Export-Import Bank: Overview and Reauthorization Issues
This report provides: (1) a general background of Ex-Im Bank; (2) a discussion of the international context of the Bank; (3) analysis of key issues that Congress may consider in a reauthorization debate; and (4) the congressional outlook on Ex-Im Bank.
The social and economic consequences of the fossil fuel supply chain
The premise of this Viewpoint article is that the sustainability of the electricity supply is very often addressed in narrow frames of reference, which sets up incremental decision-making. To more fairly compare the economic, social, and environmental aspects of renewables, such as photovoltaics, to fossil fuels, a broader view is required which needs to take into account the impacts of the fossil fuel supply chain. February 2016 was the warmest February since record keeping began in 1880, and was the warmest month in recorded history (in terms of its deviation from average). May 2016, the warmest May on record, was the 13th consecutive record-breaking month. The Paris Agreement signed in December 2015 has solidified agreement that the world must address climate change, and has resounded the warning that inaction on climate change carries potentially catastrophic risk for the global economy. Electricity generated from renewable energy sources is often compared to fossil fuel energy in terms of economics. Recently there have also been increased calls to incorporate the external costs of electricity generation into the price of electricity. Fossil fuels are largely responsible for global warming (as 85% of the CO 2 emissions come from fossil fuel combustion). This Viewpoint article looks at fuel supply chains for oil & gas, coal, and nuclear in terms of their economics, environmental and social consequences. This reflection upon the historical and present fossil fuel supply chain gives a perspective useful in avoiding limited frames of reference when addressing the consequences of the business-as-usual operation of fossil fuel supply chains.
Anaesthetic aspects of bronchial fistula.
SINCE the term bronchial fistula can, from the practical point of view, be applied to any abnormal connection between the inside of the intrathoracic respiratory system and the outside, it includes a very wide assortment of cases. Fistulae vary in their acuteness and duration from a few minutes up to thirty years or more (Huizinga and Smelt, 1950), and in their consequences from the rapidly fatal to the almost insignificant. Although the anaesthetic management of these cases falls mainly within the province of those working in specialized units, any anaesthetist may be caught unawares from time to time. Quite apart from this consideration the subject is well worth discussing because of its intrinsic interest and because it has probably called for as much anaesthetic ingenuity and resourcefulness as any other subject within the specialty.