American Spending Habits

Some call it pocketbook patriotism, other call it a waste of money. To some there is a belief that American-made items are more likely to be safer and higher in quality, with the recent dog food scare I can see where there is coming from. Other just feel that buying American is better for the country because it keeps jobs and money within our borders. Then again, that defeats the whole specialization aspect of mass production, and the jobs created and money spent on transporting goods. Some extreme consumers feel that its a matter of national pride, and one woman who buys American products whenever possible says, "I was raised to support your country... July Fourth should truly mean independence. We shouldn’t become dependent on the rest of the world.” I wonder if anyone has ever told her that fireworks were invented in China?

Meanwhile, the sheer number of disasters lately have led to donor fatigue. Thats right, Americans are tired of giving away their money. One academic says, "Hearing about too many disasters makes some people not give at all, when they would have if it had been just one disaster." So is it a lack of sympathy, a sign of the economic woes at home, or just a realization that aid money might be be lining the pockets of foreign politicians? So rather than send that donation to a foreign country, just give it to a local non-profit... or heck... give it to me!

In International News

Japan has yet another cartoon ambassador. Hello Kitty will represent the country's tourism ministry in China and Hong Kong. This coming on the heels of the foreign ministry naming blue robo-cat Doraemon as Japan's "anime ambassador." While Hello Kitty first appeared on a plastic coin purse, she can now be found on some 50,000 products in 60 countries. Reports of people saying hello to pussy cats have been surrounding Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan leading us to believe that she is part of this Hollywood crowd. Not the image I would expect Japan to want, but then again, sex sells.

Zimbabwe is still having problems thanks to its disputed election. Rumors are circulating that the military is plotting to assassinate opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, but the government spokesman said the allegation has "no foundation whatsoever — except in his own dreams." Humans Rights Watch says, "The African Union should publicly demand that the Zimbabwean government halt its campaign of violence, torture and intimidation." If the violence continues, many more of Tsvangirai's supporters will likely die or disappear before the next vote.

Osama bin Laden must miss having a captive audience as another message was released; this one denouncing Arab leaders. Bin Laden says to ignore Islamic prohibition against raising arms against fellow Muslims and to fight the Arab regimes that are "protecting" Israel. Specifially he calls out, "those (Arab) kings and leaders sacrificed Palestine and Al-Aqsa to keep their crowns." So I guess the question most Muslims have on their mind is... which leaders should we not attack since they have all be assisted by either the United States, United Kingdom, or Soviet Union (Russia) at some point in the last 60 years.

Science in Our Lives

One small step for scientists, one giant leap for human - animal hybrids. Prime Minister Brown writes, "I believe that we owe it to ourselves and future generations to introduce these measures, and in particular, to give our unequivocal backing within the right framework of rules and standards, to stem cell research." The embryos for use in stem cell research could improve or save millions of lives. Some groups want to see this practice banned, as the laws could lead to the creation of genetically modified "designer babies." I for one welcome the designer babies as they will fetch a much better price on open markets.