Forget the omeg-3 fatty acids, imported fish may be dangerous to your health

For years healthcare professionals have urged us to eat more seafood.

Seafood is a good source of high-quality protein, low in saturated fat, and rich in many vitamins and minerals. It is the source of most of the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, found in the American diet, credited with helping reduce the risk of heart disease. It is also thought that infants whose mothers consume EPA and DHA during pregnancy may gain benefits such as longer gestation and better vision and brain development. But the New York Times recently reported that more and more of the fish we eat is dangerous because it is contaminated with dangerous chemicals and bacteria.

Most of us don't realize that 80% of the seafood we consume is imported. And more and more of it is from China whose seafood imports have soared from about $550 million in 2001 to $1.9 billion last year.

According to the Times much of the fish we import from China is produced on fish farms infested with fish excrement and bacteria or caught in highly polluted waters in China's heavily industrialized coastal regions.

While twenty-two percent of our imported fish comes from China, 60 percent of the seafood shipments that were refused entry by American regulators came from China.

Now the Food and Drug Administration has announced it will restrict a number of Chinese seafood companies from selling certain types of seafood in the United States because regulators keep finding Chinese imports contaminated with carcinogens and excessive antibiotic residues.

The list of contaminated fish from China is alarming. In May alone, regulators tagged “filthy frozen scallops”; catfish, eel and shrimp laced with banned chemicals; unsafe additives; pesticides; and cancer-causing agents.

This is the dark side of globalization.

Free market zealots continue to dogmatically cling to David Ricardo's 18th century theory of comparative advantage despite a preponderance of evidence that global "free trade" has cost millions of American jobs (2 million to China alone); undermined hourly wages even as productivity has soared; contributed to the growth of sweatshops, child labor, and a growth in international poverty. Nobel prize winning economist and former World Bank VP, Joseph Stiglitz, notes: "A growing divide between the have and have nots has left increasing numbers in the third world in dire poverty, living on less than a dollar a day. ..the actual number of people living in poverty has actually increased by almost 100 million...at the same time that total world income actually increased by an average of 2.5 percent annually; and now we are learning that global products from fish to toys to toothpaste fail to meet minimum health and safety standards.

The global economy is designed to serve the interests of financial elites and global corporations who scour the global in search of high rates of profit and low cost production. Those who have questioned the globalization's failure to establish even minimal labor, health and safety and environmental standards, cornerstones of every modern national economy, have been attacked as protectionists or worse. Now the chickens, or in this case contaminated fish, are coming home to roost!

For more about Chinese seafood imports read the NY Times article.

Keith Olbermann calls for President's Resignation!

Valerie Wilson's husband accuses Bush of Obstruction of Justice

Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, husband of outed CIA operative Valerie Plame, ripped President Bush's decision to commute the prison sentence of Lewis "Scooter" Libby in the CIA leak case. (See the video at the end of this blog)

Appearing on MSNBC's "Countdown," Wilson called the move the latest evidence that the administration is "corrupt to the core." He accused the president of participating in the "obstruction of justice."

Wilson called on both the president and Libby's former boss, Vice President Cheney, to "come clean" on their roles in the leaking of his wife's name, now that Libby has been spared prison. He called the leaking of the name "treasonous."

Asked by host Keith Olbermann if there was a "quid pro quo" - Libby would remain silent about crucial details of Cheney's role in the case in exchange for a pardon or commutation - Wilson answered, "absolutely."

Libby was convicted of several counts of perjury and obstruction of justice. President Bush commuted his 2 1/2 year sentence, calling it too severe, after a Federal Appeals Court ruled that Libby must begin serving the sentence immediately.

Wilson warned that the message of the commutation might lead to fewer people being willing to risk their lives as covert CIA operatives.

He vowed to continue the civil suit with the aim of getting Cheney and Libby on the stand. And he called on Americans to protest the move by contacting members of Congress. Democratic leaders quickly condemned the Bush act.

Libby, a convicted felon, is now free. At the same time, there are thousands of young black men serving time for less severe offenses. The Innocence Project has demonstrated that many are entirely innocent. Their only crime is that they were black. poor and in the wrong place at the wrong time. President Bush has not suggested that their sentences were too severe. As a result,the United States is the world's leader in incarceration with 2.1 million people currently in the nation's prisons or jails -- a 500% increase over the past thirty years.

When President Bush was the Governor of Texas he presided over 150 executions. All asked that their sentences be commuted. Not once did he rule the death penalty too severe!

Milwaukee Alderman, Michael Mcgee, who has been charged but not been convicted, remains in jail. Former Alderman Paul Henningsen served time for a victimless crime.

Libby's outing of an undercover CIA agent destroyed her career and threatened her life and the safety of those she worked with. This commutation coming two days before we celebrate the Declaration of Independence with its revolutionary proclamation that "...all men are created equal..." makes a mockery of this nation's commitment to equal justice.

Basta!! Patrick McIlheran

Basta!! Patrick McIlheran!

In his latest "Quick Hit"Patrick McIlheran implies that the very foundations of American civilization are threatened by Spanish speaking residents refusing to learn English.

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth!

Spanish speaking immigrants and their progeny are learning English. They must to survive in the United States.

It is true that adult immigrants often struggle with learning a new language, just as earlier generations of non-English speaking immigrants did. Adult brains simply aren’t as adaptive as those of younger people.

The children and grandchildren of today’s Spanish speaking immigrants, like the children of previous generations of immigrants from Europe and elsewhere, adopt the language of their new country. Travel anywhere in the world and you will see people of African decent speaking French, German, and Italian, Iranians speaking Swedish, Norwegian and Spanish and Latinos speaking English!

Second generation Latinos speak English, most as their first language. They may also continue to speak their native language, just as German, Polish, Italian and Jewish immigrants before them. This enables them to communicate with and assist their parents and grandparents who often lack English proficiency. It also allows them to serve as a bridge between the United States and our southern neighbors who are almost all Spanish speaking.

My Minsk born grandmother spoke very little English. But she successfully raised eight children all of whom spoke English as their first language, even those not born in the US. One, a Harvard educated physicist wrote IBM’s first programs. Three others took the truck their father used to transport eggs and turned it into a regional trucking business. Another became a photographer who took the earliest photographs of Rosa Parks before she refused to move to the back of the bus. Three were WWII veterans including the youngest son who was wounded at Normandy. One was my mother. All retained Yiddish so they could communicate with their parents and other older relatives, assisting their transition to this new and very different world. All I know of Yiddish are the few words that all Americans have adopted! The transition took all of three generations!

Earlier generations of immigrants didn’t have television shows in their first language. They didn’t even have television for that matter! But they did have newspapers, radio shows and even public schools in their native language. Milwaukee had Polish and German language public schools and papers. The UP had a Finish radio program until a few years ago! None of these institutions prevented these immigrants or their children from learning English and becoming productive members of society. Nor did they undermine the foundations of western civilization! They actually helped smooth the transition by teaching immigrants about the institutions and practices of their new homeland just as Spanish language TV does today!

Senor McIlheran swung and missed with his "Quick Hit." What will he propose next? Banning guacamole and margaritas?

USA ties South Korea-FIFA U-20 world championships

USA 1-South Korea 1 FIFA U-20 World Championships

The United States tied South Korea 1-1 in their opening FIFA U-20 World Championship game in Montreal Saturday.

The American goal was scored by Danny Szetela of the Columbus Crew, on an assist from Freddy Adu, here. The Korean goal was scored by ShinYoung-Rok of the Suwon Samsung Bluewings, here.

U.S. Roster:

GOALKEEPERS

Brian Perk (UCLA)
Steve Sandbo (SMU)
Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS

Tony Beltran (UCLA)
Amaechi Igwe (New England Revolution)
Ofori Sarkodie (Indiana University)
Nathan Sturgis (L.A. Galaxy)
Julian Valentin (Wake Forest)
Tim Ward (Columbus Crew)

MIDFIELDERS

Freddy Adu (Real Salt Lake)
Bryan Arguez (D.C. United)
Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen/NED and son of US national team coach)
Dax McCarty (F.C. Dallas)
Danny Szetela (Columbus Crew)
Anthony Wallace (F.C. Dallas)

FORWARDS

Andre Akpan (Harvard)
Josmer Altidore (N.Y. Red Bulls)
Gabriel Ferrari (Sampdoria/ITA)
Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
Preston Zimmerman (Hamburg SV/GER)
Sal Zizzo (UCLA)

COACH: Thomas Rongen

Olbermann Questions London Bomb Scare

"...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days."

Franklin D. Roosevelt's first inaugural address, 1932 .

Milwaukee PIC Makes 1st High Wage Job Placement!

Milwaukee’s new workforce development agency has successfully placed its first dislocated worker - none other than former Milwaukee County Private Industry Council (PIC) President and CEO, Gerard Randall.

Randall, who unsuccessfully fought Mayor Barrett’s effort to transfer control of millions of federal workforce dollars from the county to the city, has landed on his feet quite nicely thank you.

He will be the paid $61,000 for six months as the city of Milwaukee PIC’s assistant CEO.

Let’s give the Barrett administration its due. If the Randall placement is a model, the city’s workforce development agency will not only train and place dislocated workers, it will create family supporting jobs! Who even knew there was a shortage of assistant CEO’s?

Randall, like all dislocated workers, will experience some job skidding, ecospeak for the fact that most dislocated workers who find new jobs are generally paid significantly less than they previously earned. But spare Randall your tears since his 6 month salary is almost twice the area’s annual median income of $35,765.

Randall’s salary will no doubt help the new agency’s placement data-raising the average wage of all Milwaukee PIC placements as soon as the new workforce development agency starts placing Milwaukee’s other unemployed workers.

Perhaps the agency could start with the 8 PIC employees, front line staff who worked with unemployed and dislocated workers, Randall laid off recently due to lack of funds!