No Country for Young Babies

“You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.” – Leon Trotsky

“Learning carries within itself certain dangers because out of necessity one has to learn from one’s enemies.” – Ibid.

China, an Emerging and Graying Power: China is considering doing away with their family planning policies. The one child to a family requirement, in place for almost four decades, was loosened in 2015 to allow for two children. Now even that limitation might be scrapped, and companies focusing on baby products are feeling the love as their stock prices rise. Despite the global population reaching seven billion seven years ago, which is more people than the planet can properly sustain, and China’s population at almost 1.5 billion, its fertility rate remains one of the lowest in the world.

The government is realizing that increasing the birth rate is necessary for three reasons: to counteract the country’s aging population, to insure the labor force remains strong, and to begin rectifying the gender imbalance, which now stands at 30 million more men in the population than women. A senior scientist at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health, and longtime critic of limiting the number of children in a family, notes that eliminating those limits on family size might not be enough to encourage parents to have more children. Other discouraging factors need to be addressed, like expensive housing, educational costs, and lack of government-supported maternity leave. China is in a race against time – it just might become too old before it becomes a superpower.

China must also address its inflexible health care system that sometimes requires patients to pay upfront for treatment. Mothers have been kept from seeing their newborns until they can pay high hospital charges. Depending on the disease, whether the person lives in a city or the country, and other factors, many Chinese can face huge out-of-pocket costs. So in those parts of the country where the “pay as you go” system still exists, people who can’t pay upfront might just have to die.

– A new report by Amnesty International says the Rohingya military group Arsa massacred Hindu men, women, and children in the village of Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik in Myanmar’s Rakhine state last year. Arsa came to prominence in 2016 after a series of attacks on Myanmar’s security forces. The Amnesty report backs up assertions by Myanmar’s military and government that their campaign of violence carried out in Rakhine last year was in response to Arsa’s actions. About 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh where they are now living in camps in Cox’s Bazar. (The Guardian)

– Last week a visiting Chinese delegation met with US negotiators in high-level trade talks. The  Americans hoped to achieve President Trump’s desired multimillion dollar trade agreement, but  constant infighting and jockeying for influence on the White House’s trade team scuttled a quick victory for the president. The deep internal divisions meant that ultimately only a blandly-worded communique with no dollar figures was produced, revealing a muddled end to a chaotic process. (NYT)

– A court in Turkey has sentenced 104 people to a term of “aggravated life,” the heaviest sentence possible, with virtually no chance of parole. The defendants, mostly military personnel, were accused of following orders, given to them in 2016 by US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, to overthrow President Tayyip Erdogan. The government is trying Gulen in absentia as the US has refused Turkey’s extradition request. (NYT)

More News Reads:

• F-35 stealth fighter sees first combat, in Israeli operation (BBC)
• In Australia, Fears of Chinese Meddling Rise on U.N. Bribery Case Revelation(NYT)
• Dozens Die in Karachi From Relentless Heat (NYT)
• Saddam’s superyacht winds up as sailors’ hotel (Reuters)
• 10 Dead From Nipah Virus In Southern India (NPR)

Countries Preparing Civilians for War: During the Cold War, American schoolchildren practiced hiding under their desks, and families were encouraged tobuild fallout shelters for protection from radioactive debris in case of a nuclear attack. Those days were far behind us, or so we thought. Today some European governments are again advising their citizens on how to best prepare for a major crisis or even war. Due to Russia’s deteriorating relations with its Baltic neighbors since taking Crimea away from Ukraine in 2014, Germany advised its people in 2016 to have an emergency stockpile of ten days worth of food, and five days of water. Lithuania had a booklet in 2016 on what to do in case of a Russian invasion, including guides to spotting Russian tanks and surviving in the wild.

Sweden began increasing its military spending and restoring a troop presence on the strategic Baltic island of Gotland. In 2017, it reintroduced military conscription amid concerns over Moscow’s military drills. Now the government has sent leaflets entitled “If Crisis or War Comes” to 4.7 million households explaining how to best prepare for various major crises, including terror and cyber-attacks, natural disasters, serious accidents, and military conflicts.

The leaflet says to: “Think about how you and people around you will be able to cope with a situation in which society’s normal services are not working as they usually do.” It stresses the importance of having “non-perishable food that requires little water or can be eaten without preparation.” And if the electricity fails, it advises people to: “Gather together in one room, hang blankets over the windows, cover the floor with rugs and build a den under a table to keep warm.” There’s also advice on how to spot propaganda, find a bomb shelter, and get clean water.

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– Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave his first major speech before the Heritage Foundation Monday, and the Pnut reported on what Pompeo said were the Trump administration’s 12 demands for Iran, which some called a grab bag of wishful thinking. Pompeo also made a claim that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is carrying out “assassination operations in the heart of Europe.” The pronouncement bewildered security experts and Iranian exiles, who say they are not aware of any evidence for the allegation. (The Guardian)

– Why is it so hard to find an American willing to take the post of ambassador to Australia? In April, President Trump picked Admiral Harry Harris, but the admiral wanted to go to South Korea instead. Then Senator Bob Corker was picked; he, too, said Thanks, but No. It’s not like Trump is sour on Australia. After all, 63 of a possible 188 ambassadorships are vacant. Maybe the candidates have heard the rumor about Canberra’s toxic political culture – probably need to send someone with a sense of humor. We know – how about Jon Stewart?  (NYT)

• Republicans, no Democrats, invited to see documents on U.S. election probe(Reuters)
• Rudy Giuliani won deal for OxyContin maker to continue sales of drug behind opioid deaths (The Guardian)
• ‘Elitist den of hate’: Silicon Valley pastor decries hypocrisy of area’s rich liberals. Gregory Stevens resigns after tweets about Palo Alto, slamming tech industry greed and empty social justice promises (The Guardian)

– Chinese and Americans are similar in that both are following Europeans’ lead in becoming less interested in having babies. One writer says: “Of course US birth rates are falling – this is a harsh place to have a family: The US is one of only four countries in the world with no government-subsidized maternity leave while 36% of the workforce are contract laborers with no access to benefits.” (The Guardian)

– The future of nations is explored in this fascinating essay – “As Population Growth Slows, Populism Surges.” Some choice quotes/insights: “In the past decade people in rural, remote places have been disproportionately losing not just jobs and opportunities, but people, elementary schools and confidence in the future.” And “Nicola Gatta, the mayor of Candela in southeastern Italy (population 2,700), is desperate to reverse two decades of population decline and literally keep his town on the map. If you accept his invitation to move there, he will pay you about $2,300. It’s probably no coincidence that mayors in small Italian towns are making such offers at about the same time as a populist coalition is on the verge of taking over Italy’s government.” (NYT)

– In case there’s a war, and in case you didn’t know: “Water Doesn’t Go Bad” as you “can leave a glass of water out for months, and so long as it was properly cleaned, it’s not going to make you sick.” And you shouldn’t give newborn babies water because it “can interfere with a baby’s nutrition needs.” (Lifehacker & Business Insider)

Below are a few additional reads on technology’s deep and far reaching impact on modern day life. Reflecting on these pieces, we feel a fair bit of dread. If we can’t even properly apply thoughtful policies on technology now, what makes us think we have any chance of properly harnessing artificial intelligence? Our cavemen brains can barely handle our instant gratification impulses that we have made readily available at the speed of a swipe: spending, sex, and sugar. Good luck to future generations (what few there might be)!

• Orlando Police Testing Amazon’s Real-Time Facial Recognition (NPR)
• Predatory Behavior Runs Rampant in Facebook’s Addiction Support Groups.Huge groups of vulnerable people looking for help are a rehab marketer’s dream (The Verge)
• Driven to Despair. Doug Schifter waged a one-man campaign to stop Uber from putting his fellow black-car drivers out of business. Then he decided to take his own life. (NY Mag)
• Fortnite fever: now players can get filthy rich or a university scholarship. The wildly popular game is becoming increasingly mainstream as celebrities and institutions jump on the battle royale bandwagon (The Guardian)

“Life is not an easy matter… You cannot live through it without falling into frustration and cynicism unless you have before you a great idea which raises you above personal misery, above weakness, above all kinds of perfidy and baseness.” – Trotsky

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