Eight+ Things to Read About China and Other Things, Part 5

This is part 5 of our series on eight+ things to read about China and a lot more. We constantly get emails from readers asking what to read on China and all sorts of things related and even barely related to China and this series is intended to constantly and consistently answer these questions.

As I said in our initial post on this, our plan is to list out eight (or so) articles we benefitted from reading and think you our readers would also benefit from reading, along with a very brief explanation why the particular article was included. More specifically:

The articles will likely include many on China and on Asia and a few on international trade, international politics, Spain and Latin America, economics and really just anything else we believe might benefit our readers or even that we just want people to read. We do not plan to choose articles that push our or any other political agenda or any other agenda for that matter, but having said that, we are not objective and our views may creep through. Our goal though is to focus on articles that are important or helpful or — most importantly — that make you think. Our posting of an article will NOT mean we agree with all of it or even any of it. Most of the articles will be from the week preceding the post but we will also sometimes throw in older articles (classics if you will) as well.

Please do not hesitate to comment at the end of this or any other post. We cannot tell you how much we appreciate your comments, good, bad and indifferent.

Here we go, in absolutely no particular order.

1.  Hong Kong Is on the Frontlines of a Global Battle For Freedom. Time Magazine. Because it is and because the war between freedom and authoritarianism is a never-ending one and because this article fairly and accurately summarizes the issues. Because the world needs to know what is happening in the Sudan and the U.S. media has utterly failed to cover this story. Because China and Russia are helping to prop up the dictatorial regime there. See also Ivan Golunov’s Russian release: Why this case matters if you want further proof that even authoritarian regimes

2. China Is Bluffing in the Trade War: Chinese leaders say they can effectively retaliate against Trump’s tariffs. They’re wrong. Foreign Policy.  Because “the simple fact is that China needs the United States more than the United States needs China. In itself, that’s no reason to start a trade war. But if the trade war really does heat up, there’s little doubt who will win.” See also The price of apples is soaring in China, and Beijing is showing concern.

3.   Saudi Teen Faces Death Sentence for Acts When He Was Ten. New York Times.  What kind of country would execute a teenager for having attended a political rally at the age of ten?

4. Kalamazoo Central high school performs “My Shot” from “Hamilton” at graduation. 105.3fm. Because this is my high school and because the video has gone viral (well over 100,000 views so far) and because it is an urban high school that has a long history of struggles but also a long history of successes. See Obama at Kalamazoo Central High School: How did it win the honor? Because it is, in many ways, a microcosm of race in America. See A Flashback to Kalamazoo, Summer of 1967.

5. If Trump Wants to Take On China, He Needs Allies. And He Should Start with Europe. New York Times. Because we may be heading towards a bi-polar world divided between the United States and China and Europe likely will side with the United States. Because I like having allies and I see big differences between countries like Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Israel, New Zealand, Denmark, Morocco, Rwanda, and Australia on the one hand and countries like Russia, North Korea, Iran and China on the other hand and it is not clear to me that President Trump sees such distinctions. 

6. A $100M Bet That Online Coaching Can Make a Better Manager. Wired Magazine. See also Delta saves 41 stranded students with a private flight after American Airlines cancels trip. Fox. Because as my law firm continues to grow (we’ve doubled in size in the last two years) I’m becoming ever more convinced that employee happiness correlates with client satisfaction. Because Jeff Bezos always says that “the number one thing is to be customer obsessed; figure out how to delight them” and in the law business, a delighted (not just satisfied) client is a lifetime referral source. Yet law firms are notoriously bad (compared to other industries) at customer satisfaction.

7. Rage Rooms are all the rage. NBC. Because they are. Because after walking past an axe-throwing establishment in my eldest daughter’s neighborhood I realized the apocalypse is upon us and when my daughter then told me about rage rooms, I became even more certain that the world as we know it will soon be no more.

9. Russian Doll: How Female Mentors Helped Natasha Lyonne Tell Her Story. Vanity Fair. Because Russian Doll is unique and very good and because Natasha Lyonne is uber-talented.

10. The official candy bar power rankings. LA Times. Because it matters. Because one of the ways we would divide teams for pick-up basketball games while I was in high school was between those who liked Heath bars and those who didn’t — I’m not kidding on this. Because I still think of one of my best friends from my hometown (see above) every time I see a . Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup because that was all he would buy.

11. The Secrets of Food Marketing. YouTube. This video has nearly 10 million views and there is a reason for that; the power of willful ignorance can never be underestimated. It really is quite fascinating. See also Cocoa’s child laborers.

Your thoughts?