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Investing Laws & Regulations
NAFTA's Winners and Losers
By David Floyd
NAFTA: A Brief History
The Issues With NAFTA
What Did NAFTA Accomplish?
U.S. Unemployment Rates
U.S. Manufacturing Jobs
The U.S. Consumer Prices
U.S. Immigration Numbers
U.S. Trade Balance and Volume
U.S. Economic Growth
NAFTA in Mexico
Mexico' Currency Crisis
Mexico's Economic Reforms
Mexico's Manufacturing
Mexican Imports
Canadian Trade
Canadian Oil Exports
China, Tech and the Crisis
Other Contributing Factors
NAFTA 2.0
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a pact eliminating most trade barriers between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico that went into effect on January 1, 1993. Some of its provisions were implemented immediately, while others were staggered over the 15 years that followed.
U.S. President Donald Trump railed against it during his campaign, promising to renegotiate the deal and "tear it up" if the United States couldn't get its desired concessions. A newly negotiated United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement was approved in 2020 to update NAFTA. But why did Trump and many of his supporters see NAFTA as "the worst trade deal maybe ever" when others saw its main shortcoming as a lack of ambition, and the solution as yet more regional integration? What was promised? What was delivered? Who were NAFTA's winners, and who were its losers? Read on to find out more about the history of the deal, as well as the key players in the agreement, and how they've been faring.
NAFTA went into effect in 1994 to boost trade, eliminate barriers, and reduce tariffs on imports and exports between Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
According to the Trump administration, NAFTA has led to trade deficits, factory closures, and job losses for the U.S.
NAFTA is an enormous and enormously complicated deal—looking at economic growth can lead to one conclusion, while looking at the balance of trade leads to another.
The deal has coincided with a 30% drop in manufacturing employment, from 17.7 million jobs at the end of 1993 to 12.3 million at the end of 2016.
Leaders of the three nations renegotiated the deal in November 2018—now known as the USMCA—with new provisions.
NAFTA went into effect under the Clinton administration in 1994. The purpose of the deal was to boost trade within North America between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It also aimed to get rid of trade barriers between the three parties, as well as most taxes and tariffs on goods imported and exported by each.
The idea of a trade agreement actually goes back to Ronald Reagan's administration. While president, Reagan made good on a campaign promise to open up trade within North America by signing the Trade and Tariff Act in 1984. This gave the president more negotiate trade deals without any hitches. Four years later, Reagan and the Canadian prime minister signed the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.
NAFTA was actually negotiated by Bill Clinton's predecessor, George H.W. Bush, who decided he wanted to continue talks to open up trade with the U.S. Bush originally tried to generate an agreement between the U.S. and Mexico, but President Carlos Salinas de Gortari pushed for a trilateral deal between the three countries. After talks, Bush, Mulroney, and Salinas signed the deal in 1992, which went into effect two years later after Clinton was elected president.
According to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the Trump administration's goal was to "stop the bleeding" from trade deficits, factory closures, and job losses by pushing for tougher labor and environmental protections in Mexico and scrapping the "chapter 19 dispute settlement mechanism"—a Canadian favorite and a thorn in the U.S. lumber industry's side.
There has been progress on a number of issues under review in the talks including telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, digital trade, and anti-corruption provisions. But the way that the origin of automobile content is measured has emerged as a sticking point, as the U.S. fears an influx of Chinese auto parts. The talks are further complicated by a World Trade Organization (WTO) case Canada brought against the U.S. in December.
Pulling out of the bloc would be a relatively simple process, according to article 2205 of the NAFTA treaty: "A Party may withdraw from this Agreement six months after it provides written notice of withdrawal to the other Parties. If a Party withdraws, the Agreement shall remain in force for the remaining Parties."
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1. United States 2. Mexico
3. Canada 4. China, Tech and the Crisis
The structure of NAFTA was to increase cross-border trade in North America and build economic growth for the involved parties. Let's start by taking a brief look at those two issues.
NAFTA was structured to increase cross-border trade in North America and build economic growth for each party.
Trade Volumes
NAFTA's immediate aim was to increase cross-border commerce in North America, and in that respect, it undoubtedly succeeded. By lowering or eliminating tariffs and reducing some nontariff barriers, such as Mexican local-content requirements, NAFTA spurred a surge in trade and investment. Most of the increase came from U.S.-Mexico trade, which totaled $481.5 billion in 2015, and U.S.-Canada trade, which totaled $518.2 billion. Trade between Mexico and Canada, though by far the fastest-growing channel between 1993 and 2015, totaled just $34.3 billion.
That combined $1.0 trillion in trilateral trade has increased by 258.5% since 1993 in nominal terms. The real—that is, inflation-adjusted—the increase was 125.2%.
Image by Sabrina Jiang © Investopedia 2020
It's probably safe to give NAFTA at least part of the credit for doubling real trade among its signatories. Unfortunately, that's where the easy assessments of the deal's effects end.
From 1993 to 2015, the U.S.'s real per-capita gross domestic product (GDP) grew 39.3% to $51,638 (2010 USD) . Canada's per-capita GDP grew 40.3% to $50,001, and Mexico's grew 24.1% to $9,511.  In other words, Mexico's output per person has grown more slowly than that of Canada or the U.S., despite the fact that it was barely a fifth of its neighbors' to begin with. Normally, one would expect an emerging market economy's growth to outpace that of developed economies.
Can We Really Know?
Does that mean that Canada and the U.S. are NAFTA's winners, and Mexico is its loser? Perhaps, but if so, why did Trump debut his campaign in June 2015 with, "When do we beat Mexico at the border? They're laughing at us, at our stupidity. And now they are beating us economically"?
Because, in a way, Mexico does beat the U.S. at the border. Prior to NAFTA, the trade balance in goods between the two countries was modestly in favor of the U.S. In 2018 Mexico sold more than $72 billion more to the U.S. than it bought from its northern neighbor. NAFTA is an enormous and enormously complicated deal. Looking at economic growth can lead to one conclusion, while looking at the balance of trade leads to another. Even if NAFTA's effects are not easy to see, however, a few winners and losers are reasonably clear.
When Bill Clinton signed the bill authorizing NAFTA in 1993, he said the trade deal "means jobs. American jobs, and good-paying American jobs." His independent opponent in the 1992 election, Ross Perot, warned that the flight of jobs across the southern border would produce a "giant sucking sound."
At 4.1% in December 2017, the unemployment rate is lower than it was at the end of 1993 (6.5%). It fell steadily from 1994 to 2001, and while it picked up following the tech bubble's burst, it did not reach its pre-NAFTA level again until October 2008. The fallout from the financial crisis kept it above 6.5% until March 2014.
Finding a direct link between NAFTA and overall employment trends is difficult. The partially union-funded Economic Policy Institute estimated that by 2013, 682,900 net jobs were displaced by the U.S.'s trade deficit with Mexico. In a 2015 report, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) said that NAFTA "did not cause the huge job losses feared by the critics." On the other hand, it allowed that "in some sectors, trade-related effects could have been more significant, especially in those industries that were more exposed to the removal of tariff and non-tariff trade barriers, such as the textile, apparel, automotive, and agriculture industries."
NAFTA's implementation has coincided with a 30% drop in manufacturing employment, from 17.7 million jobs at the end of 1993 to 12.3 million at the end of 2016.
Whether NAFTA is directly responsible for this decline is difficult to say, however. The automotive industry is usually considered to be one of the hardest-hit by the agreement. But although the U.S. vehicle market was immediately opened up to Mexican competition, employment in the sector grew for years after NAFTA's introduction, peaking at nearly 1.3 million in October 2000. Jobs began to slip away at that point, and losses grew steeper with the financial crisis. At its low in June 2009, American auto manufacturing employed just 623,000 people. While that figure has since risen to 948,000, it remains 27% below its pre-NAFTA level.
Anecdotal evidence supports the idea that these jobs went to Mexico. Wages in Mexico are a fraction of what they are in the U.S. All major American car makers now have factories south of the border, and prior to Trump's twitter campaign against offshoring, a few were openly planning to ship more jobs abroad. Yet while the job losses are tough to deny, they may be less severe than in a hypothetical NAFTA-less world.
The CRS notes that "many economists and other observers have credited NAFTA with helping U.S. manufacturing industries, especially the U.S. auto industry, become more globally competitive through the development of supply chains." Carmakers did not move their entire operations to Mexico. They now straddle the border. A 2011 working paper by the Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research estimates that a U.S. import from Mexico contains 40% U.S. content. For Canada, the corresponding figure is 25%. Meanwhile, it is 4% for China and 2% for Japan.
While thousands of U.S. auto workers undoubtedly lost their jobs as a result of NAFTA, they may have fared worse without it. By integrating supply chains across North America, keeping a significant share of production in the U.S. became an option for car makers. Otherwise, they may have been unable to compete with Asian rivals, causing even more jobs to depart. "Without the ability to move lower-wage jobs to Mexico we would have lost the whole industry," UC San Diego economist Gordon Hanson told the New York Times in March 2016. On the other hand, it may be impossible to know what would have happened in a hypothetical scenario.
Garment manufacturing is another industry that was particularly hard-hit by offshoring. Total employment in the sector has declined by nearly 85% since NAFTA was signed, but according to the Commerce Department, Mexico was only the sixth-largest source of textile imports in 2019 to the tune of $4.1 billion. The country was still behind other international manufacturers including:
China: $35.9 billion
Vietnam: $10.5 billion
India: $6.7 billion
Bangladesh: $5.1 billion
Indonesia: $4.6 billion
Not only are none of these other countries members of NAFTA, none has a free trade agreement with the U.S.
An important point that often gets lost in assessments of NAFTA's impacts is its effects on prices. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of inflation based on a basket of goods and services, rose by 65.6% from December 1993 to December 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). During the same period, however, apparel prices fell 7.5%. Still, the decline in garment prices is no easier to pin directly on NAFTA than the decline in garment manufacturing.
Because people with lower incomes spend a larger portion of their earnings on clothes and other goods that are cheaper to import than to produce domestically, they would probably suffer the most from a turn towards protectionism—just as many of them did from trade liberalization. According to a 2015 study by Pablo Fajgelbaum and Amit K. Khandelwal, the average real income loss from completely shutting off trade would be 4% for the highest-earning 10% of the U.S. population, but 69% for the poorest 10%.
Part of the justification for NAFTA was that it would reduce illegal immigration from Mexico to the U.S. The number of Mexican immigrants—of any legal status—living in the U.S. nearly doubled from 1980 to 1990, when it reached an unprecedented 4.3 million. Boosters argued that uniting the U.S. and Mexican markets would lead to gradual convergence in wages and living standards, reducing Mexicans' motive to cross the Rio Grande. Mexico's president at the time, Carlos Salinas de Gortiari, said the country would "export goods, not people."
Instead, the number of Mexican immigrants more than doubled, again from 1990 to 2000 when it approached 9.2 million. According to Pew, the flow has reversed—at least temporarily. Between 2009 and 2014, 140,000 more Mexicans left the U.S. than entered it, likely due to the effects of the financial crisis. One reason NAFTA did not cause the expected reduction in immigration was the peso crisis of 1994 to 1995, which sent the Mexican economy into recession. Another is that reducing Mexican corn tariffs did not prompt Mexican corn farmers to plant other, more lucrative crops. This prompted them to give up farming. A third is that the Mexican government did not follow through with promised infrastructure investments, which largely confined the pact's effects on manufacturing to the north of the country.
Critics of NAFTA commonly focus on the U.S.'s trade balance with Mexico. While the U.S. enjoys a slight advantage in services trade, exporting $30.8 billion in 2015 while importing $21.6 billion, its overall trade balance with the country is negative due to a yawning $58.8 billion 2016 deficit in merchandise trade. That compares to a surplus of $1.7 billion in 1993 (in 1993 USD, the 2016 deficit was $36.1 billion).
But while Mexico is "beating us economically" in a mercantile sense, imports were not solely responsible for the 264% real growth in merchandise trade from 1993 to 2016. Real exports to Mexico more than tripled during that period, growing by 213%;. Imports, however outpaced them at 317%.
The U.S.'s balance in services trade with Canada is positive: It imported $28.8 billion in 2015 and exported $56.1 billion. Its merchandise trade balance is negative—the U.S. imported $22.6 billion more in goods from Canada than it exported in 2017 – but the surplus in services trade eclipses the deficit in merchandise trade. The U.S.'s total trade surplus with Canada in 2018 was $9.1 billion.
Real goods exports to Canada grew by 50% from 1993 to 2016, and real goods imports grew by 41%. It would appear that NAFTA improved the U.S.'s trade position vis-à-vis Canada. In fact, the two countries already had a free trade agreement in place since 1988, but the pattern holds—the U.S.'s merchandise trade deficit with Canada was even steeper in 1987 than it was in 1993.
If NAFTA had any net effect on the overall economy, it was barely perceptible. A 2003 report by the Congressional Budget Office concluded that the deal "increased annual U.S. GDP, but by a very small amount—probably no more than a few billion dollars, or a few hundredths of a percent." The CRS cited that report in 2015, suggesting it hadn't come to a different conclusion.
NAFTA displays the classic free-trade quandary: Diffuse benefits with concentrated costs. While the economy as a whole may have seen a slight boost, certain sectors and communities experienced profound disruption. A town in the Southeast loses hundreds of jobs when a textile mill closes, but hundreds of thousands of people find their clothes marginally cheaper. Depending on how you quantify it, the overall economic gain is probably greater but barely perceptible at the individual level; the overall economic loss is small in the grand scheme of things, but devastating for those it affects directly.
For optimists in Mexico in 1994, NAFTA seemed to be full of promise. The deal was, in a fact, an extension of the 1988 Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, and it was the first to link an emerging market economy to developed ones. The country underwent tough reforms, beginning a transition from the kind of economic policies that one-party states pursue to free-market orthodoxy. NAFTA supporters argued that tying the economy in with those of its richer northern neighbors would lock in those reforms and boost economic growth, eventually leading to convergence in living standards between the three economies.
Mexico's Currency Crisis
A currency crisis struck almost immediately. Between the fourth quarter of 1994 and the second quarter of 1995, local-currency GDP shrank by 9.5%. Despite President Salinas' prediction that the country would begin exporting "goods, not people," emigration to the U.S. accelerated. In addition to the recession, the removal of corn tariffs contributed to the exodus: according to a 2014 report by the left-leaning Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), family farm employment fell by 58%, from 8.4 million in 1991 to 3.5 million in 2007. Due to growth in other agricultural sectors, the net loss was 1.9 million jobs.
CEPR argues that Mexico could have achieved per-capita output on par with Portugal's if its 1960-1980 growth rate had held. Instead, it clocked the 18th-worst rate of 20 Latin American countries, growing at an average of just 0.9% per year from 1994 to 2013. The country's poverty rate was almost unchanged from 1994 to 2012.
NAFTA appears to have locked in some of Mexico's economic reforms: The country has not nationalized industries or run up massive fiscal deficits since the 1994 to 1995 recession. But changes to the old economic models were not accompanied by political changes—at least not immediately.
Jorge Castañeda, who served as Mexico's foreign minister during Vicente Fox Quesada's administration, argued in a December 2013 article in Foreign Affairs that NAFTA provided "life support" to the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which had been in power without interruption since 1929. Fox, a member of the National Action Party, broke PRI's streak upon becoming president in 2000.
Mexico's experience with NAFTA was not all bad, however. The country became a car manufacturing hub, with General Motors (GM), Fiat Chrysler (FCAU), Nissan, Volkswagen, Ford Motor (F), Honda (HMC), Toyota (TM), and dozens of others operating in the country—not to mention hundreds of parts manufacturers. These and other industries owe their growth in part to the more than a four-fold real increase in U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) in Mexico since 1993. On the other hand, FDI in Mexico from all sources—for which the U.S. is usually the largest contributor—lags behind other Latin American economies as a share of GDP, according to Castañeda.
Led by the auto industry, the largest export category, Mexican manufacturers maintain a $58.8 billion trade surplus in goods with the U.S. Prior to NAFTA, there was a deficit. They have also contributed to the growth of a small, educated middle class: Mexico had around nine engineering graduates per 10,000 people in 2015, compared to seven in the U.S.
The increase in Mexican imports from the U.S. has driven consumer goods prices down, contributing to broader prosperity: "(I)f Mexico has become a middle-class society, as many now argue," Castañeda wrote in 2013, "it is largely due to this transformation." Yet he concludes that NAFTA "has delivered on practically none of its economic promises." He advocates a more comprehensive deal, with provisions for energy, migration, security, and education—"more NAFTA, not less." That seems unlikely today.
Canada experienced a more modest increase in trade with the U.S. than Mexico did as a result of NAFTA, at an inflation-adjusted 63.5% (Canada-Mexico trade remains negligible). Unlike Mexico, it does not enjoy a trade surplus with the U.S. While it sells more goods to the U.S. than it buys, a sizable services trade deficit with its southern neighbor brings the overall balance to -$11.9 billion in 2015.
Canada did enjoy a 243% real increase in FDI from the U.S. between 1993 and 2013, and real GDP per head grew faster than its neighbor's from 1993 to 2015, though it remains about 3.2% lower.
As with the U.S. and Mexico, NAFTA did not deliver on its Canadian boosters' most extravagant promises, nor did it bring about its opponents' worst fears. The Canadian auto industry has complained that low Mexican wages have siphoned jobs out of the country. When General Motors cut 625 jobs at an Ontario plant to move them to Mexico in January, Unifor, the country's largest private-sector union, blamed NAFTA. Jim Stanford, an economist working for the union, told CBC News in 2013 that NAFTA sparked a "manufacturing catastrophe in the country."
Supporters sometimes cite oil exports as evidence that NAFTA has helped Canada. According to MIT's Observatory of Economic Complexity, the U.S. imported $37.8 billion worth of crude oil in 1993, with 18.4% of it coming from Saudi Arabia and 13.2% of it coming from Canada. In 2015, Canada sold the U.S. $49.8 billion, or 41% of its total crude imports. In real terms, Canada's sales of oil to the U.S. grew 527% over that period, and it has been the U.S.'s largest supplier since 2006.
U.S. crude oil imports, 1993: $37.8 billion current USD
U.S. crude oil imports, 2015: $120 billion current USD
Source: MIT
On the other hand, Canada has long sold the U.S. 99% or more of its total oil exports: It did so even before the two countries stuck a free-trade agreement in 1988. In other words, NAFTA does not appear to have done much to open the U.S. market to Canadian crude. It was already wide open—Canadians just produced more.
Overall, NAFTA was neither devastating nor transformational for Canada's economy. Opponents of the 1988 free trade agreement warned that Canada would become a glorified 51st state. While that didn't happen, Canada didn't close the productivity gap with the U.S. either. The country's GDP per hours worked was 74% of the U.S.'s in 2012, according to the OECD.
An honest assessment of NAFTA is difficult because it is impossible to hold every other variable constant and look at the deal's effects in a vacuum. China's rapid ascent to become the world's number-one exporter of goods and its second-largest economy happened while NAFTA's provisions were going into effect. The U.S. bought just 5.8% of its imports from China in 1993, according to MIT. In 2015, 21% of imports came from the country.
Hanson, David Autor, and David Dorn argued in a 2013 paper that the surge in import competition from 1990 to 2007 "explains one-quarter of the contemporaneous aggregate decline in US manufacturing employment." While they acknowledged that Mexico and other countries "may also matter for (U.S.) labor-market outcomes," their focus was unquestionably China. The country did joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, but it is not a party to NAFTA. Meanwhile, Japan saw its share of U.S. imports decline from 19% to 6% from 1993 to 2015. Japan is not a party to NAFTA either.
U.S. imports by origin, 1993: $542 billion current USD
U.S. imports by origin, 2015: $2.16 trillion current USD
NAFTA is often blamed for things that could not be its fault. In 1999, the Christian Science Monitor wrote of an Arkansas town that it "would collapse, some said, like so many NAFTA ghost towns that lost needle-trade and manufacturing jobs to places such as Sri Lanka or Honduras." Sri Lanka and Honduras are not parties to the agreement.
Yet there is something to this conflation of NAFTA with globalization writ large. The deal "initiated a new generation of trade agreements in the Western Hemisphere and other parts of the world," the CRS writes, so that "NAFTA" has understandably become shorthand for 20 years of broad diplomatic, political, and commercial consensus that free trade is generally a good thing.
Isolating NAFTA's effects is also difficult due to rapid technological change. The supercomputers of the 1990s boasted a fraction of the processing power of today's smartphones, and the internet was not yet fully commercialized when NAFTA was signed. Real U.S. manufacturing output rose 57.7% from 1993 to 2016, even as employment in the sector plummeted. Both of these trends are largely due to automation. The CRS quotes Hanson, who puts technology second behind China in terms of employment impacts since 2000. NAFTA, he says, is "far less important."
Finally, three discrete events have had major impacts on the North American economy—none of which can be traced to NAFTA. The tech bubble's bust put a dent in growth. The September 11 attacks led to a crackdown on border crossings, particularly between the U.S. and Mexico, but also between the U.S. and Canada. In a 2013 Foreign Affairs article, Michael Wilson, Canada's minister of international trade from 1991 to 1993, wrote that same-day crossings from the U.S. to Canada fell nearly 70% from 2000 to 2012 to a four-decade low.
Finally, the 2008 financial crisis had a profound impact on the global economy, making it difficult to pinpoint one trade deal's effect. Outside of particular industries, where the effect is still not entirely clear-cut, NAFTA had a little obvious impact on North American economies. That it is now in danger of being scrapped probably has little to do with its own merits or flaws, and much more to do with automation, China's rise and the political fallout from September 11 and the 2008 financial crisis.
Leaders of the three countries have renegotiated the deal, now called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agree (USMCA), and more informally as NAFTA 2.0. The deal was signed in November 2018, but still needs to be ratified by all three nations before it can be put into effect.
Some of the most important provisions under the deal include:
More access for American farmers to the Canadian dairy market. This means farmers can sell their products in Canada without pricing provisions.
Cars must have 75% of their parts manufactured in North America in order to qualify for no tariffs. Furthermore, people involved in the manufacture of 40% to 45% of car parts must earn at least $16 per hour.
Copyright terms are now extended to 70 years beyond an author's life.
The three leaders also added a clause to the deal that states it expires after 16 years. The three nations will also review the deal every six years, at which point they can decide whether they wish to extend the deal or not.
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Consumer Price Index Historical Table, U.S. City Average, All items, 1982-84=100." Accessed March 25, 2020.
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Quarterly Journal of Economics. "Measuring the Unequal Gains from Trade." Accessed March 25, 2020.
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The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is a trade deal that replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Trade Liberalization Explained
Trade liberalization is the removal or reduction of restrictions or barriers, such as tariffs, on the free exchange of goods between nations.
Bilateral trade is the exchange of goods between two nations promoting trade and investment by reducing and eliminating trade barriers.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Definition
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was implemented in 1994 to encourage trade between the countries of United States, Mexico, and Canada.
What Is the Central America Free Trade Area-Dominican Republic (CAFTA-DR)?
CAFTA-DR is a treaty that boosts trade between the U.S. and several Central American nations. The Dominican Republic was added to the pact later.
An import is a product or service produced abroad but then sold and consumed in your country.


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(born 玉井勝則, Tamai Katsunori; 25 January 1907 – 24 January 1960) was a Japanese writer, whose works included depictions of military life during World War II.  He was born in Wakamatsu (now Wakamatsu ward, Kitakyūshū) and in 1937 he received the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for one of his novels, . At that moment he was a soldier for the Japanese army in China.
He then got promoted to the information corps and published numerous works about the daily lives of Japanese soldiers. It is for his war novels that he became famous during (and forgotten after) the war. His book  sold over a million copies.

Hino committed suicide at the age of 53. His death was first reported to have been from a heart attack, but was later revealed by his family to have been from an overdose of sleeping pills. His birthhouse can be visited nowadays.

Early life and education
Hino was born as Katsunori Tamai (玉井勝則, Tamai Katsunori) on 25 January 1907 in Wakamatsu, Fukuoka Prefecture (now Wakamatsu District in Kitakyushu City) as the family's eldest son.  His father was foreman of the Tamai Group (玉井組, Tamai gumi) stevedoring company. Hino had two younger brothers and seven younger sisters. In 1923 at the age of 16, he completed Kokura Prefectural Junior High School and entered Waseda Daiichi High School.

In 1926 at the age of 19, he entered Waseda University's English Literature Department. Along with several other students, he produced 「街」(English: "Town"), a literary magazine. The following year, he producted a poetry magazine entitled 「聖杯」(English: "Holy Grail").

In 1928, he enlisted in the Fukuoka 24th Infantry Regiment as an officer candidate. However, upon discovery of a translated work of Vladimir Lenin's among his possessions, Hino was demoted and eventually discharged.

Intending to succeed his father's position with the Tamai Group, Hino withdrew from his studies. He sold all of his textbooks and literature and became absorbed in leftist publications.

In 1930, at 23 years old, he married Ryoko Hibino (日比野良子, Hibino Ryouko). The same year, their eldest son was born with a daughter following in 1932, a second son in 1934, and a third son in 1938.

In March 1931, Hino established the Wakamatsu Port Stevedoring Union and became its General Secretary. In August of that year, the union conducted a cargo handling strike in Dokai Bay.

In 1932 following the January 28 incident, foreign laborers conducted a strike, prompting the Tamai Group to dispatch Hino to Shanghai, China. He was arrested upon his return to Japan and became distrustful of the Japanese Communist Party, deciding to turn away from leftist politics and back toward literature.

Career
In 1934, Hino began contributing to the Japanese poetry magazine 「とらんしっと」(English: "Theodolite"), primarily composing prose poetry. During this time, he began to use the name Ashihei Hino (火野葦平, Hino Ashihei).

In October 1937, Hino's novel Tales of Excrement and Urine (糞尿譚, Fun'nyōtan) was published. The previous month, he had been conscripted to fight in the Second Sino-Japanese War. In October 1937 he landed at Hangzhou Bay and in December 1937 he entered Hangzhou, China.

In February 1938, Hino won the 6th Akutagawa Prize (芥川龍之介賞, Akutagawa Ryūnosuke Shō) for Tales of Excrement and Urine.

Hino became known for his vivid portrayal of soldiers' humanity during battle. Mugi to Heitai (麦と兵隊, "Wheat and Soldiers"), his account of the Battle of Xuzhou in May 1938, which he sent from the battlefield, grew his fame and popularity. It was translated into English and praised by American novelist Pearl S. Buck, who had grown up in China as the daughter of missionaries.

In 1939, Hino retired from military service and returned to Japan but continued to be known as a "soldier/writer." He continued to depict military life from all fronts in World War II. These years it also was published few works in English, that is The Sentry Line(歩哨線, "Hosho sen"), Mud and Soldiers(麦と兵隊, "Mugi to Heitai"), Flower and Soldiers(花と兵隊, "Hana to Heitai"), Sea and Soldiers(海と兵隊, "Umi to Heitai"), and Corn and Soldiers(麦と兵隊, "Mugi to Heitai").

After World War II, Hino came under aggressive scrutiny for having been a "war crimes writer" and was banned from holding public office from 1948 to 1950. His work during this time and after the ban was lifted included his autobiographical film Hana to Ryuu (花と竜, "Flowers and Dragons"), which depicted the severe conditions of boyhood in Kyuushuu, and Kakumei Zengo (革命前後, "Before and After the Revolution"), which addressed his own moral responsibility in the war. His work demonstrated his literary ability and he regained some of his public stature. In 1960, after Hino's death, he was awarded the Japan Art Academy Prize for Kakumei Zengo and his other lifetime achievements.

Later life
Hino died in his home office on January 24, 1960, following an overdose on sleeping pills. Following Hino's death, a friend who had been concerned about Hino's behavior visited Hino's home and discovered a note entitled "Health Memo" (in English). In Japanese, Hino had written that he would die because of "some vague anxiety" (或る漠然とした不安) and referenced Japanese writer and Akutagawa Prize namesake Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, who had attributed his own suicide in 1927 to a "vague anxiety."

Hino's cause of death was said to have been a heart attack until his family acknowledged his suicide to the Japanese press in 1972.

References

Akutagawa Prize winners
20th-century Japanese novelists
People from Kitakyushu
Drug-related suicides in Japan
1907 births
1960 suicides

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Blogs with label 'ENTERTAINMENT'
Agitprop Comes to Vancouver By Daniel on Oct 30, 2010
Another List That Gets It All Wrong By Daniel on Nov 15, 2010
At the Movies By Daniel on Apr 16, 2009
Jimi Hendrix in Vancouver By Daniel on Mar 8, 2010
Live from Vancouver By Daniel on Mar 17, 2009
Mandrake Our Magician By Daniel on Mar 31, 2010
Marie Lloyd in Vancouver By Daniel on Aug 6, 2009
Nell Shipman, the Girl from God's Country By Daniel on Oct 30, 2009
Paul Robeson at the Peace Arch By Daniel on Nov 8, 2009
Rescuing a Piece of Film History By Daniel on Mar 25, 2009
RIP AM/FM By Daniel on Apr 28, 2010
Royal Visit to Vancouver By Daniel on Jan 26, 2010
Shades of Green at Hastings Park By Daniel on Dec 16, 2010
The Inventor of God's Country By Daniel on Oct 28, 2009
The Last Days of Errol Flynn By Daniel on Oct 12, 2009
The PNE at One Hundred By Daniel on May 26, 2010
Vancouver's Taj Mahal By Daniel on Feb 4, 2010
ICBC to start ranking collision, auto glass shops in effort to save cash (29 min ago)
Changes coming to Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Park amid growing neighbourhood (1 hour ago)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Contributions of African Americans noted
January 29, 2016 January 29, 2016 Hung Tran / Senior Writer
In America, every year February is called Black History Month, or National African American Month.
It is a time for U.S. citizens to reflect on the achievements of black Americans and recognize the significant role of African Americans in U.S history.
Despite its good intent, political science Professor Sharon Vaughan has reservations about relegating the history of any group to just one month.
Black history should always be celebrated, she said.
"I have mixed emotions about [Black History Month]," Vaughan said. "We have this month whether it's Black History Month, Women's History Month, things like that.
"And I think it's a good way to learn because sometimes we have good speakers, we have programs to educate people, but it should be Black History Month every month."
Vaughan said whenever she always reminds her students about the history all communities have contributed to develop the American history.
"Our (history) books need to diversify," she said. "Our books are getting better, but they don't tell all of our history.
"You know we have a very diverse college here. If everything is just 'dead white men' in class, in the books, it is pretty boring for you."
Vaughan said there are many influential African Americans in the U.S.
"Of course, we have a president, Barack Obama, so he has to be on the list," she said. "But I would think that there are a lot of other people that we need to think about. We need to think about the Black Lives Matter movement. I think they're important. I think they have an important voice … on police brutality, on racism."
Vaughan said leaders in the 1960s Civil Rights movement also deserve acknowledgement.
"Maybe I'm out of fashion but I still respect John Lewis.
"He was my representative when I lived in Atlanta, Georgia," she said. Lewis, at age 75, continues to represent his congressional district in Washington, D.C.
"You know he marched with Dr. (Martin Luther) King and he was the leader of the student movement for Civil Rights," Vaughan said. "So I think when John Lewis speaks, a lot of people still listen. I think a lot of people still respect Jesse Jackson, he has been a leader of the Civil Rights movement."
Everybody should celebrate Black History Month so that they can be educated about history, she said. "You know African Americans are an important part of our history. They built this country on the back of slave labor."
Vaughan said she knows many of her African American students don't know a lot about their history, so she wants to tell them.
"Even when I taught at Morehouse, Morehouse is an all-male, all African American college, and many of them did not know much about their history," she said.
Vaughan said the situation the African American population is facing in America now is discouraging, with higher unemployment and the higher poverty compared to other minorities.
History Professor John Ehrhardt said he thinks celebrating Black History Month is a good thing.
"The truth is, in spite of the fact that the Civil War ended slavery and Constitutional Amendments gave African Americans civil liberty, they didn't really for most of the next 100 years get to enjoy those civil liberties, didn't get to enjoy their freedom, didn't get to participate fully in the public life of this country," he said.
"I think one of the good things about Black History Month is that it reminds not just African Americans but all Americans of the struggles that they had to go through in order to finally get rights like the right to vote, and the right not to be segregated," Ehrhardt said. "So it reminds us of the fact that sometimes we have to struggle in order to actually allow all members of society to enjoy the promise that is America."
There has been much progress in the U.S. since the 1960s for the African American community, starting with the ending of segregation, Ehrhardt said. However, he said, the community still faces disproportionate problems with poverty, lack of education, incarceration or imprisonment, and still face a lot of informal discrimination.
Ehrhardt said the event is one of the helpful solutions to create better lives for the African American population, but it is a slow process.
"[…] We have had African American History Month and Martin Luther King Day for a long time and clearly not all of the problems African Americans face have been totally resolved," he said. "But it certainly doesn't do any harm to remind people once a year of the struggles occurred and achievements. It is not just about struggles. This month reminds people of very significant achievements that black individuals have made to this country."
People who are interested in learning more about the Black History Month can attend several events which take place in Oklahoma City in February:
Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, will celebrate the Black History Month from 1 to 4 p.m., Feb.6.
University of Central Oklahoma, 100 North University Drive, Edmond, will held several events such as meetings, a debate, and Miss Black UCO (?) during February. Check times and dates at www.uco.edu/studentlife/diversity/programsandevents/bhm.asp for more information.
Importance of folic acid for expectanct mothers
City bus expands evening hours


Although his literary reputation rests primarily on his novels, Malcolm Lowry (1909-57) considered himself to be a poet, and he composed an extensive poetic canon. No reliable edition of Lowry's poetry currently exists. Increasing critical interest in all aspects of Lowry's life and work prompted the preparation of this complete edition of his poetry, in which the poems are located, identified, dated, arranged, collated, annotated, and explicated by biographical, critical, and textual introductions.


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War: Stories of Conflict
A superb collection of stories from acclaimed children'€s writers, compiled by Michael Morpurgo and published on the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II The pity, the cruelty, the courage and the consequences of many different conflicts feature in brand-new stories from Joan Aiken, Eva Ibbotson, Jamila Gavin, Elizabeth Laird, George Layton, Geraldine McCaughrean, Margaret Mahy, Michelle Magorian, Michael Morpurgo, Eleanor Updale, Celia Rees, and other top children'€s authors.
From the Crusades to 1970'€s Beirut, to the Falklands, many aspects of war are explored in a collection of work that speaks powerfully to today'€s young readers.
Children's author unites generations with his war story
It is rather unusual for a children's author to fill his books with war and violence, but for beloved writer Michael Morpurgo, conflict became the common thread in his creations. He told CNN in an interview that aired on Thursday, "I care about war because I'm a war child. Read More
Michael Morpurgo addresses the 'Pity of War'
Michael Morpurgo's strong opinions on the most fitting way to commemorate the First World War's 100th anniversary were outlined in his talk tonight at Wiltshire's Bowood House on the theme, 'War Horse and the Pity of War: Writing about the First World War'. Addressing a gathering of 100 guests in… Read More
A superb collection of stories from acclaimed children'€s writers, compiled by Michael Morpurgo and published on the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II The pity, the cruelty, the courage and the consequences of many different conflicts feature in brand-new stories from Joan Aiken, Eva Ibbotson, Jamila Gavin, Elizabeth Laird, George Layton, Geraldine McCaughrean, Margaret Mahy, Michelle Magorian, Michael Morpurgo, Eleanor Updale, Celia Rees, and other top children'€s authors. From the Crusades to 1970'€s Beirut, to the Falklands, many aspects of war are explored in a collection of work that speaks powerfully to today'€™s young readers.


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Johnny Costa & Joe Negri News
January 2004: Back in December I came across a poster for one of Ken's shows, for sale on Ebay.com and was quite intrigued by the statement "Ken Griffin and his orchestra". We know that Ken often played along with other artists but I had never heard of him actually having 'an orchestra'! I put this to Sally and she stated that the poster was a bit 'overstated' and that in the winter months Ken often traveled as a Trio. She believes that the two other artists may well have been Johnny Costa and Joe Negri, who appeared on the 67 Melody Lane film series. I learned from Bob Potts that Johnny Costa went on to be quite famous in the States and was musical director for a long running children's TV show "Mister Roger's Neighbourhood".
I found Johnny on a Google search and sadly Johnny died on the 11th of October 1996. Below I have typed the web address of this web page. You will find it interesting to look through and learn much about Johnny.
There is a picture from around 1985. The caption states Johnny Costa 1922-1996. I couldn't be sure that it was he, but in the Mister Rogers' Neighbourhood page there is a photo of Johnny's 1950's LP that definitely shows this to be the correct Johnny Costa. It is very sad to learn that he has passed on.
The LP "The Amazing Johnny Costa was remastered on CD in 1989 but doesn't appear to be available at the moment.
Johnny recorded four CD's for Chiaroscuro before his death and one Christmas CD on a private label, paid for by Len Meledandri, who played Prince Tuesday on Mister. Roger's Neighbourhood.
http://johnnycosta.com/welcome.htm Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
N.B. 20. 06. 04. Above text corrected and updated with thanks for information from Hugh Glenn, the webmaster of Johnny's web site
(Don't forget to use the back arrow to return to this web site).
I couldn't find anything on Joe Neglia, but then that isn't surprising seeing that we have had the wrong surname all along!!! I was looking through Johnny's web pages and noticed a name Joe Negri and quickly realised that we had the wrong surname. I did another search on Google and found that Joe has a web site up and running. Joe has been extremely busy over the years and you will find many contacts on a Google.com search.
You can find Joe's web site at:
http://www.joenegri.com
It was a real uplift to find that Joe was still around and looking quite spritely. What a great find, both gentlemen on the same day, after quite a long search. I couldn't find any means, on his web site, of making contact with Joe but perhaps we can do so via the webmaster of Johnny's dedication web site. I shall keep you informed of anything that comes from it. It would be interesting to hear from him and possibly learn of the period that he and Johnny spent with Ken on his shows..
Both Johnny and Joe appeared on the 'Mister Rogers' TV shows and many of you may be surprised that you have been seeing the two young artists on 67 Melody Lane, all these years and not have noticed the connection. We didn't get this programme in the U.K. so I'm afraid it is very much an American experience.
I believe that in spite of Mr. Rogers having passed on, these shows are still repeated regularly on American TV. Johnny was mainly the Musical Director but did play character parts and Joe ran the Music Shop.
You can imagine my pleasure on receiving an e-mail from Joe Negri today. There is the disappointment that Joe is unable to help us much in regard to Ken and the 67 Melody Lane series but hearing from him helps bring our search to a conclusion and what Joe has to say is well worthwhile as it adds to how things were at that time. Joe writes:
Wow! Was that a " BLAST FROM THE PAST"
It was such a long time ago - but ,I can remember doing those programs.
Both Johnny and I were hired as 'freelance musicians" I remember that it
was quite a nice " gig" . We did a bunch of shows. I don't recall the exact
number , but, it was quite a few.
So, monetarily speaking , it was a good job. In those days -- things like
that rarely came along.
I recall that we did those shows on film. It was before video tape. So, I
seem to recall that they were somewhat expensive to do.
I cant remember much about Ken Griffin. He was nice enough but, we didn't
have that much interaction with him. You have to remember that in those
days, both Johnny and I were young hot shot jazz guys. This music was
rather tame and commercial for both of us. It was a pleasant experience and
gave a much needed monitary boost to a couple of talented but starving
young musicians.
Hope this is of some help to you. Sorry I cant recall much more about
Joe Negri.
My thanks to Joe for his kind reply and we wish him all the best for now and the future
Re: Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and U.K. TV.
As happens all too often, you no longer open your mouth and you are quickly proved wrong! I also found out that Mr. Rogers Neighbourhood is now being shown on the new digital TV channel BBCi. I shall have to check this out and hope to catch up with the antics of Joe and Johnny.


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Santa Croce er en af de seks sestieri (distrikter) i Venedig, Norditalien.

I det ellevte århundrede, i 1273, blev distriktet administreret af den ungarske adelsmand og korsfarer Ridder Giovanni, medlem af en af de største kristne familier i Ungarn, Renoldi.

Geografi
Distriktet befinder sig i den nordvestlige del af hovedøerne og kan opdeles i to områder: Det østlige, stort set middelalderlige, område og det vestlige område(herunder den primære havn og Tronchetto)der hovedsageligt ligger på land, der blev genvundet i det 10. århundrede.

Distriktet omfatter Piazzale Roma, der er hjemsted for Venedigs busstation og parkeringspladser, som også er omkring det eneste område i byen, hvor der må køre biler. Turistattraktionerne er beliggende hovedsageligt i den østlige del af kvarteret, og omfatter kirkerne San Nicolo da Tolentino, San Giacomo dell'Orio og San Zan Degola; Fondaco dei Turchi; Museet for stoffer og kostumers historie i Palazzo Mocenigo; det Patriciske Palads og Pallazo Corner della Regina.

Historie
Området var engang en del af Luprio-sumpen, er blevet indvundet over tid.

Det er distriktet i byen, der er mest påvirket ved åbningen af Ponte della Libertá i april 1933, som forbinder Venedigs historiske bykerne med det venetianske fastland.

Venedig


Adolescence is like a heavy rain. Even though you catch a cold from it, you still look forward to experiencing it once again.
Ko-Teng has several close friends who had a crush on Shen Chia-Yi. Those friends of Ko's thus moved in unison from Ching Chengs junior high school straight into the senior high school division in pursuit of her.
Naughty in nature, Ko was ordered by their homeroom teacher to sit in front of honor student Shen for her to keep close tabs on him. The two hadn't hit it off at first but Ko gradually fell for Shen, who was always pressuring him to study hard. On the other hand, Shen became impressed by the contrasting values Ko represented. Ko started pursuing Shen but Shen remained hesitant.


Cupcakes are good. Beer is good. Put the two together, and it's a can't-miss, right?
Apparently, customers concurred, which is why beer cupcakes have been the top-seller at Cake Break in Rehoboth since they were first rolled out in January, said Phil Katz, owner of the shop at 7 S. First St.
Katz, who is anticipating a rush on St. Patrick's Day, said the sign he put out advertising the confections brought in loads of customers from the foot traffic heading to the popular Frogg Pond next door.
The $3 cupcakes come in three varieties — Guinness, Dogfish Head World Wide Stout, and Irish I Had Another, which features Guinness and a Jameson Irish Whiskey chocolate ganache. All three have a green frosting for St. Pat's made with Baileys Irish Cream.


Smooth-billed Ani is an uncommon species in the United States. In 2007 a small group was resident in a neighborhood adjacent to the Fort Lauderdale, FL airport. None were been reliably found until in June 2015 a pair was discovered nesting at Loxahatchee NWR in Boynton Beach, FL. This pair is still present, although the nest site has changed.
This entry was posted in Cuckoos, Roadrunners, and Anis (Cuculidae) and tagged ABA code 3, ABA countable, black, cuckoo, Florida, large bill, uncommon. Bookmark the permalink.


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Home Christian Values Christian Martyrs – Deaths of the Apostles
Christian Martyrs – Deaths of the Apostles [video]
The twelve apostles were just ordinary working men. But Jesus formed them into the backbone of the church and gave them the most extraordinary task imaginable: calling the entire world, including the mightiest empire ever known, to repentance and faith in the risen Christ.
You can be sure that any educated, first-century Roman citizen would have laughed at any prediction that within three centuries the Christian faith would be the official faith of the empire. But the fate and faith of His twelve apostles gives us a crucial clue as to the power of His message.
Many wonder how the 12 apostles died, but The New Testament tells of the fate of only two of the apostles: Judas, who betrayed Jesus and then went out and hanged himself, and James the son of Zebedee, who was executed by Herod about 44 AD (Acts 12:2). Read how each of the apostles spread out to minister and evangilize and how many of the apostles died for their faith.
Into All the World
Reports and legends abound and they are not always reliable, but it is safe to say that the apostles went far and wide as heralds of the message of the risen Christ. An early legend says they cast lots and divided up the world to determine who would go where, so all could hear about Jesus. They suffered greatly for their faith and in most cases met violent deaths on account of their bold witness.
PETER and PAUL were both martyred in Rome about 66 AD, during the persecution under Emperor Nero. Paul was beheaded. Peter was crucified, upside down at his request, since he did not feel he was worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.
ANDREW went to the "land of the man-eaters," in what is now the Soviet Union. Christians there claim him as the first to bring the gospel to their land. He also preached in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, and in Greece, where he is said to have been crucified.
"Doubting" THOMAS was probably most active in the area east of Syria. Tradition has him preaching as far east as India, where the ancient Marthoma Christians revere him as their founder. They claim that he died there when pierced through with the spears of four soldiers.
PHILIP possibly had a powerful ministry in Carthage in North Africa and then in Asia Minor, where he converted the wife of a Roman proconsul. In retaliation the proconsul had Philip arrested and cruelly put to death.
MATTHEW the tax collector and writer of a Gospel, ministered in Persia and Ethiopia. Some of the oldest reports say he was not martyred, while others say he was stabbed to death in Ethiopia.
BARTHOLOMEW had widespread missionary travels attributed to him by tradition: to India with Thomas, back to Armenia, and also to Ethiopia and Southern Arabia. There are various accounts of how he met his death as a martyr for the gospel.
JAMES the son of Alpheus, is one of at least three James referred to in the New Testament. There is some confusion as to which is which, but this James is reckoned to have ministered in Syria. The Jewish historian Josephus reported that he was stoned and then clubbed to death.
SIMON THE ZEALOT, so the story goes, ministered in Persia and was killed after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.
MATTHIAS was the apostle chosen to replace Judas. Tradition sends him to Syria with Andrew and to death by burning.
JOHN is the only one of the company generally thought to have died a natural death from old age. He was the leader of the church in the Ephesus area and is said to have taken care of Mary the mother of Jesus in his home. During Domitian's persecution in the middle 90's, he was exiled to the island of Patmos. There he is credited with writing the last book of the New Testament–the Revelation. An early Latin tradition has him escaping unhurt after being cast into boiling oil at Rome.
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The situation during the war: Kyiv expects a major Russian offensive after the New Year
Dhe Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urgently called on the EU states to supply modern tanks and anti-aircraft defense systems for the defense against Russia. In a video address at the Brussels summit on Thursday, he also asked leaders for large-scale gas and electricity supplies to compensate for the destruction of infrastructure by Russian attacks.
"I ask you to show leadership," Zelenskyj said. "The one who will be the first to deliver modern tanks will open up the possibility of supplies from all over the world and will be remembered as one of the greatest defenders of freedom of our time." There is no rational reason why Ukraine cannot deliver the tanks at this time should get. The same applies to long-range artillery and missile systems, which could hasten the end of Russian aggression. "All of this would mean a direct saving of millions of lives."
Ukrainian army chief demands 300 tanks and 500 howitzers for victory
The Ukrainian supreme commander, Valeriy Zalushnyi, also requested new weapons for a victory over the Russian army. "I need 300 main battle tanks, 600 to 700 infantry fighting vehicles and 500 howitzers," said the 49-year-old in an interview with the British magazine "The Economist".
This would make it possible to push the Russian troops back to the positions before the invasion on February 24, said Zalushny. However, he is currently receiving less funding than he needs. Larger operations are thus impossible, but a new one is being worked out. "She's on her way," the general assured.
At the same time, Zalushnyj expects a new major Russian offensive in the coming year. "In the worst case, at the end of January," he said. The Russians would train around 200,000 fresh soldiers for this. The Ukrainian army, for its part, is also preparing its own reserves for this purpose. He cannot yet say whether the offensive will begin in eastern Ukraine's Donbass, in the south, or from the ex-Soviet republic of Belarus to the north, aimed directly at Kyiv. Nevertheless, sooner or later the Ukrainian capital will be a target again. "I have no doubt that they will attack Kyiv again," Zalushnyi said.
Russia warns US against delivering Patriot missiles
Russia once again warned the United States against supplying "Patriot" anti-aircraft weapons to Ukraine. If such reports are confirmed, it would be "another provocative step" by the United States, State Department spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in Moscow on Thursday. The United States would thus allow itself to be drawn deeper and deeper into the conflict – "with all the ensuing consequences". Zakharova also announced that "Patriot" missiles would be targeted by the Russian army as a priority target.
After days of wrangling, the European Union has agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia – the ninth. The banking sector is one of the areas affected. In addition, a decision on a price cap on Russian gas is to be made in the coming week. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian leadership once again urged the EU for more weapons in order to be able to withstand the Russian war of aggression.
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The situation in Ukraine
Kyiv expects a major Russian offensive after the New Year
President Zelenskyj begs the EU to finally deliver battle tanks. Meanwhile, Moscow warns the United States against delivering Patriot missiles. The EU agrees on a new package of sanctions against Russia. The overview.
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Tags: EUEuropean UnionMaria ZakharovaRed Crosssanctions against RussiaValeriy ZalushnyiVolodymyr Zelenskyy
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apply sharp problem-solving proficiencies, intelligent business acumen, and cost-effective strategies, along with exceptional written and verbal communication skills, to any kitchen environment.
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successfully serve as opening chef for fine dining restaurant in highly competitive naples area; named best restaurant in south west florida by jean le beouf.
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successfully steered residential real estate sales operations to generate high volume growth and revenue.
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as demonstrated in the accompanying resume, my professional qualifications include experience in restaurant operations, culinary management and employee development. an examination of my credentials will confirm that i am a skilled professional who thrives in a challenging work environment. i am driven, independently motivated, and results-oriented. i enjoy a challenge and work hard to achieve success. it is my practice to operate within a strict conduct of professionalism and integrity with my clientele. to complement this background, i offer dynamic communication, leadership and relationship management skills.


Japan is an island archipelago and one of the world's most geographically diverse countries.
An island archipelago similar in size to California, Japan is one of the world's most geographically diverse countries. From its massive mountain ranges to tropical islands such as Okinawa, there's no shortage of variety in Japan's landscapes.
Despite its relatively small size – Japan's total land area is similar to that of Germany and California – the country is home to an incredible amount of geographical variation. Most of the country's cities are built on its flat and geologically stable regions, with the nation's mountainous and volcanic inner center housing only small towns and minor cities.
While Japan itself is made up of several thousand islands, there are four which form the backbone of the country itself. These four major islands, known to the Japanese as 'home islands,' are called Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Reaching north to south off the coast of continental Asia, they form the largest and most popular part of Japan – the country's mainland.
However, while the country's four home islands form its major geographical regions, its divided by regional lines into eight separate political regions. These eight regions are divided into forty-seven individual prefectures, which form the basis for Japan's political system and play an important part in the country's transportation system. As such, they're of interest for visitors.
Two of the country's biggest cities, Tokyo and Osaka, are located on the island of Honshu, Japan's largest by area and by population. Home to over 100 million people, it's regarded as Japan's only 'mainland' area, both in population and due to its economic importance. For most visitors to Japan, Honshu is their home base, housing the country's two largest airports and its two biggest cities.
Beyond Tokyo and Osaka, there are several other cities of interest located in Honshu. The important political hotspot of Kyoto is located in the island's southwestern corner. Close to Kyoto is the city of Kobe, one of Japan's internationally known culinary hotspots. Kobe is also known for its incredible natural scenery, including the Mount Rokkō area, which is popular with Japanese vacationers.
At the extreme southwestern end of Honshu is Hiroshima, the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture and one of the country's most historically important modern cities. Almost completely destroyed during the first live use of an atomic bomb, the city is home to Japan's largest nuclear peace shrine, and is one of the country's most important industrial cities, housing the multinational Mazda Corporation.
Immediately south of Honshu is Shikoku, the country's smallest 'home island.' Most of the island's economic strength and population is centered on Matsuyama, the region's capital. While not a huge tourist draw alongside cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, Matsuyama remains a popular destination for Japanese visitors, who flock to the city for its historic castles and famous 'onsen' hot springs.
West of Shikoku, and southwest of Shikoku, is Kyushu, the second-smallest 'home island' and home to over thirteen million people. With a humid semi-tropical climate, Kyushu is the warmest island in Japan, aside from smaller outlying islands such as Okinawa. Known for its comfortable year-round climate and love of sports, the island is home to the cities of Nagasaki, Fukuoka, and Kumamoto.
At the other extreme end of the country is Hokkaido, the northernmost 'home island' of Japan and certainly the country's coldest region. Famed for its winter sports and annual snow festival, it's the nation's second-largest home island. Hokkaido's capital city, Sapporo, is amongst Japan's top tourist destinations due to its pretty architecture and proximity to the island's winter sky resorts.
Along with its four 'home islands,' Japan is made up of several thousand smaller islands. For the most part, they're visited infrequently, offering little more than small towns and minor cities. The one exception, however, is Okinawa, a tropical island destination located far south of the country's major islands. Famed for its diving and warm temperature, it's a popular destination for visitors.
Despite its small land area, Japan covers almost every climate zone imaginable, making it one of the world's most varied and interesting countries for visitors. Whether you travel the well-visited central and southern parts of Honshu or venture to its outlying islands and far extremes, you'll experience a country that's truly unique and unmatched, and one that offers incredible variety in a small package.


Elite Progress Adjustable Height Bench Desk, designed by Elite, provides double back to back sit-stand workstations for single users and teams.
Offering variable height adjustment from 685 - 1185mm, Progress Height Adjustable Desks offer a mix of electric, gas strut and fixed height workstations which can be specified on request.
Progress Adjustable Height desking offers the option of having desk screens which remain at a fixed height, this enables each work-surface to rise and fall without impact on the screen. This ensures you have a consistent screen height within the working office environment.
You are requesting a price for the "Progress Adjustable Height Bench Desk"
To create a new project and add "Progress Adjustable Height Bench Desk" to it please click the button below.
To add "Progress Adjustable Height Bench Desk" to an existing project please select below.


RYAN GIGGS has lifted the lid on how Antonio Conte annoyed him so much he got in a row with Sir Alex Ferguson.
It came in September 1996 when Giggs' Manchester United took on Juventus as Antonio Conte's side won their Champions League encounter 1-0.
Conte and Giggs went head to head on the pitch, but it was the Juve captain who came out on top playing alongside Didier Deschamps and Zinedine Zidane in midfield.
Giggs had a tough night keeping up with the talented trio and lost his cool in the dressing room at full-time with Ferguson present -leading to him being fined a week's wages for is behaviour.
"It should be said that in the absence of any options my attempts to dribble out of midfield that night were at the less successful end of the scale," he wrote in his Daily Telegraph column.
Conte is now flying with Chelsea in the Premier League as the Blues sit six points clear of Liverpool at the top of the table.
Always animated and clear with his instructions on the touchlines, Giggs could see he had great leadership characteristics from his trip to Turin in 1996.
He added: "Back then I could tell that Conte was a leader, and a very accomplished player.
"I see something of that great Juventus side in his current Chelsea.


Following He Yuandong's command, all of the students hastily assumed a battle formation.
The originally casual, relaxed atmosphere was instantly replaced with tension and anxiety.
The Ferocious Race youths howled with rage.
They didn't waste time talking or negotiating. As soon as both sides saw each other, the battle began.
The Ferocious Race youths charged towards their opponents in a frenzy, the inscriptions on their bodies beginning to shine brilliantly as they advanced.
Once the first few Ferocious Race youths arrived, a wave of energy surged forth with a loud bang.
Wave after wave of Origin Energy was released, generating a massive amount of pressure as they pressed onwards relentlessly.
The barbaric warcries caused the ground beneath their feet to tremble. Immediately afterwards, one Ferocious Race youth covered in inscriptions after another charged out of the forest and began to attack the humans with reckless abandon.
There were no formations or tactics involved. The Ferocious Race's attacks were just that: wild, direct, powerful, and barbaric.
Their strength was so shocking that they began to kick up a storm behind them as they sprinted forwards, surging forwards like a wave of death. Even though there were only ten or so of them, the pressure they gave off was like that of an entire battalion of soldiers.
"Stay calm! Stay calm! Front row, block! Back row, attack!" He Yuandong yelled until his voice went hoarse.
He Yuandong, Feng Yigu, Pi Yuanhong, Ye Qiming, Duan Jiangshan, Wang Xuan'an, Tang Mind, Cloud Leopard, and the Shen twins formed the iron-like frontline. They focused all of their attention on defending, forcefully resisting the Ferocious Race youths' charge.
Wang Doushan should have been on the frontlines originally, but after losing so much fat, his defensive capabilities had greatly decreased. He wasn't as suited for being on the front lines anymore. Even though Su Chen was powerful, he wasn't much of a close-quarters combat specialist, so he and Cloud Leopard had switched places.
At the same time, Su Chen, Gu Qingluo, Ji Hanyan, He Niliu, and the other students also began attacking, unleashing all of their power towards the Ferocious Race youths.
Su Chen's cast of Erupting Firehawks, Gu Qingluo's Waterstar Chill, and Ji Hanyan's Frostbird White Ice Fists were all put on display at this moment. The attacks flew forward wildly. Light constantly flashed from the countless Origin Skills being used, filling the air with the sound of destruction and death.
Sprays of blood began to fly everywhere amidst the chaos.
Some of it was from the Ferocious Race youths, while some of it was from the humans.
There was no gradual, step-by-step buildup. The battle was at its climax from the very beginning. Each person unleashed their full-force attacks immediately, attempting to defeat their opponent as quickly as possible.
The angry howls from the Ferocious Race youths filled the air, accompanied by their overbearing, fierce attacks.
At this moment, Su Chen's attacks were the sharpest. When faced with the Ferocious Race youths, Su Chen didn't hold back at all. He brought his strongest attack to bear again; the Ultra Erupting Firehawk appeared, emanating an intense amount of energy. It slammed into a Ferocious Race youth. Though it wasn't able to wipe out three enemies at once this time, it still burned that Ferocious Race youth to ashes immediately. The condensed energy exploded in all directions upon impact, stunning everyone present. They couldn't help but gaze at Su Chen in awe.
Even though the humans' attacks were powerful, the Ferocious Race youths' physical advantage began to manifest itself.
An exceptionally tall, brutal Ferocious Race youth howled maniacally as he charged forwards, the inscriptions on his body shining brightly, giving him an incredibly strong aura. Countless Origin Skills slammed into his body, but they only resulted in a splash of light. His momentum was like that of an unstoppable mountain. He ignored all of the attacks that came his way until Su Chen sent an Ultra Erupting Firehawk at him.
The Erupting Firehawk soared through the air like a dazzling rainbow, slamming into the mountain-like youth.
Amidst the massive explosion, the mountain-like youth's figure swayed slightly. He lowered his head to look at his chest and found a large hole there. However, an instant later, the hole began to close up as his wounds began to heal. He howled in Su Chen's direction, then charged forwards once again.
"Careful, it's a Temple Warrior who specializes in defense!" He Yuandong yelled.
The mountain-like youth stampeded forward like a bull. Just as he was about to slam into Su Chen, Feng Yigu intercepted him.
The mountain-like youth's fist slammed into Feng Yigu's Arcane Turtle Shield. Even with Feng Yigu's defensive capabilities, he wasn't able to block it entirely. He was forced back a few steps, and his Arcane Turtle Shield shattered.
"Dammit, not only is his defense impressive, but his offensive abilities aren't weak either!" Feng Yigu yelled as he formed another Arcane Turtle Shield.
The Shen twins flanked him and advanced, four fists raining down on the mountain-like youth. The mountain-like youth swayed slightly before tilting his head back and howling at the sky. The inscriptions on his body burned ever more brightly, and the energy emanating from his body became even more wild and untamed. Boom! The Shen twins were sent flying.
A hole had suddenly appeared in the battle formation.
Just as this wild Ferocious Race youth was about to continue advancing, Su Chen's figure suddenly appeared.
He raised his hand and swung his arm through the air.
The Temple Warrior laughed disdainfully, sending out a punch of his own in response. The heavy punch descended, colliding with Su Chen's punch.
"AHH!" that Ferocious Race youth cried out in pain.
That iron-like fist, which was even able to forcefully shatter Feng Yigu's Arcane Turtle Shield, caved in like a piece of metal under a hammer's blow when it collided with Su Chen's Armor-Piercing Awl. A gaping hole was left behind.
Su Chen's fist continued to bore forwards, traveling halfway up the Ferocious Race youth's arm. Chunks of bloody flesh and bone flew everywhere.
However, Su Chen also took a few steps back and grunted in pain. His right arm had slightly changed shape.
As his blow was boring through the opponent's iron-like arm, it was impossible to completely avoid injuring himself.
Just as he was about to try and take advantage of the opportunity to attack, a lightning-fast black streak shot towards his own throat.
Su Chen didn't have time to dodge.
Just at that moment, Pi Yuanhong charged over and managed to intercept the blow.
A short spear plunged into Pi Yuanhong's body, almost skewering him.
"Old Pi!" He Yuandong yelled as he charged over, sending a Raging Inferno Fist right at the back of that Ferocious Race youth's head.
That Ferocious Race youth was much smaller in stature than most of his peers, but he was as nimble as a ghost, advancing and retreating with incredible speed. He had already retreated to a safe distance by the time He Yuandong's Raging Inferno Fist landed, and he had also managed to take that mountain-like youth with him back to safety.
This guy was evidently also a Temple Warrior, but one who specialized in speed.
Simultaneously, the third Temple Warrior had also appeared. He was currently locked in battle with Tang Ming, who had activated his Demonic Emperor Bloodline to its greatest extent. His true skill lay not in controlling fog but water. At this moment, numerous water dragons were circling his body as they howled. He was holding off the Temple Warrior all on his own, but it seemed like he was about to lose control of the fight.
"Old Pi, hold on!" Su Chen dragged Pi Yuanhong to the back lines, pulling out a vial of high-tier Recover Medicine and feeding it to him.
After obtaining a vast amount of raw ingredients, Su Chen had concocted six sets of medicine. The raw ingredients he had taken in with him were enough to concoct another full set. Ignoring the Strengthening Medicine that Wang Doushan had ingested, he had a total of seven sets. Using a single set would multiply a person's strength by nearly three times.
Su Chen kept one set for his own use and gave the other six sets to He Yuandong, Cloud Leopard, the Shen twins, Feng Yigu, and Pi Yuanhong. These six were used to close-quarters combat. Upon hearing those yells, Pi Yuanhong and the other five simultaneously retreated, pulled out the vials of medicine, and drank them.
As the medicinal power entered their bodies, they began to glow with a blood-red luster. The explosive increase in power caused their eyes to turn red.
Feng Yigu let out a loud howl as he charged forward.
The Arcane Turtle Shield covered his body as he charged at the mountain-like youth.
Even though the mountain-like youth had been badly injured by Su Chen, he was still incredibly fierce.
He swung his arm through the air. Violent waves of energy pulsated from his body, and his killing aura grew so thick that it was almost physically tangible.
With a massive explosion, the mountain-like youth and Feng Yigu clashed again.
An instant later, Feng Yigu charged forward again, smiting with his shield and causing blood to splash into the air.
The mountain-like youth had lost an arm already. There was no way he could block Feng Yigu's powerful attack.
However, his opponent was quite decisive. Upon seeing that he couldn't defend himself, he gave up on defending entirely.
He tilted his body, allowing Feng Yigu's shield slam to land on his shattered arm. He reached out with this right hand and grabbed a hold of Feng Yigu's neck, then pressed down on him like a mountain.
Feng Yigu unleashed an all-out assault. His heavy blows slammed into the mountain-like youth's body, shaking him to his bones and causing him to repeatedly cough up blood. However, he maintained his vice-like grip on Feng Yigu's neck unrelentingly.
Feng Yigu panicked. He continued to unleash a fierce onslaught. Suddenly, he relinquished the shield with his left hand and extended two fingers to jab at the mountain-like youth's eyes. With one strike, he had permanently blinded his opponent.
The mountain-like youth howled in pain but just wouldn't let go.
With blood flowing from his eyes, he tilted his head back and let out a thunderous howl.
With unprecedented power, he twisted his arm. Feng Yigu's neck snapped.
At the same time, the attack Feng Yigu had unleashed right before death pierced through the mountain-like youth's throat. The two of them remained locked in this deadly embrace as they toppled to the ground.


text:
/*
 * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 *  you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 *  You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 * limitations under the License.
 */
package org.ngrinder.monitor.agent;

import net.grinder.util.NetworkUtils;
import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
import org.ngrinder.common.constants.MonitorConstants;
import org.ngrinder.infra.AgentConfig;
import org.ngrinder.monitor.MonitorContext;
import org.ngrinder.monitor.collector.DataCollectManager;
import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;

import javax.management.MBeanServer;
import javax.management.remote.JMXConnectorServer;
import javax.management.remote.JMXConnectorServerFactory;
import javax.management.remote.JMXServiceURL;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.lang.management.ManagementFactory;
import java.rmi.registry.LocateRegistry;
import java.rmi.registry.Registry;
import java.rmi.server.UnicastRemoteObject;
import java.util.HashSet;
import java.util.Set;

/**
 * Monitor server, it will be used to start a JMX server.
 *
 * @author Mavlarn
 * @since 3.0
 */
public final class MonitorServer implements MonitorConstants {

	private static final Logger LOG = LoggerFactory.getLogger(MonitorServer.class);
	private JMXConnectorServer jmxServer = null;
	private Registry rmiRegistry = null;
	private boolean isRunning = false;
	private AgentConfig agentConfig;

	private static final MonitorServer INSTANCE = new MonitorServer();

	private MonitorServer() {
	}

	public static MonitorServer getInstance() {
		return INSTANCE;
	}

	/**
	 * Initialize the monitor server.
	 *
	 * @param agentConfig agentConfig
	 * @throws IOException IO error
	 */
	public void init(AgentConfig agentConfig) throws IOException {
		this.agentConfig = agentConfig;
		Set<String> systemDataCollector = new HashSet<String>();
		systemDataCollector.add(SYSTEM);
		MonitorContext.getInstance().setDataCollectors(systemDataCollector);
		int port = agentConfig.getMonitorProperties().getPropertyInt(PROP_MONITOR_BINDING_PORT);
		this.rmiRegistry = LocateRegistry.createRegistry(port);
		MBeanServer mBeanServer = ManagementFactory.getPlatformMBeanServer();
		String hostname = agentConfig.getMonitorBindingIP();
		if (StringUtils.isBlank(hostname)) {
			hostname = NetworkUtils.getAllPBindingAddress();
		}
 		final String jmxUrlString = String.format("service:jmx:rmi://%s:%d/jndi/rmi://%s:%d/jmxrmi", hostname, port, hostname, port);
		JMXServiceURL jmxUrl = new JMXServiceURL(jmxUrlString);
		this.jmxServer = JMXConnectorServerFactory.newJMXConnectorServer(jmxUrl, null, mBeanServer);
		RegisterMXBean.getInstance().addDefaultMXBean(mBeanServer);
		LOG.info("Service URL:{} is initiated.", jmxUrl);
	}

	/**
	 * check whether the monitor server is running.
	 *
	 * @return true if the monitor server is running
	 */
	public boolean isRunning() {
		return isRunning;
	}

	/**
	 * Start monitoring.
	 *
	 * @throws IOException exception
	 */
	public void start() throws IOException {
		if (!isRunning()) {
			jmxServer.start();
			DataCollectManager.getInstance().init(agentConfig);
			DataCollectManager.getInstance().start();
			isRunning = true;
		}
	}

	/**
	 * Stop monitoring.
	 */
	public void stop() {
		LOG.info("Stop monitor.");
		if (!isRunning) {
			LOG.info("Monitor was not started!");
			return;
		}
		isRunning = false;
		try {
			jmxServer.stop();
			DataCollectManager.getInstance().stop();
			UnicastRemoteObject.unexportObject(rmiRegistry, true);
		} catch (IOException e) {
			LOG.error(e.getMessage(), e);
		}
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Spokesperson of the presidential candidate of the People's Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, Dino Melaye, has said the poor performance of the President, Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has ruined the chances of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, of becoming the next President of Nigeria.
Dino, who said this during an interview monitored by our correspondent on Channel Television, stated that the failure of the ruling APC to provide solutions to the economic challenges bedevilling the country made all candidates of the party "not marketable"
He said, "We have carried out a lot of intellectual works. We have carried out opinion polls, we've interacted with the people and this government marketed Atiku by their colossal failure.
"Today, the most difficult candidate to sell is any APC candidate whether at counsellorship level, House of Assembly, House of Reps or Senate or governorship. That is why you cannot defend Bola Ahmed Tinubu, you cannot promote Bola Ahmed Tinubu, you cannot campaign for Bola Ahmed Tnubu and not look stupid."
Melaye further said, Atiku prepared himself for today. Even in the last two years, he is the only candidate who has gone to update his education, obtain his Master's degress from a university in Cambridge. So, who is more prepared in terms of experience, in terms of hospitality, in terms of contacts?"
Meanwhile, the Director General of the Asiwaju Tinubu-Shettima…
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Abuja-Kaduna train abduction shows Buhari's failure – CSOs…HeadlinesThree civil society organisations have asked the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to give an account of the missing and the dead in …
BUA's success, proof govt policies working, says Buhari…HeadlinesThe President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Friday, has said the success of indigenous businesses such as BUA Group lends credence to th…


text:
Donyazad Hakem est une nageuse algérienne.

Carrière
Aux Jeux africains de 1978 à Alger, Donyazad Hakem est médaillée de bronze du 100 mètres brasse.

Notes et références

Nageuse algérienne
Nageuse de brasse
Date de naissance non renseignée (XXe siècle)


text:
<!DOCTYPE html>

	<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
	<title>FlyPaper v 0.3.5 - a basic example</title>

FlyPaper for Paper.js : Basic Example from templates.js

	<canvas id="ctx" ></canvas>

This is a most basic flypaper object

Press the "i" key to toggle the info panel and learn more.

Press the "r key" to rotate the oval

Press the "s" key to select the oval

drag the oval around, and watch for changes in the info panel sections

Some other examples

motion: Bob, This same template object, with the "bob" motion added to it.

Bobfly, a more complicated animated object also using the "bob" motion.


text:
Adventurous vehicles, unconventional colors in demand as women gear up to hit Saudi roads
Adventurous vehicles, unconventional colors in demand as women gear up to hit Saudi roads /node/1326291/saudi-arabia
ABDULAZIZ ALAQUIL
The auto industry has an estimated 9 million potential new customers in the Saudi female population
The market has been overwhelmingly lopsided in favor of larger cars, says dealer
JEDDAH: Ever since the long-standing driving ban for women was lifted last September, auto-industry marketers have been scrambling to figure out just what women want. The auto industry has an estimated 9 million potential new customers in the Saudi female population who are now eligible to drive, an (em)powering move that instantly established Saudi Arabia as the world's largest market for new sales.
But many Saudi women were less than impressed with the initial ad campaigns. Some felt that these were driven by an emotional play on women's feelings. Many complained that they focused too heavily on feminine stereotypes, rather than offering any practical information. These campaigns, while witty and creative, lacked any real substance to help women with the necessary decision-making required when buying a vehicle.
Jeddah resident Layla Hamdan, 26, spoke candidly with Arab News about which vehicle models appeal most to her and her friends. "A lot of the marketing toward women has been way off-base in my opinion," she said. "They are appealing to a very feminine stereotype that is not accurate in regards to the cars we prefer.
"Personally, I think pink is one of the ugliest colors for a car. It's not even so much about style or flash for me either, it's all about practicality. This is an exciting time for us. A time for freedom and adventure. To be able to explore our great country and go on fun road trips together. For these reasons me and many of my girlfriends prefer larger cars such as SUVs or large hatchbacks."
Quick to take notice were major players in the auto industry such as Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, General Motors and United Motors Co., which between them boast the authorized rights to sell Toyota, Chevrolet, GMC, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeeps in the Kingdom. These firms have ramped up their advertising and marketing campaigns, too, but have taken a more tactful and considerate approach.
Along with establishing a call center managed exclusively by women to handle finance options and general inquiries, Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, the Japanese group's authorized Toyota distributor in Saudi Arabia, will be designating showroom lots run by all-female staff.
General Motors, which has exclusive selling rights to Chevrolet and GMC autos in the Kingdom, recently promoted a Saudi-born female advertising executive to be the region's chief copywriter and assist in crafting advertisement campaigns that are more in tune with women's preferences.
United Motors Co. is the sole distributor for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat and Alfa Romeo autos in the Kingdom. Established in 1999 as a merger of United Arab Motors Co. and Al-Essayi Trading Corp., it is one of the largest automotive companies in the Saudi market, employing more than 1,200 trained staff in more than 63 branches.
Arab News spoke exclusively with United Motors Co. sales manager Mohammed Mohsen Al-Amoudi about what types of vehicles Saudi women have been buying from his Jeddah lot, their color preferences and the appeal factor that larger cars have for women.
"Now that women are allowed to drive in the Kingdom, there is a demand for exclusive offers and packages exclusively geared toward women that have been highly successful for us. We've had consistent record-setting months in sales since September. For example, last Ramadan we did not exceed
1 percent in sales for women, while this Ramadan it has jumped by
25 percent. The demand has shifted from women clients buying a car for their driver to buying a car for personal use, and we have found them to be just as concerned as men when it comes to the fine details on safety measures, fuel mileage and customized options."
As far as what vehicle models and color preferences women have, Al-Amoudi said that the market has been overwhelmingly lopsided in favor of larger cars.
"While we have all options available, from elegant and classic selections like our Alfa Romeo, Chryslers and Fiats to our sportier options in our Chargers and Challengers, we have seen the most spike in sales with our Jeep Wrangler. Just last week we sold four cars, all to women, and all were Wranglers."
On color preference, Al-Amoudi said: "What we have noticed is that women have been requesting unconventional colors. Unfortunately, at the moment most dealerships mainly carry the generic solid colors of black, blue, white, and silver, but we are more than happy to order customized colors to accommodate their preferences."
With June 24 a mere day away, it's clear that Saudi women are not the only ones preparing for this big moment. Soon women will be driving on every Saudi road, but don't expect to spot them strictly by their vehicle choice or color.
"What do women want?" ask marketers. Well, maybe a clue can be found in the popularity of Jeeps. They are tough, secure and highly resistant to extreme conditions. How fittingly appropriate. No argument here.
Topics: #SaudiWomenCanDrive Saudi Arabia
Exclusive photos
EXCLUSIVE: Saudi singer-songwriter Tamtam releases music video ahead of historic end to driving ban
Countdown begins to Saudi women driving