The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of previously owned homes rose 20.7% in June over May. This is the biggest increase on record going back to 1968. The surge in existing-home sales follows [...]
The Time Life Building Only Has 500 workers showing up in comparison to Pre-Pandemic 8,000 The Rockefeller Center Ecosystem of Restaurants and Shops, created to serve Midtown workers and tourists, has gone dark Introduction: [...]
A recent wave of violent crime has roiled the city of Atlanta, amplifying tensions in a community still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic and a debate over policing and race. Atlanta’s problems highlight the [...]
In June, retail sales increased by 7.5%. Retail sales account for about a quarter of all consumer spending. The reopening of malls, restaurants, and other service industry positions allowed millions of people to return to [...]
By Jonathon Kaufman Introduction I have always wanted to know about the people who facilitated the immigration of 18,000 European Jews (many of them penniless) in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s to Shanghai, saving them [...]
Introduction Since the killing of George Floyd, our nation has been focused on race. Television commentators and newspaper editorials have highlighted the issue. In helping me formulate my thoughts, I have been particularly impressed by [...]
On Wednesday, United Airlines said that it is expecting to lay off close to 50% of its U.S. domestic workforce. United is not alone. American Airlines may have to cut 20,000 jobs, and Delta has [...]
On Thursday the Labor Department reported that we added 4.8 million jobs in June, reducing our unemployment rate slightly to 11.1%. This is our second month of job growth after losing 20 million jobs earlier [...]
As we approach the midyear, the future direction of our economy remains mixed. The renewed national upsurge in COVID-19 cases has forced some states and cities that have reopened to reverse course. President Donald Trump [...]
The reclosing of eleven Apple stores in four states on Friday highlighted the growing concerns that the coronavirus is gaining ground. Scientists have expressed anxieties that the U.S. has replaced Italy and China as [...]
The New York Times reported that the American Museum of Natural History will remove a prominent statue of Theodore Roosevelt from its entrance after years of objections that it symbolizes colonial expansion and racial discrimination. [...]
“When they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people” Heinrich Heine, German Jewish Poet Prophetically, Heinrich Heine in 1821 predicted that those people who burn books ultimately burn people. Sadly, he anticipated both the [...]
Introduction H.W. Brands, who spent six years writing a book about Ronald Reagan, provided me wonderful insights. In brief, the public Reagan who appeared so warm and approachable was in fact distant. Brands commented that [...]
Interview between David Rubinstein and Taylor Branch, best known for writing a trilogy of books chronicling the life of Martin Luther King Introduction I have thoroughly enjoyed, The American Story, a compilation of interviews between [...]
Last Wednesday Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said: “This (COVID-19) is the biggest shock in the U.S. and in the world in living memory. We went from the lowest level of unemployment in 50 [...]
Last Wednesday Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said: “This (COVID-19) is the biggest shock in the U.S. and in the world in living memory. We went from the lowest level of unemployment in 50 years [...]
Introduction Since 1986 I have been able to listen to books. For me, this has been immensely satisfying. I initially received books on tape and then returned the books to Books on Tape and [...]
The Eyes of Texas are Upon You All the live long day The Eyes of Texas are upon you You cannot get away Do not think you can escape them At night or early [...]
Introduction Over the past forty years I have read several books about the Dreyfus Affair. Over time, my focus has shifted from the personal tragedy of Alfred Dreyfus, unjustly convicted and brutally treated, to the [...]
China’s legislature has taken preliminary steps to impose greater national security control over Hong Kong. These efforts would override the territory’s partial autonomy in order to crush anti-Beijing protests. For several years, the tensions between [...]
Over the past few days, economic releases have highlighted the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, we learned that consumer spending dropped a record 16.4%. On Thursday, the Labor Department reported that 36.5 [...]
Introduction Today’s New York Times highlighted the canonization of federal deficits. For the first 75 years of my life, I learned repeatedly that government deficits should be a source of fiscal concern. Today there [...]
On Wednesday, the European Commission projected that Europe’s economy will decline by 7.4% this year. Unfortunately, this downturn far exceeds the financial crisis of 2008, when the Eurozone’s economy shrank by 4.5%. Currently, economists expect [...]
“You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you.”--Phil Knight Introduction A normal review book would involve highlighting the important message of the book. In this case, I enjoyed the book so much [...]
Before we address our dire economic status we need to mourn the terrible toll caused by the coronavirus pandemic. More than 1 million Americans have tested positive and 60,000 have died. During the Civil War, [...]
The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecast that the global demand for oil would decline more this year than ever. Faith Birol, head of the Paris-based IEA, said: “We may see it was the worst [...]
Introduction For all of us, these are challenging times. Each one of us spends our times differently as we try to cope with COVID-19, a pandemic that has devastated our globe. (As of this [...]
On Thursday, the Federal Reserve announced a monumental $2.3 trillion program to provide funds for businesses and municipal governments. To underscore its efforts, Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, issued a statement: [...]
Introduction At some level I have been aware of the Protocols of Zion as early as my teenage years. That is, I knew that this fabricated text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for [...]
U.S. policymakers now anticipate that our country will experience the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The U.S. is at the center of the global pandemic. According to data compiled by John Hopkins [...]
How Will We Know When It’s Time to Reopen the Nation By Aaron Carroll, New York Times and professor of Pediatrics at Indiana University. Carroll made the following points: To date we can only [...]
President Trump signed a $2.2 trillion bill — the largest relief package in history — that hopefully will stabilize our coronavirus-battered economy. However, despite the enormous efforts on both the fiscal and monetary side, [...]
Today’s New York Times reported that if the rate of growth in coronavirus cases in the New York metro area continues, it will suffer a more severe outbreak than those experienced in Wuhan, China [...]
Introduction After reading The Washing War: FDR’s Inner Circle by James Lacey I feel there is sufficient explicit and implicit facts to charge key State Department and Army officials that they “acquiesced in the Murder [...]
We now have a consensus that the United States, along with the world economy, will enter into a severe recession, surpassing the 2007-2008 slumps. Forecasting when the recession will begin is notoriously difficult; however, [...]
By James Lacey “World War II challenged Americans to rise to greatness. . . . Roosevelt led the way and stood at the pinnacle of events.” --President Roosevelt before the joint session of Congress on [...]
