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The London Women's Film Group was formed in 1972 in response to the seemingly impermeable male-dominated film industry and culture of the time along with the urgently felt need to put women's stories, told by women, on the screen. Made up of a dedicated assortedment of practitioners and theorists, the group produced a variety of films, both individually and collectively, including Women of the Rhondda (1973), Put Yourself in My Place (1974), The Amazing Equal Pay Show (1974), and Whose Choice? (1976). The group and its work provided inspiration to one another and to many other women who perceived the lack of feminist expression in film. In this essay, early Film Group member Barbara Evans provides a personal account of the formation and key moments in the evolution of the group.

In general, the Europe and Central Asia Region (ECA) is predicted to become wetter and warmer as a result of climate change, with more frequent weather extremes (drought, floods, heatwaves, and winter squalls). While in general precipitation in the region is low, around 40 percent is converted to runoff – higher than in any other region. Changes in runoff patterns are likely to be significant across much of the region, with increases in much of the Russian Federation and decreases in most other sub-regions. Overall the outlook for the region is one of increasing uncertainty and extremes in weather events with northern areas becoming wetter and warmer and southern areas drier. This paper is written from the perspective of the utility manager or municipal and government planner. It examines the increasing risk and uncertainty facing utilities in the ECA region and explores some of the potential responses and resources available. It is based on a short literature review which draws on three broad bodies of literature: the first deals with climate change and adaptation in general and provides useful information about likely impacts in the ECA region and generalized policy responses; the second deals with adaptation in water utilities. This literature tends to have little explicit analysis pertaining to the ECA region; and the third examines the performance and operating options of utilities in the ECA region but which tends to have little explicit analysis on the impacts of climate change.

The federal government recently used preemption unlawfully to prevent state public health efforts to protect vulnerable people from COVID-19. As 1,000 current and former CDC epidemiologists noted in an open letter, the federal government has failed to use legal powers it does have to manage the crisis, leaving states to "invent their own differing systems" to manage COVID-19. We add that the federal government is now asserting emergency powers it does not have to disable state public health responses. Early this month, Nevada officials halted the use of two rapid coronavirus tests that produced high false-positive rates when used for screening vulnerable people in Nevada's nursing homes, assisted-living, long-term care, and other congregate facilities. More than half the positive test results were false. On October 8, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sent a letter threatening that the Nevada officials' action was "inconsistent with and preempted by federal law and, as such, must cease immediately or appropriate action will be taken against those involved." Nevada yielded to this threat and, on October 9, removed its directive to stop using the tests.