North America /

Haitian President Jovenel Moise assassinated by DEA trained Columbian hit squad. Haiti is then hit by a M7.2 Earthquake, driving many to flee to Mexico to seek refuge in America. Cubans protest their government’s pandemic management. Lake Mead in Nevada drops to its lowest level in 1,200 years. Texas is sued by Federal Government for passing Heartbeat Law banning abortion after 6 weeks, while Mexico decriminalize abortion altogether. Canada re-elects Liberal government in snap election.

South America /

El Salvador’s Bitcoin adoption by the ‘coolest Dictator’ hits bumps. Brazil threatens Bolsonaro with impeachment due to poor handling of the pandemic, high gas prices, and battles with the Supreme Court. Colombia, Ecuador and Panama discuss infrastructure project with the Biden Administration to rival China’s Belt & Road initiative.

Africa and the Middle East /

Iran aligns with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The World Bank declares Lebanon’s depression the worst in modern history. South Africa looter’s protest Jacob Zuma being held for corruption. Egypt rallies against Ethiopian water agreement for its dam and the Nile in the midst of negotiations. Niger faces continued attacks from Islamist groups, Guinea is under Marshall law as military coup suspends parliament, and Mali accepts support from Russian Wagner group to the dismay of France.

Europe /

The EU has introduced a ‘Green Pass’ to confirm vaccination status. Venice bans cruise ships entering its monumental lagoon. Boris Johnson proposes to U.K. a 1.25% health and social care tax. Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrap the Arc D’Triomphe, while the rest of France protests lockdowns.

Asia /

The U.S. vacates Afghanistan leaving power in the hands of the Taliban, and both Russia and China react to stabilize key borders. Continued Protests against President Modi and Big Agriculture taking over markets in India. Australia has signed a deal for Nuclear powered submarines with U.K. and U.S. backing out on a French deal.

Market Finances

All Eyes on Evergrande

What in the…

In the East, Evergrande real estate is on brink of bankruptcy, unless Chinese Government steps to prevent a collapse, while the Global Economy waits as interconnected retirement and investment funds are heavily invested.

In the West, the ‘Great Resignation’ notes millions of frontline and mid-level roles in all sectors left unfilled by a new generation, while an Idealist Congress pursue a Public Banking Act to provide an option to commercial banking.

In the AI, Tesla’s AI Robot is designed to manage ‘dangerous, repetitive, boring tasks’ and create a new labour force.

In the Phones, Google and Apple stores are under scrutiny for high fees and monopolizing app sales forums.

In the Media, Mila Kunis & Ashton Kutcher sell ‘Stoner Cats’ NFTs as a new model for entertainment subscriptions.

In the Facebook,  Luxotticaa partner to share Ray-Ban Stories, a step away from the phone and into the metaverse.

Ø  Gold – Concerns surround U.S. management of Debt Ceiling, price of Gold to drop in reaction to impact to Global Economy.

Ø  Oil – Despite high supply from U.S., the predicted demand for winter should return the price over $80 / barrel for an extended period.

Ø  Crypto – Chatter of structured regulations rise interest from investment firms, while raising concerns from purists in the market.

Ø  Global Markets - global supply-chain problems threaten consumer confidence, the exchange reflected this with a drop.

Ø  Volatility Activity– spread of the Delta variant of COVID reflect concerns, but strong earnings build confidence driving lots of volatility.

Ø  Bond Markets– with expectations for inflation rates to decline and growth is expected, the outlook favours equities over bonds.

Forecast

The Future of Additive Manufacturing

Panama of the North

Climate change impacts the North, forests burn, ice melts and new waterways reveal themselves.

Global Trade is currently dominated by the fixed shipping routes for raw materials, and finished products through the oceans, with $14T (USD) and 11B Tonnes trafficked each year. In total, 80% of all raw materials and goods are moved by one of 50,000 Container Ships, while air, rail and trucking take the goods the last mile.

The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 represented a drastic impact and change to maritime traffic in the exchange of goods across the Globe. When the United States took over control of the massive infrastructure project in Panama, all Asian-Western trade routes had to pass Chile and the southern tip of South America. Today, the route is so important that most ships are designed with specifications (and the limitations) set to pass through the Panama Canal, ensuring the route can be managed.

As the North heats up, so does access to reliable trade routes, with icebreaker support, allowing for new and consistent ways to ship materials and goods from the East-to-the-West and back again, all bypassing any need to pass through Central or South America. With access to these new routes, Ultra Large Container Vessels can bring more, deliver faster, with less fuel. 

The fantasy of past explorers has not been lost on modern industrialists and governments.

The 66.6” Arctic circle is drawing attention as Russia builds up the Northeast Passage (NEP) and the West open dialogues on the common international waters of the Northwest Passage (NWP), ensuring Canada doesn’t lay claim to the Arctic Archipelago. 

The rewards of climate change will profit the business community, and the Northern governments will benefit – as the South sees revisions to trade routes and shrinking access to resources.

Smooth like ‘butter’

June 2021 – Utah; James Conrad drains a 274 ft birdie to push the Disc Golf World Championship into a playoff, in which he would eventually take the title.

Some reflect in saying, “This is the greatest disc golf shot of all time”, while others think ‘What the hell is Disc Golf?’

Disc Golf  follows rules similar to traditional golf – just replace your clubs and ball for a readied arm and a few Frisbee Discs. Stand at your preferred tee, pause, look up and pull the trigger as you aim for the hole off in the distance, which in this case is an elevated metal basket. Each hole will likely take a few throws, and each subsequent throw is taken from where the previous attempt landed, with very few exceptions. The player to reach the target with the least throws wins the hole, and this would persist for 9 to 18 holes set out on the course.

 If there are any exact questions, the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) have meticulously outlined the rules for competition. The rest is for the birds.

The beauty of the sport is that it easily integrates with most public parks and space, requiring very little design or environmental impact. The ease of use and set-up also makes the sports very accessible for players to meet in a public space and participate with limit expense. One professional quality disc costs $15.

Today there are nearly 9,000 official courses throughout the world, with 75% in the United States, with the majority having opened in the last 10 years. Professional Disc Golf is on the come up, with ESPN2 picking up broadcasting rights with the ’Portland Open’ to be the first event as a 2-hour event feature on August 4, 2021

Mixtape XXII

Generational Shifts in Taste and Cool

Frank Ocean is an artist. Loved by his generation.

With an impeccable Fashion sense. So, of course, why not release a new fashion label.

Enter Homer – the newest Jewelry and scarf based high end-line.

                                             Tunes

1. – WUSYANAME -Tyler, the Creator (Columbia)

2. – Standing Ovation - Little Simz (AWAL Recordings)

3. – Hideaway – Wavves (Fat Possum)

4. – Stoned at the Nail Salon – Lorde (Universal NZ)

5. – Little Deer – Spelling (Sacred Bones Records)

Playlist on Spotify

Marke ‘Ting

Millennial’s buy into the Kayne and Drake marketing beef prior to late summer record releases, circa 2018.

Zoomer’s opt for Lil Nas X’s Montero and for a good time and a fight against the status quo.

Gen X’ers upset that the Rolling Stone Top 500 songs of all time – annexed Led Zeppelin from the Top 10

Math-scape

The Beauty of a Base 60 System

His Legend has influenced Plato, Aristotle, Nicolas Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, and a key component in Modern Mathematics as we know it.

It is known that he believed in the transmigration of souls, where the soul is immortal and transfers to a new body after death. Beyond this, it is hard for scholars to agree about Pythagoras the man from Pythagoras the legend. There has been much debate whether the Pythagoras Theorem is his true discovery or if it should be attributed to his followers, particularly Philolaus of Croton.

 In 2017 a new layer appeared with the recent discovery of proto-trigonometric equation on Babylonian tablet pre-dating Pythagoras by 1,000 years. The works of Daniel Mansfield and N. J. Wildberger, University of New South Wales, built a theory in his review of the Plimpton 322 tablet, noting the basis of a trigonometry table written in cuneiform. In 2021, this theory has been validated even further by a review of the Si.427 Tablet originally excavated by the French in 1894 from modern-day Iraq.

In 2017 a new layer appeared with the recent discovery of proto-trigonometric equation on Babylonian tablet pre-dating Pythagoras by 1,000 years. The works of Daniel Mansfield and N. J. Wildberger , University of New South Wales, built a theory in his review of the Plimpton 322 tablet, noting the basis of a trigonometry table written in cuneiform. In 2021, this theory has been validated even further by a review of the Si.427 Tablet originally excavated by the French in 1894 from modern-day Iraq.

 Si.427 is noted to be a land surveyor tool from 1,700~ b.c.e. and was utilized to develop highly accurate land borders between neighbours. The uniqueness of this tool reveals that the Babylonians applied Pythagorean triples, integers a, b, and c satisfying a2 + b2 = c2. The tablet reveals use of “three whole numbers for which the sum of the squares of the first two equals the square of the third. The triples engraved on Si.427 are 3, 4, 5; 8, 15, 17; and 5, 12, 13. These were likely used to help determine the land's boundaries”.

 The beauty of the tables, used by the Babylonian, is that they are written in Base 60. Whereas modern society rely on a Base 10 numerical system, where “each digit of a number can have an integer value ranging from 0 to 9 (10 possibilities depending on its position”, which likely derived from use of our fingers to count.

 However, the Babylonian model in Base 60 is more similar to a modern Clock when counting to 60 in seconds. This allows for more completely fractions, where 1/3 of 60 is 20, compared to a modern model where 1/3 of 100 is 33 and leaves an incomplete running decimal. The exact division allows for Babylonians to have greater accuracy with whole numbers, which would aid in their application and outcome in the equations.