Global Law and Business

Mega Sporting Events – Lisa Delpy Neirotti

In Episode #50, we are joined by Lisa Delpy Neirotti, Sport Management Professor & Director of Sport Management Degree programs at The George Washington University School of Business.

We discuss:

• Lisa's career as a scholar of the Olympic Games (attended 19 consecutive Games) and 5 World Cups

• The crucial and interconnected relationships among athletes, spectators, sponsors, and host countries in producing mega-events

• Systemic cheating in professional sports

• Career paths for those interested in sport management and sport marketing

• NCAA athletes benefiting financially from their name, image, and likeness

• Covid's impact on the world of sport, comparing MLS, NFL, and NBA seasons and the impact on the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games

• Advice for parents with children who are interested in becoming collegiate and professional athletes

• Listening, and watching recommendations from:

  • Lisa:

    • The Ultimate Guide to Sports Marketing by Stedman Graham, Lisa Delpy Neirotti, and Joe Jeff Goldblatt

    • Front Office Sports

    • Sportico

    • Sports Business Journal

  • Jonathan:

    • New Tokyo Olympic Chief Says Games Without Spectators Not the Plan (Nikkei Asia)

    • Park City, Utah for Powder Snowboarding

  • Fred:

    • The Death of Stalin (Netflix)

International Tax and Audit – Nicole Zhao

In Episode #49, we are joined by Nicole Zhao, international tax CPA with MaloneBailey. We discuss:

• Big CPA firm life in China and the U.S.

• International tax and audit

• Tax issues for foreign companies looking to establish a U.S. presence

• Tax code changes expected under the Biden Administration

• Why estate planning in 2021 will be important for high net worth people

• Advice for businesses that struggled in 2020

• International banking and transfer pricing

• Listening, and watching recommendations from:

  • Nicole:

    • IRS Newsroom

    • TheTaxAdviser.com

    • Journal of Accountancy

    • The Crunch, MaloneBailey's monthly newsletter

  • Jonathan:

    • We're Trying to Recreate the Lives We Had: The Somali Migrants Who Became Maine Farmers (The Guardian)

  • Fred:

    • 16 Microsoft Word Tips You Need to Learn Now (PC Mag)

Spokane, Washington – Tyler LeMasters

In Episode #48, we are joined by Tyler LeMasters, who is currently a candidate for the Spokane City Council. We discuss:

• The motivations behind Tyler’s candidacy

• How COVID-19 has impacted political campaigning

• The impact on the Spokane area of the Great Reset and accompanying shift to telework

• What is the proper role of government and the importance of letting communities make their own decisions

• A former resident’s view of China and its relationship with the United States

• Tyler’s experiences in Israel

• Listening, and watching recommendations from:

  • Tyler: The Road to Serfdom, by Friedrich Hayek

  • Jonathan: “Xi leads fight against poverty” (Xinhua)

  • Fred: “The Disaster Tourist” (Huffington Post), by Kent Russell

To learn more about Tyler’s campaign you can visit the following pages or reach out directly via email.

• Website: votetylerlemasters.com

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/tylersl

• Instagram: @lemasterst

• Email: tyler@votetylerlemasters.com

Intellectual Property and Blockchain – James Cooper

In Episode #47, we are joined by James Cooper, Associate Dean for Experiential Learning, Professor of Law, and Director of International Legal Studies at California Western School of Law. We discuss:

• The opportunities presented by the Great Reset.

• James' intellectual property journey, from t-shirt counterfeiter to infringement victim, to U.S. delegate to World Intellectual Property Organization.

• China's own journey, from copier to inventor.

• Proyecto ACCESO, a judicial technology transfer project, and James' involvement with it.

• James' pivot to a focus on blockchain.

• Teaching law.

• Whether all Canadians are polite.

• Reading, listening, and watching recommendations from:

  • James:

    • Roberto Bolaño's work

    • The Crown (Netflix)

  • Jonathan:

    • CSIS Mailing Lists

  • Fred:

    • "Chaguan: China faces fateful choices, especially involving Taiwan," The Economist

ForEx, Monetary Policy, and Post-COVID Economies – Marc Chandler

In Episode #46, we are joined by Marc Chandler to discuss global currencies, foreign exchange, and global economic policies. We discuss:

• How developed and developing nations are weathering Covid and their post-Covid prospects.

• Whether debt-fueled Covid recovery monetary policies are smart, which nations are more likely to successfully employ such strategies, and which will struggle.

• U.S. Treasury bonds compared to the European bond market.

• What one generation owes to another generation in terms of its economic legacy.

• China's role in helping countries in its economic orbit recover from Covid.

• The role of a boutique foreign exchange provider in international business transactions.

• The interplay between global currencies and monetary policies.

• The role of virtual currencies and central banks' reactions to them.

• Countries on Marc's watchlist - for good and less good reasons.

• Reading, listening, and watching recommendations from:

  • Marc:

    • The Hidden Lives of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

    • The Weirdest People in the World by Joseph Henrich

  • Jonathan:

    • BYU's Conner Mantz is One of the Best Distance Runners in the World (Deseret News)

  • Fred:

    • A Foreign Service Murder (Foreign Service Journal)

We’ll see you next week when we sit down with James Cooper for a provocative conversation about international intellectual property.

Germany and Cannabis – Kai-Friedrich Niermann

In Episode #45, we are joined by Kai-Friedrich Niermann, to discuss Germany, the EU, and cannabis. We discuss:

• Germany’s major topics of the day: Covid, climate change, Brexit, and cannabis policy.

• Germany’s role within the EU, including its reluctance to take a leading role, together with Germany’s alliance with France in addressing Poland and Hungary’s rule of law problems.

• Kai’s decision to become a lawyer and transition from general corporate work to cannabis.

• Europe’s booming CBD market and novel food regulations in the EU, together with uneven criminal enforcement.

• The emergence and Kai’s involvement in the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) and the International Cannabis Bar Association (INCBA).

• Germany’s path toward broader cannabis legalization.

• Outside investment in the EU’s cannabis market from Canada, the U.S., Spain, New Zealand, and Australia.

• Reading, listening, and watching recommendations from:

  • Kai:

    • Deeper Shades of House (a German music podcast)

    • Crowdinvest.de (an investment tracker database for German investments)

    • Hanfverband.de (for information on Germany’s cannabis market)

    • Krautinvest.de (a cannabis investment tracker for Germany)

  • Jonathan:

    • Family Tree and Memories apps from FamilySearch

  • Fred:

    • The Crown from Netflix

We’ll see you next week when we sit down with Marc Chandler for a provocative conversation about global currencies, foreign exchange, and global economic policies.

China - Isaac Stone Fish

In Episode #44, we are joined by Isaac Stone Fish, CEO and founder of Strategy Risks, as well as a renowned journalist. We discuss:

• What initially drew Isaac to China, where he lived for seven years, and his experiences visiting all of China's provinces, autonomous regions, and direct-administered municipalities.

• The importance of interesting conversations in a journalist's work.

• Isaac's new venture focusing on political risk in China.

• Chinese companies and ESG: The soft complicity of low expectations?

• The one thing on which Isaac strongly agrees with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

• What does a post-CCP China look like, and the implications for the United States.

• Reading, listening, and watching recommendations from:

  • Isaac:

    • The Sunlight Dialogues, by John Gardner

    • Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry

  • Jonathan

    • 2021 State of the State Address, by Utah Governor Spencer Cox

  • Fred:

    • Little Big Women (Netflix), directed by Joseph Hsu

We’ll see you next week when we sit down for yet another provocative conversation, this time with Kai Friedrich Niermann.

FDI in Spain – Nadja Vietz

In Episode #43, we are joined by Nadja Vietz, a partner at Monereo Meyer Abogados dual-hatted as a Harris Bricken attorney, to discuss foreign direct investment (FDI) in Spain. We discuss:

• Why Spain is an attractive destination for investment.

• What constitutes foreign investment under Spanish law, including the treatment of EU, EFTA, and now British investors.

• Spain’s recent restrictions on FDI inflows, and the role of the COVID-19 pandemic and protectionism in the imposition of those restrictions.

• How prior authorization is required for certain investors, including those controlled by foreign governments.

• Which sectors are most affected by the restrictions?

• Reading, listening, and watching recommendations from:

  • Nadja:

    • The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

  • Jonathan:

    • The Next Four Years: Strategic Challenges & Opportunities Facing the United States (World Trade Center Utah discussion with former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster)

  • Fred:

    • The Minions of Midas (Netflix)

We’ll see you next week when we sit down with Isaac Stone Fish for a provocative conversation about China and other topics.

Technology in Agriculture – David Knapp

In Episode #42, we are joined by David Knapp, co-founder of Ornavera and Director at Togram. We discuss:

• David’s move from Wausau, Wisconsin to Asia, where he has lived and worked for over three decades, starting in computer programming, then on to sales and executive positions.

• David’s experience as the president of Motorola Vietnam at the onset of the cellular phone era.

• Embedded software’s role in agricultural technology.

• Significant agricultural development and specific goals in Asian countries, including Singapore’s goal to have 20% of its vegetables grown in homes by 2030.

• Ornavera’s technology’s role in helping farmers better understand the soil temperature, electroconductivity, moisture, and mineral content.

• The future outlook for agricultural security and productivity in Asia and globally.

• Reading, listening, and watching recommendations from:

  • David:

    • A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

  • Fred:

    • The Southern Tour Podcast hosted by Jonathan Chatwin

  • Jonathan:

    • Cobra Kai on Netflix

We’ll see you next week when we sit down with Nadja Vietz from Monereo Meyer Abogados to discuss recent developments in foreign direct investment (FDI) in Spain.

Myanmar – Robert Walsh

In Episode #41, we turn our attention to developing events in Myanmar with Robert Walsh, a project manager with deep expertise in the country. We discuss:

• Robert's trajectory from Burmese studies in the U.S. military to private sector work in Myanmar as the country's economy opened up.

• The drop in U.S. engagement with Myanmar under the Trump administration and how it emboldened the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's military.

• Latest developments following the coup by the Tatmadaw and accompanying detention of civilian leaders.

• Aung San Suu Kyi and the complexities surrounding her iconic figure.

• The Rohingya issue.

• Myanmar's prospects for growth in the face of Tatmadaw intervention in the economy.

Reading, listening, and watching recommendations from:

• Robert:

  • Bertil Lintner's books on Myanmar

  • Myanmar Times

  • Frontier Myanmar

• Fred:

  • Fragrant oil, rare fungi, big bucks, by Ann Wang (Frontier Myanmar)

We’ll see you next week when we sit down with David Knapp from Ornavera to discuss technological developments in global agriculture.