Port Townsend, today. By October, 1959, our fantastic odyssey in Prince Rupert had come to an end. Three years of mostly great experiences for the entire family – including the dawg!
We drove the 1,613 km (1,002 miles) back to Seattle. On Thanksgiving Day, October 12, 1959, we were nearing the Canadian – US Border down around Chilliwack. Suddenly we were surrounded by hundreds, no, thousands of turkeys!
The herd (?) of turkey – similar to the mob shown above - finally brought Trans Canada Highway 1 to a halt. And what a racket. Obviously they had busted out on Canada’s Thanksgiving Day, and were running a muck in celebration! We were stalled for almost a quarter hour by the raucous gobbling throng!
We were very pleased to see so many had escaped, at least for the time being, the dinner plate! As you recall, Canadian’s celebrate a successful harvest, with their Thanksgiving Day, L'Action de grâce, on the 2nd Monday in October.
Our parents admonished my sister and I to celebrate Thanksgiving every day, rather than trying to contain all our blessings into one day. I am pleased to have the opportunity to share my Blog with you. It fills my senior days with all kinds of new discoveries.
Along the way, I hope you’ve picked up a gem of something you hadn’t known before. I'm very grateful for the nudging and support my sister offers, and without GingerSnap, nothing would get filed.
Life has slowed down dramatically over the past few years. Gone are the days of frantic shopping, and long distance driving to "Grandma's House!" It is just me and my sister now.
Thanksgiving afternoon I'll pop the turkey in the oven. And GingerSnap will stick like glue to me, with visions of a drumstick falling into her plate!
We hope you have a pleasant day!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thankgiving, 2011
Index: Thanksgiving
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Happy Thanksgiving!
China Blocks Ore Shipments From Brazil
By John Konrad On November 24, 2011
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When the world’s largest ore carrier, Vale Brasil, was loaded to her marks with 391,000 tons of iron ore in May she departed Brazil with the intention of delivering her cargo to the iron-hungry factories of China. But she never made it. According to her owner, Rio de Janeiro-based Vale, the ship was diverted to Italy at the request of a European customer. The company also stated that Chinese ports were not yet ready with “special services” planned to accommodate a vessel of her size and draft.
According to Bloomberg news, this may not be the full truth. In an article published this week, Bloomberg suggests that China is looking to control the movement of iron to protect the country’s domestic steel mills. Huang Wenlong, an analyst with BOC International Holdings Ltd, told reporters, “Once Vale moves its own iron ore, its control on the supply of iron ore extends into shipping, further diminishing Chinese steelmakers’ bargaining power… That is a situation China doesn’t want to see.”
The article further states that Vale’s plan to build 35 mega-ships will flood the bulk-shipping market and is actively opposed by Chinese shipping lines, shipowners and steelmakers. They tell us:
Vale has held talks with Chinese shipping lines about selling or leasing the about 360-meter-long vessels, Teddy Tang, the chief financial officer of its China operations, said in September. No deals had been reached.
The China Shipowners Association, whose members hold about 80 percent of the nation’s shipping capacity, has advised lines not to take the vessels, said Executive Vice Chairman Zhang Shouguo. “The most important thing for Vale is to stop building,” said Zhang, a former deputy director in the transport ministry’s shipping division. “The additional capacity will exacerbate the already bad freight market.”
In addition to protecting commercial interests China may have another reason for blocking shipments. According to a senior military analyst gCaptain spoke with, China is actively building naval platforms to assert its supremacy in the region and this move “might signify China’s desire to foster the development of raw materials within its sphere of influence.”
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Thanks for sending this along. I just got word from Google Alerts on the 22nd, to wit:
“Nobody in China wants Vale’s fleet to come,” he said. “Not shipping lines, not shipowners, not steelmakers.”
The miner may struggle to find alternative uses for all ships as no other markets are as big, he said. Vale also likely can’t cancel vessel orders or quit leasing contracts without paying “very heavy penalties,” said Ralph Leszczynski, the Beijing-based head of research at shipbroker Banchero Costa & Co.
“I’m pretty sure that Vale themselves have by now realized that they made a big mistake,” he said. “I find it really incredible that they committed so much money in this project without first getting written assurances from the Chinese side that they would be able to use the ships.”
Bottom line: Anyone need a 400,000 dwt door stop?
Happy Thanksgiving O-E, and to the puppy too.
-Leland
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