Siberia?
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https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5379824-china-wants-to-invade-siberia-not-taiwan/
The article, citing a NYT report, argues that China may invade Siberia before it invades Taiwan; reasons being:
- War with Taiwan will be very costly to all sides
- Siberia has lots of natural resources that China needs
- Russian defense are weakened and distracted by the war with Ukraine
Thus, the argument goes that while Taiwan "unification" remains a useful rhetoric, Siberia makes a lower cost, higher return target for China if it were to invade somebody.
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I don't believe believe China will invade Russia. This seems farfetched to me. I also don't believe Russia is all that distracted nor weakened by the war in Ukraine. Ukraine used to fall under Russian hegemony and I believe it is incalculably more powerful than Ukraine.
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As an aside, Big Al, I'm curious to know if you think money buys the most happiness when you give it away?
My experience has been-- that is true at times when I've given money to some people but at other times with other people I've received the "bite the hand that feeds you" effect.
This is something I've thought about a lot lately since my father's passed and my family has been involved in the probate of his estate, with my cousin being the executer of it and my brother and myself being his beneficiaries.
This issue has definitely been part of my thoughts.
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I think that's true, Daniel. Living solely for oneself is not very satisfying, at least I found that so as a bachelor. Not that I didn't have a fine time of romance and high hilarity and good living, but I need to matter to someone or something outside myself.
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As an aside, Big Al, I'm curious to know if you think money buys the most happiness when you give it away?
My experience has been-- that is true at times when I've given money to some people but at other times with other people I've received the "bite the hand that feeds you" effect.
This is something I've thought about a lot lately since my father's passed and my family has been involved in the probate of his estate, with my cousin being the executer of it and my brother and myself being his beneficiaries.
This issue has definitely been part of my thoughts.
As an aside, Big Al, I'm curious to know if you think money buys the most happiness when you give it away?
Yes, I do, Daniel. I think it is an idea that was ingrained in me at an early age, particularly by my father. I sometimes accompanied him when he would take a box of food to someone who was out of work or some surplus clothing or furniture to a family who had suffered a disaster. He and my mother donated to causes they believed in, even though we were far from wealthy. We lived on a dairy farm in eastern Ohio with my paternal grandparents and we never had cause to go hungry, but we didn't have a lot of cash to spend on luxuries.
My sister sometimes resented some things my father did, saying that he was wasting his time and money on useless bums. Sometimes, that was probably true, but knowing that before doing something to help them wasn't always possible and only became apparent after the fact. That also made me subscribe to the old saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
I've been fortunate enough in my own life to seldom really be down and out, but I've had enough dry periods that I could wonder where the next dollar was coming from. I have some empathy for those who are closer to that circumstance more often. I can also appreciate how a small kindness can make a big difference in a person's day, whatever form that kindness might take.
I also support a variety of civic institutions through donations and memberships because I think they enrich the community and I would be sorry to see than shrink or vanish, Many of them offered free or discounted admissions to youth and students and I think that is valuable. I know I welcomed such opportunities when I was young.
Big Al
