MJG has been an investigator, speaker or received honoraria from Amgen, AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Dermira, Eli Lilly, Galderma, Janssen, Kyowa Kirin, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Valeant. MNN has no conflicts to disclose.
ABSTRACT
Psoriasis is a chronic condition that affects the well-being and quality of life of patients. The disease is associated with an increased risk of depression and suicidality, which may not be fully understood by the general population. It is crucial to understand the effect this disease has on mental health and determine risk factors that may help identify patients who are susceptible to depression and suicidality. Risk factors discussed in this article include age, gender, and severity of disease in psoriasis patients. Of these, age and severity of disease are significant with a clear association of increased depression and suicidality found in patients who are younger or have more severe disease. Although there is evidence that psoriasis treatments can improve both disease and associated depression symptoms, there are high rates of undertreatment. By identifying high-risk psoriasis patients, dermatologists can aim for optimal treatment of the disease and thus help alleviate the associated psychiatric burden.
Key Words:
psoriasis, depression, suicide, mental health, quality of life, risk factors
Introduction
Psoriasis is a chronic condition that often requires life-long treatment. It has been estimated that the disease affects approximately 1-3% of the population.1 Psoriasis predominantly affects the skin as well as joints, with an incidence of almost 3% of psoriasis patients developing psoriatic arthritis annually, and reports of up to 42% of patients with psoriasis having associated psoriatic arthritis.2,3 Additionally, the increased risk for metabolic comorbidities such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular events has also been demonstrated among patients with psoriasis.4,5
Aside from the physical manifestation of symptoms, psoriasis is also linked to psychiatric disease. In a prospective cohort study looking at 50,750 female nurses in the US, those with psoriasis had an increased risk of depression compared to those without psoriasis, even when adjusted for potential confounders (relative risk [RR] 1.29 {95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10-1.52}). This RR was statistically similar when patients had both psoriasis and concomitant psoriatic arthritis (RR 1.52 [95% CI 1.06-2.19]).6 A number of other studies further support the increased risk in depression as shown by the meta-analysis and systematic review by Dowlatshahi et al. (2014).7 Although many skin conditions are associated with an increased risk of depression, psoriasis is one of few dermatological diseases that also increases suicidality risk of affected individuals. A study looking at different skin diseases across 13 European countries aimed to determine the association between various dermatological diagnoses and depression and suicidal ideation. Although psoriasis was ranked fourth highest in increased incidence of depression (odds ratio [OR] 3.02 {95% CI 1.86-4.90}), it was the only skin disease associated with an increased incidence of suicidal ideation (OR 1.94 [95% CI 1.33-2.82]).8 One study reported an incidence of suicidal ideation in the previous 2 weeks as high as 10% in patients with psoriasis.9 This level of suicidal ideation translates into a clear risk for selfharm as reported by a retrospective European study that showed an increased RR for self-harm in 1,141 patients with psoriasis (RR 1.6 [95% CI 1.5-1.7]) compared to healthy controls.10
The reasons for this widened risk are multifold, relating to both biological changes and negative effects on self-image and quality of life. Cytokines involved in the inflammatory pathways of psoriasis can also lead to depression. For example, giving patients interferon for treatment of hepatitis C can induce and exacerbate their psoriasis while also commonly cause depression as a side effect.11,12 There are additional reports of improvement in mood when certain agents, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors13,14 or an interleukin-12 and 23 inhibitor15, are given to treat psoriasis. Aside from biological changes, the appearance and discomfort of psoriatic lesions negatively impact both self-image and quality of life.16,17 Patients with psoriatic lesions on noticeable areas may attempt to cover themselves with additional clothing layers, experience difficulties with sexual function, and avoid physical exercise.16 Patients report having persistent feelings of shame, worry, and frustration, which in turn affects work and hobby performance.18 The biological changes and decreased self-image and quality of life can lead to clinical diagnoses of depression, among other psychiatric disorders, as well as instances of suicidality. Although these diagnoses can be hard to predict, patients with psoriasis show increased prevalence of alexithymia, the inability to identify or describe their emotions.19 This can lead to depression and suicidality being underestimated, with many studies showing discordance between skin lesion severity and levels of distress.20-24 The distress that patients feel over their psoriasis can impair the efficacy of their treatments,25 which may lead to a vicious cycle of distress, creating suboptimal clinical outcomes that in turn create further distress. Therefore, identifying patients most at risk for depression and suicidality may help to not only treat these psychiatric disorders, but also improve overall treatment of their psoriasis.
Risk Factors
Age
Psoriasis has a bimodal age of onset with the first presentation occurring in patients ranging from 15-20 years and the second presentation manifesting at 55-60 years.26 In a descriptive crosssectional study of 101 psoriasis patients, those who presented with psoriasis at less than 20 years of age had an increased incidence of depression compared to patients who presented at age 20 years or older.27
Young age is also a risk factor for suicidality. A large populationbased cohort study compared 766,950 patients without psoriasis to 149,998 patients with psoriasis; young patients demonstrated a higher risk for suicidality, defined here as one or more of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts or completed suicide.28
Gender
There is substantial contradictory evidence on the effects of gender on psoriasis and psychiatric disease. One US study of randomly selected psoriasis patients used the Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI) to evaluate the effect of psoriasis on quality of life. Fifteen questions were asked regarding daily activities, leisure activities, relationships, work, and treatment, and one global question was asked regarding the effect of psoriasis on daily life. All questions were scored numerically with larger scores equating to a greater detrimental effect on quality of life. Younger patients had the highest disease burden on their quality of life, and females reported a greater PDI score than males.29 However, in another study of 6,497 Nordic patients, both genders reported similar PDI scores.30 It is worth mentioning that males had a higher Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score, suggesting they may be less likely to report decreased quality of life, even with worse disease as evidenced by their higher PASI score.30
Multiple studies have failed to show an association between gender and depression rates in psoriatic patients. A case-control study carried out in Brazil looked at 100 patients with psoriasis and compared them to 100 healthy controls using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to assess rates of depression between the two groups. The BDI is a validated set of 21 questions, each scoring in severity from 0-3 and targeting many different depression symptoms. In this study, a score of 17 or higher was deemed as possible clinical depression and the patient was referred to a psychiatrist for further confirmation. Women with psoriasis were slightly more depressed than their male counterparts as defined by the BDI, although this did not reach statistical significance.31 In a much larger study, overall there was no statistically significant difference between genders; however, in the severe psoriasis subgroup, there was a statistically significant increased rate of depression in male over female patients.28
A relationship between gender and suicidality is not well supported. In the general population, the evidence has shown that females are at higher risk for suicide attempts, but completed suicide is more common in men.32,33 This is most likely related to the use of more lethal suicide methods in males.34 In patients with psoriasis, two studies found no significant effect of patient gender on suicidal ideation or suicidality.28,35 Although suicidality is more prevalent in psoriasis patients, it does not appear to differ between males and females in this population.
Severity of Disease
The severity of psoriasis has a significant impact on the wellbeing of affected individuals. The burden of overall medical comorbidities increases with disease severity in the psoriatic population.36 Severe psoriasis increases overall mortality, while mild psoriasis does not.37 Although there may be discordance between severity of skin lesions and distress, severity of psoriasis may have some effect on rates of depression and suicidality.
In a comparison of 146,042 patients with mild psoriasis (treated only with topical therapy) and 3,956 patients with severe psoriasis (treated with systemic therapy) the adjusted RR of depression was increased with severe psoriasis when compared to mild psoriasis (hazard ratio [HR] 1.72 [95% CI 1.57-1.88]).28 There was no relationship between severity of disease and suicidality. Egeberg et al. (2016) reported increased suicidality with increased severity of disease by further subcategorizing areas of suicidality into different outcomes. This population-based cohort study looked at 408,663 Danish patients: 57,502 and 11,009 of these patients had mild and severe psoriasis, respectively. Although the study did not explore rates of depression, it did investigate suicidality by looking at incidences of self-harm or non-fatal suicide attempts, and fatal suicide attempts. Mild psoriasis showed no increased risk for either of the two outcomes, however severe psoriasis showed a slight increased risk in self-harm or non-fatal suicidal attempts (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.6 {95% CI 1.00-2.84}), but no increased risk of fatal suicidal attempt. This increased risk in self-harm or non-fatal suicide attempts was no longer significant when adjusted for concomitant psoriatic arthritis.38
Title of Study Title of Study
Psoriasis Overall Age Gender Psoriasis Severity Psoriasis Overall Age Gender Psoriasis Severity
Association Increased compared to controls6,8,28,31,38-41 Increased risk for younger patients28 No significant difference* 28,31 Increased risk for severe disease28 Increased compared to controls 8,10,28 Increased risk for younger patients 10,28 No significant difference 10,28 Increased risk for severe disease 28,38
Table 1. Associations found in psoriasis patients with depression and suicidality.
*Association found within subgroup of severe psoriasis patients with HR 1.21 (1.00-1.46) for male patients compared to female patients.28
Undertreatment
Although a number of treatments exist for psoriasis, there is significant undertreatment of this disease. A study of 1,657 survey respondents identified from a random sample of the US National Psoriasis Foundation contact database showed that approximately 40% of patients with all severities of psoriasis were not receiving treatment. Additionally, 39% of patients with severe psoriasis were not receiving treatment and 35% were only being treated with topical therapies.42 Another study surveyed 391 dermatologists across North America and Europe in the Multinational Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. Findings showed 92.1% of dermatologists agreed that the disease burden of psoriasis is largely underestimated; however, 53.5% of dermatologists stated they would treat moderate-to-severe psoriasis with topical therapies alone.43
Successful treatment of psoriasis is helpful in decreasing rates of depression and suicidality in patients. A study looking at psychiatric morbidity in 414 patients with psoriasis used the General Health Questionnaire to identify individuals with psychological problems, defined as “cases,” and then repeated the same question in follow-up a month later. Sixty-eight percent of patients with complete clearing of psoriasis were deemed “noncases” at follow-up compared to 17.6% of patients with psoriasis whose condition was unchanged or worsened. Additionally, 70% of patients who had a ≥50% improvement of psoriasis symptoms were deemed “noncases” compared to only 32% of patients with no improvement or worsening of psoriasis symptoms who were deemed “noncases” in follow-up.44 Therefore, it is important to optimally treat psoriasis in order to alleviate the psychological burden. The use of more potent therapies, such as biologics, may be critical for targeting depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms have been shown to improve in doubleblinded randomized control trials of adalimumab13, etanercept14, and ustekinumab15.
Episodes of depression and suicide have recently become of interest when the clinical developmental program of an IL-17 receptor targeted biologic, brodalumab, was stopped due to reported cases of suicidality.45 A causal link between brodalumab treatment and increased risk of suicidal ideation has not been established, and the drug was recently granted US FDA approval with a boxed warning of an observed risk. Nonetheless, current literature strongly supports the use of biologics, including those targeting the IL-17 pathway, to improve both depression and suicidality in patients with psoriasis, and the reason for reported cases of suicidality is more likely due to the disease itself rather than any treatments used.46
Screening
The dermatology office is often a busy place and, therefore, quick and easy screening tools are necessary if we hope to add depression screening to our clinical repertoire for managing psoriatic patients. The Patient Health Questionniare-2 (PHQ-2) is a validated measure that screens for depressed mood and anhedonia over the past 2 weeks.47 It is simply the first two questions of the PHQ-9 questionnaire that includes the nine items of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria.47 A simple algorithm for depression screening in psoriasis patients has recently been proposed by Korman et al. (2015) using the PHQ-2 as an initial screening measure.48 Increased awareness of the link between depression and psoriasis and the use of simple screening tools may improve our ability to detect this important comorbidity.
Conclusion
Patients with psoriasis are at increased risk for depression and suicide at rates that are not fully appreciated. Consequently, it is important to understand the impacts that psoriasis can have on quality of life, including physical and mental health. Appropriate risk-stratification may help to identify high-risk patients. These risk factors would include younger patients with severe disease presentations especially with concomitant psoriatic arthritis. Females may present with greater distress over their psoriasis than males, but both genders are at risk for depression and suicidality. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanism by which psoriasis is linked with psychological symptoms, as well as validate screening tools for dermatologists to identify highrisk individuals. All things considered, the optimal management of psoriasis must avoid inadvertent undertreatment while understanding the potential adverse effects that the disease can have on both the physical and emotional well-being of patients.
References
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Afshar M, Martinez AD, Gallo RL, et al. Induction and exacerbation of psoriasis with Interferon-alpha therapy for hepatitis C: a review and analysis of 36 cases. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2013 Jun;27(6):771-8.
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Tyring S, Gottlieb A, Papp K, et al. Etanercept and clinical outcomes, fatigue, and depression in psoriasis: double-blind placebo-controlled randomised phase III trial. Lancet. 2006 Jan 07;367(9504):29-35.
Langley RG, Feldman SR, Han C, et al. Ustekinumab significantly improves symptoms of anxiety, depression, and skin-related quality of life in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis: Results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III trial. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2010 Sep;63(3):457-65.
Khoury LR, Danielsen PL, Skiveren J. Body image altered by psoriasis. A study based on individual interviews and a model for body image. J Dermatolog Treat. 2014 Feb;25(1):2-7.
Mease PJ, Menter MA. Quality-of-life issues in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: outcome measures and therapies from a dermatological perspective. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006 Apr;54(4):685-704.
Sampogna F, Tabolli S, Abeni D, investigators IDIMPRoVE. Living with psoriasis: prevalence of shame, anger, worry, and problems in daily activities and social life. Acta Derm Venereol. 2012 May;92(3):299-303.
Korkoliakou P, Christodoulou C, Kouris A, et al. Alexithymia, anxiety and depression in patients with psoriasis: a case-control study. Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2014;13(1):38.
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Richards HL, Fortune DG, Griffiths CE, et al. The contribution of perceptions of stigmatisation to disability in patients with psoriasis. J Psychosom Res. 2001 Jan;50(1):11-5.
Fortune DG, Richards HL, Griffiths CE, et al. Psychological stress, distress and disability in patients with psoriasis: consensus and variation in the contribution of illness perceptions, coping and alexithymia. Br J Clin Psychol. 2002 Jun; 41(Pt 2):157-74.
Perrott SB, Murray AH, Lowe J, et al. The psychosocial impact of psoriasis: physical severity, quality of life, and stigmatization. Physiol Behav. 2000 Sep 15;70(5):567-71.
Kimball AB, Jacobson C, Weiss S, et al. The psychosocial burden of psoriasis. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2005;6(6):383-92.
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Gelfand JM, Feldman SR, Stern RS, et al. Determinants of quality of life in patients with psoriasis: a study from the US population. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2004 Nov;51(5):704-8.
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Gupta MA, Schork NJ, Gupta AK, et al. Suicidal ideation in psoriasis. Int J Dermatol. 1993 Mar;32(3):188-90.
Yeung H, Takeshita J, Mehta NN, et al. Psoriasis severity and the prevalence of major medical comorbidity: a population-based study. JAMA Dermatol. 2013 Oct;149(10):1173-9.
Gelfand JM, Troxel AB, Lewis JD, et al. The risk of mortality in patients with psoriasis: results from a population-based study. Arch Dermatol. 2007 Dec; 143(12):1493-9.
Egeberg A, Hansen PR, Gislason GH, et al. Risk of self-harm and nonfatal suicide attempts, and completed suicide in patients with psoriasis: a population-based cohort study. Br J Dermatol. 2016 Sep;175(3):493-500.
Schmitt J, Ford DE. Psoriasis is independently associated with psychiatric morbidity and adverse cardiovascular risk factors, but not with cardiovascular events in a population-based sample. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2010 Aug; 24(8):885-92.
Han C, Lofland JH, Zhao N, et al. Increased prevalence of psychiatric disorders and health care-associated costs among patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. J Drugs Dermatol. 2011 Aug;10(8):843-50.
Tsai TF, Wang TS, Hung ST, et al. Epidemiology and comorbidities of psoriasis patients in a national database in Taiwan. J Dermatol Sci. 2011 Jul;63(1):40-6.
Horn EJ, Fox KM, Patel V, et al. Are patients with psoriasis undertreated? Results of National Psoriasis Foundation survey. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2007 Dec;57(6):957-62.
van de Kerkhof PC, Reich K, Kavanaugh A, et al. Physician perspectives in the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: results from the populationbased Multinational Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis survey. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2015 Oct;29(10):2002-10.
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Can chai be your health expert? Of course, yes! People have hailed the health benefits of tea for centuries. Tea is one of the most consumed drinks in the world. In this Covid-19 era, we have become a little more conscious about our health and socio-emotional well-being. And amid all this, tea is now trending as a new synonym of a health expert. Recently, researchers have studied the ability of tea to eradicate infectious agents and the power to prevent infections when blended with the right ingredients. In a world of toxicity and emissions, you need to keep your lungs clean and detoxed. And guess what? Different types of teas can in fact help you breathe easy.
Here are 10 reasons to opt for tea as your favourite beverage, if you haven’t already:
Lung Detoxifier- One of the major functions teas has is to filter the lungs. Besides the most effective medicinal herb, tulsi, other ingredients like stinging nettle, thyme, burdock root, Rhodiola rose, and mullein leaf act as a booster in the detoxification process of lungs.
Respiratory Cleanse- Tea is a powerful herbal respiratory cleanser that can support the respiratory system all year round when combined with specific ingredients. Natural ingredients of tea soothe lungs, clear airways, cleanse the respiratory system and strengthen your respiration ability.
Brain Booster- Ginko Biloba present in green tea blend stimulates the central nervous system and maintains overall mental health.
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James Maddison had the ball in the back of the net against Spurs to make it 2-0, but moments later it was disallowed by the system - despite many believing that the England international was onside.
Leicester were already a goal ahead thanks to Jamie Vardy scored from the spot following Serge Aurier's clumsy challenge in the area. Sky Sports pundits Roy Keane and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink were shocked by the Frenchman's effort, and made it clear in the studio at half time.
:speaking_head: "There is a word for that... 'madness'"
:speaking_head: "That is a rugby tackle"
Fair to say Roy Keane and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink were not impressed with Serge Aurier's defending for the penalty pic.twitter.com/RQiftnb3LX
- Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 20, 2020
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Leicester had dominated the game up until the VAR decision, and probably deserved to double their lead over Jose Mourinho and co. Brendan Rodgers will be hoping that the decision doesn't go on to affect his team in the second half.
However, it has certainly affected football fans, who are enraged that the controversial VAR system has yet again intervened when it may not be needed.
He was never offside. Same as the Liverpool one the other week. You cannot take Auriers right leg as the point furthest to the left. Was a great goal by Leicester.
- Richard Taylor (@RichardTaylorEA) December 20, 2020
Football gone mad,VAR decision to cancel Leicester 2nd goal for offside
Madison's feet yards onside but his arm / shoulder deemed as offside
He is leaning reading to start his run and cannot legally score with his arm etc so why should that part of the body be called offside !!
- John Basford (JB) (@derbyjohn63) December 20, 2020
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This is not offside. Nearest player is playing him on, he's level. Just look at the picture, don't draw lines. The evil nerds strike again. pic.twitter.com/HrzUcyJpZ6
- Leicester Forest East (@LFEservices) December 20, 2020
VAR, really?!? Was his finger offside? #VAR #EPL #Leicester #Tottenham #clearandobvious #not #theruinoffootball #NBCSports
- Phil Valentine (@PValentine59) December 20, 2020
Can someone tell me why VAR are taking their line from Aurier's right leg? Clearly his left knee, foot or shoulder is closer to the goal??? #TOTLEI #var pic.twitter.com/QLdz2iWkc2
- FPL Disco (@DiscoFpl) December 20, 2020
That Leicester goal is never offside.. what a joke @premierleague #VAR
- Bunny (@AndyB73) December 20, 2020
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It will almost definitely lead to further calls for changes to be made to the video referee, with some options already being floated.
What should the FA do?
Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports
Topics: Spurs, Football News, Leicester City, Football, tottenham, VAR
Max Miller
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The Kawasaki ZX-9R was a sport bike manufactured by Japanese company Kawasaki from 1994 to 2003. There were five model incarnations across two basic designs.
Introduction
Kawasaki developed the model in response to Honda's introduction of the CBR900RR FireBlade for the 1992 model year. Prior to the advent of the FireBlade, large-capacity Japanese sports motorcycles had become polarised. On one side were the 750 cc sport bikes, influenced by Endurance racing and the World Superbike Championship. On the other, the "big-bore" 1,000 cc-plus sports-tourers had become the natural evolution of the performance bikes of the preceding 20 years. In simple terms, the 750s had the handling, the big-bores had the power. In both categories, Kawasaki ruled. The ZXR750 offered the technology and the performance of ultra-expensive racing-homologation models from Honda and Yamaha at half the price, and it outclassed the similarly priced GSX-R750 of the time, which still featured a perimeter frame and an oil-cooled engine, while the ZZ-R1100 held the title of the fastest production motorcycle on Earth.
The FireBlade packaged a 900 cc engine into a 750 cc sport bike chassis. It combined big-bore power with sport bike handling, but, crucially, it also pioneered meticulous attention to weight-saving design. The FireBlade not only outpowered the 750's, it was also significantly lighter. This was the detail overlooked or underappreciated by Kawasaki when they set out to build their FireBlade-beater. In building the first ZX-9R, Kawasaki combined their class-leading big-bore, the ZZR1100, with their class-leading 750, the ZXR750, rather than commit to an entirely new design.
The result was a big motorcycle; despite weight-saving measures like magnesium engine covers, its quoted dry weight was 215 kg (474 lb), almost 30 kg (66 lb) heavier than the FireBlade. It made around 125 hp (93 kW) at the rear wheel on the dyno, between 10 and 15 hp (11 kW) more than the FireBlade, but this advantage in power could not make up for its size, weight and reduced agility. Rather than be a direct competitor, the ZX-9R was retained as a more stable and more comfortable alternative to the Honda, with more straight-line speed. The road-going bias is evident through the raised clipons and more upright seating positions.
Model History
ZX900B (1994)
The first ZX-9R could be seen as a ZXR750 incorporating a number of ZZ-R1100 design features. The wheels (three-spoke cast aluminium alloy 3.5-inch x 17-inch front and 5.5-inch x 17-inch rear), front forks (fully adjustable 43 mm upside-down KYB) and unbraced fabricated aluminium box-section swingarm with fully adjustable remote-reservoir KYB monoshock were direct carry-overs from the ZXR. Importantly, the twin-piston rear Tokico caliper no longer mounted via a torque arm, and the clip-on handlebars mounted above the top triple clamp, not below. The four-piston Tokico front calipers and 320 mm front discs were common to the ZZ-R and the ZXR.
The frame was a welded aluminium-alloy dual-beam with cast steering head and swingarm endplates, but with steel-tube engine cradles and swingarm-mount endplates extending back to support the rider's seat and attach the bolt-on subframe, like the ZZ-R1100.
The engine was 899 cc. The crankcases, clutch and gearbox were carried over from the ZXR750, with a longer-throw crank and a bigger-bore, taller cylinder block for the larger capacity. The cylinder head was externally highly similar to the ZXR, as well, but incorporated rocker valve actuation like the ZZ-R1100 instead of the ZXR's direct actuation. Redline was 12,000 rpm against the FireBlades 10,500 rpm. Induction was by 40 mm Keihin CVKD carburettors, and the engine breathed through a 10-litre airbox fed by dual ram-air intakes on the nose of the bike, under the single headlight, via ducts passing back and over the frame beams near the steering head, like on the ZZ-R.
ZX900B3 (1996) and ZX900B4 (1997)
Detail changes. Power increased from 139 to 141 hp (105 kW). The rear suspension linkage and rear spring rate were replaced, improving handling. Pillion grab rails were added, the gearboxes were made stronger, and new six-piston Tokico front calipers replaced the previous model's four-piston units. The weight of the bike increased to 218 kg (481 lb).
ZX900C1 (1998) and ZX900C2 (1999)
Engine bore, stroke and redline remained unchanged; everything else was completely new. The clutch was changed from hydraulic to cable-operated. The generator was moved from behind the cylinder to the more conventional location at the left end of the crank. There was now no balance shaft. The valvetrain switched to direct valve actuation, and the cylinder head was plumbed for then-new plug-top ignition coils, replacing more conventional remote coils and high-tension leads. Notably, the new engine also featured a Hall-type cam position sensor on the exhaust camshaft. Cam position sensors are typically used in conjunction with electronic fuel injection. As the ZX900C featured induction by Keihin 40 mm CVKD carburettors, a cam position sensor wasn't necessary. Its inclusion could indicate that Kawasaki had designs to include fuel injection on the engine in the future, but this did not happen until the 2003 introduction of the Z1000, which uses a bored-out ex-ZX-9R engine with a side-draught cylinder head.
The frame lost the steel engine cradles, but also its bolt-on subframe and the rear ride height adjuster. The swingarm was a new unbraced, rectangular-section extruded design. The wheel sizes were the same, but the wheels were a new, lighter design. The brake calipers carried over, but the discs were smaller and lighter without stopping power being affected. New 46 mm right-way-up KYB forks replaced the heavier, though stiffer 43 mm upside down forks on the B model. The rear shock absorber changed from a remote-reservoir to a lighter, more compact piggyback design. The wheelbase dropped 30 mm to 1,410 mm (56 in).
Overall, with a factory-quoted dry weight of 183 kg (403 lb), the C-model weighed less fully fuelled than the first B-model weighed dry.
Visually, the new bike retained the rounded look of its predecessor, but became sleeker, with a slimmer tail unit and a smaller fairing. As a consequence of the smaller engine and shorter wheelbase, though, the fuel tank became wider and intruded more on the riding position than before.
The 1998 ZX9r was the first stock motorcycle to run a quarter-mile in the 9s (9.99 sec at 136.8 mph).
ZX900E1 (2000) and ZX900E2 (2001)
A dramatic new look was introduced for the 2000 model, with distinctive twin headlights and a separate ram-air intake replacing the single headlight and integrated intake of the C-model. The engine gained a few horsepower from slightly shorter length CVRD 40 mm carburettors, a compression ratio increase from a lower duration intake cam, which increased cranking compression. Further improvements were aimed primarily at handling.
The frame was made stiffer through the enlarging of the front engine mounting bolts, though this still left the ZX-9R with just a single front engine mount on either side of the frame. Further, the rubber bushings in the top rear engine mount were changed to alloy. This combined to make the engine's contribution to the stiffness of the frame/engine unit greater.
The swingarm pivot and wheel spindles were made larger in diameter, again for more stiffness. Increased offset on the triple clamps reduced the trail on the front wheel to make the steering more agile. The forks were shortened to save weight, and the rear shock top mount was redesigned to incorporate a ride-height adjuster.
ZX900F1 (2002) and ZX900F2 (2003)
Changes to the 2002–2003 ZX-9R included a new tail fairing, a single piece front mudguard, the loss of the passenger grab handles and the B/C/E model H-bar mirror bracket. Mechanical additions included a strengthened swingarm (by a claimed 20%) and rear shock with a side facing fluid reservoir, stiffened frame with relocated solid engine mounts, increased trail and reduced fork offset, and new Nissin four-piston caliper brakes and 320 mm discs at the front wheel. Slight engine modifications included a return to the B/C model style Keihin CVKD carburettor and a 10% heavier crankshaft offset by a reduced diameter flywheel reported to help the engine spin up quicker, boosting low and mid-range torque.
Though subtle, California (U.S.) specific models included catalytic converters and carburettors with electronic fuel cut off solenoids. In 2004 the ZX-9R was replaced with the ZX-10R.
Year 2002 ZX9R Specifications
Engine Liquid-cooled, four-stroke, transverse four-cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder.
Capacity 899
Bore x Stroke 75 x 50.9 mm
Compression Ratio 12.2:1
Induction 4x 40 mm Keihin CVKD carbs
Ignition / Crank Start / Pedal Powered
Max Power 144 hp 105 kW @ 11000 rpm
Max Torque 101 Nm @ 11000 rpm Transmission / Drive 6 Speed / chain
Front Suspension 46 mm fully adjustable cartridge fork, preload compression and rebound adjustable.
Rear Suspension Bottom-Link Uni-Trak rising rate mono shock, preload compression, rebound and ride height adjustable.
Front Brakes 2x 320 mm discs 6 piston calipers
Rear Brakes Single 220 mm disc 1 piston caliper
Front Tyre 120/70 ZR17
Rear Tyre 190/50 ZR17
Seat Height 827 mm
Dry-Weight 186 kg
Fuel Capacity 19 Litres
Consumption average 18.7 km/lit, Max w/Calif. U.S. models 23.0 km/lit
Standing ¼ Mile 9.99@136.8 mph(1998 ZX9r C1 model) The 1999 C2 recorded a 10.06@138.96
Top Speed 284.6 km/h / 174.98 mp/h
See also
Kawasaki Ninja series
References
External links
2000 E1 ZX-9R Review
2001 E2 TotalMotorcycle online review
2002 F1 Motorcycle Daily Online Review
2003 F2 Motorcyclist Online Review
Kawasaki Vehicle information
Sportrider Sportbike Performance Numbers.
http://www.kawasaki.com/DefaultFrame.aspx?strContentURL=/SITE/VIVEHICLEINFORMATION/VICHOOSEVEHICLE.ASP
http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mckaw/00zx9r.html
http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2002/06/03june02kawasaki2002zx9r/
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/roadtests/2002_kawasaki_zx_9r
http://www.sportrider.com/tech/sportbike-performance-numbers
http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/2001models/2001models-Kawasaki-ZX-9R.htm
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The photo 1998-Kawasaki-Ninja-ZX-9R-285654-GP.jpg (1998 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-9R - Uploaded for: mehmet
1998 Kawasaki ZX-9R) was uploaded by: mehmet.nospam@netzero.com.
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To keep up with all things Wix, including website building tips and interesting articles, head over to to the Wix Blog. You may even find yourself inspired to start crafting your own blog, adding unique content, and stunning images and videos. Start creating your own blog now. Good luck!


Introducing the Fraser Fort George Outreach Program for local businesses - Support PG | Community Support Resources in Prince George, BC
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Introducing the Fraser Fort George Outreach Program for local businesses
Posted on September 11, 2020
//
Posted By Krystin Dubuc
Krystin Dubuc // Community Futures Fraser Fort George (with contributions from Amelia Merrick)
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to place pressure on our local businesses and organizations, which will have longstanding consequences that are just starting to emerge now. To help understand these consequences, Community Futures Fraser Fort George (CF) has launched a new program designed to provide business support during the pandemic.
The Fraser Fort George Outreach Program, with funding from the Northern Development Initiative Trust Regional Business Liaison program and Western Economic Diversification COVID-19 contribution, was launched on September 1, 2020.
This 12 month program will reach out to businesses and non-profit organizations in Prince George to uncover COVID-19 impacts on our small business landscapes. To build resiliency into operations and plans, the program will provide supports to reinforce economic sustainability and help them flourish. To complete this work, three Regional Business Liaisons will be working across the region. They will be connecting with businesses and organizations and collect key insights by asking four broad questions:
How did COVID-19 change your CONTEXT?
How did you RESPOND?
What SUPPORTS AND RESOURCES do you value? Which ones are less useful?
What MORE can be done so that businesses, non-profits, and communities can flourish and evolve?
Information and insights will help inform CF and other community partners as they plan future programming and supports for small businesses during and after the pandemic. To strengthen collaboration and capacity as CF continues to move into different phases of the pandemic, these findings will be shared with community partners throughout the process, and showcased at a Winter 2021 open forum.
Amelia Merrick, the Regional Business Liaison for Prince George, will begin conducting interviews in September and continue throughout the year. If you would like to share your story with her, visit our website at www.cfdc.bc.ca or call the office at 250-562-9622 to schedule an interview.
A Q&A with Amelia Merrick, Regional Business Liaison for Prince George
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a picnicker! I love to be outdoors, I love eating and I love to walk, which means Prince George is a great place to live. Last year I bought my first pair of cross-country skis and though I had a few tumbles in the snow, I discovered my new happy place: sitting on the verandah at Otway during sunset, eating Homesteader’s sausages and drinking a Sugarbowl Pale Ale from Trench Brewery. Now that’s a picnic!
More about me: I am a BC girl, born in Rutland but I’ve lived around the world – from a small island in the Banda Sea, to the big city of Toronto and now I call Prince George home.
What kind of roles have you had, that have led you to the project?
I ask a lot of questions! When I’m not working on this project I am conducting interviews for my PhD. I am researching the school to work transition and hope to learn how we can better integrate young people into the labour market, in support of flourishing communities.
I’ve held a lot of different jobs all around the world. I was the National Director for World Vision in Laos; together with 400 staff I worked towards child well-being – things like improving education, maternal health and clean water. I was also the Operations Director in Indonesia, which meant I was among the first people on the scene of major disasters – like the 2004 tsunami and the Padang earthquake. Before I got to Prince George I was the Director of Career and Experiential Learning at the University of Toronto. We supported students as they asked big life questions like: What can I do with my degree? How do I get a job? How can I be of service to my community? Should I do more school?
What drew you to this project?
I believe we all thrive when our communities flourish. I love that this project is using the real stories of our community members to figure out how we can make Prince George a better place to work, live and play. I recently moved to PG from Toronto and I know that it is sometimes hard to hear the voice of Northern communities amongst all the clamour of powerful businesses on Bay Street. I am excited to work on this project because I am hopeful that with more data and stories, we can influence key stakeholders to consider the experiences of our Northern communities when they make decisions.
What can businesses expect during an interview?
It will be fun and useful! We are talking about a tough topic – how COVID-19 has impacted us – but just because it’s a complex topic doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time. We have four main questions: How did COVID-19 change your CONTEXT? How did you RESPOND? What SUPPORTS AND RESOURCES do you value? Which ones are less useful? What MORE can be done so that businesses, non-profits, and communities can flourish and evolve? This is your chance to tell me your opinions… what you really think! And because it is confidential you can say all the stuff you might not feel comfortable saying at a dinner party.
What will be done with the findings?
A couple of different things will happen. First, we will provide you with a few resources or referrals that are targeted to your business or organization. Right now we have a list of 117 different resources… and hopefully one of them will be useful to you! Second, we will analyze your interview along with the other 159 to identify major themes. All interviews will be confidential and businesses will be anonymized. Each month we will share the major themes with key decision-makers and influencers in our region – like Shirley Bond and on https://cfdc.bc.ca/regional_outreach_program/. Third, we are going to host an Open Forum in January where we will share the findings with all participants and together we will prioritize steps forward. Ultimately we hope that our findings will enable organizations like Community Futures, Tourism Prince George, and other organizations who support small businesses and non-profits, to respond to the real ideas, hopes and dreams of small businesses and non-profit organizations in Prince George.
About the author: Krystin Dubuc is the Projects Coordinator for Community Futures Fraser Fort George, which is an organization dedicated to supporting small business at every stage in the Fraser Fort George region with training, tools, and financing. Krystin supports businesses through special initiatives and community based projects at CF FFG. Krystin graduated from UNBC in Prince George and has a passion for community economic development. She enjoys exploring the region with her family and seeking out the perfect glazed donut.
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Physical complications after COVID-19 can persist for months or even years, and include impairments in muscle strength, heart and lung capacity, pain, balance, and endurance – leading to a loss of function and independence. Recovery in many forms takes time and can put life on pause.
At Therapeutic Associates Physical Therapy, we offer methods of treatment for patients recovering from COVID-19, also known as Post-COVID Syndrome. Our team of trained providers will support you with the highest standard of care to help you recover and reach your health goals.
What is Post-COVID Syndrome?
It’s becoming more apparent that a subset of people who’ve recovered from COVID-19 can experience symptoms that linger well beyond testing negative for the virus. This condition is generally referred to as Post-COVID Syndrome (PASC) or Long COVID. Many long-haulers will experience one or many of the following symptoms:
Fatigue or difficulty completing basic daily routines
Shortness of breath
Difficulty getting back to regular exercise routines
Chest pain
Inability to return to work
Changes in balance or frequent dizziness
Joint or muscle pain
Cases of Post-COVID Syndrome have shown that symptoms can last anywhere from a few weeks, to months, to even years for some people. While these lingering symptoms can undoubtedly impact quality of life, physical therapy may help you recover and manage your symptoms safely.
How can physical therapy help?
Quality of life is important. While many people do not experience severe side effects from COVID-19 and therefore may not need intense rehabilitation, there are plenty who find themselves struggling with recovery and feeling weak and incapable of returning to their normal routine. Physical therapy can help individuals experiencing all levels of symptoms:
Strength training to restore lost muscle function
Endurance training to reduce fatigue and promote participation in pre-COVID activities
Aerobic training to improve cardiovascular and pulmonary health
Balance training to reduce fall risk
Monitoring vital signs (blood pressure, oxygen levels, heart rate, respiration rate) as the intensity level of activity increases to reduce the risk of progressing too quickly at home
Your physical therapist will be able to do a full assessment of your condition, ask you health-related questions regarding your experience with COVID-19, and pinpoint the sources of your pain or dysfunction. From there, they will develop a treatment plan specific to your needs, with the ultimate goal of getting your health back to normal and optimizing your level of function.
Take the next step in your recovery.
If you or someone you know is still suffering from post-COVID symptoms, we’re here to help support you. Currently, the locations listed below offer post-COVID rehabilitation programs. Please contact one of these locations to schedule an appointment.


Trump's comments came on Sunday morning, after he announced last week he declassified documents involving Clinton's email scandal and alleged Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election.
⚠ Follow our US election 2020 live blog for the latest news & updates
7
Trump claimed Clinton's deleted emails from a scandal when she was Secretary of State are being releasedCredit: Getty Images - Getty
7
Trump said Clinton was part of an operation to try and tear down his administrationCredit: Reuters
Fox News host Maria Bartiromo questioned Trump as he slammed alleged "spying" on his campaign from the Obama administration, claiming "we caught them cold.
Bartiromo questioned Trump about Clinton allegedly working with the FBI to take down his presidency.
Trump alleged the operation began before he won the election, called it a "disgrace," and added: "We caught 'em."
He alleged Clinton, among others, "tried to destroy an administration."
“I will say this: documents are being released at a level now nobody has even seen before," Trump claimed.
7
'“I will say this: documents are being released at a level now nobody has even seen before, Trump claimed of Clinton's emails and documents on Russian interferenceCredit: Alamy Live News
7
Trump said 'we caught them cold,' as he said documents on 'everything' will be releasedCredit: AP:Associated Press
"Things that nobody thought were going to get released have been released. And you’re seeing it, you’re seeing it all the time. You're seeing what’s going on.
"We caught them cold. We have them cold and now they have to do something about it, but other documents are going to be released, Maria, which are breathtaking.
He added: "Wait until you see what’s coming out.”
Batrimono then asked if the documents specifically regarded Hillary Clinton or the FBI – to which Trump responded "everything."
“We have found things nobody can believe. Nobody can believe what we found," Trump claimed.
7
Trump claimed Clinton was 'totally crooked'Credit: Reuters
7
Trump also shared an op-ed on Sunday, claiming Clinton was the leader behind a plan to tear down his administrationCredit: The Mega Agency
"I'll tell you what, the level at which we found them – people are shocked, they’re stunned and let’s see what happens.
He added: "Hillary Clinton was totally crooked. And so were plenty of other people.”
Also on Sunday, Trump shared an op-ed from Andy McCarthy in the National Review, which alleged that Clinton "orchestrated the Russia-Collusion Farce."
Trump's comments came after he revealed last week that he "declassified all documents" in Clinton's deleted email scandal, along with the alleged Russian interference in the election.
On Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he's working to release Clinton's deleted emails, along with documents on the Russian interference.
"We've got the emails. We're getting them out," Pompeo told Fox host Dana Perino.
"We're going to get all this information out so the American people can see it.
"You'll remember there was classified information on a private server, should have never been there," he continued.
7
Trump claimed Clinton began the operation before Trump won the electionCredit: Getty Images - Getty
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Pompeo added: "Hillary Clinton should never have done that, that was unacceptable behavior."
In his interview with Fox on Sunday, Trump also claimed he's "immune" to coronavirus.
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As part of a Office 365 tenant rebuild, I had to move a custom domain to the new Office 365 tenant. The old tenant was not needed anymore, and the customer had to move to a Non-Profit tenant for compliance reasons. So the migration itself was no big deal:
disable AzureAD sync
change UPN of all users
remove the domain
connect the domain to the new tenant
setup a new AzureAD sync
assign licenses
time for a beer
That was my, honestly, naive plan for this migration.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Disabling the AzureAD sync was easy. Even the change from ADFS to Password Hash Sync was easy. Changing the UPN for all users was a bit challenging, but the PowerSHell code in this article was quite helpful.
$users = Get-MsolUser -All | Where {$_.UserPrincipalName -like "*customdomain.tld"} | select UserPrincipalName

foreach ($user in $users) {

   #Create New User Principal Name
   $newUser = $user.UserPrincipalName -replace "customdomain.tld", "customdomain.onmicrosoft.com"

   #Set New User Principal Name
   Set-MsolUserPrincipalName -UserPrincipalName $user.UserPrincipalName -NewUserPrincipalName $newUser

   #Display New User Principal Name
   $newUser
 }
But after this, I still was unable to remove the custom domain from the tenant. The domain was still referenced in the ProxyAddresses attribute, which was synced by the AzureAD sync…
Removing the domain from the users in the on-prem Active Directory was not solution. The users were already cloud-only because the sync was switched off. With this in mind my plan was to modify the cloud-only users in the tenant. To be honest: This solution worked in this specific case!
The customer was using Microsoft Teams Commercial Cloud trial licenses, so I had no Exchange Online to edit the proxy addresses. But luckily, the Exchange Online Management PowerShell Module was quite helpful.
Get-MailUser | Select -ExpandProperty emailaddresses | ? {$_ -like "*customdomain.tld"}
This line of code gave me an idea how many users were affected… quite a lot… With my colleague Claudia I quickly developed some dirty PowerShell code to remove all proxy addresses that included the custom domain.
$users = Get-MailUser -ResultSize Unlimited

foreach ($u in $users) {

    Get-MailUser -Identity $u.Alias |select -ExpandProperty emailaddresses |
    ? {$_ -like "*customdomain.tld"} |
    % {Set-MailUser -Identity $u.Alias -EmailAddresses @{remove="$_"}}

}
It tool about 45 minutes to modify ~ 2000 users. After this, I was able to remove the domain and connect it to the new tenant.
This solution worked in my case. Another way might be using the AzureAD sync itself, masking out the custom domain and wait until the domain is removed from all proxy addresses. But I didn’t tested this.
This entry was posted in Microsoft, Office365 and tagged azure, azure ad, cloud, Exchange Online, microsoft, microsoft 365, office 365 on October 31, 2021 by Patrick Terlisten.
Details on Windows 10 E3/ E5 Subscription Activation
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This posting is ~12 months years old. You should keep this in mind. IT is a short living business. This information might be outdated.
One of my customers purchased a bunch of Microsoft 365 subscriptions in order to use them with Office 365 and Windows 10 Enterprise. The customer called me because he had trouble to activate the Windows 10 Enterprise license.
Source: Microsoft
I would like so summarize some of the requirements in order to successfuly active Windows 10 Enterprise subscriptions.
License
First of all, there is a licensing requirement. You need at least a Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Pro Education. You need one of these licenses! There is no way to use the Windows 10 Enterprise subscription without a base license, because it’s an upgrade!
Source: Microsoft
In case of my customer, the Pro license was missing. After adding and activating a Pro key, the key and edition was automatically updated to Windows 10 Enterprise.
AzureAD
In ordner to activate the license, the devices must be Azure AD-joined or Hybrid Azure AD joined. Workgroup-joined or Azure AD registered devices are not supported!
The Windows 10 Enterprise license must assigned to the user. The license can’t assigned to a device. Without an assigned license, the device can’t upgrade from a Pro to an Enterprise license.
This entry was posted in Microsoft, Office365 and tagged microsoft, microsoft 365, windows 10 on December 8, 2020 by Patrick Terlisten.
Exchange HCW8078 – Migration Endpoint could not be created
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This posting is ~1 year years old. You should keep this in mind. IT is a short living business. This information might be outdated.
While migrating a customer from Exchange 2010 to Exchange 2016, I had to create an Exchange Hybrid Deployment, because the customer wants to use Microsoft Teams. Nothing fancy and I’ve did this a couple of times.
Unfortunantely the Hybrid Connection Wizard failed to create the migration endpoint. A quick check of the logs showed this error:
Microsoft.Exchange.MailboxReplicationService.MRSRemotePermanentException: The Mailbox Replication Service could not connect to the remote server because the certificate is invalid. The call to 'https://mail.contoso.com/EWS/mrsproxy.svc' failed. Error details: Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS secure channel with authority 'mail.contoso.com'. -->The underlying connection was closed: Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS secure channel. --> The remote certificate is invalid according to the validation procedure
The customer had not plans to move mailboxes to Exchange Online, so we didn’t care about this error. But the Calendar tab in Teams was not visible, and Teams logs stated that Teams was unable to discover the mailbox. A typical sign of a not working EWS connection.
It’s always TLS… or DNS… or NTP
The customer used a certificate from its own PKI, so it was not trusted by Microsoft. In addition, the Exchange was located behind a Sophos XG which was running Webserver Protection (Reverse Proxy). But this was not the main cause for the problems.
The root cause was the certificate from the customers PKI.
And therefore you should make sure to use a proper certificate from a 3rd CA for Exchange Hybrid Deployments. I really please every customer to stop using self-signed certificates, or certificates from their own PKI for external connections.
The customer has switched to a Let’s Encrypt certificate for testing purposes and the problems went away, without running the HCW again. He will now purchase a certificate from a 3rd party CA.
This entry was posted in Exchange, Microsoft, Office365 and tagged exchange, hcw, microsoft, microsoft 365, office 365, teams on November 1, 2020 by Patrick Terlisten.
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People using payday lenders and other providers of high-cost short-term credit will see the cost of borrowing fall and will never have to pay back more than double what they originally borrowed, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) confirmed yesterday.
Martin Wheatley, the FCA's chief executive officer, said:
'I am confident that the new rules strike the right balance for firms and consumers. If the price cap was any lower, then we risk not having a viable market, any higher and there would not be adequate protection for borrowers.
'For people who struggle to repay, we believe the new rules will put an end to spiralling payday debts. For most of the borrowers who do pay back their loans on time, the cap on fees and charges represents substantial protections.'
The FCA published its proposals for a payday loan price cap in July. The price cap structure and levels remain unchanged following the consultation. These are:
Initial cost cap of 0.8% per day - Lowers the cost for most borrowers. For all high-cost short-term credit loans, interest and fees must not exceed 0.8% per day of the amount borrowed.
Fixed default fees capped at £15 - Protects borrowers struggling to repay. If borrowers do not repay their loans on time, default charges must not exceed £15. Interest on unpaid balances and default charges must not exceed the initial rate.
Total cost cap of 100% - Protects borrowers from escalating debts. Borrowers must never have to pay back more in fees and interest than the amount borrowed.
From 2 January 2015, no borrower will ever pay back more than twice what they borrowed, and someone taking out a loan for 30 days and repaying on time will not pay more than £24 in fees and charges per £100 borrowed.
Price cap consultation, further analysis
The FCA consulted widely on the proposed price cap with various stakeholders, including industry and consumer groups, professional bodies and academics.
In July, the FCA estimated that the effect of the price cap would be that 11% of current borrowers would no longer have access to payday loans after 2 January 2015.
In the first five months of FCA regulation of consumer credit, the number of loans and the amount borrowed has dropped by 35%. To take account of this, FCA has collected additional information from firms and revised its estimates of the impact on market exit and loss of access to credit. We now estimate 7 % of current borrowers may not have access to payday loans - some 70,000 people. These are people who are likely to have been in a worse situation if they had been granted a loan. So the price cap protects them.
In the July consultation paper the FCA said it expected to see more than 90% of firms participating in real-time data sharing. Recent progress means that participation in real-time data sharing is in line with our expectations. Therefore the FCA is not proposing to consult on rules about this at this time. The progress made will be kept under review.
The final policy statement and rules. The price cap will be reviewed in 2017.
Notes to editors
Price cap on high-cost short-term credit: Policy Statement 14/16
Proposals consulted on: position unchanged
The cap will have three components: an initial cost cap; a cap on default fees and interest; and a total cost cap.
View full sized image
Initial cost cap
The initial cost cap will be set at 0.8% of the outstanding principal per day, on all interest and fees charged during the loan and when refinancing.
Firms can structure their charges under this cap in any way they choose, for example, a portion could be upfront or rollover fees.
Default cap
The cap on default charges will be £15.
Interest can continue to be charged but at no higher rate than the initial cost cap (calculated per day on the outstanding principal and fixed default charges).
Total cost cap
The total cost cap will be 100% of the total amount borrowed, applying to all interest, fees and charges.
Application of the cap
It will apply to high-cost short-term credit (HCSTC) as defined in our current CONC rules.
The cap will cover debt collection, debt administration and other ancillary charges; and charges for credit broking for a firm in the same group or where the broker shares revenue with the lender.
Repeat borrowing
The price cap will apply to each loan agreement, and so to repeat borrowing in the same way as for a first loan.
Data sharing
Firms engaging in this market should be participating in real-time data sharing, so that the vast majority of loans are reported in real-time.
Recent progress is in line with our expectations. This will be kept under review.
Supervision
Our supervisory approach will follow our standard model.
E-Commerce Directive (ECD)
UK-based debt collectors will be prevented from collecting debts arising under HCSTC agreements entered into by incoming ECD lenders whose charges exceed the price cap.
UK-based debt administrators will not be able to enforce or exercise rights on behalf of a lender under such HCSTC agreements.
The Treasury has already announced its intention to lay before Parliament, ahead of the cap coming into effect on 2 January, an Order to confer a power on the FCA allowing us to take action if an incoming firm abuses the EU right of free movement by establishing in another member state directing all or most of its activities into the UK, with a view to avoiding rules that would apply if it had been established in another member state.
Review period
There will be a review of the price cap in the first half of 2017.
Proposals consulted on: changes and clarifications made
Application of the cap to loans made before January 2015
We have adjusted the rules so that if an HCSTC agreement is modified after 2 January 2015, charges imposed before 2 January must be taken together with charges imposed after that date for the calculation of the cap.
Calculation of the cap
We have amended the rules to cover calculation of the cap when loans are refinanced.
Unenforceability
We have clarified that when an agreement is unenforceable, consumers still have a statutory duty to repay the principal, once a firm has repaid the interest or charges to the consumer, or indicated that there are no charges to repay. Customers must repay within a reasonable period. Lenders cannot make a demand in less than 30 days. We give guidance on what is reasonable in different circumstances.
Repeat borrowing
We will do further work to assess the impact of repeat borrowing and whether firms are adequately assessing affordability.
The FCA’s final rules for all credit firms including payday lenders were published in February 2014.
The Money Advice Service is publishing new advice to help consumers who are considering taking out payday loans.
Firms must be authorised by the FCA, or have interim permission, to carry out consumer credit activities. Firms with interim permission need to apply for authorisation in an allocated application period which last for three months and run from 1 October 2014 to 31 March 2016.
The FCA took over responsibility for the regulation of 50,000 consumer credit firms from the Office of Fair Trading on 1 April 2014.
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 gives the FCA powers to investigate and prosecute insider dealing, defined by The Criminal Justice Act 1993.
On the 1 April 2013 the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) became responsible for the conduct supervision of all regulated financial firms and the prudential supervision of those not supervised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA).


SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX) — Schools quickly had to pivot to online learning at the beginning of the year, broaching brand new territory for many. But one charter school in Utah was already fully online and became a resource for those schools, sharing lessons about how to make virtual learning a success.
Utah Virtual Academy is a free charter school option for students across the state of Utah, and it’s completely online. The school has been called on this year to offer insights and training to other campuses trying to transition to all or part-online learning, according to Meghan Meredith, the Head of Schools.
The school has been providing mostly informal help, with lots of conversations with educators in Utah, centered on one reassuring message: “All of the traditional strategies that make them great in a brick and mortar, they can do online — it just takes a minute,” she said.
Why choose online even before the pandemic?
Meredith has led the school through a massive growth period over the last two years, drastically improving test scores and graduation rates. UTVA was placed on Turnaround Status three years ago for being in the bottom 3% of schools in the state. It’s since grown more than 25% and at the beginning of this school year, was cleared of the designation.
RELATED: Portsmouth schools use paced learning to adapt to different progress levels due to pandemic
Pre-pandemic, students chose UTVA for a wide variety of reasons including bullying at in-person campuses, mobility and living condition concerns and academic readiness.
“Whatever the reason they came to us, we need to make sure we’re serving that before they can academically grow,” Meredith said.
UTVA sees one of the most unique student bodies in the state: 49% are economically disadvantaged, 21% have disabilities and 48% are mobile, which encompasses traveling and homeless students.
COVID-19 has dramatically increased the number of children exposed to that same kind of uncertainty at home, and Meredith says there are absolutely ways to make sure these kids are still learning.
Helping students, parents and teachers
It starts with support.
“There’s a whole team of professionals here to support the whole student,” explained Meredith — professionals like school counselors, social workers and teachers.
A student learning online at Utah Virtual Academy (KTVX Photo)
Kaitlyn Blackham is a UTVA School Counselor, and she recommends getting creative to communicate with students.
“Just like you do if you’re sitting one on one with that student, try to find a setting where you can talk to them one on one in a meaningful way,” Blackham said. “Whether that’s on the phone — we text with our students and some of them prefer that. We’ve had meaningful conversations over text with our students.”
The next major lesson from UTVA is not only training the kids in online tools but training the parents on what it’s like having a remote learner.
“We have specific staff at our school that support and train our parents as well,” Meredith said.
OTHER SOLUTIONS: Teen-run project provides virtual activities, tutoring for kids during the pandemic
Parents learn what to look out for in their students’ behaviors and schedule and talk regularly with teachers and staff.
Finally, schools need to teach the teachers how to use the new virtual tools they’ve been given in the best way possible. UTVA says one of the biggest reasons behind its growth and success is helping teachers assess and use classroom data to make real, actionable plans for each student.
Utah Virtual Academy has seen test scores and graduation rates skyrocket in the last two years and says those numbers really boil down to time with individual students. While that time may be hard to find as a more traditional school adapts to this rapidly changing virus, it’s seen one-on-one time is crucial for success.
Partnering with the national non-profit Solutions Journalism Network, Nexstar stations nationwide are telling unique stories about how the pandemic has exposed inequities for students and the solutions some groups have found to bridge that gap.
Copyright 2021 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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In early August, non-fungible token trading (NFT) platform OpenSea announced that its volume for the year had surpassed $1 billion. For comparison, Opensea generated $24 million in the year 2020 and $8 million in 2019. As far as NFT sales are concerned, this market has generated over $2.5 billion in the first half of 2021. This trend is expected to continue given the excitement of these new assets and the innovations they offer us.
NFT and artificial intelligence, an unlikely combination
In May 2021, the Robert Alice studio and Alethea AI collaborated to create the first “intelligent NFT” or iNFT named Alice. Indeed, this NFT is based on machine learning software that uses a dialogue generation system based on the OpenAI GPT-3 engine. Basically, this means that it is capable of holding relatively simple conversations.
Tweet from Sotheby’s announcing the release of Alice – Source: Twitter
Each machine learning language model is built from a starting text, an initial document that forms the basis of its vocabulary. However, Alice “learns” from every interaction with the audience. This unique property of this NFT makes the model’s learning base almost decentralized since each time it changes ownership it will expand its lexicon, and then its conversational possibilities.

”Today we have still images, GIFs, and videos. The next iteration will be where you can have interaction and some level of intelligence in the character itself or in the art form […] We are developing a protocol that will allow you to take any NFT, transpose it into the smart contract infrastructure that we have designed, and make it intelligent and interactive.”
Arif Khan, CEO of Alethea AI

This first iNFT sold for $478,000 on the Sotheby’s art gallery website. However, it appears to be the first in a long line. Once the Alethea Ai protocol is finalized, we will be able to
See also Panama presents proposal to regulate Bitcoin, NFT and cryptocurrencies
s chat with our favorite CryptoPunk.
>> Play it safe, sign up for the leading crypto exchange FTX <<
Big Investors Rush to Participate in Alethea Ai’s Token Sale
In an August 24 release, Alethea AI announced the closing of its $16 million private token sale. The deal brought together an impressive list of investors from all corners of the cryptosphere. The deal was supported by Crypto.com Capital, Multicoin Capital and Alameda Research
, among others.
Billionaire and NFT aficionado Mark Cuban also participated in the private sale. Indeed, Cuban has become known this year for his particularly optimistic statements about NFTs, which he sees as a “game changer” on the scale of the art market. The billionaire has also launched his own NFT marketplace Lazy.com
, which also acts as a virtual art gallery.
Alethea AI private sale attendee list – Source: Alethea AI
The funding will be used to build a “scalable AI infrastructure for NFTs” that will give digital collectibles more dynamic features. Alethea wants the world of NFTs to move beyond expensive videos and artworks to become “fully interactive, engaging and autonomous objects that can learn and evolve from their environment.”
Evolution of NFT types – Source: Alethea AI
The idea is that multiple iNFTs with their own personalities can interact with each other in a parallel, digital, AI-powered
world. And, it seems that this proposal resonates with big investors, given the project’s prestigious list of backers. The company worked closely with Open AI to design its iNFT technology.
Despite the impressive advances in this sector, trust your good old biological intelligence to spot the goodies instead! Come and trade your first bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies by registering on FTX. There you will get a lifetime discount on your trading fees (affiliate link).


'If nobody is listening, it is useless': Trump admin's social media campaign against Iran divides diplomats
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'If nobody is listening, it is useless': Trump admin's social media campaign against Iran divides diplomats
'If nobody is listening, it is useless': Trump admin's social media campaign against Iran divides diplomats ...
4464
edition.cnn.com 24/02/2019 Politics
Keywords:#Ali_Khamenei, #Ayatollah, #Ayatollah_Ali_Khamenei, #Brian_Hook, #CNN, #Donald_Trump, #Edition.cnn.com, #Facebook, #Farsi, #Foreign_Minister, #GMT, #Game_of_Thrones, #Iran, #Iranian, #Iranian_Embassy, #Javad_Zarif, #Jaws, #John_Bolton, #John_Kirby, #Khamenei, #Middle_East, #Mohammad_Javad_Zarif, #Obama, #Obama_administration, #Persian, #President, #Sanctions, #State_Department, #Tehran, #Trump, #Twitter, #US, #Warsaw, #Washington, #White_House
By Kylie Atwood, CNN
Updated 1330 GMT (2130 HKT) February 23, 2019
(CNN)Jaws dropped at the State Department last November when President Donald Trump tweeted a "Game of Thrones"-style poster warning Iran that "Sanctions are coming."
The tweet was the idea of political appointees at State, but many career diplomats were appalled and uncomfortable. As the rhetoric against Tehran continues to be ratcheted up, there's a divide within the State Department between political officials who want to keep pushing the envelope and career diplomats who argue the strategy is counterproductive and "useless."
Using digital platforms to condemn the Tehran regime has become a defining characteristic of the Trump administration's Iran policy.
In the last couple of weeks a top political State Department official tweeted a mocking GIF of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif calling him a liar, national security adviser John Bolton pronounced that he did not think Iran's regime will have any more anniversaries in an official White House video and the State Department distributed a video of what was once the Iranian Embassy in DC, which has now been shuttered for almost 40 years.
Trump's "Sanctions are coming" tweet certainly caught the world's attention and grabbed headlines. The President was so taken with the image that the poster was on the table in front of him during the first Cabinet meeting of the new year.
Career diplomats had heard about the idea of the original tweet from political leadership at the State Department. They claimed an edgy preview of the big show -- US sanctions against entities doing business with Iran, months after the US exited the Iran nuclear deal -- would grab people's attention. Initially, the career officials had said no, arguing it diluted the seriousness of the policy. The poster appeared "more silly than anything else," explained a career diplomat.
But the political appointees sent it to the White House. If State wouldn't use it, maybe the President would. It worked and Trump loved it, explained administration officials.
The poster crystallized the contentious divide between career diplomats at the State Department and Trump's political appointees when it comes to messaging on Iran.
'We need something that jars people out of their complacency'
"If nobody is listening, it is useless," explained a political appointee at the State Department. "We need something that jars people out of their complacency. If we can't get people's attention, then we are not communicating our policy. And we are certainly not going to get their attention if we bore them to death."
The "Game of Thrones" poster was considered particularly successful in the eyes of the Trump administration because it broke through during the midterm elections, to a domestic US audience. The fear from career diplomats is that the shock-factor-driven digital approach is not actually bolstering the administration's policy. They see it as diluting very serious policy.
"I don't see how it is effective. I worry that it will, in the end, detract from what we have said is the policy: We want to increase pressure on the Iranian regime to get an all-comprehensive deal," explained a State Department official who has worked on Iran during this administration. "These ideas seem to be speaking more to a domestic audience, and that is not going to move the needle on Iran's calculus on if they will work with us on a new deal."
A State Department spokesperson pushed back against the criticism. "The State Department's media strategy on Iran supports the Trump administration's overall strategy, which is to impose maximum pressure on the Iranian regime so that it changes its malign behavior while supporting the Iranian people," the spokesperson told CNN.
The Trump administration has stressed that it is seeking to use digital content to reach the Iranian people. US Special Representative to Iran Brian Hook has taken questions from Farsi speakers online. And the recent video that he recorded in front of the former Iranian Embassy in Washington caught the attention of Iranians online -- with more than 130,000 total views in less than 48 hours on the State Department's Twitter account.
It was the content of Hook's video, however, that raised alarm among some diplomats. His message seemed at odds with the administration's repeated claim that it is not pressing for regime change in Iran. Hook said the US wanted to turn over the embassy's keys to a "truly representative Iranian government."
Cyber saber rattling
Similar language has been used in other digital content targeting Iran. Earlier this month the White House tweeted a video of Bolton addressed to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warning, "I don't think you will have many more anniversaries to enjoy." Still, the administration claims it does not want to evoke regime change, it just wants to support the Iranian people.
Ahead of last week's US-sponsored Warsaw Middle East Summit -- which focused in large part on Iran's threatening activity in the region -- the hashtag #WeSupportPolandSummit trended in Iran. However, some studies of the hashtag, such as one conducted by Geoff Golberg, who is the co-founder of a blockchain index, suggested it was driven in large part by bots.
State Departments officials claimed that happened organically and said it was not "purely" a bot-driven activity, and the traction in Iran showed that the Iranian people are supportive of the administration's approach.
Yet the Iran digital strategy -- flooding the zone with anti-Iran messaging -- has also confused citizens in countries that are US allies.
The way the administration has used Facebook to post anti-Iranian messages is another departure from the traditional use of that platform by the State Department. The Trump administration posted notices about US Iran sanctions on the Facebook pages of US embassies around the world in November -- primarily in the Middle East. The Facebook pages have historically been used as forums to draw attention to US educational programs in the country or cross-cultural events, rather than sanctions rollouts. The posts provoked an angry response and career diplomats took notice.
In some cases the political appointees' brainstorms for digital content and messaging have gone so far overboard that they have been shut down completely.
Last year one of the political appointees called up the Iran desk with an idea to find a Persian bakery in Washington, have it make rocket-shaped cookies and send them to all the countries within missile-launching range of Iran. The idea was rejected before it turned into anything, but State Department diplomats tell CNN they have had to shut down many similar ideas.
Tweets from the personal accounts of political appointees have also made many career diplomats uncomfortable.
Len Khodorkovsky, a deputy assistant secretary and a former advertising executive, tweeted a GIF of Foreign Minister Zarif earlier this week. "How do you know @JZarif is lying? His lips are moving," Khodorkovsky wrote.
How do you know @JZarif is lying? His lips are moving. pic.twitter.com/wkhv8UOSzp
— Len Khodorkovsky (@MessageFromLen) February 17, 2019
Former State Department officials were shocked. John Kirby, a CNN national security analyst who was a State Department spokesperson during the Obama administration, said using social media for snarky comments "cheapens" diplomacy and would not have been accepted during the Obama administration.
"If I had posted something about him like this on social media, Secretary Kerry would have -- rightly -- been incensed. I might even have been fired," said Kirby.
Khodorkovsky defended his tweet.
"My account -- which is a personal account, where I say my personal take on anything from government-related to news-related topics -- is my specific point of view. But it is also consistent with our policy of pointing out the Iranian regime's excesses and misrepresentations and malign activities," Khodorkovsky told CNN. "It is completely in line with our policy of maximum pressure."
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