Ulan Bator, QE, Reid Hoffman, America & China, Greece & Europe
Out Of Steppe: Ulan Bator
Nicola Davison | Financial Times | 23rd January 2015
Welcome to Mongolia's nightmare. Half the country's 2.6m people live in the capital city, Ulan Bator; 60% of Ulan Bator consists of slums without power, sewers or garbage collection; 62% of slum residents are unemployed; winter temperatures fall to -40. The government has a $28bn plan to modernise Ulan Bator, but this is some kind of joke, apparently, because the government doesn't have an actual $28bn (1,900 words)
An ECB QExplainer
Karl Whelan | Bull Market | 25th January 2015
Quantitative easing explained, more or less. The European Central Bank and national central banks plan to spend a trillion euros buying eurozone government bonds in the hope of pushing down interest rates and tickling up inflation. "The immediate impact of the QE announcement in triggering a long-overdue swoon in the value of the euro suggests that the program is already having some of the desired impact" (3,990 words)
10,000 Hours With Reid Hoffman
Ben Casnocha | 23rd January 2015
Lessons learned from working closely with Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn. "As chief of staff, I reviewed thousands of requests for Reid’s time/attention/money. It was stunning how few requesters actually offered to help him on something. Why not figure out what he’s working on and send an article of relevance? Help first. Help first. Help first. It’s key to building relationships – even with the ultra successful" (7,800 words)
China As A Diplomatic Actor
Chas J. Freeman | 23rd January 2015
Advice to America on managing China's rise. "The notion that Americans can indefinitely sustain military supremacy along the frontiers of a steadily strengthening China is a bad bet no sober analyst would accept. We would be wiser to study how Britain finessed the challenge of America’s emergence as a counter to its global hegemony. It viewed us with apprehension but accepted, accommodated, and co-opted us" (2,400 words)
Syriza’s Victory
James Meek | London Review Of Books | 26th January 2015
The message from the Greek election. "Tsipras is issuing a much deeper challenge to the existing European dispensation. He is demanding that the rich parts of the Eurozone take the same direct responsibility for the less successful, or unluckier, areas as the richer parts of Germany or France do for the poorer regions within their own countries. He is seeking the mutualisation of giving a damn from the Arctic to the Aegean" (880 words)
Video of the day: The Kids
What to expect: Fear of parenthood. A Brooklyn fairy tale (4')
Thought for the day
The artist should never try to be popular. The public should try to be more artistic
Oscar Wilde