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Germany faces a huge shortage of workers. Even without the current loss of workers in sectors such as restaurants, hotels, airports, elderly care and other sectors, the Germany economy loses 350,000 people every year a the baby boomer generation born after World War II retires. Today there are 1.7 million open jobs in Germany. By 2035 there will be seven million fewer workers, according to labor experts.  No longer can Germany depend on Eastern European countries to fill shortages of workers. Incomes are growing in these countries and there are demographic changes in these countries. Some say the party is over. Skilled labor is in short supply. In 2020 a law was passed to get  the 400,000 foreign workers Germany needs each year to come and stay in Germany, says this report in DW.com. The number attracted? Only 30,000 which officials called a "disappointment." The law will be changed to open up the labor market to those with a contract but no recognized certification for the job, so that companies could train employees after they join. ...

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Australian tennis player is herself as she retires at the age of 25. She is champion at Wimbledon and at the Australian Open. "The time is right for me to step away and chase other dreams and to put the racquets down," says Barty.

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A US postage stamp shows Althea Gibson playing tennis at Wimbledon. In 1957 she became the first Black tennis player to win Wimbledon tennis championships receiving the award from Queen Elizabeth II. Althea Gibson was the first black player to play at the US Open in 1950.

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Ministers of foreign affairs and defense from the U.S. will visit India for the 2+2 India - U.S. Ministerial Dialogue. Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Esper will meet Indian ministers Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh for closer ties on October 27. The American ministers will also visit Jakarta, Indonesia and Colombo, Sri Lanka. Their goal is for a open and free Indo-Pacific region through cooperation of the nations in the region.

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All the pent up energy after the uncertainty of the last couple of weeks and the Democratic party held up, then the energy burst into the open, one adviser said it was going bonkers, it was intense- 250 million was raised in 36 hours, most of it from new donors, and 58,000 new volunteers to join in the campaign for Kamala Harris. Nothing like this has been seen in modern times.

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Belgians are being asked to restrict contacts to only one person outside their immediate family and wear masks in shops and public transport. Daily cases average 7900 for the week of October 9-15.  Shops, museums and schools remain open. Many restaurants are closed with restrictions on restaurants.

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This article in The Times says Britain is now on the path to slow decline similar to the situation in the 1970's with the Brexit situation- with a deal or without a deal. Of the options now open he favors a second referendum and supports Remain. 

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Sluggish sales of GM cars in mature markets like Germany and in markets with exacerbated credit crunch like Spain lead to decliing sales for GM's Opel brand in Western Europe. GM announced that sales in western Europe declined by 11% during the first three quarters of the year. The Opel brand is the higher margin brand for GM and is prominent in western Europe. Its Chevy brand is prominent in Eastern Europe and these sales increased by 43%. In Russia the mood is uncertain as September sales for Chevy declined by 2% and Ford's sales slipped 13%. GM's shares dropped 19% on Thursday October 9 to $5.57.

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Missing 8th grade algebra in San Francisco school curriculum is the subject of this editorial in the WSJ. The Department of Education calls algebra a gatekeeper course to future success. Taking Algebra 1 before high school can set students up for a foundation of STEM education and open the door for various career options. Yet San Francisco dropped 8th grade Algebra in the name of reducing inequities in 2014, says WSJ.

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Tom Edwards talks to Julian Robinson the head architect for Crossrail project about the ambient detailing in each of the stations for the new Elizabeth Line. Edwards says these are strikingly huge and wide open spaces, and the stations were built for the next generation with space to spare for population growth. Design paid attention to smooth curves in the way the users see the stations while walking. Each station has its own unique design.

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Concern about the spread of the pandemic in the U.S. with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and travel to visit family and friends. Seen from Australia and other countries American fatigue with staying at home is cause for concern. Yet this is not entirely American as governments in France plan to have a phased reopening by Christmas, with phase 2 partial lifting of restrictions of the lockdown on December 15. Austria has turned down German requests to close Austrian ski resorts that have cause spread in Europe. The Swiss have also kept ski resorts open. During the summer Croatia and parts of Spain kept open tourist spots to help the economy recover creating the conditions for spread as tourists went back home. 

Beyond this there a complex web of choices. From mental health to hospitals filling up, from jobs and income for service workers to people in nursing homes, all calling for different responses. 

 

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Japan's Asteroid mission is a success with the flawless landing of the capsule carrying part of the asteroid's surface rocks. It landed in a open area about 280 miles north of Adelaide in western Australia. This report describes the details of locating the capsule in the Australian wilderness.

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Discussion at the U.S. Fed Open Market Committee meeting in April 2014 revealed in the minutes shows concern about inflation levels being too low in 2014-2015, a factor in policy about raising interest rates. Other concerns are the weakness in the housing market.

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In speaking about Indian democracy and human freedom not mentioned was the unprecedented food security or freedom from hunger that was offered to one sixth of the world's population in India since March 2021, year of the pandemic. Not mentioned was the unprecedented health security or freedom from viral epidemic that was offered to the same people in that period with 900 million vaccine doses. Not mentioned was the freedom of expression in 15 Indian languages including freedom to write about the government at local, state and federal levels in the country with a wider spread of language and regional dialects than Europe for 75 years since independence. Not mentioned was the struggle within this democracy to give the younger generation of people under 30 who make up the biggest part of the population an opportunity for the first time in about one thousand years to take charge of their own future. All this one can see with open eyes and open mind. These are also the young people who have the most to gain or lose from the wrong actions at the wrong time, as they take up the challenges of modernization of a clean and vibrant infrastructure friendly India of the future.  ...

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Curiosity had a lot to do with the Renaissance in Europe, the Voyages of Discovery from 1500 to 1800, with the Discoveries in Science in Europe since the 16th century, and the Industrial Revolution in Europe.  Curiosity sets out a new way of thinking. This helped Europe to surpass Asia after the Renaissance. The Voyages of Discovery were motivated by an effort to fill gaps in knowledge about the world beyond one's shores in the Atlantic, and other oceans. Jamie Jirout of the University of Virginia shows how this works- The qualities needed are Interest, Creativity, Open Mindedness, Intellectual Humility, Intellectual Courage, Critical Thinking. This leads to internal curiosity and mental frame to be Intrinsically motivated to seek information, Identify knowledge gaps to think in new or different ways, be Open to things Unknown, Comfortable with risks of failure or mistakes, Challenge and change one's own thinking. This manifests itself in Behaviours that Explore and seek new information, Try things in new ways, Observation, Asking Questions and persisting after failure, questioning things verbally.         ...