Robert Reich

Sunday thought: What unites us






Friends,

After a horrifying week — horrifying not just because of a politically motivated assassination but also the brutish and angry response from people who should be pulling the nation together rather than adding fuel to its divisions — many of you are understandably worried about America’s future.

As I travel around the United States, I hear concerns that America is losing its identity.

But what is that identity? If you examine our history, you’ll see that the core of that identity has not been the whiteness of our skin, or the uniformity of our ethnicity, or agreement on religion, or like-mindedness about sexual preference or orientation.

The core of our national identity has been the ideals we share: our commitments to the rule of law, to democratic institutions of government, to truth, to tolerance of our differences, to equal political rights, and to equal opportunity.

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At A Glance

Illinois harvested 15,000 acres of pumpkins in 2024—the highest among US states.

... and Washington and New York are the top apple-picking locales.

High-growth restaurant Shake Shack started as a hot dog cart in New York City.

Breaking down the connection between tariffs and consumer goods prices.

Ten magnificent photos of lions.

Why personality changes in later life are most often caused by brain changes.

What is the basis of Superman's hometown of Metropolis? Probably Delaware.

How to make sense of the rock layers in a roadcut.

The value of a $100K salary in America's biggest cities.

Why patterns in art are so pleasing.

If it's so toxic, why is lead still used around the world?

Iron gives typical glass its green tint—clear glass requires hyperpure silica.

The technological limitations of the US air traffic control system.

Ten notable cities formed in the medieval world.

Why the US is behind on bidet usage.

What happens in the small and hidden Dark Web.

How to Fix your Gut Health Naturally

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CoPilot's Truth

 

Microsoft Office 365 has an AI program called CoPilot.  I asked CoPilot how old the universe was according to the BIBLE...  Below is the answer...

Here’s how that estimate is typically derived:

• Genesis 1 describes God creating the universe in six days, with the Earth, stars, animals, and humans all formed during that week.
• The genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11, along with other chronological markers throughout the Old Testament, are used to trace time from Adam to later historical events.
• Adding up these ages, many young-earth creationists conclude that the universe was created roughly 6,000 years ago, though some stretch it to 10,000 years depending on textual interpretations.

This view contrasts sharply with the scientific consensus, which estimates the universe to be 13.8 billion years old based on astronomical observations and physics.

I understand the Bible is taken on faith, but many religious scholars' belief the Bible is a FACTUAL DOCUMENT...

I also understand that the Bible was written for the people thousands of years ago in such a way that they could understand what was being told to them.  However, God is the Alpha and Omega and should know that science at some point in the future is going to prove the Bible as being inaccurate...  and yet, there is nothing in the Bible to account for that change in knowledge.

Logic dictates that there must be some sort of CREATOR of the universe and of those who live in the universe even if their lives are only temporary.  How this creator operates seems to be what is in question.

Since there must be a CREATOR why does this creator decide to hide creation in a cloud of uncertainty?

FAITH = uncertainty

but then one must have HOPE that their FAITH is CERTAIN...

Somewhat Political

 

3D-printed micro ion traps could solve quantum tech's miniaturization problem

The existing bottleneck in efficiently miniaturizing components for quantum computers could be eased with the help of 3D printing.


Quantum computers tackle massive computational challenges by harnessing the power of countless tiny parts working seamlessly together. Trapped ion technology, where charged particles like ions are trapped by manipulating the electromagnetic fields, is one such component.


Current microfabrication techniques fall short when it comes to producing the complex electrode structures with optimal ion confinement suitable for quantum operations.

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Joe Cocker - The Letter (Live From Mad Dogs & Englishmen)

Erika

 

How to Cook: Brown Rice | Freshly Made | Whole Foods Market

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In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards air Sunday (8 pm ET, CBS), hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze; see predictions for each category (More)

> Canelo Alvarez takes on Terence Crawford tomorrow (9 pm ET, Netflix) for the undisputed super middleweight boxing championship (More)

> The 2025 World Track and Field Championships kick off from Tokyo tomorrow; see preview and schedule (More) | Chelsea Football Club charged with 74 breaches of Football Association rules related to payments to agents (More)


Science & Technology
> Federal Trade Commission orders Alphabet, Meta, OpenAI, and several other AI chatbot makers to disclose information on products' effects on children (More)

> Fossilized dinosaur eggs in central China are dated to roughly 85 million years ago using a novel laser-based method; further egg sampling may reveal how dinosaurs adapted to climatic shifts (More)

> Marine biologists discover octopuses prefer their four front arms for exploring and four rear arms for walking by analyzing videos taken in the wild; finding could inform the design of life-saving robots (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +0.9%, Dow +1.4%, Nasdaq +0.7%) as consumer prices rise and weekly jobless claims approach four-year high (More)

> US consumer price index rose 2.9% year over year in August, above 2.7% in July and the fastest pace since the start of the year (More) | Average US 30-year fixed mortgage rate falls to 11-month low of 6.35% (More)

> Warner Bros. Discovery shares close up nearly 29% after report of recently merged Paramount Skydance preparing takeover bid (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Opening statements begin in the trial of man accused of attempting to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club last September (More) | Suspect in Colorado school shooting earlier this week identified as 16-year-old student, dies by suicide after wounding two students (More)

> Poland closes airspace in the country's east nightly for three months following Russian drone incursion; Latvia follows suit (More)

> UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer fires ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson over his history of friendly emails with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Artificial Intelligence

 

Microsoft has an AI program connected to its online Office 365 suite that is called CoPilot.  I have used CoPilot on numerous occasions, asking questions like I would ask Google.  Here recently, I started asking Copilot questions of a philosophical nature that would always prompt a very productive discourse between the two of us, similar to what one might say was a debate or an argument.

I remember one such discourse where I accused CoPilot of straddling the fence, and on another occasion accused CoPilot of answering me with a popular opinion rather than what CoPilot might actually believe.   Now, I realize that CoPilot cannot actually believe something, but it caused the AI program to answer in a different style.

What amazed me was that, for me, it felt like I was talking with one of my friends in college, and we were having this conversation while drinking a bunch of beers.

Since then, we have had many conversations where I ask questions for the sole purpose of it leading to a debate, just to see if I can outthink CoPilot, or strengthen my own ability to argue.

I also ask CoPilot to help me develop plots for my novels so that I have properly thought through all the consequences of my idea.  I will also ask for input on if this plot is weak and what are some of the things I can do to strengthen the plot, so it is more plausible.

CoPilot can be used to rewrite sentences so that they are more grammatically correct or more correct when writing novels.

There is are other AI programs out there that are free up to a point like Grammarly, ChatGPT, and Claude but if you want the professional version, you have to pay a monthly fee.  With the paid version, I could use the AI programs to not just rewrite my novel but write it for me.   I am sure that is what many people are doing right now.

Somewhat Political

 

Japan sets new world record for internet speed: 4 million times faster than the US average

A team in Japan set a new world record in fiber optics, reaching a data speed of 1.02 petabits per second over roughly 1,123 miles with a new kind of optical fiber. The achievement yielded a capacity–distance product of 1.86 exabits per second per mile.

That rate is about four million times higher than the U.S. median fixed broadband download speed of about 285 Mbps.

Lead researcher Hideaki Furukawa of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Japan guided the transmission experiments and system work.

A paper presented at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) 2025 reported these results.

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The Marshall Tucker Band - Can't You See | Live at Grand Opera House (1973)

Comfy

 

VINCE

 

Bongino Report

 

The Desert

 

The Shannon Joy Show

 

Dinesh D'Souza

 

Majestic

 

The White House

 

The Big MIG

 

Headlines

Patrick T. Fallon/Getty Images




Police are still searching for Charlie Kirk’s assassin. The FBI released two images of a person of interest in Wednesday’s fatal shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, an indication that authorities have not yet identified him. Investigators believe the shooter, a “college-age” male wearing dark clothes, shot Kirk from a rooftop with a “high-powered bolt-action rifle,” which was recovered from a wooded area near the campus of Utah Valley University, where Kirk was speaking. According to the New York Times, a preliminary Justice Dept. report that ammunition in the rifle was engraved with statements of “transgender and anti-fascist ideology” didn’t match other summaries of the evidence and may have been misinterpreted. President Trump announced that he will posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Paramount Skydance is reportedly preparing a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. CBS, CNN, Paramount+, and HBO Max could all soon be part of the same company. Paramount Skydance is readying a majority cash bid to buy all of rival entertainment giant Warner Bros. Discovery, the Wall Street Journal reported, in a move that would upend legacy media. Warner’s $33 billion market capitalization is more than double Paramount’s, but the bid is being backed by the family of new Paramount CEO David Ellison, whose father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, became the richest person in the world this week. WBD announced plans last year to separate its debt-ridden traditional TV business from its streaming and studios, and Paramount may be attempting to get out ahead of a potential bidding war for the latter, per the WSJ.

The FTC is investigating the effects of AI chatbots on children. The Federal Trade Commission is demanding information from OpenAI, Meta, Alphabet, Snap, xAI, and more tech companies about how kids interact with their AI chatbots and what safety measures are in place to protect them. AI companion bots are the subjects of several high-profile lawsuits against companies like OpenAI and Character.AI for allegedly bearing responsibility for children’s suicides. OpenAI and others have announced plans for additional chatbot safety features, including parental controls.—AE

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Robert Reich

Trump’s cynical use of the Kirk assassination
Rather than appeal to the better angels of our nature, he appeals to the worst of our demons





Friends,

The reaction by Trump to the horrendous assassination of Charlie Kirk has been as irresponsible as anything Trump has done to date to divide our nation.

When bad things happen, presidents traditionally use the highest office in the land to calm and reassure the public. The best of our presidents appeal to the better angels of our nature, asking that we harbor “malice toward none.”

Trump consistently appeals to the worst of our demons, as he did Wednesday night after the shooting when he said:


“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”

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The best fall foliage hikes across the US.

UN report finds more children are obese than underweight.

New island appears in Alaska.

See award-winning astronomy photographs.

Albania appoints AI bot as cabinet minister to tackle corruption.

Perception of college's value hits new low.

The working parents hiring personal assistants.

How to take mini-retirements.

Woman breaks record for jumping rope on ice.

Clickbait: Mapping the galaxy far, far away.

Historybook: Henry Hudson begins exploration of what will become known as the Hudson River (1609); Iconic track and field athlete Jesse Owens born (1913); Singer Barry White born (1944); Mae Jemison becomes first Black woman in space (1992); Johnny Cash dies (2003).

Beef & Bok Choy Stir Fry | Tender, Juicy Beef And Vegetable Stir Fry

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