Word: beefs
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Behind the August incident in Millau was a deep French anger at the U.S. decision to clamp 100% tariffs on Roquefort cheese and other luxury French-food imports--Washington's WTO-approved response to a European ban on its hormone-treated beef. The broader battle cry of these rural Robin Hoods is their rejection of "la mal-bouffe"--lousy food, as symbolized by the famous American burger chain. Carted off in handcuffs, Bove spent 20 days in prison and emerged as one of France's most popular heroes. Soon he was giving countless TV and newspaper interviews and crisscrossing...
...also functions as a kind of court, making binding rulings when member states are in dispute - for example, when European governments tried to stop importing hormone-treated beef from the U.S. on health grounds, they were overruled by the WTO. The WTO's members gave the body such powers precisely to ensure that trade disputes between countries are resolved quickly and smoothly, by an arbitration mechanism they all recognize as legitimate...
...that the organization puts the narrow interests of business over those of society in general. But countries disadvantaged by such measures often charge that they're invoked as a fig leaf for old-fashioned protectionism. For example, Washington has dismissed European health concerns over the import of hormone treated beef as an attempt to protect less competitive European farmers...
...even if their nets lack escape hatches for endangered turtles? Yes. Can Massachusetts refuse to buy products from companies that do business in Myanmar? No. Do American corporations get an illegal export subsidy by setting up legal offshore tax shelters? Yes. Can the French block our hormone-fed beef? No. Rule breakers are punished--in France's case by a hike in the tariffs on Roquefort cheese, among other goodies...
Sullivan, whose son, Michael Jr., is 11 months old, seems to care the most about education. He says that the city needs to beef up the schools that do not perform well so that all children can receive a good education...