On July 20, 2020, Teamsters participated in the “Strike for Black Lives.” Labor unions and other organizations participated in the mass strike in 25 different cities to protest racism and acts of police violence in the United States. Organizers of the protest claimed that one of the goals of the strike is to incite action from corporations and the government that promotes career opportunities for Black and Hispanic workers. Organizers stated that the strike was inspired by the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike in 1968 over low wages, inhuman working conditions, and a disparity in the distribution of benefits to black and white employees.
Teamsters also recognize and publicize International Women’s Day on March 8th every year.
On March 8, 2014, in one of aviation’s greatest mysteries, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, carrying a total of 239 people, disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The fate of the flight remains unknown.
The nation of Malaysia consists of two regions, separated from each other by the South China Sea:
- Peninsular Malaysia (historically named Malaya), on the southern end of the Malay Peninsula, and bordering with Thailand on its north.
- East Malaysia (also known as Malaysian Borneo), on and near the northern side of the island of Borneo.
The flag of Malaysia, which bears some resemblance to the flag of the United States but was apparently not directly inspired by it, was one of 373 designs submitted to the Malaysian government in a national contest in 1949. It was designed by Mohamed Hamzah. It was approved by King George VI, then the head of state, and first officially raised in public in 1950. It has had minor changes since then.
The city-state of Singapore is located on Singapore Island, separated from the Malay Peninsula by Johor Strait to the north and Singapore Strait to the south. Singapore is the largest port in Southeast Asia and one of the busiest in the world. Once a British colony and now a member of the Commonwealth, Singapore first joined the Federation of Malaysia on its formation in 1963 but seceded to become an independent state on August 9, 1965. The city got its name from Singapura (“Lion City”), in the 14th century. According to the Sejarah Melayu, a Malay chronicle, the city was founded by the Srīvijayan prince Sri Tri Buana; he is said to have glimpsed a tiger, mistaken it for a lion, and thus called the settlement Singapura.
Kawaikini Peak is the highest point on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. Kawaikini Peak is the summit of the Kauai’s inactive central shield volcano, Mount Waialeale. Ka wai kini literally translates to “the multitudinous water” in the Hawaiian language, referring to the island’s high rainfall. A rain gauge placed nearby records daily rainfall and regularly lands Kauai’s peaks on the National Climatic Data Center’s list of places averaging the highest annual rainfall. This high rainfall makes reaching the summit difficult on most days.
On February 12, 2010 there was snow recorded in 49 states. The one state without snow? Hawai’i.
The most snowfall ever recorded in a 1-day period in Florida occurred on March 6, 1954. That happened in Santa Rosa county, which is located in the western part of the panhandle, just northeast of Pensacola. The four inches of snow recorded that day is also the most ever for a 2-day and 3-day period in the state.
“Salient” is a geographic term for an enlongated protrusion of a geopolitical entity. Salients are shaped similarly to peninsulas, though most salients are bordered by land (rather than water) on at least two sides.
In American English, the terms “panhandle” and “bootheel” (such as the Florida Panhandle, the Oklahoma Panhandle, and the Missouri Bootheel) are commonly used in reference to salients.
While Alaska is usually considered to be arctic or sub-artic in nature, the Alaskan Panhandle, also known simply as Southeast Alaska, is actually temperate rainforest, much like Washington and parts of Oregon. It is generally defined as the area between Yakutat and Ketchikan, and is bordered on the east, southeast, and northeast by Canadian provinces.
The Alaska Boundary dispute contributed to the growth of Canadian nationalism. The matter went to an arbitration panel composed of three Americans, a British lord, and two Canadians. The British lord sided with the three Americans to give the current boundary, effectively cutting off Yukon from the sea.
The decision was widely criticized in Canada as being made to favour Anglo-American relations and sacrificing Canadian interests. One Canadian historian wrote that « Canadians owe nothing to Britain but Christian forgiveness. »
Yukon Jack is the brand name of a variety of whiskey-based liqueur, made by blending Canadian whiskey and honey. It is said to have been named after American pioneer and explorer Leroy Napoleon “Jack” McQuesten, who built trading businesses in both the Yukon and Alaska in the latter half of the 19th century.
There are three territories in Canada. These territories have no inherent sovereignty and have only those powers delegated to them by the federal government. The largest is the Nunavut, which is an area of almost 2 million square miles, and has a population of less than 37,000. Next largest is the Northwest Territories, an area of 1.1 million square miles, containing a population of just over 41,000. The Yukon is about half a million square miles with a population of slightly over 40,000 inhabitants.
The Alaska-Canadian Highway (or ALCAN Highway) connects Alaska with the continental US, passing through British Columbia and Yukon Territory. It was first proposed in the 1920s by the US, but the Canadian government refused to allow access. In 1938 the Roosevelt Administration approached the idea with Canada again, and while Canada was wary of losing it’s neutrality in the growing US-Japan dispute, it agreed to allow the US to construct the road as long as the US bore full costs and turned over the route to Canada upon completion. Construction began March 9, 1942 and although completed by October 28 it was inaccessible to general vehicles until 1943. Even then, parts were challenging to traverse due to steep terrains and permafrost upheavals.
There are three towns in Southeast Alaska that are accessible by road. One is Haines, one is Skagway, and the third is the small village of Hyder. In order to drive to these towns, one must first enter Canada via the ALCAN highway, then cross the border once again into the US to get to either town. During COVID, this was a major problem, as residents of these towns relied on Canadian towns for resupply of groceries, etc.
This is an aside, but J seem to recall you lived in Alaska for some time, @Chefguy .
A sibling has spent some time in North North Canada and bemoaned the enormous price of groceries. A bag of frozen vegetables for twenty dollars, that sort of thing. I believe there is a fairly hefty tax allowance or stipend paid to north northerners to help offset this and other costs in Canada.
Does Alaska have the same problems and subsidies? I guess some of it gets cruise ships and such, which is less of an option in the Canadian Northwest… (no further questions will be asked about this to avoid further distractions…)
Same costs, but no idea about subsidies.
I’m not sure if this is the answer you’re looking for, but…
The Alaska Permanent Fund (APF) is a constitutionally established permanent fund managed by a state-owned corporation, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC). It was established in Alaska in 1976. The Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) is a dividend paid to Alaska residents that have lived within the state for a full calendar year (January 1 – December 31), and intend to remain an Alaska resident indefinitely. The 2022 Permanent Fund Dividend amount is $3,284.
(Aside) Thanks. That’s sorta what I meant. No further hijacks.