Economist, Sept 28, 2019 (I)

choi

(1) the cover of the current-issue Economist:
https://www.economist.com/printedition/2019-09-28

, whose top reads, "Twitterdum and Twaddledee[;] The reckoning."

Note:
(a) twaddle (n, v): "silly idle talk"
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twaddle
(b)
(i) Tweedledum and Tweedledee
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweedledum_and_Tweedledee
("in English nursery rhyme and Lewis Carroll's [1871] Through the Looking-Glass")
(A) You need not read the lyrics of the rhyme. View the cartoon, and read caption: "John Tenniel's illustration * * * "
(B) John Tenniel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tenniel
(1820 – 1914)
(ii) Tweedledum and Tweedledee (etymology)
https://www.merriam-webster.com/ ... 20and%20tweedledees

The same online dictionary says tweedle is a variant of twiddle. Both twiddle and twitter means the same.
(iii)
(A) Vetustideces, El revistero de septiembre (5ª y última parte). Sept 27, 2019.
http://vetustideces.blogspot.com ... bre-5-y-ultima.html

This is a Spanish-language blog, whose one paragraph states, "P.S.- Después de publicado el apunte hemos tenido conocimiento de la última tapa del mes del semanario The Economist, que permite evitar que nuestro revistero de septiembre se quede en blanco en cuanto a recreaciones artísticas. Y es que han optado por presentar a Donald Trump y Boris Johnson, convertidos en Twitterdum y Twadledee (twaddle es bobada), con una recreación, obra de David Parkins, de la famosa representación realizada por sir John Tenniel de los personajes Tweedledee y Tweedledum. Una pareja creada por Lewis Carroll para la segunda parte de 'Alicia en el País de las Maravillas,' el libro titulado 'A través del espejo' (1871). En segundo plano, Isabel II luce el inconfundible aspecto de la Reina de Corazones."

Google Translate: "PS- After publishing the note we have learned of the last cover of the month of the weekly The Economist , which prevents our September magazine rack from going blank in terms of artistic recreations. And they have chosen to present Donald Trump and Boris Johnson , converted into Twitterdum and Twadledee ( twaddle is stupid), with a recreation, work of David Parkins, of the famous representation made by Sir John Tenniel of the characters Tweedledee and Tweedledum. A couple created by Lewis Carroll for the second part of 'Alice in Wonderland,' the book entitled 'Through the Looking Glass' (1871). In the background, Isabel II sports the unmistakable appearance of the Queen of Hearts."

(B) "In the background, Isabel II sports the unmistakable appearance of the Queen of Hearts."

Google Translate misses out the nuance: Isabel II in Spanish is Elizabeht II in English.

John Tenniel's illustration of Queen of Heart:
https://www.alamy.com/the-king-a ... image186126995.html
https://www.alamy.com/off-with-h ... image186130820.html

(2) The first two articles in this issue are:
(a) The Promise and the Perils of Impeachment. On September 24th, the day they met in New York, the American president and the British prime minister, two exponents of the new populism, both fell foul of their country's institution. First Donal Trump.

Online but not in print, atop the title is "Twitterdum."
(b) Twaddledee | The Reckoning. Brexit has infected British politics from top to bottom. To cure the fever will require another vote.
https://www.economist.com/leader ... -from-top-to-bottom

This article is about Mr Johnson.

choi

(2) The first two articles in this issue are:
(a) The Promise and the Perils of Impeachment. On September 24th, the day they met in New York, the American president and the British prime minister, two exponents of the new populism, both fell foul of their country's institution. First Donal Trump.

Online but not in print, atop the title is "Twitterdum."
(b) Twaddledee | The Reckoning. Brexit has infected British politics from top to bottom. To cure the fever will require another vote.
https://www.economist.com/leader ... -from-top-to-bottom

This article is about Mr Johnson.

(3) Electronic monitoring | Pricey Tags; An alternative to cash bail comes with its own costs.
https://www.economist.com/united ... -with-its-own-costs

(4) Prisons in the Philippines | Breaking into Jail; An administrative error reveals the fear Filipinos have of the police.
https://www.economist.com/asia/2 ... -have-of-the-police

quotation AFTER paragraph 2: "Predictably, the list if mistakenly freed prisoners released by the bureau omitted some names that should have been on it and included some prisoners who had been let go on legitimate grounds. To be on the safe side, some 300 [2,221-1,914] people who weren't on the bureau's list surrendered. * * * The dismissed director-general of the Bureau of Corrections, Nicanor Faeldon, was himself a former jailbird, having joined an unsuccessful mutiny when he was in the army. He even escaped twice. The new director-general is Gerald Bantagm who faces homicide charges related to the deaths of ten prisoners in a grenade blast in hid oggivr when he was warden of a municipal jail. The police say Bantag was negligent in allowing weapons into the prison. Mr Duerte describes him as 'professional.' It may be that prison is no safer for the nervous convicts than life on the run.  
  
Note: "the aptly named Bureau of Corrections"

In Massachusetts we have about a house of correction (singular) in a county. The Oxford online dictionary says it is a "mass noun" -- uncountable. I presume that a person may make corrections in his typewritten manuscript, but I have never seen plural of correction in a system of penitentiaries.

(5) Chinese drugmakers | A Rising Star; China's pharmaceutical industry is growing up.
https://www.economist.com/busine ... ustry-is-growing-up

My comment:
(a) "Wu Xiaobin 吴晓滨, who last year left a job as Pfizer's head for China to run the Chinese firm's [a Beijing-based biotech company BeiGene's 百济神州有限公司] domestic operations * * * The company, which is listed in Nasdaw"
(b) I read the article, and see nothing promising.

(6) Trade wars | System Failure.
(book review on Paul Blustein, Schism; Chia, America and the fracturing of the global trading system. CIGI Press, 2019)

Quote: "China's economic system therefore sits awkwardly alongside international trade law. When it is hard to distinguish between the private and public sectors, it is hard to work out what counts as a subsidy.

Note:
(a) There is no need to read the rest, which we are all familiar with.
(b) Centre for International Governance Innovation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ce ... vernance_Innovation
(CIGI; table: 2001- , based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; is an independent, non-partisan think tank)

(7) Robotics | Pick-a-Stick; Robots' abilities to recognise and manipulate things are improving.
https://www.economist.com/scienc ... hings-are-improving

(8) The Best Offense Is a Good Defense; China's foreign port-building helps to protect existing trade routes.

Note: The heading of a map in this article states, "China's maritime-road projects ['half of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)'] cluster where disruption to its trade would be most costly [to China]"