• THE FIRST POLITICAL BATTLE FROM TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES IS LIKELY TO BE OVER IMMIGRATION – not just securing the borders from Illegal criminals, but also regarding Legal immigrants. The H1B Visa is a category which intended to allow employers to ‘sponsor’ highly educated foreign professionals to work in ‘specialty occupations’ (like technology, engineering, medical sciences, math) for up to nine years. It was legislated to ‘fill the void left by our failing education system, which instead opts to pump out gender and race studies grievance drones and sociologists to manufacture studies in fields like gender or race with a 3% employment rate, to keep them feeling self-righteous.” But reality is that foreign labor is materially cheaper. So: (1) Of course the tech companies who sponsor these workers exploit this – effectively “tethering and essentially owning” those workers, and their Lobbyists are already pressuring congressional reps to hold the line; also (2) Non-legal workers are engaged by many other non-‘technical’ business and household employers for cheaper and often non-tax-reported compensation.  [TOWNHALL – 12/29/24]
  •  STUDIES CONSISTENTLY SHOW THAT CHILDREN’S QUALITY OF LIFE is directly related to the type of parenting they’ve grown up with: Authoritative – strictly controlling and cold, with many rules and little understanding; Permissive – warm and supportive but lacking structure and failing to set boundaries; Neglectful – setting no boundaries and without considering the child’s thoughts or feeling; and/or a combination.  By the 1980s, Authoritative parenting (including corporal punishment) was supplanted by modern parents who began to recognize that kids’ feelings shouldn’t be entirely suppressed, but critics now argue that ‘emotional validation’ has gone too far, without kids learning boundaries, structure or even safe guidance. Latest research in Norway & Sweden suggests “unequivocally” that these days: (1) Parents who are more authoritative – both warm & supportive, but also firm – have children who thrive the most with best mental health and quality of life; (2) This is optimized when children are included in decision-making processes, particularly regarding their own choices about careers, relationships and sexual distinctions. However, this consensus is based on self-reported answers by the parents, so can’t necessarily be taken unequivocally. [SCIENCENORWAY.NO – 12/12/24]
  • HUMANOID ROBOTS ARE NOW ON AN UNSTOPPABLE COURSE. The converging breakthroughs in AI, hardware components and battery technology which enhance their adaptability and decision-making capabilities, now portend major job disruptions (perhaps three of every four occupations and 40% of employees), effectively reshaping our concept of work and society. The good news is that perhaps sixty-million robots could at least provide a solution for global labor shortages – particularly a 25% projected ‘dependency ratio’ of people over age 70 who will need assistance in health & social care in the next five years.  By 2030, we can expect the emergence of robots with a basic humanoid shape which can walk, carry objects, and navigate around workplaces, homes and urban areas, while Tesla’s announced goal of a $20K selling price for its Optimus robot could make mass adoption feasible. By 2040, robots will likely have human-like hands, faces capable of basic expressions, advanced dexterity with smoother lifelike movements, synthetic skin to improve realism, and flexibility that closely resembles human motion (including even gentle touch). These advances will unquestionably reshape our concept of work and fundamentally alter the structure of our economy and society. Hopefully for the better.  [THOMAS FREY and PETER DIAMANDIS– 11/24]
  •  THE WORLD’S LARGEST ‘HAPPINESS’ EXPERIMENT, planned to determine what “reliably lifts the spirits, to what extent, and who benefits,” is about to be researched by more than a thousand scientists from seventy countries involving over 30,000 people. Queries will range from their feelings after a 30-minute session about physical exercise (yoga, weight training, high-intensive interval training’) and social interactions. Led by University of British Columbia, the objective is to develop a global database on strategies that promote happiness, their effectiveness, whether they apply everywhere, and for what size & type of people.  [GUARDIAN – 9/29/24]

                        THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW YEAR:

  • Another dimension of liberal left perspective: A Generational shift of American’s views on support for Israel: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/under-biden-a-generational-shift-in-u-s-views-of-israel/ar-AA1wmnY7?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=af83b7f044ff410ba25c32792a83a33a&ei=41
  •  THE PLAN:  In the beginning was the PLAN. And then came the assumptions. And the assumptions were without form. And darkness was upon the face of the workers.  And they spoke among themselves saying: “It is a crock of shit, and it stinketh.”  And the workers went into their supervisors and sayeth: “It is a pail of dung and none may abide by the odor thereof.” And the supervisors went unto their managers and sayeth to them: “It is a container of excrement and it is very strong such that none may abide by it.”  And the managers went unto their directors and sayeth: “It is a vessel of fertilizer and none may abide by its strength.”  And the directors spoke among themselves saying one to the other: “It contains that which aids plant growth and it is very strong.”  And the directors went unto the vice-presidents and sayeth to them: “It promotes growth and it is very powerful.”  And the vice-presidents went unto the president and sayeth to him: “This new plan will promote the growth of this company.” And the president looked upon the plan and saw that it was good. And the plan became policy. And that is how shit happens.    [ANON]