Sinophobia and Another Lockdown?

Facebook Homepage Response, reposted via blog.

LEST I'd be labeled as conspiracy theorist, I don't think another covid-induced lockdown is warranted. Or the people will bite into another freeze in life. But the China factor stays as a loud narrative. But not because of the Sinophobic reasoning that the virus was induced by the Chinese. The current political chess game that Washington under President Joe Biden imposes points to lessen (trade) dependence on China although thousands of U.S. corporations are presently active out there and thousands more import products and raw materials from China. 

       Although U.S. deficit with China has been considerably cut to $65.0 billion, still America is in trade imbalance with its rival, which enjoys a massive surplus of $857 billion. Meanwhile, China is not a top investor in the U.S. The largest investing country in the U.S. is Canada, followed by the United Kingdom, France. China is not even in the top 10. 

       The “Made in China” that we continually buy on retail are imports by U.S. companies. We are buying American products and merch that were bought from China, so this is American profit already. 🥹🇨🇳😌

ANOTHER lockdown means economic activity slows, not just purchase/price of and availability of consumer products that are mostly on retail but including gasoline, utilities, mortgage/real estate, private health care/insurance, interest rates etc. Why? 

       As the US tries to pull out of China and maybe turn to India as fallback and/or homebased factories are reactivated, naturally profit margins of U.S. corporations will suffer. They need to adjust, if ever they oblige. Yet per free trade, a government can’t impose private companies from importing etc unless war happens between the U.S. and China, which I doubt. Yet we should know sanction on Russia per Ukraine didn't really work.

       In other words, the U.S. needs a massive reset to rearrange global economics to levels pre-21st century. Hence, another virus lockdown predicated on anti China seems a strategic pitch. Bring the world back to Cold War. But this is not 1970s anymore. China and Russia and India or BRICS has balanced geopolitical power. They have gathered their own formidable allies, including oil powerhouse Saudi Arabia. 

       If ever manufacturing and oil drilling go back home, and maybe prices etc will go back down after years of adjustment as surplus gains over deficit. Last year the U.S. has a trade surplus was in 1975. Besides, return to manufacturing poses contradiction to Washington’s “climate change” policies. China, Russia etc supply raw materials and pertinent minerals to almost all things that we consume. Drugs and roofings and car batteries plus their massive workforce are super cheap. And because their environmental "laws" aren't as stringent or strict as ours, business there is easy.  

       And so another lockdown? I don't know. Billions$ of taxpayer money are already handed to Ukraine and more will go out as the U.S. ups the security intrigue red flag vs China. And we are heading to austerity measures per debt limit in the next FY. (China holds 2nd largest chunk of US external debt.) And it's all because of the unfounded fear or narcissism that China threatens America’s stature as world's #1? I don't think the Chinese want to be #1. They simply want to sell stuff. And we haven't really stopped buying. 🥹🇨🇳😌

Power. Taxes. Freedom of Speech.

Facebook ramblings, years ago. Unedited, mostly. So some thoughts evolved.

 

IN this world of power tilts, surprising realigments and contradictions, Kremlin's machinations via WikiLeaks fed the fire inside the Democratic front by widening the crack between Bernheads (socialists) and Hillarysts (centrists)--thus dividing the camp so the ruling class rules again. It worked. 

       Trump is in power. Russia entered WTO in 2012 (okayed by Congress which were generally Republican) which means Russia has a say now in sale of crude oil to the US and elsewhere. Vladimir Putin aligned with Donald Trump because, among other things, Trump eases up taxing the rich (investors = Russians and Chinese). Meantime, oil whether it is Opec or Russia is gold to the Koch brothers. 

       Another backgrounder. George Soros aligned himself with Hillary from PAC days and even funded groups on the left side like Black Lives Matter and cannabis legalization to balance the brinkmanship internally and win the progressives—as what he did in the 90s in Southeast Asia by derailing Asean's march to less reliance or independence from the West (West = OPEC oil and security machinations in South China Sea). Russia and Indonesia (who's got oil) are non-OPEC members. Russian oil companies owe Chinese banks lotsa money. 

       Before elections, Soros was in Indonesia, HQ of Asean—which was always anti-Washington (Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar etc). How does Duterte and Trump play up in all these? Russia-China-US 1 percent matrix. Beijing operates behind the scenes as always in regards US affairs—but Kremlin has a poster boy in Putin. PR-wise Russia is less evil than China these days in the eyes of American heartland. Duterte-China, Russia-Washington/Trump. Meanwhile Soros regroups. That's how I see it. Irrelevant what kind of drivel or twaddle comes out of the mouths of Beavis and Butt-head.

TAXES. Taxes are such an issue. But it's not entirely that bad if taxes translate to increased social program accessibility—like in the cases of Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Austria and Japan where total tax rates are around 50 percent and more per capita income. 

       Fact check to Donald Trump. The highest taxed nation is not the US. Argentina (but I desist from discussing that for now). Tax rate per capita in the US is 24 percent. But Canadians are taxed lesser at 21 percent. The Canadian province of Manitoba has a 0 percent corporation tax rate for small businesses. In most surveys however Canada ranks No. 1 overall for providing a good quality of life. The country is tops for its well-developed education system, job market. In fact, Canada was rated in the top five in all but one of the nine attributes – affordability, where Asian countries dominated.

       Meantime, wanna know that in rich Qatar, tax rate is just 11.3 percent! Lamborghinis and Ferraris rule the parking lots out there with camels. No kidding. But seriously where I'd pursue business (in case I end my American journey)? Singapore. A low tax rate of 18.4 percent. Many companies from around the world choose Singapore as a base for their Asian operations.

FREEDOM of speech. I know. We know. No one stops no one from speaking their mind. So I will—and continue to invite unfriending, of course. I couldn't wrap my mind with this absurdity of absurdities. This is directed to Democrats or progressives/liberals who boycotted the election because they were overcome with anger and grief that Bernie Sanders wasn't chosen to carry the Party banner against Donald Trump—or to those who voted the 3rd candidate as a form of subtle protest that their bet didn't make it instead. 

       I posted time and again that the pre-election signs or forecast were pretty much even. Hillary Clinton needed the Sanders votes. I assume that Sanders supporters knew that—and the larger assumption or certainty is Trump will clobber Clinton if the other half of the Democrat throng don't participate. It was either Trump or Clinton, it's as simple as that. 

       Now I don't see the point why Sanders supporters are so noisy that Trump is the new President. I wonder wouldn't they be noisier or less noisy if it's Clinton? For me this not just a crack on the left side of the road—the damage is a lot worse than that. It also magnifies a national problem that is even beyond what the current protest is shouting. Their fear of hate, racism, misogyny etc under Trump is overtaken by the fear of a collective weakness to fight hate, racism, misogyny because those who profess to fight them are more concerned with individual end than the welfare of the majority. 

       A divided people is a divided country, tempest in the yard is the ruin of the house. Yet since the Conservatives/Right seems tighter and bonded, I could see that if their President fails to deliver what he promised, it's them—those who voted for him—will be the power that'll bring him down not those who didn't. Why? Because they are united as a people. Facebook ramblings, years ago. Unedited, mostly. So some thoughts evolved. “Power. Taxes. Freedom of Speech.”Facebook ramblings, years ago. Unedited, mostly. So some thoughts evolved. “Power. Taxes. Freedom of Speech.” 🧐😎🤨

Oil and Pipelines.

MY take on News. Past Facebook posts. 

OIL and natural gas companies will continue, exponentially earning. Especially that these giants are owned by private corporations. Same with oil-rich Middle East. Nonstop. In fact, even as the war in Ukraine continues and sanctions on Russia are imposed by the U.S. and most of Europe, Energy resource deals are ongoing.

       News on 3/31/2022: “OPEC and Russia are set to meet as the war continues to roil the oil market.” Big producers seem to be sticking to modest output raises and alliance with Russia. No brainer why the Middle East didn’t join the U.S./E.U. collective whip versus Moscow for the invasion. Economic although war, especially prolonged war, is mostly bad for energy business or business per se. Except for the merchants of war, of course.

       Meantime, in America: “Biden will tap oil reserve, hoping to push gasoline prices down.” The plan would mean release of crude reserves daily for six months—or up to 180 million barrels in all, over 180 days, aimed at helping “ease prices at the pump.” The price per gallon hasn’t really moved in about 2 weeks since the start of Ukraine tempest on Feb 24: At around $4 average.

       I am not an economist, and definitely, I am no oil price expert. So I wonder out loud: By tapping U.S. oil reserves, it’d mean lower gas prices? Let’s see and that’d be awesome. But then, fact is, the U.S. is already #1 in oil production globally since 2016. Yet we still import oil/crude oil from 73 countries. Russia was #4 U.S. importer before Vladimir Putin got infuriated and earned a sanction. Yet even if we kick Moscow out, doesn’t America already got lotsa oil?

       Or this is the rationale post-Ukraine War (please let it end) because the end has just justified the means? Now let’s wait and see if gasoline cost/s per gallon go down to 2019 levels or at least the 7.9 inflation rate is cut in half. ⛽️⚓️⛽️

AT the time that I typed this post up, gasoline cost per gallon was at $4.22 average. Remember, it was $2.41 in 2017; $2.74 in 2018; $2.60 in 2019; $2.17 in 2020. On Bidentime, in 2021: #3.15, the lowest cost.

       Sure, Saudi Arabia and Russia are wrestling per price. OPEC and U.S. are pretty much in the thick of the market haggling as well. No brainer since the U.S. and Saudi Arabia/Russia are #1 and #2 (#3) in oil production and oil export.

       Yet look at South America’s average: Below a dollar. Oil-rich Middle East, a bit higher than in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela et al but still below 1 dollar. Russia, amidst war? $2.10. (Add info: Moscow’s oil industry is state-owned. All oil trunk pipelines, except Caspian Pipeline Consortium, are owned and operated by the government’s monopoly Transneft and oil products pipeline are owned and operated by its subsidiary Transnefteproduct.)

       Meanwhile, gasoline cost in Europe has always been high so the $5.79 in the U.K., $5.57 in Germany, and $5.54 in France aren’t really so big deal. (Those numbers are last week’s figures.) But let’s see what’s up next per stoppage of supply from its #1 supplier Russia.

       It’d be an understatement to say that the U.S. aimed to grab the top spot as Europe’s oil/gas importer from Russia. So this announcement from the Biden administration of release of U.S. reserves clearly points to impending demands from Washington allies’ in the region.

       Another thing that confounds me is the extent of United States’ inflation rate, which is now at 7.9 percent. Norway, which is also a bigtime energy exporter: 2.7 percent inflation—although the European average is 6.20 percent. In case you are wondering, inflation in China is 2.2 percent. ⛽️⚓️⛽️

TO sort of aid the gasoline problem in the U.S., I read posts and memes that suggest reactivation or lifting of suspension of the Keystone XL pipeline.

      The proposed Phase IV, Keystone XL Pipeline, would have connected the Phase I-pipeline terminals in Hardisty, Alberta, and Steele City, Nebraska, by a shorter route and a larger-diameter pipe. It would have run through Baker, Montana, where American-produced light crude oil from the Williston Basin of Montana and North Dakota would have been added to the Keystone's throughput of synthetic crude oil and diluted bitumen from the oil sands of Canada. And so on and so forth.

       Said pipeline attracted opposition from environmentalists. In 2015 it was temporarily delayed by Obama. In 2017, Trump took action intended to permit the pipeline's completion. But when Biden sat in White House, he signed an executive order to revoke the permit.

       However, I don’t really see much significance of Keystone XL’s pipeline vis a vis America’s flood of oil. You see, there are 70 operating oil and gas pipelines that cross the Canada-US border: 31 oil and 39 natural gas. There are 16 operating pipelines which transport other commodities.

       The United States is also home to the greatest number of oil and gas pipelines in the world. As of December 2020, there were 185 operational oil pipelines in the country and a further 34 under development.

       So why the high cost of energy, again? I don’t blame oil/gas titans per se. I blame economic management by a country’s leadership. There. ⛽️⚓️⛽️

Photo credits: Wikipedia. BOP Products.

POSTED years ago. Racism, sexism and xenophobia during the campaign.

AFTER-election thoughts that I shared in another friend's Wall, on the subject of racism, sexism and xenophobia during the campaign. 

IF majority or all of those who voted for Donald Trump are racist, sexist and xenophobic “as their leader,” and then the leader won--then something is really ailing with America. Really bad. Not the government or President-elect per se but its own people. These are Americans as in heartland America. And if we study the demographics, these are mostly Americans who got ran over to poverty in the last ten or 20 years. That hardship pulled their American-ness out of the hole--because they found a voice. They don't see their America anymore in retail stores, in media, in a politically-correct pop culture, in basic structures of society--especially when America masterminded the entry of China then Russia to WTO and let globalization dance for utmost benefit of the 1 Percent. 

       So when a “despot” like Trump came out swinging, they heard some of their muffled voice in his rhetoric. They don't see good life in another Democrat. They don't see good like in another Republican like Bush either. They see it in someone who promises a new order by spouting an anti-GOP girth and f—k the corporations/let's reclaim America bombast--who also didn't have a public office portfolio which only fired up his line. That's how Adolph Hitler rose to power--by appealing to the disenfranchised German majority who's been relegated to the background. And he rescued the economy in the next 4 or 6 years--before got totally insane.     

       In America, in the polar extreme of disgruntled America--are those who opted for Bernie Sanders who promised his throng a sociopolitical system that hasn't been tried in the US (not even with FDR's New Deal in mid-1900s), the same "voice" that Trump sounded albeit on a different sociocultural spectrum. A new system. Those voices communicated with a disgruntled mass--polar extremes but those were the words that many wanted. 

       Hillary Clinton is a centrist. So they didn't see her as their messenger or deliverer--it's more the ethnic communities who liked Clinton. The difference though in terms of Trump/Sanders voters, Trumps went out to vote but Bern people opted not to--which is tactically flawed. Truth is, it's either Trump or Hillary for president--but by dividing the Dem's vote, that'd only catapult the GOP bet to presidency, which happened. Meanwhile, I observe many arguments and discussion on Facebook--and I can say both sides exude both rude and disrespectful tact. That was a nasty election--and not just because the Conservatives are nasty--it's because it is general nasty. And social media gave people somehow the "license" to talk ill of these candidates and their followers. 

       I am called moron and idiot and stupid by Bern followers and "go home to your Third World dump!" (my country of birth is not 3rd world) by Trump fanatics although all I did was present facts. Bottomline, it comes down to who got a mass base that was intact despite partyline schism, Donald Trump. While the Democrats need to go back to the drawing board how to instill partyline allegiance from its mass base and leadership. It's after all a united front that instills power, whether it is by means of democratic elections or revolution. Which the Democrats/progressives failed to show. That for me is worrisome. 🧐🤓😎

The Indie. Oct 15 to Nov 15, 2014. Vol 10, Number 3.

[1] FOOD:

<> Noi's Thai Kitchen serves it hot, healthy, delicious and to your individual liking

<> Breakfasting at Sunny Point (by Marta Osborne)

[2] COMMUNITY:

<> Hickory Nut Gap: Food, Family, Community

<> Community Soundboard (letter to editor)

[3] MUSIC/ARTS:

<> Caleb Beissert: Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man

<> Jaime Lauren Webb: Ethereal, Warm, Contemplative

[4] COLUMNS:

<> Herbal Moon, Hearts & Hearth/Chris Wagoner

Elderberry and Wild Cherry

<> Babedawgs and Koolcats

Seven Reasons Why Chloe is a Unique Babedawg

<> From the Bookshelf/Matthew Mulder

Glimmering Coming-of-age Story (“Drinking Until Morning” by Justin Grimbol)

<> Renegade Reel/Duane Lucas Pascua

Moral Exercise in Lawful Conflict (“A Separation,” a film by Ssghar Farhadi)

<> Economics, Beyond America/Donna Phoebe Pascua

Schooling in an Emerging Economy

<> Like a Rolling Stone/Pasckie Pascua

Connecting the Dots: A Traveler's Guide

[5] ADS:

<> The Blotter, ¼

<> West End Bakery, 1/8

<> Diamond Thieves Body Piercing & Tattoo, ¼

<> Mellow Mushroom, ¼

<> Rosetta's Kitchen, 1/8

<> Noi's Thai Kitchen, ¼ color

<> Athens Locally Grown, ¼ color

<> Moonflower Botanicals, business card

<> LEAF, full-page/back page color

<> AND house ads

Life, Community, Relations—one cup of tea at a time

Dobra Tea

by Pasckie Pascua

[NOTE: A few typo errors and missing quote marks slipped our eyes in the print version of this article. We will cite those errors in an “Erratum” notice in the next/Sept issue of The Indie. Our apologies.]

THE story of Dobra Tea strikes a chord.

       Years ago, in the northern mountains of the Philippines, tribes and lowlanders, Communist rebels and government troops, were mired in both cultural and political polar extremes that it seemed dialogue was a quixotic proposition. Peace was gasping like a flower caught in a hale of monsoon rain and typhoon wind. And then, a ceasefire was declared and “tapuy” (home-crafted rice wine) was served on the negotiating table. Then peace starts to emerge like rainbow after a storm.

       I may be simplifying (or idealizing) it but a good brew at the center of any discourse keeps the compromises alive and resolutions open.

       The story of Dobrá Tea, as its website narrates, begins in Prague during the last few years of Communism, where a group of young tea lovers began meeting to sample rare Indian, Chinese and Japanese teas smuggled into Czechoslovakia.

       "Because of a shortage of foreign currency, high quality teas were then available exclusively to the Party, State and Military elite. Then came the `Velvet Revolution' and the Fall of Communism in 1989. In 1992, `The Society of Tea Devotees' was formed and the following year, Dobra Tea's first Bohemian-style tearoom, Dobrá Čajovna, opened in Prague... The Čajovna (tearoom) became a shelter, a place for safety, where like minded individuals could gather and taste the world of tea. Much success blossomed with Dobrá's idea and the company began to spread its tea concept to many small towns throughout Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland."

       In 2003 Dobrá Tea opened its first US tearoom in Burlington, VT then one followed in Portland, Maine and then in 2001, a Moroccan-motif incarnation opened in Asheville. In August last year, a Japanese style Tearoom was up in Black Mountain.

The story of Dobra Tea, and the entrepreneurial saga of Snavely and his partner/co-owner Lindsay Thomas, certainly play like a microcosm of a Merchant-Ivory epic... Yet Snavely's demeanor doesn't seem to exude such magnificent cross-continental journey in search for tea. Or the meaning of life in a teabag.

       “Tea is a very universal beverage. It is a beverage and a plant that is cultivated throughout the world, in every single continent, and it brings forth community and togetherness,” Snavely, slight and bearded, told The Indie with a feline soft-spokenness like an ascetic meandering over words of wisdom than a Brooks Brothers-garbed business dude spewing market economics with synthetic confidence. Then he declares, “I like to say that the social importance of meetings, and togetherness and relationships are formed and founded around tea.”

     

       This is a man who believes in his tea like no other that I've ever known. “I have been traveling the world for about ten years now to meet with tea farmers and then discover new varieties,” he enthuses. As a testimony of his beautiful tea madness, even Dobra Tea's menu comes out more like a textbook than a look-see breakdown of choices—85 pages of literature. Says he, “Each tea has its own story that is based on our travels.”

       Here are a few samplings from the menu cum journal.

[ ] Chinese Green Tea: Dian Lu Eshan. Remembering the Tea King. A remarkable, fresh green China tea produced in the famous tea province of Yunnan. No other tea is comparable to this sparkling, pale green infusion which offers unique and inimitable delights of taste and aroma. It is cultivated at high altitude, with long, silver, downy-tipped leaves firmly rolled lengthwise. This tea promotes health, and has a mild, euphoric effect.

[ ] Japanese Tea: Bancha Kyoto. A common type of green Japanese tea, intended for everyday drinking. A small, flat, light green leaf with yellow tints, it is smooth and easy to drink, with the characteristic freshness of Japanese greens.
[ ] Vietnamese Tea. Che Xanh. A remarkable Vietnamese green tea, whose leaves are picked with extraordinary care. A vegetal infusion with hints of both Chinese and Japanese greens due to processing. This tea is gently steamed, then pan-fried to stop oxidation. It will awaken a drifting mind, and is excellent hot or chilled.

[ ] Korean Tea. Nok Cha. A seasonal variety of green tea from the Jirishan mountain range on the southern Korean coast. This light infusion conceals an unseen taste "on the boundary" between Chinese and Japanese teas. The leaves are gently steamed and then pan-fried to complete the drying process, offering a savory, oceanic flavor.

       Costs ranges from $3.50 to $5.50, which aren't bad at all.

       Tea aside, a most fascinating facet of Snavely and Thomas' brainchild is its deep affinity with local-ness. While they bring culture to the table via their tea, they also interface their menu with what the community could offer, like a light fare of sweet snacks, all 100 percent gluten-free. Some of their collaborators are Asheville bakers Silvermoon Chocolates, Herban Baker, French Broad Chocolate Lounge, and Blue Door Bakery.

       “I like to bring the community side of this business through collaboration, which is very important in Asheville,” Snavely adds. There is no way to end this story but pause it and go check out the thick journal of tea choices—before Andrew Snavely and Lindsay Thomas add more to what's already available. “A new shipment of Japanese Green Tea just came in, and later this week...”

       At Dobra Tea, life is alive and community is continually in flowing engagement. Indeed, that's how relations and relationships are built, nurtured and nourished—one cup of tea at a time.

DOBRA TEA Asheville is located at 78 N Lexington Ave, Asheville, NC 28801 (828 575-2424). Open: Mon—Wed, 9am – 10pm; Thu—Sat, 9am – 11pm; Sunday, 11am – 7pm. DOBRA TEA Black Muntain is at 120 Broadway Street (828.357.8530). Open: Mon—Sat, 9am – 7pm; Sunday, 11am – 7pm. More info: www.dobrateanc.com

The Indie. August 2014. Vol 10, Number 2. 16 pages

[1] FOOD:

<> Buchi Bar: Kombucha, anyone?

<> Dobra Tea: Life, Community Relations—One Cup of Tea at a Time

[2] COMMUNITY:

<> Beauty Parade: How do we stylize Diversity?

<> Word Up: Jeff Davis takes Wordplay Radio to the FM Waves

by Caleb Beissert

[3] MUSIC:

<> Bonfires for Peace celebrates its 12^th year this summer at Pritchard Park

<> Pipapelli: Kilts, pyps, and rockin' blues with a celtic-knotted twist

<> Riyen Roots: Intimate & Homebound

<> Lyric: Streetwise, Cool and Classy

and Tom Hoa Binh, Marshall Jim Duncan

[4] COLUMNS:

<> Herbal Moon, Hearts & Hearth/Chris Wagoner

Medicinal Fungi

<> From the Bookshelf/Matthew Mulder

Public Library and a City's Poets

<> Renegade Reel/Duane Lucas Pascua

Mother (South Korea): What Would a Mother Do?

<> Economics, Beyond America/Donna Phoebe Pascua

The Philippines' Changing Skyline

<> Babedawgs and Koolcats/Georgia and Cyd

<> Like a Rolling Stone/Pasckie Pascua

Community, de-complicated, gut-level

[5] ADS:

<> Diamond Thieves Body Piercing & Tattoo, 1/4

<> Equinox, 1/4

<> Moonflower Botanicals, business card

<> Athens Locally Grown, ¼ color

<> Organicfest, ¼ color

<> The Blotter, 1/4

<> Rosetta's Kitchen, business card (pending revised copy, 1/4)

<> LEAF, ½ page (back cover)

<> Poetry Cabaret, free

<> West End Bakery, 1/8

<> Mellow Mushroom, ¼

<> AND house ads