Adonis Diaries

Tidbits #2

Raising children by valuing play and education over work, turned children into consumers in their own right.  And Advertisers took notice, before TV invention.

Frankly, I feel lucky that I lived long enough in this century to realize that books of females authors are far more interesting than their gender’s counterparts

Elon Musk’s firm intentionally destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket in a test to show how it would keep astronauts safe in a failed mission. SpaceX’s first crewed flight test could take place as soon as March.

Single-use plastics: Plastic bags will be banned in big cities, and plastic straws will be forbidden in restaurants, both by the end of this year. The prohibition will expand to all Chinese cities over the next two years.

Inequality is a public health issue: Just look at the link between the minimum wage and the suicide epidemic in the US.

Nitrogen oxide, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide, is emitted everywhere something is burning. That usually means humans are at work

GM sold around 20 times as many cars as Tesla in 2019, while Ford sold more than six times as many. But it’s Tesla that is now by far the most valuable car company in America. Does it have to do with China market and the electric cars?

By 2050 Europe will have one person over 65 for every two of working age. Spain and Italy are expected to lose more than a quarter of their workforce. ⁠

50% of European Union citizens identify climate change as one of the three biggest challenges facing their country right now, ahead of access to healthcare and unemployment.

About 1.1m school pupils live in New York City. They are mostly non-white, and attend some of the most segregated schools in the country.⁠

“Wild dogs” do share a common ancestor with wolves and they might be renamed “painted wolves” for their coat markings. This species is endangered

A new lithium-ion battery is invincible: It can work despite being cut, bent, soaked, shot, and lit on fire.

Florida has no income tax or estate tax, letting some homeowners potentially shave tens of thousands from their tax bills. Over 600,000 US citizens flock in from other States each year.

Thailand’s annual road-death rate is almost double the global average and more than seven times the rate in nearby Singapore, a wealthy financial hub.⁠ The problem is acute in poor countries. Deaths are thought to have risen by 40% since 1990 in countries that the World Bank defines as low-income, such as Afghanistan and Malawi.⁠ road-death is more than the combined deaths in malaria and Aids…

The theme of this year’s jamboree in Davos is “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World.” The impulse to cohere with fellow humans will be tested by slow-moving security lines, a strict badge hierarchy, and arbitrary event guest lists, but the intention is admirable

In Davos 2020, everything revolves around the roughly 2,800 official delegates and their entourages.  At the top of the Davos hierarchy, there are 53 heads of state or governments attending the forum, roughly the same as last year.

In geopolitical power—there are only three leaders of G7 countries, and none from the BRICS and 119 billionaires. 

Again, What’s the purpose of companies? Of the six thematic tracks that guide the Davos official forum program, the most sessions are devoted to “Society” (89) and the least to “Economy” (27).

Aside from public letters and speeches of CEO for concern to climate change priority, in its latest global survey of CEOs, PwC found that climate change did not even make it into the top 10 threats the executives see to growth prospects.

China confirmed human-to-human transmission of the Wuhan coronavirus. 

About 60% of Americans play video games and a third globally. And as the global gaming industry grows, it’s influencing much more than how we spend our free time.

Sperm donations from dead men should be allowed: no differently than organ donation.

A survey of 34,000 people in 28 countries found that no institution is considered both ethical and competent.

More than 50% of young adults surveyed by the Red Cross think a nuclear attack will happen in the next 10 years.