Dr. Wada in Japan advocates calling people over 70 years old as “fortunate people” rather than “elderly people”. He summed up the secret of 70-year-olds becoming “lucky ones” into “42 sentences”
Seniors over the age of 70 do not need regular physical examinations because the “standard of health” varies from person to person. He also said: “Don’t believe what doctors say.” This is because doctors are in contact with “patients”, so they do not understand what health is. At the same time, he also opposes the long-term use of multiple drugs by the elderly, and advocates “only take necessary drugs when necessary.” In other words, “taking medicine to prevent something” makes little sense.
According to this point of view, the elderly do not need to take sleeping pills frequently. Loss of sleep time as you age is a natural phenomenon, and no one dies from insomnia. 24 hours a day, sleep whenever you want, wake up whenever you want, this is the privilege of the elderly.
In addition, the cholesterol level that the elderly are generally worried about, even if it is high to a certain extent, there is no need to worry. Because cholesterol is the raw material for the body to generate immune cells. The more immune cells, the lower the risk of cancer in older people. in addition, part of the male hormone is also composed of cholesterol. If the cholesterol level is too low, men’s physical and mental health will be unsustainable.
Likewise, high blood pressure doesn’t matter at all. More than 50 years ago, human malnutrition was widespread. So, when blood pressure reaches around 150, the blood vessels burst. But very few people are malnourished these days, so even blood pressure over 200 won’t cause a blood vessel to burst.
Dr. Wada summed up the secret of 70-year-olds becoming “fortunate people” into “42 sentences”, as follows:
1, Keep walking
2 Take a deep breath when you feel irritable
3. Exercise so that the body does not feel stiff
4. Drink more water when the air conditioner is on in summer
5. The more you chew, the more energetic your body and brain will be
6 Memory declines not because of age, but because of long-term non-use of the brain
7. No need to take a lot of medicine
8. No need to deliberately lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels
9 Only do what you love, not what you hate
10. No matter what, don’t stay at home all the time
11. Eat whatever you want, the fat body is just right
12. Do everything meticulously
13. Don’t deal with people you hate
14. Rather than fighting the disease to the end, it is better to live with it
15. “The car must have a way to the front of the mountain” is the magic spell to make the old man happy
16 You can’t fall asleep and don’t force it
17. Doing happy things is best for boosting brain activity
18. Find a “family doctor” early
19. Don’t be overly patient or force yourself, there is nothing wrong with being a “bad old man”
20. Stop learning and you will grow old
21. Don’t be greedy for vanity, it’s good to have everything you have now
22. Innocence is the privilege of the elderly
23. The more troublesome things are, the more interesting they are
24. Do what is good for others
25. Live leisurely today
26. Desire is the source of longevity
27 Live as an optimist
28. Cheerful people will b popular.
29. The rules of life are in your own hands
30. Accept everything calmly
As the world still grapples with supply-chain backlogs (partially) caused by China’s strict Covid-19 policies, it has become painfully obvious how vulnerable the global economy is to national or even regional disruptions, especially if they happen in China, the world’s number one supplier of goods.
Over the past few decades, China has grown to become the world’s manufacturing hub and largest goods exporter by a significant margin, turning it from emerging market into economic superpower. According to estimates from the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook,
the country will account for 18.8 percent of the world’s GDP based on purchasing power parity (PPP). That’s up from just 8.1 percent two
decade ago, when both the United States and the EU were miles ahead of China’s economic output.
Over the past 20 years, both the U.S. and
the European Union have seen their economic superiority challenged, as new powers, such as China, India and others have emerged. While the U.S.
saw its share of global GDP decline from 19.8 to 15.8 percent between 2002 and 2022, the EU’s share dropped from 19.9 to 14.8 percent of the
same period.
The gap between China, the U.S. and the EU will likely widen over the next few years, as the economic outlook for the
latter two is cloudy with a chance of recession, while China is expected to continue growing at mid-single-digit growth rates.
Steady trade: Workers use computer terminals to monitor remote operations at a container port in Tianjin. China has now become a major trading partner for more than 140 countries and regions, with its total trade of goods up 7.7% y-o-y in 2022, topping the world for six consecutive years. — AP
Annual average growth of 4.5% between 2020 and 2022, outpacing the world average of around 2%
BEIJING: In its three-year-long fight against Covid-19, China posted outstanding results in economic development and epidemic control, reinforcing its status as a leading engine for the global economy.
From 2020 to 2022, China’s economy posted an annual average growth of 4.5%, outpacing the world average of around 2%, according to Yuan Da, director of the Department of National Economy of the National Development and Reform Commission.
In 2022, the economy grew 3% year-on-year (y-o-y) to a record high of 121 trillion yuan (US$18 trillion or RM76.3 trillion), with the increment standing at 6.1 trillion yuan (RM3.8 trillion), equivalent to the economic aggregate of a medium-sized country.
It also marks a new and higher level in terms of economic aggregate after the Chinese economy topped the thresholds of 100 trillion yuan (RM62.5 trillion) and 110 trillion yuan (RM68.8 trillion) in 2020 and 2021, respectively – maintaining its position well as the world’s second-largest economy.
Analysts attributed the hard-won results to the country’s effective coordination in fighting Covid-19 and its economic fallouts simultaneously.
Thanks to effective virus control and timely pro-growth policies, China’s economy has quickly emerged from the epidemic-induced slump and consolidated its recovery momentum for a brighter outlook.
To cope with the constantly evolving epidemic situation, China has been dynamically optimising its control measures while enhancing the treatment and vaccination capacity, effectively safeguarding the lives and health of its 1.4 billion population at minimum costs.As of Jan 13, 92.9% of the Chinese population has been fully vaccinated, with more than 90% of people above 60 covered by vaccination.
With Omicron much less pathogenic and deadly, China, in December last year, announced ten new measures to lift numerous Covid-19 restrictions. On Jan 8, its management of Covid-19 was officially downgraded from Class A to Class B.
Less than one month after the optimisation of Covid-19 response measures in December 2022, China reported declining numbers of fever patients and critical Covid-19 cases as both had passed the peak. In the just-concluded Spring Festival holiday, China’s consumption made a strong comeback.
During the week-long holiday, sales revenue of China’s consumption-related sectors rose 12.2% from the same holiday period in 2022. Its cinemas sold 129 million tickets, generating a whopping revenue of 6.76 billion yuan (RM4.2bil), the second highest-grossing to date.
Wen Bin, the chief economist with China Minsheng Bank, said that warming demand at home would propel the turnaround in the Chinese economy this year and estimated the country’s full-year gross domestic product growth at around 5.5%.
Aside from the overall economic growth, China also made significant headway in maintaining consumer price stability, guaranteeing food and energy security, and improving people’s livelihoods.
In 2022, China’s consumer price index grew by 2%, a fraction of the increases reported in the United States, the eurozone and Britain. It is also lower than those of other emerging economies.
Amid a global food crisis, the country has secured a bumper harvest for the 19th year in a row, with its grain output at about 686.53 billion kg in 2022, up 0.5% from 2021.
A total of 11.86 million, 12.69 million, and 12.06 million new urban jobs were created in 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively, all surpassing the targets set for each year.
Despite the gloomy global investment environment, China remains one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world.
Foreign direct investment in the Chinese mainland, in actual use, expanded 6.3% y-o-y to 1.23 trillion yuan (RM768.8bil) in 2022.
China has now become a major trading partner for more than 140 countries and regions, with its total trade of goods up 7.7% y-o-y in 2022, topping the world for six consecutive years.
Recently, multiple international investment banks and financial institutions, including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Barclays, and Natixis, have upwardly revised their forecast for China’s economic growth rate in 2023, betting on the country’s rosy prospects and strong resilience. — Xinhua
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reacts following the announcement of her resignation at the War Memorial Hall in Napier, New Zealand, on Jan. 19. (Reuters/AAP Image/Ben McLay)
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern won the hearts of Muslims across the globe when she, wearing a headscarf, comforted the families of victims of the massacre in two mosques by a white supremacist in Christchurch in 2019. Last Thursday, she again astonished an even larger audience with her abrupt resignation, although she stands a great chance to win the upcoming election in October.
The mother of four-year-old Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford has undoubtedly made a name for herself as an icon of statesmanship. She has played a role model of a leader who not only does her best for her nation, but also knows when to fade away to ensure a sustainable succession. She could have sought a third term, but she shows she is not hungry for power.
"The responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead and also when you are not. I know what this job takes. And I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It's that simple," the 42-year-old politician said of her reason to step down.
With a population of 5 million, New Zealand is a tiny nation. But its economic size ranks the country among the world’s richest. The country is a permanent dialogue partner of ASEAN along with the United States, China, the European Union, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Russia and India. Unlike close neighbor Australia, which acts as the deputy sheriff of the US, New Zealand has distanced itself from the rivalry of major powers.
Through her exemplary decision, Ardern has taught politicians, male and female, a lesson that they should be ready to leave office when the public do not want them anymore, or else the people will force them to go. Some leaders are willing to step down but prepare their own men or children as successors, but this is clearly not the case in New Zealand under Ardern.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo may have to ask his die-hard supporters who have been pushing for his term extension to reflect on Ardern’s bold decision. To prevent rampant abuse of power, which was rampant during the New Order authoritarian rule, the Constitution was amended in 1999 to limit presidential tenure to only twice.
In fact, Indonesian political culture knows no resignation. Politicians or officials tend to cling on power as long as possible by justifying all means.
Ardern won the Labor Party leadership shortly before she won the 2017 election. Her party further won the 2020 election. At that time she was facing at least three major challenges which she could overcome: The 2019 shooting spree of Muslims, the COVID-19 pandemic and the eruption of the White Island Volcano. Her strict lockdown policy to contain the COVID-19 transmission was much criticized, but later she proved she was right and her critics wrong.
The Labor Party elected Education Minister Chris Hipkins as Ardern’s successor on Sunday. The party hopes Ardern’s graceful exit will help it win the October election.
The world loves to see her as a true mother of New Zealand. Her ability to simultaneously perform her state and personal responsibilities, as a mother and wife, inspired and was looked up to by women all over the world. From the beginning, she has proven that women can break the glass ceiling when it comes to the highest office, which in advanced democracies like the US has not yet happened.
She has taught a precious lesson to world leaders that they should know when to call it quits. A true leader will not wait until his or her people force them to go. And we all owe it to Ardern’s beautiful mind.
A safer future: Crucial to enhance cybersecurity with quantum technology. -123rf.com
THE launch of quantum computer Qianshi is a milestone in the development of quantum technology.
For the first time, a quantum computer is accessible in the public ICT network, and people are able to connect to it using their personal devices. It has only 10 quantum bits (qubits), with capabilities of a traditional computer (Baidu launches quantum computer in China and gives people access via PC, smartphone or the cloud, The Star, Aug 26, 2022).
Quantum computers can be far more powerful than any supercomputer, capable of breaking any conventional encryptions within a short period. In the lab, quantum computers with performance matching the supercomputers on specific problems have been realised.
This should be alarming to the fintech and banking sectors as the current encryptions in financial transactions based on the RSA cryptosystem are no longer secure.
The capability of the quantum computer is attributed to the way it computes that is different from conventional computing algorithms.
Making use of quantum entanglement or the superposition of a number of possibilities (called quantum states) from many qubits, one can search everywhere for an answer “at once” and get the answer almost instantaneously, without having to go through multiple searches in sequence.Scientists around the world are actively engaged in the education, research and innovation of quantum information science and technology, driven by awareness of its awesome potentials.
The race for developing quantum technology has started long ago, focusing mainly on quantum computation, quantum communication and quantum sensing or metrology. In December 2013, the United Kingdom government invested £370mil (RM1.96bil) in quantum technologies over five years.
The European Commission followed suit in 2016, and invested £1bil (RM5.30bil) over the next 10 years. China launched a quantum satellite in August 2016 and initiated a big plan to connect cities with secure communication networks. In December 2018, the United States Senate passed the National Quantum Initiative, allocating US$1.275bil (RM5.47bil) over five years for quantum information science research and education. Our neighbour Singapore is far ahead, having started the Centre for Quantum Technologies since 2007. In September 2020, Thailand announced US$6mil (RM25.73mil) to develop quantum technology over eight years.
The global investment in quantum science and technology has reached almost US$30bil (RM128.64bil) with a projected global quantum technology market of US$42.4bil (RM181.81bil) by 2027.
Notable companies like Microsoft, IBM, Google and D-Wave that have invested heavily in developing quantum computer have made rapid advancements and breakthroughs, with some having been listed in the stock markets. In November 2021, IBM unveiled its 127-qubit quantum processor Eagle, claimed to be capable of solving complex problems that a traditional computer is unable to solve. Just recently, in 2022, the University of New South Wales, Australia, and Quantinuum have made major strides to improve the reliability of quantum computation process.
While the true power of quantum computers has not been demonstrated yet, the days of public concern for data security are not far away.
Fortunately, quantum physics provides us with an unconditionally secure technique against hacking by a quantum computer. Known as quantum key distribution (QKD) technology, it is now available in the market.
It uses quantum properties of light to transfer information in the form of encrypted keys that cannot be eavesdropped by anyone.
This technology protects confidential information against any potential hacking. The current effort is to extend the secure communication distance to hundreds of kilometres via existing fibre optics network.
We can expect to have a regional-scale quantum Internet and a long-distance quantum communication network that promises secure links for government agencies, financial hubs between cities and the possibility of epolling.
As the way people work and businesses operate has transformed to be more reliant on ICT and online communications since the Covid-19 pandemic, boosting the level of cybersecurity with quantum technology is becoming more important than ever.
C.H. RAYMOND OOI
Professor Quantum & Laser Science group
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science
In addition, it built a system enabling everyone to gain access to the quantum computer with any device, including a smartphone.
The computer has just 10 qubits, fewer units for quantum computing than more advanced systems built by China’s top universities and Western companies, such as Google and IBM.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
Chinese tech giant Baidu to release self-driving car in 2023
But China’s leading quantum scientist said there were high hopes for the new system because it was a brave first step towards bringing the futuristic technology out of the laboratory.
“We have already achieved superiority with the performance of quantum computers
surpassing supercomputers on specific problems and further progress, such as programmable quantum computers, needs cooperation from industry
leaders and academic researchers,” said Pan Jianwei, a leading quantum scientist with the University of Science and Technology of China.
“I’m glad to see investment from China’s enterprises promote exploration,” said Pan, who led the development of the world’s first quantum satellite, Mozi.
The quantum computer is called Qianshi and can be accessed by a Baidu app from the Apple, Huawei or Xiaomi stores. Users can download
the software and send their own computing task, such as a quantum circuit experiment, to “Qianshi”.
The Baidu quantum computer uses superconducting materials to generate an extremely low temperature for the quantum processor unit, which is similar to a CPU in a
traditional computer.
The
superconducting fridge cools the QPU to near absolute zero degree through a multi-cascade cooling system, so the coherent quantum bit is not affected by thermal noise caused by high temperatures.
“It is the world’s first integrated solution for both the hardware and software of quantum calculation,” said Duan Runyao, director of the Institute for Quantum Computing, Baidu.
“The system is accessible from PC, phones and cloud. While users could enjoy the convenience of the software framework provided by Baidu, they could choose a suitable hardware for their calculation,” he said.
For now, apart from the Qianshi QPU, two separate chips – from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology – are also connected to the system.
China condemns new US law aimed at boosting domestic semiconductor manufacturing
The new system may accelerate fundamental research in this area, according to Duan.
“Integration, automation and visualisation are the main technical features. The system helps with the standardisation of daily operation, and the chip initialisation efficiency is improved at least 100 times for researchers,” he said.
Progress on hardware also provides opportunities for commercial and industrial users.
“In the past, we had limited options for hardware and some online services from the US were not open to Chinese researchers. We hope Baidu’s device will promote our research in the academic world,” said Ji Zhengfeng, an expert in quantum computing theory with Tsinghua University.
Quantum computing has many applications. The classic computer, for instance, takes more than 100,000 years to solve the RSA public key password, a widely
studied password algorithm. A fully functioning quantum computer in the future will only take 1 second to find the password, according to some
estimates.
According to Duan, the industrial scale of quantum computing in the world will reach 800 billion yuan (US$116 billion) by
2031, and most large global enterprises will adapt quantum computing technology within a decade.
“In the future, when scientists use
100 qubits, problems in AI and portfolio optimisation could be solved. With 1,000 qubits, cryptographic security and chemical pharmacy will be
possible. With 10,000 qubits, global weather forecasting and big data processing will become common,” Duan said.
The IMF said in its latest staff report that after decades of increasing global economic integration, the world is facing the risk of fragmentation, which could reduce global economic output by up to 7 percent. And with the addition of technological "decoupling," the loss in output could reach 8 to 12 percent in some countries, it warned.
In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, high inflation, geopolitical conflict, and regional economic uncertainty, among others, the IMF report actually points to one of the biggest worries for the global economy in 2023. At a time when the US push for the technological "decoupling" and abnormal transfer of industrial chains is "killing" globalization, it seems that fragmentation of the global supply chains and trade has become an inevitable trend, which is bound to seriously affect the global economic recovery.
The US is to blame for the current anti-globalization trend of the global economy. Over the years, the US has been trying to promote the returning of manufacturing jobs through various policies. During the process, these policies are gradually deviating from the principles and rules of free trade time and again as Washington increasingly doesn't care whether it hurts the interests of the rest of the world, such as requiring TSMC and South Korean chipmakers to shift production to the US.
For example, at the "relocation ceremony" of TSMC's first plant in Arizona last month, TSMC founder Morris Chang said that globalization and free trade are "almost dead," while US President Joe Biden claimed "American manufacturing is back" in his speech. This is perhaps the perfect manifestation of the US' disdain for globalization.
Against this backdrop, there is an increasing tendency that factors determining global industrial chains and resource allocation are politicized, deviating from economic considerations. Some countries have a strong desire to strengthen their domestic industries and become wary of international cooperation, which may be the biggest crisis to globalization.
By distorting and politicizing industrial policy, the US may be able to see a certain degree of manufacturing recovery in the short term, but in the long run, it will lead to a significant increase in the costs, creating unnecessary chaos in the global industrial chain.
Moreover, with the excuse of improving the so-called supply chain security and resilience, the US has been seeking to isolate China from global supply chains, which is another important reason for the growing trend of industrial fragmentation. In the semiconductor sector, for example, the US has been hamstringing China with export bans for years, and it announced in October escalated measures to cut China off from certain semiconductor chips made anywhere in the world with US equipment. The US is also reportedly in discussions with Japan, the Netherlands and South Korea over restricting semiconductor exports to China.
The move affects not only China, but also the global semiconductor industrial chain, shattering the traditional consensus on the global division of labor that has developed over the past few decades. Everyone is a loser in the US-led "decoupling" drive, including American companies. The third quarter of last year alone saw more than $1.5 trillion wiped from the combined market value of American-listed chip businesses, according to an Economist report.
Indeed, the US is pursuing its global strategy aimed at containing China not just in the semiconductor sector, but also in such industries as photovoltaic and electric cars. By adopting various legislations targeting China, it has tried to wean its economy off or reduce its reliance on Chinese supply chains, so as to undermine China's economic momentum.
Yet, China's industrial chain and supply chain is an inseparable part of the world, also an important driving force of the global economy. It is widely expected that China's economic recovery will become a major source of optimism for the global economy in 2023. Washington's attempt to construct a global supply chain that excludes China and to contain China's rise will cause disruption to this chain and will have a major impact on the global economy and globalization, which is obviously not in line with the interests of most countries in the world, including the US. Global economic recovery needs China's supply chain. There is no substitute. If the US continues on the path of industrial fragmentation, it will be the number one obstructer of the global economic recovery.
Ballooning US debt a ticking time bomb for world economy
Illustration: Chen Xia/Global Times
The US policymakers seem to have steered the world's largest economy into unchartered territory, as it now faces multipronged challenges including persistently elevated inflation running at a 40-year high, a sputtering economy dragged down by a technical recession in the second quarter this year, and an enlarging federal debt which exceeded $31 trillion as of October 4 - a ticking time bomb for America and the world as well.
For the first time in history, the US' public debt outstanding has surpassed $31 trillion, data from the country's Treasury Department showed. A trillion dollars of debt was added in the past eight months alone, and it is close to reaching the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling that the US Congress set for the Biden administration's borrowing until early 2023.
Since Barack Obama took office in January 2009, the US' aggregate borrowings have kept galloping, with the current reading of $31 trillion nearly tripling $10.6 trillion worth of debt in early 2009. When Donald Trump came to the White House in early 2017, he inherited $19.9 trillion debt. And, when Biden took office in January 2021, the federal debt was $27.8 trillion. It is widely expected that the US national debt will hit a minimum of $50 trillion by 2030, according to estimations by some American institutions.
Like Japan, the US is increasingly becoming a heavily-indebted economy, with its national debt now accounting for approximately 140 percent of last year's GDP. Whether the US is going to face "two lost decades" of Japan-style anemic economic growth is unknown yet, but an incessantly bulging federal debt will definitely pose more problems for American policymakers, while chipping away at the US dollar's global reserve currency status, because a foundering US economy will inevitably reduce the importance of the greenback.
To make things worse, with inflation still running at more than 8 percent, the Federal Reserve has vowed to continue to raise interest rates in the coming months to tame stubborn price rises. Higher interest rates means that the US government will have to pay more for its huge borrowings, which raises questions about Washington's ability to service its debts, including the principal and increasingly larger interests.
As interest rates on US Treasury bonds rise, so will the federal government's borrowing costs. The US was able to borrow cheaply to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic because interest rates were at historically low in 2020. Now, interest rates on 20-year US Treasury bonds have grown to around 4 percent, meaning the US government will have to pay added interest costs of about $100 billion this year as the US central bank has raised rates from zero to 3-3.25 percent now. In May, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected the US' annual interest costs will reach $399 billion this year, which is forecast to surge to $1.2 trillion in 2032.
The long-haul fiscal challenges facing the US are mounting. Since the 2008-09 global financial crisis, the US government has relied on quantitative easing (QE) monetary policy, through heavy borrowing from home and abroad, to maintain a relatively fast economic growth, in addition to maintain lavish spending on its military, medical care and other social welfare projects. However, the structural imbalance between spending and revenues that existed before the pandemic has been intensifying, causing American federal debt levels rapidly piling up.
If the US national debt exceeds $50 trillion, while its GDP struggles at around $25 trillion, then the world's largest economy will be truly thrust into a big trouble. US GDP this year is estimated to be flat against last year's figure. It may recede in 2023 and 2024, as the Fed's higher rates chip in, while Trump's tariffs war plus Biden's semiconductors tussle with China will further dim the US' economic prospects.
And, there will be fiercer and also uglier partisan fighting in Washington on congressional appropriations in the coming months, because the federal government will be constrained by the lawmakers and American public to borrow more to fund defense, infrastructure, education, medical care, elderly's pensions and other initiatives. For many years, US presidents, both Republican and Democratic parties, have avoided making hard choices about the budget, failing to put it on a sustainable path.
With a ballooning national debt and a struggling economy, the US policymakers will get to find that the global reserve currency of the dollar is set to erode, as the country's growing budget deficits will naturally raise concerns about the ability of Washington to pay back the debt. If the US government continues to sell more Treasury bonds or even parachuting printed money to American households and enterprises, investors will take caution and avoid buying the bonds. In the past several years, more central banks have begun to reduce their holdings of US dollar-denominated assets.
Once their faith in buying the US Treasury bonds is undermined, or if the US government further bundles its policies to cause a fiscal default one day, more foreign countries will join the rush to de-dollarize by dumping the US assets.
Is the Biden administration able to stop the US national debt from swelling? The chances are very slim. In 2021 and 2022, the US debt has expanded by more than $3.2 trillion under Biden's watch. The debt count is expected to surge to $35 trillion when Biden completes his current term in January 2025. So, the country's fiscal sustainability will draw more close scrutiny by investors both domestically and around the world.
Hu Says: China opened its border on Sun, and the dynamic zero-COVID policy which protected the Chinese people for three years has passed into history. China will return to the world as an engine of global economic growth with new economic and political influence.
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