In the Survey of Professional Forecasters median, but some still see it as likely). Here’s an interesting picture from the latest Survey of Professional Forecasters and GDPNow.
Figure 1: GDP (bold black), May Survey of Professional Forecasters median (blue), February SPF median (tan), May 17 GDPNow (sky blue), and potential GDP (gray). Source: BEA 2023Q1 advance, CBO (February 2023), Philadelphia Fed, Atlanta Fed, and author’s calculations.
The median response indicates no decline in growth until 2023Q4. On the other hand, growth is meager — less than 1% in Q2 (q/q SAAR), about half a ppt in Q3, and essentially no growth in Q4. The decline is thus moved from Q3 to Q4. (If you look at the November survey, median growth was essentially zero in Q1.)
This latest outlook contrasts with Torsten Slok’s recounting of consensus, which he describes as a “hard landing”.
Source: T. Slok, May 16, 2023. (not online).
This suggests to me that different groups of economists are conveying different views of the outlook (the timing might matter too — probably a couple of weeks difference here).
By the way, I’ve stayed away from the term “recession” because negative GDP growth is not necessarily equivalent to a recession.
Wrestling coach Jim Jordan is having a bad day and it has nothing to do with his abuse of college athletes (this time):
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/you-are-not-entitled-to-it-jordan-hearing-blows-up-after-he-withholds-whistleblower-testimony/ar-AA1bmLSm?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=fd7b41cbee5e4ac49853d58468a6736b&ei=11
“You are not entitled to it”: Jordan hearing blows up after he withholds “whistleblower” testimony
Check out what led up to this as it is classic!
Inventories were a big part of the story last year when the troll choir insisted the U.S. was in recession, based on declining real GDP. >nventories have been a drag on real GDP in 3 of the past 4 quarters, with the drag in Q1 quite large:
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=14Ki7
Even so, the ratio of private inventories to final sales remained elevated in Q1:
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=14Kj9
With carrying costs high, there is a risk that inventories will remain a drag in Q2 data.
GDPNow anticipates an add from inventories and trade and, as of today, from residential investment. Plenty of room for error in those components, but the current 2.9% growth estimate has plenty of room in it.
‘Ratios of nonfarm inventories to final sales of domestic business’
Huh even the aggregate ratio displays variability. For anyone firm the inventory to sales ratio bounces around a lot!
How China Lends: A Rare Look into 100 Debt Contracts with Foreign Governments
https://docs.aiddata.org/reports/how-china-lends.html#section2-2
This is a detailed review of the contractual terms that China imposes on governments they lend to. I had been reading Brad Setser’s excellent blog which spends a bit of time on these issues but I thought I would share this document as well.
“Negative GDP Growth Is Delayed Again”
Is this what Johnny means when he complains about delays in data publication?
Well – it is Princeton Steve that bangs the drum over RECESSION but I get the sense that he and JohnH are BFFs.
Good one! GDP is reported in a timely and accessible manner. Real wage data for the total workforce? Not so much. We’re still waiting for the 2022 reports from Social Security and the Census Bureau.
BTW I was thinking about economics being about scarcity. And if you look at inflation in the context the formula Revenue=Cost+Profit, rising supply and wage costs got a lot of attention, but rising profit margins got scant attention. I guess that’s what they’re referring to when they say that economics is about scarcity!
“the formula Revenue=Cost+Profit”
Gee Jonny boy got a B- on his accounting 101 test. Too bad he flunked Econ 101.
pgl still can’t tell us why so many mainstream economists provided cover for Corporate America’s greed instead of actually considering the possibility that inflation might have been driven by corporate pricing decisions!
Of course, they tried to downplay any problem with price increases in excess of inflation by saying that it couldn’t last. New entrants would come into the market, driving established suppliers’ volumes and prices back down. Blah, blah, blah
Companies just keep on boosting prices with little impact on volumes.
https://twitter.com/IsabellaMWeber/status/1657319128271818753
Samuel Rines, managing director at Corbu, …”has gone through numerous transcripts and come to the conclusion that management teams are still being rewarded for “price over volume” strategies.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-09/transcript-companies-are-telling-us-the-real-reason-they-re-still-raising-prices (This is the “quite a discussion on Bloomberg” that Krugman referred to.)
IMO it’s time for mainstream economists to get out of their ivory towers and start looking at the real world of how Corporate America is exploiting consumers. And discomfiting the comfortable can be risky…
Another dishonest tirade against “mainstream” economists (Jonny boy cannot name a single person here) because Jonny boy flunked accounting 101!
Funny! I can name the handful of economists that can be identified in web searches and talk publicly about a price-price spiral, seller’s inflation, etc: Isabella Weber, Josh Bivens, Lael Brainard, Claudia Sahm, and Paul Krugman as the Johnny-come-lately.
In her podcast with Planet Money, Weber specifically talks about how difficult it was to have her views heard, the brutality of her treatment by other economists, and how limited the acceptance of her findings by fellow economists is even now.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5BywdPMLJjL59IDK3YxEzX?go=1&sp_cid=25235aa011996efcf1c0b60e15febab2&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop&nd=1
With Krugman’s acknowledgement of price-price inflation, I thought it would have been more widely accepted by mainstream economists by now, but I guess not. On the issue of a price-price spiral, most mainstream economists seem either in denial, or just keeping quiet, afraid of offending Corporate America.
I am encouraged by the fact that three of the five economists I named are women. They seem more willing than the hoard of men to approach problems with an open mind and research the drivers of current problems such as inflation instead of simply repeating established, inapplicable dogma.
“With Krugman’s acknowledgement of price-price inflation, I thought it would have been more widely accepted by mainstream economists by now, but I guess not.”
And we thought Krugman was Jonny boy’s version of a mainstream economist. Hey – Jonny boy, was to contradict your own BS!
“ And we thought Krugman was Jonny boy’s version of a mainstream economist. ” Exactly! That’s why it’s so significant that Krugmanacknowledged the price-price spiral…and makes it even more mystifying why others are still so silent about Corporate America’s driving inflation.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2804822
May 16, 2023
Excess Mortality and Years of Potential Life Lost Among the Black Population in the US, 1999-2020
By César Caraballo, Daisy S. Massey, Chima D. Ndumele, et al.
Abstract
Importance Amid efforts in the US to promote health equity, there is a need to assess recent progress in reducing excess deaths and years of potential life lost among the Black population compared with the White population.
Objective To evaluate trends in excess mortality and years of potential life lost among the Black population compared with the White population.
Design, setting, and participants Serial cross-sectional study using US national data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1999 through 2020. We included data from non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black populations across all age groups.
Exposures Race as documented in the death certificates.
Main outcomes and measures Excess age-adjusted all-cause mortality, cause-specific mortality, age-specific mortality, and years of potential life lost rates (per 100 000 individuals) among the Black population compared with the White population.
Results From 1999 to 2011, the age-adjusted excess mortality rate declined from 404 to 211 excess deaths per 100 000 individuals among Black males (P for trend <.001). However, the rate plateaued from 2011 through 2019 (P for trend = .98) and increased in 2020 to 395—rates not seen since 2000. Among Black females, the rate declined from 224 excess deaths per 100 000 individuals in 1999 to 87 in 2015 (P for trend <.001). There was no significant change between 2016 and 2019 (P for trend = .71) and in 2020 rates increased to 192—levels not seen since 2005. The trends in rates of excess years of potential life lost followed a similar pattern. From 1999 to 2020, the disproportionately higher mortality rates in Black males and females resulted in 997 623 and 628 464 excess deaths, respectively, representing a loss of more than 80 million years of life. Heart disease had the highest excess mortality rates, and the excess years of potential life lost rates were largest among infants and middle-aged adults.
Conclusions and relevance Over a recent 22-year period, the Black population in the US experienced more than 1.63 million excess deaths and more than 80 million excess years of life lost when compared with the White population. After a period of progress in reducing disparities, improvements stalled, and differences between the Black population and the White population worsened in 2020.
Interesting that those incensed by the treatment of Uighur manage to forget all about the US’ treatment of some of its own minorities. Echoing propaganda is apparently more satisfying than addressing problems in your own glass house…
Interesting how Johnny has to manufacture a fake personality for the people he attacks. He pretends to know what others think, what they know, what they forget. He can’t afford to engage on an honest basis, because Johnny doesn’t have much honest to say.
Take just the instance here. ltr, as a Chinese propagandist, is not “addressing problems in (her) own glass house”, but is rather pointing out problems outside of China. Johnny “forgets” that, apparently. Johnny doesn’t has a consistent standard. He has cheap tricks.
Hilarious! Ducky accuses me of fabricating his personality, then labels ltr as a Chinese propagandist!!! As if he knows…but he’s happy to label others! (people who live in glass houses…)
If the US took care of its own, then it would be in a position to judge others…and could serve as a model to others instead of coming off as a self-righteous hypocrite in matters of freedom, democracy, human rights, and rules based orders.
ltr regularly copy/pastes from Chinese government press organs. ltr regularly posts articles extolling the wonders of China’s economy, foreign policy and research. She does this for no other country. She is a propagandist for China, by definition.
You regularly pretend to know what people think anr who they work for – Johnny, what is the connection to the financial industry you claimed to know I have?
You have given ltr a pass for criticizing countries not her own while wccusing others of doing the same thing she does. Ane jow you try to weasel out of it. You have criticized Ukraine and Ukraines allies, but now you want others to refrain from criticizing countries not their own. You’ve got this double standard thig down to an art.
If you put half the effort into understanding economics (politics, foreign relations, accounting…) as you do into bad-faith arguments, you wouldn’t sound half so stupid.
“Ducky accuses me of fabricating his personality, then labels ltr as a Chinese propagandist”
We know little Jonny boy never learned to read but damn. ltr spreads Chinese propaganda on an hourly basis. Come on Jonny boy – please pay attention to your preK teacher and finally learn to READ.
If it weren’t for you, no one on this site would have the vaguest idea of “US’ treatment of some of its own minorities”?
How does your head actually fit through a door?
Guessing you wrote that before doing your Mussolini pose in front of a full length mirror.
—, as a Chinese propagandist…
—, as a Chinese propagandist…
—, as a Chinese propagandist…
[ Notice the way in which a severely menacing bully makes it impossible to mention a severe American health problem, and, in particular, makes it impossible to mention a health problem for the Black community. Imagine such disdain for the experience and well-being of so many who struggle in one’s country. ]
Impossible? No, you’ve mentioned it, so mentioning it is possible. Menacing? How have I threatened you. Severely menacing? Turning a lie into a hyperbolic lie just compounds the lie. Disdain? No. I haven’t ever expressed disdain for the less well off, either by economic class, race or education. You’ve simply hidden behind an accusation of racism, as you routinely do.
ltr, you are simply a liar, a serial liar. Nothing you’ve written is true, and that’s often the case with you. I have no intention of allowing you to bully me into silence with your lies and accusations. You want me to stop pointing out our lies, your bigotry, your inhumanity toward minorities in China? Stop lying, stop being a bigot, cease your inhumanity toward minorities under Chinese rule.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=15a9v
January 15, 2018
Life Expectancy at Birth for United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, 2017-2021
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=15a9P
January 30, 2018
Infant Mortality Rate for United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, 2017-2021
—, as a Chinese propagandist…
—, as a Chinese propagandist…
—, as a Chinese propagandist…
[ Simply notice the language, and understand what it is to turn away from the need of others. ]
Don’t worry. I’ll never turn away from your need to spout lies and propaganda. I’ll never turn away from your need to insult others while whining about being insulted.
I have said this before and I will repeat it here: my disdain is for you and others like you. Not racial minorities, not other nationalities. You. Your refusal to face China’s racism while using accusations of racism as a club, your constant moronic posting of Chinese propaganda, your refusal to abide by our hosts’ guidelines in posting comments – you are the object of my disdain because of your vile behavior.
Do we understand each other, chùsheng?
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=14KBC
January 15, 2018
Life Expectancy at Birth for United States, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, 2017-2021
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=14KCN
January 15, 2018
Infant Mortality for United States, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, 2017-2021
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/05/opinion/death-among-middle-aged-whites.html
November 5, 2015
Death Among Middle-Aged Whites
The health and financial implications are disturbing for America’s “lost generation.”
Two Princeton economists startled other Americans — and themselves — when they uncovered a trend that had escaped the medical and scientific world: Between 1999 and 2013, white middle-aged men and women in the United States, especially those with only a high school education, began dying at a sharply increased rate, largely a result of problems with legal and illegal drugs, alcohol-related liver disease and suicide. The health and financial implications are disturbing for the country, and for what the two economists called a “lost generation.”
The discovery was made by Angus Deaton, who won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science this year, and his wife, Anne Case. In a paper * published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they said the finding nearly blew them off their chairs….
* https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1518393112
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=14JS5
January 15, 2018
Life Expectancy at Birth for United States and European Union, 2000-2021
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=14JSe
January 30, 2018
Infant Mortality Rate for United States and European Union, 2000-2021
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=14GnA
January 15, 2018
Life Expectancy at Birth for United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and United Kingdom, 2017-2021
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=11RG7
January 30, 2018
Infant Mortality Rate for United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and United Kingdom, 2017-2021
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=14Nlf
January 15, 2018
Life Expectancy at Birth for Euro Area and United States, 2000-2021
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=14Nwf
January 30, 2018
Infant Mortality Rate for Euro Area and United States, 2000-2021
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-05-18/Over-1-6-mil-excess-deaths-among-Black-Americans-over-20-years-study-1jTXOO7lCEM/index.html
May 18, 2023
New study finds over 1.6 million excess deaths among Black Americans over 2 decades
Black population in the U.S. experienced more than 1.63 million excess deaths and more than 80 million excess years of life lost, when compared with the White population over the last two decades, according to a new study published on Tuesday.
After a period of progress in reducing disparities, improvements stalled, and differences between the Black population and the White population worsened in 2020, according to the study * published in the medical journal JAMA.
From 1999 to 2020, the disproportionately higher mortality rates in Black males and females resulted in 997,623 and 628,464 excess deaths, respectively, representing a loss of more than 80 million years of life, according to the study.
Heart disease had the highest excess mortality rates, and the excess years of potential life lost rates were largest among infants and middle-aged adults, according to the study.
Amid efforts in the U.S. to promote health equity, there is a need to assess recent progress in reducing excess deaths and years of potential life lost among the Black population compared with the White population, the study said.
* https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2804822
Looks like progress toward raising the debt cei g is causing a backlash on the right. The Freedom (sic) Caucus is hinting that it won’t back whatever McCarthy negotiates. That ego-drenched monstrosity passed by House Republicans remains the FC’sprice for allowing the federal governmt to meet its obligations:
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4011101-freedom-caucus-says-no-further-discussion-on-debt-ceiling-until-senate-passes-house-gop-bill/
By the way, Marge Green has said she’s going to submit articles of impeachment against Biden for not doing his job. Sure, sure, lady.
My guess is that this is another sign a debt ceiling deal between McCarthy and Biden is near at hand. Green and others like her were pretty obviously going to attempt to impeach Biden for a default, if one were to occur. Announcing another silly excuse for impeachment him suggest the debt ceiling excuse is slipping away.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/05/18/opinion/jobs-inflation-economy.html
May 18, 2023
Will The U.S. Economy Pull Off a ‘Soft Landing’?
By Paul Krugman
Graphics by Quoctrung Bui and Sara Chodosh
At first, Covid-19 dealt a hammer blow to the U.S. economy. America lost 22 million jobs between February and April of 2020. And many analysts worried that the pandemic might leave “lasting scars” in the form of reduced employment, lower output and more.
At this point, however, both total employment and the share of adults in the labor force are right in line with projections made before the pandemic struck.
In other words, most economic indicators show no scarring at all.
But inflation, which had been quiescent for decades, surged in 2021-22 to levels not seen since the 1980s. It has come down from its peak, but it’s still higher than we’ve come to expect. And trying to get inflation back down has become a priority for policymakers.
The question is, how hard will disinflation be? Will it create anything like the pain many Americans endured in the early 1980s because of the Fed’s brutal decisions on interest rates? Or as people often put it, can we achieve a “soft landing”?
In this article I’ll explain why some economists believe, based on historical experience, that we won’t be able to get inflation down without throwing millions out of work and why others don’t believe that this history is a good guide, arguing that relatively painless disinflation is possible. I’ll also explain why even if smooth disinflation without a major recession is possible, there are major risks that policy will either overshoot or undershoot, so we either get an unnecessary recession or fail to get inflation under control any time soon….
To translate LTR’s/Kuigman’s comments: “At this point, however, both total employment and the share of adults in the labor force are right in line with projections made before the pandemic struck.” Another Biden policy success??? Oh, wait those pre-pandemic “employment and the share of adults in the labor force” were under the precious President’s administration. Not Biden’s.
And we also have: “But inflation, which had been quiescent for decades, surged in 2021-22 to levels not seen since the 1980s. It has come down from its peak, but it’s still higher than we’ve come to expect. And trying to get inflation back down has become a priority for policymakers.” and
… there are major risks that policy will either overshoot or undershoot, so we either get an unnecessary recession or fail to get inflation under control any time soon….”
Inflation did occur under Biden’s administration policies, and a Biden recession may be the end result. So sayeth a prime progressive economic truth sayer.
Any rational analysis of these evens would conclude Biden’s successes were actually carrying-on of Trump’s policies and Biden’s own policies resulted in INFLATION.
Perhaps that’s the problem with you folks providing a list of successful Progressives’ (your)/Biden’s policies.
The liberal mind is an amazement.
CoVid, how would you know what a rational mind would conclude? You’re a raving partisan.
You’ve ignored the impact of your namesake pandemic in your assignment of credit and blame. You’ve ignored Russia’s attack on Ukraine. You’ve ignored inflation outside the U.S. You’ve ignored the role of monetary policy. These are all factors that have been widely discussed and ointed out on this blog. You’ve got to be pretty dishonest to ignore all of those factors.
political response to an outbreak of a virus, and politically motivated sanctions responding to the russian ‘special military operation’ in ukraine have effected the usa and eu economies, in the case of the virus response caused a radical decline in economic activity in china as well.
zero covid and retribution against the russian economy, energy sector in particular, have not been positive for the eu and usa economies.
that epop and ue are at trump levels suggests considering how inflation, expanded fed balance sheet, stimulus induced record deficits and exploded m2 should be n the “picture”.
Wow! You have pulled off the most fact free twisting of reality of all time. CoRev should get a job for the National Review!
“Any rational analysis of these evens would conclude Biden’s successes were actually carrying-on of Trump’s policies”
Let’s see. Racism promotes economic growth. Undermining NATO and supporting Putin promotes economic growth. Denying climate change lowers inflation. Massive tax cuts for the rich makes soybean famers better off. Oh wait – it was a stupid trade war with China that did that.
Telling us that Trump’s policies did anything good is like Chris Christie telling us eating a lot of doughnuts slims the waistline!
Ole Bark, bark, why is it so difficult to refute what conservatives say? Weak ad hominems is a sign of a weak, irrational, illogical mind.
Living in these weak, irrational, illogical minds is an amazement, and a lot of work trying to keep the ignorance from attaching. 😉
“why is it so difficult to refute what conservatives say?”
You are not a conservative and what you say is the dumbest most dishonest vile ever. Come CoRev – you have embarrassed your mom too much already.
pgl could not sell ice in hades….
undermining nato is not a bad thing, especially in consideration of nato expansion is root cause for about 300k russian and ukraine soldiers dying in the past 14 months.
why should i care about nato being undermined?
it was birthed to counter stalin who has been dead 70 years and the soviet union which is gone 32 years now.
i won’t take ‘putin is hitler’ as an answer!
aside from nato profiting lockheed, sell it to me.
Anonymous: NATO expansion was not occurring… until Russia expanded (remember, expanded) its invasion of Ukraine. Now it’s got those warmongering Finns. Maybe someday those warmongering Swedes.
Do you really believe any of the stuff you are typing?
Based on your recent babbling, anonymous, pretty sure you’re having no problem getting ice.
Menzie do YOU actually believe what you write? “Anonymous: NATO expansion was not occurring… until Russia expanded (remember, expanded) its invasion of Ukraine. ” Time frames are really, really important. Since Russia’s fall/collapse NATO has expanded significantly, especially adding those Russian es-satellite countries. https://www.npr.org/2022/01/29/1076193616/ukraine-russia-nato-explainer
Moreover, there had been ongoing discussions between the EU/NATO leaders and and those in the Ukraine. While Putin/Russia claimed:
“Moscow views NATO’s eastern expansion as a direct threat to its own security and has cited the prospect of Ukraine building closer ties with the alliance as a major reason for its invasion on Feb. 24.” https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-welcomes-report-international-security-guarantees-rejected-by-moscow-2022-09-14/
So I ask again, do you actually believe what you write?
How shallow is the liberal mind is an amazement.
I’m curious if this blog’s version of the village idiot~~CoRev~~knows the difference between militaristic invasion of a nation and mass murder of women and children versus expansion by voluntary decision made by the choice of each individual European country to have membership??
We already know CoRev loves amoral white authoritarian leaders, so……. he probably prefers the mass murdering version of expansion of power.
Meanwhile the fiscally irresponsible GOP tries to crash the economy by defaulting on our debt or cut discretionary spending by 50%. Interesting news I read the other day – turn over a GOP cow pattie and what do we find – another GOP scam – ” DeSantis, oversaw the transfer of more than $1 billion of Florida public employees’ retirement dollars into these donors’ high-fee, high-risk “alternative investments.” https://www.levernews.com/desantis-allows-anti-woke-giveaway-to-big-wall-street-donors/
This, by the way, is the goal of “privatizing” Social Security. Private financial firms would collect fees for managing SS funds, and would be beholden to politicians for the resulting profit. Legal kickbacks are at the heart of many privatization schemes.
China has turned in some pretty shakey economic data lately, raising expectations of a rate cut:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-15/pboc-vows-appropriate-monetary-policy-sees-inflation-rising?in_source=embedded-checkout-banner
Josh Hawley’s MANHOOD receives some brutal reviews!
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/leading-national-pipsqueak-josh-hawley-s-manhood-book-gets-vicious-reviews/ar-AA1boFtN?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=e9fd9555893d412b9a24e4d6feec38b1&ei=4
I’ll tag along with whatever Torsten says vs. “the consensus” or “the professional economists’ median”. And I’ll take that bet 10 times out of 10 and go singing and whistling happily to the bank.
BTW, I don’t know if that is “proprietary” info or not, but it would be fun to see Slok’s past forecast charts overlaid both against his professional competition and the “actual” most recent (revised) GDP numbers. If we consider “revised” a more accurate forecast barometer than the first GDP number published for “quarter X”.
Looks Fulton Count FA Willis will file charges against Trump for election tampering in early August:
“Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) asked judges in the Georgia county not to schedule trials and in-person hearings in roughly the first half of August, a signal she may bring charges against former President Trump during that time.”
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4012121-georgia-prosecutor-clears-decks-for-possible-trump-charges/
I grew up in Atlanta. We did the Centennial Olympics and we will take down Trump the traitor. And Ronald Acuna is on fire!!
I could never get over how “forest-ie” it was just around the outskirts of Atlanta when I drove semi. It was like one second you were in the metro and you blinked and you were in the middle of a forest. Dekalb or something?? Some suburb starting with a D. I know I was in Conyers at least once but I don’t know if that’s the area I’m thinking of.
Lots of truckers b*tched about Atlanta’s interstate system, but I actually found it relatively easy so long as you avoided rush hour. Obviously that’s not always doable.
Rush hour on I-75 is crazy. One would think the city would put more money into MARTA.
Sam Zell passed away. Had a lot of mixed feelings about the guy. Admired him in some facets., thought he was, what do the kiddies say now??~~”toxic” in other facets. Like most human beings not all bad and not all good. But certainly a man of accomplishment. I tend to like people who speak out their true thoughts from their head (even the semi-ugly thoughts) in the name of honesty. Politics-wise I would say he was one of those guys.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/18/business/sam-zell-dead.html
Fixture of the 80’s and 90’s when CNBC was still a bigger fixture on TV than Bloomberg (that was my perception at the time anyway). Jim Brown also died. Making me feel old, damn it all anyway.
OPEN question:
Would you say that if a man’s wife changed the way he pronounces how he pronounces his own family name, that he’s been severely p*ssy-whipped?? Just asking:
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/05/19/casey-ron-desantis-wife-profile-00097456
Fascinating how these “macho conservatives” behave when we get the FULL story. Oh well, Dee-Santis [I’m with you Ron, bros before….. ] sure did show those Disney execs didn’t he??? Just lost a $1,000,000,000 project for the state of Florida. Apparently…… bullying huge conglomerates who can land their next investment project in any of roughly 50 states of their choosing doesn’t really work out well. Who knew??
Did anyone see the Jen Sorensen cartoon where Biden is talking about budget negotiations?? It’s a classic.
This Jen Sorensen?
https://www.gocomics.com/jen-sorensen
Yup, that is the one. She has another site, but in the link you gave it looks like the Biden/budget themed cartoon is there. I thought it was pretty accurate, which most good comedy is.
Hey, what do you guys think??~~I was watching this Jennifer Sey lady, formerly of Levi’s. Should I boycott Miller Lite until they go back to their 1970s ad style?? I tell you this young generation cracks me up, honest to God, most of it doesn’t make me angry, it just makes me laugh. Girls half dressed on Instagram, “monetizing” WHAT?? Many of them, what are they monetizing exactly?? They are monetizing that they have the ability to locate a skirt/blouse in Target better than the average girl?? The average girl is looking for skirts in the motor oil aisle of Target while the girl on Instagram knows it’s in the women’s section of Target?? And the girls on Instagram giving advice to other girls are predominantly overweight~~yes or no?? But they are “offended” because beer corps use superficially attractive women to sell beer to men??
I got news for people. Certain things are “hardwired” into the human body. A bunch of nutsos in a moment of time stuck on denying biology etc. aren’t going to change the facts of DNA proclivities etc. You can scream it from a skyscraper, or whisper it to yourself crying in your university’s “safe space”. it won’t change reality, a truth, that has held over THOUSANDS of years. But hey, have fun. I used to play with action figures when I was little. Didn’t help my school grades, but I did it. So if you wanna play Barbie as a young adult, by all means. Make certain you act out as the “non-sexualized” Barbie, I don’t want you to be torn asunder with guilt later…… after you got some teenage girls to purchase a blouse at ten times its value for “Amazon referral payments”.
Well, aside from changing the pronunciation of his family name so his wife doesn’t make him sleep on the back porch, this Dee-Santis guy is one classy guy:
“Mr. DeSantis has aggressively navigated his state’s ethics and campaign finance laws to avoid flying commercial. And he has gone to new lengths to prevent transparency: Last week, he signed a bill making travel records held by law enforcement, dating back to the beginning of his term, exempt from public records requests.
Nothing like changing your own state’s ethics laws so you can take money from whoever/whenever. And none of that money could be dirty I’m sure.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/20/us/politics/desantis-private-jets-donors.html