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Truth is worth searching for and concentrating on. And worth watching, i think.
The Blanchett, Redford Truth .. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_(2015_film) .
.
12yearplan, It is possible - ""It is possible that liberalism does not just correlate with sadness but may exacerbate it. ..noted that educated, affluent white liberals have come to endorse the idea that America is systemically racist, leading them to view other racial and ethnic groups more warmly than their own... this tension - being part of a group that one hates - creates strong dissociative pressures on many white liberals..""
that opinion is woeful rubbish too. For one, the fact there is not a some between "that" and "educated" so to read that some educated.... suggests it is possible the writer is no more than one who dislikes liberals. Some liberals may hate their own group, though i've never met one .
On the other hand, many conservatives hate their own group now, we've all read of those who have left the
GOP, and the good, rational ones the 'never Trumpers', some of them may hate some others of their group.
Your quote above, without the some, is patent rubbish. Toss in, no doubt there would
be more conservatives suffering from "dissociative pressures" than liberals.
You being a writer, yes, that's fair enough too. Yes, you
are a logician too, so you would get the point of woan.
Two pluses for you there to add to all the others.
He deserves whatever the market pays, just wish... well, you know i'm not a fan of the butchers. Also, leaving aside the struggle non-top echelon golfers make top guys get much more than needed. Course then there are CEOs of the biggest corporations ripping us all off. Thank some of them all for much of inflation there, and in Australia.
China. China eyes greater influence on global trade, despite trade tensions and supply-chain restructuring
"Wondered what things from other countries China bans .. Prohibited and Restricted Imports"
Download country highlights
Supported by DP World
Amidst geopolitical strains with the US, the EIU forecasts the Chinese economy to grow at 4.9% in 2024. Most of this growth will come from domestic private consumption and a more positive trade outlook.1 A large number of China-based business executives (30%) believe export growth in 2024 will come predominantly from expanding operations in existing markets due to increased demand for goods. However, in the context of export growth, business executives are concerned about political instability and uncertainty around tariffs in their key markets, much more than their counterparts in the US and India. This comes as it is now five years since the US escalated trade tensions with China, a policy that has continued under the present US administration. Most China-based business executives (31%) cite the heightened geopolitical environment as their number one reason to be pessimistic about global trade over the next two years.
BAR CHART - Figure 1: Top reasons for pessimism in global trade (2023-25)
Respondents could select up to two
Heightened geopolitical uncertainty, (e.g. the war in Ukraine, tensions between the US and China)
Heightened inflation and interest rates
Economic downturn in key markets (i.e. the outcome of interest-rate hikes)
Rising governmental protectionism
The fragmentation of the world into trade blocs/regionalisation
The resurgence of the new covid-19 strains or future global pandemics
Global warming and extreme weather patterns causing supply-chain disruptions
Domestic opposition to trade/globalisation
Tight labour markets
An ineffective multilateral trading system (governed by the WTO)
De-dollarisation of trade (i.e. use of other currencies for bilateral trade transactions)
Outdated/ inadequate transport infrastructure
Cybersecurity breaches
None of the above
Other, please specify
Source: Economist Impact
China finds itself at the crossroads of global supply-chain restructuring
China finds itself at the centre of the push towards supply-chain restructuring, in light of the geopolitical shocks continually disrupting global trade. Some foreign-owned companies are pursuing a ‘China+1’ strategy by setting up an additional supply chain elsewhere to boost resilience and reduce dependency on a single country. South and South-East Asia in particular have benefited from this strategy so far. For example, Vietnam is increasingly attracting investments from the textile and technology sectors. Though companies are setting up manufacturing bases elsewhere, these are predominantly redundancy capabilities in case of potential disruptions. The sheer size of the manufacturing base and specialised labour in China enables the economy to remain a dominant player in these sectors.
The reconfiguration of global supply chains is prompting China to build new trade ties and consolidate existing relationships outside the US sphere of influence. In 2023, China-Russia bilateral trade reached an all-time high of US$240bn, a 26.3% year-on-year increase. China’s technology exports to Russia have skyrocketed since 2022, while Chinese buyers have offset Russia’s oil export slump due to Western sanctions.2 The two countries have grown closer from a political and economic perspective following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Foreign-owned companies are not the only ones diversifying away from China. Some Chinese companies are investing overseas and establishing new manufacturing locations in countries with better market access through preferential trade arrangements than they would get from China. This is viewed, at least in part, as an attempt to circumvent some of the trade sanctions imposed by the US on China. For example, China’s Lingong Machinery, a construction equipment manufacturer, announced a US$5bn investment in Mexico, while Trina Solar, a Chinese solar panel manufacturer, also announced a US$1bn investment in the country.3 Additionally, Chinese textile and light manufacturing businesses are increasing their investment in Egypt to use the country’s favourable business environment and market access to Africa. At the end of 2023, Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone received an investment of US$70m for a new dyeing, processing and textile manufacturing project from China-headquartered Hengsheng Dying Zhejiang Company.4 Chinese electric and home appliance companies such as Haier and Guangdong Vanward New Electric are also setting up production or expanding facilities in Egypt with goods destined for European markets.5 The nature of Chinese investment in Mexico and Egypt differs considerably from those in infrastructure or raw materials traditionally brokered by China around the world. In this case, Chinese capital is employed into services and manufacturing of goods.
Trade protectionism and the scramble for precious mineral and energy commodities make ‘de-risking’ from China more difficult
China is likely to continue introducing trade protectionism measures on some exported goods on the grounds of national security in 2024, as it seeks to continue ringfencing its high-tech manufacturing in light of its growing rivalry with the US. In October 2023, China announced export controls on graphite (a key component in batteries), fuel cells and nuclear reactors.6 China dominates global graphite production, despite having only 22% of global reserves. In 2021, the US imported 100% of its graphite and relied on China for at least 30% of its graphite imports.7 This follows a move by China in early 2023 introducing export bans on other materials critical for solar power technologies.8 Consequently, businesses looking to divest from China, particularly in sectors that rely on critical minerals during their manufacturing process, will have to consider risks to the procurement of critical inputs outside of China.
China’s expanding influence in critical materials and green infrastructure makes it harder for businesses to de-risk from China. This can be seen in electric vehicles, a sector the country is already dominant in. For example, as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese investment is entering new markets in Africa and Central Asia to pursue mining interests tied to the procurement of critical minerals. These are necessary for high-tech green technology production, like batteries, electric cars and solar panels, as well as energy procurement. For instance, a key infrastructure-for-minerals trade deal between China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, mooted in mid-2023, is expected to move ahead this year.9 Meanwhile in Central Asia, the Chinese government has unveiled a new plan to invest US$3.8bn of financing and grants into development projects while accelerating the building of a natural gas pipeline into China.10
China’s sheer size and influence on global supply chains and global trade will inevitably be at the forefront of business executives' minds in 2024. The ongoing US-China trade tensions, and the formation of new geopolitical alignments, will also shape how foreign businesses assess their risks in China and how Chinese businesses invest overseas. China’s dominance in emerging sectors such as green technologies will pressure Western competitors, while expanding Chinese soft power in the developing world, particularly in the provision of critical raw materials, will keep China dominant. While friendshoring is on the rise, the bulk of the global manufacturing base will be difficult to move overseas in the short term.
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1[https://viewpoint.eiu.com/analysis/geography/XO/CN/reports/one-click-report]
https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/china-prohibited-and-restricted-imports
**
United States
Geopolitical unrest hangs over US supply chains
Download country highlights
Supported byDP World
The North American region was projected to register the strongest export growth of any region in 2023, at 3.6%.1 This was below the export growth levels of the previous two years, however, and is projected to decline to 2.7% in 2024. Conversely, trade volume of imports are estimated to have fallen by 1.2% in 2023—down from 6% growth in 2022—before recovering to 2.2% in 2024.2
More broadly, the Economist Intelligence Unit expects US real GDP growth to slow to less than 1.5% in 2024, reflecting the impacts of rising interest rates and still-high inflation on consumption.3
Trade tensions with China continue to impact US trade and supply chains, while November’s presidential election looms large on the horizon. The outlook is further clouded by unrest in the Middle East, with supply chains affected by disruption to shipping traffic in the Red Sea area.4 Yet, the US Congressional Budget Office expects the US trade deficit to narrow from 3.4% of GDP in mid-2023 to 3.1% in mid-2024, with the deficit then remaining stable as stronger domestic demand offsets export growth.5
The US-China trade war remains disruptive for businesses and the global economy
Global trade continues to be shaped by tensions between the US and China. The trade war between the two countries has affected an estimated US$450bn in annual trade since it began in 2018-19.6 Trade barriers imposed in this trade war, such as the Section 301 tariffs7 imposed on China by President Trump in 2018, are still in operation. Additionally, the Biden administration barred US exports of advanced semiconductors to China and is reportedly considering new tariffs on electric vehicles and certain minerals imported from China.8
Our survey of business executives shows that the issue is affecting businesses globally. US-China tensions contribute to the heightened geopolitical uncertainty, cited by 22.9% of respondents as a chief source of pessimism regarding the global trade outlook. Around one-in-six respondents in the US and China also see rising protectionism as a cause of pessimism regarding the future of global trade over the next two years.
BAR CHART - Figure 1: Reasons for pessimism in global trade (2023-25)
Respondents could select up to two options
Heightened inflation and interest rates
Cybersecurity breaches
Economic downturn in key markets
Heightened geopolitical uncertainty
Global warming and extreme weather patterns causing supply-chain disruptions
Rising governmental protectionism
Domestic opposition to trade/globalisation
Tight labour markets
The resurgence of the new covid-19 strains or future global pandemics
Outdated/ inadequate transport infrastructure
An ineffective multilateral trading system (governed by the WTO)
The fragmentation of the world into trade blocs/regionalisation
De-dollarisation of trade (i.e. use of other currencies for bilateral trade transactions)
None of the above
Other, please specify
US-China decoupling is driving increased trade disruption as companies separate supply chains to circumvent restrictions.9 Almost 36% of US respondents are creating parallel supply chains or dual sourcing to service different markets in response to geopolitical disruptions. While these strategies can increase supply-chain resilience, they require significant upfront investment and add to pressure on inventory management and supplier due diligence.10
Globally, ‘friendshoring’—switching to suppliers in countries that are politically aligned or where a preferential trading arrangement exists—is the supply-chain strategy most commonly implemented in response to geopolitical events (36.1%). Like other such strategies, however, friendshoring comes at a cost to US businesses and the country’s economy.11
The global economy could be hit hard by tech decoupling
Once a key driver of globalisation, technology has become a major source of trade friction, with the US and China increasing restrictions and reducing collaboration as the former seeks to prevent Chinese AI businesses from gaining access to US technology assets, evidenced by their export controls on semiconductors.12,13
Through our own quantitative modelling using the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) platform, we found that eliminating high-tech trade between the US-led Western bloc and China-led Eastern bloc would result in a global output decrease of 0.9%. GDP in China and the US would decrease by 1.9% and 0.9%, respectively. The remaining Eastern bloc would suffer a 0.7% GDP decline, and the remaining Western bloc would see GDP fall by 0.8%, illustrating the effect of trade disputes on the global economy, and on the technology sector in particular.14 This reinforces the need for US businesses with supply chains across multiple geographies to enhance supply-chain resilience, such as establishing dual supply chains to mitigate risks from certain markets.
The 2024 US election will shape the direction of trade
The extent of future trade barriers between the US and China will be dictated, in part, by the outcome of the US election in November 2024. Should former President Donald Trump take office for a second time, it is likely that he would intensify the trade war he began during his first tenure.15
That would include higher tariffs, targeted at China,16 with Mr Trump on record as saying he would “enact aggressive new restrictions on Chinese ownership” across a range of assets in the US, among other measures.17
The tariffs imposed on Chinese imports by the Trump administration have been left in place under President Biden, reflecting concerns about being framed as ‘soft’ on China. There have been efforts in recent months to restore diplomatic relations with China and explore potential cooperation opportunities.18 Yet the Trump tariffs remain in place, and President Biden is under pressure to maintain an assertive stance on China as the election approaches.
[Insert: It's unfortunately not good that necessary political consideration, such as
perceived 'going soft on China' in the US can affect the world economy so much.]
It is clear from our survey, however, that higher tariffs and rising protectionism are high on the list of concerns for business. They have already taken action, such as diversifying supply chains to mitigate the effects of increased protectionism. The prospect of having to take further action will occupy minds as the election approaches. However, hardline rhetoric from both candidates while campaigning is likely to be watered down once in office. This was the case with the Trump-era tariffs on Chinese goods, as the list of products the tariffs would apply to was significantly watered down. Yet, whoever wins, it seems likely that the current protectionism is here to stay, and it could extend further into industries including renewables and electric vehicles.
https://impact.economist.com/projects/trade-in-transition/country-united-states
i wouldn't have a chance without glasses. Was on top until a couple of months ago Then
2nd, now 3rd. This silly LIV thing of mine looks like hurting. Glad they aren't in the playoffs. lols
i put them there just for you. You are much more learned than i, e e cummings, e.g. Yep, there is a red line there. I just do it 'cuz it's comfortable for me. Would like woan to catch on as a replacement for man in the context of all of us, like mankind, but haven't created a petition or a lobby group or anything, and don't push it anywhere, so it never will.
i get red lines under words, with an option to add to dictionary, but get away with i's at beginning of sentences,
if wanted. i turned a word corrector off, maybe a spellchecker, after about two days. Hated whatever it was.
Oops, slippin' and slidin' ..
Hope it's a close game, or another Oilers runaway.
Wondered what things from other countries China bans .. Prohibited and Restricted Imports
"I used DJI's professionally in business until I retired. There are a great number of manufacturers
to take up the slack should they ban DJI's. Personally, I don't think it's security, but a way to crimp
china commerce. They do this in china full time, we can do it as well...
'ban products from other countries'."
Last published date: 2023-04-07
The following items are prohibited from entering China: arms, ammunition, and explosives of all kinds; counterfeit currencies and counterfeit negotiable securities; printed matter, magnetic media, films, or photographs that are deemed to be detrimental to the political, economic, cultural, and moral interests of China; lethal poisons; illicit drugs; disease-carrying animals and plants; foods, medicines, and other articles coming from disease-stricken areas; old/used garments; and local currency (RMB). Food items containing certain food colorings and additives deemed harmful to human health by the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) are also barred.
In addition, China restricts or prohibits the importation of certain commodities related to the processing trade. The Catalogue of Commodities Which are Restricted or Prohibited from Importing for Use in the Processing Trade is designed to shift the direction of China’s processing trade toward handling commodities with higher technological content and greater value-added potential. The catalog identifies several types of “prohibited commodities”: used garments; used publications with licentious content; radioactive or harmful industrial waste; and junk and restricted commodities. This list was most recently revised in 2015.
https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/china-prohibited-and-restricted-imports
Wondered who was more protectionist, U.S. or China?
Predatory policy or protectionism? Experts weigh in on US-China trade tensions
Chinese analyst Wang Zaibang says Biden administration’s tariff hike is ‘new development of US protectionism’
Ovunc Kutlu | 07.06.2024 - Update : 07.06.2024
- ‘China may also impose certain export restrictions on the US,’ Wang, senior fellow at Taihe Institute, tells Anadolu
- Washington is signaling ‘unhappiness’ with what it views as Beijing’s ‘predatory’ trade policy, says University of Houston’s Ed Hirs
ISTANBUL
The recent US decision to hike tariffs on Chinese imports has raised fresh concerns about trade tensions and the specter of more tit-for-tat measures by the two economic giants.
The Biden administration last month increased tariffs on $18 billion worth of imports from China, including critical industries such as steel, aluminum, semiconductors, solar cells, electric vehicles, and batteries, saying the step was taken due to “unfair trade practices.”
The May 14 announcement drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing labeling it “typical bullying behavior” aimed at “suppressing China’s normal economic, trade and technological activities.”
Experts from the US and China believe the situation represents the line of thinking in both countries and indicates what either side could do in the coming days.
From Washington, this is a signal of “unhappiness” with what it views as Beijing’s “predatory” trade policy, according to Ed Hirs, an energy economist at the University of Houston.
Some of the main issues for the US are “China’s … theft of intellectual property, industrial espionage, continued support of fentanyl production that targets the US, and belligerence in the South China Sea,” he told Anadolu.
These points were raised in the White House statement announcing the tariff decision, which also accused China of “flooding global markets with artificially low-priced exports.”
It also alleged that China’s “forced technology transfers .. [ https://www.investopedia.com/forced-technology-transfer-ftt-4687680 ] and intellectual property theft” have contributed to its control of up to 90% of global production for critical inputs necessary for American technologies, infrastructure, energy, and health care.
Such practices have created “unacceptable risks” to US supply chains and economic security, the statement added.
‘New development of US protectionism’
For China, the latest tariffs imposed by the Biden administration represent “new development of US protectionism,” according to Wang Zaibang, a senior fellow at Taihe Institute, a think tank based in Beijing.
“It indicates that the US has completely abandoned its adherence to the concept of free trade for over a century,” he told Anadolu.
“This reflects a decline in US economic confidence and an increase in the sense of crisis unprecedented in history.”
Hirs, meanwhile, pointed out that the tariff “likely to be the most damaging” in the short-run is the one targeting China’s photovoltaic (PV) panels, used to produce electricity directly from sunlight.
However, he emphasized that these are “not likely to put a damper on US solar farm development or in the growth of rooftop solar (usage).”
China’s stake in all manufacturing stages of solar panels is over 80%, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), more than double of Beijing’s share in global PV demand.
It is also home to the world’s 10 top suppliers of solar PV manufacturing equipment, according to a 2022 IEA report, while global solar PV manufacturing has increasingly moved from Europe, Japan and the US to China over the last decade.
Electric vehicles and batteries
Competition between Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers and others around the world is also heating up.
Chinese BYD, known as Build Your Dream, is the world’s biggest electric carmaker, beating out the US Tesla in global sales for the second consecutive year last year.
BYD produced over 3 million vehicles in 2023, including both hybrid and battery-only, against Tesla’s 1.84 million fully electric vehicles.
An IEA report released in April said global EV demand growth this year has been building on a record-breaking 2023, when global sales soared by 35% to almost 14 million.
“Growing electric car exports from Chinese automakers, which accounted for more than half of all electric car sales in 2023, could add to downward pressure on purchase prices,” the report said.
“Chinese companies, which are also setting up production facilities abroad, have already seen strong sales of more affordable models launched in 2022 and 2023 in overseas markets.”
Wang explained that there are several reasons why China is able to make cheaper EVs than the US.
“Firstly, China has lower labor prices than the US. Secondly, China has a more complete industrial chain than the US. And lastly, China has lower transportation costs than the US, which originates from a complete industrial chain within a single huge market,” he said.
“American automakers might be exempt from competition with Chinese enterprises in terms of tariff put into force by the Biden administration in the US market. But I don’t think they could do the same thing in the world market outside of America.”
Semiconductors, steel and aluminum
As innovations in artificial intelligence make massive leaps, global demand for semiconductors has also been rapidly rising around the world.
While the US accounts for 25% of total semiconductor demand in the world, its chip manufacturing capacity stands at just 12%, down from 37% in the 1990s, according to a January report by Citigroup.
In August 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act, setting aside $52.7 billion to increase the production of semiconductors, address supply chain vulnerabilities, and bolster domestic research.
As for steel and aluminum, Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump imposed tariffs in 2018 on imports of steel – 25% – and aluminum – 10% – from most countries, which was seen as a protectionist step by many economists and led to a trade war with China.
A report released this May by S&P Global showed that China’s share of exports of finished steel to the US is below 1% of its total exports, while aluminum product exports account for around 4%.
US presses on Europe
Washington has also been looking across the Atlantic for support against China, with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen saying last month that the US and Europe must put up a united front.
“If we do not respond strategically and in a united way, the viability of businesses in both our countries and around the world could be at risk," she said in Germany, warning that China’s industrial overcapacity poses a threat to both American and European companies
She said the issue “will be a focus at the G7 meetings in Italy,” referring to the upcoming summit of some of the world’s most influential powers set for mid-June in the Italian city of Fasano.
How will China respond?
On Beijing’s expected response to the US’ latest step, Wang said it is unlikely to remain “totally indifferent to such unilateral economic discrimination.”
“We might increase flexibility in the import source of certain products such as agricultural products. Secondly, because of the different economic structure and economic goals between the two countries, China wouldn’t retaliate equally. It would continue to develop new quality productive forces,” he said.
“Lastly, with the continuous upgrading and strengthening of China’s industrial chain, I guess China may also impose certain export restrictions on the US.”
Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News
Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/economy/predatory-policy-or-protectionism-experts-weigh-in-on-us-china-trade-tensions/3243100
One thing for certain, Edmonton will be up for the next. Loved the game.
100%. He was being a dick in that.
Understood. Would have to be in the groups themselves i guess to know for sure whether or not the moola
was coming with any strings. Guessing not. Some wealthy people believe in a healthier culture too.
Sick-ada -s. That's why they make so much noise.
Guess we just, mostly like to do what is considered correct. Part of me, the superego, maybe, has repeatedly said i shouldn't use the small i, but another part maybe even the other end the Id impulse, instinct says screw convention in this case, pull that ego-I thing back a bit by using th small i. LOL Dunno, but that's my take on it.
On speed reading, yeah, took a course and held a class in school of it for a time. Until the powers that be cut the last period Friday special program we had going - i got some old typewriters donated and did typing in it too, 13-14yr-olds -- a new principal said, we need more on the reading, writing, 'rithmetic stuff. He and some others won. The kids loved that last period Friday.
I try to do the speed reading a bit, but don't think some initial success has lasted. One basic is you don't read every word individually, and you don't verbalize any, even in your mind. That's hard. The deal is you look at groups of words, just see the group of words - don't say them to yourself - and slide to the next group. That was some 40 years ago.
Is the Partisan Divide Too Big to Be Bridged?
" The Party’s Over for Us. Where Do We Go Now?
Jan. 11, 2023
[...]David Brooks: My thinking about the G.O.P. goes back to a brunch I had with Laura Ingraham and Dinesh D’Souza in the ’80s that helps me see, in retrospect, that people in my circle were pro-conservative, while Ingraham and D’Souza and people in their circle were anti-left. We wanted to champion Edmund Burke and Adam Smith and a Reaganite foreign policy. They wanted to rock the establishment. That turned out to be a consequential difference because almost all the people in my circle back then — like David Frum and Robert Kagan — ended up, decades later, NeverTrumpers, and almost all the people in their circle became Trumpers or went bonkers.
P - Bret: Right, they weren’t conservatives. They were just illiberal.
P - David: Then in 1995 some friends and I created a magazine called The Weekly Standard. The goal was to help the G.O.P. become a mature governing party. Clearly we did an awesome job! I have a zillion thoughts about where the Republican Party went astray, but do you have a core theory?
P - Bret: I have multiple theories, but let me start with one: The mid-1990s was also the time that Newt Gingrich became speaker of the House and Fox News got started. Back then, those who were on the more intelligent end of the conservative spectrum thought a magazine such as The Weekly Standard, a channel such as Fox and a guy like Gingrich would be complementary: The Standard would provide innovative ideas for Republican leaders like Gingrich, and Fox would popularize those ideas for right-of-center voters. It didn’t work out as planned. The supposed popularizers turned into angry populists. And the populists turned on the intellectuals.
P - To borrow Warren Buffett’s take about investing, the conservative movement went from innovation to imitation to idiocy. It’s how the movement embraced Donald Trump as a standard-bearer and role model. All the rest, as they say, is Commentary."
From the urban and rural divide to the partisan gulf, from religious groups to warring factions
on campuses, organizations and funders are cropping up with hope for common ground.
A recent weekend retreat of the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange in Campbellsville, Ky.
By Jonathan Weisman
Photographs by Jon Cherry For The New York Times
Jonathan Weisman reported from Campbellsville, Ky., Kalamazoo, Mich., and Chicago.
June 16, 2024 Updated 2:22 p.m. ET
Bernard Clay .. https://www.bernard-clay.com/ , a Black, middle-aged data analyst and poet from Louisville, Ky., was leery when he was thrown together with Shaelyn Bishop, a shy, white, young biologist who grew up on a family farm in rural Green County, Ky., 15 minutes from the closest town.
But over a structured brainstorming session in 2022, amid a weekend retreat with the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange, something clicked. Mr. Clay, 47, had a side project chronicling Kentucky’s Black Civil War veterans. Ms. Bishop, 34, during quiet hours alone studying the ecology of the Clay Hill Memorial Forest in Taylor County, Ky., had pondered the old stones that almost certainly marked the burial grounds of the once-enslaved, a forgotten memorial to a hidden past.
An effort was born — the Enslaved People of Clay Hill .. https://www.kyrux.org/blog/2024/2/15/ky-rux-microgrants-the-epoch-legacy-project , or EPOCH, Legacy Project — to officially recognize the burial ground. And a connection was made across the gulfs of race, age and geography.
The nation’s poisonous divisions, exacerbated by politicians, cable news and social media, and collectively known as the outrage industrial complex, have been much lamented. Less noticed is the counterweight, a constellation of nonprofits and other organizations like the Kentucky Rural Urban Exchange devoted to bridging divides — urban and rural, Black and white, L.G.B.T.Q. and straight, left and right. Call it the kumbaya industrial complex.
Less noticed than the nation’s poisonous divisions is the counterweight, a constellation of nonprofits like Kentucky RUX, devoted to bridging divides. Jon Cherry for The New York Times
The problem: The starkest divide — Trump-branded conservatism versus the rising political left — may be the one where no one is interested in reconciliation.
“We have to be focused on what we call the exhausted majority — that’s 65 percent of Americans,” said Stephen B. Heintz, the president and chief executive of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a major financial backer of the proliferating groups trying to promote common ground. “It’s just not an efficient use of time to convince true ideologues to compromise.”
On June 17, with the backing of Rockefeller Brothers, the MacArthur Foundation, the Emerson Collective and others, a new group, Trust for Civic Life .. https://www.trustforciviclife.org/ , will award its first $8 million to 20 civic groups judged the most promising in their efforts to rebuild community and reinforce democratic values. Another $2 million will come later in the year to meet the trust’s pledge of $10 million a year for community-level democracy efforts. In this case, “democracy” is with a small “d” — emphasizing efforts to shore up the values needed to promote democratic pluralism, without explicit mentions of Republicans or Democrats.
The first trust grants, selected from more than 60 organizations, will be announced in Boulder, Colo., at a Democracy Funders Strategy Summit .. https://www.democracyfundersnetwork.org/events/2024/6/17/democracy-funders-strategy-summit-june-16-18-2024-mp7cr .. on combating authoritarianism, more evidence that bridge-building has become the hot new concept in a country looking for hope.
Every year since Kentucky RUX was founded in 2014, about 60 people from across the state, and selected for the widest possible range of perspectives, have met for two weekends, one in a rural area. Jon Cherry for The New York Times
What was lacking in a cohort of would-be peacemakers was the ardent followers of former President Donald J. Trump who dominate Kentucky politics and appear to have little interest in the extended hands of the RUXers. Jon Cherry for The New York Times
In Minnesota, a fledgling Rural-Urban Exchange .. https://mnrux.org/ .. modeled on Kentucky’s is taking root. Braver Angels, a national organization .. https://braverangels.org/ , explicitly seeks to foster dialogue and respect across the political divide. The Lyceum Movement, hearkening back to early 19th-century efforts to forge communities in a new nation, is convening meetings and lectures in towns large and small in Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota, trying to stand in for local institutions like churches, newspapers and service societies that have atrophied, replaced by a national tribalism.
NewGround is expanding from its Los Angeles base to train facilitators who foster dialogue between Muslims and Jews at one of the most fraught moments in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And at colleges and universities cleaved by sharp-edged partisanship, BridgeUSA has established 65 chapters, hoping to make those who embrace dialogue the real campus radicals, not those who fall in line with the left or right, said Manu Meel, the organization’s chief executive.
Politics Across the United States
Western Governors’ Association: Marking its 40th anniversary in California, the organization did its best to maintain bipartisanship, a tradition that has long been its hallmark.
A Republican Election Clerk: Cindy Elgan has overseen elections in rural Nevada without incident for 20 years, but now even her neighbors wonder if she’s part of “the deep state cabal.”
Leaving Washington: A wave of retirees in the House from both parties, including committee chairs and rising stars, say that serving in Congress is
no longer worth the frustration.
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“If you’re a student, you need to feel that the way you earn credibility is to be a bridge builder, not a conflict entrepreneur,” Mr. Meel said.
Scaling up such efforts to make a noticeable difference, particularly in the political discourse, might feel like a pipe dream, when forces as big as Fox News, MSNBC, TikTok and YouTube — not to mention the tone of the nation’s leadership — push in the opposite direction. Organizers have struggled whenever one dominant political power is uninterested in meeting in the middle.
Kentucky RUX helped Bernard Clay, a data analyst and poet from Louisville, Ky., find a connection across the gulfs of race, age and geography. Jon Cherry for The New York Times
For BridgeUSA’s chapter at the University of California, Berkeley, that dominant power is the left. The organization began at Berkeley in 2017, after an attempted visit by the alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos had incited violent confrontations. Now, said Lucy Cox, a 20-year-old rising junior at Berkeley and the president of the school’s chapter, the hole in the group’s outreach comes from the left. BridgeBerkeley’s debates, discussions and social mixers attract conservative student groups.
“But we’ve had no luck in getting Cal Dems or the Young Democratic Socialists of America” — the largest political groups at Berkeley — “to any of these events,” she admitted.
Those groups see even listening to Trump-aligned conservatives as “platforming” evil, Ms. Cox added.
”I wish there were more people willing to hear everybody out,” she said. “I think it’s possible, but there are groups on campus that are unreachable right now.”
At the University of Colorado in progressive Boulder, BridgeUSA’s chapter is finding the opposite problem: Conservatives will not show up, said Abigail Schaller, 21, the chapter’s president. She hopes to have Republican speakers on campus next school year to assure that side of the divide that discourse can be empowering.
“This is a problem that has been 50 years in the making,” Mr. Heintz, the Rockefeller Brothers chief executive, said, “and it will not turn around overnight.”
Even with limitations, those involved say the effort is worth it, if only for their own sanity.
“Relationships are the root and the flower. They are the point at which social infrastructure creates infrastructure for anything to happen,” said Savannah Barrett, who co-founded Kentucky’s Rural-Urban Exchange in 2014, adding, “When you look for common ground you find it, but conversation can’t be about conversion.”
Relationships are “the point at which social infrastructure creates infrastructure for anything to happen,” said Savannah Barrett, who co-founded Kentucky’s Rural-Urban Exchange. Jon Cherry for The New York Times
“When you look for common ground you find it, but conversation can’t be about conversion,” Ms. Barrett added. Jon Cherry for The New York Times
Every year since then, a cohort of about 60 people, drawn from all over the state and selected for the widest possible range of perspectives, has met for two three-day weekends, one in a city, one in a rural area, with an optional weekend to follow.
A weekend in Campbellsville, Ky., in May highlighted the effort’s promise — and its shortcomings. There was no denying the eclectic nature of the group: Jody Dahmer, the non-binary urban gardener running for City Council in Louisville; Belle Townsend, the queer small-town poet fresh out of college; Mohammad Ahmad, the young, observant Muslim and Palestinian-American from a Cincinnati suburb; Darryl “Dee” Parker, the Black social and racial justice activist from Hazard, Ky.; and LaToya Drake, the Black woman from the small town of Glasgow, Ky., wondering if her love for rural Kentucky was requited.
What was lacking in a self-selected cohort of would-be peacemakers was the ardent followers of former President Donald J. Trump who dominate Kentucky politics and appear to have little interest in the extended hands of the RUXers.
Bob Foshee, a 71-year-old retired educator from Louisville and the resident curmudgeon of the 2024 cohort, produced a handwritten breakdown he compiled of the 2020 vote for Mr. Trump and President Biden in the counties around Campbellsville University, which hosted the RUX weekend. Taylor County broke 75 percent for Mr. Trump and 24 percent for Mr. Biden. Green County broke 83-16. Casey County, 87-13.
Even with the limitations of the bridge-building’s efforts, those involved say the effort is worth it, if only for their own sanity. Jon Cherry for The New York Times
Yet among discussions of an unrecognized Black past, gratitude for the safety that RUX provided for Kentucky’s queer community and methodical brainstorming sessions to encourage leadership and entrepreneurship, the politics clearly weighing on Mr. Foshee seemed to be off limits.
“The gentle approach that this program has doesn’t attempt to pierce to the quick,” Mr. Foshee said.
To Ms. Townsend, 23, Campbellsville University has a particular meaning. Max Wise, an alumnus and a former professor at the university, is the town’s state senator and the author of Kentucky’s sweeping anti-transgender law .. https://www.lpm.org/news/2023-03-16/update-kentucky-house-republicans-quickly-pass-new-version-of-anti-transgender-legislation .. that passed last year. He tried this year to outlaw diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools, colleges and universities.
Yet his name never came up during the weekend at Campbellsville.
Ms. Townsend, who is also a baker .. https://belletownsend.com/ .. and a former tracker for the Kentucky Democratic Party, can be fierce. Her hometown in Western Kentucky, Robards, population 500, was not exactly open to her feelings on gender and sexuality, she said.
Still, she did not lament the lack of conversation on the anti-L.G.B.T.Q. politics of the Kentucky G.O.P.
It was impossible to deny the eclectic nature of the Kentucky RUX group. Jon Cherry for The New York Times
The recent gathering of Kentucky RUX included brainstorming sessions to encourage leadership and entrepreneurship. Jon Cherry for The New York Times
“That lets them drive the narrative,” she said.
That appears to be a recurring issue in the bridge-building movement.
One Saturday afternoon in Michigan in late April, under the fluorescent lights of the Kalamazoo Public Library’s third-floor meeting room, about 40 Western Michiganders, none of whom appeared to come from Michigan’s prominent far right, gathered for a meeting of the Kalamazoo Lyceum.
Lyceums began in the early 19th century .. https://www.lyceummovement.org/our-vision .. to bring the brightest minds to small towns and rural lecture halls in the hope of bringing all citizens of the fledgling American democracy into the communal conversation. By the outbreak of the Civil War, around 3,000 lyceums dotted the American landscape.
“The problem is real, but I don’t think bemoaning it is useful,” said Nathan Beacom, the executive director of that movement’s reincarnation .. https://www.lyceummovement.org/ , who was in Kalamazoo that afternoon, regretting how the profusion of Little Leagues in the Des Moines of his youth had shriveled to one as parents put their children into paid traveling leagues more concerned about achievement on the ball field than community in the stands.
But, he added, “I don’t think the answer is talking about politics more. I think it’s talking about politics less.”
The gathering then broke into smaller clusters to discuss community, belonging and communal accountability.
“To me, this is just an enjoyable activity. I would rather do this than golf,” said Reid Williams, a writer and editor at a new nonprofit local news outlet, NowKalamazoo.
One financial backer of the groups trying to promote common ground said, “We have to be focused on what we call the exhausted majority.” Jon Cherry for The New York Times
Ben Tillinghast, a young law student at Notre Dame who drove up from South Bend, Ind., where he has participated in the lyceum there, to experience Kalamazoo’s version, was realistic. A Lyceum gathering, he said, is “not the magic pill that’s going to fix society’s problems.”
Society’s problems, no, but individuals’ shortcomings, perhaps. For Ms. Bishop, the young woman who participated in Kentucky’s Rural-Urban Exchange, the work has been a source of personal strength. From the beginning of her partnership with Mr. Clay, she said she wondered whether she was the person to try to shed light on a forgotten slave burial ground. But Mr. Clay had been firm, she said: “Shaelyn, we can do this.”
He has been poring over the archives of the antebellum Sanders plantation, chronicling the names of the enslaved. The two have enlisted archaeologists for an initial examination of the burial site. She is pressing to join the board of the Clay Hill Memorial Forest, so that they can carve out that small piece of the forest preserve to be cleaned, marked and honored.
“I’m most comfortable in the forest alone than talking to people,” she allowed. “But that’s the power of RUX. It’s been life-changing to me.”
At least one participant in Kentucky RUX has said the experience has been “life-changing.” Jon Cherry for The New York Times
Jonathan Weisman is a politics writer, covering campaigns with an emphasis on
economic and labor policy. He is based in Chicago. More about Jonathan Weisman
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/16/us/politics/national-divisions.html
Why not, eh. While one of them is walking Ollie i sometimes bump into them while walking me.
It's easy to understand why owls could be taught so much, they naturally say, who...
The difficulty of defining or measuring intelligence in non-human animals makes the subject difficult to study scientifically in birds. In general, birds have relatively large brains compared to their head size. Furthermore, bird brains have two-to-four times the neuron packing density of mammal brains, for higher overall efficiency. The visual and auditory senses are well developed in most species, though the tactile and olfactory senses are well realized only in a few groups. Birds communicate using visual signals as well as through the use of calls and song. The testing of intelligence in birds is therefore usually based on studying responses to sensory stimuli.
The corvids (ravens, crows, jays, magpies, etc.) and psittacines (parrots, macaws, and cockatoos) are often considered the most intelligent birds, and are among the most intelligent animals in general. Pigeons, finches, domestic fowl, and birds of prey have also been common subjects of intelligence studies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_intelligence
OOps. Anywho it's a hoot.
conix, Nicer people get more accommodating treatment. That's a 2nd
comment on moderation post you have gotten away with. Don't push it.
Because of your antagonistic approach, you are still considered a troll here.
Good luck.
Guess it is about time i learned how to do that here again. He is white and fluffy. Name is Ollie. Will consider.
Know you wanted a younger raven, but hadn't heard it for so long
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe - Quoth the Raven, Nevermore - Poetry for Kids, FreeSchool
Super. Must be decades ago i read, the only solution for the homeless is a home.
"“We’re able to meet every level of the hierarchy of needs — from security and shelter, all the way
up to self-actualization and the sense of community,” said Peter Cumiskey, the Atlanta site clinician."
Your - https://apnews.com/article/micro-communities-shipping-container-atlanta-denver-homelessness-63f675d418bd1af6da74f26f4c320324?user_email=4246ebdef5b4682c1bdc4b6c0757b538b4bdbeaf7f5569390351f7129c225189&utm_medium=Morning_Wire&utm_source=Sailthru_AP&utm_campaign=SundayMorningWire_June16_2024&utm_term=Morning%20Wire%20Subscribers
A new couple a couple of doors up now have a cavoodle. Talk about happy friendly!! They're my favorite
dog now just because he jumps for joy when he sees me. Have been suckered, but i love it.
Good luck to all on Bryson. Good pick.
First i've heard of it, just from this one ..
https://www.espn.com.au/golf/story/_/id/40105868/rory-mcilroy-rejoin-pga-tour-board-pushback ..
it feels Rory may have moved from the loudest voice against to a more conciliatory position now than some others.
No idea, just a guess.
LOLOLOL And you should have seen the look on the obnoxious guest's face.
"After all, they need to be capable of learning the skills they need to survive in the wild. They can alter
those skills to help them with life with humans. And probably they think we're dumb about many things."
Yep, we think we know all about them but how do we really know how much they know.
Damn. Would be more concerned if a friend wasn't in and out
with pneumonia as often as she is. Hope it clears quickly, zab.
It's why i don't bother mentioning that stuff either. On checking mine i've found my favorite mistakes are teh for the and you for your. I use small i except sometimes at the beginning of sentences because it feels more comfortable for me to minimize the i. i jay-walk wherever it's convenient too.
Yep. We should have gone past them before now .. some possible substitutes for PFAS
https://dtsc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/05/Public-PFAS-Treatments-Alternatives-Summary_accessible.pdf
Yeah. And, fair go, it takes more effort to post a dead link than a live one.
You didn't elect the person who created the car you risk your life in. blackhawks covered your elected model do-gooder Trump.
You're right, i got Alex and Jane mixed. Not this time though
LOLOL i think you got some pronouns mixed up there too. I think.
Yep. Sadly about all your conservatives, and ours now they are
copying Trump's GOP, come up these days is what you say - bull waste.
Or you could fire her up. You don't want to control her though...
Lets call it .. PFRMA. I have mine, what's yours. It's topical as per my article, and you guys's sentiments. It's responsible.
As long as we don't interfere unreasonably adversely with anyone else, why can't we be what we feel most comfortable as. Exactly.
Two things too often get in the way - ideology and religion. Up to watch the hockey game.
Thousands Of Swedes Are Inserting Microchips Under Their Skin
"What It’s like to Live with a Brain Chip, according to Neuralink’s First User
"First human receives Neuralink brain chip implant, Elon Musk says""
October 22, 2018 10:48 AM ET
Heard on All Things Considered
By Maddy Savage
Transcript
Jowan Osterlund holds a microchip implant in Stockholm in 2017. His company, Biohax International, is a leading provider of the devices in Sweden. James Brooks/AP
Technology continues to get closer and closer to our bodies, from the phones in our pockets to the smartwatches on our wrists. Now, for some people, it's getting under their skin.
In Sweden, a country rich with technological advancement, thousands have had microchips inserted into their hands.
The chips are designed to speed up users' daily routines and make their lives more convenient — accessing their homes, offices and gyms is as easy as swiping their hands against digital readers.
They also can be used to store emergency contact details, social media profiles or e-tickets for events and rail journeys within Sweden.
The Two-Way
Wisconsin Company Offers To Implant Chips In Its Employees
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/07/25/539265157/wisconsin-company-plans-to-start-implanting-chips-in-its-employees
Proponents of the tiny chips say they're safe and largely protected from hacking, but one scientist is raising privacy concerns around the kind of personal health data that might be stored on the devices.
Around the size of a grain of rice, the chips typically are inserted into the skin just above each user's thumb, using a syringe similar to that used for giving vaccinations. The procedure costs about $180.
So many Swedes are lining up to get the microchips that the country's main chipping company says it can't keep up with the number of requests.
All Tech Considered
'Body Hacking' Movement Rises Ahead Of Moral Answers
https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/03/10/468556420/body-hacking-movement-rises-ahead-of-moral-answers
More than 4,000 Swedes have adopted the technology, with one company, Biohax Internationa .. https://www.biohax.tech/ , dominating the market. The chipping firm was started five years ago by Jowan Osterlund, a former professional body piercer.
After spending the past two years working full time on the project, he is currently developing training materials so he can hire Swedish doctors and nurses to help take on some of his heavy workload.
"Having different cards and tokens verifying your identity to a bunch of different systems just doesn't make sense," he says. "Using a chip means that the hyper-connected surroundings that you live in every day can be streamlined."
Erik Frisk, a Web developer and designer, uses his implanted chip to unlock his office door in Stockholm. Maddy Savage for NPR
Many early adopters come from Stockholm's thriving startup scene. Erik Frisk, a 30-year-old Web developer and designer, says he was really curious about the technology as soon as he heard about it and decided to get his own chip in 2014.
"It's just completely passive, it has no energy source or anything. So when you tap it against a reader, the chip sends back an ID that tells the reader which chip it is," he explains.
"Swedes are very pragmatic and the chip is useful ... and since a lot of people know each other in the tech community — it's very tight — [the trend has] been spreading and people have seen the benefits," Frisk says.
When Frisk moved into a shared house earlier this year, he organized a chipping party for his new housemates. Now they can access the 16th century building they share in Stockholm's Old Town by tapping their hands on a digital reader by the door.
Asia
India's Biometric ID System Has Led To Starvation For Some Poor, Advocates Say
https://www.npr.org/2018/10/01/652513097/indias-biometric-id-system-has-led-to-starvation-for-some-poor-advocates-say
"The chip basically solves my problems," says Szilvia Varszegi, 28, who also uses it to get into her coworking space.
And she uses it to share her LinkedIn details at networking events, avoiding the need to spell out her name. She simply touches another attendee's smartphone and the information is transferred. "When another phone reads the chip, they see the [link] and they can open it in the phone browser," Varszegi explains.
Sweden's largest train company has started allowing commuters to use chips instead of tickets .. https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/sj-rail-train-tickets-hand-implant-microchip-biometric-sweden-a7793641.html , and there's talk that the chips could soon be used to make payments in shops and restaurants.
All Tech Considered
There Are Plenty Of RFID-Blocking Products, But Do You Need Them?
https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2017/07/04/535518514/there-are-plenty-of-rfid-blocking-products-but-do-you-need-them
"I see no problem for [it] becoming mainstream. I think it's something that can seriously make people's lives better," Varszegi says.
Osterlund believes there are two key reasons microchips have taken off in Sweden. First, the country has a long history of embracing new technologies before many others and is quickly moving toward becoming a cashless society.
In the 1990s, the Swedish government invested in providing fast Internet services for its citizens and gave tax breaks to companies that provided their workers with home computers. And well-known tech names such as Skype and Spotify have Swedish roots.
Politics
Facial Scanning Now Arriving At U.S. Airports
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/16/593989347/facial-scanning-now-arriving-at-u-s-airports
"The more you hear about technology, the more you learn about technology, the less apprehensive you get about technology," Osterlund says.
Only 1 in 4 people living in Sweden uses cash at least once a week. And, according to the country's central bank, the Riksbank, the proportion of retail cash transactions has dropped from around 40 percent in 2010 to about 15 percent today.
Osterlund's second theory is that Swedes are less concerned about data privacy than people in other countries, thanks to a high level of trust for Swedish companies, banks, large organizations and government institutions.
Swedes are used to sharing personal information, with many online purchases and administrative bodies requiring their social security numbers. Mobile phone numbers are widely available in online search databases, and people can easily look up each other's salaries by calling the tax authority.
Osterlund implants a chip into a man in Stockholm. More than 4,000 Swedes have adopted the technology. Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images
Osterlund says personal microchips are actually more difficult to hack than many other data sources because they are stored beneath the skin.
"Everything is hackable. But the reason to hack them will never be bigger because it's a microchip. It's harder for someone to get to, since you put it in you," he says.
There are few vocal critics of Sweden's microchip trend, and there is currently no national legislation regulating the growing industry.
However, Ben Libberton, a British scientist based in southern Sweden, is among those starting to campaign for lawmakers to keep a closer eye on developments.
"What is happening now is relatively safe. But if it's used everywhere, if every time you want to do something and instead of using a card you use your chip, it could be very, very easy to let go of [personal] information," he says.
All Tech Considered
3 Things You Should Know About Europe's Sweeping New Data Privacy Law
https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2018/05/24/613983268/a-cheat-sheet-on-europe-s-sweeping-privacy-law
Libberton, a trained microbiologist now working in science communication, says one of his main concerns is how the chips could be used to share data about our physical health and bodily functions.
"Because it's implanted in your body, when more health-related information starts being used and incorporated into the chip and being transmitted — that could create an extra layer of privacy that we really need to look at and take care of before it's widely used," he says.
Despite these concerns, there seems to be no letup in the trend. One coworking space and innovation hub in Stockholm is holding a large implant party this month where a tech startup, DSruptive, is promising to reveal "the next generation consumer-level implant." The device will include 2KB of memory — double that of earlier implants — a range of new functions and an LED light designed to improve privacy by blinking if someone tries to read or access an implant.
Osterlund says the tougher data-privacy rules that came into effect across the European Union earlier this year, as part of the General Data Protection Regulation .. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679&from=EN , could also help the microchip trend spread more rapidly.
All Tech Considered
How An Edible Battery Could Power Medical Robots You Swallow
https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/08/31/491947946/how-an-edible-battery-could-power-medical-robots-you-swallow
"It's the heaviest set of laws protecting individual integrity ever," he says of the rules, which affect any organization handling personal information linked to EU residents.
But Osterlund says the fact that this kind of regulation does not exist on a global level could delay the microchip trend elsewhere.
"I have a hard time seeing the rest of the world following GDPR anytime soon. But at least all of Europe — I mean one continent — it's a good beginning," he says.
https://www.npr.org/2018/10/22/658808705/thousands-of-swedes-are-inserting-microchips-under-their-skin