Politics

With all of the old media and new media hacks trying their hands at prognostication, I might as well do the same. So here is my grim prognosis for the New Year.

• Riots in China: hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers from remote villages have earned their livings in large coastal cities, most with no legal rights to live in those cities. With the cooling economy these workers are returning home. The lucky ones still have a family plot of land where they can grow enough food to live (if not to prosper). The unlucky ones have seen their land appropriated (with little compensation) by local governments and handed over to corporations. Without a major policy change by the government, these workers will become disillusioned and demand a better life for them and their families.
• Collapse of commodity prices: The steep reduction in energy costs will temporarily drive a reduced production of ethanol, freeing up corn for animal feed and reducing the price of other staples (such as barley). This should make items ranging from breakfast cereal to beer cheaper, which will be needed because of…
• Continued recession in the US: Further job loss and reduced economic output in the US through at least November of 2009.

There you go, and in twelve months we can see how I stack up to the people that get paid for this sort of stuff. The great thing about predicting doom and gloom is that you are happy to be proven wrong.

My employer like many has a United Way drive every year. Although I like to give, I always wonder how each charity direct their money. The cynic in me theorizes that a big portion goes to an exec that adds little value.

The people at Charity Navigator obviously had similiar concerns and more drive to do something about the matter.

Check out the good, the bad and the ugly.

Some of my favorites are First Book and the DC Central Kitchen.

One of the less savory aspects of downtown Vancouver is that a block from Gastown, one of Vancouver’s most hyped tourist traps, is an area defined by its missions, needle-exchange programs, and other outreach programs. This includes people passed out on sidewalks, aggresive pick-pockets, and other homeless people.

This area of Vancouver is still safer than most of DC, but it can be a bit unnerving to realize that the person that you just denied a handout too is now following you down the street, this happened on my first trip to Vancouver. A friend of ours ate at one of the downtown cafe’s in Gastown and the waitress asked them to put their camera away as they had already had one stolen purse, and three stolen tips that day.

The drug of choice in the area seems to be Heroin, which at least produces a mostly non-violent addict. In the most recent trip I ran into an aggressive, ultra-hyper, twitchy guy with an unlikely story (even more unlikely than most) and he insisted on showing me that there were no track marks on his arms. Even though from the look of his teeth, he was a crystal-meth addict. He walked with me most of the way back to the hotel, and the twitching was a bit concerning so I kept him talking. He realized that I was not buying his story as I neared my hotel and I was able to duck inside with only the threat violence.

Recognizing that outreach, needle-exchange, and suprevised injection programs do serve the public good, to what extent do these efforts draw additional addicts to certain areas, allow people to continue with self-destructive activities, and perhaps put law-abiding citizens and visitors at increased risk of violent crime? Perhaps the two people with degrees in Public Health could shed some light here.
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I am sure that most of the people reading this have a strong understanding of the 50 US States, but can you name all of the unincorporated territories of the US?

I am sure you know Guam and maybe Puerto Rico, but here is a bit of information, and related maps for all fifteen US territories.

American Samoa
Map1, Map2
Settled as early as 1000 BC, Samoa was “discovered” by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899 treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago. The US formally occupied its portion – a smaller group of eastern islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago – the following year

Baker Island — (uninhabited, administered from Washington, DC)
Map
The United States of America took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization was begun on this island – as well as on nearby Howland Island – but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. Presently the island is a National Wildlife Refuge run by the US Department of the Interior; a day beacon is situated near the middle of the west coast.

Federated States of Micronesia
Map1, Map2 (far right)
In 1525 Portuguese navigators in search of the Spice Islands (Indonesia) came upon Yap and Ulithi. Spanish expeditions later made the first European contact with the rest of the Caroline Islands. Spain established its colonial government on Yap and claimed sovereignty over the Caroline Islands until 1899. At that time, Spain withdrew from its Pacific insular areas and sold its interests to Germany. German administration encouraged the development of trade and production of copra. In 1914 German administration ended when the Japanese navy took military possession of the Marshall, Caroline and Northern Mariana Islands. Japan began its formal administration under a League of Nations mandate in 1920.

The United Nations created the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) in 1947. Pohnpei (formerly Ponape), Kosrae (formerly Kusaie, and at the time a part of Pohnpei), Chuuk (formerly Truk), Yap, Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands, together constituted the TTPI. The United States accepted the role of Trustee of this, the only United Nations Trusteeship to be designated as a “Security Trusteeship,” whose ultimate disposition was to be determined by the UN Security Council.

Guam
Map1, Map2 Top left to the right of the Philippines
As a result of the Spanish-American War, Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898.
Guam was captured by the Japanese in 1941, and retaken by the US three years later. During World War II the Battle of Guam started on July 21, 1944 with an American troop landing and ended on August 10 in an Allied victory.

Howland Island — (uninhabited, administered from Washington, DC)
Map
American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; the island was occupied by the US military during World War II, but abandoned after the war. Public entry to the island is by special-use permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service only and is generally restricted to scientists and educators, though the island is visited annually by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Defense is the responsibility of the US, the island is visited annually by the US Coast Guard.

The island has no economic activity. It is perhaps best known as the island that Amelia Earnhart never reached.

This is best summary I have found of my view on politics and life. I have bolded the ‘life’ portion for emphasis.

“To summarize: it is a well known fact, that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job. To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem.â€
–Douglas Adams The Restaurant at the End of the Universe