Planes on a mission to drop bombs, like the start of class at school every morning, fly over Beijing. Everytime I hear the sound of their parts pound the air I repeatedly feel a light tension, as though witnessing a "death" raid. But at the same time intensely feeling the "birth" of existence.
Click the image above to access the issue.
Click on the image above for the full interview.
Notes on the Mosquito a Finalist for Best Translated Book Award!
Transfer Fat by Aase Berg, translated from the Swedish by Johannes Göransson (Ugly Duckling Press; Sweden).
pH Neutral History by Lidija Dimkovska, translated from the Macedonian by Ljubica Arsovska and Peggy Reid (Copper Canyon Press; Macedonia).
The Invention of Glass by Emmanuel Hocquard, translated from the French by Cole Swensen and Rod Smith (Canarium Books; France).
Wheel with a Single Spoke by Nichita Stanescu, translated from the Romanian by Sean Cotter (Archipelago Books; Romania).
Notes on the Mosquito by Xi Chuan, translated from the Chinese by Lucas Klein (New Directions; China).
Almost 1 Book / Almost 1 Life by Elfriede Czurda, translated from the German by Rosmarie Waldrop (Burning Deck; Austria).
A truly humbling gathering of poets & translators to be put together with!
Also see the January 2012 issue for my translations of Xi Chuan's "Beast" 巨兽, "The Distance" 远方, and "Poison" 毒药, and hear a recording of "The Distance" read in Chinese by Huang Yin-Nan.
coincidence, and so when I thought about it again I was not surprised that the first bang occurred after the word 'fired.'"), and more.
Click here for my translation of Xi Chuan's "The Ant's Plunder" 蚂蚁劫, published in Plume last November.
By this point I expect most readers in the American poetry community have heard something of the Rita Dove-edited Penguin Anthology of 20th Century American Poetry. I've made remarks about the need for a discussion on anthologies of Chinese poetry in translation, but I wanted to make a point about anthologies of American poetry for American readers, which I think is pertinent to a discussion about anthologies of foreign language poetry, as well.
Just to let all of you know what a travesty it is, here are some of the most significant people whose work does not appear in it: Zukofsky, Oppen, Reznikoff, Rakosi, Riding, Loy, Bronk, Blackburn, Ginsberg, Eigner, Dorn, Kerouac, Niedecker, Mac Low, Spicer, Plath, Blaser, Bernstein, Schwerner, Lamantia, McClure, Whalen, Corman, Guest, Schuyler, Padgett, Towle, North, Rothenberg, Kelly, Eshleman, Antin, Lansing, Perelman, Armantrout, DuPlessis, Wieners, Tarn, Coolidge, Sobin, Sanders, Taggert, Bromige, Cortez, Fanny Howe, Susan Howe, Keith Waldrop, Rosmarie Waldrop, Grahn, Kleinzahler, Waldman, Rexroth, Joron, Gander, Will Alexander, DiPrima, Notley, Equi.
Part of the problem, I think, has to do with anthologizing in general, and our expectations as readers that what we consider good or important should also be considered good or important enough to be disseminated through anthologies. I think this is both right and wrong. I have no problem with Rita Dove or anyone coming up with a list of poets she thinks will stand the clichéd test of time, but once that comes out with the word Anthology on the cover—and under the imprimatur of Penguin, which has the institutional pull to put its books in classrooms—then questions of responsibility are in order.
And this is where, I think, the tension over who's included and who's excluded—if that's the right word for it—comes from: will my view and ethics of poetry be taught, or will someone else's view and ethics of poetry be taught? Vendler wants a limited, and limiting, view of American poetry ("No century in the evolution of poetry in English ever had 175 poets worth reading, so why are we being asked to sample so many poets of little or no lasting value?"), whereas Dove presents herself as upholder of a view and ethics rooted in civil rights-style inclusiveness (faulting Vendler's review for "its condescension, lack of veracity, and the barely veiled racism"; for more, see Honorée Fanonne Jeffers's post about the history of white denial of black poetry). But there are at least two wings on the left in American culture, hence the critique of Dove's anthology for what it leaves out.
There has been a lot of detailed, micro-discussion over why Plath and Ginsberg were omitted and how to remedy that, AT THE EXCLUSION OF the very appearance & existence of this anthology and how it's a drop in the bucket towards addressing (remedying?) a publishing / canonical history that has excluded numerous writers who were never supported / encouraged and only peripherally published, if at all.
As I understand it, the point is that it's easier for us to complain about Ginsberg and Plath being "excluded" because it keeps us from recognizing the canon's denial of certain ethnic and gendered identities—and we have bigger ethical fish to fry. This is true, but I think aesthetic diversity is not only important, it plays a role in creating and maintaining social diversity, as well.
In other words, diversity is more than simply a matter of biological fact. It is better—from the p. o. v. of diversity as a good—for the only black Supreme Court Justice to be Thurgood Marshall than to be Clarence Thomas, and any number of non-black judges could do more than Thomas to support the cause of diversity and inclusiveness in the American body politic. I don't want to deny Thomas his "blackness" (as this interview discusses); nevertheless, the question is about culture and mentality more than it's about the skin we were born into.
Along those lines, while most of the writers that comprise the list above, from Louis Zukofsky to Elaine Equi and Brenda Hillman, are white (many are Jewish, which may complicate matters, and I think it's a bit over 2 : 3 :: male : female), it presents an aesthetic diversity and vision and ethic of American poetic openness that stands in favor of inclusiveness and equality beyond the biological racial makeup of its members. Also, because it is an example of certain writers left out of the Dove / Penguin anthology, it does not exist as its own table of contents, but rather as an addendum to that list to push it towards greater inclusivity and a higher level of diversity. Here in the wilds of Hongkong, I haven't had a chance to see Dove's anthology firsthand, so I can't make claims on how monolithic I find its aesthetic view to be—and I wouldn't want a table of contents to represent aesthetic diversity while only presenting writers of one biological ethnicity, either—nevertheless, I want to emphasize that just as a black Supreme Court Justice such as Thomas can do damage to the American black community, white American poets such as Clayton Eshleman, Jerome Rothenberg, Rachel Blau DuPlessis, and Rosmarie Waldrop make American poetry more inclusive. They are on the side of Gwendolyn Brooks and Nathaniel Mackey, both of whom are in the Penguin anthology.
This is where the issue ties back to anthologies of poetry translation, and not only because so many of these poets have been involved with translation in the narrow sense, but also because they have been involved with expansion, diversity, and internationalism in the larger sense. Like Zukofsky, Rexroth, Corman, and Eshleman, translation expands the possibilities—and the vision, and ethics—of poetry in the language. An anthology of American poetry can legitimately leave translations out, but insofar as they are also a part of the history of American poetry, I would like to see an anthology that could consider them central, primary, and put translations in.
When I refer to the discussion we need to have about anthologies of Chinese poetry in translation, I'm thinking along the lines of asking: granted, most of the anthologies that have been published so far have had some big problems, but will another anthology make up for these problems or just make the whole situation worse? But the underlying question, I think, has to do with the place of translation in the system of American poetry as a whole: do anthologies of Chinese poetry at this point expand the field of American poetry, or exist at a sequestered, even ghettoized, remove? This is, of course, a different question from whether a given anthology is sufficiently representative of the breadth of American poetry, but at a fundamental level, it is the same: how broad, or how narrow, are our vision and ethics of American poetry going to be?


You can expect a lot from the 2016 Subaru Forester. Smooth gearshifts are achieved thanks to the efficient 4 cylinder engine, and for added security, dynamic Stability Control supplements the drivetrain. All wheel drive keeps this model firmly attached to the road surface. Subaru prioritized practicality, efficiency, and style by including: adjustable headrests in all seating positions, a trip computer, front bucket seats, air conditioning, power windows, an overhead console, and 1-touch window functionality. For drivers who enjoy the natural environment, a power moon roof allows an infusion of fresh air. Premium sound drives 6 speakers, providing you and your passengers a sensational audio experience. Subaru ensures the safety and security of its passengers with equipment such as: dual front impact airbags with occupant sensing airbag, head curtain airbags, traction control, brake assist, ignition disabling, an emergency communication system, and 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS. A Carfax history report indicates just one previous owner. Our sales reps are knowledgeable and professional. We'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have. We are here to help you.


Well located in Silver Lake, this private and serene residence is an art lover's dream with bright, open spaces to inspire creativity. The Contemporary-style residence presents a light-filled open layout synthesizing stylish design with dramatic architectural elements including high ceilings, oversized windows and sliding glass doors. The kitchen is finished with a full-wall penny tile backsplash and stainless appliances; French oak flooring flows throughout. Upstairs, three bedrooms include the ensuite Master with hillside views and a spacious walk-in closet. A high hedge and fence create a gracious outdoor environment with a wraparound porch, tranquil Buddha fountain and flat yard, ideal for relaxation and open-air dining. Amenities include gated access, central heat+air and a two-car garage. This great location is just a stone's throw from Sunset Junction offering easy access to the twice-weekly Silver Lake Farmer's Market, Alfred Coffee, Night+Market Song and so much more.
Built in 2016, this spacious three-level home is available for lease in Sunset Junction, the beating heart of Silver Lake. Enjoy seamless city access and panoramic views from the private rooftop deck. Three levels of light-filled living space culminate in the dramatic great room finished with beautiful oak flooring, and an open kitchen featuring quartz countertops, a custom tile backsplash and stainless appliances by Bosch. Well-proportioned bedrooms include the Master with attached bathroom featuring dual vanities, separate shower + soaking tub and a walk-in closet. From the rooftop deck find sweeping views of the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Park Observatory and nightly sunsets. The attached two-car garage provides direct access, or leave your ride at home and take advantage of an amazing location near local hot-spots Intelligentsia, Stella, Forage, Sawyer, The Black Cat and popular twice-weekly Farmer's Market. The Silver Lake Reservoir, Echo Park and Downtown LA are within easy reach.
The sexiest house in Silver Lake, The Hunter Residence, is a remarkable example of the Moderne style. Designed by renown architect William Kesling in 1936, this exquisite home represents an important early example of modernist residential architecture in Southern California, and has been artfully renovated for the 21st century.
The home was the longtime residence of 20th century philanthropists and socialites Nadia and Norman Kaplan, celebrated members of the Silver Lake community and founders of "Wayfinder," a non-profit foundation. Set on a large and verdant hillside lot, the home presents an elegant and striking facade with long horizontal lines reminiscent of the steamship — a hallmark symbol of the glamorous Art Deco style and a 1930's emblem of progress and modernity.
An expansive living room is beautifully detailed with a geometric hearth, a row of street-facing textured glass windows that soften the sunlight, and sliding glass doors that open to the viewing deck, revealing a splendid panorama of the Silver Lake hills. The spacious kitchen has been entirely remodeled and updated with stylish cabinetry and all-new appliances, creating a sophisticated atmosphere that harmonizes with this architecturally significant home. Gorgeous hardwood floors flow throughout; system improvements include lighting, electrical upgrades, and more.
A curving staircase transports you upstairs where two ensuite bedrooms await, each with deck access and abundant light; the Master enjoys brilliant views of the Silver Lake Reservoir. A sequence of rounded walls, iconic elements of the Streamline style, usher you toward the second bedroom. All baths are manicured with tasteful finishes of grey terrazzo tile mosaic and artful fittings.
On the expansive lower level, a third bedroom with a fireplace can function as your guest room, or alternatively, as an inspiring space to sequester and create. A large den is a perfect spot for screenings and leisurely pursuits. The generous hardscape patio, an enchanted setting for entertaining and al-fresco dining against the background of colorful sunsets, features a bespoke indoor/outdoor petite pool. The Hunter Residence is the only home that Kesling, who was well-known for designing sumptuous bathrooms in all his Moderne dwellings, endowed with this special spa-like feature that he referred to as the "Roman Bath." The yard is professionally landscaped with attractive drought-tolerant flora; the street-to-street lot zoned R2 presents an opportunity for further development.
A prolific architect and builder, William Kesling had a unique ability to translate the civic building style of Art Deco to the private residence, becoming one of the most active practitioners of the Streamline Moderne in Los Angeles. Kesling homes are coveted to this day; in the Hunter Residence you'll find the very best of what history and the present can offer. A whisper away from Silver Lake Reservoir and Sunset Junction, you'll have quick access to the Silver Lake Farmer's Market, Sawyer, Cafe Stella, Intelligentsia, Black Cat, Pine & Crane and more. Trader Joe's, Gelson's and Whole Foods 365 are just minutes away.
Find a nice investment opportunity in this handsome Spanish-style triplex located on a street-to-street lot in prime Silver Lake. The complex was built in 1931 and retains many period architectural details including tray ceilings with above-average height, large French windows and beautiful wood floors. Two sunny apartments, each with one bedroom + one bathroom, feature vintage tile elements and laundry rooms. Balconies provide a spot to dine al fresco with enchanting views of Sunset Junction, the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Park Observatory. The downstairs studio apartment opens to a charming private garden. Sunset Junction is just a few blocks away offering trendy options for shopping, dining and nightlife, plus the twice-weekly Silver Lake Farmer's Market.
An opportunity to get into Silver Lake and the coveted Ivanhoe School District at a price that is rarely seen. This spacious home is in Cedar Lodge, a serene and well-maintained condominium community ideally situated near shopping, dining and the Silver Lake Reservoir. The second-level unit features an airy great room with a fireplace, hard surface flooring and seamless flow to a private balcony, your perfect spot for morning coffee with a lovely park view. The Master bedroom has two closets, an attached bathroom and dual vanities. There is in-unit laundry, central a/c and two-car covered parking with a high-speed EV charging station. Cedar Lodge is renown for its tranquil courtyards, lush landscaping, swimming pool and spa. The community is pet-friendly and close to Sunset Junction where restaurants, boutiques and a twice-weekly Farmer's Market create a great neighborhood vibe. Also nearby is the hub of Hyperion and Rowena with Trader Joe's, Gelsons, Square One, Speranza and more.
A stylish mid-century residence in the coveted Ivanhoe School District. The home was built in 1954 and has been updated with style; heritage elements are in tact including a free-flowing layout, clean mid-century lines and beautiful wood floors. Large windows gather abundant sunlight and frame striking, far-reaching views. The kitchen impresses with Carrera marble countertops, polished concrete tile flooring and a Wolf + Subzero appliance suite that is paneled in wood to match the cabinetry. Two bedrooms include the en-suite Master featuring French doors opening to the outdoors. The large finished basement is perfect for your office, music studio or den. In the yard find multiple sitting areas for barbecues and entertaining against a backdrop of city lights and sunsets. There is garage parking and central heat and a/c. This choice location places you near Sunset Junction hot-spots including Intelligentsia, Pine & Crane, Café Stella, The Black Cat, Silver Lake Farmers Market and more.
Available for lease: A spacious two-bedroom apartment in a great Silver Lake location. The large living room and dining area has character details including beautiful wood flooring, decorative moulding and large windows framing far-reaching vistas. The kitchen is well appointed and newly updated. Both bedrooms provide closet space and one has French doors opening to the patio, your perfect spot for morning coffee. Amenities include air conditioning, washer+dryer, gas range and a designated off-street parking space. This prime location places you in the heart of Silver Lake with nearby dining and nightlife options including Alfred Coffee, Night Market Song, Hache LA and more. The Reservoir and Dog Park are within easy reach along with Whole Foods 365, Trader Joe's, Gelson's and Silver Lake's twice-weekly farmers market.
Available for lease: A spacious two-bedroom apartment in a great Silver Lake location. The sunny living room features character details including beautiful wood flooring, decorative moulding and large windows. There is also a large storage closet in the hallway. The updated and stylish kitchen has a breakfast nook and cool Spanish tile. Both bedrooms provide closet space and one has French doors opening to the patio, your perfect spot for morning coffee. Amenities include air conditioning, washer+dryer, gas range and a designated off-street parking space. This prime location places you in the heart of Silver Lake with nearby dining and nightlife options including Alfred Coffee, Night Market Song, Hache LA and more. The Reservoir and Dog Park are within easy reach along with Whole Foods 365, Trader Joe's, Gelson's and Silver Lake's twice-weekly farmers market.
A modern home in prime Silver Lake, designed by Steven R. Hill. The residence impresses with soaring ceilings, open-rail stairways and clerestory windows gathering abundant natural light. Exquisite design features include Hill's signature elements of stucco, glass brick and the masterful use of space. High walls and built-in shelving in the living room provide the perfect showcase for an art collection, anchored by a geometric hearth centerpiece. There is formal dining, a breakfast nook and beautifully remodeled kitchen. Three bedrooms include a spacious en-suite Master with a walk-in closet and fireplace. Outdoor access is seamless; the terraced yard provides multiple spaces for entertaining and stargazing along with lovely vistas of the hillsides and city. This excellent location is mere blocks from Sunset Junction with dining and nightlife options plus a twice-weekly farmers market. Nearby favorites include LAMill, Alimento, L&E Oyster Bar, Botanica and more.


The global specialty chemicals market size was estimated at USD 1.16 trillion in 2016 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.6% from 2017 to 2025. High demand for function-specific chemicals owing to transitioning consumer & industrial product life cycles has fostered industry growth in recent years.
Growing concerns regarding pollution and environmental degradation have generated high demand for alternative applications that contribute to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as water-based paints, biodegradable plastics, solar-powered and rechargeable electronics. Technological innovations are expected to present additional lucrative growth avenues.
Despite being a mature industry, manufacturers may still tap opportunities that arise from macroeconomic cycles, such as an increase in housing starts and industrial manufacturing. Rising competition levels from SMEs in emerging economies across Asia Pacific & South America is also expected to prompt innovation and developments in manufacturing, which is conducive to overall industry growth.
Industry dynamics are gradually shifting towards the Middle East owing to its vast petrochemical reserves, which form the crucial feedstock for downstream derivatives; Asia Pacific is another fast-growing region that has competitive leverage owing to inexpensive labor & taskforce, trade liberalization policies and progression of major end-use industries in recently industrialized economies.
The rapid expansion of shale oil & gas drilling & refining activities, along with favorable oil & gas prices is also anticipated to boost market growth over the forecast period. Rising oil exploration activities in the U.S. has also contributed considerably to oilfield chemicals, and other lubricants demand in the region.
Key manufacturers are investing heavily in capacity expansion as well as modernization of existing facilities to gain traction and compete with existing multinationals in the region. This factor is expected to influence market growth positively over the forecast period.
Construction chemicals are projected to emerge as fast-growing products owing to the considerably high demand for specialized waterproofing compounds, tile fixing adhesives, joint fillers, repair and renovation compounds among others. The recovery of the U.S. housing market and an increase in infrastructural construction activities across India, China, Thailand and other emerging economies has also contributed to segment growth in recent years.
Coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers (CASE) is expected to remain a lucrative segment owing to numerous innovations that have enhanced the performance characteristics of these materials. Major companies such as Henkel, Bostik, and 3M have also introduced new polymeric CASE products that are expected to revolutionize the sector.
The advent of miniaturized, rechargeable and sustainable electronics has driven significant demand for compounds that foster enhanced performance and reduce maintenance issues. Additionally, sophisticated compounds assist in the production of several components such as silicon wafers, printed circuit boards (PCBs), and other optoelectronics such as flat panel displays.
Agrochemicals are expected to expand at a rapid pace in emerging economies owing to the high dependence of these countries on agriculture and food cultivation to meet rising consumer demand. Rapid automation and industrialization have also contributed to the fast growth of the agricultural sector, which in turn has driven the demand for lubricants, maintenance fluids, and other specialty products.
Automotive is expected to remain a fast-growing application with high demand for paints, coatings, lubricants, adhesives and others to reduce weight and foster cost savings. Specialty compounds currently account for about 20% of overall content in vehicles and are likely to increase as OEMs attempt to meet emission & sustainability guidelines and regulations.
The construction sector is also generating high chemicals demand, to impart additional protection in buildings, reduce consumption of water and cement while erecting projects, and boost overall building lifespan. Renovation of old buildings in developed economies and upcoming high-rise projects in emerging economies are expected to generate high demand over the near future.
Housing & residential construction is expected to emerge as a fast-growing segment owing to sustainable community development coupled with favorable policies towards modernizing existing infrastructure in developing countries. Furthermore, contractors are attempting to accommodate rapidly expanding population by creating more residential blocks, which is a crucial factor for industry growth.
Industrial manufacturing is anticipated to remain a significant application owing to increasing reliance on domestic production in an attempt to lower the dependence on imports in several economies. North America has also witnessed a rebound in industrial activities post the shale gas boom, while Asia Pacific is expanding its existing production capacities with investments from foreign players, which is conducive to industry expansion.
Asia Pacific is anticipated to remain the fastest growing market as the number of players in this region has risen significantly in recent years, while the region itself has the advantage of low raw material & labor costs. Countries such as India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore are expected to generate high demand as their economies grow & diversify, creating significant potential for investors seeking untapped opportunities in these markets.
Demand in Central & South America (CSA) is anticipated to grow as well, as the construction, automotive & electronics sectors pick up the pace in countries such as Peru, Colombia, and Chile. The governments in these and other CSA countries are actively encouraging regional production levels in an attempt to strengthen the economy, which has boosted the availability of subsidies for local manufacturers.
The Middle East is another significant investment zone owing to the vast availability of crude oil reserves & chemical feedstock, along with a rapidly growing construction market in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Oman among others. The automotive, electronics and consumer goods sectors are also growing in these countries as a result of high disposable income the advent of advanced digitalization.
Companies catering to this industry are subject to economic cycles and swings in the end-use markets, compelling them to continuously monitor railcar loadings, industrial output, automotive production levels and housing starts among other indicators to gauge their performance & formulate expansion strategies.
Most manufacturers are sensitive to raw material costs, energy & commodity prices, which creates challenges while realizing profit margins, owing to the nature of volatility in these materials. Companies are often prepped to react in case of inventory buildup and signs of a broader turndown, by restructuring, portfolio consolidation, temporary plant shutdowns and other strategies.
Key players currently involved in production include BASF SE, Evonik Industries, Henkel AG & Co., Solvay SA, PPG Industries, Albemarle Corporation, AkzoNobel, H.B. Fuller, Ashland Inc., Dymax Corporation, Ferro Corporation, Huntsman Corporation, Chemtura Corporation, The Dow Chemical Company, ExxonMobil, Avery Dennison, Beardow & Adams, and Uniseal Inc. among others.


text:
Your share could raise $30
Before you go, did you know that simply by sharing this campaign, you could help it raise $30? It's an effective way to support the cause.
Not ready to contribute just yet?
Subscribe to email updates on progress of this fundraiser.
Frederico's House
1% of $250k goal
29 Weeks running
By Fred The Godson Foundation
Organization campaign Keep it all
Updates0
Fred The Godson Foundation hasn't added a story.
Fred The Godson Foundation Website
Frederico's House is a planned first-of-its-kind intergenerational community resource founded in honor of Fred The Godson. A proud South Bronx native, Fred experienced poverty growing up which helped him see the future through a relatable lens. An inspirational artist, song writer and celebrity, he exemplified the South Bronx as a dedicated and positive citizen who aspired to bring his community up with him. His spirit is guiding our organization to empower the community through a cohesive effort for mutual opportunity, understanding and prosperity.
Our facility will serve the South Bronx community in honor of Fred The Godson. Frederico's House will bring all generations together in order to foster positive youth development, community engagement and empowerment. Our center will collaborate with local community talents and employ them for building a better future.
How our center will empower:
Cultivating Arts, Creativity
Music, Travel and Culture
Frederico's House will offer a wide array of programs and activities. The primary goal will be to deliver services that are inclusive, catering to the entire community and encourage opportunity, education, creativity, and overall wellness. Our 30,000+-square foot, state-of-the-art facility will enhance the quality of life for all South Bronx residents.
Some of the planned features:
Performing/Visual Arts Center
Life Resource Center
Financial Literacy Room
Leadership will collaborate with non-profits, local government and private donors. Together, we will help ensure our youngest members achieve their optimal potential.
Our Founding Principles
Frederico's House will be created to fulfill Fred The Godson's vision for the South Bronx community. A vision that has only begun to emerge through the dedication of many of its native sons and daughters.
We are stewards of positive change.
We are dedicated defenders of the South Bronx.
We instill endless hope for a better future.
Fred The Godson's resilient nature sanctioned the mastering of adversity. Once he took charge of his future, he was able to achieve anything. His natural abilities became evident to the world. As a safe passage for the community, Frederico's House enables members to refine their own distinctive gifts. Serving the whole community, while validating the future of our irreplaceable youth.
See all activity47
Fred The Godson Foundation hasn't posted any updates yet.
Fred The Godson Foundation is managing the funds for this campaign.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Situation of Victims of Forced Displacement in Colombia
146th Period of Sessions, Commission Hearing. Photo by Gabriel Auteri (November 2, 2012).
Commissioners: Corporación Colectivo de Abogados "José Alvear Restrepo" (CCAJAR), Consultoría para los Derechos Humanos y el Desplazamiento (CODHES), Corporación Jurídica Yira Castro, Coordinación Nacional de Desplazados (CND), Colectivo de Mujeres al Derecho / Corporación Sisma Mujer, Comisión Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz (CIJP) Petitioners: Consultoria para los Derechos Humanos y el Desplazamiento (CODHES), Colectivo de Abogados "José Alvear Restrepo," Corporación Jurídica Yira Castro State: State of Colombia The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) heard testimony at a hearing on November 2, 2012, concerning the rights that victims of forced displacement in Colombia have under the new Law of Victims and Restitution of Lands, also known as Law 1448, passed in June 2011. The law seeks to provide reparations and restitution to those who have been forcibly displaced by internal conflict. Petitioner Consultoria para los Derechos Humanos y el Desplazamiento (CODHES) indicated that there are currently five million displaced persons in Colombia, 800,000 of whom have become displaced since 1997. CODHES stated that displacements generally affect rural dwellers, indigenous peoples, and Afro-Colombians, and that people have been forced to abandon 6.5 million hectares of land as well as housing and work equipment. CODHES praised the State for recognizing the issue and passing the law, but asserted that problems loom over the restitution measures and pointed to continual conflict that is displacing people, structural problems of impunity and legal support to those affected, and the State's inability to provide legal and material restitution. Petitioners Corporación Jurídica Yira Castro highlighted both positive and negative aspects of Law 1448, and said that the law could prove a suitable mechanism for millions of victims. However the petitioners also said that the granting of restitution under the law, where applied, is insufficient to help victims of forced displacement overcome their problems. Furthermore, representatives from Corporación Jurídica Yira Castro criticized the law for insufficiently providing restitution to women. Although Law 1448 was perceived to be a positive step by representatives from Colectivo de Abogados "José Alvear Restrepo," they also requested permanent monitoring by the IACHR, specifically with regard to the effectiveness of the law, impunity on the part of those forcing displacement, and land restitution for women. The petitioner also criticized the law for providing limited reparations in lieu of complete restitution. All petitioners underscored that reparations being provided were insufficient, especially for women. The State responded by recognizing the petitioners' concerns and stated Colombia's dedication to addressing the issues through several initiatives. The State representatives pointed out that people responsible for some of the forced displacement were recently arrested. The State further said that Colombia has developed 490 humanitarian missions and given reparations to 100,000 victims, sixty-eight percent of whom are women. Commissioner José de Jesús Orozco Henríquez, who is also the Rapporteur for Colombia, requested information on specific strategies and mechanisms used by the State in carrying out Law 1448, as well as information on how Colombia can guarantee that displaced groups have knowledge of and access to the protections and rights afforded by the law.
CODHES
Consultoria para los Derechos Humanos y el Desplazamiento
IACHR
Consultation Right of Indigenous Peoples in Peru Next Post
Situation of the Achuar People of Pastaza, Peru


text:
Labor Legacies: What can we expect from an Albanese government?
Photographer: Chris Round, 'Beer n' Ciggies'
Arena Quarterly no.10
Frank Bongiorno
No, this wasn't a win for the 'True Believers', nor for the 'Quiet Australians', 'Battlers', 'Aspirationals' or even 'The Forgotten People'. When Anthony Albanese made his victory speech in Sydney on 21 May, he said that his government would be there for everyone. It was a message about 'we' and 'us', more than about 'you' or 'me', even as he again reminded the audience of his own story—of being raised by a single mother on the disability pension in public housing. In Albanese's disclosure of himself, this experience remains the origin and foundation of his values, beliefs and role in public life.
After early errors and slips and a sense of vacancy at the heart of Labor's message, his campaign gained moral ballast from his endorsement of the very modest proposition that low-paid workers should not suffer a further cut in their real wages. It is difficult to know what is more disturbing about the neoliberal order in which we now live: that this is all a Labor leader running for office thought he could offer after a decade of stagnant wages, or that the commercial media immediately framed this modest preference—for it was little more than that—as yet another Albanese gaffe. On ABC radio, Phil Coorey of the Australian Financial Review summoned the ghosts of hyper-inflationary Weimar Germany. Here was a powerful insight into who the system is designed to benefit, and who is expected to be satisfied with scraps and crumbs. But it soon became clear that the public mood was more receptive to the idea of better wages than the nation's media, or its Liberal prime minister, and Albanese probably managed to make Morrison look mean-spirited in opposing an extra dollar an hour for poorly paid workers.
Albanese also made it seem as if his party still had a Labor soul when he turned his attention to childcare. It is true that in deference to the insatiable demand of our political culture to express every innovation as a contribution to that abstraction known as 'the economy' he claimed that childcare was not a welfare measure. Labor promised larger subsidies for the first child in care while maintaining the existing subsidy for second and subsequent children. There is less tapering of subsidies for families higher on the income ladder. It is true that high-income families will do better than under current policy, but low- and middle-income families will do better again. Those earning $75,000 or less a year will get a subsidy of 90 per cent (currently 85 per cent for those on $69,000 or below). This policy is not free and universal childcare but its expansion of public subsidy will be a step in that direction, especially for low- and middle-income families. Albanese saw off critics who claimed it was providing the wealthy with taxpayer support—some level of subsidy can be claimed even by those on up to $530,000 per year. The policy, he said, was about increasing workforce participation, especially women's, and it was about improving education for the very young. In offering the largest support to lower income earners, it is broadly progressive and redistributive in its design.[1]
I have dwelt on this policy not just because it was possibly Labor's largest new commitment in financial terms but because of how Albanese framed it. Asked why he was offering subsidies to families on more than half a million a year, he spoke—haltingly at first, when I heard him in a morning media conference—in a language reminiscent of Whitlamite universalism. Childcare was a public good, which created benefits for society as well as the economy. Historically, this has long been one of two broad strands in Labor's approach to welfare (and we can call it that, even if Albanese doesn't). On the one hand, payments are means-tested, targeted at the needy, and an adjunct to what Francis Castles called the 'wage earners' welfare state'.[2] This has arguably been the dominant strand. But there has long been a universalist strand too, going back to 1912 and the £5 maternity allowance offered to all mothers –at least all white mothers—on the birth of a child, dead or alive, in wedlock or out of it. Albanese referred to Medicare as another example of the party's universalism; why should we not seek, eventually, to treat childcare the same way?
Whatever one thinks of the substance of the policy, its framing indicates an effort to connect with some sense of Labor tradition, a belief that it is government's role to create public goods that individuals—or most individuals—are unable easily to create for themselves. Stuart Macintyre called these kinds of ideas, in their Australian context, 'social democracy', which he saw as having had only a short history in the Whitlam era, to be contrasted with labourism's stress on protecting the family through a breadwinner's living wage, combined with a miserly social-security safety net. For Macintyre, social democracy involves 'a shift of resources into the public sector for the purposes of social welfare, education, and urban and regional development, and an attempt to provide greater access to these services among under-privileged sections of the population'.[3]
It would be naive and simplistic to suggest that this is where Labor is about to take the country. Yet the mention of urban and regional development in Macintyre's definition is a reminder that Albanese's key political mentor—a father figure to him, in his own words—was Tom Uren, for whom the young Albanese worked as a research officer. This doyen of the NSW Left was Minister for Urban and Regional Development in the Whitlam government.[4] Given the influence of Uren, and Albanese's background as a Sydney working-class child of the Whitlam era, it is unsurprising that this vision should be attractive to him. Although Albanese grew up in public housing in the care of a single mother on a disability pension, he attended one of the best universities in the country for free, under a regime established by Whitlam. He is likely to be acutely aware of how important public goods are to the most socially vulnerable.
Nonetheless, Albanese and his ministers will also appreciate that he inherits a fiscal and economic climate unlikely to be supportive of expansive and expensive ambition. Here, the incoming government faces a massive debt, continuing deficits and the return of inflation. Its stress on various forms of government intervention designed to increase productivity and workplace participation, while having about them the atmosphere of think-tank wonkery, is its way of dealing with these challenges while maintaining a commitment to spending—indeed, to increasing modestly the size of budget deficits. It is possible that Labor's policies might combine to increase productivity in the manner hoped for, but it is notable that the evidence for a direct relationship between the famous economic reforms of the 1980s and the rather short-lived improvements in productivity in the 1990s remains ambiguous.[5]
These observations point to a likely mismatch between stated ambition and actual policy. The major issues of the campaign, from Labor's point of view, were climate change, cost of living, wage stagnation and government integrity. On climate, Labor's targets are more ambitious than those of the previous government—by 2030, emissions reductions of 43 per cent versus the Coalition's 26to 28 per cent —and it benefited from a perception that it is less wedded to fossil fuels and more sympathetic to promoting renewables. How perception translates into action must remain uncertain, not least because Labor spoke out of two sides of its mouth in dealing with different constituencies. But the strength of the Greens vote, that party's power in the Senate and stronger presence in the lower house, and the remarkable successes of community independents backed by Climate 200, all point to a political environment in which there will be pressures for more forceful action. International opinion, including in the Pacific, will also provide momentum, which an Albanese government might not entirely welcome as it seeks a pathway to a second term and beyond.
On cost of living, Labor identified a point on which it could attack the Coalition, but it is difficult to see anything much that it might do. It is not going to seek price controls, and Albanese's talk of Australia 'making things', while attractive to many voters weary of the running down of manufacturing capacity, is hardly a short- or even medium-term project. On wages, it might do more. It could commit to policies that strengthened unions so that they might bargain more effectively. It might support industry-wide bargaining. But its campaign message, inevitably designed to ensure it was not seen as a tool of the fabled 'union bosses', was milquetoast. It would support applications for wage increases, among the low-paid, and especially among those working in aged care. This was an attractive electoral pitch at a time when it is widely agreed that aged care demands greater resources, and its exhausted, demoralised and underpaid workforce needs both better wages and more help.
An Albanese government will also deliver an anti-corruption commission. Fortunately for Labor, it seems to have been forgotten that key figures within the party opposed Bill Shorten's commitment to establishing such as body ahead of the 2019 election. The Sydney Morning Herald reported at the time that the opponents included Penny Wong, Tony Burke and Albanese himself.[6] But a further three years of government under the Liberal and National parties—which have engaged flamboyantly rewarded friends and donors with government contracts and appointments, pork-barrelled for political advantage, and flaunted a lack of accountability—amply demonstrated the need for an anti-corruption commission. In response, changes in the public mood as well as the pressure from independents—both in the old parliament and more recently on the campaign trail—will ensure the creation of a powerful investigative body.
The strength of Labor's appeal at the 2022 election is that while its pitch initially had a miscellaneous quality, it increasingly looked like more than the sum of its parts. Bill Shorten's campaign in 2019 was criticised for being a large grab-bag of promises without a central thread—'a cluttered policy agenda that looked risky', as the party's own internal review put it.[7] Albanese's was less cluttered, less risky and linked to a wider story about what he and the party stood for, including how its values differed from those of its opponent. Albanese himself was a more popular figure than Shorten, even if not some kind of popular hero.
It was particularly important for Labor to achieve a measured differentiation because on key issues its policies were indistinguishable from the Coalition's. So, Labor emphasised its policy to chase multinationals for tax, which gave it something to talk about when it was asked why it was supporting the government's third tranche of income tax cuts—a change that will have people on $200,000 a year paying the same rate as those on $45,000. On tertiary education, it has abandoned its earlier policy of provision of university places driven by demand. On welfare, it has not committed to a higher JobSeeker payment. On foreign policy, it sought to minimise any differences with the government over relations with China, instead turning the Coalition's usual strength on national security matters back on it by pointing to an alleged failure to counter China's efforts to influence the Solomon Islands.
In his victory speech, Albanese signalled his support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart; given the Coalition's long-standing opposition to implementing that, stretching back to Malcolm Turnbull's dismissal of a constitutionally enshrined voice as a 'third chamber', Labor has again identified with Whitlamite social democracy. There is perhaps something in Richard Flanagan's post-election analysis: that on this issue, as well as others, the result brings the Howard era to its end.[8] That point was underlined by Morrison's desperate stunt on election day to scare voters back into the Coalition ranks by engineering a scare over refugee boat arrivals.
The Rudd and Gillard governments both thought they were making a new departure, in 2007 and 2010, but the ghosts of the Howard era soon came back to haunt them. The resumption of boat arrivals leached voter support for Rudd and then Gillard. The Liberals also weaponised climate policy. Marriage equality got nowhere, misogyny flourished, and mining magnates showed the country who was boss. Labor should have been able to claim much credit, not least for avoiding a recession in the face of the Global Financial Crisis while also managing to raise pensions. But after Rudd's honeymoon with the nation's progressive intelligentsia via his Australia 2020 Summit, Labor never gained command over public debate or national culture. Murdoch media filled the vacuum. When Rudd proclaimed the age of neoliberalism over early in 2009, his claims already lacked credibility because Labor had failed to use the power of incumbency to promote the ascendancy of social democracy through the nation's political and cultural institutions.[9]
If Albanese shows a similar indifference to challenging the amalgam of cronyism and populism that ruled the political roost for a decade—essentially a favours system based on enrichment of the favoured few at the cost of rising public squalor—Labor will be returned to opposition soon enough. It is hardly surprising that Albanese has signalled that he wants to govern more like Bob Hawke. His call for an employment summit recalls the Hawke government's use of similar instruments. But in Hawke's day, half the workforce was still unionised, the media ecology was drastically less complex than today, and it was easy to imagine that you could build a consensus between key economic interests such as capital and labour, business and unions, who just happened to be represented by men in suits.
Albanese's world is a more complicated and diverse one. Women's electoral clout has never been more evident, and while his party now benefits enormously from this gender gap—Labor does well among women voters—women are also exercising influence through support for Greens and independents. Many of the candidates now making their way into parliament outside the old party structure will be women. Labor has quietly signalled that it is on women's side but burned by the misogyny of the Gillard era, it has seemingly done its best to make its pitch in a low-key manner, such as by promising to support higher wages for low-paid workers, who are disproportionately women, and improving workplace protections against sexual harassment and assault. Albanese's stress on 'care'—whether aged care, childcare or Medicare—was the projection of a softer image seen to be in harmony with women's taste for a less combative politics, for an end to the political strongman fetish, and for policies that move beyond helping along men in high-vis clothing.
There will be other complexities involved in forging consensus. Intergenerational theft is now so embedded in Australia's policy architecture that young people will need a lot of cultivation. Many vote for the Greens, endangering metropolitan seats once traditional Labor territory: the Greens gained three lower-house seats in Brisbane. Others voted independent, securing the election of seven new members, six of them associated with Climate 200. Young people feel locked out of the housing market—Labor proposed a modest system of government equity in homes to alleviate the problem—and have been especially vulnerable to stagnant wages, the rising costs of tertiary education in many courses, and a continuing racket in which ever-more tax concessions are offered to middle-aged and older Australians, many of them in more than comfortable circumstances.
And then there is the country's ethnic diversity. There will be ten First Nations members of the new parliament, which is now approaching the proportion of Australians who identify as Indigenous. On Asian-Australian representation, the old parties have a poorer record, and the NSW Labor machine's effort to foist Kristina Keneally on the voters of Fowler in the city's south-west resulted only in the election of a Vietnamese-Australian independent, Dai Le. That richly deserved disaster—for Labor—was, in turn, a product of the party's often rancid internal factional politics, a problem that will not disappear with the election of a new government. Factionalism helped destroy the Labor governments of 2007– 2013 and it has the potential to do so again, with the unravelling to begin at the moment the first jobs are handed out.
But it would be unwise to end on a sour note. In the year of the fiftieth anniversary of the election of the Whitlam government, the 2022 election arguably saw the most significant shift towards a progressive politics since that time. The repudiation of the government was severe: a massive swing in the primary vote, at the time of writing, 5.3 per cent. While Labor's vote went slightly backwards, the Greens achieved a swing of 1.3 per cent and 'Others', predominantly independents, just over 2 per cent. Once preferences were distributed, Labor's vote of 51.6 per cent was about a point behind Whitlam's in 1972, and Rudd's in 2007 (both 52.7 per cent), although further behind Hawke's in 1983 (53.2 per cent). If there is a left or progressive vote, it is fragmented, but that does not make it something other than left or progressive. On issues such as Indigenous affairs, clean energy, public integrity and women's rights, that body of opinion will give an Albanese government some leeway. On wider issues of economic distribution and justice, it faces a more perplexing task. Here, its strategy of promoting economic growth, renewal and productivity will depend heavily on matters—many of them global—that lie outside the control of any Australian government.
1 Kate Griffiths, Owain Emslie and Danielle Wood, 'Is Labor's Childcare Policy Welfare for the Well-off?', Grattan Institute, blog, 12 October 2020, https://grattan.edu.au/news/is-labors-childcare-policy-welfare-for-the-well-off/ and Owain Emslie; 'Explainer: Everything You Need To Know about the Major Parties' New Childcare Policies', Grattan Institute, blog, 4 April 2022, https://grattan.edu.au/news/explainer-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-major-parties-new-childcare-policies/; Australian Labor Party, 'Labor's Plan for Cheaper Childcare', https://www.alp.org.au/policies/women_economic_recovery.
2 Francis G. Castles, The Working Class and Welfare: Reflections on the Political Development of the Welfare State in Australia and New Zealand, 1890–1980, Wellington (NZ) and Sydney: Allen & Unwin in association with Port Nicholson Press, 1985.
3 Stuart Macintyre, 'A Short History of Social Democracy in Australia', Thesis Eleven 15, 1986, p. 8.
4Tony Wright, '"I love the boy": The Gift Our PM Received from a Bamboo Prison', The Sydney Morning Herald, 27 May 2022, https://www.smh.com.au/national/i-love-the-boy-the-gift-our-pm-received-from-a-bamboo-prison-20220526-p5aotw.html.
5 Ian W. McLean, Why Australia Prospered: The Shifting Sources of Economic Growth, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013, pp. 235–241.
6 The Sydney Morning Herald, 2 August 2019.
7 Australian Labor Party, Review of Labor's 2019 Election Campaign, chaired by Craig Emerson and Jay Weatherill, Australian Labor Party, Canberra, 2019, p. 7, https://alp.org.au/media/2043/alp-campaign-review-2019.pdf.
[8] Richard Flanagan, 'Morrison Government's Fall Marks End of Howard-era Ascendancy', The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 May 2022, https://www.smh.com.au/national/morrison-government-s-fall-marks-end-of-howard-era-ascendancy-20220525-p5aod6.html.
[9] Kevin Rudd, 'The Global Financial Crisis', The Monthly, February 2009, https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2009/february/1319602475/kevin-rudd/global-financial-crisis.
A LIGHT SHINING IN THE SHIRE
GUY RUNDLE, MAR 2022
The last decade has seen the failure of the centrist form of neoliberal progressivism that occupied the left parties in the face of an onslaught by right-wing populism, which mobilised forces old and new to present themselves…as a response on behalf of the people against the entire 'political/media' class, as represented by those in power.
Frank Bongiorno teaches history at the Australian National University. His latest book, Dreamers and Schemers: A Political History of Australia, will be published by Black Inc./La Trobe University Press on 1 November 2022.
More articles by Frank Bongiorno
Categorised: Arena Quarterly #10
Tagged: Australian Labor Party (ALP), Australian Politics, election


In the past year I have been thinking about how I would like my life to be given I can't have children. I realised that, due to not having children, I was in position where I could follow paths and dreams that would have been much harder to pursue if I did have children. I also recognised that there were some adventures that I would not have been able to have at all if I had little ones – at least not until they were young adults.
The life I want includes travel, writing, advocating for animal rights and the environment, being outdoors hiking or canoeing, and being as engaged in my life and its possibilities as much as I can be.
With this vision came the realisation that I would have to be fit and healthy to make this life a reality. And I was far from healthy at the beginning of last year.
I have put on weight in the last five years. Much of the weight was gained while I was doing IVF – the medications I had to inject myself with are known to cause weight gain, I didn't exercise as regularly as I should have due to the unfounded fear that something would happen to the eggs or embryos if I did, and I ate sugary, fatty foods to try and make myself feel better. Eventually I ended up with high blood pressure, high bad cholesterol, and my muscles were weaker – my health was at risk.
Since we finished IVF I haven't really had any excuse not to lose weight. I just haven't. I've tried a couple of weight loss programs, but none of them were suitable to continue long term. Eventually I kind of gave away the whole weight loss thing and decided to just do what I wanted – that is until I realised what I wanted my life to be.
At the beginning of last year I decided to be serious about losing weight. I started exercising – doing weights, doing aerobic activity, and trying to get as much incidental activity into my days as I could. I wanted that weight gone. I was successful for a while – but not for long. I went to see an Ayurveda practitioner who gave me advice on diet and lifestyle, which I was determined to follow for long term health. They actually advised me not to do aerobic exercise and to not go out when it was cold. So I didn't. The small progress I'd made in losing weight was soon gone, along with the desire to follow Ayurvedic principles*, and I was back to where I started.
At the end of last year I realised it wasn't long until I would be going to Thailand and I definitely wanted to lose weight for that! I renewed my commitment to losing weight and I thought I was doing pretty well – I was slimming down. Or so I thought.
Last week I was interviewed for a local television show and when I saw myself on the television I was shocked. I actually didn't recognise myself. In my mind's eye I was truly slimming down, my arms were toning up, and I was achieving what I wanted to. But, I could clearly see now that I wasn't. To be honest, I wasn't really trying that hard with the exercising – it was always "next week I'll increase my aerobic exercise", "next week I'll do a bike ride", or, "next week I'll go up a kilogram in lifting weights." I've also been eating whatever I want, whenever I want. I haven't taken the time to learn what I need by way of food – especially as I am a vegetarian.
There's nothing wrong with being larger – there are many women who are both beautiful and healthy at a larger weight. I'm not one of them – well, not healthy anyway (Kirby thinks I'm beautiful!). For me it is about how my health could affect what I want to do with my life. I am not healthy at a larger weight, and I don't like not being able to lift things and not feeling fit and able. I don't like the idea of going to Thailand and not being able to do the forty kilometre (25 mile) bike ride around the Sukhothai Historical Park that I want to do. I don't like the idea of not being able to go on a strenuous hike ever again.
So, what am I going to do about it? First I am going to change my mindset. I'm no longer losing weight – in fact I'm not going to focus on losing weight at all. My aim is to be fit and strong and healthy.
I'm going to learn about what I should be eating, and I'm going to commit to an exercise program of weights and aerobics, and I will be setting goals – by the time I go to Thailand I want to be lifting at least six kilogram (thirteen pound) weights (I'm up to four (nine pound) now), I will be able to ride forty kilometres (25 miles), and I will feel confident that I can follow my dreams and the different paths of my life.
I will not be weighing myself anymore – instead I will be measuring my waist. It seems that waist measurement is important in determining health – and I will have a waist of less than 80 centimetres (31.5 inches) by the time I go to Thailand.
My life has so many wonderful opportunities. And I'm not going to miss them because I don't feel healthy and I don't feel strong. My children aren't here – and I owe it to them to live the best life I can.
* Ayurveda is still a well recognised and amazing health system - but it just didn't work for me.


The difference in the APEC speeches on Friday in the Vietnamese port city of Da Nang respectively by President Xi and President Trump can be succinctly summarized as the battle of multilateralism versus bilateralism.
Trump railed against the World Trade Organization, which sets global trade laws, complained about US trade imbalances and attacked free trade by saying it costs millions of American jobs. More importantly, he said America would make bilateral agreements with "any Indo-Pacific partner here who abides by fair reciprocal trade," but only "on a basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit." Setting aside the notion of "Indo-Pacific" which appears to be new in America's Asian foreign policy, sadly, the days of America leading global free trade is gone, for good.
Minutes later, President Xi took to the podium to espouse free trade. In sharp contrast to President Trump, he defended multilateral trade in saying, "We should support the multilateral trading regime and practice open regionalism to allow developing members to benefit more from international trade and investment." Our president has now become the poster child for free trade and globalization on the international stage.
President Trump certainly backs up his words with actions. Not only has he already scrapped the TPP trade pact, he is also starting to tear apart NAFTA, with the Canadian softwood lumber industry to be the first victim. On April 25, 2017 the Trump administration announced plans to impose duties of up to 24% on most Canadian lumber, charging that lumber companies are subsidized by the government.
Why multilateralism triumphs over bilateralism in the majority of economist community? There are at least three reasons I can think of.
First, the rules-based principle in regulating international flows of goods, services and capital works more effectively under a multilateral system. A rules-based governance system by definition means it has to engage multiple parties, which provides one seat and often times one vote for each party. The alternative bilateralism on the other hand is often inefficient, easily inequitable or discriminatory, and prone to being subject to hijacking by power politics. Bilateralism creates a hub-and-spoke system in political science jargon, and the hub usually dictates the rule. Canada appears to be the first victim so far.
Second, trade or capital flows are fundamentally two-way streets, where both parties involved derive benefits. Take China's Belt and Road Initiative as an example, which some commentators claim is China's international aid program in comparison to the Marshall Plan (which this author is vehemently opposed to, but this is a topic of discourse for another day), China could also benefit immensely from such infrastructure investments in terms of expanding exports opportunities and securing and lowering costs of imports of strategic raw materials.
Third, and here is the economics insight that may not seem intuitive and probably hard for Trump and his team of advisors to grasp. A balanced network of trade and investment relationships in a general equilibrium is fundamentally more welfare enhancing than a set of balanced bilateral relationships in a set of partial equilibria. That means the former provides more trade and more gains from trade. Think of the time when humans started to use the currency media for exchange. Before that, a person had to maintain a trade balance with everyone he trades with. But the use of the currency allows him to trade more and realize more gains from trade.
Multilateralism also offers the kind of stability and predictability when it comes to outside demand or supply shocks, which I call the anchoring effect, akin to the function of a ship anchor in stormy waters. This is where multinational organizations like the World Bank and the IMF step in to address dire situations of financial crisis, to reduce risks of global price spikes for important commodities and to help with humanitarian crisis if needed. The Road and Belt Initiative has set up its own international organizations like the Asian Infrastructure Development Bank under a multilateral participation framework.
America used to be a beacon of free trade, as epitomized by such powerful words from Thomas Jefferson, "Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto." Today the administration in Washington is treading a protectionist road that runs contrary to the global trend, squandering away all opportunities of world leadership while decimating American long term strategic interests.


New Communications Studies (first-year and transfer) students are eligible to join.
The Communication Studies Learning Community serves first-year and transfer students who are new to Iowa State and to the Communication Studies Program. Our Learning Community was developed to help students connect with other students in their major and identify campus resources that can help them be successful. The Communication Studies Learning Community is tied to the Communication Studies 104 Orientation course as well as Introduction to Communication Studies (ComSt 101).


text:
#import <DVTKit/DVTAbstractColorPicker.h>

@class NSDictionary;

@interface DVTColorPickerPopUpButton : DVTAbstractColorPicker
{
    struct CGRect popUpButtonArrowsRect;
    struct CGRect colorWellViewRect;
    struct CGRect colorLabelRect;
    struct CGRect swatchRect;
    struct CGRect colorLabelTitleRect;
    NSDictionary *imageStateDictionary;
}

+ (id)imageStateDictionaryForControlSize:(unsigned long long)arg1;
- (void).cxx_destruct;
- (void)mouseDown:(id)arg1;
- (BOOL)isMouseEventInColorWellRect:(id)arg1;
- (void)drawRect:(struct CGRect)arg1;
- (void)drawColorLabel;
- (void)drawColorWell;
- (void)drawPopUpButtonArrows;
- (void)drawDebuggingRects;
- (void)drawFocusRing;
- (id)effectiveAttributedTitle;
- (id)attributedTitleForTitle:(id)arg1;
- (id)titleAttributes;
- (double)swatchHeight;
- (id)effectiveImageForControlPart:(int)arg1;
- (id)effectivePopUpButtonArrowsRightCapImage;
- (id)effectiveTextColor;
- (struct CGPoint)popUpMenuLocation;
- (double)horizontalMenuOffset;
- (double)verticalMenuOffset;
- (void)sizeRectsForDrawing;
- (double)verticalTitleOffset;
- (double)baseline;
- (double)heightThatFits;
- (double)widthForPopUpButton;
- (CDStruct_bf6d4a14)shadowInset;
- (BOOL)isShowingTitle;
- (struct CGRect)insetRectForSwatchRect:(struct CGRect)arg1;
- (struct CGRect)swatchRectForColorWellRect:(struct CGRect)arg1;
- (void)setControlSize:(unsigned long long)arg1;
- (id)imageStateDictionary;
- (void)invalidateImageStateDictionary;

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
10 Best Things to Do in Essaouira, Morocco
Aptly named 'Little Picture' in Arabic, Essaouira is a picturesque port city located on the Northern Atlantic Coast of Morocco. Characterized by an ancient 18th-century fortified town, a colorful fishing port, and a glorious golden stretch of beachfront, Essaouira is one of Morocco's most underrated cities. A fantastic choice for a romantic, family, or solo… Continue Reading
12 Best Things to Do in Fes, Morocco
Weird, wild and wonderful, Fes is one of the last remaining medieval cities in the world. With an impressive history that dates back over a thousand years, Fes is filled with bustling souks, crowded cafes, captivating Marinid architecture, extraordinary mosques, and authentic madrasas (Islamic schools). With so much to see and do, it's no surprise… Continue Reading
10 Best Things to Do in Meknes, Morocco
It may not be as well-known as nearby Fes, but Meknes is still a worthy addition to any Moroccan bucket list. Located near the Middle Atlas Mountains in northern Morocco and nicknamed the 'Imperial City,' Meknes boasts a fascinating centuries-old past with a vibrant city packed full of bustling souks, mosques, and madrasas, and thousand-year-old… Continue Reading
Where to Stay in Marrakech: Best Neighborhoods & Hotels
Marrakech is the frenetic and famous city of Morocco. All the rumors are true: it really does have a collection of maze-like streets to get lost down, with countless street vendors selling everything from spices to leather, making it an intense and intriguing experience. Stand in the madness of Jemaa el-Fnaa in the daytime and… Continue Reading
10 Best Beaches in Morocco
Morocco's coastline runs along both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, meaning it has a huge array of beaches that are just begging to be visited. With some fantastic spots for keen surfers and water sports enthusiasts, there's no shortage of waves along much of the country's sprawling, sand-dune sea sides. If spending your holiday sleepily… Continue Reading
15 Best Cities to Visit in Morocco
From the glistening waters of the Mediterranean to the sandy plains of the Sahara, Morocco has fascinated and enticed travelers for thousands of years. Morocco's strength lies in its integral position for trade with the rest of Africa; as such, the country has seen many influences infused with its own Berber traditions. From French to… Continue Reading
Discover the Roman Ruins of Volubilis in Morocco
Although Morocco is well known for its exotic cities, it also has a few ruins left from its time as a Roman Colony. The most stunning of these is Volubilis, which is found at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. Built in a fertile agricultural area where almond and olive trees were plentiful, this site… Continue Reading
7 Best Day Trips from Marrakesh
Sometimes the exotic sights, sounds and smells of a city like Marrakesh can overwhelm us. When this happens it's time to get out of the city for a few hours and recharge our batteries. While you won't find the fairy tale castles of Europe on these day trips from Marrakesh, you will find deserts and… Continue Reading
Inside Chefchaouen: Morocco's Stunning Blue City
Chefchaouen may be blue, perhaps the bluest city in the world, but that doesn't mean it's said. It's because everything in this Moroccan city, from buildings to lamp posts and garbage cans, is painted blue. The city's blueness is a tradition that dates back to the 15th century when Jews fled Spain because of the… Continue Reading
10 Top Tourist Attractions in Marrakech
Formerly one of Morocco imperial capitals, Marrakech (also spelled Marrakesh) is an exotic city luring visitors with its Moroccan charm. Whether travelers arrive on the express or tour the city with thoughts of Charles Boyer and his Kasbah at the fore, all will be enchanted by what they find. Whether haggling for a bargain in… Continue Reading


text:
package rholang.parsing.rholang1.Absyn; // Java Package generated by the BNF Converter.

public class EVar extends Expr {
  public final String var_;
  public EVar(String p1) { var_ = p1; }

  public <R,A> R accept(rholang.parsing.rholang1.Absyn.Expr.Visitor<R,A> v, A arg) { return v.visit(this, arg); }

  public boolean equals(Object o) {
    if (this == o) return true;
    if (o instanceof rholang.parsing.rholang1.Absyn.EVar) {
      rholang.parsing.rholang1.Absyn.EVar x = (rholang.parsing.rholang1.Absyn.EVar)o;
      return this.var_.equals(x.var_);
    }
    return false;
  }

  public int hashCode() {
    return this.var_.hashCode();
  }

}


Garlic Fries and Baseball ~ 2012 in Review.
My favorite holiday group, "The Priests", made up of three Roman Catholic priests all from Northern Ireland. Fr Eugene and his brother Fr Martin O'Hagan are originally from the village of Claudy, County Londonderry with the family now residing in Derry whilst Fr David Delargy is from Ballymena, County Antrim. I hope you enjoy this no matter what your religious persuasion.
GFBB Note: With all the money MLB makes, it seems like they could come up with something better than this. Maybe they could talk to NASA, or what's left of it. Seems like some of those astronauts were decked out in classy looking protection that could be configured to the inside of a baseball cap, with maybe an ear flap or two. Just kidding ….kinda, sorta.
In what seems like a compromise between their current lack of protection and wearing a full-on helmet on the mound MLB will have pitchers test a padded hat in an effort to reduce head injuries.
Unequal's padding for each cap weighs 4.3 ounces, is one eighth-of-an-inch thick and is made of a three-layer synthetic composite that includes military grade DuPont Kevlar and a polymer with the properties of rubber. He also said Unequal could mass produce the cap padding and sell it as an insert for about $60 apiece retail.


Dated 1896. Single storey and 2-storey with attic, 3-bay public house with storm gable. Snecked squared rubble with ashlar dressings.
NE (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: bowed gable with slated canopy over centre door at ground and windows in flanking bays, windows flanking small moulded panel with date and initials 'JC'(?) to centre at 1st floor and further single window in gablehead with stack.
NW ELEVATION: door to right and window to left at ground, centre stair window and 2 further windows at 1st floor, 2 finialled canted dormer windows above. Single storey wing to outer right.
SE ELEVATION: advanced gabled bay to left of centre with single window to each floor at outer left, return to right with window to each floor over basement opening and dormer window as above. Further window to each floor of set back bay to right adjoining bowed E elevation at outer right.
SW ELEVATION: altered elevation with gabled bay to left and extension to right.
Largely 4-pane glazing pattern in timber sash and case windows. Grey slates. Coped ashlar stacks with some cans. Ashlar-coped skews.
INTERIOR: bar with boarded dado and cast-iron centre column.
Formerly the Old Station Bar. The www entry for The Mash Tun Whisky Bar says that 'the building was originally constructed for a seafaring gentleman, if you look at it from the riverside you can visualise a small ship'. The storm gable shape, designed to bear the brunt of high winds, can be seen on a number of exposed coastal buildings in Scotland. The name was changed after the railway closed to passengers in 1965, and the current owner (2004) has pledged to revert to the original name should a train pull into the station.
B Mary Avenue, Aberlour Primary School and Enclosing Walls.


text:
From Encyclopedia of Buddhism
(Redirected from Abhidhamma)
Abhidharma (Skt.; Pal. Abhidhamma; Tib. ཆོས་མངོན་པ་, མངོན་པ་, chö ngönpa, Wyl. chos mngon pa) — refers to a collection of Buddhist texts that define many of the topics mentioned in the Buddha's teachings (sutras), and arranges them in classifications, such as the five skandhas, the twelve ayatanas, the fifty-two mental factors, and so on, thereby providing tools for generating a precise understanding of all experience.
Contemporary scholar Steven Goodman describes the Abhidharma as:
"...an in-depth study, both analytically and experientially, of what makes up the entire universe, the person, and their world. [The Abhidharma] speaks about different patternings of what make up this entire universe, for the sole purpose...of helping beings along the path to the cessation of suffering.[1]
The Abhidharma is known as the third of the three pitakas, or collections, into which the Buddhist teachings are divided. The Abhidharma Pitaka is associated with the training in wisdom (Skt. prajñā).
1 Brief history
2 Basic concepts
2.1 Three wisdom categories
2.1.1 Five skandhas
2.1.2 Twelve ayatanas
2.1.3 Eighteen dhatus
2.2 Main mind and mental factors
2.2.1 Main mind
2.2.2 Mental factors
2.3 Elements of ultimate reality
2.3.1 72 dhammas of the Abhidhammattha-sangaha
2.3.2 75 dharmas of the Abhidharma-kosha
3 Abhidharma texts
3.1 Theravada tradition
3.2 East Asian tradition
3.3 Tibetan tradition
The Abhidharma (Pali: Abhidhamma) philosophy developed developed after the Buddha passed away in an attempt to organize and systematize the teachings of the Buddha. As one contemporary scholar explains:
During the first two centuries following the Buddha's parinibbāna there took place, within the early Buddhist community, a move towards a comprehensive and precise systematisation of the teachings disclosed by the Master in his discourses. The philosophical systems that emerged from this refined analytical approach to the doctrine are collectively called the Abhidhamma. Both the Theravāda and the Sarvāstivāda, the two major conservative schools in the early Sangha, had their own Abhidhammas, each based on a distinct Abhidhamma Piṭaka. It is likely too that other schools had also developed philosophical systems along similar lines, though records of them did not survive the passage of time.[2]
Three wisdom categories
The abhidharma tradition presents multiple methods with which to analyze the components of an individual and their relationship to the world. Three commonly used modes are:[3][4][5][note 1]
five skandhas (aggregates, heaps, etc.)
twelve ayatanas (sense bases, cognitive stimulators, etc.)
eighteen dhatus (sources, etc)
These different methods have been described as "wisdom categories",[3] "sets of phenomena",[4] "modes of analysis",[5] etc.
Each of these methods is taught to counteract specific wrong views. For example, contemporary scholar Karunadasa states:
Now the purposes for which Buddhism resorts to these analyses are varied. For instance, the main purpose of the khandha-analysis is to show that there is no ego either inside or outside the five khandhas which go to make up the socalled empiric individuality. None of the khandhas belongs to me (n'etaṃ mama), they do not correspond to "I" (n'eso'ham asmi), nor are they my self (n'eso me attā). [7] Thus the main purpose of this analysis is to prevent the intrusion of the notions of "mine," "I," and "my self" into what is otherwise an impersonal and egoless congeries of mental and physical phenomena. On the other hand, the analysis into eighteen dhātus is often resorted to in order to show that consciousness is neither a soul nor an extension of a soul-substance but a mental phenomenon which comes into being as a result of certain conditions: there is no independent consciousness which exists in its own right.[5]
Five skandhas
Main article: Five skandhas
The five skandhas (Sanskrit: pañca skandha; Pali: pañca khandha) are five psycho-physical aggregates that are said to be the basis for self-clinging. The five skandhas (aggregates, heaps, etc.) were mentioned in the very first teaching of the Buddha, and which the Buddha stated that clinging to these skandhas causes suffering. The five skandas are:
rupa-skandha - aggregate of forms
vedana-skandha - aggregate of sensations
saṃjñā-skandha - aggregate of perceptions
saṃskāra-skandha - aggregate of formations
vijñāna-skandha - aggregate of consciousness
The five skandha are taught to counteract grasping to a concept of the self as a solid, unique, and permanent entity.
Twelve ayatanas
Main article: Twelve ayatanas
The twelve ayatanas are another scheme for analyzing the workings of the mind. They "include all validly knowable phenomena, both nonstatic and static."[4]
The twelve ayatanas are:
the six outer ayatanas (six sense objects, six outer sources, etc.):
rūpa-āyatana - sights
śabda-āyatana - sounds
gandha-āyatana - smells
rasa-āyatana - tastes
spraṣṭavya-āyatana - textures
dharma-āyatana - mental objects
the six inner ayatanas (six sense faculties, six inner sources, etc.):
cakṣur-āyatana - eye base
śrotra-āyatana - ear base
ghrāṇa-āyatana - nose base
jihva-āyatana - tongue base
kāya-āyatana - body base
mano-āyatana - mind base
Eighteen dhatus
Main article: Eighteen dhatus
The eighteen dhatus also include all validly knowable phenomena. The eighteen dhatus are an extension of the twelve ayatanas. These dhatus include the twelve ayatanas, and add to them the six types of consciousness that arise when there is contact between a sense organ and an object.[5]
Main mind and mental factors
The mind is often explained in terms of 'main mind' (Tib. གཙོ་སེམས་, gtso sems) referring to the six or eight types of consciousness, and the mental factors (Tib. སེམས་བྱུང་, sems byung) , which are often given as a list of fifty-one or fifty-two states.[6]
Main mind
Main mind (Tib. གཙོ་སེམས་, tso sem; Wyl. gtso sems), in Buddhist psychology and epistemology, refers to the six or eight sets of consciousness. It is distinguished from the mental factors or processes, usually listed as fifty-one or fifty-two, which are said to perceive the features of objects, while main mind perceives only their basic identity.[7]
Mental factors
Main article: Mental factors
Mental factors (Sanskrit: caitasika; Pali: cetasika; Tibetan Wylie: sems byung), are defined within the Abhidharma as aspects of the mind that apprehend the quality of an object, and that have the ability to color the mind. The mental factors are categorized as formations (Sanskrit: saṅkhāra) concurrent with mind (Sanskrit: citta).[8][9][10]
Alternate translations for mental factors (Sanskrit: caitasika) include:
"mental states",
"mental events", and
"concomitants of consciousness".
Elements of ultimate reality
The Abhidharma traditions define the basic elements (or building blocks, or mental and emotional factors) of ultimate reality. These basic elements are said to describe everything that truly is, in all of its particularity and variety.[3]
The different Abhidharma traditions present different list of these basic elements. For example:
The Theravada tradition (of the Abhidhammattha-sangaha) present of list seventy-two ultimate realities.
The Sarvastidian tradition (of the Abhidharma-kosha) presents of list of seventy-five elements.
These lists are not intended as definitive "ontological" descriptions of ultimate reality, but rather as "maps" that indicate how our minds and bodies exist in the world in an interdependent manner. That is, these maps are taught to break down our grasping to a fixed sense of self.
72 dhammas of the Abhidhammattha-sangaha
See also: Dhamma theory
The Abhidhammattha-sangaha identifies 72 basic elemements of existence, called vatthudhammā. The vatthudhammā are "phenomena which exist with intrinsic natures (sabhāva)".[11] These 72 entities are:
Consciousness (though there are many divisions of consciousness, this is regarded as one entity because all cittas have the same intrinsic nature—the cognizing of an object)
The fifty-two mental factors (these are each viewed as a distinct ultimate entity since each mental factor has its own individual intrinsic nature)
The eighteen concretely produced material phenomena (these are each viewed as a distinct ultimate entity since each concretely produced material phenomena has its own individual intrinsic nature)
Nibbana[11]
75 dharmas of the Abhidharma-kosha
See: Seventy-five dharmas of the Abhidharma-kosha
Abhidharma texts
Theravada tradition
Abhidhamma Pitaka (Pali Canon)
Key commentaries:
Atthasalini, a commentary on the "Dhammasangani" by Buddhaghosa
Abhidhammattha-sangaha, a commentary by Acariya Anuruddha
East Asian tradition
Abhidharma texts (Chinese Canon)
Tibetan tradition
Abhidharma texts (Tibetan Canon)
Key commentaries (included in the Tibetan Canon):
Abhidharma-kosha
↑ Karunadasa identifies five categories: 1. name and form; 2. five skandhas; 3. six dhatus; 4. twelve ayatanas; 5. eighteen dhatus.
↑ Steven Goodman on Abhidharma (Shambhala Publications)
↑ Karunadasa 1996, p. Introduction.
↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Steven Goodman, Frogs in the Custard, ZAM (out of print)
↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The 5 Aggregates, 12 Cognitive Stimulators, 18 Sources, StudyBuddhism
↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Karunadasa 1996, p. Ch.I.
↑ Six consciousnesses
↑ Main mind
↑ Guenther (1975), Kindle Location 321.
↑ Kunsang (2004), p. 23.
↑ Geshe Tashi Tsering (2006), Kindle Location 456.
↑ 11.0 11.1 Bodhi 2012, "Compendium of Categories".
Karunadasa, Y. (1996), The Dhamma Theory. Philosophical Cornerstone of the Abhidhamma (PDF), Buddhist Publication Society
Berzin, Alexander (2006). Primary Minds and the 51 Mental Factors, StudyBuddhism
Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University
Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2012). A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma. Buddhist Publication Society.
Geshe Tashi Tsering (2006). Buddhist Psychology: The Foundation of Buddhist Thought. Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition.
Guenther, Herbert V. & Leslie S. Kawamura (1975), Mind in Buddhist Psychology: A Translation of Ye-shes rgyal-mtshan's "The Necklace of Clear Understanding". Dharma Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Kunsang, Erik Pema (translator) (2004). Gateway to Knowledge, Vol. 1. North Atlantic Books.
Nārada Thera. Abhidhammattha-sangaha
Traleg Rinpoche (1993). The Abhidharmasamuccaya: Teachings by the Venerable Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche. The Kagyu E-Vam Buddhist Institute.[1]
Search for videos:
Search YouTube for: Abhidharma Buddhism
Selected videos:
Abhidhamma Concept of Attention - Rupert Gethin
Description: A comprehensive presentation of the Theravada concept of 'Mental States' and the 'Thought Process' given at the Mind and Life seminar organized by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The discussion becomes interesting with the practical inquiries and contrasting views of the other Abhidharma traditions posed by His Holiness.
Abhidharma Seminar: Lecture of Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi Part 1
Description: Abhidharma Seminar: Lecture of Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi Part 1
Search Vimeo for: Abhidharma
Steven Goodman on Abhidharma
Description: Steven Goodman on Abhidharma
Abhidharma Panel Discussion, Introductory Remarks by Jack Petranker
Description: The first of seven short videos from a panel discussion on the Abhidharma held at the Mangalam Center in Berkely, California. The panel includes Bhikkhu Bodhi, Collett Cox, Rupert Gethin, Eleanor Rosch, and Robert Sharf.
Ringu Tulku on the five skandhas
Description: Using a commentary by Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, 'The Gateway to Knowledge', [Vol 1], Ringu Tulku explains the five skandhas. This teaching goes into much detail on the skandha of form.
Abhidharma (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Retrieved from "https://encyclopediaofbuddhism.org/index.php?title=Abhidharma&oldid=45044"
Content is available under CC by 3.0 - Creative Commons Share Alike (see Attribute Encyclopedia of Buddhism) unless otherwise noted.
About Encyclopedia of Buddhism


text:
The Commission extends and expands the temporary framework for State Aid
Publicado por Irene Moreno-Tapia and Pablo García Vázquez /
On October 13, the European Commission extended the Temporary Framework on state aid until June 31, 2021 and added a further amendment introducing additional measures available to States.
The Temporary Framework, which was due to expire on December 31, is thus extended by a further period of six months and States will be able to notify — and the Commission authorize — public aid aligned with the conditions of the Temporary Framework until June 31, 2020, for now. In any case, the Commission advises that, at the appropriate time, it will assess the need to further extend the Temporary Framework.
This extension applies to the wide range of state aid measures set out in the Temporary Framework and its amendments, including direct subsidies, public guarantees and interest rate subsidies on loans, tax benefits, wage subsidies and recapitalization measures, among others. The only exception in this regard is the aid for recapitalization, which is extended beyond the others, from the initial June 31 to September 30, 2021.
After the extension approved by the Commission, it is expected that Member States will in turn consider extending the duration of the aid already approved by the Commission to align it with the new validity period of the Temporary Framework. For that purpose, States will have to notify a list of all the aid measures they intend to modify so that the Commission can authorise the extension of all of them by a single decision.
As on previous occasions, the Commission has clarified some points of the Temporary Framework that have generated doubts in their application. The Commission thus clarifies that, with regard to aid consisting of direct subsidies, loan guarantees and interest rate subsidies (sections 3.1 to 3.3 of the Temporary Framework), the aid effectively granted must always be within the general limit of 800,000 euros per company. The aid repaid before June 30, 2021 will not be taken into account in applying this limit.
The later means that, if a company receives a repayable advance in the amount of 800,000 euros and that advance is repaid before the Temporary Framework expires, that company may apply for the aid again.
This is also the fourth amendment to the Temporary Framework since its adoption on March 19, 2020. The Temporary Framework was first amended on April 3, 2020, to introduce new aid measures to support the research and manufacture of relevant products to combat the pandemic. It was amended again on May 8, 2020 to allow recapitalization and subordinated debt measures, and for a third time on June 29, 2020, to relax the requirements for the granting of aid to small businesses and promote private investment in the process of recapitalizing companies.
Aid in the form of support for uncovered fixed costs
This fourth amendment introduced the possibility of granting aid for companies' uncovered fixed costs. These new measures will allow States to contribute to the uncovered fixed costs of companies that have suffered a reduction of at least 30% in their turnover during the eligible period (between March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021), with respect to the same period of 2019.
The Commission considers to be uncovered fixed costs those fixed costs borne by companies during the eligible period that are not covered by the contribution to profits (that is, the income less the variable costs) during the same period and that are not already covered trough other means, such as insurance or other aid measures under the Temporary Framework. Companies' losses in their income statements during the eligible period will also be considered uncovered fixed costs.
Aid granted under this measure may consist of direct subsidies, guarantees and loans. The granted aid will not exceed 70% of the uncovered fixed costs except in the case of micro-enterprises and small businesses, where the aid can cover up to 90% of the uncovered fixed costs. In any case, the overall aid cannot exceed 3 million euros per company and other aid may not be claimed for the same eligible costs.
Amendments to recapitalization measures
The Commission also specifies the circumstances under which the State must withdraw after intervening in the share capital of a company in which it was already a shareholder before the recapitalization.
When the State is the only shareholder after the recapitalization, and if at least two years have elapsed since the recapitalization, the competitive sale process (after an open consultation) initially set out in the Temporary Framework for the State's withdrawal, can be replaced by an independent valuation of the company.
Amendment of the Commission's Communication on short-term export-credit insurance
Finally, some aspects of the Temporary Framework relating to short-term export-credit insurance have been amended.
Most significantly, an amendment has been made to the list of marketable-risk countries appearing in the annex of the Communication from the Commission to the Member States on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to short-term export-credit insurance.
That Communication establishes that risks considered "marketable" may not be covered with export-credit insurance with Member States' support. As a result of the pandemic, the Commission now considers all marketable risks and policies associated with exports to countries listed in the Communication's annex "temporarily non-marketable," thus allowing support from Member States.
Now the Commission has decided that all countries on that list will remain excluded until June 30, 2021, remaining "non-marketable" until then.
Authors: Irene Moreno-Tapia and Pablo García
amendmentCOVID-19extensionState aidtemporary framework
← General Court declares the old Spanish tax lease system as unlawful state aid
Competition developments in the funeral sector →
Irene Moreno-Tapia Socia
Especialista en acuerdos de distribución y abusos de posición dominante, asesora regularmente a importantes multinacionales y fondos de inversión en materia de control de concentraciones, tanto a nivel español como comunitario, asumiendo su representación ante las instancias administrativas. Ha representado y asesorado con éxito a numerosos clientes ante las autoridades españolas en materia de defensa de la competencia, en los dos ámbitos administrativo y contencioso (acuerdos, abusos, concentraciones, ayudas públicas).
irene.moreno@cuatrecasas.com
Pablo García Vázquez Asociado
pablo.garciavazquez@cuatrecasas.com


How shindig you exchange itunes music to mp3?
Upload your ready-made mp3 editorial to your iTunes library, your smartphone, or your pill as a way to hearken to your music on-the-go.
If audacity knows of a that may convert downloaded peer topeer Mp3s at 128kbs bradawl rates back to top quality Mp3 or WAV or FLAK codec i would actually respect it.


After you're done seeing the best of wildlife photography at the National History Museum, head to the National Portrait Gallery to see the fantaastic Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2011 exhibit which contains sixty works by some of the most exciting contemporary portrait photographers from around the world.
"Through editorial, advertising and fine art images, the entrants have explored a range of themes, styles and approaches to the contemporary photographic portrait, from formal commissioned portraits of public figures to more spontaneous and intimate moments capturing friends and family.
National Portrait Gallery – Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize.
This entry was posted in Book Tickets Now!, Museum, Other London Things. Bookmark the permalink.