Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Careful what you eat

I grew up in East Tennessee in the 1960s. Fish was something that came in breaded rectangles out of the freezer. Growing up Roman Catholic, it’s what was for dinner on Friday. I never cared for fish back then. We honeymooned in Charleston SC (“where the Ashley and Cooper rivers meet to form the Atlantic […]

Climate adaptation options

by The one-handed economist Humans are not doing enough mitigation to slow — let alone reverse — climate change chaos. Average global temperature is now +1.2C, far above which is on track to exceed the 2015 Paris Agreement’s target of “holding the increase in the global average temperature… increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels”  by 2034.* In this 2011 post (“We’re […]

Still no power? Here’s when lights could turn on in Northeast Ohio

“Still no power? Here’s when lights could turn on,” StormTeam2 The lights have gone out in many parts of Ohio. Commenter and sometime writer r.j.s. citing conditions near his home after bad weather passed through. CLEVELAND (WJW) — FirstEnergy is calling storms that hit Northeast Ohio on Tuesday the most impactful to hit The Illuminating […]

Residential building construction sound a warning for goods-producing employment

– by New Deal democrat The final data point from last week that I wanted to catch up on was construction spending, and especially residential construction and spending. As reported last week, in June total nominal spending declined -0.3% in June, but is higher 6.2% YoY. The more leading residential sector also showed a -0.4% […]

Can Appointed Heat Officers protect US cities from Extreme Heat? Not Likely . . .

Appointed officials have the life-saving solutions the public needs to stay safe from rising temperatures. But they don’t have political power. Zoya Teirstein . . . Once a month, roughly a dozen people enter a Zoom room to talk about what to do about this. They log on from their desks in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Jacksonville, San […]

Why does JD Vance hate higher education?

American colleges and universities are the envy of the world. The American higher education system is an important driver of the economy. There are those who sneer at the educated. They only expose their insecurity. In JD Vance, Donald Trump has chosen a running mate who has publicly stated that he sees colleges and universities […]

South Dakota’s Noem Releases Social Study Standards Burnishing American History

Noem releases social study standards to burnish American history, AP News SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Monday released a revised proposal for social studies standards in public schools that lays out a mostly shining vision of American history, after an initial draft of the standards came under heavy criticism […]

Initial jobless claims, ex Hurricane Beryl distortions, remain very positive

 – by New Deal democrat Officially reported initial jobless claims declined -17,000 to 233,000 last week. The four-week moving average rose 750 to 240,750. With the typical one-week delay, continuing claims rose 6,000 to 1.875 million, the highest number since November 17, 2021: On the more important YoY basis, initial claims were down -9.7%, while […]