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King's Speech key remarks from Keir Starmer of Labour-

Starmer: we must “turn the page on an era of politics as noisy performance and return it to public service and start the work of rebuilding our country”.

My administration is already “finding new and unexpected marks of their chaos – scars of the past 14 years, where politics was put above the national interest, and decline deep in the marrow of our institutions”.

 At the heart of his plans are lasting transformation and "taking the brakes off for growth of the British economy."

“The era of politics as performance and self-interest above service is over. The challenges we face require determined, patient work and serious solutions, rather than the temptation of the easy answer.”

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Haley and De Santis manage to get 40% of the vote in an agricultural state where farmers are a large voting bloc and tend to be evangelical. Many of these farmers voted for Mr. Trump giving him 51% of the vote in the Iowa caucuses. See the article below in the WSJ report from counties in Iowa with large evangelical vote that is shifting to Mr. Trump in the belief that he was good for rural America and that he could give Republicans a better chance for a four year term.

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One aspect of climate change is how quickly a storm develops in severity. This happened in Libya recently. It happened again on the Pacific cost of Mexico in Acapulco. Within hours a storm that was seen as Category 1 turned into a Category 5 storm, and the worst ever to hit the Pacific coast. Leaving no time to evacuate. About 80% of hotels in this tourist location were destroyed by winds at 165 mph. 200,000 homes were swept away. Damage estimated at costing $2.8 billion to restore the region.

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Automobile parts imports into the U.S. have increased from $89 billion in 2008 to $138 billion in 2014, up from only $31.7 billion in 1990. In a huge shift in wages with increasing global competition wages at an American Axle plant in Michigan at $10 an hour are about what Target stores and Wal-mart pay for retail workers. An new generation of workers in manufacturing are seeing a shift from being in the middle class during their parents generation to lower class, with this downward pressure on wages as parts are manufactured in places such as Mexico and China.

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Steven Rattner points to the decline in U.S. median household income as a result of globalization. At $7 an hour GM's Mexican auto workers are just as efficient as workers in the U.S. The result is a shift in jobs to Mexico and the two tier wage system in the U.S. auto industry, now formalized in new UAW contracts with Ford, GM and Chrysler. The UAW agrees to hire entry workers at $14 and hour. A new VW Chattanooga plant pays $14.50 an hour. Rattner points to the need to create new jobs with high intellectual content in service industries such as education, digital media, entertainment, and financial services. This requires a greater committment to education.

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Dr Spivack, associate professor, Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki, says too many entrepreneurs cross the line from workaholic to addict. After interviewing hundreds of entrepreneurs with a colleague she says they found about 15% have 3 traits of addictive behaviour for work, and about 40% had one trait which can be damaging. It is important to not let this become a revered part of our culture. Tesla's CEO Musk is not a model for the younger generation trying to get a good work life balance.

Some of these traits are obsessive thinking about the business, manic cycles of being elated or feeling down, self-worth tied to the business, becoming one dimensional, keep raising the stakes, doing things alone and in secret. The consequences of addiction are traumatic for health conditions, some are sick all the time, and some have poor marraiges and fail in relationships with children.

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In getting the support of an overwhelming majority of Senators to support Ukraine aid Mitch McConnell plays a key role. His remarks on the floor of the US Senate underscored the gravity of this moment in the Congress: "Make no mistake: Delay in providing Ukraine the weapons to defend itself has strained the prospects of defeating Russian aggression. Dithering and hesitation have compounded the challenges we face. Today’s action is overdue, but our work does not end here. Trust in American resolve is not rebuilt overnight. Expanding and restocking the arsenal of democracy doesn’t just happen by magic.” President Biden's effort will be remembered. It is similar to what happened when Harry Truman had to persuade a war weary country and the US Congress in 1948 to pass bill for aid to Greece and Turkey to prevent an imminent Communist takeover with support from the Soviet bloc. McConnell will be remembered for his action, so will Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Schumer and other Republicans, Democrats that worked hard to get a decisive vote for Ukraine aid of 79 For to 18 Against, with 15 Republicans and 3 Democrats voting against. Alabama Senator shifted to a yes vote saying most of that $61 billion of aid to Ukraine will be spent in the US to hire American workers in defense industries. A $10 billion loan provision with forgiveness included was a way to get the former president to support it. On the third try America's Congress gets it through in a decisive manner with overwhelming support. This is not unlike the efforts before, when Aid to Greece and Turkey had to be passed through Congress under president Harry Truman in 1948 with both countries facing a danger of Communist takeover supported by the Soviet bloc with only US support keeping democracy in both Greece and Turkey. Even in 1948 to a war weary country Harry Truman had to persist and get the support he did from the US Congress as president Biden did today April 23, 2024. ...

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Wages in U.S. manufacturing are declining as the U.S. regains competitivness with Mexico, China and other emerging market countries in manufacturing, through a combination of productivity from new machinery and lower wages. At the same time as this revives U.S. manufacturing this is lowering wages in manufacturing based economies in the midwest and other parts of the country. This can be seen in cities like Dayton, Ohio, where in the past good paying jobs could be found in manufacturing without a college diploma. Many of these jobs paying $15-$20 an hour are being replaced by lower paying jobs paying $10 an hour. With the cost of college education already spiralling beyond the reach of ordinary incomes, and college debt reaching $1 trillion and harder to payoff, the move to lower wages increases the probabilities that college will remain elusive to children in these families. The automated plants and lower number of workers needed to operate machinery in new and modernized plants means unemployment in manufacturing will see slow growth. This is likely to lead to continued high unemployment in cities that lag behind in college education for opportunties outside of manufacturing and in manufacturing jobs. This is also why more experts are calling for government, college and private sector support for vocational training to improve job and income opportunties....

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It is back in schools the US commitment to fitness starting in schools for all children.

“From the late 1950s until … 2013 … scholars all across our country competed against each other in the presidential fitness test, and it was a big deal. This was a wonderful tradition, and we’re bringing it back.” The president said at a ceremony bringing back the presidential test to US schools. For decades till Obama changed it, this tradition helped school children as they did 40 pushups, 10 pullups, and a 6.5 minute mile. Eisenhower, RFK, JFK all supported it passionately.

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Productivity as measured by GDP per hour worked was $44 in Italy in 2009. It has remained the same as in 1999. In the EU-15 (first 15 members of the EU) the GDP per hour worked increased from 47.9 in 1999 to 49.0 in 2009. For the U.S. this GDP in the same period went up from $56.0 to $58.0. This shows the lack of productivity growth in Italy. With the current focus on Italy's slow economic growth efforts are underway to make changes that would increase growth. GDP growth in Italy was 1.3% in 2010, compared to 1.8% for the eurozone, according to Eurostat. Italy's Minister for Public Administration Renato Brunetta says he would like to cut that gap in half. Some of the measures in the recently passed $40 billion spending cuts package, include efforts to help the underdeveloped southern region. This includes cutting red tape for real estate developers, and streamlining accounting for business. Italy's growth comes mainly from exports that make up about one fourth of GDP. But this comes from lower tech sectors such as textiles, chemicals and machinery, where it must compete with China and other countries. In May 2011 industrial output was up by 1.8% in Italy,compared to 7.5% for Germany. Another problem is the large and inefficient public sector and the gap between protected state workers and a younger generation- with one in three Italians 15-24 unemployed....

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The protest vote in Uttar Pradesh is just that a protest vote intended to get a message that the work of the Modi government to modernize and industrialize the economy needs to be accelerated to see its effects felt in rural agricultural areas of Indian states. Modi said yesterday- "If you work for ten hours I will work for 18 hours" showing that he sees the need for acceleration, even harder work ahead to modernize and industrialize India.  Disconnect with lower caste untouchable voters called Dalits and economic distress felt from the effects of the pandemic, decades of neglect that take time to correct in one of India's largest and least industrialized states Uttar Pradesh, led to prime minister Modi failing to get most of the 80 of 543 seats as it had done in three previous elections. Lower caste Dalits form 20% of the population, other lower castes another 40% of the population and 20% are Muslim voters. With this mix of voters and the time it takes to modernize and industrialize its economy in a state that was neglected for over 60 years the Modi government's best intentions have not delivered election results in the state in 2024 after the pandemic. Delivery on schemes for sanitation, clean running water, affordable housing, cooking gas for poor households, that have brought 250 million out of poverty nationally and about 40 million in Uttar Pradesh alone, was overlooked by voters, and younger voters. This does not change the path of modernization that countries such as China have taken and which require a strong administration with full public support working with industry and all parts of society to build infrastructure and manufacturing rapidly over 15-20 years. In China this happened from 1990 to 2010. In India this will take 2014- 2030 to achieve. In Bihar, UP, Orissa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, in all these states with large areas of backwardness in development the only path to realize the aspirations of the people is the path offered for modernization by prime minister Modi. The protest vote of 2024 is then a way of saying to prime minister Modi that the level of development needs only to be accelerated to see its benefits for hundreds of million of people in rural agricultural areas. ...

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Pidcock, mountain biking gold, says the biggest thing is to inspire people that's what he loves to do. It is bigger than cycling. Cut off from the rest of the cyclists after a 40 second puncture and being slow to change wheels, Tom Pidcock of England, faced huge odds. At first he wasn't getting any closer, he wasn't making any inroads. He had made too many mistakes he realized. He was suffering and fighting to make a comeback. Only with 3 laps left did things change when he cut 15 seconds off the gap in one lap. At that point Pidcock knew he could come up front. He chose to go for it and found a gap which he took. He was competing with Frenchman Koretsky and the French cheered him on. Pidcock prevailed. He had done this on one of the rides (Stages) in the Tour de France descending down the Alps. Inspiring young people goes beyond cycling. ...

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This report in the NYT looks at the support for the AfD stalled at about 11% nationwide but closer to twice that in East Germany where years of neglect have led to voters shifting to far right parties. The view is presented that there is a core hard right of 10%. Yet it ignores or prefers to overlook what happened in the east which provides the real clues to what happened, so that future policy could be designed to address social goals in a way that never happened in Germany. This is in line with developments in China where president Xi is addressing social goals after years of tech and infrastructure expansion that neglected rural areas and urban poor. It is in line also with the same action taken to address social goals in US president Biden's $3.5 trillion workers and families plan. Social Democrats under Mr. Scholz and a younger generation represented by the Greens have the same challenges facing them to come up with the plans to correct these problems in Germany and with a plan designed for the neglected eastern part of the country. Helmut Kohl pushed for reunification of Germany. With the collapse of the Berlin Wall the momentum was set for this to happen. Yet looking back over that period since 1990, German chancellors and administrations for three decades from both CDU and SPD have failed to invest and create opportunities in eastern part of Germany. It makes German reunification an empty concept looked at from outside. The previous administrations including Kohl and Merkel relied too much on market capitalism to do what it has been shown not capable of doing- tackling social goals and economic crises, much less  political storms such as creation of GDR following Soviet army entering Berlinin 1945. Much commentary on the issues in east Germany show people there left to themselves after mass migration out of the east to the west leaving older people and pensioners in the east, and a sense of being ignored or forgotten. US president Biden said today in ther UN General Assembly- "Our shared grief is a poignant reminder that our collective future will hinge on our ability to recognize our common humanity and to act together." And he went on to say the next ten years to 2030 "will quite literally determine our futures."  The Social Democrats under Scholz and the Greens under Baerbock and Habeck have to come up with plans and programs that will increase ease of living and opportunities for a thriving eastern part of Germany, after the failures of market capitalism in its unregulated form during the Merkel years and predecessor administrations. ...

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Opening windows and doors to let in fresh air is as important as wearing masks and social distancing to prevent coronavirus. In places where people gather and in homes it is important to let in fresh air so that there is new fresh air circulating in rooms 3-4 times for every hour. It is being used as a strategy in schools in Germany to bring in fresh air. Putting MERV 13 type air filters in central air conditioning and heating systems is important in offices, shops and other spaces. A complete redesign of the systems that are old is needed. There are 36,000 schools in the U.S. that have old failing systems of heating and cooling. It would cost $360 billion to change these systems if each system cost $10,000 which is on the low side. This shows that good intentions are not enough, new priorities need to be set and the old priorities which misallocated funds through existing capital allocation structures in the West coasts and East coast cities no longer serve the purpose of the Renewal of America.  ...

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How savings habits changed from the last generation to this one. By age 45 savings rate rose sharply to about 30% of disposable income for our parent's generation. For the generation born 1955-64 savings rate remained unchanged at 10%, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. The result of the financial crisis is that credit cards are declining and savings are up. Credit cards shrank by 11% or 32 millon in 2009 according to Nilson Report.

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What the Indian Supreme Court failed to do was ask for accountability for the nearly 3 years lost in timely delivery of infrastructure that was to be completed in 2021 for the $3 billion Metro subway for Mumbai. Work that was moving 24 hours a day 7 days a week under Ms Ashwini Bhide was stalled and left to stagnate. This is unconscionable for a country with 1.4 billion people and most under 35 years whose aspirations get repeatedly stuck in the mud by politicians and a mentality that has itself given into the way colonial powers looked at India of being undeveloped, dirty and disorganized. Mohandas Gandhi would have a hard time understanding that Hind Swaraj that he envisioned in 1910 could lead to this kind of stagnation. Mr. Jain points out that the Indian Supreme Court has left it to the Assembly Speaker to decide on the issue of disqualification of 16 MLA's- in effect leaving the new government in place which has a majority in the Maharashtra state assembly in India. The 2 party coalition was formed between Mr. Modi's party BJP in the state, the principal driver for infrastructure and 24 X 7 development in India, and Mr. Shinde's party on 30 June 2023.  From November 2019 to June 2023 for the period of the pandemic for 2 years and 8 months the state was under a government that stalled on major infrastructure projects in the state that were being done 24 hours a day. Such as a huge project that the WSJ called "audacious" run by Ashwini Bhide at MMRC with over $2 billion from the Japan International Cooperation Agency for a new METRO subway for Mumbai taking it into the 21st century from an old broken British rail system. Unfortunately neither the Supreme Court or the press delved into the loss of 3 years that added this loss in infrastructure that was to be completed in 2021 to the losses from the pandemic. The project is back to operating 24 hours a day 7 days a week under Ms. Ashwini Bhide since the Shinde government was formed in June 2023 with pm Modi's party in the state.  ...

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Tariffs are unconventional tools for border security yet appropriate in situations such as these. Canada could have done this before a 25% tariff was announced by DJT- it would have been common sense for Canada to do what it did after the tariff before the tariff- put 10,000 frontline personnel at the Canadian border with the US, appoint a minister in charge of drug flows and fentanyl, and list cartels as terrorists. Considering the damage to the US from the border it was imperative that Canada, and Mexico took responsibility for the borders a long time ago. 

Within 24 hours of the Trump announcement of 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico the leaders of the two countries turned around to do what should have been done a long time back.

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Le Monde looks at falling living standards across the UK. It looks at Essex and Brentwood and other towns outside the metro region of London. The 2009 financial crisis caused by banks was followed in four blows of Cameron's decade of austerity and of not investing in Britain, the upheavals of Brexit, the once in a century pandemic, and now inflation, causing a depressing sight of all lower and middle social classes struggling to make a living. 

Since 2007 real wages in UK have fallen by 3.5%. Between 1970 and 2008 wages grew by 33% every 10 years.

The poorest 10% in Britain have 22% lower purchasing power than the poorest 10% in France, says Torsten Bell of Resolution Foundation, author of report "Stagnation Nation."

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The Global Summit  2024 organized by the UAE under Mohamed Bin Zayed. The PM of India opening the Summit says- After 13 years leading a state government and ten years leading the federal government, I am convinced that  there is a need for Clean government distancing itself from corruption, that is transparent. Governments that are sober in the international crises, that are green, providing ease of living, ease of justice, ease of innovation, ease of doing business to their people. The confidence won during the pandemic was gained by giving attention to the needs and aspirations of the people through Inclusiveness that is the mark of good governance. Minimum government, maximum governance, is the way that was the approach taken in India, taking the whole of society, and putting people's participation at the heart of all activity. This is true for sanitation drive, digital innovation, women's empowerment, social finance inclusion. We attached 500 million people to their own bank accounts where they had none. As a result we have advanced in digital payments. We have made laws for participation of women in government. We have focused on skills development for young people. Third in startups. Last Mile Delivery is the goal of the government that the government reaches people and does not differentiate between people. Differentiating among people of diverse origin disappears under Sab Ka Vikas, Sab Ka Saath, that is Development for All, With All Involved. We have in this given 250 million a way out of poverty. 1.3 billion people have a digital identity. With the use of technology we have a system of Direct Benefit Transfer and in 10 years have transferred $400 billion to people's individual bank accounts, and prevented $33 billion into falling into the wrong hands. This has eliminated leakages of funds. Our culture is that our efforts should match the opportunities before us. Mission Life is a new road we take for the climate. When we look at the future every government faces many questions by international interdependence and national sovereignty, the international rule of law, and how to contribute to the global good, and bring the wisdom of our culture to this good. As we transform our countries should we not transform global financial and governance institutions? For this we require future planning, that brings cohesive, collaborative effort. This means Global South voices must be heard. And its priorities moved up front. And that we share our technologies and resources with them who lack the basics of life. In doing this we will give Vishwa Banduthwa, World Unity and Harmony, in line with India as Vishwa Bandhu, a Friend to the World.   ...

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With roads blocked and subways closed after the heaviest snowstorm in 50 years, Madrid healthcare workers walked long distances to work. Many healthcare workers, nurses, medical residents  walked 10 to 20 kilometres to get to work at hospitals.  In Spain the virus has claimed 51,000 lives and cases are at over 2 million. One nurse took 2 hours 28 minutes to walk to work, saying as he crossed fallen trees and 40 centimetres of snow that he decided if he got there it was ok and if he did not he would turn back.

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President Biden's plan to reduce payments to 5% of income instead of 10% for income driven payments on student loans. Loan balances would not grow as long as payments are made. After 10 years of payments student loan balances would be forgiven where balances are less than $12000 in place of the current 20 years.   This is the first effort to create a student loan safety net. Borrowers making less than $30,600 as individuals or $64,200 for a family of four will not be required to make monthly payments on loans. Under the current system loan balances kept growing till borrowers were left with huge and often unpayable student undergraduate loans.

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Segregated enclaves are considered "parallel societies" that do not fit into Danish culture or Danish law.  In the past these immigrant communities stayed separate culturally from the rest of the country where people did not learn Danish and participate in the wider society, and yet benefitted from the welfare system's benefits. Young children in preschools will now be required to take 25 hours a week in preschools that teach the  Danish language and help them integrate culturally.

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Jonas Vinegaard of Denmark settles the race with a fast time working himself upto near exhaustion and adding 7 minutes to his lead during the trials in the 17th stage of the Tour de France. From 10 seconds in earlier stages of the cycling race in Basque Spain across the Pyrenees mountains and into France Slovenian cyclist Pogacar was only 10 seconds behind Vinegaard. With this time in the trials and putting up a great effort in the Alps near Geneva Vinegaard now has a 10 minute lead over Pogacar, enough for him to make it to Paris without the pressure that would otherwise be seen. Vinegaard shows a new kind of resilience, strength, strategy and skills that has endeared him with a new generation of cycling enthusiasts, with a humility that comes naturally for him.

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About one and a half time of voters are more likely to be against voting for Mr. Trump for president in 2024 than for Mr. Trump, according to a WSJ poll taken after the four indictments, says this Editorial Board opinion in WSJ. It cites the poll of 1500 respondents taken August 24-30 which shows 24% more likely to vote for Trump in a general election and 37% less likely, 35% no effect. WSJ says this presents political headwinds for Republicans.

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Asia's longest bidirectional tunnel is between Ganderbal district in Kashmir and Kargil district of Ladakh in India's Himalayan region at a height of 11,500 feet for 14.2 kilometres. Indian Express shows pictures of work on the tunnel which will cut time across the mountains from 3 hours to 20 minutes and connects Leh in Ladakh with Srinagar in J&K providing all weather connectivity. It will be completed months ahead of completion date of 2026. As part of the project 19 tunnels are being constructed at a cost of $3.5 billion.