We humbly offer you not one, not two, but five stories from which to choose this morning, depending on your mood and attitude toward life:

For the paranoid: “Technology: China reboots its superpower ambitions” is the Financial Times’ Big Read this morning, noting that “As Beijing pushes to be self-sufficient in tech by 2025, rivals see a threat to their national security and competitiveness.” (Read)

For those who need to feel better about our politicians: If you think our MPs are bad, you need to read “African parliaments are trimmed back to size,” also in the Financial Times, which notes the “exorbitant salaries” and “perks” of legislators in Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana, among others.

For those who just want to love their fellowmen: Iran has its own version of Sham El Nessim. That’s now how Iranian author Firoozeh Dumas puts it, exactly, in “An Iranian Holiday That’s Perfect for Americans” for the New York Times, but that’s the take-home for us.

For the cynical: Banks can forget about making bank in KSA, at least for now, suggests Bloomberg. “Saudi Arabia and its ambitious reform plans are the focus of all the hype in Middle Eastern financial circles these days, but it’s still in the United Arab Emirates where banks are earning most of their money.”

For the ambitious: A favorite jeans brand of Lady Gaga, Jessica Alba and Adriana Lima is going public — and it’s a Turkish brand that sprang to life only in 1991. Mavi (“blue” in Turkish) has tapped Goldman Sachs and Bank of America to manage the sale. Dare to dream big, Egyptian fashion brands. The news is here, a factory video is here and you can visit the company’s website here.