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Chart: The Fed’s Recession Risk Indicator Is Now Greater than It Was in November 2007

The recession model is based on the spread between the three-month and 10-year yields on U.S. Treasurys.

Source : Bloomberg

Infographic: Real Interest Rates by Country

See large image . . . . . .

Source : Visual Capitalist

What China Is Really Playing at in Ukraine

Pepe Escobar wrote . . . . . . . . .

Beijing is fully aware the NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine is the un-dissociable double of the U.S. war against its Belt and Road Initiative.

Imagine President Xi Jinping mustering undiluted Taoist patience to suffer through a phone call with that warmongering actor in a sweaty T-shirt in Kiev while attempting to teach him a few facts of life – complete with the promise of sending a high-level Chinese delegation to Ukraine to discuss “peace”.

There’s way more than meets the discerning eye obscured by this spun-to-death diplomatic “victory” – at least from the point of view of NATOstan.

The question is inevitable: what’s the point of this phone call? Very simple: just business.

The Beijing leadership is fully aware the NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine is the un-dissociable double of an American direct war against the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Until recently, and since 2019, Beijing was the top trade partner for Kiev (14.4% of imports, 15.3% of exports). China essentially exported machinery, equipment, cars and chemical products, importing food products, metals and also some machinery.

Very few in the West know that Ukraine joined BRI way back in 2014, and a BRI trade and investment center was operating in Kiev since 2018. BRI projects include a 2017 drive to build the fourth line of the Kiev metro system as well as 4G installed by Huawei. Everything is stalled since 2022.

Noble Agri, a subsidiary of COFCO (China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation), invested in a sunflower seed processing complex in Mariupol and the recently built Mykolaiv grain port terminal. The next step will necessarily feature cooperation between Donbass authorities and the Chinese when it comes to rebuilding their assets that may have been damaged during the war.

Beijing also tried to become heavily involved in the Ukraine defense sector and even buy Motor Sich; that was blocked by Kiev.

Watch that neon

So what we have in Ukraine, from the Chinese point of view, is a trade/investment cocktail of BRI, railways, military supplies, 4G and construction jobs. And then, the key vector: neon.

Roughly half of neon used in the production of semiconductors was supplied, until recently, by two Ukrainian companies; Ingas in Mariupol, and Cryoin, in Odessa. There’s no business going on since the start of the Special Military Operation (SMO). That directly affects the Chinese production of semiconductors. Bets can be made that the Hegemon is not exactly losing sleep over this predicament.

Ukraine does represent value for China as a BRI crossroads. The war is interrupting not only business but, in the bigger picture, one of the trade and connectivity corridors linking Western China to Eastern Europe. BRI conditions all key decisions in Beijing – as it is the overarching concept of Chinese foreign policy way into mid-century.

And that explains Xi’s phone call, debunking any NATOstan nonsense on China finally paying attention to the warmongering actor.

As relevant as BRI is the overarching bilateral relationship dictating Beijing’s geopolitics: the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership.

So let’s transition to the meeting of Defense Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) earlier this week in Delhi.

The key meeting in India was between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Chinese colleague Li Shangfu. Li was recently in Moscow, and was received by Putin in person for a special conversation. This time he invited Shoigu to visit Beijing, and that was promptly accepted.

Needless to add that every single player in the SCO and beyond, including nations that are for the moment just observers or dialogue partners as well as others itching to become full members, such as Saudi Arabia, paid very close attention to the Shoigu-Shangfu camaraderie.

When it comes to the profoundly strategic Central Asian “stans”, that represents the six feet under treatment for the Hegemon wishful thinking of using them in a Divide and Rule scheme pitting Russia against China.

Shoigu-Shangfu also sent a subtle message to SCO members India and Pakistan – stop bickering and in the case of Delhi, hedging your bets – and to full member (in 2023) Iran and near future member Saudi Arabia: here’s where’s it at, this the table that matters.

All of the above also points to the increasing interconnection between BRI and SCO, both under Russia-China leadership.

BRICS is essentially an economic club – complete with its own bank, the NDB – and focused on trade. It’s mostly about soft power. The SCO is focused on security. It’s about hard power. Together, these are the two key organizations that will be paving the multilateral way.

As for what will be left of Ukraine, it is already being bought by Western mega-players such as BlackRock, Cargill and Monsanto. Yet Beijing certainly does not count on being left high and dry. Stranger things have happened than a future rump Ukraine positioned as a functioning trade and connectivity BRI partner.

Source : Strategic Culture Foundation

Chart: Food Bank Dependency in the UK

Source : Statista

Food Additive Like Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Can Help Reduce Sodium Intake

Caleb White wrote . . . . . . . . .

FDA is considering using flavor enhancers and food additives to reduce the use of salt. A new report claims that it’s like monosodium glutamate (MSG) is getting its revenge.

Monosodium Glutamate As Salt Substitute

According to The Atlantic, the much-maligned seasoning – monosodium glutamate – is seemingly taking its revenge because the FDA is considering using salt substitutes to reduce their sodium intake, which is a candidate. The outlet noted that people’s salt consumption is twice what is recommended.

World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning about too much salt consumption, and it is making a move to save the lives of 7 million people from too much sodium intake.

Salt consumption has been a problem for public health in the United States for more than 50 years. Still, little has changed regarding policy or appetite, even though several projects have been initiated to address the problem. The main reason salt has continued to be an issue is that it makes everything palatable and makes up a large portion of all processed food. It would take a convincing ruse to get Americans to cut back on their consumption-something that would minimize dangerous sodium without compromising the taste of meals.

While there is no perfect substitute for salt, MSG is one of the best candidates, according to The Atlantic. One of the most popular MSG brands is Ajinomoto.

The FDA announced last month its plan to allow salt substitutes to reduce sodium in standardized foods. The changes in standards of identity (SOIs) will allow the use of food additives in food where sodium is required or optional.

Typically, SOIs list the mandatory and optional elements that must be present in a dish. They might talk about the quantity or ratio of the substances or parts. Additionally, certain SOIs specify a manufacturing or formulation process. There are more than 250 SOIs, including ketchup, milk, milk chocolate, several types of bread, and different cheeses. Standardized foods are frequently used to describe foods with SOIs.

Is MSG Safe?

MSG has earned a bad reputation in the food industry. It has been linked to ailments – headaches, numbness, dizziness, and heart palpitations – in the 1960s. However, FDA considers the use of MSG in foods as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS).

Despite the reports that some individuals were sensitive to MSG, studies with such individuals revealed no consistent trigger reactions.

FDA noted that glutamate or glutamic has nothing to do with gluten. A person with Celiac disease may react to wheat in soy sauce but not the MSG in the product.

FDA received reports of headache and nausea following consumption of MSG-containing meals. However, the food agency could never conclusively prove that MSG was responsible for those conditions.

In the 1990s, the FDA was prompted by these adverse event reports to request that the independent scientific organization Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) investigate the safety of MSG. According to the FASEB assessment, MSG is safe. FASEB research noted that certain sensitive people who eat 3 grams or more of MSG without food might experience brief, temporary, and mainly moderate symptoms like headache, numbness, flushing, tingling, palpitations, and sleepiness. However, less than 0.5 grams of MSG are present in a normal serving of food, which is unlikely to trigger such reactions.

Source : Science Times