text:
Potential Cost Of A Nuclear Accident? So High It's A Secret!
By Wolfe Richter | Testosterone Pit | March 13, 2013
Catastrophic nuclear accidents, like Chernobyl in 1986 or Fukushima No. 1 in 2011, are very rare, we're incessantly told, and their probability of occurring infinitesimal. But when they do occur, they get costly. So costly that the French government, when it came up with cost estimates, kept them secret.
But now the report was leaked to the French magazine, Le Journal de Dimanche. Turns out, the upper end of the cost spectrum of an accident at a single reactor at the plant chosen for the study, the plant at Dampierre in the Department of Loiret in north-central France, would amount to over three times the country's GDP. Financially, France would cease to exist as we know it.
Hence, the need to keep it secret. The study was done in 2007 by the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), a government agency under joint authority of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Environment, Industry, Research, and Health. With over 1,700 employees, it's France's "public service expert in nuclear and radiation risks." This isn't some overambitious, publicity-hungry think tank.
It evaluated a range of disaster scenarios that might occur at the Dampierre plant. In the best-case scenario, costs came to €760 billion—more than a third of France's GDP. At the other end of the spectrum: €5.8 trillion! Over three times France's GDP. A devastating amount. So large that France could not possibly deal with it.
Yet, France gets 75% of its electricity from nuclear power. The entire nuclear sector is controlled by the state, which also owns 85% of EDF, the mega-utility that operates France's 58 active nuclear reactors spread over 20 plants. So, three weeks ago, the Institute released a more politically correct report for public consumption. It pegged the cost of an accident at €430 billion.
"There was no political smoothening, no pressure," claimed IRSN Director General Jacques Repussard, but he admitted, "it's difficult to publish these kinds of numbers." He said the original report with a price tag of €5.8 trillion was designed to counter the reports that EDF had fabricated, which "very seriously underestimated the costs of the incidents."
Both reports were authored by IRSN economist Patrick Momal, who struggled to explain away the differences. The new number, €430 billion, was based on a "median case" of radioactive releases, as was the case in Fukushima, he told the JDD, while the calculations of 2007 were based more on what happened at Chernobyl. But then he added that even the low end of the original report, the €760 billion, when updated with the impact on tourism and exports, would jump to €1 trillion.
"One trillion, that's what Fukushima will ultimately cost," Repussard said.
Part of the €5.8 trillion would be the "astronomical social costs due to the high number of victims," the report stated. The region contaminated by cesium 137 would cover much of France and Switzerland, all of Belgium and the Netherlands, and a big part of Germany—an area with 90 million people (map). The costs incurred by farmers, employees, and companies, the environmental damage and healthcare expenses would amount to €4.4 trillion.
"Those are social costs, but the victims may not necessarily be compensated," the report stated ominously—because there would be no entity in France that could disburse those kinds of amounts.
Closer to the plant, 5 million people would have to be evacuated from an area of 87,000 square kilometers (about 12% of France) and resettled. The soil would have to be decontaminated, and radioactive waste would have to be treated and disposed of. Total cost: €475 billion.
The weather is the big unknown. Yet it's crucial in any cost calculations. Winds blowing toward populated areas would create the worst-case scenario of €5.8 trillion. Amidst the horrible disaster of Fukushima, Japan was nevertheless lucky in one huge aspect: winds pushed 80% of the radioactive cloud out to sea. If it had swept over Tokyo, the disaster would have been unimaginable. In Chernobyl, winds made the situation worse; they spread the cloud over the Soviet Union.
Yet the study might underestimate the cost for other nuclear power plants. The region around Dampierre has a lower population density than regions around other nuclear power plants. And it rarely has winds that would blow the radioactive cloud in a northerly direction toward Paris. Other nuclear power plants aren't so fortuitously located.
These incidents have almost no probability of occurring, we're told. So there are currently 437 active nuclear power reactors and 144 "permanent shutdown reactors" in 31 countries, according to the IAEA, for a total of 581 active and inactive reactors. Of these, four melted down so far—one at Chernobyl and three at Fukushima. Hence, the probability for a meltdown is not infinitesimal. Based on six decades of history, it's 4 out of 581, or 0.7%. One out of every 145 reactors. Another 67 are under construction, and more are to come….
Decommissioning and dismantling the powerplant at Fukushima and disposing of the radioactive debris has now been estimated to take 40 years. At this point, two years after the accident, very little has been solved. But it has already cost an enormous amount of money. People who weren't even born at the time of the accident will be handed the tab for it. And the ultimate cost might never be known.
The mayor of Futaba, a ghost town of once upon a time 7,000 souls near Fukushima No. 1, told his staff that evacuees might not be able to return for 30 years. Or never, for the older generation. It was the first estimate of a timeframe. But it all depends on successful decontamination. And that has turned into a vicious corruption scandal. Read…. Corruption At "Decontaminating" Radioactive Towns In Japan.
April 13, 2013 Posted by aletho | Corruption, Deception, Economics, Environmentalism, Nuclear Power, Timeless or most popular | Chernobyl, Chernobyl disaster, France, Fukushima, Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire, Nuclear reactor, Soviet Union | Comments Off on Potential Cost Of A Nuclear Accident? So High It's A Secret!
Israel bulldozes Palestinian land near al-Aqsa Mosque
PressTVGlobalNews | April 12, 2013
April 13, 2013 Posted by aletho | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Illegal Occupation, Timeless or most popular, Video, War Crimes | Palestine, Zionism | 1 Comment
Austerity Economics, Democrat-Style
Obama Does Social Security and Medicare
By ROB URIE | CounterPunch | April 13, 2013
With Barack Obama putting his plan to cut Social Security and Medicare expenditures into writing in his Federal budget proposal the ability of those who voted for him to credibly deny his years of publicly stating he would do so disappeared. The pathetic pleas from liberals and progressives who only a few short months ago were assuring the unwashed masses Mr. Obama was on the cusp of a 'liberal' renaissance if only doubters would join them in granting him another term are today as empty as their assurances were then. And Mr. Obama's self 'sacrifice' of voluntarily giving up 5% of his own $400,000 per year salary in solidarity with seniors present and future who will see their Social Security payments reduced calls into question his intelligence if sincere—the difference between the rich (Mr. Obama) voluntarily giving up a fraction of their yacht allowance versus millions of seniors choosing between eating and living indoors is fundamental.
Those whose politics begin and end with rolling off the couch every few years to vote could in theory be forgiven for perceiving a yawning chasm between the Republican and Democrat candidates. Marketing firms were paid a lot of money to create that illusion. And Mr. Obama almost certainly has the political calculus correct that the bourgeois commentariat, a/k/a/ 'the left,' will whimper in protest for a few days, weeks at most, before falling in line for Hillary or whatever militaristic, corporatist abomination the Democrats put forward in the next Presidential election. Early reports even have liberal pundits sticking with the line Mr. Obama is only posturing with the proposals, despite his near decade prior explaining why he believes Social Security and Medicare must be cut to be 'saved.' However, this is truly a 'let them eat cake' moment. Mr. Obama's policies will needlessly, and in economic terms gratuitously, hurt a lot of people—overwhelmingly those who self-identify as the Democrats' political 'base.' And lest there be confusion over the matter, in his first term Mr. Obama fully restored the fortunes of America's ruling class at several trillion dollars of public expense before proposing these cuts.
The faux official hand wringing over Social Security is a result of the bi-partisan ('Washington') consensus that produced the trajectory of catastrophic public policy over the last forty years. Radically skewed income distribution, the result of public policy, has seen lower and middle-income wages stagnate with all economic gains delivered up to a tiny plutocracy. This has lowered the proportion of total income paid into Social Security because above the current $113,700 cap income is excluded from contribution to the program. Raising the cap would have some effect in reducing expected future shortfalls but would reframe the social insurance nature of the program because payments are also capped. The real solution—where the real money is, lies in shifting economic gains back toward lower and middle class wages. Doing this would raise the proportion of income paid into Social Security. And this leaves aside the fact the Federal Reserve created several trillion dollars 'out of thin air' to restore the fortunes of a dysfunctional financial system and its beneficiaries in the plutocracy and could more productively do so to fund the nation's social insurance programs. In short, the 'crisis' facing Social Security and Medicare is one of skewed income distribution resulting from bad public policy and is readily solvable without cutting benefits.
To the argument proposed tax increases on the rich balance 'sacrifice' across economic classes, what makes Mr. Obama's self-imposed wage cut so ludicrous is how radically it understates the degree to which a large and growing proportion of the population has been economically marginalized. It also frames income distribution as an outcome of 'natural' processes from which returning some proportion for the benefit of the common weal through taxes is 'sacrifice.' (The rich benefit from public expenditure in far greater proportion than the rest of us). About one-third of retirees exist entirely on Social Security payments that are already at bare subsistence levels. These payments constitute the bulk of monthly income for two out of three retirees. Cutting benefits for people who lack other options for obtaining income isn't 'sacrifice,' shared or otherwise—it is immiseration. And Social Security belongs to those who paid into the program throughout their working lives—it is only through radically anti-democratic governance Mr. Obama and Congressional Republicans have say in the matter.
Income distribution data shows top incomes coming from two related sources—finance and finance related and corporate executive compensation. Wall Street—the F.I.R.E. sector (Finance, Insurance and Real Estate), benefited from Wall Street's resurrection at public expense. Government 'bailout' policies were framed as 'liquidity' provision when in fact the programs went on far longer and at greater public expense than this explanation supports. In fact, Wall Street was (is) insolvent due to poor and / or fraudulent business practices meaning bankers killed 'their' banks, not nature. The resurrection of Wall Street, including paychecks and bonuses, took place entirely on the public dime. And a significant proportion of the rise in corporate earnings used to justify grotesquely disproportionate executive compensation came from cutting wages to labor. The ability of executives to cut wages derives from government policies specifically designed to reduce the power of labor unions and from tax breaks and incentives to shift production to low wage countries. These are no more 'market' forces than the bank bailouts were.
The challenge for the bourgeois commentariat is it largely accepts the political economy that produced current circumstance but objects to the outcomes. Explicit austerity economics, of which Mr. Obama's proposals to cut social insurance programs are a component, receive their provenance from the 'structural adjustment' programs the IMF (International Monetary Fund) for decades inflicted on the citizens of other nations for the benefit of Western banks. The neo-liberal premises behind structural adjustment are still taught in university economics departments by 'liberal' economists who are leading members of the bourgeois commenting class now critical of austerity. With the aforementioned government policies to concentrate wealth within a tiny plutocracy whilst throwing labor to the wolves in mind, liberal economists defer to 'market' forces to explain the income and wealth skews behind the 'natural' austerity faced by the bulk of the working populace and then argue explicit austerity policies are 'unfair' and / or economically destructive. But why argue over effects when the causes can be addressed?
In the macroeconomic context in which austerity economics is argued the mainstream debate is between Keynesian economists, 'New' and old and Austrians. Keynesians argue in circumstances where private demand for goods and services is 'inadequate' government spending produces multiples of the money spent in increased economic output. Austrians argue government spending is always and everywhere less productive than private spending and taxes levied to fund government spending take away from private spending. Eighty or so years of evidence strongly favor the Keynesian understanding of how modern economies 'work,' but with a caveat. Austrians tend to understand the roles of money and banking in the economy whereas 'New' Keynesians remain willfully clueless. This difference plays out in a few ways—private credit expansion has an economic effect similar to public expenditure but it is neither in the public interest nor is it socially neutral in its political-economic effects. And public investment funded with public debt has the power of the printing press behind its repayment whereas private credit doesn't.
Mr. Obama's delivery of several trillion dollars of public wealth to the banks in ongoing bailouts was sold as a way to 'get banks lending again,' 'private' Keynesianism, to raise the quantity of private debt issued to bolster consumption. But wholly reviving insolvent banks has no legitimacy in any economic theory. This is why the bailouts were, and still are, framed as liquidity provision when they are in fact solvency provision. And again, private debt has the political-economic consequence of concentrating wealth and political power in the hands of lenders (Wall Street). Intellectually honest Austrian economists would have let Wall Street die at its own hands in 2008 in favor of a functioning private credit system. 'New' Keynesians support public spending to bolster demand when necessary under the (correct) premise the power of the printing press is a tool to serve the public interest. But their ignorance of money and banking leaves them supporting the monetary policies of solvency provision for dysfunctional banks and at utter losses as to why fiscal policies funded by this same printing press are nowhere to be found. To coin a Clintonism, it's the class warfare stupid!
The difference between the Federal government providing 'liquidity' to markets and restoring solvency to insolvent banks is more than a technicality. In the case of liquidity provision the government temporarily floods markets with money to facilitate transactions during bank panics– it is the ability to transact that is restored. In the case of restoring solvency the Federal government both buys bad assets from the banks that through fraud and / or incompetence rendered themselves insolvent and it provides subsidies from which banks can 'rebuild' their balance sheets. Both are transfers of public resources to private interests demonstrated by history to be economically destructive.
Without apparent irony, the structural adjustment programs fiscal conservatives look to for intellectual sustenance absolutely reject using public funds to restore dysfunctional banks because dysfunctional banks inevitably bleed the economies that remain dry. Austerity economics, the bases for IMF and World Bank policies, are banker economics designed to assure bank debts are repaid regardless of the economic devastation doing so may cause. For theoretical coherence austerity requires that core banks (Wall Street), the banks for which loans be forcibly repaid by the periphery, be functional and healthy. Having now saved a parasitic and dysfunctional Wall Street at public expense, fiscal conservatives in the U.S., led by Barack Obama, seek to cut public expenditures to pay for the privilege.
If cutting the inflation assumption for Social Security would 'save' the program, the purported rationale for doing so, then reversing policies designed to concentrate income and wealth would do far more. But cutting the inflation assumption isn't intended to 'save' the program; it is intended to cut Federal spending in which Social Security plays only an indirect role (why else include it in budget 'negotiations'?) because it is funded through a dedicated tax, not through Federal spending. This doesn't mean Mr. Obama isn't locally sincere (if wrong) in promoting the Hamilton Project (Robert Rubin) line that 'tweaking' social insurance programs will 'save' them. But here context is important. And the context is public expenditures are being cut to pay for the Wall Street bailout and the economic calamity Wall Street caused. Put another way, if there is no public debt 'crisis' (there isn't) and the temporary increase in public debt was to save Wall Street and undo the damage it did to the economy, why not get the money from Wall Street?
But in fact the money is still going in the other direction. And across Europe the story is remarkably similar—through assuming bank liabilities directly (Ireland), shifting public resources to the banks to 'save' them and public expenditure on economic stabilizers and unemployment benefits, formerly fiscally 'disciplined' nations are now regularly characterized by the European Central Bank and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as nations of 'takers' whose morally bankrupt citizenries ruined their countries with fat public welfare programs that must be cut to restore economic health. To be clear, fiscal issues the European periphery faces came from delivering public resources to Wall Street alone. (Wall Street now includes large European banks).
For the uninitiated, the endgame appears nigh. The seizure of bank deposits in Cyprus to pay for bank losses simply removed the 'middle men,' the European Central Bank and the political powers that be in Europe, from transferring wealth from the citizens of Cyprus to Cypriot bankers (and to European banks and U.S. hedge funds). The capitalist media storyline promoted by gullible liberals that 'Russian mafia' money was seized is nonsense. By reports European banks and rich Russians had little trouble getting their money out of Cyprus. The deposits being seized are in precise inverse relation to the political-economic power the depositors wield. And across the West policies of economic austerity are being imposed in similar fashion.
Mr. Obama is who he is. But those who voted for him have some explaining to do. I oppose Mr. Obama's policies and would have likewise vocally, and otherwise, opposed those of Mitt Romney had he 'won.' Were this simply a matter of resentment the situation would take care of itself—you are the schmucks who cut your own Social Security and Medicare programs. But if you think this is it, that the worst is over, I humbly suggest that was your view when Mr. Obama won his second term. To those paying attention, the Dodd-Frank legislation being sold as a way to 'reign-in' bailed out banks contains 'Cyprus' clauses that leave banks (or their creditors, beginning with derivatives counter-parties) no alternative than to seize insured deposits when they need their next inevitable bailout. On the plus side, this will eliminate the time-consuming theater of austerity 'debates.' On the minus side, Mr. Obama is exponentially increasing the misery of society's most vulnerable. But I'm confident he appreciates your support for his policies.
Rob Urie is an artist and political economist in New York.
Who Will Save Social Security and Medicare? (alethonews.wordpress.com)
April 13, 2013 Posted by aletho | Deception, Economics, Progressive Hypocrite, Supremacism, Social Darwinism, Timeless or most popular | Democratic Party, Democrats, International Monetary Fund, Medicare, Obama, Social Security, Wall Street | Comments Off on Austerity Economics, Democrat-Style
Most Homeowners Compensated for Bank Foreclosure Misdeeds will Receive just $300
By Noel Brinkerhoff | AllGov | April 12, 2013
Most homeowners wronged during the foreclosure fiasco will receive only a few hundred dollars in compensation from a settlement reached between the federal government and banks.
About 2.4 million borrowers of the almost 4 million eligible homeowners will receive $300 after lenders gave out misinformation, lost documents and committed other misdeeds.
Two years ago, the Independent Foreclosure Review proclaimed homeowners who suffered "financial injury" could get as much as $125,000.
It now turns out only 1,135 borrowers will see this amount. This small group mostly includes members of the U.S. military who had their homes taken away from them, as well as 53 non-military homeowners who endured foreclosure even though they didn't default on their loans.
Obama Administration Asks Banks to Regulate Their Own Foreclosure Abuses (alethonews.wordpress.com)
April 13, 2013 Posted by aletho | Civil Liberties, Corruption | Foreclosure, Noel Brinkerhoff, Real estate | Comments Off on Most Homeowners Compensated for Bank Foreclosure Misdeeds will Receive just $300
Air Force General who Overturned Sexual Assault Conviction Says Accused was Too Good a Husband and Father to be Guilty
By Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky | AllGov | April 12, 2013
Lieutenant General Craig A. Franklin, commander of the Third Air Force in Europe, shocked political leaders in Washington with his decision on February 26 to overturn the sexual assault conviction of a celebrated fighter pilot, saying the defendant was just too good a husband and father to be guilty.
"Letters from Lt Col and Mrs Wilkerson's family, friends and fellow military members," wrote Franklin in a letter to his superiors, "painted a consistent picture of a person who adored his wife and 9-year old son, as well as a picture of a long-serving professional Air Force officer…. Some letters were from people who did not personally know the Wilkersons, but wanted to convey their concerns to me about the evidence and the outcome of the case"
When the testimony of Wilkerson and his wife were in conflict, Franklin interpreted this as proof that they had not colluded in creating a cover story.
Wilkerson was convicted by an all-male jury of raping a woman while she slept in his home. He was sentenced to a year in the brig and discharged from the Air Force.
Franklin used his authority to overturn the court's decision, which allowed the accused to return to active duty.
Members of Congress and advocacy groups have strongly criticized Franklin's interference with the ruling, with some saying it is yet another sign of how the U.S. military refuses to take sex crimes seriously and punish those responsible.
April 13, 2013 Posted by aletho | Militarism | Aviano Air Base, Sexual assault, US Air Force | Comments Off on Air Force General who Overturned Sexual Assault Conviction Says Accused was Too Good a Husband and Father to be Guilty
Trans-Pacific Partnership: Free Trade vs. Democracy
By Cliff DuRand | Americas Program | April 12, 2013
As closed-door negotiations concluded in Singapore on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, opposition begins to build in many countries. At the urging of the United States, Canada and Mexico have joined the nine countries in the talks and now Japan has announced it too wants to be part of this new free trade pact of Pacific rim countries, described by its critics as "NAFTA on steroids".
Going into its 17th round of negotiations, the Obama administration aims to wrap up an agreement by October, hoping to push ratification through the Senate on a fast- track basis. Called Trade Promotion Authority, fast track would mean an up or down vote without amendments or even hearings on the agreement presented to it. It is a profoundly anti-democratic procedure because it shuts down debate.
But from start to end, TPP has been thoroughly anti-democratic. On the first day of the Singapore talks a broad range of civil society organizations issued an open letter to Congress calling for greater transparency in the proceedings. The agreement is being hammered out in secret discussions among trade ministers. Even Senators have been denied a look at its draft provisions.
However, some 600 transnational corporations are in the inner circle. They are writing the rules for trade in their own interests without any democratic input from the people whose lives will be profoundly affected. If adopted, TPP will deny citizens their democratic rights to shape public policies on a host of domestic issues, conceding those decisions to the large corporations.
Some sections have been leaked. They reveal "an agreement that actually formalizes the priority of corporate power over government," according to Lori Wallach of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. Only 5 of the 29 chapters have to do with trade. Wallach says the rest of the draft "include[s] new rights for the big pharmaceutical companies to expand, to raise medical prices, expand monopoly patents, limits on Internet freedom, penalties for inadvertent noncommercial copying, sending something to a friend. There are the same rules that promote off-shoring of jobs that were in NAFTA that are more robust that literally give privileges and protections if you leave. There is a ban on 'buy American' and 'buy local' or 'green' or sweat-free procurement. There are limits on domestic financial stability regulations. There are limits on imported food safety standards and product standards. There are limits on how we can regulate energy towards a more green future – all of these things are what they call 'Behind the Borders' agenda. And the operating clause of TPP is: 'Each country shall ensure the conformity of its domestic laws, regulations and administrative procedures with these agreements.'"
Global Class War
Free trade is about more than trade. It is about favoring corporations over the democratic rights of citizens and the sovereignty of nations. As the former Director-General of the WTO, Renato Ruggiero, said in 1995, "We are no longer writing the rules of interaction among separate national economies. We are writing the constitution of a single global economy."# What is being created is a global governance order in which corporations are the citizens, not flesh and blood humans like you and me. With free trade, corporations are making an end run around democracy.
TPP is the latest offensive in a global class war. For nearly 40 years now, since the mid 1970s, corporations have been rolling back the popular gains of the New Deal era and the 1960s. Democracy has been the target of a class war to restore the class power of capital. And there has been weak resistance, at best, by the popular classes. But the stakes have become increasingly clear to more and more. Indeed, on the issue of free trade, there is now a broad public sentiment against this aspect of the corporate offensive.
The US has become the world advocate of "free trade," promoting it through trade agreements like NAFTA and other bi-lateral agreements as well as through global governance institutions it has sponsored such as IMF, World Bank and WTO. The US has promoted free trade for much the same reason Great Britain promoted it in the 19th century, viz. the economically strongest country in the world benefits from free trade. It is the weaker countries that seek tariff protection for their infant industries, protection from competition with cheaper and higher quality imports. That protection is what enabled the US to industrialize in the last half of the 19th century. But then when the US became economically strong enough to compete regionally and eventually globally, it became an advocate of free trade and demanded that others abandon protectionism.
The justification for free trade rests on the theory of comparative advantage. This is the view that if countries trade free of government impediments, the market will tend to direct each to export that which they can produce most efficiently and import what can be produced more efficiently and thus more cheaply elsewhere. The invisible hand of the market will guide each to specialize in producing what they have a comparative advantage in. Thus a rational production and trading system will emerge that maximizes efficiency.
Free trade agreements like NAFTA were sold to the US public by appealing to consumer's interest in having access to cheaper goods imported from Mexico. What was deliberately soft-pedaled was their interest as workers in having jobs. Organized labor opposed NAFTA, fearing it would pit US workers in competition with low wage Mexican workers. Independent presidential candidate Ross Perot warned of "a giant sucking sound" as jobs would be off-shored to Mexico.
But the Clinton administration said US exports to Mexico would create new jobs. And so, ignoring opposition from its traditional base in the unions, new Democrat Clinton pushed ratification of NAFTA through the Senate as his first priority. Perot proved to be correct as US companies shifted production to low wage Mexico – until even lower wage Chinese workers were brought into play when China joined WTO. But Clinton was also right as cheaper consumer goods from abroad filled the shelves of Wal-Mart with bargains welcomed by US workers who found their wages reduced. Free trade proved to be a mixed blessing.
Capital Becomes Global
One important point about free trade that is often overlooked is that it is not only about the free, frictionless movement of goods and services across borders, unrestricted by tariffs, quotas and regulations. It assures the free movement of capital, as corporations are freed to invest abroad. The mobility of investment capital is of utmost importance, with profound economic consequences and consequences for democracy.
Unable to find sufficiently profitable venues for investment in the overdeveloped US economy, large corporations have increasingly moved abroad. They sought not just new outlets to sell their commodities, but low wage workforces that would decrease their production costs and thus boost their profits. Frequently that would involve locating different stages of the productive process in different countries so as to take optimal advantage of local conditions. The assembly lines of US industry were disaggregated and disbursed across the globe.
Global assembly lines emerged. These global production chains have become a signature feature of contemporary capitalism. Components may be manufactured in Singapore, transported to China for subassembly and then shipped to Mexico for final assembly before sale in the United States. Although global assembly lines are geographically dispersed, they overcome the limitations of the fixed assembly lines of the Fordist era in that they no longer have to rely on a fixed labor force that can organize itself to effectively claim a share of the surplus they create.
Instead, the global assembly line gives capital the flexibility to seek out the lowest wage workforce and friendliest business environment available anywhere in the world. This has been made possible by the development of a global computerized network of instant communications via satellite. That and the computerization of banking have made money transfers and the movement of capital both easy and instantaneous. The communications network also allows the decentralization of technological development and design. Technicians can work at points distant from the processes of production to which they address themselves. And the entire process can be coordinated by management located anywhere on the globe. The limitations of space and time have been overcome by digital communications and cheap energy for transporting goods to their ultimate consumers.
For such globalized production to be possible, capital must be able to flow freely across national borders and products have to be able to move with minimum friction across those borders, unhampered by tariffs or quotas or non-uniform standards. In other words, there must be free trade for transnational capital to optimize accumulation.#
But transnational corporations also need legal protection of their investments. They need protection from expropriation of their assets, laws and governments that can ensure their property is secure. A crucial part of free trade agreements is protection of what are called investor rights. This involves more than just protection from expropriation, as happens with revolutions. It also involves protection from governmental actions that might reduce the value of their property or potential profits by environmental and health regulations, labor laws or other such measures even though they might be for the public good. What in US law is called "regulatory takings" are seen as tantamount to expropriation.
When such governmental actions do occur, free trade treaties give the foreign corporation the recourse to sue. The suit is not adjudicated in a national court, but by a transnational body of experts operating in secret. States are expected to enforce its decisions on their own nation's taxpayers and consumers. This favors investor rights (i.e. the interests of transnational corporations) over the democratic rights of a nation.
Super NAFTA
As corporations have globalized, morphing into transnational corporations, they have promoted free trade agreements to get national governments to assist them. But when "investor rights" trump the democratic rights of citizens, the transnational corporations become the real citizens of the emerging global order. TPP is a further step in this direction, making an end run around a number of important issues –banking regulation, extension of patent protection, food inspection, environmental protection, food sovereignty, internet freedom, health care, job creation policies, and more, denying voters the opportunity to decide such matters when they impinge on corporate profit making.
Here are a few of the issues around which opposition to TPP is beginning to emerge.
* Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, MSF) is concerned that TPP would "enhance patent and data protections for pharmaceutical companies, dismantle public health safeguards enshrined in international law and obstruct price-lowering generic competition for medicines." The intellectual property provisions would give pharmaceutical companies prolonged monopoly protection for medicines and delay access to cheaper generic versions. This would have disastrous consequences in poorer countries.
* Internet freedom is also in danger. The Council of Canadians and OpenMedia have warned that the TPP would "criminalize some everyday uses of the Internet," including music downloads, making no distinction between commercial and non-commercial copyright infringement. The TPP imposes a "three strikes" system for copyright infringement, where three violations would result in the termination of a household's Internet access.
* Japanese farmers are concerned that TPP will force removal of protections from Japan's agriculture needed to maintain food sovereignty for the country. They are protesting Japan's decision to enter into TPP negotiations at all.
* Guaranteed compensation for loss of "expected future profits" from health, labor or environmental regulations.
* Corporate performance requirements are banned.
* Capital mobility is to be guaranteed, preventing capital controls in event of a financial crisis. TPP will require countries to let capital flow in and out without restriction, not allow the banning or regulation of risky investments like derivatives and credit-default swaps and will prevent the formation of much-needed public banks
Democratic sovereignty
Most fundamentally what is at stake with TPP and existing free trade treaties is the sovereignty of nations and the ability of their peoples to make democratic decisions. This is a concern on both the Left and the Right, suggesting the possibility of a broad coalition opposing TPP, bridging our otherwise polarized politics.
A major NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll from September of 2010 revealed that "the impact of trade and outsourcing is one of the only issues on which Americans of different classes, occupations and political persuasions agree," with 86% saying that outsourcing jobs by U.S. companies to poor countries was "a top cause of our economic woes," with 69% thinking that "free trade agreements between the United States and other countries cost the U.S. jobs." Only 17% of Americans in 2010 felt that "free trade agreements" benefit the U.S., compared to 28% in 2007.
Arthur Stamoulis, executive director of Citizen Trade Campaign said: "If they were to negotiate an agreement that put human rights ahead of corporate profit, creating more just and sustainable social policy, the TPP could be a tool for incredible good. But if you look at who has a seat at the table, with the public shut out and more than 600 corporate lobbyists included, there is nothing to indicate that's the deal we're going to get."
The developing opposition to the corporate coup that the TPP represents has the potential to win. It's about time for the people to win one victory in the corporate class war. Our first chance in this campaign will be over granting fast track Trade Promotion Authority. And that battle will be followed by the fight over Senate approval of TPP itself. This is one that we can win. The stakes are high. The alternatives are democracy or plutocracy.
Cliff DuRand is a Research Associate at the Center for Global Justice and a contributor to the CIP Americas Program http://www.cipamericas.org. He is co-author and co-editor of Recreating Democracy in a Globalized State (Clarity Press, 2012). Contact him at global.justice.cliff@gmail.com
Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch http://www.citizen.org/trade
on TPP http://www.citizen.org/TPP
Citizens Trade Campaign www.citizenstrade.org
A coalition of labor, environmental, religious, family farm, and consumer organizations united in the pursuit of socially and environmentally just trade policies.
It's Our Economy www.itsoureconomy.us
It's Our Economy seeks to educate, organize and mobilize Americans to shift the power from concentrated capital to the people. http://itsoureconomy.us/occupy-the-tpp-stop-the-global-corporate-coup/
NAFTA at 20: The New Spin (alethonews.wordpress.com)
April 13, 2013 Posted by aletho | Civil Liberties, Economics, Full Spectrum Dominance | Mexico, NAFTA, North American Free Trade Agreement, Singapore, TPP, Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership, United States | Comments Off on Trans-Pacific Partnership: Free Trade vs. Democracy


text:
Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadı ist der Name folgender zwei Stadien der westtürkischen Hafenstadt Samsun, zu unterschiedlichen Zeitpunkten die Heimstätte des ortsansässigen Fußballvereins Samsunspor waren:

 Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadı (1975)
 Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadı (2017)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
namespace Dropbox.Api.Sharing
{
    using sys = System;
    using col = System.Collections.Generic;
    using re = System.Text.RegularExpressions;

    using enc = Dropbox.Api.Stone;

    /// <summary>
    /// <para>Per file results of <see
    /// cref="Dropbox.Api.Sharing.Routes.SharingUserRoutes.GetFileMetadataBatchAsync"
    /// />.</para>
    /// </summary>
    public class GetFileMetadataBatchResult
    {
        #pragma warning disable 108

        /// <summary>
        /// <para>The encoder instance.</para>
        /// </summary>
        internal static enc.StructEncoder<GetFileMetadataBatchResult> Encoder = new GetFileMetadataBatchResultEncoder();

        /// <summary>
        /// <para>The decoder instance.</para>
        /// </summary>
        internal static enc.StructDecoder<GetFileMetadataBatchResult> Decoder = new GetFileMetadataBatchResultDecoder();

        /// <summary>
        /// <para>Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="GetFileMetadataBatchResult" />
        /// class.</para>
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="file">This is the input file identifier corresponding to one of <see
        /// cref="Dropbox.Api.Sharing.GetFileMetadataBatchArg.Files" />.</param>
        /// <param name="result">The result for this particular file.</param>
        public GetFileMetadataBatchResult(string file,
                                          GetFileMetadataIndividualResult result)
        {
            if (file == null)
            {
                throw new sys.ArgumentNullException("file");
            }
            if (file.Length < 1)
            {
                throw new sys.ArgumentOutOfRangeException("file", "Length should be at least 1");
            }
            if (!re.Regex.IsMatch(file, @"\A(?:((/|id:).*|nspath:[0-9]+:.*)|ns:[0-9]+(/.*)?)\z"))
            {
                throw new sys.ArgumentOutOfRangeException("file", @"Value should match pattern '\A(?:((/|id:).*|nspath:[0-9]+:.*)|ns:[0-9]+(/.*)?)\z'");
            }

            if (result == null)
            {
                throw new sys.ArgumentNullException("result");
            }

            this.File = file;
            this.Result = result;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// <para>Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="GetFileMetadataBatchResult" />
        /// class.</para>
        /// </summary>
        /// <remarks>This is to construct an instance of the object when
        /// deserializing.</remarks>
        [sys.ComponentModel.EditorBrowsable(sys.ComponentModel.EditorBrowsableState.Never)]
        public GetFileMetadataBatchResult()
        {
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// <para>This is the input file identifier corresponding to one of <see
        /// cref="Dropbox.Api.Sharing.GetFileMetadataBatchArg.Files" />.</para>
        /// </summary>
        public string File { get; protected set; }

        /// <summary>
        /// <para>The result for this particular file.</para>
        /// </summary>
        public GetFileMetadataIndividualResult Result { get; protected set; }

        #region Encoder class

        /// <summary>
        /// <para>Encoder for  <see cref="GetFileMetadataBatchResult" />.</para>
        /// </summary>
        private class GetFileMetadataBatchResultEncoder : enc.StructEncoder<GetFileMetadataBatchResult>
        {
            /// <summary>
            /// <para>Encode fields of given value.</para>
            /// </summary>
            /// <param name="value">The value.</param>
            /// <param name="writer">The writer.</param>
            public override void EncodeFields(GetFileMetadataBatchResult value, enc.IJsonWriter writer)
            {
                WriteProperty("file", value.File, writer, enc.StringEncoder.Instance);
                WriteProperty("result", value.Result, writer, global::Dropbox.Api.Sharing.GetFileMetadataIndividualResult.Encoder);
            }
        }

        #endregion

        #region Decoder class

        /// <summary>
        /// <para>Decoder for  <see cref="GetFileMetadataBatchResult" />.</para>
        /// </summary>
        private class GetFileMetadataBatchResultDecoder : enc.StructDecoder<GetFileMetadataBatchResult>
        {
            /// <summary>
            /// <para>Create a new instance of type <see cref="GetFileMetadataBatchResult"
            /// />.</para>
            /// </summary>
            /// <returns>The struct instance.</returns>
            protected override GetFileMetadataBatchResult Create()
            {
                return new GetFileMetadataBatchResult();
            }

            /// <summary>
            /// <para>Set given field.</para>
            /// </summary>
            /// <param name="value">The field value.</param>
            /// <param name="fieldName">The field name.</param>
            /// <param name="reader">The json reader.</param>
            protected override void SetField(GetFileMetadataBatchResult value, string fieldName, enc.IJsonReader reader)
            {
                switch (fieldName)
                {
                    case "file":
                        value.File = enc.StringDecoder.Instance.Decode(reader);
                        break;
                    case "result":
                        value.Result = global::Dropbox.Api.Sharing.GetFileMetadataIndividualResult.Decoder.Decode(reader);
                        break;
                    default:
                        reader.Skip();
                        break;
                }
            }
        }

        #endregion
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Photo of Overlake Lock & Key – Bellevue, WA, United States. ….. dropped by Overlake Lock & Key and asked if they could cut a new key to replace my "bad" one.
Security Safe & Lock Inc in Bellevue, WA provides security services for residential and commercial customers. Call today.
The security of a deadbolt on your Bellevue OH 44811 home or organization guarantees the safety and security of your possessions. When installed correctly it is extremely challenging to kick your door open.


Neuroscientists are beginning to pinpoint the regions of the brain involved in the perception of free will.
The work shows how neuroscience is beginning to approach elements of the biological nature of free will.
"I think it's really nice work, carefully done and thoughtfully presented," says Kevin Mitchell, a neurogeneticist at Trinity College in Dublin who studies perception and who wasn't involved in the study.
Philosophers have wrestled with questions of free will—that is, whether we are active drivers or passive observers of our decisions—for millennia. Neuroscientists tap-dance around it, asking instead why most of us feel like we have free will. They do this by looking at rare cases in which people seem to have lost it.
Patients with both alien limb syndrome and akinetic mutism have lesions in their brains, but there doesn't seem to be a consistent pattern. So Darby and his colleagues turned to a relatively new technique known as lesion network mapping.
They combed the literature for brain imaging studies of both types of patients and mapped out all of their reported brain lesions. Then they plotted those lesions onto maps of brain regions that reliably activate together at the same time, better known as brain networks. Although the individual lesions in patients with the rare movement disorders appeared to occur without rhyme or reason, the team found, those seemingly arbitrary locations fell within distinct brain networks.
The researchers compared their results with those from people who lost some voluntary movement after receiving temporary brain stimulation, which uses low-voltage electrodes or targeted magnetic fields to temporarily "knock offline" brain regions.
The networks that caused loss of voluntary movement or agency in those studies matched Darby and colleagues' new lesion networks. This suggests these networks are involved in voluntary movement and the perception that we're in control of, and responsible for, our actions, the researchers report today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .
In the patients with akinetic mutism, overlaps between their damaged networks "peaked" in a region of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex, which is involved in voluntary movement. In patients with alien limb syndrome, the team found some overlap within the temporoparietal junction, a brain region strongly implicated in self-awareness and agency. But the peak overlap actually fell in a little-studied region called the precuneus, which has also been linked to self-awareness.
Thus, regardless of whether we actually have free will, researchers are beginning to localize the areas that make us feel like we do.
Darby is careful to note that although volition and agency are elements related to free will, the new study doesn't attempt to answer the overarching question of whether the human brain is independently responsible for its decisions and actions.


ADS IT Solutions custom software development services aim to address critical customer issues and problems with business outcomes that benefit the entire enterprise.
Our professional software development team, certified processes, Quality Assurance and testing, cutting-edge technologies such as Java, .Net, PHP and others allow our clients to timely return their investments into all their custom software development initiatives. We provide full range of custom software development services from IT consulting, software engineering, solution design, software product development to integration services, software maintenance and support.
With ADS IT Solutions as software development provider our clients get industry-leading innovative solutions to handle all their business issues.
At ADS IT Solutions software company we have expertise in comprehensive software, custom solutions and tools development which help both small companies and large enterprises in business process automation, increasing employee efficiency and reducing costs. Our business software development approach allows us to create highly expendable, modular and stable software. Here are some sample business process automation solutions that our software development services include: Complex work flow management systems development Customer support ticket tracking and management software development Console tools development to reduce employee manual work File processing and parsing software development Report management and automation solutions development.
ADS IT Solutions software developers have extensive expertise in customer relations management software development which minimizes the workload the sales representative spends on each phase. The customer management software we have development expertise in contains not only lead management software modules, but also gives insights into opportunities, geographic territories and forecasts. The customer relationship management software features we can develop for you, such as sales work flow automation, quote generation and comprehensive reporting bring the highest efficiency in acquiring new customers, offering an excellent service and generating contracts to both large enterprise and small business.
ADS IT Solutions has extensive expertise in custom financial and accounting software development. We have a long successful history in designing, developing, installation and maintenance of robust business financial software solutions for large enterprises and small businesses.
We provide full service; consulting and custom financial software development to software integration with third party CRM, contact management or ticketing systems, software maintenance, and support. As the result, our customers obtain a highly scalable, robust and modular financial management software solution which helps them to consolidate, manage and monitor the enterprise-wide financial information.
Our custom inventory and asset management software development experience allows us to create software solutions which provide full capabilities for you business to specify size and placement of goods, manage multiple locations, inventory costs and price forecasts. The extensive software development expertise we have in asset management and inventory management software allows us to create solutions which automate inventory forecasting and valuation, asset replenishment and returns of defective goods. You are able to forecast inventory demands and collect comprehensive reports for your business to react immediately to the changing market environment.
We have experience in document management software development. The document management software developed by us allows both small companies and large enterprises to categorize, upload, and share documents and reports. With the help of our extensive expertise in data management software development we create robust and modular solutions which support flexible user rights and complex document management work flows. Each data management system works for multiple companies within a large business enterprise or for several departments within a single company at the same time and fully automates all enterprise content management needs.
Our custom software development services offer consulting, delivery expertise and custom tool development in order to drive innovation, improve your business efficiency and reduce manual work costs. We use all cutting-edge technologies and our extensive expertise to provide quality custom software design, development, consulting, installation and maintenance services. Whenever your company needs a solution that will automate the routine work of the employees, store data and information, provide comprehensive work flows and increase the quality of your business and services – feel free to contact us for our custom software and tool development services.


On the morning of Friday 3 June, four young Palestinian musicians left the Gaza Strip for the first time in their lives, heading for Brighton to perform classical and contemporary Middle Eastern music.
The group consists of Najlaa Humaid, the band's singer, guitarist Mohammed Shoman, oud player Mohannad Abu Safia and Farouk Abu Ramadan playing the qanun, an ancient Arab instrument similar to a zither. Accompanied by their teacher, Ismail Dawoud, the four children arrived in the United Kingdom on Saturday, only a couple of hours ahead of their planned concert in Brighton.
Having not slept at all, the children only had two hours to rest before they went to perform their first concert in the UK. "We spent those two hours preparing for the concert," Shoman told MEMO.
"Even though they had not slept since they left Gaza on Friday morning, their performance on Saturday earned them a standing ovation," Agnes Baetens, the visit's coordinator from Brighton and Palestinian Artists Together, told MEMO.
"It was the dream of Ahmed Khatib, an accomplished oud player, to perform with children from Gaza," Baetens said. She was first exposed to Palestinian musicians and became involved in organising concerts through her son who used to work with the Palestine Youth Orchestra in the UK. After organising a number of very successful concerts for Palestinians in the UK over the past couple of years, Brighton and Palestinian Artists Together set up a crowdfunding page hoping to be able to bring children from Gaza to perform in Brighton. Within a few days, they exceeded their target and began working on the logistics of organising the trip.
Shoman was eager to tell me about their long journey from Gaza. After crossing from Erez, he said, the group took a taxi through the West Bank and Jericho and for the first time, they crossed the Allenby Bridge crossing, also known as the King Hussein Bridge. After much delay at the bridge, they arrived in Amman, Jordan, where they took their flight to London.
"When we landed, it was such an overwhelming feeling that words cannot describe," Shoman added.
The four children are students at the Gaza Music School, the only music school in the besieged territory founded in 2008 at the Palestinian Red Crescent premises in Gaza City, with funding from the A. M. Qattan Foundation and the Swedish government.
The school, where these young musicians have honed their skills for the past few years, was forced to relocate to new premises during its first year of existence after it was extensively damaged and had many of its instruments destroyed during Israel's operation Cast Lead of 2008-2009. Now running as part of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, the school continues to nurture a young musical generation against all odds, offering eight years of study with basic and intermediate certificates that allow the students to pursue music at international universities.
In addition to the restrictions on the entry of musical instruments and equipment, musicians are aso restricted by their inability to travel freely and exchange expertise as a result of the Israeli siege on Gaza's musicians and its only music school.
Describing the many obstacles they faced in trying to get to the UK, the children's music teacher Ismail Dawoud said their visit was a challenge to the Israeli siege that has, for so long, restricted their movement.
Baetens said they had to involve MPs, MEPs, and bishops in order to get the visa decision reversed. Gisha, an Israeli Human Rights Organisation, also got involved and helped the group get Israeli permits to pass through the Erez crossing.
The reaction and excitement of these young musicians took me back to Gaza, when I interviewed Firas Al-Shrafi, one of the youngest students at the Gaza Music School. At the time, Firas was telling me of his ambitions and dreams of going abroad and performing alongside other musicians.
Humaid, the group's singer, said her family has always supported her. "Now I feel accomplished and I have made my family proud," she continued.
"I wish my sister was here with me," Shoman added, "but she is still happy for me and I am achieving both of our dreams." Mohammed and his sister Ghada are known in Gaza as the Shoman Duo. While Mohammed plays the guitar, Ghada acts as the singer in their mini band.
Gaza's children have found in music more than a mere distraction from Gaza's troubles. They have found a way to call for peace and freedom.
"I hope the Israeli siege of Gaza will end soon, and the borders will be open so that we can have a wider music culture and more openness to the world," Shoman continued.
Images courtesy of Brighton and Hove Palestine Solidarity Campaign.


Yes for options when choosing NZ accommodation you can camp, use a campervan or book cabins or motels but I found a better way recently to enjoy a break and still enjoy all the luxuries of home.
It has proved enjoyable and trouble free for me. Three times in the last two years I have used this method and each time has worked out perfectly.
My first experience was Waiheke Island. I booked a place for 8 people as we were visiting the Island for my son's wedding. Then I booked a place in Coromandel for a break with my sister who was visiting from Australia. The last time was a girls weekend away in Taupo. Again I selected a place and booked a holiday home on the lake.
Yes, I spend hours checking holiday homes out online before booking. Yes because I had booked for others too, I was a little anxious before getting there that the place would be up to scratch. All of the holiday homes turned out to be exactly as described. Lucky maybe but I am hooked on this option when in need of NZ accommodation.
Here's the thing, the Holiday Home websites make it easy. You can narrow the search down by entering keywords, selecting preferences etc. How many do you need to sleep? Do you want a bath, spa, fireplace, pool, privacy a view? Then you just spend time checking them out. View the many images, read the reviews, give it some thought, read any reviews and make your selection. You can work out the cost but you send for a quote usually, and then get emailed links to book. It is easy and straight forward. You usually pay a dep then the remainder at a set date before your stay. The code to a lockbox or instructions about the key were texted or phoned through an hour or two before your eta.
From my experience people who let out homes as holiday homes go all out to make sure their quest,s are happy and comfortable. They choose the decor with good taste and care. They keep the houses warm, dry, clean and welcoming. Choose wisely and you will be holidaying in luxury. While searching you can easily pick out the ones that appeal to you. Off course in some case's you may get what you pay for but I am a low budget person and I was looking around the lower prices for the homes I booked and they turned out to be way above what you would expect for the cost.
There are various websites that are easy to find. Just put in a search for Holiday Homes NZ and the top websites will be listed. I went through Waiheke Holiday Homes for the house on Waiheke Island.I can't wait to book my next break away.


Plaintiff Ashley Nicholas (hereinafter "Plaintiff"), seeks judicial review of a final decision of the Commissioner of Social Security denying her claim for supplemental security income under Title XVI of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1381, et seq. On October 5, 2017, the parties consented to have the undersigned conduct any and all proceedings in this case. (Doc. 14). Thus, the action was referred to the undersigned to conduct all proceedings and order the entry of judgment in accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 636(c) and Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 73. Upon careful consideration of the administrative record and the memoranda of the parties, it is hereby ORDERED that the decision of the Commissioner be AFFIRMED.
Plaintiff protectively filed her application for benefits on January 21, 2013, alleging disability beginning January 1, 2010, based on "fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, hypertension, high cholesterol, insomnia, loss of motor function, limited ambulation, burn, and obesity." (Doc. 7-6 at 4, 7). Plaintiff's application was denied and upon timely request, she was granted an administrative hearing before Administrative Law Judge Linda J. Helm on September 26, 2014. (Doc. 7-2 at 63). Plaintiff attended the hearing with her counsel and provided testimony related to her claims. (Id.). A vocational expert ("VE") also appeared at the hearing and provided testimony. (Doc. 7-2 at 94). On May 28, 2015, the ALJ issued an unfavorable decision finding that Plaintiff is not disabled. (Doc. 7-2 at 47). The Appeals Council denied Plaintiff's request for review on August 8, 2016. (Doc. 7-2 at 2). Therefore, the ALJ's decision dated May 28, 2015, became the final decision of the Commissioner.
Having exhausted her administrative remedies, Plaintiff timely filed the present civil action. (Doc. 1). Oral argument was conducted on October 26, 2017 (Doc. 17), and the parties agree that this case is now ripe for judicial review and is properly before this Court pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §§ 405(g) and 1383(c)(3).
1. Whether the ALJ erred in failing to assign controlling weight to the opinions of treating physician, Dr. Paul Smith, M.D., while assigning great weight to the opinions of consultative physician, Dr. Nathaniel Hernandez, M.D.?
Plaintiff was born on August 16, 1964, and was fifty years of age at the time of her administrative hearing on September 26, 2014. (Doc. 7-2 at 69; Doc. 7-6 at 4). Plaintiff graduated from high school and took college courses in nursing for one month. (Doc. 7-2 at 71).
Plaintiff has worked intermittently as a fast food worker, domestic housekeeper, and hospital cleaner from 2009 to 2011. (Doc. 7-2 at 72-74, 95-97). At the administrative hearing, Plaintiff testified that she cannot work now because she cannot stand more than ten minutes because of hip pain; she has trouble concentrating; and her medications make her disoriented. (Doc. 7-2 at 75, 77, 91). Plaintiff's medications include Lyrica for fibromyalgia, Xanax for insomnia, Viibryd for depression, and Mobic for pain in her back and legs, and she reported that all of them provide her with some relief. (Doc. 7-2 at 76, 84, 90). The side effects from Plaintiff's medications include weight gain and nervousness/shaking. (Doc. 7-2 at 91, 94).
The claimant must first prove that he or she has not engaged in substantial gainful activity. The second step requires the claimant to prove that he or she has a severe impairment or combination of impairments. If, at the third step, the claimant proves that the impairment or combination of impairments meets or equals a listed impairment, then the claimant is automatically found disabled regardless of age, education, or work experience. If the claimant cannot prevail at the third step, he or she must proceed to the fourth step where the claimant must prove an inability to perform their past relevant work. Jones v. Bowen, 810 F.2d 1001, 1005 (11th Cir. 1986). In evaluating whether the claimant has met this burden, the examiner must consider the following four factors: (1) objective medical facts and clinical findings; (2) diagnoses of examining physicians; (3) evidence of pain; and (4) the claimant's age, education and work history. Id. Once a claimant meets this burden, it becomes the Commissioner's burden to prove at the fifth step that the claimant is capable of engaging in another kind of substantial gainful employment which exists in significant numbers in the national economy, given the claimant's residual functional capacity, age, education, and work history. Sryock v. Heckler, 764 F.2d 834, 836 (11th Cir. 1985). If the Commissioner can demonstrate that there are such jobs the claimant can perform, the claimant must prove inability to perform those jobs in order to be found disabled. Jones v. Apfel, 190 F.3d 1224, 1228 (11th Cir. 1999). See also Hale v. Bowen, 831 F.2d 1007, 1011 (11th Cir. 1987) (citing Francis v. Heckler, 749 F.2d 1562, 1564 (11th Cir. 1985)).
A. Substantial evidence supports the weight that the ALJ accorded to the expert medical opinions in this case.
Plaintiff argues that the ALJ erred in assigning little weight to the opinions of her treating physician, Dr. Paul Smith, M.D., while assigning great weight to the opinion of consultative internist, Dr. Nathaniel Hernandez, M.D. (Doc. 7-7 at 110; Doc. 8 at 2-8). Defendant counters that substantial evidence supports the ALJ's assignment of weight to the expert opinions in this case, as well as the ALJ's determination that Plaintiff has the RFC to perform a range of light work. (Doc. 11 at 6). Having reviewed the record at length, the Court finds that Plaintiff's claim is without merit.
In this case, the ALJ found at step two of the sequential evaluation process that Plaintiff has the severe impairments of degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, obesity, affective disorder/depression with anxiety, and hypertension/history of burn. (Doc. 7-2 at 49). The ALJ determined that Plaintiff's respiratory impairment and hypercholesterolemia were not severe impairments. (Doc. 7-2 at 51). The ALJ also concluded that Plaintiff has the Residual Functional Capacity for light work, with the following restrictions: "she can lift and carry 20 pounds occasionally and 10 pounds frequently; she must alternate between sitting, standing, and walking about every hour but would not need to leave the workstation; she can push and pull within the cited weight tolerances, but is limited to occasional operation of foot controls bilaterally; she can occasionally climb ramps and stairs but never ladders, ropes or scaffolds: she can occasionally balance, stoop and crouch but never kneel or crawl; she must avoid unprotected heights and moving mechanical parts; she must avoid tasks involving a variety of instructions or tasks but is able to understand to carry out simple 1- or 2-step instructions; she can understand to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions involving a few concrete variables in or from standardized situations; she can tolerate occasional contact with coworkers, primarily superficial and without teamwork requirements; she cannot interact with the public; when dealing with changes in the work setting, she is limited to simple work-related decisions." (Doc. 7-2 at 53). Based on the testimony of the VE, in conjunction with the other evidence of record, the ALJ found that, Plaintiff cannot perform her past work as a fast food worker, domestic housekeeper, or hospital cleaner; however, she can perform the jobs of bench assembler, office helper, and garment sorter, all light and unskilled. (Doc. 7-2 at 57, 100-01). Therefore, the ALJ concluded that Plaintiff is not disabled.
Residual functional capacity is a measure of what a claimant can do despite his or her credible limitations. See 20 C.F.R. § 404.1545. Determinations of a claimant's residual functional capacity are reserved for the ALJ, and the assessment is to be based upon all the relevant evidence of a claimant's remaining ability to work despite his or her impairments, and must be supported by substantial evidence. See Beech v. Apfel, 100 F.Supp.2d 1323, 1331 (S.D. Ala. 2000) (citing 20 C.F.R. § 404.1546 and Lewis v. Callahan, 125 F.3d 1436, 1440 (11th Cir. 1997)); Saunders v. Astrue, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 39571, *10, 2012 WL 997222, *4 (M.D. Ala. March 23, 2012). Once the ALJ has determined the claimant's residual functional capacity ("RFC"), the claimant bears the burden of demonstrating that the ALJ's decision is not supported by substantial evidence. See Flynn v. Heckler, 768 F.2d 1273, 1274 (11th Cir. 1985). Plaintiff has failed to meet her burden in this case.


Since I love Cashmere Mist (so much that I frequently layer myself with the body lotion and deodorant) it doesn't take much to get my attention when it comes to a Donna Karan fragrance. When I saw Lianne from The Makeup Girl tweeting about the new Iris Eau de Parfum addition to the Donna Karan Collection, I just had to smell it.
Ever since I discovered iris as a prominent note in my bottle of Iris from Hilde Soliani, I've been obsessed with iris and if you notice, it is a prominent note in another best seller… Prada's Infusion D'Iris. Donna Karan takes iris in a different direction with her new Iris Eau de Parfum, it is refreshing and stands out among the florals currently out in department stores.
At the opening of the scent, Iris is crisp and sparkling. It makes me want to roll around in a meadow like Bella and Edward. This crispness keeps Iris from being overly sweet or floral. The opening quickly gives way to the heart of the fragrance where you have notes of magnolia, rose de mai, violet and ambrette seed mellowing out into a seductive spring floral. And how sleek is this packaging? The signature black cylindrical 3.4 oz bottle is definitely vanity table worthy.
The new Iris Eau de Parfum is making its debut this month at Bergdorf Goodman in New York (that place is like heaven!), Donna Karan Collection Boutiques and select Neiman Marcus stores.
Have you smelled Iris yet? What do you think? Are you in love like I am? Let us know about it in the comments.


I've worked with Nationwide Photographers, (Martin) for over 20 years. He's professional, prompt and overall, just fantastic. I was the Director of Meetings for a International Medical Association and one of the best compliments your photographer can get is when your VIP's and Physicians know and ask for him by name. Thanks for always providing the best customer service, Martin!
Nationwide Photographers has been providing professional photography services for the American Association of Orthodontists for over 25 years. Their professionalism and photography quality/ creativity is outstanding. We hope to work with them for many years to come.
I have worked with organizations that contract Martin of Nationwide Photographers to photograph medical association annual meetings for approximately five years. Martin is an integral part of our on-site meetings team. He is professional, easy to work with, and gives a 100% effort to deliver excellent photos of our meetings – no matter how early or late sessions/events begin and end.


In Peru, the indigenous Fuerabamba community agreed to end a two-month blockade affecting Chinese MMG's Las Bambas copper mine exports and production in return for economic concessions. Shipments of copper concentrate have been disrupted since 25 February as protesters blocked access routes to the facility, which produces 2 per cent of global copper supply, since early February. Although the details of the agreement are still unclear, locals committed to lift the blockade on 8 April. The conflict escalated after Fuerabamba indigenous community leader Gregorio Rojas's was arrested for allegedly extorting MMG. He was released on 29 March and immediately vowed to resume dialogue with the government and MMG. On 5 April the government announced plans to invest US$788m in the Apurimac region to ease the unrest. Despite the new agreement, the risk of disruptive action in the area will persist.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte made some concerning statements on 'onerous' government contracts and loan agreements with private companies. On 1 April he ordered Cabinet to review all such contracts to ensure they do not put Filipinos at a disadvantage. His comments come after water concessionaire Maynilad won an arbitration case against the government over revenue losses due to the non-implementation of tariff hikes. The case was won on the back of contract provisions prohibiting government intervention, which Duterte has taken issue with. He has called for all government contracts with similar provisions to be reviewed and re-negotiated or rescinded. Loan agreements with China are also at risk of being targeted in government reviews, as many offer patrimonial assets as collateral. Beijing could seize natural gas deposits in the South China Sea if Manila fails to pay a US$62m Chinese loan.
Heavy clashes continue in parts of Afghanistan's Badghis province bordering Turkmenistan, which could pose a security threat to the largely-isolated state. On 6 April local media reported that the Afghan government had retaken the Badghis Ab Kamari district from the Taliban a day after it fell to the militants. However, the Taliban made further advances in the Murghab, located in the same province, and more than 30 soldiers were killed in clashes between 3 and 5 April. Several Badghis districts have seen intensified fighting in recent weeks. In March the Taliban abducted 100 security force members after they fled into Turkmenistan but were refused safe harbour. Turkmenistan has refused to comment but the sustained heavy fighting along its border is the most notable in years. Further large-scale attacks can be expected during the Taliban's spring offensive.
On 8 April Britain's opposition Labour Party said that it would continue talks with the government over a compromise with the ruling Conservatives over Brexit, though it remains likely they will be unable to reach a deal. There are just five days until the UK is due to leave the EU, but Prime Minister Theresa May has requested this be extended. EU leaders are due to meet on 10 April and there is a strong possibility the government and Parliament will not yet have found a way forward on Brexit. A no-deal Brexit on 12 April remains a major risk, although Parliament is expected to finalise passage of a bill that aims to legally rule-out such an eventuality, though it remains doubtful that May would revoke Article 50 without an express demand from Parliament to do so.
Israelis will go to vote in snap elections on 9 April as polls show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party leading Benny Gantz's Blue and White Party but that Netanyahu was polling behind Gantz. The election is widely seen as a referendum on the incumbent, who, if he wins will begin his fifth term in power, faciting indictments for fraud and breach of trust. In a bid to appeal to the right, Netanyahu promised to annex Israeli colonies in the West Bank if he is re-elected. Following the vote, coalition building, supervised by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin will begin. No party is likely to achieve a majority. Rallies are likely to be witnessed across the country but election-related violence is not expected to escalate. There is however a risk Hamas could launch rockets from Gaza but fall-out from this will be contained.
In Sudan, soldiers blocked attempts by security forces to forcefully disperse protesters calling for President Omar al-Bashir's resignation in a third day of sit-in protests outside a compound housing Bashir's residence and the headquarters of the national intelligence service in Khartoum. The rally, reportedly the largest since anti-government protests began on 19 December, was largely peaceful, although one protester was killed by security forces on 6 April. The ruling NCP has indefinitely postponed a party conference to nominate Bashir as its candidate for the 2020 presidential election, indicating it might field another party stalwart instead. However, Bashir has thus far rejected calls to step down before the end of his current term. The army's intervention lends credence to reports of crumbling support for Bashir among parts of Sudan's powerful military. Although security forces have shown relative restraint, the risk of violent escalation remains high.


text:
Home » News » Personality » Explaining Narcissism as Personality Trait and Disorder
Explaining Narcissism as Personality Trait and Disorder
Narcissists can be very charming and positive, but they're just looking for people to feed into their narcissistic supply and help build their ego, said Patricia Watson, M.D., interim head of the Department of Humanities in Medicine at the Texas A&M College of Medicine.
"Narcissists have the ability to cultivate relationships," Watson said.
"People have narcissism as a trait, some more than others, but a smaller group of people have Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or NPD."
Like the story of Narcissus, narcissism is characterized by a general grandiose belief about oneself. Those with more of a tendency toward narcissism will have an exaggerated sense of self-importance, a sense of entitlement, a lack of empathy, and often a tendency to be manipulative.
"Narcissism exists on a spectrum," Watson said. "You have people who have low to moderate amounts of narcissism, where it's still apparent, but not really a disorder; then you have the high end where it's a full personality disorder."
Narcissism can be seen as the evil twin of high self-esteem. Both are born of a person's accomplishments and how they truly see themselves.
"Everyone has self-esteem and self-worth," Watson said. "It's when those become exaggerated and there is an unhealthy drive to keep their beliefs intact that it becomes a problem."
The causes for NPD are not completely clear; while home life and upbringing can certainly play a role, there may be some genetic factors that can determine where someone stands on the narcissism spectrum, she said. If developing narcissism is a learned trait, then normal social activity at school or daycare can help break the mindset that may be normal early on.
"We are all born with a type of learned narcissism," Watson said. "From birth, the world revolves around us. We cry, and food appears or we are held, but then we grow out of that mindset and start learning that it won't always be the case."
Studies have often shown that narcissists are more likely to step into positions of power. In the short-term, they can be perceived as confident and very skillful, which makes them a favorable candidate for a new promotion at work or a leader in the classroom.
However, they may use some dirty tactics to achieve this goal. Their line between confidence and arrogance is a lot thinner than others, and they may belittle someone if they perceive their own views are threatened. In contrast, a leader with very low levels of narcissism can be poor leaders too, just like someone with high levels, but in a different way.
In the workplace, bosses with low levels of narcissism can be viewed as insecure or unsure, while those with high levels can be viewed as aggressive or authoritarian.
While narcissists generally have an inflamed view of self-worth, they also enjoy surrounding themselves with people who can validate their belief.
Narcissists can also be very controlling, whether it's overt or passively. They do this as a way to stay in control and keep affirming their beliefs. "If you thwart a narcissist, they may react with anger or a fit of rage."
If someone has NPD, or high amounts of narcissism, getting the right treatment can possibly help improve their lives and the lives of those around them.
However, people with NPD typically won't seek help for their condition — doing so wouldn't fit with their self-image of perfection — but they may seek therapy if they are brought in by a loved one, or if they are depressed.
"People with narcissism may be protecting very fragile egos," Watson said. "If they are criticized or rejected, they can take that very harshly and become depressed."
Seeing a therapist may not always work for someone with NPD, but it can help a certain group set realistic boundaries and lead a more enjoyable and rewarding life.
Source: Texas A&M/Newswise
Nauert PhD, R. (2018). Explaining Narcissism as Personality Trait and Disorder. Psych Central. Retrieved on January 23, 2020, from https://psychcentral.com/news/2017/05/22/explaining-narcissism-as-personality-trait-and-disorder/120896.html
Last updated: 8 Aug 2018 (Originally: 22 May 2017)
Personality Test Antisocial Avoidant Borderline Dependent Histrionic Narcissistic Obsessive-Compulsive Paranoid Schizoid Schizotypal Short Personality Quiz Narcissistic Personality Quiz Dr. Phil Personality Quiz Support Group

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl