Posted By RichC on May 3, 2018
From global trade lifting living standards in impoverished nations to on-target inflation making way for interest rate normalization, these are five lessons from the first quarter that suggest a bright economic outlook.
Posted By RichC on May 3, 2018
A more accurate peanut allergy testing …
Peanuts are the most common cause of fatal food-induced anaphylaxis, or severe allergic reaction, and allergy cases among children have risen sharply in recent years. Britain’s Food Standards Agency estimates up to one in 55 children have a peanut allergy.In contrast to existing skin-prick and other blood tests that produce a large number of false positive results, the new diagnostic has 98 percent specificity, researchers from the Medical Research Council (MARC) reported on Thursday.Current tests, in u
Source: Scientists devise new, more accurate peanut allergy test | Reuters
Posted By RichC on May 1, 2018
New tools are my jewelry when it comes to presents … and Brenda agreed to buy me a new 12" Hitachi sliding compound miter saw so I could more easily work on a couple of projects (after promising to do them this year). Hm, what have I gotten myself into???
The first project is to use it to cut some crown molding (yet to be done) on the Condo kitchen upgrade I’ve been working on the last couple 
of trips to Florida. So far this "mid-priced" Hitachi is impressive. It stood out due to where I eventually plan to use it – the basement woodshop; it has a peculiar sliding arm that extends forward compared to competing models which permits it to sit closer to a wall. It is still pretty bulky, but what other "portable" 12" sliding dual-bevel compound miter saw isn’t (they are all bulky)?
Speaking of the condo kitchen upgrading, here’s a panorama photo (below) at the new ceiling, conduit electrical boxes in the ceiling, new electric for under counter lighting and microwave hood/vent … as well as first strip of Ikea kitchen cabinet hangers. Slow progress, but limited time and all as a one-man-job (the 4 x 8 ceiling drywall wasn’t fun!)
Posted By RichC on April 30, 2018
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Posted By RichC on April 29, 2018
Don’t you just hate making a long drive and getting stuck in a long traffic jam? This past week I ended up sitting and inching forward for over an hour while on I-75. It was frustrating knowing just how many more hours I was planning to spend on the road.
On a much lighter note, I learned a little more about the feral Muscovy duck … they can sit (perch) in trees (photo above) … something I didn’t know they could do. Huh?
Posted By RichC on April 28, 2018
While on the subject of reading and books 
(after posting about Robert Kurson’s Rocket Men a couple days ago), I realized I didn’t really share much a book I read a couple years ago (mentioned briefly in 2016). Star Sand by Roger Pulvers (May 2016) is currently a free Kindle download for Amazon Prime customers and is my favorite book from the last couple of years … followed closely by Dr. Francis Collins book The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. They are totally different types of books … but both excellent. 
Star Sand is based on a fictional diary that was found in a cave on a small Japanese island more than a decade after World War II along with the remains of three people. The story begins with a 16 year old Japanese girl named Hiromi collecting star sand — fossilized star on the shore — when she sees two deserters from the army. They were holed up in a cave and she decides to care for these sick and starving men. The journal ends without resolution … until in 2011 a university student decides to investigate who the bodies found along side the journal in 1958 might be. The search leads her to a survivor and brings closure to the enjoyable story. It was easy to mistakenly read as if the story was true … helped by the fact I do not read much fiction anymore.
Posted By RichC on April 27, 2018
As someone who appreciates a good chart or graphic to illustrate a point, here is a great "Chart of the Week" posted to CNBC’s website this week. The article highlights where the "three comma club" super wealthy keep their money … compared to the rest of us. The graphic looks at the asset distribution for each tier of net worth.
Posted By RichC on April 26, 2018
Routine: Alarm at 5:50AM, brew coffee, fix oatmeal, shower then shave (probably backwards), watch/listen to news and business information by tuning into Morning with Maria on FoxBusiness (Gen Jack Keane‘s reflection on iPhone in photo left earlier this week).
I’m probably not the only one who is more comfortable having a morning routine than winging it … or if stated negatively, being stuck in a rut. On the other hand, that is how I am wired. 
Posted By RichC on April 25, 2018
We live in a highly partisan time, where our differences seem to matter more than our similarities … they shouldn’t. So as can happen after the passing of the highly respected First Lady Barbara Bush, age 92 last week, people and leaders come together to show their respect for her and her family. It is good to know the nation and its politicians can still come together … even if it is for a very short time. The Paul Morse photo below does my patriotic self good.
President George H. W. Bush is in our prayers as he was hospitalized after the funeral for his wife. He is talking but in intensive care according to multiple news reports.
Obituary: Barbara Bush – Jun 8, 1925 – Apr 17, 2018
Barbara Bush, the former first lady of the United States, died April 17, 2018, at the age of 92.
Her death, which came shortly after Bush decided not to undergo further medical treatments for congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, was announced in a statement from the office of her husband, former President George H. W. Bush.
One of the world’s most recognizable women in the 1980s and ’90s, Barbara Bush presented a grandmotherly image that hid an iron will and strong determination to help her family succeed. And succeed they did — all the way to the top, more than once.
