In the arena of did you know? The Miami Herald recently had an article which pointed out that thousands of new species are found each year, with the highlights including a tiger-like creature in Bangladesh, a slender forest creature with spurs in India, a large mouthed river creature with giraffe like pattern also recently discovered, and a vivid alien-like sea creature found hiding in the coral off Japan. This is just a sample, but I think fascinating, as is the concept of 5,000 new species being discovered each year.
Scientists have discovered that a protein called Reelin is appearing in the brains of people who have been able to resist aging and Alzheimer’s. The protein helps the brain assemble itself when you are very young and appears to protect the organ from Alzheimer’s and other threats to memory and thinking. The Reelin protein is produced by a neuron and when it is present, even if the brain otherwise is full of amyloid plaques, these individuals are unaffected by Alzheimer’s and dementia. It appears there is some good news here, we just need to figure out how to use it.
The Presidential race is changing more than just the tightening of the polls, as Vice President Harris is showing stronger numbers among black and Latino voters who could impact the pathway to 270. It now appears that there is a sun belt path and also a rust belt path. That is good news on many fronts for the Harris campaign.
Consumer confidence rose in July to 100.3 from 97.8 in June while the Present Situation Index declined from 135 to 133.6 and the Expectations Index improved to 78.2 from 72.8.
The Israeli’s apparently have assassinated a Hamas leader and a Hezbollah leader. The risk increases, I think geometrically, by striking Iran, and it is hard to understand why the Israelis would think that is a good thing to do, again, it must be part of Mr. Netanyahu’s delusion that he will eradicate Hamas in Gaza. There is no indication that that is happening.
Vice President Harris, in the last month has raised $300,000,000 and Mr. Trump, $138,000,000. That is a fairly good size discrepancy, and proves the level of enthusiasm that exists for the Vice President, which Mr. Trump has been unable to duplicate even considering the assassination attempt. Maybe sneaker and bible sales, and potentially ear band aids might increase his take if marketed correctly. The money issue seems to be a larger symbol of the campaign status. If it continues as we roll into October, that is a serious problem for Mr. Trump’s campaign. We also have predictions coming from a famous scientist who accurately placed the outcomes of seven of the last previous presidential campaigns, who predicts Vice President Harris will win.
Unemployment insurance claims have increased in the past month which is a good and bad sign for the economy. It good because that will help the Fed reach a decision to decrease rates, and bad because more people are unemployed, and it appears that the job market is cooling at the same time. Everything is a mixed bag.
It appears we have a new birther story as Mr. Trump posits at a black journalist conference that the Vice President’s claim of blackness is new. Mr. Trump seems to be descending into his 2015-2016 motive operation as he gets personal and nasty, and makes continuous racial and ethic slurs part of his campaign rallies. It is hard to believe he could have any standing at all given these actions on his part.
A local real estate broker in Lake Placid is seeing an uptick in people leaving Florida and returning to the North Country. There had been a trend where people moved back to places like North Carolina and South Carolina, and maybe even southern Virginia from Florida but the move back north, which he attributes primarily to climate change including the severe storms that people have encountered, rising insurance costs (if you can buy insurance at all for your home) apparently all are pushing people to return to places that are less populated and safer from dramatic climate impacts. Let’s hope the trend continues.
Bill Owens is a former member of Congress representing the New York 21st, a partner in Stafford, Owens, Piller, Murnane, Kelleher and Trombley in Plattsburgh, NY and a Strategic Advisor at Dentons to Washington, DC.
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