New Face of the Liberal Party
Monday, March 10th, 2025
World Events — Carney As Canada’s Next Liberal Party Leader
Bloomberg
Mark Carney, the former central banker, has won the Liberal Party leadership contest and is set to become Canada's next Prime Minister, succeeding Justin Trudeau within days. Carney secured a decisive victory with 86% of the votes in the leadership race. The 59-year-old political newcomer takes office amid significant economic uncertainty, primarily due to U.S. President Donald Trump's recent imposition of tariffs on Canadian goods. In his victory speech, Carney vowed to protect Canada's economy and sovereignty, pledging to maintain retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports "until the Americans show us respect". He also promised to make key investments to strengthen Canada's economy and create new trade corridors with reliable partners. Carney's immediate challenges include managing trade relations with the United States and deciding whether to call an early election or seek support from opposition parties to govern.
Tech - GPT 4.5, Tripping Over Its AGI Ambition
Wired
OpenAI's release of GPT-4.5, its most ambitious model to date, highlights the company's tension between building a useful ChatGPT utility and pursuing artificial general intelligence (AGI). While the improvements in GPT-4.5, released in late February as a research preview for paid subscribers, may seem incremental, the model utilizes more computing power and was trained on more data, leading to stronger intuition and a deeper understanding of emotion. Although it may not offer immediate, practical applications for enterprise contracts, GPT-4.5 aligns with OpenAI's core objective of building beneficial AGI by mimicking the nuances of human emotions and soft skills. First impressions show that the model is more capable at tasks like writing compelling headlines and feels less annoying and more conversational, although it may not be particularly helpful for tasks such as AI-assisted research. As OpenAI works towards the release of GPT-5 and looks for ways to recoup the costs of training its models, the company faces a crossroads in balancing the pursuit of AGI with the need to turn ChatGPT into a sustainable business.
Business - Inflation Dipping Below Zero in China
Bloomberg
China's consumer price index unexpectedly fell to -0.7% year-over-year, marking the first time in 13 months that it has dipped below zero, signaling potential deflationary pressures within the economy. This decline, which exceeded analysts' forecasts, is attributed to seasonal distortions caused by the timing of the Lunar New Year and weak domestic demand. Core inflation, excluding volatile food and energy prices, also saw a rare decrease, further highlighting sluggish consumption trends. As a result, pressure is mounting on the Chinese government to implement fiscal and monetary policies aimed at reflating the economy, especially as the country aims for an ambitious 5% economic growth target for 2025 amidst global trade uncertainties and has set its inflation target at the lowest level in over 20 years.
Health — How to Deal With Narcissist
Very Well Mind
Interacting with a narcissist, whether in a romantic relationship, as a roommate, or within your family, often presents significant challenges due to their inherent self-centeredness, insatiable need for attention, and pronounced lack of empathy, which can create a stressful environment where you constantly feel like you're walking on eggshells. Narcissists tend to have exaggerated self-opinions and show minimal consideration for the feelings of others, leading to exhaustion and emotional strain for those around them. To navigate these relationships, it's crucial to prioritize self-protection by recognizing that their behavior isn't a personal reflection of you, establishing and consistently enforcing firm boundaries, being vigilant for signs of gaslighting or manipulation, and being prepared to disengage or walk away if necessary. Educating yourself about narcissistic traits and adopting effective coping strategies are vital for managing your interactions with a narcissist while actively safeguarding your own mental and emotional well-being.
Baking - Crispy Chicken Thigh
This one-pan chicken recipe is poised to become a weeknight staple, thanks to its versatility. Feel free to experiment with different flavor combinations, such as swapping the artichokes for blistered cherry tomatoes. You can also incorporate other fresh or frozen ingredients like summer squash, butternut squash, potato cubes, or carrot coins, depending on your cravings. This recipe is adapted from Catherine McCord's "Meal Prep Magic: Time-Saving Tricks for Stress-Free Cooking."
Eating Well
Song Rec — Nocturne in C Sharp Minor (Chopin)
Quote of the Day
"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."
C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves