thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
the middle & upper-middle classes ... they get interesting :-).Creu / Creu turns out to be favela slang for 'fuck' - and Andressa turns out to be fatter and slacker and piggier in video than in the gracefully re-touched photos in Playboy and so on that I picked up - rumours of liposuction (?) oh well ...*************************************************************Having Cancer, and Finding a Personality, Ruth Pennebaker, August 11.They say cancer changes you. They may be right. When I found out I had breast cancer 12 years ago, I became a comedian. Not the kind anyone paid to see. Just the kind who lurked around hospital corridors and examination rooms offering offbeat opinions, wiseacre remarks, outrageous commentary.To my oncologist a short, brisk woman who informed me my tumor had been fairly aggressive I complained about the title of the pamphlet she had given me, Chemotherapy and You. I said Id prefer it if the title were Chemotherapy and Somebody Else.I complained, too, about the little marketing-friendly write-up that listed her family and her hobbies. The family was fine. But hobbies? I didnt want a doctor who had time for hobbies. I wanted her to spend all her waking hours focusing on curing cancer, particularly the type indicated on my own nasty little pathology report.To everyone else, especially the people wearing white coats and carrying big needles, I announced I was writing a book about cancer. I tried to look rabidly litigious whenever I spoke.In the midst of all this the comebacks, the wisecracks, the flapping mouth I had a dim idea of what I was doing. I wanted to be someone, a recognizable personality, a full-blooded, memorable human being, and not just a cancer patient. I had already lost the person I used to be, that healthy, energetic 45-year-old woman. I wasnt capable of losing more.Other friends had their own spins on claiming individuality in the cancer world. One, a psychiatrist, questioned every medical decision that was made. Another, never timid to begin with, terrorized the technicians. You get one chance to stick me and find a vein, she told them. If you cant do that, find me somebody who can.I also took comfort from Anatole Broyards beautifully written, intermittently hilarious account of his own cancer treatments in Intoxicated by My Illness, published in 1992, two years after his death from prostate cancer. Mr. Broyard, a book critic and editor at The New York Times, had fired a prominent surgeon because he hadnt liked the way the man wore a cap in the operating room. It looked, he wrote, like a condom stuck on his head.The way Mr. Broyard saw it, : A critical illness is like a great permission, an authorization or absolving. Its all right for a threatened man to be romantic, even crazy, if he feels like it. All your life you think you have to hold back your craziness, but when youre sick you can let it go in all its garish colors.Yes! Thats what I was experiencing, too. Those garish colors, that craziness and freedom, that painfully stark clarity about
what was important and what was not. It was as if, I sometimes felt, I had lived my life half asleep. But now, now, I was wide awake.As my treatments wore on, though the catheter in my chest, the chemotherapy, the anti-nausea drugs, the baldness, the fatigue, the radiation my high spirits and sense of clarity began to wane. One night at a play, I noticed a woman across the room. She was attractive, middle-age, vibrant. Completely unlike me, as I had become over the past few months. I huddled in my seat, feeling spent and empty and old. The last time I visited my oncologist after my treatments were over, I felt lost. The image that kept recurring in my mind was that someone with a gigantic pair of tweezers had picked me up, shaken me and tossed me back down. Now what?I feel as if I want to ask you, I told my oncologist, how to live.She told me I could live as I had before working, taking care of kids, exercising, traveling, enjoying life. Anything, really. I could lead a normal life. As I left her office, I realized how completely Id lost myself over the past several months. I needed to be reminded who I was. Can you tell me who I am now? I never asked my oncologist that question. Probably she would have thought I was joking, the way I always was.*************************************************************Harmony and the Dream, David Brooks, August 11.Chengdu, China: The world can be divided in many ways rich and poor, democratic and authoritarian but one of the most striking is the divide between the societies with an individualist mentality and the ones with a collectivist mentality. This is a divide that goes deeper than economics into the way people perceive the world. If you show an American an image of a fish tank, the American will usually describe the biggest fish in the tank and what it is doing. If you ask a Chinese person to describe a fish tank, the Chinese will usually describe the context in which the fish swim.These sorts of experiments have been done over and over again, and the results reveal the same underlying pattern. Americans usually see individuals; Chinese and other Asians see contexts.When the psychologist Richard Nisbett showed Americans individual pictures of a chicken, a cow and hay and asked the subjects to pick out the two that go together, the Americans would usually pick out the chicken and the cow. Theyre both animals. Most Asian people, on the other hand, would pick out the cow and the hay, since cows depend on hay. Americans are more likely to see categories. Asians are more likely to see relationships. You can create a global continuum with the most individualistic societies like the United States or Britain on one end, and the most collectivist societies like China or Japan on the other. The individualistic countries tend to put rights and privacy first. People in these societies tend to overvalue their own skills and overestimate their own importance to any group
Its certainly a useful ideology for aspiring autocrats.From Lennie Cone,"Your servant here, he has been toldTo say it clear, to say it cold:It's over, it ain't going any further.And now the wheels of heaven stop,You feel the devil's riding crop.Get ready for the future - it is murder."A-and finally, in the immortal (almost) words of Cheech & Chong,"Dave's not here man."Be well. ("Smoke 'em if ya got 'em, raaar raaar." Denis Leary, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)Down.
greater access to consumers in the United States, Europe and Japan.Economists and trade experts predicted that negotiators, having come this close, might not find the conditions for a broad deal among the 153 members of the trade organization for years, if ever again.Deep skepticism about the advantages of free trade was on vivid display during the Democratic primaries and it is growing in Europe, particularly as France, Italy and other countries have fallen into an American-style economic malaise. Its important to move forward when the world is in a slowdown and is tempted to think of protectionism rather than opening up, said Norbert Walter, the chief economist at Deutsche Bank.He said soaring food prices provided another rare opportunity for a deal, since European and American farmers are prospering. It may never be easier to reduce farm subsidies, one of the most delicate issues in trade talks.The feeling went from Who cares? to a surge of excitement and sense of breakthrough to Oh, no, not again, said Rory Macrae, a partner at GPlus Europe, a communications consulting firm in Brussels, who was on the sidelines of the negotiations in Geneva.He said the sticking point this time was countries like China and India, which have become more aggressive in advancing their interests. Maybe theyre now thinking, Were big enough that we dont even need the process, Mr. Macrae said.Like the United States and Europe, he said, China and India might find it more advantageous to negotiate bilateral agreements in which they can apply more pressure on a single trading partner.On Tuesday night, ministers were still discussing whether any of the agreements reached in principle could be salvaged.But there seemed little prospect for that any time soon, in part because the presidential campaign in the United States will make it all but impossible for Washington to take part until a new administration takes over.Talks foundered on the right of India and other developing nations to protect sensitive agricultural products from competition in the event of a surge of imports that would make their own farmers less competitive. The United States argued that such protection, which is not permitted now, would mean moving backward on current world trade commitments.Mari Elka Pangestu, the Indonesian trade minister, said the failure of the talks reflected the inability of the rich industrial powers to deal with the growing influence of China, India and Brazil in the global economy.She complained that what she called a reasonable request had been blocked because the United States is not going to show flexibility.Susan C. Schwab, the United States trade representative, challenged assertions by some developing countries that the United States had been the chief obstacle to sewing up the deal. She added, The U.S. commitments remain on the table, awaiting reciprocal responses.She said, It is unconscionable that we could have come out with an outcome that rolled the global trading system back not by one year or 5 years but by 30 years.Ms. Schwab said it would be possible to help developing nations address surges in imports in ways that could not be used
only on the need to remove the subsidies, according to the BBC's Chris Hogg, in Tokyo. 'Economic egotism' Friday's spike in oil prices coincided with a dollar slump, plummeting share prices on Wall Street and US unemployment suffering its biggest rise in 20 years. "Russia is a global player. We understand our responsibility for the fate of the world and want to participate in forming the rules of the game," Dmitry Medvedev, Russian president.On Saturday, US energy secretary Samuel Bodman said the price surge was a "shock" but not a crisis, amid fears the oil price spike could help tip some of the world's economies into recession. He also said he did not see a need for a tightening of regulation of oil markets. Some say market speculation, and a lack of disclosure of information over the size and nature of reserves, may be stoking the price rises, as well as concerns that demand may be growing faster than supply. Separately, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev blamed what he termed the US's "economic egotism" for the current problems in the global economy. He accused the US of "aggressive financial policies" and said most people in the world had become poorer. Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, he said Russia was a "global player" and wished to "participate in forming new rules of the game", but not because of "imperial ambitions". Iran threat On Friday light crude set a record high of $139.12 in after-hours trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange after hitting $138.54 at the regular session. Oil prices were given a boost on a report by Morgan Stanley analyst Ole Slorer, who suggested the price of oil could rocket to $150 as early as July. Some analysts have suggested that prices would reach as high as $200 a barrel during the next 18 months. The benchmark light, sweet crude oil is more than twice the price it was a year ago. On Friday, the market was also responding to a statement by Israel's transport minister that an attack on Iran was "unavoidable" after sanctions to prevent Tehran from developing its nuclear capability had failed. Investors hedging oil against the weak dollar has also pushed up the price of oil. Correspondents say fears that workers at Chevron Corporation in Nigeria may go on strike and subsequently disrupt production and access to oil are also adding to market jitters, as well as Israeli threats to strike Iran over its nuclear programme. Oil prices had recorded losses earlier this week after doubts about future demand took hold of the market.*************************************************************After Doha - Seeking a trade deal, Globe Editorial, July 31.With an agreement so tantalizingly close, it was a major disappointment that the latest round of international trade talks collapsed this week. Delegates at the World Trade Organization meeting in Geneva failed to reach a deal after nine days of discussions, which followed seven years of on-and-off negotiations since the Doha round began in Qatar in 2001.It is especially unfortunate that the collapse came at a time when the price of food is
soaring around the world and many economies are in the doldrums. While the agreement would have taken years to put in place, a successful conclusion would have provided an emotional spark to international trade, even before the real impact was felt. While the full consequences of an agreement are not clear, estimates of the boost to international trade ranged as high as $100-billion. The goal of the Doha round was fairly straightforward: Europe and the United States were to cut tariffs and subsidies on agricultural products, and in return, key developing countries such as China and India would trim tariffs on manufactured goods. Established countries would get new buyers for their products and, more importantly, the developing world would get better access to wealthy markets.But in a complex deal with many players at the table, the devil was in the details. Despite the willingness of the Americans and Europeans to make compromises and cut subsidies, they dug in their heels on other concessions. The talks apparently foundered when the Americans refused to go along with the details of a clause that would have allowed poor countries to boost tariffs temporarily, if there was a surge in imports or a rapid change in commodity prices.It could be years before there is any attempt to breathe new life into the Doha round. In a few months, there will be a new government in the United States, and it will clearly have new policies and priorities, along with a new cast of characters at the negotiating table. There will also be major personnel changes among trade bureaucrats in other countries. This is a significant issue, as negotiators carry around many of the convoluted technical details of the world of trade in their heads. The Canadians who participated in the Doha process, including Trade Minister Michael Fortier, say they will now turn to negotiating bilateral agreements with individual countries. That is a smart decision, and a first priority should be to get an agreement in place with the European Union. Canada has been a laggard in negotiating trade and investment deals with other countries, and we need to catch up.But we also must fully support any attempt to restart multilateral talks, as these broad agreements have the potential for the greatest positive impact on the economies of the world. The progress made in the Doha round is certainly worth preserving. To gain credibility on the international trade scene, Canada must also rethink its position on supply management, our outdated system of marketing boards that provide protection for domestic producers of eggs, poultry and dairy products. It undermines our position when we call for tariff reductions elsewhere but maintain our own protectionist measures.*************************************************************Trade Talk Collapse - Why India and China Said No to US, Bruce Einhorn & Mehul Srivastava, July 31.Trade talks broke down July 29 as India and China refused to bow to US demands on agricultural subsidies.[Photo - An Indian farmer tills a field: The Indian government is very concerned about unhappy farmers.]It's not often that China and India find themselves on the same side.
Shi, governments on both sides of the debate are worried about risking any bold moves. That means it's even less likely India and China will back down in the current trade dispute.*************************************************************Ding, dong Doha is dead, Rick Salutin, August 1.We're all prisoners of our autobiographies. It determines what we have to offer to each other. I, for instance, felt a sweet little surge of schadenfreude this week when I read that the latest "Doha" round of free-trade talks in Geneva had failed. Free trade does that to me. This fall will be 20 years since the free-trade election of 1988 but it still feels like the most dire Canadian event of my lifetime.The ongoing tetchiness will seem offensive to some and merely peculiar to other, perhaps younger, readers. Isn't ever freer trade just part of globalization, which is inevitable and mainly a Good Thing? But I'd be inclined to reply that this isn't globalization in any meaningful way. Real globalization is equivalent, more or less, to human history. It started when the species emerged in Africa and began to disperse across the globe. Globalization in the recent usage is narrow and argumentative; it means the primacy of corporate power and profit over all other forms of power: political, national, communal, democratic.Free-trade skeptics always had to tussle with these language issues, starting with terms like "free" and "global," as deployed by the media. This latest round, for example, was meant to "strengthen the international trading system" (New York Times) and be a "a powerful vote of confidence in globalization" (Guardian). It's hard to object to phrases like that. But the breakdown actually came due to demands by China, India and Indonesia, to protect their farmers from being undercut by highly subsidized U.S. and European products. In a way, it was about selling rice to China. You can debate that but it's hardly a clear case of inevitable progress. I've always felt that a healthy national ag sector is nice to have for purposes of food security, dignity and the qualities farmers add to urbanized societies. Or sheer survival if you're facing mass starvation like, say, Haiti is.The whole progression began in the 1970s, when corporate profits were drooping due, it was widely claimed, to rising wages built on union power; and to high business taxes that funded social programs, a.k.a. the welfare state. The solution was called globalization: Union and government strength would be sapped by shifting investment and production elsewhere or threatening to. It worked splendidly. Skilled union jobs in manufacturing were destroyed and replaced by crummy service jobs; the work force became flexible, as in scared. The outcome was encapsulated for me by an Ontario worker, a proud union member, when owners warned they'd simply move their factory away, as others had. "Let's just turn around," he said, "drop our pants, let them do what they want, and hope we're still around when it's over." That's my image when I hear "globalization" and it shows that you can't excise your past experiences from your present reactions.Profits did rise impressively and so
And at an industry fair in April, La-Z-Boy announced a new line that will begin production in North Carolina this month. Theres just a handful of us left, but it has become easier for us domestic folks to compete, said Steven Kincaid of Kincaid Furniture in Hudson, N.C., a division of La-Z-Boy.Avocado Salad in JanuarySoaring transportation costs also have an impact on food, from bananas to salmon. Higher shipping rates could eventually transform some items now found in the typical middle-class pantry into luxuries and further promote the so-called local food movement popular in many American and European cities.This is not just about steel, but also maple syrup and avocados and blueberries at the grocery store, shipped from places like Chile and South Africa, said Jeff Rubin, chief economist at CIBC World Markets and co-author of its recent study on transport costs and globalization. Avocado salad in Minneapolis in January is just not going to work in this new world, because flying it in is going to make it cost as much as a rib eye.Global companies like General Electric, DuPont, Alcoa and Procter & Gamble are beginning to respond to the simultaneous increases in shipping and environmental costs with green policies meant to reduce both fuel consumption and carbon emissions. That pressure is likely to increase as both manufacturers and retailers seek ways to tighten the global supply chain.Being green is in their best interests not so much in making money as saving money, said Gary Yohe, an environmental economist at Wesleyan University. Green companies are likely to be a permanent trend, as these vulnerabilities continue, but its going to take a long time for all this to settle down. In addition, the sharp increase in transportation costs has implications for the just-in-time system pioneered in Japan and later adopted the world over. It is a highly profitable business strategy aimed at reducing warehousing and inventory costs by arranging for raw materials and other supplies to arrive only when needed, and not before. Jeffrey E. Garten, the author of World View: Global Strategies for the New Economy and a former dean of the Yale School of Management, said that companies cannot take a risk that the just-in-time system wont function, because the whole global trading system is based on that notion. As a result, he said, they are going to have to have redundancies in the supply chain, like more warehousing and multiple sources of supply and even production.One likely outcome if transportation rates stay high, economists said, would be a strengthening of the neighborhood effect. Instead of seeking supplies wherever they can be bought most cheaply, regardless of location, and outsourcing the assembly of products all over the world, manufacturers would instead concentrate on performing those activities as close to home as possible. In a more regionalized trading world, economists say, China would probably end up buying more of the iron ore it needs from Australia and less from Brazil, and farming out an even greater proportion of its manufacturing work to places like Vietnam and Thailand. Similarly, Mexicos maquiladora