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News from Elsewhere (BBC)
Best YouTube 'channel'
In/Out referendum of the UK and EU

Productivity - interesting!

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Local Very local

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Lunch in the USA is typically between 12:00pm – 1:00pm. Of course, there are exceptions. Some schools schedule lunch starting anywhere from 10:00am – 1:00pm. If possible, office-goers leave their offices by 11:30am or 11:45am to avoid long lines (sic. queues) at 12:00pm. Some people may have lunch after 1:00pm, but, that is rare. Rarer still is to see people have lunch after 1:30pm. Generally, those who have not eaten lunch by 1:30pm will skip lunch.

Musk and Tesla/SpaceX/The Boring Co., etc. Completely chaotic 'management'. Tesla will never suceed with constantly moving goalposts that score own goals. You cannot successfully run a company by Tweet, in the same you cannot successfully run a country by Tweet! You can panic and chase your own tail, with endless changes, Mr. Musk, but you won't stop those that know how to make cars from beating the hell out of you....... That's what 100 years of experience teaches you.

SkyNews Live Channel 4 News BBC News Parliament Live

Helium, critical resource
NO means NO, May!

Countdown to Brexit
Countup of US Govt. shutdown

US Govt. Shutdown 2018/19 Not well written

Departments closed:

National Science Foundation
Enviromental Protection Agency
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Chemical Safety Board
Energy Star
USGS (Earthquake and water services [mostly] running)
NOAA (NWS [mostly] running)
Dept. of Interior (National Parks Service)
FCC (except money grabbing)
FBI - no site updates
FAA - un-paid workers keep it going
FTC - down
DHS e-Verify dead
USDA
Federal Register (important)

Functioning:
IRS (refunds will be affected soon, if they start on 2019-01-20)
Treasury (on emergency funds)
Federal Courts (will run on emergency funds soon)
Healthcare
Dept. of Energy (except Energy Star)

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Pending (and then confirmed) news

• 2017-09-24 Germany has no Government after failure to form coalition
  
• 2017-12-14 FCC Net neutrality vote goes AGAINST
  
• 2017-12-14 Next 'Brexit' summit in EU - little to no progress
  
• 2017-11-20 Temporary protected status - 57,000 Haitians to leave by 2019-05-20
  
• 2017-11-06 Temporary protected status - 2,500 Nicaraguans to leave by 2019-01-05
  
• 2018-01-08 Temporary protected status - 200,000 Salvadorans - to leave by 2019-09-09
• 2018-01-31 Temporary protected status - 7,000 Syrians - to (provisionally) leave by 2019-09-30
  
• 2018-04-26 Temporary Protected Status - 9,000 Nepalis - to leave by 2019-06-24
  
• 2018-05-04 Temporary protected status - 57,000 Hundurans - to leave by 2020-01-05
  
• 2017-12-21 Brexit date set at 2019-03-29 23:00:00Z by Law (with change possible!)
• 2017-12-23 Next phase of Brexit talks in March 2018!
• 2018-01-08 At the end of January 2018, formal negotiations due to begin on a transition period after Brexit.
• 2018-01-08 EU wants finalised 'Brexit' agreement by October 2018 (!)
• 2018-01-11 Brent Crude tops $70 per barrel for first time in ~4 years.
• 2018-01-12 US Dollar (USD) very weak against major currencies. Accelerates decline. 14% decline in one year.
• 2018-01-12 Trade deficit between China and USA hits $300bn record for 2017. ~$1000 per person per year. (+14%, same as the decline in the USD)
  
• 2018-02-05 Jerome H. Powell installed as Fed. Chairman
• 2018-02-05 Largest points drop ever in DJIA
• 2018-02-07 German coalition finally sealed
• 2018-02-08 USA Gov't funding runs out (again)
  
• 2018-03-05 DACA program(me) supposedly ends
• 2018-05-12 Iranian nuclear deal renewal due (over-ridden by Trump prior to this date)

Last year, Trump directed the Commerce Department to investigate whether automotive imports pose a threat to national security, with a report due no later than Feb. 17 of this year. If the report finds cause for concern—as everybody expects—it would give Trump the authority to impose tariffs within 90 days. And he has already proposed a 25% tariff on imported autos.

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