Skadi Forum > Social Sciences > Politics & Geopolitics > Political Theory > The Barents Cooperation: A Vision for a Better Europe.
View Full Version : The Barents Cooperation: A Vision for a Better Europe.
Tuesday, November 9th, 2004, 10:23 PM
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bjørn
Tore Godal
In Nansen's footsteps. The
Barents cooperation: A
vision for a better Europe.
London, 5 October 1995
I am honoured to have this opportunity to address the Royal Geographical Society, which has been a focal point for British geographers and explorers for more than a century. Thus, it is also a most appropriate venue for a memorial lecture on the explorer and scientist Fridtjof Nansen.
The most urgent issues and challenges have always included a geographical element. This is perhaps even more true today than it was in the past, before environmental degradation, the population explosion, climate change and nature conservation made their appearance on the global agenda - indeed, until recently, there was no such thing as a global agenda. Nevertheless, geography has always played a crucial role in peace and cooperation. It is therefore not surprising that some of its practitioners have also made significant contributions to peace and international cooperation.
Fridtjof Nansen is one of those scientists who will also be remembered as a diplomat, a humanitarian, a writer and an artist. He served as our first minister to the United Kingdom from 1906 to 1908 and worked hard to achieve international recognition for the newly independent Norway after the dissolution of the union with Sweden in 1905. Fridtjof Nansen's efforts to assist the population in famine-stricken Russia, Armenia and Ukraine in the 1920s, in the wake of World War I and the civil war in the Soviet Union have earned him a place in the annals of history. Nor must we forget the great task he carried out for the League of Nations in repatriating almost half a million prisoners of war.
Tonight, however, I will focus on Nansen the explorer. His association with the High North gives an interesting historical angle to the regional cooperation that has been established in this area since the end of the Cold War. What we have chosen to call the Barents Region includes the northern parts of the Nordic countries as well as Northwestern Russia. For centuries, the Arctic has represented, for people further south, a symbol of adventure, dreams and the endeavour to utilize natural resources. The ice-cold, dark polar nights, the endless sunshine of the summer months, the vast tundra and the untouched wilderness have always attracted explorers and adventurers. In this forum, I venture to claim that the best among them were either British or Norwegian - although Mr. Barents himself was a Dutchman.
This year we can commemorate the 100th anniversary of what is generally regarded as one of the most daring polar expeditions ever made. From the ship "Fram", which had been frozen in the ice in the Barents Sea for almost two years, Nansen and his companion Johansen (by the way, from my native town of Skien in Telemark) set out in March 1895 to reach the North Pole using skis and dog sledges. They reached 86* 14' before having to turn back, and their achievement will never be forgotten.
Eighteen years later, in 1913, Nansen sailed into the Arctic Ocean and up the Siberian river Yenisey to the town of Krasnoyarsk. The Norwegian businessman who had invited Nansen to take part in the journey had a scheme to open up Siberia to the whole world through his Siberian Steamship, Manufacturing and Trading Company Ltd. In Krasnoyarsk the Norwegian businessman met a young Georgian prisoner, later known as Josef Stalin, and offered him assistance to escape and a job as a woodcutter. Stalin declined, apparently because he had fallen in love with a woman in the camp. Who could think of a better reason?
As a matter of curiosity, I would also like to mention that one of Fridtjof Nansen's ancestors, Hans Nansen, who was to become Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, sailed to the Kola Peninsula with his uncle in 1614. In 1619, at the age of 21, he led an expedition to the White Sea and Northern Russia. For 18 years thereafter he sailed northwards every summer to buy skins, furs and walrus tusks. He became a wealthy man. This shows both that a taste for adventure in the High North was in Fridtjof Nansen's blood, and that there is a long tradition of contact between the Nordic countries and Northwestern Russia.
During the Soviet era, the Northeast Passage, or Northern Sea Route, was closed for political reasons. Today, the route is open, and a comprehensive study of all aspects of its future use is being carried out by the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Oslo. This is another testimony to the fundamental change in the international political climate and its impact on the European scene.
Since the death of Fridtjof Nansen 65 years ago, Europe has experienced dramatic change, terror and war, deep division and military confrontation. At the same time, we have witnessed advances in democracy, growing respect for human rights and an increase in prosperity on a scale hardly foreseeable in the early decades of the century. Ours is a time of dramatic economic and political change, and of hope for a better future for the peoples of Europe, but also of fear for what the future might bring. New economic and political ties are being forged between countries, regions and individuals on both sides of the former East-West divide. Nevertheless, there is still a danger that the gap in living standards between East and West will endure and even widen. And once again war is being fought on our continent.
In this situation the main challenge facing us is to create a new European architecture that will bring greater security to all of us. The end of the Cold War gave us a historic chance to unite Europe in a pattern of mutual cooperation and trust. Norway is one of the countries that has emphasized most strongly that Russia must be given an equal place in European cooperation. We have actively sought to promote a course of development that will include Russia, because we believe this to be in the interests of our own security and of stability in Europe.
Norway's most important contribution to the integration of Russia into international cooperation structures followed an initiative taken by my predecessor Thorvald Stoltenberg in 1992. He proposed a conference on cross-border regional cooperation in the north, to include both Russian and Scandinavian territory. The Barents Region was established in January 1993 when foreign ministers and representatives of the Nordic countries, the European Union and Russia signed a declaration on expanded cooperation in the Barents Region in the small Norwegian town of Kirkenes, close to the Norwegian-Russian border.
The Barents region itself covers the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland and Northwestern Russia, including the counties of Murmansk and Archangel as well as the Republic of Karelia. Right from the beginning, the Barents Cooperation has had two main strategic goals, which are closely related. The first is to establish normal neighbourly relations across the former East-West divide in the north. This can be done through a network of cooperation which will have a stabilizing effect on the area as a whole. In this way, we will also be involving Russia more closely in European cooperation. The second goal is to promote economic and social development in the Barents Region itself.
The overriding objective of the Norwegian Government's initiative concerning the Barents Region was, and is still related to security policy in the broadest sense of the word. Regional cooperation in the north can contribute to confidence-building, create interdependence and thus enhance security.
My predecessor Johan Jørgen Holst once stated that we intend "... to create a meeting place, a forum for dialogue and a framework that can be used as a basis for establishing new and lasting networks across national borders ... The Barents Cooperation is mainly concerned with building bridges across the gap created by three-quarters of a century of closed borders, broken ties and mutual distrust."
The Iron Curtain which separated continental Europe also split this region in two. Despite the fact that NATO's northern flank and one of the most important strategic areas of the Soviet Union met here, Norway's policy of low tension contributed to keeping this region free from open military confrontation throughout the Cold War. Nevertheless, the border between Norway and Russia was for all practical purposes closed and contact between people across the border was almost non-existent.
With the establishment of the Barents Region, we are now seeing an explosive increase in border crossings and flourishing contact between private persons, companies, organizations and local government representatives across the borders. This gives a new dimension to the everyday life of people in the region and contributes to the building of mutual trust.
In our view, it is of the utmost importance to involve local people from all walks of life in this process. And we are already seeing results. A large number of people in positions of authority at both local and central level have established contact to discuss their respective problems, objectives and priorities. We are also seeing broader public involvement, not least in cultural activities.
It is particularly important to involve young people and the intellectual community, since they are influential groups in the development of Russian society. The close contact between the universities of Tromsø and Archangel is a good example of this approach. This type of networking has great potential. Not only is it an asset in attaining the political goals of the Barents Cooperation, but it is also often a necessity for achieving results in specific projects. In many ways, mutual understanding and cooperation in cultural terms pave the way for other forms of cooperation.
Our second overriding goal, to promote development in the Barents Region itself, has been one of Norway's main priorities from the very beginning. As a regional arrangement, the Barents Cooperation should primarily serve the interests of those who live in the region. The main challenge facing the region now is to rid itself of the legacy of the Cold War. We must create stability and promote progress in political, social, economic and environmental affairs in Northwestern Russia, while at the same time safeguarding local cultural traditions.
We should bear in mind that the history of the Barents Region is not solely one of division and isolation. Before the Russian revolution of 1917, close links had existed for centuries between Northwestern Russia and the northern parts of the Nordic countries. In particular, trade flourished as Pomors - or farmers - from around the Russian White Sea visited Northern Norway to sell flour in exchange for fish. They provided vital food supplies to the coastal population of Northern Norway at a time when the communication lines to the south were not always reliable. During the Napoleonic Wars, the British blockaded ports in Southern Norway preventing the shipment of flour from Denmark. Even if the British Navy "ruled the waves", it did not control Northern Norwegian waters, and could not prevent the population there from buying flour from Russia. Consequently, to show their displeasure, the British dispatched two brigs in 1809, which bombarded Hammerfest, the world's most northerly town, causing widespread damage.
Throughout most of history, the borders between the countries of the High North have been of little importance to the peoples of the area. National capitals seemed very far away. Trade and other forms of contact meant that people were constantly travelling back and forth across the borders. We might say that a regional identity emerged, a sense of common destiny among peoples sharing the experience of trying to make a living in harsh surroundings.
The Barents Region is home to many different ethnic groups: in addition to Swedes, Finns, Russians and Norwegians, there are several indigenous peoples. These include the Sami, who live in all four countries, and the Nenets and the Komi of Northwestern Russia. In the Karelian Republic, there are several Finno-Ugric minorities. A total of at least nine different languages are spoken by the inhabitants of the region. Adding to the complexity, national minorities live in all four countries. Among them are Finnish-speaking populations in Norway and Sweden and people from various parts of the former Soviet Union living in Northwestern Russia.
The Norwegian Government considers it important to ensure that the indigenous peoples are given an independent status and role in the Barents Cooperation. The Barents Cooperation has already created a new framework and given impetus to cross-border cooperation between indigenous peoples in the north. It has become a meeting place for Nordic and Russian Sami, Komi and Nenets. The Barents Cooperation has opened up new opportunities for the Sami people. Once again it is possible for the Sami on the Kola Peninsula to rejoin the rest of the Sami community and to reestablish links with other indigenous minorities in the region.
The utilization of natural resources in the Barents Region is a matter of vital interest to the indigenous peoples. The President of the Norwegian Sami Assembly acknowledges that the Barents Cooperation has given indigenous peoples an opportunity to be involved in safeguarding their own interests during a process of economic development which might otherwise have left them with a sense of powerlessness. We share their interest in ensuring that political considerations are taken into account in the further development of the region.
Another goal of the Barents Cooperation is to establish business relations, personal contacts and encourage friendship between people from different cultures and historical backgrounds living in the same region. It is part of our vision for a better Europe for all Europeans. Stability, good relations and common trust and understanding among neighbours are elements of a vision that can only be fulfilled through the often exhausting, practical, day-to-day cooperation in fora such as the Barents Cooperation.
In this way we can help to build bridges between people who live close to each other, but who have nevertheless been kept apart for decades. It would clearly be in Fridtjof Nansen's spirit to view regional cooperation in such a perspective. Or, as Nansen himself said when he received the Nobel Peace Price in 1922: "The world needs no more programmes, no more paper, no more words. Work is needed, persistent and laborious work which must start from below to build the world up again".
We have created a political instrument designed to normalize relations across the former East-West divide in the north. This should be used to ensure better political control of developments in the region, particularly as regards the balance between the utilization of natural resources and environmental considerations. We would thereby provide the necessary conditions for renewed growth, thus strengthening the commercial base and also promoting economic development in the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland.
However, it is no easy task to normalize our relations and establish practical cooperation with Russia. Much remains to be done in Russia before conditions for private foreign investment reach a satisfactory level. There are major deficiencies in the legal system. The same applies to law enforcement and business legislation. These problems hinder Western investments in Russia and have hampered the development of the Russian economy and the improvement of living standards. The relative instability of the political situation is another problem which influences the level of foreign investments.
It is perhaps unrealistic at this stage to believe that substantially better conditions can be established for economic cooperation in the Barents Region than for cooperation with Russia in general. Nonetheless, the fact that local and regional authorities have responded so wholeheartedly to the cooperation is significant. This also inspires the local Russian authorities to take up specific obstacles to cooperation with the central authorities in Russia. The Barents Cooperation can thus become a workshop for the development of cooperation between the countries of Western Europe and Russia.
The Barents Cooperation is not the only regional initiative involving Russia and its neighbours. Others include the Baltic and the Black Sea Cooperation, which are also elements in a "Europe of Regions". I do not claim that the Barents Cooperation is more important than the others. However, some of the experience already gained in this forum may be of more general interest.
One example is the success of the two-tier organization of the Barents Region: a Barents Council of Ministers and a Regional Council. The establishment of a Regional Council consisting of political leaders of the counties within the region as well as a representative of the indigenous peoples means that much of the initiative and the responsibility for the cooperation rests with the regional representatives themselves. The Regional Council and its working groups have adopted a very practical and result-oriented approach. The needs and hopes of the region itself dominate their work. The Regional Council is a driving force behind the Barents Cooperation. This means that important decisions are made by people who are familiar with the problems of the region and aware of its potential.
At first glance, it may seem strange for national governments to delegate some of its foreign policy decision-making to local government level. In my view, experience has shown that it was right to give the Regional Council an independent status and not subordinate it to the Barents Council. The relationship between the Barents Council and the Regional Council is based on close cooperation between central and local authorities in each country. Provided that channels of communication between the national and the regional levels are open, this is an advantage, not a threat to the exercise of a nation's foreign policy.
In many countries relations between periphery and centre are strained. In the case of Russia, this issue has been the subject of much discussion. We must, of course, expect a certain conflict of interest. Nevertheless, I think that if regional cooperation is organized as it has been in the Barents Region, it may in turn help to improve relations between the capital and outlying districts in individual countries.
For a regional cooperation project to succeed, good will and good intentions are not enough. The institutions involved must be given the means to deal with practical tasks. This implies that resources must be channelled to the regional level as well, and that concrete cooperation projects must be implemented. To a certain extent, this has already been done in the Barents Region. The Regional Council administers a regional programme comprising a broad variety of joint projects.
The Regional Council considers that its resources are too limited. This is understandable, and I have myself often emphasized the need to provide increased resources to the regional level. After almost three years of existence, the Barents Cooperation has reached a level of maturity where substantial, tangible results can be expected. We have been through an initial phase of dismantling old divides, establishing contacts and finding ways of organizing cooperation. Now we have to see to it that we start up projects that will produce clear results.
I have in mind projects that entail substantial investments in industry, infrastructure and the environment. Some suitable projects are at the design stage, some have just been launched and a few are now well underway. I am confident that in a few years' time we shall see substantial results in these areas. Funding is of course a key issue. In particular, environmental clean-up operations and safety measures for nuclear reactors and nuclear waste will require resources far beyond the capacity of Russia and its Nordic neighbours.
I would like to stress that the development of Northwestern Russia is of great interest to the whole Barents Region, notwithstanding the presence of an element of a donor-recipient relationship due to the differences between the western and the eastern part of the region. For the northern parts of the Nordic countries, there is a large potential market in Northwestern Russia. A stable pattern of development will increase security for people living in this border area between NATO and the former Soviet Union. We intend to develop cooperation arrangements between equal partners to their mutual benefit. We envisage that regional cooperation will contribute to this end.
There is a European dimension to the Barents Cooperation. This is underlined by the fact that the European Commission is a full member of the Barents Council. Indeed, the Barents Cooperation provides a forum for relations between the EU and Russia. Two new members of the EU, Sweden and Finland, are active participants in their own right, along with Norway and Russia. In addition, several European countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany, as well as Japan, the USA and Canada have observer status in the Barents Council.
The vast natural resources of the Barents Region are also of great interest to outsiders. The region stretches from the remote Arctic islands of Franz Josef Land lying above 80 degrees North, where Nansen and Johansen survived the winter of 1895-1896, to the tundra of the Nenets Autonomous Area in the far north east, through the deep taiga of Archangel, Karelia, Finnish Lapland and Sweden's Norrbotten province, to the Atlantic coast of Northern Norway. The region covers more than 1.2 million square kilometres - about five times the area of the United Kingdom - but has a population of barely 4.5 million inhabitants. The region is rich in minerals, forests, gas and oil, and there is a wealth of marine resources in the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea off its northern and western shores.
The prospects for economic growth and prosperity in the region as a whole are quite good. At the same time, the region covers some of the last wilderness areas in Europe, large areas of almost untouched nature in a climatic zone which is highly vulnerable to pollution and other adverse effects of industrial activity. There are examples of serious environmental degradation in the region. Old-style Soviet industry has had some appalling results, and we are now facing the daunting challenge of finding the necessary resources to deal with the situation.
From the Norwegian point of view, environmental protection is a primary task to be dealt with in the Barents Region. The Kola Peninsula suffers from serious industrial pollution. Moreover, it is the site of one of the largest concentrations of military installations in the world. The extensive nuclear activities in the area constitute one of the most serious environmental threats to our part of the world. In many of the industrial parts of this area, the price of economic growth may become so high in terms of degradation of the natural and human environment that it both limits further development and necessitates restructuring.
We are now beginning to acquire a reasonably good overview of the magnitude and extent of the environmental problems facing us. It is essential that we deal not only with the acute, short-term problems, but also with the long-term threats. Russia itself is making efforts to solve the problems related to the management and storage of nuclear waste. But the country's economic situation and the magnitude of the task make international participation indispensable. In our view, the entire international community has a responsibility for finding solutions to the formidable environmental problems in the north. Norway attaches great importance to involving our traditional partners in cooperation on nuclear issues in the north, and progress has already been made in this respect. For instance, the USA and Norway are now implementing a joint project with Russia concerning an effluent treatment facility for low-level radioactive waste in Murmansk.
There is an urgent need to raise safety standards at nuclear facilities in both the civilian and the military sectors and provide for the safe handling and storage of radioactive waste from civilian and military sources. The dimensions of these tasks far exceed what Russia and the Nordic countries can deal with on their own. A nuclear accident in the region could have an impact on areas far beyond the countries closest to the Kola Peninsula. For instance, the most important fishing grounds and protein resource of Europe is to be found precisely in this area. I am therefore pleased to say that various nuclear safety projects are being supported by the European Union and the United States and several international institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the UN Development Programme. Nevertheless, the governments of the region would welcome an even greater involvement by countries and institutions outside the region itself.
My Russian colleague will take over the chairmanship of the Barents Council at the foreign ministers' meeting in Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland next Tuesday. We look forward to the Russian chairmanship and we are confident that given Mr. Kozyrev's personal interest in Northwestern Russia and in the Barents Cooperation, the Russian chairmanship will be beneficial to this cooperation and to relations between Russia and the Nordic countries.
We are now facing a Russia that is clearly seeking to reassert its position as a major power. This is reflected in the latter's scepticism regarding NATO enlargement and its protests against the bombing of Bosnian-Serbian positions. Russia is in the process of defining its position and role, but a great many pieces have yet to fall into place. The need of Russian politicians to formulate and promote their national interests must be viewed in this context. Although this is a natural development in many ways, the tendency has recently been reinforced by certain nationalistic currents in Russian politics - currents that are bound to grow stronger with the approach of the country's important parliamentary elections in December.
As a great power on the European continent, Russia must have a central role in the security architecture now being designed. We must acknowledge that the Russians have a legitimate right to define and pursue their national interests. Although Russia does not constitute a military threat to Norway, we cannot just ignore the fact that sizeable military forces are still stationed near our borders. The Northern areas continue to be of strategic importance to Russia, with the Northern Fleet as one of the main elements of the country's nuclear arsenal.
It is interesting to note that Fridtjof Nansen, in spite of the terrible situation he encountered in Russia in the twenties, firmly believed that Russia would play an important role in the world in years to come. Even though he was totally opposed to the programmes of the Bolshevik government, he warned western powers not to isolate Russia or turn to military intervention. In the preface to his book Russia and Peace from 1923 he wrote: "There can hardly be any doubt that the Russian people have a great future, and will have a great mission to fulfil in Europe and the world in the future". He also wrote that all governments are intermediate, but that the People will always be there. These thoughts, though more than 70 years old, are still relevant. The inclusion of Russia in cooperation structures and the efforts to promote peace in international organizations are goals that we share.
It is in our own interests to integrate Russia into European cooperation structures and to promote its economic development. We will all benefit if the political and economic transition process in Russia is successful. Norway's main aim is to continue to pursue our good bilateral relations and active dialogue with Russia, while at the same time drawing Russia more closely into regional, European and broader international cooperation.
In addition to regional arrangements such as the Barents Cooperation, both the European Union and NATO are establishing broad-based cooperation with Russia based on the common view that it should become a partner in European developments. The signing of the Interim Agreement to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Russia and the EU in July was a significant step in the right direction. Cooperation between NATO and Russia is equally important. It is essential that the process of enlargement of the Alliance be characterized by openness and predictability. Enlargement of NATO and the European Union will not be targeted at any one country. The respective enlargement processes must be conducted in such a way that they contribute towards stability in Europe.
The peoples of the former Eastern bloc countries had great hopes for freedom and prosperity when democratic forces came to power five or six years ago. Today, there is a danger that disappointment and resignation will take over. The governments of Russia and the other countries of Central and Eastern Europe have a great responsibility to pursue policies that yield results and fulfil the hopes of their people. As Russia's neighbours we also have a vested interest in supporting this process in every possible ways.
The challenges and human tragedies confronting Fridtjof Nansen in Russia in the twenties were the results of World War I, the Russian revolution, civil war and xenophobia. His efforts to help fellow human beings in dire need were an example of true humanitarianism. Nansen never forgot the horrors of post-war Russia, and he constantly returned to what was to become one of the main themes of his speeches and articles later: how the international community should be organized in order to avoid such disasters in the future.
Despite being involved in politics and diplomacy himself, Fridtjof Nansen did not have much respect for politicians or diplomats. Instead of prescribing more politics, programmes and diplomacy he felt that peace should be built by means of "persistent and laborious work". As a politician and head of the Norwegian diplomatic service, I have grave reservations here. Politics and diplomacy are "persistent and laborious work" , when practiced properly.
The vision of a new Europe should not be confined to words and speeches. The new Europe will also require hard work, concrete projects of cooperation and financial resources to establish patterns of cooperation that bind us together. Norway feels a particular responsibility for ensuring that the Barents Cooperation continues to make a valuable contribution to the construction of the new Europe. It is my firm conviction that such regional cooperation projects are true examples of peace-building in the spirit of Fridtjof Nansen.
Lagt inn 13 oktober 1995 av Statens forvaltningstjeneste, ODIN-redaksjonen
http://odin.dep.no/odinarkiv/norsk/dep/ud/1995/taler/032005-090091/dok-bn.html
Fridtjof Nansen
http://www.forums.skadi.net/showthread.php?t=830&highlight=Nansen


A 'Do-Nothing' Plan for Republicans
by Michael Reagan, November 26, 2014
Rick McKee / Augusta Chronicle
Making Sense by Michael Reagan
The fight over immigration reform was wiped off our TV screens by the fires and tear gas clouds in Ferguson Monday night.
CNN and the other networks will milk the grand jury's decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson for the killing of Michael Brown for as long as there's a single ratings point to be gained.
But by Tuesday afternoon President Obama was already back on the road plugging the alleged merits of his executive actions on immigration and explaining why they were not constitutionally bogus.
Republicans in Congress are in their home districts for the Thanksgiving recess, celebrating their recent landslides in the Senate and House and eating lots of turkey.
Presumably, their party leaders are working up a plan to retaliate against Obama's power grab, which bypassed Congress and supposedly could spare as many as five million illegal immigrants from being deported.
I hope it's not too late. But I've got a perfect plan for the GOP's bosses to follow for the next two years — do nothing to directly challenge Obama's executive action.
Republicans shouldn't threaten a lawsuit or a government shutdown over what Obama did.
And they shouldn't waste a week writing a mega-immigration reform bill half the members of their own party won't like.
They shouldn't give up on immigration reform. But for the next two years Republicans can turn the tables on the president.
For starters, the new 2015 McConnell-Boehner partnership should dig through the Senate wastebaskets for those House immigration bills Harry Reid never allowed to be considered.
The Republican Congress should pass the bills ASAP, send them to the president's desk and force Obama to make the final yes or no call with his almighty executive pen.
The GOP needs to make the president take the heat on immigration for the next two years.
A lot of that political heat will come from the states. It's their taxpayers who'll have to pay the costs and foot the bills for the president's rogue immigration decision.
Texas and Oklahoma have already said they were going to go to court to block what they charge is Obama's dictatorial bypass of Congress' lawmaking authority.
I doubt if California's clueless government will have the good sense to join in a legal challenge, but it has paid a higher price for illegal immigration than any other state.
The Golden State has 1.1 million illegal immigrants who have become welcome "guests" of its taxpayers.
The County of Los Angeles alone spends more than $2 billion a year giving illegal aliens and their children welfare, food stamps, healthcare and education programs.
L.A. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich says Obama's plan to give amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants is just another unfunded federal mandate and a tax-supported welfare program for people who've broken the law to enter the country.He's right. But Obama's executive order may not be as damaging as many people on our side of the aisle think.
It's only good for two years. What immigrant will risk coming out of the shadows now if the law can change under a new president?
When Obama's out of office, and when he's replaced by a Republican in 2016, his outrageous executive grandstanding on immigration will become a historical footnote.
He knows perfectly well it won't last. It was all about padding his legacy, not doing something serious to solve our immigration problem.
Basically, what Republicans in Congress should do for the next two years is pretend President Obama doesn't exist.
They shouldn't argue with the president or take him to court. He's a renter in the White House, not an owner, and he and his executive orders will be gone two years from now.
Meanwhile, Republicans should concentrate on passing some good bills on immigration, energy and tax reform and work to get the economy moving again.
If they do that, they'll win in 2016. If they don't do it, they won't.
Copyright ©2014 Michael Reagan. Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan, a political consultant, and the author of "The New Reagan Revolution" (St. Martin's Press). He is the founder of the email service reagan.com and president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Visit his websites at www.reagan.com and www.michaelereagan.com. Send comments to [email protected] Follow @reaganworld on Twitter.
Mike's column is distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. For info on using columns contact Sales at [email protected]
Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan, a political consultant, and the author of "Lessons My Father Taught Me: The Strength, Integrity, and Faith of Ronald Reagan."
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Former Michigan Wrestlers Urge More Victims to 'speak Up'
Tad Deluca appeared at a news conference Thursday and identified himself as the whistleblower whose 2018 complaint about the late Dr. Robert E. Anderson led to a police investigation
By Mike Householder and Larry Lage • Published February 27, 2020 • Updated on February 27, 2020 at 8:33 pm
The whistleblower whose letter to University of Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel alleging sexual assault sparked an investigation into a former school doctor says he was inspired by the women who testified against convicted Michigan State physicianLarry Nassar.
An attorney for Tad DeLuca said Thursday that his client complained to his wrestling coach in 1975 that Dr. Robert E. Anderson molested him during medical exams. In response, then-coach Bill Johannesen humiliated DeLuca, kicked him off the team and effectively removed his financial assistance, the attorney said.
"I spoke up again by letter in 2018 after hearing an NPR story about the MSU gymnasts, women who I am in awe of," DeLuca said at a news conference in suburban Detroit. "Once again, the University of Michigan ignored me.
"I'm here today to speak up again, to let the University of Michigan know that I will not be ignored."
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DeLuca's 2018 letter of complaint about Anderson, now deceased, led to a university police investigation that became public last week. Two other former Michigan wrestlers who allege they were abused by Anderson also spoke to reporters Thursday: Tom Evashevski and Andy Hrovat, the first athlete to publicly say Anderson molested him.
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DeLuca put his complaints about Anderson in writing in 1975 in a letter to Johannesen. Subsequently, Johannesen read DeLuca's letter to his teammates in an effort to humiliate him, kicked him off the team and took away his scholarship, according to Stinar.
Johannesen denied in interviews this week with The Associated Press that any of his student-athletes ever told him Anderson touched them inappropriately.
"You can't call him a coach," said DeLuca, a retired teacher in northern Michigan. "'Coach' is a term of endearment."
Stinar, who met with the school's general counsel Thursday afternoon, predicts "hundreds of more victims" will emerge, and that his firm already represents more than a dozen.
Several other law firms have spent the past week talking to potential accusers about legal action. Among them are attorneys Michelle Simpson Tuegel and H. James White, who represented more than 60 people who were abused by Nassar at Michigan State.
White said Thursday that the number of potential Anderson victims is "extremely troubling," adding that "the University of Michigan and the community at large should brace itself."
Stinar, who is based in Denver, said the university must explain its years of inaction.
"For nearly four decades, the University of Michigan allowed Dr. Anderson to prey on vulnerable young individuals away from home for the first time," he said. "I ask the University of Michigan this: Why didn't you act in 1975 or earlier to prevent the sexual abuse of possibly hundreds of other victims?"
Hours after the news conference, the University of Michigan released a statement.
"The three brave men who came forward today to share their stories delivered a powerful message," the statement read. "We want to encourage everyone harmed by Robert E. Anderson or who has evidence of his misconduct to come forward. At the University of Michigan, we want to hear your voices."
School officials have acknowledged some school employees were aware of accusations against Anderson prior to DeLuca's 2018 complaint. Last week, the university's president apologized to "anyone who was harmed" by Anderson and offered counseling services.
The school launched an investigation into the doctor's behavior following abuse allegations from five people and also established a hotline for those who came into contact with Anderson.
DeLuca hopes more people follow his lead.
"Everybody who was abused by this doctor, the doctor everyone knew was doing this, was abusing athletes and students, should speak up and let everyone know they will not be ignored," DeLuca said. "It just, it has to stop. Period."
Separately, the Ann Arbor school district said it's investigating whether Anderson had a role with local schools. A police report suggested he performed sports physicals years ago.
"This is the first time we have heard this information," Superintendent Jeanice Swift said.
The Flint district said it confirmed that someone with Anderson's name was an employee at some point, but "we do not have information about his employment history."
"We encourage anyone with information regarding this matter to contact local law enforcement," the district said.
Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.
Click here for more stories on the allegations against Anderson.
University of Michigansexual abuse
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Kelly Oubre Jr. would provide great return for Suns, restarts wing logjam
The 5: Questions for Suns' new-look depth chart heading into next season
Empire of the Suns Blogs
By Kellan Olson | December 15, 2018 at 2:53 pm
UPDATED: December 15, 2018 at 10:56 pm
Washington Wizards forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (12) drives against Memphis Grizzlies guard MarShon Brooks (8) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
Just when they're getting out, they pull you back in.
With the Phoenix Suns actively looking to trade Trevor Ariza as soon as legally possible, the Suns would be relieving themselves of the wing logjam they created by trading for Mikal Bridges' draft rights and signing Ariza. That's a lot of minutes to find next to Devin Booker, T.J. Warren and former No. 4 overall pick Josh Jackson.
The expectation for an Ariza deal was the arrival of a point guard — more on that later — but instead, the team has essentially restarted the logjam on the wing by agreeing to acquire Kelly Oubre Jr. and Austin Rivers from the Washington Wizards.
Three things before we dive into the exciting potential of Oubre and the long-term implications.
Phoenix Suns agree to trade Trevor Ariza to the Washington Wizards
Report: Suns to have Ariza away from team Saturday after trade falls apart
Suns trade involving Trevor Ariza falls through due to misunderstanding
One, let's not completely gloss over the loss of Ariza. Some will argue Oubre is better than Ariza right now. That is 100 percent false. Oubre has the potential to be better than this version of Ariza, but prime Ariza is what Oubre aspires to be in his role, and that's not even what Ariza is right now.
Despite the noticeable lack of effort, at times, Ariza's minutes will be missed.
Two, there's a decent possibility Oubre gets shipped out for a point guard. He has just as much value on the market as Ariza, is easier to move and teams would have the ability to retain him as a restricted free agent next summer. Because of the aforementioned logjam it creates in Phoenix and need for that floor general, a trade is logical, and The Athletic's David Aldridge reported there's league-wide interest in Oubre as an RFA (restricted free agent).
Three, his RFA status is important. Do the Suns want to pay Oubre? In the madness of a three-team deal that fell apart, Oubre was originally headed to the Memphis Grizzlies, meaning the Suns preferred it that way as opposed to acquiring him. He figures to cost around $7-12 million a year depending on the market, and the Suns aspire for great things in free agency.
With that in mind, the agreed-upon deal has him sent to Phoenix for now, so let's chop it up on what he brings.
Oubre came out of Kansas as your prototypical NBA small forward athletically. With great speed and solid explosion at 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Oubre profiled as the type of wing who could defend guards and most small forwards.
The key was for Oubre to find an identity offensively, but he never did that with the Jayhawks, so he wound up falling down the lottery and being selected at No. 15 by the Wizards.
He hasn't necessarily done that to the degree you'd desire out of a mid-first round pick from four years ago, but Oubre's tenacity on the court and some offensive skill have turned him into a solid NBA wing.
His activity makes him valuable.
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On offense, Oubre takes most of his shots at the rim, a rarity for the wing.
His shot chart from last year is a bit ugly, lacking a spot on the floor he really shines from shooting, but the volume at the rim is key.
He knows who he is. This year, Oubre has taken 41 percent of his shots at the rim. Among forwards, that's in the 77th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass.
Oubre's handle, burst and finishing ability are good. Nothing that blows you away to an extreme, but it's enough to get the job done.
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The feature of Oubre we are going to keep coming back to is his toughness. Because of how often he attacks, he gets to the foul line a ton. Oubre draws a shooting foul on 13.2 percent of his shot attempts this season, an outstanding number for a forward and a career-best for him this year.
Oubre is listed at 205 pounds, and some players that size would shy away from contact on this possession below by attempting to slither around to the other side of the rim and use their length to finish.
The lefty, though, just barrels right into rim protectors after a quick crossover.
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He's efficient there too, posting free throw percentages of 82 percent last year and 80 this season.
An NBA wing who can capably grab-and-go is an underrated skill and Oubre's got it.
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Oubre has a good-looking shot, but consistency has plagued him in the early going of his career. He's shooting 32.0 percent from deep on 3.0 attempts a game over four years.
Last year's 34.1 percent was encouraging, but he's dipped down three whole percent to 31.1.
He primarily takes catch-and-shoot chances and a 34.7 percent number on those from three-point range in 2017-18 is a less than encouraging number.
Oubre's got a quick release and is always ready to fire. He just needs to, well, make the shot more.
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The good news is he's still young, has shown incremental improvement prior to this season and many players grow off that into respectable shooters. Projecting shooting, however, is always a crapshoot and we can only trust the numbers we have in front of us now.
With what you've seen out of him handling the ball, you assume Oubre can be a playmaker. Actually, Oubre is not much of a playmaker or, really, a passer at all.
When comparing how many times he provides assists given his usage percentage, Oubre ranks in the 10th percentile or lower in all four seasons he's played for the Wizards, per Cleaning the Glass.
To give perspective on how poor that is, T.J. Warren has managed to get above that three different seasons and Oubre averages 0.7 assists a game in his career.
Believe it or not, though, that's actually fine. He knows who he is. He's a slasher and an improving shooter.
It's the perfect offensive role for him as a role player because he's a good defender.
Oubre has quick feet and knows how to use that for advantages moving laterally.
With his edge, the dude becomes a pest.
Watch him glide around screens, beat the ball-handler to spots and then jump all over the first opportunity to pick his pocket.
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Off the ball, Oubre has active vision of the ball-handler and his agility allows him to close out passing lanes.
He covers for his big here and is able to recover on his man for the steal because he's paying attention, something the Suns really struggle with as off-ball defenders.
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His block and steal percentages the last two seasons have been great for his position and will fit right into the Suns' recent trend of racking up deflections with De'Anthony Melton and Bridges.
On paper, Oubre is a player who really helps teams by knowing his role and constantly making plays.
But the point that must be stated here is the Wizards were at their best when Oubre was off the court this season and last year as well.
When Oubre was on the court last season, his net rating was minus-2.5 and the team's jumped to plus-4.4 when he was off, the best off-court net rating of any Wizard. Meaning, when Oubre was off the court, that's when the Wizards played the best.
This year, it's a minus-7.8 net rating when he's in and a minus-0.5 net rating when he's out.
As a quick counter, though, Oubre has primarily been a reserve.
In the 204 minutes last year Oubre played with John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter Jr. and Marcin Gortat, the Wizards had a plus-17.2 net rating. That was the lineup he played the most minutes with, and the second- and third-most were full-fives of reserves that yielded a minus-6.1 and minus-6.5 net rating.
Do the Suns have the type of talent around Oubre to get those benefits?
I believe so. A fully healthy Booker, the scoring of Warren and Deandre Ayton's eventual presence down low adds up to being a point guard away from Oubre being a great small forward option alongside them.
But it can't be overstated that's the envisioned position for Bridges to hold before it was the envisioned position for Josh Jackson to hold.
Oubre is a good NBA player and could be very good if he keeps developing like he has the past couple seasons.
Keeping him makes sense from the perspective of a team that can count on one hand how many good NBA players they have at the moment, and you could probably slice a finger or three off and still be safe.
He's long, athletic, tough and defends. That's a cozy fit into what many of the players on the roster do or project to do around Booker as the centerpiece. The Suns can afford a new deal for Oubre this offseason and he shouldn't be too pricey.
But the undeniable fact is the Suns still need a point guard.
The return for Ariza is great value, but the trade can't be considered an overwhelming win without that hole being addressed.
It is not being addressed by Rivers, an inefficient creator off the dribble who can defend and shoot but has averaged only 2.4 assists per game over his career. Unless he can completely recapture his form from last year with the Clippers in a contract year, don't get your hopes up. Rivers being included in the three-team deal that fell apart also indicates the Suns could believe he is the point guard solution for now.
Assuming Oubre is fine with being in Phoenix, which has to be considered given the franchise's current state, the Suns have to find the right trade if they want to move him or one of the other wings to free up the jam.
Oubre is not a 15-year veteran who doesn't want to be with the Suns anymore. He's a 23-year-old who holds value and projects as an important piece of the team's long-term core if all goes according to plan.
That, in and of itself, should tell you why the Suns did well for themselves, especially after Friday night's debacle.
But to bring back up the madness of MarShon or Dillon Brooks, the Suns agreed to that deal with Dillon in mind. Not an original two-team deal with Oubre and Rivers coming to Phoenix.
Saturday morning's agreed-upon trade reeks of the Suns getting this done as soon as possible and moving on from a train wreck by coming out on top in overall value. A trade to make a trade if you will.
That is not what the 5-24 basketball team needs, and which direction the front office shifts from this point will tell a lot about how much they realize that.


Russell Westbrook Is The Goddamn MVP, Clowns!
Albert Burneko
Filed to:russell westbrook
Photo credit: LM Otero/AP
San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard had a fabulous game last night against the Houston Rockets. He scored 39 points—17 in the fourth quarter alone—on only 18 shots. He nailed the game-deciding three-pointer with 25 seconds left, then sprinted half the length of the floor to deliver the even more game-deciding chasedown block of James Harden's layup attempt. It has a good chance to go down as the most succinct and spectacular display of two-way excellence any NBA player not named LeBron James will deliver this season:
Next, he hit the subsequent free throws that clinched the win for the Spurs. He also guarded Harden for most of the fourth, helping hold the Rockets star to a measly four points on 1-for-5 shooting and a single assist in the period. If one player can be said to have won a basketball game by himself, that's pretty much what Leonard did last night, against one of the NBA's best teams.
He was great. He is great. He's not the damn MVP. Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook is the damn MVP! Of course Russell Westbrook is the MVP. Don't be stupid about this.
You know already that Russ currently is leading the league in scoring and averaging a triple-double, as he continues singlehandedly hauling the sorry, talent-poor Thunder to the playoffs. If you have been paying any attention, you also know—and may even acknowledge, after you have performed the requisite Sloan-era sneering at simple counting stats and the value of the triple-double as an indicator of basketball excellence—that Russ is having a world-historically great and dominant season, one that on its own might be sufficient to put him in the Hall of Fame, should its particulars hold up through 82 games. All of that is old and familiar by now—which, at least as much as anything Leonard has done, is what explains the growing chorus of "Actually, Kawhi is the MVP" nonsense that crescendoed during last night's Rockets-Spurs game and spilled over into misbegotten basketblogs this morning.
Simple contrarianism, of course, is part of it. "Russ is the MVP" might have enjoyed a brief moment as a counterintuitive, or at least not baldly obvious, opinion back toward the beginning of the season, but by now saying that Russell Westbrook is the MVP of the 2016-17 NBA season is like saying fresh air is the best thing to breathe. It does not signify either punchy independence or heightened sophistication. It is just merely, plainly right. If you blogged it back in January, then you do not have any more MVP blogs to publish.
That's not all that works against Russ's case. The NBA season is extremely long (too long, if you ask at least a few of my colleagues here at Deadspin) and at a certain point, a plain and immutable fact—like, for example, that Russell Westbrook is having one of the best and most dominant single seasons a basketball player has ever had, and possibly the most extraordinary in the viewing lifetime of anyone now producing these batshit "Actually, Kawhi is the MVP" takes, and therefore clearly is the fucking MVP, c'mon—ceases to arouse sensation; its immutability becomes the thing that argues against it.
Professional basketball is serial television entertainment, after all—and, at least at the box-score level, Russ's otherworldly production has become a TV show that sticks to a formula. Nobody has ever done what Russell Westbrook is doing,* sure—but Russell Westbrook is doing it all the time.
*Here's a fun thing Russ is doing that nobody else has ever done. His league-leading 42.1 usage percentage, if it holds up, will be the highest single-season usage percentage in NBA history. Meanwhile, his also league-leading 55.8 assist percentage, if it holds up, will be the third-highest in history. In a pinch, usage-plus-assist-percentage would be a decent measure of a team's dependence upon a single player on offense; needless to say, nobody has ever come close to matching this combination. The only player who comes all that close is Russ himself, two seasons ago.
(In case you decided to dismiss that as mere ball-hogging, ESPN's Real Plus-Minus [RPM] metric likes Russ [6.35] more than Leonard [6.23].)
Let's pause here to watch Russ's highlights from a game against the Suns the other night that elicited barely a shrug from the basketball media:
That is a 48-point, 17-rebound, nine-assists performance. But I guess when you've seen one 48-17-9, you've seen 'em all,** huh. Hell, it wasn't even a triple-double! And Russ has five 40-point triple-doubles on the season, half as many as all non-Russell Westbrook players have produced over the last 19 years. What the heck was wrong with him in that game? Maybe he was sick.
**Actually it was the only time in NBA history that a player has amassed 48 or more points, 17 or more rebounds, and nine or more assists in the same game.
What's fun is, the numbness with which each next iteration of Russ's dominance is received actually turns out to be one of the most convincing, and most perversely convincing, arguments for Russ's MVP candidacy. He has made 31-11-10 boring. He has made it so familiar that basketbloggers have gone looking for excitement in the infinitely less spectacular exploits of some whole other guy, just for the sensory novelty of it. Kawhi Leonard is bursting in on the MVP race ... because of how obviously Russell Westbrook is the MVP.
This is what happened to Michael Jordan in 1997, when the league, to its eternal shame, dumped an MVP on Karl fucking Malone because it was numb to the sight of the best player in history playing basketball as well as it has ever been played. That was dumb then, and it will be no less dumb if it happens now.
Thirty years in the future, in the blasted nuclear hellscape to come, basketball fans will huddle around their radioactive slag piles and gibber about the season Russell Westbrook won the scoring title and averaged a triple-double; they will debate whether, given the level of competition and the parameters of the game as it was played in 2016-17, this was the greatest single season an individual pro basketball player ever had. They will not gibber about the year Kawhi Leonard put up 26-6-3.5 and also played good defense on the second-best team in the league, unless it is to gibber their scorn at him for unjustly receiving an undeserved MVP award over a world-destroying superhuman.
Fresh air is the best thing to breathe. Russell Westbrook is the Most Valuable Player. If the MVP award's purpose is not to honor what he is doing this season, then there is no good reason to have it.
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Writer at Deadspin.


Process Dashboard 1.14
Process Dashboard Version 1.14 has been released, containing many significant new features.
Significant changes were made to the earned value support:
It is now possible to customize the set of charts that appear on the earned value report. In addition, clicking on these charts now opens a page displaying a larger chart with helpful instructions on how the chart can be used and interpreted.
The Earned Value report now includes a "More Charts" hyperlink. Clicking on this link makes it possible to see all of the EV charts in the web browser. (Previously, many of these charts were only available in the "Chart" dialog of the Task & Schedule window.)
New charts have been added to display the Earned Value Trend and the Direct Time Trend.
The earned value report now includes a "Kanban View" of the tasks that have been completed recently, the tasks that are in progress, and the tasks that are planned for the near future.
By default, the bars on the Gantt charts depict dates from the Forecast column of the task list. Now, a configuration button makes it possible to depict Plan, Replan, or Baseline dates instead.
In the past, the Weekly EV report used generic phrases such as "Tasks Completed This Week." This wording was confusing for views of data in the past or the future. These section headings have been altered to be clearer and more descriptive.
New topics have been added to the online help for each of the earned value charts. These topics explain how to interpret the data in each chart, and provide helpful analysis tips for people who are new to earned value tracking.
A new help topic has been added that explains the difference between Plan, Replan, and Forecast dates. This help topic explains these three calculations in detail, so users can understand and appreciate the differences between the dates that are generated.
The WBS now has a special "personal editing mode." When the WBS is opened from a personal dashboard instead of the Team Dashboard (and the team leader has not disabled edits by team members), the WBS becomes aware of the individual who opened it, and changes its behavior:
Newly created tasks are automatically assigned to the individual who opened the WBS.
If the individual makes a change that affects one of their coworkers, the WBS will display a warning and offer to undo the change.
The individual is only allowed to edit their own row in the Team Member List.
The individual can disable these features if desired by toggling a checkbox in the "Team" menu. (So for example, these new features will not prevent a Planning Manager from making changes to their coworker's tasks.)
Numerous changes were made to provide better support for the SEI PSP courses:
A new Student Profile element has been added to the PSP course assignment sequence, giving students an opportunity to answer questions about their job position, experience, and so on.
The Analysis Report exercises now allow the use of the Size Estimating Template and PROBE.
"To Date" metrics are no longer reset on the first PSP2 project in a PSP Fundamentals & Advanced course.
During the PSP course, PROBE Method D for Size will require students to use their Estimated Proxy Size verbatim; they will not be allowed to edit the number.
During the PSP course, the PROBE Wizard will not offer PROBE Method C1 for Size as a selectable option.
The final page of the PROBE Wizard has always performed a sanity check on the planned productivity. If it is unrealistic, the wizard prints a warning message and takes the user back to reevaluate their estimates. Unfortunately, that warning message was easy to overlook, resulting in confusion when the PROBE wizard looped back to the earlier pages. The buttons and messages on the sanity check page have been altered to make it more clear that a planning error may be present.
When students are allowed to edit the quality plan and they produce phase times that do not sum up properly, an error message is now displayed on the Project Plan Summary.
Student data can now be exported to an XML file.
When capturing defect data, individuals can now:
Make a single entry to represent several related defects that were found and fixed simultaneously.
Mark a defect as "pending" (i.e. found, but not yet removed).
Alter the date associated with the defect entry.
Several usability enhancements have been made to the WBS Editor and the team project integration features:
The Team Project Setup Wizard will now provide suggested default values for the team process, the name of the EV schedule, and the location of the Team Project Network Directory.
If an individual enters their initials incorrectly when joining a team project, the "Sync to WBS" operation will detect this error and display a message, helping them to correct it.
Actual Size is now displayed in the WBS Editor for each component in the hieararchy.
The charts in the Rollup Plan Summary report will now use consistent colors to represent the various phases in the standard metrics collection frameworks. This makes it easier to correlate data between several charts.
When a note is attached to the root node of the project in the WBS Editor, that note will now be copied down into the personal plans of each individual. This can be used to record helpful project-specific URLs for team use.
In the past, if a node was deleted from the WBS and a new node was created in its place with the same name, the Sync to WBS operation would perform a similar delete/recreate operation. Now, the Sync to WBS attempts to detect this scenario and reuse the existing node instead of deleting/recreating it. (Note: deleting/recreating nodes in the WBS is still discouraged; but now when the mistake occurs, the consequence should be less severe.)
In the past, the WBS editor would display a confirmation prompt every time you request to delete a node. Now, the WBS Editor will only display this confirmation prompt when the node to be deleted has actual time associated with it – and the warning message has been altered to describe this new condition.
In the past, when a leaf task in the WBS was subdivided, the next "sync to WBS" operation would often result in a "top-down-bottom-up" error in the personal plan of the affected individual. This problem has been corrected.
Significant changes were made to the installer for the Process Dashboard:
The installer can now create application shortcuts for many users on Unix and Linux platforms.
On 64-bit Windows, sometimes the installer would not create Process Dashboard shortcuts. This problem has been corrected.
If a user has less than 800MB of memory (for example, because they are running in a virtual machine), the Process Dashboard shortcuts would fail to start the application. The installer has been adjusted to create shortcuts that work on systems with limited memory. (Note that the Process Dashboard does not require or use that much memory; the problem was with the shortcut icon itself, not the application.)
Several changes have been made to improve compatibility with various programs and operating systems:
The "Export to Excel" hyperlinks have been tweaked to improve compatibility with a variety of web browsers and with newer versions of Microsoft Office.
On some versions of Unix (for example, Solaris and RedHat), the Process Dashboard would sometimes appear to hang at the splash screen. This was occurring when a dialog box was displayed (to prompt for some type of input), because the Unix window manager was improperly stacking the dialog box behind the splash screen. This problem has been corrected.
If the dashboard data directory was unreachable (for example, because it was on a network drive that was unavailable), or if other operating-system-specific problems prevented the dashboard from locking the data, the dashboard was incorrectly displaying a message claiming that someone on another computer had locked the data. This error message has been corrected and clarified.
The "Import Defects from Code Collaborator" feature was not working against Code Collaborator version 6. This problem has been corrected.
The "Generic" process template now allows the use of the Size Estimating Template and PROBE. (This functionality will appear for projects created using the Generic process template after upgrading to version 1.14.)
The "C > Tools" menu now includes an "Open Dataset" option, giving all users the ability to open data backup ZIP files.
When users filter the Time Log Editor to display the current week, they can now easily select which day of the week to use as the starting point.
In the past, when a user made a change to a data value within the Process Dashboard, that change might take 30 seconds to appear on the Project Plan Summary form in their web browser. Now, these changes will appear in the web browser immediately.
The LOC counter that is built in to the Process Dashboard will now count lines appropriately even when comment indicators appear within string literals.
When all the tasks in a earned value task list share a common path prefix (common for team projects), the Flat View will extract that common prefix, making the display easier to read.
In the defect log editor, a combo box displays the defect type standard that has been set at each level of the hierarchy. In the past, when a defect type standard had been set at the team project level, nothing was displayed in this combo box for individual, leading people to think that their standard had not taken effect. Now, this combo box will display the name of the defect type standard that was set by the team project, minimizing confusion.


/ Home / Press office / Scientists uncover key new molecules that could help to tackle tooth loss and regeneration
Scientists uncover key new molecules that could help to tackle tooth loss and regeneration
New research published in the 'Journal of Dental Research' has shed light on the science behind the formation of the periodontal ligament
A key molecule named periostin (red colour) is highly expressed by mature periodontal ligament
Mrs Amy King
Media and Communications Officer
Now new research published in the Journal of Dental Research has shed light on the science behind the formation of the periodontal ligament, which helps keep the tooth stable in the jawbone. This improved understanding will also help scientists work towards regenerating the tissues that support teeth.
The study, led by the Universities of Plymouth and Geneva, shows how a *signalling pathway called Notch, which is known to be activated in stem cells and cancer, is important for periodontal ligament development.
*A signalling pathway describes how a group of molecules in a cell work together to control one or more cell functions, such as cell division or cell death. After the first molecule in a pathway receives a signal, it activates another molecule. This process is repeated until the last molecule is activated and the cell function is carried out.
Abnormal activation or inhibition of certain signalling pathways can lead to cancer and other conditions, including problems with tissue regeneration.
A key finding in the new study, which was conducted in rodent teeth, is that Lamin A, a cell nuclear protein, is a direct target of Notch pathway.
Lamin A is best known for its mutated form progerin, which causes fatal 'early ageing' disease, Progeria syndrome – but by uncovering its involvement in periodontal ligament formation, scientists have better insight into how molecules function during tissue regeneration, and how the process could be affected during disease.
Corresponding author Dr Bing Hu, Associate Professor of Oral and Dental Health Research in Peninsula Dental School at the University of Plymouth, said:
"The periodontal ligament starts to properly hold the tooth in the jawbone when a tooth breaks out and becomes functional. Understanding the mechanisms of how periodontal ligaments develop and the molecules that assist the tissue becoming mature is really important for our understanding of tissue regeneration and repair. The next steps are for us to see if and how the molecules we have identified in this study can be translated into a human-only model and, in turn, how they are affected in both healthy and diseased conditions."
Dr Hu is also part of the University's Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine (ITSMed).
This research is a part of the MD-PhD thesis of Dr Balázs Dénes of the University of Geneva, entitled Post-emergent tooth eruption: eruption rate, periodontal ligament maturation and cell signalling, directed by Professor Stavros Kiliaridis. Dr Denes said:
"We believe that our findings are an important stepping stone to better dental treatments in situations involving the periodontal ligament, such as gum disease (periodontitis), tooth restoration by dental implants or orthodontic tooth movement."
The full study, entitled Notch coordinates periodontal ligament maturation through regulating Lamin A, is now available to view in the Journal of Dental Research (doi: 10.1177/0022034519871448).
This study was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation; the European Union Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions; the European Regional Development Fund and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
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Ask Jack
Wanted: a Windows laptop that can handle 16GB of memory
Mark says his current laptop is struggling with 4GB of RAM and he wants to upgrade to a fast Intel Core i7 machine that can handle 16GB. However, he wants his relatively high-end specification at a budget price of £1,000 or less
Jack Schofield
Thu 12 Jul 2012 10.00 EDT First published on Thu 12 Jul 2012 10.00 EDT
Is it possible to get a laptop with 16GB of RAM? Photograph: Ron Chapple/Alamy
I'm a software developer and photographer looking for a new laptop, as my existing machine – a three-year-old Dell Studio XPS16 – is now creaking along with its maximum of 4GB RAM. My criteria are: 15.6in high-res screen (1080p or thereabouts), 750GB hard drive, Intel Core i7 and at least 8GB RAM but upgradable to 16GB, all on a budget of £1,000 or less. I'm a long-time happy Dell customer and the Inspiron 15R SE comes very close, but all their laptops are limited to 8GB RAM, apart from the budget-busting Precision range. Is there a better option for me out there somewhere? I'd really appreciate any tips you can come back with.
You're a bit early into this market, because 4GB is still standard for mainstream laptops. Machines with 8GB or 16GB tend to be aimed at the multimedia/entertainment market, or at gaming. The entertainment laptops often have 17.3in screens and Blu-ray drives, while the games machines have fast graphics cards and other high-end components. In both cases, the extras can push the prices over £1,000, and often over £2,000.
Also, Microsoft hasn't been pushing for more memory for Windows. It's seven years since Vista was launched, and neither Windows 7 nor Windows 8 needs more memory. In fact, they both run at least as well in 4GB as Windows XP SP3. Given Moore's Law, you'd expect memory use to increase in dramatically in a decade, but it isn't happening. PCs have become cheaper instead.
However, PC manufacturers should now find it easier to support larger memories because the Intel Core iX chips have the memory controller on the processor. Although 8GB is still common, many mobile Core chips now support 16GB, according to Intel's Ark spec sheets. These include the Core i3 2350M, 2367M, and 2370M; the Core i5 2410M, 2430M, 2435M, and 2450M; and the Core i7 2670QM, 2675QM, 2710QE, 2720QM, 2760QM, 2820QM and 2860QM.
PC manufacturers usually say that their laptops will support 4GB memory modules, so if the laptop has two memory slots, then the maximum supported memory will be 8GB. However, laptops with quad-core instead of dual-core processors sometimes have four memory slots, which will definitely allow you to expand the memory to 16GB. This is the safest option.
To provide some concrete examples, the Asus N53SV is available with either a dual-core processor and two memory slots or a quad-core processor (eg, Core i7-2670QM) with four memory slots, so only 8GB is supported on one version while 16GB is supported on the other. The Lenovo W510 also comes in dual/8GB and quad/16GB configurations, and no doubt there are many other examples. How the average consumer is supposed to tell the difference remains a mystery.
The fact that the PC manufacturer says it only supports 8GB of memory doesn't mean the laptop can't run it unsupported. Search the web for a particular model of laptop and you may well find that someone has tried swapping the two 4GB memory sticks for 8GB versions and reported that they work. The proviso, of course, is that the Core iX processor must support 16GB (see above), and not all of them do. Obviously, this is a much riskier approach than buying a laptop with four memory slots.
The safest approach of all is to buy a laptop that already had 16GB installed, but in most cases, this will probably take you over your budget.
The cheapest option I've found is the Asus N55SL-S2019V, which has a quad-core i7-2670QM processor, 6GB of memory, 15.6-in non-glossy 1600 x 900-pixel widescreen, Nvidia GeForce GT-635 graphics card with 2GB of memory, 750GB hard drive, Blu-ray drive, and 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium for £763.20 at asuslaptop.co.uk. This machine only has two memory slots but you can buy it upgraded to 8GB for an extra £46.80, or to 16GB for £106.80. You could therefore get your 16GB system for £870 (plus any delivery charges that may apply).
The screen is less than full HD, but 1600 x 900 is better than the usual 1366 x 768 that is common on Windows laptops, and is what you'd get with the Dell Inspiron 15R.
For a 1920 x 1080 Full HD 15.6in screen, the Lenovo ThinkPad W520 is a nicer alternative with a Core i7-2760QM processor, Nvidia Quadro 1000M graphics card with 2GB of memory, 500GB hard drive and 8GB or 16GB of RAM, but it busts your budget.
KL Computers, which offers the 16GB upgrade on the Asus N55SL, offers the same deal on some of the Samsung laptops at its companion Samsunglaptop.co.uk site, if you are willing to drop down to a Core i5 instead of a Core i7. The Samsung NP700Z5A-A01UK, for example, has a Core i5-2450M processor, 6GB of memory, 1TB hard drive, and DVD drive in a thinner, lighter case. The screen is 1600 x 900 "non gloss". The RAM upgrades are the same price as for the Asus N55SL, so the total price comes to £853.20.
What's the difference between a Core i7-2670QM and a Core i5-2450M? The Notebook Check website lets you compare benchmarks. In this case, comparing a quad-core with a dual-core chip, the difference is substantial.
It's not always so clear cut. In particular, Core iX mobile processors that are designed to provide longer battery life run cooler and slower than mainstream mobile versions (which in their turn run much slower than desktop versions). For example, the old Core i3-380M (35Watts) is slightly quicker than the newer Core i7-2637M (17Watts).
You could also consider choosing a third generation Ivy Bridge processor rather than last year's Sandy Bridge, but you might have to wait a while for prices to come down. All the Ivy Bridge chips – and so far there are 51 examples – have a greater memory bandwidth, which enables them to support faster DDR3-1600 modules, as well as the usual DDR3-1333. All of them support 32GB of RAM instead of 8GB or 16GB.
For example, you could just about afford a Lenovo ThinkPad T430 model 2344 with a Core i5-3210M Ivy Bridge processor, 4GB of memory, 500GB hard drive, DVD and 64-bit Windows 7 Professional for £922.40 from Dabs.com or a similar supplier. This has lots of compromises on your spec, especially the 1366 x 768-pixel screen, but at least the processor supports 32GB.
The Lenovo ThinkPad W530, which has a 1600 x 900-pixel 15.6in widescreen, is even further out of range, at about £1,500 for a model with a quad-core i7-3610QM.
Dell seems to have been a bit slow off the mark in offering larger memory sizes on mainstream laptops, which suggests there's not a huge demand. It's not that it can't: Dell does offer 32GB to professionals buying from its "budget-busting Precision range", and it offers gamers up to 16GB on the Alienware M14x and up to 32GB on the Alienware M17x and M18x. Of course, if you're happy to pay an extra £890 for a Core Extreme i7-2960XM plus an extra £500 for the 32GB memory upgrade then a hot games machine is a spectacular way to bust your budget.
I expect Dell will start to offer bigger memories in its Inspiron and XPS ranges as Ivy Bridge processors (which, as mentioned, support 32GB) become the norm. For example, the new Inspiron 15R Special Edition, which you mention, includes quad-core Ivy Bridge Core i7 processors with 6GB or 8GB of memory. However, it remains to be seen whether Dell will offer user-selectable memory upgrades, since these might involve manual labour. I won't be surprised if we see more 16GB and 32GB laptops advertised on the basis that the retailer includes the extra chips and you install them yourself.
I'm sorry I haven't quite been able to meet your spec for the budget, but I hope the pointers are useful. Whether you will be able to get what you want in another three or four months remains to be seen. Windows 8 will no doubt encourage the trend towards thinner machines with UEFI, the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, replacing BIOS chips, but I expect Windows 7 laptops will still be popular for some time.