The San Francisco Experience

Barbie, the Summer blockbuster which has already grossed $1.34 billion worldwide, is a unique film that caught the public's attention at a unique moment in time. It has become a cultural phenomenon and stirred debate.

Is Russia so desperate for old Soviet era shells and ammunition still made by North Korea and interoperable with Russian armaments, that they would trade their advanced high tech weapons with Kim ? And what does China - North Korea's largest donor - make of this unlikely alliance ?

San Francisco's great wealth creation in the 19th and 20th centuries as well as the emergence of dynastic family elites largely developed as a result of exploitation of nearby natural resources. But most great cities have followed a similar path. And today's Silicon Valley fortunes are little different in that respect, but substitute the mining of academic excellence for natural resources.

Award winning film maker, John Montoya discusses the 10 part docuseries entitled When the Sound hits the Walls which he is producing . It will feature the Hyde Street Studios, where Rock and Roll Greats like Herbie Hancock, the Headhunters, Creedence Clearwater, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Crosby, Stills and Nash and Jefferson Airplane produced iconic hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Shattered Nation, written by Oxford Professor Danny Dorling, demonstrates how the United Kingdom has been fundamentally damaged by 40 years of neoliberal policies of successive Conservative and Labour governments. Inequality is on the rise while life expectancy is declining and infant mortality is on the upswing. What has caused the reversal in social progress in the UK and how can it be turned around ?

The India and US relationship is growing in importance and per Prime Minister Modi and President Biden will be the defining global relationship of the 21st Century. And the 4 million Indian American community serves as a cornerstone of the growing trade, academic, business, finance and cultural links between the two countries.

Sweden's path to NATO membership has been made more arduous by Turkey, itself a NATO member. Despite Turkish President Erdogan's agreement at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, and Swedish concessions, the process drags on. Turkey's Parliament reconvenes on October 1, 2023 to consider the issue. Professor Paul Levin of the Stockholm University Institute of Turkish Studies (SUITS), walks us through the history.

Gina Raimondo spent four days in Beijing and Shanghai discussing the US' position on tariffs, investment and export controls. And making it clear to her hosts that US National Security concerns will play an important role in our $700 billion trade relationship.

The US is taking a closer look at restricting the export of sensitive dual use technology to China through CFIUS and the recent Executive Order of President Biden. Putting the brakes on globalization.

Goldman's CEO has had a rough few months: second quarter earnings were down 58%. And his strategic push into consumer finance has stalled. Pre-eminent financial journalist William D. Cohan who profiled David Solomon for Vanity Fair shares his impressions.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has rattled his nuclear saber. But Russia is not at existential risk and its' security concerns are of its' own making. Why has he introduced the use of nuclear weapons into his confrontation with Ukraine and its' erstwhile supporters in NATO ?

The Emergency Docket of the US Supreme Court was a rarely used way to seek the intervention of the Court. But during the Trump Administration and more recently the Biden Administration it has become more widely used. It is now called the Shadow Docket. Professor Vladeck walks us through his book explaining the implications.

11 of the top 16 AI companies in the world - Nvidia, ChatGPT, OpenAI - are located in the Bay Area. And new venture capital investment and talent is flocking to the area. But how will regulation impact the development of the industry.

Environmental, Social and Governance(ESG) as an investment framework has been in the news through 2023. Is ESG under threat because of its' political profile ?

California has the largest number of Alzheimers cases of all 50 states according to a recent study from Rush Medical College in Chicago. Several counties - MiamiDade in Florida, Baltimore, Maryland and Bronx, New York - showed higher concentrations of the disease than expected. What factors contribute to Alzheimers and what lessons can we learn from this nationwide study ?

The Ocean Globe Race is the successor to the Whitbread Round the World Race and 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Whitbread. Starting from Southampton in September the 7 month race will have three ports of call: Cape Town, South Africa, Auckland, New Zealand and Punta del Este, Uruguay. Tan Raffray will skipper the French entrant ,the Neptune, one of 14, representing 8 countries. One of his 10 person crew Bertrand, a seasoned sailor, has Parkinsons - an added challenge that will give inspiration to those living with the condition. Amy Bridge will be supporting the efforts of The Neptune, the 60 foot ocean going sailboat from California.

An intense and gripping film about the Father of the Atom Bomb, who led the Manhattan Project in World War II, Robert Oppenheimer.

The Anthropocene is a new geological epoch that began in the 1950s when humans started altering the planet with various forms of industrial and radioactive material. The International Geological Congress will meet in Korea in 2024 to consider the Anthropocene designation.

In her new book, Chelsea Follett, Managing Editor of Human Progress.org recounts 40 cities from antiquity to modern day where epoch making innovations were created that changed the path of human development for the better. It seems that once our hunter gatherer ancestors settled in communities, they unleashed unparalleled creativity, innovation and productivity.

Shadow of a Doubt was reportedly Alfred Hitchcock's favorite film of the many he made. Set in Santa Rosa, California, it tells the tale of an errant uncle with a big secret to hide who comes to stay with his sister's family. But his cover is blown when his niece suspects he is a serial killer and then she herself is threatened by her uncle.

Without a doubt, AI has become an important investment theme in 2023. How can investors participate in this latest wave of technological innovation ? Simon brings his experience and insights in the field of AI to the conversation.

How AI is changing the manner in which cardiovascular illness is diagnosed. And the future is unfolding before us with new predictive analytics, remote monitoring and precision medicine. Dr. Stultz is both a Ph.D. in Computer Science as well as a Cardiologist and brings both fields of practice together in a unique fashion.

Artificial Intelligence is being integrated into curriculums and the upcoming academic year will be the first full school year since Chat GPT, the generative AI chatbot burst on the scene in early 2023. All educators from Universities, to high schools and elementary schools are working to fit the new technology into teaching practices.

Are America and its' allies stepping back from engagement with the Chinese juggernaut ? Derisking or Decoupling from the world's second largest economy.

The US Supreme Court released two decisions on June 29, 2023 which will have a profound effect on Affirmative Action. Luke Boso, a constitutional specialist, analyses the rulings.

Marion Davies was a Hollywood star of the 1920s and 1930s. She was also the life partner of press baron William Randolph Hearst. Author Lara Gabrielle has written a fascinating life story based on meticulous first hand research.