• IP addresses are NOT logged in this forum so there's no point asking. Please note that this forum is full of homophobes, racists, lunatics, schizophrenics & absolute nut jobs with a smattering of geniuses, Chinese chauvinists, Moderate Muslims and last but not least a couple of "know-it-alls" constantly sprouting their dubious wisdom. If you believe that content generated by unsavory characters might cause you offense PLEASE LEAVE NOW! Sammyboy Admin and Staff are not responsible for your hurt feelings should you choose to read any of the content here.

    The OTHER forum is HERE so please stop asking.

Pse eat more Shark Fins as I correctly told you always

nkfnkfnkf

Alfrescian
Loyal
http://theconversation.com/white-shark-populations-are-growing-heres-why-thats-good-news-44872



[video=youtube;W7bo1MIRbiI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=W7bo1MIRbiI[/video]


White shark populations are growing. Here’s why that’s good news
July 22, 2015 8.36pm AEST
Where there are groups of seals, there are sharks. Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environment, CC BY-NC
Author

George Burgess

Director, Florida Program for Shark Research and Coordinator of Museum Operations, Florida Museum of Natural History at University of Florida

Disclosure statement

George Burgess does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.

The Conversation is funded by CSIRO, Melbourne, Monash, RMIT, UTS, UWA, ACU, ANU, ASB, Baker IDI, Canberra, CDU, CQU, Curtin, Deakin, ECU, Flinders, Griffith, the Harry Perkins Institute, JCU, La Trobe, Massey, Murdoch, Newcastle, UQ, QUT, SAHMRI, Swinburne, Sydney, UNDA, UNE, UniSA, UNSW, USC, USQ, UTAS, UWS, VU and Wollongong.
Republish this article

We believe in the free flow of information. We use a Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivatives license, so you can republish our articles for free, online or in print.
Republish

Email
Twitter27
Facebook
LinkedIn

When bald eagle populations rebounded, people rejoiced. When alligators came back from the brink of extinction, most of us agreed it was a good thing. But tell people how happy you are that the great white shark population is on the rise, and you won’t find many who will join in the celebration.

It’s understandable. We have an inherent and sensible fear of predators that can eat us as we enjoy a summer swim, and the recent attacks by other shark species in the Carolinas have been frightening and traumatic. And many people this week have watched the video of a professional surfer fend off an attack from a white shark. But in the balance, healthy shark populations are part of a healthy ocean, and we depend on a healthy ocean for our very lives.
Pro surfer Mick Fanning escapes a shark encounter earlier this week.

The world’s oceans provide humankind with critical sources of food. They help regulate the Earth’s climate and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Even those of us who live thousands of miles from the coast are very much in the oceans' debt for many of the comforts and conveniences of our existence.

Sharks – occupying the top of the marine food chain as they do – are a visible sign of the how our seas are faring. We don’t know what would happen to the oceans without them, but we know this: removing apex predators – or any species – from the web of life can have consequences that are just as problematic for people as the “problem” species was.
Sharks on rebound

Like it or not, sharks are part of a balanced ocean ecosystem. After a decline of up to 90% for some species in the Unites States, they are beginning a gradual rise toward the numbers of a century ago.

That suggests some of the damage we’ve done to the oceans has been reversed, and that’s something to celebrate.

I have no wish to minimize or make light of the trauma suffered by shark-attack victims and their families, which includes eight people in North Carolina this year. Quite the reverse: I hope civic leaders and beachgoers will take these events seriously, because they’re going to happen more often.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy tags sharks off the coast of Cape Cod last summer.

It won’t be a rapid change. Sharks take eight or more years to reach reproductive age, and their gestation periods can be as long as 18 months, with a year or two between pregnancies, so we won’t be seeing a shark baby boom.

If it seems that they’re turning up in ever greater numbers, it’s because incidents are more visible now: there are more of us and we’re all ready with our smartphones, capturing and sharing footage whenever someone yells “Shark!”

While the white shark population rise won’t be rapid, it will be noticeable. These will be numbers few of us have seen in our lifetimes.

We can trace it back to another success story. With the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, seal and sea lion populations began to rebuild along the West Coast. White sharks eat seals and sea lions, and having more of their favorite food available enabled them to make a comeback, too.

Now we’re seeing seals returning to parts of the Northeast where they haven’t been for nearly a century. We can expect that white sharks won’t be far behind.
Learning how to coexist

As seals and sharks return to their former numbers and territories, we will need to make adjustments.

We have protected these animals from being killed, but now we have to relearn how to live alongside them. Marine mammals will reclaim beaches that we’ve become accustomed to using, and sharks will follow to prey on them.

Because these changes will happen gradually, there’s no need to be caught unaware. We know it’s going to happen; we need to start planning how we’re going to deal with this at a community and personal level.

We can take steps to coexist safely with sharks. Additional beach safety personnel can help spot sharks near swimming areas. Guidelines about swimming a safe distance from seal colonies and fishing areas where sharks may be found could help.

There’s even talk of deploying drones to keep a lookout for sharks. We also need to be prepared to cede some beaches back to the species that once dominated them.

Beachgoers keep a white shark on Cape Cod alive before it’s captured and put back into the ocean.

White shark populations are growing. Here’s why that’s good news
July 22, 2015 8.36pm AEST
Where there are groups of seals, there are sharks. Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environment, CC BY-NC
Author

George Burgess

Director, Florida Program for Shark Research and Coordinator of Museum Operations, Florida Museum of Natural History at University of Florida

Disclosure statement

George Burgess does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.

The Conversation is funded by CSIRO, Melbourne, Monash, RMIT, UTS, UWA, ACU, ANU, ASB, Baker IDI, Canberra, CDU, CQU, Curtin, Deakin, ECU, Flinders, Griffith, the Harry Perkins Institute, JCU, La Trobe, Massey, Murdoch, Newcastle, UQ, QUT, SAHMRI, Swinburne, Sydney, UNDA, UNE, UniSA, UNSW, USC, USQ, UTAS, UWS, VU and Wollongong.
Republish this article

We believe in the free flow of information. We use a Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivatives license, so you can republish our articles for free, online or in print.
Republish

Email
Twitter27
Facebook
LinkedIn

When bald eagle populations rebounded, people rejoiced. When alligators came back from the brink of extinction, most of us agreed it was a good thing. But tell people how happy you are that the great white shark population is on the rise, and you won’t find many who will join in the celebration.

It’s understandable. We have an inherent and sensible fear of predators that can eat us as we enjoy a summer swim, and the recent attacks by other shark species in the Carolinas have been frightening and traumatic. And many people this week have watched the video of a professional surfer fend off an attack from a white shark. But in the balance, healthy shark populations are part of a healthy ocean, and we depend on a healthy ocean for our very lives.
Pro surfer Mick Fanning escapes a shark encounter earlier this week.

The world’s oceans provide humankind with critical sources of food. They help regulate the Earth’s climate and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Even those of us who live thousands of miles from the coast are very much in the oceans' debt for many of the comforts and conveniences of our existence.

Sharks – occupying the top of the marine food chain as they do – are a visible sign of the how our seas are faring. We don’t know what would happen to the oceans without them, but we know this: removing apex predators – or any species – from the web of life can have consequences that are just as problematic for people as the “problem” species was.
Sharks on rebound

Like it or not, sharks are part of a balanced ocean ecosystem. After a decline of up to 90% for some species in the Unites States, they are beginning a gradual rise toward the numbers of a century ago.

That suggests some of the damage we’ve done to the oceans has been reversed, and that’s something to celebrate.

I have no wish to minimize or make light of the trauma suffered by shark-attack victims and their families, which includes eight people in North Carolina this year. Quite the reverse: I hope civic leaders and beachgoers will take these events seriously, because they’re going to happen more often.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy tags sharks off the coast of Cape Cod last summer.

It won’t be a rapid change. Sharks take eight or more years to reach reproductive age, and their gestation periods can be as long as 18 months, with a year or two between pregnancies, so we won’t be seeing a shark baby boom.

If it seems that they’re turning up in ever greater numbers, it’s because incidents are more visible now: there are more of us and we’re all ready with our smartphones, capturing and sharing footage whenever someone yells “Shark!”

While the white shark population rise won’t be rapid, it will be noticeable. These will be numbers few of us have seen in our lifetimes.

We can trace it back to another success story. With the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, seal and sea lion populations began to rebuild along the West Coast. White sharks eat seals and sea lions, and having more of their favorite food available enabled them to make a comeback, too.

Now we’re seeing seals returning to parts of the Northeast where they haven’t been for nearly a century. We can expect that white sharks won’t be far behind.
Learning how to coexist

As seals and sharks return to their former numbers and territories, we will need to make adjustments.

We have protected these animals from being killed, but now we have to relearn how to live alongside them. Marine mammals will reclaim beaches that we’ve become accustomed to using, and sharks will follow to prey on them.

Because these changes will happen gradually, there’s no need to be caught unaware. We know it’s going to happen; we need to start planning how we’re going to deal with this at a community and personal level.

We can take steps to coexist safely with sharks. Additional beach safety personnel can help spot sharks near swimming areas. Guidelines about swimming a safe distance from seal colonies and fishing areas where sharks may be found could help.

There’s even talk of deploying drones to keep a lookout for sharks. We also need to be prepared to cede some beaches back to the species that once dominated them.

Beachgoers keep a white shark on Cape Cod alive before it’s captured and put back into the ocean.

Changes in our behavior will help, but a change in our mindset is also in order. We’re going to have to accept that when we swim in the ocean, we enter a world that is not our own, one where we have no guarantee of safety. We already know there’s a risk of drowning, even for strong swimmers, and we accept this risk when we go into the ocean. The risk of shark attack is – and will remain – much lower.

There is, in fact, some evidence that attitudes are starting to change. Earlier this month, beachgoers in Cape Cod kept a beached white shark alive long enough for volunteers and researchers to release it back into the sea, whereas in previous years it might have been deliberately killed or left to die.
Education and warnings, such as this one in California, can help. Gino Zahnd/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

A growing white shark population is a success story where few are found. It’s like money in the bank for a sound ecosystem. For decades, most of us didn’t give sharks a second thought, but now we will have to. That’s part of the give-and-take in any relationship.

Think of it as a compromise that keeps the marriage between us and the natural world going.

If we can make some adjustments in our thinking and behavior, we can minimize conflicts between sharks and people. They may be the ones blessed with the teeth, but we’re the ones blessed with the brains.

Changes in our behavior will help, but a change in our mindset is also in order. We’re going to have to accept that when we swim in the ocean, we enter a world that is not our own, one where we have no guarantee of safety. We already know there’s a risk of drowning, even for strong swimmers, and we accept this risk when we go into the ocean. The risk of shark attack is – and will remain – much lower.

There is, in fact, some evidence that attitudes are starting to change. Earlier this month, beachgoers in Cape Cod kept a beached white shark alive long enough for volunteers and researchers to release it back into the sea, whereas in previous years it might have been deliberately killed or left to die.
Education and warnings, such as this one in California, can help. Gino Zahnd/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

A growing white shark population is a success story where few are found. It’s like money in the bank for a sound ecosystem. For decades, most of us didn’t give sharks a second thought, but now we will have to. That’s part of the give-and-take in any relationship.

Think of it as a compromise that keeps the marriage between us and the natural world going.

If we can make some adjustments in our thinking and behavior, we can minimize conflicts between sharks and people. They may be the ones blessed with the teeth, but we’re the ones blessed with the brains.
 

Runifyouhaveto

Alfrescian
Loyal

nkfnkfnkf

Alfrescian
Loyal
And zero nutritional value.
In fact eating shark fins there's risks of heavy metals

It is tasty yum yum yum!

It is anti-cancer! Sharks almost zero cancer, their body substance is a secret medicine.

It is ULTRA RICH collagen in shark fins, and most helpful for knee joint and other joint damages issues.

http://www.a6k6n6.com/Shark-Fin-Collagen-Pearl-Powder-Plus-p-8860.html

the idiots against shark fins say no nutritional value, THEY ARE LIARS!


http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/ably/item/fukahire/
 

Narong Wongwan

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Just one of many examples

Only dumbfucks think of shark fins as medicine hahaha


Shark fin soup has erroneously been associated with positive heath benefits. However there is no accepted scientific evidence that shark fin provides any medicinal or health benefit. In fact studies show that shark has among the highest levels of mercury and other dangerous toxins found in fish.
Why sharks can be so toxic: bioaccumulation and biomagnification
Marine organisms absorb and cannot excrete some toxins and heavy metals that enter the oceans from pollutants. These toxins accumulate in a fish’s body as it eats other fish, known as "bioaccumulation1," and travel through the food web from prey to predator, continuing to increase in density in a process called "biomagnification2."
At the top of the food chain are the ‘apex’ predators: sharks. Some shark species can live for 50 years or more, consuming many toxin-laden fish and storing those toxins in their bodies throughout their lifetime. When we eat shark fin soup, we are consuming their toxins, too.
Methylmercury, a dangerous neurotoxin found in shark
mercurygraph.jpg

Methylmercury is an organic form of mercury, a neurotoxin. Organizations throughout the world, including the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), recognize mercury to be a dangerous neurotoxin and warn against eating shark, especially pregnant women, women who plan to become pregnant, or children.
Methylmercury exposure can cause serious neurological and heart problems and has been linked to infertility3. One quarter of 70 uncooked fins from a Hong Kong market contained mercury concentrations well above the World Health Organization’s guidelines, enough to be identified as a significant threat to children and babies4.
Other toxins in shark fins and in soup
Another recent study found that 79% of shark fins tested contained high-levels of BMAA, a dangerous neurotoxin linked to increased risk of Alzheimer’s and other degenerative brain diseases5.
Levels of Arsenic contamination in one single fin can be 13-32 times China’s national guideline for marine products and 10% of all dried seafood items in Hong Kong, mostly shark fins, contain impurities such as hydrogen peroxide and formaldehyde, each considered hazardous to human health6.



It is tasty yum yum yum!

It is anti-cancer! Sharks almost zero cancer, their body substance is a secret medicine.

It is ULTRA RICH collagen in shark fins, and most helpful for knee joint and other joint damages issues.

http://www.a6k6n6.com/Shark-Fin-Collagen-Pearl-Powder-Plus-p-8860.html

the idiots against shark fins say no nutritional value, THEY ARE LIARS!


http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/ably/item/fukahire/
 

Narong Wongwan

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Shark fin soup has been associated with a variety of benefits from increased virility to longer life. However, the fin is purely cartilage, the same compound in human, cow and other vertebrates. Cartilage has no nutritional value. Any benefit would come from the broth and other ingredients added. The fact is, shark fins are high in mercury, a know reproductive, developmental toxin and one that can cause permanent nerve and brain damage. The process of treating and drying shark fins can actually concentrate mercury and make the levels higher. The World Health Organization has tested shark fins and determined some fins to be so high that one bowl of soup would exceed the recommended exposure. Wild Aid has similarly tested fins for soup and determined that people who consume shark fin soup even occasionally are at risk to high mercury levels. Shark meat is also high in mercury. The California State Office of Environmental Health Assessment has tested sharks from the San Francisco Bay and make the recommendation to eat zero portions of sharks from the bay. We can protect human health and shark populations by avoiding consumption of any shark products.

Support Restaurants like Benu in San Francisco who are developing healthy alternatives to shark fin. All the flavor and texture without the fin.
 

Jah_rastafar_I

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Shark fin soup has been associated with a variety of benefits from increased virility to longer life. However, the fin is purely cartilage, the same compound in human, cow and other vertebrates. Cartilage has no nutritional value. Any benefit would come from the broth and other ingredients added. The fact is, shark fins are high in mercury, a know reproductive, developmental toxin and one that can cause permanent nerve and brain damage. The process of treating and drying shark fins can actually concentrate mercury and make the levels higher. The World Health Organization has tested shark fins and determined some fins to be so high that one bowl of soup would exceed the recommended exposure. Wild Aid has similarly tested fins for soup and determined that people who consume shark fin soup even occasionally are at risk to high mercury levels. Shark meat is also high in mercury. The California State Office of Environmental Health Assessment has tested sharks from the San Francisco Bay and make the recommendation to eat zero portions of sharks from the bay. We can protect human health and shark populations by avoiding consumption of any shark products.

Support Restaurants like Benu in San Francisco who are developing healthy alternatives to shark fin. All the flavor and texture without the fin.

Umm you do know that not all sharks come from the california bay right? so that doesn't mean all sharks are high in mercury right?

That's like saying all humans have high radioactivity in them all because someone tested the people living near and around fukushima.
 

nkfnkfnkf

Alfrescian
Loyal
Just one of many examples

Only dumbfucks think of shark fins as medicine hahaha

.....

It is VERY FOOLISHLY WESTERN concept to separate medicine from normal food. Actually much of normal food has medical effects and values. Chicken for example, are used to boil herbal medicine for medical effects.

Dogs is also normal food, and like sharks, has medical substance and effects that can be used.

Must not just eat sharks only, but also must feed human to sharks, to reduce global population level, and then the remaining human eat sharks. This way helps to BALANCE the eco system. ISIS must feed their POWs to sharks. :wink:
 
Last edited:

Narong Wongwan

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Umm you do know that not all sharks come from the california bay right? so that doesn't mean all sharks are high in mercury right?

That's like saying all humans have high radioactivity in them all because someone tested the people living near and around fukushima.

Dun do selectively reading.
Read the part about WHO.
Anyways if any nutritional value from sharks can be easily substituted from eating something else. It's not some wonder food and its tasteless by itself.
I rather err on side of caution.,
 

nkfnkfnkf

Alfrescian
Loyal
This is what I meant, sharks fed on Ang Moh, as Asians enjoys their tasty fins.

Yum Yum! And that's call FOOD CHAIN in Eco Planet. Very good!


http://time.com/3972254/shark-attack-man-daughter/




SIGN IN
Home
U.S.
Politics
World
Business
Tech
Health
Science
Entertainment
Newsfeed
Living
Sports
History
The TIME Vault
Magazine
Ideas
Parents
TIME Labs
Money
LIFE
The Daily Cut
Photography
Videos
PITTSBURGH: THE COMEBACK
NEXT GENERATION LEADERS
THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE
ASK THE EXPERT
KNOW RIGHT NOW
NEW ADVENTURERS
PERSON OF THE YEAR 2014
SHAPING OUR FUTURE
SOLUTIONS THAT MATTER
TIME EXPLAINS
TOP 10 EVERYTHING OF 2014
TOP OF THE WORLD
WONDERS OF THE WORLD
A YEAR IN SPACE

SUBSCRIBE
NEWSLETTERS
FEEDBACK
PRIVACY POLICY
YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS
TERMS OF USE
AD CHOICES
RSS
TIME APPS
TIME FOR KIDS
ADVERTISING
REPRINTS AND PERMISSIONS
SITE MAP
HELP
CUSTOMER SERVICE
© 2015 TIME INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


WORLD AUSTRALIA
Man Killed in Shark Attack as Daughter Looks On
Sarah Begley @SCBegley
12:21 PM ET SHARE
The pair were diving for scallops

A man was killed by a shark off the coast of Australia while his adult daughter witnessed the attack from their boat.

The pair were diving for scallops off the state of Tasmania, the Associated Press reports. The woman returned to the boat with some of the catch, and when she looked back for her father, she saw a large shark attacking him.

A 15-ft.-long great white shark had recently been seen in the area, and it’s possible the same animal was responsible for the man’s death.

While sharks are commonly seen in Australia’s waters, they only account for an average of two fatalities per year in the country.

[AP]

AROUND THE WEB
Sponsored Links by

Human soup? Japanese spa offers a ramen noodle bath
Yahoo Travel Inspirations

Enjoy a moment of tranquility on our sampan ride, a traditional…
Marina Bay Sands
0
HISTORY FOREIGN RELATIONS
We Know Why Obama Changed U.S. Policy Toward Cuba. But Why Did Cuba Change Its Policy Toward the U.S.?
Matt Jacobs / History News Network @myHNN
12:00 PM ET SHARE

Adalberto Roque—AFP/Getty Images
Fidel Castro (L) with his brother Raul Castro on Dec. 20, 1999 in Havana
To understand the change we need to acknowledge that Castro has always followed a policy of “revolutionary pragmatism”


History News Network
This post is in partnership with the History News Network, the website that puts the news into historical perspective. The article below was originally published at HNN.

The restoration of U.S. and Cuban diplomatic ties is quite an event, particularly given the hostility that defined relations between the two countries for so long. President Obama’s decision to re-open an embassy in Havana and Raul Castro’s agreement to do the same in Washington continues the thaw in U.S.-Cuban relations. The steps taken by both countries have generated much publicity over the past few months. Numerous U.S. media outlets have produced stories on the implications for Obama’s legacy and the potential fallout for 2016 presidential candidates. As usual Washington politicians and pundits have focused their attention on the reasons for the U.S. shift. Yet, it is not President Obama’s decision to seek a normalization that warrants the most attention, but rather the Castro government’s reasoning behind their determination to chart a new course in U.S.-Cuban relations. In fact, much more can be learned from concentrating instead on what is behind the Cuban leadership’s thinking.

Havana’s recent decisions are deeply rooted in what can best be termed as Cuba’s “revolutionary pragmatism.” Though the Castro government continually speaks the language of revolutionary change, it also has also taken a sensible view to foreign policy matters when necessary. Such an approach has guided Cuban engagement with the world from the 1960s to the present.

“Revolutionary pragmatism” traces back to the very beginning of the Castro regime. In the years immediately following the Cuban Revolution, for example, a top issue in US-Cuban relations included Fidel Castro’s support for anti-US guerilla movements throughout Latin America. Castro repeatedly challenged Latin Americans and others around the world to stand up to the United States. He famously declared in 1962 that it was “the duty of every revolutionary to make the revolution. In America and the world, it is known that the revolution will be victorious, but it is improper revolutionary behavior to sit at one’s doorstep waiting for the corpse of imperialism to pass by.”

Yet, privately, Castro proved willing to develop a foreign policy based on practical considerations. On a recent research trip to Cuba I gained access to the Foreign Ministry Archive in Havana and was surprised at what I found. Many detailed reports from the early 1960s discussed the prospects for revolution in Central and South America, but concluded that conditions were not ripe in many nations for radical change. This reality led to a more pragmatic position being taken by leaders in Havana as they approached Latin America.

The most documented aid came in the form of training young Latin Americans in guerilla tactics who traveled to Cuba. As historian Piero Gliejeses’s excellent studies demonstrate, Castro turned his attention to Africa as early as 1964. Havana’s decision to abandon any large-scale support for revolutionary groups in Latin America was not made due to a lack of enthusiasm for challenging Washington’s traditional sphere of influence, but owed instead to practical considerations.

Similarly, in the 1980s when the Sandinista triumph in Nicaragua offered Havana an ally in Latin America, Castro held to “revolutionary pragmatism.” He counseled Daniel Ortega not to antagonize elite economic interests too much. On a visit to Managua, Castro even declared that allowing some capitalism in the Nicaraguan economy did not violate revolutionary principles. He bluntly told Nicaraguan leaders that they did not have to follow the path taken by Cuba, “Each revolution is different from the others.”

Perhaps the greatest illustration of Cuban flexibility was the Castro regime’s response to the collapse of the Soviet Union. In June 1990, after receiving word that aid from Moscow would no longer flow to Havana, Fidel Castro announced a national emergency. He called his initiative “the Special Period in Peacetime.” Cuba welcomed foreign investment, tourism, the U.S. dollar, and allowed small-scale private businesses. While many prognosticators predicated a complete collapse of the Castro regime, the revolutionary government endured due to its ability to adapt.

Thus, recent developments must be viewed within their proper historical context. As it has in the past, Castro’s regime is pursuing “revolutionary pragmatism.”

The impetus for changes in Cuba’s approach owes to several reasons. First, since the death of Hugo Chávez in 2013 Venezuela has become a questionable economic ally. Political instability coupled with a crumbling economy has likely caused Havana to view a key economic patron in Caracas as increasingly unreliable. A complete breakdown of order in Venezuela would greatly affect the Cuban economy in a negative way. Thus, a better economic relationship with the United States is one way of protecting the island from a changing relationship with Venezuela.

Other reasons for Cuba’s rapprochement with the United States owe to domestic concerns. Since taking power in 2008, Raul Castro has been open to reforms in an attempt to make socialism work for the twenty-first century. Over the last few years the Cuban government has relaxed controls over certain sectors of the economy, but reforms have been slow and halting. Anyone who has spent time in Havana cannot help but notice the aging infrastructure and inefficient public transportation system. A key to any reform agenda is attracting foreign investment, and the United States stands as an attractive partner.

Furthermore, as Raul is poised to step down from power in 2018, Cuba is starting to make preparations for a successful turnover. An improving relationship with Washington may help his likely successor, Miguel Díaz-Canel, better navigate the transfer. In sum, at this point and time, normalization of U.S.-Cuban relations serves Havana’s best interests.

It remains to be seen just how far the Cuban government will go regarding changes in policy. Going back to 2010, Raul Castro declared during a national address that “we reform, or we sink.” His recent push for renewed relations with the United States will likely create an influx of U.S. tourists and more capital from American businesses. In turn, this could place Cuba down the path of other communist nations who embraced elements of capitalism, China and Vietnam notably. Just how far Raul will go with his reform agenda remains to be seen.

Ultimately, a U.S.-Cuban thaw is a positive step. Antagonism between the two countries serves no one, especially the Cuban people. Yet, we should not see the recent shifts as merely Washington changing course. The steps taken by Havana are equally important and should be viewed as part of a long history of shrewd diplomacy. While Cuban foreign policy has traditionally been revolutionary in rhetoric, it has proven once again to be pragmatic in practice.

Matt Jacobs received his PhD in History from Ohio University in 2015. This fall he will be a Visiting Assistant Professor of Intelligence Studies and Global Affairs at Embry-Riddle’s College of Security and Intelligence. He has conducted research at the Cuban National Archive and the Cuban Foreign Ministry Archive, both in Havana.

Sign up for and more view example
Read more: Why Did the U.S. and Cuba Sever Diplomatic Ties in the First Place?
0
POLITICS LINDSEY GRAHAM
John McCain to Campaign for Lindsey Graham Next Week
Zeke J Miller @ZekeJMiller
11:48 AM ET SHARE

John Leyba—Denver Post/Getty Images
U.S. Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham at a Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab (CELL) event titled, Violent Extremism & U.S. Response, on April 1, 2015 in Denver.
McCain's in-person assistance is critical for Graham

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, will campaign for the first time on behalf of his friend Sen. Lindsey Graham in New Hampshire next week.

According to a Graham spokesperson, McCain, who won the 2000 and 2008 New Hampshire primaries, will appear with the South Carolina senator at a barbecue at a VFW hall in Littleton, N.H. on Saturday, Aug. 1. The pair will campaign in the state throughout the weekend.

McCain’s in-person assistance is critical for Graham, who is casting his message as the natural successor to McCain’s “straight talk,” combining a hawkish foreign policy with calls to reform the immigration system, preserve the environment and modernize entitlement programs. It comes as a bevy of 2016 contenders are hoping to deploy a “tell-it-like-it-is” campaign in the Granite State.

The pair traveled extensively together in 2008, when Graham was a ubiquitous presence on McCain’s campaign bus and plane. Together with former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the trio branded themselves as “the three amigos.” (The three were united in New York last week at an event opposing President Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran.)

In an interview with TIME last month, McCain praised Graham for being a “happy warrior” on the campaign trial.

“He’s been on it with me for so long, he knows that one of the things that’s important about a campaign is to enjoy it, and that enjoyment many times will transmit itself to the voter,” McCain said. “He’s going to be a happy warrior. He already is. And sometime that’s very helpful in getting support, particularly when sometimes the face-to-face contact is what you get with voters in Iowa, and particularly New Hampshire.”

In 2012, McCain held off endorsing anyone until the day after the Iowa Caucuses, when he appeared with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at a joint New Hampshire town hall as the eventual GOP nominee, and McCain’s once bitter primary rival, sought to consolidate the party’s support.

0
WORLD KENYA
Obama Pushes African Nations to Treat LGBT People Equally
Darlene Superville and Julie Pace/AP
11:37 AM ET SHARE

"When a government gets in the habit of treating people differently, those habits can spread"

(NAIROBI, Kenya)—President Barack Obama nudged African nations Saturday to treat gays and lesbians equally under the law, a position that remains unpopular through much of the continent. Obama’s Kenyan counterpart responded by calling the matter a “non-issue” for his country.

Obama tackled the sensitive issue on his first full day in Kenya, the country of his father’s birth. He drew on his own background as an African-American, noting the slavery and segregation of the U.S. past and saying he is “painfully aware of the history when people are treated differently under the law.”

“That’s the path whereby freedoms begin to erode and bad things happen,” Obama added during a joint news conference with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. “When a government gets in the habit of treating people differently, those habits can spread.”

Kenyatta was unmoved, saying gay rights “is not really an issue on the foremost mind of Kenyans. And that is a fact.”

A number of Kenyan politicians and religious leaders had warned Obama in outspoken terms that any overtures on gay rights would not be welcomed in Kenya, where gay sex is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Obama’s visit to Kenya — the first by a sitting U.S. president — has been long sought by this East African nation where he is widely considered a local son.

Acknowledging that some Kenyans have been frustrated that it took him until the seventh year of his presidency to visit, Obama joked that he didn’t want the rest of Africa to think he was “playing favorites.” He will also visit Ethiopia on this trip.

Still, he noted the U.S. had concerns about violence that erupted in Kenya after its 2007 election. Kenyatta faced charges related to that violence in the International Criminal Court, though those charges were later dropped. Deputy President William Ruto, however, still faces charges at the ICC.

Obama said he was encouraged by statements Kenyatta has made about the need to root out corruption in the country, saying that’s one issue that could slow down Kenya’s economic growth and development.

Much of Obama’s discussions with Kenyatta centered on counterterrorism cooperation. Kenya has been grappling with deadly attacks from extremists, most notably Somalia-based al-Shabab, a network linked to al-Qaida.

Al-Shabab has conducted major attacks in Kenya, including the 2013 attack on Nairobi’s Westgate mall and an April attack in Garissa town that killed nearly 150 people.

“This is an existential fight for us,” Kenyatta said.

The two leaders opened their day-long meetings with a joint appearance at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, a U.S.-sponsored business conference. Obama announced $1 billion in commitments from the U.S. government, as well as American banks, foundations and philanthropists.

“Africa is on the move,” Obama declared.


0
POLITICS 2016 ELECTION
Hillary Clinton to Testify Before Benghazi Panel in October
Zeke J Miller @ZekeJMiller
11:18 AM ET SHARE

The hearing will be in an open setting

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has agreed to testify before the House Benghazi Committee in October, her campaign announced Saturday.

The committee was formed last year to lead an investigation into the killing of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens.

According to Clinton’s campaign, the hearing will be in an open setting, fulfilling a key Clinton request. The committee chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy, initially requested that the committee interview Clinton in a classified session.

“Earlier this week we were pleased for Secretary Clinton to receive an offer from Congressman Gowdy to appear before the committee in a public hearing in October, and yesterday accepted his invitation,” Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said in a statement.

In recent months the committee has expanded its purview into investigating Clinton’s use of a private email server rather than a government email account. On Friday, a pair of inspectors general announced that they had found messages containing classified information among the 30,000 emails Clinton has turned over from the server, contrary to Clinton’s assertion in March. The inspector general for the intelligence community also notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the possible compromise of classified information being kept outside of government control, in reference to Clinton’s private server.

0
TAP
Man Killed in Shark Attack as Daughter Looks On
We Know Why Obama Changed U.S. Policy Toward Cuba. But Why Did Cuba Change Its Policy Toward the U.S.?
John McCain to Campaign for Lindsey Graham Next Week
Obama Pushes African Nations to Treat LGBT People Equally
Hillary Clinton to Testify Before Benghazi Panel in October
Saudi-Led Coalition Announces 5-Day Pause in Yemen Attacks
Obama Sees Kenya as a Hotbed of Innovation—Not Terror
See How the Bush Administration Responded to 9/11 in Newly Released Photos
Animal-Rights Activists Arrested for Releasing 5,740 Mink
Chris Brown Finally Leaves Philippines After Being Stuck Over Legal Issue
 
Top