text:
What is B'nai B'rith Europe
History of B'nai B'rith
BBE Executive Committee
BB International Districts
News of the Lodges
News of B'nai B'rith
Jewish World News
Jerusalem Post (FR)
Nieuw Israëlitisch Weekblad
Das Jüdisches Wochenmagazin
BBE on Facebook
Reports on activities
Israel reports
Reports of BB activities
EDJCH
NEWS - News of B'nai B'rith
What's going on across the Channel?
BBE Secretary General gives well-presented round-up of European activities
(written by Wally Sacks)
So what's going on in Europe? B'nai B'rith Europe, that is. Twenty-one miles of water may separate us from the continent but it can seem like an ocean apart when it comes to knowing about the activities of BBE. All of which made Wednesday 31st October rather special in BBUK terms. That's the evening Leo Baeck Lodge had the privilege of welcoming BBE Secretary General Yves-Victor Kamami who, in wide-ranging PowerPoint presentation, managed to detail a most impressive round-up of BBE activities.
L to R: Alex Faiman, President Leo Baeck Lodge, Yves-Victor Kamami, Jean Etherton, Tony Etherton BBUK National Treasurer
Apart from the normal Lodge activities, BBE supports five Jewish Continuity Programmes in Europe.
BBE is instrumental in planning, initiating and developing the European Day of Jewish Culture on each first Sunday of September celebrating the rich European Jewish cultural heritage. Since 2004, the European Route of Jewish Heritage has been supported by the European Institute of Cultural Routes and the Council of Europe. This BBE initiative is replicated in the UK with our own Jewish Heritage Days events which have now spilled over into a fortnight of varied activities and attracts an ever increasing audience. However, in Europe, covering as it does such a large area with many different countries, the activities span a wider brief bringing back the music, customs and art of people who used to live and worship in towns and ghettoes from Rome, Paris and Madrid to Krakow, Oslo and Sarajevo.
BBE also runs the Makor Project which is their own initiative for education in Central and Eastern Europe and which, quite obviously, has no parallel in the UK. The main thrust of the Makor Project is reconnecting Jews from Eastern Europe who have lost their Jewish roots during the communist era. Programmes featuring Jewish education, culture, traditions, religion and Hebrew feature quite heavily in their work. It is currently taking place in Kosice, Budapest and Prague.
BBE also stages the BB Book Fair in Paris which is also specific to BBE.
The BB Europe Young Jewish Adult Forum, which this year takes place in London in mid-November, is a pan-European annual event which is supported by BBE and BBUK and hopes to recruit younger potential members in the age group 25- 45. More than 170 participants from 27 countries attended last year's forum in Berlin
Lastly, BBE supports the work of the BB Europe Foreign Affair Network (FAN). It was created to pursue the following goals: to provide BBE with a political voice viz-a-vis the national governments in Europe and the European institutions. Yves told his audience: 'With more than 6000 members ins 29 European countries we are at the pulse of political life on the continent today. We want to inspire and attract young Jews to become politically active with a view to support Israel and to fight anti-Semitism and other human rights abuses.'
At the moment all activities are organised from Paris but there are plans to open offices in Rome, Sofia and Bucharest. Similar work is carried out in the UK by our own BB London Bureau of International Affairs.
BBE also has representation on the EU Commission and the EU Parliament.
mediamatik.be ...B'nai B'rith Europe © 2017

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This strategic location allows guests easy access to several of the city´s main attractions, such as the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral and the Dreyer Museum.
The hotel is also next to Lima Street, the city´s most commercial and cosmopolitan street, where travellers may enjoy the best restaurants, popular art stores and artistic bars and peñas in Puno.
However, the vibrancy and intensity of Puno's historical center does not prevent guests from enjoying the peace and rest every traveller needs. The hotel's design, with spacious and bright rooms and a modern soundproofing system in the windows, allows guests the outmost comfort and rest after a long day discovering Lake Titicaca and the Andean Plateau.
Tierra Viva Hotel Puno Plaza combines a modern design of spacious and luminous areas with a decoration that introduces guests to the Andean Plateau's culture. Inside you will find masks used in the Candelaria feast, shawls or mantones from Puno's pandilla, Andean weavings and traditional quipus.
On the first floor you will find the lobby, the business center (available free of charge for all of our guests), the elevator, and the dinning room where buffet breakfasts featuring Andean products are served. The hotel offers 30 spacious rooms and a staff all born and raised in Puno, who will make you feel at home.


text:
Roku seeks valuation just over $1 billion, says updated IPO document
Published: Sept. 18, 2017 at 5:01 p.m. ET
Max A. Cherney
Referenced Symbols
Roku Inc. ROKU, -0.20% plans to raise at least $200 million for its initial public offering, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The streaming device maker filed an amended S-1 on Monday that says the company is seeking between $12 and $14 a share, which would value the company at just over $1 billion at any price in that range. The company filed its first S-1 document Sept. 1. Roku is selling nine million shares itself which could net the company as much as $126 million. Early investor Menlo Ventures is selling six million shares worth as much as $84 million, and Sky Ventures Limited is selling 668,000 shares for as much as $9 million.
Microsoft Corp. has in the last few years gotten a bit of an anti-competitive pass from U.S. regulators, after its long legal battle with the Justice Department in the late 1990s but that pass may now be at an end, with the software behemoth's plans to purchase the troubled video game maker Activision Blizzard Inc.
Moderna aims for COVID/flu booster in 2023, but Fauci and other virus experts warn of challenges to come this year


The latest Lenovo Desktop Power Manager enables enterprise-level power monitoring and puts you in control of saving energy and keeping costs down. Plus, with ratings like ENERGY STAR 6.1 and 92% efficiency with 80+ Platinum power supply unit (PSU), you can feel good about helping the planet and your bottom line.
The M800z comes with a transformer stand that's sleek, slim, and minimalist—ideal for Touch models. Or you can use the VESA mount, which supports hanging your PC on the wall. Plus the M800z is equipped with a handle, which is most convenient for moving between offices or desks.


text:
On Site: Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, Massachusetts
Undergraduate Students: 2,200
Student to Faculty Ratio: 10:1
Six Year Graduation Rate: 84%
Freshman Retention Rate: 81%
Notable Majors: Chemistry, Economics, English, Environmental Studies, Psychology
The Feel
This all-women's college is one of the "Seven Sisters," which are seven historic, reputable all-women's colleges in the northeast.
The exquisite, small-town campus spans over 700 acres and includes hiking trails, 2 lakes, and a Japanese garden and teahouse.
The college highlights excellent access to professors as well as going above and beyond in student advising, with their robust support network. No student will fall through the cracks here.
Their general curriculum, which includes 5 categories with many options for courses to choose from in each, highlights discussion based freshmen seminars as an introduction to the liberal arts. These seminars offer an "intellectually adventurous education."
95% of students live on campus all 4 years and enjoy the traditions of warm cookies being delivered to their dorms every evening on Monday through Thursday.
Standout Points
Students have access to 6,000 courses as well as extra-curriculars through the Five College Consortium which, in addition to Mt. Holyoke, includes Smith College, UMass - Amherst, Amherst College and Hampshire College.
Mt. Holyoke is steeped in tradition, including an elaborate convocation and Canoe Sing: Canoes filled with students and decorated with lanterns go for a night float, while seniors sing traditional songs on the shore.
They offer support and scholarships for low pay or no-pay domestic and international internships through The Lynk. Students can earn $3,000 for local and $3,700 for international experiences.
Their library is ranked 11th in the country by The Princeton Review
At one time, Mount Holyoke was a women's seminary, where Emily Dickinson happened to attend (class of 1849).
Bottom Line Fit: For the female student looking for a traditional women's school, free from the distractions of a co-ed environment, and who embraces both the rich history and traditions of campus life as well as access to classes at 4 nearby colleges/universities.
Learn more about Mount Holyoke!
On Site: Cornell University
On Site: Ithaca College
My "Best Of" Lists for the Halfway Point


Enviro 400MMCs 10549/65 have transferred back to Gillmoss whilst Volvo B7RLE is now allocated to Chester having spent a short period in the Reserve Fleet. Now reported in the Reserve Fleet is MAN/Enviro 300 24157. Enviro 300 27888 is back in use at Gillmoss after repairs with fm36 being returned to Ferrymill Motors. Now in the Reserve Fleet from Gillmoss are Dart SLFs 34803/06/07/08. Now for disposal are Optare Solos 47083/83 and Scania L94UBs 28544-53.


We add links here that our customers and website users may find useful. If you can recommend a useful site to link to, please feel free to email us.
Makemedia are a Web Development agency based in Brighton, East Sussex. As well as being responsible for this website they also create 3D applications and design brochures and other marketing materials.
* The Serviced Office Company is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
We are regular users of Serviced Office Company on Salford Quays for small conferences, and everything is very well organised in terms of room, facilities and refreshment/catering arrangements.
There is the added bonus of free parking for delegates and the location is excellent for those who use the public transport system.
Conference equipment is readily accessible and free of charge and staff are friendly and flexible in responding to our needs.


text:
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Rolex Celebrates The Opening Of The Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures
Rolex is a founding supporter of the museum, a mecca for movie lovers that opened September 30th in Los Angeles. And one of its most illustrious timepieces is a part of the action.
By Victoria Gomelsky
On September 30th, when the Renzo Piano-designed, $484 million Academy Museum of Motion Pictures officially opened its doors on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, Rolex lovers went on notice. Not only is the brand a founding supporter of the decade-in-the-making museum, but it also sponsored the celebrity-studded gala dinner on September 25th, honoring the museum's long-awaited opening.
Saban Building © Josh White, JWPictures/Academy Museum Foundation
Exterior View © Josh White, JWPictures/Academy Museum Foundation
Rolex kicked off the festivities with an intimate cocktail event at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, where its current film mentor, Spike Lee, told a small group of hosted guests — this writer included — about why he chose to mentor the Native American filmmaker Kyle Bell in the 2020−2022 Rolex Arts Initiative.
Spike Lee & Kyle Bell © Rolex
Later, during another cocktail hour on the museum's open-air Wilshire Terrace, Oscar-winning actress Laura Dern, a member of the museum's board of trustees, thanked Rolex for "helping us bring this night together."
An interactive, multimedia timeline that previews and expands on the museum's Academy Awards® History gallery © Academy Museum Foundation
It was not the only time the brand was name-checked that evening. In his introductory remarks about the inaugural Visionary Award, presented to "an artist whose extensive body of work has advanced the art of cinema," Netflix co-CEO, and museum board chair, Ted Sarandos, noted that the award, which went to Sophia Loren (accepting in person!), was "generously supported by our friends at Rolex."
Cinema Darling
Most people know about Rolex's connection to the world of sports, including such prestigious events as the U.S. Open, the Ryder Cup, and Formula One. Lesser known is the watchmaker's deep, almost century-long involvement with the world of cinema.
Rolex & The Wolrd of Cinema on video
Let's be clear: Rolex is, and has long been, the choice of Tinseltown's most memorable characters, including (but not limited to) James Bond as played by Sean Connery in Dr. No (1962), Colonel Kurtz as played by Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now (1979), Fast Eddie Felson as played by Paul Newman in The Color of Money (1986), and Brock Lovett as played by Bill Paxton in Titanic (1997).
Sean Connery in Dr. No (1962)
Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now (1979)
But it wasn't until 2016 when Rolex designed and hosted its first Greenroom at the Oscars, that it deepened its ties to the business of Hollywood. In 2017, the brand doubled down on that commitment when it embarked on a formal relationship with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — arguably Hollywood's most important institution — and became a Proud Sponsor of the Oscars.
The 2021 Greenroom, Hosted and Designed by Rolex © Rolex/Michel Guyon
Display the Favorite
The museum's Stories of Cinema in the Spielberg Family Gallery is now home to one of the brand's — and the world's — most illustrious timepieces. A clear sign that Rolex has a place of honor at Hollywood's shiny new temple to moviemaking.
Spielberg Family Gallery "Stories of Cinema 1" © Josh White, JWPictures/Academy Museum Foundation
The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6239 owned by Paul Newman, aka Paul Newman's "Paul Newman", aka the most expensive wristwatch ever sold outside of a charity auction, is on public display for the first time since an anonymous phone bidder paid $17.8 million for it at an October 2017 sale in New York, organized by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo.
Une publication partagée par Watchonista (@watchonista)
The timepiece, apparently on loan from the owner, is part of a gallery devoted to Oscar-winning films. Beside its glass display case, a placard explains that the watch was gifted to Newman by his wife, Joanne Woodward, "who had it inscribed with the message 'DRIVE CAREFULLY ME' — a reference to the actor's passion for auto racing."
Paul Newman Rolex Daytona Reference 6239 © Phillips Watches
The placard goes on to say, "Newman wore this watch for years, from the racetrack to red-carpet events including the 1983 Academy Awards, which he attended as a nominee for Best Actor, for The Verdict."
Photo © Ron Galella via Getty Images
In spite of the major role Rolex has played in the development of the museum, and the industry it honors, the brand is more recently known for its scarcity. Overheard at the gala event's cocktail hour: "We went to the Rolex room. There was nothing there." (Cue the laughter!)
Stories of Cinema © © Josh White, JWPictures/Academy Museum Foundation
(Images by Rolex, other sources mentioned)
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Live Pics: Rolex's Watches & Wonders 2022 Novelties
By Steven Rogers , European Editor
Among the surprises, there is a dial and case redesign for the brand's Air-King pilot's watch, while the GMT-Master II gets a left-sided crown...
The "Daytona" Daytona: Celebrating 60 Years of the Rolex 24 at Daytona
By Vincent Brasesco , Contributor
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona is among the most coveted sports chronographs wristwatches in the world. But arguably, there is no more special...
Michael Caine Is Selling His Rolex Oysterquartz (And His Iconic Glasses)
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A full radial sail with. Radial head, mid-section and base. Designed primarily for running the sail will perform equally well on a reach with the use of pole height for varying conditions.
We make this sail in .75oz Dynakote, a stable but minimum weight cloth with a silicone finish.


text:
"""
..  module:: botocorecalls
    :platform: Unix, Windows
    :synopsis: boto calls to access Amazon Glacier.

This depends on the boto library, use version 2.6.0 or newer.

    writer = GlacierWriter(glacierconn, GLACIER_VAULT)
    writer.write(block of data)
    writer.close()
    # Get the id of the newly created archive
    archive_id = writer.get_archive_id()from boto.connection import AWSAuthConnection
"""

import urllib
import hashlib
import math
import json
import sys
import time

import boto.glacier.layer1

from glacierexception import *
from boto.glacier.exceptions import UnexpectedHTTPResponseError

# Placeholder, effectively renaming the class.
class GlacierConnection(boto.glacier.layer1.Layer1):

    pass

def chunk_hashes(data):
    """
    Break up the byte-string into 1MB chunks and return sha256 hashes
    for each.
    """
    chunk = 1024*1024
    chunk_count = int(math.ceil(len(data)/float(chunk)))
    return [hashlib.sha256(data[i*chunk:(i+1)*chunk]).digest() for i in range(chunk_count)]

def tree_hash(fo):
    """
    Given a hash of each 1MB chunk (from chunk_hashes) this will hash
    together adjacent hashes until it ends up with one big one. So a
    tree of hashes.
    """
    hashes = []
    hashes.extend(fo)
    while len(hashes) > 1:
        new_hashes = []
        while True:
            if len(hashes) > 1:
                first = hashes.pop(0)
                second = hashes.pop(0)
                new_hashes.append(hashlib.sha256(first + second).digest())
            elif len(hashes) == 1:
                only = hashes.pop(0)
                new_hashes.append(only)
            else:
                break
        hashes.extend(new_hashes)
    return hashes[0]

def bytes_to_hex(str):
    return ''.join( [ "%02x" % ord( x ) for x in str] ).strip()

class GlacierWriter(object):
    """
    Presents a file-like object for writing to a Amazon Glacier
    Archive. The data is written using the multi-part upload API.
    """
    DEFAULT_PART_SIZE = 128 # in MB, power of 2.
    # After every failed block upload we sleep (SLEEP_TIME * retries) seconds.
    # The more retries we've made for one particular block, the longer we sleep
    # before re-attempting to re-upload that block.
    SLEEP_TIME = 300
    # How many retries we should make to upload a particular block. We will not
    # give up unless we've made at LEAST this many attempts to upload a block.
    BLOCK_RETRIES = 10
    # How many retries we should allow for the whole upload. We will not give up
    # unless we've made at LEAST this many attempts to upload the archive.
    TOTAL_RETRIES = 100
    # For large files, the limits above could be surpassed. We also set a per-Gb
    # criteria that allows more errors for larger uploads.
    MAX_TOTAL_RETRY_PER_GB = 2

    def __init__(self, connection, vault_name,
                 description=None, part_size_in_bytes=DEFAULT_PART_SIZE*1024*1024,
                 uploadid=None, logger=None):

        self.part_size = part_size_in_bytes
        self.vault_name = vault_name
        self.connection = connection
##        self.location = None
        self.logger = logger
        self.total_retries = 0

        if uploadid:
            self.uploadid = uploadid
        else:
            response = self.connection.initiate_multipart_upload(self.vault_name,
                                                                 self.part_size,
                                                                 description)
            self.uploadid = response['UploadId']

        self.uploaded_size = 0
        self.tree_hashes = []
        self.closed = False
##        self.upload_url = response.getheader("location")

    def write(self, data):

        if self.closed:
            raise CommunicationError(
                "Tried to write to a GlacierWriter that is already closed.",
                code='InternalError')

        if len(data) > self.part_size:
            raise InputException (
                'Block of data provided must be equal to or smaller than the set block size.',
                code='InternalError')

        part_tree_hash = tree_hash(chunk_hashes(data))
        self.tree_hashes.append(part_tree_hash)
        headers = {
                   "x-amz-glacier-version": "2012-06-01",
                    "Content-Range": "bytes %d-%d/*" % (self.uploaded_size,
                                                       (self.uploaded_size+len(data))-1),
                    "Content-Length": str(len(data)),
                    "Content-Type": "application/octet-stream",
                    "x-amz-sha256-tree-hash": bytes_to_hex(part_tree_hash),
                    "x-amz-content-sha256": hashlib.sha256(data).hexdigest()
                  }

        # How many times we tried uploading this block
        retries = 0

        while True:
            try:
                response = self.connection.upload_part(self.vault_name,
                                        self.uploadid,
                                        hashlib.sha256(data).hexdigest(),
                                        bytes_to_hex(part_tree_hash),
                                        (self.uploaded_size, self.uploaded_size+len(data)-1),
                                        data)
                response.read()
                break

            except Exception as e:
                if '408' in e.message or e.code == "ServiceUnavailableException" or isinstance(e, UnexpectedHTTPResponseError):
                    uploaded_gb = self.uploaded_size / (1024 * 1024 * 1024)
                    if retries >= self.BLOCK_RETRIES and retries > math.log10(uploaded_gb) * 10:
                        if self.logger:
                            self.logger.warning('Retries exhausted for this block.')
                        raise e

                    if uploaded_gb > 0:
                        retry_per_gb = self.total_retries / uploaded_gb
                    else:
                        retry_per_gb = 0
                    if self.total_retries >= self.TOTAL_RETRIES and retry_per_gb > self.MAX_TOTAL_RETRY_PER_GB:
                        if self.logger:
                            self.logger.warning('Total retries exhausted.')
                        raise e

                    retries += 1
                    self.total_retries += 1

                    if self.logger:
                        self.logger.warning(e.message)
                        if sys.version_info < (2, 7, 0):
                            self.logger.warning('Total uploaded size = %d, block hash = %s' % (self.uploaded_size, bytes_to_hex(part_tree_hash)))
                        else:
                            # Commify large numbers
                            self.logger.warning('Total uploaded size = {:,d}, block hash = {:}'.format(self.uploaded_size, bytes_to_hex(part_tree_hash)))

                        self.logger.warning('Retries (this block, total) = %d/%d, %d/%d' % (retries, self.BLOCK_RETRIES, self.total_retries, self.TOTAL_RETRIES))
                        self.logger.warning('Check the AWS status at: http://status.aws.amazon.com/')
                        self.logger.warning('Sleeping %d seconds (%.1f minutes) before retrying this block.' % (self.SLEEP_TIME, self.SLEEP_TIME / 60.0))

                    time.sleep(self.SLEEP_TIME * retries)

                else:
                    self.logger.warning(e.message)
                    self.logger.warning('Not re-trying on this error')
                    raise e

        self.uploaded_size += len(data)

    def close(self):

        if self.closed:
            return

        # Complete the multiplart glacier upload
        response = self.connection.complete_multipart_upload(self.vault_name,
                                                             self.uploadid,
                                                             bytes_to_hex(tree_hash(self.tree_hashes)),
                                                             self.uploaded_size)
        self.archive_id = response['ArchiveId']
        self.location = response['Location']
        self.hash_sha256 = bytes_to_hex(tree_hash(self.tree_hashes))
        self.closed = True

    def get_archive_id(self):
        self.close()
        return self.archive_id

    def get_location(self):
        self.close()
        return self.location

    def get_hash(self):
        self.close()
        return self.hash_sha256

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Home/Sports/Former UCLA coach Amanda Cromwell banned from NWSL following abuse investigation
Former UCLA coach Amanda Cromwell banned from NWSL following abuse investigation
Former UCLA women's soccer coach Amanda Cromwell, who led the Bruins to a national championship and four Pac-12 titles in nine seasons before leaving for the Orlando Pride, has been banned from working in the NWSL following a months-long investigation into allegations of verbal abuse and favoritism.
To qualify for reinstatement, Cromwell and assistant coach Sam Greene, who was also banned, must participate in training regarding retaliation, anti-discrimination, anti-harassment and anti-bullying, as well as executive coaching.
Goalkeeper coach Aline Reis, who did not fully cooperate with the investigation in violation of league policy, has been placed on unpaid administrative leave and ordered to complete mandatory training regarding anti-retaliation, anti-discrimination, anti-harassment and anti-bullying. The league is also mandating additional training for the Orlando Pride organization.
In March, less than four months after Cromwell left UCLA to coach the Pride, team counsel investigated allegations of verbal abuse and favoritism by Cromwell and Greene, the NWSL says. Some of the allegations were substantiated and both coaches received written warnings. Cromwell was also ordered to participate in leadership training.
Two months later, an investigative team representing NWSL and the league's players association received additional information that Cromwell and Greene were engaging in retaliatory conduct towards players they believed had initiated, participated in or were supportive of the March investigation. These allegations were also substantiated, with the coaches found "to have engaged in conduct that discouraged reporting and fostered a general fear of retaliation, and to have taken negative actions against certain players, including by seeking to waive or trade them," according to the league.
In June, Cromwell, Greene, Reis and assistant coach Michelle Akers raised complaints that they were subjected to various forms of misconduct. The league investigated charges via a third party, but no violations of league policy could be substantiated.
Cromwell and Greene were suspended on June 7, while Akers and Reis stepped away from the team. Assistant coach Seb Hines was named interim manager and led the team to a 5-10-7 record, finishing 10th in the 12-team league table.
Cromwell released a statement Monday afternoon in which she said she was "saddened and disappointed with the results of the NWSL's investigation," one she believed lacked "transparency, professionalism and thoroughness."
"As a result," Cromwell said "my character and integrity have been mischaracterized."
Cromwell said she is reviewing legal options.
Cromwell, 52, made 55 appearances with the U.S. national team, playing 74 minutes in the 1995 World Cup. As a coach she revitalized the program at Central Florida, taking the Knights to 11 NCAA tournament appearances in 14 seasons before leaving for UCLA in 2013 and guiding the Bruins to their only national championship.
Cromwell was also an early investor in Angel City, an NWSL expansion team, but she was forced to divest from the team when she joined the Orlando Pride.
NWSL and its players association began investigating allegations of workplace misconduct last October following reports in The Athletic and the Washington Post of intimidation, sexual and verbal harassment and other misbehavior. The resulting fallout forced the resignation or removal of commissioner Lisa Baird, general counsel Lisa Levine and, eventually, five of the league's 10 coaches.
At the time U.S. Soccer appointed former acting attorney general Sally Q. Yates to launch a probe of the league and last week Yates released her findings in a 319-page report that determined players had been subjected to pervasive, systemic and widespread sexual abuse and harassment the NWSL and U.S. Soccer did little to stop. The report included a series of recommendations to correct and prevent further abuse, recommendations U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone acted immediately to address.
A full report from NWSL/NWSLPA joint investigative team is expected to be released later this year.
abuse Amanda banned coach Cromwell investigation NWSL UCLA
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Today we will hear from Henderson County's Megan Piner Powell.
Henderson County is in the western part of NC, bordering South Carolina. In 2013, its estimated population was 109,000 (with an annual growth rate of 2%) and its FY 16 budget was $122,373,450 with a tax rate of $0.5136. Henderson County has five commissioners elected by districts; the County Manager is Steve Wyatt.
Economic development is strong in Henderson County; since 2012 there has been $217 million dollars invested with a net addition of $628 million dollars in the industrial tax base. In 2014-2015 these investments included Sierra Nevada Brewing, Cane Creek Cycling, Raumedic, Bold Rock Cider and Kyocera Industrial Ceramics. This development has kept Henderson County's unemployment rate low. The rate was 4.8% in May 2015.
This year was a reappraisal year for us, and one of our biggest challenges was less than expected growth. We were very lucky in that our county saw some growth, but it was not the growth that had been predicted in the early stages of our revenue forecasting.
My family has a long history of public service, my grandfather was an Alderman for the City of New Bern back in the 1960's and my aunt was a Health Department Director. When it came time to pick a major at Appalachian, Public Administration seemed like a natural fit.
I think working in two different departments and positions has really helped me in my current job. Having worked in the departments that I am now budgeting for helps me look at an issue from both sides.
I work very hard with departments to properly plan for the year so that we keep 'emergencies' to a minimum to keep from spending more tax payer dollars than if the situation had been planned.
Henderson County continues to grow along with the rest of WNC, we have had, and continue to have a large focus on economic development. With this focus we have seen our community have a renewed family-centered atmosphere, and I am excited to see the continuation of that atmosphere.
I can't imagine doing anything that is not in local government.
When I was in college I was the only person registered with the last name Piner.
Today we will hear from Forsyth County's Patrice Toney.
Forsyth County, located in North Carolina's Piedmont region, was formed from Stokes County in 1849 and took its name from Col. Benjamin Forsyth, a state legislator who fought and died in the War of 1812. The town of Winston, named after Revolutionary War veteran Maj. Joseph Winston, became the county seat in 1851. In 1913, it merged with its older neighbor Salem (a Moravian town named after the Hebrew word for peace) to form Winston-Salem. Other communities in the county include Kernersville, Clemmons, Lewisville, Tobaccoville, Walkertown, Rural Hall, Bethania, Bethabara, and Belews Creek*.
As of 2013, Forsyth County had a population of 361,220 **. Forsyth County is home to major businesses like R. J. Reynolds Corporation and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Important agricultural and industrial products include tobacco, corn, soybeans, furniture, textiles, tractors, and optical fiber. Forsyth County is home to the nation's first local arts council (the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, established in 1949) as well as the first state-supported arts conservatory (the North Carolina School of the Arts, which opened in 1965). Salem College (1772), Wake Forest University (1834), and Winston-Salem State University (1897) are important academic institutes in the county*.
Two significant issues facing the Forsyth County budget were the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and tax base pressure faced by the volunteer fire departments. There was also significant discussion by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) about funding critical Board of Education projects and improving the condition of the Hall of Justice (Courthouse). In order to address these needs, the BOCC approved an amended debt policy that increases the debt ceiling from 15% to a maximum of 18% of budgeted expenditures. The debt policy change has created an opportunity to consider which projects could be included on a referendum for general obligation bonds, how much, and timing of a ballot issue. Also, several fire tax districts were approved for an increase.
I have always been passionate about helping people and communities which drew me to a career in public service. My entire career (17 plus years) has been dedicated to public service where I have had the privilege of progressively serving in various positions within local government – all of which have made tremendous contributions to the quality of life for residents in this community.
Having the experience of actually working in a couple of departments prior to me working in the budget office has truly enhanced my skills as an analyst. I spent over six years in the Public Library and six years at the Public Health Department. Currently, I am the budget analyst for both of these departments and two others. Understanding firsthand the nature of programs and services truly enhances my ability to make sound recommendations on resource allocations for my departments.
I create public value for Forsyth County government by offering transparency and good fiscal stewardship in the budgetary planning process each year. In addition to my current role, I also have had opportunities to contribute to the shaping of public policies, develop programs, and offer innovative solutions to community needs – all of which create public value.
FY 2016 presents new opportunities, not only to maintain the current level of services, but also to enhance services to the community. For the first time in years, the Board of County Commissioners approved a 1.15 cent tax rate increase. The school system will benefit from this increase, and also other departments will be able to enhance/expand their services. For example, Public Health was approved for six new school health nurse positions; several non-profits received county funding; and the county is now fully funding a domestic violence program in the District Attorney's Office called 'Safe on Seven'.
I have truly learned a lot about the broader organizational view of local government by working in the budgeting and management office. Therefore, if I did not work in budgeting, I would love to be in a higher-level local government management role with governing and supportive duties to departments. I plan to continue a career path in public service as I desire to be in a position that can impact policies and programs that shape the landscape for economic prosperity and a good quality of life for all people – through hard work and innovation.
Others may not know that I was an organist for an Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem for several years. In my spare time I play the piano, tutor children, and participate in a host of volunteer activities.
We invite you to hear from North Carolina's local government budget professionals who believe in the value of public service and consider it an honor to bring value to their communities in their respective roles.
Twice a month we will be highlighting NCLGBA members who are an important part to the balance in their communities starting with High Point's Eric Olmedo.
High Point is a thriving city of over 110,638 residents situated along the rolling Piedmont crescent region of North Carolina. High Point lies in four counties, Guilford, Davidson, Forsyth and Randolph. With Greensboro and Winston-Salem, High Point anchors the Piedmont Triad region with a population of 1.6 million. It is the nation's 33rd largest combined statistical area. Centrally positioned along the East Coast with easy access to several interstate highways and the Piedmont Triad International Airport, High Point is a great place to live and to do business. Home of the semi-annual High Point Market, the largest wholesale finished goods home furnishings market in the world, High Point has a tremendous impact on the economy of the entire Piedmont Triad. An average of 80,000 retail home furnishings buyers, manufacturers sales representatives, interior designers, and news media attend each market held in April and October of each year. All 50 states and more than 110 foreign countries are represented at these market. For the regional economy, the annual economic impact is $5.39 billion and over 37,616 jobs supported.* In addition to the home furnishing's industry, some of High Point's largest employers include such diverse companies as Ralph Lauren, Bank of America, Thomas Built Buses, Aetna, Solstas Lab Partners, New Breed Logistics, Volvo, Patheon, and Newell Rubbermaid.
What was the biggest challenge facing your community this fiscal year and how did you address it as part of the budget development process?
The biggest challenge High Point faces is low assessed value growth. To help address this, our new City Manager, Greg Demko, wanted to put additional resources into code enforcement, street sweeping, blighted property demolition, and other programs to clean up the appearance of the city as part of a long term strategy to increase property values.
In order to free up General Fund dollars to devote to these initiatives, I proposed raising the monthly storm water fee from $2 to $3, which raised an additional $1.3 million in our Stormwater Fund. Prior to FY 2016 the General Fund had paid debt service on bonds we issued for stormwater projects, and this debt service will now be paid for out of the Stormwater Fund, which freed up $1.3 million in the General Fund for these initiatives. We were able to add 4 code enforcement officers, devote $500,000 to building demolition and other neighborhood cleanup programs, and add a streetsweeper and equipment operator by making this change.
I was a working student and paid my own way through college, which took a little longer than normal. As a 24 year old senior my advisor strongly suggested I do an internship. I was a Political Science major at the University of Texas at Arlington, and he wanted to send me to DC to do a Congressional internship or to Austin to intern at the statehouse. I told him I was too poor to move away, so he sent me to the City of Grand Prairie, Texas, where I interned in the Human Resources Department. I was hired full time after graduation, and moved to the Budget Department when there was an opening. I quickly realized that the Budget Department was the one department in the city where you get a broad overview of the entire operation and that was appealing to me.
Fortunately my first Budget Director gave me great advice and suggested I get involved in professional organizations. In North Texas we have a very strong regional professional organization called the Urban Management Assistants of North Texas (UMANT) which was designed for entry level and mid-management public sector employees. I was very involved in UMANT and served as the President in 2006. UMANT is also affiliated with the Texas City Management Association, and I served on the board of that organization as well. The Government Finance Officers Association of Texas is also very strong. My advice to anyone starting out is to get involved with professional organizations, and it is why I strongly support my staff members to participate in NCLGBA, GFOA and other organizations.
It is exciting to have a new City Manager that will rely on the Budget Department as a sounding board and as his eyes and ears in the departments. He will expect us to know what's going on in the departments and to give him sound advice. I am also excited to have a new member on our staff filling the Budget Analyst role. Roslyn McNeill started in January and finished her first budget season. Watching her develop into the role and seeing the Senior Budget Analyst, Laura Altizer, continue to grow into her role is exciting to me.
I guess I'd be selling widgets somewhere.
My twin sister and I are New Year's babies. I am three minutes older so I was the first baby born in Arlington, Texas that year.


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Be sharp and cut through the mix with this guitar shaped cheese board! It will make a wonderfully functional gift for a guitarist or any music lover.
13"L x 7"W x 3/4"H.


Last month we said goodbye to our cat, Europa. It was a hard time for us, but it was especially hard for his companion, Ganymede. They did everything together. From the time they were kittens, they were bonded by an enduring love. They were a pair. And pretty much you would never say one cat's name without including the other.
Gany, on the other hand, became a loner. She was never fond of the dogs, so she would stay in Greg's office (or her "room" as we called it). She would wait patiently for Europa to come back to her and then cuddle and sleep with him. She would only occasionally leave the room to explore the kitchen when the dogs were off for a walk, then creep back to her room when they came home.
When it was evident that Europa's time was short, we grew worried about Gany. He was her whole life and we were concerned she would just give up.
Unfortunately, we were right. We lost Ganymede this past week.
We tried everything: special food, extra attention, more special food, and cuddles from our other cat, Misty. We hugged her, petted her, and groomed her. She wanted none of it, especially the food and water. She spent the last month, sleeping and just staring blankly at us. She was a cat without hope and she wasted away despite being surrounded by love and attention.
Sorry, I know this sad and not very joyful. But what breaks my heart the most is that it didn't have to be that way. In Ganymede's eyes, the world revolved around just one being in her life: Europa. She shut herself off from any one else. While she loved Greg (and me, sometimes), he paled in comparison to Europa. She would cuddle and want to be petted and played with, but she would easily ignore all of that to be with Europa (or nap). I know this happens with people, as well. We've all heard about those married couples who have been each other's soul mate, living in each others pockets and when one dies, the other quickly follows. It's so difficult to watch and know that there really wasn't much you can do.
I think it's all about hope.
I think that hope is one of the most powerful and intangible things in our universe. Hope keeps us going, looking for better things in our lives. Hope is like a single candle flickering in the darkness, a warmth to walk towards. Hope reminds us that we are not alone and that there are always possibilities. When you lose that hope, you can't find your way and you stop caring if you do.
Sometimes hope is just a neighbor offering you a lift home. Sometimes hope is just the dawn of a new day after surviving the darkness. Sometimes hope is seeing a mother duck with her ducklings going on their first swim.
Hope is knowing that even if your life does a complete 180, things will get better. Life will be different and may not unfold in a way that you expect, but the possibilities are still endless for joy. Hope give us that little bit of extra strength we need to face the next corner.
Change is hard and losing a companion is excruciating, but doesn't have to be the end. Even though Gany lost her hope, our love for her goes on in memories. Hope and love lives in the eyes of those around us. It continues to teach us and impact our lives long after our loved one has gone.
No matter how hard things can get, unlike Gany, I hope you never give up. I hope you know that you are cared about. I hope you know that although things inevitably change, it's worth it to stick around and check out the possibilities. New experiences won't erase that special someone, but they can enrich our lives and teach us how to share that love that meant so much to us.


text:
Q: How to run command line program as a separate process in c#(mono) in linux? So I'm trying to zip some files with 7z from a c# program. I've tried all the possible combinations I could find online. Here's how the code looks:
ProcessStartInfo startInfo = new ProcessStartInfo() { FileName = "/usr/bin/7z", Arguments = " \"" + command.CommandText + " \"" };
        Process proc = new Process() { StartInfo = startInfo, };
        //proc.StartInfo.UseShellExecute = false;
        //proc.StartInfo.RedirectStandardOutput = true;
        proc.Start();
        //string output = proc.StandardOutput.ReadToEnd();
        proc.WaitForExit();

I get the following output:
Usage:
xdg-open [OPTION...] { file | URL }

Help Options:
  -h, --help       Show help options

Application Options:
  --version        Show program version

when I run the full command string in terminal, it works. Why does it try to open it with xdg-open and why it fails? I also tried to run it through /bin/bash, using 7z(or /usr/bin/7z) as an argument, with or without -c option, but all of those don't work. Thanks!
Edit1: When I turn UseShellExecute off, the following exception is thrown:
InvocationException: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation. ---> System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception: ApplicationName='/usr/bin/7z', CommandLine=' "a /home/dusan/test/asdasd.7z /home/dusan/Profil.html "', CurrentDirectory='', Native error= Cannot find the specified file

Edit2: The program is on the system, here's a screenshot:

Plus, when I run whereis 7z, I get
7z: /usr/bin/7z /usr/share/man/man1/7z.1.gz

Plus, I already wrote that it works from terminal.
The same error is there if I remove the quotes.

A:
The underlying error appears to be due to the program not being on the system. Based on the chat conversation, the user has installed and is running monodevelop via flatpak, which uses a container mechanism. As a consequence the file may appear to be on his desktop, but it's not in the container that is running the monodevelop instance.

When I use UseShellExecute=true with a bogus executable name I get:
xdg-open: unexpected argument 'a bob.7z helloworld.cs'
Try 'xdg-open --help' for more information.

When I use UseShellExecute=false with a bogus exeuctable name I get:
System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception (0x80004005): ApplicationName='/usr/bin/7zx', CommandLine=' "a bob.7z helloworld.cs" ', CurrentDirectory='', Native error= Cannot find the specified file

Now, onto the text being passed to the command - the command line parser will attempt to split the arguments passed internally, so if you pass the string:
" \"a hello.7z file1 file2\" "

it will get parsed and split into a single argument a hello.7z file1 file2, which will fail on the 7z command line:
Command Line Error:
Unsupported command:
a bob.7z helloworld.cs

so you need to be conscious of the quoting that you're using - If the files have spaces in them, then I would quote them explicitly, otherwise I would skip quoting entirely.
The reason that it's using xdg-open is that there appears to be an implicit setting of the UseShellExecute property on the ProcessStartInfo. You should turn this off:
var startInfo = new ProcessStartInfo() {
    FileName = "/usr/bin/7z",
    Arguments = " \"" + command.CommandText + " \"",
    UseShellExecute = false
};

I can't reproduce this issue from my instance of mono, but the fact that it's invoking xdg-open implies that this is the case.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Royal Bank of Scotland suffers loss of £153m in 2015 after it forks out £1.3bn in banking scandal fines
RBS paid more than £400m to US authorities for its role in forex rigging
But in three months to June it recorded a pre-tax profit of £293million
Chief executive Ross McEwan cautions more pain to come
By Mark Shapland For This Is Money
Taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland has fallen back into the red after taking another £1.3billion hit for banking scandal fines and warned that was not the end of the payouts.
The part-nationalised group, which includes the NatWest and Ulster Bank brands, made a loss of £153million in the first six months of this year, compared to a profit of £1.4billion in 2014.
Chief executive Ross McEwan cautioned of more pain to come as the bank faces further fines for 'conduct issues of the past'.
It paid more than £400million to US authorities for its role in the foreign exchange rigging scandal and further compensation for payment protection insurance. RBS said it put aside £459million of extra cash in the second quarter to cover past wrongdoing,
Long way to go: RBS said it remained exposed to costs associated with US mortgage-backed securities, foreign exchange trading and its treatment of UK small business customers
It also took another £1.5billion in restructuring charges amid an ongoing overhaul at the lender.
RBS said it remained exposed to costs associated with US mortgage-backed securities, foreign exchange trading and its treatment of UK small business customers.
The group also admitted it was talking to regulators following its latest IT failure last month, when its overnight payments system crashed, delaying 600,000 transactions.
RBS calls for new rules to force lenders to include fees in... RBS hires external advisers to launch fresh investigation...
British banks back in the forex firing line as investors and...
A number of customers affected were yet to receive compensation.
Mr McEwen said: 'I don't like seeing losses and I'll not rest until these charges are behind us.'
Nevertheless performance in the core bank improved, with underlying operating profits for the half-year 2 per cent higher year-on-year at £3.5billion.
The bank said it aimed to further boost profitability by going 'further and faster' with its restructuring - threatening more job losses in its corporate banking business.
Premature: One healthy quarter - it recorded a pre-tax profit of £293million in the three months to June - has the City speculating that the Treasury could sell its 78 per cent stake in the bank
The results also revealed that the bank's immediate, short performance performance had improved.
In the three months to June it recorded a pre-tax profit of £293million, up 27 per cent from the same period last year.
Analysts had expected the bank to make a loss of around £300million, and the positive numbers have ignited speculation once again that Chancellor George Osborne will start to sell down the government's 78 per cent stake in the bank this year.
But McEwan refused to be drawn on the exact timing of any planned sale of shares in the bank by the Treasury, saying only that the plans to begin offloading the government stake were 'welcome'.
As a result shares in RBS have risen 2 per cent, or 5.5p, at 358.7p.
Richard Hunter, head of equities at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers, said: 'The bank has swung to an unexpected profit for the quarter, albeit a loss for the half year.'
But he said a 'a number of clouds remain'.
He added: 'Not least of which are the costs arising from litigation and conduct fines, the continuing unwelcome government stake and a sharp hike in restructuring costs given the accelerated programme the bank is undertaking.'
Earlier this week, RBS said it would cut its stake in US business Citizens to around 21 per cent with plans to sell up to $2.6billion of stock.
It follows allegations that the group misled investors over the quality of mortgage backed securities sold in America.
The group also confirmed it was working towards spinning-off its Williams & Glyn arm next summer after resurrecting the brand to offload a chunk of its business to meet European rules on state aid following its bailout at the height of the financial crisis.
Competition authorities are currently looking at the impact on the market of the sale of Williams & Glyn, with their review expected later this year.
RBS suffers loss of £153m as it forks out £1.3bn in banking fines
Chinese telecoms firm Huawei to axe U.S. jobs amid...
Pets At Home collars a 12% stake in dog walking...
Industrialist Sanjeev Gupta pays £600m in bond deal with...


If you are thinking about filing for divorce, or have already started the process, a Bloomington family lawyer can protect your best interests. We can empathize with the fact that you entered this marriage likely with the highest of hopes that it would last forever, but learned this wasn't the case for you and your spouse. Even during this sad time, a lawyer who practices family law in Bloomington can offer support in the form of legal advice and protective representation. If you feel divorce is the next step for you, then a divorce attorney can start helping you to move forward with the process and put your marriage behind you.
From a legal perspective, the divorce process will vary according to each state's laws. However, there are common phases that most couples will go through in the process of dissolving their marriage. When you hire an attorney who focuses on family law Bloomington locals recommend, he or she can provide more detailed information specific to the circumstances of your case. An experienced divorce attorney can make the process as easy as possible for you. The following is a general guide of what to expect.
1. Petitioning for Divorce – one spouse must take the lead and file a divorce petition with the court, even if both agree that a separation and an eventual divorce is the right path to take.
2. Temporary Divorce Orders – at this stage, if a spouse is financially dependent on the other or will have custody of the children, they can ask the court for temporary rules that reflect these considerations.
3. Service of Process – the spouse who filed for divorce with the court must prove that they gave the other spouse the divorce paperwork.
4. Response to Divorce Being Served – the spouse who received the service of divorce process can respond to the petition for divorce at this time, and dispute any claims listed among the reasons for separation.
5. Negotiation – each spouse should make a genuine attempt to resolve the marriage's issues, but if this is not possible, then they may need to go through mediation through a third party.
6. Trial – any issues that are still unresolved will be delegated and determined in a court trial by a judge.
7. Order of Dissolution – at this step, the marriage has officially ended and both parties will have divided the property, debts, child custody, and establish payment terms for spousal support.
There are various steps that come along with handling a divorce trial, but you do not have to do it alone. By hiring a divorce attorney you will have someone on your side who can take the legal burden off your shoulders.
A Bloomington family lawyer can be of great assistance during this difficult time. Most divorce attorneys who practice family law in Bloomington will provide a free consultation to help potential clients decide if they would like the help of a legal professional.


Innovative solutions are offered by the premade pouch packaging which is filled and closed by the utilization of the system of premade pouches, spouted caps, and filling lines. The premade pouch packaging offers reduced packaging weight when compared to traditional alternatives such as metal cans and the glass jars thus offering good consumer convenience. The premade pouch packaging solution has the benefit of maximum functionality.
The global market for the premade pouch packaging is fragmented into end-use industry, specifications, design, and material. Based on the end-use industry, the global market is segregated into pharmaceuticals, personal care, pet-food, cosmetics, and household products and food. The food segment is sub-segregated into confectionary, frozen, and canned foods. Based on the specifications, the market is categorized into transparency, easy-spouts, high-barriers, and reclosable zippers. Based on the design industry, the market is divided into spout pouches, flat-based pouches, and plastic sides. Based on the material, the market is bifurcated into plastic and paper.
The key factor that is driving the premade pouch packaging market is that they provide flexibility as a marketing tool as well as provides convenience to the consumers. Premade packaging pouches increase the opportunities of the market and is consumer-friendly; it provides the benefits of sustainability thus contributing to the market growth. The factors that augment in developing the market growth is the increasing demand for the 100-calorie packs, increasing popularity of the machinery of the premade pouches, and growing demand from the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry. Certain other factors that contribute to the growth of the market are the technological advancements that are made in this field, the growing number of applications, and the developing economic conditions. The factor that is limiting the growth of the market is that these pouches cannot be produced from recycled materials.
According to the regional study, the global market for the premade pouch packaging is diversified into Eastern Europe, North America, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. The region that is leading the premade pouch packaging market is North America. This is owing to the factor that the food industry is developing at a rapid phase and the food manufacturers are working constantly in order to meet the demands of the consumers. As the consumers have become more conscious about the environment it is driving the growth of the market in this region. The other regions such as Europe and Asia Pacific are also contributing a good share in the growth of the market.
The key market players that are involved in the premade pouch packaging market include Accredo Packaging, Genpack Flexible, Viking Masek Global Packaging Technologies, Matrix Packaging Machinery, WeighPack Systems Inc., Bemis Company, Inc., Bossar Packaging, Tyler Packaging, General Packer Co., Ltd., and Karlville.


Sorry, you missed Appalachian State Mountaine... at Carter Memorial Stadium.
Demand that Carter Memorial Stadium gets added to the next tour!
Demand that Radford gets added to the next tour!
You missed Appalachian State Mountaine... at Carter Memorial Stadium.


text:
Become an Actuary
Because of COVID-19 restrictions in many countries, Society of Actuaries candidates in the Caribbean have been having difficulties sitting exams. The CAA executive has been working with the SOA to resolve this. If you are experiencing this problem, please visit Prometric Testing Centers - Answers to Your Questions or contact us directly at caa.secretariat@gmail.com.
The Casualty Actuarial Society has also issued a statement regarding exams: Letter to Candidates from the CAS President and CEO Regarding CAS Exams
One of the key objectives of the Caribbean Actuarial Association is the development of actuarial science in the Caribbean. The CAA is committed to encouraging and supporting actuarial education throughout the Caribbean.
Our student members constitute a sizeable percentage of our membership and are a vibrant and active part of our association. The CAA currently sponsors the following initiatives which it hopes will encourage students to join the actuarial profession:
examination refunds
The Road Seldomly Travelled
How to Be an Actuary
University of the West Indies
List of Universities Worldwide Offering Actuarial Science
Actuarial Education Company
Actuarieel Genootschap Educational Resources
Canadian Institute of Actuaries Education Resources
Casualty Actuarial Society Educational Resources
Institute & Faculty of Actuaries Educational Resources
Society of Actuaries Educational Resources
© 2022 Caribbean Actuarial Association (CAA). All rights reserved.
Refund policy • Privacy policy • Terms of use
About CAA
The CAA became a Full Member of the International Actuarial Association (IAA) in December 2008.


text:
Six Lucky Kids Will be the First Junior Concierges at New LEGOLAND Hotel at LEGOLAND California Resort
Six Lucky
Kids Will be the First Junior Concierges at New
LEGOLAND® Hotel at
LEGOLAND® California Resort
The Nations First LEGO® Themed Hotel Is
Searching for Kids to Assist Guests
CARLSBAD, Calif. (Jan. 29, 2013) – LEGOLAND® California Resort is searching for a few great kids to become the first Junior Concierges at North America's
first LEGOLAND® Hotel, opening April 5, 2013. The national Junior Concierge contest is aimed at
children ages 8 – 12, who have a passion for LEGO®, love theme parks and, most of all, are
adventurous and fun.
Six winners will be
announced on February 28, 2013. Each winner will receive a free weekend
at LEGOLAND California Resort with their family which includes a stay at
LEGOLAND Hotel, two day Resort Hopper tickets (which include LEGOLAND
California, SEA LIFE™ Aquarium and LEGOLAND® Water Park) and LEGO product.
During their first visit, the team of winning Junior
Concierges will be fitted for a uniform, meet Resort staff, and be put
through full
"job" training. Training day will include a detailed orientation of the
Hotel and all of LEGOLAND Resort so they can share their knowledge
with young guests and advise them on everything cool from a child's
perspective. Throughout the year, each winner will have the opportunity
serve as Junior Concierge for one weekend at LEGOLAND Hotel prior to
Interested children need to have a
parent or guardian's permission to apply. Applicants are asked to
write, in 50 words or less, why they should be a Junior Concierge at
LEGOLAND Hotel. All submissions will be accepted online only at www.LEGOLAND.com/JuniorConcierge and need to be received by February
LEGOLAND Hotel at LEGOLAND
Resort is designed to give guests the interactive family experience that
has brought success to LEGOLAND California, SEA LIFE Aquarium and
Water Park. Created to bring children's imaginations to life, the
250-room, three-story LEGO themed hotel will feature brightly colored,
interactive LEGO décor, a pool and lounge area, patio, event space and
family restaurant. LEGOLAND Hotel is designed for families with young
children and every room is themed after one of the most popular LEGOLAND
areas: Pirate, Kingdom and Adventure. For more information and to book
reservations, visit: www.LEGOLANDHotel.com.
LEGOLAND®
California Resort includes LEGOLAND California, SEA LIFE™ Aquarium,
Water Park and LEGOLAND Hotel opening April 5 all geared for families
with children between the ages of 2 and 12. At LEGOLAND California,
you'll
find more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including LEGO Star
Wars™ Miniland Model Display, Pirate Reef and LEGO Legends of
Chima 4-D movie coming in March, 2013. SEA LIFE incorporates LEGO®
models into a child's voyage to the depths of the ocean and features
play zones, fun facts and quiz trails and the interactive Claws
exhibit. For more information, visit www.LEGOLAND.com or
call (760) 918-LEGO (5346).
MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS
is the leading name in location-based, family entertainment, and has
seen the most successful and dynamic growth of any company in the sector
over the
last five years. Europe's Number 1 and the world's second-largest
visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates 94 attractions, seven
hotels/two holiday villages in 21 countries and across four continents.
The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its
million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands,
and the commitment and passion of its managers and more than 20,000
employees. Among Merlin's attractions are – SEA LIFE, Madame Tussauds,
LEGOLAND, The EDF Energy London Eye, Dungeons, Gardaland,
LEGOLAND Discovery Centers, Alton Towers Resort, Warwick Castle, THORPE
PARK, Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Blackpool Tower, Heide
Park,
WILD LIFE Sydney, Sydney Tower Eye and SKYWALK, Siam Ocean World and
Busan Aquarium. All brands which are distinctive, challenging and
innovative – and which have great potential for growth in the future.
Visit www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information.
Merlin currently has seventeen attractions in the USA
including LEGOLAND Florida theme park with its new Water Park; LEGOLAND
California theme park with its exciting Water Park, and SEA LIFE
Aquarium and LEGOLAND Hotel opening April 5; Madame Tussauds attractions
in New York City, Washington DC, Las Vegas and Hollywood; LEGOLAND
Discovery Centers in Chicago, Illinois; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas;
Kansas City, Missouri; and Atlanta, Georgia; and SEA LIFE aquariums in
Phoenix, Arizona; Kansas City, Missouri; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; the
Mall of America in Minneapolis, underlining the company's position as
world's biggest global aquarium operator
LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Minifigure and LEGOLAND are trademarks of the LEGO
© 2013 The LEGO Group. LEGOLAND CALIFORNIA IS A PART OF THE MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS GROUP.
Prices, times and schedules subject to change without notice.
Disney's "THE MUPPETS … AGAIN!" Kicks Off Production in London
WRECK-IT RALPH's Clark Spencer "Wreck-ognized" at Producers Guild Awards
When "Wreck-It Ralph" opened on Nov. 2, 2012, it turned in the highest opening weekend ever for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film at the time of release. Now Disney is hoping Ralph will not only break the Internet but the 2018 Thanksgiving boxoffice records as well.
The film re-teams the original director, producer and co-writer behind "Wreck-It Ralph." The screenplay is currently being written by Phil Johnston and Pamela Ribon. Director Rich Moore, producer Clark Spencer, and co-writer Phil Johnston partnered with fellow director Byron Howard and co-writer/co-director Jared Bush to create the Academy Award®-winning blockbuster feature "Zootopia."
ROYAL REUNION – In "Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck It Ralph 2," Vanellope von Schweetz-along with her best friend Ralph-ventures into the uncharted world of the internet. When she finds herself surrounded by Disney princesses, she's surprised to learn that she actually has a lot in common with them. The scene, highlighted in a new trailer for the film (below), features several of the original princess voices, including Auli'i Cravalho ("Moana"), Kristen Bell (Anna in "Frozen"), Idina Menzel (Elsa in "Frozen"), Kelly MacDonald (Merida in "Brave"), Mandy Moore (Rapunzel in "Tangled"), Anika Noni Rose (Tiana in "The Princess and the Frog"), Ming-Na Wen ("Mulan"), Irene Bedard ("Pocahontas"), Linda Larkin (Jasmine in "Aladdin"), Paige O'Hara (Belle in "Beauty and the Beast") and Jodi Benson (Ariel in "The Little Mermaid"). Featuring Sarah Silverman as the voice of Vanellope, "Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck It Ralph 2" opens in theaters nationwide Nov. 21, 2018.
"RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2"
WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS
https://disney.com/ralphbreakstheinternet
https://www.youtube.com/user/disneyanimation
https://www.facebook.com/WreckItRalph/
https://twitter.com/wreckitralph
https://www.instagram.com/wreckitralph/
U.S. Release Date: Nov. 21, 2018
Voice cast: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Taraji P. Henson, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk
Directors: Rich Moore, Phil Johnston
Producer: Clark Spencer
MARVEL ANNOUNCES EPIC EXPERIENCES FOR FANS AT DISNEY'S D23 EXPO 2017 IN ANAHEIM, JULY 14-16
BURBANK, Calif. (June 1, 2017) – Marvel will make its way to D23 Expo's show floor from July 14-16 with an exciting look at its upcoming film titles in the Marvel Studios Pavilion, featuring an array of props and costumes from the Studios' upcoming slate, including Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, and more.
In Marvel Studios' Thor: Ragnarok, in theaters November 2017, Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok-the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization-at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela., played by Cate Blanchette.
But first he must survive the Grandmaster's gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger-the Incredible Hulk.
Fans will get an up-close look at the costumes and props from this highly anticipated movie as well as photo opportunities with exclusive set pieces from the film.
The incredible costumes from Black Panther will also be on display.
Black Panther follows the journey of T'Challa after the events of Marvel Studios' Captain America: Civil War,where he returns to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country's new leader.
In addition to the exciting props and costumes on display, Marvel Studios will host multiple giveaways and events within its pavilion space in Hall B.
Fans will get the chance to meet with Marvel Studios' filmmakers, development team, and talent. Exclusive artwork will be given away daily, along with other surprises. Details on talent appearances and special signings will be made available on the D23 Expo app.
Fans will also be able to enjoy all-new console and mobile Marvel Games, plus incredible exclusive content and announcements throughout the weekend!
For the first time at D23 Expo, guests will be able to get their hands on the hottest new console and mobile games featuring favorite Marvel Super Heroes, playing as the world-famous Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, and more!
LEGO®Marvel Super Heroes 2 is an all-new, original adventure and sequel to the smash hit LEGO®Marvel Super Heroes.Bringing together iconic Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains from different eras and realities, along with signature LEGO humor,the latest epic adventure from TT Games transports players into a cosmic battle across myriad Marvel locations ripped from time and space into the incredible open hub world of Chronopolis.
Adding to the infinite excitement of D23 Expo, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite will offer attendees hands-on opportunities with the next era of the highly revered action-fighting game series.
Marvel and Capcom universes collide like never before as iconic characters team up for action-packed player-versus-player combat.
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite features a variety of exciting and accessible single-player modes and rich multi-player content for new players and longtime fans alike and will be released on September 19, 2017, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Gazillion will offer a chance to play Marvel Heroes Omega and win fantastic prizes.
Marvel Heroes Omega combines the core gameplay style of Action-RPGs and MMOs with an expansive library of heroes from the Marvel Universe. With thousands of hours of character progression and rewards,Marvel Heroes Omegacomes packed with tons of replay value and a steady stream of new challenges with regular updates.
Netmarble is bringing its best to D23 Expo with MARVEL: Future Fight.
Featuring 120 Marvel Super Heroes to choose from, players create teams of their favorites to fight for their future. D23 Expo attendees can try their hand at saving the universe.
Marvel Puzzle Quest is where the best in match-3 puzzle gameplay meets Marvel's biggest Super Heroes and Super Villains in the most epic puzzle adventure game available on your phone, tablet, and PC.
Marvel Puzzle Questcombines favorite Marvel characters with deep RPG leveling, player-versus-player tournaments, Alliances, and much more. Guests can unleash their inner Super Hero and wage war against their enemies. Learn more atwww.marvelpuzzlequest.com.
Marvel will present incredible panels during D23 Expo, including the fan-favorite Cup o' Joe on Friday, July 14, at 1:15 p.m. in the D23 Expo Arena, featuring Chief Creative Officer of Marvel, Joe Quesada, in a no-holds-barred panel of everything Marvel!
That same day at 6 p.m. on Stage 28, Marvel Animation presents a surprise-filled panel of sneak peeks, special guests, exclusive footage, and big announcements about the future of Marvel Animation on Stage 28. Details will be available on the D23 Expo app.
Tickets for D23 Expo 2017 are available for $81 for one-day adult admission and $59 forchildren 3-9. Membersof D23: The Official Disney Fan Club can purchase tickets for $72 for a one-day adult admission and $53 for children 3-9. Multi-day tickets are also available.
For more information on tickets and D23 Expo 2017, visit D23Expo.com.
First-ever Mainland China Hollywood Movie World Premiere Will Take Place at Shanghai Disney Resort with an
All-star Lineup of Special Guests on May 11
BURBANK, CALIF. (April 25, 2017)-Disney announced today that Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films' "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" will have its World Premiere in Shanghai, China, at Shanghai Disney Resort on Thursday, May 11, marking the first time a Hollywood movie will premiere in Mainland China. Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites, directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer plan to attend the gala event.
The red-carpet event will take place in Disneytown at Shanghai Disney Resort. After the red carpet, the "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" screening will be held in Walt Disney Grand Theatre at Disneytown. Shanghai Disney Resort is also home to Shanghai Disneyland, featuring Treasure Cove, the first pirate-themed land at a Disney park, inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Premiere guests will enjoy a stunning presentation of the film in Dolby Vision laser projection and Dolby Atmos immersive audio provided by Dolby and delivered through QSC speakers and amplifiers with Q-SYS control at the Walt Disney Grand Theatre.
Samsung is the title sponsor of the World Premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," which will be released on May 26 in China, day and date with its release in the U.S.
Johnny Depp returns to the big screen as the iconic, swashbuckling anti-hero Jack Sparrow in the all-new "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales." The rip-roaring adventure finds down-on-his-luck Captain Jack feeling the winds of ill-fortune blowing strongly his way when deadly ghost sailors, led by the terrifying Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), escape from the Devil's Triangle bent on killing every pirate at sea-notably Jack. Jack's only hope of survival lies in the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it he must forge an uneasy alliance with Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a brilliant and beautiful astronomer, and Henry (Brenton Thwaites), a headstrong young sailor in the Royal Navy. At the helm of the Dying Gull, his pitifully small and shabby ship, Captain Jack seeks not only to reverse his recent spate of ill fortune, but to save his very life from the most formidable and malicious foe he has ever faced.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" also stars Kevin R. McNally as Joshamee Gibbs, Golshifteh Farahani as the sea-witch Shansa, David Wenham as Scarfield, Stephen Graham as Scrum, Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, and Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa.
Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg are directing "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" with Jerry Bruckheimer producing. The executive producers are Mike Stenson, Chad Oman, Joe Caracciolo, Jr., Terry Rossio and Brigham Taylor. The story is by Jeff Nathanson and Terry Rossio, and Jeff Nathanson wrote the screenplay. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" drops anchor in U.S. theaters on May 26, 2017.


NHBRC -- The National Home Builders Registration Council was established in terms of the Housing Consumer Protection Measures Act, 1998 (Act No. 95 of 1998). The Council is mainly established to protect the interest of housing consumers, and to regulate the home building industry.


When selecting an attachment give users an option to attach a shortcut to the file instead file itself. Feature availability and default should be controlled by policy settings.
Maybe an additional option that the filepath should be an UNC path, also controlled by policy.
I know that it is not the best or even good solution, but had that question from users someone times, so users should have the choice.


The Santa Clara valley has been an active hub for agriculture, business, and, of course, transportation for nearly than 250 years.
European influences began in the late 1760's with Gaspar de Portolá and later in with the establishment of the Santa Clara Mission in 1777.
The first railroads appeared in California the late 1850s - and among the first was a line between San Francisco and Santa Jose.
Trolley lines - initially drawn by horse and later by electric motor - developed as the Santa Clara valley formed urban centers.


text:
History of City College
Information & Phone Numbers
Marketing and Public Information
The Office of Marketing and Public Information prepares and distributes press releases which spotlight City College programs, happenings and the achievements of its faculty, staff and students.
This Office is also responsible for the preparation of internal and external publications such as CityNotes.
The Office of Marketing and Public Information shares in the responsibility of preparing the Fall, Spring and Summer Schedules of Classes.
In collaboration with other College Departments, the Office produces a variety of promotional and informational brochures and videos about the College.
If you are a member of the press, please contact CCSFMediaRelations@ccsf.edu.
Last updated 8/8/19 at 14:17 by ahwu


text:
Cannabis-Derived Ingredients in FDA-Regulated Products: More Questions than Answers at FDA's May 2019 Public Hearing
By Joanne S. Hawana
As most folks with any interest in the burgeoning cannabidiol (CBD) industry likely know, on May 31, 2019, the Food and Drug Administration held a public hearing "to obtain scientific data and information about the safety, manufacturing, product quality, marketing, labeling, and sale of products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds." Stakeholders who attended the hearing presented many diverse viewpoints and the FDA panelists – who were in listening mode – received extensive information from across that spectrum of perspective.
But if anyone expected clarity from the Agency on June 1st, they are probably feeling disappointed today. Almost every issue raised by presenters will require significant regulatory attention – from how to determine the proper dosing of CBD depending on whether it is intended to be used for therapeutic purposes or for "general wellness," as several commenters discussed, to how to set analytical standards for laboratories to follow when testing CBD or other cannabis derivatives for quality and potency – and the Agency will likely accomplish very little quickly given the dearth of data and the complex nature of the issues. All presenters urged FDA, however, to move deliberately and expeditiously in exercising its existing authorities to provide consumers, industry, health care professionals, and state regulators and law enforcement the certainty they need when it comes to how the Agency intends to handle cannabis-derived products.
Why Did FDA Hold This Hearing Now?
A few level-setting points before we share our takeaways from the FDA's public hearing.
First, it is important to understand that both marijuana (a Schedule I controlled substance) and industrial hemp (now de-scheduled following congressional enactment of the most recent Farm Bill in December 2018, and defined as having no more than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on a dry weight basis) come from different strains of the Cannabis sativa plant. As a result, individual presenters spoke to the panel of 12 high-ranking FDA officials about either medical uses of marijuana or hemp-derived extracts like CBD. Although medical marijuana is legal at the State level in 33 states and the District of Columbia, its effectiveness as a therapeutic product still is not recognized at the Federal level. There are a variety of public health challenges resulting from this two-tier status of medical marijuana, including the difficulties that arise if someone wants to do serious clinical research on its effects, but we will keep that topic for a different blog post and focus this one on the de-scheduled ingredients and their addition to FDA-regulated products like foods and personal care products.
Second, the commercial market for CBD products in particular has exploded since the 2018 Farm Bill removed industrial hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. Over the past six months, American consumers have seen CBD enter their coffee shops and restaurants, their drug stores and bodegas, and even their grocery stores. It is being sold as CBD oils, sprays and tinctures for ingestion, but also in creams and salves for topical use, in liquid form for "vaping" (using an electronic cigarette-like device), and in more traditional pills and capsules. One of the presentations during the hearing came from the independent non-profit organization Consumer Reports, which recently conducted a survey of over 4,300 adults and uncovered some striking trends, including that a quarter of Americans have tried CBD at least once in the past two years. (The Consumer Reports survey data is available for review here, and all of the presenters were asked to submit their reports and data to the FDA public docket, which can be accessed and searched here. As of now, this docket is set to close after July 2, 2019 although FDA has discretion to extend that comment period further, an action that at least a few people requested that the Agency take.)
Another recent study estimated that the CBD market will reach over $16 billion by 2026, so it was not surprising that many of the stakeholders who presented their views to FDA asked the Agency not to interfere with the growth of this industry. From many of the agricultural stakeholders as well, a major focus of the comments made to FDA was that American farmers need the economic boost that industrial hemp is providing to them and that this benefit should be top of mind for the Agency. One very interesting fact that emerged from one of the presentations was that, at least in North Carolina, nearly 100% of the hemp being grown there today is being harvested specifically for CBD extraction. However, as a public health agency with its mandate squarely on ensuring the safety of our foods, dietary supplements, personal care products/cosmetics, and medicines, it is unclear how much FDA will take those economic considerations into account when it is faced with such a lack of scientific evidence for either the safety or efficacy of CBD or other hemp-derived cannabinoids.
So, the short version is that FDA held this hearing because it could no longer ignore these issues – CBD and other cannabis-derived ingredients and products have become too mainstream, and consumers are using them even without an assurance of safety or effectiveness (when seeking a therapeutic effect). One parent of a child with a rare form of epilepsy who happened to be a doctor of pharmacy spoke of the sheer desperation that would drive someone like him to consider giving his preschooler an unregulated, untested, unproven form of CBD. In his case, he relayed, the timing was lucky for his family, and he did not have to resort to those options; his daughter is now taking the FDA-approved CBD medication Epidiolex® instead. He noted that her response to the drug has been incredible and he asked the Agency to keep rare disease patients in mind when deciding how to move forward with its regulation of cannabis-derived products, to ensure that legitimate drug development is not somehow disincentivized. This was one question that the FDA panelists asked often of certain presenters throughout the day – does or would the presence of dietary supplement forms of CBD and other cannabinoids in the market have an impact on your drug development programs or strategies? At least in the context of the public hearing, most speakers responded that it has not and it likely would not, but the written submissions made to the meeting docket will likely delve into this complex issue in much more detail.
Common Themes that Emerged During the FDA Hearing
We have previously written about the general enforcement position the Agency has taken to date with CBD products (see prior post here). Making drug claims about them is a high-risk proposition, and FDA has issued warning letters here and there over the past few years to marketers of such products. And even though FDA has clearly stated in several different forums that adding CBD as an ingredient to any food, beverage, or dietary supplement is prohibited (essentially because it's a known drug), the Agency has not taken any specific actions involving such consumer products that contain CBD but are not being sold with associated drug claims. This ambiguity has led to what several presenters on May 31st called a "Wild West" atmosphere in the country when it comes to CBD, with many marketers either unaware of the FDA's authorities over such products (i.e., they may presume that the fact hemp-derived CBD is no longer controlled means it can be added to everything) or accepting the regulatory uncertainty as a tolerable business risk in light of the massive consumer demand.
Consequently, probably the most consistent theme to come out of FDA's hearing was that everyone wants more certainty no matter where they stand in terms of CBD's benefits or what they think the Agency should do (or not do) with respect to this ingredient. A few speakers discussed lesser-known hemp derivatives, like other cannabinoids (CBC, CBG) and terpenes, and asked FDA to ensure that any regulatory framework(s) it establishes takes into account all of these derivatives, which we know less about than CBD but which also pose great promise for a variety of consumer and medical applications. They also noted that, unlike CBD, these other cannabis derivatives are not prohibited from the food supply because they have never been approved for use as a drug or tested in clinical trials for specific medical uses.
Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless delivered opening remarks at the hearing, during which he specifically addressed the prohibited-from-food problem faced by CBD in particular; he stated:
"What that means is that, under current law, CBD and THC cannot lawfully be added to a food or marketed as a dietary supplement. Although the law says that FDA can issue regulations to create new exceptions to these statutory provisions, FDA has never issued a regulation like that for any substance. So, if we were thinking about doing that for a substance like CBD, it would be new terrain for the FDA."
Several of the presenters challenged the Agency on this interpretation of the law as well as its historical records, suggesting that on at least one occasion, such a regulation has been issued. Needless to say, it's possible FDA will be receiving Citizen Petitions asking it to take certain specific actions even though it has signaled its intent to do something in this area both with the public hearing and the announcement in early April 2019 of the creation of a "high-level agency working group to explore potential pathways for dietary supplements and/or conventional foods containing CBD to be lawfully marketed; including a consideration of what statutory or regulatory changes might be needed and what the impact of such marketing would be on the public health."
The FDA panelists, which included the co-chairs of the internal working group, asked many of the presenters a similar question, although it varied based on whether the speaker was an entrepreneur, a health care professional, or a consumer: "How do you determine dosing for the CBD that you add to your products/you give to your patients/you take at a given time?" Essentially no one had a good answer, and no one provided concrete information about how to take into consideration the risks associated with a cumulative dose of CBD, such as when a consumer uses a topical product but also ingests and vapes the compound all in a single day. Because the prescription CBD drug Epidiolex has warnings in its label about liver toxicity, suicidal behavior/ideation, and hypersensitivity reactions, the safety risks cannot be ignored by FDA notwithstanding the many speakers who asserted to the Agency that "CBD is completely safe" and it should not be overregulated. Safety issues related to chronic use, as well as use by pregnant women, children, and vulnerable populations like the elderly were also addressed by multiple speakers. There also were requests for FDA to establish a zero-THC standard in all hemp-derived products, notwithstanding that the Farm Bill set a 0.3% threshold for purposes of de-scheduling the industrial hemp plant, because as commentators noted, the 0.3%-by-dry-weight standard still means that you can have a very high level of THC in a couple of CBD-containing gummy bears, thereby eviscerating the idea that all CBD products are non-psychoactive and "safer" than THC-containing products that are ingested or smoked precisely for their psychoactive properties.
Another major topic of discussion was the lack of standardization in the CBD industry, adherence to quality standards, and the lack of truthful labeling. For example, several stakeholders presented results of their own laboratory testing of commercially available CBD products that showed a large number of products containing much higher or much lower amounts of CBD than the label claims (and in some cases, zero CBD); in some cases containing high levels of THC; and even high levels of unsafe contaminants like lead. This type of survey data clearly demonstrates to the Agency and other regulatory and standards-setting bodies that there are both good and bad actors in this industry, and a certain level of regulation is definitely necessary to protect consumers from being defrauded, injured, or both. But perhaps the only clear message we can share coming out of the FDA public hearing is that what that regulation is going to look like remains to be seen!
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Joanne S. Hawana
Joanne counsels global clients on the regulatory and distribution-related implications when bringing a new FDA-regulated product to market and how to ensure continued compliance after a product is commercialized.


For over 15 years, this event has been a favorite and includes activities such as Dodgeball, Crab Soccer, The Blob, Snake In The Grass, Battleball, and much more!
$25 per participant. Non-members are welcome! Ages 5-11.
Limited space! Please call (631) 368-3838 to register.