LUQUE, Paraguay (AP) — Sake is perhaps more Japanese than the world-famous sushi. It's brewed in centuries-old mountaintop warehouses, savored in the country’s pub-like izakayas, poured during weddings and served slightly chilled for special toasts. The smooth rice wine that plays a crucial role in Japan's culinary traditions was enshrined on Wednesday by UNESCO on its list of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity." At a meeting in Luque, Paraguay, members of UNESCO’s committee for safeguarding humanity's cultural heritage voted to recognize 45 cultural practices and products around the world, including Brazilian white cheese, Caribbean cassava bread and Palestinian olive oil soap. Unlike UNESCO’s World Heritage List, which includes sites considered important to humanity like the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Intangible Cultural Heritage designation names products and practices of different cultures that are deserving of recognition. A Japanese delegation welcomed the announcement in Luque. “Sake is considered a divine gift and is essential for social and cultural events in Japan,” Kano Takehiro, the Japanese ambassador to UNESCO, told The Associated Press. The basic ingredients of sake are few: rice, water, yeast and koji, a rice mold, which breaks down the starches into fermentable sugars like malting does in beer production. The whole two-monthlong process of steaming, stirring, fermenting and pressing can be grueling. The rice — which wields tremendous marketing power as part of Japan's broader cultural identity — is key to the alcoholic brew. For a product to be categorized Japanese sake, the rice must be Japanese. The UNESCO recognition, the delegation said, captured more than the craft knowledge of making high-quality sake. It also honored a tradition dating back some 1,000 years — sake makes a cameo in Japan’s famous 11th century novel, “The Tale of Genji,” as the drink of choice in the refined Heian court. Now, officials hope to restore sake's image as Japan's premier alcoholic drink even as the younger drinkers in the country switch to imported wine or domestic beer and whiskey. “It means a lot to Japan and to the Japanese,” Takehiro said of the UNESCO designation. "This will help to renew interest in traditional sake elaboration.” Also, Japanese breweries have expressed hope that the listing could give a little lift to the country's export economy as the popularity of sake booms around the world and in the United States amid heightened interest in Japanese cuisine. Sake exports, mostly to the U.S. and China, now rake in over $265 million a year, according to the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, a trade group. Japan's delegation appeared ready to celebrate on Wednesday — in classic Japanese style. After the announcement, Takehiro raised a cypress box full of sake to toast the alcoholic brew and cultural rite. The Associated Press
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Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trollingInfrastructure projects in Tibet have often drawn controversy for failing to balance development, human rights, and environmental protection. As CDT has covered this year, state-sponsored hydropower projects have forcibly displaced local communities and led to violent reprisals against protesters. A series of recent reports expand on this topic to highlight the social and environmental perils of these projects. Last week, the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) published a report titled, “ Chinese Hydropower: Damning Tibet’s Culture, Community, and Environment .” The report includes an interactive map showing the location of 193 hydropower dams constructed or proposed in Tibet since 2000, along with their areas of impact and proximity to locations of cultural importance, protected areas, and land cover. The report reveals that these dam projects are causing “irreparable damage” to Tibetan communities, downstream countries, and the environment : If completed, 1.2 million residents living nearby dam projects could be dislocated from their homes, communities, and livelihoods. Religious and sacred sites serving communities will also be destroyed. Almost 80 per cent of dams studied are large or mega dams (\>100MW), which carry the most significant risk to the Tibetan civilization, environmental sustainability, and the climate. However, over half the dams (60%) are either in proposal or preparation stage, presenting opportunities to change course. A truly sustainable pathway for the energy plan must account for the climate, social, environment, and geopolitical costs of hydropower and change course. No plan is sustainable without the consent, participation and co-management of local communities. Tibetans, who remain among the most politically marginalized in China, should not bear the highest cost to power China’s industrial centers. Any long-term solution must involve a political solution where Tibetan people enjoy the right to freely decide how their natural resources are used. This begins with the PRC entering into a meaningful dialogue with representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. [ Source ] Speaking to French newspaper Libération about the report, ICT researcher and advocacy officer Tenzin Palmo stated, “We wanted to show what was happening in this inaccessible border area in the west of the country, but also to reveal the projects of the Chinese authorities who are trying by all means to hide information, to harass civil society, all while engaging in a greenwashing operation around these dams .” Other groups have provided related evidence. Last month, Turquoise Roof and Tibet Watch published a report titled, “ The risks of China’s dangerous dam-building in Tibet: the impacts of China’s move upstream on the Machu/Yellow River ,” which highlighted the threat of geological disasters and environmental problems: For the first time, China’s construction of hydropower dams is reaching upstream to the sources of Asia’s great wild rivers in Tibet, with at least three major new dams on the upper Machu (Chinese: Huang He) river. Chinese scientists have warned of the risks of heavy infrastructure construction in a seismically unstable region where river systems are increasingly unpredictable due to climate change. [...] While China can point to its solar and hydro projects in Tibet to signal a green transition, the smart grid is currently orientated to fossil fuels, which may reveal a slower, less substantial shift than these projects imply. Although hydroelectric power is technically renewable, the large-scale hydropower projects underway in Tibet have complex environmental and social impacts, including ecosystem disruption and displacement of communities. The first major dam to be built upriver on the Machu, the Yangkhil (Yangqu) hydropower station, has devastated an entire community. Accounts and images from eyewitnesses in this report documents how Tibetans have been compelled to dismantle their own homes and an important monastery has been emptied and destroyed. China removed the monastery from a protected heritage list before beginning demolition to make way for a dam that Chinese engineers boast is constructed by AI-driven robots. [ Source ] In the Made in China Journal last month, James Leibold wrote about the Tibet-Aid Project, which he describes as a CCP initiative that pairs Tibet’s administrative units with inland government actors in order to extend Beijing’s settler-colonial enterprise and fortify Han dominance in the region. Among the Tibet-Aid cadres championed in CCP propaganda are Han engineers committed to transforming Tibet’s physical landscape through “civilizing” infrastructure projects. Leibold argued, “By unleashing a new legion of Han officials and settlers on to the Tibetan Plateau, Xi seeks to complete the discursive, demographic, and cultural integration of Tibet into a new Han empire.” In this excerpt, he describes how Han migration and infrastructure-building erode local Tibetan sovereignty : Most of the Han people living and working in Tibet today are descendants of former Tibet-Aid cadres. In a recent survey of 300-plus Han retirees who had worked in Tibet, 49 per cent had a parent who had previously worked in Tibet, with one-quarter of those born in Tibet (Zhou and Du 2023: 83). They are called ‘second’ or ‘third-generation Tibetans’ (藏二代 or 藏三代) in Chinese and now make up the backbone of the party-state’s governing and economic apparatuses in the region. According to officials, they are the ‘strongest source of strength’ for forging what Xi Jinping has called the ‘collective consciousness’ (共同体意识) of the Han-centric nation/race (Thondup and Tsring 2023). By claiming Tibetan identity, albeit an altered one, Han migrants are engaging in a common settler-colonial strategy—what Lorenzo Veracini (2010: 46) calls the discursive erasure of ‘indigenous specific alterity’. Han colonists live a highly fluid existence in the TAR and their roots are impermanent. Due to health concerns, they split their time between apartments in lower-elevation cities, chiefly in Sichuan, and their posts on the plateau. China’s mega-infrastructure building in the TAR—roads, airports, railways, power and telecommunication lines, etcetera—serves as conduits for Han mobility, allowing colonial subjects to move more comfortably and smoothly through ‘harsh’ Tibetan spaces while imprinting the landscape with Han norms that ultimately efface Tibetan sovereignty. The 1,629-kilometre Chengdu-to-Lhasa high-speed railway is of ‘immense strategic value’, a 2018 blog post asserts, as it will not only facilitate military logistics, but also allow the vibrant economy and Han-dominated population of the Sichuan Basin to ‘more easily spread and radiate into the Tibet region’ when it is completed in 2030 (Sohu 2018). [ Source ] Similar dynamics are playing out in other borderland regions, such as Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. In an article for Atmos, Nithin Coca and Patrick Wack described how state-affiliated energy companies have built massive solar plants in Xinjiang that greenwash rights abuses against local Uyghur communities . Uyghur activists argue that these projects are part of longstanding efforts to Sinicize the region and exploit its resources while further colonizing their homeland through Han migration. This also plays out in the realm of Tibetan language politics, as the Chinese government has imposed Sinicization policies to force Tibetans to use Mandarin instead of their local languages. For more on this topic, see CDT’s recent interview with Gerald Roche about the erasure of Tibet’s minority languages, which face unique challenges in the face of both Mandarin and Standard Tibetan. Other interviews can be found in CDT’s series on Tibet . Categories : Environment , Human Rights , Level 2 Article , Society Tags : colonialism , dam , dams , dams resettlement , environmental degradation , environmental destruction , human rights violations in Tibet , migration , Tibet , Tibet culture , Tibet development , Tibet environment , Tibet plateau , tibet policy , Tibet protests , Tibet railroad , Tibetan culture , Tibetan language , Tibetan plateau , tibetan politics , Tibetan protests Related Posts Interview: Gerald Roche on the Erasure of Tibet’s Minority Languages Jimmy Lai Did Not Ask the U.S. to Nuke China China’s Global Fishing Fleet Intrudes on Distant Waters French Museums Waver Between “Tibet” and “Xizang” Amid Uproar Over Chinese Influence Essays on Colonialism and Indigeneity in and Beyond the P.R.C. 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Proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons is halted by federal, state judges
The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes entered Saturday's game with high expectations, looking to dominate an unranked Michigan team. Instead, they were stunned in a shocking 13-10 upset that left fans and analysts alike reeling. The Wolverines, 19.5-point underdogs, delivered a crushing blow to Ohio State’s playoff hopes, effectively eliminating them from the Big Ten Championship Game unless something unprecedented occurred with Penn State and Indiana. Despite the loss, the Buckeyes still have a strong case for the College Football Playoff, but it’s clear this was a major setback. In the aftermath of the heartbreaking defeat, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard made a bold prediction in his postgame press conference, vowing that they will respond as a team. His confidence, though shaken, was a reflection of the team’s belief that they still have a chance to make noise in the postseason. ""It’s hard, man. I don’t really have much right now but I do know we're a two-loss team, we’re going to get in the playoffs, we’re going to make a run -- but this one hurts. It hurts." Ohio State QB Will Howard: "It’s hard, man. I don’t really have much right now but I do know we're a two-loss team, we’re going to get in the playoffs, we’re going to make a run -- but this one hurts. It hurts." Will Howard didn’t have the game he hoped for, throwing two critical interceptions that ultimately proved detrimental to Ohio State’s chances in the 13-10 loss to Michigan. His turnovers at key moments were a huge blow to the Buckeyes’ offense and set the stage for a missed opportunity in Columbus. However, the loss wasn’t entirely on Howard. Ohio State kicker Jayden Fielding missed two crucial field goals, both from over 30 yards, which would have made a significant difference in a game decided by just three points. Add to that questionable coaching decisions and poor play-calling—particularly from head coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly—and it’s clear this was a team loss, not just an individual one. © Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Now, with the dust settling after a gut-wrenching defeat, the Buckeyes will have to take a long, hard look in the mirror. They still have a shot at the College Football Playoffs, but the committee’s upcoming rankings will be crucial. Barring an unexpected turn of events, Ohio State should remain in the hunt, but this loss has certainly raised doubts about their current standing. Related: Huge Brawl Breaks Out After Michigan-Ohio State Game
By JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — An elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron, the Houston-based energy company that exemplified the worst in American corporate fraud and greed after it went bankrupt in 2001. If its return is comedic, some former employees who lost everything in Enron’s collapse aren’t laughing. “It’s a pretty sick joke and it disparages the people that did work there. And why would you want to even bring it back up again?” said former Enron employee Diana Peters, who represented workers in the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. Here’s what to know about the history of Enron and the purported effort to bring it back. Once the nation’s seventh-largest company, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 2, 2001, after years of accounting tricks could no longer hide billions of dollars in debt or make failing ventures appear profitable. The energy company’s collapse put more than 5,000 people out of work, wiped out more than $2 billion in employee pensions and rendered $60 billion in Enron stock worthless. Its aftershocks were felt throughout the energy sector. Twenty-four Enron executives , including former CEO Jeffrey Skilling , were eventually convicted for their roles in the fraud. Enron founder Ken Lay’s convictions were vacated after he died of heart disease following his 2006 trial. On Monday — the 23rd anniversary of the bankruptcy filing — a company representing itself as Enron announced in a news release that it was relaunching as a “company dedicated to solving the global energy crisis.” It also posted a video on social media, advertised on at least one Houston billboard and a took out a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle In the minute-long video that was full of generic corporate jargon, the company talks about “growth” and “rebirth.” It ends with the words, “We’re back. Can we talk?” Enron’s new website features a company store, where various items featuring the brand’s tilted “E” logo are for sale, including a $118 hoodie. In an email, company spokesperson Will Chabot said the new Enron was not doing any interviews yet, but that “We’ll have more to share soon.” Signs point to the comeback being a joke. In the “terms of use and conditions of sale” on the company’s website, it says “the information on the website about Enron is First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only.” Documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show that College Company, an Arkansas-based LLC, owns the Enron trademark. The co-founder of College Company is Connor Gaydos, who helped create a joke conspiracy theory that claims all birds are actually surveillance drones for the government. Peters said that since learning about the “relaunch” of Enron, she has spoken with several other former employees and they are also upset by it. She said the apparent stunt was “in poor taste.” “If it’s a joke, it’s rude, extremely rude. And I hope that they realize it and apologize to all of the Enron employees,” Peters said. Peters, who is 74 years old, said she is still working in information technology because “I lost everything in Enron, and so my Social Security doesn’t always take care of things I need done.” “Enron’s downfall taught us critical lessons about corporate ethics, accountability, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Enron’s legacy was the employees in the trenches. Leave Enron buried,” she said. Follow Juan A. Lozano on X at https://x.com/juanlozano70
Rachel Reeves refuses FOUR times to repeat her 'no more tax rises' promise - as Chancellor opens door to new wave of hikes By JASON GROVES POLITICAL EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL Published: 22:04 GMT, 3 December 2024 | Updated: 22:10 GMT, 3 December 2024 e-mail 14 shares 265 View comments Rachel Reeves opened the door to a new wave of tax rises yesterday – just a week after ruling them out. During exchanges in the Commons, the Chancellor refused to repeat her claim last week that she would not be ‘coming back for more’ tax. Labour’s Budget in October was the biggest tax-raiser in history, with £40billion of new levies. It was met with a business backlash, with firms warning a £25billion rise in employers’ National Insurance will cost jobs, raise prices and force closures. Ms Reeves tried to defuse the row over her Budget last week by saying she would not require further tax rises before the next election. ‘I’m really clear I’m not coming back with more borrowing or more taxes,’ she told the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). But No 10 has distanced itself from the remarks, and in the Commons yesterday Ms Reeves four times refused to repeat the pledge. During exchanges in the Commons, the Chancellor, pictured, refused to repeat her claim last week that she would not be ‘coming back for more’ tax Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, pictured, asked her whether Downing Street had ‘changed its mind’, or if she ‘spoke without thinking’ when she told business chiefs she would not repeat her Budget hikes Ms Reeves, pictured, said she had been left to deal with a £22billion ‘black hole’ Reeves hit by slump in productivity The Chancellor faces a potential multi-billion pound black hole as figures showed the productivity crisis is worse than feared amid a surge in migration. The Office for National Statistics revealed output per hour worked – a key productivity measure – fell by 0.9 per cent in the second quarter of this year compared to 2023. That was worse than the reported 0.3 per cent. If the forecast is revised down it will narrow Rachel Reeves’ ‘headroom’ to balance the books and create a black hole worth tens of billions of pounds. In contrast the Office for Budget Responsibility predicts productivity will grow by 1 per cent or more from 2025 to 2029 – and half a per cent lower annual growth in productivity would add £40billion to the borrowing bill. Kallum Pickering, at broker Peel Hunt, suggested the increase in population could result in a rise in the number of taxpayers. Advertisement Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride asked her whether Downing Street had ‘changed its mind’, or if she ‘spoke without thinking’ when she told business chiefs she would not repeat her Budget hikes. Ms Reeves said she had been left to deal with a £22billion ‘black hole’, adding: ‘So we did have to raise taxes to fund our public services, but never again will we have to repeat a Budget like that, because we have now wiped the slate clean and drawn a line under the mess created by the last government.’ Asked again to rule out further tax rises, she added: ‘No chancellor is going to write five years’ worth of Budget in their first five months, but what I can say is that we will never have to deliver a Budget like that again.’ Shadow Treasury minister Richard Fuller said the Chancellor’s apparent backtracking would ‘undermine business confidence’. He added: ‘She told the CBI last week there would be no more borrowing and no more taxes. Days later the business secretary and then the Prime Minister refused to stand by what she said. Now even she cannot repeat her own words.’ But Ms Reeves later suggested she could not close down the possibility of tax rises to deal with a national emergency. Speaking at the Yorkshire Post’s Great Northern Conference in Hull, she told reporters: ‘I can’t write five years’ worth of Budgets in just five months. We don’t know what might happen in the future in terms of shocks to the economy, but I can give businesses the confidence in this Budget that we have wiped the slate clean, we will never have to do a budget like this again.’ She said public services would have to ‘live within’ the spending ‘envelope’ set out at the Budget rather than relying on extra tax rises in the future. Rachel Reeves Mel Stride Labour Share or comment on this article: Rachel Reeves refuses FOUR times to repeat her 'no more tax rises' promise - as Chancellor opens door to new wave of hikes e-mail 14 shares Add commentPublic Service Enterprise Group Inc. stock rises Friday, still underperforms market
BOGOTA: Colombia coffee crop will likely yield 13.6 million 60-kg bags in 2024, the head of the country's coffee federation said on Wednesday, up 20% compared to production last year due largely to improved pest controls and adaptations to climate change . Colombia is the world's top producer of arabica beans, well-known for their high-quality and aromatic properties. Last year's national crop yielded 11.3 million 60-kg bags. The crop's value should total more than 14 trillion pesos, or about $3.14 billion, German Bahamon , head of the national coffee farmer federation, told reporters at the start of an annual coffee conference. Last year's coffee crop brought in $11.1 trillion pesos, while output rose just 2% in 2023, following three consecutive seasons of falling output. 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"We've seen that there's a copious flow of coffee beans from our farms," said Bahamon on Wednesday, stressing that the harvest will not exceed 13.6 million bags. He also dismissed any negative impact from the next U.S. government led by President-elect Donald Trump, despite the leader's embrace of tariffs and a more protectionist approach. "We're not expecting any change right now in export policies to the United States," Bahamon said. The U.S. and Canadian markets account for about 45% of Colombia's foreign coffee shipments. Nominations for ET MSME Awards are now open. The last day to apply is December 15, 2024. Click here to submit your entry for any one or more of the 22 categories and stand a chance to win a prestigious award.