Extra, Extra

Downunder Mifflin: “Modern paper was invented in China during the Han dynasty about two millennia ago, but centuries passed before the material’s use as bath tissue became commonplace. People would instead clean themselves with whatever they had on hand — corn cobs, leaves, shells, you name it. When paper became more readily available beyond the wealthiest echelons, folks would simply reuse items like newspapers and ‘the Sears catalogue, and then the Sears catalogue went glossy and we stopped using that.'” Then came modern toilet paper. Then came the endless quest to improve it. WaPo (Gift Article): The corporate quest to make better toilet paper.

+ Merry Ex-Mas: “U.S. retailers are almost completely reliant on China for Christmas decorations, where they source 87% of such goods — worth roughly $4 billion. Chinese factories are also heavily dependent on the U.S. market, where they sell half of what they make. If Americans want new Christmas decorations this year, they will have to pay a lot more for them — if they can find them on the shelves at all.” Has Trump cancelled Christmas? China’s decorations makers report no U.S. orders. (Meanwhile, Santa is being accused of being too woke for letting Rudolph lead his sleigh.)

+ Inside Job: “Senator Adam Schiff on Wednesday called on Congress to investigate whether President Donald Trump engaged in insider trading or market manipulation when he abruptly paused a sweeping set of tariffs, a move that sent stock prices skyrocketing.” (It’s a safe bet that insiders benefited from the market swings. It’s a safer bet that no one will be held to account.)

+ Prisoner Swap: “Russian human rights activists said while living in the US she had made a single transfer of $51on the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 22 February 2022.” Woman jailed over $51 donation to Ukraine freed in US-Russia prisoner swap.

+ Unreserved: “Hundreds of reservists and retired officers in Israel’s air force signed a letter on Thursday urging the Israeli government to agree to a deal with Hamas to return hostages, even at the price of stopping the war in Gaza.”

+ Mirror Mirror Off the Wall: “The institution forces America to look at its full history. We’re supposed to learn from what we see — not pretend it doesn’t exist.” Raj Tawney on the downside of erasing history: The Smithsonian Is Not a ‘Distorter.’ It’s a Mirror.

+ Big Order: How is Tim Cook responding to the potential of an extended trade war with China? Like this: Apple airlifts 600 tons of iPhones.