Resign, Brexit, Africa, Apple, “Brain Training”, Dyson, Serena Williams
Caracal Global Daily
January 23, 2019
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross
Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia
Caracal Global Daily = News + Analysis at the Intersection of Globalization + Disruption + Politics
TOP FIVE
✔️ John Kerry says Trump should resign
✔️ Brexit a choice between pointless and painful
✔️ Putin’s pivot to Africa
✔️ “Brain Training” video games
✔️ Dyson moves headquarters to Singapore
ROSS RANT
Successful communication is all about STOCK = strategy, tactics, organization, consistency, and know-how.
GLOBALIZATION
‘He doesn’t take any of this seriously’: John Kerry says Trump should resign: WP reports, at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, the former senator and secretary of state was asked what he would say to the president if he were seated next to him. After hesitating, Kerry said he’d tell Trump: “Resign.”
@Billbrowder: This year the US, U.K. and French governments have dropped out. As a result, the ratio of dictatorships to democracies in Davos is now seriously skewed towards the bad guys
At Davos, CEOs privately vented over Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s economic policies: Bloomberg reports, Chinese officials are on a charm offensive before crucial US talks.
EU groundwork for more tech scrutiny: Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition is laying out a long-term plan to intensify scrutiny of the world’s big tech companies, planning a report meant to guide EU competition policies in the era of digitization.
FT - Editorial: If parliament cannot resolve Brexit, a new referendum is needed
Blair: Brexit a choice between pointless and painful: Speaking with DW in Davos, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has called a new vote "the sensible thing in this situation." He said a "no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for everyone."
Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro pledges to open up economy: New far-right president also tells Davos audience of his commitment to the environment.
Opposition launches protests to oust Maduro as U.S.-Venezuela tensions rise: WP reports, amid sharply rising tensions between Washington and Caracas, the U.S.-backed opposition here sought on Wednesday to fill the streets with protesters and spark the beginning of a sustained uprising aimed at ousting President Nicolás Maduro from office. Overnight, the smaller-scale protests that began on Monday began to spread, with a throng of demonstrators in Bolivar state setting alight a statue of Hugo Chávez, the leftist firebrand who established Venezuela's socialist state and anointed Maduro as his successor before dying of cancer in 2013.
Chinese army now makes up less than half of PLA’s strength as military aims to transform itself into modern fighting force: SCMP reports, the Chinese military has significantly boosted its navy, air force and new strategic units and downsized its land-based army as part of a strategic shift designed to transform the People’s Liberation Army into a comprehensive modern force, Xinhua reported.
China deletes 7 million pieces of online information, thousands of apps: Reuters reports, China's cyber watchdog said on Wednesday it had deleted more than 7 million pieces of online information as well as 9,382 mobile apps, and it criticized tech giant Tencent's news app for spreading "vulgar information."
Bloomberg: China kills 9,300 mobile apps, rips into Tencent's news service
US turns down China offer of preparatory trade talks: The Trump administration rejected an offer by two Chinese vice-ministers to travel to the US this week for preparatory trade talks because of a lack of progress on two important issues, highlighting the difficulty that Washington and Beijing will face in trying to reach agreement by a deadline of March 1. This week’s planned trip was intended to pave the way for a higher-level meeting in Washington on January 30 and 31 between Liu He, China vice-premier, and Robert Lighthizer, US trade representative.
CNBC: China could completely cut off investment into Silicon Valley amid Huawei bust-up
Chinese tech giant Huawei is facing restrictions from several Western governments, amid concerns that its products could be used for spying.
It comes at a time when the US and China are locked in a long-running trade dispute, with investors increasingly worried the conflict could spill over into a so-called "tech war."
Putin’s pivot to Africa: From Algeria to Uganda, Russia is building influence in Africa, lending support to embattled strongmen, taking on natural resource projects in conflict-racked states and positioning itself as a new powerbroker without the baggage of former colonial powers.
DISRUPTION
Yogurt: Americans didn’t eat a meaningful amount of Greek yogurt in 2007, but now it accounts for half of American sales and now supermarkets stock 300 to 350 different yogurt products. Americans eat 14 pounds of yogurt per year.
Sleepless in Saskatchewan: Canadians are sleeping about an hour less per night now than they were in 2005.
To learn another language, nurture your own: When it comes to learning foreign languages, research shows that children perform better in a multilingual environment than total immersion.
“Brain Training” video games: The brain-training industry is forecast to be worth more than $8bn by 2021. The claim is that tailored video games can sharpen cognitive skills and delay the hallmarks of senility such as memory loss.
POLITICS
Trump plans State of the Union address next week, despite Pelosi request to delay: The White House is also considering a backup option for Trump to deliver the speech at another location, possibly outside of Washington, if Pelosi holds firm.
The Naval Academy is deteriorating so badly, its mission to train midshipmen is under threat: The Capital Gazette reports, infrastructure at the naval institution in Annapolis has degraded to the point of threatening the school’s ability to train and educate midshipmen, according to a report by the Naval Audit Service. The 2018 audit, obtained by The Capital Gazette through a Freedom of Information Act request, details failing buildings, classrooms and athletic facilities — which in some cases actively leak, overheat and threaten user safety.
Election 2020: Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, IN, announced he is launching a presidential exploratory committee for the Democratic nomination, telling supporters in an email, “this is a season for boldness.”
Netflix is in advanced talks to join the Motion Picture Association of America. The addition would mark the first time an internet-based service will join the 97-year-old trade association, which represents six legacy Hollywood studios.
Five tech giants spent $64 million in lobbying blitz last year, records show: WP reports, the money spent by Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft reflects the industry’s souring political fortunes in Washington — and the policy battles still on the horizon.
COMMERCE
Detroit Auto Show: The 2019 North American International Auto Show continues in Detroit today through January 27th at Cobo Hall in the Motor City.
Apple Pay is coming to Target, Taco Bell, and Speedway.
Apple’s Tim Cook makes Davos debut: Chief takes first trip to Swiss resort gathering amid ‘Big Tech’ backlash.
35 years ago: Apple announces its Macintosh computer, with a black & white 9-inch monitor, will be available in 48 hours. The price is $2,495, which is the equivalent of $6,200 today.
Bud Light has promised to give free beer to everyone in LA if the Rams win the Super Bowl.
Google slapped with $57 million fine under new EU law: The National Data Protection Commission fined Google for “lack of transparency, inadequate information and lack of valid consent” regarding ad personalization for users.
Dyson to move its headquarters to Singapore.
Condé Nast said it would put all its titles behind paywalls by the end of the year, a move that underscores how critical it has become for major publishers to generate revenue beyond advertising.
CULTURE
London’s National Portrait Gallery set for huge redevelopment: New entrance and learning center to be created in £35m scheme.
Peppa Pig: Arguably, doing more for Brand Britain in China than The Beatles, Manchester United and all the red phone boxes you could find. A trailer for a new movie based on the children’s cartoon character has taken China by storm. The film is due for release on February 5 to coincide with the beginning of the new lunar calendar, which this year marks the start of the Year of the Pig, giving Peppa a particular resonance.
THR: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the movie: DC's bomb-throwing new star seizes the Sundance spotlight
SPORT
Serena Williams stumbles in stunning loss at the Australian Open: WSJ reports, serving at 5-1 in the third set, the 23-time Grand Slam champion couldn’t close out the match, losing to Karolína Plíšková
Danielle Collins, a two-time NCAA singles champion at Virginia, is the surprise of the Australian Open: WP reports, the 25-year-old, an unseeded entrant in tennis’s first major championship of the year, faces two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in Wednesday’s semifinals.
AO Semis:
Men's:
#1 Tsitsipas (14) v Nadal (2)
#2 Djokovic (1) v Pouille (28)
Women's:
#1 Kvitova (8) v Collins
#2 Pliskova (7) v Osaka (4)
