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As I started looking at the assignment, I searched around and from the many choices of choosing a word two stood out. The words were beauty and the second one was victim. I will try to go more in depth to show the abstract meanings of these words.
Beauties, a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, which pleases the aesthetic senses. For most this word is based on qualities that we see that show attraction. As I look more in to detail of this word, there are many types of beauty in deed. We have the basic beauty of physical appearance. There is also inner that doesn’t deal with physical appearance but qualities of intelligence, kindness, compassion, sensitivity, or tenderness. You can say it’s based of the quote, “ Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” You can also say that beauty can be used in comparison of an object. That an artist might think his beauty is a piece of art. Or we see the beauty of god in the creation of life itself. But beauty can be deadly also. Some people see beauty in seeing pain in people eyes or the demise of a person. That beauty can cause a person to come infatuated with someone or something that he loses control of himself or loses everything he has. You can say that the word is broad, but I will show different aspects illustrate the meaning of this word.
Victim, a person harmed, injured, or killed in a result of a crime, accident, or other event or action. From basic intuition we think this word deals with a corrupt meaning. Yet, why does a victim have to deal with someone being injured or hurt? Why can’t the victim be someone that got everything they wanted in life? The person was a victim of being successful in life; it could be an inverse of a regular situation. I can base a story on the world being a victim of it own creation of technology. America’s generation of youth has become lazy and lost respect from the older generation. I’m thinking towards showing the different sides of being a victim from it happening to the person (victim) and the person committing the action towards the victim. There is much research I still need to do for the word. A victim can be anyone from a good or bad situation just from seeing, feeling, or knowing.
These are the two words I choose to start off with.
27 Haziran 2012 Çarşamba
Field Observation 2
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My adventure continues as I walk around Georgia looking for aspects of my life or surroundings dealing with beauty.
3/04 10:00 pm. Grady Hospital A child being born
For a lucky chance, I got the opportunity to see my cousin give birth to a beautiful girl. In this observation I got t see the beauty of a life created. Beside the blood and the actually taking the baby out of the female, just seeing a new life put on this earth is beautiful. I believe its more beauty that deals with seeing the baby being raised. From there first steps or first words, seeing them grow, as a person is an amazing thing to see.
03/03 12:00 am. On Facebook talking to my ex-girlfriend
I was talking with my ex-girlfriend and I realize that she was an example for that beauty is in the eye f the beholder. My ex was a plus-size girl and for many guys, she wasn’t there first choice to talk to if it came to some type of relation. Yet, I thought she was a beautiful girl in my eyes. It wasn’t her look that made me see her a being a beautiful person, but her being on my side through everything I’ve been through in life. It’s here charisma, her attitude, gesture, and respect that were her beauty.
03/02 4:00 am. In Wal-Mart’s looking at magazines
I was looking at magazine of random picture when I noticed that America perceives beauty as being skinny looking like skins and bones. The skinnier you are I guess the sexier you are. Looking at the model in the magazine, I was trying to see if there were any girls that had hips or some type of booty, but there were none. I guess coming from different races, everybody has they definition of beauty because every female comes with some different type of aspect that sets them apart from the other. The magazine made it seem like there was only type of beauty that people take an eye for.
There are still many forms in this worldof beauty in this world but maybe if I had a chance to get off this campus more I could find better opportunities.
3/04 10:00 pm. Grady Hospital A child being born
For a lucky chance, I got the opportunity to see my cousin give birth to a beautiful girl. In this observation I got t see the beauty of a life created. Beside the blood and the actually taking the baby out of the female, just seeing a new life put on this earth is beautiful. I believe its more beauty that deals with seeing the baby being raised. From there first steps or first words, seeing them grow, as a person is an amazing thing to see.
03/03 12:00 am. On Facebook talking to my ex-girlfriend
I was talking with my ex-girlfriend and I realize that she was an example for that beauty is in the eye f the beholder. My ex was a plus-size girl and for many guys, she wasn’t there first choice to talk to if it came to some type of relation. Yet, I thought she was a beautiful girl in my eyes. It wasn’t her look that made me see her a being a beautiful person, but her being on my side through everything I’ve been through in life. It’s here charisma, her attitude, gesture, and respect that were her beauty.
03/02 4:00 am. In Wal-Mart’s looking at magazines
I was looking at magazine of random picture when I noticed that America perceives beauty as being skinny looking like skins and bones. The skinnier you are I guess the sexier you are. Looking at the model in the magazine, I was trying to see if there were any girls that had hips or some type of booty, but there were none. I guess coming from different races, everybody has they definition of beauty because every female comes with some different type of aspect that sets them apart from the other. The magazine made it seem like there was only type of beauty that people take an eye for.
There are still many forms in this worldof beauty in this world but maybe if I had a chance to get off this campus more I could find better opportunities.
25 Haziran 2012 Pazartesi
Planning for Less Social Security Benefits
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"...Based on this week’s report from the folks responsible for the Medicare and Social Security Trust Funds, Americans—and especially those under age 40—need to reconsider their retirement plans.
Absent major action by lawmakers, the annual reports say that the combined assets of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and the Disability Insurance trust funds will be exhausted in 2033. That’s three years sooner than was projected last year...
So what adjustments do you need to make to your retirement plan given the latest reports from the trustees of Social Security and Medicare?"
Absent major action by lawmakers, the annual reports say that the combined assets of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and the Disability Insurance trust funds will be exhausted in 2033. That’s three years sooner than was projected last year...
So what adjustments do you need to make to your retirement plan given the latest reports from the trustees of Social Security and Medicare?"
Read more at MarketWatch
Social Security Benefit Estimator
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"...On May 1, Social Security launched a feature on its website, www.socialsecurity.gov, that allows workers to view an online version of their Social Security earnings and benefits statements. The program also allows you to estimate your retirement, disability and survivors benefits.
You can use this tool to show your kids how little you made when you started working (after you've reminded them that you walked 5 miles to get to school, without an iPod or cellphone). But more important, it can help you receive all of the benefits you're due, and make smart decisions about when to claim them..."
You can use this tool to show your kids how little you made when you started working (after you've reminded them that you walked 5 miles to get to school, without an iPod or cellphone). But more important, it can help you receive all of the benefits you're due, and make smart decisions about when to claim them..."
Read more at USATODAY.com
Top Baby Names for 2011 Released
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"...The more traditional Sophia is the new top name for girls, while Jacob is No. 1 for boys for the 13th straight year, according to the list released this week by the Social Security Administration.
The Social Security Administration provides lists of baby names dating to 1880 on its website. The top two names that year were John and Mary. John is now No. 27 and Mary has fallen to No. 112 -- the lowest for both names.
The list, which also includes top baby names by state, draws millions of viewers..."
"...The more traditional Sophia is the new top name for girls, while Jacob is No. 1 for boys for the 13th straight year, according to the list released this week by the Social Security Administration.The Social Security Administration provides lists of baby names dating to 1880 on its website. The top two names that year were John and Mary. John is now No. 27 and Mary has fallen to No. 112 -- the lowest for both names.
The list, which also includes top baby names by state, draws millions of viewers..."
Read more at freep.com
Social Security Benefits & Taxes
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"...So after years of paying income taxes on your “contributions” you are ready to retire and collect the benefits—only to find out that they may be taxable! It doesn’t seem fair, does it? Well, here’s how that came about: Beginning in 1983 when a financing crisis was discovered in the Social Security system, The National Commission on Social Security Reform, created by President Reagan in 1981, proposed an amendment to Congress to tax Social Security benefits beginning in 1984..."
Read more at Fox Business
Social Security Numbers for Children
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"...When you have a baby, one of the things that should be on your “to do” list is getting a Social Security number for your baby. The easiest time to do this is when you give information for your child’s birth certificate. If you wait to apply for a number at a Social Security office, there may be delays while we verify your child’s birth certificate..."
Read more at ssa.gov
24 Haziran 2012 Pazar
Identity Theft and Children
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"...Carter Andrushko is 5 years old...
According to the Utah Department of Workforce Services, however, Carter already has a job. In fact, according to that office, he's been working since before he was even born. That's what Carter's mother, Jennifer Andrushko, discovered when she applied for Medicaid in 2009 and found out that someone had been using Carter's Social Security number for years"
"...Carter Andrushko is 5 years old...According to the Utah Department of Workforce Services, however, Carter already has a job. In fact, according to that office, he's been working since before he was even born. That's what Carter's mother, Jennifer Andrushko, discovered when she applied for Medicaid in 2009 and found out that someone had been using Carter's Social Security number for years"
Read more at NPR
BPP@MIT Annual Inflation Rate Falls Below 1.5%
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The Billion Prices Project @ MIT just released daily online price index data through May 31, and the annual inflation rates from that price index are displayed in the chart above going back to late 2009 (red line). According to this real-time information of major inflation trends in the U.S., inflationary pressures have been subsiding for the last year, and the current annualized inflation rate of about 1.5% through May is the lowest rate since late 2009. In contrast to the MIT-BPP inflation, annual inflation based on the CPI is running higher, at about 2.25% through May.
The breakeven rate on regular 10-year Treasury notes versus 10-year indexed-Treasuries, a market-based measure of expected future inflation, has been trending downward from a recent peak of 2.43% in April, and is currently at 2.07%, indicating that the bond market expects future inflation to continue to remain low. The one-year breakeven rate just turned negative, so that might indicate some expectation of mild deflation over the next year.
Bottom Line: There doesn't seem to be any evidence that inflationary pressures are developing in the U.S. economy, and there doesn't seem to be any indication that inflation will be a problem going forward through the rest of the year. If anything, we might see some mild deflation.
Update: Note in the chart below that when both the BPP@MIT are scaled to equal 100 in July of 2008, they both are equal 105 at the end of May 2012, both having risen exactly 5% over the last four years (almost). Therefore, the BPP@MIT index tracks the CPI over long periods of time, despite the fact they are tracking different baskets of goods with different weights. In that case, it would be hard to make the case that the BPP@MIT index "inherently deflationary" (see comments).
The Billion Prices Project @ MIT just released daily online price index data through May 31, and the annual inflation rates from that price index are displayed in the chart above going back to late 2009 (red line). According to this real-time information of major inflation trends in the U.S., inflationary pressures have been subsiding for the last year, and the current annualized inflation rate of about 1.5% through May is the lowest rate since late 2009. In contrast to the MIT-BPP inflation, annual inflation based on the CPI is running higher, at about 2.25% through May. The breakeven rate on regular 10-year Treasury notes versus 10-year indexed-Treasuries, a market-based measure of expected future inflation, has been trending downward from a recent peak of 2.43% in April, and is currently at 2.07%, indicating that the bond market expects future inflation to continue to remain low. The one-year breakeven rate just turned negative, so that might indicate some expectation of mild deflation over the next year.
Bottom Line: There doesn't seem to be any evidence that inflationary pressures are developing in the U.S. economy, and there doesn't seem to be any indication that inflation will be a problem going forward through the rest of the year. If anything, we might see some mild deflation.
Update: Note in the chart below that when both the BPP@MIT are scaled to equal 100 in July of 2008, they both are equal 105 at the end of May 2012, both having risen exactly 5% over the last four years (almost). Therefore, the BPP@MIT index tracks the CPI over long periods of time, despite the fact they are tracking different baskets of goods with different weights. In that case, it would be hard to make the case that the BPP@MIT index "inherently deflationary" (see comments).
America's Manufacturing Renaissance
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From my article "Manufacturing in Our Favor" for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce:
Intro: There were three related and important manufacturing trends that emerged in 2011:
a) American manufacturing remained at the forefront of the United States’ economic expansion for the second year in a row and re-established itself as one of the economy’s strongest sectors;
b) An erosion of China’s manufacturing cost advantages, especially for wages, started to bring manufacturing production back to the United States from China and other low-wage countries, reversing a decade-long trend of outsourcing production overseas; and,
c) An abundance of domestic shale-based natural gas brought gas prices to record low levels and sparked a new boom in the United States for energy-intensive manufacturing. As a result of these trends, American manufacturing in 2011 had its best year in at least a generation by all relevant measures of economic performance: profits, output growth, and employment gains. In fact, it’s possible that we will look back on 2011 as a watershed year that marked the beginning of a great manufacturing renaissance in America.
Conclusion:
Putting it all together, the U.S. manufacturing sector had one of its best years ever in 2011, reflecting a new manufacturing rebound that is now underway and is expected to accelerate in the years ahead. Flush with record-level profits, the manufacturing sector has never been financially healthier than it is today, and the future of American manufacturing has never looked brighter. After years of negative reports about the decline of American manufacturing, it’s now time to recognize and celebrate a great turning point, as America’s industrial sector moves in a new direction that many are now calling a “manufacturing renaissance.”
Intro: There were three related and important manufacturing trends that emerged in 2011:
a) American manufacturing remained at the forefront of the United States’ economic expansion for the second year in a row and re-established itself as one of the economy’s strongest sectors;
b) An erosion of China’s manufacturing cost advantages, especially for wages, started to bring manufacturing production back to the United States from China and other low-wage countries, reversing a decade-long trend of outsourcing production overseas; and,
c) An abundance of domestic shale-based natural gas brought gas prices to record low levels and sparked a new boom in the United States for energy-intensive manufacturing. As a result of these trends, American manufacturing in 2011 had its best year in at least a generation by all relevant measures of economic performance: profits, output growth, and employment gains. In fact, it’s possible that we will look back on 2011 as a watershed year that marked the beginning of a great manufacturing renaissance in America.
Conclusion:
Putting it all together, the U.S. manufacturing sector had one of its best years ever in 2011, reflecting a new manufacturing rebound that is now underway and is expected to accelerate in the years ahead. Flush with record-level profits, the manufacturing sector has never been financially healthier than it is today, and the future of American manufacturing has never looked brighter. After years of negative reports about the decline of American manufacturing, it’s now time to recognize and celebrate a great turning point, as America’s industrial sector moves in a new direction that many are now calling a “manufacturing renaissance.”
The Bad Grammar Epidemic
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From the Wednesday WSJ:
"Managers are fighting an epidemic of grammar gaffes in the workplace. Many of them attribute slipping skills to the informality of email, texting and Twitter where slang and shortcuts are common. Such looseness with language can create bad impressions with clients, ruin marketing materials and cause communications errors, many managers say.
There's no easy fix. Some bosses and co-workers step in to correct mistakes, while others consult business-grammar guides for help. In a survey conducted earlier this year, about 45% of 430 employers said they were increasing employee-training programs to improve employees' grammar and other skills, according to the Society for Human Resource Management and AARP."
Accompanying the article: How's Your Grammar? Take a 22-question grammar quiz here to test your skills.
"Managers are fighting an epidemic of grammar gaffes in the workplace. Many of them attribute slipping skills to the informality of email, texting and Twitter where slang and shortcuts are common. Such looseness with language can create bad impressions with clients, ruin marketing materials and cause communications errors, many managers say.
There's no easy fix. Some bosses and co-workers step in to correct mistakes, while others consult business-grammar guides for help. In a survey conducted earlier this year, about 45% of 430 employers said they were increasing employee-training programs to improve employees' grammar and other skills, according to the Society for Human Resource Management and AARP."
Accompanying the article: How's Your Grammar? Take a 22-question grammar quiz here to test your skills.
Amazing Illusions: Two of the Best Ever
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It's been awhile since I've featured an illusion, the last one was the peacock illusion above, which I thought was one of the best ever. Both birds are exactly the same color, but you'll never convince your mind of that, see it here without the background.
Here's a new one that might be even better, courtesy of Alex Tabbarok, where again you can't convince your mind that the two boxes are the same color.
It's been awhile since I've featured an illusion, the last one was the peacock illusion above, which I thought was one of the best ever. Both birds are exactly the same color, but you'll never convince your mind of that, see it here without the background.
Here's a new one that might be even better, courtesy of Alex Tabbarok, where again you can't convince your mind that the two boxes are the same color.
23 Haziran 2012 Cumartesi
Rio +20 notes
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Dirt Digger's Digest - Rio +20 is following what is now a familiar pattern in which governments drag their feet while major companies try to give the impression that they are the vanguard of environmental reform. The extent to which the United Nations has embraced this dynamic can be seen on the website Business.UN.org, whose tagline is “Partnering for a Better World.” Corporations can post their sustainability goals on the site under the misleading category of Commitments. Whether the various goals are timid or ambitious, they are all, of course, voluntary in nature and thus unenforceable by the UN or any other body.
According to a report issued for Rio +20 by Friends of the Earth International, large corporations and business associations have in effect hijacked the UN’s policy making process: “There is increased business influence over the positions of national governments in multilateral negotiations; business representatives dominate certain UN discussion spaces and some UN bodies; business groups are given a privileged advisory role.”
Guardian, UK - Civil society groups and scientists were scathing about the outcome. Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo called the summit a failure of epic proportions. "We didn't get the Future We Want in Rio, because we do not have the leaders we need. The leaders of the most powerful countries supported business as usual, shamefully putting private profit before people and the planet."
..The main outcome of the conference is a plan to set sustainable development goals, which Brazil described as the "crown jewels" of the conference. But the gems have not yet been chosen, let alone cut, polished and set. Negotiators at Rio were unable to agree on themes, which will now be left to an "open working group" of 30 nations to decide upon by September 2013. Two years later, they will be blended with Millennium Development Goals.
The weak leadership shown in the conference halls has prompted many in civil society to rethink their strategies. Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, said a "red/green alliance was the only way forward". If the current development model doesn't change, "we are going to see economic dislocation greater than we're facing now," she said. "There will be more wars around water and energy, so we need labor and environment walking hand in hand."
Alexander Cockburn, Counterpunch - These conferences have always been pretty fraudulent affairs, lofted on excited green rhetoric and larded with ominous advisories that “this time we cannot afford to fail” and that “the tipping point” is finally here. But failure has been a loyal companion, and many a tipping point has tipped without amiss. There is no such thing as a world “community.” There are rich nations and poor nations, all with differing national interests and the former will never accede willingly to the agendas of the latter, however intricate the language of the final windy “declaration”. Since Gro Bruntland lofted it to glory in 1987, the word “sustainable” has long been drained of all meaning.
According to a report issued for Rio +20 by Friends of the Earth International, large corporations and business associations have in effect hijacked the UN’s policy making process: “There is increased business influence over the positions of national governments in multilateral negotiations; business representatives dominate certain UN discussion spaces and some UN bodies; business groups are given a privileged advisory role.”
Guardian, UK - Civil society groups and scientists were scathing about the outcome. Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo called the summit a failure of epic proportions. "We didn't get the Future We Want in Rio, because we do not have the leaders we need. The leaders of the most powerful countries supported business as usual, shamefully putting private profit before people and the planet."
..The main outcome of the conference is a plan to set sustainable development goals, which Brazil described as the "crown jewels" of the conference. But the gems have not yet been chosen, let alone cut, polished and set. Negotiators at Rio were unable to agree on themes, which will now be left to an "open working group" of 30 nations to decide upon by September 2013. Two years later, they will be blended with Millennium Development Goals.
The weak leadership shown in the conference halls has prompted many in civil society to rethink their strategies. Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, said a "red/green alliance was the only way forward". If the current development model doesn't change, "we are going to see economic dislocation greater than we're facing now," she said. "There will be more wars around water and energy, so we need labor and environment walking hand in hand."
Alexander Cockburn, Counterpunch - These conferences have always been pretty fraudulent affairs, lofted on excited green rhetoric and larded with ominous advisories that “this time we cannot afford to fail” and that “the tipping point” is finally here. But failure has been a loyal companion, and many a tipping point has tipped without amiss. There is no such thing as a world “community.” There are rich nations and poor nations, all with differing national interests and the former will never accede willingly to the agendas of the latter, however intricate the language of the final windy “declaration”. Since Gro Bruntland lofted it to glory in 1987, the word “sustainable” has long been drained of all meaning.
America's Manufacturing Renaissance
To contact us Click HERE
From my article "Manufacturing in Our Favor" for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce:
Intro: There were three related and important manufacturing trends that emerged in 2011:
a) American manufacturing remained at the forefront of the United States’ economic expansion for the second year in a row and re-established itself as one of the economy’s strongest sectors;
b) An erosion of China’s manufacturing cost advantages, especially for wages, started to bring manufacturing production back to the United States from China and other low-wage countries, reversing a decade-long trend of outsourcing production overseas; and,
c) An abundance of domestic shale-based natural gas brought gas prices to record low levels and sparked a new boom in the United States for energy-intensive manufacturing. As a result of these trends, American manufacturing in 2011 had its best year in at least a generation by all relevant measures of economic performance: profits, output growth, and employment gains. In fact, it’s possible that we will look back on 2011 as a watershed year that marked the beginning of a great manufacturing renaissance in America.
Conclusion:
Putting it all together, the U.S. manufacturing sector had one of its best years ever in 2011, reflecting a new manufacturing rebound that is now underway and is expected to accelerate in the years ahead. Flush with record-level profits, the manufacturing sector has never been financially healthier than it is today, and the future of American manufacturing has never looked brighter. After years of negative reports about the decline of American manufacturing, it’s now time to recognize and celebrate a great turning point, as America’s industrial sector moves in a new direction that many are now calling a “manufacturing renaissance.”
Intro: There were three related and important manufacturing trends that emerged in 2011:
a) American manufacturing remained at the forefront of the United States’ economic expansion for the second year in a row and re-established itself as one of the economy’s strongest sectors;
b) An erosion of China’s manufacturing cost advantages, especially for wages, started to bring manufacturing production back to the United States from China and other low-wage countries, reversing a decade-long trend of outsourcing production overseas; and,
c) An abundance of domestic shale-based natural gas brought gas prices to record low levels and sparked a new boom in the United States for energy-intensive manufacturing. As a result of these trends, American manufacturing in 2011 had its best year in at least a generation by all relevant measures of economic performance: profits, output growth, and employment gains. In fact, it’s possible that we will look back on 2011 as a watershed year that marked the beginning of a great manufacturing renaissance in America.
Conclusion:
Putting it all together, the U.S. manufacturing sector had one of its best years ever in 2011, reflecting a new manufacturing rebound that is now underway and is expected to accelerate in the years ahead. Flush with record-level profits, the manufacturing sector has never been financially healthier than it is today, and the future of American manufacturing has never looked brighter. After years of negative reports about the decline of American manufacturing, it’s now time to recognize and celebrate a great turning point, as America’s industrial sector moves in a new direction that many are now calling a “manufacturing renaissance.”
The Coming Revolution in Information Technology
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From my article in the Detroit News this week:
We are on the cusp of a revolution in information technology that will be even larger than the one that's taken place over the past 40 years. Evidence of this transformation is emerging in what's known as direct-digital manufacturing, an innovation that could lead to the "desktop" printing of entire products from automobiles to washing machines.
Some products developed from three-dimensional computerized manufacturing — such as patient-specific implants for hip joints or teeth, and lighter and stronger aircraft parts — are being made from computer-engineered materials that did not exist a few years ago.
Smart manufacturing, in which the science of emerging materials revolutionizes the very fabrication of physical products, has extraordinary economic implications for the United States, which is at the epicenter of digital innovation.
To grasp the magnitude of the changes taking place, consider that, in the last three decades, computing speeds have risen 200,000-fold, while costs have dropped 10,000-fold. In 1980, it cost $10,000 for the hardware to store a single book. Today it costs one penny. That's why a Kindle can store thousands of books. And the cost of storing books and digital information is still collapsing.
We're entering a new age of super-computing, providing cheap information and processing power to nearly everyone. But that assumes that our electricity production keeps pace with the rising energy demands of the new information-intensive technologies. Those states that fail to increase electrical generating capacity will pay a huge price for such shortsightedness in terms of lost economic opportunities and jobs. It's time to start modernizing the electrical infrastructure now to prepare for an exciting digital future.
We are on the cusp of a revolution in information technology that will be even larger than the one that's taken place over the past 40 years. Evidence of this transformation is emerging in what's known as direct-digital manufacturing, an innovation that could lead to the "desktop" printing of entire products from automobiles to washing machines.
Some products developed from three-dimensional computerized manufacturing — such as patient-specific implants for hip joints or teeth, and lighter and stronger aircraft parts — are being made from computer-engineered materials that did not exist a few years ago.
Smart manufacturing, in which the science of emerging materials revolutionizes the very fabrication of physical products, has extraordinary economic implications for the United States, which is at the epicenter of digital innovation.
To grasp the magnitude of the changes taking place, consider that, in the last three decades, computing speeds have risen 200,000-fold, while costs have dropped 10,000-fold. In 1980, it cost $10,000 for the hardware to store a single book. Today it costs one penny. That's why a Kindle can store thousands of books. And the cost of storing books and digital information is still collapsing.
We're entering a new age of super-computing, providing cheap information and processing power to nearly everyone. But that assumes that our electricity production keeps pace with the rising energy demands of the new information-intensive technologies. Those states that fail to increase electrical generating capacity will pay a huge price for such shortsightedness in terms of lost economic opportunities and jobs. It's time to start modernizing the electrical infrastructure now to prepare for an exciting digital future.
Where Krugman Went Right: On Housing Policy
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Since 1999, when economist Paul Krugman started writing for The New York Times, he has been drawing the criticism of free market-oriented economists (and recently the president of Estonia) for glaring deficiencies in economic analysis and for writing what amounts to “fiction” (economist and Estonian expert Steve Hanke’s word to describe Krugman’s trashing of Estonia’s recent robust economic growth and counter Keynesian fiscal reforms).
The Krugman-Estonia kerfuffle raises an interesting question: Has Krugman ever sided with free market economists against government activism in his Times forum?
In Back from Serfdom, my Atlanta colleague Robert Dell quotes a Krugman column from June 2008 to support the case for termination of government affordable housing policies. The normally predictably partisan pundit Krugman appears here to be channeling AEI's Peter Wallison:
“Why should ever-increasing homeownership be a policy goal? How many people should own homes, anyway?
Listening to politicians, you’d think that every family should own its home—in fact, that you’re not a real American unless you’re a homeowner. . . . and that is reflected in U.S. policy (MP: Which drove homeownership to unsustainable levels and created the housing bubble, see chart above). Because the I.R.S. lets you deduct mortgage interest from your taxable income but doesn’t let you deduct rent, the federal tax system provides an enormous subsidy to owner-occupied housing. On top of that, government-sponsored enterprises — Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks — provide cheap financing for home buyers; investors who want to provide rental housing are on their own. In effect, U.S. policy is based on the premise that everyone should be a homeowner.
But homeownership isn’t for everyone. In fact, given the way U.S. policy favors owning over renting, you can make a good case that America already has too many homeowners.”
We can only hope Krugman will direct a future critical blast toward the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) for continuing to promote home ownership on its web site.
Since 1999, when economist Paul Krugman started writing for The New York Times, he has been drawing the criticism of free market-oriented economists (and recently the president of Estonia) for glaring deficiencies in economic analysis and for writing what amounts to “fiction” (economist and Estonian expert Steve Hanke’s word to describe Krugman’s trashing of Estonia’s recent robust economic growth and counter Keynesian fiscal reforms).
The Krugman-Estonia kerfuffle raises an interesting question: Has Krugman ever sided with free market economists against government activism in his Times forum?
In Back from Serfdom, my Atlanta colleague Robert Dell quotes a Krugman column from June 2008 to support the case for termination of government affordable housing policies. The normally predictably partisan pundit Krugman appears here to be channeling AEI's Peter Wallison:
“Why should ever-increasing homeownership be a policy goal? How many people should own homes, anyway?
Listening to politicians, you’d think that every family should own its home—in fact, that you’re not a real American unless you’re a homeowner. . . . and that is reflected in U.S. policy (MP: Which drove homeownership to unsustainable levels and created the housing bubble, see chart above). Because the I.R.S. lets you deduct mortgage interest from your taxable income but doesn’t let you deduct rent, the federal tax system provides an enormous subsidy to owner-occupied housing. On top of that, government-sponsored enterprises — Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks — provide cheap financing for home buyers; investors who want to provide rental housing are on their own. In effect, U.S. policy is based on the premise that everyone should be a homeowner.
But homeownership isn’t for everyone. In fact, given the way U.S. policy favors owning over renting, you can make a good case that America already has too many homeowners.”
We can only hope Krugman will direct a future critical blast toward the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) for continuing to promote home ownership on its web site.
Maine and New Hampshire Settlers, 1600s-1900s
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Request a Free Lookup From This Database.
Discover this sweeping collection of vital records, local histories, pension records, gravestone inscriptions, probate records, and census records. Comprehensive in its coverage of early Maine and New Hampshire, this database references approximately 331,000 individuals.
Books Included:
- Vital Records of Londonderry, New Hampshire, 1719-1910 by Daniel Gage Annis
- History of York, Maine, Two Volumes by Harrie B. Coe
- An Alphabetical Index of Revolutionary Pensioners Living in Maine by Charles Alcott Flagg
- Colonial Gravestone Inscriptions in the State of New Hampshire by Mrs. Charles Carpenter Goss
- Names of Soldiers of the American Revolution from Maine by Charles J. House
- Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder, Nine Volumes
- Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire by Sybil Noyes, Charles T. Libby, and Walter G. Davis
- The Pioneers of Maine and New Hampshire, 1623-1660 by Charles Henry Pope
- The Probate Records of Lincoln County, Maine, 1760 to 1800 by William D. Patterson
- Military History of the State of New Hampshire, from its Settlement in 1623 to the Rebellion in 1861 by Chandler E. Potter
- Maine Wills, 1640-1760 by William M. Sargent
- Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: Maine
- Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: New Hampshire
Request a Free Lookup From This Database.
Discover this sweeping collection of vital records, local histories, pension records, gravestone inscriptions, probate records, and census records. Comprehensive in its coverage of early Maine and New Hampshire, this database references approximately 331,000 individuals.
Books Included:
- Vital Records of Londonderry, New Hampshire, 1719-1910 by Daniel Gage Annis
- History of York, Maine, Two Volumes by Harrie B. Coe
- An Alphabetical Index of Revolutionary Pensioners Living in Maine by Charles Alcott Flagg
- Colonial Gravestone Inscriptions in the State of New Hampshire by Mrs. Charles Carpenter Goss
- Names of Soldiers of the American Revolution from Maine by Charles J. House
- Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder, Nine Volumes
- Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire by Sybil Noyes, Charles T. Libby, and Walter G. Davis
- The Pioneers of Maine and New Hampshire, 1623-1660 by Charles Henry Pope
- The Probate Records of Lincoln County, Maine, 1760 to 1800 by William D. Patterson
- Military History of the State of New Hampshire, from its Settlement in 1623 to the Rebellion in 1861 by Chandler E. Potter
- Maine Wills, 1640-1760 by William M. Sargent
- Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: Maine
- Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: New Hampshire
Request a Free Lookup From This Database.
21 Haziran 2012 Perşembe
Why Do They Keep Asking Stupid Questions?
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Truthers like to claim that they are "Just Asking Questions", but it is amazing that after 10 plus years they keep on asking the same stupid questions. A perfect example is this recent post over at 911 Flogger regarding the Pentagon:
Uhh, none of these questions are particularly compelling, all of them are idiotic.
1. Because the Pentagon is one of the largest buildings in the world, and crashing into it is hardly a feat of aviation. This is a little like saying, "How did that drunk man manage to crash a Corvette into the side of that parking garage?"
2. Because Hanjour, not being a particularly good pilot, came in too high and needed to bleed off altitude. Why do Truthers ignore the obvious answers?
3. Because the west side of the building was the side the plane came in from. If the plane would have hit the east side of the building, now THAT would have been suspicious. This question is a bit like asking "Richard Gage drove from San Francisco to Portland on I-5 North? Why did he do that, could it be because he was smuggling lemons and wanted to avoid the agricultural checkpoints on the California border which are only on I-5 South? I find that suspicious..."
4. Maybe because construction and demolition companies are often intertwined and share much of the same equipment? The fact that they were already there shows that they have the experience and knowledge of the building. If they would have been kicked out and some company from far off were brought in, now THAT would have been suspicious.
5. A large passenger liner crashing into it. NEXT!
6. Why is it suspicious that the FBI collects evidence of a crime? I never have figured out why that is somehow ominous. If the FBI had shown no interest in the video footage, the truthers would be asking why not?
Nearly 11 years have gone by, and they have learned nothing. Sad.
A few of the more compelling unanswered questions are as follows.
1. How could American Airlines Flight 77 have hit the building as it did, considering that the evidence shows the alleged hijacker pilot, Hani Hanjour, was a very poor pilot?
2. Why did the aircraft make a 330-degree turn just minutes before hitting the building?
3. Why did the aircraft hit the least occupied one-fifth of the building that was the focus of a renovation plan and how was it that the construction in that exact spot just happened to be for the purpose of minimizing the damage from a terrorist explosion?
4. Why was the company that performed the renovation work, just for that one-fifth of the building, immediately hired in a no bid contract to clean-up the damage and reconstruct that area of the building? (Note: The same company was also immediately hired to clean-up the WTC site within hours of the destruction there.)
5. What can explain the damage to the building and the aircraft debris or lack thereof?
6 Why were the tapes from the surveillance videos in the area immediately confiscated by the FBI and never released?
Uhh, none of these questions are particularly compelling, all of them are idiotic.
1. Because the Pentagon is one of the largest buildings in the world, and crashing into it is hardly a feat of aviation. This is a little like saying, "How did that drunk man manage to crash a Corvette into the side of that parking garage?"
2. Because Hanjour, not being a particularly good pilot, came in too high and needed to bleed off altitude. Why do Truthers ignore the obvious answers?
3. Because the west side of the building was the side the plane came in from. If the plane would have hit the east side of the building, now THAT would have been suspicious. This question is a bit like asking "Richard Gage drove from San Francisco to Portland on I-5 North? Why did he do that, could it be because he was smuggling lemons and wanted to avoid the agricultural checkpoints on the California border which are only on I-5 South? I find that suspicious..."
4. Maybe because construction and demolition companies are often intertwined and share much of the same equipment? The fact that they were already there shows that they have the experience and knowledge of the building. If they would have been kicked out and some company from far off were brought in, now THAT would have been suspicious.
5. A large passenger liner crashing into it. NEXT!
6. Why is it suspicious that the FBI collects evidence of a crime? I never have figured out why that is somehow ominous. If the FBI had shown no interest in the video footage, the truthers would be asking why not?
Nearly 11 years have gone by, and they have learned nothing. Sad.
Why Are Truthers So Lazy?
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One of the things I have always genuinely wondered about Truthers, is how deeply they actually believe their own crap. The wackier nutcases like Kevin Barrett and Alex Jones may be out there on the sanity scale, but at least they actually act most of the time like they truly believe in their theories. Most of the Truthers are so lazy and complacent about their theories that they act like a bunch of teenagers arguing who would win a fight between Batman and Superman.
A perfect example of this is Journal of 9/11 Studies editor Frank Legge, quoted here in the Asia Times
No consequence? Really? Other than, I don't know... winning a Pulitzer prize, changing history as we know it and proving your idiotic theories correct, showing that the hijackers were not who we thought they were and are in fact still alive would have "no consequence"?
Really?
REALLY?
A perfect example of this is Journal of 9/11 Studies editor Frank Legge, quoted here in the Asia Times
VF: Where are the live hijackers?
FL: If there were hijackers, which I think is likely, they are all dead of course. It is not the real hijackers but the "named hijackers" who are still alive. This comes about due to identity theft. Where the live ones are is of no consequence.
No consequence? Really? Other than, I don't know... winning a Pulitzer prize, changing history as we know it and proving your idiotic theories correct, showing that the hijackers were not who we thought they were and are in fact still alive would have "no consequence"?
Really?
REALLY?
Clueless in Seattle
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Truther extraordinaire Jim Fetzer recently visited Seattle to give a speech, and apparently it had to be moved to due to a bomb threat.
Not sure exactly what moving it a few blocks to a nearby church accomplishes. Maybe they figure any potential bomber is as lazy as they are? A bit of a far-fetched story, but who knows? There are enough other mentally unstable nutcases in the Truth movement who consider this particular mentally unstable nutcase to be some sort of government disinfo agent, that it could have happened.
In an ironic turn of events, a Scholars for 9/11 Truth presentation had to be relocated to a new venue after the speaker and founder of the organization, Dr. James Fetzer, received terror threats.
The presentation was to occur at 7:00 pm this evening at the University Heights Community Center. However, when UHCC received a letter containing numerous threats to "kill" Dr. Fetzer and to "firebomb" the school facilities, the event was cancelled.
According to a Meetup email message from We Are Change Seattle, the decision to cancel was made collaboratively between UHCC and 9/11 Truth Seattle, as they did not want to risk the lives of any students who may be in the facilities.
Not sure exactly what moving it a few blocks to a nearby church accomplishes. Maybe they figure any potential bomber is as lazy as they are? A bit of a far-fetched story, but who knows? There are enough other mentally unstable nutcases in the Truth movement who consider this particular mentally unstable nutcase to be some sort of government disinfo agent, that it could have happened.
Scootle Not Bound, Just Lazy....
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Here's an update on the Free Scootle post I put up a week or so ago:
....the reason I never finished the "Red chips or Blue Pills" post and haven't responded to the leak until now is simple: procrastination. I've been suffering from blogger burnout recently and keep starting posts and never finishing them. On my other blog, Skeptic Denialism, I haven't published anything since December and have unfinished posts going back to last August! I was also going to write about Basile's study in my Blue Pills post and wanted to wait until it was officially going ahead before I finished it.Hey, it's quite understandable, although given this:
The last three years, I've emphasized the red-gray chips as a key piece of evidence in most of my YouTube videos[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] - even my song[8] - and have uploaded both videos of chip ignitions to my channel[9] [10] and devoted entire videos to debunking paint claims[11] [12]. On this blog, Adam, JM and myself have written over fifty articles defending the work of Harrit et al against debunker criticisms. We've all invested a lot of time into promoting and defending this work, and I doubt you'll find more passionate endorsers of it than us.Contrasted with this:
But since reading Millette's report and some of Oystein's JREF posts, doubts have formed in my mind. I haven't switched sides just yet, but I am more neutral. I think Oystein makes an interesting point about the similarity in composition to LaClede primer...I think it's time to get off your duff and let people know that you've begun to worry that your eight YouTube videos and your "over fifty articles" might be wrong. James and I make an effort to correct the occasional posts where we make a mistake (although with thousands of posts I am sure we have failed to correct something somewhere).
Cheney Lied... Or Maybe He Didn't
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Here's a classic example of why you have to read the source documents. Raw Story and 9-11 Truth News both run with misleading headlines:
Declassified document contradicts Cheney’s claim of Iraqi connection to 9/11
Dick Cheney Lied About Iraq Connection To 9/11 Attacks
What are they both leaving out of their accounts that appears in the source document (PDF)?
That Atta did in fact travel to Prague on June 2, 2000, two days after he did not travel there. Unfortunately, the document in question, prepared by the CIA, is heavily redacted and thus I cannot tell if this completely rules out the possibility of Atta meeting with the Iraqi intelligence agent or not. It is apparent that at some point in time, quite possibly after Cheney's interview with Tim Russert, the administration decided that the meeting had not taken place. It is not apparent that was the case in December of 2001.
Update: And here's another example of why you have to read carefully:
So they had him in his crosshairs shortly after September 2000? But was Bush the president then? No, of course not, Bill Clinton was the president. The writer gets around this problem by implying that they could have had bin Laden in its crosshairs again later, and taken him out, if only Bush had funded it. But... if you read the article carefully, it becomes apparent that the funding issue predated the Bush administration as well:
April 2000. Not under Bush's watch.
Declassified document contradicts Cheney’s claim of Iraqi connection to 9/11
Dick Cheney Lied About Iraq Connection To 9/11 Attacks
A document declassified this week by the National Security Archive reveals that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) delivered a briefing to the Bush administration which directly contradicts former Vice President Dick Cheney’s claim that 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta visited an Iraqi intelligence official in Prague.
The document (PDF), dated Dec. 1, 2001 and delivered to the White House on the 8th, claims that Atta “did not travel to the Czech Republic on 31 May 2000,” and adds that “the individual who attempted to enter the Czech Republic on 31 May 2000… was not the Atta who attacked the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001.”
Despite this briefing, just days later on Dec. 9, 2001, Cheney told the late Tim Russert, host of Meet the Press, that the meeting in Prague had been “pretty well confirmed.”
What are they both leaving out of their accounts that appears in the source document (PDF)?
That Atta did in fact travel to Prague on June 2, 2000, two days after he did not travel there. Unfortunately, the document in question, prepared by the CIA, is heavily redacted and thus I cannot tell if this completely rules out the possibility of Atta meeting with the Iraqi intelligence agent or not. It is apparent that at some point in time, quite possibly after Cheney's interview with Tim Russert, the administration decided that the meeting had not taken place. It is not apparent that was the case in December of 2001.
Update: And here's another example of why you have to read carefully:
Over 120 CIA documents concerning 9/11, Osama bin Laden and counterterrorism were published today for the first time, having been newly declassified and released to the National Security Archive. The documents were released after the NSA pored through the footnotes of the 9/11 Commission and sent Freedom of Information Act requests.(Italics added for emphasis).
The material contains much new information about the hunt before and after 9/11 for bin Laden, the development of the drone campaign in AfPak, and al-Qaida’s relationship with America’s ally, Pakistan. Perhaps most damning are the documents showing that the CIA had bin Laden in its cross hairs a full year before 9/11 — but didn’t get the funding from the Bush administration White House to take him out or even continue monitoring him.
Still, the drone program began in September 2000. One drone swiftly twice observed an individual “most likely to have been Bin Laden.” But since the CIA only had permission to use the drones for intelligence gathering, it had no way to act on its findings.
So they had him in his crosshairs shortly after September 2000? But was Bush the president then? No, of course not, Bill Clinton was the president. The writer gets around this problem by implying that they could have had bin Laden in its crosshairs again later, and taken him out, if only Bush had funded it. But... if you read the article carefully, it becomes apparent that the funding issue predated the Bush administration as well:
“Budget concerns … CT [counterterrorism] supplemental still at NSC-OMB [National Security Council – Office of Management and Budget] level,” an April 2000 document reads. “Need forward movement on supplemental soonest due to expected early recess due to conventions, campaigning and elections.” In addition, the Air Force told the CIA that if it lost a drone, the CIA would have to pay for it, which made the agency more reluctant to use the technology.
April 2000. Not under Bush's watch.
20 Haziran 2012 Çarşamba
China moves into Boston
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China Daily - China Ocean Shipping Company, or COSCO, the largest shipping group of China, has been recognized in Massachusetts for its contribution in helping the ailing US economy and job market.
The recognition comes a decade after the State-owned Chinese company opened a direct service between China and Boston, saving about 9,000 jobs in the New England area.
In March 2002, COSCO decided to open a direct vessel service to the Port of Boston after the Danish shipping giant Maersk Line, part of AP Moller-Maersk Group, closed its lines to the port.
Over the past 10 years, COSCO's cooperation with the Massachusetts Port Authority, known as the "COSCO-Massport model", has preserved more than 34,000 jobs, said David Mackey, the interim CEO of Massport.
Two years after opening the service, Premier Wen Jiabao visited Boston's Conley Terminal, where he praised the COSCO-Massport relationship as a model that other Chinese and US businesses should follow.
To acknowledge China's support, Massport and the International Longshoremen's Association, the largest union of maritime workers in North America, nominated Wen a "Best Friend of the American Worker" at an event to mark the 10th anniversary of the relationship.
Before COSCO, the Port of Boston only had a direct connection with Europe. However, COSCO's weekly service made it possible to connect the New England region with Asia and China - important emerging markets in the global economy.
When the service first started, fewer than 50 containers per week came into Boston from China and Asia. Now the average weekly number is more than 1,000.
China was the third-largest export market for US goods in 2010, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative. In 2010 US exports of goods to China totaled $91.9 billion, equal to 7 percent of US exports that year and a rise of roughly 32 percent from 2009 and 890 percent from 1994.
Progressive Review, 1997 - Largely ignored by the major media, the administration is still supporting plans to lease an old Navy base in Long Beach CA to a Chinese firm called Cosco.
Progressive Review, 1998 - The PRC has been stealthily moving into strategic western hemisphere investments using front companies. For example, Panamanian presidential candidate William Bright Marine has asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate China's activities in that country. He wrote: "I have yet to speak to one single American who is not outraged at the fact that the Clinton administration has allowed Communist China to obtain control of U.S. ports, U.S. bases, and functions of the Panama Canal. They today, effectively control access to the Panama Canal." That may be a bit exaggerated but, as part of the turnover of the canal, Hutchinson-Whampoa Ltd. has been given rights to key former U.S. ports and military installations. A report by the Western Journalism Center notes that Senate staffers found that one of the company's subsidiaries (HIT) is ten percent owned by China Resources Enterprise, the commercial arm of China's trade and economic ministry. HIT also has been in business ventures with the China Sea Shipping Company or COSCO that has had its eye on at least one west coast American port.
Progressive Review, 1999 - The Clinton crowd, which almost caused a disaster in the Arkansas state pension fund in the mid-1980s by its risky investments, is at it again according to Investor's Business Daily and the American Spectator. The state teachers' fund has put large sums into four companies with strong links to Chinese intelligence and the People's Liberation Army, including the China Ocean Shipping Co., China North Industries, China Resources Enterprises and China Travel. Some of these firms are also linked to Indonesian Clinton crony Mochtar Riady. The system owns nearly $2 million worth of stock in a COSCO subsidiary.
A year ago a COSCO ship was found to have smuggled 2,000 automatic weapons into Oakland, destined for LA gang members. Even after publicity about the incident, the Arkansas pension fund made another half-million dollar investment. A COSCO representative once anted up to be near President Clinton during one of his radio shows, in a meeting arranged by Chicom bag man and Hillary Clinton associate Johnny Chung.
When Clinton was governor, he and Jackson Stephens caused a crisis in the state pension fund by making high risk investments with a brokerage firm that suddenly went belly up. Mochtar Riady, the Indonesian billionaire, saved both Clinton's political ambitions and Jackson Stephens' Worthen bank, by buying a sizable chunk of the institution over the next few months.
Newsmax, 2006 - In 2001, COSCO ships carried 434,000 containers to the United States, representing 12.1 percent of all the goods shipped between China and the United States. Undoubtedly those numbers have increased in the last five years.
The recognition comes a decade after the State-owned Chinese company opened a direct service between China and Boston, saving about 9,000 jobs in the New England area.
In March 2002, COSCO decided to open a direct vessel service to the Port of Boston after the Danish shipping giant Maersk Line, part of AP Moller-Maersk Group, closed its lines to the port.
Over the past 10 years, COSCO's cooperation with the Massachusetts Port Authority, known as the "COSCO-Massport model", has preserved more than 34,000 jobs, said David Mackey, the interim CEO of Massport.
Two years after opening the service, Premier Wen Jiabao visited Boston's Conley Terminal, where he praised the COSCO-Massport relationship as a model that other Chinese and US businesses should follow.
To acknowledge China's support, Massport and the International Longshoremen's Association, the largest union of maritime workers in North America, nominated Wen a "Best Friend of the American Worker" at an event to mark the 10th anniversary of the relationship.
Before COSCO, the Port of Boston only had a direct connection with Europe. However, COSCO's weekly service made it possible to connect the New England region with Asia and China - important emerging markets in the global economy.
When the service first started, fewer than 50 containers per week came into Boston from China and Asia. Now the average weekly number is more than 1,000.
China was the third-largest export market for US goods in 2010, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative. In 2010 US exports of goods to China totaled $91.9 billion, equal to 7 percent of US exports that year and a rise of roughly 32 percent from 2009 and 890 percent from 1994.
Progressive Review, 1997 - Largely ignored by the major media, the administration is still supporting plans to lease an old Navy base in Long Beach CA to a Chinese firm called Cosco.
Progressive Review, 1998 - The PRC has been stealthily moving into strategic western hemisphere investments using front companies. For example, Panamanian presidential candidate William Bright Marine has asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate China's activities in that country. He wrote: "I have yet to speak to one single American who is not outraged at the fact that the Clinton administration has allowed Communist China to obtain control of U.S. ports, U.S. bases, and functions of the Panama Canal. They today, effectively control access to the Panama Canal." That may be a bit exaggerated but, as part of the turnover of the canal, Hutchinson-Whampoa Ltd. has been given rights to key former U.S. ports and military installations. A report by the Western Journalism Center notes that Senate staffers found that one of the company's subsidiaries (HIT) is ten percent owned by China Resources Enterprise, the commercial arm of China's trade and economic ministry. HIT also has been in business ventures with the China Sea Shipping Company or COSCO that has had its eye on at least one west coast American port.
Progressive Review, 1999 - The Clinton crowd, which almost caused a disaster in the Arkansas state pension fund in the mid-1980s by its risky investments, is at it again according to Investor's Business Daily and the American Spectator. The state teachers' fund has put large sums into four companies with strong links to Chinese intelligence and the People's Liberation Army, including the China Ocean Shipping Co., China North Industries, China Resources Enterprises and China Travel. Some of these firms are also linked to Indonesian Clinton crony Mochtar Riady. The system owns nearly $2 million worth of stock in a COSCO subsidiary.
A year ago a COSCO ship was found to have smuggled 2,000 automatic weapons into Oakland, destined for LA gang members. Even after publicity about the incident, the Arkansas pension fund made another half-million dollar investment. A COSCO representative once anted up to be near President Clinton during one of his radio shows, in a meeting arranged by Chicom bag man and Hillary Clinton associate Johnny Chung.
When Clinton was governor, he and Jackson Stephens caused a crisis in the state pension fund by making high risk investments with a brokerage firm that suddenly went belly up. Mochtar Riady, the Indonesian billionaire, saved both Clinton's political ambitions and Jackson Stephens' Worthen bank, by buying a sizable chunk of the institution over the next few months.
Newsmax, 2006 - In 2001, COSCO ships carried 434,000 containers to the United States, representing 12.1 percent of all the goods shipped between China and the United States. Undoubtedly those numbers have increased in the last five years.
Portfolio
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With the first portfolio down, I have struggled to get my organizational skills down with structuring my paragraph. I still need to work on my style of trying to find a voice for myself. I have a problems with make paper flow in sense. For example of my rough draft (pg 4 paragraph 1) Starting from “Together as a team .....” I kind of rushed and didn’t take my time on thinking my paper through with it making any common senses. I need to not rush and take my time. Also I need to find a better vernacular with a better choice of words then using certain simple words
Even though I have made many grammatical errors, I have been able to express my ideas better. For example my skills for working on expressing detail have become better. (pg. 12 paragraph 2) My mother laid my suit of armor on my bed, as I would slay my dragon. I compare my jersey to a suit of armor and the challenge I would face at the game to be the dragon. Even being able to describe settings also. (pg. 7 paragraph 1) Walking on the field, it looked like a painted piece of artwork strokes of green, brown, and white overlaying each other. Looking at my revisions and taking advice from correction that my professors provided help me deleted, added and rearranged paragraph. (pg. 3 paragraph 3) I took the details of having fear from remembering the out come of the pitcher before me and pressure from my team. With a change (pg 13 paragraph 1) I rearranged the paragraphed around. Also I added detail of what I was thinking at the time.
For my first part of the class I have learned a lot from this class. I have not had a great foundation for writing any type of paper. My improvements from were I started to be a dramatic increase. I do need to work on my grammatical issues, but that can be help with much proofreading. As a reader I still have to work on comprehending some piece of work but that’s from having a very small vocabulary. I need to start reading more because I know more work that read will be more complex than the stuff that we are reading now. My thinking process has improved a lot. With our first blog of a descriptive essay, I learned that with type and patience I can write good pieces. As a writer, I learned that I enjoy writing descriptive essays because it makes me think more than I would on a certain subject. For working on a narrative essay I can official say that proud of completing an official paper in college that can be highly graded.
This is a good start for me this semester I feel.
Even though I have made many grammatical errors, I have been able to express my ideas better. For example my skills for working on expressing detail have become better. (pg. 12 paragraph 2) My mother laid my suit of armor on my bed, as I would slay my dragon. I compare my jersey to a suit of armor and the challenge I would face at the game to be the dragon. Even being able to describe settings also. (pg. 7 paragraph 1) Walking on the field, it looked like a painted piece of artwork strokes of green, brown, and white overlaying each other. Looking at my revisions and taking advice from correction that my professors provided help me deleted, added and rearranged paragraph. (pg. 3 paragraph 3) I took the details of having fear from remembering the out come of the pitcher before me and pressure from my team. With a change (pg 13 paragraph 1) I rearranged the paragraphed around. Also I added detail of what I was thinking at the time.
For my first part of the class I have learned a lot from this class. I have not had a great foundation for writing any type of paper. My improvements from were I started to be a dramatic increase. I do need to work on my grammatical issues, but that can be help with much proofreading. As a reader I still have to work on comprehending some piece of work but that’s from having a very small vocabulary. I need to start reading more because I know more work that read will be more complex than the stuff that we are reading now. My thinking process has improved a lot. With our first blog of a descriptive essay, I learned that with type and patience I can write good pieces. As a writer, I learned that I enjoy writing descriptive essays because it makes me think more than I would on a certain subject. For working on a narrative essay I can official say that proud of completing an official paper in college that can be highly graded.
This is a good start for me this semester I feel.
Disabilities
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I do feel that people with disabilities get advantages than people that don’t have any. Yet, it varies on the type of the disabilities ranging from blindness, being in a wheelchair or being pregnant.
If the person is blind I understand there are more procedure to deal with because the person cannot see. The world is mostly based off of sight; so not having sight leaves the person kind of lost and hopeless.
Now people in a wheelchair shouldn’t have any special privileges except being able to sit in front of a crowd if it deals with standing up. Even though they don’t have the ability to use of their legs, there is not a lot that is wrong with the person. They can still function in the world when it comes to some things in life. Except not being able to reach for items at certain heights, there is not a lot to deal with as problem.
Birnhaum got too many special privileges for his disability. The fact that he got first class on the plan is really ridiculous. Now what got me was when he got to skip the line from the ticket holder. Now I’m sure it not hard to wait in the line when you get to sit in a chair the whole time and people have to stand up for who knows how long. Also, being able to get out of speeding tickets and being late to work has nothing to even do with his disability, but poor judgment and bad character. It’s more of the thought that he uses his disability as an excuse for anything he does or can’t do. He’s doesn’t try to live his life to the fullest with understanding what it take to survive in the real world in his position. I’m amazed he doesn’t realize he gets treated that way in a sense of pity, but not treating him as a normal person that has can use his legs.
Now I know he put pregnancy in his comparison. Now I don’t if pregnancy is considered as a disability. If it is, it shouldn’t be. I know that is a time of hard labor of growing a child in your body and taking care of it, but the woman already knew what she was getting herself in when she wanted or got into that situation.
If the person is blind I understand there are more procedure to deal with because the person cannot see. The world is mostly based off of sight; so not having sight leaves the person kind of lost and hopeless.
Now people in a wheelchair shouldn’t have any special privileges except being able to sit in front of a crowd if it deals with standing up. Even though they don’t have the ability to use of their legs, there is not a lot that is wrong with the person. They can still function in the world when it comes to some things in life. Except not being able to reach for items at certain heights, there is not a lot to deal with as problem.
Birnhaum got too many special privileges for his disability. The fact that he got first class on the plan is really ridiculous. Now what got me was when he got to skip the line from the ticket holder. Now I’m sure it not hard to wait in the line when you get to sit in a chair the whole time and people have to stand up for who knows how long. Also, being able to get out of speeding tickets and being late to work has nothing to even do with his disability, but poor judgment and bad character. It’s more of the thought that he uses his disability as an excuse for anything he does or can’t do. He’s doesn’t try to live his life to the fullest with understanding what it take to survive in the real world in his position. I’m amazed he doesn’t realize he gets treated that way in a sense of pity, but not treating him as a normal person that has can use his legs.
Now I know he put pregnancy in his comparison. Now I don’t if pregnancy is considered as a disability. If it is, it shouldn’t be. I know that is a time of hard labor of growing a child in your body and taking care of it, but the woman already knew what she was getting herself in when she wanted or got into that situation.
Field Observation
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This is my log for looking at concepts in the real world that dealt with beauty.
03/01 1:00 am. Watching Joker in the Dark Knight
I watch the movie and I notice a passion that Joker has. We see beauty as everything looking nice, a person that looks good, or just feeling good. Yet, in the movie the Joker sees destruction as a sense of beauty. Like an artist painting a picture, he use knives, guns, and explosives as his brushes to paints his masterpiece of seeing people in pain and terror. This is showing an opposite view of beauty through a crazy person in the world.
03/01 8:00 am. It is snowing outside
I took beauty into seeing the snow when I woke up. For Georgia these are rare opportunities to see weather at this level. It was as if Georgia was a powder donut being made fresh in the morning. Being able to see this made me feel that the snow added a depth of tranquility. It was quiet and calm and you just see the snow collect on top of each other. The beauty of the environment made it seem like a calm day.
03/02 12:00 pm. I see my friend enjoy each other company
I ate lunch two friends in the cafeteria. As I ate I notice they could help stop looking at each other as if there was something bringing them closer together. I saw a beauty of their relationship through their gestures towards each other and the way they spoke to each other. They played with each other like they were best friends, but showed compassion of love when they held each other or kiss like boyfriend and girlfriend. It is the type of beauty I think all relationships try to have all-around.
03/02 7:00 pm. In the gym I saw a beautiful girl
While working out I notice this female on the bike. It was the same girl that I notice from the Mardi gras party. At that time, she was sitting in a chair to herself and I wanted to talk to her, but something kept stopping me. In my eyes she was gorgeous, and usually I take the opportunities of talking to female with ease, but it was something about her that I couldn’t do it. Well I saw her again at the recreational center and once again something about her kept me from talking to her. It was as if her beauty put a spell on me from making any moves from her. But I can’t let her beauty get the best of me the next I see her.
03/01 1:00 am. Watching Joker in the Dark Knight
I watch the movie and I notice a passion that Joker has. We see beauty as everything looking nice, a person that looks good, or just feeling good. Yet, in the movie the Joker sees destruction as a sense of beauty. Like an artist painting a picture, he use knives, guns, and explosives as his brushes to paints his masterpiece of seeing people in pain and terror. This is showing an opposite view of beauty through a crazy person in the world.
03/01 8:00 am. It is snowing outside
I took beauty into seeing the snow when I woke up. For Georgia these are rare opportunities to see weather at this level. It was as if Georgia was a powder donut being made fresh in the morning. Being able to see this made me feel that the snow added a depth of tranquility. It was quiet and calm and you just see the snow collect on top of each other. The beauty of the environment made it seem like a calm day.
03/02 12:00 pm. I see my friend enjoy each other company
I ate lunch two friends in the cafeteria. As I ate I notice they could help stop looking at each other as if there was something bringing them closer together. I saw a beauty of their relationship through their gestures towards each other and the way they spoke to each other. They played with each other like they were best friends, but showed compassion of love when they held each other or kiss like boyfriend and girlfriend. It is the type of beauty I think all relationships try to have all-around.
03/02 7:00 pm. In the gym I saw a beautiful girl
While working out I notice this female on the bike. It was the same girl that I notice from the Mardi gras party. At that time, she was sitting in a chair to herself and I wanted to talk to her, but something kept stopping me. In my eyes she was gorgeous, and usually I take the opportunities of talking to female with ease, but it was something about her that I couldn’t do it. Well I saw her again at the recreational center and once again something about her kept me from talking to her. It was as if her beauty put a spell on me from making any moves from her. But I can’t let her beauty get the best of me the next I see her.
Cause and Effect
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I have been in my share of relationships and one that has changed me a lot was in my relationship with a woman name Candy. Now Candy I could say was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in person. She was part Mexican, part African American with an hourglass body that made every men stop what they were doing on sight. Now all I could think was that she was a gorgeous female that was older then me. I was the man. Yet, her beauty affected me with the pain of growing faster then I wanted to in life. Now I was introduced to life of drinking, smoking, sexual relations, and learning a little fatherhood at a young age, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was the fact that she was beautiful. Even the fact that she had a kid didn’t affect how I felt towards her. But I knew my life, was moving to fast when her kid start calling me dad. I was with her for 2 years and I lived a life of hiding my secrets from family and friends. Even though it was wrong, it felt so right. Being with her I learned that what I thought was love was just lust. From this relationship, I feel more mature at my age then some. Such a beauty caused me to lose myself as a person if I didn’t stop being with her.
19 Haziran 2012 Salı
Context
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In the 21st century, the generation of now is based off of beauty. From, fashion, TV, magazines, beauty motivates the many decision of the world today. Nowadays, it seems that you have to look like a certain type of person to be considered as beautiful.
Dealing with beauty, it is probably one of the most profitable businesses of today. If you don’t have the new style then you’re considered as now being cool. Especially during school, this concept is thrown around as it affects our relation on how we are accepted by students. This is during a time were teenagers and young adults learn the wrong values of accepting people over materialistic item then people values.
For some female, I know that is a fight everyday to except the person they are. I know earlier in time beauty was considered by a girl having a skinny body, but now girls are more developed and having curves. For examples, I notice many model are skinny giving a false look of what the world is to offer. Little by little, efforts are made toward to bring out the plus-size female with curves. The appearance of the average woman you can.
In the urban area, a female may feel that a man will notice them if she a cute face, big butt, and big breast with a slim waist like video girls in music video. Even though this is a pleasure of what men see as beauty, it demeans the concept of beauty and makes its sluttish. With the media how it is, it starts affecting girls to have low self-confidence in their appearance and not consider what God made them as beauty.
The same could be said for men. Even though we don’t go around saying we have beauty the concept of looking like we are worth money or success affects how a female approaches us or accept our welcome on how we approach them. Even though a man might have great confidence, if his outerwear does not match his confidence then the female with show little consideration of talking to the male.
Our appearance affects how we are accepted amongst our other, I guess beauty defines who we our as a person setting us apart from each other
Dealing with beauty, it is probably one of the most profitable businesses of today. If you don’t have the new style then you’re considered as now being cool. Especially during school, this concept is thrown around as it affects our relation on how we are accepted by students. This is during a time were teenagers and young adults learn the wrong values of accepting people over materialistic item then people values.
For some female, I know that is a fight everyday to except the person they are. I know earlier in time beauty was considered by a girl having a skinny body, but now girls are more developed and having curves. For examples, I notice many model are skinny giving a false look of what the world is to offer. Little by little, efforts are made toward to bring out the plus-size female with curves. The appearance of the average woman you can.
In the urban area, a female may feel that a man will notice them if she a cute face, big butt, and big breast with a slim waist like video girls in music video. Even though this is a pleasure of what men see as beauty, it demeans the concept of beauty and makes its sluttish. With the media how it is, it starts affecting girls to have low self-confidence in their appearance and not consider what God made them as beauty.
The same could be said for men. Even though we don’t go around saying we have beauty the concept of looking like we are worth money or success affects how a female approaches us or accept our welcome on how we approach them. Even though a man might have great confidence, if his outerwear does not match his confidence then the female with show little consideration of talking to the male.
Our appearance affects how we are accepted amongst our other, I guess beauty defines who we our as a person setting us apart from each other
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