Secretary Perdue Statement on Signing of US-Japan Trade Agreement
(Washington, D.C. – September 25, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today issued the following statement regarding the signing of the new United States-Japan Trade Agreement:
“This agreement between the United States and Japan is a better deal for the entire U.S. economy, but is a particularly big win for our farmers and ranchers. When I visited Japan in May for the G20, I made it clear that the U.S. is Japan’s best customer and we felt that relationship was not reciprocal. This agreement helps level the playing field. I thank President Trump and Ambassador Lighthizer for delivering on their promise to open markets around the world for America’s farmers and ranchers.”
Background:
The U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement will provide America’s farmers and ranchers enhanced market access in our third largest agricultural export market. When implemented, this Agreement will enable American producers to compete more effectively with countries that currently have preferential tariffs in the Japanese market. The deal President Trump is delivering will provide our farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses with market access for high quality U.S. food and agricultural products to 127 million Japanese consumers.
In the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement, Japan has committed to provide substantial market access to American food and agricultural products by eliminating tariffs, enacting meaningful tariff reductions, or allowing a specific quantity of imports at a low duty (generally zero). Importantly, the tariff treatment for the products covered in this agreement will match the tariffs that Japan provides preferentially to countries in the CP-TPP agreement.
KEY ELEMENTS: U.S. AG EXPORTS TO JAPAN
Out of the $14.1 billion in U.S. food and agricultural products imported by Japan in 2018, $5.2 billion were already duty free. Under this first-stage initial tariff agreement, Japan will eliminate or reduce tariffs on an additional $7.2 billion of U.S. food and agricultural products.
Tariff Reduction: For products valued at $2.9 billion, Japan will reduce tariffs in stages. Among the products benefitting from this enhanced access will be:
Tariff Elimination: Tariffs will be eliminated immediately on over $1.3 billion of U.S. farm products including, for example:
Other products valued at $3.0 billion will benefit from staged tariff elimination. This group of products includes, for example:
Country Specific Quotas (CSQs): For some products, preferential market access will be provided through the creation of CSQs, which provide access for a specified quantity of imports from the United States at a preferential tariff rate, generally zero. CSQ access will cover:
Mark Up: Exports to Japan of wheat and barley will benefit from a reduction to Japan’s “mark up” on those products. Japan’s imports of U.S. wheat and barley were valued at more than $800 million in 2018.
Safeguards: This agreement provides for the limited use of safeguards by Japan for surges in imports of beef, pork, whey, oranges, and race horses, which will be phased out over time.
KEY ELEMENTS: JAPAN AG EXPORTS TO THE UNITED STATES
The United States will provide tariff elimination or reduction on 42 tariff lines for agricultural imports from Japan valued at $40 million in 2018. Products include:
The United States has also agreed to modify its global WTO tariff rate quota for imports of Japanese beef, enabling Japanese beef producers to compete for a larger share of the global TRQ quantity.
With Oct. 1 being World Vegetarian Day and Nov. 1 being World Vegan Day and research showing that skipping meat can save the average person at least $750 per year, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2019’s Best Cities for Vegans & Vegetarians as well as accompanying videos.
To determine the best and cheapest places for following a plant-based diet, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 17 key indicators of vegan- and vegetarian-friendliness. The data set ranges from the share of restaurants serving meatless options to the cost of groceries for vegetarians to salad shops per capita.
Top 20 Cities for Vegans & Vegetarians
1
Portland, OR
11
Scottsdale, AZ
2
Los Angeles, CA
12
Anaheim, CA
3
Orlando, FL
13
Chicago, IL
4
Seattle, WA
14
Madison, WI
5
Austin, TX
15
Milwaukee, WI
6
Atlanta, GA
16
Washington, DC
7
New York, NY
17
Las Vegas, NV
8
San Francisco, CA
18
Pittsburgh, PA
9
San Diego, CA
19
Houston, TX
10
Tampa, FL
20
Charlotte, NC
Best vs. Worst
To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-for-vegans-vegetarians/39706/
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How To Live Life Like
You’re On A Treasure Hunt
Nearly everyone experiences it.
We get so caught up in our work or other day-to-day responsibilities that we overlook many of the world’s simple pleasures and intoxicating wonders.
But, when we pay attention, life can be an extraordinary treasure hunt that will lead us down paths we never imagined, says Sandra A. Miller (www.SandraAMiller.com), author of Trove: A Woman’s Search for Truth and Buried Treasure.
“Sometimes I will see people walking through the woods and they are texting, not noticing all the beauty around them,” Miller says. “It makes you realize that it's getting harder to spend even an hour without technology.”
She certainly has made the effort to untether herself. Miller’s memoir is about a midlife crisis as experienced through armchair treasure hunting, a hobby in which a person or group buries a treasure and sets up a series of clues and puzzles that will lead treasure hunters to it. The game entails getting out into the world and possibly even digging in the dirt.
But Miller says such organized treasure hunts also serve as a metaphor for what everyone needs to do more of – leave the digital world behind and explore the abundant riches that the real one provides.
Miller says she has found that a few ways to live life like you’re on a treasure hunt include:
Start each day with a prayer of gratitude. This doesn’t have to be a religious thing. Miller says it means savoring and showing appreciation for family and friendships; for the joy a favorite song brings; for every experience that teaches you a little more about yourself and the world; and for any small thing that might be insignificant to others, but holds meaning for you.
Engage with people, even strangers. Technology makes it easy these days to become isolated from others. “The antidote to that is putting down our phones, looking someone in the eye and saying, ‘How is your day going?’ ” Miller says. “If they don’t want to tell you, they won’t. But chances are, no one else has asked them. Who knows what treasures these conversations will reveal?”
Look for clues and signs everywhere. “I try to stay open to the found things on my path; from words, to signs, to love that announces itself to us in hundreds of ways each day,” Miller says. “That bird. That baby in the stroller. An early spring daffodil. I feel pleased with where I am in my life, and I’m not looking for something else to make me happy. But I still stay aware of all these treasures around me.”
Expect to always be on a search. One of the great things about living life like you’re on a treasure hunt is that the hunt never ends. “There is so much to search for,” Miller says, “and now more than ever we need to stay awake and alert to the beauty around us.”
“I think so many of us reach midlife and say, ‘Now what?’ ” Miller says. “In many cases, we have built strong careers and have disposable income. Often we even have time to travel or do the things we love, but we are still plagued by a sense of longing, which is different for everyone. Stay open to all the possibilities because the treasure you’re looking for is almost never where you expect to find it.”
About Sandra A. Miller
Sandra A. Miller (www.SandraAMiller.com), author of Trove: A Woman’s Search for Truth and Buried Treasure, teaches in the English Department of the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She previously worked in the editorial department at NAL/Penguin and later worked as a literary agent. She has written stories, articles and essays that have appeared in hundreds of regional and national publications, including Modern Bride, Glamour, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, Yankee, and The Washington Post OnParenting blog. She has facilitated workshops on treasure hunting as a spiritual experience. Miller also has created her own armchair treasure hunt with a custom-made jeweled bracelet worth $2,200 as the prize. The bracelet is hidden somewhere in New England, and she will be providing clues through the blog on her website.
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OCD Awareness Week
Shawn’s mother brought him to therapy because she noticed he began to squeeze his head in the mornings before school. He was trying to “squeeze out the thoughts.” Shawn (a 5-year old) was experiencing ruminating thoughts that “would not go away.” He was having unwanted intrusive thoughts.
Kate (a 9-year old) developed an irrational fear that certain foods would harm or poison her. She read food labels; refused to eat school lunches; and experienced extreme anxiety around family meals. Her parents brought her to therapy when she began to lose weight.
Rita (a 13-year old) was buying and stockpiling household cleaners whenever she could. Her fear of germs was so overwhelming and compelling that she would sneak out of her house and walk to a nearby store to purchase more cleaning products.
Many children with OCD develop it between the ages of 8–12, although OCD can occur in children as young as 4.
According to Nationwide Children’s Hospital-Behavioral Health Services in Ohio, The Anxiety and Depression Association of America, reports OCD affects about 1 in 100 children in the U.S. The disorder can begin in childhood or during the teen years. Boys often develop symptoms at an earlier age than girls.
What is OCD? “Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that affects people of all ages and walks of life, and occurs when a person gets caught in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that trigger intensely distressing feelings. Compulsions are behaviors an individual engages in to attempt to get rid of the obsessions and/or decrease his or her distress.” Learn more about OCD at www.iocdf.org.
What kinds of obsessions do children and teenagers have? Children may have worries about germs, getting sick, dying, bad things happening, or doing something wrong. Feelings that things have to be “just right” are common in children. Some children have very disturbing thoughts or images of hurting others, or improper thoughts or images of sex.
What compulsions or rituals do children and teenagers have? There are many different rituals such as washing and cleaning, repeating actions until they are just right, starting things over again, doing things evenly, erasing, rewriting, asking the same question over and over again, confessing or apologizing, saying lucky words or numbers, checking, touching, tapping, counting, praying, ordering, arranging and hoarding.
According to The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, “Research shows that OCD is a brain disorder and tends to run in families, although this doesn't mean the child will definitely develop symptoms if a parent has the disorder. A child may also develop OCD with no previous family history.” www.aacap.org.
Can OCD in children and teenagers be treated? Yes, OCD in children can be effectively treated. Although there is no cure for OCD, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and medicines are effective in managing the symptoms. Experts agree that CBT is the treatment of choice for children with OCD. Whenever possible, CBT should be tried before medicine with children.
Resources
For more information about OCD in kids and teens, including helpful information for family members, your child’s pediatrician, and your child’s school, visit: www.ocdinkids.org.
A recommend book, “Talking Back to OCD” by Dr. John March for parents to use with children and teens diagnosed with OCD.
“Being Me with OCD: How I Learned to Obsess Less and Live My Life” by Alison Dotson is highly recommended. Dotson was diagnosed with OCD at age twenty-six, after suffering from “taboo” obsessions for more than a decade. www.freespirit.com.
OCD Awareness Week goes from Sunday to Saturday, October 13–19. Each year during the second full week of October, community groups, service organizations, and clinics across the US and around the world celebrate OCD Awareness Week with events such as educational lecture series, OCD-inspired art exhibits, grassroots fundraisers, and more.
As a kick-off to #OCDweek, on Saturday, October 12th, the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) will co-host the Mental Health Advocacy Capital Walk at the National Mall in Washington, DC.
Melissa Martin, Ph.D., is an author, columnist, educator, and therapist. She lives in Ohio.
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Hi Jim
Please feel free to publish this article. If you’d like comments from Cynthia, or an interview for an article you are working on, please let me know.
Best,
Terry
Who’s Responsible For Your Company’s
Culture? Look In The Mirror, Leaders
Extensive research has shown that a positive work culture often results in productive employees who both value their work and feel valued themselves.
But company leadership, not the employees, usually creates that culture. Executives and managers have a significant responsibility to establish a positive culture that is conducive to company success.
“Culture can be thought of as the inner life of the organization,” says Cynthia Howard (www.eileadership.org), an executive coach, performance expert, and author of the book The Resilient Leader, Mindset Makeover: Uncover the Elephant in the Room.
“It is the self-sustaining mix of values, attitudes, and behavior that drives performance. Culture is the brand identity of the company, and it has the ability to attract and retain great talent or not. Thus, it’s incumbent on the leaders to be aware of their culture, what they can do to improve it, and honestly assess if it’s the kind of place where people want to be and want to grow.”
Another key reason that company leaders need to make work culture a high priority, Howard says, is because millennials — who comprise the largest segment of the workforce — rank culture as their top consideration when choosing where to work.
Howard offers five ways leaders can foster a positive work culture:
Model positive, respectful behavior. Howard says a positive work culture starts with the leader setting the tone, which can send the right message to leaders at other levels in the company. “Don’t play the blame game,” Howard says. “Encourage an environment where it’s OK to make mistakes and move forward. Frontline staff crave leaders who understand them and care about them, will mentor them, and will provide professional guidance to make fair and tough decisions.”
Show gratitude. “Show your gratitude and appreciation for accomplishments by acknowledging people during a meeting or with a note,” Howard says. “Celebrating wins lifts morale, and when people know they will be recognized for exceptional work, they’ll be more motivated.”
Communicate consistently and with clarity. “Keep employees in the loop with consistent updates,” Howard says. “Give them regular feedback, not just at review time. This keeps people connected, feeling part of the team, and removes the mystery — and inherent tension — of where they stand. Create clear goals, and make everyone feel that they are necessary components toward reaching those goals. That inspires an environment of inclusion, pride and commitment.”
Really listen. “This is the important other side of communication that some leaders fail to master,” Howard says. “For the leaders underneath you and the employees throughout a company to truly feel valued, they have to know they have a voice and that it will be heard. Be open and encouraging to others’ ideas and solutions.”
Promote collaboration. One of a company leader’s primary jobs is getting the most out of their team — mainly by defining the importance of team. “Maximizing the strengths of a team means knowing each person’s uniqueness and talents and using them in the best possible way,” Howard says. “It also means creating a culture where everyone respects each other’s talents and is enthusiastic about working together for the greater good.”
“Poor culture leads to lots of turnover,” Howard says. “When you as a leader instill and insist on a positive culture, you reap the benefits. Happy, engaged employees mean a thriving company.”
About Cynthia Howard, RN, CNC, PhD
Cynthia Howard (www.eileadership.org) is an executive coach, performance expert and the author of The Resilient Leader, Mindset Makeover: Uncover the Elephant in the Room. She researched stress and its consequences in performance during her PhD. In the past 20-plus years she has coached thousands of professionals, leaders and executives toward emotional agility and engaged leadership.
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*For a review copy of the book or an interview with Elaine Biech, please contact Dottie DeHart, DeHart & Company Public Relations, at (828) 325-4966 or simply reply to this email.
Consulting Sucks (Sometimes):
15 Ugly Truths to Ponder Before You Take the Leap
You've always thought consulting would be a great way to make money. And it can be.
But before you quit your day job, take heed: Consulting also has a dark side, and Elaine Biech is here to uncover some of its uglier truths.
Hoboken, NJ (September 2019)—The gig economy is roaring right along, and that means consulting work is more popular than it's ever been. And the truth is there are many great benefits to becoming a consultant. In fact, you may even be thinking about taking the leap yourself. But before you hang up a shingle, renowned consultant and bestselling author Elaine Biech wants you to know a sobering truth: Consulting sucks.
Well...some of the time it does, anyway.
"While consulting work is rewarding, fun, and often quite lucrative, no one should jump into it blindly," says Biech, author of The New Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond (Wiley, May 2019, ISBN: 978-1-119-55690-9, $30.00) and its companion workbook, The New Consultant's Quick Start Guide: An Action Plan for Your First Year in Business (Wiley, April 2019, ISBN: 978-1-119-55693-0, $28.00).
"As much as I love consulting, it definitely has a dark side," she adds. "And it's important to explore some of the darker corners, so you'll know what you're getting into."
In her new book, Biech paints a vivid picture of what consulting is all about—the good and bad. The New Business of Consulting is authentic and practical, and shares the knowledge and skills required to start and grow a successful consulting practice. She doesn't shy away from some drawbacks of consulting. For example:
As with all start-ups, failure is an option. According to the Small Business Administration, half of all start-up businesses fail within five years. Responsibility for success or failure rests almost entirely with the person who started the business. Some of the reasons include mistaking a business for a hobby; asking friends and relatives for advice; mismanaging money; lack of a business plan; poor or no marketing; lack of pricing knowledge; inability to manage growth; lack of commitment; failure to set and revise goals; inability to develop, monitor, and understand financial statements; inability to balance business and family; and underestimation of time requirements.
"A lot can go wrong with a start-up," says Biech. "You're better off being prepared up front for the level of effort it takes to stay afloat."
You probably won't strike it rich. Even though many consultants charge over $2,000 a day, that doesn't guarantee you'll "get rich" as a consultant. Without an employer to share the burden, you'll still have to set aside money for taxes and benefits like health and life insurance and retirement. On top of that, you can't do billable work five days a week because you'll need to allot time for preparation, marketing, and administrative work. You can definitely make a living doing this work, but don't expect to make a killing.
You'll give up the security blanket that is a regular guaranteed income. One reason people go to work for companies is to have a guaranteed income. There is a lot to be said for the reassuring promise of a steady, predictable paycheck. But—oh no!—there is no such security for consultants. You are responsible for acquiring business, servicing clients to their satisfaction, and billing promptly to keep the cash flowing.
Clients don't always pay on time. "Clients don't always pay their invoices on time, or at all, in some cases," says Biech. "That means that you have to continuously generate enough work (and stay on top of billing) to maintain a steady cash flow in case money you counted on doesn't arrive. It also means learning to live with the psychological burden of not knowing when (or even if) a check will come through—and, depending on your personality type, that can be a heavy burden."
You might be disrespected or viewed with suspicion. There's a lot of negativity around the consulting field, and you'll have to have a thick skin to handle being called a "beltway bandit," conman, pest, or worse. (Biech has been called all three of these names!) There are many charlatans out there, so in some cases the negativity is deserved. In addition, the profession lacks legal standards or legitimate certification. But there are also lots of great consultants as well; unfortunately, they must often fight a battle of trust due to poor ethics or overcharging by a consultant who worked with a client previously.
You won't always win the client... Imagine investing 10 hours to write a proposal that you later learn never had a chance because a candidate was preselected. It's also common to lose a proposal on a technicality.
"Clients choose to 'go another way' for all kinds of reasons," says Biech. "The disappointment never gets easier, but it's best to take it as a learning experience and move on."
...and when you do win them, clients will exhaust you. You'll be working for clients who go to work early, have tight deadlines, and experience huge pressures. This often translates to doing 12 hours or more a day of sustained work for your clients—more if you take them to dinner after the workday. And depending on your client load, you could be working with multiple people inside several different companies each week and dealing with various personalities and sets of office politics. It can wear you down, which is why it's so important to make time for self-care and relaxation during your time off.
Your client roster will stay in flux. You may have 11 clients today, but that could change tomorrow. A change in the economic climate or the industry, or even a change in leadership, could end a project abruptly. This possibility means that you must constantly market yourself and network so you don't end up with only one or two clients.
Any semblance of work/life balance may go out the window. Consulting life may sound glamorous, but it's really about long hours and a lot of work. Like most entrepreneurs, consultants spend 60 to 80 hours a week getting their business up and running during the first year and beyond. You'll wake up for 4:00 a.m. flights and spend countless hours waiting in the airport. You'll miss out on plenty of family dinners and often arrive home well after midnight. Weekends often aren't free either, and you often devote them to catching up, making phone calls, and even traveling. (Remember, if you travel on a Monday, you will lose a billable day of work.)
Let's be clear: Traveling will consume your life. "Your clients may live all over the country or the world, which means you'll spend much of your time away from home," says Biech. "On the plus side, this means you can live anywhere as long as you're driving distance to an airport."
Consulting is a lonely business. Working for yourself can be an isolating experience. On top of that, there's no one to help you when you're overloaded with work. This is why some consultants choose to hire people, from an assistant to answer phones to creating a partnership with another consultant to complete the workload. This, of course, means taking on the burden of generating more income (to pay the second person) or facing the growing pains of expanding your business.
You'll struggle to get good food and enough exercise. "You have to work really hard to eat a healthy diet and exercise while on the road," says Biech. "Instead of enjoying homecooked meals, you'll be eating lots of poorly prepared restaurant food, and most of your exercise will consist of running through the airport to catch your flight."
Your social life will probably take a hit. Traveling means that spending time with friends is harder to schedule and carry out. When you fly back into town on a Friday evening, it's usually too late to make weekend plans for social activities. And if you do have something planned, you may need to cancel when a crisis comes up. It is possible to maintain an active social life when doing this work, insists Biech: You just have to be thoughtful with your scheduling and grab opportunities when you can.
You will miss your loved ones at home. Being away so often for work places an obvious strain on you and your family. Though you can stay connected via Skype and the telephone, you will no doubt miss being near your loved ones and have to forgo at least some events you wanted to share with them.
Working from home can be distracting. When they're not traveling, many consultants work in a home office. This has some obvious pros, like enjoying privacy and working in sweatpants, but the biggest drawback is the constant distraction. Your mind will wander off to any number of personal projects. Your dogs will bark, and if you have kids, you can count on having them barge in when you're on an important phone call.
"Some aspects of consulting really do suck—and it's best to know up front what you're getting into," says Biech. "But that is also true of any job. If you're passionate about what you're doing, you'll have the energy to power through the demands and you'll enjoy clients and your work. When you deliver outstanding work that you truly believe in and care about, you'll feel great about yourself—and that great feeling makes all the rest worthwhile.
"Even with all the drawbacks," Biech adds, "I wouldn't trade it for the world. It was the best leap I ever took. I never feel as if I'm going to work; I feel that I am going to play every day."
# # #
About the Author:
Elaine Biech is the author of The New Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond. She is a dedicated lifelong learner who believes that excellence isn't optional. As a consultant, trainer, and president of ebb associates for more than 35 years, she helps global organizations to work through large-scale change and leaders to maximize their effectiveness. She has published 85 books, including the Washington Post #1 bestseller The Art and Science of Training. She is the recipient of numerous professional awards and accolades, including ATD's inaugural CPLP Fellow Honoree, ISA's Broomfield Award, and Wisconsin's Women Entrepreneur's Mentor Award. Elaine, a consummate professional, has been instrumental in leading the talent development profession during most of her career and has served on several boards, including ASTD, CCL, ISA, and others. She is a designer and facilitator for the online course "How to Build Your Successful Training Consulting Business" and has been featured in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Management Update, Investor's Business Daily, and Fortune.
Customizing all of her work for individual clients, she conducts strategic planning sessions and is particularly adept at turning dysfunctional teams into productive ones. As a management consultant, trainer, and designer, she provides services globally to public- and private-sector organizations to prepare them for the challenges of the future.
For more information, please visit www.elainebiech.com.
About the Books:
The New Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond (Wiley, May 2019, ISBN: 978-1-119-55690-9, $30.00) and its companion workbook, The New Consultant's Quick Start Guide: An Action Plan for Your First Year in Business (Wiley, April 2019, ISBN: 978-1-119-55693-0, $28.00), are available at bookstores nationwide, from major online booksellers, and direct from the publisher by calling 800-225-5945. In Canada, call 800-567-4797. For more information, please visit the book's page and the workbook's page on www.wiley.com.
