Miscellaneous News

Lethe

Captain
Penny Wong got all the politically correct buff possible. Let's see:

- She's a woman
- She's half-Asian (Malaysian Chinese from her father, English from her mother)
- She's a lesbian (came out in 2002, married her wife in 2024)
- She's a Christian (attends Uniting Church)

She's just Chinese enough and just white enough to not upset anyone, really.

Those characteristics may have aided Wong's rise within the Labor party, but they don't count for anything with the kinds of folks I was concerned about, i.e. the closet and not-so-closet racists who dream of a world before we were "swamped by Asians" (recall that the woman who said this is still in Parliament). Barack Obama was adored by many in part because of the symbolism that he brought to the table. The other half of the country lost their minds about him for precisely the same reasons: he represented everything they feared and despised about modern America.

In any case, she's looking great in red today:

6830.jpg
 

manqiangrexue

Brigadier
I think the phrase 'Rather be dead than sick' is going to materialise.
US healthcare system is perplexing. It makes no sense to me. The bills are absurdly high but most people aren't expected to pay them unless you volunteer your insurance.

Shortly after returning from Kazakhstan with my third child, he became ill with respiratory distress and hypothermia. We brought him to the pediatric emergency room where they immediately did a massive workup on him because he had heart failure, acidemia, sepsis, etc... We later found that it was all because he got the flu during international travel. He ended up in NICU for a week and transferred to regular care for another few days and the bills have just been trickling in. So far, we're over $190K for just the emergency rescue during the first night with the NICU and regular care bills not here yet, so probably $250K-$300K or something. Our family healthcare caps our financial responsibility at $9K so we're all fine.

The other day, my father in law took a nasty fall and sustained a near skull-deep laceration above his brow. We took him to the ER where they did a head&neck CT scan, found no serious damage, and stitched him up for discharge. Minimal work on their part. We realized something odd at the hospital, which is that they didn't ask for ID or proof of address, essentially meaning that you are whomever you say you are and the bill goes wherever you say. Anyone can fill out made-up info and they'd be impossible to bill. But we didn't. The bill was $5K. My wife called and said that he's uninsured asking if they can discount the bill. They asked for his income and seeing as how he's retired and from a small town in HeiLongJiang, he was well below the threshold for financial aid. They told her it was free, totally free and gratis. My wife said the point is that we want to pay for just our healthcare and not subsidize those who did not pay, making our bill higher. She said we can pay a discounted bill, suggesting maybe $800 or something for just a scan and 6 stitches and they said that's not going to happen because that'll F up their finances. They don't want our $800 when they can send the full $5K to the government for tax deduction as a charitable contribution.

China, Kazakhstan, most other countries, you just go to the hospital, and you pay for the services you order for yourself. The bill is fair, and no one can push costs onto others. It makes sense. American healthcare just doesn't make sense.
 
Last edited:

FriedButter

Brigadier
Registered Member
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

India proposes retaliatory duties against US over steel, aluminium tariffs in WTO​

"The safeguard measures would affect $7.6 billion imports into the US of the relevant products originating in India, on which the duty collection would be $1.91 billion," a WTO communication said.

Accordingly, it said, India's proposed suspension of concessions would result in an equivalent amount of duty collected from products originating in America.

Earlier in April, India had sought consultations with the US under the WTO's safeguard agreement, following American authorities' decision to impose these tariffs.

On the request for consultation, the US informed the global trade body that its decision to impose the tariffs was based on national security grounds and should not be considered as safeguard measures.

On March 8, 2018, the US promulgated safeguard measures on certain steel and aluminium articles by imposing 25 per cent and 10 per cent ad valorem tariffs, respectively. It came into effect on March 23, 2018. It was extended in January 2020.

On February 10 this year, the US again revised the safeguard measures on imports of steel and aluminium articles, effective from March 12, 2025, and with an unlimited duration. Now, it has imposed 25 per cent tariffs.

"India hereby notifies the Council for Trade in Goods of its proposed suspension of concessions and other obligations...This notification is made in connection with safeguard measures extended by the United States of America on imports of aluminium, steel and derivative articles, vide Presidential Proclamation...dated 10 February 2025, with the effective date of 12 March 2025," a WTO communication said.

The communication, dated and received on May 9, 2025, is being circulated at the request of the delegation of India, it said.
It added that the measures have not been notified by the US to the WTO, but are, in essence, safeguard measures.

"India maintains that the measures taken by the US are not consistent with the GATT (General Agreement on Trade and Tariff) 1994 and AoS (Agreement on safeguards)," it said, adding that as consultations provided for under a provision of the AoS have not taken place, India reserves the right to suspend concessions or other obligations that are substantially equivalent to the adverse effects of the measure to India's trade.

"The proposed suspension of concessions or other obligations takes the form of an increase in tariffs on selected products originating in the United States," it added.

Without prejudice to the effective exercise of its right to suspend substantially equivalent obligations, India reserves its right to suspend concessions after the expiration of thirty days from the date of this notification, it said.

To ensure the effective exercise of its right to suspend substantially equivalent concessions, India also reserves its right to adjust the products as well as the tariff rates.

Also Read:Trump says he stopped India, Pak 'nuclear war' using trade threat

"India reserves the right to withdraw, modify, supplement or replace this notification, and/or make a further notification or notifications as and when required," it added.

India will inform both the Council for Trade in Goods and the Committee on Safeguards of its next steps.
India has taken up the tariff issue bilaterally also.

The first Trump administration, in 2018, imposed a 25 per cent duty on certain steel items and a 10 per cent duty on aluminium products on the grounds of national security. In retaliation, India in June 2019 slapped customs duties on 28 US products, including almonds and walnuts. India had also filed a complaint in the WTO.

The proposal assumes significance as both countries are negotiating a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). The Indian team is also visiting this week to the US for trade talks.
 

jiajia99

Junior Member
Registered Member
India seems to believe it is in position to contest 2nd place with US. As if they do not have enough enemies.
Take off some silly heat from China. This might be fun to watch. No matter who wins, both are guaranteed to humiliate themselves. India from the inevitable smack down and the USA from having to unleash a smackdown on such a country in The first place when they where supposed to be doing such a thing to Russia or China (although given how badly they got owned just now, they probably want to vent)
 

plawolf

Lieutenant General

Online University of America Samoa NED sub campus.

On a more serious note, historians should pay extra special attention to the central role professional propagandists have played in the collective decline of the west.

They lied, people died, and they faced zero consequences for their deliberate acts. Wars were built on the foundation of their lies. Nations were destroyed and countless innocents killed and more displaced. None of it mattered to the west because their precious idiotic ‘press freedoms’ mattered more to them.

It’s perhaps fitting that all these idiotic wars have drained their national wealth and power.

If they are moronic enough to go to war with China over Taiwan, then that is a war they won’t get to simply walk away from as soon as the going gets though.
 
Top