China has been on the radar for many decades, and now they are making news for good and bad. China has moved all the way to #2 on the world power list, according to their economy valued at $1.33 trillion. America is still #1, but this is still major. In the past years many, including me, have doubted if China's power was real or just some elaborate bubble waiting to be burst. Although It could still be a bubble, until proven we will have to recognize China as a legitimate superpower. If you do not watch the markets then you do not understand how major this is. China jumped over Japan, Germany, France and Great Britain to become #2. They are now the main trading partner in the world, not America or China. A decade ago analyst wondered if Japan, whose economy is mature and its population quickly aging, was going to top America, but now it could be China? China is still not as urban as Japan and it has a new generation of young adults seeking economic success. They have a lower standard of living and much room to grow. All of Wall Street was abuzz when china said it was going to revalue its currency. To this day it is still in the air hat they will do. Some fear that it could make our dollar even weaker than it is while others think it will actually make the Yuan weaker.
Now let us shift gears and look at another development in China, their military. The Pentagon's annual assessment shows that China's military power is secretly grower stronger. They have suspended their military-to-military talks with America, so we have no clue as to why they are trying to build up their army. They refuse to meet with officials here to talk about their military and have been unclear on their views on Iran, sometimes yes and sometimes no. They have more than enough money to invest in their military so it should come as no surprise that they are. China was not a threat to us, or so we thought, we were always looking over the Middle East and Russia. I do believe that Russia would have our back if we needed them before China simply because China buys our debt, makes our things, and helps us greatly, especially General Motors who is selling more cars there than here.
So you have to think about it. It took China 30 years to get to #1, so is it a fluke? In 50 years or less could they be #1? They have pretty much everything on their side right now. America has been through things and have come through them OK, but this is a new age. technology is available to everyone. They have a major control in the markets they can influence a lot of things. They have a lot of extra money to spend freely and a military that is growing larger daily. Although they have a large chunk of the world's population on land roughly the same size as America, they survive on $3,600, 3rd world wages, and yet they continue to grow. I am going to give this news a Digit Down, because in the long run this could spell trouble for not just America, but the world.
It seems like there is a shoe battle between Christian Louboutin and YSL(Yves Saint Laurent). The battle is over Louboutin's signature red bottom soles which Louboution claims is theirs and theirs alone, thoug I have seen a plenty of knockoffs on some bargain brand shoes... A Manhattan Federal judge nixed a permanent injunction against footwear rival Yves Saint Laurent that would have prevented the French couturier from selling scarlet-soled shoes as part of its 2011 cruise collection. The judge made it clear that even though Louboutin had trademarked the red sole in 2008, he'd have trouble proving that the vivid soles were legally his and his alone to use. YSL says it has featured red soles all the way back to the 1970s. They even said the idea of red soles is "copied from King Louis XIV's red-heeled dancing shoes or Dorothy's famous ruby slippers in 'The Wizard of Oz." Back in April, Louboutin sued Yves Saint Laurent, charging the fashion house ripped off his famous red-sole trademark. Louboutin declared that he pioneered the eye-catching sole in 1992 when he first put red nail polish on the bottom of one pair, per the lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court.The judge wrote, "Because in the fashion industry color serves ornamental and aesthetic functions vital to robust competition, the court finds that Louboutin i
s unlikely to be able to prove that its red outsole brand is entitled to trademark protection, even if it has gained enough public recognition in the market to have acquired secondary meaning." Louboutin sells about 240,000 pairs each year in the United States alone, with revenues of about $135 million a year. I find this somewhat funny. Whenever someone thinks of red soles you automatically think of Louboutins, unless you do not know fashion. If you look at the 2 shoes together one is bright red and the other is scarlet red. Though I understand the fight, I do not think Louboutin has anything to worry about at all. I am giving them a Digit Don for losing and for fighting a pointless fight.
