A Modest Proposal For Taiwan

Taiwan needs to learn from others how to get recognized as an independent state.

In order to get recognition from Canada, France, the United Kingdom and Australia, all of whom do not currently recognize Taiwan, it just needs to do the following:

Invade China, sack and burn the cities of Quanzhou, Putian, and Fuzhou, kill 177,600 mainland Chinese, and take 37,000 mainland Chinese as hostages to achieve the appropriate population ratio needed to get such recognition and then not surrender under any circumstances after China responds.

This seems to be the required process needed in order to get  Canada, France, the United Kingdom and Australia to grant recognition for Taiwan as an independent state, as that seems to be their current criteria for such recognition of states.

Good luck Taiwan!  

China Spy Games

ABC:  U.S. bans govt. personnel in China from romantic or sexual relations with Chinese citizens

Of course, this has various proggies crying racism.  

Given Chinese intelligence is pervasively (if not perversely) n using honey traps - see Congressman Eric Swallwell (D) and Chinese spy Fang Fang, to compromise Americans to gain intelligence it’s probably an appropriate limitation to stop the ongoing attempts at the compromising of diplomatic personnel. 

Sure China, We'll Discuss Doing That Right After Recognition Of An Independent Taiwan, Ok?

Reuters:  China's foreign minister says admitting Palestinian state to UN is move to rectify injustice

China's foreign minister Wang Yi on Saturday said efforts to admit a Palestinian state into the United Nations were a move to rectify a prolonged injustice, state media Xinhua reported.

. . .

"A prompt admission of Palestine into the United Nations is a move to rectify a prolonged historical injustice," Xinhua quoted Wang as saying.

 At least the Biden Administration did cave to the Islamist Democrat vote and actually did the right thing and vetoed this latest bit of rewarding ongoing acts of Hamas terrorism.

But sure thing Wang, right after recognition of Taiwan's independence is made by China and Taiwan gets a seat in the United Nations, I'm sure we can discuss rectifying "injustice", as counterfactual as that is,  in the Middle East.

 I'll note Taiwan that Taiwan has a far better claim to independent statehood and hasn't been firing rockets at, committing acts of terrorism, mass murder, or rape of its neighbors while China backed Hamas sure hasn't been holding back in those areas.

Seedy Activity

After smacking this state with Covid, China now apparently wants to overrun it with invasive agricultural species.

The Detroit Free Press:  Don't plant unsolicited seed packages, Michigan agriculture department warns

The Michigan agriculture department has a message for people who receive unsolicited packages of seeds in the mail from another country: Don't plant them, and don't throw them away.

According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, people across the state are once again receiving packages of seeds from China that they didn’t order.

One could think of these packages from China are part of its "war by other means"  approach with its rivals.  After all, damaging our nations agricultural production and causing costs of having to deal with invasive species is a nice example of 4th generation warfare, not to mention being nice and deniable as well.

Planting unknown seeds from an unsolicited source is never a good idea. 

Given China's and Chinese suppliers track records it is even less of a good idea. Heck, even opening unsolicited packages in general from an unknown sender is really not the brightest idea. 

If some of these packets show up at your door donpt just throw them out and definitely don't plant them. Instead, report them to Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development at (800) 292-3939 or via email at MDA-Info@michigan.gov.

Another Mass Killing In A School

But this time, it's outside the USA, so it likely won't draw quite as much coverage or condemnation.

Oh, and the killer used a knife rather than a firearm, so again, expect it to receive less coverage, and don't expect many calls for "common-sense knife control".

The Detroit News: Man with knife kills 6 people at kindergarten in China before being arrested

Schools tend to be the target of choice for whackos and killers looking to make themselves infamous because the  location tends to be insufficiently secure and defended, and it has a pool of victims who generally, being children, are not as able to react, fight back, and defend themselves.

The article closes with this helpful note:

China prohibits most gun ownership. Personal attacks usually are carried out with knives or homemade explosives.

And yet, even with pretty much perfect gun control, in a totalitarian state no less, massacres of innocent children by evil scum still happens.  Note the emphasis on personal attacks, in China, it's the government there that uses guns to kill it's dissenters.

Not Sure How He Said That With A Straight Face

First go ahead and read the interesting article on Covid vaccine effectiveness at

Spin, strangeness, and charm.

In the post it references a Toronto Sun Article where he notes that a former Biden staffer and current World Health Organization staffer has come out and plainly said the source of Covid-19 was indeed most likely a leak from the Wuhan lab.

Rather big news that the theory, poooh-poohed by dmeocrats and the China lobby as a right wing conspiracy is gaining credence.

Here's the hilarious part:  When asked about Joe Biden and China in the interview, the former Biden staffer Mr. Metzl had this to say:

Will a change of the U.S. administration help find an answer?

Biden will be tougher on China than President Trump because President Biden is very smart and strategic and he understands that American power and American strength doesn’t rest on bluster, it rests on principles, it rests on partnerships, and alliances and accountability. And the Trump administration unfortunately gave China a pass by over politicizing the question of the origin of the virus by alienating America’s partners and allies.

Ok, you can pick yourself up off the ground after you fell down laughing now.

The Trump administration gave China a pass?  What alternate universe is he living in? 

China Joe Biden will be tougher on China than Trump?  As if.

This is the same China Joe whose son has been making millions from the Chinese?

The same China Joe that just reopened access to our power grid to the Chinese government?

The Same China Joe now "considering" loosening sanctions against Chinese  telecom Huawei?

The very same China Joe that has said nothing as China is now routinely entering Taiwan's airspace in uncharacteristically large shows of force now that he's been elected?

To believe that China Joe Biden will be tougher on China than Trump requires a very interesting mind completely detached from the facts,  track records, and reality.

The Mysterious Mummies Of The Tarim Basin Reveal the World's Oldest Examples Of Cheese

The Tarim Basin Mummies, located in China, have already turned a lot of what was thought to be known about Bronze Age Chinese history and cultural transmissions on its head when it turned out that the mummies were not ethnic Chinese but instead Western Eurasians. The mummies have just revealed another interesting revelation.

An examination of their tombs has produced examples of the world's oldest cheese, apparently produced using by the kefir method and dating back to 1650-1450 BC

The Detroit Free Press: Great Gouda! World's oldest cheese found - on mummies

The combination of dry desert air and salty soil prevented decay to an extraordinary degree. The remains and grave goods were freeze-dried, preserving the light-brown hair and strangely non-Asian facial features of the dead along with their felt hats, wool capes and leather boots. Analysis of the plant seeds and animal tissues in the tombs showed the burials date to 1450 to 1650 BC.

Some of the bodies had oddly shaped crumbs on their necks and chests. By analyzing the proteins and fats in these clumps, Shevchenko and his colleagues determined that they're definitely cheese, not butter or milk. It's not clear why people were buried with bits of cheese on their bodies, Shevchenko says, though perhaps it was food for the afterlife.

The analysis also showed the mummies' cheese was made by combining milk with a "starter," a mix of bacteria and yeast. This technique is still used today to make kefir, a sour, slightly effervescent dairy beverage, and kefir cheese, similar to cottage cheese.

The Tarim Mummies continue to provide interesting revelations about trade, innovation and migration in the ancient world.

Deterrence Only Works If A Credible Deterrent Exists

Instapundit links to a Business Insider article that doesn't bode well for peace in our time in the Pacific.

As stated in the article, the Chinese professional in question postulated a lightning strike by the Chinese to take the disputed Senkaku/Diayou/Tiaoutai islands currently controlled by Japan before Japan could react.

The Chinese professional acknowledged that if China asserted control over the disputed islands by attacking Japan, America would have to stand with Japan. And he acknowledged that China did not want to provoke America.

The important and unasked question is, would America, under Obama, be actually willing to go to credibly threaten to go to war to defend the Japanese claims to a bunch of rocks in the Pacific?

After all the US State Department line on most provocative acts that have become fait accompli so far is to either pose the question "What difference at this point does it make?", or to waltz away from declared red lines.

This administration does not have a very credible history that demonstrates a real deterrent to aggression, now does it? It's partly due to this that Japan is looking to others for aid and boosting its military capabilities.

As Instapundit says, what could go wrong?

Uighur, Please.

Muslim terrorists aren't just attacking the West. They're playing in China as well, but their tactics seem a little off, and they're facing an opponent with far fewer qualms and gentlemanly rules than in the West.

In this instance they brought knives (ok, and some explosives) to a gunfight:

The Detroit Free Press: 16 die in attack on police officers in west China

It seems like their tactics really weren't well thought out on this one.

The region's official news portal Tianshan Net reported Monday that knife-wielding assailants hurled explosive devices at police in Shufu county of Kashgar prefecture.

Tianshan Net says two police officers died in the attack while 14 attackers were shot and killed. Another two assailants were arrested.

Xinjiang has long been home to a simmering rebellion against Chinese rule among parts of the Muslim Uighur population.

So the score is Police 14, Uighur terrorists 2, a rather spectacular failure on the Uighurs' part, assuming you beleive the report.

Silly Uighurs, knives work well against unarmed opponents, but against numerous trained and armed enemies, not so much.

Note the Free Press photo of the Chinese Paramilitary police with those nifty-looking QBZ-95 bullpups.

Why Will The Chinese Navy Of The Future Have Glass Bottoms?

To see the current Chinese Navy if they keep this up: Foxnews: Chinese naval vessel tries to force U.S. warship to stop in international waters

A Chinese naval vessel tried to force a U.S. guided missile warship to stop in international waters recently, causing a tense military standoff in the latest case of Chinese maritime harassment, according to defense officials.

The guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens, which recently took part in disaster relief operations in the Philippines, was confronted by Chinese warships in the South China Sea near Beijing’s new aircraft carrier Liaoning, according to officials familiar with the incident.

“On December 5th, while lawfully operating in international waters in the South China Sea, USS Cowpens and a PLA Navy vessel had an encounter that required maneuvering to avoid a collision,” a Navy official said.

Good to see our current appeasement policy regarding Chinese expansionism and saber-rattling is getting great results and enhancing deterrence of international incidents.

Where Rhetoric Meets Reality Or The International Community Calls Obama's Bluff

Much like a British policeman may say "Stop, or I'll say Stop again", Obama's verbal dictates to other nations regarding the affaire Snowden are being met with the same result:

The Detroit Free Press: Obama to Russia: Turn over Snowden

Of course he made the same demand to Hoing kong, which promptly ignored it.

Edward Snowden's global fight could have major diplomatic ramifications.

The Obama administration is asking Russia to turn over Snowden, who has been charged with espionage in connection with news leaks of National Security Agency surveillance programs -- the same request Obama's team made of China and Hong Kong, which still allowed Snowden to depart to Russia on Sunday.

Turn him over, or we'll demand you turn him over again:

Hayden added: "We expect the Russian Government to look at all options available to expel Mr. Snowden back to the U.S. to face justice for the crimes with which he is charged."

I'm sure they'll look into their options in their own sweet time. Trying to bluff someone when he knows you're not holding any cards is quite the waste of time.

Throughout the weekend, Obama administration officials suggested there would be diplomatic consequences for nations that protect Snowden. "We are disappointed by the decision of the authorities in Hong Kong to permit Mr. Snowden to flee despite the legally valid U.S. request to arrest him for purposes of his extradition under the U.S.-Hong Kong Surrender Agreement," Hayden said. She added: "We have registered our strong objections to the authorities in Hong Kong as well as to the Chinese government through diplomatic channels and noted that such behavior is detrimental to U.S.-Hong Kong and U.S.-China bilateral relations."

In reality, Snowden's liberty is now a tool which America's adversaries are using to illustrate America's, and the Obama administration's, soft-power powerlessness in the face of their intransigence.

That Obama and his State Department have yet to learn that even when the light-bringer and his subordinates are the ones making them, you do not go around making chest-thumping tough-guy demands when you have no potential to back them up, and no chance they will be heeded. Soft-power, loud talk and lofty rhetoric have their limitations.

Snowden is now being used to embarrass the Obama administration and show the United State's weakness. This embarrassment is only possible due to his administration making strident public demands that Snowden be extradited to the US, or Obama will demand he be extradited again.

Do take a look at the picture that accompanies the article of Putin and Obama staring at each other. One of them has a credible tough guy stare, and the other guy isd hoping to bluff his way through. Go ahead and guess which is which.

About That Outrageous Claim By Romney That Chrysler Was Moving Jeep Production To China.....

The Detroit News: Chrysler to build Jeeps in China.

So, will Washington Post take at least one Pinnochoio back now?

Lost In Translation

Something was either lost in translation or they found a way to up the ratings of this particular movie to X in China.

Obama, in one Key(stone) decision, causes three lousy results for the US

Obama, by deciding to delay the Keystone XL project, to appease his greenie base in order to buck up his electoral base, has deprived the US of lots of much needed good jobs, not to mention a secure supply of energy coming from a friendly country.

Between the delay on Keystone, the ban on Gulf drilling, and EPA regulations on Coal plants, its clear that Obama isn't interested in an assured and ample supply of energy for the US.

If we're going to get out of this current economic mess, we're going to need, among other things, cheap, reliable energy to power our industry and shift our consumers spending from power to more economically growth-spurring activities.

In addition, Obama's really snubbing our good neighbor to the north (er, actually also our neighbor to the south if you live in the Detroit area): Canada drowned out by U.S. election noise

As a special bonus, the oil Canada is producing may get shipped to China instead.

So Obama has succeeded in making three problems worse for the price of one decision:

Diminishing our energy supply and raising energy costs, and at the same time snubbing one of our proven allies.

How's that for an Obama lousy policy trifecta?

You really should see a doctor about that stabbing pain in your head......

From The Detroit News: Doctors remove knife from man's head after 4 years

(Insert jokes about comparable anticipated wait times under Obamacare here)

Surgeons in southern China successfully removed a rusty, 4-inch knife from the skull of a man who said it had been stuck in there for four years, the hospital said today.

Li Fuyan, 30, had been suffering from severe headaches, bad breath and breathing difficulties but never knew the cause of his discomfort, said the senior official at the Yuxi City People's Hospital in Yunnan Province. Li told doctors he had been stabbed in the lower right jaw by a robber four years ago and the blade broke off inside his head without anyone realizing it, said the director of the hospital's Communist Party committee's office who would only give his surname, He.

Wish I'd said that......

A perfectly sublime remark by "GavInTucson" found in the comments section of the New York Post's editorial on the meeting between President Hu Jintao and President Obama:

Am I the only one that finds it ironic that the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner is holding a State dinner for the man that imprisoned the 2010 winner?

Brilliant.

Toyota's President Gets Called On The Capter By The Chinese

Or is he just being called on the floor mats?

Toyota's president to visit China today

Toyota President Akio Toyoda will speak today in China about his company's quality problems, seeking to boost confidence and ease consumer worries in the world's biggest auto market.

Toyoda, who testified at a U.S. Congressional hearing last week about the spate of global recalls plaguing Toyota Motor Corp., will speak to reporters at a Beijing hotel, company spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said.

The number of vehicles being recalled in China is small compared with the 8.5 million vehicles recalled worldwide since October for sticky gas pedals, faulty floor mats and glitches in braking software.

That China is taking the Japanese to task for automobile quality is, if not the definition of ironic, given the simply amazing quality of Chinese automobiles and other consumer goods, then you can see it from here.

Chinese Toy Manufacturers Just Don't Get It

In an effort to deal with their dangerous use of lead in children's toys, the Chinese toy manufacturers decided to responsibly replace it.

With a substance that is even more harmful.

Cadmium.

The Detroit News: U.S. warns about cadmium

Federal and state watchdogs opened a new front Monday in the campaign to keep poisons out of Chinese imports, launching inquiries into high levels of cadmium in children's jewelry while Wal-Mart pulled many suspect items from its store shelves.

A day after the Associated Press documented the contamination in an investigative report, the top U.S. consumer safety regulator warned Asian manufacturers not to substitute other toxins for lead in children's charm bracelets and pendants.

Regulators and lawmakers reacted swiftly to the AP report, which found that some Chinese manufacturers have been using cadmium, sometimes at extraordinarily high levels. Congress clamped down on lead in those products in 2008, but cadmium is even more harmful.

. . .

Cadmium, which is known to cause cancer, is a soft, whitish metal that occurs naturally in soil. It's perhaps best known as half of rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries, but also is used in pigments, electroplating and plastic.

Cadmium is attractive to Chinese manufacturers because it is cheap and easy to work with. But, like lead, it can hinder brain development in the very young.

There's pretty clearly a reality disconnect in the manufacturing industry over there, and apparently no regard for end user safety.

Up next, what will the Chinese replace the Cadmium with - maybe Plutonium for an extra sparkle? After all it is a silvery colored metal and gives the kids a happy glow...

China Bans Electric Shock for Treating Internet Addiction, Recommends Acupuncture Instead

(not really on the acupuncture part)

China bans electro-shock therapy for Internet addicts

China has banned electro-shock therapy as a treatment for Internet addiction, citing uncertainty in the safety and effectiveness of the practice after criticism in the local media.

The Ministry of Health announcement followed recent media reports about a controversial psychiatrist in Linyi, Shandong Province, who administered electric currents to nearly 3,000 teenagers in an attempt to rid them of their Internet habit.

The Chinese government has led a campaign for over a year against Internet addiction, saying young people's excessive time in Internet cafes, known as Web bars in Chinese, is hurting their studies and damaging family life.

Those darn kids need to quit slacking and get out into the fields and factories and go build for China dammit.

Anyone really believe Iran is just looking for nuclear technology for peaceful purposes?

Yeah right, then why are they caught doing this: Iranian nuke plot vaporized in the city: NY banks unwittingly aided in material transfers, says DA Yes it's a rather sensational headline but here's what Iran was doing:

The Manhattan district attorney's office has smashed a sinister plot to smuggle nuclear weapons materials to Iran through unwitting New York banks, the Daily News has learned.

Officials plan to unseal a 118-count indictment Tuesday accusing a Chinese national of setting up a handful of fake companies to hide that he was selling millions of dollars in potential nuclear materials to Tehran.

"This case will cut off a major source of supply to Iran and it shows how they are going ahead full steam to get a nuclear bomb. Long-range missiles they pretty much have already," a law enforcement source close to the case said.

. . .

Experts say Iran, under the leadership of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, appears close to amassing enough nuclear material to make an atom bomb. A United Nations embargo bans Iran from acquiring the high-tech metals needed to make a long-range nuclear weapon a reality.

The indictment will outline the financial conspiracy behind 58 different transactions, including shipments of various banned materials from China to Iran between 2006 and late 2008.

Among them:

33,000 pounds of a specialized aluminum alloy used almost exclusively in long-range missile production.
66,000 pounds of tungsten copper plate, which is used in missile guidance systems.
53,900 pounds of maraging steel rods, a superhard metal used in uranium enrichment and to make the casings for nuclear bombs.
The recipient is believed to have been a subsidiary of the Iranian Defense Ministry.

Now for a harshly worded letter from the State Department...any day now.....

It's pretty sad when its the Manhattan District Attorney taking the lead on this rather than the Feds.