What's in the News

You're making up weird arguments again. China has a strategic petroleum reserve too and the US reserves helium and grain, both better for your digestion and comedy storytelling after the apocalypse.

I love making up weird arguments.

I'm sure both countries have a wide variety of strategic reserves, but find can't help being amused at which gets the most press.

Think I'll enjoy some emergency frozen hot dogs for dinner.

Australia's Gladys Liu scandal shows how the Chinese Communist Party is weaponizing race

A minor political scandal in Australia has shone a bright light on the threat the Chinese Communist Party and its chauvinistic attitude to race poses to Chinese-heritage politicians in democracies across the world.

In May 2019, Gladys Liu from the Victorian seat of Chisholm became the first female Chinese-Australian elected to sit in the Australian Lower House of Parliament. That was a significant milestone and not before time given there are approximately 1.2 million citizens with Chinese ancestry in a nation of 25 million. What was then a celebration of progress with respect to ethnic diversity amongst the ranks of politicians has descended into controversy.

Over the past month, it was revealed that Liu was previously associated with Australia-based organizations with alleged ties to the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party. Known as an effective fund raiser for her Liberal Party, there are also questions about the links of those donors to Beijing, which Liu allegedly tapped for money.

[...]

Regardless of how this plays out for Liu, the deeply uncomfortable issue for pluralistic democratic societies of the link between race and allegiance has been pulled into the spotlight...


Chinese isn't a race.

Trump considers delisting Chinese firms from U.S. markets: sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s administration is considering delisting Chinese companies from U.S. stock exchanges, three sources briefed on the matter said on Friday, in what would be a radical escalation of U.S.-China trade tensions.

The move would be part of a broader effort to limit U.S. investment in Chinese companies, two of the sources said. One said it was motivated by the Trump administration’s growing security concerns about the companies’ activities.

Major U.S. stock indexes slipped on the news, which came days before China celebrates the 70th anniversary of the birth of the People’s Republic on Oct. 1, when the world’s No. 2 economy will shut down for a week of festivities...


#doit #DOIT #DOITNAOW

China breeds giant pigs the size of polar bears as African swine fever causes pork shortage

In a farm deep in a southern region of China lives a very big pig that is as heavy as a polar bear.

The 500kg (1,102lbs) animal is part of a herd being bred to become giant swine. At slaughter, some of the pigs can sell for more than 10,000 yuan (US$1,400), over three times the average monthly disposable income in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, where Pang Cong, the farm’s owner, lives.


More yummy tasty pork!   Pigs bigger than polar bears. 

I so want to believe that this is true

It is feasible and anyone who considers themselves a writer has no excuse for writers block if you read this

https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/23/hitman-hires-hitman-hires-hitman-hires-hitman-hires-hitman-tells-police-10971438/?fbclid=IwAR1AKe6T_5IspVu5hbkYO07KPC62NZ_XmToLT1xG7t58pvUl7JtINu7vLHU

 
 

Ivan Milat, the Australian "Backpacker's Killer" Died this morning in Prison. It's a long story, so I'll advise that you Google it. 

 
 

Gone too soon

In this time of viral troubles, many false rumors have circulated.  One vile and false rumor is that cats and dogs can catch the virus.

Stripy Emperor has decided to make his very first blog post.  In it, he makes it plain that there are no incidents of any cat or dog contracting the virus.  He also addresses how cats can help their humans deal with the situation.



Written, in English and Chinese, by Stripy Emperor.

I didn't even know he could type.

 


Stole this onto my FB page

His Furry Imperial Majesty hopes you can share it onto some FB cat groups.

For anyone wondering, yes, the orange cat in some of the pics is Pandora.

His Furry Majesty's efforts to educate cats and people in China about how to deal with the virus has made it to People's Daily.  Page 3 here:

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202003/19/WS5e72cabaa3101282172804a4.html

 

The Wuhan healthcare workers were given a, sort of, resort to rest at.  They didn't recognize eachother without their masks and gowns.  Many had lost so much weight, they couldn't wear their normal clothes.

But, no good deed goes unpunished.  They were soon sent to the Russian border city of Manzhouli because it had not been closed and became a virus hot spot.

Oy!