To Stratford With Love was Richard and Ruth Kneider’s way of giving back to the community they called home. It started 36 years ago at what was then the Army and Navy building on Lorne Avenue, and overflow from the free dinner ended up at their restaurant – RJ’s Diner – on the outskirts of the city. But the couple behind Simple Dreams Ministries never envisioned it would grow into a city staple nearly four decades later. “We believe it’s truly become a Stratford tradition,” Richard Kneider said. The concept behind the event, if you’ve never been, is straightforward. “We just want people to experience a nice celebration where, if they don’t have family that is local, or circumstances are tough, or they just need to have good way to celebrate, they know we’re here to serve,” Ruth Kneider said. “At one side of the table, you can have somebody who is literally homeless,” Richard Kneider said. “On the other side of the table, you can have somebody who is making $100,000-plus, but at that moment they’re all on the same playing field. We’ve realized over the years that depression and loneliness have no social boundaries. We want people to come and enjoy the fellowship of the evening.” This year’s event is scheduled for Dec. 14 at the Rotary Complex. The Stratford Concert Band will play guests to their seats, and local band Upside of Maybe will also perform. Guests will dine on roast beef, baked potatoes, vegetables, coleslaw and pie donated or prepared by restaurants, businesses and those among the brigade of volunteers that has grown to more than 200 people. For years, that evolving group has included Richard and Ruth Kneider’s girls – Morgan, Katey and Jillian – but now grandkids are also getting involved. Archer, Foster and Olive Chambers, and Pearl and Lincoln Patterson, whose ages range from seven to 14, have made To Stratford With Love a three-generation family event. “I’m more inspired by their willingness to help,” Ruth Kneider said. “They could say, ‘I don’t want to do this,’ but they’re excited to be a part of it, and they’re all great kids. We’re really thankful they’re willing to do this, but it’s instilling in them some values I think are getting lost in the shuffle of how busy people’s lives are getting.” There will be seating for 800 next month, Ruth Kneider said, with a room for overflow – just like the first dinner 36 years ago. No one will be turned away. “It just goes year to year,” she said. “We are people who believe everyone has a purpose, and if that means we’re reaching out to the community to make them aware of who they are, that they’re worthy of something like this and to come together and bring your family, then yeah, we want you.” Tickets, as always, are free. Hard copies are available at Stratford city hall, House of Blessing, Salvation Army Stratford and The Local Community Centre. Registration for the dinner or as a volunteer can also be done at tostratfordwithlove.ca. To Stratford With Love Saturday, Dec. 14 : 5:30 p.m. Stratford Rotary Complex. There is another event there at the same time, so those attending are asked to give themselves extra time to park or, if possible, to take public transit. Free. They can be picked up at Stratford city hall, House of Blessing, Salvation Army Stratford and The Local Community Centre. Registration for the dinner or as a volunteer can also be done at .DeWayne Carter jumped right back into the defensive line rotation for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The rookie third-round draft choice played 24 snaps during the team’s 44-42 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. That was 31% of the defensive total. Carter made his return to the lineup after missing five games with a wrist injury suffered in Week 7 against Tennessee. The Bills have sunk to 25th in the NFL on third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert 43.2% of their opportunities into first downs. Buffalo allowed the Rams to convert 11 of 15 third-down chances in Sunday’s 44-42 loss. He did not register any statistics in his return to the lineup. Here are four more takeaways from the Bills’ snap counts in their Week 14 loss. 1. Lewis Cine played special teams in his Bills debut. Called up from the practice squad Saturday, Cine played 16 snaps on special teams against the Rams, which was 48% of the team total. 2. Dawson Knox was busy. Down Dalton Kincaid and Quintin Morris at the position, Knox played 49 snaps, which was 82% of the team total. That was the highest amount for any player on offense, with the exception of quarterback Josh Allen and the starting offensive line. Knox had one catch for 5 yards. Bills linebacker Matt Milano attempts to make a tackle on Rams receiver Puka Nacua during Sunday's game. 3. Matt Milano played a healthy amount again. In his second game back from injury, Milano played 65 defensive snaps, which was 84% of the team total. Milano finished with three tackles, including one for a loss. Cooper led the Bills with 14 targets, more than doubling his previous high of five targets in his five games with the team since coming over in a trade with the Cleveland Browns in October. Cooper finished with six catches against the Rams for 95 yards, both of which are his best in a game for the Bills. “I thought there were some flashes from Matt,” head coach Sean McDermott said. “He’s getting his legs back underneath him.” 4. Ray Davis never touched the ball. The rookie running back played 13 offensive snaps (22%), but did not receive a carry and was not targeted in the passing game. Player of the game: Josh Allen Obviously. The Bills’ quarterback became the first player in NFL history to ever record three rushing and three passing touchdowns in the same regular-season game. It’s hard to believe that perhaps the best two games Allen has ever played – the “13 seconds” postseason game against the Chiefs and this one – both resulted in losses. He deserved so much better Sunday. Three questions on our mind after Sunday’s loss by the Bills to the Los Angeles Rams. Quote of the game “I hate losing. If you lose by two, you lose by 100, it doesn't matter, you're still losing. Offensively, we've got to find ways to score before the half and score after the half, so didn't do our part, either. Just trying to go out there and execute the play call to the best of our ability, and we didn't do that well enough tonight. I don't know the stats. I don't know how well we were on third down or completion percentage. I don't know any of that. I just know it wasn't good enough to win a football game.” – Allen, who shouldered way more blame for the loss than he needed to, which is what a true leader does. Stat of the game: 245-0 The record of teams to score at least six touchdowns and not turn the ball over in the Super Bowl era (dating back to 1970) before the Bills became the first team to lose such a game. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! 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With Trump on the way, advocates look to states to pick up medical debt fight
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will not play Sunday and head coach Kyle Shanahan said the lingering discomfort is a concern. Purdy sat out Friday after he participated in the start of Thursday's practice with the 49ers, then retreated indoors for what Shanahan said was a treatment session. Brandon Allen, 32, will start in Purdy's place, and the 49ers are also without defensive end Nick Bosa (oblique). Shanahan said players believe in Allen, even if he's an unknown. "Outside of here people haven't seen a lot of Brandon. But it's his second year (with the 49ers)," Shanahan said. "Obviously guys want Brock up, but guys are excited to see Brandon play." Shanahan said they are "a little surprised" Purdy experienced tightness and discomfort in his shoulder after an MRI exam on Monday that showed no long-term cause for concern. "The way it responded this week, it's really up in the air for next week," Shanahan said of Purdy. Allen is familiar to Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, who was an assistant coach with the Rams during Allen's two-year run in Los Angeles. Allen broke into the NFL in 2016 with the Jaguars and is 2-7 in nine career starts. He went 1-2 with the Broncos in 2019 and 1-5 in six starts over two years with the Bengals in 2020 and ‘21. Shanahan said Allen's confidence grew throughout the week and he doesn't anticipate a major change in how he calls the offense. Left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) also missed practice for the third consecutive day. Without disclosing the nature of the ailment to Purdy's throwing shoulder, general manager John Lynch confirmed Friday an MRI exam took place to determine the severity of any injury. Allen worked with the first team most of Thursday and Friday with Joshua Dobbs also taking snaps. Lynch described Purdy's status for the 49ers (5-5) this week as "tenuous." "Hopefully, he makes progress, and we can have a shot at this weekend, but we'll see," Lynch said in an interview with KNBR in San Francisco. "I think it's tenuous." When Purdy was on the field this week, he primarily worked on the side in position-specific drills with QB coach Brian Griese. Williams played through an ankle injury last week after being listed as questionable but exited the stadium with an exaggerated limp on Sunday. Run game coordinator Chris Foerster said the 49ers aren't where they want to be at 5-5 because they haven't won close games, not because of injuries. "Seven games left is like an eternity," Foerster said. "So much can happen. Do the math. What was our record last year? It was 12-5. I was on a 13-win team that was nowhere near as good as the team last year." With or without Purdy, Foerster said the challenge for the 49ers is not to give up the ball to a defense that has 19 takeaways. The 49ers have 13 giveaways this season. --Field Level MediaOWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Fresh off one of its best showings of the season, the Baltimore defense now has another problem to worry about. Roquan Smith missed practice again Friday because of a hamstring injury. Although the Ravens didn't officially rule him or anyone else out — they don't play until Monday night — the All-Pro linebacker's status seems dicey. “Definitely it will be a challenge if Roquan can’t go,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said. “We’re holding out hope and everything like that. I think it’ll just be by committee. Not one person is going to replace Roquan. Roquan’s an every-down linebacker.” Although the Ravens lost 18-16 last weekend, Baltimore didn't allow a touchdown. That was an encouraging sign for a team that ranks 26th in the league in total defense. Baltimore is on the road Monday against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Ravens appear to have dodged one potential nightmare. Star safety Kyle Hamilton injured an ankle against Cincinnati on Nov. 7, but he was able to play almost every defensive snap the following week against Pittsburgh. But Smith was injured in that game and didn't practice Thursday or Friday. Linebacker Malik Harrison had a season high in tackles last weekend and figures to have a significant role if Smith can't go. “We tell these guys, ‘You’re one play away to going in there — you never know, so you got to stay ready.’ Malik — he was ready,” Orr said. “I thought he went in there and did a good job, especially after the first series, he settled down. That’s what we expect from him.” It's hard to tell whether last week can be a significant turning point for Baltimore's defense. The Ravens allowed only 10 points in a dominant win over Buffalo in Week 4, then yielded 38 against Cincinnati the following game. After allowing 10 against Denver, the Ravens were picked apart by the Bengals again a few days later. So they still haven't shown they can play a good game defensively and then build on it. “I think it’s easier said than done. It’s something that we kind of got caught up saying against Buffalo and then coming up the next week and not doing," Hamilton said. "We’re aware of it now and know that we played a good game, but I think we can get a lot better, and I think that’s kind of the mindset everybody on defense has right now.” Hamilton's ability to make a difference all over the field is part of what makes him valuable, but positioning him deep is one way the Ravens can try to guard against big passing plays. Pittsburgh's Russell Wilson threw for only 205 yards against Baltimore. That's after Joe Burrow passed for 428 and four touchdowns in the Ravens' previous game. “I’ve always seen myself as a safety. A versatile one, but at the end of the day, I think I play safety,” Hamilton said. “If I’m asked to go play safety, I feel like that’s not an issue for me to play safety if I’m a safety.” NOTES: In addition to Smith, WR Rashod Bateman (knee), DT Travis Jones (ankle), S Sanoussi Kane (ankle) C Tyler Linderbaum (back) and CB Arthur Maulet (calf) missed practice Friday. WR Nelson Agholor (illness) returned to full participation after missing Thursday's practice. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Worried that President-elect Donald Trump will curtail federal efforts to take on the nation’s medical debt problem, patient and consumer advocates are looking to states to help people who can’t afford their medical bills or pay down their debts. “The election simply shifts our focus,” said Eva Stahl, who oversees public policy at Undue Medical Debt, a nonprofit that has worked closely with the Biden administration and state leaders on medical debt. “States are going to be the epicenter of policy change to mitigate the harms of medical debt.” New state initiatives may not be enough to protect Americans from medical debt if the incoming Trump administration and congressional Republicans move forward with plans to scale back federal aid that has helped millions gain health insurance or reduce the cost of their plans in recent years. Comprehensive health coverage that limits patients’ out-of-pocket costs remains the best defense against medical debt. But in the face of federal retrenchment, advocates are eyeing new initiatives in state legislatures to keep medical bills off people’s credit reports, a consumer protection that can boost credit scores and make it easier to buy a car, rent an apartment, or even get a job. Several states are looking to strengthen oversight of medical credit cards and other financial products that can leave patients paying high interest rates on top of their medical debt. Some states are also exploring new ways to compel hospitals to bolster financial aid programs to help their patients avoid sinking into debt. “There’s an enormous amount that states can do,” said Elisabeth Benjamin, who leads health care initiatives at the nonprofit Community Service Society of New York. “Look at what’s happened here.” New York state has enacted several laws in recent years to rein in hospital debt collections and to expand financial aid for patients, often with support from both Democrats and Republicans in the legislature. “It doesn’t matter the party. No one likes medical debt,” Benjamin said. Other states that have enacted protections in recent years include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. Many measures picked up bipartisan support. President Joe Biden’s administration has proved to be an ally in state efforts to control health care debt. Such debt burdens 100 million people in the United States, a . Led by Biden appointee Rohit Chopra, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has , going after aggressive collectors and exposing problematic practices across the medical debt industry. Earlier this year, the agency proposed landmark regulations to from consumer credit scores. The White House also championed legislation to boost access to government-subsidized health insurance and to cap out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors, both key bulwarks against medical debt. Trump hasn’t indicated whether his administration will move ahead with the CFPB credit reporting rule, which was slated to be finalized early next year. Congressional Republicans, who will control the House and Senate next year, have as regulatory overreach that will compromise the value of credit reports. And Elon Musk, the billionaire whom Trump has tapped to lead his initiative to shrink government, last week . “Delete CFPB,” Musk posted on X. If the CFPB withdraws the proposed regulation, states could enact their own rules, following the lead of Colorado, New York, and other states that have passed credit reporting bans since 2023. Advocates in Massachusetts are pushing the legislature there to take up a ban when it reconvenes in January. “There are a lot of different levers that states have to take on medical debt,” said April Kuehnhoff, a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, which has helped lead national efforts to expand debt protections for patients. Kuehnhoff said she expects more states to crack down on medical credit card providers and other companies that lend money to patients to pay off medical bills, sometimes at double-digit interest rates. Under the Biden administration, the CFPB has been investigating amid warnings that many people may not understand that signing up for a medical credit card such as CareCredit or enrolling in a payment plan through a financial services company can pile on more debt. If the CFPB efforts stall under Trump, states could follow the lead of California, New York, and Illinois, which have all tightened rules governing patient lending in recent years. Consumer advocates say states are also likely to continue expanding efforts to get hospitals to provide more financial assistance to reduce or eliminate bills for low- and middle-income patients, a key protection that can keep people from slipping into debt. Hospitals historically have not made this aid readily available, prompting states such as California, Colorado, and Washington to set stronger standards to ensure more patients get help with bills they can’t afford. This year, North Carolina also won approval from the Biden administration to withhold federal funding from hospitals in the state unless they agreed to expand financial assistance. In Georgia, where state government is entirely in Republican control, officials have been discussing new measures to get hospitals to provide more assistance to patients. “When we talk about hospitals putting profits over patients, we get lots of nodding in the legislature from Democrats and Republicans,” said Liz Coyle, executive director of Georgia Watch, a consumer advocacy nonprofit. Many advocates caution, however, that state efforts to bolster patient protections will be critically undermined if the Trump administration cuts federal funding for health insurance programs such as Medicaid and the insurance marketplaces established through the Affordable Care Act. Trump and congressional Republicans have signaled their intent to roll back federal subsidies passed under Biden that make health plans purchased on ACA marketplaces more affordable. That could hike annual premiums by hundreds or even thousands of dollars for many enrollees, by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank. And during Trump’s first term, he backed efforts in Republican-led states to restrict enrollment in their Medicaid safety net programs through rules that would require people to work in order to receive benefits. GOP state leaders in Idaho, Louisiana, and other states have to renew such efforts. “That’s all a recipe for more medical debt,” said Stahl, of Undue Medical Debt. Jessica Altman, who heads the Covered California insurance marketplace, warned that federal cuts will imperil initiatives in her state that have limited copays and deductibles and curtailed debt for many state residents. “States like California that have invested in critical affordable programs for our residents will face tough decisions,” she said.BERKELEY, Calif. , Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bamboo Technology , a mental health technology innovation company, is announcing its participation in Batch 19 of the prestigious UC Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program for startup acceleration. The company's HereHear AI therapist solution will be the key focus of the program, driven by the vision of revolutionizing mental health with AI-powered virtual solutions. To learn more about HereHear, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngU32WgiWf4 "HereHear is here in the US, and I am truly grateful to the Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program for recognizing its potential," noted Lynia Huang , Bamboo Technology's CEO. "As important as mental health has become in recent years, there is a shortage of mental health providers and access to support is low — and HereHear is paving the way for AI to bridge that gap as a first line of defense." A growing case for incorporating AI into mental healthcare With data showing that the US is in a mental health crisis, the CDC recently noted a dire need for public health initiatives that create environments centered around mental health. Specific to the workplace, the Society for Human Resource Management's Employee Mental Health in 2024 Research Series found that 44% of US employees feel burned out at work. The combination of a shortage of mental health providers in the US with the flourishing capabilities of AI builds a strong case for the technology to be deployed in the form of human-guided mental health solutions. HereHear's YangYang: A personalized 3D virtual therapist As organizations seek out ways to empower team members to take better care of their mental health, AI is increasingly emerging as a solution for on-demand, personalized support. Offering a more engaging interaction than chatbots, HereHear's 3D virtual therapist YangYang was launched in January 2024 and offers: YangYang has already been implemented in several therapy clinics and has helped 70% of users improve stress and depression levels by 25% within 3 months. Taking the form of a sheep further distinguishes her — this functions both to provide a 'cute' aspect lending to the warm, healing emotional support she provides, while also helping users who are struggling emotionally to keep in perspective that their interactions are ultimately not with a human. Bringing success in Taiwan to the US market Bamboo Technology's acceptance into the Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program is a major accomplishment as the platform seeks to enter the US market. Batch 19 has only 117 startups out of around 2300 applications, and the program will support HereHear to develop, pilot and launch, as well as to pitch for funding. The company aims to target the app in the human resources space—as a tool for companies to offer staff for on-demand, privacy-first mental health support. Back in Taiwan , the app already has hospitals, mental health clinics, universities, publicly listed companies, and government agencies that use it, similarly spurred by a shortage of mental health workers. About Bamboo Technology Established in November 2018 , the Taipei -based Bamboo Technology is a mental health technology innovation company that focuses on improving public mental health with voice emotion analysis technology. It embraces a belief that a universal, objective, and scientific mental health system can effectively solve the problem of deteriorating mental health in today's society — a core tenet upheld by its many psychologists; social workers; and information management, AI and big data experts. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bamboo-technologys-herehear-virtual-ai-therapist-joins-berkeley-skydeck-ipp-program-302325187.html SOURCE BAMBOO TECHNOLOGY LTD.
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In the Indian scenario, even calling the framers of the Constitution of India as ‘founding fathers’ is very patriarchal and paternalistic. The fact that the ‘founding mothers’ of the Indian Republic, the eminent women in the Constituent Assembly, too painstakingly co-authored the Constitution, has been spitefully hidden from the popular imagination. Achyut Chetan writes in his Founding Mothers of the Indian Republic: Gender Politics of the Framing of the Constitution (2022): “It is through the dynamics of will, consent, and, frequently enough, dissent, that women members carried the feminist movement through and beyond the Constituent Assembly. Each article of the Constitution, therefore, is a point of diffraction in the history of Indian feminism. The Constitution is drafted not just by the consent of women but also by their will.” However, Christine Keating in her Framing the Postcolonial Sexual Contract: Democracy, Fraternalism, and State Authority in India (2007) demonstrated how the ‘founding fathers’ constitutionally subjugated the woman: “The Constituent Assembly struggled to reconcile their commitment to an egalitarian polity with their efforts to build consent for the political authority of the new Indian state...the assembly settled on a compromise, what I call the postcolonial sexual contract, to resolve that dilemma: they established equality in the public sphere as a fundamental right for women yet sanctioned discriminatory personal laws that maintained women’s subordination in the family in order to secure fraternal acquiescence to the centralized rule.” The beginnings The founding mothers cobbled an intersectional alliance with B.R. Ambedkar for the realisation of social revolution. They shared his sceptical attitude towards the romantic celebration of Indian culture which is deeply anchored in the brahmanical patriarchy. Amrit Kaur, a prominent founding mother of the Constitution, asserted in 1932 that the women of India were no longer willing to submit to standards, whether local, political, or ethical, which had been set for them by the male conscience of the community. The founding mothers laboured in and out of the Constituent Assembly to break the patriarchal ecosystem. But the nation has failed them deplorably. Fight against a goliath The founding mothers conceived the Fundamental Rights not just as injunctions against the state but also as a social charter that restores their inherent freedoms curtailed by the behemoths in the private sphere such as religion and family which enjoyed privileged insulation from political interventions. Hansa Mehta and Amrit Kaur demanded that a Uniform Civil Code capable of arresting the aggrandising social-patriarchal power must be included in the Fundamental Rights. And when the Uniform Civil Code was relegated to the Directive Principles, they played a remarkable role in bringing a prelude to the Directive Principles, that they are ‘fundamental in the governance of the country and the state has a duty to apply them in making laws’. This prelude, incorporated at the behest of the founding mothers, played a vital role in the ascendancy of the Directive Principles in the constitutional jurisprudence of India in the 1980s. Begum Aizaz Rasul articulated that secularism was the most outstanding feature of the Constitution. In the Sub Committee on Fundamental Rights, Hansa Mehta tried to limit the right to religion as she believed that it would curtail women’s right to equality and social reforms such as the abolition of child marriage. Hansa Mehta and Amrit Kaur demanded the term ‘free practice of religion’ be replaced by ‘freedom of religious worship’ as a constitutional carte blanche for religion would impede Indian women’s emancipation. In Amrit Kaur’s note of dissent on the ‘Freedom of Religion’, she vigorously underscored the anti-woman tendency of religious practices: “[unbridled freedom of religion] would not only bar the future legislation but would even invalidate past legislations such as the Widow Remarriage Act, the Sarda Act or even law abolishing sati. Everyone is aware how many evil practices which one would like to abolish, are carried on in the name of religion, for example, purdah, polygamy...dedication of girls to temples, to mention a few.” A disheartening chapter in the life of the Indian Republic is that the man’s right to religion conquered the woman’s right to equality and dignity. Still a struggle Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay believed that the Constitution heralded a new beginning for women in India as it guaranteed equality and justice for them. But this euphoria did not last for long. The Government of India’s official report, ‘Towards Equality: Report of the Committee on the Status of Women in India’ (1974), concluded that the Indian Republic had failed to achieve equality for its womenfolk even after two decades of the promise made in the Preamble. After the passing away of the ‘founding mothers’, Indian feminist constitutionalism has been affected. Despite strong women leaders in politics, India has not been blessed with a feminist stateswoman or jurist. Women’s presence in the corridors of power remains abysmal. The Uniform Civil Code designed to dispel gender injustice has been a cheque drawn in favour of the Indian woman by the founding fathers and mothers. But it has been dishonoured by the Republic’s political bankers despite sufficient jurisprudential funds at their disposal. Faisal C.K. is Deputy Law Secretary to the Government of Kerala. The views expressed are personal Published - November 26, 2024 12:45 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit India / constitution / Republic Day / history / laws / genderEdmundo González says he will take office as president of Venezuela on January 10Canada's Jonathan David scores milestone goal in Lille win over Brest in France
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