It figures. Just about the time they accept me in for full benefits due to my being at Camp Lejeune, the VA is starting to rund short on cash to pay for the Pact Act. What is said further down in this report, medical care is running short on funds too. That shortage is ~$9 billion. I know the one facility where I might go is short of doctors to handle spinal damage. Still waiting for the commercial healthcare to get back to me. They know I am out...

I don’t get this. If a family plans early enough, why can’t they get three in a row? If the seat is available, book the child. Seats do not differentiate between small bottoms and large bottoms. The seat is occupied and paid for at a normal fare. Perhaps, I am missing something here, so fill me in on the issue. This is not a have to, it is a common sense solution. Tempest in a teapot. Proposal on family seating comes as officials have raised...

An edited version of this ran in The Guardian under the headline “Why aren’t the likes of Rex and Bonza flying high in Australian skies? Ask the politicians”. Here’s my original, a bit more sharply worded. Politicians fly a lot, and mostly enjoy it. So do many of the people they interact with on a daily basis: senior public servants, business leaders, lobbyists and so on. That’s a crucial fact in understanding the mess that is the Australian airline industry.  Politicians in...

This was not just a correction. The economy is about to stall and stocks will continue to fall. 

July jobs report: Establishment survey weak (but still positive), Household survey (even more) recessionary  – by New Deal democrat In the past few months, my focus has been on whether jobs gains are most consistent with a “soft landing,” i.e., no further deterioration, or whether deceleration is ongoing. In the last several months I have also pointed out that the Household Survey is probably understating growth because of its large undercount...

While I do check in from time to time at 538, it turns out that Truth Social share prices are a useful metric for Trump’s popularity, at least where it matters:“The value of Trump’s stake in the corporate owner of Truth Social has dropped by $900 million since Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race for the White House on July 21. Trump Media & Technology Group’s share price has tumbled by about 23% since then, including another sharp drop...

I am a veteran and like other veterans we try to use the VA. Recently I have been conversing (emails) with Steve Early and explaining to him I was finally taken in by the VA. And why? I spent over 2+ years of time at Camp Lejeune while going back and forth to Cuba for 4.5 months each time. So, I qualify under the recent Pact Act. I and others were showering in tainted water and drinking it. I have a blood disorder in which my platelets disappear and...

I believe most people will ignore this headline. They will do so because it is not as obvious to them as smoke from a fire or smog in the cities. They begin to notice (still not see) the impact of it when they are coughing, sneezing, breathing is labored, etc. At that point, it is a matter of time with your health. Particulate pollution Is Worse Then We Knew and Is Damaging ‘Every Organ in the Body’ by Lloyd Alter Carbon Upfront! Recent...

Not just a correction, but I major change. 

Jobless claims increase; no longer positive but neutral (and likely still affected by unresolved seasonality)  – by New Deal democrat I’m still on the road, so this will be an abbreviated report. Initial claims rose 14,000 to 249,000, the highest since last August. The four week moving average rose 2,500 to 238,000, the highest since last September. Continuing claims, with the usual one week lag, rose 33,000 to 1.877 million, the highest...