The Angry Bear

Industry has been talking about AI (Artificial Intelligence) for a while now. And of course, industry has been looking to reduce the amount of labor input with AI. Having used computerized systems such as MRPII, ERP, etc., I have always followed the wisdom of people such as Oliver Wight and George Plossl. The system is as accurate as the input to it. Which means, you have to check your work. A system can also be used to intentionally mislead in its...

Why has residential building construction remained so strong, despite the recessionary-level decline in permits and starts?  – by New Deal democrat As an initial note, there is no economic news today. For obvious reasons there won’t be on Thursday or Friday either. So, don’t be surprised if I take a couple of days off as well. In the meantime, I’ve been continuing to ponder why housing under construction remains close to its all-time, 50+...

I am late on the draw for this information on Medicare. Been busy with other issues. Had dinner last night at VA’ Bene, a restaurant in Chandler which is not too far from us. An older couple joined us afterwards as we were sipping some Chianti. The heat finally got to this couple and they are moving back to Oregon after living here for twenty years. Medicare Part D in 2024: A First Look at Prescription Drug Plan Availability, Premiums, and Cost...

I subscribe to the Atlantic and have done so for about a decade. I subscribe to the print version also which accompanies me on long flights. An Interesting read and I like to turn pages. This morning I ran across an article by John Virtue, “How John F. Kennedy Fell for the Lost Cause. And the grandmother that will (did) not let him get away with it.” The article itself is interesting enough to read. Maybe you have access to the link I...

It is hard to overstate the transformational public health benefits of anti-hypertensives and statins for blood pressure and serum cholesterol control. For a modest cost, these drugs not only mitigate human suffering but save billions, if not trillions, of dollars by avoiding costly surgical interventions.The repurposing of anti-diabetic drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide for weight loss in obese populations promises to be similarly...

Weekly Indicators for November 13 – 17 at Seeking Alpha  – by New Deal democrat My Weekly Indicators post is up at Seeking Alpha. After a brief pause, the coincident indicators have continued to improve. There are now very few that are not positive. The spotlight therefore remains on the short leading indicators, as to which manufacturing has not declined enough to tip the economy into recession, and construction has not declined...

Our opposition seeds stories (CNBC) in the media pretty frequently like this. They try to make it seem like getting a discharge on student loans in bankruptcy is possible for most people. It is not. AB: Alan is voicing his displeasure with media claiming many people are getting student loan relief. They are not. In the end the battle for relief for another 40 million people needs to occur. “More student loan borrowers walk away from their debt in...

We can’t. He is what he is. Biden sounds and acts old. I did not like him as a senator, He opposed any student loan relief. He also made it more difficult to get relief. As a president, he is different. If we are to pick a president who has shown rather weak thinking, I would pick on George Bush Jr. To back this up, I offer you the marriage quotes. I will not offer you any of them, the link is there, and on every quote (83), he claims the man...

Housing construction continues to support subdued expansion  – by New Deal democrat Yesterday I wrote of how manufacturing has faded somewhat as a leading indicator, at least in the sense that it takes a steeper downturn than it used to in order to forecast a wider downturn in the economy. Which makes the other big goods-producing sector, construction, even more important. And residential housing is the single most component of that.  And...

The biggest near-term threat to human civilization from global warming is loss of fresh water and arable land for crops. It turns out that nature has confronted the challenges of increased temperature, increased salinity, disease resistance and violent weather. Recently, as strain of maize called “Jimmy Red corn” has been resurrected from a population bottleneck in which only two ears remained. Why should we care about Jimmy Red?“Jimmy Red dwindled...