Why nature makes us happier, healthier, and more creative
When: 2:00 - 2:45 pm ET | Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Speaker: Florence Williams | Author of The Nature Fix
Cost: $25.00 - $45.00
Brigadoon Members and their guests attend free
$45.00 ticket price includes a copy of The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative.
ATTEND
Book your spot today - click here.
WATCH
What happens when you spend just 5 minutes in nature?
Go outside. Go often. Bring friends. Breathe.
An intrepid investigation into nature’s restorative benefits by prize-winning author Florence Williams.
Click here.
REVIEWS
"A thoughtful, refreshing book with a simple but powerful message."
-- Kirkus Reviews
"[Williams] presents the benefits of spending time outdoors… entertainingly but with enough scientific detail to satisfy the expert."
-- New York Times Book Review
"Williams’s findings are eminently reassuring and perversely specific."
-- Atlantic
"[A] lively exploration of what modern research has to say about the myriad health benefits of the great outdoors. . . Ms. Williams resists the tendency of so much nature writing towards easy epiphanies, adopting a tone that is, instead, pleasingly puckish. . . [She] puzzles out the pros and cons, concluding, on balance, that there's a good case for connecting with nature to extend both the quantity and quality of life. . ."
-- Danny Heitman, Wall Street Journal
ATTEND
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Brigadoon Daily | Nov. 3
Brigadoon Daily
Your daily dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture
November 3, 2021
“Virginia is For Lovers”
TOP FIVE
1. Ethiopia declares state of emergency
2. Virginia goes Youngkin
3. Patagonia doesn’t use the word ‘sustainable’
4. ‘Vax’ is Oxford’s word of the year
5. The traveling friendship of Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar
ROSS RANT
"Do I need a communications advisor?"
Full post here.
GLOBALIZATION + STATECRAFT
Ethiopians mobilize as advance of rebel groups toward capital threatens wider civil war
WP
Ethiopia declares state of emergency as Tigray forces claim advances: DW reports the Ethiopian government has declared a national state of emergency amid fears that Tigray insurgents are preparing to march on the capital, Addis Ababa. The UN called for an "immediate cessation" of hostilities.
The Times: Residents in Ethiopian capital urged to take up arms against rebels
Long-winded at COP26: Ignoring the three minutes allocated for each global leader, Emmanuel Macron spoke for 10:53 minutes. But Joe Biden outdid even that, speaking for 11:25 minutes.
+ 100 countries pledged to end and reverse deforestation by 2030
+ US and EU unveil plan to slash methane emissions by 2030
Biden and his allies look past China on climate: The president and European leaders are looking to countries like Indonesia, India, and South Africa for climate change breakthroughs after failing to move Beijing at the G20 summit.
Politico
+ Biden said at a COP26 press conference on Tuesday that Chinese leader Xi Jinping made a "big mistake" by not showing up to the UN climate summit, suggesting that Beijing has "lost an ability to influence" other countries as a result.
How Russia is cashing in on climate change: Global warming may pose grave dangers around the world, but as one tiny Russian town on the Arctic Ocean shows, it can also be a ticket to prosperity.
NYT
The Netherlands is due to announce new COVID restrictions this week, with vaccine passports expected for sports venues, museums, and amusement parks, and the government urging people to work from home, at least part-time. On Sunday, the Netherlands reported the highest number of infections since July.
Germany coalition talks: What are the biggest sticking points? Negotiators enter tough talks on climate, taxation, and foreign policy as SPD, Greens, and FDP look to nail down the ‘traffic light’ coalition.
Politico
Why Britain and France can’t stop fighting about fish: It suits both Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron for the post-Brexit row to continue.
Politico
How Italy introduced the world to espresso – archive, 1953
Guardian
Satellite images show new Russian military buildup near Ukraine: Politico reports the deployments come as tension is rising between Moscow and the West.
When it comes to China, don’t call it a ‘Cold War’
Joseph S. Nye Jr.
+ Nye coined the term “soft power” in 1989 and is a professor @ Harvard University
Nikkei: New Zealand signals shift in China stance by opening door to AUKUS
+ Diplomat indicates a willingness to collaborate on technology outside of nuclear subs
Shutting down historical debate, China makes it a crime to mock heroes: Under a new law, China has zealously prosecuted even the perceived slander of Communist figures, broadening Xi Jinping’s campaign to dominate party orthodoxy.
NYT
China tells citizens to stockpile food as Covid controls are tightened: FT reports the communist party newspaper says no reason for alarm but admits families running low on supplies.
China’s climate goals hinge on a $440 billion nuclear buildout: China is planning at least 150 new reactors in the next 15 years, more than the rest of the world has built in the past 35.
Bloomberg
SCMP: China has already had its best year for space launches, and leads the US
+ 40 launches by the end of October is one more than the country managed last year, while the United States has had 39
Hawley proposes $3 billion per year for Taiwan: Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and expected 2024 GOP presidential candidate has proposed a bill to give Taiwan $3 billion a year to boost its defenses ahead of a potential Chinese invasion. The Arm Taiwan Act would establish the Taiwan Security Assistance Initiative and conditions future arms sales on the island purchasing weapons to counter Beijing’s military plans.
Nikkei: As China campaigns to cut off Taiwan, Honduras poised to flip next
+ Beijing woos Central America and the Caribbean with vaccines and infrastructure
North says no more sanctions in return for end-of-war talks: Korea JoongAng Daily reports North Korea demanded that sanctions be lifted as a condition for negotiations to discuss a formal declaration to end the Korean War. The North’s stipulation for beginning talks to formally end the war was confirmed during an audit of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) conducted by the National Assembly’s intelligence committee.
South Korea plots its next entertainment blockbuster: Having given the world K-pop, Parasite, and Squid Game, it now wants to create global platforms to distribute its content.
FT
Singapore wants to become a global crypto hub: “We think the best approach is not to clamp down or ban these things,” its top banking regulator said.
The perils of military brinkmanship in the age of AI
Henry Kissinger + Eric Schmidt + Daniel Huttenlocher
POLITICS + CAMPAIGNS
Republican Youngkin takes Virginia election in blow to Biden
Bloomberg
ABC News: Republican Glenn Youngkin projected to win Virginia governor's race
+ It's the first time a Republican has won at the top of the ticket since 2009
WP: Republican Glenn Youngkin projected to win Virginia governor’s race
Politico: Republican Glenn Youngkin won the Virginia governor's race, a sign of the GOP's comeback after losing the presidency and the Senate in the last election
+ AP_Politics: BREAKING: Republican Glenn Youngkin wins election for governor in Virginia
+ VA Dem chair @SusanRSwecker to national Dems: "wake up" I would encourage those people across the river that could pass legislation to give relief to working families that maybe they better wake up & think about what next year is gonna look like now," she tells @jmartNYT
+ @Nate_Cohn: Biden has nearly the worst approval ratings of any president on record at this stage of his presidency. Just something to keep in mind if you're struggling to understand what happened tonight
+ @Redistrict: Needless to say, tonight's results are consistent w/ a political environment in which Republicans would comfortably take back both the House and Senate in 2022
+ Joe Biden won Virginia by ten points in 2020
Percentage that approves of Biden’s performance:
April 53%
August 49%
October 42%
Percentage that believes the country is headed in the wrong direction:
August 63%
October 71%
-- HT NBC News
Today: Biden returns from his European trip
Today: Nikki Haley will deliver the 2021 Margaret Thatcher Freedom Lecture at the Heritage Foundation
+ Nikki Haley (R-SC) is a former US Ambassador to the United Nations and former Governor of South Carolina, plus an expected 2024 GOP presidential candidate
Democrats must look beyond Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for 2024: The party’s historic deference to establishment candidates invites losing to Donald Trump.
Janan Ganesh
Liberals read, Conservatives watch TV: Explaining why Trump emerged on the right, why only liberals debate filibuster reform, how anti-vax became a partisan issue, how David Shor is half right, "Dems are the real racists," and much else.
Richard Hanania
Pence says James Madison and the Bible helped him certify election results against Trump’s wishes
WP
Banks tried to kill crypto and failed. Now they’re embracing it (slowly). Digital payments technology is forcing the financial system to evolve. Banks feel their power waning and want to regain control.
NYT
+ The companies standing behind over $100 billion in stablecoins — cryptocurrencies linked to the dollar — are effectively banks and should be regulated as such, according to an important new report released Monday by the Treasury Department
+ Treasury officials warned that without more oversight, the rise in reliance on stablecoins could result in bank runs, consumer abuse, and payment snafus, and potentially threaten the wider financial system
+ The Fed is expected to release a report on the prospects of a central bank digital currency in a couple of weeks
+ Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said that he would take his next paycheck “100% in Bitcoin"
+ A cryptocurrency inspired by “Squid Game” soared, spectacularly, before the money vanished
Reshuffle the Fed board now: Under the leadership of Jerome Powell, the US Federal Reserve seems headed for a massively consequential monetary-policy mistake. The best way to prevent it is to replace Powell with Lael Brainard, a Fed governor since 2014.
Simon Johnson
America has lost the plot on COVID: We’re avoiding the hardest questions about living with the coronavirus long term.
Sarah Zhang
DISRUPTION + INNOVATION
Is carbon capture here? A Swiss company is operating a device in Iceland that sucks CO2 from the air and shoots it into the ground, where it turns into rock.
NYT
COMMERCE
Hey, Facebook, I made a metaverse 27 years ago: It was terrible then, and it’s terrible now.
Ethan Zuckerman
Facebook plans to shut down its face recognition system in the "coming weeks," Meta announced Tuesday, citing the "many concerns about the place of facial recognition technology in society."
Microsoft takes on Facebook by launching metaverse on Teams: FT reports users will be able to appear as animated cartoons in meetings and visit virtual workspaces.
Into the metaverse: How sci-fi shapes our attitudes to the future: From the Terminator to Japanese manga, powerful narratives drive fear or reassurance around tech.
FT
WSJ: Hertz says Tesla is delivering cars to fleet, Elon Musk says there is no signed deal
+ Elon Musk’s net worth jumped $24 billion Tuesday, to $335 billion - he is by far the world’s richest person
Fear and loathing in cryptoland
Nick Maggiulli
What happens to your crypto when you die?
AP
China’s popular electric vehicles have put Europe’s automakers on notice: NYT reports by selling battery-powered SUVs and luxury sedans in places like Germany and Norway, China is striving to become a force in the global auto industry.
How car shortages are putting the world’s economy at risk: Because so many jobs depend on automaking, the industry’s production problems are causing the pain to ripple.
NYT
Bloomberg: Under Armour says transporting goods is now its biggest concern
Supply chain crisis risks taking the global economy down with it: New Bloomberg Economics gauges show the extent of the global supply shortages that are pushing prices higher and putting economic recoveries at risk.
Bloomberg
Nikkei: Apple trims iPad production to feed chips to iPhone 13
+ US tech giant produces 50% fewer tablets than planned in September-October
Bloomberg: Zillow shuts home-flipping business after racking up losses
Greedy bots cornered the sneaker market. What now?
Slate
Nike files to sell digital sneakers: WSJ reports the sneaker company’s trademark applications indicate it wants to offer virtual goods as part of videogames and other online platforms.
Lyft had 18.9 million active riders in the latest quarter.
LAT: The Golden Globes want to make a comeback this year. Hollywood isn’t buying it
Axios told staffers in an internal note that the company raised a series D funding round from Cox Enterprises, valuing the company at $430 million.
MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS
Patagonia doesn’t use the word ‘sustainable’. Here’s why: At Patagonia, we don’t use the word “sustainable”. Why? Because we recognize we are part of the problem.
Beth Thoren
+ Beth Thoren is the Environmental Action & Initiatives director, EMEA @ Patagonia
SPACE + SCIENCE
London cabbies’ brains are being studied for their navigating skills. It could help Alzheimer’s research.
WP
Related: Uber can't find my house: Without a doubt, London's taxi service is the best in the world. No doubt this is in part because cab drivers working in London must know the quickest routes through London's labyrinthine road network. There are thousands of streets and landmarks within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross - the junction in the city where six routes meet. Anyone who wants to drive an iconic London cab must memorize them all - they must have the Knowledge.
Full post here
PERFORMANCE
What motivates lifelong learners
John Hagel III
CULTURE
Check our Maya Lin's Ghost Forest, a towering stand of forty-nine haunting Atlantic white cedar trees curated as a public artwork in New York City's Madison Square Park.
These sneaker silhouettes have redefined what we consider to be luxury fashion
Quartz
What it's like to have a record deal and Justin Bieber for a fan at age 14: Prentiss Furr taught himself to make music in Jackson, Mississippi by editing YouTube videos. Now he's playing shows in L.A. and Skrillex wants to work with him.
GQ
‘Vax’ is Oxford’s word of the year, as pandemic’s ‘Fauci ouchie’ and ‘inoculati’ enter the lexicon: WP reports the coronavirus's influence on language — and now vaccine availability — spawned terms such as “vaxxident,” “anti-faxxer,” "vaxinista” and "vaxxies."
The traveling friendship of Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar: A conversation on Cabo, starting a tequila brand, and flying private during the pandemic.
WP
SPORT
Watch Patagonia’s classic film "Mountain of Storms" - click here.
+ In 1968, five friends set out on a 5,000-mile road trip in a white Ford van bound for South America. They packed surfboards, skis, and climbing gear and documented the whole trip on a 16mm Bolex camera. From Ventura, California to the first ascent on Cerro Fitz Roy, with a stop for sand skiing and 31 days in an ice cave in between, Mountain of Storms not only prefigured the modern adventure movie, but it also serves as the mythological origin story behind the Patagonia name and philosophy.
DW: Ex-FIFA bosses Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini charged with fraud in Switzerland
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Curation and commentary by Marc A. Ross | Founder @ Brigadoon
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Brigadoon Daily Email.
Your daily dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture
Brigadoon Daily | Nov. 2
Brigadoon Daily
Your daily dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture
November 2, 2021
You’re never going to be “caught up” at work
TOP FIVE
1. Boris Johnson, an unlikely Captain Planet with global ambitions
2. Youngkin now slightly favored in Virginia
3. Mark Zuckerberg knows Facebook is boring
4. Neuromarketing: The booming business of pushing people’s buttons
5. Lewis Hamilton plans to revolutionize Formula 1
GLOBALIZATION + STATECRAFT
Global leaders have gathered in Glasgow for COP26 — the United Nations climate change conference that runs until November 12.
G20 backs stronger climate action, but won’t end coal use: Politico reports the summit sends a mixed signal to COP26 climate talks opening in Glasgow.
Biden says Russia, China ‘didn’t show up’ on climate change commitments: Politico reports at the close of G20 summit, US president says Russia, China, and Saudi Arabia have not done enough.
+ India has set a target to reduce greenhouse emissions to “net zero” by 2070
China’s Xi to address COP26 climate talks in writing only: Politico reports the leader of the most polluting country won’t be at COP26 or make a video address.
The Times: Boris Johnson tells COP26: It’s last chance on climate
Boris Johnson, an unlikely Captain Planet with global ambitions: At first glance, the British Prime Minister is an unlikely eco-warrior. So what’s really behind his green crusade?
SMH
Why the COP26 climate summit won’t save the planet: Efforts to stop warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius may already have slipped away.
Politico
Will Glasgow be the climate breakthrough we need?
Justin Gillis
If COP26 fails, our future is hot and angry: Nations that cling to coal and destroy rainforests should expect to become pariahs as tensions turn into blame games.
William Hague
UK-French rivalry puts the west at risk: The problem is not fish or Northern Ireland — it’s Brexit. And it’s time for the US to stage an intervention.
Gideon Rachman
Macron and Biden patch up France-US relations: Politico reports with a meeting in Rome, the presidents said they are moving past a recent diplomatic feud.
Éric Zemmour, Macron’s far-right rival, wins backing from Russia: The Times reports the Kremlin has anointed a new favorite in the French presidential election: Éric Zemmour, the far-right insurgent campaigner who says that Moscow is far more reliable than the Americans, the British or the Germans. After gushing coverage by Kremlin-backed media of the polemicist’s rise in polls to second or third place, a Moscow think tank close to President Putin has endorsed him, saying he could bring Russia into a new European order.
Liz Truss pulls no punches about ‘genocide’ of Uighurs by China
The Times
Taiwan is the main problem for Xi-Biden talks, Chinese observers say: SCMP reports Foreign Minister Wang Yi said ‘political preparations’ were needed for the next phase of exchanges, in a meeting with Antony Blinken in Rome.
What will drive China to war? A cold war is already under way. The question is whether Washington can deter Beijing from initiating a hot one.
Michael Beckley + Hal Brands
+ An investigation found USS Connecticut, the nuclear-powered submarine sailing in the South China Sea, hit an uncharted sea mount on Oct. 2.
How the US should deter China’s nuclear ambitions: While recent advances in the size and sophistication of the Chinese arsenal are worrying, the US should avoid a destabilizing arms race.
Bloomberg - Editorial
China locks 30,000 visitors inside Shanghai Disneyland after one guest got COVID-19: WSJ reports guests are required to take coronavirus test to exit after a positive case shuts down the park
+ The global death toll from COVID-19 has reached 5 million
Another warning sign for China’s economy: DealBook reports factory activity fell for the second straight month, with analysts attributing the drop to weaker domestic demand, rising commodity prices, and slowing construction activity.
Silicon Valley wants to power the US war machine: Amid rising tensions with China, a cadre of defense insiders and tech players want to remake the Pentagon in Silicon Valley’s image.
Fast Company
When the Soviets set off the biggest nuclear bomb, JFK didn’t flinch: A new study offers insights into how the United States reacted to Tsar Bomba, a planet shaker that made the deadly Hiroshima blast look tame.
WSJ
POLITICS + CAMPAIGNS
Youngkin now slightly favored in Virginia: Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball just changed its rating for Virginia’s race for governor from Leans Democrat to Leans Republican.
Virginia prepares for a long Election Day as polls show dead heat between McAuliffe, Youngkin: WP reports voters are headed to the polls to pick a new governor in a neck-and-neck race that has drawn national attention for what it might reveal about the state of electoral politics in the first year of the Biden presidency — and how the Democratic party may fare in the 2022 midterms.
Tight Virginia governor’s race tests party strategies
WSJ
WP: VA went big for Biden, but on eve of another election, many voters say Democrats have not delivered
Virginia governor's race could show the way for Republican congressional campaigns
Reuters
The forces behind Biden’s problems: Four parties, zero trust: Faced with a split in his party, the president is stumbling as he tries to get his big domestic agenda passed.
Gerald F. Seib
Tim Scott says he’ll support Trump in 2024: Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) — who is often mentioned as a presidential candidate in 2024 — said that he would “of course” support former President Donald Trump if he ran for president again, the Charleston Post and Courier reports.
How Big Business got woke and dumped Trump
Time
DISRUPTION + INNOVATION
How two new supercomputers will improve weather forecasts: Each of the upgrades by the US National Weather Service is the size of 10 refrigerators, has the capacity of 12.1 petaflops, and will help predict storms made worse by climate change.
MIT Tech Review
COMMERCE
Q&A: Michael Bastian just wants to make Brooks Brothers even 'Brooksier': "And if it kills me," the company's new-ish creative director says, "I'm going to make this brand everything it ever was, if not better."
Esquire
2021 DealBook Online Summit: The NYT is making it free to join. The event is set for November 9-10, 2021. Register here.
Web Summit is kicking off: More than 40,000 ticket holders will descend on the Altice Arena for Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal.
The real reason Facebook changed its name: Mark Zuckerberg wants to be the hero of the metaverse because he knows Facebook is boring.
Atlantic
Wall Street, long a Facebook fan, was doubting its Meta pivot: The company has lagged rivals on a key measure of investor confidence.
Bloomberg
TikTok owner ByteDance shortens China work hours, discouraging notorious ‘996’ routine: The company is one of the first to end the punishing work schedule that has characterized the Chinese tech industry.
WP
Fintech startup Bolt sees valuation surge to $6 billion: Bloomberg reports the company says it’s building a universal checkout login that will help retailers compete with Amazon’s speed. European expansion is next.
Reuters: Amazon-backed EV startup Rivian targets over $53 bln valuation in US IPO
Jes Staley leaves Barclays over Epstein ties: DealBook reports Barclays announced that Jes Staley had stepped down as CEO after he and its board learned of the results of a two-year investigation by British regulators into his ties to Jeffrey Epstein
Ryanair is considering delisting from the London Stock Exchange, citing lower trading volumes as a result of Brexit.
Apple has too much power over its rivals: Users have welcomed the company’s privacy changes, but it should not have so much sway over competitors.
Brooke Masters
Farewell offshoring, outsourcing. Pandemic rewrites CEO playbook. Uncertainty in the global supply chain is driving executives to seek operations away from cheaper countries to locales affording greater control.
WSJ
MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS
Neuromarketing: The booming business of pushing people’s buttons: Major corporations are applying the lessons of cognitive neuroscience to get the American public buying.
Neo.Life
SPACE + SCIENCE
Jeff Bezos pledges $1 billion to protect 30 percent of the Earth’s land and sea: Bezos’s large donations are transforming climate philanthropy — even as Amazon’s cloud-computing business and shipping operations have a significant carbon footprint.
WP
PERFORMANCE
You’re never going to be “caught up” at work. Stop feeling guilty about it.
Art Markman
CULTURE
Oi! Reading recommendations for Ted Lasso and the AFC Richmond crew
NYPL
The comedians you should and will know in 2021: These are the 22 comics who industry insiders predict will be the superstars of tomorrow.
NY Mag
Matthew Rhys on why he restored a wreck he bought on eBay: A desire to imitate Ernest Hemingway’s ocean-going exploits led the actor to a four-year passion project, he tells Andrew Billen.
The Times
SPORT
Lewis Hamilton, star Formula 1 driver, plans to revolutionize the sport: On his way to becoming the most dominant Formula 1 champion ever, Lewis Hamilton overcame more obstacles—and took curves harder—than any other driver on the circuit. Now he wants to make the sport more diverse than ever.
WSJ
The Red Bull Big Wave Awards just wrapped and this is who bagged the wins
RB
The NBA’s most surprisingly valuable player: Suns backup Cameron Payne was out of the league. Now he’s a star in his role on a nearly $20 million contract. Even he can’t believe it.
WSJ
NFL player Aaron Rodgers will receive a part of his salary in Bitcoin and give away $1 million of the cryptocurrency to fans as part of a promotion with Square-backed mobile payments service Cash App, he announced in a tweet.
Oh great, another cranky column about baseball games taking too long: Still, the point remains. On its biggest stage, the World Series, baseball’s got to speed up its action.
Jason Gay
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Curation and commentary by Marc A. Ross | Founder @ Brigadoon
Get Brigadoon Daily in your inbox.
Brigadoon Daily Email.
Your daily dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture
Brigadoon Daily | Nov. 1
Brigadoon Daily
Your daily dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture
November 1, 2021
‘Race is a spectrum. Sex is pretty damn binary’
TOP FIVE
1. Nuclear-powered submarines for Australia? Maybe not so fast.
2. Both parties await result in Virginia, and what it bodes for the battles ahead
3. Where computing might go next
4. What makes a potato chip crispy or iceberg lettuce crunchy?
5. China’s hockey team is so bad it might be dropped from the Olympics
GLOBALIZATION + STATECRAFT
G20 nations agree to speed up climate action, but fail to settle on targets: The meeting points to difficult negotiations at the United Nations-sponsored COP26 climate summit over the next two weeks.
WSJ
‘Greta Mania’ hits Glasgow as Swedish teen is mobbed upon arrival for COP26 summit
WP
Whatever happens at COP26, a message is getting through
The Times
The climate summit to nowhere: From awful timing to unrealistic goals, COP26 has it all.
WSJ - Editorial
Japanese election: The ruling Liberal Democratic Party was assured of winning a majority on its own in national elections Sunday, public broadcaster NHK said, allowing new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to build a solid foundation for a government tackling security threats from China and North Korea.
BBC: Japan election: Ruling LDP set for reduced majority - exit polls
Reuters: Japan's Kishida hangs onto control after his LDP battered in election
Xi hasn’t left China in 21 months. COVID may be only part of the reason. Xi Jinping’s lack of face time with world leaders signals a turn inward on domestic issues and a reluctance to compromise on the global stage.
NYT
+ Pro-tip: When Chris Buckley writes, you read it.
Origin of virus may remain murky, US intelligence agencies say: NYT reports a declassified report said a clearer answer would require more information from Beijing or new discoveries and reiterated divisions over natural causes vs. a lab leak.
China could invade Taiwan ‘soon,’ says former Australian PM Abbott
DefenseNews
+ Abbott reiterated his calls for Australia to take over one or more retiring US Los Angeles-class or UK Trafalgar-class submarines soon because the new nuclear-powered subs won’t arrive for years.
+ “We need better, bigger, faster more wide-ranging submarines, not in two decades time but now,” Abbot said, adding that “the challenges are pressing, the peril is not far off.”
Nuclear-powered submarines for Australia? Maybe not so fast. Australia’s plan to build the submarines with US and British help faces big hurdles. Supporters say they can be overcome. Critics say they may be too much.
NYT
Collapse: The fall of the Soviet Union by Vladislav Zubok review — was it inevitable? If Gorbachev and Yeltsin hadn’t hated each other, the Soviet Union might not have imploded.
The Times
Haiti’s powerful gangs hold country hostage over fuel: WSJ reports the country’s largest gang has blocked access to its largest fuel terminal, demanding the prime minister’s resignation.
Cortés must fall! Children of the Aztecs declare war on conquistadors: The home of the Spaniard who wiped out an empire wants his remains back from Mexico before they can be desecrated.
The Times
‘They lied.’ Inside the frantic days leading to Sudan’s coup: NYT reports the American envoy, Jeffrey Feltman, was given assurances that seemed to head off a military takeover. Hours later, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan made his move.
Qatar teams up with Rolls-Royce for fund to pump billions of pounds into UK green engineering startups
The Times
POLITICS + CAMPAIGNS
Both parties await result in Virginia, and what it bodes for the battles ahead: Republicans hope to hit on a recipe for renewal, while Democrats worry that a loss could force them to defend seats in blue states next year.
NYT
A fractured Virginia electorate prepares to pick a governor
Dan Balz
Trump looks to 2024, commanding a fundraising juggernaut, as he skirts social media bans
WP
God, Trump, and the closed-door world of a major Conservative group: What internal recordings and documents reveal about the Council for National Policy — and the future of the Republican Party.
WP
WP: House eyes votes as soon as Tuesday on infrastructure, spending deals
The party of ideas produces a frankenbill, but it just might work
Doyle McManus
+ Resistance from Democratic centrist Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia has forced their party to drop or modify several popular proposals.
The cannabis industry is rife with fraudsters. The FDA is AWOL. The FDA’s failure to regulate a multibillion-dollar market is a detriment to consumers and businesses alike.
Justin Singer
Big hires, big money, and a DC blitz: A bold plan to dominate crypto: The Silicon Valley firm Andreessen Horowitz, whose founders played big roles in the development of the internet, aims to own a huge part of the digital currency world — and set the rules for it, too.
NYT
‘The Last King of America’ review: The method and the madness: Seeing George III as a monarch of moderation.
WSJ
DISRUPTION + INNOVATION
Where computing might go next: The future of computing depends in part on how we reckon with its past.
MIT Tech Review
COMMERCE
Rebranding as Meta, Facebook emphasizes VR future over crisis-beset present
LAT
Facebook joins a crowded field in the race to build the ‘metaverse.’ Mark Zuckerberg’s new plan for Facebook is one of several competing visions for an immersive digital reality.
WSJ
The amazing things you will do in the metaverse: Class trips to ancient Rome? Walk on the moon in your pajamas? Technologists say the “metaverse” will make it possible.
WSJ
Mark Zuckerberg’s quixotic quest for the Facebook metaverse: The Facebook founder is assailed by scandals and a surging rival in TikTok, yet his total grip on power at the social media behemoth means he can shrug it off and spend billions on a quixotic metaverse quest. Shareholders can do nothing but watch.
The Times
‘The problem is him’: Kara Swisher on Mark Zuckerberg’s crisis and ours.
NY Mag
Microsoft eclipses Apple as most valuable company: WSJ reports the last time Microsoft had a bigger market cap than Apple was July 2020.
Journalists venture beyond their newsrooms to try to cash in: Substack, Facebook Bulletin pursue high-profile reporters and commentators, creating tension within news organizations.
WSJ
Billionaire Marc Andreessen buys Malibu mansion for $177 million, a California record: LAT reports the $177-million price beats out the previous California record, set last year when Bezos paid $165 million for David Geffen’s famed Warner estate in Beverly Hills. It’s also the second-priciest home sale ever in the US, behind Ken Griffin’s $238-million purchase of a New York City penthouse overlooking Central Park.
Big Tech, Big Oil—every industry is Big Tobacco now: At least US intelligence agencies offer a rare voice of realism about the climate blame game.
Holman W. Jenkins, Jr.
Consumers are wise to 'woke washing,' but truly 'transformative branding' can still make a difference
The Conversation
How venture capitalists think crypto will reshape commerce: From banking to gaming, investors are sending billions of dollars to crypto inventors who seek to disrupt industries. Here’s a look at some of those bets.
NYT
Allen Iverson and Al Harrington are ready to take over the cannabis scene in LA
LAT
How cheesecake to go saved the Cheesecake Factory: One of the world’s most complicated restaurants went all-in on takeout and delivery last year. These days, business is booming—and working there is crazier than ever.
WSJ
Eleven un-magical secrets I learned while working at Disney World: From parents leaving their kids with “Mary Poppins” to ladies lusting after Captain Jack Sparrow, the most magical place on Earth is also one of the most colorful places to work.
Bloomberg
Sikh drivers are transforming US trucking. Take a ride along the Punjabi American highway
LAT
Jamie Dimon: The secrets of America’s most powerful banker: The chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase is a modern-day Midas who thrived through the financial crisis. At 65 is there any stopping him?
The Times
MIT expert on work says any boss who thinks employees will return to offices is dreaming: A few companies will insist on a return to the workplace — to their detriment, says Thomas Malone.
WP
By Gieves, I haven’t got the time, or waistline, for Savile Row’s tailormade malarkey
Jeremy Clarkson
MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS
95 brands that matter more than ever in 2021
Fast Company
SPACE + SCIENCE
Is it crispy or is it crunchy? What makes a potato chip crispy or iceberg lettuce crunchy? How do we parse the difference between the two terms? And does it even really matter?
Epicurious
PERFORMANCE
What I learned about my writing by seeing only the punctuation: I made a web tool that lets you spy your hidden literary style
Clive Thompson
CULTURE
Economist explained politics and traffic jams: Anthony Downs, who has died at age 90, studied real-estate markets and clogged roads. He found that voters’ ‘rational ignorance’ drove election campaigns.
WSJ
+ Downs—who shunned the honorific Dr. even though he had a PhD in economics from Stanford University—was best known for his doctoral thesis, published in 1957 as a book, “An Economic Theory of Democracy.”
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who described the ‘flow’ of human creativity, dies at 87: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychologist and best-selling author who coined the term “flow” to describe the sense of creativity that emerges from an intense absorption in a challenging activity, whether in the arts, sports, business or a hobby, died Oct. 20 at his home in Claremont, Calif.
WP
Richard Dawkins: ‘Race is a spectrum. Sex is pretty damn binary’: He was the poster boy for militant atheism but has cancel culture finally clipped his wings? Britain’s Darwinist-in-chief on self-censorship, the gender wars, and why he loves Elon Musk.
The Times
Richard Thaler: ‘I became an academic because I’m not good at taking orders’: John Morgan meets the Nobel prizewinning father of nudge economics, who believes that the dismal science can only be improved by taking account of people’s ‘predictable mistakes’.
John Morgan
Ai Weiwei traces a century of making authorities squirm: Chinese artist writes about his family’s history of political commentary in a new memoir.
WSJ
‘David Copperfield’s History of Magic’ review: Treasury of illusions: From the 16th century to the 21st, a backstage tour of stage magic from one of its most successful showmen.
WSJ
SPORT
China’s hockey team is so bad it might be dropped from the Olympics: Months ahead of the Beijing Games, hockey officials are trying to balance competitive concerns with fears about embarrassing the host nation.
NYT
The playbook for a more adventurous life, courtesy of “The Real Indiana Jones”: Catching up with longtime adventurer Rick Ridgeway, who recounts his best stories in the new book "Life Lived Wild"
InsideHook
Full circle: In Chilean Patagonia, four adventurers follow in the footsteps of their heroes as they attempt a rare ski descent of a volcano surrounded by savage jungle. A new short film documents their quest.
Red Bull
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Curation and commentary by Marc A. Ross | Founder @ Brigadoon
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