Previously posted on my Facebook Page.
MY THOUGHTS. New York Times: “The Hidden Policies That Power China’s Export Boom.” And adds: “Huge tax breaks and a weak currency sustain exports, widen the government budget deficit and complicate the country’s efforts to rebalance its economy.”
Smart economists never run out of a smart analysis of China's economic well-being. Well, the Chinese business life per se is historically fine, regardless of the comparative hardships during the Cultural Revolution years. But when Deng Xiaoping took over following Mao Zedong's death in 1976, and an “open door policy” was born, economic bliss was consistent.
China's GDP growth rate was 15.2 percent in 1984. That'd be years before the Dragon joined the WTO in 2001 (and year after a game-changing U.S./China trade pact). Boom! China's exports jumped 870 percent from 2001 to 2020, according to data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Meanwhile, China's monthly export growth in 2026 (25 percent average) has consistently beaten market expectations. The surge is heavily fueled by the global artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure boom, soaring semiconductor prices, and robust automotive and green tech shipments.
In comparison, U.S. exports have increased by 11.8 percent year-to-date through August 2026. But the EU is at 5.4 percent. Canada, 2.5 percent. 🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳
Washington Post: “Parents of 21 children charged with abuse in ‘house of horrors’ surrogacy scheme.” A surrogacy scheme typically refers to an illegal, fraudulent, or deeply unethical arrangement where the legitimate process of surrogacy—a legal agreement where a woman carries a pregnancy for intended parents—is exploited, bypassed, or manipulated.
In the recent Ohio case, Silvia Zhang and Guojon Xuan, were arrested on multiple counts of severe child abuse, conspiracy and trafficking-related allegations.
The wealthy California couple maintains a home-based surrogacy agency and hires surrogates across the U.S. to birth children for them, saying they just “wanted a large family.” The children were being raised by hired nannies in hotel-like conditions in Zhang/Xuan's $10 million mansion. (You may want to Google more details.)
Meanwhile, surrogacy or not, having children in America is a complex situation. I know of single women, who seemed “incapable” of raising children but have 7 kids, and want more. Why is that?
Example: Single mothers with 7 children, specifically in North Carolina, can apply for federal, state, and local safety net programs designed to support large, low-income households. Note: Some single moms actually have capable boyfriends or the dad is actually present, or a divorce is worked out–so benefits still happen. In other cases, some people also turn their houses into “foster homes,” funded by the government. Uncool stories (or wrongdoings) also happen in those arrangements. ⚖️😒⚖️
Washington Post: “She waited for hours and left untreated. The ER billed her anyway.” A bit complex or tricky. But this news story requires elaboration or explanation. Issue: The systemic practice of hospitals issuing facility and triage fees to patients who leave emergency departments without ever receiving formal medical treatment.
The WP story: Alexis Daniels, an Illinois woman, went to the Carle Foundation Hospital emergency room in Urbana for a severe, debilitating migraine. She registered at the front desk, had her vitals briefly checked, and was told to wait. She sat in the waiting room for four hours while violently vomiting, with no indication she would be seen. Out of desperation, her sister drove her to a completely different hospital, where she was treated successfully within an hour and a half. Weeks later, Daniels received a $410 bill from the first hospital, coded as an “Emergency Room Level 1” visit.
Beyond the “systemic practice,” I reckon, the hospital is guilty of an obvious, blatant neglect or professional irresponsibility. Ms Daniels waited for 4 hours?!? And violently vomiting? No attention from hospital staff? My other question is: Why didn't the sister decide much earlier to drive Alexis to another hospital? Me? I'd leave, pronto! Alexis should sue. 😏😒🤨
ABC: “Arizona congressional candidate says she was raped while trying to fix campaign sign.” Reading this news up, I begin to doubt the rape’s veracity. Or I’d rather wait for the police investigation’s final report. Meanwhile, I ponder: Is this a wild campaign tactic that, if found false, should bar the “politician/victim” from running for any government post. Or is this an actual rape, and so the perpetrator punished. (Take into account as well that we are currently embroiled in the Cornell rape case.)
Bernadette Greene-Placentia, a Democratic candidate running for Arizona's 8th Congressional District, disclosed that she was raped while repairing a campaign sign. The alleged assault took place at approximately 2:00 AM on August 14, 2026, in a parking lot in the Phoenix suburb of Sun City. Ms Greene-Placentia stated she was walking back to her vehicle after fixing a damaged campaign sign when she was struck from behind, knocked unconscious, and sexually assaulted.
My immediate or instinctive question is: Why would she be “fixing” the sign at 2 AM? Why didn't she do it in daylight, or when people are around? Consider also that she is a politician running for office. No personal security? One one accompanied her at 2 AM? Any CCTV in the parking lot? Any witnesses? And this "incident" happened two months ago? The news is only now? Etc etcetera. 🤨😞🤨
MANY misread Cat Stevens when he converted to Islam in 1977 and changed his name to Yusuf Islam. Also, people believed he moved to Iran, right after, to live as a follower of the Supreme Leader then, Ayatollah Khomeini. He didn’t. Throughout his life and career, he has lived primarily in London. And his conversion to Muslim faith (he was raised as a Greek Orthodox Christian) wasn’t political at all. It was a spiritual journey.
He disposed of various physical symbols of his past secular music career—including auctioning off his guitars (and gave proceeds to charity) and parting with or giving away gold records and other memorabilia—as part of stepping away from the music industry.
In recent years, however, Mr Stevens/Islam returned to the music of his past. But many regard him as not the young man who wrote the haunting “Father and Son” and folk-rock classic “Wild World,” especially these days that Iran is in the headlines. 🎸🎼🎸
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