text:
\section{INTRODUCTION}

What can perturbative QCD tell us about the decays of the tau lepton?  If
you ask this question to the typical man on the street, he will answer
``Absolutely nothing!''  Perturbative QCD tells us about the interactions
of quarks and gluons with large momentum transfer.  But the decay of the
$\tau$ is dominated by decays into single particles and resonances:
$\pi$, $\rho$, $a_1,$ etc.  The QCD interactions that bind quarks and
gluons into these hadrons necessarily involve small momentum transfers and
are therefore completely outside the domain of perturbation theory.
Therefore one should not expect perturbative QCD to tell us
anything about the decays of the $\tau$.

But suppose we ignore this objection, and proceed to calculate the decay
rate of the tau into a neutrino plus quarks and gluons using
perturbative QCD.  The resulting expression for the hadronic decay rate is
an expansion in powers of $\alpha_s$.  Using the measured value of the
hadronic decay rate, we can determine $\alpha_s$.  We find that this value
for the QCD coupling constant agrees amazingly well with the best
determinations of $\alpha_s$.  Is this just a remarkable coincidence?  Or
is it possible that sufficiently inclusive observables in tau decay
really can be calculated using the methods of perturbative QCD?

\section{QCD PREDICTION FOR $R_\tau$}

The QCD prediction for the ratio $R_\tau$ of the hadronic and electronic
branching fractions of the tau has the form \cite{B-N-P}
\begin{eqnarray}
R_\tau &=& 3 \;(|V_{ud}|^2 + |V_{us}|^2)\; S_{EW} \cr
&&\times \{ 1 + \delta_{EW} + \delta_{pert} + \delta_{power}\}.
\end{eqnarray}
The electroweak corrections include a multiplicative factor $\delta_{EW} =
1.0194$ and a small additive correction $\delta_{EW}=
0.0010$ \cite{Marciano-Sirlin}.  There is a perturbative QCD corrrection
$\delta_{pert}$ that can be expressed as an expansion in powers of
$\alpha_s$ at the scale $M_\tau$ (or any other scale $\mu$ of your
choosing) \cite{Schilcher-Tran}:
\begin{eqnarray}
\delta_{pert} &= &{\alpha_s(M_\tau) \over \pi} + 5.2 \left({\alpha_s(M_\tau)
\over \pi} \right)^2  \cr
&& + \, 26.4   \left({\alpha_s(M_\tau)
\over \pi} \right)^3 + \;\dots .
\end{eqnarray}
The remaining QCD corrections are the power corrections $\delta_{power}$,
the most important of which are the following \cite{Narison-Pich}:
\begin{eqnarray}
\delta_{power} &= & -16 {\overline{m^2} \over
M_\tau^2} +\, 32 \pi^2 \, {\langle m \overline \psi \psi  \rangle
\over M_\tau^4}\cr
&&+ \,{11 \pi^2 \over 4} \left ( {\alpha_s(M_\tau) \over \pi}
\right )^2 {\langle {\alpha_s \over \pi} GG\rangle \over M^4_\tau} \cr
&&   + \mbox{ terms of the form } {\langle \bar \psi \Gamma
\psi \bar \psi \Gamma \psi \rangle \over M_\tau^6},
\end{eqnarray}
where $\overline {m^2}$ is a weighted average of the running quark
masses $m_u^2$, $m_d^2$, and $m_s^2$ evaluated at the scale $M_\tau$ with
weights $1/2$, $|V_{ud}|^2/2$, and $|V_{us}|^2/2$, respectively.
Similarly, $\langle m \overline \psi \psi \rangle$ is the same weighted
average of the quark condensate matrix elements $\langle m_u \overline u u
\rangle$, $\langle m_d \overline d d \rangle$, and $\langle m_s \overline s
s \rangle$.  The matrix element $\langle {\alpha_s \over \pi} G G
\rangle$ is called the gluon condensate.

The QCD prediction (1) is based on the fact that the inclusive hadronic
decay rate of the tau involves only 2 momentum scales:  the mass
$M_\tau$ and $\Lambda_{QCD}$, the scale associated with
nonperturbative effects in QCD.  One can imagine increasing $M_\tau$ while
holding the QCD coupling constant, and therefore  $\Lambda_{QCD}$, fixed.
It is possible to systematically separate the effects of ``hard'' partons,
whose momenta scale with $M_\tau$, from the effects of ``soft'' partons,
whose momenta remain proportional to  $\Lambda_{QCD}$ as $M_\tau$
increases.  At very short distances of order $1/M_W$, the decay of the
$\tau^-$ proceeds through the decay into a neutrino plus $d \bar u$ (or
$s \bar u$).  The QCD corrections involve both hard partons and soft
partons.  The perturbative correction $\delta_{pert}$ consists of
corrections from the emission of hard partons and from the exchange of
hard partons.  It can be calculated as a perturbation series in
$\alpha_s(M_\tau)$.  The first 3 terms in this series are known and they
are given in (2).

What about the effects of soft partons? There are large corrections from
the emission of soft gluons and large corrections from the exchange of
soft gluons, but they cancel order-by-order in $\alpha_s$.  In other
words, the dominant effects of the soft gluons can be expressed as a
unitary transformation that does not change the decay rate.  At the
perturbative level, this unitary transformation describes the evolution of
an initial state consisting of hard partons emerging from the decay into
final states consisting of hard partons and soft partons.  At the
nonperturbative level, the soft gluons have dramatic effects, binding the
hard partons into final state hadrons.  Nevertheless, the dominant effect
of the soft gluons can still be expressed as a unitary transformation
which evolves an initial state consisting of hard partons into final
states consisting of hadrons.  Since a unitary transformation preserves
probabilities, it does not change the decay rate.

Now the effects of the soft partons are not exactly a unitary
transformation.  There are corrections which can be taken into account
through power corrections $\delta_{power}$, like those given in (3).
The term  involving the
gluon condensate $\langle {\alpha_s \over \pi} GG\rangle$ takes into
account effects of soft gluons that can not be expressed as a unitary
transformation.  The quark condensate $\langle m \bar \psi \psi \rangle$
takes into account corrections from soft quarks and
antiquarks that are suppressed by the quark mass.
The matrix elements of the form $\langle \bar \psi \Gamma
\psi \bar \psi \Gamma \psi \rangle$ take into account corrections from
soft quarks and antiquarks that would be present even if the
quarks were massless.

The QCD predictions for all inclusive observables in tau decay have the
same general form as the predictions for $R_\tau$ in (1).  There is a
free-quark prediction that corresponds to the decay into a neutrino plus $d
\bar u$ or $s \bar u$.  There are perturbative corrections that can
be expressed as an expansion in $\alpha_s(M_\tau)$ like that in (2).
Finally, there are power corrections like those given in (3).
They include corrections from running quark masses and soft
parton corrections that are expressed in terms of vacuum matrix elements.

\section{OBSERVABLES}

Below, I enumerate the observables in tau decay that can be calculated
using the methods of perturbative QCD.

\subsection{Inclusive decay rate}

The QCD prediction for the inclusive hadronic decay rate normalized to the
electronic decay is given in (1).  The ratio $R_\tau$ can be further
resolved into the contributions from the weak vector current and the weak
axial-vector current.  It can also be resolved into ``non-strange''
contributions proportional to $|V_{ud}|^2$ and ``strange'' contributions
proportional to $|V_{us}|^2$ \cite{B-N-P}.

\subsection{Invariant-mass distribution}

Let $s$ be the square of the invariant mass of the hadrons in the decay of
the $\tau$.  The distribution $dR_\tau/ds$, or more accurately the
moments of this distribution, can be calculated using perturbative
methods.  The $0^{th}$ moment is simply $R_\tau$ itself.  The QCD
predictions for the moments are given in Ref. \cite {deLiberder-Pich}.
These moments have been used to measure the matrix elements that appear in
the power corrections (3) \cite {Duflot}.

\subsection{Angular distribution}

There is one inclusive observable in tau decay that has not yet been
measured experimentally.  This is a parameter $A_\tau$ that determines
the angular distribution of the total hadron momentum in the decay of a
polarized tau.  Let $\theta$ be the angle in the tau rest frame
between the total hadron momentum and the quantization axis for the spin
of the $\tau$.  If the tau is unpolarized, the angular distribution is
uniform in $\cos \theta$.  If the tau has polarization $P$, the angular
distribution is
\begin{equation}
{d R_\tau \over d \cos \theta} = {1 \over 2} R_\tau (1 + A_\tau P \cos
\theta).
\end{equation}
The size of the asymmetry in $\cos \theta$ is determined by the parameter
$A_\tau$.  This parameter is known for various exclusive decay modes.  It
has the value +1 if the hadronic final state is a single $\pi$.
The value is close to
$-1$ for the transverse polarization modes of the $\rho$ and $a_1$, and close
to +1 for the longitudinal polarization mode.  The inclusive asymmetry
parameter $A_\tau$ is the weighted average over all hadronic final states
of the asymmetry parameter for each of the exclusive decay modes.

The asymmetry parameter $A_\tau$ can be calculated using the mothods of
perturbative QCD with the same degree of rigor as $R_\tau$ itself
\cite{Braaten}.  The free-quark prediction for
$A_\tau$ is ${1 \over 3}$.  The QCD corrections increase the prediction to
$A_\tau = 0.415 \pm 0.022$.  Thus the contributions of the $\pi$, $\rho$,
$a_1$ and all the multihadronic modes must conspire to give a value that is
about 25\% larger than the free quark value.

An ``experimental'' value for $A_\tau$ has recently been obtained by
Weinstein \cite {Weinstein}.  He generated 50,000 polarized tau decay
events by running the Monte Carlo programs KORALB and TAUOLA and obtained
the value $A_\tau = 0.385 \pm 0.007$.  These programs use the known
branching fractions for the various hadronic decay modes.  They incorporate
the correct asymmetry parameters for the $\pi$, $\rho$, and $a_1$ modes,
but they are not tuned to give the correct asymmetries for the multihadronic
modes.  Thus a real experimental measurement of $A_\tau$ is needed in order
to test the QCD prediction.

A good way to measure $A_\tau$ is to use the taus from $Z^0$ decay,
because they are naturally polarized with polarization $P = -0.14$.
Suppose one could assemble an unbiased sample of taus from $Z^0$
decay.  If, for each tau decay, one measured the invariant mass $s$
of the hadrons and their total energy $E$ in the $Z^0$ rest frame, then
$A_\tau$ could be determined by calculating the following average over the
$\tau$ sample:
\begin{equation}
\left \langle {1-2E/M_Z \over 1-s/M_\tau^2}\right \rangle = {1 \over 2}
\left(1- {1 \over 3} A_\tau P \right).
\end{equation}
From simple statistics, one would need a sample of at least 2000 taus
to distinguish the free quark prediction 0.508 for (5), which corresponds to
$A_\tau = {1 \over 3}$, from the unpolarized value of 0.5.  One
would need at least 30,000 taus to distinguish the QCD prediction
$0.5097 \pm 0.0005$ from the free quark prediction.  With a sample
of 400,000 taus from $Z^0$ decay, it should be possible to measure
$A_\tau$ rather accurately.  Note that the prediction
that the asymmetry parameter for all the exclusive modes must average out
to a value near the free quark value
${1 \over 3}$ is already rather remarkable and thus even a
crude measurement of $A_\tau$ would be useful.  It would be the first
confirmation of a perturbative QCD prediction for  spin-dependent
observables in tau decay.  An accurate measurement of
$A_\tau$ in agreement with the QCD prediction would provide dramatic
evidence that inclusive observables can
be accurately calculated using the methods of perturbative
QCD.  It should lay to rest any questions of whether the accuracy of the
value of $\alpha_s$ obtained from $\tau$ decay is merely fortuitous.

\section{ERROR ESTIMATES}

\begin{table*}[hbt]
\setlength{\tabcolsep}{1.5pc}
\newlength{\digitwidth} \settowidth{\digitwidth}{\rm 0}
\catcode`?=\active \def?{\kern\digitwidth}
\caption{Estimates of the theoretical errors (in units of $10^{-4}$)
in the value of $\alpha_s(M_Z)$ determined from tau decay.}
\label{tab:Estimates of Errors}
\begin{tabular*}{\textwidth}{@{}l@{\extracolsep{\fill}}lrr}
\hline
& \qquad Altarelli & Narison \\ \cline{2-3} \\
running:  $M_\tau \to M_z$ \qquad \qquad  &\qquad  ~~~20 & 10~~~ \\
freezing of $\alpha_s$                    &\qquad  ~~~10 & --~~~ \\
quark masses                              &\qquad ~~~~-- & 5~~~ \\
condensates                               &\qquad ~~~~-- & 9~~~ \\
higher orders in $\alpha_s$               &\qquad  ~~~65 & 14~~~ \\
$\mu$ dependence                          &\qquad ~~~~-- &  9~~~ \\
renormalization scheme                    &\qquad ~~~~-- &  5~~~ \\
``other theoretical errors''              &\qquad  ~~~10 & --~~~ \\
\hline
Total Error                               &\qquad  ~~~70~ & 23~~~ \\
\hline
\end{tabular*}
\end{table*}

In order to make quantitative tests of the QCD predictions for the
observables described in the last section, it is essential to have
reliable estimates of the theoretical errors.  In the proceedings of
TAU 94, both Altarelli and Narison made attempts to estimate the
theoretical errors in the determination of $\alpha_s(M_Z)$ from $\tau$
decay.  Their estimates are given in Table 1.  The bottom line is that
Altarelli's estimate of the theoretical error is larger than Narison's by
a factor of 3.  This factor of 3 makes all the difference in the world.
If Narison's estimate is correct, then tau decay remains competitive
with the best determinations of $\alpha_s$ that are available.  If
Altarelli's estimate is correct, then the determination of $\alpha_s$ from
tau decay is only interesting as a qualitative test of perturbative QCD.

Before assessing the error estimates of Altarelli and Narison, it is
necessary to discuss some of the theoretical issues that are involved in
these estimates.

\subsection{Renormalization scale $\mu$}

The ratio $R_\tau$, if calculated to all orders in $\alpha_s$, would be
independent of the renormalization scale $\mu$.  However, if the
perturbation series is truncated at some order in $\alpha_s$, it will depend
on $\mu$.  The value of $\alpha_s$ determined by measuring
$R_\tau$ will therefore depend on the choice for $\mu$.

This can be illustrated by considering the perturbation series truncated
after the order$-\alpha_s$ term.  If we choose the renormalization scale
to be $\mu = M_\tau$, the prediction for $R_\tau$ (ignoring electroweak
and power corrections and setting $|V_{ud}|^2 + |V_{us}|^2 = 1$ for
simplicity) is
\begin{equation}
R_\tau = 3\left\{ 1 + {\alpha_s(M_\tau) \over \pi}\right\}.
\end{equation}
If we choose the scale to be some fraction $x$ of the tau
mass $\mu = xM_\tau$, then the prediction is
\begin{equation}
R_\tau = 3\left\{ 1 + {\alpha_s(x M_\tau) \over \pi}\right\}.
\end{equation}
Having determined $\alpha_s(x M_\tau)$ from the measured value of
$R_\tau$, we can then determine $\alpha_s(M_\tau)$ by using the
renormalization group:
\begin{equation}
\alpha_s(M_\tau) = {\alpha_s (xM_\tau) \over 1+ {9 \over 2 \pi} \alpha_s
(xM_\tau) \log (1/x)}.
\end{equation}
The resulting numerical value of $\alpha_s(M_\tau)$ will differ from that
obtained directly from (6).  The difference
between (6) and the combination of (7) and (8) amounts to summing certain
terms of the form $\alpha_s^n \log^n(M_\tau/\mu)$ to all orders in $n$.

The dependence on the renormalization scale $\mu$ decreases if the
perturbation series is calculated to higher order in $\alpha_s$.  However,
as long as the perturbation series is truncated, there will always be some
dependence on $\mu$.

\subsection{Truncation of the perturbation series}

In (2), we have truncated the perturbation expansion for $R_\tau$
in powers of $\alpha_s(M_\tau)$, but this is not the only
way to truncate the perturbation series.  The ratio
$R_\tau$ can be expressed in the form of a contour integral
\begin{eqnarray}
R_\tau &=& 12 \pi^2 {1 \over 2 \pi i} \oint_{|t|=M_\tau^2} {dt \over t}
\cr
&& \hspace {-1cm}
\times \left (1-2 {t \over M_\tau^2} + 2{t^3
\over M_\tau^6} - {t^4\over M_\tau^8} \right)D\big(\alpha_s (-t) \big),
\end{eqnarray}
where the function $D(\alpha_s)$ has a perturbation expansion in powers of
$\alpha_s$:
\begin{eqnarray}
D(\alpha_s) &=& {1 \over 4 \pi^2} \Big\{ 1 \;+\; {\alpha_s \over \pi}
\;+\; 1.6 \left({\alpha_s \over \pi}\right)^2 \cr
&& \hspace {1cm}
\;+\; 6.4 \left({\alpha_s \over \pi}\right)^3 \Big\}.
\end{eqnarray}
The contour integral in (9) runs counterclockwise around the circle $|t| =
M_\tau^2$, beginning at $t=M_\tau^2 + i \epsilon$ and ending at
$t=M_\tau^2- i \epsilon$.  The function $\alpha_s (-t)$ in (9) is
the analytic continuation of the running coupling constant to the
complex $t$-plane.  It is defined by the boundary condition
$\alpha_s(-t) = \alpha_s(M_\tau)$  at $t=-M_\tau^2$
and by the differential equation
$t (d / dt)\alpha_s (-t) = \beta \big( \alpha_s(-t) \big)$,
where $\beta (\alpha_s)$
is the beta function for QCD:  $\beta (\alpha_s) = - (9 / 4 \pi)
\alpha_s^2 + \dots$.

One way to truncate the perturbation series is to first carry out the
contour integral and then truncate the expansion for $R_\tau$.  This gives
the usual perturbation series for $R_\tau$ given in (2).  An alternative
possibility is to truncate the expansion for $D(\alpha_s)$ and then carry
out the contour integral analytically.  This has been advocated in
particular by deLiberder and Pich
\cite{deLiberder-Pich}.  The resulting expression for $R_\tau$ is
\begin{eqnarray}
R_\tau &=& 3 \Bigg\{ 1 \;+\; \overline{{\alpha_s (-t) \over \pi}} \;+\; 1.6
\overline{\left( {\alpha_s (-t) \over \pi} \right )^2}\cr
&& \hspace {1cm}
\;+\; 6.4 \overline{\left ({\alpha_s (-t) \over \pi}\right )^3}\, \Bigg\}\,,
\end{eqnarray}
where the coupling constant with the bar over it represents the following
weighted average of its values along the contour in the complex plane:
\begin{eqnarray}
\overline{\alpha_s^n (-t)} &=& {1 \over 2 \pi} \int_0^{2 \pi} d \theta
\;(1 -  2e^{i \theta} + 2 e^{3 i \theta} - e^{4 i \theta})\cr
&&  \hspace {2cm}
\times \alpha_s^n(-M_\tau^2 e^{i \theta}).
\end{eqnarray}

The effect of this prescription for calculating $R_\tau$ is more easily
illustrated using the simpler example of the ratio $R_{e^+ e^-}$.  It can
also be expressed as a contour integral involving the same function
$D(\alpha_s)$ as in (9):
\begin{equation}
R_{e^+e^-} ( \sqrt {s}) = 12 \pi^2 {1 \over 2 \pi i} \oint_{|t|=s} {dt
\over t} D\big( \alpha_s (-t) \big).
\end{equation}
We choose the center-of-mass energy $\sqrt s$ of the $e^+ e^-$ to be below
charm threshold, so that the number of light quark flavors is 3, just as
in tau decay.  If we integrate and then truncate $R_{e^+ e^-}$, then at
one loop, we obtain
\begin{equation}
R_{e^+e^-} (\sqrt s) = 3 \left\{1+{\alpha_s (\sqrt s) \over \pi}\right \}.
\end{equation}
If we truncate $D(\alpha_s)$ and then integrate, we obtain
\begin{equation}
R_{e^+e^-} (\sqrt s) =  3 \left \{1+\overline{{\alpha_s (-t) \over \pi}}
\right \},
\end{equation}
where $\overline{\alpha_s (-t)}$ is $\alpha_s(-se^{i \theta})$ averaged
over the angles $\theta$.  Expressed in terms of $\alpha_s(\sqrt s)$, this
average is ${4 \over 9} \arctan \big( {9 \over 4} \alpha_s(\sqrt s)
\big)$.  Its expansion in powers of $\alpha_s(\sqrt s)$ is
\begin{eqnarray}
\overline{\alpha_s (-t)} &=&
\alpha_s (\sqrt s) \Big\{ 1 \;-\; {27 \pi^2 \over 16} \big(
{\alpha_s ( \sqrt s) \over \pi} \big)^2 \cr
&&
\;+\; {6561 \pi^4 \over 1280} \left(
{\alpha_s ( \sqrt s) \over \pi} \right)^4 +
\dots \Big \}.
\end{eqnarray}
Thus the expression (15) for $R_{e^+ e^-}$ differs from
(14) by the resummation of terms of the form $\pi^{2n}
(\alpha_s/\pi)^{2n}$ to all orders in $n$.

Similarly, the perturbative expansion (11) for $R_\tau$ differs
from the one given in (2) by
the resummation of terms of the form $\pi^{2n} (\alpha_s / \pi)^{2n}$ to all
orders in $n$.  DeLiberder and Pich give a number of arguments why this
resummation should be preferred, but I don't find them
convincing.  One argument is that it greatly decreases the dependence of
$R_\tau$ on the renormalization scale $\mu$.  This is true, but there is
an equally convincing argument against the resummation, and that is that
the power series expansion for $D(\alpha_s)$ is more severely divergent
than that for $R(\alpha_s)$.

\subsection{Divergence of the perturbation series}

It has been known for a long time that most perturbation expansions in
field theory, including QED and QCD, are actually divergent series.
Suppose you were able to calculate the correction of order $\alpha_s^n$
for any value of $n$.  For small values of $n$, you might find that
adding more and more correction terms gives a better and better
approximation.  But if you continued adding higher and higher orders in
$\alpha_s$, you would eventually find that the approximation would
get worse and worse.  The order in $\alpha_s$ at which the series
begins to diverge depends on the value of $\alpha_s$, decreasing roughly
as $1/\alpha_s$.  Thus the divergence of the perturbation series is a
much more important issue for tau decay than it is for applications of
perturbative QCD at higher energy, where the running couping constant is
smaller.

There has been a dramatic development in the last five years that has
made the problem of the divergence of the perturbation series much more
concrete.  A subset of the Feynman diagrams for $R_\tau$ and $R_{e^+e^-}$
have been calculated to all orders in $\alpha_s$ \cite{Beneke}.  The
diagrams are those of order $\alpha_s^n$ with the maximum number
$n-1$ of quark loops.  The complete perturbation series for $R_\tau$ has the
form
\begin{equation}
R_\tau = 3 \left\{ 1 + {\alpha_s (M_\tau) \over \pi} + \sum_{n=2}^\infty r_n
\alpha_s^n (M_\tau)\right\}.
\end{equation}
The coefficients $r_n$ are polynomials in the number $N_f$ of light quark
flavors, or equivalently, in $33-2N_f$:
\begin{eqnarray}
r_n &=& r_n^{(0)} \;+\; r_n^{(1)} (33-2N_f) \;+\; \dots \cr
&& \hspace{1cm} \
\;+\; r_n^{(n-1)} (33-2N_f)^{n-1}.
\end{eqnarray}
It is the numbers $r_n^{(n-1)}$ that have been computed to all orders in
$n$.

Given the coefficients $r_n^{(n-1)}$ defined in (18), we can calculate a
subset of the higher order corrections to $R_\tau$ to all orders in
$\alpha_s$.  I will denote the resulting expression by $\hat R_\tau$ and
refer to it as the large -- $(33-2N_f)$ limit:
\begin{equation}
\hat R_\tau \equiv 3 \left\{ 1 + {\alpha_s(M_\tau) \over \pi} +
\sum_{n=2}^\infty \hat r_n \alpha_s^n (M_\tau) \right\},
\end{equation}
where $\hat r_n = r_n^{(n-1)} (33-2N_f)^{n-1}$.  The first few terms in
the expansion for $\hat R_\tau$ are
\begin{eqnarray}
\hat R_\tau &=& 3 \; \bigg\{ 1 \;+\; {\alpha_s (M_\tau) \over \pi}
\;+\; 5.1 \left({\alpha_s (M_\tau) \over \pi}\right)^2 \cr
&& \hspace{-.5cm} \;+\; 28.8 \left({\alpha_s(M_\tau) \over \pi} \right)^3
\;+\; 156.7 \left({\alpha_s (M_\tau) \over \pi} \right)^4 \cr
&& \hspace{-.5cm} \;+\; 900.8 \left({\alpha_s (M_\tau) \over \pi}\right )^5
\;+\; \dots \bigg\}.
\end{eqnarray}
This expansion can be compared with the exact expansion for the
corrections to $R_\tau$, which is given in (2).  Note the remarkable
agreement between the coefficients of $\alpha_s^2$ and $\alpha_s^3$ in the
two expansions.  This gives us some confidence that the large--$(33-2N_f)$
limit can predict correctly the sign and order of magnitude of the
coefficient of the $\alpha_s^4$ term.

Since we know the expansion (19) for $R_\tau$ in the large--$(33-2N_f)$
limit to all orders in $\alpha_s$, we can use it to study the behavior of
the perturbation expansion \cite{Maxwell}.  One finds that
(19) is a divergent series with coefficients $\hat r_n$ that
grow asymptotically like $n!$:
\begin{equation} \hat r_n \to {2 \over 15 \pi} e^{-53} \left(- {9 \over 4
\pi} \right)^n n! \;.
\end{equation}
Thus the sum in (19) if taken literally is meaningless.  However, there is
a standard procedure for recovering an analytic function from the
divergent power series generated by its Taylor expansion. It is called
{\it Borel resummation}.  From the series (19) for $\hat R_\tau$, one
constructs the Borel transform $\hat B(b)$ by dividing each coefficient by
$(n-1)!$:
\begin{equation}
\hat B(b) = \sum_{n=1}^\infty {\hat r_n \over (n-1)!} b^{n-1}.
\end{equation}
The power series for $\hat B(b)$ is  less divergent than that for
$R_\tau$, and  actually converges for
$|b| < 4 \pi / 9$.

An analytic expression for $\hat B(b)$ is known.  It has poles at integer
multiples of $4 \pi / 9$.  There are poles on the negative real axis at
$b= n(4 \pi / 9)$, $n= -1, -2, \dots$ that are called {\it ultraviolet
renormalons}.  There are also poles on the positive real axis at $b=n(4
\pi / 9)$, $n=2, 3, \dots$ that are called {\it infrared renormalons}.
Given the analytic expression for the function $\hat B(b)$ defined by
(22), we can recover the desired function $\hat R_\tau$ by computing the
inverse Borel transform:
\begin{equation}
\hat R_\tau = 3\left\{ 1 + \int_0^\infty db \, \exp\left ({-b \over \alpha_s
(M_\tau)}\right) \, \hat B(b) \right\}.
\end{equation}
The infrared renormalon poles on the integration contour can be handled
using a principal value prescription.

Now the divergence of the perturbation series for $\hat R_\tau$ is
dominated by the singularity of $\hat B(b)$ that is closest to the
origin.  This is the first ultraviolet renormalon, which is a pole at $b=
-4 \pi / 9$.  The behavior of $\hat B(b)$ near this pole is
\begin{equation}
\hat B(b) \longrightarrow {2 \over 15 \pi} e^{-5/3} {1 \over 1 + {9 \over 4
\pi} b}.
\end{equation}
The remainder is analytic inside the circle $|b| < 8 \pi / 9$.  The
pole term can be expanded as a power series in $b$, but the series has a
radius of convergence of only $4 \pi /9$.  Thus perturbation theory gives
a convergent approximation to the function $\hat B(b)$ in the integrand of
(23) only in the interval $0 < b < 4 \pi /9$.  Outside that interval, the
pole term given in (24) cannot be approximated by a truncated perturbation
series.  The integral of the pole term from $4 \pi / 9$ to infinity
therefore gives a ``renormalon correction'' to $\hat R_\tau /3$:
\begin{eqnarray}
\delta_{ren} &=& {2 \over 15 \pi} e^{-5/3} \int_{4 \pi /9}^\infty
db \; \exp \left(-{b \over\alpha_s (M_\tau)}\right)\cr
&& \hspace{2cm} \times {1\over 1 + {9 \over 4 \pi} b}.
\end{eqnarray}
The asymptotic value of the integral for small values of $\alpha_s
(M_\tau)$ is
\begin{equation}
\delta_{ren} = {1 \over 15} e^{-5/3} {\alpha_s(M_\tau) \over
\pi} \exp \left(-{4 \pi \over 9 \alpha_s(M_\tau)}\right).
\end{equation}
Finally, using the expression  $2\pi / \big( 9 \log \, (M_\tau / \Lambda)
\big)$ for the running coupling constant $\alpha_s(M_\tau)$, the leading
renormalon correction reduces to
\begin{equation}
\delta_{ren} = {1 \over 15} e^{-5/3} {\alpha_s(M_\tau) \over
\pi} {\Lambda^2 \over M_\tau^2},
\end{equation}
where $\Lambda$ is the renormalization group invariant scale parameter in
the $\overline{MS}$ scheme.

The analysis above was carried out for the standard truncation of the
perturbation series for $R_\tau$.  With deLiberder-Pich resummation, one
must apply Borel resummation to the function $D(\alpha_s)$ in the
integrand of (9).  The Borel transform of this function has a double pole
at $b = -4 \pi / 9$.  The renormalon correction analogous to (25) therefore
has two terms corresponding to the double pole and a single pole.
After integrating over $t$, it reduces to
\begin{eqnarray}
\delta_{ren} &=& {2 \over 9 \pi} e^{-5/3} \int^\infty_{4\pi/9} db
\exp \left ( - {b \over \alpha_s (M_\tau)} \right) \cr
&& \times
\left [ {2 \over (1 + {9 \over 4 \pi} b )^2}
	+ {5 \over 1 + {9 \over 4 \pi} b} \right ] \cr
&& \times
{12 \sin ( {9 \over 4} b) \over
{9 \over 4} b (1 - {9\over 4 \pi} b ) ( 3 - {9 \over 4 \pi} b)
	(4- {9 \over 4 \pi} b) } .
\end{eqnarray}
The asymptotic value of the integral for small values of $\alpha_s
(M_\tau)$ is
\begin{equation}
\delta_{ren} = {4 \over 3} e^{-5/3} {\alpha_s (M_\tau) \over
\pi} {\Lambda^2 \over M_\tau^2}.
\end{equation}
Note that this is larger by a factor of 20 than the
corresponding correction (27) for
the standard truncation.  This simply reflects the fact that the
perturbation series for $D(\alpha_s)$ diverges more severely than that for
$R_\tau$.

\subsection{Estimates of the perturbative error}

We are now in a position to assess the error estimates of Altarelli and
Narison.  The perturbation series for $R_\tau$ can be written
\begin{eqnarray}
R_\tau &=& 3 \bigg\{ 1 \;+\; \sum_{n=1}^3 r_n \alpha_s^n(M_\tau)
	\;+\; r_4 \alpha_s^4 (M_\tau) \cr
&& \hspace{1cm}
\;+\; \sum_{n=5}^\infty r_n \alpha_s^n (M_\tau) \bigg\}.
\end{eqnarray}
The first 3 correction terms in the expansion are given in (2).  We have
separated the unknown $\alpha_s^4$ term from the sum of all the
higher-order corrections.

Narison's error estimate is based on the assumption that the error from
the $\alpha_s^4$ term in (30) dominates over that from the sum of all
higher orders.  He used the values of the lower-order coefficients $r_1$,
$r_2$, and $r_3$ to guess a reasonable range for the values of $r_4$.  The
resulting estimate of the error from higher orders is
\begin{equation}
(\Delta_{pert})_{\rm Narison} = \pm 50 \left({\alpha_s (M_\tau)
\over
\pi}\right)^4.
\end{equation}
Translating this into an error on $\alpha_s(M_Z)$, we obtain the value
$\pm 14 \times 10^{-4}$ given in Table 1.

\begin{table*}[hbt]
\setlength{\tabcolsep}{1.5pc}
\catcode`?=\active \def?{\kern\digitwidth}
\caption{Estimates of the theoretical error in $\alpha_s(M_\tau)$ (in units
of
$10^{-4}$) from higher orders in $\alpha_s(M_\tau)$.}
\label{tab:Estimates of Theoretical Errors}
\begin{tabular*}{\textwidth}{@{}l@{\extracolsep{\fill}}lrr}
\hline
& \qquad error from & \quad error from sum \\
& \qquad $n=4$ term & \quad of $n \ge 5$ terms\\ \cline{2-3} \\
large--$(33-2N_f)$ limit (truncation in $\alpha_s(M_\tau)$) &\qquad\qquad 40
& 0.2~~~~~~~ \\
large--$(33-2N_f)$ limit (deLiberder-Pich resummation) &\qquad \qquad ~4 &
4~~~~~~~ \\
Altarelli & \qquad\qquad ~-- & 65~~~~~~~ \\
Narison & \qquad\qquad  14 & --~~~~~~~ \\
\hline
\multicolumn{3}{@{}p{120mm}}{}
\end{tabular*}
\end{table*}

Altarelli's estimate was based on the assumption that the error from the
sum of all higher order terms in (30) dominates over that from the
$\alpha_s^4$ term.  As shown in the previous subsection, there is a
renormalon contribution to that sum that is proportional to $\Lambda^2
/ M_\tau^2$.  Altarelli's error estimate is
\begin{equation}
(\Delta_{pert})_{\rm Altarelli} = \pm {1 \over 4 } {
\Lambda^2
\over M_\tau^2}.
\end{equation}
Translating this into an error on $\alpha_s(M_Z)$, we obtain the value
$\pm 65 \times 10^{-4}$ given in Table 1.  There is no apparent
calculation underlying the coefficient $1/4$ in (32).  It seems to be pure
guesswork on the part of Altarelli.

One of the problems with both of these error estimates is that they
require guessing the magnitude of unknown coefficients:  $r_4$ in the case
of Narison, the coefficient of $\Lambda^2 /
M_\tau^2$ from the renormalon correction in the case of Altarelli.  One way
to avoid such guesswork is to use the explicit calculations to all orders
in the large--$(33-2N_f)$ to estimate the errors.  As an estimate of the
error from the $\alpha_s^4$ term in (30), we can use the magnitude of the
$\alpha_s^4$ term in the large--$(33-2N_f)$ limit:
\begin{equation}
\Delta_{pert} = \pm | \hat r_4 | \alpha_s^4
(M_\tau).
\end{equation}
As an estimate of the error from the sum of all higher order terms in
(30), we can use the magnitude of the sum of all higher order terms in the
large--$(33-2N_f)$ limit:
\begin{equation}
\Delta_{pert} = \pm
\left |
\sum_{n=5}^\infty \hat r_n \alpha_s^n (M_\tau) \right |.
\end{equation}
The divergent series on the right side of (34) is defined by Borel
resummation.  A simpler estimate, which can be
compared directly with that of Altarelli, is to pick out the leading renormalon
correction, which is given in (27) for the standard truncation in
$\alpha_s(M_\tau)$ and in (29) for deLiberder-Pich resummation.

The error estimates based on the large--$(33-2N_f)$ limit
are given in Table 2. The standard
truncation gives a much larger error from the $\alpha_s^4$ term and a much
smaller error from the sum of all higher-order terms.  With
deLiberder-Pich resummation, there is a better balance between these two
sources of uncertainty.  Adding the two errors, we take the total error in
$\alpha_s(M_Z)$ from higher orders in $\alpha_s$ to be $8 \times
10^{-4}$.  The error estimates of Altarelli and Narison are also given in
Table 2 for comparison.  The error estimate from the large--$(33-2N_f)$
limit is consistent with that of Narison, but much smaller than that of
Altarelli.  The explicit calculations in the large--$(33-2N_f)$ limit
indicate that the coefficient of the $\Lambda^2 /
M_\tau^2$ correction arising from the first ultraviolet renormalon
is an order of magnitude smaller than assumed by Altarelli.

\section{CONCLUSIONS}

Sufficiently inclusive observables in tau decay can be calculated using
the methods of perturbative QCD.  A particularly interesting observable
that has yet to be measured is the asymmetry parameter $A_\tau$ that
describes the angular distribution of the total hadron momentum in the
decay of a polarized tau.  Using existing data from LEP, it should be
possible to measure this parameter with sufficient precision to
discriminate between the free-quark prediction of ${1 \over 3}$ and the QCD
prediction $A_\tau = 0.41 \pm 0.02$.  Such a measurement would be
the first test of QCD predictions for spin-dependent observables
in tau decay and it would
demonstrate conclusively that methods based on perturbative QCD give
accurate predictions for sufficiently inclusive observables.

In order to determine whether a given observable in tau decay is
sufficiently inclusive to calculate using perturbative methods, it is
essential to have reliable estimates of the theoretical errors.  One can
use recent calculations to all orders in $\alpha_s$ in the
large--$(33-2N_f)$ limit to estimate the errors from the higher-order terms
in the perturbation series.  The resulting error estimate on
$\alpha_s(M_Z)$ is consistent with the 1994 estimate of Narison,
but much smaller than the error estimate of Altarelli.  These explicit
calculations indicate that Altarelli
overestimated by an order of magnitude the size of $\Lambda^2/M_\tau^2$
corrections associated with the first ultraviolet renormalon.
The bottom line is that
$\alpha_s(M_Z)$ can indeed be determined from $\tau$-decay data with a
precision of 2\% (or perhaps even better).

This work
was supported in part by the U.S.
Department of Energy, Division of High Energy Physics, under
Grant DE-FG02-91-ER40684.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Clin Cases Miner Bone Metab. 2017 May-Aug;14(2):209-216. doi: 10.11138/ccmbm/2017.14.1.209. Epub 2017 Oct 25.
Oxidative stress in bone remodeling: role of antioxidants.
Domazetovic V1, Marcucci G2, Iantomasi T1, Brandi ML2, Vincenzini MT1.
Department of Biomedical, Experimental and Clinical Sciences "Mario Serio" (Biochemistry section), University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Department of Surgery and Translational Medicine (Endocrinology Section), University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
ROS are highly reactive molecules which consist of a number of diverse chemical species, including radical and non-radical oxygen species. Oxidative stress occurs as a result of an overproduction of ROS not balanced by an adequate level of antioxidants. The natural antioxidants are: thiol compounds among which GSH is the most representative, and non-thiol compounds such as polyphenols, vitamins and also various enzymes. Many diseases have been linked to oxidative stress including bone diseases among which one of the most important is the osteoporosis. The redox state changes are also related to the bone remodeling process which allows the continuous bone regeneration through the coordinated action of bone cells: osteoclasts, osteoblasts and osteocytes. Changes in ROS and/or antioxidant systems seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of bone loss. ROS induce the apoptosis of osteoblasts and osteocytes, and this favours osteoclastogenesis and inhibits the mineralization and osteogenesis. Excessive osteocyte apoptosis correlates with oxidative stress causing an imbalance in favor of osteoclastogenesis which leads to increased turnover of bone remodeling and bone loss. Antioxidants either directly or by counteracting the action of oxidants contribute to activate the differentiation of osteoblasts, mineralization process and the reduction of osteoclast activity. In fact, a marked decrease in plasma antioxidants was found in aged or osteoporotic women. Some evidence shows a link among nutrients, antioxidant intake and bone health. Recent data demonstrate the antioxidant properties of various nutrients and their influence on bone metabolism. Polyphenols and anthocyanins are the most abundant antioxidants in the diet, and nutritional approaches to antioxidant strategies, in animals or selected groups of patients with osteoporosis or inflammatory bone diseases, suggest the antioxidant use in anti-resorptive therapies for the treatment and prevention of bone loss.
Effect of ROS and antioxidants on the activity of osteoclasts, osteoblasts and osteocytes in bone remodeling. ROS activate osteoclast differentiation and osteocyte apoptosis (+), while inhibit osteoblast activity (−) inducing bone resorption; antioxidants activate osteoblast differentiation (+) and inhibit osteoclast activity and osteocyte apoptosis (−) inducing bone formation.
Clin Cases Miner Bone Metab. 2017 May-Aug;14(2):209-216.
Effect of antioxidants on bone cells at molecular and cellular level in bone resorption.
Antioxidants inhibit and prevent oxidative stress and affect various enzymes, proteins and cytokines involved in bone remodeling.
Disclosure All Authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.


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text:
UPROSE Uplifts Sunset Park
The Quinning Strategy
CITYNOTES Stars Come Out in Brooklyn
WEED WARRIOR KEITH STROUP with Jason Flores-Williams
A Pack of Damn Lies
By Matt Igoe
The Family Mansion
By Anthony C. Winkler
The Jubilee Rolls On
By Sara Roffino
The New Yale University Art Gallery
ROBERT BORDO with Cameron Martin
ALICE AYCOCK with Phong Bui
ART AS CITIZEN A Conversation with Creative Time Reports
NAYLAND BLAKE with Jarrett Earnest
Autobiographical Reflections and the Art World
By Joachim Pissarro
112 Greene Street—Spaces Interior and Exterior
By Bill Beckley
Gallery Charm
By Ivan Gaskell
Taps for Joseph Beuys
By Adele Tutter
Redesigning Resistance
By Joshua K. Leon
Art Entrances
By Darren Jones
ADRIAN GHENIE Disturbing Dichotomies and New Paintings
By Alana Shilling-Janoff
PHOENIX RISING: NYC 1993 Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
By Thyrza Nichols Goodeve
SIMON LEE MOTHER IS PASSING. COME AT ONCE
By William Corwin
ZAUN LEE Borders
By Jonathan Goodman
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN Paintings 1947 – 1974
THOMAS NOZKOWSKI Recent Work
By Robert Berlind
JINDRICH STYRSKY Dreams
Get Off the Lawn
By Matthew Shen Goodman
GIANNI COLOMBO (or, "Greene Naftali or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Gallery")
By Gail Victoria Braddock Quagliata
AL HELD Alphabet Paintings
JOEL SHAPIRO Sculpture and Drawings 1969 – 1972
By Phong Bui
JOE ZUCKER Empire Descending a Staircase
By Alex Bacon
MARA HELD
What Academic Freedom?
By David Rosen
LEIGH NEWMAN with Susan Marque
By Creeps and Bounds
By Lynne Lawner
Twenty(-something) Questions
By Leigh Kamping-Carder
Why Nabokov Matters
By Christopher Michel
After the Rainy Season
By Sara Versluis
The Heights of Absurdity Rudolph Herzog with Karen Rester
AYANA MATHIS with Jenine Holmes
Some Time in New York City
By Richard Klin
Darker But Still Singing Anna Gourari's Canto Oscuro
By Alessandro Cassin
By David St.-Lascaux
EVERYTHING YOU SEE VICKY SHICK with Nancy Dalva
Taylor Baroque
By Ryan Wenzel
STEPHEN PETRONIO with Nancy Dalva
FROM A DARK ROOM SANDRA GIBSON AND LUIS RECODER with Genevieve Yue
MORALLY PINK COMPLEXION Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers
By Jason LaRivière
BETWEEN UTOPIAS OLIVIER ASSAYAS with Joshua Sperling
KAMBOZIYA PARTOVI with Karen Rester
so go the ghosts of Matthew Paul Olmos
By Susan Soon He Stanton
Slipping into the L.A. Scene
By Becca Wolff
When the Time Comes
By Josef Winkler
Woodchuck In Prison
By Ted Pelton
Mothra
By Mimi Lipson
By Josh Bayer
Deux Ex McKenna
By a bunch of cartoonists and Dave McKenna
By Cedar Sigo
By Joseph Massey
By Tracey McTague
from God May Be Around (1931)
By Alexander Vvedensky, translated by Eugene Ostashevsky
MARIE PONSOT with David St.-Lascaux
By Suzaan Boettger
The Culture of Curating and the Curating of Culture(s)
By Loney Abrams
APR 2013 Issue
Books In Conversation
Ayana Mathis
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie
(Knopf, 2012)
Ayana Mathis's debut novel The Twelve Tribes of Hattie has received a lot of warm and well-deserved attention since its release in the winter of 2012. The story of Hattie and her offspring unfolds under the narrative of the African-American Migration of the last century, from Southern Jim Crow cities to the great Northern steel towns. Mathis's eye for detail combined with a strong yet lyrical style makes the work a rich experience.In February 2013, Twelve Tribes was a selection of the Oprah's Book Club 2.0, a literary distinction prized by publishers and writers alike. Jenine Holmes sat down with the Brooklyn-based graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the Breukelen Coffee House, to discuss her debut novel, the ever expanding and evolving female narrative, and the craft of writing.
Jenine Holmes (Rail): Congratulations on your amazing debut.
Ayana Mathis: Thank you.
Rail: Was it your goal, as Walt Whitman coined, "to honor the sacred 'I'" of African-American women in a way that it hadn't been explored before?
Mathis: Mmm, you know it's interesting. I think the biggest thing about Hattie—I don't always completely understand her, she remains somewhat mysterious to me.
Rail: Hattie is a mystery to herself.
Mathis: She really is. So what am I to do in the face of that, you know? [Laughs.] But one of the things I was interested in is—this terrible habit we have lapsed into—the iron, über-strong black woman, you know the long suffering mom and the wife.
Rail: Years ago, there was a great play at the Public Theatre called The Colored Museum, which featured a skit entitled The-Last-Momma-on-the-Couch Play, the last suffering black momma.
Mathis: It is a stereotype, it's dehumanizing—deeply dehumanizing to not grant someone their doubt and their fear and their pain and their reluctance and their exhaustion. Quite honestly I think that's what strength actually is. Strength is not an absence of those things. An absence of those things doesn't even exist.
Rail: What I found insightful and deeply appealing was Hattie's narrative arc: it was set up in the beginning of the work. The reader discovers early on what broke her. Embittered her. She was broken in such a universal way, a way anyone could understand. Oftentimes, I think African-American narratives are portrayed in such an angry, finger-popping, neck-cracking way—and inaccurately.
Mathis: All of those kinds of layers of false representation are what prevents us from arriving at the humanity. Obviously there are many more factors than that, but we can speak in some ways about literature and about cultural projects in general. The black woman is kind of segregated out of the general woman category because her pain is a kind of "black" pain. She's been in sorrow's kitchen and she's licked the pots clean. "Wow, what does that mean?!" some ask. "We don't understand that!" Well, her babies died.
Rail: Exactly, a universal pain.
Mathis: There are black artists now who are really able to—in ways that we were not able to do before— really try to make inroads into this notion of a black humanism.
Rail: Your work feels like you're a part of a whole canon happening in the 21st century with African-American female artists, right beside the work of Mickalene Thomas, a contemporary painter that just had a retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum.
Mathis: A great show. I saw it twice.
Rail: Afterwards I thought, "Wow, here's another woman, like Shoshana Rhimes, who is reframing the narrative landscape." I know you've been on this kind of incredible whirlwind but do you see yourself in that category?
Mathis: I wish I did, as I said before I really do very much write from character and from story, and so there were no considerations about where I would fit in a kind of larger canon of writing. But one of the things very present in my mind—once I realized I had a book—is class. It's as important to this book as is the Great Migration, this notion of the way, in a pre-civil rights world, where no one had any money, how we decided on class. Which had everything to do with what neighborhood you lived in, or how light or dark you were, and your diction—all these kinds of things. It was the most conscious agenda that I had, and I don't really do the agenda thing.
Rail: There is a great scene where Bell (a character in the novel) is talking to a woman she works with at the bar, and Bell switches up her diction, her grammar, and my heart broke a little.
Mathis: Actually, that is one of my—it sounds so strange to say—but my proudest moments in the book, because she's so conscious of it.
Rail: Your work does talk about class in a way that African-Americans shy away from.
Mathis: We don't like to talk about it, nobody likes to talk about it. The larger world won't—
Rail: Americans, in general, don't. Although millions of us are watching Downton Abbey, we don't want to think we have a class-based society. But we love to watch the English do a class-based society.
Mathis: Exactly.
Rail: Look at that, the servants know how to serve! And the lords know how to lord! We love it, but only when the Brits are doing it. And it has deeper and wider ramifications for the African-American community.
Mathis: It's also class in its reverse. Class, of course, is always a reflection of the values of the larger white world, even though we are completely self-contained. In Twelve Tribes there is this larger white world that is exerting a pressure that is reflected in the cruel hierarchies that the people erect themselves, about themselves. But they don't ever talk about white people.
Rail: It's a rich concept for a first time novelist.
Mathis:I should say for the record—I've kind of being doing creative writing always, but prose kind of started around Jackson Taylor's class at the New School, writing a memoir that never quite worked for me. Before that, it was poetry. At grad school, I thought I would write some short stories, but I'm not a short story writer by any means. So what I ended up with was sort of a hybrid of poetry and prose. The short stories became the last chapter and the first chapter of Twelve Tribes, but it wasn't exactly a hybrid. It's a very loose use of the word hybrid but elements were present of both.
Rail: Before you studied at Iowa you developed a bond with another writer, Justin Torres, which began back in New York City, in Taylor's class at the New School. Did your friendship help you through the graduate school experience?
Mathis: I think so, but I shouldn't make out like grad school was really awful. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. After that initial workshop session and Marilynne [Robinson] sort of setting me straight, and everything she said about my work was absolutely true, the most helpful thing in the world. After that I just got into a groove with writing these stories. When I got to about the third one, and I thought, "These are—weird? I don't know!" And Justin said, "Oh, this is a book!" And I was like, "You're an idiot!" and then about a week later I said, "I'll be damned, I think that's a book!"
Rail: And Marilynne Robinson was enormously helpful.
Mathis: Enormously helpful in terms of, obviously, my career. She helped me along deeply in terms of her understanding of what writing is and what its value is. Her way of talking about it and conceiving of it was a much smarter version of things that I had not been able to articulate to myself. She is deeply honest, incredibly graceful, and incredibly eloquent so she'll never just say no. But she'll say something that is so genius and spot on that you gasp.
Rail: What was the toughest part of bringing your manuscript to fruition?
Mathis: Not selling characters short. Making people instead of stereotypes. Making—
Rail: Layered characters? Did your long stint as a tenacious fact checker help?
Mathis: In a certain way. But I had to get rid of my fact checking antennae or limit it to things that really were facts like, Hattie and Lawrence are in a car, would there be a seatbelt? It's 1951. No. Things like that.
Rail: I loved how your antennae zeroed in on facts that made your narrative richer, the granular details. In one chapter, when you inserted a few lines from Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?" And it really locked in that era. Even as a child I remember the socio-nuclear bomb quality of that song. Marvin went deeper and he brought the rest of America with him.
Mathis: He certainly did.
Rail: You, like Marvin Gaye, went to Europe. And for five years you didn't write. Why? Italy is such a rich cultural place.
Mathis: Well, I think I was in a transition phase. I sort of stopped writing poetry and I hadn't quite figured out how or what prose could ever possibly be in my life. I didn't know how to write if I wasn't writing poetry. So, I would have these frustrating experiences where I would try and write poems, but nothing came or something hideous came. And so after a while, I stopped. Also, I was very taken up with other things: learning to speak the language and the culture. For me, Italy was not generative. It was more of a nesting and understanding what was going on around me rather than a producing kind of a place for me. It was all about the three Fs: food, family, fashion, which is lovely. It's what's so amazing and unique and beautiful about Italy. But it also can feel a little restricting, after a while, for me anyway. Around year four, I knew I had to go.
Rail: I sense you are essentially a private person, a private person thrust on to the national stage. How are you handling being a buzzworthy writer?
Mathis: It's strange. I don't know how to answer that question. I have days where I feel very happy and I'm sort of ecstatic, and then I have days when I feel like I want to hide under the bed—it's kind of a roller coaster—it's a very strange transition. And I suppose all transitions have their moments. Overall, I'm really grateful; I'm really humble.
Rail: You've been compared to Toni Morrison, and have been brought in that canon of black women writers. What's your reaction? Do you feel others aren't seeing the individual works?
Mathis: I think two things. One is it's intimidating company to be in—you know, it's like you went to a party with all the smartest people in the world. You walk in and you're like, "Oh my God. There's been a mistake." So, it feels a little bit like that. And then also, of course it's enormously flattering.
Rail: Any thoughts on your next work?
Mathis: I think I have a pretty solid idea. It's still very loosely formed, I'm still trying to work it out, and I've started it like 16 times, 47 openings, that kind of thing—which is sort of silly actually, because, I don't think that, in my experience, even with this book, the opening of a novel is never—someone else would disagree—but it's never the one that you write in the beginning. It's not the one that stays. In some ways, the meaning of the novel dictates the opening. So, it's going to change. It's a very different process. I didn't sort of sit down to say, "I'm writing a novel now." The first one, you know. Drum roll, please. I'm beginning. Page one. Word one.
Jenine Holmes
Jenine Holmes can be found at www.jenineholmes.com.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Barcelona 2003, Features, Profiles, World Championships
Davies sets his sights on Barcelona
David Davies. Picture:SWPix
Twelve months ago, few people beyond real swimming aficionados would have heard of David Davies. The 18 year old from Barry in South Wales was certainly a promising junior and a medallist at last years European Junior Championships, but the past year has seen him take dramatic strides forward into the senior arena. Next week this youngster will be taking on the best in the world as he makes his senior debut in a long course championship in Barcelona
A Welsh senior record in the 1500m final at the Manchester Commonwealth Games caught the attention of some, but a dominant performance in the same event at the subsequent British Short Course Championships catapulted him into the collective consciousness. That day Davies disposed of World silver medallist Graeme Smith and 2000 Olympian Adam Faulkner with consummate ease on his way to yet another Welsh record. That swim earned him a trip to the European Short Course Championships in Riesa where he became the youngest ever medallist at that level as he took a surprise silver, again over 1500m.
His talent is therefore not in doubt. National Performance Director Bill Sweetenham rates him very highly, as does his main domestic rival Smith "I think he's a very talented young man and the way he's progressed over the last 12 or 18 months has been superb really" the experienced Scot said when asked about the young Welshman, who is only too pleased to return the compliment.
"Graeme is a fantastic swimmer. He's still going strong and he's a good bloke to have around to bring me onto this level because his experience is fantastic and his swimming CV is tremendous"
Davies though remains refreshingly modest in the face of such attention. Where others might crumble under the kind of pressure that is being place on his young shoulders, Davies just laps it up. "I don't feel any pressure at all. I know I've just got to get on with it and ignore anything from outside" he says, in his typically laid back manner, "I don't consider myself to be a Wayne Rooney type character – I'm just a swimmer who needs to train hard and I want do everything possible to achieve my goals"
With such a down to earth outlook it was inevitable he would make waves in Riesa, but surely even he must have been feeling the nerves in his first senior international? "I didn't feel that agitated about the meet. I was really just going to see what it was like. It was my first time at a senior championship and I was amazed at how it turned out – I didn't expect to get anything"
David competes at April's British Championships. Picture:SWPix
Looking ahead to the World Championships, Davies enters the competition ranked 6th in the world over 1500m, but there is no questioning his ambition for those championships; he wants more. "I'd like top finish in the top 3 in Barcelona, but I'll just go there and concentrate on what I've got to do." To achieve that aim will need another step up in class, but even that does not seem to be an issue "I think swimming sub 15 minutes for the 1500 has to be the target. It'd probably be a bit cheeky as it took Graeme 10 years to do that and I might be able to do it in a year, but I will definitely be aiming for that."
Beyond Barcelona does he himself know what he's capable of? "I don't know really. I'm told what I can do and I do the work that's needed to get there. I take every training session seriously, knowing that it's going to affect my future performances"
One thing is for certain, there hasn't been a swimmer who has generated as much excitement in British Swimming for many years. Davies combines immense natural talent with an impressive work ethic and will probably be a fixture in GB teams for many years, regardless of his performances in these World Championships.
Previous PostBarcelona 03 – the British medal hopesNext PostEdmond ready to take centre stage


Tech4day: Fact or Myth: Do Parabens Contribute to Breast Cancer?
Fact or Myth: Do Parabens Contribute to Breast Cancer?
The link between parabens (parahydroxybenzoic acid) and cancer can no longer be ignored. Widely used as a preservative, parabens are absorbed through your skin, blood and intestines. When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared parabens "generally safe for use," the FDA based their findings on oral consumption of parabens; it did not take into account how much exposure you truly have to these compounds through your skin.
Parabens are known to have estrogenic properties and they mimic the natural estrogen in our bodies. Estrogen is a known component in the development and progression of breast cancer. Manufacturers use parabens to increase the shelf life of packaged goods and to inhibit bacterial growth. Parabens are so prevalent that you may not realize how much you actually absorb on a daily basis.
A University of Reading study published in the January 2012 issue of the Journal of Applied Technology found measurable concentrations of parabens in almost 100 % of removed breast tissue. The results showed that at least one paraben was found in 99% of breast cancer tissue with 60% testing positive for five of the most common parabens used. Not all women who participated in the study used underarm deodorant (a product that has spurred cancer controversy for years).
Where is the exposure to parabens coming from? What products contain Parabens?
The parabens are in lotions, shampoo, cosmetics, deodorant, tanning products, shaving cream, toothpaste and mouthwash, pharmaceuticals (prescription and over the counter) and foods. A study done through the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that parabens and cancer cause fertility problems, birth defects, hormone disruption and organ toxicity. Even the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that nearly every urine sample taken from humans contains parabens.
Parabens accumulate in human breast tissue. Your best option is to avoid these compounds whenever possible. Your must read product labels and buy products from companies who take the risk of parabens seriously.
By spotting these parabens and cancer that are on labels with these spellings as- N-propylparaben, Methylparaben, N-butylparaben, Ethylparaben, and Isobutylparaben, you will be lessening your chance of absorbing them into your body. Manufacturers are quick to point out that there is no direct link between specific products containing parabens and cancer. Even though additional research needs to be done to pinpoint which products most directly increase your exposure to parabens , the evidence to date is strong enough to confirm the connection to the compound.


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Joseph Giguère, né à Saint-Sylvestre le  et mort à Montréal le , est un syndicaliste et coopérant québécois.

Joseph Giguère est président du Conseil central des syndicats nationaux de Québec (CSN) de 1976 à 1980. Par la suite, il a été coopérant au Pérou et au Québec. C'est le premier directeur laïque du Centre Saint-Pierre.

Biographie
Natif de la Beauce, Joseph Giguère songe à la prêtrise et poursuit des études en théologie à l'Université Saint-Paul à Ottawa. Il s'engage dans la Jeunesse ouvrière catholique (JOC).

Engagement syndical
Embauché à la , dans Limoilou, il participe à une campagne de maraudage pour remplacer un syndicat américain par un syndicat CSN, dans l'abattoir de volailles. Son appartement est la cible d'un attentat à la bombe, le 3 avril 1974, le soir de la première réunion du nouveau syndicat.

C'est à titre de président du Syndicat des employés de  (CSN) que Joseph Giguère commence à s'impliquer au Conseil central des syndicats nationaux de Québec (CSN) dont il est élu  vice-président, en 1975, puis président, en 1976.

La période est particulièrement tumultueuse au plan syndical avec un nombre record de grèves. C'est sous la présidence de Joseph Giguère que le conseil central adopte officiellement la philosophie du syndicalisme de combat. Joseph Giguère met sur pied un comité de solidarité réunissant tous les syndicats en lutte afin d'augmenter le rapport de force des uns et des autres.

Avant l'adoption de la loi anti-briseur de grève, en 1977, Joseph Giguère n'hésite pas à mobiliser les membres du conseil central en appui aux grèves en cours. Ainsi, les participants au congrès de 1976 du Conseil central des syndicats nationaux de Québec (CSN) défient coup sur coup trois injonctions limitant le nombre de personnes sur les piquets de grève dans autant de conflits de travail en cours.

La présidence de Joseph Giguère a également été marquée par l'organisation de nouveaux secteurs, comme l'hôtellerie, et une plus grande ouverture du mouvement syndical sur la société civile et les luttes sociales. En 1980, il quitte la présidence du conseil central.

Coopérant
Après son passage au conseil central, Joseph Giguère a poursuivi son engagement comme coopérant. De 1982 à 1987, il a été coopérant international avec SUCO auprès des syndicats de mineurs du Pérou. À son retour au Québec, il devient conseiller à MCE Conseils et accompagne le développement de coopératives de travail. Il préside le Regroupement des coopérateurs et coopératrices du travail (RQCCT) de 1996 à 2008. Il participe à la fondation de Fondaction et siège sur le conseil d'administration plus de dix ans.

En 1992, Joseph Giguère devient le premier directeur laïque du Centre Saint-Pierre, un centre d'éducation populaire de Montréal mis sur pied par les Oblats. Il occupe cette fonction jusqu'en 2002.

Un AVC le laissera aphasique en septembre 2010. Avec l'aide de sa conjointe, Marie-Claire Nadeau, il entreprend sa réadaptation et poursuit pendant plusieurs années son implication au sein de l'Association des personnes aphasiques.

Atteint d'un cancer généralisé, Joseph Giguère est décédé chez lui, accompagné de ses proches, le 23 juin 2020.

Citations
« Les travailleurs n'ont rien à attendre du jeu politique »

« L'expression démocratique des travailleurs doit passer par les affrontements »

« La coopérative de travail pour être vraiment transformatrice doit non seulement être démocratique à l'intérieur, mais aussi solidaire de sa communauté à l'externe. »

Notes et références

Articles connexes

 Conseil central de Québec–Chaudière-Appalaches (CSN)

Naissance en décembre 1940
Naissance au Québec
Décès en juin 2020
Décès à Montréal
Décès à 79 ans
Syndicaliste québécois

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Candidate Profile: Nick Nickhilananda, running for State Representative District 13 (Maui)
Website - FriendsOfNikhilananda.com
Meet the Candidates Interview
Star Advertiser Candidate Information
Nick Nikhilananda: 2018 Civil Beat Candidate Q&A
Maui Causes Interviews
Learn more at
FriendsOfNikhilananda.com »
Nick Nikhilananda: Meet the Candidates Interview
Source: Nick Nikhilanda: Meet the Candidates General 2018 from Akakū Maui Community Media on Vimeo.
Facebook - Faith Ewbank
Nick Nikhilananda at the Haiku Community Association »
Nick Nikhilananda's Biography »
Visionary Political Perspectives - a letter to the editor by Nikhilananda »
Honolulu Star Advertiser Primary Elections Candidate Information
The following are Nick Nikhilananda's responses to the Honolulu Star Advertiser Candidate Questionnaire.
View it here on the Honolulu Star Advertiser's website.
What qualifies you to represent the people of Hawaii?
I am educated, have the critical thinking necessary for our current urgent challenges and have traveled around the world. I thus have a global vision not limited to a provincial perspective. I posses an M.A. In Public Law/Urban Affairs from The American University in Washington, D.C. plus a B.A. in Political Science from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. That is not all; I have additional education, training and certificates. I have a Hawai'i Facilitator Certificate, am a trained Mediator, completed the Legal Research and Lexis/Westlaw Certificate training at Maui Community College/OCET, plus have a Real Estate Salesman License from the Hawaii Institute of Real Estate, though have not practiced real estate. Finally, I have over twenty-five years of additional community activism and involvement.
What are the top three challenges facing the voters you seek to represent?
The quality of life is the significant issue facing the mostly secluded, remote and rural regions of this area of Maui County. It is patently unfair that the 13th State House District includes three of the most remote places in the State, on three different islands. Each community is unique and what impacts Moloka'i is not the same as the needs which East Maui requires. Access and expansion to medical facilities, government services and educational opportunities are areas which impact all three regions. The North shore of Maui is different than East Maui, where finally the taking of water from the streams is being curtailed, while the various areas of Molokai have their own unique challenges. Lanai is basically a privately owned island. Affordable housing and economic opportunities are other significant issues affecting the entire district. Only one percent of the Maui County operating budget, including CIP's, is directed toward the North-shore and East Maui. The State does basically the same, mostly ignoring and under funding these communities. An example is the Pa'ia Bypass, with funding once again being threatened by the state, yet urgently needed now. Though no one currently inhabits Kaho'olawe, it is part of the thirteenth district.
If elected, what will be your highest legislative priority?
As I mentioned above, this canoe district has three distinct inhabited islands plus numerous remote communities each of which have unique challenges. Thus it is impossible to say there is one specific priority. Access to medical facilities, affordable accommodations, defending the onslaught on our ecology and the indigenous culture, and being responsive to the residents covers much of what would be my major priorities. Nevertheless, I must mention also the appearance of corruption and too much influence of large, for profit corporations and the lack of transparency are items necessary to mention.
If elected, what can you do to improve the lives of your constituents?
Everything I have mentioned above would be items which will improve the lives of those living in District 13. For many of them to feel that their State government actually listens to them and is responsive to their needs. Too often this area is ignored for the most part. For over a hundred years, water was stolen from the North shore and East Maui streams, destroying livelihoods and cultural practices. This is horrendous and needs to stop. My commitment will be that I will be available to their needs, listen to them and communicate what can be done.
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I am educated, active, informed and passionate about Maui County. I possess both a Masters and a Bachelors degree, plus numerous other academic credentials and certificates, and have the critical thinking necessary to perform at a high level. We must move into the twenty-first century with excitement and a single-mindedness to do what is right for all of our residents; for the kupuna, for our keiki, for their keiki and all who will follow. Our decisions are incredibly important. We have to stop catering to the visitor industry and strike a more sustainable balance.
Accountability, Sustainability and Transparency; these are my goals. I can only promise to listen, do my best, keep my constituents informed and once again listen.
The following are Nick Nikhilananda's responses to the Civil Beat 2018 Candidate Questionnaire
You can read the original article on Civil Beat here.
1. Should the Legislature be more transparent and accountable? What would you do, given how tough it can be for individual lawmakers to go against leadership, to bring about needed reform in areas like sexual harassment policies, lobbyist regulation, fundraising during session and televising and archiving all hearings?
The Legislature is not subject to the same Sunshine Laws which County governments are required to follow. This must immediately change. I would push for, among other items, the recording of all votes, and the easy access of such votes, televising hearings as much as feasibly possible, expanding testimony being accepted via closed circuit from neighbor islands, and numerous other progressive changes.
The legislature is way too top heavy; giving committee chairs excessive power. As a member of the Green Party, my challenge will be all the more greater. However I will accept that challenge. As to the reforms you mention, I would seek out like-minded colleagues and press for these needed changes in the power of lobbyists, sexual harassment, and the extravagant fundraising which goes on. I would demand that any funds which are raised through PACs, corporations or businesses be made public.
The influence of money in politics is out of control. Campaign finance reform and public financing of elections is possibly the most potent change which could bring about a more equal playing field. It is horrendous the huge amount of money necessary to stand for elective office, and the influence it has after one is elected.
2. Hawaii is the only Western state without a statewide citizens initiative process. Do you support such a process?
I have long been a champion of citizens initiative. I have previously been a candidate for elective office, plus have testified numerous times on this very issue. I attended both the 2001 and 2011 Maui charter commission meetings of the Maui County Council advocating for this very item, urging them to place a number of initiatives on the ballot without success. As a candidate for this seat in 2016, I brought this up many times. I was also quite active, both as a candidate advocating for, and campaigning for, the citizens initiative of 2014, which was the first time an initiative made it on the Maui County ballot.
The threshold for the number of signatures needed and the time frame to obtain those signatures make it an overwhelming challenge. However, not only did we get the necessary signatures and successfully got the initiative on the ballot, but it passed; both first-time events! This is another one of those long overdue items which Hawaii must include. Too often, the power of lobbyists and committee chairs, block this progressive item. We must allow the voters of Hawaii to have a direct citizens impact on the laws and rules of our state.
3. Hawaii has the most lopsided Legislature in the country, with no Republicans in the Senate and only five in the House. How would you ensure there is an open exchange of ideas, transparency and accountability for decisions? What do you see as the consequences of one-party control, and how would you address that?
We must institute campaign finance reform, public financing of elections, plus move toward preferential/instant runoff/ranked choice voting. We need to demand that all candidates receive equal treatment from the media. Hawaii has five political parties, yet with little opposition from the Greens, Libertarians, Constitution or Republicans, the Democrats totally dominate our Legislature. Nevertheless, many members would be Republicans on the mainland; which is why it is so hard to get through progressive legislation.
The Democrats are controlled by a certain power structure, connected to large landowners, multinationals, developers, the visitor industry and trade unions. Most political activists and candidates join the party because of this influence, with a wide range of cliques and positions within the party. It seems those who want to see progressive change occur in Hawaii end up joining the Democrats. Yet in Hawaii County, seven times three members of the progressive Green Party were elected to their County Council, then two former Green Party candidates left the party, joined the Democrats, and were elected to the state House and the state Senate. We also see Republicans realizing the futility of staying in that party, joining the Democrats, and are also successfully able to run for office.
4. Would you support more frequent campaign finance reporting during election years, particularly before the primary? What other steps would you take to improve lobbying and financial disclosures?
The first step for me would be to research and fully comprehend what are the significant laws which currently exist. Chapter 84 is the State Ethics Code and Chapter 97 is the section dealing with lobbyists. I would do a comprehensive review of the laws and operations within the Hawaii State Ethics Commission. Most elected officials and candidates attempt to do the "right thing," nevertheless, there will be some who take advantage of the loopholes and stretch what is currently legal and allowed.
Limit the ability of lobbyists to have inappropriate leverage on members of the Legislature. The power which lobbyists and money have toward access to members is extremely imbalanced. Too many former legislators become lobbyists in too short a time with an enormous amount of access to elected officials. I would introduce and support legislation which would tighten up the oversight of what lobbyists are allowed to do with elected officials.
Enforce, tighten, strengthen laws plus increase penalties relating to reporting of campaign contributions. More frequent reporting of campaign donations plus require reporting of amounts under a hundred dollars. I would seek out additional input from members of the community to examine what various ideas they may have.
5. Hawaii's public records law requires that records be made available whenever possible. Yet state agencies often resist release through delays and imposing excessive fees. What would you do to ensure the public has access to government records?
The Federal Public Access to Court Electronic Records ("PACER") system allows users to view and print various docket information from the federal trial, bankruptcy, and appellate courts. Congress has authorized the ability to raise funds to support PACER by setting appropriate user fees. However to ensure the fees do not impair public access to the courts, Congress directed the Judicial Conference to "provide for exempting persons or classes of persons" for whom fees would be an unreasonable burden.
This federal template is used by various state agencies to obtain documents for research and information. However, it appears that this ability to get a waiver from exorbitant charges does not apply to media outlets. This is outrageous! Investigative journalism is a requirement for a free and open democratic society. Reasonable fees, as taxes, are a requirement for operating government on all levels; however, there is a chilling effect when charges outstrip the ability for the person requesting the information to pay.
We need to do whatever is possible to adopt legislation which allows media outlets to obtain the information they need to educate and inform the community and citizens of Hawaii. A reasonable fee structure is appropriate; exorbitant charges are not.
6. Are you satisfied with the current plans to pay for the state's unfunded liabilities? If not, how would you propose to meet pension and health obligations for public workers?
The Employee Retirement System (ERS) unfunded liability is the amount of money which exceeds the current funds available. There must be a balance between what is paid into the fund every year and the obligation to meet current necessities of government. Current law requires annual tax contributions meant to pay down the unfunded liabilities within thirty years. We really do not know how much is owed. We need to have better accounting and more transparency in our liabilities. Then we can look at ways to reduce and eliminate debt while still providing stable retirements for our public employees.
There are the OPEB (other post-employment benefit) liabilities, such as health and life insurance, dental and other benefit programs, besides the pensions promised to public employees. All of Hawaii's citizens need to work together to fix the problem without pushing the burden onto future generations. However it is important that we have the funds available to pay for our current needs and not divert too much money toward paying off the debt. If extra payments into the pension fund are made, it will come out of critical government services. New revenue sources and perhaps increased taxes and fees, may be in order.
7. Do you support changing the state constitution to allow taxing investment properties to fund the public schools? How would you implement it if it passes?
I am not against this proposal/idea. I have long advocated taxing, on a tiered system, property taxes for both more expensive properties and non-resident purchases, within our legal and constitutional ability. Most real estate purchases are made by non-Hawaii residents, so there may be quite a windfall. I know currently county property taxes does not go to fund our education system. The DOE receives over $2 billion! We need an audit of where some of this money goes, why is the department so top-heavy with bureaucrats and non-classroom personnel and other related items?
We can not keep throwing good money at the wall and hope it sticks. I also advocate breaking up the state educational system into a locally controlled county system, similar to the rest of the United States. I say all of this as a DOE substitute teacher for years, seeing from the inside some of the absurdities. We must also raise taxes and fees on resorts, hotels, time shares, and all non residents' homes, including local Hawaii residents who have second, third and more homes. All discounts need to go only to the home being occupied as a residential dwelling. Plus raise the pay of teachers.
8. Illegal vacation rentals have proliferated throughout Hawaii. The state is not collecting tax revenue on many of these properties and residents worry about overcrowded neighborhoods and other problems. Do you see this as a problem given Hawaii's booming visitor industry and what would you propose to do about it?
The operative term here is "illegal." There is no excuse to have allowed vacation rentals, short term rentals, plus bed and breakfasts to have sprouted as they have for years! There is little difference than invasive species which are devastating our island state. When someone has a room or two in their home, or perhaps a one- or two-bedroom ohana, then it is something which would be beneficial to the property owner and our island guest. However, there needs to be no exception for vacation rentals to have mushroomed on land not zoned for them. Limit them to Hawaii residents. If a person has more than one dwelling, this should not be allowed at all, even in resort, hotel and properly zoned areas. Enough is enough.
Hire the additional people power necessary to document which properties are not being used legally and cite them with a minimum time to pay. Nevertheless, due process is necessary, if a property is falsely cited. Use modern technology to detect which properties are not in compliance. I am not against someone renting out one or two rooms within their home to a short term guest or visitor. This is aloha at its finest.
9. Do you support or oppose holding a state constitutional convention? Why or why not?
There has not been a constitutional convention in Hawaii since 1978. There is even talk throughout the United States about possibly holding an Article V convention. If we hold a convention, there needs to be an enormous check on what changes do occur. The last convention incorporated some significant environmental, cultural and indigenous legislation and requirements. These need to be strengthened, not diminished. However, large landowners, huge special and corporate interests, development and mainland entities are fully aware of what they could do to negatively impact our mostly progressive document and see this as an opportunity to drastically curtail, not strengthen, our constitution.
Nevertheless, there are too many areas which the Legislature seems ill-prepared to deal with. The power and influence of money and lobbyists on our body politic; the lack of citizens' initiatives, the state controlled educational system, the structure of our political subdivisions, land use, zoning, home rule, our method of holding and funding our elections and the centralization of the state are just a few examples. Thus I currently tend to support holding a constitutional convention, knowing full well the devastation which could occur; hoping to be actively involved to insure a positive outcome is the result.
10. What should Hawaii be doing to prepare for the effects of climate change, including sea level rise and threats to the reefs?
Education, education, education. We have to be instructing our visitors, tourists, residents and the keiki. We are challenged by a national administration which refuses to accept reality and has instituted proposals, legislation and installed deniers into significant federal positions of authority. We must promote renewable energy, increase our local food production, provide more funding for the control of invasive species. We have to be protecting our watersheds, fisheries and corals which are increasingly being depleted. We must have effective management, along with long-term planning, sufficient enforcement plus continuous monitoring.
We need all segments of our community to accept what is occurring and what we need to do. The following are two quotes from my campaign website from 2016; they are still included and just as relevant in 2018:
"Nor can we subject our 'aina to a continual onslaught of who knows what chemicals, which poison the land and eventually find their way into our water aquifers and runs off into the ocean. Injection wells, which should have been retired years ago, have finally been shown to damage our reefs." Plus: "Ban any more construction state-wide on public beaches and on the makai side of the closest road to the beach."
11. What do you see as the most pressing issue facing your district? What will you do about it?
The quality of life is the significant issue facing the mostly secluded, remote and rural regions of this area of Maui County. It is patently unfair that House District 13 includes three of the most remote places in the state, on three different islands. Each community is unique and what impacts Molokai is not the same as the needs which East Maui requires. Access and expansion to medical facilities, government services and educational opportunities are areas which impact all three regions. The north shore of Maui is different than East Maui, where finally the taking of water from the streams is being curtailed, while the various areas of Molokai have their own unique challenges. Lanai is basically a privately owned island.
Affordable housing and economic opportunities are other significant issues affecting the entire district. Only 1 percent of the Maui County operating budget, including CIP's, is directed toward the north shore and East Maui. The state does basically the same, mostly ignoring and under funding these communities. An example is the Pa'ia Bypass, with funding once again being threatened by the state, yet urgently needed now. Though no one currently inhabits Kahoolawe, it is part of District 13.
Maui Causes: Nick Nikhilananda, Candidate for State House District 13
Barryn Chun published this page in Support Green Candidates 2018-10-30 05:17:14 -1000


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Massachusetts Enacts Law on Noncompete Agreements
From Lexology, David J. Santeusanio and Andrew Silvia provide an excellent overview of the Massachusetts statute governing noncompete agreements. The new law covers noncompete agreements between entieis and their employees AND independent contractors. David and Andrew write:
The Act applies to noncompetition agreements signed by employees and independent contractors who work or reside in Massachusetts. The Act excludes specific types of employer-employee agreements, including agreements not to solicit or hire employees and agreements not to solicit or transact business with an employer's clients.
The Act defines "noncompetition agreement" as "an agreement between an employer and an employee, or otherwise arising out of an existing or anticipated employment relationship, under which the employee or expected employee agrees that he or she will not engage in certain specified activities competitive with his or her employer after the employment relationship has ended." The Act also specifically includes "forfeiture for competition agreements," which is "an agreement that by its terms or through the manner in which it is enforced imposes adverse financial consequences on a former employee as a result of the termination of an employment relationship if the employee engages in competitive activities."
The Act excludes from its coverage the following:
agreements "not to solicit or hire employees of the employer"
agreements "not to solicit or transact business with customers, clients, or vendors of the employer"
noncompetition agreements "made in connection with the sale of a business entity or substantially all of the operating assets of a business entity or partnership, or otherwise disposing of the ownership interest of a business entity or partnership, or division or subsidiary thereof, when the party restricted by the noncompetition agreement is a significant owner of, or member or partner in, the business entity who will receive significant consideration or benefit from the sale or disposal"
noncompetition agreements "outside of an employment relationship"
"forfeiture agreements," which is defined as "an agreement that imposes adverse financial consequences on a former employee as a result of the termination of an employment relationship, regardless of whether the employee engages in competitive activities following cessation of the employment"
nondisclosure or confidentiality agreements
invention assignment agreements
noncompetition agreements "made in connection with the cessation of or separation from employment if the employee is expressly given seven business days to rescind" (e.g., a noncompete entered into as part of a severance agreement)
agreements "by which an employee agrees to not reapply for employment to the same employer after termination of the employee" (e.g., a "no rehire" provision sometimes included in separation or settlement agreements).
Massachusetts common law will continue to govern those types of agreements that are excluded from the Act.
Requirements for a Valid Noncompete
The Act requires that a noncompete agreement be in writing, signed by the employer and employee, and "expressly state that the employee has the right to consult with counsel prior to signing."
An employer cannot avoid application of the Act through use of a choice-of-law provision if the employee is living or working in Massachusetts (or had been for at least 30 days preceding termination of employment).
Timing of Signing
A noncompete agreement provided to an employee at the start of employment must be provided to the employee at the time of the offer of employment or 10 business days prior to starting employment, whichever is earlier.
A noncompete agreement presented to an employee during employment must be provided to the employee 10 business days prior to taking effect and must be supported by "fair and reasonable consideration independent from the continuation of employment."
No Broader Than Necessary to Protect Employer's Legitimate Business Interests
The Act provides that the agreement "must be no broader than necessary to protect one or more . . . legitimate business interests of the employer." Legitimate business interests include the employer's trade secrets, the employer's confidential information and the employer's goodwill.
The Act further provides that "[a] noncompetition agreement may be presumed necessary where the legitimate business interest cannot be adequately protected through an alternative restrictive covenant, including but not limited to a non-solicitation agreement or a non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement."
Scope: Time, Type of Services and Geography
A noncompete agreement may not exceed 12 months in duration from the termination of employment, unless the employee has breached fiduciary duties or has taken property belonging to the employer, in which case the agreement may extend to 24 months.
The restriction on the employee's activities must be reasonable. The Act states that "[a] restriction on activities that protects a legitimate business interest and is limited to only the specific types of services provided by the employee at any time during the last 2 years of employment is presumptively reasonable."
The agreement must also be reasonable in geographic scope. The Act states that "[a] geographic reach that is limited to only the geographic areas in which the employee, during any time within the last 2 years of employment, provided services or had a material presence or influence is presumptively reasonable."
Garden Leave or Other Consideration Required to Support Noncompete
A unique requirement of the Act is that a noncompete agreement must include a "garden leave" clause or "other mutually agreed-upon consideration."
Garden leave is a payment of at least 50 percent of the employee's highest base salary during the preceding two years for the duration of the restricted period. The employer may avoid paying the garden leave only if the employee breaches the noncompete, or if the noncompete is extended beyond 12 months because the employee took the employer's property. The Act does not provide guidance on what constitutes "other mutually agreed-upon consideration."
Consistent with Public Policy
The Act provides that the noncompete agreement must be consistent with public policy.
Reason for Termination Affects Enforceability of Noncompete
An employer cannot enforce a noncompete agreement against an employee who is terminated without cause or laid off. The Act does not define "cause."
Noncompetes Prohibited for Certain Classification of Workers
The Act prohibits an employer from entering into a noncompete agreement with employees:
who are nonexempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act
undergraduate or graduate students who are in an internship program or other short-term employment relationship with an employer (whether paid or unpaid) while enrolled in a full-time or part-time undergraduate or graduate educational institution
employees under age 18
Jurisdiction and Judicial Reformation
The Act states that "[a]ll civil actions relating to employee noncompetition agreements subject to this section shall be brought in the county where the employee resides or, if mutually agreed upon by the employer and employee, in Suffolk county; provided that, in any such action brought in Suffolk county, the superior court or the business litigation session of the superior court shall have exclusive jurisdiction."
The Act provides that a court, in its discretion, may "reform or otherwise revise" an overbroad noncompete to protect the employer's legitimate business interests. A court may also strike entirely the noncompete provision without affecting the validity of other provisions in the agreement (e.g., nonsolicit agreements).
Read the full story at Massachusetts Enacts Law on Noncompete Agreements – Lexology
Umpteenth Time's the Charm? Massachusetts Has Another Go At Non-Compete Reform From JDSupra, Dawn Mertineit, Katherine Perrelli, and Erik Weibust discuss proposed legislation that would limit non-compete agreements in Massachusetts. This legislation would apply to independent contractors and employees. Dawn, Katherine and Erik write: The bill also defines "employee" to include independent contractors, notwithstanding the many fundamental differences between employees and independent contractors under Massachusetts law. It's unclear why…More →...
Is My Noncompete With an Independent Contractor Enforceable? From JDSupra, Kevin Burns discusses a recent case in which the court said a non-compete agreement was not enforceable under Iowa law. Kevin writes: The Eight Circuit recently addressed this question in Ag Spectrum Co. v. Elder, Case No. 16-3113 (8th Cir. August 2, 2017). In that case, Ag Spectrum contracted with Vaughn Elder to work as…More →...
No, No, No – Your Independent Contractor Cannot Sign A Noncompete. Never. Ever. From Mondaq and Strasburger — Tiffany Hildreth writes "As we all know, there is no one right answer for determining employee –v- independent contractor because each agency has its own multi-factor test and it's very fact specific, etc. BUT, employers MUST know that they CANNOT have their independent contractors sign a noncompete agreement because that…More →...
Washington State Adopts Legislation Restricting Noncompetition Agreements From JDSupra, Suzanne Thomas discusses a new statute in Washington that limits non-compete agreements for employees and some independent contractors. Suzanne writes: Under the new law, a noncompetition covenant is void and unenforceable against an employee or, as applicable, an independent contractor: Unless (1) the employer discloses the terms of the covenant in writing to…More →...
New Jersey Proposes to Drastically Restrict the Use of Non-Compete Agreements From JDSupra, Sean Kirby and Danielle Thompson discuss legislation in New Jersey that would limit non-compete agreements and prohibit non-compete agreements with independent contractors. Sean and Danielle write: Last month, the New Jersey State Senate introduced Senate Bill 3518 (the "Bill"), which, if passed, will severely restrict the use and enforceability of employee non-compete agreements in the state of New…More →...
Massachusetts Legislature Passes Comprehensive Noncompete Reform From Lexology, Melissa McDonagh and Kevin Burke report on the recently passed (but not yet signed into law) Massachusetts bill that restricts non-compete agreements and that the restrictions apply to agreements with independent contractors also. Melissa and Kevin write: New Minimum Requirements for Noncompetition Agreements in Massachusetts As noted above, the Act specifically curtails…More →...
← New Jersey's Department Of Labor And Workforce Development Teams Up With USDOL To Combat Employee Misclassification
Virginia forms task force to block worker misclassification →


Turning to unhealthy comfort foods at times of stress is a sign of emotional eating as a way to cope with your feelings. Indulging in certain foods for reasons of celebration and comfort is a normal part of human culture. It's okay to treat yourself to a piece of cake for your child's birthday, or a warm bowl of macaroni and cheese on a chilly fall evening — even when you're trying to lose weight.
A recent survey shows that roughly 38 percent of U.S. adults practice emotional eating at least once within a 30-day period. Emotional eating has been linked to an increased risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Furthermore, the types of foods people typically consume when engaging in emotional eating can actually worsen stress, and fail to address the root cause of the emotions.
Have you or your loved one been turning to foods to mask feelings of stress? The following tips can help you get a handle on emotional eating.
At times of stress, write down all your true thoughts and feelings in a notebook or online journal. Journaling your emotions can be a healthy, effective way to express and channel your feelings toward something other than food. If you're not into writing or journaling, consider expressing your emotions through art or music.
It's normal to experience negative emotions such as sadness and anger once in awhile. Instead of ignoring your feelings, pushing them away, or using food as a way to self-medicate, allow yourself to fully experience these feelings when they present themselves. Acknowledging that these emotions are part of being human can help you heal and feel better about yourself without having to turn to food.
Stress upsets the natural balance of your hunger hormones, and makes you feel hungry when you're truly not. Consider keeping a food journal so you can track when and what you're eating throughout the day. When you're feeling the urge to eat out of stress, review your food journal to determine whether you truly need to eat out of hunger, or if you can see other patterns emerging.
Try to figure out what makes you turn to emotional eating. Recognizing your triggers can help you prepare in advance, and develop new, healthier ways to manage stress that don't involve eating. For instance, if you find yourself turning to emotional eating immediately after coming home from work, develop a new routine that has you going to the gym or visiting a quiet, calming bookstore instead.
Massage, deep breathing, and yoga are just some healthy ways to manage stress that also offer a number of other therapeutic benefits. Find an activity that works best at relieving stress for you, and replace emotional eating with that activity. Exercise is often highly effective at relieving stress naturally, since exercise releases endorphins — chemicals that reduce pain and help you sleep better, which in turn reduces stress.


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Pubs Galore Forums > Pub Banter > Requests > Wivenhoe Black Buoy regulars attempt to buy pub
View Full Version : Wivenhoe Black Buoy regulars attempt to buy pub
SailorPete
About 20 people have invested money in a bid to purchase the freehold of the Black Buoy pub, in Wivenhoe, which closed about six weeks ago.
The consortium, made up of local people and investors, is negotiating with owner Punch Taverns over the sale.
Spokesman John Moores said the group was close to having enough money to complete the deal.
A Punch Taverns spokeswoman said the firm wanted to reopen the pub in the New Year while continuing efforts to find a buyer.
The 200-year-old pub closed in October but has been on the market for several months.
Mr Moores said: "To my mind, the British pub is a great institution. We've had some fantastic nights down there and want it to be there for the next 200 years.
"We are close but need one or two more investors."
Mr Moores, a salesman who lives in Wivenhoe, said about 90% of the investors were from the town.
The idea to buy the pub was first mooted at a meeting about three months ago and quickly gained momentum, he said.
If a deal can be agreed, Mr Moores said the consortium would look for a tenant to run the pub as a bar and restaurant.
Penny Kraft, Wivenhoe mayor, said: "Having met my husband at the Black Buoy, I would love to see it reopened. I wish the group every success.":avfc: