Robots are moving up in the world. Labor shortages and rising wage costs are breathing life into a new generation that can handle a growing number of tasks.
Insider Business (December 17, 2022) – Moroccan rugs are valued around the world for their complex patterns and thick wool. A large rug can take months to weave, but the women who complete each step by hand usually receive the least profit. Selling directly to consumers is challenging, so artisans often rely on middlemen who sell the rugs for several times more in big cities. Online, Moroccan rugs can sell for several thousand dollars.
World Economic Forum (December 9, 2022) – This week’s top stories of the week include:
0:15The world’s most expensive cities – This list of the most expensive cities is based Worldwide Cost of Living 2022 report that compares 200 products and services in more than 170 cities. Prices in big cities have risen by an average of 8.1% in the past year. Their fastest rise for 20 years. Driven by the knock-on effects of the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, some of these most expensive cities have high wages and taxes, while another has an average rent of about 92% of the median worker’s pre-tax salary. Watch to know which cities are the most expensive to live in.
1:36The era of the megalopolis has begun – Today 60% of people live in urban areas, and by 2100 it’s forecast to be 85%. We are entering the era of the megalopolis. Cities around the world are merging as they grow and spread, forming supercities connected by urban sprawl. The largest megalopolis is in China – it’s known as the Greater Bay Area. But what are megapolis?
2:53Scientists develop a universal flu vaccine – Scientists have developed a universal flu vaccine. It’s effective against all 20 known strains of flu and could help us fight off dangerous new strains before they develop into a pandemic. The new vaccine could be in use within 2 years.
3:53This device will heat our homes sustainably – Heat pumps run on electricity rather than fossil fuels and are 3 times more efficient than gas boilers. They capture thermal energy from the air outside and use that energy to warm your home.
Wall Street Journal – China’s first homegrown narrow-body jet is looking to compete with Western giants like Boeing. WSJ unpacks the design and technology of Comac’s C919 and the 737 MAX 8 to see how China’s deep reliance on foreign parts could stymie Beijing’s ambition to succeed.
Affordability is still an issue, mortgage rates will remain high, and homes are sitting on the market longer. It all adds up to a stalled 2023 for real estate.
CNBC – Anheuser-Busch InBev is the world’s largest brewer with 500 brands in more than 100 countries. In 2016, Flemish Interbrew and Brazilian Ambev, together known as InBev, merged with the American legacy company Anheuser-Busch, which ultimately brought AB under the leadership of 3G Capital.
3G Capital is a Brazilian-American global investment firm whose tactics include an aggressive, and at times controversial, cost-cutting strategy. AB InBev’s longtime priority of aggressive acquisitions has been coupled with a focus on profit and price per barrel rather than volume share. Premiumization and expanding beyond beer continue to be winning strategies. In 2021, the company amassed $54.3 billion in revenue with 169,000 employees worldwide. As overall beer consumption has declined, AB InBev has transformed from merely a beer company to the largest beverage company in the world.
Butler to the World: How Britain Became the Servant of Tycoons, Tax Dodgers, Kleptocrats and Criminals by Oliver Bullough
Britain, according to this damning book, is a land of dirty money. It has become the country of choice for dictators wanting to hide their cash, and oligarchs wishing to launder their reputations. Yet instead of waging war on this illicit finance, we’re helping it to propagate. Our national debasement is a sordid story, but Oliver Bullough canters through it with wit and such a colourful set of case studies that it is at least a little easier to stomach. His account begins with the Suez crisis in 1956, which Bullough pinpoints as the moment when Britain’s imperial power crumbled and the nation searched for a new role in the world. The job we chose? Playing Jeeves to kleptocrats. Since the Brexit vote there has been a lengthy debate about what kind of country Britain should strive to be; Bullough argues convincingly that we haven’t spent enough time scrutinising what it has already become. Ros Urwin Profile, £20 Buy a copy of Butler to the World here
Megathreats: The Ten Trends that Imperil Our Future, and How to Survive Them by Nouriel Roubini
Nouriel Roubini is not known as “Dr Doom” for nothing, and this book from the economist who predicted the 2008 financial crisis is a bleak look at some of the horrible threats facing our survival on Earth, from economic collapse to a new cold war and the rise of artificial intelligence. But it is also an important wake-up call to how fragile modern civilisation is. Roubini lucidly lays out the challenges we face. Maybe save reading this until after the festive period. TK John Murray, £20 Buy a copy of Megathreats here
A Pipeline Runs Through It: The Story of Oil from Ancient Times to the First World War by Keith Fisher
In this epic, deeply researched history of oil, Keith Fisher, who spent 15 years on the book, takes us from the Byzantine era to the US oil boom of the 19th century and the rise of barons such as John D Rockfeller, and ends with the First World War. He unsparingly shows what a great but terrible industry oil exploration has been. No one comes out well, but the brutality involved in clearing indigenous communities to open up areas for exploitation are harrowing, especially the cruelty from what would become Royal Dutch Shell. TK Allen Lane, £35 Buy a copy of A Pipeline Runs Through It here
0:15 This island nation has moved to the metaverse – Rising seas are due to swamp Tuvalu by the end of the century. So the Pacific archipelago of 12,000 people has taken a remarkable step, declaring itself the world’s ‘first digital nation’.
1:39 Crosswords battle memory loss – Researchers studied 107 elderly people with mild cognitive impairment. 4 times a week, they spent half an hour either doing a crossword or completing tasks on a popular brain-training computer platform. Then they were reassessed after 12 and 66 weeks. Crossword players scored better on cognitive decline and daily functioning tests.
2:50 UK is rolling out ‘buzz’ stops for bees – The UK is planting bee-friendly native flowers on the roofs of roadside bus shelters, creating a parallel transport network for bugs. Management company Clear Channel aims to convert 1,000 shelters overall with native plants such as pansies and thyme.
4:05 Entrepreneur running 200 marathons for water – Guli is an Australian entrepreneur and environmental activist. She plans to complete Run Blue in time for the UN Conference on Water in March 2023 and to inspire as many people as possible along the way. Guli’s mission has taken her to the front lines of the global water crisis.
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