Odds and Ends — 12 August 2024

Our tomatoes are coming in gangbusters. This variety is called Pineapple.

Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, and Debt:

Venezuela blocks Binance, X amid presidential election dispute

Americans’ refusal to keep paying higher prices may be dealing a final blow to US inflation spike

The great inflation spike of the past three years is nearly spent — and economists credit American consumers for helping slay it.
Some of America’s largest companies, from Amazon to Disney to Yum Brands, say their customers are increasingly seeking cheaper alternative products and services, searching for bargains or just avoiding items they deem too expensive. Consumers aren’t cutting back enough to cause an economic downturn. Rather, economists say, they appear to be returning to pre-pandemic norms, when most companies felt they couldn’t raise prices very much without losing business.

Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:

As students head back to class, are schools ready to handle COVID-19?

Politics:

https://twitter.com/theliamnissan/status/1822672149183635533

162 lies and distortions in a news conference. NPR fact-checks former President Trump

https://twitter.com/JReinerMD/status/1822699053097848933

Trump Ridicule Is the New Favorite Tactic

Mr. Biden for years cast Mr. Trump as something of a cancer on the country who had worked to undermine elections, roll back fundamental rights and pit Americans against one another.
Ms. Harris and especially Mr. Walz have a new approach: mocking him.

It’s a very effective attack vector. Authoritarians love being feared but hate being laughed at.

https://twitter.com/gtconway3d/status/1822716723826434539

It’s Getting Worse for J.D. Vance

Two weeks ago, I noted that the early signs for JD Vance as Donald Trump’s vice-presidential nominee were not encouraging. He was a historically unpopular running mate. The polls seemed to confirm what was already evident: He wasn’t a particularly voter-friendly pick, dating back to an underperforming 2022 Ohio Senate campaign in which every other Republican running for statewide office did better in their races.
The signs since then have only gotten worse.
A half-dozen polls have now tested views of Vance more than once in the last few weeks. In each of them, his already-underwhelming image ratings have deteriorated — sometimes significantly.
And crucially, his struggles appear particularly pronounced among educated voters and women. That would suggest that his derisive past comments about childless women are indeed proving to be liabilities.

He really is tone deaf: Vance says ‘nothing wrong’ with Trump ‘complimenting’ leaders like Xi, Putin

But His Emails!

https://twitter.com/SussexHenryVIII/status/1822702407635333155

Trump Is ‘Struggling to Get Past His Anger’

Advisers are telling him Harris will grow her lead coming out of the Democratic convention, which begins a week from tomorrow — especially if they don’t define her better, faster. Then just a week after the convention, it’s already Labor Day.
Republican sources close to Trump tell us he realizes he needs to bring new focus to a message that can be meandering and self-indulgent. But it’s Trump. So a new script is often fictional wishfulness.
Trump ‘is struggling to get past his anger,’ a top Republican source tells us.
Trump’s aides know he won’t change. So they’re focusing ‘not on the need for him to change but on the need to adapt his message to win,’ the source said. ‘But he has to convince himself to leave the other garbage behind.’

Self-delusion is a very powerful drug: Mike Lindell vows his visit to Democratic Convention will 'flip Democrats' to Trump

Violent Crime Dropping Sharply in Cities

New preliminary data from major U.S. cities shows a sharp drop in violent crime in the first half of the year — more than 25% in some communities — as the Covid-era crime wave recedes.
The drop in violent crime puts a serious dent in one of the most frequently used lines of attack by former President Trump and his allies, who have sought to tie Democrats to the issue since 2020.

Serendipity:

Dementia risk factors identified in new global report are all preventable – addressing them could reduce dementia rates by 45%

https://twitter.com/punk_magazine/status/1821361019752772047

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