Financially Forward: Gerald Harris

If you’re following developments in the war between Ukraine and Russia, then you know that there has been an amazing turn of events in the last several months. Ukraine had been losing huge swaths of land, but suddenly it had managed to turn the tide. Now it is not only holding on to its land but retaking land that was lost. And in the process, literally every day, Ukraine is inflicting painful attacks against the Russian enemy.

Early in the 2000s, nanotechnology became the darling of Wall Street, and very understandably so. Nano was a breakthrough, a new technology that offered the potential to improve many products and create many others. However, progress was slower than some people expected, and along the way, nanotech lost some of its luster.

Months ago, meteorologists forecast that a Super El Niño would develop this summer, and their prediction was right on target. Let’s hope it falls apart quickly because, if not, there will be consequences for the entire world.

Here is a shocking statistic: 92.7% of U.S. children and 86% of U.S. adults eat at least some junk food every day. This is shocking because it’s well-known that regular consumption of junk food has been linked to obesity, serious diseases, dental problems, and a host of other issues we’d like to avoid. Do you know what’s even more amazing? The government is paying for a significant amount of that.

Weather forecasts can be imprecise. A surprising number are wrong, and even short-term forecasts often miss the mark. Let’s hope this happens with the latest predictions because, if not, all of us will soon be living through “interesting” times.

To paraphrase a comment made by former Sen. Everett Dirksen: Add a few cents here and a few cents there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money. If you don’t believe that, just look at what’s happening at the Post Office. On average, their loss on each letter and parcel delivered is insignificant, but multiply that billions of times and you’ve got a humongous and growing loss.