Civil Law

Why the Conspiratorial Responses to Canada’s Antisemitism Guide Demonstrate Its Necessity

Delegates from dozens of countries gathered nearly 25 year ago in Stockholm, Sweden for the Stockholm International Forum, where they affirmed a global commitment to combatting racism, antisemitism, ethnic hatred, and ignorance of history. That meeting sparked what became a 16-year open process to develop much-needed anti-racism tools, including the creation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.

Antisemitism is generally understood as a certain perception of Jews that veers into hatred, but specific examples … Read the rest

Civil Law

An Empty Man.

He was an empty man,

so he tried to fill his life

with trinkets

and things

and people

who did his bidding.

He grasped at money

and straws

and put them in the emptiness

of his vessel.

Everything he saw

that gleamed

or shined

or smelled or tasted nice,

he shoved inside

his body

with abandon.

After a while,

everything left him,

emptier than before,

and he despaired

of ever filling the void.

Then, old age

slowed his urges,

and

… Read the rest
Civil Law

H5N1 in a pig, Oregon: separating risk from buzz

The recent report of H5N1 influenza in a pig in the US is getting a lot of attention. That’s warranted since it’s noteworthy, but as is typical, a lot of the social media buzz is overblown. This is a concerning situation that we need to watch, and we need to up our overall game with H5N1. However, this recent finding is neither unexpected nor a doomsday situation.

The highlights of the recent event:

  • H5N1 flu was found in a pigs
… Read the rest
Civil Law

Unlocking the Power of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Models in the Legal Industry (Or Play Some of that Ragtime Music)

As we navigate the fast-evolving world of artificial intelligence, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) models have become a staple in the legal industry. These models combine information retrieval with natural language generation, offering legal professionals new ways to efficiently manage complex data and generate relevant, insightful responses.  There are several different types of RAG models, so it is beneficial to understand how each can uniquely support legal work, 

How RAG Models Work

At the core of RAG models is a two-step process: … Read the rest

Civil Law

Publisher’s Platform: A Bit(e) of McDonald’s E. coli History

Several years ago, I was giving a talk at the Association of Health Care Journalists’ conference in Boston.  My talk was primarily an overview of where food safety has come since the Jack in the Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in 1993.  

At one point I introduced an article I found in 1993 at the beginning of the Jack in the Box litigation. The article, “Hemorrhagic colitis associated with a rare Escherichia coli serotype.” New England Journal of Medicine, 1983 Mar 24; … Read the rest

Civil Law

The European Commission postpones application of the EU Deforestation Regulation and other developments

On 2 October 2024, the European Commission (“Commission”) made public its proposal to postpone application of the EU Deforestation Regulation (“EUDR”), by way of an amendment to the EUDR that would postpone (a) its date of entry into application from 30 December 2024 to 30 December 2025 (and till 30 June 2026 for small and micro-enterprises) and (b) benchmarking deadline to 30 June 2025.

On the same day, the Commission also released the long overdue EUDR Draft Guidance … Read the rest

Civil Law

When the Investment Scammer Provides Clues, Listen

Investment Scammer Drops Several Clues Along The Way

The story of Norman V. Meier, a Wakefield Massachusetts resident, demonstrates a way to uncover a fraudulent model before investing. First, a little about the Meier alleged financial investment fraud. Recently Meier was charged with several violations of the Securities Act. Over the course of eight years, Meier collected $ 7.9 million from over 180 investors throughout Europe, and even a handful in the United States, all while “operating” several businesses throughout … Read the rest

Civil Law

From the Community Association Institute’s (CAI) Webpage regarding The Corporate Transparency Act

CAI’s Lawsuit:

On September 10th, CAI filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Secretary Janet Yellen, and the director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, challenging the application of the Corporate Transparency Act on community associations. This action is being taken to protect our members from the burdensome and unnecessary requirements of the Corporate Transparency Act. Both the lawsuit complaint and motion for preliminary injunction can be found here:
See https://www.caionline.org/advocacy/advocacy-priorities-overview/corporate-transparency-act/

IMPORTANT DATES/FILINGS:

September 7, 2024- Lawsuit … Read the rest