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WATCHING AND IGNORING

Willis Sparks
By Willis SparksJuly 13, 2018
Willis Sparks
Willis Sparks is a senior editor for GZERO Daily. He is also a Director in the Global Macro practice at Eurasia Group, where he has worked since 2005. He has made speeches on international politics on every continent except Antarctica. Willis holds degrees from Brown University, the Juilliard School, Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris. He also holds an honorary degree from the Moscow Art Theatre School. A native of Macon, Georgia, Willis has worked as a stuntman at New York's Metropolitan Opera. As a child, he declined an opportunity to spend an afternoon riding the Great American Scream Machine, a rollercoaster, with Ronald McDonald, for money. He has never regretted that decision.
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​​​​​​WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

The North Korean Coast – While flipping through his latest copy of Casino World Daily, your Friday author noted that casino magnate and conservative donor Sheldon Adelson wants to open casinos along the North Korean coast, perhaps on the “great beaches” near the hotels and condos President Trump would like to see built. Though some have mocked Trump’s suggestion, Kim Jong-un has expressed interest in exactly these sorts of tourism cash-cows. Sadly, he was too busy pointing at potatoes last week to build investor confidence by meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Leaders facing justice – El Salvador’s Supreme Court ordered President Sánchez Cerén to testify in a case involving the disappearance and likely murder of South Africa’s ambassador to the country in 1979. Sánchez Cerén is accused of serving as second in command of the left-wing rebel group that claimed to have killed the ambassador. The president denies involvement and refuses to testify. Also this week, a judge in Ecuador ordered the arrest of former President Rafael Correa on charges of kidnapping a political rival. Like Sánchez Cerén, Correa blames political enemies for these accusations. The difference? Correa now lives in Belgium.

WHAT WE’RE IGNORING

The Trump Baby Balloon’s Spokesperson – Apparently, the controversial Trump Baby balloon has its own spokesperson. That’s not necessary. Love it or hate it, the Trump Baby balloon speaks for itself.

Criticism of the giant Kazakh squirrel – Not a day goes by without someone asking your Friday author why he so rarely writes about giant squirrels. Well, Kazakhstan now has one, and this 40-foot-tall, bushy-tailed rodent needs both a talented spokesperson and a good lawyer. This creation has apparently delighted many Kazakh children, but some insist that $67,000 in public funds might have been better spent and warn that its straw and wood guts make it a fire hazard. Its creators say it represents nature's evolution from rural to urban life. #WorksForMe

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