Prologue Journal – Page 36001 – Understanding current events through the lenses of the past and future.

Labor Market Headfake?

Wall Street Journal The high-profile payroll survey could be overestimating job growth because of quirks in how the data are calculated. https://www.wsj.com/articles/labor-market-headfake-key-report-could-be-overestimating-job-growth-c7ea020

He Spent $140 Billion on AI With Little to Show. Now He Is Trying Again.

Wall Street Journal Billionaire Masayoshi Son said he would make SoftBank “the investment company for the AI revolution” but he missed out on the most recent frenzy. https://www.wsj.com/articles/he-spent-140-billion-on-ai-with-little-to-show-now-he-is-trying-again-dbcca17

Conservative Republican group in Taiwan on 5-day visit

Taipei, July 3 (CNA) An American delegation of conservative Republican Congress members is now in Taiwan on a five-day visit, during which they will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the foreign ministry in Taipei said Monday. https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202307030005

Blowing up of Kakhovka HPP: epidemic may occur in temporarily occupied Kherson Oblast

Pravda Ukraine An epidemic may occur in the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson Oblast as a result of the Russians’ blowing up of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and the flooding of cemeteries, a cattle cemetery and a biothermal pit. https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/07/3/7409564/

Oil Prices Edge Higher; Long-Term Production Cost Likely to Decline

Wall Street Journal Oil prices were higher early in Asia, extending last week’s muted trading pattern. https://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-prices-edge-higher-long-term-production-cost-likely-to-decline-63451363

Isn’t that Brazil? Philippines pulls tourism advert for using stock footage of other countries

Disclaimer: The South China Morning Post’s content is directed by the Chinese Communist Party. It is not a reliable news source. Stock shots of Brazilian sand dunes, Indonesian rice terraces and locations in Switzerland and the UAE appeared in the video for the new US$880,000 ‘Love The Philippines’ tourism campaign. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3226318/isnt-brazil-philippines-pulls-tourism-advert-using-stock-footage-other-countries?utm_source=rss_feed

Taiwan headline news

Taipei, July 3 (CNA) The lead stories in major Taiwan dailies on Monday are as follows: https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202307030004

And Just Like That, Sex Talk Comes to Work

Wall Street Journal Younger workers have less sex, but they talk about it at the office https://www.wsj.com/articles/and-just-like-that-sex-talk-comes-to-work-7e77303e

U.S. dollar down in Taipei trading

Taipei, July 3 (CNA) The U.S. dollar was traded at NT$31.105 at 10 a.m. Monday on the Taipei Foreign Exchange, down NT$0.030 from the previous close. https://focustaiwan.tw/business/202307030003

Russia open to Ukraine conflict’s political solution, but ‘prospects are slim’ — diplomat

Disclaimer: TASS is Russian government propaganda, and not a reliable news source. Russia’s permanent representative at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov, noted that the prospects are vague because of Kyiv and its Western handlers, who continue to rely on the use of military force https://tass.com/politics/1641655