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How marijuana in schools poses a problem in US schools- pot in class reduces diligent work in classrooms. Costly policy errors that are producing ill effects in states hitting health, education and the American spirit- poor performance in schools and deficits in attention, says this report in WSJ.

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India's foreign minister S. Jaishankar says a lot has been done at the G-20 meetings in India. He says 95% of the countries agree on the communique put out by the G-20. The idea that peace in Europe can be achieved at G-20 meetings in India is not realistic he says as the G-20 was not designed for this purpose of tackling troublespots like Ukraine. What the G-20 has done is bring countries in Europe and North America together with India to understand the problems stemming from the conflict in Ukraine on food security and from the debt crises in some parts of Asia. 

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DJT asks Putin to not attack Kviv during bitter cold week of Jan 29 2026 with -30 C. Putin has agreed to this says DJT. Much of Kviv is without heat and electricity after Russian drone and missile attacks on Kviv in the worst winter of the 4 year war.

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Japan does not support Russian assets plan of the EU to use assets in Belgium $210 billion for Ukraine loans. A $71 billion shortfall in the Ukraine 2026 budget. EU's Leyen wants to use Russian assets in Belgium. Belgium is against the idea. Only Canada and UK support it.

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SCOTUS decision on Voting Rights Act by knocking down gerrymandered district in Louisiana April 2026. US Supreme Court says it is time to decide on this and leans in favor of the Constitution and limits tampering with a election map to create districts on the basis of race or gender.

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Ringo Starr of the Beatles says he wrote the song "Hard Day's Night." He never has tried pizza or curry. His attitude to music is always play with someone in a group. He is indifferent to titles and knighthood. He feels at home in Nashville and LA.

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Cognitive decline from social media shown in scientific studies and how short breaks are necessary to reverse the damage done. A plea to educators, parents, the public, and parliaments to take action now before more damage is done to girls, children and to the new generation in many countries.

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Companies that have consistently ranked high in the managing across several criteria in WSJ/Drucker rankings include Microsoft, Pfizer, P&G, Apple, Accenture, HP Inc. Focus on innovation, employees, in addition to customers is important to these companies.

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Circadian rhythm, consistent hours, winding down, exercise in the morning  to cultivate serene sleep habits. Sleep is a natural phenomena and it is important to naturally go to sleep. Paying attention to these factors helps one find a good place to be.

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In the New York Times Interview January 2026 the US president says about international law- it all depends on what you mean by international law. Presumably saying that if it is ok under international law to send drugs in to the US that kill hundreds of thousands of young people a year as is happening with gangs in Mexico and Venezuela, Colombia, and this is not a problem under international law for a decade now, then there is something wrong. The local population in these countries also suffers from such gangs and crime and this destroys the rule of law in these countries. Not much appears in the BBC, The Guardian, the Times of London, and the NYT, raising this issue in the name of international law and the rule of law. This leaves the president of the US to take actions based on his own sense of what is morally right in the case of Venezuela. On Greenland DJT has this to say. There is a long term lease of bases in Greenland but ownership is critical for it's defense and for protecting the eastern seaboard of the US. This is nothing new as Secretary of State Seward sought to get Greenland along with the Alaska Purchase in 1867. US made offers in the 1900's. And in 1946 Democrat Harry Truman offered $100 million in gold for Greenland. Today as in 1946 in the words of the US Commanders in chief "it is completely useless for Denmark." Denmark is a colonial power from Europe and has done little to develop Greenland. Less than 60,000 people live in the harsh climate of Greenland and mostly Inuits tribes. The US can better develop Greenland and invest in it. “Ownership is very important,” Trump said, adding: “Because that’s what I feel is psychologically needed for success. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can’t do with, you’re talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you can’t get from just signing a document.” On China and Taiwan DJT says- “This was a real threat … You didn’t have people pouring into China. You didn’t have drugs pouring into China. You didn’t have all of the bad things that we’ve had. You didn’t have the jails of Taiwan opened up and the people pouring into China,”  DJT also said that no criminals were “pouring into Russia”. ...

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What is California's position in nuclear and renewables and does the substance the facts justify the image it promotes of being energy friendly and using renewables? Answer is NO  because only 9% of its total end use energy consumption according to EIA figures (2023) comes from renewables. It uses no coal yet about 60% of its energy is from crude oil. During the current crisis in the war with Iran is California an example to follow? The answer is No because it has not used renewable energy the way Germany has or EU has, and it has not managed its crude oil well by not using domestic crude oil instead relying on imports, which only burden the global needs for crude oil coming from a state with capacity to do lot better. By comparison Germany gets 23% of its total energy consumption from renewables compared to 9% for California, and for Germany 60% of its total electricity production is from renewables compared to 46% for California. EIA data shown here from US government data does not paint a very energy friendly picture. California's imports of crude oil at 75% of consumption and drop in refineries from 48 to 3 shows it has not managed the oil refining side of energy in the best way possible. How does it rate in making good use of energy? Here it uses 174 million BTU's per capita no different than New York at 174 and about the same as Florida and Washington DC, Massachusetts, Maryland.  And Germany has achieved 122 million BTU per capita showing California far behind. How does it rate in using renewables and nuclear? As it is a state with urban and suburban sprawl with large driving distances it uses a lot of crude oil for transportation. Petroleum or crude oil use is 58% of total energy use, Natural gas 25, Renewables are only 3%, electricity generation is 14% of which only 46% is from renewables. California is NOT the model for the US. We have to look elsewhere for answers.   ...

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US policy is to end war as soon as nuclear threat is over- DJT on Iran war on March 31 2026. When the US feels Iran 'won't be able to come up with a nuclear weapon, then we'll leave,' says DJT. US is self sufficient and exports oil to Europe. It doesn't need Iranian oil. DJT makes that clear to allies in Europe who have not taken a stand in the war and limited access to their airbases, saying as Starmer did yesterday that Britain did not want to expand the war. Really, the US does not want to expand the war. DJT's MAGA base does not want this war, and Biden's base does not want this war. US does not need Straits of Hormuz- it is Britain, Italy and EU countries, mainly China, Japan, South Korea that need the Straits of Hormuz. Speaking for the US DJT tells these countries in Europe to get the oil themselves in the Straits. He also tells China to get the oil from the Straits- if they need it and are so complacent as to get 90% of their imports from Hormuz after 40 years of disruptions and wars, as China does. DJT said- "If France or some other country wants to get oil or gas, they'll go up through the Hormuz Strait, they'll go right up there, and they'll be able to fend for themselves. What happens with the strait we're not going to have anything to do with, because these countries, China, China will go up and they'll fuel up their beautiful ships... and they'll take care of themselves. There's no reason for us to do it." "The USA won't be there to help you anymore, just like you weren't there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!" ...

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Automakers taking a charge for bets on EV's encouraged by Biden- Stellantis $26 billion follows Ford $19.5 billion, GM $6 billion.  Stellantis Chief Executive Antonio Filosa says about the write-downs- It “largely reflects the cost of overestimating the pace of the energy transition that distanced us from many car buyers’ real-world needs, means and desires.” The Biden administration took climate change seriously but failed to get Congressional support for the EV charging stations needed and infrastructure needed across the US to keep pace with automakers shift to EV's. Stellantis took the change as an opportunity to develop many new EV models under CEO Carlos Tavares. Also overlooked by the Biden administration is the cost of cars which increased by about 20-30% during the 2022-2024 period. The lack of charging infrastructure, lack of battery technology advances for powerful batteries, and the costs involved pushing up prices of all automobiles, acted as severe bottlenecks when the Republicans fought the election on cost of living action. Biden era incentives were removed and gas prices were brought down by DJT extending the life of gas powered vehicles and making them the average man's choice. Of the $26 billion 65% is for canceled vehicle platforms for EV's for Dodge Ram and Jeep Wrangler. Another $8 billion is for cash payments to suppliers for canceled orders.   ...

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As the US asserts the Monroe Doctrine we show here what TR (Teddy Roosevelt) said about the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine in his Annual Messageto Congress in 1904- for the good of the American continent following the principles of good government the US had learned from Britain in the centuries before 1700. "A great free people owes it to itself and to all mankind not to sink into helplessness before the powers of evil." "It is not true that the United States feels any land hunger or entertains any projects as regards the other nations of the Western Hemisphere save such as are for their welfare. All that this country desires is to see the neighboring countries stable, orderly, and prosperous. Any country whose people conduct themselves well can count upon our hearty friendship. If a nation shows that it knows how to act with reasonable efficiency and decency in social and political matters, if it keeps order and pays its obligations, it need fear no interference from the United States. Chronic wrongdoing, or an impotence which results in a general loosening of the ties of civilized society, may in America, as elsewhere, ultimately require intervention by some civilized nation, and in the Western Hemisphere the adherence of the United States to the Monroe Doctrine may force the United States, however reluctantly, in flagrant cases of such wrongdoing or impotence, to the exercise of an international police power." ...

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DJT comments on Denmark's comments on its contributions to NATO overseas operations like the one in Afghanistan. DJT stated the facts about participants such as Denmark that made small contributions in numbers- DJT said on Fox News -We’ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them. They’ll say, they sent some troops to Afghanistan or this or that, and they did. They stayed a little back, little off the front lines.” About 41 Danish soldiers were killed in Afghanistan and about 800 Danes went in. DJT is probably talking about the  brunt of the action being taken by the US including the effects of road side bombs. About 2500 US soldiers died and 20,000 were wounded and the US took the brunt of the fighting. These were Bush-Obama wars that during that time distracted the Nation from the serious challenges that emerged later in drug cartels in Mexico that led to more deaths in the US than in the Korean and Vietnam wars and World War combined, and the deindustrialization of the US that began with the Clinton era decision to allow China to enter the World Trade Organization without any safeguards continued into the second term of the Obama administration. In the European media there is rarely any mention of the huge losses from drug trafficking into the US that requires action along the lines of the Monroe doctrine which also protect Europe from drug trafficking into the EU. ...

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President Trump says he is going to delay this year's G-7 summit. He plans to call India, South Korea, Australia and Russia to a new summit talks. Instead of September he would call the meeting of the new G-10 or G-11 with the new countries added after the election, as he says the old set of countries is now outdated. The old set of countries put Canada and Italy ahead of India and Australia, and recently left out Russia.

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Poor administration and failure in public services, turning over public services to private operators as the system nears collapse is the situation presented here of Johannesburg in 2025. It is hosting the G-20 Summit this year in South Africa. It is also the major commercial capital of South Africa. There is much that could be learned from good administration from other countries in Asia.

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See what individual parents say in Australia after social media is removed from children's lives under 16 years. The vast majority of parents are relieved by 2025 removal of social media from 16 year olds in Australia- Guardian collects views of individual parents. The first twelve of 20 views expressed to The Guardian are quite positive with parents and also children relieved. About four are ambivalent or say kids will circumvent the restriction. Only about four question the restriction saying their children get social connections. In all 16 out 20 accept this as a necessary direction in this small audience poll by Guardian.

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Changes for US and Asia, EU, to ponder on are happening in Swedish schools. It is back to books in Sweden as digital learning has not worked well so far and reading has suffered in some ways dismally. At younger ages books are better for reading and comprehension than screens. "We're trying, actually, to get rid of screens as much as possible," says the Education Minister. The government uses a slogan "från skärm till pärm,  in Swedish this translates to "from screen to binder". Later in 2026 a ban on mobiles in schools even for educational use goes into effect. Digital acts as a distraction and lessens concentration say teachers. Sweden scores on PISA tests have gone down since 2012. A new curriculum based on books goes into effect in 2028 and 157 million euros will be used for new books in schools. "Reading real books and writing on real paper, and counting with real numbers on real paper, is much better if you want kids to get the knowledge they need," say Swedish education experts consulted for the changes. This is a sea change other nations need to consider doing. ...

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The Washington Post cites the Fox Foundation of Parkinson Research, these are as described in this report. One of this is loss of smell, another is physically acting out your dreams, third is chronic constipation for weeks at a time, the fourth postural low blood pressure when moving from sitting to standing.

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For decades Gulf Coast refineries efficiently process heavy crudes like Venezuelan oil or Canadian oil sands oil. US oil is a lighter crude. This is why the heavier crude from Venezuela can now be taken for processing to Gulf Coast refineries in the US. This should lower gas prices in the US further.

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Merz at ease at Gandhiji's Sabarmati Ashram with Modi in Ahmedabad, India. An historic opportunity for the European Union and India, two of the world's great civilizations and with 2 billion people taking the first step to modernize the German and Indian economy by 2037 and 2047. 

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FBI's Kash Patel enjoying himself at US Olympic mens hockey finals in Milan as US get Olympic gold in overtime 2-1 against Canda, first win in 46 years. He makes time for the exciting game in a busy schedule. Patel plays ice hockey and is an ardent hockey fan. 

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Shortages of Patriot defense systems interceptors made by Lockheed sytems by Raytheon. This leads to a shift in strategy to destroying the  "missile cities" facilities where missiles are stored in Iran.  And German aerospace maker MBDA to collaborate with the Americans to make these systems in Bavaria.

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Economic costs of the war in Iran with loss of 2 million jobs inflation at 50% and loans of $300 from government at 18-35% interest for laid off workers. Disruptions in steel and petrchemicals disrupt car and other industries and their supply chains. Closure of Hormuz also affects supply chains across industries.