Sara’s Weekly Update #5
Welcome to my newsletter! I write down my thoughts & opinions on the topics I read/watch in the last week. My topics of interests are wide, please feel free to skip to the topic you like.
China Reopening (#china)
Last week for the first time China opened the borders and travelers to China don’t have to do mandatory quarantine any more.
China’s reopening could be one of the biggest economic events in 2023. It's estimated that the 1st quarter of 2024 GDP will be 10% bigger than 1st quarter of 2023.
China is the biggest consumer of commodities and once it's fully open it may consume more commodities & might increase the commodity prices and could be challenging to keep the inflation down.
Brazil’s Capital Riot (#international-politics)
Brazil’s Supreme Court said it would investigate former president Jair Bolsonaro for inspiring the far-right mob that invaded and ransacked the country’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential offices this week, a swift escalation in the probe that shows the former leader could soon face legal consequences for an extremist movement that he helped build.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/13/world/americas/brazil-bolsonaro-riot-investigation.html
These scenes look very familiar! Looks like constant lying from the top leaders and social media to amplify the disinformation is a recipe to undermine the democracy & create chaos these days. Found this cartoon from this week’s economist funny.
Inflation report (#macro-economics)
It’s a positive sign that inflation is coming down & gives hope that FED can bring down the inflation. Still FED is going to increase the rates a few more times with 0.25 basis points is the expectation now.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/01/12/business/december-cpi-inflation-report
Noncompetes (#Business)
We have been bitten by this noncompetes before. My wife was consulting at a Fortune 500 company through a vendor (due to visa situation) and vendor was taking ~20-30% from her pay. Once her visa situation improved we started an LLC & wanted to work directly with the company to remove this extra fee. But due to this noncompete the company was not willing to work with us directly & we ended up paying some money to the vendor to remove the noncompete. Glad there is a proposal to remove it from FTC.
Economic liberty, not just political liberty, is at the heart of the American experiment. You’re not really free if you don’t have the right to switch jobs or choose what to do with your labor. But millions of American workers can’t fully exercise that choice because of a provision that bosses put into their contracts: a noncompete clause.
People might worry that eliminating noncompetes would make it impossible for companies to hold on to their secrets. But there is good reason to believe that more-targeted alternatives, such as nondisclosure agreements and trade secret law, would get the job done without imposing such a burden on the economy.
A thriving, dynamic economy depends on fair competition — not just for consumers, but also for workers. We should be skeptical of any methods designed to prevent it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/09/opinion/linakhan-ftc-noncompete.html
Nattu Nattu RRR (#entertainment)
RRR winning Best Original Song in a Motion Picture at the Golden Globes is a big thing! It’s a proud moment for us Indians. My son like this song. And Happy to see Rajamouli in US late night shows!!!
California Flooding (#climate)
Hearts are with the Californians. Hope rain stops soon. Either its extreme drought on one side or its extreme flooding on the other side, California Governor was saying these extreme weather fluctuations are new normal that they have to adjust too and build infrastructure to adopt to this.
How To Raise Successful People (#book)
Read the chapter Teach your child to give a Damn. Below are some highlights from this Chapter
Failing to build relationships and serve a greater community can impact both physical and mental health. Researchers have argued that loneliness is a bigger public health risk than obesity. One study found that participants with stronger connections to other people had a 50 percent greater chance of living longer.26 Feeling like we belong can be a matter of life or death.
Are we really showing our kids how to serve others, or are we teaching them how to escape into their own lives?
It’s sad to say, but I’ve noticed more and more kids completely focused on themselves. Where they want to go to college, vacations they want to take, things they want to buy. Sometimes it feels like we’re training a nation and a world of narcissists, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that helicopter parenting has played a big role in this. Kids are growing up feeling like they’re the center of the universe. They’re chauffeured by their parents, put into competitive activities that teach them being number one is the most important thing, and they’re made to believe that if they’re not perfect, if they don’t achieve at all times, they’ll be failures in life. No wonder kids are more self-centered (and anxious) than ever before.
We don’t seem to have the right information about how to live well, how to take care of ourselves and others. We don’t seem to understand the point. We’re chasing money and possessions. Not service, not purpose. If we have a purpose at all, it’s to make ourselves happy. But if there’s one thing I know, it’s this: You’re happiest—as well as most beneficial to society—when you are doing things to help others.
For the sake of both their mental health and their character development, all young people need to hear the message ‘It’s not about you’ every now and then. Finding a purpose that contributes to the world beyond the self is a premier way of tuning in to that message.” Thinking beyond the self—that’s the key. How many of our kids are doing that?
As Peter Diamandis of the X Prize and Singularity University says, “The world’s biggest problems are the world’s biggest business opportunities . . . You want to be a billionaire? Find a billion-person problem that you can make a dent in.” Fantastic advice.
Family Updates (#family)
We got a great news this week that our much anticipated and delayed house in Dallas, TX will be closed on 2/28. Now our move is getting serious, we are getting little nervous. I read in couple places that its better to focus on things we are “looking forward for” rather than things that causes nervousness will help during the move.
Here are the things we are looking forward for in our new place
Meeting new friends
More friends for kids in the community neighborhoods
Big City & Big State
New home with more space for our growing family
lot of food options to try
Reducing one leg in our international flights
More time outdoors
Playing Tennis with friends
Exploring near by Cities Austin, San Antonio, Houston
Experience the growth happening in the north Dallas, just this week Universal Announced their plans.
I have moved around quite a few places in the last decade and the lesson I learned is that every place has its plus & minus. More than thinking about what we can take from the place, better to think about what we can give to the place & community to make it a better place than we inherit.