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China seals Bo's fate ahead of November 8 leadership congress By Chris Buckley and Ben Blanchard | Reuters – 4 hrs ago • • Enlarge Photo • Reuters/Reuters - China's former Chongqing Municipality Communist Party Secretary Bo Xilai looks on during a meeting at the annual session of China's parliament, the National People's Congress, at the Great … BEIJING (Reuters) - China's ruling Communist Party accused disgraced politician Bo Xilai of abusing power, taking huge bribes and other crimes on Friday, sealing the fate of a controversial leader whose fall shook a leadership handover due at a congress from November 8. The once high-flying Bo now faces a criminal investigation that stemmed from a murder scandal, and will almost certainly be jailed. With the Communist Party congress about six weeks away, further steps in the case could come before then, helping pave the way for a transition of power, experts said. "Bo Xilai's actions created grave repercussions and did massive harm to the reputation of the party and state, producing an extremely malign effect at home and abroad," the official statement from a party leaders' meeting said, according to a report by the official Xinhua news agency. Bo's wife Gu Kailai and his former police chief Wang Lijun have already been jailed over the scandal stemming from the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing, where Bo was Communist Party chief. The official statement carried by Xinhua said that in the murder scandal, Bo "abused his powers of office, committed serious errors and bears a major responsibility". That charge appears to reflect accusations from Wang's trial that suggested Bo tried to stymie the murder investigation. Reports that Bo, the "princeling" son of a revolutionary leader, could escape with a light punishment have now been dealt a fatal blow, and accusations of womanizing could further tarnish his reputation in the eyes of Chinese people. But the few weeks left before the congress will probably not allow time for a trial, said He Weifang, a law professor at Peking University who has closely followed Bo's downfall. "I think it's quite certain that he won't be able to escape punishment under the criminal law, but the timing makes it unlikely that will happen before the congress," said He. "I'd guess that he'll get a jail sentence of 20 years or longer. The death penalty is unlikely, although the bribery charges could in theory allow it, if the amount is as huge as they say." At the congress, Chinese President Hu Jintao will step down as party chief, almost certainly making way for Vice President Xi Jinping to emerge as top leader. Xi is then almost sure to be appointed state president at the annual parliament session, likely in March next year. WARNING TO HEED EXAMPLE Bo, 63, has been expelled from the party as well as the elite decision-making Politburo and Central Committee "in view of his errors and culpability in the Wang Lijun incident and the intentional homicide case involving Bogu Kailai", said the party announcement. Bogu is his wife's official but rarely used surname. Bo's "grave violations of party discipline" extended back to his time as an official in Dalian city and Liaoning province in northeast China, and as minister of commerce, said the statement from the Politburo. "Party organizations at all levels must use the case of Bo Xilai's grave disciplinary violations as a negative example," it said. Bo's son, Bo Guagua, who was a friend of the murdered Heywood, has remained largely silent throughout the fall of his parents. He appears to be still in the United States, after finishing graduate studies at Harvard University. Since Bo Xilai was ousted in March, he has not been seen in public and has not been allowed to answer the accusations against him. At a news conference days before his removal, Bo rejected as "filth" and "nonsense" the then unspecified allegations against him and his family. At the same time as announcing the slate of accusations against Bo, the party set the November 8 date for the congress that will unveil the country's new central leadership line-up. Eight is considered a lucky number in China. The twin announcements will "significantly reduce perceived political and economic risks" and "help end policy paralysis," Ting Lu, China economist Bank of America/Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong said in an emailed research note. "If anything, this should make markets and the general public somewhat assured that this is not really being delayed too far," Damien Ma, an analyst for the Eurasia Group who follows Chinese politics, said of the November 8 congress date. LEFTIST SYMPATHISERS CRY FOUL Bo, 63, was widely seen as pursuing a powerful spot in the new political line-up before his career unraveled after his former police chief, Wang Lijun, fled to a U.S. consulate for more than 24 hours in February and alleged that Bo's wife Gu had poisoned Heywood to death. After his appointment as party chief of Chongqing in 2007, Bo, a former commerce minister, turned it into a showcase of revolution-inspired "red" culture and his policies for egalitarian, state-led growth. He also won national attention with a crackdown on organized crime. His brash self-promotion irked some leaders. But his populist ways and crime clean-up were welcomed by many of Chongqing's 30 million residents, as well as others who hoped that Bo could take his leftist-shaded policies nationwide. His likely trial could still stir that ideological contention. China's party-run courts rarely find in favor of defendants, especially in politically-sensitive cases. After state television announced the charges against Bo, some leftist sympathizers insisted that he was the innocent victim of a political plot. "I just still don't believe that Bo has so many problems with corruption," Han Deqiang, a leftist Beijing academic who has supported Bo, told Reuters. "We have to wait and see what else comes out. But I don't think we've been given the truth." In March, Bo was sacked as Chongqing party boss, and in April he was suspended from the party's Politburo, a powerful decision-making council with two dozen active members. The latest party statement also said Bo "had or maintained improper sexual relations with multiple women". It added that the investigation discovered clues of other, unspecified crimes. "We'll have to wait and see what charges are accepted by the prosecutors in any indictment," said Li Zhuang, a Beijing lawyer who was jailed by Bo after raising allegations that Chongqing's anti-crime gang policies involved torture and other unchecked abuses. "The charges could change." (Additional reporting by Michael Martina and Sally Huang in Beijing, and John Ruwitch in Shanghai; Editing by Jeremy Laurence) --------- This will be interesting, been quite a roller coaster to date ---- but seems to me, given these charges, (the bribery) there is still the chance Bo could be sentenced to death-- (perhaps suspended) ---- after the new leadership is installed... On the one hand, it would sound a powerful warning about bribery at the highest levels, and secondly, indicate that the leftists are on the wrong side of the future. I'm not assuming that is what is going to happen--- it would be an extremely reformist move, not course of least resistance.

Hey Carl, PM me any time, be happy to discuss Portland's housing market ! But an: "all cash sale" means exactly that. You have no leverage in the real estate market if you arn't ready to put ---- all the cash on the table. --- The only other form of leverage is credit --- Extremely high credit ratings open doors otherwise closed. but that doesn't seem to be an option for you, since you (apparently) don't have an income stream. I would highly recommend that, if you haven't yet --- get your credit rating from the three major credit agencies --- isn't going to cost that much, (probably under $50.00 combined) -- but if there were ever a practical application to the term: "knowledge is power" this would be it. Your credit rating may very well be better than you think --- but if you go to a lender and lead off with the fact that you haven't filled taxes in three years --- their natural reaction is to give you the worst possible terms on a loan. Once you know your credit --- there are tables on line (suggest BankRate.com) --- you will know where you stand relative to acquiring a home loan. As for a foreign national, without a green card, as a co-owner this turns out to be problematic, at least in our case --- our lender absolutely required proof of permanent resident status. All of this is sliding scale --- you can probably close a loan without that proof, but pay a higher interest rate etc...

Carl ~ ! I'm in Portland Oregon, and have (in the past) renovated several houses, and built the one we are in now. In addition, we are in the final stages of a refinance (one of several) --- so I know just how much the rules have changed since the melt-down. The first question --- if its an all cash sale: ARE the funds in the US today??? If not, how do you plan to transfer them from PRC?? --- last time I checked, the max you could transfer from PRC to the US annually was in the neighborhood of $50,000 And yes, you probably have picked a good location --- even if to market tanks (again) Chinese want to live in Portland, particularly, here on the east side, which helps prop up the market, on the low end ---- the area of your search. An 'all cash' offer speaks volumes to a seller, and your realtor should be able to milk it for all its worth --- having said that, property (at the low end) in Portland is red-hot right now, which may be a sign of recovery, particularly in the ethnic neighborhoods (for Chinese. the cross-hairs are 82nd Ave. North/south, Powell Blvd. East/west.

Such beautiful precision, Carl ~ ! --- love this great unfolding story...

Cop at center of China scandal took walk on the wild side By Chris Buckley and Benjamin Kang Lim | Reuters – 3 hrs ago BEIJING (Reuters) - Former police chief Wang Lijun, at the heart of China's biggest political scandal in decades, was known for his wild and flamboyant behaviour, with a final, dramatic act blowing the story wide open. Wang, a self-styled crusader against organised crime in the vast southwestern municipality of Chongqing, stood trial on Tuesday for attempted defection, bribe-taking and illegal surveillance. He faces the death penalty if convicted. Wang, 52, was an ally of the city's Communist Party boss, Bo Xilai, who once had ambitions to join China's leadership team but whose career now lies in ruins. Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, was last month handed down a suspended death sentence for murdering British businessman Neil Heywood last year. On February 6, Wang fled to a U.S. consulate in an apparent asylum attempt after he confronted Bo, sources say, with evidence implicating Gu in the death of Heywood, once a friend of the Bo family. Wang spent about 24 hours inside the consulate before being collected by Chinese central government authorities. The rupture in his relations with Bo hastened the end of the career of a police officer whose methods in Chongqing, China's biggest municipality, were decried by critics as brutal. Wang was also eccentric: sources said he sometimes did his own post mortems, boasted of being an FBI agent under an exchange programme and of being kidnapped by the Italian mafia. With Bo and Wang out of power, sources close to officials in Chongqing and Beijing provided details about the man who served at Bo's side in a widely publicized drive to sweep the city streets of triad gangs. They declined to be identified owing to the sensitivities of the scandal. State media for years hailed the tens of thousands of arrests, the breakup of gangs and the exposure of corrupt police and officials, a campaign that helped build Bo's popular support. Even by the standards of Chinese police, Wang was known as an aggressive officer. He built his reputation in the northeast province of Liaoning, where Bo was governor in the early 2000s. Wang, an ethnic Mongolian, boxed as a teen, served in the People's Liberation Army for three years and worked as a forestry official before becoming a policeman in 1984. His crime crackdown in the northeast town of Tieling won him national acclaim. Zhou Lijun, a screenwriter, spent 10 days with Wang in Tieling in 1996 while working on a screenplay for a TV series about his exploits called "Iron Blooded Police Spirits". According to Zhou's account in a Chinese newspaper, Wang had a flair for the dramatic. He would drive to crime scenes in a Mitsubishi jeep modified to carry a double rack of lights on its roof so the locals would know "Chief Wang" was on the case. On arrival, he would leap atop the car, draw his gun and fire shots in the air. On a night raid of hair salons thought to be fronts for prostitution, Wang rushed into one and threw a young man with dyed yellow hair to the ground. After a police search for evidence yielded nothing, he told them to take the youth to the police station, saying, "A man with hair like that can't be any good." I'VE GOT A JOB FOR YOU Bo brought in Wang to lead a crackdown on organised crime in Chongqing after he became the city's Communist Party chief in 2007. The two men became close, said a source in Chongqing with access to city officials. "The anti-organised crime campaign was like a two-man skit," said the source. "But then they made the anti-crime campaign so complicated and turned it into a campaign, a movement, that was politicized and expanded, and then there were so many erroneous cases and cases of torture," the source said. Since the downfall of Bo and Wang, several people who were targets of that campaign have come forward with stories of intimidation, torture and forced confession. Tales of yet more eccentricities emerged. Wang would turn up at police stations deep in the night to catch officers sleeping, bawl them out and then storm out, said a Chinese businessman who met Wang several times at city functions. He also demanded continuous supplies of fresh flowers and towels, said another source with access to city officials. A former colleague of Wang's in northeast China said he would sometimes perform the autopsies on executed convicts himself because he claimed he wanted to see if "their hearts were black or red". As Wang's crime crackdown grew, the campaign created enemies in the rank and file, as well as in leadership circles. Wang's dragnet led to the city's former justice chief and deputy police chief, Wen Qiang, being executed in 2010 for protecting gangs, accepting bribes, rape and property scams. Wang also jailed dozens of policemen and defense lawyers in the name of cracking down on organised crime. State media said he wore a bullet-proof vest after gangs put out a hit order on him. More threatening was scrutiny from on high. Central government anti-graft investigators in 2011 began looking into accusations he accepted bribes from and promoted a subordinate when he was police chief of Tieling from 2000 to 2003, several sources said. Wang became anxious and sought help. According to accounts previously reported by Reuters, Wang feared that Bo, keen to preserve his chances for promotion, would abandon him after authorities began probing Wang's past. Wang was extensively involved in bugging and surveillance using sophisticated equipment acquired as part of Chongqing's campaign against organised crime, and also used those capabilities to monitor Bo and those around him, said a source in Beijing with close ties to officials. Late last year, problems with the Heywood case surfaced. Wang learnt that some of his officers were refusing to sign off on the police report, which said he had died of natural causes. By January Wang had set up one of the special case teams that had come to symbolize Chongqing's successes - and excesses - over the years. It determined the death was abnormal and a poisoning. It also determined that Bo's wife was a prime suspect. On or about January 18, Wang took the case to Bo, who reacted angrily before agreeing to a police probe of his wife's role in the murder. Just days later, Bo abruptly reversed course and stripped Wang of his police chief post. Wang later made his run to the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, near Chongqing, where he told American diplomats about the Heywood case, according to the British government which was briefed on this episode. In Chongqing, word that Wang was taken from the consulate by central government officials was met with relief and even celebration from the rank and file of the city's police, a source said. "That night, all of the restaurants and karaoke parlors in Chongqing were full - and mostly with police officers." (Editing by Nick Macfie and Mark Bendeich)

Good one Carl ~ !

He¥ Tsap, is Dylan coming to Portland? First heard of it.. " HIs band is HOT and 71 year old Bob is too." See, that's the thing. We saw that with Frampton concert last summer --- the greats surround themselves with great YOUNG talent. And the young talent are honored to perform with the greats.... So of course, a great performance over all, and passing on, the creative base, for next generation ... (if they don't 'F' it up...)

Hey Jamie, glad for the outcome! Assistant is an 'evil beach' --- and probably trying to win points with superiors --- but that you passed indicates the real story. Still, I'm in the camp that you report her. You and your's are home, but many less skilled are in the quire. We all need to push back against unfair treatment --- for the benefit of those still in line. Thats how The Candle was founded, and Tsap is as good of an example as any, why its still here today.

MCC checking in .... welcome back! For all the newer members, perhaps, you could relate how you came to avatar of MoonCarolCafe --- and btw, any chance that is still a viable business? --- and an update on how its going for you and your family in the States?

Tsap, as you might imagine, a live concert of Bob Dylan's should be a badge of honor for an old war protester, but I STILL haven't seen him all these years later! ~ I've had tickets TWICE in the past --- first time, I can't remember why I missed him --- second time, he and the Grateful Dead were at the U of O --- Huge event. So huge in fact, that the concert and interstate road work made it impossible to as normal --blast down I-5 --- we were stuck in traffic while the concert went on... As it turned out --- the LAST joint concert tour before Jerry Garcia's demise ... Still looking to attend a 'live' Dylan concert before one of us croaks..

With the death of Neil Armstrong, my memories and emotions surged today. On July 20, 1969, I was a lifeguard---in the lifeguard's chair--- at the Rockville Municipal Swim Center in a suburb of Washington DC, and, on a sultry hot and crowded day -- the pool teeming with the masses of what was then, still very much a blue collar city, the PA system came up over the din and childish screams of working class families packed into a public pool on a hot summer day... But soon, the significance became clear, and the crowd came to a near hush, as the PA played the real time audio from CBS news, and when Neil Armstrong said his historic words... A cheer erupted that could have challenged a home run in Yankee Stadium during a late summer pennant race! Ah.. what a moment in American history! It was clear to me, as t must have been to every adult in the pool --- WE WON! We beat the Soviets to the moon! --- and for all of us Kennedy Democrats, it was sweet vindication, he had tasked America to do just that --- before the decade was over, and beat the deadline by nearly half a year! But America had already become a mixed bag, and the triumph of Apollo 11 in space, was, on July 20, very much tempered by the experience of American troops on the ground in Viet Nam... (and no doubt some here had that, first and foremost on their minds) So------ time for Candle members to weigh in! ------Do you remember where you were? ---Or if you were too young ---what are your impressions of this event?

Meanwhile, no official policy from the standing committee ....

Gu Kailai gets suspended death sentence for murder By GILLIAN WONG | Associated Press – 51 mins ago 1 Email Print Associated Press/CCTV via APTN, File - FILE - In this Aug. 9, 2012 file video image taken from CCTV, Gu Kailai, center, the wife of disgraced politician Bo Xilai, stands during her trial in the Hefei Intermediate …more RELATED CONTENT CORRECTS THE TITLE OF HE - He Zhengsheng, … HEFEI, China (AP) — The wife of a disgraced Chinese politician was given a suspended death sentence Monday after confessing to killing a British businessman by poisoning him with cyanide in a case that rocked the country's top political leadership. A suspended sentence is usually commuted to life in prison after several years. Sentenced along with Gu Kailai was a family aide who was given nine years' imprisonment for his involvement in the murder of Neil Heywood, a former family associate, said He Zhengsheng, a lawyer for the Heywood family who attended the sentencing in this eastern China city. The sentencing closes one chapter of China's biggest political crisis in two decades, but also leaves open questions over the fate of Gu's husband, Bo Xilai, who was dismissed in March as the powerful Communist Party boss of the major city of Chongqing. His dismissal and his wife's murder trial come at a sensitive time in China, with party leaders handing over power soon to a younger generation. At one time Bo was considered a candidate for a top position. The lawyer He said he had to discuss the verdict with the Heywood family and did not know if they would lodge an appeal. "We respect the court's ruling today. Thank you all for your concern," He said. State media say Gu confessed to intentional homicide at a one-day trial held here Aug. 9 under heavy guard. The media reports — the court has been closed to international media — say she and Heywood had a dispute over money and Heywood allegedly threatened her son. Gu was accused of luring the victim to a Chongqing hotel, getting him drunk and then pouring cyanide into his mouth. The family aide, Zhang Xiaojun, also confessed after being charged as an accessory. He had been expected to get a lighter sentence as state media reported from the trial that Gu planned the murder. Security was tight outside the court on Monday. Police officers stood guard around the building. At least a half dozen SWAT police vans were parked on each corner, some of them carrying plainclothes security. The main road in front of the entrance was blocked by traffic cones. Any ruling in the Gu case would have been politically delicate, and Chinese leaders may have decided to impose a lengthy prison term instead of death for fear that a more severe penalty might stir outrage or make Gu look like a scapegoat for her husband's misdeeds, political and legal analysts say. The party says Bo was removed due to unspecified violations. Cheng Li, an expert in Chinese elite politics at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said the verdict was fair. "My sense is that the Chinese public, including the legal profession, the majority will think it is well deserved," he said. Li said the ruling against Gu will set expectations for Bo to be dealt with severely. "If Bo does not get put through the legal process in the next few months, Gu will be seen as a scapegoat," he said. The British Embassy, which had consular officials attend the trial, issued a statement Monday saying it welcomed the fact China had tried those it had identified as responsible. The statement said Britain had told China it "wanted to see the trials in this case conform to international human rights standards and for the death penalty not to be applied." Gu's arrest and the ouster of her husband sparked the biggest political turbulence in China since the bloody crackdown on the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in 1989.

Tsap, I hate the term: "blessing in disguise" which often translates somthin' like getting used to pain----for some later reward---if any. But in your case, it almost seems appropriate. Even as Uncle Sam was screwing you in the US --- it gave you time to build powerfully strong relationships in China, and the time (lost) to the process, while it can't be regained, translates to some extent, to a stronger relationship in America, (IMHO) .....

"..Good thing they are working on the Ice Cream Lady and I can't go to the top now, else come Oct 13th you'd hear a rebel yell from the Nutty Buddy she's holdin' in her right hand...." My older brother, by 4 years, admitted to me, soon after entering high school, (1964) that he had said the' Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag' all his life to that point --- when the part came: "...and to the republic for which it stands..." he always assumed that the 'republic' was the base of the flag pole..... Hell, the Nutty Buddy is more American than that French torch... But Tsap ~ ! what a great idea for a road trip! take plenty of good books... (history books come to mind..)

AHHHHH .......... its over, Mick.... (high today in the 70's) nothing to see folks--- time to move along...

I read this as a catch-all for blocking political dissidents attempting to enter China en mass... not directed at individuals..

Carl, just remember from the ol' BBQ ~ ! the temp inside is directly related to the temp outside ~ ! Burgers cook a lot faster on a 100 degree day than on a 72 degree day! --- (and for the rest of the Candle --- Portland had its hottest day in three years (102) two days ago, and its been consistently warm since ....

Were a day, Mr. Tsapper, (1965/66) when the dedicated highway to Dulles International was a party unto isself. --- the airport was just completed, but about 3 international flights a night came in (nobody wanted to land that far away from DC) --- On the Dulles access road, some teens were known to reach speeds in excess of 100 mph ---passing beers between cars... Any thin' went on in the huge empty terminal --- an era before security cameras --- and on the white 'information' phones, you could call in the music you wanted to hear over the intercom (within limits ) ---and dance to that until the (Air France) flight arrived around midnight.

Since he will be attending a non-boarding school, I would suggest that the issue of medical insurance for him is addressed. He should be able to secure fairly cheap coverage or the state may cover him --- I think Oregon might, but it has to be set up in advance.

and compared to bankrupted American --- bankrupted in every way --- (including service..) United is STILL ahead --- in the race to the bottom....)

Heres a switch: I think most of us view PRC citizens more inclined to acquiesce to authority than westerners.. Perhaps they haven't suffered (and thus, become acclimated to) -- the post 911 Homeland Security indignities of flying as American have? --- in any case, bet United is going to have a 777 short notice charter agreement in China, going forward. ________________ A United Airlines flight from Shanghai, China, to New Jersey should have taken just 13 hours, but it took some folks three days to make that trip, after a firestorm of protests, threats, even violence. United Flight 87 was scheduled to leave Shanghai Wednesday and bring 225 passengers to Newark Airport in New Jersey. The flight didn't land until Saturday morning after three days of cancellations, causing tense moments between passengers and United Airlines. "You get the runaround by these airlines, said passenger Steve Borowka. "You're so powerless, just so humiliated and frustrated and you get so upset." The flight was canceled twice because of maintenance on the Boeing 777, and a third delay came because the flight crew had been on duty too long. As passengers grew frustrated by miscommunications, tempers boiled over and a fist fight broke out. “A group of people reached over the counter and ….grabbed [an airport counter agent] by the tie, and they pulled him physically across the counter and started slapping him," said passenger Pat Sinko, describing the violence at the scene after the flight was canceled for the second time. Other passengers pulled the three irritated passengers off of the United counter agent, Sinko said. The nightmare began, passengers say, after the first cancellation because of maintenance. The airline put all the passengers up in hotels. Thursday arrived, and so did a second setback: The replacement generator, which has to be shipped from the U.S., didn't make it to China in time. On Friday, United Flight 87 passengers were promised they would leave, even if travelers on another flight had to be bumped. That's when the pilot of the flight told the passengers the original plane had been fixed and was located at another gate. One Chinese passenger refused to go to the other gate and organized a mini revolt to block newly arriving passengers from getting on the plane. "He was like if we're not getting on that plane, nobody is getting on that plane," said Borowka. A video taken at the gate shows the pilot pleading with passengers to go to the other location where another plane was waiting for them. "That is the only way we're going to get out of here. ... My crew, the other crew, we want to go as much as you do," the pilot said. "I can tell you the alternative is, if we don't have cooperation boarding here, these planes may leave empty." Eventually, Borowka and the other passengers were ushered to the other gate and began boarding their new plane, and were dealt a final humiliating blow: The flight crew had been on duty too long. The passengers were bumped off the plane again. "Some of the Chinese people wouldn't get off the plane. They were protesting, and the other people were trying to break down the door trying to get back in the airport," said Sinko. Passengers also say they couldn't get to their luggage, some of which was unceremoniously dumped off carousels. After three days of cancellations, the plane finally landed in Newark on Saturday morning, bringing the chaotic ordeal to an end. United said it would cover passengers' expenses during the delay and offer each customer a full refund, as well as $1,000 off future travel on the airline. Also Read http://abcnews.go.co...89#.UAVsN_V6Tmc

That does look nice.... in our 'unseasonal' summer sunshinse...

Really cool Carl ! Your jigs are a work of art in themselves ~

Yeah, Larry you are absolutely right. Regarding the war off the coast, North Carolina and the Hatteras banks area caught hell. So many US ships were sunk by German U-Boats that its hard to keep track --- but one out matched defender was YP-389, unfortunately sent out without a working 3" gun, and then, on June 18, 1942, encountering a surfaced U-Boat which began a one half hour outmatched engagement between the YP's 30 cal. machine guns, and the U-Boat's 4.1" gun ---the YP might have had a chance with a working 3" --- but was sent to the bottom without it.. (YP-389 is also a popular dive site of the NC coast).