The Russia and Ukraine crisis have created countless second and third-order effects in markets that it’s dizzying. Last week, we saw the nickel market come to a complete halt and shut its doors for over a week in response to a violent short squeeze. In short, Russia is the world’s third largest nickel producer and… Continue reading The Nickel Short Squeeze: What Happened?
For Valentine’s Day, a Good Night’s Sleep May Be the Best Gift
With Valentine’s Day approaching, many may be pondering traditional gift-giving strategies. Maybe it’s flowers, chocolates, or jewelry? But consider this: As we continue to endure the challenges of pandemic living, perhaps the greatest gift you could give to your partner (and yourself) is a good night of sleep. As I describe in my book, “Sharing… Continue reading For Valentine’s Day, a Good Night’s Sleep May Be the Best Gift
In New Math Proofs, Artificial Intelligence Plays to Win
Last March, Iowa State University mathematicians Leslie Hogben and Carolyn Reinhart received a welcome surprise. Adam Wagner, a postdoctoral fellow at Tel Aviv University, emailed to let them know he’d answered a question they’d published the week before — though not by any of the usual math or brute-force computing techniques. Instead, he used a… Continue reading In New Math Proofs, Artificial Intelligence Plays to Win
Powell Kills March 50bps Rate Hike, But Leaves Door Open For Later In 2022
Rest in Peace 50bps March rate hike. Moments ago, Fed Chair Powell said that he is “inclined to support a 25 basis point rate hike” in March, which immediately killed any market expectation of a 1+ rate hike in two weeks. However, in the very next sentence, Powell said that if inflation stays hot, he… Continue reading Powell Kills March 50bps Rate Hike, But Leaves Door Open For Later In 2022
The Letters of St. Paul of the Cross: ‘When You Cannot Meditate’
The certain path is that of faith, that is, to pray in lively faith with a continual memory of the Passion of Jesus. When you cannot meditate, as I have already explained to you in writing, repose in God in a sacred silence of love with a pure, but sweet and loving, attention to God… Continue reading The Letters of St. Paul of the Cross: ‘When You Cannot Meditate’
How to Manage a Ukrainian Refugee Crisis
With Russia now having enough troops and equipment in place to invade Ukraine if diplomacy fails, one fallout of such an invasion could be a massive refugee or migration crisis. If that happened, there would be significant humanitarian, political, and economic implications for both the Ukrainians who flee and for the European nations they go… Continue reading How to Manage a Ukrainian Refugee Crisis
Peptides on Stardust May Have Provided a Shortcut to Life
Billions of years ago, some unknown location on the sterile, primordial Earth became a cauldron of complex organic molecules from which the first cells emerged. Origin-of-life researchers have proposed countless imaginative ideas about how that occurred and where the necessary raw ingredients came from. Some of the most difficult to account for are proteins, the… Continue reading Peptides on Stardust May Have Provided a Shortcut to Life
Apple & Google Payment Systems Block Russians, Causing Chaos In Moscow Metro System
Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Summit News, Russians attempting to use Apple Pay and Google Pay found that their access had been blocked, causing chaos in the Moscow Metro system. Irish journalist Jason Corcoran tweeted the following image, which shows long queues at the Moscow metro station after both payment systems stopped working for… Continue reading Apple & Google Payment Systems Block Russians, Causing Chaos In Moscow Metro System
Finding Teachers and Bus Drivers Is a Big Problem, but a Different Staffing Challenge Is Looming in School Districts
Back in fall 2021, we at the American School District Panel surveyed school districts nationwide to better understand their staffing challenges in the pandemic’s third school year. The results echoed media accounts: large majorities of districts report they don’t have enough staff to hire—particularly substitutes, bus drivers, and special education teachers. When we conducted in-depth… Continue reading Finding Teachers and Bus Drivers Is a Big Problem, but a Different Staffing Challenge Is Looming in School Districts
Will the Russian Invasion Accelerate Peak Oil?
It was 1973 when a war between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led Saudi Arabia and other oil producers to impose an embargo on crude shipments to the United States. Oil prices soared, and the way the world consumed energy changed. France built a fleet of nuclear power plants. Japan did, too; it… Continue reading Will the Russian Invasion Accelerate Peak Oil?