Shortly after a British Airways flight had reached its cruising altitude, the captain announced:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain. Welcome to Flight 293, non-stop from London Heathrow to New York. The weather ahead is good, so we should have an uneventful flight. So, sit back, relax, and… OH…MY GOD!”

Silence followed complete silence!

Some moments later, the captain came back on the intercom.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m sorry if I scared you. While I was talking to you, a flight attendant accidentally spilled coffee on my lap. You should see the front of my pants!”

From the back of the plane, a passenger yelled “For the luvva Jaysus, you should see the back of mine!”

When I was an ENT resident, I had a patient named Alvin who had been treated multiple times for an oral cancer. What happened on a visit after a biopsy stays with me today. At that time I wrote an article about it. Kind of a long answer to your question,, but I think worthwhile:

Alvin lay on the gurney, oblivious to the huff of the respirator forcing oxygen into his lungs. Pulling the surgical mask from my face, I reached for his pulse and checked his pupillary reflexes, matching the physical input against the digital readouts on the recovery room monitor. Everything looked good except that Alvin was going to live.

Alvin, a master woodworker, had cancer. At least, he’d had it before. Four years ago a small sore on the floor of his mouth proved positive for squamous cell carcinoma. Chemotherapy, radiation and three mutilating surgeries over as many years battered the disease to a standstill.

Throughout his ordeal, Alvin was indomitable. His face disfigured by the loss of half of his lower jaw, skin burned leathery by radiation, he saw no reason to complain let alone despair. Although he couldn’t smile, he never failed to joke with the nurses and talk about the mountain cabin where he planned to retire.

When Alvin presented for his checkup, there was another lump. My heart sank. He’d had all the drug and x-ray treatments his body could tolerate. Another surgery was out of the question.

“I don’t know about this, Alvin,” I said. “I think we’d better biopsy it.”

With a voice made raspy by his treatments, he said, “Sure, Doc. No problem.”

A week after the biopsy, Alvin bounced into my office after a wave and a wink to the receptionist.

He plunked himself in front of my desk, eyes still bright but unaccompanied by the usual deep laugh lines. He unshouldered a Woodworker’s Supply tote bag and set it beside the chair. “So what’s up, Doc?” he said.

The damning pathology report lay on my desk like a sheet of lead. My voice broke on his name. I took a sip of water and pulled myself together.

“It’s not good, Alvin. The cancer’s back. I don’t think we can stop it this time.”

Alvin nodded and leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds. Leaning forward, he rummaged in his bag, extracting a package about the size of a cigar box brightly-wrapped in silver paper. He placed it on the desk and pushed it across to me.

“I know, Doc, and I knew you’d feel real bad about it. I thought this might cheer you up a little. Made it myself.”

Speechless, I carefully unwrapped a wooden box with an intricate inlay of a bird on the lid and scrolls of a yellow wood encircling the periphery.

“Not bad, eh?” he said. “Now the box is amboyna burl from Southeast Asia. One of the most exotic burls around. Chinese emperors used to hoard it like gold. Now they use it to make the dashboards on those high-end Mercedes. Just a delight to feel it in your hands, isn’t it? Like butter.”

He reached across to outline the yellow scrollwork inlaid on the sides. “Now that’s East Indian satinwood,” he said excitedly. “India and Sri Lanka. Tightest grain you ever saw. Hold it up to the light and it looks like it’s embedded with diamonds.”

I ran my hand over the polished surface, turning it to catch the light, catching some of Alvin’s enthusiasm for the natural beauty of the wood and marveling at the craftsmanship.

“The bird,” he said, “is my poor attempt at a phoenix. Lots of different woods in it for the colors: bloodwood for the fire, granadillo for most of the body, plum for the wings, some ebony for the talons. Whaddaya think?”

I stared slack-jawed at the man who’d just received a death sentence. “Alvin,” I managed, “it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Knew you’d like it,” he said, his voice smiling for him. “Thanks for being my doc. We gave it a good run didn’t we?”

Because there are two worlds: the one you see in real life and the one you see on TV or newspaper.

You watch TV, navigate through social media and you think you are well informed abou the world. And you know a lot about China. A strong dictatorship, damn commies, cheap labor and poor brainwashed people that would be amazed to see the “Free world”. The government is spying on their citizens, like CIA or NSA. But when commies do, you think is worst. Of course.

And one day, casually, you decide that you will visit China.

You arrived there and you are shocked. You can barely believe in your own eyes.

The big cities are super modern, big, shinning tall buildings. The way you pay, the way you shop, the hypermarket looks like in The Jetsons.

You are in the future.

The level of automation there is out of this world (Western world, cough, cough). You had no idea that so many online services were already available to the people. You realize you have been scammed by your own country and media.

After the initial shock, you, an an educated person after all, well traveled, you have knowledge. Knowledge from the free world.

You decide to talk to the educated Chinese. Another shock. They know more about you (you as a citizen and your political beliefs) and your country than you know about them. Where is the brainwashing?

“Hey, but they are not free” you think in relieve. What can you do that they can’t? Let’s see… protest?

As if protests are changing something…

Vote? Chinese economy is growing faster and better than democracies…

It doesn’t matter, you are a free, superior citizen of the developed world. You traveled there to China to see them! And see that the Chinese studying abroad are going back to China… Whatever, they are commies.

You visit the Rural China, you still see a lot of poverty. You feel better about yourself. Hahaha, they are still poor!

You go back to the big cities and there is no way to deny the reality: China is growing and is glowing.

You go back home and you see, China is actually a good place. Very different from what you see on TV.

That’s why year after year the “experts” in your country are predicting the fall of China. There is nothing else to do beyond pray that somehow China will stop growing and wil be the end of the Western hegemony over the world.

PS: Go on, call me Communist Party propagandist.

China has very sophisticated anti-ship missiles (including hypersonic), destroyers (Type 055, Type 052D), attack submarines (Type 093, upcoming Type 095), ASW aircraft, satellites, etc. to counter the US Navy. US carriers would be foolish to come close to China’s coast (within several thousand kilometers).

China also has the world’s most advanced stealth fighters in the J-20 and upcoming J-35.

America brags about its ageing F-22 (production discontinued in 2011) and its underpowered F-35, which has a shorter range, lower ceiling, lower speed, and smaller payload than the J-20. LOL.

The Pentagon is not stupid. They won’t engage China.

Answers don’t seem to address the question: if you don’t want US to get involved with the battle of Taiwan, which might trigger WW3, what can you do as an individual?

If that’s the premise of the question.

My friend posted an email that he sent to his district congressman last year when Russia invaded Ukraine, his demand was the opposite, he requested the congressman to support sending US military into the war!

Now that’s ww3 that almost happened, last year.

Now this is a smart guy, smarter than me, how could he have made such a stupid decision?

Me and another friend were ridiculing him, that we would buy guns and armor for him, so that he can volunteer for Ukraine. Hey if you wanna die don’t represent us. You can volunteer to fight, we will root for ya, even buy your gears!

The topic of nuclear Armageddon came up, I asked him, you and me both live in tier one cities, the first wave to be vaporized, have you thought of that? Never mind the guy who lives in Texas or Ohio, who might go berserk to be tough with Russia, it’s for us to die when shit happens, not him. And we can support Ukraine all we want (through funding the war, supplying weapons and intelligence to coordinating attacks, to sanctions which we don’t agree with again but that’s at least not the line in the sand), but hey NO that’s NOT our war!

You see Russia or China or whichever nuclear country that we decide to attack, they would make sure that DC, NYC, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and maybe Chicago (sorry Chicago don’t think you were that important but you would probably be totally ok to be missed in the top 5 must hit list for America) bite the dust.

So let’s go B——n? Well f* you too if you think that our lives can be collateral damage in MAD. Great gracious that B——n didn’t think so, sometimes it’s good to back down.

So call and email your congressman, and other representatives – if you want my vote don’t do anything silly on that front, you are triggering ww3. Unfortunately that’s all you can do.

Btw, that friend has completely come to his senses after a few months of the war and now totally agree with me. That is not our war, support all you want, but if you wanna join do it yourself, die for Ukraine but don’t represent me!

Peace.

I also want to talk a bit about my perspective on Taiwan, since most Americans don’t know that ww3 could be happening on that side of the world and what our government and representatives are doing about it.

We are provoking the hostilities.

We are flying military aircrafts regularly near their air space.

We are patrolling our great navy carriers near their waters.

BUT it’s our right amirite? Yeah pretty much if a peeping tom wants to it is also his right, as long as he keeps enough distance, but that’s not hostile? Com’on.

Also don’t forget if peeping tom isn’t even your neighbor, there’s something called restraining order (in fact even if he were your neighbor).

Oh that’s not all that is happening in that area, that’s what we have been doing for decades.

What we are doing now is to go to slap them in the face, by doing something we don’t do before but are doing now often to infuriate them, we visit their wife during some sort of divorce.

BUT it’s our right amirite? Sure bet. A man visits your wife who hates you, sleeps over at her place, hey he’s not banging her promise. That’s not being hostile? Ok maybe he will make sure that you see them banging, is it hostile enough for ya?

BUT what about freedom? and democracy!

Wah I got to see a porn movie that also educates us about democracy.

Freedom!

Peace.

(I usually don’t want to talk about war with Russia and China but if it’s before we go for ww3, at least don’t pretend that it’s a joke, do people’s lives look like a joke to you?)

My brother, cousin and I are adopted.

I asked my mother when I was little why she couldn’t have her own children. She said she had a hysterectomy.

I didn’t think much of it then but as I got older I realized she had only been 30 when my older brother was adopted. I thought it was unusual to have the procedure done in her 20’s.

My mom was born in 1916, so a risky procedure, I would think in the 1930’s. I found out her younger sister had a hysterectomy at a early age as well.

Then, in my 50’s I got the whole story from an older cousin.

My Adopted mom’s mother had made a deal with a devilish doctor ( probably for sexual favors) to perform hysterectomies on her daughters while they were CHILDREN.

I believe my mother was eight and my aunt perhaps six!!!!

My mom and aunt didn’t remember anything of the procedure.

They didn’t know what had been done to them until in their 20’s, when my Aunt Etta was talking to her fiancé ( my uncle Bill) and as all young people in love do, they were discussing how many kids they wanted, and my GRANDMOTHER from the next room, yelled in to them, “ You won’t be having any children! I took care of that! I’m not having your body ruined like mine was!”

That is how my mother and aunt found out they would never have children…. thanks to a sadistic and psychopathic grandmother and some crazy, immoral doctor in Dallas, Texas in the 1920’s.

The ASEAN finance ministers and central bank governors meeting agreed to reinforce the use of local currencies to ensure financial stability.

To facilitate regional economic integration, leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) made a declaration on advancing regional payment connectivity and promoting local currency transaction on Wednesday during the two-day ASEAN Summit

The leaders of 10 Southeast Asian nations, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), have agreed to “encourage the use of local currencies for economic and financial transactions.” The group comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. This move will help them reduce their reliance on the U.S. dollar.

Southeast Asian Countries’ De-Dollarization Efforts

The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, for the 42nd ASEAN Summit on May 10-11 under the chairmanship of the Republic of Indonesia. ASEAN members comprise Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. This year’s 42nd ASEAN Summit under Indonesia’s chairmanship is themed “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth,” held from May 9 to 11 in the Indonesian town of Labuan Bajo.

Ahead of the summit, the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) had expected that Indonesia could drive regional de-dollarization through its 2023 ASEAN chairmanship. Ajib Hamdani, head of Apindo’s Economic Policy Analyst Committee, said in an official statement that de-dollarization has become a global phenomenon and, to some extent, an economic orientation.

Leaders declared to commit to advancing regional payment connectivity by utilizing emerging opportunities brought by innovation to facilitate seamless and secure cross-border payment, taking country circumstances into consideration. They also agreed to encourage the use of local currencies for cross-border transactions in the region and support the establishment of a Task Force to explore the development of an ASEAN Local Currency Transaction Framework.

ASEAN is seeking to improve its regional payment connectivity through initiatives such as the recently launched Indonesia-Malaysia quick response (QR) standard, which allows citizens of both countries to use QR codes and their local currencies to make payments in the other. The bloc is also encouraging the settlement of regional accounts in local currencies rather than with the US dollar, the go-to currency for international trade.

“This is in line with the purpose of ASEAN centrality, so that ASEAN can be much stronger and self-reliant,” President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said of the currency policy recommendation

An official declaration released by the chairman at the conclusion of the summit states: “We adopted the ASEAN Leaders Declaration on Advancing Regional Payment Connectivity and Promoting Local Currency Transaction to foster bilateral and multilateral payment connectivity arrangements to strengthen economic integration by enabling fast, seamless, and more affordable cross-border payments across the region.”

The declaration continues:

We commit to encourage the use of local currencies for economic and financial transactions among ASEAN member states to deepen regional financial integration and promote the development of currency market in local currency to strengthen financial stability in the region.

Among ASEAN countries, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines been developing their capacity for local currency settlement since 2017. Recently, the region has established the similar framework with China, Japan and South Korea.

ASEAN leaders have also agreed to explore the development of a unified ASEAN local currency transaction framework that would help countries in the region transition away from established trade currencies like the US dollar.

At the end of March, the ASEAN finance ministers and central bank governors met in Bali, Indonesia, and agreed to take steps to reinforce the use of local currencies in the region and reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar or other major international currencies for cross-border trade and investment in an effort to ensure financial stability and avoid spillovers such as high inflation from the global crisis.

Bank of Indonesia Governor Perry Warjiyo said in April that Indonesia is following the BRICS’ de-dollarization lead . The BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) are working on a common currency to reduce their reliance on the USD; their leaders plan to discuss this topic at their upcoming leaders’ summit.

A woman called my newsroom crying. Nobody wanted to deal with her. So they sent her to me. She was crying and hard to understand, but the basic story went this way…

She had bought a used car. She needed it badly to get to the THREE jobs she held to support her children by herself. No husband. Less than two weeks after buying the car, it broke down. She called the dealer who had told her it had a 30-day warranty.

He told her he couldn’t help. But, she told him, you said it had a 30 day warranty. His response — too bad. When she complained, he told her — “lady, you’re dealing with the big boys now.”

She was crying as she told me this. I was — to put it mildly — angry.

My response to her — let me call you back.

I called him. I explained the problem and when I did not get what I considered a good response, I “explained” things to him:

1. He needed to respond appropriately to her and solve the problem.
2. If he did not respond appropriately, I would have my entire investigative news team look into his operation.
3. He did not like that.
4. Cautionary note here: My response – YOU picked the wrong person to fight with, and no, NOW, you’re playing with the Big Boys, expletives to follow…

He took back her car.

Gave her a slightly newer model without any problems.

She called crying and thanked me.

I may have cried a little bit too.

Although the Biden administration has been trying to disassociate its policy towards Africa from its confrontation with China and Russia, a senior administration official who spoke on a call with reporters ahead of Harris’s trip acknowledged that “Obviously, we can’t ignore the current geopolitical moment. It’s no secret that we are engaged in competition with China. And we’ve said very clearly we intend to outcompete China in the long term.”

For decades, the United States treats African countries like charity cases. That was exacerbated during the Trump administration, which largely ignored the continent. Former US President Donald Trump even insulted some African countries as “shithole countries” in a 2018 meeting.

At the same time, China, as a strategic competitor of the United States, has continuously strengthened its investment in Africa, helping African countries build roads and other infrastructure, and establishing more solid economic and political relations. That was determined by how differently China views Africa than the U.S., with the latter tending to see Africa as a series of problems–wars, famines, something like that, while China seeing it much more of an opportunity.

Vice President Kamala Harris landed at Zambia’s Kenneth Kuanda International Airport, a project upgraded by China.

Aiming to reset U.S.-Africa relations, several Biden administration officials paid visit to the continent. The vice president is the fifth Biden official in three months to visit the continent. For Harris, the first Black U.S. vice president, it also carries especially high stakes. Harris’ arrival marks the latest, most high-profile official to visit Africa this year, reportedly to pave way for President Joe Biden’s visit later in the year.

However, the change of the Biden administration does not mean that the United States has begun to pay attention to Africa’s development. The essence of Biden’s policy logic is no different from that of its predecessors, or even all their predecessors. What the United States cares most about in Africa is to ensure the influence of hegemony, and to deal with the “competition” of other major powers outside Africa, which is the source of all motives for the United States to ignore or attach importance to Africa.

Although the U.S. spares no effort to woo Africa, the current China-Africa trade volume is still five times that of the U.S.-Africa trade, and China’s direct investment in Africa is still twice that of the U.S. These are indisputable facts. In addition, China’s aid to Africa has not only about building a large amount of infrastructure, but also created millions of job opportunities for Africa. Therefore, it is self-evident how African countries and peoples should choose, to cooperate with China for tangible development or to be placed at the “strategic bottom” by the United States.