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[ Monday, February 27, 2006 12:47 PDT ]
Port Hysteria: Hearings are the Cure?
Section:
Business
Summary:
It has been said that one’s view of the world depends on what end of the telescope your use. It the case of the current Dubai Ports World alert, the various views seems to be dictated by what port hole you are assigned, choose or use.
Main:
For example, from the Washington, D.C prospective, the story is all about elective politics and posturing before constitutes. Stateman like leadership among the leaders of congress has been missing in action until Senator John Warner came forth, Senator McCann went before the TV cameras and Senator Bill Frist called timeout. Ok, lets catch our collective breath and get ready to get a grip on the issues.
* Can foreign governments, agencies or their representatives legally invest in companies that do buiness the United State, and if so, what are the pre conditions and what is the approval process and what are the standards for disapproval? It appears that some are now seeking Federal Legislative review and approval in addition to administaion CFIUS review, approval and ratification.
* Can port authorities renegatiate long term contracts with operators on the theory that renter subleasing may be prohibited by the common law, precidence, local legislation, or contract?
* What are the norms as practiced around the world by the Maritime Industry?
* What are the harms of the Strong perceptions overseas that Americans are xenophobic, do not understand the mechanics of global trade and the flow of goods across the oceans?
* What are the current security standards for the transborder flow of electronic information, air cargo, military planes and ships, private boats and planes and the soon to be launched commercial space travel?
Meanwhile, the view from the Heatland is that Islamic fundamentalists want to take over West Sacramento or Stockton, they can have them. It they want to buy the ports, we can talk. As for six weeks of CSPAN hearing as Congress is educated by maritime professionals, we predict a spin v public interest gap of Bode Miller proportions. Folks can tell beef from bluster without a telescope .
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[ Saturday, February 25, 2006 14:48 PDT ]
A Now Perspective from the Heartland and the Farmer’s Market
Section:
Opinion
Summary:
The job of journaling and servicing the public is tough and apparently getting tougher. The public is into feedback mode big time. It is little wonder that the Sutter Davis Medical Group is not about to give out medical office or physician e-mail addresses. Many in the media world have taken a prescription from the British Health Service and installed ombudsmen, an import from the progressive Norsemen.
The first PBS ombudsman is Michael Getler, a graduate of The City College of New York and a veteran of the Washington Post. He appeared this week on
Nowhosted by David Branccacio. Sadly, the transcripts, Podcast, and video versions of that broadcast are not currently available at either the PBS ombudsman blob site or the Now Web page.
The original Norse version appears to have had teeth; trust or consequences. The PBS version appears to be a kindly complaint department with a reassuring face and gentle tone.
Main:
In Davis, the counterpart is the Famer’s Market. Today, two women were chatting with folks under summer spring skys. The present Mayor and the Capt of the Fire Dept were on duty and on site. No iPod, Blackberry or digital voice recorder was in sight. The foot powered merry-go-round was raising money for Emerson Jr. High School, students were raising consciousness about Africa, and SMUD was presenting its case for a Yolo County November vote to “annex” Pac Bell assets and replace a “for profit” utility with a municipal utility. Humm. Yet another case of “eminent domain” taking via the ballot box?
And so it goes at the DAM changing rooms between pool workout, at the barbershops and hair salon, the Graduate saloon, the Coop, the coffee houses, the playing fields and the malls around town on Saturday. Worry and Care have taken the day off are out viewing the daffadils before the next shower.
But, fear not, Worry and Care will return for the next news cycle for the usual fare that frames a world as aflame with intolerance,violence, hate, injustice, corruption, various pending and preventable natural disasters & plagues, ignorance, poverty, greed, gluttony, starvation, conspiracy, pollution, global warming, overpopulation, a shortable of fixit guys with tools, and…..
However, the good news is that Californians are certain that stem cells will help cure disease or condition alpha…omega and that capping and trading fossil CO2 emission permits will prevent a catastrophic tipping over into a scenario of Greenhouse Gas caused Rapid Global Climate Change.
Meanwhile, at the nytimes, Brooks, Tierney, Friedman and Kristoff continue their fine work of rational, reasoned, balanced, kind, spirited but forceful and, on appropriate occasions, humorous columns.
BTW, one might wish that the Sunday Davis Enterprise vanity poll on Dubai Ports World, complete with pictures of five random folks on the street, might have had some tighter editing. The question of the poll clearly implied that the company was “in charge of security.”
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[ Wednesday, February 22, 2006 14:12 PDT ]
US Ports: post 911, post Katrina we are all concerned and willing to weighin.
Section:
Editorial
Summary:
Both trade and smuggling has been going on since day one. However, natural borders like Atlantic, Pacific and Caribbean Oceans, have long provided a buffer of security for the continental states of America. The U.S.Coast Guard, U.S. Customs Port Authorities, local, state and federal agencies are part of a global distribution network from the U.S coast to and from the U.S.Heartland. The grow and reliability of that system which has greatly benefited New York City and has contributed to its role of becoming one of the worlds great meglopolis’ in a remarkably short time.
Now, the nytimes editorial border, nytimes columnists and members of the New York congressional delegation have launched triple barreled salvo against the adminstration’s approval of the continuation of port management contracts by the combined companies P & O of England, and Dubai Ports World. Briefly stated, the fear is the administration is “intransigent”, that W is “Nuts”, and that DPW is a possible conduit for WMDs into the U.S. The fact that DPW have been judged by their piers/peers and their competitors to be the best in the world for 11 straight years seems to have been missed. The opportunity to express mistrust and a consistent characterization of W has not been missed.
But, based on the record , facts and the theater of the internet, CNN and CSAN , what is at issue is legislative power vs administrative perogatives.
Main:
So at this juncture, that do we know?
* We know the ex Navy officer, President Carter has weighed in on the issue. He approves. So does nytimes columnist, Tom Friedman, Ex Navy flyer, John McCain was listening an is now supportive. At week’s end, Bill Frist is on board after GPW offered an additional 45 day security review and an American exexutive to operate a native subsidiary in the U.S. One of California’s two Senators have voiced her opinion. Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman from San Francisco has spoken on the subject.
* We know at week’s end that Senator Clinton, D. NY appears to continue voicing concerns about companies with goverment ties operating port facilites. Meanwhile, marine secuity experts like Stephen Flynn, port administrators and marine trade organizations are adding to the voices of calm and reason. Some who have recently travelled to region are concerned with the perception of anti- Arab and anti-Muslim profiling, bias and prejudice. In a speech to the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco on 2/24, the Egyptian Ambassador to the United States, Nabil Fahmy, voiced a similar concern during the Q & A session.
* We know based on the Senate testimony of senior members of CIFUS (The U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States), that DPW was cooperative and accommodating during the vetting process and unanimous approval. In addition, DPW has delayed some aspects of its acquisition to allow addition Congressional hearings. BTW, the 6 US ports at issue are port of a nearly 30 port package.
* We know that U.S. port authorities from Long Beach to New Orleans to Miami, to Philadelphia to Baltimore to New York & New Jersey have long-term contracts with global companies to do logistics, planning, coordination, management, communications services. Hutchinson Wampoa of Hong Kong and Temasek Holding of Singapore ( a government controlled company who was also bidding for P& O) are but two examples of companies that are ready, willing and able to provide similar services on a long-term, competetive bid basis. Some port authorities have seized upon an opportunty to challenge the transferablity of their 30 year contract with P & 0. Now let the legal and political games begins. Now, we are beginning to understand why transshiping ports and firms based in Singapore and Dubai have certain competitive advantages over certain U.S. ports.
* We know that the Firestorm of administration criticism has been fulled by the high caffeine content, Savage_nation, business as usual seasoned Washinton technical pofessionals from Justice, Defense, State, Homeland Security and Intellegence communities who vetted the merger and issued a unanimous approval,
* We know that starting this week, multiple Congressional Committees will be taking testimony for the enlightenment of all, including many Senators and Congresspersons.
* We know that port security will continue to be provided by the U.S. Customs Service and the U.S.C.G, among others. Their record remains untarnished.
* We know that the bad old days of corruption on U.S. waterfronts has been reduced and the longshoremen and stevedores are machine operating technical professionals who will continue doings their jobs. They are unlikely to be infiltrated by Islamic terrorists.
* We know that an Englsh court is expected to approve the merger of P & O , with the largest passenger ferry service in Europe, into DPW, in early March. The Brits do not seem to share the national security concerns as their American cousins, but they have a longer history of experience in the Middle East and a long no nonsense approach to real threats of civil disorder, national security and hate speech whatever its origin.
* We know that Lloyd’s List and the partners of Lloyds of London continue to rate and write global Marine & Shipping Insurance dispite the concerns in those across the Pond.
* We know that many Arab States, Sultans and Sheiks in the Persian Gulf have long be active investors and trusted partners in business ventures around the world. For example, a U.S. based commercial Space Platform company will be launching from Dubai. Yes, the World is becoming increasingly horizonal to the flow of capital, goods, services, people, technology, ideas and information.
* We know that Arabs in Dubai have recently sponsored a group of Professional Triathlon athletes in some of their high profile international events, and that the largest private foreign investor in Apple Computer is an Arab. This week, the Dubai Women’s Open Tennis Tournament is underway.
So, are we now to hermetically seal our borders, withdraw all U.S. flag ships from the Persian Gulf, recall our Naval Fleet, disregard our Marchant Marine Captains, issue national ID cards, limit worker, visitor and student visas, boycott Apple censor USA Today for its insert, withdraw Team DUBAI and burn their teeshirts and the powers that be in NYC have had their day, had their say and signaled their thumb up?
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Meanwhile, it was done said that the trading port cities of the world are among the most interesting, enlightened, dynamic and cosmopolitan. Some have seen a glimpse future of places like Dubai and have embrassed it. Meanwhile, Ambassador Rice is in the Middle East and the President will be off to India and Pakistan.
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[ Monday, February 20, 2006 13:04 PDT ]
Climate Change: The more we know, the less we understand.
Section:
Science and Technology
Summary:
This week, press reports about several recent scientific journal publications on Global Climate Change seem to illustrate the more is less quote attributed to Vaclav Havel in reference to crisis management. The bottom line is that some of the pending crisis claims seem so some to be speculative, devived or manufactured. For example, a report by one scientist in the March, 2006 issue of the Scientific American builds on the Roger Revell theory based on the widely used Charles Keeling atmospheric CO2 data from the north slope of Mauna Loa. The theory is that fossil fuels burning has added contributed approximately 50-75 parts per million or, 0.005% of the offender, to the upper atmosphere. since 1958. Since trapped glacier ice carbon dioxide is reported as 275ppm, a kind of a fossil record the time line has been extended back. The forward trend concerns some because of the possible effect on the suspected increase in the acidity of some surface ocean waters. It is acknowleged that the oceans are among the primary sinks for the carbon cycle via carbonates or common lime stone. However, the enormous buffering capacity of the deep oceans can only be estimated by even the best of the early models based on relatively small and selective data sets. Further,the assumptions build into most of these models do not appear to have rigorously and independently audited, tested and verifed by the scientific community. However in the public’s concern meter has registered a perfect trifecta: carbon dioxide = global warming = global apocyalypse now. Many world religions have embrassed the fear in the name of saintly stewardhip That is a cultural shift of major importance and lasting effect.
Main:
Thus has been created, the perfect crisis. Carbon dioxide changes everthing from the atmosphere to the oceans to terra firmae. In addition, this week the public also learned that the glaciers of Greenland are melting and moving. The reporting on NPR is that the oceans, or is it the tides, will risk 20 foot when the the ice of Greenland is completely melted. The good new is that there will be no navigation hazards like the iceberg that sank the Titanic the North Atlantic. However, the post card mammal of the moment, the Polar Bear is said to be going the way of the Wooly Mammouth that ironically thrived in Siberia during a global warming cycle some years ago.
BTW:
*
What are the confounding effects of water vapor on the spectrophotometry generated ice trapped gas data?
*
What are the dynamic effects of weather, clouds, air currents, ocean waves, tides and currents, volcanos and tectonic shifts on spotty temperature reading on land, sea and in the air?
*
That is the buffering capacity of the oceans of the world?
*
What was the temperature of Greenland during the early settlement by Erik the Red and later, during the Little Ice Age.?
*
Are the delicate, pristine and threatened Polar Bears really on the verge of species collapse?
*
What is the role the eccentric parabolic orbit of earth, the changing tilt in the earth’s axis and the variable energy output of the sun?
Meanwhile, Heartlanders in Davis are suffering from an overdose of liberal guilt has they vote against new housing developments with solar panels, complain about the cost of housing and the burden ovtaxes and drive to their favorite caffeine outlet in their SUVs as they make plans to escape to lower cost Nevada, Utah, Vancouver, Oregon or Canada.
It is said by Enviromentalist activists and policy makers that ” uncertainty should not delay action”. So, lead, follow or get out of the way. The train is leaving the station. Here we go: Ready, Fire, Aim. That appeared to be the theme at a recent Enviromental Law Symposium and CLE gathering sponsored by the UCDavis King School of Law. One panelist, an attorney, was heard to say that the science community had no sceptical views on the prevailing theory of fossil fuel generated global warning that has become the accepted dogma or precident for the last ten years. Oh, Really?
Portland Oregon seems to be on many a radar screen. Today on the national media AM wakeup call. ABC’s GMA had a wonderful icy shot of Willamette Falls, or was is Bridal Vail Falls, in the Columbia River River Gorge. And a Davis Senior Center group is off to see the new snow in the Sierra on their way to Reno.
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[ Wednesday, February 15, 2006 13:38 PDT ]
Dick Cheney & Texas: Open Season and Fair Game for Eastern Media Sharp Shooters and Shot Sprayers.
Section:
Politics
Summary:
* The color
orange
now has a special meaning in Washington, D.C.——The Squeeze is on.
As of Wednesday afternoon, four days after Vice President Cheney accidently peppering his friend and hunting partner with some 7.5 pellets from his 28 gauge shotgun while hunting quail on the weekend at the Richardson Ranch in south-west Texas, we know know some facts.
First, in the rush to cover the story that was first reported by a reporter for the Corpus Christi Carrier, many east coast based print media writers got important facts wrong and missed vital context. For example, the nytimes has printed a series story of corrections that the offending shot was fired from 30 yards, not 30 feet according to the official and now public accident report from the scene. Thus, the initial timess reporter ?copy editor? proof reader ? type setter missed the mark by a factor of 300% ! In addition, the 28 gauge #7.5 shot size was 2.7mm, not 5.0mm, The Christus Spohn spokeman and ER administrator, Peter Banko, is not a physician, the alleged “heart attack” turned out to a common non ischemic atrial fibrillation arrythmia that responded rapidly to standard medical therapy
In addition, none of the eastern print writers visited the the scene of the accident or directly quoted people who were present. Further, a few reporters have substituted lack of leg work and witness access to the the usual laundy list of excuses: influence peddling ,slimming, coverup, corruption and a general lack hatred of those who slave in the service of the public’s 1st Amendment Right to know when there is a whiff scandal in the air around a “public” person. We call it business as usual by hard pressed, desk-bound young men and women in the wired news rooms around the globe.
Main:
So it goes in the “be fast and be first” caffeine fueled world of quick talk and knee jerk reactions.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch after taking a few deep breaths, the following are now clear:
* Dick Chaney has publicly acknowledged to Fox newsman, Brett Hume, that he accepts full responsibility for wounding a friend, Harry Whittington while part of a quail hunting party hosted by multigenerational Kenedy County Texas rancher, Katharine Richardson. In addition, V.P. Cheney remains a favorite son in his native Wyoming , continues to provide flak cover and serve as a lightening rod for the President.
* Whittington was appropriately treated in the
Christus Spohn Hospital
. He was in the ICU in part to protect his privacy, he was always hemodynamicically stable, his heart is in a normal sinus rhythm, a baseline, state-of the ART, superfast 3D, 64 channel CT is planned prior to discharge and his physicans expect a complete and rapid recovery to the vigous life style enjoyed by their patient preaccident.
* Upon walking out of the hospital on Friday, Whittington was charming, similing, gracious, thankful and forthright as he addressed the assembled press. He gave every appearance of a classy hunter and guest who will long have a tale to tell—at the appropriate time, at the appropriate place. One would wager that he is looking forward to the next quail season in Kenedy County, Texas.
* In Washington, D.C., the usual media suspects have devolved downward to demogoguery via name calling and character assassination.
More:
The reaction among experienced bird hunters in Davis, and there appear to be many, is that few if any eastern writers have ever had the experience of hunting upland game, behind Labrador Retrievers and American Pointers, with a few trusted and loyal friends in the great out-of-doors. That tradition is clear from Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur, to de Touqueville, to Melville to Fredrick Jackson Turner. It is not everyone’s cup of tea, but hunting, fishing and ranch life is as American as “Teddy Roosevelt” dispite the well known risks of hunting and firearms accidents. A vigorous life well lived involves some level of risk from the elements, the trail, the weather, the wildlife, your horse or whatever. At the end of the day, it is the shared experience with frends and family that counts.
However, little in this small sample settles well with the pretenses and mischaracterizations of the smart Georgetown salon literati set. Texas BBQ and Dr. Pepper do not mix with Brie and Chardonney. It is an image, cultural and sensibility kind of thing. The point is well illustrated in the Point counter Point Saturday nytimes column pairing that includes the witty, right-on, reasonalble and easy-to-take, MR. John Tierney.
BTW: NB, The California Quail is our “pristine, threatened and delicate” state bird. They are particularly fast on the wing and hard targets when flying into the setting sun.
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[ Thursday, February 09, 2006 17:02 PDT ]
Brooks of the nytimes hits one out of the park
Section:
Commentary
Summary:
Today, nytimes columnist, David Brooks used his considerable writing skills to clearly, forcefully and convincingly state what he believes is important, and why he views the growing threat of radical Islamic fundamentalist has a major threat to the ideals and the practice of democracy in the west, The issue is the
spread of an olde concept to the east, to the north and to the south . Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa, cultivation spread from middle East and the idea of democracy originated in Greece. Man, commerce and politics were changed in the process. Then came the Islam response. It was moved like the wind by horsepower, was armed by the sword and was fired by a charasmatic, well organized and effective leader.
Some will push programs of social and economic justice, the rights of man, the needs of the environment, the threat of global warming, the forlorn future of the shrinking y chromosome in the age of XX empowered women, etc. Pick your pet agenda of the day from alpha to omega. Brooks, and others, seem to sense the heat ,the accompanying fear and the wavering resolve in charting a national course. He calls reasoned debate, rational behavior and courageous action by players, coaches leaders and fans with a survival agenda.
The demos has experienced propaganda, harangue and baiting in the past. Hopefully, the wise and articule in the media will continue to keep the faith while keeping their eye on the ball as they argue the case for freedom and democracy.
Main:
Meanwhile, today the of The California Aggie, the UCDavis student paper, featured book touring envionmental activist, Dr. Riki Ott who spoke on the eviromental and human health sins of the petroleum industry. The fifteen year-old Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska is her beat; Toxic exposure is her focus, Grass roots organization and litigation are her prescriptons. Attendance at the Muir Institute sponsor event was sparse. Most folks in Davis seemed to be enjoying the early spring weather by working out under the lights on the playing fields of Davis, teaching the kids or watching the Grammies.
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