Health: More workers taking more sick leave days
More workers are taking more sick days, post pandemic, often as "mental health" days. The biggest increase is among young workers.
Media: “The cost of homeownership spiraled upwards last year”
Everything about financing a home purchase surged last year, from mortgage rates to fees and discount points, according to a report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on mortgage costs.…
EVs: “Battery swap” for motorbikes in Africa
A new venture in several African nations provides a "battery swap" for electric motorcycles.
Follow up: Students isolating with Covid should be last to leave buildings on fire
In Oct 2020, the University of York told students self isolating in case they had Covid that they should delay exiting a building on fire...
Space: OSIRIS-REx samples have high carbon and water content
Unexpected? NASA’s Bennu Asteroid Sample Contains Carbon, Water – NASA
Climate: “Carbon Passports” needed to limit travel, “Travel” via VR only
We must mandate "carbon passports" to limit people's travels, and make "travel" be virtual reality only.
Energy: New startup building grid-scale batteries
Grid-scale batteries don't need to use Lithium batteries - more cost effective chemistries are available for these applications.
Climate: Eliminate most single-family housing
We must discourage, even ban, single family housing, and redevelop existing single family homes into dense housing.
Demographics: Average fertility rate in the OECD countries is 1.58
The average fertility rate of the OECD countries is now less than 1.6 where at least 2.1 is needed to maintain the existing population numbers.
Finance: Mortgage rates over time
Mortgage Rates Chart | Historical and Current Rate Trends (themortgagereports.com) A LOT of people forget about the late 1970s to up to 2000. While an 8% mortgage rate today seems…