Blog Band – Page 40 – Fridayeveryday

Top economist roasted after admitting puzzlement

TOP U.S. ECONOMIST LARRY SUMMERS is being roasted on social media at the moment after he expressed surprise that the capitalist society in which he lived had serious, mounting problems. People aren’t working, couples aren’t getting married, many folk are depressed or suicidal, and politics is being polarized. The former U.S. government moneyman revealed…

September 22, 20220Comments ByNury Vittachi

Opinion

Hong Kong SPACs have unique advantages, but shortcomings too

SPACs are in the news this week, after Silicon Valley’s pioneer in the investment vehicle business said he would return US$1.5 billion to backers. But Hong Kong’s versions of the Special Purpose Acquisition Company have key differences, says SPAC specialist Jason Wong THE U.S. ENTERED AN interest rate hike cycle this year, and capital markets…

September 21, 20220Comments ByJason Wong

News

China trims Ecuador debt by $1b, growing its fan club

THE PEOPLE OF ECUADOR revealed on Monday that China had slashed their debt by more than US$1 billion. Cash saved will go to social programs for the needy. By restructuring the developing country’s bailout, the Chinese are effectively foregoing US$1.4 billion in repayments—which is good for Ecuador. “It’s a positive deal. There is an important…

September 21, 20220Comments ByNury Vittachi

News

Despairing China teacher encouraged by social voices

A U.S. UNIVERSITY LECTURER who expressed despair at the impossibility of fighting negative media “framing” of China got a nice surprise today. A range of supportive voices on social media encouraged her not to quit. A few hours ago, Dr Lin Zhang of the University of New Hampshire posted a sad lament on Twitter, saying…

September 20, 20220Comments ByNury Vittachi

Features

May Yeung is bringing art to a public space near you

Art galleries and museums are fine, but art should be done by creative young people and should be present in the public environment, says the super-creative Hong Kong artist. H.C. Lu reports VISITORS WHO STEPPED into the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel in the US a few years ago got a surprise – there was a pair…

September 19, 20220Comments ByH.C. Lu

Culture

Imagine a land run by. . . poets

It sounds hard to believe, but civil service applicants in China had to write actual literature to win top jobs, becoming "jinshi" - a class of writer-administrators who advised the emperor. (Business people were ranked low on the ladder.) For centuries, it worked well - but at other times, the bureaucratic need for order and…

September 16, 20220Comments ByEmily Zhou

Opinion

Britain’s opium era strategy to deal with China

THE DAOGUANG EMPEROR tasked Commissioner Lin Zexu (image above) with suppressing the opium trade bedeviling China in 1839. Lin initially tried diplomacy. As British traders were growing the drug in India and then smuggling it into China, he hoped an appeal to their country’s sense of honor might be salutary. Before the outbreak…

September 14, 20220Comments ByGrenville Cross

News

Why we remember Elizabeth II fondly despite the politics

ON CHRISTMAS DAY, 1957, the most famous woman in the world cleared her throat and made the first of what would become a series of televised annual speeches. “In the old days the monarch led his soldiers on the battlefield and his leadership at all times was close and personal,” said Queen Elizabeth II. Queen…

September 9, 20220Comments ByNury Vittachi

News

China finally goes to war – but only on the dance floor

THE CHINESE HAVE FINALLY gone to war. After decades of peace, the world’s most populous nation has launched a series of battles with other countries – but all the skirmishes are street dance fight-outs. Top TV show Street Dance of China has become an international hit, with people around the world tuning in as dancers…

September 8, 20220Comments ByNury Vittachi

Opinion

Hong Kong SPACs are in a slump: here’s how to fix them

HONG KONG’S special purpose acquisition companies, better known as SPACs, are currently in a slump. This is not only because of poor global market conditions, but also because of the restrictive listing requirements set by the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. Change is urgently needed. Image by Friday Culture. Here’s a brief discussion of the…

September 7, 20220Comments ByJason Wong

Top economist roasted after admitting puzzlement

Hong Kong SPACs have unique advantages, but shortcomings too

China trims Ecuador debt by $1b, growing its fan club

Despairing China teacher encouraged by social voices

May Yeung is bringing art to a public space near you

Imagine a land run by. . . poets

Britain’s opium era strategy to deal with China

Why we remember Elizabeth II fondly despite the politics

China finally goes to war – but only on the dance floor

Hong Kong SPACs are in a slump: here’s how to fix them

Truth trumps fiction, as Donald trumps expectations

The U.S. openly threatens judges around the world: sorry, but you just can’t do that

David Webb and the Quiet Power of an Unbought Voice