text:
Aage Holm-Pedersen (født 6. maj 1927 i Aarhus, død 29. maj 2016) var en dansk journalist og landsholdspiller i håndbold. Bortset fra fem års afstikker til Politiken tilbragte han næsten hele sin erhvervskarriere på Århus Stiftstidende, hvor han endte som chefredaktør fra 1981 til sin pensionering i 1994, heraf de sidste 12 år som ansvarshavende chefredaktør.

Han spillede i perioden 1949-58 i alt 44 kampe som venstre fløj og stregspiller for håndboldlandsholdet i hvilke han scorede 96 mål, og han blev udtaget til verdensholdet ved både VM i 1954 og VM i 1958. Helt usædvanligt spillede han sine sidste 11 landskampe som andetholdsspiller i AGF.

På håndboldbanen huserede han som en hurtig, lille og elegant venstre fløj med et stort skudrepertoire, og han begejstrede mange, når han i vandret stil kom flyvende og hamrede bolden ind i målets lange hjørne. Han spillede hele sin klubkarriere i AGF, bortset fra et enkelt år for USG i København, mens han var under uddannelse på Danmarks Højskole for Legemsøvelser.

Biografi

Aage Holm-Pedersens håndboldkarriere begyndte i mellemskolen på Aarhus Katedralskole. Senere kom han til AGF, hvor han huserede som en hurtig, lille og elegant venstre fløj med et stort skudrepertoire, og han begejstrede mange, når han i vandret stil kom flyvende og hamrede bolden ind i målets lange hjørne. Han spillede hele sin klubkarriere i AGF, bortset fra et enkelt år for USG i København, mens han var under uddannelse på Danmarks Højskole for Legemsøvelser. Under opholdet i hovedstaden boede han i huset hos den navnkundige Knud Lundberg, der var på landsholdet i både fodbold, håndbold og basketball og var på landsholdet i alle tre sportsgrene. Holm-Pedersen fortalte: "Alle hans holdkammerater kom i det hus, hvor jeg boede på første sal. Der var simpelt hen åbent hus, og det var ret morsomt."

Han spillede i perioden 1949-58 i alt 44 kampe som venstre fløj og stregspiller for håndboldlandsholdet, i hvilke han scorede 96 mål, og han blev udtaget til verdensholdet ved både VM i 1954 og VM i 1958. Fem af landskampene (og 13 af målene) blev opnået i markhåndbold. Han debuterede i træningskampen mod Norge i Hamar den 19. juni 1949 og bidrog med én scoring til den danske sejr på 15-6, og han spillede sin sidste landskamp den 16. marts 1958 i 14-17-nederlaget til Sverige i Helsingborg. Helt usædvanligt spillede han sine sidste 11 landskampe, herunder alle kampene under VM i 1958, som andetholdsspiller i AGF, og seriespilleren fra Aarhus blev endda efter slutrunden udtaget til verdensholdet.

Både på klub- og landsholdet var hans samarbejde med Paul Locht forbilledligt. De to kunne nærmest finde hinanden i blinde.

Aage Holm-Pedersen var med til at vinde det første DM i håndbold til AGF i sæsonen 1956-57, hvorefter han trappede ned på elitesporten til fordel for journalistikken.

Efter karrierestoppet med håndbolden på topplan fortsatte Holm-Pedersen med at spille både håndbold og tennis i på motionsplan i AGF. Han spillede sin sidste håndboldkamp i serie 2 i 2009 som 82-årig, og det var endda ikke fysikken, der fik ham til at lægge håndbolden på hylden. Årsagen var til gengæld den harpiks, som bruges i moderne håndbold, og som ødelagde hans fingre. Indtil et par år før hans død spillede han tennis op til tre gange om ugen, bl.a. med sin gamle holdkammerat fra storhedstiden i AGF, Leif Gelvad.

Aage Holm-Pedersen sad endvidere i bestyrelsen i AGF's håndboldafdeling frem til han fyldte 82 år og skrev i en lang årrække Aarhus Håndbolds kampprogram og redigerede AGF Håndbolds netavis på hjemmesiden. For sin livslange indsats for AGF fik Holm-Pedersen i 2003 overrakt foreningens højeste udmærkelse, AGF's hæderstegn i guld. Men nålen fik aldrig sin plads i reversen, da han var for beskeden til at ville bære den.

Efter endt uddannelse som cand. mag. i engelsk og idræt kom han i 1953 til Idrætsbladet, hvor han dog ikke fandt sig til rette, så turen gik hurtigt hjem til Aarhus og Århus Stiftstidende, hvor han var sportsjournalist fra 1954 til 1959. Herefter tilbragte han fem år som sportsredaktør og udenrigsreporter på Politiken. Holm-Pedersen forlod gradvist sporten som stofområde, og da ingen havde lyst til at dække oprøret i Congo, slog han til og tog af sted. Det var dengang, Patrice Lumumba var en vild leder, der kunne holde flammende taler.

I 1964 vendte tilbage til Århus Stiftstidende, hvor han blev udenrigsredaktør og opbyggede en redaktion på fem mand. Udlandsredaktionen var dengang noget anderledes end i dag. "Vi rejste hele tiden, lavede reportager, og vi havde New York Times' nyhedstjeneste, så læserne var godt dækket med udlandsstof," forklarede han ved sin 85-års fødselsdag.

Aage Holm-Pedersen har selv betegnet historien om Saigons fald som sin bedste avishistorie. Han var i Vietnam fem gange for at dække Vietnamkrigen, undertiden fra Cambodja, og han var i Saigon, da nordvietnameserne var ved at overtage byen. Sammen med en kollega fra New York Times hyrede han to motorcykler med chauffører og kørte ud, hvor nordvietnameserne kom. Tusindvis flygtede i den modsatte retning, men de to journalister fik deres historier, og halvanden dag senere faldt Saigon. Holm-Pedersen kom ud af byen ved at bestikke en medarbejder på et rejsebureau til at få en flybillet og var så heldig at have dollars på sig. Han var også glad for historierne om danskeren Henning Becker, som hjalp flere end 100 vietnamesiske børn til Danmark. Selv havde han en af dem boende i et halvt år. De snød mange af dem ud af Vietnam ved at de fik falske navne, for kun ægte vietnamesere måtte komme ud.

På Århus Stiftstidende gik han fra udlandsredaktionen til chefredaktør i 1981, og da den ansvarshavende chefredaktør, Erik Schmidt, døde kort tid efter, overtog han også den post, indtil han i 1994 faldt for aldersgrænsen, der dengang var 67 år. Men han havde fortsat masser af energi og fortsatte med at skrive indtil 2002.

Kilder
 Palle "Banks" Jørgensen: Håndboldhelte (2007), s. 214-223 (kampe), 393 (biografi).
 stiften.dk - Hans Petersen: Tidligere chefredaktør på Århus Stiftstidende er død (30. maj 2016)
 Dødsfald (Politiken, 1. juni 2016, 2. sektion, side 10)
 stiften.dk - Steffen Olesen: Mindeord: Aage Holm-Pedersen (5. juni 2016)

Noter

Eksterne henvisninger

Journalister fra Danmark
Håndboldspillere fra Danmark
Personer fra Aarhus


text:
Meteorite apocalypse could happen in our lifetime, NASA chief warns
"This is not about Hollywood, it's not about movies"
Bradley Jolly
Amardeep Bassey
The head of NASA has warned people to expect a major meteorite impact with earth in their lifetime.
Jim Bridenstine, said dangerous asteroids flying past Earth are not rare, and more meteor strikes happen than the public is aware of.
He said more work is now underway to protect our planet from the impact of meteor strikes.
While the subject has long been the preserve of big-budget action films, he said: "What we're doing is very serious."
"I wish I could tell you these events are exceptionally unique … but they're not," he told the International Academy of Astronautics' Planetary Defence Conference in Maryland, US this week.
He stressed the importance of protecting the planet from the devastation a meteorite could wreck, TheMirror reports.
"What we're doing is very serious.
"We have to make sure that people understand that this is not about Hollywood, it's not about movies," the expert added.
In 2013, a meteor about 65 feet across entered the Earth's atmosphere over Russia.
Dubbed the Chelyabinsk Event, the blast the meteor created injured more than 1,500 people, and damaged over 7,000 buildings.
Meteor events of that size happen once every 60 years but Mr Bridenstine fears this could happen again in our lifetime.
There have been three such incidents over the last 100 years, he claimed.
He continued: "We have to use our systems, use our capabilities to ultimately get a lot more data.
"We know for a fact that the dinosaurs did not have a space programme. But we do, and we need to use it."
Independent reports Nasa has been directed by the US government to detect and track 90 per cent of near-Earth objects 460 feet or larger.
Nasa's Space Launch System is to be used for the next manned mission to the Moon in 2024.
The project will see the agency build its most powerful rocket yet.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: How to install trax, jax, jaxlib on M1 Mac on macOS 12? trax
New to trax, I'm trying to run it locally (macOS 12.1, Apple Silicon ARM M1 processor, 8GB RAM, Anaconda), but I'm running into some issues.
In an environment with python 3.8.5, I installed trax running pip3 install trax==1.3.9 inside an (Anaconda) conda environment. Later, I ran into issues when trying to import trax layers in my code with from trax import layers as tl
RuntimeError: This version of jaxlib was built using AVX instructions, which your CPU and/or operating system do not support. You may be able work around this issue by building jaxlib from source.

I rushed to start a new conda environment with python 3.10. Then ran into issue just trying to install trax:
macos ERROR: Could not find a version that satisfies the requirement tensorflow-text (from trax) (from versions: none)
ERROR: No matching distribution found for tensorflow-text

I then created a new environment with python 3.9. Installation went fine, but then ran into the same error importing layers:
RuntimeError: This version of jaxlib was built using AVX instructions, which your CPU and/or operating system do not support. You may be able work around this issue by building jaxlib from source.

installing jaxlib, jax before trax
I then tried building jaxlib from source following these instructions and got this error:
Building XLA and installing it in the jaxlib source tree...
./bazel-4.2.1-darwin-x86_64 run --verbose_failures=true --config=avx_posix --config=mkl_open_source_only :build_wheel -- --output_path=/my path/jax/dist --cpu=x86_64
ERROR: bazel does not currently work properly from paths containing spaces (/my path/jax).
b''
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/my path/jax/build/build.py", line 524, in <module>
    main()
  File "/my path/jax/build/build.py", line 519, in main
    shell(command)
  File "/my path/jax/build/build.py", line 53, in shell
    output = subprocess.check_output(cmd)
  File "/myuserpath/opt/anaconda3/envs/mytraxenv/lib/python3.9/subprocess.py", line 424, in check_output
    return run(*popenargs, stdout=PIPE, timeout=timeout, check=True,
  File "/myuserpath/opt/anaconda3/envs/mytraxenv/lib/python3.9/subprocess.py", line 528, in run
    raise CalledProcessError(retcode, process.args,
subprocess.CalledProcessError: Command '['./bazel-4.2.1-darwin-x86_64', 'run', '--verbose_failures=true', '--config=avx_posix', '--config=mkl_open_source_only', ':build_wheel', '--', '--output_path=/my path/jax/dist', '--cpu=x86_64']' returned non-zero exit status 36.

Emphasis on the part that I initially missed that says: bazel does not currently work properly from paths containing spaces (/my path/jax).
I moved my /my path/ directory to a path without spaces /mypath/. Deleted and redownloaded jax directory. Still, the build (for CPU) with python build/build.py failed:
ERROR: /private/var/tmp/_bazel_a/2caf512c3c5e3f3f654bc58b48b8333a/external/llvm-project/llvm/BUILD.bazel:610:11: Generating code from table: include/llvm/IR/Intrinsics.td @llvm-project//llvm:intrinsic_XCore_gen__gen_intrinsic_enums__intrinsic_prefix_xcore_genrule failed: (Illegal instruction): bash failed: error executing command
  (cd /private/var/tmp/_bazel_a/2caf512c3c5e3f3f654bc58b48b8333a/execroot/__main__ && \
  exec env - \
    PATH=/myuserpath/opt/anaconda3/envs/mytraxenv/bin:/myuserpath/opt/anaconda3/condabin:/opt/homebrew/bin:/opt/homebrew/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/Library/TeX/texbin:/Library/Apple/usr/bin \
  /bin/bash -c 'source external/bazel_tools/tools/genrule/genrule-setup.sh; bazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/llvm-project/llvm/llvm-tblgen -I external/llvm-project/llvm/include -I external/llvm-project/clang/include -I $(dirname external/llvm-project/llvm/include/llvm/IR/Intrinsics.td) -gen-intrinsic-enums -intrinsic-prefix=xcore external/llvm-project/llvm/include/llvm/IR/Intrinsics.td  -o bazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/llvm-project/llvm/include/llvm/IR/IntrinsicsXCore.h')
Execution platform: @local_execution_config_platform//:platform
/bin/bash: line 1: 11140 Illegal instruction: 4  bazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/llvm-project/llvm/llvm-tblgen -I external/llvm-project/llvm/include -I external/llvm-project/clang/include -I $(dirname external/llvm-project/llvm/include/llvm/IR/Intrinsics.td) -gen-intrinsic-enums -intrinsic-prefix=xcore external/llvm-project/llvm/include/llvm/IR/Intrinsics.td -o bazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/llvm-project/llvm/include/llvm/IR/IntrinsicsXCore.h
Target //build:build_wheel failed to build
INFO: Elapsed time: 620.950s, Critical Path: 45.35s
INFO: 589 processes: 132 internal, 457 local.
FAILED: Build did NOT complete successfully
ERROR: Build failed. Not running target
FAILED: Build did NOT complete successfully
b''
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/mypath/jax/build/build.py", line 524, in <module>
    main()
  File "/mypath/jax/build/build.py", line 519, in main
    shell(command)
  File "/mypath/jax/build/build.py", line 53, in shell
    output = subprocess.check_output(cmd)
  File "/myuserpath/opt/anaconda3/envs/mytraxenv/lib/python3.9/subprocess.py", line 424, in check_output
    return run(*popenargs, stdout=PIPE, timeout=timeout, check=True,
  File "/myuserpath/opt/anaconda3/envs/mytraxenv/lib/python3.9/subprocess.py", line 528, in run
    raise CalledProcessError(retcode, process.args,
subprocess.CalledProcessError: Command '['./bazel-4.2.1-darwin-x86_64', 'run', '--verbose_failures=true', '--config=avx_posix', '--config=mkl_open_source_only', ':build_wheel', '--', '--output_path=/mypath/jax/dist', '--cpu=x86_64']' returned non-zero exit status 1.

Tried again a couple of times (deleted and redownloaded jax directory) and the same line 528 in .../lib/python3.9/subprocess.py seemed to cause the issue but the output, while mostly the above, sometimes was slightly different. Making me suspect an issue with memory, given that I (admittedly) had not restarted my machine in weeks and it was starting to unresponsively slow.
I updated my XCode command line tools to version 12.2 (pretty sure).
I restarted my (8GB) machine. Deleted and redownloaded jax directory. I installed bazel version 5.0.0 with homebrew in case that would help. I was a bit concerned that it kept downloading an x86 version for my ARM processor. bazel installation went fine.
Started again from these instructions. The jaxlib build, though, made it clear that it wanted an earlier (4.2.1) version of bazel and downloaded it, as before:
b'\x1b[31mERROR: The project you\'re trying to build requires Bazel 4.2.1 (specified in /mypath/jax/.bazelversion), but it wasn\'t found in /opt/homebrew/Cellar/bazel/5.0.0/libexec/bin.\x1b[0m\n\nBazel binaries for all official releases can be downloaded from here:\n  https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel/releases\n\nYou can download the required version directly using this command:\n  (cd "/opt/homebrew/Cellar/bazel/5.0.0/libexec/bin" && curl -fLO https://releases.bazel.build/4.2.1/release/bazel-4.2.1-darwin-x86_64 && chmod +x bazel-4.2.1-darwin-x86_64)\n'

Once again, a different error in the same line 528. Showing full run now:
b'\x1b[31mERROR: The project you\'re trying to build requires Bazel 4.2.1 (specified in /mypath/jax/.bazelversion), but it wasn\'t found in /opt/homebrew/Cellar/bazel/5.0.0/libexec/bin.\x1b[0m\n\nBazel binaries for all official releases can be downloaded from here:\n  https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel/releases\n\nYou can download the required version directly using this command:\n  (cd "/opt/homebrew/Cellar/bazel/5.0.0/libexec/bin" && curl -fLO https://releases.bazel.build/4.2.1/release/bazel-4.2.1-darwin-x86_64 && chmod +x bazel-4.2.1-darwin-x86_64)\n'
Downloading bazel from: https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel/releases/download/4.2.1/bazel-4.2.1-darwin-x86_64
bazel-4.2.1-darwin-x86_64 [########################################] 100%
Bazel binary path: ./bazel-4.2.1-darwin-x86_64
Bazel version: 4.2.1
Python binary path: /myuserpath/opt/anaconda3/envs/mytraxenv/bin/python
Python version: 3.9
NumPy version: 1.21.2
MKL-DNN enabled: yes
Target CPU: x86_64
Target CPU features: release
CUDA enabled: no
TPU enabled: no
ROCm enabled: no

Building XLA and installing it in the jaxlib source tree...
./bazel-4.2.1-darwin-x86_64 run --verbose_failures=true --config=avx_posix --config=mkl_open_source_only :build_wheel -- --output_path=/mypath/jax/dist --cpu=x86_64
INFO: Options provided by the client:
  Inherited 'common' options: --isatty=0 --terminal_columns=80
INFO: Reading rc options for 'run' from /mypath/jax/.bazelrc:
  Inherited 'common' options: --experimental_repo_remote_exec
INFO: Reading rc options for 'run' from /mypath/jax/.bazelrc:
  Inherited 'build' options: --apple_platform_type=macos --macos_minimum_os=10.9 --announce_rc --define open_source_build=true --spawn_strategy=standalone --enable_platform_specific_config --define=no_aws_support=true --define=no_gcp_support=true --define=no_hdfs_support=true --define=no_kafka_support=true --define=no_ignite_support=true --define=grpc_no_ares=true -c opt --config=short_logs --copt=-DMLIR_PYTHON_PACKAGE_PREFIX=jaxlib.mlir.
INFO: Reading rc options for 'run' from /mypath/jax/.jax_configure.bazelrc:
  Inherited 'build' options: --strategy=Genrule=standalone --repo_env PYTHON_BIN_PATH=/myuserpath/opt/anaconda3/envs/mytraxenv/bin/python --action_env=PYENV_ROOT --python_path=/myuserpath/opt/anaconda3/envs/mytraxenv/bin/python --distinct_host_configuration=false
INFO: Found applicable config definition build:short_logs in file /mypath/jax/.bazelrc: --output_filter=DONT_MATCH_ANYTHING
INFO: Found applicable config definition build:avx_posix in file /mypath/jax/.bazelrc: --copt=-mavx --host_copt=-mavx
INFO: Found applicable config definition build:mkl_open_source_only in file /mypath/jax/.bazelrc: --define=tensorflow_mkldnn_contraction_kernel=1
INFO: Found applicable config definition build:macos in file /mypath/jax/.bazelrc: --config=posix
INFO: Found applicable config definition build:posix in file /mypath/jax/.bazelrc: --copt=-fvisibility=hidden --copt=-Wno-sign-compare --cxxopt=-std=c++14 --host_cxxopt=-std=c++14
Loading:
Loading: 0 packages loaded
Analyzing: target //build:build_wheel (1 packages loaded, 0 targets configured)
Analyzing: target //build:build_wheel (8 packages loaded, 286 targets configured)
Analyzing: target //build:build_wheel (10 packages loaded, 4271 targets configured)
Analyzing: target //build:build_wheel (10 packages loaded, 4271 targets configured)
Analyzing: target //build:build_wheel (11 packages loaded, 4494 targets configured)
INFO: Analyzed target //build:build_wheel (11 packages loaded, 7417 targets configured).

INFO: Found 1 target...
[0 / 3] [Prepa] BazelWorkspaceStatusAction stable-status.txt
[21 / 233] Compiling src/google/protobuf/generated_enum_util.cc; 2s local ... (6 actions, 3 running)
[28 / 233] Compiling src/google/protobuf/extension_set.cc; 4s local ... (8 actions, 7 running)
[114 / 523] Compiling src/google/protobuf/generated_message_util.cc; 2s local ... (8 actions running)
[140 / 594] Compiling platform/c++11/src/nsync_semaphore_mutex.cc; 0s local ... (8 actions, 7 running)
[237 / 597] Compiling src/google/protobuf/util/message_differencer.cc; 0s local ... (8 actions running)
[252 / 597] Compiling src/google/protobuf/util/message_differencer.cc; 4s local ... (8 actions running)
[272 / 597] Compiling src/google/protobuf/descriptor.pb.cc; 8s local ... (8 actions running)
[296 / 597] Compiling src/google/protobuf/descriptor.cc; 12s local ... (8 actions running)
[315 / 597] Compiling src/google/protobuf/descriptor_database.cc; 2s local ... (5 actions running)
[487 / 1,963] Compiling src/compiler/python_generator.cc; 2s local ... (8 actions running)
[579 / 3,117] Compiling tensorflow/compiler/xla/service/cpu/runtime_single_threaded_conv3d.cc; 0s local ... (8 actions, 7 running)
[619 / 3,173] Compiling tensorflow/compiler/xla/service/cpu/runtime_single_threaded_conv3d.cc; 8s local ... (8 actions running)
[687 / 3,270] Compiling tensorflow/compiler/xla/service/cpu/runtime_single_threaded_conv3d.cc; 17s local ... (8 actions running)
[774 / 3,464] Compiling tensorflow/compiler/xla/service/cpu/runtime_single_threaded_conv2d.cc; 27s local ... (8 actions running)
[1,204 / 4,860] Compiling tensorflow/compiler/xla/service/cpu/runtime_single_threaded_conv2d.cc; 39s local ... (8 actions running)
[1,255 / 4,916] Compiling tensorflow/compiler/xla/service/cpu/runtime_matmul.cc; 52s local ... (8 actions running)
[1,340 / 5,042] Compiling tensorflow/compiler/xla/service/cpu/runtime_matmul.cc; 68s local ... (8 actions running)
[1,456 / 5,156] Compiling tensorflow/compiler/xla/service/cpu/runtime_matmul.cc; 86s local ... (8 actions, 7 running)
[1,661 / 5,704] Compiling tensorflow/compiler/xla/service/cpu/runtime_matmul.cc; 107s local ... (8 actions, 7 running)
[1,688 / 5,704] Compiling tensorflow/compiler/xla/service/cpu/runtime_matmul.cc; 132s local ... (8 actions, 7 running)
[1,721 / 5,704] Compiling tensorflow/compiler/xla/service/cpu/runtime_matmul.cc; 160s local ... (8 actions, 7 running)
[2,106 / 6,584] Compiling tensorflow/compiler/xla/service/cpu/runtime_matmul.cc; 192s local ... (8 actions, 7 running)
[2,342 / 7,067] Compiling tensorflow/compiler/xla/service/cpu/runtime_matmul.cc; 231s local ... (8 actions, 7 running)
[2,378 / 7,067] Compiling tensorflow/compiler/xla/service/cpu/runtime_matmul.cc; 274s local ... (8 actions, 7 running)
[2,422 / 7,067] Compiling src/cpu/rnn/ref_rnn.cpp; 75s local ... (8 actions, 7 running)
[2,452 / 7,067] Compiling src/cpu/x64/gemm/f32/jit_avx512_core_f32_copy_at_kern_part1_autogen.cpp; 54s local ... (8 actions, 7 running)
[2,500 / 7,067] Compiling src/cpu/x64/gemm/f32/jit_avx512_core_f32_copy_at_kern_part1_autogen.cpp; 119s local ... (8 actions, 7 running)
[2,577 / 7,067] Compiling src/common/memory_zero_pad.cpp; 74s local ... (8 actions, 7 running)
ERROR: /private/var/tmp/_bazel_a/f5e9a3325f07a1f02c52d821857db47c/external/org_tensorflow/tensorflow/compiler/xla/BUILD:69:17: ProtoCompile external/org_tensorflow/tensorflow/compiler/xla/xla.pb.h failed: (Illegal instruction): protoc failed: error executing command
  (cd /private/var/tmp/_bazel_a/f5e9a3325f07a1f02c52d821857db47c/execroot/__main__ && \
  exec env - \
    PATH=/myuserpath/opt/anaconda3/envs/mytraxenv/bin:/myuserpath/opt/anaconda3/condabin:/opt/homebrew/bin:/opt/homebrew/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/Library/TeX/texbin:/Library/Apple/usr/bin \
  bazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/com_google_protobuf/protoc '--cpp_out=bazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/org_tensorflow' -Iexternal/org_tensorflow -Ibazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/org_tensorflow -Ibazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/com_google_protobuf/_virtual_imports/any_proto -Ibazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/com_google_protobuf/_virtual_imports/source_context_proto -Ibazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/com_google_protobuf/_virtual_imports/type_proto -Ibazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/com_google_protobuf/_virtual_imports/api_proto -Ibazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/com_google_protobuf/_virtual_imports/descriptor_proto -Ibazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/com_google_protobuf/_virtual_imports/compiler_plugin_proto -Ibazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/com_google_protobuf/_virtual_imports/duration_proto -Ibazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/com_google_protobuf/_virtual_imports/empty_proto -Ibazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/com_google_protobuf/_virtual_imports/field_mask_proto -Ibazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/com_google_protobuf/_virtual_imports/struct_proto -Ibazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/com_google_protobuf/_virtual_imports/timestamp_proto -Ibazel-out/darwin-opt/bin/external/com_google_protobuf/_virtual_imports/wrappers_proto external/org_tensorflow/tensorflow/compiler/xla/xla.proto)
Execution platform: @local_execution_config_platform//:platform
Target //build:build_wheel failed to build
INFO: Elapsed time: 631.189s, Critical Path: 283.35s
INFO: 2563 processes: 935 internal, 1628 local.
FAILED: Build did NOT complete successfully
ERROR: Build failed. Not running target
FAILED: Build did NOT complete successfully
b''
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/mypath/jax/build/build.py", line 524, in <module>
    main()
  File "/mypath/jax/build/build.py", line 519, in main
    shell(command)
  File "/mypath/jax/build/build.py", line 53, in shell
    output = subprocess.check_output(cmd)
  File "/myuserpath/opt/anaconda3/envs/mytraxenv/lib/python3.9/subprocess.py", line 424, in check_output
    return run(*popenargs, stdout=PIPE, timeout=timeout, check=True,
  File "/myuserpath/opt/anaconda3/envs/mytraxenv/lib/python3.9/subprocess.py", line 528, in run
    raise CalledProcessError(retcode, process.args,
subprocess.CalledProcessError: Command '['./bazel-4.2.1-darwin-x86_64', 'run', '--verbose_failures=true', '--config=avx_posix', '--config=mkl_open_source_only', ':build_wheel', '--', '--output_path=/mypath/jax/dist', '--cpu=x86_64']' returned non-zero exit status 1.

I switched away from trying to build jaxlib. In late October 2021, a M1-compatible jaxlib wheel was released, so I tried:
pip install -U pip
pip install -U https://storage.googleapis.com/jax-releases/mac/jaxlib-0.1.74-cp39-none-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl

but got
ERROR: jaxlib-0.1.74-cp39-none-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl is not a supported wheel on this platform.

Tried upgrading python from 3.9 to 3.10, but got the same message.
Debugged by, in python, running
import platform
print(platform.machine())

which showed that my python is still running on x86 architechture, since "Anaconda doesn't yet provide packages for M1/ARM".
[see successful (so far) jaxlib installation in own answer below]
back to trax
After successfully installing jaxlib and jax, when trying to install trax with (miniforge's)conda install trax I get:
Collecting package metadata (current_repodata.json): done
Solving environment: failed with initial frozen solve. Retrying with flexible solve.
Collecting package metadata (repodata.json): done
Solving environment: failed with initial frozen solve. Retrying with flexible solve.

PackagesNotFoundError: The following packages are not available from current channels:

  - trax

Current channels:

  - https://conda.anaconda.org/conda-forge/osx-arm64
  - https://conda.anaconda.org/conda-forge/noarch

To search for alternate channels that may provide the conda package you're
looking for, navigate to

    https://anaconda.org

and use the search bar at the top of the page.

I tried installing as trax itself suggests but ran into an error building hp5y:
ERROR: Failed building wheel for h5py
ERROR: Could not build wheels for h5py, which is required to install pyproject.toml-based projects

Looking now into this error and also looking into doing it with miniforge again but using Anaconda's channel to install trax. I'll update when I get to it.
Any pointers or anyone who managed to install trax on an M1 Mac it by any different means?

A: jaxlib + jax
After someone claimed success using miniforge, I read this and watched this to clarify using Anaconda and miniforge together.
I installed miniforge with Apple's arm64 : Apple Silicon method. For some reason when I ran miniforge's conda init it set up the initialization code in ~/.bash_profile even though I'm using the zsh shell. I tried putting the code manually instead in ~/.zprofile but it wouldn't load on interactive shells, so I just ended up putting it where Anaconda had put its initialization code, in ~/zshrc.
This made miniforge the default manager. Following the very useful video above, I created a ~/.start_anaconda.sh script so I can use Anaconda as an alternative.
With miniforge I

*

*created a new conda environment mytraxenv with conda create -n mytraxenv python=3 which has python 3.10.2 at the moment

*activated the environment: conda activate mytraxenv

*ran conda install numpy and conda install six to ensure numpy. six and wheel (installed by one of the previous two) were installed in my mytraxenv environment

*tried again, with a slightly updated release (from here):
pip install -U pip
pip install -U https://storage.googleapis.com/jax-releases/mac/jaxlib-0.1.75-cp310-none-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl
This worked in installing jaxlib!
Then, I followed these instructions to install jax:
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install --upgrade "jax[cpu]"

That worked as well. Note that when running import jax in python it currently warns:
/mytraxenv/lib/python3.10/site-packages/jax/_src/lib/__init__.py:32: UserWarning: JAX on Mac ARM machines is experimental and minimally tested. Please see https://github.com/google/jax/issues/5501 in the event of problems.
  warnings.warn("JAX on Mac ARM machines is experimental and minimally tested. "

trax
No success yet installing trax.

A: Anaconda Source build
As of Mon, 7th of Feb 2022, installing using an Anaconda installation of python fails as Anaconda does not provide arm wheels for python.
When they do provide them, building from source should work automatically. If it does not, clone the repository, and use the following:
python build/build.py --target_cpu darwin_arm64

If bazel does not build and you are using homebrew consider installing it, and removing the downloaded bazel files.
brew install bazel
rm -rf bazel-*

Arm64 Python wheels
I recommend downloading arm64 wheels from the official CPython website.
The executable will be in /usr/local/bin/python3, and so will pip3.
This should allow you to install jax using
/usr/local/bin/pip3 install --upgrade 'jax[cpu]'

To have access to the proper python with the command line/path, add the folder to the path.
export PATH=/usr/share/bin:$PATH

Virtual Env
I recommend against the above method, and instead to use to use virtual-env from here https://virtualenv.pypa.io, to create virtual environments as with anaconda, and install jax in a virtual environment as above.
Poetry
Poetry is an even better option since it uses virtual-env, and allows you to build your projects and list dependencies just as anaconda.
There is a minor caveat as I am writing this, installing scipy when defining dependencies with poetry results in an odd error, installing numpy and scipy manually using
poetry shell # to go to virtual environment for the project
pip install --upgrade 'jax[cpu]' jaxlib scipy numpy

Trax
Since anaconda is not option, installing hdf5 is a bit of a hassle, but it can be done with brew/homebrew. Assuming you have activated the correct venv:
brew install hdf5
export HDF5_DIR=/opt/homebrew/Cellar/hdf5/1.12.1
pip install trax

Unfortunately this results in the following error:
import trax
/Users/quinn/Library/Caches/pypoetry/virtualenvs/no-xNvLksOy-py3.9/lib/python3.9/site-packages/jax/_src/lib/__init__.py:32: UserWarning: JAX on Mac ARM machines is experimental and minimally tested. Please see https://github.com/google/jax/issues/5501 in the event of problems.
  warnings.warn("JAX on Mac ARM machines is experimental and minimally tested. "

***************************************************************
Failed to import TensorFlow. Please note that TensorFlow is not installed by default when you install TFDS. This allow you to choose to install either `tf-nightly` or `tensorflow`. Please install the most recent version of TensorFlow, by following instructions at https://tensorflow.org/install.
***************************************************************

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
  File "/Users/quinn/Library/Caches/pypoetry/virtualenvs/no-xNvLksOy-py3.9/lib/python3.9/site-packages/trax/__init__.py", line 18, in <module>
    from trax import layers
  File "/Users/quinn/Library/Caches/pypoetry/virtualenvs/no-xNvLksOy-py3.9/lib/python3.9/site-packages/trax/layers/__init__.py", line 23, in <module>
    from trax.layers.activation_fns import *
  File "/Users/quinn/Library/Caches/pypoetry/virtualenvs/no-xNvLksOy-py3.9/lib/python3.9/site-packages/trax/layers/activation_fns.py", line 26, in <module>
    from trax import math
  File "/Users/quinn/Library/Caches/pypoetry/virtualenvs/no-xNvLksOy-py3.9/lib/python3.9/site-packages/trax/math/__init__.py", line 18, in <module>
    from trax.math import jax as jax_math
  File "/Users/quinn/Library/Caches/pypoetry/virtualenvs/no-xNvLksOy-py3.9/lib/python3.9/site-packages/trax/math/jax.py", line 28, in <module>
    import tensorflow_datasets as tfds
  File "/Users/quinn/Library/Caches/pypoetry/virtualenvs/no-xNvLksOy-py3.9/lib/python3.9/site-packages/tensorflow_datasets/__init__.py", line 43, in <module>
    from tensorflow_datasets.core import tf_compat
  File "/Users/quinn/Library/Caches/pypoetry/virtualenvs/no-xNvLksOy-py3.9/lib/python3.9/site-packages/tensorflow_datasets/core/__init__.py", line 22, in <module>
    tf_compat.ensure_tf_install()
  File "/Users/quinn/Library/Caches/pypoetry/virtualenvs/no-xNvLksOy-py3.9/lib/python3.9/site-packages/tensorflow_datasets/core/tf_compat.py", line 48, in ensure_tf_install
    import tensorflow as tf  # pylint: disable=import-outside-toplevel
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'tensorflow'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
GW22 REVIEW – SLIGHT RETURN
Posted on January 9, 2018 January 9, 2018 by Chris Galloway
Welcome to the GW22 REVIEW – SLIGHT RETURN
You don't have to have the solution, you've got to understand the problem.
And don't go hoping for a miracle.
BENCHED vs Swansea
It seems like a long time ago but it really happened. Only now can we talk about it. We strapped ourselves in with varying degrees for a big one with Spurs facing Swansea and West Ham. The Harry Kane double didn't really go as planned. He was benched for all but the last few minutes of the Swansea game and West Ham found a way of shackling him (see below). Since then we have had a load of FA Cup ties plus the impending Carabao Cup fixtures to take our mind off what a disaster it was for the 126 of us captaining the Hurricane, 9 went one further and threw down the Triple Captain chip too. There was an element of inevitability about it all. Kane has been a bit like that this season and I know all too well how hard it is to predict his hauls. I would love to know if he plans on hauling in the next couple of fixtures. Slight returns for Harry Kane owners in this double, which is handy as it brings me to the Bluetones tune of the same name. Their singles album is a great slice of 90s indie soaked pop if that is your cup of tea!
Clearly the West Ham players hadn't captained Kane
When the GW22 Dream Team only contains 2 double players in Trippier (9) and Son (12) you know something strange has happened. Plenty will have sold Mahrez (14) who turned out to be the top scoring player this week and looks to be a man in demand in this transfer window! I'm guessing not many had the front two of Carroll (12) and Perez (9) with good reason!
FFUK GW22 DREAM TEAM – What double gameweek?
With that let's take a closer look at the FFUK league…
Our leader Jamie Stewart (1st) retains his place at the top with 64 scored, closely followed by Dan McBrearty (2nd) with his 60 points. The pair have opened up a little gap to Matthew Cox (3rd) who scored a slightly disappointing 49 and Sean Colohan (4th) with his 69. Our Fab 4 are lighting the way right now. Who is your money on?
However the best score in the top 50 was Vivaek Venkat (9th) with his 71 via the use of his free hit chip. Captain Kane (3 x 2) was certainly disappointing but Albrighton (13), Alli (10), Sterling (9), Eriksen (8), Cresswell (7) and Aguero (6). Well played Vivaek, very impressive use of the chip!
Mark Leathem (14th) and Josh Prentice (23rd) both managed 41 points and tied for the low score in the top 50.
The FPL average for GW22 was 45 whilst the FFUK Average was 50 but for the really big scores (and the really low ones) we have to look further than page 1 for our heroes this week.
3 UP, 3 DOWN
Our 3 highest risers are also the top 3 scorers in the league so there is cause for double celebration. Lets look at how this heroic trio managed to do so well:
Jimmy Prebble (67th) rose 33 places after scoring a league high 86 points. Jimmy was one of 6 FFUKers who gave the armband to Alli (10 x 2) which in hindsight was genius. However his star performer was of course Mahrez (14). Very well played!
Jim Wheat (83rd) rose 29 places after scoring 78 points. Jim played his free hit and also avoided the Kane captaincy mistake by not owning him in the first place. Instead he skippered his team-mate Eriksen (8 x 2) who along with the rest of his double gameweek midfield of Alli (10), Son (12), Lanzini (6) and Arnautovic (5) did the business!
Anthony Pegg (84th) rose 27 places after scoring 77 points which was 3rd highest in the league. Anthony didn't bother captaining a DGW player at all and instead went with KDB (12 x 2). This may have all been rather fortunate if he missed the deadline!
However now we have to highlight the 3 biggest fallers, for their sake I wont go into detail, they will know the error of their ways by now:
Stan Maniak (168th) fell 21 places after scoring just 22 points!
Martin Tickle (118th) fell 21 places after scoring just 27 points.
Jonathan Britcher (106th) fell 19 places after scoring 47 points.
However none of these were quite as bad as the lowest of the low, the unfortunate David Harrison (199th) who managed just 20 points however looking at his team there are a lot of red flags so either he is a fan of socialist revolutions or he has given up.
WHO GOES THIS WEEK? Clue: its a biggie.
Another week another eviction. And this one was as tight and tense as we have seen. We have got to the points where it is handy to see who remains and who scored what so below is image of the latest table. Plenty of big names remain but at the end of GW22 there were 3 Conts who were tied on 46 points. Nervous times for the trio of Matthew Cox, Phil Smith and Neil Stewart. By virtue of his overall rank I can confirm that former league champion Neil Stewart is the man to go this time round and it isn't a good start for his titanic cup tie either. This brutal mini league continues and the pressure is ramped up each week (apparently). However it is definitely a good addition to the FFUK offering and one we will do again next season for sure. Neil, Pete will do the honours and remove you by the next deadline. 16 remain. Everything to play for.
FFUK – THE CONTS AFTER GW22
THE CONTS LEAGUE GW22 – Who doesn't love a 3 way?
As always many thanks for reading and not long now until GW23 kicks off. The festive fixtures are now over and we can return so some sort of normality whatever that means. Plus the transfer window is now open so that means there is a steady stream of rumours some more believable than others, for us to ruminate over. Lets hope there are some new gems in FPL before the end of the month!
FFUK GW22 STATS VIA STATTO STEVE (54th)
PreviousGW21 REVIEW – HEROES
NextJDS v SHED SEVEN – GETTING BETTER


The owners of Essendon's St Rose unveil their latest cafe in the west.
Diana Caruso says it doesn't matter how many hospitality venues you own, like having children, it's never going to be the same as the previous one.
No. 19 in Ascot Vale is Diana's third cafe with husband Domenic, after St Rose in Essendon and Espresso 3121, now closed, in Richmond.
No. 19 doesn't refer to the cafe's street number, but something a little more sentimental.
"It's the age Domenic and I met and the date my son is born," Diana explains.
On the sweeter side, alongside spelt Bircher with coconut, N2 strawberry sherbet gelato and pineapple ginger, there's Cherry Ripe pancakes with stewed cherries, dark chocolate mascarpone, chocolate cherry fudge ice-cream.
Melbourne-based studio Biasol designed the interior, with director Jean-Pierre Biasol working closely with the Carusos to create a specific vision for the 190-square-metre cafe.
That has been translated with polished concrete floors, blonde timber furniture, bulbous brass lamps by Cedar and Moss from the US, and turquoise cement bar tiles from Popham Design.
If you're dining in, chances are Domenic will make your coffee.
"I take care of setting up the menu, my husband takes care of the coffee," Diana says. Coffee is made with beans from Five Senses, the same used at St Rose.


text:
Gov't promises slashing of parachute positions
Starting later this year, no one will be appointed to head public institutions or serve as auditors without related career experience, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance announced yesterday.
The Park Geun-hye administration had promised to crack down on the time-honored tradition of parachute, or revolving-door, appointments at public institutions, through which people with political connections are given high-paying jobs heading corporations or acting as auditors.
After corruption scandals in the state-run nuclear energy industry last summer, the government decided to crack down on 304 public entities renowned for lax management and massive debt.
There are about 2,000 senior positions at those institutions.
Hyun Oh-seok, the country's finance minister and deputy prime minister for the economy, pledged to "take strong measures on a government level to normalize operations of public institutions."
The Finance Ministry will create a subcommittee to examine the qualifications of executive nominations at public institutions under the existing public institutions management committee.
The new subcommittee will screen the career experience of candidates and filter out those who have no related experience to the job in question.
"In countries like Australia and Greece, more than five years experience related to a particular position at a public institution is mandatory," said Kim Sang-gyu, a senior official at the ministry.
The ministry plans to establish a more quantifiable set of qualification evaluations to prevent unjustifiable parachute appointments.
"To normalize public institutions, only people with expertise should be appointed executives or heads," said Lee Sang-bin, a professor at Hanyang University.
President Park agreed with the plan. But it remains to be seen how much impact the new measure will have on a public sector in which cronyism runs deep. Former governments have made similar pledges in the past in vain.
"Past administrations tried to reform public institutions, but there was not much progress because they didn't stick to principles," Park said at a meeting with Finance Minister Hyun at the Blue House yesterday. "There will be no compromise this time."
Despite yesterday's announcement, the appointment of former Saenuri Party lawmaker Lee Sang-kwon as president of Korea Electrical Safety will be finalized today as planned.
Lee, a former prosecution officer and President Park's political ally during her time as president of the Grand National Party in 2007, has no related experience.
Kim Won-duck, the new CEO of Korea Construction Management Corporation, who took office on Jan. 10, served as a vice spokesman for the Saenuri Party. Kim's specialty is politics - a far cry from the civil engineering and architecture expertise needed to run that corporation.
He was recommended by Korea Expressway, its largest shareholder. Kim previously worked with Korea Expressway CEO Kim Hak-song, also from the Saenuri Party. However, the two denied that they had a relationship.
According to a survey by the JoongAng Ilbo, as of January, 37.5 percent of 40 newly nominated heads or managers of 295 public corporations were politicians.
Before November, there were only five former politicians who were appointed
The ministry's plan also includes cutting debt at public corporations.
"Not only cutting debt and tackling lax management, but increasing productivity of public institutions should also be key goals," President Park said.
BY SONG SU-HYUN [ssh@joongang.co.kr]


text:
Q: Create new records in one table-A and add as foreign key to table-B if the foreign key field in table-B is null -PostgresSQL Table A and Table B look like shown below. The intention is to write an SQL script to run and update the tables. Table B has a foreign key to Table-A. If the field is null in Table B, then create a new record in Table-A and update Table B with that foreign key

It is expected to add two new records in Table A and add those foreign key in the Table B as per the above example. Thanks in advance

A: I wrote for you sample for do it.
But I don't know your business logic detail. You can change some solutions.
CREATE TABLE tablea (
    id serial4 NOT NULL,
    "name" varchar NULL,
    CONSTRAINT tablea_pk PRIMARY KEY (id)
);

CREATE TABLE tableb (
    id serial4 NOT NULL,
    a_id int4 NULL,
    "name" varchar NULL,
    CONSTRAINT tableb_pk PRIMARY KEY (id)
);

INSERT INTO tableb (id, a_id, "name") VALUES(1, 100, 'b1');
INSERT INTO tableb (id, a_id, "name") VALUES(2, NULL, 'b2');
INSERT INTO tableb (id, a_id, "name") VALUES(3, NULL, 'b3');
INSERT INTO tableb (id, a_id, "name") VALUES(4, NULL, 'b4');

-- create function for inserting data into tablea and returning these id

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION tablea_inserting()
 RETURNS integer
 LANGUAGE plpgsql
AS $function$
declare
    ret int4;
begin
    insert into tablea ("name") values ('test')
    returning id into ret;

    return ret;
end
$function$
;

-- After then you can update your tableb
update tableb set
a_id = tablea_inserting()
where a_id is null

select * from tableb;
Result:
id  a_id    name
1   100     b1
2   1       b2
3   2       b3
4   3       b4


text:
Archived Articles on International Trade Agreements
Back to Current Articles | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000
The Ghost of NAFTA Past: A Decade of Bad Results (November 29, 2005)
Negotiations about the Andean Free Trade Agreement and the Southern African Customs Union collapsed. Rich and poor countries will have difficultly in reaching an agreement at the World Trade Organization's conference in Hong Kong. As the author points out, the neoliberal model is facing a crisis. After decades, poor people are still waiting to see the benefits of the past decades' privatization and liberalization policies. (Public Citizen)
Leaders Agree to Disagree on FTAA (November 5, 2005)
At the fourth summit of the Americas, leaders of all North and Latin American countries except Cuba gathered in Argentina to discuss job creation and poverty reduction. While the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) was not formally on the agenda, the meeting ended in a deadlock over the future of the agreement. The US and 28 other countries supported the free trade agreement, while Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay argued that the agreement must deal with agricultural subsidies and the "different levels of development and size of the economies" in the countries of the Americas. (Inter Press Service)
The Price of Going to Market (September 19, 2005)
A decade ago, Mexico signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). According to its supporters, NAFTA was supposed to eliminate poverty and usher Mexicans into the "First World." Ten years later, Mexico still suffers from poverty and unemployment. This article analyzes the reasons for NAFTA's failure and warns poor countries to consider Mexico's experience when negotiating free trade agreements with the US. (International Relations Center Americas Program)
Big Pharma's Free Ride (August 12, 2005)
In 2004, Guatemala changed a law that allowed generic companies to brand name data in order to develop and bring more affordable medicines to the market. This article looks at the CAFTA agreement and how pharmaceutical companies are using free trade deals to protect their patents, and, at the same time, they are denying poor people access to health care. (Salon.com)
South America's Mining Wars Heat Up (June 28, 2005)
A new Latin American mining rush is underway due to rising global metal prices. As transnational mining companies become more aggressive in their pursuit of profits, local populations are fighting harder to protect their natural resources. The proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) contains an expanded investor-state clause, which could offset populist victories by allowing transnational corporations to sue poor nations for lost economic opportunity. If CAFTA is ratified, governments will have to face millions of dollars in corporate lawsuits in order to protect their ecosystems, people, and resources. (AlterNet)
African Leaders Complain of Red Tape in Deal With US (June 14, 2005)
The US enacted the controversial African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in 2000, claiming to promote industry in poor African nations. In order to qualify for AGOA status, poor nations have to jump through all the right hoops, including privatization of all public assets and the creation of a US-style legal system. Rather than decreasing poverty or promoting wealth, the trade deal, which eliminates most US trade barriers on African goods such as textiles and clothing, has instead resulted in headaches and frustration. (Inter Press Service)
Yes to Democracy, No to Free Trade (May 31, 2005)
One year after the signing of DR-CAFTA (Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement), the US congress still has not approved the agreement. Organizations throughout North and Central America oppose the deal, arguing that the current trade policy only benefits US corporate interests. Although the Bush administration is traveling the country promoting this agreement, opponents need merely to look to the broken promises of NAFTA as an example of the failure of free trade agreements, and free trade, to "benefit everyone." (AlterNet)
Protectionism And Free Trade (May 31, 2005)
This article highlights the hidden effects of the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), focusing on how it will affect US and Central American laborers. While the Bush administration insists that increased trade will benefit everyone, the issue remains: what kind of trade is the Bush administration promoting, and for whose benefit? The concern is not free trade versus protectionism, but "smart trade" versus "polarizing trade." (TomPaine)
US Moves to Limit Imports from China (May 14, 2005)
Following a dramatic surge in apparel imports from China, the US has decided to reintroduce quotas on Chinese-made cotton shirts, trousers and underwear. The increase in imports occurred after the expiration of the so-called Multi-Fiber Arrangement, which set quotas on global textile trade. Many trade specialists argue that the Bush administration is trying to win support for the proposed Central American Trade Agreement (CAFTA) by setting a precedent and acting swiftly against imports that threaten textile jobs in the US. (New York Times)
AIDS Patients See Life, Death Issues in Trade Pact (April 22, 2005)
Public health experts fear that thousands of chronically ill Central Americans would suffer if the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) comes into force. By imposing even tighter regulations on medicine patents than existing World Trade Organization rules do, the proposed trade pact would drive up drug prices and make them inaccessible for people who suffer from chronic diseases such as HIV/AIDS. (Los Angeles Times)
CAFTA Falls Short on Economic Arguments (April 16, 2005)
Proponents of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) frequently use the label "free trade" as a tool to gain more support for the pending trade pact. But according to this Center for Economic Policy Research column, the proposed agreement will not only lower some trade barriers; it will also create new ones. CAFTA will make it more difficult for Central American countries to gain access to affordable medicines. Contrary to proponents' claims, it will also do little to boost economic development in poor countries or correct the gaping imbalances in the US current accounts, the author argues.
The Real Record on Workers' Rights in Central America (April 2005)
This American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) report criticizes the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement for failing to protect workers' rights. The agreement allows governments to maintain labor laws that are far below the International Labor Organization standards and provides no mechanism to enforce existing legislation. In its current form, the agreement may boost corporate profits, but "leave workers and communities out in the cold," the report says.
A Bad Deal on Free Trade (March 21, 2005)
The proposed Central American Trade Agreement CAFTA "will do nothing to pull people out of poverty in Central America, and it has the potential to plunge workers further into exploitation," warns this Boston Globe op-ed piece. Instead of setting clear standards for labor rights, the proposed deal only requires governments to enforce their current labor laws – the same laws that the US State Department and human rights organizations have frequently criticized for allowing companies to abuse their workers.
Fool Me Twice? (March, 2005)
The US Chamber of Commerce uses deliberately exaggerated projections about new jobs and economic gains in its attempts to promote the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), says this Public Citizen report. A decade ago, proponents of the North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA promised the US would gain 170,000 new jobs every year, but in reality hundreds of thousands of jobs have disappeared as a result of the agreement.
Not a Drop to Drink (February 25, 2005)
The struggle against water privatization continues in Bolivia. In 1997, the World Bank forced the country to privatize its water resources, resulting in violent protest and the deaths of 34 demonstrators. Today, the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) poses a new threat to Bolivia's natural resources—under FTAA's investor-state provision, corporations can sue states if they feel they have lost out on an investment opportunity. American Prospect reports that as global freshwater resources become scarcer, trade agreements are encroaching on the dwindling reserve, turning a once immeasurable resource into a limited commodity to be "taken by force." (American Prospect)
The "Green" Promises of CAFTA (February 17, 2005)
Governments praise the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement's environmental provisions that would create an Environmental Affairs Council for regional monitoring, but leave it up to state parties to establish their own levels of environmental protection. Local NGOs, however, are not unanimous: some think the environmental clauses are pure rhetoric, while others regard their mere existence as a sign of progress. (Inter Press Service)
Why CAFTA Can't Save Central America from the Textile Quota Expiration (January 2005)
Supporters of market liberalization have suggested that the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) would help the Central American garment industry fight competition from China. According to this discussion paper from International Relations Center, however, Chinese manufacturers' cost advantages, productivity and skill levels are so overwhelming that a trade agreement and geographical proximity to the US would make little difference for Central American countries.
Why Say No to FTAA (December 17, 2004)
Because of neoliberal economic policies, the Colombian external debt skyrocketed, national trade accounts went into deficit and the agricultural sector lost 150,000 jobs in the early 1990s. According to this ZNet article, the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas would bring more of the same to remaining businesses and farmers.
The Toxic Border (December 2004)
This article highlights the violation of labor rights and environmental protection standards in Mexico after the country's entry into the North American Free Trade Agreement and argues against future expansions of the agreement. The author points out that corporate-defined free trade runs contrary to expanded labor and environmental standards, as its prime focus is "creating conditions favorable to investment." (Foreign Policy in Focus)
Asean Signs Historic Deal with China (November 29, 2004)
A new trade pact between the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China represents a move towards a two billion person pan-Asian market, which according to the Guardian could "rival the EU and the US." In addition to the establishment of a free trade zone by 2010, the pact calls for military and security cooperation, tourism promotion and the creation of early-warning systems for infectious diseases.
Hemispheric Trade Zone Stumbles (November 23, 2004)
Former President Bill Clinton's launching of a "Free Trade Area of the Americas," a 34-country hemispheric single market stretching from Alaska to Argentina, has stalled. Instead, the US and Latin American countries have increasingly turned to bilateral rather than multilateral trade agreements. The Christian Science Monitor explains that since 9/11 and the war in Iraq, the schism in economic ideologies between North and South America has widened.
The US Andean Free Trade Agreement Chokes Along (November 2, 2004)
In 2003, the US Trade Representative's (USTR) Office launched negotiations with Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to establish a US-Andean Free Trade Agreement. While the USTR push towards a conclusion of the agreement in January 2005, this article raises concerns that last century's liberalization of markets has decreased rather than increased growth rates for the Andean countries. (Americas Program)
US to Renew Trade Focus On Latin America (October 11, 2004)
The Wall Street Journal examines the political challenges the next US administration faces in establishing a hemispheric free trade zone. But while politicians and neo-liberal groups from the hemisphere push for the ratification of free trade agreements, others raise opposition due to justifiable doubts about the value of free trade.
Trading Away the Environment? (September 23, 2004)
This article argues for stronger environmental standards in US trade agreements, claiming that the environmental costs of e.g. the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) exceed the economic gains. Environmental degradation in Mexico not only dwarfs Mexico's economic growth but also pressures the US market to produce "environmentally destructive agricultural practices." (San Francisco Chronicle)
CAFTA: A Topic for Women (June 13, 2004)
"All trade agreements negotiated by the Bush administration have ignored the internationally recognized right to nondiscrimination in the workplace" and have failed to protect labor rights. Such injustices are increasingly relevant for female employees, who are consistently subjected to gender discrimination. Without additional modifications, CAFTA will further entrench this precedent of ignoring human rights in trade agreements. (Human Rights Watch)
Women, Just Trade, and the Central America Free Trade Agreement (May 2004)
The Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is yet another example of a trade agreement that will fail to bring any prosperity to people living in poverty. This article focuses on the gender impacts of CAFTA. (Center of Concern)
Competition or Massacre? Central American Farmers' Dismal Prospects under CAFTA (April 2004)
If implemented, the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) will prove disastrous for the Central American region. Already struggling to compete with subsidized US imports, many small and medium size farms will not survive the increased competition from large US transnational corporations. (Multinational Monitor)
CAFTA's Weak Labor Rights Protections: Why the Present Accord Should be Opposed (March 2004)
This Human Rights Watch briefing paper states that the finalized version of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) "fails to require compliance with even the most basic internationally recognized labor rights norms". The paper further argues that the participating governments need to re-draft CAFTA so that parties have more incentive to strengthen their poor labor laws and include overall better protection for workers' human rights.
The Trouble with CAFTA (February 3, 2004)
The agreement reached on a Central American Free Trade Area (CAFTA) will represent a clear blow to poor and working people in the Americas, argues Mark Engler. The final decision to ratify the agreement still depends on a vote in the US Congress. Ultimately, CAFTA could mark "a turning point for critics, rather than an advance down the path of corporate globalization." (Foreign Policy in Focus)
NAFTA at 10 (February 2, 2004)
NAFTA "is the constitution of an emerging continental economy that recognizes one citizen--the business corporation." Analysis of the agreement reveals that it has increased the wealth distribution gap, forced small, local farmers to battle agri-business, and, overall, elevated poverty. This article calls US citizens to demand a rewriting of NAFTA, that includes fair development options and protections for human rights. (Nation)
India-Brazil: Cementing the South-South Alliance (January 31, 2004)
In the 1980s, development proponents advanced the idea of a system of trade preferences among poor countries. Brazilian President Lula da Silva aims to construct a new "world trade geography" by reviving this plan. The signing of a free trade agreement between India and Mercosur indicates progress in this direction. (Inter Press Service)
The Broken Promise of NAFTA (January 6, 2004)
Joseph Stiglitz writes in the New York Times that the North American Free Trade Agreement remains "controversial and even harmful" for Mexico. NAFTA did not reduce income disparities between the US and Mexico, and it did not generate many concrete economic gains. Instead, it established "a new set of rights – for business – that potentially weakened democracy throughout North America."
South Asia Starts Historic Summit amid "Winds of Change" (January 4, 2004)
The summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation generates many hopes. A historic treaty on turning South Asia into a free trade area tops the agenda. Participants will also decide on a social charter aiming at raising living standards. The population of South Asia accounts for one fifth of the world population and almost half of the world's poor. (Agence France Presse)
A Pact on Central America Free Trade Zone, Minus One (December 18, 2003)
The US concluded an agreement to establish the Central American Free Trade Area with Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador. But Costa Rica refused to accept the deal which would allow the US to exclude "sensitive" products like sugar from liberalization, while forcing Costa Rica to open up its services market. (New York Times)
"Free Trade" Takes a Dive in Miami (December 2, 2003)
Fearing that Latin American countries would demolish the US vision of creating a "Free Trade Area of the Americas," the US government agreed to a compromise allowing the parties to opt in or out of each provision of the treaty. Though claiming this as a victory for the global justice movement, 50 Years is Enough urges poor countries to resist US pressure in bilateral negotiations.
Latin America Deserves Better (November 18, 2003)
Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, criticizes the US position on agriculture in the FTAA negotiations. An unequal trade treaty that forces local markets to compete against US subsidized agricultural surplus "will be bad for millions of the world's poorest people." (International Herald Tribune)
NAFTA No Model for Development (November 18, 2003)
The North American Free Trade Agreement serves as a blueprint for a future Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Now, as in 1993, the US promises that the free trade agreement will create jobs, increase wages and diminish poverty. Yet, two reports show that NAFTA produced the contrary. (Inter Press Service)
Mercosur and the FTAA: New Tensions and New Options (November 11, 2003)
The US proposals for a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) present new challenges for the regional integration strategy of Mercosur. Mercosur aims at establishing a common market similar to the European Union, including economic and political integration. But the FTAA aim of expanding free trade to the Americas could threaten a deeper-going integration within Mercosur. (Interhemispheric Resource Center)
Resisting Globalization – The South American Consensus on the FTAA (November 10, 2003)
The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) faces widespread opposition in Latin America, as people remember vividly their bad experience with the "liberalization" of markets. Economists join the critics more frequently, fearing that by following the economic model of NAFTA, the FTAA will also repeat its errors and hinder Latin American development. (In These Times)
Changing Tack, Brazil Pitches Flexible FTAA Approach (November 3, 2003)
Brazil changed its fierce opposition to the Free Trade Area of the Americas, and now defends a more flexible approach. To make sure that the economic integration will have positive and balanced results for all the countries concerned, Brazil favors an integration "í la carte" that allows countries to choose which accords to sign. (Dow Jones Newswires)
NAFTA's Promise and Reality (November 2003)
Mexico's accession to the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) in 1994 accelerated its transition to a liberalized economy. This report argues that trade agreements can be tools of development and poverty reduction. Yet to strengthen economies, they must include adequate protection from the stress of exposure to global competition and the increased pressure on natural resources. (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)
Preparing to Protest in Miami: Why We Oppose the FTAA (November 14, 2003)
The FTAA is rife with flaws, including undue influence of US businesses, support for privatization, and acceptance of US agricultural subsidies. This article calls for a movement to challenge Washington's plans, and replace them with "genuine democracy." (Socialist Worker)
Foul Trade (October 24, 2003)
This Yellow Times article argues that free trade agreements such as NAFTA undermine governments' capacity to regulate corporations. Instead of benefiting the people, trade agreements ensure that producers can always "access the cheapest possible labor pool." NAFTA has become the "realization of the dream of the corporatists that free-market capitalism should rule the world."
Taking the Fight to Miami (October 23, 2003)
In this Rabble interview, Joao Pedro Stedile from the Brazilian Landless Peasants' Movement (MST) speaks out against the Free Trade Area of the Americas. He argues that the FTAA is a tool of neo-liberalism which will benefit only rich latifundistas.
Mexico Free Trade Founders on Japan's Farmers (October 23, 2003)
Bilateral trade talks between Japan and Mexico failed to create a free trade area, as the pact excluded farm products. Japan's leading party still represents the ideas of the traditional dynasty of territorial magnates, and they do their best to satisfy Japan's highly subsidized farmers. (Asia Times)
A Mexican Storm is Brewing (October 13, 2003)
Before the launch of the North American Free Trade Area, Mexico's "primitive" farming techniques did not hinder it from producing sufficient amounts of basic grains. Yet today, Mexico imports most of its cereals. This Yellow Times article contends that NAFTA never meant to improve the living conditions for Mexico's peasants, but pursued only the industry's interests.
India's "Look East" Policy Pays Off (October 11, 2003)
Since the early 1990s, India pursues a strategy of economic liberalization to participate actively in globalization. But before exposing itself to the far greater competition of global free trade, India seeks to "Look East" and to partner with ASEAN to establish a South East Asian free trade area. (Asia Times)
Bush's AIDS Test (October 9, 2003)
Despite US President Bush's "commitments" to combat AIDS, he exploits the NAFTA regime to urge Canada not to export generic drugs to poor countries. The entry of Latin American countries to the Free Trade Area of the Americas will expose them to similar – or even greater - US pressure on generic drugs, warns Naomi Klein in The Nation.
Traders Oppose Customs Union (October 2, 2003)
In November 2003, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya will sign a protocol establishing the East African Customs Union. Yet, Ugandan traders still fear that eliminating tariffs will erode their small share in the region's market. (Monitor, Uganda)
Labor Rights Protection in CAFTA (October 2003)
This Human Rights Watch paper argues that Central American labor laws fail to protect workers' rights. The Central American Free Trade Area (CAFTA) could therefore present an opportunity to ensure that governments amend their laws to comply with international standards. Yet, the labor rights provisions that the US proposes to include in the CAFTA agreement fall short of those standards and lack effective dispute settlement mechanisms.
Latin Bishops Launch Broadside against Free Trade Area (September 4, 2003)
The Catholic church strongly criticizes US plans to create a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Such a free trade zone would have "grave consequences" for its 800 million inhabitants, as it would foment the concentration of economic power in the hands of a few. (Inter Press Service)
As China Gallops, Mexico Sees Factory Jobs Slip Away (September 3, 2003)
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) confers advantages to Mexican businesses. Yet, as Mexico cannot compete any longer with China on labor costs in low-skilled industries, China surpasses Mexico as the second largest exporter to the United States. (New York Times)
Mercosur for Sale? The EU's FTAA and the Need to Oppose It (August 2003)
The free trade talks between the EU and Mercosur are no less threatening than the US plans for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The Corporate Europe Observatory and the Transnational Institute contend that the EU primarily aims at competing with the US over corporate control of Latin America.
A High-Risk Trade Policy (July/August, 2003)
Bernard K. Gordon argues that Washington's push for bilateral trade agreements is unwise for an economy with widely distributed exports, especially since rising trade blocs already challenge US economic power. But if the US uses the WTO to strengthen its national trading interests it could threaten multilateralism. (Foreign Affairs)
New Life for Mercosur (July 28, 2003)
Six Latin American newspapers of different political ideology express views on negotiations to reinstitute and expand the Mercosur trading block, including the creation of a regional parliament that would act as a single body in trade negotiations. (World Press Review)
House Approves Singapore Trade Agreement (July 24, 2003)
The US-Singapore deal, coupled with a US-Chile agreement, provoked strong opposition from labor groups in the US, who warned it would hasten a "race to the bottom" in wages. (Associated Press)
The Mood on Globalism: Is the Ground Shifting? (July 18, 2003)
Is the current economic hardship bolstering support for fair trade? The author finds supportive evidence and a few unlikely converts to the cause of global justice. (Unsustainable.org)
Pledging Allegiance to US Foreign Policy (July 18, 2003)
The Bush Administration favors bilateral trade agreements over WTO negotiations. Playing trading partners off each other can extract deeper concessions, including acquiescence to US foreign policy. (Rabble)
Arab Thumbs Down on Free Trade (July 16, 2003)
The US hopes its free trade agreement with Jordan will pave the way for a pact with the entire Middle East, but the US-Jordan deal has done little to help the country's workers. (AlterNet)
Central American Migrants Take Action on Trade and Regional Integration (July 13, 2003)
The neo-liberal economic model of the proposed Central American Free Trade Area has already failed to create dignified economic opportunities for the majority of Central Americans, and has provoked many to emigrate North in search of employment. (America Program)
Free-Trade Pact is Full of Dangers (July 11, 2003)
A South African economist contends that the proposed South African-US trade agreement would limit the SA government's control over development policy and other non-trade issues. (Business Day)
Bush and Lula: A Collision of Two Worlds (July 10, 2003)
The US failure to abide by multi-lateral agreements when it invaded Iraq threatens its credibility with Latin American trading partners. Therefore, the US will have to be open-minded to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's social policies in order to gain the support of Latin America's biggest economy for the FTAA. (Americas Program)
How to Build a Better Trade Pact with Central America (July, 2003)
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace offers amendments to CAFTA (US-Central American Free Trade Agreement) necessary to ensure that the terms of trade and investment will be fair and sustainable for the struggling economies of Central America.
Time for the NAFTA Environmental Watchdog to Get Some Teeth (June 24, 2003)
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation was supposed to mitigate NAFTA's environmental impacts, but it needs more clout to protect natural resources in North America. (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)
US Maps Out Ambitious Middle East Deal (June 23, 2003)
The US claims a free trade agreement with the Middle East would be a boon to the region, but many fear what they see as US economic imperialism. (Inter Press Service)
Real Story on Free Trade and Jobs (June 16, 2003)
Libertarian conservatives seem to imply, US workers and investors have prospered from liberalized trade, while minimizing benefits for foreign partners and workers. They assure skeptics that, even after NAFTA, US companies invest only two billion dollars per year in Mexican manufacturing capacity compared with two hundred billion per year domestically. (CATO)
Exacerbation of Exploitation through FTAA (May 31, 2003)
The Free Trade Area of the Americas is simply an agreement between the corporate heads and the international financial institutions. This article says the FTAA would exacerbate poverty and push Latin American countries to give up their national structures, and sell off industries and infrastructures to private foreign buyers. (ZNet)
The Sound of the Soul (May 2003)
North and South American elites eager to sign a free trade agreement for the region may have met their match in the mountains of Bolivia, where a growing social movement has firmly rejected neo-liberal integration. (New Internationalist)
Serious Flaw in US-Singapore Trade Agreement Must Be Addressed (April 2003)
A provision in the proposed US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement allows products produced on two small Indonesian islands to be treated as if they were of Singaporean origin, but does not require Indonesia to adhere to the labor and environmental standards in the agreement. If passed, the provision would seriously hinder labor rights progress in Indonesia. (Carnegie Council for International Peace)
Fox Signs Rescue Package to Help Mexican Farmers (April 29, 2003)
The Mexican government announced that it would ask the US and Canada to accept new restrictions on their agricultural products under the NAFTA framework. Since 1994, NAFTA has brought a surge of American food into Mexico, devastating the livelihood of poor Mexican farmers. (Los Angeles Times)
Brazil Finds a Market for Exports and a Friend in China (April 23, 2003)
Two emerging economic giants, Brazil and China, expand their trading relationship to include more economic and cultural exchanges. China, whose expanding urban middle class consumes more and more Brazilian exports, prefers trade with a "non-ideological" partner, while Brazil finds satisfaction in circumventing the FTAA and decreasing dependency on foreign investment. (New York Times)
World Trade's Postwar Landscape (April 16, 2003)
In bilateral free-trade agreements, the US gives preferential treatment to countries that support the Iraq war and snubs those against it. While bringing the consistency of US economic policy into question, this fractured political climate worsens the stalemate at the WTO over trade liberalization. (Business Week)
All the Way with FTA? (April 15, 2003)
Increased international cooperation between the US and Australia is leading to a free trade agreement, but will Australia trade away its social and environmental protections in order to sell the US more hamburgers? Perhaps so, the author contends, given that the Howard government never liked those regulations in the first place. (ZNet)
New Enhanced Regional Agreements (April 2003)
Author Moses Tekere describes the problems with the Cotonou trade liberalization agreement between the EU and 77 allied African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states. His proposed amendment would bring a real development framework into the agreement and increase reciprocity between nations. (Third World Network)
Trade Brings Riches, but Not to Mexico's Poor (March 22, 2003)
Experts cite several factors responsible for Mexico's poverty rate, which has remained steady at 50 percent since the 1980s while population has grown sharply. "But what has become painfully clear in Mexico is that free trade -- most famously NAFTA -- has failed to lift the country out of poverty," says the Washington Post.
Jordan's Sweatshops: The Carrot or the Stick of US Policy? (February 26, 2003)
The 2001 free trade agreement between the United States and Jordan has led to an explosion of so-called "Qualified Industrial Zones," where workers in foreign owned factories produce US consumer goods for about $3.50 a day. Many Jordanians see the free trade agreement as politically motivated to increase US presence in the region. (CorpWatch)
US Opening Offer for Americas Deal Ignores Farm Subsidies (February 11, 2003)
The US opened the Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations with an offer to eliminate all tariffs on textile products from states in the Americas within five years. The US also demanded removal of duties on consumer and industrial goods, in which the US has a comparative advantage, but left farm subsidies in tact. (Inter Press Service)
Poor Mexico Farmers Boycott National Farming Policy Talks (February 10, 2003)
Three major farm coalitions boycotted a forum held by Mexican President Vicente Fox intended to devise ways to help Mexico's impoverished farmers. Small farmers claim that the agriculture clauses of the North American Free Trade Agreement have been disastrous for them, and complain that Mexico has been cutting subsidies while the US has raised them. (Associated Press)
The Tricks of Trade Treaties (February 2003)
Joseph Stiglitz provides an incisive analysis into the hypocrisy and biases inherent in US bilateral free trade agreements. He uses Chile as an example of how US interests dominate negotiations, which promote neither fair nor free trade. (Project Syndicate)
CAFTA: Free Trade Vs. Democracy (January 29, 2003)
US Trade Officials and Central American leaders have begun negotiations to expand NAFTA-style reduction of trade barriers to create a Central American Free Trade Agreement. Labor organizations in Central America oppose these plans, claiming they are non-democratic and undermine freedom of association.(Foreign Policy in Focus)
New Accord a Boon to US Leadership in FTAA (December 11, 2002)
Chile's new bilateral free trade agreement with the United States sets a precedent that will increase US influence in the FTAA negotiations, this article argues. Chile's Treasury Minister insists that Chile did not "give in," but admits it had to accept some "rules and procedures" for intellectual property rights and financial liberalization. (Inter Press Service)
NAFTA Equals Death, Say Peasant Farmers (December 3, 2002)
The expansion of free trade into Mexico prevents indigenous farmers from competing both domestically and internationally. UNORCA, a national union of over thirty regional peasant groups, organized demonstrations throughout Mexico to protest new trade liberalization measures that take effect in January. (Inter-Press Services)
FTAA, External Debt and Militarization: Three Axes of the Same Project (November 27, 2002)
Parallel to the FTAA meetings in Quito, South American experts held conferences to address growing concern that free trade, debt and structural adjustment, and militarization all contribute to increased United States power and control in the western hemisphere. (ATTAC)
Free Trade Agreements: Threads Of A Giant Continental Spider Web (November 27, 2002)
Rich and poor countries around the world are rushing to build free trade areas, convinced of the benefits of increased and liberalized trade. However, structural inequities shut out many of trade's benefits from the poor world, producing greater inequality and more entrenched poverty. (ATTAC)
Cashews and Nutty Policies in Mozambique (December 2002)
Harvard Prof. Dani Rodrik claims the failure of Mozambique's cashew industry represents a prime example of how trade liberalization does not necessarily benefit developing countries. He argues for a deeper analysis of development policy and in this instance, its impacts on rural producers and urban workers. (Project Syndicate)
Central American Free Trade Agreement Must Include Workers' Rights (November 19, 2002)
The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights calls on US officials to ensure that labor rights provisions are included in the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) negotiations. The Lawyers Committee argues that CAFTA has the potential to improve or worsen the situation for workers in countries with documented labor rights abuses.
The Case for a South, Central Asia Trade Bloc (November 14, 2002)
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) recently signed an agreement to create the world's largest free trading bloc in July of 2003. The addition of India and Central Asia could create an exceptionally robust economic zone but significant domestic and international social, economic and political hurdles must be overcome. (Asia Times)
What Makes up the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)? (November 13, 2002)
The proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement will create a free trade corridor from Canada through Chile. It favors the sovereignty and rights of transnational corporations and fails to provide adequate protection of human rights in areas such as education, health, expression, intellectual property and basic living standards. (ATTAC)
A Street-Level Trade Debate (November 5, 2002)
The broad consensus among trade ministers at the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) meeting in Quito was that "more trade is better than less." Outside the meeting, however, indigenous peoples argued that the FTAA would thrust open the Amazon rain forest to oil and mining corporations and destroy small-scale farming. (New York Times)
As US Seeks a Trade Accord, Brazilians Recall Discord (October 30, 2002)
Now that Lula da Silva has won Brazil's presidential election, experts foresee difficulty in negotiating the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA), scheduled for completion by January 2005. While some are in favor of the accord, many Brazilians are deeply skeptical of this veritable free trade corridor throughout the hemisphere. (New York Times)
Snookered (October 29, 2002)
Writer Paul Harris claims vested government and corporate interests swindled the majority of American working people by falsely hyping NAFTA as a panacea for poverty and development. In fact, NAFTA produced substantial negative economic and social side effects in all three North American countries. (Yellow Times)
Zoellick's Trade-Deal Push Could Undermine the WTO (October 25, 2002)
US trade representative Robert Zoellick, under the authority of the "fast track" initiative, has "littered" the world with bilateral trade agreements. Critics, including some large US exporters, question Zoellick's motives, arguing that bilateral agreements could ultimately undermine efforts to promote free and fair trade. (Wall Street Journal)
Protests Against Development Hit Central America (October 14, 2002)
Indigenous peoples in Mexico and Central America staged Columbus Day protests against the "Puebla-Panama" plan, which would promote energy, tourism, and infrastructure development in the region. Protesters argue that the plan will only benefit big business and further impoverish indigenous communities. (Reuters)
NAFTA: A Cautionary Tale (October 24, 2002)
Before trade ministers gather in Quito for negotiations on the proposed Free Trade Agreement of the Americas, they ought to reflect on Mexico's experience with NAFTA. Contrary to the expectation that economic integration would raise living standards, Mexico now suffers from slow growth, lower wages, increased poverty, and more inequality. (Foreign Policy in Focus)
Happily Ever NAFTA? (September/October 2002)
Foreign Policy presents a debate between key NAFTA negotiators and vocal US critics of NAFTA from the Institute for Policy Studies. Two rounds of discussion highlight the positive and negative aspects of free trade and economic liberalization.
Plan Puebla Panama, or Private Plans for Profit? (September 19, 2002)
A multi-billion dollar proposal to transform the region from Southern Mexico to Panama into an enormous free trade zone promises large-scale development. According to CorpWatch, foreign corporations will reap the benefits of this plan at the expense of indigenous peoples.
East Asia Free-Trade Area Before 2010 (April 14, 2002)
By playing a leading role in the creation of an East-Asian free trade area, Japan hopes to benefit from a market that incorporates one third of the world's population. The grouping, dubbed "ASEAN plus-five" plans to develop an Asian challenge to the dominance of the EU and NAFTA. (Japan Times)
Plan Puebla-Panama: The Next Step in Corporate Globalization (April 2002)
Mexican President Vicente Fox endorses Plan Puebla-Panama as a "development vision for Central America." Critics argue that, as an expansion of NAFTA, the construction of transportation and sweatshop corridors across the isthmus will exacerbate poverty and environmental destruction. (Labor Notes)
Price of Free Trade: Famine (March 22, 2002)
The impact of trade liberalization in Central America has already led to skyrocketing interest rates and bankrupt farms. The author argues that the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement will exacerbate these problems, deepening an already widespread famine in the region. (Los Angeles Times)
Free Trade Area of the Americas: Much to Lose, Little to Gain (March 2, 2002)
"The FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) is creating a free-trade area without instruments for cooperation and without provisions for special treatment for the most vulnerable economies." Considering the current economic climate in Argentina and other Latin American countries, what motivates their governments to continue negotiations with the US? (Inter Press Service)
Central America: Readying for Free Trade With United States (February 22, 2002)
The NAFTA agreement pushed Mexico into the spotlight, at the expense of countries in Central America. Proposals for CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) would give Nicaragua, El Salvador and others duty-free access to US markets as early as 2003. (Americas Program)
Many Oppose Trade Deal (February 11, 2002)
Activists fighting corporate-led globalization see the Free Trade Area of the Americas as "a policy of annexation of Latin America by the US." Critics propose an EU-style model that includes "compensatory measures" for poorer countries, enabling them to trade on an equal basis. (The Nation)
Battle Lines Drawn on Free Trade Zone (February 5, 2002)
NGOs plan a serious of protests against the US-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas. Critics argue the proposal will not increase free trade but will simply extend US economic domination of the Americas, a trend initiated by the North American Free Trade Agreement. (Business Day)
Brazil Increasingly Unenthusiastic about US FTAA Proposals (February 1, 2002)
In Brazil's negotiations over the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the desire for greater access to the world's markets must be balanced with the population's "disillusionment with the results of neo-liberal reform." With 23 million living in poverty, doubts remain over the benefits of free trade for Brazil. (Interhemispheric Resource Center)
Competing Visions for the Hemisphere (January 2002)
The Hemispheric Social Alliance provides an alternative to the official draft of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), critiquing the "dominant free market approach to globalization that elevates the interests of large corporations above those of society as a whole."
A Public Citizen Primer on the FTAA (March 2001)
Public Citizen presents a basic guide to the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) warning that "the FTAA's goal is to impose NAFTA's failed model of increased privatization and deregulation throughout the hemisphere."
Countdown to Free Trade Areas Has Begun (August 30, 2000)
Two free trade areas – SADC and Comesa – are due to be launched in southern Africa in the coming weeks. At the moment, some eleventh-hour diplomacy is still shifting allegiances and memberships. (Business Day )
Social and Economic Policy at the UN
The Bretton Woods Institutions and Other Governance Fora
The World Economic Crisis
Poverty and Development
The Millennium Development Goals
General Analysis on International Trade and Development
International Trade Agreements
Agricultural Subsidies
Globalization of the Economy
The World Trade Organization
Transnational Corporations
Global Public Goods
Labor Rights and Labor Movements
Tables and Charts on Social and Economic Policy


text:
Better Than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie is a 1994 book written by American author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson. In Volume  IV of The Gonzo Papers series of books, Thompson details his reactions to the 1992 election of Bill Clinton as U.S. President, as well as recollects his own (unsuccessful) run for sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado.

The book contains a number of magazine articles and other essays Thompson wrote about the Clinton election, but consists largely of faxes Thompson sent to various celebrities, politicians and journalists about the subject. It is the only volume in The Gonzo Papers to be composed of mostly new material.

Some copies are additionally subtitled Trapped Like a Rat in Mr. Bill's Neighborhood.

Essay collections by Hunter S. Thompson
1994 non-fiction books
Essay collections
Non-fiction books about elections
1992 United States presidential election
Books about politics of the United States

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Liz & Kyle were married on a perfectly overcast Saturday in May at a hallmark life and science museum in Durham, N.C. The Air B&B that the couple rented for pre-ceremony festivities was just awesome for photographs, and I am officially fern-obsessed!! There were many gorgeous details to this wedding including liquid nitrogen Margaritas during cocktail hour and the tasting of a literal cheese cake. It was an absolute pleasure to be a part of a wedding at a venue that I hold dear to my heart-- Oh yeah, Prom 2002/3!! -- and working with a couple with a beautiful spirit and love. As if a wedding isn't a big enough celebration, Liz graduated from Duke University the following weekend with a Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Environmental Management! You go, lady!!
I love you guys so much for how you rocked this picture!!


text:
Marcelle Lucas est une actrice de théâtre et de cinéma française.

Biographie

Théâtre

Danseuse
 1911 : Les Amours du Diable, opéra-féerie en 4 actes et 8 tableaux de Saint-Georges, musique d'Albert Grisar, ballets réglés par Mlle Berthe Etrel, au Trianon-Lyrique ()
 1912 : Le Songe d'une nuit d'été, féerie en 12 tableaux adaptée de la comédie en 5 actes de Shakespeare, mise en scène de Camille de Sainte-Croix, ballets réglés par Mme Jane Hugard de l'Opéra, au théâtre Shakespeare () : Grain de Moutarde
 1912 : Le Terrible Boby, opérette en 3 actes et 4 tableaux de Georges Montignac, musique de Paul Rémond, ballets réglés par M. Adeline de l'Opéra, au théâtre de la Renaissance () : un lutin

Chanteuse et comédienne
 1932 : Ces Messieurs-Dames, revue en 20 tableaux de Francis Carco, musique de Vincent Scotto et Larmangeat, au Studio de Paris () : la pierreuse
 1933 : Katinka, opérette viennoise en 3 actes et 20 tableaux de Bekoffi, adaptation française d'André Barde, Pierre Varenne et Robert Delamarre, musique de Louis Lajtai, au théâtre de l'Empire () : la princesse Éléonore
 1936 : Tout Paris chante, revue à grand spectacle en 2 actes et 34 tableaux d'Henri Varna, Léo Lelièvre, Marc Cab et Charles Tutelier, au Casino de Paris () : une commère

Filmographie
 1920 : Le Carnaval des vérités de Marcel L'Herbier
 1931 : Marions-nous de Louis Mercanton
 1934 : Mariage à responsabilité limitée de Jean de Limur
 1934 : Sidonie Panache d'Henry Wulschleger : une grisette

Notes et références

Liens externes

Actrice française de cinéma
Actrice française de théâtre


text:
package com.mopub.mobileads;

import android.content.Context;
import android.view.MotionEvent;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.LinearLayout;
import android.widget.RelativeLayout;

import com.mopub.common.util.Dips;
import com.mopub.common.util.Utils;
import com.mopub.mobileads.resource.CloseButtonDrawable;
import com.mopub.mobileads.resource.CountdownDrawable;
import com.mopub.mobileads.resource.LearnMoreDrawable;

import static android.graphics.Color.BLACK;
import static android.view.Gravity.CENTER_VERTICAL;
import static android.view.Gravity.LEFT;
import static android.view.Gravity.RIGHT;
import static android.view.ViewGroup.LayoutParams.FILL_PARENT;

class VastVideoToolbar extends LinearLayout {
    private static final int TOOLBAR_HEIGHT_DIPS = 44;
    private static final int THRESHOLD_FOR_HIDING_VIDEO_DURATION = 200;

    private final ToolbarWidget mDurationWidget;
    private final ToolbarWidget mLearnMoreWidget;
    private final ToolbarWidget mCountdownWidget;
    private final ToolbarWidget mCloseButtonWidget;

    public VastVideoToolbar(final Context context) {
        super(context);

        setId((int) Utils.generateUniqueId());

        // Consume all click events on the video toolbar
        setOnTouchListener(new View.OnTouchListener() {
            @Override
            public boolean onTouch(View view, MotionEvent motionEvent) {
                return true;
            }
        });

        final int videoToolbarHeight = Dips.dipsToIntPixels(TOOLBAR_HEIGHT_DIPS, getContext());
        final LinearLayout.LayoutParams layoutParams = new LinearLayout.LayoutParams(
                FILL_PARENT,
                videoToolbarHeight);
        setLayoutParams(layoutParams);

        setBackgroundColor(BLACK);
        getBackground().setAlpha(180);

        mDurationWidget = createDurationWidget();
        mLearnMoreWidget = createLearnMoreWidget();
        mCountdownWidget = createCountdownWidget();
        mCloseButtonWidget = createCloseButtonWidget();

        addView(mDurationWidget);
        addView(mLearnMoreWidget);
        addView(mCountdownWidget);
        addView(mCloseButtonWidget);
    }

    String getDisplaySeconds(final long millisecondsRemaining) {
        return String.valueOf(Math.round(Math.ceil(millisecondsRemaining / 1000f)));
    }

    void updateDurationWidget(final int remainingTime) {
        if (remainingTime >= THRESHOLD_FOR_HIDING_VIDEO_DURATION) {
            mDurationWidget.updateText("Ends in " + getDisplaySeconds(remainingTime) + " seconds");
        } else if (remainingTime >= 0) {
            mDurationWidget.updateText("Thanks for watching");
        }
    }

    void updateCountdownWidget(final int remainingTime) {
        if (remainingTime >= 0 && mCountdownWidget.getVisibility() == View.INVISIBLE) {
            mCloseButtonWidget.setVisibility(View.GONE);
            mCountdownWidget.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
        }

        mCountdownWidget.updateImageText(getDisplaySeconds(remainingTime));
    }

    void makeInteractable() {
        // The countdown timer has ended and user can interact with close and learn more button
        mCountdownWidget.setVisibility(View.GONE);
        mLearnMoreWidget.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
        mCloseButtonWidget.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
    }

    void setCloseButtonOnTouchListener(final OnTouchListener onTouchListener) {
        mCloseButtonWidget.setOnTouchListener(onTouchListener);
    }

    void setLearnMoreButtonOnTouchListener(final OnTouchListener onTouchListener) {
        mLearnMoreWidget.setOnTouchListener(onTouchListener);
    }

    private ToolbarWidget createDurationWidget() {
        return new ToolbarWidget.Builder(getContext())
                .weight(2f)
                .widgetGravity(CENTER_VERTICAL | LEFT)
                .hasText()
                .textAlign(RelativeLayout.ALIGN_PARENT_LEFT)
                .build();
    }

    private ToolbarWidget createLearnMoreWidget() {
        return new ToolbarWidget.Builder(getContext())
                .weight(1f)
                .widgetGravity(CENTER_VERTICAL | RIGHT)
                .defaultText("Learn More")
                .drawable(new LearnMoreDrawable())
                .visibility(View.INVISIBLE)
                .build();
    }

    private ToolbarWidget createCountdownWidget() {
        final CountdownDrawable countdownDrawable = new CountdownDrawable(getContext());

        return new ToolbarWidget.Builder(getContext())
                .weight(1f)
                .widgetGravity(CENTER_VERTICAL | RIGHT)
                .defaultText("Skip in")
                .drawable(countdownDrawable)
                .visibility(View.INVISIBLE)
                .build();
    }

    private ToolbarWidget createCloseButtonWidget() {
        return new ToolbarWidget.Builder(getContext())
                .weight(1f)
                .widgetGravity(CENTER_VERTICAL | RIGHT)
                .defaultText("Close")
                .drawable(new CloseButtonDrawable())
                .visibility(View.GONE)
                .build();
    }

    @Deprecated // for testing
    ToolbarWidget getDurationWidget() {
        return mDurationWidget;
    }

    @Deprecated // for testing
    ToolbarWidget getLearnMoreWidget() {
        return mLearnMoreWidget;
    }

    @Deprecated // for testing
    ToolbarWidget getCountdownWidget() {
        return mCountdownWidget;
    }

    @Deprecated // for testing
    ToolbarWidget getCloseButtonWidget() {
        return mCloseButtonWidget;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub