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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Travels to Mexico
By DipNote Bloggers on February 23, 2017
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson traveled to Mexico City, Mexico February 22-23, 2017. He was joined in Mexico by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly.
During their visit, the two Secretaries met with President of Mexico Enrique Pena Nieto. Secretaries Tillerson and Kelly also met with their Mexican counterparts -- Secretary of Government Miguel Angel Osorio Chong; Secretary of Foreign Relations Luis Videgaray Caso; Secretary of National Defense General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda; Secretary of the Navy Admiral Vidal Francisco Soberon Sanz; Secretary of Finance and Public Credit Jose Antonio Meade Kuribrena; and Attorney General Raul Cervantes Andrade -- to discuss the breadth of challenges and opportunities in the U.S.-Mexico relationship. Following these meetings Secretaries Tillerson and Kelly released a joint statement.
"In our meetings, we jointly acknowledged that, in a relationship filled with vibrant colors, two strong sovereign countries from time to time will have differences. We listened closely and carefully to each other as we respectfully and patiently raised our respective concerns.
Our conversations covered the full range of bilateral issues. We reaffirmed our close cooperation on economic and commercial issues such as energy, legal migration, security, education exchanges, and people-to-people ties. We agreed that our two countries should seize the opportunity to modernize and strengthen our trade and energy relationship. " the joint statement said.
Editor's Note: This entry is also published on Medium.com/StateDept.
For more information:
- Read the full joint statement by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly on Bilateral Discussions in Mexico City.
- Read Secretary Tillerson, Secretary Kelly, Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray Caso, and Mexican Government Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong statements to the press.
- Learn more about Secretary Tillerson's travel to Mexico.
- Follow @StateDept on Twitter and the State Department on Facebook for additional trip highlights and coverage.


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Founded in 1957 in the heart of the Vernese Val d'Adige, our cooperative brings together over 200 members, passionate winegrowers who have created with their love and know-how a paradise of foothill vineyards. We produce AOC white wines, pinot gris, chardonnay, sparkling wines and white table wines. We also produce rosé and red AOC wines, like Teroldego, Merlot, Cabernet, new wine and schnapps. For many years Cantina della Valdadige has benefited from UNI EN ISO 9001 certification.
A vállalat weboldala
www Szervezeti website

subset: commoncrawl


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If I divide my programm in several files. In which order are the compiled.
What is with inkluding libraries that I need in different files?
In other languages I would put things in classes to get it done.How do you organize such a project with Arduino.
At startup everithing has to be initialised in the rigth order and the correct timing.
Things in Arduino are a little bit different.
If you already know OOP, it's easy: two tabs per class, one .h one .cpp.
Sure, but the key is to know that you can create additional tabs. That is not all that apparent from the crappy icons on the IDE.


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Eugene Fama on Winning the Nobel Prize for Economics
University of Chicago Professor Eugene Fama is widely recognized as the "father of modern finance." On Monday he was one of three Americans to win the Nobel Prize for Economics. Fama joins the News Hub.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
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In the week where millions of users were left without Internet and email as BlackBerry servers in Slough suffered a serious outage (read outrage) whilst Apple secured 1 million iPhone 4S pre-orders in a week in the US alone , here are some of the other interesting digital marketing related things that caught me eye.
First up, Facebook advertising with the news that Facebook ad click-through rate has increased by 18.5%, claims TBG. I've been waxing lyrical about Facebook [link] as an emerging and untapped b2b marketing resource of late and think that the targeted advertising opportunities might just yield a return for those early b2b adopters. Key word = targeting.
Want to see who is sharing your tweets? TweetReach might help identify your biggest fans.
And if you're not tweeting, why not? Maybe it's your nervous CEO. Reviewing this 28 point list might help you see the social media world from their perspective and help gather some insight to change their mind and see the benefits.
It wouldn't be a round up without some content from the lovely inbound marketing experts at Hubspot. This week they offered some good examples in their piece outlining 9 must-haves for the perfect landing page.
Finally, a piece exploring B2B cold calling best practices together with my comment on whether such a thing even exists in modern business? Surely there should be no such thing as a cold call these days with all the profiling information available?


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The Revs continue their travels this week with a two-game road trip to Colorado and Texas, beginning with Saturday night's meeting with the Rapids
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Preparing to embark on a multi-game, seven-day trip through two of the toughest road venues in the league, the New England Revolution is well aware of the challenges ahead. The quest begins on Saturday, Sept. 18, when the Revs will visit the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
Currently nine points adrift of the final playoff spot with seven games remaining in the regular-season schedule, the Revs (7-13-3, 24 pts.) can afford nothing less than the full six points from the upcoming journey, which will also take them to Pizza Hut Park for a midweek meeting with FC Dallas next Wednesday.
For the Revs to find success against the Rapids (9-7-7, 34 pts.) this weekend, they'll have to overcome the road woes which have seen them compile a 1-9-1 record away from home this season, while they'll also need to snap an eight-game (0-5-3) winless run in Colorado which dates back to 2002.
Continuing a trend from years past, the Rapids have been almost unbeatable at home this season, going 6-1-4 and outscoring opponents by a margin of 17-7 at DSG Park. Perhaps one of the harshest obstacles for visiting teams is the thin air in Commerce City, a northern suburb of Denver.
"It's just a tough atmosphere, it's a tough environment with the altitude," said second-year defender Darrius Barnes, who played the full 90 minutes when the Revs visited the Rapids last October. "After the first 10 minutes you feel like you've probably played 90 because you're breathing so heavily."
"We've got to be smart," added head coach Steve Nicol. "Clearly in the altitude you can't go chasing and running around for 90 minutes full pelt. You've got to be smart and pick and choose when you get your rest and when you're going full throttle.
"It's definitely a place where you have to be smart, but at the end of the day, it comes down to the same basic stuff," Nicol continued. "If we keep the ball better, we'll save our legs and save our strength."
Possessing the ball has been a concern for the Revs through much of the 2010 season, and most of the players and coaches pinned last week's 2-0 loss to Chivas USA on loose passing. A focus was placed on possession-oriented drills throughout training this week as the Revolution searched for a way to increase time on the ball.
"That's the question of the day right now – how do we keep the ball better?" captain Shalrie Joseph asked rhetorically after training on Thursday. "We just have to [have] a little bit more movement off the ball and that will help us create more space. Right now I think we're too stagnant in our play [and] we're not allowing our play to develop."
Keeping the ball will be particularly important in Colorado, as the Revs can't afford to chase the Rapids around the large field at DSG Park.
"[Our possession] hasn't been good lately and I think the problem with us in the past is we haven't kept the ball, so we've been defending so long, which makes us tired over time," said defender Cory Gibbs, who made 29 appearances with the Rapids from 2008-09 before being traded to the Revolution this past offseason. "I think keeping the ball, first of all, will help us preserve our energy.
"Going into that altitude is going to be difficult, but at the same point, if our movement's good off the ball and we keep [the ball], it's going to be much easier for us than just defending," he continued. "It all starts with keeping it. Then defending becomes much easier from that point on."
New England's possession should improve with the addition of Marko Perovic, who will be eligible to return after missing last week's loss to Chivas USA while serving a one-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation. Perovic will likely pair with fellow Serb Ilija Stolica up top and the duo's ability to hold the ball under pressure could help dictate the Revolution's possession game.
"Whenever you get a guy on the field who's got quality, then it helps you," said Nicol about the return of Perovic. "But it also takes away from [the Rapids] because they have to make sure that he's covered up. Obviously it's good that he's back."
Colorado head coach Gary Smith will also have a couple of new faces to choose from after the Rapids acquired Macoumba Kandji (from the New York Red Bulls in exchange for Mehdi Ballouchy) and Brian Mullan (from the Houston Dynamo in exchange for Colin Clark) earlier this week. Smith told the media that both players would feature against the Revs this weekend.
While Kandji and Mullan will provide Colorado with attacking weapons on the wings, the Revs will likely put their primary focus on the dynamic forward tandem of Conor Casey and Omar Cummings. Each player has scored nine goals this season – Cummings with four in the last three games – and the combination of Casey's strength and Cummings' speed can be the source of nightmares for opposing defenders.
"They're doing well," said Nicol of the Casey-Cummings combo. "They've got a bit of everything – a bit of size and strength, and they've got some pace as well. So we just have to make sure that we're tight, particularly on the pace side of it. If we've got enough possession it'll nullify that, but then obviously with Casey you have to be strong against him, otherwise he'll bully you."
Much attention will be paid to Casey and Cummings on Saturday night, and the Revs must be certain to keep their focus solely on the Rapids and not the overall task which faces them in the final seven games of the regular season.
"Never say never," said Perovic of the Revolution's playoff hopes. "We have seven games, (and) I think we must win six. It's hard, but we must look forward and I think we're ready. We'll only look at the first game, not at (all) six. We're looking at Colorado."


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September 14, 2005
A campaign is underway to get Hood River County ranked first in the nation for the percentage of renewable energy it uses.
This week, about 5,500 customers of Pacific Power and Light (PP&L) will receive information about Blue Sky — alternative power — options.
Residents are also being asked to advocate for environmentally friendly energy by picking up a support sign at Mother's Market to post in their yard.
Display stands have been set up in 20 retail outlets to provide an overview of the growing market for electricity produced from wind, solar, biomass and geothermal sources.
To further promote its clean energy programs, PP&L is providing wind power to Hood River's Harvest Fest and Hops Fest in October — at no extra cost.
The company has already gotten two public agencies, 41 businesses and 550 residents to harness wind power for some or all of their electricity needs.
"Our goal is to challenge Hood River to become the nation's leader in terms of renewable energy," said Jaimes Valdez, consultant for Renewable Northwest Project (RNP).
RNP is a nonprofit organization that promotes alternate energy use in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. Valdez has spent the summer months meeting with officials from a variety of local agencies to promote these power options:
Blue Sky Block gives customers the flexibility to spend $1.95 for each 100 kilowatts of power, about 6 cents more than the standard rate.
There is no minimum purchase requirement so people can buy as much or as little as they like.
Under Blue Sky Usage, customers purchase all of their metered power from renewable sources. The cost can fluctuate from month-to-month with usage but averages less than one penny more per kilowatt hour than the basic rate.
Blue Sky Habitat offers customers not only the same purchase option as Blue Sky Usage, but the opportunity to contribute $2.50 per month to The Nature Conservancy of Oregon for salmon habitat restoration.
Large businesses in Oregon can access Blue Sky QS (Quantity Savings) and pay even less for purchasing at least 101 blocks of renewable power per month for a period of one year.
"I have been very excited to see the participation rate growing weekly as people become increasingly aware of their renewable energy choices," said Valdez.
He is working to boost the rate of wind power use among Hood River customers from the current 9.3 percent to 15 percent. He wants the city to earn top ranking in the United States for its support of "green power."
If enough people sign on to the Blue Sky program, Valdez said the price of alternate energy will fall even further. He said the cost has already been significantly reduced from the $4.75 charged for each block of 100 kilowatt hours when the program was introduced in 1999.
PacifiCorp, the parent company of PP&L, intends to add 1,400 megawatts of renewable generation to the power grid within the next decade. The company believes that will not only decrease reliance upon fossil fuel and hydroelectric sources, but increase reliability and security with the electricity supply. Currently PacifiCorp ranks second in the nation for the number of customers enrolled in green power, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
To date, Valdez has convinced the Port of Hood River and Hood River County to utilize wind power generation. The port has agreed to purchase 10 percent of the Expo Center's electricity – or 1,500 kilowatt hours – each month through Blue Sky.
The county is buying 185 blocks per month, the equivalent of all the electricity needed to run the county library. Valdez said the port has provided an environmental benefit by eliminating carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to 31 round trips between Portland and Hood River.
He figures the county has added fresh oxygen back into the atmosphere that is equivalent to planting 87 acres of trees.
"We have set renewable energy as one of our priorities with the thought that every person and business is responsible for the caretaking of our environment," said Rodger Schock, commission chair.
He said the county is looking at possibly getting into the renewable energy business itself. A study is currently underway to determine if that revenue source would be feasible and affordable.
"Let's encourage individuals and businesses to work with us for self-sufficiency so that Hood River County can produce the energy that it uses," said Schock.
Maui Meyer, a commissioner and owner of the Sixth Street Bistro, was the first Hood River business to sign up for Blue Sky. He has long been an advocate of energy and building concepts that preserve resources and reduce pollution. Meyer has brought wind power online at the Bistro and soon will be using it in his new Yasui Building and Celilo restaurant.
"I think that renewable energy choices reflect where everyone is going to have to go and I'm all for it," he said. "It's doesn't cost that much more and, as more people sign on, the cheaper it's going to become."


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Anti-Japanese protests over a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea escalated further Tuesday on the anniversary of Japan's 1931 invasion of China.
The protests started last week after the Japanese government bought the disputed group of islands, which Japan calls the Senkaku and China calls the Diaoyu, from a private Japanese owner despite warnings from China. That sparked demonstrations, which have now spread to more than 80 Chinese cities, and are developing into the worst outbreak of anti-Japanese sentiment in China in decades.
Tensions have heightened to the point that major Japanese firms have had to shut down businesses in China, while Japanese expatriates are staying indoors fearful of their safety.
The dispute is also raising concerns over the economic fallout and the impact on trade ties between the two countries, which is an estimated $345 billion.
Here are some scenes from the anti-Japanese protests that have rocked China.
By Rajeshni Naidu-Ghelani(Posted Sept. 18, 2012)


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Central Hall Coverage from SEMA 2013
Midway through the SEMA Show
What grabs attention? What towers over cars and serves as the perfectly powerful and dominating advertising billboard? That's right - the diesel truck does. Each year, SEMA stands as the mecca of 8-lugged diesel trucks. It's the only gathering that is large enough to completely swallow trucks that are huge and towering on their own. Wednesday's exploration of the Central Hall brought tons of power goodies and complementing trucks that we'd love to get behind the wheels of. Enjoy!


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SanDisk launches 'iDon't' anti-iPod campaign
SanDisk, the No. 2 seller of digital music players in the U.S., has drastically stepped up its efforts to take on the iPod with a new Guerrilla marketing campaign. The company's "iDon't" campaign, launched over the weekend, consists mainly of an anti-iPod website, but also includes paid foot soldiers at university campuses. The "iDon't" website's main purpose is to promote SanDisk's Sansa e200 music player by communicating to consumers that owning an iPod is unoriginal and that iPod users are followers.
"Calling all free thinkers, contrarians, and malcontents. The time has come to rise up against the iTatorship," the site's manifesto reads. "To resist the monotony of white earbuds and reject the oppressive forces of cultural conformity. Now is the time to break free from restrictive formats and a single source for music. Its time for choice, for freedom, for self expression—and for independent spirits to stand up and say 'iDon't'. You don't need to follow. There is now an alternative."
The "iDon't" website proudly links to anti-iPod websites like Cyber Rodent, Anything But iPod, and iPod's Dirty Secret. SanDisk is also selling T-shirts and offering free downloadable posters and desktop pictures featuring artwork such as iSheep, iChimp, iFollow, iHerd, iSchackle, iDroid, and iPuppet.
The SanDisk campaign is being handled by Grey Direct, which calls itself "a world-leading direct marketing agency with a focus on maximizing return on investment." A news entry on the site by "Eric (a.k.a. Da Sheep Herder)" reads: "This site and the iDon't campaign are the creation of several of us renegades behind the new Sansa player, from SanDisk. And this is our playful way of saying "Enough! Yeah, we're just fed up with the ever-expanding flock of iSheep swarming through our cities. You've seen them. They're everywhere. Every bus, train and city sidewalk is a mass of white headphones. Blindly they've bought into the hype without ever realizing there are other mp3 players out there."
iLounge has received at least one report of an "iDon't" representative approaching college students on campus offering free T-shirts. An iLounger reports that he was handed a black tee featuring an illustration of a chimp wearing Apple's popular white earbuds (shown below). "So today, when I came out of my Monday morning lecture at university, putting my earphones on I notice this girl coming up to with a T-shirt," he says. "At first I thought she was one of those annoying survey people, but I noticed there was more of them and then when I pulled my ear phone off she said 'It's iDont.com!' staring at the T-Shirt realizing that there is an ape with white earphones. She gave it to me because I have black earphones."
SanDisk's director of consumer product marketing, Eric Bone, said in February that the company wants to be "a strong No. 2 in the MP3 space," adding that "there are people who, no matter what, will buy an iPod. All I want is for people to think there is an alternative." SanDisk, which began selling digital music players in November 2004, used its weight in the flash memory industry and strong presence at American retailers to sell one million players during this past year's holiday quarter, putting it in a distant second place to Apple.
Related Stories
Oh brother…
Well, I'll tell you how this goes. Most people won't even care, because hype alone does not an MP3 player make.
When some iPod owners decide to try another maker and VERY SOON realize that it doesn't sync well, or have any style whatsoever, they'll return to the iPod. Point is, you have to have something beyond a marketing campaign to actually compete in a HARDWARE war.
I'll be attending the Sandisk funeral from iLounge within the year.
Posted by Boris714 on May 22, 2006 at 3:52 PM (CDT)
Too bad there isn't a iDon't campaign for Windows users! I bet most of those SanDisk weenies use Windows! You know, there are alternatives!
I like the chimp shirt. I'd wear it while listening to my iPod.
Posted by The Raven on May 22, 2006 at 3:55 PM (CDT)
It was me! they first forced me in to this underground room, then they took my iPod away and then, to humilate me further, they made my scroll through the Sansa! Oh the humanity! >_<
Posted by Doc Evils on May 22, 2006 at 4:01 PM (CDT)
Boris, you shouldn't be so quick as to wish all Apple's competitors to fold. Remember that healthy competition not only drives prices down, but also stimulates progress. Apple wouldn't have any insentive to build a better player if everyone was happy with the iPod. Don't let what happened with the phone companies happen in the DAP market.
Sure SanDisk is being sleazy, but Apple is not exactly a saint when it comes to corporate bashing either.
Posted by Chahk on May 22, 2006 at 4:02 PM (CDT)
how utterly inspiring. a large faceless corporation whose sole goal is icreasing its own profits playing the part of the radical, hip young revolutionary, urging the masses to rise up against the giant companies and instead… buy products from another giant company! if that isn't the true spirit of rebellion and revolution, i don't know what is
Posted by Bradley on May 22, 2006 at 4:03 PM (CDT)
I'm sorry, but if this is an iPod alternative, and they accuse the iPod of being unoriginal, why did they rip off the look of the iPod AND the advertising?
Posted by jonyem on May 22, 2006 at 4:04 PM (CDT)
What I think is so great about Apple is that they don't NEED an incentive to improve their products, they do it by nature. They want to make the end user experience the best it can be.
Posted by The Raven on May 22, 2006 at 4:06 PM (CDT)
I'm trying to decide what's worse…......this useless propoganda or all those meaningless lawsuits by you know who….......
Posted by Huskerz85 on May 22, 2006 at 4:09 PM (CDT)
I understand iPod competition is good…
But this is just blatant low marketing standards. I mean, compete on quality, not bashing. Most companies that try that tactic are just floundering (I'm looking at you Napster.)
Posted by Boris714 on May 22, 2006 at 4:09 PM (CDT)
I suggest we start the SanDisk "Don't be a follower (unless, of course, you follow us instead)" campaign.
Posted by The Raven on May 22, 2006 at 4:21 PM (CDT)
Weak! 1) the chimp rocks - I, too want one, 2) their sad marketing ploy it completely transparent - down with the [other] man, and 3) comparing the choice of an iPod to 'cultural conformity' is like saying that eating well or exercising or enjoying the arts is the same - if it works right, why not. iDon't buy this load of crap and feel sorry for the sheep that do. Rebelling against something just because it's popular is sort of a waste of time - especially when you are just playing along with the marketing plan.
Personally, I use black earphones and tuck my iPod away for only me to see. I certainly don't go dancing around like an iPod TV ad. I chose the iPod cuz it works as well as and beautifully with my Mac. I didn't even know anyone with an iPod when I got it 3 years ago. Sheesh!
Posted by David Wyatt on May 22, 2006 at 4:24 PM (CDT)
This should be renamed the "iDon't Understand Human Interface Design".
The way to beat the iPod in the market is:
a) Have the player just as easy to use as the iPod
b) Have the player cheaper than the iPod for the same capacity.
c) Have the player more connectable than the iPod.
The iPod uses an obfuscated file structure to prevent people from copying Music from Computer to Computer, but it is still more compatible than any other player in the market. You still can't plug your Generic MP3 Player into an Alpine or Clarion Car Head Unit.
Posted by Daniel Woods on May 22, 2006 at 4:29 PM (CDT)
Also, this isn't Guerilla Marketting, it is AstroTurfing.
Astroturfing is where you make an *Artificial* Grassroots Community Movement to promote your product.
Guerilla Marketting is where Genuine Fans of your Product use their own resources to spread the word.
Posted by Daniel Woods on May 22, 2006 at 4:33 PM (CDT)
I agree with the same campain but for computers, there area alternatives to windows pc.
I am a switcher that own a mac few months before the first ipod came, so I bought an iPod because i like it not because I dont know there are other options. The same for my first mac, a laptop I buy it because like the shape, exterior and willing to learn a new operating system, my second laptop shopping differe because I wasnt looking for a windows pc anymore, I just wanted the fasted mac laptop I could get.
Many people recomend what they use, so apple will continue to be the number one mp3 seller in the world.
Posted by sergio on May 22, 2006 at 4:35 PM (CDT)
Didn't Apple have that big "anti-IBM" advtert campaign a few decades ago? And that whole "think different" one around 5 years ago? It's always easier to go after the 800 pound gorilla.
Now, if Sandisk is the #2 DAP seller in the US, they must be doing something right hardware wise versus the competition and not they want to chip some off of #1.
Personally, a negative campaign won't really give people reasons to get your product, just a bunch of reasons why they shouldn't get THAT guy's product. And, honestly, people don't want to handle annoyances like "research" and "pricing" and learn a bunch of things about digital audio.
I love my ipod, but I weighed it against all options I could find and figured it was the best choice for me. Can you honestly say 100% of ipod users came to that conclusion?
I believe that some people pick iPod because they WANT to follow the pack. There is safety in numbers, after all.
Posted by icon on May 22, 2006 at 4:37 PM (CDT)
Wow, for a professional company, this is a completely immature way of doing business. Looks like Sandisk will be joining Creative in the grave.
Posted by Bonk on May 22, 2006 at 4:39 PM (CDT)
This is ridiculous. If you want to advertise, advertise why your player is better than the iPod. Explain to me why I should buy it, feature over feature, instead of the iPod. I don't like companies who trash talk other companies and call would-be consumers "followers" and "sheep." This whole campaign reminds me of a politicians. Instead of telling me why the other candidate sucks, tell me why I should vote for you.
Posted by Rene on May 22, 2006 at 4:42 PM (CDT)
You all are defending a company who only achieved success with the iPod when they turned to a 100% style, 0% substance ad campaign. Modern iPod ads are nothing but fluff pieces designed to get you to associate a feeling with a piece of metal and plastic, and it's worked wonderfully. Good luck figuring out what the product actually is from the ads though ;)
I think the SanDisk campaign is a good one. Their players have genuine potential, and they've already managed to trounce everyone else in the North American market other than Apple. Besides, what could be better than handing out a few T-shirts and having all the tech pages talking about it on Monday morning. Now that's some return on investment for advertising :)
Posted by Code Monkey on May 22, 2006 at 4:44 PM (CDT)
Apple pretty much set their place in the MP3 market. No company but Apple will lead the MP3 player market. No matter what, people will always buy iPods. Take teens for example, they saw the iPod, it's awesome design, and started buying it for fashion. As long as people see other's with an iPod, they will buy one too. At my school, I estimate at least 80% of MP3 player owners have an iPod. So Sandisk, this campaign is a worthless and dumb idea.
Posted by joe on May 22, 2006 at 4:45 PM (CDT)
I have an IPOD and my wife has a Sandisk e130. There shoudl be a t-shirt/ad for iDon't use Sandisk. The hardware and interface on the Sandisk is so clunky and useless compared to my IPOD isurprised they even sell at all!
Posted by Andy on May 22, 2006 at 4:55 PM (CDT)


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Efficient cattlemen and women are a boon for the environment.
"I am absolutely not anti-grass-fed beef. There is a place for every single kind of system: grass-fed, grain-fed, local, organic and so on," said Jude Capper, Washington State University animal scientist at the recent Certified Angus Beef LLC annual conference.
"What I am 'anti' is mis-marketing and the perceptions that are passed on to the consumer about what is and isn't environmentally friendly."
From farm publications and the Wall Street Journal to Cosmopolitan and mainstream women's magazines, there is a constant stream of information about water, land and resource use. Beef is often held under the microscope, Capper told the crowd of more than 500 who gathered at the event in Sunriver, Ore.
"In every part of the world we're going to face the issues of feeding more people on less land with fewer resources," she said, citing estimates that by 2050 worldwide population will increase by 50 percent and we'll need 70 percent more food to support that.
"On a global basis people are going to have greater incomes," Capper said. "As people have more money, they want more meat, more milk, more eggs."
Today's conversations about sustainability are well-founded, she said, but some of the proposed solutions are not.
Take "Meatless Mondays" for example. "Even if we all went meatless every Monday, if we only ate lentils and tofu and magically didn't give off any methane ourselves, it's going to cut our national carbon footprint by less than half a percent," Capper said.
And then there are important considerations, like where would animal byproducts like leather, tallow and pharmaceuticals come from?
Instead, Capper suggested one proven method for reducing resource use: increase efficiency. "If we can have our animals on the planet for fewer days before they're harvested, in total we use less energy, less land and less water per unit of beef," she said, pointing to examples over the years.
In 1977 it took five animals to produce the same pounds beef that it takes four animals to produce today.
"Beef yield over that time has gone up fairly consistently," she said, noting carcasses can't keep getting bigger because of consumer acceptance and processing challenges. "What we can do is improve productivity, improve growth rate."
The efficiency gains from 1977 to 2010 amount to a 19-percentage-point reduction in feed use, a 12-point decrease in water needed and a 33-point drop in land required per pound of beef.
"That's not because ranchers and feedlot operators have implemented specific environmental technologies," Capper said. "It's because they've been doing what they do best, to improve productivity."
Grass-fed mantra
Yet that story hasn't caught on. "The consumer often hears that grass-fed must be best," she said. Capper and her research team analyzed and compared the environmental impact of three beef production systems: conventional, natural and grass-fed.
Looking at conventional, with its growth-enhancing technologies like implants and ionophores, versus natural production, cattle in the latter system take more days to finish.
"Animals that grow faster and weigh more cut the environmental impact," she said. That's magnified when comparing conventional to grass-fed, as average days from birth to harvest increase by 226 and carcass weights drop by 185 pounds.
"To convert to an entirely grass-fed system, we'd need to more than double the number of the cows in the United States today just to maintain beef supply," Capper said. Land use would increase by 131 million acres, equivalent to 75 percent of the area of Texas, and water use would skyrocket by 468 billion gallons.
Capper showed several highly publicized studies containing suspect assumptions about the modern beef industry.
"This is very dangerous because it's put out there as fact in an international science magazine," she said of one example. "Potentially, it turns consumers away from beef." Ranchers, stockers and feeders need to keep getting better, and talking about it.
Reducing mortality and morbidity is one step. "It's important to keep having healthier animals. They're going to gain better and grow faster," she said.
Reproduction is another. "Only about 86 percent of cows have a live calf every year. If that was 90 percent, 95 percent or 99 percent, that would make a huge improvement in productivity," Capper said. "If we improve our land, better grasses, better feed, those animals are going to grow faster."
Good news is found in a recent study showing 94 percent of worldwide consumers either support or are neutral toward the use of technology in food production.
"Most consumers just want affordable, safe, nutritious food that tastes good," she said.
To view Capper's research go to http://wsu.academia.edu/JudeCapper/Papers.
For more information on the Certified Angus Beef ® brand Annual Conference, go to www.certifiedangusbeef.com.


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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Chris Davis got two extra bases thanks to technology.
Davis hit a replay-delayed grand slam and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-5 on Tuesday night.
Davis was awarded a slam off Erik Bedard (3-5) during a five-run third-inning after a video review showed his drive struck the foul pole. He reached second base on an opposite-field shot down the left-field line. The review that lasted 1 minute, 18 seconds revealed the ball hit the pole a few feet above the wall, and Davis was given a home run.
''I couldn't tell,'' Davis said. ''I was hoping it would be fair and deep enough to where we could get at least one run in. I'll take a double, but at the same time if I can get a grand slam out of it I'll take that too.''
Orioles manager Buck Showalter thought he heard the ball strike the pole.
''The way things kind of echo here, you can hear it,'' Showalter said. ''We have things in place to get it right.''
Rays left fielder David DeJesus stayed in the game after he ran hard into a low fence near the foul pole while chasing Davis' homer.
''I was kind of lucky,'' DeJesus said. ''I hit the wall first and then I just crumbled. But last year when I separated my shoulder, I went straight into the wall with my shoulder. I had no idea if it hit the wall or hit the pole.''
The Orioles also got a two-run homer from Steve Pearce.
Sean Rodriguez and Desmond Jennings homered for Tampa Bay, which is 5-16 in its last 21 games.
The Rays pulled within 5-2 in the bottom of the third when Rodriguez and Jennings hit consecutive solo homers off Miguel Gonzalez (4-4). Jennings has four homers in 22 at-bats against the Baltimore right-hander.
Tampa Bay made it 5-4 on James Loney's two-run double during the fifth.
Baltimore went ahead 7-4 on Pearce's two-run drive in the seventh. Tampa Bay got one run back on Yunel Escobar's eighth-inning sacrifice fly.
Gonzalez, activated from the 15-day disabled list before the game, allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings. He had been out since May 31 due to a strained right oblique.
''I thought his stuff was pretty crisp, but the command wasn't what he's capable of,'' Showalter said.
Zach Britton pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
Bedard gave up five runs and four hits over four-plus innings.
''It really comes down to starting pitching drives the engine, and (Bedard) had a tough day,'' Rays manager Joe Maddon said. ''We actually played a good game, we just didn't pitch well tonight.''
NOTES: Davis has three career grand slams. ... Baltimore C Matt Wieters had season-ending right elbow ligament replacement surgery. The Orioles are hopeful he will be ready for opening day next year. ... Tampa Bay RHP Jeremy Hellickson (elbow) struggled in his third rehab start with Triple-A Durham, allowing seven runs and 12 hits in 2 2-3 innings. ... Baltimore INF Michael Almanzar (left knee) is scheduled play for the rookie-level GCL Orioles on Friday. ... The Rays signed RHP Brent Honeywell, taken 72nd overall in the 2014 draft. ... To make room on the roster for Gonzalez, RHP Josh Stinson was designated for assignment. ... Orioles RHP Kevin Gausman (2-1) and Rays RHP Alex Cobb (2-4) are the scheduled starters for Wednesday's series finale.


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Unexploded ordnance (UXO) detection and discrimination
Unexploded ordnance (UXO) detection and discrimination approaches are being developed to solve the Department of Defense's (DoD) most pressing environmental problems: UXO cleanup and humanitarian de-mining. The program combines advanced forward and inverse EM sensing approaches with statistical signal processing methodologies to solve these complex and challenging problems. See also UXO Research Group.
Faculty contact: Fridon Shubitidze


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