LITTLE ROCK � Pushing for the implementation of a federal law that he didn't support and adjusting to a General Assembly controlled by his rival party, Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe may not drive the agenda in his last regular legislative session. The term-limited Democrat seems determined to at least drive the debate.
LITTLE ROCK � Pushing for the implementation of a federal law that he didn�t support and adjusting to a General Assembly controlled by his rival party, Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe may not drive the agenda in his last regular legislative session. The term-limited Democrat seems determined to at least drive the debate.
Beebe used his last State of the State address to urge lawmakers to support expanding the state�s Medicaid eligibility under the federal health-care law � a measure he once said he would have voted against had he been in Congress.
He did it before a House and Senate now controlled by Republicans who campaigned against the expansion and other parts of the federal overhaul that some derisively call �Obamacare.� At the same time, Beebe insisted the Legislature where he served 20 years hadn�t changed even after the GOP took it over for the first time in 138 years.
�My instincts tell me that this session will not be that different for either of us,� Beebe said.
Beebe�s prediction and the vows from the Republican leaders of both chambers to set aside party labels will be put to the test in the coming weeks as lawmakers tackle the proposed Medicaid expansion and a shortfall in the program.
The session is already unlike any other Beebe has faced since taking office in 2007. His push to complete a reduction of the grocery tax � his signature campaign promise � could be overshadowed by the debate over Medicaid expansion. It�s an issue that landed in lawmakers� laps after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal health-care law. In the same ruling, justices said it was up to states to decide whether to accept the expansion.
At least one of the fights over Medicaid appears easier. Beebe told lawmakers that the expected $138 million shortfall in the state�s Medicaid program had become more manageable after costs in the program had seen its slowest growth in 25 years.
Department of Human Services officials say the program�s cost to the state so far this fiscal year is $21 million less than expected, which means they�ll avoid cuts to nursing home care proposed to help alleviate the deficit. But Beebe warned that the shortfall won�t be completely painless.
�There are no easy cuts to make around the margins,� he said.
The steeper challenge for Beebe will be the Medicaid expansion, which will require the support of at least 75 House members and 27 senators. It was already a longshot when Democrats controlled both chambers, and Republicans now hold 51 of the 100 House seats and 21 of the 35 Senate seats.
Aware of those odds, Beebe pitched the expansion as a chance to help low-income Arkansans while at the same time helping rural hospitals that have to shoulder the cost of uninsured patients and making the state more attractive to business prospects.
He also pleaded with lawmakers to not use the expansion debate as a way to send Washington a message about federal spending.
Beebe�s argument may encourage supporters of the expansion who are preparing to aggressively lobby legislators over the issue, but swaying over a skeptical GOP-led General Assembly is another matter.
While Lamoureux and other Republicans are looking to Washington for answers on whether such a compromise is possible, Beebe made it clear he�s looking there for a different reason.


Jessica Molaskey (born January 9, 1962, Wolcott, Connecticut) is an American professional actor and singer of torch songs and show tunes. She has appeared in a dozen Broadway shows, including Sunday in the Park with George, Tommy, Crazy for You, Chess, Oklahoma!, Cats, City of Angels, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
She has premiered theater pieces Off-Broadway, including the Jason Robert Brown 1995 musical Songs for a New World, A Man of No Importance, and Parade at Lincoln Center, Dream True at the Vineyard Theatre, Stephen Sondheim's Wise Guys (New York Theater Workshop), The Most Happy Fella as part of the Encores! series at City Center and many world premieres in regional theaters across the U.S. Molaskey performed the role of Sister Bertha in NBC's The Sound of Music Live! starring Carrie Underwood.
She has performed in concert all over the world from Carnegie Hall to Disney Hall and in jazz festivals from Montreal to Monterey. Her songwriting skills can be heard on dozens of recordings, including Cradle and All which she wrote with Ricky Ian Gordon for Audra McDonald's Build a Bridge album and The Greedy Tadpole, part of a commission for McDonald of the Seven Deadly Sins for Carnegie Hall. Her concert Portraits of Joni, as part Lincoln Center's American Songbook series, featured her daughter Madeleine Pizzarelli on guitar and vocals.


Tuesday, at an event for Eva Scrivo’s new book (more on that in the paper next week) the gracious host gave out goodie bags that included macarons from Cours La Reine. I saved my little, yellow sandwich-cookie for when I deserved it. And today, after two huge mail bins and a gazillion e-mails, I bit into the petite confection. In between the crispy, light shell was a burst of sweet, tangy passionfruit ganache and ooh la la, heaven!
I had to track down the creator of this deliciousness immediately. (Confession: Having taken one macaron making class, I fancy myself something of a connoisseur and had never heard of Cours La Reine.) Turns out the owner, Taryn Garcia, spent the last year in France studying the art of Parisian macarons. Then in September, she launched her business selling macs in divine flavors such as Caramel Fleur de Sel and Pomegranate + Pur Caraibe Dark. And she informed me that this Sunday is Macaron Day NYC.
Organized by François Payard, chef and owner of François Payard Bakery in New York, and based on Jour du Macaron in Paris, created by the famous la Maison Pierre Hermé, bakeries across the city will give out free macarons!!! All you have to do is go to a participating location and say you’re there for Macaron Day NY. I’m already mapping out my course for Sunday. Heaven awaits!


ARDMORE, Pa. -- The stinger in Tiger's elbow might be a bit of bother for Woods as we swing onto the weekend at the U.S. Open -- although he's not telling -- but the rest of the field needs to be concerned about his putter. When Woods was the full Tiger, he made more 12-foot par saves than any great golfer that every played this game. The putter was the ultimate eraser for Woods, the mistake eliminator that allowed him to attack pins. In Friday's bear of a second round, when Merion GC slapped down the field, Woods made a bunch of those saves that enabled him to shoot an even-par 70, several strokes under the course average, and put him at three over par, very much in contention going to the weekend. "Yeah, I played well," Woods said in an interview that fell well short of being expansive or insightful, especially when it regarded his physical condition. "I just made a couple of mistakes out there today, but I really played well. Maybe I could have gotten one or two more out of it, but it was a pretty good day."
Certainly he did miss a couple of makeable birdie putts and hit a few loose shots, but he fought gamely. Through 27 holes, Woods was four over par and flirting with the cut line. He then birdied two of the next three holes and appeared poised to push himself onto the first page of the leader board. But a poor approach shot on No. 7 from 149 yards that ended in the left rough was followed by a grimace and a shake of his left arm -- the arm he tweaked in Thursday's first round.
Related: U.S. Open marquee group struggles at Merion In a series of questions that made it seem like Woods was stalling until he could be read his Miranda rights, he offered precious little insight into his injury. Asked when he first hurt his arm, Woods said: "A few weeks ago." Asked if it was feeling better or worse than after his first round, he said: "Well, it is what it is." Asked how he hurt himself, he said: "Playing golf at The Players." Asked when at The Players the injury occurred, he said: "One of the rounds." Asked if this weren't the U.S. Open if he'd still be playing given his elbow, he said: "Yes." Well, I'm glad we got that all cleared up. Woods, who more than a few players have referred to as "Oscar" because of his dramatics over injuries, can now add the left wrist-elbow-shoulder or earlobe to his left knee and both Achilles tendons as damaged parts of his body.
Related: Tiger's performance anxiety Let's get back to those par putts that maintained momentum. The first important one came on No. 5, the 13th hole of his second round. After he "stuck in the ground a little 6-iron, but thought I hit a really good pitch" that ended up 15 feet short, he made the putt. "Five was a nice putt," Woods said. "It was good to get one up the hill. Then after the bogey on No. 7, Tiger rolled in a 12-footer to save par on No. 8. What for a lot of players would have been three bogeys in four holes -- see Luke Donald who made five in six holes on the front nine in finishing 36 holes at even par -- was for Woods only one bogey. That's what wins tournaments for you. "It's hard with the wind and the pin locations," Woods said about Friday's course set-up. "They're really tough. We didn't think they were going to be as severe as they are. A lot of guys are missing putts and blowing them by the holes and of that nature because obviously it would be a little more difficult trying to protect par."
Related: Merion A Pushover? Puh-lease Woods, who is 14 for 15 in major championships with at least a share of the lead going to the final round but has never won a major coming from behind, was asked how he will handle the weekend. "Just keep grinding," he said. "You just don't ever know what the winning score is going to be. You don't know if the guys are going to come back. We have a long way to go, and these conditions aren't going to get any easier. They're going to get more difficult. As the fairway starts drying out, the ball is going to pick up mud, and you're going to get bad breaks." Then he closed things out by going back to his best John Wayne monosyllabic imitation. Asked if he liked his chances given where he is after two rounds, he said: "Yes sir." Asked if he believed the USGA when it said the U.S. Open is not about the winning score, he said: "No." And with that he rode off into the Pennsylvania night, presumably to ice his left wrist-elbow-shoulder or earlobe, which he hurt somewhere between May 9 and 12 doing something related to the game of golf. Got it. Yup.


One of Croatia's most capped footballers, Josip Simunic, will miss next year's World Cup finals in Brazil for leading pro-Nazi chants at the end of last month's playoff victory over Iceland.
35 year old Simunic, Croatia's third most capped player with 105 appearances, led home fans in the chant which has associations with a fascist movement which was banned in 1945.
Australian-born Simunic was banned for 10 games and fined 40-thousand dollars, but he denies any political intent.


Government conspiracy, or water vapour in the sky?
I’ve spent a lot of time debunking silly conspiracy claims in my time. NASA faked the Moon landings, the Mayan calendar predicted the end of the world in 2012, a mysterious planet named Nibiru would wipe out life on Earth in 2003, the government created fake snow in Atlanta that wouldn’t melt and scorched when burned… I’ve even debunked government officials who claim that other government officials are covering up conspiracies.
Still, a handful of people are extremely devoted to the idea that the government is spraying us with chemicals from planes, and what you think are simple contrails are actually high doses of mind-altering (or climate altering) chemical compounds meant to keep us under control, I mean, come on, wake up sheeple!
In fact, when you see clouds coming from planes they really are just the product of condensation of water vapour. But why let facts get in the way of a good conspiracy?
Still, it’s worth trying. That’s why scientists from the University of California, Irvine, and the Carnegie Institute got together and researched the topic.
They knew they wouldn’t convince the conspiracy theorists, but having a solid source of objective science might help inform the public discourse.
Given how anti-science so many members of the US Congress can be, I don’t think there’s any idea too silly for them to not take seriously.
They surveyed hundreds of experts in contrails as well as those who study atmospheric deposition (how various chemicals fall to the ground from the air), presenting them with the evidence provided on various chemtrail websites (mostly in the form of photos of plane trails and analyses of water and soil samples), asking them to evaluate it.
In the end, 77 scientists reported back, and the results were not terribly surprising. 98.7 per cent (76 out of 77) of the scientists said they had encountered no evidence of a secret large-scale atmospheric programme (SLAP). Everything they saw on the conspiracy websites showed that what they were seeing was the natural consequence of planes flying around all on their own without government nefariousness.
Of course, the first thing you’ll notice is the one scientist who dissented. In that case, it’s hardly a smoking gun: The one participant who answered yes said the evidence they had come across was “high levels of atm[ospheric] barium in a remote area with standard ‘low’ soil barium”.
In other words, they found some unusually high amounts of barium, which hardly supports the idea of wide-spread cover-ups of mind control techniques – and it sounds like the scientist in question was simply saying they can’t rule SLAP out, which is a very different thing from saying it’s real. When I can’t find my keys in the morning I can’t rule out that dinosaur ghosts hid them from me. It just seems a tad unlikely.
The research is actually rather interesting, and I encourage you to read it. But as the authors note, it won’t make a dent in the conspiracy theories. The first thing you’ll find out when you deal with people like that is that any evidence against them is part of the cover-up. This is what I call a philosophical cul-de-sac; they’ve removed themselves from any possible evidence and criticism, and at that point I’ve learned to walk away.
At least to walk away from them specifically; in some cases it’s worth pursuing the discussion with the public because they’re liable to hear about it, and a place to find actual facts and debunking is a handy thing to make available.
So I’m glad these scientists went to the effort, even though it may seem silly. Conspiracy theorists usually don’t make a big splash in real life, but if they get the ear of a politician, time, money, and effort can indeed be wasted – sometimes on a big scale. Given how anti-science so many members of Congress can be, I don’t think there’s any idea too silly for them to not take seriously.
If Congresscritters think Earth is cooling, that it’s only 6000 years old, that vaccines are dangerous, and that the existence of snow disproves global warming, then chemtrails don’t seem like that much of a stretch.
Phil Plait writes Slate's Bad Astronomy blog and is an astronomer, public speaker, science evangelist, and author of Death From the Skies! writes Slate's Bad Astronomy blog and is an astronomer, public speaker, science evangelist, and author of Death From the Skies!


Jim Moginie is the measured one. On stage at least, the guitarist/ keyboard player tends to be the anchor the rest of Midnight Oil spins madly around. So this time last year, the irony was not lost when he slipped and ripped a hamstring during King of the Mountain at Sidney Myer Music Bowl. “I fell off the mountain,” he jokes. “It was just a bit of moisture on the stage, maybe from the smoke machine or … I just don’t know. I passed out but I found out I kept playing through it, which was interesting.” It was about three months on his back, as it happened, an unforeseen fog that reveals something of a silver lining in Bark Overtures, a new album by one of his other musical projects, The Family Dog. “We’d been making this record for about 12 years,” he says a little sheepishly. The downtime turned into “a fire underneath me to finish it, so me and Kent [Steedman] started going through it and we found there was some really good stuff”. Guitarist Steedman and drummer Paul Loughhead are from Sydney hard-rock band the Celibate Rifles. Multi-instrumentalist Tim Kevin (Knievel, Youth Group) completes a band Moginie defines in terms of “recreation and inspiration”. “The record was just a result of us jamming, which has been edited together to form some sort of juicy whole. It’s a rollicking kind of record, I think, with the infectious quality of us all having a good time.” The rough-and-tumble description plays down the philosophical weight of the lead track, Blind Devotion, with its lyrics adapted from the Bhagavad Gita, and the meditative intentions of tracks like In the End and Samadhi Dog. The brain-neutral likes of I’m Happy and Rock are further evidence of a band defining broad terrain. “Rock is a dumb song,” Moginie says. “It’s supposed to be. I suppose if Midnight Oil did something like that it would be quite weird. “The Oils is a very serious band in a lot of ways so maybe this is me letting off a bit of steam.” Inspiration comes in colours for Moginie, who has long recognised a thread of synaesthesia in the way he perceives music. When the Oils split in 2002, he found himself pursuing that instinct as a producer and session player. Another of his projects, the Colour Wheel, “was moving into the world of guitar orchestras, which I love,” he says. “I’m very interested in that way of making music, almost conceived from an art-school aesthetic. Part of that has crept into this [album] as well. A lot of it is quite jammy and abstract and you’re not quite sure what’s going on sometimes. I like that.” Speaking of which, Moginie professes himself clueless as to the future of Midnight Oil. But like his occasional stints with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, his folkie alter ego Shameless Seamus and his surf instrumental band the Break, they seem to remain on an accessible shelf.
OIL AND WATER: Jim Moginie and the Family Dog play at The Small Ballroom on December 21. Tickets are on sale now.
Jim Moginie is the measured one. On stage at least, the guitarist/ keyboard player tends to be the anchor the rest of Midnight Oil spins madly around. So this time last year, the irony was not lost when he slipped and ripped a hamstring during King of the Mountain at Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
It was about three months on his back, as it happened, an unforeseen fog that reveals something of a silver lining in Bark Overtures, a new album by one of his other musical projects, The Family Dog.
“We’d been making this record for about 12 years,” he says a little sheepishly. The downtime turned into “a fire underneath me to finish it, so me and Kent [Steedman] started going through it and we found there was some really good stuff”.
Guitarist Steedman and drummer Paul Loughhead are from Sydney hard-rock band the Celibate Rifles. Multi-instrumentalist Tim Kevin (Knievel, Youth Group) completes a band Moginie defines in terms of “recreation and inspiration”.
The rough-and-tumble description plays down the philosophical weight of the lead track, Blind Devotion, with its lyrics adapted from the Bhagavad Gita, and the meditative intentions of tracks like In the End and Samadhi Dog. The brain-neutral likes of I’m Happy and Rock are further evidence of a band defining broad terrain.
“Rock is a dumb song,” Moginie says. “It’s supposed to be. I suppose if Midnight Oil did something like that it would be quite weird.
Speaking of which, Moginie professes himself clueless as to the future of Midnight Oil. But like his occasional stints with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, his folkie alter ego Shameless Seamus and his surf instrumental band the Break, they seem to remain on an accessible shelf.
Jim Moginie and The Family Dog: The Small Ballroom on December 21; Flow Bar on December 22.
Discuss "The art of music: Jim Moginie and the Family Dog"


Serial steroids user Alex Rodriguez is one home run away from matching Willie Mays' career total of 660. If he does, he's eligible for a $6 million payout.
To put the size of that bonus in context, it's about three times what Mays earned over the course of his 22-year playing career. Even after adjusting Mays' pay for inflation, the bonus is more than four times his top annual salary, which was $1.3 million in 1959.
But the fact that A-Rod has admitted to using performance enhancing drugs almost surely means there will be a fight over whether he'll ever get to cash that check.
The Yankees won't comment on the bonus on the record. But numerous reports say the team doesn't think it has to pay given A-Rod's steroid use.
Related: A-Rod - Best paid pariah in the history of sports?
A-Rod might not fight that decision -- it probably wouldn't look very good if he did given his disciplinary record.
But it's not really up to A-Rod. The final word on the $6 million bonus will come from the player's union, which is extremely committed to ensuring player contracts are paid in full.
A-Rod hit a home run against the Mets Sunday night.
If the union does let A-Rod take a pay cut, that could force other players to do the same. It's a trend that would ultimately render baseball contracts meaningless.
The union won't comment on its plans, but it's fought player pay cuts in the past. In fact, it fought another case that involved A-Rod back in 2003.
At the time, A-Rod wanted to be traded from the last-place Texas Rangers to the Red Sox in 2003. But the only way Boston would take him was if he agreed to reduce the value of his 10-year, $252 million contract.
Rodriguez was willing to cut his pay, but the union blocked the trade, ruling he could not negotiate changes that would lower his contract's value.
If the Yankees do refuse to pay, "I would be shocked if the union doesn't file a grievance," said Gene Orza, the union's former chief counsel who blocked the deal between Rodriguez and the Red Sox ten years ago.
A-Rod has earned $378 million so far in his career, excluding bonuses and the $42 million he'll earn in the next two seasons.
But that doesn't diminish his right to the bonus money, said Orza, or mean that he should give it up without a fight.


New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez Wins Big. Is She the GOP’s Top Pick for Veep?
Her decisive victory will keep her at the top of vice presidential short lists.
Heading into her 2014 reelection bid, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez was already a fixture on 2016 shortlists for vice president. No less a figure than Mitt Romney name-dropped her as presidential material. And after her easy victory over Democratic Attorney General Gary King on Tuesday, expect to hear a whole lot more about Martinez’s national potential.
The Associated Press called the race at 10:27 p.m. Eastern time, a little more than an hour after polls closed. There was never any doubt about the outcome of New Mexico’s gubernatorial race: Martinez, who is 55, never once trailed King in the polls, and she opened up a 15-point lead in the final days of the race. Central to her success was a huge money advantage. Her campaign outspent King’s almost 7-to-1 in the final stretch, $2.4 million to $363,000. In their most recent campaign finance filings, Martinez reported having $708,693 on hand to King’s $10,103.
King, the 60-year-old son of three-term New Mexico governor Bruce King, never found his footing as a candidate. In addition to failing to raise the funds needed to compete with Martinez and her allies including the Republican Governors Association, King cycled through three different campaign managers in two and a half years. One of them, Steve Verzwyvelt, resigned just days into the job after the Washington Free Beacon highlighted a series of offensive tweets he’d sent out.
Perhaps the most attention paid to the New Mexico governor’s race on the national level occurred in the wake of Mother Jones’ April cover story on Martinez. Exclusive audio recordings, private emails, and other documents painted Martinez and her aides as vindictive, petty, and nasty, and her opponents sought to use the comments against her during the campaign. The attacks, however, did little to diminish her political standing.
Martinez’s crew saw enemies everywhere. A former staffer recalls the campaign on multiple occasions sending the license plate numbers of cars believed to be used by opposition trackers to an investigator in Martinez’s DA office who had access to law enforcement databases. In one instance, a campaign aide took a photo of a license plate on a car with an anti-Martinez bumper sticker and emailed it to the investigator. “Cool I will see who it belongs to!!” the investigator replied.
That reporting, as well as the work of the Santa Fe Reporter, set off a chain of events that ultimately led to the state attorney general’s office opening a criminal investigation into potential destruction of state records by a close friend of Martinez’s who succeeded her as New Mexico’s Third Judicial district attorney in 2011 and 2012. The investigation is ongoing.


Independent Bank Corp. (nasdaq global select market:INDB), parent of Rockland Trust Company, today announced 2018 fourth quarter net income of $29.9 million, or $1.07 per diluted share, compared to net income of $33.0 million, or $1.20 per diluted share, reported in the prior quarter of 2018. Excluding merger and acquisition expenses incurred in the fourth and third quarters of 2018 related to the MNB Bancorp ("MNB") merger which closed in November 2018 and the Blue Hills Bancorp ("BHB") merger announced on September 20, 2018, operating net income was $35.9 million, or $1.29 per diluted share during the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to $34.9 million, or $1.27 per diluted share during the third quarter of 2018. Full year net income was $121.6 million, or $4.40 on a diluted earnings per share basis, an increase of $34.4 million, or 39.5%, as compared to the prior year. In addition, full year operating net income was $129.8 million, or $4.69 on a diluted earnings per share basis, an increase of $38.1 million, or 41.5% compared to 2017. Operating diluted earnings per share of $1.34 in the fourth quarter of 2018 increased 40.0% as compared to the prior year.
For further details on the loans and deposits acquired, see the Organic Loan and Deposit Growth table provided near the end of the financial schedules accompanying this release.
Total assets of $8.9 billion at December31, 2018 increased by $476.1 million, or 5.7% from the prior quarter, and by $769.6 million, or 9.5%, as compared to the year ago period, inclusive of the 2018 fourth quarter MNB acquisition.
Excluding the MNB acquisition, total loans grew by $85.3 million, or 1.3% (5.2% annualized) over the prior quarter and by $257.1 million, or 4.05%, when compared to the year ago period. The fourth quarter organic increase was led by an increase of $44.9 million, or 17.8% on an annualized basis, in commercial and industrial loans, with the primary driver being growth in asset-based lending. In addition, there was a $25.8 million, or 12.8% on an annualized basis, increase in residential real estate loans as the portfolio continues to benefit from strong jumbo loan demand. Business banking also experienced organic growth, increasing by $2.9 million, or 7.7% on an annualized basis.
Exclusive of the MNB acquisition, total deposits rose by $172.7 million, or 2.5% (9.8% annualized) from the prior quarter and by $419.7 million, or 6.2%, when compared to the prior year. A portion of the increase reflects the discontinuance and transition of $141.2 million in customer repurchase agreements, which were classified as borrowings in the prior quarter. Excluding this transition, total organic deposit growth for the fourth quarter was 1.8% on an annualized basis and was marked by continued growth in demand deposits and declines in money market and time deposits. Inclusive of the acquired MNB deposits, the total cost of deposits increased by four basis points in the fourth quarter to 0.34%.
The securities portfolio increased by $63.6 million, or 6.3%, compared to the prior quarter, due in part to the MNB acquisition combined with purchases of $93.9 million, offset by paydowns on existing securities.
The Company's total borrowings decreased by $41.0 million, or 13.7%, compared to the prior quarter due primarily to the aforementioned transition of customer repurchase agreement balances. Partially offsetting this decrease was an increase in Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings of $97.0 million, which reflects a $122.0 million overnight borrowing position offset by a $25.0 million maturity during the quarter.
Stockholders' equity at December31, 2018 rose to $1.1 billion, an increase of 7.5% from September30, 2018 and 13.7% compared to the year ago period, due primarily to stock issuance associated with the fourth quarter 2018 MNB acquisition combined with strong earnings retention. In addition, the Company recorded a net gain of $11.5 million, after tax, within other comprehensive income during the fourth quarter, due to increased values associated with available for sale securities and certain derivative positions. Book value per share increased $1.98, or 5.5%, during the fourth quarter. The Company's ratio of common equity to assets of 12.13% increased by 21 basis points from the prior quarter and by 45 basis points from the same period a year ago. Inclusive of the added goodwill from the MNB acquisition, the Company's tangible book value per share rose by $1.01, or 3.7%, to $28.57 from the prior quarter and is now 11.6% higher than the year ago period. The Company's ratio of tangible common equity to tangible assets of 9.35% at December31, 2018 is two basis points higher than the prior quarter and 39 basis points above the year ago period.
Net interest income for the fourth quarter increased 5.3% to $80.3 million compared to $76.2 million in the prior quarter, due to solid average earning asset growth, including the MNB acquisition, and a higher net interest margin. The net interest margin rose to 4.05%, compared to 3.94% in the prior quarter, as the Company continues to benefit from its asset sensitive position.
Investment management income rose by $63,000, or 1.0%. The additional income associated with $160.9 million of assets under administration included in the MNB acquisition along with increased retail commissions helped offset the impact of weak equity markets that prevailed during the fourth quarter. Total assets under administration, inclusive of the acquired MNB portfolio, were $3.6 billion as of December31, 2018.
Mortgage banking income decreased by $281,000, or 23.0%, due to a seasonal decrease in volume.
In the prior quarter, the Company received proceeds on life insurance policies, resulting in a gain of $1.5 million. There were no such gains during the fourth quarter.
Loan level derivative income increased by $434,000, or 110.7%, as a result of increased customer demand in the quarter.
Other noninterest income increased $1.2 million, or 40.1%, primarily due to a gain of $1.1 million on the sale of a previously closed branch facility.
Salaries and employee benefits expense increased by $750,000, or 2.4%, reflecting increases associated with the MNB acquisition and related personnel, along with increased incentive and performance-based equity award expense, partially offset by decreases in pension and medical insurance expenses.
Occupancy and equipment expense increased by $573,000, or 9.1%, due to the MNB acquisition, increased repairs and maintenance and various one-time rent adjustment items.
Merger and acquisition costs of $8.0 million for the fourth quarter included $7.8 million attributable to the MNB acquisition and $283,000 attributable to the BHB acquisition, which is anticipated to close in the first half of 2019. The majority of these costs include contract terminations, severance, and legal fees.
Other noninterest expense increased by $2.4 million, or 18.3%, due to a $1.1 million loss on equity securities, plus increased loan workout costs, debit card expense and core deposit and intangible amortization. The increases were partially offset by decreases in consulting expenses and lower FDIC assessment fees.
The Company generated a return on average assets and a return on average common equity of 1.38% and 11.49%, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2018, as compared to 1.57% and 13.19%, respectively, for the prior quarter. On an operating basis, the Company generated a return on average assets and return on average equity of 1.66% and 13.78%, respectively, during the fourth quarter of 2018, as compared to 1.66% and 13.96%, respectively, for the prior quarter.
The Company’s effective tax rate decreased to 21.6% for the fourth quarter as compared to 23.2% in the prior quarter.
During the fourth quarter of 2018, the Company recorded total net charge-offs of $142,000, or 0.01% of average loans on an annualized basis, representing a decrease from net charge-offs of $397,000 in the prior quarter. The provision for loan losses increased to $1.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to $1.1 million in the third quarter of 2018, both of which were primarily attributable to loan growth. Nonperforming loans of $45.4 million, or 0.66% of loans at December31, 2018 were consistent with prior quarter balances of $45.4 million, or 0.70% of loans. Other real estate owned was reduced to zero in the fourth quarter. Total nonperforming assets remained relatively consistent at $45.4 million at the end of the fourth quarter, as compared to $45.6 million at the end of the prior quarter and represent a decline of 9.6% as compared to the year ago period. At December31, 2018, delinquency as a percentage of loans was 0.67%, representing a decrease of four basis points from the prior quarter.
During the fourth quarter of 2018 nonaccrual loans associated with a large commercial loan customer that had previously declared bankruptcy were modified when a court confirmed the customer’s bankruptcy reorganization plan. That revision to loan terms required the Company to deem loans associated with the customer a troubled debt restructure as of December 31, 2018. Loans associated with the customer remain on nonaccrual status and are included in the nonperforming loan totals reported above.
The allowance for loan losses was $64.3 million at December31, 2018, as compared to $63.2 million at September30, 2018. The Company’s allowance for loan losses as a percentage of loans was 0.93% at December31, 2018 and 0.97% at September30, 2018. The decrease in this percentage is attributable to the treatment of loans acquired in connection with the MNB acquisition. These acquired loans are recorded at fair value, which includes consideration for estimated credit losses, and without carryover of the respective portfolio's historical allowance for loan losses.
Christopher Oddleifson, Chief Executive Officer and Robert Cozzone, Chief Financial Officer, will host a conference call to discuss fourth quarter earnings at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, January 18, 2019. Internet access to the call is available on the Company’s website at www.rocklandtrust.com or via telephonic access by dial-in at 1-888-336-7153 reference: INDB. A replay of the call will be available by calling 1-877-344-7529, Replay Conference Number: 10127265 and will be available through February 1, 2019. Additionally, a webcast replay will be available until January 18, 2020.
Independent Bank Corp. has approximately $8.9 billion in assets and is the holding company for Rockland Trust Company, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in Massachusetts. Named in 2018 to The Boston Globe’s “Top Places to Work” list for the 10 [th] consecutive year, Rockland Trust offers a wide range of banking, investment, and insurance services. The Bank serves businesses and individuals through approximately 100 retail branches, commercial and residential lending centers, and investment management offices in eastern Massachusetts, including Greater Boston, the South Shore, the Cape and Islands, as well as in Worcester County and Rhode Island. Rockland Trust also offers a full suite of mobile, online, and telephone banking services. The Company is an FDIC member and an Equal Housing Lender. To find out why Rockland Trust is the bank “Where Each Relationship Matters®”, please visit www.rocklandtrust.com.
This press release contains financial information determined by methods other than in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). This information includes operating net income and operating earnings per share ("EPS"), operating return on average assets, operating return on average equity, tangible book value per share and the tangible common equity ratio.
Operating net income, operating EPS, operating return on average assets and operating return on average common equity exclude items that management believes are unrelated to its core banking business such as merger and acquisition expenses, and other items, if applicable. The Company’s management uses operating earnings and related ratios and operating EPS to measure the strength of the Company’s core banking business and to identify trends that may to some extent be obscured by such items.
Management also supplements its evaluation of financial performance with analysis of tangible book value per share (which is computed by dividing stockholders' equity less goodwill and identifiable intangible assets, or "tangible common equity", by common shares outstanding), the tangible common equity ratio (which is computed by dividing tangible common equity by "tangible assets", defined as total assets less goodwill and other intangibles). The Company has included information on tangible book value per share and the tangible common equity ratio because management believes that investors may find it useful to have access to the same analytical tool used by management. As a result of merger and acquisition activity, the Company has recognized goodwill and other intangible assets in conjunction with business combination accounting principles. Excluding the impact of goodwill and other intangibles in measuring asset and capital values for the ratios provided, along with other bank standard capital ratios, provides a framework to compare the capital adequacy of the Company to other companies in the financial services industry.
These non-GAAP measures should not be viewed as a substitute for operating results and other financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP. An item which management deems to be noncore and excludes when computing these non-GAAP measures can be of substantial importance to the Company’s results for any particular quarter or year. The Company’s non-GAAP performance measures, including operating earnings, operating EPS, operating return on average assets, operating return on average equity, tangible book value per share and the tangible common equity ratio are not necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures which may be presented by other companies.
2017 Dec 2018 vs. Dec 2018 vs.
(1) Estimated number for December 31, 2018.
(1) The total amount of adjustment to present interest income and yield on a fully tax-equivalent basis is $185,000, $183,000, and $380,000 for the three months ended December 31, 2018, September 30, 2018, and December 31, 2017, respectively, determined by applying the Company's marginal tax rates in effect during each respective quarter.
(1) The total amount of adjustment to present interest income and yield on a fully tax-equivalent basis is $724,000 and $1.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
Certain amounts in prior year financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current year's presentation.


Help! I absolutely DESPISE exercise!
Next story in Smart Fitness Can exercise get rid of this dude’s ‘moobs’?


Antarctic Whales Harpooned For Profit Or Science?
Auckland/Southern Oceans – 17th December 2001: Greenpeace activists today repeatedly drove inflatable boats between an Antarctic whaling boat and its factory ship Nisshin Maru to slow the transfer of a freshly harpooned minke whale.
The whalers responded with super-powered water cannons – targeting the boat drivers and in danger of knocking them out of the inflatables and into the ice laden waters.
Shortly after, the Greenpeace helicopter located another catcher boat in the act of chasing a whale, and for the first time captured unique footage of a whale being hit with the harpoon – the first time such a hit has been witnessed in more than a decade.
“We watched the whalers chase the whale for more than 40 minutes – repeatedly firing its harpoon and missing up to 5 times. Finally they hit it with the sixth harpoon,” said Phil Robinson, New Zealand helicopter pilot.
Speaking from the Arctic Sunrise, after returning from the inflatable, Japanese Campaigner Yuko Hirono said, “There is nothing scientific about this whaling. Once the whalers found open water they set to with a determination to catch every whale in the area. This is commercial whaling – purely for profit.” She called on Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi to stop allowing the Fisheries Agency to misrepresent commercial whaling as legitimate research.
This agency has demonstrated its clear intention to bring back full-scale commercial whaling. The Japanese Government has been steadily buying votes in exchange for overseas aid to try and gain a majority at the International Whaling Commission (IWC). They hope to win a majority in time for next years IWC – to be held in the whaling fleet’s own home port of Shimonoseki. If they do it will put the world’s whales at risk.
"The world knows that this is not science. It is purely the Fisheries Agency's way to continue whaling against the wishes of the international community," said Hirono.


Feb. 8, 2018, 9:45 a.m.
With recreational marijuana sales now legal in California, one lawmaker wants to find out whether drugged driving is going to be a significant problem.
Assemblyman Ed Chau (D-Arcadia) has introduced a bill that would require all local law enforcement agencies to file annual reports with the state Department of Motor Vehicles detailing the number of arrests made for driving under the influence and the number of those arrests in which pot was suspected to be the substance causing impairment.
“Currently, the state has no uniform mechanism in place to evaluate cannabis drugged driving arrests as a result of legalization,” Chau said.
Feb. 8, 2018, 8:12 a.m.
When you get a busy congressman like Adam Schiff on the line, you don’t want to waste time with small talk. You want to get right to the point.
Feb. 8, 2018, 8:04 a.m.
Following last week’s campaign finance reports, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report is saying Democrats have a better chance of winning two Republican-held seats in California.
Rep. Tom McClintock’s Northern California seat, was moved to likely Republican, down from solid Republican.
McClintock of Elk Grove was outraised by two of his opponents in the last three months of last year. The race was put on Democrats’ target list in the fall and this could be his first tough race since being elected in 2008.
Feb. 7, 2018, 10:28 p.m.
GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox told supporters on Wednesday that he was putting another $1 million of his money into his campaign, adding to his significant financial advantage among Republican candidates in the race.
“While we have gathered nearly 5,000 individual donors across California, it's also important that I show continued investment in my campaign,” Cox emailed supporters.
The move brings the Rancho Santa Fe businessman’s total investment into his bid to $4 million — $1 million more than Republican Neel Kashkari spent on his primary and general election campaign in the 2014 governor’s race.


One year ago this week, the World Socialist Web Site published an open letter to search monopoly Google demanding that it end its censorship of the internet.
One year later, it is clear that the allegations against Google were both correct and extremely prescient. The measures taken by Google initiated a sweeping system of corporate-state censorship adopted by all the US technology monopolies, including Facebook and Twitter. A campaign that began under the pretext of combatting “Russian meddling” and “fake news” is ever more openly targeting left-wing views.
The latest and most extreme attack on democratic rights came Tuesday, when Facebook announced that it has removed hundreds of user accounts and pages, many opposing the crimes of the American, Saudi, and Israeli governments in the Middle East, claiming they were the result of “influence campaigns” by Iran and Russia.
Some of the accounts purported to be “American liberals supportive of US Senator Bernie Sanders,” who expressed “support for Palestinians and opposition to Israel,” according to FireEye, the cybersecurity firm, heavily staffed by former intelligence operatives, with whom Facebook coordinated the deletions.
Wherever the accounts originate, it is not up to Facebook to determine whether they are “authentic” or not. Tellingly, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in a conference call with reporters, added that some of the accounts removed came from “a set of people the U.S. government and others have linked to Russia.” Given that dominant sections of the US state have sought to brand anyone who opposes US foreign policy as an agent of the Kremlin, such a broad definition could extend to any public critic of the US political establishment.
On the same day that Facebook removed pages and accounts it said were “linked to Iran,” it terminated the longstanding Facebook account of a WSWS contributor writing under a pseudonym, declaring that it would only reinstate the account if he provided government identification proving his identity.
Were such a standard to apply across the board, social media posts by contemporary authors Stephen King (who writes as Richard Bachman), Anne Rice (who writes as Anne Rampling) and countless others would be “inauthentic” if they were to use the names by which they are known to by millions of people. Some of the most famous figures in the revolutionary movement, including Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky, were known exclusively by their pen names. And of course, the American Federalist Papers and Anti-Federalist papers were all drafted by writers using pseudonyms.
Facebook, acting in coordination with government entities, serves as judge, jury and executioner in deciding who is granted the freedom of expression guaranteed under the First Amendment and international civil rights laws. It claims the right, with no trial, no appeal, and providing no information, to declare statements to be “inauthentic” and remove accounts making them.
This week, the Washington Post reported that Facebook operates an internal ranking system to determine “the trustworthiness of its users on a scale from zero to 1.” Those labeled “untrustworthy” will evidently be liable for deletion.
Such a mechanism, tested and implemented in the privately-controlled social media ecosystems, will then, with the ending of net neutrality, be used by internet service providers to block access to sites on the public internet and through email, claiming the “responsibility” to police their privately-owned networks.
In other words, one year after the WSWS published its open letter, all the mechanisms have been created for Google, Facebook, Twitter and leading internet service providers to ban and silence anyone, with no legal recourse, oversight or public knowledge.
But in the year since the publication of the open letter, another process has emerged. The working class all over the world has entered into struggle, beginning with a wave of teachers’ strikes in the US earlier this year, and continuing with strikes by heavy industry workers in Germany, airline pilots throughout Europe at Ryanair, and a growing opposition and anger among UPS workers, autoworkers, Amazon workers and other sections of the working class.
The moves to intensify censorship are aimed above all at blocking the intersection of this growing movement of the working class with a socialist program.
But this movement of the working class also creates the political basis for the struggle against censorship. As workers clash with their employers and their union collaborators, they must inscribe on their banners opposition to political censorship and must fight for the expropriation of the social media monopolies under public control as a key component of the fight for socialism.
In January of this year, the World Socialist Web Site issued an open letter calling for “socialist, anti-war, left-wing and progressive websites, organizations and activists” to join “an international coalition to fight Internet censorship.” This appeal is more relevant than ever. We urge everyone seeking to fight the grip of the technology monopolies and intelligence agencies over the internet to contact us and join the fight against censorship!


Growing up in city led to many good memories.
I read with interest the recent column about Willem Dafoe’s comments comparing Appleton to a favela — a Brazilian slum — in a recent Vanity Fair article.
I believe Willem Dafoe is hands-down the best actor of my generation and it saddened me to read his comments.
I grew up in Appleton with many good memories and some memories so awful, I entertain demons to this day. One of my good memories was living in a small neighborhood on Prospect Avenue. As a young girl, I would visit a friend down the street and be greeted at the door by his mother and a candy dish full of jellybeans.
My other favorite memories were of being in theater and plays at Appleton West High School in the 1970s. I had the pleasure of acting with many talented wanna-be actors — one in particular, Sara Dafoe, Willem’s younger sister.
After high school, I too wanted to leave the small town of Appleton and did so for more than 30 years, living abroad, in larger cities. Some memories brought me back to Appleton last year — good memories, family.
Appleton is indeed much more than a favela these days and I think if Willem Dafoe could take a refresher course of “small town USA” here in Appleton, he would probably have the opportunity to perform at the Performing Arts Center and be handed the keys to the city by a forgiving, adoring fan base of Appletonians, and the mayor himself, Tim Hanna.
Oh, did I mention it was Tim’s mother at the door, the good memory of jellybeans and a little girl from Appleton?


A GLASS of beer changed the course of Gérard Liger-Belair’s life. He was drinking it when he should have been studying for the final exams of his physics degree. Hardly unique maybe, but there cannot be many students who can claim to have built a career on the experience.


World Trade Center build at halfway point Jump to media player Steel construction reaches the halfway point for New York's 1 World Trade Center.
Rebirth of ground zero eclipsed Jump to media player Twin Tower memorial site preparations overshadowed by row over plans to build an Islamic centre nearby and threats to burn the Koran.
Steel construction has reached the halfway point for New York's 1 World Trade Center.
The Manhattan building, also known as the Freedom Tower, stands more than 600ft (180m) high.
The tower will eventually have 104 stories, with an antenna reaching hundreds of feet higher, bringing it to 1,776ft - making it the tallest in the country.
Steve Coleman, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said he was hopeful they would finish the building by the end of 2011.


Rogue One to Be First Star Wars Movie Shot in 70MM?
Quentin Tarantino is bringing back an old school cinematic format for his upcoming Western The Hateful Eight. He shot his latest movie on 65mm film using the classic Panavision lenses in the widest aspect ratio of 2.76:1. This marks the first anamorphic 70mm theatrical release in nearly 50 years. But it might not be the last. A new rumor claims that director Gareth Edwards is utilizing a similar technique on the upcoming LucasFilm spinoff Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The Ultra Panavision 70 anamorphic lenses were created specifically for The Hateful Eight. And Quentin Tarantino himself is overseeing the installation of more than fifty 70mm projectors in theaters across the United States for the film's limited Christmas Day release, before it goes wider in January playing in digital theaters. It makes sense that other productions would begin to utilize this format, otherwise all of that hardware is going to go to waste.
Gareth Edwards is said to be using the exact same Ultra Panavision 70 anamorphic lenses for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as used on The Hateful Eight, making it the first ever FRgAKNrSBIT2km|Star Wars movie shot in the format. THR reported back in June that cinematographer Greig Fraser was considering using the lens, but that has still never been confirmed by anyone at Disney or Lucasfilm. Around that same time, it was also announced that this spinoff would be using the Arris Alexa 65 large-format 6K digital camera. Its believed the lens will be used with this innovative new camera.
No one is looking at the reemergence of 70mm as the new 3D, but it could help sustain the theater going experience, with ticket sales waning over the course of the last few years. And it sure would be a shame to see all that technology created and established for Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight to go to waste. But will it be enough to get general audiences excited? Or is this something that only appeals to true cinephiles?
Yesterday, Lucasfilm dropped it's latest teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Instagram, showing off the very first footage of John Boyega as Finn brandishing Luke Skywalker's lightsaber. The move was made to celebrate Instagram's landscape orientation which allows for a more cinematic platform, giving users the opportunity to post their own videos and photos in the 'widescreen' format. Average everyday users are getting more accustomed to the cinematic style and will certainly start to gravitate to it and understand it more as their allowed to utilize it in their own selfies and home videos. But will 70mm be enough to generate a boost in theater attendance? We'll certainly know when we see how many people show up for The Hateful Eight on opening day.


Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has blamed Hollywood's famous flick 'Harry Potter' for the dwindling number of wild owls in the country.
Ramesh said the craze for 'Harry Potter' in India had led to an increase in people buying owls from illegal bird traders.
'Following Harry Potter, there seems to be a strange fascination even among the urban middle classes for presenting their children with owls,' the Telegraph quoted Ramesh as telling BBC.
Meanwhile, releasing a TRAFFIC India's report entitled "Imperilled Custodians of the Night", a study on illegal trade, trapping and use of owls in India, in New Delhi on Wednesday, Ramesh said that owl is highly endangered species now.
He said that maximum killings of owls take place during Diwali in the name of black magic and sorcery driven by superstition, totems and taboos.
India is natural habitat for about 30 species. There is a great threat to many bird species. Large number of communities in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh are involved in illegal trade of owls which is used for Tantric practices.
This report will sensitise masses on an important issue. The ministry will closely examine the recommendations to take strict actions under Wildlife Protection Act.
Hunting of and trade in all Indian owl species is banned under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 of India.
While the exact number of owls traded each year countrywide is unknown, it certainly runs into thousands of individuals and there are anecdotal reports of owls becoming rare throughout India due to loss of suitable habitat especially old growth forests.
Owls play beneficial and vital role in the ecosystem, particularly to farmers through their predation of rodents and other crop pests.
Shaman or black magic practitioners frequently referred to as tantriks in India, prescribe the use of owls and their body parts such as skull, feathers, ear tuffs, claws, heart, liver, kidney, blood, eyes, fat, beak, tears, eggshells, meat and bones for ceremonial pujas and rituals.
Of the 30 owl species recorded from India, 15 have been recorded by this study in the domestic live bird trade. Owl species most highly sought after by traders are large species, especially those with false "ear-tufts" which are thought to bestow greater magical properties on the birds.
The TRAFFIC investigation also finds that besides black magic, owls are trapped and traded for use in street performances; killed for taxidermy and for their meat; their parts are used in folk medicines; even their claws and feathers are sometimes used in headgear. Live owls are also used as decoys to catch other bird species.
TRAFFIC's investigations recorded 15 owl species in trade including Spotted Owlet, Barn Owl, Rock-Eagle Owl, Jungle Owlet, Collared Scops-owl, Brown Fish-owl, Dusky Eagle-owl, Mottled Wood-owl, Asian Barred Owlet, Collared Owlet, Brown Wood-owl, Oriental Scops-owl, Spot-bellied Eagle-owl, Tawny Fish-owl and the Eastern Grass-owl.
The investigations into the owl trade were conducted during nationwide studies of the bird trade undertaken between1992-2000 with additional information gathered between 2001 and2008. The prime investigator and author of the report is ornithologist Abrar Ahmed.
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade-monitoring network is a joint programme of WWF, the global conservation organization and IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.


Johannesburg - South Africa’s steel industry is on the ropes, forcing what looks like a desperate reversal of the frosty relationship between government and ArcelorMittal SA.
It is not alone as the world’s primary steel sector reels from a global oversupply of steelmaking capacity.
ArcelorMittal this week confirmed it was considering closing its century-old Vereeniging steel works, while Evraz Highveld Steel, which is already in business rescue, intends to retrench half its workforce.
At ArcelorMittal, 1 200 jobs are on the line, and about 1 200 more are due to get cut at Evraz while the company seeks bidders for its assets after running out of cash.
According to metal workers’ union Numsa, the bloodbath is radiating out beyond the main steel mills with trader Macsteel also proposing 600 retrenchments.
Trident Steel recently let 700 workers go.
ArcelorMittal CEO Paul O’Flaherty, gave a sombre media briefing on Thursday about the potential restructuring of the Vereeniging steel works.
As had previously been leaked to the Sunday Times, he announced that ArcelorMittal was talking to the government for wide-ranging protection against Chinese competition.
ArcelorMittal wants South Africa to set import tariffs on steel at the maximum bound rate of 10%-15% for various subcategories of products. The bound rate is the maximum a country is allowed under its commitments to the World Trade Organisation.
If the process of reviewing the tariffs can be accelerated, that would also be great, said O’Flaherty.
The company is also looking for more stringent anti-dumping duties on particular steel products, which requires investigations and takes months to put in place.
ArcelorMittal also wants the state to boost demand by finally making steel a designated input – meaning there would be a minimum local content requirement on infrastructure projects.
The fact that steel has not yet made it on to the designations list has been seen as an indication of the government’s animosity towards ArcelorMittal.
The plea for protection might mark a belated crossroads in the traditionally acrimonious relationship between the former state-owned steel monopoly and the state.
The company is “really poor at transformation” and is ready to talk about so-called developmental steel prices, O’Flaherty told journalists, adding that it was still not clear exactly what a developmental price entailed.
Demands that ArcelorMittal lower its domestic prices have dominated state planning around steel for more than a decade.
The Vereeniging steel works are already on borrowed time, while ArcelorMittal will make a call on its future at the end of next month – depending to some extent on what the state is able to do to help, said O’Flaherty.
Lakshmi Mittal, CEO of ArcelorMittal SA’s Luxembourg-based parent company, has been in South Africa and is meeting Cabinet members, he said.
O’Flaherty denied that ArcelorMittal was trying to force concessions with the threat of economically devastating Vereeniging.
“We’re not putting a gun to their head. We are bleeding and it needs to stop. We’ve been making losses for five years,” he said.
ArcelorMittal has set the end of August as a deadline for evaluating the options before very possibly issuing a section 189 notice at Vereeniging – the legal requirement for a mass retrenchment.
O’Flaherty calls the “unabating surge” in Chinese steel imports part of a “fundamental structural change” in the steel market.
Official trade statistics put the steel and iron imports from China at about 240 000 tons in the first five months of last year.
In the same five months this year, South Africa imported 489 000 tons from China – more than double last year’s number.
The company is also suffering from the global drop in iron ore prices – something it derives zero benefits from due to its contractual relationship with Kumba Iron Ore on a cost-plus basis.
According to Henk Langenhoven, chief economist of the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of SA, any tariff relief for primary steel production would need to be replicated all the way down the value chain, otherwise it would just add costs to the wider sector to protect one company.
“It’s no use protecting one and hurting everyone else,” said Langenhoven.
The heavily subsidised steel from China includes products all along the value chain anyway, he told City Press.
Langenhoven also calls the current situation a “structural” problem. “This is not cyclical,” he added.
Although South Africa boasts most of the steel capacity in sub-Saharan Africa, ArcelorMittal’s output of about 6 million tons a year is minuscule in the context of the 300 million to 400 million tons of superfluous steel capacity in the world today.
Steel capacity is standing idle all over the world.
Early this year, Chinese utilisation rates were estimated at 74.2%, while the rest of the world’s steel mills combined were using about 68% of their capacity, according to the World Steel Association.
The average global profit margin on steel was estimated at 0.5% last year.
South Africa’s steel production is sitting at more or less the same level as it was in 1998 – a full 38% lower than the high point in 2007, according to the manufacturing index produced by Stats SA.


Dave Greber joined the News 4 team in March 2015 as a multimedia journalist and fill-in anchor.
Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, Dave began his journalism career as the news editor of the former High Street Journal, a weekly college newspaper at his alma mater Miami University in Oxford, where he graduated with a major in Journalism and a minor in Black World Studies.
Dave believes good journalists seek the truth and are capable of reporting the who, what, when, where, why and how. The best, however, encapsulate something more, something that wins over pessimism and monotony every time. The best have passion. Since the beginning of his career, Dave has been passionate about providing journalism that goes the extra step for the people and communities he covers.
Dave continued his print career in southwest Ohio, covering several communities as a news, business and education reporter. In 2005, he was named Weekly Journalist of the Year in a nationwide competition, sponsored by Suburban Newspapers of America, an organization that would later play an important role in his career.
Having won and been nominated for several statewide awards for coverage of some of southwest Ohio’s biggest events, Dave was tapped as a multimedia journalist in 2007, trading in the pen and paper for still and video cameras. He spent the next year perfecting his craft behind the lens, traveling to Pasadena, Ca., Williamsport, Pa., Sarasota, Fla., and several other places covering local angles on a national scale.
In 2008, with the guidance of his former editor, Dave won a national multimedia competition sponsored by SNA and Poynter to study new media in Scandinavia.
Dave began his foray into television as the on-air personality in a media partnership that existed between his former employer, Cox Ohio Publishing, and the Cincinnati CBS affiliate, WKRC.
Prior to WIVB/WNLO, Dave spent four years as the evening anchor at WBNG-TV in Binghamton, N.Y., anchoring the 5, 5:30, 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts.
Dave is excited to be featuring and reporting the stories of people and events in WNY, and is especially excited to be a part of the News 4 team. Find him on Twitter here.
Dave married his college sweetheart, Sarah. They have two daughters.


Ezra Levant spins tar sands crude as “ethical oil”—with the same tricks he used in his tobacco lobbyist days.
This summer, as environmental groups converged on Washington, DC, to protest the Keystone XL oil pipeline, a Canadian “grassroots” nonprofit by the name of Ethical Oil went on the counteroffensive. The group’s YouTube videos and TV ads all carried the same blunt message: You can buy oil from Saudi Arabia and bankroll terrorism, the oppression of women, and fanatical Islam, or you can buy oil from Canada, your friendly, democratic neighbors to the north.
This “ethical oil” argument comes from Ezra Levant, a Canadian political commentator and the group’s cofounder. A middle-aged man with an easy smile and expressive eyebrows, he comes across in his speaking engagements as a personable, straightforward guy with a commonsense argument. In his book, he doesn’t try to impress with big words or even mildly complex ideas. He interjects his policy discussions with short sentences like “Wow.” You feel like you’re sitting down with a sensible old friend to chat about the follies of anti-tar-sands protesters.
Levant’s deceptively simple arguments have been gaining traction among the champions of Alberta’s tar sands, and they were even picked up recently by US Energy Secretary Steven Chu. Yet they neglect some key facts: In a global oil market, escalating demand ensures that the Saudis will never want for customers, no matter how much the US takes from Canada. Even the pro-Keystone XL Petroleum Economist notes that the “Ethical Oil” approach includes “strange arguments that show little grasp of the global economy, or the way its most important commodity is traded.” Unfortunately, these counterarguments are more complex, lacking the sound-bite simplicity of Ethical Oil’s good-versus-evil message.
If you’re familiar with the tobacco industry’s all-out campaign to downplay the adverse health effects of cigarettes, Levant’s rhetorical style might sound familiar. From June 2009 to June 2010, Levant was a registered lobbyist for Rothmans Inc., a subsidiary of Phillip Morris International. During his stint with Rothmans, he successfully convinced regulators to crack down on cigarette smuggling instead of increasing the size of health warning labels on cigarette packages, claiming that smuggling posed the greater public health risk. Contraband tobacco, he argued, is especially harmful to adolescents, who can buy it without having to show identification.
In May of 2010, while still a registered lobbyist for Rothman’s, Levant also began lobbying on behalf of the Ontario Korean Businessmen’s Association, a nonprofit representing 2,300 convenience store owners. On Levant’s first day of lobbying for the association, the OKBA issued a press release announcing it was launching a campaign against contraband cigarettes.
Just eight months after concluding his work for Rothmans, Levant founded the Ethical Oil Institute, the nonprofit behind EthicalOil.org. Although the group’s executive director has claimed that the website is “100 percent independent of government and industry,” the Ethical Oil Institute shares the exact mailing address of a prominent tar sands law firm, McLennan Ross LLP. Tom Ross of McLennan Ross and Levant make up the entirety of the Ethical Oil Institute board of directors.


President Donald J. Trump slammed social media and big tech. today for their censorship of conservative voices, arguing that mainstream media sites like CNN and MSNBC are allowed to post fake news without punishment and that "censorship is a very dangerous thing & absolutely impossible to police."
Earlier in August, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was removed from various social media platforms such as Facebook and Youtube. Many critics warned that despite Jones espousing arguably fringe views and outright lies, the censorship of non-leftist thinkers would continue and target conservative thinkers and remove conservatives from various platforms.
CRTV's Gavin McInnes was recently kicked off Twitter for reasons unknown, other than that he supposedly violated their guidelines. But, conservatives have long argued that even if these social media websites do not explicitly block an individual or organization from using their platform, that the company would in effect place a "shadow ban" on their accounts and prevent their followers from seeing their tweets. James O'Keefe's Project Veritas even recorded Twitter engineers discussing how they planned on preventing certain viewpoints from being aired on their platform.
"Yeah. That’s something we’re working on. It’s something we’re working on. We’re trying to get the sh*tty people to not show up," one engineer said on a recorded video. "It’s a product thing we’re working on right now.” As further evidence showed, "sh*tty" in this case would mean anybody who was tweeting about guns, God, or the flag or other right-leaning viewpoints.
While that video purports to show what happens behind the scenes at just Twitter, many on the right fear that this sort of shadowbanning occurs on all left-wing platforms that spring out of the liberal Silicon Valley. Just last night, Dennis Prager's "Prager U" showed statistics highlighting that despite having nearly 3 million followers on Facebook, their most recent 9 posts were seen by zero of their followers.
Likewise, several of their videos were errantly marked as hateful. CRTV's Allie Beth Stuckey recently filmed a video for Prager U discussing toxic masculinity that was taken down, but Facebook apologized and claimed it was a "mistake."
Given the relatively new influence of social media in American society, it is not obvious what steps forward the government can, or should, take to prevent censorship in political discourse on privately owned websites. The president's tweets appear to indicate that he wants to address the issue but given that conservatives often argue against market interference the exact remedy to the solution remains unclear.


ISLAMABAD, Aug 31 (APP): Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has decided to launch a crackdown against illegal Indian satellite dishes and illegal Indian content on Satellite television channels and cable networks.
Headquarters, Chairman PEMRA Absar Alam announced that the authority will ensure that the satellite channels adhere to six minutes per hour limit of Indian content in future.
cable operators to voluntarily follow the rule, adopted during Musharraf era, otherwise punitive action will be taken from October 15.
from fines and may include suspension and revocation of the license after repeated violations.
illegal Indian CD channels, otherwise strict action will be taken.
to control the import, sale, purchase and use of illegal Indian satellite dishes in the country.
Indian dishes as it was violation of the law and against the national interests.
of Pakistan Telecommunications Authority, intelligence agencies, local police has been taken to curb this illegal practice.
that the business of illegal Indian dishes is banned. He said that the PEMRA will write letters to chief ministers of the provinces, chairman Federal Bureau of Revenue in this regard.
stop illegal Indian content so that they can adjust their business in time.
(DTH) television system by October this year.
anchor persons, who held many programmes to severely criticizing constitution, democratic system and other state institutions representing Pakistan and did not hold even a single programme over the Indian atrocities and massive human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir.
in the Occupied Kashmir but some anchor persons who do programmes on minor issues, have not done any talk show to condemn the Kashmiris’ genocide at the hands of Indian troops in the occupied valley.
shows violating code of conduct. He said that PEMRA in the recent past banned reenactment of crime related incidents, but some channels obtained a stay order, however PEMRA has devised a strategy to get the stay vacated.


While the crews complain about the hardscrabble lifestyle, their trail bosses rope them into a 24-hour rotating watch to monitor two pregnant cows who could go into labor.
With only two days left on the cattle drive and Steamboat Springs just miles away, disaster strikes when the chuck wagon breaks down.
Reeling from continual losses, Fabian draws the Red Crew into hostilities against the trail bosses and any defector who sides with them.
The ever-increasing divide between the trail bosses and the kids comes to a head as the trail bosses abandon the teams to do the cattle drive on their own.
Brittny and Haley are cattle captains and their laziness and spoiled behaviour rubs off on most of the group.
The cast gets their Burberrys in a bunch when the trail bosses take their (Gasp!) cell phones. Which three members of the privileged posse escape to town in protest?
The participants meet their tough-as-nails trail bosses and are given their first lesson in riding horses: don’t wear designer jeans!


KARACHI: Federal secretary cabinet division Syed Abu Ahmed Akif called on mother of late Olympian Mansoor Ahmed at her residence and offered condolence on Saturday.
He gave a cheque of Rs1 million to her on behalf of the government.
He applauded the services of Mansoor, who played a key role in Pakistan’s victory in 1994 Hockey World Cup.
Abu Ahmed Akif said on the occasion that the entire nation was saddened by the untimely demise of Mansoor.


LONDON (Reuters) - British fashion designer Alexander McQueen hanged himself in a wardrobe at his home in central London after leaving a note at the scene, an inquest into his death heard Wednesday.
Westminster Coroner’s Court was told the 40-year-old, whose full name was Lee Alexander McQueen, was found dead on Thursday morning at his apartment in Mayfair.
A post mortem examination found he died as a result of asphyxia and hanging.
A coroner’s officer said the inquest heard the note was being examined by police.
Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. The inquest was adjourned to April 28.


New Ayoma – A clergyman has called for a socio-economic renaissance, to enable the people of Buem in the Jasikan District of the Volta Region to regain their lost status.
Most Reverend Gabriel Akwasi Ababio Mante, Bishop of Jasikan Diocese of the Catholic Church, appealed to the people to spearhead any such initiative for positive results.
He reminded them that in the past, community-led projects resulted in the building of facilities, including post offices, community centres, and school blocks, many of which were now dilapidated.
Most Rev. Mante was addressing a durbar of chiefs and people to crown the Buem 2012 Congress, organised by the Coalition for Peace and Development in Buem (COPADIB), on Saturday at New-Ayoma in the District.
The annual event brought together the people of Buem, to discuss and chart development for the area, known for its fertile land, and used to be a bustling cocoa-producing zone.
Most Rev. Mante said some four decades ago, the Buem area was a highly favoured destination for investment in agriculture and trading, but today the situation has changed, and dwindling fortunes of the area could be reversed by the people.
Mr Isaka Buraima, Chairman of COPADIP, said over the years, the group had supported development in the area, and cited the purchase and distribution of 20,000 cocoa seedlings to farmers and the resolution of protracted chieftaincy disputes in the area.
He said the Buem Congress would be transformed into a yearly festival from 2014, to be held at Bodada, seat of the Buem Traditional Area.
Mt Buraima said that the theme for the occasion: “Healthy People for Sustainable Development,” was chosen because good health of individuals, aggregating into general health status of groups, was a priced resource.
He said the success of community development plans, and economic activities were premised on the health of the people.
Mr Alban Sumani Bagbin, Minister of Health, through an emissary, announced that a health team comprising doctors, surgeons, dietitians and physical exercise experts would visit the district, to tackle health problems affecting the people.
He said government was working hard to upgrade capacities of health facilities in the area.
Nana Kwame Akoto IV, Chief of New Ayoma, appealed to government to upgrade the New Ayoma Clinic into a polyclinic.
Nana Barima Kumessy-Bonsy, Jasikan District Chief Executive (DCE), expressed worry that the 2012 Basic Education Certificate Examination results in the area was the poorest ever, and called on stakeholders to help in improving education.
Congress resolutions announced by Naval Captain Moses Beick-Baffour, included activating works of the documentation of the history of the Buems and the location of a permanent site for the Buem Cultural Village.


With iOS 6 out the door, Apple gives its set-top box a minor software update that adds new features, including one aimed at multi-user households.
Apple quietly updated software for its second- and third-generation Apple TV set-top boxes today to make it work with iOS 6 features.
The new version of the software, dubbed iOS 5.1 (though not the same 5.1 iPhone, iPod, and iPad users got earlier this year), adds things like shared Photo Streams, search, and showtimes for local theaters through the trailers app, and a way to reorder the icons on the home screen (something that leaked out a few months ago in a developer build).
However chief among the items of interest is a way to switch iTunes accounts, providing a way for multiple user households to access differing content libraries on the same box. This is something Apple has not offered on its portable devices, and its addition suggests the feature could be headed there eventually.
The Apple TV has remained what Apple considers a "hobby" device when compared with the sales and popularity of products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Nonetheless, the company has pointed to increasing sales in recent earnings calls, with CEO Tim Cook dropping the notion that even though it's not a blockbuster, the company didn't keep around products it didn't like.
Apple, of course has long been rumored to be working on a TV set, a rumor that's rooted in some fact. Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson that he wanted "to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use" and that he "finally cracked it." Since then there has been no shortage of rumors that suggest Apple is still at work on such a product.
Shared Photo Streams - Accept invitations for Shared Photo Streams, browse photos and comments, and receive notifications of new content.
AirPlay - Send audio content from Apple TV to AirPlay-enabled speakers and devices (including AirPort Express and other Apple TVs). Also includes the ability to require an onscreen code to use AirPlay with your Apple TV.
iTunes account switching - Save multiple iTunes accounts and switch quickly between them.
Trailers - Search movie trailers. In the United States, see show times for local theaters.
Screen savers - New Cascade, Shrinking Tiles, and Sliding Panels screen savers.
Main menu - Reorder icons on the second page by holding down the select button on the remote.
Subtitles - SDH support for the deaf and hard-of-hearing as well as improvements to viewing and selecting subtitles.
Network configuration - Support for setting up advanced network options using configuration profiles. See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5437 for more information.
Stability and performance - Includes general performance and stability improvements.


This week: Demonstrations agains the occupation, Prawer-Begin Plan protests, house demolitions, gas mask distribution and settlements behind walls.
Text and photos by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org Turkish choreographer Erdem Gunduz stood unnoticed in Taksim Square for several hours on Tuesday before his presence at Istanbul's flashpoint was announced on the social network Twitter and went viral. Hundreds soon joined his protest in solidarity. Later, Turkish police intervened, clearing the square and arresting several demonstrators. On Wednesday, hundreds came back, standing still in protest from morning until late at night.


Two U.S. senators are pushing for answers about a long-running series of private meetings between drug company executives and federal regulators, events that were held at expensive hotels and paid for by the drug firms.
The letter from Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and David Vitter (R-La.) cites concerns about the controversial new high-dose painkiller Zohydro, which was approved last year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The two sent a letter to Mark Taubman, dean of the medical school at the University of Rochester, asking for financial records on two groups connected to the university — one known as IMMPACT and the other ACTTION — that facilitated meetings between the drug makers and FDA officials.
"We are deeply troubled by allegations that the FDA gave manufacturers of prescription drugs the opportunity to pay thousands of dollars to the University of Rochester Medical Center for the privilege to attend private meetings with FDA officials," the senators wrote.
They cited an investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today that chronicled email communications between federal officials and doctors who created the groups, including Robert Dworkin of the University of Rochester and Dennis Turk of the University of Washington.
Representatives from pharmaceutical companies — including Zohydro's initial manufacturer Elan — paid between $20,000 and $35,000 to send one representative to the meetings with staffers from FDA and the National Institutes of Health, raising questions about potential pay-to-play in the industry.
In interviews at the time, Turk maintained the meetings simply "answered some questions." But the meetings also birthed the concept of "enriched enrollment," which enables drug companies to weed out non-responders or patients who have adverse reactions to a drug from enrollment in clinical trials. Critics say the process stacks the deck in favor of the drug.
University of Rochester Medical Center spokesman Christopher DiFrancesco said Thursday his institution is preparing a response to the letter.
"The work of these groups is being misrepresented by an advocacy organization that is trying to pressure the FDA to change its approval decision on the drug Zohydro," he said. "We're looking forward to clarifying the work of IMMPACT and ACTTION, which we believe is scientifically sound and serves the best interest of patients."
DiFrancesco countered allegations that the meetings involved pay-to-play because participants couldn't talk about specific drugs and no drug was approved by the FDA because of the meetings.
He also said there were a broad range of participants from academia, industry and government, and that the group functioned as a typical public-private partnership, along the lines of a "working group."
Manchin and Vitter are requesting financial information on all meetings of IMMPACT, ACTTION and other pain conferences that have taken place since 2001.
They also want to know specifics on when and where the meetings were held, who was in attendance, how much each person was paid, food and beverage expenses, and other operational costs.
"We have expressed to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg our dismay with these pay-to-play meetings and the role they may have played in FDA's failure to protect and promote public health through the regulation and supervision of prescription painkillers," they wrote in the letter. "The FDA's approval process should not compromise patient safety for financial gain."
The emails, which were obtained through an open records request and sent to reporters, showed that IMMPACT and ACTTION meetings usually took place over two days at high-end hotels in the Washington, D.C., area, with about 25 to 50 people at each event.
In addition to Zohydro's manufacturer, several drug makers with a stake in pain management sent representatives, including Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, and Janssen, which has several pain products.
The interactions raised serious questions about the way in which federal regulators interact with the pharmaceutical companies they regulate.
Michael Carome, director of the health research group of the watchdog group Public Citizen, said in an interview at the time that the "whole picture is a troubling one and warrants an independent investigation."
The FDA's deputy director for regulatory programs, Douglas Throckmorton, said agency officials attended the meetings only to hear from the scientific community.
"Pay-for-play is just not the way the FDA operates," Throckmorton said. "That's not part of the culture of the FDA."
But experts say enriched enrollment may provide evidence to the contrary, since the approach makes it much more likely a drug will prove effective and possibly win FDA approval. It's also cheaper for drug companies to conduct trials this way, since it can result in smaller studies, shortened drug development time and lower development costs.
Critics are concerned that drugs tested via enriched enrollment won't reflect real-world use, turning up different results when a drug gets on the market and is prescribed for large numbers of people.
Zohydro clinical trials used the enriched enrollment methodology.
During its FDA advisory committee hearing, several experts expressed concerns about what would happen once the drug moved from trials into the real world because of that methodology.
In earlier interviews, an FDA representative said enriched enrollment follows the concept of personalized medicine in that it attempts to find those for whom a drug will be most effective: "Enrichment will not save a drug that is not safe or effective, but it will help find one that is."
Despite the advisory committee's concerns, which resulted in an 11-2 vote against approval of Zohydro, the agency approved the drug last October.
Since then, several efforts have been made to get the FDA to reconsider its decision. In December, attorneys general from 28 states sent a letter to Hamburg, the FDA commissioner, asking her to rescind approval. And on Wednesday, a coalition of more than 40 doctors and health advocacy groups repeated that request with a letter of their own to Hamburg.
All of these groups voiced concerns that the drug will be prone to widespread abuse. It packs a dose of opioid five to 10 times greater than what is available on the market in the form of products such as Vicodin and Lortab, which also contain acetaminophen.
Zohydro will be pure hydrocodone, and it will not have abuse-resistant technology, which means users will be able to crush or chew the capsules to unleash all of the opioid high at once.
John Fauber is a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Kristina Fiore is a reporter for MedPage Today.


You might only encounter the events sector a few times a year; maybe you regularly attend conferences, conventions, festivals, or corporate parties on special occasions. But for the events industry itself, every day is a special occasion. The events industry, built up around celebrations, has its own reason to celebrate: it is one of the most profitable sectors in the worldwide economy, bringing billions in revenue to destinations all over the world.
Take Chicago’s McCormick Place. This 2.6 million square foot event complex is at the centre of the city’s events ecosystem, playing host to thousands of events and contributing an estimated $1.7 billion a year to the Illinois economy. Without this single venue, Chicago (and Illinois in general) would be far worse off financially.
Similar venues can be found around the world. The events industry has established itself as an important, irreplaceable sector of the economy, and it’s likely to stay that way—at least for the near future.
How much does the events industry generate?
Sticking with McCormick Place as an example, the aforementioned $1.7 billion estimate comes from a study conducted by the venue’s owners, McPier. McPier released the figures as debate was raging over the state budget, as a reminder to the Illinois legislature of just how important the venue is to the city. It’s not just the money that the government needs to bear in mind; the same report also suggests that McCormick Place is responsible for 15,000 jobs in the Windy City.
McCormick Place may be the largest events venue in North America, but there are other venues with enough clout to influence governments. A little closer to home, the ExCel Centre in London generated £5 billion of economic activity in its first five years. The UK events sector as a whole is said to be worth $42.3 billion to the economy, supporting 570,000 jobs, and making up over 35% of the UK visitor economy, according to figures from Eventbrite.
Back in the US, the events industry is estimated to generate more wealth than air transport, sound recording, performing arts, spectator sports and the motion picture industry. With figures this large, it’s no surprise that the events sector is due to expand even further over the next few years.
Where will the events industry go from here?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has forecast the country’s events industry to grow 44% by 2020, a higher level of growth than many other industries. In the UK, the Conference and Incentive Travel (C&IT)’s State of the Industry report found that 83% of events agencies expected to grow in headcount in 2016. 63% of corporate event planners expected the number of events they hold to grow year-on-year.
It’s not just in the world’s largest cities, like London and Chicago, that events are picking up. Further up north, a new arts, leisure and conference hub is being opened in Gateshead. The local council estimates the complex will generate £30 million for the area and create 500 new jobs. With centres like this opening up across the country, it appears nothing could slow down the growth of this thriving industry. Unfortunately, there is one particular event on the horizon which might puncture the events bubble.
What might slow the events industry down?
In the UK, one seemingly unavoidable factor that has created uncertainty in almost every industry: Brexit negotiations are making very little progress. A “bad deal” or “no deal” situation could drive the major players in many industries towards relocating to EU member countries, taking millions of pounds and thousands of jobs with them in the process.
Just 30 days after the Brexit referendum, the Meetings Industry Association (MIA) conducted a survey which found that 92% of respondents had already experienced a drop or freeze in enquiries. The C&IT found that 20% of event planners saw uncertainty around the EU as the biggest threat to the industry. The reasons for this are manifold.
First there is employment; many UK hospitality workers come from EU member states. With the state of their rights unclear, there’s a chance many of them could be forced to return to their countries of origin. However, post-Brexit limitations on travel will also herald a significant change. If international guests cannot travel freely to the UK after Brexit, far fewer global events will be taking place in the country.
For now, though, the events industry seems buoyant. And just as McCormick Place aimed to influence Illinois legislature, other government bodies are taking note. Gateshead’s new arts, leisure and conference hub will cost millions of pounds to build, but £25 million of that will come from the local council. Brexit or no Brexit, this country is banking on events.


Naples, New York, is located in Ontario County near Canandaigua Lake. It is considered part of the Finger Lakes Wine Region. It is best known for the Grimes Glen, which offers trails and waterfalls for every level hiker. Even though only two wineries are considered directly in Naples -- Imagine Moore Winery and Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards -- the region is home to more than 100 wineries. A number of options are available if you'd like to take wine tours while in this area.
Bus, train and even trolley wine tours are available in the Finger Lakes, but not a lot of options that do tours from Naples, New York. Canandaigua Bus Tours does go through Naples and gives you a number of options. This company will put together a tour if you have a group, or you can join one of their featured wine tours. Check with the company for details as the organized tours are subject to change.
More options are available to be picked up in Naples for a wine tour of this upstate New York area if you want to hire a private car. Quality Wine Tours will pick you up at your hotel and provide transportation for two to 12 passengers. You can choose one of the company's wine tour packages or rent the limousine by the hour and let the driver lead you around. FitzLimo also has similar options, with sedans, stretch limousines and even Ford Explorers available.
If you are interested in a personalized wine tour vacation but don’t have a limousine budget, consider staying at an inn or bed and breakfast. Although they don’t always advertise it, many innkeepers take their guests on tours, according to Meg Columbo of the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection. Check out Abner Adams House, Little Lakes Inn or one of the other accommodations near Naples and ask if they give tours of the wine region.
While the options are limited for wine tours in Naples, New York, additional companies operate in the surrounding areas. Consider enjoying the wineries and attractions of Naples and then spending the rest of your vacation in the nearby Geneva area, where there are more tour options, including the Wine Tour Trolley, which stops at five wineries and also includes a micro-brewery and a tour of one of the wineries.
The Naples Grape Festival is an annual event in the Finger Lakes Wine Region in celebration of the area’s harvest. This weekend-long festival takes place at the end of each September. It includes arts and crafts, music, food, and lots of wine to sample. You can take a tour of the Finger Lakes wineries without ever leaving the grounds.
Frost, Marcia. "Wine Tours in Naples, New York." Travel Tips - USA Today, https://traveltips.usatoday.com/wine-tours-naples-new-york-17720.html. Accessed 25 April 2019.