Symphony

Encore of Revival: America, May 3, 2021

Books deals are the Democrats’ new excuse for hostile takeover. Publisher employees attack Pence over a book deal, now the whole Supreme Court needs an investigation commission because they get book deals. Of course there are other details. Of course there are problems that need fixing. But, some people are angry that an election doesn’t mean total domination. They aren’t only attacking a former Vice President from an administration they couldn’t control, nor are they only attacking the only Supreme Court that can hold them in check; they are attacking the idea that anyone can write a book—they are attacking free speech.

And, they don’t have the power to change the Supreme Court. If they try, their ability to change the Court will be decided by the Court—which always rules in favor of itself.

While Democrats bark up a tree of books, rich and greedy people are buying up land. Locals are freaked out. And, it seems the rich want to buy the world without anyone knowing. At one point, Zuckerberg told some Hawaiian locals that he’s sorry. No, he isn’t. He’s back at it. Another billionaire drew attention buying buildings in a small Colorado town. Locals are freaked out. Shouldn’t we all be?

Maybe we shouldn’t. Space travel continues. That’s funded by billionaires too. So, when we get to space, we won’t need to worry about billionaires buying up the land on Mars. They think they already own it, you see.

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, April 26, 2021

The world is starting to realize that China is just going to ignore everybody. Talking won’t work. Action won’t work unless China loses, then China still won’t listen.

This isn’t new. China has never listened. The only reason China respected international laws in decades past—including its own treaties—was because China was forced to. But, China never wanted to. And, China never will.

The EU is in blaming mode. The Philippines are on high alert. Australia is on high alert and warns Taiwan. Taiwan has always been on high alert because Taiwan may be the only country that never misunderstood China—neither its psychology nor its intentions.

But, it looks like this scuffle isn’t building up in Myanmar or Japan or even Taiwan. The flashpoint is staged at the Philippines. Anything else could serve as the fuse. But this time around, the Philippines hold the payload. Here we go.

Trade & Tech

China is going after tech companies. Tesla is trying to keep out of the way // CNN

China

EU blames China for endangering peace in South China Sea // Yahoo Canada

Xi Jinping says ‘bossing others around’ won’t work as US ups pressure on China // CNN

Analysis: Xi Jinping’s culture war comes to China’s campuses as Communist Party prepares to mark 100 years // CNN

Taiwan

Australia does not rule out China conflict over Taiwan // Taipei Times

Why the world should pay attention to Taiwan’s drought // BBC News

Many aim to form travel bubbles with Taiwan: bureau // Taipei Times

Philippines

Philippines Duterte latest victim of China’s South China Sea battle // News.com.au

Philippine coast guard holds drills in disputed South China Sea // Bangkok Post

Military Faceoff

China’s overseas naval base is now big enough for its aircraft carriers, a top US commander says // Business Insider

Symphony

Encore of Revival: America, April 26, 2021

Conviction! The George Floyd murder trial has concluded with a conviction on all counts. The police officer who murdered Floyd while on video will go to prison. People are happy. People are overjoyed. But, should we be surprised?

A murder conviction of a murderer shouldn’t be a reason to celebrate, it should be normal. But, apparently it’s not. So far, the public has responded with gratitude, but we still have a long way to go.

There could have been riots. There could be speeches of ingratitude—complaining about the glass being half-empty, so to speak. But, thankfully, that’s not happening. Gratitude is good. But, we need to restore trust in law enforcement to a point where there is no need for a murder trial for police because police shouldn’t be killing people.

Meanwhile, the Court sits in charge and rules in favor of itself as always. It is attracting the spotlight. With noises of 2024, so is Trump.

Trump

Trump on if he’s considering a 2024 presidential run // youtube.com

Law

‘The Supreme Court ruled in favor of scam artists,’ FTC chief says after justices gut agency’s powers // Politico

Security & Public Safety

Derek Chauvin found guilty of all three charges for killing George Floyd // CNN

State lawmaker wants to rework police chase policy and end legal defense officers use to avoid liability // Chicago Sun Times

Minneapolis braces for unrest as Derek Chauvin trial enters final phase // MSN News

Murder case against ex-cop in Floyd’s death goes to the jury // AP

Judge Cahill Scolds Rep. Maxine Waters for Trial Comments // Mediaite

NATO Focus

Vladimir Putin issued ‘stark warning’ to US, NATO // youtube.com

Symphony

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, April 19, 2021

China is over the line. There is no way that a nation which knows its own military limits would act as China is acting. Chinese militarized ships anchoring near the Philippines provide just one example. If China had the power to invade, they would have already. Not having that power, the Chinese keep quietly pressing their luck, creeping sneakily as they have only ever been able to. This time, however, they sneaked too far.

China wants a fight more than anyone. News is the same week by week: More people hate China. China keeps pushing others around. Risk of military conflict escalates in the Western Pacific. So, the Chinese don’t think they need to change one, single thing.

Indo-Pacific

Surigae, the first typhoon of 2021, could become Earth’s first Category 5 this year, now heads towards the northern Philippines this weekend // Severe Weather Europe

Trade & Tech

Jack Ma’s fortune jumps $2 billion after record Alibaba fine // Alarabiya

China forces Jack Ma’s Ant Group to restructure // BBC News

China

From cover-up to propaganda blitz: China’s attempts to control the narrative on Xinjiang // CNN

Taiwan

Typhoon Surigae to bring no drought relief to western Taiwan // Taiwan News

Taiwan’s president says Chinese military activities threaten regional stability // CNBC

Military Faceoff

US-China saber-rattling heightens East Sea tensions, risks: experts // e.vnexpress.net

Nimitz Wins CY2020 Aircraft Carrier Battle ‘E’ // US Navy

As the US Navy scrambles to field more missiles in Asia, a tough decision looms for aging cruisers // Defense News

Beijing has a navy it doesn’t even admit exists, experts say. And it’s swarming parts of the South China Sea // CNN

US and China deploy aircraft carriers in South China Sea // CNN

Symphony

Encore of Revival: America, April 19, 2021

America’s police brutality problems weren’t solved by shouting that “blue lives matter”. Police shoot unarmed civilians because of improper training. After a chase, everyone is more easily frightened, including the police. A work culture of servitude would do officers well and serve those who didn’t need to be killed by police even better. If an officer thinks he is in danger, he should not pursue until he has enough of whatever he needs in order to feel like he is not in danger. A badge is not a license to murder.

Military personnel know not to fire until fired upon. But, police kill anyone they want to—or don’t want to—then tell each other they did the right thing.

Even after all that has happened and keeps happening, police have not re-evaluated their own work culture. They haven’t considered that their attitudes all day long will define their spit-second decisions. A thirteen-year-old boy paid someone else’s consequences. He was White. But, apparently that doesn’t matter to a police force who think that everyone else is not important enough to cultivate a servant’s attitude every minute of every day.

Violence will increase as the public loses more and more trust in law enforcement and elections. Trust must be regained. But, it looks like we want things to get worse before we make them better.

Trump

Trumpism lives on in new thinktank – but critics say it’s ‘just a grift’ // Guardian

Trump goes after Pence, McConnell in speech to party donors // Times of India

Election

Matthew McConaughey may be a viable candidate for Texas governor; poll shows actor ahead of Abbott // Dallas Morning News

Democrats

Dems wrestle with whether to nudge a justice off the Supreme Court // Politico

Security & Public Safety

Adam Toledo: Chicago police say bodycam footage shows less than a second passes from when 13-year-old is seen holding a handgun and is shot by officer // CNN

Chicago releases graphic video of police shooting 13-year-old // Yahoo News

Symphony

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, April 12, 2021

China’s getting more flack from more sides—Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines. Vietnamese are furious with H&M for depicting maps with Vietnam-claimed islands as part of China, even though H&M did that because the Chinese told them to. The noose of perceived nuisance tightens.

China won’t back off on military drills and presence. The greatest beneficiaries are Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. They have every reason to hope China continues military drills. A Chinese aircraft recently radioed reference to airspace as “Chinese”, which Taiwan also claims. Weapons dealers are probably clanging champagne glasses over that.

Military activity in the Southeast Asia is on the uptick. No one plans to back down. The question is over which side is reacting how the other side expected. The accurate expector will likely win the next scuffle.

Indo-Pacific

China Tells Japan to Stay Out of Hong Kong, Xinjiang Issues // Bloomberg

H&M faces Vietnam boycott over South China Sea map // Nikkei Asian Review

Philippines warns China of ‘unwanted hostilities’ in sea dispute // Aljazeera

China

$2.78B
China fines Alibaba billions for alleged market abuses // Guardian

Xinjiang cotton: Western brands blurred on China TV // BBC News

Taiwan

Photo of the Day: Taiwan’s Sun Moon desert // Taiwan News

China says US to blame for tensions over Taiwan // Taiwan News

US eases limits on Taiwan contacts // Taipei Times

US bill to pressure China on trade, support Taiwan // Taipei Times

Taiwan education minister supports athletes preparing for Beijing Olympics // Taiwan News

Military Faceoff

Navy Aircraft Carrier Strike Group Passes Through Suez Canal // Military.com

China’s moves in Strait ‘destabilizing,’ US says // Taipei Times

China vows regular carrier group drills // Taipei Times

Symphony

Encore of Revival: America, April 12, 2021

The Supreme Court is proving its worth. The bench ruled in favor of itself many times this past week, even through silence. Justice Breyer doesn’t sound like he wants to resign. He doesn’t want the Court packed either. That throws a wrench in the gears of any attempt to subject the Court to politics. Courts are supposed to be independent of party politics so that routine wheeling and dealing does not disrupt society’s need for stable justice.

That need hasn’t been so strong for a long time. Congress and the White House are putting Washington theatrics on full display. Biden’s infrastructure plan is headed to the Senate where it’s sure to get a hair cut big enough to make it lose a few pounds.

But, the big question on the table is: Why—with all the Democrats rearranging the furniture—does Biden keep Trump’s same policies toward China? Something’s up.

Law

Supreme Court Rules For Worshippers And Against California COVID Restrictions // NPR

‘Think long and hard’: Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer pushes back on ‘court-packing’ // USA Today

Supreme Court rules in Google’s favor in copyright dispute with Oracle over Android software // CNBC

US Supreme court dismisses case on Trump blocking Twitter critics // Aljazeera

White House

Economist Stephen Roach questions Biden’s decision to keep Trump’s China policies // CNBC

Washington as Usual

Biden’s infrastructure plan heads for the Senate shredder // Politico

Schumer’s filibuster workaround spurs mass confusion // Politico

Symphony

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, April 5, 2021

China looks worse and worse in the public eye. H&M closures have drawn more Western attention. Chinese ads showing a purportedly happy Xinjiang backfired among Facebook staff. The Philippines are evermore concerned about a swelling number of Chinese militia boats parked in their backyard.

But, things aren’t looking so wonderful for Taiwan either. Pineapples sold to Singapore weren’t properly handled, so the cores rotted. That’s Taiwan’s culture—to not care, thinking problems won’t get bigger. A truck slid down a small cliff on the east side of Taiwan, colliding with a train, killing at least 50 people. The transportation bureau never put guard rails on a dirt road on a cliff above a train track. That’s Taiwan’s culture—to not care, thinking problems won’t get bigger.

Now, Taiwan is working with European partners to develop its own submarines, not only America. That report combats the notion that Taiwan hasn’t been wonderfully annexed by China only on account of the United States. But, are the Taiwanese all that different from China? Lack of care with pineapple exports and railroad safety might say otherwise. The Taiwanese an important choice to make—whether they want to be different from China or not. That is a decision only the Taiwanese people can make. And, they haven’t made that choice yet, even after seventy years of exile.

Indo-Pacific

Myanmar coup: military expands internet shutdown // Guardian

US, Philippines discuss Chinese ‘swarming’ in South China Sea // Aljazeera

China

Reddit reaction shows Western view of Xinjiang
Reddit – China – Facebook Staff Fret Over China’s Ads Portraying Happy Muslims in Xinjiang // reddit

H&M closes 20 stores in China amid Xinjiang cotton controversy // Taiwan News

Wuhan Lab Leak Theory Back After WHO Chief’s Reference // New Delhi TV

Taiwan

Taiwan ranks 15th for global exports: ministry // Taipei Times

At least 50 killed in train-truck collision // Taipei Times

European nations assisting with submarine project // Taipei Times

Singapore supermarket pulls Taiwan pineapples from shelves // Focus Taiwan

Symphony

Encore of Revival: America, April 5, 2021

So much for competency. An infrastructure bill is good, but look at the border. A president changes. Presidential policy changes. Then, chaos erupts at the border. Some people can’t figure out the cause.

In the George Floyd murder case, doctors can’t agree on the cause of death—the State can’t even agree on the cause of death. Outrage! But, no one should question the cause of death for COVID deaths. Perhaps if George Floyd had COVID at the time, doctors would have declared it a COVID death, then no one would be able to question it.

In the Trayvon Martin case, prosecution sabotaged their own case by pursuing premeditated murder rather than thoroughly building a case for manslaughter. Since manslaughter was only mentioned as an afterthought in the final moments of the trial, the jury of six ladies couldn’t convict. Who knows what kind of other nonsense will surface in the George Floyd murder trial.

So, we can’t agree on the cause of chaos at the border. We can’t agree on the cause of death with George Floyd. We can’t even figure out that a Florida toxic waste reservoir is in disrepair. Apparently we want things to get worse before we make things better.

Trump

Donald Trump uses new website to rewrite history of his presidency // Guardian

Scandal, Graft & White Collar Crime

Florida’s DeSantis, ’60 Minutes’ clash over COVID vaccine rollout // Axios

News Media, Journalism & Free speech

Glenn Greenwald Robbed at Gunpoint // Mediaite

Foreigners & International Relations

CHAOS REIGNS AT THE BORDER – LevinTV // Facebook

Security & Public Safety

U.S. Capitol Police officer dies after attacker rammed car into checkpoint; suspect also dead // NBC News

Cause of death at issue in Chauvin trial as prosecution questions medical examiner’s findings // MSN News

Markets, Economy & GDP

Here’s what’s in Biden’s infrastructure proposal // CNN

Science, Weather & Health

Florida declares state of emergency as reservoir with millions of gallons of ‘contaminated, radioactive wastewater’ leaks // CBS News

Symphony

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, March 29, 2021

China’s adversaries face a tightly closing decision. America needs to decide whether it can keep playing the role of the world-cop with only its B-game, or if it is ready to bust out its A-game not seen since FDR. More than ever, warnings of “rising China” smatter the presses. Will this result in Americans getting serious about the need to be serious—because they read about it? Or, is this intended to prepare the American public for some event that thrusts the West into an embarrassing scuffle with China?—embarrassing for China now, embarrassing for the West six years later.

Taiwan has its own choices. Many things inside Taiwan still reflect the thinking of Mainland China. While Taiwan’s government claims to seek democracy and a society where all people are respected with equal rights, their Confucian culture still succumbs to autocratic domineering, whether in the workplace, the classroom, or from government. If in their hearts, the Taiwanese want to retain the old ways of the Chinese, there is no American military big enough to help them against any adversary, even the smallest adversary. But, the factor of Taiwanese culture doesn’t seem to make its way into the military reports.

Indo-Pacific

China’s growing firepower casts doubt on whether U.S. could defend Taiwan // NBC News

China

China slaps 5-year tariffs on Australian wine // Taiwan News

Japanese garment retailer MUJI clarifies use of Xinjiang cotton amid boycotting outrage // Global Times (China Govt)

China attacks foreign clothing, shoe brands over Xinjiang // Taiwan News

Xinjiang workers enjoy full freedom and benefits working in Guangdong, academics find through 9-month-long field study // Global Times (China Govt)

Australia

‘Deficient’ shipment of Chinese aluminium forces delay to Navy’s Cape Class patrol boats // ABC News Australia

Military Faceoff

Classified US military war game set to take place as concerns about threats posed by China and Russia increase // CNN

Symphony

Encore of Revival: America, March 29, 2021

America faces big changes, but not the changes our conventional political grid might assume. Public trust in cloud platforms like Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter failed with the massive censorship surrounding the 2020 election. This week, a new cloud provider, Digital Ocean, went public. The Times has used Digital Ocean for nearly seven years.

Digital commerce shifts while the global supply chain faces more disruptions. Not only do we still lack supplies that were made in factories that are closed. Not only is the cruise ship industry floundering. The Suez Canal is blocked.

What is Democrat-controlled Washington doing?—Business as usual. Binden wants to focus on infrastructure—a digression from the Obama years. Republicans have always been good at spending money while appearing not to, while Democrats appear to spend money when they tighten the purse strings. Marketing is one of the best-kept secret ingredients in American politics.

The one thing unusual about this Democratic Washington is its dedication to a strong military. Russia surfaced three subs in the Arctic this week and, now all of a sudden, Democrats want to do military the same way Trump did. Just how the Bush-Obama years held a contiguous policy progression, the Trump-Biden years seem to reflect the competence, military, and infrastructure of FDR. In many ways, it is as if Trump is still in office. We did get Trump’s $2,000 checks, after all.

Trump

The Unlikely Team of Prosecutors Hunting Donald Trump in Georgia // Daily Beast

Obama Biden Harris

Biden is betting on bigger government. The pandemic may be helping him. // MSN News

Path from Clinton to Biden takes U-turn on debt, trade, more // ABC News America

White House

Trump let OANN in the White House. Now it’s Biden’s problem. // Politico

Washington as Usual

Democrats Could Undo Trump Policies Faster, But They’re Not. Why? // Kaiser Health News

Soc Media, Cybersecurity & Tech

Independent cloud provider DigitalOcean drops in Wall Street debut // CNBC

Markets, Economy & GDP

CDC Rejects Cruise Industry Push To Resume Sailing, Sending Stocks Tumbling // Forbes

Mid East

Syria forced to ration fuel as stricken ship keeps Suez Canal blocked // CNN

The Suez Canal Has Been Blocked and Closed Several Times Since Opening // Business Insider

NATO Focus

Three Russian Ballistic Missile Submarines Just Surfaced Through The Arctic Ice Together // The Drive

Symphony

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, March 22, 2021

Huawei plans to charge royalties for some of its 5G tech, but they may lose respect when they refuse rent payment for anchoring 200 military-manned vessels the Philippines’ backyard pool. International royalties are based on international agreement, which China denies. It brings back memories of the old phrase, “Who is ‘we’, you gotta’ mouse in your pocket?”

Taiwan, on the other hand has a vice on the semiconductor industry. And, having its evil pineapple banned from China, Japanese have discovered just how especially delicious Taiwanese pineapple are. And, they are quite amazing. Their cores are even sweet. Many other pineapple need the cores cut out because the acid is too strong. In Japan, when you order dinner, you just might get a sweet Taiwanese pineapple free of charge. Perhaps China could also charge royalties on Taiwan pineapple sales, considering that their ban helped with the boom in sales.

Indo-Pacific

Philippines says 220 Chinese boats have encroached in South China Sea – Times of India // Times of India

Chinese ban on Taiwanese pineapples boosts sales in Japan // Japan Today

Trade & Tech

Huawei to charge royalties to smartphone makers using its 5G tech // CNBC

Taiwan

Taiwan happiest nation in East Asia: UN report // Taipei Times

2 charts show how much the world depends on Taiwan for semiconductors // CNBC

Symphony

Encore of Revival: America, March 22, 2021

Democrats push forward as if a 50-50 Senate proves a national mandate. In some sense it does. Even with suspicion of a stolen election, Republican voters allowed that by winning arguments rather than winning friends. But, as the well-earned Democratic agenda moves forward, Roe v Wade does too.

Arkansas just passed a law directly challenging Roe v Wade and with a a 6-3 Republican-appointed Supreme Court, an overturn is not unlikely.

While courts take what they take, Democrats are setting up danger in the Senate. Removing the filibuster won’t even give Democrats two years to work before a routine mid-term flip in 2022. With the unresolved suspicions of election stealing, the “incumbent” rules won’t apply the same either. We are set for a Republican takeover in 2024, without a filibuster-curbed Senate, made possible by Democrats, who were give power by unsympathetic Republicans, and only stoppable by a third party. Whether we see that third party before or after 2024 has yet to be seen. We just don’t know how many people have woken up to the nation’s deeper problems.

Law

Arkansas governor says he signed near-total abortion ban so Supreme Court can decide if it’s a ‘direct challenge’ to Roe // CNN

Congress

When LBJ and Hubert Humphrey Teamed Up to Break a Talking Filibuster // Politico

Mitch McConnell warns Democrats that overhauling filibuster rules will lead to ‘completely scorched earth Senate’ // CNN

State & Local

Michigan restaurant owner in jail for defying virus orders // ABC News America

NATO Focus

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Conducts Passing Exercise with Turkish Navy // US Navy

Symphony

Cadence of Conflict: Asia, March 15, 2021

More pressure on China over the games and Hong Kong. According to the Chinese, treaties with China don’t obligate China. That’s how the West views it anyway. This is the war-causing confusion between the West and the Chinese…

China believes democracy and religion will destroy the Chinese. Their solution is to remove religion, free speech, and non-Chinese governments. China claims to respect these three, but thinks that they are exploited to China’s misfortune. So, China makes new laws, hoping to protect itself, then tells the West to back off.

But, the West is concerned about trusting promises. People won’t build skyscrapers on land they believe will collapse after ten years. Nor will countries and companies invest in another country if they believe the government might take over the company or arrest the officers. So, the West is concerned about “rule of law”, that laws are made, then don’t suddenly change in a way that breaks trust. As much as some old laws can be inconvenient for a government, losing trust from the world is proving much more inconvenient, as we are seeing with calls to boycott the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

This is where the contradiction comes into play. China believed that Huawei could ignore Western law while their CFO travels to Western countries. When the Huawei CFO was arrested in Canada, China was genuinely surprised. To the Chinese, “rule of law” is a mythical concept, like using English to tell a dolphin what it’s like to walk on land. So, the Chinese were surprised.

With everything happening, China is utterly and genuinely surprised. This is not what Beijing expected.

Trade & Tech

TSMC Rumored To Build $35 Billion 5nm Plant In The U.S. With 100k/month Wafer Output // Wccftech

China

At Least 30,000 U.S. Organizations Newly Hacked Via Holes in Microsoft’s Email Software // Krebs on Security

Rights groups target sponsors like Airbnb for Beijing Games // AP

Jack Ma loses title as China’s richest man after coming under Beijing’s scrutiny // Fox Business

An Open Letter to the Fashion and Home-Furnishing Industries // EndUyghurForcedLabour.org

Winter Olympics 2022: Mikaela Shiffrin doesn’t want to have to choose between ‘morality versus being able to do your job’ // CNN

Beijing 2022: China hits back at Canada over calls to move Winter Olympics // SCMP

Taiwan

Experts urge government to increase defense spending // Taipei Times

US encourages Taiwan to invest in defense: official // Taipei Times

China bolsters defense, while saying it would deter Taiwan ‘separatist activity’ // Taipei Times

US reaffirms Taiwan support in report // Taipei Times

Taipei adopts 6 approaches to promoting English education // Taiwan News

Military Faceoff

The Air Force Says Its First Hypersonic Missile Will Make Its Inaugural Flight Within 30 Days // The Drive

Trump

Law

Washington as Usual

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Pandemic

Trade & Tech

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Taiwan

Philippines

Military Faceoff

Trump

Law

Security & Public Safety

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Trade & Tech

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Taiwan

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