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Britain Groups
The US Cost of Living Crisis 2023-2025
02/24/2025
Cost of Living Crisis and huge gaps in income and wealth between the top 20 percent and the bottom 80 percent aggravate standards of living in America in a way not seen since the Second World War. About 45% increase in prices on cars, used cars, car repairs, housing rentals and groceries, in many household expenses, since 2019. Incomes of workers not having kept up with this kind of spiralling inflation. This is upending the social compact and leading to loss of faith in governments in the US and Europe. Change in governments in UK, France, Germany, and the US and a sense of unease among people.
Grouped Articles
Even Disney Is Worried About the High Cost of a Disney Vacation
WSJ 02/09/2025
Inspiring Olympian stories defying the odds- Brayshaw's horse riding accident to rowing, Pidcock 40 second mountain biking puncture, 17 year sub Takenawa 96th minute distance goal
07/30/2024
Grouped Articles
The Future of Work - worklife balance, Feirabend, (breaking off from work at 5.01), 30 hour weeks and longer careers
09/13/2023
What does the future of work look like. Ideas from Laura Carstensen of the Stanford Center for Longevity who says rather than follow an outdated norm of education in the early part of life, work in the middle part of life and leisure in the latter part of life, it makes sense to mix education, work and leisure throughout life. Feierabend is the German practice of breaking off from work at 5.01 pm so that one can go outdoors for exercise and fresh air. All this with nutrition and exercise, healthy living, contributes to a more productive satisfying life that includes time for family, parents and children.
Grouped Articles
Starmer's Plan for Britain- "A bold and reforming Labor government that will bring about real change."
05/03/2023
Starmer describes his bold plans for education, housing, healthcare, climate change and renewable energy, that he hopes will be felt for generations.
Grouped Articles
Keir Starmer: ‘I want Labour to be the party of home ownership’
The Guardian 05/03/2023
The Guardian 05/02/2023
Keir Starmer prepares for his moment of truth in battle for the blue wall
04/30/2023
‘Stand by every word’: Keir Starmer defends attack ad on Rishi Sunak
The Guardian 04/09/2023
Labour could win big with shift to right on social issues, says thinktank
The Guardian 01/20/2023
How Europe won the energy war after shutdown of Russian gas supplies
04/07/2023
By April 2023 with winter over it is clear that Europe has come out of the winter season with its economy intact after shutdown of pipeline gas from the pipelines in Russia. A lot of action was taken in a short time- Germany's Habeck went to Qatar and other countries to secure LNG supplies, a new LNG terminal was built at Wilhelmshaven in record time, Norway and the US pitched in with more supplies, conservation went into high gear, and renewable energy investments were accelerated. There is no recession in the European Union as a result of this effort. And in this sense and with the Ukrainian economy functioning, generators taking Ukraine through a tough winter, EU taking in 80% of Ukraine agricultural exports, and supermarket shelves kept well stocked, refugees settled in Poland and Germany, the war has already been decided. The principle of no impunity for attacks on neighboring countries has been preserved by the EU acting together to protect itself.
Grouped Articles
Opinion | Putin’s Energy Offensive Has Failed
NYTimes.com 04/07/2023
Thwarting Vladimir Putin: The Ukrainian Economy Just Keeps On Going - DER SPIEGEL
SPIEGEL ONLINE 04/07/2023
An LNG pipeline built in record time – DW – 11/01/2022
dw.com 11/04/2022
Biden and his "Biggest bill on Climate Ever, Ever, Ever"
09/03/2022
The $369 billion Biden Bill on Climate is the biggest bill ever. It was put through with Biden's fellow senators and his long experience in the Senate of the US through the efforts of Senator Coon and Hickenlooper who took a new approach to negotiating with Senator Manchin appealing to his place in history and in the party. Biden said while signing the bill "Joe I never doubted for a moment." Senator Schumer of New York did the negotiations and persevered till the end when Manchin was on board. Adjustments were made to allow increase in drilling to bring down oil prices to create a win-win for all so that it could be called The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 as pharmaceutical prices would also come down with the government retaking the right to negotiate pharmaceutical prices lost under Republicans. It is also a Win for Europe, India, and the World.
Grouped Articles
Biden Signs Expansive Health, Climate and Tax Law
NYTimes.com 08/16/2022
Biden Signs Climate, Health Bill Into Law as Other Economic Goals Remain
NYTimes.com 08/18/2022
What’s in Joe Manchin and Chuck Schumer’s Reconciliation Deal on Climate, Health and Tax Policy?
WSJ 08/12/2022
Climate Bill Aims to Boost America’s Charging Network to Meet Rising EV Demand
WSJ 08/12/2022
Opinion | Bill Gates: We’re on the Verge of a Remarkable Moment for Congress and the Country
NYTimes.com 08/07/2022
Democrats’ Climate and Tax Deal Closes In on Passage
WSJ 08/05/2022
European and Indian oil imports from Russia- myth and reality
04/01/2022
Grouped Articles
Truss-Jaishankar faceoff over sanctions: ‘most Russian oil buyers in Europe’
The Indian Express 04/01/2022
India’s stand on Russia tied to the ‘extra issue’ of China’s challenge: Australian envoy
The Hindu 03/29/2022
Opinion: Targeting India for buying Russian oil smacks of hypocrisy | DW | 22.03.2022
DW.COM 03/28/2022
Profiles of courage in the third year of the pandemic - women in Antartica on skis to solo flights
01/22/2022
Grouped Articles
Teen pilot becomes youngest woman to fly solo around the world | DW | 20.01.2022
DW.COM 01/20/2022
Preet Chandi becomes first woman of colour to ski solo to south pole
The Guardian 01/05/2022
Olaf Scholz and the task of Renewal of Germany+European Union
12/09/2021
Grouped Articles
Chancellor Olaf Scholz? Change Without Disruption
Institut Montaigne 12/08/2021
Who is Olaf Scholz, the new German chancellor?
The Times 12/08/2021
Germany's Olaf Scholz pushes for stronger EU, issues warning to Russia | DW | 07.12.2021
DW.COM 12/07/2021
Germany’s Scholz Takes Power After Merkel’s 16-Year Rule
WSJ 12/08/2021
Nature walks, nature settings, as an essential way to boost mental health and wellbeing during the pandemic
10/09/2021
It is proven that just two hours a week of walks in nature setting in parks, natural settings, green areas, or forested areas, can be hugely beneficial for health and wellbeing during the pandemic. Long and recurrent lockdowns or partial lockdowns, closure of schools, loss of work and income, have had devastating effects on mental health in many countries. Much needs to be done to promote nature walks and bringing nature as a healing mechanism to take some of the burden off the overburdened health services of many countries. Awareness of this in the UK and funds + projects to do this can be a model for other countries.
Grouped Articles
Two-hour ‘dose’ of nature significantly boosts health – study
The Guardian 06/13/2019
Oyster Shoreline at ‘Greater New York’ Has a Pearl of a Message
NYTimes.com 10/04/2021
‘It took a year to get help’: generation Z on mental health decline
The Guardian 09/30/2021
Natural health service: wildlife volunteers get mental health boost
The Guardian 10/02/2017
Nature on prescription: wetlands project aims to boost mental health
The Guardian 05/13/2021
‘These salt marshes saved my life’: how nature is helping mental health
The Guardian 10/09/2021
How women can navigate the waters to find a family friendly workplace and get men to share in household chores. This is important for women's Mental Health.
09/24/2021
During the pandemic women increasingly stayed at home while men continued to work. Figures from Bureau of Labor Statistics show women ended up with doing even more household chores than men in 2020 compared to 2019. As a result women during the coronavirus feel worn out or burned out in addition to losing income. WSJ offers ways women can tackle this problem both by getting men to share in household chores, and finding employers who are family friendly as the coronavirus pandemic declines in 2022.
Grouped Articles
How to Find a Family-Friendly Workplace
WSJ 09/24/2021
Women Still Do More of the Housework. Here’s How to Share the Load.
WSJ 09/23/2021
Kick the sugar habit
07/17/2021
Healthy living means no more than 6% of daily calories of 2000 calories a day should come from sugar intake. During the coronavirus pandemic poor health habits mean pouring gasoline on fire. It is morally indefensible and a sign of a backward country that the the health guideline is set at 10% in the US. The mean consumption of sugar today in the US is 13%. In teaspoons about 6-8 teaspoons of added sugar is the healthy limit, at 16 calories per teaspoon this is 96 calories to 120 calories from added sugar. In grams this is 24 grams at 4 grams per teaspoon of sugar. It is critical to make it a habit to look at packaged foods labels and make intelligent choices. And to simply cut the sugar we add in tea, coffee or drinks by a third or a fourth. Good habits = good health. It is also critical to start this with public education in schools from K1 to high school.
Grouped Articles
Boris Johnson must help us kick our sugar habit
The Times 07/17/2021
Beware sugar highs: seven healthy ways to get more energy – from stretching to sourdough
The Guardian 04/05/2021
New Limits Urged on Americans’ Sugar Consumption Amid Rising Obesity Concerns
WSJ 10/05/2020
Make 2020 the Year of Less Sugar
NYTimes.com 01/06/2019
Global corporate minimum tax rate to pay for new infrastructure
04/07/2021
Grouped Articles
Biden Softens Tax Plan Aimed at Profitable Companies That Pay Little
WSJ 04/07/2021
G-20 to Seek Agreement on Global Minimum Tax Rate by Mid-2021
WSJ 04/07/2021
Treasury’s Yellen Calls for Global Minimum Corporate Tax Rate
WSJ 04/05/2021
Yellen Pushes for Global Minimum Tax Rate on Companies: Live Updates
NYTimes.com 04/05/2021
Biden Infrastructure Plan Aims to Boost Economy’s Productivity Over Time
WSJ 04/01/2021
Joe Biden mimics Franklin Roosevelt with $2trn Covid recovery plan
The Times 04/01/2021
Why cost of living is destroying the social compact in the US and Europe and upending governments in 2024-2025
02/24/2025
Used car prices are up 45% since 2019 putting used cars at average price $28000. It is not a discretionary cost, one needs a car to get to work in the US. There are cases of young people not able to pay soaring repair costs quitting work without transport. This is why there was so much discontent in 2024 after supply shocks and price gouging pushed up prices in 2024. Another factor evident in airline ticket pricing was demand and the excess income of the top 20 percent. In housing and apartment rentals supply shortages pushed up prices, demand and excess income of the top 20-30 percent pushed up prices beyond the reach of the rest, higher interest rates made it unaffordable to buy a home for most Americans.
Grouped Articles
Why There Is No Relief Ahead for High Used-Car Prices
WSJ 02/15/25
The U.S. Economy Depends More Than Ever on Rich People
WSJ 02/24/25
China and the World Face a Double Blow from decades of housing construction enabled hyper growth- creating problems of climate change for the World and a slump in growth in 2023
10/16/2023
Decades of growth at 12-14% have left China and the World worse off. As Greg Ip pointed out in WSJ America could not cope with this hyper growth in a country many times the size of Japan after absorbing the growth of Japan in the sixties. The result was the closing down of factories and ever increasing imports from China until America had transferred its manufacturing prowess to China. This led to the societal breakdown in the US with communities dependent on factories across the US feeling the brunt. The other effects were an unprecedented in scale use of coal and fossil fuels to fuel hyper growth rates in China that created the problems of World Climate Change by 2023 and contamination of water, land and air inside China. By 2030 China will be aging rapidly similar to Japan today and the slowing economy in 2024 onwards could mean China will be stuck in the Middle Income category. All this poses lessons for America, for Europe, India and the World on what kind of growth is healthy and what kind is not, what is sustainable growth and what is not,what works well for the planet and what does not.
Grouped Articles
China Bet It All on Real Estate. Now Its Economy Is Paying the Price.
NYTimes.com 10/16/23
An Even Bigger Housing Crisis Threatens China’s Economy
WSJ 09/18/23
Is China’s Economic Predicament as Bad as Japan’s? It Could Be Worse
WSJ 09/19/23
China’s Economy Remains Shaky After Challenging Summer
WSJ 10/13/23
How 65% of students failing reading comprehension and 75% failing civics and history is holding back America.
05/19/2023
The scores on National Assessment of Education Progress NAEP show two thirds of students failing reading proficiency, similar math scores, and over 75% failing civics and history. This has a serious effect on everything in society- the ability to get good jobs, to increase incomes, to teach their own children to create a better future, for the overwhelming majority of Americans. This has not changed for about two decades and is only getting worse. Nothing that Silicon Valley or capital markets have done, or successive governments have done so far for 2 decades is changing this situation. What Biden calls the struggle for the Soul of the Nation has this as the probable cause because lack of reading comprehension affects everything and leads to serious deterioration and breakdown in society. What is sometimes called technology is not really technology, computers yes, but not social media which damages the capacity for clear thinking and in the young of mental health also or what passes for technology that takes everything to the lowest common denominator including Google Search as shown in Lyrarc's Movement for Global Literacy.
Grouped Articles
History and civics scores drop for U.S. eighth-graders on national test
NPR 05/03/23
National math and reading scores remain constant, but disparities emerge
Washington Post 04/11/18
U.S. student performance slips on national test - The Washington Post
Washington Post 10/28/15
Eighth-Graders’ History, Civics Test Scores Hit Record Low
WSJ 05/03/23
Test Scores Show Students Made Little Progress in National Exam
WSJ 04/10/18
The Great Stagnation in American Education
New York Times 09/07/13
"Hard to see how bad actors would not misuse AI for bad things"
05/03/2023
Geoffrey Hinton resigns from Google saying: "It is hard to see how bad actors would not misuse AI for bad things." A call for a pause in development of Ai is ignored as profit seeking behaviour and competition leads to an acceleration of AI development without the ground rules being set and the regulatory agencies powered by law, and without the necessary government action. The tendency of business profit seeking behaviour to lobby legislatures that set the rules has led to lack of regulation for pharma, banks and tech, leading to social breakdown in society with higher health costs, lost decades through unemployment and loss of savings for families. AI takes the problem to another dimension with an effort to replace human thinking behind behaviour. With AI laissez faire ceases to exist as a viable option for free people, only with strict regulation can banks, tech and AI operate to perform useful functions in society. For this to happen schools, media have a role to perform well their role to educate people.
Grouped Articles
'Godfather of AI' quits Google to warn of the tech's dangers
France 24 05/02/23
Opinion | AI can’t teach children to learn. What’s missing?
Washington Post 04/23/23
Opinion | This Is Too Important to Leave to Microsoft, Google and Facebook
NYTimes.com 04/16/23
Microsoft Puts Caps on New Bing Usage After AI Chatbot Offered Unhinged Responses
WSJ 02/18/23
ChatGPT isn’t a great leap forward, it’s an expensive deal with the devil | John Naughton
The Guardian 02/04/23
Essay | Without Consciousness, AIs Will Be Sociopaths
WSJ 01/13/23
Expanding Indian ties to the European Union in manufacturing, trade and advanced technologies
03/07/2023
Italy signs a strategic partnership agreement with India. President Scholz of Germany visits India with a business delegation. Siemens plans railway modernization manufacturing plants in India. New aviation sector is being built with French and US assistance and a huge order from Air India. Denmark's Maersk and other Danish companies help build the port logistics in India after a business and trade agreement with Denmark. The European Union joins the US in building a new supply chain based in India to replace one that caused inflation and bottlenecks, and was seen as a security risk with concentration of the supply chain in one country.
Grouped Articles
India, Italy elevate ties to strategic partnership, sign MoU on defence cooperation
The Hindu 03/02/23
Germany's Scholz in India: What's at stake? – DW – 02/25/2023
dw.com 02/28/23
On India visit, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz drinks tea at a street corner in Delhi
The Hindu 02/27/23
Siemens partners with India on railway modernization – DW – 02/27/2023
dw.com 02/27/23
The Hindu 12/04/22
A Nordic-India connect to power a green transition
The Hindu 02/08/23
Policies under Germany's Merkel and France's Macron that emboldened Russia to invade Ukraine
04/11/2022
Grouped Articles
‘Wrong about Putin’: Did Germany and France turn a blind eye to the threat from Russia?
France 24 04/10/22
Opinion | Barack Obama Rewrites His Russia History
WSJ 04/08/22
Opinion | How Germany Became Putin’s Enabler
NYTimes.com 04/08/22
Merkel 'stands by' past Ukraine NATO decision after Zelenskyy criticism | DW | 04.04.2022
DW.COM 04/04/22
Vladimir Putin’s 20-Year March to War in Ukraine—and How the West Mishandled It
WSJ 04/01/22
Opinion: Ukraine will survive — but the West should be ashamed | DW | 25.02.2022
DW.COM 02/25/22
What kind of leadership can deliver for Britain,-for health, education and infrastructure, for women, climate change, families and children?
01/22/2022
The Guardian looks at Tory leaders Rishi Sunak- the smooth veneer, the tech-bro polished image after the Stanford days, and Jacob Rees-Mogg - the bewildering mix of social classes in the neighborhood of St Pancras where he grew up, to see if this is what will deliver for Britain's future after the pandemic.
Grouped Articles
Rishi Sunak: the polished ‘tech bro’ with low-tax dreams
The Guardian 01/21/22
Rees-Mogg’s roots tell a true Conservative tale – just not the one he wants us to hear | Ian Jack
The Guardian 01/22/22
Escaping the algorithm based social media platforms TikTok, Facebook and others
12/29/2021
If and how it is possible to escape the algorithm based social media platforms TikTok, Facebook and others, harmful for girls and the young, and to mental health, diversity, and education that leads to upward mobility, is the subject of a WSJ series in 2021.
Grouped Articles
The TikTok Spiral, Part 1: Descent - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts
WSJ 12/27/21
The TikTok Spiral, Part 3: Escape the Algorithm - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts
WSJ 12/29/21
‘The Corpse Bride Diet’: How TikTok Inundates Teens With Eating-Disorder Videos
WSJ 12/17/21
Teens Are Developing Tics. Doctors Say TikTok May Be A Factor. - The Journal. - WSJ Podcasts
WSJ 11/08/21
Facebook Faces Official Questions in India Over Policing of Hate Speech
WSJ 10/28/21
Facebook Whistleblower’s Testimony Builds Momentum for Tougher Tech Laws
WSJ 10/05/21
Children and mental health during the coronavirus pandemic- search for solutions
10/09/2021
Grouped Articles
One in six children aged 5-16 in England 'likely to have a mental disorder'
The Guardian 10/22/20
Revealed: anti-vaccine TikTok videos being viewed by children as young as nine
The Guardian 10/08/21
How Other Nations Pay for Child Care. The U.S. Is an Outlier.
NYTimes.com 10/26/21
Foundational learning took a hit amid Covid, only 19% schools have access to internet: UNESCO report
The Indian Express 10/05/21
Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show
WSJ 09/14/21
Web giants ‘fuel child mental health crisis’
06/14/18
Serious rethink of existing global supply chains
10/05/2021
Redesign of global supply chains is underway.
Grouped Articles
Supply chain crisis causes rethink at multinationals
10/03/21
‘A perfect storm’: supply chain crisis could blow world economy off course
The Guardian 10/02/21
East Asia’s Economies Face Slowing Growth and Rising Inequality, World Bank Warns
WSJ 09/28/21
The World Relies on One Chip Maker in Taiwan, Leaving Everyone Vulnerable
WSJ 06/19/21
For Clean Energy, Buy American or Buy It Quick and Cheap?
NYTimes.com 05/11/21
Wall Street Journal Facebook Investigation and the Outrage Algorithm, Instagram's toxic nature for teen girls
09/21/2021
An algorithm that exaggerates the outrage online creating an angrier place on the internet is one of the findings of the WSJ Facebook Investigation. It shows broken policies, broken tech and broken management. The effects on women are equally insidious and dangerous for mental health.
Grouped Articles
The Facebook Files, Part 4: The Outrage Algorithm - The Journal. - WSJ Podcasts
WSJ 09/20/21
WSJ 09/15/21
Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show
WSJ 09/14/21
Why Free Is Too High a Price for Facebook and Google
WSJ 06/08/19
WSJ 09/16/21
Biden’s Facebook Attack Followed Months of Frustration Inside White House
WSJ 07/18/21
Mental health crisis during the pandemic- UK, France and Japan
05/05/2021
Grouped Articles
Covid-19: French mental health ‘deteriorating’ amid lockdown, minister says
France 24 11/23/20
Japan: 'Minister of loneliness' tackles mental health crisis | DW | 23.04.2021
DW.COM 04/25/21
The mental health effects of Covid will last for a decade
The Times 01/14/21
Right to disconnect is vital for future health of home workers
04/23/21
Second wave is bringing a mental health crisis
The Times 10/21/20
We took a different way to help millions around the world build educated informed mindsets that affects and shapes their lives. For a future that is open, global and digital, with everyone having access to high quality information. We believe in the renewal of America, renewal of Europe, the renewal of India, the rest of Asia, Latin America and Africa. The renewal of our supply chains, health, education, infrastructure, as we rebuild our countries after the pandemic. Literacy and knowledge we believe cannot thrive and grow in a world of web bots, web crawlers, or AI. This requires human curiosity, human learning, and human imagination. We take as inspiration the saying- “One has to be free, and as broad as sky. One has to have a mind that is crystal clear, only then can truth shine in it.” Every contribution whether big or small is precious- in this crisis and ahead.
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