The San Francisco Experience

The intelligence chiefs of the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US had a public meeting at Stanford University on Tuesday to warn Silicon Valley and the global tech community, that China has mounted an unprecedented campaign to steal cutting edge technology from the West, before the door of sanctions and regulations slams shut.

Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are being trumpeted as a cure for obesity. While they are proven to induce weight loss, the underlying issues that cause obesity - ultra processed food - are largely unaddressed. Metabolical is Rob Lustig's latest book on the topic

On October 14th, 2023, The Voice to Parliament Referendum which would have given Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders a body to advise Parliament, was defeated 60% to 40%. Professor Chris Wallace analyses what went wrong and the impact the defeat will have on Australian politics and race relations.

Elon Musk's X/Twitter owes a syndicate of 7 banks $13 billion, $10 billion of which is secured by Twitter assets and $3 billion is unsecured. All $13 billion is non-recourse debt. In other words, Musk does not guarantee it. All quarterly interest payments have been paid, even as X's EBITDA has plummeted. The Banks are eager to sell the debt but who will buy it and at what price ?

What is the State ? How has it evolved ? Is it different from nationhood ? And what about failed states ? As Louis XIV said "L'Etat c'est moi."

As Covid 19 becomes a seasonal illness, a new booster shot is being rolled out alongside the flu shot as an annual update to increase our defenses. But masking skepticism and medical misinformation still deter many people from taking the precautionary shot.

Movie Codes were introduced in the UK and the US in the 1920s and 30s. The US model focused on sex and violence while the UK monitored class divisions and other social issues. Alfred Hitchcock successfully navigated both Codes first in the UK where he began his film career and then in the US.

Exim Bank is playing a growing role in financing the export drive of US small business. In California alone, they have 650 exporter clients who ship overseas, product worth $14 billion.

Governor Newsom, in the wake of the death of Senator Dianne Feinstein, has appointed Laphonza Butler to serve out the remaining 15 months of her term. A labor activist, political consultant and a lesbian, Senator Butler's appointment is historic. Will she run for a full term in 2024 ?

The Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese Military have a unique relationship among developed nations. James Char explains how the two work closely together.