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Wednesday, November 30, 2016

In His Final Days, Obama Quietly Expands War Powers Before Handing Them Off To Trump

In His Final Days, Obama Quietly Expands War Powers Before Handing Them Off To Trump



https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20161129/18102236153/his-final-days-obama-quietly-expands-war-powers-before-handing-them-off-to-trump.shtml

Religion and Refugee Resettlement in the United States


 
Religion and Refugee Resettlement in the United States
 
The U.S. State Department’s Shaun Casey and RefugeeOne’s Melineh Kano examine the role of religious communities in refugee resettlement in the United States.  Learn more

"Seven Deadly Sins; Seven Lively Virtues" with Fr. Robert Barron


"Seven Deadly Sins; Seven Lively Virtues" with Fr. Robert Barron


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG4VF0jU568

Guest Post by Chas Freeman: China, Trump, and Trade

Here is a map of US soy bean production sent to me by an insightful analyst of US-China relations.  Our biggest export to China (see below), and one largely open to substitution.  It closely overlaps states where Trump won.

Image result for us soybean production map




Will China's Hunger For U.S. Soybeans Last?

Will China's Hunger For U.S. Soybeans Last?
It wasn’t always this way, but in the past two decades, China has emerged as the world’s biggest importer of soybeans, including a projected 1.171 billion bu. from the United States during the 2014-15 marketing year, according to recent analysis by University of Illinois ag and consumer economists, John Newton and Todd Kuethe. They reported their latest import observations on the university’s farmdoc daily website.
That’s a stark contrast from the mid-1990s. For the 1995-96 marketing year, China imported only about 18 million bushels of soybeans. Since that time, however, the country’s economy enjoyed rapid annual double-digit growth. Today, China could stand to import as much as 2.7 billion bushels of soybeans worldwide, according to USDA projections.
“Put simply, as the world’s largest importer, China’s massive appetite for soybeans is a significant driver of global and domestic soybean markets,” the authors write.
Newton and Kuethe developed a novel way of depicting this rising demand.
“One way to visualize China’s demand for soybeans is to map the consumption categories as they relate to county-level soybean production acres across the U.S,” they note.
Mapped out this way, one can see that Chinese demand for U.S. soybeans in 1995-96 was satisfied by the production of just two counties – McLean and Livingston counties in Illinois (shown in red below).
fdd03272015_fig2
Now fast-forward to the 2014-15 marketing year. The USDA estimates that U.S. soybean exports to China could total 1.171 billion bushels.
“To meet this forecast of Chinese export demand production from the top 133 counties would be required,” the authors write. “This geographic footprint spans from the Upper Midwest, through the Corn Belt and down into the Mississippi Delta.”
fdd03272015_fig4
Newton and Kuethe also note that as U.S. exports to China have risen, they have also declined in 40 other countries by a total of about 400 million bushels. The lion’s share of this decline belongs to lower exports to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan by nearly 150 million bushels since 1995. Then they ask the essential question – “Are all our beans in one basket?”
“While historical growth rates have been impressive, recent forecasts suggest the Chinese economy is unable to maintain that growth rate,” they note.
With another bin-busting crop expected for 2015, soybean farmers should keep a sharp eye on several factors, including competition from other countries (especially Argentina and Brazil), and understand how the value of the dollar can influence export opportunities as U.S. commodities fluctuate in value relative to those elsewhere in the world.
“It will be especially important for U.S. soybeans to continue finding a Chinese home if prices are expected to remain at or above current expectations,” the authors write.
Want more market talk and speculation? Visit the "Marketing 2015" thread, which is by far the most popular conversation on the AgWeb discussion boards.

Advent Word of the Day by Sr Anne | Pauline Books and Media

St Paul was stating the obvious when he wrote, “The runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize.” That prize, Paul remarked, was only a wreath of leaves, “a perishable crown.”

In Advent, God invites us (as Jesus invited today's Saint, the Apostle Andrew) to put aside anything that could slow us down and keep us from the finish line of communion with God. What keeps you from running easily toward the God who comes to us?
Look it up! 1 Corinthians 9:24

WPR Articles Nov. 22 — Nov. 30


WPR Articles Nov. 22 — Nov. 30

Where Europeans See Catastrophe in Trump’s Victory, Asians See Chance for Change

By: Ellen Laipson | Column
Europe and Asia are reacting quite differently to Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president. Many Europeans see the outcome as a sign of the decline of the liberal international order. Asians see an opportunity to build a new order in which Asian powers will be more prominent in setting the rules.

Bachelet’s Labor Policy Leaves No One Happy in Chile

By: The Editors | Trend Lines
A month-long strike by Chile’s public sector employees ended earlier this month after workers failed to win a pay increase of 7 percent and instead accepted President Michelle Bachelet’s initial proposal of a 3.2 percent raise. In an email interview, Peter M. Siavelis discusses labor relations in Chile.

How West Africa Became Fertile Ground for AQIM and ISIS

By: Anouar Boukhars | Feature
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and its affiliates have expanded their footprint in the Sahel and West Africa, looking to economic hubs and coastal areas that had previously been spared from violence. Unless regional governments and international actors change strategy, instability will likely deepen.

In India, Women’s Issues Make Headlines, but Not Progress

By: The Editors | Trend Lines
India’s minister for women recently declared that the country’s rape problem was exaggerated, and that the Indian media’s overemphasis on rape was negatively affecting tourism. In an email interview, Nandita Bhatla, of the International Center for Research on Women, discusses women’s rights in India.

Can Cooler Heads Prevail in the South China Sea?

By: Prashanth Parameswaran | Briefing
Since an international tribunal ruled in July that China’s claims to the South China Sea lacked legal basis, key actors have tried to ease tensions. Despite progress, translating these gains into sustainable solutions for the disagreements between China and five other claimants will prove difficult.

Could Foreign Policy Failures Sink Macedonia’s Government in Elections Next Month?

By: Paul Mikov | Briefing
When Macedonians go to the polls in parliamentary elections next month, foreign policy should weigh heavily on their minds. The government has declared that its foreign policy has been a success. But from relations with its neighbors to progress toward membership in NATO and the EU, how true is that?

Fear of the Unknown as Mexico Awaits the Trump Era

By: Carin Zissis | Briefing
On the morning after the U.S. election, the front pages of Mexican dailies responded to Donald Trump’s win with shock, and those fears aren’t unfounded. While it’s uncertain whether Trump will make good on his campaign promises, Mexico—and the U.S.—should brace themselves for the economic fallout.

From Immigration to Security, Why China Is the Key to Understanding Japanese Policymaking

By: Chris Burgess | Feature
China has come to drive Japanese policymaking in just a few years, from Okinawa and tourism to migration policy and labor shortages, and from educational and constitutional reform to security, whaling and trade. Understanding Japan’s social and political shifts, then, requires watching China.

Would Kyrgyzstan’s Constitutional Referendum Tighten Atambayev’s Grip on Power?

By: The Editors | Trend Lines
Kyrgyzstan will hold a referendum on Dec. 11 on proposed reforms to its constitution that would give more power to the prime minister, though many fear it would tighten President Almazbek Atambayev’s grip on power. In an email interview, Medet Tiulegenov discusses Kyrgyzstan’s constitutional referendum.

The Battle to Repair Iraq’s Social Fabric, Beyond Mosul’s Front Lines

By: Matthew Schweitzer | Briefing
With international attention focused on the battle for Mosul, there is an ongoing crisis on a forgotten battlefield in another part of northern Iraq. Predominantly Sunni towns like Hawija are a test for whether Iraq’s government and its proxies can mend ties and calm sectarian tensions.

To Counter Populism, Start by Taking Globalization’s Discontents Seriously

By: Judah Grunstein | Column
The U.S. presidential election offered a clear example of how emotion and affect increasingly drive political behavior. But now that the shock of Donald Trump’s victory has worn off, resolve, and not despair, must be the order of the day for those who would seek to shore up the liberal international order.

Can South Africa’s ANC Survive Zuma’s Culture of Corruption?

By: James Hamill | Briefing
Even by the standards of his corrupt and largely disgraced presidency, the past month in South Africa has represented a nadir for Jacob Zuma. Has this notorious survivor finally run out of time? The ruling African National Congress, split between rival factions, finds itself in a no-win position.

Can Trump Calm European Nerves Over His Election?

By: Magnus Nordenman | Briefing
The surprise election of Donald Trump as America’s 45th president has upset long-standing assumptions about America’s role in the world. America’s European friends and allies are among those most worried about the future U.S. role in Europe, at a time when the continent is surrounded by instability.

Vulnerable to Climate Change, Costa Rica Works to Become a Carbon-Free Economy

By: The Editors | Trend Lines
Last month, Costa Rica ratified the Paris Agreement. After the vote, the environment minister said, “Costa Rica showed the world that it has the courage to take bold and timely decisions to work for a sustainable development.” In an interview, Mariel Yglesias discusses Costa Rica’s climate change policy.

Will the U.N. Post Make Nikki Haley Wish She Was Back in South Carolina?

By: Richard Gowan | Column
U.N. officials who feared that Donald Trump would nominate a unilateralist firebrand as ambassador hope that Nikki Haley is someone they can do business with. But if she struggles, it may not be due to her lack of foreign policy experience, but because of flaws in both the U.S. and U.N. systems.

Nigeria Looks to Untapped Mineral Riches to Revive Its Oil-Dependent Economy

By: Matthew C. DuPee | Briefing
Nigeria’s expansive but untapped mineral wealth is no secret. With sagging global oil prices and an ongoing local insurgency in the oil-rich Niger Delta, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is moving to develop plans to diversify the economy, with its sights set on the mining sector.

Will the Iran Nuclear Deal Survive Under Trump—and at What Cost?

By: Ellen Laipson | Column
Despite Donald Trump’s tough talk about canceling the Iran nuclear deal during the presidential campaign, it appears he may let the agreement remain in effect. But hostility to Iran seems rampant among his advisers, meaning the spirit of the agreement will likely be violated, with serious costs.

Local Governance Vacuums Are at the Heart of Mexico’s Teachers’ Protests

By: Jerónimo Mohar, Benoît Gomis | Briefing
The Mexican state of Michoacan is not only a bastion of drug cartels, but of a dissident teachers’ union vehemently opposed to education reforms. The same conditions that allowed organized crime and vigilante groups to flourish there are providing fertile ground for the teachers’ union to wreak havoc.

The Costs of Uncertainty With Trump’s Trade Policies

By: Kimberly Ann Elliott | Briefing
No matter who was elected president on Nov. 8, there was going to be a pause in U.S. trade policy. Donald Trump said he would go much further than Hillary Clinton, but there is uncertainty about what Trump will actually do once in office. Here is a rundown of key trade issues that Trump will face.

Why Trump’s ‘America First’ Could End Up Getting Left Behind

By: Judah Grunstein | Column
The irony of Fidel Castro’s death is that, in closing the symbolic book on the Cold War, it accentuates the feeling that we are living through the closing moments of the post-Cold War period. A level of uncertainty has been introduced into national, regional and global politics not seen since 1991.

Journey to Christmas #1 - YouTube

Journey to Christmas #1 - YouTube

Fr. Bob Warren's This Week's Reflection: Waiting

Franciscan Friars
Waiting
(Matthew 24:37-44)
 
Christmas can sneak up on us while we are caught up in the mad whirl of shopping and parties, and then gone without a trace. Too often, by the time December 25th arrives, we are fed up with elves and reindeer, sick of Christmas music and tired of jaded decorations. Today, it seems every celebration is anticipated too much until it is worn out before it arrives. This is the way in which we live today: hasty, instant, disposable.
In reality, Advent, which means 'coming,' is a time of waiting. Waiting is something we are not used to doing. From the beginning to the end, the liturgy for Advent revolves around a tireless refrain. Be ready, be waiting. But what are you waiting for? Some are waiting simply for the whole thing to end. Like Lent, for them, Advent is a bore. What are you waiting for? You alone really know, but what should you be waiting for? The liturgy never tires of telling us. You should be waiting for the Lord, for the coming of a saving Christ. But isn't this a form of charades, of play-acting? We make believe that Christ has not yet come, and all the while every bell tower and TV channel, every department store and cash register, jingles that He has come.
The New Testament itself assures us that the Son of God did touch the earth in Bethlehem, that Jesus is here in our midst because we are gathered in His name, and that in a little while, He will be sacramentally present at this table. That the Christ we offer here in the Calvary of the Mass will give Himself to us in food. That, day in, and day out, He is present within our whole person, because if we love Him, He and His Father come to us and make Their home within us.
He has come. He is here. He lives within us. So what is there to wait for? The answer, I suggest, is how you wait for the Lord. You see, there are various ways of waiting. A poor old man on a park bench; someone waiting at an airport; a pregnant woman in the maternity ward. Each is waiting, but oh, what a difference! The old man on the park bench does not expect very much. He will be happy if someone, anyone, comes along—someone to talk to, to make the time pass until supper. He will be satisfied if he is not mugged. His tired legs will take him from a cold bench to a cold water apartment. A person waiting at the airport, waiting for a plane, there is excitement. The plane means something. It is all the difference between home or being away from home, being warmed with the love of a family or being stranded with strangers. And then we have the mother about to give birth—tension, anticipation, excitement. But two facts are uncommonly true here, peculiarly pertinent to our Advent waiting.
First, He who is to come, has been there all along. The problem is, the child has been a hidden presence. A bit unreal at times, not quite believable, but at a certain moment, the child actually transpires, comes to light, is held in loving arms, is uniquely here. Then there is joy and rapture, peace and calm. Such, I suggest, is your Advent. Not the boredom of a park bench, not only the anticipation of an airport, rather a bringing to light. Christ is here, not only among you, but within you. His life lives in you.
Advent is a form of giving birth. Its function is to bring a living Lord to life in your living. Christmas for you is not a given day, December 25th. Christmas is when the child actually transpires, comes to life. Christmas is when Christ becomes real to you. His presence, His call.
How can we tell that Christ has come? One concrete test is suggested by Isaiah and Matthew. You can tell that the savior has come if the eyes of the blind are opened and the ears of the deaf are cleared. If the lame leap like stags and the dead are raised to life, and the poor have the Good News preached to them.
I am suggesting that your savior may come to light, may transpire if your faith is accompanied by good works. You need not fly to the developing world to find the oppressed and burdened and the broken-hearted. They surround you, at school, at work, where you play or pray. Bring food and drink, bring life and light. Bring good news. Bring yourself to those whose hearts or bodies are burdened, and you will bring Christ to them, and paradoxically, come closer to Him yourself.
Coming to life in them, He may come more to light for you. Let's all ask ourselves a question. Does your faith life reveal to anyone that Christ's kingdom is in the making? Does anyone see in you the One who is to come or must everyone who touches you wait for another?
Fr. Robert Warren
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Robert Warren Signature
Fr. Robert Warren, S.A.
Spiritual Director
Franciscan Friars
Franciscan Friars of the Atonement
www.AtonementFriars.org
P.O. Box 301, Garrison, NY 10524
For more information, call us at 888-720-8247.
© 2016

Jamestown Board Member KT McFarland Named Next Deputy National Security Advisor


View this email in your browser

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       November 30, 2016
Contact: Matthew Czekaj
JAMESTOWN BOARD MEMBER KT MCFARLAND NAMED NEXT DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR

 
The Jamestown Foundation would like to congratulate Kathleen Troia “KT” McFarland for being named Deputy National Security Advisor in President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming Administration. Jamestown Foundation President Glen Howard stated that KT was a vibrant and active member of our board and that we wish her success in her new position in the White House in what is surely one of the key national security decision-making bodies in the US government.

Ms. McFarland was a long-time member of the Jamestown Board of Directors, who joined in June 2008. Up to this point, she has been FOX News’ National Security Analyst and appears regularly on FOX News and FOX Business News. She anchors the show DEFCON3 and writes a regular column for FOXnews.com. She is also the weekly national security commentator for several national radio shows. Ms. McFarland held national security posts in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan Administrations: as an aide to Dr. Henry Kissinger on the NSC Staff (1970–76); member of the Senate Armed Services Committee Staff (1981); Senior Speechwriter to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and later the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (PA) and Pentagon Spokesman (1981–84). Ms. McFarland received the Defense Department’s highest civilian award for her work in the Reagan Administration (Distinguished Service Award, 1985).

KT McFarland participated in several Jamestown-organized board delegation trips, including to Ukraine (in June 4–8, 2014) as well as Germany and the three Baltic States (June 5–11, 2016).
 
*     *     *
  
Founded in 1984, The Jamestown Foundation is an independent, non-partisan research institution dedicated to providing timely information concerning critical political and strategic developments in China, Russia, Eurasia and the world of terrorism. Jamestown produces three periodic publications: Eurasia Daily Monitor, Terrorism Monitor and China Brief. Jamestown research and analysis is available to the public free-of-charge via Jamestown’s website, www.jamestown.org.

Trump Confronting China on Trade Risks Corporate Backlash - Bloomberg Politics

Trump Confronting China on Trade Risks Corporate Backlash - Bloomberg Politics

U.K. Passes Wide-Ranging Surveillance Bill That Critics Say Goes Too Far - WSJ

U.K. Passes Wide-Ranging Surveillance Bill That Critics Say Goes Too Far - WSJ

Michael Flynn, a Top Trump Adviser, Ties China and North Korea to Islamists



Michael Flynn, a Top Trump Adviser, Ties China and North Korea to Islamists

Fairfax County, USA | Jacobin

Fairfax County, USA | Jacobin

'Washington Post' 'Blacklist' Story Is Shameful, Disgusting - Rolling Stone

'Washington Post' 'Blacklist' Story Is Shameful, Disgusting - Rolling Stone

Leaning San Francisco tower seen sinking from space - SFGate

Leaning San Francisco tower seen sinking from space - SFGate

Clinton Foundation FOI Reference number: 15/39610 - dfat-foi-1508-F1253.pdf

FOI Reference number: 15/39610 - dfat-foi-1508-F1253.pdf

Trump administration will pressure foreign states to probe Clinton Foundation | New York Post

Trump administration will pressure foreign states to probe Clinton Foundation | New York Post

CIA chief warns Trump: Scrapping Iran deal 'height of folly' - BBC News

CIA chief warns Trump: Scrapping Iran deal 'height of folly' - BBC News

FBI and NSA Poised to Gain New Surveillance Powers Under Trump - Bloomberg

FBI and NSA Poised to Gain New Surveillance Powers Under Trump - Bloomberg

Trump’s Showdown With Manufacturer Exposes Obama’s Weakness on Outsourcing

Trump’s Showdown With Manufacturer Exposes Obama’s Weakness on Outsourcing

Frightened by Donald Trump? You don’t know the half of it | George Monbiot | Opinion | The Guardian

Frightened by Donald Trump? You don’t know the half of it | George Monbiot | Opinion | The Guardian

North America’s grasslands are slowly disappearing — and no one’s paying attention - The Washington Post

North America’s grasslands are slowly disappearing — and no one’s paying attention - The Washington Post

Bishop Barron's Advent Reflecton First Wednesday in Advent: The Days are Coming



My thoughts on today's Gospel reading...
First Wednesday in Advent
The Days are Coming
The earliest Christian text we possess is 1 Thessalonians, written sometime in the early fifties of the first century. Paul tells this little church, which he had founded, to be ready for the coming of the Savior: “Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones” (1 Th 3:11-13).

Paul had seen the risen Jesus, and everything else in his life fell away. Everything he had considered central—the law, his livelihood, his own tradition—now appeared to him as “rubbish.” Everything was re-arranged around this new massive reality of a crucified man having come back from the dead.

The Resurrection meant that God was truly the Lord of history, that all of the suffering, anxiety, and injustice of the world would be conquered and that a new, transformed life was held out to us. And so now the obligation was clear and simple: start living life in accord with the coming Christ.

Wait and watch for him, for a new world is undoubtedly coming. Paul almost certainly felt that this new world would fully emerge in his own lifetime, but though he was wrong about that detail, his recommendation is of permanent value.

As Paul tells the Thessalonians, in light of Christ, risen from the dead, the old world is marginalized, disempowered, and passing away. And therefore, those who live in accord with Christ are, in fact, on the winning side.