Headlines

Bill Pugliano/Getty Images


Stellantis says it will lose $2.7b, partly because of tariffs. Jeeps may be all-terrain vehicles, but the company that makes them is struggling in the current market landscape. Yesterday, the automaker announced a surprise loss for the first half of the year, fueled in part by a $350 million hit from new US tariffs and costly turnaround efforts at the company. A 25% tariff on imported cars and auto parts took effect on April 2, and the company said its shipments to North America declined by 25% in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. A company exec said Stellantis would likely have to raise car prices soon, noting “tariffs are inherently inflationary.” It was the car company’s first earnings report released under its new CEO, who took over last month.

Judge questions whether slashing Harvard’s funding is constitutional. Lawyers for Harvard University and the Trump administration argued in a federal court yesterday in the school’s lawsuit challenging the government’s decision to strip more than $2 billion in funding from the school over what it claims was an inadequate response to antisemitism on campus. Harvard asserted that its constitutional rights were being violated, while the government’s lawyer (a Harvard grad) said the university had violated its contracts, so the government could nix them. But the judge expressed skepticism, saying, “It seems to be your idea that you can terminate a contract even if the basis for termination is a constitutional violation.”

Cosby Show star Malcolm-Jamal Warner dies at age 54. The actor reportedly drowned on Sunday after getting caught in a strong current while swimming in Costa Rica on a family trip. He was best known for his role as Bill Cosby’s son Theo Huxtable as a teenager on the iconic ’80s show, though Warner told the AP in 2015 that the show’s legacy had been “tarnished” by the subsequent sexual assault allegations against Cosby. Warner continued to work steadily after the show’s eight-year run and went on to star in other sitcoms, such as Malcolm & Eddie and Read Between The Lines. In his personal life, he had a wife and daughter, but chose to keep their identities private.—AR

READ MORE...

Robert Reich

So Much for Socialism
The Trump regime is using the specter of socialism to make America even more authoritarian. The regime will lose.






Friends,

When Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem unleashed her ICE shock troops on Los Angeles last month, she said: “We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialist” leaders.

Minutes later, California Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from the press conference and put in handcuffs.

The specter of socialism is being used by Trump and his goons to make America even more authoritarian.

Trump even threatens to “run” New York City if its voters choose Zohran Mamdani — a Muslim of Indian descent and avowed democratic socialist — as their next mayor. “We have tremendous power at the White House to run places when we have to,” says Trump, warning that he might step in and take control if New Yorkers elect Mamdani.

Trump is using the word “socialism” to slam everything the public needs and to justify cruel cuts in the nation’s safety net.

READ MORE...

At A Glance

How people spend their time throughout the day.

China begins building world's largest hydropower dam.

A potential fix for America's public bathroom crisis.

The ways people say hello, from bowing to bumping noses.

YouTuber turns plastic toy into a calculator.

Pumpkin spice latte season begins Aug. 26.

How to have a "dumb phone summer."

Flock of ducks crashes a wedding. (w/photos)

Clickbait: Optimists are on the same wavelength.

EPIC GREEK FEAST | must-try vegan recipes

Quick Clips

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Golf world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler cruises to victory by four strokes at British Open to win his fourth major championship (More)

> Alan Bergman, Oscar-, Emmy-, and Grammy-winning songwriter for performers including Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand, dies at age 99 (More) | Eileen Fulton, actress who starred in "As the World Turns" for 50 years, dies at age 91 (More)

> Minnesota Lynx's Napheesa Collier leads Team Collier to 151-131 victory over Team Clark in WNBA All-Star Game (More) | Mario Barrios draws with Manny Pacquiao to retain WBC welterweight title; Pacquiao, 46, was attempting to become oldest boxer to win welterweight world championship (More)


Science & Technology
> Environmental Protection Agency to shutter research and development arm, carry out reduction in force targeting 23% of agency's overall staff (More)

> Engineers demonstrate 3D-printed stainless steel components that can withstand radiative environments found in nuclear reactors; milestone may help further innovative new reactor designs (More)

> British scientists begin study of Antarctic ice cores believed to be up to 1.5 million years old; analysis expected to shed light on temperature and climate conditions during the period (More) | What was the Mid-Pleistocene Transition? (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed Friday (S&P 500 -0.0%, Dow -.3%, Nasdaq +0.1%) amid report President Donald Trump is pushing for EU tariffs of at least 15% (More)

> President Donald Trump signs law on regulating dollar-pegged stablecoins, enabling banks and other entities to begin issuing the digital currencies (More) | See previous write-up (More)

> Uber invests $300M in bid to compete with Waymo and Tesla; will secure 20,000 electric vehicles from startup Lucid, purchase self-driving software from tech startup Nuro (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Car rams into crowd outside Los Angeles Saturday, injuring at least 30 people; officials are investigating the action as an intentional attack, have not yet publicly identified a motive (More)

> Bedouin fighters withdraw from Druze-majority city of Sweida in southern Syria as truce to end weeklong fighting appears to hold, as of this writing (More)

> Tourist boat in Vietnam capsizes during sudden thunderstorm, killing at least 35 people with four others missing (More) | South Korea floods and landslides kill at least 17 people (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Management

 

What is management?

According to Google's AI:

Management is the process of coordinating activities to achieve organizational goals, encompassing planning, organizing, directing, and controlling resources. It involves guiding and motivating employees, ensuring efficient resource allocation, and making strategic decisions to drive the organization forward. Essentially, management is about getting things done effectively and efficiently through others.

That is exactly what all the business textbooks say regardless of the author(s) or publishers.

ACHIEVING GOALS is the key word here is the key word here, but who's goals?

1. President/CEO
2. Chairman of the Board
3. Board members
4. Stockholders
5. Upper management
6. Middle management
7. Lower management
8. Employees
9. Customers

The President/CEO is measured every NINETY DAYS...

Curiously, stock dividends are distributed every NINETY DAYS...

Coincidence???

Most companies have the following goals:

• Increase revenue
• Increase MarketShare
• Decrease expenses
• Open new markets
• Develop new products
• Understand your competition

NOTE: 

1. what is not always shared is the percentage by which management demands an increase/decrease.  5% - 10% - 20% - higher

2. a high percentage demand causes employees at all levels to fudge the numbers

3. a high percentage causes company to use the concept of built in obsolescence - or make a product that is designed to crap out after 3-5 years forcing repeat business

None of the textbooks or AI writes about that.  So where does AI get its information?

Somewhat Political

 

Scientists Confirm the Incredible Existence of Time Reflections

The explanation of spatial reflections—whether by light or by sound—are pretty intuitive. Electromagnetic radiation in the form of light or sound waves hit a mirror or wall, respectively, and change course. 

This allows our eyes to see a reflection or echo of the original input. However, for more than 50 years, scientists have theorized that there’s another kind of reflection in quantum mechanics known as time reflection.

This term might conjure up images of a nuclear-powered DeLorean or a particular police box (that’s bigger on the inside), but that’s not quite what scientists mean by the term. Instead, time reflections occur when the entire medium in which an electromagnetic wave travels suddenly changes course. This causes a portion of that wave to reverse and its frequency transforms into another one.

READ MORE...

Pink Floyd - "Another Brick in The Wall " PULSE Remastered 2019

A Match

Russell Brand

 

Sarah Westall

 

Everyone Likes Ice Cream

 

Russell Brand

 

Thrivetime

 

F4U CORSAIR_@Sylvia70485099🇫🇷🇺🇦via X

 

TimcastIRL

 

News Variable

 

Spider

 

Headlines

Wenjie Zheng/Getty Images


Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded its entire fleet last night. According to an FAA advisory, the airline sought approval to ground over 200 planes under its brand. It later expanded the stoppage to include planes from its Horizon Air unit. Alaska Airlines said the decision stemmed from a computer network outage. While the ground stop was lifted about three hours later, around 11pm Pacific, Alaska said that “residual impacts” to its operations would be felt, adding, “It will take some time to get our overall operations back to normal.” As NBC News noted, the disruption comes almost exactly a year after a faulty CrowdStrike update caused chaos for airlines.

Japanese prime minister will stay in role to tackle inflation, tariffs. PM Shigeru Ishiba held a press conference Monday morning local time after his party lost an important parliamentary election on Sunday to announce he would not step down. The Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner were unable to retain a majority in the upper house of Japan’s Parliament, meaning the LDP is now a minority in both houses despite still being the leading party. He cited the need to tackle inflation at home and reach a trade deal with the US as reasons why he wanted to remain premier and avoid political instability.

Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigned following Coldplay debacle. The software startup announced on Saturday that its board of directors accepted Byron’s resignation after the married executive got caught on the “kiss cam” at a Coldplay concert last Wednesday night in an intimate pose with another woman, the company’s Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot. Axios reported that Cabot is on leave from Astronomer pending an investigation into the incident, which to the wider world has become a meme. One example: At Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, the Phanatic recreated the moment on the Phillies jumbotron.—HVL

READ MORE...

Robert Reich

This week’s Neville Chamberlain Award Goes to Sian Beilock. Who’s She?
Let me tell you




Friends,

The Trump regime’s battle with Harvard University will be aired in court today when a federal judge hears arguments in Harvard’s lawsuit challenging Trump’s attack on it.

At stake is not just $2.2 billion in grants for scientific research, but the larger question of whether Trump can impose his agenda on independent universities in America — forcing them to bring their admissions, disciplinary procedures, academic hiring, and curricula in line with his priorities.

With the Trump regime ramping up its attacks on colleges and universities across America — using the pretexts of “DEI,” antisemitism, and transgender athletes to undermine academic freedom — it would seem more important than ever for universities to join together to stop him.

READ MORE...

At A Glance

The cities where college graduates are landing jobs.

Over half of US workers feel anxiety about taking time off.

Parent's biology may, in some cases, influence a baby's sex.

Man wins coding marathon against OpenAI model.

What to expect from this year's Shark Week.

Astronomer CEO resigns amid
Coldplay kiss cam controversy.

Woman inundated with calls about fictional missing cat.

Chefs cook the world's largest Scotch egg.

Clickbait: Examining the Gen Z stare.

HOW TO COOK LENTILS IN THE INSTANT POT

Quick Clips

 

In The NEWS

Critical minerals, explained
Critical minerals are used to build the batteries, computer chips, and magnets that power modern technologies, from personal devices to clean energy sources, and advanced military apparatuses. The US government has identified 50 minerals as “critical,” deeming them to be essential to the national interest but to have a vulnerable supply chain (see the list).

Rare earth elements are some of the most sought-after minerals because their unique atomic structures give rise to various electrical, luminescent, and magnetic properties. Sixteen of these 17 metallic elements clustered at the center of the periodic table are on the US’ latest critical mineral list published in 2022.

Developed nations like the US, Canada, and China are sprinting to control critical mineral mines in Africa and South America. China is currently dominating the race. It accounts for about 70% of global rare earth ore extraction and 90% of rare earth ore processing.

... Read our full deep dive on critical minerals here.

Also, check out ...
> The one location that holds 75% of the world's lithium. (More)
> How your phone is powered by rare earth elements. (More)
> Why seemingly abundant copper can't keep up with demand. (More)



The National Debt, 101
The national debt is the total amount of money the federal government has borrowed, plus interest. This borrowed money supplements taxpayer dollars to fund government operations, from national defense to welfare programs. Today, the debt stands at over $36T, double the amount in 2014.

The US has accrued debt since its infancy. Only seven years into nationhood, debts from the Revolutionary War totaled $43M. To raise money beyond taxes, the US government primarily sells bills, notes, and bonds (collectively called securities) to domestic and foreign individuals, companies, and other governments (see chart on annual interest payments on the debt here).

Where the nation should cut spending and how much, in order to rein in debt, is an ongoing political debate. While much focus is put on debt, the debt-to-gross domestic product ratio and interest payments on debt relative to GDP are widely considered to be key indicators of fiscal health. The lower a country’s debt-to-GDP ratio and interest rates are, the stronger its economy is likely to be.

... Read our full take on the national debt here.

Also, check out ...
> The time the US fully eliminated the national debt. (More)
> What happens if we hit the national debt ceiling. (More)
> Who owns the federal government's debt? (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Socialism

Is Socialism bad for the USA?

Let's start by defining Socialism.

Socialism is a political and economic system where the people collectively own or control the means of production, rather than private individuals or corporations. It's characterized by social ownership of resources and a more equitable distribution of wealth and resources. Different forms of socialism exist, ranging from those that eliminate markets and competition to those that incorporate them.

The people, in socialism, control everything, rather than private individuals or corporations.  This means that the GOVERNMENT, on behalf of the people control everything.

The government owns your home and land and gives you the same size home that everyone else has based upon your size family. The government decides on your wages and instead of joining a union, your employer is the government.

It will be the government who decides what food is available or what clothes are available, cars, shoes, computers, etc.  Since there is no competition in a socialistic society, there is no need to have a variety of cars or computers.

The government will also be responsible for all law enforcement.  The government will decide what laws will be passed and enforced, and what punishment is awarded, since there will be no need for courtrooms, juries, or lawyers.

AI Overview
While the US is largely considered a capitalist country, some socialist policies and ideas have been implemented or are gaining traction. Examples include social security, Medicare, and public education, which are forms of social safety nets and government provision of services that are also found in socialist systems. Additionally, there's a growing political movement, particularly among Democratic Socialists, advocating for policies like universal healthcare and affordable housing, which aligns with some socialist principles.

The government will be in charge of everything.  Everyone will get paid the same regardless of the quality of output.  The government will own all housing and will be responsible for maintaining all housing.  Have you ever known anyone who works for the government, to work fast...  think about that when you air conditioner fails in the middle of summer or the heat pump in the middle of winter.

The government worker, being paid the same, has no incentive to worry about the consumer...  Doctors, Dentists, Surgeons all being paid the same, because wealth is BAD, will have no incentive to do a good job...

Somewhat Political

 

First electronic–photonic quantum chip created in commercial foundry

In a milestone for scalable quantum technologies, scientists from Boston University, UC Berkeley, and Northwestern University have reported the world's first electronic–photonic–quantum system on a chip, according to a study published in Nature Electronics.

The system combines quantum light sources and stabilizing electronics using a standard 45-nanometer semiconductor manufacturing process to produce reliable streams of correlated photon pairs (particles of light)—a key resource for emerging quantum technologies. The advance paves the way for mass-producible "quantum light factory" chips and large-scale quantum systems built from many such chips working together.

"Quantum computing, communication, and sensing are on a decades-long path from concept to reality," says Miloš Popović, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at BU and a senior author on the study. "This is a small step on that path—but an important one, because it shows we can build repeatable, controllable quantum systems in commercial semiconductor foundries."

READ MORE...

Bob Dylan - Hurricane (Live on PBS, 1975) [RARE ORIGINAL AUDIO]