Baucus bill seeks to ease restrictions on U.S. food, medicine exports to Cuba.
Summer usually brings a wave of activity in Washington regarding Cuba policy, because that's when Congressional activity on spending bills heats up. But this year, it's been more like a ripple than a wave. The most decisive move has been the long-awaited introduction in the...

Scred cow? Canada's response to the BSE crisis; Evaluating North American integration, science, and questions of intrusiveness and autonomy.
I. INTRODUCTION This study focuses on foreign and domestic pressures related to Canada's first indigenous case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in May 2003. At the international level, the integration of the North American cattle and beef industry, export considerations in other markets, and the role of...

Court bars AG from winning 'private attorney general' fees.
The state attorney general cannot recover fees under the Code of Civil Procedure's "private attorney general" provision, the Third District Court of Appeal has ruled in a Tehama County case involving the Subdivision Map Act and the Williamson Act. The attorney general's office sued the county over...

A county planning director.
A county planning director may also serve as the executive officer of the county's local agency formation commission, a Sierra County judge has ruled. The decision appears to be the first that directly addresses the question of whether a county employee may serve as the LAFCO executive officer since...

Coffee harvest up 30% this season.
Cuba's coffee harvest will be up by 30% this year, with output of between 180,000 and 225,000 60-kg bags, Reuters reported Jan. 5, basing its estimate on local media reports. Reuters estimated the 2005-06 crop at around 140,000 bags--one of the lowest in 50 years--due mainly to...

Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill.
Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill by Daniel Imhoff. 136 pages, paperback. University of California Press, Berkeley, 2007. "What's for dinner?" It's an everyday question, and one that usually carries a straightforward response--enchiladas, say, or pasta, or chicken. But the complete answer...

Interference of Asian, American, and Indian (Ashwagandha) ginsengs in serum digoxin measurements by a fluorescence polarization immunoassay can be minimized by using a new enzyme-linked chemiluminescent immunosorbent or turbidimetric assay.
* Context.--Ginsengs are widely used by the general population. These herbs interfere with serum digoxin measurement using the fluorescence polarization immunoassay. Objective.--To assess potential interference of different ginsengs (Asian, American, and Indian, also known as Ashwagandha) in vitro and in vivo in a mouse model by using...

ITC studies embargo's impact on food sales.
The U.S. International Trade Commission will soon complete its investigation of the effect of Washington's 45-year-old trade embargo on U.S. exports of agricultural commodities to Cuba. The investigation, "U.S. Agricultural Sales to Cuba: Certain Economic Effects of U.S. Restrictions," was requested by the U.S. Senate Committee on...

Rejuvenation of coffee trees pushed in Eastern Visayas.
Byline: RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT TACLOBAN CITY - The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Eastern Visayas has encouraged farmers to rejuvenate coffee trees to revitalize the coffee industry in the region to meet the growing demand for coffee beans. DA Regional Executive Director Leo P. Caneda...

Customs cites gains in drive on corruption.
Byline: ANGIE CHUI and MARVYN N. BENANING "I am happy to note that the country is at par, if not advanced, compared to other Asian nations in terms of measures against corruption and smuggling." Thus said Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales after attending the first annual...