Stepping Up to the Plate: Minor Leaguers Attempt to Remedy their Unconscionable Plight

Professional baseball players are often thought of as making multi-million-dollar salaries, but most professional baseball players have recently made under $15,000 a year. Minor league players toiled under an onerous system resulting from baseball's judicially created antitrust exemption and lobbying efforts that exempted them from minimum wage and overtime. These factors allowed teams to impose a uniform player contract (UPC) on players with numerous unconscionable provisions for years. However, a late-night Tweet in August of 2022 sent shockwaves through the sports and labor world, announcing that the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) was sending out authorization cards to represent minor league players. After years of fighting to maintain the authority to impose conditions on minor league players, through lobbying and litigation, Major League Baseball (MLB) turned over a new leaf and recognized the unionization of minor league players under the MLBPA less than three weeks later. In light of this long sought-after recognition, this article takes a novel approach. First, it provides historical context for baseball's unique ability to impose working conditions on minor leaguers without significant concern for legal ramifications. Second, it provides an overview of the doctrine of contractual unconscionability and analyzes the prior UPC as an unconscionable agreement. Finally, it details the historic unionization process and makes detailed recommendations to ameliorate the unconscionable conditions minor league players have faced when they negotiate with MLB owners to draft their initial collective bargaining agreement.     

省直管县改革背景下市县横向分治与合作机制之构建

省直管县改革是为适应经济社会快速发展而进行的行政层级调整,对于破除市管县体制藩篱、激活和增强县域经济发展活力、提高行政效率具有重大意义。实践中,市县科层结构"交错纠缠"、省级政府管理幅度偏大、市县资源依赖关系受到冲击等问题一定程度上影响了省直管县改革的推进,导致改革的政策红利未能充分释放。应从增加省直管县试点数量、推动市县科层结构扁平化、维护市县共生性资源依赖关系、引导市县从资源竞争走向差异化合作等方面着手构建并完善市县横向分治与合作机制,以推动省直管县改革取得更大成效。     

Improved Area of Origin Estimation for Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Using 3D Scanning

An important component of crime scene reconstruction is bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA). Where BPA concerns impact patterns, estimating the area of origin is critical information for scene reconstruction. Traditionally, this is achieved by measuring individual bloodstains and performing trigonometric calculations; however, 3D scanning has been proposed as a viable alternative for overcoming logistical and practical concerns with the manual method. Therefore, this project aimed to establish whether the FARO Focus 3D scanner and FARO Zone 3D software can improve the accuracy of area of origin estimates relative to the manual method. We created a series of eight bloodstain impact patterns and performed paired analysis using the two methods to estimate areas of origin for each pattern. Our data suggested that FARO-derived estimates were generally more accurate than using the manual method. FARO-estimated heights of origin areas were generally closer to the true distance. Both methods underestimated the distance from the wall for most patterns originating 150mm or greater from the wall, but overestimated distances for patterns originating closer to the wall. The degree to which distances were underestimated increased significantly the further the blood source was from the wall and was greater for FARO-derived estimates. The results of this research contribute to the validation of these instruments for operational implementation for BPA and should be considered alongside the practical benefits of 3D scanning relative to manual methods. Further, 3D scanning can provide reliable BPA reconstruction documentation for technical review and court presentation.     

中国共产党的集中统一领导决定抗"疫"之效

中国共产党的集中统一领导是中国特色社会主义制度最大、最根本的政治优势。突发的新冠肺炎疫情是对中国共产党执政能力和领导力、号召力、动员力的检验,是对党的一次大考。抗击新冠肺炎疫情的斗争,进一步彰显了中国共产党集中统一领导的政治优势。党的集中统一领导决定了我国抗"疫"之效、抗"疫"之功。在党的集中统一领导下抗"疫"斗争必将取得伟大胜利。     

The effects of national cultures on two technologically advanced countries: The case of e-leadership in South Korea and the United States

The increased use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has triggered enormous innovation in the public sector and created positive public value at the managerial, delivery of services, and policy levels. However, these positive outcomes do not automatically accrue simply by adoption of ICTs as public leaders can fail to adopt relevant new ICTs, use them poorly, or use them in ways that actually diminish public value, which raises the question of the importance of e-leadership. This article examines e-leadership and innovation capacity at the individual public manager level and fills in some gaps about the practice and implementation of ICTs in the public sector. We explore eight research questions useful in theorizing about e-leadership, develop constructs of e-leadership, and describe the current development of e-leadership. By comparing e-leadership in two country settings (South Korea and the United States), we also overcome the limitations of the existing Western-oriented studies about innovations in the public sector. In addition to the growth of e-leadership use and requirements for a variety of competencies equivalent to, but separate from, traditional communication competences, we find that national cultures exert significant influence on the major constructs of e-leadership, which implies that an effective e-leadership strategy should consider cultural contexts seriously.     

在借条空白处加盖公章的担保效力审查

【裁判要旨】借条空白处的公司盖章应由公司承担反证义务,公司无法证明借条空白处盖章的合理性,应承担相应责任。债权人主张盖章公司应承担担保责任,但未尽到审查公司担保决议的义务,公司应承担不能清偿部分的二分之一的补充清偿责任。一人有限责任公司股东应举证证明公司财产独殳于股东个人,不能证明的,应在公司的责任范围内承担连带清偿责任。     

专业学会在应对突发公共卫生事件中的作用——以新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情应对为例

与一般危机事件相比,突发公共卫生事件具有突发性、高度专业性、未知性、群体性、社会性以及应对协同性等特征。在现代化治理体系中,专业学会作为突发公共卫生事件应急管理的重要补充力量,应当发挥专业优势、组织协调优势、凝聚精神等优势,在疾病的预测、健康科普、组织动员、心理干预等方面发挥积极作用。     

习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的内在逻辑与意义探析

党的十八大以来,以习近平同志为核心的党中央通过艰辛的理论和实践探索,形成了习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想。中国共产党在指导思想上的与时俱进,是我们党生命力、创造力的重要体现,更是党团结带领全国各族人民决胜全面建成小康社会,全面建设社会主义现代化强国的行动指南。科学把握习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的内在逻辑、核心要义与重大意义,有助于进一步增强"四个自信",为实现中华民族伟大复兴的中国梦提供理论指引和实践指南。     

The Real Motive

U.S.President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan,called by some the"deal of the century,"is an important step-to win the support of Jewish voters in this year's presidential election.Given the complexities of the situation in the Middle East and the failure of negotiations between Israel and Palestine,the plan is unlikely to take the peace process between the two key actors forward.     

法医学尸体检验职业防护指南(建议稿)

法医工作者的职业暴露风险极大,案件现场及尸体上的有毒有害物质、高致病性微生物以及利器、骨折等因素均可能给法医带来身心伤害甚至生命危险。随着经济社会发展,法医的工作环境已经较过去显著改善,但是针对个人防护的重视程度仍需提高。近年来公共卫生事件频发,给法医职业防护带来新的挑战,迫切需要借鉴生物安全领域的先进技术和防护理念,以满足新形势下法医工作的需要。本指南立足当前法医职业防护的实际需求,从暴露风险、防护分级、应急处置等角度阐述,希望能为制定法医职业防护相关标准提供参考,以指导法医工作者开展个人防护工作,为提升法医职业化水平和身心健康提供帮助。