Saturday, August 16
Headlines
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images
Trump says meeting with Putin in Alaska “productive,” but provided no specifics. The meeting between the US and Russian presidents lasted about three hours and ended abruptly, with both leaders making statements to the press but taking no questions. In Russian, Putin said, “I would like to hope that the understanding we have reached will allow us to get closer to that goal and open the way to peace in Ukraine.” Trump said, “We had an extremely productive meeting and many points were agreed to, there are just a very few that are left. We didn’t get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there.” Afterward, Trump gave an exclusive interview to Sean Hannity on Fox News, where he said, “Now, it’s really up to President Zelensky to get it done.” Zelensky was not invited to this meeting, but Trump said he would be briefing the Ukrainian president and NATO leaders on what transpired.—HVL
Americans shopped hard in July, but it may not last. US retail sales gained more than expected last month (+0.5%) and June’s figures were revised higher, showing that Americans were feeling plenty flush to spend on a broad range of goods this summer. Amazon’s four-day Prime Day sale surely helped, too. But other data released yesterday suggested more penny-pinching ahead: US consumer sentiment fell in August after climbing every month since May, and expectations for inflation jumped. Nearly 60% of Americans plan on curbing spending this year, the most recent University of Michigan survey found.—NF
DC’s police chief is back in charge. Less than a day after US Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an order that stripped the Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith of her authority in Washington, DC, the Trump administration rescinded it. The reversal followed an emergency hearing yesterday in federal court for a lawsuit filed by DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb, which challenged Bondi’s appointment of Drug Enforcement Administration Chief Terry Cole as the city’s emergency police chief. After the hearing, the Department of Justice filed a new order making Cole Bondi’s “designee.” While Smith can resume control of the day-to-day operations of the department, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser still must fulfill policing requests from the Trump administration.—HVL
Bookkeeping
> $2B: Largest single donation to a US university, college, or academic health center; made by Nike's cofounder to an Oregon cancer research center.
> 82 mph: Speed of a pitch thrown by a 12-year-old boy in the Little League World Series; equivalent to a major league pitcher throwing 107 mph.
> $300K-500K: Anticipated hammer price for a bundle including the handwritten code to an unsolved secret message in the CIA headquarters.
Browse
> The great debate over who invented the bratwurst.
> A mathematical algorithm to win Guess Who.
> Don't throw away those fruit scraps—use them in a cocktail.
> Why more men than ever are getting plastic surgery.
> Gen Z enjoys living in these global cities.
Listen
> He was a politician, con man ... and murderer?
> "Why don't we sell our house, build a boat, and go?"
Watch
> Think twice before using "buy now, pay later."
> A ride in New York City's disappearing horse elevators.
> Crows are smarter than you might think.
Long Read
> Would you eat this bug to save the world?
> Instagrammers cannot escape the 9-to-5 lifestyle.
> Precarious livelihood of southern Ontario's worm hunters.
Best of the Week: Petunia is crowned world's ugliest dog.
Historybook: Gold is discovered in Canada’s Yukon Territory, sparks Klondike gold rush (1896); Babe Ruth dies (1948); Sports Illustrated is first published (1954); Madonna is born (1958); Elvis Presley dies (1977); Aretha Franklin dies (2018).
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics to sell naming rights to the competition venues, a first for the Olympic Games (More) | The challenge of hosting the Olympics (1440 Topics)
> LL Cool J tapped to host 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (Sept. 7); will be simulcast on CBS, along with MTV and Paramount+, for first time (More)
> The 2025-26 English Premier League season kicks off today; see predicted order of finish and previews for all 20 teams (More) | NBA approves sale of Boston Celtics to private equity mogul Bill Chisholm at a $6.1B valuation, a record price for an American sports team (More)
Science & Technology
> Leaked internal Meta document reveals the company's AI chatbots were allowed to engage in "sensual" or "romantic" conversations with minors; company says it has since struck the guideline; see investigative report (More)
> AI drug discovery platform helps researchers sift through tens of millions of potential drug compounds to identify new classes of antibiotics; two candidates cleared drug-resistant gonorrhea and staph infections in mice (More) | How superbugs evolve (1440 Topics)
> Scientists create new stable carbon structure, the first such demonstration since "buckyballs"—ball-shaped arrangements of 60 carbon atoms—in 1990 (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close near flatline (S&P 500 +0.0%, Dow -0.0%, Nasdaq -0.0%) as US producer price index—key inflation metric tracking wholesale product prices—shows 0.9% rise in July, the highest monthly gain in three years (More)
> Average US 30-year fixed mortgage rate drops to 6.58%, the lowest level since October (More) | Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway reveals roughly $1.6B stake in UnitedHealth (More)
> Nearly 16% of venture-backed deals in 2025 so far have been down rounds, when a startup raises money at a lower valuation than in its previous funding round; figure marks a decade high, per new data (More) | Venture capital explained using Lego bricks (1440 Topics)
Politics & World Affairs
> California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will call a special election Nov. 4 to vote on redrawn maps in an effort to secure five more Democratic House seats in midterms; follows Texas' plan to redistrict in favor of Republicans (More)
> Florida announces new $6M detention center, "Deportation Depot," opening in two weeks; will house over 1,300 people (More) | Supreme Court allows Mississippi law requiring social media to verify children's ages to stay in effect for now (More)
> Tropical Storm Erin expected to reach hurricane strength later today, with winds of at least 74 mph—first hurricane of 2025 Atlantic season; see path (More) | How we track hurricanes (1440 Topics)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
The Art of Business
.jpg)
During my 45 year career, I worked with several organizations from which I always gained some sort of insight into the marketplace of commerce. These organizations included:
- a non profit
- small/large manufacturing
- government
- community colleges
- colleges and universities
- global companies
- consulting - self employment
- retail companies
Each company had its own set of rules, procedures, and protocols for those who wanted to stay there and advance within. For me, each employer was a stepping stone to more experience and adventures.
However, all companies had something in common and that was, if an employee wanted to get ahead, that employee MUST LEARN TO KISS ASS. It did not matter if it was a Christian company or not. ASS KISSING WAS THE NORM.
Aside from that, one could survive by following some basic common sense rules:
- Be the first to arrive, the last to leave
- Make sure that you outperform others
- Do what you need to do to get the job done
- Don't look for rewards just do your job
- Be willing to play with others when necessary
- Don't bad mouth your boss
- Learn as much as you can as quick as you can
- Be willing to volunteer but be selective
Everyone within an organization is REPLACEABLE from the janitor, to the manager, to the Vice President, to the CEO, President up to and including the Chairman of the Board.
It is all about RESULTS, ACHIEVING GOALS, and GENERATING REVENUES.
Van Gogh’s iconic ‘The Starry Night’ painting helps discover a new quantum vortex
Famous American writer Isaac Asimov once said, “There is an art to science, and science in art.” A new study proves this quote right by highlighting a never-before-seen connection between Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting “The Starry Night” and quantum physics.
The main focus of the study is the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI), an effect observed in the everyday world when two fluids slide past each other at different speeds, which can sculpt waves and whorls in clouds, rivers, or ocean surfaces.
“Our research began with a simple question. Can the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability happen in quantum fluids?” Hiromitsu Takeuchi, lead study author and an associate professor at Osaka Metropolitan University, said.
Friday, August 15
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)