In the Czech countryside, not far from Prague, a ghostly white train is speeding around and around a huge loop of track.

From the air, the single circuit looks like a giant model railroad. Only this one isn’t being used for fun. It’s one of Europe’s few dedicated facilities where new trains can be intensively tested away from public tracks.

For six months, the anonymous white train will make endless laps of the circuit at up to 125 miles per hour (200 kph), allowing technicians to monitor every aspect of its performance.

Meanwhile, a second train will be sent to Vienna in Austria, to be tested in temperatures ranging from minus 20 C to 40 C (minus 4 F to 104 F), blasted with snow and ice, and put through a wind tunnel of speeds of up to 100 mph in Europe’s only specialist climatic testing center.

Why is this important? Well, for French National Railways (SNCF) it marks the beginning of a new era: a reboot for its iconic TGV trains.

This latest generation of 200 miles per hour (320 kph) TGVs will be tested to its limits for more than two years before it can start carrying passengers in 2024. (CNN)

I realize you have a busy day every day.

And perhaps it is difficult to find time to keep up with world news.

The world is changing fast and these changes will affect you and your children’s future.

If you watch the network evening news shows, you’ll find that they don’t cover world news like they once did.

I don’t mean for this to sound like a commercial, but publications like The New York Times and Wall Street Journal cover world news very well.

Even if you go through the first section and merely read the head lines, you’ll be well informed.

Your children are growing up in a vastly different world than the one you knew as a child.

It’s good to be informed.

If not today, when?

Of course, we come to the rescue for loved ones and friends.

But, how about helping complete strangers?

In a recent blog, I showed a story of why Finland is the happiest country in the world.

One of the big reasons is the willingness of Finland’s residents to help strangers.

We can do that too!

We can be a happier country if we are willing to help strangers.

It is especially important if the stranger is of a different ethnicity that us.

We can be happier! We can make a stranger happier!

If not today, when?

Sorry!

I’ll have a new blog tomorrow.

There are many issues to consider when it comes to retirement.

One of the first considerations is, should you retire completely or partially?

Today’s economy is an unusual one.

It seems that most businesses find themselves shorthanded.

So, if you would still like to work on a part time basis, there have never been more opportunities.

If, however, you feel you can retire without staying employed even part time, you have many choices.

I have one piece of advice if you will retire completely: Talk with your spouse first.

It may be difficult for your spouse having you at home more often.

Full retirement for one spouse may necessitate an adjustment for the other spouse.

Is your spouse willing to make that adjustment?

Be sure to consider this aspect of your potential retirement.

It comes as no surprise to me that the French bulldog has supplanted the Labrador retriever as America’s most popular dog, ending the sporting dog’s 31-year reign. 

Many people might be wondering how a country that for decades has preferred the outgoing, high-energy Labrador would swap it out for a pint-sized, sedentary, furry gargoyle.

America’s tastemakers and trendsetters have been making French Bulldogs their canine of choice for years.

In the post-Covid era, these more inward-looking times call for a pup that is less demanding, a pet whose company you can enjoy within the quiet and solace of your four walls. (CNN)

Artificial Intelligence will impact your life in many ways.

It will affect:

How you create

How you compete

How you collaborate

How you work

How you learn

How you govern

How you cheat

How you commit crimes

How you fight wars. (NYTimes)

We can’t ignore AI because it will be an all pervasive influence on our lives.

I suggest that you begin reading about it.

AI is not going away.

It’s here to stay.

For the sixth year in a row, Finland is the world’s happiest country!

This is according to the World Happiness Report rankings based largely on life evaluations from the Gallup World Poll.

The Nordic country and its neighbors Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and Norway all score very well on the measures the report uses to explain its findings:

Healthy life expectancy,

GDP per capita,

Social support,

Low corruption,

Generosity in a community where people look after each other,

And freedom to make key life decisions.

But since we can’t all move to Finland, is there something other societies can learn from these rankings?

“Is it, are they doing things that we wish we’d seen before and we can start doing? (CNN)

The great thing about walking as your chosen exercise is that you can do it all your life.

And, of course, it is a good cardio workout.

It is the one exercise most people can do regardless of age.

So, if you are a senior citizen, you can still begin walking.

Do you have someone who would walk with you?

If so, a walking partner could give you the motivation to walk on those days when you need some prompting.

Even if you don’t have a partner, there is feeling of accomplishment after each walk.

Try it. You’ll like it.

If not today, when?