking to increase our daily fiber intake.
Non-stick pan Remove the skin and fat of poultry Natural herbs and spices
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Other Tips of Eating Well for Cardiovascular Disease
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Add low fat milk or skim milk instead of non dairy creamer in drink.
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Alcohol intake should be limited to 2 units (standard serving) for men and 1 unit for women. Person who does not drink should not be encouraged to initiate alcohol consumption.
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For person with cardiovascular disease, it is recommended to take 2 or more fish servings per week (120g / serving) and 2 fish servings for those without cardiovascular disease.
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Reference:
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American Dietetic Association. 2007. Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitian of Canada: Dietary Fatty Acids. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 107, 1599-1611.
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Department of Statistic Malaysia. (2009). Statistic on causes of death , Malaysia 2006. Retrieved from http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/download_Population/files/BPD/perangkaan_sebab_kematian2006.pdf
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Medical nutrition therapy guidelines (MNT) for hyperlipidemia working group. (2005). Medical nutrition therapy guidelines for hyperlipidemia. Kuala Lumpur : Malaysia Dietitians’ Association. | http://www.myhealth.gov.my/en/cooking-tips-for-cardiovascular-disease-cvd-patient/ |
Bacon cooks best slowly over low heat, so turn your burner on low. Soon the bacon will begin to release some of its fat. When it starts to buckle and curl, use the tongs to loosen the strips and turn each slice to cook on the other side. Keep flipping and turning the bacon so that it browns evenly.
What is the proper way to cook bacon?
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, and lay out as many bacon strips as will fit snuggly without overlapping. 2. Place in a cold oven. Then heat the oven to 400 degrees F and bake to desired crispness, 25 to 35 minutes.
How do you know when bacon is fully cooked?
A good rule of thumb, for crispy bacon atleast, is when the fat and bacon itself starts to get a sort of white foamyness going on. Take it out of the pan then and once it’s cool, it’ll be good and crispy. If you want something less crispy, just medium low cook it until it’s golden brown.
How do you cook bacon so it’s soft?
How to Cook Bacon So It’s Soft and Chewy
- Take the bacon out of the refrigerator and separate the slices on a plate. …
- Heat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. …
- Place a wire rack in a baking dish or roasting pan. …
- Roast thin bacon slices for 10 minutes and turn them over with tongs. …
- Examine the fat on the bacon and the color of the meat.
What is the healthiest way to cook bacon?
The healthiest way to cook bacon is to cook it until crispy (but not burned), which allows the most fat to melt off. Then, drain it on a paper towel or brown paper bag to remove even more fat before eating. The more fat that is absorbed by the paper towels or paper, the less fat you will consume.
What is the fastest way to cook bacon?
Instructions
- Line your microwave-safe plate with a few layers of paper towel, about 3-4 will work. …
- Place the bacon in a single layer on the paper towels, then cover with 1 or 2 paper towels.
- Microwave on high for 5 to 7 minutes, depending on how many pieces of bacon and how crispy you like it.
25 сент. 2018 г.
Will undercooked bacon make you sick?
Eating uncooked bacon can expose you to bacteria as well as parasites and can cause either bacterial infections or trichinellosis, also called trichinosis, a parasitic infection. … Since it’s hard to check the temperature of a thin meat such as bacon, cooking it crisp ensures that it’s been heated enough.
What happens if you eat slightly undercooked bacon?
And you can get very sick from eating raw or undercooked pork. The most notorious illness is a parasitic infection called trichinellosis, which, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can cause, “nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, fever, and abdominal discomfort,” that can last for months.
Is chewy bacon undercooked?
It is somewhere in between overly crispy and chewy. This would mean that the bacon is still soft enough to where it doesn’t crumble. Overly cooked bacon will become very brittle and in the most extreme case will turn black. When the bacon has become burnt.
Is bacon better baked or fried?
Oven baked bacon is easier to make, healthier, and produces better results than fried bacon (unless we’re talking about Air Fryer Bacon, of course). … Baked bacon is hands-free to make, quick to clean up, and won’t splatter you with hot grease while you stand at the stove to babysit it.
Why is my bacon not crispy?
1.)
The secret to the meat and fat cooking evenly is for them to start out around the same temperature. Let your bacon sit at room temperature for fifteen minutes or so before you cook it. It will help the fat render more quickly, so it will be crispy and not burnt.
Is air fried bacon healthier?
Is cooking bacon in the air fryer healthier? No, there is nothing different about cooking bacon in the air fryer than in the oven or in a skillet (if you drain your bacon on paper towels). The air fryer is essentially a mini convection oven.
What type of bacon is healthiest?
The Bottom Line on Bacon and Health
If you want a lower fat and saturated fat pork bacon, choose from the center cut bacons, namely Oscar Mayer Center Cut Smokehouse Thick Sliced. If you want turkey bacon, try a few types until you find a brand you really like.
Is grilling bacon healthier than frying?
A healthier cooking alternative to frying is grilling. Grilled meats have a reduced fat content. This is because the fat drips off as the food cooks. … Grilled foods also have lower calorie content than fried foods. | https://solefoodkitchen.com/other/your-question-should-bacon-be-cooked-on-high.html |
Which to Choose? Although most people prefer fried chicken due to its taste, it’s actually the worse option in regards to your health. If you want the healthier option that can also be quite tasty in its own right, boiled chicken is what you need.
Is boiling chicken healthier than frying?
Boiled chicken has less than one-third of the calories of fried chicken. A typical piece of boiled chicken has 81.6 percent protein and 18.4 percent fat. … Because of the high fat content, fried chicken is not the best choice for those trying to build muscle.
Should I boil or fry chicken?
It’s simply not necessary to boil chicken before frying it. You may actually compromise the bird. … Use a cooking thermometer to monitor the frying temperature and keep it consistent. When the chicken is a deep golden brown, it’s likely done.
Does boiling chicken make it healthier?
Boiled birds retain more of their iron, folate and vitamin E than roasted chickens. The nutrients lost through simmering aren’t necessarily gone forever, either. Most are simply transferred to your cooking liquid, and you’ll still benefit from them — especially those B vitamins — if you eat the broth.
Which is the healthiest way to cook chicken?
The healthiest way to cook chicken is to bake it in the oven or stir fry it with vegetables. Put the parts in a baking pan, rub some olive oil on them, and surround them with plenty of garlic, lemon, carrots, or whatever you like. Bake at 350° until brown.
Is boiled chicken good for losing weight?
The reason chicken is always included in a healthy diet is because it is basically a lean meat, which means it doesn’t have much fat. So, eating chicken regularly can actually help you lose weight in a healthy way. Apart from protein, chicken is also chock full of calcium and phosphorous.
Does boiled chicken have less protein?
George Roberts, Homewood. A–Steve Pretanik, director of science and technology for the National Broiler Council in Washington, D.C., says ”No. The amount of protein in chicken tissue remains basically the same whether the chicken is fried, roasted or boiled.
Is KFC chicken boiled first?
According to an article, no, KFC does not boil their chicken first. Instead, it goes through a different process. Let’s take a look. Before coating the chicken, they dip the chicken into cold water.
Can I fry chicken after boiling it?
Though boiled chicken is safe to eat as long as it’s cooked thoroughly, frying the chicken before you serve it will add flavor and a crunchy texture. Because the chicken is already cooked, it’s a fast process to fry it, making it easy to get a quick meal on the table.
Is it good to boil chicken before cooking?
Yes, boiling your chicken before you grill it will ensure that the chicken gets fully cooked all the way through and your chicken will stay moist and lock in the chicken juices so it retains its flavor when grilling.
Is boiling chicken breast the healthiest?
Chicken breast, particularly skinless chicken breast, is a healthy, low-calorie food that is rich in protein and low in saturated fat. … Boiled chicken breast can be served on its own or used in warm or cold salads, rice dishes like risotto or pasta recipes, as well as a number of other food items.
Is boiled chicken heart healthy?
Nutrients in chicken hearts
Chicken hearts are highly nutritious and provide a good amount of protein, zinc, copper, iron, and B vitamins in each serving. A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of cooked chicken heart contains the following nutrients ( 1 ): Calories: 185. Protein: 26 grams.
Is it bad to eat boiled chicken?
Boiled chicken is an economical and healthy way of preparing low-calorie nutrient-rich food. Boiling chicken without skin can further decrease the amount of fat present in the chicken, resulting in a nicely cooked tender meat with no added fat or calories.
Is fried chicken healthy?
Although chicken can certainly fit into a healthy diet, some types are loaded with extra calories, fat, or sodium. Here are a few types of chicken that you should limit or avoid: Fried chicken. Because it’s typically deep-fried and breaded, fried chicken is usually high in calories, carbs, and unhealthy fats ( 11 ).
Is frying chicken in olive oil healthy?
Is Frying Chicken in Olive Oil Healthy? The scientists said that Olive oil actually has a relatively high smoke point and is a safe, reliable option for frying. On top of that, it is one of the healthiest cooking staples around.
What is the healthiest way to eat chicken breast?
Why Chicken’s a Healthy Choice
Baking, sauteing and grilling are among the three healthiest ways to cook chicken breasts, and they will reach a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees faster the thinner they are cut. | https://thesororitysecrets.com/fry/question-is-it-healthier-to-boil-or-fry-chicken.html |
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. PFD A 1/1000 volume of trade today and historical data of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. PFD A 1/1000 capitalization since start date of trade of GS-PA stocks.
Today's market capitalization for The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. PFD A 1/1000 is 76 365 914 112 US dollar.
Today's The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. PFD A 1/1000 volume of trade is 23 267 US dollar.
Volume of trade of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. PFD A 1/1000 - total sum in US dollars for all deals with GS-PA stocks bought and sold during selected date.
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. PFD A 1/1000 capitalization is 76 365 914 112 $ now. Market capitalization of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. PFD A 1/1000 changed by +0.18% since yesterday. Today's volume of trade of GS-PA stocks was 23 267 $. GS-PA volume of trade amount changed to -6.483% since yesterday. | https://www.allstockstoday.com/GS-PA-market-cap.html |
The iconic Bathurst 1000 returns for 2022.
Here's everything you need to know before the action unfolds at Mount Panorama.
When is the Bathurst 1000?
The 2022 edition of the Bathurst 1000 will be held between Thursday, October 6 and Sunday, October 9.
The race returns to its traditional early-October slot following last year's spectacle that took place in December due to COVID-19.
An endurance race, the Bathurst 1000 typically begins around noon, concluding at approximately 6:00pm.
A detailed schedule of all four days will be made available closer to the event.
Bathurst 1000 tickets
General admission and reserved grandstand tickets have not gone on sale yet, but corporate hospitality options are currently available.
Fans can join the waitlist for tickets via Ticketek here.
How to watch the Bathurst 1000
Channel Seven will broadcast the Bathurst 1000 on free-to-air television, with a stream also available via 7Plus.
Fox Sports will also show the race, which means you can stream it live through Kayo Sports.
Specific broadcast details and timings will be announced closer to the race.
Mount Panorama track details
The Mount Panorama Circuit is an historic racing track located in Bathurst, New South Wales.
It is just over 6.2km in length and features two straights - 1.9km and 1.1km in length, respectively.
When there isn't a racing event on, the track is used as a public road.
2022 driver pairings
Driver pairings for the 2022 race will be announced closer to the race.
A full list of the competitors in this year's Supercars Championship can be viewed here.
Past winners of the Bathurst 1000
Last year's race was won by Chaz Mostert and Lee Holdsworth.
Here's a list of Bathurst 1000 winners from the past 20 years. | https://www.sportingnews.com/au/motorsport/news/bathurst-1000-supercars-2022-when-it-how-watch-australia-tickets-driver-list-past-winners/ovxyjxyqnrnhnb6uy8kxzvyu |
Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes has vowed to do all of their fans proud at Ibrox next week despite being limited to less than 1000 supporters.
The Dons were only handed 972 tickets for the 50,000-capacity stadium for Wednesday's game, and sold out in a few hours.
It is understood Aberdeen asked for an increase in their usual allocation in line with competition rules, which entitle the away club to up to a 20 per cent share. Kilmarnock recently had a bigger share than normal for their Ibrox replay.
However, Rangers , who failed with a similar request for the original tie at Pittodrie, stated that was not possible following discussions with Police Scotland over safety issues - as exclusively revealed by Record Sport .
McInnes said: "I think the reasons given, we have got to respect that.
"For us on the playing side of it, it would have been nice to see more supporters there. But it is what it is, we have just got to deal with it.
"Whether there's no fans there or 20,000 fans there from Aberdeen, for me the important part is we all know who we are playing for anyway.
"Anyone who can be at the game will be eagerly anticipating the result. We all have that responsibility, we know who we represent and hopefully we can get the club into another semi-final." | https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derek-mcinnes-makes-promise-aberdeen-14102200 |
Gary Smith EDA Consulting in Electronic Design
Gary Smith EDA (GSEDA) is the leading provider of market intelligence and advisory services for the global Electronic Design Automation (EDA), Electronic System Level (ESL) design, and related technology markets.
Archives for Research Viewpoints
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2Q08 Stable AMS Financials:Analog/mixed signal (MS) semiconductor suppliers remain cautious about 3Q2008 revenues due to a volatile economy and its possible impact on electronics business. Firm orders in Q2 2008, and an order backlog in early Q3 2008, prompted many analog/MS suppliers to indicate growth…Includes analysis of Earnings and R&D spending…
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Cost: $500
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AMS Technology & Design Report:GSEDA addresses recent AMS turning points in three market segments as follows: • Semiconductor AMS market and technology direction • EDA AMS competition expansion and investment opportunities • GSEDA's 2008 EDA AMS User survey results See table of contents for more details...
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Cost: $2000
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FUD, Reality and Vision Presentation:Gary Smith’s annual Sunday night review of the state of the industry including major FUD themes, a reality check of where we are today and a vision of where the design world is going. In addition, the presentation includes discussion of threads, top 10 issues for 2008 and GSEDA’s 2nd quarter EDA market forecast.
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Cost: $500
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EDA Fundamentals for Financial CommunityOne of the outcomes of the chaos caused by the attempted acquisition of Mentor by Cadence has been an increasing interest in EDA by the Financial Community. The 44 slide PowerPoint presentation covers from the beginning of EDA to today. It presents the business drivers, the business practices and the competitive workings of EDA. It then examines the present competitive positioning of the present industry leaders.
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Cost: $1000
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HDL Seat CountThroughout the years our most popular non-published research has been HDL Seat Count report. This year we have added new survey results that increase the scope of the document to include regional splits as well as the total HDL seats, HDL ASIC+ seats, HDL FPGA seats with breakdowns of Verilog and VDHL seats...
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Cost: $1000
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Pain and Parallel Programming: Who, What, Why and How to Approach Parallel ProgrammingThis paper discusses the history and the drivers that are moving us to parallel programming followed by a discussion of the three possible approaches to parallel programming (Threading, API and Concurrent languages)...
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Cost: $1000
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ESL – The Software Storyby Daya Nadamuni In the software domain the free lunch is disappearing. The free lunch refers to the bloat that software programs were undergoing as hardware became faster and faster. Performance gains in software came more from technology advances in hardware than in software. However now that the multicore era is here to stay, a balancing act needs to happen between the software and hardware domains to achieve optimal system design...
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Cost: $1000
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DV Con Panel: Where Does
Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:30-10:00Design End & Vrfcn Begin? | https://garysmitheda.com/archive.php?id=rsrchVP&year=2008 |
The annual worldwide developers conference will take place this year from June 10 to June 14th. Apple will hold the event at its usual venue, the Moscone Center.
/READ MORE// WWDC2013: Join Our LiveBlog
The conference will focus on iOS and OSX and this year tickets will go on sale early. Last year developers in both the West Coast and Europe became frustrated after tickets sold out in 2 hours at 5:30 Pacific time.
More than 1000 Apple engineers will be on hand and over 100 session will be put on for developers.
Apple hasn’t had a major product announcement in over half a year, since the iPad mini came along last October. Apple CEO Tim Cook has suggested Apple would not release any products until the fall of 2013, which could mean a major software focus could be seen. | https://thisisions.com/apple-announces-wwdc-2013/ |
Over the last few years, we have reported on several studies which have suggested an increased risk of certain types of cardiovascular malformations among children exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy. The first reports suggested a link between cardiac septal defects and exposure to paroxetine; subsequent studies have also shown elevated risks with the other SSRIIs.
These findings, however, have not been consistent which has raised many questions regarding the actual risk. Some have speculated that these findings might reflect differences in methodologies used in the various studies or simply statistical variations. Some have suggested that other factors – not just exposure to antidepressant – may be at work here, such as exposure to tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs.
In a recent study, using meticulously gathered data from the Danish Medical Birth Registry, researchers measured the prevalence of major malformations in women taking SSRIs during pregnancy. SSRI exposures were identified as prescriptions redeemed during the study period as recorded by the Register of Medicinal Product Statistics. Using the date of prescription, strength and number of tablets prescribed, the researchers were able to estimate the exposure periods and dosages of the individual SSRIs. Congenital malformations were identified through the Danish National Hospital Register within1 year of birth.
One of the things that makes this study different from previous studies is that it attempted to take into consideration the impact of psychiatric illness on the outcomes. Rather than comparing outcomes in a SSRI-exposed group of women with depressive illness to outcomes in a group of unexposed women with unclear psychiatric illness history, they compared the exposed cohort with a control cohort comprised women who had discontinued SSRI treatment during pregnancy.
This group of controls had been taking SSRIs but paused their SSRI treatment 3–12 months before conception and had no exposure to an SSRI between 3 months before conception to 1 month after giving birth.
A total of 848,786 pregnancies were recorded. They compared outcomes in three groups:
- Group 1: Women exposed to SSRIs throughout the first trimester (n=4183)
- Group 2: Women who paused treatment with an SSRI (n=806)
- Group 3: Women with no SSRI exposure (n=843,797)
The rate of major congenital malformations was 50 per 1000 pregnancies in the SSRI-exposed group (Group 1), as compared to 45 per 1000 pregnancies in the paused group (Group 2) and 35 per 1000 in the unexposed group (Group 3).
The risks of cardiovascular malformations (mostly ventricular and atrial septal defects) were similar for pregnancies exposed to an SSRI throughout the first trimester (Group 1), adjusted OR 2.01 (95% CI 1.60 to 2.53) and for pregnancies with paused SSRI treatment (Group 2), adjusted OR 1.85 (95% CI 1.07 to 3.20).
There was no pattern noted with regard to type of SSRI or dosage.
The authors concluded that while the risk of cardiovascular malformations was somewhat higher in the SSRI-exposed group compared to the non-exposed group, it did not differ significantly from the risk in the paused group. Given these findings, it is not possible to conclude that SSRIs cause septal defects. Instead, this study suggests that there might be other confounding factors involved that are present in women who are treated with SSRIs.
Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD
Jimenez-Solem E, Andersen JT, Petersen M, et al. Exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and the risk of congenital malformations: a nationwide cohort study. BMJ Open. 2012 Jun 18;2(3). | https://womensmentalhealth.org/posts/ssris-and-cardiovascular-malformations-another-look/ |
Contract Review Lawyers in Franklin County
There are many different types of employment contracts in Ohio, but two of the most common are employment agreements and severance agreements. When drafting these agreements, employers will include a number of different terms, are not always in the employee’s best interest. Many employees do not take the time to carefully read these contracts before signing them because they do not want to risk losing their new job. It is only when a dispute arises that they realize there were unfavorable terms in their contract.
It is imperative that all employees thoroughly read and understand any employment contract their employer or prospective employer asks them to sign. A contract review lawyer in Franklin County can help employees understand these contracts, and can provide legal advice if the contract violates the employee’s rights.
Employment Agreements
Many employees in Ohio are considered at-will, subject to a few exceptions. This means an employer can fire them at any time and for any reason, unless it’s a reason prohibited by law. One of the exceptions to Ohio’s at-will policy is when an employee signs an employment agreement that dictates what is necessary for termination or that specifies a certain length of time for employment. Some of the most common terms found in employment agreements include:
- The length of employment: An employment agreement may outline how long the employee will work for the employer, such as a one-year contract. Sometimes, a provision is included stating the contract will automatically renew unless the employee or employer provides advance notice of termination.
- Job duties: This section of an employment agreement is important because as time goes on, an employee may be asked to take on more tasks without an appropriate increase in salary or wages.
- Salary and benefits: Employment agreements almost always include how much salary the employee will receive. If the employer has promised other benefits, such as health insurance, bonuses, or commissions, employees should always ensure these are also included in the contract.
- Arbitration provisions: Many employers now require employees to sign arbitration agreements as part of an employment contract. Arbitration provisions usually mandate that employees must engage in arbitration and cannot sue the employer in court for any dispute that arises during or after employment. Employees should always read these provisions very carefully
- Non-compete clauses: Non-compete agreements and clauses prohibit an employee from working for the employer’s competition for a certain period of time and sometimes from working within a certain geographic area upon termination.
Just as employers often ask employees to sign employment agreements at the beginning of their employment, they may also offer an employee a severance agreement to sign when their employment is ending.
Severance Contracts
Employers are not legally required to offer severance packages or contracts. When they choose to, they typically offer employees a certain amount of financial compensation and the employee must agree to certain terms in exchange for the compensation. These include:
- Agreeing not to sue the employer for any dispute that occurred during the application process, or during and after employment
- Agreeing to keep the terms of the severance agreement, and even the existence of an agreement confidential, with the exception of sharing it with their attorneys, spouses, and tax specialists
- Agreeing not to make disparaging statements about the company, regardless of whether they are true or not
- Agreeing not to reapply for a position with the same employer
Severance agreements are legally binding contracts and employees can be sued if they violate the agreements and/or be forced to return any severance compensation received. When an employee is presented with a severance package or contract, they should always speak to a contract review lawyer before signing it to be sure they understand the terms of the agreement. An attorney may also be able to negotiate better terms and additional compensation depending on the circumstances.
Our Franklin County Contract Review Lawyers can Help With Your Employment Contracts
When you sign any employment agreement without first reading it and understanding it, you could be giving up several rights that protect your best interests.
At Marshall & Forman, LLC, our employment attorneys can review these contracts for you, ensure you are not giving up important rights, and help protect your interests. If your employer has asked you to sign an employment or severance contract, call or contact us online first to discuss the benefits and potential pitfalls in signing the agreement. | https://www.marshallforman.com/citystate/contract-review-lawyers-in-franklin-county/ |
Recent posts:
Consultancy Agreement Insurance Clause
The next problem you need to solve is payment. These include the amount of the fee, when you pay, when the consultant needs to charge, and how much the consultant can charge in relation to the progress of the project. But there are other considerations. Most consultants want you to pay them immediately, no matter what. Who wouldn`t do that? In almost any state, you can defer this responsibility until the client pays you, and in most states you can avoid paying your advisor in full if your client doesn`t pay you. These two situations are called “pay when paid” and “pay if paid”. Here are two clauses that you can use depending on your condition: compensation is a complex topic that I cannot deal with in this article. The most important part of a compensation is to ensure that the compensation you have given to the client is provided by compensation from your advisor. You will have it if you use the first clause that will be discussed in this article. Almost every lawyer will recommend that you have more than that. If a PSC is set up, the provisions of its consulting contract do not bind the individual advisor. Therefore, if the client wants the individual advisor to be related to him, he should ensure that the advisor is as a contracting party, or that he makes the commitments separately, for example with a subsidiary letter. For example, the agreement should provide that the advisor has adequate insurance.
This may include that these may be presented in a general or very specific and detailed manner, in which case they may be defined in a separate timetable at the end of the agreement. Unlike staff, consultants are generally not implicitly required to keep it secret. It is therefore important to include explicit confidentiality provisions in the consulting agreement. In the agreement, an advisor will likely be required to provide their own equipment and materials. The less the advisor is integrated into the client`s business processes, the better it will be for job tests. The agreement may include compensation from the advisor for losses incurred by the client as a result of the advisor`s acts or omissions in the provision of the services. An advisor might want to try to dilute compensation, so that liability is only on a normal contractual basis and not on a more painful compensation basis. An advisor may also want to insert a clause capping potential liability that could be related to fees received or insurance coverage available. The proposed language has the consequence that the client`s requirements that you wish or must transmit to the advisor. Since you have an obligation to provide the services and services defined in the agreement, this language, if you are inconsistent in the design of your consulting contract, acts as a savings clause in order to keep clients` requirements for your advisors informed. You may also want to include additional expectations that are not part of the master agreement, including expectations for on-site consultant visits, the frequency and nature of reports you may want from the consultant, and the requirement to adhere to your company`s project process protocols, such as BIM planning and execution standards.
The most important clause of a consulting contract is through the obligations of your main contract to your advisor for the scope of the services assigned to him. This clause defines the scope of the advisor and binds the advisor to the provisions of the main contract in accordance with the conditions to which you are subject. There are several ways of achieving this and I must point out that this Council is not adapted to the state in which you work. You should speak to a licensed attorney in your state, experienced in design matters, in order to adapt this clause if necessary. . . .
Compensation Agreement Significato
In general, companies have a written and documented compensation plan, adapted and developed according to market conditions and competitive pressure. The compensation plan should be clear and distributed to staff in order to keep them motivated and focused. The correct use of the plan is in the hands of supervisors and organizational hierarchies to get the most out of the foreign service. Compensation is a portion of an employee`s compensation that will be deferred at a later date. In most cases, taxes on this income are delimited until it is paid. Forms of deferred compensation include retirement plans, retirement plans and stock option plans. “Market entry is really a fundamental part of planning your business. The compensation plan is how you bring sales reps into line with business goals, motivate them, and motivate them to implement your go-to-market strategy,” quotes Jin Stoeckmann, senior sales compensation practice leader at WorldatWork The compensation plan is the comprehensive plan to reward individuals for their efforts and ensure your employees stay with you for a long time. period and This is the first time he flew away. The compensation plan completes the entire decision-making process on the employee compensation package, allocation and review of salaries, salaries and incentives over time. This is important because it is a systematic way of planning staff remuneration. 4. Ensuring that compensation is in accordance with the law of that country A compensation plan should include the following essential elements: certain measures can contribute to the development of an effective compensation plan.
The steps are as follows: 1. Based on the company`s objective, what the company intends to pay as compensation must be decided 6. Provisions for the permanent review of remuneration and benefits Determining the right balance between base salaries and commission is the biggest challenge, given that a well-designed compensation plan helps to create a high-performance work culture, which ensures both personal and organizational growth in tandem. Recognizing and rewarding individuals` performance based on compensation and performance creates an attractive environment to attract and retain top talent in the industry. Like what. A distribution compensation plan aims to effectively compensate sellers. This is typically an incentive compensation plan that encourages sales reps to close new businesses and update existing customers. NQDCs are contractual agreements between employers and employees, so their possibilities are limited by legislation and regulations, but are more flexible than qualified plans. For example, an NQDC may contain a non-competition clause. There are two main categories of remuneration conversions: qualified and unsegified.
These differ considerably in their legal treatment and, from the employers` point of view, in the purpose they serve. Deferred compensation is often used to refer to unqualified plans, but the term technically covers both. The compensation is usually paid when the employee retires, although payment can also begin at a fixed time, in the event of a change in ownership of the business or due to a disability, death or emergency (strictly defined). Depending on the contractual conditions, the deferred remuneration may be withheld by the company if the employee is dismissed, if a competitor has defects or if the service is broken. Early distributions on NQDC plans trigger heavy penalties for the IRS. 5. award allowances and salaries according to the company`s budget, market prices, quality of staff, etc. In addition, independent contractors are entitled to NQDC plans. For some companies, they offer an opportunity to hire expensive talent without having to immediately pay their full compensation, which means they can defer funding for these commitments. This approach can, however, be a game…. | http://bbprecordings.com/2021/09/15/ |
- Kevin O'Brien, Attorney
Is a Pandemic an Event of Force Majeure?
Montreal, April 2, 2020
To say these are trying and uncertain times, is a euphemism, if ever there was one. Bunkered down in our homes, we spend our days in a perpetual state of worry. We worry about our food and toilet paper inventory. We worry about our kids’ minds mutating into oatmeal from overplaying Fortnite. We worry about our baby-boomer parents, for whom “social distancing” means, placing the couches more than 2 metres apart when they have the neighbors over for afternoon tea.
To be sure, the whole world seems to have hit the proverbial “pause” button. And yet, as surreal as this has been, we really have no idea how long this pandemic will last and when normal life will resume. For businesses, the financial and legal implications of this pandemic remain entirely unclear. This article will examine whether this pandemic may be considered a force majeure (superior force) event in the private sector of the province of Quebec.
The first place to look for answers about how to deal with the impacts of COVID-19 on your business relationships, is your commercial contract. In many cases, leases and other commercial contracts contain a “force majeure” or “superior force” clause, which typically outlines the events that may be considered a “force majeure”, “superior force” or “act of God”. These clauses usually set out the parties’ respective rights, as well as the mechanisms, modalities, and conditions for invoking same. Some such clauses may provide that the parties may suspend the performance of their obligations until the force majeure event ceases, while others may provide for the termination of the contract after a certain delay has lapsed. Finally, these clauses usually require the party seeking to invoke it to deliver a written notice to the other party. Rigorous attention should be paid to the details contained in these clauses, to avoid questions about the validity, or application, of the clause.
If no force majeure clause exists in your lease or commercial contract, or if the specific factual circumstances in question are not covered in a force majeure clause you may have found in the cotract, then the parties may fall back onto the provisions of the Civil Code of Quebec.
For instance, Article 1693 CCQ reads as follows:
Where an obligation can no longer be performed by the debtor, by reason of superior force and before he is in default, the debtor is released from the obligation; he is also released from it, even though he was in default, where the creditor could not, in any case, have benefited from the performance of the obligation by reason of that superior force, unless, in either case, the debtor has expressly assumed the risk of superior force.
Pursuant to Article 1693 CCQ, the debtor of an obligation may be released from its performance of it in two circumstances: (i) the event of superior force occurs before the tenant is in default of the obligation, or (ii) even if the debtor is in default, where the event of superior force is such that the creditor could not have benefited from the performance of the obligation due to the existence of the event. The onus of proof with respect to superior force is on the debtor invoking same. The last line of Article 1693 CCQ, permits the parties to contract out of the above releases and their formulation.
Superior force is defined in the second paragraph of Article 1470 CCQ, which reads as follows:
A person may free himself from his liability for injury caused to another by proving that the injury results from superior force unless he has undertaken to make reparation for it.
Superior force is an unforeseeable and irresistible event, including external causes with the same characteristics. (our emphasis)
From the outset, it is worth noting that the above definition of “superior force” is not of public order, such that the parties may widen or restrict the scope of same in their contract. To qualify as a superior force, the Civil Code requires the event to have been unforeseeable and irresistible.
The case law has determined that an event is unforeseeable, if the parties could not, at the date of signature of the contract, have predicted it. This criterion is examined by the Courts on a case-by-case basis, using a “reasonability” standard. The question posed is, would a reasonably informed person have been able to predict the event. It is safe to presume that a Court would find that COVID-19 meets the above standard with respect to any contracts signed prior to the outbreak. However, this might not be the case for any contracts signed after the pandemic recently became a globally famous phenomenon.
An event will be construed as irresistible, if the person invoking superior force was unable to take any reasonable steps to avoid the event and it renders the performance of his/her obligations impossible. The case law has made a distinction between situations that render the performance of an obligation more difficult, or costly and those that make it impossible to do so. From this perspective, the Provincial Government’s recent order, forcing all shopping centres to close to the public, certainly creates a situation that renders it impossible for a landlord to perform its’ obligations under a commercial lease. On the other hand, while a landlord may be able to invoke force majeure as an impediment to the performance of its obligations under a lease, one wonders whether the same may be said of the tenant. After all, the Tenant’s inability to operate its business may make the payment of rent difficult but is it “impossible”. Moreover, many leases contain provisions obligating the tenant to carry “business interruption” insurance, so that it may have the financial means to meet its ongoing obligations.
On the other, in Quebec, a lease is considered a synallagmatic contract (i.e. each party to the contract is bound to provide something to the other party). The essence of a commercial lease is that the landlord must provide the tenant with peaceful enjoyment of the premises in exchange for the payment of rent. Thus, irrespective of force majeure, if the tenant is unable to use or occupy the premises or operate its business for a prolonged period, then it may apply for an abatement of rent, or termination of the lease. However, it must be said that the obligation to provide the tenant with peaceful enjoyment is not of public order, such that the parties are entitled to contract out of such obligation. In the latter case, one speculates that a tenant, even if precluded from accessing the premises, may be nonetheless be obliged to pay rent.
In conclusion, the parties to a contract should review the provisions of their contract carefully, to ascertain whether it contains a force majeure clause and if so, whether it may apply to the current COVID-19 situation. Special attention should be paid to any explicit limitations in the clause, as well as the conditions and modalities for invoking the clause. Many leases contain an obligation for the tenant to maintain insurance for business interruption. The Landlord’s insurance policies may also contain loss of revenue coverage. Both policies should be reviewed carefully. In either case, the parties should pay careful attention to the specific terms, conditions, and delays to be adhered to when filing their respective insurance claims. The Landlord will also want to investigate the impacts of a force majeure claim on their lending instruments and agreements. The lease may also contain specific language whereby the parties have limited or contracted out of the landlord’s obligation to provide peaceful enjoyment of the premises. Finally, the provisions of the Civil Code of Quebec may be invoked in some circumstances when the contract is silent or incomplete. However, relying on the current interpretation the Courts have given to Article 1470 CCQ, one wonders whether COVID-19 will meet the standard of impossibility in this ever-evolving paradigm.
Thank you for reading. Feel free to contact me anytime. | https://www.kevinobrienattorney.com/post/is-a-pandemic-an-event-of-force-majeure |
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Penalty clauses
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Side letter to lease
Termination right a penalty
Vivienne Westwood Ltd v Conduit Street Development Ltd
EWHC 350 (Ch)
Summary
The termination provisions in a rent concession side letter to a lease were penal in nature. The purported termination provisions were therefore unenforceable and the rent remained payable at the reduced rate.
Facts
T took a lease of premises for a term of 15 years, at an initial rent of £110,000 reviewable in 2014 and 2019. At the time the lease was executed, a side letter was entered into (personal to T) which provided that if the open market rent review in 2014 produced a rent of more than £125,000 pa, the rent would be capped for the next five years at £125,000 pa.
The side letter also contained a termination right which provided that the agreement contained in the side letter for the reduced rent would end “immediately” if any of a number of events occurred and also provided that:
“If [T] breach any of the terms and conditions contained in this agreement or any term of the Lease….[L] may terminate this agreement with immediate effect and the rents will be immediately payable in the manner set out in the Lease as if this agreement had never existed”
The landlord’s interest was transferred a number of times, and in due course the landlord granted a concurrent lease to L making L the immediate landlord of T.
The open market rent in 2014 was established at £232,500. L argued that T had breached the terms of the lease, because it had paid some of the rent due under the lease late, and therefore L had been entitled to, and had in fact terminated the side letter.
Principal Issues
Whether the side letter imposed a conditional primary obligation, or a secondary obligation which took effect on breach of a primary obligation so that the rule on penalties was engaged?
If a secondary obligation, whether the termination clause was unenforceable because it was a penalty?
Decision
The High Court found for T and held that it was only liable for the capped rent at £125,000 pa. The Court referred to the decision in
Cavendish Square Holding BV v Makdessi (Parking Eye)
UKSC 67 where the Supreme Court comprehensively reviewed the law on penalties. Timothy Fancourt QC (sitting as a Deputy Judge of the High Court) said:
“The several judgments of the Justices reveal differences of approach on the application of the main principles to the facts of that case, however the main principles are clearly restated. These are that:
i) Whether or not a contractual provision is a penalty is a question of interpretation of the contract, and the real question is whether it is penal or punitive in nature (paras 9, 31, 243).
ii) In English law, a penalty clause can only exist where a secondary obligation is imposed upon a breach of a primary obligation owed by one party to the other. It is to be distinguished from a conditional primary obligation, which depends on events that are not breaches of contract (paras 14, 32, 258).
iii) Whether a clause imposes a secondary liability upon a breach of contract is a question of substance and not of form (para 15).
iv) A provision that in substance imposes a secondary liability for breach of a primary obligation is penal if it imposes on the party in default a detriment out of all proportion to any legitimate interest of the innocent party in the performance of the primary obligation (para 32), or (using traditional language) which is exorbitant, extravagant or unconscionable in comparison with the value of that legitimate interest (paras 152,255).
v) The onus lies on the party alleging that a clause is a penalty to show that the secondary liability is exorbitant, extravagant or unconscionable (para 143).
vi) Since the penalty rule is an interference with freedom of contract, it is not lightly to be concluded that a term in a contract negotiated by properly advised parties of comparable bargaining power is a penalty (paras 33, 35)”
The court held that the reduced rent was fundamental to the bargain reached between the parties when entering into the lease, and as such T’s primary obligation under the lease was to pay rent at the reduced level set out in the side letter; and it was only on breach of any of those primary obligations that T was obliged to comply with a secondary obligation, namely to pay rent at the higher level. The threshold test was therefore satisfied and the law of penalties was engaged.
The next question to consider was whether, "…on the basis of the true interpretation of the Side Letter, are the specified consequences of its termination [i.e. the non-concessionary rent being payable retrospectively and prospectively] for any non-trivial breach exorbitant and unconscionable, having regard to the disparity with the loss likely to flow from any breach." The Court held that this obligation was penal in nature.
The court also noted that the Landlord was entitled to "two types of compensation for the breach [i.e. the tenant having paid late] (interests and costs) in generous measure, in addition to common law damages". The ‘specified consequence’ (ie T’s obligation to pay the non-reduced level of rent both retrospectively and prospectively) was, “out of all proportion to the legitimate interest of the lessor in having [T] comply with every one of its obligations rather than pay full compensation for any breaches”.
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Perth based building company, 101 Residential Pty Ltd, has amended its standard home building contract following ACCC concerns that it contained unfair terms and made false or misleading representations.
Between October 2014 and August 2017, 101 Residential’s building contract contained non-disparagement clauses that allowed it to prohibit customers from publishing any unapproved information about the company, including online reviews.
The non-disparagement clauses also allowed 101 Residential to remove any published information, suspend work on the customer’s construction site and ultimately terminate a customer’s building contract.
“Online reviews help people make informed purchasing decisions. Consumers should be free to have their say about their experience with a business and must not face penalties for doing so,” ACCC Deputy Chair Dr Michael Schaper said.
101 Residential has accepted that the non-disparagement clauses may be unfair and has cooperated in providing the ACCC with a court enforceable undertaking.
The undertaking provides that 101 Residential will not enforce non-disparagement clauses in existing building contracts and will not use them in any future contracts. 101 Residential will also refund customers who lost their deposits because they decided not to proceed with 101 Residential due to the non-disparagement clauses.
“This should serve as a warning to all businesses that they should review their standard form contracts to ensure they do not contain unfair terms,” Dr Schaper said.
101 Residential also accepted that there were two statements in its standard home building contract that were likely to amount to false or misleading representations:
- a term that unreasonably limited 101 Residential’s liability and was inconsistent with the statutory guarantees automatically provided to consumers under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), and
- a statement that an annexure to its building contract was based on a Housing Industry Association (HIA) standard building form, when this was not the case.
Under the court enforceable undertaking provided to the ACCC, 101 Residential will also publish a corrective notice and write to affected consumers; and establish an ACL Compliance Program.
The undertaking is available at: 101 Residential Pty Ltd.
Background
101 Residential is part of the Scott Park Group of home builders in WA.
The unfair contract term provisions under the ACL came into effect on 1 July 2010. The ACL provides that a term of a consumer contract is considered unfair if:
- it would cause a significant imbalance in the parties’ rights and obligations arising under the contract
- it is not reasonably necessary in order to protect the legitimate interests of the party who would be advantaged by the term
- it would cause detriment (whether financial or otherwise) to a party if it were to be applied or relied on.
Use this form to make a general enquiry. | https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/wa-building-company-amends-unfair-contracts |
The reality of the current pandemic and the economic impact thereafter is that it will result in the insolvency of many businesses. Currently in England and Wales corporate insolvencies are down from 2019 but this is largely explained by the assistance and protection given by government together with the difficulties facing Courts in carrying out their normal business. However, in relative terms these figures have risen recently with 778 in August and 926 in September. In Northern Ireland the Bankruptcy Court is currently not yet accepting new creditor’s bankruptcy or winding up petitions but once that restriction is eased it is inevitable that insolvencies will also increase.
In such circumstances, suppliers will want to know what their rights are in relation to goods supplied but not paid for. In the current climate suppliers should seek legal advice at the first sign of a customer being at risk of insolvency. A close eye should be kept on those customers who are falling behind on credit terms. Whilst it is likely in most cases that suppliers have some form of contractual terms and conditions in place, given the likely rise in insolvencies they would be well advised to review their contracts now with customers before there is any indication of financial trouble. Such a review can identify areas open for improvement and can be used to ensure more protection in the future. One of the key aspects to consider in the event of an insolvency situation is Retention of title (ROT) clauses.
The purpose of ROT Clauses in the provisions of a contract for the sale of goods is to ensure that title to any goods supplied remains with the supplier until the goods are paid for in full. Checking that the contract contains well drafted ROT clauses is crucial as it gives suppliers the chance to recover goods that a customer has received but not yet paid for. In an insolvency situation the lack of effective ROT clauses will mean that the supplier is likely to rank only as an unsecured creditor. On the other hand, where such ROT clauses exist and a customer suffers an insolvency event, suppliers can then take steps quickly to recover any unpaid goods supplied.
ROT clauses come in a variety of forms and it is important for suppliers to give careful consideration to these as not all may be appropriate for their business model. Care should be given to the use of more complex terms. If, for example, the ROT clause gives the supplier a right of access to the customer’s premises to recover the goods suppliers will have to be aware of how such clauses can be properly enforced during periods of lockdown or other government restrictions.
Ensuring contracts contain well drafted and effective ROT clauses will save considerable sums and given the inexorable rise in insolvencies suppliers should prepare now before it is too late.
Should you require any further information on the above, please contact or David McAlinden or a member of the Insolvency team at MKB Law: 028 9024 2450 / [email protected]
This article is for general guidance only and should not be regarded as a substitute for professional legal advice. | https://mkblaw.co.uk/insolvency-retention-of-title-clause/ |
Basically, you need to make sure that all the essential terms in a contract are present. Otherwise, the contract won’t even be valid at all.
An essential term is one which must be agreed to, without which no contract comes into existence.
For example, completing the works by a particular date, or working to a particular programme. If you and your contractor fail to agree upon a date for completion, or a programme for the works, you have no valid construction contract.
Important Clauses
Aside from making sure that there is privity in terms of consideration and subject matter, you must also make sure that your contract contains clauses that relate to its execution.
One of the most important provisions are with regard to the payment schedule, which could be any of the following: lump sum, measurement/remeasurement, cost plus, contractual quantum meruit, variations, loss and/or expense, etcetera. Make sure that the specific basis for remuneration is in contract, and that it’s clear.
Your contract must also have provisions on repudiation, termination, and breach.
Specifically, those are embodied in the following:
Termination Clause
Variation Clause
How We Can Help
If you need more information to help you in you construction contract review, feel free to contact us, so we can brief you on everything you need to know to protect yourself. First consult is absolutely free. | https://www.contractsspecialist.com.au/articles/contract-review-checklist/ |
In my opinion, at the ages they are, teens are very impressionable. They see these stick thin models air brushed to within an inch of their lives in most forms of media that dictates that "this is what you need to look like to be beautiful" or "perfect" or, in some cases, "normal". There are too many teens out there that have such low self-esteem and self-confidence, and the media - as well as bullies and peer pressure - don't help. The extreme actions taken to be "normal", and the depths of depression they can go to is just terrible, and I think this is such an important issue to be discussed. Being a YA fan, I thought looking at novels that tackle these issues would be a great way to discuss the topic and shed some light on it.
And so Body Image and Self-Perception Month was born; a month long feature hosted by Once Upon a Bookcase where bloggers read novels to look at how young adult authors deal with such an important subject. We looked at novels that cover self-esteem and self-confidence, eating disorders, obesity, physical disabilities and disfigurement, to name a few. The month involved reviews of YA novels covering the topics, discussions on the topics, author interviews and guest posts.
Bloggers Involved: | http://www.onceuponabookcase.co.uk/p/bi-month.html |
All Magnetically Confident People Have This in Common, Says Psychology
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Genuine confidence is an elusive art—one that you can pinpoint within seconds but may take an entire lifetime to outwardly manifest. But according to Elizabeth Lombardo, psychologist and author of Better Than Perfect, those with truly magnetic self-confidence have mastered one thing: unconditional self-worth, or the ability to wholeheartedly love, trust, and accept yourself regardless of the thoughts and opinions of other people.
"Unconditional self-worth occurs when you believe in yourself independent of others," explains Lombardo for Psychology Today. "[It's] believing in yourself not because of external events, but rather because of who you are on the inside. … It is based on focusing on those values, strengths, and core characteristics most important to you."
On the opposite end of the spectrum, conditional self-worth is when your personal view of yourself is based on certain pre-existing conditions, e.g., I'll be happy in life if my boss agrees with me or I'll finally be confident if I get a raise next month. In other words, it's the tendency to base your self-perception on other people's reactions, accomplishments, or standards rather than your own.
"The way you view yourself is central to every interaction you have—with other people, with every experience, even within your own head," she concludes. "When you live from a place of unconditional self-worth, you are comfortable in your own skin. You can be truly happy for others' successes without feeling they are better than you. You can hear and accept feedback without taking it as a personal attack."
For more confidence hacks, read up on the 10 daily habits of super-confident people. | https://www.mydomaine.com/how-to-have-magnetic-confidence |
As part of our practice at G Day, we are always looking for ways to understand and improve our impact. To that end, we survey all participants. In January 2016 we asked Rebecca Gibbons, a UBC Masters of Public Health student, to assess the impact of the three G Days that took place the previous year (Toronto – April 2015, Victoria – September 2015, and Vancouver – October 2015).
The evaluation was designed to:
Adolescent girls tend to have a lower sense of self-worth than younger, more self-assured girls. Generally, people with low self-esteem are more easily influenced by others, allow for mistreatment in order to be accepted, and are vulnerable to exploitation. Furthermore, they tend to have low resilience, and find it difficult to bounce back in the face of adversity.
Fortunately, research has shown that girls who receive the right kind of support at the right time, can improve their self-esteem, mental health, and resilience in the face of crisis.
There are critical factors, known in the research as “protective factors,” that are most important for developing resiliency; two of these include confidence and connectedness. Girls who feel strong in these areas are more likely to navigate the challenges of teen years successfully and become strong young women.
It is G Day’s goal to provide a unique experience of connectedness.
This preliminary evaluation of G Day aimed to determine the impact of G Day on Girls and Champions. The results of this evaluation are quite positive and highlight an event that has played a valuable role in the lives of girls aged 9 to 13. The impact of G Day was explored through self-rating and open-ended qualitative descriptions from Girls and Champions.
Although it is not possible to assess the long-term impact of G Day due to lack of available data, on the day of the event, the program contributed to areas that research has demonstrated to be key protective factors. The two factors crucial to building resilience in girls that were commented on frequently by program participants included self-confidence, and a sense of belonging or connectedness.
With respect to the process evaluation, the results are also quite positive. The evaluation conducted a preliminary assessment of the extent to which G Day is consistent with best practices of the Canadian Women’s Foundation. While there is room for improvement in some areas, G Day seems to be doing a good job of providing a happy, safe, comfortable space, and providing a range of activities for Girls with diverse interests.
The evaluation findings reveal overwhelmingly positive feedback about the program. They also find that G Day contributes to the development of key fundamental building blocks for Girls to increase their self-esteem, become more resilient, and be more likely to grow up into strong young women.
These building blocks for girls supported by G Day were connectedness/sense of belonging (i.e. connection to sisterhood, strengthened relationships between Girls, and Girls and Champions), and self-confidence (i.e. highlighting positive qualities of being a girl, focusing on strengths and skills, etc.)
The Champions personally benefited and experienced positive impacts from attending G Day. The impact of G Day on Champions relates to improved confidence in their parenting, empathy, as well as knowledge and skills to support their Girl. Many felt that their presence had a positive impact on their girls. | https://gday.world/impact/ |
Assertiveness is a way of communication that affirms the individual’s rights or viewpoint without threatening the rights of another, or submissively permitting another to ignore one’s rights or point of view. Self-esteem is often linked to assertiveness. Self-confidence relates to being assured in one’s ability, power or judgment. Having a positive self-esteem is strongly linked to psychological health, body image, physical health and the feeling that you matter to others.
To be successful in your personal or work life, self-confidence and assertiveness are indispensable. Not feeling worthy and not being able to express your self-worth will hamper you in every area of your life. Improving these skills will open up new opportunities in your life. In TBAE’s Assertiveness and Self-Confidence training course, participants will gain a better understanding of the meaning of assertiveness and self-confidence. They will learn how they can develop these skills in their everyday lives.
In the Assertiveness and Self-Confidence course participants will be taught communication skills such as listening and hearing, asking questions and body language. They will learn to identify their own worth, create positive self-talk as well identifying and addressing strengths and weaknesses in themselves. Other subjects covered in the course includes What Does Self-Confidence Mean to You, Obstacles to Our Goals, The Importance of Goal Setting, Feeling the Part, Looking the Part, Sounding the Part, Powerful Presentations, Coping Techniques and Dealing with Difficult Behavior. | http://www.tbae.co.za/training/assertiveness-and-self-confidence-course.htm |
Background: Mental health refers to the feeling of well-being, self-confidence, self-trust and competition capacity or having the ability to cope with adversity, intergeneration attachment and fulfilling the emotional and potential abilities. Mental health is something beyond the absence of mental disorders. The present study describes a planned program to promote mental health status among university students using self-esteem and health control beliefs from 2004 to 2007 .
Materials and Methods: The quasi experimental study was carried out on 144 students of Gonabad and Birjand Medical Universities. They were randomly divided into case (n=71) and control (n=73) groups. Data were collected through demographic questionnaires, multidimensional health locus of control (HLC) scales, Rosenberg's self-esteem and general health questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). The educational program was based on using the self-concept, self-confidence, health locus of control and self-esteem as a focus group in which discussion method was used for 11 sessions. The questionnaires were collected and evaluated before, immediately after and 3 months after the intervention.
Results: The results showed significant differences between selected variables in the case group compared to those in the control one, before and after the intervention (p<0.05).The external components of HLC showed a significant decrease, while the internal HLC and self-esteem revealed a significant increase immediately after the intervention (P<0.0001). Besides, the students' mental health significantly increased three months after the intervention (P<0.0001). | http://feyz.kaums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_id=684&sid=1&slc_lang=en |
The Difference Between Low Self-Worth and Selfishness
Low self-worth is one of those burdens that can hold you back or limit you in many ways. It can lead to other problems, big and small, such as a hard time starting or maintaining a healthy relationship with other people. One can see it in their excessive shyness or difficulty to naturally express themselves.
Although it may not seem so, low self-worth nurtures certain seemingly selfish attitudes. These don’t really mean that people with these traits don’t care about others. It’s only that they place little value on themselves and tend to overestimate their vulnerability. They express it by being defensive and thinking that what they contribute is so unimportant that it isn’t even worth the effort.
In many cases, this is why some people don’t speak or don’t take initiative. They’re just assuming they have nothing valuable to give, which comes out as selfishness.
“I have great faith in fools, self-confidence my friends call it.”
-Edgar Allan Poe-
Low self-worth and solidarity
It’s common for an insecure person to assume that nobody needs their help and that they’re irrelevant to others right off the bat. It happens in all sorts of situations.
In addition, it’s also common for them not to step forward when someone requests volunteers, for example. As you can imagine, it’s a self-perpetuating spiral. Lack of self-confidence leads to secrecy and secrecy leads to lack of confidence. A person with low self-worth reinforces the feeling of incompetence or inadequacy by positioning themselves as such.
It’s always a good idea to ask yourself if there’s something you can do for others in situations involving needs or problems. Contribute something if you can, just go ahead and offer help. Always express a willingness to help even if they don’t take you up on it for whatever reason. It’s the right thing to do.
Failure management
It’s also common for someone with a lack of self-confidence to refrain from sharing or giving out of fear of making a mistake. Their level of self-criticism is quite high and they aren’t able to intelligently position themselves in the face of failure. As you can imagine, they’re terrified when someone asks them to participate in a project, for example.
Fear triggers insecurities and this kind of person might be thinking they just can’t do it. That others expect too much from them and they’re just going to let them down. This kind of thinking blocks any interest in participating or any possibility of contributing more to a group.
It also happens in personal situations. For example, you want to give a special gift to someone but feel that it might be too “cheesy” or might not please them. Thus, the options to participate or to give more of yourself end up becoming threats you give in to.
Low self-worth, communication, and self-fulfilling prophecies
Lack of self-confidence also often affects communication with others. They can’t say what they’d like to say, so they act as if the issue doesn’t matter to them. It’s also possible to develop the opposite attitude: wanting to monopolize conversations or being threatening or intransigent with others.
An insecure person takes many interactions as attacks and takes criticism personally. Thus, they either shut themselves up, preventing dialogue, or strike back and turn it into a battlefield. Any of these attitudes worsen the problem.
In the end, their low self-worth way of thinking becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because they do everything they can to make it happen, even if they don’t do it consciously. It’s likely that many people will end up rejecting or minimizing the help or contribution of a person with broken self-esteem because they’re quite anxious about it.
It’s also possible that such a person will end up labeled or singled out as “selfish”. To that extent, it’ll be difficult for others to seek their participation, and it’ll only lower their self-esteem even more.
This kind of person feels worthless and others, somehow, end up making them feel that way (self-fulfilling prophecy). Thus, it’s a complex vicious cycle, which they can only break by becoming aware of the way they act.It might interest you... | https://exploringyourmind.com/the-difference-between-low-self-worth-and-selfishness/ |
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The Resilience Programme for Young Men – A psychosocial handbook
Danish, Red Cross
The Resilience Programme for Young Men focuses specifically on the needs of young men, featuring activities that support increased self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-perception, all vital to psychosocial wellbeing. It aims to strengthen social interaction, creativity and peer support by encouraging good communication, group collaboration, mutual trust, respect, understanding and valuing of differences. These are key elements for young men in creating a better life for themselves and their communities.
Updated July 28, 2016. | https://www.hhri.org/publication/the-resilience-programme-for-young-men-a-psychosocial-handbook/ |
Join this fun class with art therapist Emma Finch. The sessions run therapeutically, building on participants’ strengths. The class helps to improve thoughts and feelings of self-confidence, self-worth and constructing a focus on positive self-esteem and nurturing. A range of techniques will be demonstrated to provide a maximum experience. | https://www.bhcac.com.au/courses-workshops/art-therapy-for-adults-2/ |
Are you confident in your power to make good things happen in your life?
Do you believe that you are just as good as anyone else?
Do you feel like you are a good person, who is worthy of love and respect?
Too many people go through periods in their lives where self-confidence feels elusive. They doubt themselves. They may feel “less than” others around them. Perhaps they don’t ask for what they deserve or don’t feel able to take the risks that will move them forward.
They don’t know how to create self-confidence. And as a result, they may settle for less in their relationships, their careers, and their lives. Self-confidence and self-esteem matter.
Feeling good about yourself (not in a narcissistic way, but rather in a healthy, self-accepting way) is key to having a good life. Yet many people struggle with this, and that is why we routinely work with our therapy and life coaching clients around how to create self-confidence and start feeling good about themselves again.
So, to help you create self-confidence in your own life, on this episode of the Love, Happiness and Success Podcast, I’m joined by two of my colleagues, Anastacia Sams, M.A., LMFTC and Kathleen Stutts, M.Ed., LPCC, both of whom are experts in helping people heal, grow, and restore their optimism about themselves.
We’re talking about how to improve your self-esteem, how to create self-confidence, how to cultivate healthy self-worth, and most importantly, how to use the healing power of self-acceptance to (paradoxically) create real and lasting change in your life.
We hope this exploration helps YOU on your path of growth and healing, too. | https://www.growingself.com/tag/improve-self-esteem/ |
YOSEMITE (KPIX5) — Two men are attempting one of the world’s toughest rock climbs at Yosemite.
The pair have been on the vertical face of El Capitan since December 27th, taking a route never attempted before.READ MORE: Vigil Set for Saturday in Santa Rosa to Bring Attention to Search for Missing Mom
The edge between victory and defeat is a few skin cells, and it appears one of the climbers is losing the battle.
There is nothing easy about climbing 3000 feet straight up with just your hands and feet, and Santa Rosa climber, Kevin Jorgeson has reached a critical juncture – Dawn Wall.
“It kinda gives me fits because you’ll feel totally fine and then your foot will just pop off,” said Jorgeson.
Facebook photos document hikers’ struggle on #DawnWall at Yosemite – 2.5K likes – LA Times article here
In climber’s lingo, a section of rock is “pitch” — and Jorgeson appears to have met his match with Pitch 15. It’s considered one of the toughest in the world.
On his Facebook page, he posted, “My battle with Pitch 15 continues. After 6 years of work, my Dawn Wall quest comes down to sending this pitch.”
The problem is the skin on Jorgeson’s fingers is gone.READ MORE: Warriors, Chase Center to Require Fans Show Proof of COVID Booster Shots
He’s using tape to prevent stop the rock from wearing through his flesh.
Mother nature isn’t helping either. There’s a cold arctic windstorm happening Thursday. It’s getting pretty rowdy.
Kevin and his climbing partner, Tommy Caldwell chose to hike in the winter so their hands wouldn’t sweat and their shoes would grip better.
But the winds that howl through the Yosemite Valley are bone-chilling.
While Jorgeson’s trek is stalling out, Caldwell seems poised to conquer the rock.
He successfully climbed Pitch15, as well as 14 and 16 – both equally tricky. | https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/01/08/windstorm-perilous-conditions-get-the-best-of-men-attempting-free-climb-on-yosemites-el-capitan/ |
Forgive me if I don't know the official parkour term for this move. This is where you have two walls that are close to each other and you vertically climb them. Here is a shot of Mark Witmer (from Ninja Warrior) doing the wall climb.
I am going to start with this second kind of wall climb. Simply because it is easier due to symmetry. So, what is the question? (that's a question) How about - how hard do you have to push on the walls to stay up? I will assume using only two feet as this is what happens when moving up (you move your hands and keep your feet still then switch). Here is a free-body-diagram.
Maybe this wasn't the best pic to use for this. Anyway, there are a couple of important points.
First, notice that I am drawing the forces acting ON the object (kid). I wouldn't be surprised to see a student draw this diagram that included the force the child is pushing on the wall. That would be wrong.
Here I am diverting from the normal free-body-diagram where every force is acting at the same location. Actually, it won't make a difference here (since I will assume the two normal forces and the two frictional forces are the same magnitude). However, if I were doing the other kind of wall climb, this might matter.
The other cool thing is that it is friction that prevents the person from falling, not the normal force. Of course, the way the friction force works, the greater the normal force, the greater the friction.
This is the force each leg would have to exert on the wall. If the coefficient of static friction is 0.8 and the climber is just at the point where he/she is about to slip (max friction), then each leg would have to push with a force 0.8 times his/her weight. Compare this to 0.5 times the weight for each leg standing on the ground. So, it is doable.
Does this make sense? Well, if you were standing on the ground, then theta (in this case) would be pi/2. This would give a needed normal force of zero. What about the case where the legs are horizontal? This would be theta = 0 and the normal force would be infinite. Of course you can probably be completely horizontal, but this is because the human body isn't exactly a single line. Also, the point of contact is not a point.
But I really want the tangent of theta.
I know I made some possibly not valid assumptions here, but something is ok. What happens when the walls get close together? Then the climber's legs are almost vertical. In this case, each would have to exert just half the weight. The graph at least agrees with that. | https://www.wired.com/2009/08/parkour-physics-wall-climb/ |
Falls from ladders account for approximately 20,000 injuries and 300 deaths each year in the United States, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The American Ladder Institute (ALI) advises that when climbing a ladder, maintaining three points of contact minimizes the chances of slipping and falling. At all times during ascent, descent and while working, the climber must face the ladder and have either two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand in contact with the ladder steps, rungs and/or side rails.
Haste, sudden movement, lack of attention, the condition of the ladder (worn or damaged), the user’s age and/or physical condition and the user’s footwear all contribute to ladder falls. ALI offers these tips for reducing the chance of falling:
Wear slip-resistant shoes with heavy soles to prevent foot fatigue.
- Clean the soles of shoes to maximize traction.
- Use towlines, a tool belt or an assistant to convey materials so that the climber’s hands are free when climbing.
- Climb slowly and deliberately, avoiding sudden movements.
- Never attempt to move a ladder while standing on it.
- Keep the center of your belt buckle (stomach) between the ladder side rails when climbing and while working. Do not overreach or lean.
The American Ladder Institute offers a variety of free ladder safety training modules. You can access these modules at www.laddersafetytraining.org. | https://intentsmag.com/2017/04/01/the-three-point-of-contact-climb/ |
A WiiWare download game where you play as a rock climber. Using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, place your hands and feet on the protruding rocks in order to scale the wall within the time limit. You can optionally use the Wii Balance Board to control the climber's feet by shifting your weight. When you reach the top, the player will perform an air guitar solo or receive an electric guitar to play.
There are several rock faces you can climb, with unstable footholds, waterfalls and slippery moss on later levels. | https://nindb.net/wii/rock-n-roll-climber/index.html |
I remember when I started climbing. I really didn’t know any climbers and none of my friends climbed. So there wasn’t anyone I could ask questions. The place where I got started didn’t really have a pleasant vibe to go ask stupid questions about climbing shoe sizing or how should I go about this new hobby I was trying to get into. I remember being lucky if I even got a smile at the counter when paying to go climbing. The place reminded me of Mordor from The Lord of the rings. It was winter and freezing temps outside. The heat inside was just barely on the better side of freezing. Warming up was usually done running around and doing light climbing with our down jackets on. It was cold. But the friction was good 😉
A lot has changed since those days. Now when you walk into a modern indoor climbing venue, the hardest decision you have to make is what kind of coffee you want the part-time barista to brew you. Well not really, but you get the idea. Starting climbing is a lot easier these days. At least in the part of the world I live in.
I also remember having all these un-answered questions: Do you need to be in shape to start climbing? How many pull-ups do I need to be able to do before starting? Do I need to have an athletic background? What kind of clothes should I wear? How about the shoes? What kind of climbing is there?
So here is my advice for someone who has never been climbing but wants to go and see what it’s like. Here’s what’s nice to know when starting rock climbing.
Do I need to be fit before starting?
No. You don’t need to be fit. No, you don’t need to be able to do a single pull-up either. It’s not that important. None of this really matters when you’re starting out. Climbing is not a power sport, it’s a technical sport. Sure, at some point when you get the hang of things and the technique is getting better, then you start benefiting from power as well. But before that, it doesn’t play a major part. On the contrary, if just crushing everything with excess power from the start, it might even affect your climbing negatively in the long run. I’d rather start low and slow and take the time to learn the techniques first. All the power you will need the first few months (or even year) will come naturally when just climbing. And bouldering is good for power too, but we’ll talk about that further on.
The different types of climbing
Indoor climbing vs. Outdoor climbing
I recommend starting with indoor climbing because it’s way easier to start that way. You don’t need to have any gear of your own yet. Most indoor climbing gyms can rent you all the gear you need for a small fee. Actually, all you need to bring with you is a positive attitude, a will to learn new skills and to leave your comfort zone (like every time you try something new).
The biggest difference climbing inside vs. outside is that inside the ”routes” (sport climbing or top rope climbing) or ”problems” (bouldering routes) are artificially manufactured. This means that you can easily see each ”hold” (the things you grab with your hand) and ”foothold” (here you put your feet). Climbing outside it gets a bit more complicated. There might not be any visible footholds and you just have to put your foot somewhere. Sometimes there are good footholds and sometimes there is just one tiny pebble to place your foot (and hope it stays). Plus with climbing outside you will probably have to buy at least some gear before you even know if you like climbing.
Indoor climbing is a good way to start also because in every climbing gym there are easy routes or problems as well. Something for everybody. something to get the body and mind going and something to get addicted on. That is not the case at every ”sector” (an area where the routes or problems are located) when climbing outside. Some sectors might not have any easy routes. It can be quite discouraging if there is nothing within your capability to climb on.
Don’t get me wrong. Climbing outside is the bomb! For me it’s the best thing out there. And it’s what gets me motivated to train indoors. But for starting out climbing, it may be a bit challenging. Check the video to get motivated!
Bouldering
Bouldering is climbing relatively low from the ground on single boulders or short cliffs. Typically boulder problems are 3-5 meters (9-15 feet) high. Sometimes higher, sometimes lower. If you happen to fall (and you will at some point), a stiff mattress (inside) or ”bouldering pad” (outside) will catch your fall. When climbing outside, it is recommended to bring along a fellow climber who ”spots” (guides you down to the pad feet first) you in case of an unintended fall.
Most of the time, bouldering is considered more powerful and dynamic compared to, say, sport climbing. If climbers who mostly do sport climbing want to get a bit more power and fingers strength, they usually concentrate on bouldering for a certain period of time, to train on those weaknesses. Bouldering effectively strengthens ones fingers, arms, shoulders and core.
I recommend starting climbing with bouldering because it is so easy to start. Rent a pair of shoes, dip your hands in ”chalk” if you like (chalk is used by climbers, and weight lifters too, for keeping fingers and hands dry in order to get a better grip of whatever they are gripping), pick a problem you want to climb or holds that you like and start climbing. It’s that easy. Just start climbing. You can figure everything else out as you go along.
Top roping vs. leading
There are basically two types of climbing involving a rope. When ”top roping”, a climber is tied to a rope which goes up to a top rope anchor (located at the top of the route you are climbing) and from there back down to your climbing partner who is ”belaying” (using a belay device that relies on friction to stop the rope when used correctly or automatically locking up like a brake to stop the rope and thus catching the falling climber). When top roping, the climber can not take a big fall because the belayer takes in the slack of the rope when the climber progresses up the route.
The other type of climbing is ”leading”. When leading, the rope runs from the belayer directly to the climber. The climber clips the rope to fixed bolts with a ”quick draw ” (two carabiners connected to each other with a short sling or dogbone, the top carabiner clips to the bolt and you clip the rope to the bottom carabiner) or places removable trad gear to cracks and such, when progressing up the route. In order to advance up a route while leading, the climber must climb above the previous protection point. If falling without being able to clip the next quickdraw or piece of protection, the climber will fall at least twice the distance to the previous bolt or piece. For example if you are four feet from the previous protection, you will fall eight feet down plus a bit more due to stretching of the rope. This can be quite exciting and brings a whole new element to climbing compared to top roping. Also, a ”ascent” (doing a route purely) of a route is not valid untill it has been climbed by leading.
It is strongly recommended to take a course concentrating on basic belaying techniques and top roping before heading to the wall. Climbing can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. Practise your belaying skills and learn the right techniques properly from the start.
Only once you have the proper belaying technique and feel comfortable top roping, can you start thinking about leading. It is also recommended to take a class on leading. It is also good to practice clipping a quickdraw on the ground first before starting up the route. Get to know the process first indoors before going leading outdoors.
Sport vs. Trad
Sport climbing differs from trad climbing with the way the protection is placed. Sport climbing uses pre-drilled permanently fastened bolts for protection. Trad climbers take the gear with them from the ground up and place the protection on the lead in natural cracks and such. I will not cover this any more thoroughly, because it is not likely a new climber will start with trad climbing.
Trad climbers do not usually use pre-placed gear. When sport climbing, it is ok to have all the necessary quickdraws pre placed on the whole route. That way the clipping is a lot faster because you only have to clip the rope to the pre placed quickdraw. When climbing on your limit, it can make all the difference. Both sport and trad ascents are done on the lead (i.e. ”sharp end”).
The gear
Rock climbing shoes
Ok. Now we’ve covered the different disciplines of climbing. I guess it’s time to get into the gear part. So, what do you need when starting out? It depends on what type of climbing you want to do. If you start with bouldering indoors, all you really need is a pair of shorts and a t-shirt to climb in. Like I said before, you can rent the shoes when starting out.
Then after climbing a few times and knowing that this is what you want to do, I’d start thinking of getting my first pair of rock climbing shoes. Luckily I’ve written an in-depth article about choosing the right pair of rock climbing shoes. You can find it here.
Bouldering gear
Bouldering is pretty straight forward concerning gear, and specially indoors. Good to have items are a good pair of climbing shoes, some chalk to keep the hands dry, a container of some sort to hold the chalk and a brush for brushing excess chalk off the holds.
Chalking up before a boulder problem can have a significant impact on the climb. People are different and some have more sweaty hands than others. My hands are on the more sweaty side of things so I tend to use chalk quite a bit (which is not necessary a good thing). But I am careful to brush the holds after I’m done climbing. I’m also very picky with my chalk. There are many different manufacturers out there. Some are better than others, but this is mostly a matter of preference and how sweaty your hands are. My favourite brand is Friction Labs but anything will work fine when you are starting out.
A climbing brush is nice to have too. Some climbers like to use tooth brushes but there are (of course!) specially designed brushes for the task. Generally speaking, brushes with nylon bristles are used mostly indoors and natural bristles (like boars hair) are used outdoors. Natural bristles are a bit more gentle to the rock. If brushing excessively with nylon on some types of rock, the holds can get quite glassy and lose its natural texture that enhances friction. It would be nicer to preserve the rock for future generations too. Anyway, there is likely multiple types of brushes sold at the indoor climbing gym you are starting out at. Everybody has a favourite brand, mine is Sublime brushes. Lapis makes a good brush as well.
There are several types of bags to hold the chalk you just bought. One can carry a smaller chalk bag strapped to the waist or have a bigger bouldering chalk bag at lying on the ground that fits two hands at once. Matter of preference. When top roping and leading, it is nice to have the chalk with you when you climb.
When thinking of going for a bouldering session outdoors, it might be a good idea to buy a bouldering pad. Most likely you can rent a pad from your local climbing gym to try bouldering outdoors. In the long run it is nice to have your own pad. Like with every piece of gear, there are several different pads to choose from. Pick one that you are comfortable carrying and that fits in your car (if you have one). My all time favourite brand is Organic Climbing, just because the foam inside tends to outperform the competition. There are other good choices too. Ask around at the gym. Everyone has their favourite. Bouldering pads are meant to feel stiff or even hard. They are not designed to be comfortable. They are designed to take the impact in case of a fall. The stiffer, the better in my opinion.
Top roping gear and sport gear
I cannot emphasize this enough, learn the proper belaying and safety skills first under supervision either taking a specialised course or with a skilled and experienced climber. Safety over eagerness.
When top roping the two most important piece of gear is of course the rope and harness. The thickness of the rope is commonly measured in millimeters. I recommend buying a rope in the 10-10,2mm range. You are likely to take a few falls when starting out. And it is likely that your rope handling skills aren’t top notch yet. So no use buying an expensive thin rope. Go through the ranks with something a bit more inexpensive and after a year or two, buy a rope that better suites your needs as a climber. Also buy a rope bag you can carry your rope with. They usually come with a built-in tarp. The tarp protects your rope from dirt and debris. When taking in slack from the climber, try to coil the rope on the tarp, instead of directly letting it rest on the ground. It will keep your rope cleaner and extend its life span.
Harnesses come in different sizes and shapes, depending on the style. There are several ultra light harnesses that all the top dogs use, but I’d buy an all round harness. The likes of Black Diamond ?? or Pezl Corax. They are splendid for every discipline of climbing. Again, with experience after a few years you know what you want from your next harness. Spending a lot of money to buy the best and lightest gear the market has to offer at the very start of your climbing career might not be the best move. But it’s up to you.
You will also need a few locking carabiners and a few slings to build top roping anchors. And a belay device. Some like to belay with a tube style belay device and some (majority?) with a self locking device (like one of the most used Pezl Grigri). This again is a matter of preference. Use what you and your climbing partner feel comfortable with.
When starting to climb on the lead you will also need quickdraws. Some like thinner and lighter dogbones on their draws and some thicker ones that are more comfortable to grab when working on a route. Again, up to you. I will not get into trad gear in this article.
In my opinion one of the most important and also probably the most overlooked piece of equipment you should buy is a helmet. When leading it is easy to get your feet tangled in the rope in case of a fall. You could possibly be thrown up side down and hit your head on the wall. A helmet also protects the belayer in case a rock falls from the wall. Loose rocks are quite common at some crags. A helmet is a cheap insurance to buy. Nowadays helmets look pretty cool too. Choose one that fits your head and wallet the best.
Climbing grades
Because people like to compare things to other things, it is natural that routes and boulder problems are graded to make the comparing a bit easier (but not always). But to complicate things, the grades are not same in all of the world. And the grading can also differ quite a bit from crag to crag.
The initial grade of a route or boulder is given by the climber who has climbed it first. This first ascentionist proposes a grade that he or she feels is appropriate. Then the grade is either confirmed by the next person (or persons) or they suggest another grade that they feel is better. Basically a grade is given based on feeling, so it is not always an accurate system. For instance, if a boulder problem has one reachy move that feels really hard, it may not be as hard if you are a bit taller. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. A route that is hard for you may be really easy for some other climber who excels in that type of climbing.
In North America bouldering is usually graded with the Hueco scale i.e. the ”V” system. The grades run from V0 up to V17 where 17 is the hardest. Sport climbing uses te Yosemite Desimal System ranging from (easy) 5.0 to (hard) 5.15d. The letters come into the system starting from 5.10 (5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, 5.10d, 5.11a,…)
In Europe (not the band) bouldering typically uses the Fontainbleu scale (Fontainbleu is in France, one of the first places where bouldering began). The Font scale ranges from 4 to 9a with a combination of numbers, letters and plusses (6A, 6A+, 6B, 6B+, 6C,…) In Europe sport climbing uses typically the French scale, which is similar to the bouldering Font scale. This ranges from 4 to 9c. These are just the basic four grading systems most commonly used. Of course almost every continent has their own system, but these are good for reference. Trad climbing has its own grading too. But lets not get into that.
So, now we’ve covered the basic questions you may have, the types of climbing, the gear needed for those disciplines and the basic grading systems. But keep in mind that this has only been a scratch from the surface. These are the very basics. We haven’t even touched the actual climbing part. The techniques and all. But you are good to go with this. Just start. Go to the gym, pull on the shoes and get started. But be aware, climbing can be highly addictive.
If you have any questions or anything you would like me to explain further, shoot me with a message or leave a comment. I’ll be happy to help. Thanks for reading. | https://everythingaboutclimbing.com/2018/07/03/how-to-start-rock-climbing-a-guide-on-whats-nice-to-know-when-starting-out/ |
We have provided you with answers to commonly asked questions, taken from Government’s Explanatory Booklet.
If there is a risk that you will be left in difficulties if the Building Owner stops work at an inconvenient stage, you can request them, before he starts the notified work, to make available such security as is agreed (or if not agreed determined by the surveyor/s), which may be money or a bond or insurances, etc. that would allow you to restore the status quo if he fails to do so. The money remains the Building Owner’s throughout, but if, for example, you need to have a wall rebuilt, you, or more commonly the surveyors, can draw on that security to pay for the rebuilding. This provision is usually reserved for particularly intrusive or complex works.
Incomplete work may make a building unsafe and therefore dangerous. Any concerns about dangerous buildings should be raised with the local authority building control department. Concerns about health and safety may also be raised with the local authority building control department or the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
You should contact your local authority environmental department who have powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Control of Pollution Act 1974 to deal with matters of noise and other potential nuisance, such as dust and deposits from construction sites.
No. The Act does not change the ownership of any wall, nor does it change the position of any boundary. Boundaries can still run through the centre of a wall, so that each owner may technically own half of a wall. However, it may help in understanding the principles of the Act if owners consider themselves joint owners of the whole of a party wall rather than the sole owner of half or part of it. The Act sets out what rights an owner has in relation to works to a party wall and what he is obliged to do before he can exercise those rights.
No. The Act does not contain any provision that could be used to settle a boundary line dispute. Such disputes can be resolved through the courts or through alternative dispute resolution procedures (which may be simpler, quicker and cheaper), for example mediation, decision by an independent expert or arbitration.
Common Law rights are restricted by this Act only to the extent that the Act would take precedence on any matter for which it makes provision and only when the correct notices have been given and the procedures correctly followed. Any other rights, easements or covenants are not affected.
The Building Owner who wants to start work covered by the Act must give Adjoining Owners notice of their intentions. Generally, the notice should be given at least two months before the work is due to start or one month for new party walls or structures, and any excavation.
Notices and other documents required under the Act may be served by delivering them in person, sending them by post, or sending them by email if the recipient has agreed to receive them by email, has not withdrawn that statement and has provided an email address to send the documents to.
Yes, unless the Adjoining Owner agrees, in writing, to the work starting earlier than as stated in the notice.
If the requirements of the Act are not followed, as with most property law matters (e.g. boundary disputes) it is a civil matter for the parties involved to resolve. Where work has begun without notice being given, an adjoining owner can seek to stop the work through a court injunction.
For proposed work under section 2 (existing party walls and structures) and section 6 (excavation and construction) of the Act, if the adjoining owner does not respond after 14 days of being served a notice it would be considered a dispute has arisen. For proposed work under section 1 (new building on line of junction) if the adjoining owner does not respond after 14 days of being served a notice the building owner may only build the new wall at his own expense and as an external wall wholly within his own land.
Both owners need to agree on an ‘Agreed Surveyor’ to produce an ‘Award’. Alternatively, each owner can appoint a surveyor to draw up an award together. A third surveyor is selected in case the two appointed surveyors cannot agree. The surveyors appointed and selected must consider the interests and rights of both owners.
It is a legal document that sets out the works to be carried out and how they are to be carried out. The surveyor/s will decide who pays the costs in producing the award and for any necessary checking that the work has been carried out according to the award.
You are unable to rescind his appointment, but you can approach the Third Surveyor to resolve the matter for you. However, if you have chosen to have just the one surveyor called ‘Agreed Surveyor’, then there is no Third Surveyor to call upon. This is why you should take care in selecting a surveyor and more particularly as to whether you just need the one ‘Agreed Surveyor’. 29
No. If no dispute arises there is no requirement under the Act to appoint a surveyor.
Concerns about the conduct of a surveyor can be raised with the Citizens Advice consumer service and/or the trading standards body for the area concerned. Contact details can be found at: http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/. If the surveyor is a member of a professional body, such as the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) or Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors, the relevant professional body can also be contacted to find out about the complaints procedures they have in place.
Only if the Adjoining Owner agrees. If not, you must build the wall wholly on your own land.
The Act contains no enforcement procedures. It is advisable to raise your concerns with the owner of the property first. Where surveyor/s prepare an Award, they will endeavor to ensure your concerns are addressed in the way in which the works are carried out. If you cannot resolve the issues raised you may be able to seek redress through the civil courts. If either of the parties wishes to dispute the Award, they may appeal to the county court against the Award within 14 days, beginning with the day on which the award is served on them.
The Act is separate from planning or building regulations control. Therefore, even if a building owner has planning permission and/or building regulations approval, they should still go through the proper procedures with their adjoining owners under the Act. However, not all work covered by the Act will require planning permission and/or building regulations approval.
Many local authorities inform those seeking planning permission or building regulations, approval of the Party Wall Act as a matter of good practice, but there is no requirement for them to do so.
If work is not covered by the Act, at common law an owner has the right not to have his property damaged by someone else, and where a property is interfered with as a necessary part of the work to a neighbouring property, they have the right for it to be put back in good condition. If a building owner does not put right any damage caused, the adjoining owner has the option of taking legal action to enforce their rights. The adjoining owner would need to be able to prove that they have suffered damage or loss. Anyone considering taking legal action is strongly advised to seek their own legal advice before taking any action.
The property information forms, which are completed by the seller as part of the conveyancing process may include questions on the Act including whether there has been a dispute. | https://partywallspecialists.com/faqs/ |
non-existent. Occasionally this happens when the structure's design is just too weird, but most often, this is due to a lack of buyers. When there are a number of these homes or commercial buildings, it's a telltale sign of neighborhood distress.
Your neighborhood shouldn't allow this situation to continue. Unless you are in an otherwise flawless neighborhood, it signals to outsiders that property in this neighborhood may be close to worthless. Things are so bad it doesn't even matter if we abandon the place.
A video that came to our attention about land banks in Michigan is a great introduction to the subject.
Abandoned buildings are rare in well-kept neighborhoods where demand for property is high, but it happens even in the nicest suburbs. When it does, the neighbors will be quite upset about the unusual blight.
In this situation, one possibility is that the abandoned building belongs to an estate, and the heirs cannot agree on a course of action, so nothing is done. Sometimes abandonment also occurs when the owner is a senior citizen and begins to suffer with dementia or Alzheimer's. The owner may be mentally ill or in jail. The many unique reasons behind a problem real estate parcel make community development such interesting work.
Whether you are in a great neighborhood or one past its prime, the techniques for taking action in the face of abandonment are similar; only the likelihood of success differs.
We're big fans of the direct approach, you might have noticed. So that means trying to find the owner and engaging in direct talks about how to make the transition back to a well cared-for property.
If you know how to find the owner, by the way, you will want to refer to our adaptive reuse or housing rehabilitation page and start persuading the owner(s) that there's hope for the building.
The most common method of dealing with this problem is through what is called code enforcement.
Most towns and nearly all cities have adopted some type of property maintenance code, or law, that lists standards that should not be violated. These also may regulate vacant lots. If the standard of the code that the town adopts are not met, it is a violation of a municipal ordinance.
Commonly you will have to file a complaint to get much action from your local government, although of course if you can get your elected officials interested, so much the better. A town having a municipal code hires or contracts for a code enforcement officer.
Police may handle the matter in smaller towns. A code enforcement officer does not have the same powers as a law enforcement officer, and issues code violation letters instead of tickets.
Typically the government will send a notice and allow a particular number of days for the person who receives the code violation notice to correct the situation and then call for a re-inspection. Many code violations are resolved in this manner.
Since a code violation case is heard in a municipal court, not a county or state court, often police are not involved, and the code enforcement officer is the city government's star witness.
If, however, the violator does not correct the situation, the code enforcement officer may then send the matter to the municipal court. Commonly the court requires the violation to be corrected and allows a specified number of days for that correction to occur. If the violation is not abated, the judge may impose fines.
So from this discussion of the code enforcement process, we can learn that:
The problem with code enforcement in the abandoned buildings situation is that the local government may well be unable to communicate successfully with the owner. Either the address for the owner has become obsolete, or because of one of the mental conditions described above, the owner is unresponsive.
If code enforcement cannot locate the property owner, but you have a hunch that he, she, or they live in the metropolitan area, you could try mounting a media or social media campaign.
Call the newspaper or especially a television station. Television loves a really disgusting visual. Remember that your purpose is to have the situation corrected, not to drive the property owner further into denial or anger, and not to get revenge.
If you find that your city or town does not have any effective commercial property maintenance code, asking them to adopt one might be a feasible option. You can use your particular abandoned buildings or lots as examples of why such a code is needed. It's likely that you will need an extensive campaign to persuade a town, township, or city to adopt such a code if they have not done so already, so get ready to find friendly organizations that will back your idea or even to form your own neighborhood association or block club.
You can assure your elected officials that the vast majority of town maintenance codes are written by committees at an international level and adopted at the local level, so adopting the code is not a long, tedious process. Also you can promise accurately that if they find a provision of one of these standard codes that is not appropriate for your geography, geology, construction techniques, or social sensitivities, you can amend the code in any way you see fit locally.
If code enforcement doesn't work, your neighborhood will want to consider the legal risks of trespassing and refrain from taking action without owner permission. So you want to contact the property owner to volunteer to remove overgrown vegetation and accumulation of trash around the abandoned buildings yourselves. Many neighborhoods have done so.
If a window or door is broken in, by all means contact the owner and offer to have it replaced at your own expense. Collective action is required here; you need a neighborhood organization now even if you never had one before. I've even seen the property owner show up and be angry when someone starts cleaning up the mess!
Between code enforcement and organized community clean-ups, you may be able to keep the situation livable. (For tips on a community clean-up, see our page on cleaning up your neighborhood park, as many tips there will apply.)
If you're having little success with either, hang in there. Sometimes these situations resolve themselves on their own when an older person dies and the heirs are at last motivated and psychologically able to do the right thing and clean up the property.
However, we should add that sometimes if the abandoned building is in a neighborhood with low property values, the heirs are disinterested or lack clear title in order to sell. The neighborhood will have to attempt to work with heirs, local government, and any community organizations and community development corporations active in the area to find a solution. Part of the solution in this instance is to prevent the problem from occurring in the first place by promoting every property owner having a no-cost or low-cost will prepared. Access our heir property page through the photo link at the bottom of this page for more information and discussion of this issue.
Condemnation is the process whereby a government takes over a property, after following a strictly prescribed legal process. Some local governments readily embrace this procedure, and others would rather do almost anything else. In any case, local and state laws often lay out specific tests of whether condemnation for lack of maintenance is appropriate.
However, if you are a concerned neighbor, it is certainly worth approaching your city government to understand their laws and processes in this regard. Often it will be the building inspectors rather than regular code enforcement officers that determine whether the criteria are met. Even so, when the regular code enforcement process does not work, local codes often allow the condemnation option, so the code inspector's work gradually feeds into the building inspector's final determination.
Of course the property owner receives notice prior to condemnation and is allowed a grace period to remedy the situation. Often this does not occur, and the municipality may take ownership of the property and either allow the structure to remain and continue to decay, or else order its demolition.
If nothing else works, I've seen neighborhoods have to pool assets to buy the offending property, clean it up, and put it back on the market. That's providing they can locate the owner and that there is a market in your area.
If there's no market, I hope you'll read more about community poverty, concentrated poverty, solutions to concentrated poverty, or even economic development.
Find a little more information on purchasing abandoned homes on this other page.
In closing, we will point out that sometimes neighbors, especially close neighbors, think that they can simply take possession of an empty building and start fixing it up. While we understand the impulse, don't follow this course of action because it can lead to legal problems later. With the possible exception of those exercising adverse condemnation laws in your state, which allow people to take possession of property they have been maintaining and using openly for a number of years, this course of action will land you in legal trouble. Persevere with the other options.
Subscribe to our monthly e-mail newsletter, called USEFUL COMMUNITY PLUS, which provides you with short features or tips about timely topics for neighborhoods, towns and cities, community organizations, rural environments, and our international friends. Unsubscribe any time. Give it a try. | https://www.useful-community-development.org/abandoned-buildings.html |
Please ensure you have read through the guidance to having a pet, and the pet you are requesting is suitable for your property, before you complete the request form.
Dogs and cats are not allowed in retirement/sheltered flats.
Pets are not allowed in some properties/schemes/tenancy types.
Permission will not normally be refused for those requiring an assistance dog; further guidance on such requests is provided below.
Leaseholders must check their lease and seek permission from Grand Union Housing Group prior to homing a pet. In all cases, staff should refer to the terms and conditions of the lease in order to determine whether procedure should be applied.
Residents within Right to Buy and Right to Acquire properties must make an application for permission as covenants relating to the communal parts will still be applicable and therefore permission must be sought.
This pets guidance has been constructed in line with our Pets Procedure and is meant to provide Tenants with information regarding the expectations around pet ownership.
Tenants are responsible for the health and welfare of their pets. This is referred to as a duty of care under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. This includes the proper daily management and healthcare (including control of parasites and vaccinations), a suitable environment and diet, ability to behave normally, and be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.
We encourage the spaying and neutering of all pets.
Dogs and cats must wear a collar and tag in order to comply with current legislation. The tag must display the owner’s name and address as per the Control of Dogs Order 1992.
All dogs and cats must be identified by microchip. The identification details will be provided within the application form.
No pet should be left in the property when the tenant is away unless arrangements have been made to provide adequate care. This could require the animal to be boarded elsewhere. For smaller pets close supervision from a neighbour may be adequate.
If it is suspected that a tenant has abandoned a property, and a pet is left behind it then becomes our property. If a pet is found abandoned the Housing Officer will contact the RSPCA immediately to attend to the welfare of the animal.
Where a member of staff witnesses cruelty or neglect they will report to the RSPCA. Where cruelty or neglect is witnessed by a third party, it should be reported to us who will then report it to the RSPCA. The third party will also be encouraged to report the incident to the RSPCA. The RSPCA has a dedicated line for cruelty and advice which can be contacted 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 0300 1234 999.
Residents are responsible for ensuring that their pets cause no nuisance to other residents and visitors.
Residents are responsible for any damaged cause to the property by their pets. Damaged caused by pets is normally due to lack of supervision or control of the pet. Tenants must act responsibly to prevent this. If a tenant causes damage deliberately, accidentally or by neglect, and the damage is not repaired, we may carry out the repairs and charge the costs for doing so.
If residents wish to make adaptations to the property, such as a cat flap or outside accommodation for their pet, they must first seek written permission.
We recommend tenants take out adequate insurance to cover any liability that might arise. | https://guhg.co.uk/your-home/residentinformation/guidance-on-pets/ |
Encroachment concerns may be frustrating for homeowners, but specific approaches can give a better level of resolution than others. Homeownership comes with responsibilities, one of which is making sure that any modifications or upgrades stay within the confines of your property boundaries.
Knowing your property boundary lines as documented on a recent survey, as well as the ways you could unknowingly infringe on neighbouring land, can help to guarantee that any property encroachment issues that may arise are minimal. Property boundary disputes, such as encroachment claims, may quickly become nasty, turning friendly neighbours into scowling foes in the quest for a settlement.
Real estate language can be challenging to comprehend. Several terms appear to be equivalent, yet, are defined quite differently. Understanding the terminologies will help you better grasp your rights as a homeowner, buyer, or seller — to learn more about how you can protect your property with insurance, visit this site.
In this article, we’ll go over some fast and effective ways that you can handle an encroachment issue in Canada.
Contents
- 1 What is property encroachment?
- 2 How does it work?
- 3 Types of encroachment
- 4 Ways to deal with encroachment of property
- 5 Endnote
What is property encroachment?
Encroachment occurs when someone infringes on the owner’s property rights. It might imply building construction on someone else’s land or property. Property encroachers frequently target abandoned or unattended properties. Encroachment on property is usually done on purpose when a person chooses to breach the boundaries of another person’s property or land.
Encroachment, for example, occurs when one of your neighbours renovates their house in a way that a portion of their property extends into your region. It might be a balcony or terrace that extends into your parking spot. It might also be an extension of any other place that extends your patio, obstructing or hindering ventilation.
Encroachment may occur due to the passage of time (such as the development of a tree) or as a result of an unintentional incident when property borders are not recognized or property titles are erroneously recorded during the building process.
How does it work?
When you buy a house, you’ll almost have a survey done. This process, which is carried out by a professional, creates the property’s official boundaries. A homeowner can also request another survey at any time, which might be helpful if there is a disagreement amongst neighbours.
Since a survey establishes your property borders, anything your neighbour constructs on or over your line may be deemed an encroachment. This can occur purposefully or accidentally, but it is always done without consent.
Types of encroachment
There are two types of encroachments:
Minor encroachment
A minor encroachment does not have a significant impact on the neighbour’s property rights. It is a predicament that can be resolved via a simple discussion or negotiation. A garden or a fence, for example, may only overlap property lines by a few inches.
Communication with your neighbour and reaching an agreement on what to do can often fix these difficulties.
Major Encroachment
A major encroachment can have a negative influence on the value of a property. It refers to a situation that requires negotiation, authorization, or legal action.
For instance, suppose a neighbour’s tree has branches that overhang onto your property, and a child is injured while climbing it. Even though the tree is in your neighbour’s yard, you may need to make a responsibility claim against your homeowner’s insurance policy.
More permanent structures placed beyond your property limits may have an impact on the value of your home if you decide to sell it in the future.
Ways to deal with encroachment of property
Fortunately, there are numerous options for dealing with encroachment. However, before you do anything, be sure you understand your property’s borders. You’re ready to start a conversation with your neighbours, and you don’t want to start a feud over misplaced boundaries.
Conduct a professional land survey
The first step in determining whether or not there is a potential border or encroachment concern should always be a professional land survey. In certain circumstances, what one homeowner perceives as an invasion problem may not be one at all.
It is always preferable to figure this out before jumping to any conclusions. A professional land survey can help guarantee that the boundaries between adjacent properties are precisely defined.
Letting the space out
You can lease out the land to the encroacher or permit them to use your property for a specific amount of time in exchange for money if the encroacher does not desire legal possession of the property but only wants to use it for a set period. Before this goes into effect, be sure the legal settlement is finalized.
Discuss it with your neighbour
You can and should talk to your next-door neighbour about it. He could be able to shift the structure, or you may come up with a different solution. Avoiding legal bills, the stress of hiring an attorney and going to court by resolving any disagreements outside of court can save you both money and time.
Neighbours that are willing to talk things out usually come to an agreement that both agree on.
Claim the damages
If the encroachment party refuses to cooperate, the best alternative is to take them to court and seek financial restitution for their illegal conduct. The regulations give property owners the right to sue for damages incurred due to land grabbing or encroachment.
The term “damage” refers to the amount of money the defendant may be required to pay the plaintiff for the landowners’ damages. When it comes to trespassing or land encroachment, the property owner can sue for physical harm.
Arbitration
If neither you nor the encroaching neighbour comes to an agreement that is fair to both parties, but you don’t want to go to court, you can seek the help of a neutral third party. This is far less expensive than engaging an attorney, and the mediating person can assist in finding a middle ground between both parties. This is generally known as arbitration.
Endnote
Property disputes can be challenging to resolve. Exchanges concerning encroachment and other issues can be tense due to large sums of money and emotional attachments. Encroachments must be handled as quickly as possible.
When you initially bring up the matter, give your neighbour the benefit of the doubt. Before finalizing an encroachment agreement, consider how an adverse possession or prescriptive easement can affect your land value. Work with a qualified, local real estate attorney today to resolve your encroachment issue. | https://www.newsforpublic.com/deal-property-encroachment/ |
Another form of disused building, but generally less rural in nature, is a commercial property. This could be a factory, a shop or a high street building or warehouse. Of course the building does not need to be disused, a Change of Use can also be applied for.
1 While a structure is often in place, it is usually the case that conversion isn’t necessarily as inexpensive as it my first appear. Specialist tradesmen may be required to deal with more complex issues that an existing building may throw up; altering floor heights to fit into planning requirements, for example. It is therefore sensible to approach a conversion with the alternative of a replacement building as a costing alternative. Additional requirements may also be in place in relation, for example, to U-Values that may be affected by the existing construction. Another example is the Community Infrastructure Levy. It is important to thoroughly research all of this before proceeding.
2 You will need to assess access to the property. An upstairs residence will have existing access. You will not be able to alter this without permission. Similarly, as most commercial properties are located in busy urban areas and town centres you will have to consider your own transport needs – can you park your car? But also, rights of way. Parking areas and access points will relate to the existing profile of the surrounding area. It is an area that will require close work with the Planning Department.
3 As you will have applied under the ‘Change of Use’ legislation, it is just that. The facade of the building and other external areas will be subject to planning permission as would any such alterations. You will therefore have to consider the costs involved of maintaining the look of the surrounding area.
4 With former commercial or industrial buildings it is often easier to get planning permission than out of use rural buildings, although Local Authorities are likely to prefer multiple occupancy units. Original features are often incorporated to maintain the building’s original identity and position in the fabric of the town’s evolution, or as Local Authorities put it, ‘retain the character of the building.’ www.property.org.uk/unique often has interesting opportunities and information from which you can learn.
5 You should consider the purchase of the property as it would be when complete: Do you like living here? Is it near enough to the train station? Is there a noisy nightclub next door? How near is it to the school?
6 A developer can claim back a proportion of VAT charged on the conversion of some buildings. If the owner retains the property for private residential use they can make a claim for the VAT under the DIY Builders Refund Scheme available from Customs and Excise. Check www.hmrc.gov.uk for the rules. | http://www.buildingandrenovating.co.uk/commercial-to-residential.html |
Have you been invited to a PLO meeting?
Karen Lennox, who works in our Family Department based in Nottingham, provides some guidance in relation to Public Law Outline (or “PLO”) Meetings.
If the Local Authority has continued concerns in relation to your children which have not been resolved through a child protection plan, you could be invited to a Public Law Outline (or PLO) meeting in a final attempt to prevent court proceedings. You will receive a letter setting out the Local Authorities concerns and confirming the date, time and venue for the meeting.
The meeting will be chaired by a Team Manager, accompanied by the social worker and a lawyer from their legal department. The Local Authority will discuss with you their concerns and you will have the opportunity to reply and explain matters.
A written agreement is often entered into upon which you are entitled to legal advice in the hope of resolving the issues. If this process is successful, the matter could return to child protection or child in need status. If the process is unsuccessful, the Local Authority could issue care proceedings and seek orders to remove the children from your care. It is important that you cooperate with this process and seek legal advice in an attempt to prevent court proceedings.
You could be entitled to free legal representation at a PLO meeting. Here at Bhatia Best, our case workers are very experienced in assisting parents at these meetings and providing legal advice throughout. You should make an appointment at any of our three offices, bringing the PLO letter with you as this entitles you to free legal aid irrespective of your income. Please call us now on 0115 950 3231 to secure representation. | https://www.bhatiabest.co.uk/blogs/have-you-been-invited-to-a-plo-meeting/ |
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This content is not being updated. The latest Scottish Government information on building standards can be found on https://www.gov.scot.
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To obtain a building warrant, please seek assistance from the relevant local authority. Local authorities administer the Building Standards system and are responsible for granting permission for work to be done (Building Warrant) and for a completed building to be occupied (Completion Certificate). | https://www2.gov.scot/bsd |
Q: I have a tree in my garden which is now about 30ft high and continuing to grow at an angle towards my garage roof. I told my neighbour that I wanted to cut the tree down as it was going to cause problems but she said that because we live in a Tree Conservation area I cannot touch it and if I do she will report me to the Council. The tree is not subject to a Tree Preservation Order, it is on my own property and I think it is unsafe to leave it any longer as it could easily fall on my garage if we have many more high winds. What can I do?
A: As the tree is located within a Conservation Area, you will need to seek formal permission from the Council before undertaking any work on the tree, even though it is on your own property.
Most local authorities have designated tree officers that you can discuss your individual position with initially. The terms of the Conservation Area will need to be studied and complied with. This will usually mean a formal application (which is usually free) needs to be made for permission for any proposed works on the tree pursuant to the provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
In view of the size of your tree, and the potential for serious damage, it would be advisable to first seek guidance from a qualified tree surgeon or arboriculturalist to support your wish to remove the tree. It may be a condition of any permission to remove the tree that the work is carried out by such a specialist contractor who has adequate public liability insurance cover in case any difficulties arise. | https://www.ghplegal.com/ghp-insights/2016/05/qa-is-it-true-that-i-can-not-cut-down-a-dangerous-tree-in-my-own-garden/ |
Many Michigan residents struggle with medical conditions and injuries that prevent them from working, however, not all of them are obvious. You could be struggling with a significant medical condition, known as complex regional pain syndrome, and eventually, it could be what stands between you and your ability to work.
When you are unable to hold gainful employment and support yourself and your family because of this condition, you may have a valid claim to Social Security disability benefits. Claiming these benefits is not always an easy process, and you may find that you have to fight for your rightful support.
What is CRPS?
For many people, CRPS does not just develop overnight. For some, it starts after a person experiences another type of medical condition, illness or injury, such as Lyme disease, traumatic injuries or significant nerve damage. Since it is born out of complications related to another ailment, many people are unsure that they actually have this type of illness.
Sometimes, many people continue to experience pain long after the original source is gone. When significant pain lasts for more than three to six months, it may be a sign that a person has CRPS. People who experience the negative side effects associated with CRPS find that they may deal with the following:
- Random, uncontrollable bouts of pain
- Pain that becomes unmanageable over time
- Difficulty sitting or standing for long periods of time
- Stiffness in joints
- Changes in the feeling of the skin
- Decrease in range of motion
- Lack of muscle coordination
When your CRPS begins to impact your ability to work like you used to, it is time to consider your other options. This may include seeking benefits for disability. Not everyone with CRPS will be eligible for SSD benefits, but you always have the right to seek a complete explanation of your legal options.
Getting the help you need
Navigating the disability claims process is complex and fraught with challenges. Many first-time claims come back denied. You do not have to take one step of this process alone, but you may seek guidance and support from the very beginning.
If you believe that you have a rightful claim to disability benefits or you would like to know more about your rights as a person with complex regional pain syndrome, you have no time to lose in reaching out and securing a complete evaluation of your case. | https://www.paulbeck.com/blog/2017/10/does-complex-regional-pain-syndrome-qualify-you-for-disability/ |
Vacant Building Credit (VBC) is a policy that entitles developers to a financial credit in relation to the affordable housing contribution. The calculation is set out in the Planning Practice Guidance as "the equivalent of the gross floorspace of any relevant vacant buildings being brought back into use or demolished as part of the scheme and deducted from the overall affordable housing contribution calculation." Despite being first introduced in 2014 to encourage the re-development of vacant buildings, the benefits offered by Vacant Building Credit are yet to be taken advantage of. It can be said that a likely consequence of COVID-19 will be more vacant buildings, therefore there are likely to be more opportunities for developers to consider if VBC can be applied.
The difficulties arise in applying the policy in practice. The Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) does not set out criteria for the policy, however it does outline certain questions and factors to be taken into account.
It has been made clear that the credit can only be applied to vacant buildings but cannot be applied to abandoned buildings. There must be a building for the credit to be applied so if the building has been demolished, VBC cannot be claimed. The credit cannot be applied if the building is subject to a recently expired planning permission that is for substantially the same development.
The developer will need to provide evidence to demonstrate to the local authority that the relevant questions have been satisfied. The difficulties arise as the questions are open to interpretation by each individual local authority.
The PPG does not provide a definitive answer. There is no specific period of time that a building needs to be vacant for it to qualify for VBC. Some local authorities have chosen to rely on the requirement under CIL regulations which states that the building must have been in lawful use for a period of at least six months out of a three year period. However this then poses the question of when the date of vacancy will be calculated from. This length of time to prove vacancy could deter developers from applying VBC to their development.
Local authorities should also consider if a building has been made vacant specifically to qualify for VBC.
For some time, the Government has encouraged the redevelopment of brownfield land. The "Planning for the Future" paper published on 12 March 2020 further made it clear that the Government is "backing brownfield". Clearer guidance on the practicalities surrounding the application for VBC. Now may be the right time, following the Lockdown, for the Government incentive to be filtered down to local levels. As there are few policies on VBC, local authorities will need to introduce these to provide some clarity to developers. Some local authorities have made reference to VBC in their local plans, clarifying their position although there are many still to do the same. Those that have successfully introduced the policy would be best placed to share and provide guidance to others to encourage the use of VBC.
The guidance does not make any reference to the question of viability. It can be argued that VBC should only be applied to a scheme that is not viable to make it viable, however this would appear to contradict the Government's intention.
A developer will need to consider the costs of a vacant building against the benefits of applying for VBC. They will need to ensure that they have the history of the building to support the application. Other considerations will be the potential delays and the uncertainties that may come with an application. As VBC is a relatively new concept for local authorities to implement, developers may prefer to proceed with the development without taking these risks. Demolishing the building may be the easier option in terms of both time and cost.
VBC should be considered by developers on their schemes before disregarding as there is no doubt that for some, the credit will be invaluable to the developer by reducing the affordable housing requirement and in some cases removing it entirely. It is important to note that it may be specified within the section 106 agreement that the affordable housing contribution would only be payable where there is no affordable housing on the scheme. An alternative to the application of VBC could be to negotiate deals involving affordable housing with Registered Providers. Both options could affect the decision of the developer when considering the viability of their schemes. Now is certainly the time for policies to be put in place to allow developers to have all options set out before them in order to make the most informed decisions.
For more information contact Zayna Ibrahim in our Housing & Regeneration department via email or phone on 0333 207 1130. Alternatively send any question through to Forbes Solicitors via our online Contact Form.
Learn more about our Housing & Regeneration department here
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Saturday and Sunday: | https://www.forbessolicitors.co.uk/news/47053/18/vacant-building-credit-is-it-being-used-to-its-full-potential |
Is there not also a more fundamental point? If the offences that public bodies are required to investigate are defined in statute, should not the Government be able to introduce stricter guidance on the offences that covert techniques can be applied to? It seems to me there is still too much vagueness in this area. The orders seem to show that the Government have gone down this route, but only to a limited extent. For example, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Postal Services Commission and the Royal Mail have been stripped of their powers to authorise the use of covert intelligence sources, but they retain powers in relation to directed surveillance. The Government have also decided to remove HMRC's power to authorise directed surveillance to ensure the UK's economic well-being. However, the Explanatory Notes to these orders do not provide enough detail to explain the basis for these decisions. Have the functions of these organisations changed significantly over recent years to justify this or were they granted too many powers in the first place? Nor do the Explanatory Notes contain enough detail for this House to judge the appropriateness of the different bodies even having such powers.
Similar questions can be raised about access to and use by local authorities and some other public bodies of communications data. The Government have explained what they call the "business need" for the Northern Ireland Prison Service, the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland and the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to have access to communications data, as well as for the Department for Transport accident investigation branches, the Independent Police Complaints Commission and the Prison Service to have still wider powers of access. But why have the Government not explained in greater detail why other bodies have been allowed to retain these powers? This is a selective list and a selective approach.
Can the Minister also say what input the independent oversight commissioners have had into the Government's decision to add or remove powers through these orders? He mentioned the function of those gentlemen. In another place, the Minister with responsibility for policing, crime and counterterrorism said that the
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It is strange that, in relation to very intrusive enforcement and investigation powers, the Government seem to equate the functions of different bodies. HMRC has lost the power to authorise directed surveillance to protect the economy, yet local authorities retain it for unspecified purposes. This is the crux of the matter: how are we able to judge the appropriateness of different bodies being entitled to such powers? The criteria do not seem to be available.
We on these Benches have made clear our position, which is that the use of RIPA powers by local authorities should be restricted to investigations concerning serious criminal offences-in other words, those offences that could be subject to a custodial sentence. We have called for greater democratic and judicial responsibility for and oversight of the use of these powers by local authorities. We also want to see magistrates issuing a warrant for the use of RIPA and for requests, having been approved by a council officer, to be signed off by the council leader. We want to go pretty high.
In contrast, the Government's proposal is to raise the rank of authorising officers in local authorities to at least director level, as the Minister mentioned. The Government argue that involving council leaders in authorising RIPA powers could politicise investigations, although the Minister in another place left open the possibility that it would be feasible and practical for representations to be made to change that. Does the Minister agree with the availability of this option? It would certainly be an advance on the revised codes of practice, which allow elected members to review their local authority's policy for the use of RIPA at least once a year and to consider reports on its use every quarter. This would be a welcome innovation. The Government also argue that involving magistrates could slow down the process to the detriment of investigations. Can the Minister explain this, as presumably local authorities do not tend to investigate risk-to-life cases? If the case is not a risk-to-life one, what is the problem about seeking the authority of a magistrate?
I mentioned that part of the rationale underpinning the revised codes of practice is to provide clearer guidance on the tests to be applied for using RIPA powers. As I said, greater guidance should be given on when powers should be used in relation to different offences. What progress has been made on producing a tailor-made guidance manual in conjunction with the Local Government Association and the Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services?
I am sure that the Minister will agree that, whatever guidance is in place, training is also crucial to the proportionate use of RIPA. There has been considerable
23 Feb 2010 : Column 933
Under the revised codes of practice, the Government also want corporate leadership teams to ensure that authorising officers fulfil and maintain appropriate standards, as required by the Office of Surveillance Commissioners in relation to Part 1 of RIPA. It would be helpful if the Minister could say what progress has been made in ensuring that each local authority appoints a single officer to ensure compliance with minimum standards as set out by the relevant commissioners. The two issues of training and authorisation are related.
Finally, what sanctions are available in relation to the misuse of RIPA powers? We know that factual errors are reported annually by the commissioners. The Minister in another place also said that the frequency and intensity of statutory inspections on the organisations concerned will be increased. How will that be achieved given the strained resource environment and scale of authorisations, which remains considerable? What sanctions can be applied by those oversight bodies?
We will not oppose these orders as they go some way towards what is needed-and what the Government have not provided-which is a fundamental assessment of the appropriate use by public authorities of the different powers available under RIPA. These reforms are not in place today and will need further consideration in due course, but it would be helpful if the Minister could address a few of the more important points that I raised. Why have the Government not been able to introduce stricter guidance on which offences are suitable for the application of covert techniques? How are authorising officers able to demonstrate that the tests of proportionality, reasonableness and seriousness have been met? What input have the independent oversight commissioners had into the Government's decision to add or remove powers through these orders, and what accredited training is now in place before appropriate individuals can authorise and use these powers?
Lord Lloyd of Berwick: My Lords, on 30 November 2007, the Divisional Court in McE against the Prison Service of Northern Ireland-a case to which the noble and learned Lord referred-held that listening in to privileged conversations between a suspect and his legal advisers, whether in a police station or prison, could not be carried out lawfully under the relevant code in its present form. What was the Secretary of State's reaction to that decision? She did not appeal. She said that she would consider the matter as one of policy and take steps to remedy the Divisional Court's concern. However, as the noble and learned Lord, Lord Phillips, pointed out in 2009-appeal case 908, at page 927-that response was unsatisfactory. The
23 Feb 2010 : Column 934
Only now, nearly two and a half years later, are the Government taking steps to remedy the position, so the question arises: did any surveillance of privileged conversations take place in the mean time? If the answer is yes-as one must presume is the case-does it not follow that the Government have been sanctioning a practice that they knew to be illegal? Is that not also a matter of great regret, in addition to the regret that will no doubt be expressed by the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, in a few moments? Indeed, in the same case, the noble and learned Lord, Lord Neuberger, described this state of affairs as being more than regrettable, so the question is: what do the Government propose to do about that state of affairs?
Baroness Hamwee: My Lords, our objections to the extent of the powers stem, to a very large extent, from the underlying legislation, so it is difficult to direct my remarks narrowly to the orders when I should like to say that we might not have started from here. Coming, as I am, as a new reader to these issues-in detail, in any event-what strikes me is that so many of the demarcation lines are grey, or at least it is difficult to be precise about them. The codes that are the subject of two of the orders and which have great weight under Section 72 of the Act-the noble and learned Lord has just referred to this-frequently use terms such as "not normally", "an individual is advised", "such and such should be considered". To pick up one of the points made by the noble Baroness on training, the amount and the depth of training which must be required to implement these measures seems to me very considerable. I wonder how effective it can be.
We are troubled by the extension of the right to use these powers. I think that originally nine organisations had the right to use them; now, many hundreds do. This month, the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission will be given powers, including the power to use covert human intelligence sources. The list of organisations-admittedly, they have very important functions-now able to take their own decisions about purposes which entitle them to seek authorisation for surveillance seems to us very wide. One of the purposes concerns the interests of economic well-being. That is particularly wide and is, I suggest, a matter of subjective judgment. Is it appropriate that many of these organisations should be required to go via the police in order to undertake surveillance? This was very much the theme of much of what the noble Baroness has just said. We are told that the port of Dover-I think I learnt this from reading the debate in the Commons-has accepted that that would be the right mechanism, and it is coming out of the regime. It is difficult to understand why others are not doing so.
I mentioned the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. We are told in the Explanatory Memorandum to the relevant order that it,
Are criminal investigations not a matter for the police?
As I have said, it seems to me that many of the judgments that have to be made are subjective as well
23 Feb 2010 : Column 935
"The Government position is that covert investigation under RIPA should only be used when other reasonable options have been considered and ruled out, and the revised codes emphasise this point. Why hasn't this requirement been put in legislation rather than the code?".
The Home Office response was to point to new guidance being developed to help local authorities weigh the matter up in this case, and to say:
"You are right, therefore, to suggest that in the case of directed surveillance this is a matter of guidance rather than law".
These are serious matters, and it troubles me that guidance, rather than law, is what is relied on.
This takes me to my central concern: that there is no judicial oversight of the exercise of powers, no external control or judgment before the event. Where there is urgency, out-of-hours judges or magistrates could be used. That matter troubled the House in a different context not very long ago when we were debating warrants to access property. If the answer is workload, that in itself raises worrying questions. What we have here is self-authorisation by the agencies concerned. Will the Minister reassure us that officers who start to consider the use of surveillance powers are uniformly such paragons that they will rein in their natural human ambition to get what might be called "a result"?
The draft code of practice on covert surveillance and property interference says that,
"Authorising officers should not normally be responsible for authorising operations in which they are directly involved, although it is recognised that this may sometimes be unavoidable, especially in the case of small organisations, or where it is necessary to act urgently or for security reasons".
It seems to me that there must be question marks as to whether that should often or ever be the case, because it is so important that the perception of a conflict of interest is avoided, as well as the reality of any conflict of interest. This is particularly important when a fine judgment is required as to, for instance, whether there would be disproportionate interference with private and family life.
As for urgent cases involving intrusive surveillance, again, the code states that,
an authorising officer is not available. There is certainly the caveat that when an agency has brought it on itself by not having somebody available, it should not be able to take advantage of that situation. The monitoring of this must be extraordinarily difficult. I hope that the Minister will expand on how one can ensure that proprieties are observed. There seem to be inherent fault lines so that it will never be possible to say how the codes deal with proportionality or whether they deal with them adequately.
The examples in the codes are not overly helpful. They go very much along the lines of on the one hand and on the other, but I will not take up your Lordships' time by reading them. Examples of particular
23 Feb 2010 : Column 936
I acknowledge that there are many improvements and some tightening up, but it is appropriate to focus on the concerns. Some of the tightening up puzzles me. Why remove the ability of the Food Standards Agency to use public safety as its purpose? I might have questioned that with regard to some other agencies, but the Food Standards Agency should have public safety absolutely in its focus. What are the safeguards against the pre-emptive use of surveillance for legitimate, democratic process?
I have referred to the orders which require an affirmative resolution. We have the negative orders as well. I apologise to the House that my Motion referred to an order which had been withdrawn. However, the fact that it is on the Order Paper probably indicates that I was not the only person who was confused about this-otherwise, knowing how eagle-eyed the House authorities are, it would not be there.
The Motion is there because it goes against every fibre of my being that communication between a client and his lawyer could be the subject of surveillance. I acknowledge what I think was called the enhanced regime for authorisation. I appreciate that privilege does not extend to communications which are in furtherance of a criminal purpose. But to allow the Prison Service to listen in, not knowing whether something is in furtherance of a criminal purpose until quite a lot of the discussion has been listened to, offends me. Within this segment of the rules, we have the wide criterion of necessity in the interests of the economic well-being of the UK. It is possible to cancel authorisations. What monitoring is there of authorisations and cancellations? The temptation must be to leave authorisations in effect.
When I saw the order in rather a hurry just before the Recess and I put down my Motion, I confess that I was so naïve that I had not appreciated that this was not new. Nevertheless, I wanted to use the opportunity to express-I will put it very temperately-my distaste at the situation. The Minister has said that if it is right to obtain information by microphone, it is the same through an individual. I question the basic premise of that.
It was clearly sensible to debate the affirmative and negative orders in tandem. I will not seek to divide the House, which I do not think would take us a great deal further. But I will end by saying that with the affirmative orders we have a good deal of consolidation, but we need considerably more with consistent explanation of the criteria.
Lord Pannick: My Lords, I share the concerns expressed by all three previous speakers. As is the noble and learned Lord, Lord Lloyd of Berwick, I am particularly concerned about the delays that have occurred in dealing with legally privileged material. The position is clear. The McE judgment was delivered by the Appellate Committee of your Lordships' House on 11 March 2009. The Senior Law Lord, now president of the Supreme Court, the noble and learned Lord, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, noted that the
23 Feb 2010 : Column 937
The noble and learned Lord, Lord Phillips, pointed out that it was highly unsatisfactory that the Secretary of State had taken no steps at all to comply with the judgment of the Divisional Court, even though she had decided not to appeal against it. The noble and learned Lords, Lord Carswell and Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, also criticised the fact that the Secretary of State had not complied with the judgment, which she did not challenge, and that after more than a year she was not even in a position to produce a draft regulation embodying the changes necessary to ensure legality in this area. It has now taken another year for the relevant order to be brought before the House.
Will the Minister please explain why it has taken so long to rectify the illegality identified by the Divisional Court in November 2007, which was accepted by the Secretary of State to be illegal at the end of 2007? How can the Government justify acting for another two-and-a-quarter years, until now, under a regime which was found to be unlawful and which the Government accepted to be unlawful? The Government's approach to this matter suggests that they may not recognise the vital need for proper legal controls of the activities of the relevant agencies in this highly sensitive area.
Will the Minister reassure the House that nothing in the orders dealing with legally-privileged material purports to affect whether it would be a breach of legal professional privilege, and therefore unlawful, for the state to rely on this legal consultation material in court? In McE, the noble and learned Lord, Lord Carswell, said that the inviolability of the rule against the admission in evidence in court of privileged communications remains-save, of course, where the material exists in furtherance of crime or fraud. Will the Minister reassure the House in relation to that matter?
Lord Davidson of Glen Clova: My Lords, I am grateful for the extent of the debate on this point. It has covered a matter of considerable constitutional importance. All the proposals here, however, concern public authorities acting in ways that are covert and they plainly need careful consideration. The Government recognise and fully support the principle that any public authority interference with someone's right to privacy must be sanctioned only when necessary and proportionate with regard to human rights. That is precisely what Parliament passed RIPA to do. This is the right balance between effective discharge of the tasks faced by public authorities in this area and the protection of individual freedoms and the right to privacy.
The points made by the noble Baroness, Lady Neville-Jones, were manifold and I will seek to deal with these. I first acknowledge that she welcomed these orders as a step forward, although she felt that matters should go further. However, I am grateful for the recognition of, and welcome for, the improvement that the statutory instruments produce.
The points that have been adduced are as follows. It is said that there is a serious misunderstanding of proportionality and that, in certain cases, local authorities resort too early to RIPA. It is because one identifies that as an issue that the codes of practice have been brought forward to make it clearer to local authorities where the balance must lie. It is also in that context that training manuals have been produced to improve the understanding of local authorities.
On the notion that Section 29(3)(g) of RIPA is too vague, the provision has none the less been employed without successful challenge to its lawfulness on human rights grounds. On the provisions requiring necessity and proportionality, the tests are precisely what they say they are. Where necessity is required, it is because there may be alternative ways in which to acquire the relevant information but the covert method has been ascertained to be necessary in the particular circumstance. The addition of seriousness perhaps indicates the way in which the Government have recognised that there requires to be greater clarification and tightening of the way in which these powers may be deployed by local authorities.
The question is put of how the assessment of proportionality may be made when one is unaware of what the covert surveillance may recover. This is always a paradox; it is not new. It is perhaps identified in McE by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Neuberger, but he makes it quite clear, none the less, that that does not found a challenge to the lawfulness of the way in which RIPA operates. | https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200910/ldhansrd/text/100223-0003.htm |
- Directorate:
- Local Government and Communities Directorate
- Part of:
- Communities and third sector
- ISBN:
- 9781786527509
A step-by-step guide for community bodies on asset transfer as part of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.
11. Price, Valuation and Non-financial benefits
11.1. The Act does not say how much should be paid to purchase an asset or in rent, whether it should be at market value or at a discount. The community transfer body has to state in the asset transfer request how much they are prepared to pay, alongside the benefits the project will deliver, and the relevant authority has to decide whether to accept that price. This can be a difficult area for both sides. The Scottish Government brought together a Short-Life Working Group to look at the issues of Valuation and Assessment of Non-Financial Benefits, and they have developed the guidance in this chapter. Details of the group's membership and a link to its papers are provided at Annex B.
11.2. All relevant authorities have a duty to secure Best Value in their operations, including when disposing of or letting property. However, it has long been recognised that best value does not always mean the highest possible price, and all authorities have the ability to dispose of property at less than market value where there are wider public benefits to be gained. This is set out in the Disposal of Land by Local Authorities (Scotland) Regulations 2010, and in the Scottish Public Finance Manual for other relevant authorities. It is a question of balancing the financial and non-financial impacts, both positive and negative, of the different options.
11.3. The likely price of the asset is something the community transfer body will need to consider at an early stage in developing its proposals, along with the initial and ongoing costs of the project. Advice on developing feasibility studies and business cases is available from COSS and other organisations listed in annex C. Early discussion with the relevant authority will also help you to understand their expectations and perhaps agree a price before submitting your asset transfer request. Community transfer bodies should not assume that asset transfers will be at a nominal sum. You will also need to consider how you will secure funding for the price you offer.
11.4. When deciding how much to offer for an asset, it is helpful to start by having an idea of the "market value" - how much could the relevant authority expect to get if they sold, leased or hired out the property on a commercial basis, with no additional benefits involved? For purchase or lease, both parties are likely to need a formal valuation for accounting and funding purposes. Chapter 12 explains how this could be done on a joint basis. For other rights such as hire of rooms or use of land, if the relevant authority does not have a list of fees, you may be able to compare with similar property in the area. You should also enquire whether the relevant authority offers discounts for particular types of organisation, which you may be eligible for.
11.5. The relevant authority will also need to take into account any additional costs to them that may arise as a result of agreeing to the request. Most asset transfer requests are for property which is unused or to be closed. If you want to request a building or site which is in use, there may be significant costs to the relevant authority for relocating staff and services, which may offset the value of the non-financial benefits of your proposal. On the other hand, there may be savings from the community transfer body taking over maintenance or other responsibilities. Similarly, a request for use of a property outside normal hours, for example, may incur additional costs such as safety and security arrangements. It will help you to decide what property may be suitable and to make your case, if you are aware of these kinds of issues. In some cases it may be possible to make joint arrangements with the authority to reduce costs, for example by leasing part of the space back to them.
11.6. If the community transfer body decides to offer a price that is less than the market value, the relevant authority will need to assess whether the non-financial benefits offered by the proposals justify that reduced price. If the authority is likely to incur additional costs, greater benefits may be required to justify agreeing to the request. Chapter 13 provides guidance for relevant authorities in doing this. You may want to carry out some analysis yourself and put forward your views of the value of the benefits the project will provide in your request.
11.7. If the relevant authority does agree to transfer the property at less than market value, it may seek to "protect" the reduction by placing conditions in the contract. This means that if the project fails or does not deliver the benefits expected over a certain period, or if property sold to the community transfer body is sold on at a profit, the community transfer body may have to make an additional payment to the relevant authority, of all or part of the amount by which the price was reduced. Chapter 13 provides more guidance on this. Such arrangements should always be proportionate to the relevant authority's interest in the project, and community transfer bodies should always examine them carefully, as they may affect your ability to obtain funding from some sources.
State Aid
11.8. EU State Aid Rules are in place to regulate financial assistance from public authorities that could distort competition between EU Member States. The rules apply to any type of financial assistance, including grants and discounts, and any organisation carrying out "economic activity", even if it is not for profit. "Economic activity" covers offering any goods or services that could, in principle, be carried out by someone for payment. The relevant authority will have to consider whether any reduction from market value is allowed under the State Aid Rules. However, if any assistance is found to have breached the Rules, it is the organisation that received it that has to pay it back, so you should understand how it might affect you.
11.9. If assistance is considered to be state aid, there is a "de minimis" rule that allows small amounts of assistance to be given over a rolling 3-year period. The threshold is for all state aid from any source, so if you receive funding from different sources on a "de minimis" basis, you need to keep a record of that rolling total. Assistance should always be considered to see if it is state aid, before considering whether it is "de minimis".
11.10. COSS has a useful introductory briefing on state aid, http://www.dtascommunityownership.org.uk/resources/finances/eu-state-aid-rules-and-community-transfer and further guidance can be found on the Scottish Government website http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Government/State-Aid. | https://www.gov.scot/publications/asset-transfer-under-community-empowerment-scotland-act-2015-guidance-community-9781786527509/pages/11/ |
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