The U.S. is a crazed sanctions bully
I'm going to let this one stand by itself.
Donald Trump’s administration has threatened Ecuador with trade sanctions if it introduces a United Nations resolution to encourage breastfeeding.
The US had supposedly asked for language asking governments to “protect, promote, and support breastfeeding” to be removed. The resolution ultimately passed but not before world health officials were shocked at the behaviour of the US delegation at the May UN World Health Assembley in Geneva, the New York Times reported.
Seriously. Breastfeeding is a threat to our national security.
Ecuadorians, facing having important military aid from the US rescinded on top of harsh sanctions on critical goods, backed down. But, the US did not threaten Russia in the same manner.
An unnamed Russian delegate said the country stepped up to back and help pass the resolution because they felt “it is wrong when a big country tries to push around some very small countries, especially on an issue that is really important for the rest of the world".
But it's Russia that's scaaaary and must be stopped.
The delegation was also opposed to another section of the resolution which called on countries to curtail promotion of products that medical experts agreed could cause harm to children according to more than a dozen delegates to the health meeting, the majority of whom "requested anonymity because they feared retaliation from the US," according to the newspaper.
Though US efforts were unsuccessful since the bulk of the original wording survived two whole days of procedural talks, language calling for “inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children" to end was removed due to US efforts.
...The US also reportedly threatened to cut its contributions to the World Health Organisation - the US contributes almost 15 per cent of the agency's budget or $845m last year - if the resolution was introduced and passed. In light of the threat on Ecuador, other poorer countries in Latin America and Africa refused to introduce the resolution out of fear of American retaliation which left Russia to push it through.
They feared retaliation by the U.S. for opposing products that harm children.
And we are the "good guys".
Comments
What a fucking pig.
Sure would be nice if the US Empire got a taste of its own medicine for once.
Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.
Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.
Breastfeeding is definitely a threat
to those making money off of formula. We cannot continue to deprive these people of making their riches at the expense of mothers who prefer to breastfeed!!!
When will the madness stop?????
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
I think this is really about Assange
Sanctions over breastfeeding just don’t make sense. We all know what the US really wants from Ecuador.
"Please clap." -- Jeb Bush
They want more than Ecuador
has been willing to consider until recently. Ecuador has been staunchly in the democratic socialist camp since the first world wrecked their economies in the nineties. Last year’s presidential election looked like a narrow win with the election of the then VP to the presidency. He ran on a continuation of Correa’s policies with promises to clean up corruption. Instead he has turned sharply right although he has a long way to go to match th US.
It looks like Moreno wants closer ties with the US. Assange and public statements indicate he has forgotten how badly Ecuador has been used for fun and profit. Half of the population is younger than 30 so many have no adult experience with the nineties. They want a higher standard of living without the history to inform them of the huge hook in that tasty worm.
The banker who narrowly lost the election last year was obviously ready to board the gravy train. Now it seems Moreno wants his too.
In part we moved to Cuenca to get out of the shit hole that has become the US. I don’t want to watch these wonderful people get roughly used yet again. The US has truly become the world’s biggest threat to peace and the prosperity of the average person. You have no idea how painful that idea is to me.
"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."
Glad to hear that you got out of here
I wish I had some way to go too, but too many things are keeping me here.
This country has become a 3rd world nation because of how its wealth is being transferred from us to the 1%.
Hugh Smith: America Is Now A 3rd World Nation
There are 9 characteristics included in the article which are have been obvious for some time, but things are going to get even worse.
Yep. And the rate things are increasing are taking off even more quickly than during other president's tenures. The mask is well off and the PTB's agendas are exposed.
Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.
Ecuador is an amazingly easy country to
emigrate to and to live in. They are very accepting of expats, especially Cuenca. It’s also a very inexpensive place to live. International Living recently published their list of the best cities to retire to and Cuenca was #2. Again.
It’s well worth the time it takes to research. We’ve only been here six months,on Wednesday, but it has been better living here than my high expectations.
My interactions with expats from around the world, but mostly Americans and Canadians, indicate an almost unanimous relief to be out of the cesspool. This is the reset on life we wanted and needed.
"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."
I looked at the photos of it and it's gorgeous
and looks to be very old. What is the climate like year round?
Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.
We came to Ecuador last year
to see if the country was as beautiful and the climate as awesome as it appeared to be. We wanted to see if the cost of living was as low as reported while the available standard of living was reasonable high. We looked into how difficult and expensive the process for becoming permanent residents would be and we looked into how hard and expensive moving here with most of our household goods plus two big dogs and four cats. We spent more than two weeks in the Andes and traveled from Quito north to Coticachi then south to Cuenca and Vilcabamba. (We didn't get to the coast until we had been living here a couple of months. It's nice but the Andes is just right for us.)
We discovered that everything we'd been able to learn before the trip was accurate. Cuenca has day time highs in the 60s to mid 70s, seldom higher. Lows so far have seen 41 and I understand a freeze is extremely rare. We're living at 9156' on the side of a mountain at the beginning of the Cajas Park at the western end of the City. We're less than 4 miles from El Centro, a $4.00 taxi ride. It's cooler here and it rains a little bit more. The weather is unpredictable. I've stopped trying to figure out what the weather will be like. It will almost surely be some combination of cloudy, sunny, misty to rainy to just foggy, and warm or cool. Clouds are present every day. The order it arrives is always a surprise. I usually take a light jacket - a nylon shell - and hat (an umbrella will do) everywhere I go. The hat is important because the sun, when it graces us with its presence, is strong. The climate in my opinion is absolutely perfect.
We had many concerns. The one we were most worried about was the availability of many things. I have been amazed at how unnecessary were any concerns. There is nothing that I need or really want that I can't get although I have had to make do with local products that to my surprise are every bit as good as I'm used to in the states. Prices on some things are higher but the vast majority of everything from rental housing to property to food to transportation to services is a small fraction of what I experienced in Nashville area. We're building a house and are easily living for less than half what it cost to live in Franklin. There are many claims that it is possible to live on US Social Security retirement benefits. I think they are realistic. If that is someone's life in the US then their life will be much more comfortable here.
We investigated for life style, culture, climate, environment, and cost of living. We found everything more than acceptable. What we had no way of knowing was the hidden treasure we would find - the people. They are my best reason for choosing to move here.
I've never met more peaceful, accepting, non-judgmental people anywhere in my travel on five continents. They live in peace, are fantastic neighbors and friends, and are very hard working honest people. I have yet to hear an argument or see a confrontation in the time I've been in the country. I've been burglarized (my fault I should have taken more precautions) but the response from everyone from the police to the neighbors was incredible. The people I've met live like they know they're all in this life together. That's my kind of community.
The difference to me living here compared to Franklin, a nice place really, is stark. I've lost 40 pounds since last year when we came to visit. I didn't try to do that. The change in lifestyle and a crazy year preparing to move did the trick. The food is better. Fruits and vegetables are as embarrassingly inexpensive as they are high quality and plentiful. Chicken is much better as is pork and fish. Beef is different since it's commonly dairy beef and/or grass fed instead of corn fattened like in the US. It is flavorful but more dense and leaner. None of it was raised on antibiotics and growth hormones to improve profits. $5 gets a good meal locally although being a modern, in an ancient looking shell, international city you can get almost anything for a little more. I doubt I'd want a kitchen if I lived in El Centro.
All of my allergies and congestion are gone. The golf ball size tonsils I've had all of my life are gone. My wife says she thinks this is because my immune system is no longer under stress. These were a constant presence and source of discomfort until we moved. I haven't had a cold or illness since I left the states. I was concerned about acclimating to the altitude but needn't have worried. Losing weight probably had a big effect on all of this. These effects have occurred in all three of us and our animals. My 12 year old arthritic pit mix is romping around like a puppy. Seeing him splashing around in the Rio Yanuncay chasing sticks for the first time was amazing.
I'm not enough of a fool to not know there are things that all perfect. The poverty and an undercurrent of chauvinism are obvious but they seem to be improving. The point is we've found Cuenca to be an incredible place to live. The expats I've met mostly agree.
I could go on and on singing the praises of my adopted city. I'll end with a teaser. Gringos Abroad is a good well balanced resource for the pros and cons of Ecuador. It's a great place to find more questions.
"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."
Thank you for your informative reply
It sounds like you have landed in great place and things are working out well for you. I will look into the link you provided. Would love for you to stop in to our Friday night photography essays and post some photos of the area if you have any. Think about it?
Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.
We have a bus load of photos.
My wife is a very accomplished gardener. Her interests are all things plant and animal but especially plant. We have found so many incredible things along the road up the mountain. She’s collected a wide variety from mosses and lichens to orchids. She’s barely able to wait for this house to be finished so she can start collecting in earnest.
We have been quite fortunate in our life. This transition was easy from a resources perspective. We landed here for all the right reasons. I’m only sorry so many can’t escape or are stuck in the habit of believing there is no place they can go or that they couldn’t possibly leave the US. This was a leap into the unknown that seems to have worked for us but there are also many who came here on a shoestring with no chance to fall back on a plan B. I’ve spoken with all types and almost universally everyone feels close to how we feel.
I’l try to put together a photo collection to share.
"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."
Please do!
I'd love to see that!
dingdingdingdingding!!
punctuation changed due to format change
Dingdingdingdingding!! Give that boy/girl a Marijuana! (I live in Colorado, I can say that!)
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
Thanks for the offer
but small quantities are not illegal here as I understand. I choose not to use here or anywhere. My choice, YMMV. Luckily I hit a lifetime limit on mood altering substances almost 22 years ago.
Your point about Assange is too obvious. Ecuador has a president who is showing a willingness to get paid to be played. The Assange clamp down came within days of the announcement of talks with the US about improving cooperation. (Bending over and taking it IMHO.) The indictment of Correa on involvement in the kidnapping of a political rival may or may not have substance but the timing seems damned convenient.
"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."
A Few Decent Countries Should Step Up and Cover Those
$845M and kick the US out of the organization.
Not worth that kind of chump change to have to deal with a petty, greedy, child at the table; and I ain't just talkin' bout Drumpf.
“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu
Yeah, that screams corporate slime
Nestle needs their millions in formula. You know, that stuff they give away for free just long enough to ensure that there's no milk for the child when the free stuff runs out.
They're the worst kind of slime.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Ecuador raises a red flag for me.
Honestly, they should reduce their public profile and let other nations carry the ball for their ideas and contributions on behalf of mankind.
In recent years, I have seen the rise of a vicious revenge cartel emanating from the State and/or the Pentagon. Terrible deadly endless misfortune dogs nations that have crossed the US in some way. Look no further than Malaysia, which tried the US for War Crimes and found members of the Bush regime guilty. Warrants are outstanding. Housing whistleblowers is another no-no. Embarrassing the President is a huge mistake. The range of offenses is wide. The revenge is as deadly as Novichok.
Gallows humor from the website “Signs of the Times” (sott.net)
Too soon? Lol.
Sometimes I conclude that all the grief coming at Russia — from Ukraine to sanctions to Novichok — can all be attributed to Putin not handing Snowden over after the US managed to trap him in Russia. That's the sole bearing that the New Cold War pivots on.
(They've had some ugly, unexplained commercial air crashes and god only knows what other clusters of misfortune, that seem to form a pattern.)