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Corporate customers now make up about 20% of RIM Blackberry customers, down from 71% in 2007 when the Apple iPhone was introduced. This means competing with Apple and Samsung in the consumer phone market. Business users bring more revenue per customer. A looming threat to RIM is the BYOD trend with companies allowing employees to bring their own phones and giving access to corporate data networks. Some companies are giving the new Blackberry 10 a try. Blackberry shares are up 41% in the last 3 months. Yet the challenge of keeping business customers and building a customer base in the consumer market against established competitors in 2013-2014 is a daunting one. RIM's global market share is 4.6%, according to IDC.

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In talking about the systemic risks of the failure of GM, about 3 million jobs depend on the auto industry with 1,187,000 employed by dealerships of which 325,000 are employed in GM dealerships. Another concern is that GM's pension obligations are underfunded by $18 billion at the end of 2008 according to Deutsche Bank. This would be added to the $11 billion deficit at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. were GM to fail.

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Italy who did not make it to 2 World Cups in Moscow and Qatar win 5-4  over Israel in September 2025. This win happened in a surprising fashion with 2 own goals and the winning goal by Tonali in injury time in the 91st minute. Italy lost to Norway earlier.

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This report by Martin in the NYT points out that Ohio no longer plays a critical role in U.S. presidential elections. It was critical for a Bush win over Gore, and president Obama carried it by 2 points against Romney in 2012. It is critical for Trump to win. For Hillary Clinton other states are gaining importance as they better reflect the demographic changes in the U.S. and the mix with minorities- states such as Georgia, N. Carolina, Colorado and Florida. Ohio has not seen an influx of Hispanics as other states, and is now more white, more evangelical voters, and reflects a mix that was prevalent earlier. 

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In Feb 2026 after Minnesota protests and Agent Bovino violated rules set by Border head Homan, this is what Democrats want ICE to do- wear ID badges, no masks, and rules on warrants, on where agents can operate. Homan found Bovino's actions under Homeland Security head Kristi Noem's leadership to be not necessary to fulfill the mission of the organization, counterproductive when the goal was to ensure safety of the streets it actually created disturbance in neighborhoods. Minnesota presented a special case as actions in Tennessee and other states did not meet opposition of the kind it met in Minnesota. It was also a place where Kamala Harris's running mate Walz is governor who encouraged the protests. Now that there is some reflection on all sides Democrats are changing their position on abolish ICE calls by protestors to working to ensure ICE operates in ways that win confidence of neighborhoods that it is only enforcing the law and doing it in ways that Americans can accept without masks and military uniforms. ...

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CPC Central Committee Proposal on Formulating the 15th FIve Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development (4th Plenary Session 20th Central Committee October 23 2025). It gives the outline of main ideas in domestic and foreign policies that China adopts for the next 15th 5 year Plan to 2030. It shows how China wants to navigate the next 5 years in the world. It gives the first signs that China wants to do Socialist Modernization, Chinese style Modernization of its economic and social structures in this phase. The first impression from this and the 2026 National People's Congress is that China is seeking to work with Germany, with EU and with the US to modernize its economy, not as in the past, but now more sensitive to all the changes taking place in the world. The goals are comprehensive yet presented in modest manner ( no China Dream ambitiously worded goals that had ruffled feathers in the US) presenting China in a way that would win acceptance and integration into the world's leading powers.  ...

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"Not ideal" says Ben Stokes, "yeah disappointing" says Steve Smith, about the 10mm of grass on the pitch that led to 20 wickets on the first day 36 wickets by the second day. Cricket Australia is disappointing a lot of fans when the Test match at MCG cricket grounds is over in 2 days- not since 1904 has something like this happened at MCCG- and there is an investigation, too much left to the cricket grounds preparation experts without supervision by Cricket Australia. Stokes says to be brutally honest it was bad for 90,000 fans. About England critics after losing 3 Tests, Stokes says that now goes to zero the idea of England not having won at all. Stokes and Root hug in the locker room, a sign of relief.

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500 million tons of plastics are produced today compared to 250 million tons in 2004. Califonria sued Exxon Mobil in Sept 2024 for overhyping the promise of recycling. In reality says NYT's Hiroko Tabuchi only some of it gets recycled- an astounding low rate of 30% getting recycled- and the rest 70% of 500 million tons or 350 million tons ending up incinerated or in landfills or ending up in the environment on coastlines. The NAPCOR is association for PET resources, PET standing for single use plastic the kind you have in water or soda bottles. It is presenting the promise of recycling and the importance of these bottles for hydrating, without stating that there are alternatives.  All the time this is going on the threat to public health for the people, for us all, gets larger. Note that even developing nations such as India have the prime minister himself take up the campaign against microplastics, plastics bags and bottles, as Mr. Narendra Modi has done in India. A conference in Busan South Korea is discussing a global plastics treaty to end this plastics threat to health and the land we live in. It shows how regulation is needed in a capital-ist economy because companies and jobs at companies of 70 plastics and recycling companies are at stake and so is the public health, our health and our land, its coastlines and waters. ...

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The Freedom Party with anti-immigration position gets 28% of the vote with centrist People's Party which is said to have handled the recent floods well at 26%, and the Social Democrats at 21%. This leaves the only prospect of a government of the Centrist parties with the Social Democrats. It also shows that Socialist party leader Mette Frederiksen, prime minister of Denmark since 2019, is right that immigration simply distracts from important economic issues of cost of living and wages for workers and families, that immigration should be stopped so that other important issues for working class families can be addressed.This is also the view of Labour Party leader Keir Starmer in Britain and of Biden-Harris in the US who want to see the Republican Lankford legislation closing the Border passed and which Harris promises to have it brought to her desk to sign.

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Peter Magyar says-  "You performed a miracle today, Hungary made history today." Magyar's party needed 133 seats in the 199 seat Hungarian parliament to reverse some of Orban's more controversial policies on the judiciary and on government. Magyar's party Tisza won 138 seats and 57% of the vote compared to about 38% for Viktor Orban's Fidesz that has ruled Hungary from 1998-2002 and 2010 to 2026. Magyar likens the win to the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, a spontaneous uprising against Soviet rule, and an earlier revolution in 1848. Voter tunout was the highest it has ever been at 78%. The city on the Danube river Budapest was lit up, parliament was lit up as Hungary celebrated a win for reintegration into Europe. For 400 years since 1600 the Hapsburg dynasty helped push back the Ottoman Turks invasion of Hungary and Vienna, and was one of the major Empires of Europe, with Britain, France, Russia, Prussia competing for influence. The Hapsburg  base was in both Vienna and Budapest and reflects the history of Central Europe from the Renaissance to the Scientific and Industrial Revolution. Magyar's first visit is to Poland. He will join European leaders from France, Britain and Germany, Italy, as they formulate policy on Ukraine and the future of the European Union. Under Orban Hungary was the lone dissent or combined this with Poland's Law and Justice Party government in the European Union. In 1923 the Law and Justice Party was defeated, in 2026 Fidesz is defeated, and the European Union is now able to speak with one voice in its opposition to Russia. As the US moves away from NATO the new European Union is in a better position to take on responsibilities for its defense. ...

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LA Dodgers win 6-5 in 18 innings Game 3 of World Series at Dodgers Stadium.