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It is a well known fact that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is the largest contract semiconductor manufacturer in the world. But it appears that the company has more advantages: apparently, clients seeking to make chips using the most advanced fabrication processes turn to TSMC, not its arch-rival United Microelectronics Corp.
Taiwan Economic News reports that TSMC projects that 2% of its revenue will come from its 45nm and 40nm processes by mid-2009, UMC will only start pilot production at that time. Back in Q4 2008 about 27% of TSMC's earnings came from 65nm generation process technologies, meanwhile, UMC's 65nm revenues accounted for just 8%. While 23% of Chartered Semiconductor's shipments were also made using 65nm fabrication process, its revenues are about six times lower compared to TSMC, hence, the actual volume of 65nm products made by Chartered is also low.
The numbers prove that customers seeking to make highly-complex chips using advanced process technologies are mainly working with TSMC, not Chartered, IBM or UMC. This may be primarily explained by the fact that TSMC has larger manufacturing capacities and can ultimately produce higher volume of leading-edge processors.
It will be interesting to see how the creation of The Foundry Company by Advanced Micro Devices and Advanced Technology Investment Company will impact preferences of fabless chip designers. AMD itself said that at some point in future ATI, graphics products group of AMD, may start using TFC's capacities for making graphics chips using 32nm bulk process technology. There are no signs of interest from other players.
Industry watchers estimated although the silicon-foundry industry will likely plunge 35% worldwide in 2009, the four foundry suppliers-TSMC, UMC, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co. (SMIC) would still focus research and development efforts on leading-edge processes this year.
According to the report, TSMC plans to put its low-power 32nm process into volume production by the end of this year.
Tags: TSMC, UMC, Chartered, IBM, TFC, Semiconductors


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1-2 of 2

subset: commoncrawl


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text: Make an extraordinary statement at any affair with our gourmet French blinis. These small pancakes are similar to a crepe and are as luxurious as our caviar. One billinis spread with our caviar and you will see. Add some crème fraiche for a traditional delight. 1 fresh pack of 36 pieces for $14.99


text:
U.S. Embassy Kabul, in partnership with the Asia Consultancy Group, has launched a vital $4 million communications infrastructure project for Afghanistan. The U.S. Embassy, through its Public Affairs Section, is supporting the construction of communications towers throughout Bamyan and Ghor provinces. The project will complete a mid-nation microwave connection between Kabul and Herat. These towers are designed to host not only cellular telephone equipment but also other media, including radio and television antennas.
Afghanistan's award winning cellular network and communications market is internationally recognized. The Asia Consultancy Group tower network will further enhance Afghanistan's transition to becoming a regional leader in telecommunications and media.
"The United States is committed to helping to bring communications technology to Afghans, and to working with our Afghan partners to improve Afghanistan's communications infrastructure. With better access to cell phones and media, citizens are more informed and better connected to their communities," said Charge d' Affaires E Anthony Wayne.
The network will provide increased cellular telephone coverage throughout Bamyan and Ghor as well as enhance Afghanistan's cellular network by providing improved connectivity with neighboring countries and the world. The towers will also promote economic development at the local and provincial level. Small business owners and their customers throughout Bamyan and Ghor will be able to more easily conduct business. Families and friends will be better able to communicate not just in these provinces but throughout all of Afghanistan.
In addition to support for communications infrastructure development in Bamyan and Ghor provinces, the embassy will continue to support tower construction throughout Afghanistan. Tower projects are currently planned for Helmand and Kandahar provinces, and additional projects are under consideration.
June in Washington writes:
This is a side note. It looks like the Obama administration has not looked at the option of having the UN be the face or take up responisibility for Gitmo. This would allow the administration to possibly save face on the Gitmo issue (trying detainees and closing Gitmo).
Charles writes:
The Obama Adminsitration should definetely look into the matter discussed in the preceding message.
Rohini writes:
It was really wonderful blog!


text:
New arrivals in General: June 2013
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Annual report / Lilly Endowment
[Indianapolis, IN : The Endowment, 1989-
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Encyclopedia of associations. Regional, state, and local organizations. Volume 4, South Central and Great Plains states
Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., c1990-
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text:
International Trade Committee on May 29th, 2012
Evidence of meeting #39 for International Trade in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was beef.
A recording is available from Parliament.
On the agenda
MPs speaking
Also speaking
- Allen F. Roach Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning, Government of Prince Edward Island
- Brad Wildeman Chairman, Canada Beef Inc.
- Yves Tiberghien Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of British Columbia, As an Individual
May 29th, 2012 / 11:40 a.m.
The Chair Rob Merrifield
I'd like to bring this meeting to order.
We'd like to thank the witnesses for coming forward today. We have enough members at their seats and a witness at the end of the table. We have one witness who will be joining us, Mr. Tiberghien from British Columbia. He will be presenting likely right after the presenters who are here at the table.
We'll start with the presenters at the table. We have the Honourable Allen Roach from Prince Edward Island. Thank you very much for being here. He is the Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning. You have with you Mr. Kal Whitnell. Thank you for being here.
We also have Brad Wildeman from the Canadian Beef Industry.
We'll start with you, Mr. Roach. The floor is yours, and we look forward to your testimony.
Just before you do that, I forgot to introduce what we are studying, actually. It is the comprehensive and high-level economic partnership agreement between Canada and Japan.
11:40 a.m.
Allen F. Roach Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning, Government of Prince Edward Island
Chairman and committee members, thank you for inviting me to today's committee meeting. This is my first time attending a parliamentary committee meeting, and I am honoured to be representing Prince Edward Island as the Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning.
In Prince Edward Island's most recent Speech from the Throne, and again in our 2012-13 budget speech, our government voiced some concrete goals for growth in our private sector, our trade and exports, and our population. We will grow our GDP to $6 million by 2016, we will increase employment levels to 75,000 jobs by 2016, and we will reach a population of 150,000 by 2022.
For our province, strengthening and increasing trade with international economic powerhouses such as Japan is essential to achieving these goals. We are on a good track. Just last week the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council forecasted that Prince Edward Island will lead the Atlantic region in GDP growth in 2012. Our government is very serious in working with our provincial, territorial, and federal counterparts on any discussions to encourage trade opportunities.
Prince Edward Island has enjoyed a long relationship with Japan. Japan continues to be one of Prince Edward Island's most important trading partners, ranking as our third largest trading partner. Total merchandising trade in 2011 was almost $15 million, accounting for 2% of total exports worldwide.
We also have a strong relationship culturally, driving nearly 29,000 Japanese tourists to Prince Edward Island over the last seven years. We are finding that our visitors from Japan tend to spend more than the average tourist, an average of $95 per visitor, per night. Japan is the only market where Prince Edward Island owns what is considered a Canadian icon, Anne of Green Gables, and this is still the number one motivator for visitation to P.E.I. from Japan. The fictional red-haired character has tremendous brand recognition in Japan.
Prince Edward Island is keen on expanding and growing their partnership with Japan through the Canada-Japan economic partnership agreement. We see opportunities in our traditional sectors, seafood and aquaculture, agriculture and agrifood, tourism, and manufacturing. Additionally, we have a keen interest in growing trade in services, bioscience, aerospace, and information technologies.
Currently, the bulk of trade between Japan and Prince Edward Island is in food products. Prince Edward Island exports various products to Japan, often very diverse and niche products. In 2011, top exports in our seafood and aquaculture products included lobster, at $3.5 million; mussels, at $1.2 million; and tuna, at $600,000. Other products emerging in this sector are herring roe and snow crab.
Unfortunately, because of the fact that many of our products are routed to nearby provinces or states before export, federal export statistics are not truly representative of the amount of Prince Edward Island product going to Japan. The Agriculture and Agri-food Canada statistics show Canadian seafood exports at $250 million in 2011 and $300 million in 2010. P.E.I. seafood exports to Japan were $6 million in 2011 and $10 million in 2010. In reality, the value of Prince Edward Island seafood exports to Japan in 2010 and 2011 exceeded $18 million to $20 million. Prince Edward Island seafood exports to Japan are: lobster, actually $12 million; tuna, $3 million; and mussels, $2 million.
These P.E.I. figures are compiled as a result of discussions we've had with P.E.I. seafood companies that are supplying product to the Japanese market. For example, we know that 99% of bluefin tuna caught in Prince Edward Island are sold to Japan, hence the discrepancy in the statistics: it's much closer to $3 million than the recorded $600,000.
We see huge opportunity for increasing our sales of lobsters and mussels as well as emerging products like herring roe and snow crab. As a province, we are looking at co-packing to alleviate transportation costs, and we are developing the export channels between P.E.I. and global markets. The government has dedicated resources looking into export channel development for a number of our industries.
In the agriculture and agrifood exports, the top food products are cheese, potato products, canola, and soybeans. Japan is our third-largest trading partner—it's actually our second-largest trading partner if you account for the discrepancies I've noted in the trade data.
We are excited by the business relationships we have been building by supplying canola to Japanese buyers. We are only just developing this, but we know there's a strong appetite in Japan for our high-quality, GMO-free canola. Prince Edward Island farmer Raymond Loo and regional company Atlantic Oil Seed Processing have been at the forefront of this relationship-building.
We are hoping to export more value-added canola oil rather than the unprocessed seed. Prince Edward Island currently has the facility to crush canola, and our government is looking into how we can help this sector develop the most efficient way to deliver this product while ensuring the high quality demanded by the Japanese market.
We also know that there's a desire for food products in Japan, especially high-quality, health food products. This has helped sell our food-grade soybean. Currently 8,000 acres of soybean production is going to Japan, and our buckwheat, which is used to make noodles, is a staple in the Japanese diet.
To continue our successes with exporting food products to Japan, Prince Edward Island would like to see the federal government consider the following in their negotiations: a tariff reduction on fish and seafood as well as agricultural and industrial goods; favourable outcomes on technical barriers to trade; and more liberalized rules for sanitary/phytosanitary measures.
Rules of origin would help improve the flow of goods into the Japanese market in our key sectors. As an example, to further facilitate trade in organic products, Prince Edward Island would be interested in an agreement with Japan concerning the equivalency of organic product standards. At present, Canadian organic products are at a serious disadvantage compared with American organic products, as the United States already has organic standards equivalency with Japan.
Beyond the trade relationships we have in the traditional sectors of food products and tourism, we would also like to widen our trade in service education and investment relationships. Prince Edward Island continues to develop a strong knowledge-based economy as well as a sophisticated and competitive services industry. The services sector employs nearly 54,000 Islanders, a key driver of the Prince Edward Island economy, accounting for 76% of the province's GDP in 2010. There are potential trade barriers that may exist on Canadian services, namely, citizenship or residency requirements, lack of temporary rules, and ownership and investment restrictions. Negotiating favourable rules in these areas would directly benefit businesses and workers in this vital Prince Edward Island sector.
The Government of Prince Edward Island is looking to expand the number of foreign students who study at our university and colleges. We think their presence strengthens our schools, and we expect that students who have a positive experience at our schools may consider future immigration to Prince Edward Island. Japan could contribute a great number of foreign students to the Island, and this is an area that we would watch with interest.
As well, we see an opportunity in inward investment. Negotiating predictable investment rules and guaranteeing access to Japanese markets will help create a level playing field for Prince Edward Island investors and businesses and reduce the risks associated with investing abroad. This would lead to a greater two-way investment that would help create jobs and long-term prosperity for hard-working Islanders.
On behalf of the Government of Prince Edward Island, I want to extend thanks to the committee members for inviting us into this discussion. We are encouraged to hear that these discussions are going forward with the Canada-Japan economic partnership agreement. Prince Edward Island looks forward to broadening trade between our two countries.
Thank you.
11:50 a.m.
The Chair Rob Merrifield
Thank you very much for that.
We'll now move to Mr. Brad Wildeman, chairman of Canada Beef Inc.
The floor is yours, sir.
11:50 a.m.
Brad Wildeman Chairman, Canada Beef Inc.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and honourable members.
I will quickly introduce myself. I'm Brad Wildeman, the chair of Canada Beef Inc., which is the amalgamation of three prior organizations that you are probably aware of: Canada Beef Export Federation; the Beef Information Centre, which did domestic and U.S. marketing on behalf of beef; as well as the national check-off agency that's responsible for collecting the check-offs from cattle producers based on their sales. We've really taken three organizations and put them into one.
Personally, I'm a feedlot operator and cattle producer from central Saskatchewan.
I'll give you a quick overview of Canada Beef. It is a new organization, really, that has effectively been in full operation since January 1. We're still in our first year of operation, but there have been some changes. Canada Beef Inc. is focused solely on creating value for our stakeholders through marketing. We're not in the policy advocacy business. It is relatively rare for us to actually be making a presentation like this, but we feel it's very important. Japan is a key market for us.
We're funded solely by Canadian beef producers through the national check-off system. We're responsible for marketing both domestically and abroad. Our key focus is simply getting the greatest value for every cut, in whatever marketplace that will be, to bring back value to our key stakeholders, primarily beef producers but not exclusively beef producers.
Finally, our board is made up primarily of cattle producers from across Canada, from every province in Canada. We also have representation on our board from the key industries—the packers, exporters, further processors, food service industry, etc.—so we think we have a pretty well-rounded board.
In terms of Japan, obviously since BSE we were blocked from that market until 2005. They're now restricted to the under-21-month requirement, even though that is not a world standard. This is a standard that's been imposed upon us by the Japanese government. That has severely restricted our ability to trade there.
Canada is its third-largest agricultural trade partner, with over $2.9 billion in 2010. It's also the world's third-largest beef importing nation. Almost 60% of its beef consumption—58%—comes from imports from somewhere around the world, primarily from the U.S. and Australia.
In 2001 we actually reached the peak of our beef exports to that market, at almost 29,000 tonnes. In 2002 we were down to about 24,000 tonnes. In 2010, since we reopened in 2005, we shipped 15,500 metric tonnes, for a value of about $78 million.
We see that the consumer preference in that country is certainly moving towards a more western diet, more beef, and a developing taste for grain-fed, white-fat beef. We've been busy training food service people about the benefits of this marbling. We see this as the highest of the high-value markets around the world for our premium product.
There's also a developing preference for barley-fed beef as well, which is interesting because of its whiter and leaner fat content. We think that could be a key competitive factor versus the United States.
The importance of these FTAs cannot be understated. Just for comparison, as you are aware, Mexico and Japan have concluded a free trade agreement, although there are still tariffs in place. It concluded in 2005 with lower tariffs within specific volumes. In 2011 Mexico exported 27,500 tonnes of beef to Japan. In fact, they're the fourth-largest market share in Japan after Australia, the U.S., and New Zealand.
In 2012, 10,500 tonnes of beef from Mexico were subject to a lower tariff of 30.8% versus our 38.5%. You can see that even a small reduction in tariff has a huge impact on the ability of countries that we normally wouldn't think would be competitive to really gain a foothold. In fact, they're exporting nearly twice as much beef to Japan as Canada is today.
The Australia-Japan negotiations have been going on now for seven years, although they haven't been concluded. I've been reading some articles lately about the frustration that Australia is expressing on their inability to finish that deal. Australia has about a 60% share in that market. Because of its high-valued nature, we value Japan as one of our most important and priority markets for Canadian beef, next to our own domestic and U.S. markets.
It's projected that beef consumption in Japan will grow by about 63,000 tonnes over this next decade. Imports will increase to 103,000 tonnes, so their domestic production, particularly given some of the natural disasters they've experienced there, will not be able to keep pace with this growth in consumption. I think that's great news and a great opportunity for us.
If the Canada-Japan EPA were concluded favourably, we would stand to gain both greater imports and a greater market share.
If Japan accepted under-30-month boneless beef, with the removal of tariffs scaling back from 38.5%, the potential increase in beef exports to Japan would be about $47 million, for a total value of $125 million, or 20,000 tonnes in total over what we're doing today. They also have the ability to put a snap-back tariff in, up to 50% I think, if exports exceed 17% year over year, and we would have to deal with that.
Obviously, we have significant regulatory barriers that limit our ability. Under-21-month cattle does not allow us to market to this market with consistent supply for a full year. We normally have a deficit in cattle of that age from January until March. We can't supply enough cattle to those markets, and it doesn't allow us to be able to find strategic marketing partners over there who will put marketing dollars and effort into marketing our product year-round because they simply can't supply.
What we hear often is that it's a great product, and we can position it at the highest and most premium price, even at or above U.S. Choice, which is the gold standard worldwide, but the problem is what to do for those other three months when we have to go back to the U.S. to buy theirs, or go to Brazil, or other places. We simply haven't been able to really exploit that market. We think that once we can get to under 30 months, we can fully exploit that market and really gain value, but on a per tonne basis it is certainly one of the highest-valued markets that we deal with.
A move into bone-in access could increase exports to 25,000 tonnes and a value of $168 million. Obviously, we see this as a very positive outlook for this Canada-Japan EPA. It is certainly huge for us and certainly huge for agriculture, and, particularly coming from Saskatchewan, we see this as a huge potential.
We appreciate the fact that Minister Ritz and other ministers have travelled over to Japan and met with Japanese meat traders, etc. I'd just like to make it clear that we'll never be the mainstream supplier of beef over there, but certainly we believe we can have a very significant market share and certainly get the premium in. For Canada, given our relatively small herd size, compared to the U.S. particularly, it's not about volume; it's about creating value.
Projections in this marketplace are challenging for us, though, because we've been out of it for so long, and prior to BSE. Supplies are dwindling now, and it's going to limit our further growth.
Finally, I think we've all talked a lot about the potential, but I think we have to look at the other side and think about what happens if we fail to reach some sort of economic partnership and others reach it ahead of us. I've expressed what's happening in Korea. I was over there a little while ago. We can see again the U.S. course. It reduces their tariff by 2.7% a year over the next 15 years. Speaking to our key customers over there, we could take a year, maybe two years. Once we get over a 5%, 6%, or 7% difference in tariff, that's likely the end of that market for us.
When we tier our markets, and we think of Japan as our number one offshore market and Korea as likely number two for value, we look at our number one and two markets as being in significant jeopardy. So we urge the Government of Canada to be very aggressive in making sure they cannot only open that market, but maintain those markets for us.
Certainly, we could reallocate to other markets, and we continue to do that. We ship to over 60 countries in the world, but none of them have the kinds of values that Japan could offer us in this market.
Finally, it's a huge opportunity for Canada. As you know, we have a large land base. We certainly have the ability to grow our industry. Cattle populations are down. Why? Because we've lost a lot of money. There are profits back in our industry. We can open these markets and maintain these markets where we grow this industry, and we believe we can be back at the 3.5 million cows we used to have prior to BSE.
With that, thank you very much.
The Chair Rob Merrifield
Thank you very much.
We have one more presenter before we start our question and answer session. I recognize Mr. Tiberghien, associate professor, Department of Political Science, University of British Columbia.
Professor Yves Tiberghien Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of British Columbia, As an Individual
Good morning, Mr. Chairman, honourable members of Parliament.
It's a great pleasure to be here. I am presenting here as an academic, as someone who has a lot of time and experience studying Japan—the Japanese political economy—but not representing any larger interest. What I'm going to attempt to do is to give a big picture of what this EPA could bring. It's more about the foreign policy advantage for Canada than the specifics, although I'll get to specifics toward the end.
I have roughly 20 years of experience going back and forth, doing research in Japan, living in Japan. I was a visiting fellow with the ministry of finance there for a year. I often go to METI, which is the main ministry in charge of trade negotiations, and I have taught Japanese politics here in Vancouver for many years.
First, the big picture is that we are in the middle of very fluid times. As we know, the global economy is in the midst of big uncertainties—the Doha Round, the WTO round, is stuck—and power is shifting toward emerging economies like China.
In these times when things are very uncertain, it triggers a lot of entrepreneurial behaviours for a lot of states. The tool of favour right now for those manoeuvres tends to be FTAs, free trade agreements. Free trade agreements are seen by a lot of countries, particularly those very entrepreneurial ones, like Korea, or increasingly Japan, as the main tools to rebalance foreign policy and geopolitics.
The successful countries of tomorrow are those that are quite aggressive, using the tools of FTAs and being very nimble in leveraging their comparative advantage. Actually, two very good examples in Asia are Korea and Singapore. They have been very, very aggressive using this and taking advantage of the global economy in these uncertain times. In this context I would say that Canada's comparative advantage is to be a bridge between the west—that is the U.S. and Europe—and the emerging economies of the Pacific, and of course China and India, but also being very active with Japan.
So now let me turn to Japan. Japan is in a very interesting position right now. It's a pivotal player in a bigger geopolitical fight or competition between the U.S. and China. On the one hand, Japan, like Korea, Taiwan, and other economies of East Asia, is getting more and more integrated into the Chinese economy. Japanese exports 10 years ago used to be just 10% to China and 20% or 30% to the U.S. Today we are at 22% to China, 18% to the U.S., and by 2020 we'll be 30% to China and 10% to the U.S.
Japan is increasingly hooked to the Chinese mainframe, but this is not matched by a strong institutional capacity. There was no investment treaty—they've just signed one now—and in general, although Japanese industry is pushing for more East Asian integration, the Japanese politicians and Japanese public are a bit ill at ease with this growing integration with China. There's an interest in keeping a second strong leg across the Pacific with the U.S., and now Canada.
At the same time, on the U.S. side, the U.S. is in the midst of this big effort. After 10 years of not paying too much attention to Asia, there's an effort to pivot back into Asia, and the U.S. is using the TPP as part of APEC as a wedge, in a way, to pull those economies a little further from China. Japan is the key actor in this battle.
Canada finds itself in the middle of this big game. There's a big geopolitical game going on, and of course Canada is in the midst of an effort now to take advantage of the rise of Asia. We know the Prime Minister went to China and is really putting a lot of emphasis on China, building a stronger economic linkage with China. But balancing the China strategy with a very strong Japan strategy for the sake of Canadian prosperity also makes a lot of sense.
Japan is Canada's oldest diplomatic partner. The diplomatic relations go back more than 78 years. What's interesting is that Japan is actually much more similar to Canada than we often think. It's the same Westminster parliamentary system, the same kind of constitutional monarchy, and when we look at opinions, we find very, very similar positions among the public—similar values, in fact, among the Canadian public and the Japanese public.
It's really a natural partner for trade, but also for a lot of other foreign policy initiatives. Canada has an advantage now with Japan in terms of being a first mover within the G-8. Japan doesn't yet have any FTA with G-8 countries. The FTA game is often a competitive one. It is not so much about the FTA in itself. It's also about beating the other competitors. For example, having an FTA before Australia or before Europe, both of which are being negotiated, would give a lot of advantage to Canadian exporters. The timing is also quite important.
Japan right now has different priorities. On one hand, it is moving forward with the trilateral FTA with China and Korea. This is a slow process. It's very difficult politically. On the other side, there's the TPP, which is also politically treacherous. It's very difficult to move now under the current conditions. The Canadian EPA falls in the middle of this and is seen in a way as the path of least resistance by the Japanese reformers or the Japanese government. There is a good window of opportunity independent of domestic politics.
I should add a few words on the Japanese current political context. It's a difficult context. There is no way to hide this. As you are probably aware, Prime Minister Noda is staking his political life now on an increase in consumption tax from 5% to 10%. He is facing double opposition, first from his own party, the other leader, Ozawa, and second from the opposition, the LDP, which controls the upper house. As we speak, Noda and Ozawa are supposed to meet today, actually. It will be a very, very difficult time for the Prime Minister to get an agreement within his own camp, let alone get support in the upper house.
Noda is in a difficult political moment. He is facing the fight of his life. That gives us several scenarios. Either he will fall before the September deadline for his leadership, there is a new election within his party, and then they will have a new Prime Minister and possibly a new election, or he will negotiate with the opposition to pass his consumption tax and then have a new election as part of that deal in the summer or the fall. There is that context, which makes things difficult; however, within that context, once the air is cleared by the fall, a Japan-Canada EPA is still the easiest free trade initiative for Japan to move forward with.
We should compare that to the TPP. The TPP is extremely divisive in Japan. On one hand, the Prime Minister and reformist politicians have pushed the TPP for three reasons. Number one is they want to keep a balance between the integration with China and North America. They want to keep the two in balance. Number two, they want to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance and their relationship. Number three, they want to use the TPP as a catalyst for structural reforms, because Japan is still kind of stuck. Yet this TPP is facing very high opposition from a large group of members of Parliament, from both the DPJ and the opposition LDP. So it doesn't look as if there is any way for the TPP to move forward politically right now.
By contrast, the EPA with Canada is seen by reformers and the DPJ leadership as a much more feasible option. I had a conversation last November with the former vice-president for international affairs of the DPJ, Iwakuni Tetsundo. He told me actually that he was hoping Canada would come to Japan and try to move fast with the EPA—at the time, it was not concluded—because he said there was no organized opposition to an EPA with Canada within the DPJ or within the major interest groups, in part because there is no rice issue, there are no orange issues, no mikan issues, and no tea issues. They are very sensitive products in general with Asian countries or with the U.S. By contrast, things like beef and fisheries can be negotiated. There is room for pushing the frontier.
In turn, the Japanese leadership hopes that an EPA with Canada will unblock its larger free trade agenda. In fact, moving forward with Canada would do a favour to the ministry of trade. In that sense, it may be willing to put some political impetus behind it, and maybe not be too tough a negotiator, because this is part of a first move that will unblock its larger trade agenda.
I would like to add a larger point. An EPA with Japan would probably improve trade at the margin on certain products, as we just heard from the two last speakers. There will probably be an improvement with beef and seafood. Maybe GM-free products, particularly canola, will have an improvement as EPAs. Usually it's a chance for negotiating all the conditions, the indirect rules, etc., for Canada to get an advantage over competitors.
The larger benefit for Canada would be that the EPA would become a catalyst for much bigger upgrades in the relationship between Canada and Japan. That, in turn, will probably mean that Canada and Japan will have closer relationships, more people-to-people exchange, and more government cooperation across each area—it will spill over to other areas.
In conclusion, at a time when Canada is in a key rebalancing with China, and Japan as well, having an EPA with Canada would further establish Canada as a Pacific power and a power of the 21st century, and it would play a critical role in this geopolitical rebalancing.
12:15 p.m.
The Chair Rob Merrifield
Thank you very much.
We certainly appreciate all of the testimony. We'll now move to questions and answers.
We'll start with Mr. Davies. The floor is yours, sir.
12:15 p.m.
Don Davies Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Professor Tiberghien, one thing that is a more common feature of trade and economic integration agreements nowadays is the sensitivity to non-tariff barriers, and that's one thing I would give the government credit on. The current government has focused a lot more on addressing non-tariff barriers than previous governments before them.
I know with Japan this is something that seems to come up quite a bit. It's not necessarily the tariffs that prevent companies in other countries from having access to the Japanese markets; it's the myriad types and depths of non-tariff barriers.
One of them I'd like to get your opinion on. I've been led to believe that there are different business models in Japan and in Canada. In Japan they use a conglomerate structure a lot more, a lot of vertical integration. A heavy manufacturer will also have relations with the bank and have relations with their suppliers, and in fact sometimes with common shareholders. That can be an impediment to foreign competitors coming in and trying to bid on various aspects of that work.
I'd like to know how true that is, whether you see those as trade barriers, and if you have any suggestions as to how we might address those in a trade agreement.
12:15 p.m.
Prof. Yves Tiberghien
This question of conglomerates, the so-called keiretsu, is an old one. This has been a critical component of U.S.-Japan negotiations since the early 1980s. In fact, back in the mid 1980s the U.S. and Japan had a big struggle over exactly the same problem, which blocks access for some key foreign manufacturers in Japan. It makes it very expensive when you have to build your own retail network.
This is a big structural issue for Japan. It's hard to solve such a huge structural issue with an EPA with one country, with Canada. It has evolved a lot over the last 15 years. Since the mid-1990s, particularly around 1999, there was a stream of corporate governance reform, structural reforms, that actually encouraged the unwinding of those cross-share holdings. Those conglomerates are loose, right? Before the war they were very tight, like in Korea. In Korea they are tighter. They became just cross-share holdings. The cross-share holdings have really decreased since about 1999. The number of shares represented by the cross-share holdings used to be about 60% of the stock market evaluation. Now it's dropped by half at least. Instead, the foreign shareholders now own 30% of the stock market in Japan. So there has been a very big transformation.
In practice, it varies by company and by sector. Some companies have really broken their cross-share holdings, say Nissan, for example. Others, like Toyota, haven't, or they have decreased the level, but they have kept some linkages. It's an ongoing, slow process that's moving toward a more open economy. It's something that's really long and structural and general, and it may be that Canada has to work with other partners, like the U.S.
I should add, however, that METI, the trade ministry, is also the ministry for industry, and they are reformers at heart. They believe that Japan should have a more flexible, industrial structure, but not for the same reasons. They believe that Japan is not competitive enough because it's not nimble enough, it's unable to reallocate capital fast enough. So they have a similar agenda. Often, they're willing to use EPA or trade negotiations as a Trojan Horse to push their own reform agenda.
So identifying those points of commonality with the reformist ministries and some reformist entities....
12:20 p.m.
Don Davies Vancouver Kingsway, BC
I'm sorry, I want to move on to further areas. Thanks for that substantial answer.
I've said something nice about the government. I'm going to criticize them now. The Conservative government has presided over a ballooning manufacturing trade deficit. It's grown from about $16 billion in 2005 to almost $81 billion in 2010. The trend lines are also going in the wrong direction in terms of the composition of Canada's exports, I think.
In the late 1950s, unprocessed exports accounted for 90% of Canada's exports. By 1999, that proportion dropped to 45%, but since 1999, the figures show that unprocessed exports are now up to about 60%. It leaves the question of value-added imports. I know that Japan has adopted a policy whereby they deliberately try to add value to their exports. I'm wondering if you have any suggestions in terms of Canada's approach to trade policy vis-à-vis Japan with respect to our trying to add value to our exports.
I'll conclude by saying this committee found that the top five exports from Canada to Japan are coal, copper, canola, pork, and lumber. We have relatively unprocessed or barely to moderately processed goods. Japan is sending back heavy equipment, cars, aerospace material, and highly processed materials.
Do you have any comment on that subject?
12:20 p.m.
Prof. Yves Tiberghien
Yes, that's a difficult issue. That is structural. That will take time. One idea that would come to mind is improving investment from Japan into Canada. Typically, a fast way or a way that's quite direct in increasing more value-added exports is to invite the Japanese manufacturers to expand their production chain, their division of labour, to other countries and having.... I think inviting investments from Japan into Canada would be a way to increase some re-exports to Japan. That's one approach.
The other approach would be encouraging joint partnerships in innovation. It will take some exploration. This is a difficult one. It's something that could be explored with the Japanese.
Probably the solution won't be cars. It won't be the products of yesterday, but it will be more the products or the industries of tomorrow, identifying things in the life sciences, joint investment in innovation. That could be the way to look.
12:20 p.m.
The Chair Rob Merrifield
Thank you very much.
Now we'll move to Mr. Cannan. I believe you're splitting with Mr. Hiebert. Go ahead.
12:20 p.m.
Ron Cannan Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you very much, gentlemen, for being here today and for the opportunity to talk about the advantages and the opportunities for Canadian businesses from across the country in this trade agreement with Japan.
I wanted to thank Mr. Davies for his compliments to the government, which is moving ahead in dealing with some of the trade tariff issues, but I also wanted to rectify and correct the fact of the reduction in manufacturing jobs that he referred to. You have to take into consideration 2009-10 as the worst downturn in the economy in the lifetime of everybody in this room.
Considering the fact that we've regained about 750,000 jobs since 2009, the vast majority, 80% to 90%, of those are in the private sector and are full time. I think it speaks volumes to the importance of diversifying our economy. We're still focusing on our number one trading partner, the United States, but we're looking at—we talked about the importance of bilateral and why we're here today working with Japan and ultimately with the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
I was in Taiwan last week with the past co-chair of Canada-Taiwan. One of the issues we met about with President Ma was the importance of getting beef back into Taiwan. Mr. Wildeman, I know that you and your association have been pushing strongly for that as well as for the importance of South Korea. We realize the importance of these issues and continue to work across the Asia.... Taiwan was talking about the Trans-Pacific Partnership as well. They want to be partners in that.
We're moving in the right direction, all together.
Coming from British Columbia, as do Mr. Davies and Mr. Sandhu, a few of us around the table, I want to stress the importance of this agreement, what this trade agreement will mean specifically for the west coast, the economy of British Columbia. Maybe we'll start with our professor from UBC. I've got UBC Okanagan in my riding. As a professor, could you elaborate on some of the economic advantages for British Columbia from this opportunity with Japan? A couple of colleagues just came back from Japan.
12:25 p.m.
Prof. Yves Tiberghien
Well, in a nutshell, an EPA will have direct advantages for certain trade products. But the biggest advantages will be indirect and will be things downstream. In general, it will be seen as a catalyst for an improvement in relations. It will be all over the newspapers and in the headlines. So it will mean more tourists. It will mean more students going to UBC. It would mean Canada being on the map for busy policy-makers and bureaucrats considering maybe other partnerships and other agreements on a range of issues. In general, I think it will thicken the human connections and the intellectual connections between B.C. and Japan. It can only be a catalyst. It's hard to measure in advance, but in general, an EPA is a catalyst for a lot more behind it.
12:25 p.m.
Ron Cannan Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Premier Clark just returned from Asia. It will strengthen our Asia-Pacific gateway.
I'll pass it to Mr. Hiebert, who's very central to the gateway as well.
Thank you very much.


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The Future Diary
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Episode 1 | TV-MA
Yukiteru spends his days writing into his cell phone "diary," a listing of the things that happen around him. When it suddenly starts telling him everything that is going to happen before it does, he's thrilled. Until it tells him he's going to die!
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Skip Bayless:
"Derek Fisher will prove to be a much better NBA head coach than Steve Kerr."
"The Houston Texans will forever regret it if they do not take Johnny Manziel with the No. 1 overall pick. He will haunt them."
"You bet I'd take Tebow late in games over ARodg."
"Manti Te'o: the next Ray Lewis."
So far so good with Jackson; I'm hoping he can put up around 15ppg off the bench.
And I saw him force up at least three bad shots, and he still shot that well. He was very impressive tongiht.
You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?
Judging from how much he likes to shoot, he can probably put up 20 ppg.
Awesome!! I bet he gets 15-18 ppg this season.
Super Bowl XLI Champions
2000 Eastern Conference Champions
not gonna happen, get over it
He shoots too much anyway, I can't see him starting with JO and Artest...
Maybe it won't, but he's absolutely right in that he should start.
Yeah, Me thinks we have a third allstar at this rate.
**** Al Harrington! Hahahah, we got Stephen Jackson, hahahaha!!!
I like Jackson coming off the bench. If Jax started then the bench would have very little scoring (unless Bender starts playing) Plus Jackson does like to shoot, and I think he is better with the second unit. Although he clearly will play around 30 minutes per game so he'll get plenty of time with J.O and Ronnie
Jackson is satisfied coming off the bench, keep him there and he as a chance of being 6th man of the year
I like Jackson coming off the bench. If Jax started then the bench would have very little scoring (unless Bender starts playing) Plus Jackson does like to shoot, and I think he is better with the second unit. Although he clearly will play around 30 minutes per game so he'll get plenty of time with J.O and Ronnie
Jackson is satisfied coming off the bench, keep him there and he as a chance of being 6th man of the year
I'm with you. I was really sold on the idea after hearing him score the first 10 Pacers points of the 2nd quarter against Memphis.........Originally Posted by Unclebuck
I thought his interview on the postgame show was very good. He says all of the right things.......
I honestly like Sjax coming off the bench , he's proven he can put up some points in a hurry in many ways , with a limited amount of minutes.
When you guys put it like that, it makes me warm up to the idea of him being our 6th man. God knows with how our offense could look last year, having someone like him come in behind the starters could do wonders some games.
And you've got to love the hair! Looks like Jermaine has some competition for most awesome hair due.
SJax is averaging 21.7 ppg in what, 22 minutes of play? Something like that. While I don't look for him to average that during the season, it's nice to see that Bender is no longer our most prolific scorer. Maybe if Jax get's 30 minutes a game he'll average 30 ppg!
Ok, I can dream can't I?
I was ready to hand him the starting job after last night. And behind Sasoon I am one of Reggie's biggest fans.
He had two assists, too. Not bad considering I don't remember him making a single pass.
(Truth be told, I *am* starting to like him.)
Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
And life itself, rushing over me
Life itself, the wind in black elms,
Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you
I like Jackson coming off the bench. #1 he doesn't mind being 6th man #2 - he gives a spark off the bench and #3 he gives much needed leadership to the 2nd unit.
The thing I kept thinking about last night is how tough intrasquad scrimmages must be. This team seems even deeper than last year from top to bottom. James Jones may be one part of the IR rotation and he is a great talent!
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."
- Benjamin Franklin


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Francisco Plaza Villegas
Dr. Plaza Villegas provides clinical instruction and teaches anatomy and TMJ pathology. He earned his D.D.S. at the Central University of Venezuela and his M.S. in orthodontics from the Autonomous University of Tamaulipas in Mexico. He joined the faculty at the dental school after earning his M.S. in oral biology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, where he completed a fellowship in orofacial pain.


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31 Halloween Craft Projects
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Pigskin Pumpkin
By: Catherine Fox for FaveCrafts.com
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Little boys of all ages will love this football themed painted pumpkin design. With this simple tutorial, you'll learn how to create this Pigskin Pumpkin for the hardcore football fan in your life. This would also make a great centerpiece for a Super Bowl party or tailgating event! You could even remove the top of the pumpkin and line it with a napkin, then fill it with chips or other snacks.
- Water
- Acrylic paint: black, white, red, and choice of helmet color
- Mod Podge
- Paint brushes: liner brush, large flat brush, and an old or disposable brush
- Paper towel and paper plate
- Pumpkin
Wash the pumpkin to remove any dirt and let it dry.
Squirt a little black paint on your paper plate. Add a few drops of water and mix until the paint is the consistency of ink—not too thick and not too thin.
To paint the eyes, paint two large arches and then lines for their base. To make the pupil, paint a couple more arches and fill them in. Then paint on some eyebrows, a couple lashes, a nose, and a mouth. For football players, I usually like to make them show their teeth, so paint a triangle with a little arch at one side.
Let the paint dry after each step and make sure to rinse out your brush as well.
Fill in the eyes and mouth with white.
Add a little blush to his cheek with red. To do this, dab a little red and blend it out with your finger. Also, paint the eyes and mouth white again to make the white more opaque.
Go over the black lines again to fix any mistakes and to make the lines more opaque. Also, add some teeth.
Add little dabs of white to highlight the eyes.
Time to paint the helmet. To help you with this step, have a reference photo of the helmet you want to paint. I'll be painting a local high school football team helmet.
After the paint is dry, go over the helmet again to make it more opaque.
Paint the front of the helmet with your liner brush. Again, look at your reference photo for details on what to paint.
Add any details to the helmet, or you can leave it blank. For my helmet, I painted a white strip down the middle and the letter "P" at the sides.
- Seal your pumpkin with ModPodge using an old brush. Cover the pumpkin entirely, except for the bottom. Don't worry—it dries clear.
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>Runner's World - My Event Ratings>
In short: very well organised half in lovely countryside with some tough hills but a semie fast route., well worth doing.Date of review: June 19, 2014
In short: Getting better every yrIn full: Great organisation, amazing support, even the weather decided to behave!!! Doesn't matter if u r looking for a PB, a first time marathon or running to raise money for charity this is a marathon u must do.Date of review: April 14, 2013
In short: Very well organised scenic run. Great prep for a spring marathonIn full: Parking/organisation very good. Very well marshalled all way round. Crowds thin on the ground so you have to be very self motivated especially if you are doing the 20mile. Positive: course, and organisation Negative: start time (would prefer 9:30) and crowd support.Date of review: February 17, 2013
In short: Despite terrible weather, this was an excellent run very well marshalled. In full: If you are looking for a good half/full marathon with great scenery, good course in respect of fast time and a very enjoyable long weekend away then this is for you.The hills were not as bad as I thought with the straight and downhill sections more than making up for it. The marshalls did a fantastic job in horrible conditions and the crowd support was good considering. I'm going to be back next yr and hopefully can get my time under the 1hr40min mark (1hr42today!)Date of review: September 23, 2012
In short: Fantastic. Excellent organisation, brilliant marshalling, great pb course, loved it.Date of review: October 16, 2011
In short: Great race, with excellent crowds and what a fantastic place to run when the sun is shinningDate of review: April 11, 2011
In short: scenic course, with some challenging hills. well organised and marshalls very supportive. would reccommend to others to give it a go.Date of review: February 6, 2011
In short: good 1st attempt. Needs more stewards. Good aut/winter halfDate of review: November 14, 2007
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Glitter Tiara, Ice Skate & Butterfly Ornaments
- Overview
A Christmas tree becomes all the more beloved when it's decorated with their favorite things. A sparkling tiara, an ice skate, and a ballerina add a wintry fairytale theme.
- Tiara: 3" wide x 1.75" high; 4" ribbon
- Ice Skate: 4.25" long x 4.5" high x 1.5" wide.
- Ballerina: 6" wide x 4" deep x 6" high
- All of our Glitter Ornaments are adorned with sparkly silver glitter.
- Velvet hanging ribbon is included with each ornament.
- Dimensions & Care
- Tiara: 3" wide x 1.75" high; 4" ribbon
- Ice Skate: 4.25" long x 4.5" high x 1.5" wide.
- Ballerina: 6" wide x 4" deep x 6" high
- Dust with a soft, dry cloth.
- Shipping & Return Info
This is a general shipping item.
View Our Shipping Information
Return Policy
At Pottery Barn Kids, we take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of our products. Attention to design, materials, safety and construction is our priority. We carefully inspect your order prior to shipment; upon receipt, please inspect your purchase and notify us of any damage. We will arrange for a prompt replacement. If, within 7 days for Quick Ship upholstery and 30 days for all other products, you are dissatisfied for any reason, you may return your purchase for a refund of the merchandise value.
If your return for Merchandise Credit Cards is greater than $10,000, we will issue $10,000 in Merchandise Credit Cards to you that day, and then mail additional Merchandise Credit Card(s) for the amount in excess of $10,000 to you.
We cannot accept returns on monogrammed, personalized, special-order items, or on items damaged through normal wear and tear. We also cannot accept returns of final-sale items, which are identified by a price that ends in $0.99.
For returns of items purchased from your Pottery Barn Kids registry, we will gladly provide a refund or exchange for the merchandise within 90 days of your event or within 90 days of purchase, whichever date is later.
For assistance, please contact Customer Service at 800.993.4923
International Returns: Online returns are available only for items that were shipped to the United States. If you would like to return items that were shipped outside the US, please see International Returns and Exceptions.


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Opening day has double meaning
The day has finally arrived and thousands of deer hunters are now sitting in their blinds, walking that favorite ridge, creeping through a swamp or watching over a scrape line – all having visions of big bucks crossing their path.
All week the anticipation built up until it reached its crescendo the night before the opener. Everything was in order for the hunt: All gear was checked and double-checked, camp was warm from the wood stove, a hearty dinner was enjoyed, deer tales of seasons past were shared and a good nights sleep began early in the night.
This was perhaps the scenario in hundreds of deer camps spread across the Upper Peninsula, where the opening day of deer season takes on a full holiday appearance.
In addition, today is considered the busiest hunting day of the year, as well as the day that usually accounts for more deer taken than on any other single day, including during the regular firearm, muzzleloading and archery seasons.
So how did it go this morning? That question, of course, is impossible to answer in this column, seeing it's being written in advance, but it's always fun to speculate.
First, let's see what the wildlife biologists who track our whitetails predicted it would be like this season.
In their annual outlook for the season, biologists point out that last winter was a rather fickle affair, starting out mild and remaining so through January, but picking up in severity in February and lingering late into April.
This late period of the winter is a critical time of year for deer, particularly young deer and pregnant does that were hit the hardest by the weather. As a result, deer were in poor condition by the end of the winter. This lead to a very poor birthing season, so there won't be many fawns out there, which is fine with hunters – this year. Down the road two or three years, the poor fawn production in 2013 could result in fewer nice bucks.
For this year, though, biologists predict there should be a good number of 2 1/2- and 3 1/2-year-old bucks out there, which is what we're after, anyway.
This sounds logical seeing that the few previous winters were on the mild side, which built up the U.P. deer population.
Also on the positive side was good mast production in the U.P. this year, so hunters targeting oak and beech stands, as well as such fruit producing trees and shrubs as apple and sumac, should be in a good position to see deer.
And as always, the outlook for the season throws in that unpredictable variable of "each area is influenced by local factors and conditions that affect deer density and sightings in that area."
So what do we have here? Well, it looks like the season should be OK for most of us, especially those who spend a good deal of time in the woods.
In addition, your hunting grounds could be one of those special places that produces just the buck you've been looking for, and that deer happens to cross your path while you are hunting.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it goes over the 16-day firearm season, as well as through the muzzleloading season, which is from Dec. 6 through 15 this year in the U.P., and the late archery season that runs through Jan. 1.
There's another aspect of this year's deer season that deserves a mention here. Today is historic in that it not only marks the opening day of the firearm deer season, but also the opening day of the first managed wolf hunt in Michigan.
I'm not forgetting that throughout Michigan's history wolves were viewed like any other predator and even had a bounty paid on them. Once present throughout the state, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources wolves were eliminated from the southern Lower Peninsula by about 1840 and the entire LP by 1935.
Wolves hung on in the U.P. a few more decades, with the last documented pups born in the mid-1950s in Alger County. Removal of the bounty came in 1960 and full legal protection was given the animals in 1965.
They started rebounding in the 1980s, with migration of wolves from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ontario establishing territories and reproducing.
Fast forward to today and we find more than 650 wolves spread across the U.P. Along with the growing population came more conflicts with those of us who live here, particularly livestock raisers, hunting dog owners and deer hunters, who blamed low deer numbers on the growing wolf population.
So now we're having a wolf hunt, with the DNR selling 1,200 licenses and setting a quota of a total of 43 wolves killed in three hunt units in the U.P.
There's been a running debate between hunting advocates and well-organized special interest groups trying to stop the hunt, but let's just let it take its course and evaluate the hunt when it's over.
Editor's note: City Editor Dave Schneider can be contacted at 906-228-2500, ext. 270.


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Joanna Lynn Ludwiczak and David Philip Szejbach exchanged their wedding vows Dec. 1, 2012 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Alpena. Rev. Martha Hartman Stuart officiated the 1:30 p.m. double-ring ceremony.
The bride is the daughter of John Ludwiczak of Alpena and Sylvia (Paul) Milligan of Kalkaska. The groom is the son of Janie Szejbach of Alpena and the late David Szejbach.
Attending the bride as maid of honor was her sister, Paula Ludwiczak. Bridesmaids were Kristin Gall, sister of the bride; Sarah Hainstock, friend of the bride; and Jacci Gonzales, sister of the groom. Attending the groom as best man was his friend, John Szymanski. Groomsmen were Chad Zann, James Wils and Joshua Vandusen, all friends of the groom. Ushers included Adam Sabourin and Jordan Sabourin, nephews of the bride. Greeters were Keana Gonzales and Alex Gonzales, niece and nephew of the groom. Flower girls were Abby Sabourin, niece of the bride, and Allyana and Amiya Gonzales, nieces of the groom.
Following the ceremony, a reception in honor of the bride and groom was held at the APlex in Alpena. Pre-nuptial parties included a rehearsal dinner at the Courtyard Restaurant.
Joanna is a 1995 graduate of Alpena High School and is employed with Hospice of Michigan as an registered nurse case manager. David is a 1992 graduate of Alpena High School and is employed in the engineering department at Omni Metalcraft.
David and Joanna will be taking a honeymoon in March to the Dominican Republic and are residing in Alpena.


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Narcan administered to woman in Pomfret
Educators oftentimes know better
If one were to ask you the names of your favorite teachers from kindergarten and throughout your schooling, it may be not too difficult to answer.
Without doubt, there is one specific teacher, or more perhaps, who stands out in your mind. Also, there may be some satisfaction in answering; it may bring back some of the more fond memories of school, and those who have touched your life in meaningful or even inspiring ways. And, the memory of those good teachers lasts a lifetime. Unfortunately, the memory of those who may have impacted one in negative ways may also leave their mark and remain vividly in one's memory. True, teachers leave an indelible impact.
Good teachers and good teaching, what a blessing they are to students. Good teaching is as much about passion as it is about reason. Good teaching is about caring for your students, and thoughtfully putting your finger on their intellectual, mental, social and identity pulse. And, a good teacher is artfully empathetic to the makeup of the whole child, and his or her total personality, including hereditary and environmental factors notwithstanding.
All good teachers have a mastery of the subject they teach, and of the art and science of teaching and learning, and they have a passion for it.
Teaching at the elementary and secondary level is far more than a teacher "unloading" information (facts and concepts) and expecting the students to regurgitate back this information in rapid fire order. There is a science to teaching, but it must be artfully and creatively applied. Instructional strategies should clearly be based on sound science and research, by knowing artfully when to use certain strategies, and with whom and to what degree. Every student is different, just as every adult is different. And, a passionate, thoughtful and creative teacher is well skilled in determining the precise moment and learning activity that is best geared for a successful learning experience for each individual. That, right there, is the earmark of an extraordinarily talented teacher, core standards notwithstanding.
We hear much these days about Common Core Educational Standards.
"If nothing else, these standards are causing a conflict of interest and students are well aware of this conflict. In fact, some students pathetically have indicated that the Common Core standards display a mistrust of teachers. And this is at a time when students are searching for those in whom they can trust and confide.
I am writing this piece at this time because I care about education and I support what great teachers have done for me personally in the past. They stood for the students' individual right to academic achievement; I am indebted to the great teachers I have known in years past and in the present.
In education, good teaching is based upon solid research, that is, that each learner is developing distinctly as an individual. Excellence in teaching demonstrates that there is a dynamic between, the teacher and the individual learner. That, right there, is the heart of instruction. There is no "common standards" bureaucratic model that can measure this dynamic. Such measurements may work with nuclear power reactors, quantum physics modules, or sophisticated business models. So, one might ask, why can't it work with students? As one high school senior put it. "Students are not robots." In short, in education, one size does not fit all.
Teachers are overwhelmed with "standards-related" paperwork, testing and test preparations, meetings, training sessions, pull-out schedules and paperwork, ad nauseam. Unfortunately, bureaucracy seems to be deflating the ingenuity, if not the very life, out of the teaching profession. Teachers desperately want to TEACH, and to provide students with an atmosphere and an opportunity to LEARN. The framework for that to happen is being, seemingly, seriously eroded.
It is true, standards are absolutely necessary, but they must be comprehensively defined in light of what is known about how students learn. And every learner is wonderfully unique; and, it's that special uniqueness that is the challenge for the teacher. Therein is the science and art of teaching. And, therein is the challenge of establishing Educational Standards. Hopefully, these Standards are not so simplistic, that the genuine powerfulness of the art of teaching is grossly minimized; and, the factual scientific data of child growth and development are degradedly dismissed.
This would truly set education back to the dark ages. For the art and science of teaching truly trumps any "standards" that stand in the way of a child's right to learn. For each learner is unique, and the learning and teaching style needs to be artfully tailored to that uniqueness. Standards that weaken the fabric of employing strategic teaching strategies cannot help but be a disservice to a population of students waiting to learn. The bottom line is artfully skilled teaching is truly THE GENIUS OF AMERICAN EDUCATION, common core standards notwithstanding.
Dr. Robert L. Heichberger is professor emeritus at the State University of New York at Fredonia and distinguished professor at Capella University. He is an award-winning author. All of the past columns can be viewed on www.fromourperspective.net/ Send comments to: firstname.lastname@example.com


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by Anton Shilov
PC MicroWorks, a startup that aims to deal with ultra high-end personal computers, announced recently the world's first laptop for gamers that has two GeForce Go 7950 GTX graphics processors in SLI mode as well as Blu-ray burner optical drive. The product is likely to be the first mobile computer for demanding gamers with Blu-ray tech.
"Though it may be a little late to make it under the Christmas tree for some shoppers, this impressive new laptop may be worth the wait for others," stated Timothy Lee, media relations director of MicroWorks.
When configured to the maximum, the PC MicroWorks Vega X laptop features AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 processor (2.0GHz, 1MB L2 cache [512KB per core] 35W thermal design power), two Nvidia GeForce Go 7950 GTX graphics chips in SLI mode, 4GB PC2-5300 (667MHz) memory, 600GB hard disk drive, Blu-ray disc burner, 20.1" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) screen, 7.1 audio, TV-tuner, EV-DO connectivity and Windows XP Professional operating system with Windows Vista upgrade coupon. The company does not state battery time or weight of such computer.
Notebook: PC MicroWorks Vega X
Model: Jillian Ann
Image: PC MicroWorks, distributed by Businesswire
The price of such machine, which can be configured at the company's web-site, with one-year limited warranty is $7026, without extra batteries, carrying bags, anti virus packages, Blu-ray disc burning software. When configured with additional software, bag, batteries, cooling system and three-years warranty, the price rises to $8083.
Usually smaller suppliers of notebooks do not make chassis for their products themselves, but order notebook barebones from contract manufacturers in
A notebook from an unknown Taiwan-based notebook OEM
Currently there are not a lot of notebooks with next-generation DVD support aimed at gamers. Even though Dell and Sony ship their Vaio and XPS models that contain Blu-ray drives, those machines do not feature mobile multi-GPU SLI technology, which means that hardcore gamers would pay attention to the Vega X. Still, systems from Dell include more powerful Intel Core 2 Duo processors and higher resolution displays – 1600x1200 (17") in case of Dell and 1920x1200 (17") in case of Sony. In addition, systems from Dell and Sony are far more affordable.


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CAC {B-14, BB-51} Off Center Variety. Estimated population 1,400 to 2,000 in all grades. {CAC population 2, only 2 higher}
Q. David Bowers: The following narrative, with minor editing, is from my "Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia" (Wolfeboro, NH: Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc., 1993). Note: the Notable Specimens list should be used with caution - it has been updated in my 2013 edition of "The Encyclopedia of United States Silver Dollars 1794-1804."
OBVERSE 10: Bust of Miss Liberty facing right, the hair tied up in a ribbon at back. The bust was not properly centered in the die work, being placed too far to the left. The highest wave of the hair is under the B of Liberty. Lowest curl is distant from 1 in 1795. Star 1 touches curl.
Obverse die used to strike 1795 BB-51 only.
REVERSE K: Small Eagle, differently styled than on any of the preceding varieties. Small Letters in legend. Eagle stands on clouds. Wreath is composed of a palm branch (right) and olive branch (left), the latter with seven berries. A short, prominent die scratch extends up to left from tip of right, inside leaf below (observer's) left wing. Berry under A of STATES; a quick way to identify this reverse.
This reverse die is one of the most remarkable in all of American numismatics, and was mated with obverse dies bearing four different dates. The features are cut in shallow relief, and the rim is low. Thus, all impressions from the die appear somewhat flat, a situation particularly evident on coins in VF or lower grades. The shallow relief does not materially affect the appearance of higher grade coins, which often have exquisite detail, including a full complement of eagle feathers.
Reverse die used to strike 1795 BB-51; 1796 BB-62, BB-63, and BB-66 (now relapped); 1797 BB-72; and 1798 BB-81.
Die State I: Perfect dies. The only state known. The denticulation is often weak at the border, especially below the wreath. Some specimens are ever so slightly struck off center, due to alignment of the dies in the press (not to the positioning of individual planchets); these typically are weak at the bottom of the reverse, but have long, prominent denticles at the top (the situation is the opposite on the obverse, with weakness at the top border and strength at the bottom); in this situation, from stars 7 through 10 and at LIBERTY; also, as metal movement was less in such areas of light striking, planchet adjustment marks are often seen at the upper obverse.
COLLECTING NOTES: 1795 BB-51 is one of the most abundant varieties of the 1795 year and runs third only to the BB-27 and BB-21 Flowing Hair varieties. Almost certainly, well over 1,000 specimens exist. I estimate the number to be between 1,400 and 2,000.
I believe the BB-51 to be the earlier of the two Draped Bust varieties dated 1795, as evidenced by the following: 1. The Draped Bust motif on the obverse was placed slightly to the left of where it should have been; this was corrected for the next variety, BB-52, and on all later dates of the type. 2. BB-51 exists in high grades in significantly larger numbers than does BB-52, and most of these are prooflike-indicating that some may have been made as presentation specimens of the new Draped Bust obverse, Small Eagle reverse design. Indicative of the availability of the issue, at the 1993 Florida United Numismatists Convention, dealer Ed Milas had three high-level Mint State coins on display.
The striking of 1795 BB-51 is usually weak at the , bottom reverse and top obverse (see details under Die States above); such coins are apt to have stars 7 through 10 weak at the centers, and the word LIBERTY slightly weak. Much rarer (about one in 10 coins) are well-centered pieces with all stars sharp, including full centers to stars 8 and 9 flanking LIBERTY; a "price is paid" for this sharpness, for such coins usually have the eagle's head and breast feathers less sharply detailed than on the off-center coins!
Mint-caused planchet adjustment marks, when seen, are apt to be more prominent on the obverse, especially at the upper left; For some unexplained reason, more often than not these are oriented in a roughly northwest to southeast direction on the obverse.
In the course of surveying close to 200 photographs of BB-51, I did not encounter any coins with die deterioration. The reverse die, as noted, went on to later use. What happened to the 1795-dated obverse is unknown. Perhaps like the famous one-hoss shay, it performed admirably and then broke apart all at once. The typically encountered 1795 BB-51 is in the VF range, from VF-20 to 35, Really low-grade coins, such as Fair, Good, Or VG, are few and far between. On the other hand, EF coins appear on the market with frequency. As a group, 1795 BB-51 silver dollars are about 30% to 50% more plentiful than BB-52 dollars, and in grades of AU or better, are much more available them BB-52 coins.
Multiple Mint State BB-51 dollars are known.
Most of these have virtually full prooflike or Proof surfaces, and are sometimes catalogued as, presentation pieces. Probably, these were made upon the occasion of the first striking of the new Draped Bust obverse, Small Eagle reverse, design.
Unquestionably, the average specimen of 1795 BB-51 circulated to a lesser extent than did most of its contemporaries. The reason for this is not known. Quite possibly, many were saved as souvenirs of Gilbert Stuart's Draped Bust design, a novelty at the time, a motif that would not appear elsewhere on coinage until the following year.
Brand Specimen. MS-66. Virgil M. Brand estate (probable attribution) . B. G. Johnson . T. James Clarke Collection, New Netherlands 48th Sale, 1956: 614, "Uncirculated gem." Stack's, September, 1974: 40 Jascha Heifetz Collection Superior, 1989: 3816. "Drapery is razor-sharp, microscopic signs of handling, particularly two minute border nicks at the lower left reverse. Magnificent blue, pink, lavender and gold toning; both sides somewhat mirrorlike."
Garrett Specimen. "Proof"-65. J. Colvin Randall Collection, W. Elliot Woodward, 1885: 12, brilliant Proof . Garrett Collection, Bowers and Ruddy, 1980: 680. "Choice brilliant Proof, obverse and reverse have full Proof surface including between all the letter spaces and other design details; quality and fabric are just as fine as on any later Proof dollar." Jimmy Hayes Collection, Stack's, 1985: 73. "Choice Brilliant Proof; presentation piece."
Ostheimer Specimen. MS-65. Superior, ANA Convention Sale, 1975: 812 "Iridescent gray toned uniformly on the obverse with uneven tones and partially a lighter pearl tone on the reverse; full original mint lustre, well struck, good centering but there are a few tiny nicks on the rims, the most noticeable at 2:00 on the reverse; neatly full breast feathers on ilie eagle." This sale featured silver: dollars from the Ostheimer Collection.
Superior August Sale Specimen. MS-65 (NGC). Superior, August Sale, 1991: 554. "Frosty mint bloom underneath old-time natural color which includes silvery gray and pinkish gold; adjustment marks are light and exclusively to the reverse; outstanding feathers on eagle's chest, each leaf in branches on either side shows full central stem line to the unaided eye; design perfectly aligned on a blemish-free flan, giving the coin a trim, balanced look."
Four Landmark Collections Specimen, MS-64. Four Landmark Collections Sale, Bowers and Merena, 1989: 353. "Surely among the finest known; strike needle-sharp on both sides with full feather detail in the eagle's breast and inner portions of its wings; lovely, sharp detail in the palm and 'olive leaves wreathing the eagle; obverse definition stunning; every strand in Liberty's hair is clearly delineated and the folds in her gown are similarly sharp and distinct; more beautifully toned than almost any we have seen-obverse and reverse are a pale iridescent blue and rose, with delicate shades of golden brown and violet scattered about the surface in a most pleasant arrangement; mint lustre creates a pleasing cartwheel effect around the obverse and reverse peripheries."
Stirling Specimen. MS-64. Frank M. Stirling Collection, Heritage, February 1986: 1330. MS-65 obverse, MS-63 reverse. With "it few trivial adjustment marks."
Alto Specimen. MS-63. Stack's, Alto Collection, 1970: 1059, "Brilliant Uncirculated, perfectly centered, nicely struck with characteristic weakness in centers of coin; stars, lettering and denticles are quite sharp; surface is beautiful, prooflike quality, superbly toned with golden and purple iridescence."
Carter Specimen. MS-63 (PCGS). Amon Carter, Jr. Collection(Stack's, 1984): 212. "Brilliant Uncirculated and wholly prooflike, some tiny marks in the field, exceptionally well struck, with pale russet-iridescent toning."
Aspen Specimen. MS-63. Bowers and Merena, Nelson Page Aspen, M.D. Collection, 1989: 352. "Both surfaces have light champagne toning; obverse field fully and deeply reflective; reverse largely prooflike with some wisps of satiny lustre at the periphery; motifs ate frosty, and most of the design details are sharp including the strands of Miss Liberty's hair, the feathers of the eagle's breast, neck, and wings, and the leaves and berries of the wreath; centering of both sides is fine, with that of the reverse being close to perfection."
Auction '85 Specimen. MS-63. Stack's, Auction '85, 1985: 1748. "Brilliant Uncirculated, sharply struck, light reverse planchet adjustment marks on the eagle and about the periphery; stars and head boldly struck; splendid deep steel and olive toning." Stack's, Auction '87, 1987: 777.
Auction '90 Specimen. MS-63. Superior, 1990: 1145. "Needle-sharp strike throughout with bold hair curls, complete drapery line around the bust, full wreath detail, well struck eagle; no rim nicks; pleasing surfaces and lovely toning."
Brown University Specimen. MS-63 Pine Tree, Brown University Collection, 1976: 308. "Choice Uncirculated, frosty, glittering, lightly toned, as well struck as this comes; eagle's eye clear, partial neck and leg feathers, more than half breast feathers; two tiny reverse rim nicks; no noticeable field or device bagmarks . Kagin's, 1977: 1754.
Chalkley Specimen. MS-63. Superior, Chalkley Collection, 1990: 2829. "Prooflike fields, bold feathers on eagle's breast, only a few of which are not fully struck up. Overlaid with a dusting of silvery gray toning."
Essex Institute Specimen. MS-63. Stack's, Essex Institute Collection, 1975: 983. "Brilliant Uncirculated, wholly prooflike, touch of friction in the field from the gem category."
Forrest Specimen. MS-63. S.S. Forrest, Jr. Collection (Stack's, 1972):977. "Brilliant Uncirculated, superb iridescent toning, just the faintest touch of friction away from the gem category; slight softness of strike on eagle."
Holmes Specimen. MS-63. Stack's, Milton Holmes Collection, 1960:2233. "Brilliant Uncirculated, sharply struck, full denticles, light iridescent toning, some adjustment marks on obverse made at the mint to equalize weight."
MANA Convention Sale Specimen. MS-63. Kagin's, 1973:1300. "Acquired. as Proof, golden blue iridescent prooflike, wire edge sharply struck specimen."
Newport Specimen. MS-63. Bowers and Ruddy, 1975: 375. "Brilliant Uncirculated, prooflike, sharply struck in all details; all hair strands very bold; eagle on reverse is well struck with the normal flatness of strike being at a minimum; some adjustment marks caused at the Mint during planchet preparation extend into the coin from the upper left obverse and also through the stars on the right; on reverse some negligible adjustment marks near bottom." Bowers and Merena, 1989: 1943 . Gore and Long Collections, Bowers and Merena, 1990:345.
Robison Specimen. MS-63. Ellis H. Robison Collection. (Stack's, 1982):1855. "Brilliant Uncirculated, a few small contact marks on the head; full frosty lustre; fully struck up, the head especially sharp; exquisite peripheral iridescent toning."
Stack's Specimen. MS-63. Stack's, May Sale, 1991:458. "Choice Brilliant Uncirculated, obverse wholly prooflike, faint planchet adjustment marks mostly on head but virtually invisible; reverse prooflike and satiny; stars needle-sharp with full radial lines; milling equally as sharp on both sides; mirrorlike surfaces and delicate amber and iridescent toning."
The letter punches used to impress UNITED STATES OF AMERICA into the reverse die were also used on the Small Letters reverse die of 1795 BB-52, and some (but not all) were used to create the Small Letters reverse die of 1796 BB-65. The E in the punch set used in 1795 is distinctive in that the serif at the end of the crossbar is longer at the top end than at the bottom.
An undersized copper trial piece weighing 100 grains exists and is believed to be unique. Its original purpose is unknown; it was not large enough to serve as a set-up piece for die spacing. Perhaps, it was made as a whimsy. The pedigree includes Stack's May 30, 1975 Sale: 932, earlier the Judd, Boyd, Newcomer, Woodin, and Parmelee collections, and came from W. Elliot Woodward, April 28, 1863. See Judd Appendix B where it is incorrectly designated a mint error.
Ron Guth:
Bruce Morelan, in an interview with PCGS in 2016, spoke about his PCGS MS66 (Finest Known) example: "The 1795 Draped Bust is my newest acquisition. I actually had a great a coin; I had a coin from the Knoxville Collection, where the 1794 resided for many years, a beautifully colored Draped Bust Dollar. And I had determined I was not going to bid on the Eliasberg coin in the Pogue sale because I was happy with my coin — until I saw it at the ANA show in Los Angeles this last year, and immediately fell in love with the coin. I've never seen a Bust Dollar with such originality and full flowing cartwheel and light toning. A lot of time when they're original, they're dark, but this one had the lightest, crispest, most luminous toning that I could ever imagine. I was immediately smitten and made the deal to purchase it."
George H. Earle, Jr. Collection - Henry Chapman 6/1912:2683 - John H. Clapp Collection, sold intact in 1942 - Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection - Bowers & Merena 4/1997:2173, $308,000 - Bowers & Merena 7/2002:427, $345,000 - D. Brent Pogue Collection - Stack's/Bowers & Sotheby's 5/2016:4013, $763,750 - Bruce Morelan Collection
A. Bridgman, Jr. - S.H. & H. Chapman 11/1891:694 - "Colonel" E.H.R. Green - Green Estate - Partnership of Eric P. Newman & B.G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.) - Eric P. Newman, who paid $75.00 - Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society - Heritage 11/2013:33499, $910,625
Most likely from the Virgil Brand Collection - B.G. Johnson - T. James Clarke Collection - New Netherlands 1958:614 - Stack's 9/1974:40 - Superior 10/1989:3816, $231,000 - Bowers & Merena 2/2005:702, $327,750 - Bruce Morelan Collection - Legend Rare Coin Auctions 12/2016:350, not sold


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First American Numismatics
David Hall: The 1935-D is a semi-key date in the Washington quarter series. Gems are scarce, but often available. In Gem condition, of the Denver mints, only the 1932-D (of course), 1934-D and 1936-D are harder to find. Strike is usually not a problem and white luster Gems can be found if you look around.
Heritage 9/2014:3151 (as PCGS MS67+ 29967667), $7,050 - Wondercoin Collection (PCGS Set Registry)


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Continuing my week in Washington DC for the annual [2010 System Storage Technical University], here is my quick recap of the keynote sessions presented Monday morning. Marlin Maddy, Worldwide Technical Events Executive for IBM Systems Lab Services and Training, served as emcee.
- Roland Hagen
Roland Hagan, IBM Vice President for IBM System x server platform, presented on how IBM is redefining the x86 computing experience. More than 50 percent of all servers are x86 based. These x86 servers are easy to acquire, enjoy a large application base, and can take advantage of readily available skilled workforce for administration. The problem is that 85 percent of x86 processing power remains idle, energy costs are 8 times what they were 12 years ago, and management costs are now 70 percent of the IT budget.
IBM has the number one market share for scalable x86 servers. Roland covered the newly announced eX5 architecture that has been deployed in both rack-optimized models as well as IBM BladeCenter blade servers. These can offer 2x the memory capacity as competitive offerings, which is important for today's server virtualization, database and analytics workloads. This includes 40 and 80 DIMM models of blades, and 64 to 96 DIMM models of rack-optimized systems. IBM also announced eXFlash, internal Solid State Drives accessible at bus speeds. FlexNode allows a 4-node system to dynamically change to 2 separate 2-node systems.
By 2013, analysts estimate that 69 percent of x86 workloads will be virtualized, and that 22 percent of servers will be running some form of hypervisor software. By 2015, this grows to 78 percent of x86 workloads being virtualized, and 29 percent of servers running hypervisor.
- Doug Balog
Doug Balog, IBM Vice President and Disk Storage Business Line Executive, presented how the growth of information results in a "perfect storom" for the storage industry. Storage Admins are focused on managing storage growth and the related costs and complexity, proper forecasting and capacity planning, and backup administration. IBM's strategy is to help clients in the following areas:
- Storage Efficiency - getting the most use out of the resources you invest
- Service Delivery - ensuring that information gets to the right people at the right time, simplify reporting and provisioning
- Data Protection - protecting data against unethical tampering, unauthorized access, and unexpected loss and corruption
He wrapped up his talk covering the success of DS8700 and XIV. In fact, 60 percent of XIV sales are to EMC customers. The TCO of an XIV is less than half the TCO of a comparable EMC VMAX disk system.
- Dave McQueeney
Dave McQueeney, IBM Vice President for Strategy and CTO for US Federal, covered how IBM's Smarter Planet vision for smarter cities, smarter healthcare, smarter energy grid and smarter traffic are being adopted by the public sector. Almost every data center in US Federal government is out of power, floor space and/or cooling capability. An estimated 80 percent of US Federal government IT budgets are spent on maintenance and ongoing operations, leaving very little left over for the big transformational projects that President Barack Obama wants to accomplish.
Who has the most active Online Transaction Processing (OLTP)? You might guess a big bank, but it is the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with a system processing 600 million transactions per day. Another government agency is #2, and the top Banking application is finally #3. The IBM mainframe has solved problems 10 to 15 years ago that the distributed systems are just now encountering today. Worldwide, more than 80 percent of banks use mainframes to handle their financial transactions.
IBM's recent POWER7 set of servers are proving successful in the field. For example, Allianz was able to consolidate 60 servers to 1. Running DB2 on POWER7 server is 38 percent less expensive than Oracle on x86 Nehalem processors. For Java, running JVM on POWER7 is 73 percent better than JVM on x86 Nehalem.
The US federal government ingests a large amount of data. It has huge 10-20 PB data warehouses. In fact, the amount of GB received every year by the US federal government alone exceed the production of all disk drives produced by all drive manufacturers. This means that all data must be processed through "data reduction" or it is gone forever.
- Clod Barrera
The last keynote for Monday was given by Clod Barrera, IBM Distinguished Engineer and Chief Technical Strategist for System Storage. He started out shocking the audience with his view that the "disk drive industry is a train wreck". While R&D in disk drives enjoyed a healthy improvement curve up to about 2004, it has now slowed down, getting more difficult and more expensive to improve performance and capacity of disk drives. The rest of his presentation was organized around three themes:
- Integrated Stacks - while new-comers like Oralce/Sun and the VCE coalition are promoting the benefits of integrated stacks, IBM has been doing this for the past five decades. New advancements in Server and Storage virtualization provide exciting new opportunities.
- Integrated Systems - solutions like IBM Information Archive and SONAS, and new features like Easy Tier that help adopt SSD transparently. As it gets harder and harder to scale-up, IBM has moved to innovative scale-out architectures.
- Integrated Data Center management - companies are now realizing that management and governance are critical factors of success, and that this needs to be integrated between traditional IT, private, public and hybrid cloud computing.
This was a great inspiring start for what looks like an awesome week!
technorati tags: IBM, Technical University, Marlin Maddy, Roland Hagen, Doug Balog, Dave McQueeney, Clod Barrera, x86, eX5, FlexNode, Barack Obama, DHS, OLTP, DB2, POWER7, Oracle, JVM, Intel, Nehalem


text: (S) This course covers a wide range of topics necessary for all students in the field of Information Technology. It introduces the full implication of information systems, their types, and applications. Diffferent hardware and communication platforms are discussed. The course explores the internet and its applications. Integration of information technology, the operation of business organizations, and its impact on management, ethics, and decision making is presented. Prerequisite: COMP 241. (Odd Years Only).