China and Trump's Foreign Policy.

Response to a Friend's Facebook post.

THE United States or Americans, it seems, are either very ignorant or eerily prejudiced of China. In turn they miscalculated the Chinese. Washington thought it could take advantage of China's resources (labor force, pertinent minerals) hence the Bill Clinton/Jiang Zemin trade pact in 2000. The following year, Beijing joined the WTO and totally rewrote how tariffs are played or dealt. 

       Then in 2009, China hooked up with Russia, India and Brazil to form the mammoth “emerging economies” group acronymed BRICS. And while the U.S. was partying after Joe Biden's win in 2020, two weeks after the election, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a trade bloc of 15 Asia/Pacific economies was formed. With China as ad hoc leader, the group is the largest trade bloc in the world so far. 

       Of course, there's the Belt and Road Initiative that accentuates China's trade expansionism. Yet the U.S. and the European Union stuck to military brinkmanship or hawkish playbooks. Meanwhile, the Middle East now largely junks "arms for oil" deals with the U.S. as UAE, Iran and Egypt joined BRICS in 2022? (Ever ponder why there is war in the Middle East right now?) 

       Donald Trump knows that the only way to compete with China and BRICS is via trade, not military braggadocio. So he modifies Washington's foreign policy. Yet there are matters that he can't reset, for now, like the 10-year arms deal with Israel that was signed by Barack Obama in 2016. And this is the powerful Israel Lobby, by the way. 

       Hot point in the Middle East is Iran but Iran now basically dances with China, Tehran's top oil buyer. Hence Mr Trump sent Elon Musk to Iran in January to talk business with the new moderate leadership out there. And as we know it, Tesla just expanded in China and Taiwan/TSMC just invested in the U.S. after Joe Biden's previous $6 billion deal didn't work out. Of course, China and Taiwan are big time trade buddies. Think Foxconn, think silicon. 

       At least President Trump knows how to play chess with China. But let's see how the tariff contest plays out. 🇺🇸☮️🇨🇳

Trump and Tariffs. And more Trump. And Life and Stuff.

Responds to Facebook chats.

I DON'T know why (after Donald Trump's first 4 years) many still don't know how he rolls. The real object of the "tariff trickery" is China. Mexico and Canada (NAFTA/USMCA pals) are no-brainers, although per Claudia Sheinbaum, the migrant deal is a chess move (it was a different move with Mr Obrador then). Canada's issue is internal (who will replace Justin Trudeau). 

       In 2016-2020, Trump's China tariff was lower (than what Barack Obama had) which led to a trade pact in 2020. Joe Biden didn't follow through and stayed low as China moved pieces per "green industry" export market (read EVs). 

       Both Biden and Trump invested big on tech. We need silicons etc. which China (and BRICS) has plenty of. Now Mr Trump raises the China tariff as he moves to a second trade pact. But China responded but not much yet the CCP clearly sends a subtle message. So let's see. 

       Washington tariff has always been up/down after China joined the WTO in 2001 due to the obvious. 

MEDIA plays the Trump storyline as click baits. Donald Trump is entertainment. The more he is hated by the Left, the more it's "fun" to them. And social media isn't about discussion of policies and stuff. It's a partisanship "mud fight." Tariff play is a trade move, which has to be modified, especially since China rolls the dice that isn't traditional Western commerce. 

       Meanwhile, since the Chinese government or CCP is top-down and their major industries are state-owned, they can simply issue economic modifications which usually "surprises" the West. They can because they have ample raw/pertinent materials and the largest labor force + they already scattered investments all over the world. 

       But the U.S. has stronger political clout (refer to why T shudders foreign aid, another chess move). The U.S. needs to be smarter. I am not saying Trump is smarter but he is a businessman, not a military strategist or traditional politician. He adjusts his playbook like a chess player, but we don't know if this will work. (And China isn't dumb either.) 

🏛🗽🏛

Life and Stuff. 

MY mindset is still lodged in the 1970s-1990s though or my writing demeanor is old-school. Without this platform or internet, I am still writing or publishing a newspaper as I did. Life is easier. (I only do FB and streaming TV, not other platforms.) But this life is now about my kids and grandkids. I am just a ghost enjoying what is here till I expire.

NEVER been sick (except occasional pollen allergies) since 2000. Not even fever. So I don't do maintenance drugs. No debts and my kids are now professional adults, who are relatively fine.

       That is why I said I am a ghost simply watching the world till I expire. I am unbelievably well. But I'm bored. At least until the start of gardening and yard work in spring.

WHEN I said my mind is in the `70s, it's mainly how I compare rage (or my rage vs dictatorship back home) and the hate these days. Then, the rage inspired me in a creative though radical way; these days, the hate pulls deep, implosion. So different. 

       And I am not really heaping blame on Left or Right per se. Howard Zinn predicted this divide (powered by hate, spread by the one-click internet) a few years before he died in 2010. Last protest movement that I embedded myself as a journalist was the Occupy movement in 2010, which didn't make sense to me; the last protest with a pro-active sense to me was the 1999 Battle of Seattle, which I covered.

       The times have changed a lot. the 1960s to 1990s was easier to navigate; 2000 to 2020s is so complex yet still shallow to me. ☮️☮️☮️

FAVORITES and INFLUENCES.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

FAVORITES. The sea. I emanated from an archipelago or a country with 7,641 islands. Surrounded by waters. Although I am not into swimming, water sports, or long travels by ship, I love the sea. (Though I worked with fisherfolk as an organizer for NGOs.) The sight of the sea offers me peace and quiet. The mountain that is adjacent to the ocean: The ideal existence. Summer trips to the sea in the province, on school breaks, punctuated my younger years. 🏝🌅🏝

INFLUENCES. William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616). English playwright and poet. Widely regarded as the most influential writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. His plays have been translated into every major language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Mr Shakespeare’s body of masterpieces continues to be studied and reinterpreted. No writer, I believe, denies the influence of Shakespeare in their work. ✍️📚✍️

FAVORITES. Spaghetti Western. Films produced in Italy mostly; mid-1960s. Sergio Leone! His films "demythologized” the conventions of traditional U.S. Westerns. My favorite Sergio Leone movies: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” starring Clint Eastwood, and “Once Upon a Time in the West.” Others: “Django” by Sergio Corbucci, and those hilarious Bud Spencer and Terence Hill films. Yes! Music by the great Ennio Morricone. 🐴🤠🐴

INFLUENCES. Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind.” He wrote the song when he was 21 years old. The song was included on his 1963 album “The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.” A protest song that poses a series of rhetorical questions about peace, war, and freedom. The refrain "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind" has been described as "impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind.” 📚🍎🎼

FAVORITES. Scrapbooking. A method of preserving and arranging personal and family history in the form of a book, box, or card. Typical memorabilia include photographs, printed media, and artwork. Scrapbook albums are often decorated and frequently contain extensive journal entries or written descriptions. When we were young, I was the voluntary organizer of the family albums. Always have patience and diligence to spend hours in a weekend for scrapbooking. ✂️📘✒️

INFLUENCES. Greek Mythology. The body of myths as told by the ancient Greeks. The ancient Greek religion's view of the origin and nature of the world; the lives and activities of deities, heroes, and mythological creatures; and the origins and significance of the ancient Greeks' cult and ritual practices. Modern scholars study the myths to shed light on the religious and political institutions of ancient Greece, and to better understand the nature of myth-making itself. 🧙‍♀️🧝‍♀️🧙‍♂️

FAVORITES. Fish dishes. Choice of meal? Fish. All kinds of fish. With the head or fillet. The only food that I order at a Mexican restaurant is Mojarra Frita or fried tilapia. However a fish is cooked or prepared, that’s fine with me. Poached. Steamed. Grilled or barbecued. Baked. Braised. Fried. Microwaved. Air-fried. Sushi. Ceviche or “kinilaw.” My most favorite was “steamed lapu-lapu” (grouper) that my mom used to serve me, since I was the only heavy fish-eater in the family. 🐟🦈🐠

INFLUENCES. “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” is an allegorical fable written by Richard Bach. It is about a seagull who is trying to learn about flying, personal reflection, freedom, and self-realization. It was first published in book form in 1970 with little advertising or expectations; by the end of 1972, over a million copies were in print, the book having reached the #1 spot on bestseller lists mostly through word of mouth recommendations. A high school influence. 📚🍎🎼

FAVORITES. Haunted houses. Always been fascinated by “haunted houses.” As a little boy, I wasn’t scared of the dark or ghosts. “Paranormal spirits” won’t hurt us. Bad people do. I had many trips to visit haunted houses in the Philippines and in America. An old Hispanic house owned by a kin in Pangasinan province was a favorite. My aunt told me guerrillas in WW2 died in the basement. And “kapre” or giant man-horses lingered around on full-moon nights. Fun! 🧛‍♂️🏚🧟‍♀️

INFLUENCES. Woodstock, a rock music festival at Max Yasgur's farm in the town of Bethel, New York from 15 to 18 August 1969. It might be the most famous rock concert and festival ever held. For many, it showed the counterculture of the 1960s and the "hippie era.” Many of the most famous musicians at the time showed up during the rainy weekend, as can be seen in a 1970 movie, Woodstock. The festival was a major influence of my Traveling Bonfires. 🎸🎼☮️

[Photos: Pinterest. BeFunky.)

DeepSeek. Algorithms Trump. Oscars.

Responses to Facebook Friends’ Posts. 

DeepSeek and A.I. and U.S. and China and Stuff. 

LET’S put it this way: Some 30+ percent of U.S. imports come from China. Some 8,619 U.S. companies (including the biggies) are active in China. Why? Because we are buying nonstop, so they are selling or U.S. corporations continuously buy and manufacture products there to sell here for higher profits, less overhead. Etc etcetera. 

       Meanwhile, as the TikTok brouhaha was high, owner ByteDance created Lemon8, now they've tossed us Rednote. And after President Trump upped the mojo on A.I. projects (as in $100 billion in federal investments) the Chinese came up with DeepSeek. 

       Thought: The competition is economic, not military. That's why China has the global trade leverage. Yet in economics, it's all business. In the military, it's war.

THAT”S the way of the (superpower) world. A combination of global narcissism and business profit. We can only hope for less damage, yet the damage is more truth than fact. A.I. can be used in so many ways but I see more bad than good. At least, Mr Trump is more dovish per se than hawkish (like Mr Biden). But it doesn't mean the geopolitical fight is gone. Always there will be a "who is #1" competition. 

       Yet imagine, if China is "fighting" militarily over economics? Then that'd be the end of us. At least the U.S. and China are dealing with business with each other. Or talking. 🦿🤖🦾

The algorithm leads to Trump/Vance?

WHY so much fuss about wherever the (Facebook) algorithm brings us? Or seems to lead us? This is the internet. 95 percent of what I get on my email inbox are business ads. 90 percent of what I read on my Homepage are hate posts or hate memes. whether those are Left, Right or whatever angle Trump is tackled (mostly negative yarn or hate pitch). 

       So I just post as is to please me. Ignore the rest. I am a writer who loves to read what I write. So I just enjoy my structured postings. Dog and cat videos are a bonus. Life is good. Ceasefire in Gaza finally happened. My kids are fine and my dinner of “sinigang na baboy” + leftover steak from last night is ready. And I am set to face TV right now. 📱📲🥹

This year's Oscar awards drama.

Ah Hollywood drama! 

Anyway, I was offended somehow by that "Everything Everywhere All at Once" movie that won a lot of awards in 2023 Oscar. But it's just 1 movie. So many movies to watch! But true, gone were those days when a movie was a movie. Exemplary and awful. Delineations were clear. These days, “culture war” distracts from the entertainment value of movie watching. 

       Anyways. I got a few whoa?!? moments in the last Golden Globes. In the TV category, Cristin Milioti ("The Penguin") was obviously a lot better than all nominees in the category (I saw them all in their movies). But it was Jodie Foster (“True Detective: Night Country”) who won. Because Colin Farrell won already for “The Penguin,” I guess? 

       Everybody be happy? Give awards as well to Koreans, Japanese, or Mexicans? Meanwhile, Jessica Gunning (“Baby Reindeer”) won over Allison Janney (“The Diplomat”). Obvious? "Shogun" was kickass as a series per se but the acting wasn't so award-worthy. But what about Cosmo Jarvis? I digress. 🎥📽🥲

Fact Checks and Mark Z. and Stuff.

From my chat with friends on Facebook.

WHY is Mark Zuckerback and Facebook “fact checks” so big a deal? People believe or click/share whatever they want to believe, especially political memes or links. Fact or fake. Social media is not New York Times etc. Difference is Facebook posts are written by ordinary people; NY Times reports, by professional (or paid) journalists. But FB or NY Times feeds both elicit individual readings or common sense.

Meanwhile, for our own individual convenience or pleasure, we fact check stuff whatever is tossed at us. I believe that's the way it has always been. Whether FB fact checks or not, we still need to dig things up. Although the common trend is people click/share as long as the post/meme satisfies their partisan/political angst. They don't really care about facts/fakes.

Facebook Friend 1: “Good point. We aren't babes in the woods anymore. We understand Fake News and that everything in print or on TV is not necessarily true. Don't we?” / Facebook Friend 2: “We do. But there are a lot of ppl that don’t. They’re too lazy to pick up a book or do some more research than the meme that is in front of them. It’s truly sad.”

ISN’T that what it is these days? That's just the way the media has evolved. In fact, even traditional/mainstream media's reportage has become (blatantly) subjective or opinionated or angled towards a preferred party politics. And the choice of front page news has also turned ridiculous. (A celeb's new dog is news or a parent cracking an egg on a kid's head is viral.)

       True, others don't double check stuff but I don't think that'd be others' worry. LOL! In fact they're cool clicking and sharing inane memes. Their daily entertainment. Even if you tell them "That is fake!" as long as the post feeds their political zealotry, they'd carry on and even insult you for correcting the data. Before Mr Zuckerberg’s announcement, I don't think FB ever "fact checked" or if it did, still they let go posts/memes that are massively clicked (regardless it is fake). 👧📱🧒

Compilation of short MORNING THOUGHTS.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

When I was a little boy, my mind was always working on the "how" rather than the "what." A tiny talking box called a transistor radio puzzled me. So I tore it down to find out. (Bad!) To keep my (then) 5-year old son’s hyper-activity contained, I’d bring home bond papers from work, and then he’d start drawing on the other side. His art had backstories that he’d joyfully tell me. Last Christmas, I sent my grandson Keian an MTV “screen print” kit. Get the boy's mind working. 👶👀👦

YOU see, in these days when everything is electronically easy, children have to be motivated to think as they play. Somehow, that was my little trick with Arrow when she started chewing antique furniture in the house right after we adopted her. So I went to Goodwill Outlet and brought the dog a bag of stuffed toys to “eat.” Then I notice she doesn’t just tear them down. She figures out why the toys are squeaking. She knows how to start—by biting out the eye part to get in like a surgeon. If it’s hard to break the toy, she’d coax me to play tug. Smart dog! 

Correctness? Life now and then. Grass fed: Cattle were fed grass, hay, corn etcetera. Grain supplements and by-products, nope. Free range: Chickens, ducks, goats roamed the farm, freely. Handcrafted: Rice wine (“tapuy”) was made by hand in the house. Non-GMO/organic: Open-market veggies and meats, non-factory, were cooked before eaten. Herbal cure: Boiled guava leaves. A smart UC Berkeley grad lectured me on how to live a responsible, wellness life? Duh. ?☎️🐴

My activism began when I protested the dumping of mining wastes on a mountain river in a small town where I grew up. I pursued journalism so I could find out more about what’s going on. Before I was introduced to Leftist politics, it was all gut-level facts to me. So I don’t get the dissing of Walmart over Exxon. Black Lives Matter in America over black lives matter in Africa. One-time $11-20 billion border wall over an annual $768-770 billion military spending. (Re)educate me what really is activism. ☮️✊☮️

Craze at the moment on Facebook is the “10 Year Challenge” app. It upstaged the Betty White passing and the “Don’t Look Up” brouhaha. Certainly more fun frolic and grownup chill than all the juvenile political dissing and anti-Christian insults. Sure, there’s the Jan 6 hoopla and Novak Novac thingy but hey this is electronic plaza. To click or not to click? / That is the question—/ Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer…” Anyways, here is my 10-year challenge contribution. LOL! 👺🤠👽

The country with the most 1-person households is the United States. I notice that it is more of a choice than a consequence. Strange to me since I emanated from a planet where “aloneness” isn’t a cultural fact. No one lives alone. If neighbors notice that you are alone, they’d come knockin’ like crazy, 15x a day—with a bowl of “pansit” or a cerveza and offer to watch TV or play chess. If you insist on your aloneness, they’d spread rumours that you are a vampire, zombie, or a werewolf. 🤠👺👽

Words. Words are words. I was born into and grew up in a world where language is more sound-based than correct vocabulary. Tagalog and other tribal dialects are long, repetitive syllables or wordage. Mostly, we’d rather gesture with our nose, hands, or roll our eyes to speak our mind. No problemo. Then the internet was born, then Social Media. Boom! Words got complex. Politics. But then “Let’s go Brandon!” isn’t as nasty as parallels with Hitler, ain’t it? Words. Word... 🗣🙉😂

Our inconsistencies. Unvaccinated world #1 tennis player Novak (“novak,” dig?) Djokovic is barred from playing at the Australian Open set to start on the 17th. Yet Kyrie Irving, unaxxed as well, was allowed to play in the NBA, which sends players to weekly “covid protocols.” Meantime, U.S. ice hockey players say they are boycotting the Beijing Winter Olympics next month. Covid? Politics? Yup. But not business: Google how many U.S. companies are operating in China. 

       Other tennis issue: If Djokovic wins this year’s Australian Open, that’d be his 21st Grand Slam title. A world record, which breaks his tie with Roger Federer and Rafael Nada, 20 titles each. And by the way, Novak is “money” in Serbian language. Champ’s purse in Men’s play in Australian Open: $2.75 million. 🎾💉🎾

We sit in front of the computer and read stuff. Warnings of virus doom that stay over reassurances of end of scourge. News Left, News Right. Contradicting info. We issue criticism of leadership, blame stuff, whine no end—in here. Yet the truth is, whatever happens to the world or however politics evolves, we have a personal life. Family. The first and last field of battle to fight; first and last garden of goodness to enjoy. Till we get distracted again with stuff. 😟📲😫

Omnism is the recognition and respect of all religions and their gods or lack thereof. Eckankar is a New Age monotheistic religion. One God for all. “Religious Pluralism” is also expounded in Yan Martel's “Life of Pi.” While differences amidst diversity is a primal human reflex, unity or coexistence amidst such a reality is also a non-impossibility. Yet when Faith or non-Faith is boxed as a political exclusive, it gets harder. At least, these days. But hope springs eternal. 🦋🌺🐓

Many ask: "Do you trust science?" How about an analogy. "Black powder" was first used for festival fireworks in old China. Then Marco met Kublai. Science ensued and increased black powder's potency. Gunpowder was born. Wars got weirder. Enter opium, coca, cannabis. Herbs. Eased pain. Until science entered, made `em into mass-produced drugs, increased dosage. Kick is spiked for profit. Consumer products. But science is also cool. Like, cars finally rested the horse. 🔭💊🔬

[Photo: Eric Wrobbel.]

Tariff red flags, unfounded panic, and stuff.

From my response to Facebook chats etcetera.

I WOULD rather hope for new economic strategies (tariffs etc) in 2025 than "smartly" send doomsday signs. All these tariff red flags are "future tense" negativity pitched by liberals. Meanwhile, Mr Trump expects to sit with the Chinese next year and whatever deals they agree on, decides what's up. 

       Joe Biden (or his emissaries Antony Blinken and Janet Yellen) failed to break the Chinese on the trade table several times, mainly due to Joe's inconsistent or mostly aggro tactics vs the CCP. 

       Anyhow, the facts (after and during): Grocery prices are up 20 percent in the last 4 years. Current inflation rate is 2.4 percent. Economists forecast 3.1 percent as 2024 ends. Last year, it was 4.1 percent, down from 8 percent in 2022. In Mr Trump's last year, 2020, it was 1.23 percent. In pandemic time, 2019, it was 1.8 percent.

       Why the Chinese? No brainer. Over 40 percent of U.S. imports come from China. Some that come from elsewhere (like Mexico) somehow have Chinese investments or loans in them. If manufacturing is done here in the U.S. mainly, with over 8000 U.S. companies already operating in China, expect prices to go even higher. Of course. The last year the U.S. had a trade surplus was in 1975. 🏛🗽🏛