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Tali Farhadian Weinstein on Bava Metzia 30b – "The Imperative of Justice: Going Inside the Law"
Prosecutor, professor, and proven criminal justice reformer, Tali Farhadian Weinstein, is Mark's guest on the podcast today. Tali came to America as a refugee in 1979, having fled the violence and ant-Semitism of revolutionary Iran, and went on to earn degrees from Yale College, Oxford University where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and Yale Law School. She has served as a Law Clerk for Judge Merrick B. Garland at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and most recently as the General Counsel of the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office. She has taught immigration law and policy at Columbia Law School, is currently Adjunct Professor of Law and Adjunct Professor of Clinical Law at NYU Law School, and is also running for the position of Manhattan District Attorney, for which she has the full support of the Rabbi's Husband. Tali has chosen the Talmudic text, Bava Metzia 30b, to discuss with Mark today.
Tali begins by sharing her summary of the selected text, the meaning it holds for her, and the rhythm and surprise that she finds within it. Together, she and Mark analyze the notion of going beyond or inside the letter of the law, as well as their differing readings of the text. This leads them to explore the learning and use of prosecutorial discretion, the lessons to be learned through visiting jails and prisons, and the human capacity for change. Tali draws their conversation to a close by recounting the lessons she has learned about mankind, and how they relate directly back to today's selected text. Tali's vast experience as a prosecutor and a professor combine strikingly here today as she shares her remarkable insights while drawing out both the questions and lessons inherent to this 'awesome rabbinic passage', and their very real and highly impactful application in our world today.
"They upheld the law rather than doing this thing of going beyond it or inside of it."
"The passage you chose says we're following Torah laws, therefore the worst thing happened."
"This is my life's work…to practice law enforcement in a way that is fair and just which is what I think this Talmudic text is trying to nudge us toward understanding."
"Maybe what it means to go inside or beyond the letter of the law is to bring the learning from those acts of meeting people at their most vulnerable into law enforcement. And maybe that's the source of knowing…when to pursue, when not to pursue - how to indict a case not just based on the facts but on your sense of justice."
"There's no way that even the author of the Torah, which is the greatest book ever written beyond compare, could anticipate every circumstance where law would have to be applied."
"In the best interpretation of your tradition, develop your character…and in so doing, you will learn when and how to exercise prosecutorial discretion, among many other things."
"I'm making a point about what happens in these acts, and in these human encounters of the kind that our text is urging us to make before we get into the business of law enforcement."
"There's a whole other way of learning that is demanded of us."
"Study leads to action."
"None of us should be defined by the very worst thing that we've done, or the very worst thing that we've experienced."
"I've learned about people's capacity for change and for complexity, and I believe in that very much."
"New York needs you and wants you."
Bava Metzia 30b - https://www.sefaria.org/Bava_Metzia.30b?lang=bi


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Strateco has been collecting data since 2007 for the baseline studies required to prepare an environmental impact study for the underground exploration program on the Matoush property.
The environmental impact study was carried out in accordance with the guidelines issued by the ministère du Développement durable de l'environnement et des Parcs (MDDEP, February 2009) in collaboration with federals agencies (Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency), and clearly demonstrates the importance that Strateco assigns to the environmental and social issues surrounding its project.
The study was filed to the regulatory authorities In October 2009. The completion of this study is a major step forward for the Matoush project, particularly as the study concludes that the project will have a negligible impact on workers, the local population and the environment.
The environmental impact study describes first and foremost the physical environment and the biological components, as well as the social environment in which the underground exploration program will take place. The completed sectorial studies are:
Geology & Geomorphology;
Surface Water & Sediment Quality;
Air and Climate;
Hydrology;
Hydrogeology;
Geochemistry;
Natural Radiation
Aquatic Environment (fishes, habitats, benthos);
Terrestrial Environment (wildlife and birds);
Soil Quality and Vegetation;
Archaeology;
Local Socio-Economic Conditions and Land Use.
The data collected in these studies will be used as reference for the environmental follow-up programs and allow us to verify the accuracy of the identified potential impact and evaluate the performance of the mitigation measures put in place.
The surveillance and monitoring programs are designed to take into consideration the potential environmental and social impacts identified in the impact study. These programs describe the environmental management system that Strateco will adopt in response to the legal requirements, as well as the Company's Code of Ethics. The following environmental monitoring will take place during the underground exploration program:
Final Effluent;
Surface Water and Sediment Quality;
Underground Water Quality;
Benthos;
Air Quality;
Radon;
Gamma Radiation.
Following the filing of the environmental impact study, public information sessions were held in Mistissini and Chibougamau in May 2010 to present the study results to local residents and representatives of provincial and federal government agencies. After these meetings, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), the Federal Environment and Social Impact Review Panel-South (COFEX) and the Provincial Environmental and Social Impact Review Committee (COMEX) sent a series of questions asking for details or further information on certain aspects of the environmental impact study.
Strateco has sent its responses to the CNSC, the COFEX and the COMEX. This long process aimed to ensure that all aspects required for environment protection have been taken into account and that all standards are met. Public hearings were also held in Mistissini and Chibougamau, in November, 2010, to offer an opportunity for the public to express their opinions on the project and its impacts.
In February 2012, Strateco received the approval from the federal Minister of the Environment and the federal administrator of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement for the Matoush project underground exploration program, which is a first for a junior uranium exploration company in Canada. The minister stated that "the project, taken into account the mitigation measures described in the Comprehensive Study Report, is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects".
The Matoush exploration project is designed to minimize its impact on the biophysical and human environments and maximize its positive impacts. Strateco further plans and implements mitigation measures to prevent or reduce the significance of environmental impacts.
The study of social environment is part of the environmental impact study. Strateco has undertaken a consultation process since the outset of exploration on the Matoush property to remain aware of and responsive to the environmental and social concerns of local communities, and to keep them informed on the Matoush project's development. Throughout this process, Strateco has aimed to establish a harmonious, durable relationship that will allow interested parties to exercise a real influence on decisions regarding the Matoush project.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Rental / Events
FCC Announces End Date for Wireless Mic Operation in 700 MHz Band
Front Page, News
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has reorganized the UHF television spectrum, which is also used by many wireless microphones, wireless in-ear monitors, wireless production intercom systems, and other professional wireless audio and video equipment. The spectrum between 698 and 806 MHz—known as the "700 MHz band"—has been reserved for exclusive use by Public Safety agencies and licensed wireless service providers.
The FCC has ordered that wireless microphones, in-ear monitors, and related equipment must cease operations in the 700 MHz band (698–806 MHz) after June 12, 2010, or earlier under certain conditions. This rule change does not apply to wireless systems that operate in other frequency ranges—only systems that operate on frequencies between 698 and 806 MHz are affected.
The order applies to all wireless system users regardless of whether the user holds an FCC license. The order also requires microphone users to cease operations in specified 700 MHz frequencies within 60 days upon receipt of a notice from a wireless carrier or public safety entity authorized to use the spectrum, or, alternatively, within 60 days of the release of an FCC Public Notice specifying that certain 700 MHz frequencies are no longer available for wireless system use in a particular market.
For assistance with checking if your wireless is affected and how to take advantage of the rebates out there, feel free to give us a call. We will be more than happy to assist you.
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Electro-Voice launches ZXA1 compact powered loudspeaker at Winter NAMM 2010
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*The Jana - Light Pink Hearts – Poppy Lane & Co.
This bracelet is made with 8mm glass hearts in light pink in the center, surrounded by your choice of metallic beads: sterling silver, 14k gold, or 14k rose gold.
Shop our other Valentine's Day bracelets here.


On Saturday, June 16, 2018, another young lady, Fiona Kent, entered our Monastery to begin her Postulancy. She will be known during this time as Sister Fiona. During this time of Formation, Sister will continue with human and doctrinal formation and begin learning the basics of Cloistered, Contemplative Carmelite Life, prayer, Sacred Scripture, History of Carmel and all about our great multitude of Saints and Blesseds and deepen her devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and our charism of prayer and sacrifice for Priests and Missionaries. Please pray for Sister and join us in praying for more healthy, holy vocations to our Carmel.
To see more photos of the special occasion, click here.


« What Do Bella Swan, Harry Potter and Superman Have in Common?
It's that time of year for the church world: time for camps and VBS's across the land. Being a youth minister, Greg's schedule is packed with week-long events such as Workcamp, Impact, and mission trips. In fact, he's at Workcamp this week. In the meantime, the kids and I are attending Camp Canaan, a day camp that my parents' church has run for over twenty years now. I have many fond memories of attending Camp Canaan as a camper, volunteering as a counselor, and writing curriculum for it as a college student. And now, in one of those "I feel old" moments, both my children are attending for the first time. While they are campers, I have been helping my mom in her legendary (yes, it is, mom) craft cabin. It's been so neat to see the amazing group of women that she has assembled over the years to help her with all the wonderful crafts she teaches the children. It's very important to her that all of her workers come in with a spiritual focus, so one of the jobs she has given me is to lead a little devo each morning before we all pray together.
If I give out the same set of instructions 37 times, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of painting* and can help children paint anything they want, and if I have the perseverance to wash out every single brush afterward, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I make sure that the kids get all the crafts done and even organize the shelves afterward, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude to the campers, it is not self-seeking, it keeps no record of obnoxiousness or disrespect. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects the campers, always trusts in God, always hopes for the best, always perseveres. Love never fails.
But where there are painted crafts, they will fade. Where there are "God's eyes," they will be lost. Where there are bird feeders, they will probably not last the winter…But what remains when those things are gone is faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.
Camp and VBS present great opportunities to get to know kids and pour God's love into them. My challenge is to remember that showing love is more important than all my other camp jobs.
What would your 1 Corinthians 13 look like?
*I don't have the gift of painting. That was a hypothetical. As I have no crafty gifts, there wasn't anything to put in that blank. I can wash out paint brushes, though!
Kim, that paraphrase read just like a prayer. A prayer over the craft workers and over the kids, a prayer of praise for what God is doing at Camp Canaan. Thank you so much for passing it along to us.
My kids went through VBS and the church's day camp as kids, then worked in them as counselors and he volunteers as they got older. Now my son is directing the day camp for the second year. You might understand, then, why I got a touch of the misty-eye by the time I finished reading this today!
P.S. I am rerunning a post that you originally ran here as a guest piece. I hope you get a bunch of visitors from my place and they stick around!
Thanks, Tim! I totally understand the misty-eyed thing. I will pray for your son as he directs day camp. I'm sure he will do a wonderful job and will be such a blessing to those kids!
Thanks for the prayers, Kim, he can use them. He's got three weeks of day camp over the next two months, then leads his team to Vietnam for a late summer missions trip. And while he's doping all that he's still the junior high intern at church. Where did this over achiever come from?!


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Why Iraq Disqualifies Hillary Clinton From The Presidency
Hillary Clinton has done many evil things that we know of, and probably still other evil things that we've yet to learn about, but her support of the Iraq invasion alone proves her unfit for the presidency.
Let's take a little wander through recent history.
This Time article from the end of the year 2000 reported that Saddam Hussein's regime broke with OPEC convention and stopped selling their oil exclusively in U.S. dollars, beginning to sell it in euros instead. In the spring of 2003, the U.S. and coalition forces invaded Iraq, and according to this FTM article released weeks after the invasion, the conquered nation was back to selling oil exclusively in U.S. dollars again.
The month before a sovereign nation was invaded to secure Iraqi oil and restore the U.S. petrodollar under the false pretense of overthrowing a dictator who possessed weapons of mass destruction, the streets were filled with millions upon millions of protesters in what Time magazine accurately labeled the biggest protest in world history. I was one of those protesters.
"No blood for oil!" was the constant cry in those protests. It was easily the most common chant I heard at any of them. People everywhere had signs with those words written on them – "No blood for oil," "No war for oil," over and over and over again. It was everywhere. Before it even began, nobody who had done their homework ever believed the invasion had anything to do with WMDs.
Global protests against Iraq War #OnThisDay 2003 Watch more: https://t.co/Lot8Cse9Yo https://t.co/JWhZtwQMgP pic.twitter.com/56Na1M3Qqt
— Irish IP Address (@irishvpn) February 15, 2016
Everyone knew back then that the unconscionable bloodbath they were about to witness was about oil. Even if they didn't understand the complex concept of petrodollar recycling, or the massive economic edge America gains from being able to buy oil with a currency it can print at will, or the way global demand for U.S. dollars helps America get cheap exports from other countries who need oil, anyone with two brain cells to rub together understood that it had something to do with oil. Even if they didn't know the history of America using the carrot of military allegiance and the stick of military retribution to leverage OPEC nations into selling their oil exclusively in U.S. dollars, anyone capable of critical thinking knew that it had something to do with oil.
I never bought the war propaganda that was being spewed out 24/7 by corporate media conglomerates. I wasn't special though. There were millions upon millions of us who didn't not believe it, including the congressman from Vermont, Bernie Sanders. I was one of the countless legions of people who did not believe in the stated reasons for that war. Hell, even the U.S. military quickly switched from calling the invasion "Operation Iraqi Liberation" to "Operation Iraqi Freedom" when they realized that the former spelled the acronym OIL.
But maybe you believed their lies back then. Maybe you really believed that America just goes around selflessly protecting the world from mean, nasty dictators wherever they show up out of the goodness of its starred-and-striped heart. If you did, guess what? You shouldn't be the President of the United States of America. You shouldn't be the head of the world's most powerful military force if you're not capable of connecting dots and thinking critically about a possibility that even late-night talk-show hosts openly made jokes about back then. No offense, and I'm sure you're a lovely human being, but I think that's a reasonable thing to say.
Iraq War Protests 2003
Blair went in anyway.#Chilcot#ChickenCoup#Corbyn4All pic.twitter.com/onEUaObMJL
— Mx. Kins (@Aggykins7) July 2, 2016
New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton knew, though. There is simply no way that the hopeful heir to the Clinton dynasty had no basic understanding of Iraq's relationship with oil and the American economy. She also knew what bombs and bullets do to the human body. She knew that tremendous death, destruction, suffering, looting, robbery, rape, chaos, terrorism, and exploitation necessarily come hand-in-hand with any militarily enforced regime change. She knew these things, but she chose to help make the Iraq war happen anyway.
This remains without a doubt the single most evil thing that Hillary Clinton has ever taken part in during her time upon this earth. I know that those of you who oppose her are all hoping for some magical silver bullet to cripple or kill her campaign in some deus ex machina revelation from WikiLeaks, and who knows? We might even get one. But it is in my opinion virtually impossible for there to be anything in any leak that could be worse than a politician helping to murder thousands upon thousands of innocent men, women and children just because her neoliberal bosses aren't ready to unplug from their petroleum-based cash cow just yet.
Children ripped apart by cluster munitions. Women taken as sex slaves by newly-formed terrorist factions. A million dead, millions displaced, unfathomable devastation, and suffering which will reverberate throughout the region for generations. All over some black stuff in the ground that we're going to have to stop using soon anyway.
Evil. Pure, unadulterated evil. There is nothing else that you can possibly call it.
"It's politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: Iraq war is largely about oil.'" Alan Greenspan https://t.co/ijzbgoJQTG
— swilson85 (@swilson85) November 22, 2015
If you are a Hillary supporter, you may at this time be scrambling to equivocate, saying "Well it wasn't just her who voted for it! It was Bush's war, and other Senators supported it too!"
Rubbish. If Hillary Clinton had taken part in a gang rape in 2003, would you be making the same argument? "It wasn't just her, though! That other guy started it; Hillary just helped hold the girl down!"
You wouldn't? Well, guess what: I'm the last woman in the world to trivialize the matter of rape, and I tell you that the Iraq invasion brought far, far more devastation, suffering, and indeed, more rape into the world than any instance of sexual assault ever has. If she had helped to visit an equal amount of destruction and misery upon the United States of America, she and her accomplices would be remembered as among the very worst people ever to have lived. Shame on anyone who responds to this article in an attempt to defend that unforgivable act.
She helped bring that inferno of ruination into our world. That happened. Everyone's been trying to nail her on emails, Benghazi, and the Clinton foundation, but the most spectacularly horrific thing that she has ever done was perfectly legal and is a matter of public record. She chose war over peace, and she did it as a matter of political convenience to assure her continued ascent up the political ladder to the Oval Office.
If that doesn't disqualify her from the presidency, what would? Seriously, I really want a Hillary supporter to answer me this. If your candidate's complicity in dashing that hell-on-Earth upon our species isn't enough to disqualify her from the highest political office in the world, what would be? If what she did isn't an indefensible evil, what is? I really want to learn more about you, dear Hillary supporter. Show me where your moral hard line is. Really. I'm honestly curious. Where would a Hillary supporter draw the line?
Hillary Clinton helped make the Iraq invasion possible in the exact same way that a lynch mob member helps make a lynching possible. And now she keeps picking fights with Russia. Whether it's over cyberattacks or Syria, the woman who helped create a war in order to secure political power has been using that power to raise her hawkish fists over and over again to the nose of a country which has more nuclear warheads than America, and she isn't even president yet.
How did we get here? This woman clearly is not qualified to be president. How has democracy failed us as spectacularly as our protests failed us in 2003 to leave us staring down the barrel of nuclear annihilation?
This is scary, you guys. Can we do something, please?
[Featured Image by AP Photo/Richard Drew]


Fulvic blast contains essential micro-elements that are directly absorbable by the plant. Fulvic-Blast contains high concentrations of fulvic acid which act as a natural chelator. This improves the absorption of the existing micro-elements which improves the crop.


By George Frisvold, Ph.D., Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics for the University of Arizona: Several trends have contributed to serious concerns and not-so-serious media panics over water shortages in the West. And, balancing water supply and demand becomes even more challenging when also accounting for protections for endangered fish and other species.
The trends? First, many western states have been in the grip of a multi-year drought. Second, the 1922 Colorado River Compact that allocated the river's waters between states "over-allocated" water – in short, states have rights to more water than there is available in average annual stream flows. Historically, we have gotten around this problem by relying on our extensive reservoir systems that store water in wet years with more snowpack and because some states have not taken their full allotments of water. Yet, we've had fewer "wet" years and Colorado Basin states are demanding more water. Western states have the highest population growth rates in the nation. California, though not growing as fast, has been adding enormous amounts of people every year. Despite the bursting of the housing bubble (that hit Arizona, California, and Nevada hard) and the following recession, economic growth in the West over the last 15 years has been faster than the United States average.
The problem in a nutshell is this – in Arizona and much of the West there is simply less water available, while there are more people and industries demanding more water.
While urban and industrial water withdrawals in Arizona have risen by 68%, Arizona's agricultural water withdrawals have fallen by 35%, this is partially due to the increase in development and the decrease in farm land. However, some of the reduction can be attributed to improved water management methods by agriculture.
Over the past two years, there has been a steady stream of news stories blaming agriculture for either current water shortages or potential shortages in the future. It is often pointed out that agriculture uses more water than other industries. This is true, but it has always been true. Yet, over the last 30 years, while urban and industrial withdrawals in Arizona have risen by 68%, agricultural water withdrawals have fallen by 35%. Next, it is argued that growers have not adjusted to water scarcity by shifting to less water intensive crops or by adopting more efficient irrigation practices. Implicitly or explicitly, media stories argue that agriculture should be doing more to conserve water.
Other pressures have accompanied this media pressure on agriculture. First, growers fear that their long-established water rights may be threatened via regulatory pressures. Second, food and fiber processing companies that buy agricultural commodities are increasingly trying to demonstrate that their food products -- clothes, fabrics and so on -- are produced sustainably, with a low "water footprint." A water footprint is the amount of water used to produce each of the goods and services we use. You can look online and see estimates of water footprints from everything from cotton t-shirts to pizza slices. Agricultural producers are being increasingly asked by industry to demonstrate that their crops have low (or improving) water footprints. Because of Arizona's hot, dry climate people often assume that our production necessarily has a high water footprint. As I will get to in a minute, this isn't necessarily true.
First, though, I want to highlight some results of two research studies I completed last year. One looked at cotton, the other small grains (primarily wheat and barley) in Arizona. The basic questions in each was, what have Arizona growers done to improve the efficiency of their water use and how much water have they conserved over the past 30 years? The answer is that Arizona growers have done quite a lot. In 2013 alone (the most recent year USDA provides data), Arizona growers of all crops spent $53.3 million on new irrigation-related equipment, facilities, land improvements, and computer technology. These investments in irrigation improvements averaged $151 per acre and $42,939 per farm. Of this $53.3 million, $12.2 million were investments primarily to conserve water, while another $1.1 million was devoted to conserving energy. Improvements in efficiency and changing cropping patterns have made vast amounts of water available for residential, industrial and environmental uses.
Let's start with small grains. Over the last 30 years, the amount of water that growers apply to produce a bushel of wheat has fallen by 18% and by 17% for barley. Over this time, water applied annually per acre to wheat and barley fell by 10%. Given 2013 acreage of these crops, growers were applying 37,066 fewer acre-feet of water than if they were applying water at the higher rates of 1984. The year 2013 is the most recent year that USDA provides detailed statistics on irrigation water use, while an acre-foot of water is the amount of water needed to cover an acre of land one foot deep in water. This reduction in water applications is equivalent to the annual residential water use of 376,029 people in Tucson. Put another way, this reduction in applications is equivalent to 40% of water deliveries Tucson Water makes to all its customers (residential, commercial, and industrial) over its entire service area, which includes more than 700,000 people.
Research on irrigation efficiency in Yuma County, Arizona highlights the important role of wheat planted in rotation with vegetables in water conservation and farm profitability. Since 1970, many Yuma County acres have shifted from continuous and long-season crops to vegetable-wheat rotations. Multi-cropped systems use less water because wheat following vegetables matures in late spring, eliminating the need to irrigate in the latter half of the summer, when there is high evaporative demand. The shift to wheat-vegetable rotations has reduced per acre water use by 24% -- 56% compared to previous cropping patterns. The shift to rotations has also dramatically improved economic water productivity – the dollar value of crop production per acre-foot of water consumed. Compared to older cropping patterns, wheat-vegetable rotations increase economic water productivity in the county by 9 to 21 times!
Some recent reports have suggested that Arizona durum wheat has a substantially larger water footprint than wheat production in other areas. Some of the data reported in these studies, though, don't match the original data sources that they cite and have with unexplained omissions and changes to data that overstate the water footprint in Arizona, while understating it elsewhere. But, using better data to develop more accurate estimates, Arizona durum wheat production has a water footprint that is lower (in some cases much lower) than many other durum production regions.
Now let's consider cotton. Over the past 30 years, water applied annually to cotton in California, Arizona, and New Mexico fell by more than 3.9 million acre-feet (MAF), a 71% percent reduction. This reduction in cotton's water use is equivalent to residential water use of two-thirds of the entire population of these three states. Now, unfortunately a large part of this reduction has been a fall in western cotton acreage, but another factor is improved efficiency. In Arizona, the amount of water applied per acre on cotton has fallen 8%. Cotton's water footprint – the amount of water applied to produce a bale of cotton – has fallen by 19%. Looking at the national level, the United States produces roughly the same amount of cotton as it did 30 years ago, but it now does so using about half the amount of water. The story out West is not one of cotton contributing to water shortages, but one of cotton growers trying to remain economically viable while reducing water use by an amount equivalent to two-thirds of all residential water use in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
In Arizona and throughout the arid West, we may be facing ongoing drought and will certainly be facing greater urban water demands. Residential water users, industrial users, and agriculture all have a role to play in water conservation. A close examination of the data, though, shows that agriculture has been doing quite a bit – indeed the most -- to make more water available for everyone else.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the August 2016 issue of Arizona Agriculture.


After flattering to deceive at Gloucester, Bath next travel to a Sale side nursing a grievance. Following a humbling home defeat to Worcester, Sale pulled themselves together and dominated much of a feisty Challenge Cup Semi Final, only to fall to La Rochelle in a match littered with controversial moments. Frustration at such narrow failure should fire them up, as will the knowledge that, like Bath, they now depend on final Premiership position for entry to Champions Cup rugby next season.
Fresh from beating Bristol at Twickenham, Bath's third successive derby takes them to the Kingsholm Lions' den. Gloucester claim their rebadging is not a rebrand, like Bristol's but their Head Coach is a former Golden Lion player and coach, their squad contains four former Lions and they have adopted much of the Transvaalers' directness and ferocity. They have certainly proven Lion- hearted this season and the Shed will be ready to roar. Will Bath be lambs to the slaughter or Lion tamers?
Having come away pointless from Exeter Bath must next face another local derby-this time in southwest London. To it's detractors "the Clash" is pointless, a costly indulgence or giving away home advantage, depending on personal gripe. Its supporters see it as a good day out and a rare chance to back the team at Twickenham. Certainly the 2017 comeback win against Tigers brought happy echoes of 80s and 90s Cup Finals, but now there is a Top 6 place to win and relegation zone to avoid. Can Bath triumph over a fired up Bristol?
Having kept the faith to defeat Saracens, Bath must next seek a miracle at Sandy Park. Beating Saracens may have restored some of their supporters' faith but also helped extend Exeter's lead at the top of the Premiership. Unbeaten in the League at home this season, the Chiefs seem destined to finish top or runners up. Bath, by contrast, have lost touch with the Playoff group and face a dogfight for top European qualification. For them to win at Sandy Park appears a tall order.
Having surrendered to Quins in the last minute on Saturday Bath must keep the faith on Friday against Saracens. Not necessarily with the game plan, but the self - belief essential to recover from a string of mishaps – a self- belief seemingly absent in 3 of the past 4 Premiership ties. Saracens visit as firm favourites for a bonus point win- while for Bath faith is unlikely to be enough. To win they will probably need to conjure up a miracle – will they have a prayer?
Having produced a chequered performance in defeat at Northampton, Bath must next withstand Harlequins' colourful challenge at the Rec. The London club seem secure in 3rd place, have won 4 Premiership ties in a row and are in rich try scoring form. Bath by contrast have been prone to off colour moments in 2 of their last 3 Premiership games, purple patches giving way to pallid errors, letting victory slip at the last. This time, can they be bold and vivid enough to win?
Bath could go marching on with victory over Northampton Saints at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday. Equally likely, given Saints' recent form, they could be sent tumbling down. The tie pairs two form sides of the last five Premiership rounds but the hosts boast the more impressive record. They earned 19 points from that Premiership spell, are on a 5 match winning home streak, averaging 8 tries a match in the last three. So will they- as form suggest – prove too strong for Bath?
Both sides will be preparing to pounce when Bath host Newcastle Falcons on Saturday. For different reasons each club will look for a change in fortune as the Premiership resumes after over a month's layoff. For Falcons the imperative will be avoiding relegation, while Bath will hope to begin climbing the table towards Champions Cup qualification, or even this season's playoffs. With eighth hosting twelfth, could this be the weekend Bath turn their season around?
Bath have a chance of cherrypicking, hosting Gloucester in the Premiership Rugby Cup at the Rec on Saturday. A derby victory in any competition is always welcome, but Bath's hopes in the tournament are over and the focus is solely now on the Premiership. Todd Blackadder must therefore decide what team he wishes to field. Earlier this month he spoke of "going strong against Gloucester" to prepare for league challenges, so will Bath put out their strongest squad? And can fans expect a victory?
Following their first European win of the season against Wasps, Bath must now face continental pedigree in Toulouse on Sunday. Having sneaked victory in a patchy match, they will want to continue their improving performance in preparation for the resumption of the Premiership challenge next month. For Bath it is another dead rubber, while Toulouse, known locally as "La Ville Rose" –the pink city- can secure a knockout place with a win. So who will be flush with success at the end?


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Home | Public Information | Press Releases | Pulitzer Winner Robin Givhan Discusses the Night of America's Fashion Revolution - Besting France in the Ultra-Glam Battle of Versailles
Pulitzer Winner Robin Givhan Discusses the Night of America's Fashion Revolution - Besting France in the Ultra-Glam Battle of Versailles
Robin Givhan
Tuesday, April 14, 2015 - 17:05
Fashion changed forever on November 28, 1973, when a team of top U.S. designers—including Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, and Anne Klein—faced off on the runway against Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, and the rest of a well-heeled French lineup considered the best in the world. The lavish spectacle in King Louis XIV's Palace of Versailles drew many of the world's social elite.
The Americans stole the show, in no small part due to a dynamic and groundbreaking group of models featuring 10 African Americans.
Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion critic Robin Givhan of The Washington Post discusses her new book about a night that altered the industry's view of race, gender, sexuality, and economics for decades to come.
Courtney Lewis,816.701.3669
Pulitzer Winner Robin Givhan Discusses the Night of America's Fashion Revolution -
Besting France in the Ultra-Glam Battle of Versailles
(Kansas City, Missouri) - Fashion changed forever on November 28, 1973, when a team of top U.S. designers—including Oscar de la Renta, Roy Halston Frowick, and Anne Klein—faced off on the runway against Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, and the rest of a well-heeled French lineup considered the best in the world. The lavish event in King Louis XIV's Palace of Versailles drew many of the world's social elite.
Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion critic Robin Givhan of The Washington Post details the spectacle and impact of that memorable night in a discussion of her new book The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled into the Spotlight and Made History on Thursday, May 21, 2015, at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St. The presentation begins at 6:30 p.m.
The haute, high-fashion affair in Versailles nearly 42 years ago—when America was otherwise absorbed by Watergate and Jonathan Livingston Seagull—had been conceived as a fundraiser for the restoration of the famed French palace in which it was staged. Bill Blass and Stephen Burrows filled out the upstart team of U.S. designers. The disdainful French also had Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, and Emanuel Ungaro.
The celebrity- and jet set-studded audience included Princess Grace of Monaco, the Duchess of Windsor, Andy Warhol, Christina Onassis, and Paloma Picasso.
Against all odds, the uninhibited energy of the U.S. contingent wowed the crowd. It was a turning point. The exquisite runway models emerged as stars, with Beverly Johnson becoming the first African American model to appear on the cover of American Vogue magazine the following year. The evening would prompt a major shift in the way race, gender, sexuality, and economics would be treated in fashion for decades to come.
Givhan has covered the news, trends, and business of the international fashion industry for The Washington Post for the past 15 years, winning the Pulitzer for criticism in 2006. She also has worked at The Daily Beast, Vogue, and the Detroit Free Press. The Battle of Versailles is her first book.
Givhan spoke at the Library in December 2013 on the kinship of fashion and political power.
Admission to the event is free. RSVP at kclibrary.org or call 816.701.3407.


The meeting to hear WIA Directors Andrew Smith and Paul Simmonds explain why they called for an audit of the WIA is on Saturday 22nd October, 2:30pm, at the Bassendean Seniors and Community Centre, 50 Old Perth Road, Bassendean.
There is plenty of parking on the site, and the venue is a short walk from the Bassendean Train Station.
The meeting is primarily for WIA members, however interested others are welcome to and her about what's happening. Andrew and Paul are deeply concerned about the future of the WIA, and will talk frankly to the meeting.


The user can use this business skill to cancel the booking to the event for employees/user.
The business skill allows efficient self service to the user to display list of events that employee is booked in.
The following AI skill allows to get action type while generating employee report. Depending on the chosen type, SAP users can retrieve the number of employees: currently hired or previously employed.
Following AI business skill allows SAP users to check available business events, courses and workshops. Time period is required for filtering the results.
The AI skill allows to get the number of hired and fired employees for a given period. Used to obtain information from SAP about the turnover of employees in the organization.
This AI skill allows to display list of hired, or previously employed workers of given company. SAP user needs to provide period of time for which the list should be displayed.


There are many approaches a recovering addict can take to ensure his treatment and rehabilitation continues. The first approach is stepwise, which is taking it step-by-step and day-by-day. Depending on how comprehensive an addict's treatment and health assessment is, the need for a more severe approach may be necessary. He may need medical supervision, round-the-clock monitoring, more aggressive treatments and more intensive approaches. On the other hand, if an addict is slowly working his way towards recovery, he may benefit from the step-down approach, which gradually introduces an addict to greater freedoms, less structure and more real-life experiences. IOP, a treatment proudly practiced by Sprout Health California, demonstrates the step-down approach.
The Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP) is not as intense as a Partial Hospitalization Program but it is more advanced than an ordinary outpatient program because treatment plans are highly individualized. Comprehensive patient assessments determine what kind of treatment is necessary to help achieve maximum therapeutic value. The IOP offers individual counseling as well as family and group therapy sessions. Like all treatment plans, the IOP allows the patient to master the skills necessary to remain sober and addiction free.
Sprout Health California's Intensive Outpatient Treatment and its team of licensed therapists and counselors provide hope for those who have lost themselves to addiction, abuse and dependency.
The interesting and convenient thing about the IOP is that patients can live their normal lives and still receive treatment. Treatment sessions last 2-6 hours every day and are scheduled according to the patient's schedule. They can attend sessions during the day, early evening and even night time. This treatment plan is incredibly convenient and provides an advantage to patients who have other responsibilities during the day. For example, teenagers can go to school during the day and attend their treatment sessions afterwards. The IOP is designed to allow patients the freedom to live; while at the same time, making the effort to live their lives free from substance abuse and chemical dependence.
Like the Partial Hospitalization Program, patients enrolled in the IOP must have motivation and desire to take the necessary steps toward recovery. It also requires patients to receive aftercare; because after all, the continual support of alumni, family and friends is what keeps patients motivated to remain sober.


Does our life really improve with algorithmic decision-making? Big Data-based models often reflect our very own biases of society. Further, in some cases it can be hard to look into the "black boxes". Who can be held accountable when something goes wrong – the human or the machine? What ethical challenges are we facing and how can we protect our data?
(1) The author of this contribution had the privilege to be appointed as consultant expert in drafting the text of the guidelines.
Alessandro Mantelero is Aggregate Professor of Private Law at Polytechnic University of Turin, Department of Management and Production Engineering – Polito Law & Technology Research Group. He has been Director of Privacy at the NEXA-Center for Internet & Society until April 2017.


text:
Home / Business / Off track
Off track
Marlon Madden
Government's plan to digitize more than 60,000 records at the Police Certificate of Character Department over a two-month period has fallen behind.
And Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs Dale Marshall has suggested that this was a part of the reason the promised Freedom of Information Bill would not see the light of day in the short-term.
"One of the things about governance is that you can pass all of the laws you like – in fact, passing laws is easy – but how you implement those laws is a completely different thing," Marshall told the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (BCCI) breakfast seminar at the Hilton Resort on Wednesday.
He explained that should someone request a document from the Attorney General's Office currently, there was a possibility they would get something that was illegible or it would take months before they receive the information because the handwriting would first have to be figured out.
"For the past 300 years everything on alternate pages of a government file is in the handwriting of individuals. We have just agreed to digitize all the records for the police so we can get police certificates of character within three days. The reasonable estimate is that it will take six weeks to digitize this data. There are 60,000 records and six weeks have passed and they have only managed to digitize 15,000 of the 60,000," he explained.
"After six weeks it is only 25 per cent [completed] . . . then it was pointed out to me, 'sir, the reason we can't digitize it faster is because all of the police records are in handwriting. So before we can digitize it we have to decipher it'. And some of those police officers are dead and gone and nobody knows what third word on the second line is, for example," he said.
While acknowledging that it was always the intention of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration to introduce a Freedom of Information Bill during its first term in office, Marshall made it clear that the bill could not come unless the proper systems were first put in place so the process could work effectively.
"So yes, it is coming. It is in our five-year term but before we pass it we have to change how the public service deals with records and documents. Otherwise we will have the law on the books but we will not be able to meet those requests in any meaningful or timely fashion," said Marshall.
As part of its transformation process Government has promised to digitize its records and introduce greater use of technology.
And as part of the Retooling, Empowering, Retraining and Enfranchisement (RERE) initiative under the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme, the digitization process began on April 23, starting with the Police Certificate of Character Department of the police force.
There are six retrenched workers who were brought back to facilitate the process and another two people were also employed in April to clean records at the Registration Department before the digitization process began there.
More people are expected to be hired through private vendors as the digitization programme continues.
The Registration and Immigration Departments are next in line to be digitized. The other departments in the first phase will include the Ministry of Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Commerce, Town and Country Development Planning Office, Customs and the Barbados Licensing Authority.
marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb
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3 thoughts on "Off track"
So you were not ready for the freedom of information bill but yet you sent home persons you had to reemploy. At what point did you determine that certain things had to be put in place before the bill can be implemented? This approach is typical f your government.
ALAN WINTER
It is quickerto get a scanner and scan the handwritten documents into the computer……why decipher handwriting when mistakes can be made and a scanner does the job without having to decipher handwriting….
It is a waste of time when the handwritten documents can be copied anyway….Marshall you are behind the times in digitization methods !!
The FOI is far more important, the UK had it in the year 2000 and David Thompson wrote the bill in 2008???? He was ready then !!


When it comes to indirect purchases, especially rogue buying, it is important to look at the total cost of ownership (TCO) related to the purchase. Even though these are often considered trivial purchases, users have a tendency to deviate from the process defined by the company's Purchasing Department, resulting in an increase in hidden costs. In this sense, rogue buying offer many opportunities for potential savings.
The two packs of water in this infographic could be used as an example for any rogue or "ad hoc" purchases of items such as adjustable wrenches, reams of paper or gloves. What these purchases all have in common is the fact that they are made outside of the buying process, often as a matter of urgency. Furthermore, Purchasing Departments unfortunately have no control over this type of purchase.
A scenario where a user needs a product such as bottled water for an event is common for many companies. However, the user decides not to respect the process put in place by the Purchasing Department (logging on to the online catalogue, choosing from listed suppliers etc.).
There could be many reasons for this. Perhaps the user is not familiar with the process, or thinks that buying the cheapest bottled water in the local supermarket works in the company's favour. The user may even be friendly with the shopkeeper, so prefers to go to the shop instead.
However, there are just as many reasons against rogue buying, as rogue buying often mean hidden costs.
The user spends an hour deciding where to buy the bottled water from, before getting in the car, buying the product and returning to work. The worker's average hourly rate is £19.60 (including charges).
The user has used his car to make this purchase and would like claim his mileage. A 3 mile trip costs £2.25, with a mileage allowance of £0.75/ Mile.
The user would also like to claim expenses and sends an expenses form to the accounting department. On average, processing an expenses form costs £47.20*. This calculation does not even take into account that the average error risk is 19%, which can cost an additional £42.75.
In the end, this is a big bill. Like typical rogue buying, packs of water bought outside of the process incur additional costs, resulting in a total cost of acquisition of £70.97, 97% of which is hidden costs.
Meanwhile, packs of water could have been purchased from a listed supplier and using a digitalised transactional process, costing just £24.18 in total.
With these figures in mind, it is time to get these rogue purchases under control.


Most rotamer libraries are generated from subsets of the PDB and do not fully represent the conformational scope of protein side chains. Previous attempts to rectify this sparse coverage of conformational space have involved application of weighting and smoothing functions. We resolve these limitations by using physics-based molecular dynamics simulations to determine more accurate frequencies of rotameric states. This work forms part of our Dynameomics initiative and uses a set of 807 proteins selected to represent 97% of known autonomous protein folds, thereby eliminating the bias toward common topologies found within the PDB. Our Dynameomics derived rotamer libraries encompass 4.8 × 10(9) rotamers, sampled from at least 51,000 occurrences of each of 93,642 residues. Here, we provide a backbone-dependent rotamer library, based on secondary structure ϕ/ψ regions, and an update to our 2011 backbone-independent library that addresses the doubling of our dataset since its original publication.
Towse C, Rysavy S.J., Vulovic IM (2016) New Dynamic Rotamer Libraries: Data-Driven Analysis of Side-Chain Conformational Propensities. Structure. 24(1):187-199.