Friday, February 03, 2023

YO-YO ECONOMY (The Atlantic)

". . . Good journalism ought to be honest, and I’ve honestly struggled to figure out what’s been going on with the U.S. economy. But under the theory that good journalism ought to also be descriptive even at the risk of being wrong, I think I owe readers, and myself, a general theory of weirdness.

So here’s my best shot at summarizing the past three years of perplexity: We’re living in a yo-yo economy.

The Economy Is Still Very, Very Weird

It’s the most important economic lesson of the decade: What goes up must come down (and what’s gone down will probably go up again).

Fearmongering By Luo Jie | China Daily | Updated: 2023-02-01 09:04

 


 

www.chinadaily.com.cn

Time to prick 'spy balloon' trick 



赵满丰
2 - 3 minutes

Editor's note: Pentagon has said it is tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been spotted over the country's airspace in recent days. Four experts shared their views on the incident with China Daily. Excerpts follow:

An American flag waves outside the US Department of Justice Building in Washington, Dec 15, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]

More of a 'political balloon'

This morning Fox News said that a suspected Chinese spy balloon was hovering "over Montana", where there are "sensitive US ballistic missile assets".

CNN has posted the same story, saying that Pentagon has full custody of this "suspected Chinese surveillance balloon" and that "we have communicated the seriousness with which we take the issue".

So far, this story has been catchy enough to get "retired generals" and "patriotic young men" in the US interested.

However, it seems to me that this is not a media event, but rather a political balloon from Washington to maneuver the domestic audience before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives on his widely-expected first visit to China.

Like the news about high-ranking generals lately talking about a war with China by 2025, this news seeks to alarm US citizens that the threat from China is not remote, but everywhere and in everyday life. The US military is fully prepared and is ready to confront China.

At a time when Sino-US diplomatic exchanges are being arranged, Washington hawks are getting in the way. For those who profit from Sino-US problems, the prospect of improving bilateral relations is definitely not a good sign.
But we shall not let their tricks succeed.

Wang Wei, a researcher at the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

www.chinadaily.com.cn

There is no need to dehumanize Chinese journalists

宋婧祎
4 - 5 minutes

Twitter profile of Chen Weihua on his personal page. [Photo by chinadaily.com.cn]

As a long-time China Daily columnist, I'm aware of people outside China frequently distorting and misinterpreting my views as representing those of the newspaper, the Chinese government or the Communist Party of China.

HERE iN MESA AZ: Spotting Air-Borne Low-Altitude Unidentified Red Air Balloon

 Visible in the sky south of Broadway yesterday afternoon...


 



 www.forbes.com

Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Hovering Over U.S., Pentagon Says 



Nicholas Reimann
Updated Feb 2, 2023, 06:12pm EST

Topline

"A suspected Chinese spy balloon is flying over the U.S., though its current location and exact capabilities remain unclear, the Pentagon told multiple news outlets Thursday, just days before the U.S. Secretary of State is scheduled to make a high-profile trip to China.

Key Facts


Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told NBC News the object is a “a high-altitude surveillance balloon” that officials are monitoring closely.

The balloon was seen Wednesday over Billings, Montana, after crossing the Aleutian Islands in Alaska and going over Canada, according to NBC News.

President Joe Biden proposed shooting down the balloon Wednesday but the Pentagon opted against the move due to the potential for civilian casualties, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing officials with knowledge of the matter.

A senior official told ABC News the balloon is the size of three buses and possesses a technology bay.


 

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.

Crucial Quote

“Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information,” Ryder told NBC News. . ." 



Further Reading 

3 hours ago · China has often complained about surveillance by the United States, including its deployment of ships or planes near Chinese military exercises.
2 hours ago · The Pentagon said February 2 it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon flying high over the A balloon in the sky over Billings, Mont., in images ...

U.S. Tracked Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Over America This Week (Wall Street Journal)

Suspected Chinese spy balloon found over northern U.S. (NBC News)

Chinese spy balloon surveilling US, senior official says (ABC News)

READ MORE

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