Tall ships are coming. More cargo is coming. Stupid old Atlantic might be coming. But triatheletes won’t be coming after all. The city’s having a busy day, as you’ll see post-jump.
THE SHIPS, THE SHIPS
from Portsmouth, New Hampshire
As threatened, a flotilla of big boats is heading to our harbour. “The final leg of the 2007 Tall Ships Challenge Atlantic Coast Race Series begins Monday off the coast of Portsmouth,” says Seacoastonline here. The race ends in Halifax, where something like 40 vessels will be celebrated in a summer festival designed to get tourist dollars flowing. And what’s not to love about the Tall Ships? (Answer that one in the comments.)
DISTURBING BANANA BUSINESS
from Bridgeport, Connecticut
An cargo company in Iceland has started sending a boat across the Atlantic. And like the mythical butterfly flapping its wings in China, the repercussions of that simple act of business are major. For starters, the Connecticut Post says the cargo coming through will mean a lot more congestion drivers have to deal with on the Interstate 95. Add to this the news that produce importer Turbana Corp. is leaving Bridgeport next year.
That means bananas, which have entered New England through Bridgeport for almost 20 years, will come from a port to the south and most likely by truck.”It’s very disturbing to hear about the banana business,” said Michael Riley, president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut, a trucking lobby.Riley thinks opening up Boston to more freight won’t change truck traffic on Connecticut highways. It’ll just mean some of it will be coming from, or going to, Boston instead of New York, he said.The good news is opening Boston to Halifax might give Connecticut companies more options when it comes to where they do their exporting, according to Riley.Halifax is well connected to European markets, which are important to Connecticut companies. (story here)
That’s so cute. “Halifax is well connected to European markets.” But maybe compared to Bridgeport, we are.
KICKING ATLANTICA ASS
from Santa Rosa, California
Good piece about the recent Atlantica conference and protests from the Dissident Voice, “a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice.” Writer Shane Ruttle Martinez puts the business motives behind the free trade proposal into a tidy nutshell.
The logic on the part of the Atlantica backers however, makes perfect sense: the poorer people are, the harder they will work for less. Considering this, the region sought to be exploited by Atlantica is ripe for the picking.
Martinez also does an insightful round-up of mainstream media’s reporting on the weekend:
A number of major Atlantica backers are inextricably tied to media ownership on the east coast, and have overseen the negative portrayal of dissent to Atlantica in print, on radio, and on television. Mainstream press in Atlantic Canada was quick to follow the usual recipe for critiquing progressive demonstrations.
But the prize pig of the Atlantica crowd is none other than the neo-liberal mascot, Kevin Cox. Cox started off his article for Allnovascotia.com, “How the blind defy gravity”, by discussing the “black ski masks that a few thugs wore in a pathetic attempt to gain attention” (an attempt which apparently worked on Cox, and makes the reader wonder just who the “pathetic” one is.) He stuck to the recipe though, and followed that up by writing that “the main protest, which was peaceful and earnest, was equally futile.” He went on to state that “contrary to the protestors’ (sp) placards, Canada has not been selling out”, and that workers in “India, China, Sooth (sp) Korea or even Brazil” are perfectly content with the effects of free trade and corporate globalization.
It’s nice to know that we can count on Kevin to speak for the billions of people in some of the world’s most impoverished and destitute countries, and tell us that they enjoy their squalor. (story here)
We couldn’t have said it better.
TRI AGAIN
from Worthington, Ohio
Inside Triathlon is reporting
the postponement of the 2007 Triathlon One O One event in Halifax , Nova Scotia originally scheduled for Sept 2. The event will now be held on Sunday Aug. 31, 2008, with the full support of Triathlon Nova Scotia and Events Halifax!, key Triathlon One O One partners since the series was announced. Both Triathlon Nova Scotia and Events Halifax! have committed to hosting the Triathlon One O One event through 2009. The postponement comes as a result of the recent resignation of the local race director. (story here)
A great excuse to continue my training regiment of surfing the web all day.
When you’re “training” and see Halifax mentioned, send the link here.
This article appears in Jun 28 – Jul 4, 2007.
