LyrArc Article Gist
Eli Lilly is trying new methods to reduce time for developing new drugs for cancer and diabetes. One method is to complete trials for testing dosage and efficacy simultaneously saving 14 months. Two of 5 research units are focussed on cancer and diabetes and all departments turning molecules into medicine are located together. On Oct 23, 2011, the patent for $5 billion revenue schizophrenia pill Zyprexa expires.

LyrArc Article Gist
Dr. Michiaki Takahashi of Osaka, Japan, who developed the chickenpox vaccine in 1972. He decided to do research on a vaccine for chicken pox after his son contracted chickenpox in 1964 and barely survived. At the time he was at Baylor Medical College in Houston. The U.S. alone has about 4 million chickenpox cases a year. This vaccine is now used all over the world.

LyrArc Article Gist
Much of the economic debate by economists in the US takes place separated by walls from the reality of huge inequalities in the country such as half of retirees having zero savings, the cost of living surge, job insecurity, and two third of children in 4th grade no able to pass the ACT test for reading comprehension. Here economists at the US Fed are cited in a discussion about ultra low interest rates that hurt savers and in particular retirees who number 57 million. Ultra low interest rates lead to wasteful use of capital and misallocation of capital in the US, and were largely a result of the effort to correct for the mistakes of the financial industry causing the crisis of 2009. The US was the leading economy in th world and the standards of living in the US were higher during the post war period 1950-1990 that covered the Kennedy-LBJ, Reagan administrations when inflation was accepted at 4% and interest rates were for the most part around 5-8% on average. As Krugman points in a recent NYT column in August 2023 Fed research has been wrong in estimating the right inflation rate for the economy. The best rate for the economy requires knowledge of and careful judgement about the situation of different parts of the American population, of workers and families that are struggling with the cost of living, and half of retirees with no savings. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
When Daniel Henninger of WSJ Editorial Board says in the adjoining article/video that to get anything done with something like the current split Congress a newly elected Republican president would have to operate by executive orders and could get little done, he is referring to the stalled Ukraine aid legislation in the US Congress after passage 70-20 by bipartisan vote in the US Senate. Legislation is stalled in the 2022 newly elected US House of Representatives with a group of Republican Congressmen called the Freedom Caucus seeking to block all legislation if it does not get its way. The now famous line "dead on arrival" line of Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana for legislation passed in the Senate for Ukraine aid. Pew Research looks at the change in the House and explains. It says about 49 members of Congress are part of or aligned to this group. About 71% or 35 of 49 members have less than six years of experience which includes 9 freshmen, compared to 58% or 100 of 173 Congressmen of all other Republican members of Congress. And two thirds of Freedom Caucus are from the South compared to 46% of all other Republicans in Congress. It is striking that only three are from states such as Wisconsin, Illinois and Pennsylvania or a mere 6% for Northeast and Midwest.  ...

LyrArc Article Gist
The Genbaku Dome shown here was the only structure left standing after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.  It is shown here on the UNESCO Heritage site. We show this on the day of the Nolan movie "Oppenheimer" at Oscars that shows the life of the scientist who headed the Los Alamos laboratory that invented the first atomic bomb, yet does not show the effects on the people of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. As recently as May 2023 prime minister Kishida of Japan had the G7 meeting in Hiroshima Japan, where he is from. He wanted people to see the Peace Memorial in the city and its new exhibition. NHK television Japan showed a documentary of the exhibition of the people who survived the bombing on that day, their lives on that day of those who died and those who survived the bombing including children, what they were doing at that very moment. G7 leaders visited the exhibition. Having seen that NHK documentary of the black and white pictures of the exhibits only 8 months back, one could say the winning of awards by Nolan's "Oppenheimer" without showing the Genbaku Dome and some of the exhibits from the museum leaves the story incomplete in missing the consequences of the research in the desert in New Mexico in 1944. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
DOGE's Musk led effort puts important work of savings  to make the dollars be spent wisely and prudently, at risk from the style of Elon Musk. Pew Research found earlier in February that 57% of people had "unfavorable" views of Musk, and 37% had "very unfavorable" views of Musk. Musk's style is prone to publicity and showmanship compared to the need for hard patient work needed over many months and years to root out corruption and waste. Lyrarc draws a parallel between DJT efforts to cut waste and fraud, unnecessary spending in 2025 after trillions of dollars in Biden approved spending, with the efforts in 1941 of the Truman Committee to keep a wary eye for waste and fraud in the billions of dollars of wartime spending. The major difference is that the Truman Committee had the support across the aisle from all Americans and Congress and it involved hard patient work 1944-46 under Senator Mead of New York. 1946-47 under Kilgore from Wisconsin, 1947-1948 under Brewster a Republican from Maine, for the better part of a decade. Truman Committee set up the War Production Board and cut waste and corruption. In 1948 Truman Committee was made permanent as the Subcommittee for Investigation into Governmental Affairs. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
PC shipments in China of 18.5 million units in the second quarter of 2011 exceed U.S. shipments of 17.7 million, according to research firm IDC. IDC estimates China's PC shipments in 2012 at 85.1 million units, and U.S. PC shipments at 76.6 million. Lenovo has grown rapidly in China and now has 12.2% of the global PC market. Lenovo has a larger market share in China than H-P or Dell.

LyrArc Article Gist
The rapidly changing situation in energy is shown by the $15 billion German government rescue of Uniper, which contains the legacy fossil fuel assets of Germany's E.ON electricity maker. The war in Ukraine has made energy security a priority, leaving fossil fuel assets at risk of getting stranded. This is what happened at Uniper as Germany moves quickly to develop renewable sources to replace Russian fossil fuels. Clean energy investment is increasing rapidly as many green energy options are cost effective. Two thirds of electricity is generated in countries where it is cheaper to build new solar or onshore wind facilities than to run existing gas or coal powered facilities. Offshore wind with newer technologies will soon be cheaper also. Higher fuel and emissions prices, the cost of running older facilities in extreme weather, also increase risk of stranded assets.   To understand how quickly the situation is changing and can lead to stranded assets - solar energy is now half the cost of energy from coal or natural gas at today's prices as shown in the graphs in this WSJ article. Large investment in research and new technology will only decrease the cost of solar and wind energy to 2025 and 2030, increasing the investments in renewable energy and speeding up the curve for transition to renewable sources, with the added impetus of government support to achieve COP26 targets. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
The Indian Express looks at a draft of the National Curriculum Framework of India, which modifies the current system of rote learning and separation of the sciences and engineering from the humanities and liberal arts subjects. The current system leaves the students at secondary level lacking the foundational skills for a modern economy. NCF tries to address this. In line with the multidisciplinary approach taken by the National Education Policy (NEP) for India in 2020, the NCF encourages students to develop multidisciplinary thinking skills by mixing arts subjects and humanities with science subjects and math. The NCF proposal is to assess students in grades 10 through 12 over 4 years and not one board exam every year. This fits in with NEP's vision for a 'holistic" education.  The NEP "envisions a reenergizing and complete overhaul of the higher education system including moving towards a more multidisciplinary undergraduate education." The NCF takes this to the school level. Indian Express points out that combating climate change for instance requires a knowledge of science and manufacturing, but also of politics, sociology, economics, and other disciplines. The significance of humanities in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is shown by many research papers, says this editorial.  To avoid rote studies and memorization instead of critical thinking skills, the NCF sees room for play, activity, discovery and discussion based learning. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
As steel making capacity appears to be increasingly out of control in China in 2012-2015, trade actions to limit steel imports from China in other countries is growing. Huge excess capacity in steel, cement, glass, wind turbines and solar panels, is leading to China becoming the targe of global trade sanctions for 75% of the trade sanctions cases since 2009, according to research group Global Trade Alert.

LyrArc Article Gist
As she speaks at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Harris speaks on innovation as the Spirit of America as it revives the Spirit of America to rebuild the Nation.

“There’s an old saying that the best way to predict the future is to invent it,”

“That is the story of the steel city – the city that helped build the middle class, birth America’s labor movement, empower the rise of American manufacturing; and the city where Allen Newell and Herbert Simon launched the first AI research hub at Carnegie Mellon.”

LyrArc Article Gist
Set a big goal, achieve it and set an even bigger goal- this is the way the PM is setting out to tackle the challenge of Vikshit or Developed Bharat by 2047. 2024 is next step followed by plan to 2030. PM Modi highlights important aspects of the Budget in his comments on the Indian Budget for 2024. The detailed Budget will come after a new government is formed. This provides an outline of the government's key priorities and investment in priorities. The focus is on the youth the next generation for opportunities, the farmers, the poor and the middle class. Investment will increase by 11% in 2024 over the prior year with expenditures of 1.1 million crores. Targets are set for delivering in housing from 40 million houses delivered to add 20 million more houses, for women setting up small business from 20 million lakhpatis to add 10 million more lakhpatis.  For the youth research and innovation budget capital allocation of $1 billion. Manufacturing of 40,000 railway bogies or railcars for the new Vande Bharat trains. Roof Top Solar campaign will give 10 million families free electricity as well as income of Rs 18,000 to sell surplus energy to the electric grid. Income tax remission for 10 million families. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
This Editorial Board opinion in the WSJ says Guantanamo Bay detention was an option, yet there were controversies about Guantanamo Bay and rulings by different judges. Pew Research shows 85% of the US public supports action to free US neighborhoods of illegal gangs and crime in 2025. 

Action was not taken by the judicial system or Congress, or the importance needed by the press over a decade as this problem surged under different administrations since the Obama administration. And it was not given the absolute priority needed. This left the DJT administration to come up with solutions in very little time.

LyrArc Article Gist
Lyrarc.com's Movement for Global Literacy and its knowledge site open to all has major relevance for today. That 30% of Americans read zero books is a clear warning sign for Democracy in the idea of "We the People," and the Economy benefitting all, in the US. The use of libraries follows political, income and demographic patterns is shown in a You Gov poll research. There is a gap of 10% between the 30% library use at incomes over $100,000 vs 20% at incomes below $50,000. The gap widens with political inclination to 13% when party preference is considered with 30% Democratic and 17% Republican- not a good state of affairs for the Nation.  In general the top 50% of the population gets to libraries split evenly between frequent and less frequent users. The bottom 50% with rarely using or no use at all. This is the crux of the problem- literacy of all kinds should correlate with the use of libraries and books and digital use.  Digital use happens with iPads and laptops searching Wikipedia and knowledge sites such as Lyrarc.com outside of libraries, and this is part of the picture. What library use gives is not a full picture yet one with these wide variations an indication of how the political life of the Nation should be turned in constructive ways for broad based participation in a knowledge society. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Shinichi Sasaki, Toyota Executive Vice President in charge of Quality, the chief Quality officer at Toyota, explained at a press conference that Toyota has a good handle on individual components quality but not enough on the quality of components as they interact in environmental conditions inside the car. Moisture could collect on gas pedals inside the car in certain environmental conditions and cause the car pedal to get depressed and stick. There is a lack of research he said on how how accelerator pedal systems were affected by certain climate conditions and how moisture could collect inside the pedals and cause overacceleration. This caused one of the 2 recalls made by Toyota recently. Total recalls worldwide for faulty pedals and floor mats is now around 8.1 millon units. Mr Sasaki said that Toyota's research has shown that the gas pedal's electronics were not at fault. The fix Toyota has come up with is to ship a part , a shim, a small piece of metal which when inserted into the gas pedal assembly will prevent it from being stuck in a depressed position. Sasaki fears a global hit to Toyota sales especially in the U.S. market....

LyrArc Article Gist
Signs that the SUV based model for running car companies is cracking. A study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute estimates that profits from large and midsize SUV's for GM, Ford and Daimler Chrysler dropped 40% or $7 billion from 2001 to the end of 2004. These figures track a steady decline in profits from SUV's, as incentives are used to promote sales of SUV's, lowering the whole profit structure a big notch downwards. In 2001, this study found that the per vehicle profit was about $9500. In 2005 thanks to big discounts the margin on SUV's is about $6300. On midsize SUV's like the Ford Explorer or the Chevy TrailBlazer, margins are down even more to $4100 from $7200. Responding to this study GM looks at it differently, it sees declining sales as the main culprit not the margins. Its thinking goes like this- as long as we can keep sales up we can cover our fixed costs including costs to retirees which make up a big part of the picture And it looks at the variable profits which it finds to be much higher than the numbers put out by the Transportation Research Institute. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Pew Research Center analysis of Biden's 2020 victory shows which groups played the big part in Biden's win. First time voters in 2018, 6% of total voters, mostly younger voters gave Biden a 26% margin over Trump. Other parts of the electorate that shifted in 2020 are Independents and Moderates who shifted to Biden. Catholics also shifted to Biden. Substantial leads in these voting blocs made the difference for Biden. In Arizona with Latinos, and Pennsylvania with the black population Biden did better than in the overall US electorate. In 2024 these same blocs are likely to play a key part. President Biden's visit to Ireland was well planned, his appeal to Irish roots genuinely felt and the connection made. His appeal to manufacturing workers is now based on accomplished results in fighting for worker's rights from teachers to railroad workers. Biden launched his campaign in front of a union audience, saying he saw things from the perspective of Scranton, and the working people he grew up with. In 2016 third party candidates got 6% of the vote, in 2020 only 2%. Of these voters Biden gained a 25% margin over Trump. Biden split the men's vote with Trump in 2020, compared to Trump's 11 point lead in 2016. Biden also maintained the share of women's votes of 54%  in the 2020 election. In 2024 the abortion issue is a significant factor for women. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri says-

"We intend to be able to cooperate in co-designing the reactors, co-developing them and co-producing them, we feel this will allow us to tackle complications faced in other conventional projects," he said. This approach to build smaller modular reactors because it comes with less cost and which can be reassembled at the usage site is a new field. 

India is putting $1.2 billion in nuclear research.

India sets goal for 100GW of nuclear energy 2047.

Five Indian built nuclear reactors by 2033.

LyrArc Article Gist
About 29% of businesses support the iPhone, up from none in 2007 and 17% in 2009 according to Forrester Research. Even though 70% still support the Blackberry, the iPhone is getting the support of employees who ask for iPhones, even if that means they pay for all or part of it on their own. AT&T's CEO Randall Stephenson, says about 40% of its iPhones are sold to companies or individuals with corporate discounts.

LyrArc Article Gist
The Director General of the National Council of Applied Economic Research in India, Suman Bery, says that of all the countries in the G-20, India is least dependent on export led growth. This is why India gains from a reactivation of the American economy. This view was expressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during President Obama's visit to India. Singh supported the Fed's move to purchase $600 billion in Treasury securities.

LyrArc Article Gist
Since the last landing of a man on the moon in 1972, not much has happened. China recently made 3 lunar landings and Israel failed in its recent Beersheba module effort. India is trying a second time with Chandrayan 2 to make the soft landing in the last critical 15 minutes on the lunar surface without any problems.    The Indian space program has the potential to build up the global research and knowledge about our planet.  Factors unique to India's space program are its development of its own rockets, similar to China's. The multipurpose satellite system services a number of users- telecommunications, TV broadcasting, meteorology, disaster warning, land and water management, ocean studies, drought and flood forecasting. The fleet of satellites IRS (Indian Remote Sensing Satllite Systems) will be used for teleducation, telemedicine, and other new uses. The NAViC navigation Constellation System acts as India's own GPS reducing the need to rely on U.S. based GPS. Other aspects of India' space program are the effort to explore new planets with the Mars Orbiter Mission MARS , with a module reaching Martian orbit in 2014. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
The big difference between the US at about 1.2 million electric car sales and China at over 9 million in the last year is that companies such as BYD have found away to come up new battery technology that uses different more accessible materials. BYD's research into new batteries came up with a iron phosphate battery as shown on articles on BYD in 2024 to substitute for less available lithium and cobalt. On one of its models BYD is offering a price of $11000. This attracts a different kind of buyer than what American makers are reaching. Another plus for BYD is that while sales are stalling in the US because of battery range and lack of charging station access, BYD also sells a large number of hybrid electric cars that help urban dwellers go back to their homes in the countryside. BYD also manufactures two thirds of its parts internally producing needed savings. China is also pushing electric cars with government subsidies and government is working hand in hand with industry in a concerted effort for two decades. Compare that with US where the Biden administration was the first to start changing the way the US does business to put government industry cooperation and working together at the heart of the way of doing things. The US could learn from other nations and adapt its own industrial and modernization efforts in the world after the pandemic and as supply chains are being renewed and restructured. Every nation can learn from its peers. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Slowing car sales are expected for Detroit auto manufacturers as Japanese sales recover after the tsunami and earthquake. A major reason for higher sales was pentup demand. Sales reached an annualized 14 million level for 2012. Research firm Polk says the average time a new car was owned went up to 71.4 months, and used cars 49.9 months, in Feb 2012. This is 23% above the level of the third quarter of 2008.

LyrArc Article Gist
New data from Pew Research Center in Dec. 2013 shows 89% of Hispanics support a legal path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. But when asked to choose between relief from deportation and path to citizenship, a majority 55% of respondents chose relief from deportation, compared to 35% preferring a path to citizenship. This shows the extent to which the Obama administration's efforts in deportation have affected the Hispanic community in the U.S.

LyrArc Article Gist
Remote learning has not fared well during the pandemic in the U.S. as seen by teachers, administrators and students. It may surprise one to know that 20-25% of the homes of students in most southern states in the U.S. including Texas, the west including California, New York in the east, and Illinois in the midwest do not have a relaible internet connection.  Remote learning was used with the idea that young people are tech savy. Not so say experts because being a digital learner is not the same as being a digital consumer. The self discipline of digital learning is not the same as what goes into games and other stuff on the internet for young people. Teachers say they cannot be sensitive to students the way they are in a live class and detect when some students are falling behind. Many students did not turn up online, and homework was not done regularly. As a result preliminary research shows the 50 million students in this experiment in the U.S. will return to school in the fall with roughly 70% gain in reading compared to a typical school year and less than 50% for math (NWEA, Oregon). ...