We examine possible funding sources for constructing Climate Change Haven Communities on a global basis. Areas of the planet that have the potential to house persons migrating to “safe havens” in their own or other ...We examine possible funding sources for constructing Climate Change Haven Communities on a global basis. Areas of the planet that have the potential to house persons migrating to “safe havens” in their own or other countries will require the rapid construction of communities capable of supporting them, their families, businesses and farms. However, different political-economic conditions are found across the areas which can serve as locations for these Climate Change Haven Communities. We develop funding and construction strategies for the United States (free-market capitalism), France and Spain (European Union supported economies), and Taiwan region (state-directed economy). The proposals for the Taiwan region should also be applicable to the rest of China.展开更多
IN the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum,a beautiful handbag is waiting for its owner in a display cabinet.The handbag belongs to a Jewish couple.When they sought refuge in Shanghai during World War II,they pawned the h...IN the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum,a beautiful handbag is waiting for its owner in a display cabinet.The handbag belongs to a Jewish couple.When they sought refuge in Shanghai during World War II,they pawned the handbag to Jin Wenzhen’s grandfather in exchange for their child’s medical expenses.He lent the couple the cash equivalent of one month’s revenue from his rice shop,but then never saw them again.展开更多
This research advocates for the construction of Climate Change Haven Communities across the Appalachian Region. The proposed development plan can be extended to the northern tier states across the US and also to the n...This research advocates for the construction of Climate Change Haven Communities across the Appalachian Region. The proposed development plan can be extended to the northern tier states across the US and also to the northern and mountainous regions of Europe and Asia. We present an analogy to the earlier climate change period of the Last Glacial Maximum/“Ice Age” in which these same northern regions of the planet were covered in ice sheets making them uninhabitable for most humans and many plant and animal species. In some significant ways, the Ice Age scenario can be a reverse-model for our current climate crisis. We also advocate strongly for the prevention of upscale real estate development projects in these same regions of the globe, as these will foreclose the possibility of safely sheltering the millions of persons who will be displaced by climate change over the next 5 to 10 years.展开更多
As Climate Change Haven Communities are constructed across the Northern Hemisphere, it will be necessary to attract two types of migrants to populate them. The first group consists of professionals and companies in ec...As Climate Change Haven Communities are constructed across the Northern Hemisphere, it will be necessary to attract two types of migrants to populate them. The first group consists of professionals and companies in eco-sustainable businesses, such as law firms, insurance companies, investment firms, banking, technological innovation, mass media, medical research and pharmaceutical research. The second group will consist of persons engaged in organic/eco-sustainable agriculture whose crops and animal husbandry practices can be transferred successfully to Climate Change Haven regions. The present research focuses on the social and economic variables that must be taken into account to insure that each new Climate Change Haven Community becomes successfully integrated with the local population and forms a cohesive, harmonious social structure. Examples are given from the United States, France, Spain, Portugal and Italy.展开更多
Rip Van Winkle is one of the most enduring stories of Washington Irving. It is a fantasy tale about a man who somehow "stepped outside of the mainstream of life" (Chang Yao-xin, 1991: 62). Rip Van Winkle liv...Rip Van Winkle is one of the most enduring stories of Washington Irving. It is a fantasy tale about a man who somehow "stepped outside of the mainstream of life" (Chang Yao-xin, 1991: 62). Rip Van Winkle lived in a village near the Hudson River north of New York City. He was a simple, good-natured man; he was, moreover, a kind neighbor and an obedient hen-pecked husband. Yet Rip was lazy and this kept him in constant trouble with his wife. His two favorite past-times were sitting in front of the inn, chatting with his friends, and wandering through the mountains with his dog, Wolf. On one of these trips he met a strange dwarf who invited him to join him and other strange-looking dwarfs in a drinking party and a game called nine-pins, in a remote valley. Rip drank too much of beverage and fell asleep. When he woke up, he found that during just one night, twenty years had vanished and strangers were everywhere. His scolding wife had died, and his son, every bit his counterpart in appearance and personality had grown up to replace him. At last he was reunited with a married daughter and began to live a life the same as before.展开更多
This study examines the connectedness between the US yield curve components(i.e.,level,slope,and curvature),exchange rates,and the historical volatility of the exchange rates of the main safe-haven fiat currencies(Can...This study examines the connectedness between the US yield curve components(i.e.,level,slope,and curvature),exchange rates,and the historical volatility of the exchange rates of the main safe-haven fiat currencies(Canada,Switzerland,EURO,Japan,and the UK)and the leading cryptocurrency,the Bitcoin.Results of the static analysis show that the level and slope of the yield curve are net transmitters of shocks to both the exchange rate and its volatility.The exchange rate of the Euro and the volatility of the Euro and the Canadian dollar exchange rate are net transmitters of shocks.Meanwhile,the curvature of the yield curve and the Japanese Yen,Swiss Franc,and British Pound act mainly as net receivers.Our static connectedness analysis shows that Bitcoin is mainly independent of shocks from the yield curve’s level,slope,and curvature,and from any main currency investigated.These findings hint that Bitcoin might provide hedging benefits.However,similar to the static analysis,our dynamic analysis shows that during different periods and particularly in stressful times,Bitcoin is far from being isolated from other currencies or the yield curve components.The dynamic analysis allows us to observe Bitcoin’s connectedness in times of stress.Evidence supporting this contention is the substantially increased connectedness due to policy shocks,political uncertainty,and systemic crisis,implying no empirical support for Bitcoin’s safe-haven property during stress times.The increased connectedness in the dynamic analysis compared with the static approach implies that in normal times and especially in stressful times,Bitcoin has the property of a diversifier.The results may have important implications for investors and policymakers regarding their risk monitoring and their assets allocation and investment strategies.展开更多
This study aims to examine whether life insurance futures can serve as a hedge against the COVID-19 pandemic and whether they have the characteristics of a safe haven under the impact of the health shocks of the COVID...This study aims to examine whether life insurance futures can serve as a hedge against the COVID-19 pandemic and whether they have the characteristics of a safe haven under the impact of the health shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic.We chose three life insurance stock futures in India and one in Taiwan as samples,including the market index of the two countries and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases as sample variables.We used the growth rate of COVID-19 cases as the threshold variable,esti-mated the asymmetric threshold vector autoregression model,and found that insur-ance futures in the regime with a significant growth rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases can hedge against COVID-19 risks;therefore,insurance futures are a safe haven for the market.We further estimated the time-varying parameter vector autoregression model,and the impulse response results showed that insurance futures are a safe haven for COVID-19 pandemic risks.展开更多
Appalachia has been identified as the largest Climate Change Haven in the continental United States and could serve as a refuge for millions of persons. This research presents a marketing plan for promoting migration ...Appalachia has been identified as the largest Climate Change Haven in the continental United States and could serve as a refuge for millions of persons. This research presents a marketing plan for promoting migration to the Appalachian Region using advertising and a website that communicates the desirable qualities of the area. Communications will first be directed toward the current residents of Appalachia (the Internal Market) in order to create enthusiasm for welcoming new arrivals. Then, promotional messages will be sent to prospective migrants seeking to escape the negative effects of climate change in the Southeast and Southwest of the United States and globally (the External Market). The approach used here may be applicable to Climate Change Havens across the globe.展开更多
A Zambian educator sets up an NGO to help improve equity in education,cope with the pandemic The global coronavirus pandemic,which has closed many schools indefinitely,has had a huge effect on students and young peopl...A Zambian educator sets up an NGO to help improve equity in education,cope with the pandemic The global coronavirus pandemic,which has closed many schools indefinitely,has had a huge effect on students and young people-more than 1.5 billion of them around the world.展开更多
As a country that has enjoyed social stability for many decades,Cameroon is a frequent destination for refugees from Central Africa.Inits report published on January 31,2018, the United Nations High Commissioner for R...As a country that has enjoyed social stability for many decades,Cameroon is a frequent destination for refugees from Central Africa.Inits report published on January 31,2018, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)announced that the number of refugees living in Cameroon was 665,947.展开更多
QIANSHI Hutong is located near the Dashilan’er commercial street,just on the west side of Zhubaoshi Street.With its narrowest point preserved at 40 cm,it is the most constricted alley in Beijing’s city limits.It was...QIANSHI Hutong is located near the Dashilan’er commercial street,just on the west side of Zhubaoshi Street.With its narrowest point preserved at 40 cm,it is the most constricted alley in Beijing’s city limits.It was,once upon a time,China’s Wall Street. "Qianshi" literally means "money market." The hutong’s history can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911), when it was Beijing’s official area for currency trading.Home to 26 governmentauthorized mints that produced coins for all the city’s banks,large business firms,展开更多
WHEN the word ＂Beijing＂ is mentioned in conversation. the majority of people around the world instantly think of the obvious： the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Forbidden City and so on. Yet Beijing has so much more to...WHEN the word ＂Beijing＂ is mentioned in conversation. the majority of people around the world instantly think of the obvious： the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Forbidden City and so on. Yet Beijing has so much more to offer to the backpacking tourist or lifelong resident. Once the touristy sights are done and dusted, the Beijing roast duck has been devoured and you＇ve partied in a ridiculously over-priced dub with dodgy alcohol, what comes next in the city of Beijing？ ril tell you what - hutongs.展开更多
I never thought I'd become a climate refugee.After moving my family from drought and wildfire-stricken California to the so-called“climate haven”of Asheville,NC,I thought we were safe.But just two months after s...I never thought I'd become a climate refugee.After moving my family from drought and wildfire-stricken California to the so-called“climate haven”of Asheville,NC,I thought we were safe.But just two months after settling into our lovely and wooded community with mild weather,we had to flee.展开更多
Based on daily data about Bitcoin and six other major financial assets(stocks,commodity futures(commodities),gold,foreign exchange(FX),monetary assets,and bonds)in China from 2013 to 2017,we use a VAR-GARCH-BEKK model...Based on daily data about Bitcoin and six other major financial assets(stocks,commodity futures(commodities),gold,foreign exchange(FX),monetary assets,and bonds)in China from 2013 to 2017,we use a VAR-GARCH-BEKK model to investigate mean and volatility spillover effects between Bitcoin and other major assets and explore whether Bitcoin can be used either as a hedging asset or a safe haven.Our empirical results show that(i)only the monetary market,i.e.,the Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate(SHIIBOR)has a mean spillover effect on Bitcoin and(ii)gold,monetary,and bond markets have volatility spillover effects on Bitcoin,while Bitcoin has a volatility spillover effect only on the gold market.We further find that Bitcoin can be hedged against stocks,bonds and SHIBOR and is a safe haven when extreme price changes occur in the monetary market.Our findings provide useful information for investors and portfolio risk managers who have invested or hedged with Bitcoin.展开更多
文摘We examine possible funding sources for constructing Climate Change Haven Communities on a global basis. Areas of the planet that have the potential to house persons migrating to “safe havens” in their own or other countries will require the rapid construction of communities capable of supporting them, their families, businesses and farms. However, different political-economic conditions are found across the areas which can serve as locations for these Climate Change Haven Communities. We develop funding and construction strategies for the United States (free-market capitalism), France and Spain (European Union supported economies), and Taiwan region (state-directed economy). The proposals for the Taiwan region should also be applicable to the rest of China.
文摘IN the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum,a beautiful handbag is waiting for its owner in a display cabinet.The handbag belongs to a Jewish couple.When they sought refuge in Shanghai during World War II,they pawned the handbag to Jin Wenzhen’s grandfather in exchange for their child’s medical expenses.He lent the couple the cash equivalent of one month’s revenue from his rice shop,but then never saw them again.
文摘This research advocates for the construction of Climate Change Haven Communities across the Appalachian Region. The proposed development plan can be extended to the northern tier states across the US and also to the northern and mountainous regions of Europe and Asia. We present an analogy to the earlier climate change period of the Last Glacial Maximum/“Ice Age” in which these same northern regions of the planet were covered in ice sheets making them uninhabitable for most humans and many plant and animal species. In some significant ways, the Ice Age scenario can be a reverse-model for our current climate crisis. We also advocate strongly for the prevention of upscale real estate development projects in these same regions of the globe, as these will foreclose the possibility of safely sheltering the millions of persons who will be displaced by climate change over the next 5 to 10 years.
文摘As Climate Change Haven Communities are constructed across the Northern Hemisphere, it will be necessary to attract two types of migrants to populate them. The first group consists of professionals and companies in eco-sustainable businesses, such as law firms, insurance companies, investment firms, banking, technological innovation, mass media, medical research and pharmaceutical research. The second group will consist of persons engaged in organic/eco-sustainable agriculture whose crops and animal husbandry practices can be transferred successfully to Climate Change Haven regions. The present research focuses on the social and economic variables that must be taken into account to insure that each new Climate Change Haven Community becomes successfully integrated with the local population and forms a cohesive, harmonious social structure. Examples are given from the United States, France, Spain, Portugal and Italy.
文摘Rip Van Winkle is one of the most enduring stories of Washington Irving. It is a fantasy tale about a man who somehow "stepped outside of the mainstream of life" (Chang Yao-xin, 1991: 62). Rip Van Winkle lived in a village near the Hudson River north of New York City. He was a simple, good-natured man; he was, moreover, a kind neighbor and an obedient hen-pecked husband. Yet Rip was lazy and this kept him in constant trouble with his wife. His two favorite past-times were sitting in front of the inn, chatting with his friends, and wandering through the mountains with his dog, Wolf. On one of these trips he met a strange dwarf who invited him to join him and other strange-looking dwarfs in a drinking party and a game called nine-pins, in a remote valley. Rip drank too much of beverage and fell asleep. When he woke up, he found that during just one night, twenty years had vanished and strangers were everywhere. His scolding wife had died, and his son, every bit his counterpart in appearance and personality had grown up to replace him. At last he was reunited with a married daughter and began to live a life the same as before.
文摘This study examines the connectedness between the US yield curve components(i.e.,level,slope,and curvature),exchange rates,and the historical volatility of the exchange rates of the main safe-haven fiat currencies(Canada,Switzerland,EURO,Japan,and the UK)and the leading cryptocurrency,the Bitcoin.Results of the static analysis show that the level and slope of the yield curve are net transmitters of shocks to both the exchange rate and its volatility.The exchange rate of the Euro and the volatility of the Euro and the Canadian dollar exchange rate are net transmitters of shocks.Meanwhile,the curvature of the yield curve and the Japanese Yen,Swiss Franc,and British Pound act mainly as net receivers.Our static connectedness analysis shows that Bitcoin is mainly independent of shocks from the yield curve’s level,slope,and curvature,and from any main currency investigated.These findings hint that Bitcoin might provide hedging benefits.However,similar to the static analysis,our dynamic analysis shows that during different periods and particularly in stressful times,Bitcoin is far from being isolated from other currencies or the yield curve components.The dynamic analysis allows us to observe Bitcoin’s connectedness in times of stress.Evidence supporting this contention is the substantially increased connectedness due to policy shocks,political uncertainty,and systemic crisis,implying no empirical support for Bitcoin’s safe-haven property during stress times.The increased connectedness in the dynamic analysis compared with the static approach implies that in normal times and especially in stressful times,Bitcoin has the property of a diversifier.The results may have important implications for investors and policymakers regarding their risk monitoring and their assets allocation and investment strategies.
基金supported in part by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology,Taiwan,under Grant no.MOST 111-2410-H-240-001-.
文摘This study aims to examine whether life insurance futures can serve as a hedge against the COVID-19 pandemic and whether they have the characteristics of a safe haven under the impact of the health shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic.We chose three life insurance stock futures in India and one in Taiwan as samples,including the market index of the two countries and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases as sample variables.We used the growth rate of COVID-19 cases as the threshold variable,esti-mated the asymmetric threshold vector autoregression model,and found that insur-ance futures in the regime with a significant growth rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases can hedge against COVID-19 risks;therefore,insurance futures are a safe haven for the market.We further estimated the time-varying parameter vector autoregression model,and the impulse response results showed that insurance futures are a safe haven for COVID-19 pandemic risks.
文摘Appalachia has been identified as the largest Climate Change Haven in the continental United States and could serve as a refuge for millions of persons. This research presents a marketing plan for promoting migration to the Appalachian Region using advertising and a website that communicates the desirable qualities of the area. Communications will first be directed toward the current residents of Appalachia (the Internal Market) in order to create enthusiasm for welcoming new arrivals. Then, promotional messages will be sent to prospective migrants seeking to escape the negative effects of climate change in the Southeast and Southwest of the United States and globally (the External Market). The approach used here may be applicable to Climate Change Havens across the globe.
文摘A Zambian educator sets up an NGO to help improve equity in education,cope with the pandemic The global coronavirus pandemic,which has closed many schools indefinitely,has had a huge effect on students and young people-more than 1.5 billion of them around the world.
文摘As a country that has enjoyed social stability for many decades,Cameroon is a frequent destination for refugees from Central Africa.Inits report published on January 31,2018, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)announced that the number of refugees living in Cameroon was 665,947.
文摘QIANSHI Hutong is located near the Dashilan’er commercial street,just on the west side of Zhubaoshi Street.With its narrowest point preserved at 40 cm,it is the most constricted alley in Beijing’s city limits.It was,once upon a time,China’s Wall Street. "Qianshi" literally means "money market." The hutong’s history can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911), when it was Beijing’s official area for currency trading.Home to 26 governmentauthorized mints that produced coins for all the city’s banks,large business firms,
文摘WHEN the word ＂Beijing＂ is mentioned in conversation. the majority of people around the world instantly think of the obvious： the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Forbidden City and so on. Yet Beijing has so much more to offer to the backpacking tourist or lifelong resident. Once the touristy sights are done and dusted, the Beijing roast duck has been devoured and you＇ve partied in a ridiculously over-priced dub with dodgy alcohol, what comes next in the city of Beijing？ ril tell you what - hutongs.
文摘I never thought I'd become a climate refugee.After moving my family from drought and wildfire-stricken California to the so-called“climate haven”of Asheville,NC,I thought we were safe.But just two months after settling into our lovely and wooded community with mild weather,we had to flee.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.71871088,71501066,71971079,and 71521061)the Huxiang Youth Talent Support Program,and the Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.2017JJ3024).
文摘Based on daily data about Bitcoin and six other major financial assets(stocks,commodity futures(commodities),gold,foreign exchange(FX),monetary assets,and bonds)in China from 2013 to 2017,we use a VAR-GARCH-BEKK model to investigate mean and volatility spillover effects between Bitcoin and other major assets and explore whether Bitcoin can be used either as a hedging asset or a safe haven.Our empirical results show that(i)only the monetary market,i.e.,the Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate(SHIIBOR)has a mean spillover effect on Bitcoin and(ii)gold,monetary,and bond markets have volatility spillover effects on Bitcoin,while Bitcoin has a volatility spillover effect only on the gold market.We further find that Bitcoin can be hedged against stocks,bonds and SHIBOR and is a safe haven when extreme price changes occur in the monetary market.Our findings provide useful information for investors and portfolio risk managers who have invested or hedged with Bitcoin.
