A newly released study published in the journal Pediatrics found that children who were given smartphones before the age of 12 suffered worse health outcomes than their peers, from higher risks of depression and obesity.
ECONOMIC UPDATE – MARKET OVERVIEW
Today, CNBC reported that “The recovery in commercial real estate has been slow and bumpy, much like interest rate policy over the past few years. The two, of course, are deeply connected.”
BABYLON SLEEPWALKERS. HOW THE SYSTEM MANUFACTURES OBEDIENCE.
KEY POINT. Sleepwalkers cooperate with their own captivity. They repeat the slogans. They defend the very system robbing them... And they mock anyone who sees the scam. They could question it… but they don’t.
UNHAPPY YEAR: MORE THAN A MILLION LAYOFFS IN AMERICA
Through November this year, U.S. companies have announced layoffs of 1.17 million workers, workforce consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported.
NVIDIA CEO CLAIMS AI WILL CREATE 90 PERCENT OF ALL KNOWLEDGE (YET HUMAN DATA EXPLOITATION CONTINUES)
More AI abundance? Or more tech CEO deception? Nvidia’s Jensen Huang made news this past week for predicting that AI would soon account for 90 percent of all knowledge creation.
ISRAEL RAMPS UP THE STEALING OF MORE PALESTINIAN LAND IN THE WEST BANK
Palestinians living in the West Bank are experiencing an Israeli land-steal not seen in decades as Tel Aviv implements its plan to build 22 new villages inside settlements in the northern West Bank.
TRUMP CALLS ‘AFFORDABILITY’ A DEMOCRATIC ‘HOAX
President Donald Trump’s new angle of attack after watching Democrats win the off-year election last month, based largely on concerns about the economy and prices, and claimed last week that “the word affordability” is nothing more than a “Democrat hoax.”
Global Economy
SPOTLIGHT: BIGS GETTING BIGGER
As we have detailed, the Trump administration’s laissez-faire attitude toward major mergers and acquisitions has persuaded a growing number of companies “to take a shot at deals that merge direct competitors,” The Wall Street Journal reported after talking with executives, investment bankers, and lawyers in the field.
CHINA’S PHONE MAKERS ARE PEELING AWAY APPLE’S IPHONE USERS
China’s leading smartphone makers now offer apps that enable iPhone users to switch smoothly to domestically made phones.
LUXURY FIRM MUST DOWNSIZE, REBALANCE, CEO SAYS
To revive its flagging fortunes, luxury house Kering must continue to close stores, rethink its pricing strategy, seek synergies with other retailers, and reduce its dependence on flagship brand Gucci, CEO Luca de Meo said in a recent memo to senior staff.
The Israel War
NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS MAKES SURE TO PROTECT ISRAEL ON WAY OUT OF OFFICE
Eric Adams, the New York City mayor, made it a point last week to sign executive orders that make sure protests against Israel are essentially banned in the city, including one that stated that mayoral appointees shall not engage in practices that “discriminate against the State of Israel, Israeli citizens, or those associated with Israel.”
BEN & JERRY’S CO-FOUNDER COHEN TOLD TO HAND OVER COMPANY TO ‘NEW GENERATION’ AFTER CRITICISM OF ISRAEL’S GENOCIDE IN GAZA
Ben Cohen, a co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, was told that it is time to hand over control of the company to a new generation after his recent criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
GAZA DEATH TOLL
The IDF has killed at least 171,065 Palestinians inside Gaza since the genocide broke out in October 2023, and 171,058 others have been injured.
Trends in AI
OPENAI PARTNERS AMASS $100 BILLION IN NEW DEBT
Companies partnering with OpenAI to build data centers have taken on about $100 billion in new debt “as the ChatGPT maker benefits from a debt-fueled spending spree without taking on financial risks itself,” the Financial Times noted.
ALTMAN DECLARES “CODE RED” AT OPENAI
Seeing his company slipping to second place in the West’s race for AI dominance, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared a company-wide “code red” in a memo to employees.
ATTENTION WALMART SHOPPERS! SPARKY HAS AN EYE ON YOU
Walmart has a new employee – an AI agent named Sparky who wants to make buying things from Walmart even easier.
Hi-Tech Science
3D-PRINTED CORNEA ENABLES BLIND PERSON TO SEE AGAIN
The eye’s outermost protective shield—the cornea—is crucial to focusing our vision. It’s also prone to damage from blows, scratches, and other forms of harm that can render it opaque or otherwise useless.
THE U.S. ALREADY MINES ALL THE RARE EARTH MINERALS IT NEEDS—AND NOW HAS A POSSIBLE METHOD TO COLLECT SOME OF THEM
Strategic minerals such as cobalt, gallium, lithium, and rare earths are crucial in applications ranging from smartphones and LEDs to electric vehicles and jet fighter planes.
A MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WAY TO KILL DRONES
Israel is done using conventional weapons against drones. This month, it will deploy its first 100-kilowatt drone-killing laser known as Iron Beam—but the beam was equally effective in its September field tests against missiles, mortar shells, and other airborne threats, according to the country’s defense ministry.
