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Following Scotland's decision to provide women's hygiene products free can India do the same and provide women's period products free, asks Isha Bhatia. She describes her experience with the lack of hygiene products for periods when she was growing up in India and remembers being handed a dirty cloth by her grandmother. About 70% of all reproductive diseases in women are caused by poor menstrual hygiene. The cost of Rs. 100-250 is too much cost for average Indian families. Only 18% of Indian women have access to sanitary pads. The cost should be brought down with government subsidizing manufacturing of sanitary pads so that it would cost less than 10 rupees or be provided free under government subsidized initiative for women's health.

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Such realism is needed today to listen to all so that climate change action on auto carbon emission can be de-politicized and realistic plan can be adopted. Too many floods, fires and adverse events by 2024 for the US not to have a plan and deny climate change does not exist. The Biden administration gives flexibility to automakers to meet auto carbon emissions rules by 2032 by accelerating the progress in the last 3 years as the capital investments, research and learning curve for new technologies, manufacturing improvements and cost reduction, and charging station infrastructure enlargement have taken place by 2030. Biden administration officials clearly understand resistance of carbuyers when the charging stations needed do not exist and costs are high in 2024, and EV technologies are at learning stage.

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NYT shows action being taken for climate change mitigation in Singapore which can be useful in the US and other places. Much of it has to do with trees and greenery restoration and free flow of air. Dense urban areas of Singapore can be 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than rural areas nearby creating sweltering heat for longer parts of the year. Singapore is seeing twice the accelerated effect of climate and is taking action. When one cuts trees down and replaces the cooling effect of trees with cement and asphalt to build cities. Large high rise buildings keep air from flowing freely creating pockets of heat. Waste heat comes from exhaust of gas cars and airconditioners. Everything in the way we build cities is creating climate change.

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WSJ looks at how investment allocation is severely flawed today and needs major overhaul. Startup founders can walk away with gains even when a company they founded goes into bankruptcy, billions of dollars of capital are lost for investors. And as investments needed in infrastructure and to fight climate change are diverted to ventures that do not add much to economic progress or betterment. In 2019 Softbank committed billions of dollars to save WeWork, after heavy losses. WeWork's founder Adam Neumann surrendered control with one clause providing a$430 loan to Neumann, says this report in WSJ. If Neumann stopped paying Softbank would have to get the amount due from WeWork share held as collateral. They are now worth only $4 million.

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Efforts in Utah by Governor Cox to limit the damage to children's mental health from overuse and addiction to social media outlets including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Utah governor Cox says in answer to the question why now, the better question is why didn't we do this 5 years ago. "If this was child cancer or car accidents we would be losing our minds about this," he says. New laws in Utah would put time restrictions and give parents access to messages and posts. Utah and other states will file lawsuits to make tech companies accountable. The CDC found 3 in 5 American adolescent girls had mental health issues in 2021, this has increased every year since 2011.

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Jensen Huang founded Nvidia to develop chips for videogames in 3D graphics in 1993. Sega videogame maker in Japan had Nvidia develop the chips for its Dreamcast player. At the time Shoichiro Iramijiri was the engineer -who started Honda's first manufacturing plant in the US in 1984- heading Sega. Iramijiri liked Huang and wanted him to succeed. When the technical error of developing the chips using a wrong shape was made by Huang Nvidia was dropped by Sega for Dreamcast in 1997. Nvidia ran out of money and if it persisted with its poor design would have ended in 6 months. Instead Huang decided to switch to a new chip design with no money to do this. Iramijiri stepped in to get Huang a $5 million loan from Sega.

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"What did it do in Green County?" this is the question voters are asking in counties across Wisconsin, and also in Michigan and Pennsylvania. These are states with lower number of minority voters and a higher number of white working class voters without college degrees. Even in rural areas around Madison voters remember their fathers and mothers voted for Kennedy, grandfathers and grandmothers voted for Roosevelt. The Washington Post looks at the white voters without college degrees in Wisconsin . How does one take the visionary actions in the Biden bipartisan Infrastructure laws and show what happens at the micro level? Lyrarc.com shows how the laws are changing America bit by bit every week in the Movement for Renewal of America as covered in NYT, WSJ, Washington Post, and other media.

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US president Biden makes the decision not to run for reelection. He endorses Kama Harris to run as nominee of the Democratic party.

My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this. 

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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Janesville, Wisconsin. Harris said about the former president-

He promised to bring back American jobs and then went on as president to lose 200,000 manufacturing jobs with closure of 9 manufacturing plants.

“Nobody understands better than a union member that as Americans we all rise or fall together." Harris promised to in the the first days of her presidency to issue an executive order eliminating “unnecessary” degree requirements for federal jobs and  to get private sector employers to do this.

"He is a disaster for American workers. He is an existential threat to the American Labor Movement."

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People in Kalamazoo county Michigan star struck with the presence of Michelle Obama with Kamala Harris on one stage.

Michelle Obama says-

"The race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is too close for my liking. I am deeply concerned … that too many of us are still confused and buying into the lies and distortions from people who do not have our best interest at heart.”

Kamala Harris embraces Michelle Obama on stage to huge applause and says-

"She is an inspiration...And she motivates us to get to work, especially when the stakes are high.”

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Will AI reduce the curiosity that drives the creation of new knowledge and the curiosity for new discoveries that powered science and technology since 1600? Will it affect the human tendency and habit of asking questions, seeking out novel answers that is intrinsically human that AI cannot do? Scientific inventions that led to Europe leading the way and Asia falling behind after 1600 and new inventions taking place for 300 years with old theories discarded and new knowledge created are impossible under an AI arrangement. If AI existed in 1600 few new discoveries would have happened because they involve asking new questions and finding answers to these questions that take many years sometimes a lifetime of discovery and invention. Other weaknesses of AI are for example that it is fast but it cannot think- it is pieces of knowledge pinned together in different ways that come up from billions of pieces of information pieced together. It gives the appearance of thinking if one is not careful to look at it's process diligently. Its main source is using the public knowledge base built by Wikipedia, with other additions piled on top. Wikipedia may be wrong there are biases and tendencies to overlook facts in Wikipedia inherent in any knowledge exercise. These are then transferred to AI without anyone knowing about it openly, making it more dangerous in that it precludes creative thinking and finding solutions that never existed before to problems or questions, which can only be done by the human mind through its curiosity and stubborn dogged desire to find solutions to a problem.  ...

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A 6.4% gain in the Dow Jones Industrial Average for the 1st quarter of 2011. This is the largest percentage gain since 1999. This gain happened despite the overseas problems of nuclear disaster in Japan and the changes in the Middle East. Behind it is the $600 billion round of quantitative easing by the Bernanke Federal Reserve- with the clear intention of moving the stock market upwards- as a way to keep the economy from making a downturn.

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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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This columnist opinion in Le Monde reflects the view in Europe that the US is in retreat, and in some quarters such as NYT that the new US foreign policy that sets the Monroe Doctrine as key aspect of foreign policy is a retreat- US setting the rules in the Western Hemisphere around democracy and governance. It says the US has set aside the ambition first proclaimed in 1945 and revived in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union. US administrations under Clinton and Bush took this posture after 1991 of dominant position but it did not reflect reality. US like Russia was dragged into many remote conflicts that had little to do with the standard of living, and economic advancement of the US. The US has a dilapidated infrastructure, broken healthcare system, and operates in a world trading system that has deindustrialized the nation and shipped out jobs and factories for 20 years, and worse is exposed to drug and people trafficking gangs in Mexico and Venezuela. The Monroe Doctrine 1823 asserted the US right to keep European colonial powers out of America, and it was possible only because the British also supported it in the 19th century till the US built up its Navy under TR and FDR. With Russia recognized as a European power the US is able to get its support for the US to tackle the situation in the Western hemisphere presented by drug and people trafficking gangs in Mexico and Venezuela. Tariffs are intended to get a new world trading system with new rules. Infrastructure building is underway on a scale that will far surpass China by 2030. This is not a retreat but an advancement for the Nation and the American people after three decades of failed policy. It lets the European powers Germany, France and Britain deal with Russia's requirement that NATO withdraw from its borders and recognition of Russia as a Northern European power. European history has shown that since 1700 that when faced with a majority of nations in Europe any dominant power in Europe is forced to negotiate a peaceful resolution of conflict because of it's limited resources to carry on a conflict. This should lead to a peaceful resolution in Ukraine, that allows rebuilding, and also gives the US an opportunity to rebuild its economy and standard of living for the American people. This will be a win-win for both the Russians and the Western Europeans, and both Latin America and the US, China and the US, India/Japan/Brazil and the US. ...

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With Ukraine unwilling to give up the Donbass and Germany/France/UK wanting to prevent Russian favored deal adverse for Europe, US focus on Monroe Doctrine and western hemisphere, Ukraine Russia war is likely to drag on. This is what one sees in Merz, Zelensky, Rubio speeches at the Munich Security conference. In 2026 Germany+ (that includes France and the UK) does not see it in the interests of Europe to allow a Ukraine capitulation to Russian attacks and Germany has already allocated funds to rebuild its military to prevent this from affecting Germany+ interests in Europe. Even though the winter attacks on Ukraine grid and electricity infrastructure leaves Kviv and other cities in a dire situation it appears that without the 20 year security guarantee or something solid Ukraine is not willing to sign an agreement which it fears Russia could turn around and start the war again. Germany+ which is the position of the major parties in Germany 60-70 % of voters for the SDP, CDU, Greens and others except AfD with 20-30% of voters. (AfD may have reached a ceiling as CDU under Merz is tough on migrants). Which means about 70% of Germans will support a policy of joining UK and France in resisting Russian attacks. Russia may have lost so much in manpower may see the war as a vindication only if it can hold onto the Donbass which may make it harder to reach a deal. Zelensky says Ukrainians live there and is unwilling to leave the Donbas region. The net result is that Germany+ and Ukraine are not likely to concede ground, the US reluctant to commit to 20 year security condition for Ukraine as it focuses energy on the western hemisphere and the fentanyl, drug traffickers in Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia, and their support structures in Cuba, in addition to Iran and China's plan on Taiwan sees limits to what it can do beyond limiting oil's funding the Russian attacks. It is amisrepresentation to say that the US is the cause, as everything changed the moment China became an industrial power with the help of US business interests and returned to its own story of being subject to British and Japanese incursions in the 19th and 20th centuries, and sensing that it is an industrial power in its own right by 2020 and insisting on framing its own policy in the world. Europe always had its own narrative since 1600 long before the US became an industrial power under Teddy Roosevelt in 1904. In that narrative which now plays out again different European powers band together to prevent any dominant power in Europe (Russia in 2026) from gaining dominance. ...

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DW.com report by Mu Ciu shows a CATL(Contemporary Amperex Technology) plant in Arnstadt, Thuringia, in eastern Germany. It will not bridge Germany's technology gap. German and US consultants at the microeconomic level of the company and German and US economists at the macroeconomic level of the economy entirely fail to grasp the effectiveness of China's investment driven model. Of its joint partnering with European and American companies and China's single minded focus on technology access. This is why the DJT US administration has warned Europe that it is failing economically. China's macroeconomic and microeconomic model are run by the same authority by the state, and according to goals and plans (which in a socialist economy is weak at the microeconomic company level lacking the initiative and freedom of action). By combining its macreconomic framework run by the state with a micreconomic company level run by the state but on free market lines the Chinese investment driven model has dual advantages and operates at a speed that far surpasses the German and American model. It's society suffers as a consequence, but in few short decades 1990-2009/2020 this is all it could accomplish with a single focus on modernization for what was once a peasant agricultural economy. Where it lacks is in future technology access and as long as weak companies in the US and Germany partner with Chinese companies the technology access for Chinese companies give it the essential ingredient for its investment model to work, as American and European companies can waver in investment Chinese companies backed by the government will not waver in investment and have the clear advantage. DJT's approach is to give a big shock to the entire system of world trade now run by China, so that this is no longer going to work at the macroeconomic level and legislate huge investment incentives for one time depreciation and other moves to get American companies to invest. It wants Europe to do the same, including getting rid of the bureaucratic structures and regulations. German Chancellor Merz is getting the message and is acting quickly first with the trillion dollar investment plan, the meetings with Draghi and Meloni to get Italy and like minded nations on board, and internal efforts to get rid of regulations and bureaucratic structures, and building a new partnership with India to remove an error of Merkel/ Clinton+ Obama in excessive concentration and dependence on China. This requires a steady hand and steady governments, steady policy, and companies in America, Europe and India to work together for the long haul without wavering or delay, to rebuild the world economy along new lines and on a new path. ...

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India announces a new Master Plan Gati Shakti to upgrade India's logistics system to reduce logistics costs and improve the economy. This would increase cargo handling capacity and reduce turnaround time. The current visit of Denmark prime minister Mitte to India also brings with it opportunities for Danish collaboration to improve logistics system in India. Maersk is a Danish company that is the largest shipping and logistics company in the world. Development is not possible without quality infrastructure for logistics and the government is making the plan to do this. Rs. 100 lakh crore will be invested in the logistics infrastructure.

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What is it like crossing borders today in Europe during the coronavirus, and what are European cities like at this time. Two NYT journalists Kingsley and Vancon are finding out by driving 3700 miles by car across many European borders. The hardest they find is entering Germany from the Czech border, where they were stopped and questioned in every way. Germany has strict restrictions- you can only leave for 48 hours if it is longer than this one has to do 14 days in quarantine. Germany also has managed the coronavirus better than its other neighbors France, Switzerland and Eastern European countries.

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Michael Crawley has some advice for running in his new book "Out of Thin Air," describing his experiences running in the high altitude conditions of Ethiopia. There one does not run on roads but in backcountry conditions. Runners do not go fast to conserve energy in the thin air. Crawley is preparing for the Commonwealth Games in 2022. Running uphill has some special benefits during the pandemic, because of the benefits to health. And it helps to keep out distracting thoughts and just put on shoes, then get out and run. This could also apply to walking or hiking uphill in backcountry.

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Protests by US members of Congress against the surcharge fees charged by the IMF on loans to countries such as Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Ukraine, South Africa, and other countries that is causing additional distress during the pandemic. Fund estimates are that almost $4 billion in extra fees will have been collected in addition to interest charges by the IMF. The US pays the largest share of IMF revenues. Letters went to Janet Yellen, US Treasury Secretary from members of US Congress saying that the fund was a lender of last resort but intended to do this "without resort to measures destructive of national and international prosperity."

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Tontine pension products are popular in Japan where longevity has risen to the point where many women are live much longer. To make their pensions last longer for older participants the women pool their investment assets so that the oldest participants do not outlive their savings. As participants die the remainder of the asset pool is divided among the remaining women so that older participants can continue to receive periodic payouts for longer. Annuity products of this type are offered by Japanese insurance companies where contributions are made by Japanese people in their 50's for pension payouts later in life.

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The world today is in a much better position to complete the transition to zero dependence on the volatile Middle East for oil. Today in 2026 the world's largest nations 1. US   2. China  3. India  4. Germany are all free of Middle East oil (India through waivers for Russian sources). European Union and UK is at about 12% which can be quickly substituted from the US+ Venezuela and other sources. US is self sufficient in oil and gas and exports oil to the UK, India, Germany and the European Union. Canada is self sufficient. Germany gets only 6% of its oil from the Middle East, the UK 12%, Spain 13% and Italy 14%. The Iran war is likely to shift more of the needs of UK, Spain and Italy to other more stable sources including oil from the US and Venezuela managed by the US, and other sources. This means that US policymakers can act in the best interests of all the nations of the world for preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and long range ballistic missiles. Germany is moving rapidly to renewable energy and this could bring its dependence on the Middle East to zero. India will meet its needs from Russia for the time being till it also shifts to oil from US+ Venezuela. India get 55% of its oil from the Middle East or about 2.7 million b/d. Russia was an important source of oil for India till the US trade agreement called for it to shift- a 30 day waiver and extension means India can get this oil from Russia without sanctions for the duration of the war. Reducing European demand and Indian demand frees up oil for Japan and South Korea on the world market the other 2 countries dependent on Middle East oil- Japan importing 95% of its oil consumption with imports of 2.5 million b/d and South Korea importing about 2 million b/d or 70% of its consumption. This means Japan and South Korea need a new strategy as they are overexposed to one source just as Germany was and learned a difficult lesson to diversify its sources. Japan has learned to reduce consumption for the same level of GDP and some of this can be through conservation, also tried in Germany in the last 4 years. During the 4 years. of Ukraine war Germany had to find ways to diversify sources Japan and South Korea will need rapidly to do the same in the Iran War. This means that only Japan and South Korea because of their lack of policy direction and vigilance have allowed this overdependence on the Gulf region,  (even as Germany diversified its sources, DJT and Israel were firm on nuclear weapons policy) they failed to see signs that they should diversify. Today in 2026 the world's largest nations 1. US 2. China 3. India 4. Germany are all free of Middle East oil (Indi through waivers for Russian sources), European Union and UK is at about 12% which can be quickly substituted from the US+ Venezuela and other sources.    ...

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The impact on stock markets around the world of the protests in Egypt. The Nikkei fell 1.5%, the Kospi index fell 1.5%, on Jan 31, and the Dow Jones average fell 166 points on Friday Jan 28, 2011. Oil prices increased by 3.7% to $89.34 during the week of protests in Egypt. The Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington estimates a 5% increase in the price of oil takes away $5 billion dollars from the US economy. Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at Standard & Poor's Equity Research, says that a boxer rarely gets knocked out by a punch he is expecting, and this could be what starts a decline after the market fought off fears from sovereign debt crises in Europe and interest rate increases in China. What makes Egypt significant? The Suez Canal is ony a 1000 feet wide at the narrowest point. Supertankers carrying oil do not pass through the canal but rely on smaller vessels and on the Sumed pipeline. About 2.9 million barrels of oil a day, 2.6% of global oil production passed though the Suez Canal and the pipeline according to the US Energy Department. Because prices are determined at the margin this is a lot of oil, especially considering the global spare production capacity is only 2.5 millon barrels a day. The immediate impact would be on Europe which gets much of the oil refined in the Middle East and shipped using the canal and pipeline. Egypt is also a major importer of wheat, importing more wheat than any other country. Any increase in imports to placate consumers would increase wheat prices. Already wheat prices are impacted by floods in Australia, a long drought in Argentina, and forest fires in Russia. Inflationary impact of rising food prices has been felt in China, India and other countries....

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The Romney campaign's campaign manager Matt Rhoades is from Saratoga Springs, New York and attended Syracuse University. He rose through the ranks doing opposition research at the Republican National Committee. He has a good sense for the media cycle, getting the candidate out in the best light, and a willingness to use a barrage of ads at critical points to turn the tide. Rhoades is competitive and eager to win. He has conserved resources throughout the campaign, maintained a loyal team and tightly run the campaign to avoid the dysfunction of the previous Romney campaign in 2008. Some of the key decisions Rhoades pesuaded Romney to make are releasing his tax returns before the must win Florida primary given Romney's reluctance to do so, and getting the candidate to give up his suit and wear informal clothing. The informal dress and manner has taken away some of the negative image of a Romney as a business type not comfortable with ordinary people.

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Report from the ground giving an unbiased account by a captain in the army who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He spent 7 months as aspecial advisor to the NATO director of communications. He avoide the official tours through the countryside and tried to see and hear what ordinatry Afghans were saying. He says the outbursts against the corruption in the Karzai government reveal a level of distrust that is so great that it greatly diminishes the credibility of the American effort in Afgahnistan, and increases the difficulties of the mission there. He suggests ombudsmens committees to handle complaints of corruption, and the withholding of funds to districts and government agencies that do not meet transpanrency and accountability goals.