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FAMILY
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EDUCATION
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
|
Stabenow wants to meet with Clovis: After the Censky/McKinney vote, Senate Ag ranking
member Debbie Stabenow said she intends to meet with Sam Clovis, the
controversial nominee for USDA chief scientist. Clovis, for whom a confirmation
hearing has not been scheduled, will be opposed by "many, many
people" on the Senate floor, she said, refusing to put a number to it.
"Our farmers and ranchers depend on science. The whole idea of a chief
scientist is someone who has a commitment to science," she said. "I
don't think this gentleman meets the criteria." [POLITICO's Morning Agriculture, October 3, 2017]
PERDUE HEADING TO EUROPE: Agriculture
Secretary Sonny Perdue will head to London, Rome and Madrid this week to
discuss trade and food security - even joining Pope Francis for an event, the
USDA announced Tuesday. He is set to discuss U.S. agricultural trade priorities
with his counterparts in other countries. "We value our close relationship
with our European partners, but there is work to be done to address the
numerous trade barriers U.S. exporters face in that market," Perdue said
in a statement. [POLITICO's Morning
Trade, October 11, 2017]
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U.S. AGRICULTURE
|
U.S. DAIRY CALLS FOR END TO CANADIAN SUPPLY MANAGEMENT: U.S.
dairy producers are taking a hard line of their own this week by urging the
Trump administration to push for elimination of Canada's supply management
system. "I don't know what the U.S. government is going to do, but we
certainly are talking very clearly that we need complete elimination of
[Canadian] tariffs," said Jaime Castaneda, senior vice president for
strategic initiatives and trade policy at the National Milk Producers
Federation. "Once you eliminate tariffs, supply management goes." That's a big demand, because Canadian
officials from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on down have vowed to vigorously
defend Canada's supply management system. In one of example of that, Ontario
Premier Kathleen Wynne told Morning Trade in a recent interview that supply
management is a "very rational system." "We have to make sure we solve the right
problem," Wynne said. "If the problem is oversupply in the United
States, then we need to have that conversation. If the problem is access to
markets, then we should have that conservation." Dairy is a particularly sensitive issue on
both sides of the border because it was one of the few agricultural
sectors, along with poultry and eggs that was not fully liberalized during the
original NAFTA agreement. In addition, Canada has recently put in place
policies to encourage more butter production that have fueled an oversupply of
other products, like skim milk solids, which are being dumped onto world
markets to the detriment of American and other dairy exporters, said former
U.S. chief agriculture negotiator Darci Vetter.
Unless that issue is also addressed, any new market openings for U.S.
dairy that take the form of an import quota could be meaningless, since
Canadian processors already have ample access to skim milk powder and proteins
at low prices, Vetter added. Castaneda underscored that point, emphasizing that
U.S. dairy will consider the NAFTA negotiation a "failure" if it does
not fix that problem. [POLITICO's
Morning Trade, October 10, 2017]
Rounding out the hearing: Kelley
Sullivan, owner and operator of the Santa Rosa Ranch in Texas, will testify on
behalf of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association at the hearing, which is
focused on opportunities to expand U.S. trade relationships in the Asia-Pacific
region. The NCBA was one of the biggest supporters of the Trans-Pacific
Partnership, but Trump withdrew from that pact on his third day in office. [POLITICO's
Morning Trade, October 11, 2017]
The joint statement made no mention of the beef
issue, but an industry source told our colleagues at
Morning Trade that Japan was expected to introduce a proposal that would
improve beef import monitoring by allowing importers to more easily assess the
volume they are bringing in and avoid hitting the threshold that triggers the
tariff increase. [POLITICO's Morning Agriculture, October 17, 2017]
 |
| INTERNATIONAL FOCUS |
 |
RUSSIA
|
Russia's culture minister survives to dissertate another
day 🎓
The Presidium of the Russian Higher Attestation Commission has refused to
endorse claims against the history doctoral dissertation of Culture Minister
Vladimir Medinsky, who personally attended the session where the decision was made
on Friday, October 20. The Presidium sided against findings by one of the
commission’s own expert council, which characterized Medinsky’s dissertation as
“unscientific” and recommended revoking his doctorate. The Ministry of
Education and Science will make the final decision on his academic degree. In 2011, after receiving a doctorate in
political science, Vladimir Medinsky defended his dissertation on “problems
with objectivity in interpretations of Russian history in the second half of
the 15th-17th centuries.” In 2016, three historians filed a complaint that
Medinsky’s dissertation misused historical sources and failed to
provide evidence for many of his claims. Belgorod State
University later rejected these allegations. [The Real Russia. Today. October
20, 2017]
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THE PHILLIPINES
|
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SOUTH KOREA
|
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JAPAN
|
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Bangladesh
|
Xulhaz
Mannan was a founder of Bangladesh’s only magazine dedicated to lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) issues. In a country where
same-sex relations are illegal, Xulhaz pushed the boundaries of Bangladesh’s
society through his work. Unfortunately
Xulhaz’s work led to his death. Xulhaz Mannan and a colleague were in his
apartment when men posing as couriers burst in wielding machetes. Both men were
hacked to death in front of Xulhaz’s 75-year-old mother. Xulhaz’s attackers are believed to belong to
Ansar al-Islam, the same extremist group responsible for a series of similar
assaults on bloggers promoting atheism, feminism, science and other secular
issues. Despite overwhelming evidence, in the past year Xulhaz’s case has not
been brought to justice. For Xulhaz’s
family, inaction by the police means no justice for their loved one or progress
on the issues he cared about. Xulhaz’s brother said, “The government is least
bothered on this issue...one can say that the government now believe that,
‘this’ issue (i.e. the right to practice one’s sexuality) has died with
Xulhaz.” For LGBTIQ activists at risk in
Bangladesh it’s crucial that Xulhaz’s case is taken seriously by the
police. -- Margaret Huang, Executive Director Amnesty International USA
 |
CHINA
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NOTE: The news sources here vary. Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here. This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased. Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value. Thank you
NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as a "community service" announcement. These again are shared for their varying perspectives.
Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post. Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse. They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended
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