Brigadoon Daily | Nov. 12

Brigadoon Daily

Your daily dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture

November 12, 2021


‘We baby boomers have had our day’

TOP FIVE

1. Xi is expected to invite Biden to the Beijing Winter Olympics

2. South Africa can’t afford to quit coal

3. Vegan diets won’t save us

4. The man who has lived as a hermit for 40 years

5. Hamilton says he must win Brazilian GP to keep title fight alive

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Wednesday, December 8, 2021 | 12:00 - 2:00 pm ET

Washington, DC or Virtual

For more information or sign up - click here.

GLOBALIZATION + STATECRAFT

Historic resolution seals President Xi's grip on power: DW reports top Communist Party officials in China have approved a resolution that paves the way for President Xi Jinping to extend his rule.

AFP: China’s Communist Party passes rare resolution strengthening Xi Jinping’s authority

Chinese leaders pave way for Xi's 3rd term and beyond: Nikkei reports the historical resolution touts Communist Party's achievements while ignoring criticisms.

WP: China clears a path for Xi Jinping to rule until at least 2027

China’s Xi designated a historical figure by party
WSJ

Chinese Communist party clears way for Xi to tighten grip on power: First ‘historical resolution’ in 40 years declares president’s leadership key to nation’s ‘great rejuvenation.’
FT

Xi Jinping’s cult of personality gets a big boost
Benjamin Hart

Xi Jinping, China's eternal president: According to the old rules, he should step down next year. But the Chinese leader has now secured his grip on power beyond two terms. It’s a massive taboo breach — yet other taboos remain in place.
Dang Yuan

Does Xi Jinping’s seizure of history threaten his future?
New Yorker

Xi Jinping warns of ‘cold war’ divisions as US rebuilds alliances: Biden’s security adviser says America is forging ahead with a new Asia-Pacific framework.
FT

AFP: Biden, Xi expected to hold virtual summit on Monday: US media

CNBC: Xi is expected to invite Biden to the Beijing Winter Olympics, sources say

+ As the United States and China continue discussions on a virtual summit to be held between the countries’ two leaders next week, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics loom large.

+ Xi Jinping is expected to use the discussion, expected next week, to extend a personal invitation to President Biden to attend the events in Beijing in February, sources said.

+ The invitation would serve as a challenge to Biden to decline, and put the relationship on ice; or accept, and contradict his administration’s own messaging on democracy and human rights.

Japan's Foreign Minister Hayashi: China hand or too pro-Beijing? Either way, the new top diplomat will need to navigate tough realities.
Nikkei

Arcane, hereditary, all-male — and at the heart of British democracy: How a small blue-blooded band of peers cling on to power in the House of Lords.
FT

Bloomberg: US warns Europe that Russia may plan Ukraine invasion

+ Officials briefed EU, didn’t share information, people say

+ US says it’s watching Russian military buildup near Ukraine

Belarus threatens to cut gas transit to EU as migrant crisis escalates: FT reports President Alexander Lukashenko vows to halt flows if Brussels imposes more sanctions over Minsk's role in border chaos.

AFP: Russia, Western countries clash at UN over Belarus border crisis

The Bolsonaro-Trump connection threatening Brazil’s elections: With his poll numbers falling, President Jair Bolsonaro is already questioning the legitimacy of next year’s election. He has help from the United States.
NYT

Workers take coffee breaks at their own risk, Italy’s top court finds
WP

Portugal adopts strict pandemic-era labor protections for remote work: WP reports new laws passed in Portugal in an effort to promote work-life balance prohibit employers from contacting remote workers after hours in most circumstances and mandate that employers pay staff for work-related expenses incurred while working at home.

FW de Klerk obituary: The Times reports the former president of South Africa who made history by negotiating the end of apartheid, releasing Nelson Mandela from prison, and winning the Nobel peace prize, yet remained a divisive figure.

South Africa can’t afford to quit coal. Will rich countries pay for the transition? Pressure to end coal-powered electricity generation has fired tensions between already-industrialized nations and developing ones, which have poured billions into coal infrastructure. South Africa is the most dependent on the fuel of any G20 country.
WSJ

Ethiopia’s civil war is a problem US troops can help solve: Sending peacekeepers to the pivotal nation of East Africa wouldn’t be popular domestically, but might be the only way to stop the conflict.
James Stavridis

POLITICS + CAMPAIGNS

Biden’s White House scrambles to tame soaring US inflation: FT reports a focus on high prices marks a shift from earlier attempts to boost demand in the pandemic-battered economy.

Rising inflation challenges Biden economic agenda: WSJ reports the highest inflation in three decades is posing a new test for President Biden as he seeks to push through another pillar of his economic agenda while also easing Americans’ concerns about rising consumer prices.

President Biden’s economic agenda wasn’t designed for shortages and inflation
Greg Ip

+ The average American lost power for eight hours last year, the highest average outage time since at least 2013.

Trump wins temporary victory in effort to keep White House records secret: Guardian reports the former president is asking a court to block the release of material related to the House investigation into the attack on the Capitol.

Retiring Alabama Sen. Shelby says he will back former aide over Trump-endorsed candidate: WP reports Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-AL) said he plans to spend $5 million of his campaign funds to help his former chief of staff in the Republican primary to replace him, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

WP: Former NJ Governor Chris Christie takes a jab at Trump for losing last year’s election

America isn’t ready for the electric-vehicle revolution
Steve LeVine

Vegan diets won’t save us: Not all plant food is virtuous and not all meat and dairy are problematic.
Noel Yaxley

DISRUPTION + INNOVATION

How to make big, old companies act fast: Five shifts have changed the way successful legacy multinationals do strategy.
Pia Lauritzen

COMMERCE

Rich Millennials to financial advisers: Thanks for the golf invite, but you can’t invest my money: Wealthy young investors don’t see much use for the wealth-management firms their parents rely on. They would rather pick their own stocks or plow their money into crypto.
WSJ

+ In 2020 and 2021, a whopping 13,250 apartments across the country have come from repurposed offices, per a new report from RentCafe.

Elon Musk has sold almost $5 billion in Tesla stock during a spate of transactions, CNBC first reported Wednesday evening.

Omorpho is making gym clothes with micro-weights built into the garments to provide more resistance while working out.

Uber CEO flies into London as driver shortages hit app: FT reports Dara Khosrowshahi holds talks with mayor Sadiq Khan over driver rights and pledges 10% pay rise.

Battle: The highest-grossing film of 2021 worldwide is The Battle at Lake Changjin, a Chinese war movie that’s made $877 million at home and is now the second-highest-grossing film of all time in China. The movie now mounts its international tour, and will hit screens in the United States and Canada on November 19, Australia in December, and has planned releases in the UK, Ireland, and Malaysia.

Turkey: According to the USDA, frozen turkey inventories are 24 percent below the average three-year volume.

Sorry, human-centered design won’t save us
Christina Luchkiw

MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS

Design for planet: Using storytelling to reframe the climate crisis: By shifting the focus towards storytelling, designers can reposition their own work and thereby effect change in consumers.
Molly Long

SPACE + SCIENCE

A Viking axe struck a Newfoundland tree in the year 1021. Here’s how scientists proved it.
Aeon

Axios: SpaceX launches crew of 4 astronauts to International Space Station

PERFORMANCE

How to be more productive and eliminate time-wasting activities by using the “Eisenhower Box”
James Clear

CULTURE

Adam Boulton on leaving Sky News: ‘We baby boomers have had our day’: After spending 33 years at the channel, Boulton is departing Sky News. It’s over for the public school, Oxbridge, male old guard, he says.
The Times

The man who has lived as a hermit for 40 years: For almost 40 years Ken Smith has shunned conventional life and lived without electricity or running water in a hand-made log cabin on the banks of a remote loch in the Scottish Highlands.
BBC

They say colleges are censorious. So they are starting a new one. The founders of the University of Austin say they want to defend intellectual dissent and declare that something in higher education is fundamentally broken.
NYT

SPORT

Roger Federer as religious experience
David Foster Wallace

Running the natural wonders of the UK: This year, Merrell partnered with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) to establish the Seven Natural Wonders of the UK – a list of natural landmarks unified by shared beauty and geological significance.
Sidetracked

Guardian: ‘I wanted less than a minute’: 105-year-old unsatisfied after 100m world record

+ Julia ‘Hurricane’ Hawkins sets record in 105+ category

+ Athlete has also excelled in cycling time trials

Matt Araiza: college football’s breakout star is ... a punter? Guardian reports the San Diego State junior can boom kicks more than 80 yards and seems to set a new record every week. The NFL has duly taken notice.

WP: Christian Pulisic will not start in USMNT’s showdown with Mexico

Guardian: Lewis Hamilton says he must win Brazilian GP to keep title fight alive

+ Hamilton trails Max Verstappen by 19 points with four races left

+ ‘The task is as steep as can be,’ admits world champion

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc

Curation and commentary by Marc A. Ross | Founder @ Brigadoon

Get Brigadoon Daily in your inbox.

Subscribe here.

Brigadoon Daily Email.

Your daily dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture

Brigadoon Daily | Nov. 11

Brigadoon Daily

Your daily dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture

November 11, 2021

TOP FIVE

1. Belarus border residents rattled by migrant crisis

2. Xi prepares to be anointed as emperor

3. Rivian shares surge in largest US IPO since 2014

4. Should we quit social media, too?

5. US, Mexico set for CONCACAF 'Clasico' in World Cup clash

GLOBALIZATION + STATECRAFT

Blinken 'hopeful' for 'window' to stop Ethiopia war: AFP reports US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced hope Wednesday that diplomacy would succeed in halting a deadly war in Ethiopia after major rebel advances. "I believe that all sides see the dangers of perpetuating the conflict," Blinken told reporters amid efforts by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo as well as US envoy Jeffrey Feltman.

Reuters: Biden to host leaders of Canada, Mexico at White House on Nov. 18

+ "This will be the first time that the three leaders will meet in person since Canada hosted the last Summit in June 2016"

Erin O’Toole must push back against hard-liners, not just to protect his party but all of Canada
David Moscrop

Never mind Merkel! The EU’s not doing so badly: The recovery fund, the COVID-19 response, and joint borrowing all show that Europe is progressing.
Politico

Belarus border residents rattled by migrant crisis on their doorstep: DW reports hardly anyone used to stray into the villages on Belarus' western border. But with more Middle Eastern refugees stranded here, residents are unsettled.

EU and US accuse Belarus of 'hybrid attack' at borders: DW reports, "It is important that Lukashenko understands that [the regime's] behavior comes with a price," the EU's Ursula von der Leyen said following talks with US President Joe Biden in Washington.

Russia sends warplanes to Belarus amid fight with EU over migrants: WSJ reports the deployment of strategic bombers to Belarus’s airspace comes as tensions build between Belarus and Poland over a surge of migrants at their shared border and the positioning of several thousand Polish troops on the European Union’s eastern flank.

The Times: Russian bombers fly over Belarus as border crisis deepens

Merkel pressures Putin to act on Poland-Belarus standoff: DW reports Germany's outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Russia's Vladimir Putin to help resolve the ongoing migrant standoff between Poland and Belarus.

Bloomberg: US vows closer ties with France on space, cyber threats

+ Vice President Harris meets French President Emmanuel Macron

+ Harris trip intended to elevate her profile, further mend ties

In wake of submarine controversy, Harris emphasizes shared future in meeting with France’s Macron
WP

19: French far-right provocateur Éric Zemmour is now polling at 19 percent in presidential polls, only four points behind incumbent Emmanuel Macron. Zemmour, who has been convicted of inciting racial hatred, continues to soar ahead of his right-wing challenger Marine Le Pen.

Harnessing the energy of the ocean to power homes, planes, and whisky distilleries
WP

Boris Johnson rides the train back to COP26 in Glasgow — and away from a mess at Westminster: The British prime minister was criticized last week for chartering a plane to London from the COP26 summit. This time he opted for the four-hour train trip.
WP

Boris Johnson will struggle to contain this sleaze row
James Forsyth

Britain’s Boris Johnson should be basking in a global moment. Instead, he is mired in ‘sleaze.’
Anthony Faiola

As distrust of China grows, Europe may inch closer to Taiwan: Talks between European lawmakers and Taiwanese officials point to Europe’s increasing willingness to strengthen relations, despite Beijing’s threats.
NYT

China launches combat drills, says trip to Taiwan by US lawmakers was ‘sneaky’: WP reports the unannounced visit by US lawmakers has become the latest focus of Beijing’s ire. It comes during escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

China slams US lawmakers' trip to Taiwan on military aircraft: Nikkei reports Beijing conducts 'combat readiness patrol' as cross-strait tensions grow.

Analysis: Xi's favorite 17th-century monk to guide China-Japan ties: Japanese ambassador makes a symbolic visit to Fujian Province's Wanfu Temple.
Nikkei

Xi to deliver party doctrine to change course of China
Bloomberg

Xi prepares to be anointed as emperor of all he surveys in China: The cult of personality surrounding the president has intensified in advance of his planned appointment to a third, potentially unlimited term.
The Times

The world is fed up with China’s belligerence: Democracies are no longer as worried as they once were about offending a fragile Beijing.
Chris Horton

China is evading US spies — and the White House is worried: Under Xi Jinping, China has become an even harder target for America’s spying operation.
Bloomberg

US, China pledge to work together to slow climate change: WSJ reports the surprise announcement by China’s special climate envoy Xie Zhenhua said the two countries would reiterate the importance of the Paris temperature goal of limiting warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, with a goal of not exceeding 1.5 degrees.

+ China vowed more aggressive steps on emissions Wednesday in a joint declaration with the U.S. — a surprise move that signals an easing of tensions evident at the COP26 climate summit here.

POLITICS + CAMPAIGNS

CNBC: US consumer prices jump 6.2% in October, the biggest inflation surge in more than 30 years

+ The consumer price index surged 6.2% from a year ago in October, the most since December 1990.

+ Core inflation, stripping out food and energy, increased 4.6%, the fastest gain since November of the same year.

+ Energy, shelter, and vehicle costs led the gains, which more than wiped out the wage increases that workers received for the month.

Bloomberg: US inflation likely to get worse, dealing challenge to Fed and Biden

Senate set to cut provisions in House Democrats’ $2 trillion spending plan: House proposals on paid leave, immigration, and state-and-local-tax caps face obstacles.
WSJ

The man who made January 6 possible: The story of Johnny McEntee—the “deputy president” who rose to power at precisely the moment when democracy was falling apart.
Jonathan D. Karl

+ Scott Fairlamb, 44, was sentenced to 41 months in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to assaulting a police officer, a felony charge stemming from his participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

+ A federal judge on Tuesday denied former President Trump's claim of executive privilege in regards to a House committee's probe into the Jan. 6 insurrection.

DISRUPTION + INNOVATION

An uber-optimistic view of the future: Azeem Azhar’s new book “Exponential Age” predicts stupendous technology growth will lead to an age of abundance. The reality is more complicated.
David Rotman

COMMERCE

‘The end of the GE we knew’: Breakup turns a page in modern business history: CEO Larry Culp resisted splitting up the company that began the 21st century as the most valuable conglomerate in America.
WSJ

A chastened Alibaba tones down its Singles Day retail bonanza: The Chinese e-commerce giant is updating its blockbuster shopping holiday for a humbler, more dutiful era in the country’s internet industry.
NYT

Tencent’s profit growth slows after China tightens games rules: WSJ reports the company highlights its efforts to stay compliant with new regulations.

Even China's biggest company is looking for an exit: Tencent is finally providing clarity on the revenue of the games its receives from overseas, just as the domestic market looks decidedly treacherous.
Tim Culpan

Lost in translation: The global streaming boom is creating a severe translator shortage: ROW reports industry executives say international hit shows like Squid Game are draining a limited talent pool.

Portugal makes it illegal for your boss to text you after work: Vice reports the move is part of a wider swath of laws designed to help remote workers.

Meet the VC trying to reintroduce the Pentagon to Silicon Valley: Lux Capital’s Josh Wolfe and others believe the DoD must give up its tight embrace of traditional contractors who lack the agility to develop high-tech defenses against future threats.
Fast Company

How JPMorgan is helping Washington make sense of the pandemic economy: The JPMorgan Institute uses account data to parse consumer financial behavior. It also is trying to influence economic policy.
WSJ

Rivian rose 29% in its trading debut before giving up some of that gain, putting the electric truck maker’s market value on par with General Motors’ and topping those of Ford and EV rival Lucid.

Rivian shares surge in largest US IPO since 2014: WSJ reports shares of Rivian Automotive, whose backers include Amazon and Ford, jumped by more than a third in their market debut, the latest indication of the strong investor interest in the electric-vehicle market.

Twitter sets up crypto team to explore decentralized apps: Tess Rinearson will lead efforts to build the platform’s blockchain offerings.
FT

MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS

Should we quit social media, too?
FT

SPACE + SCIENCE

What it's like to fight a mega-fire: Wildfires have grown more extreme. So have the risks of combatting them.
New Yorker

PERFORMANCE

Always go to the funeral
Deirdre Sullivan

CULTURE

The question we’ve stopped asking about teenagers and social media
New Yorker

Was Japan’s ‘lost’ generation ahead of the virtual curve? The phenomenon of individuals withdrawing into their bedrooms may not be culturally unique.
FT

“There are paintings out there that are $100m or more, but if you think about it, it’s really just canvas with paint.” -- Paris Hilton tells The Guardian she thinks NFTs can replace much of the world of art.

From Succession to the new Sex and the City, you’ll be wearing what you saw on TV
The Times

SPORT

The pursuit of perfection: Barcelona Femení is the champion of Spain and Europe, and perhaps the most dominant club team in the world. The team’s coach and his players expect it to be better.
NYT

US, Mexico set for CONCACAF 'Clasico' in World Cup clash: AFP reports the United States will look to complete a calendar clean sweep of victories over Mexico on Friday when the arch-rivals collide in a heavyweight World Cup qualifying showdown in Cincinnati. The US head into Friday's game buoyed by back-to-back wins over Mexico in 2021 -- a thrilling 3-2 victory in the CONCACAF Nations League final in June followed by a 1-0 triumph in the Gold Cup final in August.

Eliud Kipchoge: Inside the camp, and the mind, of the greatest marathon runner of all time
Irish Examiner

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc

Curation and commentary by Marc A. Ross | Founder @ Brigadoon

Get Brigadoon Daily in your inbox.

Subscribe here.

Brigadoon Daily Email.

Your daily dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture

Brigadoon Daily | Nov. 10

Brigadoon Daily

Your daily dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture

November 10, 2021

TOP FIVE

1. Why all French politicians are Gaullists

2. The Trump Republicans’ lessons for Democrats

3. Cities that grow themselves

4. ‘Led Zeppelin IV’: 1971 masterpiece

5. At 83, ‘nimblewill nomad’ enters the Appalachian Trail record book

GLOBALIZATION + STATECRAFT

How Facebook is stoking a civil war in Ethiopia: Online hate is adding fuel to the country’s deadly conflict, and researchers say Facebook is failing to stop it.
Vice

+ Jeffrey Feltman, the US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, is back in Ethiopia this week to broker a ceasefire in the yearlong war.

Can Glasgow deliver on a global climate deal? Negotiators from about 200 countries are entering Week 2 of climate talks trying to resolve big issues around money, transparency, and timelines.
NYT

Who has the most delegates at the COP26 summit? The fossil fuel industry. But while top oil executives are feeling unwelcome, many in the industry are in Glasgow to talk about carbon trading.
WP

Chinese and Saudis thwart moves towards climate deal
The Times

+ US climate envoy John Kerry in an interview with Bloomberg at COP26 Tuesday predicted the US would stop burning coal by 2030.

The Ipsos MORI survey for The Standard put the Conservatives on 35 percent, down four points in September, Labour unchanged on 36 percent, the Greens up a startling five points to 11 percent, and Liberal Democrats unchanged on nine percent.

+ Conservatives lose their lead over Labour as Prime Minister’s rating plummets

CNN: EU accuses Belarus of acting like 'gangster regime' as thousands of freezing migrants camp on Polish border

EU accuses Lukashenko regime of ‘gangster’ behavior over migrant crisis: FT reports the Kremlin says Belarus is acting ‘responsibly’ and Brussels should pay to stop the surge of arrivals.

The politics behind Poland’s border crisis: The rush of migrants trying to enter Poland illegally comes at an opportune time for the country’s ruling party.
Politico

How will EU react to Poland-Belarus border crisis? Amid an escalating crisis at Poland's border with Belarus, the European Union is planning new sanctions against the Belarusian regime.
DW

Why all French politicians are Gaullists: On the 51st anniversary of his death, current politicians flock to pay tribute to the former president.
Politico

French election 2022: Presidential candidates scrap over de Gaulle’s legacy
The Times

Reuters: Biden plans in-person summit with Trudeau, Lopez Obrador as soon as next week

WP: Chile’s lower house votes to impeach president over Pandora Papers allegations

Nicaragua’s autocratic shift is part of a Latin American backslide: President Daniel Ortega’s victory in elections that the US called a sham is the latest evidence that democracy in the region is unraveling amid waning US influence, political analysts say.
WSJ

APEC leaders meeting to chart path forward from pandemic: AP reports President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will have a rare virtual encounter this week as they gather online with other Pacific Rim leaders to chart a path to recovery out of the crisis brought on by the pandemic. New Zealand is hosting this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which culminates in a leader’s meeting on Saturday.

Bloomberg: Biden-Xi virtual summit set for next week, with date to come

+ Two leaders previously agreed to talk before year-end

+ Reopening of consulates in Houston and Chengdu not on agenda

China’s politics enter turbulent period as Xi pushes for control: Party probes and power games ramp up ahead of a landmark leadership congress next year.
Bloomberg

+ A report released today by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum states the museum is "gravely concerned" the "Chinese government may be committing genocide against the Uyghurs."

Xi Jinping battens down the hatches: He understands the dangers confronting China better than his propagandists do.
Walter Russell Mead

Since Chinese Xi Jinping took the helm of the nation nearly nine years ago as the Communist Party's leader, its economy has vaulted from half of America's size to 70% or so -- a gap that will continue to narrow, with some estimates saying it could surpass the US within the decade.

As China’s property crisis spreads, Beijing says there’s nothing to see: Global markets just weeks ago were fretting over the possible failure of Evergrande. Now the developer says the worst is over, even as other companies show signs of trouble.
NYT

China looks a lot like Japan did in the 1980s: For clues as to what lies ahead, look back to what happened to Japan after its era of supercharged growth in the 1980s.
Richard Cookson

Taiwan News: Jet carrying US senators, congressmen makes surprise visit to Taiwan

+ Navy C-40A carrying congressional delegation spotted landing in Taipei on Tuesday evening.

+ China’s Ministry of Defense issued a statement strongly condemning the congressional visit, which it said interfered in China’s internal affairs.

Two weeks after the European Parliament voted 580-26 on a resolution to strengthen EU-Taiwan relations, an official delegation of lawmakers traveled to Taiwan for the first time to deliver a simple message: "You are not alone."

Taiwan: China is using 'gray zone' tactics to take control: Taipei said it aims to build a "resilient defense" to cope with rising military threats made by China. The threats reportedly include overflights of Taiwanese airspace and cyber warfare.
DW

How easily can vaccinated people spread COVID? Vaccination is the best protection against infection. But when breakthroughs do occur, a very basic question still has an unsatisfying answer.
Yasmin Tayag

After a year with vaccines, do we always need masks? Mandating shots makes more sense than ever. Covering up all the time makes less sense.
Jessica Karl

Is it just us or does everyone have a cold right now? Because misery loves company.
NYT

American hypersonic missile plan for Europe has echoes of Cold War: The Times reports the 56th Artillery Command, based in Mainz-Kastel, will control the Dark Eagle weapon, which when fully developed and deployed will be capable of accelerating to more than five times the speed of sound, or nearly 4,000mph. The reactivation reflects growing concerns in the Pentagon that Russia has succeeded in outgunning the US and Nato in Europe with longer-range artillery rockets and its own development of hypersonic weapons.

The best military books we read this year
Task & Purpose

POLITICS + CAMPAIGNS

Harris gets a chance to burnish her image on the world stage in Paris
WP

Biden seeks infrastructure bounce. But can a nuts-and-bolts pitch overcome cultural divides?
WP

Mitch McConnell spent decades chasing power. Now he heeds Trump, who mocks him and wants him gone. How one of Washington’s longtime Republican power players succumbed to the preeminence of the 45th president.
WP

@wbz: BREAKING: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu not running for US Senate, will seek 4th term as governor

Republicans’ effort to reclaim Senate stumbles in New Hampshire: WSJ reports Gov. Chris Sununu dashes hopes of Trump, McConnell to run against incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan.

The Trump Republicans’ lessons for Democrats: Both parties often mistake voter frustration with the other team for devotion to their own cause.
Bobby Jindal + Alex Castellanos

The Hill: Howard Stern floats 2024 bid against Trump: 'There's no way I'd lose'

What is Texas? The fight over the Lone Star State’s identity.
Kevin Williamson

The decline of upward mobility in one chart
Visual Capitalist

The proportion of electricity the United States gets from solar and wind nearly quadrupled between 2011 and 2020. While geothermal generation remained relatively flat, the three technologies combined for an annual increase of nearly 15 percent over that stretch.

Facebook said that starting January 19, it will no longer allow advertisers to select terms for ad targeting related to sensitive identifying traits, such as race, ethnicity, political affiliation, religion, or sexual orientation.

Deleting Facebook is harder than attacking it, lawmakers find: The platform has such wide reach that even its fiercest critics in Congress say they can’t disconnect.
Bloomberg

DISRUPTION + INNOVATION

Cities that grow themselves: They are spreading like branching plants across the globe. Should we rein cities in or embrace their biomorphic potential?
Josh Berson

COMMERCE

Twitter said that it would give users access to ad-free articles from The Washington Post, Reuters, BuzzFeed, and other publications through its subscription service, called Twitter Blue.

What the hell is ‘right-clicker mentality’? A Twitter meme reveals everything you need to know about NFTs and the culture around it.
Vice

GE to split into healthcare, energy and aviation companies: FT reports the move marks the final step in the unwinding of sprawling conglomerate created by Jack Welch.

Bloomberg: Still on Culp’s GE to-do list: Who gets the $20 billion logo

Bitcoin for the open-minded skeptic
Matt Huang

+ Over 100 cryptocurrencies are now worth more than $1 billion in market cap.

Coinbase shares fall as user numbers and trading volume decline: FT reports the crypto exchange urges investors to take a ‘long term’ view while results suggest feverish dealings have cooled.

CNBC: Nuclear fusion start-up Helion scores $375 million investment from Open AI CEO Sam Altman

+ The fusion start-up Helion Energy announced a $500 million funding round on Friday.

+ The round was led by Silicon Valley investor Sam Altman, who put $375 million into Helion, his largest investment in a start-up ever.

+ Helion Energy plans to use the $500 million to complete the construction of Polaris, its 7th generation fusion facility, which it broke ground on in July, and which it aims to use to demonstrate net electricity production in 2024.

Tesla lost about $199 billion in value during its biggest back-to-back selloff since September 2020 amid a host of negative news.

Will Rivian’s blockbuster IPO make it the next Tesla? Huge hype around electric truckmaker that has only just started production.
FT

DoorDash buys Finnish delivery app Wolt in €7bn all-stock deal: FT reports the US delivery company has been eager to expand into the highly competitive European market.

Powell’s Books survived Amazon. Can it reinvent itself after the pandemic? As much as any city, Portland, Ore., has been through hell. Its landmark store, Powell’s Books, must finally build a viable online business while recapturing its downtown success.
NYT

MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS

Silicon Valley giants built an open culture. Now workers are holding them to it. More internal debates and critiques of technology companies such as Facebook, Google, and Apple are spilling out into public view. ‘People feel like their only option is to go externally.’
WSJ

SPACE + SCIENCE

3 space science questions that computing is helping to answer: Astronomers are using AI, supercomputing, and the cloud to tackle the universe’s biggest mysteries.
TR

AFP: NASA pushes back crewed Moon landing to 2025 or later

Citing China threat, NASA says moon landing now will come in 2025: WP reports NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says Blue Origin’s legal challenges to NASA’s award of a lunar lander contract to SpaceX delayed the lunar program 7 months.

PERFORMANCE

How to fix email … with science! Email isn’t broken—it’s the people who are the problem. But if you start treating it like old-fashioned snail mail, suddenly it makes sense again.
Wired

CULTURE

‘Led Zeppelin IV’: How the band struck back at critics with 1971 masterpiece: Chafing at attacks from the press, inspired by unparalleled artistic ambitions, Zeppelin made one of rock’s biggest albums.
RS

Pen-banging crooners and songs about broccoli: TikTok’s outlandish take on pop
Guardian

SPORT

Twitch live-streamers say playing games is hard work: Aching backs, stress, and weight gain are job hazards for videogamers and others who perform online for hours a day in front of an audience. For most, the money isn’t even all that good.
WSJ

I’m the best Tetris player in the world: I’m only 13, but my brother and I both qualified for the World Championships. In the final it was just us, facing off for the title.
Guardian

At 83, ‘nimblewill nomad’ enters the Appalachian Trail record book: M.J. Eberhart, known by his trail name, hiked into Dalton, Mass., on Sunday and became the oldest known person to hike the more than 2,000 miles of trail from Georgia to Maine.
NYT

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc

Curation and commentary by Marc A. Ross | Founder @ Brigadoon

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Brigadoon Daily | Nov. 9

Brigadoon Daily

Your daily dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture

November 9, 2021

TOP FIVE

1. Ethiopia's war triggers fears in Kenya, South Sudan

2. China on cusp of history as Xi Jinping opens Communist Party’s sixth plenum

3. The DeFi Education Fund

4. Apple’s first computer could fetch $500,000 at auction

5. The renaissance of Red Bull's Sergio Perez

GLOBALIZATION + STATECRAFT

Ethiopia's war triggers fears in Kenya, South Sudan: DW reports as the yearlong civil war in Ethiopia's Tigray region escalates, Kenya and South Sudan are on high alert.

WP: Joint UN report on Ethiopia civil war atrocities blames all sides for violations

Biden’s diplomacy push meets its match as Ethiopia unravels: US officials have done almost everything in their power to try and stop the fighting. Now they're urging Americans to leave the country as rebels draw closer to the capital.
Politico

+ The situation on the ground is getting worse and now the State Department has established a task force to evacuate US citizens.

Ethiopia risks becoming a new Yugoslavia: Age-old issues over ethnic identity and autonomy must be settled.
FT - Editorial

Today: VP Kamala Harris arrives in Paris: It will be her third overseas trip since assuming office.

AFP: VP Harris seeks to boost US-France ties on Paris trip

How the French ‘great replacement’ theory conquered the far right
AFP

Angela Merkel discusses climate change, refugees and legacy in DW interview: German Chancellor Angela Merkel reflected on climate change, refugee policy, and the coronavirus pandemic.
DW

Merkel vows not to become political ‘troubleshooter’ in retirement: Politico reports, ‘Now I’m going to look at what I’d like to do by choice,’ says outgoing German chancellor.

Germany’s economy, once Europe’s engine, is holding it back: Germany’s export-oriented businesses have fared poorly in a post-pandemic world of broken supply chains and rising energy prices. The malaise is fueling a debate over whether the German economy needs a reboot and what it should look like.
WSJ

Bosnia and Herzegovina is in danger of breaking up, per Christian Schmidt, the new UN mandated High Representative in the country responsible for upholding the 1995 Dayton Accord which provides the country’s governance framework.

The EU’s humiliating failure in Bosnia: The EU has long been the dominant player in Bosnia and Herzegovina, however, its policy toward the country and the Western Balkans more broadly is failing. A recent vote in the UN Security Council has destroyed what was left of the union’s credibility.
Kurt Bassuener

Johnson’s green machine gathers steam to turn COP into a coup: As recently as 2015 the PM dismissed the idea that climate change is caused by humans. But now, imbued with the zeal of a convert, he is on the brink of clinching a Glasgow summit victory.
The Times

Nervous PM warms up for a climate deal rescue mission: The Times reports Boris Johnson is considering returning to Glasgow this week to try to rescue the UN climate conference amid growing concern that it will fail to do enough to prevent dangerous global warming.

Bloomberg: Johnson is failing to contain fallout from UK lobbying scandal

+ Premier misses debate, refuses to apologize over Paterson case

+ Labour’s Starmer accuses Johnson’s government of ‘corruption’

COVID:

+ "I suspect it will fade into the background as a serious disease." -- Biologist Professor James Naismith tells BBC Radio 4’s Today program that Britain is through the worst of the pandemic

+ Unvaccinated Austrians may not enter restaurants, hotels, hair salons, and events with more than 25 attendees, under rules which come into effect today.

+ Germany has recorded its highest seven-day COVID rate since the start of the pandemic.

+ More than 10 million people in the UK have now had their coronavirus booster vaccine.

+ Japan yesterday reported no COVID deaths for the first time in 15 months.

What the 14th-century plague tells us about how COVID will change politics: Regions hit hardest by the Black Death in Europe looked more democratic centuries later. What does that mean for a society coming out of this pandemic?
Politico

China on cusp of history as Xi Jinping opens Communist Party’s sixth plenum: SCMP reports top officials to start a four-day conclave to adopt a ‘historical resolution’, only the third in the party’s 100-year history and expected to have a momentous impact.

China: Party leaders seem set to cement Xi's hold on power: DW reports top Communist Party officials meeting in Beijing are likely to issue a resolution putting the Chinese president on an equal footing with Mao Zedong. The way seems clear for Xi Jinping to claim a third term.

Who will be China's next premier? A key meeting may offer clues: Economic and diplomatic problems create bumps for Xi's ambitions.
Nikkei

German engine technology found in Chinese warships — report: DW reports engines developed in Germany can evade export control bans due to their status as a so-called dual-use technology, a German media investigation has revealed.

China’s self-isolation is a global concern: Beijing’s zero-COVID policy is damaging international business and global governance.
Gideon Rachman

Jokowi ready to whip heavyweight Indonesia back into shape: Can president reassert Jakarta's claim to lead the developing world?
Nikkei

Qatari cash splashed on jet-setting MPs
Steerpike

Failed assassination bid against Iraq PM ramps up tension: Politico reports a “cowardly rocket and drone attacks don’t build homelands and don’t build a future,” the prime minister said.

‘There’s no future in Argentina’: Peronists face voter anger in midterms: A crumbling economy and soaring inflation stoke discontent that threatens the ruling party in next week’s polls.
FT

Bolsonaro says he’s ready to join Liberal Party before 2022 vote: Bloomberg reports President Jair Bolsonaro is ready to join Brazil’s Liberal Party to run for re-election in 2022, according to CNN Brasil. A deal to join the centrist group, one of the largest in the government coalition, is 99% done and chances it could go wrong are near zero, Bolsonaro was quoted as saying by CNN.

Brazil’s far-right disinformation pushers find a safe space on Telegram: In a social media ecosystem facing mounting pressure to combat fake news and polarization, Telegram is the most permissive disseminator of content — and disinformation.
NYT

Mexico: Front line of the global food war: Mexico is battling to revitalize indigenous corn, while the US seeks to stop the spread of a movement against GM food and agrichemicals.
Politico

Read: The World Is Vertical: How Technology Is Remaking Globalization

The quest for the perfect measure of human progress is distracting: Gross domestic product is a crude way to assess happiness, but those seeking to replace it may be wasting precious time.
Ruchir Sharma

POLITICS + CAMPAIGNS

Bill Clinton saved his presidency. Here’s how Biden can, too.
Mark Penn + Andrew Stein

+ A new CNN poll finds President Biden’s approval rate at 48% to 52%.

Jan. 6 committee issues subpoenas to high-profile Trump allies: Axios reports the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot on the Capitol has issued its latest batch of subpoenas, this time to prominent allies of former President Trump, many of whom were involved in efforts to stop the certification of President Biden's win.

Jan. 6 inquiry subpoenas Eastman, Flynn, and other Trump allies: NYT reports the latest batch of subpoenas from the House select committee investigating the riot includes officials from the former president’s re-election campaign.

Election 2022 is now less than one year away.

+ McConnell: 2022 midterms will be a "very good election for Republicans"

NH-SEN: Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he’d make his decision on whether or not to launch a Senate bid “in the next week or so.”

The $30 billion woman: Megadonor Miriam Adelson leaps back into politics: Politico reports Adelson is taking her first political meetings since her husband Sheldon died, seeing possible 2024 candidates and a key Senate contender.

GOP lobbyists say corporate America is coming back into the tent: Politico reports top Republicans on K Street say that big business is warming up to the Republican Party again, less than a year after Jan. 6 but with the 2022 elections in sight.

The DeFi Education Fund: An industry advocacy group looking to shape the debate in Washington surrounding decentralized finance, or DeFi, policies has hired four lobbying firms as it looks to gain a foothold in DC, with lawmakers and regulators signaling growing concern about the technology.

DISRUPTION + INNOVATION

“The real problem of humanity is the following: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and godlike technology.”

-- Edward Wilson

COMMERCE

The Bitcoin delusion
Sam Leith

What China’s tech squeeze is doing to Singles’ Day
Bloomberg

Ford Motor Co. closed above the $20 mark for the first time in two decades.

Todd Snyder’s new collaboration is with preppy powerhouse J. Press: The menswear designer, famous for his riffs on everything from Champion sweatshirts to L.L. Bean’s Maine kitsch, takes another pass at Americana.
Bloomberg

Peloton has reportedly frozen hiring after poor results.

Why Facebook’s metaverse is dead on arrival
James D. Walsh

The Standard Hotel could be facing foreclosure
Kim Velsey

The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down: Motorized bicycles are outselling all-electric cars and have the potential to transform urban transit.
NYT

PERFORMANCE

Particularly keen on shepherding: Want to be a philosopher? Try farming.
Musonius Rufus

CULTURE

Oh dear, Abba’s new album is a bit of a dog: Voyage reviewed: Time has been very kind to Abba. No one back in the 1970s thought of them as geniuses. But they've even lost the talent for writing memorable tunes.
Rod Liddle

I'm helping to start a new college because higher ed is broken: Institutions dedicated to the search for truth have ossified into havens for liberal intolerance and administrative overreach.
Niall Ferguson

Apple’s first computer, a collector’s dream, could fetch $500,000 at auction: Guardian reports Steve Wozniak, Steve, and Patricia Jobs, and Daniel Kottke built 200 Apple-1 units in Jobs’ home 45 years ago.

The new Oxford guide to cocktails is the drinking buddy you’ve been waiting for
WP

SPORT

The renaissance of Red Bull's Sergio Perez: The Mexican driver made history at his home Grand Prix over the weekend. After staring at a possible exit from Formula One last season, Perez had made the most of his first season with Red Bull.
DW

Aaron Rodgers’ State Farm TV ads cut back after vaccine comments: WSJ reports the NFL star says he is unvaccinated against Covid-19 and has questioned vaccine effectiveness.

Aaron Rodgers and how a team pulls through
Jason Gay

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc

Curation and commentary by Marc A. Ross | Founder @ Brigadoon

Get Brigadoon Daily in your inbox.

Subscribe here.

Brigadoon Daily Email.

Your daily dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture