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A study by ITEP, Institute for Taxes and Economic Policy shows the top 1% pay less in taxes on income than every other group in 42 American states. The poorest fifth pay taxes 60% higher than top 1%. The most regressive states are Florida, Washington, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Nevada. The tax systems seen as reducing inequality are D.C. Minnesota, New York, Vermont, New Jersey. This happens at a time of growing inequality, high cost of living, and the aftereffects of the pandemic on health and mental health, with high cost of pharmaceuticals with entrenched lobbies, low enrollment of men in colleges with increasing dropouts, the huge burden of student debt on young people.

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 Nikki Haley was born in Bamberg, South Carolina in 1972, her father became US citizen 1978, her mother 2003, according to her autobiography. She was governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 and served as the US ambassador at the United Nations under president Trump. Article 2 of the US Constitution sets out that only natural born citizens can be president of the US. Commentators have opined that the natural born citizen requirement was put in to mean that the citizen was not naturalized at some later date. During the 1730's under British Common Law and under the Naturalization Act of 1790 of the First US Congress children of Ameircan citizens born overseas were considered to be American citizens. This was true of Barry Goldwater born in Arizona before it became a US state, and Romney born in Mexico, Senator McCain born in the Panama Canal Zone. This is why when one parent is an American citizen as for Obama and Cruz this law prevails. When a child is born in the US he is considered to be a citizen at birth under the laws of the US and natural born under Article 2 of the US Constitution. Supporting US literacy about civics  knowledge for children is the best way to get the best outcomes for the civic life of the United States as promoted by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor through iCivics site, and by Lyrarc under the Movement for Global Literacy. ...

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The British people should see further improvement in cost of living concerns with drop in energy bills and inflation falling to below its current level of 3.9%. Decline in inflation could go closer to the 2% set by the Bank of England making interest rate cuts possible by the Bank of England. At one point inflation had reached 11%. 

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The response of a new government to gang violence in Ecuador is the subject of this report and the accompanying editorial that follows that points to its transnational roots and the effect of changes in its neighbors. It shows how the demand for drugs in Europe affects small Latin American countries leaving the institutional structures at risk.

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Iran and Houthi rebels in Yemen seeking to enlarge the Gaza response of Israel into a wider regional conflict. The US under Biden seeking to limit the contours of the conflict and convince Israel to end its invasion of Gaza. Shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal are affected as Maersk now sends its ships around the Horn of Africa. The US and UK warships tackle a recent barrage of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea last week and the US says it will respond to keep theshipping lanes open for Suez and the Red Sea. The WSJ shows these shipping lanes and the impact.

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VO2max is based on aerobic fitness.Small bursts of activity on a treadmill 4 minutes fast and 3 minutes slower, repeated 4 times for 4X4. It is used to measure one's fitness age. The Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway,  has fitness age calculator on its website. Up tempo exercize one that increases your breathing and heart rate improves your VO2max. The key is exerting yourself vigorously three or four times a week.

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UAE Mohamed bin Zayed visit to Ahmedabad, Gujarat is shown here on the PM site. Efforts to sign deals to take bilateral India UAE non-oil trade up to $100 billion by 2025. UAE is India's third largest trade partner.

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US president Biden makes these remarks at Emmanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Biden tells this South Carolina audience that the idea of the South fighting for States Rights was presented as the South's cause in fighting the Civil War after the end of that war. This he said was a distortion of the truth as the Civil War was fought to end slavery in these United States once and for all, which for America was "the original sin." Biden says something like this is happening today as the truth is being distorted. Much of this history of slavery began by the seventeenth and eighteenth century in Charleston itself. It is here that Biden began his successful campaign for president in 2020 and was the inspiration for his effort.

 

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Nikki Haley's momentum in the Iowa primary and the South Carolina primary that follows is seen by the Editorial Board of the WSJ as giving Republicans a more effective alternative on taxes, border security and consistent carefully thought out policy. 

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WSJ Podcast looks at the structural failure of a 737 Max 9 jetplane from Boeing on an Alaska Airlines flight last week. This is a rarely seen failure where one sees a hole in the plane itself requiring a quick landing to safely get all passengers out. The 737 Max 9 has been a problem plane for Boeing for some time. Last week a Japanese Coast Guard plane crashed into a Japanese airliner with both given the go ahead on the same runway requiring all passengers to be evacuated in 18 minutes. Haneda airport and other airports now have new protocol for flights from Japanese airline supervisory authorites. what it shows is that new technologies make the basics of quality control and strict governmental supervision even more important not less as protocols can fail, governmental supervision can be deficient, and quality control in manufacturing process can be defective.

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Washington Post's Tara Parker Pope who runs its Wellbeing Section offers important tips on restful breaks and rest activities that perform an essential restorative function for people. Restorative activites include taking a walk breaking off from routines of work, a cultural concept Feierabend in German of breaking off work at a set time, so that one can recharge mental and physical batteries. Science supports this- that during these restorative hours the brain is in the Default Network Network and active. Active rest means disconnecting from tasks say experts and this is why the concept of Feirabend or closing time, finishing time, end of work is very important for resting the mind and rejuvenating. This means rethink long days, to be productive throw in periods of rest, Feierabend, microbreaks, frequent vacation breaks of 8-10 days, every bit helps to be productive and to be healthy and strong in mental+ physical health.

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In December 2023 job gains reported by the Labor Department for the US are 216,000 jobs, higher than November figure of 173,000. Unemployment is steady at 3.7%. In 2023 2.7 million jobs were created after 4.2 million jobs created in 2022. The pace exceeds that in the years before the pandemic and shows that the Biden administration's investments in manufacturing in the US, and in infrastructure, in science and technologies, are working. Of the world's advanced economies in OECD the US now leads, and its strong partnership with the EU, India, Vietnam and Japan, puts the US on a new trajectory of growth and improving the wellbeing of its people and partner nations.

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IRA Distributions reach $25 billion in 2023 for people in retirement in the US.

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The FDA approves Governor De Santis proposal for importing drugs from Canada. Colorado is one of the other states that have applied. The drugmakers continue their opposition even if this means lower prices for the American people of excessively higher priced American drugs compared to other countries. Both Republicans and Democrats agree prices have to come down and support importing of drugs into the US, then why is it taking so long for the FDA  to approve state proposals? The Biden administration has issued an executive order for the FDA to work with states on this.

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All 379 passengers on a Airbus 350 plane of Japan Airlines that crashed in Tokyo were evacuated with crew in less than 20 minutes. For 3 minutes the crew struggled to decide which exit doors to open, once this was decided the evacuation was orderly. The Airbus 350 crashed into a Japan CoastGuard plane.

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Lakshadweep islands in the Indian Ocean are the smallest Union Territory of India with 32 square kilometers spread over 36 islands. It is a place of spectacular ocean beauty and the PM's site shows pictures of the island, snorkeling, and the quiet serenity of these islands.