US Economy Rebounds

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The US economy rebounded in the third quarter after contracting for the first six months of this year, as a narrowing trade deficit concealed weakening consumer demand. 

Gross domestic product increased by 2.6 per cent on an annualised basis between July and September, surpassing economists’ expectations and marking a sharp reversal from the 0.6 per cent drop in the second quarter of 2022 and the 1.6 per cent decline registered in the first three months of the year. 

The expansion in the third quarter was propelled by a narrowing of the trade deficit, as ebbing consumer demand damped imports while exports rose. That comes despite a widening of the deficit for goods in September as the strong US dollar weighed on exports. 

Consumer spending advanced just 1.4 per cent, far slower than the previous period, in a sign that the economy is beginning to slow.  READ MORE...

Through the Woods

 

Dreaming

 

Germany To Legalize Cannabis

BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany on Wednesday set out plans to legalise cannabis, in a move promised by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government that would make it one of the first countries in Europe to make weed legal.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach presented a cornerstone paper on planned legislation to regulate the controlled distribution and consumption of cannabis for recreational purposes among adults.

Acquiring and possessing up to 20 to 30 grams of recreational cannabis for personal consumption would also be made legal.

The coalition government struck an agreement last year to introduce legislation during its four-year term to allow the controlled distribution of cannabis in licensed shops.  READ MORE...

Bird Bath

Mortgage Demand Drops

• Sharply higher mortgage rates caused mortgage demand to drop to the lowest level since 1997.
• Mortgage rates fell slightly to start this week, but are still well over 7% after starting the year at around 3%.
• Home prices are still higher than they were last year, but the increases are slowing down

A house’s real estate for sale sign is seen in front of a home in Arlington, Virginia, November 19, 2020.  Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

Mortgage demand fell last week to nearly half what it was a year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, as rates hit their highest level in 21 years.

Overall, demand for mortgages is at the lowest level since 1997.

Mortgage applications to purchase a home dropped 2% from the prior week and were 42% lower than the same week in 2021. The annual comparison continues to jump each week, as fewer buyers either want or can afford to get into this very pricey housing market.

Applications to refinance a home loan fell just 0.1% for the week, but only because they were so low to begin with – down 86% from a year ago. There are currently fewer than 150,000 qualified borrowers who could benefit from a refinance at today’s rates, according to Black Knight.  READ MORE...

Quicksand

Fetterman Raises Money After Debate

Democratic Pennsylvania Senate nominee John Fetterman raised more than $1 million following Tuesday night’s debate with Republican Mehmet Oz, according to Fetterman’s campaign.

The campaign said it raised the amount during the three hours between the debate’s conclusion at 9 p.m. and midnight.

The two candidates sparred over a number of top issues, like the economy and abortion, in the state’s first and only Senate debate.

The closely watched event, which was held two weeks before the election, also drew attention to Fetterman’s ongoing recovery from a stroke earlier this year, a matter that the Oz campaign has mocked at times. Fetterman’s challenges communicating were on full display during the debate, with the Democrat calling it the “elephant in the room.”  READ MORE...

Dogs in the Window

 

Climbing Kitten

 

Changing Brain Structure to Fight Depression

Decades of reinforcing neural connections can make the adult brain stubbornly resistant to rapid changes. Should our brain's structure trap us in cycles of dark moods and thoughts, disorders like chronic depression can be extremely hard to shake.

According to new research, some patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) can have their brains 'rewired' within weeks, given the right treatment.

Anti-depressants, behavioral therapy, and electroconvulsive therapy don't work for everybody with MDD, but scientists in Germany claim these treatments have the power to change brain structures. How long those changes last remains to be determined.

People who experience MDD often have trouble regulating negative emotions and their physiological responses to stress. Under such heavy conditions, enjoying even the most pleasant activities in life can feel burdensome.

In the past, brain imaging studies have found serious depression is associated with changes in the volume of gray matter (made up of neuron bodies) and white matter (made up of nerve fibers). It's also associated with increases in amygdala activity, which influences emotional experiences; shrinkage in the hippocampus, which plays a major role in long-term learning and memory; and shrinkage in the basal ganglia, which helps process emotions.  READ MORE...

Waterslide

Young Professionals Leaving California and New York

Young professionals who make more than $100,000 have started to flee California and New York, and the prices that go with them.

Instead, they’re going home, according to a study done by SmartAsset. In fact, analysis by the Census Bureau and Harvard University earlier this year found that 80% of young adults now live less than 100 miles from where they grew up.

Looking at adults under 35 who earn $100,000-plus per year, SmartAsset examined the inflow and outflow of wealthy young professionals from state to state between 2019 and 2020: 

Where did they leave? 

And where did they go?

It’s time to cue up the map app and take a closer look.

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Texas
In 2019-2020, Texas ranked the most popular destination. Roughly 15,000 came into the state and only about 11,200 left for a net inflow of about 3,800, according to SmartAsset.  READ MORE...

Dog and Cows

Environmental Toxins - Protecting Your Family

Environmental toxins are cancer-causing chemicals and endocrine disruptors, both human-made and naturally occurring, that can harm our health by disrupting sensitive biological systems.

Here, we review what endocrine disruptors are, where they come from, and how to minimize exposure to help protect you and your family from their potentially dangerous effects.

What are environmental toxins?
Environmental toxins include naturally occurring compounds such as:

lead;
mercury;
radon;
formaldehyde;
benzene; and
cadmium.

They also include human-made chemicals like:

BPA;
phthalates; and
pesticides.

In toxic doses, all of these compounds can negatively affect human health. Many of them are known to:cause cancer (radon, formaldehyde, benzene); act as endocrine disruptors (BPA, pesticides, phthalates); and cause organ failure or developmental problems (lead, mercury, cadmium)

Lead toxicity is a well-known example. People are generally aware of potential sources of lead, such as old paint and old pipes.

Cadmium toxicity was first realized in the 50s and 60s, and policies now limit industrial exposure.  READ MORE...

Leaves a Falling

 

A History Lesson

 

Owl Friendly

 

Brittney Griner Declines Basketball

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 10: Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury prepares for game 1 of the WNBA Finals at Footprint Center on October 10, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Mattina/Getty Images)

Brittney Griner reportedly made a tough decision in prison.

The WNBA star has been sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison on drug charges. Griner, who was playing overseas in Russia, was arrested at the airport when drugs were allegedly found in her backpack.

While the United States government is attempting to bring her home via a prisoner trade, Russia does not appear to be anxious to get something done.

According to ESPN's T.J. Quinn, Griner's lawyers offered to bring her a basketball in prison, though she reportedly declined the offer.

"I asked Griner's lawyer if she's had an opportunity to play basketball since she was detained. She said the jail has a hoop, but no ball. When Griner's lawyers offered to bring one, BG declined, saying it was too painful to think about," he reported.  READ MORE...

Who Was That?