MY WRITING JOURNAL
Saturday, April 5
At A Glance
Bookkeeping
> $92M: The cost of the world's largest wildlife crossing across a California freeway.
> 17%: The percentage of Americans who believe AI will positively impact the US over the next 20 years, compared to 56% of AI experts who believe the same.
Browse
> Your brain remembers what gave you food poisoning.
> America's 10 best craft breweries in 2025.
> The scientist behind the "torpedo bats" blowing up baseball.
> When a pants button was a life-saving device.
Listen
> Can you really die of a broken heart? The hidden dangers of grief.
> Operation Anthropoid: Helena Bonham Carter tells the story of two Czech agents who assassinated one of Hitler's most high-ranking officials.
Watch
> Robot spy mimics orangutan behavior to earn their trust.
> Inside an architect's magical underground home in Mexico City.
> Love, happiness, and more, explained by philosophy.
Long Read
> Whisky-drinking rocker, once a member of a Grammy-winning band, transforms into West Africa’s most dangerous al-Qaida leader.
> Graffiti Limbo: A University of Virginia professor enlists students to document messages left behind on library carrels from previous generations.
Most Clicked This Week: Farmer seeks to revive a biblical superfood.
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Women's Final Four tips off tonight with South Carolina taking on Texas (7 pm ET, ESPN) and UCLA taking on Connecticut (9 pm ET, ESPN) (More) | Men's Final Four is set for tomorrow with Florida vs. Auburn (6 pm ET, CBS) and Duke vs. Houston (9 pm ET, CBS) (More)
> London's Tate Modern museum receives largest donation since 1969 as a Miami-based philanthropist gifted the museum a collection of works, including a six-meter-wide Joan Mitchell painting (More)
> The US tapped to host 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup and the UK to host 2035 Cup as both countries were the lone bidders to host the world soccer tournament (More)
Science & Technology
> ChatGPT users have generated more than 700 million images in roughly 10 days since OpenAI launched the image generation feature; company previously had to throttle access due to overuse (More) | The Studio Ghibli controversy, explained (More)
> Scientists develop test to identify HIV in minutes, at quicker speeds and lower costs than existing technology; device builds on coronavirus and water pollution sensors (More)
> Scientists discover female hormones can stimulate natural opiates; findings may lead to new pain treatment therapies (More)
Business & Markets
> Stellantis pauses production for two weeks at assembly plants in Mexico, Canada as it assesses President Donald Trump's new 25% tariffs on auto imports (More)
> Number of announced layoffs in the US jumps 205% in March to third-highest ever recorded (behind April and May 2020), following federal government's reduction-in-force effort, per report (More)
> Hershey strikes $750M deal to buy healthier snacks maker LesserEvil; comes after a string of similar deals from Hershey as the chocolate company seeks to expand into salty snacks (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> President Donald Trump reportedly fires group of national security officials deemed insufficiently loyal (More) | Pentagon watchdog to review Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of Signal app to convey US plans against Houthi rebels (More) | Senate confirms Mehmet Oz to lead Medicare and Medicaid agencies (More) | New York City Mayor Eric Adams to run for reelection as an independent (More)
> At least seven dead in Tennessee, Indiana, and Missouri after severe thunderstorms swept across the Midwest to the mid-South, leaving nearly 250,000 people without power (More) | See photos (More) | See storm tracker (More)
> Hungary to withdraw from the International Criminal Court; comes hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces an international arrest warrant, lands in the country (More) | How the ICC works (More)
For the PEOPLE
When I was growing up in the 1960s in Alexandria, Virginia, I remember one of the reasons I supported Kennedy and the Democratic Party was because they were the PARTY FOR LABOR or THE WORKING PERSON.
The Republicans represented the wealthy and those who owned the companies and employed labor and treated this like crap.
Ironically, that concept has changed and now Republicans are for the working person and the Democrats represent the wealthy and social elites like Hollywood and other celebrities.
Ever since 1950, ALL PRESIDENTS have allowed other countries to put tariffs on US goods because US goods were superior and citizens of those countries would pay the extra charge to have quality.
Those tariffs benefitted only other countries and helped their economies because foreign goods into the US had no tariffs to help OUR COUNTRY.
Trump wants to change that and start putting tariffs on all foreign goods just like they put tariffs on our goods.
The result is that the increased revenues from those tariffs would help AMERICANS more than it would HURT AMERICANS... but, it is something NEW and we don't like change.
How an unconventional type of quantum computer opens a new door to the world of elementary particles
The standard model of particle physics is our best theory of the elementary particles and forces that make up our world: particles and antiparticles, such as electrons and positrons, are described as quantum fields. They interact through other force fields, such as the electromagnetic force that binds charged particles.
To understand the behavior of these quantum fields—and with that, our universe—researchers perform complex computer simulations of quantum field theories. Unfortunately, many of these calculations are too complicated for even our best supercomputers and pose great challenges for quantum computers as well, leaving many pressing questions unanswered.
Using a novel type of quantum computer, Martin Ringbauer's experimental team at the University of Innsbruck, and the theory group led by Christine Muschik at IQC at the University of Waterloo, Canada, report in Nature Physics on how they have successfully simulated a complete quantum field theory in more than one spatial dimension.
Friday, April 4
Robert Reich
This week's small reasons for modest optimism
11 from this week
Friends,
In many ways this was another horrific week. Like a terrible hurricane, the Trump dictatorship is sweeping more people into its maw while further destroying our public institutions and wrecking what’s left of our civil norms.
Yet this week also featured 11 reasons for modest optimism:
1. Wisconsin Supreme Court vote
Despite Elon Musk’s hysterical warnings, cheesehead preening, and more than $20 million spent by the Republican in the race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court — much of it by Musk — it didn’t matter: Liberal judge Susan Crawford won by a remarkable 10 points, securing the court’s liberal majority. A state that narrowly backed Trump in 2024 swung sharply away. Every county in Wisconsin shifted to the left in this race compared to the 2024 presidential race.
Not only did Judge Crawford pile up huge margins in Milwaukee and Madison, but she kept those of her opponent, Brad Schimel, down in Milwaukee’s predominantly white, middle- and upper-middle-class suburbs, where the abortion issue doubtless moved some Republican women to cross over and vote for her.
Wisconsin voters recoiled at the odor of Musk. At one point, Crawford referred to Schimel as “Elon Schimel.” That said it all.
Elon is proving to be a huge political liability. Trump says Musk is leaving the regime in a few weeks, but I have my doubts.
At A Glance
The pitfalls in Gen Z situationships.
Medicaid versus Medicare, explained. (via YouTube)
Japan builds the first 3D-printed train station.
See tiny house village renderings for Wisconsin veterans.
Neighbors celebrate their joint 101st birthday.
Rock used as doorstop turns out to be worth over $1M.
Miso made in space tastes different.
... and the struggle to procreate in subzero gravity.
Clickbait: Underwater blobfish is less blobby. (w/photo)
In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> James Beard Foundation announces 2025 James Beard Award finalists for America's best restaurants and chefs (More)
> "The Simpsons" renewed through its 40th season, extending the show's record as the longest-running scripted prime-time series (More) | Want to go deep into the cultural zeitgeist each week? Sign up for 1440 Society & Culture (More)
> Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin now just three goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record (More)
Science & Technology
> Engineers develop large language model to solve multistep logistical problems with reasoning similar to that of humans; approach showed 85% success rate on problems such as optimizing the route of robots on a factory floor (More)
> Researchers repurpose modified smartphone camera sensors to image matter-antimatter collision events in real time (More)
> Genetic analysis reveals the first DNA profile of the pastoral culture that inhabited the Sahara during the African Humid Period; the now-desert landscape was a lush savanna between 14,000 and 5,000 years ago (More)
Business & Markets
> Amazon reportedly submits last-minute bid to acquire TikTok ahead of Saturday deadline for TikTok's Chinese parent, ByteDance, to sell its stake in the app or face a US ban; mobile technology company AppLovin also submits bid (More)
> Tesla reports 336,681 vehicle deliveries in Q1, a 13% year-over-year drop; shares still rise on reports CEO Elon Musk could leave role in Department of Government Efficiency (More) | President Donald Trump's social media company files paperwork with SEC to allow Trump's trust to sell over $2B of Trump Media and Technology Group shares (More)
> HR software company Rippling publicly releases affidavit of employee who admitted to carrying out corporate espionage for rival firm Deel (More) | Cryptocurrency firm Circle files for initial public offering, seeks valuation of up to $5B (More) | Want to learn more about crypto, IPOs, and more? Join 1440 Business & Finance (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Federal judge dismisses bribery case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) with prejudice, barring prosecutors from renewing charges in the future (More) | See previous write-up on the case (More)
> Over 65 million Americans across 13 states, from Texas to Ohio, brace for extreme weather event that could spawn tornado outbreaks, record flooding, and heavy rain into the weekend (More) | See tracker (More)
> US Supreme Court weighs whether South Carolina can cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood (More) | ... and rules the Food and Drug Administration acted lawfully in blocking two manufacturers from marketing fruity- and dessert-flavored vapes (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Bulk Buying
We take some time out of the day, once every other month or so to drive twenty-five south to SAMS Club and buy as much as we can in bulk. There is a membership fee to shop there but the savings offsets the fee plus we are usually up to the good by the end of the year, plus every once in a while they have sales and we make a point of going there then as well whether we need something or not.
We typically buy:
- Toilet tissue
- Kleenex
- Paper towels
- Raisin Bran
- Coffee Pods
- Virgin Olive oil
- Captain's Crackers
- Frozen breaded cod
- Frozen wild Alaskan salmon
- Turket burgers
- Ketchup
- Salad dressings
- Mixed nuts
- Cans of: tuna, chicken, beef, corn, beans, diced potatoes, etc.
- Frozen bags of: broccoli, corn, peas, limas, etc
“The US is panicking”: Massive military marvel as China’s 80,000-ton aircraft carrier showcases unmatched combat readiness in stunning display
China’s military advancements have been attracting global attention, especially with the recent developments in its naval capabilities.