The profile of Degrowth and DeHuman ideology, just gained a lot more mainstream awareness.
ECONOMIC UPDATE – MARKET OVERVIEW
Every eye on Wall Street is on how much the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates after its meeting tomorrow. Again, not “if” but how much! The guess on The Street, according to a CNBC Fed survey, is a 25-basis-point reduction.
IT BEGINS THIS WEEK—THE LARGEST CURRENCY DEVALUATION CYCLE IN HISTORY
Here in the United States, mortgage rates have now dropped to a near two-year low.
REGULATORS CAVE TO BANKS’ PRESSURE, WEAKEN PROPOSED NEW RULES
After the collapse of Signature and Silicon Valley banks in March 2023, Michael Barr, vice-chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, proposed stringent new rules requiring American banks to keep more capital on hand.
DEHUMAN: LA TIMES DECLARES CLIMATE CHANGE MAKES IT “SHAMEFUL” TO HAVE CHILDREN
The profile of Degrowth and DeHuman ideology, just gained a lot more mainstream awareness.
TIMELINE: CALLING PUTIN’S BLUFF
U.S. President Joe Biden and the collective West continue to play a high-risk game of poker with Russian President Vladimir Putin and think they have the leader figured out.
MORE THAN 85 PERCENT OF GAZA IS UNDER AN EVACUATION ORDER, UN SAYS
It’s been said that there is no place in Gaza that is safe from Israeli missiles, and the UN announced on Monday that more than 85 percent of the enclave is under an evacuation order—the most recent was announced on Saturday in the north.
Global Economy
SPOTLIGHT: BIGS GETTING BIGGER
Danish logistics provider DSV will pay $12 billion to acquire DB Schenker, which is the air, road, and sea freight services and logistics supply chain division of Germany’s Deutsche Bahn railroad.
SPOTLIGHT: CHINA’S ECONOMIC CRISIS
By a range of measures, China’s economy continued to lose momentum in August, leading one analyst to call for a “bazooka” stimulus to the economy if the country is to reach its 5-percent growth goal this year.
TOP TREND 2024, EV GO FU: VOLVO DELAYS CONSTRUCTION OF EV BATTERY PLANT
Swedish vehicle maker Volvo has delayed building a new battery plant in its home country to power its heavy-duty electric trucks.
The Israel War
ISRAELI DEFENSE HEAD: ‘MILITARY ACTION’ NEEDED TO RETURN ISRAELIS TO THE NORTH
Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense head, reportedly told a top U.S. negotiator on Monday that “military action” seems to be the only option to return tens of thousands of Israelis to their homes in the north amid an increase in violence with Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
GAZAN HEALTH OFFICIALS ID 34,344 PALESTINIANS KILLED IN GAZA—INCLUDING 12,000 MINORS, 710 INFANTS
Gaza’s Health Ministry on Sunday released a list identifying those killed inside the enclave amid Israel’s genocide since 7 October.
MORE THAN 85 PERCENT OF GAZA IS UNDER AN EVACUATION ORDER, UN SAYS
It’s been said that there is no place in Gaza that is safe from Israeli missiles, and the UN announced on Monday that more than 85 percent of the enclave is under an evacuation order—the most recent was announced on Saturday in the north.
AI
OPENAI INTRODUCES “THINKING” CHATBOT
OpenAI has unveiled a new series of AIs, called OpenAI o1, that the developers say can “think” as it reasons its way through more complex problems in coding, math, and science than the company’s previous models can.
MANAGING BOTS TEACHES SUPERVISORS TO BETTER MANAGE PEOPLE
Hanover Insurance Group is one of the businesses using a new AI that teaches bosses to manage people by managing bots.
CHINA REFUSES TO ENDORSE OUTLINE TO GOVERN AI’S MILITARY USES
In Seoul, South Korea, last week, 60 nations endorsed a “blueprint for action” outlining permitted military uses of AI. China was among 30 countries that refused to support the non-binding outline.
Hi-Tech Science
A NEW PROCESS TURNS PLASTIC TRASH BACK INTO USABLE PLASTIC
A process created by chemists at the University of California Berkeley vaporizes two of the most common waste plastics, turning them into gases that can be used to make more of the same plastics again.
REVERSE-ENGINEERING THE PLACEBO EFFECT RELIEVES CHRONIC PAIN IN MICE
The “placebo effect” refers to people feeling relief from symptoms when given a substance they believe to be medicine but really isn’t—a sugar pill instead of an actual drug, for example.
A BETTER WAY TO CULL CRUCIAL METALS
Rare earth metals aren’t actually rare. Some are as abundant as copper.
