text:
Home Business Companies Microsoft
Microsoft ordered to hand over overseas email, throwing EU privacy rights in the fire
US law can apply anywhere in the world, so long as a technology company has control over foreign data, a court rules.
Written by Zack Whittaker, Contributor on July 31, 2014
Image: Microsoft, via CNET/CBS Interactive
A US judge has ordered Microsoft to hand over foreign data it stores back to the US, despite allegedly strong privacy protections in Europe to mitigate such processes.
Yes, the FBI and CIA can read your email. Here's how
The logic of the court is that because the US-headquartered software giant controls the data it stores overseas, its foreign subsidiary companies are just as applicable to US law.
US District Judge Loretta Preska in New York said the ruling will be stayed to allow Microsoft to appeal the decision to an appeals court.
"It is a question of control, not a question of the location of that information," Preska said in the ruling.
The ruling means that users in Europe and further afield of Microsoft's services — and others, including Apple, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, and Twitter, with a headquarters in the US — are not immune from having their data handed over to the US government for law enforcement or intelligence purposes.
Microsoft initially challenged the order, saying that local laws must apply in respect of each jurisdiction.
Microsoft's general counsel Brad Smith said in remarks following the ruling:
"The only issue that was certain this morning was that the District Court's decision would not represent the final step in this process. We will appeal promptly and continue to advocate that people's email deserves strong privacy protection in the U.S. and around the world."
Smith argued in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that the US government "can't force American tech companies to turn over customer emails stored exclusively in company data centers in other countries."
"Microsoft believes you own emails stored in the cloud, and that they have the same privacy protection as paper letters sent by mail. This means, in our view, that the U.S. government can obtain emails only subject to the full legal protections of the Constitution's Fourth Amendment," he said.
But because the case rests on data stored by Microsoft in its Dublin, Ireland-based datacenter, that data should also fall under the purview of Irish and European data protection laws, of which Ireland is a member state.
Verizon came to a similar conclusion in a blog post by its general counsel Randall Milch in January. "The U.S. government cannot compel us to produce our customers' data stored in datacenters outside the U.S., and, if it attempts to do so, we would challenge that attempt in court," he said in a blog post.
Amid NSA spying scandal, the gloves are off for EU's justice chief
Academics and legal experts strongly refuted the claims that US law already has provisions to allow the US government to demand foreign data held by American telecom and technology companies.
Verizon spokesperson Ed McFadden said at the time that Verizon would "let the report stand on its own," and did not comment further.
A month later, US Magistrate Judge James Francis ruled against Microsoft, putting every US technology giant in the country at risk of domestic data requests for foreign data.
Milch said not long after Microsoft's court ruling came out that Verizon believes the court's ruling was "wrong," but did not apologize for his incorrect and misleading statements.
The company also filed an amicus brief in support of Microsoft's case.
New proposals set to come into force following extensive scrutiny and voting later this, or next year, will reform Europe's data protection laws. These proposals seek to prevent a European subsidiary of a parent company, such as in the US, from handing over data to a third-country for law enforcement or intelligence purposes.
European authorities have repeatedly said, regardless of where a EU-based company's parent is headquartered, that subsidiary must abide by European law.
Falling foul of that could result in a breach of European law, and therefore international law, EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding previously told ZDNet.
The Justice Department wants to break up Google's ad business
Microsoft warning: These phishing attackers used fake OAuth apps to steal email
Microsoft CEO Nadella: 'Expect us to incorporate AI in every layer of the stack'


text:
Boeing, Continental Airlines Reach Agreement for 12 737-900ERs
Airline is launch customer in the Americas and the first two-class carrier to order newest Next- Generation 737 family member
Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Continental Airlines today announced that Continental will become the first airline in the Americas and the first two-class carrier to operate Boeing's newest and largest-capacity member of the Next-Generation 737 family, the -900ER.
Continental converted orders for 12 Next-Generation 737s to the new 737-900ER model. Boeing will deliver Continental's first 737-900ER in 2008. Last month Continental Airlines ordered an undisclosed mix of 24 Next-Generation 737s along with 10 787 Dreamliners.
"The 737-900ER will support Continental's growth with the excellent economics, reliability and range of the Next-Generation 737 family and provide greater capacity than the 737-800," said Ray Conner, vice president, Sales, the Americas, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The 737-900ER will provide these important enhancements on routes up to 3,200 nautical miles (5,900 km)."
The 737-900ER will have substantial economic advantages over competing models, including 9 percent lower operating costs per trip and 7 percent lower operating costs per seat than the A321 -- which is more than 10,000 pounds (4,536 kg) heavier.
"The superior economics of the 737-900ER build upon the substantial benefits of the 737 Next-Generation family," said Larry Kellner, Continental's chairman and CEO. "The flight crew, maintenance and spare parts commonality this aircraft shares with the rest of the Next-Generation 737 family will help enable us to fly this aircraft at one of the lowest operating costs in our fleet."
Aerodynamic and structural design changes to the 737-900ER include: strengthened wings, a two-position tailskid and enhancements to the leading and trailing-edge flap systems, which provide the 737-900ER higher takeoff weight capability and increased range than the base model. Continental's 737-900ERs will further benefit from optional Blended Winglets, which reduce fuel consumption and engine thrust requirements -- resulting in reduced engine wear and tear, lower takeoff noise and lower fuel emissions.
Launched in July 2005, the 737-900ER joins the 737-600, -700 and -800 airplanes and will share the same industry-leading reliability of the other Next-Generation 737 series models. The Next-Generation 737s are 10 years newer and fly higher, faster and farther than competing models. To date, 99 customers have placed orders for more than 3,300 Next-Generation 737s.
Sandy Angers
737/BBJ Programs
sandra.l.angers@boeing.com
Nicolaas Groeneveld-Meijer
International & Sales Communications
nicolaas.w.groeneveld-meijer@boeing.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Navy is the colour to be seen in this season and Kate Middleton reveals how to pull off the shade!
The Desperate Houswives star reveals her likes and dislikes to Ahlan!
What Does Dubai Expo 2020 Mean for Fashion in the Middle East?


At COSOJ various corporate interest tasks are carried out such as the recovery of outstanding debts, extrajudicial collection, legal collection and advice to companies.
We had the opportunity to work on the development of COSOJ's web page. They gave us the task of capturing a clear and effective message through a simple design.
With the development of this project we started the implementation of mobile compatibility en all of our websites.
Complications are our daily bread and finding alternatives can be a challenge. Showing a simple and transparent solution can be possible when you have clarity and the desire to serve. Reconcile, respect, opportunities, transparency; these were the words that flowed through this project that allowed us to grow and make it grow, making our approach more than a business, an alliance.
5 letters that also represent the direct classifications of the legal world's universal history: law, tradition, judicial sentencing, legal doctrine and work rights.
In these times of scarcity and lack of values, an abundance of ideas and attitude are required; companies like COSOJ take it upon themselves to deliver that extra element. With all the sensitivity and commitment, they take care of the prestige of their clients, therefore giving the grain of sand that makes trade relationships exponential.


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Q: ORA-06502: PL/SQL: numeric or value error: character string buffer too small error when processing multibyte characters When I try to process a input string which contains a German Characters(Multibhyte characters) the program fails with ORA-06502 error.
The procedure parses input string which is a row in a CSV and each column value of the csv are added to a list and returned.
Input String :

SIPCORE1000;SKYGUIDE, Société Anonyme Suisse pour les Services;Any2Any;Yes;SSM;No;None;6730:14892466;;109

Procedure :
 PROCEDURE ParseCSV(
        i_csvline IN VARCHAR2,
        i_Delimiter   IN            VARCHAR2 DEFAULT ';',
        i_Enclosed IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT '"',
        o_ColumnValueList OUT dimension.NAMELIST )
    IS
      --
      CARRIAGE_RETURN CONSTANT CHAR(1) := chr(13);
      LINE_FEED       CONSTANT CHAR(1) := chr(10);
      --
      l_char           CHAR(1);
      l_lookahead      CHAR(1);
      l_pos            NUMBER          := 0;
      l_columnValue          VARCHAR2(32767) := NULL;
      l_columnValue_complete BOOLEAN         := false;
      l_line_complete  BOOLEAN         := false;
      l_new_column      BOOLEAN         := true;
      l_enclosed       BOOLEAN         := false;
      v_namelist dimension.NAMELIST :=dimension.NAMELIST();
      v_lastchar        VARCHAR2(10);
    BEGIN
      SELECT SUBSTR(i_csvline,-1) INTO v_lastchar FROM dual;
      LOOP
        -- increment postion index
        l_pos := l_pos + 1;
        -- get the next character from input CSV line
        l_char := dbms_lob.substr( i_csvline, 1, l_pos);

        -- Exit when no more characters to process
        EXIT WHEN l_char IS NULL OR l_pos > dbms_lob.getLength( i_csvline );

        -- If the first character of new token is optionally enclosed character
        -- note that and skip it and get the next character
        IF l_new_column AND l_char = i_Enclosed THEN
          l_enclosed             := true;
          l_pos                  := l_pos + 1;
          l_char                 := dbms_lob.substr( i_csvline, 1, l_pos);
        END IF;
        l_new_column := false;

        -- get the lookahead character
        l_lookahead := dbms_lob.substr( i_csvline, 1, l_pos+1 );

        -- Inspect the character (and lookahead) to determine what to do
        IF l_char             = i_Enclosed AND l_enclosed THEN
          IF l_lookahead      = i_Enclosed THEN
            l_pos            := l_pos + 1;
            l_columnValue          := l_columnValue || l_lookahead;
          elsif l_lookahead   = i_Delimiter THEN
            l_pos            := l_pos + 1;
            l_columnValue_complete := true;
          ELSE
            l_enclosed := false;
          END IF;
        elsif l_char IN ( CARRIAGE_RETURN, LINE_FEED ) AND NOT l_enclosed THEN
          l_columnValue_complete := true;
          l_line_complete  := true;
          IF l_lookahead  IN ( CARRIAGE_RETURN, LINE_FEED ) THEN
            l_pos := l_pos + 1;
          END IF;
        elsif l_char        = i_Delimiter AND NOT l_enclosed THEN
          l_columnValue_complete := true;
        elsif l_pos         = dbms_lob.getLength( i_csvline ) THEN
          l_columnValue          := l_columnValue || l_char;
          l_columnValue_complete := true;
          l_line_complete  := true;
        ELSE
          l_columnValue := l_columnValue || l_char;
        END IF;
        -- process a new token
        IF l_columnValue_complete THEN
          v_namelist.EXTEND;
          v_namelist(v_namelist.LAST):=l_columnValue;
          l_columnValue                    := NULL;
          l_enclosed                 := false;
          l_new_column                := true;
          l_columnValue_complete           := false;
        END IF;
        IF l_line_complete THEN
          l_line_complete := false;
        END IF;
      END LOOP;
      IF v_lastchar=i_Delimiter
      THEN
          v_namelist.EXTEND;
          v_namelist(v_namelist.LAST):=NULL;
      END IF;
      o_ColumnValueList:=v_namelist;
    END ParseCSV;

A: When there are multi byte encoding characters involved (In my case German Characters) then the variable that holds these characters should be VARCHAR2 and have size at least 2. I've defined the variable type as VARCHAR2 and size as 10. Now the procedure works as expected.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
<!DOCTYPE html>

<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="description" content="calculator">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">

<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Droid+Sans+Mono" rel="stylesheet">
<link href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/foundation/6.2.3/foundation.min.css" rel="stylesheet">

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="calculator_style.css"/>

<title>Calculator</title>

  <button type="button" class="button expanded">7</button>

    <button type="button" class="button expanded">8</button>

    <button type="button" class="button expanded">9</button>

    <button type="button" class="button expanded">/</button>

    <button type="button" class="button expanded">4</button>

  <button type="button" class="button expanded">5</button>

  <button type="button" class="button expanded">6</button>

  <button type="button" class="button expanded">*</button>

  <button type="button" class="button expanded">1</button>

  <button type="button" class="button expanded">2</button>

  <button type="button" class="button expanded">3</button>

  <button type="button" class="button expanded">-</button>

  <button type="button" class="button expanded">0</button>

  <button type="button" class="button expanded">.</button>

  <button type="button" class="button expanded">+</button>

  <button type="button" class="button expanded">C</button>

  <button type="button" class="button expanded">=</button>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Driving back to Michigan today (I was attending a conference in Ohio), I was feeling sleepy -- so rather than risk getting into a car accident, I decided to stop somewhere to get coffee and walk a bit. I found a Starbucks...that was across the street from a DSW!!! I couldn't resist the pull of all the beautiful shoes, sitting pretty and pristine on shelves and beckoning to me to try them on!
They didn't have my usual 7.5M, so I tried on the 8M. They were loose and didn't stay on my feet very well (partially because there are only 3 holes on the buckle strap). I would have been better off with my usual size, so I would say that these are TTS. The leather was really soft! Even though they were too big for me, I could tell they are pretty comfortable (much attributed to the soft leather). Mochi is definitely going to be my 2nd SS purchase this month. (My Accent shoes in chili will arrive on Monday!!!) These were BCBG Paris brand and on sale at DSW for $69.95 (MSRP $110).
I also found Wyld! Wyld is a June shoe, so this is for those of you who are lusting over her this month.
I had to try on the 8M size because I couldn't even get my feet in the 7.5M ones. The 8M ones were just a teensy bit long on me, but the ankle straps made up for that. My feet are a hair bit wide in the front, but I've never had to buy wide width shoes in order to fit, so I think these run narrow. The Wyld has patent uppers and 5" heels...though I love my high heels, I was a bit apprehensive wearing them around the store because they come across to me as the type of shoes strippers may wear. I only wore them to walk around for 10 mins or so (my usual shoe shopping routine) but they seem pretty comfortable. These were Jessica Simpson brand. I forgot how much these were retailing for, I think it was as much as the Mochi.
Mochi and Wyld were the only SS shoes I came across while at DSW.
they are practical! Thus, I shall wear them a lot (if it ever stops raining!). They supposedly are 'pink' but I think it's more of a vintage red.
These are the Remini by Calvin Klein. So beautiful! Unfortunately, they didn't have my size, and 7M was too tight and 8M was too loose :-( [I am the Goldilocks of shoes.] I couldn't find them online, so I will have to stalk them at the DSW stores near me. *Sigh* I shall dream about Remini until we meet again! If ANYbody knows where to find these, I will name my first born after you!
So, that was my unexpected shoe-venture. I love shoes. Love love love!


Airboarding is an activity similar to body boarding. You lie on an inflatable tube and glide down a steep hill at 60 miles an hour. No matter how athletic you are you can join in on this activity. This sport was created in Europe by a Swiss inventor by the name of Joe Steiner who started 10 years ago and since then has grown to be a very popular sport in Europe.
A majority of resorts that offer airboarding are already giving lessons to younger children and this will just continue to grow. While there are not many different tricks that are known for airboarders it won't be long before they are invented. Just imagine how many tricks you can do on a snow board, while the idea is not to stand on your airboard, it is quite similar in a way. For example, you may go on half pipes and off jumps with your airboard, and believe it or not at 60 miles an hour, you'll fly.
The obsession of going to the slopes with your airboard sounds like anything else, boring after a while. I have a feeling this is going to take a much bigger approach. If you're a snow lover, enjoy the outdoors, and love being at the slopes, then I couldn't picture you not airboarding. Obviously people that haven't tried it yet won't know what it is, but once it gets out many people will want one. Five resorts in the USA are already allowing airboarding and this winter might be the biggest for this activity as it will grow in popularity. Hopefully other resorts see this as a great business opportunity and join in on the fun.
Unlike snowboarding, airboarding doesn't require a lot of equipment and it's very easy to learn. A few things to know about airboarding are the ability to glide using an inflated tube, the possibility of landing a 4 foot jump into a soft snow drift, and an injury rate much lower than snowboarding. So far the airboard is pretty plain and not much has been done to evolve it into a really awesome "thing", but with time look for extras to be added on to it. Although this might be a fad, I believe it will take a different route. Airboarding will be known as a winter sport so once winter is over, owners will pack there boards up and store them away until next winter. After a few months you will want to get back on the slopes. Other fads that are available all year round usually just drop out of their popularity zone and you hardly hear from them again. Airboarding will be something that everyone will look forward to if it continues to grow like it has.


Lying in the heart of an execrated Garden of Eden, the Four Seasons Resort Seychelles offers an incomparable luxury stay in the middle of an untouched jungle to his guests. Villas above the tree tops, lonesome beaches and high-class service. For the shadowing of the single terraces the new developed parasol of the type S16 with a Balancing-System was installed.
On the terraces of the Four Seasons Resort on Mahe, Seychelles MDT-tex installed the type S16 with anthracite powder coating and high-quality acrylic fabric (300 g / sqm). The type S16 is equipped with a Balancing-System that contains an exact balance distribution between spokes, membrane & rack. Due to that opening and closing becomes a very easy and safe task. Hence, every hotel guest can manually operate the parasol, as the "self collapsing effect" and any injury danger are excluded. The final caps of the screen are adapted to the surroundings, in this case in the colour Turquoise. Flexible positioning is guaranteed by our steel base with roles and Snap-Fit-Adaptors.


Most verbal humour depends on some kind of mismatch between two words or phrases and the funny or unexpected resolution of this incongruity. My last post focused on a type of grammatical ambiguity that allows two conflicting analyses of a sentence, one of them ridiculous. More often, though, humour and ambiguity play on the multiple meanings of words and phrases, or on the clash between different phraseological interpretations.
The article described how Bristol schoolchildren gathered at the headquarters of Avon Valley Railway to stage a re-enactment of the wartime evacuation of children from urban centres in the east to the Bristol countryside. The idea was to give modern kids a taste of what it was like for those other children to be suddenly taken from their homes and evacuated by steam train to an unknown rural environment.
They arrived in time to catch the midnight train to London.
Film crews travelled back in time to uncover historic facts on Coventry's watch-making industry.
Road signs advising motorists to slow down, like SLOW CHILDREN AT PLAY and SLOW WORKERS AHEAD, are an easy target for deliberate mis-reading arising from conflicting ways of chunking the words: slow children + at play rather than the intended imperative slow + children at play. In practice, of course, the layout of such signs disambiguates them: SLOW is usually in a larger typeface and stands on a separate line.
She wore her shoes out dancing in the street.
The obvious reading of this sees wear out (sense 3) as a phrasal verb, while the less likely interpretation involves ellipsis – 'she wore her shoes (when she went) out dancing'. Naturally, the possible ambiguity is resolved in the wider context.
Another kind of double meaning applies only to spoken English; it exploits the unrelated meanings of words that sound the same but are spelt differently, i.e homophones like their/there/they're or sew/sow/so.
Meat from whales is being shipped to Japan and sold illegally.
This momentary confusion can be explained in terms of lexical priming. The juxtaposition of from Wales and to Japan reinforces my erroneous 'two countries' interpretation. Moreover, the noun group meat from whales is at odds with the way we normally talk about meat: we don't often say 'meat from lambs' or even 'meat from horses', but lamb and horse-meat.
And finally, primings vary according to an individual's life-long encounters with a word: I have strong personal and family connections with Wales but only a vague and theoretical relationship with whales. So there was no contest: this mysterious item had to be about Welsh meat. Except that it wasn't.
In English, ambiguity also springs from homonyms – words that have the same spelling and pronunciation but different meanings. Road signs, again, often employ disconcerting homonyms (not intended to be puns) such as MAJOR WORKS AHEAD (to which the response can only be Does he?) and the oft-cited CAUTION – HEAVY PLANT CROSSING, which unfailingly invokes the mental image of a huge plant tiredly dragging its dusty leaves as it slowly makes its way across the tarmac. Everyday language is full of humour, if you want to find it.
Guess who they got to write this blog post? Muggins!
How does 'impact' impact you?


text:
McCormick shifts advertising to focus on cooking basics, bolster digital presence during pandemic
Source: Getty / AlexRaths
Related tags: COVID-19, coronavirus, Mccormick
Spice and flavor giant McCormick & Co. is tweaking its advertising to better support consumers who are new to or unfamiliar with cooking at home, but who have limited options now that many restaurants and foodservice options have shuttered to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
At the same time, changing consumer shopping habits due to COVID-19 also prompted McCormick to shift more of its trade marketing to online and pull back on some in-store promotions as well as delay new merchandising elements, executives told investment analysts March 31 during the company's first quarter earnings results conference call.
"Brand marketing is a key driver of sales growth and we're increasing our investments in 2020 as planned," but at the same time the company has had to "quickly pivot and adjust our messaging in light of the COVID-19 developments," said McCormick chairman, president and CEO Lawrence Kurzius.
He explained that because McCormick has an in-house "marketing excellence organization," it has been able to change and produce new advertising content quickly, and fine-tune messaging to be more relevant to consumers' new reality following voluntary or government mandated orders to stay home more.
For example, Kurzius said, McCormick has changed advertising content to focus on "home family times," as well as providing more basic meal planning and prepping advice. To this end, the company's new advertising campaign with the tagline 'It's Gonna Be Great,' is well timed for consumers' evolving needs during the pandemic.
"This TV and digital campaign is focused on consumer education, on what to make, how to prepare, and build confidence in the kitchen, which is all the more relevant today as consumers cook more at home," he said.
Responding to consumers in real time
Recognizing that COVID-19 has forced many home cooks into their kitchens for the first time, McCormick has "resourced up an area where consumers can write in and get real-time answers to their questions," Kurzius said. "That's a somewhat people-intensive thing, but it's been very much appreciated by consumers."
Kurzius said many of the early questions submitted by consumers center on how to occupy kids at home and prepare recipes to promote health and wellness. Based on sales data from earlier this month, Kurzius added that the answers McCormick staff are supplying are heavily influencing consumers' purchases.
"With kid-friendly recipes from painted sugar cookies to scented slime or window clings, and we're seeing increased consumption in related product. US scanner sales show vanilla is up 54% for example, in the weekend of March 15," he said.
Similarly, he said, US consumption of McCormick's stocks and broth increased 140% and turmeric was up 22% during the same period after the company shared content and recipes on turmeric, bone broth and soup to help with health and wellness.
Now that more consumers' pantries are stocked, Kurzius said some of the questions have shifted to how to create flavorful meals with items that have been stockpiled.
"Canned tuna, eggs and pasta are frequent searches, and we have and will continue to create content to add flavor to these items and more," he said, adding, "Consumers want more convenient solutions to add flavor, as evidenced by recent 104% US consumption growth in dry recipe mixes."
Hitting pause on in-store promotions
While McCormick focuses on reaching consumers digitally, it has hit pause on in-store promotions and the introduction of new merchandising elements, despite a "strong favorable customer reaction" to their rollout earlier this year.
"As we partner with retailers to maintain stocked shelves and business continuity, we will have some delay in our rollout" of new merchandising elements, Kurzius said. But, he added, he expects it to be just as impactful once it is reinstated after the peak of COVID-19 passes as he expects that cooking at home will be a longer-term trend as Americans continue to grapple with the economic fallout of sheltering in place.
The decision to pause promotions that retailers were struggling to execute against could have some negative impact on the sales bump most food and beverage brands see around Easter, but Kurzius said this will be minimal for McCormick.
"I think that whatever impact there is on Easter, it's going to be lost in the shuffle because of the tremendous surge right now. We are seeing the right seasonal items doing strongly," he said. For example, "vanilla for baking [is] a big item right now."
He also noted that Easter is a less important holiday for McCormick than grilling, which is a "bigger factor for us," and which he said he expects will be "really good" this year with people staying at home more.
Marketing is a bright spot
While McCormick's ability to quickly adjust its advertising and marketing strategy should help the firm in both the short- and long-term with brand awareness and loyalty, the company – like many others – is still feeling a negative impact from COVID-19.
According to executives, COVID-19 heavily impacted sales in China, where many consumers did not have a chance to stockpile as they did in the US. As a result, Asia Pacific's consumer sales fell 28% year-over-year and China's profit fell 10% -- creating a headwind that slowed the company's overall growth during the quarter, which saw a 6% drop in organic sales year-over-year.
Negative impact on the business' foodservice channels, which represents about 20% of McCormick sales also dealt a sizeable blow to the company.
Unsure how extensive the pandemic's negative impact will be, McCormick declined to provide additional guidance for 2020 at this point. It noted that many of the other large CPG companies that are still providing guidance are in their fourth quarter and therefore only need to predict about six weeks. McCormick, however, is just at the start of its second quarter and as the duration of the pandemic is still unknown, executives said they cannot confidently make any predictions.
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Flavors for the New Wave of Coffee Drinks and Creamers
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Coffee is a staple of our mornings, of course, but it's quickly finding its luxurious way into other parts of our day. This surge in popularity is attributed...
Are you ready for a new taste experience?
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The Plant-based movement is gaining traction and it is common to refer to Plant-based food as products that are direct replacements for animal-based products....
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By Kalsec®Why the Hot & Spicy Food Trend is an Exciting Opportunity
By T. Hasegawa USA Inc.T. Hasegawa Launches Eight New Citrus Flavors


text:
This gelatin-based tissue patch may heal wounds faster
Collagen-based adhesive gels are commonly used, but these patches are expensive and may cause an immune reaction as collagen is derived from animal sources
NEXT NEWS ❯
By Susheela Srinivas
Last Updated: Wednesday 19 June 2019
Bioactive adhesive tissue patches are emerging as an alternative to suturing for deep cuts and wounds. Collagen-based adhesive gels are commonly used, but these patches are expensive and may cause an immune reaction as collagen is derived from animal sources.
Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B), have now found that gelatin-based patches loaded with silver nanoparticles perform better than collagen ones. Preliminary results have shown its potential to accelerate wound healing, minimise cell toxicity and support cell viability. The gel patch enables fast migration of repair cells along with providing antibacterial property.
Instead of collagen, the researchers used gelatin — a derivative of collagen— and with suitable chemical modification, transformed the gelatin into a gel form. Silver nanoparticles were then incorporated into the gel as an antibacterial agent. "This gel was found to be more efficient in mediating wound healing compared to pure collagen gels," Shamik Sen, involved in the study, told ISW.
The researchers used readily available methacrylategelatinknown as GelMA, which has better mechanical properties than pure gelatin. A precursor solution was prepared by combining it with and a photo-initiating agent. This solution, when applied on the wound surface, fills up the wound area. Upon brief exposure to ultraviolet light, the solution polymerises to form a gel or adhesive.
Cell viability tests were performed by culturing fibroblasts (cells involved in tissue healing) on the gel and tested with a phase-contrast microscope. The results indicated that the gel is conducive for fibroblast motility and growth.
The team then incorporated silver nanoparticles into the gel to take advantage of silver's antibacterial properties. Further tests for the scratch wound assay using a polydimethylsiloxane device showed that the gel could heal wounds by triggering migration of cells into the wound region and proliferate there.
Researchers now hope to test the efficacy of the gel in animals. Their objective is to develop a relatively inexpensive adhesive patch which can be used to heal burn wounds and to treat ulcers in diabetic patients.
The research team at IIT-B included Iffat Jahan, Edna George and Sen from the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering; and Neha Saxena from the Department of Chemical Engineering. The study results have been published inthe journal ACS Applied Bio Materials. (India Science Wire)
adhesive tissue patches healing silver nanoparticles Indian Institute of … Health India
Scientists develop curd-based wound healing gel


The Rosetta probe has been consistently blowing our puny little minds with photos beamed back from Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, but these new photos, taken as Rosetta conducted a low-altitude flyby, give a whole new perspective.
As 67P gets close to the Sun (close in space terms: it's still over 200 million miles away), it's heating up and becoming more active. Up until now, Rosetta has been in orbit around 67P, but thanks to the increased activity, the ESA retasked it with a series of flybys — some at low speed from a long distance, and others fast and close. On Valentine's Day, Rosetta buzzed by just 8.9km from the surface.
Flybys allow Rosetta's instruments to sample the lower reaches of the comet's environment, and thanks to the better lighting conditions, also provide some incredible photos. The full collection, along with a more complete write-up of the mission, is over on the ESA blog.


ST. CHARLES, Ill. (WLS) -- Norovirus was confirmed as the cause of a widespread stomach virus that sickened hundreds at St. Charles East High School earlier this month, the Kane County Health Department said Wednesday.
Classes were canceled for two days at the school after 800 students and 50 staffers missed class on Jan. 9. The school has 2,500 total students and about 100 staffers.
Norovirus Subtype G2 RNA was detected, officials said.
Norovirus is contracted by eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with norovirus, by touching surfaces or objects contaminated with the virus, and then putting their fingers to their mouth, or by caring for or sharing food or eating utensils with a sick person, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
Symptoms of a norovirus infection include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain.
After students and staff became ill, the school brought in cleaning crews to bleach and disinfect the school.


How do we know the Bible is God's Word? What is sin and where did it come from? How is Jesus fully God and fully man? What are spiritual gifts? When and how will Christ return? If you've asked questions like these, then "systematic theology" is no abstract term. It's an approach to finding answers every Christian needs to know. Bible Doctrine takes a highly commended upper-level textbook on systematic theology and makes it accessible to the average reader.


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Stephin Merritt: Musical Polymath Calling Stephin Merritt a reluctant performer is putting it lightly. Nevertheless, the Magnetic Fields leader bellied up to a microphone by himself in a KEXP session. Here, he surveys his expansive catalog and answers questions in the deadpan style that makes his songs so great.
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Stephin Merritt of Magnetic Fields performs at KEXP. Christopher Nelson hide caption
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I recently referred to musical polymath Stephin Merritt as "my beloved nemesis," and meant it in the most affectionate way. Merritt's sublime music — with The Magnetic Fields, with Gothic Archies and in myriad other projects — gives me a reason to live. Like the Joker needs Batman, I need Stephin Merritt to keep me on my toes. And humble.
To have Merritt drop by KEXP while touring in support of The Magnetic Fields' latest album, Distortion, was a major coup. As fans know, calling him a reluctant live performer is putting it lightly. Nevertheless, he bellied up to the microphone by himself and treated us to a brief but well-rounded survey of his expansive catalog: a selection from the Eban and Charley soundtrack, one song apiece from the albums Get Lost and Distortion, and a number originally composed for the audio book of Lemony Snicket's The Hostile Hospital. The only thing that could make me grin more than hearing Merritt reiterate "smile" in a deadpan bass that makes it sound like that word had never crossed his lips is the expressionless way he opens "The Nun's Litany," droning, "I want to be a Playboy's bunny."
Merritt's visit also afforded us a rare chance to pull back the curtain and learn a little more about his creative processes. With the same wit and precision he brings to his lyrics, he fielded questions about the challenges of rhyming traditional Chinese characters (complete with a demonstration), why living in Los Angeles hasn't influenced his aesthetic (but Bali might), and his progress on a stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Coraline. This might be the only in-studio session in KEXP history where the chitchat runs longer than the songs, but every second of Merritt's visit is edge-of-your-seat entertaining.
Originally recorded March 11, 2008.
Listen to the previous Favorite Session, or see our full archive.
A Cold-Weather Anthem for the Cold-Hearted March 28, 2008
Stephin Merritt: Two Days, 'A Million Faces' Nov. 4, 2007
Merritt, Snicket and the 'Tragic Treasury' Dec. 3, 2006
The Magnetic Fields in Concert May 31, 2005
Stephin Merritt's Site


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Anthony McIntyre
Andrew McArthur blogging @ Atheist Republic mistrusts absolutes.
There are many, many things about which I know little, or absolutely nothing at all. I don't see this as a flaw. In life, we have to make choices. Most of us have jobs, families, friends. We have "to do" lists, and commitments that never seem to end, and there are never enough hours in the day. Most times, by day's end however, I like to think I may be a little less ignorant than I was when the sun first shone over the horizon. Still, there are many more things I don't know, than things I do, and I suspect it shall ever be thus. My awareness of the limits of my knowledge exists as a tool to help me explore those limits. Nothing crowds out learning like certainty.
In contrast, believers seem to require absolutes in their lives. Indeed, three of the most terrifying words to a believer are:
A new paradigm for learning
Times have changed from when I was in school; the way we store and access information now has engendered a new paradigm for learning. The late Sir Terry Pratchett coined the term "extelligence" as a label for all the external sources of information society has available to it.
Until recently, libraries were the best example of extelligence. Packed with a wealth of information to be sure, they were cumbersome in terms of accessibility and had a range limited to those willing to do the work to gain access. For a long time knowledge beyond the level required to navigate our daily lives was viewed alternately as forbidden or evil, or more recently as simply arcane.
Now that we (most of us in what we like to refer to as "The Developed Countries"), have smart phones and other types of portable thinking machines, all connected to each other and to the web, the answer to almost any question is only a Google away.
Most of our collective "extelligence" now resides in the ether. Now we can all be "smart" without the necessity of carrying around a cornucopia of minutiae in our limited capacity brains. And perhaps that is part of the problem. With access to such a vast wealth of information literally at our fingertips, facts themselves have become secondary to many a pseudo-intellectual position. You can indeed find almost anything on the web, but it's important to remember that most of what you will find has a negative relationship with reality (that's a polite way of saying it's garbage.)
The weakness of absolute conviction
One sector traditionally on the 'anti' side of any access-to-information debate comprises the "elite" groups which have power over our lives. Governments, Religion, the recently popularized one per cent. People who understand that knowledge is power have a vested interest in maintaining strict controls over its accessibility. No single group however, holds a candle to religion in this category.
Religions have been lying to people for millennia. From the various creation myths, gods and prophets, to dogmatic strictures on behaviour, and to what sort of people are acceptable. Who's a heathen, and who ain't. You can probably see how the Information Age presents challenges for those who seek to exercise control through ignorance. But have no fear, the armies of various gods are marching across the Internet and back! At the drop of a hat, they will provide you with such a wealth of disinformation and fabrications that - should you actually take heed - will drag you back into the morass of ignorance faster than you can nail a skinny guy to a tree (it's Easter, I had to throw that in!).
So now we have a war. A bloodless war for the most part, but a war nonetheless. The sides are clearly demarcated: those who represent the status quo and cling to outdated ideas and mythology, arrayed against those of us who imagine a better world; those who salivate in anticipation of The End with its assumed afterlife, and those of us who understand this life to be all we have. Those who believe themselves to be helpless in the face of an all-knowing, all-seeing god figure, and those of us who realize that most often, a shadow in the dusk is simply that, a shadow.
I was recently involved in yet another mindless debate with a couple of representatives of the anti-intelligence league. They seemed inordinately pleased when I responded to a question concerning the origin of life on Earth, with "I don't know." This pair of intellectual giants guffawed uncontrollably over my admission of ignorance, "Hee hee!" (literally). They seemed to view my uncertainty as to the origin of life - something I share with anyone who claims to be speaking the truth on the matter - as a victory for their team. Being Creationists, they of course know with absolute unshakeable conviction that life was created by an invisible man who lives in the sky, for the express purpose of adoring and worshipping said invisible man.
How did they acquire such certainty when the best minds on our planet have yet to provide an answer? Why, they read it in their big book of everything that's true, proving conclusively that you don't actually need an Internet connection to access garbage masquerading as truth.
Andrew McArthur is an Atheist Republic blogger and newsletter contributor.
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Former IRA volunteer and ex-prisoner, spent 18 years in Long Kesh, 4 years on the blanket and no-wash/no work protests which led to the hunger strikes of the 80s. Completed PhD at Queens upon release from prison. Left the Republican Movement at the endorsement of the Good Friday Agreement, and went on to become a journalist. Co-founder of The Blanket, an online magazine that critically analyzed the Irish peace process. Lead researcher for the Belfast Project, an oral history of the Troubles.
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Home /Vice President Kamala Harris on "Face the Nation" Full transcript:
Vice President Kamala Harris on "Face the Nation" Full transcript:
on "Face the Nation"
Full transcript:
CBSNews
Sun, December 26, 2021, 10:58 AM
The following is the full transcript of an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris that aired Sunday, December 26, 2021, on "Face the Nation."
MARGARET BRENNAN: Medical experts are projecting that we could see as many as a million infections per day because of this new Omicron variant. Is our healthcare system prepared for what's coming?
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: We are prepared for it, and there's no question. I mean, if you think of where we are today as compared to even a year ago, we have vaccines. We are clear that wearing masks, especially in public spaces, makes a difference. We have the tools now to really keep ourselves safe. And I think part of the issue that is confronting us as a country and as a society is ensuring that everyone is doing everything they individually have the power to do to slow this thing down. And I can't stress enough, one, I understand why people are concerned about this. Parents with young children. There is a lot about this moment that is frustrating. But let's not forget our individual power to actually do something about it. Everyone has to get vaccinated. The vaccines are free. They are safe and they'll save your life. Get the booster shot. Against Omicron it almost guarantees that you are unlikely to have to go to the hospital much less God forbid that- that you die because of this virus. There are things that people can do, and I can't stress enough that right now everyone has the ability to make these choices that will have a result and an impact on themselves and their community,
MARGARET BRENNAN: But particularly in the Northeast, we're already seeing hospitals overwhelmed with Delta. Inflation is real. It's going to be with us as long as the pandemic dominates. As you know, exhaustion is just with us all the time. When can you tell the American people this will end?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: What I can say is that we have the power today to have an impact on tomorrow, and we can't shortchange the significance of that. We have the power today to go out and if you've not been boosted, go get boosted. The power today to go and get vaccinated.
And that will have an impact on where we end up tomorrow. And that is again, where every individual has it within their ability and- and many may argue within their responsibility to actually take on these- these- accept the tools that are available to do something about this issue.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Is it the fault of the unvaccinated?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I don't think this is a moment to talk about fault. It- it is no one's fault that this virus hit our shores or hit the world. I would not blame it on anyone in that way. But it is more about individual power and responsibility, and it's about the decisions that everyone has the choice to make, no doubt. But it is clear that everyone has the ability to make a choice to save their lives and- and to prevent hospitalization if they get vaccinated and if they get the booster. And so I urge people to do that.
MARGARET BRENNAN: This is going to be hard for the economy. Are you going to need to ask Congress for another relief package?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Well, I'm glad you talked about the economy. Let's talk about the economy. First of all, as an administration, as we look at the end of the year, there are specific facts that we are proud of on the issue of the economy. We have reduced unemployment down to 4.2%. The economists predicted that we wouldn't get there for another couple of years, but here we are. We have reduced the deficit by over $300 billion. We have created over 6 million jobs, so there are good things that happened- have happened as it relates to the strength of the economy. Let's also talk about the most recent facts. Excuse me, not Moody's, but Goldman Sachs indicated that the failure to pass BBB, the Build Back Better Act is going to have a negative impact on our fiscal health.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mmhm.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: But the converse is also true. And again, what is within our grasp to pass Build Back Better? Where we bring down the cost of living. When we talk about the economy, the average person in America is going to measure the economy based on can they actually just afford to get through the day and through the month. The cost of living, can they keep up with the cost of living, child care, elder care, prescription drugs? And that's one of the reasons our priority. To your point about the economy that has been the fuel behind our insistence that we find common ground in Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act so we can bring down the cost of living for- for real American working people.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You're talking about the Build Back Better act like it still has some life to it. As you know, Sen. Joe Manchin said, he's a no. You don't have the votes.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: You know, I was in the Senate for four years before I came here, and I have seen the ups and downs in terms of legislation. I mean, those of us who study history, recent or- or ancient know that there are many times over the course of history where legislation was doomed to be dead and it still kept going. The Affordable Care Act is one of the most recent examples of that, or even the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act now not deal, where lots of folks said it was dead on arrival, but we got it done. So, I'm not giving up the president's not giving up, and frankly, the stakes are too high. I mean, we're literally talking about saying that no family should pay more than 7% of their income in child care. We're saying that for people who have diabetes, I have family members. Many people know or have diabetes. The only thing that will keep them alive is insulin, and it is so expensive.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But it is the cost of the bill that has led Sen. Joe Manchin at least publicly to say it's actually going to hurt the economy. His argument is that it'll add to inflation, among many other things.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: And- and Goldman Sachs just today said that actually, we know that Build Back Better will strengthen the economy. And so, I think there is without any question, room for discussion about what actually will be the impact to the economy. And objective, leading and highly respected economists are weighing in on this discussion to say, in fact, no. And you can look at the impact on- on- on the economy and see that not only is it morally right to say parents shouldn't have to struggle to take care of their basic needs like caring for their children and their parents- and their parents and their elder relatives. But it actually makes economic sense to do that and it brings down the cost of living.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But when you look at what's actually possible right now,–
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Yeah.
MARGARET BRENNAN: —do you feel that Senator Manchin is playing fair with you? I mean, he went on television and said no, pretty definitively.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I think the stakes are too high for this to be in any way about any specific individual. We have to-you know, one of the things—
MARGARET BRENNAN: It's a 50-50 Senate, though, so you need him.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: It is. I'm the tiebreaker. I'm the tie vote.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That's- exactly.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: In fact, the president and I joke and when I leave one of our meetings to go break a tie, he says, Well, that's going to be a winning vote. Whenever I vote, we win. It's a- it's a joke we have, but- the stakes are so high. And we can't afford in this moment of time where we have an opportunity to do something so substantial in terms of public policy in America, to literally help families. To- we can't- I- I refuse to get caught up in the what might be personal politics when the people who are waking up at three o'clock in the morning worried about how they're going to get by could care less about the politics of D.C. They just want us to fix things.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you don't feel betrayed?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: No, I don't feel- I don't have any personal feelings about this. This is about letting's get the job done. Let's get it done. Let's see it through. Let's listen to objective sources of information on the economic impact. Let's travel the country if we haven't already. I have. And talk with families who say I can't afford to do the basic things that I need to do as a responsible adult, like care for my children, care for my older parents or afford to get lifesaving medication like insulin. These are the things that are at stake.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, the child care tax credit has already expired. How do you—
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: We have to extend it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: —come up with—
MARGARET BRENNAN: How do you do that without Sen. Manchin?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: You don't give up. That's how we do it. We don't give up. That's how.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, the president has also put you in charge of voting rights.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Yeah I- and I asked. Yeah.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You asked it? Did you want this?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I- you may know I am a child of parents who met when they were active in the Civil Rights movement.
MARGARET BRENNAN:Mmhm.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I- there is so much about this fight for – justice and the ideals of our democracy that are part of my DNA and on the issue of voting, we have seen 18 at least states, over a dozen states that have passed, I'm told 33 laws that are making it difficult for the American people to vote. You know, I've been meeting with prime ministers and presidents from around the world. One of my favorite interactions was with the now past Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. She came over for breakfast and we talked about everything that has to do with our relative security as nations and our priorities. And then she asked me about voting. She asked me about voting, and she knew what was going on here, and this is not a subject that was unique to my conversation with her, by the way, in terms of world leaders, because people around the world watch what we do as America because we have held ourselves out to be a model of the efficacy of the-the ability of a democracy to coexist with economic strength and power. We have been role models saying, you can see this and aspire to this and reject autocracies and autocratic leadership. And right now, we're about to take ourselves off the map as a role model, if we let- if we let people destroy one of the most important pillars of a democracy which is free and fair elections.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You're talking about what's happening in state capitals around the country.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I am and- and but I'm talking about that, and I'm talking about what's not happening in this Capitol in Washington, D.C., which is the passing of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. We have to we have to agree- and this is not about saying you should vote for me or you should vote for Democrats. This is about everyone having unfettered access to their right to vote and- and agreeing that this is bigger than one election cycle. This is literally about our standing in the world, it's about the integrity of our democracy. And I do believe of all the things that are on the headline news tonight, tomorrow, for the next week or months, when our kids look back five-ten years from now, at this moment it will be on the watch that we either stood for and fought for our democracy or not. And that I think that is all at stake right now.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But you still have the reality of a 50-50 Senate–
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Correct.
MARGARET BRENNAN: –And you have two senators who say they're not on board for changing the filibuster in order to try to push this through. So how do you overcome that democratic reality of not having the votes and not having a clear path forward?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: And you're right to talk about the-the structure and the rules of the Senate, and that is real. And we will do, and look at whatever is necessary to push for Congress to take this issue on. And we have to, we have to.
MARGARET BRENNAN: A carve-out to the filibuster?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is that we are going to urge the United States Congress, and we have been, to examine the tools they have available to do what is necessary to fight for and retain the integrity of our voting system in America.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It sounds like you're open, though, to a carve-out to the filibuster to get there.–
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I –
MARGARET BRENNAN: –You were when you ran for president on the issue of climate. Are voting rights as important to you?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I believe that voting rights is one of the most significant issues that is facing us as individuals and as leaders today, there's no question, no question. Voting rights lead to every other right, every other right. And so we need to prioritize it as a nation, all of us and understand why voting rights are important and- and- and insist that our elected leaders preserve these rights. But, MARGARET, realize that what's happening right now includes that the entire Republican caucus of the Senate have voted against even debating this subject,–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right, but so–
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: –even debating, and I- I just- I think it's really important that in this conversation about what's happening in Washington, D.C. on the issue of voting, that we not lose sight of the fact that there is one whole group of people, half of the United States Senate, who are refusing to even debate this issue. Like you can then end up where you are, but stand up before the American people, state your position, defend your position. See if it stands up to logic and reason or your stated, or supposed ideals and values as an- as an American.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But to that point, you were just in the Senate–
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: –and the president spent decades there. How come you can't pull someone across the aisle on this?–
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: We are trying.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Or even Joe Manchin within your own party?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: We are not going to give up on these issues, but you're right. It's a 50-50 Senate. It's a 50-50 Senate and so- but it has to be a combination of us as an administration, but also everyone weighing in. And I'm glad we're having this conversation. I think we have to continue to elevate the conversation about voting rights. Given the daily grind that people are facing, this may not feel like an immediate or urgent matter when in fact it is. And the more we have the opportunity to talk about it, the more I think people will see, yeah, I don't want an America of the future for my kids to be in an America where we are- are- are suppressing the right of the American people to vote.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to move on to foreign policy but just to button that up though, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says it's delusional for Democrats to think they're going to win control in 2022 if they don't do something about the filibuster and student debt. Will we see any movement on student debt in the new year?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: So, I know that Sec. Cardona, the Secretary of Education, is working on what we can do and must do frankly to relieve the- the pressures of student loan debt, and it's a real issue. Students across- well graduates and former students across our country are literally making decisions about whether they can have a family, whether they can buy a home. You know, I'll date myself, but you know, I had student loan debt. I remember that coupon book, and I had to fill out the coupon and write the check every month. And it's no small matter, and we need to figure out a way to relieve debt. So it's a fair issue in terms of the seriousness of the issue. Voting we've discussed, it is a very big issue, and what I believe we must do is continue to be vigilant and fighting for folks who have a right to be seen and their circumstances to be heard and understood because we have the ability to actually alleviate the burdens that people are carrying that make it difficult for them to get through the day or in the month.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But do you think you need to deliver on that promise before 2022?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Which promise?
MARGARET BRENNAN: On debt forgiveness for student loans?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Well, I think that we have to continue to do what we're doing and figure out how we can creatively relieve the pressure that students are feeling because of their student loan debt. Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: On foreign policy, I know you take the presidential daily brief most days you said–
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Every- I read it every day. I read it every day, and then most days the president and I actually do it together with our IC- with the intelligence community.
MARGARET BRENNAN: What do you see is the biggest national security challenge confronting the U.S.? What is the thing that worries you and keeps you up at night?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Frankly, one of them is our democracy. And that I can talk about because that's not classified. It really does. I-I- there is I think no question in the minds of people who are foreign policy experts that the year 2021 is not the year 2000. You know, I think there's so much about foreign and domestic policy that, for example, was guided and prioritized based on Sept 11, 2001. And we are embarking on a- a new era where the threats to our nation take many forms, including the threat of autocracies taking over and having outsized influence around the world. And so I go back to our- our point about the need to fight for the integrity of our democracy. In addition, it is obviously about what we need to do in the climate crisis. We just did the meetings around COP and recognizing- you know, some used to laugh and say how can you say that the climate crisis is about national security? Well, of course it is. And I can go through the details of why. But what we must do then in- in the face of any and all threats is recognize that one of our greatest strengths is to strengthen our relationship with our allies and partners around the world. And that has been one of the highest priorities of our administration. It has been to re-enter, for example, the Paris Agreement. It has been to-to do the work of working with our European allies. It is the work of building back the trust that is necessary for us to be a member of- of- of a community of nations that share values and priorities. And I think one of the greatest threats that we saw recently is that when we pull out of the- those relationships, we weaken our standing as a nation and therefore weaken, I believe, our security.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mhmm. There are 100,000 Russian troops on the border with Ukraine.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Yep.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Are we going to see a hot war in Europe in the next few weeks?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Well, we are having direct conversations with Russia. The president, as you know, met recently virtually with Putin, and we are very clear that- that Russia should not invade the sovereignty of Ukraine, that we must stand up and we are standing up for its territorial integrity. We are working with our allies in that regard, and we've been very clear that we are prepared to issue sanctions like you've not seen before.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Does that mean sanctioning Vladimir Putin directly?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I'm not going to talk about specific sanctions, but we are making that clear to him, and we are in direct conversations. And we are also working very closely with our allies. And again, let's use this issue as an example of the importance of the strength of those relationships.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But in the past alongside allies we've sanctioned, it's been punitive. It hasn't prevented anything. It hasn't stopped Vladimir Putin to date.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: And I'll repeat that the type of sanctions that we're talking about are sanctions that we've not done before.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Should cyberattacks be considered like terror attacks?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I think that, you know, I actually wrote a book many years ago, and I do believe that it is important for us to have a cyber doctrine. One of the- the areas of focus for me is what I'm doing to lead the space council and three priorities there- essentially, it's a- it's in the context of national security, but one of them is the role and the responsibility that we have to work with our partners and allies around international norms and rules. And that relates to what we are doing in space, be it commercial or- or activity in civil space, or national security. Similarly, on the issue of cyber, it is important that we work with our allies on these issues. When I was in France meeting with Macron, this is one of the issues that we discussed, which is the importance of all of us as allies and partners and even those who are adversaries, making sure that we are all on the same page about what will be interpreted as a threat or not, and with some level of consensus about what the norms and the rules are and what they should be. I think that's critically important as we look at emerging threats, there's no question. Everyone- I think you don't have to read a PDB to know that cyber is one of those issues.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You said you were last in the room on the decision in Afghanistan to pull out. You've talked about not abandoning allies.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Mhmm.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you feel personal responsibility for the chaos of that withdrawal?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I fully supported the president's decision to after what was taking on the fact of being an endless war, of pulling American troops out, and I think it's really important to remember that the previous administration negotiated a deal with the Taliban, did not invite the Afghan government to be at the table, and negotiated a deal that- that required and promised as part of an agreement that we would pull out by the end of May.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mhmm.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: So, we were saddled with that responsibility based on an agreement between the United States and the Taliban and so–
MARGARET BRENNAN: You agreed to extend it and not to break the agreement with the Taliban.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: –We made the decision that if we were to break the agreement, it would have been a whole other situation, and right now I strongly believe that had we broken that agreement, we would be talking about the war in Afghanistan. And American troops in Afghanistan, and we're not talking about that. I don't regret that.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But I know as a candidate, you pledged to protect the gains that were made for Afghan women.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Yes. Yeah. And I feel very strongly about that.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Many of those Afghan women are not in school today because the Taliban is in control.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Which is why we are working through the U.N. And doing what we need to do through our friends to provide humanitarian assistance, bypassing the Taliban to make sure that we are supporting women and girls there. One of our big issues in terms of any conversations with the Taliban is exactly this point, which is the condition, the status and the treatment of women and girls, including for girls, access to education, not to mention our concern about counterterrorism and what we need to do in terms of that threat. So, these are real issues there's no question. The United States has been and continues to be, since the end of August, the biggest donor of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan–
MARGARET BRENNAN: But you know, a lot of that aid isn't able to make it into the people who need it because of the sanctions on the Taliban being in control. So it's just- Afghan women, do you worry that they were abandoned by the United States essentially?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I worry that the Taliban has not complied with what we know to be the appropriate treatment and the right treatment of girls and women, and that's why we are taking the posture that we are with the Taliban right now, because that is one of our greatest considerations and concerns.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You went to Guatemala in June, and you clearly delivered the message, "do not come." You took a lot of grief from progressives in your party for saying that. Do you regret having to say that?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I was in Guatemala because we have to address, in a comprehensive way, the root causes of migration. When I was in Guatemala, I talked with the Guatemalan people about what I've talked to folks in this very room who have convened about this issue, which is the vast majority of people, wherever they are from, don't want to leave home. They don't want to leave the language they speak. The place where they- they pray, their grandmother. Most people don't want to leave home. And when they do, it's for one or two reasons. Either they can't take care of the basic needs of themselves in their family or they're fleeing harm. And so my approach to the issue in Guatemala and its neighboring countries, which has been formerly called the Northern Triangle, is to do what we have, I think, a responsibility to do, as a member of the Western Hemisphere. To assist in dealing with the root causes of migration out of those countries. And that is my primary focus. In fact, just the week before last I convened after many meetings, American CEOs. We started out with 12, now we got 77, partnering with us around investment in Guatemala to deal with a variety of issues that are about their economy and their workers, including women as farmers and workers there.
I have been working with our Department of Justice to do what we need to do to enhance prosecutions, investigations and prosecutions around human trafficking and smuggling. That was an area of focus for me when I was attorney general of California was taking on the issue of transnational criminal organizations and human trafficking. It's a big issue that we need to address. So that is the work we're doing.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I think the critics don't understand that though, the progressives within your own party who are critical of you for that message.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I think it's important to focus on the details of what we collectively want, and I think everyone, regardless of their- where they are on the political spectrum, appreciates the point that people don't want to leave home. And- and what can we do as a neighbor to help them stay at home when that's in fact what they want to do? And I'll tell you, when I was in Guatemala and spoke with the people there, that was emphasized in a way that I knew before I got there, but was really emphasized when I got there. People don't want to leave. They don't want their family members to leave. Their family members didn't want to leave.
MARGARET BRENNAN: What do you think, as you come to the end of this first year, what do you think your biggest failure has been at this point?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: To not get out of D.C. more. (Laughs) I mean, and I actually mean that sincerely for a number of reasons. You know, I- we, the president and I came in, you know, COVID had already started. It was- the pandemic had started. And when we came in, we really couldn't travel. You know, a large part of the relationship that he and I have built has been being in this, you know, together in the same office for hours on end, doing Zooms or whatever because we couldn't get out of D.C. and on issues that are about fighting for anything from voting rights to child care to one of the issues that I care deeply about maternal health. Being with the people who are directly impacted by this work, listening to them so that they, not some pundit, tells us what their priorities are, I think is critically important. People are- people have a right to know and believe that their government actually sees and hears them. And my biggest concern is I don't ever want to be in a bubble when it comes to being aware of and in touch with what people need at any given moment in time.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And I know we're- we're running out of time here, but I want to ask you, you know, I've talked to some of your former Senate colleagues and they say you have been given an impossible portfolio. And a lot of people have been harshly critical of that. And I want to ask you if you think some of these things are fair or unfair. Donna Brazile, the former Democratic strategist said, "all the focus on turnover in your office is overblown, but you do need to renew and repurpose." Bakari Sellers said, "her portfolio is trash. You give someone a portfolio that is not meant for them to succeed." Do you think any of this is fair? Do you think you're being set up to fail?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: No, I don't believe I'm being set up to fail. But- but–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Because these are Democrats saying this.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: –But more important I'm the Vice President of the United States, anything that I handle is because it's a tough issue. And it couldn't be handled at some other level. And there are a lot of big, tough issues that need to be addressed. And it has actually been part of my lifelong career to deal with tough issues and this is no different.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Why do you think there is such scrutiny? I mean, women are always held to a different standard, that's just a fact. Is the fact that you're a woman and the fact that you are a minority in this office part of why there is such scrutiny?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I'll leave that for others to deal with. I, you know, I- I have a job to do. And I'm going to get that job done. Let me just tell you, if you talk about being the first or being- maybe it's because I am that, for the first time maternal health is on the stage at the White House, where we're bringing people in from around the country to talk about maternal mortality, to talk about issues like postpartum care and why we should expand Medicaid coverage so it's not just 60 days, but it's for a year because that's how long she needs that assistance. And to do it because it's the right thing to do regardless of your gender, regardless of your race. And it affects so many women around our country.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That's all in Build Back Better.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Well, I've been working on it before we offered Build Back Better. I will work on it my entire career and elevate it to the extent that I have a microphone in front of me.
Full interview: Vice President Kamala Harris on "Face the Nation"
Open: This is "Face the Nation," December 26


RALPH MCGARRY 14/03/2018 The snow has melted, and Spring is back! Time to do your annual clear out and spring clean.
The CIE Hall in the CIE Works Estate is hosting the annual Spring Fair on Saturday, 14th April 2018 from 12 noon to 5pm. We are looking for items to sell on the various stalls including clothes, toys, books and bric-a-brac. No electrical goods or broken items please. Home baking also gratefully accepted for sale on the day.


text:
FINANCE COMMITTEE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Posted Wednesday, August 26, 2020 10:48 am
A Public Hearing on the following proposed Ordinances will be held before the Finance Committee on Monday, September 14, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. pursuant to Section 3.12 of the Charter via Zoom webinar.
When: Sep 14, 2020 07:00 PM
Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Finance
https://zoom.us/j/97919008967?pwd=NFNnNy9GdFUzMWMwTVo2Zzc1SUM5UT09
US: +13126266799,,97919008967#,,,,,,0#,,252156# or +16465588656,,97919008967#,,,,,,0#,,252156#
US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or 833 548 0282 (Toll Free) or 877 853 5247 (Toll Free) or 888 788 0099 (Toll Free) or 833 548 0276 (Toll Free)
International numbers available:
https://zoom.us/u/abg2l198dB
Complete copies of proposed Ordinances are available for public review at the City Clerk's Office and the Cranston Central Library and can be viewed on the City's website cranstonri.com under calendar by clicking on the meeting date.
"Individuals requesting interpreter services for the deaf or hard of hearing must notify the City Clerk's Office at 461-1000 ext. 3197 seventy-two (72) hours in advance of the hearing date."
Michael W. Favicchio, Chair Leanne Zarrella, JD
Finance Committee City Clerk
PROPOSED ORDINANCE
NO. 8-20-01 AUTHORIZING THE CITY TO UTILIZE WESTERN ROAD IMPACT FEES FOR THE
ENGINEERING FOR TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS AT TWO MAJOR INTERSECTIONS
It is ordained by the City Council of the City of Cranston as follows:
SECTION 1. The City of Cranston is hereby authorized under the authority vested in the Impact Fees Ordinance (No. 96-49, October 28, 1996) to utilize an amount not to exceed $100,000 of Western Cranston Road Impact Fees for the engineering of traffic improvements at the intersections of Natick/Wilbur, and Hope/Phenix/Wilbur. This project was approved as a FY21 capital expense.
SECTION 2. This Ordinance shall take effect upon its final adoption.
Fiscal Note:
I hereby certify that there are sufficient funds in this account for this appropriation.
Robert Strom, Finance Director
Sponsored by: Mayor Fung
NO. 8-20-02 IN AMENDMENT OF CHAPTER 3.08 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF CRANSTON, 2005, ENTITLED "CONTRACTS AND PURCHASES"
(Creating the MINORITY OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE, WOMEN MINORITY OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE AND VETERAN OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE)
SECTION 1: Title 3, Chapter 3.08, is hereby amended by adding the following:
3.08.100 – Minority, Women, Veteran Business Enterprises
(a) "Affirmative action" means taking specific steps to eliminate discrimination and its effects, to ensure nondiscriminatory results and practices in the future, and to involve minority business enterprises fully in contracts and programs funded by the state.
(b) "Bidder" means any individual, organization, corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, joint stock company, joint venture, or any other legal entity through which business is conducted that is submitting a quite or bid in response to a solicitation by the City of Cranston Purchase Office or any other City of Cranston department.
(c) "Compliance" means the condition existing when a contractor has met and implemented the requirements of this chapter.
(d) "Contract" means a mutually binding legal relationship or any modification thereof obligating the seller to furnish supplies or services, including construction, and the buyer to pay for them. For purposes of this chapter, a lease is a contract.
(e) "Contractor" means one who participates, through a contract or subcontract, in any procurement or program covered by this chapter and includes lessees and material suppliers.
(f) "Certified" means an applicant firms which has been reviewed by the State of Rhode Island Department of Administration and found to have met the certification requirement provided in these regulations.
(g) "Construction" means construction, alteration, or repair (including dredging, excavating and painting) of buildings, structures, or other real property.
(h) "Minority" means a person who is a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States and who is:
(1) Black (a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa);
(2) Hispanic (a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race);
(3) Portuguese (a person of Portuguese, Brazilian, or other Portuguese culture or origin, regardless of race);
(4) Asian American (a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands);
(5) American Indian and Alaskan Native (a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America); or
(6) Members of other groups or other individuals found to be economically and socially disadvantaged by the Small Business Administration under § 8(a) of the Small Business Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. § 637(a).
(i) "Minority Business Enterprise" or "MBE" means a small business concern, as defined pursuant to § 3 of the federal Small Business Act, 15 U.S.C. § 632, and implementing regulations, which is owned and controlled by one or more minorities or women. For the purposes of this chapter, owned and controlled means a business:
(1) Which is at least fifty-one percent (51%) owned by one or more minorities or women or, in the case of a publicly owned business, at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the stock of which is owned by one or more minorities or women; and
(2) Whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more such individuals.
(j) "Request for Proposals" or "RFP" means a solicitation for competitive offers where lowest price is not the sole or primary consideration to be used in determining an award or any other solicitation that is identified and classified by the City of Cranston as a request for proposals.
(k) "Request for Quotes" or "RFQ" means a solicitation for competitive offers where lowest price is the sole or primary consideration to be used in determining an award or any other solicitation that is identified and classified by the City of Cranston as a request for quotes.
(l) "Women Business Enterprise" or "WBE" means a small business concern, as defined pursuant to Section 3 of the Federal Small Business Act (15 USC Section 632) and implementing regulations, which is owned and controlled by one or more women.
(m) "Veteran Business Enterprise" or "VBE" small business which is at least:
(1) Fifty-one percent (51%) owned and controlled by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged veterans, or
(2) In the case of a publicly owned business, at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the stock of which is owned by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged veterans, and
(3) Whose management and daily business operations are controlled by those same socially and economically disadvantaged veteran owners. Ownership must be real, substantial, and continuing, and the veteran applicant must have and exercise the authority to independently control the business decisions of the enterprise.
(4) Be a small business concern as defined pursuant to the U.S. Small Business Administration criteria and size standard in 13.C.F. R. Part 121
(5) Owner(s) must be a veteran found to be economically disadvantages, in accordance with 49.C.F.R. Part 26.
(5) The business must be in operation a minimum of six (6) months prior to applying for certification.
(6) Existing businesses whose ownership and control have been transferred to veterans must be in the control of the veterans a minimum of six (6) months prior to applying for certification.
(n) "Veteran" means a person who served on active duty with the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard, for a minimum of one hundred eighty (180) days and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. Reservists or members of the National Guard called to federal active duty (for other than training) or disabled from a disease or injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty or while in training also qualify as a veteran pursuant to 38 C.F.R. Part 74.
(o) "MBE coordinator" means the official and or purchasing agent designated to have overall responsibility for promotion of minority business enterprise in his or her departmental element.
(p) "Noncompliance" means the condition existing when a recipient or contractor has failed to implement the requirements of this chapter.
The purpose of this section is to increase and carry out the city's and state policy of supporting the fullest possible participation of firms owned and controlled by minorities (MBEs), women (WBEs) and (VBEs) in city and state funded directed public construction programs and projects in municipal purchases of goods and services through solicitation of Request for Proposals (RFP) and/or Request for Proposals (RFP). This includes assisting MBEs, WBEs and VBEs throughout the life of contracts in which they participate. It is in the best interest of the city to promote the equitable utilization of MBEs, WBEs and VBEs in city contracting; that the requirements of this chapter are necessary to overcome the present effects of discrimination and are designed to achieve the goal of equitable utilization of MBEs, WBEs and VBEs while at the same time maintaining a high quality of goods and services provided to the city through competitive bidding as required by city ordinance.
It is the policy of the City of Cranston that: minority business enterprises (MBEs), women business enterprises (WBEs), veteran business enterprises (VBEs) shall have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of procurements and projects as prime contractors and vendors. In addition, prime contractors shall utilize MBEs, WBEs and VBEs so as to enable the city, its purchasing department, and all its contracting departments to meet or exceed the goals set forth in this section. The utilization of MBEs, WBEs and VBEs as subcontractors and/or suppliers to the prime contractor, and/or the use of minority and women laborers, will be considered in determining the lowest possible bidder.
Applicability:
This chapter shall apply to any and all state and city reimbursement and funded projects, constructions and purchasing, but not limited to the procurement of goods, services, construction projects, or contracts funded in a whole or in part by state funds, city funds, or funds which, in accordance with federal grant or otherwise, the state expends or administers.
Discrimination Prohibited.
No person shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise discriminated against in connection with the award and performance of any project or contract covered by this chapter, on the grounds of race, color, national origin or sex.
Minority Business Enterprises.
Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) shall be included in all requests for procurements under this chapter and the city shall strive to achieve each of the goals hereinafter established. Upon passage of this section, the city shall utilize the goal of ten (10) percent which is presently being used by the State of Rhode Island as found in P.L. 1986, Ch. 493, Section 1, as amended R.I.G.L. § 37-14.1 et seq. and the "Regulations Governing Participation by Minority Business Enterprises in State Funded and Directed Public Construction Projects, Construction Contracts and Procurement Contracts for Goods and Services" promulgated by the State of Rhode Island Department of Administration, where not inconsistent with this section. Upon completion of the so-called "predicate study" which will be undertaken, the goals for MBEs will be readjusted based upon the findings contained in said "predicate study" for the first year immediately following submission and acceptance of the said "predicate study" by the city council, increasing annually in each successive year by the recommended percentage contained in the said "predicate study" until either the final goal of participation of MBEs in all procurements for goods and services has been achieved or that the program created by this section terminates.
Women Business Enterprises.
Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) shall be included in all requests for procurements under this chapter and the city shall strive to achieve each of the goals hereinafter established. Upon passage of this section, the city shall utilize the goal of ten (10) percent which is presently being used by the State of Rhode Island as found in P.L. 1986, Ch. 493, Section 1, as amended R.I.G.L. § 37-14.1 et seq. and the "Regulations Governing Participation by Minority Business Enterprises in State Funded and Directed Public Construction Projects. Construction Contracts and Procurement Contracts for Goods and Services" promulgated by the State of Rhode Island Department of Administration, where not inconsistent with this section. Upon completion of the so-called "predicate study" which will be undertaken, the goals for WBEs will be readjusted based upon the findings contained in said "predicate study" for the first year immediately following submission and acceptance of the said "predicate study" by the city council, increasing annually in each successive year by the recommended percentage contained in the said "predicate study" until either the final goal of participation of WBEs in all procurements for goods and services has been achieved or that the program created by this section terminates.
Veteran Business Enterprise
(a) Per RIGL §37-14.3-4 Veterans-owned small business enterprise participation, the state's annual goal for veteran-owned small business enterprises to participate in state procurements shall be no less than three percent (3%) of the total value of all contracts available to businesses in each fiscal year. The director of the department of administration is authorized and directed to establish by rules and regulations formulas for giving veteran-owned small business enterprises a preference in all procurements and public works projects and in contract and subcontract awards.
(b) The director of the department of administration is further authorized to establish, by rules and regulations adopted in accordance with chapter 35 of title 42, compliance formulas, procedures for implementation, and procedures for enforcement.
Review.
This section shall be reviewed by the city council every five (4) years starting in calendar year 2021 or when a Rhode Island General Law has been changed to ascertain the need for adjustments and/or termination of the program if its goals are being consistently met.
Sanctions.
The City of Cranston Board of Contract and Purchase shall have the power to impose sanctions upon contractors or vendors not in compliance with this section and shall include but not be limited to (1) suspension of payment; (2) termination of the contract; (3) recovery by the city of ten (10) percent of the contract award price as liquidated damages; and (4) denial of right to participate in future projects for up to three (3) years. Additional sanctions for non-compliance per Rhode Island General Law §37-14. 1-8, the Director of the Department of Administration shall have the power to impose sanctions upon vendors not in compliance with RIGL § 37-14-14.1.
Rules and Regulations.
It shall be the duty of the board of contract and purchase to adopt reasonable rules, regulations and procedures to ensure compliance with this section.
Process and Certification.
The City of Cranston, MBE/WMBE coordinator, purchasing agent, or such other appropriate person(s) shall request from bidders/vendors a official State of Rhode Island certification as an MBE, WBE or VBE pursuant to Rhode Island General Laws § 37-14.1-7 which relates to Minority Business Enterprise and Rhode Island General Laws § 42-35-1 relating to the Administrative Procedure Act, the Rhode Island Department of Administration, Diversity, Equity and Opportunity has developed Rules and Regulations governing the certification and decertification of small businesses that are owned and controlled by minorities, woman or disadvantage individuals to participate in state and federal programs administered by the State of Rhode Island. which must be complete and submitted to the City of Cranston Purchase Office. To qualify as Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Woman Minority Business Enterprise (WBE) a firm must first meet eligibility standards established in Chapter 37 -14-.1-7. To qualify as a Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE) a firm must first meet eligibility established in RIGL §37-14.3-4 Veterans-owned small business enterprise participation.
The City of Cranston does authorize and/or issue eligibility state certification for Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) or Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE). All certification shall be done through the State of Rhode Island Department of Administration Office of Diversity, Equity & Opportunity, MBE Compliance Office.
Roll of Information.
The City of Cranston shall add language and/or hyperlink pertaining to this ordinance: 3.08.100 – Minority, Women, Veteran Business Enterprises - CHAPTER 3.08 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF CRANSTON, 2005, ENTITLED "CONTRACTS AND PURCHASES" on the official City of Cranston website within the Purchase Department webpage.
Sponsored by Councilmembers
Vargas, Donegan, Germain, Hopkins and Council President Farina
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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING - Proposed Zone Change (1000 New London Avenue)