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America is entering a period of prolonged austerity. The entitlement commitments made in a past generation have been rendered untenable by demographics and health cost inflation. The problem is no one's particular fault, but it is very, very large. Failing to get our borrowing under control would deny our children the lives we have had in this country.
This readjustment has begun to change the tenor of politics, which is increasingly focused on the distribution of painful burdens. It used to be that a budget compromise between Republicans and Democrats meant both sides got what they wanted -- tax cuts and spending increases, respectively -- and neither had to pay for it. Now compromise has to involve both sides losing something -- through tax increases and spending cuts -- and neither getting the political upside. This is what it means to run out of money.
The politics of austerity is inherently divisive. Some are judged worthy; others found lacking. It becomes disturbingly easy to turn group against group. Divisions can arise by class. The top 1 percent of earners take home about 17 percent of national income. They currently pay about 37 percent of federal income taxes. Does the 99 percent want them to pay 40 percent? More? What burdens should be imposed on the vote-rich middle class?
Or the conflict can become generational. In 1970, federal spending on Social Security and Medicare was about 20 percent of the budget. By 2030, it is projected to be 50 percent. Is it fair for those who are younger and poorer to provide dramatically increasing subsidies to those who are older and wealthier?
It is a marvel that anyone should strive and sacrifice to be a legislator in a period of austerity. Perhaps it weeds the field to the most cynical and the most public-spirited. A few demagogues thrive by feeding divisions and then leading factions.
But the best leaders in lean times share certain attributes:
-- A sense of proportion. They focus the most attention on the things that matter most. In our case, the main problem is not simply public spending, it is entitlement programs on a path of accelerating, unsustainable spending.
Those who devote their main attention to cutting food stamps or soaking the rich are grinding ideological axes, not confronting fiscal realities.
-- The courage to take on large interests. If the largest voting bloc or the most organized pressure group always prevails, then public benefits and burdens become a function of political influence, not need or merit. So politicians, at various points, will be required to resist AARP and Americans for Tax Reform, public employee unions and tea party activists.
-- A sense of humanity. Cuts that are equally applied are not equally felt. The reduction of a malaria program that saves the lives of children is not the same as the reduction in a highway program. Across-the-board cuts are an attempt to avoid political choices, but they do not avoid human consequences.
These leadership attributes came to mind with the approach of World AIDS Day. Foreign assistance is an illuminating example of the challenging politics of austerity. It is particularly easy to highlight the division between citizens and noncitizens and impose burdens on those who do not vote in American elections. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has made the most of this argument -- opposing not only security assistance in troubled regions but all foreign aid.
There are a variety of substantive responses to Paul's critique of aid. American foreign policy would not be particularly American if a commitment to universal human dignity did not play some role. And acting according to that commitment has traditionally been an important element of American influence -- shaping our image and serving our interests.
But Paul's crusade against aid is most notable as a failure of leadership. It lacks proportion, since the total of humanitarian assistance amounts to less than 1 percent of the federal budget -- an expenditure irrelevant to America's long-term, structural fiscal challenge. Paul is appealing to a narrow element of the conservative coalition rather than encouraging serious conservative reflection on public problems. And he is targeting some of the most vulnerable people in the world for ideological rather than fiscal reasons -- attempting to undermine bipartisan, humanitarian achievements on AIDS, malaria and other issues that have saved millions of lives.
This is the ultimate challenge of austerity politics: to reduce the size of the government without dishonoring the values of the nation.
Email: email@example.com.
Gerson: The politics of austerity


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The show: Yale Repertory Theatre production of "American Night: The Ballad of Juan José"
First impressions: Richard Montoya's wild vaudevillian mash-up, developed by the Chicano/Latino performance theater group Culture Clash and director Jo Bonney, has a strong point of view of America's checkered history. It centers on a Mexican immigrant Juan José and his fevered dream on the eve of his exam for U.S. citizenship.
In this new production, which was performed in Oregon, San Diego and L.A., the show sometimes dazzles, but the satiric material is uneven with some bits scoring big while others are trite and tired. The themes and messages might not break new ground, but this crazy convergence of leading and forgotten historic figures has spirit and plenty of political sucker punches — which this blue-state audience ate up.
Sounds pretty lefty: Well, it is political theater from a socially committed theater troupe. But in this vivid and vibrant production the attitudes are more engaging than the platitudes of the script.
Meaning…?: The fun is in the watching the bright and fluid staging of Shana Cooper and the talented cast who — with the exception of titular character played with appealing sensitivity by René Millán — perform multiple roles, some significant, some acting more as "Laugh-In"-style cameos .
The show opens impressively on Kristen Robinson's versatile and witty set, dynamically supplemented by Paul Lieber's projections. Juan José, a young, uncorrupted policeman, is first seen walking, walking, walking from his drug cartel-controlled existence to what he sees as a safe haven in the U.S. where he can later bring his wife and new child. As he "crosses the line" to his new-found freedom-land, he sings his sweet ballad as he walks into "the American night with my American desire."
But his idea of America as he anxiously crams for his citizenship test — aided by two Mormon elders who have motives of their own — is off-set by a parallel history that invades his American dream, quite literally.
In his loopy sleep scape he grapples with those whose full stories have been left out of the history books, beginning with the figures in the 1848 signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (which turned a vast amount of Mexican-inhabited land into U.S. territory). Along the way he sees America from the different perspectives: from 15- year-old Sacagawea, to Viola Pettus, a black nurse tending all who are ill in west Texas during the Spanish Influenza in 1918, to a resident at the Manzanar Japanese internment camp, to union organizer Harry Bridges, just to name a few.
The two histories converge in a free-for-all "town meeting" that includes a Tea Party zealot, Arizona sheriff Joe Arpiao, Jesus and Bob Dylan. Neil Diamond ends the dream — and the show — with a celebratory and more fully realized "Coming to America" as Juan José accepts his new country's imperfect union.
For the most part, there's little ambiguity. The show's characters are more symbols than people and its points are made with the nuance of a sledgehammer. But hey, this is an allegory and a morality play and political theater, not "Angels in America" or even "The Colored Museum."
Stiil, even after multiple productions, the show's text could be sharper. Some of the lines are corny clunkers ("No way, José," "Talk softly and carry a big schtick") while the mentioning of au courant figures such as Mitt Romney and Rachel Maddow comes across as name-dropping for an easy and unearned payoff.
Who will like it?: Fans of political theater, those with a liberal inclination, the disenfranchised.
Who won't?: The 1 per cent. Those hoping for a show with more sophisticated satirical bite.
For the kids?: Teens will connect with show's fast-paced energy, inventiveness and sometimes dopey humor. They will also get a historic perspective they may have missed in school.
Twitter review in 140 characters or less: Look at 200 years of American history from a different point of view is lively, loopy if somewhat unsurprising.
Thoughts on leaving the parking lot?: The line that got the biggest laugh of the night was a throwaway that referred to student labor, a playful dig at the production's hosts. Harry Bridges would have loved it.
The basics: Presented at the University Theatre, 222 York St., New Haven. The production runs through Oct. 13. Running time is 1 hour and 40 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are $20 to $96. Information: 203-432-1234 and www.yalerep.org.

subset: commoncrawl


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WKU-Child Care Center (CCC) Garden Club 2013
|Author: Patricia Sowell
Date: Friday, July 12th, 2013
The Center's Office Associate, Trish Sowell worked with CCC teacher, Christy Rogers and her students, using literature, songs, dance, dramatization, arts and crafts to learn about the different parts of a plant. And how different parts of the plant are edible. The students planted seeds and plants, watered what they planted, picked the plants and ate them for lunch, fresh out of the garden. Each week the students went to the garden to observe the growth and development of the plants and water them using water from the rain barrel. Lettuce and spincish were grown for the leaves. Carrots and radishes were grown for the roots. Broccoli and califlower were grown for the stalks, flowers, and flower buds. Sugar snap peas were grown for the seeds. Tomatoes, peppers and cucmbers were also planted. After the lettuce, spinach, radishes, onions were pulled, pumkins and guords were planted and will develope until frost; in hopes of having decorations for Halloween.
Click here to view a show of their garden story.
The season of Fall welcomes Potter-Gray Elementary School to Trammel Creek in Alvaton, KY to learn about water quality testing.
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Research Updates: Single-injection antibiotic treatment for cats with abscesses and infected wounds
Oct 01, 2009
Cats were randomly assigned on the day of admission to receive either a single dose of cefovecin (89 cats; 8 mg/kg subcutaneously), followed by owner administration of placebo drops for two weeks, or one subcutaneous placebo injection, followed by owner administration of cefadroxil (88 cats; 22 mg/kg orally every 24 hours) for two weeks. Concurrent wound management, including clipping and drainage of the abscess or surgical débridement of the skin wound but no concurrent topical antiseptic was allowed. Additional topical or systemic antibiotics or glucocorticoids were not permitted.Cats with abscesses made up 71% of the study group, while those with infected wounds made up 27%. Pasteurella multocida was the most common pathogen recovered from culture specimens. Other pathogenic bacteria commonly isolated included Prevotella species, Streptococcus canis, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species, Staphylococcus intermedius, Fusobacterium species, Escherichia coli, and Porphyromonas species.


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A very interesting debate broke out recently following my article on the attacks Denver Quarterback Tim Tebow is coming under from militant liberal secularists concerning his public displays of faith. Catholic writer David L Gray wrote this piece and of course there have been many others. The debate shifted to Tim Tebow's father who is an Evangelical leader and who takes missionary groups to Catholic countries like the Philippines so the people can "Hear the Gospel." These kinds of statements either make Catholics laugh or get them angry. Whenever I hear these groups say that they are taking the Gospel into Catholic countries I think we should all say, "We have been preaching the Gospel since before the Canon of the Bible came to be," or "When did your church start? Actually, we have been under the same management for 2,000 years." The crux of the matter is how do we willingly lead people to a place we think they most certainly want to go?
I have always found that outside of a few fundamentalist crackpots, most Evangelicals respect us when we humbly but boldly tell them about Church History, Apostolic Succession, the Real Presence and other Sacraments. Why? They sincerely want to know all they can about Jesus and with the aforementioned they aren't even getting the Readers Digest version let alone the Fullness of Truth.
In some ways Evangelicals are the low hanging fruit of the religious world. They are eager people who want to know Jesus and boy can we show them Jesus. What about the Catholic Church Abuse scandals some say; shouldn't that prevent them from coming home to Rome? Evangelicals are familiar with scandals, in many ways they have a belief that if a scandal brews it is the work of the devil and where the devil is you know that somewhere nearby the Gospel is being preached, otherwise the devil wouldn't be there. The devil doesn't waste his time fighting against with fluff, because fluff never saved souls. I dare say that some Evangelicals might also take to sites such as this or even sites like Michael Brown's Spirit Daily that delve a little into Catholic Eschatology.
Some may say what about Catholics who have fallen away? Of course it is important for our lost brothers and sisters to come home. However, many are working on that, including Catholics Come Home which is doing amazing work bringing Catholics back home. Recently in Phoenix, 92,000 fallen away Catholics registered in Phoenix parishes thanks to a concerted diocesan campaign implement by Catholics Come Home, which included commercials on television and radio.
Some may say that reconciling the split with the Orthodox Church which took place in 1056 is the most important step, after all aren't they closest to us in ideology and practice, and hasn't reconciliation with the Orthodox Church been the primary push by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI? Yes the last two pontiffs have made a big push with our liturgical friends to the East. However, here are a couple of points. There are more Evangelicals in the United States alone than there are Orthodox Christians in the entire English speaking world. Time is running out to bring our Evangelical brothers and sisters home. Why? Sadly most Evangelical organized churches outside the Southern Baptists are in a statistical freefall due to being raided by non-denominational mega churches. These mega churches which are increasingly becoming entertainment oriented churches have no sound theology to which to build their foundation. We all know what Jesus said about what you need to build your foundation on. (You might want to read the following article one on what liberals have done to churches in an article entitled: If You Want Liberals To Run Governments Look At What They Have Done To Religion; Left It In Tatters & the effect of entertainment churches on society in an article entitled; Margaritaville Christianity, God's Way or Our Way?
This leads us to one of the most underreported religious stories of the year; the Catholic Diocese of Orange, California buying Dr. Robert Schuler's Crystal Cathedral, the nation's first mega church which had gone bankrupt. Some folks got caught up in the argument over whether a Catholic Church could even use something that hardly looks like a traditional church. However, think of the significance of the event. Rev, Robert Schuler was such a powerful name, his words were listened to and his church started an entire movement. Yet, look where his church ended up, going back home to Rome. What a metaphor for going full circle back to the Fullness of Truth, the Catholic Church.
While working on our upcoming national cable television show Non Negotiable, Producer & Director Christian Peschken talked about this very subject. Christian implored me that I needed to make this a bigger deal than it already was going to be for my upcoming book. He felt the symbolism of this the nation's first and once most powerful mega church being turned over to the Catholic Church could not be understated. They who built their foundation on sand have now put their foundation on the Rock of Peter. Continue Reading


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Reading UAB-Email via the Web - Outlook Web Access (OWA)
Public or Private Computer Selection on Login Page
Why does the login page want to know if I'm on a public or private computer?
The network wants to know if someone could access your email account (and any personal information located there) and the security measures it needs to take to protect it. In OWA 2010, your information will be stored in a cookie, not in the browser. This means that your login information will be cleared when you log out of OWA - there is no "Remember my password" option.
Secondly, your session will expire (and you will have to login again) if the account is inactive for a period of time. If you are on a public or shared computer, timeout occurs after fifteen minutes of inactivity. You will have more time on your private computer. When timeout does occur, the page will remain the same until you try to perform another action. At this point, you will be prompted to log on again.
These measures help to protect your privacy, but they are not a replacement for the personal security measures you should already be taking:
- Never walk away from a public computer without logging off completely.
- Always log off of OWA and close the browser before you move on to a website that might not be secure. In OWA 2010, the Log Off button is located in Navigation pane, on the right-hand side. You will be prompted to close the browser window.
- Never disclose your password to anyone. With your BlazerID and password, they will have access more than just your email.
- The Internet Privacy setting ( Tools>Internet Options>Privacy ) should be at Medium or higher.
Even if you are on your personal computer, think of everyone who could have access to it (colleagues and roommates included).


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Valdez, Alaska, is truly a phoenix in the tourism industry.
After being damaged in a major earthquake in 1964 and suffering from the horrors of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, one might expect that visitors would stay away from this part of Alaska. Instead, Valdez has grown into a must-see destination, geographically blessed with endless mountains and 11,000 square miles of adventure known as Prince William Sound. If I cruised into the Port of Valdez and decided to sample all the day trips that interested me, I would end up staying there the entire summer. With so much to do, it's easy to see why the town is a favorite with visitors.
Local outfitter Pangaea Adventures, for example, offers the best kayaking trip in the state, with ample wildlife viewing, crackling ice and the massive expanse of Columbia Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in Southcentral Alaska, to explore. A follow-up trip could be a multi-day guided kayaking adventure at nearby Meares Glacier — camping on the shoreline, burning driftwood and listening to the thundering roar of ice calving throughout the evening.
For glacier hiking in the area, Worthington Glacier can't be beat. Accessible by road, the glacier's terminus is one of the easiest to climb without technical gear, but I recommend a guided tour for the upper portions.
For a top-notch Prince William Sound exploration cruise, check out Stan Stephens Glacier and Wildlife Cruises. I have taken guests on these tours since 1982, and it has never failed to provide fascinating information about local culture or up-close views of glaciers and wildlife. Seals, eagles, mountain goats, sea lions, sea otters, Orca and humpback whales and brown and black bears are just some of the wildlife I've spotted on the cruise. The vessel also visits Columbia Glacier and Meares Glacier, an active calving glacier. Boat captains offer excellent narration that covers gold mining, area history and wildlife facts. The cruise includes lunch.
For the adventurous, a guided visit to the remote outer islands facing the open sound should be on the itinerary. Visitors can camp out while watching whales feed nearby. Anadyr Adventures offers guided, overnight trips customized to individual needs and abilities.
Valdez is one of the snow capitals of the world — more than 300 inches falls annually in the city and 600 to 900 inches in nearby Thompson Pass — so it's no surprise that snow sport options abound. Valdez Heli Ski Guides provides excellent heli-skiing and backcountry trips. Also, as numerous waterfalls freeze solid in nearby Keystone Canyon, this area offers some of Alaska's best ice-climbing spots.
Anglers will appreciate the millions of pink salmon migrating to the Solomon Falls Fish Hatchery each year. Visitors don't have to be experts to catch fish — it's as easy as tossing in a line.
With so many outdoor adventures, it is no surprise that visitors end up returning to Valdez year after year.
Anadyr Adventureswww.anadyradventures.com
Pangaea Adventureswww.alaskasummer.com
Stan Stephens Glacier and Wildlife Cruiseswww.stanstephenscruises.com
Valdez Convention & Visitor's Bureauwww.valdezalaska.org
Valdez Heli Ski Guideswww.valdezheliskiguides.com


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Alain Goikoetxea
When you watch Alain skate you understand why he was given the nickname GTX, not just to make his last name easier but to emphasise the amazing speed and flow he has on a skateboard.
Still living in the town where he grew up, he is always out and about at contests, demos and tours before returning to his home in the north of Spain.
Alain just returned from a serious leg injury and if anything it's made him hungrier to skate.
He can skate anything and everything with ease: huge bowls, vert ramps, street, parks. Nothing is a problem for him.


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By Margaret Summers
Guest Contributor
This Veterans Day week, I've been remembering my first impressions of civil rights leader, death penalty abolitionist, and Korean War veteran, the late Dr. Mario Guerra Obledo. He was courtly. Reserved. Quiet. Polite. Respectful. I don't remember his exact height, but to me he stood far above everyone around him.
One of 12 children born to Mexican immigrants in San Antonio, Texas, Dr. Obledo enlisted in the Navy in 1951, serving on a ship in radar technology. After the war, Dr. Obledo went back to his home state. He earned his undergraduate degree in pharmacy from the University of Texas in Austin, and later, his law degree from St. Mary's University in San Antonio.
Like many veterans of color, Dr. Obledo returned from fighting a war for democracy and freedom in another country to find that such rights and freedoms were not always upheld for people of color in the United States. Pete Tijerina, another Latino war veteran, returned from combat with an idea to start a civil rights organization in support of Latinos. He met Dr. Obledo at a social function. With help from a $2.2 million dollar Ford Foundation grant and assistance from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the two veterans founded MALDEF, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. MALDEF launched Dr. Obledo's civil rights activism.
Years later, when I met Dr. Obledo in the mid-1980s, he was the President of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation's oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization. I was a reporter, covering Congress for a local Washington, D.C. radio station. I interviewed him during that period after his news conferences or his testimony before Congressional hearings concerning racism against Latinos or U.S. immigration policy reform.
I wasn't involved in the death penalty abolition movement yet, so I had no idea that Dr. Obledo was an abolitionist. He worked diligently to end the death penalty in California, where the National Coalition of Hispanic Organizations, which he headed and co-founded, is based, and in other states where it is still practiced.
Ten years ago, in his capacity as the President of the Coalition, Dr. Obledo signed an open letter to President Clinton, calling for a moratorium on federal executions. Other signers included leaders of the ACLU, NAACP, the National Organization for Women, and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. The December 4, 2000 letter was a response to a Department of Justice survey of the federal death penalty authorization process. The survey revealed that, of the federal capital defendants against whom the Attorney General authorized seeking the death penalty, 69% were Hispanic and African American (18% and 51% respectively), while only 25% were white.
"We are aware of your support for the death penalty under some circumstances and we are not asking that you change your long-held position," the letter read in part. "We are asking only that you prevent an unconscionable event in American history — executing individuals while the government is still determining whether gross unfairness has led to their death sentences.
In 2006, Dr. Obledo served on the advisory board of the American Bar Association Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project, which examined whether the death penalty was administered fairly and with due process. To the extent flaws were identified in states' death penalty systems, states could use the Project's findings in reforming their systems, impose moratoriums, and/or launch more comprehensive self-examinations of death penalty-related laws and processes. The Project examined death penalty systems in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
While on the advisory board, Dr. Obledo illustrated how racial and economic disparities in the application of death sentences stem from years of racial and economic discrimination. "I think they should do away with the death penalty," he said. "Most people convicted are minorities. People of color, or minorities. Only the poor people get executed. The people with money never get executed. That's why the system should be changed. You would make sure no injustice would occur."
As is the case with African Americans, Latinos are often disproportionately represented on death row. Approximately 11% of death row prisoners nationally are Latino, while Latinos comprise 15% of the U.S. population. In California, the percentage of Latinos sentenced to death and incarcerated on death row is increasing. According to a report by ACLU of Northern California, "Death in Decline 2009" Latinos comprised 50% of new death sentences in 2007, 38% of death sentences in 2008, and 31% of death sentences in 2009. There is no documented information regarding what is behind these troubling statistics. However, the report notes that the lack of Latinos on California's juries and the sentencing decisions made by California's District Attorneys might be among the driving factors.
Dr. Obledo's contributions to death penalty abolition and civil rights were many. Dr. Obledo died suddenly this August after a heart attack at age 78. While others undoubtedly remember and laud Dr. Obledo for his civil rights activism in LULAC, MALDEF and the National Coalition of Hispanic Organizations, I will always remember, and appreciate, his having devoted a portion of his busy life trying to end the barbaric, racially and economically biased and ineffective crime-fighting tool that is capital punishment.
Margaret Summers is the Director of Communications for the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.


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Hi there, I'd be happy to help you write whatever speech you need! I'd love to hear more about the project and answer any questions you may have. Cheers!


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ck3d wrote:Hello,
I'm so excited about the OLPC. I also got up at 2:30am pacific to order mine. I never thought to ask if I was first. My order taker did say it had already been a long day for her.
My credit card was charged 2 days ago. They did not charge shipping. Maybe that means my G1G1 is being made, and I'll have another charge when they ship?
I'll try not to worry.
I sort of feel out of my element, as I am not an programer or educator. I have never even used Linux before.
I am very good at figuring things out....but I will have lots of Questions!
Anyone want to step up to the plate, and be the OLPC Guru?
Hello...me too ! I need a step by step OLPC for " Dummies."
Still, feel this project may be my life's ( volunteer ) work.
Coline, Manitoba Canada
day 5 volunteer


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That alphabet soup of trade talks and initiatives — WTO, CAFTA, FTAA, AGOA III and others — will continue to be a focal point of the U.S. cotton industry in the foreseeable future, says Mark Lange, president of the National Cotton Council.
Lange discussed the political and economic issues pressuring U.S. cotton during this winter's Georgia Cotton Workshop, held in Statesboro.
The National Cotton Council, says Lange, will evaluate trade agreements as to their capacity to serve the interest of the entire U.S. cotton industry.
"We work to insure that both the Administration and Congress understand the issues affecting cotton and endeavor to influence the specific form of proposed agreements to reflect the U.S. cotton industry's concerns," he says.
The National Cotton Council's trade agenda is full, he adds, and trade policy now stands virtually shoulder to shoulder with farm policy in determining the ultimate success of the U.S. cotton industry.
Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO), says Lange, continue to seek further reductions in trade-distorting practices affecting agriculture.
"This round of talks, known as the Doha Round, is an attempt to reach further agreements to expand world trade, as calendar 2005 essentially marks the completion of the Uruguay Round commitments that were initiated in 1994.
"The Bush Administration has crafted a Central American Free Trade Agreement, known as CAFTA, and details of the proposal are still unfolding.
We should expect full disclosure of the proposed CAFTA agreement in the next several weeks.
"The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is working on a Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA), to link to the entire Western Hemisphere in an economic fashion similar to the U.S.-Mexican-Canadian arrangement known as NAFTA," says Lange.
U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Zoellick has announced numerous bilateral trade initiatives with countries across the globe, he continues. These free trade agreements (FTAs) have been initiated for a variety of reasons.
"In some of these negotiations, agriculture and textile issues are quite limited by the very nature of the economy of the participating country," says Lange. "While in other cases, a free trade agreement is considerably more complicated."
Part of the conclusion of the Uruguay Round of world trade negotiations was an agreement to eventually initiate another round of negotiations in an effort to further expand world trade opportunities, says Lange. This latest round of talks is known as the Doha Round.
A scheduled meeting of trade ministers to the WTO was held in Cancun, Mexico, this past September as a sort of mid-term review of the negotiations. The meeting, however, concluded with no progress and generally was known as the "Cancun Collapse."
The Cancun meeting, says Lange, saw Brazil, India and China attempt to exert leadership of the "less-developed countries" to oppose initiatives of the developed countries.
Specifically, a group of 21 developing countries called for no further increases in access to their domestic markets or other significant changes in their domestic practices while calling for developed economies to completely eliminate quotas and tariffs and to dramatically reduce their domestic agricultural programs.
"Ever since the United States first proposed an end to all agricultural subsidization way back in 1987, the European Union and the United States each have attempted to leverage developing countries against the other's agenda. That attempt to use the developing countries as leverage leads to a lot of behind the scenes maneuvering and tends to give developing countries a distorted image of their influence within the WTO."
The African cotton initiative is a case in point, says Lange. In mid-summer, four West African countries floated a proposal within the WTO seeking the immediate elimination of the U.S. and E.U. cotton programs and seeking compensatory payments totaling about $1 billion.
Undoubtedly, he says, the African initiative was encouraged by European interests, primarily as a way to pressure the United States. The initiative itself was primarily the work of Oxfam, an international aid organization that receives heavy funding from some European governments.
"Oxfam waged an effective campaign of misinformation attacking the U.S. cotton program - based primarily on analysis from a critically flawed report issued by the International Cotton Advisory Committee in 2002.
"The United States, not wishing to unduly offend developing countries, did not initially condemn the African proposal. The result was a 'cotton initiative' in General Council Chairman Castillo's agenda that, if acted upon, would have singled out the U.S. cotton program for elimination - separate from the general agricultural talks being held within the WTO.
Other press outlets picked up the football, with the New York Times making the U.S. cotton program a favorite target of its editorial pages."
In Cancun, says Lange, the United States countered the cotton-specific initiative with a broader proposal to examine all trade distorting aspects of fiber production and trade as well as production and trade in textiles and apparel.
"As the Cancun experience demonstrates, every segment of the U.S. cotton industry can be directly affected by discussions within the World Trade Organization. While the Cancun talks failed to realize progress, and our industry breathed a collective sigh of temporary relief, the chairman of the WTO is hard at work trying restart trade talks with a new agenda.
"Fortunately, the 'cotton initiative' is no longer part of the new agenda.
Neither is the U.S. counter proposal for comprehensive talks on fiber and textile production and trade."
There were other reasons for the difficulties in Cancun, says Lange, but cotton had an undeserved, stand-out role there. "This industry has repeatedly taken the position that it is willing to agree to fair rules governing agricultural program and will join other commodities and other countries in agreeing to reductions in agricultural support. But we will not stand by while we are unilaterally and unfairly targeted."
The Central American Free Trade Agreement, notes Lange, is nearing the final stages of formation. The details of the proposed agreement should be available in the very near future.
"This agreement was hailed as possessing the potential to offset the damage to the U.S. textile sector from soaring Asian and Chinese textile and apparel imports. The rules of origin governing which products are granted preferential treatment in trade are critical to insuring there are gains from the agreement."
The agricultural portion of the agreement was largely uncontroversial for cotton, he says, but U.S. sugar sought exclusion from the agreement.
Negotiators have reported that virtually all tariffs disappear within 15 years for agricultural products (which includes cotton coming to the United States) with some products enjoying immediate duty-fee access.
Another facet of the rule of origin debate was whether textile products originating in Mexico and then further processed in Central America would receive duty-free access to the U.S. market, notes Lange. This new wrinkle in rules-of-origin has been called "cumulation."
"If Canada concludes trade agreements with the Central Americans, then the cumulation would extend to Canadian textile products as well. The Council, working with 16 textile organizations, got 169 members of Congress to sign a letter to President Bush urging the President to bring a CAFTA agreement to Congress that would not include TPLs or cumulation."
According to press reports, the proposed CAFTA agreement has some TPLs and provides for some cumulation. The American Textile Manufacturers'Institute (ATMI) has announced its opposition to the proposed agreement due to the inclusion of the TPLs and cumulation. "The Council is preparing an analysis of the proposed agreement, as currently understood, with respect to U.S.
textile interests and the raw cotton segments. This analysis will be shared with the membership and Council delegates will likely seek to establish a position on CAFTA at the upcoming annual meeting."
There has been considerable discussion, says Lange, of a free trade agreement that would encompass the entire Western Hemisphere. The idea is to extend a NAFTA-type agreement from Canada to Argentina.
"This is obviously a far more complex integration of trading economies than NAFTA. For cotton in particular, the nature of any trade agreement with Brazil must be carefully considered. Brazil has a large and diverse textile industry, and Brazil's capacity to increase agricultural production appears to be substantial."
Again, says Lange, a leading principle in considering any trade package would be avoiding third-party participation by constructing appropriate rules of origin for trade in textile and apparel products. "Given the much wider scope of such an agreement, the Council engaged the firm of Jassin and O'Rourke, with the support of the Committee for Cotton Research Incorporated, to study the current structure and potential expansion of the regional textile complex. That study should be released in the very near future."
U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Zoellick has announced a large number of new bilateral trade initiatives in the past year while concluding several FTA's, says Lange.
"It has been noted that the U.S. use of bilaterals may well be part of larger strategy to influence the WTO Doha Round of talks. If the Doha Round is not reconvened, then we should expect an expanded effort on the part of the USTR to engage more countries in bilateral negotiations."
Brazil has alleged, says Lange, that the U.S. cotton program has violated the WTO peace clause and done "serious prejudice" to Brazilian cotton interests. Brazil also charges that the Step 2 competitiveness provision and the export credit guarantee program violate the export subsidy code of the WTO agricultural agreement. "The time period used by Brazil to define subsidies and damage is 1999 to 2001. This challenge is being heard by a WTO dispute settlement panel of three trade experts. The General Counsel of the USTR is the legal representative of the United States in this case. The WTO panel has stated its intention to release a preliminary finding in the case in May 2004.
"I believe this challenge ultimately extends beyond the U.S. cotton program and is a fundamental threat to the conduct of U.S. domestic agricultural policy. The Council will continue to work with USDA and USTR to insure that every effort is made to defend the U.S. cotton program in the WTO arena."


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NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partners. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Dental Anesthesia
What Are My Options If I Am Allergic to Lidocaine?
I'm severely allergic to Lidocaine, my heart rate goes up and I feel that I can't swallow and my throat starts blocking up. So for my dental anesthesia they want to give me Carbocaine. Is that safe?
If you have a true allergy to local anesthetic, and you may if your airway really became swollen, then it may be that mepivicaine (Brand name Carbocaine) might also be a problem.
An increase in heart rate is common with many local anesthetics due to medications added to increase duration of action and effectiveness. So, this is not a true allergy. Mepivicaine comes in a formulation without this additive.
Sometimes, a little bit of anesthetic leaks out and gets down the throat and it feels like the throat is truly swollen. Some people mistake this for a true allergy. If this was the cause of your throat "swelling", this is also not a true allergy.
Therefore, the history is very important. If there is any question, allergy testing with local anesthetics provided by your dentist might be indicated. I hope this helps.
Steven I Ganzberg, SB, DMD, MS
Formerly, Clinical Professor of Dentistry
College of Dentistry
The Ohio State University


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In her upcoming movie "We're the Millers," Emma Roberts plays a street-wise toughie not afraid to mix it up, who then becomes part of a fake family that's helping smuggle pot across the Mexican border.
That scrappiness takes on a new resonance in the wake of allegations of domestic violence against the actress. According to TMZ, Roberts was arrested in a Canadian hotel on July 7 after a guest reported a fight in a neighboring room and cops showed up to find Roberts' boyfriend, actor Evan Peters, with a bloody nose and a bite mark, in the room with Roberts.
The 22-year-old actress is key to bringing in a younger demographic for Rawson Marshall Thurber's "Millers," an R-rated comedy starring Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston that opens the first week of August. Even if she maintains the same media schedule she did before the arrest, the Roberts incident (Peters did not press charges) is likely to be a distraction for some reporters who would otherwise be talking about the movie. And most actors don't keep the same media schedule.
After an early film career embodying teen sweetness in the likes of "Nancy Drew," Roberts has gone to a more mature place over the last few years, starring as a fragile-but-gritty high-schooler in "It's Kind of a Funny Story," a more duplicitous than you'd think girl-next-door in "Scream 4" and now the street kid of "Millers."
How much do actors' real-life woes affect their box-office perception? In some cases it can bounce right off. Christian Bale's on-set rant to a cinematographer didn't ding "Terminator: Salvation" even after the rant went viral, in part because much of the young male demographic that the movie was aimed at dug the freak-out. The Rupert Sanders-Kristen Stewart affair only seemed to help "Snow White and the Huntsman."
Then again, there's plenty of fallout when something like this happens right before a movie's release. Stars keep a low profile, media forget about the film and audiences can be left with a bad taste. It's hard to watch Roberts confronting street thugs on screen when that hotel image keeps lingering in one's mind.
Emma Roberts: Ministry of Gossip coverage
Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT
PHOTOS: Faces to watch 2014 | Movies
ENVELOPE: The latest awards buzz
DOCUMENTARIES: 10 best of 2013, and a new crop in 2014


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We are thrilled to announce that this year's Dove Awards show is going to feature a segment honoring Russ for "his life's work and impact on the industry." The segment will be introduced by good friend Chonda Pierce and will include performances by… well, we can't announce that part because we don't know who will be involved yet– and it might be a surprise!
The Dove Awards will be held on Thursday, April 19 at the famed Fox Theatre in Atlanta and will be televised on the GMC channel on Tuesday, April 24 at 8 p.m. ET, with an encore showing at 10 p.m. ET.
This is so exciting and very well deserved. Way to go Russ! We think this is a long time coming. Thanks for all you have done and for giving us the music that just keeps blessing us every day. Can't wait to see the tribute. Love to you, Tori, Madi & Charlotte.
This is just awesome!! VERY well deserved! God blessed Russ with a phenomenal and unique voice and, with that voice, Russ has given us some really memorable music throughout his career. His contributions to The Imperials made that era of the band arguably one of the best of all time! Well done, Russ!!
I couldn't think of a more deserving person than Russ Taff!! I am so thankful that he uses God's gift to sing praises to Him, and to encourage us. You're an awesome singer and a sweet, thougtful person. Love you always! God bless you dear.
This is so well deserved! Russ' passion and incredible voice and soulful style made being a Christian "cool" when he exploded onto the contemporary Christian music scene years ago! And he never lost that edge! His new "Faroe" CD just shows he's still got it and we still love him and his music!!! And personally, he doesn't have a pretentious bone in his body! His motivation is his love for God and the music……and it shows in every song he sings. He's always been my favorite gospel singer!


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Tony DiTerlizzi goes on a quest for "The Hobbit" that could have been — the abandoned 1960s Maurice Sendak adaptation.
As I eagerly await Peter Jackson's return to Tolkien with his adaptation of "The Hobbit," I can't help but wonder what the film would have become had Guillermo del Toro remained in the director's chair. Though the story of Bilbo Baggins takes place in a more halcyon Middle-earth than the later "The Lord of the Rings" books, there are pockets of darkness that foretell what is to come.
I've observed a gravitational pull toward the dark in film adaptations of books primarily published for children, especially in Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" and in the latest installment of Harry Potter. Traditional fairy tales abound with dark themes and places for the hero to adventure, and rightly so — the world can be a dark place. This author cannot think of any better way to broach these notions and address these fears with his daughter than through a story, and "The Hobbit" sits in perfect company with these types of fairy tales.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien's masterpiece about his hairy-footed hero was conceived in the early 1930s while Tolkien was teaching Anglo-Saxon (Old English) at Oxford University; it was released in 1937 by George Allen & Unwin. The publisher's intention was that this was a new fairy story written primarily for children. To further charm the book's intended audience, text was decorated with full-page pen & and ink illustrations by the author, not unlike books illustrated by Arthur Rackham or Kay Nielsen. Subsequent editions would have full-color plates by Tolkien.
As one who crafts stories for children, I've come to understand that the darker the story gets, the brighter the happy ending. It is a symbiotic relationship. This is enhanced by the use of illustrations — an aspect of bookmaking that nowadays seems relegated to stories for the very young.
So I circle back to the reimagining of "The Hobbit" by another visionary and how integral reinterpretation is to the lifespan of a classic, whether book or film. Each generation should have an edition of these timeless stories that speaks directly to them in a style and design that they are familiar with. If you don't believe me, ask a group of fourth-graders to put down their iPhones and Wii game controllers and see what they think of Sir John Tenniel's illustrations for [Lewis] Carroll's first edition of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."
This leads me to a rendition of "The Hobbit" that would have been treasured by many: "The Hobbit" as illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Heard of this version? Probably not, because it never came to pass, and yet, we have surviving glimpses of what could have been.
In the late 1960s, Middle-earth enjoyed a renewed interest with the release of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy in paperback. As "The Hobbit" neared its 30th anniversary, the American publisher invited Sendak to reimagine Bilbo Baggins and his classic quest. Caldecott Medal-winning Sendak, though his work could be thorny and at times scary, was nonetheless the darling of children's publishing that decade. He had the ability to delight the young as he balanced the light and dark in titles from "Pierre" to his pièce de résistance, "Where the Wild Things Are." Sendak understood not only the physical hurdles that a story's character faces but the psychological ones as well. He was the perfect visionary to reinterpret Tolkien.
I wanted to know more about the details of the relationship between two literary luminaries, so I spoke with fellow author Gregory Maguire (of "Wicked" fame), who interviewed Sendak in 2004. Though Tolkien was 75 in 1967, he was still overseeing his Middle-earth empire. He requested samples from Sendak in considering the artist's involvement. Begrudgingly, Sendak obliged, creating two finished images — one of wood-elves dancing in the moonlight, and another of Bilbo relaxing outside his hobbit hole smoking his pipe beside Gandalf.
There is a real passion and understanding of content and audience in these spec pieces. Sendak rendered these in a detailed pen-and-ink style similar to that of the illustrations for "Higglety Pigglety Pop!" and "Little Bear." It hearkens back to epic pastoral imagery seen in etchings by the likes of Rembrandt and Samuel Palmer. If you look closely, you will discover a master at work in the art of subtlety: Notice the heavy crosshatching used to weigh down a world-weary Gandalf contrasted with the open, airy line work that renders the jovial Bilbo. These depictions speak in an artistic conversation that has been ongoing for centuries, yet they are immediate and approachable by the child of today.
As Sendak noted passages for possible illustration and sketched in the margins of his copy of the book, the publisher prepared the art samples for Tolkien's approval. The editor mislabeled the samples, however, identifying the wood-elves as "hobbits," as Sendak recalled to Maguire. This blunder nettled Tolkien. His reply was that Sendak had not read the book closely and did not know what a hobbit was. Consequently, Tolkien did not approve the drawings. Sendak was furious.
In hopes that all could be smoothed over between the two, the publisher arranged for a meeting in Oxford while Sendak was in England touring for the U.K. release of "Wild Things." The day before their meeting, Sendak suffered his first major heart attack. He was 39. Sendak spent several weeks recovering in a hospital in Birmingham. He never met with Tolkien, and the project was abandoned.
Was it a scheduling issue that forced the project to be shelved? Perhaps a reconsideration on Sendak's part as he recouped in the hospital? It's not clear. What I do know is that "The Hobbit," as illustrated by the author, had remained in print for 30 years. As those years passed and the book's fame grew, Tolkien despised the fact that it was considered by many to be a children's story, as indicated in a letter from 1959, "I am not specially interested in children, and certainly not in writing for them." Proposing a new illustrator for his tale, culled from the best in children's illustration, was a direction he could not have been particularly fond of.
As an artist who has illustrated another's words, I take responsibility when I begin envisioning a story. After all, by way of my artwork, I am showing readers what I imagine the author to be saying. There are many words or sentences an illustrator can home in on and exploit to create their accompanying imagery. I often compare it to the lyrics of a song mixed with the melody. If they work well together, you get a wondrous and memorable harmony.
Sendak's sample holds the light and dark not only of Tolkien's narrative but also of the events that swirled around the artwork's very creation. Regardless of the outcome, what we are left with is an extraordinary peek into a master illustrator's imagination as he interpreted another master's prose. (Sendak donated his finished illustration of Bilbo and Gandalf, as well as his marked-up edition of "The Hobbit," to Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, where it is located today. The location of the second, mislabeled illustration of the elves is unknown.)
Had Sendak's edition been released, I have no doubt it would have been a smashing success. I even speculate that he would have been asked to continue onward with "The Lord of the Rings." Sendak's "Hobbit" would be found lying on the cluttered floor of a child's bedroom next to a newly illustrated edition of Grimm's "Fairy Tales" or, perhaps, on a collector's shelf next to a favorite version of Barrie's "Peter and Wendy." Like them, "The Hobbit" is a classic. It should be reimagined and celebrated in books, film and whatever new media await, for generations to come. As Mr. Baggins once said, "Roads go ever ever on."
— Tony DiTerlizzi
Author Tony DiTerlizzi is also the illustrator of "The Spider & the Fly" and the creator of "The Spiderwick Chronicles." His latest illustrated novel, "The Search for WondLa," is currently in development at Paramount Pictures.
Peter Jackson starts filming on "The Hobbit"
'Thrones': 'Frodo never gets to go to a brothel'
'Game of Thrones,' winter is coming…
'Thrones': Five reasons to watch the HBO series
Jackson: Fans 'fed up with lack of original ideas'
Can 'Hobbit' escape the 'Rings' shadow?
Del Toro leaves Middle-earth — what's next?
McKellen is 'marking time' until 'The Hobbit'
McKellen and the evil mutants on 'The View'
Ron Howard's plan for 'The Dark Tower'


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Hernandez tops Burnett, Mariners trip Pirates 2-1
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pirates manager Clint Hurdle predicted that it wouldn't matter how well the Pirates swung the bat if Mariners ace Felix Hernandez did his thing.
For about four batters on Wednesday, Hurdle looked as if he might be wrong. Pittsburgh bolted to a quick lead and had runners on first and second with one out before the game was 20 minutes old.
The door to a big inning was ajar.
Hernandez quickly slammed it shut, settling down after a shaky start to lead the Mariners to a 2-1 victory and a split of the brief two-game interleague series.
"I was OK," Hernandez said. "I didn't have my very best stuff but I battled hard ... Luckily, I kept us in the game and we were able to win."
Hernandez (5-2) struck out five and walked one to improve to 4-0 in his last five starts while shaving his ERA to 1.53. Tom Wilhelmsen worked the ninth for his ninth save.
Pittsburgh's A.J. Burnett (3-3) was almost as sharp, giving up just two hits over seven innings while striking out nine. Yet he also walked four batters and gave up Montero's third homer of the season with one out in the seventh.
The shot to the first row of seats in right-center field was a boost for the slumping Montero, who came into the game hitting just .203.
"The kid is working so hard," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. "He's so young and he's learning so much. I think he's starting to get to the point where he can put a little more energy into his hitting and not have to worry quite so much about his catching."
Starling Marte had two hits for Pittsburgh and Andrew McCutchen added an RBI single but the Pirates didn't muster much after Hernandez found his footing.
"He got some balls up early but then he got into his delivery and that allowed his arm to start working and he executed his pitches," Wedge said. "He was getting them to take a lot of bad swings."
The showdown between the two staff aces lived up to its billing. Hernandez entered the game ranked in the top five in the American League in ERA and strikeouts while Burnett came in unbeaten in nearly a month and second in the National League in strikeouts behind New York's Matt Harvey.
Hernandez's only miscue came in the first. Starling Marte led off with a double — his 17th lead-off hit this season — then came around to score when McCutchen singled up the middle with one out. Garrett Jones then walked, but Pittsburgh's promising inning disappeared when Mike McKenry hit into a double-play.
It was the fourth straight game in which the Pirates let a potentially big first inning slip away. Pittsburgh went just 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position.
"It just seems that we've got to find a better answer," Hurdle said. "Maybe it's our mindset but we're getting pitched tough. It's not like it's chopped liver we've been facing."
Hernandez didn't botch his reprieve. Pittsburgh only managed to get one runner to third the rest of the way. Jordy Mercer doubled leading off the fifth and advanced to third with one out. Burnett, however, couldn't square a sacrifice bunt and Marte struck out.
Burnett cruised through the first three innings, needing an economical 32 pitches to retire the first nine batters. Yet his control briefly abandoned him in the fourth and his unfamiliarity with backup catcher McKenry may have cost the Pirates a run.
Michael Saunders and Jason Bay walked leading off the fourth and were on second and third with two outs when Burnett bounced a curveball to home plate that smacked off McKenry — who was catching Burnett for just the second time in the regular season due to a neck injury to starter Russell Martin — and rolled away, allowing Saunders to race home and tie the game.
The wild pitch came after Burnett nearly struck out Dustin Ackley on a 1-2 fastball that appeared to paint the inside corner. Home plate umpire Paul Schrieber ruled it a ball, and seconds later Saunders was sprinting home.
"I thought it was a close pitch," Burnett said. "I just sometimes think my stuff's nasty, so sometimes they (umpires) miss it too."
Burnett had little trouble with one of the worst offenses in the majors until the seventh, when Montero took a 91 mph fastball and put it in the first row of seats in center. Hernandez and Wilhelmsen took care of the rest as the Mariners improved to 8-4 in their last 12 games as they try to bounce back from a horrific start.
All three of Montero's homers have come in games started and won by Hernandez.
"That's crazy how things are happening," Montero said. "I hit a home run, he pitches and we win. It's unbelievable."
NOTES: The Pirates released RHP Jonathan Sanchez on Wednesday. The team designated him for assignment last week ... The Mariners are off on Thursday then host Oakland for a weekend series starting Friday. Hisashi Iwakuma (3-1, 1.61) starts for Seattle against Dan Straily (1-0, 5.94) ... Pittsburgh begins a four-game set in New York against the Mets on Thursday. Jeff Locke (3-1, 3.21) faces New York's Dillon Gee (2-4, 6.16) ... The Pirates called up 2007 second-round pick RHP Duke Welker on Wednesday. Welker was 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA at Triple-A Indianapolis this season.


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29/03/2014 – 30/03/2014
Right, this is going to be crazy awesome or "chocolately" dangerous! Just for one chocolatey day the best chocolatiers in uk will all gather together to show off their choco-abilities in a mouth watering display of chocolate products such as bars, truffles, bonbons, creams, cakes, crepes, drinks, salads, cars, clothes, houses and god knows what else, turning Brighton into a giant chocolate dessert and turning you into a dazed and confused fat seagull. Make sure you're off to the gym the day after… Check out the official website for more info.


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Take this quiz and score yourself to find out how well you did!
The 10 questions below are based on recent news stories in newspapers,
magazines, and on TV. For each question, click the circle next to
your answer. At the end of the quiz, click "score my quiz."
You'll then have a second chance to answer the questions you got
Past News IQs
September 25, 2007
September 10, 2007
August 31, 2007


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LA teacher facing lewd acts charges 'harassed in jail'
The lawyer defending a Los Angeles teacher charged with child molestation has told a court his client may be facing intimidation in state custody.
Jail staff announced over loudspeaker that Mark Berndt, 61, was a child molester and specified where he was sleeping, the lawyer said.
The allegation was raised as Mr Berndt pleaded not guilty to 23 counts of lewd acts with children as young as six.
The former Miramonte Elementary School teacher was arrested in January.
Mr Berndt had been working at the school for more than 30 years.
He was arrested after a photo developer informed the authorities that he had processed about 40 pictures of blindfolded children.
In some cases the accused had his arm around the children or was covering their mouths with his hand. Some had their mouths taped shut.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was not aware of the jail intimidation allegations until they were raised in court, spokesman Steve Whitmore told the BBC, but an investigation into the matter has been launched.
Mr Berndt's defence team should have informed the sheriff's department first, he added.
But defence lawyer Victor Acevedo told the BBC he raised the issue in court so that the judge could be apprised of the situation.
Mr Berndt has been held in custody on $23m (£15m) bail.
A second teacher from the same school, Martin Springer, 49, has pleaded not guilty to fondling two female students.
The entire staff of Miramonte Elementary School has been replaced as the investigation moves forward.


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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The operator of the Utah mine that collapsed in 2007, killing nine people, has reached a $949,351 settlement with the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration over safety violations.
Genwal Resources Inc., an affiliate of Ohio-based Murray Energy Corp., denied Thursday that any of the violations led to the deadly collapse, which leveled a section of the Crandall Canyon mine as large as 63 football fields. From the start, Murray Energy chief Bob Murray insisted that the cave-in was triggered by a natural earthquake.
MSHA chief Joe Main disputed the earthquake theory on Thursday and said Genwal admitted it thinned a coal barrier it should have left standing to hold up the mine. He said the company also failed to revise a roof control plan after ignoring early signs of trouble.
"Our investigation found that it was not an earthquake, but the mining plan and the failure to act" that caused the collapse, Main told The Associated Press.
Genwal accepted 17 safety violations, with four of them contributing to the cave-in, he said. The agency dropped another 3 violations related to the collapse of a coal pillar in another section of the mine five months earlier.
"They allowed the mine to deteriorate and ignored warning signs that contributed to the tragedy," Main said.
The $949,351 fine was the third largest ever assessed for a U.S. coal mining operation, said Patricia Smith, the U.S. Department of Labor's chief lawyer. MSHA levied a $10.8 million fine against the operator of West Virginia's Upper Big Branch mine for a 2010 explosion that killed 29 workers. It fined Aracoma Coal Co. $4.2 million for a 2006 explosion that killed two West Virginia miners.
Genwal and related companies previously settled wrongful death lawsuits, together with criminal charges that carried a $500,000 fine.
The collapse at Crandall Canyon was so powerful it registered as a 3.9-magnitude earthquake. It instantly entombed six miners nearly a half-mile underground. Their bodies have never been recovered. Another cave-in 10 days later killed two rescuers and a federal inspector during a frantic effort to tunnel their way to the trapped miners.
Genwal's mining engineers, Grand Junction, Colo.-based Agapito Associates Inc., are fighting a separate $220,000 fine for an allegedly faulty analysis of the mine's design. Agapito insists MSHA has no jurisdiction over consulting engineers.
On Thursday, Genwal said the company and its managers "have always maintained that they believed the plan for mining the Crandall Canyon mine was safe — a belief that was shared by MSHA, who approved the plan, and the mine engineering firm on which Genwal relied."
In a lengthy report issued a year after the collapse, MSHA said the Crandall Canyon was "destined to fail" because of instability problems. But MSHA itself was lambasted by its parent agency, the Department of Labor, for lax oversight and its handling of the fatal rescue effort. Six people on the rescue team were grievously injured, in addition to the three who were killed.
The Crandall Canyon mine has a complicated ownership. Genwal, the mining operator, agreed to the settlement along with its immediate parent company, Andalex Resources Inc., which owned the mine assets with an outside partner.
Andalex is a subsidiary of UtahAmerican Energy Inc., a company owned by Murray Energy Corp.


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Bulls' mood loose at Game 7 shootaround
By K.C. Johnson
BOSTON -- If you're worried about the Bulls being nervous for Game 7, don't be.
Brad Miller spent minutes after the Bulls' morning shootaround practicing his, um, singing.
Players talked about being excited, not nervous, for Game 7. And they're having fun with their roles in one of the most dramatic playoff series in NBA history.
"We spent a lot of time talking about it on the plane out here," John Salmons said.
Players and coaches talked about the importance of establishing tempo and valuing each possession. The Bulls also know they need more from Ben Gordon, who fouled out with just 14 points on 4-for-14 shooting. But Gordon disputed the notion his strained left hamstring worsened from Game 5 to Game 6.
"It's not really getting better, but in Game 6, my minutes were staggered because of foul trouble and the rotation," Gordon said. "I wasn't able to work up a lather like the first game I played with it. I couldn't get loose the whole game."
Gordon played only 31 minutes in Game 6.
"I'm hoping that makes a difference," Gordon said. "A lot of guys played 50 or more minutes. In this series, you need any edge you can get."
The Bulls shot down any notion Kevin Garnett might suit up for Game 7, which Celtics general manager Danny Ainge also has said won't happen.


text: Latest Video Analysis Israel's recent strike on Syria is a sign the war is coming to a close (VIDEO) Israel's interests in Syria are clear, and Tel Aviv wants to make sure it influences the outcome as the war starts winding down Published 2 years ago on March 27, 2017 By Ricky Twisdale 1,641 Views Share Tweet Throughout the course of the war in Syria, the Israeli air force has illegally violated Syrian airspace and bombed targets in Syria several times. One of the latest incidents was a strike near Palmyra, which is far deeper into Syria than Israeli jets have penetrated in the past. Israel claims its strikes are targeting Hezbollah supply convoys. The Russian government did not sit idly by this time, summoning Israel's ambassador in Moscow to provide an explanation for another violation of Syria's sovereignty – one which presumably could endanger Russian forces in Syria. Israel's interest in Syria is clear: they'd like to see one of the last Arab leaders who will stand up to Israeli policy disappear ("Assad must go") and Syria itself disintegrate (virtually or actually) along ethnic and religious lines – just as Iraq and Lebanon have. The Duran's Peter Lavelle says increased intervention on the part of Israel is a sure sign the war in Syria is coming to a close: Speak to Peter on Skype and suggest a topic for him to cover in his next video: http://theduran.wpengine.com/the-duran-sponsor-program/ Follow us: https://www.facebook.com/thedurancom Follow us: https://twitter.com/TheDuran_com iPhone app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-duran/id1216154022?mt=8 Android app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.theduran.app&pcampaignid=MKT-Other-global-all-co-prtnr-py-PartBadge-Mar2515-1 And don't forget to SUBSCRIBE! Liked it? Take a second to support The Duran on Patreon! Related Topics: Up Next Russophobe Louise Mensch: a conspiracy theorist without a theory Don't Miss Britain wants intelligence access to WhatsApp encryption Advertisement You may like Click to comment Leave a Reply This comment form is under antispam protection This comment form is under antispam protection Subscribe Notify of new follow-up comments new replies to my comments Latest US-China trade war heats up as surplus hits record $34 Billion (Video) The Duran – News in Review – Episode 136. Published 15 hours ago on October 17, 2018 By Alex Christoforou According to a report by the AFP, China's trade surplus with the United States ballooned to a record $34.1 billion in September, despite a raft of US tariffs, official data showed Friday, adding fuel to the fire of a worsening trade war. Relations between the world's two largest economies have soured sharply this year, with US President Donald Trump vowing on Thursday to inflict economic pain on China if it does not blink. The two countries imposed new tariffs on a massive amount of each other's goods mid-September, with the US targeting $200 billion in Chinese imports and Beijing firing back at $60 billion worth of US goods. "China-US trade friction has caused trouble and pounded our foreign trade development," customs spokesman Li Kuiwen told reporters Friday. But China's trade surplus with the US grew 10 percent in September from a record $31 billion in August, according to China's customs administration. It was a 22 percent jump from the same month last year. China's exports to the US rose to $46.7 billion while imports slumped to $12.6 billion. China's overall trade — what it buys and sells with all countries including the US — logged a $31.7 billion surplus, as exports rose faster than imports. Exports jumped 14.5 percent for September on-year, beating forecasts from analysts polled by Bloomberg News, while imports rose 14.3 percent on-year. While the data showed China's trade remained strong for the month, analysts forecast the trade war will start to hurt in coming months. China's export jump for the month suggests exporters were shipping goods early to beat the latest tariffs, said ANZ's China economist Betty Wang, citing the bounce in electrical machinery exports, much of which faced the looming duties. "We will watch for downside risks to China's exports" in the fourth quarter, Wang said. Analysts say a sharp depreciation of the yuan has also helped China weather the tariffs by making its exports cheaper. "The big picture is the Chinese exports have so far held up well in the face of escalating trade tensions and cooling global growth, most likely thanks to the competitiveness boost provided by a weaker renminbi (yuan)," said Julian Evans-Pritchard, China economist at Capital Economics. "With global growth likely to cool further in the coming quarters and US tariffs set to become more punishing, the recent resilience of exports is unlikely to be sustained," he said. According to Bloomberg US President Donald Trump's new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement isn't that different from the North American Free Trade Agreement that it replaced. But hidden in the bowels of the new trade deal is a clause, Article 32.10, that could have a far-reaching impact. The new agreement requires member states to get approval from the other members if they initiate trade negotiations with a so-called non-market economy. In practice, "non-market" almost certainly means China. If, for example, Canada begins trade talks with China, it has to show the full text of the proposed agreement to the U.S. and Mexico — and if either the U.S. or Mexico doesn't like what it sees, it can unilaterally kick Canada out of the USMCA. Although it seems unlikely that the clause would be invoked, it will almost certainly exert a chilling effect on Canada and Mexico's trade relations with China. Forced to choose between a gargantuan economy across the Pacific and another one next door, both of the U.S.'s neighbors are almost certain to pick the latter. This is just another part of Trump's general trade waragainst China. It's a good sign that Trump realizes that unilateral U.S. efforts alone won't be enough to force China to make concessions on issues like currency valuation, intellectual-property protection and industrial subsidies. China's export markets are much too diverse: If Trump cuts the U.S. off from trade with China, the likeliest outcome is that China simply steps up its exports to other markets. That would bind the rest of the world more closely to China and weaken the global influence of the U.S. China's economy would take a small but temporary hit, while the U.S. would see its position as the economic center of the world slip into memory. Instead, to take on China, Trump needs a gang. And that gang has to be much bigger than just North America. But most countries in Europe and East Asia probably can't be bullied into choosing between the U.S. and China. — their ties to the U.S. are not as strong as those of Mexico and Canada. Countries such as South Korea, Germany, India and Japan will need carrots as well as sticks if they're going to join a U.S.-led united trade front against China. The Duran's Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the escalating trade war between the United States and China, and the record trade surplus that positions China with a bit more leverage than Trump anticipated. Remember to Please Subscribe to The Duran's YouTube Channel. Follow The Duran Audio Podcast on Soundcloud. Via Zerohedge Trump Threatens China With More Tariffs, Does Not Seek Economic "Depression" US equity futures dipped in the red after President Trump threatened to impose a third round of tariffs on China and warned that Chinese meddling in U.S. politics was a "bigger problem" than Russian involvement in the 2016 election. During the same interview with CBS's "60 Minutes", in which Trump threatened to impose sanctions against Saudi Arabia if the Saudis are found to have killed WaPo reported Khashoggi, and which sent Saudi stock plunging, Trump said he "might," impose a new round of tariffs on China, adding that while he has "great chemistry" with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and noting that Xi "wants to negotiate", he doesn't "know that that's necessarily going to continue." Asked if American products have become more expensive due to tariffs on China, Trump said that "so far, that hasn't turned out to be the case." "They can retaliate, but they can't, they don't have enough ammunition to retaliate," Trump says, "We do $100 billion with them. They do $531 billion with us." Trump was also asked if he wants to push China's economy into a depression to which the US president said "no" before comparing the country's stock-market losses since the tariffs first launched to those in 1929, the start of the Great Depression in the U.S. "I want them to negotiate a fair deal with us. I want them to open their markets like our markets are open," Trump said in the interview that aired Sunday. So far, the U.S. has imposed three rounds of tariffs on Chinese imports totaling $250 billion, prompting China to retaliate against U.S. products. The president previously has threatened to hit virtually all Chinese imports with duties. Asked about his relationship with Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin's alleged efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election, Trump quickly turned back to China. "They meddled," he said of Russia, "but I think China meddled too." Trump tried to blame Obama and then claimed that China meddled in the election when he was asked about Russia during the 60 Minutes interview. #60Minutes pic.twitter.com/hE2AlmFBEB — Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) October 15, 2018 "I think China meddled also. And I think, frankly, China … is a bigger problem," Trump said, as interviewer Lesley Stahl interrupted him for "diverting" from a discussion of Russia. TRUMP on whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election: "They meddled. But I think China meddled too." pic.twitter.com/4AEjYwoovq — JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) October 15, 2018 Shortly before an audacious speech by Mike Pence last weekend, in which the US vice president effectively declared a new cold war on Beijing (see "Russell Napier: Mike Pence Announces Cold War II"), Trump made similar accusations during a speech at the United Nations last month, which his aides substantiated by pointing to long-term Chinese influence campaigns and an advertising section in the Des Moines Register warning farmers about the potential effects of Trump's tariffs. Meanwhile, in a rare U.S. television appearance, China's ambassador to the U.S. said Beijing has no choice but to respond to what he described as a trade war started by the U.S. "We never wanted a trade war, but if somebody started a trade war against us, we have to respond and defend our own interests," said China's Ambassador Cui Tiankai. Cui also dismissed as "groundless" the abovementioned suggestion by Vice President Mike Pence that China has orchestrated an effort to meddle in U.S. domestic affairs. Pence escalated the rhetoric in a speech Oct. 4, saying Beijing has created a "a whole-of-government approach" to sway American public opinion, including spies, tariffs, coercive measures and a propaganda campaign. Pence's comments were some of the most critical about China by a high-ranking U.S. official in recent memory. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo got a lecture when he visited Beijing days later, about U.S. actions that were termed "completely out of line." The tough words followed months of increases tit-for-tat tariffs imposed by Washington and Beijing that have ballooned to cover hundreds of billions of dollars in bilateral trade. During a recent interview with National Public Radio, Cui said the U.S. has "not sufficiently" dealt in good faith with the Chinese on trade matters, saying "the U.S. position keeps changing all the time so we don't know exactly what the U.S. would want as priorities." Meanwhile, White House economic director Larry Kudlow said on "Fox News Sunday" that President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will "probably meet" at the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires in late November. "There's plans and discussions and agendas" being discussed, he said. So far, talks with China on trade have been "unsatisfactory," Kudlow said. "We've made our asks" on allegations of intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers, he added. "We have to have reciprocity." Addressing the upcoming meeting, Cui said he was present at two previous meetings of Xi and Trump, and that top-level communication "played a key role, an irreplaceable role, in guiding the relationship forward." Despite current tensions the two have a "good working relationship," he said. Liked it? Take a second to support The Duran on Patreon! Continue Reading Latest BREAKING: Explosion in Crimea, Russia kills many, injuring dozens, terrorism suspected According to preliminary information, the incident was caused by a gas explosion at a college facility in Kerch, Crimea. Published 22 hours ago on October 17, 2018 By The Duran "We are clarifying the information at the moment. Preliminary figures are 50 injured and 10 dead. Eight ambulance crews are working at the site and air medical services are involved," the press-service for the Crimean Ministry of Health stated. Medics announced that at least 50 people were injured in the explosion in Kerch and 25 have already been taken to local hospital with moderate wounds, according to Sputnik. Local news outlets reported that earlier in the day, students at the college heard a blast and windows of the building were shattered. Putin Orders that Assistance Be Provided to Victims of Blast in Kerch – Kremlin Spokesman "The president has instructed the Ministry of Health and the rescue services to take emergency measures to assist victims of this explosion, if necessary, to ensure the urgent transportation of seriously wounded patients to leading medical institutions of Russia, whether in Moscow or other cities," Kremlin spokesman Dmitriy Peskov said. The president also expressed his condolences to all those affected by the tragic incident. Manhunt Underway in Kerch as FSB Specialists Investigate Site of Explosion – National Anti-Terrorist Committee The site of the blast that rocked a city college in Kerch is being examined by FSB bomb disposal experts and law enforcement agencies are searching for clues that might lead to the arrest of the perpetrators, the National Anti Terrorism Committee said in a statement. "Acting on orders from the head of the NAC's local headquarters, FSB, Interior Ministry, Russian Guards and Emergency Ministry units have arrived at the site. The territory around the college has been cordoned off and the people inside the building evacuated… Mine-disposal experts are working at the site and law enforcement specialists are investigating," the statement said. Terrorist Act Considered as Possible Cause of Blast in Kerch – Kremlin Spokesman "The tragic news that comes from Kerch. Explosion. The president was informed … The data on those killed and the number of injured is constantly updated," Peskov told reporters. "[The version of a terrorist attack] is being considered," he said. Liked it? Take a second to support The Duran on Patreon! Continue Reading Latest 10 percent of American F-22 fighter jets damaged by Hurricane Michael Part of the reason the F-22's were left in the path of the storm is that they were broken and too expensive to fix or fly. Published 1 day ago on October 17, 2018 By Seraphim Hanisch Note to the wise: When a hurricane comes, move your planes out of the way. Especially your really expensive F-22 fighter planes. After all, those babies are $339 mil apiece. Got the message? Apparently the US Air Force didn't get this message. Or, did they find themselves unable to follow the message? CLICK HERE to Support The Duran >> The Washington Times reported Tuesday that between 17 and 20 of these top-of-the-line fighter jets were damaged, some beyond the point of repair, when Hurricane Michael slammed ashore on Mexico Beach, Florida, not far from the Tyndall Air Force Base in the same state. The Times reports that more than a dozen of the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets were damaged after being left in the path of the extremely fierce storm: President Trump's tour Monday of devastation wrought by Hurricane Michael took him close to Florida's Tyndall Air Force Base, where more than a dozen F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets were damaged after being left in the path of the powerful storm. The pricey fighter jets — some possibly damaged beyond repair — were caught in the widespread destruction that took at least 18 lives, flattened homes, downed trees and buckled roads from Florida to Virginia. The decision to leave roughly $7.5 billion in aircraft in the path of a hurricane raised eyebrows, including among defense analysts who say the Pentagon's entire high-tech strategy continues to make its fighter jets vulnerable to weather and other mishaps when they are grounded for repairs. "This becomes sort of a self-defeating cycle where we have $400 million aircraft that can't fly precisely because they are $400 million aircraft," said Dan Grazier, a defense fellow at Project on Government Oversight. "If we were buying simpler aircraft then it would be a whole lot easier for the base commander to get these aircraft up and in working order, at least more of them." This is quite a statement. The F-22 is held to be the tip of the American air defense sword. A superb airplane (when it works), it can do things no other plane in the world can do. It boasts a radar profile the size of a marble, making it virtually undetectable by enemy radars. It is highly maneuverable with thrust-vectoring built into its engines. However, to see a report like this is simply stunning. After all, one would expect that the best military equipment ought to be the most reliable as well. It appears that Hurricane Michael figuratively and physically blew the lid off any efforts to conceal a problem with these planes, and indeed with the hyper-technological basis for the US air fighting forces. The Times continues: Reports on the number of aircraft damaged ranged from 17 to 22 or about 10 percent of the Air Force's F-22 fleet of 187. The Air Force stopped buying F-22s, considered the world's most advanced fighter jets, in 2012. The aircraft is being replaced by the F-35, another high-tech but slightly less-expensive aircraft. Later in the tour, at an emergency command center in Georgia, Mr. Trump said the damage to the F-22s couldn't be avoided because the aircraft were grounded and the storm moved quickly. "We're going to have a full report. There was some damage, not nearly as bad as we first heard," he said when asked about the F-22s, which cost about $339 million each. "I'm always concerned about cost. I don't like it," Mr. Trump said. Still, the president remains a fan of the high-tech fighter jet. "The F-22 is one of my all-time favorites. It is the most beautiful fighter jet in the world. One of the best," he said. The Air Force managed to fly 33 of the F-22s to safety, but maintenance and repair issues kept 22 of the notoriously finicky aircraft on the ground when the powerful storm hit the base. About 49 percent of the F-22s are out of action at any given time, according to an Air Force report this year. This is a stunning statistic. This means that of the 187 planes in existence, 90 of them are not working. At their cost, that means that over thirty billion dollars worth of military equipment is sitting around, broken, just in airplanes alone. As a point of comparison, the entire Russian military budget for 2017 was $61 billion, with that budget producing hypersonic missiles, superb fighter aircraft and tanks. Russian fighter planes are known for being able to take harsh landing and take-off conditions that would cripple the most modern American flying machines. It would seem that Hurricane Michael exposed a serious problem with the state of readiness of American armed forces. Thankfully that problem did not arise in combat, but it is no less serious. Liked it? Take a second to support The Duran on Patreon! Continue Reading JOIN OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL Your donations make all the difference. Together we can expose fake news lies and deliver truth. Amount to donate in USD$: 5 100 Validating payment information... Waiting for PayPal...Validating payment information...Waiting for PayPal... 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Snow buries Derry budgetBy ADAM SWIFT
Union Leader Correspondent
March 19. 2013 9:13PM
DERRY - The town's snow and ice removal budget is currently about $45,000 over what was budgeted for the current fiscal year, and the latest round of winter weather could add another $50,000 to that total.
The public works budget comprises four major line items for snow and ice removal, according to Public Works Director Mike Fowler.
Before the latest storm, the town had spent more than budgeted for the DPW employee overtime and contractor plowing line items, but was under budget for materials and diesel fuel, according to Fowler.
Overall, the town had $548,274 budgeted for snow and ice removal for fiscal year 2013 and has spent $594,573.
"The current storm will likely add another $50,000 by the time it is completed, but those invoices will not be processed for a few weeks," said Fowler. "The town makes an attempt to budget responsibly for an average winter. Traditionally, the snow and ice budget has been around $600,000, but the budget for fiscal year 2013 was reduced by approximately $50,000 recognizing that we had a healthy stock of salt in our shed to start the season."
Once the final numbers are in, Fowler said he will review the bottom line budget of all the DPW divisions.
"The first place we look to cover the overage in the snow and ice line would be from other line items within the DPW budget, which may include postponing a roadway paving job until the following fiscal year," he said. "Beyond those measures, we could ask the Town Council to use funds from a dedicated snow and ice reserve fund established for those purposes."
The current balance in that account is just over $100,000, Fowler said.
There is also a chance FEMA could reimburse 75 percent of the costs from winter storm Nemo in early February.
"We have provided preliminary information to FEMA," he said. "If a disaster is declared for winter storm Nemo, Derry stands to recover between $90,000 and $110,000.
Fowler said he is confident the department will be able to balance the bottom line once the final invoices have arrived.