Ostrowski on Authorship Controversies

This recent release from the Northern Illinois University Press is not legal history, but its basic premise -- that authorship matters -- seems relevant to the field: Who Wrote That?: Authorship Controversies from Moses to Sholokhov, by Donald Ostrowski (Harvard University Extension School). A description from the Press:

Who Wrote That? examines nine authorship controversies, providing an introduction to particular disputes and teaching students how to assess historical documents, archival materials, and apocryphal stories, as well as internet sources and news. Donald Ostrowski does not argue in favor of one side over another but focuses on the principles of attribution used to make each case.

While furthering the field of authorship studies, Who Wrote That? provides an essential resource for instructors at all levels in various subjects. It is ultimately about historical detective work. Using Moses, Analects, the Secret Gospel of Mark, Abelard and Heloise, the Compendium of Chronicles, Rashid al-Din, Shakespeare, Prince Andrei Kurbskii, James MacPherson, and Mikhail Sholokov, Ostrowski builds concrete examples that instructors can use to help students uncover the legitimacy of authorship and to spark the desire to turn over the hidden layers of history so necessary to the craft.

H/t: New Books in History, where you will find an interview with the author.

-- Karen Tani

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SEVENTEEN NEW CASES AGAIN TODAY - MOST FOLLOWING TRACING OF CONTACTS

 Filenews 2 October 2020

The Ministry of Health informs that, according to an update received today by the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit from contracting laboratories, a total of 2,412 laboratory diagnoses identified 17 new cases of COVID-19 disease.

In detail, virus-positive individuals emerged as follows:

• Of 73 samples taken through the process of tracing contacts of already confirmed cases, 14 cases were identified.
• Of 1,784 samples taken as part of a passenger and repatriated check, 2 cases were identified.
• Of 183 samples taken from the Microbiological Laboratories of the General Hospitals, 1 case was identified.

In addition, the following laboratory tests were carried out, without the detection of a case:

• From samples taken through a private initiative, 356 laboratory diagnoses were completed, and
• From samples taken as part of the programme of referrals by Personal Physicians and control of special teams through the Public Health Clinics, 16 laboratory tests were completed.

Therefore, and on the basis of the data so far, the total number of cases is 1,789.

In addition, 9 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus at Famagusta General Hospital, four of them in the Increased Care Unit. In the Intensive Care Unit of the Nicosia General Hospital, a patient is hospitalized. In the remaining hospitals in a ward, a COVID-19 patient is hospitalized.

Source: eyenews

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BREXIT AND CORONAVIRUS COULD THWART BORIS JOHNSON'S PLAN TO 'LEVEL UP' UK, SAYS IFS

 The Independent 2 October 2020 - by Rory Sullivan

© Provided by The Independent

Boris Johnson’s plan to reduce economic inequality between UK regions could be hampered by the economic fallout from Brexit and the pandemic, a new study has said. 

This comes as the UK “ranks at or near the top of the international league table on most economic measures of inequality between regions”, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), the organisation behind the research.

The report said that there is a “danger” that the end of the Brexit transition period this year could thwart efforts by the government to “level up” areas that have been left behind.

The authors added that the regions most likely to be worst affected by Brexit-related economic disruption are those “dependent on manufacturing, and with higher concentrations of less-educated workers”, including northern England and south Wales.

The study also noted that in general these are not places that have seen the worst short-term economic impacts of coronavirus, complicating the government’s proposal to increase equality across the UK.

“This means that the most natural areas to ‘level up’ are not, in general, the same places that the Prime Minister might wish to target when ‘building back better’ post-COVID,” the report said.

However, the IFS reported that some places did face a “double whammy” of being both left behind and being especially vulnerable to the financial impact of Covid-19,  including coastal communities such as Great Yarmouth that are dependent on tourism and certain city centres in northern England and Scotland such as Liverpool and Glasgow. 

Expressing the complicated picture, Alex Davenport, a research economist at IFS who worked on the study, said: "The challenges faced by disadvantaged coastal communities like Blackpool and Margate are very different to those faced by isolated towns like Merthyr Tydfil, which are in turn different to those faced by large post-industrial cities like Glasgow.”

“The government needs to set out what it intends to achieve through “levelling up”, where it wants to target support, and how,” he added.

The study also suggested that the chancellor Rishi Sunak should not only think about investment spending but also spending on every-day services such as schools, which “may be as, if not more, effective”. 

Adequate funding should also be given to local governments to help achieve the government’s goal , the report added. 

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CORONAVIRUS - THE APPLICATION OF ADDITIONAL MEASURES IN LARNACA & FAMAGUSTA

 Filenews 2 October 2020

Additional measures in Larnaca and Famagusta come into force from Monday, 5 October 2020, due to the deterioration of the epidemiological picture and the flocks of cases of coronavirus in the two provinces.

In particular, it was decided to implement the following:

• Trainings and competitions of athletes under the age of 18 are prohibited in all team sports and competitions, such as football, basketball, handball, karate, etc.
• Afternoon sports activities organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth (Sport for All – AGO) are prohibited.
• Checks on businesses and premises are intensified by the competent authorities of the Ministry of Health, the Police and the Ministry of Tourism.
• It is strictly recommended to observe the measures in places where rehearsals and/or cultural events take place (e.g. choirs, theatrical performances, dance, etc.).

At the same time, the Ministry of Health decided to carry out a sample laboratory check on 3,000 people in villages of Larnaca and Famagusta Provinces, due to the increased cases recorded in them and with the aim of controlling the dispersion that exists. The sampling will be targeted on the basis of epidemiological, demographic and other criteria and is expected to start next week. More details will be announced within days.

Source: eyenews

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NEW TRAFFIC FINES FAIL TO INTIMIDATE DRIVERS, NO FALL IN VIOLATIONS IN FIRST 24 HOURS

Cyprus Mail 2 October 2020 - by Gina Agapiou

More than 600 traffic offences were recorded in the first 24 hours after heftier fines came into force on Thursday, the head of Nicosia traffic police, Yiannakis Georgiou told the Cyprus Mail.

On Thursday, the first day the new penalties came into effect, there were 634 violations islandwide, Georgiou said on Friday.

“This means that drivers weren’t affected by the heavier fines. They just don’t care,” he said.

According to the traffic police head, the number of the violations recorded on Thursday was around the usual number. Police usually book 500-700 drivers for traffic violations daily.

“The public must realise that things are serious and start respecting the traffic law and think about themselves and stop putting the life of others in danger,” Georgiou added.

Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis said on Friday that the new fines would bring results after a reasonable amount of time, if not immediately.

She also said that high penalties aim at reducing the number of road deaths and injuries and were not an end in themselves.

“We want to promote the cultivation of traffic awareness from a young age and unfortunately the punishments are part of the whole effort, although not an end in itself,” she said after a meeting with Cyprus worker’s confederation SEK.

In 2019, there were 48 deaths from fatal traffic accidents, while the country recorded 67 deaths per million inhabitants, according to recent data from Eurostat. This is higher than the EU average of 51 deaths per million.

As of Thursday, drivers failing to wear a seat belt will have to pay a €150 fine and €300 in case of a second offence within three years.

The fine for not wearing a helmet rises from the current €85 to €200 and then €300 for a second violation.

Using a mobile phone while at the wheel will now cost drivers €150, instead of the current €85, with the fine potentially rising to €300 in case of a second violation within three years.

The fine for parking in a spot reserved for the disabled will rise from €85 to €300, as will the one for drivers who run a red light.

All the revised sentences have been posted on the website www.roadsafetycyprus.gov.cy.

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FINANCIAL SERVICES FIRMS SEEK POST-BREXIT SOLUTION IN CYPRUS

 Cyprus Mail 2 October 2020

Nicosia Skyline -- financial services firms and other companies look to Cyprus.

By George Campanellas, CEO, Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency

The prospect of a no-deal Brexit has seen an increase in financial services companies looking to Cyprus as a ‘low cost’ European base, according to participants in a recent conference. In this way, these firms may either obtain or retain the rights to the EU ‘Passports’ enabling them to access markets in all the Member States.

There is grave concern among financial services firms about the outcome of a ‘hard’ Brexit, with 76.9 per cent of participants claiming the future of the UK financial services sector depended on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, while only  2.6 per cent said Brexit would have no impact. This survey was conducted among 150 electronic money and payment institutions, fund managers, insurance companies, banks and law and accounting firms at a recent conference.

Setting out a vision of Cyprus as a professional services hub at the heart of Europe, conference speakers, including the Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus, Constantinos Herodotou, and senior representatives of EY Law, Deloitte and KPMG Cyprus, said the failure to agree new rules for the UK-EU relationship had led to renewed interest in Cyprus.

“The main driver is the speed of getting over the line in Cyprus, compared with other jurisdictions,” said Christia Evagorou, senior manager of Funds Services at PwC Cyprus, “It tends to be quicker to obtain authorisation here and the process tends to be less expensive. The Central Bank does not impose a fee on applications, which others do. We’re also seeing interest from other e-money and payment institutions within EU area and outside which shows Cyprus is being used as anchor for jurisdictions to reach the Middle East and Asia.”

The conference, Cyprus’s Proposition for the UK’s Financial Services Industry, hosted by Invest Cyprus, focused on Cyprus’s post-Brexit solution to financial services firms, fintechs, investment funds and asset management companies and insurers.

Speakers pointed to the island’s access to the EU and high growth markets, a modern flexible legal framework based on English common law, highly educated workforce and low business costs compared with Malta, Netherlands, Ireland and Luxembourg. Companies operating on the island include the UK marine insurer Steamship Mutual, and international tech companies Wargaming and AmDocs, which has around 1,000 software programmers living and working in Cyprus.

CBC Governor Herodotou said that the banks’ investment in internet banking and mobile app technology had sparked increased activity by e-money and payment institutions.

“In recent years we have clearly noticed an increase in number of institutions licenced by us and we view this interest in obtaining licences from the Central Bank of Cyprus positively while at the same time maintaining high supervisory standards,” Herodotou pointed out.

Setting out Cyprus’s robust regulatory framework, he added: “Anti-money laundering compliance constitutes a permanent challenge for all members of the eurozone and the euro system. For the Central Bank of Cyprus, it is of utmost importance that all supervised institutions exhibit the necessary compliance culture. The MONEYVAL Committee of the Council Europe has recognised the great steps by the Central Bank of Cyprus to enhance AML/CFT supervisory practices.”

“In this manner,” Herodotou continued, “we add value to the institutions licenced by us which, in turn, can take pride in working in a reputable, cooperative regulated environment. I would like to reassure all parties that the Central Bank is very much aware of the developments in technology and banking and payment eco systems. As a regulator and supervisor, we are keen to adhere to highest supervisory standards, and we count on cooperation with the supervised entities for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

In another survey of conference participants, 40 per cent said EU passporting rights were the most important factor for them to consider moving their business, followed ease of doing business (20 per cent) and the taxation environment (20 per cent). Around 5,476 firms based in the UK currently benefit from passporting, while 8,000 companies in the European Economic Area use the mechanism to offer services in Britain.

Pointing to a five-fold increase in the use of digital banking platforms by 2025, Christia Evagorou, of PwC Cyprus, said “Businesses should be focusing on growth, and growth alone, rather considering other situations that may delay them from the target. Even though the UK has offered a good space for businesses, especially in the financial services sector, to grow, unfortunately, Brexit has cast some doubt over it, and there are more questions than answers.  The transition period is nearly over and payment and e-money institutions are unfortunately faced with very real possibility of a no deal Brexit, which means there will be no access to EU customers, there will be no passporting rights quite possibly, and very limited, if any, access to the central payment system infrastructure that rest of Europe will be using.”

Setting out the advantages of relocating to Cyprus, she told financial services firms: “Cyprus has harmonised EU laws and regulations and is using the common law system which means we have no deviation from the legal interpretation that you will have on any UK contract. The process of obtaining licences from the Central Bank of Cyprus is streamlined, and the regulator has attached no cost attached to that. Cyprus is also pro-business and open to dialogue, and the abundance of an English-speaking professional workforce, many of them trained in UK, allows for companies to come to Cyprus at a fraction of the cost than in other jurisdictions. “

George Campanellas, Chief Executive of Invest Cyprus, the national investment promotion agency, said the island’s handling of the pandemic and its pre-Covid economic growth meant it was recovering quicker than other economies. “All the ingredients that have made Cyprus a top destination for shipping management exist also for hosting tech companies coming to the island,” he said, “For the tech sector, the attractive intellectual property regime in our country allows for up to 80 per cent of qualifying profits and intangible assets to be tax deductible expenses, so the effective tax rates for taking advantage of IP can be as low as 2.5 per cent. We believe in the next few years, we will see more companies choosing the island to host their European operations.”

Other speakers at the conference included Andreas Yiasemides, of the Cyprus Investment Funds Association and leading representative from Kinanis LLC, Chrysostomodies Advocates, MAP S.Platis,

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CORONAVIRUS - TOURISM INDUSTRY, IN LETTER TO PRESIDENT, PLEADS FOR EASING OF RESTRICTIONS

 Cyprus Mail 2 October 2020 - by Evie Andreou

The island’s tourism industry on Friday called for easing of restrictions on tourist arrivals, citing the low number of people found positive at the island’s airports.

The Association of Cyprus Travel Agents (Acta) said that along with the Cyprus Hotels Association (Pasyxe) and the Cyprus Tourism Enterprises Association (Stek), which represents four and five-star hotels,  and also Hermes Airports, sent a letter to President Nicos Anastasiades calling for relaxation of the strict health protocols on tourist traffic.

The reiterated their call, among other things for the extension of the deadline for the submission of a negative PCR test certificate to 96 hours instead of the 72 currently provided by the regulations.  In many countries, and particularly the UK, which is a category B country, it is not possible for potential tourists to secure a test within the time window, if at all.

The associations pointed out that less than 0.3 per cent of the passengers tested on arrival at the airports have been found positive for Covid-19.

They argue that Cyprus is a popular destination, but the protocols aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus was hindering tourist arrivals.

Pointing out they were now working with an eye on next year, they  said that “the margins are narrowing and that any continuation of the strict protocol regarding the categorisation of countries would be disastrous for the entire tourism industry but also for the economy of our country in general.”

They suggest that EU countries, Schengen members and the UK, remain in category B until April 2021, which is the end of the winter tourism season, arguing this would give the opportunity to maintain itineraries which get cancelled after some of these countries are put in category C. Indicatively, they mention that currently 14 European countries are in category C.

Tourists arriving from category C countries cannot come to Cyprus on holidays. Cyprus allows tourist from category B countries as long as they present a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours.  Arrivals from category A countries do not need a test.

The associations said they find satisfactory the demand for a negative test certificate for passengers from category B countries, but they want the government to extend the deadline to 96 hours.

“Due to increased demand for tests abroad (schools opening, seasonal outbursts, etc.), laboratories do not manage to give the results to travellers in time, leading to many booking cancellations and consequently, of flights,” they said.

This year’s tourist season has been lost, they said, adding that Cyprus’ good epidemiological outlook has a positive impact abroad.

At the moment, they said, they have had serious proposals from tour operators and airlines that want to put Cyprus in their programmes starting from the coming winter season and continue in the summer of 2021.

“However, the above suggestions are essential conditions for this planning to be able to proceed,” they said, warning that Cyprus will enter “uncharted waters” next year in terms of tourism and the country’s connectivity with all the consequent negative effects on the economy.

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PAPHOS MUNICIPALITY SAID 'SICK TREES' NEEDED CUTTING, EVERYTHING DONE LEGALLY

 Cyprus Mail 2 October 2020 - by Bejay Browne

Paphos municipality and its mayor have rejected accusations levelled by the Paphos greens that the cutting dozens of trees and “indiscriminate deep pruning” on others were unnecessary.

In order to “restore the truth” after criticism related to cutting down poplar trees on Europe Avenue, the municipality said it wished to clarify the situation.

In the last three years, it said, the trunk of the trees were rotting and aging due to an infestation by a pathogen causing extensive tissue necrosis, which resulted in the tree drying out and the rot extending downwards.

“It should be noted that the municipal expert mentioned that the choice, years ago, of this type of poplar for planting in this area was inappropriate, as this species needs particularly moist soils and low temperatures,” it added.

As these conditions do not prevail in the planting area, the tree was susceptible to disease and its life cycle limited.

Due to these points, the responsible municipal expert found that there was necrosis, and that the branches of the trees were falling on both the pavement and the road, resulting in a serious risk of accidents to pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

“To prevent such a risk, the officer twice called on the forestry department to conduct an examination in the area. They found the trunks and branches were rotting and gave consent to cut the trees.

The municipality said that with this consent, they proceeded to cut down stricken and dangerous trees, as part of the cleanliness and pruning campaign carried out by the green service on the town’s roads.

“It is stressed that the cutting of these trees took place in the presence of a representative of the forestry department who supervised and controlled the entire process , even though its permission was not needed due to the small cross-section of the trunk,” it noted

The announcement also clarified that the mayor of Paphos did not sign or give any instructions for cutting down the trees and the matter was handled by the competent office.

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law&history 7:1

[Here, belatedly, is the TOC for law&history 7:1 (2020).  law&history is an online publication of the Australian and New Zealand Law and History Society.  DRE]

Volume 7, Issue 1 (2020) of law&history, the Society journal, is now available online through institutional databases such as Informit.

It comprises some fascinating legal and historical scholarship. Check out the contents below:

Philip Girard, The contrasting fates of French Canadian and indigenous constitutionalism: British North America, 1760-1867

Bevan Marten, Confronting British bullies: Shipping law reform in Australia and New Zealand, 1888-1907

Tim Soriano, ‘The peculiar circumstances of that settlement’: Burnaby’s code and Royal Naval rule in British Honduras

Tim Calabria, The bungalow and the transformation of the ‘half-caste’ category in central Australia: Race and law at the limits of a settler colony, 1914-1937

Anne Maree payne, ‘To the exclusion of the rights of the mother’: Legal barriers to Aboriginal mothering in the stolen generations era

Emma Bellino, Married women’s nationality and the white Australia policy, 1920-1948

Reflective Essay

Greg Marks, Aboriginal land rights and the Hermannsburg controversy: Implications for self-determination

Obituary

Professor Colin Tatz AO (1934-2019) (Christopher Brien)

Book Reviews

Gender violence in Australia: Historical perspectives (Yves Rees)

Habeas corpus in wartime: From the tower of London to Guantanamo Bay (David Clark)

The lost boys of Mr Dickens: How the British empire turned artful dodgers into child killers (Matthew Allen)

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Looking Back: September

Oh September, you devil you. Normally you are one of my favorite months, one full of vacations and adventures and great weather and friends. This year, you are not at the top of my list. September was a rough month for California. It was one of many wildfires; I read somewhere that there was a fire in almost every county (we have 59 of them). Also, on September 28th, this website posted the following information: "Since the beginning of 2020, over 3.7 million acres in California have burned from over 8,100 wildfires." According to Google, California is about 104 acres in size. Three and a half percent of the state has burned, and two places close to my heart (near my parents and near my brother) have gone up in smoke. 

As I type this, one of the biggest fires, the August complex, which is nearly one million acres in size (roughly the size of Switzerland), is still only 47% contained (according to CalFire). The one near my parents (the North Complex) is 78% contained and the one near my brother (the Glass fire) is only 5% contained. It is hard to find words sometimes. 

My Mom took this photo from her front yard.

But life goes on, doesn't it. While the state burns, we all still have to go to work each day, go out and find goodness in the world, go to Costco, etc. So, as always, here is what I did to "go about my day" in September. 

Running: As this is the way I keep sane, I had to try to do this as much as possible. I ended up running about 260 miles in September, including a couple of hiking trips. I have been running less days per week but more miles per day in an effort to still "quarantine" a little bit (less time out in the community) but to still stay healthy and have a little fun. 

Reading: This was an okay reading month for me. I only read one physical book; the rest were audiobooks. This was due to the fact that I did a hiking trip and instead of reading at night, I studied. Then when I was at home, I also studied and when not studying, tried to plan a couple of trips, which I will talk about in a few, so did not really read my book as much. My favorites this month were Wunderland and Shortest Way Home, although none of the books I read really wowed me. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood. 

Travel: The beginning of September was supposed to be spent in Belgium, Holland and surrounds, but as that did not pan out, a road trip to Oregon to stay with my friends up there was plan B. I usually do this every July, but this year things were a little different! I finally circumnavigated the Three Sisters, which I had been wanting to do for years but it was always too snowy in July. This year it was a record breaking heat year and was in the high 90s. Talk about a 180! 

After that was a visit to Mt. Rainier to hike parts of the Wonderland trail. Luckily the hiking days were smoke free, but on the drive from Oregon to Washington and then again from Washington back to California, the smoke was fierce and the AQI was over 600 at times (for those of you not familiar with AQI, a normal good air quality is under 50 and a so-so quality is under 100 and above 300 is, "Health warning of emergency conditions: everyone is more likely to be affected" according to AirNow.gov.) Definitely the view of the Oregon coast was not what it normally is (aka there wasn't one)! 

Mt. Rainier as seen from the west side. 

As I mentioned above, I also tried to plan a couple of trips. I had the week of September 21st off, and had a permit and plan to go and hike part of the John Muir Trail. However, at the beginning of the month, the National Parks were all closed due to the fires and on September 4th, a fire broke out near where I would be hiking, and is also now one of the largest ones in the state. My permit got canceled and so I also canceled my trip. This year has definitely been one of much flexibility and patience. 

Misc.: What else? The garden is now going over into winter mode; there are a few more straggler tomatoes and peppers and a few figs, but otherwise, its nearly bare. I am studying a lot, but am still not sure if my exam will get canceled (it is scheduled for December 5th). I am trying some new protein ball recipes for hiking trips, even though I am not sure when they will be. 

How was your September? What do you do when plans get changed? 

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