Monday, September 8
Headlines
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Japan’s prime minister is resigning after striking tariff deal. Shigeru Ishiba ate the frog and is now packing up his office after less than a year as prime minister, he announced at a news conference yesterday. But his departure has little to do with the deal itself: Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party lost its majority in the upper house of Japan’s Parliament in July, as voters worried about inflation and immigration more than the impending trade deal. As for said agreement, President Trump lowered tariffs on Japan to 15% in exchange for Japan agreeing to buy more American exports and invest $550 billion in the US. As for how long he’d been drafting his notice, Ishiba said only, “Who would seriously negotiate if I were to say, ‘I’m quitting?’”
POTUS watches Alcaraz best Sinner at US Open. President Trump, a former mainstay at the US Open, returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium yesterday for the first time since 2015, flanked by members of his family and administration to take in the men’s final. He and the other ~23,000 attendees witnessed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain defeat his rival and last year’s US Open winner, Jannik Sinner of Italy, in four sets. But many ticketholders experienced significant difficulty getting into the one entrance available due to security measures for the president. Despite a 30-minute delay to the start time, rows of seats were still empty as the match began. Trump received notable boos, as well as some cheering, from fans. He attended as a guest of Rolex. On Saturday, in the women’s final, Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka beat American Amanda Anisimova to take home her second consecutive US Open victory.
Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande won big at MTV Video Music Awards. The 41st iteration of the show, at NYC’s UBS Arena, saw Mariah Carey win the annual Video Vanguard Award for outstanding contributions to pop culture and perform a long medley as her British alter ego (which included no Christmas songs). Lady Gaga won the award for artist of the year and popped in for a minute before dashing off to her concert at Madison Square Garden. Ariana Grande took home three awards, including video of the year. Sabrina Carpenter also won thrice, including best pop artist. Sign of the times: A Labubu dressed as a Moon Person appeared on the red carpet.—HVL
At A Glance
See photos from yesterday's total lunar eclipse.
Winning $1.8B Powerball tickets sold in Texas and Missouri.
How microplastics are continuously invading our bodies.
Company uses AI to produce Bible videos.
Study finds joyful music could help with carsickness.
Darth Vader's lightsaber sells for $3.7M.
The enduring allure of Q-tips.
Watch a city built to scale in Minecraft.
Clickbait: Snail's shell dooms him to life of celibacy.
Historybook: Michelangelo’s David statue unveiled to the public (1504); St. Augustine, Florida, becomes first permanent European settlement (1565); Singer Patsy Cline born (1932); Ruby Bridges, first Black student to attend an all-white school in Louisiana, born (1954); Queen Elizabeth II dies (2022).
In The NEWS
Worker Nest Eggs
401(k) plans, explained
Originally intended for corporate executives, the 401(k) is now, arguably, the most famous section of the US tax code and a staple in worker benefits packages and personal finance guides (watch 101).
Roughly 70 million Americans, with a total of more than $7T invested, use these long-term, tax-advantaged accounts to build toward a more secure retirement.
Some critics claim that with 401(k) plans, companies offloaded the risk of retirement savings to workers without the training to avoid volatile portfolio mixes. Amid the 2008 financial crisis, many 401(k) plans lost over a quarter of their value, an event that hit those near retirement particularly hard.
... Read our full explainer on the plans here.
Also, check out ...
> A work-free retirement is a relatively recent phenomenon. (More)
> Ted Benna was an accountant who invented what became the 401(k). (More)
> 401(k) plans had an average of $112K as of 2023. (More)
Spirals of Destruction
What are hurricanes?
Hurricanes are examples of tropical cyclones—rotating, low-pressure storm systems with winds exceeding 74 mph—that form over the warm waters of the North Atlantic and Northeast Pacific oceans. Able to grow to over 1,000 miles in diameter, tropical cyclones can unleash multiple feet of rain and storm surges.
All tropical cyclones consist of a central eye with no extreme weather, a violent eyewall of intense winds funneling warm, moist air upward, and spiraling rainbands composed of clouds and thunderstorms (see breakdown). The water in the air releases energy when it condenses, which accelerates wind speeds and provides a continuous supply of storm clouds until landfall.
Hurricanes are categorized by maximum sustained winds on the Saffir-Simpson scale and have caused over $1.5T in damage from 1980 to 2024.
... Read our full overview on hurricanes here.
Also, check out ...
> How the Earth's curve and rotation cause hurricanes to spin. (More)
> Hurricanes might have killed 300 times more people than reported. (More)
> Explaining how the hurricane forecasting "cone" actually works. (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
What's your story?
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Everyone has a story to tell; some are more interesting than others... so, who tells the stories of the ones no one wants to hear? Do we just leave them behind because they don't interest us?
SELF CENTERED AMERICANS, especially those with WEALTH, POWER, and POSITION care only for that which benefits them... only associate with those who it is perceived will benefit them.
For instance,
what do religious people want more than anything else?
TO GO TO HEAVEN and live eternally...
Is this not a selfish motive?
The road to get to HEAVEN is... paved with very good intentions, but the end result is always singular and personal.
Why not live that same kind of life without expecting anything in return?
Just strive to be that same kind of person, doing those same kinds of things, without expecting an eternal life in HEAVEN.
Besides, no one really knows where heaven exists...
Is it in another solar system?
Is it in another galaxy?
Perhaps another dimension...
or maybe another universe?
What is left of your body after you die is just an essence, your spirit if you will... like a puff of smoke... I am sure your mind and its thoughts are intact, and you can imagine yourself with having any kind of body you want, but it is not REAL.
Although, you will perceive it as real.
How does or will your essence/spirit fit in with the rest of the universe because of all the great things you did on earth?
How will you be differentiated from everyone else since you will have no physical features?
DO WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING WITHOUT EXPECTATIONS FOR YOURSELF...
Scientists found a new way to turn sunlight into fuel
As with natural photosynthesis, the new molecule temporarily stores two positive and two negative charges.
Credit: Deyanira Geisnæs Schaad
A research team from the University of Basel, Switzerland, has developed a new molecule modeled on plant photosynthesis: under the influence of light, it stores two positive and two negative charges at the same time. The aim is to convert sunlight into carbon-neutral fuels.
Plants use the energy of sunlight to convert CO2 into energy-rich sugar molecules. This process is called photosynthesis and is the foundation of virtually all life: animals and humans can "burn" the carbohydrates produced in this way again and use the energy stored within them. This once more produces carbon dioxide, closing the cycle.
Sunday, September 7
Will America become a bidet nation?
A bidet at the Toto showroom in West Hollywood,
CA. Stephen Osman/Getty Images
Bidets are on par with punctual trains in the amount of envy they inspire in Americans visiting Japan.
The water-spraying toilets are standard there, thanks to the century-old Japanese toilet manufacturer Toto, which popularized them in the 1980s and ’90s. The company sells both standalone bidets and patented toilets with a bidet feature called a Washlet, which are the iPhones of bathroom fixtures—with features like self-sanitizing capabilities and heated seats that open automatically.
Bidets are on par with punctual trains in the amount of envy they inspire in Americans visiting Japan.
The water-spraying toilets are standard there, thanks to the century-old Japanese toilet manufacturer Toto, which popularized them in the 1980s and ’90s. The company sells both standalone bidets and patented toilets with a bidet feature called a Washlet, which are the iPhones of bathroom fixtures—with features like self-sanitizing capabilities and heated seats that open automatically.
Americans behind
While 80% of Japanese dwellings have a bidet toilet, and a washlet-equipped gas station loo is not a novelty in the country, only 2.5% of American toilets have tush-washing capabilities.
For decades, Toto struggled to promote its hygienic tech in the US due to Americans being wary of its cheeky ads, especially one that drew backlash for featuring bare bottoms. But TP shortages during the pandemic inspired many Americans to consider alternatives, and Toto Washlet sales in North America nearly doubled between 2019 and 2020.
And Toto is still hoping that bidets will catch on like anime:Earlier this year, the company told the Japanese publication Nikkei that it planned to triple the number of US showrooms it has to 300 by 2026.
Last week, Toto opened a $224 million factory in Georgia where it’ll produce 300,000 of its luxury toilets (some possibly without bidets) yearly for North American bathrooms.
Big picture: An industry report last year showed that over 40% of Americans remodeling their homes are installing toilets with special features, including bidet toilet seats. But a Toto might remain a dream for many, as renovations in owner-occupied homes are expected to stall next year, per Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.—SK
Robert Reich
Sunday thought: He’s losing
Friends,
As I travel around the country flogging my new book Coming Up Short (which, please remember, you can order here, and the audiobook here), I’m seeing a groundswell of revulsion against Trump.
His economy is a disaster. He promised to bring down prices, yet the prices of most goods are rising. Food prices are soaring. Job growth has stalled. American manufacturing has contracted for six straight months.
Trump’s poll numbers are dropping like stones.
The ghost of Jeffrey Epstein continues to haunt him.
At A Glance
Americans believe they need $1.5M in savings to retire.
Nantucket's Margaret Getchell helped build Macy's into a top retail store.
How does the oil industry actually work?
The story behind the University of Minnesota's 1945 starvation experiment.
How the senses remember.
Ancient Rome's Justinian Code forms the basis of two-thirds of global law today.
The psychology behind learning through consequence or association.
See the anatomy of a healthy joint.
A pilot explains what's happening during flight turbulence.
Explaining why Disney's Renaissance (1980s and '90s) ended.
Decoding the jargon of sports betting.
Find the value of a dollar dating back to 1635.
Jupiter's Great Red Spot is only about two centuries old.
How South Korea invests significantly in exporting K-pop.
Motown Records' innovative songwriting assembly line.
In The NEWS
Monthly job growth falls over 70%, unemployment hits four-year high.
US employers added 22,000 nonfarm jobs in August, down from 79,000 in July. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate rose from 4.2% to 4.3%, its highest since 2021. The Labor Department's August jobs report comes after President Donald Trump responded to July's report by firing its lead economist over accusations of inaccurate data.
Pentagon sends fighter jets to target cartels in the Caribbean.
The Department of Defense—rebranded the Department of War by President Donald Trump yesterday—deployed 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico to combat Latin American drug cartels. The move followed reports two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over one of three Navy vessels dispatched last month as part of the crackdown.
Anthropic agrees to at least $1.5B copyright settlement.
The artificial intelligence company plans to settle a federal class-action lawsuit over its alleged use of pirated books to train Claude AI models. The $1.5B payment will be the largest publicly recorded copyright settlement, according to attorneys for the authors who filed the suit. The proposed deal, which covers roughly half a million books, also requires Anthropic to destroy its datasets of pirated works.
EU regulator hits Google with $3.5B antitrust fine.
The European Commission fined the US tech company for breaching the European Union's competition rules by favoring its own digital advertising services. The penalty, which Google plans to appeal, came over two years after the commission announced antitrust charges. Earlier this week, in a US antitrust case concerning Google's monopoly on internet searches, the tech giant was allowed to keep its Chrome web browser but ordered to share search engine data with rivals.
Tesla poised to offer Elon Musk nearly $1T pay package.
The electric vehicle maker's board is asking shareholders to approve a nearly $1T, 10-year pay package for Musk—one of the largest in corporate history—that would also boost his voting power. To unlock the full payout, Tesla must increase its market cap by roughly eightfold to $8.5T and meet operational targets, including deploying 1 million self-driving taxis, within a decade. A previously proposed $56B package was struck down in court last year; Musk now has a $29B package.
UK deputy prime minister resigns over tax error.
Angela Rayner resigned as the UK's deputy prime minister, deputy Labour Party leader, and housing secretary yesterday after an independent inquiry found she underpaid taxes on a $1M home by roughly $54K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer began reshuffling his Cabinet on the news, moving David Lammy from foreign secretary to deputy prime minister and justice secretary, among other changes.
Separately, the Thai parliament chose conservative politician Anutin Charnvirakul to be prime minister until next year's elections. Former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was ousted last week after a controversial call with Cambodia's senate president amid this summer's border tensions was leaked.
The world's largest, oldest iceberg is collapsing.
Iceberg A23A, once the size of Rhode Island and weighing a trillion tons, has shrunk to about the size of Houston as it drifts between southern Africa and South America. The iceberg will likely melt and shatter—creating a floating avalanche—in the coming months during the Southern Hemisphere's summer. It's been overtaken as the world’s largest iceberg by D15A, which is nearly twice A23A's current size.
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
US Drug Problem
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According to President Trump, Secretary Kennedy, the DEA, the FBI, the CIA, Director of HHS, Secretary of Homeland Security, multiple doctors, and law enforcement officials not to mention mothers, fathers, and countless others, AMERICA HAS A DRUG PROBLEM...
We blame:
- China
- Mexico
- Russia
- Afghanistan
- NoKo
- Drug Cartels
- Open Borders
- Law Enforcement
- Liberal Judges
And... I am sure there are plenty others at which we point our fingers.
The solution... WHICH IS NOT WORKING TOO WELL... is to stop the flow of drugs into the USA.
On the surface, that seems to make a lot of logic sense.
HOWEVER...
is it the right way to go?
Sure, many young people who have not tried drugs would not try drugs if there were no drugs available.
Is that the REAL ISSUE?
My question would be:
Why are drugs coming into the USA in the first place?
My answer is:
BECAUSE AMERICANS WANT THEM!!!
Why do Americans want drugs???
This is where the focus and money should be spent. If Americans stopped wanting drugs, it would be relatively pointless to send them here, except to hook the young ones who haven't started them yet.
As long as AMERICANS WANT ILLEGAL DRUGS, illegal drugs will find a way into this country.
Economics 101
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
Curtail the demand...
But first you have to find out why there is such a high demand among Americans???
- All ages
- All races
- All genders
- All Income Levels
- All Educational Levels
- All Occupations
The demand... in my opinion... started in the 1960s with the growth of the hippies and the counterculture movement. Musical lyrics, believe it or not, enhanced the demand, just as RAP musical lyrics enhanced black/white violence.
Congressional leaders used racism as a diversion hiding their own corruption and re-election practices, while our govt fueled wars in other countries, so our engineering companies could become wealthy rebuilding.
While congress played, the demand for drugs slowly increased until the Cartels and China realized they could make a lot of money off of AMERICAN WEAKNESSES.
American Pride prevents us from BLAMING OURSELVES!!!
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