Expanding the Legacy
Lawyers Needed to Rein in Altman and Co
More than technology, Silicon Valley produces hype. It is forever on the cusp of a major breakthrough, needing only a bit more cash for the magic to happen. In the 1990s it was the dot-com boom; in the 2000s nanotechnology; and in the 2010s blockchain and its crypto derivatives. All these hypes promised deliverance from some affliction suffered by mankind and usher in an era of peace, prosperity, and general wellbeing. The paperless office and global village came and went, as did the miraculous nanotech materials and all the pyramids that touched the heavens unlocking vast wealth to believers. More often than not, Silicon Valley offered solutions in search of a problem.
The Man, The Myth, The Charisma, The Appeal
It remains an enduring mystery why about half of American voters idolise a convicted felon, philanderer, pathological liar, and failed businessman. Liberals struggle to comprehend the mood in the mythical ‘American heartland’ - more of a cultural entity than a landmass and usually defined as comprising the twelve landlocked states of the Midwest plus eastern portions of the Mountain States and bits of the Southern States up to West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Urbanite liberals cannot make sense of the apparent disconnect between the well-documented misconduct of Donald Trump and the traditional ethical values espoused with great devotion by heartland conservatives.
A New Axis of Evil Arises to Fight Aimless Wars
If it’s not Ukraine, it’s Gaza or Lebanon. Thankfully, little rocket man is keeping quiet and China, at least for now, seems content to limit its threats to Taiwan to lowkey utterances of displeasure. Every week or so, there is disconcerting news on major belligerence unfolding somewhere: Russia creeping up in the Donbas; Ukraine advancing into Kursk Oblast, or Israel preparing for a ground war against Hizbollah. Poor secretary of state Antony Blinken. He shuttles all over to douse fires, cool down hotheads, warn foes, and manage recalcitrant allies - without much to show for it.
How Silicon Valley Strikes Out, Dumps VC Funds, and Woos You
The job of venture capital (VC) fund managers involves making out with lots of frogs in the expectation that at least one of them turns into a prince. VC funds have enjoyed a great ride with a powerful business model that not only provided good returns but one with significant benefits to society as well. VC brings innovation and enables bright minds and lateral thinkers to prosper. Its absence is often mentioned to explain the dearth of tech champions in Europe. However, in the era of generative-ai capital is required on a much grander scale than VC can deliver.
Think Trump is Weird? Meet His North Carolina Friend
Some people move so far beyond the pale and descend so deep into the unfathomable depths of surrealism that even the most gifted raconteur would have to accept the limits of his/her imagination and recognise the inadequacy of language to sketch and covey such departure from human sense and reason. Meet Mark Robinson. He’s the Republican Party’s nominee for the governorship of North Carolina and a self-proclaimed ‘evangelical christian’ who sports not only the obligatory stars-and-stripes pin on the lapel of his jacket, but also a cross which is now his to carry.
UN Climate Fails: Still Expecting a Different Outcome
Turkeys do not usually vote for Christmas. Still, some people seem genuinely surprised and dismayed by the species’ instinct for self-preservation. Azerbaijan derives more than ninety percent of its export earnings from the sale of oil and natural gas. Each day, the country pumps about 750,000 barrels of oil and dumps 650,000 of them on the global market, bringing in close to $20 billion annually. In November, Azerbaijan is to host COP29, the annual gathering of some forty thousand jet-setting government officials, NGO delegates, and assorted camp followers such as staff, guests, reporters, and ‘parties overflow’, i.e. the merely curious who are allowed to nose around the conference premises as long as they do not partake in the proceedings.
US Fed Celebrates Death of Inflation
The US Federal Reserve celebrated the death of inflation with a bold interest rate cut. As the Federal Open Market Committee mulled its next move during a highly-anticipated meeting yesterday, its twelve members just hoped, and perhaps even prayed (this is, after all, America), that the reports of inflation’s death are not ‘greatly exaggerated’. The benchmark federal fund rate receded to five percent.
Finance Everywhere, But Not a Dollar to Reap
The withdrawal of banks from the high streets and neighbourhood corners is unsurprising. Today, most banks derive no more than three percent of their turnover from ‘traditional’ business operations such as fees and lending depositors’ cash to companies wishing to expand or families looking to buy a home. In 2022, the total assets of the financial sector in the UK amounted to a truly staggering $16.88 trillion - well over five time the aggregate output of the country’s entire economy. Those assets comprise mostly claims on other banks.
To the Rescue of Paul Gauguin
He lapped up life daringly, mastered the art of rebellion, and looked far beyond the horizon to find adventure and clam his restless soul. Just before the implacable woke crowd could ‘cancel’ him, biographer Sue Prideaux snatched Paul Gauguin from its claws. The French postimpressionist painter seemed ripe for the picking: the perfect candidate to be knocked off his pedestal, thrown from his perch, and relegated to the scrapheap of art history. It was not for a lack of trying that the über politically correct posse failed in its pursuit.
Germany’s Smoke and Mirrors on Immigration
To placate its critics, the German government has temporarily reasserted control over the country’s borders. The measure is meant to stem the flow of immigrants entering the country to submit unfounded asylum claims. As of tomorrow, checks will take place on incoming traffic by roving border patrols.
