Rebels, cougars and fish (5X8 3/3/11)

1) LIBYAN REBELS HANG ON

rebels.jpg

The daylong battle was the first major incursion by the colonel’s forces in the rebel-held east of the country since the Libyan uprising began. Arab diplomats, meanwhile, weighed reports of a peace plan proposed by Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez, an ally of Colonel Qaddafi (NYT).

The U.S. is repositioning ships to be able to provide support in the area and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is publicly speaking about possible no-fly zones in the region. Do you agree with the U.S. response so far to the situation in Libya?

2) 22 NEW CHARGES FOR BRADLEY MANNING

The suspected source for thousands of classified military documents that ended up on WikiLeaks is facing an additional 22 charges. Bradley Manning is now accused of “aiding the enemy” which as National Journal reports is “traditionally a capital offense. But in a release announcing the new charges, the Army said it would not be recommending the death penalty.”

A veterans group raising money for Manning’s legal defense was recently given the boot by PayPal.

3) MORE MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS: NFL LABOR DISPUTE HEATS UP

If N.F.L. players and owners can’t agree on a deal by midnight, the collective bargaining agreement will expire and the first strike in the football league will be underway since 1987. Its hard to imagine this follows a season with record-setting Super Bowl viewership and sky-high profits. Judy Battista reports “The N.F.L. and its players union are prepared for a labor showdown, with the players poised to decertify the union Thursday afternoon and seek to block a lockout that the owners are expected to impose, said several people with knowledge of the plans of owners and players.”

4) THAT’S NOT AN EASTERN COUGAR

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concludes eastern cougar extinct

Cougar sightings continue in Minnesota, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has concluded that the eastern cougar is extinct. The MN DNR says its unclear what the cougar population is in Minnesota partly because reported sightings and photos could be of pet cougars released into the wild.

5) WALLEYE CHOP ON LAKE MILLE LACS

walleye.jpg

When eight Chippewa bands begin netting walleyes this spring on Lake Mille Lacs, they will be shooting for a record harvest — 142,500 pounds. That 71 tons of fish is 42 percent more than the bands’ allocation only four years ago, and reflects a rising harvest by Chippewa netters since 1997, when courts affirmed the bands off-reservation hunting, fishing and gathering rights. (Strib)

Fish populations haven’t always been this strong in walleye country. Arizona Public Media examined the restoration of Red Lake’s walleye in Return of the Red Lake Walleye.

For those of us not lucky enough to live up north near a good walleye lake we do a lot of our fishing at restaurants and markets. San Francisco online explored the world of fishing with foodies and some of the greatest American chefs. The article definitely has a Portlandia sensibility, but provides some food for thought.

Many of our most famous chefs continue to put unsustainable choices like ahi tuna, monkfish, and farmed salmon on their menus, while their most respected suppliers keep selling red-listed fish to whoever wants it. Even the many chefs who go out of their way to ask the right questions of the people they get their fish from can be misled by the half-truths told all along the supply chain. In the end, despite our best intentions, much of what we’re told or assume about the provenance of the seafood we eat is essentially a fish story.

TODAY’S QUESTION

A survey finds that doctors think patient health is improved by a long-term relationship with a physician. They also wish patients would show them more appreciation and respect. Today’s Question: What would you like more of in your relationship with your doctor?

Comments are closed.