The Economy Isn’t Everything, Folks
The Superhero Bulletin #7
Isvari’s Desk: 5 Stories To Know This Week
- In cities in India, pollution is so bad that people cannot breathe on the streets for even a single minute. Delhi, Mumbai, and Gurgaon have witnessed pollution so bad that buildings aren’t visible in the fog. The Air Quality Index (AQI) has crossed 1500 in Delhi, with schools shut and breathing now equals smoking 50 cigarettes a day.
- Donald Trump proves to have not been bluffing about his plan to destroy the U.S. administrative state—he has appointed unqualified celebrities and far right talk show hosts to multiple government positions. Among the most terrifying are Pete Hegseth, a talk show host who has led nothing larger than a small nonprofit, to Secretary of Defense; Trump’s personal defense attorney to Deputy Attorney General; Robert Kennedy (an anti-vaxxer) to Secretary of Health and Human Services; and alleged pedophiles to multiple key positions. He has threatened to use archaic and never used constitutional law to force through his nominees in recess appointments, if needed, getting around the traditional U.S. Senate confirmation process. Also: He has said he will declare a national emergency to use the U.S. military to invade cities and deport undocumented immigrants—this is an unprecedented use of the military.
- President Joe Biden (still president until January) has authorized Ukraine to strike into Russia with long-ranged missiles. Ukraine has already used its first American missiles to hit Russia. This action comes after Putin and Trump have been publicly aligned, several Trump senior officials have said that Trump is a Russian agent, and Nikolai Patrushev (a senior Putin ally) warned Trump on air that he has obligations to fulfill to Russia after they helped elect him.
- In New Zealand, MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke led a “haka heard around the world.” The powerful Māori dance in Parliament protested a proposal by a center-right party to weaken the Treaty of Waitangi, which granted the Māori rights in exchange for British governance. It is widely seen as a treaty between equals today, but there is a lot of fighting because the treaty has different language in the English and Māori versions. Thousands also took to the streets of New Zealand to protest the proposed bill, which would weaken indigenous rights.
- A 35,000 year-old sabertooth tiger cub was found preserved in the Siberian frost. Most of its fur was still intact and soft to touch. Picture below.
The Big Thought: The Economy Isn’t Everything. But It Is A Thing
I have had two discussions this week that I found very similar.
The first: Should “Sprinkle Sprinkle” culture and trophy wives be promoted as heavily as they are on TikTok? Isn’t it toxic to tell young women to just find a rich husband and put up with him being ugly or an adulterer because the money counts?
The second: Does it make sense that many people perceived Donald Trump would be better for the economy and voted for him even if they disagreed with him on social values? (Note that economists disagree and think Trump’s plans, especially tariffs and deporting undocumented immigrants would be a financial nightmare.)
My Thought:
Maybe we need to treat global politics more like a marriage. Sure, countries have obligations to us. We also have obligations to them.
We live in a society and we should give back to it. We have a responsibility to every other living thing on Earth and those of us who have the bandwidth to rise to that challenge should be thanked.
So while it makes sense that many people need to meet their financial needs first, ignoring the kindness, ethics, morals, and standards of our leaders or spouses is probably a bad idea in the long term.
Expecting economic benefits for only yourself and not those around you, wanting tax breaks while denying them for others, or expecting all funds to be used on only you creates toxic relationships and a toxic world.
And in general, we need to learn to stand up and take care of ourselves in the coming years.
Thoughts?
The Superhero Secret: Top 3 Things Method for Time Management
I have barely any time to do anything this week. I struggled to get this newsletter out. But I have learned to write down the Top 3 Things that need to get done every day (yes, written on paper), and I never miss those.
Today, the newsletter was one of them. Let me know if this tip helps you or what your best tips for time management are.
Yes, delegation is also key.
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Isvari Maranwe
CEO of Yuvoice
Award-Winning Cyber & Tech Attorney | Political Analyst & Writer
Superheroes, follow me on LinkedIn and TikTok to stay smart about global tech, law, politics and culture.
This newsletter expresses only my views and regardless of my views, Yuvoice is committed to uplifting diverse voices from all backgrounds around the world.
