Worthy Insights / Opinion Pieces / Advice

“In Venice, Barcelona, Thailand and New Zealand, ‘overtouristing’ is straining local infrastructure and prompting restrictions; the ‘Lord of the Rings’ effect.”

Markets / Economy

“Plastics and papers from dozens of American cities and towns are being dumped in landfills after China stopped recycling most ‘foreign garbage.'”

WeWork is starting to work percentage rent deals with some of its landlords/co-investors.

“Veteran Silicon Valley analyst sees competition intensifying now half the world is online.”

“The good news is that about 40% of cancer cases are preventable and that smoking, the biggest single cause, is in decline across much of the world. The bad news is that overall rates are shooting up as more countries adopt western lifestyles.”
“By 2035, the number of new cases is set to rise by 58% to 24m, according to a report from the World Cancer Research Fund.”
“’Over the next 20 or 30 years, unless anything is done to stop it, [obesity or being overweight] is going to overtake smoking as the number one risk factor for cancer,’ says Dr Kate Allen, executive director of science and public affairs at the WCRF.”
“The report is a synthesis of a decade of research on cancer risks with a new set of recommendations (see graphic) to minimize a person’s chances of developing the disease. It says 12 cancers are now linked to being overweight or obese.”
“’It has taken 40 or 50 years to make a big dent in tobacco consumption,’ Dr Allen says. In dealing with the problems of obesity, ‘it’s going to take at least that to get some traction,’ she adds.”

“Vancouver is so expensive that politicians want to tax its real estate market into submission, and many homeowners — who will lose money if home prices fall — think it’s the best idea they’ve heard in years.”
“Like many cities around the world, Vancouver is grappling with punishing housing costs that have pushed out large swaths of residents — and are causing distress among young adults who can’t afford rent today and take it for granted that they will never own a home.”
“Vancouver, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and wide maritime views, has never been especially cheap. But home and condominium prices are up by close to 16% over the past year, and about 60% over the past three, according to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.”
“What makes these gains so remarkable is that unlike Silicon Valley, London or New York — where the presence of high-paying tech and finance jobs helps explain housing costs — Vancouver has relatively low salaries. As part of their bid for Amazon’s second headquarters, Vancouver officials boasted about having ‘the lowest wages of all North American tech hubs’.”