Technical Barriers to Trade in the European Union: Importance for the Accession Countries. CEPS Working Document No. 144, April 2000

With trade in industrial products between the EU and the CEECs now essentially free of tariff and non-tariff restrictions, the principal impact of accession to the EU on trade flows will be through access to the Single Market of the EU. A key element of this will be the removal of technical barriers to trade. In this paper we try and highlight the importance of technical barriers to trade between the EU and the various CEECs, distinguishing sectors according to the different approaches to the removal of these barriers in the EU: mutual recognition, detailed harmonisation (old approach) and minimum requirements (new approach). We utilise two sources of information on technical regulations: a sectoral classification from a previous study of the impact of the Single Market and our own detailed translation of EU product related directives into the relevant tariff codes. The analysis suggests that the importance of technical barriers varies considerably across the CEECs. The adjustment implications of access to the Single Market are likely to be greatest for those most advanced in their accession negotiations

Montana Bar Association Activities

Montana Bar Association Activitie

Montana Bar Association Activities

Montana Bar Association Activitie

John C. Sheehy\u27s statement about Article XI, Section 8

John C. Sheehy\u27s statement to the Education and Public Lands Committee about Article XI, Section 8.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/montanaconstitution/1176/thumbnail.jp

Reforming the U.S. intelligence community: Successes, failures and the best path forward

In the wake of the 9/11 and Iraqi WMD catastrophes, an increased spotlight was placed upon the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). The widespread criticism of the IC, from both government and public sources, ultimately culminated in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) in 2004. Today, with a wide array of transnational threats to the homeland, as well as the complex, globalized, high-tech world they thrive in, the role of intelligence remains essential to the national security apparatus. A new shape for the intelligence reform debate is necessary, one that recognizes the unique role the IC plays in policy making and waging conflicts worldwide. The limitations and challenges that distinguish intelligence from other organizational debates need incorporation. This paper presents a historiography of intelligence reform to offer lessons for the present. In condensing the patterns and trends of IC reform history and elaborating on the features that remain, boundaries and necessary perspective on reform are illuminated. This study ultimately argues for a set of incremental changes, primarily dealing in the day-to-day work of intelligence analysts. In avoiding much of the scholarship\u27s tendency to call for large-scale reorganization, a more feasible and fruitful framework for future reforms emerges. Over the course of the history I illustrate, the analysts themselves have remained the key cog to U.S. intelligence machinery. This proves even more valid in today\u27s IC. If improving the IC is necessary, it will come from an environment and framework that allow analysts to create the best possible products

Field boundary habitats and their contribution to the area of semi-natural habitats on lowland farms in east Galway, western Ireland

peer-reviewedSustainable agriculture and the provision of environmental public goods are key deliverables for European farming and food production. Farmland biodiversity, cultural landscapes, soil functionality and climate stability are among the environmental public goods provided through agriculture. Future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) direct payments are intended to be more targeted at the provision of these agricultural deliverables. Field boundaries are an example of such deliverables. They are widespread features that have both environmental and aesthetic functions in farmed landscapes. However, research on their variety, density and contribution to semi-natural habitat cover on farms in Ireland is lacking. This study investigates the diversity and density of all field boundary habitat types on 32 lowland farms in east County Galway, western Ireland. A total of 286km of field boundaries were surveyed across six study sites. Five types of field boundary habitats were recorded. The density of field boundaries on the farms studied was high and could have positive implications for delivery of environmental public goods and sustainable farming metrics. In more intensively farmed areas, field boundaries were the only remaining semi-natural habitat on some farms highlighting the need to retain, and improve the ecological quality, of these features. The condition of one field boundary type (hedgerows) was also investigated in further detail. While the density of field boundaries was high on many of the surveyed farms, we found that the hedgerows on these farms were not necessarily in good condition for wildlife

PTRC Customer Assessment Survey and Best Practices

Assessment of customer activities in academic, public, and special libraries demonstrates their impact and value to library administrators and constituents. In turn, this assists in securing and maintaining advocacy and financial support. Although many formal and informal assessment best practices have evolved to measure the quantitative and qualitative impact of information literacy instruction, few if any best practices have been established to measure impact specific to Patent & Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) customers. This article reviews the results of a survey of PTRC Libraries and their customer assessment practices. Such analysis reveals best practices for other PTRCs to build upon and to improve their customer assessment of specialized research, instruction, and outreach related to Intellectual Property Information Literacy (IPIL) of patents and trademarks. Academic libraries utilize the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, more commonly known as the ACRL Framework. On the other hand, public libraries tend to evaluate patent and trademark patron satisfaction, rather than learning outcomes based upon the ACRL Framework. Certain public and academic libraries utilize Project Outcome for such assessment. In some instances, PTRC patrons turn to public libraries for computer literacy skills before they can search patent and trademark databases. Although focused through the lens of PTRCs, the results of this study are applicable to other types of library services dealing with IPIL, such as copyright and fair use, scholarly communications, open educational resources, business and entrepreneurship, STEM, digital humanities, makerspaces, and technology transfer library partnerships

Control of asbestos exposure during brake drum service

"An evaluation was undertaken of various control measures used to help cut down the exposure of automobile mechanics to asbestos (1332214) fibers during the servicing of brakes. Five facilities employing five methods to control asbestos exposure were part of the initial evaluation. These control methods included the use of two commercial enclosure devices with ventilation provided by a HEPA filter equipped vacuum, a HEPA filter equipped vacuum alone, a brush with recirculating cleaning solution, and cleaning solvents in aerosol cans. During the servicing of brakes on automobiles, pickup trucks, vans, and vehicles with a four wheel rear axle, measurements were taken using traditional air sampling methods, incorporating phase contract microscopy and transmission electron microscopy and real time analysis of brake dust exposure. All the devices tested, in combination with the work practices used, controlled the exposure of the mechanic to asbestos fibers during brake servicing to less than the recommended limits. The exposures reported in this evaluation were much lower than those reported in the literature for brake service operations involving the use of compressed air and brush cleaning. Recommendations were made for improved work practices and modifications to the control systems." - NIOSHTIC-2John W. Sheehy ... [et al.]."August 1989."Also available via the World Wide Web.Includes bibliographical references (p. 66-69)

Coming Together Through Object Based Learning in a Pandemic

In the summer of 2019, three history teachers from all over the US, met in France for National History Day’s Memorializing the Fallen program and commenced a lasting friendship. While in France, touring the WWI cemeteries, memorial sites, and museums, we all realized the importance of experience-based learning and the seeds were sown for our interest in object based learning. Aside from the philosophical and pedagogical discussions on long bus rides and our passion for history, we shared a belief in the importance of revitalizing history education and helping it to evolve in the face of our twenty-first century world. When we returned back from France we kept in touch and continued to think of ways we could collaborate and work together. Covid-19 provided us that opportunity. With history education and teachers in general having to become more familiar with Google Meets, Zoom, and other video based platforms we decided to get together and have a Zoom session. As we talked and discussed what each of us were doing we found that we all to varying degrees believe in and utilize object based learning in our classrooms. We decided that other teachers could benefit from using objects in their classrooms. So, we decided we would model the technique and lines of questioning that go into using objects in a classroom. For this journal we would like to discuss how we came together, our passion for object based learning, and how, despite the disruption COVID-19 brought to all of our school years and classes, it also provided us the opportunity to come together and create content and resources that could help teachers now and whenever we get back into the classroom