“As we speak, there is this meeting in Beijing on what to do about the Chinese economy. It’s a plenary council, which only meets periodically. The first meeting was in 1978 where [Deng Xiaoping] started opening up the Chinese economy, which has certainly been the most important thing in the world economy in the past 35 years. In 1993 they had another one, which had dramatic results. The Chinese say that this meeting is going to have equally dramatic and dynamic results and come up with very important changes. It may be as important as 1993 or 1978, and if they do big things, it’s going to be perhaps the most important thing affecting the world economy over the next 10 or 20 years.”
Tag Archives: Sudden Outbreak of Common Sense
Adam Brandon – NSA Spying in the Spotlight

“Both sides of the political aisle are teaming up to stop Government spying since privacy is a thing of the past thanks to the NSA.”
StopWatching.Us: Rally Against Mass Surveillance 10/26/13

“Thousands came together in Washington, DC on October 26, 2013 to protest the NSA’s mass surveillance programs.”
Federal Reserve Economist On Bitcoin: ‘Small Phenomenon But Growing’

“It’s a big moment for Bitcoin. The digital currency has gotten an official nod from the overseer of U.S. currency in the form of a primer out of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Senior economist François R. Velde wrote an elegant critique of the four-year-old currency, explaining its mechanics, limitations, and prospects for success, ultimately deeming it a ‘remarkable conceptual and technical achievement, which may well be used by existing financial institutions.’ If this were Economic Mean Girls, this is the part of the movie where Lindsay ‘Bitcoin’ Lohan gets friended by the powerful, popular crowd.”
Marijuana Legalization Wins Big on Election Night 2013

“The movement to legalize and regulate adult marijuana use continued to gain momentum last night, as voters in four separate cities overwhelmingly approved citywide ballot measures eliminating criminal and civil penalties for adults who possesses the plant. Portland became the first city on the East Coast to legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for adults over 21. In addition to Portland, three localities in Michigan (Ferndale, Jackson, and Lansing) all voted in support of marijuana legalization today by huge margins. The three areas had similar proposals to remove criminal and civil penalties for personal possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana.”
http://norml.org/news/2013/11/06/legalization-wins-big-on-election-night-2013
“Mongolia open for business”

“Mongolia had recently approved a full repeal of the Strategic Entity Foreign Investment Legislation (SEFIL), implemented in May 2012 to protect its minerals, rail infrastructure, telecommunications, media and defence sectors. This resulted in increased political and legal uncertainty and is linked to a 17% drop in foreign direct investment during 2012 and a further 47% during January – August 2013. The new legislation was enacted on 4 October 2013 with full bipartisan support. Provided an investor is not 50% or more owned by a foreign government, there are no restrictions on investment. It also includes provisions to ensure that any future changes must have 66% or more votes in favour by Parliament.”
Mongolia’s loosening of foreign investment restrictions ‘a positive step’
“The regulations came into force on 1 November, and removed restrictions placed on foreign investors in the country’s ‘strategic’ sectors, such as mining. The law also provides investors with tax stability by freezing VAT, corporate income tax, mining royalties and customs duties at the rate applicable when the investment is made for between five and 22 years, depending on the investment amount and location within the country. Investors will also be able to freely transfer profits and assets out of the country. International investment in Mongolia fell by 43% in the first half of 2013, following more than a year of uncertainty over the investment rules, according to Reuters.”
Mongolia Law Signed To Welcome Foreign Investors After Boom Slows

“Mongolia’s parliament approved a law that ended different rules for domestic and foreign non-state investors after the Mongolian tugrik fell 21% against the dollar this year and foreign direct investment slumped by 47%. Mongolia’s mineral boom has slowed amid a protracted dispute with key investors, including Rio, and increasing calls for a greater share of revenue to go to its citizens. Building infrastructure will allow the landlocked country to export a greater volume of its abundant natural resources after low commodity prices hurt its $10 billion economy. Mongolia’s central bank said it was in talks with the People’s Bank of China to double the currency swap agreement between the nations.”
Marijuana Industry Growing Faster Than Smartphones

“OK, it’s an apples and oranges comparison, but that doesn’t stop it from grabbing eyeballs. Arcview Market Research is reporting today that $1.43 billion in legal marijuana will be sold this year, and revenues will grow to $2.34 billion in 2014, a growth rate of 64 percent. By comparison the smartphone market grew 46 percent from 2012 to 2013. ‘Cannabis is one of the fastest-growing industries,’ said Steve Berg, a former managing director of Wells Fargo Bank and editor of the report, the second edition of the State of Legal Marijuana Markets. ‘Domestically, we weren’t able to find any market that is growing as quickly.'”
http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2013/11/04/marijuana-industry-growing-faster-than-smartphones/
The Soviet Colonel Who Averted Nuclear War

“On September 26, 1983, Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov was on duty at the bunker outside Moscow that monitored the Soviet Union’s Oko early-warning satellite system, when the alarm bells went off shortly after midnight. A satellite was indicating that the United States had fired five ballistic missiles at the Soviet Union. His orders were to pass the warning up the chain of command, which would approve the launch of a nuclear counterstrike. But he didn’t. A satellite was later discovered to be the culprit, mistaking the sun’s reflection off the tops of clouds for a missile launch. The computer program that was supposed to filter out such information failed to do so.”
http://www.rferl.org/content/soviet-colonel-averted-nuclear-war/25118749.html
