01.22.08
My new niece just arrived! 有新的外甥女刚出生了！
My new niece - Tara’s little sister just arrived a few hours ago.
Nobody’s even told me her name yet, but my little brother forwarded me this picture.
So cute!
01.20.08
Jim Rogers in Shanghai Again…
I was extremely pleased to get another chance to meet Jim Rogers, though this time only at a brief speech ~ not really any time to chat. This was the first time I’ve seen Jim speak in public and I thought he did an excellent job! There are a few speaking notes that I think anyone can take away:
Humanize it - Turn it into a story. If we were looking for only the cold, dry facts, we could scan through the 10Ks ourselves, but few financial reports are truly memorable - we remember stories!
Repeat It - Jim would say the same thing over and over and over. He would say it 10 different ways. He might have 1000 other peals of wisdom that quickly get thrown out, and a few will appeal to different sections of the audience, but the core of what you are trying to persuade MUST BE REPEATED - use the same words, and then use different words, but repeat it.
Slowly. Speaking, like art is not a race. The whitespace in an Ad, the open space in a courtyard, and the silent pauses while you are speaking are all equally important. Do not talk to fast!
Additionally, there were 3 questions that I was particularly interested in, and Jim was able to answer them for me quite quickly.
1. Doesn’t the fact that the US Federal Debit is denominated in US Dollars make the actual $9 Trillion dollar figure much less important that it appears to be?
Not to quote Jim response, but basically, there will come a time when other countries are no longer willing to continue financing the US debit. As that happens, interest rates in the USA will rise - potentially quite high.
Jim did not mention this, but I would expect that one day we’ll see other nations demanding that US treasuries are denominated in a basket of currencies, rather than dollar debt backed by yet more dollars…2. The British Pound once served as the global reserve currency. How did this change and what was the process like?
There was a long period of recession in the UK, making it a miserable place to live. This period was not short, and caused extensive changes throughout the UK economy. Again, I’m just paraphrasing an answer, but this topic is now the single economic topic that I’m most interested in… What happened to the Pound Sterling?
3. Do you worry about China’s centrally (mis)-managed investment in Gas Stations where there are no cars stopping for Gas (every 1km in Xinjiang, every station empty), empty airports in Zhuhai (16 terminals, but 2 FLIGHTS DAILY - TOTAL) and empty high rises all over the country?
Jim partially answered by saying that he would NOT be in China’s real-estate market, particularly in any of the “Tier-1 Cities” - Prices are all hyper-inflated and due for a large correction. Shanghai is probably number one in that group… As for the empty capacity - well, at least it’s better than just the excess consumption in the USA - at least they do have a gas station to show for it, rather than just another empty Starbucks cup in a landfill…
My good friend Wu Yi (who I met the day I first met Jim Rogers in Shanghai) also came with me Saturday morning for Jim’s speech 
(BTW: Pic came out badly…. But was in a hurry and I’m not a suit guy to begin with…)
01.14.08
普知上市了－Readers Digest, China Mainland
Last week my good friend Wu Yi’s magazine, “Readers Digest” launched in Mainland China.
Great Job Wu Yi!
03.03.07
Melanie and I and Yu Yuan (Chunghuang Temple, Shanghai)
This weekend Melanie (毛毛) and I had a chance to get out of the house and shoot some pictures. We were hoping to get something good enough, and big enough that we could make a sort of wall mural for the dining room, but that might have to wait until the next time we shoot some pictures…
In any case, this shot is still one that I’m very proud to have. As you can see, we’re quite happy here in Shanghai.
In case you’re not familiar with Yu Yuan （豫园，城隍庙，上海）, it’s probably the only remotely ancient thing in Shanghai (the most modern city on the planet). You can read more about Yu Yuan at the Shanghai City Guide.
12.13.06
全世界最漂亮的女人
If you haven’t met 毛毛 (Melanie) then you are really missing out. Hopefully you’ll have a chance to meet her soon. Here’s another preview for your eyes only!
09.19.06
Working in the Temple…
Last Sunday I tested out my offcial People’s Republic of China Drivers License and drove from Shanghai out to Suzhou. The drive was absolutely terrifying, but upon arrival I was rewarded with an empty Buddhist temple - admission $10 RMB. Here is a shot of me working on some important stuff inside the temple…
08.28.06
Hot summer in Chongqing
This summer in Chongqing has been extremely hot! Check out some pictures as you sit next to your Air-conditioner…
08.25.06
Looking out my windows…
Shanghai at Night. Looking into Century Park (世纪公园) with Lujiazui（陆家嘴) in the background.
