Following an intensive three weeks, the 5th Global Environments Summer Academy (GESA) successfully concluded on August 14th 2015. Participants departed the academy, held in Bern (Switzerland), infused with energy and purpose, celebrating newly found inspiration and the seeds of new collaborations sowed. The academy again delivered an enriching, transformative and inspiring experience for both participants and organisers.
Salvia Goethe Retreat facilitator Emily (centre) took participants to new heights with dynamic sessions in the Swiss Alps. (L to R) Sarah-Lan (Switzerland), Gloria (Kenya), Emily (US; retreat facilitator), Bryans (Uganda) and Serge (Benin).
In this fifth year, 504 candidates applied from 94 countries. Following an intensive selection process, 21 participants joined GESA from all over the world: 5 from Africa, 3 from Asia, 5 from Europe, 5 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 3 from Northern America. These individuals collectively speak some 31 languages and come from diverse disciplines with exceptional academic backgrounds and broad practical experiences. They clearly possess the potential to become future environmental leaders. Our website has a portrait and profile of each participant, now integrated with the profiles of all other GESA alumni.
This year's GESA again opened with a 2-day Salvia Goethe Dynamic Engagement Retreat in the Swiss Alps. This grounded the group in an experience of our ecological identities, and provided guidance and inspiration on how to establish this as a lens for experiencing the world. The group engaged elements of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's process for knowing the phenomenological world; the practices of Joanna Macy's Work that Reconnects; mindfulness practices; and deep ecology methods.
Janelle (Canada) reflects during a session on the Goethean method on the shores of Lake Oeschinensee.
The learning community that emerged in the retreat was engaged, self-reflective and mutually supportive. It enabled considered and critical dialogue throughout the remaining GESA sessions, which included plenary lectures, roundtables, practical workshops and field trips (see here for an overview of the various types of sessions held at GESA every year).
Heliodoro (Mexico), Mohamed (Bangladesh), Delicia (Peru), Chitradarsinee (Mauritius) work with Ruth (Germany; workshop leader) to interview Hasnaa (Morocco).
Wow. What to say. You are all amazing and each of you has touched me deeply. I feel so privileged to have been here and to feel like even a small part of your (our? this!) family and community. I love how this course breaks boundaries beyond the conventional. I love how it is flexible and … willing to risk touching upon what would not long ago have been considered "taboo" topics. The selection of participants and resource people was also brilliant. It really allowed us to both learn and see new worlds, but also to feel so at home and be able to express ourselves to a group of like-minded people to whom we did not feel we need to justify or explain ourselves or to defend our views. Many new skills were gained (highlights are how to give good TED-style talks!).
I hope that the lessons learned, friendships and partnerships forged, networks created and the intangible values of communion will continue to resonate in the hearts, visions and lives of everyone who was part of it. GESA reminded me that the future is bright.
Attentive GESA 2015 participants and GESA organisers Susannah McCandless and Gary Martin during a discussion session with Ashish Kothari and Alastair McIntosh.
We are pleased to share these blog posts by Gloria from Kenya on her experience at GESA 2015. We would like to thank all of our donors who supported us through GlobalGiving, ensuring the participation of four outstanding individuals from all over the world at GESA 2015 and allowing us to grow the Global Environments Network.
In the five years since GESA was launched, we have grown a global action network of over 150 emerging changemakers from 52 countries – drawn from a pool of 1619 applications from 132 countries. We have established connections, ideas and collaborations that had – and continue to have – important practical outcomes for individuals, communities and environments around the world.
At this pivotal moment in GESA's history, we are excited by the Global Environment Network's immediate and sustained power to catalyse transformative reflection and action. We are also deeply motivated by our remarkable alumni, who have called upon us to propel the Network forwards, galvanising the existing energy of its members and amplifying it to engender the profound shifts in course our planet needs. In this next phase, we will focus on activating the Network by implementing regional academies and community exchanges, and boosting its "nuts and bolts" – the online networking and communications platform and the Alumni Innovation Fund. Watch this space for breaking news!


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Blogs, fiction, humour
Once Again As In Olden Days
Posted by Gary Strachan on December 23, 2016 December 23, 2016
It's 2.13pm on the 22nd December. An elderly chap is playing 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' with enthusiasm on a grand piano in the foyer of St James' Bexley Oncology Institute. He played with gusto earlier, but he isn't now as his Swedish pal has just gone for a coffee.
Looking at him, I'd guess the old guy has probably witnessed over four score Christmases throughout his life.
He's now moved onto the melody for the song 'Lady is a Tramp', famously sang by Frances Albert Sinatra in the musical movie Pal Joey. I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't benefit from Old Blue Eye's vocal accompaniment. However, what music score wouldn't?!
That being said the octogenarian is a very accomplished pianist. He plays the music in an allegretto tempo similar to that of an old school music hall player. A technique I recall that was adopted by late pianist Mrs Mills in her sing-along tunes of the 1960's/70's.
Known by her stage name Mrs Mills, as opposed to her full married name of Gladys Mills, she spent time in the 1960's recording at the Abbey Road studios in London. An era when she was a stable mate to The Beatles, who shared the same recording facilities.
The polar opposite of the Fab Four's cool, she attracted a highly contrasting demographic audience to the Liverpudlians. There were no screaming hordes at a Mrs Mills gig…… Well, apart from during a 1968 London concert, after a spider was spotted by members of the Chiswick Arachnophobia Society in the audience.
I recall watching the London born keyboard tinkler in a 1970's episode of The Morecambe & Wise Show. To this young boy, she seemed an unlikely celebrity who'd have looked more at home playing an upright piano in the parlour of a 1950's family abode.
Despite appearing to me an aged woman, she was only 59 when she died of a heart attack in 1978. She wasn't lucky enough to have achieved the mortal longevity of the guy playing his heart out twenty yards away from me.
The old fella is now playing a tune I'm not familiar with. As he sits dwarfed by the nearby 10ft Christmas tree in the foyer, appreciative patients and their families donate into the Yorkshire Cancer charity tin perched on his piano.
His art brings a festive serenity to the oncology wing's atmos. A noteworthy calm in a location that by its very nature increases individuals awareness of their own mortality.
That being said the calm may be railroaded if the Chiswick Arachnophobia Society turn up as I've just seen a spider hanging on the tree!
Changing the subject somewhat, I read today on the website of the Highly Inaccurate Fahrenheit Conversion Society that Christmas Day in Leeds will see us basking in temperatures of around 13 degrees Celsius (4000 degrees Fahrenheit).
So it looks like it's going to be another unseasonably mild Christmas.
How long will it be before snow covered, Dickensian views no longer adorn our festive cards, as they no longer reflect 21st century yuletides?
Is it inevitable they'll soon be replaced with an updated scene of someone queueing outside Poundland in their shorts and sunglasses? ……. Or perhaps the production of cards adorning Santa slapping on the factor 30 sun cream?
My dad and I are moving downstairs now to where he will receive his second last radiotherapy session of the penultimate weeks treatment. With this in mind I'll bring this blog to a close.
I'll also bid a fond farewell to the octogenarian piano player, who has contributed towards making it a soothing writing ambience for yours truly.
Felicitations!
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Does anyone have a ppt on Horticulture Careers??
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A laugh-out-loud story about a family of turkeys at Wishbone Farm.
Turk, the star son of mother and dad, was groomed to be the best and the first. Mom, sure he would be a famous dancer, made him practice each day. Dad, sure he'd be a famous football player, made him practice each day. But younger brother, Runt, was a bit smarter and knew the only future for Turk was a Thanksgiving dinner. As visitors arrive to select their thanksgiving meal, Turk does everything he can to be chosen, while Runt does everything to nix his brother's removal.
This entry was posted in Ages 4-8, Animal and tagged Frank Ansley, humor, Lisa Wheeler, Thanksgiving on November 13, 2015 by admin.


I had a last minute rental request and i had no problems. Jonathan was easy to deal with and made it a simple experience. Everything went great. Definitely will request from him again.
Johnathan was great everything went as planned. Looking forward to renting again.


Just when I thought my mind was done being bent for the time being, I come across the following somewhat convincing argument as to why life as we know it may just be a simulation…that indeed right now I am an avatar of someone else playing an avatar in Second Life. A virtual world within a virtual world.
Do they have virtual Vicodan? Perhaps this headache is simply a dialog box that my player is now reading explaining that I am confused, have a headache and therefore have a -2 on all performance factors.
I have reposted the following article by John Tierney from the NYT.
If you wish an even more serious headache or aren't afraid of the term "posthuman", see Dr. Bostrom's paper on the subject of reality being just a simulation HERE.
You couldn't, as in "The Matrix," unplug your brain and escape from your vat to see the physical world. You couldn't see through the illusion except by using the sort of logic employed by Dr. Bostrom, the director of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford.
My gut feeling is that the odds are better than 20 percent, maybe better than even. I think it's highly likely that civilization could endure to produce those supercomputers. And if owners of the computers were anything like the millions of people immersed in virtual worlds like Second Life, SimCity and World of Warcraft, they'd be running simulations just to get a chance to control history — or maybe give themselves virtual roles as Cleopatra or Napoleon.
It's unsettling to think of the world being run by a futuristic computer geek, although we might at last dispose of that of classic theological question: How could God allow so much evil in the world? For the same reason there are plagues and earthquakes and battles in games like World of Warcraft. Peace is boring, Dude.
A more practical question is how to behave in a computer simulation. Your first impulse might be to say nothing matters anymore because nothing's real. But just because your neural circuits are made of silicon (or whatever posthumans would use in their computers) instead of carbon doesn't mean your feelings are any less real.
David J. Chalmers, a philosopher at the Australian National University, says Dr. Bostrom's simulation hypothesis isn't a cause for skepticism, but simply a different metaphysical explanation of our world. Whatever you're touching now — a sheet of paper, a keyboard, a coffee mug — is real to you even if it's created on a computer circuit rather than fashioned out of wood, plastic or clay.
You still have the desire to live as long as you can in this virtual world — and in any simulated afterlife that the designer of this world might bestow on you. Maybe that means following traditional moral principles, if you think the posthuman designer shares those morals and would reward you for being a good person.
Of course, it's tough to guess what the designer would be like. He or she might have a body made of flesh or plastic, but the designer might also be a virtual being living inside the computer of a still more advanced form of intelligence. There could be layer upon layer of simulations until you finally reached the architect of the first simulation — the Prime Designer, let's call him or her (or it).
Then again, maybe the Prime Designer wouldn't allow any of his or her creations to start simulating their own worlds. Once they got smart enough to do so, they'd presumably realize, by Dr. Bostrom's logic, that they themselves were probably simulations. Would that ruin the fun for the Prime Designer?
If simulations stop once the simulated inhabitants understand what's going on, then I really shouldn't be spreading Dr. Bostrom's ideas. But if you're still around to read this, I guess the Prime Designer is reasonably tolerant, or maybe curious to see how we react once we start figuring out the situation.
It's also possible that there would be logistical problems in creating layer upon layer of simulations. There might not be enough computing power to continue the simulation if billions of inhabitants of a virtual world started creating their own virtual worlds with billions of inhabitants apiece.
If that's true, it's bad news for the futurists who think we'll have a computer this century with the power to simulate all the inhabitants on earth. We'd start our simulation, expecting to observe a new virtual world, but instead our own world might end — not with a bang, not with a whimper, but with a message on the Prime Designer's computer.
The Nuance of Iqlusion The MetaVerse's Enron?


While I was making Rhubarb pudding my husband attended to the veggie patch.
Tim made a tomato trellis using timber stakes and wire.
Planting lots of new veg. to our existing patch so we can continue to harvest throughout the year.
After all the seedlings were planted Tim used Seagold liquid kelp to help establish the vegetables.
Lots of vegie seedlings and Seeds in store now see you soon.


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Patient Satisfaction in a Multidisciplinary Multiple Sclerosis Care Unit: A Swiss Single-centre Study
Published Online: September 9th 2022 touchREVIEWS in Neurology. 2022;18(2): 142-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17925/USN.2022.18.2.142
Authors: Maha Wybitul, Harun Njago, Agata Luczkiewicz, Hans Pihan
Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated neurodegenerative disease. Patients are commonly diagnosed when they are between 20 to 50 years and require life-long treatment. Appropriate treatment is complex and involves a wide range of professional disciplines and expertise. This multifariousness highlights the need for multidisciplinary MS care units that offer a comprehensive and well-managed treatment approach. Such care units would enable (1) time-efficient organization and coordination, (2) better inter-, intradisciplinary and patient communication, (3) neurologists, nurses and therapists specialized in MS and (4) formalized diagnostic workup procedures and protocols for the initiation and follow-up of disease-modifying therapies. Methods: The current single-centre pilot study evaluated such a multidisciplinary MS care unit by measuring patient satisfaction and quality of life prior to and after the reorganization of a Swiss clinical centre. Results: A significant improvement in patient satisfaction was seen after the reorganization of the Swiss clinical centre into an MS centre, and quality of life was maintained throughout. Conclusion: This study exemplifies the importance of MS-specialized care and encourages further longitudinal, large-scale multicentre studies.
Infusion therapy, multiple sclerosis, multiple sclerosis treatment, multidisciplinary care unit, patient satisfaction, quality of life
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated neurodegenerative disease affecting approximately 2.5 million individuals worldwide.1,2 Pathologically, MS is mostly characterized by inflammation, demyelination, axonal degeneration and gliosis. Clinically, a wide range of symptoms can occur, including cognitive, motor and sensory impairments.3
The clinical disease course is often classified as relapsing-remitting MS, primary-progressive MS or secondary-progressive MS.4 Relapsing-remitting MS is defined as having stable neurological disability between acute episodes. These acute episodes involve monophasic clinical attacks with patient-reported symptoms and objective tests reflecting a focal or multifocal inflammatory demyelinating event in the central nervous system. In contrast, progressive MS is characterized by steadily heightened, objectively documented neurological disability independent of episodes. The primary-progressive type is diagnosed based on a progressive course from disease onset, whereas the secondary-progressive type is characterized by an initial relapsing-remitting course that develops into a progressive course.4 Most individuals are diagnosed at a young age, commonly between 20 and 50 years, and so far, no curative treatment exists.5 Thus, patients are confronted with a chronic, long-lasting, progressive disease,3 accompanied by worsening neurological deficits that limit daily activities and general societal participation.6 Therefore, optimal care is a fundamental issue for clinicians as well as researchers.
Despite this need, comprehensive care is challenging due to the disease's complexity.1 First of all, its diagnosis is based on the presence of neurological symptoms and signs, alongside magnetic resonance imaging findings, cerebrospinal fluid examinations, neurophysiological testing, such as evoked potentials, and other laboratory investigations to rule out other conditions that mimic MS.7 After the diagnosis, the extensive range of symptoms – including spasticity, bladder, bowel and sexual disturbances, pain, fatigue and cognitive impairment – requires specific treatment. Consequently, a variety of clinical disciplines need to be involved in a patient's care, such as neurology, speech therapy and neuropsychology.1
Disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) include a range of drugs with various mechanisms of action and adverse effects requiring intensive monitoring.8 Appropriate monitoring involves a large set of investigations, such as magnetic resonance imaging or immunological tests, which demand an advanced level of organization. Together, the disparate nature of MS manifestations creates challenges for clinical coordination and organization, emphasizing the need for efficient multidisciplinary patient care aimed at maintaining patients' quality of life (QOL) and autonomy.
Recently, researchers and clinicians have promoted the establishment of specialized centres to meet these needs and offer a comprehensive approach to MS healthcare.1,9 Globally, several clinical centres intend to optimize their delivery of care for patients with MS by reorganizing existing resources and incorporating new resources into multidisciplinary MS care units.9–11 A multidisciplinary MS care unit approach involves different specialists – MS neurologists, nurses and therapists – working together. Such units have formalized protocols and procedures for the diagnostic workup, initiating and following up on DMT use, and managing complications.1
Restructuring existing care into a multidisciplinary MS care system would enable appropriate, timely and targeted diagnosis and better and more efficient management of treatment complexity, and a comprehensive intervention spectrum.1 These benefits may increase a patient's safety when treated with DMTs.1 Moreover, the presence of multiple MS experts might facilitate timely discussions about diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.1 Additional benefits could include the availability of expert nurses or therapists to carry out tasks and offer a clear point of contact for providing information, support and advice. Thus, they might create individualized relationships offering higher levels of comfort.1 Ultimately, MS care units may offer a societal benefit by being more cost-effective, reducing disability claim benefits and the need for familiar caretakers by preserving the patients' autonomy and work ability.1
Reliable and validated measures are needed to monitor, evaluate and improve the quality of multidisciplinary MS care units. In 2001, the US Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Medicine emphasized the importance of systematic quality management in healthcare to enhance the likelihood of achieving the desired health outcomes.12 Specifically, prior work has established patient satisfaction as a major factor of interest for such quality assessment since higher satisfaction has led to increased therapy compliance and active disease management.9 Hence, it is particularly important to understand and integrate the patient's opinion to improve the quality of their care.
The aim of this single-centre pilot study was to exemplify and evaluate the quality of a multidisciplinary MS care unit by assessing patient satisfaction before and after the reorganization of a Swiss clinical centre. Since the goal of MS care is to maintain or increase a patient's QOL and autonomy, we included a recognized QOL scale as an efficacy measure.1
Participants and procedure
This research was a single-centre study involving patients with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of MS (either relapsing-remitting or progressive MS) and currently receiving infusion therapy at the clinical centre in Biel, Switzerland. Eligible participants had to be 18 or older. There were no other exclusion criteria.
Patients received an intravenous injection of either ocrelizumab or natalizumab between November 2019 and May 2020. Prior to this study, the infusion site was located at the internal medicine ambulatory care unit. Consequentially, the preparation of diagnostic procedures, such as lumbar punctures and blood tests, and the administration of intravenous DMTs had to be coordinated between the neurological and internal medicine departments. Notably, the nursing staff and the physicians at the site were not specialized in MS care. Moreover, the cross-coordination led to delays in diagnosis and treatment in the majority of cases.
All survey data are reported descriptively and expressed as means and standard deviations (SDs) or as a percentage of participants and percentage points. To test whether patient satisfaction and QOL changed from before to after the reorganization of the clinical centre, pre- and post-scores for total satisfaction and QOL scores were compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank test for non-parametric, dependent ordinal data. To investigate whether baseline QOL scores were positively associated with greater differences in satisfaction, a satisfaction change score was calculated (post-test score – pre-test score). A correlational analysis was done using Spearman's rank order correlation for non-parametric and at least ordinal data. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered significant. The statistical analysis was done with IBM SPSS Statistics 26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).
Of 24 patients who received the questionnaire, 19 returned the pre- and post-measurement surveys and were eligible for analysis. Demographics and sample characteristics are displayed in Table 1. The sample consisted of 11 female and 8 male patients. Eleven participants spoke German, and eight participants spoke French. The participants' mean age was 38.89 years (SD: 9.89). Six patients received ocrelizumab, whereas 13 patients received natalizumab as infusion therapy. The mean duration of disease was 6.95 years (SD: 4.94).
Patient satisfaction and quality of life
All the assumptions for using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were met for patient satisfaction and QOL scores. Patient satisfaction scores increased significantly from pre- to post-measurement (z=-2.227; p=0.025; n=19). Based on Cohen (1992), the analysis of satisfaction scores has a strong effect size (r=0.51).13 Pre- and post-measurement mean (SD) satisfaction scores are shown in blue in Figure 1.
The questionnaire designed specifically for the clinic showed an overall increase in satisfaction by a percentage point improvement on several items. Satisfaction increase or decrease in percentage points for all items from pre- to post-reorganization is shown in Table 2. All items demonstrated an increment from pre- to post-measurement in the category of "Very satisfied". For illustrative purposes, two of the items showing the highest proportional differences between pre- and post-measurement, namely "Quantity of contact with physicians while receiving infusion therapy" and "Waiting time", are depicted in Figure 2.
In contrast, QOL did not change significantly (z=-1.379; p=0.18; n=19). Figure 1 displays the pre- and post-measurement mean (SD) QOL scores as green bars. Baseline QOL scores and satisfaction change scores showed no association, as analysed using Spearman's correlational coefficient (r=0.163; p=0.504; n=19). The test assumptions were met.
This single-centre pilot study investigated whether a multidisciplinary care unit approach improved the satisfaction and QOL of patients with MS who were receiving infusion therapy at a Swiss clinical centre. At the centre, former MS care structures were reorganized to offer a specialized MS care team including neurologists, nurses, speech therapists and neuropsychologists working together and individualizing each patient's care. Patients' satisfaction increased after the reorganization, while QOL scores remained the same. Baseline QOL scores did not predict changes in patient satisfaction.
These findings support the recently promoted specialized multidisciplinary approach for MS.1,9 Using patient satisfaction as the primary measure of quality, these findings indicate an overall improvement in the perceived clinic quality and the care it is offering since patient satisfaction has repeatedly been shown to be a validated proxy for quality of care.14–16 Prior work suggests that more satisfied patients are more likely to comply with treatment, to actively participate,15 and to be more optimistic about their future.16 These aspects are especially relevant for patients with a chronically impairing disease such as MS. Thus, the current findings exemplify that patients with MS might benefit from the reorganization of current MS care structures into more comprehensive and thoroughly coordinated multidisciplinary units. Future multicentre examinations of this issue are needed to validate the findings.
Since the topic of MS specialized multidisciplinary care is a relatively new clinical research topic, the current findings provide some of the first empirical evidence that such care increases patients' satisfaction. Emphasizing the specific aspect of care providers, a pilot study by Thotam and Buhse (2020) evaluated patient satisfaction with nurses and physicians in specialized MS centres.15 In accordance with our findings, they showed that patients were highly satisfied with both groups within these settings, assessing satisfaction attributes such as general satisfaction, technical quality, interpersonal manner, communication, financial aspects, accessibility and convenience, and time spent with a provider. However, this study mainly compared nurses and physicians only and did not consider other non-specialized settings or longitudinal measurements. Another study by Becker et al. (2018) emphasized the importance of a specialized MS approach and reported that two-thirds of 2,791 patients were satisfied with their therapy in such MS centres.9 They focused their assessment of patient satisfaction mainly on the medical treatment, examining aspects such as advantages and disadvantages of current medication, the frequency with which information was obtained, and continuation of treatment. The pharmacological treatment might be an important aspect to consider in future analyses of patient satisfaction in this field; however, it may be too restrictive to only focus on the satisfaction related to patients' medication. Additional attributes of satisfaction not directly concerning medication, such as organization, waiting times or interpersonal communication, might be missed. Therefore, future examinations are encouraged to include all these aspects to provide a comprehensive assessment of patient satisfaction.
Another aspect of the current findings is the importance of quality assurance measures, not only for the patient but also for clinics. These measures help to monitor and evaluate the quality progress and, therefore, help to build high-quality performance organizations.17 Our centre-specific quality survey emphasized that patients especially appreciated the contact frequency with physicians and a reduced waiting time and has highlighted areas with lower satisfaction, which need improvement, such as the overall organization and communication with patients.
Healthcare professionals have to be considered as one of the major contributing factors to ensuring high-quality healthcare,18 so future assessments ought to evaluate the opinions and suggestions of MS care professionals. It is possible, for example, that professionals' and patients' perspectives may differ on treatment comfort and patient status, as well as care goals and challenges.9 For example, a study by Tintoré et al. (2017) identified several deviating opinions between 982 patients and their neurologist concerning treatment selection, satisfaction, expectations, goals, and comfort discussing symptoms, treatment challenges and skipped doses.16 Hence, the study suggests the importance of systematically tracing these differences. On the other hand, considering and improving healthcare professionals' work conditions has additionally been shown to increase care quality and patient safety.19,20 Therefore, further institutional quality assessments should incorporate professionals' opinions on patients' treatment and their valuable experiences concerning their own work environment.
The current analysis found no increase in QOL scores nor an association between baseline QOL scores and satisfaction change scores pre- and post-reorganization. This may be due to the short time interval between pre- and post-measurement and to our taking only one post-measurement. A longer time interval and more measurement time points could help identify possible changes in patients' QOL. Notably, this study was done as a pilot study with the intention to continue patient satisfaction and QOL measurements half-yearly, so future investigations might show different results.
The present study has some limitations. Firstly, the sample size was small; however, the opinion of only a few patients is still of high importance for the improvement of the clinical service. This small-scale study was intended to exemplify the importance of this comprehensive practical approach for other clinical centres and pave the way for future large-scale research into MS treatment improvement. Secondly, the exceptional situation of the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected our findings. For example, patients' feelings of safety may have been generally decreased and might have diminished the positive influence of the reorganization on patients' perceived safety.
Multidisciplinary MS care units may offer improved care to patients with MS, a chronic neurodegenerative disease. The present small-scale study demonstrated that the reorganization of care into such a unit improved satisfaction among patients with MS being treated at a Swiss clinical centre. We hope these findings offer an example for other clinical centres and suggest that future studies should focus on longitudinal, large-scale data collection to further understand this important topic.
Maha Wybitul, Harun Njago, Agata Luczkiewicz and Hans Pihan have no financial or non-financial relationships or activities to declare in relation to this article.
Compliance With Ethics
All procedures were followed in accordance with the responsible committee on human experimentation and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 and subsequent revisions, and informed consent was received from all patients involved in this study.
Double-blind peer review.
The named authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship of this manuscript, take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, and have given final approval for the version to be published.
Agata Luczkiewicz, Department of Neurology, Spitalzentrum Biel/Bienne, Vogelsang 84, 2501 Biel, Switzerland. E: agata.luczkiewicz@szb-chb.ch
No funding was received in the publication of this article.
This article is freely accessible at touchNEUROLOGY.com. © Touch Medical Media 2022
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to privacy restrictions but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Soelberg Sorensen P, Giovannoni G, Montalban X, et al. The multiple sclerosis care unit. Mult Scler. 2019;25:627–36.
Multiple Sclerosis Trust. How common is multiple sclerosis? 2021. Available at: https://mstrust.org.uk/a-z/how-common-multiple-sclerosis(accessed 1 July 2020).
Streber R, Peters S, Pfeifer K. Systematic review of correlates and determinants of physical activity in persons with multiple sclerosis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2016;97:633–45.e29.
Thompson AJ, Banwell BL, Barkhof F, et al. Diagnosis of multiple sclerosis: 2017 revisions of the McDonald criteria. Lancet Neurol. 2018;17:162–73.
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Balkans | The Bulgarian couple's longing for a child in Turkey has come to an end
Home » Balkans | The Bulgarian couple's longing for a child in Turkey has come to an end
A married couple, Yurkius Radostin Raneva, who lived in Bulgaria and put their lives together 4 years ago, came to Turkey when they could not have children naturally. The couple, who in their country said, "You will never have children," received personalized treatment from Turkish doctors. After a successful treatment operation, they have taken their son Hristo in their arms for the past months. Mother Yurkyosh Raneva said, "They gave us the greatest gift. Being a mother is such a wonderful feeling. We are grateful to our doctors who made us feel so happy."
The couple, Yurkius Radostin Raneva, who live in Bulgaria, have been married for four years. The couple, who wanted to crown their happiness with a baby, knocked on the door of the doctors in their country when the pregnancy did not occur naturally. And the doctors said that there was a problem arising from both men and women, and they said: "You will never have children." The only solution for the Rahneva couple was in vitro fertilization and instead of treatment in their own country, they chose Turkey as their first choice as a result of their research. The couple came to Istanbul and met the gynecologist and IVF specialist Prof. Dr. Doctor. Sabri Kafkitar and Urology Specialist Dr. Doctor. I reached Bulent Erol.
The couple, who received the good news thanks to personal therapy, have reunited with their son Hristo in the past months. The couple, who returned home happily, expressed their feelings, "After reading about Turkey's success in IVF treatment, we thought it would just be a waste of time to try it in Bulgaria. Fortunately, we made this decision and came to Turkey for treatment. We see that Turkish doctors are unique." In their profession and they fully understand their patients. Thanks to them, we are reunited with our son, they have given us the greatest gift."
"Turkish doctors are our hero"
Mother Yurkius Raneva. Being a mother is a wonderful feeling, a gift from God to us. We are grateful to our doctors who made us feel so happy; But we have seen Turkish doctors' approach to patients and their professional expertise, and we can definitely say that they are unique in this field.
Konnetwork
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Legal Aid Services Act, 1998
Made: April 28, 2010
Published on e-Laws: May 3, 2010
1. Paragraph 8 of subsection 3 (2) of Ontario Regulation 107/99 is amended by striking out "who is paid $800" in the portion before subparagraph i and substituting "who is paid".
2. (1) Note B of Schedule 1 to the Regulation is amended by striking out "Note C" and substituting "Notes C and O".
(2) Note L of Schedule 1 to the Regulation is revoked.
(3) Note N of Schedule 1 to the Regulation is amended by striking out "Subject to Notes B and L" at the beginning and substituting "Subject to Note B".
(4) Note N of Schedule 1 to the Regulation is amended by striking out "and" at the end of clause (c) and by revoking clause (d) and substituting the following:
(d) in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2007 and before February 1, 2010, $77.56;
(e) in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after February 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2010, $81.44;
(f) in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2011, $85.51;
(g) in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2011 and before April 1, 2012, $89.79;
(h) in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2012 and before April 1, 2013, $94.27;
(i) in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2013 and before April 1, 2014, $98.99;
(j) in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2014 and before April 1, 2015, $103.94; and
(k) in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2015, $109.13.
(5) Schedule 1 to the Regulation is amended by adding the following Notes:
O. Despite Note N, in the case of a proceeding for which a budget is set under section 5, the president of the Corporation or an employee or officer of the Corporation designated by the president, having regard to the complexity and duration of the proceeding and the demonstrated skill and expertise of the lawyer providing services under the certificate, may decide that the following enhanced hourly rate is payable for all services provided under the certificate for the proceeding:
1. In the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after February 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2010, $120.02.
2. In the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2011, $124.82.
7. In the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2015, $161.05.
P. For the purposes of Note O, factors relating to the complexity and duration of the proceeding include:
1. The length and nature of the police investigation that led to the proceeding.
2. The complexity of the Crown's case.
3. Whether personal characteristics of the client make the proceeding particularly challenging.
4. Whether the proceeding involves novel, unusual or otherwise challenging issues.
5. Whether the proceeding involves multiple charges involving different facts or multiple accuseds.
6. Any other relevant factor that would warrant payment of the enhanced hourly rate.
(6) Item 14.1 of Part V of the Table to Schedule 1 to the Regulation is amended by adding "other than the fees set out in Note O of this Schedule" after "Fees set out in this Schedule".
(8) Clause (b) of Item 17.3 of Part V of the Table to Schedule 1 to the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:
(b) $840, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2007 and before February 1, 2010;
(c) $882, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after February 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2010, except where clause (d) applies;
(d) $1,039.75, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after February 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2010 in respect of which the enhanced hourly rates set out in Note O of this Schedule apply;
(e) $926.10, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2011, except where clause (f) applies;
(f) $1,081.34, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2011 in respect of which the enhanced hourly rates set out in Note O of this Schedule apply;
(g) $972.41, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2011 and before April 1, 2012, except where clause (h) applies;
(h) $1,124.60, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2011 and before April 1, 2012 in respect of which the enhanced hourly rates set out in Note O of this Schedule apply;
(i) $1,021.03, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2012 and before April 1, 2013, except where clause (j) applies;
(j) $1,169.58, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2012 and before April 1, 2013 in respect of which the enhanced hourly rates set out in Note O of this Schedule apply;
(k) $1,072.08, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2013 and before April 1, 2014, except where clause (l) applies;
(l) $1,228.06, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2013 and before April 1, 2014 in respect of which the enhanced hourly rates set out in Note O of this Schedule apply;
(m) $1,125.68, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2014 and before April 1, 2015, except where clause (n) applies;
(n) $1,289.46, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2014 and before April 1, 2015 in respect of which the enhanced hourly rates set out in Note O of this Schedule apply;
(o) $1,181.96, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2015, except where clause (p) applies;
(p) $1,395.20, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2015 in respect of which the enhanced hourly rates set out in Note O of this Schedule apply.
3. (1) Note J of Schedule 2 to the Regulation is revoked.
(2) Item 1.1 of Part I of the Table to Schedule 2 to the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:
For all matters in the Supreme Court of Canada, Ontario Court of Appeal, Superior Court of Justice, Federal Court of Canada, Ontario Court of Justice or a surrogate court or quasi-judicial or administrative boards or commissions and for other matters referred to in Part II of the Table
(a) $67 for services performed under a certificate issued before August 1, 2002;
(b) $70.35 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after August 1, 2002 and before April 1, 2003;
(c) $73.87 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2003 and before April 1, 2007;
(d) $77.56 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2007 and before February 1, 2010;
(e) $81.44 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after February 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2010;
(f) $85.51 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2011;
(g) $89.79 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2011 and before April 1, 2012;
(h) $94.27 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2012 and before April 1, 2013;
(i) $98.99 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2013 and before April 1, 2014;
(j) $103.94 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2014 and before April 1, 2015;
(k) $109.13 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2015.
(3) Clause (b) of Item 26.3 of Part IV of the Table to Schedule 2 to the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:
(c) $882, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after February 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2010;
(d) $926.10, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2011;
(e) $972.41, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2011 and before April 1, 2012;
(f) $1,021.03, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2012 and before April 1, 2013;
(g) $1,072.08, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2013 and before April 1, 2014;
(h) $1,125.68, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2014 and before April 1, 2015;
(i) $1,181.96, in the case of services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2015.
4. Items 1 and 2 of the Table to Schedule 3 to the Regulation are revoked and the following substituted:
Fees for law clerks and investigators in the employ of the lawyer, per hour
(a) $23 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2007 and before February 1, 2010;
(b) $24.15 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after February 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2010;
(d) $26.63 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2011 and before April 1, 2012;
(e) $27.96 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2012 and before April 1, 2013;
(h) $32.36 for services performed under a certificate issued on or after April 1, 2015.
Fees for articled students in the employ of the lawyer, per hour
5. (1) Item 1 of the Table to Schedule 4 to the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:
Subject to item 2, performance of duties as duty counsel under section 24 of Ontario Regulation 106/99, (Administration of System for Providing Legal Aid Services) made under the Act to a maximum of five hours
(a) $57 for services performed before August 1, 2002;
(b) $70.35 for services performed on or after August 1, 2002 and before April 1, 2003;
(c) $73.87 for services performed on or after April 1, 2003 and before April 1, 2007;
(d) $77.56 for services performed on or after April 1, 2007 and before February 1, 2010;
(e) $81.44 for services performed on or after February 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2010;
(f) $85.51 for services performed on or after April 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2011;
(g) $89.79 for services performed on or after April 1, 2011 and before April 1, 2012;
(h) $94.27 for services performed on or after April 1, 2012 and before April 1, 2013;
(i) $98.99 for services performed on or after April 1, 2013 and before April 1, 2014;
(j) $103.94 for services performed on or after April 1, 2014 and before April 1, 2015;
(k) $109.13 for services performed on or after April 1, 2015.
(2) Paragraph 2 of Note D.1 of Schedule 4 to the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:
2. In the case of services performed on or after April 1, 2007 and before February 1, 2010, $840.
3. In the case of services performed on or after February 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2010, $882.
4. In the case of services performed on or after April 1, 2010 and before April 1, 2011, $926.10.
6. In the case of services performed on or after April 1, 2012 and before April 1, 2013, $1,021.03.
9. In the case of services performed on or after April 1, 2015, $1,181.96.


text:
Creating a more inclusive workplace by improving these 3 areas
Everyone deserves an inclusive workplace. To be seen for who you are and made to feel a part of something is a fundamental courtesy every business should extend to each team member. And most want to — even a business entirely motivated by profit can recognize the statistics that show employees perform better when they buy into a shared sense of mission.
So, why are so many companies terrible at creating an inclusive culture?
At Table XI, we've put an enormous amount of energy trying to answer that question. We know diverse perspectives make the best products, so we need those voices in the room. For years, we've made a concerted effort to build an inclusive workplace culture — and kept track of our tactics — but there's always work to do. We've improved our diversity recruiting practices, but we wanted to make sure that when our new hires arrived for their first day, they felt like a part of a team. So we dug into the problem from the beginning.
You can't promote inclusion in the workplace without understanding the people you want to include
What might be the biggest block to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace is obvious in retrospect: you don't know what you don't know. It's all well and good to say you want an inclusive workplace environment, but unless the people making the decisions reflect the entire company, things are going to be missed.
Lean In has a classic example — after running to a meeting from a faraway parking spot while uncomfortably pregnant, Sheryl Sandberg asked her bosses at Google to add pregnancy parking. They immediately said yes, that it had just never occurred to them before. And it would have continued not to occur to them if she hadn't been on senior management and in the room to ask for it.
To get better, the management team — and the whole company — needed to dedicate themselves to truly learning what everyone needs to feel secure and comfortable at work. We started by collecting quantitative data. We analyzed inclusive workplaces, brought a consultant in to interview our alumni, and surveyed our peers and our people. Then we turned inward, dedicating ourselves to learning how to improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace with three types of listening we could tackle in a year: Feedback, performance reviews and training.
Area 1: Supporting diversity in the workplace by supporting better feedback
Years ago at Table XI, good feedback was no feedback — if you didn't hear anything, you were doing a good job. It seemed sufficient at the time, but when you're promoting inclusion in the workplace, you need a system that works for all personality types. For some truly important reasons, certain people are better at raising their hands, soliciting attention when they do something right and calling out problems when they see something wrong. Others can find that behavior difficult, even painful, and so they too often faded into the background at Table XI.
We started with little ways to introduce positive feedback in a daily way. We adopted a Slackbot to easily give people kudos for how well they displayed Table XI values. We added shoutouts to all our company events. We even created physical trophies people get for great work — that they have to then pass onto someone else at the end of the week. Then we moved on to improving feedback in the most formal setting: performance reviews.
Area 2: Improving diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace with new performance reviews
Our current performance reviews don't do much to create an inclusive work environment, in fact, they don't fully work for anyone. Right now we have reviews on people's employment anniversary. They're anonymous, they're long, they often end up getting delayed — everyone pretty much hates the process. Not to mention that collecting feedback only once a year leads to recency bias, not something anyone wants when it affects their compensation.
We're still in the process of developing a performance review system that assists in creating an inclusive workplace, but we already know a few things. The first is that we need to separate performance from feedback. We'll do that by switching to three sessions — a formal performance review that sets your level, and two sessions that provide feedback. In the first, we're experimenting with having a coach interview people and synthesize feedback, and in the second, we'll have career mentors do the same, advising the individuals they support on what to stop, start and continue. We're also moving everyone to a standardized schedule, which will make it harder to keep punting reviews further down the calendar.
Once that new performance review process is in place, we want to look at how we level our employees so the path for growth is clear. Right now our levels aren't clearly defined. When we started, we rejected strictly defined levels to stay flexible and customize each individual's career path to their needs. The tradeoff, we can see now, is that for people who aren't privileged or confident, creating your own path feels scary and unavailable. We're working on a new system that provides clarity and just enough structure so people can know how to grow and advance, while still making room for people do things outside the norm.
Area 3: Getting everyone involved with inclusive workplace training
Increasing opportunities for feedback helps with creating an inclusive work environment — now there are plenty of channels to surface good and bad behavior. But we also have to make sure everyone was equally capable of communicating and hearing that feedback.
To help, we brought in Katie Gore of Speech IRL, a speech therapy firm that specializes in training teams. She had come in a few years before to lead a workshop on providing specific, actionable feedback, and it was so helpful we brought her back to do an entire series. She helped everyone understand how to respect and respond to different communication styles, and helped us all practice giving constructive feedback, even when it felt uncomfortable. Then we assigned homework, having our career mentors practice with and support their mentees between workshops.
Still, we ran into problems. After the second session, the homework asked everyone to deliver a piece of constructive feedback. It proved too large a step, and in the third workshop we pivoted, encouraging people instead to ask for advice. We learned from our people that inviting feedback feels a lot safer than offering it unsolicited. We'll continue to work with Katie on future sessions around interrupting, making space for remote people and other ways to improve our communication.
We're also making sure we use those new listening and speaking skills. We brought the entire company together for a day of unconscious bias training at our last company retreat, and we've followed that up with monthly diversity and inclusion forums. We survey the team for any topics they want discussed — or presentations they might want to give, and then bring everyone together for a monthly lunch. So far the topics have touched on supporting people through loss, understanding Catalunya's fight for independence and considering how to bring inclusivity to AI.
Using all that learning to identify our next inclusive workplace practices
At Table XI, we list things out, prioritize, focus and repeat. That's the process by which we build products, and it's also the process by which we build accountability for inclusion in the workplace. Change only happens when it feels authentic. Everyone on our team is a lifelong learner, so it was natural for us to use education as a tool for creating an inclusive environment. What's comfortable more easily becomes habit, so we can keep the pace as we continue to get better. When you're talking about long-term cultural change you can only take baby steps — even when it's frustrating to feel so far from the finish line, it's how people learn.
Still, building an inclusive workplace won't happen if all the teaching takes place in a vacuum. As we learn, we act, improving our benefits, overhauling our onboarding process and changing the way we recruit — all of which you can read about in our article on diversity recruiting. We also continued the efforts we started years earlier, using our social events to foster an inclusive work environment by balancing team drinks with family-friendly outings and stacking our movie nights with films that featured diverse female leads.
Like we said at the top though, there's always more work to do. We're continuing to test and iterate on all of our inclusive work practices. And we're not stopping with education any time soon — we're even opening that learning to others. We're sharing the conversations from our diversity and inclusion Slack channel on Twitter, hosting regular dinners with Katie Gore to help others better communicate and partnering with FWD Collective to bring more inclusive events to Chicago's tech and business community.
Have any more ideas about how we can improve? Contact us today.
Published by TXI


Bob Egelko Oct. 11, 2018 Updated: Oct. 11, 2018 6 a.m.
Brett Kavanaugh's elevation to the U.S. Supreme Court could solidify its conservative majority for a decade or more and affect issues as profound as climate change, abortion, health care and the scope of presidential power. And for California, the stakes also include an array of pending and future legal battles on topics ranging from immigration to vehicle emissions, net neutrality and the 2020 census.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has filed or joined dozens of lawsuits challenging Trump administration decisions to roll back regulations issued under President Barack Obama. The administration, meanwhile, has sued the state over its sanctuary law, which limits cooperation between local police and federal immigration agents, and the net neutrality law that requires internet service providers to treat all traffic equally, rather than speeding up or otherwise favoring content from websites that pay more.
Kavanaugh did not address most of those issues directly in his 12 years as a federal appeals court judge before President Trump nominated him in July to succeed the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. One exception involved nationwide net neutrality rules, which Kavanaugh voted to strike down in a dissenting opinion last year as a violation of providers' free speech and an abuse of federal regulatory authority. That was before a Trump-appointed Federal Communications Commission majority repealed the rules.
But Kavanaugh has given hints of how he would view some of the California cases should they make it to the court. He has been frequently skeptical of government's regulatory authority, often a critical issue in environmental cases. In rulings and academic writings, he has also been a strong supporter of presidential authority, saying a president who considers a law unconstitutional can refuse to enforce it.
"I think he'll generally favor federal executive power over state authority, at least when that federal executive power is exercised by an administration with a deregulatory agenda," said Dave Owen, an environmental law professor at UC Hastings in San Francisco.
But another Hastings environmental law professor, David Takacs, said Kavanaugh would have to weigh his deference to presidential authority against his commitment to "federalism," or state autonomy.
"Kavanaugh would likely defer to executive branch decision-making, but also supposedly stands for a conservative view of states' rights," Takacs said.
Sanctuary laws: In California, local governments, including San Francisco, and the state are locked in a legal battle with the administration over the the validity of the so-called sanctuary state law and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' attempt to punish state and local governments that refuse to help enforce federal immigration laws. So far, federal courts have sided with the state and the local governments.
Deportations: California has also joined in the fight to block the Trump administration's campaign to seal the nation's borders and ramp up arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants, and its attempt to deport more than 700,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.
The state has also sued to block the administration's cancellation of protections for 300,000 migrants who were permitted to live in the U.S. after their homelands were struck by wars or natural disasters. Lower courts have largely ruled in the immigrants' favor.
Outlook: The court has been divided on immigration, but it deferred to Trump's executive authority in the 5-4 ruling in June that upheld the president's ban on U.S. entry from a group of mostly Muslim countries. Kavanaugh appeared to share that view of presidential authority in the handful of immigration cases he considered on the appeals court.
In another dissent, Kavanaugh said last year that an undocumented, pregnant 17-year-old did not have the right to an abortion while in federal immigration custody.
California has a stake in a reproductive-rights case that could reach the Supreme Court. The case involves a challenge to a Trump administration rule allowing employers to deny birth control coverage to women for religious or moral reasons. A Bay Area federal judge blocked enforcement of the rule in December, and a federal appeals court will hear the administration's appeal next week.
Kavanaugh seems likely to side with the administration. In a dissent in 2015, he said employees and educators should be allowed to deny contraceptive coverage for religious reasons. And on a court that has been bitterly divided over abortion, Kavanaugh has made his position clear, both in his opinion on the undocumented immigrant seeking an abortion and in his recent praise of then-Justice William Rehnquist's dissent in Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.
California has sued the Trump administration for repealing rules that limited emissions of climate-heating methane gas from federal and tribal lands; restricted the pollution-prone drilling technique known as fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, on federally managed lands; and set new energy-saving standards for appliances such as portable air conditioners and building heaters.
The state is also preparing for a court battle with the administration over its decades-old authority to set its own, stricter standards for vehicle emissions of greenhouse gases. The Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to revoke California's waiver and set a single standard for the nation. Attorneys for the state say the EPA has not provided a rational explanation for its action.
Outlook: Kavanaugh's record in environmental cases prompted the Sierra Club and other conservation groups to oppose his appointment.
He wrote a ruling in 2015 that barred the EPA from requiring states to limit air pollution that is blown across state lines to their neighbors. That ruling was later partially reversed by the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh wrote another decision last year overturning an EPA rule that required manufacturers of products such as air conditioners and aerosols to stop using climate-changing ingredients called hydrofluorocarbons. The Supreme Court, with Kavanaugh not participating, denied an appeal of his ruling on Tuesday.
UC Hastings' Takacs noted that Kennedy had voted with the majority in the Supreme Court's most important environmental case in recent years, a 5-4 ruling in 2007 that authorized the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases as a form of air pollution. Kavanaugh, Takacs said, mostly likely would have voted the other way.
California is one of several states challenging the Trump administration's plan to ask participants in the 2020 census whether they are U.S. citizens, a question that was last included in 1950. The administration says the inquiry would aid in enforcement of civil rights laws, but opponents say it is intended to reduce participation in high-immigrant states, costing them congressional representation and billions of dollars in federal funds.
Outlook: The case will test the court's deference to executive authority. The justices could tip their hand shortly if they grant the Trump administration's request to block states from questioning Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and another official about their motives in adding the citizenship question.
The Trump administration has sued California in a federal court in Sacramento over its new law. The critical issue appears to be whether a state's attempt to regulate internet service providers interferes with interstate commerce, which is in the federal government's domain — although Trump's Federal Communications Commission members disavowed any regulatory authority of their own. Kavanaugh's argument last year that the regulation violates free speech could give the court a formula for striking the law down altogether.


text:
package ca

import (
	"encoding/json"
	"errors"
	"fmt"

	"github.com/cloudflare/cfssl/config"
	"github.com/cloudflare/cfssl/csr"
)

// Config stores configuration information for the CA.
type Config struct {
	CN         string
	Name       csr.Name             `json:"name"`
	KeyRequest *csr.BasicKeyRequest `json:"key"`

	Usage             []string            `json:"usages"`
	CRL               string              `json:"crl_url"`
	ExpiryString      string              `json:"expiry"`
	CAConstraint      config.CAConstraint `json:"ca_constraint"`
	AllowedExtensions []config.OID        `json:"allowed_extensions"`

	SelfSign bool `json:"self_sign"`
}

// DefaultConfig defines the default configuration for a CA.
var DefaultConfig = &Config{
	KeyRequest:   &csr.BasicKeyRequest{"rsa", 4096},
	Usage:        []string{"cert sign", "crl sign"},
	ExpiryString: "43800h",
}

// LoadConfig attempts to load the configuration from a byte slice. On
// error, it returns nil.
func LoadConfig(data []byte) (*Config, error) {
	var cfg = &Config{}
	err := json.Unmarshal(data, &cfg)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to unmarshal configuration: %s", err.Error())
	}

	if cfg.CN == "" {
		return nil, errors.New("empty common name in CA config")
	}
	if cfg.KeyRequest == nil {
		cfg.KeyRequest = DefaultConfig.KeyRequest
	}
	if len(cfg.Usage) == 0 {
		cfg.Usage = DefaultConfig.Usage
	}
	if cfg.ExpiryString == "" {
		cfg.ExpiryString = DefaultConfig.ExpiryString
	}

	return cfg, nil
}

// Signing returns a CFSSL signing policy derived from the Config.
func (cfg *Config) Signing() (*config.Signing, error) {
	if cfg.SelfSign {
		cfg.CAConstraint.IsCA = true
		cfg.AllowedExtensions = append(cfg.AllowedExtensions, config.OID([]int{2, 5, 29, 35}))
	}

	cfsslConfig := &config.Config{
		Signing: &config.Signing{
			Default: &config.SigningProfile{
				Usage:             cfg.Usage,
				ExpiryString:      cfg.ExpiryString,
				CAConstraint:      cfg.CAConstraint,
				AllowedExtensions: cfg.AllowedExtensions,
			},
		},
	}

	// CFSSL config.LoadConfig will call the private function populate()
	// for each signing profile.
	buf, err := json.Marshal(cfsslConfig)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}
	cfsslConfig, err = config.LoadConfig(buf)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}

	return cfsslConfig.Signing, nil
}

// CertificateRequest returns a CFSSL certificate request for the CA.
func (cfg *Config) CertificateRequest() *csr.CertificateRequest {
	return &csr.CertificateRequest{
		CN:         cfg.CN,
		Names:      []csr.Name{cfg.Name},
		KeyRequest: cfg.KeyRequest,
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Plot: Jack Russell has a secret, one he keeps even from his wife. Every time a full moon appears in the night sky, he becomes a Werewolf, wild, savage and out of control. Now though, despite his best efforts, it seems his curse has cost him everything.
Review: My only previous experience with Jack Russell (oh, that name) has been when the character has graced the pages of Moon Knight. However, no previous knowledge of the character is needed for this mini-series. Being set in the MAX universe, Dead of Night has afforded writer Duane Swierczynski a chance to reboot the character and the concept.
I was attracted to this book based on Swierczynski's previous work on Moon Knight and Punisher as well as his crime novels, and from those projects he brings a similar tone to this series. Again, since this is a MAX book, it's allowed to go to some dark places… and it does! A lot of the Werewolf's previous mystical and supernatural elements seem to have been stripped away, a conscious effort to put this story firmly in the "real world."
The book begins with a SWAT team searching a house whose occupants have been slaughtered, the only survivor being a small baby (who I'd put money on being Jack). In a very gory sequence the team is then promptly taken out by a werewolf.
If you're going to read this book, you'd better get used to the gore. This book is drenched in it, right from the first sequence to the harrowing last page. Mico Suayan (who also did some great Moon Knight work previously) and colourist Ian Hannin cover the panels in claret. Suayan's pencils are effective throughout, conveying horror and dread in equal measure. The final sequence in this issue is a great example with Suayan really showing the raw emotion Jack is feeling (the scene reminded me a lot of Seven as you'll see).
A man haunted by his past and harbouring a dark secret are nothing new, but Swierczynski does enough with Jack Russell to make things seem fresh. Jack knows he is cursed, and he lives his life accordingly. Over several years, and with his own money, he has tried to keep himself away from people whilst in his wolf state. Part of the hook of this story comes with the notion that even this may not be enough.
Final word: A solid, gore soaked, horror from the MAX imprint. A passion for the genre shines through.


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*Experience With All Ages, Newborn and Up!
*Certified Children's Ski School Instructor!
My name is Shivon O'Brien and I am here to help you feel at ease as your "Tahoe Nanny". I am an interactive nanny, an outdoor enthusiast, and I know the Lake Tahoe area very well.
What sets me apart from other agencies is that I personally take care of your children with my guarantee to meet and exceed all expectations of professionalism and quality childcare. I am more then happy to take your children to the ski mountain of your choice, go hiking, to the beach, or have a nice day inside playing games or making art projects.
I am 100 percent confident that I am your family nanny of choice! I have been a nanny for the past 12 years, and have completed all of the required elementary ed coursework. I am a Certified Children's Ski Instructor with a degree in Environmental Studies, background checked and CPR certified. I will treat you and your family with the utmost care and respect. It is absolutely imperative to me that the children and families I serve have all of their Nanny needs and wishes met for the most positive experience possible!


text:
Venom Movies in Order: The Complete Guide
By Ashley Kendall / September 2, 2022 August 31, 2022
Venom has been an iconic character in the Marvel comic series, and fans were massively excited about a potential appearance as the villain in the ever popular Spider-Man franchise. Now that the dust has settled, you may be asking yourself how best to watch Venom's films.
Join me as we go through the best way to watch Venom's appearances in order so that events make sense and the storylines gel, made slightly more difficult by the somewhat interesting decisions made by the major studios over the years.
Venom is a series best watched in release date order, although there are some caveats that are worth keeping in mind but we'll go through all that and more, so let's get into it!
How Many Venom Movies Are There?
Venom Movies in Order
Watch Order for Venom Movies
Watch Order for Venom Movies By Release Date
2. Venom (2018)
3. Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
4. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Venom has appeared in four films, although often as a minor character in Spider-Man films. Being an alien, Venom is more a parasite that needs a host rather than a character, having infected many people over different franchises.
Venom is actually a Symbiote, an organism from another planet who feeds on the adrenaline of its host, while also granting spider-like powers.
Venom is quite an important character despite his limited screen time, leading to two independent movies with Tom Hardy portraying Eddie Brock, the eventual host of the Symbiote in those releases.
It is in these films that we get the closest look at Venom, as he otherwise tends to be getting minimal (if no actual screen time, in the case of Spider-Man: No Way Home) exposure.
Topher Grace's Venom with performances by Tobey Maguire was introduced in Spider-Man 3 in 2007, and that's where we'll start our own viewing journey.
Given the changing timelines, time travel and other strange goings on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it can be hard to know where to start with a series or character that has appeared multiple times.
It seems that Topher Grace's Venom is part of the MCU in an alternate universe. While there doesn't seem to be a big Venom project on the horizon, it's likely that if he wanted to come back we could expect more performances from this actor.
This is possible due to the Multiverse concept such as depicted in the Spider-Man: No Way Home film. Here is the list of Venom Movies in order according to release date, although this is also the best order to watch them in:
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Watching the films is fine either going by their release date or chronologically.
It is important to note that 'New Venom' as per Tom Holland's Spider-Man, and Venom's appearances and cameos all go towards the MCU conception of the character.
But this doesn't apply to the appearance of Venom in Spider-Man 3 as it is like a stand alone film, being part of a different Spider-Man Universe. This means it is a great first film to watch when going through all the Venom films.
1. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
The third installment of the Spider-Man franchise featuring Tobey Maguire, this was a successful release and was the first live-action movie for Venom.
Commentary has revealed that Venom's cameo is a springboard for more Venom-centered projects, being a foundation for this iconic character to appear in more Marvel releases.
It wasn't to be, with legal wrangling and intellectual property issues meaning Venom never made an appearance in Andrew Garfield's Amazing Spider-Man franchise, eventuating in a Venom hiatus until the 2010s.
Peter Parker's Spider-Man suit is corrupted by the symbiote, which results in an even stronger Spider-Man, but as is common with those infected by the Symbiote, they also take on some of the dark side of the evil Symbiote.
With an evil Spider-Man causing a lot of problems for those around him and the world at large, it is clear that Venom is not a force for good. Peter Parker realizes this but only just in time.
Eddie Brock, the character infected by Venom, was portrayed by Topher Grace in Spider-Man 3 with a very late appearance as Venom in the film.
Venom is the villain of the narrative, and Peter Parker, already infected by the Symbiote, finds out that Eddie Brock is faking photos to sully the name of Spider-Man.
After finding out, his boss promotes Peter Parker and fires Eddie Brock from the newspaper. This act becomes almost the entire basis for the genesis of the festering Venom infection that will only spread from here.
Feeling himself losing control, Peter realizes that the infection is affecting him badly and removes it, only for it to find its way to Eddie Brock. Buoyed by the evil urges from Venom, Brock seeks revenge against Peter Parker.
He kidnaps Mary Jane and gets Sandman on board to finally remove Spider-Man. Harry Osborne saves Spider-Man just before getting impaled by Green Goblin's glider during a fight with Venom.
While Venom does almost claim victory, after Spider-Man launches a surprise attack that stuns Venom, he takes a pumpkin bomb from the Green Goblin, resulting in his death.
But this is just an introduction to the Venom Symbiote, as we see that even if a small piece of it survives, it can reinfect another host and start the cycle again. This shows how viable a villain Venom is, being able to survive almost anything.
Ironically enough, despite this teaser, due to the above mentioned legal issues, the Sony version of Venom was not seen again until much later.
Venom's next appearance was as the titular character in the new shared universe, allowing easier collaboration between Marvel and Sony.
Tom Hardy became the new Eddie Brock, cementing another solid performance for the British actor.
Eddie Brock is once again a struggling journalist, who is the target of the alien symbiote Venom that gives him superhuman abilities.
This depiction of Venom is also interesting, as we see that unlike when the Symbiote took over Peter Parker, Brock seems keen to work with the Symbiote to achieve heights he couldn't alone.
Carlton Drake becomes the target of Venom, as Brock is not happy that the CEO of Life Foundation Company is using real people in its often deadly experiments, ostensibly to harness the power of the Symbiotes by forcing them to meld with a human.
Venom succeeds, destroying Life Foundation and their security, Riot. Venom also pushes Brock to become a vigilante, seeing them taking out criminals that prowl the city.
However eventually they separate, with the next teaser that Carnage, another Symbiote like Venom, is going to be the next villain. The combination of Venom and Carnage had been on the minds of Marvel fans for some time, and it was almost too much for some.
In terms of watch order, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a direct sequel to the previous Venom release, with Carnage being introduced as a nemesis.
This film also marks the true start of the shared universe between Sony and Marvel, with the appearance of Tom Holland's Spider-Man near the conclusion of the film.
The story of the movie begins with Eddie Brock realizing that the serial killer Kasady's victims are somehow related back to Venom; likely helped by Brock's successful journalism career when helped by Venom.
Kasady obtains the particle of the Venom's symbiote after a fight with Brock, immediately developing into the red-colored Carnage. Carnage has similar
The balancing act between Venom and Brock comes tumbling down, with the former deciding to detach.
In a strange twist, the rise of Carnage causes the two to have second thoughts, with the dependent relationship likely also playing a part, seeing Venom reinfect Brock and take down Carnage.
Carnage boasts the same type of powers that hosts of the Venom Symbiote get, including superhuman strength, reflexes, agility and also Spider-Men like abilities such as climbing walls, creating webs and even creating bladed instruments from its own mass.
Carnage in the comic books can evade Spider-Man's spidey sense, and this is one reason why so many were looking forward to a real rival to Spider-Man.
Brock and Venom become fugitives, with the final scenes witnessing the public reveal of Peter Parker's superhero alter ego, confirming that all are in the same universe.
Following on from this ability of Spider-Man and Venom to be in the same film, of course there has to be a blockbuster featuring one of the iconic Spider-Man villains pitted up against the perennial good guy.
However, No Way Home doesn't provide this, with Venom only getting a mid-credits scene.
Tom Hardy's Venom wasn't the only cameo, but hopefully is the sign of good things to come for the Spider-Man franchise moving forward.
Spider-Man: No Way Home was one of the best Spider-Man movies released, and fans all around the world are hoping that more of that same magic can be put into another Venom film.
Ashley Kendall
Ashley is a big time movie watcher and lover of cricket. His favorite films are Rambo: First Blood, Blade Runner 2049, Chinatown, Nightcrawler, Richard Jewell and many others.


In this workshop, we'll look at extending the functionality of Ableton Live with Max/MSP. Specifically, we'll see how a Max for Live Device can receive audio and MIDI from Live, as well as creative ways to process that data. We'll also look at the Live API, which lets Max control almost any part of the Live Set automatically. This has profound implications for sound design, sequencing and algorithmic composition.
Making music with Ableton Live is fun, obviously. Making music with Max/MSP is also fun. Making music with Ableton Live and Max/MSP together is almost too much fun. In this workshop, we'll look at how to make Max and Live work together to accomplish almost any compositional task we can imagine. We'll see how to use Max to build a new Live instrument using signal processing techniques unique to Max. We'll also build a Max for Live device that can create generative rhythmic sequences, adding algorithmic composition to Live. Finally, we'll build a Max for Live device that can walk through the Live Object Model, controlling the Live Set automatically.


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text:
For The village of Swanton, vt
Municipal records in Swanton, vt
Vermont state guidelines stipulate that records showing municipal activities such as court papers, police arrest records, marriage licenses, traffic transgressions and more are open and offered to the public, largely because of the Vermont Public Records Act. All pertaining information on the numerous happenings of law enforcement, local courts, and local government are incorporated into these records, and generally are believed public unless officially redacted. These laws offer the people of America, and Swanton, the ability to study and comprehend their legal rights, the precedents that brought about those rights, and when those rights are infringed on, which in turn leads to a more free and transparent society for everyone.
Swanton Arrest Records
Police reports and arrests are found in this database. These reports contain specifics of arrests made by Swanton police, and include records on wanted people, the extent of their charges, sentences if appropriate, names and identifying aspects of arrested individuals, and the dates such instances occurred.
Swanton criminal court decisions, final results, and liens are found in the Court Records section. Information regarding bankruptcies, legal judgements, contract disputes, small claims court decisions, foreclosures and eviction notices are available in this section, where it is available for research and procurement
Swanton Public Records
This segment contains facts about records that are regarded as open and public in the village of Swanton. This includes local property ownership, details on a citizen's birth, marriages and death records, as well as any Swanton archives concerning individuals or their family.
Swanton Divorce Records
Inside the divorce record section, one can find records showing court dates of divorce proceedings, the participation in those cases, those involved, settlements, and outcomes. The municipal records go back 3 decades in Swanton.
Swanton Driving Records
Information involving infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies involving traffic transgressions can be found in the Driving Records section. Any happenings involving drivers are described here, including drivers that operate while intoxicated, commited vehicular manslaughter and other more dangerous crimes, and drivers that have commited more minor crimes. Both first time and repeat offenses can be found.
Swanton People Search
The People Search makes it possible for someone to find and locate people based on details such as their full name, actual or email address, phone number, relatives or house mates. Additional information on a particular citizen is supplied upon finding that citizen inside the corresponding databases.


V. Demajo & Bros Case Study: Strategy & Campaign | ANCHOVY.
V.Demajo & Bros are a local import and distribution company that market leading brands in domestic appliances such as Candy and also hardware equipment, machinery and pumps. V.Demajo approached us to establish and grow a brand which had previously never lived or been active online.
We have started off the campaign by establishing a certain style and mood that would resonate well with our audience. We then embarked on creating a series of videos that were in line with the business goals of the client and we quickly achieved more than 3,000 page likes on a brand new page.
Several campaigns, in line with the client's vision of becoming the go-to 'Laundry Experts' of the island, have contributed to reaching the vast majority of the active Facebook & Instagram population in Malta.
We have also filmed several videos that offer tips to clients on how to clean common mishaps, such as wine stains which have gone down well with our audience.
As the campaign progressed, we noticed the habits of people to check the website of V.Demajo on their mobile phone. The current website is not yet 100% mobile optimised so together with the client, it was decided that a mobile-optimised landing page was needed so that we could have a place where we could send users to on their mobile phones.
This landing page will be the foundation of the rest of the website in terms of looks and functionality..


text:
UMT through its Institute of Tropical Aquaculture (AKUATROP) released one million giant freshwater prawn seeds into several rivers at different locations as part of the effort to maintain their existence.
Earlier, AKUATROP, the pioneer in crustaceans research in Malaysia, had conducted a series of studies to find ways to increase the population of giant fresh water prawns in Terengganu.
Through Translational Grant, UMT research team led by Prof. Dr Mhd Ikhwanuddin Abdullah used giant freshwater prawn biological marker, the first of its kind in Malaysia, to conserve and increase the population of giant freshwater prawns in Terengganu.
According to Prof. Ikhwanuddin, the project was a continuation of the Phase 1 project carried out last year.
The selection of the locations for the release was based on the results of a study, which showed that Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) was the lowest at three rivers, namely Nyatoh River, Paka River, and Terengganu River.
The seed release project is expected to increase the population of giant freshwater prawns and help ensure that the resource in the three rivers and others can be managed in a sustainable manner.
Meanwhile, UMT Vice Chancellor Professor Dato' Dr Nor Aieni Mokhtar said that this type of programme gave big impact to the university and to the local community.
She said that the crustacean research programme was one of UMT's contributions to help increase the income of the local community especially the B40 group.
"When the seeds reach maturity, they not only will stabilize the population of giant freshwater prawns but will create extra income to the local community who are mostly fishermen," she said.
Prof. Nor Aieni said that UMT as a leading university in marine science and aquatic resources would continue to play its role in the transfer of knowledge and technology to the local community through the teaching and learning, research development, and other activities to ensure that the resource 's sustainability can be maintained.