Robert Kaplan: How Trump is losing Asia: The United States has dispatched two aircraft carrier strike groups to the South China Sea to contest China’s creeping annexation of the maritime region. It is one of the bluntest expressions of US hard power in years. Yet the very fact that such a dramatic step was even necessary indicates how the power balance is shifting in China’s favor. China’s long-term and methodical attempt to dominate shoals and islands in the region is a reflection of both US domestic distractions and its loss of prestige throughout Asia. https://wapo.st/306zfz1
Michael Schuman: China has never liked playing by other people’s rules: From the time of the earliest emperors, its leaders would incur great costs and surrender tangible benefits to return to supremacy. https://bloom.bg/2CAlZKJ
99% of China’s 904 million internet users get online using a mobile device. That is larger than the populations of the US, Russia, Mexico, Germany, the UK, France, and Canada, where 897 million access the internet on mobile.
BTW - The 904 million figure is just 63% of China’s total population, suggesting there is still room for growth. By comparison, the US has an internet population of 298 million, of which 93% access via the internet.
How a tiny Indian Ocean island could force a US-UK rift https://bit.ly/2Ol2hVY
Today: France celebrates Bastille Day
British Gas goes electric: British Gas has ordered 1,000 pure-electric vans from Vauxhall, as the first steps in its effort to have a completely electric fleet by 2030.
The US Department of Agriculture predicts that coffee consumption is set to decline globally this year for the first time since 2011.
George Zaidan: The scientist who says processed food may not be as bad as we think: We’re told Frankenfoods are killing us. George Zaidan, the chemist behind the YouTube series Ingredients, looked at the evidence. https://bit.ly/3esEcam
Monopolies make their own rules: Zephyr Teachout’s new book lays bare the private legal system that shores up their immense power—and hides it from public view.
https://bit.ly/2DyIBvK
Fortune: Why slashing product prices is usually a terrible idea https://bit.ly/2ZpPfNq
Research by the Simon Kucher & Partners consulting firm finds that “only 12% [of companies] believe they can boost profits by adjusting prices.”
The pandemic is rewriting the rules of retail: The latest data from McKinsey shows that consumers are likely to keep the behaviors they’ve adopted amid stay-at-home orders, such as more online shopping and fewer mall visits. Retailers can’t afford to be in a wait-and-see mode. First, they need to reimagine their baseline requirements and then turn their attention to taking their customer experience to the next level. https://bit.ly/2Zn1E4C
Has coronavirus doomed coliving? Coliving was touted pre-pandemic as the future of urban living. But will the coronavirus make people rethink cohabiting with strangers? https://bit.ly/32dy9UJ
Design is not about solving problems https://bit.ly/2WgbmUE
Don’t let micro-stresses burn you out: Most of us have come to accept micro-stresses as just a normal part of a day. We hardly acknowledge them, but cumulatively they are wearing us down. And what’s worse is that the sources of these micro-stresses are often the people — in and out of work — with whom we are closest. The authors of this article have identified 12 common “relational” drivers of stress that are likely taking a significant toll on your well-being, without you necessarily being aware of their impact. Until you recognize these sources of stress, you can’t begin to address them. https://bit.ly/38RZGMQ
YouGov: What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
+ 17% say chocolate
+ 15% say vanilla is their favorite flavor of ice cream
+ 8% say strawberry, mint chocolate chip, or butter pecan are their favorite flavors
+ Americans over the age of 55 (14%) are the most likely age group to say butter pecan is their favorite flavor
