Protect Me From Myself: Determining Competency to Waive the Right to Counsel During Civil-Commitment Proceedings in Washington State

This Comment argues that an unarticulated, heightened standard of competency to waive counsel, under which Washington currently operates, is the ideal standard to address the unique concerns that exist in civil- commitment proceedings. This Comment clarifies the existing law governing the determination of a party’s right to waive counsel, as well as the determination of the validity of such a waiver. This Comment also articulates a comprehensive inquiry standard for trial courts, both within and outside of Washington, to apply when determining the competency of a party and the validity of a waiver. The goal of this express determination standard is to create from existing law a series of questions to be used during a colloquy between the trial judge and the party seeking to waive counsel, thus ensuring an adequate evidentiary record on which the court can base its determination

Protect Me From Myself: Determining Competency to Waive the Right to Counsel During Civil-Commitment Proceedings in Washington State

This Comment argues that an unarticulated, heightened standard of competency to waive counsel, under which Washington currently operates, is the ideal standard to address the unique concerns that exist in civil- commitment proceedings. This Comment clarifies the existing law governing the determination of a party’s right to waive counsel, as well as the determination of the validity of such a waiver. This Comment also articulates a comprehensive inquiry standard for trial courts, both within and outside of Washington, to apply when determining the competency of a party and the validity of a waiver. The goal of this express determination standard is to create from existing law a series of questions to be used during a colloquy between the trial judge and the party seeking to waive counsel, thus ensuring an adequate evidentiary record on which the court can base its determination

“Like Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing”: Combating Racial Bias in Washington State’s Criminal Justice System

Despite their differences, both the majority and concurring opinions in Monday present new ways to address prosecutorial misconduct, deter the injection of racial bias into courtroom proceedings, and create substantively similar outcomes. Part II of this Note discusses the traditional prosecutorial misconduct test in Washington State, as well as the rules articulated by the Monday majority and concurrence. Part III discusses the implications of both the majority and concurring opinions, the primary differences in their approaches to deterrence, the degree of racial bias they require to warrant reversal of a conviction, and the discretion they afford the judiciary. Part III also suggests that courts must consider both the rights of criminal defendants and the aggregate impacts of racial bias on society at large when fashioning a rule to combat racial bias

Effect of Beta-carotene on Reproductive Performance in Swine

Injection of beta-carotene did not alter live litter size, total born, number born dead, number of stillborn pigs, and number of mummified pigs in this study. Number of pigs weaned and litter weaning weight also were not significantly different (P\u3e.05). Furthermore, no significant interactions between parity and beta-carotene injection were observed. The commercial herds that were evaluated had already achieved high levels of reproductive performance. Average number of pigs born alive pretreatment was 10.51. These herds were under excellent management and the breeding herd was in superior condition. Perhaps the treatment would be more successful in situations where the sow herds have lower reproductive performance. Use of beta-carotene should be a farm by farm decision, using records to warrant and to verify the effectiveness of betacarotene treatment

The Niche Pork Production Handbook

Niche pork markets grew rapidly in the late 1990’s and have continued to expand. There are currently at least 35 pork niche markets active in Iowa. These range from direct sales to consumers by individual farmers to organized marketing groups. Marketers consistently report more demand for pork than the existing supply of pigs that meet the niche market criteria. They also consistently report a shortage of producers and the expectation that the niche markets will continue to grow. The lifestyle and financial opportunities offered by niche pork markets are attractive to many individuals. These individuals may have little or no experience with raising pigs. Much of the existing pig production resources are not appropriate for this audience. To address these needs, a Niche Pork Production handbook was developed in 2007. The handbook is a collection of 30 individual leaflets addressing practical issues of niche pork production. The handbook is available for download from the Iowa Pork Industry Center website: http://www.ipic.iastate.edu/publications.html. This handbook was written to serve as an introduction to pig production with a focus on the practical issues facing niche market pig producers. Although perhaps most valuable to the novice, the information in this handbook is also useful to the more experienced pig producer considering niche pork production as well as the seasoned niche pork producer