You may not know her name, but you know her face.

Connie Sawyer, known in Hollywood as the oldest working actress in show business, has finally ended her career. 

Sawyer died late Monday at her home in Los Angeles at 105.

She began her career as a singer and comedienne on radio, in nightclubs, and vaudeville in the early 1930s. 

When Sawyer became too old to be called a “girl singer,” she began acting in character parts on Broadway and on hundreds of television comedy shows and films, playing little old ladies in such hits as When Harry Met Sally, Dumb and Dumber, and Pineapple Express.

Sawyer never retired and said she never wanted to be a star — just a working actress who could always get a paycheck.
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From: MeNeedIt

The Trump administration is set to announce a raft of trade decisions over the next months, ranging from curbs on foreign imports of steel and aluminum to steps to clamp down on China’s alleged theft of intellectual property.

U.S. President Donald Trump has stressed his “America First” agenda in his first year in office and called for fairer, more reciprocal trade. He has blamed globalization for ravaging American manufacturing jobs as companies sought to reduce labor costs by relocating to Mexico and elsewhere.

Imported washing machines, solar panels

In its first major trade decision of the year, the administration slapped steep tariffs on imported washing machines and solar panels, boosting Whirlpool Corp. and dealing a setback to the renewable energy industry.

Monday’s decision imposed a 20 percent tariff on the first 1.2 million imported large residential washers in the first year, and a 50 percent tariff on machines above that number. The tariff declines to 16 percent and 40 percent respectively in the third year.

The move punishes Samsung Electronics, which recently began washer production in South Carolina, and LG Electronics, which is building a plant in Tennessee.

The U.S. Solar Energy Industries Association on Tuesday warned that Trump’s move to slap 30 percent tariffs on imported panels would kill tens of thousands of jobs, raise the cost of going solar and quash billions of dollars of investment.

South Korea could push back by launching a complaint through the Geneva-based World Trade Organization, but that is likely to take years. Seoul could also raise it during current negotiations with the United States on modifying the U.S.-South Korea free-trade agreement, known as KORUS.

Steel

The U.S. Commerce Department sent its recommendations on ways to curb foreign steel imports to the White House on January 11. The report followed Trump’s decision, made several months after he took office, to open a Section 232 investigation (from Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962) into whether steel imports threaten U.S. national security.

Trump has 90 days to decide on any potential action. He has promised that any actions will protect steelworkers from imports. Curbing excess steel production in China, which now supplies half of the world’s steel, would be a key goal of any action. Broad tariffs could, however, also affect steelmakers in Europe, Japan, South Korea and Turkey.

It is unclear when the decision on steel imports will be announced.

Aluminum

The Commerce Department has sent Trump the results of its national security investigation into aluminum imports. That Section 232 probe could see broad import restrictions imposed on lightweight metal. The White House has been debating whether to order broad tariffs or quotas on steel and aluminum, pitting administration officials who favor aggressive restrictions against those who favor a more cautious approach to avoid a run-up in prices.

It is unclear when Trump will make his decision.

​Intellectual property

Trump and his trade advisers are currently considering penalizing China under Section 301 of the 1974 trade law for its alleged theft of American intellectual property.

The 301 investigation would allow Trump to impose retaliatory tariffs on Chinese goods or other trade sanctions until China changes its policies.

Trump told Reuters in an interview on January 17 that he was considering imposing a big “fine” against China, but he did not elaborate on his answer.

U.S. businesses say they lose hundreds of billions of dollars in technology and millions of jobs to Chinese firms that have stolen ideas and software or forced them to turn over intellectual property as part of doing business in China.

A White House official told Reuters January 19 that Trump was particularly focused on the 301 investigation because it was “systemic” and covered a large swath of American businesses.

China could retaliate by weighing whether the actions are in line with WTO rules while ratcheting up pressure on U.S. businesses — for example, by buying from a European company such as Airbus instead of Boeing.
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From: MeNeedIt

Hugh Masekela, the trumpeter, composer and anti-apartheid activist known as the “father of South African jazz” has died at the age of 78 in Johannesburg.

A statement by released by his family Tuesday said Masekela, affectionately called “Bra Hugh,” passed away “after a protracted and courageous battle with prostate cancer.” He announced last October that he was being treated for the disease, which was first diagnosed in 2008. 

Masekela’s five-decade career began in earnest in the 1950s, when he helped create the Johannesburg jazz scene as a member of the bebop sextet Jazz Epistles, but fled South Africa in the 1960s to spend the next three decades in exile.

He befriended American singer and activist Harry Belafonte, and he increasingly used his music to protest the indignities and repression of white-minority rule in his homeland. Among his better known protest tunes were “Soweto Blues,” and “Bring Him Back Home,” an anthem demanding the release of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela from prison. 

Masekela scored an international number-one hit in 1968 with the breezy tune “Grazing in the Grass.” He later collaborated with American pop star Paul Simon in the 1980s. He was briefly married in the 1960s to Miriam Makeba, the legendary South African singer and activist.

South African President Jacob Zuma praised Masekela in a statement Tuesday, saying he “kept the torch of freedom alive” through his music, and that “his contribution to the struggle for liberation will never be forgotten.”

Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa wrote on Twitter that “Bra Hugh was one of the great architects of Afro-Jazz and he uplifted the soul of our nation through his timeless music.”
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From: MeNeedIt

Polo Ralph Lauren unveiled Team USA’s Olympic parade uniforms Monday and social media haters can leave the ugly sweater jokes back in Sochi.

Roundly mocked in 2014 for a chaotic, patchwork cardigan sweater, the brand went classic red, white and blue this time around for the opening ceremony and white for the closing parade of athletes in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Both have a cozy bit of technology built in to keep athletes extra warm. 

Athletes will be treated to stretchy skinny jeans and a far less busily designed sweater for opening, with a stretch knit pant – think structured sweat pant – for closing. The jeans have moto-inspired seaming. Accessories include a navy wool ski hat and USA-themed navy bandanna. On the athletes’ feet will be brown suede mountaineering boots with red laces for the outdoor opening.

And then there are the gloves. They’re more Ralph than Ralph himself, a Western style in suede with fringe in rawhide brown and decorated in hand-beaded Olympic rings and an American flag. They’re lined in white and fit over the wrists. Warm, yes. Yee haw! Lasso not included.

David Lauren, the youngest son of the brand’s namesake and the company’s chief innovation officer, was proud of the technology for the tri-colored parkas in mostly navy blue and the bombers for the end of the Winter Games.

In a process developed exclusively for the brand, the heating system is made of electronic printed conductive inks in silver and black in the shape of an America flag and bonded to the interior backs of the jackets, he said. Athletes can control basic settings using their cellphones for up to five hours of heat on high and up to 11 hours on low, fully charged.

A limited number were released for sale to fans and were selling quickly, Lauren said. All garments are American made.

The brand has been the official outfitter of the U.S. Olympic Committee and Team USA since 2008. The uniforms will also be worn by the Paralympic Games teams. 

“Every season we learn from the athletes,” Lauren said. “We work very closely with them, where we find out what makes them comfortable as they’re walking out on this amazing stage in front of the entire world.”

The story Lauren is trying to tell this time around is a celebration of the past, he said, “so we have gloves inspired by the frontier movement, we have jeans that celebrate another era of American entrepreneurship and jackets that heat up, which show that America is continuing to evolve.”

The jacket technology displays the temperature inside the garment to help the athletes decide on settings. 

The company was looking to display a boldness in the looks this year. It was about comfort, however, as opposed to playing into the tumultuous politics of the last year.

And what does Lauren say to critics who have poked fun in the past? 

“We’re very proud to work with Team USA,” he said. “This year we’re excited to say that most of the outfits have already sold out.”

Enthusiasts can buy pieces online and in a handful of Ralph Lauren stores around the country, including a customizable ski hat, Lauren said. A portion of proceeds will be donated to athletes’ training.

The uniforms were modeled in a Polo Ralph Lauren store in downtown Manhattan by sister-brother, Lauren-sponsored ice dancing team Maia and Alex Shibutani. 

“The jacket is going to be perfect for the cold weather,” Alex said. “We love the jacket especially.”

Maia was impressed by the stretch in the jeans. 

“I’m going to be wearing these all the time, definitely.”

And those gloves?

“There’s some nice detailing,” Alex offered. “There’s ‘Polo’ right there on the side.”
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From: MeNeedIt

Uganda’s cancer patients can finally breathe a sigh of relief after the country got a new cobalt-60 radiation treatment machine. But, health officials say this may not be enough because of an ever increasing number of cancer cases in the country. Halima Athumani reports for VOA from Kampala.
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From: MeNeedIt

A trade group representing U.S. auto parts makers on Monday urged the Trump administration to adopt NAFTA automotive rules that cover research, engineering, design and software development work as part of North American regional value content goals.

The proposal from the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) was sent to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer as a sixth round of negotiations to revise the North American Free Trade Agreement began in Montreal.

U.S. demands for sweeping changes to automotive content rules are among the most contentious issues in the NAFTA talks, including a requirement that half the value of all North American vehicles come from the United States and a far higher content requirement of 85 percent from North America.

Canada and Mexico have said the U.S. targets are unworkable, but have not responded with counter-proposals.

They are expected to do so at the Montreal talks ending Jan 29. Lack of progress in bridging the gap on autos could jeopardize the negotiations and increase the chances that President Donald Trump follows through on his threat to seek a U.S. withdrawal from NAFTA.

The U.S. auto industry, including MEMA and trade groups representing Detroit and foreign-brand automakers, have largely sided with Canada and Mexico in arguing that the U.S. proposals would hurt the industry’s competitiveness.

The MEMA letter to Lighthizer makes no mention of the proposed U.S. and regional content targets, and focuses instead on recommendations that its members believe will help retain and grow automotive jobs in the United States.

“We think it lines up very well with the president’s initiatives and his stated goals for NAFTA and other free trade agreements,” Ann Wilson, MEMA’s senior vice president of government affairs, told Reuters. “What we have been trying to do is find other ways of getting to the president’s objectives without getting to a 50 percent domestic requirement.”

Counting the well-paid engineering, design, research and software development as part of a vehicle’s value content would provide an incentive for companies to retain jobs doing this work now largely done in the United States.

The proposal also urges the Trump administration to preserve “tariff-shifting” for automotive parts as a means to retain the higher value-added work being done on sophisticated automotive electronics and other systems.

Currently, companies that import components and materials into North America and convert them into automotive parts can “shift,” or apply, NAFTA tariff-free benefits to such inputs.

For example, off-the-shelf electronics parts from Asia such as lidar and radar units, cameras, sensors and circuit boards currently gain this benefit as they are assembled into vehicle crash avoidance systems. Steel tubing converted to fuel injectors also can gain such benefits.

But the current USTR autos proposal would require that virtually all components be subject to a “tracing list” to verify their North American origin so they can count toward regional value targets.

The tracing list would be expanded to steel, glass, plastic resins and other materials, under the proposal.

Industry executives have argued that these requirements are likely to push auto and parts companies to source more products outside the region and simply pay the low 2.5 percent U.S. tariffs on many parts.

MEMA also urged Lighthizer to negotiate an agreement that provides incentives to U.S. companies to train and expand the U.S. workforce, as parts companies struggle to fill open positions amid rising retirements. The group also urged that aftermarket parts be subject to the same NAFTA rules as original equipment parts.
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From: MeNeedIt

Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing, winner of the National Book Award for fiction, is now a nominee for the National Book Critics Circle prize.

Other finalists announced Monday include Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West for fiction, Roxane Gay’s Hunger for autobiography and Masha Gessen’s The Future is History, winner of the National Book Award for nonfiction. The celebrated author-journalist John McPhee will receive a lifetime achievement award and Carmen Maria Machado, author of the story collection Her Body and Other Parties, will be honored for best debut book. The author-critic Charles Finch will receive a citation for “excellence in reviewing.”

The critics circle chose five nominees in each of six competitive categories: fiction, nonfiction, autobiography, biography, poetry and criticism. Winners will be announced March 15.

Fiction nominees besides Ward’s haunting story of family and race in the American South include Hamid’s best-selling tale of young lovers who become refugees, Exit West; Alice McDermott’s The Ninth Hour; Joan Silber’s Improvement and Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, her first novel since winning the Booker Prize in 1997 for The God of Small of Things.

Besides Gessen, nonfiction nominees were Jack E. Davis for Gulf: The Making of An American Sea, Frances FitzGerald for The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America, Kapka Kassabova for Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe and Adam Rutherford for A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes.

In biography, the finalists were Caroline Fraser’s Prairie Fires, Edmund Gordon’s The Invention of Angela Carter: A Biography, Howard Markel’s The Kelloggs: The Battling Brothers of Battle Creek, William Taubman’s Gorbachev: His Life and Times and Kenneth Whyte’s Hoover: An Extraordinary Life in Extraordinary Times.

Autobiography finalists besides Gay’s Hunger were Thi Bui’s An Illustrated Memoir, Henry Marsh’s Admissions: Life as a Brain Surgeon, Ludmilla Petrushevskay’s The Girl from the Metropol Hotel: Growing Up in Communist Russia and Xiaolu Guo’s Nine Continents: A Memoir In and Out of China.

In poetry, the nominees were Nuar Alsadir for Fourth Person Singular, James Longenbach for Earthling, Layli Long Soldier for Whereas, Frank Ormsby for The Darkness of Snow and Ana Ristovic for Directions for Use.

Edwidge Danticat, a prize-winning novelist and memoir writer, is a finalist in criticism for The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story. The poet Kevin Young is also a criticism nominee for Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News. The others cited were Carina Chocano for You Play the Girl: On Playboy Bunnies, Stepford Wives, Train Wrecks, & Other Mixed Messages, Camille T. Dungy for Guidebook to Relative Strangers: Journeys into Race, Motherhood, and History and Valeria Luiselli for Tell Me How it Ends.

The National Book Critics Circle, founded in 1974, is comprised of around 1,000 critics and book review editors.
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From: MeNeedIt

The World Health Organization’s director general is calling on its 192 member states to adopt universal health care as the best way of guaranteeing health for all.

This is the first time Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has addressed the 34-member executive board since assuming his post in July as the first African head of the World Health Organization. And the former Ethiopian health minister was not shy about touting his accomplishments during his first six months in office.

He said a plan to transform the WHO into a stronger, more relevant organization has been developed. Tedros proudly noted he had achieved gender parity in the WHO’s top ranks, with women outnumbering men.

Tedros said the WHO has built strong political momentum on non-communicable diseases and tuberculosis, and that a new initiative to combat the health effects of climate change in small island developing states has been launched. He appeared most enthusiastic about his vision to achieve health for all.

“At least half the world’s population still lacks access to essential health services. And almost 100 million people are pushed into extreme poverty every year because of out-of-pocket health spending. This must end,” he said.

Tedros said recent visits to Kenya, Madagascar and Rwanda convinced him that universal health coverage is not a pipe dream. He said all three countries are creating affordable health care systems.

“I am more convinced than ever that UHC [universal health care] is not only the best investment in a healthier world, it is also the best investment in a safer world. As you have heard me say, universal health coverage and health security are two sides of the same coin,” he said.

The WHO chief said he hoped to advance this issue at the World Health Assembly in May. He said he would ask as many countries as possible to make commitments at the WHA regarding the action they will take toward achieving universal health coverage at home.
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From: MeNeedIt

The International Monetary Fund says the global economy grew at a faster than expected 3.7 percent pace in 2017 and will do better this year and next.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde called predictions of strengthening growth “very welcome news.” She spoke Monday in Davos, Switzerland, at the annual World Economic Forum.

IMF experts say 120 nations, representing three-quarters of the global economy, saw growth last year. IMF experts said tax cuts in the United States will have a positive but “short term” impact on the economy.

Lagarde urged political and economic leaders to take advantage of good times to make reforms that will soften the impact of the next, inevitable, economic downturn.

She said there is “significant” uncertainty in the year ahead, where a long period of low interest rates may have inflated the value of stocks and other assets to unsustainable levels. She also says a rise in debt levels is a concern.

Growth must be more inclusive, she added. She also said more efforts to retrain people displaced by automation, create opportunities for young people and bring more women into the labor force will all help.

Lagarde is only one of many leaders expected to speak at the Davos gathering. U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to address fellow heads of state and others later this week, but White House officials say Washington’s current political impasse that has shut down many normal functions of government make that trip “not very likely.”
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From: MeNeedIt

Kid Rock has donated about $122,000 from sales of merchandise promoting his potential U.S. Senate campaign to a voter-registration organization.

The Detroit-area rocker, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, teased the public for months. At a September concert, he was introduced as Michigan’s “next senator.”  In October, he confirmed he wasn’t running.

Kid Rock’s publicist, Jay Jones, said in an email to The Detroit News that money raised from political merchandise was sent to CRNC Action, an affiliate of the College Republican National Committee that did voter-registration work last summer at Kid Rock concerts.

Ted Dooley, president of CRNC Action, says the donation was made in December. He says registering voters at the concerts was “pretty much like other voter registration work we do… except a lot more fun.”
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From: MeNeedIt

Some New Caledonian crows craft hooked tools out of branched twigs, and Scottish biologists have discovered why – the birds can extract food from cracks and crevises several times faster than by using straight twigs.

“It is a painstaking sequence of behaviors,” explains Professor James St. Clair, from the University of St. Andrews, the lead author of the new study in the current issue of Nature Ecology & Evolution.  “Crows seek out particular plant species, harvest a forked twig, and then, firmly holding it underfoot, carve, nibble and peel its tip, until it has a neat little hook.”

Watch a New Caledonian crow make and use a hooked tool (Credit Rutz Group)

The Scottish team conducted experiments to record how long wild-caught crows took to extract food from a range of naturalistic tasks, using either hooked or non-hooked tool designs.  Depending on the task, they found that hooked tools were between two and 10 times more efficient than non-hooked tools.

Although it takes the crow a while to create the hook, getting food more quickly means it has more time and energy for reproduction and avoiding predators.  The researchers do not know whether the hook-making know-how is inherited or learned by observation, but because hooked-tool users will live longer and leave more offspring, the skill is expected to spread.

 
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From: MeNeedIt

Once a hugely productive gold mine in the western state of South Dakota, it is now being used as an underground research lab where scientists are trying to learn more about the universe. VOA’s Lesya Bakalets and Serge Sokolov went to the former mine to report on what is now a world class research lab that attracts scientists from across the globe.
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From: MeNeedIt