Author: gabassig@gmail.com

Open Veins of Latin America : Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent by Eduardo Galeano

Having spent years in this region I needed a history lesson, an interesting read about Latam’s  history of exploitation, and how its wealth was drained for centuries. While insightful, it feels like it quickly goes into ideology, making it feel more like a passionate argument than a purely historical account. Memorable quotes “This observation helps […]

How Asia Works by Joe Studwell

Memorable quotes The second intervention – in many respects, a second ‘stage’ – is to direct investment and entrepreneurs towards manufacturing. This is because manufacturing industry makes the most effective use of the limited productive skills of the workforce of a developing economy, as workers begin to migrate out of agriculture”   “Finally, interventions in […]

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Memorable quotes 1. Brailsford said, “The whole principle came from the idea that if you broke down everything you could think of that goes into riding a bike, and then improve it by 1 percent, you will get a significant increase when you put them all together. 2. “The whole principle came from the idea […]

Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master’s Insights on China, the United States, and the World by Graham Allison

Memorable quotes 1. China faces enormous economic problems—a disparity in income between the rich coastal cities and the inland provinces, and in income within the coastal cities. They have got to watch that carefully or they might get severe discontent and civil disorder 2. Americans have a can-do approach to life: everything can be broken […]

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss

1. Their system was easy to follow and seductive, with four basic tenets. One, separate the person—the emotion—from the problem; two, don’t get wrapped up in the other side’s position (what they’re asking for) but instead focus on their interests (why they’re asking for it) so that you can find what they really want; three, […]

Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology

Memorable quotes 1. America’s dominance of the world’s tech infrastructure would be undermined. China’s geopolitical clout would grow. To counter this threat, the U.S. barred Huawei from buying advanced computer chips made with U.S. technology. 2. Around a quarter of the chip industry’s revenue comes from phones; much of the price of a new phone […]