I think it's more of a gesture from China to encourage NATO nations to start thinking about ceasefire and "peace". For Ukraine to continue fighting they will continously need more military equipment and NATO members are the ones paying for it(in military equipment and lack of gas). China's suggesting the easy way out for the NATO members of calling a truce where it is, which Ukraine would be forced to do if NATO supplies stop.

Of course the obvious issue is that Russia will only use the "peace" time to regroup, rebuild, and relaunch a new attack in few years, so it's a foolish to call "peace" now. Only way to make sure this doesn't happen again is for Russia to gain nothing from this act of aggression and to force them to lose something whether in territory, in reparation cost, and/or removal of leadership. Something to make it clear the act of aggression was not worth it.

Knowing this NATO nations will most likely stand firm behind Ukraine and ignore the Chinese calls for "peace".

Masks can reduce the chances of catching the covid, but does nothing to prevent continuous spread of the covid by the unmasked. This means the covid will continue to spread, and need for masking will being years or decades long thing.

Though I do think the 'stop the spread' ship has sailed years ago. The covid is too wide spread from not having proper plans early on, the economy has taken too big of a hit at this point to try another proper covid control attempt, and the covid's wide spread existence internationally means the disease will make it back into the US sooner or later.

The early years were key and we dropped the ball, and our next generation will have to live with this thing long term. They'll have to live with the masks being a forever thing or live life normally and find out how bad the life expectancy and quality drops with long covid damage.

That's a fair point. What I was picturing was the early 1900s with Rockefeller and the crew being the top end and the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Company workers on the bottom end. I feel like we are heading towards that level of class separation, but we felt like we haven't fully arrived there.

But maybe the Bezos and the crew are the new elite and maybe we are not seeing the Triangle Shirtwaist Company workers because they are overseas.

I guess, the difference from where we were and where are now is that I'm seeing is the class gap widening. The class gap is starting to look more and more like the lords and serfs with blatant protection of the rich and the companies(the people that avoid all legal troubles and companies that pay the 'cost of doing business') making them another level of citizenry.

I think the new feudalism would be complete when they actually lock the voting powers away from the public, and only allow company ownership to existing oligarchs and their descendants.

I keep thinking the world is entering a new feudalism where the new nobles are just company owning(whether directly or by investment) oligarchs instead of land owning lords. Having you describe it on the nation of actual monarchy and nobility, kind of really drives that new feudalism idea home.