Tag: news

The 10 Rules of Successful Nations by Ruchir Sharma: Book Review

February 2nd, 2026
Do you want to venture into politics?” This question has come up frequently as I’ve been reading Ruchir Sharma‘s book “The 10 Rules of Successful Nations.” My answer has consistently been “No.” While I am already a leader in my sphere of influence, I find myself more intrigued by economics.

For a nation to succeed on the world stage, what does it take? According to Mr. Sharma, a nation doesn’t need to fulfill all ten rules but would benefit from adhering to most of them. He identifies several key factors:
- Population
- Politics
- Inequality
- State Power
- Geography
- Investment
- Inflation
- Currency
- Debt
- Hype
Mr. Sharma emphasizes a fundamental principle that underpins all these rules: the recognition of the impermanence of economic trends and the regular rhythms of change.

Reflecting on Kenya in relation to these ten rules reveals significant gaps. It’s not that we lack understanding of the trends; rather, our systems have made a select few comfortable. This comfort often hinders the refinement and implementation of necessary policies, as change can be perceived as a loss or discomfort to their gains.

I found it particularly thought-provoking when reading about State Power. “Successful nations, as Mr. Sharma notes, build governments that are right-sized—not overly bloated and smothering, nor too small to provide essential services like police, schools, roads, and telephone networks. Their government spending is balanced compared to other nations within their income class.”

After engaging with this book, I am left with more questions, especially regarding inflation and currency trends. I am curious about what it would take to maintain a sense of balance in these areas.

About the Author: Ruchir Sharma penned the international bestseller Breakout Nations and is a contributing op-ed writer at the New York Times. His commentary has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, and other publications. He is chief global strategist at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, based in New York.
Water Runs Slow Through Flat Land by Cliff Jones

September 6th, 2015

How many characters would cost you your job on Twitter?

Better yet, have you ever wondered what kind of trouble an errant tweet would get you? Peter, a news Editor at NPL, discovered just how much in Cliff Jones’ book, Water Runs Slow Through Flat Land.

There’s a lot to like and laugh about in this fast paced book.

First, there’s the change in technology with the digital era advancing communication and changing who tells the story and how it’s told that’s smart and comical in how Peter looks at it. He is thirty nine years old and divorced, but he is also known for not holding his tongue or rolling it back in his mouth when he needs to which is quite funny and disastrous for an Editor.

Second, there’s the dramatic turn of events that start once he travels to Afghanistan in search of a story that brings to light this humane and reflective side of Peter that you cannot help but admire.

Without revealing too much, the dialogues are my favorite part of the book because they vary in length and each character has their own style of speech. Some you notice say too much, others say one or two words and it reminds you of the various tones and situations that influence the dialogues we have in reality.

However, I can only hope that this is not the last I’d read of Peter.

It’s only 294 pages, you can buy the book on: Amazon

Read more about it by visiting the blog
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February 23rd, 2015

You know you are crazy when you describe your friends using punctuation marks.

Growing up in a lakeside town in Kenya, called Kisumu, we had access to one national TV station.

We watched programs as regulated by the government that aired from 7am to midnight. It was called KBC. I remember pretending to use the toilet so I could catch a glimpse of the first episode of The Bold and the Beautiful.

Back then every news piece would feature the President, “Baba Moi alikuwa…” (President Moi was at…) A decade later and we have access to over two hundred channels, the internet and the ability to choose what to watch and take in.

So, today I found myself thinking of quotation marks in the company of a friend. We have often referred to her as CNN, because she’s always the first to know about stuff and sometimes her meddling reminds us of how much reporters can throw questions at you so much so that the phrase ‘no comment,’ seems false.

So there I was, in my red shoes, staring at the cold cement floor wondering why my friend knew so much about other people, and that’s when the quotation marks came to mind. Once I started I couldn’t stop myself because I also realized that I have a friend who always has the final say.

She’s an exclamation mark! I haven’t been able to stop since this afternoon, does that make me crazier than I already am, or is it a phase? Better yet, do you also have friends whose personalities remind you of punctuation marks?

Tag: news

The 10 Rules of Successful Nations by Ruchir Sharma: Book Review

Water Runs Slow Through Flat Land by Cliff Jones

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