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When it comes to using the Internet, your web browser is like a toolbox.women jerseys wholesale Every browser has basic features such as bookmarks, search utilities, and tabbed browsing. But if you want to take your browsing to the next level, you need to equip yourself with better, more advanced tools and familiarize yourself with them.AppleTo take your browsing to the next level, equip yourself with more advanced tools.AppleTo take your browsing to the next level, equip yourself with more advanced tools.Safari has some amazing options for getting the most out of your Internet use. It’s often easy to miss those tools, though, because Safari is so streamlined. You don’t really need to optimize things to get a lot out of Safari; that’s part of its elegance. But with these additional tools, you can quickly find yourself surfing like a pro and getting a lot more out of Safari than you thought possible.ExtensionsAn extension is a specific tool that adds useful functions to the browser itself. Extensions aren’t quite full apps in their own right, but they modify Safari in cool ways; they’re so cool that Apple has an entire for you to browse. For example, Twitter for Safari puts your favorite tweeting tools right in the browser, without forcing you to load a separate web page. Or maybe you’re tired of loud, flashy advertisements? AdBlock shuts those down for you.Take the time to cruise through the Extensions Gallery. A seemingly infinite array of extensions lies before you, allowing you to customize Safari to work more productively for you. And since extensions are free, you’ve got nothing to lose.More from TeccaNews, how-to guides and more at tecca.com to help you get the most out of your technology.Keep your private moments privateLet’s say you’re shopping for an anniversary gift. You’re cruising the best shopping sites and making plans, but you don’t want that history showing up where your spouse can see it. No problem; Safari can help. You just have to turn on private browsing.Private browsing prevents Safari from storing any information about the sites you visit or what you type while doing so. That’s a great way to do everything from preventing the kids from finding your credit card information to keeping your holiday shopping list private. When you’re in private mode, a big indicator shows up in the address bar. You can always start a fresh browsing session without the privacy curtain drawn, too, and even run them side by side if you’re multitasking.When you’re ready to turn on private browsing, just go to the Safari menu and click Private Browsing. Select OK to turn it on!Every bookmark has a placeOne of the coolest features of Safari is its three different types of bookmarks: regular bookmarks, Reading List bookmarks, and Address Book Bookmarks. To make a long story short, standard bookmarks are for websites you visit all the time, Reading List keeps track of specific posts and articles you want to go back to later (but then easily remove from your list), and Address Book Bookmarks pulls in URLs from your Address Book contacts.iCloud syncingSet up your iCloud account so that your Safari bookmarks sync seamlessly between your various iCloud devices. This is a huge benefit when you use Safari as a productivity tool; your favorite websites, handiest web tools, and important articles are accessible across all your devices. This turns Safari from a simple web browser into a huge repository of content and tools.To turn on iCloud syncing on your Mac, go to and select iCloud. Make sure Bookmarks is checked; do the same under Settings on your iPhone. You do the same on a PC using the iCloud control panel.Built-in RSS readerSafari boasts a built-in RSS reader, making the browser an easy way to aggregate new content from your favorite sites. RSS stands for , which is basically a way for websites to tell you that new content is available. The Safari RSS tool is simple to use. When you load a website that syndicates using RSS, a small button will appear in the address bar labeled RSS. Click that button and decide where you want the bookmark. Most folks keep all the RSS bookmarks in a single folder, which automatically updates with unread articles.ReaderThe final cool toy in Safari’s arsenal is Reader. Essentially, Reader pulls out a website’s content into an easily read, highlighted format. At the same time, it fades everything else to the background. This helps you settle in with a good article and really focus on what you’re reading. It’s a subtle trick, but it goes a long way toward helping you enjoy the content on your favorite websites.To use Reader, just keep an eye on your address bar. Whenever Reader is available for a website, just click the Reader button that appears there.The final roundupWhen you’re using Safari,cheap christian louboutin sale you could just drop by your favorite websites, check out the current content, and then wander off into the sunset. Equipped with a few helpful extensions and other tweaks, you can really dig in and get more out of your browser and what it delivers.

defenseman is dealing with concussion symptoms jimmy choo bridal shoes on sale us
for the second time this season after a hit from forward .By Gene J. Puskar, APKris Letang is having concussion symptoms after a hit from Eric Nystrom.By Gene J. Puskar, APKris Letang is having concussion symptoms after a hit from Eric Nystrom. disciplinarian cleared Nystrom Thursday, opting not to hold a hearing after watching the video.”Our view is that Letang lunges forward just prior to contact and although it appears that the chin is grazed by the side of Nystrom’s arm, the right chest and shoulder of Letang remain the (primary point of contact),” Shanahan said.MORE: Coach Dan Bylsma told reporters that Letang would be re-evaluated when the team returns from its road trip after playing Saturday at the .Letang was hit in the first period Wednesday night and left the game. The team announced in the second period that he wouldn’t be playing.He had missed 21 games earlier this season when he suffered a concussion after a Max Pacorietty hit, returning on Jan. 19.”That was the first thing that I thought of in that situation for Kris,” Bylsma said of Wednesday’s hit. “Whether you’ve had one or a couple before, you’re concerned for the player and their health. He took a hard hit.”The hit sparked a debate in the hockey community, particularly among TV analysts and . Milbury thought it was worthy of a suspension because Nystrom stopped pursuing the puck and went to hit Letang. Roenick argued that Letang had left himself in a vulnerable position.Shanahan said during the All-Star break that the presence of an injury wouldn’t make a legal hit worthy of a suspension.More important for the Penguins is how to deal with the loss of Letang. He was having a Norris Trophy-caliber season before his November concussion and received a All-Star berth after he returned. He averaged more than 25 minutes a night and is a key to the power play.The Penguins remain without because of concussion symptoms. The team went 8-9-0 with both players out of the lineup this season.

Is Pandora a buy? By Spencer Platt, Getty ImagesTraders on the floor of the New York Stock lacoste bags singapore Exchange walk over insignia for Pandora Media, the online-radio company, on its first day of trading as a public company on June 15, 2011.Spencer Platt, Getty ImagesTraders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange walk over insignia for Pandora Media, the online-radio company, on its first day of trading as a public company on June 15, 2011.A: Pandora is a poster child of many of the Internet stocks to hit the market lately. Their stocks start strong when they debut, but fade fast.Pandora, a leader in providing music over the Internet, became a public company in June 2011, just as investors started paying more attention to the industry. Shares of the stock, priced at $16 a share, promptly rose 8.9% on their first day of trading. Since then, the shares have fallen and are down about 15% from the price.COLUMN: MORE: That means if you didn’t buy Pandora at the IPO, you may buy it now and actually pay less than the privileged investors part of the IPO paid.Is Pandora a stock that belongs in your portfolio or is it a one-day wonder? Typically, investors run stocks they’re considering through a variety of tests. Ask Matt columns hat evaluate individual stocks, such as one on , consider each stock’s risk and reward, price-to-earnings valuation, discounted cash flow and financial stability. Many of these tests, though, are not available with Pandora since it’s such a young and newly public company.With less than a year of trading history, it’s impossible to get a handle on how volatile the stock is. Investors need many years of trading history in order for statistics about a stock’s movements to have any meaning. Furthermore, getting a handle on the stock’s valuation is difficult given that Pandora is yet to turn a profit and has negative cash flow after factoring in the company’s large capital expenditure costs.Pandora is a company with an untested business model and unproven stock. Most of the traditional things investors consider when buying stock simply don’t apply to a money-losing stock that hasn’t traded a year.Ask Matt about stocksUSA TODAY financial markets reporter Matt Krantz answers a new question every weekday at money.usatoday.com.If you’re a speculator, an investor who believes the Pandora story and thinks it can turn a bigger profit in less time than expected, you might take a high-risk bet on it. Analysts, on average, expect the company to turn a profit in 2014.But if you’re like most investors, and need to deeply analyze a stock before buying in, you’re most likely better off with something that has more data that can be analyzed.Matt Krantz is a financial markets reporter at USA TODAY and author of Investing Online for Dummies and Fundamental Analysis for Dummies. He answers a different reader question every weekday in his Ask Matt column at .lacoste bags in singapore

manager looks around the clubhouse, stares into his players’ eyes, and his mind starts spinning.Eileen Blass, USATTexas Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz’s missed play was a key to the 2011 World Series.Eileen Blass, USATTexas Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz’s missed play was a key to the 2011 World Series.This is the first time they’ve been together since that dreary plane ride home in October.He prepared this speech months ago but now is trying to decide whether to broach the subject of that fateful night in late October. cheap womens down jackets “We’ve got nothing to be ashamed of,” Washington tells them Sunday morning. “You should be proud. Twenty-eight teams were home watching us, wishing they had a chance to lose.”It is the only time Washington alludes to Game 6, arguably the most heartbreaking defeat in history. When Washington finishes, he’s ready to play the role of team psychologist.”Anybody else have anything to say?” he asks. Rangers captain talked. So did veteran reliever . “But nobody talked about that,” Washington said.The healing process, four months from an evening that left the Rangers with recurring nightmares, has begun.They were one strike away, in two innings, from becoming World Series champions for the first time in the franchise’s 51-year history.”We needed just one pitch,” Washington quietly says, “one play.”It never happened. The Rangers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 10-9 in 11 innings that night, and then lost Game 7 the next evening. They joined the 1986 as the only teams to have a lead with one strike remaining in a deciding game and lose the World Series championship.”It will go down as one of the greatest games ever,” Rangers first baseman said, “but it’s not something I want to remember. None of us do. We’re trying our best to forget it ever happened.”It took life-changing events for several Rangers to escape the pain. finally stopped tormenting himself after his wife gave birth to their daughter in December.Washington’s anguish shifted a week later when his mother died.”Everyone handles it differently,” Washington says, “but the last thing I want my guys to do is sulk in adversity.”Sure, it hurt. It hurt like hell. Now, we have a chance to rewrite history.”Hide the champagne Nearly three weeks had passed since the World Series ended, and reliever ‘ life was in neutral. He didn’t feel like eating. Couldn’t sleep without recurring nightmares.cheap womens classic skirts He refused to even turn on ESPN.”It was rough, man,” Adams says softly. “It was one of those things (where) I’d wake up in the middle of the night with dreams of the World Series. I had dreams that we actually won. And I had nightmares. Lots of those.”I was depressed. I didn’t want to talk baseball. I didn’t want to watch baseball. I just went into a shell.”Adams got the final out of the eighth inning in Game 6, retiring on a grounder to leave the bases loaded. He departed with a 7-5 lead, turning the ball over to All-Star closer Neftali Feliz in the ninth inning and rushed into the clubhouse to put on tennis shoes for the celebration.The Rangers clubhouse had morphed into a party room. Sheets of plastic lined their lockers to keep their clothes from being soiled in the celebration. Cases of Budweiser with the label, “Texas Rangers, 2011 World Series champions,” were in the middle of the room. Tubs of ice were filled with champagne. A case of ginger ale was ready for , the All-Star center fielder who has battled drug and alcohol addiction.”We started working around the sixth, seventh innings,” said Jerry Risch, the visiting clubhouse manager. “Guys were coming in and out of the clubhouse from the dugout the whole time. Properties was coming in with all the championship hats and T-shirts and pennants.The MLB security team had ushered Rangers family and friends into the lobby outside the clubhouse. The Rangers could hardly control their emotions, Harrison remembers, jumping up and down in the dugout.”We were pumped up, too,” says former Cardinals first baseman , who six weeks later signed with the Los Angeles Angels. “It was amazing the feeling we had. Guys like [ace] were yelling, ‘Come on, guys, we can do this. We’ve been here before.”‘Manager Tony , who announced his retirement three days after the World Series, sensed something, too. “It was like, ‘We aren’t going to lose. We can’t lose,” he recalls. “We knew we were in a tough spot, but we stayed optimistic until the end.”Others wondered if such optimism was unfounded, with outfielder saying, “we all felt like they’re probably going to win this game.” Pujols got things started with a one-out double . Feliz walked Berkman on four pitches and struck out . That brought up , who had never faced Feliz.Freese, the eventual , was down to his last strike. Feliz challenged him with a 1-2 fastball.Freese smoked a line drive, opposite field, toward the right-field corner.Pujols thought the ball was going out of the park. Freese thought right fielder was going to catch it.As the at-bat unfolded, La Russa noticed Cruz wasn’t in a “no doubles” alignment commonly employed in late innings. “Probably,” La Russa says, “if Cruz had played a bunch of games against Freese, and had known him better, he would have (known) Freese hits home runs to right field.”As the ball sailed toward Cruz, Harrison yelled, “This is it,” and started up the dugout steps toward the field, ready to celebrate a championship.”When he hit it,” says Feliz, who stayed in the trainer’s room afterward, refusing to answer questions, “I’m thinking fly ball.”Then, I said, ‘Oh my God! Unbelievable! No! No!”Said Cruz: “I thought I had it all of the time. When I got back to my hotel room, I kept I watching the replays. It was so close. “I wish I could go back now and change everything.”Cruz, who now concedes he was playing too shallow, saw the ball sail just past his outstretched glove. Freese tied the game with a two-run triple. “I remember all of the people leaving the stadium,” Pujols said. “After we tied it, they wanted to get back in, and couldn’t.” MLB officials rushed into the Rangers’ clubhouse, ordering the celebratory champagne and beer to be stored, and the plastic covering put away.Those plans changed moments later when Hamilton, playing with a sports hernia, walked to the plate in the 10th inning and heard a voice. “God told me then I was going to hit a homer,” said Hamilton. “I just said, “OK.”Hamilton, hitting .200 with no homers in the Series at that moment, drove ‘s first pitch over the center-field wall. The Rangers were back in front by two runs.”It was such an emotional memory when Josh hit that bomb,” general manager said, “just because of Josh’s story. It felt like, ‘OK, let’s draw up the script and sell the movie rights.’ It was almost too perfect.”Said Hamilton: “I never once thought the game was over. God told me I’d hit a homer. He never said we’d win the game.”‘I really thought we had it’Washington, believing that the ninth inning left Feliz emotionally drained, turned to veteran lefty . The Cardinals had two left-handed hitters, and the pitcher’s spot due up.”I really thought we had it,” Rangers bench coach said. “I sat next to Wash, and said, ‘No way does this happen to us twice.’ “The Cardinals tied the game in the 10th, with Berkman hitting a two-out, two-strike single. Freese won it in the 11th with a leadoff homer off . It was the first time in World Series history that a team fell behind five times, and still won.Daniels walked into the clubhouse. He didn’t want to talk to the media. He ducked into the laundry room. He saw all of the champagne and beer.”That was I realized just how close we were,” Daniels said. “It happened so fast, they didn’t really have time to get the celebration stuff out of the way.”Harrison, the scheduled pitcher in Game 7, didn’t fall asleep until 5 a.m. It was worse the next night. He lasted just four innings and the Cardinals claimed a 6-2 victory. “That stuck with me a long time,” Harrison said. “It wasn’t until the baby was born (Dec. 14) that I could let it go. It hurt that much.”Immune to adversityThere are banners at the Rangers’ spring-training complex, honoring their 2011 pennant. There is nothing from the World Series.”Going into Game 6,” Adams said, “I realized just how good of a series this was. My whole intention was to go back and watch the World Series from Game 1, to see it from a fan’s standpoint, and kind of appreciate it more.”I never got around to doing that. I don’t know if I ever will.”The Rangers, most who say they’ll never wear their 2011 pennant rings, insist the pain is almost gone. This is a franchise that is almost immune to adversity, Washington’s positive cocaine test, Hamilton’s two highly publicized alcohol relapses, captain Michael Young’s feud with Daniels. Now, they strive to be the first team since the 1923 Yankees to win a World Series after back-to-back defeats.Rangers scouting director Josh Boyd started the healing process by taking passages from former coaching great ‘s book on “handling the moment of despair,” providing it to every staff member. It will be their mantra, Daniels says. “Address it. Deal with it. Move on. Use it as a motivator.”"Sure, it stung, and it burned for a while,” Young says. “But I don’t think anyone is still consumed by it.”We have to let it go. Really, we don’t have a choice.”Contributing: Paul White in Jupiter, Fla.

Donald Pinder grew up hearing the stories of Harriet Tubman’s determination jimmy choo outlet to accomplish social change in the face of slavery.
“She just knew there was something morally wrong with this institution of slavery,” said Pinder, 60, president of the Cambridge, Md.-based Harriet Tubman Organization.
Pinder and his group seek to honor Tubman, an escaped slave who helped dozens of slaves find freedom through the network of safe houses called the Underground Railroad.
A bill that would actually create two parks — one in Maryland and one in New York— made it out of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in November and now awaits a full Senate vote. It’s sponsored by Maryland Sens. Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin, and New York Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, all Democrats.
“We’re very optimistic that it won’t take long,” said Cardin spokeswoman Susan Sullam.
Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., introduced a companion bill in the House in January. It is under review in a national parks subcommittee.
“We just wanted Harriet Tubman’s name and all of her works to get out there, so people could really realize who she was, other than just hearing the name, and somebody saying, ‘I know her, she was an escaped slave,’ ” Pinder said. “This is why our organization has been part of this, so people cannot hear it as oral history but see it as written American history.”
He said his group’s efforts began in the late 1990s, and led to a National Park Service study to see if history deemed Tubman worthy of her own park, “so people can find out the places she’s been, the things she’s done, the people she was connected with, the conversations that she had,” Pinder said. The study, concluded in 2008, showed not only was Tubman worthy of one park, but two.
The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park would blanket 5,700 acres on Maryland’s Eastern Shore where Tubman was born and raised. The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park would focus on her twilight years in Auburn, N.Y., where she died in 1913 at age 93.
Other efforts are underway to honor Tubman in her home state. One Maryland state legislator is trying to get a statue of Tubman placed somewhere inside the U.S. Capitol, and is working toward a presidentially-declared Harriet Tubman Day.
“She was, like, the classic over-achiever,” Democratic Maryland state Delegate Susan Lee said. “She’s one of the heroes of history.”
Lee said tourists from around the world would visit a national park area dedicated to Tubman, one where the landscape doesn’t look so different from the 1850s, when she was leading slaves to freedom.coach outlet online

cheap womens jeans long The beloved traditional Irish outfit the Chieftains has been rivaled only by Tony Bennett and the late Luciano Pavarotti in its ability to attract big-name pop collaborators. So to commemorate its 50th anniversary, you might have expected the group to enlist some really splashy superstars. Imagine hearing Lady Gaga’s pipes, or Rihanna’s, floating over the tin whistle and bodhran.
Alas, neither diva appears on Voice of Ages; instead, the Chieftains team up with an assortment of rising artists and cult and critical favorites, most offering an affinity for Irish, Scottish and/or American folk.
Indie voices include Bon Iver, lending delicate harmonies to the Appalachian murder ballad Down in the Willow Gardens, and the Low Anthem, bringing a gently grainy edge to Paddy Moloney’s sweetly lilting arrangement of Ewan MacColl’s School Days Over.
The most interesting guests, though, bring less deference and more personality. Imelda May is a warm, spry spirit on Carolina Rua, Lisa Hannigan a haunting presence on a gorgeous reading of My Lagan Love. Country duo the Secret Sisters relay the lonely desperation of Peggy Gordon with an aching purity.
Throughout, the Chieftains’ vibrant instrumental chemistry is at the fore. One of the highlights is an 11-minute-plus jam, The Chieftains Reunion; the music stomps and soars merrily, pausing for lovely, tender interludes but then bursting forth with rousing flourishes. If only all artists, let alone bands, could sound this robust at 50.cheap womens jeans shorts

cheap womens athletic shorts Arsenic In Baby Formula Related to Organic Sweetener.So you are rationing the apple juice after the previous arsenic scandal, and paying extra for the sure-to-be-melamine-free baby formula. All is right with the world.
Until MSNBC’s Today show wakes you up with the latest news: arsenic has been found in baby formula. And here is the head scratcher: according to researcher B. Jackson and colleagues, the arsenic source is organic sweetener!
Organic Sweetener Full of Arsenic
The source of the arsenic contamination, which has been found in organic cereal bars as well as infant formula, has been traced to “organic brown rice syrup”. The organic sweetener is made by a process of enzymatic digestion of brown rice.
Since the organic sweetener relies on organically grown rice, the source is likely not agricultural control products used on the rice itself (barring organic cheaters, of course). But many other sources could be suspect; some of the most likely include:
Arsenic contamination of water used in growing or processing the brown rice syrup,
Arsenic-based pest control used in areas where the brown rice is stored (downstream from the organically certified rice farming), or
Heavy metal contamination of activated charcoal used to purify and decolorize the syrup.
Given that sweetener constitutes only a fraction of the final product, and inorganic arsenic levels were found up to 6 times the EPA safe drinking water limit* in baby formula and 17 times the limit in high energy cereal bars, the brown rice syrup itself must be contaminated at relatively high levels of inorganic arsenic. (*There is no legal limit for arsenic in foods.)cheap mens vintage shorts

cheap mens hoodies Jeremy Lin has been compared to everyone from Steve Nash to Tim Tebow. But a hockey player? That’s a new one.
“You see (Lin) doing it and you say, ‘You’re serious?’ It’s kind of like seeing a black hockey player doing well,” 76ers forward Andre Iguodala told John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Iguodala is a fan of the Knicks point guard but says “race does play a role in it but at the same time you have to respect it, that’s how I feel. You have to respect it whether you like it or not. It’s a feel-good story.”
Iguodala was responding to a story in which boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., said Lin was getting a benefit from being Asian-American.
The Sixers star is also willing to wait before he puts a stamp on Lin’s stardom. “… Game 30, game 40, that’s where you can kind of see where a guy’s at.”
With the NFL in semi-hibernation, Knicks PG Jeremy Lin has managed a Tim Tebow-esque domination of the sporting world’s attention
The pro football world has certainly noticed (check out the embedded video above) while latching on to Lin wordplay, comparing him to gridiron contemporaries all while enjoying what seem to be his nightly heroics for the long downtrodden Knickerbockers.
Jeremy Lin’s out-of-nowhere success story has everybody from fans to sportswriters striving to come up with new and inventive puns on his name.
The young New York Knicks point guard has sparked nationwide “Lin-sanity.” He’s “Lin-credible” or “Super Lin-tendo.”
With the Knicks winning seven straight with him at point guard, you could say like Tim Tebow that “All he does is Lin.” Or throw in a Charlie Sheen reference with: “Lin-ning.”
The success of the undrafted overachiever cut by two teams makes him an inspiring “Lin-derfella” story.
Then there’s all the questionable puns on the Californian’s Asian-American heritage. He’s the “Amazing Asian,” the “Asian Sensation” or as the New York Post called him “Amasian.” During Lin’s road game against the Washington Wizards, an Asian-American fan held up a sign reading: “Who says we can’t drive?”
TELL US: Does D’Antoni get any credit for Lin’s success?
But what about the worst Lin puns? Thankfully CBS’ David Letterman was on the case Wednesday night.Without further ado, we present Letterman’s Top 10 worst Jeremy Lin puns. What’s your favorite? cheap mens jeans

authentic jerseys wholesale In brief comments with Vice President Xi Jinping (SHEE jeen-ping) before their Oval Office meeting, Obama noted that with power and prosperity come increased responsibilities.
“It also means that on critical issues like human rights, we will continue to emphasize what we believe is the importance of recognizing the aspirations and rights of all people,” Obama said. “And we expect that China will continue to take a growing role in world affairs.”
Later at a luncheon at the State Department in Xi’s honor, Vice President Biden reiterated that the Obama administration sees “our advocacy for human rights as a fundamental aspect of our foreign policy.”
Xi defended China’s rights record over the past 30 years, while acknowledging “there’s always room for improvement on human rights.”
The visit by Xi — who will become the Communist Party leader this fall and is expected to succeed President Hu Jintao next March — has been billed as a getting-to-know-you moment with the man who will likely lead the emerging power for the next decade. He’ll also visit Iowa and California in the coming days.
The visit comes at a time when the U.S.-China relationship is strained on several fronts.
There are important differences between the U.S. and China on how to prevent Iran and North Korea from acquiring nuclear weapons. The U.S. business community is pushing Obama to confront China on its currency policy as well as its policing of intellectual property.
And Obama has laid out a plan to reorient U.S. defense strategy toward the Pacific — a pivot that has made China uneasy.
More recently, the White House has been frustrated by China’s and Russia’s decision to block stronger sanctions by the United Nations Security Council against Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria.
Republicans in Congress and GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney have accused the Obama administration of not pushing China hard enough on human rights and on trade practices. In a speech last week, Romney called China’s one-child policy “barbaric.”
In the lead-up to Xi’s visit, administration officials defended their record on promoting human rights and vowed that Xi would be pressed publicly and privately on the issue. The White House noted that Biden met with human rights advocates days before the visit to discuss prospects for reform in China.
Biden also grumbled during a joint appearance with Xi at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday that China needs to do more to provide a level playing field for U.S. companies doing business in China and that the Chinese currency, renminbi— while it has appreciated considerably in recent months — remains undervalued.
At the same time, White House officials emphasized that Xi is not yet the decision-maker in China and that his visit was more about relationship building than about negotiating policy.
“He’s not the head of state at this point,” Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, said in advance of Xi’s visit. “He’s the future leader.”
Michael Green, who served as former senior director of Asia affairs at the National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration, said these visits are sort of like “date night,” crucial for building rapport but unlikely — at least in the near term — to result in any major breakthroughs in the relationship.
Green helped coordinate the 2002 U.S. visit for then-vice president Hu Jintao before he ascended to the head of the Communist Party.
Xi invited Obama, who visited China in 2009, to make a return trip to Beijing soon.
Hu’s visit was a big deal back then. But in the aftermath of 9/11, China wasn’t a front burner foreign policy concern, Green said. That’s all changed.
“The relationship is important, and it’s important to invest in it,” Green said. “That said I think it’s a harder task for the Obama administration than it was for us in 2002.”lacoste women short-sleeved shirts outlet