Our Arrival in Vietnam went by in a blur. We took in the chaotic sights and sounds of the country's second largest city, Hanoi, a city beset with swarms of scooters, blaring trucks, and vendors hawking all wares imaginable. In the midst of the swirling chaos, we managed to explore our surroundings and track down a couple of suitable motorcycles for our journey throughout the north of Vietnam, up to the mountains of Sa Pa and then to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay. Depending how that journey goes, we will either keep the bikes and continue to travel south with stops at Phong Nha caves, the cities of Hue and Hoi An, and the beach community of Mui Ne before terminating our bike ride in Ho Chi Minh City, selling the bikes, and boarding a bus for Kampot, Cambodia to begin the second leg of our journey.
Although many travel blogs and resources recommended searching through Craigslist to find used motorcycles, we didn't find anything quite to our liking, so we opted to check out a bike dealer who offered not only a package deal including luggage rack, bungee cords, and helmets, but who also had a sister dealership in Ho Chi Minh City who would buy the bikes back when we were done should we want. It seemed like a perfect setup, so we forked over some dong (Vietnamese currency) and became proud owners of two well-ridden Honda Wave semi-automatic motorcycles. They weren't flashy, but we quickly grew fond of Marvin (after Marvin the Martian for both how I look with my helmet on and the bike's maroon/red colour) and Bass (after Sebastian, the reggae-loving lobster from Disney's The Little Mermaid).
After a brief lesson consisting of some very broken English and pantomime to indicate which levers and pedals do what, we were ready for the road. I have some riding experience from riding a few dirtbikes as a kid and having previously rented scooters and bikes on El Nido in the Philippines (which I promptly wiped out on a gravel road) and Phu Quoc last spring. Magda had never ridden a bike before, so her baptism by fire began in earnest as we had to cross over a major highway during Hanoi rush hour. To say it was a harrowing experience is an understatement to say the least. The first rule you learn about riding or driving in Vietnam is that there are no rules. Use your horn early and often to let people know you're there, and make way for larger vehicles. That's about all there is to it. If you're going to go, go. If you're going to stop, stop. Don't hesitate, don't pontificate, and by all means necessary, don't ignore those blasting truck and bus horns. Get. Out. Of. The. Way. Or become a pancake.
Our next step was to download a decent, up-to-date offline GPS app. I wasn't sure how good our data connection would be in the mountains, so something to tell us where we are and guide us to our destination even when off the grid seemed like a wise investment. Our arrival in Vietnam went off without a hitch, so with our GPS, rain ponchos, water filtration bottles, and our gear tightly packed and racked on the bikes, we headed out on the 215 mile trek up into the north Vietnam highlands toward Sa Pa. Those rain ponchos became very handy as the temperature dropped and the forecast went from hazy to gloomy. Just what we wanted to see when heading out on our first ever cross-country motorcycle journey….but more on that in a later post!
Sign up below to receive email updates whenever Magda and Brent post new content as they a travel and teach abroad, or follow Oxford Seminars on Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Youtube, or Pinterest to see updates as they travel through Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and more in their journey across a dozen different countries in between ESL teaching contracts in Taiwan and the Czech Republic.


We begin by reestablishing atomic structure, and the importance of Lewis dot structures, resonance, valence-shell electron-pair repulsion, and valence-bond theory to give meaning to a covalent bond. Hybridization is then introduced to allow an accurate and predictive accounting of molecular shape. This foundation permits the introduction of: functional groups, conformation, chirality, acidity and basicity, and the basics of equilibria, thermodynamic, and kinetic phenomena. With these concepts in hand, we develop organic reactivity by examining the mechanistic pathways (arrow pushing) and chemical principles behind substitution, elimination, and addition reactions. Common reagents and functional group transformations are then learned in the context of the importance of their order and type (retrosynthetic analysis and strategy) for brevity in synthesis.
The bifunctional module "Chemistry and Environmental Systems" provides an introduction to (inorganic) chemistry and to the anthropogenic impact on the natural (near-)surface environment of Earth. Two introductory lecture courses ("Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry" (focus on the elements of the PSE, molecular compounds derived from them, redox reactions) and "Earth and Environmental Systems" (focus on Geodynamics, Petrography, Soil Science, Oceanography, Hydrogeology, Geomorphology, and anthropogenic impact on the (near-)surface environment) are complemented by an on-campus laboratory course (Inorganic Chemistry Lab) and an off-campus field-lab (excursion) to develop fundamental practical skills.
This module provides insight into how biotechnology impacts chemical production. The replacement of both chemical catalysts by enzymes and cells and of fossil resources by renewable raw materials are two aspects which are increasingly pushed by the chemical industry in order to achieve a more sustainable production of bulk and ?ne chemicals, building blocks for chemical industry as well as food ingredients, bioplastics, and biofuels. Using a number of commercially successful examples as well as current R&D efforts of chemical industry, the students will be introduced into the advantages and practice of implementing cells or enzymes for the production of industrially relevant products.
Moreover, the module describes the utilization of biomass and biomass waste streams as feedstock for production of the above mentioned compounds. The concept of biorefinery is also discussed.
Teaching physical principles and measurements to understand the properties of matter. The course Physical Chemistry introduces fundamental themodynamical principles, intermolecular forces, electrochemistry as well as underlying physical principle of chemical kinetics. The students will apply the course content to experiments on osmotic pressure, electrochemistry and optical instrumentation. The analytical chemistry part will provide an overview over the physical principles of spectroscopic and separation methods and their application in quantitative and qualitative analysis.
The module gives information about inorganic materials and polymers, and about organic materials and polymers. Coordination compounds as basis of inorganic materials will be discussed. Methods for structure elucidation of polymeric and solid materials will be presented. Basic reactions to form these materials will be given. Industrially important materials and their preparation will be discussed. Examples of non-covalent interactions as basis for supramolecular chemistry are shown, and sensors based on the different technologies will be discussed. An introduction into surface and colloid chemistry forms part of the module.


Firstly, the question arises in your mind is: What is ISO? ISO is abbreviated as International organization for standardization. It is a non-government and an independent organization which provides quality and standards to product as well as services across the globe.
ISO 9001:2015 is the latest edition of ISO 9001.This version of ISO that is ISO 9001:2015 is designed in order to respond to the latest trends and to meet with the requirement of the other management systems. ISO 9001:2015 specifies the requirements that an organization need for maintaining its quality and standard. It is basically a service documentation process or procedure that is provided to an organization to assure its quality and standard moreover, meets with the customer requirements. As a result, provides customer satisfaction and thus helps to achieve a well reputated growth in the market.
ISO 14001:2015 specifies the requirements that is needed by an organization for assuring the safety of an environment . The main theme of ISO 14001:2015 is "SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT". The main agenda of ISO 14001:2015 is to save the environment. This standard is applicable to all type of industry which are harnessing, depleting the environment by their activities.
OHSAS 18000 is that standard of ISO which is related to health and safety management systems. OHSAS 18001 empowers an organization to control and reduce risks and thus improving OHSAS performance. This expands a healthy and safe working environment . OHSAS certification elevates your reputation for safety and occupational health and potentially reduces the number of faults, accidents , downtime and related cost.
Market accessibility- ISO helps to open up trade globally without any barrier.
Market share- No doubt International standards will definitely help to elevate production and thereby gives you the advantage in the market.
Food , no doubt , is one of the basic amenities and thus food safety should be one of the main concern . Food failures can be life taking and hazardous so to save one's life International standards introduced ISO for food ,i.e Food safety management systems. This standard provides security and ensures that there are no weak links in the food supply chain.
Hazard analysis and critical control point is abbreviated as HACCP. The main aim of HACCP is to reduce hazards in food production. HACCP is the global standard for food safety and prevent hazards. HACCP provides the guidelines to the organization on how to analyse and how to reduce hazards and control them. HACCP helps to improve the food management system as well as to improve the food management systems as well as to improve the quality management system.
Improve food quality and food safety management system.
Improve the market value of the organization.
Reduce risk in food production system.
Develop team work among the employees.
Time saving and cost saving process.
It helps to ensure that you are compliant with the law.
ISO 27001:2013 standard is used to maintain the sanctity of the information. Information technology and information is very essential for the normal life and for the corporate like BPO, LPO , banks, insurance, education etc. Nowadays, malware and hacking is the common method which corrupts your information. This standard is having the provision of the numerous control over the theft.
The objective of MDQMS i.e. ISO 13485:2012 is to facilitate harmonized and maintains medical device regulatory requirements and the requirements of the Quality management systems. Medical Equipment's are prone to any defect which causes injury to the public health and it is very dangerous. ISO 13485:2012 provides to the credibility to an organization consisting of directors , stakeholders and builds confidence.
GMP refers for the goods manufacturing practices.GMP Certification is mainly developed for the natural and pharmaceutical product manufactures. It is a set of guidelines that gives you the assurance that your product is safe and correct. It is mainly dedicated for the food manufactures and medication manufactures and GMP provides assurance for produce safe and quality products according to the Quality standard. GMP is responsible for the safety, efficiency and quality of pharmaceutical products and medical devices.
Provide guideline on how to produce safe and quality products.
Develops customer satisfaction by deliver the safe and quality product and services.
Develops motivation and team work between the employees of the organization.
By affixing the CE Marking, the manufacturer, or its representative, or the importer assures that the item meets all the essential requirements of all applicable EU directives. CE marking gives assurance of the quality of the products such as lifts, Electrical Products and Components, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Mechanical products, Marine equipment, cranes, construction products, containers and materials, Process Machines, Pressure equipment, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Telecom, Toys and Wood. Cost and timescales can be reduced by combining other certifications with the CE marking such as CCC, CB Scheme, USA/Canada Safety Certification, GOST-R, etc.
GOST-R defines the set of Technical Standards. It is a conformity certificate and also known as the quality certificate and it is mandatory for the marketing and sale with the Russian country. GOST- R Certification demonstrates that the products meet the standards for the trading in Russians country. This certificate can only be issued by the accredited certification body. It is mandatory requirement for all industrial equipment and consumer products. GOST-R Certificate divided into two parts:- Single shipment certificate is valid from one year and the Serial production Certificate is valid from one to three years.
Demonstrate customer satisfaction through deliver the consistent quality as per the customer requirement.
It helps to improve brand image and market value of the organization.
Money saving and time saving process.
It helps to minimizes risk, defect products and damages.
Necessarily required for the European nation.
Improve market value and brand value of the product.
Improve efficiency and reliability of the product.
WRAP stands for Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production. It is mainly focused on the apparel, sewn products and footwear. WRAP is a non-profit and independent organization dedicated to promoting lawful, ethical and safe manufacturing all over the world by certification. Wrap Certification principles are generally based on the workplace regulation and local laws. This is the world's largest certification program for textile industries.
Wrap certification is divided into three categories:- Platinum , Gold and Silver. Platinum Certification will be issued for 3 years to the organization. The gold certification from WRAP is issued for 1 year and the time period for which the silver certification from WRAP is issued to the organization is 6 months.
It helps to Develops mutual understanding between the client and the organization.
Demonstrate customer satisfaction by deliver better product and services.
It helps to improve the production procedure of the organization.
Sedex defines the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange, it is a non-profit organization and introduces to drive ethical business practices. Sedex helps to maintain ethical information in a simple and effective manner. It is a secure online database which allows the registered members to share, store the information in four key areas:- Health and Safety standard, Labour standard, The environment and Business ethics.
Buyers can manage and view the ethical data and information for multiple suppliers in one place and Suppliers can share their ethical information or data for multiple buyers at one secure place.
C-TPAT refers to the Customs-Trade Partnership against Terrorism. It was launched in November 2011. The aim of C-TPAT is to protect the products from the terrorist attack and helps to protect the supply chain. C-TPAT recognizes that CBP can provide highest level of security. It helps to identify the security gaps and implement best practices and security measure. It ensures the integrity of their security practices.
It helps to ensure the cargo security.
Minimizes damages and enhance Safety of the products.
Low risk in the International Supply Chain.
Develop better relationship between the organization and the client.
Are you doing fair deal? Assessment can be done by the third party audit of the social accountability requirements and fulfillment therof. Introduction of SA 8000 Certification: SA 8000 is also called as SA International, SA 8000 is an voluntary standards and can be adopted by any organisation. SA 8000 demonstrates belief towards the legal and regulatory requirements. Adoption of SA 8000 should be an planned Decision of any Organization.
The SA 8000 certification is the Social Accountability System standard. Company of any size can apply for SA 8000 who wants to tackle ethical and social aspect of their business. A Social Accountability System proves to customers that the company holds adequate provisions for the protection of workers\' rights. Further, it ensures ethical production of all goods manufactured by the company. SA 8000 certification enables organizations to demonstrate your commitment to social accountability standards as well as employee and customer satisfaction.
SA 8000 encourages each organization to maintain and develop and apply socially acceptable practices. It was created in 1989 by Social Accountability International (SAI), an affiliate of the Council on Economic Priorities, and is viewed as the most globally accepted independent workplace standard. It can be applied to any company, of any size, anywhere in the world. The areas it addresses include forced and child labor, health and safety, freedom of association and collective bargaining, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours, compensation and management systems.
From the last 2 decades, Kosher has widely adopted by the food industry, Kosher India has been established to provide kosher certification to Indian industry. Today kosher India is a prominent name across the globe for kosher certification.
In past few years demand for kosher food in U.S. and other part of world has increased. jcsai is one of leading kosher certification company of India. Kosher India was established in the year 2007 to arrange kosher inspection services to Indian clients.
Halal certification demonstrates that all the products are permitable to use under Islamic law. Halal certification demonstrates that the food are healthy and safe to consume. Halal certification from an established Islamic organization helps to build Halal consumer's confidence without suspicion or doubt over the consumption of the food products. It is an authoritative and reliable testimony to support food manufacturers' claim that their products have met strict Halal requirement by the Shariah Law.
The certified Halal food products are not only accepted domestically but are marketable to worldwide Halal consumers. This opens an opportunity for export markets specially those markets which do not permit entry of non-Halal food product. Moreover Halal products are not only welcomed by Muslim consumers but by non-Muslim consumers as well as Halal certificate represents high level of hygiene, cleanliness, safety, nutrition and is produced stringently under the requirements of the Islamic Dietary Law.
It is estimated that 70% of 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide follow Halal food standards, and that the global Halal market is currently estimated USD $600 billion. Today, Halal trademark is an important marketing tool in the international arena particularly if the product is aimed at penetrating Muslim countries. Muslim consumers will have greater confidence in purchasing such products without questioning its authenticity. Halal certification is also beneficial for the producers who want to export or import their food products.
Image boosts in meeting varied customer needs.
Organic certification is major part of the organic cultivation. Without the certification there is no credibility of the organic production.Organic produce are identified in teh market as certified organic products. Organic certification is the process of certifying all the natural and agricultural products.It can be said that any business related to food production can be certified, including seed suppliers, farmers, [food].
Halal certification demonstrates that all the products are permitable to use under Islamic law. Halal certification demonstrates that the food are healthy and safe to consume.The certified Halal food products are not only accepted domestically but are marketable to worldwide Halal consumers.
From the last 2 decades, Kosher has widely adopted by the food industry, Kosher India has been established to provide kosher certification to Indian industry.Today kosher India is a prominent name across the globe for kosher certification.
Hazard analysis and critical control point is abbreviated as HACCP. Main aim of HACCP is to reduce hazards in food production. HACCP is the global standard for food safety and prevent hazards. HACCP provides the guidelines to the organization on how to analyse.
Organic certification is major part of the organic cultivation. Without the certification there is no credibility of the organic production.Organic produce are identified in teh market as certified organic products.
JCS all Contents Copyright Protected.


Showing results by author "John Des Fosses"
Camille has exhausted the last of her nine lives. Under strict cat law, she must depart this earth for the eternal tenth life. Pioline and Poulet, her eight-week-old kittens, are left behind. Willed by Camille's departed spirit, Boots, her aging brother, finds the kittens under the deck of John and Sandi's house. They are wired with fear and spirits so lost they might never be found. Boots, a lifelong stray, confesses he is ill suited for the caring of kittens.
Wonderful Story and Beautiful Voice!


text:
With new partnerships, Reuters Connect becomes the most comprehensive digital platform powering the news ecosystem
LONDON – November 19, 2019 – Reuters today announced that the world's leading national and international news agencies are joining Reuters Connect in a move that will offer customers an unrivalled multimedia news resource.
Seven new partners from around the world will be added to Reuters Connect, the award-winning digital content platform:
AAP (Australia), Anadolu (Turkey), Belga (Belgium), Bernama (Malaysia), DPA (Germany), Latin America News Agency (Argentina) and Scanpix (Scandinavia / Baltics) and will all offer video, pictures and text via Reuters global distribution network.
These partners will join eight news agencies whose content is already available to clients on Reuters Connect - PA Media (UK), EFE (Spain), Imagine China, Aflo (Japan), Panoramic (France), Bildbryan (Scandinavia), ANI (India) and ABACA PRESS (France) – with more partners due to join in coming months.
Combined with the output from Reuters world-class newsroom of around 2,500 journalists in 200 locations, Reuters Connect now offers more than 20 million news stories, videos and pictures in one place. It provides a full range of content - from breaking news to raw video and viral UGC - to clients including broadcasters, publishers, corporations and governments, who can choose from the content through Reuters Points.
Michael Friedenberg, President, Reuters, said: "Reuters Connect powers the news ecosystem and these partnerships will help us create the most comprehensive collection of real-time, multimedia news content anywhere in the world. I'm delighted to welcome our new partners to Reuters Connect. By bringing together content from leading news agencies with the vast output from our own world-class newsroom, we can offer our customers an unrivalled breadth and depth of content."
AAP Editor in Chief Tony Gillies said: "Expanding the reach of AAP Photos through Reuters Connect will mean that more clients will have access to Australia's National Newswire's editorial images. The evolution of the AAP Photos business has taken us to the point where our content is in demand for a diverse range of clients around the world. By ensuring our content is available to those on the Reuters Connect platform we are providing a new and innovative way for customers to source our visual output."
AAP's Head of Photography, Neil Bennett, said: "Every day our Award-winning photographic team are covering the best of Australian news, sport and entertainment events. I'm delighted that we will increase the audience for this material through the Reuters Connect partnership."
Jean Michel Psaila, CEO, ABACA PRESS, said: "Covering Editorial content, ABACA PRESS has joined Reuters Connect which provides us the opportunity to be syndicated in 120 countries. This partnership with Reuters Connect presents ABACA with the opportunity to expand its network of representation around the world through a legitimate and recognized brand."
Bora Uçak, Business Development Deputy Manager, Anadolu, said: "Building a partnership with Reuters Connect opens a new channel for us to deliver our content worldwide. The clients will have an opportunity to reach one of the most powerful news agencies' videos via Reuters Connect. With our 100 years of experience, we believe our content will make a difference in the platform and this partnership will bring a new aspect in the news market."
Philippe François, Chief Imagery, Belga News Agency, said: "Reuters Connect is a powerful tool for news professionals to get all the news they need, alongside the best visual content from Reuters and partners like Belga Image, in the same place."
Bernama said: "Bernama is thrilled to announce its partnership with Reuters. Reuters Connect is an ideal platform for us to supply timely, topical, multimedia news from Malaysia to the rest of the world."
Vicente Poveda, Director of International Sales, DPA, said: "Over the last few years we have had a very good experience with the Reuters Connect Delivery-as-a-Service in benefit of our international clients. Making our content available via the marketplace is now a further step in our partnership. We see Reuters Connect as an exceptional showcase for our multimedia packages and an opportunity to reach new markets and clients."
Latin American News Agency said: "We are honoured that the world's most prestigious news agency partnered with the Latin America News Agency (LANA) to represent Latin America on the Reuters Connect platform; This is a great opportunity to show the work of our agency worldwide and generate new clients in partnership with the leading news agency in the market. This partnership will allow us to provide our news coverage throughout Latin America, as well as our global content, to Reuters Connect customers, allowing us to expand the reach to new markets with quality and reliable content."
Stephen Munday, Managing Director of PA Images, said: "As the national news agency for the UK and Ireland, PA has been documenting the social and cultural history of Britain for more than 150 years. Platform partnerships are an increasingly important part of our distribution strategy for our image and video archive and Reuters Connect is well positioned to help us reach an even wider international customer base."
Lemire Eric, Rédacteur en Chef, Panoramic, said: "Since the launch of Panoramic on Reuters Connect, the agency has ingested thousands of pictures on the platform, bringing significant visibility to Panoramic Pictures to new customers around the world. The availability of Panoramic's quality photography on the innovative Reuters Connect platform can only bring success to our two organisations worldwide. Reuters Connect supplies multimedia content and timely news stories, adding our content to the platform is a unique opportunity to expand our reach as a news agency."
Art Soonets, CEO, Scanpix Baltics, said: "For nearly 20 years Scanpix Baltics has worked closely with Reuters. We are delighted to expand our partnership and to redistribute both pictures and video content from three small Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – globally. We believe Reuters Connect is the market leading platform and are hopeful Reuters and Scanpix can use their global and local strengths to provide the best media coverage to customers worldwide."
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world's largest multimedia news provider. Founded in 1851, Reuters is committed to the Trust Principles of independence, integrity and freedom from bias. With unmatched coverage in over 16 languages, and reaching billions of people worldwide every day, it provides trusted intelligence that powers humans and machines to make smart decisions. Reuters supplies business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations and directly to consumers. Reuters: The Real World in Real Time.
Follow news about Reuters at @ReutersPR.
About Reuters Connect
Launched in 2017, Reuters Connect is designed to be a faster, more intelligent way for Reuters News Agency customers to source all the content they need via a single destination. Reuters Connect is built to make content discovery quicker and easier, improving clients' editorial efficiency and enabling them to deliver more stories to their audiences faster than ever before.
For more information on Reuters Connect and its growing list of partners visit: Reuters Connect.
About the Agencies
Australian Associated Press - independent Australian news agency; source of breaking news for Australia, covering entertainment, finance, politics, sports and world events.
ABACA PRESS - French press agency with more than 60 million images.
Aflo - based in Tokyo, Aflo delivers a broad range of news and entertainment content - creative and editorial from around the world. It is the official Japan Olympic photo team and covers major international sporting events including European soccer and tennis.
Agencia EFE - the world's fourth largest wire service and the leading provider of Spanish news.
Anadolu Agency - news agency of Turkey, offering coverage of Turkish and international politics, world, economy, health, technology, financial and sports news.
Asian News International (ANI) provides news coverage from South Asia. ANI content includes politics, business, health, technology, travel and entertainment news and features with regional perspectives.
Belga News Agency - Belgian news agency covering politics, economics, social affairs, finance, sports, culture and entertainment.
Bernama - the Malaysian National News Agency, abbreviated BERNAMA, is a news agency of the government of Malaysia. Coverage includes world news, business, politics, sports and youth current affairs.
Bildbyrån – Scandinavian sports agency, covering the world's major sporting events.
DPA - German Press Agency covering top stories from around the globe. DPA gives a European perspective on world events, from a global network of correspondents and editors.
Imagine China - also known as IC Photo, visual services provider in China. IC Photo produces a wide range of reportage subjects and photo coverage of local news and stories including general news, economics, sports, entertainment, culture and travel within China.
Latin America News Agency - news agency covering Latin America and the Caribbean, providing photos, videos and text services in English and Spanish.
PA Images - UK-focused editorial news, sport, entertainment, and royalty images, alongside the Press Association photo archive dating back to 1863.
PA Media - the national news agency for the UK and Ireland. PA Media supplies video content ranging from politics, entertainment, sports and popular culture.
Scanpix Baltics - news picture archive in the Baltic region, picture and video source for local newspapers, magazine and online clients in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Coverage includes politics, entertainment, sports, entertainment and popular culture.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


pedovin, your fame is great!!!!
Style and plot very good!!
Oh. I watched other artworks about it on your Twitter account! Great game!
when a new update ? I like this cute style and the use of the colors. the plot is interesting, even if it's only the first part.


text:
Q: Factory Pattern: Supporting new concrete types I was studying about Factory Pattern in this link.
After writing a normal factory, the author goes on to design a factory where we don't have to modify the factory's code to add new concrete implementations. (Let's say there's a Product interface and factory provides it's implementations).
To achieve this, the author says:

We add a new abstract method in the product abstract class. Each concrete class will implement this method to create a new object of the same type as itself.

And this code snippet follows:
 abstract class Product
{
    public abstract Product createProduct();
    ...
}

class OneProduct extends Product
{
    ...
    static
    {
        ProductFactory.instance().registerProduct("ID1", new OneProduct());
    }
    public OneProduct createProduct()
    {
        return new OneProduct();
    }
    ...
}

class ProductFactory
{
    public void registerProduct(String productID, Product p)    {
        m_RegisteredProducts.put(productID, p);
    }

    public Product createProduct(String productID){
        ((Product)m_RegisteredProducts.get(productID)).createProduct();
    }
}

I have a doubt here. We are already registering an instance of OneProduct to the factory. Then at runtime, we are calling createProduct() method which again creates a new instance of Oneproduct.
Is this the correct way of doing this? We have to create two instances of OneProduct here which I feel is wrong.

A: The reason why you need two instances is that you are using polymorphism when you call the createProduct() method. That is, each concrete product has its own implementation of createProduct(), and you can use the method to create all of them in the same way, because they all inherit from the same abstract class.
But to do that, you need to have instances. You cannot use polymorphism with static methods. You can only override instance methods. Thus you need an instance, to create an instance.
However, it's not necessary that the instance will be of the same type that it creates. It just needs to be an instance of a class that implements the required method. In Java 8, you could probably get a cleaner solution using Supplier<Product>.
abstract class Product
{
    ...
}

class OneProduct extends Product
{
    ...
    static
    {
        ProductFactory.instance().registerProduct("ID1", OneProduct::new);
    }
    ...
}

class ProductFactory
{
    Map<String,Supplier<Product>> m_RegisteredProducts = new HashMap<>();

    public void registerProduct(String productID, Supplier<Product> p)    {
        m_RegisteredProducts.put(productID, p);
    }

    public Product createProduct(String productID){
        // There should be a null check here...
        return m_RegisteredProducts.get(productID).get();
    }
}

In essence, the method reference gives you a small object that implements Supplier<Product>, on which you can call get(), which will create a new product using the default constructor.
The article you referred to is very old. I believe it predates Java 1.2, because it still uses a Hashtable rather than a modern map, and no generics. The principles remain the same but there are more modern ways of implementing them.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Getting Paid for Your Passion: Should You Go Pro?
As professional genealogists retire, move on to other endeavors, or leave us permanently, they leave holes that need filling. If you are interested in helping with that task, this presentation/discussion will address your concerns and help you hone your expectations and find your niche. What should you do to "get into the field"? Come with your questions.


Yay, it's September and I'm back at it, writing blog posts!
Much refreshed after an awesome summer break. So, WELCOME BACK!
As much as I love summer, September is one of my favorite times of year because of the back-to-school excuse to stock up on stationery, make a new 'timetable' and plan!
So here's a WorkLife Tip ) Create a Weekly Timetable. September is a great time for re-evaluating plans and schedules and thinking about work/life balance. Creating a weekly 'timetable' like we use in school can be helpful in deciding whether we're trying to fit in too many regularily scheduled activities, or scheduling time in a way that reflects our current work/life priorities. Leaving some regularily unscheduled time every week helps us fit in the unexpected, catch up on chores, or even better just kick back and enjoy family, friends or me time. I'm still a fan of pen/cil and paper for planning. If you are too check out the WorkLife planners including a weekly planner on the FREE! page.
Do you have a suggestion for work/life blog topics, or a great idea you'd like to share?


In Neo4j, "DROP INDEX ON" statement is used to drop an index from database. It will permanently remove the index from the database.
As you see in the above screenshot, the index is removed.
:schema command is used to verify that the applicable index has been removed from the schema.
You can see that index is no longer in the schema.


text:
Alison Knowles (Nueva York, 29 de abril de 1933) es una artista estadounidense reconocida principalmente por ser una de las principales creadoras dentro del colectivo Fluxus. Graduada del Instituto de Bellas Artes Pratt de Brooklyn. Su obra es destaca por la elaboración de performance a partir del uso de sonido, instalaciones, actuaciones, publicaciones, entre otras.

Biografía
Knowles asistió brevemente a Middlebury College, para después estudiar con Joseph Albers y Richard Lindner, y se graduara del Instituto Pratt de Nueva York para 1954. Para finales de los cincuenta y principios de los sesenta se unirá a la Sociedad Micológica de Nueva York, junto a Dick Higgins y John Cage. A partir de esto Knowles comienza a producir partituras; actividad que se vera reflejada en proyectos futuros donde añadirá a la música como un elemento más de sus composiciones.

Contrae matrimonio con el artista cofundador de Fluxus, Dick Higgins en 1960. Por lo que la artista se vera implicada dentro de las actividades de dicho movimiento. Viaja y actúa en Europa, Asia y Estados Unidos participando activamente en el grupo. Para finales de los setenta se convierte en un profesora asociada al Assistant Professor of Art, así como directora del laboratorio gráfico de California, California Institute of Arts.

Desde hace varias décadas, Knowles ha continuado la elaboración de productos artísticos apegados a sus creaciones dentro de Fluxus, Mostrando performances, medios sonoros, escritos y obras plásticas, las cuales son presentadas alrededor del mundo.

Obra
Caracterizada por su destacada participación dentro de Fluxus a partir de sus performances, se trata de una artista polifacética, creadora de arte sonoro, visual y plástico, que en ocasiones lograría conjugar todas en una misma obra.

Performance
En 1961 comenzó a elaborar los performances que tanto le caracterizan. Uno de los primeros que se destacan del resto fue Shuffle, en el cual su propuesta consiste en como varios performances son mezclados en un mismo sitio, y a su vez el público es partícipe trasladándose por delante, detrás, alrededor o a través, de manera silenciosa. Mostrando indispensable la participación de los asistentes, pero en sí misma involuntaria. Para el siguiente año presentó Proposition, en el que se plantea a modo de performance la elaboración de una ensalada. En la cual toma como objeto fundamental la comida, elemento que se verá retomado en futuras presentaciones. En cuanto al discurso del arte a la calle donde se mostraba obras artísticas a partir de cosas cotidianas propuesto por Fluxus, durante el año de 1962, Knowles crea Street Piece, aquella pieza donde el participante dentro del performance deberá pasear por la calle, de esta forma se vera materializada la obra a partir de aquellos sujetos que se proponían a realizarlo. Dedicó a su esposo, Dick Higgins, la pieza Color Music 1 for Dick Higgins, la cual consistió en pedirle a los espectadores que realicen un listado de problemas numeradolos del uno al cinco y tomar un color para cada punto. Para así buscar la solución adecuada a ellos, si el proceso es tardado se plantea que el sujeto dirija su vista sobre el color hasta definir su solución.

En la obra The Identical Lunch (1967-73) la artista demostraba la idea de que cualquiera puede ser un artista o performer, esto por medio de registrar las distintas eventualidades dentro de un performance. La artista pedía a los participantes que comieran lo mismo mismo en el mismo sitio durante todos los días; el plato consistía en un sándwich de atún sin mayonesa, con mantequilla, lechuga y pan de harina tostado, además de un plato de sopa o un vaso de leche, para así invitar a los sujetos a escribir las experiencias adquiridas día a día. Con el material recopilado Alison conformó un libro el cual llamó Journal of the Identical Lunch.

Newspaper Music consiste en una interpretación de Knowles, en donde a manera de orquesta distintos participantes leen en voz alta una sección de varios periódicos, mientras que la artista se coloca frente a ellos como su directora. Esta se trata de una de las obras realizadas dentro de Fluxus, originalmente realizada en el año de 1965 y retomada por el Tate para el 2008.

Libro-arte
Knowles desarrolló uno de los primeros libro-arte o libro de artista, que nombró como Bean Rolls el cual fue presentado en 1963. Constaba de una lata que contenía una serie de textos enrollados. Además, en 1967, produjo un poema computarizado con el compositor James Tenney llamado The House of Dust, el cual fue realizado junto a su marido, Dick Higgins. Asimismo, entre su obras más destacadas, se encuentra una cuarteta de poemas de la Casa del Polvo de su autoría. "Un terreno abierto de iones de la Casa del Polvo iluminado por luz natural, habitado por amigos y enemigos". Ha intervenido también en proyectos como Loose Pages (1983), el cual se componía de páginas para cada zona del cuerpo a través de las cuales los espectadores podían introducirse dentro de ellas. Así como Mahogany Arm Rest (1989) y We Have no Bread (1992), dos obras de gran formato que se muestran abiertas para que el espectador interactúe directamente con ellas.

Arte sonoro
Participando en distintos eventos y presentaciones en vivo por parte de Fluxus, Knowles se ve fuertemente activa dentro del área del sonido a finales de los sesenta, particularmente por su relación con el compositor John Cage. Para 1971 crea Her Bean Garden, una pieza compuesta en una plataforma de grandes dimensiones cubierta de frijoles que sonaban bajo los pies de los visitantes; esta fue presentada en el Festival Anual de la Vanguardia de Nueva York de Charlotte Moorman. Ya que la artista se ha mostrado a lo largo de su trayectoria interesada por los sonidos que producen los frijoles y las superficies duras, varias de sus obras fueron centradas en esta temática, en especial se resaltan cuatro programas de radio presentados por la progresiva estación alemana West Deutscher Rundfunk.

Recibe el prestigioso Premio Karl Sczuka por el mejor trabajo de radio de la WDR en el año de 1982, gracias a su trabajo de sonido llamado Bohnen Sequenzen [Bean Sequences], el cual consta de una serie de impresiones de la artista. Hasta el año 2000, Knowles realizó una serie de objetos sonoros caracterizados por la misma línea creativa, el más reciente fue titulado Bean Turners, donde se emplean frijoles y papel.

Colaboraciones
De 1964 a 1970, Knowless ha mostrado un arduo desempeño como editora en Else Press, editorial iniciada por Dick Higgins. Y a su vez fue cofundadora al lado de su colega y marido en Printed Editions Publishing Creative.

En 1968, Knowles se da a la tarea de trabajar con Marcel Duchamp en el diseño e impresión en serigrafía de la última edición de lo que fue su última obra, la cual sería reimpresa por Couers Volants for the Something Else Press. Además, esta editorial durante el mismo año también sería la responsable de la impresión del libro Partituras Musicales, el cual fue producto de Notations de John Cage, que a su vez fue diseñado y coeditado por Knowles.

Argumentos en su obra
Si fluxus se trata de la tendencia de romper barreras en el panorama artístico, convirtiendo en arte las acciones de la vida cotidiana. Encontrando paradigmas, como aquella en la que la obra no tiene por qué ser completada por el artista que la piensa, además de que cualquiera puede asumir ese papel dentro de un concepto de arte distinto al tradicional. En cuanto a los temas dentro de su obra artística, mantiene una reflexión hacia las cuestiones femeninas, así como la definición y la mención de los roles adjudicados a la mujer, los cuales serán tratados en distintas de sus obras.

A partir de 1962, su obra comienza a tocar el tema de la comida, o el acto de comer, siendo este el objeto central de sus creaciones artísticas, mostrando dentro de sus investigaciones la forma de hacer los alimentos, el acto de comerlos, o simplemente los mismos alimentos como herramienta principal.

Homenajes
Fue considerada como una artista notable dentro del movimiento Fluxus por George Maciunas, quien además la incluyó en un diagrama sobre el Fluxus elaborado en 1966, colocó la obra de Knowles titulada Beans Rolls en el Bean Kit.

Por otra parte Ben Vautier le dedicó su pieza Music by Alison, que a su vez fue ejecutada por ambos aristas durante el Fluxus Street Theatre, que formaba parte del Fully Garanteed, 12 Fluxux Concerts, o también llamado Flux Festival en el Fluxhall de Nueva York durante el mes de mayo de 1964.

Referencias

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Oklahoma teachers will walk out en masse this coming Monday, despite a historic agreement from the ailing state legislature to give them a long-overdue pay raise which will be paid for by increasing taxes on the state's previously untouchable oil and gas industry.
The state's neoliberal policies – which began with a Clintonite Democratic legislature, and were supercharged by subsequent GOP legislatures who waltzed into office after the Democrats sold out working people – have produced the lowest tax rates on the oil and gas industry, a state rule that only allows tax hikes with a 75% majority of the legislative votes, and some of the worst-paid public servants in America, especially teachers.
Earlier attempts to stem the tide of teachers fleeing for higher-paying work elsewhere have been a joke, with GOP legislators offering to find the additional funds by raising taxes on the working poor – not the oil industry and the wealthy.
So when the GOP-dominated legislature finally caved and sent a bill to the governor's desk that would have given a substantial pay-hike to teachers by taxing the oil and gas industry, the self-organized rank and file decided to go for the brass ring: they're going to walk out on Monday anyway, and they're vowing to stay out until the whole of Oklahoma's public sector gets economic justice.


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Q: javascript not ouputting response from php I got a simple poll system to work with 2 php files. However, it is not working on blogger (prolly because now 1 file is in HTML)
To be more specific, the poll result gets registered in my db. It is just unable to output the response.
heres my code:

Do you like this poll?

<input type="radio" name="poll" id="poll1" checked>Yes, it`s great
<input type="radio" name="poll" id="poll2">Yes...
<input type="radio" name="poll" id="poll3">Not bad...
<input type="radio" name="poll" id="poll4">No!

<input type="button" value="Vote!" onClick="vote();"/>

A: Your sendto variable is declared locally in the for loop.

A: I believe this is the same question as innerhtml not working on blogger and the reason it's not working is because the target of an XMLHttpRequest has to be on the same domain. Once the code is ported to Blogger, it will break. (Full answer on the other question)


text:
ND California2017
Rhom v. Thumbtack, Inc.
Rhomv.Thumbtack, Inc.
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIAOct 17, 2017
Case No. 16-cv-02008-HSG (N.D. Cal. Oct. 17, 2017)
In re Anthem, Inc. Data Breach Litig.
Staton, 327 F.3d at 977. However, the requested service payments ($597,500.00 in total) represent only 0.52%…
However, the requested service payments ($597,500.00 in total) represent only 0.52% of the Settlement Fund.…
recognizing as reasonable a $41.39 award in FCRA case
Summary of this case from Esomonu v. Omnicare, Inc.
Case No. 16-cv-02008-HSG
MICHAEL RHOM, Plaintiff, v. THUMBTACK, INC., Defendant.
HAYWOOD S. GILLIAM, JR. United States District Judge
ORDER GRANTING MOTION FOR FINAL APPROVAL OF CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT AND MOTION FOR ATTORNEYS' FEES AND COSTS
Re: Dkt. Nos. 41, 43
Pending before the Court are two unopposed motions in this putative class action. First, Plaintiff Michael Rhom moves the Court for an order granting final approval of the parties' proposed settlement. Dkt. No. 43. Second, Plaintiff moves the Court for an award of attorneys' fees and costs. Dkt. No. 41. The Court held a final fairness hearing on both motions on October 12, 2017. For the reasons stated below, the Court GRANTS both motions.
A. Factual Allegations and Procedural History
Defendant runs Thumbtack, an online platform that connects individuals with service professionals, including Plaintiff. Dkt. No. 1 ¶ 2. Plaintiff alleges that it was Defendant's policy or practice to obtain consumer reports on service professionals that used or accessed Thumbtack. Dkt. No. 1-1 ("Compl.") at ¶ 14. Plaintiff claims that Defendant failed to properly disclose, obtain authorization for, and provide notice and copies of consumer reports obtained purportedly for "employment purposes." Id. at ¶¶ 15-22. Plaintiff also asserts that, to the extent that Defendant did not obtain consumer reports for employment purposes, Defendant lacked permissible purposes, made false pretenses, and/or made inaccurate certifications in acquiring those reports from the relevant reporting agencies. Id. at ¶¶ 23-26, 30. Plaintiff asserts that Defendant's actions violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA"), 15 U.S.C. § 1681, the California Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act ("ICRAA"), Cal. Civ. Code § 1786, and the California Unfair Competition Law ("UCL"), Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17203.
Thumbtack removed this action on April 15, 2016. Dkt. No. 1. On June 2, 2016, Thumbtack moved to dismiss, or in the alternative, stay the case pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). Dkt. No. 12 at 1. The Court did not rule on the motion, and the parties engaged in informal and formal written discovery. Dkt. No. 43-1 ¶¶ 7-8. The parties held an ADR phone conference on July 8, 2016, but failed to resolve the matter. Id. at ¶ 14. The parties ultimately reached a proposed settlement agreement, and filed for preliminary approval on November 16, 2016. Dkt. No. 33. The Court held a hearing on February 9, 2017. Dkt. No. 34. Based on comments made at that hearing, Plaintiff submitted a revised version of the proposed settlement agreement on February 16, 2017, along with joint supportive supplemental briefing. Dkt. No. 35. On May 12, 2017, the Court granted preliminary approval. Dkt. No. 39. At that time, the Court provisionally certified a damages class under Rule 23(b)(3). Dkt. No. 39 at 2. The Court also appointed Plaintiff as class representative, designated CounselOne, P.C. as class counsel, and approved CPT Group as the settlement administrator. Dkt. No. 39 at 2, 4.
B. Overview of the Proposed Settlement
On September 7, 2017, the parties submitted a class action settlement agreement for final approval that details the provisions of the proposed settlement. See Dkt. No. 43-1, Ex. 1 ("SA"). The key terms are as follows:
Class Definitions: All service professionals in the United States who accessed and/or used the Thumbtack platform on whom Thumbtack obtained a report through Checkr or Sterling from March 22, 2011 through the present who had not yet agreed to Thumbtack's December 11, 2015 Terms of Use or subsequent Thumbtack Terms of Use at the time the report was obtained by Thumbtack. SA ¶ 1.31. The parties represent that there are a total of 66,676 persons who meet the class definition. See Dkt No. 43 at 7.
Monetary Relief: Defendant agrees to pay a gross settlement sum of $225,000 in full settlement of the claims asserted in Plaintiff's complaint. SA ¶ 2.1.1. This includes an award of attorneys' fees and costs, an incentive award to the named Plaintiff, and all costs of administration, including settlement administration fees. Id. Based on the claims submitted, each class member will receive a payment of approximately $41.39. See Dkt. No. 43-2 ¶ 16. The settlement fund is non-reversionary, such that the entire settlement will be paid out to those class members who submitted valid and timely claim forms. SA ¶ 2.1.1.
Release: The class, including Plaintiff, will release Defendant from all claims, whether known or unknown, that were asserted or could have been asserted arising from or related to allegations set forth in the complaint. SA ¶¶ 1.25, 4.2.
Exclusion and Objection Procedures: A person in the settlement class may request to be excluded from the settlement by sending a written request. SA ¶ 6.2. A class member may also object to the terms of the proposed settlement, the award of attorneys' fees, or Plaintiff's incentive award by sending a written objection. SA ¶ 6.3. Class notice specified procedures for submitting a valid and timely objection or request for exclusion. See Dkt. No. 43-2, Exs. A-C.
Incentive Award: Any incentive request for Plaintiff will not exceed $5,000. SA ¶ 8.2.
Attorneys' Fees and Costs: Class counsel may seek an award of reasonable attorneys' fees, expenses, and costs from the gross settlement fund. SA ¶ 8.1. Thumbtack agreed not to oppose class counsel's petition for attorneys' fees of up to 25% of the settlement fund. Id.
A. Final Settlement Approval
i. Class Certification
Final approval of a class action settlement requires, as a threshold matter, an assessment of whether the class satisfies the requirements of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(a) and (b). Hanlon v. Chrysler Corp., 150 F.3d 1011, 1019-1022 (9th Cir. 1998). In its order granting preliminary approval, the Court observed that a $5,000 incentive award for the named Plaintiff potentially raised concerns regarding the adequacy of representation. Dkt. No. 39 at 2-3, n. 1, 2. That concern was based partly on a then-anticipated 10% claims rate, which would result in each participating class member receiving about $15. See id. Considering the number of valid and timely claims forms actually submitted, however, each participating class member will ultimately receive a payment of $41.39. Dkt. No. 43-2 ¶ 16. In addition, and as discussed in greater detail below, Plaintiff has expended significant effort in prosecuting this action. See Dkt. Nos. 41-2 ¶ 9, 41-1 ¶ 37. These factors sufficiently address the Court's earlier concerns regarding the adequacy of representation. See Morey v. Louis Vuitton N. Am., Inc., No. 11CV1517 WQH BLM, 2014 WL 109194, at *2-3, 9, 11 (S.D. Cal. Jan. 9, 2014) (granting final approval to a settlement where each class member received a merchandise certificate in the amount of $41, and the named plaintiff was awarded $5,000); Dennis v. Kellogg Co., No. 09-CV-1786-L WMC, 2013 WL 6055326, at *3-8 (S.D. Cal. Nov. 14, 2013) (approving final settlement where payouts to individual claimants ranged between $5 and $45, and incentive awards totaled $5,000 for each named plaintiff). Because no other facts have changed that would affect these requirements since the Court preliminarily approved the class on May 12, 2017, this order incorporates by reference its prior analysis under Rules 23(a) and (b) as set forth in the order granting preliminary approval. See Dkt. No. 39 at 1-2. The Court affirms its previous findings and certifies the settlement class.
ii. The Settlement
"The claims, issues, or defenses of a certified class may be settled . . . only with the court's approval." Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(e). The Court may finally approve a class settlement "only after a hearing and on finding that it is fair, reasonable, and adequate." Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(e)(2); Officers for Justice v. Civil Serv. Comm'n of the City and Cty. of S.F., 688 F.2d 615, 625 (9th Cir. 1982) ("The district court's role in evaluating a proposed settlement must be tailored to fulfill the objectives outlined above. In other words, the court's intrusion upon what is otherwise a private consensual agreement negotiated between the parties to a lawsuit must be limited to the extent necessary to reach a reasoned judgment that the agreement is not the product of fraud or overreaching by, or collusion between, the negotiating parties . . . ."). To assess whether a proposed settlement comports with Rule 23(e), the Court "may consider some or all" of the following factors: (1) the strength of plaintiff's case; (2) the risk, expense, complexity, and likely duration of further litigation; (3) the risk of maintaining class action status throughout the trial; (4) the amount offered in settlement; (5) the extent of discovery completed, and the stage of the proceedings; (6) the experience and views of counsel; (7) the presence of a governmental participant; and (8) the reaction of the class members to the proposed settlement. Rodriguez v. West Publ'g Corp., 563 F.3d 948, 963 (9th Cir. 2009); see Hanlon, 150 F.3d at 1026. "The relative degree of importance to be attached to any particular factor" is case specific. Officers for Justice, 688 F.2d at 625.
In addition, "[a]dequate notice is critical to court approval of a class settlement under Rule 23(e)." Hanlon, 150 F.3d at 1025. As discussed below, the Court finds that the proposed settlement is fair, adequate, and reasonable, and that class members received adequate notice.
a. Adequacy of Notice
Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(e), the Court "must direct notice in a reasonable manner to all class members who would be bound by the proposal." Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(e)(1). Rule 23(c)(2)(B) requires "the best notice that is practicable under the circumstances, including individual notice to all members who can be identified through reasonable effort." The notice must "clearly and concisely state in plain, easily understood language" the nature of the action, the class definition, and the class members' right to exclude themselves from the class. Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(c)(2)(B). Although Rule 23 requires that reasonable efforts be made to reach all class members, it does not require that each class member actually receive notice. See Rannis v. Recchia, 380 F. App'x 646, 650 (9th Cir. May 27, 2010) (noting that "due process requires reasonable effort to inform affected class members through individual notice, not receipt of individual notice").
The Court finds that the notice plan previously approved by the Court, Dkt. No. 39 at 3-4, was implemented and complies with Rule 23(c)(2)(B). As outlined in the settlement agreement, Defendant provided the third-party settlement administrator, CPT Group, with names and email addresses for putative class members. See SA ¶ 5.1; Dkt. No. 43-2 ¶¶ 5-6. After removing duplicative records, CPT Group notified all known class members by email. Id. ¶ 5. CPT Group states that class notice was provided as directed. Id. The email notice contained information on the settlement, as well as a hyperlink to a settlement website with an electronic claim form. Id. ¶ 9. CPT Group was unable to complete email notice to 4,626 class members due to email bounce backs. Id. ¶ 6. CPT Group sent those individuals physical notice via postcard. Id. ¶¶ 6-7. Prior to sending physical notice, CPT Group ran mailing address records through the National Change of Address Database and received updated addresses. Id. As of August 11, 2017, CPT Group had re-mailed 367 postcards as a result of address forwarding, skip trace, or re-mail request from class members. Id. ¶ 8. In addition to a settlement website, CPT Group also set up a toll-free number to provide information and answer questions on the proposed settlement. Id. ¶ 10. The parties received 2,398 claim forms, one exclusion request, and one objection. Id. ¶¶ 12-14. In light of these facts, the Court finds that the parties have sufficiently provided the best practicable notice to the class members.
b. Fairness, Adequacy, and Reasonableness
Having found the notice procedures adequate under Rule 23(e), the Court next considers whether the entire settlement comports with Rule 23(e).
1. Strength of Plaintiff's Case, Litigation Risks, and Risks of Maintaining Class Action Status
Approval of a class settlement is appropriate when plaintiffs must overcome significant barriers to make their case. Chun-Hoon v. McKee Foods Corp., 716 F. Supp. 2d 848, 851 (N.D. Cal. 2010). Courts "may presume that through negotiation, the Parties, counsel, and mediator arrived at a reasonable range of settlement by considering Plaintiff's likelihood of recovery." Garner v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., No. 08-cv-1365-CW, 2010 WL 1687832, at *9 (N.D. Cal. Apr. 22, 2010). Additionally, difficulties and risks in litigating weigh in favor of approving a class settlement. Rodriguez, 563 F.3d at 966. "Generally, unless the settlement is clearly inadequate, its acceptance and approval are preferable to lengthy and expensive litigation with uncertain results." Ching v. Siemens Indus., Inc., No. 11-cv-04838-MEJ, 2014 WL 2926210, at *4 (N.D. Cal. Jun. 27, 2014) (quotation omitted).
This action reached settlement before the Court had an opportunity to consider the merits of the claims. Yet Plaintiff would face both factual and legal hurdles were the litigation to proceed. In Defendant's notice of removal, Defendant "dispute[d] Plaintiff's and the proposed classes' claims in their entirety." Dkt. No. 1 at 1. Defendant's motion to dismiss asserted several discrete challenges to the legal basis and factual sufficiency of Plaintiff's claims under FCRA, ICRAA, and the California UCL, respectively. Dkt. No. 12 at 2-3. Plaintiff recognizes the difficulties of showing that Thumbtack violated those statutes by obtaining consumer reports for "employment purposes." See id. at 2, 7-12, 21-22; Dkt. No. 43 at 17. Plaintiff also identifies challenges to obtaining statutory damages under FCRA, which requires Plaintiff to show that Defendant willfully violated that statute. See Dkt. No. 43 at 17-18; Dkt. No. 12 at 19-21; Safeco Ins. Co. of Am. v. Burr, 551 U.S. 47, 57-59 (2007) (leaving open a defense for a defendant's reasonable or even careless construction of a statute). In addition, two potentially dispositive cases—Robins v. Spokeo, Inc., Case No. 11-56843 and Moran v. Screening Pros, LLC, Case No. 12-57246—created uncertainty and legal risk for Plaintiff throughout this litigation. See Dkt. No. 43 at 17; Dkt. No. 12 at 23-25. With respect to maintaining class action status, a putative class of 66,676 service professionals itself presents complex issues potentially undermining certification.
Considering Defendant's apparent willingness to defend against this action and the uncertain state of the law, Plaintiff was not guaranteed a favorable result. In reaching a settlement, however, Plaintiff ensured a favorable recovery for the class. See Rodriguez, 563 F.3d at 966 (finding litigation risks weigh in favor of approving class settlement). Accordingly, these factors support approving the settlement. See Ching, 2014 WL 2926210, at *4 (favoring settlement to protracted litigation).
2. Settlement Amount
The amount offered in the settlement is another factor that weighs in favor of approval. Based on the facts in the record and the parties' arguments at the final fairness hearing, the Court finds that the $225,000 settlement amount falls "within the range of reasonableness" in view of litigation risks and costs. Each participating class member will receive a pro rata share of $41.39 after deductions for attorneys' fees and costs, settlement administration costs, and an incentive award for Plaintiff. See Dkt. No. 43-2 ¶ 16. That amount is commensurate with recoveries approved by other California district courts. See In re Toys R Us-Delaware, Inc. FACTA Litig., 295 F.R.D. 438, 454 (C.D. Cal. 2014) (recognizing as reasonable a $5 to $30 award given the difficulties of proving actual or statutory damages under FCRA); Fraley v. Facebook, Inc., 966 F. Supp. 2d 939, 943-44 (N.D. Cal. 2013), aff'd sub nom. Fraley v. Batman, 638 F. App'x 594 (9th Cir. Jan. 6, 2016) (granting final approval to a class action settlement awarding $15 to each claiming class member despite statutory damages ranging up to $750). And as discussed, recovery of statutory damages under FCRA requires a high threshold showing that the Defendant acted willfully. The Ninth Circuit has cautioned that just because a settlement could have been better "does not mean the settlement presented was not fair, reasonable or adequate." Hanlon, 150 F.3d at 1027 ("Settlement is the offspring of compromise; the question we address is not whether the final product could be prettier, smarter or snazzier, but whether it is fair, adequate and free from collusion.").
3. Extent of Discovery Completed and Stage of Proceedings
Class counsel had sufficient information to make an informed decision about the merits of the case. See In re Mego Fin. Corp. Sec. Litig., 213 F.3d 454, 459 (9th Cir. 2000). Plaintiff investigated Defendant's policies and practices for obtaining consumer reports and conducting background checks. Dkt. No. 43-1 ¶¶ 8-9. The parties exchanged Rule 26(f) disclosures and discovery requests and responses. Id. Both sides fully briefed and argued Defendant's motion to dismiss or stay the action. See Dkt. Nos. 12, 16, 22. Plaintiff pursued settlement only after conducting extensive legal research, assessing the contested pleadings, and conferring at arms-length with opposing counsel. Id. ¶¶ 8-13, 18. The Court finds that the parties have received, examined, and analyzed those documents and materials that sufficiently enabled them to assess the likelihood of success on the merits. This factor weighs in favor of approval.
4. Experience and Views of Counsel
The Court next considers the experience and views of counsel, and finds that this factor also weighs in favor of approval. "[P]arties represented by competent counsel are better positioned than courts to produce a settlement that fairly reflects each party's expected outcome in litigation." Rodriguez, 563 F.3d at 967 (quotation omitted). Accordingly, "[t]he recommendations of plaintiffs' counsel should be given a presumption of reasonableness." In re Omnivision Techs., Inc., 559 F. Supp. 2d 1036, 1043 (N.D. Cal. 2008). The Court has previously evaluated class counsel's qualifications and experience and concluded that counsel is qualified to represent the classes' interests in this action. See Dkt. No. 39 at 2. As discussed, class counsel initiated settlement discussions only after assessing the risks and costs to continuing the litigation. The Court recognizes, however, that courts have diverged on the weight to assign counsel's opinions. Compare Carter v. Anderson Merch., LP, 2010 WL 1946784, at *8 (C.D. Cal. May 11, 2010) ("Counsel's opinion is accorded considerable weight."), with Chun-Hoon, 716 F. Supp. 2d at 852 ("[T]his court is reluctant to put much stock in counsel's pronouncements. . . ."). This factor's impact is therefore modest, but favors approval.
5. Reaction of Class Members
The reaction of class members supports final approval. "[T]he absence of a large number of objections to a proposed class action settlement raises a strong presumption that the terms of a proposed class settlement action are favorable to the class members." Nat'l Rural Telecomms. Coop. v. DIRECTV, Inc., 221 F.R.D. 523, 529 (C.D. Cal. 2004); In re Linkedin User Privacy Litig., 309 F.R.D. 573, 589 (N.D. Cal. 2015) ("A low number of opt-outs and objections in comparison to class size is typically a factor that supports settlement approval.").
Class notice, which was served on each class member in accordance with the methods approved by the Court, advised the class of the requirements regarding objections and exclusions. See Dkt. No. 43-2 ¶¶ 5-9, Exs. A-C. The deadline to submit a valid claim form was August 11, 2017. Dkt. No. 43-2, Ex. A. The deadline to object or request exclusion was July 11, 2017. Id. CPT Group received 2,398 valid claim forms, one objection, and one request for exclusion. Id. ¶¶ 13-14. The objection received, however, does not dispute the terms of the settlement; rather, the objector states her support broadly for Defendant's policy of conducting background checks. See Dkt. No. 43-2, Ex. F. As Plaintiff points out, Defendant can continue to conduct background checks even if the Court approves the final settlement. Dkt. No. 43 at 26; see Browning v. Yahoo! Inc., No. C04-01463 HRL, 2007 WL 4105971, at *7-8 (N.D. Cal. Nov. 16, 2007) (deeming irrelevant similarly styled objections). To be sure, the overall class response, while positive, was subdued. Just 2,398 of 66,676 putative class members submitted valid and timely claim forms—about 3.5%. Even still, courts have approved settlements with lower response rates. See Touhey v. United States, No. EDCV 08-1418-VAP (RCx), 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 81308, at *21-22 (C.D. Cal. Jul. 25, 2011) (approving a class action settlement where the response rate was approximately 2%, citing the low number of objections and agreement's overall fairness); Tait v. BSH Home Appliances Corp., No. SACV100711DOCANX, 2015 WL 4537463, at *8 (C.D. Cal. Jul. 7, 2015) (approving a class settlement where the response rate was 3%, observing that this result was likely "realistic"). The overall absence of objections and opt-outs indicates support among the class members and weighs in favor of approval. See, e.g., Churchill Village LLC v. Gen. Elec., 361 F.3d 566, 577 (9th Cir. 2004) (affirming settlement where 45 of approximately 90,000 class members objected).
After considering and weighing the above factors, the Court finds that the settlement agreement is fair, adequate, and reasonable, and that the settlement class members received adequate notice. Accordingly, Plaintiff's motion for final approval of class action settlement is GRANTED.
B. Motion for Attorneys' Fees and Costs
In its second unopposed motion, class counsel asks the Court to approve an award of $56,250 in attorneys' fees and $2,500 in costs. Dkt. No. 41 at 1. Class counsel also seeks a $5,000 incentive award for the named Plaintiff for his assistance in this case. Id.
i. Attorneys' Fees
"In a certified class action, the court may award reasonable attorney's fees and nontaxable costs that are authorized by law or by the parties' agreement." Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(h). The Court has discretion in a common fund case to choose either (1) the lodestar method or (2) the percentage-of-the-fund when calculating reasonable attorneys' fees. Vizcaino v. Microsoft Corp., 290 F.3d 1043, 1047 (9th Cir. 2002).
Under the percentage-of-recovery method, twenty-five percent of a common fund is the benchmark for attorneys' fees awards. See, e.g., In re Bluetooth, 654 F.3d at 942 ("[C]ourts typically calculate 25% of the fund as the 'benchmark' for a reasonable fee award, providing adequate explanation in the record of any 'special circumstances' justifying a departure."); Six Mexican Workers v. Ariz. Citrus Growers, 904 F.2d 1301, 1311 (9th Cir. 1990).
Under the lodestar method, a "lodestar figure is calculated by multiplying the number of hours the prevailing party reasonably expended on the litigation (as supported by adequate documentation) by a reasonable hourly rate for the region and for the experience of the lawyer." In re Bluetooth Headset Prods. Liab. Litig., 654 F.3d 935, 941 (9th Cir. 2011) (citing Staton v. Boeing Co., 327 F.3d 938, 965 (9th Cir. 2003)). Whether the Court awards the benchmark amount or some other rate, the award must be supported "by findings that take into account all of the circumstances of the case." Vizcaino, 290 F.3d at 1048.
"[T]he established standard when determining a reasonable hourly rate is the rate prevailing in the community for similar work performed by attorneys of comparable skill, experience, and reputation." Camacho v. Bridgeport Fin., Inc., 523 F.3d 973, 979 (9th Cir. 2008) (quotation omitted). Generally, "the relevant community is the forum in which the district court sits." Id. (citing Barjon v. Dalton, 132 F.3d 496, 500 (9th Cir. 1997)). Typically, "affidavits of the plaintiffs' attorney and other attorneys regarding prevailing fees in the community, and rate determinations in other cases . . . are satisfactory evidence of the prevailing market rate." United Steelworkers of Am. v. Phelps Dodge Corp., 896 F.2d 403, 407 (9th Cir. 1990). "In addition to affidavits from the fee applicant, other evidence of prevailing market rates may include affidavits from other area attorneys or examples of rates awarded to counsel in previous cases." Schuchardt v. Law Office of Rory W. Clark, 314 F.R.D. 673, 687 (N.D. Cal. 2016).
Although "the choice between lodestar and percentage calculation depends on the circumstances, . . . either method may . . . have its place in determining what would be reasonable compensation for creating a common fund." Six Mexican Workers, 904 F.2d at 1311 (quotation omitted). To guard against an unreasonable result, the Ninth Circuit has encouraged district courts to cross-check any calculations done in one method against those of another method. Vizcaino, 290 F.3d at 1050-51.
Class counsel here seeks $56,250 in fees, or 25% of the settlement amount. See Dkt. No. 41 at 1, 9. That meets the benchmark for a reasonable fee award under the percentage-of-recovery method. See In re Bluetooth, 654 F.3d at 942. The fee amount requested is also less than class counsel's fees would be if calculated using the lodestar method. In calculating its lodestar, class counsel contends that it expended a combined 172.7 hours between two attorneys. Dkt. No. 41 at 18. That figure includes both hours spent through the filing of the fee motion, and an estimated 10 additional hours for time spent following that motion's filing through settlement distribution, if approved. Id. at 18-19. Class counsel's time estimate of 10 additional hours is based on counsel's "experience and the settlement class size." Id. at 19. With respect to hourly rates, one attorney requests a rate of $595 per hour for 87.2 hours worked. Id. at 18. A second attorney requests a rate of $475 per hour for 85.5 hours worked. Id. According to class counsel, this yields a lodestar of $92,496.50. Id. Based on the figures provided, the Court reaches the same lodestar. Counsel suggests that no multiplier is needed, as "the lodestar itself is $36,246.50 higher than the percentage of the fund request of $56,250 in attorneys' fees." Dkt. No. 41 at 19.
Having reviewed class counsel's qualifications and supporting documents, the Court finds that the billing rates used are reasonable and generally in line with rates in this District for personnel of comparable experience, skill, and reputation. See, e.g., Aguilar v. Zep Inc., No. 13-CV-00563-WHO, 2014 WL 4063144, at *4 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 15, 2014) (collecting cases, and finding prevalent rates ranging from $400 for associates to $750 for partners litigating civil rights and employment cases in this District); Campbell v. Nat'l Passenger R.R. Corp., 718 F. Supp. 2d 1093, 1099 (N.D. Cal. 2010) (concluding that a rate of $700 was "in line with the overall market rate for experienced civil rights attorneys" in the Northern District); Davis v. Prison Health Servs., No. C 09-2629 SI, 2012 WL 4462520, at *9 (N.D. Cal. Sept. 25, 2012) (awarding hourly rates of between $675 and $750 to experienced Bay Area lawyers practicing civil rights, employment, and public entity law). In addition, and having carefully reviewed the documentation provided by class counsel, the Court finds reasonable the number of hours expended in this action given the length of the case and its procedural posture. See Dkt. No. 41-1 ¶¶ 8-12. Any questions the Court might have about class counsel's lodestar calculations are tempered by class counsel's actual fee request, which was approximately $36,000 lower than the lodestar amount. The Court thus GRANTS class counsel's request for attorneys' fees in the amount of $56,250.
ii. Attorneys' Costs
Class counsel is also entitled to recover "those out-of-pocket expenses that would normally be charged to a fee paying client." Harris v. Marhoefer, 24 F.3d 16, 19 (9th Cir. 1994) (quotation omitted). Class counsel seeks reimbursement of $2,500 in litigation costs. Dkt. No. 41 at 22. Class counsel represents that the $2,500 amount requested is lower than that its actual out-of- pocket costs, totaling $3,489 prior to filing the motion for fees and costs. Id; see Dkt. No. 45 ¶ 4. Class counsel has provided itemized documentation demonstrating that the amount requested covers expenses of filing, document delivery, and travel. See id. Defendant does not oppose class counsel's request. Dkt. No. 41 at 2. The Court finds the amount requested by counsel reasonably incurred, and the Court GRANTS in full the motion for costs in the amount of $2,500.
iii. Incentive Award
Class counsel requests a service award of $5,000 for named Plaintiff, which Defendants also do not oppose. See Dkt. No. 41 at 2. "[N]amed plaintiffs . . . are eligible for reasonable incentive payments." Staton, 327 F.3d at 977; Rodriguez, 563 F.3d at 958 ("Incentive awards are fairly typical in class action cases."). They are designed to "compensate class representatives for work done on behalf of the class, to make up for financial or reputational risk undertaken in bringing the action, and, sometimes, to recognize their willingness to act as a private attorney general." Rodriguez, 563 F.3d at 958-59. Nevertheless, the Ninth Circuit has cautioned that "district courts must be vigilant in scrutinizing all incentive awards to determine whether they destroy the adequacy of the class representatives . . . ." Radcliffe v. Experian Info. Solutions, Inc., 715 F.3d 1157, 1164 (9th Cir. 2013). This is particularly true where "the proposed service fees greatly exceed the payments to absent class members." Id. at 1165 (quotation omitted). The district court must evaluate an incentive award using "relevant factors includ[ing] the actions the plaintiff has taken to protect the interests of the class, the degree to which the class has benefitted from those actions, . . . [and] the amount of time and effort the plaintiff expended in pursuing the litigation . . . ." Staton, 327 F.3d at 977 (quotation omitted).
Plaintiff added value to this class action. Plaintiff estimates that he expended approximately 60 hours in the prosecution of this action, including time spent communicating with counsel, identifying potential witnesses, producing relevant documents, preparing for a deposition, participating in settlement negotiations, and reviewing the settlement agreement. See Dkt. No. 41-2 ¶ 9. Plaintiff also undertook financial and reputational risks in acting on behalf of the class, considering in particular his alleged business success. Dkt. No. 41-2 ¶¶ 6, 11, 16. Courts in this district have approved awards of similar amounts, recognizing that $5,000 is "presumptively reasonable." Smith v. Am. Greetings Corp., No. 14-CV-02577-JST, 2016 WL 362395, at *10 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 29, 2016); see Odrick v. UnionBancal Corp., No. C 10-5565 SBA, 2012 WL 6019495, at *7 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 3, 2012) (granting an award of $5,000 to a plaintiff devoting a similar number of hours to prosecuting a wage and hour class action); Harris v. Vector Mktg. Corp., No. C-08-5198 EMC, 2012 WL 381202, at *7 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 6, 2012) (observing that "as a general matter, $5,000 is a reasonable amount"). A $5,000 award also equals approximately 1-2% of the total settlement fund, which is consistent with other court-approved enhancements. See Dkt. No. 41-1 ¶ 41; Sandoval v. Tharaldson Empl. Mgmt., Inc., No. EDCV 08-482-VAP(OP), 2010 WL 2486346, at *10 (C.D. Cal. Jun. 15, 2010) (finding a $7,500 award, or 1% of the settlement fund, fair and reasonable).
For the foregoing reasons it is hereby ordered that:
a. Plaintiff's Motion for Final Approval of Class Action Settlement and Plaintiff's Motion for an Award of Attorneys' Fees, Reimbursement of Costs to Class Counsel, and Incentive Award are hereby GRANTED.
b. The Court approves the settlement amount of $225,000, including payments of attorneys' fees in the amount of $56,250; costs in the amount of $2,500; and an incentive fee for the named Plaintiff in the amount of $5,000.
The parties and settlement administrator are directed to implement this Final Order and the settlement agreement in accordance with the terms of the settlement agreement. The parties are directed to submit a joint proposed judgment by October 24, 2017.
IT IS SO ORDERED. Dated: 10/17/2017
HAYWOOD S. GILLIAM, JR.


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Plant a Tree for Mildred
Mildred M. Hughes
April 2, 1929 ~ November 27, 2021 (age 92)
South Bronx, N.Y. - Mildred Hughes, 92, passed away Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. She was born April 2, 1929, to James Hughes and Ethel Clark Hughes who predeceased her. She had three older brothers, John, Joseph, and James Hughes. Her brothers, John and Joseph predeceased her. She leaves her brother James and his wife Eileen, their sons, Michael, Kevin and Richie. James' son, her nephew Jimmy, predeceased her.
Mildred leaves her only child Richard Hanratty Sr. and his wife Judith. She raised "Richie" as a single mother in the inner city of New York. She worked hard and sacrificed to give him a good life and to keep him out of trouble on the tough streets of the Bronx. Mildred leaves her granddaughter Kara Mignosa, her husband Doug and great-grandchildren, Quinn and Ryan. She also leaves her grandson Rich Hanratty Jr., his wife Kate and great-grandchildren, Luke and Grace.
She leaves many close friends in New York including Richard Arroyo Izquierdo and Ricardo Cosme Ruiz, Carmen Arroyo, Isa Rodriguez, Jenny Fuentes and Dalys Carranza.
Mildred was tough as nails. She valued her independence and was very generous. She moved to Connecticut due to health problems and lived at the Groton Regency for her last few years. If you don't think that there are angels on earth, you have not seen nursing home staff in a pandemic. Thank you to the staff at Groton Regency. Your love, kindness and resiliency were amazing. Many thanks to the incredible staff of L + M and Hospice as well.
Many New York City cats had a nicer life thanks to Mildred. If you would like to donate to help a stray cat in her honor, you can help to continue her mission at http://Bronxtales.org.
Published by The Day on Dec. 4, 2021.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mildred M. Hughes, please visit our floral store.
You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or by planting a memorial tree in the memory of Mildred M. Hughes


With the Mini E being launched at the L.A Auto Show this week, BMW set a standard when it comes to electric cars: offer a viable eco solution without sacrificing BMW's reputation when it comes to performance and dynamics.
The show has not even ended yet and some rumors are already starting to pile up. BMW's CEO Her Reithofer spoke about BMW's future plans which revolve around EfficientDynamics and especially, the Project i. We have also learned that BMW will focus their attention now on the Geneva Auto Show which will also represent the groundbreaking point for several of their new models. One of those models that will be showcased there is a BMW 1 Series coupe powered by a Mini E engine.
The car will not be available for leasing like the Mini Electric, but rather offered as a test drive for the press accredited at the show. Unfortunately there are no other details at this moment and I am sure many of you are already wondering if the electric engine will be able to power the more heavier 1er coupe, a car built on a different principle and design scheme.
P.S Stay tuned for our Mini E review, it was quite an experience for us.


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The misunderstood epidemic of domestic violence
By Rose Aguilar & Andrew Stelzer • Jul 2, 2019
On this edition of Your Call, Rachel Louise Snyder discusses her new book, No Visible Bruises —What We Don't Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us.
Every single minute in the US, 20 people are assaulted by their partners. Globally, 50,000 women were killed by family members in 2017, according to the UN. The same report called home, "the most dangerous place for women." Snyder reveals how many solutions are based on false assumptions and are not protecting women. What still needs to change?
What happens during a lockdown at San Quentin?
By Adnan Khan • May 13, 2019
Nigel Poor
A lockdown happens when correctional officers decide there is a threat to the safety and security of a prison. That might be a fight, an assault, or a race riot. So what's it like in a lockdown?
'Lifer' brings 52 years of prison to the stage
By Hana Baba • Feb 19, 2019
by Zboralski, used under CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Oakland resident Glenn Bailey is 85 years old. He spent 52 of those years in the penal system. Bailey was in an out of jail for most of his life, and he's never denied the crime that got him in the longest — a double homicide.
Media Roundtable: Wheeler's EPA & and the Nationwide Prison Strike
By Rose Aguilar & Andrew Stelzer • Sep 7, 2018
https://itsgoingdown.org/
On September 8, people in cities around the world are taking to the streets to call on local leaders to commit to transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy. The actions in San Francisco will coincide with the Global Climate Action Summit. We'll discuss coverage. We'll also talk about the Environmental Protection Agency under Andrew Wheeler, the man who replaced Scott Pruitt.
The environmental costs of prisons
By Rose Aguilar & Andrew Stelzer • Jun 4, 2018
fighttoxicprisons.wordpress.com
The cruel and inhumane conditions that many prison inmates live in have been well documented. On this edition of Your Call, we'll discuss environmental factors that can make prison even more difficult, and in some cases, deadly.
Your Call: What one woman's journey can teach us about reforming the US prison system
By Ali Budner & Renee Kemp • Jun 6, 2017
The June 6 broadcast of Your Call
We'll have a conversation with prison reform activist, Susan Burton, about her book Becoming Ms. Burton.
Poetic Justice for a Berkeley playwright
By Mary Rees • Jan 9, 2017
Mary Rees
It's rare for a play to make its Bay Area premiere on Alcatraz, but then, this is no ordinary play — and the Poetic Justice Project is no ordinary theater company.
San Quentin Prison Report: Guiding rage into power
By Louis A. Scott • Oct 24, 2016
Under CC license from Flickr user AH ZUT
Guiding rage into power, or G.R.I.P., is a 52-week program for violent offenders at San Quentin. It teaches the men how to understand the impact they had on their victims, how to stop their violent behavior, cultivate mindfulness and develop emotional intelligence.
Your Call: Weapons of Math Destruction
By Rose Aguilar & Andrew Stelzer • Oct 13, 2016
On the October 13th edition of Your Call, we'll speak with Cathy O'Neil about her new book Weapons of Math Destruction.
San Quentin Prison Report: Coping with death from inside
By Greg Eskridge • Aug 31, 2016
For people who are incarcerated, it can be hard to find a space to grieve a loved one's death. There's no funeral, and no family or friends by your side to help ease the pain. Reporter Greg Eskridge interviews fellow inmates about ways that they've learned to grieve behind bars.
San Quentin Prison Report: Lady Jay talks about being transgender in prison
By Louis A. Scott • Jun 21, 2016
Four thousand inmates are housed at San Quentin, a men's prison in Marin County. Only a small handful of them identify as transgender. Reporter Louis A. Scott has the story of how one of them learned to stand her ground.
San Quentin Prison Report: The Cardman
By Nigel Poor • Apr 12, 2016
By Flickr user Mohammed Alnaser / used under CC license / resized and cropped
When we're children we believe in magic but as you get older skepticism takes over. But it's a different story for people who run into The Cardman at San Quentin State Prison.
Philosophy Talk asks about life and death in prison
By Devon Strolovitch • Jan 12, 2016
What rights should convicted felons be expected to forfeit before prison becomes cruel and unusual punishment?
Billboard for "Dignity Denied: Life and Death in Prison"
Life of the Law special: Stories from San Quentin
By Matt Martin • Dec 23, 2015
Elisabeth Fall/fallfoto.com
Monday, January 4th at 5pm, tune in to hear "Stories from San Quentin," a special broadcast from Life of the Law featuring powerful human stories of prisoners, staff and volunteers at California's oldest prison.
Daily News Roundup for Thursday, Semptember 3, 2015
By Timothy Lou Ly • Sep 3, 2015
Tony Avelar / The Christian Science Monitor / Getty Images
Here's what's happening in the Bay Area, as curated by KALW News:
California's Katrina is coming // Wired
"California's always been for dreamers. Dreams of gold brought the forty-niners. Easy seasons and expansive arable acreage brought farmers, dreaming of an agricultural paradise. Fame, natural beauty, and the hang-loose cultural mosaic have brought dreaming millions to the state where summer never seems to end.
Interview: Tamara Perkins, director and producer of "Life After Life"
By Jen Chien • Jun 3, 2015
Simron Gill
When it comes to locking up young people, the US leads the industrialized world. And though youth incarceration rates have been declining for the last two decades, adult prisons still contain many inmates who entered the system as juveniles with life sentences. These prisoners have grown up and lived their entire adult lives behind bars.
Your Call: How do you re-enter society after prison?
By Becca Hoekstra • Dec 23, 2014
On the December 23rd, 2014 edition of Your Call, we'll hear stories of people who turned their lives around after over a decade in prison or jail. Two thirds of people released from California's prison system will return within 3 years. What obstacles prevent people from getting out and staying out? How does incarceration impact families, especially children? What kind of support do formerly incarcerated adults want? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar, and you.
Committed to Turning His Life Around
By Nigel Poor • Nov 17, 2014
KALW has partnered with radio producers inside California's oldest prison to bring you the San Quentin Prison Report, a series of stories focusing on the experiences of these men, written and produced by those living inside the prison's walls.
Former inmate turned activist discusses the struggles of life outside of prison
By Hana Baba • Oct 30, 2014
www.prisonerswithchildren.org
In 1969, Dorsey Nunn was sentenced to life in prison for killing a man. After serving 12 years of his sentence, Nunn was paroled in 1981. Back on the outside, he realized there was very little help for him or people like him to make new lives. He took matters into his own hands and started working with other formerly incarcerated people to address issues of employment, education, and voting rights.
By Becca Hoekstra • Oct 23, 2014
Ruth Morgan, "The Welcome Home Project"
On the October 23rd, 2014 edition of Your Call, we'll hear stories of people who turned their lives around after over a decade in prison or jail. Two thirds of people released from California's prison system will return within 3 years. What obstacles prevent people from getting out and staying out? How does incarceration impact families, especially children? What kind of support do formerly incarcerated adults want? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar, and you.
Today on Your Call: What's at stake as prisons go private?
By Ali Budner • Dec 5, 2013
Father and son reunited in prison
By Troy Williams • Dec 2, 2013
Under CC license from Flickr user foreverdigital
Ron Everett has been incarcerated almost 31 years. Everett was arrested soon after the birth of his son, and their relationship became estranged over time.
Today on Your Call: What are the best ways to reduce California's prison population?
By Ali Budner • Nov 6, 2013
Crime victims find healing through restorative justice
By Jasmin Lopez • Oct 7, 2013
Under CC license from Flickr user MaestroBen
Dionne Wilson's husband, a San Leandro police officer, was killed in the line of duty seven years ago, but she says it took her a long time to find a way to really heal.
"For many years, I carried around so much vengeance and hate. I realized at a certain point I had nothing left. I had no more tools. I engaged in a lot of self-destructive behavior. I tried to buy my way out of my grief; I tried to drink my way out for a short period. Thankfully, I didn't take that too far. And I just didn't have a way to move past being embroiled in the moment," says Wilson.
Wilson initially thought the trial and conviction of her husband's murderer would bring her some sort of comfort or closure.
At the Seams: Eli Conley's "folk songs for misfits"
By Eric Jansen • Sep 12, 2013
Sarah Deragon
program audio
Eli Conley sings of love, prisons, coal mining, religion, homophobia and leaving Virginia on his new CD At The Seams, an album he calls "modern-day folk songs for misfits." Hear Eli's music and his chat with Out in the Bay host Eric Jansen about his life, his songwriting and how he helps other transgender singers find their voices.
California prison hunger strike continues
By Kyung Jin Lee • Jul 25, 2013
Tensions remain high in the California prison system. A hunger strike that started two and a half weeks ago is ongoing, with more than 700 inmates in ten state prisons still refusing to eat. The strikers are demanding reforms to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's policy of keeping inmates housed in security housing units indeterminately. Supporters say more than 3,000 inmates are currently stuck in there indefinitely – many have been in the SHU for decades – because there is no clear policy on how to get out.
Today on Your Call:Friday Media Roundtable
By Malihe Razazan • Jul 11, 2013
Today on Your Call: What are the conditions inside California's prisons?
By Ali Budner • Jul 11, 2013
Walking death row at San Quentin State Prison
By Nancy Mullane • Apr 29, 2013
Nancy Mullane
San Quentin State Prison has four massive cell blocks, each identified by their cardinal direction: north, south, east, and west. Of the four, only one houses inmates sentenced to death. None of the cell blocks have been visited by a reporter since 2007.
Behind the walls of California's most restricted cells
This story was the first of a six-part series following Nancy Mullane in her efforts to increase media access to prisons. It first aired in October 2012. It begins seven hours north of San Francisco in Crescent City and Pelican Bay State Prison. That's where more than 1,100 of the inmates considered the most dangerous and influential in the state are locked up in the state's Security Housing Unit also known as the SHU.


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Every Time I Die's Keith Buckley Keeps It Light While Staying Heavy
K.C. Libman August 5, 2013 4:00AM
"I'm just looking for a sign." Keith Buckley, vocalist for establish metalcore act Every Time I Die, is a composed character, having fronted one of the most beloved metal acts of the past 16 years. He's conducted symphonies of straight-edge moshers meeting in the pit with hardcore veterans and beer-swilling stage divers, from the festival circuit to tightly packed Japanese bars.
So it's interesting that when asked about the next direction for such a storied, hard-to-categorize act, Buckley's aware of an uncertain future. It's safe to say, however, that whatever approach Every Time I Die has taken thus far has worked.
They're an exercise in dynamics, melding neck-snapping time signature changes with lyrics that can border on the intensely academic. Like their contemporaries in difference Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge, Every Time I Die's unclassifiable nature is itself their classification. It's why they can take the stage alongside acts like Fall Out Boy and Warped Tour newcomers to heavyweights like Terror and Chelsea Grin on this month's All Stars Tour.
"There is really something that we make very available and comfortable for both sides of the spectrum, for the tailgaters that are drinking since noon for an Every Time I Die show to the people that are studying English or philosophy," Buckley says. "I'm blessed in the fact that sometimes one message comes out, sometimes another comes out and they both play well off each other."
K.C. Libman
Contact: K.C. Libman
Phoenix's Best Concerts This Weekend: Gucci Mane, El Ten Eleven, Mikey Lion
Stefan Pruett Tribute Concert
By Amy Young
Phoenix Rock Lottery Is Returning in February – Here's What We Know


With The Art of Noise of Cartoons (2011) David Medine offers a recontextualization of pop culture from two distinct eras. His algorithm seeks to recreate a track by The Art of Noise using segments from the sound design of Warner Brother's Looney Tunes segment The Road Runner. However instead of only hearing the sound design from the cartoon we are also able to see the moments in the cartoon his recreation calls into action.
the world. According to the ancient Greeks, Zeus sent out two eagles to fly across the world to meet at its center, the "navel" of the world. To mark central point, a stone monument was placed at the oracle in Delphi. James Joyce also references the omphalos several times in the novel, Ulysses.
soul, where hopefully one can find peace. However, a cognitive dissonance that exists between outer and inner worlds remains. There is always an interference pattern, or distortion that makes true inner peace perpetually ambiguous.
permanent and often overlooked part of our landscape. Perhaps at its core, it is a study in positive and negative space.
Jason Bolte writes: Change in the Summation (2007) is a study of the continuum between the limits of pitched and noise-based materials, a change in the "spectral summation." The title also refers to a change in my own compositional practice; an exploration and conscious integration of controlled pitched material into the fabric and structure of the electroacoustic work. Change in the summation was awarded Second Prize at the 2008 ASCAP/SEAMUS Student Composition Competition, and was selected as a Finalist at the 2007 ETH Zurich Digital Arts Week Stereophonic Soundscape Competition.
of the composite sound using a form of the the Lissajous. Psychological and dramatic scenes are created, alllowed to morph, and then destroyed in this dramatic work.


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Afromastax rubricosta är en insektsart som först beskrevs av Sjöstedt 1923.  Afromastax rubricosta ingår i släktet Afromastax och familjen Thericleidae. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

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