Tuesday, June 24
Robert Reich
With students and friends a half-century younger
Friends,
I’m 79 years old today.
I’m spending most of my time with people 50 years younger — my graduate students, my colleagues at Inequality Media Civic Action, and young people to whom I give lectures and seminars.
We communicate over a vast chasm of half a century. They have no direct memories of Joseph McCarthy’s communist witch hunt, the Vietnam War, or when JFK was killed. They barely remember 9/11. They find it hard to believe that I grew up before the internet. That I was born before television. When I tell them I once worked for Gerald Ford, they look at me like I’m a fossil.
I am a fossil.
A few days ago several of them sat around a big oak table in my house and asked me questions.
At A Glance
A physicist explains how atoms form.
Zoom in to explore the tree of life. (best on desktop)
What happens if you toss trash into a volcano? (via YouTube)
Utility workers find 1,000-year-old mummy in Peru.
Salmon-hat-wearing orcas give each other kelp massages.
London's secret tunnels to become spy museum and bar.
The quest for Labubu dolls pushes fans to extremes.
A 1943 three-wheeled car that fit through a doorway.
Clickbait: Man gets stuck in chimney trying to rescue dog.
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Final member of BTS completes military service, reuniting the K-pop supergroup for first time in three years (More) | Rapper Fat Joe accused of sexual assault and coercion by former hype man in new lawsuit (More)
> Jon Jones, considered to be one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, retires at age 37 (More) | Three people dead and more than 70 injured after fans fall from upper deck of Algeria soccer stadium (More)
> LSU tops Coastal Carolina to win Men's College World Series and its eighth NCAA baseball national title (More) | Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh becomes first switch-hitter to hit 30 home runs before the MLB All-Star Game (More)
Science & Technology
> Anthropic researchers find leading AI models used in corporate applications may resort to malicious behavior when threatened, including blackmail and leaking sensitive documents (More) | Generative AI explained (1440 Topics)
> Vera C. Rubin Observatory expected to release first images today from world's largest digital camera before launching 10-year survey; primary goals include study of dark matter and energy, the structure and evolution of the Milky Way (More) | Who was Vera Rubin? (More)
> Stem cell treatment effectively cures severe Type 1 diabetes in small clinical trial; 10 of 12 patients no longer needed insulin a year after a single infusion of zimislecel (More) | Diabetes explained (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed Friday (S&P 500 -0.2%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq -0.5%) amid tensions in the Middle East (More)
> FedEx founder Fred Smith dies at age 80; Smith revolutionized the package delivery industry with air-ground system of hubs and spokes, leading the $54.1B company from its 1971 founding to 2022 (More) | See how he did it (More, w/video)
> The US and European Union reportedly approach deal to settle nontariff trade disputes, including on deforestation, treatment of US tech companies (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Heat wave covers central and eastern US with temperatures expected to exceed 90 degrees for 170 million Americans (More) | North Dakota tornado kills at least three people (More)
> Pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil is released from ICE detention after federal judge finds the legal US resident did not pose a flight risk; Department of Homeland Security says it will appeal (More)
> Hot air balloon fire in Brazil kills eight people; pilot and 13 passengers survive with injuries (More) | India says it will never restore water treaty with Pakistan following conflict in May; treaty provided water for 80% of Pakistan’s farms (More)
> US stock markets close mixed Friday (S&P 500 -0.2%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq -0.5%) amid tensions in the Middle East (More)
> FedEx founder Fred Smith dies at age 80; Smith revolutionized the package delivery industry with air-ground system of hubs and spokes, leading the $54.1B company from its 1971 founding to 2022 (More) | See how he did it (More, w/video)
> The US and European Union reportedly approach deal to settle nontariff trade disputes, including on deforestation, treatment of US tech companies (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Heat wave covers central and eastern US with temperatures expected to exceed 90 degrees for 170 million Americans (More) | North Dakota tornado kills at least three people (More)
> Pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil is released from ICE detention after federal judge finds the legal US resident did not pose a flight risk; Department of Homeland Security says it will appeal (More)
> Hot air balloon fire in Brazil kills eight people; pilot and 13 passengers survive with injuries (More) | India says it will never restore water treaty with Pakistan following conflict in May; treaty provided water for 80% of Pakistan’s farms (More)
Living
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Do you live in the past... the present... or the future?
I would suggest to you that most of us live in the present and sometimes get the shoebox out that holds the photos of the past and sift through them to remember what went well.
When we look at the past through photos or throughout memories, we are tainted by what we think we remember, not the reality of what actually happened.
This is true for horrific memories as well. The heart of this horrific memory is REAL and AUTHENTIC, but the details that surround it, fade or grow with time; if they grow, they are typically distorted to make them worse than they were.
Because we inflate these memories, we tend to forget them or minimize their authenticity to better cope with our present behavior.
My bad memories of my childhood are hardly worth thinking about now and when I do, they are neutral in their mental impact on my consciousness... when that happens, they are no longer worth thinking about.
As far as the future is concerned, none of us know what is going to happen TWENTY YEARS FROM NOW, but we are all smart enough to PLAN FOR several contingencies.
It is this planning and the re-evaluation of this planning that MIGHT, when the future gets here that SAVES OUR LIVES both financially and mentally.
SO...
- thrive in the present
- reflect on the past cautiously and carefully
- plan for the future
- live everyday as if it is your last
Deadly fungus that can "eat you from the inside out" is quickly spreading around the world
Imagine inhaling hundreds of invisible spores every day. Most float in and out of our airways without leaving a trace. Yet some of those spores belong to molds that don’t respect boundaries.
Many fungus species will infect lungs, spoil crops, and disrupt ecosystems all at the same time. In short, they can wreak massive havoc and leave death in their wake.
Most molds and fungi are helpful, but some fungus and mold will jump from hospital wards to honeybee hives, and the line between helpful recycler and harmful invader grows blurrier each year.
Monday, June 23
Headlines
Anadolu/Getty Images
More news from the aftermath of the US strikes on Iran. Details of Operation Midnight Hammer, the US military operation against three Iranian nuclear sites that unfolded on Saturday, emerged yesterday: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that 14 “bunker-buster bombs” and seven B-2 bombers were used in the operation. Hegseth said, “Our initial assessment is...that all of our precision munitions struck where we wanted them to strike and had the desired effect.” On ABC’s This Week, Vice President JD Vance suggested that Iran still controlled its enriched uranium stockpile that could be used to make around 10 nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iranian authorities did not report any contamination or pollution as a result of the US attacks. Sources told NBC News that Iran warned President Trump through intermediaries last week that if the US attacked its nuclear facilities, it would activate sleeper-cell terrorists within the US. Last night, NYC Mayor Eric Adams said the city was on heightened alert, particularly for potential “lone wolf attacks” and cyberattacks.
Tesla robotaxis, commercialized and supervised, hit the streets in Austin. Yesterday, the autonomous ride-hailing service became available to an invite-only list, with trips taking place within a geofenced area of the Texas capital for the special promotional price of $4.20 each. In The Verge’s roundup of initial reviews, the outlet found “smooth,” “great,” and “normal” to be common descriptors of trips. While CEO Elon Musk said in January that the service would launch unsupervised, the vehicles include Tesla-employed safety monitors who verify the identity of the passenger when they enter the car (but seem to be instructed not to talk to passengers otherwise). The initial trial is said to include about 20 Tesla Model Y vehicles with special branding; the fully autonomous Tesla Cybercab will not be available until at least 2026.
Fred Smith, FedEx founder and chairman, died at 80. Smith, a Marine Corps veteran and Yale graduate, founded Federal Express in 1973. He became an overnight shipping pioneer with a small fleet of planes based out of Memphis and the “hub and spokes” air cargo fulfillment system plan he devised in college. An under-the-radar philanthropist, he made generous donations to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, the University of Memphis, and Yale, among others. But one big bet he placed in Las Vegas became legendary: In 1973, FedEx was close to bankruptcy when Smith decided to wager its last $5,000 in a blackjack game. He won $27,000, which bought him enough time to get more funding and restructure. Maybe don’t try that at home.—HVL
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