Harvard, Iced Coffee & Avo Toast 🥑
This Week in Review: London tries to compete with Silicon Valley | International students come under immense pressure | Drinking over 3 cups of coffee per day is dangerous | Walmart in the spotlight
Quick Bites:
Education: Donald Trump has banned Harvard's ability to enroll international students, citing allegations of antisemitism and ties to the China.
"Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,"
-the US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
Guys, let's not forget we're talking about the nation's oldest and WEALTHIEST college. Harvard Law school has some of the best legal minds in the world- they need to gather them all and keep Trump in court until he f**king CHOKES
PS. The government isn't just messing with visas- they're messing with the bag. International students don’t take federal aid. They pay in FULL- tuition, housing, fees- all CASH. No loans, no subsidies.
This isn’t just an immigration issue. It’s an income stream. Harvard’s bout to go off- because when real $$$ is on the line, you better believe the gloves are OFF
Key Highlights:
Approximately 6,800 international students at Harvard are affected, facing potential deportation or transfer
These students are from 147 different countries and make up more than half the school
Harvard has filed lawsuits, arguing that these actions are "unconstitutional and retaliatory"
A federal judge has temporarily blocked Trump's order, allowing Harvard to continue enrolling international students for now
Trump has frozen over $2 billion in federal funding, threatening the university's research and academic programs
The White House has accused Harvard leadership of turning "their once-great institution into a hot-bed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators."
"Enrolling foreign students is a privilege, not a right."
Umm Harvard needs to release Barron's application AND HIS REJECTION LETTER asap and then the whole world will know exactly why Trump is going after them
Our Thoughts:
Harvard international student starter pack right now:
-VPN
-WhatsApp family group with 482 unread messages
-Stress baking banana bread at 2 AM
-Crying in Widener… in multiple languages
Work: Weekly meetings are useless and unnecessary, Bloomberg reports.
Umm thank god. In reality, the "weekly check-in meeting" before the actual meeting is basically just an effective way to deliver terrible news to everyone at the same time
Boss: Let's schedule a meeting every Tuesday so I can pretend to want your input on how I can more proactively micromanage the shit out of you
Weekly one-on-one meetings between managers and team members can be helpful, especially when there's open feedback both ways.
But with constant messaging and check-ins, these meetings can also become unnecessary, a new Bloomberg analysis suggests.
Are Weekly One-on-One Meetings Becoming Obsolete?
Key Highlights:
-Too Much Contact, Too Little Impact: With constant communication via Slack, email, and Zoom, these meetings can start to feel repetitive and low-value
-Redundancy: Repeating what’s already been said or done
Daily Rapport > Weekly Catch-ups: Building relationships through informal, everyday interactions can be more effective than saving everything for a formal weekly slot
Open-Door > Calendar Invite: Encouraging an open-door culture where team members feel safe is better
The takeaway: Weekly one-on-ones aren’t bad- they’re just not one-size-fits-all anymore. In fast-paced, collaborative environments, adaptability always wins.
Health: Drinking 3 or more cups of coffee or tea per day may protect heart health, CNN reports.
Moderate amounts of caffeine intake were associated with a lower risk of developing heart diseases.
CNN also recently reported that "Decaf is the hottest thing in coffee right now"..
We just want to clarify: There is a time and place for decaf. Never and in the trash.
Dk about you guys but Team Touristy can't survive without coffee.. We mfs sleepy and stressed out
Plenty of studies show a benefit from caffeine consumption; lower risk of abnormal heart rhythms, strokes and even Type 2 diabetes.
“These observations add to the growing body of evidence that caffeine, and commonly consumed natural substances that contain caffeine such as tea and coffee, may enhance cardiovascular health.”
-Dr. Gregory Marcus, Chief of cardiology and professor of medicine at University of California
Our Thoughts:
There are 4 seasons:
Iced coffee
Iced coffee without judgement
Iced coffee with gloves on
Iced coffee with fingers frozen
Our coffee order at Starbucks today morning:
1 Venti Iced Caramel Macchiato
Iced
Light ice
Vanilla Bean Powder
2 Splenda
8 Shots
Long shot
3 pumps Caramel Sauce
4 pumps Caramel Syrup
2 pumps Honey Blend
Extra Caramel Drizzle
Almond Milk
Vanilla Cold Foam
Extra Whip
Blonde
Finance: The UK wants in on the tech game- but can it really compete?
The UK announced a new "Fintech Growth Investment Fund" backed by up to £1 billion in capital, aiming to supercharge homegrown startups and position London as a serious rival to Silicon Valley.
But let’s be real… £1 billion? In the finance world, that’s like a Series B on a Tuesday in Palo Alto over an avocado toast
Between OpenAI-backed spin-offs, climate tech moonshots, and AI-everything in the Bay Area, that kind of money barely covers the kombucha budget of a hot new startup
Still, the move signals intent.
With the UK’s post-Brexit push to redefine its global economic identity- especially in fintech- this could be the start of a more competitive Europe in the innovation game
Key Highlights, according to CNBC:
Development of the Oxford-Cambridge Tech Corridor: Plans are underway to transform this area into "Europe's Silicon Valley"
Investment in AI: The UK government is prioritizing artificial intelligence, with initiatives to build infrastructure and support domestic AI innovators
Regional Tech Hubs Expansion: Efforts are being made to distribute tech growth beyond London, with
Investments: in regions like the Thames Valley and initiatives to attract tech companies to cities such as Birmingham
Enhancement of Digital Infrastructure: Projects like the BEACON-5G initiative aim to diversify the 5G supply chain
Quicker Bites:
Trump has postponed a proposed 50% tariff on EU imports until July 9.
WHO Adopts Pandemic Accord in a landmark agreement to enhance global preparedness for future pandemics.
King Charles Visits Canada, marking the first such event by a monarch in 50 years.
Nepal Monsoon Alert: Forecasts indicate that up to two million people in Nepal may be affected by monsoon-related disasters this year.
India-Pakistan agree to Ceasefire, following recent border conflict
Rare Diseases Resolution: The WHO has adopted a resolution to prioritize rare diseases, aiming to improve diagnosis and care worldwide.
Walmart in Spotlight: Suresh Kumar, Walmart's Indian-origin CTO, is leading the company's digital transformation amid recent job cuts.