The Tongkhor line of incarnations began in the sixteenth century when, following the death of Dawa Gyeltsen in 1556, Yonten Gyatso was recognized as his reincarnation, named the Second Tongkhor, and installed at Tongkhor Tashilhunpo. After the death of the Third Tongkhor, Gyelwa Gyatso, the line established two seats. According to tradition, a recently deceased seventeen-year old boy of mixed Tibetan and Chinese heritage, while being carried to his funeral, suddenly sat up and declared that he was the Tongkhor lama. Thought to be a zombie, the Chinese army was called in to destroy him. The boy emerged from the assault unharmed, convincing everyone that he was indeed the reincarnation of Gyelwa Gyatso. The identity of the young man, who was given the name Dogyu Gyatso by local lamas, was later affirmed and taught by the Fourth Panchen Lama, Lobzang Chokyi Gyeltsen, and the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso. After returning east, he created a new Geluk monastery called Tongkhor Ganden Chokhor Ling in the Tongkhor region of Amdo. It would seem that this institution developed quite quickly, and in competition with Tashilhunpo in Kham, for following the death of the Fifth Tongkhor, Ngawang Sonam Gyatso, both communities put forward their own reincarnations. There were thus two Sixth Tongkhor lamas: Ngawang Jamyang Tendzin Gyatso and Jampel Gendun Gyatso. The two separate lines have continued to this day.
Dawa Gyeltsen, posthumously known as the First Tongkhor, was a prominent Geluk lama based in Kham and Amdo. He was active in the spread of the Geluk tradition in eastern Amdo and northern Kham and in the suppression of Bon in the region. He established the first Tongkhor Monastery on the site of a Bon institution to the northeast of Kandze in Kham.
Yonten Gyatso was the Second Tongkhor, the reincarnation of Dawa Gyeltsen, a prominent Geluk lama in Amdo. He received ordination from the Third Dalai Lama while the latter was on route to Mongolia. Yonten Gyatso studied in Lhasa, and briefly served as the abbot of Sera.
Gyelwa Gyatso was the Third Tongkhor, a line of Geluk incarnations based in Kham and later in Amdo. He had patronage from Mongolian chieftains, and received teachings from the Fourth Dalai Lama and the Fourth Paṇchen Lama. He is said to have transferred his consciousness, upon his death, into the corpse of a recently-deceased half-Chinese boy, who revived and went on to become the Fourth Tongkhor.
Dogyu Gyatso was the Fourth Tongkhor. According to tradition the Third Tongkhor, at the moment of his death, engaged a practice known as powa drongjuk by which he transferred his consciousness in corpse of a recently deceased seventeen-year old Chinese boy. This young man was ultimately accepted by the community. He went on to have a successful career, supported by both the Fifth Dalai Lama and the Fourth Paṇchen Lama. With patronage from Lhasa he established Tongkhor Ganden Chokhor Ling near Kumbum in Amdo, and Chorten Tang Monastery. He went to Beijing where he received the rank of Chanshi from the Kangxi Emperor.
The Fifth Tongkhor, Ngawang Sonam Gyatso, a Geluk lama based in Amdo, was renowned as an ecumenical leader. He rebuilt Tongkhor Monastery in Amdo following the 1723 revolt in the region. Following his death the Tongkhor line split into two, one based at Tongkhor Ganden Chokhor Ling Monastery in Amdo, the other based at Tongkhor Tashilhunpo Monastery in Kham.
The Sixth Tongkhor, Ngawang Jamyang Tendzin Gyatso, was one of two recognized incarnations of the Fifth Tongkhor, Ngawang Sonam Gyatso. He was based at Amdo Tongkhor Monastery, and was credited with founding Chunak Monastery in 1766. He served as abbot of Sera Me. The other Sixth Tongkhor was Jampel Gendun Gyatso, based in Kham.
Jampel Gendun Gyatso, the Sixth Tongkhor, was one of two recognized incarnations of the Fifth Tongkhor, Ngawang Sonam Gyatso. He was based at Tongkhor Tashilhunpo Monastery in Kham. He was supported by the Sixth Paṇchen Lama, Lobzang Pelden Yeshe and the Second Purchok, Ngawang Jampa. The other Sixth Tongkhor was Ngawang Jamyang Tendzin Gyatso, based in Amdo.
The Seventh Tongkhor, Kelzang Jamyang Gyatso, was the recognized reincarnation of the Sixth Tongkhor, Ngawang Jamyang Tendzin Gyatso, based at Amdo Tongkhor Monastery after the Tongkhor incarnation line split following the death of the Fifth Tongkhor, Ngawang Sonam Gyatso. He went to Lhasa at the age of thirteen to study but died soon after arriving. The other Seventh Tongkhor was Lobzang Dogyu Yeshe Tenpai Gyeltsen, based in Kham.
Lobzang Dogyu Yeshe, one of two men holding the Seventh Tongkhor title, was based at Tongkhor Monastery in Kham. The other Seventh Tongkhor was Kelzang Jamyang Gyatso, based in Amdo. Lobzang Dogyu Yeshe was recognized as the reincarnation of Jampel Gendun Gyatso. He studied in Lhasa and Zhigatse, and taught widely in Kham.
Tubten Jigme Kelzang was one of two individuals to hold the title of Eighth Tongkhor. Recognized as the reincarnation of Kelzang Jamyang Gyatso, and based at Amdo Tongkhor Monastery, he died at the age of eight. The other Eighth Tongkhor was Ngawang Dogyu Yonten Rabgye, based in Kham.
Ngawang Dogyu Yonten Rabgye, one of two men who held the title of Eighth Tongkhor, was based at Tongkhor Tashilhunpo Monastery in Kham. He was the recognized reincarnation of Lobzang Dogyu Yeshe Gyeltsen. The other Eighth Tongkhor was Tubten Jigme Kelzang, based in Amdo.
Tubten Jigme Gyatso was one of two men to hold the title of Ninth Tongkhor. Identified as the reincarnation of Tubten Jigme Kelzang, he was based at Amdo Tongkhor Monastery. He spent decades in Beijing in the court of four Qing emperors, and also served as tutor to the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. The other Ninth Tongkhor was Lobzang Tubten Jikme Tsultrim Gyatso, based at Kham Tongkhor Tashilhunpo.
Lobzang Tubten Jigme Tsultrim Gyatso was one of two men to hold the title of Ninth Tongkhor. He was the recognized reincarnation of Ngawang Dogyu Yonten Rabgye, and based at Kham Tongkhor Tashilhunpo Monastery. Dates of his life and activity are not firm, as our sole source is confused on the correct combination of element and animal.
Lobzang Tenpai Nyima was the Tenth Tongkhor of the line based at Tongkhor Ganden Chokhor Ling in Amdo. He passed away at the age of eight.
Lobzang Jigme Tsultrim Gyatso was the Eleventh Tongkhor of the line based at Tongkhor Ganden Chokhor Ling in Amdo. He was the reincarnation of the Tenth Tongkhor Lobzang Tenpai Nyima. He went to Beijing with the Thirteenth Dalai Lama.
Lobzang Tubten Lungtok Shedrub Gyatso was the Twelfth Tongkhor of the line based at Tongkhor Ganden Chokhor Ling in Amdo. He was the reincarnation of the Eleventh Tongkhor, Lobzang Jigme Tsultrim Gyatso.
Lobzang Jangchub Tendzin Gyatso was the Thirteenth Tongkhor of the line based at Tongkhor Ganden Chokhor Ling in Amdo. He fled the Communist take over of Tibet and settled in Kalimpong.


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Bank of America Corporation is pleased to submit this letter in response to the request of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") for comments regarding the Commission's proposed rule, Disclosure in Management's Discussion and Analysis about the Application of Critical Accounting Policies ("the Proposal"). We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the Proposal.
In a recent survey released by SRBI, 69% of investors said that they "don't trust businesses' financial reporting any more."1 As one of the nation's largest financial holding companies, we believe it is critical to restore investor confidence in the corporate community. Accordingly, Bank of America fully supports the Commission's efforts to enhance the quality of the disclosure in the Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") section by providing more information about management's insight into the company. However, we are concerned that certain aspects of the Proposal would result in information that is misrepresentative and unreliable, which would be counter-productive to the Commission's overall goal.
We have a serious concern about the proposed disclosures quantifying the effects of estimates not made and assumptions not selected. We believe such disclosures would undermine the integrity of the financial statements, which are the manifestation of management's assertions and best estimates. We oppose the implication that certain accounting policies discussed in MD&A are more important or "critical" than those policies discussed in the basic financial statements. Further, we believe that some readers of the proposed quantitative disclosures will have difficulty interpreting why management chose the estimate that was ultimately recorded, rather than some other estimate that was reasonably possible at the time it was made. In evaluating the decision to record one possible estimate over another, a reader will lack the framework of business expertise, historical perspective, empirical data, and insight that management uses to determine the most probable outcome, that is, its "best estimate."
Because of the imprecision inherent in any estimate, the actual outcome may not equal the amount that was originally recorded. The process of determining the appropriate amount for an accounting estimate is dynamic. Management refines its estimates continuously as historical experience is combined with new information that is revealed on a day-to-day basis. Rather than trying to decipher voluminous quantitative data, the reader of the financial statements needs information to assess whether management has appropriate processes in place to capture new information and recognize its impact on a timely basis.
We believe the Commission's objective to improve the quality and transparency of corporate disclosure can be achieved through more robust qualitative discussions of the critical accounting estimates. Those disclosures should include an identification of estimates that management believes are important to understanding the business; why those estimates are important to the company's results; the process by which management makes those estimates; the key assumptions that underlie those estimates; how those assumptions may change due to factors internal and external to the organization; whether the methodology used to determine the estimate has changed; and any known trends, events or uncertainties that would affect the estimates. A full "plain English" discussion of the above items would provide a reader with meaningful information about "what is", and would not distract their attention by quantifying the "what if."
In addition to the above comments, we provide observations below on specific, unworkable aspects of the Proposal as currently drafted.
The Proposal describes a two-question test for determining whether an accounting estimate is a "critical accounting estimate" for which disclosure would be required in a separate section of MD&A. Under the first question, the entity must determine whether assumptions used were "highly uncertain" at the time the estimate was made. The introduction of the concept of "highly uncertain" requires better definition. Whereas the concepts of "likely" or "probable" have been in the accounting framework for many years and are widely understood, the notion of "highly uncertain" is not sufficiently clear. Based on the guidance included in the Proposal, a matter involves a high degree of uncertainty if it is not capable of being derived with some degree of precision from available data. How much precision would be expected for an assumption not to be considered "highly uncertain?" Also, is there a distinction between the degrees of uncertainty, for example is there a difference between "somewhat uncertain", "uncertain", "probably uncertain" and "highly uncertain" in applying the first part of the proposed test? We ask that the Commission provide more clarity around the definition and provide examples differentiating what does and what does not constitute "highly uncertain" in the context of making assumptions.
Calculating sensitivity with numerous "material assumptions"
The proposed disclosures to demonstrate sensitivity of material assumptions are easily understandable when applying them to a single estimate with a single assumption. However, many critical accounting estimates are, in fact, the aggregate of numerous individual estimates that could each have been derived from different material assumptions. For example, the valuation of derivative financial instruments that are not exchange traded could be considered a critical accounting estimate, as it involves using assumptions and modeling techniques. For one derivative, the "most material assumption" underlying the estimate of value may be interest rate related. For another derivative, the most material assumption may be expected commodity prices. A third derivative may have a value that is derived primarily from estimates of credit risk. While all of these derivatives may be presented in the same financial line item in the balance sheet, presenting a sensitivity analysis to changes in the most material assumption would be unworkable, except on an item-by-item basis.
Another issue in attempting to quantify the effects of a hypothetical change in estimate is the existence of multiple "reasonably possible" alternatives for the same material assumption. Under existing Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, management records an estimate based on its "best estimate" of the most probable outcome of a particular assumption. Outside of that "most probably", other "reasonably possible" alternatives may be equally likely, but the impact of these various "reasonably possible" alternatives could be substantially different. While we acknowledge that the Proposal permits a company to use the upper and lower ends of a range of reasonably possible alternatives, we anticipate that for some estimates the boundaries of what is "reasonably possible" may be undetectable. For these reasons, we challenge whether it is truly helpful to provide an investor with information that could be more imprecise and unreliable than what was actually recorded.
A third issue in quantifying the effect of a hypothetical change in a material assumption is that it unrealistically assumes that the change occurs in a vacuum. That is, it assumes that the company will not react to that change in other ways. The Proposal provides an example of a company whose warranty obligation is sensitive to the future price of copper. The sample disclosure provides the impact on cost of sales and operating income assuming the estimated copper prices decrease by 30% and increase by 50%. In reality, if a company estimated that its raw material prices would increase by 50%, it is likely that they would enter into transactions to mitigate the risk of this variability. The sample disclosure is misrepresentative, as it fails to contemplate the risk mitigation activities on the part of the company.
A final issue in requiring quantitative disclosures to demonstrate sensitivity is that management may have already considered the inherent imprecision in determining the amount to record for a particular critical accounting estimate. In such case, changing the "material assumption" and disclosing the impact of the financial performance may in essence, "double count" the impact of uncertainty on the estimate. For example, in estimating the value of a non-exchange traded derivative, the inherent imprecision is considered as additive or subtractive amounts in determining the final estimate. Under the Proposal, the most material assumption of a derivative value would be adjusted to other "reasonably possible" outcomes, but other elements of the overall calculation would not be adjusted. The recalculated allowance would twice consider the effects of imprecision on the estimate.
In summary, while we believe the Proposed disclosure would show that financial results change if estimates that underlie those results change, we are concerned that the desired cause-effect relationship will not be evidenced. Comparability of financial information across peer companies would diminish as each company may select different material assumptions and different degrees of change for which to provide sensitivity. We understand the Commission's objective to demonstrate the degree of sensitivity of an estimate, but as articulated previously, we believe this can be better accomplished with thorough and meaningful qualitative discussion.
We support the Commission's proposal to require specific quantitative and qualitative disclosure regarding past changes in critical accounting estimates. The Proposal suggests that an accounting estimate changes over time as new events occur or as management acquires more experience or additional information. Accounting estimates may change due to a change in a single assumption; however, we believe it is more common for changes in estimates to result from simultaneous changes in multiple variables. For example, an Allowance For Credit Losses may change due to different assumptions about expected loss factors. However, it will also change due to an increase or decrease in the balance of loans, the migration of loans from one risk category to another, concentrations within an industry or lack thereof, etc. Significant changes in estimates may result from changes to the methodology used to develop the estimate. We propose that the Commission's final guidance be clear in articulating that the disclosure should include not only changes in key assumptions underlying the critical accounting estimate, but also changes in the methodology used to determine the critical accounting estimate.
Additionally, to avoid repetition of disclosures in MD&A, we urge the Commission to consider permitting this discussion of these changes to appear outside the "Application of Critical Accounting Policies" section. In many cases, other parts of MD&A may contain management's discussion of certain financial statement items that would be considered critical accounting estimates. These existing discussions should be permitted to be the basis for the disclosures required by this Proposal.
We do not believe this one area should be singled out for disclosure in MD&A. The audit committee is actively involved in all significant financial matters. Selecting this one area to specifically mention in MD&A is inappropriate. The proxy statement describes the role of the audit committee.
The Commission is considering requiring the critical accounting estimates disclosure in the MD&A undergo an auditor examination. We are concerned that such an examination and certification may inappropriately imply that the "Application of Critical Accounting Policies" section is more important that other sections of MD&A. Additionally, this proposed section would contain information that would constitute forward-looking statements. It is our concern that an investor may misinterpret an auditor's examination and certification and conclude that it affirms information that is actually forward-looking.
Upon the initial adoption of an accounting policy, a Company would have to disclose where it made a choice among acceptable alternatives, including a qualitative discussion of the impact on the financial results that the alternatives would have had. We oppose this proposal, as we do not believe it provides useful information to an investor.
First, we are aware of very few situations where more than one acceptable alternative exists under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Discretion arises more from the interpretation and application of the principle selected. Discussing the financial statement effects of alternative policies that were not adopted is similar to discussion of proforma financial information. It appears that the proposed disclosure is somewhat inconsistent with the Commission's existing rules on the assumptions to be used in presenting proforma financial information. We note that the Commission's rules have required that a company must exclude "effects that rely on highly judgmental estimates of how historical management practices and operating decision may or may not have changed."2Additionally, the Commission inquired if MD&A should include a discussion of whether a company's accounting policies, upon initial adoption, differ from the accounting policies applied within the company's industry. Certainly this comparability is desirable, however, available information about peer companies may not provide sufficient information to determine whether the fact patterns or circumstances are sufficiently similar for comparison.
Finally, different companies within the same general industry may define their peer group differently. Thus, we believe the investment community would be in a better position to evaluate the comparability of financial statements among companies in which it has interest or considers to be peers.
The Commission has proposed requiring certain MD&A disclosure to include forward-looking statements. These proposed new rules would significantly increase the scope and number of forward-looking statements a company would be required to make. In light of these changes, we believe the Commission should consider allowing companies to utilize broader and more general safe harbors in connection with such forward-looking information than those safe harbor protections available under existing rules.
1 Schulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas, Inc., "SRBI Study Finds Public Believes Financial Fraud Rampant, But Majority Still Have Confidence in the Stock Market Long Term, Survey Finds", Business Wire, July 8, 2002.
Adds a new section to MD&A entitled "Critical Accounting Policies"
This proposal would impact disclosure about accounting estimates for litigation, tax, and credit reserves. It would also impact disclosure about valuations for non- exchange traded assets such as principal investing equities, MSR certificates, derivatives and securities. Also liability estimates such as stock-based compensation (stock options), merger obligations, and pension obligations. Disclosures about goodwill valuations may also be impacted.


Traveling to Italy never gets old— Il Bel Paese delivers in historic sights, culture, art, food, wine, nature and more. No matter how many times you visit, there is always another beautiful town waiting for you. If you are visiting Tuscany, you cannot miss a day trip to Siena from Florence. Whether visiting for the day or staying longer, we have recommendations on what to do in Siena, Italy.
Siena is one of Tuscany's many gems. While Florence, Tuscany's largest city, came to prominence during the Renaissance, Siena had its heyday earlier. This can be seen mainly in the architectural differences between the two cities. Florence has its grand Renaissance architecture and (somewhat) more planned out streets. On the other hand, Siena's architecture, although equally as grand as Florence's, is of Gothic style and the city's street patterns are much crazier, for lack of a better descriptor. Some people develop a strong love for one city over the other, but others skip right over Siena as they head from Rome to Florence — don't do that because you will be missing out.
The most common way to arrive in Siena is from Florence (see how many days in Florence you should plan), either by train (from Santa Maria Novella station) or by bus. You could theoretically get to Siena from Rome but it's a pain and doing so would take up a lot of your time. The bus and the train from Florence both arrive at stations outside of the city center. However, note that the bus station is significantly closer to the city center. Since Siena is small, neither are too far from the city center. Walks from either station will help give you a nice feel for the outskirts of the old part of town.
If you are staying in the countryside and arrive by car, I recommend parking near the Stadio Comunale as it is a nice big lot. Just note, that lots may fill up so it is best to arrive by 10am.
Once you have arrived, find your way to the Piazza del Campo, Siena's enormous main plaza set on a sloping hill. The piazza is beautiful and it is almost worth it to come to Siena just to see the gaping, shell-shaped plaza lined with exquisite architecture. The most stunning building on the plaza is the Palazzo Publico, located on the downhill end with its looming Gothic tower. This once housed the government of Siena when it was its own republic, but the palace is now a museum. The inside is worth a visit if you like religious art, but if that does not interest you, there are plenty of other things to see in Siena other than the stunning collection inside the palace.
After visiting the square, you might think that Siena cannot possibly impress you anymore— and you would be wrong. Find your way to Via di Città (you can catch it if you walk up Via di Fontebranda from the square and turn left.) Keep going until you can turn right on Via del Capitano. Go a little bit further, and you will be met with the best view of the front of Siena's Duomo, the main cathedral of the city.
The cathedral is massive, like the Duomo in Florence, but the architecture is much different. Siena's Duomo is also a strange shape, which you will easily notice by the long wall sticking out from the nave of the church on the right. This is because it was Siena's ambition to build an even larger Cathedral essentially by recycling the current Duomo, or rather incorporating it into a new Duomo by using the current cathedral as the nave of the even bigger Cathedral. Plans fell through centuries ago after Siena hit an economic depression as Florence came to be the wealthiest and most powerful city in the region, and the new Duomo was never finished— the wall is still there, though, and climbing it from inside the Duomo will give you the best panoramic views of Siena.
The interior of the church is stunning, too. Looking up at the ceiling, you will have trouble fathoming how such a grand building was constructed hundreds of years ago. There are lots of informational stops in the church where you can learn about the cathedral's features with the audio guides that that are available in many different languages. The interior of the church can be crowded during the tourist season, so plan a time that is less busy to go.
In addition to the views off of the right side of the church from the wall, the Museo dell'Opera Metropolitano del Duomo offers another good collection of religious art and Catholic relics. The Libreria Piccolomini off of the left flank of the church is also awe-inducing, and the medieval books and musical scores housed inside are impressive.
Don't head back to the main square after visiting the Duomo without going into the baptistry, which is down the hill on the back side of the church. It isn't quite as large as the baptistry in Florence, but it is impressive, albeit a bit eerie inside. On the other end of the cathedral, the Santa Maria della Scala (next to the tourist office), is another museum located inside of a medieval medical complex.
There are many other lovely plazas in Siena to explore. One of my favorites is the small Piazza Tolomei off of Banchi di Sopra near the Palazzo Communale. If you are walking up this way, continue on after the plaza until you can make a right on Via dei Rossi. This will lead you to the beautiful Chiesa di San Francesco. The church itself is rather plain, but it is the setting that is beautiful— from this point, you can look down into the valley below. A trip to this church is a trip to another one of Siena's many impressive vistas, and if you are lucky, you might catch the church bells while you are there. A peaceful view with the tolling of church bells is true Italian bliss.
If this route does not interest you, there are plenty of other churches and piazzas to visit in Siena: Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico and Basilica di San Clemente in Santa Maria de Servi are two of the large churches. If you want more art or more nature, a trip to the Pinacoteca Nazionale art gallery and/or the Botanical Gardens might be worthwhile, too.
Just outside of the old town, the Medici Fortress has a wonderful public garden for kids to play and it houses an Enoteca Italiano for wine tasting. You can also explore Siena from underneath by walking in the old aqueduct dug by hand. Just keep in mind that reservations are required.
Before you visit, check the calendar for major events like the Palio horse race and the Flag Parades, as both draw large crowds. I was in Siena for the beginning end of one of the Flag Parades, and I would have loved to have stayed longer to watch all the madness instead of taking the train back to Florence. I don't quite understand the whole concept, but a Flag Parade is something like when members of all ages of all of the big families of a city race buoyantly through the streets on Sunday evenings… I was completely lost in what was happening but it was really entertaining to watch such an interesting cultural event. Just make sure not to get trampled!
As Siena is small compared to Florence, dining is obviously more limited in Siena, but there are still options. Although overpriced and a tad kitchy, I would recommend at least once eating at a restaurant on the Palazzo Communale. It truly is overpriced, but lunch (and maybe a glass of wine) with a view of the piazza is a slice of heaven.
Although Siena is smaller than Florence, it is also significantly less touristy, and it felt more traditional and more lived in to me when I was there—it offers a nice break if you are getting sick of the Florentine crowds and the tourist kitsch there.
Today's guest post is written by Max Levine. Max has been traveling ever since he can remember with his family. In recent years, he has been the one who plans vacations for his family and for himself, from researching airfare and railway tickets to crafting itineraries. In recent years, Max has traveled a lot both in the US and internationally. He has also developed a penchant for writing. Max hopes to continue pursuing opportunities to travel and write both in college and beyond that. You can also see Max's suggestions for two days in Budapest and a walking tour of Porto.


text:
Differences between Maize and Rice in N-use Efficiency for Photosynthesis and Protein Allocation
Amane Makino, Iroe Sakuma, Emi Sudo, Tadahiko Mae
AGR - Life Sciences
The N-use efficiency for photosynthesis was higher in a C4 plant, maize, than in a C3 plant, rice, including rbcS antisense rice with optimal ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) content for CO2-saturated photosynthesis, even when photosynthesis was measured under saturating CO2 conditions. The N cost for the C4 cycle enzymes in maize was not large, and the lower amount of Rubisco allowed a greater N investment in the thylakoid components. This greater content of the thylakoid components as well as the CO2 concentrating mechanism may support higher N-use efficiency for photosynthesis in maize.
Plant and Cell Physiology
https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcg113
Published - 2003 Sep 1
Gas exchange (leaf)
N-use efficiency
Oryza saliva L.
Protein allocation
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase
Zea mays L.
10.1093/pcp/pcg113
Dive into the research topics of 'Differences between Maize and Rice in N-use Efficiency for Photosynthesis and Protein Allocation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Photosynthesis Medicine & Life Sciences 100%
Zea mays Medicine & Life Sciences 82%
Oryza Medicine & Life Sciences 80%
Thylakoids Medicine & Life Sciences 53%
photosynthesis Agriculture & Biology 50%
rice Agriculture & Biology 44%
corn Agriculture & Biology 41%
ribulose 1,5-diphosphate Agriculture & Biology 38%
Makino, A., Sakuma, I., Sudo, E., & Mae, T. (2003). Differences between Maize and Rice in N-use Efficiency for Photosynthesis and Protein Allocation. Plant and Cell Physiology, 44(9), 952-956. https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcg113
Differences between Maize and Rice in N-use Efficiency for Photosynthesis and Protein Allocation. / Makino, Amane; Sakuma, Iroe; Sudo, Emi; Mae, Tadahiko.
In: Plant and Cell Physiology, Vol. 44, No. 9, 01.09.2003, p. 952-956.
Makino, A, Sakuma, I, Sudo, E & Mae, T 2003, 'Differences between Maize and Rice in N-use Efficiency for Photosynthesis and Protein Allocation', Plant and Cell Physiology, vol. 44, no. 9, pp. 952-956. https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcg113
Makino A, Sakuma I, Sudo E, Mae T. Differences between Maize and Rice in N-use Efficiency for Photosynthesis and Protein Allocation. Plant and Cell Physiology. 2003 Sep 1;44(9):952-956. https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcg113
Makino, Amane ; Sakuma, Iroe ; Sudo, Emi ; Mae, Tadahiko. / Differences between Maize and Rice in N-use Efficiency for Photosynthesis and Protein Allocation. In: Plant and Cell Physiology. 2003 ; Vol. 44, No. 9. pp. 952-956.
@article{15438c17da284586b75c5e4877570faa,
title = "Differences between Maize and Rice in N-use Efficiency for Photosynthesis and Protein Allocation",
abstract = "The N-use efficiency for photosynthesis was higher in a C4 plant, maize, than in a C3 plant, rice, including rbcS antisense rice with optimal ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) content for CO2-saturated photosynthesis, even when photosynthesis was measured under saturating CO2 conditions. The N cost for the C4 cycle enzymes in maize was not large, and the lower amount of Rubisco allowed a greater N investment in the thylakoid components. This greater content of the thylakoid components as well as the CO2 concentrating mechanism may support higher N-use efficiency for photosynthesis in maize.",
keywords = "Gas exchange (leaf), N-use efficiency, Oryza saliva L., Protein allocation, Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, Zea mays L.",
author = "Amane Makino and Iroe Sakuma and Emi Sudo and Tadahiko Mae",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan (Nos. 14360036 to A.M.) and by the Bio-Design-Program of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (BDP 03-1-1 to A.M.)",
doi = "10.1093/pcp/pcg113",
journal = "Plant and Cell Physiology",
T1 - Differences between Maize and Rice in N-use Efficiency for Photosynthesis and Protein Allocation
AU - Makino, Amane
AU - Sakuma, Iroe
AU - Sudo, Emi
AU - Mae, Tadahiko
N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan (Nos. 14360036 to A.M.) and by the Bio-Design-Program of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (BDP 03-1-1 to A.M.)
N2 - The N-use efficiency for photosynthesis was higher in a C4 plant, maize, than in a C3 plant, rice, including rbcS antisense rice with optimal ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) content for CO2-saturated photosynthesis, even when photosynthesis was measured under saturating CO2 conditions. The N cost for the C4 cycle enzymes in maize was not large, and the lower amount of Rubisco allowed a greater N investment in the thylakoid components. This greater content of the thylakoid components as well as the CO2 concentrating mechanism may support higher N-use efficiency for photosynthesis in maize.
AB - The N-use efficiency for photosynthesis was higher in a C4 plant, maize, than in a C3 plant, rice, including rbcS antisense rice with optimal ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) content for CO2-saturated photosynthesis, even when photosynthesis was measured under saturating CO2 conditions. The N cost for the C4 cycle enzymes in maize was not large, and the lower amount of Rubisco allowed a greater N investment in the thylakoid components. This greater content of the thylakoid components as well as the CO2 concentrating mechanism may support higher N-use efficiency for photosynthesis in maize.
KW - Gas exchange (leaf)
KW - N-use efficiency
KW - Oryza saliva L.
KW - Protein allocation
KW - Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase
KW - Zea mays L.
U2 - 10.1093/pcp/pcg113
DO - 10.1093/pcp/pcg113
JO - Plant and Cell Physiology
JF - Plant and Cell Physiology

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
My Father Left Me Ireland: An American Son's Search For Home
by Michael Brendan DoughertyMichael Brendan Dougherty
$19.92 $24.00 Save 17% Current price is $19.92, Original price is $24. You Save 17%.
The perfect gift for parents this Father's Day: a beautiful, gut-wrenching memoir of Irish identity, fatherhood, and what we owe to the past.
"A heartbreaking and redemptive book, written with courage and grace."
–J.D. Vance, author of Hillbilly Elegy
"…a lovely little book."
–Ross Douthat, The New York Times
The child of an Irish man and an Irish-American woman who split up before he was born, Michael Brendan Dougherty grew up with an acute sense of absence. He was raised in New Jersey by his hard-working single mother, who gave him a passion for Ireland, the land of her roots and the home of Michael's father. She put him to bed using little phrases in the Irish language, sang traditional songs, and filled their home with a romantic vision of a homeland over the horizon.
Every few years, his father returned from Dublin for a visit, but those encounters were never long enough. Devastated by his father's departures, Michael eventually consoled himself by believing that fatherhood was best understood as a check in the mail. Wearied by the Irish kitsch of the 1990s, he began to reject his mother's Irish nationalism as a romantic myth.
Years later, when Michael found out that he would soon be a father himself, he could no longer afford to be jaded; he would need to tell his daughter who she is and where she comes from. He immediately re-immersed himself in the biographies of firebrands like Patrick Pearse and studied the Irish language. And he decided to reconnect with the man who had left him behind, and the nation just over the horizon. He began writing letters to his father about what he remembered, missed, and longed for. Those letters would become this book.
Along the way, Michael realized that his longings were shared by many Americans of every ethnicity and background. So many of us these days lack a clear sense of our cultural origins or even a vocabulary for expressing this lack—so we avoid talking about our roots altogether. As a result, the traditional sense of pride has started to feel foreign and dangerous; we've become great consumers of cultural kitsch, but useless conservators of our true history.
In these deeply felt and fascinating letters, Dougherty goes beyond his family's story to share a fascinating meditation on the meaning of identity in America.
Michael Brendan Dougherty is a senior writer at National Review. He lives with his wife and three children in Mount Kisco, New York, just 3,146 miles from "granddad's house" in North County Dublin. This is his first book.
Only Child, Single Mother
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild with a faery, hand in hand, For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.
—"The Stolen Child," W. B. Yeats
Dear Father,
Do you remember when you put the hurl into my hand? I was six, I think. It was a gray day in Clare, a kind of gray I never saw at home in America. I remember the shabby carpet of the shop's floor and a mumbled instruction to put my hands at my side. A number of these hurls—these wooden axes used in a sport I did not know— were held up to my body for sizing. I couldn't understand much of what the men in the shop were saying. Their thick Irish accents, so different from yours, meant that even surrounded by others, I only understood you and my mother. On a day like this, it meant that the world beyond the three of us faded into the background, a little lilt on the air, a charming mumble.
All my boyhood memories of you are like this. A brief, suggestive interruption of a life I lived without you. We would meet. You would delight in your son. I would feel spoiled rotten, trying to soak up each moment together in all its detail. Then we would part. In the moments after, I would wail for want of you, before becoming quiet for days. My mother would worry for me as she navigated her own seas of love and hatred of you. Then the whole topic of "my father" would begin to fade from consciousness, sometimes for years. Most days, I lived as if you did not exist. It is only recently that I tried to think about what you were thinking then. Or what you felt that day.
I remember other little flashes of things about that trip to Ireland. I remember my mother, her mother, and I taking a ferry to one of the Aran Islands. We walked a five-mile stretch, and I tried to take seriously the charge a local man gave me to uncover the faeries there. He probably laughed at the predictable gullibility of Americans. But as my grandmother gingerly made her way over and through this green-and-gray labyrinth, the one that my mother assured her was the true repository of our nationality, I saw the faeries squelching in the mud near every low rock wall. I inhaled the briny Atlantic air, proud that unlike my classmates who called themselves Italian, I had put my Velcroed foot onto something solid on the opposite side of the Jersey shore. I remember later when a cab driver made the sign of the cross as we passed by the parish church. And my grandmother imitated him, having only just discovered this new-to-her sign of devotion.
I remember being waist high to you and my mother in a crowded, dark pub somewhere, and the slightly renegade thrill of being in a place made for adults. I remember the way you ended your sentences with a suggestive "you know." To this boy's ears, it was an invitation to be with you in every story. "I was working in the black market, you know. When you were born, I went straight, you know. Not very much money, you know." My impertinent counting of the drinks each of you had was appraised as the work of America's antidrinking propaganda on the young. I remember the sound of Irish music enveloping us, that propulsive and occasionally annoying clatter of banjos, fiddles, and tin whistles. Beneath the harsh stage lights, and amidst the smell of cigarette smoke, watery stout, and mold somewhere in the building, there were men singing. And in my memory, the men singing and playing are transformed into the Irish folk singers my mother inflicted on me with her cassettes: Every baritone is Christy Moore. Every tenor, Paul Brady.
I had this dim sense of the two of you enjoying each other, and enjoying me. I moved about this world in which every object was charged with meaning. I remember Mom's blue eye shadow and the gold-plated bangles and your thick Irish wool jumper. I remember that my mother's Virginia Slims suddenly had this new Irish name, "fags," which I was not allowed to repeat. I remember the smoke drifting up from her glass held at the height of my head, and seeming to curl around your arm like a lasso. And I was praying it would pull you two closer to each other.
But my prayers were not answered. And my memory turns back to America.
A heartbreaking and redemptive book, written with courage and grace. It is fascinating reading for anyone who has ever wondered about the pain caused by that increasingly common American problem: sons growing up without their fathers. For those who have endured that pain, it is essential." —J. D. Vance, author of Hillbilly Elegy
"This rich, poetic book is not only about fathers and sons; it's also about discovering, through pain and perseverance, the most profound meaning of patriotism." —Rod Dreher, author of The Benedict Option
"A beautiful ode to the father of a fatherless boy, and to the redemptive power of a sense of history." —Reihan Salam, author of Melting Pot or Civil War?
"A bracingly candid and deeply personal chronicle of growing up." —Yuval Levin, National Review
"Beautiful, poignant . . . Dougherty's memoir resonates because loving your father and loving his history isn't unique to just some people and some places. We all want these same intangible things Dougherty so deftly describes." —Washington Examiner
"Through lyrical prose, Dougherty reconstructs nationhood's true definition." —City Journal
"A book with a unique thesis, written by one of the most forceful and honest political commentators currently writing." —University Bookman
new york revised book
taylor & francis book
book by michael specter
book by phillip thomas tucker
harpercollins publishers american book
book by debra komar
All the Nations Under Heaven: Immigrants, Migrants, and
First published in 1996, All the Nations Under Heaven has earned praise and a wide ...
First published in 1996, All the Nations Under Heaven has earned praise and a wide readership for its unparalleled chronicle of the role of immigrants and migrants in shaping the history and culture of New York City. This updated edition ...
American Forefathers' Boxed Set of Wisdom
American Forefathers Boxed Set of Wisdom,Applewood Books ...
American Forefathers Boxed Set of Wisdom,Applewood Books
Booking Passage: We Irish and Americans
A good read even for those who have not the least ancestral or national bias—for ...
A good read even for those who have not the least ancestral or national bias—for those who desire civilized entertainment along with brilliant narrative. —Seattle TimesIn thirty-five years and dozens of return trips to Ireland, Thomas Lynch has found a ...
Comparative Sociology of Examinations
Contemporary societies are constructed, constricted, and constrained by various series of examinations. Governments of both ...
Contemporary societies are constructed, constricted, and constrained by various series of examinations. Governments of both Western and non-Western countries tend to conduct detailed, multi-layered and continuous systems of tests or examinations. International tests, such as PISA and TIMSS, have also ...
Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Harms the Planet and
In this provocative and headline-making book, Michael Specter confronts the widespread fear of science and ...
In this provocative and headline-making book, Michael Specter confronts the widespread fear of science and its terrible toll on individuals and the planet. In Denialism, New Yorker staff writer Michael Specter reveals that Americans have come to mistrust institutions and ...
Ecoles en tension: Les résistances à la relégation
Une analyse des positionnements de jeunes urbains, issus de quartiers défavorisés et en réussite scolaire.Cet ...
Une analyse des positionnements de jeunes urbains, issus de quartiers défavorisés et en réussite scolaire.Cet ouvrage analyse les positionnements de jeunes de quartiers défavorisés en réussite scolaire sur plusieurs dimensions – urbaines, sociales, ethniques et scolaires – ...
How the Irish Won the American Revolution: A
When the Continental Congress decided to declare independence from the British empire in 1776, ten ...
When the Continental Congress decided to declare independence from the British empire in 1776, ten percent of the population of their fledgling country were from Ireland. By 1790, close to 500,000 Irish citizens had immigrated to America. They were was ...
The Irish Americans: A History
Jay Dolan of Notre Dame University is one of America's most acclaimed scholars of immigration ...
Jay Dolan of Notre Dame University is one of America's most acclaimed scholars of immigration and ethnic history. In THE IRISH AMERICANS, he caps his decades of writing and teaching with this magisterial history of the Irish experience in the ...


Lucie Cookson will be giving a workshop on painting impressionistic landscapes. Lucie teaches at her own school of art Tidy St. in West Sussex. she specializes in oil paint techniques as well as running regular life drawing and pastel workshops. Her relaxed and entertaining approach puts students at ease and her ability to explain complex ideas with accessible language means that her classes and demonstrations are quick to book up.


Molino de Saladilla It is located in a small green valley, yet on the edge of the town of Coín, only 30 minutes from Málaga airport and Marbella but well in the heart of Andalusia with good connections for great activities and amazing sights.
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Pop Up Shop fixture system - the Hangrail House. A modular, freestanding merchandising system that ships flat and installs in 15 minutes. Set up any number of uprights in any configuration. Add adjustable Hangrails, Faceouts, Shelves, or Sign Holder Hangrails to merchandise perfectly. Shown in Powder-Coat White but available in any finish!


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Tag: Life Light Weekend Music Festival
Spencer Kane Reaching Teens Worldwide with Hope
"The music I write is usually inspired from things I observe at school or talk about with people."
Thirteen is the age when most kids begin to see change in their own life as well as lives around them. For Spencer Kane, it was a critical year of change that involved his first public performance and making a commitment to stay pure until marriage.
For someone entering the dreaded middle school years, this was an extremely courageous public statement to make.
As an athlete in basketball and baseball, Spencer had always been one of the guys and held fast to his dream of playing college or pro sports some day. An honors student in school and a typical all-American boy next door, it would seem embracing his talent for music and commitment to avoid sexual activities until marriage would be honorable among his peers.
Wrong! Instead, he became the target for serious bullying and ridicule for making both choices. As a typical jock, it isn't the norm for a male athlete to pursue the arts like singing and acting. Add to that his choice to wait for his first kiss until the right girl, maybe even his future bride, well, that was simply too much oddity for middle school peers to handle.
After several attempts to resolve the consistent bullying flair ups, Spencer's parents elected to move him on to another school district. This new school fully embraced Spencer's talents as both an athlete and artist.
That was 2011. Today, 2013, Spencer is 16 and has come a long way since those times.
"When I look back, I still remember how it felt and how lonely it was. I won't ever forget that season of my life and still experience some verbal bullying even today. I'm more able to handle it now than when I was 13. I think a lot of kids and teens aren't as fortunate to have parents who they can openly talk to or don't understand the help that comes from having a relationship with God to get you through",
said Spencer at a recent speaking engagement with a local Rotary International meeting.
Having had this personal experience as well as listening to dozens of fans from around the world share their own stories has allowed Spencer to be inspired to write the songs on his latest CD, 'One of the Kind' released February 1, 2013 on iTunes and many other online download retailers.
"The music I write is usually inspired from things I observe at school or talk about with people. It helps me to want to write lyrics that share the issues most teens face today and hopefully give them a message of hope that things can get better",
he added.
Continue reading "Spencer Kane Reaching Teens Worldwide with Hope"
Author RivenmasterPosted on 02-02-2013 22-03-2013 Categories Featured, Spencer Kane, Young Actors, Young Male Artists M-ZTags 413, actor, Anti-Bullying, Blue Sky., boy, bullying, debut artist, Demi Lovato, iShine Knect, Julie Hertzog, Life Light Weekend Music Festival, Mission 6, Move in the Right Direction, National Bullying Prevention Center, New EP, New Music, Newsboys, One Of The Kind, PACER, Pop Artist, Rachel Chan, Reason to Be, Spencer Kane, TBN Network, Teen, The Rubyz, youth


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Today's Newsletter August 10 Edition
The message you have just received was delivered by Mike Huckabee and includes advertising powered by PowerInbox. These ads help bring this newsletter to you free of charge.
Today's Commentary --- Clearer every day: Bruce Ohr's notes show illegitimacy of "Russia" probe -- "Humanized mice" and aborted fetuses: a story worthy of Stephen King -- Education failure -- NYC regulations -- Israel retaliates -- How the government spends money -- Evening Edition - Daily Verse
If Trump's lawyers seem to be taking a much tougher stand lately, it's probably because almost every day, something new comes out about what we now know was a plot to prevent Trump from being elected, and, later, to stop him from functioning as President. The real "Russia" news isn't coming from Robert Mueller --- the worst crime of all may be his unbelievable skill in the art of selective prosecution --- but from intrepid reporters such as John Solomon and Sara A. Carter, undeterred watchdog groups such as Judicial Watch, determined Republicans on congressional committees, and attorneys such as Gregg Jarrett and Alan Dershowitz who aren't afraid to speak out about what's happening to justice in this country.
It seems everything has been turned on its head. The institutions we've historically trusted to investigate and enforce the law equally have shown themselves to be unworthy of that trust. This isn't just the rant of someone blindly coming to the defense of the President –- it's based on legal principles and hard evidence, more and more all the time. The evidence has been painfully slow in coming because it concerns the very people who would normally be CONDUCTING such an investigation.
READ MORE ON MY WEBSITE HERE>>>
"Humanized mice" and aborted fetuses: a story worthy of Stephen King
By Mike Huckabee
Here's a great idea for a horror novel worthy of Stephen King
A U.S. government agency signs an exclusive contract with one American company to buy tissue from aborted fetuses (gestation 17-22 weeks) that will be used to inject into "humanized mice" used for medical research.
To create a "humanized mouse," researchers remove its bone marrow and implant thymus and liver tissue from aborted fetuses, to introduce the stem cells and change its immune system. So, in case you were thinking a "humanized mouse" was something out of Disney cartoon, it's not, at least in this context. This is a real, physical lab mouse, altered to have a functioning human immune system so it can be used to test the adverse effects of drugs. It's understandable that researchers would want a convenient way to test potential treatments, but they way they go about it in this story is chilling to the marrow.
Since the human fetal tissue must be "fresh," it can come only from elective abortions, not miscarriages. (As the plant says in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, "Must be blood...must be FRESH!")
I can think of all sorts of ways this novel could go, all of which are horrific, and all of which involve destroying human babies that are in some cases almost into the third trimester. Wouldn't this make a horrifying work of science fiction? "Humanized mice" reminds me of "Soylent Green" --- they're both people.
Or I could just decide to write a nonfiction book --- or produce a documentary film --- because this is a real story. The U.S. government agency is our own Food and Drug Administration. The company is Advanced Bioscience Resources, a California non-profit. According to ABR, the tissue comes from first- and second-trimester abortions (and some full-term stillbirths) and must conform to specific "tissue characteristics, preservation methods and delivery times."
As one might expect, the pro-life lobby is on this. (Apparently, "humanized mice" are a growth industry --- an online search turns up link after link.) The fetal tissue is being purchased by our government with taxpayer money from a company that has partnered with Planned Parenthood. Since the sale or trade of tissue from aborted fetuses for profit is illegal, and donations from hospitals and university labs have proven unreliable, nonprofits such as ABR are serving as sort of a "tissue broker," a go-between for abortion clinics and scientists. According to its own documents, ABR pays clinics a "nominal fee" to cover costs and then charges the FDA and other clients a markup for their services.
So it seems the trafficking in aborted fetal tissue is alive and well (unlike the fetuses), the one difference being that now there's a middle man. When contacted by a pro-life journalist for comment, the FDA stated that what they are doing is legal and that "where ABR sources its tissue is not the FDA's business."
And that attitude truly is horrifying.
TO LEAVE ME A COMMENT ABOUT THIS STORY, GO TO MY WEBSITE HERE>>>
Education Failure
A charter school in Atlanta, Georgia, is the latest school to stop making students start the day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. They claim it's being replaced with something "more inclusive": the "Wolf Pack Chant" - because the school's mascot is a wolf or something. Officials say students and teachers will work together in the coming months to create their school chant, which "will focus on students' civic responsibility to their school family, community, country and our global society." Well, it's nice that they managed to throw "country" into the mix, at least.
The excuse for this shunning of the Pledge of Allegiance from other schools is that it makes students "uncomfortable," and some of them have refused to stand for it after seeing the shining example of NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem.
Apparently, these schools don't even realize what an indictment these statements are of their own abject failure to educate these students properly. If they were receiving a real education, then they would be overjoyed to recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day, because they would know how incredibly lucky and blessed they are to be "included" in the population of the United States of America.
While they're learning about all those other cultures that are part of the "global society" and as good as or better than ours, how about taking a few minutes to teach them why so many people who are part of those cultures gladly risk their lives to come here, to the nation these students disrespect, to enjoy the rights and freedoms these students have been taught to take for granted? How about focusing a few days' study on such non-American paradises as Pakistan, Cuba, Sudan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, North Korea, and the list goes on and on? Maybe sending them for spring break in Venezuela instead of Fort Lauderdale would give those who make it home alive a little more appreciation for what previous generations fought and died to bequeath to them.
I guess that's too much to expect, for these schools actually to teach students the facts about America. So if your kids go to a school like that, sit them down and make them listen to this, Red Skelton's famous monologue explaining the Pledge of Allegiance, word by word. I have a feeling that your kids will learn more about America from this beloved clown than they will from all the liberal clowns in charge of their school curriculum.
WATCH RED SKELETON'S PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE HERE>>>
NYC regulations
If you've ever been to New York City, you know that one of the biggest problems (aside from finding a bathroom) is finding transportation. There's the subway, but visitors have a hard time figuring it out and many don't want to go near it, for obvious reasons. And cabs are expensive and often hard to flag down. That's why, for many New Yorkers and tourists, the creation of Uber and Lyft, the app-based ride-sharing services that come to you, was a godsend. They also gave enterprising individuals with cars a way to make extra money with the freedom to set their own schedules. But as we've all learned, nothing that combines that much individual freedom, convenience, customer satisfaction and lack of burdensome regulation can survive long once liberals take over government.
And so, on Wednesday, the New York City Council, as part of Mayor Bill DeBlasio's ongoing campaign to ruin the revitalized city he inherited from Republicans Giuliani and Bloomberg, voted not to issue any more Uber or Lyft licenses for a year (most cities don't even require licenses.) DeBlasio has been trying to crack down on ride-app services since 2015, claiming they cause traffic congestion and are "driving New Yorkers into poverty."
Unless "Poverty" is one of the five boroughs, I guess he's talking about Uber and Lyft drivers, since the legislation allows the city to regulate their pay. Or maybe he means cab drivers, since the entrenched taxi companies hate Uber and Lyft. They could change their business model to keep up with the times, or they could get the government to crack down on their competition. That's capitalism of the crony variety.
It will be interesting to see if New York City traffic actually moves faster with fewer Uber and Lyft drivers on the streets. But I'd be willing to bet that people who need to get somewhere won't care much that the driving time is ten minutes shorter if they can't find anyone to drive them there.
Israel retaliates
Early Thursday, Israel launched 150 airstrikes on Hama militant strongholds in Gaza. It was in retaliation for a barrage of 180 missiles fired into the Israeli town of Sderot, which injured 11 people, including one woman who is in serious condition. Others are being treated for shock trauma.
Incredibly, Hamas took credit for the missile attack on Israeli civilians, then promptly condemned Israel for "the barbaric shelling of Gaza and the deliberate targeting of civilians." The only thing more breathtaking than the naked hypocrisy of that statement will be the number of allegedly civilized people who will swallow and repeat it. Israel does everything possible to avoid civilian casualties, which is why Hamas hides behind civilians, even children. Meanwhile, Hamas deliberately targets innocent Israeli civilians.
As usual, I wonder whether those who condemn Israel for retaliating for these attacks on innocent civilians would expect America to just sit and take it if MS-13 gangs in Mexico started firing missiles into the suburbs of San Diego.
How the government spends money
Most people set as a goal in life trying to spend less money than they have. Many don't set aside nearly as much as they'd like, but rational people at least consider it a win if they get to the end of the month with more leftover paycheck than bills. This is just one of many ways in which government is not like rational people.
2018 is only two-thirds over, but federal government's fiscal year ends on September 30. That means government agencies that have yet to spend their budgets for the year are now going on steroid-injected spending sprees and handing out cash to contractors like there's no tomorrow, just to try to get rid of all the money allocated to them. The reason: if they spend less than they said they needed, Congress might give them less next year (fat chance, since in Washington, if you reduce an agency's budget increase from 12% to only 10%, Democrats accuse you of making "draconian cuts.") They have to spend it all by the end of the fiscal year so they can tell Congress they ran out of money just in the nick of time and desperately need more next year.
Unfortunately for these agencies, some have really been slacking off in the tax money squandering department this year. As the linked article from NextGov.com reports, agencies were concerned about Congress' failure to pass a budget agreement so they spent less than usual on contracts in the first half of the year. While spending has ramped up recently, only two of the ten largest federal agencies have spent 70% of their discretionary budgets by the start of the fourth quarter. HHS has spent only 23% of its projected $65 billion budget, the DHS has spent 27% of its $44 billion budget, and the VA has spent only $15 billion of its projected $88 billion budget. I would call that "winning," except if the VA has money that needs to be spent on veterans, then spend it already. And I have to quote this next part verbatim:
"That's problematic because over the past five years, agencies have averaged about 32 percent of their spending in the fourth quarter, meaning the vast majority of agencies are way behind."
Only in Washington would it be considered "problematic" to be spending less money than you expected. But of course, only in Washington is all the money that's spent other people's money.
Evening Edition - August 9
A wrap-up of all the news you might have missed yesterday!
"Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits."
-Romans 12:16
Did you miss reading a newsletter recently? Go to our archive here.
Permalink: https://www.mikehuckabee.com/2018/8/today-s-newsletter-august-10-edition
Today's Newsletter July 17 Edition
News from a conservative point of view...
ed matthews
Hi Governor. Just finding information that would be great on your show and maybe interview some of them. It is the #walk away movement on Yahoo news and many on You tube videos. It is about people and a lot of blacks telling why they are walking away from their Democratic party because it hates blacks puts down everybody and they just can't stand the hatefulness and attacking anybody who does not agree with them. Watch some you tube videos it needs nationwide attention. Your in Christ Thanks Ed Matthews 704 589 3391
Mary Botha
How the government (of CA) spend tax money: interesting article about the DMV: California's version of the House Banking Scandal?
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/08/californias_version_of_the_house_banking_scandal.html
Please audit the DMV!
Democrats scuttle proposed California DMV audit as complaints besiege lawmakers