Notes - The Economist, September 22nd - 28th 2018 (2)

On the different flexibility that the political parties have in the US - "Whereas being pro-choice is nearly a death sentence for a Republican candidate, a Democrat can take a pro-gun position in 2018 and still find a friendly electorate (Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania is a good example)." Even though the democrats are more flexible regarding political standing, and this allows them to target a bigger audience, it also generates a greater lack of political identity among its supporters.

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On the relation between the education of women and the birth rate of a country - "Broadly, the more girls go to school in a country, the lower that country's birth rate."

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On Chinese infrastructure - "China does not do infrastructure by half measures. It has the world's longest networks of motorway and highspeed rail (which Hong Kong joins on September 23rd [...]). It has the tallest bridge as well as the longest. It is building nearly ten airports a year, more than any other country. It has the most powerful hydroelectric dam, the biggest wind farm, and as much coal power as the rest of the world combined." The pace at which China was building has slowed down, though. They are trying other methods to make their economy grow.

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On censorship in China - "Internet censors employ more foot-soldiers than some armies. Propaganda officials are so strict that, lest instructions faxed to newsrooms leak, they issue some orders to squelch stories by telephone, to be recorded by hand."

This last bit brings me to a point I have been meaning to address. One of the reasons I like The Economist so much is because, for the most part, reason prevails and they try to address subjects in an unbiased fashion. Nevertheless, in the end, The Economist is a western product. As the relationship between China and the US deteriorates, I have noticed a slight change in language when The Economist talks about China. The language choice is transitioning into a more aggressive one. With every issue, it takes a step closer to what propaganda sounds like. When trying to inform yourself, it is important to notice what is propaganda and what is factual negative news. Even though the Economist is still very away from being propaganda, it is definitely biased. Sometimes it becomes very hard to shield yourself as a reader in order to not be affected by the biases of the writers.

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Good news regarding research in the Alzheimer's disease realm. Before reading this fragment, you have to know that senescent cells are cells that have reached their point in life when they stop reproducing. - "[...] One study in 2016 reported that senescent cells in the kidneys and heart produce a protein that causes nearby healthy tissues to deteriorate. Another study found that senescent cells contribute to diseases like atherosclerosis and arthritis. New work led by Darren Baker, a biologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, published in Nature this week, suggests the accumulation of senescent cells within the brains of mice causes the animals to develop neurodegenerative diseases - and that clearing out these cells can help prevent them."

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Best,

@capatazche