The IRELAND Story.

Posted on my Facebook page, years ago.

NEWS. “As Britain Turned Away From E.U., Northern Ireland Turned to Sinn Fein.” / “In a seismic election shift in Northern Ireland, the pro-unity Sinn Fein is winning (or wins).” May election results reflected the demoralization of unionist voters and the disarray of their leaders and an electorate with new priorities, reports New York Times. But adds that much of these can “…be traced to Brexit,” which I disagree with. But that’d be a lengthy discussion. 

       I am more interested (or concerned) with possible rekindling of bloody unrest/s between Catholics and Protestants a.k.a. The Troubles, which Sinn Fein figured in of course. Yet this Irish republican and democratic socialist political party, which is active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland—has evolved, changed, and transformed through the years, from its formation in 1905 during the Irish War of Independence.

       Sinn Fein, 2022. It is the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, having won the largest share of first-preference votes and the most seats in last month’s election. That’d be the first time Sinn Fein has done so. From 2007 to 2022 it was only the second-largest party in the Assembly, after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Meanwhile, in the U.K. House of Commons, Sinn Féin holds seven of Northern Ireland's seats.

       How would Britain’s Brexit impact on new leadership power in Northern Ireland (or Ireland per se) remains to be seen. 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪

SINN Fein could be in power but it also had to contend with schisms within, historically. From 1905, when its early members founded the First Dáil and the revolutionary Irish Republic during the Irish War, party split punctuated the organization. Post-civil war, two traditionally dominant parties of Irish politics: Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

       The current Sinn Féin party took shape in 1970 after another split, the other faction eventually becoming the Workers' Party. During the Troubles, Sinn Féin was associated with the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).

       The Troubles were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Although the Troubles mostly took place in Northern Ireland, at times violence spilled over into parts of the Republic of Ireland, England and mainland Europe.

       The conflict was primarily political and nationalistic, fueled by historical events. It also had an ethnic or sectarian dimension but despite use of the terms “Protestant” and “Catholic” to refer to the two sides, it was not a religious conflict. And so on and so forth.

       Yet from those years to current times, life and politics have hugely evolved. News: “Britain Moves Ahead With Plans to Scrap Trade Rules on Northern Ireland.” The action by the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson to scuttle the post-Brexit trade arrangement risks a clash with the European Union and upsetting the United States.

       There you go. And since President Biden is currently high with his hawkish interventionist foreign policy, again—let’s see how Sinn Fein works around it, regardless (if ever) of Mr Boris. Especially that, on first reading, Sinn Fein seems cool with E.U. 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪

LOOK, I don’t pretend that I could offer a credible insight on “Northern Ireland going Sinn Fein” vis a vis Britain’s relaxing of trade rules on NI. First, we gotta see how that pans out as the region in general works around the Ukraine/Russia (per U.S. imposing shadow) tempest. G7 meets this month in Germany, by the way.

       Anyhow, Ireland imports most of its oil, 76 percent from the U.K., some from Norway and North and West Africa. Natural gas? Again, Dublin buys mainly from the U.K. via pipeline from Scotland, 53 percent. Would that mean, unlike other E.U./European nations, Ireland isn’t dependent on Moscow’s energy supplies. But Britain is obviously valuable.

       Ireland was (and maybe still is) a haven for FDIs due to its friendly 12.5 percent corporate tax. But that has long been upgraded to 15 percent in conformity with recent OECD agreement to impose a uniform tax rate, as previously proposed by President Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪

THE United States and U.K., (of course) are Ireland’s top trading partners, although China is moving up. In 2020, Beijing's direct investment totaled $1.1 billion, creating around 3,000 new jobs for the local public. Last year, goods traded between China and Ireland were valued at $22.9 billion, up 27 percent compared with the previous year.

       At this point, China is Ireland's fourth largest trading partner, the largest export market for Irish pork and the fifth largest market for Ireland's food and beverage exports. So how do we see this? If Ireland continues to emphasize economics as today’s Washington via President Biden sticks to his hawkish guns/politics, China could move up.

       Currently, among the fastest-growing economies in Europe, Ireland has become an information and communication technology powerhouse. Then we go to China's Belt and Road Initiative and its aim to improve connectivity between China and more than 70 countries through infrastructure investment and regional cooperation.

       That expansionism carries on faster as Washington turns to its old-school military bombast. How’d Ireland’s Sinn Fein philosophy fit in? Let’s see. 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪

Famous. And Other Stuff.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

FAMOUS SPORTS EVENTS. The Soviet Union beat the U.S. by 1 point, 51-50, in the 1972 Olympic men's basketball final in Munich, Germany. A controversial event in Olympic history. Team USA was then represented by college standouts. It was the first ever loss by the U.S. in the event. The final three seconds were played three times. Ivan Edeshko made the pass to Alexander Belov who made the basket. In 1992, NBA stars started to represent the U.S. in the Olympics. 🇺🇸🏀🇷🇺

GLOBAL HOLIDAYS. Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it follows the season of Advent (which begins four Sundays before) or the Nativity Fast, and initiates the season, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries. 🎁✝️🎊

FAMOUS PLACES. Baguio City is an urbanized city in the Philippines. Second home of my family. During American colonial years, Baguio was selected as summer capital, owing to its cool climate, located 4,810 feet above sea level. In 1901, the U.S. government expropriated lands in Baguio owned by the Ibalois, who were forced to sell their lands. When I was in grade school, we were fined 5-centavos for every Ilocano or Tagalog word we uttered; had to be in English. 🌄🇵🇭🌲

INTERESTING EVENTS. Zombie Bike Ride, a celebration of the bicycle in late October in Key West, Florida. Rock and roll, zombie bikes and costumes of all types and a one-mile leisurely ride along the Atlantic Ocean. The first event was created in 2009 by the local bike shop owners Marky Pierson, Evan Haskell, and Chris Needham. Participants wear everything from dead-like face and body-paint and gory zombie costumes to lively "walking dead" garb. 🧟‍♀️🧟🧟‍♂️

FAMOUS PUBLICATIONS. Life, published from 1883. I was addicted to it as a boy. During Life’s golden age in my youth, it was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest magazine known for the quality of its photography. As one of America’s most popular magazines, Life regularly reached one-quarter of the population. The magazine has been consigned as a mere online supplement in 2008. Life is currently owned by Dotdash Meredith, which owns Time Inc., among others. 📰🗞📰

FUN STUFF. People can’t get enough of Mariah Carey’s 1994 hit “All I Want for Christmas is You.” It still dominates the holiday charts. If anything about Ms Carey’s holiday hit song annoys you, best to avoid shopping malls now. Or the radio. Maybe music altogether, for that matter. The Christmas anthem has reached #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart the past four years in a row, and one expert predicts it will soon exceed $100 million in earnings. So calm down, okay. 🎁👩‍🎤🎊

FUN EVENTS. Dog Shows: The National Dog Show, AKC National Championship, and the Westminster Dog Show. All-breed benched conformation shows. A bench show is a show which requires dogs to be on display in an assigned location during the entirety of the show except when being shown in the ring, groomed for showing. The purpose is for spectators and breeders to have an opportunity to see all the entered dogs. Benched or unbenched, it’s all good. I love dogs! 🐕🐩🐕‍🦺

CULTURAL FESTIVALS. Hmong Spiritual New Year, mostly celebrated in November and December, recalls ancestral spirits while teaching traditions to new generations. Shamans send off their spirit guides to regenerate their energy for another season of healing. The Hmong people are an ethnic group believed to have come from the Yangtze river basin area in southern China. There are about 18 Hmong clans that are known in Laos and Thailand. 🏵🎎🏵

INTERESTING LAWS. Personhood is the status of being a person. Defining personhood is a controversial topic in philosophy and law and is closely tied with legal and political concepts of citizenship, equality, and liberty. Corporations have the same rights as a natural person to hold property, enter into contracts, and to sue or be sued. The animal rights movement seeks animal personhood, as well. Ecuador and Bolivia are the only countries that mandate rights for nature. 🐘👩‍🦱🪴

MYSTERIES of LIFE. Black hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing, including light and other electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape it. The oldest black hole discovered dates back 470 million years after the Big Bang. Findings and theories suggest that supermassive black holes existed at the dawn of the universe. Given the universe is 13.7 billion years old, that puts the age of the first known black hole at 13.2 billion years. 🪐😞💫

Photo credits: Marca. Slate.

AGAIN, The Chinese.

Previously posted on my Facebook page. Or written years ago, unedited/not updated.

THE Chinese work ethic and business sense continually mystifies me. They've been in the Philippines long before the Spaniards and Americans did. Although the old Astronesian natives have long traded business with China, the one Chinese dude that registered in Filipinos' psyche was a pirate named Lim Ah Hong. Probably Senor Espanol and Mr Smith thought it convenient to create a “pirate” image of the Chinese to sort of lessen competition? 

       Not sure... 

       But what's sure is, the Chinese have long upended the Spaniards and Americans in the Philippines even before Beijing entered WTO in early 90s, and evolved into the unparalleled manufacturing titan of global business.

       Historically, the Chinese work silently, yet effectively. They worked in railroad construction under the Vanderbilts, they sold silk and flip-flops in every little corner of any city in every little corner of the world, and they had pretty cool lo meins at Lim Ho Fook, as well, so says Warren Zevon, right? There was this barbershop banter in regards to Chinese business camaraderie that always fascinated me. 

       They say that when a diner goes to a Chinese restaurant and asks for a dish that happens to be missing in the menu folder, the waiter will say, “We have that, Sir!” and then he runs out by the backdoor and goes to another Chinese restaurant where the owner willingly gives him what the customer is asking. There! They collared a client, that's the bottomline.

       The Chinese don't compete with each other, they actually support each other. When they entered WTO and got factory deals from the West, the big boss Chinese dude gave out capital to smaller entrepreneurs in the provinces so they'd get all the job orders from the US and Europe and elsewhere. 

       Yup, the Chinese work ethic and business sense are very mystifying—and effective. 👲🇨🇳👩‍🦰

RECOMMENDED: Movie Collection. “Matrix Trilogy.”

“Matrix Trilogy.” The Matrix, 1999; The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both 2003. I am not interested with 2001’s The Matrix Resurrections. The first three were written and directed by The Wachowskis or the trans women sisters Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski. (“Resurrections” was directed by Lana.)

       “The Matrix” is a cyberpunk story of the technological fall of humanity, in which the creation of artificial intelligence led the way to a race of self-aware machines that imprisoned mankind in a virtual reality system to be farmed as a power source. The VR system is The Matrix.

       Year 2003 seems like three years ago but that’d be almost two decades ago. And so The Matrix’s truths has evolved really big time, and how! The resounding impact of comp tech to humanity (in the present time) amplifies the credence or veracity of Alvin Toffler’s words in 1970: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” How true?

       These Matrix guys have become more real: Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) who battled odds to free humanity from its self-induced idiocy, LOL! Now we know who Agent Smith is, or the Agent Smiths. Though we can’t really tell if they are Left or Right, or just heckling. 

       Meanwhile, beyond ruminations on philosophy, religion, mythology, and spirituality, “The Matrix” gave us kickass Hong Kong styled martial arts c/o Yuen Woo-Ping. As fight coordinator, he also choreographed fight scenes in Quentin Tarantino's “Kill Bill.” You dig The Bride’s duel with Gogo Yubari? So check out “The Matrix.” I keep my DVD collection. 🎬🎭🎬

Visual: Collider.

The Germany Story. Pre- and during Ukraine.

Previously posted on my Facebook page.

NEWS. “Germany Posts First Monthly Trade Deficit in 30 Years.” / “Germany’s Biggest Importer of Russian Gas Runs Through Its Credit Line.” And adds: “High energy prices and disrupted supply chains dent the image of `Made in Germany,’ as May imports exceeded exports for the first time in decades.” Obviously, Olaf Scholz is no Angela Merkel. No need to line up Ms Merkel’s 16-year accomplishments as Chancellor. Or how she led the catch-all Christian Democratic Union to sustain Germany’s stature as top E.U. stalwart and global power.

       Although Merkel’s 16-year reign, third longest in Germany’s history, is also marred with a few mishaps and miscalculations, she was stern and decisive especially in confronting the 2008 financial crash and the subsequent euro crisis when the bloc’s currency was under severe threat. I will discuss more Angela in a bit.

       Meanwhile, Olaf Scholz?

       Herr Olaf is Germany’s Chancellor since December last year. His Social Democratic Party now rules Berlin’s political rostrum, from Angela Merkel’s CDU. Let me cite just three of Scholz’s significant management flaws, in so short a time: A doubled Defense budget, from average of $53 million in Merkel’s time to over $100 billion this year; huge-ass shipment of weapons to Ukraine while still buying Russian oil/gas; and the suspension of the approval of Nord Stream 2, which would have ensured Germany’s supply of less expensive gas. 🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪

I WOULD insist my straight to the eye honesty here: I don’t see anything wrong with purchase of Russian oil. If it is wrong, then what makes OPEC oil or U.S. oil or Canadian oil etc etcetera different? Fact: In 2020, Russia would supply more than half of Germany’s natural gas and about a third of all the oil that Germans burned heat homes, power factories and fuel vehicles.

       So in saying that, Olaf Scholz’s quick shipment of weapons to Ukraine as the war ensued alongside suspension of the Moscow/Berlin Nord Stream 2 partnership, without exerting more patience in exploring diplomatic channels, was a leadership blunder. Now Berlin is back to buying Russian oil/gas? Which, of course, heightened Vladimir Putin’s leverage on the trade table.

       I mean, who cares about politics? This is economic, right? And I believe that’s how Angela Merkel essentially operated. Her stewardship hugely aided in steering E.U. out of the 2008 financial crash and the subsequent euro crisis when the bloc’s currency was severely threatened. She took the lead in foisting tough austerity measures on the indebted countries of southern Europe, while at the same time backing aid and loans for struggling EU member states.

       However, as I said, Merkel’s 16-years didn’t pass without stain but Germans, at this juncture, face a present crisis. The limited supply of gas from Russia, as Putin issues a counter on Scholz, means high prices skyrocketing.

       Not good at all. 🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪

MY THOUGHTS on News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

New York Times: “Treasury chief Janet Yellen, after meetings with Chinese officials, said the two sides would pursue more frequent communication despite deep differences.” Differences are givens. After all, East per China and West per America are worlds apart, not just in political brawn but mostly in cultural psyche. No way to bridge that gap. But there is a middle ground: Trade. As the universe gets more connected in mutual (economic) needs, both worlds can’t afford to fight. 🇺🇸☮️🇨🇳

New York Times: “German Businesses Bet Big on China, and They’re Starting to Worry.” Mainly because Chancellor Olaf Scholz is no Angela Merkel. To date, China stays as Germany’s top trading partner, owing to Merkel’s shrewd shuffling of trade cards with Beijing, “fiscalizer” diplomacy with Moscow, and cordiality with Washington. Germany's economy has grown by 34 percent since the start of Merkel's tenure — 15 percentage points more than its nearest EU rival, France.

     Angela Merkel visited China 12 times during her 16-year tenure, forging a friendship with the Chinese people, thereby fortifying Berlin’s stature in the E.U. as its major power. Germany as well had fine relations with Russia as Moscow’s top fuel buyer before Scholz sat in 2021. Scholz failed to capitalize on what Merkel left him; instead the new Chancellor opted to ride with a Washington-styled hawkish tact, upping instead Berlin’s Defense budget over economic rebound. True, several well-known German businesses were taken over by Chinese investors. Among them was EEW Energy from Waste, the manufacturer of plastic processing machinery Krauss Maffei, and the industrial robotics manufacturer Kuka. In 2016, 68 German companies were bought by Chinese operations. Yet some 5,000 German companies operate in China today. (Visual credit: United World International.) 🇨🇳🏦🇩🇪

New York Times: “Germany Adopts a More Muscular Security Plan.” Her critics say Angela Merkel “underspent” for NATO and thumbs-down her friendship with Vladimir Putin. Yet when there’s no war, I am for it. With Merkel as Chancellor, Germany loomed as Europe’s most powerful over the U.K. and France. She knew how to roll the dice. Under Olaf Scholz: Berlin aims for a €60 billion Defense budget, augmented by military aid to Ukraine vs. Russia. I thumb-down it. 🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪

New York Times: “Putin Met With Mercenary Leaders He Had Called Traitors.” The Kremlin’s disclosure of the meeting with Yevgeny Prigozhin and Wagner’s commanders hinted at the power they wield “...but left many questions unanswered.” First, who funded Wagner’s failed putsch? Then reports said Prigozhin was in Belarus, Russia’s closest ally in the region. Now he’s in Moscow. What’s going on? Who knows. Unless Jack Ryan does his thing. Uh huh. ☮️🇷🇺☮️

Rolling Stone: “How a Rabidly Anti-Gay Preacher Inspired a Pro-Anal Sex TikTok Jam.” And adds: “Since `One Margarita,’ a remix of a Sister Cindy speech, went viral, the campus evangelist is more famous than ever. Students aren’t sure that’s the best thing.” A lot of stuff are going on online, especially with the advent of AI. “Pro-anal sex TikTok jam,” LOL! I don’t what that is but I am not hyped up to know or listen/watch an “anti-gay preacher” either. Waste of time. 😏📲😟

New York Times: “Group Accuses Ukraine of Using Prohibited Land Mines.” And adds: “Human Rights Watch found evidence in May that Ukrainian soldiers had fired 15 rockets at Russian forces, each containing hundreds of small antipersonnel land mines.” Let’s put it this way. Washington is top military aid giver to Kyiv. But the U.S. is not a signatory to the Ottawa Treaty or Mine Ban Convention, adopted in 1997. But Ukraine is a signatory. War is doom. 

     Major powers, which are also past and current manufacturers of landmines, are not parties to the “Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction,” which prohibits anti-personnel landmines. These include the United States, China, and Russia, plus India and Pakistan. More than 150 countries have joined this treaty. ☮️☮️☮️

New York Times: “No One Can Stop Rupert Murdoch. That’s Increasingly a Problem.” And adds: “Why nobody can rein in the increasingly erratic patriarch of the Fox Corporation.” With average daily viewership of 1.1 million (#1) and $13.974 billion revenue in 2022, it is hard to buy the pitch that Rupert's handling of Fox is "erratic." Or probably it is son Lachlan running the Conservative TV roost now? Fox is a problem because Left/Liberal network can't beat it, that’s the story. 📺🐺📺

New York Times: “Number of Migrants at the Border Plunges as Mexico Helps U.S. to Stem Flow.” The cooperation of Mexico + U.S. legislation on one page are the only remedies to unabated illegal border crossings. That’d mean a crackdown on narcopolitics (drug cartels juice, up front) and a more focused Merida Initiative implementation. This means President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gains stronger economic leverage but it’s all on the negotiating table, of course. 

     Before this, a total of approximately 3,700 encounters at the southern border is reported per day. In April alone, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection had 211,401 encounters, up almost 10 percent from the previous month and up nearly 20 percent from April 2021. These numbers are only the documented/reported apprehensions though. More are unaccounted for, mostly those that are facilitated by the cartel that are “invisible” from law enforcement radar. 🗽🏃‍♀️🏃

New York Times: “What to Know About Limiting Your Child’s Screen Time.” Free software from Apple and Google helps mom/dad oversee how kids use tech. Won’t be that easy. U.S. teenagers spend 7 hours, 22 minutes per day in front of screens. That’d be 43 percent of waking hours. By comparison, that's 24 minutes more than the global average of 6 hours 58 minutes. Take that cellphone away? Depression heightens. And a parent could be charged for “child abuse.” 📱👶📲

New York Times: “One Last Job? 60-Somethings With Mob Ties Charged in Jewel Heists.” And adds; “Four older men with extensive criminal records, including killings and a jailbreak, were charged in two brazen armed robberies in Manhattan.” Perfect for a Netflix series? Three seasons at least? I bet these AARP dudes are now awaiting Hollywood agents to buy their story, if they haven’t already. I’d like my forever idol Nic Cage to be in this kickass series, if ever. 💎🧰💎

MY THOUGHTS on News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

New York Times: “NATO’s Welcome Party for Sweden Is Back on Ice.” After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Warsaw Pact, NATO’s counterpart, disbanded as well. "We believe that the eastward expansion of NATO is a mistake and a serious one at that," Boris Yeltsin told reporters in Helsinki in 1997, with then U.S. President Bill Clinton present. The two signed a statement on arms control. Hence, what is the point of NATO expansion? Or even its existence? 

       NATO members Hungary and Turkey are against Sweden’s inclusion. Finland was accepted last April. Pre-Feb 2022, the Kremlin has openly expressed objection to NATO expansion in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. But a war would somehow justify expansion, isn’t it? Mutual trust is imperative in global peace. Mere presence of NATO, with nearly half of its $2.1 billion 2023 budget shouldered by the U.S., UK, and Germany, continually poses suspicion, intrigue, and animosity. Anyhow, U.S. Congress approval of $113 billion total aid ($50+ billion in military/arms handout already sent) to Ukraine shows that America is willing to spend gargantuan taxpayer money to keep NATO alive. (Visual credit: Popular Mechanics.) 

       Meanwhile, in other news, NATO sec-gen Jens Stoltenberg (short-lived ex-PM of Norway) wants us to believe that Sweden will get into the military alliance. Maybe. If so, that’d be the “trade off” for the thumbs-down on Ukraine. At least, Sweden is not Eastern Europe (but close). ☮️☮️☮️

New York Times: “Biden Says Ukraine Is Not Ready for NATO Membership.” Ahead of the NATO summit this week, President Biden said it was `premature’ to allow Ukraine to join the alliance as the war with Russia continues. Inconsistencies and contradictions punctuate the President’s policy playbook but I dearly hope this one stays. Ukraine out of NATO or NATO’s non-expansion to Eastern Europe is a precondition to end of war. ☮️☮️☮️

New York Times: “How South Korea Puts Its Food Scraps to Good Use.” And adds: “When wasted food rots in landfills, it pollutes soil and water — and warms the planet.” Copy-paste the quoted lines and read up. Facts: How much food is wasted every year in the world? About 1.3 billion tons or a third of all food for human consumption. In the United States? Each year, 119 billion pounds that equates to 130 billion meals and more than $408 billion thrown away each year. 🍲🇰🇷🍲

New York Times: “Thompson Twins Are Ready for the N.B.A., but Not to Split Up.” Check `em out since they are Top Ten draftees: Amen, 4th; Ausar, 5th. Twins are not rare in the NBA though. Next season there could be as many as six pairs of identical twins in the roughly 500-player NBA, including Brook and Robin Lopez, Marcus and Markieff Morris, and Cody and Caleb Martin. Why don’t the All-Stars weekend feature a 2-on-2 contest of twins? Cool? 🧑🏀🧑

Rolling Stone: “Music Made With AI Will Be Eligible for Grammys, But Only Humans Will Be Awarded.” Absurdly funny! Will there be a remake of “Mr Roboto,” uh huh? Seriously, it'd be weird to yell up the stage “...and the winner for Record of the Year is ‘Prozac is my Ding-a-ling.’ AI #45$zz4!w and AI.7ytpz, composers; Pasckie Pascua, performer.” Why don't they just quit all these surreal award-giving nonsense? Who are judging, anyways? AIs too? 🎼🤖😐

Time: “The Price of Cocoa is Soaring. Blame Russia.” What has Moscow got to do with cocoa? What about importers who control price levels to ensure profit? The Ivory Coast and Ghana are the world’s two largest producers of cocoa, more than 50 percent. And while the U.S. and European countries are the top importers, both African countries’ top trading partner is China. This fact: China is the largest foreign investor in Africa over the last 10 years. ☕💰☕

New York Times: “Lithium Scarcity Pushes Carmakers Into the Mining Business.” And adds: “Ford, General Motors and others are striking deals with mining companies to avoid raw material shortages.” Top lithium-producing countries in 2022: Australia, Chile, and China. The United States is a distant #9. But then, EVs account for only 1 percent of 250 million vehicles sold in the U.S. last year. China is #1, a whopping 30 percent! Next are European countries. 

       Apparently, climate change market influencers in America are not doing a fine job. 🚕🔋🚗

Associated Press: “USAID says it’s horrified by conditions in Ethiopia after massive theft of food aid.” No brainer in poorer countries where leadership corruption is an institutionalized murk. Yet this brings back to the U.N. Oil-for-Food Program scandal in 1996. Some 2,400 companies–including giants Chevron, BNP Paribas, GlaxoSmithKline, and Roche–paid kickbacks and illegal surcharges to win lucrative contracts in Iraq while the country was under UN economic sanctions. 

       The scandal allowed Saddam Hussein to pocket $1.8 billion at the expense of Iraqis suffering under UN economic sanctions that time. And of course those businesses involved gained as well. 🍅💰⛽️

Time: “Confidence in Science Fell in 2022—Especially Along Political Lines.” And adds: “A partisan divide in views of both science and medicine emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Americans believe in science but not necessarily its findings, says a new Pew Research report. Questions asked in the study pertain to GMOs, vaccines, climate change. Some 71 percent think that investment in science ultimately pays off. But people gotta argue the politics of stuff first.  🔭👎🔬

Rolling Stone: “Everything We Know About Olivia Rodrigo's New Album 'Guts'.” Olivia’s dad is Filipino; mom, German/Irish ancestry. The Pinay blood got me interested in her music, hoping to hear glimpses of her mother’s cultural roots. But nope. She’s very American as Taylor Swift, In-N-Out Burger, and Disneyland. Which isn’t bad. She is born and bred in the United States. Though I hope she eats adobo and pinakbet, and knows some Filipino language or dialect. 👩‍🎤🇵🇭👩‍🎤