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AMBER HOUSE - at the centre!™
Bed and Breakfast Guest House (B&B) in Nelson city centre, New Zealand
When Amber House was built, in the latter part of the reign of Queen Victoria, it stood on the southern shore of Nelson's Haven with fat little Weka running up and down the strand.
Now the vibrant and exciting city of Nelson has grown up and outwards around Amber House, but our homestay remains a peaceful and helpful haven for travellers with all of our city's attractions just a short stroll from the front gate of our Irish rose garden.
- appetising meals prepared to order
- en-suite showers and wash hand basins
- Fastest Internet in Nelson via optical fibre
- Best Price Guaranteed in Nelson's city centre
- central but peaceful: 300m to pub, takeaway, dairy
- Wi-Fi and FREE phone calls & safe in every bedroom
- air conditioning: keeps you warm in winter; cool in summer
- spacious, comfortable rooms: big enough for TWO Queen beds
- easy free parking (garage for bikes, tandems, kayaks & hovercraft)
- buses, coaches, National Park and Airport shuttles stop right outside
- help yourself to coffee, Milo, teas and ANZAC biscuits any time you like
- large, High Definition digital TV's with Blu-ray players and MP3 playback
- double glazed windows and orthopaedic mattresses ensure restful nights
Our guests can amble to the nearby Miyazu traditional Japanese gardens and listen to the water bell, take a look at the new wharekai on Whakatu Marae, or simply sit on our verandah and enjoy the fragrance of our Irish roses in the front garden.
On Friday afternoons, the Farmers Market is just opposite us in Founders Heritage Park while Saturday morning sees many of our guests off to visit the `World-famous-in-New Zealand' craft and artisan market in nearby Montgomery Square where they mingle with locals poking organic vegetables.
Although crystal chandeliers hang from ceilings more than eleven feet high downstairs, all bedrooms are double glazed for restful nights, we do have a new 21st Century hot water system, Bly-ray players and High Definition LCD TV's, the fastest Internet in Nelson via opticla fibre and our Balcony Suite, Gold, Blue and Rose Rooms all have air-conditioning.
Upstairs, the en-suite Balcony Suite and Blue Rooms have their own balconies with a view over Tasman Bay to the Arthur Ranges on one side and the Sugar Loaf and Botanical Hill (geographical Centre of New Zealand) from the other balcony.
Balcony Suite, Gold, Blue and Rose Room guests compliment us on our hot breakfasts cooked to individual order. Many folks have enjoyed one of our "Ulster Fry"s - or you can just help yourself to fruit any time and from a cold (or `continental' style) buffet breakfast if you`re watching your weight.
Long distance coaches stop right outside Amber House Bed and Breakfast (B & B) Guest House - so you can lie in a bit longer if you're off on a day trip to the Abel Tasman National Park or paragliding that day... We have a garage for bikes, canoes and hovercraft and we grow many of our own vegetables organically in the sunniest place in New Zealand. All water is filtered for low chlorine drinking and bathing and is naturally soft. The Rugby World Cup 2011 venue, Trafalgar Park, was at the end of our street.
Smokers may not stay at Amber House and we do not allow smoking anywhere on our land.
(If you are a Smoker, then the Milton Chalet Motel just
down the road would be a good choice of accommodation since they do allow smoking outside some of their budget accommodation units...)
The longer the stay, the bigger the discount!
Typical prices of our rooms per night
(staying more than one night and except in peak season):
Double occupancy [en suite] from $92 but can reduce to $66 for long stays
Double [en suite and air conditioned] from $129 but can reduce to $93
Double occupancy suite [private bathroom, double glazed, air conditioned, local bubbly] $295
Group of 4 persons from $140 but can reduce to $104
[ie from as little as $26 per person per night (pppn)]
All prices quoted by Amber House are for immediate cash settlement and include cold and
hot drinks, ANZAC biscuits and a satisfying
breakfast (except for the Overflow Room tariff) together with all
applicable taxes, levies and service charges.
Tipping is not common practice in New Zealand, "Thank you" is all that is expected - even for exceptional
(Our prices change dynamically according to demand so, except for the Balcony Suite, there is a peak season
supplement of not more than $20 per person imposed for the twenty five weeks preceding the Wednesday after
Easter Monday and you will get the cheapest prices the longer in advance you book on-line!)
Click your arrival date on the individual room calendars to the left to find out the exact price for your stay...
Click to see individual room features tabulated here...
Our Balcony Suite occupies the entire North-East wing of the top floor of Amber House and is some 486 square feet in total area.
Double glazed French windows open on to twin carpeted and sheltered balconies overlooking our front rose garden with 272 degree views out over Tasman Bay to the (snow topped in winter and spring) Arthur Ranges to the North-west from one balcony and the Sugar Loaf and Botanical Hill (geographical Centre of New Zealand) 900 metres to the South-East from the other balcony.
Both balconies have clear, see-through zippered awnings that can be lowered on hand-cranked rollers if it becomes windy. The cooked breakfast of your choice can be served either here, on one of your private balconies, or in the downstairs dining room with other guests. We provide a complimentary selection of local wines and fruits, together with a cheese board.
Use either our laptop (in the Balcony Suite's large desk) or your own portable computer on our 802.11g and 802.11b Zenbu Wi-Fi hotspot. The Balcony Suite tariff also includes click here to continue to Balcony Suite page...
Our Gold Room is also on the upper floor - but at the South-East corner of Amber House.
Adam thinks the Gold Room has the best view at Amber House - due South towards Dun Mountain,
the Brook Waimarama sanctuary and the Sugar Loaf through twin,
double-glazed, 'tilt and turn' windows imported from Germany.
The setting sun is viewed between two large Canary Island palm trees in Cambria Street with Cathedral Hill and the Grampians providing a backdrop.
A third large, double glazed window at the West of this bedroom has ultra narrow venetian blinds inside the argon filled gap of the sealed glazing unit (operated by a magnetic drive) so that they do not rattle in the regular sea breezes each afternoon.
The Gold Room has a Daikin, reverse cycle air-conditioning unit to provide almost instantaneous and abundant heating in Winter and cooling in Summer.
There is one Queen-sized bed with an Orthopaedic mattress in the Gold Room - but Gold Room tariffs for more than 2 people automatically include an
adjoining, air-conditioned and double glazed, larger bedroom in addition to the Gold Room - ie you get TWO bedrooms, if you are paying the Gold Room tariff for
more than click here to continue to Gold Room page...
Our Blue Room is also on the upper floor with plenty of hanging space in the fitted wardrobe which contains a digital safe. There is a two seater couch, fitted carpet, a large work desk and swivel chair, one cordless, direct dial DECT phone and the highest speed internet connection (available in Nelson from Telecom NZ) to use with your laptop or ours included in the tariff.
You may choose whatever you want cooked for breakfast (within reason) or a "continental" buffet type breakfast - both served in the guest dining room downstairs.
The Blue Room has a Daikin, reverse cycle air-conditioning unit and argon gap, noise insulating, double glazing.
Access to and from the Blue Room is either via its double glazed French doors that open to the balcony or via its long and narrow en suite shower, wash hand basin and WC compartment. (We did not wish to move the original walls and room proportions of Amber House, so we have formed en suite ablutions for this bedroom by taking space from an adjacent landing.)
Satellite and TV programmes are available, together with 31 other local and terrestrial digital television channels of which five are currently
transmitted in high definition to a large LCD TV which will also show your movies, play your music MP3 files and display your click here to continue to Blue Room page...
The Rose Room has eleven foot high ceilings with twin crystal chandeliers and is furnished in late Victorian style. The original Victorian French doors made from Kauri wood have now been double glazed with low emissivity glass for quietness and insulation and open on to a verandah providing a separate private access to our Irish rose garden at the front.
The ground floor Rose Room is spacious and has two Orthopaedic Queen-size beds, each with individual LED reading lamps, so a maximum of four persons can be accommodated.
The Rose Room has fitted carpet and is air conditioned with a Hitachi reverse cycle heat pump. It has a large work desk with a chair, wardrobe with digital safe, cordless diect dial DECT 'phone, alarm clock radio, hairdryer and a chess set.
There is a 32 inch LCD colour TV (with Nicam stereo) that receives 5 of the 31 channels in High Definition resolution and a DVD player.
A cooked breakfast of your choice is included in our Rose Room
prices - or you may choose to help yourself to a free 'continental style' buffet breakfast at any time between 05:00 and 10:20hrs in the morning. Fruit,
juices, ANZAC biscuits and cold drinks are also available free of charge in the dining room opposite at any time.
A shower, wash hand basin and WC are all in a long and narrow en suite compartment. (We did not wish to move the
click here to continue to Rose Room page...
The Green Room on the ground floor is popular with those on a very tight budget since we have not increased this room's price for 7 years.
We've been able to screw prices down by only including a continental breakfast and not including a cooked breakfast in this room's price and by not yet installing a heat pump.
We change the sheets every 3 or 4 days of your stay (or if you have an accident) but we don't make up the Green Room daily for you and expect you to hang the towels we provide out to dry on the rotary dryer in the back garden in return for a very keen price.
Even though it's our smallest, budget room, the Green Room is not spartan. It has fitted carpet, a large desk with chair, mirror, wall closet to hang your clothes and a chest of drawers with two bedside lamps. In hot weather a floor-standing fan is available; a fan heater and extra duvet will keep you warm in colder weather. The Green Room is equipped with a cordless, direct dial phone, alarm clock radio, hairdryer, chess set, LCD flat screen HD colour TV with MP3 playback and a small digital safe for valuables.
The Green Room has two Queen sized beds so up to four can be accommodated. Full argon-gap double glazing with low emissivity glass and comfortable beds ensure a tranquil night.
The Green Room has a large en suite shower cubicle and wash hand basin (with large mirror above) in the bedroom with a
convenient click here to continue to Green Room page...
Overflow Rooms: When space (or your budget) is very tight and you trust our choice, we have a network of accommodation choices (all within the boundaries of the City of Nelson unitary authority) where we can place you.
Overflow Rooms and buildings vary but all are clean and comfortable and our friends and colleagues will make you more than welcome in their homes, tourist lodgings and accommodations...
Maximum occupancy of an Overflow Room is usually 2 people (occasionally 3) and obviously facilities vary; usually twin beds with a shared shower room/WC but could sometimes be a double bed with an en suite bathroom. Breakfast is NOT included in the Overflow Room tariff.
Sometimes it may happen that, after you have reserved an Overflow Room, we get a cancellation in the main house. In this case, if you have a
reservation for an Overflow Room, we may be able to accommodate you in Amber House itself in what we call an "Our Choice Room"
at the same ultra-low price. This is where you let us pick your specific bedroom in Amber House - and you are prepared to move bedrooms
during the course of a stay of more than one night.
You could get lucky and bag an air conditioned and en-suite "Our Choice Room"; equally you might end up without air-con and a heat
pump and using a WC down the hall. Typically TWO beds (but could be one bed if we put you in the Blue Room). Digital safe, colour TV. No breakfast is included
in either Overflow or "Our Choice Room" tariffs but, if you are staying in an Amber House bedroom, you can order a cooked breakfast of your choice for an
additional $17 or a help-yourself uncooked breakfast for $8 per breakfast.
In any event, we will shout you hot or cold drinks and Anzac biscuits when you are click here to continue to "Our Choice"/Overflow Rooms page...
NOTE on availability: Although we have 5 guest bedrooms available at Amber House, we don't accept reservations for the main house for more than 4 guests staying at one time. Should a particular bedroom not be showing as available for the entire duration of your planned stay, you may like to book some days in one room and some days in another room that is showing availability. If you then add an appropriate note in the comments field of both of the online booking forms at the time you make both reservations, then, at our discretion and with your agreeement, we may be able to consolidate the two separate bookings so that you spend your whole stay in one room at the cheaper of the two room rates quoted by the online system.
Vehicle Parking at Amber House
Almost certainly you will find a vehicle space in Weka Street just outside Amber House. Parking is free and there is no time limit. Guests staying in the Balcony Suite, Rose Room and Blue Room will be able to keep an eye on their vehicles parked in Weka Street from their bedroom windows.
Nelson has the lowest crime rate of any police district in New Zealand but thefts do sometimes happen - even if none of our guests have ever been
Our advice contradicts that of the police:
Remove everything from your vehicle to the safety of your room. (This includes drink cans, jackets and maps and don't forget the glove box). Leave
nothing on display. If your vehicle is the modern type with a radio actually built into the dashboard, then leave the glovebox open, the doors unlocked and
the windows one inch ajar (to keep the vehicle cooler and avoid rain penetration).
If your vehicle is the older type and the radio or GPS, etc., are NOT actually built into the dashboard - then close all windows and lock all doors.
If you have luggage stored on a roofrack/in a trailer or another good reason (or, on the very rare occasion that there is no space in Weka Street), please
ask us if you can park under our Walnut tree at the back when you check in. A maximum of 3 spaces are available there but only the last vehicle parked will
have instant egress without moving the other vehicle(s). (For that reason, if you park in front of another vehicle you are required to leave a set of vehicle
keys with a member of the Amber family so that your vehicle can, if necessary, be moved in your absence.)
Please observe the 7 km/h (4 mph) speed limit for motorised vehicles at Amber House
and safeguard our children. Please do not reverse from our long drive into Weka Street - there is ample room to turn around in front of the cottage at
the rear of Amber House. Parking within the domain of Amber House is complimentary while you are sleeping at Amber House and for up to 8 days after you leave.
We keep our garage available for cycles (maximum of 8), motorcycles (maximum of 4 solo machines with panniers), hovercraft (maximum of 1) and kayaks (maximum of 8).
What's the difference between a "Bed and Breakfast" and a full service hotel? Amber House is NOT a stately home or luxurious - we believe you will find us helpful and our Guest House clean and comfortable but we don't do "swanky" or "flunky" or "obsequious" at Amber House.
Please note that we are a traditional B&B in the Irish style and we are NOT a fiddly-piddly, boutique country hotel.If you don't like interacting with your host family and fellow guests and much prefer to lock yourself away in your bedroom to commune with a vast and impressive selection of toiletries, cosmetics and cuddly toys, then please choose somewhere else for your Godzone stay!
Popular BB "Accommodation" mis-spellings include: accomadation, accomadations, accomodation, accomodations. Also popular are acomadation, acomadations, acomodation and acomodations.
A German author, W F Buchholz, has written two articles in the on-line encyclopedia Wikipedia relevant to Amber House.
The first article is entitled Amber House and the second article is about the "School for young ladies and little boys" that started to operate from Amber House more than one hundred years ago: Cabragh House School
We have been asked by W F Buchholz if we could place on our website some of our very early photographs of Amber House and the School (that are not in the public domain). We have agreed to try and do this and we are now beginning to print these old negatives and start scanning the prints into GIF and JPEG files. However, we are still trying to work out a scheme that will not impact too much on our allocated bandwidth since some of the scanned files are more than 20 Megabytes in size.
The sepia toned print shows a fetching portrait of the "Cabragh House Singing Group" and it is believed that the then proprietor and headmistress of Cabragh House school, Miss Janetta Hornsby, is in the middle of the back row and her two sisters, Charlotte and Ruth, flank her on either side.
This print is probably contemporaneous with the school bell that was commisioned to celebrate Dominion status for New Zealand more than a century ago that now hangs to the right of our front door.To the right is the first thumbnail of what, at the time this photograph was taken, were two of only three houses in Weka Street.
The photographer must have been standing at just about the high water mark of Nelson Haven (before extensive land reclamation formed Neale Park) just over 100 years ago.
If you visit Amber House, this photograph is hanging in the entrance hall (just past the Grandfather clock that pre-dates Mr Hornsby's arrival in the Antipodes by nearly 120 years).
The bearded gentleman on the verandah is believed to be Mr John P Hornsby, a Nelson accountant at that time, but who had previously worked on the Irish railways and presumed to have ordered the building of both Amber and Cabragh Houses. He had been in Nelson since at least early 1895 - a time of financial depression in New Zealand.
John was an amateur geologist, as his notebooks make clear. An entry from 18th November 1895 is optimistic about the prospects for mining bituminous coal in Nelson and records "Mr McKay only allowed 2 chains for the coal to run from the mine - Mr Worley has traced outcrops from mine to run continuously to Gorge 1 mile". (The Gorge is a deep gully east of the old Enner Glynn workings of Jenkins and the Nelson Coal Company.)The second thumbnail of Cabragh and Amber Houses is believed to have been taken in 1906 or 1907 by an Australian visitor and was sent in 1982 from Mrs H Haughton of Queensland, Australia. At the right, the (now demolished) spire of the building that is now Paradiso Backpackers is visible. Note that the three canopies over the second storey front windows of Amber House have not yet been constructed. A tall vent pipe is now prominent in front of the Blue Room's window and a (still existing) cast iron soil stack is visible at the north-western corner of Amber House while the pampas grass on the front lawn has been considerably trimmed back.
"...Architectural design of both Cabragh House and the adjoining Amber House indicates a date of construction for both houses somewhere between 1895 and 1905. To support this contention, an original photograph, principally of the two-storey house then numbered as 36 Weka Street, has printed on its reverse "CABRAGH House school & home, Weka Street, Nelson NZ. Late 1890s school started & staffed by Hornsby sisters Charlotte (Lizzy), Ruth & Janetta". Municipal drain layer plans and sheets also indicate a probable date of erection for both houses in early 1897..." click to continue to our new separate History of Nelson and New Zealand page...


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A Multitude of Uprisings
First of all, it needs to be understood that what we are witnessing is Syria is a popular uprising. There is no single leadership at its head, nor is there any particular ideology behind it. In this respect, it is a situation that has more in common with what happened in Tunisia than with events in Egypt, where youth movements such as the April 6th Movement or the "We are all Khaled Said" group played a central role in deciding the day on which demonstrations against President Mubarak began – the Police Day national holiday on January 25th.
In Syria, on the other hand, the stranglehold that the security forces had on the country made it impossible to have any kind of success in organising a popular movement, even in secret. That is why we witnessed such a spontaneous uprising almost everywhere, with people going out onto the streets of the cities without anything having been organised or prepared. The choice of slogans was also spontaneous, even if the emphasis was on freedom and dignity, as these are undoubtedly the most important central issues of the Syrian revolution given the contemptuous way that the Syrian police state treats its citizens.
As the protests increased and the demonstrations grew in strength week by week, the demands and slogans became increasingly bolder, until they finally coalesced under the slogan that has swept across the Arab world from Tunisia to Egypt and helped bring about the overthrow of two of its most repressive regimes. After that, it was only natural that local leaders with the ability to organise the demonstrations, as well as their accompanying slogans, would emerge from the individual cities.
These local leaders played a central role in the intensification of the protests and although they have largely remained local and not yet succeeded in turning themselves into a nationally organised group, something that will require time after all, the demonstrations that are now being organised on a national level suggest that some coordination is beginning to emerge.
'Liberation theology'made in Syria
There is no doubt that the mosques, particularly those in the centres of the major cities, played a crucial role in events. The Syrian emergency laws, which have now been in place for more than 47 years, not only ended demonstrations and gatherings, but also the tradition which required the young to take to the streets and demonstrate for their rights. We are thus dealing with exactly the same sort of situation as that with which we are familiar from Latin America where the Church took on a key role in leading the protests against the military regimes, a phenomenon known as 'liberation theology'.
It is a fact that none of the local leaders is a member of any of the traditional political-ideological parties. It may well be the case that they are even anxious not to belong to such parties or even to discuss with the leaders of such parties the kind of things that they and their movements no longer find attractive.
There are three main divisions or groups within the current Syrian opposition all of whom have had a major influence on the development of the present protests.
The traditional opposition
Firstly, the traditional opposition consists of the traditional parties which have either turned their backs on the ruling National Progressive Front, formed in 1972, or did not join it in the first place. Formed in 1983 as the National Democratic Rally, it includes the Socialist Union Party, the Democratic People's Party, the Revolutionary Workers' Party and the Socialist Arab Baath Party.
It is striking that it is the nationalist and left-wing tendencies that dominate in all the political parties united in this movement.
Then there is the Muslim Brotherhood; it is also part of the traditional opposition. In the 1980s it engaged in armed struggle with the Syrian authorities, a conflict that cost the lives of tens of thousands and led to more than 100,000 arrests in the 1980s and 90s as the protests were being put down. At least 17 people are still missing to this day and their relatives have no idea what happened to them. The Syrian authorities answer was to pass Law 49 making membership of the Muslim Brotherhood a capital offence.
The Brotherhood is no longer an active force in Syria, though it does enjoy a certain amount of sympathy due to the massive oppression and persecution to which it was subjected. The Muslim Brotherhood's influence on current events is minimal, a situation that their decision to support the protests in Syria has not changed.
After 2005 the Syrian opposition succeeded in taking a further step towards integration, in that year becoming signatories to the Damascus Declaration for Democratic National Change, a document which has brought together various opposition groups and a number of independent figures. Even the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood declared their support for the document from outside the country and became signatories to it.
But all of these traditional opposition prties played only a secondary role, not only among those who led the demonstrations, but also in the preparation of propaganda. The traditional opposition parties did not provide the leadership necessary to direct the demonstrations and increase the pressure on the regime in order to bring about its collapse and make the transition to democracy possible, as all their policy documents of recent decades have demanded.
It should, in fairness, be pointed out that some of the opposition leaders have, albeit belatedly, taken over a leading role at local level in the directing of the demonstrations. The Socialist Union Party, for example, put its weight behind the demonstrations in Douma near Damascus and contributed to achieving a turnout of over 50,000 demonstrators.
In this connection it must also be acknowledged that, thanks to their long years of political experience, the members of the traditional opposition do possess the necessary political tools to equip them to negotiate any upcoming transition. This may be one of the reasons why the Syrian security forces arrested the entire opposition leadership, in spite of the fact that they were very well aware of the limited role they had played in the demonstrations. What they wanted was to ensure that these people would not be successful in their search for a reasonable and appropriate alternative.
For the regime it is crucial that it continues to hold onto the reins of power even as it issues dire warnings of the chaos that will ensue, they maintain, as the only alternative to their rule.
The local opposition
The second opposition group are the local leaders, a new breed of leader that has emerged during the course of these demonstrations. They command the respect of the people in their towns and cities and have already demonstrated their leadership skills in organising and direction the demonstrations. At the same time, in spite of the difficult conditions under which they live, they have been able to resolutely stand up to the regime and by doing so have attracted many more people to join them.
These local leaders are all members of the highly educated middle class, but most have been either arrested or forced into hiding for fear of arrest, something which complicates their task. As I said, however, it is precisely due to this lack of an established leadership that the regime has not been able to suppress the protest movement through the arrest of its leaders. New leaders emerge on an almost daily basis, ready to rally the people and to lead the demonstrations.
Human rights and Internet activists
The third type of opposition group to distinguish itself during the unrest is that of the human rights and Internet activists with their excellent and rare skills in recognising and exposing human rights violations and passing their information on to the international human rights organisations.
By doing so, they have helped highlight the extent of the crimes committed by the Syrian security forces and decisively increased the criticism that has come from the international organisations and the international community. This has increased the international pressure on the Syrian authorities as was seen most clearly in the decision of the UN Human Rights Council to send an international commission of inquiry to Syria to investigate the recent human rights violations.
Last but not least, there is the part played by the Syrian opposition abroad. The rise of the insurgency has brought them closer to the situation in the country where they have now taken over the crucial task of giving the Syrians a voice via the foreign media. This move is absolutely crucial, since no journalists are permitted to enter any of the country's cities at the present time.
This branch of the opposition is increasing the international pressure on the regime through political channels. They have also been able to gain information on the plight of members of the opposition still in the country, with the majority of their leaders either in custody or subject to a travel ban. What will become of all the efforts of the various opposition movements remains to be seen.
Radwan Ziadeh
© Qantara.de 2011
Radwan Ziadeh is founder and director of the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies. In 2001, he was one of the activists of the "Damascus Spring" who demanded an end to one-party rule. He has been a lecturer and researcher in political science in Washington since 2007. Currently he is unable to return to Syria where there is a warrant out for his arrest.
Translation: Ron Walker
Editors: Arian Fariborz, Lewis Gropp/Qantara.de

subset: commoncrawl


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Arch of Constantine: Constantinian Reliefs
unknown (Ancient Roman)
Download1A3-R-R-AC-2-F6_cp.jpg (606.6Kb)
Frieze, south side, Battle of Milvian Bridge with Constantine's army victorious and the enemy drowning in the river Tiber; The main sculpture from the time of Constantine (as opposed to spolia, re-used elements) is the "historical" relief frieze running around the monument under the round panels, one strip above each lateral archway and at the small sides of the arch. These reliefs depict scenes from the Italian campaign of Constantine against Maxentius which was the reason for the construction of the monument. The frieze starts at the western side with the "Departure from Milan". It continues on the southern, "outward" looking face, with the siege of Verona, which was of great importance to the war in Northern Italy; also on that face, the Battle of Milvian Bridge with Constantine's army victorious and the enemy drowning in the river Tiber. On the eastern side, Constantine and his army enter Rome; the artist seems to have avoided using imagery of the triumph, as Constantine probably did not want to be shown triumphant over the Eternal City. On the northern face, looking "towards" the city, two strips with the emperor's actions after taking possession of Rome: Constantine speaking to the citizens on the Forum Romanum, and distributing money to the people. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 7/16/2010)
Type of Work
relief (sculpture)Subject
architecture, military or war, rulers and leaders, Constantine, Emperor of Rome, Imperial (Roman)
Rights Statement
Licensed for educational and research use by the MIT community only


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Jon Huntsman Challenges in China
Filed under:-guest-posts | Tags:China, John Huntsman, relations
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BEIJING — Relations between China and the U.S. are at a critical phase, with the next few months likely to test whether the two sides really have built strong and lasting ties, said the new U.S. ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman Jr.
In his first sit-down interview with Western media since arriving here last month, the 49-year-old former Republican governor of Utah spoke of his long ties to China, including his 10-year-old adopted Chinese daughter's excitement at returning to her roots and how as a young man himself he had a brush with global diplomacy when he helped former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger set off on a secret mission to China.
Mr. Huntsman on Wednesday mostly mused about the array of serious challenges that the two countries have to deal with in the next few months, including climate change, the global economy and military ties.
"We're putting the relationship to the test, there's no doubt about that," Mr. Huntsman said. "And I suspect we have more on our plate than ever before in our 30 years of a formal diplomatic relationship."
On Wednesday, for example, the U.S. trade representative was due to make a recommendation to President Barack Obama on a request by U.S. tire manufacturers to limit Chinese-made tire imports. The two sides have to cooperate on addressing global economic woes, with China critical of the ballooning U.S. budget deficit and weak dollar. In addition, the two sides face sticky issues in dealing with North Korea and Iran, two countries that aspire to develop nuclear weapons.
The two sides are also engaged in difficult negotiations about climate change, with pressure building for a deal during President Obama's planned trip to China in mid-November. Before setting out for China, Mr. Huntsman said, Mr. Obama told him to focus on a few big-picture issues: global economy, energy and climate change.
U.S. ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, Jr., says relations between the countries are at a critical point. Still, Huntsman expressed hope that despite inevitable disagreements, the two nations could work together.
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"China is in fact a stakeholder in all of these issues, and arguably wasn't in years past," Mr. Huntsman said. "If there's one aspect of the relationship that's unique and different from what it was before, it is the number of truly global issues that together we're approaching and hoping to seek solutions on."
Mr. Huntsman said there already are signs of progress. Ties between the two countries' militaries are restarting after a year of frosty relations that was triggered by Washington's agreeing to sell weapons to Taiwan, China's rival. Also, a regular dialogue on human rights is due to restart this year after more than eight years of virtually no discussion.
The two countries' more mature ties were reflected in talks Mr. Huntsman had with Chinese leader Hu Jintao, when the ambassador was received last week in the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in downtown Beijing, seat of the central government's power. "He was very forthright in saying we have to realize we're not just going to always agree on all issues. I didn't expect to hear that."
Mr. Huntsman succeeds Clark T. Randt, whose more-than-seven-year term made him the longest-serving U.S. ambassador to China. Unlike Mr. Randt, who went to college with George W. Bush, Mr. Huntsman isn't personally close to President Obama — and indeed is from the other main U.S. political party.
But Mr. Huntsman does have extensive experience in Asia. He was a Mormon missionary in Taiwan, where he learned to speak mandarin Chinese fluently, and he served briefly as ambassador to Singapore. He also worked in the office of the U.S. trade representative when China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.
His family business, Huntsman Corp., has business ties in China, but Mr. Huntsman said he had long since sold his stake in the company and has no ties to it. He also said he had signed standard ethics papers recusing him from any issues surrounding the chemical company.
In the weeks before his departure, he said his adopted daughter eagerly anticipated returning to the country of her birth — a feeling that has become infectious. "I see it in her eyes every day the excitement of living in a place she never thought she'd return to," he said.
He also recounted his own childhood experience: how as an 11-year-old he was at the White House where his father was working as a staff assistant. It was 1971 and Secretary of State Kissinger invited him to his office and let him take his bag to his car before setting out on one of the path-breaking trips to China, which led to the re-establishment of relations in 1979.
"The part I remember best was when I said where are you going?" Mr. Huntsman said. "He said please don't tell anyone: 'I'm going to China.' "
I do have a question about the relations between the 2 countries are on the 'critical phase.' China has more or less enjoyed the relationship with the US under the George W. Bush's presidency. Huntsman's predecessor Clark T. Randt Jr, did little to engage China on the sensitive issues while promoting economic ties between the 2 countries. Also, GWB's insist to go to the Olympics opening ceremony despite mounting criticism was much a face saving gesture to China.
The other US presidents wasn't as kind to China. Then first lady Hillary Clinton came to China in 1995 and 'shamed' China on women's rights. George HW Bush put sanctions on China after the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989. GWB's presidency was the best thing since Henry Kissinger decided to have formal ties with China. Could Barack Obama and Jon Huntsman do better than what GWB did during his 8 years of presidency?
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30 Responses to "Jon Huntsman Challenges in China"
Dragan Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 7:12 amHe is hailed as an excellent mandarin speaker which apparently helps him do the job in Beijing. I wonder if that can be true? He's been in Taiwan for 2 years and that is usually not even close to being enough for fluency required to smoothly discuss diplomatic affairs. I think it is only a good marketing on his and gov't behalf.
Re US China strategy, he did not give any signs that there will be any substantial departure from W's era of friendship based on economic interest, which really did not see US engaging China on any of the important issues outside Korean Peninsula. Introduction of several high-level strategic forums certainly does minimize chances for crisis and helps mutual understanding but so far does not seem to lead toward genuine cooperation
hongkonger Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 9:06 am"Mr. Huntsman was a Mormon missionary in Taiwan, where he learned to speak mandarin Chinese fluently, and he served briefly as ambassador to Singapore."
Mormon missionaries in HK speak superb Cantonese….they must a great foreign-language program.
hongkonger Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 9:07 amops! Double posted. Sorry.
Steve Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 12:21 pm@ Dragan & Hongkonger: I'll second Hongkonger on the effectiveness of the Mormon language program… it's excellent. I've talked to a few of them about this particular subject and before they set off for their mission, they undergo a rigorous language instruction course in the States and then it's total immersion once they arrive in their host country. In fact, the foreign language instruction in American schools is so bad that I wish they'd scuttle the existing instructional methods and use the Mormon method in our schools.
@ pug_ster: I read a similar article about Huntsman the other day. It's still early but he sure looks like an excellent choice for that job. The Democratic party is usually more obsessed with Russia and Europe so having someone in China who understands not only the language but also the culture should make a big difference in cross cultural understanding. I think all of us on this blog, regardless of whether Chinese or another race, realize that a lot of the misunderstandings (though certainly not all) take place over cultural differences rather than always being policy issues. Sometimes how you say something is more important than what you say. It seems from this brief introduction that Mr. Huntsman will at least know how to say what he has to say in a more acceptable way.
Per Dragan's comment, I think the reason there hasn't been more genuine cooperation between the two countries is simply a lack of trust in each other, and that takes time to build. There's a certain amount of history to overcome and certainly the difference between the two systems of government, with the US government having considerably less control over other "voices" in the country expressing opinions or becoming involved in China issues than the CCP has in the other direction, being one of the stumbling blocks to better relations but that's not going to change much over time. Maybe Mr. Huntsman can do a better job of explaining what the US government can and cannot do regarding its own citizens, and be more diplomatically aware of the Chinese cultural way of doing things and expressing opinions.
Wukailong Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 12:21 pm@hongkonger: "Mormon missionaries in HK speak superb Cantonese….they must a great foreign-language program."
They do. A friend of mine who taught Swedish to immigrants once met an American guy who'd learned the language from a textbook called something like "The Prophet's Guide to Swedish." I'm sure there are many books like that.
I also heard that there is a Mormon school with some of the best language courses taught in the US. Usually I'm not that much for organized religion, but it's interesting how this particular interest of theirs have turned into very good schooling.
Dragan Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 1:50 pm@steve
I agree generaly but think that there are many "practical' issues of common interest and huge importance- such as Korean peninsula, Climate change, Mallaca straits security etc. that do not require that sort of mutual trust based on common values and, if you want,ideology – neither real strategic partnership – but need cooperation and prompt action from both. In my opinion, these are the issues that are urgent and should be used to build mutual trust and push the relationship in the right direction.
pug_ster Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 2:52 pmWow, response to my thread:)
In the Western Media outlets, they often boast that Huntsman has excellent Chinese language skills and adopted a Chinese daughter. But I doubt that matters as many of the Chinese leaders and ambassadors understands Western culture and customs. Clark Randt was GWB's college buddy and he probably has much less knowledge of China than Huntsman. So language and cultural knowledge is less than of an issue and what the 2 countries can offer to each other is more important.
Recently there were discussions between the 2 countries about greenhouse reduction but I'll be the devil's advocate to say in reality that US want to sell China 'green technology' such as wind turbines. China can buy the same technology from other countries such as Germany but my guess is that the US is trying to woo them in doing so. I have no proof but this kind of backdoor deals are not uncommon.
In an interesting news, there's an recent article where US and Australia invite China to war games. I wonder this is a changing sign of the balance of power of China in the Pacific.
Steve Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 5:04 pm@ Dragan #6: Yes, I agree with you. Trust is built up by solving mutual conflicts and common issues, not necessarily military ones but also economic, environmental and logistic, just as you suggest. I'm not sure that China has much influence these days in North Korea, though they do have more than anyone else. They seem to be the exception to everyone else's rule.
I'm curious why you mentioned the Malacca Straits. I didn't realize there was a conflict in that area. The US Naval umbrella on all major ship routes helps every country. I know the pirate issue is a problem there, so I was wondering if you were referring to that or something else.
@ pug_ster #7: Do you really think the Chinese bureaucrats truly understand western culture? If so, then why do they use language in press conferences, speeches and news articles that plays very poorly in the west? From where I stand, it seems both sides stare across a cultural divide, at least bureaucratically.
Outside of one company in Arizona, it seems China is already ahead in solar technology and plans to sell it in the States rather than the other way around. I'm not sure about wind turbines; isn't GE the big one for that over here? Does China currently build their own wind turbines? I always thought they did.
pug_ster Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 7:14 pm@Steve #8
Yeah you may be right about the culture thing and both sides stare across a cultural divide.
In terms of solar energy, the US does not allow Chinese made solar panels to come to the states. However, they are making their solar panels here so they can sell them here.
However, the wind turbines are made in the US and shipped to China. 7 percent of the wind power sold to China is by GE in 2007 is not alot, but I am guessing that they are trying to beat out their European rivals. BTW, I was wrong about Germany and wind power, and they are competing with Denmark's Vestas.
miaka9383 Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 7:27 pm@Pug_ster and Steve
I have a very interesting fact or whatever… It is said that the reason we allow them making their solar panels here is because we based our original manufacturing system on Alexander Hamilton's idea. It has been advocated by certain minority group of people that we go back to that… but the details of that Paper by Alexander Hamilton I am not sure about -
Steve Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 9:04 pm@ miaka: I'm not sure how Alexander Hamilton fits into all this. Hamilton believed in protectionism for fledgling industries which at their start were in no position to compete with British manufacturing. My guess is that the solar industry wants protection from solar panel manufactured in China so they're invoking the name of Hamilton as a precedent.
miaka9383 Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 9:15 pm@Steve
I heard it on a liberal talk radio about how we need to go back to the Hamiltonian way… I think the paper he quoted was….Report on Manufacture and the Congress eventually adopted part of his ideal.
Where we don't export manufacturing but have other countries do manufacturing here in the States but Tax them heavily. -
Steve Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 10:03 pmHi Miaka~
Here it is in its entirety on Google Books. I'll have to read it when I have more time, but I know he was a big fan of the British mercantilist system in place before the Revolution.
The Wiki article with a synopsis of the report is here.
Dragan Says:
September 5th, 2009 at 3:58 amHi Steve
Mallaca is an important issue as a transportation bottleneck. While US navy might be the main factor that keeps the straits safe so far from the pirates, that certainly does not put chinese at ease as it gives enormous strategic advantage to US. While difficult to imagine at the moment, in case of worsening relationship or a crisis, at some point US could block all the oil tankers heading for China ( think it is between 60 and 80% of all oil China gets from abroad). This leads to chinese navy build up and string of pearls strategy making India nervous and taking the same way. Therefore, while there is not outright conflict the tensions are building up. If US (and its regional allies)decide to retain control over straits without incorporating china that would lead to more tensions. If China keeps to build its navy and at some point forcefully triees to increase its role in Mallaca straits ( which is the objective) the result would be the same. and there is India and Sino-US struggle over wooing SEA countries in the exclusive alliance to put in the equation too. so they need to increase transparency and coordinate the regional efforts, especially in Malacca Straits in order to avoid that tensions escalate and spread to other areas of their bilateral relationship.
Steve Says:
September 5th, 2009 at 4:43 amHi Dragan~
You wrote a very nice synopsis of the potential situation in the Malacca Straits. My reaction is that China's naval efforts are still in the beginning stages so it's not really much of an issue at this time. After burning the treasure fleet during the early Ming dynasty, China's navy has been a littoral one until very recently. I believe the merchant escort mission in the Arabian Sea is the first time China's navy has been that far from her home waters since Zheng He's era.
Realistically, China is 50+ years from being competitive with the US Navy but even in that case, I personally don't see a confrontation with the United States on the horizon. By that time, I'd expect most Middle East oil would reach China via pipeline rather than being shipped, as those pipelines are being built as we speak. I also think China's help in protecting the Malacca Straits from piracy would be welcome as it has been welcomed in the Arabian Sea. The more China interacts with the rest of the world militarily, the lesser chance of a confrontation in the future.
It seems the "string of pearls" is geared more towards India than the United States. I've always felt that geopolitically, China and the US aren't really rivals and that as China's economy and political system matures, the countries will move closer to each other rather than further apart.
Though it's not something discussed in the open, the US Naval presence in protecting worldwide shipping routes is appreciated by virtually all other countries. It allows their shipping protected access while not being controlled by their major rivals, which in China's case is Japan and Russia. Because the US is on another continent, has only two countries on its borders with neither being a danger, and has access to the two major oceans, the country is in a unique position to have extraordinary geopolitical influence without being a regional threat to the other world powers.
Dragan Says:
September 5th, 2009 at 9:59 amHI Steve,
again, I generally agree : ) with everything you wrote. Sure, it is quite likely that China will not be in position to challenge US militarily on sea for a while, but that is not the point. The point is what you said above: the more China interacts with the world militarily, the lesser the chances of confrontation in the future. In SEA, this requires both China and US to be open, transparent and focused on common objectives.
Chinese do search to expand their role in the region, and rightfully so. In terms of Malacca Strait, it is oil, but it is also most of its imports and exports that go through there. It is easy to understand why Beijing wants to strenghten its presence. The "Impeccable" incident earlier this year just highlights how Chinese grow more assertive (on sea as well) and sensitive to US presence in the region.
To come back to the point, there is high level military dialogue and exchange happening between the two. However, it seems to me it is only form, without the substance, and the crisis could come and deepen anytime there is another "impeccable" or there is another issue-such as terrorist attack in Malacca or something unexpected. The substance would be joint patrols in Malacca Strait, coordinated surveilance of that area, data exchange etc. It does not require China and US to become REAL strategic friends , but it does mitigate the possibility for collision down the road and breeds the mutual trust while addressing an important, practical issue…
I am not quite sure how much diplomats like Huntsman have a say in policy making, but if he wants to make a difference he would be better off facilitating the genuine cooperation on the issues like this. WHile your perception might be that US is a regional power that is not threat to others, that CERTAINLY is not the way Beijing sees it. Therefore I mentioned Malacca, as I think it offers a great opportunity to address Beijing's fears but also acknowledge that US has a role to play in the region. that's a real win-win
Steve Says:
September 5th, 2009 at 7:02 pmHi Dragan~
My guess is that next time a ship like the Impeccable is in the "neutral zone", so to speak, it'll have a destroyer escort.
Does China have enough deep water ships at this time to patrol both the Arabian Sea and the Malacca Straits? Does China need permission from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore to be able to do so, or is that considered international waters outside the Law of the Sea treaty zone because it is so vital?
Dragan Says:
September 6th, 2009 at 4:06 amHi Steve
Not sure, I would prefer not to see the destroyers.That is exactly what US should avoid as it would lead to rising tensions.further more, rising tensions and US navy having a disproportionate role in Malacca Straits could lead to China sponsoring Kra Channel, which would definitely significantly shift the regional balance in China's favour and away from US.
I belive they have enough ships, and if they did not, it could be solved by multinational crews etc.The point is to mutually engage and cooperate. Yes, Straits is controlled by 3 litorall countries but, as can be seen with US initiatives, extra rights could be applied for and negotiated. The result should be that neither of the "outside" powers does not have dominant role over other.
Steve Says:
September 6th, 2009 at 2:59 pmHi Dragan~
I know the two militaries have had talks since then about avoiding similar incidents, but no one knows the outcome of those talks so we're only speculating. Thailand is a strong US ally so a Kra Canal would not be to China's benefit either. In the end, the solution is political, not military. Let's just hope both governments can work something out. Right now, everyone seems pretty happy with the job the US Navy is doing to keep the shipping lanes open so I don't see any major changes in the near future. They've handled the "dominant" role well and by doing so, kept regional rivalries at bay. Sometimes having a dominant power is a good thing.
Dragan Says:
September 6th, 2009 at 3:37 pmHi Steve,
great discussing this with you!
re your point: Even that is questionable as SEA accounts for over 50% of pirate cases in the world as of 2007, and there are 31 cases already this year, 2 of them in Malacca Strait. The fact is that american initiative that gives them right to search ships they suspect carry illegal cargo in tha area is very disturbing for China, remembering the Yinhe incident. It opens doors for for abuse.So everyone else might be happy, but not China. So, if US does not accomodate China through cooperation, Chinese will force their way by building the navy and having separate deals with ASEAN where it already plays more important role generally than US.
Re Kra, it is still open, but I understand that Chinese would be main donor and likely accordingly retain some of exclusive rights in terms of security. Thailand is US ally, but ASEAN – including Thailand – is leaning more and more towards China.
so,yes political solution, but one based on acknowledging that US having a role to play but that gives China more space. While these are official stands of the two, nothing points that this thinking is being really implemented in reality. which I think raises suspicion on both sides and should be addressed by both administration – where hopefully HUntsman can play an important role
Steve Says:
September 7th, 2009 at 6:19 amHi Dragan~
It's always fun to engage in a civil discussion with a knowledgeable and reasonable person such as yourself. 🙂
I doubt a "Yinhe" type incident will occur in the foreseeable future. At that time (1993), it was just four years after Tiananmen and tensions were still pretty high. I think only North Korea is in danger of getting their ships searched. I still think China is a very long way away from having a highly competent Navy. It's not just building ships that makes a Navy formidable but developing a culture of maritime expertise, experience and tradition. China's navy has never been tested and has spent very little time away from its own home ports. I agree that in the future things can change, but not in the next 10-15 years. It takes that long just to initiate a reasonably sized building program and that doesn't take into account the training required to man those new ships competently.
I'd expect that Thailand would maintain security over the Kra Canal when finished. The Thai military is very, very good and Thailand has never been ruled by any foreign power in modern times. They will not be quick to give up authority in their own country, in my opinion based on what I've heard from friends I have in the military that have spent a lot of time there on joint training missions. San Diego is home to half the Navy SEALS and I've worked out with a few of them over the years so I've gotten some inside scoops.
I completely agree with your last paragraph. Hopefully Huntsman can be a positive factor in improving dialogue. What I find most positive is that this ambassador actually knows the country he's going to represent the US in, rather than most of these guys who are just fat cat political donors. That's a major improvement over the past.
Wukailong Says:
September 7th, 2009 at 6:48 am@Steve (#21): "It takes that long just to initiate a reasonably sized building program and that doesn't take into account the training required to man those new ships competently."
I guess you are familiar with the Chinese debate about getting an aircraft carrier? That is a sort of nationalist dream that is often discussed in very emotional terms, and I don't know how many times I've seen headlines such as "When do we get our own aircraft carrier". Since there is a belief this task should already have been carried out, there are plenty of theories as to why China still doesn't have one. One taxi driver I talked to believed it was because China's coastline is too long. 😉
One explanation I've heard that makes a lot of sense and fits with what you described above is that a carrier is at the top of the navy ecosystem, so to speak. Without all the other warships needed for protection and surveillance of the "motherships", it's folly to build one. China still doesn't have this ecosystem.
10-15 years doesn't seem too long a time to me. By that time, China will still have an economy much smaller than the US', but given the constant hype, a lot of people will already believe China is the dominant superpower. 🙂
Dragan Says:
September 7th, 2009 at 8:30 amHi Steve
If I understand your points correctly, you think that US is capable of keeping its dominance on sea for a foreseeable future and therefore there are no incentives to work closely with China just yet?
Well it might be true that chinese navy force is not an immediate threat to US in the region and elsewhere, but it is important for US to understand Chinese aspirations to streghten its security in Malacca and SEA, which are at least as legitimate as US efforts to stay tuned in and keep an important role for herself. Things are developing very fast on chinese side and it is even in US interest to keep China in check, and most effective way to do it is to involve her on the ground through joint exercises, joint patrols and other ways of cooperation. If US just keep on going after its own business, it will radicalize chinese thinking and strategy, which will not work for anyone's benefit few years down the road.
Steve Says:
September 7th, 2009 at 3:54 pm@ Wukailong #22: I've often wondered if aircraft carriers aren't the new "battleships" of war, and are as easy to sink as the battleships were in WWII. What you said is very true: a battleship forms the nucleus of a carrier group with many other ships providing support for the carrier. With navies, it's not just a "numbers" game but more about capabilities. I believe China will get a carrier within the next ten years because their perception is that they would only be considered a world class navy by having one.
But beyond that, I still believe that manpower capability, especially in the officer corps, is China's biggest weakness. There's just no substitute for experience.
@ Dragan #23: Sorry if I wasn't clear, but my thinking is exactly the opposite of what you wrote. The US Navy has tried to work more closely with the Chinese navy with port of call visits, joint naval operations, etc. but the biggest impediment seems to be that some political event (such as selling weapons to Taiwan) causes China to cancel military cooperation programs as a sign of their displeasure. I believe this policy is shortsighted on the part of the Chinese government, and sacrifices their own naval goals for political ones. I believe you and I are on the same page as far as increased naval cooperation between the two countries.
Dragan Says:
September 8th, 2009 at 6:36 amHi Steve, an interesting angle, as my perception is that US selling arms to taiwan is shortsighted as it distances China from US and raise cross-strait tensions. But I am aware that Chinese have pulled out from joint "projects" on several ocassions as a response to something they thought is primarely aimed against China and agree that it does not help. Yet, I am not sure to what extens that is a sacrifice of their own goals? Can you please elaborate further? Is it beacue that way chinese do not have "access" to rich practical experience of other naval forces and miss out opportunities to practice or because of something else?
pug_ster Says:
September 10th, 2009 at 5:12 pm@Steve #8
It seems that US is selling China the solar panels in the 2,000 megawatt farm in the Mongolian desert. I also have to point out this article in Chaindaily about warming US relations.
Notice in the 2 articles they mention the Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo. It seems really suspicious about Mr Wu being welcomed by people like Pelosi after he signs into the solar farm deal.
Steve Says:
September 11th, 2009 at 8:50 pmHi pug_ster: Thanks for the two links. Yes, seems suspicious but that works both ways. American legislators act friendlier to Chinese legislators after big commercial agreement; Chinese legislators sign big commercial agreement to get better relations with American legislators. There is no such thing as a free lunch, at least in politics. 😉
pug_ster Says:
October 15th, 2009 at 6:34 pmhttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-10/15/content_8800057.htm
Another interesting article of military Cooperation.
pug_ster Says:
October 28th, 2009 at 2:22 pmAnother interesting Military Cooperation between US and China.
It is kind of strange, it is front page news in Chinadaily yet in noticeably absent in ABC, NBC, and CBS. Maybe the US don't want to seem to be cooperating with China.
Steve Says:
October 28th, 2009 at 3:26 pmGood news, pug_ster. Thanks for the links. I've always liked the China Daily best of the three Chinese news sources I have bookmarked.
I wouldn't read too much into the lack of coverage in ABC, NBC & CBS. One military meeting another usually doesn't get covered, no matter who it involves. Who do you think dictates what they cover? Do you feel they are in "cahoots" with each other in some way to determine what is and is not news? Just curious.


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Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A federal judge says he'll do his best to rule by early next year on a legal challenge to a same-sex marriage ban in Utah, after an attorney called for an end to the prohibition by arguing that the precedent has been set by the U.S. Supreme Court and discrimination has gone on long enough.
U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby heard arguments from both sides Wednesday as he weighed what will be a precedent-setting decision on Utah's 2004 voter-passed law.
About 100 people packed the courtroom in the city that is home to the Mormon Church, known for its efforts in helping California pass its anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment.
Lawyer Peggy Tomsic contended marriage is a fundamental right. "This is the time and this is the place for this court to make it clear that the 14th Amendment is alive and well, even in Utah," Tomsic said.
Attorneys for the state countered it's not the courts' role to determine how a state defines marriage, and said the high court ruling doesn't give same-sex couples the universal right to marry.
They also reinforced the state's argument that Utah has a right to foster a culture of "responsible procreation," and the "optimal mode of child-rearing," which the state believes the law does.
"There is nothing unusual about what Utah is doing here," said Stanford Purser of the Utah Attorney General's Office, objecting to the notion that the law is rooted in bigotry or hatred. "That's the nature of legislation: You draw lines and make designations."
Though more than 40 similar court challenges to same-sex marriage bans are pending in 22 states, Utah's is among the most closely watched because of the state's history of staunch opposition to gay marriage, said Jon Davidson, director of Lambda Legal, which pursues litigation on a wide range of LGBT issues across the country.
Utah is home to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which believes homosexuality is a sin and was one of the leading forces behind California's Proposition 8. Utah was among the first states to pass an amendment banning same-sex marriage, Davidson said.
"Utah has a particularly symbolic position in the history of the struggle of same sex couples to be able to marry," Davidson said.
Shelby, who took the bench in September 2012, asked dozens of questions to both attorneys. He said afterward that he had his "hands full" with the case but vowed to do his best to make a ruling by early January.
His decision would be the first on a state same-sex marriage ban since the Supreme Court last summer struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act, which stipulated that marriage was between a man and woman.
Much of the hearing focused on the state's premise that the law helps promote procreation. Shelby grilled the state's attorneys on the connection between banning same-sex marriage and the number of babies born to heterosexual couples.
"How is it by excluding same-sex couples from marrying you're increasing procreation?" the judge asked.
Purser declined to answer directly, saying the issue was irrelevant in this case. Pressed, he said nobody knows yet the effects of same-sex marriage on heterosexual marriage.
Shelby also questioned if having children is essential to a person being able to take advantage of the constitutional right to marriage, proving his point by asking the state attorneys if Utah would consider giving fertilization tests before granting marriage licenses. He also asked how allowing a heterosexual post-menopausal woman to marry was different than allowing a gay or lesbian couple to wed.
Philip Lott of the Utah Attorney General's Office said the state wouldn't give fertilization tests and said a post-menopausal woman may still raise a grandchild or niece or nephew.
Tomsic scoffed at the state's rationale of promoting procreation, saying there is no evidence to suggest banning same-sex marriage has any effect on whether men and women have children. She also took exception to the idea that same-sex couples can't provide stable, loving homes for kids. She said an estimated 3,000 Utah children are being raised by gay and lesbian parents who are suffering because of the state's law.
"These kids every day of their lives are facing a social stigma," Tomsic said. "The harm is immense in this state."
Shelby questioned why harm should be considered in his judgment, and also pointed out that Tomsic's interpretation of the 14th Amendment was overly simplistic. He noted the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage had sections that benefited both sides in the legal challenge.
The judge also asked why he should overturn what nearly two-thirds of Utah voters decided was best for the state nearly a decade ago.
Five of the six people who brought the lawsuit in March attended the hearing.
Tomsic said one of the couples was legally married in Iowa and just wants that license recognized in Utah. She said the couples work and contribute to society and deserve equal rights in the state where they live, no matter how the law came to be.
Utah's law is "based on prejudice and bias that is religiously grounded in this state," Tomsic said.
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text:
TechRadar Verdict
- +
Good battery life
- +
Decent performance
- +
- -
Some performance issues
- -
Limited storage
Why you can trust TechRadar
The Archos 70 internet tablet is a middle of the road Honeycomb affair with a design that hardly sets our hearts alight. But, its tiny appearance and price is enticing.
Touted as the first Android Honeycomb tablet available under £180, the 70 internet tablet positions itself as a media device more than anything.
Its 7-inch size and solid battery life mean this could be just the right device for watching a movie during tedious bus journeys and lengthy airport delays.
The glossy, brushed-metal body is a magnet for fingerprints, but the built-in kickstand at the back is a winner. Pull it out and the device stands all by itself, allowing you to kick back and enjoy a video or album - why haven't we seen this on other media tablets?
The 70 internet tablet's higher resolution capacitive screen is a big selling point, stepping up the pixel count from 800 x 400 on the original Archos 70 to 1,024 x 600.
Just like Honey
Honeycomb is a step up from the Gingerbread OS that dominates sub-£200 tablets. Google designed this version specifically for tablets - and it shows. You get five home screens to fill with widgets and apps as well as the option to customise background, sounds and layout.
Although the 8GB of on-board storage limits the amount of media you can load onto the 70, there's a built-in MicroSD card slot for bulking it up.
An ARM Cortex A8 processor running at 1.2GHz and supported by 512MB of RAM is nestled inside. These specs are enough to produce a reliable, if not lightning-fast, experience. There are hints of lag when moving between homescreens or opening applications but we never experienced a freeze.
Given the pocket-friendly size, connectivity is limited to a Mini-USB and Mini-HDMI ports, along with the aforementioned MicroSD card slot. On the wireless side of things you've got 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.
At around half the price of tablets like the new iPad or Samsung Galaxy 10.1, performance is what we'd expect here - up to the basics, but not much beyond.
The 70 internet tablet's Lithium Polymer battery stood up well to scrutiny, lasting the best part of a day during casual usage - browsing the web, tapping out the occasional email and playing music. When we looped some high-definition footage, the 70 internet tablet ran for 206 minutes before giving out. This isn't a bad score and combined with the portability of the smaller size, makes it actually a very good option for regular commuters or travellers.
Given its size and price, the Archos 70 internet tablet could be a neat purchase for anyone regularly travelling or on a budget. But, thanks to performance foibles, we'd suggest this as a secondary device rather than a first choice machine.
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DALLAS — Lockheed Martin's (LMT) PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) successfully engaged, intercepted and destroyed a tactical ballistic missile (TBM) target today at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The first interceptor destroyed the target and the second PAC-3 MSE Missile self-destructed as planned.
"Today's flight test provided another example of how the PAC-3 MSE Missile has significantly expanded the Patriot battlespace, engaging a TBM at unprecedented range," said Richard McDaniel, vice president of PAC-3 programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "This test was especially satisfying as it came just a few days after the first successful Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) intercept flight test in which another PAC-3 MSE Missile intercepted a threat representative air-breathing target in an over-the-shoulder engagement."
The PAC-3 MSE Missile provides increased performance by expanding the lethal battlespace of the current PAC-3 Missile both in altitude and range employing the same proven hit-to-kill technology that the PAC-3 family of missiles uniquely brings to the Patriot system.
The MSE variant incorporates threat-driven and technology-enabled hardware and software upgrades to defeat the advancing threat set. The PAC-3 MSE Missile is packaged in a single canister that stacks to provide even more flexibility for the Patriot air defense system.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control is prime contractor for the PAC-3 Missile Segment and Missile Segment Enhancement upgrades to the Patriot air defense system. The upgrades consist of the highly agile hit-to-kill PAC-3/MSE Missiles, the PAC-3 Missile canisters (in four/one packs), the Fire Solution Computer and the Enhanced Launcher Electronics System, all of which are modularly integrated into Patriot.
Source/Author: Lockheed Martin
Photo: Lockheed Martin


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Center in Cincinnati, OH 45242
10310 Montgomery Rd
Cincinnati, OH 45242
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Youthland Academy is a "learning center" that assists children to realize success and fulfillment through programs of positive self-image. Children experience the joy of learning; they feel loved and accepted. Our program is our attitude. Our Teachers and Directors are provided monthly themes that ignite each child's unique pleasure in learning. The monthly curriculum suggests proven ways to include these themes in a variety of "discovery centered" activities. Using the curriculum's themes each teacher designs individualized lesson plans. We do not adhere to the standardized lesson plan because we feel there is no standard child or standard class. This is why we keep our teacher-child ratio at the level that comfortably supports personal attention.
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Charles CSURI |
Horse Play |
Charles Csuri (US) b 1922 Charles A. Csuri is an artist and computer graphics pioneer and a Professor at the Ohio State University. He exhibited his paintings in New York City from 1955-1965. Examples of early works are in the collections of Walter P. Chrysler, movie actor Jose Ferrer, pop artist Roy Lichtenstein and sculptor George Segal. In 1964 he experimented with computer graphics technology and a year later began creating computer animated films. The 4th International Experimental Film Festival, Brussels, Belgium, 1967, awarded him the prize for animation. His work was highlighted in the exhibition Cybernetic Serendipity held at The Institute for Contemporary Art, London, England, 1968. One of Charles Csuri's computer films is in the collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art. His research activity in computer animation and graphics has received international recognition and acclaim. He has been interviewed twice on the Today Show. CNN's Portrait of America featured him on a program and he has been on Entertainment Tonight. Csuri has lectured and presented his work in Sweden, England, France, Spain, Holland, Italy and Japan, and has received wide media coverage around the world. Charles Csuri webpage http://www.csuri.com/ This is an archive of the Digital Art Museum for historical reference. |


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Dozens of tour buses have added the tiny town of Elma, N.Y., as a stop this year. On their way to scenic sites like Niagara Falls, these tourists are squeezing in a visit to the Made in America store.
Shop owner Mark Andol climbs aboard a bus and tells the riders that shopping here is a patriotic act.
"When you walk through them doors, I guarantee when you're shopping — the homework's been done — it's 100 percent made-in-America products. Made in this country by American workers, and the money stays in our economy. So, enjoy yourself," he says.
Customers pour into the spacious building, which used to be a Ford dealership. American flags and patriotic quotes adorn the walls.
Gloria Giesa of Vaselboro, Maine, says she always looks for "Made in the USA" labels when shopping. But this store saves her the trouble.
"Makes me think of when I was young and everything was American. And that's the way it should be," she says.
But Giesa admits she doesn't always go with American products.
"You buy the best deal you can find. That's what it's all about. [For] some people, every penny counts. And if you can save 50 cents, that's a lot," she says.
Andol sees the store as a way for American vendors to gain traction in a retail environment where they've been priced out by overseas competition.
A Personal Battle
For him, it's a personal battle. A few years ago, his welding company nearly went out of business after losing major contracts to foreign manufacturers. He laid off nearly half of his 70-person workforce.
"These people want to work. You have no work for them. Yet it's going overseas and you think, 'Jeez, these people want to put food on their table. They're willing to work.' There just wasn't enough work to keep them," Andol says.
In the beginning, Andol admits, opening the store was more of an idea than a business plan. It stocked just 50 items.
Now, customers are snapping up its medley of more than 3,000 products. You won't find everything. There are no can openers, coffee makers or just about anything electronic. Prices are competitive. Jeans for $30, and $14 will buy a T-shirt that says, "China is a long drive to work."
Store manager Rob Weylan says, "50-cent toilet paper. American-made toilet paper. Fifty cents a roll. We're better than the dollar store."
Weylan makes sure each product is 100 percent American, right down to the glue in the packaging. Vendors have to say where every component of their product is made and sign letters of authenticity.
Checking The Goods
This is necessary, Weylan says, because loopholes in Federal Trade Commission rules allow many items to be labeled "Made the USA" when it's only half-true or better. Weylan says he spends hours verifying manufacturer's claims.
"If, for some reason, something were to slip through the cracks, we take the product out of the store, burn it, or whatever we do to it, because they lied to us," he says.
So far, principle hasn't turned into a profit. Any money the store has made has gone into acquiring new products. Sales have doubled from this time last year, thanks to word of mouth and visits by out-of-towners.
Franchisees are already planning to open more Made in America stores, envisioning it as the next Wal-Mart — without the foreign goods.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Search results
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July/August 2023
Shared Harvest
Shared Harvest is preparing boxes to be distributed to Darke County residents for this hands-free food distribution. A family receiving food will need to bring photo id and a piece of mail and will provide verbal self-attestation for income. All Darke ...
Invasive Species
Join Darke County ANR Educator Caden Buschur for an informative discussion about invasive species. Topics include invasive plants and animals, identification, and management. Register by contacting Worch Memorial Public Library at 937-526-3416 For more in ...
Food Preservation & Safety
Have you had your pressure canner tested? Our Extension office provides testing of your presssure canner. Pressure canner testing is recommend every year, and provides you with the peace of mind of canning your goods safely. We offer testing year round a ...
Ohio State Agronomic Crops Team helps growers deal with problem beans
From the moment some Ohio soybean growers first began noticing slow growth and yellowing in their plants during the beginning of the planting season this year, many immediately called Ohio State's Agronomic Crops Team to find out why. And as the season pr ...
CFAES students can access Trimble Technology Labs in Columbus and Wooster
Starting now, new ultramodern Trimble Technology Labs will give CFAES students a jump-start on using agricultural solutions hardware and software. Earlier this year, CFAES received a gift from Trimble to establish the labs, the largest philanthropic gift- ...
Spring, summer temps increase risk of heat illness
Farmers, producers, and anyone who works outdoors should beware: When the weather is warmer, you're at a higher risk for heat illness, which can come on suddenly with many people unaware they're in danger. Even experienced workers are vulnerable to heat-r ...
Understanding barriers to conservation
Research shows that Ohio farmers and those across the eastern Corn Belt and Great Lakes region value conservation, according to Robyn Wilson, CFAES professor of risk analysis and decision science and acting associate director of the college's School of En ...
AgTech Innovation Hub awards inaugural research projects
Five innovative research projects were awarded funding from the new AgTech Innovation Hub, a multimillion-dollar collaboration between Ohio State and Nationwide. First announced last fall, the AgTech Innovation Hub is facilitated by CFAES and aims to enco ...
Wilkins named a top Ohio leader
Sherrie R. Whaley and Women We Admire The Ohio State University's Jackie Wilkins has been named one of Ohio's top 50 women leaders in 2023 by Women We Admire, an organization of the most accomplished women executives and leaders across the U.S. ...


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What are Chris Riddell's qualifications to talk about technology? What are the awards that Chris Riddell has won? I cannot seem to find ...
Facebook shows mobile app developers the money with new ad network
The Audience Network, now in beta, will support iOS and Android apps
Facebook will extend its advertising business by distributing ads from its marketers to third-party mobile apps.
Developers will be able to join a new Facebook mobile ad network and make money from the ads their mobile apps carry, benefitting along the way from Facebook's trove of user data.
Facebook has been serving up its own ads inside its mobile app for at least a year now, to great success -- that's the way the company now makes most of its money. With the Audience Network, Facebook wants to open up the scope of its mobile ad business.
Facebook has provided tools to developers to help them generate revenue for some time, such as with its payments platform. But the Audience Network is a much bigger play for Facebook.
"This is the first time we're going to help you monetize in a serious way on mobile," said CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in front of an audience of developers at the company's F8 conference in San Francisco.
In early tests of the network, retailer Target said it wanted to reach people who not only "liked" Target on Facebook, but who also liked the movie "Frozen," said Deborah Liu, manager of product marketing at Facebook. Facebook found those people in the Huffington Post app, and delivered Target's ads there.
The mobile ad network could give a massive boost to developers' monetization efforts, given that Facebook's data will better help them target users more precisely.
"It all came together through the Facebook system," Liu said.
Facebook's Audience Network is currently in beta; advertisers can apply to participate online. It will work both on iOS and Android, for a number of different types of ads, including banner ads and "native" ads, which are designed to look more like organic or user-generated content.
A number of other tools were announced at F8 designed to help developers build, grow and monetize their apps, including a way to log in anonymously to other apps.
Zach Miners covers social networking, search and general technology news for IDG News Service. Follow Zach on Twitter at @zachminers. Zach's e-mail address is email@example.com


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Mark Karlin: Some progressive critics have asserted that Project Censored is no longer relevant because of the openness of the Internet. How do you respond to that charge?
Peter Phillips: The Internet is huge with a lot of misinformation and managed news. One of the reasons we started both our Validated News site and News We Trust was that one of the major questions asked over the years has been "whom do you trust?"
We have created these online sources and repositories: Validated News & Research, Daily Independent News, and we also have a Spanish site, Daily News in Spanish.
The big problem still is that well over half the world has never made a phone call, let alone seen the Internet.
MK: Although you didn't found Project Censored in 1976, you oversaw it for the longest period of time. What was the "spark" that caused the founding of Project Censored?
PP: Actually, in 1976 Carl Jensen was trying to explain how Richard Nixon got elected in '72 despite Watergate. He went back in the corporate media and found that they had mostly ignored Watergate until after the election, and he began to ask what else are they (the media) skipping or delaying publishing stories about. So he had his students – in the sociology of media at Sonoma State University – research stories from the alternative independent press that were not covered by the mass media. His list was quickly picked up by the independent alternative media and republished worldwide.
MK: Journalistically, when a story is literally censored, is it known as being "spiked" by an editor or publisher. How are subjects censored in the modern-day corporate press due to the current "culture of mass media" as compared to actually being "spiked"?
PP: Stories are still deliberately spiked! We call this managed news. And it is quite widespread. On October 25, 2005 the American Civil Liberties (ACLU) posted to their website forty-four autopsy reports, acquired from American military sources, covering the deaths of civilians who died while in US military prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2002-2004. The autopsy reports provided proof of widespread torture by US forces. Twenty-three of the reports said the cause of death was homicide. The balance of the reports mostly indicated that the cause of death was heart failure. The conditions of the bodies indicated clearly that these people were tortured to death. A press release by the ACLU announcing the deaths was immediately picked up by Associated Press (AP) wire service making the story available to US corporate media nationwide. A thorough check of Nexis-Lexis and Proquest library data bases showed that at least ninety-nine percent of the daily papers in the US did not pick up the story, nor did AP ever conduct follow up coverage on the issue.[1]
In a January 2008 report, the British polling group Opinion Research Business (ORB) reported that, "survey work confirms our earlier estimate that over 1,000,000 Iraqi citizens have died as a result of the conflict which started in 2003. ORB interviewed 2,400 randomly selected families in 15 of 18 provinces in Iraq, asking the question has anyone in your family died from war violence. The data resulted in a report that stated, "We now estimate that the death toll between March 2003 and August 2007 is likely to have been of the order of 1,033,000."
The ORB report comes on the heels of two earlier studies conducted by Johns Hopkins University published in the Lancet medical journal that confirmed the continuing numbers of mass deaths in Iraq. A study done by Dr. Les Roberts from January 1, 2002 to March 18, 2003 put the civilian deaths at that time at over 100,000. A second study published in the Lancet in October 2006 documented over 650,000 civilian deaths in Iraq since the start of the US invasion. The 2006 study confirms that US aerial bombing in civilian neighborhoods caused over a third of these deaths and that over half the deaths are directly attributable to US forces.
The Associated Press, which reaches over one billion people in the world, released three times in 2009 the story claiming only 87,000 Iraqis had died as a result of US invasion and occupation. The story was originally published April 23, 2009: updated July 25 and October 14.
MK: Have you seen Project Censored having an impact on news coverage over the years?
PP: It is hard to tell but over 1/3 of our stories go on to receive some corporate coverage
MK: Given your long experience with Project Censored, how do you regard the emergence of WikiLeaks?
PP: Outstanding!
MK: Mickey, can you explain briefly how this year's book is structured? It's a lot more than the 25 "censored" stories that are recognized.
Mickey Huff: Each year since 1993, when the first full length Project Censored book was published (prior to that there were smaller publications dating to 1976), we have researched, vetted, and voted on the most important censored (or under reported) stories of the year. Indeed, it is what the Project is known for, the Top 25, or the Top 10 censored stories. This is certainly important, and this year, we have organized our analysis of the top stories in what we call censored news clusters, to highlight the overall architecture of censorship along topical lines in the corporate media.
Year after year, and now more than ever, the book itself contains more sections, chapters, and investigative reports and scholarly studies on not only what is wrong with mass media in the US and the failures of the free press, but on what can be done about it, and what is being done in terms of solutions to achieve the concept in practice of a truly free press – how the founders philosophically intended (think theory, not practice). A journalism that keeps the public informed on crucial matters of the day so that they may participate meaningfully in the maintenance of democracy, in order to attain a state of relevant and representative self-governance.
MK: Project Censored is somewhat unusual in that students at Sonoma State University (California), as Peter mentioned, do much of the work on identifying the top 25 articles. How has this worked out over the years??
MH: In the past few years, Project Censored has grown and now includes student and faculty researchers at over 30 colleges and universities across the US, and we have participants in over half a dozen countries. We are a student centered, media literacy education organization at heart, but there are many more facets to the project as evidenced in our coverage of what we call junk food news and news abuse (looking at the increased tabloidization of news coverage); signs of hope and health (showcasing the many positive community building stories); media democracy in action (highlighting activists for media freedom); the truth emergency section of the book on propaganda studies; and the Project Censored International section that looks at media democracy issues in the US and around the globe. So, we are ever expanding and are seeking participants in educational fields, we are looking to hear from teachers, students, concerned citizens of the world who understand the importance of fighting for the right to be informed about the world in which we live.
MK: On the Project Censored web site, you refer to section two of the book focusing on "the truth emergency." Can you explain the relationship between a "truth emergency" and propaganda?
MH: This truth emergency we face is a result of the lack of factual reporting by the so-called mainstream media over the past decade. This truth emergency is the result of a lack of source transparency and factual substance in news transmission. Americans are subjected to mass amounts of propaganda, from misinformation to disinformation, on a daily basis, about some of the most significant issues of the day. Whether this involves the post-9/11 wars in the Middle East, the health care reform fiascoes, election fraud, or economic collapse and bailouts, most Americans are unaware of all the facts of how we got where we now are as a society. It is the duty of the constitutionally protected free press to report factually to the public on these matters. However, as shown by Project Censored's work dating back to 1976, that is not happening.
One way of combating this truth emergency is by understanding the nature of propaganda. This year, our truth emergency section is a primer on propaganda studies, which includes a brief history, theory, application, and case studies all presented to enhance media literacy among the general public.
MK: Getting back to the "truth emergency," to what extent is US government propaganda about many issues in congruence with corporate media propaganda?
MH: Often times they are one in the same, from the view in government and corporate media on WikiLeaks and transparency to the current NATO actions in Libya, the two have a similar view because there is so much overlap of interest in both involved parties (which in and of themselves have great overlap – from the corporate world to government posts or lobbyists and back again).
Both the US government and the corporate media essentially have a duopoly on manipulating the public mind for political or commercial gain. Leading the public to one view or another is the name of the game, rather than reporting all the facts and letting the chips fall where they may.
This clearly represents a crisis for democracy; the truth of major issues remains illusive to the public. The antidote lies not only in exposing the charlatans of the establishment order as propagandists, but also in providing a broader understanding of how propaganda works, what it looks like and how to detect it, and what the public can do about it. Namely, the solution is to create an independent free press, one not beholden to moneyed interests, but rather one that tells people the truth about all matters, regardless of which powerful parties may be exposed.
MK: If you look at Berlusconi's ownership of media in Italy and Rupert Murdoch's de facto influence on the government in the UK, aren't we facing a worldwide problem of the media representing the ruling elite?
MH: Yes, we are. And that has been a growing trend that seems to be unabated, save for the recent actions in the US to investigate and possibly block the latest AT&T merger. But overall, that is a rare action by the US government. The trend over the later 20th century has been in support of consolidation of ownership and a shutting out of public participation, oversight, and inclusion of views from everyday people. In fact, the FCC just recently drove another nail in the coffin of the Fairness Doctrine, which was mostly dismantled under the Reagan years.
Despite many well-intentioned people in the so-called media reform movement, reform measures via government agencies have rarely worked at the federal level. This is why we must all be the media, we must create and share our own transparently sourced, fact-based news, and we must support independent voices that are doing the same. We cannot depend on those that have created the problems of the news media, contributed to problems of the news media, and benefited from those conditions to take heed and go about fixing said problems in the public interest. That has not, and likely will not happen.
1. For more on the ACLU study "U.S. Operatives Killed Detainees During Interrogations in Afghanistan and Iraq" from 10/24/2005, click here; and for more on the bias of The Associated Press see Project Censored's study online.


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§11-15B-7. Agreement requirements.
The Tax Commissioner may not enter into the streamlined sales and use tax agreement unless the agreement requires each state to abide by the following requirements:
(1) Simplified state rate. -- The agreement must set restrictions to limit over time the number of state rates.
(2) Uniform standards. -- The agreement must establish uniform standards for the following:
(A) The sourcing of transactions to taxing jurisdictions;
(B) The administration of exempt sales; and
(C) Sales and use tax returns and remittances.
(3) Central registration. -- The agreement must provide a central electronic registration system that allows a seller to register to collect and remit sales and use taxes for all signatory states.
(4) No nexus attribution. -- The agreement must provide that registration with the central registration system and the collection of sales and use taxes in the signatory states will not be used as a factor in determining whether the seller has nexus with a state for any tax.
(5) Local sales and use taxes. -- The agreement must provide for reduction of the burdens of complying with local sales and use taxes through the following:
(A) Restricting variances between the state and local tax bases;
(B) Requiring states to administer any sales and use taxes levied by local jurisdictions within the state so that sellers collecting and remitting these taxes will not have to register or file returns with, remit funds to or be subject to independent audits from local taxing jurisdictions;
(C) Restricting the frequency of changes in the local sales and use tax rates and setting effective dates for the application of local jurisdictional boundary changes to local sales and use taxes; and
(D) Providing notice of changes in local sales and use tax rates and of changes in the boundaries of local taxing jurisdictions.
(6) Monetary allowances. -- The agreement must outline any monetary allowances that are to be provided by the states to sellers or certified service providers.
(7) State compliance. -- The agreement must require each state to certify compliance with the terms of the agreement prior to joining and to maintain compliance, under the laws of the member state, with all provisions of the agreement while a member.
(8) Consumer privacy. -- The agreement must require each state to adopt a uniform policy for certified service providers that protects the privacy of consumers and maintains the confidentiality of tax information.
(9) Advisory councils. -- The agreement must provide for the appointment of an advisory council of private sector representatives and an advisory council of nonmember state representatives to consult with in the administration of the agreement.