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Exxon to invest $600 million in producing liquird transportation fuels from algae- organisms in water called oilgae. Its a research effort that will take 5-10 years to bring results with large scale commercial production. The project will be conducted in partnership with Synthetic Genomics, abiotechnology companyfounded by genomics pioneer Craig Venter. Algae generated energy is apromising technology which yields 2000 gallons of fuel per acre of production each year compared with 650 gallons for palm trees, and 450 gallons for sugarcanes which Brazil uses for producing energy. Corn which has become controversial in recent years yields 250 gallons per acre with energy, and water supplies required to grow corn, and the impact on food supplies. Exxon is also showing support for the work of Dr. Venter, ascientist who is known for decoding the hman genome in the 1990's. In recent years he has done research in searching for micro-organisms that can be turned into fuel. Algal biofuel called oilgae by environmentalists is made from algae that have molecular structures that are similiar to petroleum products like gasoline, and is compatible with the existing transportation structure....

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When planning for retirement look at the combined probability of both spouses of living an extra 10, 20, or 30 years after 65 years of age. The combined probability could be 18% of living an extra 30 years says this expert when you look at the combined probability that one or the other spouse would outlive the other and need to depend on retirement savings. Take all these scenarios into account, and working an extra year or two even 6 months can make a difference for a sound retirement, says this expert.

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Elon Musk of Tesla says the number of fake and spam accounts is "wildly higher" than the 5% that Twitter says. He wants to terminate the agreement with Twitter on grounds that Twitter made "materially inaccurate  representations." Twitter is planning to file a lawsuit to compel Mr. Musk to keep the agreement. 

Mr. Musk's Tesla Motors lost a third of its value during the period of the agreement. The slow growth in the US economy and in China presents problems for Tesla.

Mr. Musk's statement about social media as the future of civilization is more evidence of the kind of statements that are thrown around these days with a complete misconception of what civilization, health, moral wellbeing, even common sense are about.
 

 

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Presidential centers reflecting 100 years of history echo Mr. Biden's call about the struggle for the soul of America that was made in Philadelphia at Independence Hall only recently. It includes the presidential centers of the following presidents

FDR and Truman, LBJ and Kennedy, Reagan, except for Eisenhower's all of the most respected presidents of this century. If there was a presidential center for Lincoln one would think it would have also made the call that Mr. Biden has made. Economic democracy has to be part of this which Mr. Biden is implementing with his programs and working for the dignity and respect for America's workers and their families. This is reshaping America in 2023 and into the future. Germany is also following the same path- "dignity" pf workers and families uppermost for president Scholz.

 

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Would a generic Democrat do better? Mr. Biden's weakness is with less engaged voters says this analysis of a Times Siena poll showing less support in battleground states. One queer aspect of this poll is that Kamala Harris does slightly better because she does better with non white voters. Mr. Biden does well with white voters retaining all of his support achieved in the 2020 election with white voters. Another queer aspect of this poll is that a so called generic Democrat would win by large margins of over 5% in most of the battleground states over Mr. Trump, in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Another queer aspect of the poll is that Michigan has all three- the Governor's position, the State Assembly and other positions in the hands of Democrats who have performed well in the state.

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Typical of so much of what is written about the World Health Organization and its role in the pandemic, this podcast in the WSJ fails to quickly convey the critical function of the WHO as an early warning system the world has depended on, including China. The H1N1 epidemic originated in Mexico. Asian countries including China and India depended on very quick response from the country where the epidemic originated  in allowing entry into the affected area for experts from advanced countries such as the U.S. The global response was then coordinated across countries quickly with complete transparency. The head of China's CDC himself faced a problem with transparency with the provincial authorites in Wuhan. 1.    Fundamentally this quick entry was denied the U.S. Request by U.S. to China was made on Jan. 6 for U.S. team to go to Wuhan, quick permission was denied and given only about 6 weeks later on Feb 16. This delay is the crux of the problem for the U.S.. Taiwan confirmed human to human transmission on Jan. 1, the WHO was saying this was not clear as late as Jan. 14. These costly delays are what the U.S.  letter is about.  The head of the CDC China Gao Fu called Dr. Redfield head of CDC in the U.S. on the next day after he suspected Wuhan provincial authorites were vague about what was happening. Gao Fu was alarmed when scanning the internet on December 30, 2019, about rumors of a vaguely worded lung disease in internal memos of Wuhan. He called Wuhan authorites and was not getting clear answers on that day, then deciding on December 31 to send his own team to Wuhan, as reported in German magazine Der Spiegel- Hackenbroch, Zand, 05/20/2020.  Der Spiegel says in its special report on the early period in Wuhan that Gao Fu was so alarmed about what was happening enough to be in tears in his series of calls with Dr. Redfield in the immediate days that followed. The date was shortly after the GAO Fu sent the team to Wuhan, December 31 and New Years Day 2020, as reported in Der Spiegel. See the link to Lyrarc gist of Der Spiegel's "A Failed Deception: The Early Days of the Coronavirus in Wuhan."  2.  President Trump points out the standards of the WHO- in the concluding point of his letter to WHO- when a three time prime minister of Norway, Gro Brundtland was head of the WHO during the SARS crisis of 2003. She acted quickly and decisively and no time was lost. It is this failure of the early warning system under the new president of the WHO after 2017 Dr. Tedros that alarms the U.S.  with about 100,000 deaths.  3.  This failure it can now be said was partly a result of a election in 2017 for the position of WHO president which was flawed. This was the first time a WHO head, an important position was put up for an election. The Executive Board was responsible for this appointment since the founding of the WHO as part of the UN, based in Geneva, Switzerland, after World War II. This system worked. The election was clearly a bad process for appointing the president of the WHO which should be done entirely on the capabilities of the person holding this position not on a flawed voting process. It is flawed because India and Bangladesh hit by a cyclone during the coronavirus have suffered greatly, as have other countries, but had only 2 votes for 1.5 billion people, when Barbados (385,000 population) and Laos (7 million) which had less than one  hundredth the population had the same number of votes. The U.S. had one vote. The election resulted in lobbying and a process in which many candidates stayed away because they simply would not go through such a process. The position was too important to the world- most of the advanced countries had forgotten about the danger of epidemics to let this happen by 2017, as shown in the way the austerity years led to cancellation of the preparations for pandemic in France and Britain. The austerity years and neglect of public health during these tech boom years in the western world made it possible for this to happen. 3.   Along with the 1 month ultimatum action is already being taken to restore the effectiveness of the importance of the Executive Board. The head of the health ministry in India, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, has been appointed the new chairman of the Executive Board on May 22. This restores the voice of billions of people in Asia in the process, and brings the major countries with the greatest risk in a pandemic into the decision process for tackling the pandemic, this includes the rest of the world.     ...

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Sixty four years ago president Kennedy accepted the nomination of his party with these words in Los Angeles on July 15, 1960- "But I think the American people expect more from us than cries of indignation and attack. The times are too grave, the challenge too urgent, and the stakes too high--to permit the customary passions of political debate. We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through that darkness to a safe and sane future. As Winston Churchill said on taking office some twenty years ago: if we open a quarrel between the present and the past, we shall be in danger of losing the future.  Today our concern must be with that future. For the world is changing. The old era is ending. The old ways will not do.  Abroad, the balance of power is shifting. There are new and more terrible weapons--new and uncertain nations--new pressures of population and deprivation. One-third of the world, it has been said, may be free- -but one-third is the victim of cruel repression--and the other one- third is rocked by the pangs of poverty, hunger and envy. More energy is released by the awakening of these new nations than by the fission of the atom itself."       ...

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Starmer says he would not bring in lower environmental or food standards than the EU or reduce worker's rights. He was speaking at a meeting in Canada bringing together liberal and centre left politicians. He said "most of the conflict" after Brexit has arisen because the UK wants to "do things different from our EU partners." And he added "We don't want to diverge, we don't want to lower standards, we don't want to rip up environmental standards, standards that work, food standards and all the rest of it" He was responding at a Q&A in Montreal.

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Of the 104 deportees on the C-17 military aircraft to Amritsar in the Punjab state one third are from Punjab, another one third from Haryana, and one third from Gujarat. India's rapid development towards Vikshit Bharat 2047 means it does not support such illegal migration. The adjoining article in Times of India reports that job scarcity is not the reason- more about governance or social security or a better life. Of the 82 comments on this article in India all do not favor such illegal migration. Indian attitudes in general are in favor only of legal migration and with rapid industrial development of attracting people back to India to develop the nation.

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DJT MAGA factions in general support action in Venezuela and in Western Hemisphere for Monroe Doctrine, this includes J.D. Vance, Steve Bannon and Hispanic supporters from Cuba and Latin America in Florida. They support action to bring drug traffickers to justice in the Western Hemisphere. Essentially supporting the Monroe Doctrine that no colonial European or other foreign powers should interfere in the running of Latin America in the western democratic tradition set by Britain and the United States, and now popular throughout Asia and Latin America and Africa. The government in Venezuela say Canada and Britain is illegitimate and lost the 2024 election by a huge margin 30% or lower to 67% for the opposition under Machado and Gonzalez. And the drug trafficking by Maduro and his associates against the US is an offence that can be tried in US courts, is something Republicans support, and has general support in America. Worse drug trafficking to the European Union constitutes something the Europeans should be worried about because of its growing scale and damage to Europe. ...

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Wilders party in Netherlands once with one fourth of vote now only fourth largest in parliament after 7 members defect Feb 2026 because of the autocratic nature of Wilders control of his Party for Freedom (PVV). It has roiled Dutch politics when Wilders withdrew his support and Rutte government lasted 2 years. A new coalition with Wilders joining the government of Rutte's successor also has collapsed quickly. In the 2025 elections the New Social Contract Party which campaigned for good governance as part of that coalition was wiped out and Wilders did not do as well as he expected losing 11 seats to end up with 26 seats in parliament of 150 seats and 16% of the vote surpassed by a new centre left party D66 with 26 seats and 17% of the vote. What Wilders has accomplished is the sense that all parties now accept that there is a Dutch way of life and immigrants do not just fit into it, that integration is only a concept that does not work in real life.

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Microsoft will be taking a $1.2 billion charge to earnings related to severance costs for 10,000 layoffs, as it prepares to do with fewer workers in a slowing economy. Tech took a larger part of US investments than warranted leaving public investments in infrastructure unfunded or underfunded. This is reversing as the US makes a push in infrastructure spending and in new factory investments in manufacturing.

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Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman answers questions about India's 20 lakh crore or $280 billion aid package in this interview in the Hindustan Times. She says Mr. Modi's foresight in setting up the various people aid schemes including bank accounts for all citizens have helped the government send direct help to farmers and workers. She sees a multiplier effect of the aid package.

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Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is pushing for a large pandemic stimulus package to ensure the recovery of ordinary Americans after suffering through this pandemic. Yellensays: "We need to make sure that people aren't going hungry in America, that they can put food on the table, that they're not losing their homes and ending up out on the street because of evictions. We really need to address those forms of suffering, and I think we should'nt compromise on it." Mr. Biden has a $1.9 trillion stimulus package for the pandemic related recovery to relieve suffering people and businesses. Yellen and Biden feel it is really important to do this immediately. A recent picture in the NYT shows Stephen Schwarzmann of American finance with Mr. Trump showing him as one who stuck with Mr. Trump to the end. Much of this play as Shakespeare calls it, is the result of Democrats of the old tradition like Yellen trained by economists from the New Deal and Johnson era, who have not walked the talk and forgotten the suffering of American workers. Yellen held a Conference on Equality at a branch of the Federal Reserve during her time at the Fed, used strong language about the neglect of American workers but did little under the Clinton or Obama administration about the underlying structures of tech and shift of American jobs overseas that led to the destruction of America's manufacturing. Today they are faced with the picture of food insecurity in American homes once a situation that afflicted China and India. ...

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The need for a global response to a global problems not a lot of local solutions is the subject of this article by Dr. Larry Brilliant, who for 7 years 1973-80 worked with the World Health Organization to eradicate smallpox globally. 1. Action for a global response-The WHO can act as the vehicle for action globally-  restructure it and empower it to do the job. Put the right people in place who have the confidence globally. Set a new pandemic treaty and put it in place. 2.  Get a more advanced version of the mRNA vaccine which does not need a cold chain. India is reportedly working on one. Put funds and people in place for vaccine drives in poor countries.  Other action needed is learning from the situation in South Africa where the HIV patients are reported by Stephanie Nolan in NYT to have been more susceptible to mutations of the new variant. How can resources be put in place in poor countries so that patients in vulnerable populations get their medicines regularly, and are vaccinated. Overall how can these populations have the vaccine supplies needed- including ones without cold chain suggested by Larry Brilliant, potentially through vaccine work in India. Can international teams be developed with developed countries in Europe and US financing the effort and India offering its manpower and knowhow?   ...

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How third party candidates in 2016 put Trump in the White House is shown in graphs in the WSJ. Since 2000 about 2% of the vote goes to third party candidates such as Greens, Libertarian, and others, in 2016 this reached 6%. It hurt Clinton the most as the Trump lead in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin was merely 5-10% of 200,000-300,000 votes for independent candidates in Wisconsin,  in Michigan and in Pennsylvania. Hillary Clinton lacked clear focus in her campaign and her years as overseas traveling foreign minister left her out of touch with the alienation of the working class and fragmentation as Silicon valley tech and financial interests intruded into the Democratic party. This had the effect of muddying the focus on the Democrats FDR/Truman working class base and also with America's rural voters suffering from a toxic mix of problems. In 2024 the Kennedy candidacy takes as many or more votes from Mr. Trump says the WSJ. The Biden focus on workers and families gives the Democrats a clear direction along with wage gains by union labor and a resilient economy with low unemployment. This suggests that the independent candidates may not find more traction than the 2% of previous elections since 2000. ...

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Hospitals in New York City are coping better in the current wave of coronavirus variant in December 2021 as the symptoms of patients are milder and patients are going home quicker. This report covers NYU Langone, Northwell and Mt Sinai, Presbyterian  health systems. Only about 2% of healthcare workers were lost through dismissals because of the vaccine mandate at Northwell, which is the largest health system in New York City with about two dozen hospitals. About 400 covid patients turned up on Friday Dec. 17, a fraction of the 1350 last January and of the 3500 in early spring 2021. The head of integrated operations,, Dr. John D'Angelo says Northwell has enough staff to meet projected needs. Most covid patients had underlying health problems and a quarter are vaccinated up from 10-15% a month ago. Vaccinations and two years of experience make for a different picture now, though there will be challenges and I think we're going to have to think through a bit carefully, says Dr. D'Angelo. ...

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Angela Merkel finally reaches an agreement for a coalition government of the CDU, CSU and the SPD parties. Under the agreement the CDU cedes the Finance Ministry to the Social Democrats SPD party, and the Interior Ministry to the CSU which favors a stricter immigration policy. The agreement still needs the consent of the SPD party members in a vote. In addition to the Finance Ministry the Social Democrats will hold the Foreign Affairs Ministry. It means Merkel will have a fourth term as Chancellor, this time in a period roiled by immigration issues and the volatility of the Trump administration in the U.S., ensuring that Germany acts as a stabilizing force in world affairs.

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The president of the European Parliament and head of the socialist bloc in the parliament, Martin Schulz, is now headed for a comeback after losing the election to Merkel and the CDU. He will be the new Foreign Minister of Germany in a coalition agreement between the CDU of Merkel and the SPD party. After losing the election- even though polls showed him at 50% support in Feb. 2017- Schulz ruled out another coalition with Merkel's CDU which appeared to drain the SPD of energy and identity.  With the need to avoid fresh elections Schulz agreed to Merkel's overtures. He has a passion for football, and it played a part in his turning to alcoholism and missing out on graduating from high school. Yet he rebounded, running a bookstore with his sister- books were an elixir for Schulz- and becoming mayor of a small town Wurselen near Aachen in western Germany. His start in European politics came with a win for European parliament seat in 1994, rising to be president.   ...

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This exceptional report in DW.com covers a topic rarely tackled directly. How does society and the government tackle the growing problem of anorexia among young women, and the way advertising has promoted this idea through unrealistic even dangerous standards of beauty. Regulations in France prohibit underweight women being employed as models. Spain has introduced similar legislation. This is one of the many problems that are tackled on a bipartisan basis by the CDU, CSU and the SPD parties as a coalition government is formed. The head of the SPD parliamentary group, Karl Lauterbach, says this is an illness with a hgih mortality rate for women in Germany. The CSU agrees with this and new legislation is being planned to require realistic standards in advertising and in hiring of women in advertising.

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Germany's soccer coach Joachim Low spells out his strategy in the upcoming World Cup. Germany is trying to win a consecutive World Cup, a tough feat. Low says luck and outside influences can play a role, though planning will help. He describes the role of the coach in this report as a visionary, looking to the future, the contact person, special relationships with players. Kamilla Jarzina talked to Low for this interview.

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A sense in the Netherlands that the Dutch language is threatened by the increasing number of courses that are taught in universities in English. About 74% of masters degrees courses in Netherlands are taught in English. Netherlands lecturer's union BON warns of looming "linguicide" for the Dutch language. It is suing the Universities of Maastricht and Twente for anglicizing courses without a reason. Dutch is spoken by 22 million people worldwide.