My brother Mike is a retired mechanical engineer. He emailed me this morning and reminded me of a New Yorker article we had both read years ago and pointed me to a fascinating youtube video that retells the story. In a nutshell, the Citicorp building in Manhattan was a triumph of architectural innovation in its […]
A book review by David Zetland, The one-handed economist. Sometimes you just want the answer Review: “Moving Pictures” This 1990 book is the 10th in the 42-book Discworld series by Terry Prachett. I’m only “reviewing” it here because Prachett has so many wonderful perspectives. The plot of the book is the (re-)discovery of cinema at Holy […]
There are changes coming to the Medicare market place and Medicare Advantage. Healthcare Insurance companies are leaving the Medicare Advantage market. “Market exits by Humana, Aetna, and UnitedHealthcare will collectively affect nearly 70% of those 1.8 million individuals.” The remainder of the 1.8 million will be looking at new plans with the same insurance provider. […]
For much of the time PBS relies on public donations. Of course, losing federal funding would have an impact. PBS in the Midwest would feature musicals and oldies in Pittsburgh PA. Largest collection of baby Boomers in one location. One time we escorted a man and his wife to the local hospital as he was […]
~~~~~~~ February 18, 2025, CBS: Billionaire Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration is to find ways to cut costs through the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But a new court filing from the White House states that the Tesla CEO isn’t an employee of DOGE, adding that Musk “has no actual or formal authority to […]
I’m on traditional Medicare and so is my wife. We’ve been happy with the coverage. We both elected not to get Medicare Advantage plans. Not only because we’d read about a higher rate of denial of care for MA plans, but because of the overcharging. If DOGE really wanted to go after a soft target, […]
The Age of Dis-Enlightenment “It takes an ignorant man to lead an ignorant throng,” w/ deepest apologies to Woody, the Kingston Trio et al. Dumb — yeah but, they are the epitome of dis-enlightenmenters. Dissers here, there, everywhere back during The Age of Enlightenment. But, then was 200-350 years ago when it was new and […]
I would contend the attorneys helping Trump should know this? Maybe they thought no one else would catch it? Something to think about. Interesting facts about the Alien Enemies Act. “in reaching his decision and wrote that the historical record makes it clear that this is a law intended for use during wartime.” Civil Discourse […]
– by New Deal democrat [Note: I’ll report separately on construction spending, also released this morning] Although manufacturing is of diminishing importance to the economy, (it was in deep contraction both in 2015-16 and again in 2022 without any recession), the ISM manufacturing index remains an important indicator with a 75+ year history of accurately describing […]
Can Trump cut Government spending even more? Yes, he probably could. It would be detrimental to the United States citizens. It appears we concerns about spending exceeding tax receipts in 2025 and creating deficits. There is a solution to all of this. Passed under Reconciliation, Trumps Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was to pay for […]