ASEAN chief warns FTA gov'ts against protectionism
www.chinaview.cn 2010-01-01 12:13:54
By Cundoko Aprilianto
JAKARTA, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Governments in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should resist temptation of protectionist measures by imposing non tariff barriers as the free trade area (FTA) between the region and China takes effect on Friday, the head of the association told Xinhua in an exclusive interview recently.
"Avoid that, in every forum that I have attended on behalf of ASEAN, we talked about the problem of protectionism, protective measures and it was all agreed that it's not going to be good for economic recovery, not good for economic health of any country of any region. Therefore every government will have to resist temptation of protectionist measures," Secretary General of ASEAN Surin Pitsuwan said.
Surin said that indeed the implementation would be a negative impact for people on some industrial and business sectors.
"But over all, protective measures are not going to help in the long run because they are going to do damage than help," he said.
According to Surin, the implementation of the FTA will be gradual so that livelihood and jobs would not be affected.
"We just have to make adjustment. We cannot just complain and not moving, not accommodating, not adjusting. That's not the way of future. The way of future is to be competitive, to be prepared, to open up and to benefit from the open space and open market out there," he said.
Surin said that since the comprehensive economic cooperation agreement was signed in 2002, the economy and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN has improved tremendously.
"In terms of trade alone, it was from about 60 billion U.S. dollars to 192 billion dollars in 2008. That's in five years. And the growth rate is almost 30 percent, which makes China a very quick and fast trading partner with ASEAN, up to number three now and I'm sure it will take over Japan and the European Union soon," he said.
Surin said that aside of goods and services, there would be investment liberalization between both sides.
"So, we hope that there will be more direct foreign investment from China to ASEAN. Together, we have attracted a great deal of investment already from around the world," he said.
Surin said that with a balanced growth, both sides would like to have an inclusive and equitable growth.
"People of China and ASEAN in general will benefit from this growth, rather than the fruit of the growth is being capped among small group of people," he said.
He also said that a closer economic cooperation, bilateral ties between both sides will increase.
"Middle class of China is expanding, which will be good for ASEAN products. Middle class of ASEAN is growing, expanding, which will be good for Chinese export and Chinese services," he said.
He said that East Asia is being expected to be a foremost locomotive for world economic recovery.
"With the coordination, we will make sure that our region will increase its influence around the world, will expand its profile and heighten its contribution to the global economic recovery," he said, adding that the center of growth will be very much anchored in East Asia.
The region is emerging very quick out of the crisis while China's growth in the midst of the crisis have been impressive of more than 8 percent and in 2010, it is expected to be almost 9 percent, said the secretary general.
"Countries of South East Asia are also emerging even though not at the same rate, but 3.4-3.5 percent. That's also very impressive in the midst of global slowdown," he said.
Surin also said that the relationship between China and ASEAN has been comprehensive, not only on economy, politics and security but also on people's health, climate, environment, culture, sport, drugs and other non traditional security issues.
Friday, 1 January 2010
Thursday, 31 December 2009
For Depressed Workers, Stress on Job Lowers Productivity
For Depressed Workers, Stress on Job Lowers Productivity
Released: 12/15/2009 4:20 PM EST
Embargo expired: 12/31/2009 12:00 AM EST
Source: Health Behavior News Service http://newscri.be/link/978053
Newswise — A new study shines a light on depression in the workplace, suggesting that psychological stress at the office — or wherever people earn their paychecks — can make it more difficult for depressed workers to perform their jobs and be productive.
“There is a large economic cost and a human cost,” said study lead author Debra Lerner, Ph.D., director, Program on Health, Work and Productivity, Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies at Tufts Medical Center.
“We need to develop and test programs that directly try to address the employment of people with depression.”
The researchers screened 14,268 adult employees and ultimately compared 286 depressed workers to 193 who were not depressed. They recruited participants between 2001 and 2003 from doctors’ offices.
The study findings appear in the January/February issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.
In many cases, the depressed employees had problems at work, Lerner said. “They’re often very fatigued and have motivational issues. They also may have difficulty handling the pacing of work, managing a routine, performing physical job tasks and managing their usual workload.”
The findings suggest that there is a link between productivity and an employee’s ability to control his or her work. “The workplace does play an important part,” Lerner said.
Ronald Kessler, a professor in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School, said the study findings “are consistent with a growing body of evidence that depression has important adverse effects on work performance, both absenteeism and on-the-job performance.”
Depression has a greater effect on attendance and productivity than the “vast majority” of other health conditions with the exception of musculoskeletal problems and insomnia, he said.
“This evidence has led to the development of several workplace depression screening and treatment programs,” he added. “Evaluations are beginning to show that these programs can be cost-effective when implemented carefully in reducing the indirect workplace costs of depression.”
What to do? When it comes to depressed workers, “we are going to need more ways to help those who want to continue working to be able to do so and sustain their productivity,” Lerner said.
American Journal of Health Promotion: Call (248) 682-0707 or visit www.healthpromotionjournal.com.
Lerner D, et al. Work performance of employees with depression: the impact of work stressors. Am J Health Promotion 24(3), 2010.
Released: 12/15/2009 4:20 PM EST
Embargo expired: 12/31/2009 12:00 AM EST
Source: Health Behavior News Service http://newscri.be/link/978053
Newswise — A new study shines a light on depression in the workplace, suggesting that psychological stress at the office — or wherever people earn their paychecks — can make it more difficult for depressed workers to perform their jobs and be productive.
“There is a large economic cost and a human cost,” said study lead author Debra Lerner, Ph.D., director, Program on Health, Work and Productivity, Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies at Tufts Medical Center.
“We need to develop and test programs that directly try to address the employment of people with depression.”
The researchers screened 14,268 adult employees and ultimately compared 286 depressed workers to 193 who were not depressed. They recruited participants between 2001 and 2003 from doctors’ offices.
The study findings appear in the January/February issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.
In many cases, the depressed employees had problems at work, Lerner said. “They’re often very fatigued and have motivational issues. They also may have difficulty handling the pacing of work, managing a routine, performing physical job tasks and managing their usual workload.”
The findings suggest that there is a link between productivity and an employee’s ability to control his or her work. “The workplace does play an important part,” Lerner said.
Ronald Kessler, a professor in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School, said the study findings “are consistent with a growing body of evidence that depression has important adverse effects on work performance, both absenteeism and on-the-job performance.”
Depression has a greater effect on attendance and productivity than the “vast majority” of other health conditions with the exception of musculoskeletal problems and insomnia, he said.
“This evidence has led to the development of several workplace depression screening and treatment programs,” he added. “Evaluations are beginning to show that these programs can be cost-effective when implemented carefully in reducing the indirect workplace costs of depression.”
What to do? When it comes to depressed workers, “we are going to need more ways to help those who want to continue working to be able to do so and sustain their productivity,” Lerner said.
American Journal of Health Promotion: Call (248) 682-0707 or visit www.healthpromotionjournal.com.
Lerner D, et al. Work performance of employees with depression: the impact of work stressors. Am J Health Promotion 24(3), 2010.
Wednesday, 30 December 2009
This Year in Web Videos, Four Different Ways
This Year in Web Videos, Four Different Ways
BY Kit EatonWed Dec 16, 2009 at 6:35 PM
year in web videos
Ah, digital photography and videos--my old, er, new friends. And powerful tools too: Good for capturing the passing moment. Or for documenting the passing year. Here are four videos that do just that, in very very different ways.
YouTube's Most Popular Clips of 2009
This was a big year for YouTube, with some innovations and a rising audience. But the most surprising thing about its most popular videos of 2009 was that the list was so music act-heavy that YouTube had to break it into two lists--one for music, one for everything else. As noted over at AllThingsD it's because otherwise "people like you and me, who have only a vague idea who Pitbull and Keri Hilson are, would have been totally baffled."
The music top ten crown went to Pitbull with I know you want me raking in over 88 million views, beating Miley Cyrus's The Climb into second place with just 64 million peeps. But the non-music list is topped by the winner of UK TV show "Britain's Got Talent" Susan Boyle...somewhat making a mockery of Google's list-splitting tactics. To that end, here's YouTube's third most popular non-music clip globally (which does have music in, but it's sweet and at least trying to raise money for charity.)
China's 2009 WebClips
Over at Shanghaiist, Elaine Chow has done a fab job of rounding up a slew of Internet videos and pics that you mightn't have seen. Unless you're a Chinese Netizen, that is. Among the gems are Obama Girl (an attractive student sitting behind President Obama at a speech, who paid to become a minor net celeb), Michael Jackson Face Boy (youngster doing amusing lip synchs to MJ songs) and Long Legs Girl (a volunteer at the Olympics opening ceremony, famous after people noticed her astonishingly long legs.)
Check out the list--it'll remind you that the Internet is not exclusively a U.S. phenomenon, or even one belonging to us here in what we deem the Western half of the globe. China too has its net crazies, and bad reality/talent TV shows: Here's a clip of Zeng Ki Ye. She was a contestant in the Happy Girls show, and though she didn't win, her mind-bogglingly bad singing somehow got her 15 minutes of fame.
Gawker's Top 100 Web Videos of 2009
The always lateral-thinking, nose-thumbing publication Gawker has crafted it's own slant on the webclips that helped defined this year online. And by webclips, I really do mean webclips: Funny dogs, cats, freakouts, fat kids, giant seagulls. Yes, it's what some might deem the dregs of this year's Internet video, while others (between snorts of laughter) will argue they're a perfect way to cheer up a boring day of work with some lunchtime *ahem* clip-viewing.
Gawker's list is topped by "The Amazing Beat Box Kid" and proceeds through "Kick to the Face #1," "Jesus Pwn3d U" and 96 others before arriving at "Keyboard cat." Check it out below. It's less than three minutes, and I guarantee you'll laugh, sob and snigger at least once each, before crashing into a blue funk and worrying about the state of the world you're living in.
Terrapin Gardens Farm
No idea what that sub-headline is going to lead to? Good. Watch this: It's long, at around 16 minutes, but it's the antidote to the clips above. And it's just calmly beautiful.
Something of a labor of love by editor/director Rick Scully, this is a time lapse masterpiece of snaps taken every two minutes for 365 days--ending on May 11th this year--of Terrapin Gardens Farm in Tunbridge, Vermont. Look closely and you'll see weather, the seasons, and the comings and goings of people, vehicles, animals and vegetation.
And aside from the fascination offered by that, the way Scully made the thing is novel all by itself: This was no super-expensive high tech deal. He hacked a very old JVC analog video camera together with a $75 video-capture card hooked up over USB 1.1 to an aging eMac that could only snag low-res (320 by 240 pixels) images, which he then compiled in iMove'09. This low-tech setup is a big part of the charm of the video. "A year goes by fast enough" as Scully notes, and technology presses ever forwards--in 2010 there will be a whole bunch more. And that makes it satisfying that there's still a place for low-fi solutions to artistic problems.
Read more Tech News on our Technology Channel
BY Kit EatonWed Dec 16, 2009 at 6:35 PM
year in web videos
Ah, digital photography and videos--my old, er, new friends. And powerful tools too: Good for capturing the passing moment. Or for documenting the passing year. Here are four videos that do just that, in very very different ways.
YouTube's Most Popular Clips of 2009
This was a big year for YouTube, with some innovations and a rising audience. But the most surprising thing about its most popular videos of 2009 was that the list was so music act-heavy that YouTube had to break it into two lists--one for music, one for everything else. As noted over at AllThingsD it's because otherwise "people like you and me, who have only a vague idea who Pitbull and Keri Hilson are, would have been totally baffled."
The music top ten crown went to Pitbull with I know you want me raking in over 88 million views, beating Miley Cyrus's The Climb into second place with just 64 million peeps. But the non-music list is topped by the winner of UK TV show "Britain's Got Talent" Susan Boyle...somewhat making a mockery of Google's list-splitting tactics. To that end, here's YouTube's third most popular non-music clip globally (which does have music in, but it's sweet and at least trying to raise money for charity.)
China's 2009 WebClips
Over at Shanghaiist, Elaine Chow has done a fab job of rounding up a slew of Internet videos and pics that you mightn't have seen. Unless you're a Chinese Netizen, that is. Among the gems are Obama Girl (an attractive student sitting behind President Obama at a speech, who paid to become a minor net celeb), Michael Jackson Face Boy (youngster doing amusing lip synchs to MJ songs) and Long Legs Girl (a volunteer at the Olympics opening ceremony, famous after people noticed her astonishingly long legs.)
Check out the list--it'll remind you that the Internet is not exclusively a U.S. phenomenon, or even one belonging to us here in what we deem the Western half of the globe. China too has its net crazies, and bad reality/talent TV shows: Here's a clip of Zeng Ki Ye. She was a contestant in the Happy Girls show, and though she didn't win, her mind-bogglingly bad singing somehow got her 15 minutes of fame.
Gawker's Top 100 Web Videos of 2009
The always lateral-thinking, nose-thumbing publication Gawker has crafted it's own slant on the webclips that helped defined this year online. And by webclips, I really do mean webclips: Funny dogs, cats, freakouts, fat kids, giant seagulls. Yes, it's what some might deem the dregs of this year's Internet video, while others (between snorts of laughter) will argue they're a perfect way to cheer up a boring day of work with some lunchtime *ahem* clip-viewing.
Gawker's list is topped by "The Amazing Beat Box Kid" and proceeds through "Kick to the Face #1," "Jesus Pwn3d U" and 96 others before arriving at "Keyboard cat." Check it out below. It's less than three minutes, and I guarantee you'll laugh, sob and snigger at least once each, before crashing into a blue funk and worrying about the state of the world you're living in.
Terrapin Gardens Farm
No idea what that sub-headline is going to lead to? Good. Watch this: It's long, at around 16 minutes, but it's the antidote to the clips above. And it's just calmly beautiful.
Something of a labor of love by editor/director Rick Scully, this is a time lapse masterpiece of snaps taken every two minutes for 365 days--ending on May 11th this year--of Terrapin Gardens Farm in Tunbridge, Vermont. Look closely and you'll see weather, the seasons, and the comings and goings of people, vehicles, animals and vegetation.
And aside from the fascination offered by that, the way Scully made the thing is novel all by itself: This was no super-expensive high tech deal. He hacked a very old JVC analog video camera together with a $75 video-capture card hooked up over USB 1.1 to an aging eMac that could only snag low-res (320 by 240 pixels) images, which he then compiled in iMove'09. This low-tech setup is a big part of the charm of the video. "A year goes by fast enough" as Scully notes, and technology presses ever forwards--in 2010 there will be a whole bunch more. And that makes it satisfying that there's still a place for low-fi solutions to artistic problems.
Read more Tech News on our Technology Channel
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