Animals..friend or food? Perhaps both!

AssassinsMace said:

Asians are the largest minority in San Francisco on par with whites. That doesn't stop them from thinking twice. Why? For one, which is why when the West thinks democracy is going to flourish in China I have my doubts because of the Chinese-American experience, Chinese don't really practice the principles of democracy which is why they don't tend to participate. Some community leaders emerge and they rally the community to when they're needed. But for anything else... So outsiders tend to exploit it and not see them as someone to cater to. San Francisco's Chinatown has faced many assaults from animal rights activists like with the sale of live animals for food. Somehow it was wrong for Chinese to do it but not Fisherman's Wharf where they have live animals for sale. One of the leaders of this assault admitted to a newspaper after being accused of racism was growing and taking a toll that the Democrat liberal establishment of San Francisco told him to target only Chinatown because if he made a move for a general ban that included Fisherman's Wharf and others, he would get no support. Don't you love so-called progressive Democrats in their natural state? San Francisco is a case where you have the largest minority not practicing democratic principles because of inside and outside forces so there's no influence on those that are politically active. They don't have to worry about sucking up to anyone. And this is what happens. And I'm not talking about just voting. There's something cultural where Chinese think if they don't make waves, they'll get what they want. No, if you don't make waves, they'll ignore you. And that's why Asian-Americans' number one complaint is they feel invisible to everyone else.

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AssassinsMace said:

Asians are the largest minority in San Francisco on par with whites. That doesn't stop them from thinking twice. Why? For one, which is why when the West thinks democracy is going to flourish in China I have my doubts because of the Chinese-American experience, Chinese don't really practice the principles of democracy which is why they don't tend to participate./QUOTE]

Thats a far too simplistic analysis to draw a definitive conclusion. On the other hand Taiwan had a 80% voter turn out in 2012 elections. In Australia 90%+ Chinese turned out and voted in the Federal elections.
From that I could conclude that Chinese, given the right incentives are more than willing participants in the democratic process.

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AssassinsMace said:

The Chinese Australian population must be insignificant in a federal election. Just increase the numbers and watch what happens. I can imagine if Chinese voted as a bloc, that would stir accusations of disloyalty. Mayor Ed Lee of San Francisco opposition brought up how they didn't like how Chinese vote for Chinese candidates. That's called freedom to choose and democracy but apparently it angers some when others exercise it.

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AssassinsMace said:

I just watched an early morning news show on TV. Some animal conservationist from Great Britain argued that pandas should be left to extinction and the money should be shifted to save other endangered animals instead. What was his logic why the panda should be left for dead? He basically named every reason why every other endangered animal is facing extinction which usually revolves around human encroachment. So let's remove the stereotype of intellectual thought going on here just because it's coming from a British conservationist and so he's just basically got a problem with pandas getting all the attention. Really if there's some other endangered animal that needs attention, shouldn't he had advertised it instead of knocking pandas? It's because saving animals is not the point since again the excuses to ignore pandas is the same with every other endangered species. Maybe he's under the wrong assumption that the panda conservation program is completely funded by Westerners and not still heavily supported by the Chinese government. Is that why he can arrogantly think he can direct where Chinese money that saves pandas should go somewhere else? Maybe he also doesn't realize the panda conservation program has lead the way on breeding programs on how to save endangered species. Maybe he just doesn't like pinko pandas and they should die for being communists. Or maybe he's just being controversial because he's an attention whore.

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AssassinsMace said:

Here's something interesting I came across. It's a Rolling Stone article on Smithfield Foods, the largest corporate pig farmer who's customers are global. When you read it, it doesn't sound any different from what has been accused of Asian animal farmers especially the outrage of pumping antibiotics and other health hazardous chemicals into animals to keep them alive from the horrid conditions they live in. It's not something only backward countries do.

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Has anyone noticed the chooseveg.com link that pop-up sometimes at the top of this thread page?

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Let's not kid ourselves. Are we suppose to believe the corporations that outsource for exploitation of cheap labor to make every penny they can are mindful enough to spend to make sure the animals they farm for meat consumption are killed "humanely" when wasting or saving time and money can be the difference in billions of dollars?

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China's Shuanghui in $4.7B deal for Smithfield

China's Shuanghui buying Smithfield Foods for $4.72B; deal subject to federal review
Associated PressBy Michael Felberbaum, AP Business Writer | Associated Press – 2 hrs 8 mins ago..


RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- The ham sandwich you had for lunch is the latest example of China's growing appetite for U.S. investment.

Smithfield Foods Inc., one of the biggest pork producers in the U.S., on Wednesday agreed to be bought by Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd., the majority shareholder in China's largest meat processor, for about $4.72 billion.

The deal, which still faces a federal regulatory review and Smithfield shareholder approval, is the largest takeover of a U.S. company by a Chinese firm. It's the latest in a string of such deals made recently by Chinese companies.

But the acquisition is likely to face hefty U.S. scrutiny. It comes at a time when China has had serious food safety concerns, some of which have included Smithfield's suitor, Hong Kong-based Shuanghui.

Risks to the U.S. food supply "enter everybody's mind," said Paul Mariani, director at Variant Capital Advisors in Chicago, who previously worked at a food and agribusiness boutique investment bank. But he said he believes Smithfield will continue to operate as normal.

Smithfield said the deal isn't about importing Chinese pork into the U.S. Instead, the company says it's a chance to export into new markets with its brands, such as Smithfield, Armour and Farmland.

Larry Pope, Smithfield's CEO, said in a conference call on Wednesday that the transaction "preserves the same old Smithfield, only with more opportunities and new markets and new frontiers."

"People have this belief ... that everything in America is made in China," he said. "Open your refrigerator door, look inside. Nothing in there is made in China because American agriculture is the most competitive and efficient in the world."

Indeed, the acquisition highlights what could be growing interest in American food by Chinese consumers. Foreign food, such as milk powder from New Zealand and vegetables from neighboring Asian countries, is prized by Chinese consumers because of the frequent domestic food safety scandals in their country.

Among the most notorious, six babies died and 300,000 were sickened in 2008 from drinking infant formula and other dairy tainted with the industrial chemical melamine. And Shuanghui's reputation was battered in 2011 when state broadcaster CCTV revealed its pork contained clenbuterol — a banned chemical that makes pork leaner but can be harmful to humans.

Derek Scissors, an expert on China's economy with the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based conservative think tank, said companies like Shuanghui are "not looking to cause any trouble in the American market at all" or "cut corners."

"Quite the opposite ... They want to gain from what the U.S. is able to do," he said. "But whether they can operate an American company in the U.S. market remains to be determined."

The deal comes as Smithfield has been under pressure to improve its business.

Like most pork producers, Smithfield has been caught in a tug of war with consumers. The company needs to raise prices to offset rising commodity costs, namely the corn it uses for feed. But consumers are still extremely sensitive to price changes in the current economy. By raising prices, Smithfield risks cutting into its sales should consumers cut back or buy cheaper meats, such as chicken.

In recent months, Continental Grain Co., one of Smithfield's largest shareholders, had been pushing Smithfield to consider splitting itself up, saying it was time for the company to "get serious about creating shareholder value."

Following a March letter from Continental Grain, Smithfield said it would review the suggestions "in due course." Representatives from Continental Grain did not immediately comment on the deal announced Wednesday.

In its most recent quarter, the company reported that its net income rose more than 3 percent, helped by gains in hog production, its international business and its packaged meats such as deli meats, bacon, sausage, and hot dogs — a large growth area for the company.

Shuanghui gives Smithfield new opportunities. The company owns a variety of global businesses that include food, logistics and flavoring products.

Under the terms of the Shuanghui-Smithfield deal, which was unanimously approved by both companies' boards, shareholders of Smithfield will receive $34 per share — a 31 percent premium to the Smithfield, Va., company's closing stock price of $25.97 on Tuesday.

The companies put the deal's total value at about $7.1 billion, including debt. Smithfield's stock will no longer be publicly traded once the deal closes.

The Smithfield deal including assumed debt would eclipse the Chinese purchase of a stake in a big U.S. investment firm as well. In December 2007, China Investment Corp. bought a 9.9 percent stake in Morgan Stanley valued at $5.6 billion, according to research firm Dealogic.

Smithfield shares surged $7.38, or about 29 percent, to close at $33.35 on Wednesday.

Smithfield's existing management team will remain in place and Shuanghui also will honor the collective bargaining agreements with Smithfield workers. The company has about 46,000 employees.

The transaction is subject to review by the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment, which evaluates the potential national security effects of transactions. The process typically includes a 30-day initial review, followed by a 45-day investigation before making a recommendation to the president.

China has accused the U.S. of discriminating against its companies, although analysts say American firms face bigger obstructions investing in China.

The deal comes as Chinese investment in U.S. firms, while still comparatively low, has risen sharply in recent years, topping $6.5 billion in 2012 and totaling more than $10 billion in deals in the pipeline so far this year, according Thilo Hanemann of New York research firm Rhodium Group. The data reflect investments that meet the threshold for foreign direct investment, which is a final stake of 10 percent or more of voting rights in the invested company and excludes portfolio investments such as government bonds.

Much of the investments are in energy, advanced manufacturing and technology, as well as entertainment, hospitality and safe-haven assets like real estate.

"It's good news for the U.S. economy and for U.S. manufacturing because Chinese companies are keen to capitalized made in the U.S. brands," Hanemann said. "The level of Chinese investment is still too low to call it a savior ... (but) the potential for future growth is huge."

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