In the middle of summer, when the sun is hot and the days are long, the dandelions grow uncontrollably. For most adults, these pesky yellow weeds challenge our patience as we strive to keep them out of our yards. However, to children, dandelions are bright and cheery, just waiting to be plucked and given to… Continue reading Offering, Receiving Go Hand in Hand
FedEx Pilot Union “Prepared To Take Fight To Company” As Labor Talks Stall, Strike Looms
Leaders representing the FedEx Air Line Pilots Association unanimously passed a resolution authorizing a strike authorization vote last Friday, according to a statement Wednesday from the union. A date for the vote wasn’t mentioned. The union said no future talks are planned as labor agreement negotiations have stalled. A strike would only happen if negotiations break down… Continue reading FedEx Pilot Union “Prepared To Take Fight To Company” As Labor Talks Stall, Strike Looms
Ancient Human Aliens? (Pre-Adamites & More Patrons’ Questions!)
Podcast: Download MYS248: We regularly give Patrons the opportunity to ask Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli their mysterious questions and make them available exclusively to Patrons first and then later to the whole audience. We cover topics such as cryptoterrestrials, crop circles, demoniacs in the Gospels, and more. Get all new episodes automatically and for… Continue reading Ancient Human Aliens? (Pre-Adamites & More Patrons’ Questions!)
How a DNA ‘Parasite’ May Have Fragmented Our Genes
Clément Gilbert, an evolutionary genomicist at Paris-Saclay University, thinks the aquatic bias in introners is an echo of what his group found in horizontal gene transfer events. In 2020, their work uncovered nearly 1,000 distinct horizontal transfers involving transposons that had occurred in over 300 vertebrate genomes. The vast majority of these transfers happened in… Continue reading How a DNA ‘Parasite’ May Have Fragmented Our Genes
Arctic Governance Is in Trouble. The Antarctic Could Be Next
The Arctic Council in March suspended cooperation with Russia in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Seven of the eight council members—Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States—resumed limited activities on projects not involving Russia, but the interruption marked the first time that broader Arctic cooperation has been paused. The war… Continue reading Arctic Governance Is in Trouble. The Antarctic Could Be Next
Chosen and Loved: The Annunciation
Do you feel weighed down by the sneaking suspicion that you’re not doing enough? I know firsthand the crushing weight of the thought, “I’m not doing enough to be loved.” There was a time in my life when I wasn’t even conscious of thinking it—I was just driven to do more and more, and I… Continue reading Chosen and Loved: The Annunciation
Not All Yield Curves Are Alike… But This Signal’s Never Wrong
By Simon White, Bloomberg Markets Live reporter and strategist Bull steepenings in the yield curve are generally seen as a precursor to a recession, but they are often preceded by bear steepenings. The 3m30y curve is currently bear steepening, indicating a recession could begin as early as the summer. I discussed the 3m30y’s nascent steepening on Tuesday.… Continue reading Not All Yield Curves Are Alike… But This Signal’s Never Wrong
The (Nazi) Hess Conspiracies (Rudolf Hess)
Podcast: Download MYS249: During WWII, Rudolph Hess, a close aide to Hitler, made a secret flight to Scotland, where he was imprisoned. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli discuss who Hess was, why he crossed enemy lines, and the allegations of conspiracies involving British and Nazi leaders. Get all new episodes automatically and for free: Follow… Continue reading The (Nazi) Hess Conspiracies (Rudolf Hess)
Does GPT-4 Really Understand What We’re Saying?
Explore One question for David Krakauer, president of the Sante Fe Institute for complexity science where he explores the evolution of intelligence and stupidity on Earth. Photo courtesy of David Krakauer Does GPT-4 really understand what we’re saying? Yes and no,” is the answer to that. In my new paper with computer scientist Melanie Mitchell,… Continue reading Does GPT-4 Really Understand What We’re Saying?
The Racial Wealth Gap, the Effects of Long COVID, Teacher Diversity: RAND Weekly Recap
This week, we discuss the racial wealth gap and potential solutions to address it; China’s global basing ambitions; why long COVID could lead to a “mass disability event”; a decline in opioid disorder treatment early in the pandemic; what prevents people of color from becoming and staying teachers; and three keys to rebuilding Ukraine after… Continue reading The Racial Wealth Gap, the Effects of Long COVID, Teacher Diversity: RAND Weekly Recap