Jasper Rocket
@jasper-rocket.bsky.social
Waiting for you in the Chestnut Tree Cafe, perusing my well-worn copy of The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism.
Following the currents of China (Beijing), Japan, SE Asia, and U.S. news and politics.
Following the currents of China (Beijing), Japan, SE Asia, and U.S. news and politics.
Which city got the FIFA Prize for Physics? Economics?
December 6, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Which city got the FIFA Prize for Physics? Economics?
Reposted by Jasper Rocket
Gotta love descendants of immigrants gettin' all anti-immigrant n' fashy cuz they got made fun of in school cafeteria.
www.politico.com/magazine/sto...
www.politico.com/magazine/sto...
Stephen Miller Is an Immigration Hypocrite. I Know Because I’m His Uncle.
If my nephew’s ideas on immigration had been in force a century ago, our family would have been wiped out.
www.politico.com
November 28, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Gotta love descendants of immigrants gettin' all anti-immigrant n' fashy cuz they got made fun of in school cafeteria.
www.politico.com/magazine/sto...
www.politico.com/magazine/sto...
Reposted by Jasper Rocket
Alternate take if you are not a Trump toady like Judge Winebox: Performative militarization of a relatively safe city — extremely so around the White House — puts lives unnecessarily at risk. This avoidable tragedy all falls on the administration.
Pirro: "These Guardsmen and all who are here to protect the District are the line that separates a civilized society from a barbaric one."
November 28, 2025 at 3:03 AM
Alternate take if you are not a Trump toady like Judge Winebox: Performative militarization of a relatively safe city — extremely so around the White House — puts lives unnecessarily at risk. This avoidable tragedy all falls on the administration.
There is no longer any “We came here the right way.”
“It’s insane to have them rip our family apart.” Federal agents are arresting the foreign spouses of Americans during interviews at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices. The couples and their lawyers said they had followed the required steps to secure permanent residency.
For Spouses of U.S. Citizens, Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs
Agents are arresting foreign-born spouses when they report for the final step to obtain permanent residency, and charging them with visa violations that could result in deportation.
nyti.ms
November 27, 2025 at 12:59 AM
There is no longer any “We came here the right way.”
They could’ve remained an example of how things should be done, but these are not such times.
Instead they’re more and more like China every day. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve had to pay foreigner prices at a tourist site in Asia…
Instead they’re more and more like China every day. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve had to pay foreigner prices at a tourist site in Asia…
National Parks to raise fees for international tourists to U.S. parks : NPR
Visitors visit Mather Point in Grand Canyon National Park on October 1, 2025 in Grand Canyon, Ariz. Ross D. Franklin/AP hide caption toggle caption Ross D. Franklin/AP WASHINGTON — The National Park Service said Tuesday it…
Visitors visit Mather Point in Grand Canyon National Park on October 1, 2025 in Grand Canyon, Ariz. Ross D. Franklin/AP hide caption toggle caption Ross D. Franklin/AP WASHINGTON — The National Park Service said Tuesday it…
National Parks to raise fees for international tourists to U.S. parks : NPR
Visitors visit Mather Point in Grand Canyon National Park on October 1, 2025 in Grand Canyon, Ariz. Ross D. Franklin/AP hide caption toggle caption Ross D. Franklin/AP WASHINGTON — The National Park Service said Tuesday it is going to start charging the millions of international tourists who visit U.S. parks each year an extra $100 for admission to some of the most popular sites, while excluding them from fee-free days reserved for U.S. residents. The "America-first admission fee policies" have been announced as national parks grapple with the stress of major staff reductions and severe budget cuts, as well as recovering from losses suffered during the recent government shutdown and significant revenue losses due to fees not being collected during that time.
cnznews.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:56 AM
They could’ve remained an example of how things should be done, but these are not such times.
Instead they’re more and more like China every day. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve had to pay foreigner prices at a tourist site in Asia…
Instead they’re more and more like China every day. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve had to pay foreigner prices at a tourist site in Asia…
Reposted by Jasper Rocket
Doesn't seem like great news for Germany
Volkswagen has said it can produce an electric vehicle entirely made in China for half the cost of doing so elsewhere, as the German automaker fights to reclaim its share in the world’s biggest market.
Volkswagen has said it can produce an electric vehicle entirely made in China for half the cost of doing so elsewhere, as the German automaker fights to reclaim its share in the world’s biggest market.
VW says it can halve EV development costs with ‘Made in China’ car
German automaker is seeking to reclaim share in the world’s biggest market
on.ft.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:29 AM
Doesn't seem like great news for Germany
Volkswagen has said it can produce an electric vehicle entirely made in China for half the cost of doing so elsewhere, as the German automaker fights to reclaim its share in the world’s biggest market.
Volkswagen has said it can produce an electric vehicle entirely made in China for half the cost of doing so elsewhere, as the German automaker fights to reclaim its share in the world’s biggest market.
Mamdani’s reach has grown long indeed if people think action can solve problems. 🤔
The goal is for the store to become profitable without any government subsidy within three years. www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
Inside Atlanta’s First Government-Funded Supermarket
www.wsj.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Mamdani’s reach has grown long indeed if people think action can solve problems. 🤔
I hadn’t even realized that the ever lifted the embargo. I guess they did-didn’t?
[Queue seafood sellers frantically relabeling products as coming from the Diaoyu Islands.]
[Queue seafood sellers frantically relabeling products as coming from the Diaoyu Islands.]
China informed Japan that it will ban all imports of Japanese seafood, media outlets reported on November 19, in what appeared to be the latest salvo in an escalating diplomatic dispute between Asia's top two economies reut.rs/43FVDAR
November 20, 2025 at 4:21 AM
I hadn’t even realized that the ever lifted the embargo. I guess they did-didn’t?
[Queue seafood sellers frantically relabeling products as coming from the Diaoyu Islands.]
[Queue seafood sellers frantically relabeling products as coming from the Diaoyu Islands.]
Surprise!
The people who make Shein's clothes labor for ten to twelve hours per day (in violation of China's labor laws), some up to seven days a week, and earn as little as 15 to 30 cents per t-shirt.
![Excerpt from a BBC article: ""We usually work, 10, 11 or 12 hours a day," says a 49-year-old woman from Jiangxi unwilling to give her name. "On Sundays we work around three hours less."
She is in an alleyway, where a dozen people are huddled around a row of bulletin boards.
They are reading the job ads on the board, while examining the stitching on a pair of chinos draped over it.
This is Shein's supply chain. The factories are contracted to make clothes on order - some small, some big. If the chinos are a hit, orders will ramp up and so must production. Factories then hire temporary workers to meet the demand their permanent staff cannot fulfil.
The migrant worker from Jiangxi is looking for a short-term contract - and the chinos are an option.
"We earn so little. The cost of living is now so high," she says, adding that she hopes to make enough to send back to her two children who are living with their grandparents.
"We get paid per piece," she explains. "It depends how difficult the item is. Something simple like a t-shirt is one-two yuan [less than a dollar] per piece and I can make around a dozen in an hour.""](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ks3gpa6ftoyaq7hmf6c4qx4c/bafkreiber7g4o5pujmzmjjzsp5dkz7blfexburuwjispfpv6dki7akjb7a@jpeg)
November 20, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Surprise!
Reposted by Jasper Rocket
Easier than you think!
November 20, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Easier than you think!
Reposted by Jasper Rocket
We should get serious about sanctions. Russian missiles that kill Ukrainian civilians contain parts made in the West. And this repeated mass murder of civilians by Moscow should bring total boycotts on Russian gas and oil. And the Ukrainians should get everything they need to defend themselves
16 people were killed and 49 injured after russia’s strike on Ternopil. Missiles and drones hit 2 residential buildings and damaged an industrial facility. Rescue workers are still clearing the rubble. u24.gov.ua/nafo-dark-ni...
November 20, 2025 at 2:30 AM
We should get serious about sanctions. Russian missiles that kill Ukrainian civilians contain parts made in the West. And this repeated mass murder of civilians by Moscow should bring total boycotts on Russian gas and oil. And the Ukrainians should get everything they need to defend themselves
They’re offering a full refund OR a free flight change within three days of the original booking. THREE DAYS? 🤣🤣🤣
www.firstpost.com/world/chines...
www.firstpost.com/world/chines...
www.firstpost.com
November 15, 2025 at 10:57 AM
They’re offering a full refund OR a free flight change within three days of the original booking. THREE DAYS? 🤣🤣🤣
www.firstpost.com/world/chines...
www.firstpost.com/world/chines...
This may be the only policy I’ve seen in recent years that’s actually likely to boost domestic consumption in China.
China has advised its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan, following a diplomatic feud sparked by comments by Tokyo's new premier about a hypothetical attack on Taiwan. In full: buff.ly/p03zzWc
China tells citizens to avoid Japan travel as Taiwan row grows
China has advised its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan, following a diplomatic feud sparked by comments by Tokyo's new premier about a hypothetical attack on Taiwan.
buff.ly
November 15, 2025 at 8:18 AM
This may be the only policy I’ve seen in recent years that’s actually likely to boost domestic consumption in China.
“Sorry, we’re busy taking other rights away at the moment. We’ll come back to this later.”
BREAKING: The Supreme Court rejects a call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.
Supreme Court rejects call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide
The Supreme Court has rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
bit.ly
November 11, 2025 at 1:48 AM
“Sorry, we’re busy taking other rights away at the moment. We’ll come back to this later.”
She’ll make the Shaheen Healthcare Cuts permanent.
No words
My senator is speaking like she just suffered a major head injury and thinks it's 1993
My senator is speaking like she just suffered a major head injury and thinks it's 1993
November 11, 2025 at 12:08 AM
She’ll make the Shaheen Healthcare Cuts permanent.
The only better than a disastrously crap movie is a really big disastrously crap movie.
Can’t wait for the next Ant Man or whatever. 🍿
Can’t wait for the next Ant Man or whatever. 🍿
IMAX’s global screens are a hot commodity, outperforming a box office that has been in the doldrums for years, and filmmakers are fighting to land them far in advance. 🔗 on.wsj.com/3JxV7OB
November 8, 2025 at 1:52 PM
The only better than a disastrously crap movie is a really big disastrously crap movie.
Can’t wait for the next Ant Man or whatever. 🍿
Can’t wait for the next Ant Man or whatever. 🍿
The Mad Max films got this so wrong. 🤔
Australia has so much electricity from solar power that it is going to start offering free electricity to everyone for at least three hours during the day as the wholesale price of power goes negative
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
Australia has so much solar that it's offering everyone free electricity
Australia's extensive solar power penetration makes so much energy that the government wants to offer free electricity at peak hours.
electrek.co
November 7, 2025 at 5:44 AM
The Mad Max films got this so wrong. 🤔
How many of Tesla’s Chinese competitors have a part time CEO?
Tesla shareholders have approved a pay package that could make CEO Elon Musk, already the world’s richest person, the world’s first trillionaire. https://cnn.it/43KZnkA
November 7, 2025 at 5:35 AM
How many of Tesla’s Chinese competitors have a part time CEO?
Bro got Ross Perot’ed by Sliwa. 🤔
November 6, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Bro got Ross Perot’ed by Sliwa. 🤔
Could use a fellow like Earl these days.
November 2, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Could use a fellow like Earl these days.
He’s still rich and he’s not in prison.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
News Analysis: A series of scandals tarnished Prince Andrew’s reputation, long before he gave up using his title as Duke of York on Friday. But losing the title is a particularly bitter blow, royal watchers say.
For Prince Andrew, a Steady Fall From Grace Ends in a Hard Landing
A parade of scandals tarnished the prince’s reputation, long before he gave up using his title as Duke of York on Friday.
nyti.ms
October 19, 2025 at 12:14 AM
He’s still rich and he’s not in prison.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯