David Lidsky's Blog, page 17

Searching for peace at work? Try these easy mini-meditations

One short meditation that can be done almost anywhere involves breathing deeply and mentally scanning your body for sensations.

The idea of meditating can be intimidating. Beginners may imagine sitting uncomfortably in silence while breathing deeply and scrubbing all thoughts from their minds. The prospect of trying those techniques at work may feel embarrassing.

Apple removes ICEBlock app after pressure from Trump officials

ICEBlock, which lets users anonymously report ICE agent sightings, said last month that it had more than 1 million users.

Apple has taken down an app that uses crowdsourcing to flag sightings of U.S. immigration agents after coming under pressure from the Trump administration.

Government shutdown stalemate deepens with Trump planning layoffs and cuts

Democrats are running the high-risk strategy of voting for a government shutdown. Trump has vowed to make it as painful as possible for them.

Hopes for a quick end to the government shutdown were fading Friday as Republicans and Democrats dug in for a prolonged fight and President Donald Trump readied plans to unleash layoffs and cuts across the federal government.

How the AI boom is transforming education in 2025

AI integrations are going to make learning easier. But experts say it’s critical to separate genuine progress from marketing noise.

Artificial intelligence is doing more than just automating workflows in 2025: It’s dismantling the very idea of education. Once seen as one-time achievements, a bachelor’s degree, a professional certificate, or an annual corporate training session, are no longer guarantees of relevance in a world where knowledge ages almost as quickly as technology itself.

Remaining NYC mayoral hopefuls court Black women voters at Harlem’s Apollo Theater

With just weeks to go before America’s largest city chooses a new mayor, the candidates answered questions live onstage but did not interact directly.

On Monday evening at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York City’s last-standing mayoral candidates—Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, and Curtis Sliwa—took the stage to address their plans to meet the needs of Black women in New York should they take on the role. 

Why every manager should have trauma literacy

People don’t leave jobs; they leave managers and cultures that make thriving impossible. Trauma literacy could help bridging that gap.

A decade ago, fresh out of business school, I joined a tech company in my first business development role in Singapore. Within the first quarter, I had closed two quarters’ worth of sales targets. But the environment was abusive. The CEO yelled regularly. Personal and sexist remarks were common, on body, appearance, even what women ate or wore.

We don’t care about the future—deal with it

Green solutions are often the most economical ones.

I should go to the dentist more often. I really ought to join a gym. I wish I had partied less in college and bought more Apple stock. Had I ditched the pint of Guinness and invested in Apple in the early 2000s, each pint worth of stock would now be valued at $3,500. Over those college years, I would have accumulated enough stock to buy a brownstone on New York’s pricey Upper West Side. All cash.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway buys OxyChem for $9.7 billion

It could be Berkshire’s last big acquisition involving Buffett.

Berkshire Hathaway is buying Occidental Petroleum’s chemical division for $9.7 billion in what may be the last big acquisition involving the consummate dealmaker, Warren Buffett.

Mortgage lending may never look the same after FICO’s latest shake-up

The FHFA director called the move a ‘creative solution’ for Americans as Fair Isaac puts pricing power back in lenders’ hands.

Investors are celebrating a major shake-up in how FICO scores will be shared with mortgage lenders, as shares of parent company Fair Isaac Corp. have rallied more than 20% on Thursday.

Trump administration slashes $7.6 billion for clean energy projects in blue states

Democrats and environmental organizations were quick to slam the latest cuts, saying they would raise energy costs.

The Trump administration is canceling $7.6 billion in grants that supported hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states, all of which voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election.