It's easy to grow weary of bad news, and for some, Social Security's solvency is just one more piece of stinky news. If you're among those who are tired of worrying about whether the program will be there for you when you need it, this list may serve as a reminder that all hope is not lost. Here is an (extremely small) sample of the proposals being floated, some developed by members of Congress an...
It's easy to grow weary of bad news, and for some, Social Security's solvency is just one more piece of stinky news. If you're among those who are tired of worrying about whether the program will be there for you when you need it, this list may serve as a reminder that all hope is not lost. Here is an (extremely small) sample of the proposals being floated, some developed by members of Congress and others from think tanks and senior advocacy groups: Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
The Hong Kong Sevens reached a high-octane finale on Sunday with costume-clad rugby fans filling the stands at Kai Tak Stadium, but some nearby restaurants said they struggled to match last year’s takings, blaming an influx of new rivals for diluting profits. After two action-packed days, the atmosphere on Super Sunday remained electric as a sea of excited spectators, some clad in creative and fla...
The Hong Kong Sevens reached a high-octane finale on Sunday with costume-clad rugby fans filling the stands at Kai Tak Stadium, but some nearby restaurants said they struggled to match last year’s takings, blaming an influx of new rivals for diluting profits. After two action-packed days, the atmosphere on Super Sunday remained electric as a sea of excited spectators, some clad in creative and flamboyant costumes, filled the South Stand, with some experiencing the event for the first time at its...
If you walk across the open yard in front of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building at the University of Texas at Austin , you’ll see a 17-story tower and a huge L-shaped building. What you won’t see is what’s underneath you. Two floors below ground, behind heavy double doors stamped with a logo that most students have never noticed, sits one of the most powerful lasers in the United States. I ...
If you walk across the open yard in front of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building at the University of Texas at Austin , you’ll see a 17-story tower and a huge L-shaped building. What you won’t see is what’s underneath you. Two floors below ground, behind heavy double doors stamped with a logo that most students have never noticed, sits one of the most powerful lasers in the United States. I was the lead laser scientist on the Texas Petawatt , or TPW as we called it, from 2020 to 2024. Texas Petawatt, which is currently closed due to funding cuts, was a government-funded research center where scientists from across the country applied for time to use specialized equipment. It was part of LaserNetUS , a Department of Energy network of high-power laser labs. This type of laser takes a tiny pulse of light, stretches it out so it doesn’t blast optics to pieces, and amplifies it until, for a brief instant, it carries more power than the entire US electrical grid. Then it compresses the pulse back to a trillionth of a second to create a star in a vacuum chamber. Read full article Comments
Chile peppers are a traditional part of Indian cuisine — and a key crop for women farmers. They say it's too demanding for men. "In spite of the challenges," says one, "we've found freedom." (Image credit: Viraj Nayar for NPR)
Chile peppers are a traditional part of Indian cuisine — and a key crop for women farmers. They say it's too demanding for men. "In spite of the challenges," says one, "we've found freedom." (Image credit: Viraj Nayar for NPR)
SimonSkafar/E+ via Getty Images Farmland and Timber REITs are not in any way a bad business idea overall - it's a relatively good investment idea. The combination of an essential asset, like the type of land or ground that this represents (which is an appreciating asset), with an inflation-hedged upside technically should allow a very attractive combination of income - leases and timber income - t...
SimonSkafar/E+ via Getty Images Farmland and Timber REITs are not in any way a bad business idea overall - it's a relatively good investment idea. The combination of an essential asset, like the type of land or ground that this represents (which is an appreciating asset), with an inflation-hedged upside technically should allow a very attractive combination of income - leases and timber income - together without requiring the increased complexity and risk of direct ownership of these assets. At least that is the argument. As farmland represents an asset that should appreciate as food prices increase, this should lead (technically) to higher income from the asset, in turn increasing the value of the land. This also creates a very nice source of income, and the fact that we're talking about biological growth means we don't need a bank or anyone else to provide a "compound interest" - the land itself, through Mother Nature, provides this compounding. Farmland yields and vegetables/fruits grow even in a struggling economy. This is an asset class that is nicely correlated to a long-term sort of demand, and because it's a finite resource, meaning scarcity at a point in the future. So why doesn't it work out? FPI, which is the subject of today's article, has been underperforming the average for quite some time. While seeing some recent surge, the historical trends for the company are not favorable. FPI has generated negative price appreciation despite good AFFO growth and has underperformed the SPY on every single comparison - from the 1-year average down to the 20-year annualized average, which is now at 2.37%, compared to the 9.57% when looking at the SPY. There are some very clear reasons as to why timber and farmland assets are underperforming, and also some reasons that need a bit more explanation. In this article, I'll try to address both of these categories and also cover what might get the company out of its slump (but also, why it's in fact rather tricky, with far...
Dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots showed off their fast-improving athleticism as they whizzed past human runners in a half-marathon race in Beijing on Sunday. The robots and humans ran in parallel tracks to avoid collisions. The winning robot, developed by Honor, a well-known Chinese smartphone maker, finished the race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, several minutes faster than the world record...
Dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots showed off their fast-improving athleticism as they whizzed past human runners in a half-marathon race in Beijing on Sunday. The robots and humans ran in parallel tracks to avoid collisions. The winning robot, developed by Honor, a well-known Chinese smartphone maker, finished the race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, several minutes faster than the world record set by Jacob Kiplimo last month in Lisbon, though the humanoid had to be helped back up just metres from the finish line after crashing into the railing Humanoid robots show rapid advances as they race past humans in Beijing half-marathon Continue reading...
After briefly reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has again closed the vital economic waterway, saying it will restrict ships from passing through as long as the U.S. continues its blockade. (Image credit: Asghar Besharati)
After briefly reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has again closed the vital economic waterway, saying it will restrict ships from passing through as long as the U.S. continues its blockade. (Image credit: Asghar Besharati)
Iran’s top negotiator says both sides remain far apart after Tehran again closed strait of Hormuz after US said it would not end its blockade Full report: Iran closes strait of Hormuz again ‘until US lifts blockade’ UN secretary-general António Guterres has strongly condemned the killing of a French peacekeeper and the wounding of three others in an attack in southern Lebanon , spokesman Stéphane ...
Iran’s top negotiator says both sides remain far apart after Tehran again closed strait of Hormuz after US said it would not end its blockade Full report: Iran closes strait of Hormuz again ‘until US lifts blockade’ UN secretary-general António Guterres has strongly condemned the killing of a French peacekeeper and the wounding of three others in an attack in southern Lebanon , spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement to the Associated Press. The UN peacekeeping force came under attack with small-arms fire on Saturday morning, with two of the injured hurt seriously, France’s president and the force known as UNIFIL said. Continue reading...
BEIJING, CHINA - APRIL 19: A humanoid robot runs alongside participants during a long-distance race, breaking the half marathon world record by surpassing human performance potential in Beijing, China, on April 19, 2026. (Photo by Emre Aytekin/Anadolu via Getty Images) Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images Dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots showed off their fast-improving athleticism and autonomous...
BEIJING, CHINA - APRIL 19: A humanoid robot runs alongside participants during a long-distance race, breaking the half marathon world record by surpassing human performance potential in Beijing, China, on April 19, 2026. (Photo by Emre Aytekin/Anadolu via Getty Images) Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images Dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots showed off their fast-improving athleticism and autonomous navigation skills as they whizzed past human runners in a half-marathon race in Beijing on Sunday, highlighting the sector's rapid technical advances. The race's inaugural edition last year was riddled with mishaps, and most robots were unable to finish. Last year's champion robot recorded a time of 2 hours 40 minutes, more than double the time of the human winner of the conventional race. This year's contrast was stark. Not only had the number of participating teams increased from 20 to more than 100, but several robot frontrunners were noticeably faster than professional athletes, beating the human winners by more than 10 minutes. Unlike last year, nearly half of the robot entrants navigated the tougher terrain autonomously instead of being directed by remote control during the 21-km (13-mile) race. The robots and 12,000 men and women ran in parallel tracks to avoid collisions. The winning robot, developed by Chinese smartphone brand Honor , finished the race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, several minutes faster than the half-marathon world record set by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon last month. Teams from Honor, a Huawei spin-off, took the three podium spots, all self-navigated and posting world-record-beating times. Du Xiaodi, an Honor engineer on the winning team, said its robot was in development for a year, fitted with legs 90 to 95 cm (35 to 37 inches) long to mimic elite human runners and liquid cooling technology used in its smartphones. BEIJING, CHINA - APRIL 19: A humanoid robot competes in the 2026 Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half-marathon on April 1...