{"id":34519,"date":"2018-11-30T09:25:17","date_gmt":"2018-11-30T17:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=34519"},"modified":"2018-11-30T18:46:59","modified_gmt":"2018-12-01T02:46:59","slug":"squatchs-open-thread-30-november-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2018\/11\/30\/squatchs-open-thread-30-november-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Squatch’s Open Thread 30 November 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday was a long and busy day, and today was also busy.\u00a0 As a result, there was no OT yesterday.\u00a0 There will be an OT each day for the next few days.\u00a0 On the TC front, the old mangy Puddy Tat arrived home Wednesday evening and is happily ensconced in his own bed.\u00a0 He may not be around for a few days yet as he has a few things to attend to, including a possible new apartment.\u00a0 Welcome back Puddy Tat!!!\u00a0 Keep your eyes pealed for his next post.\u00a0 Now it is my Winnie’s turn to go to the vet for blood work for his diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n

JigZone Puzzles<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took me 4:17 (average 5:13).\u00a0 To do it,\u00a0click here<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 (This link will automatically open to a new page.) How did you do?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday\u2019s took me 3:41 (average 4:26).\u00a0 To do it,\u00a0click here<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 (This link will automatically open to a new page.) How did you do?<\/span><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Atlantic<\/span><\/strong><\/a> — U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20 summit this week. After months of stalled negotiations on the trade war, the two countries are reaching a key point, with the prospect looming of Washington raising tariffs on Beijing.<\/p>\n

If the two countries do make any progress on trade, however, some experts worry that the Trump administration may soften its criticism of Beijing on a different issue: human rights.<\/p>\n

Senior officials had in recent months been slamming China for detaining an estimated one million Uighur Muslims in internment camps in the northwestern Xinjiang region. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0in September that they were being \u201cheld against their will in so-called reeducation camps where they\u2019re forced to endure severe political indoctrination and other awful abuses.\u201d The next month, outgoing UN Ambassador Nikki Haley\u00a0noted<\/a>, \u201cIt is the largest internment of civilians in the world today\u2014it may be the largest since World War II.\u201d Vice President Mike Pence\u00a0lamented<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cfor a time, Beijing inched toward greater liberty and respect for human rights. But in recent years, China has taken a sharp U-turn.\u201d<\/p>\n