https://uk.news.yahoo.com/u-send-250-million-weapons-180753693.html

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Tuesday it will send an additional $250 million in weapons and ammunition to Ukraine as part of its ongoing support of Kyiv’s counteroffensive.

The weapons will be drawn from existing U.S. stockpiles and will include mine-clearing equipment, artillery and rocket rounds, ambulances and medical gear, among other items and spare parts, according to the State Department.

“The package will help Ukrainian forces on the battlefield and support its air defenses as Russia continues to launch brutal, brutal strikes against the people of Ukraine, including attacks this past week,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.

The State Department said the package contained AIM-9M missiles for air defense, High Mobility Artillery Rocket System munitions, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition and more than 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition.

Good thing they found the bookkeeping error /S

The U.S. would have already run out of funding for the year to provide additional stockpile equipment to Ukraine but earlier this year realized the Pentagon had overvalued the equipment it had already sent, which freed up an additional $6.2 billion in funding.

Ukraine has already received more than $43 billion from the U.S. since Russia invaded last year. Those funds have provided weapons systems like howitzers and millions of rounds of ammunition to fight back against the much larger Russian military. Due to the intense and bloody land war, now in its 18th month, much of the ammunition and weaponry has already been used up.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/japan-warns-china-of-wto-action-as-fukushima...

Bloomberg) -- Japan may take World Trade Organization action against China, which banned all Japanese seafood imports in response to Tokyo’s release of treated wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Tuesday the country will take any necessary action at the WTO or other frameworks over China’s move. He also confirmed that a brick was hurled at the Japanese embassy in Beijing, adding to reports of harassment faced by Japanese people and businesses in China.

The Chinese government has staunchly opposed Tokyo’s plan to discharge treated water from the ruined Fukushima nuclear plant even though Japan says it’s safe — a view backed by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Japan started the release last Thursday, sparking retaliation from Chinese authorities.

There’s also been anger and calls for boycotts of Japanese products on Chinese social media. The embassy and schools across China have experienced some sort of harassment, according to a Japanese government official who declined to be named discussing the sensitive issue.

People threw eggs at the embassy building in Beijing, the official said. Others held impromptu protests outside. The mission received several nuisance calls, and received an anonymous delivery of two baskets of chrysanthemums, according to the official. The flowers in Japan are associated with funerals.

but I'm sure that is unduly sardonic. You cannot corner the market in anything, so yu are at the risk of the market in everything. Me too.

be well and have a good one

Like you and your brother, I too am wondering what to do with what few extra dollars I have. I'm looking into putting it into tangible assets like gold or other precious metals that tend to hold their value over time.

The Great Philosophical texts of China all have a subtle focus in common. They describe the characteristics of an Enlightened Leader and discuss the qualities to look for, should one come along in one's lifetime: An Enlightened Leader leads the way rather than ruling. He sees far into the future and shares that vision with the People. In time, the People take the lead to achieve great accomplishments, themselves. The People find fulfillment and shared satisfaction in what they complete, and are empowered to continue good works that benefit everyone. The greatest Leaders are invisible and the People believe they did it all themselves.

These philosophical works reach back to the very beginnings of Chinese civilization. They remind readers that an Enlightened Leader is a very rare thing, and one may not appear for many lifetimes. So they teach the people how to recognize such a Leader when one does come along. An Enlightened Leader considers the needs of all people, near and far, and concerns himself with harmonious co-existance and shared achievements.

Are we living through a period where an Enlightened Leader has emerged? Xi Jinping is now 70 years old, and writes a record of his experiences every day, When Xi was 11 years old, his family lost everything during the Cultural Revolution, and moved to a rural hamlet. Xi had to work hard and compete with other Chinese students through the National Exams to win a spot in college. He ultimately received a doctorate in government affairs from a prestigious university in Beijing.

After working for government in many different parts of China, Xi Jinping eventually returned to Beijing and Shanghai to work on national policy and international affairs. He was eventually elected President in 2012 by China's parliament. Politicians in China's communist party are servants of the Chinese People. They are not billionaires. Croneyism, nepotism, and bribery in government are heavily punished in modern China. Xi Jinping earns a relatively modest salary and is listed as one of the five lowest paid presidents in the world.

::

There are several, insane, wild eyed, neocon biographies out there right now that demonizes Xi Jinping as a corrupt dictator — which is laughable to anyone who knows how China's vast democratic government operates. These screeds all borrow fictitious details and lies from each other to establish a 'verified' narrative. Xi's life and that of his wife, who was the more well-known of the two for many years, is quite transparent. You can easily rise above the propaganda if you wish. Their daughter, who just graduated from Harvard, does keep a lower profile. Coincidently, Xi has just published his very first biography this month, which is also a matter of public record and the consensus of the thousands who have been part of his life. The biography is being released in dozens of languages simultaneously

Don't get bamboozled like the rest of the West. We need truth-tellers, too. Truth is the only thing that will save this planet, and it is almost unknown in the West.

Have you thought about using, maybe you already use, an investment service/company? I don't have a lot of money, but what I do have I invest with Ameriprise. Now, my advisor is really good, and really likes the little guy, so the lower limit on investment amount is like, 10k. Other places have much higher 'lower' limits, like 100k.

Anyway, my investments with ameriprise make enough interest that I haven't had to liquidate any of them, at least, yet.

Just a thought