Discussion Divas

Strait Talk: Strait of Hormuz

Happy New Year. If you haven’t eaten any black-eyed peas yet this year, please try some. Seems the whole country could use an extra helping of good luck in 2012, and legend has it that these little beans can do the trick.

 

We certainly could use some good luck when it comes to the unemployment rate (clocking in at 8.5% on Friday, the lowest level in three years), both our economy and Europe’s economy, stability on the Iraq hand-off, the changing of the guard in North Korea, Egypt’s elections, and so on (pass the peas, please!).

 

I am surely hoping for the best, calm outcome when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, three little words that have been ringing in my head since first hearing them a few weeks ago.

 

Tell me more

Seventeen million barrels of oil travel daily through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway located between Iran and Oman. The U.S. Energy Information Administration calls it “by far the world's most important chokepoint” for oil transport. See map of SOH.

 

Iran--home to one of the four largest known oil reserves--is threatening to shut down the strait if the United States and Europe move ahead with threats to refuse to buy oil from Iran because of the country’s continued enrichment of uranium. Iran has long contended their uranium efforts are intended for civilian power use, while much of the outside world says they are building a nuclear bomb.

 

If the strait is closed, not only would oil prices spike--possibly by 50% according to some analysts--the situation could create world conflict (the U.K. signaled it would use military force to re-open the strait) and wreak economic turmoil globally, taking a big toll on the already weak European economy. The tensions have already tipped oil over the key $100 a barrel mark.

 

Ah, oil. Can’t live with you, can’t live without you.

Just to underscore that it’s oil that makes the world go round, U.S. car sales rose 8.7 percent in December, finishing the year on a high notefor Chrysler, Ford and General Motors. SUVs had a good year, too, as gas price stayed below the $4 mark.

 

For those looking for alternatives to traditional gas guzzlers, take note that sales of the electricChevy Volt popped 34% in December, despite warnings that the battery could catch fire (GM announced a fix) and despite little electric car infrastructure.

 

Putting it in perspective, there are approximately 10,000 each of the Nissan Leaf (also electric) and the Volt on U.S. roads, meaning they make up a mere fraction of the 13-plus million cars the big manufacturers each expect to sell in 2012.

 

Let’s leave it there

We could dive into a lot more on the energy front, starting with fracking (potentially causing earthquakes? yikes!). But you and I both know we like this email because it’s short :)

 

So be sure to eat some black-eyed peas. Tradition has it that you should eat them New Year’s Day, but I extend this to the first couple weeks of January. I put my recipe on the site if you need one. Goes great with Champagne, but what doesn’t?

For your digestion: Five news items from the week

Five things from the week (and all about food this week!)

Trading the pyramid for the plate

With a little help from Michelle Obama, the USDA replaced the food pyramid we’ve known but maybe not loved since 1992, with the new “MyPlate” this week. The new icon is a platedivided into four categories (grains, vegetables, fruits and protein), with a small side of dairy. The idea is to simplify the message about what and how much should fill a healthy plate: half should be made up of fruits and vegetables. MyPlate also urges smaller portions, low-fat dairy and less soda. 

Europe battles rare strain of E. Coli
A rare and deadly strain of E. Coli has sickened almost 2,000 people, killed 18, and left hundreds with kidney problems across Europe. Officials have yet to pinpoint where the rare and dangerous strain is coming from. Germany has taken the hardest hit, with the majority of cases reported there. Meanwhile, Russia has banned all imports of fresh vegetables coming from the European Union, a significant financial blow to farmers.

More Americans on food stamps
Just under 45 million Americans received food stamps in March, new data show, up from 40 million a year ago. The food stamp program, officially called SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), cost $68 billion in 2010.How much money to allocate to the program next year is up for debate in Congress. Here’s a quick analysis of growth in use of food stamps.

Rice and corn prices set to double
There’s plenty of concern about the rising cost of food. Retailers say people spent less at stores in May due to rising food and gas prices; the United Nations reports global food prices are at a record high; and with some coffee bean prices up 99%from a year ago, chains like Starbucks are raising prices on consumers. Now, a new report says the cost of corn and rice will double over the next 20 years due to climate change. Look for conversation about stabilizing prices at the G20 meeting in France later this month.

U.S. considers food aid for North Korea
Some estimates say that due to a hard winter and its reliance on aid for food, North Korea’s food supply is running short, putting six million at risk. To assess the situation, the U.S. sent an envoy who is expected to offer a decision of whether to provide aid. But offering food aid to the isolated country is controversial--former President Jimmy Carter says it's a humanitarian must, others disagree.

Awesome blog mention: Sites that make us smarter

Obviously we're thrilled to be included in this list of "Fab 5: Sites that make us smarter," along with some heavy hitters like the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian sites (love them too!). The CIA World Factbook is an amazing, amazing site and one we reference a lot. Check them out, and also check out www.dotcomsformoms.com, written by Rita Mauceri, who helps put information for moms at your fingertips quickly - something we like to do around here as well!

If you don't get the Diva yet, you should! Sign up - it's free and a quick read.

 

The Playing Field: Presidential Candidates 2012

 

President Obama took to Facebook this week, appealing to a younger crowd, via live video, in a Town Hall Style Q&A with Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. He joked how it’s the second time he’s gotten Zuck--the t-shirt and jeans-wearing genius--to sport a sport coat.

Obama suggested they peel the coats off. Get comfortable. Laugh a little. There wasn’t going to be much to laugh about in the questions and answers, which ran the gamut from the serious to the complicated to the depressing: immigration policies, health care reform, education, budget deficit, housing, job creation.

It’s no wonder that the nation is blue. A new poll says 70% of Americans think the country is on the wrong track and almost 60% don’t approve of the way Obama is handling the economy--that the nation’s “mood” is at the lowest point in two years.

Enter 2012 Republican presidential candidates, ready to pounce on these weak poll numbers and as they’ll tell you--save the day. A quick look at the cast of characters includes:

Mitt Romney--been there, done that. The former governor of Massachusetts and a practicing Mormon, he lost out to John McCain for the GOP nomination in the last election.

Mike Huckabee--also tried for the GOP nomination in 2008. The former Arkansas governor, former preacher, now Fox talk-show host polls highest among the contenders, along with...

Donald Trump--real estate mogul and “Apprentice” star. His straight-talking, boot-strapping appeal is propelling him high in early polls though he hasn’t announced officially. (We’ll let David Brooks do the talking on this one.)

Sarah Palin--former GOP VP candidate and ex-Alaska governor turned best-selling author, reality TV star and Fox contributor. She rolled out a new Web site this week.

The Minnesotans: Rep. Michelle Bachman--the Tea Party favorite is reportedly exploring a run this summer. Fellow GOP and former governor Tim Pawlenty has announced intentions as well.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is in the mix, so is the “abortion culture” man we wrote about a few weeks ago, Rick Santorum, not to mention Haley Barbour, the governor of Mississippi. The list goes on. It may seem early, but if the nation’s feeling blue, it’s the perfect time for presidential hopefuls to espouse change. Just be wary of buying the goods they’re selling. Obama sold hope and change, and then was dealt a hand of crises that would put any optimist in a bad mood.

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Purse Points: The Week of 3/28-4/1

(New!) PURSE POINTS

Headlines from the week that you may have missed, zipped up here to tuck in your purse ahead of the weekend...

• Economy adds jobs, but not all rosy
  No fooling, the March jobs report came in a bit better than expected, adding 216,000 jobs during the month and lowering the unemployment rate to 8.8 percent. Still, some 13.5 million people are still unemployed and close to half are considered "long-term unemployed" - without jobs for over six months. (Here's a good visual of the unemployment situation since 2007.)

• Home prices are back near recession lows
  Home prices fell for the sixth straight month, bringing the average home price to $156,000, down 5% from a year earlier and leading to plenty of bargain hunting. That said, a Russian investor plunked down $100 million for a house in Los Altos, Calif., about 30 minutes south of San Francisco.

• Sorry KC, MO: Kansas City, KANSAS wins super-duper fast Internet
  If you want to experience the fastest Internet in the country, you'll have to head to Kansas City -- Kansas City, Kansas, that is! Google chose KC after asking cities to pitch them on where they should build a super-duper fast experimental network. Looks like it will be up and running early next year.

• The Tweeting Cobra 
  After a cobra went missing from the Bronx Zoo, one enterprising Tweeter set up an account, tweeting on behalf of the cobra who toured New York and ammassed over 200,000 followers within the week. A really fun read if you need a laugh. Alas, when the cobra was found, the Tweeting cobra, who had a Facebook page launched to try to host Saturday Night Live, began Tweeting from inside. Stay tuned it seems!

• Opening Day!
  Baseball season began Thursday--an early start this year.

A primer on nuclear energy

What an awful perfect storm in Japan, wrapping one of the saddest weeks I can remember, watching parents looking for children, in some cases their adult children probably my age -- children old enough to have their own children -- in the ruins. 

And finally, what's shaping up to be a worst-case scenario when it comes to nuclear power, a relatively popular form of alternative energy worldwide. 

As we think about everyone in Japan, especially the skeleton crew working at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant to contain the radiation (these people are serious heroes and by far the ones at most risk), and as the U.S. considers its own nuclear future, here are some facts about the state of nuclear energy to zip up and take with you.

- 30% of Japan’s power comes from nuclear energy; in the U.S. it's 20%, and France ranks the highest with 76% 

- China and India have big plans to increase their nuclear use (see world-wide list) and reduce emissions, but China put a halt on new projects in the wake of the Japan crisis

- There are 104 nuclear plants in the U.S. (here’s a map of where they are), with no new ones built in the U.S. since the Pennsylvania Three Mile Island accident in 1979

- Two nuclear plants in California sit near fault lines and on the coast, and all U.S. plants will now be reviewed for safety

- Nuclear power costs are more stable than say coal and oil though it's expensive to build the facilities

- Recently there has been a push in the U.S. to use more nuclear energy, sometimes called a "nuclear renaissance," with support from some (including Obama) on both the left and the right

- $36 billion is earmarked in Obama's current budget to advance the use of nuclear energy

- Supporters point out that nuclear power plants don't emit greenhouse gases, produce electricity more inexpensively than other methods, and that nuclear energy is in some sense inevitable as fossil fuels become scarce

- Opponents point out that the plants become possible terrorist targets and wreak havoc if anything goes wrong with them

The debate over nuclear energy is complex, multi-faceted, and likely to intensify. There are strong arguments in its favor, but the potential consequences if something goes wrong are all too apparent in the harrowing images coming out of Japan. 

What do you think? More nuclear in the United States? Or less? TAKE OUR POLL

 

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Google to the H1N1 rescue

Some 41 million swine flu vaccines have been shipped, but that may not mean it's been easy for you to find one. We've talked to plenty of people who have hit the phones or driven many miles to find the shot. 

On the same day the company announced it would offer free WiFi in 47 airports over the holiday season (though not at several major airports like JFK, LGA or SFO), Google announced a tool that helps shot seekers find the vaccine in their area: www.google.com/flushot. They partnered with the Department of Health and Human Services and the American Lung Association to build the tool.

Type in your zip code and Google Maps pulls up a list of places nearby where the shot is still available or was at one point. The latter are marked with "temporarily out of stock." In the search we did, the list also provided phone numbers and times the vaccines were administered. Still phone work, but a little less.

Full list of airports with free Wi-Fi.