Boycott high-salt bread, urges CASH
Pressure group Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) has called for a boycott of breads with high salt levels as part of its Salt Awareness Week campaign, which runs until February 4.It says that while many bakery products now contain significantly less salt than a few years ago, salt levels in others are still too high.Its research found that a white crusty farmhouse loaf bought from Marks & Spencer in September 2004 contained 1.75g of salt per 100g, whereas the same product bought at the end of 2006 contained around half this amount of 0.9g salt per 100g.Many other loaves now contain around 0.8-1g of salt per 100g. However, some bread still contains as much as 1.5g of salt per 100g.CASH has urged consumers to avoid buying Tesco’s Stayfresh Medium Sliced Wholemeal bread (1.5g salt per 100g) and choose Sainsbury’s Stay Fresher For Longer Medium Sliced Wholemeal bread instead, as it contains much less salt (0.9g per 100g).Indeed, any bread that contains more than 1.25g of salt per 100g should be boycotted, as lower salt alternatives exist, according to CASH.”The UK is leading the world on salt reduction – many of our food manufacturers should be congratulated on the effort they have made to reduce the amount of salt they add to our foods,” said Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of CASH. “This proves that lower salt versions can be developed.”In its latest survey, CASH revisited 127 products it had previously ’named and shamed’ to see how their salt contents had changed.It said products still found to have a high salt content included Sainsbury’s and Tesco Crumpets, which contain 2g of salt per 100g.
Royal Town Planning Institute CEO Trudi Elliott takes up post of Chair of the Planning Inspectorate board on 1 April 2018. Social media – MHCLG The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has today (22 March 2018) announced the appointment of Trudi Elliott as the new independent Chair of the Planning Inspectorate board.From Sunday 1 April, Trudi will work with other Non-Executive Directors to provide support to Chief Executive Sarah Richards and the management team through the advisory board for a period of 4 years.Trudi, a Chartered Town Planner, has a wide-ranging and in-depth knowledge of planning, a sector where she has worked for 20 years.She has been Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute since 2011 but will step down from that role at the end of March 2018.Trudi takes over the role of Chair at the Planning Inspectorate from Sara Weller who held the position from August 2014 to September 2017.Commenting on her new role, Trudi said: national infrastructure planning planning and enforcement appeals examinations of local plans Office address and general enquiries Please use this number if you are a journalist wishing to speak to Press Office 0303 444 1209 2 Marsham StreetLondonSW1P 4DF If your enquiry is related to COVID-19 please check our guidance page first before you contact us – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-local-government.If you still need to contact us please use the contact form above to get in touch, because of coronavirus (COVID-19). If you send it by post it will not receive a reply within normal timescale. General enquiries: please use this number if you are a member of the public 030 3444 0000
The Planning Inspectorate plays a vital function in the planning system and the future development of England and Wales. I am absolutely delighted to have been appointed to help with that task and look forward to working with Sarah Richards and her executive management team to continue to shape this renowned organisation. Contact form https://forms.communit… Media enquiries Email 
The government is to temporarily guarantee business-to-business transactions currently supported by Trade Credit Insurance.Trade Credit Insurance insures suppliers against a customer defaulting on payment and helps give businesses confidence to trade with each another.As of April 2020, more than £171bn of business activity was insured, covering transactions between around 13,000 suppliers and 650,000 buyers, according to the Treasury.The government has said its support will help supply chains that rely on Trade Credit Insurance. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, some businesses are struggling to pay bills and risk having credit insurance withdrawn, or premiums increase to unaffordable levels.Under the new scheme, the government will temporarily guarantee business-to-business transactions currently supported by Trade Credit Insurance through a temporary reinsurance agreement with insurers.The guarantees will cover trading by domestic firms and exporting firms, and it is hoped agreements will be in place with insurers by the end of this month. The government said it would work with businesses and the industry on the full details of the scheme to ensure firms were supported and risk was shared between the government and insurers.“This country’s businesses are crucial in helping us to kick-start the economy,” said economic secretary to the Treasury John Glen. “By guaranteeing business-to-business transactions currently supported by Trade Credit Insurance, we will help to maintain a vital cog in our economy.”The move has been welcomed by the Food & Drink Federation.“We are delighted that the government has introduced a guarantee scheme for Trade Credit Insurance,” said chief executive Ian Wright.“It is news that will be warmly welcomed by food and drink manufacturers of all sizes, and an intervention we have been calling on government to introduce since lockdown first began. We look forward to working with the Treasury on the details.”
The Dell EMC Client Heroes Program launched in Q2 after a successful pilot program across all regions in late FY18. The first of this series of events, co-funded by Intel, spanned across the Americas and focused on our Client Partner Community in Mexico City and Chicago respectively.Leveraging the same format as typical Heroes Exchange events, our goal is to bring up-to-date and relevant information about Dell EMC products, solutions and services directly to our Hero partner community. Local Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) supported with interactive and engaging sessions, a style that benefits everyone by enabling dialogue and information-sharing across both audience and presenters.Aiming to make these experiences memorable, the events were hosted at remarkable and unique locations. Partners at our inaugural event in Mexico City gathered at the stunning Museo de Memoria y Tolerencia in downtown Mexico, followed by a museum tour and drinks reception; and in Chicago we hosted our first Client Heroes event in the impressive surroundings of Soldier Field Stadium, home of the Chicago Bears football team.Feedback from the partner community has been hugely encouraging, in terms of the value of content provided, quality of speakers and the novelty of attending a training session in a unique environment.Our Client Heroes Program continues in New York on September 25th, in Chelsea Piers, Manhattan. Please speak to your Dell Account Manager for further information, or to go ahead and register your interest, click here.Further events will be held across all regions before the end of FY19 so stay tuned for upcoming opportunities. You can join our LinkedIn Group here, follow us @DellEMCPartners and use #DellEMCHeroes to connect with our team.
View Comments Age: 35 (“But I play 15 to 35!”) Stage & Screen Cred: Perhaps best known as the adorably awkward Abed on NBC’s Community, Pudi has appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows, including Royal Pains, Gilmore Girls, Greek and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Related Shows Hometown: Chicago, IL Show Closed This production ended its run on Nov. 9, 2014 “Besides my family family, the Community cast is my family family family. They’re wonderful people. A couple of them are coming to see Found in a few weeks. We went through so much on that show—we’ll be close forever.” “My mom used to make me do Polish dance when I was a kid, but I didn’t really like it. I was better at making funny faces than executing moves. They’re making me dance in Found, and again, I think I’m better at making faces.”
“I have two-year-old twins, and we’re really getting into their Halloween costumes. James is gonna be Batman and Fiona is gonna be Ariel from The Little Mermaid. I’m gonna get [Found co-star] Betsy Morgan, who played Ariel on Broadway, to sing for Fiona. That’ll blow her mind.” Current Role: A zany off-Broadway debut as the precocious owner of Daniel’s Toy Trading Shop, a paranoid woman who thinks Tom Hanks is spying on her and more kooky characters based on real notes and flyers in the new musical Found. “In New York, I’ve been staying with my college roommate and we’ve been recreating our college experience. We call it ‘College II.’ We’ve been eating a lot of pizza, playing videos games and swearing a lot. It’s been really exciting.” Found “I’m half-Polish, half-Indian, and growing up, the first thing you did when you woke up is you talk about what’s for dinner. Food was very important. My mom would make borscht with pierogies and uszka—I miss those so much.” “When I read the script for Found, I thought it was just so cool and weird and different, and I really enjoy that. It’s exciting to try something I’m not sure I can do. That’s the biggest thing—it’s fun to put yourself in a position that’s uncomfortable.”
The Sunbelt Agricultural Expo opened its doors in Moultrie, Georgia, Tuesday, with agricultural experts, farmers, state and local leaders, and University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead in attendance.Much of the talk during the expo and Morehead’s visit focused on the devastation wrought by Hurricane Michael, which leveled buildings and destroyed untold acres of crops — including cotton, peanuts, pecans and vegetables — across much of Georgia’s most fertile farmland.Morehead spoke at length with attendees about the effects of the storm and what could be done to ease the burden on the state’s farmers, some of whom have lost everything.“I visited this area only a few weeks ago on my annual farm tour and talked with farmers who were eagerly anticipating peak harvests of pecans, peanuts and other crops. Now many farms have been wiped out and yields have been substantially impacted due to the hurricane,” said Morehead. “I want south Georgia’s farmers to know that the University of Georgia stands with them and is committed to supporting their recovery from this devastating storm.”Early estimates place agriculture and timber losses in excess of $2 billion, and that number could increase significantly as more information becomes available.UGA Cooperative Extension agents are working with individual farmers across the state to assess crop and equipment damage, and Extension facilities are being used as staging grounds for utility companies working to restore power.UGA is also extending the early admissions application deadline to Oct. 22 for high school students in areas hit hardest by the storm, including southwest Georgia and parts of the Florida panhandle.Representatives from UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) participate in the expo every year, but this year, many UGA Extension officials remained in their counties helping Georgia residents recover.Despite smaller numbers than usual, in the UGA building at the expo, students, faculty and staff greeted visitors who wanted to learn more about the land-grant mission of Georgia’s flagship university. Student ambassadors talked about why they love the college and the world-class education they are receiving. Faculty and staff discussed the college’s research and Extension programs.“UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences plays a significant role in Georgia’s agricultural sector being the No. 1 industry in the state. We do so by educating the future agricultural leaders in our academic programs, conducting world-renowned research that impacts different commodities that comprise the diverse agriculture industry of Georgia, and through our Extension programs, which serve as a bridge for specialists to bring the research information to farmers,” CAES Dean Sam Pardue said. “When you come to an event like the Sunbelt Ag Expo, you’re introduced to all three of these different components that comprise a great college like CAES.”Morehead’s visit included a tour of the UGA building, a meeting with key agricultural leaders in Georgia and a conversation with CAES student ambassadors. Morehead has visited the three-day event every year since becoming the university’s president in 2013.He also was an invited guest at the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Luncheon. This year’s winner was Kevin Yon from South Carolina.More than 1,200 exhibitors are represented at this year’s expo event, which is held on a 100-acre exhibit area.For more about CAES, go to http://caes.uga.edu.
Baker Act rewrite calls for outpatient treatment June 1, 2004 Associate Editor Regular News Baker Act rewrite calls for outpatient treatment Jan Pudlow Associate Editor As expected, a major rewrite of the Baker Act that calls for judges to order involuntary outpatient treatment passed on the session’s last day.Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger, legislative chair of the Florida Sheriffs Association, had been working on the bill (CS/SB 700) for three years and hailed it as both “a law enforcement and humanitarian issue” that will help keep the mentally ill on stabilizing medications and out of hospitals and jails.He was fired up about pushing for reform after a 1998 dramatic 13-hour standoff between a sheriffs deputy and a schizophrenic man off his medication ended both of their lives.“There were no major changes to the substance of what we wanted to accomplish,” Eslinger said. “If there is no treatment available in that jurisdiction, the petition can’t be filed.”Sen. Durell Peaden, R-Crestview, a physician and sponsor of the bill, argued the Baker Act rewrite will save money in the long run because it will keep the “revolving-door” patients out of expensive hospitals and jails. He called it a “big step.”While the goal to keep both the mentally ill and the public safe is laudable, others are concerned that the legislation came with zero funding and will overburden the courts and create confusion in underfunded mental health services.“The court is going to do what is required under the law, but there is going to be a workload cost that is yet to be determined,” said 17th Circuit Judge Mel Grossman, of the probate division in Broward County.“They gave us no money to go with this. They didn’t give us any new judges. It’s an unfunded mandate.”In three of Florida’s populous areas —the 17th, Miami-Dade’s 11th, and Pasco-Pinellas’ Sixth circuits — Grossman said judges are “anticipating two to three times the number of hearings.”Another concern, Grossman said, is that “the statute talks about entitlements to guardian advocates. In most areas of the state, there are very few people. You’re talking about people committing to multi-year supervision, because mental illness is not something that is cured overnight. I think there will be some difficulty there.”Public defenders around the state are bracing for more work, as well as keeping a vigilant eye out for potential abuses of the new law that makes it easier for the court to order treatment.“We think the new procedure will bring a lot of new cases into the system,” said Second Circuit Public Defender Nancy Daniels, president of the Florida Public Defender Association.“Even though the amended version only allows petitions to be filed when services are available, we think it will create a lot of work on the courts to address compliance issues,” Daniels said.“We anticipate a lot of people will be held in contempt, accused of non-compliance. A feature of the bill is a review every six months. That’s a lot of court activity to supervise these new types of mental health patients who are not dangerous to themselves or others,” she continued.“We think it is capable of abuse, for example, for someone in a divorce or a hotly contested child custody case. We are afraid it will be a tool that will be abused by people trying to make someone look bad by dredging up some ancient history like a past suicide attempt from college days.”In the last flurry of the session, Rep. Bruce Kyle, R-Ft. Myers, a prosecutor and chair of the House Appropriations Committee, put on an amendment that would have given state attorneys and public defenders funds to help with workload issues associated with the bill. But that amendment was stripped off before the final 100-15 vote in the House.“There are no new judges, no prosecutors, and no defenders allocated for this,” Daniels said. “We felt we needed at least one new trial lawyer in each circuit. Also, we felt we needed new appellate judges, because we anticipate a lot of litigation on constitutional issues. We anticipate a lot of appeals will percolate through,” Daniels said.Dan Hendrickson, an assistant public defender in Daniels’ office who handles Baker Act cases, was more outspoken in his disdain for the new law.“This bill is more of an election year favor than a solution to any problem,” Hendrickson said. “It will cost more than anyone has admitted. Legislators turned a deaf ear to any realistic consideration of what this bill is about. Mentally ill Floridians will continue to be arrested and Baker Acted. No one should be allowed to brag that this bill will solve any systemic problems.”But Miami attorney Joseph George, a guardian advocate for the mentally ill and substance abusers, and a private practitioner specializing in social service law, thinks court-ordered outpatient treatment is worth a try.One of his clients is in his early 20s and fits the description of the “revolving-door patient” who has been Baker Acted and Marchman Acted for dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance abuse many, many times.“Dade County has spent thousands upon thousands of dollars each time a petition is filed on him,” George said. “In Dade County, you cannot force anybody to take drugs on an outpatient basis. The only jurisdiction is when they are in the hospital, and then when they are released, you no longer have jurisdiction and the case is closed.“This new law would allow the court to order the person to take drugs as prescribed by a physician. If they don’t take the drugs, then they can come back and be sanctioned by the court—rather than the patient stops taking medication, and you have to file another petition and prove it all over again,” George said.Until now and January 1 when the new law kicks in, 11th Circuit Judge Maria Korvick, administrative judge of the probate division, said, “We are all continuing to digest it. At first blush, it looks like more hearings and some of the hearings may be a little more complicated, and certain factors must be addressed and completed.”In the near future, Korvick said, “We are going to be meeting with representatives of the public defenders, state attorneys, and the Department of Children and Families so we can review our procedures, review our schedules, and come up with something that works for everybody.”Eslinger added that the Florida Sheriffs Association “is seeking to provide assistance to DCF in this interim period to educate and do what we can to see that this law, once the governor signs it, effective January 1, is utilized. We will heighten the awareness to law enforcement, both the sheriffs and police chiefs, about the issue of mental health and this law.”An unresolved issue in Miami-Dade, Judge Korvick agreed, is “a tremendous shortage of guardian advocates.”Another unresolved issue is that hearings for individuals coming into the community after hospitalization at the state hospital will be held in the county where they are from.“That makes sense. Then, the workload is distributed around the state of Florida and not only in the county in which the hospital is located,” Korvick said.“However, the unresolved issue is we need to schedule a manner by which the patient is brought back at the appropriate time for the hearing.”Korvick, a judge for 23 years, likened the big changes to the Baker Act law to adjusting to sentencing guidelines in criminal court in the ’80s.“We will adjust, prepare, and work hard,” she said. “I am certainly going to give it my best.”
Sign up for our COVID-19 newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest coronavirus news throughout New York Gabriel CordellGabriel Cordell rolled up in his wheelchair to the entrance of YMCA Glen Cove a day after completing 99 days of rolling 3, 100 miles from California to his native West Hempstead.There, the 42-year-old breathed a sigh of relief and reflected upon being the first person to travel across the country in a manual wheelchair. He’s about to fly back to California to finish a documentary on the experience called, Roll With Me: A Journey Across America.“I’m happy not to have to roll for a little while,” Cordell told a young YMCA camper who asked him how it felt to complete such an arduous trip. “It was relief. It was joy. It was happiness. It was exhaustion. It was awesome.”Since he was in high school, Cordell said he wanted to do something that was inspirational. After being in a car accident that crushed his spinal cord and left him paralyzed from the waist down at the age of 22, he went to Rusk Institute of New York and spent three months in pediatrics with children ranging from new-born to 18 years old. He feels indebted to the institute and the YMCA for their help during his recovery.“It taught me and showed me that I was very lucky to have 22 years of great health,” said Cordell. “It gave me power and confidence to do whatever I wanted and to be what I can be. God has a plan for me, being with those children made me forget about my problems.”Completing 25 to 40 miles a day, Cordell averaged five miles an hour starting in Burbank, Calif. on April 1. His goal was to show the nation, by example, that there is hope and everyone can achieve anything they set their minds to. He was inspired throughout the cross-country trip by his crew members who helped him through the rough days.“Gabriel was hunched over in tears,” said Chris Yanke, a co-producer recalling how when Cordell reached Arizona, after 700 miles, his left shoulder gave out leaving him unable to lift his arm. Cordell questioned whether he was going to make it another 2,400 miles.“With a lot of prayers, after two days, my arm healed,” said Cordell.Cordell plans to take at least a year off before making his final trip to the Middle East, where he plans to roll across Israel to promote peace between Israel and Palestine.“If you really try hard and never let anyone stop you, you can accomplish incredible things,” he told the children. “Each of you have the ability to do something great in your life and the only one that can stop you is yourself.”
2SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr I have some good news and some bad news for those of you working yourself into a panic over the Federal Accounting Standards Board proposal on accounting for Current Expected Credit Loss. The bad news is that the FASB decided to go forward with the proposal and expects a final standard to be issued in June. The good news is that the FASB decided to delay by a year, until December 2020, the compliance deadline.In addition a sharply divided board also decided to scale back a requirement that financial institutions disclose credit quality indicators by year of origination. Specifically, as explained by FASB board member Hal Schroeder, “Current GAAP requires banks to disclose “credit-quality indicators” for each class of loans. The new requirement would further disaggregate those disclosed amounts by year of origination (or vintage).”Community banks and credit unions argued that such detailed break downs are not necessary for smaller thrifts that don’t have large institutional investors. They argued that members in credit unions and investors in traditional thrifts are already familiar with their institution’s finances. The Board agreed yesterday so now you won’t have to disaggregate and disclose data. This is a small narrow but important exception but it doesn’t exempt credit unions from complying with CECL. continue reading »
32SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,Chris Cote Chris Cote has been with SWBC since 2011 and has more than 12 years of experience in the financial services industry. As the Compliance Officer for the SWBC Financial Institution … Web: https://www.swbc.com Details Running an in-house collections operation can be taxing on an organization. However, with the burden of delinquencies, it’s an inevitable and necessary aspect of lending. Like we say around our office: if you’re lending, you’re collecting!One of the primary burdens collection departments and leaders have to be concerned with is the impact of regulations on their day-to-day and overall operations. In addition, efficiency is, and most likely always will be, a top priority. In our vast experience as a collections service provider, my organization has learned a thing or two about running a well-oiled collection machine. Today, I’d like to share the top three things that I believe all in-house collection operations should have in place to help them stay on the right side of regulations and run a streamlined and efficient operation.A Clear and Concise Policies and Procedures Manual The first step in getting and remaining compliant with the regulations surrounding collections (i.e. TCPA, FDCPA, FCRA, UDAAP, etc.) is to ensure you have a well-documented, formalized policies and procedures manual. A well-defined manual gives your collections staff a guide and reference for the expectations and guidelines you have for them. It should be organized, repeatable, and easily accessible to all necessary personnel.Your manual can serve as your verification to regulators—in the event that your operation ever gets audited—that you’ve implemented the appropriate policies to ensure your operation is following local, state, and federal regulations.Call Monitoring SoftwareNow, admittedly, monitoring your collections calls is not something that is mandated by regulators. However, the burden is on you to ensure your agents are not violating your company procedures and policies, as well as state and federal guidelines, putting your business at risk. To this end, I strongly suggest that you make call monitoring a part of your in-house collection operation. A policies and procedures manual is only as effective as the amount of proof that you can provide that your staff is in fact following said procedures. Call monitoring gives you proof that your policies and procedures are being followed. Likewise, it allows you to recognize situations when employees are not properly following the guidelines, so that you can address and correct any issues or potential violations.Autodialing Technology Depending on the size of your loan portfolio, your member demographics, and the amount of risk your organization takes on, you could benefit tremendously from an autodialer. An auto-dialer allows your staff to make multiple call attempts to every one attempt that would be made on a traditional phone. For example, on average, our autodialer can make upwards of 100 calls per hour, compared to 40 to 50 per hour, at best, on a manual phone. Autodialing technology gives your collection operation the ability to be far more efficient and effective than you would be in a manual environment.While this is certainly not a comprehensive list of all of the logistics and bureaucracy that go into managing an efficient and compliant collection operation, hopefully it will give you some insights into some of the things you should keep on your radar. Learn even more about industry trends and actionable ways that you can improve your in-house collections process in our free ebook, Collections: To Outsource, or Not to Outsource, That is the Question.