Monday, March 17
Robert Reich
Friends,
The major weapon of the Trump-Vance-Musk regime is fear that causes people to be intimidated into silence and submission.
The regime is using fear — of being deported, job loss, loss of federal contracts, loss of access to sources of news, of arrest and imprisonment — to intimidate potential critics.
This is what all tyrants do, but we are unaccustomed to it in the United States.
I want to share with you three rules for fighting tyrannical fear and intimidation, gleaned from discussions I’ve had with a number of people who have lived in repressive regimes.
1. If at all possible, do not give into it.
Fear works only if people are intimidated. Intimidation is effective only if people surrender to it.
I cannot presume to tell anyone how to balance their personal well-being against their obligations to the nation or the world. I’m in no position to suggest that anyone sacrifice their livelihood or freedom to make a point.
So if you’re a civil servant in the U.S. government, especially an attorney in the Justice Department, I can understand your fear that speaking out or refusing to follow Trump’s orders will get you fired. If you’re a journalist or editor, you may be justifiably fearful that if you report the truth you’ll be barred from Trump press briefings or may even lose your job.
Likewise, if you’re in America on a student visa or even hold a green card, you may be understandably reluctant to speak your mind now. Trump has threatened that the recent arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University grad student who is a permanent resident of the United States and who peacefully spoke out against Netanyahu’s policies in Gaza, will be the first of “many to come.”
On the other hand, if you’re the president of Columbia University, you’re in a different position altogether. I can understand your concern that your institution will suffer loss of federal funds if you allow full freedom of speech on your campus, yet that doesn’t mean you should surrender to Trump’s tyranny. If you do not stand up to it, you and your institution and other American universities will sacrifice far more over the long term.
If you’re a Republican lawmaker, you have every reason to worry that if you vote against Trump, you’ll be primaried in the next election. But that doesn’t justify your silence in the face of Trump’s tyranny, either. What’s the point of being in politics if you have no principles?
If you’re a Democratic lawmaker, you might worry that if you speak out — as did Congressman Al Green during Trump’s address to Congress — you’ll be tagged by Trump as a radical “left-wing” troublemaker. Good! Make good trouble, as Congressman John Lewis used to say. Stand up and speak out! Americans want to know there’s a loud and vital Democratic opposition to Trump.
At A Glance
The mystery behind the real St. Patrick.
... and how Chicago turns its river green.
Des Moines, Iowa—Gen Z's new favorite housing market.
Surveys suggest the pandemic made us all more rude.
The connection between Lent and crispy fish sandwiches.
Exploring the link between alcohol and cancer. (via YouTube)
Starbucks customer wins $50M over burns from hot tea.
Why New York City is always covered in scaffolding.
Clickbait: Do fish care when the river is dyed green?
Shakespeare
The art of Shakespeare's storytelling
A Shakespeare expert lectures on what makes the Bard such a compelling storyteller who has captivated audiences for centuries. In her estimation, the details of his plots are obvious and largely unimportant. Instead, we return to his works to learn how things unfold, using his plays to understand why humans act the way they do. Listen here.
What it means to call something 'Shakespearean'
Comparing a modern work to Shakespeare is intended as praise, but, as this writer points out, it’s not a terribly helpful descriptor. This article highlights the varied ways “Shakespearean” gets tossed around, including an oft-cited but rarely interrogated claim about "The Lion King," then proposes a more practical application. Find out more here.
How math breakthroughs influenced Shakespeare's plays
New mathematical concepts—like calculus and the concept of zero—arrived in the late 1500s and early 1600s, when Shakespeare was reaching his creative peak. This article highlights Shakespeare’s interest in mathematical metaphors and motifs, arguing that he was reflecting the new, iconoclastic ideas. Read more here.
How did Shakespeare's Globe Theater burn down?
The Globe Theater was the home of Shakespeare’s troupe, the King’s Men, and the stage where some of his most iconic plays first appeared. But on the opening for "Henry VIII," the Globe burned to the ground. Dr. Will Tosh explains how it happened, how the cast responded, and what happened to the famed theater after the flames were extinguished. Watch here.
The story of Missouri inmates performing 'Hamlet'
Hamlet is considered one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays—many consider it the greatest play, period. This episode of Ira Glass’s "This American Life" focuses on one particular production staged at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center in 2002 and performed by its inmates, many of whom were convicted of violent crimes. Listen to the story here.
The curse of 'Macbeth' performances
Shakespeare’s "Macbeth" is loaded with ghosts, witches, and magic spells. Legend has it that the uncanny made its way off the page and into the play’s first production, a superstition that has led actors to refuse to utter the show’s name. This history of the curse sorts through the folklore to tease out the facts behind why actors avoid calling it "Macbeth." Read here.
A Shakespeare expert lectures on what makes the Bard such a compelling storyteller who has captivated audiences for centuries. In her estimation, the details of his plots are obvious and largely unimportant. Instead, we return to his works to learn how things unfold, using his plays to understand why humans act the way they do. Listen here.
What it means to call something 'Shakespearean'
Comparing a modern work to Shakespeare is intended as praise, but, as this writer points out, it’s not a terribly helpful descriptor. This article highlights the varied ways “Shakespearean” gets tossed around, including an oft-cited but rarely interrogated claim about "The Lion King," then proposes a more practical application. Find out more here.
How math breakthroughs influenced Shakespeare's plays
New mathematical concepts—like calculus and the concept of zero—arrived in the late 1500s and early 1600s, when Shakespeare was reaching his creative peak. This article highlights Shakespeare’s interest in mathematical metaphors and motifs, arguing that he was reflecting the new, iconoclastic ideas. Read more here.
How did Shakespeare's Globe Theater burn down?
The Globe Theater was the home of Shakespeare’s troupe, the King’s Men, and the stage where some of his most iconic plays first appeared. But on the opening for "Henry VIII," the Globe burned to the ground. Dr. Will Tosh explains how it happened, how the cast responded, and what happened to the famed theater after the flames were extinguished. Watch here.
The story of Missouri inmates performing 'Hamlet'
Hamlet is considered one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays—many consider it the greatest play, period. This episode of Ira Glass’s "This American Life" focuses on one particular production staged at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center in 2002 and performed by its inmates, many of whom were convicted of violent crimes. Listen to the story here.
The curse of 'Macbeth' performances
Shakespeare’s "Macbeth" is loaded with ghosts, witches, and magic spells. Legend has it that the uncanny made its way off the page and into the play’s first production, a superstition that has led actors to refuse to utter the show’s name. This history of the curse sorts through the folklore to tease out the facts behind why actors avoid calling it "Macbeth." Read here.
East Tennessee
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I have been living in East TN since 1990 when I relocated here from the piedmont of North Carolina where I was born and went to college.
While East TN has a few disadvantages like education and income, it is still a great place to live for those who simply have a high school education and work in a factory.
Land and building homes was relatively inexpensive until COVID hit the state. Most everyone who had a high school education owned their own home and quarter acre of land or more. Most everyone had fairly new vehicles, their own backyard garden, a camper, RV, or boat for recreation and fishing.
Some worked a second job to send their children to college, others sent their children to college expecting them to work as well. Oftentimes, these children would complete their first two years at a community college, then transfer in their third year to a junior college.
Those who did not go to college were satisfied with their lives, eventually working their way up the ladder in organizations to supervisory positions.
But, East Tennessee offers much more.
- NASCAR
- Dollywood
- Gatlinburg
- Smoky Mountains
- University of TN
- Vanderbilt Healthcare
- Oak Ridge National Labs
- Recreational Lakes
- Camping, Fishing, Hiking
- Nashville - Country Music
- Low cost of living
- Moderate weather
East TN is located in the Tennessee Valley which is protected on one side by the Smoky Mountains and on the other side by the Cumberland Plateau. Because of those two barriers, the valley experiences mild weather all year long. Mild weather for senior citizens and retirees is PERFECT.
BY VEHICLE:
45 minutes away from UT Medical Center
50 minutes away from downtown Knoxville
60 minutes away from Dollywood
60 minutes away from Tyson McGhee airport
90 minutes away from the Smokies
90 minutes away from NASCAR
2 hours away from Cherokee gambling
3.5 hours from Nashville
4 hours from Atlanta
Astronomers Discover a Rare Magnetic White Dwarf System That Could Become a Future Gravitational Wave Source
Astronomers have discovered a highly magnetic white dwarf system with an 81-minute orbit, which could become a future gravitational wave source detectable by the LISA mission.
A team of astronomers has identified a new polar cataclysmic variable, a rare type of binary star system featuring a highly magnetic white dwarf siphoning material from its companion star. The system, designated ZTF J0112+5827, was discovered using data from the ROentgen SATellite (ROSAT) and has an unusually short orbital period of just 81 minutes.
Beyond its extreme magnetism, ZTF J0112+5827 is intriguing for another reason—it has the potential to emit detectable gravitational waves, making it a prime candidate for future observation by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), a space-based gravitational wave detector set to launch in 2035.
Sunday, March 16
Robert Reich
Friends,
I cannot say this any other way: We are in deep sh*t. These are truly scary and rough times.
Trump appears at the Justice Department and calls for his opponents to be jailed.
He “detains” students who have committed no crime but peacefully expressed their negative views about Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies in Gaza.
He invokes the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to remove unauthorized immigrants, without evidence or hearing.
Sides with Russia, China, and North Korea against Ukraine.
Purges career officials and installs political hacks more loyal to him than to the United States. Fires inspectors general. Demotes senior prosecutors.
Threatens law firms that represented people he considers his personal enemies.
Pardons the hoodlums who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
He and Musk mow down wide swathes of our government.
Republican lawmakers, fearful or unprincipled, say and do nothing.
Democrats are in disarray. Chuck Schumer green lights a continuing budget resolution that allows Musk and Trump to close down even more of our government.
And on it goes.
You have every right to feel depressed and enervated. You have every reason to despair.
But wait.
It’s possible that future generations will look back on this scourge and see something else — not just what was destroyed but also what was born.
Even prior to Trump, our democracy was deeply flawed. The moneyed interests were drowning out everyone else. Inequality was reaching record levels. Corruption — legalized bribery through campaign contributions — was the political norm (Musk is the logical ending point). The bottom 90 percent were getting nowhere because the system was rigged against them.
It’s entirely possible that future generations will look back on this awful time and see the seeds of fundamental reform.
Many of you are leading this. In hundreds of thousands of ways, you are beacon lights. You are the beginnings of positive change.
Whether it’s your appearances at Republican town halls, or your phone calls that are daily jamming the Capitol and White House switchboards, or your mountains of emails and letters, or your myriad actions protecting the vulnerable in your communities, or your grass-roots activism in Wisconsin and elsewhere: You are the groundswell of America’s new resistance, the green shoots of our future democracy.
The backlash to Trump is growing. His disapproval ratings have jumped nearly 10 points since he was sworn in. People are flooding meetings and rallies, demanding an end to Trump and Musk’s reign. Bernie, AOC, and other progressive politicians are drawing huge crowds.
These are terrible times — the worst I’ve lived through, and I’ve lived through some bad ones. (Remember 1968? Nixon’s enemies list? Anyone old enough to recall Joe McCarthy’s communist witch hunts?)
But as long as we are alive, as long as we are resolved, as long as we are taking action to stop the worst of this, as long as we are trying to make America and the world even a bit better — have no doubt: We will triumph.
At A Glance
Society & Culture
> The surprising affinity between anime and the NBA.
> What is the K-pop hit "Gangnam Style" actually about?
> A look at Emily Dickinson's creative letter sealing.
> The cost of staying at the hotel in "The White Lotus" Season 3.
> Who gets thanked the most in Oscar speeches.
World History
> The US presidents, by generation.
> Stalin's death from a stroke may have been hastened by poison.
> Nine wild details about the Hindenburg disaster.
> Explore Cahokia, ancient Indigenous America's largest megacity.
> How the Panama Canal helped launch the US as a world power.
Business & Finance
> Meet the real Michael Scott, Apple's first CEO.
> Samsung makes more than smartphones—including the world's tallest building.
> What is a monopoly?
> The difference between ethereum and bitcoin.
> How many startups fail?
Health & Medicine
> What happens when a human gets rabies?
> A firsthand account of the founding of the modern hospice movement.
> Your brainwaves during sleep.
> What is postmenopause?
> How endurance athletes build resilience.
Science & Technology
> What is a reply all "email storm"?
> How our view of Saturn and its rings has changed over the centuries.
> The most followed users on X.
> A century of inventions out of Silicon Valley.
> How Tesla goes beyond car manufacturing.
In The NEWS
More than 50 US universities face probe over alleged racial discrimination.
The Education Department's investigation is part of the Trump administration's claim that certain programs marginalize white and Asian American students. At least 45 cases focus on universities' partnerships with The PhD Project, a nonprofit that helps underrepresented students pursue business degrees. The department says these programs allegedly violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
Measles cases reach nearly 300 in Texas and New Mexico.
The measles outbreak in Texas has infected 259 people, while the outbreak in New Mexico has infected 35. Two unvaccinated individuals—a 6-year-old and an adult—succumbed to complications related to the disease. Relatedly, the number of measles cases in 2025, from both active outbreaks and across other jurisdictions, is now the highest since 2019 at 301 confirmed cases. See CDC data here.
Former reality TV star Jessie Holmes wins longest-ever Iditarod.
The former reality TV personality from "Life Below Zero" won the longest Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race ever, which spanned 1,129 miles due to route changes caused by lack of snow. Holmes finished the race in 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes, and 41 seconds, marking his first Iditarod victory after multiple top 10 finishes.
US consumer sentiment index slumps to lowest level since 2022.
The consumer sentiment index for March dropped to 57.9, marking a 10.5% decline from February and the lowest reading since 2022. Concerns over inflation and economic uncertainty contributed to the drop. On a year-over-year basis, the index is down 27%. Learn more about consumer sentiment and how it's calculated here.
Gene Hackman estate asks court to block release of autopsy records.
The actor's estate is seeking a court order to prevent the public release of photographs, videos, and police body-camera footage related to the deaths of Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, citing the family's right to privacy and the potentially distressing nature of the images. The couple were found deceased at their New Mexico home last month (see previous write-up).
USPS to shed 10,000 jobs next month as part of deal with DOGE.
The United States Postal Service will lay off 10,000 people over the next month through a voluntary early retirement program and find ways to cut billions of dollars from its budget. The move is part of an agreement that seeks assistance from the Department of Government Efficiency.
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Spring
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Yesterday, my wife and I got out our deck furniture that was stored in the crawl space beneath the house. A rug, table & chairs, large umbrella, several smaller table, and another chair that did not fold up that is better to sit in for those with back problems. We left the chairs and table for the front porch for some reason that I chose not to inquire about.
Of course, as soon as we got it all set up, we heard the sound of thunder and not too much later, a downpour of rain that last the rest of the afternoon.
Spring is just around the corner but I can already see that my first task will be to weedeat before I mow. Once I start the mowing process, I will be mowing once a week for the next seven months (April to October).
After the rain we should throw out some fertilizer and grass seed and see what happens. Lots of times, the grass does better if you just let it the hell alone, but like most people who are obsessed with lawn care, you do what you need to do to have your grass the greenest on the block.
I am not that kind of person but my wife sorta is which means I am.
We trimmed up our bushes and trees last fall, so we do not need to do that this spring although there is a tree in the back yard that needs to be taken down... that will need to be done by professionals.
While it is nice to have the warm days, obviously more work needs to be done which is not easy to adjust to after being lazy for the last five months.
Supersolid: Scientists turn light into a solid that flows like liquid for first time
In a remarkable development, researchers have successfully turned light into a supersolid for the first time, paving the way for new insights into the unusual quantum states of matter.
This achievement marks a significant milestone in the field of condensed matter physics.
Dimitrios Trypogeorgos from Italy's National Research Council (CNR) reportedly said, “We actually made light into a solid. That’s pretty awesome.”
This feat builds on earlier work by fellow CNR scientist Danielle Sanvitto, who demonstrated over a decade ago that light could behave like a fluid.
However, Trypogeorgos, Sanvitto, and their team have taken it further by creating what they call a quantum “supersolid.”
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