Year: 2020

Collective Evolution – by Arjun Walia

A new study published in Nature entitled “Power generation from ambient humidity using protein nanowires” has discovered an interesting way to harvest energy from the environment, creating the potential for another clean power generating system that is self-sustaining. According to the authors, Continue reading “Engineers Develop A Device That ‘Literally Generates Electricity Out of Thin Air’”

Sputnik

Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov promised that Moscow would naturally “react” to the Defender Europe 20 drills, but that Russia’s response would “not create unnecessary risks.”

The first contingent of American troops and military hardware started to arrive in the northern German port of Bremerhaven on Friday to take part in NATO’s ongoing Defender Europe 20 drills that were earlier touted by the US military as “the largest deployment of US-based forces to Europe for an exercise in the more than 25 years”. Continue reading “‘Largest American Troop Deployment to Europe in 25 Years’: US Joins Major NATO Exercise”

Pocket – by André Spicer, Aeon

Each summer, thousands of the best and brightest graduates join the workforce. Their well-above-average raw intelligence will have been carefully crafted through years at the world’s best universities. After emerging from their selective undergraduate programmes and competitive graduate schools, these new recruits hope that their jobs will give them ample opportunity to put their intellectual gifts to work. But they are in for an unpleasant surprise.    Continue reading “Stupefied”

The Great Recession

Who says there is no recession anywhere in sight? It depends on where you are looking. In short, manufacturing remains in recession; corporate profits remain in recession; freight remains deep in recession; Carmageddon remains in recession; and the Retail Apocalypse remains a recession for brick-and-mortar stores, while employment — the last holdout — is now also turning downward. Continue reading “The Glub, Glub, Glub of Recession Circling the Drain”

Washington Examiner – by Zachary Halaschak

A college “coronavirus party” featuring surgical masks and chilled Corona beers has prompted anger from some on campus.

The University at Albany is investigating whether the off-campus party last weekend violated its student code of conduct after the Asian American Alliance at the school became offended by the party theme, calling it “not funny and completely insensitive.”  Continue reading “Coronas and surgical masks: Coronavirus-themed party prompts university investigation”

Africa News

Namibia has become the first African country to export red meat to the United States, following nearly two decades of negotiations.

The state-owned meat firm Meatco sent a shipment of 25 tonnes of beef to Philadelphia on Wednesday, and the Southern African nation is set to export 860 tonnes of various beef cuts in 2020 to the United States, rising to 5,000 tonnes by 2025.  Continue reading “Namibia becomes first African country to export red meat to United States”

Fox 5

NEW YORK – Taxpayers who make six-figure salaries and have a history of filing late returns could get a visitor this filing season.

The IRS is stepping up unannounced house calls to those people to remind them to file their taxes on time.  Continue reading “Why the IRS may be knocking on your door during tax season this year”

MSN

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told a crowd at a private gathering in England on Wednesday night that the Trump administration “needs more immigrants” for the U.S. economy to continue growing, according to an audio recording of his remarks obtained by The Washington Post.

“We are desperate — desperate — for more people,” Mulvaney said. “We are running out of people to fuel the economic growth that we’ve had in our nation over the last four years. We need more immigrants.” Continue reading “Mulvaney says U.S. is ‘desperate’ for more legal immigrants”

Newsmax – by Jason Devaney

The Trump administration is expected to allow more than 100,000 seasonal guest workers into the United States this year, an increase of 45,000 over the standard that’s part of the H-2B visa program.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday night that the Department of Homeland Security will let in as many as 111,000 seasonal guest workers this summer. This would mark the highest level under President Donald Trump; last year, an additional 30,000 guest workers above the threshold of 66,000 were allowed in. Continue reading “Guest Worker Program to See Boost in 2020”