LyrArc Article Gist
Sel-awareness, what it is and how it can help one build on reflection that happens when one slows down not going on at the fast pace of today's life. It gets one to know how ones actions are perceived by others, how to develop the humility to see oneself and others in ways that improves social interactions.

LyrArc Article Gist
Pamela Druckerman is the author of "Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting," which describes her experiences in France and with French ways of child raising. Unlike Ms. Druckerman's book title, the title of this article is about why French parenting is superior, which is not really the point. The point being how Americans can learn from other ways of doing parenting that would make it easier, more effective and less stressful. Brigid Schulte in an article in the Washington Post reviewing Druckerman's observations, says an important reason why French parenting is more relaxed is the comprehensive system of child care in France. This is financed by the government and has wholehearted French support. By contrast the American system is chaotic in comparison with constant worry about finding good child care, leaving mothers with the difficult choice between careers and being stay at home mothers.

LyrArc Article Gist
Efforts to put aside the smartphone are shown in the NYT and ways this can be done to improve mental health and general well being. Some are switching to flip phones, others are keeping the smartphone only for some tasks and reducing its use so that they have more quality time with their spouses, friends and others they interact with in a better way.

LyrArc Article Gist
China's central bank says it will stay with normal policy as long as possible and not lower interest rates. The strong stimulus following the 2008 financial crisis led to debt expansion problems in the Chinese economy. This time China is cautious about monetary and fiscal steps even as the economy is slowing with the tariffs imposed on Chinese products by the U.S.

LyrArc Article Gist
P&G's experience in China shows that mothers are willing to spend more on diapers for their children. After aiming at the lower end for a frugal middle class diaper, the company is trying to catchup with more popular and better quality Japanese diapers at the higher end of the price range. With fewer children Chinese mothers are known to spend more on children in their family budgets.

LyrArc Article Gist
US China talks on trade hinge on fentanyl action on export from source material countries- fentanyl action with more American deaths 3 times the Korean and Vietnam Wars is allowed to be a trade negotiation by both sides. The abject failure of politicians and the media in not spotlighting the issue as one common to humanity and one that speaks for people, mothers and sons, daughters, in all races, in many countries, to defend justice and protect the weak. It shows that today's politics and culture is failing the People, the Nation, and the World.

LyrArc Article Gist
Is increasing taxes in the UK a good idea in 2025 for middle income people? Why Reeves is the wrong chancellor for Starmer and Labour in 2025 with her insistence on having everything balance to the last pound without looking at the big picture- people's strained finances and the need to do what DJT has done with the One Big Beautiful Act- to support mothers with childcare, the retired with nearly eliminating social security taxes, and finding the funding to do this in other ways, reducing taxes on small business to create new investment.

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DJT raises issue of NATO countries Turkey Hungary and Slovakia others buying Russian oil and gas + EU trade with China while asking for US help. Britain is a NATO country expanding trade with China while being strident about Russia. Germany has over two decades built economic relations with China through a period of Russian attacks on Ukraine including the Scholz administration approving China's stake in the port of Hamburg. India has been singled out by the EU and US, and by DJT with high tariffs while Britain and Germany carry on expanding trade with China. DJT believes China's support has emboldened Russia in its policy in Ukraine including pausing peace negotiations.

LyrArc Article Gist
Removing nuclear material has already been done for Kazakhstan and Georgia by the US in the past. The same methods and advanced technologies could be used to get all of the nuclear material out of Iran. Special operations set up for this purpose can also be used to get this done. This appears to be the only safe and certain way to avoid the nuclear proliferation. Despite what the media has been saying, even the Pope and others like Starmer and Macron are saying, who have never brought this up, but is the only way to tell the whole story,  the US and the world is safer without nuclear proliferation -especially in the most volatile region of the world for the last 5 decades. This is all the US is doing and getting more than its share of blame when all it is interested in is making it safe for the people of the world , including the people of India, Brazil, China and Russia, European Union and Africa, Latin America, whatever their leaders say.

LyrArc Article Gist
French charity Secours Catholique says it catered to one million people with food in 2022. It says single family households represented 75 percent of this one million. Fifty seven percent of these households were led by women living in poverty, of these 20 percent were single women and 27 percent were single mothers. Shown here is a woman in Toulouse, France.