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In 2010, the insurance industry was the target of a lot of bad press regarding retained asset accounts (RAAs) that were provided to the beneficiaries of military service members killed in action.
A midsummer news exposé revealed that many beneficiaries were unaware that what they received at the time of a loved one's death was not a regular checking account, but a book of checks to be drawn on an insurance company.
The quiet change in policy that was responsible for RAAs being handed out in place of checks was only part of what made everyone so angry. In 1999, in accordance with a verbal agreement with the Veterans Administration (VA), Prudential—the then-provider of benefits for Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI)—began providing RAAs instead of checks when a military member made the ultimate sacrifice. (The policy was not amended in writing to cover this change until 2009.)
An even more bitter pill to swallow was the fact that insurance companies collected more interest on the funds in RAAs than they paid out to the beneficiaries. So was the fact that beneficiaries were often completely ignorant of the fact that they could put the money in a higher-yield vehicle and receive a better rate of interest. On top of that was the news that money in RAAs was not FDIC-insured, although of course death benefits are protected, via each state's insurance guaranty fund.
Lawsuits were threatened, investigations launched and criticism abounded. (See "Life Insurers Under Fire," Investment Advisor, November 2010)
Big Apple Bites Back
One of the states to launch an investigation into the matter was New York. Then-Attorney General Andrew Cuomo characterized New York's action as a "major fraud investigation," and on Feb. 24, 2012, New York regulators told insurance companies that they should no longer provide death benefits in the form of RAAs to military members' families by default. The family must request such an account.
And not just military members, either—Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky of New York's Department of Financial Services said the change applied to "life insurance policies owned by soldiers, veterans and others."
DFS issued a "circular letter" regarding the issuance of RAAs that instructed insurance companies not to issue them as the default when an insured New Yorker dies and specified "the detailed information that insurers should disclose in a clear and conspicuous manner, so that beneficiaries are fully informed about retained asset accounts before they elect how benefits will be paid."
Beneficiaries should be provided with an extensive list of disclosures, it said, that informed them of the payout options available, a detailed explanation of the way RAAs work and the limitations of drafts connected with RAAs, as well as noting upcoming changes in the interest rate paid on funds held in RAAs.
However, the main point remains that insurers should provide as the default option, and whenever a beneficiary does not choose an option, a check for the full amount of the payout.
In a statement, Lawsky said, "People buy life insurance to protect their loved ones after death. New York's new standard ensures that beneficiaries will receive the full amount of life insurance proceeds immediately, unless they expressly choose another option. Our soldiers, veterans and their families, as well as all New Yorkers, deserve to get from the life insurance companies exactly what they paid for. The companies should not be padding their profits at the expense of the needs of New Yorkers."
The American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) disputed Lawsky's characterization of RAAs in a statement in response to the New York decision that said, "A retained asset account has all the benefits of a lump sum payment and more. Beneficiaries have full access to the money in their accounts and can withdraw the money immediately or at a later date. Money in [RAAs] earns interest that is comparable to other on-demand accounts. This interest begins to accrue the moment the retained asset account is established. Even beneficiaries who withdraw all of their money immediately will earn some interest from the account. [...] We continue to believe that RAAs are the best default option for consumers, and respectfully disagree with the superintendent."


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Dreams are not steps away from you. It could be at your farthest literally which allows you to work harder on it.
Someone told me that all fruits are in the seeds. Pretty straightforward but sometimes ignored by many.
A lot of us tend to believe that once you study, it is more than enough to achieve that dream. I say, NO! It is how you understand your inner self that matters most. It is the only way that would lead you to clarity on the steps to take toward that dream. It may be vague now but in process you will get there.
Join me in finding our inner self and following those foot prints left by God for us to discover. Oh how mysterious life is! Worth living!
My dream–Design–Sew–Teach ☺🤓😊

subset: commoncrawl


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Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010
Updated 2:05 AM
By Tracey Myers
LOS ANGELES -- The Chicago Blackhawks had a few items they wanted to get done on this circus trip. Obviously they needed points. They needed to come together on and off the ice and they needed confidence moving forward.
Done, done and done.
Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane each had a goal and an assist and Corey Crawford won his second game in as many days as the Blackhawks beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 at the Staples Center on Saturday night. The Blackhawks wrapped up this long trip with a 4-2-0 mark. They collected eight of a possible 12 points as well as a surge of confidence they want to take back to home ice.
"That was probably our best team game as far as getting through it, sticking together and battling," coach Joel Quenneville said. "Crow was big in the net for us. We met both goals in Canada and California so it was a productive trip."
Crawford was strong once again, stopping 21 of 22 shots -- the only one allowed was on a Kings 5-on-3 power play -- for his fourth consecutive victory. Crawford won three games on this road trip and has certainly earned consideration for more playing time. That could come sooner than later, too.
"We'll consider who's starting on Tuesday vs. St. Louis, but there's a chance he could go again," Quenneville said.
Crawford said he's gained confidence with his recent work but credited his teammates' help.
"They make my game so much easier, taking away passing lanes and pushing it to the outside. That makes a huge difference for me," Crawford said. "We want to start climbing the standings now and this was big for us."
While Crawford was stoic on one end, the Blackhawks' offense did what it needed to on the other. Sharp's 15th goal of the season came on a 2-on-1 with Kane, whose well-timed pass drew Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick out of position and left a gaping hole for Sharp.
Sharp said Saturday was a big step in the right direction.
"There are a lot more games to be played, but we won't be satisfied with winning one night and losing the next," he said. "Friday was a big afternoon, wanted to follow that up with one here. It's something to feel good about."
Kane later scored while crashing the net, as a Tomas Kopecky centering feed went off him and past Quick for a 2-0 lead.
"It wasn't one of my prettiest goals but I'll take it," Kane said of the game-winner. "It hit my stomach and went off. When I see the puck going toward the net I try to get there."
The Blackhawks got what they wanted from this trip. They're definitely feeling more confident now than when they embarked on it. Now they want to continue that trend.
"More than anything we bonded as a team as a group of guys," said Duncan Keith, who assisted on Sharp's goal. "We're just playing better as a team. We're getting contributions from everyone, whether it's a big block, a big save or a timely goal."
Bowman talks
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said teams are always talking to each other, and that the Blackhawks are no different there. But as far as making a trade, Bowman said it's not likely right now.
"We're looking more to improve with the group that we have here. We've seen a lot of good signs over the last couple of weeks," he said prior to Saturday night's game. "It's a difficult league to trade in now, mainly because of the salary cap Teams that have cap space don't have a lot of money to spend and teams that have the ability to spend money financially don't have a lot of cap space. It's a bit of a mismatch with moves to be made.
"You make your calls to see how GMs are doing, what's going on with teams. In general, sometimes they'll bring up things they're looking to do," Bowman continued. "I wouldn't say you're calling to make a trade. It's more conversation than anything. Over the course of the year that's how you find out which players on other teams are available."
John Scott gets ready to throw a punch at Kings right winger Kevin Westgarth. Scott left Westgarth with a bloody face as a result of their second period altercation. (AP)Great Scott
John Scott was certainly ready to fight when Kings right winger Kevin Westgarth challenged him to one in the second period. After a few seconds and a dominating Scott performance, Westgarth was bloodied. The 6-foot-8 Scott seemed to tower over the 6-4 Westgarth, and Scott's reach didn't hurt, either.
"It's the height advantage and I have long arms. It's kind of like a monkey-armed baboon," Scott said. "I just swing away. I don't like doing left jab. I just throw big rights. Those jersey jabs don't do anything anyway."
Fernando Pisani was out with an upper body injury on Saturday. ... Jordan Hendry was the Blackhawks' lone healthy scratch.
Tracey Myers is CSNChicago.com's Blackhawks Insider. Follow Tracey on Twitter @TramyersCSN for up-to-the-minute Hawks information.


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The Trapp family and the First World War
The Trapp family lived in an era where there was much suffering and upheaval. Two cruel wars changed the world and had a huge impact on the family. Shortly before the First World War, Georg Freiherr von Trapp married Agathe Whitehead. At the time, Trapp was captain of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. But during the war years, the Danube monarchy broke up and the submarine captain was forced to find a new job. The family, who had been blessed with 7 children between 1911 to 1922, had to move several times. Agathe fell ill with cholera and died shortly thereafter.
The Trapp family moves to Salzburg
With the children (Rupert, Agathe, Maria-Franziska, Werner, Hedwig, Johanna and Martina), Georg von Trapp moved to the Salzburg in 1925, in a district known today as Aigen. He employed a novice called Maria from the Nonnberg convent as a governess for his children Within a very short time, the children developed a strong bond with Maria and she became much more than a teacher to them. In 1927 Georg and Maria married and had three children (Rosmarie, Eleonore and John).
A choir is established
As the governess, Maria often sang with the children. When the bank of the family went bankrupt and all the savings lost, they founded the family choir and were discovered during a singing competition at the Salzburg Festival. Soon after the Salzburger Kammerchor Trapp, was formed and they went on to tour throughout Europe, as well as the USA.
Escape to America
The Nazi era and the Second World War started to become a real threat to the family. Georg von Trapp was against the morals and ideas of Adolf Hitler and the family, after giving a concert in America, decided not to return. The family settled in Vermont and conducted successful tours in America for many years.
In 1947 Baron von Trapp died. Music continued to play an important role in the lives of Maria and the children.
The Trapp-Villa in Salzburg
The Trapp-Villa can still be visited today. The former Trapp residence is today a hotel and can be found in the suburb of Aigen in Salzburg. Guided tours take place every day at noon. The real history of the Trapp family is at the forefront of this tour, which offers a whole new perspective on the story of The Sound of Music.


text: Living in the heart of Ashdown Forest in the small village of Hartfield, Megan and Mitch are a couple so very suited to one another and with their spaniel Milo have created a small little haven away from the urban rat race. I have the pleasure of being the photographer for their upcoming wedding in May and so we took this time to meet up for their pre wedding session along the Forest Way, which connects East Grinstead to Tunbridge Wells as well as venturing to Duddleswell for another location for the shoot….with Milo in tow. You can see from the images below there was lots of love and a sprinkling of the rays to help give the shoot a very summer vibe


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HDBAC - Harrogate District Businesses Against Crime
Worried about crime and anti-social behaviour affecting your business?
Why not join us and become a Radiolink member?
We are a not-for-profit crime reduction partnership with members from retail, licensed premises, transport and other business groups. We share the aim of reducing the effects of crime on our businesses and work together to make our town centres a safer place for our customers and staff and to deter offenders.
Our aims are to:
- reduce loss and improve the economy
- provide support for businesses suffering from shop theft, violent crime or anti-social behaviour
- ensure our staff and the general public feel safer at work or when visiting our businesses
- deter offenders from attacking our businesses
- increase communication between businesses and North Yorkshire Police
- lawfully share business crime related intelligence amongst our members and provide a proactive and coordinated response when incidents occur
Our partners
- Harrogate Borough Council
- North Yorkshire Police
- Yorkshire and Humberside Partners Against Crime
- National Association of Business Crime Partnerships
- individual members
For more information please contact the Radiolink Coordinator by emailing [email protected] or by calling 01423 500600 x58192 or 01423 556987.


text: Sale Collaboration Jamie Duffle Bag Style #3435.G703 $95 $32.98 Collection Classic Collection Collaboration Coca-Cola x LeSportsac Color It's The Real Thing Noir Product Select It's The Real Thing Noir Features Dimensions Share Zip main closure with dual zipper pulls, 1.5in (3.81cm) wide handles (pinched at the top) with a 9in (22.86cm) drop, Adjustable/detachable crossbody strap (1.5in/3.81cm wide with a maximum extended length of 50in/127cm), Two exterior open side pockets, Two interior front wall open pockets, Interior back wall combination zip/open pocket, Plastic hardware Features our Classic ripstop nylon with all-over glossy silkscreen graphics. Please spot clean only, as continuous washing or rough treatment may cause damage. 7.00H x 13.00W x 7.00D in, 17.78H x 33.02W x 17.78D cm Share Facebook Pinterest Twitter Email Copy Link Final Sale: This Jamie Duffle Bag is available but cannot be exchanged or returned. Valid while supplies last. All sales are final. final sale shipping est Quantity Add to Bag


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This Instructable explains how to use an old electric oven and reasonably-priced kit to powder-coat at home:
I've seen some cool candleholders around town made from plumbing fittings so this holiday season I made a bunch of powder coated iron pipe candleholders for friends. I've always wanted to try my hand at powder coating since it produces a beautiful durable finish and this is a project that lends itself very well to powder application. The candleholder tops swivel for several different candle configurations and the threaded fittings allow you to screw the candles in for a good hold.
Seems much more durable than the flaky paint jobs I've been putting on metal projects!


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By Will Frankel (CMC '21)
The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, commonly known as the "Jones Act," protects the American shipping industry at the expense of American consumers. Its basic requirement is that any ship which is transporting goods from one American port to another American port must be built in the U.S., registered in the U.S., owned by mostly Americans, and staffed by mostly Americans. The protections which the Jones Act provides can, however, be waived in limited circumstances, including cases of natural and manmade disasters. These waivers, which require the approval of the Secretary of Defense or Homeland Security, have prompted the question of whether the Jones Act should be repealed. Supporters of such a reform argue that the Jones Act harms non-contiguous American states and territories, distorts the market for air and land transportation, and hurts American industries, which struggle to compete with imports that are not subject to Jones Act regulation. The harms to non-contiguous territories have hit Puerto Rico especially hard in its efforts to rebuild after Hurricane Maria, as the Act's regulations pushed up prices on any goods imported from the mainland United States. Puerto Rico's ongoing suffering has thrust the Act into mainstream American political debate. Some defend the Jones Act on the grounds that it protects both American shipping companies and national security. The economic argument, however, privileges one industry over the health of the economy on the whole, while the security-based argument is badly outdated. The weight of the evidence therefore supports Jones Act reform.
The Merchant Marine, which the Jones Act exists to protect, is comprised of domestic civilian ships engaging in peacetime commerce which are also able to be conscripted into military service during wartime.1 Naval strategists have traditionally preferred these vessels to be American ones in order to be trusted with potential military tasks.2
Americans have long perceived the independence of the America Merchant Marine as a lynchpin of the United States' economy, history, and even national-identity. George Washington warned in his second State of the Union address, "I recommend it to your serious reflections how … to guard against … contingencies … to our own navigation as will render our commerce … less dependent on foreign bottoms …. [T]he transportation of our own produce offer[s] us abundant means for guarding ourselves."3 John Adams wrote in his memoirs, "no group of individuals did more for establishing our country than the American Merchant Seamen."4 Thomas Jefferson agreed: "For a navigating people to purchase its marine afloat would be a strange speculation, as the marine would always be dependent upon the merchants furnishing them …. We must, therefore, build them for ourselves."5 Influential Americans from the nation's founding have put a high premium on domestic shipping. American history is rife with support for nationalist shipping policies. This historical outlook culminated with the Jones Act.
Merchant Marine Protectionism
The most notable landmark legislation in this tradition is the Merchant Marine Act of 1920. The act, often called the Jones Act in reference to its sponsor, Senator Wesley Livsey Jones (R-WA) built on prior legislation. Caught up in the nationalist shipping sentiment of the time, the First Congress in 1789 passed "An Act for Registering and Clearing Vessels, Regulating the Coasting Trade, and for other purposes,"6 which enacted a tax on foreign built and owned ships to protect the American trading industry from British competition.7 While this legislation was initially seen as sufficient protection, the frequent use of naval blockades and submarine attacks during World War I increased America's focus on the link between maritime commerce and warfare, providing a new reason to tighten protections for the domestic industry.8
The Jones Act primarily sought to raise standards for ships9 engaging in cabotage—the shipping of goods between American ports.10 The Act created four primary requirements for vessels transporting "merchandise between points in United States": they must be owned by companies that are at least 75 percent U.S. citizen owned, operated by a crew that is at least 75 percent U.S. citizens, built in the U.S., and registered in the U.S. Multiple administrative agencies enforce these rules, including the Coast Guard and the Federal Maritime Commission, and those agencies have interpreted the Act to apply to nearly every commercial vessel, including cruise ships.11 Federal courts have also extended the definition of the kind of "merchandise" Jones Act-applicable vessels must carry to include anything of a commercial value, including dredged materials used for landfill.12 Despite the expansive definition granted to the Jones Act, it covers very few actual ships. While the Act covers 30,000 total vessels, the most recent estimates suggest there are only 91 large Jones Act-eligible vessels in existence because 89 percent of commercial vessels produced in U.S. shipyards since 2010 are barges or tugboats.13 The Jones Act, then, is significant in how restrictive it is. It has effectively limited all large-material American cabotage trips to just 91 vessels.
Jones Act Exceptions
Nonetheless, the Jones Act has not always been enforced to the fullest extent of the law. It has become increasingly common for the government to permit foreign-owned, -staffed, -registered, and/or -built vessels to operate where only Jones Act vessels could before. For example, the Bowaters Act of 1958 reduced the minimum fraction of U.S. citizens staffing a vessel, for the purposes of Jones Act compliance, to only half of the crew if the ship is heavily engaged in the American manufacturing or mineral industries.14 A 2006 amendment, the most recent categorical change to the Jones Act, provided that the Secretary of Transportation can waive the requirements for foreign-built passenger vessels that carry no more than 12 clients if he or she determines that doing so will not adversely affect U.S. vessel builders or vessel employers.15 Such waivers are permanent, and they are granted roughly 75 times annually.16
Jones Act Waiver System
The most significant Jones Act exceptions are temporary waivers offered in the interest of national defense. There are two legal avenues for the executive branch to waive the Jones Act.17 First, U.S. Code Title 46 provides that Jones Act requirements can be waived "to the extent the Secretary [of Defense] considers necessary in the interest of national defense."18 For example, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ordered a Jones Act waiver in 2006 to transport military helicopters from Tacoma, Washington to Anchorage, Alaska.19 Second, Title 46 continues that Jones Act requirements can be waived "following a determination by the Maritime Administrator … of the non-availability of qualified United States flag capacity to meet national defense requirements."20 In other words, the executive may waive the Jones Act if the Maritime Administrator determines that a Jones Act vessel is not available to do the job. In the 21st century, precedent has vested this power in the Secretary of Homeland Security, whom this statute empowers to offer "discretionary" Jones Act waivers, which are only distinguished from the Secretary of Defense's waiver system in that "discretionary" waivers must be effectively precleared by the Administrator of the Maritime Administration (MARAD).21 Regardless of which Secretary orders the waiver, the law states that it "shall terminate at such time as the Congress by concurrent resolution or the President may designate."22
Historical precedent has also stretched the definition of "national defense" to make humanitarian response efforts the most frequent cause of recent Jones Act waivers. Following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill in Alaskan waters, Exxon requested foreign oil skimming barges to help clean-up efforts. MARAD and the Department of Defense both supported a Jones Act waiver, with the Department of Energy adding that a slow or inefficient response could jeopardize American energy supplies and therefore the interest of national defense.23 In 2005, Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff suspended the Jones Act during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.24 Chertoff reasoned that the hurricane disrupted oil and gas production and transportation, causing "large runups in the price of oil, gasoline and other refined products" as well as "threatened or actual shortages of gasoline, jet fuel, and other refined products."25 He thus concluded, "a waiver, in accordance with the terms set forth below, is in the interest of the national defense."26
The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, though, marked a turning point in Jones Act waiver precedent. Writing in the Washington University in Global Studies Law Review, former Special Assistant District Attorney for Kings County Joseph M. Conley27 explains that "in contrast to Hurricane Katrina … the BP oil spill did not effectively inflict damage to infrastructure or limit the availability of oil and gas. Instead, the spill caused massive economic and environmental damage."28 Conley thus concludes that the precedent of the BP oil spill established "the availability and practicality of a Jones Act waiver when necessary" for a broad array of interests, such that "any interested party could apply for a Jones Act waiver."29 With the precedent of the waiver President Obama offered to BP baked into the Jones Act waiver system, the executive has since offered waivers in response to crises as wide reaching as the American 2011 military efforts in Libya,30 Superstorm Sandy in 2012,31 and hurricanes Irma and Harvey in 2017.32
Hurricane Maria
On Wednesday, 20 September 2017, Category 4 Hurricane Maria—the fifth strongest storm to ever hit the United States—made direct landfall on Puerto Rico.33 Within hours of landfall, the hurricane destroyed 80 percent of the crop value in Puerto Rico.34 Maria also knocked down 80 percent of the island's transmission lines.35 In late October 2017, 75 percent of Puerto Ricans were still without power according to a Rhodium Group report which concluded, "Hurricane Maria has caused the largest blackout in American history."36 Efforts to restore power were estimated to take four to six months as of November,37 and at the start of 2018, nearly half of power customers in Puerto Rico still lacked electricity.38 While the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its partners were providing 200,000 meals a day as of October 2017, it was nonetheless running a daily shortfall of between 1.8 million and 5.8 million meals.39 Compounding the aid shortfall, FEMA announced on January 17 that it would withhold a Congressionally approved billion-dollar emergency loan to help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria on account of the island's lack of financial transparency.40 Moody's Analytics' estimated that Maria will cost Puerto Rico between $45 billion and $95 billion, equivalent to 65-135 percent of its gross national product.41
Despite the magnitude of the disaster, the Trump administration's attitude towards a Jones Act waiver has been parsimonious. On September 27, a full week after the hurricane made landfall, President Trump stated publicly that the administration was "thinking about" issuing a waiver, "but we have a lot of shippers and a lot of people that work in the shipping industry that don't want the Jones Act lifted, and we have a lot of ships out there right now."42 On the same day, a Department of Homeland Security official told reporters, "As based upon our current conversations, there is not a lack of vessels to move the goods that we need to support the humanitarian relief efforts."43 Despite this public restraint, the next day, with the President's authorization, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke issued a 10-day Jones Act waiver covering all products shipped to Puerto Rico.44 Citing 46 U.S.C. 501, as discussed above, Duke stated, "I am exercising my authority to waive the Jones Act for a 10-day period, commencing immediately … This waiver applies to covered merchandise laded on board a vessel within the 10-day period of the waiver and delivered by October 18, 2017."45 On October 9, 2017, the administration allowed the waiver to expire without an extension, in contrast to the September waivers issued in response to hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which the administration extended for an extra week after their expiration.46
With the precedent of Jones Act waivers for hurricanes established by prior administrations and continued by the Trump administration for Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, the initial reluctance of President Trump to support a Jones Act waiver in response to Hurricane Maria renewed public discussion of the merits of the Act.47
Arguments in Support of Jones Act Reform
Economic Harms of the Act to non-Contiguous Territories
The principle argument against the Jones Act pertains to its effect on consumer prices in Puerto Rico. The Jones Act prevents American vessels from having to compete with foreign ones during domestic shipments. These foreign competitors may offer lower prices, or pressure domestic shippers to bring down their prices to compete.48 Indeed, foreign ships do offer more competitive prices: Jones Act vessels' daily operating costs are more than twice those of foreign-flagged vessels.49 Shippers with less competition can charge their business-clients more, and those clients pass the increased shipping cost onto their consumers. While this is mostly irrelevant for trade among the contiguous 48 states, which have little reason to use the merchant marine to transport goods, Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, and especially Puerto Rico do experience the consequences of this market-distorting protectionism.50
A wealth of empirical evidence supports the economic theory. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York found in 2012 that the same twenty-foot container of household and commercial goods that costs $3,063 to ship from the East Coast of the U.S. to Puerto Rico would cost only $1,504 to ship from the Dominican Republic or $1,687 from Jamaica—destinations that are not subject to Jones Act restrictions.51 Regardless of which foreign island one benchmarks status quo costs against, then, the Act doubles shipping costs. Indeed, a 2015 report commissioned by the Puerto Rican government and written by three current and former International Monetary Fund economists found that Puerto Rico pays "import costs at least twice as high as in neighboring islands on account of the Jones Act."52 These high import costs manifest themselves in higher prices for Puerto Rican consumers. Another 2015 report, prepared by Puerto Rico's Institute of Statistics, found the cost of living in Puerto Rico was 13 percent higher than that of a collection of more than 325 urban areas in the U.S., with supermarket items 21 percent more expensive than in U.S. states, gasoline 12 cents more expensive per gallon, and monthly household energy costs more than 2.5 times higher.53 While this cannot be entirely attributed to the Jones Act, Puerto Rico's combination of a low per capita income and high cost of living suggests that detrimental public policy almost certainly is to blame. Economists have found that, in general, variations in cost of living across the United States are largely a function of variations in per capita income.54 However, per capita income in Puerto Rico is half the U.S. average,55 suggesting that its price inflation is not merely a natural product of high wages pushing up consumer prices. These numbers, of course, also do not account for how much considerably more expensive items are during a natural disaster.56
Former New York State assemblyman Nelson A. Denis thus summarized in the New York Times, "this is a shakedown, a mob protection racket, with Puerto Rico a captive market."57
Similar effects exist for other non-contiguous parts of the U.S. For example, shipping prices contribute greatly to Hawaii's highest-in-the-country cost of living, which is 12 percent higher than the next most expensive state in the Union.58 In 2002, the U.S. International Trade Commission concluded that the annual economic gain from repealing the Jones Act to the residents of Puerto Rico, Alaska and Hawaii would be, in current dollar values, between $5 billion and $15 billion.59
Increased Reliance on Air and Land Transportation due to the Act
By driving up the price of cabotage, the Jones Act distorts the American transportation sector in general. The Act increases reliance on land and air transport. As an odd result, the Act has pushed ranchers to fly their cows on airplanes rather than having them loaded and shipped on boats.60 The end result of this and other similar cases is that only 2 percent of domestic freight distributed among the lower forty-eight states travels by water, even though half the population lives near the coast. In contrast, Europeans ship over 40 percent of their domestic freight along so-called motorways of the sea.61
This has the harmful side effect of increasing highway congestion.62 The Jones Act leaves Americans with virtually no coastal shipping for cargo between U.S. ports in the lower forty-eight states despite the interstate highway system being at or near capacity, and road infrastructure crumbling.63 Without the Jones Act, estimates suggest that such coastal water transport would be about 60 percent cheaper.64
Harms of the Act to Other Domestic Industries' Competitiveness
But where goods are still transported on the water, the Jones Act does not just hurt consumers who have to pay higher prices. Because the Act pushes up input costs on American industries, forcing them to increase prices, it therefore also encourages consumers to turn to foreign firms who offer a lower price. If an American firm must charge a higher shipping cost because of the Jones Act, American consumers will not buy American. For example, in Boston, getting oil from Texas is three times more expensive than getting it from Europe, which economists attribute directly to the Act.65 For another example, mid-Atlantic states import road salt from Chile and Mexico rather than buying it from mines in Ohio and Louisiana, and U.S. steel plants avoid deals with American scrap metal sellers, in both cases due to cheaper transport costs.66 Similarly, cruise ships cannot carry passengers directly from Washington to Alaska without paying for the higher price of a Jones Act vessel, so many Alaskan cruises originate in Vancouver, hurting the potential Washingtonian cruise industry.67 The Jones Act thus protects the domestic shipping industry at the expense of all other industries, making them less competitive than their foreign counterparts who need not limit their transportation options. Holistically, a 1996 analysis estimated that if Congress repealed the Jones Act, American industries would boom, with $1.5 billion growth in the water sector, $158 million in petroleum, $103 million in chemicals, $91 million in air transportation, $50 million in steel, $40 million in plastics, and $32 million in lumber.68
Arguments Against Jones Act Reform
Benefits of the Act to the Domestic Shipping Industry
The Jones Act's benefits to the American Merchant Marine are without a doubt the primary source of its political strength.69 The Jones Act is indeed the lifeline of the American shipping industry—in the face of consistently subsidized foreign competition, the U.S. would face a rapid decline in its merchant marine fleet without the Act's protection.70 In addition to subsidies, foreign ships are not subject to the American level of taxes and wages, complying with an American level regulatory apparatus, and defending themselves from litigation in our court system.71
All these facts would make American ships uncompetitive in a post-Jones Act world. On the other hand, a 2001 Department of Commerce assessment of the U.S. shipbuilding industry explains, "the Jones Act … provides a fleet of sealift capable vessels, a workforce of experienced and knowledgeable people and a shipbuilding industrial base."72
The suffering of the American shipping industry could have serious economic effects. As of 2006, the Jones Act fleet employed nearly 74,000 Americans, including vessel construction and maintenance, the crewing of vessels, and shore-side trade management, in addition to 425,000 more jobs attributed to the JoAct through indirect and induced employment.73 Moreover, in 2011, domestic shipping goods and services contributed $33.6 billion in sales taxes, $21.7 billion in taxes on labor compensation, and $9.9 billion in taxes to state and local governments.74
Benefits of the Act to National Security
There are multiple avenues through which the Jones Act might protect American national security. First, Jones Act vessels can play an active role in responding to national security emergencies.75 For example, the SS Northern Lights, which normally runs between Tacoma and Anchorage as a merchant mariner, made 25 voyages and 49 port calls to the Iraqi war zone during Operation Iraqi Freedom due to a need for a fast and shallow vessel to move military vehicles and hardware to the conflict area.76 On the whole, U.S. merchant mariners moved 90 percent of the combat cargo and supplies used by the military in the Iraq war.77
But if Congress repealed the Jones Act and economic incentives drove the domestic shipping industry into the subsidized hands of foreign competition, it may leave the U.S. to pick from one of several undesirable options: provide massive subsidies to the shipping industry to (literally) keep it afloat, rely on foreign-owned vessels to carry American military cargoes, or build a government-owned fleet of cargo vessels.78
Another national security benefit offered by the Jones Act concerns American border security. Daniel Goure of the Lexington Institute notes that while the current debate on U.S. border security has focused on the undocumented movement of people and goods from the border with Mexico, in fact, the 95,000 miles of national shoreline dwarf all U.S. land borders taken together.79 He writes, "for regulatory, safety and security purposes, it includes 361 ports, over 3,000 facilities and more than 14,000 regulated domestic vessels."80 U.S. Coast Guard Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy Rear Admiral Joseph Servidio testified in committee at the House of Representatives in 2012, "The vastness of this system and its widespread and diverse critical infrastructure leave the nation vulnerable to terrorist acts within our ports, waterways, and coastal zones, as well as exploitation of maritime commerce as a means of transporting terrorists and their weapons."81 Moreover, access to America's internal waterways would give a terrorist a path to many of America's most important urban centers, as well as close proximity to other vessels, land lines of communications, and oil and gas pipelines.82 To prevent such a threat, the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and law enforcement agencies at the state and federal levels expend enormous resources to monitor any foreign vessels that enter the U.S. from abroad.83 The same is not the case for U.S. vessels and their crews engaged in the movement of goods or the provision of services solely within U.S. waters, where laws and regulations governing ships involved in cabotage are far less demanding.84 Without the Jones Act, the federal government, as well as the state and local governments with which it collaborates, would have to either increase the budgets of those regulatory agencies, or accept the enhanced national security threat that they might bring.
Rejoinder to Arguments Against Jones Act Reform
Rejoinder to Benefits of the Act to the Domestic Shipping Industry
The argument for the Jones Act based on its benefits to the American shipping industry goes against the weight of the economic evidence. Insofar as proponents of the Jones Act concede that foreign vessels would outcompete domestic ones, they are also admitting that there would be benefits to all the consumers who enjoy less shipping price passed on to them in turn. Indeed, foreign vessels would outcompete domestic ones because of their lower maintenance costs and longer trade routes that let each vessel spread its costs over a larger amount of cargo, making operating costs cheaper.85 Economists, including 100 percent of economists who responded to a University of Chicago survey, tend to agree as a general rule that the macroeconomic benefit of these sorts of cheaper prices for consumers will outweigh the benefit of protecting a domestic industry.86
Rejoinder to Benefits of the Act to National Security
The argument for the Jones Act from national security is plainly outdated. As noted above, only 91 large Jones Act vessels exist.
While Operation Iraqi Freedom—hardly a moment in recent history that should serve as a model for the future—might seem to indicate that the Jones Act fleet can play a continuing role in military operations, the United States' previous military engagement with Iraq prove it unnecessary: during the Persian Gulf war, 85 percent of dry-cargo ships chartered by the United States Military Sealift Command were foreign-flagged.87 Indeed, the Department of Defense itself has stated that the when the Military Sealift Command "has a requirement to charter a vessel, nearly all of the offers are for foreign-built ships."88 Jones Act defenders need not fret, then, about who would carry American military cargo to battle without a strong American merchant marine: foreign ships already do it.
Finally, the suggestion that foreign vessels bring with them terrorism sounds alarming but has little factual basis. There have been thousands of foreign ships per year docked in U.S. ports since 2001 without a single terrorist incident tied to them.89 Additionally, the suggestion that foreign crewmembers will be able to enter the U.S. without breaks, enabling terrorist infiltration, is erroneous. A strict system for airplane crewmember visas already exists90 and has worked continuously to keep Americans safe. Congress could use that same system for post-Jones Act maritime crews.
Reform Proposals
The expiration of the Maria waiver despite ongoing relief efforts in Puerto Rico have prompted calls for sweeping Jones Act reform.91 These proposals include a modernization of the Act's language so that the Executive can issue waivers more broadly,92 Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)'s more limited proposal for a full-year Jones Act waiver for Puerto Rico,93 Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Mike Lee (R-UT)'s introduced legislation to permanently exempt Puerto Rico from the Jones Act,94 and a full repeal of the Act.95
North Carolina State Professor Emeritus Thomas Grennes floated several more methodologically complex reform ideas in his recent analysis of the Jones Act for the Mercatus Center. They include a repeal of the Jones Act paired with a subsidy for the production of domestic vessels and a temporary but complete repeal with an evaluation of the effects of the repeal after it sunsets, and then a revote in Congress on the issue.96
Evaluating the Issue
The Jones Act is a law whose time has passed. It puts American industrial transportation in a chokehold of unnaturally high prices that are felt both by consumers and American industries that struggle to compete with foreign corporations not subject to the same regulations. While subjecting Americans, especially Puerto Ricans, to harsher economic conditions, it does little to support one specific interest group—the shipping industry—while doing even less to aid national security in a modern context. The Jones Act is disadvantageous for the same reason that all tariffs are; they inevitably harm a wider range of interests than they help.97 The dwindling size of the Jones Act fleet and the essential early days of response that Hurricane Maria put on display make the reality of America's shipping problem abundantly clear: it is not worth keeping a law on the books to waive it every time it becomes relevant. The time it takes the legislative or bureaucratic processes to act during crises are not worth meager, if existent, protections that the Act offers.
Congress would be well advised to implement a full and permanent repeal of the Merchant Marine Act to help move American transportation into the 21st century, American industry into a more competitive market standing, and Puerto Rico into a more viable economic condition •
- "Merchant Marine," Navy Recruiting Command, accessed November 12, 2017,
- Chris Dupin, "U.S. Merchant Marine in Serious Decline," American Shipper, April 16, 2015, accessed November 12, 2017, https://americanshipper.com/main/news/us-merchant-marine-in-serious-decline-60006.aspx.
- George Washington, "Second Annual Address to Congress," The American Presidency Project, December 8, 1790, accessed October 30, 2017, http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29432.
- John Adams, quoted in Tony Munoz, "Senator John McCain Leaves Washington," June 29, 2010, accessed October 30, 2017, http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/mr-mccain-leaves–washington.
- Thomas Jefferson, quoted in "Annual Report of the Commissioner of Navigation," (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1911), 26.
- "Maritime Law," European Crew Center, 2015, accessed October 30, 2017,
- "Hamilton, Treasury Send a Bill to Govern Shipping Between the States of the New Union," Raab Collection, accessed October 30, 2017, https://www.raabcollection.com/alexander-hamilton-autograph/alexander-hamilton-signed-sold-hamilton-treasury-send-bill-govern.
- Matthew Yglesias, "The Jones Act, The Obscure 1920 Shipping Regulation Strangling Puerto Rico, Explained," Vox, October 9, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/9/27/16373484/jones-act-puerto-rico; and Elizabeth Chuck, "What Is the Jones Act? Opponents to 1920 Law Argue It's Worsening Puerto Rico's Crisis," NBC News, September 28, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017, https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/puerto-rico-crisis/what-jones-act-opponents-1920-law-argue-it-s-worsening-n805101. Additionally, Senator Wesley Jones had added incentive to pass the Merchant Marine Act as a representative of Washington state: The Act effectively created a monopoly for Seattle shipping companies that served Alaska. See Ivan L. Ascott, "The Alaska Statehood Act," Seattle University Law Review, 27 (2004): 999-1034.
- In fact, the Act also includes certain provisions for the protection of seamen's rights against their employers. See 46 U.S.C. 30104 (2006).
- Cabotage, in terms of what shipping is covered by the Jones Act, includes all trade between ports in the U.S. mainland, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Guam is excluded from the Jones Act but covered by subsequent, similar legislation, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have been specifically exempt since 1922. See "Jones Act," Transportation Institute, 2016, accessed November 12, 2017, https://transportationinstitute.org/jones-act/; and Henry Grabar, "We'll Know Congress Is Serious About Helping Puerto Rico if It Axes This Obscure Shipping Law," Slate, September 25, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017, https://slate.com/business/2017/09/congress-should-waive-the-jones-act-to-help-puerto-rico.html.
- Thomas Grennes, An Economic Analysis of the Jones Act, Arlington: Mercatus Center at George Mason University, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017, https://www.mercatus.org/system/files/mercatus-grennes-jones-act-v1.pdf.
- Mike Vaughn, "The Jones Act," Maritime Law Center, accessed November 12, 2017, http://www.maritimelawcenter.com/html/the_jones_act.html.
- Ibid.
- "Bowaters Amendment: What Does It Do?" Journal of Commerce, April 25, 1989, accessed November 12, 2017, https://www.joc.com/maritime-news/bowaters-amendment-what-does-it-do_19890425.html.
- Grennes, supra note 11, and "U.S.-Flag Waterborne Domestic Trade and Related Programs," Maritime Administration, accessed November 12, 2017, https://www.marad.dot.gov/ships-and-shipping/domestic-shipping/. For the full statute, see 46 U.S.C. 12121 (2006).
- "U.S.-Flag Waterborne Domestic Trade and Related Programs."
- Jonathan Waldron, "How Difficult is it to Obtain a Jones Act Waiver?" Marine News, November 25, 2014, accessed November 12, 2017, https://www.marinelink.com/news/difficult-obtain-waiver381431.
- Waldron, supra note 17.
- U.S. Code, supra note 18.
- Waldron, supra note 17.
- U.S. Code, supra note 18.
- Waldron, supra note 17.
- Joseph M. Conley, "The Jones Act: Its Effect on the U.S. Response to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Its Relevance in International Law," Washington University Global Studies Law Review, 11 (2012): 151-169.
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Office of the Federal Register, "Waiver of Compliance with Navigation and Inspection Laws," Federal Register 70, no. 172 (December 8, 2005): 53236-53237.
- Ibid.
- See "Joseph M. Conley," Shukat Arrow Hafer Weber & Herbsman, LLP, accessed November 12, 2017, https://musiclaw.com/joseph-m-conley/.
- Conley, supra note 24.
- Ibid.
- Waldron, supra note 17.
- Kevin O'Shea, Rebecca Haffenden, and Karen Guziel, "Jones Act Resilience Considerations," George Mason University Center for Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security, Decemeber 11, 2015, accessed November 12, 2017, https://cip.gmu.edu/2015/12/11/jones-act-resilience-considerations/.
- Keli'i Akina, "Hurricanes Irma, Harvey Prove the Need to Reform the Jones Act," The Hill, September 15, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017, http://thehill.com/opinion/international/350666-hurricanes-irma-harvey-prove-the-need-to-reform-the-jones-act.
- Brian Resnick and Eliza Barclay, "What Every American Needs to Know About Puerto Rico's Hurricane Disaster," Vox, October 16, 2017, November 12, 2017, https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/9/26/16365994/hurricane-maria-2017-puerto-rico-san-juan-humanitarian-disaster-electricty-fuel-flights-facts.
- Frances Robles and Luis Ferré–Sadurní, "Puerto Rico's Agriculture and Farmers Decimated by Maria," New York Times, September 24, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017,
- Danica Coto and David Koenig, "Prolonged Power Outage Will Have Long-Lasting Impact on Puerto Rico," Associated Press, September 25, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017, http://www.pressherald.com/2017/09/25/hot-isolated-and-running-out-of-supplies-parts-of-puerto-rico-near-desperation/.
- Trevor Houser and Peter Marsters, "America's Biggest Blackout," Rhodium Group, October 26, 2017, November 12, 2017, http://rhg.com/notes/americas-biggest-blackout.
- Resnick and Barclay, supra note 33.
- Danica Coto, "3+ Months After Maria, Barely Half of Puerto Rico Has Power," Associated Press, December 30, 2017, accessed January 19, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/72fbcd5efa784a59a834e3cb58d0d137.
- Richard Wolffe, "Puerto Rico: US Officials Privately Acknowledge Serious Food Shortage," The Guardian, October 11, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/11/puerto-rico-food-shortage-hurricane-maria.
- Danica Coto, "US withholds hurricane emergency loan sought by Puerto Rico," Associated Press, January 17, 2018, accessed January 19, 2018, http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/us-withholds-hurricane-emergency-loan-sought-puerto-rico-52416376.
- "Storms to Challenge Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands' Credit Quality: Moody's," October 3, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-moody-s-storm/storms-to-challenge-puerto-rico-virgin-islands-credit-quality-moodys-idUSKCN1C82IA.
- Ruth Brown, "Trump Says Shipping Industry Opposed to Waiver for Puerto Rico," New York Post, September 27, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017, http://nypost.com/2017/09/27/trump-says-shipping-industry-opposed-to-waiver-for-puerto-rico/.
- John Bowden, "Trump 'Thinking About' Lifting Jones Act to Help Puerto Rico," The Hill, September 27, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017, http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/352707-trump-thinking-about-lifting-jones-act-to-help-puerto-rico.
- Daniella Diaz, "Trump Authorizes Waiver to Loosen Shipping Regulations for Puerto Rico," CNN, September 28, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/28/politics/puerto-rico-governor-white-house-jones-act-waiver/index.html.
- Elaine C. Duke, "Waiver of Compliance with Navigation Laws," Department of Homeland Security, September 28, 2017, accessed January 19, 2018, https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/17_0928_AS1_Jones-Act-Waiver.pdf
- http://thehill.com/latino/354561-white-house-lets-jones-act-waiver-expire-for-puerto-rico.
- Niraj Choksi, "Would Repealing the Jones Act Help Puerto Rico?" The New York Times, October 24, 2017, accessed November 12, 2017 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/24/us/jones-act-puerto-rico.html.
- Grennes, supra note 11.
- Marc Scribner, "No Reason for Denying Puerto Rico a Jones Act Waiver," Competitive Enterprise Institute, September 27, 2017, accessed January 19, 2018 https://cei.org/blog/no-reason-denying-puerto-rico-jones-act-waiver.
- Grennes, supra note 11.
- Jaison Abel, Jason Bram, Richard Deitz, Thomas Klitgaard, and James Orr, "Report on the Competitiveness of Puerto Rico's Economy," Federal Reserve Bank of New York, June 29, 2012, accessed January 18, 2018,
- Anne O. Krueger, Ranjit Teja, and Anrdrew Wolfe, Government Development Bank of Puerto Rico, June 29, 2015, accessed January 18, 2018, http://www.gdbpr.com/documents/PuertoRicoAWayForward.pdf.
- Ed Morales, "Puerto Rico's Soaring Cost of Living, From Giant Electric Bills to $5 cornflakes," The Guardian, July 12, 2015, accessed January 16, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/12/puerto-rico-cost-of-living.
- Richard J. Cebula and Michael Toma, "An Empirical Analysis of Determinants of Interstate Living-Cost Differentials, 2005," Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, Vol. 38, No. 3 (2008), pp. 222-228.
- Ibid.
- Suzanne Gamboa, "Hurricane Maria is Hitting Puerto Ricans in their Pocket Books," NBC News, October 28, 2017, accessed January 16, 2018, https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/puerto-rico-crisis/hurricane-maria-hitting-puerto-ricans-their-pocketbook-n815161.
- Nelson A. Denis, "The Jones Act: The Law Strangling Puerto Rico," The New York Times, September 25, 2017, accessed January 16, 2018, https://nyti.ms/2yoLLu5.
- Russ Kashian, Jeff Pagel, and Ike Brannon, "The Jones Act in Perspective: A survey of costs and effects of the 1920 Merchant Marine Act," 2017, accessed January 16, 2018, http://assets.grassrootinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Jones-Act-Final-4-8-17.pdf.
- Ibid.
- Erik Olsen, "An Arcane American Law Protected by Powerful Interests Is Causing Insane Traffic Jams," Quartz August 7, 2017, accessed January 16, 2018, https://qz.com/1032288/how-a-100-year-old-american-law-helps-make-your-commute-miserable/.
- John Curtis Perry, et al, "America's Deep Blue Highway: How Coastal Shipping Could Reduce Traffic Congestion, Lower Pollution, And Bolster National Security," Institute for Global Maritime Studies, September 2008, accessed January 16, 2018, http://www.igms.org/sites/default/files/publishedworks/americas_deep_blue_highway_IGMS_report_sept_2008.pdf.
- Olsen, supra note 60.
- Perry et al., supra note 61.
- Justin Lewis, "Veiled Waters: Examining the Jones Act's Consumer Welfare Effects," Issues in Political Economy, vol. 22 (2013): 77-107.
- Kashian, Pagel, and Brannon, supra note 58.
- Keli'i Akina, "How the Jones Act Drives Up the Cost of Food and Gasoline for Millions of Americans," The Hill, April 10, 2017, accessed January 16, 2018, http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/international/328025-how-the-jones-
- Grennes, supra note 11.
- Joseph F. Francois, Hugh M. Arce, Kenneth A. Reinert and Joseph E. Flynn, "Commercial Policy and the Domestic Carrying Trade," The Canadian Journal of Economics, Vol. 29, No. 1 (February 1996), pp. 181-198.
- Lee Fang, "U.S. Shipping Lobby: Letting Foreign Ships Bring Goods to Puerto Rico Could Endanger National Security," September 28, 2017, accessed January 16, 2018, https://theintercept.com/2017/09/28/u-s-shipping-lobby-letting-foreign-ships-bring-goods-to-puerto-rico-could-endanger-national-security/.
- Daniel Goure, "The Contribution of the Jones Act to U.S. Security," Lexington Institute, October 2011, accessed January 16, 2018, http://www.lexingtoninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Contribution_of_the_Jones_Act.pdf.
- Samuel A. Giberga, "The Jones Act Ensures a U.S. Merchant Fleet," June 6, 2016, accessed January 16, 2018, https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-jones-act-ensures-a-u-s-merchant-fleet-1465242549.
- Stephen Baker, et al, "National Security Assesment of the U.S. Shipbuilding and Repair Industry," U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Export Administration Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security Strategic Analysis Division, May 2001, accessed January 20, 2018, https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/forms-documents/technology-evaluation/56-national-security-assessment-of-the-u-s-shipbuilding-and-repair-industry-2001/file.
- William Turley, "High Employment, Low Costs, and Other Economic Benefits of the Jones Act," The Turley and Mara Law Firm, accessed January 18, 2018, http://www.turleylawfirm.com/library/in-what-ways-does-the-jones-act-benefit-the-u-s-economy-.cfm.
- Ibid.
- "Jones Act," supra note 10.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Goure, "The Contribution of the Jones Act to U.S. Security," supra note 70.
- Daniel Goure, "The Jones Act and Homeland Security in the 21st Century," Lexington Institute, June 2016, accessed January 20, 2018. http://www.lexingtoninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Jones-Act-and-Homeland-Security.pdf.
- Ibid..
- Joseph Servidio, "Tenth Anniversary of the Maritime Transportation Security Act: Are We Safer?" September 11, 2012, accessed January 16, 2018, https://www.dhs.gov/news/2012/09/11/written-testimony-us-coast-guard-house-transportation-and-infrastructure.
- Goure, "The Jones Act and Homeland Security in the 21st Century," supra note 79.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- "Comparison of U.S. And Foreign‐Flag Operating Costs," U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration, September 2011, accessed January 16, 2018, https://www.marad.dot.gov/wp-content/uploads/pdf/Comparison_of_US_and_Foreign_Flag_Operating_Costs.pdf.
- "Import Duties," The Initiative on Global Markets, October 4, 2016, accessed January 16, 2018, http://www.igmchicago.org/surveys/import-duties and Robert Z. Lawrence and Robert E. Litan, "Why Protectionism Doesn't Pay," Harvard Business Review, May 1987, accessed January 16, 2018, https://hbr.org/1987/05/why-protectionism-doesnt-pay.
- Gary Galles, "Little-Known Laws that Cripple American Trade," Mises Institute, March 3, 2015, accessed January 16, 2018, https://mises.org/library/little-known-laws-cripple-american-trade.
- Ronald O'Rourke, "DOD Leases of Foreign-Built Ships: Background for Congress," Congressional Research Service, May 28, 2010, accessed January 16, 2018, https://fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/RS22454.pdf.
- Ronald O'Rourke, "DOD Leases of Foreign-Built Ships: Background for Congress," Congressional Research Service, May 28, 2010, accessed January 16, 2018, https://fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/RS22454.pdf.
- William Murray, "End Protectionism in the Shipping Industry," RealClearPolicy, July 22, 2017, accessed January 20, 2018, http://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2017/07/22/end_protectionism_in_the_shipping_industry.html.
- "Crewmember Visa," U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs, accessed January 20, 2018, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/other-visa-categories/crewmember-visa.html.
- Choksi, supra note 47.
- Akina, "Hurricanes Irma, Harvey Prove the Need to Reform the Jones Act," supra note 32.
- David A. Graham, "Is the Jones Act Waiver All Politics?" The Atlantic, September 28, 2017, accessed January 16, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/09/jones-act-waiver-puerto-rico-trump/541398/.
- McCain & Lee Introduce Legislation to Permanently Exempt Puerto Rico From the Jones Act," Office of Senator John McCain, September 28, 2017, accessed January 18, 2018, https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2017/9/mccain-lee-introduce-legislation-to-permanently-exempt-puerto-rico-from-the-jones-act.
- Philip Rossetti and Jacqueline Varas, "American Should Repeal the Jones Act," The Hill, October 9, 2017, accessed January 18, 2018, http://thehill.com/opinion/international/354529-america-should-repeal-the-jones-act.
- Grennes, supra note 11.
- Gary Clyde Hufbauer and Sean Lowry, "US Tire Tariffs: Saving Few Jobs at High Cost," Peterson Institute for International Economics, April 2012, accessed January 16, 2018, https://piie.com/publications/pb/pb12-9.pdf.


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Castledermot (Irish: Diseart Diarmad, meaning "Dermot's Hermitage") is an inland village in the south-east of Ireland in County Kildare, about 75 km (47 mi) from Dublin, and 10 km (6.2 mi) from the town of Carlow. The N9 road from Dublin to Waterford previously passed through the village but upon completion of a motorway bypass in 2010, it was redesignated the R448.
The main bus route serving Castledermot is J.J. Kavanagh & Sons route 736 providing a very limited number of daily services to Carlow, Waterford, Dublin and Dublin Airport inter alia. This service was drastically reduced in 2015 which has badly affected local commuters and community members seeking to visit hospitals in Kildare and Dublin. Visitors who wish to visit Castledermot outside of the small number of services that pass through the town must alight at slip road off the M9 for Carlow and avail of a taxi service into Castledermot. If you are elderly it is advised to stand in the long grass off the road to avoid traffic which can pass at speeds up to 140km P/H. South Kildare Community Transport operate a route from Castledermot to Athy twice a day each way Mondays to Fridays inclusive. Bus Éireann used to serve Castledermot frequently but the solitary route 7 Sunday evening journey at 19.15hrs to Dublin was withdrawn in 2015. Castledermot is also served by bus route 880 operated by Kildare Local Link on behalf of the National Transport Authority. There are several buses each day including Sunday linking the town to Carlow and Naas as well as villages such as Moone in the area.[1]
Alex Trend Painters
9 out of 10 based on 25 ratings.
Painters and Decorators Services in Castledermot
Are you considering giving your house or business a new look? Do you have to repaint after a tenant has vacated your own property? Do you need to repair water stains on walls and ceilings or over walls where mold has been removed? It could be tempting to do the job yourself, which can result in cost savings. However, there are lots of reasons you should consider hiring a professional painter and decorator service.
Costs of Equipment
Good painting of either interiors or exteriors requires an investment in equipment — brushes, rollers, sprayers, tarp to shield surfaces and surfaces, ladders, scaffolding, sanders, chemical knifes, patching materials, solvents, the list can become long and pricey. Hiring a professional painter and decorator usually means that the painter comes will all the tools that they will require to perform the work correctly, will wash those tools up whenever they're completed and will take them away to be stored elsewhere.
Protection of Your Premises and Preventing a Mess
A professional painter and decorator will have the right gear and be educated and knowledgeable about the way to shield furniture, flooring, cupboards, paths and other items which you don't want painted from any damage. If your job entails staining, an expert will have the correct equipment and expertise to use the stain properly to achieve the right finish and once attained, protect the finish.
A professional painter will even thoroughly clean up the work area once the project is finished.
Preparation is Essential
A professional painter and painter will know that preparation is the key to a great looking, long-lasting paint job. The walls or other surfaces that have to be painted might have to be thoroughly cleaned, patched, degreased and/or primed. Areas with mold or water staining may require additional therapy and diluting until they are prepared for a last paint job. It's a lot of work and if it is not done properly with appropriate tools and techniques, it will not lead to an excellent finish.
Skills and Patience
Painting takes patience to generate a gorgeous quality finish and in addition, it takes skill that is developed with practice and expertise. A professional will understand how to finish each of their preparation and painting tasks involved to reach the best outcome.
In Dublin, there are a number of choices that a professional painter and decorator may start to you, that you may not have the skills or experience to do yourself, including special finishes (intumescent finishes (that can be fireproof), faux finishes and textured painting, for instance ).
A professional painter will also know the substances that are needed to perform the job correctly. Which primer will provide the correct coverage? Oil or latex? Matte, semi-gloss, high gloss? Which primer base is demanded? What paint base? Should the wall be prepared with drywall compound or plaster? Roller or spray?
A professional painter will be able to recommend materials that are best to get the look you need, while avoiding any damage to your surfaces. With that information, you can attain a higher quality finish that will endure.
For exterior jobs, a professional will know the ideal weather, temperature and sunlight conditions to complete the job with all the best outcomes. Stains respond differently in direct sunshine than when it is overcast, and at several temperatures. While rain obviously impacts the job, heat and humidity can also impact the quality of outside paint finishes. A local expert painter will understand the right materials to use to produce your exterior last as long as possible in Dublin's climate.
Climbing on ladders while trying to apply paint correctly is a skilled job which takes careful attention and focus to avoid severe injury and damage. The greater the website that requires painting, the higher the risk for an accident. For interior jobs with high areas or exterior jobs, a professional painter may have all the resources and expertise necessary to do the work correctly and safely, including the proper size and design of ladder and scaffolding.
Your time is valuable and painting yourself takes a significant amount of time. Using a professional painter and decorator deal with the job for you can save you days and days of work, and can normally be done in a far shorter period of time.
A research from Trinity College Dublin suggests that the average Irish person requires 28 hours per day to accomplish all his or her tasks. Prevent adding a paint job into that and talk to a professional painter about your requirements.


text: It was cold and snowing when Nick, Brian, Mason and I arrived at the Hyak snow park this morning. Mason made quite the go of his first sledding adventure, stopping only once for a snack break. At the bottom of each run, the first word out of his mouth was an enthusiastic "AGAIN!" I suspect, however, that watching the groomer do it's thing will live much longer in his memory.


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NARMS image
Bosemprella incarnata
Portugal, Açores, São Miguel, Ilheu de Vila Franca, at 3 m depth, collected July 2000, ex coll. J. Trausel. Image by Joop Trausel and Frans Slieker
Natural History Museum Rotterdam
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White Balance: 1
Focal Length: 50 mm
Focal Length Equivalent in 35mm Film: 560.51491233842
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Dave Crossland wrote: > Nothing will stop graphic designers and everyone else who loves fonts > and who do not respect font licenses - which is most people, from what > I can tell - from not installing inevitable "web font vacuum" browser > extensions that will automatically install every font they happen to > browse across into the OS system folder, and using these fonts in > their print design work. Well, it might stop them if I went round and broke their fingers, but short of that you are probably right. You paint a depressing picture, Dave, but I suppose I should thank you for presenting the reality facing us. Web fonts = giving away fonts for free. The business model for font vendors = some people will be honest and pay for the fonts that everyone else is getting for free. There is no business model for custom fonts on the web: the clients are supposed to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars and then turn around and give away the asset. Perhaps I should go sign up for that wooden boat building course now. JHReceived on Monday, 6 July 2009 07:36:05 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Friday, 17 January 2020 22:37:32 UTC


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On this day (Feb. 24) in 1978, a then-New Jersey Nets guard named Kevin Porter set a record by dishing out 29 assists in a single game. (That record was later broken.) In our new issue, Dave Zirin wonders why we now so rarely hear Porter's name. Check it out below.–Ed.
My first experience coming across his name was as a kid listening to Hubie Brown. Every time Trail Blazers All-Star guard Terry Porter did something special, Hubie would say, "You gotta love what Kevin Porter did there." Whether Hubie was having a senior moment, a 1970s flashback or just trying to slip in some history, it started me thinking: Who the hell is Kevin Porter? I consider myself a basketball history aficionado, yet this name that rang only the faintest of bells continued popping up at odd moments: a Zelig-like footnote to records set by far more evergreen icons.
When Isiah Thomas made history in 1984 with 1,123 assists, it was said offhandedly that he was just the second person in NBA history to pass 1,000 assists, and the first was Kevin Porter. In 1990, when Scott Skiles delivered a still all-time-record 30 assists in a game for the Orlando Magic, we heard that he had broken the previous record of 29, set by this guy, Kevin Porter. So I dug deeper on Porter, who averaged 13.4 apg over the course of a season, a total bested only by Isiah and John Stockton. He once dropped 30 points and 25 assists in a contest (the only person to ever tally a 25 and 25), and surpassed 20 dimes in a game 16 times.
Porter was the starting PG on a Bullets team that played in the Finals. He led the NBA is assists four times in seven years. The only players who have more assist titles are either in the HOF (Stockton, Cousy, Oscar) or will be (Nash and Kidd). Yet, Kevin Porter never even made an All-Star team. I hit up ESPN's Mike Wise, who had the privilege of watching Porter in person.
"The guy was a distributing machine. He could thread passes between every nook and cranny in the building," says Wise. "His stutter-step lost most people guarding him in the '70s. It's too bad people forgot him. Kevin deserves to be remembered simply because few could put the ball on a teammate's fingertips like he could—then or now."
Basketball historian Bijan Bayne says, "What always stood out about Kevin Porter is that he was pass-first, in an era of Pistol, Clyde, Pearl, Tiny, Westphal and Jo Jo. That watered down his star quality. But he had this signature high yo-yo dribble that was under supreme control, as he surveyed with his head up—unusual before Magic. He should be remembered as someone with quickness and vision who orchestrated NBA game against history's premier guards."
To understand Porter's bizarre anonymity, you have to start with college. He went to Saint Francis (PA) a little-known player barely 6-0, drafted into the L as a third-round backup. Then there is the era in which he played: '74-81. Those very years encapsulate the "black hole" of NBA history. Porter entered a year after the Knicks' second title and left right after Magic and Bird made their debuts, shortly before a guy named Jordan. For most of that time, the NBA was beyond an afterthought: It was a dying league whose Finals games were shown on tape delay. It was a time when the NBA was swept up in the backlash racial politics surrounding the country, painted as thuggish, coked up, fro'd up and BLACK at a time when white families were in flight from the urban arenas that the League called home. With the exception of the one Finals year with the Bullets, Porter spent time with weak teams in small markets. We are talking about someone who had to run point for the infamously run Pistons team coached by Dick Vitale—and that, for Porter, was a career year. He then had the misfortune of tearing his Achilles, effectively ending his career. One could have seen Kevin Porter as a back-up PG deep into his 30s; instead, he became a forgotten star from a forgotten era. But the blindness that we often have about the past should never become a crutch or an excuse. Kevin Porter was a transcendent player whose best rivals any point guard from any era. He should be remembered. He should be celebrated. And he should be honored as someone who went from the shorty at Saint Francis to the mini-Magic of his time.
He is now teaching elementary school physical education in Chicago and in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel said, "I've been blessed. All I wanted was to be a fifth-grade teacher. That was my life," he said. "I wanted to be a teacher."
In other words, he is still making the assist and still doing it in the shadows.
Image via Getty


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Robert A. DeMoura, Interim Chief of Police
70 Brookline Road
Townsend, MA 01469
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]
Townsend Police Department Offers Halloween Safety Tips
TOWNSEND — As Halloween draws closer, Interim Chief Robert DeMoura and the Townsend Police Department would like to remind residents to consider the following safety tips during fall festivities, especially for those who plan on trick-or-treating or who will be out at night.
Halloween, which is celebrated on Oct. 31, falls on a Saturday this year. Townsend's official trick-or-treating hours will be from 6-8 p.m.
"We want the entire community to be able to enjoy their Halloween this year," Interim Chief DeMoura said. "Please observe the rules and safety tips provided to ensure a safe and happy Halloween for all."
The Townsend Police Department is reminding residents of the following:
- Trick or treat in your own neighborhoods
- Children and accompanying adults should wear light colored or reflective clothing and carry a flashlight or some other alternative lighting
- Motorists and pedestrians should use EXTREME CAUTION in areas where street lighting is poor or in case of inclement weather
- Children should be allowed to only consume products that are in original wrapping from the manufacturer and checked by the parents before consuming.
- Parents should make certain that all costumes are nonflammable and provide adequate ventilation and visibility.
- Parents should know where their children are and what they are doing
- Trick-or-treaters should be accompanied by an adult
- Report any suspicious activity or behavior to local police immediately.
The Centers for Disease Control provides additional safety tips for Halloween trick-or-treaters:
- Costumes with swords, knives and other accessories should be short, soft and flexible.
- Always test make up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent possible skin and eye irritation.
- Lower your risk of serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses.
- Only walk on sidewalks wherever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe and to prevent accidents or injury.
Those who are planning on attending a party in or out of town should remember:
- Many young children are out for the evening, especially during the peak hours of 5:30-7:00 p.m., so drive slowly!
- Not to drive a vehicle while wearing any sort of mask. Your visibility could be obscured.
- Have a designated driver if attending an adult Halloween party where alcohol is served.
If there are any concerns on safety please contact the Townsend Police Department at 978-597-2242.


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"Institutional UTS Adviser" or "IUTA" means a corporation registered with FIMM and authorised to market and distribute unit trust schemes of another party.
Registration of IUTA
Eligibility for registration of IUTA
Pursuant to FIMM's Consolidated Rules,the eligibility requirements for registration as IUTA is a corporation which is:-
(1) A holder of a Capital Market Services License ("CMSL") to carry out the regulated activity of dealing in securities or dealing in securities restricted to unit trust schemes ; or
(2) A financial institution specified as "registered persons" in Third Column under item (1)(g) part 1 of Schedule 4 of the Capital Market Services Act ("CMSA").
Submission for Registration as IUTA
For submission of documentation for the application of registration as IUTA, please click here
Guidelines & Regulations and Fees
|1) FIMM Consolidated Rules
|2) Code of Ethics and Rules of Professional Conduct (Unit Trust Funds)
|3) Registration Manual
IUTA Fee Structure
IUTA Application Fee
An application for registration must be accompanied by a non-refundable Application Fees of RM 1,325 (inculsive of GST 6%) and Annual Fees of RM 10,600 (inclusive of GST 6%)
IUTA Annual Fee
- For IUTA which are Members: IUTA fee is not applicable
- For IUTA which are not Members: IUTA Fee is correlated to the sales made by IUTA during the preceding year based on a prescribed scale
- Minimum Annual IUTA Fee: RM10,600 ( inclusive of GST 6%)
- The IUTA annual fee is payable in January of each year
- IUTA Annual Fee is the total of:
- UTS Consultant Factor: RM53 (inclusive of GST 6%) per UTS consultant
- UTS Consultant Card Fee: RM3.18 (inclusive of GST 6%) per UTS Consultant, and
- IUTA Sales factor (below)
Total Annual Sales Annual Fee (RM) A. sales < 250 mil 10,000 RM 250 mil ≤ A. sales < RM 500 mil 20,000 RM 500 mil ≤ A. sales < RM 1,000 mil 40,000 RM 1,000 mil ≤ A. sales < RM 2,000 mil 60,000 RM 2,000 mil and above 80,000
All fees quoted above are subject to GST of 6%
- The above Sales factor is subject to the following:
Fund Category Particulars Sales Factor Normal load funds Include normal-load funds that are charging maximum front-end and/or back-end charges of 3% and above, such as equity funds and mixed asset funds 100% Low load funds Include low-load funds that are charging maximum front-end and/or back-end charges of less than 3%
such as fixed-income or bond funds and capital guaranteed/protected funds
25% No-load funds Include no-load funds such as money market funds and other funds that are not imposing any front-end and/or back-end charges 0%
- The number of category as well as the threshold (sales levy) for respective category are subject to annual revision by the Board of Directors.
List of IUTA
- Affin Bank Berhad
- Amanahraya Investment Management Sdn Bhd
- AmBank Islamic Berhad
- Affin Hwang Asset Management Berhad
- Al Rajhi Banking & Investment Corporation (Malaysia) Berhad
- Alliance Bank (Malaysia) Berhad
- Alliance Islamic bank Berhad
- Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad
- AmBank Berhad
- AmInvestment Bank Berhad
- AmFunds Management Berhad
- AIIMAN Asset management Sdn Bhd
- Apex Investment Services Berhad
- Areca Capital Sdn Bhd
- Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad
- Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia Berhad
- Bank Muamalat Malaysia Berhad
- Bank of China Malaysia Berhad
- Bank Simpanan Nasional
- CIMB Bank Berhad
- CIMB Investment Bank Berhad
- CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad
- Citibank Berhad
- KAF Investment Funds Berhad
- Kenanga Investors Bhd
- Hong Leong Bank Berhad
- Hong Leong Islamic Bank Berhad
- HSBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad
- HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad
- iFAST Capital Sdn Bhd
- Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Malaysia) Berhad
- Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad
- Kuwait Finance House (M) Berhad
- Malayan Banking Berhad
- Maybank Islamic Berhad
- MBSB Bank Berhad
- OCBC Al-Amin Berhad
- OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad
- Phillip Mutual Berhad
- PMB Investment Berhad
- Principal Asset Management Berhad
- Public Bank Berhad
- RHB Bank Berhad
- RHB Investment Bank Berhad
- RHB Asset Management Sdn Bhd
- RHB Islamic Bank Berhad
- Standard Chartered Bank (Malaysia) Berhad
- Standard Chartered Saadiq Berhad
- TA Investment Management Berhad
- United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Berhad
- UOB Asset Management (Malaysia) Berhad


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A San Francisco Japanese bilingual bicultural program raised $22,000 in a last-minute fundraiser to help the victims affected by the earthquake and tsunami last week.
According to the San Francisco Unified School District officials when parents heard of the quake — which struck off the coast of Japan, March 10 and registered at a 9.0 magnitude — they sprung in to action to organize a fundraiser to help with relief.
That fundraiser was held Wednesday at Clarendon Elementary School, home to the Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program, and raised $22,000.
The community event included an auction and raffle with an autographed Tim Lincecum baseball donated by the San Francisco Giants, a pot luck dinner, Japanese taiko drumming, singing and Shamisen music.
Bay Area NewsLocalSan FranciscoTim Lincecum
Find out more at www.sfexaminer.com/join/


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Get involved
Be a part of the best volunteer gig in Chicago!
Green City Market encourages all shoppers and supporters of the Market to become a Green City Market volunteer! Volunteers can participate and contribute their time in many ways, including acting as a "Market Resource" at our Market Information Tent on Wednesdays and Saturdays, assisting with special events, helping out during chef demos, working with our Club Sprouts children's program and behind-the-scenes work in the Market office.
Are you interested in being a Green City Market volunteer? Please fill out the application here. Hoping to bring a group to volunteer? Fill out our group volunteer application here. For questions email email@example.com


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Man charged with attempted murder
WINDHAM SPRINGS | A man was charged with attempted murder after shooting a round at a man on a tractor, according to police. James L Christian, 52, was arrested Sunday after Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's deputies responded to a shooting in the 11000 block of Northside Road, said Capt. Loyd Baker, commander of the Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide Unit. Baker said a 41-year-old man told deputies and investigators he was traveling west on his tractor around 10 a.m. when a tan truck… Read More »


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Turn on the style in your room with a floor lamp that makes a bold statement. Sure, we love a good... Read more
The Ohana Issue
Articles from March 2017 Issue
It isn't easy living in paradise. Most of Hawaii's families work tirelessly to keep the... Read more
The plans for this Pearl City house looked perfect on paper when the owners bought it 23 years ago... Read more
This Kailua homeowner looks out at his new pool and just shakes his head. "We almost made a... Read more
They had already lived in the neighborhood — the wife, for most of her life — and were... Read more
Here's a simple way to add some flair to the kids' bathroom: backsplashes. It gives the... Read more
Choosing the right countertop for your bathroom or kitchen is an important decision. After... Read more
Your living room is the central hub for family and friends to talk story and share meals. ... Read more
The 2017 kitchen and bath industry show (kbis) in Orlando, Florida, recognizes and honors the best... Read more
Have fun using bold colors, spunky décor, mixed prints and matching the interior to your kids... Read more
A well-designed, maintained landscape can provide your home with curb appeal, privacy and a sense... Read more
Remodeling can be noisy, messy, expensive and, oh, did we mention noisy? All that chaos can cause... Read more
At the 2017 International Builders Show in Orlando, 127 single-family, multifamily, remodeling and... Read more
For most people, a home is the largest investment they'll ever make. That's why it... Read more


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Travel restrictions are introduced due to the outbreak of coronavirus. This has prevented auditors and valuers to perform on-site inspections. At the same time, the Securities and Futures Commission and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited released a joint statement to remind all Hong Kong listed companies to inform the Exchange about how their businesses have been affected by the outbreak of coronavirus.
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, presented the 2020/21 Budget on 26 February 2020 setting out the economic outlook for Hong Kong.
Moore Hong Kong is delighted to announce as of 1 January 2020, very experienced restructuring and recovery professionals including Jim Wardell, Jackson Ip, Joanne Lui and their team have joined Moore Hong Kong. The new Moore Hong Kong restructuring and recovery services operates as Moore Recovery Limited.
HKFRS 16 Leases has become effective since 1 January 2019 and replaced HKAS 17 Leases for lease accounting to specify the principles for recognition, measurement presentation and disclosure of leases. The new standard specifies that individual leases should be considered separately.
In response to the increasing demands for building consensus within the valuation industry, various valuation guidelines have been developed to suit different purposes, and to caterdifferent needs. Among them the International Private Equity and Venture Capital Valuation (IPEV) Guidelines and International Valuation Standards (IVS) are two of the most widely adopted standards in the private equity investments and accounting practices respectively.
Moore Stephens Hong Kong relaunches our brand to become 'Moore'. This is part of a wider rebrand of the Moore Stephens global accountancy and consultancy network, of which Moore Stephens Hong Kong is a member.


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Counterfeit & Piracy Investigation
Product Fraud is estimated to cost the legitimate owners millions of pounds each and every year. Forgers, imitators and counterfeiters do not just confine themselves to luxury products of international fame, such as watches, cigarette lighters, leather goods, clothing, perfumes and recorded music - motor car parts and accessories, aircraft components, pharmaceutical products and computer software programs are all very suitable products for the international imitator and counterfeiter.
Counterfeit consumer goods, commonly called 'Knock Offs', are counterfeit or imitation products offered for sale as if they were authentic. The spread of counterfeit goods has become global in recent years and the range of goods subject to infringement has increased significantly. According to the study of Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau (CIB) of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) counterfeit Goods make up 5 to 7% of World Trade.
'Piracy' refers primarily to copyrighted works traded in violation of copyright law. The term generally refers to illegal releases by organized groups, as opposed to file sharing between friends or large groups of people with similar interest using a dark net.
Third World nations, especially in Southeast Asia, have en masse copied corporate logos and names of primarily Western and Japanese companies. Some of these companies have even become listed on stock exchanges in their respective nations.
Companies suffer not only from loss of profits but even more because the goods are of inferior quality. Nationwide Investigations Group's activities in this highly specialised field, supported by our agents around the world, can provide the necessary solution to your problems where product imitation, counterfeiting and trade-mark fraud are concerned.


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Huge support for missing Imelda
it was a bittersweet moment last Saturday, March 24 when Imelda Keenan's family released bright red balloons into the clear blue sky over Mountmellick, marking her 41st birthday.
Constantly searching for answers since Imelda's disappearance from her Waterford flat 18 years ago, the family had overwhelming support for their first ever march through the town, blessed by sunshine. About 150 people gathered to walk holding photos from O'Moore Street to Turley's Bar, where prayers, a beautiful poem and heartrending words from her brother Donal were heard.
Fr Noel Dunphy prayed for information on Imelda's whereabouts.
"Some day we will know what happened, we must never give up hope. Through our prayers, some light will be thrown onto the mystery. We ask for some information about the disappearance of Imelda, and of other people around the country. There is great sadness, with families always grieving, always hoping. We pray they will find what happened so they can have closure, peace in the knowing," he said.
Her eldest brother Donal recalled the last words of his brother Ned, who passed away from cancer on May 7.
"With less than 24 hours to live, he whispered, 'I should have looked after Imelda a lot more than I did. If the person could walk into the room and tell us what happened, I would forgive them.' 24 hours later Ned's fight to find Imelda finished. In June 2008 we were at our mother's bedside. The medical people told us she had minutes to live. I thought in those minutes that if someone would walk in and tell us, Mam wouldn't have died of a broken heart," he said.
He asked everyone to visit the family grave, in St Joseph's cemetery, where an inscription for Imelda is written.
"I'm terrified to think that's the nearest we will come," he said, before asking for silence to remember missing people everywhere.
The march was attended by other families left in limbo over their disappeared, including Fiona Pender's mother Josephine, Philip Cairns' mother Alice, and Mary Byrne's twin sister Ann Doherty.
"I am here to support the family, and to keep Fiona's name out there," said Josphine, "She would be 41 now, the same age as Imelda. I should have a 16 year old granddaughter, I have missed out on that too," said Mrs Pender. Fiona went missing in Tullamore when she was eight months pregnant. Tragedy has marked the Penders. Josephine's son Mark died in a road crash, and her husband took his own life in 2000. She has one son left, John, and a grandson Dean.
"I still have to keep hoping. I won't let go. Before I go to my maker, I want Fiona found and laid to rest. Give her back a bit of dignity, not have her lying out in a field, but laid to rest with her daddy and brother," said Mrs Pender.
She hopes to hold a similar walk in Tullamore, while Philip Cairns' family are holding an afternoon of prayer for all missing people in the Capuchin Friary, Church Street, Dublin on April 28.
The Missing in Ireland Support Service helpline is 1890 442 552


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Cool Android themed desktop phone holder
New! Mk 2 model with extra stability
Works with most handsets up to 7" in size, portrait & landscape mode, allows rear and side charging where applicable. Made from 2 part tough pvc which is virtually unbreakable in normal use.
Looks great on any desk - at home and in the office. Manufactured to the highest quality - even the green is the official pantone lab-tested shade.
The base shape is to facilitate smart cable management. In most cases, your existing charger will feed through either the side valley or the back, in both portrait or landscape orientations. Even phones with side or top charger sockets, such as some Sony, Samsung and HTC models are ok - either charge directly, or thread it through the base and out of the valley/rear hole. For older chargers which are larger and won't fit, please see the Cozybot cables listed on this site.
Androidpolice.com: "What's not to love? It holds your device, has slots for charging cables, it's affordable, and, best of all, it's an Android!"
ubergizmo.com: "...a cutely designed Android robot with holders for you to place your Android devices in either landscape or portrait position. What's interesting about the stand is that it features a groove under the area which it holds your phone – giving you space to place your phone's charger even if it's at an awkward location like the bottom left corner of the device."
As seen at the Gadget Show Live
- W: 105mm
- D: 95mm
- H: 160mm
Here's an independent review: