If you can’t take the heat.

It’s been hot. I’m not a fan. However, other parts of Canada and the world have it far worse than us. I read an article recently about China’s north plain. The CNN article said it was the most densely populated area on earth and home to over 400 million people. The piece went on to say that because of heatwaves it was likely that the area would be almost uninhabitable by 2070. I’m guessing that it will be uncomfortable long before that. The area includes the nation’s capital Beijing. The article also said that being outside for around six hours may proof fatal. What can China do? What will China do? Migrate 400 million people somewhere else?

Eastern Australia is suffering its worst drought in living memory. Africa is suffering too, particularly South Africa. Migration is already a problem. What are we in the west going to do if and when the rest of the world ups sticks and moves? Not because it wants to but because it has to. Build a wall maybe?

Social media notably Facebook and Twitter have taken a battering on the stock markets. User numbers are decreasing or stagnant, security and monitoring costs are high and set to go higher and privacy regulation, particularly from the EU and maybe others to come, is likely stifling the ad and data business model. On top of that election interference is in the news again. I always thought that the social media business model was flawed if it was done with security and monitoring from the get go and it really should have been. Now, the golden goose may have run out of or be laying smaller eggs going forward.

There is no deal with the EU on Brexit. Why am I not surprised? There are elements within the EU that I think have been too focused on punishing the UK for having the gall to leave and are worried to death that a good chink of the gravy train of budget will be irreparably damaged. I think there are three ways this can go, another vote, which will change the decision, a fudge job where the UK is neither in nor out or a stick it and walk away. I always tended towards number three, but I might be wrong.

The trade war goes on with China in President Trump’s crosshairs again. Retaliation from China is inevitable. What if, like Russia, China decided to sell off most or all of its U.S. debt at once, all $1.2 trillion of it. This, nuclear financial option, has been regarded has just as likely to hurt China as well as the U.S. But, what if China did it anyway?

I’ve read that North Korea may still be building missiles. I can’t see how China s going to help the U.S. at in this the way things are.

Carbon tax, the Canadian government has softened it somewhat to industry. I don’t think that’s enough. I’m as concerned about the environment as the next person, but taxing people and businesses won’t make it go away. Honestly, to politicos who read this I regard carbon tax as a potential election killer. Poll tax, window tax, carbon tax, how about no?