What do you think about the trade war raised by Mr. Trump?
Right now it’s tit for tat: we lay a $50M tariff on China; China lays a $50M tariff on the US. Rinse. Cycle. Repeat.I haven’t yet heard any of the talking heads commenting that China is the third biggest buyer (after the US and Japan) of US Bonds that the US issues every year to finance our budget deficits.On November 7, 2016, the US had a combined total gross national debt of $19.8 trillion (about 6% higher than the previous year.)As of December 2017, $6.3 trillion or approximately 45% of the debt held by the public was owned by foreign investors, the largest of which were Japan (about $1.06 trillion) and China (about $1.18 trillion).[NOTE: the two above cited amounts and distribution of the national debt don’t jibe—blame WIKI.]Putting aside the inconsistencies above, what do you suppose will happen if the Chinese don’t show up at the next US Bond auction or, worse, start cashing in debt they already own ? Blow a hole in the budget, maybe? The US will either have to radically cut programs—bye, bye SSI, Medicare; medicaid; hello, Ayn Rand—and have to print more money and buy even more of its own debt [See “biggest buyer (after the US and Japan) of US Bonds” above.] Printing money willy nilly is not a good idea. And the US already prints and borrows too much money.For the full fiscal year, Treasury now projects the annual deficit will near $833 billion, and then $984 billion in fiscal 2019. [US monthly deficit largest in 6 years] If China doesn’t buy our debt, those numbers only get worse.Stop worrying about higher prices for electronics, steel, aluminum, et al. Doomsday scenario? hyperinflation, recession, falling value of the US dollar making our balance of trade even worse, and devaluing US Bonds already held by other entities resulting in further diplomatic fallout with China and with all the other buyers of US debt. All of it making things even harder to finance our deficits. A vicious cycle.We need someone with serious economics chops to fill this out; I can’t go any further using what I know (or lack thereof.) It’s not pretty.
I need rules for a game called Big Bertha, Rummy 13 or Aggravation Rummy?
In the game there are 12 steps to complete the game ranging from the first step ot 2 sets of three to the 12th step of a run of 12. Can't seem to find rules for this game anywhere or even one similar to it. You use as many decks as there are people playing, with jokers and deuces acting as wild cards. You must complete a step before moving on to the next one.
Is a Pakistani cricketer allowed to play in IPL?
Yes, Pakistani cricketers are allowed to play in the IPL. There has never been an official ban. The sequence of events is as follows:1. The Pakistani players participated in the first IPL in 2008.2. After the Mumbai 26/11 attack, the Pakistani government banned its players from participating in IPL 2009 (Pakistan blocks its players from IPL ).3. The IPL franchises replaced them with players from other countries.4. IPL 2009 was moved to South Africa because of the Indian elections. The Pakistani government's ban no longer applied, but the IPL teams were unable to use the Pakistani players because of the alternative arrangements made.5. In IPL 2010, the Pakistani players were deemed to be eligible for the auction by the IPL management, but none of the franchises selected them. One reason proferred was that the IPL teams were unwilling to spend the extra amount needed to ensure the security of Pakistani players. Also, the Indo-Pak problems (terrorist attacks, border skirmishes etc. ) that crop up from time to time might make it difficult for a Pakistani player to be fielded by the team, thus making them a huge risk. A conspiracy theory was floated that it was a vast plot to keep Pakistan out, though it wasn't explained as to why they had to go through this elaborate charade instead to just having the management say no to them.6. Since then, no Pakistan player has been considered by any IPL team even though the IPL management has not officially banned them. It is easier for support members such as as umpires to be used as they can be replaced at a moment's notice if there are problems. In the worst case, they can act as 3rd umpires and no one would notice. The coaches can be told not to appear in the dug-out and that problem would be solved. The only big problem is with the players as they can't be hidden away and are always in the limelight.