Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- How R&R became I&I. (Or as I like to call I&I - the weekend)

- Instead of lifting Trump's tariffs, Biden is imposing more of them. If, as Reason says, 97% of the aluminum jobs in the US are "downstream" wouldn't many of those jobs be union-related? Just asking.

- Tanks fer nutting?

- Did the COVID-19 virus really escape from a Wuhan lab? Yes it did! Excellent detail on why this is true. Infuriating that China is not being held accountable for this.

Linky Links

 Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- 100 of the best leadership quotes of all-time.

- This is sportsmanship

- Now the World Health Origination says lockdowns are bad. They are useless.

- Scientific fraud in China

- Saudi's edge closer to historic peace deal with Israel

- No China did not win the trade war

Boycott China

You'll be doing yourself a favor by not buying shit products from an asshole government.

And the way the game is played these days people should also be asking the question, "Why are you buying a product marked Made in China - do you want grandma to die?"

Americans are already boycotting China over the coronavirus Wuhan Virus. Keep it up!

Boycott China

You'll be doing yourself a favor by not buying shit products from an asshole government.

And the way the game is played these days people should also be asking the question, "Why are you buying a product marked Made in China - do you want grandma to die?"

EDIT: Going to keep posting this periodically because China is asshole!

HT American Digest

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations..

Do you think when George Conway now shaves in the morning he looks in the mirror and asks himself, "Do I really have a moonface? Damn it! I do have a moonface don't I"... Trump ratchets up the pressure on China's economy. Not a fan of the name "Economic Prosperity Network" and I'd also expand the group to include Mexico and Brazil since some manufacturers may wish to move back to or at least closer to the US... "First and above all else, you must secure life, liberty and the right to pursue your own happiness. That's politics done right, hard earned, often by war." - a Charles Krauthammer quote that seems appropriate today... Very quietly Israel has been kicking Iran's ass in Syria. "The Israeli officials refused to comment on these reported attacks, maintaining Israel's policy of ambiguity, under which it generally acknowledges taking action against Iran in Syria without specifically confirming individual strikes"... The Democratic Convention in August is shaping up to be very entertaining. You have certain Dems mumbling that Joe Biden shouldn't be the candidate because of his mental decline while others say Biden should withdraw because of the Tara Reade allegations. The hardcore Bernie Bros will be vocal that Bernie Sanders should be the candidate if Biden withdraws while the Democratic establishment will do anything to keep that from happening. Then you'd have all the women and their supporters of those who were not picked to be on the ticket. Look for many of them to refind their "Me Too" religion. Would anyone be surprised that the DNC actually hopes to cancel the circus that will be their Convention this year? Get the popcorn out... "If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough." - Meister Eckhart...

China

"You got to lower your ideal of freedom if you want to suck on the warm teat of China." - South Park

Why was the US so late to recognize the China threat? As they say - the first step in recovery is recognizing you have a problem. We may have been late to the reality of China but now, hopefully, both sides of the aisle see the danger in front of them.

The businesses in China see a "dark future" and dealing with Chinese manufacturers has become a headache. "China in the last year has become far riskier on nearly all fronts. It is important you recognize this and act accordingly."

Even Apple cannot prevent knock-off Apple stores operating in the open in China. Manufacturers are crazy to keep their supply chains in China at this point. And consumers should be sure to buy only from reputable sources. The poison dog food from China was just the beginning.

And don't forget "Don't trust China! China is asshole!"

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Interesting look at Netflix's Q1 2020 revenue.

- As bad as COVID-19 is it could be worse. You could have the Jumping Frenchman of Maine disorder.

- How to think like Shakespeare

- The great China-US divorce has arrived. Hallelujah!!

- Interesting quote from an ER doctor

Top 5 - Changes We'll See After the Wuhan Virus

Here are the Top 5 things I think will change as a result of the Wuhan Virus.

1. There will be a new Cold War but this time with China as the enemy. The trade war with China will force both a decoupling between the two nations but also a choosing of sides with other nations.

2. Social distancing and wearing masks (especially during flu season) will become the norm. No more handshakes or hi-fives. They will be replaced with the "nod of acknowledgement."

3. Globalism and any cause that relies on political correctness shaming will lose vast support. People have had a glimpse of what's behind the curtain and they didn't like what they saw. Little to no patience going forward for people who believe they have their own "truths" that need to be listened to. People who think they can "shame" others because their beliefs differ are going to become the new pariahs as it is made clear that these folks really have nothing positive to add to society.

4. The role of sports in society will be greatly lessened. We've learned that no March Madness, no Opening Day, or NBA, or NHL isn't the end of the world. Interest in watching games will be less and interest in attending games will nosedive as people begin to avoid crowds. Same will be true of anything that relies on crowds like concerts, movies, festivals, etc.

5. People will start moving out of the cities in droves. Part of the new "avoiding crowds" for health purposes. Subways, buses and other forms of public transportation will be viewed as breeding grounds for the plague. Life is short and not worth spending in crowded environments will be the siren song of people who refuse to be "fools for the city" as Foghat once put it.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The massive stone lions outside the New York Public Library are named Patience and Fortitude. Two qualities that are in dire need these days... Recently rewatched Raiders of the Lost Ark and man does that movie not hold up well. It was sooo cheesy and let's be honest pretty racist...  Call Me a Hole - a mash-up of Call Me Maybe and Nine Inch Nails. Seven years old but still cool to listen to... "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to exit the donut!" - Nick Fury in Iron Man 2 (a quote I'm thinking of posting on my refrigerator or coffee maker for the rest of the self-quarantine period)... In her new 1,400 page proposed package is Nancy Pelosi proposing giving up her government provided private jet by any chance? That woman is pure evil... Back in January the US signed the Phase One trade deal with China where they agreed to buy $200 billion in new American goods while the US agreed not to raise any more tariffs. Has there been any evidence the Chinese have begun to honor their end of the deal yet? If not President Trump should double all tariffs immediately and use the funds from the tariffs to help offset the damage caused by the Wuhan virus. More symbolic than practical yes but I'm thinking it would make many Americans feel better...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Decades ago I recall someone asking Kirk Douglas how he remained in such healthy condition. Douglas said one of his secrets was to never use the elevator but always take the stairs instead. Such simple and profound advice that I've tried to follow ever since...  Kirk Douglas' service during World War II should also be noted... Today is an important day in US history - in 1778 France officially recognized the independence of the 13 colonies. Britain immediately responded by declaring war on France... Did you know Orson Welles did not win Best Actor for Citizen Kane and neither did Humphrey Bogart for Casablanca?... "I have as much authority as the Pope. I just don't have as many people who believe it." - George Carlin... China to cut tariffs on $75 billion of US goods. Medical supplies are among the items with new reduced tariffs. I'd also look for China to announce huge purchases of US food stuffs shortly. The Chinese leadership are struggling to deal with the coronavirus and the food stuffs are necessary because they can't afford for their people to be dying in the street from sickness and starving at the same time...  Congrats to Brigadier General Charles McGee...

Phase One China Deal

So this week a "Phase One" trade deal with China was signed. For those paying attention this is a clear win for the US and President Trump.

The deal basically breaks down to China agreeing to buy $200 billion in new American goods while the US agrees to not raise any more tariffs. We didn't give up anything and the Chinese agreed to buy more stuff - especially agricultural products.

When Trump instituted his trade war tariffs the Chinese responded by cancelling billions of orders from the US especially food stuffs. They thought this would make the US farmers put pressure on Trump to reduce his tariffs. But the unintended consequence for China was they no longer had enough food for their people. They tried alternative markets like Russia but to no avail. The Chinese learned that the US truly is the breadbasket to the world.

The deal is such a win for the US that the MSM is silent about it. Or if they do speak they have to admit, like CNBC's Jim Cramer that the tariffs worked. And now President Trump gets to campaign in the Midwest with this victory for the farmers under his belt. 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I truly believe that if Tom Brady plays next year in will be in a Patriots uniform. However, I have to mention that those who are insistent on making the case of Tom playing elsewhere keep missing a key ingredient. The next chapter of Brady's life will revolve largely around his TB12 Method and his gyms. He already has one in Boston and will be opening gyms soon in NYC and LA... New York Times actual headline; "Trump Signs China Deal, Halting Trade War That Hurt Global Growth" - hurt global growth for who? China?... Luke Kuechly absolutely should be a first ballot Hall of Famer. I would also say that in this age of CTE awareness nobody should be surprised with his decision to retire... Sometimes the truth is in plain sight (even if it was decades in the making)... Why I mention the new TB12 gyms is the Chargers are moving to LA and they desperately need a reason for fans to buys tickets and playing for an LA team can help Brady promote his new gym. Just saying... One of the great things about living in Mass is hearing people say the word "caucus." As in the Iowa "cock us." I have the sense of humor of a 12-year old boy...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Funny but often too true

- This is great news for the workers, the UAW, GM and for Ford. Wonder why this story has been underplayed in the media?

- China's manufacturing exodus set to continue in 2020, despite prospect of trade war deal. The de-coupling continues!

- Speaking of China - how they target liberal democracies

- Israel has developed a new laser based missile defense system.

- Steve McQueen's iconic 1968 Mustang from the movie Bullitt has sold at auction for $3.74 million

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Stocks sink after Trump says China deal can wait. Trump is putting pressure on China to do a deal by saying maybe he'll be the one to wait till after the 2020 election not the Chinese. More tariffs by December 15th. First to blink loses.

- I had never heard of Bee Propolis before but is sounds like good stuff.

- More wisdom from Naval

- Cool (pun intended) - Scientists just triggered the coldest chemical reaction in the known universe. Being able to "see" what happens during the process of a chemical reaction could be a huge breakthrough in science.

- Why is there no record of ancient humans? Interesting talk by Randall Carlson

- More good advice.

China and Hong Kong

Yesterday the US House of Representatives passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. The vote was 417-1.

The bill passed the Senate unanimously and now awaits the signature of President Trump. The overwhelming support for the bill from both the House and Senate make the bill veto proof.

As the British would say, China is not best pleased with these actions. The bill has some teeth and some real penalties to China if the freedoms in Hong Kong are trampled. And to think real attention to the plight of protesters in Hong Kong only really gained high visibility in the US after Chinese officials completely overacted to Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey's Tweet of support for Hong Kong.

Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, was the lone dissenting vote in the House although it seems Massie approves of the sentiment of the bill.

Dianne Feinstein's Chinese spy driver could not be reached for comment.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Fan raised $43k to hand out "Stand With Hong Kong" t-shirts at Lakers home opener. Be interesting to see how the team handles this.

- Yes - this is true. I am lazy!

- CC Sabathia's Hall of Fame case. Was Sabathia better than Luis Tiant? Or Curt Schilling? Neither of those players are in the Hall of Fame.

- Cool science.

- The Trade War seems to be effecting the strength of the Chinese economy. As an aside I loved this quote from the article; "Authorities will loosen policies, but in a more restrained way." Loosening things through further restraint?  That's the Chinese Communists for ya.

- South Park pokes fun at LeBron James for his China comments.

- Heh Heh

Trump's Trade Deal

So The US and China have reached a Phase One trade deal. I view this as a "win-win" for President Trump and the United States.

The deal basically says China will purchase between $40-50 billion in US agricultural products and the US will not raise certain tariffs from 25% to 30% (a raise that was supposed to happen next week).

China buying billions in US agricultural products helps US farmers and in return all we gave up was not raising certain tariffs. A move that doesn't cost us anything.

I have to pat myself on the back because I called this over a week ago:

So look for China to offer to buy millions of tons of food from US farmers during the next round of trade negotiations as their "act of good faith" towards "finalizing" a deal or at least getting a break in tariffs.

China

"You got to lower your ideals of freedom if you want to suck on the warm teat of China." - South Park 

The theme this week seems to be China and the US - a new Cold War.

This article looks at the relationship between China and the US in "rear-view mirror" terms to the USSR / USA Cold War. The author does a good job explaining why military confrontation is less likely today.

The struggle today is less ideological and more in tune with national interest - specifically economic interests. Countries are not going to buy into China's version of manifest destiny (such as their Belt and Road or New Silk Road Initiatives) but they will bend to financial incentives. Micro individual serving economics (such as the money and incentives given to individual companies, politicians or "influencers" such as Hunter Biden) versus Macro "Communist vs Capitalist" dogma. Useful idiot individuals willfully sucking on the warm teat of China harming their own nation's national interests in the process.

This article also makes the Cold War comparison but argues that Communist China may be weaker than it appears. It may look stronger in comparison to the USSR in terms of military and economic strength but its reliance on the US is a huge weakness. I agree.

The Chinese tried to punish the US for Trump's increased tariffs by cancelling orders of millions of tons of soy beans thinking this would hurt Trump politically. But China tried to buy soy beans from Russia only to find that Russia barely has enough crops to feed themselves. So look for China to offer to buy millions of tons of food from US farmers during the next round of trade negotiations as their "act of good faith" towards "finalizing" a deal or at least getting a break in tariffs.

China also still has to deal with the protests in Hong Kong. Sadly the Chinese will use the fact that most Americans are "bored" with the story and no longer paying attention to institute a hardline crackdown. My hope is that President Trump uses the One China Two Systems deal which was supposed to be for 50-years to point to the Chinese - how can we trust you not to break our agreement? This could be the only thing that might lessen to blow on the freedom loving Hong Kongers.

Couple this with China not following through on promises to stem the tide of fentanyl coming into the US from known Chinese sources. Now Trump has reason to institute new and harsher tariffs. And if framed as trying to end the fentanyl epidemic - the American people will love him for it. (Look for a move along these lines in the next 12 months.) 

These arguments don't even touch with the Chinese genocide of the Muslim Uighurs (which really exposes what sort of people we are dealing with).

Decoupling is actually the end game goal. The threat of delisting Chinese companies from US stock exchanges foreshadows this. I don't think the US follows through with delisting until at least after the 2020 election. It is also more leverage for President Trump to use in negotiations. But slowly but surely there will be a decoupling until the words "Made in China" are poison to most Western societies.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Understanding Hong Kong's protests from a historical and business perspective from Harvard Business Review.

- I originally thought it was raisin toast

- Walrus attack and sink a Russian Navy boat in the arctic.

- The "0 to 1" trap and several other things learned from Peter Thiel. Still have 0 to 1 on my bookshelf but I will read it soon!

- Another perspective says that the crackdown in Hong Kong is somehow a negotiating tactic by China in the trade negotiation with Trump and the US.

- Cool Belichick story

- Harvard's admission policies are hardly geared toward admitting the best students based upon merit. Classic "it's who you know not what you know" situation.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing.

- Robert Mueller helped Saudi Arabia cover up its role in the 9/11 attacks according to lawsuit.

- Interesting bit of Vietnam War history that I was not aware of.

-  Heh Heh

- DNA evidence suggests that the Loch Ness Monster could be a giant eel.

- Companies moving manufacturing out of China may force them to end trade war before too many companies leave for good. I really think China has overplayed their hand.

- The Four Tools of Discipline