Anna's Daybreak News

_{Just facts, you think for yourself}

Monday, 5:15 AM

November 18, 2024

Good morning news friend! Follow the latest updates and stay connected to the fast-changing flow of events around you. 📰🌟

Federal Workforce Under Scrutiny

The US federal government employs 2.3 million civilian workers, less than 2% of the nation’s workforce. Most work in military or security roles, with Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security among the largest employers.

Medical roles make up 15% of the workforce, followed by clerical (15%), engineering (6%), and accounting (5%).

In 2024, the federal payroll cost $213 billion. The highest median salary is $118,000 in the Education Department, while the Treasury Department pays the lowest, below $60,000.

President-elect Donald Trump plans to trim this workforce with a new Department of Government Efficiency. And aims to cut federal spending by $2 trillion.

Source: Read More

Commercial RE Crisis

Delinquencies on office loans surpassed 10% for the first time since 2012. As of October 2024, the rate reached 10.35%, up 56 basis points from the previous month.

Overall commercial delinquency rose from 6.88% to 6.94%, adding $1.93 billion in new delinquencies.

Major factors include $831.1 million in office loans contributing to the overall rise. Five of the ten largest new delinquencies were office loans, including three with balances over $95 million. The largest loan, a mixed-use building, has a balance of $200 million.

Additionally, office vacancies exceeded 20% for the first time. Moody’s predicts office values may plummet by 40% by the end of 2025.

Source: Read More

Nvidia's Blackwell Chips are Overheating

Nvidia's new Blackwell AI chips are overheating in server racks. The servers can hold up to 72 chips. This overheating problem worries customers about timely deployment of new data centers.

The Blackwell chips offer 2.5x power and speed compared to the H100 series. They deliver up to 20 petaflops of compute power. They are built with two squares of silicon, making them 30 times faster for tasks like chatbot responses.

These GPUs cost around $70,000, while full server racks exceed $3 million. Nvidia plans to sell 60,000 to 70,000 servers.

To address the overheating, Nvidia has requested multiple design changes from suppliers for the racks. Major clients include Meta, Google, and Microsoft.

Source: Read More

Russia’s Massive Air Assault

Russia launched one of its largest air strikes of the war, firing 120 missiles and 90 drones at Ukraine. Ukrainian forces intercepted over 140 of them, but the damage was severe.

The attack targeted critical energy infrastructure, causing blackouts in several regions, including Kyiv, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk. Two people died, and six were injured in Mykolayiv.

In the past week, Russia has fired nearly 140 missiles, 600 drones, and over 900 aerial bombs.

Winter looms, and power outages could stretch to 20 hours per day if strikes continue, said Ukraine’s energy minister.

Source: Read More

Eye Color Surgery

Keratopigmentation, a cosmetic surgery to change eye color, is gaining popularity. Patients pay $12,000 for the procedure, which can take about 30 minutes.

Surgeons create tunnels in the cornea, fill them with dye, and the results are immediate.

Dr. Alexander Movshovich, a prominent provider, has treated around 400 patients this year. However, eye specialists warn of serious risks, including vision loss, light sensitivity, and infections. The pigments used in keratopigmentation are not FDA-approved for eyes.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology cautions that there is insufficient evidence of safety for healthy eyes. A 2021 study showed that 12 out of 40 patients experienced light sensitivity following the procedure.

Source: Read More

“When someone says ‘I’m not that stupid,’ it often means that he is more stupid than he thinks.”

Baked with love,

Anna Eisenberg ❤️