SunSeeker
SunSeeker's JournalHave trouble falling or staying asleep? Try cognitive shuffling.
Start by thinking of a word — something neutral or positive, like the word “house.” Then, think of as many words as you can that start with the first letter: horse, harmonica, honey. Try to picture each object or idea for 5 to 15 seconds, maybe even imagining a scene with yourself in it. (You’re riding a horse. ... You’re playing the harmonica. ... You’re harvesting honey!)
Beaudoin recommends against finding connections between the words. Just let the images wash over you. Whenever you find yourself having a hard time coming up with another word, move on to the next letter — in this case, o — owls, oasis, ocean and so on. Come up with images for each letter in your original word until you fall asleep. If you run out of letters before you fall asleep, pick a new word.
“It’s hard to think of random material, but this little technique helps people,” Beaudoin said. (He also developed an app called MySleepButton for people who want help with the technique.)
In addition to mimicking the kind of thinking that happens right before sleep, the method also requires a certain amount of brain power — enough to interrupt the worrying or problem-solving that often keeps us awake.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2026/03/14/insomnia-cognitive-shuffling/
Archive link: https://archive.ph/hRFaZ
California reserved $165 million for Tesla to electrify its trucking industry. The result may stifle EV innovation.
In the past year, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and its nonprofit partner CALSTART have set aside nearly 1,000 vouchers, worth at least $165 million, to provide commercial fleets with steep markdowns on the long-delayed Tesla Semi, according to state data obtained by The Times. The battery-powered big rig has been advertised as a groundbreaking freight truck capable of traveling up to 500 miles on a single charge.
But the news of Tesla’s windfall outraged some in the trucking industry, who allege the state provided the world’s wealthiest automaker with preferential treatment for a vehicle that is not ready.
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Even if Tesla fails to deliver the trucks and doesn’t eventually receive government incentives, it prevents other automakers — with EVs in stock — from utilizing the funding more immediately. Losing out on these funding opportunities could be critical for some smaller EV companies.
“That hurts the rest of us,” said Peter Tawil, director of sales and marketing at RIZON and longtime promoter for the EV industry. “Our trucks can be delivered tomorrow.”
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-02-09/tesla-semi-california-truck-funding
BlackRock fund limits withdrawals as redemptions rattle private credit
Source: Reuters
BlackRock said on Friday it has limited withdrawals from a flagship debt fund after a surge in redemption requests, as investor worries mount around the $2 trillion private credit industry.
Shares of the world's largest asset manager fell 6.7% on the New York Stock Exchange, amid a broader market selloff after worse-than-expected U.S. jobs data and escalating U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
Sentiment has soured around private credit in recent months, and retail investors are increasingly asking for their money back from funds like BlackRock's $26 billion HPS Corporate Lending Fund (HLEND), which were designed to be open to wealthy individuals.
"It should serve as a warning sign for the industry and the rulemakers about the downside of illiquid funds for retail investors," said Greggory Warren, senior stock analyst at Morningstar.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/blackrock-limits-withdrawals-private-credit-fund-redemptions-mount-2026-03-06/
A run on private equity and we're only one week into this war. This is bad. That 4.4% unemployment rate and 95,000 US job losses they announced today are only going to get worse. Buckle up.
Good grief, we're on course to get a Republican governor if a Dem doesn't drop out NOW.
The primary is June 2, but we mostly vote by mail and the candidate lists will be certified in just 2 weeks and the voter info guides/ballots will be sent out just a few days after that. https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/primary-election-june-2-2026/key-dates-and-deadlines
See The Futuristic Renderings Of The First 5 Central Valley Bullet Train Stations
California High-Speed Rail (CAHSR) is one of our state’s most long-awaited and highly anticipated projects, promising a Los Angeles-to-San Francisco connection in just 160 minutes.
The past decade of civil construction work has been focused on the Initial Operating Segment (IOS) in the Central Valley, a 171-mile stretch between Merced and Bakersfield. If all goes to schedule, this segment may open as soon as 2032, according to The Associated Press. The Initial Operating Segment serves five planned stations in the Central Valley: Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings/Tulare, and Bakersfield.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority selected San Francisco architecture firm Foster + Partners and British engineering company Arup to plan four of the five station designs. The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority will lead the Madera station design.
Renderings present a futuristic vision for CAHSR stations, most of which feature large soaring canopies and open concourses. Expansive architectural features incorporate natural materials like wood and stone to create a cohesive identity, as depicted in the renderings below…
https://secretlosangeles.com/california-high-speed-rail-station-renderings/
In a First as President, Trump Says He'll Attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner
President Donald Trump says he'll attend this year's White House Correspondent Association dinner on April 25, marking the first time he's done so as commander-in-chief.
“The White House Correspondents Association has asked me, very nicely, to be the Honoree at this year’s Dinner, a long and storied tradition since it began in 1924, under then President Calvin Coolidge,” Trump posted on his social media site on Monday evening.
The event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, but President Joe Biden attended each of the dinners during his term's final three years. Every president since Coolidge had attended except Trump — until now. In his post Trump wrote that, “Because the Press was extraordinarily bad to me” he had “boycotted the event, and never went.”
“However, I look forward to being with everyone this year. Hopefully, it will be something very Special.”
https://www.usnews.com/news/entertainment/articles/2026-03-02/in-a-first-as-president-trump-says-hell-attend-the-white-house-correspondents-dinner
All girls school in Iran struck by US-Israeli strike, over 100 casualties
The death toll at an all girls school in southern Iran struck by a US-Israel strike is over 100, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said he was “aware of reports” that a girls’ school was struck and that officials were looking into them.
https://apnews.com/video/all-girls-school-in-iran-struck-by-us-israeli-strike-over-100-casualties-78cead1fc4ba4ac39d57e8a0f53b0bf2
Trump's State of the Union left some viewers unconvinced that he'll lower cost of living, CNN poll finds
President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address drew largely positive marks from a heavily Republican audience, according to a CNN poll conducted by SSRS.
But it didn’t fully convince significant shares of even that friendly audience that he’s focusing on the nation’s most important problems or that he’ll lower the cost of living.
Good marks from speech-watchers are typical for presidential addresses to Congress, which tend to attract generally friendly audiences that disproportionately align with presidents’ own parties. In CNN’s speech reaction polls, which have been conducted most years dating back to the Clinton era, audience reactions have always been positive.
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Speech-watchers were about evenly split on whether Trump’s handling of tariffs was an appropriate use of power, or whether it represented an overstep on his part. And just 31% expressed a lot of confidence in the president to make the cost of living more affordable, with 29% saying they had some confidence in him to do so and 40% that they had none at all.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/25/politics/trump-state-of-the-union-cnn-poll-cost-of-living
'The Real State Of The Union': Jimmy Kimmel Gives 'Nutjob' Trump A Sharp Reality Check
Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday delayed his show’s taping so that he could respond directly to President Donald Trump after the State of the Union speech. But Trump went on for so long ― at 1 hour and 48 minutes it was the longest address to Congress ever ― that Kimmel had to start his show with the address still in progress.
“The speech went on so long, Kristi Noem’s dog shot itself,” Kimmel cracked.
“They do need to hire an orchestra to play him off like the Oscars,” Kimmel suggested. “At the stroke of 90 minutes, go straight into ‘YMCA’ and end it.”
He then offered a much shorter take on where the nation stands a little more than one year into Trump’s second term.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jimmy-kimmel-trump-state-of-the-union_n_699e8ac3e4b0c4f808271e17?origin=home-latest-news-unit
US tourists stranded after Mexico drug lord's killing sparks wave of violence
Source: CNN
The US State Department urged American nationals in parts of Mexico to “seek shelter and remain in residences or hotels.” Other tourists were stranded after several US carriers suspended flights to Puerto Vallarta.The killing of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes triggered unrest in 20 of Mexico’s 32 states, with suspected gang members torching buses and businesses, blocking roads and clashing with security forces.
Mexico’s Security Cabinet said 252 blockades were reported in states right across the country, and included what it called “localized incidents and isolated blockades.”
Oseguera died on the way to hospital after being wounded during a Mexican military operation targeting him in Tapalpa in the western state of Jalisco, the power base of his Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
The military operation triggered a series of violent events across the state of Jalisco. Guadalajara, the state capital and Mexico’s second-largest city, was almost completely shut down on Sunday, the Associated Press reported.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/mexico-el-mencho-killed-travel-chaos-02-23-26-intl-hnk
While panicked Americans are stranded sheltering in place in Mexico, Kash Patel is partying with our hockey team in Milan with our tax money. So much for keeping Americans safe!
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Current location: Southern California
Member since: Sun Mar 20, 2011, 12:05 PM
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