Cleaning the Street… 11 December ‘07

Ordering Chinese ?

There’s a new cop in town and it’s an American food inspector.

China and the United States, seeking to ease the furor over the safety of food exports, signed an agreement Tuesday calling for a greater U.S. role in certifying and inspecting Chinese food exports, including an increased presence of American officials at Chinese production plants. IHT

I’m not feeling to much better but it’s a start and definitely needed.

The EU goes Blind.

The EU has made it a point to point out the USA’s failures on human rights. Previously they put up now they need to maybe shut up.

Since a meeting in Cairo in 2000, Europe’s worries about human rights abuses in Africa have derailed plans to hold another summit gathering of European and African leaders.

In the intervening seven years, China has showed no such qualms. When Chinese and African leaders met in Beijing in November 2006, they agreed to deals valued at an estimated $1.9 billion.

Since then, a Chinese bank has bought 20 percent of Standard Bank, the largest African lender, for $5.4 billion, and an industrial giant from China is buying a majority stake in the largest ferrochrome producer in Zimbabwe.

Confronted by China’s growing economic influence in Africa, the European Union has finally cast its reservations aside to stage a summit meeting, opening Saturday, with representatives of 53 African countries.IHT and BBC

Afghanistan: Truth vs Taliban Supporters

Perhaps it’s unfair to claim those that political / ethically oppose the US military are necessarily pro Taliban. The thing is though that the Taliban is adamant to retake the country of Afghanistan backwards. The people are suffering in many many areas in the country and for the most part the Taliban gets a pass for their part in that. To me that’s unacceptable. The US forces are encountering this suffering daily and trying to ease it.

KARAWADDIN, Afghanistan: The Afghan boy crouched near a wall in this remote village. His pupils were coated by an opaque yellow sheath.

Sergeant Nick Graham, a U.S. Army medic, approached. The villagers crowded around. They said the boy’s name was Hayatullah. He was 10 years old and had developed an eye disease six years ago. “Can you help him?” a man asked.

Graham examined the boy. He was blind. There was nothing the medic could do.

A second man appeared pushing a wheelbarrow that held a hunched child with purplish lips and twisted feet. He had the growth and circulatory problems associated with severe congenital heart disease. Graham listened to his heart. Without surgery, he said, this stunted boy would probably die.

A third man turned the corner from an alley, leading a girl, Baratbibi, by the arm. She was 7 years old. She turned her ruined eyes toward the afternoon sun without blinking. Her pupils were more heavily coated than Hayatullah’s. Graham sighed.
“We could use an entire hospital here,” he said. IHT

Uh Chaplain-Your Cross Please…

I respect people holding beliefs. I accept there are those that want to hold views of atheism and agnosticism. Why is it the beliefs of any given person has to impact common sense ?

The decision settles a lawsuit against they city by an atheist who volunteers with the police department – 75-year-old Ray Ideus, who was assisted by the legal group “Center for Justice.” story

What is an “Illegal Citizen” ?

The discussion of immigration was in sharp contrast to the Republican debate last week in which the GOP candidates tried to outmaneuver each other on who would be tougher on illegal immigrants. The Democratic candidates said they were not willing to encourage Americans to arrest illegal citizens. AP source

I’ll be full disclosure here. AP is making this new class of human. I find it funny though how they apply it to the Democrats debate whilst still going old school on the GOP candidates. Liberal media bias ? I don’t know , but I think it speaks to an agenda of crafting an image and that’s kind of sick.