Google DeepMind CEO says that humans have just over 5 years before AI will outsmart them
Tuesday, March 18
Brookings Brief
Work permit applications suggest prior immigration is still pushing up labor supply—for now
For immigrants to work in the United States legally, they generally must obtain work authorization. Immigrants with particular legal statuses, such as those seeking parole or asylum status, request authorization by applying for Employment Authorization Documents, commonly called work permits. Tracking work permit applications can illuminate how changes in the pace of immigration are affecting labor supply. If immigration policy changes or other factors dampen net migration to the United States, work permit applications should be an early indicator of how much and when the decline in certain kinds of immigration will slow labor force growth.
How our global friends can help us - Robert Reich
Friends,
I’m addressing this letter especially to those of you who live in other lands.
As you probably know, we here in the United States are facing the biggest emergency in the history of our democracy, and we need your help.
Trump and other members of his regime (Elon Musk, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Kash Patel, Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi) are actively undermining our system of government — usurping Congress’s power to fund the government, saying they “don’t care” what judges say, arresting peaceful protesters, investigating Trump’s “enemies,” siding with Putin against Ukraine, encouraging bigotry, and sowing widespread fear.
Please know that the Trump regime doesn’t represent the majority of Americans. Trump won the 2024 presidential election by a razor-thin (1.5 percent) margin, but half of all Americans didn’t vote, including many who voted for Biden in 2020. Polls consistently show most Americans do not support what Trump is doing.
How can you help us?
Like most bullies, Trump can be constrained only if everyone stands up to his bullying — including you.
First, if you are thinking about a trip to the United States, please reconsider. Why reward Trump’s America with your tourist dollars?
At A Glance
How AI has entered the vineyard.
America's religious landscape in one chart.
How to know whether to get the measles shot.
How to spot a fake art masterpiece.
Archaeologists restore a temple to the Egyptian god Khnum.
Vintage photos from early 20th-century saloons.
The long road to naming a car.
A tour at this museum comes with a barf bag.
Clickbait: Is Jim Morrison the new Tupac?
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Prince Harry's US immigration files to be made public tomorrow amid questions about whether his prior drug use may have disqualified him from obtaining a visa (More)
> Sean "Diddy" Combs pleads not guilty to new charges related to alleged forced labor of past employees; the new charges are in addition to his racketeering and sex crimes charges he already faces (More)
> Apple TV+ comedy "Ted Lasso" renewed for a fourth season (More) | Matt Richtman becomes first American male to win the Los Angeles Marathon since 1994 (More)
Science & Technology
> Replacement crew for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrives at the International Space Station; the two have been stuck in orbit since June, expected to return as early as Wednesday (More)
> Texas measles outbreak rises to at least 259 cases, with 34 hospitalizations and one death; the US reported 285 total cases across the country in 2024 (More) | See previous write-up (More)
> New study proposes "microlightning" inside individual droplets of water may have helped start the chemical reactions needed to create life on Earth (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets mark big gains Friday following tumultuous week (S&P 500 +2.1%, Dow +1.7%, Nasdaq +2.6%); rise comes a day after S&P fell into correction territory, down more than 10% since recent peak (More)
> Fintech startup Klarna files for initial public offering; firm seeking valuation above $15B, made $21M on $2.8B in revenue last year (More) | What are IPOs? (1440 Topics)
> The price of gold briefly passes the $3K per ounce mark for the first time Friday amid tariff fears, settling near $2,990 per ounce as of this writing (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Trump administration issues memo instructing seven smaller agencies to reduce headcount and limit activities to the statutory minimum required by law, including Voice of America (More)
> President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold call this week in attempt to advance Ukraine ceasefire talks (More) | Russia reportedly retakes nearly all of the Russian border region of Kursk (More)
> The US carries out strikes on Houthi rebel-held positions in Yemen over attacks on commercial vessels using Red Sea shipping lanes (More) | Nightclub fire in North Macedonia kills at least 59 people, injures more than 150 (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Parents and Children
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Generally speaking, the more mobile a family is, the less the siblings maintain a close relationship throughout their lifetimes. This is also true, for the most part, if there is eight or more years difference in age.
However, the biggest determining factor that keeps families together or pushes them apart is the parents influence on the children.
That is to say if the parents treat the children with respect then for the most part the children will treat each other with respect long after the parents are deceased.
It is not just if the parents treat their children with respect, it is also how the parents raised their children. For instance, if the parents were very strict with lots of rules and procedures, then not only will the children treat their children that way, but they will treat their siblings that way as well, ruining their future relationships.
The way parents treat their children is not related to education or financial resources or geographical location; however, cultures do influence parental oversights in the sense that Muslim children are more disciplined than non Muslim children... this also applies to Christian children as well but not in the same way as the two societies are different.
In the USA, Christian parents who live in the north treat their children different than Christian parents that live in the south.
In many cases, but not all, the poorer the family unit, the closer the parents are to the children and the closer the children are to each other.
The power of quantum disorder
Quantum mechanics entails clearly defined units and rules, so it isn’t really disordered. However, there is a sense of disorder that has to do with the complexity of quantum mechanics – and that’s actually really important for how we can apply it.
When physicists say “disorder,” we’re probably talking about uncertainty and entropy. The Heisenberg uncertainty relation is one of the first and most surprising things you learn in quantum mechanics.
Basically, you can’t know the position and momentum of a particle at the same time. In a classical world, we can know where something is and how fast it’s going – of course we can; we do that all the time – but that’s impossible to do exactly in quantum mechanics. Even if you know everything you can about a quantum particle, there are still unknowns. The disorder is built into the structure of the theory in the form of uncertainty.
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.
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