The Contemplation » politics

Norway and US Need To Talk Fish

tech — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:43:16 +0000

There is a sudden boom in Scottish salmon exports to China. Two Chinese pandas have arrived at Edinburgh zoo without cost to Scots. What’s going on?

According to the Norwegian Seafood Export Council (NSEC), exports of the country’s salmon and trout to China, excluding Hong Kong, fell 52 percent during the four first months of 2011 from the same period last year. The result has been a collapse in sales of salmon to China, and the sight and smell of North Sea fish rotting in Chinese warehouses. The Norwegian Foreign Office said sales of fresh salmon have collapsed 61.8 per cent.

Scottish salmon exports – just six months after it allowed seafood to be sent directly from Scotland for the first time data revealed 2,347 tonnes of salmon were exported to the world’s most populous nation in the first half of 2011 - for the period was 3,036 tonnes, worth $25.1 million (£16m).

Why is Norway being punished?

China government banned the import of Norwegian salmon in reaction when the Norwegian Nobel Committee gave the Nobel Peace Prize awarde to Liu Xiaobo.

Liu Xiaobo (born 28 December 1955) is a Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist who called for political reforms and the end of communist single-party rule in China.

He is currently incarcerated as a political prisoner in China.

United State’s response: None

US Imports of Fish and Shellfish by Country

How in the world is China #3 and Norway #21?

I believe that this is an opportune time for the US to wean off China’s Dependency and become a global player.Similar Posts:

More Americans Using Federal Food Assistance Now

tech — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:38:41 +0000

The number of Americans turning to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, has substantially increased since the recession began and has continued to climb as many Americans have struggled with the economic hardships of the post-recession, weak economy, according to researchers from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.

“In the context of high poverty and unemployment, SNAP is one of the most responsive federal programs, providing immediate benefits and helping millions of families to put food on the table,” said Jessica Bean, vulnerable families research associate at the Carsey Institute.

The percentage of Americans receiving SNAP benefits increased 61.2% since 2007.

In December 2010, 44 million people received SNAP benefits, compared with 35.9% in July 2009, and 27.3 million in November 2007, according to the Food and Research Action Center.
By 2010, nearly 12 percent of all American households reported receiving SNAP benefits, an increase of 4% points since the recession began in 2007, and 1.6% points since 2009.
From 2007 to 2010, the percentage of urban households receiving SNAP benefits increased from 9.8%t to 14.8%, and rural households saw an increase from 10.6% to 14.6%. Suburban households receiving SNAP benefits increased from 5.4% to 9% during the period.
Reliance on SNAP was very high among single parents in 2010, rising 10% points nationally among single mothers and fathers since the recession began.
In 2010, 42 percent of single mothers and 25 percent of single fathers relied on SNAP; in rural places, the rate was as high as one in two single mothers.

“These findings suggest that not only did SNAP receipt continue to rise in 2010, but it rose at an accelerated pace among households struggling the most, providing critical support to families in a tough economy,” Bean said.

This analysis is based upon U.S. Census Bureau estimates from the 2007, 2009, and 2010 American Community Survey. For more details or information, please refer to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Read Report: Carsey Institute ReportSimilar Posts:

Discovery: Frederick Douglass Lock of Hair

tech — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:21:02 +0000

Historians and archivists at Mississippi State are announcing the discovery of what they believe to be a historic treasure: a hair lock from the 19th century’s best known African American social reformer. The artifact was found among items in the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Collection, which is housed at the university’s Mitchell Memorial Library.

While carefully combing through notes made by a Grant biographer more than 60 years ago, the researchers recently came upon a folder regarding abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass, an icon of Civil War-era and Reconstruction history.
Also an orator, writer and statesman, Douglass (1818-95) lived during a time when giving a lock of hair as a personal memento was common.

To the added delight of MSU’s Grant Collection historians, the folder also contained a detailed narrative of when and to whom the lock was given, as well as personal accounts of Douglass’s visits and relationships with a group of Indiana Quaker families.

The Quakers were family members of Lloyd Lewis, the Grant biographer whose notes were donated to the U.S. Grant Association in the 1960s. Lewis, who died in the late 1940s, was a historian who wrote not only about Grant, but fellow Union General William Tecumseh Sherman and President Abraham Lincoln.

Along with saving the lock of hair, Lewis had recorded a narrative of when Douglass, as a young abolitionist speaker, visited Pendleton, Ind., in 1843. Lewis conducted an oral history with his aunt, Evangeline Lewis. According to her nephew, the aunt remembered “with clarity, the main details of this event, which was so historic in the life of the little Hoosier (sic) town.”

The public can access the Grant Association files online at the Mitchell Memorial Library.

United Steelworkers :: Now is Our Time

tech — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:42:34 +0000

“I’d rather fight to my last breath than let the fate of my children and grandchildren be dictated by billionaires on Bay Street and Wall Street.” – USW International President Leo W. Gerard, 2011 Convention Opening Speech, Aug. 15, 2011.Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Every generation has its moment, its moment to stand up and fight for a better world and brighter tomorrow.

Now is our time.

As United Steelworkers International President Leo W. Gerard said to open our Constitutional Convention: “We can only win the future if we’re willing to fight for it!”

Our union’s fighting spirit has been on display all week at the convention, where thousands of USW members and guests have recommitted themselves to our movement for an economy that works for everybody, for fair trade, the right to collectively bargain, safer workplaces and a dignified retirement.

You don’t have to be a delegate to join us in this important battle for our future.

Clic k he re to watch our convention theme video, “The Fighting Spirit,” then send it to your friends and family. This is the fight of our lives – of our children’s and grandchildren’s lives – and we need everyone to stand up.

Tell us what you’re standing and fighting foron our convention Web page and stay tuned for future information on how Steelworkers are leading the way as we Stand Up and Fight Back!

Visit the USW on Facebook Visit the USW on Twitter

Similar Posts:

Legit Reasons Not To Vote for Bachmann

tech — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:05:14 +0000

These are not reasons based on political parties or her actual platform. These are a few of the things that Michelle Bachmann has a very high creep factor for a US Presidential Candidate.

A Legit Reason: Her husband isn’t running for election, nor qualified to be President of the United States.

Marcus Bachmann

Michelle Bachmann has explained that she studied tax law because husband Marcus Bachmann directed her to do so.

“The Lord says: be submissive, wives; you are to be submissive to your husband,” Bachmann has said.

Bachmann’s scriptual obedience to her husband makes her unfit to be president. She explained to Romano that her interpretation of the above scripture “means that I respect my husband, and he respects me.” But in a Bachmann White House, she added, “I would be the decision maker.”

It is not enough to “say” you are a decision maker, but it seems that Michelle Bachmann took a career path because her husband directed her to do so – that is not White House Material

A Legit Reason: She has debilitating migraines on a weekly basis

migraine medication doesn't remove stress

Daily Caller reported Bachmann frequently suffers from stress-induced medical episodes that she has characterized as severe headaches. These episodes, say witnesses, occur once a week on average and can “incapacitate” her for days at time. On at least three occasions, Bachmann has landed in the hospital as a result.

“She has terrible migraine headaches. And they put her out of commission for a day or more at a time. They come out of nowhere, and they’re unpredictable,” says an adviser to Bachmann who was involved in her 2010 congressional campaign. “They level her. They put her down. It’s actually sad. It’s very painful.”

According to Web MD - Stress is also an important factor in tension headaches. Tension headaches can either be episodic or chronic. Episodic tension headache is usually triggered by an isolated stressful situation or a build-up of stress; it can generally be treated by over-the-counter pain relievers. Daily stress, such as from a high-pressured job, can lead to chronic tension headaches. Treatment for chronic tension headaches usually involves stress management, counseling, biofeedback, and possibly the use of antidepressant or anxiety-reducing medications.

Being the President of the United States is the most stressful job – there is no denying. Why would I vote for someone who is dependent on medication and will be unable to function one or two days a week?

A Legit Reason: She Doesn’t Make Her Own Decision

Awkward! She doesn't love him! It is like sitting on Daddy's Lap.

Michele Bachmann also once told a crowd that the “Lord… led me to this man,” telling him directly, “I hate to disappoint you, darling, but it wasn’t a big romantic surge that led us to each other. It was His word.”

Her husband, she said, wasn’t wowed either. “The Lord showed him in a vision that he was supposed to marry me. And my husband said: ‘I don’t want to get married. I want to wait till I’m 27. I want to see the world. I want to have a great time in life. I don’t want to marry this girl.’ ”

Neither fell in love – but married because “The Lord” showed vision and ”led me”.

I want my president to have sound reasoning and not wait for “The Lord” to give guidance. This is not a spiritual position, this is a political position of representation of all US Citizens including gays, single moms and the poor. We don’t have any real proof that she has the ability to make decisions on her own – especially when something is urgent.

Read Jezebel POV

Similar Posts:

Norway and US Need To Talk Fish