Newsweek 11/6-11/13/2020

2005 Newsweek wrote that the oldest of the boomer generation—those who were “17 when John F. Kennedy was assassinated, 23 when they converged on Woodstock and 36 for the start of the great bull market of the 1980s”—were now turning 60. In this first cohort of boomers is Donald Trump, Cher, Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, all born in 1946, whose “exuberance is undiminished,” despite nearing retirement. Although boomers got their name from the post-war “baby boom” and population growth, last year millennials passed boomers as the largest generation in America. 1967 “The old taboos are dead or dying,” said Newsweek. “A new, more permissive society is taking shape…etched most prominently in the arts—in the increasing nudity and freakyness of today’s films,” as exemplified by the sci-fi movie Barbarella. Since 1968 when the…

CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN G. ROBERTS JR. IS SMART, shrewd and funny. His mastery as a D.C. appellate lawyer—the best of his time, arguing 39 times before the Court—led admirers to say his middle initial stood for God. (Alas, it’s “Glover.”) His rulings in controversial cases—including when he was the decisive vote in 2012 to uphold Obamacare—play the long game, planting the seeds for larger conservative triumphs his opponents now don’t realize. Only weeks after he was confirmed in 2005, when a light bulb exploded in the courtroom during argument, he quipped, “It’s a trick they play on new chief justices all the time!” But for all his talents, few at the Court profess to really know him. Although he’ll chat with colleagues at lunch about last night’s game, that’s about…

FEDERAL LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA WOULD BE A TRAGIC MISTAKE by Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D MARIJUANA SEEMS TO BE EVERYWHERE these days. In the movies, on the school playground, in the senior center. It has united Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg. A once-counterculture drug of the 1960s, it’s now the topic of annual reports and stock prices. It’s even made it into the boardrooms of Big Tobacco, Pharma and Alcohol. But we should slow this weed train down. Legalization advocates often begin with the well-worn saying that we should not jail pot users. Instead, they say, we should regulate marijuana to gain tax revenue and reverse social injustice. It’s a great theory. But it’s never worked in practice. Legalizing marijuana is, at the end of the day, all about one thing: money. Let me rephrase: It’s about…

WE ALL UNDERSTAND THE importance of body language at work—the way that a colleague’s crossed arms might convey hostility or a manager’s feet on the desk might be an attempt to show dominance. But how does that translate into the digital realm, now that so many of us are working from home and conducting so much of our business lives through online video? That’s where Erica Dhawan comes in. Erica is the author of Get Big Things Done and the forthcoming Digital Body Language, and recently joined me on my weekly Newsweek interview show Better (Thursdays 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT) to discuss how professionals can communicate more effectively when they’re operating digitally. She shared the following four tips. Digital body language isn’t just about your body. You might imagine that the…

ATTEMPTS BY BEIJING TO SOW UNREST AHE AD OF THE ELECTION ARE JUST A SMALL PART OF CHINA’S LATEST EFFORTS TO EXPAND ITS POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC INFLUENCE IN THE U.S. OVER THE SUMMER, AS BOTH THE TRUMP AND Biden campaigns ramped up efforts to win the most controversial presidential election in decades, Laura Daniels, Jessi Young and Erin Brown also got busy, posting critical comments about American politics and society on Twitter and other social media platforms. They tweeted about mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. They posted about racial injustice. And they shared their views (not good) of the personal and political scandals dogging President Donald Trump. The three women appeared to be just like millions of other Americans who take to social media every day to express their displeasure at the…

Asked to imagine an inventor, most people probably picture a lone genius toiling in solitude: Einstein working out physics formulae or Edison in his patent office or Steve Jobs in his garage. But some of the most creative and dedicated inventors are surrounded by other—often much younger, smaller—people. They’re educators—a category that includes parents. They’re working to raise the next generation of scientists and engineers by providing new ways of learning. ¶ Behind these parents and teachers is an army of tinkerers, toymakers and entrepreneurs who continue to innovate, providing fun ways for students of all ages to internalize the science, technology, engineering and math skills they will need. And with many of our children being schooled from home these days, it’s more important than ever for families to know…