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More than 11 alumni, accepted students and their families and representatives of St. John's University gathered at the Hilton Arlington in Arlington, VA on Thursday, April 23, 2009 for an accepted student enrollment reception. Invited high school seniors were given various perspectives from speakers on the University to aid them in their college choice for the fall.
Photo Gallery
Admissions representative James Cristiano welcomed guests and introduced Andrea Papa '88SVC, Associate Director of Student Engagement and Regional Programs in the Office of Alumni Relations. Papa provided attendees with an overview of the Alumni Insider's View program, highlighting the strength of the alumni network in the region.
The evening's alumni speakers were eagerly attended to by the audience as they shared their own stories and candid advice. Chris Goes '05C, '06G spoke about the Vincentian experience at St. John's and emphasized how supportive the University was to him, especially during his participation in community service programs.
Laura Cranston, R. Ph. '84P, member of the Board of Governors and Washington, DC Alumni Chapter leader, shared her personal story including details about her trip to Washington, DC with St. John's. She emphasized to students that getting involved while in college not only gives one social exposure but also helps in building strong connections that can be beneficial throughout life.
Other area alumni also stayed after the formal program was over to answer questions and share insight about the value of a St. John's education.


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Special guest Jim Coudal joins John Gruber to discuss Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey", The Deck network and the state of online advertising, and the just-completed Webstock conference in Wellington, New Zealand.
Clampants / collective / tags / film:director=stanley kubrick
Tagged with "film:director=stanley kubrick" (6)
Denied Permission for an Emergency Landing at Clavius
The 2001 Post | Squaremans
I work with an amazing team of creative people across many disciplines and because it's video games many of these people are younger than me and one of the things I've noticed about people in their 20s right now is that they don't have all the bullshit cultural baggage that the Baby Boomers and their kids (my generation) carried around. 2001: A Space Odyssey is famous for being impenetrable and a lot of people my age have this "screw that movie" attitude. they resent being challenged, reset the respect the movie gets. Something to do with entitlement, I think.
But the guys I work with, younger guys, their attitude is "that movie was weird, what was going on?" They know something's going on, they don't mind saying "I didn't get it" and they're curious. I love that. No cultural baggage, no chip on their shoulder. Open curiosity. Intellectual curiosity, artistic curiosity.
One day someone asks me if I've seen 2001 and then, when I said I had, they didn't say "did you like it?" They went straight to "what was that movie about? What was the Monolith? Why did HAL kill that guy?" and as I gave what I thought were my answers, this amazing dialog between me and a bunch of artists opened up and we all came away having noticed things and thought about things we hadn't before.
So I figured, hey, why not write it all down. But that was boring. What was fun was talking about it. So I decided to do a podcast of sorts. I started by writing, I'm a writer, but after a couple of paragraphs I said "this is stupid." It lacked the spontaneity of the original conversation so I just turned the mike on and started talking. That was surprisingly easy and this is the result.
Maybe someone will get a kick out of it, maybe someone will take it and do something interesting with it, put their own images to it, whatever. If there's a positive response, maybe I'll do more of these!
Edited version of the BOWIE2001
Fritz von Runte redesigns classic Bowie tracks and Kubrick's 2001 and join them together as BOWIE2001.
Stanley Kubrick Interview, 1966
Stanley Kubrick Interviewed by Jeremy Bernstein, 1966.
Tagged with stanley kubrick film director film:director=stanley kubrick
Tank Riot: Stanley Kubrick
Tagged with stanley kubrick film film:director=stanley kubrick
Heavy on the Clockwork Orange Please
For the follow-up to Sepultura's 2006 release Dante XXI, a concept album based on Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy," the band has concocted a new concept record about the Anthony Burgess novel and Stanley Kubrick film "A Clockwork Orange." The disc, A-Lex (out January 27), is Sepultura's first album not to feature co-founder Igor Cavalera, and marks the studio debut of new drummer Jean Dolabella. It was recorded in Sao Paulo, Brazil at Trama studios and was mixed at Mega Studios.

subset: commoncrawl


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Choosing our Future: Towards a New Social Contract
This Report which is issued jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Egypt and the Ministry of Planning and Local Development, is based on two important notions of change: A new 'social contract' whereby the state encourages further political, social and economic participation from civil society: by extending and integrating institutions that promote democratic practices and are accountable; by raising the quality of public goods and their delivery; and by developing policies that encourage private sector participation in development without adverse distributional effects in between-group share of overall wealth and a cultural and behavioural change such that the values of participation, entrepreneurship, innovation and transparency can prevail. This will require the creation and public dissemination of codes of conduct and accountability for public services, well-designed policies and programs for those basic public institutions that help shape values - schools and the media - the systematic public rewarding of independent thought, tolerance and social responsibility, and the promotion of gender equity. Year: 2005 |


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Tommy Marcinczyk can't help himself. And, because of that, the Middlesex junior inevitably does.
You see, Marcinczyk is passionate about defense. It shows in center field, where over the past three years, he's established himself as the measuring stick for patrolling the middle ground. Hitters with ideas of taking two as their long drives head to the gap routinely slow their sprint to a trot as they make a U-turn back to the dugout, thwarted by his reads and exceptional jumps to make improbable grabs.
And, that defensive mentality has a way of coming to the surface when he pitches. He seeks to operate in the lower third of the strike zone through his heady mix of two-seam fastballs and off-speed pitches, determined to roll hitters' hands in search of ground balls.
The approach would seem to put an onus on the infielders behind him to but Marcinczyk is simply unwilling to exclude himself from any defensive liability.
While second basemen Jeff Reinecke was the busiest, gobbling five of the 13 ground-ball outs recorded, Marcinczyk exhibited his athleticism on the mound to make a number of plays as well in a clean five-hit shutout that sparked third-seeded Middlesex to a 5-0 victory over sixth-seeded South Plainfield on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament at Community Park in North Brunswick.
"They have a lot of good hitters," Marcinczyk said of South Plainfield (18-8), which came in riding a 10-game winning streak powered by an offense that averaged 7.3 runs and 9.5 hits during the run. "I had to keep the ball down and jam them inside. I had faith in my infielders. It all worked out."
Marcinczyk, who was downright efficient in tossing a 72-pitch gem, set the tone right from the opening pitch, getting the dangerous Mark Tomei to ground out to Reinecke. Two pitches later, he got nearly an identical roller to Reinecke to record two quick outs and establish a rapid pace he never veered off of.
"The first thing I noticed was how well Tommy was keeping the ball down," said Reinecke, who had five assists. "I didn't expect to get that many balls hit my way but I was happy to make the plays."
The game cruised along to the bottom of the third with South Plainfield getting its own quality outing from right-hander Ryan Hughes. But, Kris Fellin led off with a bad-hop single the skipped over the shoulder of shortstop Ryan Marcoux. Tyler Heisch followed with a single to left in front of Kyle Dotey, whose sacrifice bunt led to a throwing error that enabled Fellin to hustle home with the game's first run. Marcinczyk then aided his cause with a sacrifice fly.
Dan Berardi padded the lead with an RBI single in the fifth and Middlesex (23-2) made it 5-0 in the sixth with a pair of unearned runs.
Marcinczyk experienced his only moment of modest concern in the sixth. Marcoux lined a one-out single and moved to second on a base hit by Tomei. A wild pitch advanced both runners one base but Marcinczyk ended the threat by snaring a line-drive comebacker and getting an inning-ending strikeout.
Marcinczyk had three assists, fanned three, walked none and avoided running a single count full on any of the 24 batters he faced.
"Tommy throws strikes and he's going to get outs," said Heisch, who went 2-3 with a walk and two runs scored. "I love his uptempo style. It always keeps you ready and awake."
Second baseman Steve Petriello finished 2-3 with a double for South Plainfield, which got just one baserunner as far as third base.
Middlesex advanced to the semifinal round at East Brunswick on Tuesday at 4 p.m. where it will face 10th-seeded Monroe (14-9), which got a two-hit shutout from Dan Marsh (5-2) to upset second-seeded Perth Amboy (18-5), 7-0. Frank D'Agostino launched his ninth homer of the season, a two-run blast, and Andrew Cohen added a three-run shot.


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The Navy Chair and the Emeco Company go hand in hand. Emeco was founded in 1944 to make Navy Chairs for submarines in World War Two, developing a rigorous 77-step process to make the strongest chairs on the planet. Emeco still uses that same process when it creates the Navy Collection of chairs and stools today.
The Emeco Navy Chair has been in continuous production since the 1940s. Composed of aluminum, 80 percent of which is recycled, and put together by one of the finest and most advanced metal-working workshops on earth, it's a wonder of engineering and modern design. It takes 77 steps to make the Navy Chair, as the famous line goes, and each and every step is vital to the complete success the chair has enjoyed for over 60 years. Built for the military, suited for everyone, indestructible and owner of the most impressive warranty in the furniture business, Smart Furniture is very proud to make the Navy Chair available to our customers. It is one of the most popular and critically lauded side chairs built in this century, and it has a legendary heritage, creative process, and story.
Immediately popular on release in 1944, the very height of the American war effort, the Emeco Navy Chair transcended the barriers of military and commercial life to become a ubiquitous product both at sea, where it was originally designed to serve on submarines, battleships and aircraft carriers, and on the mainland, where it became a fixture of offices, homes and boutiques. At that time period, most major American production facilities had turned their attention to making products for the army; in fact, many historians and economists agree that it was the tremendous and inspiring commitment to the war effort in conjunction with New Deal reforms that brought the country back from the Great Depression that began in 1929.
Aside from the connection to the war effort, the chief reasons for the Navy Chair's popularity was it's beautiful look and it's legendarily strong and durable construction. This is a chair you can't break; a chair made to withstand the worst of warfare on the open sea. Made of aluminum and constructed in a highly technical and precise system of 77 steps, the Navy Chair is actually three times as strong as steel. It's so strong that the creators of the chair, as well as the navy men who used them, claim it can withstand a torpedo blast. That's nothing to sniff at. Because of it's incredible strength and ingenious engineering, the chair is extremely durable.
Built for sea use, the material in the chair is highly resistant to corrosion of any kind. Knowing that a metal chair would be looked at warily from a Navy standpoint, this one was built to completely reject the effects of exposure to water. So confident are the makers of the Emeco Navy Chair that their product is the strongest, most durable side chair ever produced, they guarantee it for 150 years. That's right, this is a chair guaranteed to last you two lifetimes. The first Navy Chairs, produced in 1944, are now 66 years old, and show no signs of decay or rickety construction. The 77 step process, the material, and the goal of the chair all conspired to make it very nearly indestructible.
Of course, the make-up of the chair, it's incredible strength and durability, is only one part of the puzzle. The true allure of the chair rests more with it's simple beauty and usefulness. This is a chair of which you've seen many, many knock-offs. And there's a good reason; like the well-made steak and the elegantly mashed potatoes, it's bare-bones material construction gives way to something entirely winning and multi-purpose. It just works. It's comfortable, it's well-made, it lasts forever.
The sheen of the chair is attractive, and the simple but unique backing looks great. This is a chair where the chief design imperative, to make something the Navy could use, was never made too important to preclude the addition of elegance and beauty. For a a great, useful, modern, handsome side chair, you really can't go wrong with the clean lines and easy fit of the Emeco Navy Chair.
There's also an environmental aspect to the design of the Emeco Navy Chair. A chair that's built to last for 150 years is one that, if taken care of, is almost never ever thrown away. That cuts down significantly on the impact furniture has in the realm of landfills and waste management facilities. Go to any major landfill site and you can see the effects that tremendous amounts of waste are having on the environment.
Metallic objects have an even tougher time biodegrading, of course, and major pieces of furniture, when thrown away, often become real problems for the waste facilities that receive them. But more than just being long-lasting, this chair is also made up of 80 percent recycled material, and is itself recyclable. To use a phrase from Emeco, "now that's what we call sustainability." When you buy from Smart Furniture, incidentally, you're contributing to another eco-conscious furniture maker; SF works with environmentally aware companies to decease the footprint of business and consumer on the earth.
The design of the Emeco Navy Chair is multipurpose. It's so unique that critics and design lovers the world over have fixed on it as a breakthrough for modern design in America. It's so strong and durable that the United States Navy commissioned it for use on the high seas during the worst fighting in the Pacific Theater of World War II. It's so environmentally conscious that 80 percent of it can be responsibly disposed of, and 100 percent of it is guaranteed to last you and yours 150 years. It's so elegantly beautiful that you can find it nearly anywhere, from government buildings to boutiques, from offices to retail outlets.
It's such an inspiring work of cohesive construction and engineering that the design process takes 77 famous steps to adequately complete. A fixture of design for more than six decades, and seen in the boardroom, the office, the military, and nearly anywhere a side chair can be seen, this is a design that has, and that will, withstand the test of time. The Emeco Navy Chair is more than a great piece. It's an international classic.


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Vanderbilt Eye Institute
- Eye Institute
Home - Our Team
- Adult
Eye Care - Children's
Eye Care - Locations
- Eye Health Topics
- Research and
At the Vanderbilt Eye Institute, we strive to make life better for adults and children with eye conditions including glaucoma, vision loss and diseases of the retina. We treat patients from across Tennessee and the Southeast. Our doctors, researchers and support staff use the latest technologies and methods, and we conduct vital vision research that translates to better treatments.


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MaltaHotel.NET: we can't find that page!
You asked for http://www.maltahotel.net/tag/rokna, but despite our website looking very hard, we could not find it. What happened ?
- the link you clicked to arrive here has a typo in it
- or somehow we removed that page, or gave it another name
- or, quite unlikely for sure, maybe you typed it yourself and there was a little mistake ?


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RT @ThePlaylist: '12 Years A Slave' Leads Golden Globe Nominations http://t.co/XdUVookAHF via @theplaylist
Posted 4 minutes agoRT @JoannaVanderham: The 25 Best Breakthrough Performances Of 2013 — http://t.co/yGl6cKjgs8 #WhatMaisieKnew /by @ThePlaylist
Posted 8 minutes agoRT @ThePlaylist: Coens Say There's "A Good Chance" That 'Hail Caesar' With George Clooney Will Be Next http://t.co/NPQL1JJsrJ
Posted 11 minutes agoRT @ThePlaylist: We've picked and ranked our 15 favorite soundtracks from 2013: http://t.co/N4pnLaxAkR
Posted 12 minutes agoI know you can't tell but I'm rolling my eyes so hard right now an alternate timeline
This has been an exceptional year for docs, so putting this list together had to be hard. I would
The plot sounds really similar to Duncan Jones' Source Code...
Brooklyn 99 is a big surprise. The show is pretty funny, but it reminds me of Parks and Rec season
The TV noms are bullshit, I mean Orange is the new black, drama? And where the hell are the
Kate Winslet seriously? Surprised Adele Exarchopoulos didn't get nominated. Disappointing,
Great piece - wish you had done the duellists -it's been a while for me too but I remember it
I totally agree..many slight changes are made from the original versions .but I've already have


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Dave Navarro Search Results
Dave Navarro | Celebrity | Wonderwall - MSN
Everything you ever wanted to know about Dave Navarro on Wonderwall.com, the fun interactive celebrity destination from ...WonderwallCelebritweets of the Week | Gallery | Wonderwall
"The only good thing about waking up this early is catching Contessa Brewer on MSNBC" -- Dave Navarro , who we never ...WonderwallReview: Jane's Addiction still rocking on new CD | Story ...
The band — which added bassist and songwriter Dave ... guitarist Dave Navarro and drummer Stephen Perkins — opens ...WonderwallDave Matthews | Celebrity | Wonderwall - MSN
Everything you ever wanted to know about Dave Matthews on Wonderwall.com, the fun interactive celebrity destination ...WonderwallCarmen Electra, 40, Is Looking for Love Again on The Choice ...
Electra then married Dave Navarro in November 2003 and starred on MTV's reality show, 'Till Death Do Us Part: Carmen & ...WonderwallNewly Single Kristen Stewart Steps Out With Friends in L.A ...
--Holly Madison loving a photo of Dave Navarro that was taken by Denise Truscello at the Rock Paper Photo gallery at ...WonderwallCeleb dudes who wear makeup | Gallery | Wonderwall
Why yes, that is Dave Navarro. And not only is he rocking bright blue nail polish, but he is also wearing some heavy ...WonderwallHookup Rumor du Jour: Simon Cowell Cozies Up to Carmen Electra ...
... or if Carmen encouraged him to get some body ink so he'd be more in line with her ex-husbands, Dennis Rodman and ...WonderwallCeleb birthdays for the week of June 3-9 | Story | Wonderwall
Bassist Stefan Lessard of The Dave Matthews Band is 38. ... Guitarist Dave Navarro is 45. Actress Helen Baxendale ...WonderwallCelebrities tweet responses to Winehouse's death | Story ...
... hear about Amy Winehouse! My deepest condolences to her friends and family and fans. You will be missed Amy xoxox" ...Wonderwall
From Videos of Wonderwall
From Crowd Ignite


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Friday December 13, 2013
3rd Annual Teddy Bear Suite, enter a magical place filled with teddy bears of all shapes and sizes. See furry friends old and new. Proceeds benefit Martha's Vineyard Boys & Girls Club.
Friday December 13, 2013
Handmade From the Heart presented by Hospice of Martha's Vineyard holds open house with champagne and treats from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Dr. Daniel Fisher House in Edgartown.
Friday December 13, 2013
African Artists Project presentation and reception with short slideshow illustrating work of the African Artists Community Development Project. Handmade crafts. Begins at 5 p.m.
Saturday December 14, 2013
Holiday Cheer & Coffee for a Cause from 8 a.m. to noon enjoy coffee or hot chocolate, free samples, singing and holiday cheer.
Saturday December 14, 2013
22nd Annual Plum Hill School Elves' Faire with gingerbread house decorating, candle-making and more. Silent auction and iPad Air and Island-made wooden play kitchen raffle at 3 p.m.
Holiday Gift Show features local treasures, clothing, jewelry and edible gifts. Proceeds benefit efforts to end domestic violence. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 129 Indian Hill in West Tisbury.
Saturday December 14, 2013 to Sunday December 15, 2013
Cape Pogue Sleigh Rides meet at the Chappy Ferry for a ride to beautiful spots on Chappy. Hot chocolate and blankets provided. Fees are $12 to $25 and benefit The Trustees of Reservations.
Saturday December 14, 2013
Visit with Santa bring your camera for photo of your child and Santa. Cost is $5 with proceeds benefitting Rising Tide for Autism. From noon to 2 p.m. at the Kelley House in Edgartown.
Saturday December 14, 2013
Cookie Tasting Contest at Espresso Love where you can taste and vote for your favorite cookie. Entry fee benefits the winner's choice charity. From 2 to 5 p.m. at Espresso Love in Edgartown.
Sunday December 15, 2013
Exercise for Free from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Mansion House in Vineyard Haven. A walk-in pass will be donated to Big Brothers/Big Sisters for every new club visitor. Call 508-693-2200.


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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
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published: Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Special to the News-Sun SEBRING – A 25-year veteran law enforcement officer who spent 12 of those years with the Avon Park Police Department and recently joined the Highlands County Sheriff's Office has died. Deputy Sheriff Kevin Megno collapsed at his home Tuesday night. He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The cause of his death is not officially determined at this time; however, there is no indication of any foul play. Detectives were called as in any case of an unattended death. Megno served in law enforcement in his home state of Maine before coming to Avon Park. When the Sheriff's Office began providing primary law enforcement services for the city, Megno continued to service as a School Resource Deputy at Avon Park Middle School and as the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) instructor for the kids in the Avon Park area elementary schools. Megno served his community with pride and was devoted to the children he protected and counseled on a daily basis. Sheriff Susan Benton says, "Deputy Megno truly loved his job, he told me so just a couple of weeks ago when I stopped by the middle school to see how things were going and to ask him if he had everything he needed to do his job. His office was covered with posters and positive messages for young folks about staying drug free, avoiding violence, internet safety and many, many other messages letting kids know how special they are. I could feel the positive energy in his office and knew right away that having Deputy Megno at that school was a good decision. I only wish he had more time; time to continue serving and making the difference in the lives of kids." No schedule for services has been made at this time.
A wonderful man (by: Amy - 12/6/2012)
Goodbye old man. I loved you so much. Even though your son and I divorced I knew you would always be there for me. I thank god I got to see you a few weeks ago. You were a amazing man, father, pepe, and police officer. My heart goes out to Debbie his wife, his family, and everyone who has ever had the honor of meeting him. Good bye I love you. RIP
Kevin Mengo (by: Debby Macalino - 12/6/2012)
I grew up in same town as Kevin I and knew him well .My thoughts are with Kevins family I knew his maine family well I never met his Florida family but my thoughts are with all of you during this sad time he was a wonderful man he will be missed by everyone who knew him everyone liked him he could always make you laugh ... RIP Kevin .......
Condolences to the family! (by: JS - 12/6/2012)
So sad to here about Officer Megno. Prayers sent to the family, I hope God seeks them threw this and gives them all the strength they need to get threw this tragic incident. God Bless!
Kevin Megno (by: Jennifer Lyons - 12/5/2012)
Just want to say I grew up with Kevin, graduated from high school with him. He was a good friend to all and will be missed by many. I always looked forward to whatever he was posting every day and will miss hearing from him. RIP Kevin. We all love you. <3
Cause (by: broken - 12/5/2012)
Does it really matter what the cause was?? The only variable that matters is that the residents and law enforcement community has suffered an enormous loss. To those who had the privelage to know Kevin, your in my thoughts and prayers. He will be truly missed!
RIP (by: Ofc. Dan Franklin BGPD - 12/5/2012)
My prayers go out the friends and family of Deputy Megno. I worked in a different division than him at APPD years ago. He gave me excellent advice and treated everybody with respect. He was also one hell of a cop. He had some of the best old school police stories to. He will be missed by all.
One of Highlands Finest! (by: Blindman - 12/5/2012)
Ty for your service Deputy Mengo. God bless you, Highlands County, the State of Florida , and the USA!
In my thoughts and prayers (by: Joey P. - 12/5/2012)
Heart attack? (by: TKS - 12/5/2012)
That's what we're hearing.
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As the House of Representatives did last month, the Senate passed the trade deal after significant modifications negotiated by the Democratic leadership on labor, the environment, and intellectual property rules affecting access to medicines. These revisions took an important step toward making trade work for people living in poverty but remain insufficient to overcome the agreement's adverse effects on development and poverty reduction in Peru, according to Oxfam.
"The Peru FTA fails to address development needs as one of its core objectives and locks in an uneven playing field between the US and Peru,"
>said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. "Although the Democratic leadership worked hard to make this agreement better, its provisions on agriculture and investment will do more harm than good for farmers, workers and consumers in Peru."

The agreement fails to take into account US agriculture subsidies, according to Oxfam, meaning that Peru's small farmers will face massive dumping of subsidized farm products on their market.
"By fully opening Peru's markets to subsidized US agricultural products, this trade agreement will destroy our domestic agriculture, threaten our food security and increase social problems," said Luis Zúñiga, president of the National Convention of Peruvian Agriculture (Conveagro). "Farmers'
>demands for greater public investment in and modernization of the agricultural sector have gone unmet over many years, but now our needs will be far greater and the threat to our livelihoods far worse."

"The agreement provides special rights for foreign investors who want to operate in Peru at the expense of weakened ability on the part of the government to establish laws that promote social welfare and a better distribution of wealth," according to Pedro Francke, a Peruvian expert on social policy to combat poverty and former director of the health organization FOROSALUD. "In spite of the modifications made to the intellectual property rules of the agreement, provisions remain that will make it more difficult for Peru to promote access to affordable medicines."
Civil society organizations in Peru are urging strong vigilance and monitoring of measures required for Peru to implement its obligations in the new trade deal, particularly those included by the Democratic leadership. "We need broad public debate on all legislative and regulatory changes in Peru to allow diverse voices to be heard, particularly those who stand to be adversely affected," said Alejandra Alayza, director of the Peruvian Network for Globalization with Equity. "It is fundamental to ensure that reforms in the areas of labor rights, environmental protection, and intellectual property rules fully incorporate all rights and obligations in accordance with the modifications to the agreement."
"This deal could be a serious blow to Peru's 14 million inhabitants who live in poverty, most of them in rural areas where agriculture is the main source of income," continued Offenheiser. "The bottom line is that this trade agreement's adverse effects on Peruvians will outweigh its limited benefits, which will primarily accrue to a limited group of exporters, whose current duty-free access to the US under the Andean Trade Preferences Act will be made permanent."
]]>"Bali has for the first time drawn up a roadmap for all countries to tackle climate change. But a handful of powerful countries have relegated the overwhelming scientific evidence to a footnote. The Bush Administration—dragging Canada, Japan and Russia in tow—has thrown away the compass and is trying to force us all to take the journey in a gas-guzzling 4x4, not the solar-powered speedster that the world urgently needs."
"The Bali result sets the stage for addressing fairness—all countries will have to limit emissions. But rich countries will have to kick the carbon habit first and poor countries need to see them do it. A door has been held opened for the US to join. The danger is that developing countries will be forced through the same door."
"Without a clear range for the global emissions cuts needed, this deal fails to keep us from the brink of exceeding 2°C of warming. Far from the negotiating halls of Bali, poor people waist-high in floods and children malnourished by failed harvests will demand to know, why did world leaders not see what we face and act urgently to stop it?"
"This outcome is a clear call to the citizens of the United States, Canada, Japan and Russia. Demand more. Only you can push your governments to deliver justice for poor people facing the next drought, flood or cyclone."
"Developing countries came to Bali ready to talk, willing to listen, but also demanding to be heard. A handful of the richest nations—led by the Bush Administration—have rebuffed their will and sapped the strength of what Bali had to offer. It's a deep insult to the world's poorest people."
"All the countries of the world are now united around delivering the Bali Roadmap by 2009, despite repeated US moves to hollow out these talks. But the level of ambition in the agreement still does not match the urgent need. The cost of not going far enough will be felt a long way from the air-conditioned halls of this luxury hotel. It will be paid in poor countries, by women and men forced to reap the failed harvests of our collective inaction."
"At long last the UN climate talks have started to grapple with the devastating impacts climate change is already having on the world's poorest people. Coping with these impacts comes at a price that rich polluters must pay. Under pressure from developing countries, Bali has delivered clear progress: a fund for adaptation is now in place and all countries agree that more money must be raised. But with estimated costs exceeding $50 billion annually, we now need to see rich countries put some serious money forward."
]]>"It's good to see Starbucks finally coming to the table, which they initially refused to do," said Seth Petchers, coffee lead for Oxfam International's Make Trade Fair campaign. "Starbucks now says it won't block the initiative, but what it hasn't said is how it will actively support Ethiopia's stated efforts to obtain trademarks for its coffees which will bring added benefits to poor farmers."
After initially dismissing Ethiopia's plan to trademark its specialty coffees, Starbucks, which came under international pressure from campaigners, has now said it is ready to recognize Ethiopia's right to pursue this path.
Ethiopian officials have said Ethiopia will continue to pursue the trademarking and licensing initiative and hopes to enter in to partnership with Starbucks and other companies through negotiated licensing agreements. These would recognize Ethiopia's ownership of the coffee names and allow them to get a fairer share of the profits for their producers. Ethiopia has obtained a trademark in the US for its Yirgacheffe coffee.
Oxfam and other partners have supported the trademarking initiative as a way to pass down more of the value of coffee sales to poor producers who typically receive a tiny percentage of final sale price, and struggle to make a living.
On February 15 Starbucks announced initiatives to benefit coffee farmers in Ethiopia including funding for a quality improvement project and increased coffee purchases in East Africa. While the additional purchases and support are beneficial, these initiatives fail to address the fundamental rights issue at hand. What the Ethiopians have asked coffee roasters to do is recognize Ethiopia's right to control and share in the value of the country's specialty coffee names through trademarks.
"As a market leader, Starbucks should take concrete steps that the Ethiopian government has called for, including reaching an agreement that recognizes Ethiopia's legal ownership of its coffee names," continued Petchers.
]]>How could the payment limits reform amendment lose despite a vote of 56-43 in favor of the amendment? Under rules agreed to by the Senate leadership, key amendments that would have reformed a broken farm safety net system required a 60 vote margin for passage.
Offenheiser criticized the Senate's decision to change the rules for this and other key reform measures. "Despite the fact that a majority of Senators voted for reforming a bloated and unfair federal farm subsidy system, no reform was adopted."
"Opponents of farm policy reform are out of step with Americans and even with the majority of their colleagues. So, they rigged the rules for this key vote to ensure that despite majority support, it would not be adopted. This decision to change the rules speaks volumes about the real commitment to change by the Senate Democratic leadership. It is all talk but little action."
"The consequences of this vote and the Senate's decision yesterday to reject the larger reform measure offered by Senators Lugar and Lautenberg, mean that US farm policy will continue to benefit the rich over the poor, both in the United States and abroad."
"Relatively few US farmers participate in farm programs. Yet, for those who do, the benefits flow largely to a small minority of producers in states whose elected officials fiercely protect their handouts from their seats on the agriculture committees in the House and the Senate. While few would have expected reform to come from these committees, it was reasonable to believe that the new Democratic leadership in the House and the Senate would have advocated reforms consistent with their message of change. Sadly, we have seen that this is not the case in either body of the Congress."
"Just as the US has rigged its trading rules to benefit large corporate farms at the expense of developing countries and farmers who struggle to survive on a dollar a day, the Senate elected to rig the rules for voting on essential farm policy reforms so that no reform was possible. Family farmers in the US, impoverished families abroad who are dependent upon agriculture to survive, and American taxpayers who foot the bill for unnecessary US farm subsidies will ultimately pay the price".
]]>"While Oxfam welcomes critical new investments in nutrition, conservation and renewable energy, the Farm Bill approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee today failed to reform our unfair and broken system of commodity subsidies that undercut farmers and rural economies at home and abroad. Unless the rest of the Senate intervenes, our taxpayer dollars will continue to encourage excess production, reduce world market prices and undermine the livelihoods of millions of small farmers around the world.
"Cotton subsidies maintained by the Agriculture Committee are especially troubling, with just 12,000 farms receiving up to three billion dollars in subsidies annually. These subsidies have a devastating effect on poor cotton farmers around the world. Failure to reform these trade-distorting subsidies will mean that those who don't need subsidies in the United States continue to benefit at the taxpayers' expense while those who need the most help—the 10 million people in West Africa for whom cotton is their only source of income—suffer more. Cotton is often the only source of cash income for these families, most of them living on less than $1 a day.
"Not only is this unfair, it is in violation of existing trade rules. Just last week, the WTO confirmed that the US hasn't done enough to reform its cotton subsidies in a longstanding dispute with Brazil. Most shockingly, the Committee bill reinstates a new version of the contentious Step 2 export subsidy that was done away with by the last Congress. Failure to reform our cotton program leaves our agriculture and other sectors vulnerable to significant retaliation from our trade partners and undermines American farmers' access critical to overseas markets.
"While doing little to nothing to address the needs of the global poor, Chairman Harkin and the members of the Agriculture Committee did make incremental improvements to address inequities faced by farmers of color here at home. This bill would provide a host of critical provisions beneficial to socially-disadvantaged producers—though more work needs to be done to ensure that the funding for these provisions is mandatory.
"Oxfam commends Senator Lugar for standing bravely against the status quo during the Committee mark-up by offering an amendment to require corrective action for any commodity program found in violation of WTO rules. Senator Lugar withdrew his amendment when Chairman Harkin offered to address the issue in his manager's amendment. Though a good first step, the Senate must be prepared to address the issue on the Senate floor. Failure to do so will continue this gross inequity while endangering the future of other US trade agreements. We hope that the full Senate is prepared to lead where others have failed thus far."
]]>Scarlett has met with children in the slums and at schools in Delhi and learned about the need for basic education, healthcare and about the issues of violence against women.
Scarlett has travelled with Oxfam to learn more about its campaigning work with poor people, how local communities in India are campaigning for change and how Western governments must be more responsive to the needs of developing countries.
Currently 100 million children are out of school worldwide; the majority of those are girls, and thousands die each day from preventable diseases. In India, 40 percent of girls and 25 percent of boys will never complete a basic education.
Oxfam's South Asia Regional Director, Ashvin Dayal, said it was very important that Scarlett was part of the call to end poverty.
"We are delighted that Scarlett is supporting Oxfam and our work to help end global poverty," Dayal said. "High-profile support helps us to raise awareness of these issues and urge governments and leaders worldwide to act."
"Getting children into school and making sure everyone has access to basic healthcare are crucial tools in the fight against poverty."
"In Utter Pradesh alone, 70% girls have never enrolled in a school. Despite the huge strides that have been made by the Government of India on education in recent years, India is still home to the largest out of school population in the world today."
For further information contact Lyndsay Cruz: +1 (562) 331-0698
Oxfam America is a member of the international confederation Oxfam, a confederation of 14 organizations working together with over 3,000 partners in more than 90 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty, suffering and injustice.
]]>"This figure represents quite an insult, to be frank, given that the least developed countries will need at least $1-2 billion to meet just their most urgent adaptation needs," said report author Charlotte Sterrett. Oxfam calls on rich countries gathering in Bali for the 13th UN conference on climate change to honour their promises and increase their commitments to pay adaptation costs.
"Bali needs to tackle both cause and effect equally. Even if the world stopped polluting today, the worsening impacts of climate change will be with us for 30 years or more. That's why it is so vital that rich countries help developing countries to cope now. This would also signal their genuine intent to tackle the problem," she said.
"Oxfam wants to see negotiators in Bali set a plan for identifying new finance-raising mechanisms, so that vulnerable communities in developing countries will have the resources and support they need to plan for and protect themselves from the worst impacts of climate change. This is not about aid, it is about the world's biggest and richest polluters covering the costs forced upon those who are most vulnerable," she said.
Oxfam estimates that adapting to climate change in developing countries is likely to cost at least $50 billion each year, and far more if global greenhouse-gas emissions are not cut fast enough. Further, Oxfam estimates that it will cost at least $1-2 billion to meet the most urgent and immediate adaptation needs of the least developed countries. Yet current pledges to the Least Developed Countries Fund, set up specifically for this purpose, have reached a mere $163 million—less than half of what the UK is investing in cooling the London Underground—and worse, only $67m has actually been delivered.
In addition to identifying new funding sources for the Adaptation Fund—the largest potential source of funds for climate adaptation in poor countries—Oxfam is calling for a decision on management of the Fund that puts poor countries first as well as a post-2012 negotiation that puts adaptation on an equal footing with the urgent mitigation agenda.
The report highlights the injustice that poor countries are already paying the price of industrial growth in rich countries, which has brought about global warming. Vulnerable communities are already suffering food and water shortages and worsening poverty because of unpredictable weather patterns and increasing weather-related crises, brought about by climate change.
In Niger, changed rainfall patterns are contributing to worsening desertification which for indigenous people like the Tuareg and the Wodaabe means massive losses in livestock and food insecurity. In Tuvalu, a small island nation in the Pacific, strong winds and high tides regularly crash against damaged sea walls, bringing waves and debris onto the land, inundating homes and ruining fresh water supplies. In Bolivia, rising temperatures are causing more and bigger forest fires which is damaging agriculture.
"Most people in poor countries rely on natural resources from the land and sea for their survival. Therefore people from an agrarian society like Cambodia for example, who are least responsible for causing global warming, are being hardest hit by it," said Sterrett.
The Cambodian government was one of the first to submit a National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) and awaits final approval from the Least Developed Country fund, set up by the UNFCCC in 2002. Author of Cambodia's NAPA and project manager of the Climate Change Office in Phnom Phen, Tin Ponlok, says: "Unfortunately, UN negotiations in the past have focused more on mitigation, with adaptation receiving much less attention. This trend must be reversed. We need tangible support—not just talk, not just negotiations."
]]>The study, one of the first of its kind after the US reformed a controversial export subsidy program called "Step 2," estimates by how much farmer incomes in West Africa could actually increase after further subsidy reform, and what these gains would mean in practical terms for a typical West African cotton farmer's household.
"Previous studies my colleagues and I have done clearly show the trade distorting effects of US cotton subsidies by lowering the world price of cotton, with results at the aggregate level," said Daniel Sumner, Director of the University of California Agricultural Issues Center, Professor with the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at University of California, Davis, and one of the authors of the Oxfam report. "But these new numbers show that even a modest increase in the world price of cotton that only partly reaches the farmer could greatly improve the daily lives of some of the world's poorest people, and could literally mean that millions of poor people could be fed."
A typical cotton producing household in West Africa has about 10 family members, an average life expectancy of about 48 years and an adult literacy rate of less than 25 percent. Cotton is often the only source of cash income for these families who live on less than $1 a day per person. Added income from increased cotton prices could make a world of difference, according to Oxfam. The study found that with a complete removal of US cotton subsidies, the world price of cotton would increase by 6-14%, prices that West African farmers would receive for their cotton would increase by 5-12%, and household income would increase by 2.3 to 5.7%. This increase would result in additional income that could cover all health care costs of four to ten individuals for an entire year, or schooling costs for one to ten children, or a one year supply of food for one or two children.
"This data clearly exposes the hypocrisy of our policies, giving international aid with one hand and taking with the other through unfair trade rules," said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. "With Congress looking at the Farm Bill right now, and renewed interest in the Doha round, this study shows how reform could help millions of poor people who are ready to lift themselves out of poverty through farming and fair trade."
Because American producers get more federal subsidies with each additional bushel they produce, current farm programs encourage overproduction with the surplus dumped on the international market, lowering prices and undercutting the livelihoods of millions of poor farmers around the world. This situation is not only unfair, but it is also illegal under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. In a case brought on by Brazil, a WTO dispute panel found in 2004 that $3.2 billion in annual cotton subsidies and $1.6 billion in export credits paid by the US in cotton and other commodities went against international trade rules. While the US acted to remove export subsidies as a result of the case, not much movement has taken place to reduce other trade-distorting cotton subsidies, leaving the US vulnerable to possible retaliation by Brazil.
"Any delay in reforming the US subsidy program would signal to our trading partners that the US is not serious about a new global trade agreement and, most importantly, would mean continued suffering for millions of poor African farmers who are undermined by US subsidies and dumping." continued Offenheiser. "Reforming the Farm Bill provides us with the opportunity to help more American farmers, reduce the harm of trade distorting subsidies for poor farmers overseas, and put the US in a stronger position in future international trade negotiations.
]]>Oxfam applauds Chairmen Charles Rangel and Sander Levin for spearheading the effort to scale back the "TRIPS-plus" rules currently included in FTAs with Colombia, Peru and Panama, which go far beyond existing intellectual property rules at the World Trade Organization. Media reports however, indicate that the pharmaceutical industry has been actively lobbying against any such changes in intellectual property rules, arguing it would undermine the goal of getting medicines to developing countries. Yet new Oxfam research refutes such claims.
In a recently-released study entitled "All Costs, No Benefits: How the US-Jordan FTA Affects Access to Medicines," Oxfam highlights new data from the five years in which the US FTA with Jordan has been in effect to show that TRIPS-plus rules have contributed to a significant increase in medicine prices in Jordan.
"Medicine prices have increased 20% in Jordan since the free trade agreement was signed in 2001, and higher medicine prices are now threatening the sustainability of government public health programs," said Stephanie Burgos, Trade Policy Advisor for Oxfam America. "At the same time, higher levels of intellectual property protection have done nothing to improve foreign direct investment, enhance local research and development, or increase accessibility of new medicines."
In particular, Oxfam found that one TRIPS-plus measure, data exclusivity, delayed generic competition in Jordan for 79% of medicines newly launched by 21 multinational pharmaceutical companies between 2002 and mid-2006, medicines that would have otherwise been available in an affordable generic form. Best selling medicines to treat diabetes and heart disease in Jordan now cost anywhere from two to six times more than in Egypt, a neighboring country without TRIPS-plus rules preventing generic competition, according to the report.
Data exclusivity is a new system of monopoly power, separate from patents, that blocks the marketing approval of generic medicines for five or more years. Drug regulatory authorities are prevented from using the clinical trial data of the patented medicine to show the safety and efficacy of an equivalent generic drug, thereby delaying or preventing generic competition. Other TRIPS-plus intellectual property rules that should be removed from FTAs include patent extensions and linkage of the patent status with marketing approval, prohibiting the registration of generic medicines until the patent has expired. These rules delay the introduction of affordable, generic medicines and have a detrimental effect on access to medicines for the poorest.
"Congressional Democrats have done well to listen to concerns raised for years by public health and development advocates that stringent new intellectual property rules will limit access to affordable medicines," said Burgos. "Now we have clear evidence that as a result of data exclusivity measures in Jordan, additional expenditures are required by both the public health system and individuals for many new medicines needed to treat numerous non-communicable diseases that are leading causes of death and disability in that country. This is an opportunity for the Administration to take heed and remove TRIPS-plus provisions from current and future trade deals."
]]>"Congratulations to our Ethiopian coffee farming partners and to Starbucks on an agreement that recognizes Ethiopians' right to control the use of their specialty coffee brands," said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. "This agreement represents a business approach in step with 21st-century standards in its concern for rights rather than charity and for greater equity in supply chains rather than short term profits."
Eight months ago Oxfam began working to raise awareness of Ethiopians' efforts to gain control over their fine coffee brands. Today, Starbucks has honored its commitments to Ethiopian coffee farmers by becoming one of the first in the industry to join the innovative Ethiopian trademarking initiative.
"Harnessing market forces and allowing poor countries to benefit from intellectual property rights are keys to creating fairer and more equitable trade," continued Offenheiser. "In a modern economy, companies must bring their business models in line with the demands of good corporate citizenship, which goes beyond traditional philanthropic approaches to dealing with poverty."
Nearly three years ago, Ethiopia's coffee sector launched a plan to take better advantage of its intellectual property. The country applied for the trademark registrations of its specialty coffee brands in the United States, Canada, and other countries. At the same time, Ethiopia began negotiating with coffee roasters to sign agreements acknowledging the right of Ethiopians to control these brands.
"With this agreement, Ethiopians can build the value of their coffees and farmers can capture a greater share of the retail price," Offenheiser concluded. "This should help improve the lives of millions of poor farmers, allowing them to send their children to school and access health care."
According to a press release issued by Ethiopia and Starbucks today, the agreement allows Starbucks to use and promote these coffee brands in markets both where trademarks exist for the brands as well as where they may not, in accordance with agreed terms and conditions negotiated with Ethiopia. Currently Ethiopia has successfully registered trademarks in Canada, the European Union, the United States and Japan.
In October 2006, Oxfam kicked off an international campaign to encourage Starbucks and other roasters to engage with Ethiopia directly on the trademarking initiative. Since then, more than 96,000 supporters have called on Starbucks to sign a licensing agreement. Their emails, faxes, phone calls, postcards, and in-store visits helped bring global attention to the issue.
Oxfam encourages the development of innovative market-based strategies to gain more benefits from trade. The Ethiopians' strategy on coffee is particularly noteworthy because they are seeking to use trademarks – a part of the modern intellectual property system – to benefit poor farmers.
]]>"It is important for us as retail jewelers to do all practically in our power to adhere to the principles of the No Dirty Gold campaign. It is the 'right thing to do' for our community, our customers, as well as the world environment," said Jonathan Bridge, co-CEO of Seattle-based Ben Bridge Jeweler.
"By signing onto the Golden Rules, these jewelry retailers have burnished their reputations as industry leaders. Customers in Paris and mining-affected communities in Peru alike will take note of their support for improved mining practices," said Payal Sampat of environmental organization EARTHWORKS and co-director of the No Dirty Gold campaign. More than 55,000 consumers worldwide have signed a pledge calling on jewelers and mining companies to provide an alternative to "dirty" gold.
"The message from the jewelry industry is clear—there is an emerging consensus that "dirty" gold will not be tolerated," said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America, an international relief and development organization and co-founder of the No Dirty Gold campaign.
The campaign also added the Target Corporation, the Minnesota-based retailer, to its laggards list. Target has fallen behind these industry leaders by not making the same formal commitments, despite the campaign's repeated efforts to win the company's support. No Dirty Gold activists across the country are calling Target stores to lobby the company on its gold sourcing policy. Many are also hosting house parties to send hand-made Valentines to Target CEO Robert Ulrich, urging him to demonstrate the company's commitment to communities and the environment by signing on to the Golden Rules.
"Unfortunately, Target is still off the mark," said Offenheiser. "We urge Target to join industry leaders in formally committing to the human rights and environmental criteria outlined in the Golden Rules."
Last year, the following eight companies endorsed the Golden Rules on Valentine's Day, one of the biggest jewelry-buying holidays in the United States. These companies are: Zale Corp., the Signet Group (the parent firm of Sterling and Kay Jewelers), Tiffany & Co., Helzberg Diamonds, Fortunoff, Cartier, Piaget, and Van Cleef & Arpels.
More than 80 percent of the gold in the U.S. is used to make jewelry. U.S. retail jewelry sales were an estimated $55 billion in 2005, of which gold jewelry accounted for nearly $18 billion, or one-third of the total. The 19 companies together represent about $12 billion in retail jewelry sales, or 22 percent of total jewelry sales in the United States, which is second only to India in annual gold consumption.
Austin, Texas-based Commemorative Brands, manufacturers of Balfour, ArtCarved and Keystone class rings, is the first class rings company to sign onto the Golden Rules.
"Our primary customers—college and high school students—make up a generation firmly committed to supporting brands that take corporate social responsibility seriously," said Matt Gase, Commemorative's General Manager. "By supporting the No Dirty Gold campaign's Golden Rules, we hope to reflect the values of the many students around the country who have a deep commitment to human rights and the environment."
Luxury jeweler Birks & Mayors became the first retailer based in Canada to sign onto the Golden Rules, motivated in part by the need to protect the ecological and cultural integrity of the Canadian Boreal Forest which is at risk from mining.
The jewelry sector's increased awareness of mining's impacts has spurred the creation of a multi-stakeholder group of retailers, mining companies, and NGOs called the Initiative for Responsible Mining (IRMA). IRMA will seek to establish best practice standards for mining operations, as well as a system to independently verify compliance with those standards.
The production of a single gold ring generates, on average, 20 tons of waste. Gold mining has caused massive environmental destruction, contaminated fisheries and fresh water, and displaced tens of thousands of communities around the world. Approximately half the gold produced worldwide between 1995 and 2015 has or will come from indigenous peoples' lands. For more information, please visit www.nodirtygold.org.
For interviews with No Dirty Gold campaign and jewelry sector spokespeople, or for more information, please contact: Harlin Savage, Resource Media, (720) 564-0500, ext. 11, email: email@example.com or Helen DaSilva, Oxfam America, (617) 331-2984, email: email@example.com.
Note: Statements in this press release from retailers are provided for the information of journalists and do not imply endorsement of the entire release by the individuals quoted therein.
Company | U.S. Jewelry Sales (in millions), 2005 |
Wal-Mart | $2700 |
Sterling | $2309* |
Zale Corp. | $2178** |
Tiffany & Co. | $1220 |
JC Penney | $1200 |
Sears Roebuck & Co. | $1050 |
Finlay Fine Jewelry | $990 |
Helzberg Diamonds | $520 |
Fred Meyer Jewelers | $455 |
* Does not include $845.5 in UK sales.
** Does not include $204.9 in CAN sales.
]]>"Seeking Common Grounds" builds on policy proposals first made in May, 2006 by Oxfam and 12 coffee-producing and civil society organizations from around the globe. The overarching themes of those reforms include enhancing participation by small-scale coffee farmers in the international debate; promoting economic, social, and environmental sustainability; and providing tools for small-scale farmers to compete in challenging and changing markets.
The new Oxfam report notes that while "the price of coffee has improved since its 2001 crash, many small-scale farmers and farmworkers lack the resources to take advantage of the improved market conditions and remain vulnerable to the boom and bust cycles of the coffee market. Far from an occasion for complacency, the current debate on the future of the ICA should be an opportunity to affect urgently needed changes."
The working group is scheduled to meet again in March, and will present its final recommendations in May, 2007.
]]>"The President's budget on agriculture seems to move us in the direction of a safety net for America's farmers that is more aligned with international trade rules," said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. "While we believe these reforms could be improved, we applaud the general approach and encourage Congress to move further down the road to reform. Current programs are doing little to help most of America's farmers and rural communities while hurting poor farmers in developing countries."
The President's request for greater flexibility in distributing emergency food assistance is also a step welcomed by Oxfam. Currently, food aid is sent to emergencies from the US, often at great expense in cost and shipping time. By allowing for a portion of the U.S. food aid budget to be used to purchase food locally or regionally, emergency food assistance would be available faster, cheaper, and more appropriately for those who need it.
"The key in responding to food emergencies is flexibility, and humanitarian staff on the ground must have all food aid response tools at their disposal, including local and regional purchase" said Offenheiser. "The President's proposal will result in an increase the speed and volume of food made available during certain crises, which will result in many more hungry people being fed."
Oxfam criticized the absence of funding prioritization for Gulf Coast recovery in the President's Budget proposal. Needs of homeowners have only recently begun to be addressed and funds continue to be well short of rebuilding costs, while those families who were living in the over 100,000 rental homes damaged by the 2005 storms continue to be severely neglected.
"The disappearance of the Gulf Coast recovery as a national priority, so stark in its absence in the President's State of the Union Address, is again apparent in the President's FY'08 budget, which includes no new funding for housing recovery," said Offenheiser. "While the lack of words was distressing, the lack of funds is even more so. Local communities and volunteers from all over the country working to rebuild know the disaster is far from over. The recovery can not and should not be carried by them alone. Housing the hundreds of thousands of hurricane survivors on the Gulf Coast will take real and sustained federal commitment, measured in both words and funds."
While the President's overall request for foreign operations is higher than it was last year, Oxfam notes that the increase in some accounts may be coming at the expense of others.
"Presidential initiatives are intended to be in addition to current levels of foreign assistance, not a substitute for them," said Offenheiser. "With continued need for humanitarian assistance in regions like Darfur and eastern Congo, the shift of resources from the International Disaster Assistance and Famine Account (IDFA) account to the Economic Support Fund (ESF) account is deeply troubling."
"We applaud the members of Congress, particularly Congresswoman Lowey (D-NY) and Senator Leahy (D-VT), who consistently appropriate funding for the African Union to protect the people of Darfur. In a year of difficult appropriations, this additional funding for the AU illustrates the priority placed on assisting the people of Darfur," said Oxfam America's President Raymond C. Offenheiser.
The funding for this peacekeeping operation comes at a time when access to those in Darfur is at its lowest point and aid workers face increasing violence. Earlier this week Oxfam and other agencies warned that the crisis was nearing a breaking point.
"We are hopeful that these extra resources will be put to use to protect the people of Darfur and our colleagues in the field," said Offenheiser.
Despite international attention and many months of top-level political debate, civilians in Darfur and Chad still face attacks on a daily basis. Aid agencies working in Darfur have repeatedly called for the AU force to be strengthened and this additional funding from Congress is a step in the right direction.
Oxfam has been working in Darfur for more than twenty years. Since the start of the current crisis, the agency has been providing water and sanitation to more than half a million people in camps and rural villages affected by the conflict, both in Darfur and Chad. As well as digging wells and building latrines, Oxfam distributes essential items such as soap, jerry cans, blankets and clothes, and provide health education to try and prevent the spread of disease.
]]>"Gold has become the cornerstone of the Malian economy," said Mamadou Biteye, regional director for Oxfam America. "But a country prioritizing gold mining, and the mining companies operating there, must be transparent and demonstrate to the country's citizens how they will actually benefit from the boom."
Mali is currently the third largest exporter of gold in Africa, behind world's largest exporter, South Africa, and Ghana. "Gold exports from Mali more than tripled between 1996 and 2002, going from 18% to 65.4% of total exports," said Keith Slack, senior policy advisor for Oxfam America. "Yet Mali has remained at the bottom of the United Nation's Human Development Index, ranking 175 out of 177 countries in 2006."
The laws and regulations that constitute Mali's Mining Code have created a complex set of taxes, fees, and license charges that are effectively incomprehensible to those without some technical background. Mali's low literacy rate, poor physical infrastructure, and inadequate electronic communications combine to make it nearly impossible for citizens to get clear and complete information about revenues and how they are spent to benefit the public.
"80% of Malians continue to live below the poverty line." said Tiémoko Sangaré, executive secretary of the Sahel Development Foundation, an Oxfam America partner. "Yet gold has gone from accounting for 2.9% of our country's gross domestic product in 2002 to 12.7% of in 2004. Where are the profits going?"
In its latest report Oxfam outlines several recommendations for increasing transparency in the gold mining sector in Mali. Recommendations geared at entities such as the World Bank, mining companies and the Government of Mali include:
Download the report . For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact Liz Lucas at +617-728-2575 (office), + 617-785-7772 (cell) or via email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Together with individuals and local groups in more than 120 countries, Oxfam saves lives, helps people overcome poverty, and fights for social justice.
Sahel Development Foundation (Fondation Pour le Développement au Sahel- FDS) is a Malian non governmental organization that supports development initiatives to improve living conditions for poor communities.
The Publish What You Pay campaign aims to help citizens of resource-rich developing countries hold their governments accountable for the management of revenues from the oil, gas and mining industries. The Publish What You Pay coalition of over 300 NGOs worldwide calls for the mandatory disclosure of the payments made by oil, gas and mining companies' to all governments for the extraction of natural resources.


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Organocide Qt concentrate. Organocide is an organic insecticide and fungicide that works on 25 common pest insects, and 4 problem diseases for plants. Controls pests such as mites, whiteflies, aphids, etc. Also stops fungal diseases like powdery mildew, and black spots on roses. Effective solution that works to prevent pests and disease naturally.
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Simple Machines Blogs > SMF Team Blog
Get to know the team: Trekkie101
--- Quote ---and I usually have some sort of band on my arm supporting something
--- End quote ---
What organisations/causes have you "supported" with these bands?
> a team member here that is extraordinary and doesn't realize it.
Care to share who and why?
--- Quote from: Trekkie101 on June 07, 2006, 04:58:22 AM ---
--- Quote from: Amacythe on June 06, 2006, 11:41:05 PM ---Which of the many StarTreks (original or spin-offs) is your favorite?
Which character?
--- End quote ---
Star Trek Voyager, Janeway is unbeatable as a captain and the story was much more intresting.
--- End quote ---
What do you think of Deep Space 9 then?
Killer Possum:
--- Quote from: JayBachatero on June 06, 2006, 07:45:21 PM ---
--- Quote ---41. How much do you weigh?
10 stone ish
--- End quote ---
How many pounds does each stone weigh? :P
--- End quote ---
1 stone = 14 pounds
Yes.. but what kind of crazy measurement is a pound? That's almost as useful as telling us he weighs 0.000000000000000000000000000001 solar masses :P
Use kg!
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The Palazzo Communities - Apartment Rentals in Los Angeles, CA
The Palazzo Communities Apartments Description
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Cats and Dogs are allowed. Maximum weight of pet(s): 300. Maximum number of pet(s): 2. Other pets are allowed: Dog Policy: Pricing in the table above is for dogs. Cats are welcome with $50 monthly pet rent and a $400 deposit. . Restrictions or other terms: Dog Restrictions: Our pet-friendly apartments welcome most breeds of dogs. However, because certain dogs do not thrive in a community environment, we cannot accommodate the following breeds or mixes: Akita, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, Chow, Doberman, German Shepherd, Husky, Pit Bull, Presa Canario, Rottweiler and Wolf Hybrid. .
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Writing from an insider's perspective and an autism professional, Gerland offers original explanations of the characteristics of autism, showing how to discover the root cause of behaviours that are challenging, not just how to manage them superficially. She explains how to overcome common pitfalls to build more effective working relationships. more »
2012, Paperback: £19.99/ $29.95Keywords: adults, anxiety, Asperger syndrome, autism, challenging behaviour, child development, children, communication, counselling, developmental coordination disorder, high functioning autism, inclusive classroom, life skills, mainstream education, mental health, occupational therapy, person-centred, personal hygiene, psychology, self esteem, sensory issues, social skills, special education, speech and language pathology, speech and language therapy, transitions
This book provides a blueprint for an educational intervention program that is evidence-based, comprehensive and integrative in its approach. Grouping techniques into five categories, the book examines autism spectrum disorders within a developmental context, and shows that interventions with autistic individuals can be really successful. more »
2011, Paperback: £20.99/ $29.95Keywords: applied behaviour analysis, Asperger syndrome, autism, child psychiatry, child psychology, cognitive behavioural therapy, developmental coordination disorder, dyspraxia, early intervention, educational psychology, emotions, high functioning autism, life skills, nonverbal learning disabilities, occupational therapy, parenting, pervasive developmental disorder, play therapy, sensory issues, sensory stimulation, social skills, social stories, special education, speech and language pathology, speech and language therapy
This book offers guidance on what the law entitles your child to, and how you can fight effectively for the education they need. Based on her own experience of bringing up two sons with special educational needs, Ellen Power describes how she worked to get the right education for her children. more »
2010, Paperback: £14.99/ $24.95Keywords: ADD, ADHD, advocacy, Asperger syndrome, autism, bullying, children, children's rights, developmental coordination disorder, disability, disability law, dyslexia, early intervention, education, families, health care, high functioning autism, inclusive classroom, intellectual disabilities, joint working, nonverbal learning disabilities, parenting, school phobia, special education, speech and language therapy
Alphabet Kids have disorders that are often concurrent, interconnected or mistaken for one another: for example, the frequent combination of ASD, OCD, SID and ADHD. Woliver covers 70 childhood disorders, providing information on causes, cures, treatments and prognoses. Chapters include a list of signs and symptoms, and true-life stories. more »
2008, Hardback: £39.99/ $44.95Keywords: ADD, ADHD, anger management, Asperger syndrome, autism, bipolar disorder, cerebral palsy, challenging behaviour, child development, child psychiatry, child psychology, children, developmental coordination disorder, disability, Down's syndrome, dyslexia, dyspraxia, epilepsy, high functioning autism, hyperlexia, inclusive classroom, intellectual disabilities, nonverbal learning disabilities, obsessive compulsive disorder, occupational therapy, parenting, pervasive developmental disorder, seizures, special education, speech and language therapy, tics, tourettes
Written by a teenage dyspraxic, this inspiring book is a unique practical guide for dyspraxics and those around them struggling and determined to get to grips with the social, physical and psychological chaos caused by developmental co-ordination disorders. more »
2005, Paperback: £12.95/ $21.95Keywords: adolescence, children, developmental coordination disorder, dyspraxia, inclusive classroom, occupational therapy, psychology, special education, speech and language therapy
Jacqui Jackson has seven children. Luke has Asperger Syndrome, Joe has ADHD, and Ben has autism. Full of anecdotes and lively thinking, the book explains vividly what it is like to parent young people with such a range of conditions, and provides a wealth of helpful and creative advice for other parents and carers. more »
2003, Paperback: £13.99/ $24.95Keywords: ADD, ADHD, adolescence, Asperger syndrome, autism, children, developmental coordination disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, epilepsy, families, giftedness, health care, occupational therapy, parenting, sensory issues, special education, speech and language therapy
This easy-to-read booklet answers commonly asked questions about DCD and presents all the necessary information to aid parents, carers and professionals in selecting the best options for their child. In clearly laid out chapters, the author describes the features of DCD and provides practical solutions. more »
2002, Paperback: £12.99/ $20.95Keywords: autism, children, developmental coordination disorder, dyspraxia, inclusive classroom, occupational therapy, parenting, special education, speech and language therapy
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(7 titles match the current selection)


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Learn the basic requirements for becoming a Blue Cross agent.
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Researcher Careers Drop-in Day
Practice No. 887
Last modified: 13/10/2010 10:13:45
Institution: University of Bath
A drop-in day at the Careers Advisory Service for postgraduate researchers, with bespoke resources and mini-presentations advertising the range of services available. -
Career Management for researchers
Practice No. 889
Last modified: 12/10/2010 11:58:41
Institution: University of Bath
A five-part progamme covering all aspects of career management, from choosing what career is right for you, through the application process and beyond to continued career 'healthchecks'. -
First steps to independent research - workshop
Practice No. 885
Last modified: 05/11/2009 09:36:26
Institution: University of Bath
A half day workshop intended as a starting point for any researcher interested in applying for independent research funding.
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The Burlingame Elementary School District provides education in a stimulating, safe and caring environment. Learning is supported through a challenging, comprehensive instructional program that strives to meet the needs of all students. Our goal is to educate students to their fullest potential so as lifelong learners they will be able to contribute effectively to a changing society. Students, staff, parents and the community work cooperatively in an educational process that respects individual differences and provides opportunity for all.
The Board of Trustees of the Burlingame School District believes in the core values listed below. These values create a starting point from which appropriate policy, action, and planning will flow. These values will be the cornerstone of our Strategic Plan.
We value the highest quality staff that can instill the love of learning in all students.
We value excellence in Curriculum and Instruction. and its support from the district level.
We value specialist programs which have historically not been funded by the state.
We value the expectation that all students will be reading at grade level by the end of third grade.
We value supporting all students to reach their full potential.
We value equal access to the curriculum for all students.
We value increasing student achievement and an assessment program utilizing multiple measures that measures that achievement
We value the instruction of critical thinking skills.
We value small class size.
We value students to become socially responsible citizens.
We value safe and clean facilities.
We value caring and stimulating learning environments.
We value fiscally responsible resource management.
The Board agenda and its extensive background materials are studied by each member of the Board for at least two days preceding the meeting. Board members can call the District Office for clarification on any item. Many of the items on the agenda were discussed by the Board during previous meetings.
Members of the public may place matters directly related to school district business on the agenda of school district Governing Board meetings. A citizen who resides within the District, a member of the staff, or a representative of an educational organization operating within the District, may request placement of a matter on the agenda for a meeting of the Board of Trustees. Such a request must be filed in writing with the Superintendent of Schools no later than the close of the school day on the Friday preceding the Board meeting by two weeks.
Items will not be accepted for the agenda which involve charges or complaints against individual employees of the District, or which are derogatory to the religious, economic, political or racial views of any person. Charges or complaints directed at District personnel shall be referred to the Superintendent for investigation and appropriate action.
Mail intended for Board agenda inclusion should be addressed to the Board of Trustees at 1825 Trousdale Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010 and received no later than the close of the school day on the Wednesday preceding the Board meeting by one week.
Agendas are available for all persons present. Feel free to take a copy from the table at the rear of the Board Room.
Public statements: At the discretion of the Board of Trustees, the public may address the Board on non-agenda topics and/or agenda items. Prior to the opening of the meeting, a blue slip should be completed and given to the Superintendent or his assistant.
The Board may refer items to the administration for follow-up and/or placement on a future agenda. Individual statements should be limited to three minutes and will be heard under 7.1. The President of the Board may grant additional time.
Public statements on agenda items may be heard at the time the specific item is under discussion by the Board. Individual statements should be limited to three minutes. The President of the Board may grant additional time.
In accordance with Government Code Sections, the Board may recess to a closed session for discussion of specific matters as authorized by law. These matters are personnel, negotiations, property transactions and litigations.
Mail for Board members may be sent in care of the school district office. The mailing address is 1825 Trousdale Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010. Mail addressed to individual Board members will be stamped with the date received and forwarded as soon as possible.


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Vernon Holley, a veteran homicide detective, knows how to put together a case on solid police work, but he also adheres staunchly to the unspoken rules of the homicide department: Catch a body when you're up, and don't go looking for murders to solve.
played by Brian Anthony Wilson
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Snowcone said:60 years, I tell you, and we need more players and a boss manager and Bill Kenwright fed to a dragon and stuff.
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CT scans expose children to radiation that could give them cancer, according to a review of children's imaging data published Wednesday in the British medical journal Lancet.
The researchers estimate that for every 10,000 computed tomography scans performed on children aged 10 or younger, one additional child will get a brain tumor and another additional child will get leukemia within a decade of the first scan. These cancers wouldn't otherwise be expected, even if none of the imaging was done.
Researchers at the National Cancer Institute and Institute of Health and Society at Newcastle University in England say their investigation is the first direct evidence of such a link. They reviewed 175,000 cases.
Multiple CT scans increase a child's risk. The researchers found radiation exposure from two to three scans can triple the risk of brain cancer and five to ten scans can triple the risk of leukemia.
Radiation experts say the increased cancer risk of the CT scans should not dissuade parents from getting the scans for their children when medically necessary. The tests often produce life-saving images of head injuries, complicated pneumonia and chest infections.
"If an imaging scan is warranted, the immediate benefits outweigh what is still a very small long-term risk," said Dr. Marta Schulman, a pediatric radiologist and chair of the American College of Radiology's Pediatric Imaging Commission, in a statement to CNN. "Parents should certainly discuss risk with their provider, but not refuse care that may save and extend their child's life."
A study last year found 1.65 million children got a CT scan during their visits to emergency rooms in 2008, a fivefold increase in 14 years.
Before you agree to a CT scan for your child, here's some advice from the study's authors and pediatricians at Cincinnati Children's Hospital:
Ask for the lowest dose of radiation possible
Avoid multiple scans
Ask for an ultrasound or MRI instead, which have no radiation at all
The Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging also has information on how you can decide on scans for your children.


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Setting filter criteria values
Next, we need to specify value '6/15/2009' for the IS GREATER THAN operator.
Similarly, if, for example, we need to get the list of employees hired during the 6/15/2008 - 6/15/2009 term, we set the BETWEEN filter operator (this will add two empty value boxes to specify the inclusive range for the BETWEEN condition) and specify the range for the operator, i.e. the '6/15/2008' and the '6/15/2009' values in the corresponding value boxes.
It is possible to set the date value manually by typing it in, or via the date editor which is activated when you click the value box.
Editors used in value boxes are determined by the data type assigned to the corresponding columns.
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October sugar is trading close to 5¢ per pound, or almost 25%, above its early June lows (Chart 1). Developing bullish supply side fundamentals have overpowered both a strong dollar and worries about demand destruction that would result from the bleak global economic outlook.
Indian crops rely heavily on the amount of precipitation received from the June-through-September monsoon rains. From June 1 through July 23 the rains were 22% below average. On July 23, the government released its forecast for the whole season, revising its estimate downward to 92% of normal from 96% in June. The forecast is a bit optimistic in light of the performance of the monsoon thus far.
For sugar in particular, rainfall in two out of the three largest producing regions had significantly below-normal rainfall, while the other had excellent precipitation. Estimates for 2012-13 output range between 25 million and 26 million tonnes. That range of estimates, however, is virtually the same as it was before the monsoon season began, when there was no way of knowing how the monsoon would pan out. Again, it's a tad optimistic to maintain early-season estimates when it's doubtful that precipitation levels will be up to par.
Analysts keep talking about a 2012-13 surplus and inventory building. If the monsoon snaps back, perhaps. If it does not, output estimates will be reduced.
Conservative estimates put consumption at 23 million tonnes, which would leave only a small surplus. Indian exports for the current 2011-12 marketing year will reach 3 million tonnes, so there was not much inventory building this year either.
Excessive rains in Brazil that have lowered sucrose content are not news, but estimates for 2011-12 output are dropping. At present, production is running close to 30% below last year. That number is likely to improve, however, but not enough for Brazil to meet the needs of its traditional overseas customers.
When we last wrote about sugar on June 7 we said, "Some estimates put export availability as low as 20 million tonnes, down from estimates for 2011-12 that according to some analysts were as high as 24 million tonnes." At the time, that estimate was a bit of a stretch. Now, 20 million tonnes could very well be on the high side of the estimate range.
Another factor that will put a strain on Brazilian sugar output, is that US ethanol prices will soar with the price of corn, because of the oppressive drought in the US Midwest. US ethanol production without the crutch of generous government subsidies has yet to be proven. This will put further pressure on the Brazilian sugar/ethanol ratio. Both the sugar and ethanol industries will be competing for a larger share of the cane crop.
China is not quite the wild card in the sugar market as it is for other commodity markets. Still, analysts say that consumption growth has not tapered off with the slowdown in its economy. Estimates for both production and consumption can be fairly erratic, but customs data show that imports of 1.4 million tonnes for 2011-12 to date are more than double the previous season's.
None of the major sugar analysts have changed their forecasts for global production/consumption surpluses for 2011-12 and 2012-13. (The last round of revisions was actually revised to show larger surpluses.) But they will.
The balance of evidence suggests overwhelmingly that the supply/demand fundamentals are bullish. In addition, as we've pointed out in previous articles, the cost of production has risen substantially, particularly in Brazil.
The rally has not gone unnoticed. The most recent CFTC data show that fund net-long positions have moved from a small net-short position as recently as mid-June to a net-long position of over 60,000 contracts (Chart 2). Expect volatility.
We recommend maintaining long positions in October sugar. Raise the 19¢-per-pound stop, suggested on June 7, to 22¢, close only.


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Business expert has gone from Beijing to Banbury (From Oxford Mail)
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Business expert has gone from Beijing to Banbury
5:10pm Thursday 3rd October 2013 in News By Gill Oliver
An ability to see both sides of a problem clearly is one of the most valuable qualities for a businessman, Jonathan Reuvid believes.
It has worked well in a career that includes work for French oil giant Total, investment banking, general management of a Fortune 500 multinational and joint venture developments in China.
Now 77, he took over as chairman of Oxfordshire Rural Community Council (ORCC) a year ago and shows no signs of slowing down.
He said: "I have never been scared of decisions.
"You have to be totally truthful in your opinions, because if you are not, it always catches up with you."
Cassington-based ORCC champions the county's rural economy, from the village shop to large firms with export activities.
When not taken up with this, he oversees conferences at the London Stock Exchange and writes or edits business manuals.
As a boy, he boarded at Harrow and spent three years at Brasenose before graduating in philosophy, politics and economics.
On joining Total as UK chief economist, he was sent to Paris to train with other junior managers at the oil company's splendid 17th-century head offices.
"The daunting thing was that none of it was in English from day one, with all the lectures in French," he said.
"But the management were either ex-army colonels or ex-colonial Frenchmen who'd been in Nigeria or Vietnam, so had great stories to tell."
Back in London and a partner in a market research agency, his clients included Clarks, Rowntree and Cadbury. He specialised in mergers and acquisitions.
After being head-hunted by New York Stock Exchange-quoted Barnes Group to head sales and marketing in Europe, he was later promoted to director of operations.
He relocated to China in the 1980s, setting up a management services company and various joint ventures.
At that time, the business climate was dogged by bureaucratic problems, involving delicate and at times exasperating negations with the authorities.
"We got into conflict many times with the Chinese government, who expected you to just give up," he said.
"My clients fled after Tiananmen Square but my wife and I stayed for a couple of weeks, before being escorted out in a friendly way."
He returned in1991, which was when he started writing about business opportunities there.
'Doing Business With China' is still one of his biggest-selling books.
Home is in Wroxton, near Banbury, with his wife of 39 years, scientist Anne Reuvid and their black labrador.
He plans to continue to build his conference company IPR, before selling it at some point.
Using his contacts, he arranges guest speakers and has his eye on Chancellor George Osborne. "I love change, I like things that grow, rather than static situations," he said.
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