Best economical shade trees to plant near a home in Kerala, India:

1. Indian Almond (Terminalia catappa) Fast-growing, wide canopy, beautiful layered horizontal branches. Deciduous in Kerala’s dry season, so you get sunlight in winter. Bonus: Leaves have medicinal uses, and the nuts are edible.

2. Neem (Azadirachta indica) Hardy, pest-repellent, medicinal, and provides good shade. Less lush-looking than others and may thin out in extreme drought. Bonus: Leaves and bark are naturally antibacterial.

3. Rain Tree (Samanea saman) Rapid-growing with a massive canopy—perfect for sitting or playing under. Widely used in parks and schoolyards. Needs space and should be planted away from the house due to wide roots.

4. Indian Beech / Pongam (Millettia pinnata / Pongamia pinnata) Shade-giving, low-maintenance, and soil-improving thanks to nitrogen fixation. Bonus: Seeds are rich in oil, traditionally used in lamps and now in biofuel.

5. Jackfruit Tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus) Excellent shade and yields large, edible fruit. Can be too large and heavy for close proximity to windows or footpaths. Best planted a bit farther from the house.

Bonus: Coconut Palm Very common and useful. Provides filtered shade rather than dense cover. Can be dangerous near homes due to falling coconuts—best at the edge of a yard.

Top Recommendation for Quick, Wide Shade: Rain Tree – Fast growth, huge umbrella canopy, great for kids to play under. Just give it space from buildings.

What are the barriers to acquiring and using say, a regular window air conditioning unit?

I think humidity in India is generally rather high?

I feel like there aren’t a lot of chimneys in India, but I don’t have the wherewithal to defend my assertion.

1. Mutant healing ability
2. Irresistible to the opposite sex
3. Permanent +27 boost to Mana, which stacks

This is one area where, at least for me, CoPilot is very good. In most other areas, CoPilot is not very good.

JIRA queries, rules, automations, etc. Suggestions for how to make my rage-fueled communications sound more reasonable and professional Meeting Summaries. Not having to take notes is HUGE.

Build a flamethrower with a super soaker. Swim with sharks.

That’s quite a username you have there

I was super tired and sleepy most of the day, and I don’t know why. I did afterwards manage to bake a loaf of bread, and go grocery shopping, and I have a second loaf that will be ready to bake tomorrow.

Say no

I’m actually going to be able to buy a house for the first time.

So this immediately raised just a couple of red flags as I read it. I know everyone hates LLMs, but this would have taken me forever to research and put together, so I fed ChatGPT 4o my concerns and questions, and asked for context, explanations of referenced materials, and analysis. Then I went back and forth a bit more to make sure everything was in a logical order and nothing was left out. I found this extremely helpful.

Comprehensive Legal and Policy Analysis

Executive Order: Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos

Date Signed: March 20, 2025

I. Introduction

On March 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order entitled “Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos.” The order’s stated purpose is to eliminate barriers to federal inter-agency data sharing to reduce waste, fraud, and inefficiency. However, the scope and language raise significant legal and constitutional concerns.

II. Plain-Language Summary of the Executive Order

Section 1 (Purpose):

• Seeks to eliminate bureaucratic barriers and promote inter-agency data sharing to detect waste, fraud, and abuse.

Section 2 (Definitions):

• Agency: Federal agencies, excluding the Executive Office of the President.
• Agency Head: The top official in an agency (Secretary, Director, or equivalent).

Section 3 (Eliminating Information Silos):

• 3(a): Orders agency heads to provide designated federal officials full and immediate access to all unclassified agency records and systems.
• 3(b): Requires agencies to remove policies blocking data sharing and report changes to OMB within 30 days.
• 3©: Mandates “unfettered access” to data from all state programs receiving federal funding, including data stored by third parties.
• 3(d): Grants the Department of Labor and its designees complete access to unemployment and related payment data.
• 3(e): Supersedes any prior executive orders or regulations that restrict unclassified data sharing.
• 3(f): Requires agencies to review classified information policies and report to OMB within 45 days.

Section 4 (General Provisions):

• Does not override agency heads’ statutory authority or OMB functions.
• Subject to applicable laws and funding availability.
• States that this order does not create enforceable rights or benefits.

III. Key Issues Raised

1. Federal Funding and Authority:

   • Federal funding alone does not give the federal government blanket authority to demand unrestricted data access. Conditions must be:
     • Explicitly stated.
     • Related to the funding’s purpose.
     • Not coercive.
     • Consistent with constitutional protections.

2. Potential Conflicts with Privacy Laws:

   • The order’s language appears to override protections under:
     • HIPAA and PHI privacy regulations.
     • The Privacy Act of 1974.
     • FERPA (for student data).
   • Mandating ‘unfettered access’ without specific exceptions is likely illegal.

3. First Amendment Risks:

   • Forced access to data containing political, religious, or associational information may violate constitutional protections of speech and association.

4. Overreach into State Data Sovereignty:

   • Section 3© may violate the Tenth Amendment and states’ rights.

5. “Self-Justifying” Legal Language:

   • Section 4© disclaims enforceable rights, effectively stating: “This is legal because the order says so.”
   • Courts will likely need to determine whether this exceeds executive authority.

IV. Prior Orders and Laws Potentially Overridden

• Executive Order 13526 (2009): Classification guidance.
• The Privacy Act of 1974: Restrictions on sharing PII.
• OMB Circular A-130: Federal information management policies.
• System of Records Notices (SORNs): Federal privacy compliance frameworks.

V. Legal Challenges Likely to Arise

• Spending Clause violations: Unlawful coercion of states.
• HIPAA and federal privacy law conflicts.
• Tenth Amendment (state sovereignty) challenges.
• First Amendment (free speech/association) challenges.
• APA violations (lack of public notice or arbitrary regulatory changes).

VI. Conclusion

While seeking to increase efficiency, this executive order raises sweeping legal and constitutional issues. The forced access to state-held and third-party data, disregard for privacy protections, and language designed to avoid legal accountability are likely to face serious judicial review. Conditions for data access cannot be imposed retroactively or without clear statutory authority.

In short: Receiving federal funds does not automatically waive privacy protections or grant federal control. The order’s legality will ultimately depend on court interpretation.

VII. References

• Executive Order: Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos
• Executive Order 13526
• The Privacy Act of 1974
• OMB Circular A-130

Spokesperson Lauren Raemhild provided the following statement: “The Alexa experience is designed to protect our customers’ privacy and keep their data secure, and that’s not changing. We’re focusing on the privacy tools and controls that our customers use most and work well with generative AI experiences that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud. Customers can continue to choose from a robust set of tools and controls, including the option to not save their voice recordings at all. We’ll continue learning from customer feedback and building privacy features on their behalf.”

She continued-

”None of these things will do squat, and we will continue harvesting anything and everything, but you can certainly click the buttons.”

Paul Simon, Rhythm of the Saints

As to your last question: It would almost certainly not be worth it.

I’m fighting the same battle, because I am in a quasi-leadership role now, and I have to say the examples of positivity and optimism, when my instinctive reactions to most things are rolling my eyes and sighing because “Ugh, not this shit again.” Is going to be an uphill battle. The funny part is, I’m never actually upset. The more problems get thrown my way, the more excited I get to solve them. Unfortunately I have this very odd habit of presenting my excitement in a way that everyone else in the world understands to be frustration and negativity.

I am part of a new team created to bring order to the chaos that resulted from a disorganized wellbeing company merging with an even worse health plan administration company. I am in a constant battle to help people understand the byzantine complexities of the systems powering our stuff, and encourage and facilitate open communications between teams and departments that until now have each had their heads buried in the sand, with zero interest in understanding how their work contributed to the whole. Also I come up with better ways to do all these things. I think businesses Analyst position responsibilities probably vary widely by team and company though.

Engineering Business Analyst. I need to learn SQL though

Rats