Robert Reich

The Basic Struggle Today
How to live a moral life in an age of bullies







Friends,

We are living in an age of bullies. Those with power are less constrained today than they have been in my lifetime, since the end of World War II.

The question is: How do we lead moral lives in this era?

Putin launches a horrendous war on Ukraine.

After Hamas’s atrocity, Netanyahu bombs Gaza to smithereens and is now starving to death its remaining occupants.

Trump abducts thousands of hardworking people within America and puts them into detention camps — splitting their families, spreading fear. His immigration agents target people with brown skin and Mexican-sounding names.

He usurps the powers of Congress, defies the courts, and prosecutes his enemies.

He and his Republican lackeys cut Medicaid and food stamps — lifelines for poor people, including millions of children — so that the wealthy can get a tax cut.

READ MORE...

At A Glance

Thousands of tarantulas to hit the US looking for love.

Explaining all the types of dogs. (w/video)

Breaking down the best way to cook bacon.

How worried should you be about ticks?

Why the Amish seem immune to allergies.

The return of Shooter McGavin.

The Indianapolis suburb where it's illegal to eat watermelon.

Hall of Famer turns into a comedian during induction speech.

Clickbait: Goodbye to gentle parenting.

How to make incredible vegan breakfast burritos at home

Quick Clips

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Slovenia's Tadej Pogačar tops two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark to win his fourth Tour de France title and second in a row (More)

> Destiny's Child reunites for first time since 2018 in Las Vegas as Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" tour closes after 32 concerts across the US and Europe (More)

> England tops Spain in penalty shootout to win 2025 UEFA Women's European soccer championship (More) | National Baseball Hall of Fame inducts Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, the late Dave Parker, and the late Dick Allen (More)


Science & Technology
> Johns Hopkins University to license its books to AI firms to train large language models; press arm publishes around 150 books annually, authors would receive a reported $100 per title per license (More)

> Researchers snap first image of thermal vibrations in quantum materials (More) | 1440 Science & Technology: Tomorrow's newsletter takes 101 level look at quantum mechanics; sign up now to receive! (Join here)

> Neanderthals ate maggots alongside fermented meat as a source of additional nutrients, study suggests; diet helped avoid protein poisoning despite a highly carnivorous diet (More) | What is "rabbit starvation"? (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher Friday (S&P 500 +0.4%, Dow +0.5%, Nasdaq +0.2%) with Nasdaq, S&P 500 hitting all-time intraday highs (More) | Palantir joins list of the US' 20 most valuable companies; stock more than doubles this year (More)

> White House calls on the Federal Reserve to dramatically lower interest rates when it meets this week; the Fed is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged (More)

> Dating safety app Tea reports hack leaking 72,000 images, including some account users' photo IDs (More) | Allianz Life reveals hackers accessed majority of its 1.4 million customers' personal data (More)

Politics & World Affairs
> Walmart stabbing in Traverse City, Michigan, leaves 11 people injured, six critically; authorities have yet to identify a motive for the 42-year-old suspect, who faces terrorism, assault, and intent to murder charges (More)

> Clashes continue at the border between Thailand and Cambodia despite ceasefire talks; death toll surpasses 33 people as of this writing, with 168,000 displaced (More) | See previous write-up (More)

> Wildfires in Greece lead to second day of evacuations, including some residents near Athens; comes amid severe heat wave with temperatures reaching 112 degrees Fahrenheit (More) | Flooding in northern China leaves two people dead (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Strange Times

 

We live in times that are normal for some but for others that are not normal.  The key word here is NORMAL...  as it means different things to different people but that is not to say that these times are good or bad, they are just different from past times.

• We live under the threat of WWIII
• We live under the threat of AI/humanoid robots taking our jobs
• We live under the threat of Socialism taking over our government
• We live under the threat of race riots or a civil war between the wealthy and the poor
• We live under the threat of losing our FREEDOMS

There is a saying that goes something like this:  WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE GOT UNTIL IT IS GONE...

Some of us who reach middle age then become senior citizens, then retire know perfectly well what LOSING OUR YOUTH feels like and for many of us it is not much fun to grow old.

Many of us are deep into debt while others are debt free; the latter being a better place to be than the former.  But we desperately what to give others the impression that we are financially well off.

Some of us have planned for our retirement while many of us have not and when it comes time to retire, we simply do not have to money to pay our bills, so we either keep working or severely change our lifestyle.

There are also those who have the resources to retire but refuse to do so because they want to see how money they can make before they retire.  A few years after you pass away, no one remembers what you did or what it was that you left behind by which to be remembered.

Somewhat Political

 

Scientists create a "time crystal" using giant atoms, a concept long thought to be impossible

 

In 2012, Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek asked whether the symmetry that arranges atoms in an ordinary crystal might also break in time, producing a structure that beats forever at its own pace.

More than a decade later, researchers at Tsinghua University, working with theorists from Vienna University of Technology, have watched rubidium vapor settle into just such a rhythm and report their findings.

Prof Thomas Pohl of the Institute of Theoretical Physics at TU Wien, a co‑author of the new paper, says the result brings Wilczek’s vision “very close to reality.”

How a time crystals differ
A time crystal repeats itself in time rather than in space, breaking the uniformity of the clock the way a snowflake breaks the uniformity of a lake.

The persistence of this rhythm, called spontaneous symmetry breaking, means the pattern survives even when no one is forcing it.

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Multiple countries airdropped food into Gaza this weekend. Israel parachuted some aid into Gaza on Saturday, followed by Jordan and the UAE on Sunday, as international reports of malnutrition and starvation in the territory drew condemnation globally. The Israel Defense Forces said it would implement “tactical pauses” daily in three areas with large populations to “increase the scale of humanitarian aid,” beginning yesterday and continuing until further notice. The pause also allowed additional aid trucks to deliver supplies, but the UN warned more must be done to “stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis.” The World Health Organization reported that of the 74 malnutrition-related deaths recorded in Gaza this year, 63 occurred this month.

Citigroup unveils Strata Elite credit card with $595 annual fee. And no, it doesn’t seem to be named for how expensive it is. Instead, it’s a premium card designed to rival the high-end offerings of JPMorgan, like its Sapphire Reserve card, and American Express. Citigroup says that the annual fee can provide cardholders with $1,500 in value if they take advantage of all offers, including the bank’s best points returns on travel and dining at peak times. It also comes with American Airlines perks, like lounge passes. The rewards credit card market was worth an estimated $1.2 trillion last year, according to Verified Market Reports.

Fantastic Four breaks $100 million at box office, and a Marvel curse. The Fantastic Four: First Steps brought in $118 million in North America and another $100 million internationally, good for Marvel’s biggest opening weekend since last summer’s Deadpool & Wolverine. Earlier this year, the studio released Captain America: Brave New World, which got an underwhelming reception, and Thunderbolts, which was just whelming. What do audiences love about The Fantastic Four? Maybe it’s Pedro Pascal, who stars as Mister Fantastic, or maybe it’s because it’s a “no-homework-required movie,” as Marvel Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige called it at a publicity event. He elaborated, “It literally is not connected to anything we’ve made before.”—HVL

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Robert Reich

Coming Up Short
A Memoir of My America. Out next week, August 5.






Friends,

As you may know, I’m very short. I’ve always been very short. I never got taller than 4 feet 11 inches. (And for the last few years I’ve been shrinking.)

I came up short. As, in many ways, has America. If you needed proof, look no further than Trump.

I’ve written a memoir of my life and times entitled Coming Up Short. It will be out next Tuesday, August 5.

The reason I wrote this book is to share what I’ve learned about stopping bullies, at a time in American history when we’re dealing with an authoritarian bully who has encouraged bullying throughout the nation and the world.

In the book I wrestle with being bullied as a kid.

READ MORE...

At A Glance

Ranking the US' fittest cities.

... and see 31 of the US' most beautiful towns.

Researchers work to resurrect 2,000-year-old earthquake sensor.

See 85-year-old woman's cover of "Landslide."

Woman tries to sneak turtles through airport security.

See national flags made from countries' iconic cuisines.

The first AI model to appear in Vogue magazine.

Men team up to pop 10 balloons in 7.5 seconds.

Clickbait: Astronomer ad is in on the joke.

I Tried World's Healthiest Diet For A Week

Quick Clips

 

In The NEWS

What is memory?
Memory is how the brain takes information captured by our senses and turns it into experiences that can be stored and remembered in the future.

Instead of a perfect recording system, the brain selects a subset of sensory data for processing in short-term memory before storing it in long-term memory for future recall. This means remembering creates incomplete reconstructions of knowledge.

Remembering a long-term memory requires a retrieval cue—a stimulus for a neuron within the memory's engram. Once triggered, neurons in the network activate, and the stored sensory details reconstruct the experience in short-term memory.

... Read our full explainer on memory here.

Also, check out ...
>The doorway effect is when people forget their task in a new space. (More)
> Core memories are a popularized version of autobiographical memories. (More)
> Photographic memory isn’t real, but other rare memory types do exist. (More)


The origins of pro wrestling
Professional wrestling is a story-driven form of wrestling that entertains audiences through precise techniques, demanding athleticism, and theatrical melodrama.

Professional wrestling matches are scripted, or, to use the industry’s term, “worked.” Despite that fact, performers are expected to maintain the illusion of the fictional narrative—or “kayfabe”—by remaining in character. (View a guide to the language of professional wrestling here.)

It’s common knowledge that professional wrestling is scripted, yet wrestling fans keep watching. Similar to people who attend the opera, they suspend their disbelief to enjoy the performances.

... Read our full overview on pro wrestling here.

Also, check out...
> An oral history of the inaugural WrestleMania. (More)
> Why one French philosopher loved pro wrestling. (More)
> How meta-narratives drive pro wrestling. (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Who's in Charge

 

When my wife and I were working (ten years ago), we put out paychecks into the same checking account and put our bank accounts in the same family bank account when we got married and have lived like that ever since.

My wife worked in banking, so she writes all the checks, pays all the bills, manages the flow of money in and out of the bank, and balances the check book.  She volunteered to do this.

When we go to buy a house or a car or take a vacation, she volunteers to do all the research however, she demands that I review her research and that we make all those decisions together.

She takes care of inside the house, I take care of outside the house, and whenever we go somewhere together, I drive the car.  I the trip is over four hours; she drives for an hour to give me a break.

When we retired, she said she was no longer cooking meals for us, that we would both cook meals for ourselves which we have done for the last ten years, except for Thanksgiving Dinner.

She buys all my clothes because she says that my color matches are all wrong.  I try on no clothes in the store.  We or she brings everything home and if it does not fit or look right, she returns it and gets a larger size or finds something else.

We do all grocery shopping together except in rare situations, when one of us is out and we need something and send out a text.

Some call this a FEMALE LED MARRIAGE, some may think that my wife is in charge, and I am the submissive in the relationship, but I do not feel like that, and she does not feel like she is in charge.  Our arrangement works for us and that is all that matters.

Somewhat Political

 

Scientists Discovered a New Human Species That Defies Conventional Wisdom

Although only one species of hominin (a tribe of the subfamily Homininae) exists on the planet today—good ole Homo sapiens—the human family, throughout more geologically-recent Earth history, was comprised of a complex tableaux of members. And over the years, scientists have tried to get a clearer picture of that prehistoric story by excavating ancient human sites around the world.

Now, anthropologists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Hawai’i are illustrating a previously unknown—or, rather, uncategorized—chapter of that story with the introduction of a new human species, H. juluensis. The researchers published the details of this new species in the journals Nature Communications and PaleoAnthropology.

READ MORE...

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Freebird - 7/2/1977 - Oakland Coliseum Stadium (Official)

The Gift that keeps Giving