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OPINION: Biden-Xi meeting shows talk matters
U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for four hours last month on an estate near San Francisco. That, in and of itself, is important. At a time of serious tensions between the world’s two most powerful countries, maintaining communication is essential. Even if such talks don’t always produce breakthrough agreements, it’s […]
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U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for four hours last month on an estate near San Francisco. That, in and of itself, is important. At a time of serious tensions between the world’s two most powerful countries, maintaining communication is essential.
Even if such talks don’t always produce breakthrough agreements, it’s vital that they continue. In the saying usually attributed to Winston Churchill, it’s better to jaw-jaw than to war-war.
And the U.S.-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. As it evolves, it will have a profound impact on the future. The relationship is critical, not only to the two countries, but also to the rest of the globe. For it to succeed, we need to keep talking to one another.
Biden and Xi met in mid-November in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. The White House characterized their conversation as “candid and constructive.” Biden said the U.S. and China are competitors, but don’t have to be adversaries. The world, he said, expects us to manage the competition responsibly and not let it veer into open conflict.
The meeting, along with related conversations by U.S. and Chinese diplomats, did produce concrete results. Importantly, the two sides agreed to resume military-to-military communication, which is essential for ensuring that misunderstandings don’t escalate to warfare. China suspended the communication after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year, and the situation worsened when the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon in February.
Xi also said China will crack down on the export of chemical precursors that Mexican drug cartels use to make fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin. Fentanyl is responsible for 70 percent of overdoses and poisonings in the U.S., according to the Drug Enforcement Agency.
The leaders also agreed to launch a dialogue on the risks of artificial intelligence and to step up efforts to slow climate change, including by reducing emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. And they promoted efforts to strengthen business, trade and person-to-person relationships — for example, an increase in the number of commercial flights between the U.S. and China.
The talks took place as the U.S.-China relationship seemed to be overshadowed by events, especially the bloody fighting between Israel and Hamas and the war between Ukraine and Russia.
Meanwhile, China’s economy has stagnated. Its “zero COVID” policy weakened business activity. Its fertility rate is low, and its population has begun to decline by some estimates.
Unemployment among young people topped 20 percent this year. A few years ago, Xi was promoting China’s state-controlled economic model as a superior alternative to America’s liberal capitalism. It doesn’t look so promising today.
The U.S. and China have many interests and challenges in common, but we also have real disagreements. We accuse China of engaging in unfair trade practices and industrial espionage. We take issue with its human-rights abuses in Xinjiang province and elsewhere. We push back against its aggression against our allies in East and Southeast Asia and its threats toward Taiwan. Biden has called Xi a dictator, and he didn’t back down from that description when reporters questioned him last month.
Domestic politics further confound the relationship. American politicians know they can win points by bashing China or by accusing their rivals of being soft on China.
Certainly, China does some things that displease us greatly. Balancing these concerns — working on our common interests while managing our conflicts — is hard work in diplomacy, but it is absolutely essential. The U.S.-China relationship, while likely to remain contentious, needs to be strengthened if possible. At the very least, it needs to be managed and maintained. The whole world depends upon it.
Lee Hamilton, 92, is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years (1965-1999), representing a district in south-central Indiana.

KYLE KADISH has assumed the role of due diligence officer at IBN Financial Services, Inc. as industry veteran Howard Modell retires from this side of the business. Kadish will source and review investment offerings for registered representatives and their clients. Initially entering the industry 18 years ago, he began on the operations side of the
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KYLE KADISH has assumed the role of due diligence officer at IBN Financial Services, Inc. as industry veteran Howard Modell retires from this side of the business. Kadish will source and review investment offerings for registered representatives and their clients. Initially entering the industry 18 years ago, he began on the operations side of the business with a wirehouse firm. Most of his career was spent raising capital with a global asset manager and a domestic third-party distribution firm. Kadish recently joined IBN, working with accredited investors and high-net-worth clients. He holds industry Series 7, 24, 66, and 79 registrations. He is a producing registered representative engaging clients and investors in private and public investments. Kadish was recently elected to the Alternative & Direct Investment Securities Association (ADISA) board of directors. His experience covers every stakeholder group in the portfolio construction process. IBN recently celebrated Modell’s career in its Liverpool office. Modell remains registered with IBN and will continue working with his investor client base. He maintains his Series 6, 7, 24, 63, and 65 registrations.

Crews start work on Utica apartment complex for artists
UTICA, N.Y. — A 43-unit housing development and art gallery is coming to downtown Utica, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul announced. Construction has begun

Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) announced that KAMALJEET BANGA, M.D., has joined its orthopedic team as a specialist in orthopedics and sports medicine. He has more than 15 years of extensive experience in orthopedics and has practiced in the U.S., Canada, and India. Dr. Banga’s career has been marked by a strong background in sports medicine,
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Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) announced that KAMALJEET BANGA, M.D., has joined its orthopedic team as a specialist in orthopedics and sports medicine. He has more than 15 years of extensive experience in orthopedics and has practiced in the U.S., Canada, and India. Dr. Banga’s career has been marked by a strong background in sports medicine, upper extremity, military, and trauma care in both university and community health-care settings. His insights and contributions are poised to significantly enhance the range of services and capabilities offered by the CMH orthopedic practice. Dr. Banga completed his fellowship in orthopedic surgery, upper extremity, and sports medicine at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Additionally, he holds a fellowship in orthopedic sports surgery from the University of Western Ontario in Ontario, Canada.

Rome Health announced that urology specialists JEFFREY SEKULA, M.D. and DANIEL WELCHONS, M.D. have joined its medical staff. The board-certified urologists are performing their surgical cases at Rome Health and have started providing urology call coverage for the hospital. Dr. Sekula and Dr. Welchon provide medical and surgical treatment of conditions that affect the urinary-tract
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Rome Health announced that urology specialists JEFFREY SEKULA, M.D. and DANIEL WELCHONS, M.D. have joined its medical staff. The board-certified urologists are performing their surgical cases at Rome Health and have started providing urology call coverage for the hospital. Dr. Sekula and Dr. Welchon provide medical and surgical treatment of conditions that affect the urinary-tract system and reproductive organs, including genitourinary cancers.
Dr. Sekula has special training in genitourinary cancers, benign prostate disease, and kidney stone management, including metabolic stone evaluation. In addition, he has expertise in prosthetic urology, including penile implants, urinary slings and sphincters, and interstim implantation. Sekula earned his medical degree at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School and completed his residency in urology at Duke University Medical Center in 2003.
Dr. Welchons’ specialties and interests are laparoscopic, robotic, and prosthetic surgery. He has particular interest in urologic oncology (including prostate, renal, bladder, penile, and testicular cancer), BPH, voiding dysfunction and sexual dysfunction. He earned his medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Welchons completed his surgical internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and residency at the Harvard Program in urology. As a senior resident, he was an instructor for the New England Urology training course in robotic surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston. MARGARET COOPER, D.O. has joined the Rome Health Pediatrics practice as a pediatrician. The addition of Dr. Cooper expands the pediatrics services of Rome Health to a team of five providers who work together as a team to provide care to children. She has been a pediatrician since 2012. Cooper is a graduate of Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Oswego Health has added EYAL KORD, M.D. to its medical staff, where he will join 270-plus providers, representing multiple specialty services across the community at the new Upstate Urology at Oswego Health. Dr. Kord is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Urology at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He has extensive experience in subspecialty
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Oswego Health has added EYAL KORD, M.D. to its medical staff, where he will join 270-plus providers, representing multiple specialty services across the community at the new Upstate Urology at Oswego Health. Dr. Kord is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Urology at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He has extensive experience in subspecialty urological oncology, as well as general urological care including enlarged prostates and stone disease. Dr. Kord is trained in minimally invasive techniques and is a daVinci certified robotic surgeon. With increasing demand for urological care, and the announced retirement of two local prestigious urologists, Upstate Urology and Oswego Health have partnered to provide access to the community. Originally from Israel, Kord earned his master’s degree in public health in from Tel Aviv University and his medical degree from Hadassah Ein Kerem in Jerusalem. Kord completed his post-graduate training as a fellow at the Society of Urologic Oncology at the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. He has published dozens of research and scholarly articles on prostate cancer as his passion is in investigating public health and the impact of urological diseases.

Bassett Healthcare Network announced it has added ELIZABETH PELKOFSKI, M.D., gynecologic oncologist, to its Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is highly specialized in caring for patients with gynecologic cancers, including cancers of the ovary, fallopian tube, peritoneum, cervix, vagina, vulva, uterus, and endometrium, as well as gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (a rare form of cancer
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Bassett Healthcare Network announced it has added ELIZABETH PELKOFSKI, M.D., gynecologic oncologist, to its Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is highly specialized in caring for patients with gynecologic cancers, including cancers of the ovary, fallopian tube, peritoneum, cervix, vagina, vulva, uterus, and endometrium, as well as gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (a rare form of cancer that forms when the placenta attaches to the uterus). Dr. Pelkofski also cares for patients who are at increased genetic risk for gynecologic cancers, patients with preinvasive disease, and those needing complex pelvic surgery, minimally invasive, and robotic surgery. She has expertise in chemotherapy, immunotherapy, clinical trials, radiation oncology, and palliative care for gynecologic cancers. Pelkofski earned her medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia. Her residency in obstetrics and gynecology took place at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She completed a fellowship in gynecologic oncology and a master’s degree in clinical research at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Dr. Pelkofski is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and gynecologic oncology.

Cumulus Media recently promoted BETH COUGHLIN to regional VP of Cumulus Media in Buffalo; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Syracuse. She currently serves as VP/market manager of Cumulus Syracuse and adds responsibilities for Cumulus Media’s five radio stations in Buffalo, five radio stations in Erie, and extensive digital offerings to her purview. Prior to joining Cumulus Media
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Cumulus Media recently promoted BETH COUGHLIN to regional VP of Cumulus Media in Buffalo; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Syracuse. She currently serves as VP/market manager of Cumulus Syracuse and adds responsibilities for Cumulus Media’s five radio stations in Buffalo, five radio stations in Erie, and extensive digital offerings to her purview. Prior to joining Cumulus Media in October 2015, Coughlin had more than 20 years of broadcast and digital experience, starting with WSYR-TV and WUTR-TV in Syracuse and Utica, as well as in Albany.

Owner renames Waterloo Premium Outlets as Finger Lakes Premium Outlets
JUNIUS, N.Y. — Waterloo Premium Outlets has a new name and is now operating as Finger Lakes Premium Outlets, with the name effective Dec. 8. The moniker change will “better reflect the region and complement the other attractions in the area,” Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE: SPG), the shopping center’s owner, contended in its announcement.
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JUNIUS, N.Y. — Waterloo Premium Outlets has a new name and is now operating as Finger Lakes Premium Outlets, with the name effective Dec. 8.
The moniker change will “better reflect the region and complement the other attractions in the area,” Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE: SPG), the shopping center’s owner, contended in its announcement.
Simon describes itself as a real-estate investment trust that owns shopping, dining, entertainment, and mixed-use destinations.
The shopping center at 655 Route 318 in the town of Junius also received an updated exterior color palette giving it a more modern and refreshed look, as well as new pylon and monument signs.
“We’re excited to debut our new, revamped look at Finger Lakes Premium Outlets,” Jennifer Dombrowski, general manager of the Finger Lakes Premium Outlets, said in a news release. “As one of the main destinations in the area, we look forward to welcoming shoppers to the Finger Lakes region for an elevated shopping experience.”
To commemorate the renaming, Finger Lakes Premium Outlets held a Dec. 11 ribbon-cutting ceremony. Among the local officials who were scheduled to attend, was Jeff Shipley, president & CEO of the Seneca County Chamber of Commerce.
“For nearly three decades, the outlet mall has been recognized as one of the premier shopping experiences in the Finger Lakes,” Shipley said in the release. “As the Finger Lakes Premium Outlets continues to evolve as a center for commerce and activity, its new name reflects the role that the local community has as a regional gateway for both visitors and residents alike.”
In its announcement, Simon said Under Armour and Puma recently expanded to larger spaces to “meet the demands and needs of shoppers.” Finger Lakes Premium Outlets includes more than 100 brand name and designer outlet stores

New automated retail lounge opens at Syracuse airport
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse Regional Airport Authority (SRAA) this week unveiled a new automated retail lounge at Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR). The new
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