Wa Wa HUawei

      Hmmmm.  Go to Canada: Get arrested.  So, the CFO of Chinese telecom Giant Hwahei was arrested in Vancouver, Canada as she tried to change planes on a journey to visit family.  The arrest warrant was made on behalf of the United States Dept. of Justice.  The allegations indicate that she facilitated illegal sales of company products to Iran through companies not listed as subsidiaries of Hwawei.  This act alone sends the message to China that these on going trade talks will not be based on conversations about doing business in China.  It will entail the complete business model of the Chinese government.  Using tactics that include the stealing of trade secrets, theft of technology, requiring companies to share proprietary information as a condition of doing business, and a requirement to partner with state -owned companies to do business in China has finally reached the boiling point.  Now China must face the reality of their methods: they aren't going to be forgicven any longer: game over, Mr, Xi.

George Herbert Walker Bush-R.I.P.

      Former President of the United States George H.W. Bush passed away yesterday at age 94.  Wheelchair bound for the last year or so, the much loved executive died after a lengthy illness.  His biography includes many posts throughout government: Congress, the United Nations, The C.I.A., the National Security Council, and many other positions of high import.
    He started out in World War II as the youngest pilot on the Navy roster, getting his wings when only 18 years old.  He was shot down during the war by Japanese antiaircraft fire(AA), and was rescued by a US Navy submarine(USS Bowfin) and returned to the naval air forces.  After the war, he married his wife, the late Barbara Bush who passed away recently.  They hold the record of the longest Presidential marriage, surpassing John and Abigail Adams.
     He fathered a large brood of children, including 2 sons who served in various government roles: George W. Bush who became US president,  Jeb Bush  became governor of Florida.  One child, a daughter, died as an infant.
     He was a US Vice President for 8 years under Pres. Ronald Reagan.  He performed admirably in this unheralded role, supporting a popular president during the Cold War as it neared its conclusion.
He signed the Americans With Disabilities Act(ADA) which changed the lives of millions of Americans with afflictions that limited their contributions to society.  He assisted in the transition of Russya from totalitarian state to a more democratic government(which is still in transition) without a violent civil war.  He helped Germany merge together when fears of a unified Germany caused anxieties among other Western European neighbors.  He treated all members of Congress with respect and friendship knowing to do otherwise was un-American.  He offered his son, George, unfailing support in his role as the President, but did not enter the limelight when he easily could have done so.
He was the last president who was part of the greatest generation that fought in WW II.
    He will long be remembered as a great American.

New President in Mexico: Obrador

      Welcome to the world, Mr. Obrador.  How do you like the view so far?  How do you like Mr. Maduro of Venezuela?  Seems you two are pretty tight, as they say.  Well, now you must answer for the " caravans transiting your country on their way to the US.  Seems a few members of earlier caravans don't like your response: they want out, now.  Yes, you sent a plane load home to Nicauagua yesterday, but what about the other 5000?  It's winter now and rainy and cold on the Mexican border at Tijuana. Some response is necessary: now.

Deutsche Bank: Gotcha

     Oh, my.  Front page news, again.  It just seems German bankers can't do anything right.  Over 170 agents of the German government "raided" the bank's headquarters in Stuttgart on Wednesday and searched for evidence of more wrong doing.  This is big news in Europe as Deutches Bank has a long reach across the EU and the world.  It seems that some rogue elements inside the bank have been laundering money, again.  Are they " asleep at the wheel" like the gent inside the driver less car stopped by police yesterday?  Hmmmm.  Seems the bank was doing some shady things with billions of $ that were deposited in a Lithuania subsidiary, Danske Bank.  This tiny bank was passing through billions of deposits without telling anybody.  Hmmmm.  How can this be, if not policy?  How do we answer that question?

Boise, Idaho: Why?

      Have you been to Boise, Idaho?  Where is Boise, Idaho and why do I care.?  Boise, Idaho is a lovely town, nestled  up against the eastern slope of the famous Rocky Mountains, the chain that runs through the US from Canada to Mexico and provided a temporary obstacle to westward migration 200 years ago.  They have winter in Boise: snow and ice, but it doesn't linger as it does father north.  There's good soil for growing in the area_"famous Potatoes" is a well known moniker pertaining to some of its produce.  But there's more.  It has become something of a tech hub.
     You didn't know this?  Shame on you.  The Chinese Government knows Boise better than you and me and most citizens of Tahoma.  Why, you ask?   Hmmmmmm.

Germany and The Foreign Service in China

      Our Minister of East Asian Affairs picked up and interesting bit of foreign policy as practiced by our European ally, Germany.  The country's immigration policies have been much discussed of late as Angela Merkel prepares to leave her position as germany's leader.  She famously said we welcome refugees and promptly admitted over 1 million Syrian refugees along with many others.  It didn't take long for this statement to come back to haunt her.  Far right populists gathered and publicly rebuked the policy and its results.  However, other policies in place in Germany no doubt contribute.  If a foreign national obtains a German citizen sponsor, that foreign national is immediately given a visa to visit Germany.  It sounds extravagant if not careless in today's world.  That visa even allows the individual to work and live unmolested in the country.  The hook is this:  if that individual should run afoul of the law in any fashion, he/she is deported and all costs related to the process are borne by--- the sponsor.   Very interesting.  No stats were provided.  More research is needed in this area.
    Our Minister will look into this policy and report back.

Face to Face in Argentina

     Hey, I'm looking at you.  Yes, and I'm returning the "look" to you.  And that's pretty much what one can take away from the meeting of Pres. trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi J P.  They had a nice lunch together with their various staff toadies who also "looked" at one another.  It's almost summer in the southern hemisphere which means late springtime in B.A. alongside the River Plate.  The G-20 meeting is underway; world leaders have gathered to discuss globalization, or world economics; or what share of the pie do I get.  What comes out of these meetings is anybody's guess.
      Let see: more oe fewer tariffs?  The US and China agreed no more tariffs January 1, 2019.  More discussions about trade between the two behemoths.  The Chinese economy is slowing and some leaders are nervous about next year.   Europeans are getting anxious about 2019 and what their respective economies can expect.   In March 2019, the Brexit deadline for the separation of the UK from the EU is supposed to occur.  An agreement has been reached, but now that must be approved in Parliament between now and March.  PM Theresa May has her work cut out for the holidays.  She's already taking her show on the road to sell the agreement to the "people".
     Mr. Putin, of the largest country in the world, where he has been the chief dictator and disrupter for more than 18 years, was loping around looking for friends without much luck.  Yes, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia talked with Vova, but not much is expected to come of that.  With the price of oil hovering near $50/barrel, these oil producing countries have to readjust their spending at home and abroad.  Down in Ukraine, Russya is at it again, making noise and upsetting Poroshenko(declared martial law and put military forces on alert).  Maybe Russya will back off but that's doubtful given Putin's agenda in that neck of the woods.  He wants the world to keep on guessing as to his moves and motives.  But when you are a dictator, who cares what happens among the population.
    More pronouncements will be published today, but not much will happen: it's all talk, no action.
Happy Springtime.

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