Economist's The World in 2013

choi

My comment: Around the year end each year, The Economist produces a special issue. This year the format of the special issue is different from years past, which had some special essays on various topics. This year, however, the format is similar to a regular issue, divided into sections of United States, United Kingdom and various continents, in addition to finance, technology and book reviews. As in years past, this year's special issue has a FORECAST numbers of economies at the end of 2013 (in contrast, in late January of each year, CIA World Factbook presents the preliminary figures of economies in the year PAST, to be revised months later).

(1) So here it is,

The world in figures Countries.

(a) But the first page displays two graphics, both of which are intriguing:
(i) Money, money, money[:] Central-bank balance-sheets, May 2006=100 (for Bank of England, US Federal Reserve, and European Central Bank).
(ii) The China cost[;] Average wages adjusted for inflation, 2005=100 (for China, Vietnam, Mexico, US, and Hungary).

In graphic 2, China's wages has risen exponentially, in contrast to US (almost flatline), and Vietnam, Mexico and Hungary (all three have risen a bit over the years). Whether it (wage spur) is good or bad for China, only time will tell.

(b)
Europe...........GDP per head
France...........$40,930 (PPP: $37,240)
Germany..........$41,600 (PPP: $41,500)
Italy............$32,770 (PPP: $32,510)
Netherlands......$48,280 (PPP: $44,620)
Russia...........$14,570 (PPP: $18,750)
Switzerland......$77,340 (PPP: $52,080)
United Kongdom...$38,850 (PPP: $37,860)

Asia
Australia........$66,950 (PPP: $44,390)
China............$6,890 (PPP: $10,410)
Hong Kong........$35,610 (PPP: $52,830)
Japan............$45,680 (PPP: $37,430)
New Zealand......$33,160 (PPP: $31,610)
Singapore........$53,370 (PPP: $49,350)
South Korea......$24,590 (PPP: $33,310)
Taiwan...........$22,010 (PPP: $45,220)

North America
Canada...........$53,160 (PPP: $42,850)
Mexico...........$10,420 (PPP: $18,760)
United States....$51,525 (PPP: $51,525)

Latin America
Argentina........$12,490 (PPP: $18,750)
Brazil...........$12,670 (PPP: $12,820)
Chile............$16,370 (PPP: $19,460)

* The special issues over the years has not mentioned Luxembourg (supposedly world's highest GDP per head), for reasons I do not know.
* In terms of GDP per head (PPP), as I discovered years ago at
Penn World Table (PWT). Center for International Comparisons, University of Pennsylvania
https://pwt.sas.upenn.edu/

, that the gap between Taiwan and South Korea has enlarged ever since reliable data were available.
* Also in terms of GDP per head (PPP), Hong Kong and, in particular, Singapore are no longer impossible for Taiwan to catch up with.

choi

Articles (page numbers smallest first). There is no need to read the rest of the text.
(2) The World of Barack and Xi; John Micklethwait predicts that the re-elected American pr5esident will spend more time on foreign policy in 2013 than he expected.

(a) Excerpt in the window of print: One testing ground for Mr Xi and Mr Obama could be trade
(b) The graphic shows three thrones: EU, US and China.
(c) Quote: "A centurty ago, the emergence of a new nationalist power, Germany, and the failure of the superpower, Britain, to accomodate the Kaiser proved disasterous. * * * In some ways, Mr Xi is a conventional rival for Mr Obama: the competition with a rising power is clear and, by already signalling a pivot towards Asia, America's president is ready for him [Xi]. Mrs Merkel's troubled Europe presents a very different sort of challenge. To begin with, Mrs Merkel is an extremely reluctant empress. Germany's chancellor would hate that title, pointing out that she faces an election at home in September and has no formal power over the European Union. As for her putatie empire, the euro zone's economy is stagnating, with the continuing danger that the single currency will collapse.

(3) Wait for Angela; In Europe it will be Germany that calls the tune, says Jphn Peet.

Excerpt in the window of print: Mrs Merkel's stubborn protectiveness of the German taxpayer is strongly supported at home

(4) Return of the Giants; Conglomerates, out of fashion since the 1980s, are roaring back, argues Adrian Wooldridge.

(a) rpt in the window of print: Consumers are happier dealing with one provider rather than dozens
(b) Quote:

"Management thinkers once assumed that emerging-world companies would become more focused as their countries developed (South Korea saw over a third of its top 30 conglomerates collapse in late 1990s). But more recently something have emerged from such as Samsung have emerged from te 1990s as technological giants.

"Some great companies such as General Electric and 3M have always stuck with the conglomerate form. And some of the world's best business brains have embraced diversification: Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway has ventured far away from the insurance business.

choi

(5) Over to YOu, Mr Xi; A question of continuity for the new boss.

(a) Excerpt in the window of print: The number of working-age people will begin to decline

(b) Quote: "Late in 2012 or in 2013, Mr Bo [Xilai] will be put on trial on charges of corruption. China has imprisoned two others of his rank on similar charges since the 1990s, but Mr Bo's trial will be far more politically sensitive. Unlike the other two, Mr Bo is charismatic, popular (oddly, given his reputation for ruthlessness) and, like Mr Xi, a member of one of China's most powerful families. His appearance will be the first in the social-media era involving a person of such a star-quality profile.

choi

(6) Simon Cox, Dried Out, But Not Dried Up; A more sober economy in prospect.

(a) Excerpt in the window of print: 2013 may be the year that the investment-heavy economy can at last be described as "consumer-led"
(b) Quote:

(i) "In 1913 thirsty German colonialists established a brewery inQngdao onthe shores of China's Yellow Sea. The made a pilsner beer, in conformity with Bavarian brewing laws, which has sinced evolved into Tsingtao, a brand with 14% of China's market. Tsingtao's museum, ful of artefacts and oddities. It includes a magic beer tap that seems to float in mid-air, upported by nothing but the endless flow from its golden faucet.

"To its many critics, China's economy resembles that floating tap. Its momentum is sustained by nothing but an outpouring of investment in plant, infrastruture and property. This appears profitable only because each round of investment creates demand for the products of hte previous round. If this investment stopped flowing, China's economy would fall to earth.

(ii) infrastructure overkill(my wording): "Qingdao. for example, built an undersea tunnel (China's longest) below Jiaozhou bay, and an overwater bridge (the wor;ds longest) above it. One of those investments may have been worthwhile, but did the city need both?

(iii) "Tsingtao's beer museum culminates in the 'drunk house': its tilted floor makes visitors seem drunk. In 2012 China's economy also tottered badly. In 2013 the economy will be slower, but steadier. Its time China's economy tried a less potent brew.
Qingdao's

(c) Note:
(i) sober (adj):
"4: marked by temperance, moderation, or seriousness <a sober candlelight vigil>
5: subdued in tone or color
6: showing no excessive or extreme qualities of fancy, emotion, or prejudice"
(ii) dry out (vi):
"to undergo an extended period of withdrawal from alcohol or drug use especially at a special clinic"
(iii) dry up (vi):
"1: to disappear as if by evaporation, draining, or cutting off of a source of supply
2: to wither or die through gradual loss of vitality"
www.m-w.com
(iv) Tsingtao Beer Museum  青啤博物馆
http://www.tsingtaomuseum.com/index.htm
("全球啤酒行业权威报告Barth Report依据产量排名，青岛啤酒为世界第六大啤酒厂商")
(A) Two photos of 天上来酒:
http://wenwen.soso.com/z/q195425310.htm
http://blog.gog.com.cn/home.php? ... o=blog&id=38990
(B) Drunk House 醉酒小屋
(v) "Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It took its name from the city of Pilsen (Plzeň in Czech), Bohemia, now Czech Republic, where it was first produced in 1842. The original Pilsner Urquell beer is still produced there today."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilsner
(vi) 胶州湾大桥, 胶州湾隧道.

choi

(6 1/2) Laza Kekic, The Lottery of Life; Where to be born in 2013.
http://www.economist.com/news/21 ... n-2013-lottery-life
("Small economies dominate the top ten. Half of these are European, but only one, the Netherlands, is from the euro zone. The Nordic countries shine * * * The largest European economies (Germany, France and Britain) do not do particularly well")

My comment:
(a)
This essay is worth reading.
(b) eurozone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurozone
(map)
(c) Philistine (n):
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/philistine
(d) "Italy for 30 years had war, terror and murder under the Borgias."
(i) House of Borgia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Borgia
(a European papal family of Spanish origin with the name stemming from the familial fief seat of Borja belonging to their Aragonese Lords)

Quote: The Borgian era, or the time period when the Borgia family had its greatest influence, started in the early 16th century, about the time of the death of Lucrezia in 1519 [who died of complications during childbirth]. The Borgia family had influence during the age of the Renaissance and the beginning of the Age of Discovery. This was the era of many artists, writers and rulers who have influenced the modern age.
(ii) Michelangelo (1475–1564)
(e) The last clause of the essay is "food for debate all the way from Lucerne to Lagos.
(i) Lucerne
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucerne
(locat[ed] on the shore of Lake Lucerne [whose German spelling means "Lake of the Four Forested Cantons")
(ii) Lagos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagos
(a port city and the most populous city in Nigeria which gained independence from UK in 1914]; Lagos, which means "lakes", was a name given to the settlement by the Portuguese)

choi

choi 发表于 12-4-2012 09:30
(6 1/2) Laza Kekic, The Lottery of Life; Where to be born in 2013.
http://www.economist.com/news/215 ...

(8) Robert Guest, The Next Generation of entreneurs; Tough times will breed tough tycoons.

Excerpt in the window of print: Hardship sorts the brilliant from the mediocre

Quote: "Word of mouth travels so fact these days that many start-ups are multinational from day one. When Jane ni Dhulchaointigh started selling sugru, a do-it-yourself material, she found customers in 21 countries in the first six hours. Sugru is like modelling clay but sticks to nearly anything. It can be used to attach objects to each other or to fix things. It is pretty darn useful. Because satisfied customers tell each other about the product online, Ms ni Dhulchaointigh, an Irish-born Londoner, expects sale to take off in 2013.

Note:
(a) Click top horizontal bar in the web site
Sugru
https://sugru.com
(b) Sugru
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugru
(The name Sugru derives from the Irish language word "súgradh" for "play")
(c) I can not find the meaning of her rare last name.

choi

choi 发表于 12-4-2012 09:30
(8) Robert Guest, The Next Generation of entreneurs; Tough times will breed tough tycoons.

Excer ...

(9) Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Time for China to Venture Out; The world's most dynamic economy will at last produce some worldwide brands.

(a) Excerpt in the window of print: They will need to persuade sceptical consumers that they are not peddling cheap junk

(b) Quote:

"A dark horse in the running for China's first global brand is Metersbonwe, a dynamic outfit that is already one of China's largest leisurewear retailers--and perhaps the next Gap or Zara in the making.

"Jianlibao 健力宝, a tasty energy drink, was once China's most successful beverage. Its owners tried to expand overseas in the 1990s, but the effort flopped--partly because of complicated name, which meant nothing to foreign consumers.

(c) Note:
(i) Metersbonwe Group  上海美特斯邦威服饰股份有限公司
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metersbonwe_Group
(founded in 1995 by ZHOU Chengjian 周 成建; Headquarters  Wenzhow)
(ii) Zara (retailer)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zara_(retailer)
(based in Arteixo, Galicia, Spain; section 1 Origins and history)
(iii) On the margin of the essay: "2013 IN BRIEF[:]  The computer mouse, first developed at Stanford Research Institute, turns 50; Apple's version turns 30.

choi

choi 发表于 12-4-2012 09:31
(9) Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Time for China to Venture Out; The world's most dynamic economy will at l ...

(10) Cultural revolution; A museum-building boom in China.

Note:
(a) Datong Art Museum  山西大同美术馆
(b) PAN Shouyong  潘 守永
(c) Yellow River Arts Center  黄河艺汇
(d) YANG Shaorong  杨 韶荣/ 莲鞋/ 百履堂
(e) Funerary Horses Museum of the East Zhou  东周殉马馆/ 东周殉马坑/ 春秋时期的齐国/ 山东省 淄博市

(11) Indrani Bhattacharya, A Hundred Years of Bollytude; A big birthday for India's film industry
(paragraph 1: "India celebrates its history of film-making on May 3rd 2013, 100 years after the country's first feature film, made by an indigenous cast and crew, was shown in Bombay (now Mumbai). 'Raja Harishchandra' told of the righteous king of Ayodhya who endured miseries, sacrificing his kingdom nd his son, to keep a promise to a sage. Pleased by Harishchandra, the gods ultimately returned his throne and heir. Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, the film's director, is now revered as the father of Indian cinema")

(12) Ann Wroe, Obituary  | A Toxin in Your Tank; Lead is tantalisingly close to death: in 2013 the world is meant to stop using leaded petrol.
http://www.economist.com/news/21 ... leaded-petrol-toxin

My comment: The essay is worth reading.