Pacific Coast Beefits Trust

Wal-Marting the Oceans

The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA), a national grassroots recreational fishing organization, this week slammed Wal-Mart’s contribution of $36 million to ocean privatization efforts through “catch shares” programs and the creation of so-called “marine protected areas.”

“Wal-Mart announced this week its efforts to help fund the demise of both the recreational and commercial fishing industry while also working to ensure that the next generation of sportsmen will have less access to coastal fish stocks than at any point in U.S. history,” according to a news release from RFA.

In a August 16th news release from Wal-Mart corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, the Walton Family Foundation announced “investments” totaling more than $71.8 million awarded to various environmental initiatives in 2010. The foundation handed over $36 million alone to Marine Conservation grantees including Ocean Conservancy, Conservation International Foundation, Marine Stewardship Council, World Wildlife Fund and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

The five top grantees were: Conservation International, $18,640,917; the Nature Conservancy,$9,305,449; Environmental Defense Fund $7,086,054; the Marine Stewardship Council, $4,500,000; and the Ocean Conservancy, $3,757,768.

Critics of Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world, have blasted the company for decades for being able to sell its products at cheap prices only by employing sweatshops, undercutting competitors, wielding its market power to cripple both competitors and suppliers, and flouting national and international health, safety, labor, and environmental standards. Anti-corporate globalization opponents have long regarded Wal-Mart as a virtual “Darth Vader” of retailers, as documented in the film, “The High Price of Low Cost.

The Pacific an HBO miniseries

The Pacific , the ten part HBO miniseries that details the true life stories of the soldiers that fought in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War Two is, like the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers that focused on the war in Europe, both a major achievement and a sobering experience. It tells the story of the war against the Japanese through the eyes of the soldiers who were there on the ground, fighting against seemingly endless waves of enemies, an environment completely foreign to them, and their own minds to keep their sanity. I loved Band of Brothers especially since 2 of the guys were from south philly Babe Hebron and Bill Garnere .A little story ....at the beginning of the series they are interviewing one of the guys from Easy Co. and he asks "what is the Airborne? "and he is told "you jump out of planes "and he replies "you can go to hell" but you make 50 more bucks a month he raises his hand " I'm in". I called my pop who was in the 11th Airborne and made 100 jumps because I heard many times while growing up "the only reason I jumped out of planes was because I made $50.00 more a month !" I cannot wait for this series because my dad and 2 uncles were in the pacific Army airborne, Navy,and Marines.My Uncle Jack the Marine jumped in a shell crater to find himself among three Japanese soldiers.He dispatched them all but got a bayonet through his leg. I have been looking forward to this too. My dad fought in the 10th Mt. Division in the Po River Valley in Italy carrying a BAR so I have always been interested in what he and my uncles went through during WW2. I have an uncle who fought as a Marine on Iwo Jima and was wounded on Saipan. He doesn't go to the reunions anymore because there are so few of them left. When my Dad was on those islands he told me the Japs/Nips (as they called them) would climb up and hide in the palm trees for cover and surprise.

The Pacific

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Trust

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