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President Biden is setting up a New Deal style American Climate Corps that is a green jobs training program. It will employ 20,000 young people who will build trails, plant trees, help instal solar panels, and do conservation work, and help prevent wildfires. It is modeled on the Civilian Conservation Corps setup by president Franklin Delano Roosevelt as part of the New Deal. The Corps program will work with federal agencies and 10 states that have already setup similar programs-California, Washington, Maine, Utah, Colorado and Michigan, Arizona and North Carolina.

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Prof. Culbert of UCLA describes the problems of the Performance Reviews used in business and government. By using goal setting and getting bosses to work as mentors and partners for continuous improvement, a Performance Preview works to improve the system currently in use.

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The U.S. Labor Department report shows 156,000 jobs added in September 2016. The unemployment rate increased by a tenth of a percentage point to 5.0%, because of the increase in the total pool of workers, The labor force increased by 3 million workers over the first 9 months of 2016. The labor force participation rate was up by half a percentage point to 62.9% for the year 2016, as it drew more workers who were earlier discouraged to look for work. Wages grew by 2.6% over the year.

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About a third of coronavirus cases in France of three or more cases are in schools and universities as France tackles a second wave in October 2020. France has decided to keep schools open as a priority over closing schools as soon as there a couple of cases and there are no uniform rules across schools for masks to be worn. In France mask requirement begins in junior high with exceptions for lunch and gym class. In Italy the mask requirement is present for all grades until they take seats in class. Some schools ask children to keep masks on in the classroom. UK has no mask requirement in schools. Spain requires masks for all school children over age 6 years. Parents in lower income households lack the flexibility to keep children home while they go out to work. Many parents look forward to keeping their children in school after the long lockdown.

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Patrick Ruffini looks at 21 microcommunities in US states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, that would determine the results on November 5, 2024. This is a detailed look at it by cities, towns and counties with maps and an understanding of each microregion within a state. Some points. The margin of error of three percentage points itself when it swings in one or the other direction itself could lead on the contrary to a decisive result. The hard work, the hard slog, with a method, and who works the hardest and consistently with a clear message matters. These are the key counties that matter most with the cities in the county in brackets. Can you connect them with the US state? Nash County (Rocky Mount), Wilson County (Wilson) Northampton County (Bethlehem), Erie County Brown County (Green Bay), Outergamie County (Appleton), Winnebago County (Oshkosh) Maricopa County (Phoenix) Answer- North Carolina Pennsylvania Wisconsin Arizona   ...

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Digital nomad style of work life is shown in this WSJ report where young people get rid of their apartments and spend all their time working out of hotels in different cities around the world. With remote work becoming popular during the pandemic and accepted widely some young millenials are adopting this lifestyle.

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Of the 291 million migrant workers, people from rural areas who work in cities, only about 120 million have returned to work by Feb 14, according to China's Transport Minister. Workers can choose to stay in their home region or come back to the cities and face a 14 day quarantine before being allowed to go back to work. In Beijing the entire city of 22 million has a 14 day quarantine. Even if workers complete the quarantine factories may be closed.

This is likely to cut the growth rate by half from last years 6.4% to 3% for the 1st quarter GDP.

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Savings and health concerns are playing a part in worker's reluctance to come back to work in the US.

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There is a marked shift away from downtowns to suburban retail spaces in the US as a result of remote work. In major American cities the average use of office space in downtowns is still only half of what it was before the pandemic, as remote work shrinks activity and people in downtowns.

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The reduction in unpaid overtime work and working weekends as companies add more people is the new trend shown here in WSJ.

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Elena Mayors Taylor gold medalist at Milan WInter Olympics 2026 age 41 years, is th eoldest gold medalist in Olympic history. Her colleague in the winter sport of bobsledding is Armbruster Humphries who has 3 gold medals and is 40 years She says-  "You get a lot of people that like to write you off as soon as you reach 40, it's all downhill from there, is what you hear. I think Elana and I are both proof that that's not true." Former bronze medalist from Britain Jon Jackson says of Elena- "She is not only a ferocious athlete but also a beautiful human being and a genuine person. It has been a real show of dedication to keep going through the struggles of now being a mum in a high-performance sport, the dedication that takes to maintain that level of physical fitness and the hard work of being a parent. It shows her true nature." Elena has 3 children with disabilities and is an advocate for mums. "It should be celebrated that they're both mums, using mum power, both in their early 40s and it's great to see them competing at the top of the world not only physically but the drive and experience too,"   ...

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Cost of Living Crisis under Biden, Affordability Crisis under DJT, and the situation in Feb 2026 with 2.4% inflation and job creation at 130,000 jobs in January 2026. Is this a sign that the tariffs policy is greatly misrepresented and misunderstood? The flexibility in tariffs, attention to financial markets through Scott Bessent's keen sghts at the Treasury shared with the president, the cutouts for key countries such as India to exclude semiconductors and cell phonesand other products from tariffs. For instance under tariffs increase India actually increased its exports by diversifying its economy and signing a trade agreement with Germany and the EU, followed by the trade agreement with the US, so that it remains an enven stronger economic partner. The same is true for Japan where elections are leading to a parliamentary majority for PM Sanae Takaichi who wants to work with the US and build a strong economic partnership, and make the large investments in the US it has promised.  Japan and India are two of the five largest economies in the world (US, China, Japan, India, Germany). German Foreign Minister Wadephul for the CDU welcomed Marco Rubio's call for a "new Western Century" and for strengthening western civilization common heritage of the US and Europe. This means 4 of the 5 largest economies in the world are in sync for the future of world trade, and their economic future.  ...

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Mental health is no longer an issue during the pandemic and its aftermath just for a few. It has assumed a mainstream character. Here in this NYT report one finds the Surgeon General of the United States, Vivek Murthy, describe his problems with mental health. To create an awareness among the public that it is important to pay attention to what may be lost in a overly large focus on work or business, ignoring the social signals whose importance may not be realized till much later. As Surgeon General he says he simply focused on work and did not pay attention to the simple social interactions that help one relate to other people, and knowing about other people's lives that add a new dimension to living.  In Lyrarc during the pandemic we described the German mental health practice of Feierabend of consciously breaking away from work- especially remote work that lacks preset boundaries- so that by 5 or 6 pm one just calls it a day. At that point going out for a bike ride or walk or some activity in the outdoors that helps revive mind and spirit in ways that keep good health. It also prepares one for the next day's activity, to be able to approach it feeling refreshed and invigorated. ...

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The amazing story of Katalin Kariko who came to the US from Budapest, Hungary, in 1989 taking a position as research assistant professor at the UPenn Medical School.The work of Katalin Kariko in mRNA vaccine research that led to the discovery of mRNA vaccines was derided at first at Penn leading her work to be shunted to a lab on the outskirts of town and having her pay cut in a demotion, says this WSJ report. It won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2023. Universities are not places where new ideas can get a boost when there is much skepticism and constant pressure for research funding on more conventional lines. Less opportunity for experimentation that can lead to new discoveries that revolutionize science and medicine.  Kariko and others working as research assistant professors were shunned at Penn and referred to as "aliens" because inthe interests of research they took lower paid positions. As it turns out Kariko felt liberated during the period of her being demoted, to work even more patiently on the mRNA molecule, one that was more difficult than the DNA molecule most researchers had focused on. This report in WSJ shows a picture of a Budapest street with a large mural of Kariko. Unfortunately few people in her adopted country know about the work of this remarkable scientist to whom is owed so many millions of people's protection with mRNA vaccines. ...

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Country living has become an attractive option during the pandemic. Thousands of city residents are fleeing cities such as New York, Paris and London to be closer to nature and more spacious accommodations than the small city apartments. In the U.S. 39% of city dwellers in one Harris poll said the virus made them think of moving to less crowded areas. In France 38% of potential home buyers changed their searches to look further away from big cities as they looked for more room and garden space. Remote working and many professions encouraging their workers to work from home during this pandemic are giving momentum to this trend. Another factor is the cost of living in the city after the drop in income. And the risks in public transit, getting around in traffic jams, congested areas making social distancing routines difficult increasing chances of infection, are all part of the story. New York, Paris, London and Madrid are the hardest hit cities in the world. This extends to Beijing and Mumbai, Sao Paulo which are also hard hit by the virus. ...

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As president Biden signs the biggest Climate Bill in history Jim Tankersley says there is still more to be done. In addition to the work remaining for children, women and families, he mentions the Civilian Climate Corps with financing for $10 billion that is patterned on the Civilian Conservation Corps set up during the Depression by FDR, which is still to be passed. This would form "the next generation of conservation and resilience workers," says Biden. Much like the 3 million people who helped build parks, cut trails and planted trees around the US in the 1930's and 1940's under FDR.

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About half of the unemployed suffer from depression and anxiety, and four in ten parents see behavioural changes in their children resulting from their difficulties. A New York Times/CBS poll showed stuggle to maintain even basic necessities and major life changes for those out of work.

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Civility and civic responsibilities to get work done for constituents that motivates California Republican Doug LaMalfa  is shown here in his three minute conversation with Biden after the State of the Union address late Thursday night. La Malfa is head of the House Agriculture forestry subcommittee. His task to get the US Frrest Service to speed up permits for harvesting timber. "We gotta cut some trees," he told Biden says this report in the Washington Post. Soon Interior Department officials were reaching out to La Malfa's aides. And another American tradition was set to work.

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Th Kashagan oil field one of the largest oil finds expected by Eni to produce 1.5 million barrels a day is about 5 years behind schedule and expected to startup in 2010 with cost overruns that have tripled the original cost. Kazakhstan's governmet is trying to get a bigger share of the project and claims environmental damage.