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Parenting poses risks for mental health. Loneliness in tackling situations is an added burden. Dealing with tech platforms that act with impunity disregarding parents and pursuing profit are another burden. The solutions to tackle this also are not easy or don't work, says Julie Jargon.

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The Wash. Post says the former president's speech as it wore on for 90 minutes rambling on without clarity on discussion of issues and policies for the future was a missed opportunity. Nothing was said about bringing down the cost of living when so many actions on multiple fronts are needed. Nothing on climate change or climate change action but leaving it out out of denial it exists during the worst heat waves and floods in a century. It is now Biden's turn to spell out the details of policies for cost of living action step after step of action, says the Post. Post readers say so far the Post titles and phrases it uses are more out of social media and ask ominously is it itself turning into social media as shown by the post of Letters it has received on coverage of Biden and the future 2024-2028 on this Lyrarc page.

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Austria, Greece, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Czech Republic, Israel, are smaller countries that have formed a group that is meeting every 2 weeks with videoconferences to coordinate strategy for tourism and reopening their economies.

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The US Justice Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland file the second lawsuit against Google seeking the breakup of Google. It is joined by 8 states in this lawsuit including the states of New York and California. The lawsuit seeks the divestiture of Double Click and other acquisitions that helped Google establish its monopoly in online advertising. It covers the ad brokering business that makes up 12% of Google revenues. 

In filing the lawsuit Attorney General Merrick Garland said:

"For 15 years Google has pursued a course of anticompetitive conduct that has allowed it to halt the rise of rival technologies, manipulate auction mechanics, insulate itself from competition, and forced advertisers and publishers to use its tools.

Google has engaged in exclusionary conduct that has severely weakened if not destroyed competition in the ad-tech industry." 

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Escalating dangers of social media to democracy in the UK and the US through misinformation are covered here in this Guardian report. Prime minister Starmer of the UK calls it out in the current UK riots saying - "Social media is not a law-free zone."

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Effects of the hurricane in the hard hit rural western part of North Carolina and the controversy surrounding the Republican candidate for governor are likely to affect voting in the state in 2024. The margin is razor thin for Republicans says this report in WSJ, less than 0.8%.

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British prime minister Boris Johnson to make planned trip to India this week for talks with prime minister Modi, visit to Gujarat, and efforts to expand trade and defense relations. An earlier trip was postponed due to coronavirus surge.

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Saving for child at 30 years when she is 7 years the situation for young family finances in 2025, with outrageous college tution up 40% in 10 years, and other costs such as child care. Colleges seem to be impervious to increasing college costs so called  "upper tier" college leagues intent on taking advantage of the disproportionate increases in upper class incomes exacerbating class divisions, and trying to perpetuate their brands with the notion that they offer a better education for undergraduates at $50,000 to $100,000 a year at a Northwestern or Brown when state universities in Michigan, California and Arizona among many in the whole Nation at $15,000 a year instate tution offer the same education as long as the student puts in the necessary effort to study hard.

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The plant in Tychy, Poland where Fiat turns out 500,000 small cars a year, one every 55 seconds. Chrysler engineers are now visiting this plant to see what can be done with small car production. The Fiat 500 is turned out here. Its Fiat's best effort in terms of quality. Zdzislaw Arlet, is director of the Tychy (pronounced TICK-ee) plant. He says the right combination of robots to individual workers was critical to achieve efficiencies and to have the flexibility to switch to different Fiat small car models depending on which is selling more. This enables the Tichy plant to operate round the clock six days a week. About three years ago workers were assigned an individual ID that is stamped on the sections of the car that they assemble so any problems at the end of the line can be traced to the source. As a result of these efforts defects have fallen from 20% in 1996 to just 4% now, and the time to have a car roll out of the assembly line has been halved.

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A sense of purpose that benefits the common good and others around us, and small actions to achieve this, are a way to true happiness. Self centered attitudes have led to a loss of purpose in life and destructive behaviours in the last two decades.

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China's dependence on an export sector that is uncertain 14% growth (EV's electronics) vs. 0.2% growth in domestic spending April 2026. Costlier energy inputs are affecting China in the way that is affecting Germany's economy in 2026. The US has increased tariffs, Germany and the EU are likely to do the same as they see their economy erode with Chinese exports in German markets replacing German manufacturing. China has set 4.5% growth target much of it from ramping up exports and depends on cheaper inputs for energy as Germany has done for economic growth. This is being gradually eroded as US/EU want to reindustrialize and make things and products realizing the errors in industrial policy of previous administrations Bush and Obama in US and Schroeder/Merkel in Germany. At the same time India wants to be a manufacturing hub like China. When that happens by 2030 China's growth will be similar to the US of 2-3% a year as exports decrease. Eastern India is the New East and South China with 700 million people for the first time in 2025-2026 under double engine governments. Double engine meaning state, local and federal governments all under the same party (the BJP National party) so that industrial policy is conducted along the lines of a Master Plan tested in western Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. This has been seen before. As Japan rapid rise of the 1960's and 1970's slowed by 1980, China's rapid rise of the 1990's and 2000's slowed by 2025 and India in 2025 is picking up from China in the way China picked up from Japan. This means an industrialized US and EU, rapidly industrializing India will face a slowing China and aging China by 2030. Knowing this pattern helps US and EU leaders, Indian leaders, look at the long term in their plans, having confidence in their investments in industrial progress for the next 5 years. ...

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The federal government set up the National Capital Civil Services Authority for administering the national capital of New Delhi, India, similar to the way other capitals in the world Ottawa, Canberra, Berlin and Washington D.C are run. This was done by ordinance and will be followed up with legislation in parliament.

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The Swiss form of government with a permanent Unity government and one that steers to the moderate and centre is shown here in France 24 report. The recent elections showed immigration an important issue. Yet climate change has not receded as an issue after progress in passing a climate bill.

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The Thompson Divide in the White RIver National Front is where Colorado's largest Aspen stand is located. These are Aspen trees that have a lateral root system and one of the treasures of Colorado for future generations of children and adults. Efforts are being made to protect it.

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One more instance of capital misallocation as $75 billion is diverted by Microsoft into gaming with violent videogames taking priority over investments in education and healthcare. Advances in education have been neglected by all the so-called technology companies at a time when online education can use a boost as students are in the third academic year when school attendance is disrupted. Instead taking gaming to the cloud is seen as the next frontier by companies from Sony and Tencent to Microsoft. Microsoft sees this as a consumer facing business when it is mostly in enterprise software, yet education and related lifestyle branches in music, sports, and others are by far the largest businesses directly interacting with users. Apple has done this with music, Disney with sports through ESPN, and education advances at a time of growing demand and use in the pandemic have not been answered.

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The European central bank increases interest rates by quarter percentage point taking the deposit rate to 3.5%. The US Fed held off on increases. The US Fed started early with its increase in interest rates and maintained a steady posture with 8 interest rate increases over 2022-2023 in a period of just over 12 months. It has strengthened the dollar against the euro. The slow response of the ECB and price gouging in Europe has worsened the inflation picture there. The US Fed's policy combined with consumers resisting price gouging by halting purchases from stores, untangling of supply chains, the Biden administration's series of actions to tackle the cost of living increases, and overall investment in the economy that keeps employment resilient including government investment for the first time, is creating a better economy for America than most of the last two decades. 

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The singer Pete Seeger about life after 90 - he turned 90 in 2009- and what he has learned over the years, and what he is still learning now. That includes homely stuff like how best to boil corn- he eats right, with less fat, less salt and sugar, which he says has helped him stay healthy. He lives in the house he built in Duchess county, New York. He loves to cut wood and describes the whack in cutting wood as something that started with man from the earliest times.

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Camden, Arkansas town that made rockets in WWII in 1944 now converted to make mobile rocket launchers in 2024-2026. The expanded Lockheeed Complex in Camden now comprises 20 buildings and hires local high school seniors for assembly work at $50,000 salary.

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To really understand American history from its founding with the Mayflower voyage read the two volumes of Francis Parkman of the period between 1600-1756 that is rarely read and understood about how the American Indians and the French, the British, lived and built new settlements on the American continent. It is told in a very readable and authentic way by the greatest history and story book teller of this period. Library of America published Francis Parkman's France and England in North America. The Washington Post said that a thousand years from now, if their are still Americans here, Parkman will be their Homer. Too much of the American story told by only one person and PBS documentaries. One can learn about it simply by reading about it through different books, asking one's own questions,  and coming up with one's own understanding of American history which would be more authentic. This would include excellent biographies written by authors such as David McCullough whose range and vision combined with other authors including Barbara Tuchman for the 19th century, and many British authors such as Roger Knight covering the Napoleonic period offer a better picture of European and American history intermingled, a better perspective than the monopoly business venture that history becomes with these PBS documentaries by one person.           ...

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In return for South Korea not developing its own nuclear weapons the US will give South Korea a central role for strategic planning in the use of nuclear weapons in any conflict with North Korea. This was an agreement reached during the visit of Yoon Yeol of South Korea to the US in meetings with president Biden.

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The covid test requirement applies for entry to the US from China and South Korea. It also includes airports in Canada at Vancouver and Toronto. Japan and India have their own covid test requirements for travelers from China following the surge in cases in China in December 2022 after all covid restrictions are removed.

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The country that pioneered coal power stations will be down to its last coal power station in Nottinghamshire with the closing down of a power station by EDF in 2022. By 2024 with the government deadline for no more usage of coal Britain will have taken a major step in the fight against climate change.

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Movies and exceptional acting performances in 2013 include Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine by Sony Pictures Classics, "Her" with Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams in "American Hustle," James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus in "Enough Said," Matthew McConaughey in "Dallas Buyer's Club," Bruce Dern in "Nebraska," Idris Elba in "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom."