“… freedom requires ongoing effort, vigilance, and sometimes the ultimate sacrifice, rather than being something granted without cost.”
Source: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/what-does-the-phase-freedom-is-jwML6rxJRFOSbG4iyhYhdg
*Hypotesis: Disengagement is a risk to freedom and liberty.
Inspired on this exploration by this NYT article.
→ “America Is Handing China a Massive Victory”
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Doug Blevins, Kicking Guru for College and N.F.L. Players, Dies at 60 – The New York Times:
He fine-tuned the mechanics of punters and kickers, including Adam Vinatieri, the N.F.L.’s career scoring leader, even as he lived with cerebral palsy.
Unilever to Spin Off Ben & Jerry’s and Cut 7,500 Jobs – The New York Times:
The ice cream division faced the highest input-cost inflation in Unilever’s portfolio last year, the company said in an earnings report last month. It passed on some of those costs to consumers, prompting them to buy less or switch to cheaper brands, leading to a “disappointing year with declining market share and profitability,” the company said.
Washington’s Cherry Blossoms Reach Near-Record Early Bloom – The New York Times:
The Park Service announced last week that about 140 of the cherry trees will be chopped down starting in May in preparation for the construction of taller sea walls to protect the area around the Jefferson Memorial. There are 3,800 cherry trees around the Tidal Basin and in the adjoining West Potomac Park.
Crafts Retailer Joann Files for Bankruptcy – The New York Times:
Joann, whose outlets were once called Jo-Ann Fabrics, said its stores, roughly 800 nationwide, would continue to operate as it closes the deal, which is expected as early as next month.
The retailer, which sells yarn, fabrics and home goods, has been coming down from a short-lived sales boom during the pandemic lockdowns when there was a frenzy in consumers spending on at-home projects. But that has faded in the past two years, with consumers pulling back on discretionary spending as inflation remains relatively high, which has challenged the retail sector at large.
Everybody Knows Flo From Progressive. Who Is Stephanie Courtney? – The New York Times:
In 2022, nearly half the active property- and casualty-insurance premiums in the United States and Canada were sold by just 11 companies. Increasingly, insurance corporations attract business not by building trust between their customers and local agents, but by successfully ascribing positive characteristics to the fictional characters who anthropomorphize the companies and products in ads.
According to Ad Age, in 2022 the Progressive Corporation spent more than $2 billion on advertising in the United States, pouring more money into the effort than McDonald’s, Toyota or Coca-Cola. (The insurance industry’s total annual media-ad spending is estimated to be just shy of $11 billion — more than was spent by all the top beer brands combined.)
Charles T. Munger, Much More Than Warren Buffett’s No. 2, Dies at 99 – The New York Times:
Charles Thomas Munger was born in Omaha on Jan. 1. 1924, the son of Alfred Case Munger, a lawyer, and Florence (Russell) Munger. As a boy he worked Saturdays in a grocery store then owned by Mr. Buffett’s grandfather. (Mr. Buffett worked there for a time himself, but the two did not meet until much later.) At 17, Charles went to the University of Michigan to major in mathematics, but in his sophomore year, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps.
A 30-Year Trap: The Problem With America’s Weird Mortgages – The New York Times:
new buyers face borrowing costs of 7.5 percent or more while two-thirds of existing mortgage holders pay less than 4 percent. On a $400,000 home, that’s a difference of $1,000 in monthly housing costs.
Why Long-Term Care Insurance Falls Short for So Many – The New York Times:
Only 3 to 4 percent of Americans 50 and older pay for a long-term care policy, according to LIMRA, an insurance marketing and research association. That stands in stark contrast to federal estimates that 70 percent of people 65 and older will need critical services before they die.
Opinion | The Restaurant Industry Is Undergoing a Badly Needed Revolution – The New York Times:
Most important, guests order at the front door with the host before being pointed to their (fully set) table, which eliminates 15 minutes of profit-killing dead time at the beginning of each meal.
D.L. Damore 