President Joe Biden is delivering his third State of the Union address‚ one that could be among the most important speeches he gives during his presidency as he turns toward reelection. His list of objectives was long: Tout his accomplishments in office‚ look ahead to a second-term agenda‚ allay concerns about his age and fitness and provide a contrast with Republicans‚ including his rival Donald Trump. Here are some early takeaways from Biden’s annual message to Congress‚ which will...

President Joe Biden assailed former President Donald Trump for kowtowing to Russia‚ failing to care about COVID-19 and papering over the Jan. 6 Capitol assault on Thursday in a State of the Union speech making his case for re-election in 2024. Biden‚ speaking before a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate‚ opened his remarks with a direct criticism of Trump for comments inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade other NATO nations if they did not...

For a species that evolved in a wide range of climates and conditions and had little ability to choose the temperature around us until recently‚ humans are awfully persnickety about our thermostat settings. Some of us are so sensitive to temperature fluctuations we can tell if someone has raised or lowered it by a degree or two—a reality that set the stage for many a workplace thermostat war.If you think 68 degrees is the optimal room temperature in the office and start sweating at your desk when it hits 72‚ you're not alone. And if 68 degrees has you putting on your parka and begging the office manager for a nice‚ balmy 77‚ you're also not alone. Obviously‚ there's a huge range of preferences‚ but is there an optimal room temperature for work productivity? And if so‚ what is it? According to a study at University of Southern California‚ the answer to that question depends on whether you're a man or a woman. “It’s been documented that women like warmer indoor temperatures than men‚ but the idea until now has been that it’s a matter of personal preference‚” study author and associate professor of finance and business economics Tommy Chang said. “What we found is it’s not just whether you feel comfortable or not‚ but that your performance on things that matter — in math and verbal dimensions‚ and how hard you try — is affected by temperature.”In the study‚ women performed best when temperatures were between 70 and 80 degrees‚ while men's productivity increased as the temperature went down. However‚ men were not as negatively impacted by warmer temperatures as women were at cooler temperatures‚ which led Chang to pinpoint a number that seems ideal. “I’m cringing a little bit to say this‚” Chang told the Los Angeles Times. “75 degrees to me is boiling. That’s hot. I’m very warm at 75. But in a gender-balanced office environment‚ our results suggest that something like 75 degrees might be the optimal temperature to have for optimal productivity.”Of course‚ there are men who run cold and women who run hot‚ but a clear difference in gender preference and performance overall was observed in the 543 people involved in the study‚ which tested productivity at temperatures ranging from about 61 degrees Fahrenheit to about 91 degrees Fahrenheit. This was especially apparent on verbal and math tasks.“One of the most surprising things we learned is this isn’t about the extremes of temperature‚” Chang said. “It’s not like we’re getting to freezing or boiling hot. Even if you go from 60 to 75 degrees‚ which is a relatively normal temperature range‚ you still see a meaningful variation in performance.”For many of us‚ 60 and 75 do feel like extreme temperatures‚ but that's neither here nor there. If all else fails‚ take a poll to see what people's temperature preferences are and find the median to come the closest to making everyone happy. But considering the entirety of a workplace‚ assuming an even number of men and women‚ the thermostat should be set somewhere around 75 if you want people to have the greatest productivity overall. But maybe provide a desk fan for the under-70-degrees folks‚ because 75 will likely feel like the surface of the sun for them.

Joe Biden‚ like Adolf Hitler and Axl Rose‚ arrived late. He entered the House of Representatives at 9:16 p.m. and began delivering his State of the Union nine minutes later. Unlike Christmas‚ it was not worth the wait. He addressed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine first and at great length. The invasion of America’s Southern border came later‚ precisely at 10:06 p.m. Citizens in McCallen‚ Texas‚ watching their city overrun‚ or in Roxbury‚ Massachusetts‚ seeing a local recreation center repurposed as a shelter for immigrants‚ did not enrich his family’s coffers as did the Ukrainian interests paying his son‚ after all. “Freedom and democracy are under attack at home and overseas‚” he said in juxtaposing the dual threats of Vladimir Putin with Donald Trump‚ who the president found‚ unlike Putin‚ so loathsome that he refused to say his name. President Biden called him “my predecessor” and “a former American president” and used pronouns. Republicans demanded he say murder victim Laken Riley’s name. He eventually did invoke “Lincoln Riley” — the head football coach at the University of Southern California — at heckler Marjorie Taylor Green’s instigation. But he never did say “Laken Riley” or “Donald Trump.” For different reasons he did the same with abortion. He referenced a woman in the audience who “had a fetus of a fatal condition‚” whatever that meant‚ and needed to leave Texas “to get what she needed.” What she needed he did not say. He went on to euphemistically talk of abortion as the “treatment they need‚” “reproductive freedom‚” and the “right to choose.” Like the words “Donald Trump‚” he could not say its name or accurately describe it. He instead characterized easier access to killing unborn children as a way to “stand up for families.” The president lashed out at “Big Landlords‚” “Big Pharma‚” and “Big Oil.” Left out of his tirade? Big Government. “I want to give public school teachers a raise‚” “a future of paid leave‚” “homecare and elder care‚” “affordable high-speed internet for every American no matter where you live‚” and “raise the federal minimum wage.” He spoke of “fiscally responsible ways” to pay for his wish list‚ including “making big corporations and the very wealthy finally begin to pay their fair share.” He would‚ presumably‚ determine what share amounted to fair. “My message to transgender America: I have your back‚” he remarked in homage to diversity inspiring diverse interpretations. He name-dropped Native Americans. He highlighted African-American civil rights activists. It all sounded obligatory. The biggest lie of the night came from a woman who said nothing. Kamala Harris‚ whose office pursued almost 2‚000 marijuana convictions when she served as district attorney in San Francisco‚ stood up and cheered Biden when he boasted of “expunging thousands of convictions for mere possession” of marijuana. One would need to expunge “thousands” just to undo what Harris did. A close second occurred when President Biden added the postscript‚ after pledging to ban assault weapons and impose other firearms restrictions‚ that “none of this violates the Second Amendment.” Biden displayed unusual energy and vigor early. As the speech progressed‚ he spoke with marbles in his mouth and read the teleprompter with an odd cadence. He appeared angry and shouted as much as talked. He attempted to bait the right-leaning contingent to his left‚ demagogued on wealthy Americans‚ and attacked the captive audience of the Supreme Court. The speech probably played well to his base‚ but presidents feeling it necessary to play to their base in an election year generally do not perform well in November. “Let me close with this‚” elicited the greatest applause from Republicans. One suspects the viewers at home cheered along with them. The speech ended‚ mercifully‚ one hour and 17 minutes after he entered the room. The post Grumpy Old Man Mumbles State of the Union appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

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