5-4-22

Yeah yeah.... May teh 4th and all that.  Hardy har.

Swiped from Janet

A thought.  Comparing reactions to abortion Vs. vaccine mandates. One tribe insists vaccine is a society issue while abortion is a personal issue, while the other tribe insists the opposite theory is true.  What if they are both right... ish?

The Met Gala is ComicCon for the 1%.  Sounds right to me.

Good advice to new technicians.

This is reputed to be a representation of all the ships waiting in Chinese waters to dock and load/unload.  I have no idea how to verify it's truth.

If it's true, I think it demonstrates the fundamental inability of the socialist-authoritarian-tyrant minds to understand capitalism. 

Much like the internet acts with censorship, capitalism treats things like this as damage to the system. It reacts to it, and eventually works around it.

That often takes the form of smuggling, but in the larger scheme such trade embargos (and that is what this is) will be treated as a faulty part of the system and simply bypassed. If it continues China will lose it's place in the economic hierarchy of world trade, as it's chosen not to take part and short of war nobody can force them to.

Yes, that means restructuring trade, but capitalism is good at that. Yes, it means loss of money and trade over the short term, and that pain is what China's leadership is counting on.  That said, it's a chancy game to play.  It's not brinksmanship when the antagonist doesn't understand where the lines are, and I don't think Xi does.

Right now, this embargo is seriously messing with world trade and supply lines.  It's also teaching lessons; Lessons that companies and nations will learn whether they wish to or not.  One of those lessons is, like buying energy from Russia, it comes with risk.

As I type this Germany (regretting their energy choices) is reshaping their energy policy at amazing speed.  Within a few years Russia will have nothing to threaten Germany with, thus undoing part of Putin's grand plan for domination.

China is using world trade in the same way Putin uses energy production.  How much longer till the world's nations and companies decide trading with China just carries too much risk to be worth it?

Thought. Why was only the Alito draft divulged, but not the Sotomayor draft? I would guess a clerk with access to one would have both at hand. Why..... just.... this.... one.... paraded?

Fed bumped the rate. Shock. Dismay. Consternation.