LyrArc Article Gist
"Our public and democracy needs constructive questioning,” speaking in Irish and English says Catherine Connolly of Ireland after winning by 63% presidential election in Ireland. “Together, we can shape a new republic that values everybody, that values and champions diversity and that takes confidence in our own identity.”

LyrArc Article Gist
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.

LyrArc Article Gist
Cara Buckley provides this intimate look at Garrison Keillor, host of Minnesota Public radio show "Prairie Home Companion." This is a Keillor who is quite different from the person people know from the radio show. Keillor finds release during the show using his imagination about a town he has made up called Wobegon. Strangely, in his own life Keillor is a very private person keeping his thoughts to himself and not saying much. Keillor is 73, and now plans to retire after about four decades hosting this show with music and tales about Lake Wobegon. At its peak the show had 4.1 million listeners in 2006, dropping to 3.2 million today. It is thought of as a homespun quaint, country stories show, yet it can touch on current issues such as the NRA and the gun lobby in a recent show, and builds on its bond with its audience.

LyrArc Article Gist
Edison's learning mindset and his persistence has lessons in work today.

These lessons apply to individuals as well as countries and groups, to create a thinking mindset. Will this plan work, what are the assumptions and what is it based on, test it out. If it fails try changing it. Test again. Does it work. What were the assumptions and what is it based on, what if we change this part. Try again. In this way Edison found answers to difficult problems in his inventions. 

The search for a vaccine, other problem solving at the individual, small group, and national level, can be done in this way. For the vaccine there is the added factor of time- how quickly can we do this? The Oxford vaccine works with an approach that has worked for other types of coronavirus in the past research efforts, what component can be changed or inserted so that a tested approach can be used instead of starting from scratch in this case.

LyrArc Article Gist
Taking a fresh look at the scenery outside on a walk outside can bring feelings of being hopeful and upbeat, especially today with the coronavirus.

LyrArc Article Gist
Fully vaccinated people in Britain can now carry on life like normal within weeks and be free of quarantine, with no need to take daily tests.

LyrArc Article Gist
Yann Le Cun of the university Sorbonne, France  thinks currrent Language AI models won't work, will be replaced by World models that learn like a baby visually using intuition rather than large databases of content. He was a pioneer in AI when machine learning was still in its very early stages.

LyrArc Article Gist
Learning a foreign language is away to build resilience in ageing processes. The interest, the excitement, stimulating experiences in a new environment, learning new words and building  vocabulary and how to fit these words together, all can be exercises for the brains similar to a yoga routine or a sports routine biking, swimming or hiking.

LyrArc Article Gist
Regulatory hurdles that remain for a Fox-Time Warner merger even after divesting of CNN.

LyrArc Article Gist
China has a loss in its construction industry, yet has worked hard to achieve a win in its EV industry, to bring the prices of EV's down to where it can be a people's car instead of a high end automobile. It is a win also for climate change and for getting European and US makers including Tesla to get their act together and make the cars at a price workers and ordinary people can afford. For this to happen for a level playing field the US government assistance to EV makers is essential to build America's industrial manufacturing base.

LyrArc Article Gist
Vast majority of DJT supporters 88% (down from 95%), approve of the president DJT's overall performance. On tariffs and Big Beautiful Bill. Democrats vastly disapproving, the messaging on cuts to Medicaid even though it's funding had grown close to $1 trillion ($909 billion in 2024), the uncertainty on tariffs even though the $1 trillion China trade surplus needed serious corrective action, federal government job cuts, leads to much larger proportions of Democrats opposing than Republicans supporting leading to about 60% unfavorable overall on tariffs and Big Beautiful Bill. Such unpopular action is sometimes the role of government like the action to rebuild the trading system and bring restraint to runaway spending on benefits, and can be overcome with a strong economy and capital investment for growth in future years. Another problem for the DJT administration is in the messaging to get the message across when some of the president's actions can be inconsistent or appear inconsistent. Add to this the distractions such as international diplomacy on Ukraine that take the president's time. Yet changes were needed in the international trading system and tough action is sometimes necessary when most countries and groupings, China EU, Canada, Mexico, can game the system their benefit to the detriment of the American people and jobs/communities at home. On the Big Beautiful Bill at the rate of growth in funding for Medicaid to $909 billion in 2024 from $2 billion at its inception under LBJ in the 1960's some restraint on spending would ultimately keep such help flowing where it is needed over the long haul. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
India's efforts to reopen parts of the economy- agriculture, some manufacturing and construction, industries where shifts can be run and workers can be isolated. 

Smaller factories had difficulty reopening because they could not meet stringent workplace requirements. About a third of rail employees were asked to return to work, but attendance was poor because of the difficulty of getting to work. 

LyrArc Article Gist
The performance of Morocco, Senegal, Japan and South Korea, show a new popularity of soccer in Asia and Africa, and teams that can compete with the best in Europe.

LyrArc Article Gist
David Reilly says the Fed's response to the large volatility in the stock market after the credit downgrade of the U.S. to AA+ makes sense. The Fed's Open Market Committee voted 7-3 on August 9, 2011, to keep interest rates exceptionally low till mid-2013. With credit markets working and the financial system having sufficient liquidity the Fed did not need to take drastic action. Coming only a short period after the end of QE II, a QE III could be seen as an over-reaction. Another reason for the Fed's action- more pressure was needed for the U.S. government and Congress to shoulder responsibility for the economy. In an earlier statement the Fed had pointed out that the Fed by itself can only do so much and this is consistent with that thinking. There are important headwinds from housing, large consumer debt, deficits, and high unemployment that the Fed alluded to in that statement that will take time to reverse with policy action on several fronts over a longer period. In the speech made on June 6, 2011, U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, said "monetary policy cannot be a panacea."...

LyrArc Article Gist
Schools, shops, restaurants, cafes and offices are reopening and people are getting back to work and outdoors. What are the ways to reduce chances of getting the coronavirus and what is the latest advice from public health experts.  More attention is now being given by CDC and other experts to the aerosols, the smaller particles that are airborne that can spread the virus to people unawares in breathing, talking and singing activities. larger droplets come down to the ground, smaller droplets can be airborne for hours. This makes masks wearing very important, call it essential protection. Air filtration and proper ventilation is also important. What about social distancing? Experts now say 6 feet is good, 10 feet is better. This is from Joseph Allen director of the Healthy Buildings program at Harvard School of Public Health. No magic number but 6-10 feet or more is good for safety. Can one start expanding one's social circle? The fewer contacts the better says Dr. Allen. You can he says expand the circle but this depends a lot on how serious the other family is in taking precautions. Are elevators risky? If one can one should take stairs but do not board a crowded elevator unless the lobby is more crowded. Do not touch buttons, if you do use elbow or use sanitizer from your shirt pocket after pressing. This is where mask is essential. Here a tip is useful. Talking does not help as talking emits 10 times the particles than when you are quiet and this is true for small spaces such as elevators. Continual talk is not a good idea such as a long time spent talking, here watch that habit of getting into long conversations face to face.  Is it good to take a summer vacation. Here the answer is yes, as no one really knows how the winter will be. And remember outdoors is good for renewal of health, and one can look for places that are not crowded where the 10-12 feet or more can be easily done. One tip here is to take your own food and supplies from home so there is no need to go to crowded restaurants. Swimming in a lake or ocean is fine. Camping outdoors is fine and actually a good idea if you are with your own family. Try to use an empty restroom and one that is clean and wear the mask. While camping keep the 6-10 foot rule with people outside your immediate family, do not share food and drinks and try not to touch each other's supplies, and sanitize your hands or wash if you do. When hiking keep the mask in your pocket so you can wear it when you see others passing on trails. In hotels skip the cleaning service, in a rented property ask the owner to keep the windows open before you arrive, and put a day or two between your coming and the last person who rented the place. Renting a car is tricky allow a couple of hours to elapse between you and the last rental, open windows. Public restrooms. Always wear a mask many are poorly ventilated. Open the door without use of hands if possible,or use a paper towel to open and discard. Do not use air dryers. Is it safe for your house cleaning person to return. Keep the windows open to let in fresh air. Make sure your cleaner wears gloves. And all should wear masks. How to visit grandparents? Experts advise keeping visits outside and wearing masks when not 6-10 feet apart. Anyone not feeling healthy should avoid the visit. And bathrooms should be sanitized after people leave even wait a day if there is another bathroom. Experts advise against sharing food and buffet type meals. Ten feet distance is better than six feet. Can one use a gym? Here the advice is to exercize outdoors or at home if one can. It says be cautious unless your gym is limiting the number of people or spacing the equipment adequately. Ask about open windows, air filtration systems, ventilation.  This is excellent advice from experts with the latest information. Over the last few months from March to May most of the information was during lockdown, and a lot can be forgotten or seen as not necessary as things return to normal, as shops schools and cafes, office reopen, and cases remain steady and under control. Being vigilant is good for safely navigating this period through the summer and into winter till a vaccine is found. It is also about being a good civic minded person aware of one's own responsibilities, as when all take safety seriously and practice it everyday, it builds another layer of protection for everybody- because it creates a safer environment for all.     ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Democrats in the House of Representatives need about five votes of moderate Republicans to get approval for spending that exceeds the debt ceiling if no agreement can be reached with the Republicans under Speaker McCarthy. This is one of the options Democrats under president Biden are keeping open if the spending cuts Republicans are asking for hurts workers and families in ways unacceptable to values of fairness to all segments of society supported by Lincoln, Wilson, FDR and Truman that have shaped America over two hundred years. T Though it is not readily apparent in an America where about 22% of 8th graders are able to get a passing grade in civics and history in NAEP tests, a rereading of the writings and speeches of Abraham Lincoln show the same concern for the rights of all segments of society that are found in Wilson and FDR or Truman. This is also what Biden means when he calls this a struggle for the soul of America. More not less funding for education, more not less funding for health after the pandemic and cost of living crisis, more not less funding for public services at a time like this where there is a fracturing of society as well as isolating certain segments of society from others such as the growing distance between workers and families from places such as Silicon Valley and capital markets in America.  ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Wisdom shared by students on picking a place to study. Ten people look back to reflect on how their college was chosen, their experience at that college, the cost of tuition. Some changed to other schools where they fit in better, others struggled with large tuition bills when the same education could be obtained at state universities with lower tuition fees. You are never stuck says one of them as you can change schools if it is not the right one. Others point out the risk of relying on "the best school", the most "rigorous program," and one engineering student points out that one can get a good engineering education at many less costly or famous schools. The general feeling is find what will be good for you without being overawed by big names, consider cost carefully, one can get a good education at most universities and colleges just find the place where you feel valued as a person and which fits in with your sentiments and mental makeup. The rest is effort studying and concentration which is entirely upto you.  ...

LyrArc Article Gist
A growing consensus among experts that it is not so much surface contamination as the air we breathe in that is the problem. The longer you spend time with people talking in face to face interactions, or inhaling air aerosolized in the air from small droplets, the easier it is to get the virus. This means social distancing matters in a big way. Masks are a big way to cut the risk. The worst you can do then is to be in a crowded event, ot have closeup face to face interactions for long periods. Being where there is loud talking or singing is a bad idea. This is why actions such as plexiglass installed as barrier, requiring masks in stores, using good ventilations systems and keeping windows has an enormous impact. This means that people can do a lot of work, exercize and other activities outside if one takes the basic precautions to heart and practices seriously. Contact tracing and testing, and other measures can be targeted to keep the spots that have a surge under control. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Peter Morici is interviewed by Maria Bartiromo. He says the dollar should be devalued against the yuan by 40-50%. China by keeping the yuan undervalued has provided its exports with the equivalent of an export subsidy. China will only allow imports of solar panels with 75% domestic content, the US does not. The other problem is the banks and compensation. Morici says banks compensation should be like that of a regulated public utility. Can one imagine the head of Con Ed making the kind of compensation at the banks?

LyrArc Article Gist
1940 US Census shows about a third to half of Americans did not have the basics- no flush toilets 50%, no running water 30%, no electric lighting 35%, wood/coal cooking used by 30%, no refrigeration about 40%. Research shows the tremendous progress the US made since 1935 to 1963 both with growing incomes and with taxes and transfers, and again from 1963 to the present focusing on the black American population and backward states in the South with the War on Poverty of LBJ/John F. Kennedy. What it showed to Asian nations that studied the growth of America, Japan in 1950's in war devastated country, China in 1990 coming out poor from the failed Great Leap Forward and Proletarian Cultural Revolutions, India in 2017 after 70 years of failed Democratic Socialist experiments was that this kind of backwardness and poverty could be resolved by learning from America and applying the same principles with dogged determination, clear vision, and careful planning for commiting the large amounts of capital investment, labor education, and technology infusions from the US and EU, and very importantly capitalizing on the goodwill for Asia in America and the European nations. Much of Africa and India today in its efforts can draw inspiration from what was achieved in America over this span and China's effort to do this in just 30 years from beginnings in 1990 when China was mostly a bicycle nation to its complete transformation by 2020.  ...

LyrArc Article Gist
For the US to do a economic bailout of IRGC Iran now would be a betrayal of the US interest, and of the Iranian people who protested, says WSJ. This strongly worded WSJ editorial from the WSJ Editorial Board says Iran entered 2026 with an economic crisis, then a political crisis with widespread protests and suppression by the IRGC, leading to the Iran war to take out nuclear sites intending to produce nuclear weapons. The US air strikes destroyed Iran's military industrial complex. For the US to do a economic bailout of Iran now, when this is the only time with the naval blockade that Iran can be asked to remove all nuclear materials to a third country, would be a serious mistake. It says the only reason would be close to the midterms and high gas prices. Yet says WSJ letting Iran have its way would mean DJT could lose standing with the American public and see this in the midterms. The US naval blockade should not be lifted until Iran not by words but by actions sends out all the nuclear material out of the country, says WSJ. Lifting the naval blockade for 60 days of talks putting off the nuclear issue is the opposite of what the US has insisted on from the beginning- the nuclear issue is the only issue and it comes first is the US position. The mediation by Turkey and Pakistan, Qatar, has done just the opposite, and in this sense it has failed, according to this view in the WSJ. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
For the US to do a economic bailout of IRGC Iran now would be a betrayal of the US interest, and of the Iranian people who protested, says WSJ. This strongly worded WSJ editorial from the WSJ Editorial Board says Iran entered 2026 with an economic crisis, then a political crisis with widespread protests and suppression by the IRGC, leading to the Iran war to take out nuclear sites intending to produce nuclear weapons. The US air strikes destroyed Iran's military industrial complex. For the US to do a economic bailout of Iran now, when this is the only time with the naval blockade that Iran can be asked to remove all nuclear materials to a third country, would be a serious mistake. It says the only reason would be close to the midterms and high gas prices. Yet says WSJ letting Iran have its way would mean DJT could lose standing with the American public and see this in the midterms. The US naval blockade should not be lifted until Iran not by words but by actions sends out all the nuclear material out of the country, says WSJ. Lifting the naval blockade for 60 days of talks putting off the nuclear issue is the opposite of what the US has insisted on from the beginning- the nuclear issue is the only issue and it comes first is the US position. The mediation by Turkey and Pakistan, Qatar, has done just the opposite, and in this sense it has failed, according to this view in the WSJ. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Garrison Keillor asks the President to "lets start making our way out of Afghanistan," in his own inimitable style. He also quotes U.S. Marine Officer Matthew Hoh, who resigned his Foreign Service post- "American families must be reassured their dead have sascrificed for apurpose worthy of futures lost, love vanished, and promised dreams unkept. I have lost confidence such assurances can be made any more." And Keillor summarizes Hoh's reasons and does it so well- that our presence among the Pastun people, the people in the villages, the rural religious people, is only wosening the conflict, the role of the Taliban and Al Quaeda is not the main thing here, the real issues are tribal and cultural. The last phrase deserves repetition- the real issues are tribal and cultural, which no foreign nation can overcome.