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Beat the Press is Dean Baker's commentary on economic reporting. Dean Baker is co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).
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The election of the conservative candidate to the presidency in Argentina has been cause for celebration in mainstream Washington, as typified by this Washington Post editorial. I won't claim to know which candidate offered the better path for the country going forward, but we should not let the Washington Post types rewrite the past.
The governments led by the Kirchners have much to show for their twelve years in power. Nestor Kirchner took power in May of 2003, just as Argentina was beginning its recovery from its dramatic default and devaluation at the end of 2001. The I.M.F. was insisting that Argentina return to the austerity path that had led to a horrible recession in the years from 1998 to 2001. Its per capita income had already declined by more than 15 percent at the point of the default making the downturn more than four times as severe as the 2007–2009 recession in the United States. Kirchner said no deal.
Instead he pursued policies to promote growth and employment, with an emphasis on helping those at the bottom end of the income distribution. To the great consternation of the folks at the I.M.F. (where Argentina became known as the "A-word"), his policies largely succeeded. While the I.M.F. kept predicting economic collapse, Argentina's economy grew rapidly. By the middle of 2003 it had already made up all the ground lost following the default and by the end of 2004 its per capita income was above the pre-recession level. And, it was much more evenly distributed.Add a comment
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I'm a big fan of mass transit, bikes, and walking, but bad numbers are not the way to get people out of their cars. Someone came up with the statistic that the rate of traffic fatalties is 1.07 deaths per million vehicle miles traveled. Then, the NYT, ABC, NBC, Bloomberg, and AP all picked up this number.
Think about that one for a moment. The average car is driven roughly 10,000 miles a year. If you have 20 friends who are regular drivers, these news outlets want you to believe that one will be killed in a car accident every five years on average. Sound high?
Well, the correct number is 1.07 fatalities per 100 million miles according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, so they were off by a factor of 100. So be careful driving this holiday weekend, but the risks are not quite as great as some folks are saying.
Thanks to Robert Salzberg for calling this one to my attention.Add a comment
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The usually astute Greg Ip gets derailed in a high production values piece that tries to tell us that our problems stem from not having enough kids. For those left scratching their heads while sitting in traffic jams or standing in over-crowded subway cars, the basic story is that we somehow don't have enough workers to do all the work. (Where are those damn robots when we need them?)
Anyhow, the piece starts out quickly on the wrong foot:
"Ever since the global financial crisis, economists have groped for reasons to explain why growth in the U.S. and abroad has repeatedly disappointed, citing everything from fiscal austerity to the euro meltdown. They are now coming to realize that one of the stiffest headwinds is also one of the hardest to overcome: demographics."
Umm no, those of us who warned of the housing bubble and predicted that the resulting downturn would be hard to reverse saw the weak growth as a 100 percent predictable problem from a shortfall in aggregate demand. There was no source of demand to replace the construction and consumption demand driven by the bubble.
And, I don't recall being at all troubled by slower aggregate growth, the issue was that we were seeing insufficient growth to fully employ the population. The United States and many other wealthy countries have seen a sharp decline in the employment to population ratio. This is true even when we look at the employment to population ratio for prime age (ages 25–54) workers. This is down by three full percentage points from its pre-recession peak and by more than four percentage points from its 2000 peak. It is pretty hard to explain the drop in the percentage of people working by demographics.
We later get the strange statement:
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"Simply put, companies are running out of workers, customers or both. In either case, economic growth suffers."
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There is an ongoing myth about the downturn and the weak recovery that consumers unwillingness to spend has been a major factor holding back the recovery. An article in the Washington Post business section headlined, "heading into the holidays the retail industry faces a cautious consumer," draws on this myth. The reality is that consumers have not been especially reluctant to spend in the downturn or the recovery as can be easily seen in this graph showing consumption as a share of GDP.
As can be seen, consumption is actually higher relative to GDP than it was before the downturn. It even higher relative to GDP than when the wealth created by the stock bubble lead to a boom in the late 1990s. The only time consumption was notably higher relative to GDP was in 2011 and 2012 when the payroll tax holiday on 2 percentage points of the Social Security tax temporarily boosted people's disposable income relative to GDP.
(Those who see an upward trend need to think more carefully about what is being shown. Consumption can only continually rise as a share of GDP if investment and government spending continually fall and/or the trade deficit expands continually relative to the size of the economy. Standard models do not predict either event and both would be quite strange if true. It is also worth noting that the consumption share of GDP fell sharply in the 1960s due to the growth of investment and government spending.)
The weak consumption story is one of the myths that makes the housing bubble far more complicated that it actually is. The basic story is that housing construction, and the consumption driven by housing bubble generated equity, were driving the economy before the bubble burst in 2006–2008. When the bubble burst, the over-construction of the bubble years led to a huge falloff in construction and a temporary drop in consumption.
There was no component of demand that could easily fill this gap, which was on the order of six percentage points of GDP (@$1.1 trillion annually in today's economy.) The stimulus went part of the way, but it was too small and faded back to near zero by 2011.
The problem of the continuing weakness of the economy is that we still have nothing to fill this demand gap. Housing has come back to near normal levels, but not the boom levels of the bubble years. If anything, consumption is unusually high, driven by house and stock prices that are above trend, even if not necessarily at bubble levels.
The one sure way to close the demand gap is to reduce the trade deficit, most obviously by getting down the value of the dollar. Unfortunately, the powers that be in Washington don't talk about currency values, hence there are no provisions on currency in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. (There is an unenforceable side agreement.) We could try to get to full employment with shorter work weeks and years, through measures such as work sharing, paid family leave, and paid vacations, but this route is also largely off the agenda.
Anyhow, we don't have cautious consumers and we don't have any mysteries about the economy's ongoing weakness. We just have a lot of confusion generated by the media in discussing the topic.Add a comment
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NPR had a piece on the horrible inflation of the 1970s and how the country was rescued by the herioics of Paul Volcker who was Fed chair at the time. The piece raises several points that could use a bit more context and leaves out some important information.
First and most importantly, the piece implies a world that did not exist. It begins with a discussion of a speech by President Gerald Ford in 1974. It told listeners:
"Inflation was the silent thief, and every year it got worse. Inflation got worse. It went from 10 percent to 11 percent to 12 percent. It wasn't clear exactly why and no one could agree on a simple way to fix it."
Neither part of this story is especially true. Inflation was hardly silent. It was widely reported, so people did know about it. Nor was it obviously a thief. Many, perhaps most, wage contracts were indexed to inflation, which meant that wages rose more or less in step with prices. While this was not true for everyone, a substantial segment of the population was able to insulate itself from the effects of inflation. This is one of the factors that made it harder to contain inflation.
It is also not true that no one knew how to fix it. Higher unemployment reduced workers' bargaining power and lowered demand in the economy. This slowed inflation. In fact, the skipping from Gerald Ford to Paul Volcker, mispresents the actual course of inflation over this period. Inflation did in fact come down. After peaking at 10.4 percent in 1974, it fell back to 5.5 percent in 1976 before it started to rise again. The main factor bringing inflation down was a steep recession in 1974–1975, so the method for bringing inflation under control was not quite as difficult to figure out as the piece implies.Add a comment
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By Dean Baker and Evan Butcher
We all know how hard it is to get by in today's competitive economy. That's why billionaires need special help. The Wall Street folks got their multi-trillion bailout in the form of below market interest rate loans when their greed and incompetence would otherwise have put them into bankruptcy. The drug companies get longer and stronger patent monopolies both here, and with trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, around the world. And, Jeff Bezos and Amazon get tens of billions of dollars in handouts in the form of an exemption from collecting the same sales tax as his mom and pop competitors.
The basic story here is simple. States require that stores collect sales tax on the items they sell. This applies to every mom and pop book store or clothing store, as well as huge retailers like Walmart and Costco. Amazon, along with other Internet only retailers, has been able to escape this requirement in most states through most of its existence.
While Amazon was acting legally, this loophole in the law makes zero sense from an economic perspective, and even less from a moral perspective. From an economic perspective, it makes no sense for the government to effectively subsidize on-line businesses that operate out of state at the expense of businesses that operate and employ people in the state.
And, make no mistake; the exemption from the requirement to collect sales tax is a subsidy. The tax is directed at the customer, the retailer is performing a service for the government. Effectively, the exemption is allowing the retailer to profit by charging a price that is equal to the price a competitor charges plus the tax. For example, if a television sells for $400 in a state with a 5 percent sales tax, the Internet competitors can sell the same television for $420 and be charging no more than its brick and mortar competitors. They then put the extra $20 in their pockets.
This is the story of duty-free shops at airports. Generally the price on tobacco and liquor at these stores is comparable to prices in other stores. The difference is that the money the other stores pay to the government in taxes instead goes into the pockets of the owners of the duty-free stores.
This is the same story with Internet retailers. Amazon has effectively been subsidized by the amount of the sales tax that it would have been required to collect had it been subject to the same rules as its brick and mortar competitors. Instead of putting the extra profits into its pockets, it appears that Amazon has largely followed the strategy of passing on the savings to win market share at the expense of its competitors. This has proven to be an effective strategy, as its sales volume has made it the world's most valuable retailer by market capitalization.
It is worth knowing how much taxpayers have given through the tax subsidy route to Jeff Bezos, now one of the world richest people. We calculated the amount that Amazon saved on sales tax through its existence. While many states no longer exempt Internet retailers from collecting taxes, 20 states still do. We added up the amount of tax that Amazon would have been required to collect in each state had it been subject to the same rules as it competitors for each year that it was able to avoid this requirement.[1] The total amount through 2014 comes to $20.4 billion. Bezos has gradually reduced his stake in the company over this period, but he still own close to 20 percent. If we apportion the subsidy accordingly, taxpayers have effectively handed $4.1 billion to Jeff Bezos over the last two decades.
In order to put this in perspective, the average monthly TANF payment to a family with one child is roughly $400. This means that taxpayers have given Jeff Bezos the equivalent of 10 million monthly TANF checks. The average food stamp payment is $127 per person per month. Jeff Bezo's $4.1 billion in tax subsidies would amount to 31.5 million person months of food stamps.
Source: authors' calculations, see text.
So, as we prepare to celebrate this holiday season, we should keep in mind one person, Jeff Bezos, to whom the rest of us have been very generous.
[1] For simplicity, the calculation assumes that Amazon's sales in each state were proportional to the state's share in 2014 GDP. It applies a 5 percent real discount rate to past savings.Add a comment
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Adam Davidson has an interesting piece in the NYT Magazine on the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of U.S. foreign aid. He discusses various models of aid, noting that none of them has been a clear success.
In commenting on the issue, the article says in passing that the United States spends $30 billlion a year to help the world's poor. This figure could be misleading. Most readers are probably unaware of the size of the overall budget, therefore they may think that $30 billion involves a major committment of federal dollars. In fact, since we are spending $3.5 trillion a year in total, this sum comes to less than 0.9 percent of the total federal budget.
In discussing foreign aid, it is probably also worth mentioning the risk of corruption in the aid granting agencies. Foreign aid is a substantial source of money. For this reason it attracts not only people interesting in helping the world's poor, it also attracts contractors looking to line their pockets. As a result, much of the spending may not end up being very helpful for its intended targets. This has likely been an especially serious problem in Haiti, which is the focus of the piece.
Note: Typos corrected, thank Joe E. and Robert Salzberg.Add a comment
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I've been asked why I focus so much on restructuring the market as a way to address problems of inequality and poverty as opposed to tax and transfer programs. There are ideological, economic, and political reasons for this focus, which I will take in order.
On the ideological side, there is a commonly held view that the winners in the economy got there through a combination of luck, skill, and hard work. The losers scored less well in these categories. The central question from the standpoint of public policy then ends up being whether we should feel sorry for the losers, or at least sorry enough to take something away from the winners. Conservatives are mostly comfortable leaving distribution where it is, while liberals have guilty consciences so they feel we should help out the people at the bottom.
Rejecting loser liberalism means not accepting this framing. The winners did not win just by luck, skill, and hard work, but also by rigging the deck. For example, they construct trade deals to make U.S. manufacturing workers compete with low-paid workers in the developing world. The predicted and actual consequence is to reduce the employment and wages of U.S. manufacturing workers. Meanwhile, they maintain or increase the protections that make it difficult for people from developing (or developed) countries to train to U.S. standards and work as doctors, lawyers, and other highly paid professions in the United States.
The winners also made patent and copyright protection stronger and longer, with the predicted and actual effect of shifting more money to the small segment of the population that benefits from these forms of protection. And the winners have conducted a monetary policy, through their control of the Federal Reserve Board, which sustains higher than necessary rates of unemployment. The effect of excessive unemployment falls disproportionately on those at the middle and bottom of the wage distribution, not only increasing their risk of unemployment, but lowering the wages of those who do have jobs.
The point is that we did not just end up with a situation where some people are extremely wealthy and many people have little or nothing, we have policies that were designed to bring about this result. We don't have to ask the wealthy to feel compassion for the poor or have guilty consciences over their good fortune. We need to stop the wealthy from rigging the game so they continue to end up with all the money.Add a comment
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In today's Washington Post, columnist Ruth Marcus contrasted the policies that Bernie Sanders advocates, which she characterizes as being about redistribution, with the policies advocated by the Wall Street funded policy group Third Way, which she describes as being about "expanding opportunity for participation." While it is true that Third Way would like its policies to be described as being about expanding opportunity, it does not follow that this is true.
Third Way has promoted the macroeconomic, trade, and regulatory policies that gave us the Great Recession. While some of us were warning about the dangers of the housing bubble, Third Way was taking up space in the Washington Post and elsewhere warning about the dangers of retiring baby boomers. When the bubble burst, it left millions unemployed and tens of millions losing much or all of the equity in their homes. Low- and moderate-income families were especially hard hit. This did not expand opportunities for participation.
More generally Third Way has supported trade policies that have been designed to redistribute income upward and cost the country millions of good-paying middle income jobs. They also have refused to support measures that would address the ongoing trade deficit by adopting serious policies on currency management. It is understandable that Third Way would justify policies designed to redistribute income upward by saying they care about opportunity ("more money for Wall Street" is not a good political slogan), but that hardly makes the claim true.
On the other hand, policies advocated by Sanders, like a financial transactions tax and universal Medicare system, could provide a solid boost to growth by eliminating hundreds of billions of dollars of waste in the financial and health care sectors. These resources could be freed up to support productive investment, leading to an enormous boost to growth.Add a comment
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In policy circles, "free trade' is always supposed to be good. Only ignorant Neanderthal types like protectionism. Therefore the NYT was talking up the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) when it presented the pact as being part of a "free trade" tradition:
"Surrounding himself with cabinet secretaries and generals who had served presidents of both parties, Mr. Obama presented what has long been the establishment Washington consensus in favor of free trade against the surging tide of populist outrage from the political left and right against an agreement that critics call a bad deal for American workers."
Since the United States already has trade deals with most of the countries in the TPP, and these countries account for the vast majority of U.S. trade with TPP countries, it does relatively little to reduce trade barriers. On the other hand, it makes patent and copyright and related protections stronger and longer. It is entirely possible that the impact of these protections in raising barriers will be larger than the reductions in tariffs and other barriers.
It is also worth noting that the more money that foreigners have to pay for drugs and other protected products, the less money they will have to buy U.S. manufactured goods. For this reason, higher drug prices might be good news for people who own lots of Pfizer stock, but they are bad news for just about everyone else.Add a comment
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Josh Barro had a good discussion of the impact of longer life expectancy on the finances of Social Security. The basic point is the program will cost more money. There are a couple of points that are worth a bit more discussion and one mistake that should be corrected.
Starting with the mistake, Barro ends his piece by saying that the last major overhaul to Social Security was carried through by a bipartisan commission in 1985. Actually, the recommendations of the Greenspan commission were approved by Congress in 1983.
The first point worth some additional comment is Barro's reference to the chained Consumer Price Index (CCPI), which he says most economists view as a more accurate measure of the rate of inflation. President Obama and others have proposed using the CCPI to index post-retirement benefits. This would reduce average benefits by around 3 percent, since the CCPI shows a rate of inflation that is 0.2–0.3 percentage points lower than the CPI currently being used. This reduction would be cumulative, so that after ten years a retiree would receive a benefit that is between 2–3 percentage points lower than under the current system. After 20 years the benefit reduction would be between 4-6 percent.
While the CCPI is arguably more accurate as a measure of the rate of inflation seen by the population as a whole, economists do not have evidence of whether this is true for retirees. Older people have different consumption patterns than the rest of the population. They may also change their consumption less in response to changes in price than the rest of the population. (The difference between the CCPI and the currently used CPI is that the CCPI picks up the effect of changes in consumption patterns due to price changes.)Add a comment
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Robert Samuelson devoted his column this morning to discussing the fate of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (F&F). He notes that both are still effectively owned by the government even though almost everyone agreed years ago that they should be wound down and eliminated.
The complaint against leaving F&F public is that it leaves the government exposed to the sort of liabilities that led us to spend more than $180 billion bailing out F&F in 2008–2009. This badly misunderstands the dynamics of housing finance.
First, on the money used to bail out F&F, we ended up making a profit using the standard accounting that the media employs for bank bailouts. The government collected more money from F&F than it loaned it. This is of course a silly criterion, since the government is among the world's lowest cost borrowers, so it can generally make money by lending at interest rates between its cost of borrowing and the cost of borrowing for the businesses to which it is lending money. (This is the story of how the Export-Import Bank is profitable.)
The issue here is that the government is allocating capital by making subsidized loans available to favored companies in the case of the Export-Import Bank or the housing sector in the case of F&F. This has a cost in the form of higher priced capital to other borrowers, even if this does not appear as a budget item. Anyhow, the issue should be less the bailout money than whether F&F helped fuel the housing bubble, and if there is an alternative structure that would make such irrational exuberance less likely.
On the first question, there can be no doubt that F&F contributed to the bubble (they did finance 40 percent of new loans), but they were followers rather than leaders. The worst loans were financed by the investment banks that bundled them into their own mortgage backed securities. The business press derided F&F at the time for losing market share to more nimble private sector competitors. When F&F did start to move more aggressively into the subprime market it was for pursuit of profit (they were privately-held profit-making companies at the time), not because they were trying to serve the public good.Add a comment
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The NYT devoted an article to a report put out by the British Bankers' Association that claimed that new regulations were making the British industry less competitive internationally. This is presented as being a serious problem that should concern people.
In fact, people who believe in free trade should not care any more about the possibility that the U.K. will lose jobs in finance to foreign competition than if it loses jobs in textile manufacturing to foreign competition. The standard free trade argument — that all right-minded people are supposed to accept — is that the economy operates at full employment. This means that if bankers lose their jobs to international competition they will simply shift over to the sectors in which the U.K. has a comparative advantage. Only a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal protectionist would worry about losing jobs in textile manufacturing or banking to international competition.
It also would have been helpful if the NYT included the views of a critic of the banking industry in this article.Add a comment
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The Planet Money team had a nice segment pointing on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The piece pointed out that the TPP has no enforceable language on currency management.
While the deal is ostensibly about eliminating tariffs and other trade barriers, controlling currency values can be an effective way to impose barriers to trade. If a country intervenes in currency markets to lower the value of its currency by 10 percent it has an impact that is comparable to imposing a 10 percent tariff on all imports and giving out a 10 percent subsidy on all exports. There is nothing in the TPP that will prevent the parties in the agreement from protecting their industry through this mechanism.Add a comment
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Josh Barro had a very nice discussion of the issues involved in simplifying the income tax code, as proposed by most of the Republican presidential candidates. He concludes with a discussion of what would probably the greatest simplification for most taxpayers: have the I.R.S. prepare returns that could be corrected by taxpayers if they thought there was an error.
This is now done in some European countries, such as Denmark and Spain. As Barro explains, it could also be done here, for people who file the standard deduction, which is most taxpayers. Barro points out that the number using the standard deduction could be increased by eliminating some deductions. This is true, but it would also be possible to increase the number of people taking the standard deduction by increasing its size.
Unfortunately, because of the power of H&R Block, few politicians are likely to propose this simplification that would be an enormous benefit to tens of millions of taxpayers. As Barro points out, none of the Republican simplifiers have it on their agenda.Add a comment
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When a columnist uses your blog name in his title, he has to expect a response, right? Egan is unhappy about attacks on reporters and reporting from both the left and right. I am not going to particularly defend the targets of Egan's criticism, but I will say that people have very good reason to be angry at the media. And here I am referring to elite outlets like the NYT, Washington Post, National Public Radio, not the small town journalists working at "poverty-level wages" who Egan grabs as a cover. (This reminds me of Walmart and McDonald's touting the small businesses that will be hurt by a higher minimum wage. It's not the story and everyone knows it.) I will stick to economic reporting, since that is my turf.
First, these news outlets cover economic issues almost entirely from an insider perspective. This means that the news is what people at the White House, the Fed, or the leadership in Congress want to be the news. And, it is overwhelmingly told from their perspective.
This means, for example, that trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are often wrongly described as "free trade" deals. And it is often assumed, sometimes explicitly, that the point of these deals is to increase growth. Of course the deals are not at all "free trade," since a main purpose of all recent U.S. trade agreements has been to increase patent and copyright protection. These are forms of protectionism. They serve a purpose in providing incentives for innovation and creative work, but they are nonetheless forms of protectionism.
It is simply wrong to describe patents and copyrights as "free trade." Calling them free trade distracts from a serious discussion of their impact on the economy, inequality, and public health, after all, we are all supposed to support free trade.
Interestingly, the costs of these forms of protectionism are left out of almost every economic model that attempts to estimate the TPP's impact on economic growth? This cost would almost certainly be a large negative. If patent protection raises the price of a drug fifty-fold (not uncommon) it has the same impact on the market as a 5000 percent tariff. Why do reporters never point this out?
The assumption that these deals are about increasing growth is also unwarranted. The negotiating parties are industry groups like the pharmaceutical industry, the financial industry, and the entertainment industry. These groups are interested in promoting profits for their industries not economic growth. Why is this so hard for reporters to acknowledge?Add a comment
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I mention this because some of the reporting on this topic might have misled some people. For example, the NYT recently told readers:
"All three candidates [Clinton, O'Malley, and Sanders] support a financial transaction tax to limit high-frequency trading." [emphasis in original]
While Clinton has proposed a tax on high frequency trading, which is almost certainly unworkable, the other two candidates have actually proposed financial transactions taxes. The taxes they have proposed would raise between $600 billion and $2 trillion over the next decade. Virtually all of this money would come out of the pockets of the financial industry, since its primary impact would be to reduce trading volume. For the vast majority of investors, the savings from reduced trading would be equal or greater than the taxes paid on their trades.
The taxes proposed by Sanders and O'Malley would be a huge hit to Wall Street, bringing it back to the size, relative to the economy, that it was at two or three decades ago. Secretary Clinton has explicitly chosen not to go in this direction.
It is important for the public to recognize this difference. While the other two candidates are proposing measures that would be a major hit to the financial industry, Secretary Clinton is not. Voters should recognize this distinction in their positions; the reporting almost seems designed to hide it. [The Wall Street Journal committed a similar sin, although the error was not quite as egregious.]Add a comment
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Thomas Friedman, who once said that Germany would demand Greeks work like Germans as a condition of bailout funds (Greeks now work many more hours on average), allowed his column to stray into economics again today. Not surprisingly, he gets some of the big things wrong.
He starts by going after Donald Trump. While Trump has said many things on economic issues that bear little relationship to reality, Friedman attacks him on one that does. Friedman recounts an interview in which Trump said that he would provide universal health care insurance. Trump is then asked how he will pay for it. Friedman presents Trump's answer along with his own comment:
"'The government's gonna pay for it. But we're going to save so much money on the other side. But for the most [part] it's going to be a private plan and people are going to be able to go out and negotiate great plans with lots of different competition with lots of competitors, with great companies — and they can have their doctors, they can have plans, they can have everything.'
"I just love that last line: 'They can have their doctors, they can have plans, they can have everything!'"
The irony of Friedman's comment is that Trump's claim is not far from being true, if the United States were to adopt a more efficient health care system. The United States pays more than twice as much per person for its health care as other wealthy countries, with little obvious benefit in terms of outcomes.
The World Bank put U.S. annual per person spending at $9,150 in the years 2006–2010. By comparison, Canada spends $5,700, Germany spends $5,000, and the United Kingdom spends $3,600. This enormous gap suggests that the United States could cover the uninsured and pay for it by eliminating the waste in its system.Add a comment
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The NYT decided to take on Donald Trump's assertion that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a bad deal for the United States because it doesn't have any provisions on currency manipulation, henceforth referred to as "management." ("Manipulation" implies something that is hidden. Most of the countries who have been candidate "manipulators" have an explicit policy of targeting the exchange rate of their currency against the dollar and buy large amounts of U.S. government bonds to keep the value of their currency down. We don't have to catch them in the middle of the night doing something inappropriate in currency markets. They do in broad daylight where everyone can see it.)
The fact check begins:
"While it is true that the trade deal includes no binding mechanism for dealing with countries that engage in currency manipulation — something that could precipitate sanctions, for example — it does include commitments by signatories to avoid aggressively weakening their currencies to gain market share for their exports."
Actually, the TPP signatories already have similar commitments as members of the I.M.F. It is not clear how the new commitments are qualitatively different and with no enforcement mechanism, it is difficult to believe anyone will take them seriously. We have clear enforcement mechanisms for the rights of investors, obviously they did not feel that vague "commitments" were sufficient. Why should anyone who cares about the trade deficit caused by currency management be obligated to accept a much weaker and likely meaningless provision?
Next we get:
"While many economists agree with Mr. Trump that currency manipulation by our trading partners costs American jobs, they often frown upon the inclusion of strict anticurrency manipulation provisions in the text of trade agreements, arguing that it can be more fruitful to address the problem in bilateral negotiations with the offending country."
Yes, we have been doing bilateral negotiations for decades. We still have a trade deficit of close to 3 percent of GDP (@$500 billion a year). If economists like Paul Krugman, Larry Summers, and Olivier Blanchard are correct, and we face an ongoing problem of secular stagnation, then the trade deficit is creating a major shortfall in demand that can not be easily filled by other components of GDP.
As far as the view of "many economists," economists tend not to take seriously the unemployment and wage declines caused by large trade deficits. It is rarely their friends and families that are affected.
And for the concluding shot:
"Finally, as Senator Rand Paul pointed out, China is not a party to the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. In fact, one of the administration's arguments for passing the agreement is that it would help check China's influence in the region, and its ability to 'write the rules of the global economy.'"
The NYT strikes out big time here. The plan is to expand the TPP to eventually include China. The idea is to have them play by our rules. If there are not rules on currency management at the time China enters the TPP it is very unlikely it will agree to have them added.
Note: link added, thanks Ltr.Add a comment
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Eduardo Porter had a good piece in the NYT today about how India's development needs are likely to lead to a massive increase in its greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades. This is an interesting issue to think about in the context of secular stagnation.
The problem of secular stagnation is that the United States and other wealthy countries are not creating enough demand to fully employ their labor forces. A great way to increase demand in the U.S. economy would be to pay India to develop using clean energy instead of coal. In effect, the U.S. and other wealthy countries would be covering the difference between the cost of using wind and solar energy. This would both curb emissions and also address the problem of secular stagnation by creating more demand.
Yes folks, I know that India may not buy the wind turbines and solar panels from the United States. But, if we put more dollars out into the world economy, it should drive down the value of the dollar, which will make our goods and services more competitive internationally. This will improve our trade deficit. (Of course, that assumes that other countries' central banks may choose to hold these dollars to prop up the dollar against their currency. If the United States were not such a weak country, we might be able to use our influence and power to deter this sort of currency management, but the artificially propping up of the dollar would be a real risk, which would limit the extent to which the U.S. would see additional demand.)Add a comment
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News reports continue to obsess over the idea that China and other countries might run out of people if they don't increase their birth rates. The implication is that countries won't have enough people to do the necessary work to support a larger population of retirees. (It's worth noting that many of these same people worry about robots taking all the jobs. If it's not obvious that these concerns are 180 degrees opposite then think about it until it is.) Anyhow, the NYT had an article that referred to the expected population gains from China ending its one-child policy which gives an idea of the economic importance of this measure.
The piece told readers:
"Mr. Wang [a vice minister of the National Health and Planning Commission] said that the relaxation of rules governing family size would bring more than 30 million new entrants into the labor force by 2050, and that the proportion of older people in China's total population would be reduced by about 2 percentage points."
To get some rough idea of the impact of this increase in the size of the working age population, if the ratio of workers to retirees would have been 2.0 to 1 in the baseline, it would be roughly 2.2 to 1 as a result of the increased birthrate. If a retiree's living standard is equal to 80 percent of a worker's living standard, this would imply an increase in the living standard of workers just over 3 percent by 2050 as a result of higher ratio of workers to retirees. This is equivalent to less than six months of growth at China's current pace.
Furthermore, the actual improvement in living standards as a result of the higher birth rate would be considerably less than 3.0 percent, since there will be more dependent children to support in the higher population growth scenario. In addition, the larger population will place greater demands on the infrastructure and the environment. On net, the more rapid population growth could certainly have a negative impact on living standards in 2050, especially if we consider distribution (a greater supply of labor could mean lower wages). However, even before factoring in the negatives, the potential benefits of a larger ratio of workers to retirees are swamped by the impact of economic growth.Add a comment


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A rainbow of colors! Prints galore!
Clockwise: Patchwork dock skirt ($28) | Confetti dress ($34) | Mod romper ($48) | Rainbow summer skirt ($42)
These items are only available at Nana.
Confetti dress originally found by Leopard Cookie Vintage—it's the dress I bought myself at Fenton Street Market that didn't fit me!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- Report: #948577
Report - Rebuttal - Arbitrate
Complaint Review: Saurabh Suman of Candeo Tech
Saurabh Suman of Candeo TechInternet United States of America
Saurabh Suman of Candeo Tech They're a company in India, so it's next to impossible to sue them. Saurabh Suman promised me everything, delivered nothing, then ran away with my deposit money. Internet
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I told him there must be some mistake because there were numerous items he didn't complete. He very strangely insisted they were done when they obviously weren't. We went back and forth, all the while he kept saying he wanted more money. I told him I wasn't about to throw good money after bad. Finally, I had enough and told him I wanted a refund.
Not only did he not give me a refund, he falsified reports from PayPal saying he DID give me a refund. Then he had the audacity to tell me to give a rating of 10 on Scriptlance!
The guy is not only a crook. He's weird too!
In the end, he delivered me nothing as he kept all the codes on his server. He also kept my deposit of nearly $800 and kept sending me emails to give him more money.
If you want good, honest work, hire someone else, preferably someone nearby you can take to court if they don't do the work they promised. Saurabh Suman is in India. I can't do anything but kiss my money goodbye.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 09/29/2012 08:32 PM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Saurabh-Suman-of-Candeo-Tech/internet/Saurabh-Suman-of-Candeo-Tech-Theyre-a-company-in-India-so-its-next-to-impossible-to-sue-948577. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
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Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and try again.
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and try again.
You will be notified when this product will be in stock
Just by sniffing it once you would feel the real nature of whose glimpse you would get through this aromatic perfume. Silver Shadow of David for men is a masterpiece for true nature lovers. It has great mixtures of rare rich aromatic substances lingering around your skin enhancing the woody and classic notes in you. This perfume contains the notes of bitter orange and the leaves of the thick cedar wood. The middle notes include the cedar wood and saffron while the base notes are the minty patchouli and the crystal clear amber. It chants the rhythm that can awake your sleeping senses to regain the lost vigour and strength. The best florals and orchards in it will hum to enhance your generous looks.
Have you purchased this item?Write A Review
Great fragrance with reasonable price only on snap deal
Its a nice product but it doesn't smell out of the world.Just the smell is little common.
Nice fragrance and quick delivery by snapdeal. Happy.
Perfume is really good overall. Lasting is 5-6hrs. Smells really good. safron gives it awesome smell. Go for it if u like natural perfumes.
pleasant smell and last for about 4 hours( all EDT last for an average around 4 hours). Will buy again.
Classic fragrance, unmatched class and an unbeatable price! Steal a deal from Snapdeal! :P The fragrance is a signature one, very different from your usual ones and hello! Hello! This one draws compliments like bees to flowers! ;)
Smells good. but i wish it lasted longer. only stays for about 2-3 hours on my skin :(
Great smell and Long lasting .Agressive pricing at Snap Deal
As per expectations, this is a genuine product and got delivery on time
I am a great fan of Davidoff perfumes and I think this is the best birthday gift I got this year. My wife found all the deals on Snapdeal attractive and ordered this one for me. I am sure we are going to keep looking out for more attractive deals on Snapdeal especially for our baby that is due in March. We have begun to enjoy this online shopping experience together. Thank you Snapdeal!
snapdeal HIKES prices immediately after a purchase.YOU guys need to review this policy.Customers are aware of this SNAPDEAL TRAIT.price was 1330 when i bought by the time i received it and wanted to order again in 3 days the price was 1430 thats unfair.This will make customers run away.
I personally like the smell of this product and the price tag is decent. Many people recommends not to buy product from online as you never know if the product is going to be genuine as you can not really compare with original one instantly. With that said skepticism I bought this product, I can not say if it is genuine or not but all I can say I liked the smell of it, not out of the world though. Probably you may get perfume that smells similar at a cheaper price, with that said you need to make sure that ingredients are same at-least, you may never know the exact percentage of the that is used in the composition. I guess perfume manufacturers should come up with some sort of mechanism to verify if the product is genuine or not; like some sort of code that you use against manufacture's own website in order to verify and have peace of mind.
Great smell and Long lasting .Agressive pricing at Snap Deal
Nice fragrance and quick delivery by snapdeal. Happy.
As per expectations, this is a genuine product and got delivery on time
This is a cologne


text:
Stockport Music Service
Welcome to Stockport Music ServiceStockport Music Service has been judged as offering 'a very good, high quality music education that provides good value for money'* and believes that musical learning should motivate, enthuse and stimulate progress. The service is a trusted and respected organisation that works in partnership with local schools and parents, and believes that excellent music education should be a universal entitlement for all.
The Stockport Singing Strategy, Wider Opportunities and Instrumental/Ensembles programmes operate as three intertwined strands that are built on the belief that the development of the 'inner ear' is fundamental to on-going progress and enjoyment for all pupils.
*(Music Service Evaluation Partner Report 2011)
Visit our Facebook page for news and information on everything that is happening at Stockport Music Service! www.facebook.com/stockportmusicservice
Stockport Music Service CPD 2015-2016
Stockport Music Service Calendar, Spring Term - September Issue
Stockport Music Service Calendar, Summer Term - September Issue
Please note: Hazel Grove Carnival has been moved from the 10th July to the 16th July.
19th May 2016 - Nursery Rhyme Day, Stockport Town Hall
30th June 2016 - Infants Choirs' Concert, Stockport Town Hall
1, 2 & 3 July 2016 - Festival on the Field, Stockport Music Service
ContactsStockport Music Service,
The Fairway,
Telephone:0161 483 7636
Fax: 0161 483 0024
Head of Service: Craig Eastwood
Manuscript Paper autumn 2015
Manuscript Paper summer 2015
Manuscript Paper spring 2015
Manuscript Paper summer 2014


text:
I am attempting to use the custom CSS feature of tablepress and while I can use it to effect a varity of formating, padding does not seem to take effect. When I look at the resulting code with IE's developer tool, it seems the default wordpress code is not being overriden by the custome code. The truth is, I'm trying to affect the padding in just one column but I can't seem to get it to work regardless of how I simplify it.
The url of the test table is:
And the custom CSS I'm trying is:
.tablepress-id-1 .row-2 td {
background-color: #ff0000;
padding: 0;


text:
- Report: #291051
Report - Rebuttal - Arbitrate
Complaint Review: Collins College
Collins College1140 S. Priest Dr Tempe, Arizona U.S.A.
Collins College Trouble with the Feds Tempe Arizona
*Consumer Suggestion: It's very simple "STAY AWAY FROM THESE DEGREE MILLS"
*Consumer Suggestion: CEC which owns Collins college has a very dark history (read the documents)
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The United States Department of Education conducted a 2003 Program Review of Collins College and found several serious problems with the school's administration of federal financial aid programs including: "many students failed to meet the attendance threshold...[and that the College's] practice of not considering failed courses as part of the [cumulative GPA] at the time that students fail the course...may...be falsely permitting those students to remain eligible for Title IV disbursements"[5] and "Collins College had used "a coordinated subterfuge to under-report the effect" of federal financial aid dollars disbursed in order to show compliance with the so-called 90/10 Rule." [6][7] The issues with Collins College were a major contributing factor to the Department of Education's 2005 decision to prohibit its parent company, Career Education Corporation from expanding,[8] a prohibition that was lifted in 2007.[9]
(from wikipedia)
and also, a shareholders complaint filed with the SEC.
A few excerpts:
Wachovia Plaza
P.O. Box 31046
Sea Island, Georgia 31561
May 10, 2006
Dear Fellow Stockholder,
At Career Education Corporation's Annual Meeting next week on May 18, 2006, you have a critical decision to make. CEC can continue down its current path, which
has led to multiple regulatory investigations, shareholder lawsuits and, of gravest concern, the looming potential loss of the accreditation of American InterContinental University (AIU) by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) - or you can take the first step towards restoring the company on
a path to greater profitability and value for stockholders."
"There is a complete disconnect between management's rhetoric and what is actually occurring on a day-to-day basis at CEC's institutions. Jack Larson has trumpeted 2006 as "the year of the graduate," and he claims that CEC makes "student success" a top priority. For some time, we have been asking management for information on graduation and drop-out rates, but they have refused to give it to us or the investment community. But just recently we received a copy of an internal CEC drop report, which is part of the pleadings in a pending class action suit, and that report states that 96,388 students dropped out of CEC programs in the first quarter of a recent reporting period- a number approaching CEC's total student population!"
"To make the numbers, students have been enrolled several weeks after classes began. Other students wanting to take only one or two isolated courses have been pressured into signing up for full programs, in order to generate higher full-time student metrics. Admissions representatives have been asked to sign up
themselves, family members and friends, just long enough to be included in enrollment figures. Dropped students have been induced to re-enroll with the promise of bogus scholarships, forgiveness of institutional loans and token gifts. Along with this push for high numbers has come widespread late and inaccurate reporting of true enrollment status to the federal National Student
Loan Database System, a finding made by a 2003 U.S. Department of Education (DOE) review of CEC's COLLINS COLLEGE IN TEMPE, Arizona, internal CEC audits of
other CEC colleges, and annual compliance audits. "
"Along with misrepresentations to CEC students, the
DOE has accused CEC of misrepresenting information to it about federal financial aid awarded to CEC students, including a 2003 program review finding that Collins College had used "a coordinated subterfuge to under-report the effect" of federal financial aid dollars disbursed in order to show compliance with the
so-called 90/10 Rule and also a 2006 program review finding that CEC's Pennsylvania Culinary Institute had improperly retained $469,000 of federal aid for students who had failed to actually attend classes, withdrawn or gone on leaves of absence."
They are still in business, so many issues seemed to have been changed.
I ask you to consider, would this type of behavior ever change unless they were threatened? If they did this in the past, what might they do to you tomorrow?
Cruz Cntrl
tempe, Arizona
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 12/12/2007 04:11 PM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Collins-College/Tempe-Arizona/Collins-College-Trouble-with-the-Feds-Tempe-Arizona-291051. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report.
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#1 Consumer Suggestion
It's very simple "STAY AWAY FROM THESE DEGREE MILLS"
AUTHOR: Lauren - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, February 06, 2008POSTED: Wednesday, February 06, 2008
AIU/IADT/Collins/Briarcliff/ etc
CEC Network:
CEC which recently bought these institutions has large active investigations, numerous class actions lawsuits from investment companies, share holders, faculty, and it's own students. This is why they're selling and closing campuses as well as why their schools have been on probation.
Selling information:
This is why people are removing themselves: Pg 4 & pg 5
These groups help explain CEC:
---- CEC should tell you this information ---
Are you an owner, employee or ex-employee with either negative or positive information about the company or individual, or can you provide "insider information" on this company?
#2 Consumer Suggestion
CEC which owns Collins college has a very dark history (read the documents)
AUTHOR: Chuck Heinsberg - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, December 25, 2007POSTED: Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Never attend a CEC school. CEC has a very dark history. Seeing CEC officials here on ripoffreport.com won't be a few and far between occurance. It's actually a standard deceiving practice this corporation has been using for many years.
CEC representatives get asked too write rebutals or they think a promotion is right around the corner.
Investigate this company before every speaking with a representative.
There is a group online that helps get the word out without CEC representatives drowning students with rebutals which are unfounded and are actually the opposite of what students report.
The Numbers Can't Lie.
CEC Truth Advocate:
Are you an owner, employee or ex-employee with either negative or positive information about the company or individual, or can you provide "insider information" on this company?
Advertisers above have met our
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text:
Living with the Paradox of Masāfāt
30 Aug
A Syrian-Egyptian artist reveals the the realities of underground culture in contemporary Egypt.
Your support is essential in encouraging emerging art and artists.
Become a Member from as little as £10 concessions or £30 full membership.
Join as a Patron and directly support our programme.
Sign up to receive our regular newsletters.
Watch this short video about the ICA.
A programme of screenings and events featuring new and rarely seen works by emerging and established artists.More info


text:
Sculpture Exhibit Continues an Artist's Look at China
For a young Jiang Shuo, China's Red Guard offered a chance to raise her station in life, but she's found far greater success depicting those soldiers in her sculpture.
The bronze figures, an exhibition of which opened Thursday at Hong Kong's Plum Blossoms Gallery, are intentionally both political and tongue-in-cheek. "The theme was so heavy that I felt it was important to balance the work with humor," she says. "To me, it was unbelievable that the people who were with me in the Red Guard are today's businessmen of China, chasing capitalism."
Ms. Jiang, 53 years old, painted propaganda posters as a member of the Red Guard in her youth, an attempt (which she now calls "naïve") at restoring her own social standing after the Cultural Revolution ended her parents teaching careers.
Her new "Red Cat" series continues her commentary on capitalism, with figures clutching McDonald's fries, iPhones and digital cameras. One piece, "Red Cat 2," shows a pigtailed figure with its hands stuffed into pockets embossed with U.S. dollar and Euro symbols, while a cat stretches languidly by its side.
Ms. Jiang in 1978 joined the sculpture program at the newly reopened Central Academy of Arts and Design in Beijing, and in 1985 became the first woman in the school's history to earn a masters of fine art. She later became the youngest teacher in the program.
It was also there that she met her husband, fellow artist Wu Shaoxiang, through their professor, sculptor Zheng Ke. "He played matchmaker between us," she says. "It was the sweetest time in my life."
She and Mr. Wu left China after the Tiananmen Square protests, eventually finding refuge in Austria, where they stayed until they returned to Beijing to open a studio in 2006. Today Ms. Jiang splits her time between their studio in Klagenfurt, Austria, and their 6,500-square-foot Beijing space.
It's no accident that her Red Guard figures resemble Chairman Mao in stature, but with their generic eyeless faces she hopes they also remind viewers of how many Chinese blindly followed his lead. "People were political tools, like pieces on a chess board," she says
Jiang Shuo's exhibit opens today at Plum Blossom Gallery and is on view until Dec. 7. Plum Blossom: 1 Hollywood Rd., Central, Hong Kong. Tel +852-2521-2189.
Like Scene Asia on Facebook for the latest updates.
More In Art
- Christie's Hong Kong Spring Auction Results Lackluster
- From Fakes to Fine Art: Taobao Leaps Into the Auction Scene
- Counting the Hours in Tehching Hsieh's 'Time Clock Piece'
- Eva Armisén: Paint Like a Child
- Carsten Nicolai's 'Alpha Pulse' Kicks Off Art Basel Hong Kong
- Christie's Record Auction Boosted by Asian Buyers


text:
Latest Posts
The Nightwatchman Speaks #52
Tom Morello To Join Wrecking Ball Tour In Australia
Since Stevie Van Zandt's filming commitments to his highly successful television show Lilyhammer will keep him off stage for the upcoming Australian tour dates, Bruce Springsteen has invited Tom Morello to sit in temporarily on guitar. Following the Australian dates, Van Zandt will return to the tour in Oslo, Norway on April 29, 2013.
Read more on brucespringsteen.net.
The Nightwatchman Speaks #51
Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder and Rage Against the Machine / Nightwatchman guitarist Tom Morello are both scheduled to perform at the 2013 MusiCares benefit gala. The show will be held on Feb. 8 in Los Angeles to honor Bruce Springsteen, who has been named the 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year.
The event is held during Grammy Week, and along with Eddie Vedder and Tom Morello, the show will feature Elton John, Patti Smith, Neil Young and many more. The 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute show will be hosted by Comedy Central television personality Jon Stewart.
In its 23rd year, the MusiCares Person of the Year gala has celebrated musical icons such as Paul McCartney, Bono and Paul Simon, among others, in the past.
According to the official Grammy's website, "The 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year gala, which will celebrate Springsteen's exceptional artistic achievements and philanthropic work, will begin with a cocktail reception and silent auction … that will offer an exclusive and unparalleled selection of luxury items, VIP experiences and one-of-a-kind celebrity memorabilia for bidding guests."
The MusiCares event will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center two days before the 55th annual Grammy Awards, which features Anthrax, Halestorm, Iron Maiden, Lamb of God, Marilyn Manson and Megadeth as nominees in the Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance category.
Read the full article at Loudwire.
Nerdist Podcast
Tom Morello invites Chris and Jonah into his home studio to talk about how he became the guitarist of Rage Against The Machine, baby music classes, and just how nerdy Tom really is!
Click here to listen to the podcast.
The Nightwatchman Speaks #50
The Nightwatchman Speaks #49
The Nightwatchman Speaks #48
Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine Talks "XX", Recording with Maynard James Keenan of Tool, Early Shows, The Nightwatchman, and More
When Rage Against The Machine dropped their self-titled debut, rock music and hip hop changed forever.
The shockwaves that the album sent through the '90s music scene still reverberate. You can feel the intensity of Rage's impact in countless bands to follow, but it's never been matched. That impact also yielded one of the most fervent fan bases in history. They've stuck with the group since day one, and their enthusiasm has never dwindled. Now, 20 years since the album hit, Rage Against The Machine have unveiled the Rage Against The Machine – XX (20th Anniversary Edition Deluxe Box Set as a "thank you".
This box set includes the original album re-mastered with bonus tracks from the era, another CD including the band's original demo tape which was sold at early shows along with other demos, a DVD with their free concert at Finsbury Park in 2010, music videos, and another DVD with the band's first live set and other performances. Plus, there's an incredible booklet.
In this exclusive interview with ARTISTdirect.com editor in chief Rick Florino, Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine talks XX, recording with Tool's Maynard James Keenan, early shows, what's next for The Nightwatchman, and more.
Read the full article at Artist Direct.


text:
- Report: #1025338
Report - Rebuttal - Arbitrate
Complaint Review: salesforce.com
salesforce.comThe Landmark @ One Market Suite 300 Internet United States of America
salesforce.com Salesforce Makes False Promises, Underdelivers, Pushes Uprades and Keeps Your Money Internet
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After a week or so of diligently watching videos, reading help menus, attempting my best Tagalog in an attempt to make it work, I was done. What I had been sold wouldn't work. My AE's answer? Just upgrade! Not after that bad experience. I'm too wary of salesforce now. Pity, they have such good marketing presence online. The ad campaign is good. But scratch under the surface and there are serious support and integrity issues.
I was baited and switched, I want a refund. Too late to find out, they don't refund. I was told that I clicked and agreed. "You bought it." is their policy.
I am wrestling with a credit card dispute as we speak. I suggest if you are considering salesforce, that you seriously, and I mean SERIOUSLY investigate every other option. This company is your basic nightmare.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 03/07/2013 08:19 PM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/salesforcecom/internet/salesforcecom-Salesforce-Makes-False-Promises-Underdelivers-Pushes-Uprades-and-Keeps-Y-1025338. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
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text:
Pupils at Hampshire Collegiate School near Romsey have achieved the school's best ever A-level results.
Thirty-four per cent of A-level entries were awarded grades A* or A – a rise of 10 percentage points on last year.
Similarly, the proportion of A-levels receiving A* to C grades climbed 15 per cent to 87 per ent.
Seventeen per cent of all entries gained an A grade.
Principal, Emma-Kate Henry, said: "Our pupils are celebrating some excellent individual results today which are part of the best overall results the school has had for many years. As a result of their success, our pupils will be going on to study for degrees in subjects including medicine, English, philosophy and politics, and geography at the universities of their choice, including Cambridge, York, Leeds and Southampton."
Notable individuals included Megha Bhandari who gained four A* grades which secured a place at Cambridge University to study medicine, and Emily Bradshaw and Jessica Evans, who were each awarded two A*s and an A, and Naomi James who gained four A grades All A-level drama students achieved A*s and As, whilst 67 per cent of art entries were also awarded one of the top two grades.


text:
- Report: #164309
Report - Rebuttal - Arbitrate
Complaint Review: Monro Muffler Brake & Service
Monro Muffler Brake & Service272 McCellandtown RD Uniontown, Pennsylvania U.S.A.
Monro Muffler Brake & Service Installed Faulty Over -Priced Wheel Brearing Would not Replace Uniontown Pennsylvania
*Author of original report: Monro is Impossible!! Letter to Attorney General's Office
*Consumer Comment: Keep calling Corporate
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A year later I decide to have my car inspected at the independent shop. They failed my car's inspection due to a bad left front wheel bearing. The same part again!!!. They said they did not make a mistake and showed me the motion in the wheel and compared it to the bearing on the other side, A bearing twice as old with twice as many miles!) This is no mistake. The same motion as last year.
I went back to the same Monro. They have another manager there now. I brought all receipts from both shops indicating the other shop showed me last year the wheel bearing was bad and I returned it and you insisted it was good and gave me a brake estimate. They would not replace the bearing and tried to convince me it was good even though they had to admit this time it was not as good as the other one. (Since the other shop showed me how to prove it) I told them it won't pass inspection at other shops and I paid top dollar for this part. When you pay 3 times the auto store price you expect a quality part and Monro should provide a quality warranty at the price they charged. They would not provide me with a new part and stated the warranty was over. I did bring it back twice within the stated warranty period and provided them a copy of all reciepts proving my visit last year. They would not replace this part in or out of warranty.
The manager stated he got in touch with the district marketing manager and he did not replace my part either. I called Monro's 800 number and was on hold for customer service 1-800-876-6676 x500 for over an hour before just leaving a message for a call back.
I received no call back as of yet. This is a rip off. If you charge this much for a part, you have to stand behind it.
Given this situation, Monro's pricing, environmnetal fee's, the sales pressure, deceptive "Lifetime" warranties, the way they defend their defective parts and put down the findings of other shops to avoid warranty replacements, I can't recommend them at all.
I have been their customer and I have tolerated alot but with this situation I say " No more". I will comment on this if Monro does correct this situation.
Connellsville, Pennsylvania
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 11/12/2005 01:04 AM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Monro-Muffler-Brake-Service/Uniontown-Pennsylvania-15401/Monro-Muffler-Brake-Service-Installed-Faulty-Over-Priced-Wheel-Brearing-Would-not-Repla-164309. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
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#1 Author of original report
Monro is Impossible!! Letter to Attorney General's Office
AUTHOR: John - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, February 23, 2006POSTED: Thursday, February 23, 2006
6th Floor, Manor Building
564 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh Pa 15219
Dear Ms. Sarsfield
This letter is in response to the reply from Terry Haschmann of Monro Muffler Break and Service concerning my complaint #C-006805-2005.
I have enclosed a copy of a receipt dated 8/25/04 from a local shop Max Muffler & Brake. This receipt clearly states the left front wheel bearing is loose and a replacement is recommended. It is important to note that the Monro 1 year, 12,000-mile warranty was not expired at this time. This was a new bearing! I presented the receipt to Kevin Bounds. He was the manager at Monro Uniontown on 8/28/04. He is the manager the wheel bearing was originally installed under. Kevin Bounds discredited this finding and insisted nothing was wrong with the bearing. That is when he handed me the brake estimate. It is true that the brake rotors and pads were wearing out, but that was not the purpose of my visit 8/28/2004. As you can see, I did not have the work done at that time. Mr. Haschmann states the estimate on 8/28/04 says nothing about the wheel bearing. Why would it? Mr. Bounds refused do anything to the wheel bearing. The estimate proves I was at Monro Uniontown on 8/28/04. Why would I have a receipt 8/25/04 stating a loose wheel bearing and not present it to Monro on 8/28/04 as implied by Mr. Haschmann? I knew the part was under Monro's warranty. The more likely explanation is Monro will say anything to avoid full warranty obligations.
I have also enclosed a copy of an invoice from Max Muffler & Brake 11/8/05 once again indicating a faulty wheel bearing. They also state to compare the left to the right wheel bearing. The right bearing has over 80,000 miles and is rock solid. The left had about 40,000 miles and loose. What I cannot get Monro to understand is I am not asking them to replace a 2-year-old 40,000-mile wheel bearing. I am asking them to replace and 9 month 10,000 mile wheel bearing that should have been replaced under warranty 8/28/04 when I asked. (Actually I first tried to get Kevin Bounds to replace it on January 2nd 2004 when it was 1 month old and had less than 400 miles! This was due to the helicopter like clicking noise it was making. Once again Kevin insisted there was no problem)
Mr. Haschman stated they offered me a 50% discount on a new bearing. If you have done business with Monro as long as I, you would understand that this is an insult. They are actually trying to profit from their own mistake! Monro's invoicing has always been quite unclear. It is deliberatly designed so you can actually debate how much you really paid and for what. This is especially true when you have multiple services performed on the same invoice. It is full of over-priced line items combined with discounts and environmental/shop fees everywhere. This is so prices can be adjusted when they have a lifetime parts pay for labor warranty or when they offer coupons. I ask 50% off from what? The actual price or the over inflated pre-discount price, then remember to add the variable environmental fee?
As I have stated multiple times this is not fair because I followed Monro's policy and returned the part to them twice within the warranty period. One visit included documentation from an independent shop indicating the problem. My mistake was to put my trust in Monro in the first place. It is a hard truth to learn that Monro would actually fight a long time customer on this matter. They should correct their own mistake. It shows the company has no integrity, interest in keeping their customers or care about the safety of their customers. It goes against their doctrine. Only what you need done right the first time guaranteed. They really need to re-evaluate this claim.
Thank you
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#2 Consumer Comment
Keep calling Corporate
AUTHOR: Robert - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, November 12, 2005POSTED: Saturday, November 12, 2005
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Spa Business: Skin and the Hormonal Connection
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With all the focus on estrogen and progesterone, it's easy to forget that women also have testosterone, and it can play a role here too. Imbalances in hormone ratios can result in relatively elevated testosterone, kicking off a stimulation of sebaceous gland activity that leads to acne. How often have you heard your 40-something female clients wailing, "I'm middle-aged and breaking out for the first time since my teens! I have both wrinkles and pimples. How is that fair?" Well, fairness has nothing to do with it, but testosterone does. Even more upsetting is the co-existence of excess oiliness and skin dryness, often a new experience for the client.


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Brett Basham and Logan Power both had four hits and Mississippi had 21 total in a 15-6 win over Mississippi State on Friday in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
Rebels starter Lance Lynn struck out seven and walked one over six scoreless innings to remain undefeated and pick up his fourth win.
Ole Miss (12-4, 1-0 SEC) built a 10-9 lead after three innings and chased Mississippi State (7-8, 0-1) starter Forrest Moore (1-2) after he allowed eight runs on six hits and three walks.
Power was 4-for-5 with a home run and three runs batted in. Basham went 4-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
The teams play again Saturday and Sunday.


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Ariz. Rep. Salmon to lead group on migrant children crisis
PHOENIX — Arizona Rep. Matt Salmon will head a group meant to assist Congress on how to enhance security and respond other needs at the United States border.
Salmon visited the detention facility in Nogales and was moved by the current situation of the migrant children. He hopes to be able to reunite each child with their family.
In a press release Salmon said,
"It is my hope that by working with these other dedicated Members of Congress, we will be able to help identify solutions that will return these children to their families and countries of origin, secure our border, and engage the region in fostering better economic and security conditions in Central America."
The group will also include representatives from Texas, Florida, Virginia and New Mexico.
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The Gunners headed back into first place with a 1-0 victory at Newcastle, secured by Olivier Giroud's lone strike.
However, while Wenger is intent on remaining there, he admits it is too early to start thinking about the big prize.
He said: "Look, we believe in ourselves and we are determined to give our best, absolutely, and to turn back on the season at the end and think we have given our best.
"I hope it will be enough, of course, but it's a long way to go. It's too early to say that."
Arsenal had to scrap their way back above Manchester City in the table by winning a hard-fought encounter at St James' Park.
The Magpies went into the game having won seven of their last nine league games, and they threatened to take the lead in first-half injury time when first Moussa Sissoko forced a good save from Wojciech Szczesny before Mathieu Debuchy headed against the crossbar.
But Giroud proved to be the match-winner with a glancing 65th-minute header from Theo Walcott's free-kick after he briefly lost marker Mike Williamson.
The Frenchman passed up a glorious opportunity to seal the victory four minutes later and his side might have been made to paid when Szczesny blasted an 82nd-minute clearance straight at Loic Remy, but saw the ball run just wide.
However, Wenger was delighted with the resilience shown by his side, a trait he believes they have strengthened during the last calendar year.
He said: "We have come out of very difficult games - we have played Everton, we have played Manchester City, Chelsea, at West Ham and Newcastle.
"We have dropped some points, but I felt it was more down to the heavy schedule and the short recovery time we have had than to the difficulty of the games.
"But we have to show it on the pitch, and that's what we try to do."
- Sports & Recreation
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Definition of Cape Province in English:
Cape Province
A former province of South Africa, containing the Cape of Good Hope. The area became a British colony in 1814; it was known as Cape Colony from then until 1910, when it joined the Union of South Africa. In 1994 it was divided into the provinces of Northern Cape, Western Cape, and Eastern Cape.
For editors and proofreaders
Syllabification: Cape Prov·ince
Definition of Cape Province in:
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July 14, 2011
Left Alone have anounced a series of summer tour dates! Check them all out below.
14th Slidebar Fullerton CA
15th The Yard, San Diego CA
16th Thee Parkside San Fran CA
17th The Alley , Reno NV
19th The Gathering Place, Springfield OR
20 TBA Salem OR
21 Red Room, Portland OR
22 Nemisis House, Tacoma WA
23 The Charleston, Bremerton WA
24 The Crypt, Portland OR
25 Liquid Lounge, Boise ID
26th American Legion, Sheridan WY
27th The Garage, Kearney NE
28th Lion's Liar Denver, CO
29th The Juggernaut,Gallup, NM
30th The Orpheum Theatre, Flagstaff AZ
4th Key Club Hollywood
May 24, 2016
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1ALHB00003-1992-96 Chevy Van G-Series Headlight Bezel Driver Side
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1992-96 Chevy Van G-Series Headlight Bezel Driver Side - 1ALHB000031ALHB00003
Part Details
- Side Location: Driver Side
This part replaces:
- Partslink GM2512187
- Hollander 630-00960L
- New
This replacement headlight bezel / trim is just what you need to get your vehicle in good looking form again!
- LH (Driver Side)
- Mounts around the headlight
- correct for models with dual sealed beam headlights
- Chrome plated
- Replaces dealer part number: 15685965
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This headlight bezel / trim makes a great replacement and offers good cost savings over the dealer unit.
It is necessary to reuse your original hardware, as new hardware is not included with this item.
Lifetime Warranty
This item is backed by a Limited Lifetime Warranty. In the event this item should fail due to manufacturing defects during intended use, we will exchange the part free of charge (excludes shipping charges) for the original purchaser. Please keep your invoice for proof of this warranty.
Vehicle Fit
- 1992-1996 Chevy Van G-Series 1500 Headlight Bezel Chrome Driver Side
- 1992-1996 Chevy Van G-Series 3500 Headlight Bezel Chrome Driver Side
- 1992-1996 Chevy Van G-Series 2500 Headlight Bezel Chrome Driver Side
Part #: 1ALHB00003
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"Thanks for the fast reliable service. Great price, and the headlights were as good as oem or better!!! Keep up the good work..."- Dwuan M.
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Monastery Life.
Category: People
Photo and caption by Vincent Mathieu
Sisters and Brothers of the fraternity of Jerusalem Praying laudes early Morning inside the abbaye church of the Mont Saint Michel. Image taken in accordance with the fraternity from the trifidium.
Location: Chorus of the abbey church of the Mont Saint-Michel. Normandy, France.
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By Yannis Anastasopoulos
By Jonathan Lee
By Eric Lew


text:
- Report: #281703
Report - Rebuttal - Arbitrate
Complaint Review: Aspire Visa
Aspire Visawww.aspirevisa.com Atlanta, Georgia U.S.A.
Aspire Visa Fraudulent Charges Atlanta Georgia
*Consumer Suggestion: Aspire stinks
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When i first received the card over 2 1/2 years ago, i had a $300.00 limit.
I was able to buy fuel for my vechicle on 3 occasions using approx. $30.00 per fill up. I sent in monthly payments of $35.00 per month which is what the minium payment was. Shortly thereafter, when i tried to use the card, the magnetic stripe on the back would not scan on any charge machines. I requested a new card for replacement and my limit went up to $1000.00.
I tried using the new card and found out that the card had a freeze on it because it was over the limit and has remained there for the remaining 2 years. Every time i try and call to find out how it was over the limit, they replied that it was because i was using my card to much and not paying monthly to bring the balance down. The late fees and over limit fees were more than i was paying.
I send the payment via bill pay through my bank and is sent at least 2 weeks before the due date.
When i ask about this, i am informed that they can not tell me what is happening, but i need to make my monthly payments on time and not to go over my limit or these charges will continue to be added.
I made an $80.00 payment on 10-19-07 and was current at this point and by 10-26 i was over the limit by over $300.00.
I called and ask why it went over the limit and they have a freeze on the account. I was told that the finance charge and over the limit fee made it exceed the credit limit.
They have poor customer support and you can not even understand them.
They can not answer any questions you have and they tell you you need to call another number to get payment arrangements.
They rip people off and charge frauduelent charges on your account.
Prairieville, Louisiana
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 10/29/2007 04:37 PM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Aspire-Visa/Atlanta-Georgia-30348/Aspire-Visa-Fraudulent-Charges-Atlanta-Georgia-281703. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
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#1 Consumer Suggestion
Aspire stinks
AUTHOR: Tim - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, November 01, 2007POSTED: Thursday, November 01, 2007
It sounds like they're really running you through the ringer. I'm not sure what your recourse would be, or if you even have any. I would advise seeking an attorney, but I understand that doing so may be too expensive for you.
My personal advice would be to send them a letter asking them to cancel out the account, stop adding fees and what not, and let you pay the existing balance as soon as possible. If I were you, I would tell them that you are considering filing Chapter 7, and that you may be able to avoid doing so if they can settle with you for a fair amount.
Best of luck!
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Be Faithful to the End!
on November 13, 2014 at 4:42 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized
A careful reading through the life of the Apostle Paul will yield insight concerning those who surrounded him. In this brief devotion, I want to focus on two of Paul's friends — Luke and Demas.
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Open AccessThis article is
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Entropy 2011, 13(7), 1403-1424; doi:10.3390/e13071403
Joint Markov Blankets in Feature Sets Extracted from Wavelet Packet Decompositions
Laboratorium voor Neuro- en Psychofysiologie, Computational Neuroscience Research Group, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, O&N II Herestraat 49 - bus 1021, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 1 June 2011 / Revised: 12 July 2011 / Accepted: 18 July 2011 / Published: 22 July 2011
View Full-Text | Download PDF [236 KB, uploaded 24 February 2015] |
AbstractSince two decades, wavelet packet decompositions have been shown effective as a generic approach to feature extraction from time series and images for the prediction of a target variable. Redundancies exist between the wavelet coefficients and between the energy features that are derived from the wavelet coefficients. We assess these redundancies in wavelet packet decompositions by means of the Markov blanket filtering theory. We introduce the concept of joint Markov blankets. It is shown that joint Markov blankets are a natural extension of Markov blankets, which are defined for single features, to a set of features. We show that these joint Markov blankets exist in feature sets consisting of the wavelet coefficients. Furthermore, we prove that wavelet energy features from the highest frequency resolution level form a joint Markov blanket for all other wavelet energy features. The joint Markov blanket theory indicates that one can expect an increase of classification accuracy with the increase of the frequency resolution level of the energy features.
Keywords: feature subset selection; joint Markov blanket; Markov blanket; mutual information; wavelet packet decomposition
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0).
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MDPI and ACS Style
Van Dijck, G.; Van Hulle, M.M. Joint Markov Blankets in Feature Sets Extracted from Wavelet Packet Decompositions. Entropy 2011, 13, 1403-1424.View more citation formats
AMA Style
Van Dijck G, Van Hulle MM. Joint Markov Blankets in Feature Sets Extracted from Wavelet Packet Decompositions. Entropy. 2011; 13(7):1403-1424.Chicago/Turabian Style
Van Dijck, Gert; Van Hulle, Marc M. 2011. "Joint Markov Blankets in Feature Sets Extracted from Wavelet Packet Decompositions." Entropy 13, no. 7: 1403-1424.
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Book your room at Holiday Inn Leeds Bradford
Get an overview of this hotel4-star hotel with restaurant and fitness center
Situated in a rural location, this hotel is within 6 mi (10 km) of Grosvenor Casino Bradford, Kirkstall Abbey, and Richard Dunn Sports Centre. Alhambra Theatre and St George's Hall are also within 6 mi (10 km).
Hotel Features
Along with a restaurant, this hotel has a fitness center and a bar/lounge. Self parking is free. Additionally, WiFi in public areas, 24-hour room service, and a business center are onsite.
Room Amenities
All 53 rooms offer WiFi, wired Internet, and 24-hour room service. TVs, coffee makers, and free newspapers are among the other amenities available to guests.Would you like to give us feedback? Share it! Opens in a new window
Holiday Inn Leeds BradfordTong Lane The Pastures Bradford England BD4 0RP
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
The hotel offers a restaurant. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. Business-related amenities at this 4-star property consist of a business center and a meeting room.
Public areas are equipped with high-speed wired and wireless Internet access (surcharge). Event facilities measure 226 square feet (21 square meters). This business-friendly hotel also offers a fitness center, barbecue grills, and a garden. Complimentary self parking is available on site.
- Restaurant
- Bar/lounge
- Total number of rooms - 53
- Number of floors - 3
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Fitness facilities
- Front desk (limited hours)
- WiFi (surcharge)
- Wired (high-speed) Internet access - surcharge
- Business center
- Express check-in
- Luggage storage
- Barbecue grill(s)
- Elevator/lift
- Laundry facilities
- Garden
- One meeting room
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Free self parking
- Conference space size (feet) - 226
- Conference space size (meters) - 21
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
Family Friendly Amenities
- Family Hotel
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Laundry facilities
- Cribs/infant beds (complimentary)
Available in all rooms: Wireless internet access (GBP 12.95 per 24 hours surcharge), Wired internet access (GBP 12.95 per 24 hours surcharge)
Available in some public areas: Wireless internet access (GBP 12.95 per 24 hours surcharge), Wired high-speed internet (GBP 12.95 per 24 hours surcharge)
Free self parking
Room Amenities
- Pay movies
- Phone
- Coffee/tea maker
- Daily housekeeping
- Private bathroom
- Hair dryer
- Iron/ironing board
- Television
- Desk
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- WiFi (surcharge)
- Wired high-speed Internet access (surcharge)
- Dial-up Internet access (surcharge)
- In-room safe
- Free newspaper
- Room service (24 hours)
- Free cribs/infant beds
Where to Eat
Buffet breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning between 6:30 AM and 9:30 AM.
Holiday Inn Leeds Bradford has a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
24-hour room service is available.
Nearby Things to Do
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Golfing nearby
- Hiking/biking trails nearby
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 2 PM
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
- Pets not allowed (service dogs only)
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
Only service animals are allowed
Optional extras
- Fee for buffet breakfast: GBP 8.95 per person (approximately)
- Fee for in-room wireless Internet: GBP 12.95 (for 24 hours, rates may vary)
- Fee for in-room high-speed Internet (wired): GBP 12.95 (for 24 hours, rates may vary)
- Fee for wireless Internet in public areas: GBP 12.95 (for 24 hours, rates may vary)
- Fee for high-speed Internet (wired) in public areas: GBP 12.95 (for 24 hours, rates may vary)
Hotel Name
- Bradford Holiday Inn
- Holiday Inn Leeds Bradford Hotel
- Holiday Inn Bradford Leeds
- Holiday Inn Leeds Bradford
- Holiday Inn Bradford
- Holiday Inn Leeds Hotel Bradford
- Leeds Bradford Holiday Inn
- Holiday Inn Leeds Bradford Hotel Bradford
Kids Stay Free Promotion
Book a stay in any room or rate category for travel anytime and receive the following:
- Accommodations as selected
- Up to two children under 18 years old stay free when sharing a room with 2 adults (based on availability)
- Free breakfast, lunch, and dinner for children under 13 when an adult orders from the table d'hôte/à la carte menu


text:
Entertainment Photos
Photos: Good beer and good tacos for TacoCon at Four Corners Brewing Company
Photo: Alexandra Olivia/Special Contributor
Beef tacos from SshamBBQ were served on corn tortillas with lime juice at Four Corners Brewing Company for TacoCon.
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