The Angell Paradox can be roughly stated to say that when powerful countries with commercial trade impose tariffs or sanctions, they often hurt themselves more than they hurt others. This is because their tariffs or sanctions undermine the legal certainty needed for trade and countries now need to discount the
Boats, unlike solid land, exist to keep the people on the boat out of harm's way with "harm" being the 2/3rds of the surface of the earth that is covered by water. That's because humans, even ones who are very strong swimmers, can&
When people visit China, they often proclaim how safe it is. Deliveries are frequently left on a table outside hotels or housing on the side of the street or in the lobby and no one worries about their lunch or package being stolen. You can leave your phone, computer and
When I graduated from university, I found myself in a Rust Belt whose manufacturing was well on its way to being hollowed out by the Wall Street-led offshoring movement. While I was never directly involved in manufacturing myself, growing up in Northeast Ohio in the heart of the Rust
Bloomberg writes: Bitcoin slipped back below $80,000 on Friday after Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh pledged to bring inflation back to target, pushing short-term Treasury yields higher and cooling some of the week’s risk-on momentum. The move was modest rather than a reversal of the broader
The other day, a friend of mine excitedly told me about how one can buy absolutely massive lab grown diamonds in Shenzhen for very cheap. And then she showed off a massive, sparkling diamond on her finger and bragged about its very cheap price. Sometime after that, I met someone
The Bitcoin Association of Hong Kong's pre-Bitcoin Asia meetup was a massive success. Over 300 people signed up with additional 100s on the waiting list. The event was on the 7th floor of 79 Wyndham Street at Frank's Records. This is a vinyl record-themed
I've been protective of my hearing since I started listening to cassettes of children's music on a Sony Walkman in the late 1980s. I'd keep the volume low so as not to damage my hearing. I'd always wear ear protection when participating
In English, The patronizing we is when someone uses the word "we" as a synonym for "you." This is one of the most annoying linquistic habits of American so-called "service" staff. They are so-called service staff because whenever they're using
Something changed this week when US Treasury Secretary Bessent took a step towards yield curve control. The money printing is coming...it is mechanical and inevitable...and the market suddenly decided to acknowledge this. Bitcoin and high-quality altcoins, including Stacks, pumped in response. But it wasn't just
I previously wrote about my experience getting blood tests in a Chinese public hospital and how fast, efficient and inexpensive the whole process was. One of the things that struck me was how much better and more accessible healthcare is in the Chinese mainland than two decades ago when I
Beginning from the period of political unrest in 2019 through the end of covid, many people left Hong Kong. There was a period of time where it seemed like I was going to a couple going away parties every month. Singapore, Canada and the UK were anecdotedly the top destinations.