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Atiyeh readily admits that he changed the sign at the California border because Oregon is trying to revive its economy. |
Republican Atiyeh won reelection in November by the widest margin in 32 years of Oregon elections - despite near-record unemployment and a stagnant economy. |
Oregon's reliance on the sagging timber industry has made it vulnerable to a recession where interest rates have been high, and new housing starts dropped sharply. But a thaw seems to be on its way, as national housing starts increase and interest rates fall. |
Still, Atiyeh knows that Oregon needs to attract new and different kinds of industry in order to be freed from its overdependence on timber. A new state Economic Development Department is courting companies throughout the nation. |
Their principle flirtations are with high-tech firms. Oregon is trying to beef up high-tech education by embarking on cooperative ventures between the state government and private industry. The Economic Development Department has the chief executive of Tektronix, a high-tech firm, trumpeting the virtues of Oregon in an... |
The desire to preserve the landscape was popularized in a 1975 novel, ''Ecotopia,'' in which a new nation is shut off from the US because of its radical environmental laws. |
''The long-term trend, especially in the Northwest, is still toward Ecotopian ways,'' says author Ernest Callenbach. |
Mr. Callenbach might be right. In a November referendum election, voters decided to keep stringent, statewide land-use planning laws that tightly rein in new development. And a new 20-year energy plan recommends that the region rely on conservation and renewable resources instead of building new coal- and nuclear-fired... |
Thus Oregon has some serious decisions to make: how to attract needed new business without sacrificing the fresh air, clear water, and forested hills. |
But some in the corporate world are said to have written Oregon off. The state isn't close to big markets. It hasn't bent over backward to give business a break in the tax structure. It no longer has an abundance of cheap energy. And the colleges and universities, crucial in developing high-tech industry, are nothing t... |
Economic Development director Douglas Carter is trying to convince companies otherwise. He says the labor force is well-educated, with a low turnover rate. Housing is affordable. There's room to expand. |
And while courting of high-tech, state officials are also shoring up the once-robust lumber industry that is being partly lost to the South, a region much closer to its markets and where trees grow more quickly. |
Russian president touts stability, national pride. Tackling corruption is also key. |
Standing over Sergei Stepashin's luxurious, polished-wood desk is an unlikely icon in post-Soviet Russia: a two-foot-tall statue of Justice, blindfolded and holding her scales aloft. |
The statuette is not only for show. As the country's top auditor and a chief official in charge of rooting out corruption, Mr. Stapashin plays a key role in implementing President Vladimir Putin's vision of revitalizing the primacy of the state in Russian lives, and restoring the dignity of the country. |
It's a goal that critics say has come at the expense human rights, democracy, and media freedoms. |
Yet despite a string of disasters and the seemingly intractable war in Chechnya, Mr. Putin remains overwhelmingly popular at home. With no weighty political opponents in sight, his approval rating stands above 70 percent. |
One year after taking the reins of power - when often-unpredictable and health-troubled former President Boris Yeltsin made way for his dour but dynamic chosen heir by stepping down on Dec. 31 - Mr. Putin is making good on promises to reverse Russia's decline by creating a "dictatorship of law." |
"What not so long ago appeared almost impossible has become a reality in our lives," Putin said in a New Year's Eve address. "Notable elements of stability have appeared, and this means a great deal for politics, economics, and for all of us." |
The president is striking a chord among Russians tired of post-Soviet chaos and arbitrary rule. For the second year running he far outpolled any other Russian in a local "Hero of the Year" contest. But while the former KGB agent has tightened his grip on power, it is those like Stepashin, as head of the reenergized Aud... |
The Audit Chamber has uncovered extensive diversion of federal funds meant to rebuild the republic of Chechnya, where Russian forces are fighting a ruthless war against Islamic separatists. And it is working to make the selloff of state assets fair and transparent - a break from past practices, which netted the state l... |
"It's not only political force behind us, but the law," Stepashin says. "Those who create obstacles to our checks violate the law, and must be punished." |
Political absolutism is nothing new to Russia, though some say Putin is more interested in establishing dictatorship than enforcing law. Powerful regional governors have been undermined, and a new system of vertical power, answerable to the president, is now in force. |
The once-combative Duma, or lower house of Parliament, has danced to Putin's tune on everything from ratifying START II nuclear arms cutbacks to considering limits on the number of political parties. Former KGB and security officials now occupy high offices. |
Putin's quest to reestablish an all-powerful, efficient state is a well-worn path in Russia. During an effort to Westernize at the turn of the 18th century, Czar Peter the Great famously declared police are "the soul of citizenship and all good order." |
Even hard Soviet times are remembered fondly by some, for their firm order and control. Historians such as American Hugh Ragsdale note that the state here has always been seen as the "unique agency of progress, strength, and society." |
In this light, symbols are playing a key role. On New Year's Eve, when Putin approved by decree the controversial former Stalin-era tune as the new national anthem, the first line of the rewritten lyrics read: "Russia, our sacred state...." |
Russian TV quoted Putin as saying the anthem shows "that we have finally managed to bridge the disparity between past and present." |
Such optimism may be all the more surprising, considering the string of tragedies that befell Russia in 2000. |
The sinking in August of the Kursk - Russia's largest and most-modern nuclear submarine - underlined a once-superpower military in collapse. Putin was sharply criticized for his handling of the disaster, but emerged relatively unscathed from others. |
These include a bombing in a crowded Moscow underpass and a fire that destroyed a television broadcast tower, darkening TV screens for days. Putin's tough stance on the Chechen conflict enjoys strong support, according to recent opinion polls. His wife, Lyudmilla, told the daily Komsomolskaya Pravda, "We used to say: '... |
Still, Putin remains almost as much of an enigma as when he first assumed power, before being confirmed as president in a March election. "The question 'Who is Mr. Putin?' is still real," says Vladimir Andreyenkov, head of the Institute for Comparative Social Research in Moscow. "Nobody knows for sure where he will lea... |
High prices for Russian oil exports have buoyed a stagnant economy, giving Putin some breathing space. But any failure of reforms, Mr. Andreyenkov warns, would lead to "extraordinary measures" and "might be a road to dictatorship." |
Putin appears to reject that analysis. "The state always tries to create the most favorable conditions for itself and tries to forbid everything," he told Canadian journalists in the Kremlin last month, ahead of a visit to Canada. "I assure you that there is no danger that the structure of democratic society ... could ... |
Some analysts argue that Putin tries to be all things to all people, that his political views are pragmatic - and therefore changeable and uncertain. "There exists an objective necessity to create a hierarchy of power in Russia, and to some extent that means restricting the unlimited possibilities that now exist," says... |
For the workhorses of change such as Stepashin, the complex, sometimes overwhelming task of rooting out corruption is the foundation for order. "We should be very sorry and we, especially our past president, should apologize to our foreign partners for the last 10 years," Stepashin says. Putin has already taken the fir... |
The Audit Chamber is still not as independent as it should be, says Andreyenkov, of the research institute. "The problem in Russia is that there is no legal consciousness among top officials," he says. "They might promise not to change oil taxes, for example, and then immediately change them. Only when this change happ... |
Stepashin is aware of the problem, and the historical difficulty here of making decisive promises. But he insists the political will to reshape the state, however imperfect, is there. He would like to make his Lady Justice, in fact, "not be blind." |
"Nikita Kruschev promised to free the last criminal from prison in 1980. Mikhail Gorbachev promised to provide every Soviet family an apartment by the year 2000," he says. "That's why I say that there has been, is, and will always be corruption until there are no more than two people left alive. |
"But the scale of corruption, and its spread among the power structure, that's what we must strike against." |
The Government’s hunt to find the source behind the unauthorised release of Foreign Affairs documents relating to last year’s botched restructuring has wasted a quarter of a million dollars of taxpayer’s money, says Phil Goff, Labour’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson. |
“This has been a hugely expensive exercise, aggravated by the employment of Paula Rebstock. Her fees and allowances are already over $100,000 (including GST) for her part-time work. |
“And it has been largely futile. All her inquiries have done is kept alive the issue of the Government’s bungled reorganisation at MFAT. That has further delayed the necessary healing and rebuilding process within the Ministry. |
“The real question that Murray McCully should be asking himself is how he so quickly turned a Ministry which had always been committed, capable, disciplined and loyal into a dysfunctional and dispirited organisation. |
“When you treat people appallingly and unfairly don’t expect loyalty in return. |
“Murray McCully needs only to look at his own role and that of his CEO to find the real culprits for the botched reorganisation and its consequences. |
“Murray McCully should have saved the taxpayers the quarter of a million dollars, taken responsibility for what he has done and resigned,” says Phil Goff. |
PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County commissioners are getting closer to engaging the county in a week-long conversation about climate change. |
Commissioners discussed how to approach “Clallam County Climate Change Week” during its Monday work session. |
Commissioner Mark Ozias said it makes sense that Climate Change Week should be held the week of Earth Day, which is April 22, but no dates have actually been set. |
“The outcome I’m interested in, at least for our own use, would be what sort of policy, if any, would our citizens like to see us develop in and around climate change,” Ozias said. |
It’s an issue the commissioners unanimously agreed in June needed more attention. |
At the time they passed a resolution authorizing the county to take action on climate change. |
Ozias has suggested that the week involve meeting with groups that are affected by climate change. |
It was previously suggested the county meet with the Quileute Tribal Council to learn about how climate change affects tribal fisheries and could visit the Olympic Natural Resource Center in Forks for a presentation about the effect of climate change on the forest products industry in Clallam County. |
It was also suggested to have a presentations on how the annual smoke from summer forest fires affects Clallam County residents, and tours of the site of the future Dungeness Off-Channel Reservoir and the recently-flooded area along 3 Crabs Road near Sequim. |
Ozias said he likes the idea of the county hosting “Jefferson Dinners,” an idea he said Commissioner Bill Peach pitched. |
It involves parties from diverse backgrounds sitting at one table and discussing a topic. |
“I really like the Jefferson Dinner concept,” Ozias said. |
Ozias had suggested a format called “Rural Climate Dialogues,” which some rural communities have implemented as they discuss climate change. |
“As we think about doing our cross-county tour, I think it will be important to have those events at places that can accommodate the public,” Ozias said. |
Ozias said he would like to see the week start off with presentations and joint meetings across the county. |
“I’ve imagined that would help generate some publicity in the community, then we could follow up with a series of Jefferson Dinners, one in each district,” Ozias said. |
Commissioner Randy Johnson said he hopes the tour will help commissioners develop priorities as to how it should spend the county’s limited money. |
The county also prepared a report detailing efforts it has made since 2007. |
In 2007 the county recommended that it initiate its own Climate Protection Campaign to promote environmentally sensitive and proactive measures. |
That year, commissioners passed a resolution adopting an emissions reduction target of 80 percent by 2050. |
BRITAIN received a double Brexit boost today as German officials called for a good EU deal and China welcomed the prospect of new trade links with the UK. |
Germany's finance ministry warned that the country's economy could be sunk by Brexit if a trade deal is not reached. |
Meanwhile, the Chinese ambassador said he was delighted by Britain's "commitment to free trade" after Brexit. |
The news will come as a boost to British officials as they negotiate our future outside the EU. |
The finance ministry in Berlin listed Brexit in its new report on the risks facing the German economy. |
Officials wrote: "Risks linked to how Brexit will shape out and future US trade policies remain. |
"In addition, the so-called diesel crisis should be classified as a new risk to the German economy even though its effects are not possible to quantify at the moment." |
Remainers have previously argued that Brexit poses more of a threat to the UK than to other European countries. |
But the German admission that they are worried about how talks go gives more leverage to Britain during the negotiations. |
After Brexit, the UK will be free to strike trade deals around the world - with ministers keen on closer links with rising giants such as China. |
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming today called for closer ties between Britain and China, saying business links were "mutually beneficial and win-win for both countries". |
Writing in the Evening Standard, he added: "The UK's unchanged commitment to staying open is key to boosting the confidence of foreign investors. |
"How the UK will choose between being more open and embracing the world, and lowering the portcullis and pulling up the drawbridge not only matters to Britain's own future but concerns its global partners." |
Mr Liu said that "being open and inclusive" had helped Britain succeed in the past, singling out the City as a source of economic strength. |
The ambassador concluded: "China and Britain should join hands to advance economic globalisation, to increase trade liberalisation and to enhance investment facilitation." |
News that countries around the world want to strike trade deals with the UK will be welcomed by International Trade Secretary Liam Fox. |
Ireland is doubling its number of diplomats in an apparent bid to boost its global role after Brexit. |
The country's prime minister Leo Varadkar said he wanted Ireland to attract more business from abroad and increase cultural links with other countries. |
During a visit to Canada, he said: "Notwithstanding our strong competitiveness and vigorous economic growth, Ireland today faces undoubtedly the greatest set of political and economic challenges in a generation, as a result of Brexit. |
"Now is the time to plan ahead with ambition." |
Ireland is already bidding to attract banks and other businesses from Britain if they leave the country in the wake of our EU departure. |
The Internet of Things (IoT), while still in its infancy, is shaping the future of many industries and will also impact our daily lives. |
Scientists have developed a novel microchip that can function under dim light using a very small solar cell, an advance that could power sensors to support the Internet of Things (IoT). |
The Internet of Things (IoT), while still in its infancy, is shaping the future of many industries and will also impact our daily lives in significant ways. One of the key challenges of moving IoT devices from concept to reality is to have a long-lasting operation under tightly constrained energy sources, thus demandin... |
IoT devices — such as sensors — are often deployed on a massive scale and in places that are usually remote and difficult to service regularly, thus making their self-sufficiency essential. |
Currently, batteries in IoT devices are much larger and up to three times more expensive than the single chip they power. Their size is determined by the sensor node lifetime, which directly affects how often they need to be changed. This has an important bearing on maintenance cost and impacts on the environment when ... |
To extend the overall lifetime, the battery is usually recharged slowly by harvesting some limited power from the environment, such as using a solar cell. However, existing IoT devices cannot operate without a battery, and small batteries are fully discharged more frequently. |
Hence, battery miniaturisation often results in highly discontinuous operation of IoT devices, as they stop functioning every time the battery runs out of energy. To address this technology gap, scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) developed a microchip named BATLESS, that can continue to operate ... |
BATLESS is designed with a novel power management technique that allows it to self-start and continue to function under dim light without any battery assistance, using a very small on-chip solar cell. This research breakthrough substantially reduces the size of batteries required to power IoT sensor nodes, making them ... |
"We have demonstrated that batteries used for IoT devices can be shrunk substantially, as they do not always need to be available to maintain continuous operation," said Massimo Alioto, leader of the NUS research team. |
"Tackling this fundamental problem is a major advancement towards the ultimate vision of IoT sensor nodes without the use of batteries, and will pave the way for a world with a trillion IoT devices," said Alioto, associate professor at the NUS. |
BATLESS is equipped with a new power management technique that enables operations to be self-started, while being powered directly by the tiny on-chip solar cell, with no battery assistance. The team had demonstrated this at indoor light intensity, equivalent to the dim light available at twilight. This makes BATLESS i... |
Japan expressed concern over the slow pace of land acquisition for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, but could not tell if this would delay the scheduled completion of the project by 2022. |
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