Insulting Fees Companies Are Charging Us

When you think about the way companies try to nickel and dime us, it's insulting.  There are so many add on fees charged by car, bank, credit cards, and airlines today that I don't know where to start.  It's all just another way of adding additional revenue to their bottom line without raising their prices.  Do they think we're stupid?  Apparently so.  Here are a few of the charges that I find most insulting.

1.  Lap fees for babies.  If you have a child under two and he sits on your lap on a domestic flight, there is no charge.  Makes sense, right?  But take the same child on an international flight and you will pay a 10% lap charge for him sitting on your lap.  That's 10% of the full coach price, which might be up to $150.  Now that is just ridiculous.

2.  Pet fee for a carry on pet.  I can understand why airlines would charge for shipping a pet in baggage.  That requires some handling and I would expect some sort of fee.  But if you bring the pet onboard and put him under the seat, why would they charge $125?  For what?  They are providing no service.  It's just another way to get another fee.

3.  Checked baggage fee.  Most airlines now charge a fee for checked baggage.  Do they expect you to fly without luggage?  I find this most insulting, especially since the fee is waived for their elite customers or those with expensive credit cards.  Southwest is one of the few that still does not charge for baggage.

4.  Foreign transaction fees.  Many credit cards charge a 3% transaction fee to the user for his overseas charges.  Why?  If you have an elite status card (which you back a lot for), you may not have to pay these fees.  As is so often the case, the middle class guy has to pay, while the bigger earner, with a gold card, doesn't pay.

5.  Resort fees.  This is a fee I absolutely hate.  You're already paying a high fee to go to a resort, now you have to pay a fee for using the amenities in the hotel?  This is relatively new, just another way of jacking up the price of the room.  You don't have a choice in whether you want to pay the resort fee, so why isn't it just included in the price of the room?  Very easy answer.  They want to keep the price of the room lower, in other words they are trying to trick you.  We're not that easy to fool, are we?

Ticket Master fees, movie fees, gift card fees.  I hate these too.  There is NO reason to charge a service charge when you buy a movie ticket on line.  They are not providing a service.  You are doing all the work, in fact you're making it easier for the movie theatre because they don't need a live person to sell you a ticket.  How about the fees for activating a gift card.  I think these may have been outlawed, but for many years you had to pay a fee to activate your gift card, so you weren't getting the full amount of the gift.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture.  The big hotels, airlines, banks, auto rental companies, and many others, are trying to make us feel like we're not paying as much as we really are.  Call it a transaction fee, a service fee or another other type of fee, it's just another way for corporations to increase their bottom line.  Companies are charging extra fees, and you're getting nothing for it.  Somehow, we've got to let our lawmakers that we're insulted by additional fees.  Hotels all have comment cards in the rooms, and we need to start commenting.  I'm mad as hell and don't want to take it anymore, but I'm not quite sure what to do.



4.  Carry on baggage fee.  Now this is utterly ridiculous.  Spirit and Alligiant both charge for carry on luggage.  Do they charge for a woman's purse?  I'm not sure about that.

How Sea World Became Such An Unpopular Company

It began with the film, Blackfish, a documentary about a performing killer whale named Tilikum,  who killed several of his trainers in captivity.  It documents the heart wrenching story of his captivity, shows shocking footage and emotional interviews that reveal his cruel treatment.  This film was released in 2013, and it's been all downhill for SeaWorld ever since.

Under normal circumstances, an institution as big and popular as SeaWorld would be impervious to any number of public assaults on its standing.  It was expected that it could bear a little bad press.  After the release of Blackfish, SeaWorld dispatched a detailed, preemptive critique of 50 movie critics lambasting Blackfish.  Most companies would not fight back, realizing the film had a small viewing audience, but SeaWorld chose to fight.  Their strategy didn't work.  The film has forever damaged the giant corporation, whose estimated annual attendance was around 10 million.  Now those numbers are plummeting and the park's chief executive, Jim Atchison, resigned in December.

Since the movie's release, SeaWorld Entertainment's share price has dropped nearly 44% to $16 per share.  Its attendance shrank by 500,000 during this year's third quarter.  It has to deal with animal activism, spearheaded by the Oceanic Preservation Society and a slew of anti-SeaWorld websites.  Additionally, there is proposed California legislation to ban the use of orcas in performance.  SeaWorld is now on the list of the 32 most despised American companies, (it's in the final 4) along with Wal Mart, Comcast and Monsanto.

Capturing these amazing creatures and making them perform for delighted children sends the wrong message to children about man's place in the world.  Are whales here to delight audiences?  Children are getting the message that they belong in the wild.  In California, children have journeyed to the state capital to make their feelings known.  Let orcas stay free, in the ocean, where they belong.  My advice to you stock market players out there, SeaWorld is not a buy.  (just my opinion). 

Jewish Community Forced To Leave Guatemalan Village

Six years ago, a group of ultra orthodox Jews moved to the remote area of San Juan La Laguna, 200 miles from the capital of Guatemala, Guatemala City.  The 230 Jews who live there come from several countries, but mostly from the USA, Israel, Russia, Great Britain and Guatemala.  About 40 in the group are children.  They moved there six years ago, living in an area inhabited by an indigenous population.  Why they moved there in the first place is still a mystery to me.  I researched this group and try to find the answer, but all I found out is that they were an ultra orthodox Jewish group, interpreting the Torah and Bible literally, and that they just wanted to live in peace.

The indigenous tribes in Guatemala are protected by the government against outside influences that threaten their culture.  Since October the local indigenous population has accused the Orthodox Jews of discriminating against them and of violating Mayan customs.  The Council of Indigenous Elders said that the Jewish community wanted to impose their religion on them, and that they were undermining the Catholic faith, the predominant faith of the village.

With threats of lynchings if they didn't leave the village, the Orthodox Jews decided it was better to quit than fight.  They say they are people of peace, and when the Jews and the indigenous representatives failed to reach an agreement to respect one another, the Jews are leaving.  They have already begun to leave.  They know they have a right to be there, but they don't want to be where they are unwanted and in fear of violence.  Who knows where they'll go next?  If anyone out there knows how they even got to Guatemala in the first place, I'd like to know.

What Starbucks Isn't Telling You

There's a blog I just discovered called www.foodbabe.com.  It's very informative.  It will tell you more information than you care to know about your favorite foods, and make you think twice about eating them.  I recently learned some information about Starbuck's, some of which I already knew, some of which was new to me.

Many people do not like the strong, sometimes bitter taste of Starbucks coffee.  To many the beans seem burned, which creates a strong, bitter taste.  In response to this Starbucks has created coffee in several different strengths, including blonde, their weakest coffee.  In a taste test with six other coffees (I don't know what brand all six were), Starbucks came in last.  Folger's beat them!

Their lattes and macciatos are extremely popular, but do you know what is actually in them?  The pumpkin latte, a fall favorite, has no real pumpkin, carmel color, and several chemicals.  You probably weren't expecting that.  Starbucks has many fancy drinks listed on their menu, but you can "create your own."  There are many combo drinks that customers have created, one of them being the fruity pebbles Frappuccino.  It's a mixture of several different flavors.  At my local Starbucks they have a creation "for dogs only," which I have seen, but Pepper has not tried it yet.

Finally, the calories.  No one likes to think about them, but the average fancy frappuccio drink has 400-500 calories.  That's quite a lot for a snack.  Add a muffin or scone for 350-400, and you have an almost 1,000 calorie snack (or meal).  That's way more than anyone should be having.

If you love your Starbucks like I do, there are several ways to keep the calories down.  I generally get plain black coffee, but if you don't like that, the lattes are delicious, and you can order them with non fat milk.  If you must get a frappuccio, get the one with skim milk, and no sugar.  (they use an artificial sweetener, but there's only so much you can do), and it cuts the calories in half.  Finally, I never buy any of their baked goods.  First, most of them are no good, and second, they're no good for you.  So keep your morning ritual of a visit to Starbucks, but mind what you order.  If you want, ask to look at the nutritional book which lists calories and ingredients for all products.  It's a real eye opener.

Asylum-Seeking Children In Australia

We sometimes get so wrapped up in our own domestic problems that we don't realize other countries around the world may be facing similar issues.  Take Australia, for example.  Asylum seeking children from Sri Lankan and other countries have been trying to enter Australia.  For the most part they have been stopped, but those that do reach Australia's mainland by boat are sent to camps in Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific nation of Nauru where they face long periods of detention while they are processed.

Sound familiar?  It doesn't sound too much different than the flood of immigrant women and children from El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua coming to America for a better life.  It appears that there is a cover up in Australia regarding the condition of the immigrants.  The government apparently asked a former healthcare worker to cover up evidence that children held in the camps were suffering from widespread mental illness caused by their confinement.

Refugee advocates say that long-term detention, combined with a lack of clarity on where and when the asylum seekers may be resettled, contribute to a host of mental health problems at the facilities.

The detainees in Australia number in the hundreds at this point, much less than the thousands that are flooding our borders, but they face the very same problems.  We sometimes get so caught up in our own problems that we aren't aware other countries around the world are facing the same issues.  People who live in substandard conditions and are faced with bloodshed and possible death, are always going to want to come to a better place.  We need to find a way to allow people from other countries to come to America, but in a legal, non violent way.  After all, both America and Australia are countries of immigrants.  Housing them for months, sometimes years, in detention camps, is not the answer.  These pictures were drawn by some of the children in the Christmas Island detention center in Australia.

 

Dolphin Hunting in Taiji, Japan, Years After The Cove

Several years ago I saw the movie The Cove, a film that depicted a horrific event that takes place every year in Taiji, Japan, where thousands of dolphins are slaughtered for meat. Since the public outcry of this event after the film was release, nothing much has changed. The dolphins are still hunted and killed, even though Ric O'Barry, the Oscar winning film maker who made The Cove began Dolphin Project, hopes to report to the world via blogs and social media what is happening in Taiji, make local contacts with people in Japan to spread the word about the hunt and the dangers of mercury-contaminated dolphin meat, and to let the Japanese government and the dolphin hunters know that the world is watching.

Cave Monitors undertake the above mentioned goals, and additionally engage in special projects such as obtaining dolphin meat to test for mercury and other pollutants. Dolphin hunts are killing fewer and fewer dolphins because the dolphin population is so depleted. Another goal of the Cove Monitors is to convince fishermen or town council members about possible alternatives to dolphin hunts, such as promoting eco-tourism, sustainable fishing, etc.

Cove Monitors are keeping the pressure on the dolphin hunters. Fewer dolphins are dying, but educating the Japanese and the rest of the world to this disgrace is an arduous task. Ric O"Barry vows to continue to document and video the slaughter until dolphin hunts end. It's sad that mankind is so slow to change, so unwilling to see how harmful dolphin hunting is both to these magnificent animals that are defenseless, and the humans who buy and eat mercury tainted dolphin meat to their people.

These people will do anything to continue dolphin hunting. The town of Taiji closed off a trail to the top of the overlook over the Cove with a locked gate, put up overnight, to keep out the Cove Monitors. The overlook is an emergency retreat to higher ground for the people of Taiji in case of a tsunami. Now the citizens of this town will have nowhere safe to go in case of emergency. All this to keep the world from knowing what is going on in their little corner of the world. Keep it up, Dolphin Project. The world needs to know what's going on.

Suicide In Military Is Epidemic

As the war in Afghanistan winds down and our troops come home, suicide rates among both enlisted and longer-serving non -commissioned officers continues to climb. Trying to figure out how to arrest the increase in suicide is an ongoing quest of military officials. Today, suicide is the most frequent cause of death among Army forces, surpassing combat deaths and motor vehicle accidents. Lawmakers point to a backlog of claims for care at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The system is overwhelmed. The Pentagon has struggled to pinpoint risk factors that will help them reach out to troubled troops. They have increased the number of counselors who might be able to talk to troops about the romantic woes that often come with multiple deployments. The Pentagon reported that half of all soldiers who committed suicide had recently had a failed relationship. The counselors are also meant to help troops with substance and alcohol abuse. Nearly a third of those who commit suicide also have struggled with substance abuse. Some senior Army officials have also spoken about the need for greater gun control among troops recently returning from war. 68% of soldiers who kill themselves use guns. The majority of suicides have two things in common: alcohol and a gun. When you have somebody that you feel is high risk, is it unreasonable to tell that individual that he should not have a weapon in the house? Yes, according to a new NRA law that prohibits the military from engaging in discussions about weapons and safety. Lawmakers may revisit this legislation sometime, but with the rate at which congress is introducing and passing new legislation, that may be in the next decade, after thousands more lives are lost. Army officials feel that the rise in suicide is preventable, and they are still looking for solutions. Our soldiers deserve mental health services when they come home, and right now, many of them are not getting it. Let's give these brave men and women what they need to live healthy, productive lives after they have risked life and limb for their country.

Green Invaders From Mexico

I've told you before that I find out the most interesting things at the Y. I was there early on a Sunday morning and had a cup of coffee before class with Jan. She started telling me about the thousands of green parrots that call Southern California their home. I was not aware of this, so I did a little research, and found out that parrots from Mexico began coming here over 50 years ago. There are thousands of them living in the Pasadena area, and in San Diego, flocks have been seen in La Mesa, Pacific Beach, Jamul and Oceanside. One ornithologist in La Mesa says he can almost set his watch by their comings and goings. They love to eat the seeds in his rubber tree, and arrive almost daily around 5pm. There are many versions of how they came here, none of which are very interesting, but the reality is, they are thriving in this urban jungle. Most parrot species in the wild are threatened or endangered, yet here in San Diego they are thriving. There are at least 13 species of tropical parrots that have traded the jungles of Mexico and Central and South America for the Southern California. They include blue crowned conures, cherry headed conures, mitred conures, red crowned Amazons and yellow headed Amazons. They are now considered naturalized by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and are considered non threatened because they typically nest in or consume non native ornamental plants. They produce no agricultural damage. So, look up once in a while, when you hear a group of squawking birds. You might just see of flock of beautiful green parrots go flying by, something you would not expect. It's not that surprising, as I've learned to expect the unexpected.

Federal Government May Lower Poultry Inspection Stanadards

There are two sides to every coin. My friend Linda recently informed me that the government is trying to pass a law that will lower the inspection standards for poultry. I was not surprised, but was disappointed to discover that rather than protect the consumer, it's all about the bottom line. In an effort to save money and modernize poultry inspection, the FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) wants to make changes to the current inspection practices. They want to focus inspection resources on the areas of the poultry production system that pose the greatest risk to food safety. They estimate they will save the government $30 million per year by reducing the number of inspectors, and having them focus on one area, rather than inspect many areas. Much of the inspection under the proposed law will be done by employees of the chicken business. To me that sounds like having the fox guard the hen house. On the other side of the coin, watchdogs of consumer protection feel that privatizing food inspection will significantly reduce the quality of food. The proposed rule places emphasis on quantity and quickness over quality. The current process allows workers to look at 35 chickens per minute, while the new plan proposes looking at 175 chickens per minute, and also reduce the number of FSIS carcass inspectors to one per line. This will create less time for inspection as well as cut jobs among federal employees. The biggest problem for me is that privatization means that companies are inspecting their own products. They need impartial inspectors. Reports from many workers say that the speed of inspection now is quite fast, and with the repetitive motion of the inspection process, many workers have developed hand injuries. Increasing speed from 35 to 175 inspections per minute can only decrease quality. Yes, this law will save government and business money, but it will not improve the safety of our food. We should not decrease quality and safety just to improve our bottom line. My guess is that somewhere along the line, this bill will get attached to another bill (in other words, "buried.") The chicken farmers in Arkansas and elsewhere are behind this bill, so I would expect one of the states in which poultry farming is a big industry, will find a way to get it into law. I hope I'm wrong, but these tactics are becoming so predictable.

Employees Now Being Paid By Debit Cards

More employees are getting paid via payroll debit cards issued through their employer these days. It sounds simple, but the reality is that these employees, usually minimum wage earners, get paid even less. Such cards can be packed with fees to withdraw money, meaning some employees can end up making less than the minimum wage once the charges are added. Depending on which bank the debit card comes from, the employee is charged fees for initiating activity, transferring the money to another account, checking the card to see your balance, and an inactivity charge. One worker in Milwaukee, who makes $7.25 an hour at a local McDonald's, said fees associated with his JPMorgan Chase payroll card take $40-$50 a month out of his paycheck. Who wins? The banks, of course! The use of payroll cards is rapidly growing. Nearly $43 billion will be loaded onto these cards this year, and up to $68 billion is projected to be loaded onto debit cards by 2017. Companies that use the payroll debit cards are typically companies where employees earn minimum wage. McDonald's Taco Bell, Walgreen and Wal-Mart are just some of the companies using debit cards. In some cases workers have a choice in how they want to get paid: check, direct deposit or payroll debit card. In many situations, the employee is automatically enrolled into the debit card plan, and if he wants to opt out, there is a great deal of paper work involved. In other words, the employers are trying their best to have their employees take the debit card as payment for their work. The problem is, they are getting much less then they have actually earned. Would you go to work and upon getting your weekly pay, turn over $5-$10 to your company just to get your paycheck? I think not. These fees are earning millions for the banks, so I don't know if this practice is going to change anytime soon. It seems that even though we all believe the banks' practices are at the very least immoral, very little is done to protect consumers. Remember how many years banks collected egregious interest fees on credit cards before anything was done? Some workers are speaking up. A young woman filed a law suit against her local McDonald's for not allowing her to get paid by check or direct deposit. They told her the only way she could be paid was by debit card. This is now a class action law suit, so we'll see what happens. Many of the employers offering the payroll debit card do offer other methods of payment, but they don't talk about it, and typically enroll everyone in the debit card plan. People have got to stand up for themselves and complain. This is just not right. The rich get richer (the banks) and the poor get poorer. (minimum wage employees). Thanks to all the investigative reporters and employees who have brought this to our attention. It is just plain wrong to have to pay to get your own money. I hope our inactive congress will look into this, and make this practice illegal. How long it will take is the big question.

Mustang of Nepal: Last of a Dying Group

I just finished a book about a lone survivor of a tribe in the Amazon, that has had no contact with the modern world. Logging and agriculture in Brazil have destroyed thousands of acres of land, on which various tribes formerly lived and thrived. As man has destroyed their homeland, they have had to seek refuge in deeper, more isolated areas of the jungle. The government has had a debate going on for decades, as to whether the Indian land should be protected, or rather, in the name of progress, the future of the tribes should just fall where it may. You can imagine this debate, with the environmentalists and humanitarians doing all they can to protect these dying tribes. One particular tribe had only one man left in the entire tribe, yet he was finally given a secure area in which to live out his life in solitude. Prior to this decision several years ago, groups were constantly chasing him, this clever guy eluded them, and is now living somewhere in the Amazon, in peace and anominity. This got me to thinking about other indiginous groups around the world that have been able to maintain their traditional ways. The Loba, from the Mustang region of Nepal, are one such group. Until 1992, the Loba lived in northern Nepal, at altitudes of 11,000-13,000 feet, in a climate that was windy and arid. They are primarily farmers, shephers, or merchants. Homes of the Loba are built from stone, and on each corner of the roof a prayer flag is hung. They have no windows, only holes in the walls to protect against the high speed winds. Although feudalism is pretty much extinct in Nepal, it is alive and well in Mustang. It is common for a Loba woman to be married to several men, a practice known as polyandry. They do this because the women believe there is less chance of a woman becoming a widow if she has many husbands. Religiously, the Loba are members of two Buddhist sects, the Kargyupa and the Akyapa. In 1991 Nepal opened Mustang's border to the outside world. What the first outsiders found, was shocking-the ancient monasteries were on the verge of collapse; the Buddhist wall paintings were disntegrating and the community was deeply impovershished. The people needed health care, education and jobs, but what they plead for first was help in saving the monasteries. The King understood-saving the art would save the people, because without cultural identity there is nothing. With help from modern technology the Loba have been able to survive, to keep their identity, and to continue to live in their traditional ways. My question is this: Should we interfere with these unique people and try to change their way of life, introduce more modern techniques and machines to make life easier for them? Is it our business to do this? This is a great question to debate. In the case of the lone man in the Amazon that I read about, humanitarians that were following him did give him an axe, which made his search for extracting honey from trees take only three hours, rather than fifteen hours. We often think that our way of life is best way of life, and want to change others. I think one of the things that makes this world so amazing is the different cultures and customs throughout the world. I vote for letting small indigenous tribes that have had the strength to survive, be left alone. I think that's what most of them want.

The Way Out Of Poverty

After listening to President Obama's State of the Union, I started thinking again about what we have all known for years. The way out of poverty is EDUCATION. This is not just an opinion, it's a fact. For the last decade our country's focus has been on war, getting out of the fiscal mess, dealing with the financial crisis, immigration, gun control, and the debt ceiling. All these issues are important, but education, without which nothing else matters, has been demoted in importance. All you hear is that congress wants to cut the number of teachers, reduce the hours of operation for libraries, cut grants for research. By reducing the amount of money spent on education, our leaders are saying that education is just not that important. Nothing could be further from the truth. The proof is that during the last two decades our country has slipped from being tops in education, to an embarassing 37th among developed nations. This trend must be reversed, so that the U.S. can regain its place as a top nation educationally. Statistics show that children who receive early childhood education will do better in grade school and high school, and are more likely to go to college. In the 19th century,immigrant Andrew Carnegie, came to America. He built an industrial empire, including a steel empire, that made him one of the wealthiest men in the world. He was also one of the great philanthropists of his time. His idea was to spread learning and love of learning to all, by opening public libraries throughout America and England. He did this, and created a network of public libraries for all to enjoy. The idea of the library came from Benjam Franklin, who a century earlier, had created the idea of the lending library, but Carnegie took it to the next level. In 1998 John Wood, a rising executive at Microsoft, left the company to change the world. His mission was to change the world one book and one child at a time, by setting up libraries in developing world. His program, called Room to Read, has created a network of over 7,500 libraries and 830 schools throughout rural and poor communities in Asia and Africa. John has been recognized in the worldwide media as a "21st century Andrew Carnegie," building a public library infrascructure to help the develping world break the cycle of poverty through the lifelong gift of education. I look at the modern libarries of the 21st century and can't believe how they have evolved in the past decades. Without national and local funding, library services will be drastically cut, leaving thousands of people without the opportunity to read and use the computer. Education is the way out of poverty, and we must do whatever it takes to give our nations youth the educational tools to compete in the 21st century. Early childhood education and libraries, which will produce a lifelong love of learning, will help achieve this goal.

Escape From Camp 14

In November, 60 Minutes aired a segment on Camp 14, a labor camp within North Korea. I did not see it, but was told by several friends about the horrors that took place there, and how this has been hidden from the Western World (I think even from North Koreans themselves) for decades. I had to look into this, and found the book, Escape From Camp 14, by Washington Post journalist Blaine Harden(barely off the presses), and recently finished reading it. Very little has been written on life in North Korea in general, and literaly nothing has been told of the horrors of life for hundreds of thousands of North Koreans who are hidden away in labor camps for all or some of their lives. The reasons are obvious. Western reporters that are allowed into North Korea are not given access to what's really going on. They cannot speak, photograph, or interview anyone who is not approved by the government, and this can only be done with officials present. The only way to learn about North Korea is through those who have escaped to South Korea, China or the US. There are many of those that have told their story, but none, until now, have escaped from a labor camp. Shin is the young North Korean man that Blaine Harden tells us about, through hours of interviews in South Korea, California and Seattle. Shin was 23 when he escaped from Camp 14, squeezing through an electrified fence, after his friend with whom he was planning the escape, died trying. Shin was burned badly, but because of his dead friend's body where much of the electricity from the fence went, Shin made it through, badly injured, but alive. By stealing, keeping his mouth shut, working, the kindness of others, and a lot of luck, Shin finally made it out. This took several years, with stops in China and South Korea, before coming to America. Why did Shin try to escape, when no one had ever done it before? Prior to meeting Park, the man who he tried to escape with, Shin had never known what the outside world held. Park had been a successful businessman prior to his imprisonment, and enticed him, especially with talk of food. Shin had been born in Camp 14, his parents committing some minor infraction which was punishable by life in a labor camp. Harden's descriptions of the life in a labor camp are hard to forget. Humans are treated worse than rodents. Stealing food is punishable by death. Ratting on others is the norm, even your parents. Shin was forced to confess that his mother was planning to escape. For that she was hung, and he got to watch, but he got to live. Years of his life were spent in an underground prison, in cold, harsh conditions, with no sunlight for months on end. The humanity is taken out of men and women in the labor camps. They no longer feel. They don't feel happy or sad, they never cry. They do not feel love, they do not trust anyone, they do not think about the future because they have no future. For those like Shin who were born in the camp, they have no frame of reference for what the real world actually is. Any news that they might get is propaganda, sometimes years old. Shin decided to take the risk and try to escape after meeting Park and learning about the world outside. He made it, but life has been difficult. Talk about PTSD, his nightmares, paranoia, lack of the ability to touch or hug another human being, have made his adjustment difficult. For a time he was living with a human rights advocate in Seattle, but it didn't last. He has become a worldwide speaker for human rights, telling his stories throughout the world in churches and auditoriums. North Korea is truly one of the most repressive governments on earth. I read a book like Escape From Camp 14 and feel sad, yet I feel helpless to do anything. I fear that in a few weeks I will have forgotten this book and the desperate lives of the North Koreans. Hopefully more shows like 60 Minutes and books like this one, by Blaine Harden, will bring attention to their plight. We, as part of the human race, cannot sit by and watch helplessly as these men, women and children suffer. What can we do?

China's Great Shame

Every country has its shame. Ours is slavery. For Germany it's the Hitler years. For China, it is the 36 million people that starved to death between 1958 and 1962, during the man-made calamity known as the Great Famine. I recently read a New York Times story on the subject and recalled a fiction book I read on the subject last year, Dreams of Joy, by Lisa See. I still remember vividly Lisa's descriptions of life in China during that period, and even though her book was fiction, from what I've read about the great famine, it was very real. The 36 million lost to starvation twice outweighs the number of fallen men in World War 1, and about six times the number of Ukrainians starved by Stalin in 1932-33, or the number of Jews murdered by Hitler during World War 11. 50 years later, the famine is still a taboo subject in China. Books on the topic, like Yang Jisheng's Tombstone, could only be published in Hong Kong, Japan, and the West. China has historical amnesia, and is tightening government control on information and expression in it's most recent Communist Party National Congress. Even as they have become major players on the world stage in many ways, China will not tell its people the truth. The party line rhetoric says that there were three years of natural disasters, but no plague, flood or earthquake ever wrought such horror during those years. The reason that China does not want to tell people the truth is political: a full exposure of the Great Famine could undermine the legitimacy of a ruling party that clings to the political legacy of Mao, even though that legacy is the root cause of the famine. In Mao's China the state penetrated every corner of national life. Rural populations were brought under control through collectivization of agriculture. The peasants survived at the pleasure of the state. The Great Leap Forward was Mao's ambitious attempt at rapid industrialization, without the means to achieve. The people were lied to, as newspapers boasted of huge production from rice farms which were not true. Peasants were forced to give anything metal to the state, which melted it down and used it in building. Families were forced into communal kitches. Food ran short, and no aid ever came. The result was starvation on an epic scale. I have not yet read Tombstone, Jisheng's account of how the Great Famine happened and why, but I will. Dreams of Joy, by Lisa See, is fiction, but she has done her homework, and gives you the feeling of what life might have been like during that period. I highly recommend it to anyone who finds this topic of interest.

Romanian Jews Without A Home

I'm in the process of reading an excellent book, A Secret Gift, by Ted Gup, for my Monday book club. The book is about Sam Stone, a very successful owner of men's clothing stores in Canton, Ohio during the depression. He wanted to share his success with those less fortunate, and gave money anonymously to many poor citizens of Canton during 1933. His roots, however, were in Dorohoi, Romania, a fact that he hid from family and friends alike. The book referenced the plight of the Jews from Romania, which I knew nothing about, but was so interested that I researched this little known pocket of anti-Semitism. I always think of Hitler's Germany when I think of anti-Semitism, but the Romanians were way ahead of Hitler. As early as 1880, the Romanian

government began passing laws that marked them as "foreigners" and "aliens," and ostracized them from the community. In the late 1880's Hungary began tightening an economic noose around its Jews. Laws were passed that barred Jews from working as peddlers or shop owners, and made it illegal for them to sell flour, sugar or other staples. In 1898, new laws were passed that placed a quota on the number of "aliens"-Jews- allowed to attend schools. In addition, Jews could not vote or obtain licenses. Agriculatural and economic reversals turned their Gentile neighbors against them. Jews became targets and scapegoats of the state. In 1900 things continued to deteriorate. Jews could not own land, they were barred from living in rural areas, and were subject to a quota that required that two Romanians be hired for every "unprotected alien," (a thinly veiled reference to Jews). Jews faced homelessness, hunger and depression. They were entitled to none of the civil rights accorded those considered true Romanians. Because of this treatment by the Romanian government, Romanian Jews were facing extinction. The U.S. Secretary of State John Hay described the plight of these Jews this way: "by the cumulative effect of successive restrictions, the Jews of Romania have become reduced to a state of wretched misery. Shut out from nearly every avenue of self-support which is open to the poor of other lands, and ground down by poverty as the natural result of their discriminatory treatment, they are rendered incapable of lifting themselves from the enforced degradation they endure." The Jews that fled Romania became known as fusgeyers, or "foot-walkers." They wandered around Europe aimlessly looking for a country that would accept them. Many of them finally ended up in America, thanks in great part to the work of John Hay, but they were often looked down upon, even by other Jews. Jews have been persecuted for thousands of years, but this was something I had not heard of before. Exact statistics are difficult to come by, but around 400,000 Jews left Romania during the years 1880-1903. At one time Jews were 5% of the Romanian population. Today, about 6,000 Jews remain in Romania, mostly in urban areas. Another sad chapter in the history of the Jewish people.

To Drill Or Not To Drill, That Is The Question

The question of whether to drill for oil in the Artic has been an ongoing political controversy since 1977.  The area under discussion is situated between the Beaufort Sea to the north, Brooks Range to the south, and Prudhoe Bay to the west.  This area was created by an act of congress in 1980.  The controversy over whether or not to drill refers to a particular area of the ANWR region.  No one is attempting to drill willy nilly in the artic.  Much of the debate over whether to drill in the 1002 area of ANWR rests on the amount of recoverable oil as it relates to the world markets, weighted against the potential harm of oil exploration on wildlife, water, and the calving ground of the Porcupine caribou.

Prior to Alaska's statehood, virtually all of the 375,000,000 acres of Alaska Territory was federal land and wilderness.  The act of statehood gave Alaska the right to select 103,000,000 acres for use as an economic and tax base.  To complicate matters, Alaska natives protested a Federal oil and gas lease sale of lands on an area that the Natives claimed.  Long story short, this has been a political football for the last 40 years.  The big question is whether drilling in ANWR will have any significant effect on the US becoming energy self sufficient, and how would this oil effect the world market.  The fact is, they don't really know.  What they do know is that the amount of oil they're talking about is is less than 1% of the world market, so there would be little economic impact. 

On and off for the past 40 years, presidents have been trying to do exploratory drilling.  During the 1980's a bill permitting drilling was expected to come up for a vote, when the Exxon Valdez oil spill delayed and ultimately derailed the process.  In 2008 President George W. Bush pressed Congress to reverse the ban on offshore drilling in the ANWR in addition to approving the extration of oil from shale on federal lands.  (fracking).  Despite his previous stance on the issue, President Bush cited the growing energy crisis as a major factor for reversing the executive order issued by his father in 1990, which banned coastal oil exploration and oil and gas leasing on most of the outer continental shelf. 

What it really comes down to, is whether you're on the side of conserving our precious land and wildlife, or if you want to drill for more oil to possibly improve our energy independance, at the risk of disrupting land and wildlife.  There are so many other alternatives to achieve energy independance today, I would hate to see massive drilling in ANWR.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has stated that the 1002 area has a "greater degree of ecological diversity than any other similar sized area of Alaska's north slope."  Alaskans are all for the drilling.  After all, they participate in the oil profits.  Residents receive annual dividends from a permanent fund funded partially by oil-lease revenues.  In 2000, the dividend came to $1,964 per resident.

Anyone who has every seen the magnifigance of a herd of caribou racing across open land knows what I'm talking about.  We must be able to protect our parks, wildlife and open space.  We are innovative and creative and can find other ways reduce our energy dependance. 

Mexico's Squid Sweatshops

Recently as I drove along  Coast Highway I  noticed a tremendous number of fishing boats just offshore, all the way down the coast.  At first I thought it was lobster season, but according to the lifeguards in Solana Beach, the fishermen are out fishing for squid.  I couldn't find the reason why late September is the time for all the squid to be out there and ready to catch, but it is.  Day, and night, the fishing boats are present.  The largest population of squid on the west coast is found from Alaska all the way to Baja, Mexico.  I know how hard American fishermen work, and I decided to check out the Mexican fishermen if their plight was as difficult.  It is, only much worse. 

I read about a small fishing village called Santa Rosalina, where much of the Baja squid fishing originates.  The boats on which they fish have no life vests, radios or emergency lights.  Every season, several fishermen die at sea, from accidents, drug overdoses, or illness.  The fishermen are so competitive that they won't tell each other where the best fishing is, or even help if a boat capsizes. 

The grotesque working conditions are only the beginning.  Many squid processing plants consist of Korean or Chinese owned processing plants.  These factories buy each day's catch from middlemen known as permissionarios, who have frozen the price the fishermen receive for their squid at a very low rate.  Most Mexican fisherman consider a $50 paycheck to be a good price for a ten-hour fishing trip. 

When you hear about Mexican sweatshops you typically think of garment factories or auto assembly plants.  These plants have received great scrutiny in recent years, and are better regulated.  Small rural villages like Santa Rosalina have become home to a new kind of sweatshop.  These squid sweatshops operate Wild West syle, far from the federal labor offices in Mexico City.  But it's not just the lack of local law enforcement that's to blame.  Globalization and United States' lack of regulation over seafood imports are also responsible for the exploitation here.

The workers in these processing plants face deplorable conditions.  Single moms bring small children to practically live there while the mothers work.  They sleep on dirty floors.  Many of the workers have drug problems.  The workers have made attempts to organize, but it hasn't happened yet.  This is what faces poor workers who are not allowed to organize (unionize). 

Another problem is that seafood is often shipped from port to port before it reaches the United States, and it can be relabled upon entry and exit, so it's difficulte to know where it originated.  A processing plant in China purcheses squid and other ratw materials from many sources around the world, mixing them together into imitation crab meat, fish stick, or dried squid snacks.  Country of original Labeling is required only on fresh seafood, not products like these.  I knew there was a reason I don't eat imitation crab or fish sticks.

There are some global watchdog organizations there are trying to educate the public and get countries to pass laws providing more transparency.  We read often about trying to get our government to tell us the full story as to where our food is coming from.  I was shocked when I learned that conditions were so bad in Mexican processing plants, and even more surprised when I heard that the seafood from Mexico might go to China or who knows where else, before coming to America.  How can we ever be sure what we're eating?  For now, I'll stick to fish caught in American waters and hope that the FDA is looking out for us.  Maybe we should just all go vegetarian.  That would actually solve a lot of problems, but that's an issue for another day.

Everybody Loves The Zoo

I have been listening to a book called "Small Wonders", by Barbara Kingsolver for the past week, as I enjoy the last days of summer, driving around San Diego.  She is one of my favorite authors, her Poisonwood Bible being one of my all time favorites.  Small Wonders is a series of essays, read by the author.  I love her philosophy of life, her simple way of explaining complicated thoughts, and her passion.  One of her essays had to do with zoos, or more specifically capturing wild animals and selling them (birds, specifically) for domestic enjoyment or sending them to zoos.  What is this doing to the gene pool in the wild?  She argues that although the animal is alive and well in captivity, he is for all intents and purposes dead, in terms of his being able to procreate in the wild.  I had never thought of it quite like that.

Although I loved the zoo as a child and young adult, I soured on zoos as I got older, much the same way I did with circuses.  I thought zoos were cruel, and that animals should be kept in the wild.  I have evolved to the point where I now see the benefits of zoos, and there are many.  Zoos serve three main purposes:  conservation, environmental education and entertainment. 

Zoos have become the last refuge for many species.  Their captive breeding programs, such as the Species Survival Plans, are for many species, their last hope.  Cheetahs, tigers, rhinos, pandsas, gorillas, jaguars and Masai giraffes are among the 161 individual species that are involved in breeding programs. 

AZA(American Zoolological Association) accredited zoos also meet the conservation test, providing support to more than 1,700 wildlife conservation programs across the globe.  These zoos work together to conserve, protect and study endangered and threatened species, along with the wild places they inhabit.

Zoos and aquariums also play a vital role in environmental education.  For many children, a zoo is the only place they may ever see a lion, monkey, or coyote.  As stewards of conservation it is our responsibility to reach out to the next generation that will become the conservators of the wild.  Did you know that the attendance at zoos throughout the country far exceeds all the football, baseball and basketball attendance?  I guess people like the zoo!

Some zoos are better than others.  Our San Diego Zoo is perhaps the finest zoo in the world.  It is constantly changing, improving the living conditions for its residents, and making it easier for visitors to see the animals close up.  The problem with breeding programs in zoos is that the animals cannot be returned to the wild, thus the gene pool in the wild is not as rich as it once was.  Kingsolver was talking specifically about a Minah bird from India, that she saw for sale in a pet shop.  She asked the shopkeeper where it came from, and when he told her India, she was shocked.  The shopkeeper tried to convince Kingsolver that the bird was better off in captivity than he was in the wild.  He would be in a loving home, etc, etc.  Yes, but as far as the gene pool in the wild, that bird was dead.  It would never breed.  This is the big problem.  As the number of animals of a specific breed gets smaller, they have to breed amongst each other, which reduces the strength of the breed. 

Let's teach our children and grandchildren that protection of animals is important for our planet. Visiting the zoo should be both educational and entertaining.  The San Diego Zoo is certainly both.

  There are many issues that contribute to reduction of a species in the wild.  Poaching is part of the problem.  Another huge problem is that many cultures still cling to ancient superstitions that think various body parts or horns of particular animals have medicinal value.  Many rhinos are killed for their horns.  These practices have to stop, but that's a subject for another time.  Let's support our zoos and the good work they are doing to both entertain and inform.

Take The Challenge

We all realize that getting people back to works means having consumers buy American products rather than foreign made products.  But it's cheaper to buy products made in China, you might say.  Not necessarily true.  I have been researching the origin of products for quite some time now, and have determined that with a little extra time and effort, you CAN buy most products, at the same or less price, made in America.  Here are a few examples, and then I challenge you to try for one month to buy everything American made AND not spend any extra money.  If you're able to do this, I'm sure you'll be happy to pass this information on to others and help get America back to work.  (or should I say show American manufacturers that they must produce their goods domestically). 

Our trade agreements encourage corporations to go abroad to produce goods.  American companies go to China or Mexico, get cheaper labor, yet the retail price of their goods do no necessarily reflect their savings.  The corporation is just making more money, but the consumer is not benefitting.

Here are a few examples.  Hallmark Cards, an old and established corporation, makes their greeting cards in China.  For this you pay $3.50 per card.  Dollar Tree carries only cards made in America, and the price is 50cents.  Why buy Hallmark?  Colgate toothpaste is produced in Mexico.  For the same price, buy Crest, which is made in America.  Viking is the only oven now made in America.  It's expensive, but top quality.  Kitchen Aid is also top of the line, and made in the USA.  There are no electric coffee makers made domestically anymore. 

Light bulbs and other items carried at stores like Lowes, Ace and Walmart, can vary in price.  You may find out that the name brand, produced in the USA, is actually less expensive than the off brand. 

Bottom line is that you must start checking labels for everything you purchase.  Food, furniture, clothing and household items can all be bought from countries that produce them domestically, and usually at the same or lower price.  Take a look at a website I spoke of a while back, www.madeinusaforever.com.  It gives you information on so many companies that produce domestically, in every category.  Look at labels when you buy, and see if you can complete the challenge I offer you.  It doesn't sound like much for one person to do this, but once it gets going, we can really make a difference.

Tainted Pet Treats From China And What's NOT Being Done

I often read poisonedpets.com to find out what's new in pet food, and what NOT to let my pet eat.  Chicken jerky from China has been known for years to cause death in dogs, and yet, it's still on the market.  Recently sweet potato treats were added to the list.  You should check out this web site to see how the FDA is dragging it's feet in getting tainted products off the market. 

Congressman Dennis Kucinich from Ohio made an impassioned plea to the FDA to do something to protect our pets, after years of letter writing and investigating.  Here's some of what Mr. Kucinich had to say recently.

In a press release Monday Kucinich published the following statement:

FDA Allows Pet Deaths to Mount While Awaiting Scientific Certainty

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today released the following statement criticizing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for failing to adequately protect domestic pets.

“After a weeks-long investigative trip to China and thousands of reports of sick and dying dogs, the FDA still has no answers and offers pet owners no protection,” said Kucinich.

Constituents reported illnesses in their pets after feeding them chicken jerky snacks, including ‘Waggin’ Train.’ Kucinich then wrote to the FDA demanding strong action and a briefing on their investigation. The FDA, which had known about problems with the snacks since 2008, issued a warning in November of 2011 about the instances of illnesses, but did not issue a recall.

After Kucinich demanded stronger action, the FDA sent inspectors to plants in China to investigate the conditions in which the treats were manufactured. The FDA failed to reach a conclusion, releasing their raw data with little context.

“The FDA is waiting to request a recall until it has full scientific certainty about which contaminant or chemical in chicken jerky pet treats is causing deaths of pets all over the country.

“As the FDA waits, it has to decide who pays the cost of the uncertainty. Will it be the dog treat manufacturers, who refuse to issue a recall on their own and make even more money in doing so? Or will it be beloved dogs and cats who pay with their health and their lives and whose owners receive no real warning about the danger posed by dog treats?

“By allowing the treats to stay on the market as the years-long investigation drags on, the FDA is guaranteeing more pets will die. Why?” said Kucinich.

Diagnosis: The FDA suffers from chronic constipation

Until there is a recall, the only protection consumers have is an out of date, ineffective and adequate warning system in place, leaving pet parents informed about the very real danger the treats pose, which sadly is precisely why the reports of illness and deaths of pets continues to climb. Recent accounts that there have been over 3,000 reports to the FDA* that some of the best-selling treats in America are danger to pets.

As the reports continue to escalate, the FDA has been incapable of finding the toxin responsible for causing so much anguish and pain in over 5 1/2 years. Efforts at doing so have been a haphazard, unorganized, illogical mess; the majority of which, unfortunately were tests for bacterial pathogens, are not related in any way to the cause of acute organ failure which has been primarily been responsible for illness and death of dogs associated with the pet treats.

Complications: The FDA suffers from ED, i.e.: impotency

Despite the growing number of reports, the FDA has done little to quell consumer concerns that the government is capable or even fully committed to protecting their pets. The FDA explains their inability to do so using the same, tired excuse for the products continued place on the market: they can’t recall them until they find the toxin; judging by the recent release of data of a spreadsheet outlining the testing the FDA has done since the investigation began in 2007, did little to assuage their fears or quell the growing anger and discontent with the government’s impotency.

Would the FDA react the same to a human food that was being investigated?  Absolutely not.  They would recall the product, or even take it off the market, and then investigate.  This is just another example of our impotent govenment at work, and big corporations winning.