Security vs. Sanctions

On this episode of Brigadoon Radio, Gerald Ashley, David Buik, and Marc Ross discuss Biden's trip to Asia, Japanese energy security, India's geopolitics, the leftists forming an anti-Macron alliance, the battle for Ohio blue-collar voters in November, expanding NATO to Hawaii, asking if the sanctions against Russia are working, and what they are reading and watching.

Show notes for this episode of Brigadoon Radio:

WP: Biden to make first Asia trip next month amid concerns over North Korea’s increasing weapons tests

+ Biden is planning to travel to South Korea and Japan next month from May 20 to 24

+ "This trip will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s rock-solid commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and to US treaty alliances with the Republic of Korea and Japan" 

Walking a tightrope: Ukraine war puts Japan's energy security on thin ice: As Western sanctions on Russia pile up, Tokyo weighs pulling out of Sakhalin projects. Nikkei

Japan the titan of soft power: Japan is well recognized for its technological superiority, arts, aesthetics, and cuisines. Japan once avoided spreading its culture around its neighborhood in fear of reviving the old wounds but after Japan ignited its public diplomacy, it projected far superior power, which could overshadow its grim past. Kripendra Amatya

Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power - Robert Kaplan Amazon

Leftists form anti-Macron alliance for French parliamentary election: Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s far-left party sets up a coalition with Greens and Communists. FT

JD Vance, Tim Ryan set to battle for Ohio blue-collar voters in November: After primary wins, the two nominees will fight for a crucial constituency in a state that has trended Republican. WSJ

Boris Johnson: The Gambler - Tom Bower Amazon 

Ros Atkins on Finland, NATO, and Russia: Ros Atkins looks at why NATO’s border with Russia looks likely to expand significantly, as both Finland and Sweden consider applying to join the alliance. BBC

Expand NATO to Hawaii: Keeping territory from the allied security guarantee can bring on war, as it did in the Falklands in 1982. Arshan Barzani

Are the sanctions against Russia working or not? Kevin T. Dugan

Operation Mincemeat IMDb

Downton Abbey: A New Era IMDb 

Rather His Own Man: Reliable Memoirs- Geoffrey Robertson Amazon

Hebridean Connection: A view of the highlands and islands - Derek Cooper Amazon

Kyle Taxi Company 

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things - William McDonough Amazon

The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability--Designing for Abundance - William McDonough Amazon

Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes - Dana Thomas Amazon

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Sound More Interesting at Cocktails Memo | May 6, 2022

25 talking points for better conversation at cocktails based on what I found interesting this week.

Global Street Smarts

1. Japan depends on imports for 99.7% of its oil, 97.8% of its gas, and 99.6% of its coal. These percentages have hardly changed for decades.

2. Germany plans to offer visas and job opportunities to Russians seeking to get away from Putin's government.

3. US trade deficit widens to record $109.8 billion as imports surge: The demand for consumer goods, oil, and industrial materials led 10% increase in imports.

4. Since 2008, nearly 150 wineries in Bordeaux have been bought by Chinese investors. But the trend has petered out, and now that the elation of the early days is over, some of the wine estates are falling into financial ruin.

5. BP takes a $25.5 billion hit from its decision to exit its Russia holdings.

6. American homeowners have gained more than $6 trillion in housing wealth over the past two years.

7. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel thinks the metaverse is 'ambiguous and hypothetical': The Verge reports Speigel's 'big bet' is that people would rather spend time in the (augmented) real world rather than a totally virtual one.

8. GM announces the EV Corvette.

9. Binance picks Paris to be a regional hub in Europe: The world's largest crypto exchange, which lacks a headquarters, worked for 18 months to get France's financial regulator approval.

10. NFT sales are flatlining: The sale of nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, fell to a daily average of about 19,000 this week, a 92% decline from a peak of about 225,000 in September, according to the data website NonFungible.

11. Record 4.5 million US workers quit jobs in March as the labor market tightens: The number of job openings reaches a high of 11.5 million as employers struggle to fill positions.

12. Sonos is launching its own voice assistant in June.

13. The Sex Pistols classic 'God Save The Queen' to get jubilee revival: Thousands of physical copies of the song will be re-pressed for release on May 27.

13. Vice Media is reportedly exploring a sale after its plans to go public via a SPAC last year stalled.

14. Workers in Austin, Texas, are putting in more time at the office than in any other major US metropolitan area.

15. Last week, Elon Musk jokingly — or not, who even knows anymore? — tweeted that his next move is buying Coca-Cola "to put the cocaine back in." It's now the second most-liked tweet of all time, with 4.7 million+ likes.

16. Nearly six in 10 college students say they don't want Elon Musk to own and control Twitter.

17. LL Bean is pausing all social media for the month of May as it urges customers to spend time outdoors to improve their mental health.

18. On May 2, 1997: Tony Blair, the Labour Party leader, became the UK's youngest prime minister, aged 43.

19. Qantas eyes world's longest nonstop flight with Airbus order: The airline wants to operate the world's longest commercial flights from Australian cities to London and New York, shaving off nearly four hours of travel time. The first flights are expected to take off by late 2025.

20. Facebook is pulling out of podcasting.

21. UEFA officials said that Russian teams would be banned from competing in the 2022-2023 season of the Champions League.

22. Amazon Prime Video is making a strong, last-minute effort to add former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton to its "Thursday Night Football" coverage.

23. The Big Ten's media rights negotiations are reportedly nearing an agreement. The conference could be close to securing a record $1.1 billion annually.

24. When Liberty Media purchased F1 in 2017 for $4.4 billion, they set about Americanizing race weekends into Super Bowl-like events and tapped Netflix for a docuseries that turned F1 drivers into celebrities.

25. Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' jersey from the 1986 World Cup sold for $9.3 million this week, becoming the highest-priced piece of sports memorabilia sold.

-Marc

Your business culture

On this episode of Brigadoon Radio, Joe Redston and Marc Ross discuss how culture happens in your business, the need to keep working on your team's culture, graduating to the next level of leadership, defining a good team dynamic, being good enough, entrepreneurial lessons from being in a band, launching a new website, and what they are reading and watching.

Show notes for this episode of Brigadoon Radio:

The Self Help Summary - Joe Redston Amazon

Barkley Marathons Brigadoon

"NFL 2022" — A Bad Lip Reading of the NFL YouTube

First days at my cabin in the Italian Alps - Martijn Doolaard YouTube

The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow's World - Charles C. Mann Amazon

The future of energy - Dr. Adrian Gill TEDxLukelyBrook

Brigadoon Radio | Communicate like a Comedian

On this episode of Brigadoon Radio, Kelsey Chittick and Marc Ross discuss learning from comedians on how to be a better communicator, the different comedy skill sets, how every comic is a good writer, using the Notes app, being an observer of the world, having emotion in your communications, connecting with an audience, finding original ideas, good writing is about pace, and why there is no future for men.