The Lost Art Of Cooking

Back in the days, people learned to cook by copying their elders, especially their mothers, aunts, grandmothers, or any mother figure in their household. You learn young basically because you are taught young too. Kids are expected to help with the household chores once they are big enough and these tasks become more complex as they age. So, people had no problems feeding themselves in the past as it was second nature for them to whip up delicious and healthy home-cooked meals for the entire family from sunrise to sunset. The problem with obesity was quite rare because kids seldom eat junks as they are well-fed from home or still had healthy snacks when they do indulge their sweet tooth.

Fast-forward many decades later and we have become an unhealthy population of obese people thriving on junks and do not know how to cook. What a shame, really. We have grown so accustomed to eating from fastfood, canned goods, and other ready-to-eat meals that require the most minimal of efforts from us. But how come we have been reduced to this species when we have all the technological means that are supposed to make our lives easier yet it seems that we lose time in doing the most important thing in life.

That’s never more evident than when you’ve got the hunger pangs. From snacking, to takeaway apps, to five-course meals, it’s never been easier to avoid the kitchen.
It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, then, to find out that the majority of young Brits avoid the ‘heart of the home’ altogether.

A new YouGov survey has revealed just that, with a whopping one-in-eight Brits admitting that they don’t cook for themselves.

The survey found that 9% of Brits hardly ever cook for themselves from fresh ingredients, while 4% never do. Instead, they’re reliant on ready meals, frozen food and eating out.

One in five (19%) ‘almost always’ cook from scratch, while 25% make their own meals ‘most days’.

(Via: http://metro.co.uk/2017/09/18/one-in-eight-brits-dont-cook-for-themselves-6935827/)

Whether by choice or circumstance, we miss out on a lot of things by not being able to eat dishes prepared and cooked from home with the freshest ingredients from the market. You end up eating whatever you can get from the store if you don’t make a conscious effort of thinking what meal to cook for. For most of us and not just the Brits, we find it too time-consuming to cook up something. Why expend more energy when it is easier to buy a takeout or call for a delivery. You don’t have to do anything and you get to eat your food right away. The major downside here is that you have no idea what is in the food you are eating. So, don’t be surprised if obesity keeps on rising and cancer becomes as natural as the common cold and flu.

Four in ten (40%) millennials say the same but a slighter greater number say they disagree with how well standardize exams prepare students (47%). Americans between the age of 35-54 (54% of whom have children under 18, according to YouGov Profiles) are dead split in this view – 41% agreeing and disagreeing.

When asked if standardized tests prepare students for the tasks of daily life – like cooking for oneself or creating a budget and sticking to it – nearly six in ten adults said they didn’t (59%). YouGov also asked what abilities respondents would like a standardized test to measure and found that learning to budget (75%) and perform CPR (71%)were at the top. Over half of Americans (62%) wanted to test for memorization and creativity, two abilities that most standardized exams still measure, but life skills such as learning how to cook (63%), maintain a car (66%), and file taxes (68%) garnered much greater support.

(Via: https://today.yougov.com/news/2017/09/18/americans-want-skills-budgeting-and-cooking-added-/)

Even Americans these days finally understand the importance of life skills such as cooking and want to put more emphasis on it rather than rely on standardized testing in preparing students for what’s life outside of school. While it helps to know more about the major subjects related to your course, it won’t hurt if you also master life skills like cooking and making a budget for your daily expenses because they do matter in real life. It is not always about theory but more about the practical application of concepts. And what better way to do so than in feeding oneself. You don't just get sick if you don't eat right but you can die too.

The Lost Art Of Cooking Find more on: Degrafa Blog

source https://www.degrafa.com/the-lost-art-of-cooking/

Cybersecurity On The Web

You won’t run out of things to do on the World Wide Web. Whatever your interests are, you are sure to find something that will pique your interest; as if social media is not a good enough reason to force you to go online on a daily basis. You have shared several personal details on all your social networks because you need to disclose them when you create your account. However, hackers can steal your data once they gain access to the system and give you lots of headaches in the future.

Cybersecurity is no laughing issue. You’d be surprised at how sophisticated modern hackers and cyber criminals have become and you don’t stand a chance once they get into your system, corrupt your files, and steal valuable data – even your own identity. Cyber attacks often make it to the headline because such attacks are becoming far too prevalent these days.

It’s now clear that cyber attacks are a fact of life for corporations and governments. What’s less clear are the winners and losers among companies focused on stopping the digital break-ins.

News about the WannaCry digital extortion attack that crippled hundreds of thousands computers worldwide caused predictable stock market euphoria on Monday. As tends to happen when there is a highly public cyber attack, share prices of cyber security technology specialists such as Palo Alto Networks, Proofpoint and Fortinet climbed.

Many prominent digital attacks—such as those on Target, J.P. Morgan Chase and Sony’s movie studio—lift hopes of ringing cash registers at tech companies that make money from companies’ fear they’ll be the next victim. But even as computer attacks become more prevalent and damaging, they haven’t been a universal triumph for the cyber security industry.

(Via: http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/wGjEqObT3XIjx9OIEZe12O/Cyber-attacks-are-certain-cyber-security-business-is-not.html)

While individuals are also at risk of cyber attacks, it is the businesses, corporations and government agencies that are often the target of these cyber criminals because they get to extract countless valuable data using just one target.

The WannaCry malware that spread to more than 100 countries in a few hours is throwing up several surprises for cybersecurity researchers, including how it gained its initial foothold, how it spread so fast and why the hackers are not making much money from it.

Some researchers have found evidence they say could linkNorth Korea with the attack, but others are more cautious, saying that the first step is shedding light on even the most basic questions about the malware itself.

For one thing, said IBM Security's Caleb Barlow, researchers are still unsure exactly how the malware spread in the first place. Most cybersecurity companies have blamed phishing e-mails - e-mails containing malicious attachments or links to files - that download the ransomware.

That's how most ransomware finds its way onto victims' computers.

The problem in the WannaCry case is that despite digging through the company's database of more than 1 billion e-mails dating back to March 1, Barlow's team could find none linked to the attack.

"Once one victim inside a network is infected it propagates," Boston-based Barlow said in a phone interview, describing a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that allows the worm to move from one computer to another.

(Via: http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47845:oddities-in-wannacry-ransomware-puzzle-cybersecurity-researchers&catid=113:international-news&Itemid=248)

A single malware can do a lot of damage and you don’t want to put your device or your files at risk. Some may appear as inconspicuous emails and determining how others infect systems remains to be a mystery.

Making sure your computer has a reliable antivirus is one key precaution you can take to ensure no virus can ever make its way to your computer or laptop. Securing your device is a must considering how often you use it now to access the web and many companies have become victims of cyber attacks for a while now, temporarily putting a halt to their operations and crippling their system. You don’t want to be a part of the statistics, so just remain vigilant whenever using the web to protect yourself as well as your data from these faceless thieves.

Cybersecurity On The Web Read more on: Degrafa.com

source https://www.degrafa.com/cybersecurity-on-the-web/

Is Life In Space Possible?

Planet Earth has been our home for like forever. Of course, that’s our only reality. Man can’t survive living on other planets because of inhospitable conditions not conducive for man. But the state of our planet is deteriorating by the minute. Our very presence hastened global warming that greatly contributed to climate change. Mankind has been so good not only in populating the planet but also in polluting it and abusing its resources.

It’s no wonder that scientists are looking at ways on how we can possibly survive living on other planets when life on earth is beyond salvageable. Is there any planet out there that can resemble conditions on earth and can we possibly thrive in it like we do here on the planet? They’re just simple questions but have remained unanswerable for as long as we can remember.

The future of space exploration and technology is a hot topic these days, fueling blockbuster movies and heightening attention about travel to Mars and other planets one day.

On Friday and Saturday, the University of Massachusetts Lowell is convening scientists, former astronauts, and industry leaders for two days of talks on the topic. The symposium — Space Exploration in the Upcoming Decade: The Domestication of Space— is presented by the college’s Center for Space, Science, and Technology.

Much has changed since the center held an event 10 years ago to mark the 50-year anniversary of the start of the “Space Age,” a period begun by the famous 1957 launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik, said the center’s director, Supriya Chakrabarti.

(Via: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/04/20/umass-lowell-analyzes-future-space-travel/IasNUEy7rCAcJYxXTmgGkJ/story.html)

We’ve always seen blockbuster movies depicting what it is like to live on another planet. However, real life is far from their make-believe world and there are many factors to be considered before we can even consider stepping inside a rocket ship as we bid the planet goodbye (to hopefully greener pastures).

Members of Carnegie Mellon Student Pugwash attended the Student Pugwash Conference 2017 at Purdue University. The conference focused on space exploration and policy, ranging from topics like “Repeat Mars Missions” to the “Future of International Space Exploration”. Each of these talks had interesting angles on how the world could approach space exploration. This article focuses on the talk on international progress on space ight given by Dr. Daniel Dumbacher.

Dumbacher framed the entire presentation in the form of the past, present, and future. For the past, he focused on the progress of the United States in space exploration, starting with the last lunar mission and ending with the closing of the space shuttle program. He also noted that, at the moment, space exploration has ventured to every planet in the solar system. Dumbacher drew parallels between space exploration and the Lewis and
Clark expeditions, suggesting that expeditions in unknown territory result in the eventual expansion.

He moved on to the current state of space exploration. At the moment, the International Space Station (ISS) remains one of the few international projects still in operation. There are also robotic exploration missions on Mars. Currently, the biggest movement in space exploration is commercial space ight. Companies are driving new and innovative technologies like reusable spacecraft.

(Via: https://thetartan.org/2017/4/17/scitech/pugwash)

As of now, a few people (professional astronauts) live in international space stations for an extended period of time to perform various functions. But their job isn’t just for anybody. Exceptionally smart and able individuals who pass the tests and training can board the next rocket out to space.

Think space travel is just for skilled astronauts and fictional characters from your favorite "Star Wars" films? Think again. You don't have to be a professional scientist to fly into suborbital space, but you will have to pay a steep price.

With a variety of pioneering companies competing to launch humans into space, lunar exploration is taking off. Take SpaceX, the brainchild of Elon Musk, which plans to transport two passengers aboard its SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to cross over the moon and back in 2018. Or Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket company, which aspires to launch six lucky tourists into space via a capsule, and that's testing its New Shepard rocket ahead of plans for commercial suborbital journeys in 2018. For those more inclined to board a spaceship, Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic aims to send tourists -- including world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking -- aboard the SpaceShipTwo (a six-passenger aircraft) into space this year.

If you're not interested in gliding into deep or suborbital space -- or you lack the funds to support a $250,000 journey aboard the Virgin Galactic -- you can enjoy epic space events from Earth this year, including watching the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, stargazing in prized national parks or even checking out the northern lights.

(Via: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/4-things-must-know-future-205536889.html)

Money happens to be the name of the game. Whoever has the dough can do as they wish and even reach for the stars quite literally if they wish to do so. Space travel tourism may be wishful thinking now but who knows in the future, right? After all, if there’s a will, there’s a way, especially if you have the cash to burn.

We can not tell yet whether mankind will be able to find a surrogate home somewhere out there in the vast realms of space but for sure, someone brilliant will find a way if it’s really meant to happen. But since there is a high probability it won’t happen in our lifetime, we should start cleaning up our act now and start saving what’s left of the planet before we have nowhere else to go.

Is Life In Space Possible? was initially published to DeGrafa.com

source https://www.degrafa.com/is-life-in-space-possible/

No Retreat, No Surrender: Environmental Issues During Trump Era

The world is rapidly heating up. Thanks to the buildup of gasses, it advances global warming and climate change at a rate that has never been seen for centuries. The damage has been done. There’s no point denying that. However, we can still change our ways and reduce the damage we are currently inflicting on the world by supporting sustainable living among others.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of challenges facing all of us. For starters, the government agency that’s been trying to undo the damage of climate change and taking appropriate measures to prevent us from doing more harm will lose the government’s support and no longer be able to continue their existing environment-friendly programs. President Trump has been vocal in saying that climate change is a hoax, so it does not come out as a surprise that he is stripping the US Environmental Protection Agency of much-needed funds for its operation.

If there’s a silver lining to the toxic cloud hovering over the White House, it’s that our science-denying president hasn’t caused too much damage to the environment. Yet.

But nearly four months into the Trump administration, the risks to the nation’s air, land and water are large and looming, as is the threat to the country’s belated — and still insufficient — efforts to combat catastrophic global warming. If Trump supporters believe this is an over-regulated nation, they better prepare themselves and their descendants for unhealthier and more disrupted lives.

With help from Congress, President Trump rescinded an Obama administration rule that would have limited what coal mining operations could dump into waterways. The Senate wisely rejected a similar effort to eliminate a rule clamping down on methane releases from new wells on federal land. Trump also directed the Environmental Protection Agency to review President Obama’s marquee Clean Power Plan, which aimed to reduce emissions from power plants 32% below 2005 levels by 2030. (The plan has also been stalled by the courts.) He ordered a review of tough future fuel-economy standards for motor vehicles, as well as a government-wide reconsideration of regulations that affect job creation or “impose costs that exceed benefits.” And he wants to plant more oil and gas rigs along the U.S. coastline, including California’s.

(Via: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-trump-environment-overview-20170515-story.html)

The US is one of the progressive nations in the world with the highest carbon emission. However, the utter disregard of President Trump on many of these pressing environmental issues is putting the lives of millions of Americans at risk to deadly catastrophes once they hit.

It's common knowledge that individual harmful environmental exposures, such as radon, pesticides, and air pollution, may increase specific cancer risks in a city or region. However, new research reveals that the overall environmental quality of a geographic location is also associated with overall cancer incidence.

Counties in the United States with the poorest environmental quality rating had an average of 38 more cancer cases per 100,000 people than counties with the highest rating over the study period (2000 to 2010), report the authors, led by Jyotsna S. Jagai, PhD, MPH, from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

"Research focusing on single environmental exposures in cancer development may not address the broader environmental context in which cancers develop," observe the authors.

Their new study, which relied heavily on data from the now-embattled US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was published online May 8 in Cancer.

The team also showed that specific cancers may be tied to overall environmental conditions. Prostate and breast cancers demonstrated the strongest positive associations with poor environmental quality, they report.

(Via: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/879760)

Aside from the scary disasters that are waiting to happen, the health of every American is also compromised from the pollutants that circulate around us and even puts us at higher risk of developing cancer over time. Some businesses have already changed. While further proof is still needed to establish the relationship between cancer and an unhealthy environment, we have long since acknowledged the fact that our health deteriorates when living in a highly populated and polluted city.

Many Americans are worried how the US will fare in the face of such devastating calamities when ruled by a leader who thinks that climate change is just a hoax. It is a tough time indeed, so we need to unite and make our voices heard. If nothing works, we can take the initiative to make these changes happen with or without the support of the government for the sake of everyone.

No Retreat, No Surrender: Environmental Issues During Trump Era is republished from The Degrafa.com Blog

source https://www.degrafa.com/no-retreat-no-surrender-environmental-issues-during-trump-era/

What Does Science Mean To You?

As kids, we had to take science classes from first grade until high school. All these classes taught us all the basic science concepts and many other important things in life, from the origins of life, how the human body works, and other more complex topics such as chemistry and physics. The subject wasn’t always easy but many times we have enjoyed understanding scientific concepts come to life and understood by our simple brain.

Much has changed today when it comes to science and technology. There are newer discoveries that have strengthened previous scientific theories or some that have entirely refuted them. It is likewise easier for us to gain access to a vast amount of knowledge on the web, something that we didn’t have access to in the past. It’s funny, though, that our understanding of what science really is about have become clouded regardless of how much we know about it now.

APOLOGIES TO MERRIAM, Webster, and everyone else who has ever assigned themselves the chore of cataloging how English speakers use words, but science is not a noun. I mean, yes, technically it is.1 But conversationally, most people use ‘science’ like Mark Watney did in The Martian, when he said he would “science the shit” out of the problem of growing food on Mars.

Science the verb is a process of questioning, hypothesizing, experimenting, and—so, so often—being wrong. Again and again and again. Until you get it mostly right. (Because no science [n] is ever complete.) Ideally, the process is democratic: Anybody can science the shit out of anything. In reality, most people “do” science vicariously—by reading about new discoveries and having faith that the discoverers aren’t charlatans. Though it’s not quite faith: We trust them because scientists argue in public.

These arguments happen all the time. Sometimes they last decades. Scientists curse one another out, hold grudges, and stop speaking altogether. But even in the nastiest of arguments, scientists generally tacitly agree that they are all Doing Science. Not Doing Science is an insult, usually reserved for fringe individuals who falsify data or host daytime nutrition shows. In terms of nerd fights, one mainstream scientist accusing another mainstream scientist of Not Doing Science is akin to Kanye West storming Taylor Swift’s 2009 VMA speech to imply that she didn’t deserve Best Female Video.

(Via: https://www.wired.com/2017/05/physicists-cant-agree-science-even-means-anymore/)

We may have a few misconceptions now on what science is really about because we have been bombarded with too much information we don’t really know what to believe anymore. Even scientists themselves are always in an argument but that is not entirely new because they have been bickering all throughout history and it’s what allowed them to make all these diverse discoveries and inventions, after all.

"Science" in the phrase "science is settled" is a misuse of the word.  Science is a methodology – it is not a theory, nor is it a conclusion or result.  Example: It would be an accurate statement to say the following: "many scientists agree that industrialized human culture is causing changes in climate" – this statement, although accurate, is not generally conclusive with regard to the question about human causation of climatic change.

The leftists are masterful at manipulating language in order to seem morally superior, and to quell any potential arguments against their narratives – "climate change" being one of their favorites.  In reading the above statement, anyone who is predisposed to think human beings (especially Western industrialized human culture) are intrinsically harmful to the Earth would take that statement to be conclusive – to believe in a truly nonsensical way that "science is settled" on the matter.

The primary explanation for how and why the leftists are successful at manipulating massive numbers of people is that a very small percentage of the population is inclined to use critical thinking (logic) when presented with a narrative that "sounds" high-minded and of a higher level of morality.

(Via: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/05/settled_science_lets_settle_the_argument.html)

Human behavior likewise plays a big role in just about everything there is in this world. Even with complex yet age-old concepts like science, our opinions can get in the way of our experience and new learning. The main challenge here is the nature of science itself. While these brilliant scientists do their best in trying to understand the way the cosmos works, they are basically just sharing their well thought-out opinion on a certain topic they have studied in-depth for quite some time. It’s not always set in wood or stone. There are a lot of mysteries and contradictions all around us and it’s what makes science such an interesting yet frustrating field of study.

Whatever science means to all of us today are all a product of the brilliant minds of scientists of yesteryears and today who have dedicated their entire lives to understanding the world around us and where we fit in the equation. One thing for sure is that we’ll keep on discovering and learning new things and even debunk some old beliefs we had but we’ll never fully decipher the mysterious nature of science but we’ll live with that knowledge like our ancestors did in the past.

What Does Science Mean To You? is courtesy of https://www.degrafa.com/

source https://www.degrafa.com/what-does-science-mean-to-you/

Leading France In The New Millennium

France has always been a great country from then until now. It is home to a rich culture and the arts and many notable people in history hail from this picturesque country. The place in itself is known for famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, making it a premier destination among tourists both local and foreign.

Like any sovereign nation, politics in France is not far from different from that of the rest of the world. Leaders come and go but some leave a permanent mark that the people and the world won’t forget. France will soon elect its new leader and everyone is restless. Over the years, terrorist threats have claimed lives in the country’s capital and many other issues plaguing the nation as of late.

France will head to the polls not once, but twice, to decide their next president. And whoever wins will take over from the most unpopular president in French history - Francois Hollande.

The second European country to vote in the ‘super year of elections’, the French election doesn’t start until April 23, but has already seen plenty of drama with allegations of fraud surrounding right-wing Republican leader Francois Fillon – once the favourite to be the next President.

Also in the mix is anti-immigration and anti-Islam National Front leader Marine Le Pen, and former economic adviser to President Hollande turned independent candidate, Emmanuel Macron – who is now seen as a favourite with political analysts.

The economy, European Union and immigration are key issues this election.

(Via: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/03/09/france-votes-what-impact-will-le-pen-trump-and-brexit-have)

There is actually more at stake than just electing a new leader.

In four weeks, Marine Le Pen — with her program of raising social spending, renationalising key industries, imposing a protectionist tariff and slashing immigration by 90 per cent, while threatening to leave the EU and the euro — therefore may be the president of continental Europe’s second largest economy, potentially triggering a collapse in world financial markets.

But even if Macron wins, the country’s future is far from being plain sailing. The immediate challenge for Macron will be forming a stable government. Although Charles de Gaulle believed the constitution of the Fifth Republic, which he was instrumental in designing, gave the president a high degree of control, the reality is that the presidency and the legislature share power.

However, nothing in France’s constitution guarantees that the president and the parliamentary majority will come from the same party. As a result, since the constitution came into effect in 1958, there have been three periods in which a president from one side of politics has had to work with a legislature (and hence prime minister) from another. The experience never proved a happy one: rather, in each episode of what the French call “cohabitation”, policy differences undermined the government’s ability to function, creating political deadlock.

(Via: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/if-macron-beats-le-pen-he-will-still-face-a-divided-france/news-story/9f2dcf0e0db805e4d219aaf693b4b696)

French citizens are not only torn as who to vote but highly doubtful of the system itself when neither of the two seem like the answer to all of France’s problems and other issues affecting the world like pointless wars that claims thousands of lives.

France today warned against military strikes on the Syrian regime based on a “rush of blood” by Donald Trump after dozens were killed in a suspected chemical weapons attack.

French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also accused Washington of sending mixed messages over how it would respond to the alleged war crime by tyrant Bashar Assad’s forces.

The priority at this stage, he added, was to pursue diplomatic talks to try to reach a United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria.

Post mortem results have revealed that chemical weapons were used in the attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Syria’s Idlib province which killed at least 70 people including 20 children, Turkish justice minister Bekir Bozdag said today.

(Via: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/france-issues-warning-against-military-action-in-syria-a3508806.html)

Like any other progressive nation, issues of corruption and political infighting plague France today. As the election nears, it is obvious how the two presidential candidates are poles apart, which makes voting even harder for the French voters, even when it comes to special issues. Regardless of their reasoning, they should learn from the mistakes of the past or that of other nations in choosing their new leader. Americans have broken convention and elected a totally inexperienced leader in the highest office of the land and it has caused a rift within the nation. Does France want to be next and become the laughingstock of the international community?

The following post Leading France In The New Millennium is courtesy of Degrafa.com

source https://www.degrafa.com/leading-france-in-the-new-millennium/

Trading Issues In Trump’s America

President Trump is a great businessman. How could he build such an empire if he knew nothing about the trade, right? However, his new position as the U.S. president is not a business gamble. For four years, his decision will shape the nation and everyone else living in it. Soon after assuming office, he already made quite a few daring moves involving travel bans and more travel bans in his serious stance against terrorists and illegal immigrants. Well, it does not come as a surprise since he has been very vocal about his position on it for years now.

But other aspects of nation building are also affected by his unorthodox policies. While he gives utmost priority to defense, immigration and safety and security of everyone, he gives less importance to other equally important issues like education, trade, the arts, and many others. As a businessman himself, he should be a genius already when it comes to business policies that can help boost the country’s economy. However, it seems like his business acumen isn’t manifesting yet in his unprecedented leadership.

The United States broke with other large industrial nations over trade on Saturday as the Trump administration rejected concerns among allies about spreading protectionism and made clear that it would seek new approaches to managing global commerce.

At a meeting of finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 industrialized and emerging nations and the European Union, Steven Mnuchin, attending his first major international gathering as Treasury secretary, signaled that American policy would follow the campaign promises made by President Trump to put “America first” and review existing trade agreements to seek better deals for the United States.

As a result, the ministers’ joint statement, normally a study in blandness, became an unlikely focus of controversy here. The representatives could agree only on a tortured compromise stating, in effect, that trade is a good thing. Adjectives like “open” were dropped, and the ministers omitted language used in previous communiqués that condemned protectionism, repudiating decades of free trade doctrine.

(Via: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/business/group-of-20-summit-us-trade.html?_r=0)

No matter how powerful the U.S. may be, it still needs to maintain positive business and political relations with other countries or risk suffering from big unforeseen losses. Take for instance dealing business with the mammoth that is China.

For years, American politicians and business leaders have demanded China approach its economic policy in a manner more similar to the United States. They have pushed the nominally communist country to cut support to its state-run enterprises, drop barriers against foreign goods and level the playing field between Chinese companies and their foreign competitors.

But as President Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Mar-a-Lago this week, he may take a markedly different approach: threatening that the United States will soon act more like China.

Trump's campaign tapped into deep skepticism about free trade, and as president he's promising to govern with an "America first" economic nationalism that includes using government resources to help domestic industry and leveraging trade policy to help insulate American businesses from foreign competition. It's an approach that sets Trump apart from traditional Republican allies who have championed free markets and looks surprisingly similar to the Chinese tactics Americans have criticized in the past.

“Mr. Trump seems to want to move the U.S. toward China’s approach, rather than move China toward the U.S. approach of open trade and globalization,” says Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade at Cornell University. That represents a shift in strategy from the past, when U.S. leaders aggressively proselytized the benefit of open markets, even if they didn't always wholly achieve them at home.

“He seems to want the U.S. to be more like China than China to be more like the U.S. And I’m not sure that’s the best path for the U.S. to go down,” Prasad says.

(Via: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/04/06/why-trump-wants-the-u-s-to-act-more-like-china/?utm_term=.78607fe0167e)

Doubts shadow many of the policies of the Trump administration including that of free trade. Even the Wall Street feels the tension after the recent Syria bombing and the U.S. economy that still appears to be in a slump. Trump practically won by gaining the sentiments of Pro-Americans especially the ones living in rural areas with a mantra to put Americans first in everything the government does including employment and business opportunities. But regardless of our personal opinions, the best thing we can do right now is to support the policies during this Trump era to help him realize his promise of making America great again.

Trading Issues In Trump’s America is available on The Degrafa Blog

source https://www.degrafa.com/trading-issues-in-trumps-america/