Daily news snippets

Progress is man’s ability to complicate simplicity.

The Biden administration is issuing a new warning that the US could potentially see 100 million Covid-19 infections this fall and winter, as officials publicly stress the need for more funding from Congress to prepare the nation.

Why are voters so down about the economy when jobs are plentiful? Two reasons. First, inflation has eaten their raises as corporate profits hit records. Second, there are still too many product shortages, including homes. What good is having more money if everything costs more?

Humans are a social species, evolved for face-to-face interaction. Anyone who worked or schooled remotely during the pandemic knows the drawbacks of moving to videoconference. The jerky, unnatural pace of conversation stifles spontaneity, and the distractions of home make it easy for people to check out, even when they want to pay attention. You never bump into someone before the meeting and remember a quick question you wanted to ask, nor catch up afterward on kids and pets and recent vacations. In person interactions are necessary.

There are people who still give 110%. My former manager and friend Mike is such a person. He often gets up before dawn and dies whatever is necessary to succeed. To him it’s not about the money it’s about doing a good job.

A chipped marble statue bought for $35 from a thrift store has turned out to be a priceless 2,000 year-old Roman bust. When Austin, Texas-based art collector Laura Young purchased the marble bust at a local Goodwill store in 2018, she didn’t know that she had accidentally stumbled upon a centuries-old sculpture that once belonged in the collection of King Ludwig I of Bavaria.