text:
Top agent Scott Boras doesn't expect Rays to trade Blake Snell
Marc Topkin
Agent Scott Boras said Tuesday that it would take "something pretty extraordinary" for the Rays to trade top left-handed starter Blake Snell and dismissed any claims that the team would have to do so for financial reasons.
The Rays have discussed trading the 28-year-old former Cy Young award winner as a way to gain financial flexibility coming off an abbreviated 2020 season in which principal owner Stuart Sternberg said they lost a massive amount of money.
Boras, who as the game's top agent often disputes claims of teams losing money, suggested the Rays have been quite profitable during Sternberg's 15-plus-year run, with the team recently valued by Forbes in excess of $1 billion.
"The Rays have been an amazing investment for an owner. You own it that long, and you've gotten the revenue sharing and you've gotten the franchise appreciation and gotten all the things that they've had," Boras said on a media Zoom call.
"From a business perspective, this has been quite a franchise to own, because you can operate it and make a lot of money doing it. And they've had their successes."
Coming off a 2020 World Series appearance, the Rays have shed nearly $25 million in salary by declining to retain veteran players and appear headed into 2021 with a payroll of around $60 million that will be among the game's lowest.
Boras said he hopes the Rays don't have to take a step back after building the team into a contender, making the playoffs in back-to-back seasons after a five-year absence.
"It's always disappointing when you see a franchise that has to lose for six or seven or eight years to compete for two or three," Boras said. "Those models we hope to overcome. In baseball, we have many routes and paths for winning.
"You give (the Rays) all the credit in the world for achieving what they've achieved recently and you hope they don't have to go through years and years of detriment before they can return to those levels."
The lack of a new long-term stadium is an element in that equation, Boras said.
The Rays are currently focused on an innovative and controversial plan to split seasons between new stadiums in Montreal and Tampa Bay after the lease at Tropicana Field expires following the 2027 season. If the plan doesn't work and there is no proposal for a new full-time stadium in the Tampa Bay area, there will be increased speculation about the team leaving the area permanently.
"A lot of that has to do with the development structure of what they need to do and the cooperation of the Tampa Bay area," Boras said. "Those are things that have gotten done in cities and should be done. If it can't be done, then obviously this franchise has got a good baseball (operations) process, and they have the ability to be very attractive for other venues."
Boras said Rays general manager Erik Neander will receive plenty of interest in Snell based on his age, performance and contract status. He is due $39 million over the next three years, including $10.5 million in 2021.
"Obviously, any great young player is always subject to demand," Boras said. "I'm sure teams call Erik and the (Rays) all the time about Blake. That's really a subject that is normal operating procedure for good young players.
"Whenever there is a contract definition about a young player, obviously you get questions like this because they know that there is some measure of transaction that could occur that would allow a number of teams to acquire a unique talent.
"Where normally we have a person close to free agency who's a highly skilled player, it limits the number of contacts," Boras continued. "That's probably why you have such interest in this, is that all clubs are asking questions, determining if there is a fit in this."
If the Rays trade Snell, it would be somewhat standard operating procedure, albeit maybe a year or two sooner than expected — swapping star-quality veterans for several promising younger and less-expensive players, and getting financial relief.
Snell told the Tampa Bay Times earlier this month he wants to stay with the Rays, although he knows a trade is likely at some point during the five-year deal he signed in the spring of 2019.
Boras said he doesn't expect a deal this offseason.
"He's been very successful in Tampa, he knows the people that he's working with, he enjoys his coaches," Boras said. "...Players of this level and where he is contractually, something pretty extraordinary has to happen for them to be traded. … If something like that happens, I would say it's something that doesn't normally happen."
Boras appeared on the call in lieu of his annual media session at the winter meetings, which were canceled as a result of the pandemic, answering questions from dozens of reporters about different teams and players for 90 minutes.
Amid speculation the 2021 season could be delayed and shortened due to the pandemic, Boras said players and teams showed they can navigate the coronavirus safely and should play a full 162-game schedule. He called it "a large mistake" they didn't play 100-120 games last year, given they had "the means" to do it.
"We now know that we can play this game and we can do it safely. And with the vaccine coming, even higher safety level,'' he said. "It's not a question of whether we can do it. We've already done it. That unknown is erased. I don't know how you use anything other than we're going to support and advance the integrity of the game and provide a full season. Knowing what we've learned in 2020, because the question's been answered: We can do it effectively.''


LONDON: UK newspaper publishers, faced with falling circulations, reduced adspend, regulatory uncertainties and the rise of fake news, face a potentially critical year ahead.
December ABC data show the total circulation of national dailies was down 3.7% year on year, with only The Times (+9.2%) and the Metro freesheet (+9.7%) showing any advance on the previous year.
Adspend, meanwhile, is leaching away to the US internet giants of Google and Facebook. The most recent figures from the AA/Warc Expenditure report, due to be updated before the end of the month, forecast that total ad revenue among national newsbrands would dip 9.3% in 2016, and 10.4% in 2017; ad revenue for regional titles is forecast to reduce by 10% in 2016 and 8.4% in 2017.
The reaction of publishers has been to seek ways of cutting costs, usually in the form of journalists; the Press Gazette reported only yesterday that Trinity Mirror is set to announce 78 redundancies across its network of regional newspapers.
The major publishers have also been working on a project that would see them combine print and digital advertising sales, although this stumbled a few days ago when DMG Media, publisher of the Daily Mail, announced it was pulling out of the initiative, leaving News UK, Trinity Mirror, Guardian Media Group and Telegraph Media Group to carry on.
Separately, Trinity Mirror, owner of the Daily Mirror, is in talks with Daily Express publisher Northern & Shell about a merger of back office and sales operations to make savings.
Another threat is the regulatory environment that has emerged in the wake of the Leveson inquiry. Leading publishers have declined to join Impress, a new independent regulator – albeit one funded in part by a trust established by Max Mosely, a man once at the centre of a tabloid exposé – preferring to stick with the publisher-funded Independent Press Standards Organisation.
They are also alarmed at the potential implications of section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, which could see those publishers not signed up to a recognised regulator, such as Impress, liable for all legal costs if they are sued, even if they win the case.
And as Brexit continues to polarise the country, Ukip donor Arron Banks has stepped into the ring, launching a digital news site, Westmonster, which seems likely to follow the controversial example of Breitbart in the US.
Covers current thinking and reading on the effectiveness of newspaper advertising, a platform still capable of mass appeal; ads placed among relevant content can engage, drive awareness, and drive sales among readers.
This event report looks at a research project examining the role of newspapers in a digital environment.


text:
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams

Tampons. Periods. Breastfeeding. Hot flashes.

These terms, and others relevant to women's health, have traditionally been considered taboo — inappropriate for polite conversation and therefore left unmentioned. That silence has had serious consequences for women and girls, who are denied access to feminine hygiene products, charged more at the cash register for "women's" versions of household items, and made to feel ashamed about their bodies.

This taboo extends to sexual health, with terrible costs for young adults who have been denied information about reproduction, contraception, and healthy relationships. As a result, the United States has disproportionately high rates of unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and domestic violence.

The lack of healthy dialogue on these matters has delivered unhealthy results. Thankfully, strong leaders are stepping up and speaking out, and we're beginning to see the benefits. Through the leadership of elected officials such as State Senator Sue Serino and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, with support from Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, the New York State Legislature recently voted to eliminate the sales tax on tampons, sanitary napkins, and other feminine hygiene products. (Governor Andrew Cuomo has pledged to sign the bill).

Just as we provide an exemption from the sales tax for necessities such as groceries and clothing, feminine hygiene products will be properly defined as necessities for women who menstruate, not luxuries. The exemption will particularly assist low-income New Yorkers who have had to choose between or ration such basic necessities due to their limited resources.

New York City now has an opportunity to build on the momentum from this achievement. The City Council is preparing to hold a hearing on a critical proposal by Council Member Ferreras-Copeland and Speaker Mark-Viverito to offer feminine hygiene products for free in public schools, homeless shelters, and correctional facilities.

This is a logical extension of our shared interest in promoting common-sense public health measures, both physical and psychological. Consider that a girl in school who has her period but is not carrying tampons or pads must visit a guidance counselor or the school nurse and explain her situation, often needing to negotiate hall passes and having to wait to be seen - the entire experience seems to have been intended to maximize embarrassment and class time missed. In jail, each woman receives a very limited supply of feminine hygiene products each month while additional supplies are sold for extortionate prices at the commissary; many must improvise with rolled-up toilet paper, a humiliating and unhealthy situation. Any woman or girl who is forced to use menstrual items for long stretches of time, due to issues of access or affordability, is put at higher risk for cervical cancer, toxic shock syndrome, and other concerns resulting from product overuse.

We need action at all levels of government. In homeless shelters, many women and girls simply cannot afford to buy feminine hygiene products, as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and flexible spending accounts disallow such purchases. Legislation such as the Fund Essential Menstruation (FEM) Products Act of 2015 from Representative Grace Meng, which would reclassify feminine hygiene products to allow for purchase with flexible spending accounts, is essential to move forward and should be a bipartisan priority. For starters, we should ensure that every member of the New York State congressional delegation gets behind the bill.

These initiatives are critical to eliminating inequities that undermine the position of women in our civil society. A recent report from the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), for example, documented that products sold to women cost seven percent more on average than nearly identical products sold to men. This includes basic hygiene products such as shaving razors. We have a shared responsibility, men and women alike, to demand that these disparities end now. Companies that continue this behavior need to be called out in the public arena and pressured to answer for these discrepancies.

We must continue to drive the conversation about gender equity, especially around women's health, to break the silence and remove the taboos. When I became Brooklyn borough president, I was deeply concerned that women who have recently had children are often ostracized for breastfeeding and pumping milk at work or in public areas, despite the fact that the law protects their right to this practice. I was proud to open our lactation lounge at Brooklyn Borough Hall last year, as part of the Breastfeeding Empowerment Zone initiative by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), so women in Downtown Brooklyn have a comfortable lounge in which to breastfeed or pump milk. And, we are able to raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding and to celebrate the practice.

I am now pressing forward with City Council Members Laurie Cumbo, Robert Cornegy, Jr., and Corey Johnson (the latter are two of the standout male leaders in the fight for advancing women's health) on a proposal to require the City to create dedicated space for nursing moms in a range of municipal government offices that serve the public, such as New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) job centers and New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS) borough offices.

This conversation should include the entirety of women's lives. Our society has often avoided discussion of menopause, depriving many women of information about the symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes and an awareness of available treatments. In our celebration of Women's History Month this past March, Council Member Cumbo and I organized a day of panel discussions and workshops to speak with women about every stage of life and to start a conversation surrounding the natural changes that occur in life, not only physically, but also emotionally and spiritually. For some, it was the first time anyone had engaged them on these topics. We ask businesses and other institutions to follow suit and to reasonably accommodate these life transitions.

The days of relegating women's health to second-class status or worse are over, and our laws and policies must reflect that for every stage of a woman's life. Men, who still write most of those laws and policies, have a responsibility to join in this conversation and to insist on fairness and equality.

***
Eric Adams is the president of Brooklyn. On Twitter @BPEricAdams.

 Council to Hear Bills on Providing Tampons at Shelters, Prisons & Schools 2016-05-26T04:00:00+00:00 2016-05-26T04:00:00+00:00 https://www.gothamgazette.com/city/6362-council-to-hear-bills-on-providing-tampons-at-shelters-prisons-schools Ben Max

Council Members Gibson, Ferreras-Copeland, Mark-Viverito (l-r) (photo: William Alatriste)

The City Council is about to take the next step toward making feminine hygiene products readily available, and free, in New York City public schools, shelters, and correctional facilities. On Thursday, June 2, the Council's Committee on Women's Issues will hold its first hearing on a package of bills to improve access to tampons and pads after the legislation was introduced in March.

The three bills are being spearheaded by City Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, the lead sponsors, and the hearing will come as New York State is set to eliminate the so-called "tampon tax" - the sales tax on feminine hygiene products.

Representatives from the city agencies that would carry out the new mandates outlined in the bills and relevant advocacy groups have been asked to testify - leaders from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Department of Education, and the Department of Correction will attend the hearing, as will representatives from ZanaAfrica Foundation, UnTabooed, and PowerPlay NYC. Representatives from the Women's Prison Association, Care for the Homeless, the YMCA, and other groups that participated in a roundtable discussion about access to menstrual products with Ferreras-Copeland last summer may be present as well.

Women who filed a class action lawsuit against the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance to end the tax on menstrual productsand Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, a leading national and international voice calling for better access to menstrual products, have also been invited to testify.

During the hearing, questions about the logistics and costs of implementing the mandates will be addressed. According to her office, Ferreras-Copeland looks forward to hearing from the de Blasio administration about its views on the bills and the current policies of the relevant agencies in terms of access to menstrual products. Ferreras-Copeland, who is likely to lead the hearing with Mark-Viverito and Council Member Laurie Cumbo, chair of the women's issues committee, is also looking to hear what barriers there may be in implementation of the requirements in the bills.

It is not yet clear how tampons and pads will be provided to women and girls in city shelters, jails, and schools, though no-charge dispensers have already been installed in the girls' bathrooms of 25 middle schools and high schools in the city through a pilot program, and Ferreras-Copeland has previously mentioned the possibility of installing dispensers in shelters.

The three bills in the package are accompanied by a resolution, sponsored by Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, calling on the state to exempt feminine hygiene products from all state and local sales taxes, which the state is poised to do - on Wednesday, state lawmakers passed a bill to exempt feminine hygiene products from the tax on retail sales, prompting Governor Andrew Cuomo to release a statement saying, "I look forward to signing it into law."

The Council bills and the elimination of New York's "tampon tax" contribute to a growing movement to de-stigmatize menstruation and improve gender equity, as women end up paying hundreds of dollars in taxes buying tampons and pads throughout their lifetime, despite the fact that women cannot avoid buying the products. Fourteen states and three major cities have introduced legislation to eliminate the tax on feminine hygiene products since January, though few cities or states have taken action to make the products more freely available.

The city push to make feminine hygiene products freely available to the city's most vulnerable women - students and those in prisons and shelters - is meant to correct the disparity that when men walk into a bathroom, they are provided with everything they need to take care of their normal bodily functions while women are not. While some have questioned the price tag involved, Ferreras-Copeland has said time and again, "I've never heard anybody complaining about how much it costs to buy toilet paper."

One bill, introduced by Ferreras-Copeland, would require all schools to make feminine hygiene products readily available to students and would require DOHMH to provide schools with a supply of tampons and pads that is adequate to meet the needs of the student body.

In September 2015, Ferreras-Copeland and the High School for Arts and Business in Queens launched a pilot program of free tampons and pads by installing a free dispenser in the girls' bathroom. In March, Ferreras-Copeland and the DOE expanded that program to 25 middle and high schools in Queens and the Bronx, providing access to free tampons and pads to the 11,600 girls attending the schools in the program.The principal at Arts and Business attributes a 2.4 percent increase in attendance rates in the months after the dispenser was installed to tampons and pads being freely available. Previously, when girls got their period and weren't carrying tampons or pads, they often had to miss class time and go to the nurse's office in order to get what they need.

Ferreras-Copeland says the DOE has been receptive and that conversations with schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña have been productive, although the cost of freely providing menstrual products was initially raised as a concern.

Another bill, introduced by Speaker Mark-Viverito, would require DOHMH to provide feminine hygiene products to all female residents in temporary shelters (here meaning Department of Homeless Services family shelters and single adult women shelters, Department of Youth and Community Development shelters, and Human Resources Administration domestic violence shelters).

Tampons and pads are often in short supply in the city's shelters, where women are already often unable to purchase the products. SNAP, WIC, and flexible spending accounts cannot be used to buy tampons or pads. Congressional Rep. Grace Meng of Queens has introduced a bill that would reclassify feminine hygiene products so that they can be purchased with flexible spending accounts.

The third bill, also introduced by Mark-Viverito, would require the Department of Correction to provide inmates with feminine hygiene products immediately upon request, "unless so providing would be unsafe, in which case products would be required as soon as possible." This would be a slight, but potentially significant change to the current DOC policy, as it would allow women a form of recourse if their requests are denied. Currently, additional supplies are available upon request, but inmates allege that their requests are sometimes denied by correction officers for no legitimate reason or because those products are understocked in jails, forcing women to ration pads.

Under DOC's current policy, each housing unit of female inmates in Rikers' Rose M. Singer Center is given a box of 144 sanitary napkins each week (housing units hold up to fifty women, meaning each woman may get two to three pads a week - pads that are small and thin), according to an August, 2015 letter from DOC Commissioner Joseph Ponte to Mark-Viverito and Ferreas-Copeland and shared with Gotham Gazette. Ponte said in the letter that he had "not heard of any issues or complaints regarding access to these items."

Others say that's not the case. During a roundtable discussion on access to feminine hygiene products last summer, Ferreras-Copeland said she heard from representatives of the Women's Prison Association that "some women were reduced to using one pad for their whole cycle" and stories from women who have had "to show soiled pads before they get the new ones," both of which are harmful to a woman's menstrual health and dignity.

In an April interview, Ferreras-Copeland said her original idea was to have coin-free dispensers installed in women's prisons as well, but "there was fear that the actual vending machine could be used as a weapon," and so that option was scrapped.One county in Wisconsin approved a resolution last year authorizing Dane County to begin a pilot program to provide tampons and pads for free via coin-free dispensers in the restrooms of eight county buildings, including a correctional facility. Ferreras-Copeland added that she did not want to legislate the number of pads the DOC must provide to women because "who am I to say how many they need, I just want to make sure that they have enough."

On Wednesday, Ferreras-Copeland expressed excitement about the upcoming hearing to Gotham Gazette, but was not available for a follow-up interview.

Weiss-Wolf said in a statement that she is looking forward to testifying next week. "The bills' sponsors...and others," she wrote, "have taken an important step by acknowledging that the ability to access and afford menstrual products is a necessity for half the population, and that it is impossible to be an engaged student or productive citizen without these products."

by Meg O'Connor, Gotham Gazette
@megoconnor13 @GothamGazette

Council Members Gibson, Ferreras-Copeland, Mark-Viverito (l-r) (photo: William Alatriste)

The City Council is about to take the next step toward making feminine hygiene products readily available, and free, in New York City public schools, shelters, and correctional facilities. On Thursday, June 2, the Council's Committee on Women's Issues will hold its first hearing on a package of bills to improve access to tampons and pads after the legislation was introduced in March.

The three bills are being spearheaded by City Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, the lead sponsors, and the hearing will come as New York State is set to eliminate the so-called "tampon tax" - the sales tax on feminine hygiene products.

Representatives from the city agencies that would carry out the new mandates outlined in the bills and relevant advocacy groups have been asked to testify - leaders from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Department of Education, and the Department of Correction will attend the hearing, as will representatives from ZanaAfrica Foundation, UnTabooed, and PowerPlay NYC. Representatives from the Women's Prison Association, Care for the Homeless, the YMCA, and other groups that participated in a roundtable discussion about access to menstrual products with Ferreras-Copeland last summer may be present as well.

Women who filed a class action lawsuit against the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance to end the tax on menstrual productsand Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, a leading national and international voice calling for better access to menstrual products, have also been invited to testify.

During the hearing, questions about the logistics and costs of implementing the mandates will be addressed. According to her office, Ferreras-Copeland looks forward to hearing from the de Blasio administration about its views on the bills and the current policies of the relevant agencies in terms of access to menstrual products. Ferreras-Copeland, who is likely to lead the hearing with Mark-Viverito and Council Member Laurie Cumbo, chair of the women's issues committee, is also looking to hear what barriers there may be in implementation of the requirements in the bills.

It is not yet clear how tampons and pads will be provided to women and girls in city shelters, jails, and schools, though no-charge dispensers have already been installed in the girls' bathrooms of 25 middle schools and high schools in the city through a pilot program, and Ferreras-Copeland has previously mentioned the possibility of installing dispensers in shelters.

The three bills in the package are accompanied by a resolution, sponsored by Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, calling on the state to exempt feminine hygiene products from all state and local sales taxes, which the state is poised to do - on Wednesday, state lawmakers passed a bill to exempt feminine hygiene products from the tax on retail sales, prompting Governor Andrew Cuomo to release a statement saying, "I look forward to signing it into law."

The Council bills and the elimination of New York's "tampon tax" contribute to a growing movement to de-stigmatize menstruation and improve gender equity, as women end up paying hundreds of dollars in taxes buying tampons and pads throughout their lifetime, despite the fact that women cannot avoid buying the products. Fourteen states and three major cities have introduced legislation to eliminate the tax on feminine hygiene products since January, though few cities or states have taken action to make the products more freely available.

The city push to make feminine hygiene products freely available to the city's most vulnerable women - students and those in prisons and shelters - is meant to correct the disparity that when men walk into a bathroom, they are provided with everything they need to take care of their normal bodily functions while women are not. While some have questioned the price tag involved, Ferreras-Copeland has said time and again, "I've never heard anybody complaining about how much it costs to buy toilet paper."

One bill, introduced by Ferreras-Copeland, would require all schools to make feminine hygiene products readily available to students and would require DOHMH to provide schools with a supply of tampons and pads that is adequate to meet the needs of the student body.

In September 2015, Ferreras-Copeland and the High School for Arts and Business in Queens launched a pilot program of free tampons and pads by installing a free dispenser in the girls' bathroom. In March, Ferreras-Copeland and the DOE expanded that program to 25 middle and high schools in Queens and the Bronx, providing access to free tampons and pads to the 11,600 girls attending the schools in the program.The principal at Arts and Business attributes a 2.4 percent increase in attendance rates in the months after the dispenser was installed to tampons and pads being freely available. Previously, when girls got their period and weren't carrying tampons or pads, they often had to miss class time and go to the nurse's office in order to get what they need.

Ferreras-Copeland says the DOE has been receptive and that conversations with schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña have been productive, although the cost of freely providing menstrual products was initially raised as a concern.

Another bill, introduced by Speaker Mark-Viverito, would require DOHMH to provide feminine hygiene products to all female residents in temporary shelters (here meaning Department of Homeless Services family shelters and single adult women shelters, Department of Youth and Community Development shelters, and Human Resources Administration domestic violence shelters).

Tampons and pads are often in short supply in the city's shelters, where women are already often unable to purchase the products. SNAP, WIC, and flexible spending accounts cannot be used to buy tampons or pads. Congressional Rep. Grace Meng of Queens has introduced a bill that would reclassify feminine hygiene products so that they can be purchased with flexible spending accounts.

The third bill, also introduced by Mark-Viverito, would require the Department of Correction to provide inmates with feminine hygiene products immediately upon request, "unless so providing would be unsafe, in which case products would be required as soon as possible." This would be a slight, but potentially significant change to the current DOC policy, as it would allow women a form of recourse if their requests are denied. Currently, additional supplies are available upon request, but inmates allege that their requests are sometimes denied by correction officers for no legitimate reason or because those products are understocked in jails, forcing women to ration pads.

Under DOC's current policy, each housing unit of female inmates in Rikers' Rose M. Singer Center is given a box of 144 sanitary napkins each week (housing units hold up to fifty women, meaning each woman may get two to three pads a week - pads that are small and thin), according to an August, 2015 letter from DOC Commissioner Joseph Ponte to Mark-Viverito and Ferreas-Copeland and shared with Gotham Gazette. Ponte said in the letter that he had "not heard of any issues or complaints regarding access to these items."

Others say that's not the case. During a roundtable discussion on access to feminine hygiene products last summer, Ferreras-Copeland said she heard from representatives of the Women's Prison Association that "some women were reduced to using one pad for their whole cycle" and stories from women who have had "to show soiled pads before they get the new ones," both of which are harmful to a woman's menstrual health and dignity.

In an April interview, Ferreras-Copeland said her original idea was to have coin-free dispensers installed in women's prisons as well, but "there was fear that the actual vending machine could be used as a weapon," and so that option was scrapped.One county in Wisconsin approved a resolution last year authorizing Dane County to begin a pilot program to provide tampons and pads for free via coin-free dispensers in the restrooms of eight county buildings, including a correctional facility. Ferreras-Copeland added that she did not want to legislate the number of pads the DOC must provide to women because "who am I to say how many they need, I just want to make sure that they have enough."

On Wednesday, Ferreras-Copeland expressed excitement about the upcoming hearing to Gotham Gazette, but was not available for a follow-up interview.

Weiss-Wolf said in a statement that she is looking forward to testifying next week. "The bills' sponsors...and others," she wrote, "have taken an important step by acknowledging that the ability to access and afford menstrual products is a necessity for half the population, and that it is impossible to be an engaged student or productive citizen without these products."

 Sponsor Says Deal Reached to Eliminate 'Tampon Tax' 2016-05-13T04:00:00+00:00 2016-05-13T04:00:00+00:00 https://www.gothamgazette.com/state/6330-sponsor-says-deal-reached-to-eliminate-tampon-tax Ben Max

Assembly Member Rosenthal, right, and Council Member Ferreras-Copeland (photo)

A difference of a few words is all that stands in the way of New York State becoming the sixth in the nation to exempt feminine hygiene products from state sales tax, though that could soon change. The Assembly sponsor of the bill, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, told Gotham Gazette on Thursday that she and state Senator Sue Serino, the Senate sponsor of the bill that has slightly different language, have agreed on new amendments that will make their bills identical.

However, Serino's office declined to comment as to whether or not the two had actually reached an agreement, raising doubts about whether a compromise had truly been reached on an issue that is so strongly supported that both houses unanimously passed the bills to eliminate the so-called 'tampon tax.'

Rosenthal said that, having agreed upon a few amendments to the legislation, the bill will head to the Governor "probably next week" after moving through both houses. Rosenthal is in the Assembly's Democratic majority, Serino in the Senate Republican majority. Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has already expressed his support for the legislation and will sign a bill to exempt feminine hygiene products from the tampon tax if and when it does reach his desk. The Legislature has just 15 days of legislative session left before its June end.

In March, the Assembly passed Rosenthal's bill to exempt "feminine hygiene products, including, but not limited to, sanitary napkins, tampons, and panty liners," from the state sales tax. In February, Serino introduced the same bill as Rosenthal, yet amended it some time after "to specifically exempt sanitary napkins and tampons from the tax," according to a press release from Serino's office. The Senate then passed that more limited version of Serino's bill in April.

News of the bill's passage in the Senate was met with celebration, and many outlets incorrectly reporting that the same bill had passed both houses and was heading to Cuomo's desk.

Yet, the slight but significant difference between the two bills means legislation to eliminate the tax on feminine hygiene products can't be signed into law by Cuomo - not until the language is identical.

According to Rosenthal, after speaking with Serino last week, the two agreed upon a few amendments to the bills that would make the two identical. "We put back other feminine hygiene products and added panty liners," Rosenthal said on Thursday. The tax exemption "will include feminine hygiene products, including, but not limited to, tampons, sanitary napkins, and panty liners, because the world of products to meet the needs of women menstruating is actually expanding right now, so we didn't want to have to revisit this at some point. It will be done," Rosenthal said.

Organizations like NOW-NYC and the Campaign for a Pro-Choice New York (both of which either supported Rosenthal's bill or lobbied for its passage) would prefer the more inclusive language of Rosenthal's bill become the law.

"Obviously it's always better if it's more inclusive, but I don't know what the mechanics of putting it into place are," Jean Bucaria, deputy director of NOW-NYC, told Gotham Gazette.

"In instances like this, we of course support the broadest possible version of this legislation that helps the most people," said Danielle Castaldi-Micca, director of political and governmental affairs for the Campaign for a Pro-Choice New York.

It may be the case that Serino and other lawmakers prefer the more specific language of the Senate bill because the fiscal impact of exempting only those two products (pads and tampons) from the state sales tax is easier to predict and account for.

However, both Bucaria and Castaldi-Micca believe a compromise is likely to happen. "I have confidence that they're going to get to a point of agreement and a single bill that the governor can sign," Castaldi-Micca said. In Albany, deals are often elusive until the very end of session, when a bill package known as a "big ugly" gets passed at the last minute before lawmakers leave town for the rest of the year.

Besides amending the language of the bill to leave room for less-common, reusable menstrual products like sponges, cloth pads, and menstrual cups, Rosenthal says she and Serino have also agreed on an amendment to change the time when the exemption will go into effect, and an amendment to make the exemption exist in it's own section of the tax code, rather than lump the exemption for feminine hygiene products in with exemptions for medical products.

Initially, the bill was to go into effect immediately, but "we changed that because there are four state tax reporting periods, so it will go into effect during one of those, it's just easier to align it," Rosenthal said.

In tax law, the coming exemption for feminine hygiene products, Rosenthal says, "stands on it's own, it's its own little section, it's not connected with the other tax exemptions. It was a regressive tax on women and their bodies and it's related to a natural biological function, so it shouldn't be viewed as a medical problem or anything else, so it has it's own line - section 3A."

It seems some movement has indeed been made on Rosenthal's version of the bill - according to the Senate website, on May 11, the bill was recalled from the Senate, returned to the Assembly, and amended on third reading. The latest version of the bill in the Assembly does indeed include all of the amendments Rosenthal mentioned above: it would take effect on the first day of a sales tax quarterly period; it would add a new section to the tax code, rather than lumping it in with drugs and medicine; and it maintains the more inclusive language.

These amendments have not yet been included in the Senate version of the bill, according to the Senate's website, and no changes have been made to the bill since it passed in the Senate last month.

Assembly Member Rosenthal, right, and Council Member Ferreras-Copeland (photo)

A difference of a few words is all that stands in the way of New York State becoming the sixth in the nation to exempt feminine hygiene products from state sales tax, though that could soon change. The Assembly sponsor of the bill, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, told Gotham Gazette on Thursday that she and state Senator Sue Serino, the Senate sponsor of the bill that has slightly different language, have agreed on new amendments that will make their bills identical.

However, Serino's office declined to comment as to whether or not the two had actually reached an agreement, raising doubts about whether a compromise had truly been reached on an issue that is so strongly supported that both houses unanimously passed the bills to eliminate the so-called 'tampon tax.'

Rosenthal said that, having agreed upon a few amendments to the legislation, the bill will head to the Governor "probably next week" after moving through both houses. Rosenthal is in the Assembly's Democratic majority, Serino in the Senate Republican majority. Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has already expressed his support for the legislation and will sign a bill to exempt feminine hygiene products from the tampon tax if and when it does reach his desk. The Legislature has just 15 days of legislative session left before its June end.

In March, the Assembly passed Rosenthal's bill to exempt "feminine hygiene products, including, but not limited to, sanitary napkins, tampons, and panty liners," from the state sales tax. In February, Serino introduced the same bill as Rosenthal, yet amended it some time after "to specifically exempt sanitary napkins and tampons from the tax," according to a press release from Serino's office. The Senate then passed that more limited version of Serino's bill in April.

News of the bill's passage in the Senate was met with celebration, and many outlets incorrectly reporting that the same bill had passed both houses and was heading to Cuomo's desk.

Yet, the slight but significant difference between the two bills means legislation to eliminate the tax on feminine hygiene products can't be signed into law by Cuomo - not until the language is identical.

According to Rosenthal, after speaking with Serino last week, the two agreed upon a few amendments to the bills that would make the two identical. "We put back other feminine hygiene products and added panty liners," Rosenthal said on Thursday. The tax exemption "will include feminine hygiene products, including, but not limited to, tampons, sanitary napkins, and panty liners, because the world of products to meet the needs of women menstruating is actually expanding right now, so we didn't want to have to revisit this at some point. It will be done," Rosenthal said.

Organizations like NOW-NYC and the Campaign for a Pro-Choice New York (both of which either supported Rosenthal's bill or lobbied for its passage) would prefer the more inclusive language of Rosenthal's bill become the law.

"Obviously it's always better if it's more inclusive, but I don't know what the mechanics of putting it into place are," Jean Bucaria, deputy director of NOW-NYC, told Gotham Gazette.

"In instances like this, we of course support the broadest possible version of this legislation that helps the most people," said Danielle Castaldi-Micca, director of political and governmental affairs for the Campaign for a Pro-Choice New York.

It may be the case that Serino and other lawmakers prefer the more specific language of the Senate bill because the fiscal impact of exempting only those two products (pads and tampons) from the state sales tax is easier to predict and account for.

However, both Bucaria and Castaldi-Micca believe a compromise is likely to happen. "I have confidence that they're going to get to a point of agreement and a single bill that the governor can sign," Castaldi-Micca said. In Albany, deals are often elusive until the very end of session, when a bill package known as a "big ugly" gets passed at the last minute before lawmakers leave town for the rest of the year.

Besides amending the language of the bill to leave room for less-common, reusable menstrual products like sponges, cloth pads, and menstrual cups, Rosenthal says she and Serino have also agreed on an amendment to change the time when the exemption will go into effect, and an amendment to make the exemption exist in it's own section of the tax code, rather than lump the exemption for feminine hygiene products in with exemptions for medical products.

Initially, the bill was to go into effect immediately, but "we changed that because there are four state tax reporting periods, so it will go into effect during one of those, it's just easier to align it," Rosenthal said.

In tax law, the coming exemption for feminine hygiene products, Rosenthal says, "stands on it's own, it's its own little section, it's not connected with the other tax exemptions. It was a regressive tax on women and their bodies and it's related to a natural biological function, so it shouldn't be viewed as a medical problem or anything else, so it has it's own line - section 3A."

It seems some movement has indeed been made on Rosenthal's version of the bill - according to the Senate website, on May 11, the bill was recalled from the Senate, returned to the Assembly, and amended on third reading. The latest version of the bill in the Assembly does indeed include all of the amendments Rosenthal mentioned above: it would take effect on the first day of a sales tax quarterly period; it would add a new section to the tax code, rather than lumping it in with drugs and medicine; and it maintains the more inclusive language.

These amendments have not yet been included in the Senate version of the bill, according to the Senate's website, and no changes have been made to the bill since it passed in the Senate last month.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Economists and energy planners at the IAEA have embarked upon a multi-year project that will make a comparative analysis of the storage of nuclear waste and carbon dioxide. The project will examine the advantages and drawbacks of both approaches to dealing with power generation by-products, and is expected to be of interest to many countries investigating nuclear power while weighing mounting anxiety over climate change.
"Even with a phenomenal increase in renewable and other energy sources, the main energy sources will still be fossil-based for the foreseeable future," said Ferenc Laszlo Toth, Senior Energy Economist in the IAEA´s Planning and Economic Studies Section (PESS). "Our study will seek to provide information and experience about the possible advantages and disadvantages of going to fossil-based or nuclear-based power generation."
Concerns over climate change and energy security have prompted greater interest in carbon capture and storage (CCS), a technology that would reduce greenhouse gases emissions by trapping CO2 emitted by fossil fuel power plants and storing them underground. With "new build" countries keen to develop a nuclear power program, the safe long-term disposal of nuclear waste is also an issue of obvious concern.
Roughly twenty papers have been commissioned in preparation for the coordinated research project (CRP). The study will examine various aspects of the geological storage of both nuclear waste and CO2, including characteristics, requirements, transport, and their physical storage. The CRP will look at the environmental impact of storing the two waste products underground, opine about the transport options available for both, and study the potential hazards to human health. The research will also delve into what lessons and learning the two storage options can garner from one another.
The IAEA is accumulating material and resources to be used by participants in the CRP. And since the topic has generated enough interest, the final project results may be produced in a journal or as a commercially published book.
"We are encouraging participants to produce peer-reviewed publications based on their work in the CRP as well. If they come up with interesting results, it increases the value of their research and also raises the profile of our programme," explained Toth.
IAEA discussions with Member States have confirmed that the CCS/Nuclear Waste CRP is of interest to many of them, and the CRP is open to all IAEA Member States for participation. Any State who wishes to work within the CRP can develop its own research programme for the 2-3 year lifetime of the project.
PESS provides information, tools and analytical studies to IAEA Member States for energy planning. The work of the Section enables countries to undertake energy planning on their own.
A typical CRP is announced to Member States, parties are invited to register their interest in the months following, and then the project begins in earnest.
The groundwork for the CRP was laid at an earlier meeting in Trieste, Italy, this past 14-18 April. The IAEA engaged potential partners and organizations at the meeting, and representatives from China and India were among the first to register initial interest.


In OSX it is you can set it so the screen saver asks for a password to unlock. The normal way to set this is to go to System Preferences > Security Pane > General Tab and check the tick box. Here is a quick Applescript to toggle the screen saver password setting. I wrote this in response to this request on Apple Dicsussions. There are also another couple of responses there that use Systems Events GUI scripting to open System Preferences. This script used the UNIX command 'defaults' to set the preferences .plist for the screen saver directly without opening any windows.
Now and again I respond to posts at Apple Discussions. Due to the nature of forums the information is quickly buried there. This post is just to document the Applescript in case anyone else finds it useful.


text:
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) Remains Top Pick: Piper Jaffray
Julie Lamb- September 22, 2016, 10:40 AM EDT
Yesterday, Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) announced it was halting its Phase 2/3 clinical study of GS-5745, an anti-MMP9 antibody designed to treat patients with moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis.
Nonetheless, Piper Jaffray analyst Joshua Schimmer reiterates an Overweight rating on shares of GILD with a $108 price target, which represents a 32% increase from where the stock is currently trading.
From Schimmer's perspective, this is not such a shocking setback, as the analyst never believed "targeting just one of many MMPs would have much utility, and their role in a complex process such as inflammation always seemed non-essential." The analyst had not invested analysis into exploring this program in the first place, deeming it merely "speculative" and a "non-core" asset from the beginning.
"We're not sure what GILD saw in this program in the first place, but as far as we are aware no investor assumed success. If anything, failure is part of our longer term investment thesis, as it will help curtail spending to protect the bottom line while HCV recalibrates, and will bring the company one step closer to hopefully a value-creative M&A transaction as its non-core (ex-HIV/HCV) pipeline runs out of gas. Reiterate OW as our top large cap pick," Schimmer concludes.
As usual, we recommend taking analyst notes with a grain of salt. According to TipRanks, one-star analyst Joshua Schimmer is ranked #3,228 out of 4,175 analysts. Schimmer has a 47% success rate and faces a loss of 0.7% in his annual returns. When recommending GILD, Schimmer loses 0.5% in average profits on the stock.
TipRanks analytics exhibit GILD as a Buy. Based on 17 analysts polled in the last 3 months, 10 rate a Buy on GILD, while 7 maintain a Hold. The 12-month average price target stands at $105.50, marking a 29% upside from where the shares last closed.
Gilead & Arcus Join Forces For 10-Year Cancer Deal, Arcus Down 15% In Pre-Market
Harriet Lefton, May 27, 2020
stock newsYahooFinance
Gilead's Remdesivir Most 'Beneficial' In Covid-19 Patients Who Need Extra Oxygen, Study Shows
Sharon Wrobel, May 24, 2020
JPMorgan's Bullish Stance on Gilead Sciences (GILD) Stock Comes to an End
Marty Shtrubel, May 4, 2020


Block foam is made in several different densities and hardnesses.
A major product in our manufacturing line is block foam. We deliver extremely large volumes to the furniture and bedding industries. From soft to hard grades (40N to 350N), block foam is manufactured in densities of 23kg per m3 up to as much as 80kg per m3 – an extensive range that allows precise customization. The same applies to heights and widths. Some standard sizes are always in stock, but we also manufacture bespoke foam blocks in customized formats.
Every foaming process is checked in our in-house laboratory to ensure the highest quality in all our products.


When I began raising chickens again three years ago, I was struck by how much even conventionally grown feed cost. Of course prices have gone up a considerable amount since then. With drought becoming more common, there is less feed and the price is higher. Investors speculate and buy grain, so the price goes up. What's a homesteader to do?
If I had more land I would grow my own grain. I am taking steps to raise some feed for my chickens, but I just don't have room on an acre to raise all that I need. In the meantime, I am working on ways to conserve feed and supplement as much as I can with kitchen scraps, garden goodies, and pasturing my poultry.
So you might wonder why on earth I would double my chicken feed budget by switching to organic feed. There are a lot of reasons, and organic feed is what I would have used all along if it had been locally available and a bit less expensive. Instead I tried to rationalize my decision to keep buying feed produced from a company I'm not particularly fond of, C*arg!ll.
I have always believed that organic gardening and farming practices are better for the environment, better for our animals, and better for our own health. I'm not really trying to open this up for debate…it's just what I believe. If you don't feel the same way, that's ok. I won't try to persuade you. But I feel that the use of GMOs, pesticides and herbicides is degrading our environment and our well being. (There is a great deal of scientific evidence to support this too) So, for the health of my family, my poultry, and the planet as a whole, I decided to find a way to purchase organic feed.
Supporting My Local Community Too? Bonus!
If you are interested in purchasing organic chicken feed, you might want to check out their website. They have a link to find out if their products are available near you….
I'm not receiving any advertising dollars from them, so this is not an affiliate link. I'm just looking forward to finding out how well my chickens and ducks like the feed. I'll let you know if I see any difference in production.
Do you use organic feed? Have you noticed any changes in your flock health or productivity?
If chickens have been fed conventional feed how long does it take to cleanse there systems,and can they and there eggs be considered organic or just in transition?
If you are selling to friends or at a farmers market it is very cost prohibitive to be certified organic for small producers. I let people know that the eggs are not certified organic, but the chickens are fed organic feed and I can give them the name of the company where I purchase the feed or show them the label from the feed bags.
If you are switching to organic feed for your own peace of mind, I can't give you a definite time period for detoxing your chickens. I remember reading an article (sorry I can't find it) where they were studying people who switched to organic food. With in a week, there was a significant reduction in the pesiticide residue detected in their urine and feces. So, IMHO, I would say that 1 week is long enough to cleanse their systems pretty well. You might want to feed them some dandelion leaves and ground dandelion roots to help them detox their systems too.
I have been thinking about organic feed for my chickens lately. Since I try to buy as much as possible organic I sometime forget that "regular" means GMO's and pesticides (grr!). I might try putting together my own mix (with all the free time I have lol). Thanks for sharing!
Planning for chickens in the springs. Was considering growing feed for them as we have some room for that but don't know where to start. This gave me some things to consider. Definitely want to go organic for all the reasons you stated here. Thanks for sharing on the Friday Farmgirl Blog Hop!
Best wishes with your chicken adventure 🙂 I'm planning to do some research and will share what I find soon!
I live in northern Illinois as well, and planning on chickens next spring. Wondering where you purchase your organic feed? Thanks!
I purchased from the Poplar Grove Feed Store, but also got a price at the feed store in Clinton, WI. Best wishes!
I recently wrote about our switch to organic and the cost differences…it really is insane how expensive it is. One must keep in mind the benefits, though, because they really are priceless! I should figure out how to sprout our own organic wheat…Brilliant!
You go girl! It is a pretty big hike in expenditures. I may be reducing the size of the flock to help save on the feed bill. We'll see how many eggs I can sell at the new price.
I have been thinking about this too. For me its not so much the extra cost, but the extra effort to find the organic grain in the first place! We did manage to get organic chick starter crumbles this year and I was very pleased that they didn't have the medication that the conventional starter contains. I want to do more about growing our own chicken feed (maybe not grain, but other high protein plants, and bugs – I've got some mealworms and wormfarm already), then I don't have to rely to buying it from somewhere. Great to read about your experience and reasons for switching.
The meal worms and worm farm are a great idea too! I have read that kale and other greens are an excellent addition to your feed. My chickens stick their beaks up at the kale, however! The ducks seem to like the greens from my garden much better.
I love the idea od growing my own chicken feed but I have no idea where to start or what to grow for them. I have the space. Anyone know what would be needed so I wouldn't have to buy as much layer mix?
I have read a little bit about what grains are good for chickens and it was a little confusing…but maybe that was just me 😉 I had seen organic barley for sale on Craigslist and considered going to pick some up, but did a little research and the info I found said that barley isn't very good for chickens. I really wondered about that. I would think that they could eat most any grain, other than uncooked soybeans.
It is definitely a topic that I want to research some more, because I would also like to grow my own feed…at least some of it!
What was the cost per bag and amount please? Wondering if I can possibly afford organic feed. Thanks.
At our feed store the cost was $21.65 per 40 pound bag. I was paying $13.49 for a 50 pound bag for the conventional. You will want to check with your local feed suppliers to see what it costs in your area. I live in the Midwest, so it might be cheaper here. Best wishes!
I do use organic feed, yes, for the same reasons you do — and the same reasons I garden organically, purchase organically when I can. There are only a couple of places nearby that carry it — I have to drive 20 miles to either one — but both are locally owned feed stores, so I feel like I'm contributing to our local economy as well as the health of my hens — and anyone who eats their eggs (or them, when the time comes…) Thanks for this, Lisa!
That's great! Yes, I really feel much better about the organic feed. I will feel better about eating the meat and eggs too 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! Always good to hear from you!
I switched to organic laying feed too though it is a bit more expensive. I have also been sprouting organic wheat for the chickens to supplement their feed.
I have been sprouting the wheat in mason jars in the kitchen. I usually have about four of them going at time. I add 1/2 cup of organic wheat to each jar. It takes 3-4 days for it to sprout! The chickens love it!
Ok, that I can handle. I have around 30 chickens so I might need a couple jars, but I was thinking of trays like some folks do. Thanks!


due to p5-Text-Iconv depending on libiconv not supporting ISCII-DEV.
The encoding doesn't show up in `/usr/local/bin/iconv -l`.
tools/tools/locale and eventually I ran into trouble.
How are locale files generated when the system images and .txz are rolled out?


text:
<?php
namespace Application\Modules\Rest\Controllers;

/**
 * Class SubscribeController
 *
 * @package    Application\Modules\Rest
 * @subpackage    Controllers
 * @since PHP >=5.6
 * @version 1.0
 * @author Stanislav WEB | Lugansk <stanisov@gmail.com>
 * @filesource /Application/Modules/Rest/Controllers/SubscribeController.php
 */
class SubscribeController extends ControllerBase {

    /**
     * POST Subscribe action
     */
    public function postAction() {

        $params = $this->rest->getParams();
        $this->response =
            $this->getDI()->get('SubscribeMapper')->create($params);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Friends, the Capitals power play is turrible. Gone 0 for their last 17 opportunities, the Caps seem to sucking primarily in the neutral zone. They need Marcus Johansson back ASAP.
Then again, the PK was perfect so I'll not complain too much. Though Karl Alzner's second penalty in the first period was a scam, by the way, and I'll be writing my congressperson.
Alex Ovechkin always seems to kick it up a notch on Super Bowl Sundays. A lot of his attempts were blocked today (5), but he seemed distinctly determined– like he does around this time every year. I admire the attitude, but there is no reason on earth for the dude to be blocking 2 percent shots in February when the Caps have the division lead by a billion miles.
Last game's escape goat, John Carlson, was pretty damn solid in his Sunday showing, putting up one of the best on-ice shot-attempt differentials (61.5 percent), primarily due to that tremendous second period showing.
Tom Wilson seems to be playing a game only incidentally parallel to hockey rather than playing hockey itself. In the second period, Wilson slammed Ryan White from behind for no apparent reason. I imagine Dale Hunter would say it was not not a hockey play. I'm constantly befuddled.
Braden Holtby could be beaten only by outside slapshots. Weird.
Please read the Sunday Snapshot. Perhaps publishing it at 11 PM on a Saturday was a tactical mistake on our part. It's a real good read, I promise.
No Joe B suit, but please do say hi to resident artist Rachel and f.o.t.b. Jenn!
Another uneven effort, but again the right result. The Caps' survival of that miserable first period is thanks to Braden Holtby, who noshed on a lot of close-up slot shots. But Washington's rebound in the back 40 was a team effort, and the goal scoring came from stars and depth and ice-cold dudes alike. I can dig it. Can you dig it?


Border Patrol agents made a big bust at a checkpoint in Sierra Blanca on Monday morning.
A drug sniffing dog caught wind of the drugs and alerted officers.
Two men from Arizona and the pot were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The marijuana has a street value of $820,000.


Could you please advise me of your opening hours? It does not appear to be on this site and the sign on the shed is to far away to read, perhaps you should put an opening hours sign on gate or fence.
Hi Bruce … You can find our opening hours listed under "Frequently Asked Questions". We are working on improving our signage, and hope to have street viewable opening hours and contact information in the not too distant future.
Hi, I'm the School Chaplain in Newton Primary school. Would you be interested in coming to the school, once a week to do some lunch time activities with the students?
We currently run an early morning "Boys Shed" at a local primary school. There may be some scope to expand this activity. Please give me a call on 0490 200 376 if you would like to discuss this further.


text:
package org.eclipse.jdt.internal.corext.refactoring.scripting;

import java.util.Map;

import org.eclipse.core.runtime.CoreException;

import org.eclipse.ltk.core.refactoring.Refactoring;
import org.eclipse.ltk.core.refactoring.RefactoringDescriptor;
import org.eclipse.ltk.core.refactoring.RefactoringStatus;

import org.eclipse.jdt.core.refactoring.descriptors.JavaRefactoringDescriptor;

import org.eclipse.jdt.internal.core.refactoring.descriptors.RefactoringSignatureDescriptorFactory;
import org.eclipse.jdt.internal.corext.refactoring.JavaRefactoringArguments;
import org.eclipse.jdt.internal.corext.refactoring.code.IntroduceFactoryRefactoring;

/**
 * Refactoring contribution for the introduce factory refactoring.
 *
 * @since 3.2
 */
public final class IntroduceFactoryRefactoringContribution extends JavaUIRefactoringContribution {

	/**
	 * {@inheritDoc}
	 */
	@Override
	public final Refactoring createRefactoring(JavaRefactoringDescriptor descriptor, RefactoringStatus status) throws CoreException {
		JavaRefactoringArguments arguments= new JavaRefactoringArguments(descriptor.getProject(), retrieveArgumentMap(descriptor));
		return new IntroduceFactoryRefactoring(arguments, status);
	}

	@Override
	public RefactoringDescriptor createDescriptor() {
		return RefactoringSignatureDescriptorFactory.createIntroduceFactoryDescriptor();
	}

	@Override
	public RefactoringDescriptor createDescriptor(String id, String project, String description, String comment, Map arguments, int flags) {
		return RefactoringSignatureDescriptorFactory.createIntroduceFactoryDescriptor(project, description, comment, arguments, flags);
	}
}


Low Prices Coline 4 Piece Sofa Set with Cushions Enjoy your patio or backyard leisure time with this strong and durable outdoor aluminum collection. Made with anodized brushed aluminum frames and non-marking black plastic foot caps these pieces come outfitted with resilient fabric canvas tested to last through all weather conditions. This outdoor aluminum collection complements casual gatherings with a chic look and ready versatility you can rely on.SHOPPING Coline 4 Piece Sofa Set with Cushions patio lounge furniture cheap Reviews : You finding where to buy Coline 4 Piece Sofa Set with Cushions for cheap best price. Get Cheap at best online store now!!
Major Tips And Advice For Buying And Caring For Your Furnishings Shopping for furniture can prove a lot of fun. The reason why it is so exciting is because all the choices you have to select from. Having said that, the price of quite a few furniture pieces is not so fun. Luckily, it is possible to find incredible pieces with prices you can afford. The under article will shed more gentle on this. Be aware of the types of wood the furniture is typically made from. Different types of timber have different qualities, so the same furniture piece made from one type of wood may be a good deal sturdier when made from a different style of wood. This can also lead to a greater price as well. When you are having completely new furniture delivered to your home, make sure that you check it out before you decide to sign the receipt of supply. If you sign the form then detect something is wrong with the furniture after it is in the house, you may have a hard time receiving the company to repair or replace it. Look at Craigslist for deals. There's ordinarily a lot of furniture that's given away to get absolutely nothing, other than your expense to take it up! That's a huge deal. So why do people give furniture apart? They've decided to upgrade, and it can require lots ofd money to hire someone to get rid of the aged piece. Take advantage of these situations. If you want a new sofa, try finding a single with some fully covered cushions. They last longer and can be flipped regularly. Essentially, you should buy a sofa with removable addresses so you can easily wash them. Easily-removed covers can also be replaced very easily if you happen to cannot clean a stain.
to lowest quality is: top wheat, pure aniline, semi aniline, nubuck, distressed, and suede. Choosing high quality leather ensures that you will have furniture which will lasts for many years. Consider the other goods you already own when you are picking out what piece of new furniture to pick out. You need to make sure the new item integrates well with the fabric, finish in addition to materials of your existing pieces so your whole room flows together. Thinking ahead can help to avoid bringing home a new piece that just does not work in the room. Select the best fabric for the location and utilization of your furniture. If a piece of furniture will face heavy use and site visitors, do not buy a costly or gentle fabric, as you will replace it earlier than you like. Save these pieces for an affordable price used rooms that are for guest visitors or show. When you decide to purchase employed Find the best deals Coline 4 Piece Sofa Set with Cushions furniture, do not let small scratches shock you away. Usually, these little flaws can easily be fixed from the comfort of your own home. It is much cheaper to fix these little problems on your own rather than purchasing brand new furnishings altogether. Learn how to properly clean up a good spill on your microfiber furniture. First, blot the spill with infiltration paper towels. Wash the area using a minor soap solution. Make sure to rinse the item off and pat it dried out. Finally, use a dry brush to clean the area in the same direction as being the nap. Create a game plan before purchasing. Buying furniture is a big deal, and not just about the price. It's as to what you're surrounding yourself with in the house, and that can affect how you feel emotionally every day. Really consider what you want your home for being like, and map out a plan. Its help! Understand different wood styles when buying furniture in order to maximize your price range. Furniture made from solid wood will be the costliest and last the longest. Veneered wood will be less expensive, but will have reduced quality wood under the veneer. Compound board and composites, which are made out of wood pulp and binders, would be the least expensive but also the least durable. The info here can help you. If you use it as a person shop for furniture, you shouldn't have any kind of problems along the way. You can easily fill the house with quality furniture pieces that you are like to show off by utilizing this advice.


text:
Tag Archives: prison population
Fieldnotes on the Gendered Labor of Prison Visitation
November 10, 2015 kevinkarpiakgender, Labor, mass incarceration, New York (state), New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Orisanmi Burton, Prison, prison population Leave a comment
The editors of Anthropoliteia would like to welcome a special guest post from Orisanmi Burton as part of our series of anthropological reports From the Field
The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NY DOCCS) operates fifty-four prisons, which confine approximately 53,565 people. This captive population is ninety-six percent male; fifty percent black, twenty-four percent latino and twenty-four percent white. Though half of them were convicted for charges that occurred within New York City, most of them are confined in prisons located in distant, rural parts of New York State.[1]
I entered the visitor waiting room, a trailer that rests on the grounds of the prison. Though I arrived at 7:45am, a full 45 minutes before the start of visiting hours, the inside of the trailer was already full. I signed in at the rear of the space where two Correctional Officers (C.O.s) stood behind a tall wooden desk. I took one of the only available seats, which happened to be right next to them.
DragNet: February 9 – 22, 2015
February 22, 2015 kcastnercommunity policing, federal prisons, Ferguson, Michael Brown, military, Muslims, police, police citizen interaction, policing, policing police, prison population, prisons, recidivism, use of force, women in policing 1 Comment
Is America ready for an NYPD cop show with a Muslim twist? In my favorite post of the month, Wajahat Ali recounts the inspiration, hilarity and first steps of writing the pilot script of MJ for HBO.
What do women bring to police command positions? Decentralized leadership, partnership and transparency, according to Lieutenant Colonel Nadia Rodrigues Silveira Gerhard. We shared Professor Lenin Pires' interview with Gerhard earlier this month as she is the first woman to take on a leadership position in Rio Grande do Sul's military police. Pires works as an anthropologist with the Public Safety Department of Fluminense Federal University. Be sure to catch more articles in Cultural Anthropology's Protesting Democracy in Brazil series here.
When there's something strange about an officer's demeanor, who you gonna call? This is precisely the dilemma Lisa Mahon faced. Don't miss her interview with This American Life's Ira Glass, titled "Cops See it Differently". You can view the video footage (recorded by Joseph Ivy, who was also in the car during the confrontation) referenced during the interview here.
In shocking news, Republicans and Democrats appear to agree on one thing lately: reducing federal prison costs. In an effort to lower recidivism, the crime rate AND federal prison system costs, H.R. 759 is quickly gaining bipartisan support. Also known as the Recidivism Reduction Act, the evidence-based measure would serve to connect eligible inmates with recidivism reduction programs. There, inmates could earn credits toward "alternative custody arrangements" to lower the amount of dollars otherwise being spent to house them within the federal system.
It's no wonder the script for the first half of MJ has generated such an overwhelming internet response. The co-creation of Al Jazeera's Wajahat Ali and author Dave Eggers, MJ isn't your typical cop show…it's a cop show with a Muslim twist. In my favorite post of the month, Ali recounts the inspiration, hilarity and first steps of writing the pilot script for HBO. The only bummer comes toward the end, when you realize MJ hasn't yet made it to TV (why, we ask, WHY?!). Feel free to peruse the piece, available here, and freer to clamor for Hollywood to make this show happen (Ali even entertains the idea of revamping it Walking Dead style if all else fails…)
In the aftermath of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, I've been surprised to hear several officers insist that citizen education about how to interact with officers would reduce such tragic encounters. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that at least one city has recently made baby steps in this direction. This month we shared ML Schultze's post, which covers Akron's first-of-its-kind "crib sheet"; detailing the do's and don'ts of officer-citizen interactions. The sheet was created by high school students with assistance from the city's police department. The question is, will other departments follow suit?
Did I miss something? No worries- it does happen on occasion. If you have any suggestions for DragNet, or if you want to call attention to a specific blog or article, send an email to anthropoliteia@gmail.com with the words "DragNet" in the subject header and I'll get on it!
DragNet Oct 6 – 20, 2014
October 21, 2014 kcastnerapplied anthropology, crime, domestic violence, kyle bridge, mass incarceration, police citizen interaction, policing, prison population, prisons, psycops, Race, smartphone seizure, taser, use of force, VAWA, victoria law, violence Leave a comment
Victoria Law reveals how carceral feminism has (unexpectedly?) lead to more violence for some.
DragNet: July 1 – 14, 2014
July 15, 2014 kcastneranthropology, Brazil, crime, France, police, police citizen interaction, policing, prison population, prisons, protests, Rio de Janeiro 1 Comment
The World Cup may have come to an end this week, but Anthropoliteia was pleased to contribute additional posts in our ongoing coverage of the event. Among them was The Politics of Violence and Brazil's World Cup by Sean Mitchell.
DragNet: June 15 – 30, 2014
June 30, 2014 kcastneranthropology, crime, mass incarceration, police, police citizen interaction, policing, prison population, prisons, Race, racial profiling, security, surveillance, technology, use of force, violence Leave a comment
After months of debate, the ACLU released previously sealed records regarding the cell phone-tracking tool in use by several departments.
The topic of surveillance packed a powerful punch this month, with the court releasing documents regarding Stingray technology capabilities. After months of debate, the ACLU released previously sealed records regarding the cell phone-tracking tool in use by several departments. The publication comes nearly 3 months after initial buzz about the tool that circulated after a suspect's phone was used by police to track him to his apartment prior to obtaining a warrant. The more notable specifics of the technology can be found here.
The problem of prison over crowding is presented by Alyse Berenthal's article in Anthropology News this month. As an anthropologist interested in the ethnographic aspects of justice, Berenthal spent time working with people in self-help legal clinics. By restricting definitions of justice to the individual level, Alyse work offers insights to the pitfalls of an over burdened justice system.
The truth is in the data. The proof is in the series of graphs presented by Nicole Flatlow in Think Progress' article about the existential growth of the US prison population. States like California are so over-populated with prisoners that courts have ordered that prisons take steps to reduce inmate populations. Local jails are feeling the pain of overcrowding, with large volumes of low-risk or offenders awaiting trial making up a large proportion of total prisoner populations.
Also in surveillance is Kirsten Weld's post about the institutionalization of intelligence gathering by the US. From the Spanish-American War, to FDR's administration, to the aftermath of 9/11: it becomes apparent that data mining is nothing new to the US' administrative history. Whether or not the US has a right to act as "global policeman" has yet to be determined by both the law and its citizens.
Stingray technology was not the only cause of raised eyebrows this month. James Eyers of Financial Review put tap-and-go credit card technology under scrutiny in a post from earlier this month. Some departments are criticizing tap and go transactions; pointing to higher theft and break-ins by criminals looking for this specific type of credit card. Banks are standing by their anti-identification policies, stating that crime inevitably changes alongside technological innovations and they as a financial entity cannot be held accountable.
First shared in May, Mother Jones' post by Katie Quandt was popular again this month. Entitled "What it's like to visit your mother in prison on mother's day", Quandt reflects about the impact of her foster sister's incarceration on her role as a mother. The article comes shortly after Sesame Street's recent initiative to talk about challenges children with parents in prison face, citing that 1 in 28 children fall into this category (with that stat increasing to 1 in 9 children among African American children).
Have plans to lounge beachside this summer? If so, you can't miss David Thompson's "must read" journal articles for Spring 2014. Catch up on the latest in anthropology and policing in scholarly publications here.
Border Criminologies announced their recent initiative to first digitize and eventually physically document material works by UK immigrants. The archive is intended to act as a reminder of the creative process of individuals even during times of extreme stress and uncertainty. It serves to emphasize the role of material culture in criminology.
Should community policing lead the way in 2014? Steve Early advocates for this approach in In These Times pose on June 23rd. He attributes the more "reactive policing" approaches to post-9/11 emphasis on response. Would regular officer assignments result in higher reliability ratings from the public? Should community relationship building be instated to replace reactive responses?
DragNet: June 1 – 15, 2014
June 15, 2014 kcastnerBrazil, crime, law, mass incarceration, Michel Foucault, military, police, police citizen interaction, policing, prison population, prisons, Profiling, protests, Race, racial profiling, surveillance, technology, violence Leave a comment
"The challenge of on-officer cameras is the tension between their potential to invade privacy and their strong benefit in promoting police accountability," ~ACLU
June kicked off with a post by Scott Shafer of NPRNews regarding the drastic increase in California parole rates. Where previous years saw less than a 10% release rate for "lifers", 2013 recorded a near doubling of this statistic. California governor Jerry Brown has reiterated that crime type is no longer as much of a determining factor for parole as is the level of threat an inmate poses to the community. For more about the parole increase, check out Matt Levin's article about lifers freed from prisons as well as his timeline cataloging the history of California parole trends.
"To the radicalized youth who demonstrated in 14 Brazilian state capitals on May 15, the World Cup represents a fundamental flaw in the Workers' Party (PT) project," writes Rodrigo Nunes in a news post from Aljazeera. While your friends are busy blowing up your Facebook feed about the soccer of World Cup, Brazilians continue to show outrage that the event has brought their country few winners, but many losers. For more about the political implications of the World Cup, check out Werner Krauss' article on the Huffington Post. Here, he dissects the event from a structural-ritual perspective. Anthropoliteia also featured a post from Meg Stalcup in our continuing coverage of the World Cup.
It's not just police getting virtual these days- so are crime scenes. In a personal favorite post by Kashmir Hill of Forbes, Hill recounts the Internet trail left behind by Santa Barbara Shooter Elliot Rodger. The troubled youth produced several YouTube videos documenting his gradual decline into criminal violence.
What would Jeremy Bentham and Michel Foucault have to say about Lebanese prison systems? Yazan al-Saadi's post on Al-Akhbar evokes this and other questions about surveillance and control. The original panopticon envisioned a top-down power structure wielded by authority figures over non-authority figures. In the context of Lebanese prisons, however, this concept is turned on its head as it is the prisoner who seemingly wields ultimate control. Also in surveillance, the wife of ex-IRA prisoner Anthony McIntyre has requested a formal investigation by the US state department after sensitive information from a phone call with the US embassy appeared in a popular tabloid a few days later.
An unlikely economical analysis of police body mounted cameras appeared in The Motley Fool's investing section. Ryan Lowery reflects on the potential profitability of the leading police tech companies (including TASER and L-3 Communications) that produce the majority of the equipment.
Issues of excessive force, surveillance and militarization come to a head in Kent Paterson's post on CounterPunch. Using recent examples of militaristic responses by members of the Albuquerque police department, Paterson builds up to a broader discussion about the impact of police technologies on aggressive responses and use of force by US police departments.
Juvenile detention centers in California will be receiving $80 billion in coming months to rejuvenate current facilities. Several proposals for amenities and new features reinforce a community-based emphasis. Officials hope the restructuring will help to solidify rehabilitation as a prevailing theme.
Tina Dupuy authored an engaging piece about casual vs. institutionalized racism in AlterNet this month. Why does the US rally more readily against casual comments than it does to institutionalized forms of racism (such as the prison system)? And further, does/can one form of racism lead to the other?
"Ban them, ban them all with a carve out for hunting weapons," says Scott Martelle from LA Times Opinion. Referring to his admittedly minority stance on gun control in America, Martelle proposes the next steps for eliminating gun violence in America.
DragNet, April 2014
April 29, 2014 kcastner#myNYPD, ACLU, Allegra: a virtual lab of legal anthropology, Barrio Libre, Beatriz Reyes-Foster, Border Criminologies, Chicago Magazine, chicago pd, crime, crime stats, Crimea, Greta Uehling, Jason Antrosio, Johannes Wheeldon, law, Ledien Anthropology Blog, mass incarceration, Michigan, NIJ, niversity of California Santa Cruz, Paul Mutsaers, police, police citizen interaction, policing, policing politics, prison population, Profiling, protests, racial profiling, Rebecca Hanson, Savage Minds, surveillance, Taras Fedirko, technology, Ukraine, Vino Avanesi Leave a comment
What was on April's Blog Menu, you ask? A flurry of posts covering everything from issues in ethnicity, crime stat validity, police social media involvement and ongoing Ukraine and surveillance coverage, of course! Continue reading →


text:
CT_Albdoc
ADDITIONAL ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE INFESTED TREES FOUND IN STATEN ISLAND
Suzanne Bond (301) 734-5175
Cindy Ragin (301) 734-7280
Recent Detection Follows Discovery of Beetle in 2007
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2009--The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced the discovery of 13 maple trees infested with Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) in Staten Island, N.Y. Due to this find, APHIS will expand the current treatment and inspection boundaries in place since the initial ALB detection in Staten Island in spring 2007.
Inspectors working for the ALB eradication program, who cooperate with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, surveyed the area in December 2008. On the last day of December, inspectors found 12 infested red maple trees on undeveloped property owned by NYSDEC and one infested Norway maple on a neighboring property. This area was specifically targeted for survey based on the location of the infested trees found in 2007 and a scientific understanding of the insect's behavior and potential for spread in this type of terrain.
"Some of the trees on the NYSDEC property had the perfectly round, 3/8 inch in diameter exit holes that indicate beetles have emerged from the trees in past summers, and all the trees had egg sites indicating beetles have laid eggs," said Christine Markham, director of the national ALB program. "A growth ring analysis determined the infestation is four years old."
The infested trees will be removed this month, before any adult beetles can emerge. In addition, the New York ALB cooperative eradication program will remove 25 high-risk, exposed host trees located in close proximity to the infested trees. The infested and high-risk host trees are located within the NY state quarantine; however, they are several hundred feet beyond the area where chemical treatments of ALB host trees were completed during the spring of 2007 and the spring of 2008.
New York State Agriculture commissioner, Patrick Hooker said, "We still believe that this serious pest can be successfully eradicated through early detection, rapid response and interagency cooperation and teamwork. To further our efforts in eradication, we have added approximately two square miles to the existing quarantine area to prevent the movement of wood to areas known not to be infested with this pest."
The Staten Island quarantine zone will now be 10 square miles (up from 8 square miles) as a result of the December/January ALB detection. Numerous residential properties lying east of South Avenue and west of Willow Road East will become part of the ALB expanded quarantine area. The quarantine zone for the entire state of New York is anticipated to increase from 140 square miles to 142 square miles. Because of its location, the detection will require the expansion of the chemical treatment program to include additional ALB-host trees located within one-half-mile radius of the 2008 detection. This will add approximately 8,200 trees to the 17,900 trees that will be treated for the third time during the spring 2009 treatment period.
"ALB is a serious threat to New York's forest resources," said Robert Davies, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation director of State Lands and Forests. "Vigilant monitoring identified this area of infestation. We are working closely with our city, state and federal partners in order to ensure this damaging invasive pest does not spread to adjoining communities and neighborhoods."
The ALB was first discovered in New York in 1996, and quarantines currently exist on Long Island in an area bordering the Nassau County and Suffolk County boundary line and also in the Islip area of Long Island. Portions of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island are also quarantined. Quarantines are put in place to regulate the movement of firewood, green lumber, nursery stock, tree limbs and other woody materials that serve as hosts for the invasive ALB.
"The ALB is the most serious insect threat the city has ever faced--one that if left unchecked could kill half of our trees," said New York City Parks commissioner, Adrian Benepe. "The beetle lays eggs on, bores into, feeds on and ultimately kills otherwise healthy hardwood trees. This recent discovery on Staten Island is a reminder that this persistent beetle will remain a real threat to the City's landscape and ecological health unless we step up awareness, eradication efforts, and funding."
A mature ALB is about 1 to 1.5 inches long, has a shiny, jet black body with distinctive white spots and long antenna banded in black and white. The adult beetles are most evident between June and October. As developing larvae, ALB tunnel through the heartwood of various tree species during the winter months damaging the pathways that move water and nutrients throughout the tree. This tunneling ultimately kills the tree. The goal is to eliminate this destructive insect from the United States before it can establish itself elsewhere.
Note to Reporters: A map of the new Staten Island regulated area, including treatment locations, can be found at the USDA-APHIS Web site at /newsroom, click on "Asian Longhorned Beetle" under the "Hot Issues" heading. In the blue box to the right of the page, there are links for reporting infestations, identifying the ALB and maps of regulated areas and treatment areas.
USDA news releases, program announcements and media advisories are available on the Internet. Go to the APHIS news release page at /newsroom. Also, anyone with an e-mail address can sign up to receive APHIS press releases automatically. Send an e-mail message to lyris@mdrdlyriss10.aphis.usda.gov and leave the subject blank. In the message, type subscribe press_releases.


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text:
Jamal Edwards Shares Success Story
Jamal Edwards is an internet entrepreneur and a motivational speaker, he spoke recently about his success story and how he became a self made millionaire.
Jamal, who is originally from a council estate in West London, started out working as a shop assistant in Topman. He has since set up his own broadcasting channel SB.TV, which gets millions of views on youtube and brought him to the attention of Sir Richard Branson, who considers Jamal his prodigy.
After the success of SB.TV Jamal was named on the Sunday Times young power and rich lists. Speaking about his success Jamal stated 'I've met many great minds over the last few years and I have realised the world is full of incredible ideas. People often have great ideas but rarely think about how they are going to get them to the market from a practical point of view. They may know the demographic of who they want to connect with but people rarely think of the how – and this is the failure of tons of start-ups.'
There are currently five employees working at SB.TV and he plans to create his own website and expand his music channel into 'a much broader youth lifestyle broadcaster.' Jamal is now an ambassador for the Prince's Trust and he said 'I really want to empower my generation to see the power digital can bring to them at an economic and sociological level.'
If you would like to book Jamal to speak at a corporate event, call 020 7607 7070.
Calling All Podcast Addicts!
Let Your Imagination Run Wild With Some Disney Magic
Breathe Fire Back into your Engine Room with these Dragons


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Sharon did a great job with my daughters wedding! I like that she takes care of the business herself!