JMA-PSOS ([personal profile] ionelv) wrote2020-12-30 10:55 am
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China's rise and papist dream

The Snapchat boss opined on China's rise. I have two comments on that:
1. Government heavy investment in infrastructure and research does pay off.
2. Minimal economic drag from short-term return spending (e.g. outsized military spending, heavy and growing rent seeking sectors such as govt, lawyers, lobbyists, police, hedge funds, banks, general middlemen layers that add little value) has a multiplier effect.

I dreamt about an interaction with the pope of which I remember two scenes:
1. I went into a heavily fortified castle in which I met a bunch of armoured guards and an armoured very rotund pope. They all had round helmets with 2+ ft long pole atop their helmets with a small cross on top. The pole length varied.
2. A cardinal taking a bath was whipping someone trying to extract some secrets. Also, a jet of water was continuously hitting the captive washing away the blood of his whipped back.