(Supreme Court of California) - Affirmed in part and reversed in part. Plaintiff filed suit for employment discrimination, retaliation and defamation. Defendant filed an anti—SLAPP motion, Code of Civil Procedure section 425.16. The Supreme court held that the anti-SLAPP statute is applicable to the claims of discrimination and retaliation, but not to the defamation cause of action because it was not made in connection with any issue of public significance.

Distributed By The Digital Soapbox Network, The Hype Magazine “Live Session” Podcast Is Available Via Some Of The Biggest Streaming Platforms In The Digital Space

IJazzy Classical Is Haiti’ Only Jazz Radio Station.

Afro Soundz Radio Is A New Radio Station, Broadcasting In The USA, Comprised Of DJs And Programmers Originally From The African Continent.

(United States Second Circuit) - Held that a bank's breach-of-contract lawsuit against another bank should not have been dismissed on timeliness grounds. Also addressed choice‐of‐law issues. Remanded for further proceedings.

(United States Fifth Circuit) - In a contractual dispute between two companies in the oil-drilling business, vacated a bench trial judgment, in part. The contract related to exploratory drilling for offshore oil.

(California Court of Appeal) - Held that an employer was entitled to enforce an employment contract's forum selection clause that required any lawsuits to be brought in Indiana. Granted writ relief to prevent an employee from proceeding with a wrongful-termination lawsuit in a California court.

(United States Fifth Circuit) - Held that a contractor breached its contract with a subcontractor. Affirmed a judgment after a jury trial but remanded for recalculation of damages under the Louisiana Prompt Payment Act, in this case involving an Army Corps of Engineers' project.

(United States Seventh Circuit) - Affirmed. The subject of a legal judgment sought to pursue the doctrine of estoppel to compel their insurer to pay out on the judgment against them from a decade before the policy's active date. They suffered no prejudice from the insurer's action and their case was dismissed.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - Reversed the district court’s dismissal of an action based on the forum selection clause in the parties’ contract. Held that the district court abused its discretion in overriding the strong public policy in Idaho Code section 29-110(1).

(United States Ninth Circuit) - Affirmed. Plaintiff filed suit against the Commissioners of the California Public Utilities commission alleging that the California Renewable Market Adjust Tariff (Re-MAT) program violated the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA). The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the Plaintiff, but declined to grant Plaintiff a contract with PG&E at a specified price. The Ninth Circuit held that the Re-MAT program violated the PURPA and therefore is preempted by PURPA, but the Ninth Circuit would not grant the contract because PG&E was not a party to the suit.

(United States Second Circuit) - Vacated and remanded. Finding the promise to arbitrate in the franchise application was supported by adequate consideration, the panel vacates the district court’s denial of DAI’s motion to compel arbitration and remands for further proceedings.

[Ministerial statement by Minister of Home Affairs Walter Roban] Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report to this Honourable House on the progress of the...

By Nicole Nixon

Update 6:25 p.m.

As California prepares to enter the first phase of its economic reopening, the state released new guidelines Thursday, both for businesses wanting to expand operations and for counties looking to loosen restrictions on residents.

Moving into phase two “does not mean a return to normal,” said California Health & Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly. “We know that COVID-19 is still spreading.” 

Beginning Friday, some businesses in the retail, manufacturing and logistics sectors will be allowed to reopen, though retail stores can only provide curbside services.

Businesses have to meet a checklist before reopening. It includes:  

• Performing a detailed risk assessment and implement a site-specific protection plan
• Training employees on how to limit the spread of COVID-19, including how to screen themselves for symptoms and stay home if they have them
• Implementing individual control measures and screenings
• Implementing disinfecting protocols
• Implementing physical distancing guidelines

Businesses will have to meet certain industry guidelines for COVID-19 safety as well. The guidelines instruct manufacturers to limit person-to-person contact during production by installing shelving or other “transfer-aiding materials,” for example.  

Retailers are encouraged to prioritize product delivery and pickup. They are also instructed to cut in-store maximum occupancy numbers by half.  

Still, some businesses are still being expressly prohibited from reopening during phase two, including bars, gyms, nail salons, movie theaters and theme parks.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said there’s a reason nail salons are not included in phase two: “This whole thing started in the state of California — the first community spread —  in a nail salon,” he said.

The infection happened despite sanitation measures normally seen in nail salons, including alcohol-based products and nail technicians wearing masks and gloves. 

“I’m very worried about that,” Newsom said. 

How counties can get approval to reopen

While some counties have pressured the governor to allow them to reopen their local economies more broadly, others — including Yuba, Sutter and Modoc counties — didn’t wait for permission. 

Counties and their local health officers are now being given latitude to allow some other sectors to reopen, including malls, car washes, pet grooming, offices and dine-in restaurants — if they meet strict criteria. 

It includes additional surge capacity in local hospitals, the ability to conduct a minimum 15 tests per 100,000 residents daily and going 14 days without a COVID-19 death in the county, among other things.

It could be a long time before more populous counties get there. Dr Peter Beilenson, director of health services in Sacramento County, said the county meets all criteria except for that and having enough contact tracers (15 tracers per 100,000 county residents). 

“We expect to have the appropriate amount of contact tracing staff within the next two weeks,” Beilenson said in a statement to CapRadio. “In the meantime, we encourage everyone to continue following the safe social distancing and other guidelines provided in the Public Health Order.”

Counties that do meet the criteria must consult with the California Department of Public Health and submit their own local reopening plans to the state. Those plans must include what sectors and public spaces the county will allow to reopen, and a contingency plan for modifying local health orders if the disease begins to spread. 

Last month, Newsom unveiled six key indicators that will help him decide when to move the state into each new phase of reopening. They include the state’s testing capacity, hospitalization rates and ability for businesses and public spaces to implement health measures like sanitation and social distancing, among other things. 

The governor noted that he may tighten the statewide stay-at-home order again if the disease begins spreading as restrictions loosen. 

(United States Seventh Circuit) - Affirmed the dismissal of a consumer's proposed class action, which alleged that a debt-collection letter violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The letter allegedly stated that important information was on the back of its first page, but the information was on the front of its second page.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - Revived a consumer's claim that certain nutritional supplements were falsely labeled as capable of improving cognitive functions when in fact they provided no such benefits. Reversed the entry of summary judgment, allowing class claims under California law to proceed.

(California Court of Appeal) - Held that the trial court improperly reduced the amount of attorney fees to which vehicle purchasers were entitled after prevailing in a lemon law suit. Reversed and remanded with instructions to award the plaintiffs reasonable attorney fees.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - Held that Fannie Mae is not a consumer reporting agency and thus could not be sued over a false credit report. Consumers alleged that the government-sponsored mortgage market entity had provided false information about their credit history via a software tool it provides for mortgage lenders to use. In a 2-1 decision, the Ninth Circuit concluded that Fannie Mae was entitled to summary judgment because it did not fall within the definition of a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - Revived a consumer's claim that a nonprofit corporation involved in student loans was vicariously liable for violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, because it had ratified student loan debt collectors' illegal calling practices. Reversed a summary judgment ruling.

(United States Second Circuit) - Held that recipients of unsolicited spam text messages had legal standing to bring a lawsuit against the company that sent them. Affirmed a ruling in a class action suit under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

(United States Seventh Circuit) - Vacating a dismissal and remanding. A student loan borrower's complaints about a loan provider's statements that they needn't seek advice about their borrowing was not expressly preempted because she alleged affirmative misrepresentations, not failures to disclose.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - Affirmed. An organization of wireless providers appealed the district court's denial of a preliminary injunction in their challenge of a Berkeley ordinance requiring cell phone retailers to warn potential buyers that carrying a phone could cause them to exceed FCC guidelines for exposure to radio-frequency radiation.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - Affirmed Defendant’s summary judgment against Plaintiff, holding that the Fair Credit Reporting Act did not require Defendant to initiate a reinvestigation of incorrect credit report items because Plaintiff did not directly notify Defendant of disputed items.

(California Court of Appeal) - Reversed order denying Defendant’s motion to compel arbitration. Plaintiff filed a complaint against his employer for unfair competition under the Business and Professions Code section 17200 and also brought wage and hour claims. The Defendant moved to compel arbitration. The trial court granted arbitration for all claims, but for the unfair competition claim. The appeals court held that the unfair competition claim could also be subject to arbitration.

What one night at lacrosse practice showed me about who he is becoming.

April is my bittersweet month, when the world turns blue for autism awareness, when it’s more conscious of the thing that is my constant companion. But after April, the world sometimes forgets.

I cannot.

When he was little, our neurologist commended us for being proactive in seeking Noah’s Asperger’s Diagnosis. Strange, I thought. As if we could wait, when Noah was flapping, refusing eye contact, and fixating; as if other parents would have missed it. But they do. Parents miss things. We are so fallible. We are busted and time-weary and inexperienced. Sometimes we don’t see things until later, when a child on the spectrum stands out among his peers like a road flare in the dark.

Tuesday was the first lacrosse practice of the year for Noah. Lacrosse requires a hand-eye coordination that’s so hard for him. He’s also started with a new league, where he knows neither the coaches nor the players. On this night, my husband was traveling and I had neglected to ensure my son had all required equipment. Being only passingly familiar with lacrosse, I eyeballed his gloves, helmet, and stick and thought we were covered.

We were, in fact, not.

We were missing Noah’s pads, his jersey, and a pair of shorts. He was going to have to practice in sweatpants, indoors. This would be unremarkable, save for the fact that he was also wearing a long-sleeved shirt, and Noah sweats like a hog in July. What’s more? We’d forgotten his sports bottle. I had visions of Noah’s heat-stroking, unprotected body being pelted by balls as he begged the coach for water.

The only thing “right” that night was the fact that we were punctual, and had just enough time to approach ...

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Everything You Need To Know About Electronic Drums For Live Performances

#62ndGrammyAwards #GrammyAwards #GrammyNominations #MelissaB

Carla Williams, The Songstress That Captured New Release Today’s “Indie Artist To Watch” In March 2019, Released Her Latest Single He’s Love Today On Apple Music, ITunes, Amazon And Google Play.

“I AM,” Recorded By 15 Year-old Lily Kelly Just Months Before Her Untimely Passing, Is Available Now At All Major Digital Outlets, Including ITunes, Google Play And Spotify.

The Orlando Based Wordsmith Has Dropped His Standout Single "The Run", Which Is Available On Soundcloud, Spotify And All Online Retailers Including ITunes, Tidal, Apple Music And Amazon.

The JIRGA Score Was Nominated ‘Best Music’ In The Film Critics Circle Of Australia Awards (FCCA).

Latido Music, The Premiere 24-hour Digital Television Network Dedicated To Latin Music, Has Announced The Formation Of Its Advisory Board

Natalie Jean Is Excited To Announce Her Collaboration With Songwriters Bruno Vallelunga And Latin Grammy Nominee Danilo Gossain, Titled “Nostalgia De Navidad”.

(United States Fifth Circuit) - Held that a Houston law firm should be allowed to intervene in a lawsuit to protect its right to a contingent fee. The firm's client and the opposing party had allegedly conspired to cheat it out of its deserved attorney fee for work on a matter involving a foreign arbitral award. Remanded with directions to permit intervention and consider the law firm's claims on the merits.

(California Court of Appeal) - Held that a company was entitled to compel arbitration of discrimination claims, because the employee had impliedly accepted an arbitration agreement by continuing to work for the company. Reversed the denial of a motion to compel arbitration.

(California Court of Appeal) - Remanded for a redetermination of whether an arbitration agreement covered a dispute between a school and a consulting firm. Reversed an order denying arbitration.

(California Court of Appeal) - A law firm's client was unable to compel arbitration of a fee dispute with his former attorneys. The case involved California's Mandatory Fee Arbitration Act.

(California Court of Appeal) - Reversed order denying Defendant’s motion to compel arbitration. Plaintiff filed a complaint against his employer for unfair competition under the Business and Professions Code section 17200 and also brought wage and hour claims. The Defendant moved to compel arbitration. The trial court granted arbitration for all claims, but for the unfair competition claim. The appeals court held that the unfair competition claim could also be subject to arbitration.

Amazing County Music Artist Brenda Cay Harkens You To The Days Of Jeannie Riely, June Carter Cash And Brenda Lee, It’s Not Your Usual Lick Of

Chicago, IL August 8th, 2019 - R&b And Soul Singer Brandon James Has Released His New Music Video For The Single "So Emotional."

Chicago, IL Nolen Entertainment And Artist Brandon James Present Soulful Sunday's. The Show Will Take Place On Sunday, October 6th, At Reggie's Chicago 2105 S State St, Chicago, IL.

For minorities, there is a big difference between having an anger problem and having a problem that makes you angry.

There was an effort recently to ban the word "bossy", spearheaded by Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg. The reasoning behind this is that when “bossy” is used to describe women (as it almost always is), it discourages them from speaking up for fear of being saddled with that derisive term. I had never considered that before, and wondered if there are other words that can have the same effect - adjectives that have specific connotations when employed towards specific people. And I came up with at least one more example, a term which I have heard on a few occasions: angry. People of color and other minorities who are vocal about issues of race and justice are often called angry - “angry asian man”, “angry black guy", “angry feminist lady”, etc.

This might not seem like a big deal because some of these people are indeed angry in a purely objective sense. But the use of this word in this context often carries an additional connotation, that this person's anger is not appropriate or justified. That is what people really mean when they talk about an “angry _____ person” - they are saying, “unnecessarily and excessively angry _____ person.” Intentionally or not, the use of that word implies abnormality, an anger that is pathological in nature, as if a product of genetics, rather than context.

You can see this dynamic at work in nearly every racially charged controversy in American culture, from the riots in Ferguson to debates on football mascots, where people are quick to dismiss the concerns of minorities as nothing more than political correctness run amok. In this way, minorities are often portrayed as having an anger problem, rather ...

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A letter to my son, who is a testament to God's wild goodness

Oh Jonathan, you turned four years old this month! Amazing how time flies so fast. You are my little guy, and I love you, although there are times when you drive me up the wall. Like yesterday. And the day before that. And the entire month of July, for that matter.

I still remember the day I first heard that you were coming into our lives. Your mother was going into surgery for her mastectomy, and her doctor called me in to the surgical ward because she had to tell me something important. When I heard that, my heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. In fact, I almost vomited. You see, the prior year had taught me to expect the very worst from life, and from God: miscarriage, burglary, cancer, health insurance cancellation. And so that morning I braced myself for another kick to the teeth, perhaps news that the cancer had spread, or that the surgery couldn’t be performed.

But the last thing I ever expected to hear was that mommy was pregnant, and that you were in her belly. I was at an absolute loss for words, something that doesn’t happen to your father often. It was in that moment that my understanding of God completely collapsed. I realized that I didn’t understand God in the least, a God who could allow your mother to suffer so terribly, but also would bring such an unexpected gift into our lives. I felt like Job standing before the whirlwind, my haughty theology eroding and folding in upon itself in light of the sublime mystery of God and His ways.

So thanks, Jonathan, for completely destroying your dad’s theology.

Fast forward a few months, and I was with your mother at the Sculpture Garden of the National Mall. I got another call from a doctor, this time from a wonderful cancer ...

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The distinguishing factors between the flu and COVID-19, and why it matters. Dr. Carolee Tran discusses her new memoir about her family’s escape from Vietnam 45 years ago, and ‘Socially Distant Saturday’ with CapRadio’s Nick Brunner.

Today on Insight, we check in with essential businesses that are thriving during the pandemic. Sacramento County Health Services director Dr. Peter Bielenson shares his thoughts on reopening and other safety protocols, and at-home pizza kits

Queen guitarist Brian May is sharing his thoughts on the likelihood of a sequel to the band's 2018 biopic

The surviving members of Soundgarden have filed a counter-lawsuit

Caligula's Horse have released an art video for their new single 'Valkyrie'.