China Still Cannot Feed Itself

China, the world's biggest agriculture importer, has set targets to drastically reduce its reliance on overseas buying over the coming decade in line with its push for food security, but they will be exceedingly difficult to meet, experts say.

With limited land and water, China will have to sharply increase farming productivity through technology, including genetically modified crops, and expand the area under cultivation to meet Beijing's 10-year projections.

The government envisions 92% self-sufficiency in staple grains and beans by 2033, up from 84% during 2021-23, according to a document released in late April, on a path toward Chinese President Xi Jinping's goal to become an "agriculture power" by the middle of the century.

From: Japan Times. 

So China has not been able to solve how to feed its people. When I first visited China, the issue on the table was famine, the population was growing, and agricultural yields were low. I thought that by now they were past this issue. 

B-21 Raider: This Changes Everything.

 

Gradually the planes are evolving. Maybe the ultimate form will be a paper circle, a flying saucer. Apparently, the pic left exaggerates its thinness. 

B-21 Raider will be capable of penetrating the toughest defenses to deliver precision strikes anywhere in the world. The B-21 is the future of deterrence. 

New Game: Automated Credit Trading

Automated credit trading has been growing for years, particularly among brokers and dealers, but was focused on helping traders buy and sell securities more efficiently. What’s different now is that the robots are making more decisions about what securities to buy and sell.

To come up with their assessments, the Barclays team counted all the US mutual funds that have the terms “systematic,” “quant” or “algorithm” along with “corporate,” “credit,” “bond” or “fixed income,” and found that their assets under management had doubled to $3.7 billion over the past year. They also spoke with Barclays’ algorithmic trading desk to find that one in six electronic requests for quotes come from systematic accounts. From Bloomberg.

Investors are playing against robots. A new game. 

Everything we can do, robots can do better. 

They also outlined risks associated with increased systematic trading, especially the potential for trend-followers creating “herding behavior” around certain names and amplifying volatility. Similarly, factor models that try to build on momentum, search for underpriced bonds or take advantage of bid-ask spreads can cause sharp movements in prices, as can tactical strategies that trade individual bonds.

Hamas on the Roof

GAZA YESTERDAY 

The second one offers himself as a target. 

Mohammed: "Urgent! Stop sending me more martyrs. I am out of virgins!"

Without Feathers

 

	Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
	Emily Dickinson Hope is not "the thing with feathers." The thing with feathers has turned out to be my nephew. I must take him to a specialist in Zurich. What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? In that case, I definitely overpaid for my carpet. Woody Allen

Dogs ruling England

 The data watchdog has ordered a water company to release secret figures that could reveal illegal sewage spills.

This is from The Times of London. In England of our day, dogs give orders, and no one raises an eyebrow. 

"Five more refusenik water companies could also be forced to reveal details on the discharge of raw sewage after a ruling by the information watchdog."

In my time, a refusenik was a Soviet Jew who had been refused to exit the country. He did not refuse anything, on the contrary, he was not allowed to make aliyah. The Times is torturing the English language.  

Poisoned by Lead

Lead exposure from drinking wine and other beverages stored in lead vessels could have contributed to mental instability, and erratic behavior, in some Roman emperors.

Lead poisoning can cause a variety of neurological and psychiatric symptoms, including:

• Brain damage, especially to the prefrontal cortex controlling judgment, impulse control, and personality
• Mental fogginess, confusion, and difficulty concentrating
• Irritability, aggression, and abrupt mood swings
• Hallucinations and delusional thinking
• Mania, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior

Some examples of Roman emperors who exhibited disturbing mental states and cruelties that could potentially be linked to lead exposure include:

• Caligula - Became increasingly unstable, with bouts of anger, perverse sexuality, and delusions of grandeur.
• Nero - Started out promisingly but descended into debauchery, megalomania, and severe persecution of Christians.
• Commodus - Initially capable but later displayed bizarre behavior like fighting as a gladiator despite his imperial rank.