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Bridges are an important part of infrastructure.  They keep commerce humming when barriers need to be crossed.  Such obstacles can be either man-made like trains or natural like rivers.  Metaphoric bridges can also be built to close the gap between two nations, often also resulting in added commerce. 

Atlas thinks a lot about maps and modeling.  These tools allow us all to better understand complex systems without having to have every piece of information; think Alfred Korzybski’s idea that, “the map is not the territory.”  Nevertheless, these maps and models of cities, for instance, help us navigate large and everchanging transportation arteries across the nation

Each month the Treasury Department releases a Treasury Statement.  This helps us understand the state of America’s fiscal situation.  These reports tend to be produced around the middle of each month, tallying the government’s prior month’s income and spending.  America’s fiscal year runs from October first through September 30^th.  With tha

Economies are large (especially the largest in the world) which makes them difficult to measure.  Any measurements which are conducted are also subject to revisions.  These revisions bring in more complete data, helping to improve the accuracy of the measurement. 

Hurricane Helene is the latest deadly hurricane to hit the US.  It is still relatively early, but the costs are soaring.  So far it has taken over 160 lives.  In addition to the death toll, it will cost billions of dollars to repair cities like Asheville, NC to their prior glory.  So much of this damage was caused by water, a lot of water. 

I’ve reached an age.  If you haven’t you will, and if you have, you’ll know what I’m talking about.  A few days ago, I walked into a restaurant and saw what was probably a middle-school student wearing a band t-shirt from my youth: The Cranberries.  I was immediately hit with the lyrics from their September 1994 (my sophomore year had just started) hit &ld

On Wednesday, America’s central bank made its first downward adjustment to its Federal Funds Rate since the pandemic was just getting started back in March 2020.  This interest rate is what banks charge each other for overnight loans when their cash reserves aren’t adequate to meet weekly regulatory requirements.  While it does not impact other rates directly, the Fed Fund

Growing up there was a guy in the neighborhood who worked in some form of construction.  He would often come home with copper wires, the type used overhead for transmitting electricity.  I was in elementary school, so he never told me why it was in his possession, but he would strip the wire coating off with a large knife in his back yard and recycle the copper.

Jerome Powell, the Chair of the Federal Open Market Committee, and I have never met, so I have no idea what his music collection contains.  He may, however, have dropped a hint that he is a fan of Midnight Oil.  This Australian band had a global hit in 1987, “Beds are Burning.”   Click here to see

Growing up there was a guy in the neighborhood who worked in some form of construction.  He would often come home with copper wires, the type used overhead for transmitting electricity.  I was in elementary school, so he never told me why it was in his possession, but he would strip the wire coating off with a large knife in his back yard and recycle the copper.