https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Dong_(hacker)

Wang Dong, aka Jack Wang

d pump the digital accelerator on native companies expanding their electric lines.

If I remember correctly from recent articles, existing European production capacity is producing more EVs than people want at the price point that they're going for.

https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/09/19/eu-car-industry-calls-for-urgent-action-as-ev-new-car-sales-tumble

EU car industry calls for urgent action as EV new car sales tumble

New car registrations fell sharply by 18.3% in August across the EU, as the four biggest markets all showed plummeting sales, with double-digit losses in Germany (-27.8%), France (-24.3%), Italy (-13.4%) and Spain (-6.5%).

The market share of electric vehicles fell even more dramatically, by 43.9% compared with the same time last year. Their market share counted for 14.4% in the EU compared with 21% a year ago.

Well, if I remember correctly, Milei's thing is reining in the budget or something, right? I guess that's one way to save money!

Nothing but hand-waiving for our Haitian neighbors who would actually benefit from that “stabilizing” presence

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/14/what-is-the-history-of-foreign-interventions-in-haiti

Since the early 1900s, there have been at least three direct interventions in Haiti, including a decades-long occupation by US forces.

Given its pockmarked history of Haitian intervention, the US has expressed wariness towards leading a new international mission to Haiti. Many are calling for solutions to be Haitian-led, instead of foreign-led.

“We need to give the Haitians time and space to get this right,” former US special envoy to Haiti, Daniel Foote, said in a recent interview with NPR.

“Let’s let the Haitians have a chance to mess up Haiti for once. The international community has messed it up beyond recognition countless times. I guarantee the Haitians mess it up less than the Americans,” he added.

Thanks!

considers

If it gets a federal subsidy, that subsidy is going to really primarily benefit Pennsylvania, yes?

I mean, yes, power from it maybe -- if Microsoft isn't schlorping all of it up -- help support the grid in the region a bit. But if Microsoft's building a datacenter in Pennsylvania and this is subsidizing a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, the benefit's really principally going to Pennsylvania alone, other than in the limited sense that it reduces carbon dioxide emissions.

California or Nevada, say, isn't going to benefit from that either way.

Like, if there's some sort of federal subsidy accessible to any state that wants to do nuclear power build-out and that this is just how Pennsylvania chooses to make use of it, that might be one thing.

https://web.archive.org/web/20241004011824/https://www.businessinsider.com/irans-ineffective-strike-on-israel-intended-to-cause-massive-damage-2024-10

Do you actually want out of it or are you just hoping that if it passes, you get a second go as prime minister, like last time?

https://archive.ph/JSHFy

If China wants a war with the US -- which I doubt, seeing as they haven't started one by now and Taiwan would be a better reason for them to do so -- they don't need a treaty to have one. They can just go kick one off. The treaty just means that:

• They have an obligation to act.

• It provides grounds under the UN rules to act legally. But, end of the day, that only really matters to the degree that it affects what other countries do. And in this context, that probably mostly means the US anyway.

If you look at Hong Kong, China just told the UK to get out or they'd take it. They didn't have a legal basis for that. I don't expect that a piece of paper would be a huge obstacle to involving themselves in Korea if they were willing to have a war over it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong

During talks with Thatcher, China planned to seize Hong Kong if the negotiations set off unrest in the colony. Thatcher later said that Deng told her bluntly that China could easily take Hong Kong by force, stating that "I could walk in and take the whole lot this afternoon", to which she replied that "there is nothing I could do to stop you, but the eyes of the world would now know what China is like".

There’s a reason they are constantly provoking Filipino ships and the like

I don't think that that indicates a desire for war. China has had outright hostilities over the islands before, with Vietnam, and China didn't aim to convert it into broader war. I think -- though I don't follow the South China Sea situation much -- that China's aim in the South China Sea is to maintain a level of friction high enough that it's painful for the countries to maintain a claim over those islands. At some point, the country either de facto or de jure cedes the territory and China keeps it.

EDIT: There's the Vietnam instance, where they brought friction up to a level of conflict, grabbed de facto control, but didn't initiate a broader war:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Paracel_Islands

Article 6 of the treaty requires North Korea to commit to only peaceful reunification with South Korea. They're in violation of the treaty if they try to forcibly annex South Korea, and China doesn't then hold obligation to aid them against attack.

Honestly, if there were a simpler way to sell their personal data to retailers for people who want to do so, that probably would be more appealing for the users.

Your realistic choices are Harris or Trump.

I'm pretty sure that you're not going to be happier with Trump in office if your objection is US support for Israel, and especially US-Iran conflict, seeing both past policy and that Iran got caught in the act of trying to off Trump several months back.

But, your vote.

Context:

https://www.twz.com/news-features/claims-swirl-around-israeli-strikes-very-near-russias-airbase-in-syria

Claims Swirl Around Israeli Strikes Very Near Russia’s Air Base In Syria

Targeting weapons bound for Hezbollah, Israel appears to have struck very close or within Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base in Syria.

They already sold a fair bit of munitions from their stockpile to Russia. At least some of which Ukraine then blew up in their recent ammo depot attacks.

I don't know how much they have left, but my guess is that North Korea is probably in a worse place to attack South Korea than they have been for a while.

Also, while North Korea does hold a strong deterrence ability over South Korea in that they can cause a lot of damage with artillery to Seoul, the flip side of that is that they'd be starting a war that they'd lose.

From past reading, I believe that estimates are that it'd take us and South Korea days, but less than a week, to knock out North Korean artillery near the border. In that time, they'd cause horrendous damage. But then they're in a really bad place. They don't really have a route to militarily take over South Korea. All it'd mean is a horribly-damaging war for them.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/dockworkers-union-reach-tentative-agreement-wages-suspend-strike-talks-rcna173963

The union also sought limits on automation at ports. The joint statement only mentions wages.

So I'm guessing -- though we'll see what further articles talk about -- that they probably got concessions on wages, but not on automation.

Macron: EU has only 2 or 3 years to stave off total US, China dominance

Out of curiosity, looks to see when the next French presidential election is

Well, there's a coincidence. It appears to be between 2 and 3 years away.

I imagine that it'd be urgent to adopt Macron's policy proposals to avert such a situation, then.

If there'd been Chicken Big Macs available at that point in time, probably each of them would have been individually several times bigger than Jesus.

https://theaviationist.com/2013/09/18/fuel-tanks-se-asia/

We apparently just started refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/us-buys-6-million-barrels-oil-strategic-petroleum-reserve-2024-09-30/

WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. has bought 6 million barrels of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for delivery through May 2025, the Department of Energy said on Monday.

The purchases are part of an effort to replenish stockpiles after President Joe Biden ordered the largest ever sale from the reserve in 2022 of 180 million barrels in an effort to control fuel prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.