Volunteer for Kamala Harris Campaign

I just got a phone call from a Kamala Harris volunteer asking me to commit some time to the campaign. I will! He told me to go to Democrats.org/take-action/

There’s opportunities to be on a phone bank, send social media messages, volunteer locally, and other stuff. At a glance, it looks -very- organized and easy to get started with.

 

Finishing Up Comments on Flicker Memorandum

I’m thrilled about the impact I’ve had on the latest Memorandum to address the issue of lighting flicker.

I submitted several comments for BSR/IES TM-39, “Technical Memorandum: Quantification and Specification of Flicker” during the official Public Review period. The IES (Illuminating Engineering Society) Vision Science Committee reviewed my comments with care and integrated many of them into the document! I’m looking forward to the document helping to increase awareness of problems with flickering lighting and helping to push us toward solutions!

(previously)

Didn’t Vote? Get Paid!

How is this not illegal? Cards Against Humanity is PAYING people who didn’t vote in 2020 to apologize, make a voting plan, and post #DonaldTrumpIsAHumanToilet—up to $100 for blue-leaning people in swing states. I helped by getting a 2024 Election Pack and contributing a bit extra: www.Apologize.lol

 

The Cards Against Humanity Folks continue to astound!

In case the site ever goes down, here is the homepage:

How to Put Holes in Tennis Balls for Chair Legs and Walkers

COVID Bookmark Dump

Pre-K Activities for Kids, From COVID

This is still great for the 3-5 year-old set. We made this big Google Sheet with videos and kids activities during the COVID pandemic. Enjoy.

Activities for Children & Families

 

Ideas from Step One School parents on spending time while school is closed.
Stories with Robyn. She reads a new book and posts it here every few days (starting 4-6-20) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VMR-AuO8oY-4IwfbPADFgNJjaQRogKh3P69jNYk6GP0/edit#gid=0
Late PM Amy and Kevin photos and videos https://photos.app.goo.gl/JvDZwZBYcTGYiUsB8
Kevin Reads Pierre, A Cautionary Tale… https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipO8P4auSDhgxT48kl_TseeOq2EuuyoHEzDYdhVgWLv684bXvHPRSFnzqBr-aPudJA/photo/AF1QipMeAGiiRy2OE0D02Myq7AN-3pKiS9hjRzmWSMmo?key=dUVOM0ZWdHF5Y0ZuOGRia0hxU0p5eVYtTzgwMmVR
Steve Reads Stewart Little
https://www.loom.com/share/c6230626c2c443bcae8237d7fe134266
https://www.loom.com/share/86e2190607d04f28b034df6ca7988624
https://www.loom.com/share/30c58dd71bc240b886170497066a7f7b
https://www.loom.com/share/bf5a6e8a384a460ca83d29823552d7e9
https://www.loom.com/share/4cb0d079abf54887b147459dfe816069
https://www.loom.com/share/71f0f20d10c5409fbadf596e97795c50
https://www.loom.com/share/c33ad4137c5240f7808c2b7a8e86c821
https://www.loom.com/share/7dd0bd47f9cd4a489e49abb453b23747
https://www.loom.com/share/78e3328c775a4fb7bfc0f0370e478a9e
https://www.loom.com/share/bc8c6b06a90742f49439f093b6f74301
Steve Reads (starting 4-23-20)
the third and final book in this series. Here is chapter 1: The Hiding Place https://www.loom.com/share/1ae1cea03cab46de9d7b1cca4b023c78
chapter 2: Mr. and Mrs. Wagonwheel https://www.loom.com/share/329476b54cfd45bcb1fd41dbc3b162a2
chapter 3 https://www.loom.com/share/21e8127464f945a19c20c390aabbf1de
chapter 4 https://www.loom.com/share/4c3494e9f074417b9a7081006966e26a
Chapter 5: Back to Nevergreen City https://www.loom.com/share/993cf0771182449aba15673031dc57ca
chapter 6 https://www.loom.com/share/2be33820c4774029a20696efe7275140
chapter 7 https://www.loom.com/share/928ca55930264b85bafcf263118e6d59
chapter 8 https://www.loom.com/share/8eaea7716954405084ba713cf3abe9e3
chapter 9 https://www.loom.com/share/6b2a6768e5504fea84906de6169009b1
chapter 10 https://www.loom.com/share/0a55f2fe23554048b2782841956ff7d6
Chapter 11: “The Dragon Affair” https://www.loom.com/share/4b0fc4341441442ab3699a6f11d9b786
My Father’s Dragon read by Stephen Egawa, rm 3 teacher https://www.loom.com/share/e424ded6c1c14cd885680dd2808cbd16
chapter 2 https://www.loom.com/share/8f13e4ad2c0b47489c940a081cd0577e
chapter 3 https://www.loom.com/share/151c61c1e9de4a10b107978e78a70313
chapter 4 https://www.loom.com/share/06ff90f4e0df4df99319188ccd4d3042
chapter 5 https://www.loom.com/share/3ea06496795641c5aedb771dccf3aba9
chapter 6 https://www.loom.com/share/d341b222ab1541ef88cc8d194d292e8a
chapter 7 https://www.loom.com/share/73f2181aa7a943f3bcc808d931bde239
chapter 8 https://www.loom.com/share/e6d9de39b7b34dcfba41bfcaafb8b64f
chapter 9 https://www.loom.com/share/b422562db87d473f87caf13603f7e2ca
chapter 10 https://www.loom.com/share/2d821c6d045744eabdb98b6fe2d67e9c
Steve reading Jackie Robinson: He Led The way https://www.loom.com/share/87e6963bcf06416fa3d90b848c32709d
Steve reading Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez https://www.loom.com/share/5a8b87c3b1144ec2820c9d9559f12f53
Steve reading Elmer and the Dragon Chapter 1 https://www.loom.com/share/39d5574025ac486c9445c96c5beb3699
chapter 2 – Storm https://www.loom.com/share/83c8a22a729043e7b5396023b107bf9a
Chapter 3 https://www.loom.com/share/15e5bf69d73149b090a39cc1d3485e21
Chapter 4 https://www.loom.com/share/652422b6d8f847a58b79f8eb41075462
Chapter 5 – Flute the Canary https://www.loom.com/share/0709c8bb5b6e490a9fdb74c2a16ca10b
Chapter 6 https://www.loom.com/share/de03a86c11284d7eb60e5786a937b408
Chapter 7 – The Secret https://www.loom.com/share/a5598a536fb7488ab843107df1c5678a
Chapter 8 – Treasure https://www.loom.com/share/997e7eae91f844fbadd465a24e48bcc0
Chapter 9 https://www.loom.com/share/a76c1322438c4a4fabae81a4c8a4c332
chapter 10: Elmer Flies Home https://www.loom.com/share/a685622a0d6b493eb2a5eba9e49bb05d
Recommended by Step One Staff
Music Time with Eric and Jaime. Facebook (click on “Videos”) or @yoursongmysong on Instagram https://www.facebook.com/yoursongmysongband
AmazingEducationalResources. A GIANT List of free educational resources, just for the COVID crisis https://www.amazingeducationalresources.com/
Stinky Tales (live at 11 am M-F) https://www.stinkytales.com/
National Park Service Sound Explorations Gallery and Videos https://www.nps.gov/subjects/sound/explore.htm
PERSONALLY recommended and used by Adele, Greta’s mom
Adele King’s Kindergarten Youtube Channel “Room K Studios” https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtn9jTm69o_jooPpaTafZTA
PERSONALLY recommended and used by Lee & Megan, Abigail’s parents
Google Photo Gallery for Step One’s to add to! “Extended Spring Break 2020” https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOu0Vo6rvALq9gpUVzaiOG_11sSEbkekNwsG4HIE98gIg2eFf2xlBNFGzKcUGCiEQ?key=U3FkWUZUV0hmQndhS1doLTJCODVTdmFQeUFlaUp3
Mo Willems Lunchtime Doodles https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL14hRqd0PELGbKihHuTqx_pbvCLqGbOkF
Starfall (terrific app on touch-screens like the Ipad, Amazon Fire etc!) https://www.starfall.com
Tumbleleaf show on Amazon Prime https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B07P37R8G2/ref=atv_dl_rdr
Songs by Laurie Berkner, great for dancing and running around too! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ9o9F8HYJV85XjciUS86_Q
…. Animal Exercises https://youtu.be/6LndXdPdKaQ
…. Laurie Berkner’s website https://laurieberkner.com/
Math worksheet Packets (kindergarten and up) https://www.math-salamanders.com/math-grab-packs.html#Kindergarten
Hey you! Step One Parent! Add your PERSONALLY recommended items here!!!
More Recommended Content
Risa from Jelly Jam Time (an east bay kids performer) https://vimeo.com/jellyjamtime
Grampa Clyde singing (an east bay kids musician) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQekT6nz9bZxQj67WWGXzuA/videos
Music With Lindsay https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDC0w41wYC5qWTcIylU6n2A/videos
TumbleBookLibrary – K-6 children’s ebook database https://www.tumblebooklibrary.com/auto_login.aspx?U=tumble735&P=books Username: tumble735 Password: books
TumbleMath – K-6 math ebook database https://www.tumblemath.com/autologin.aspx?U=tumble2020&P=A3b5c6 Username: tumble2020 Password: A3b5c6
AudioBookCloud http://www.audiobookcloud.com/autologin.aspx?U=tumble2020&P=A3b5c6&categoryID=33 Username: tumble2020 Password: A3b5c6
Stories online and read by various people to children: https://www.storylineonline.net
Scholastic free virtual learning: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
(mostly for elementary school students) The Big List of Children’s Authors Doing Online Read Alouds & Activities https://www.weareteachers.com/virtual-author-activities/?fbclid=IwAR0hpwbEH0UJGRAHisizIkj_NgGHSTSIxBGmsfoiQAUHIx_2VYUPME3CgdI
Pebble Go: Online learning for 5 to 8-year olds https://www.pebblego.com/ (Username: engaged Password: learning)
Capstone Interactive E-books https://www.mycapstonelibrary.com/login/index.html (Username: continue Password: reading)
Tinkergarden (mentioned by Sue at Step One) https://tinkergarten.com/blog/just-us-for-the-first-ever-live-online-tinkergarten-experience
Teacher Maria saying hello 3-21-20 https://photos.app.goo.gl/UR4SKVAGjRHWE9s9A
Noodle Loaf – interactive music themed podcast (scroll to the bottom for first episode!) http://noodleloafshow.com/
Indoor Games from BigLifeJournal.com https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U26PKLsQ-FpPrx3OUzDDkLqK27-fbDhG/view?_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJ0cmFjeWxhZnJlbmllcmVAZ21haWwuY29tIiwgImtsX2NvbXBhbnlfaWQiOiAiTU1TYWJmIn0%3D
Lawrence at Home – Lawrence Hall of Science read alouds and activities live and recorded Lawrencehallofscience.org/lawrence-at-home
asdf
Arts & Crafts
Make your own play doh https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/playdough-recipe/
Make cards and letters to mail
Make a hanging mobile with found objects and paper cut outs
Paint & decorate an old box
Cereal necklaces
Sewing Cards (just cardstock or cardboard with holes punched in) https://www.auntannie.com/Textiles/SewingCards/
Science Projects & Math Games
Mystery Science free access https://mysteryscience.com/school-closure-planning
Balloon Rocket with straw & string https://sciencebob.com/make-a-balloon-rocket/
Sink or Float
What is magnetic?
Shaving cream in the bathtub
Colored ice cubes melting in the bath
Collect 100 objects
Glow sticks in the bathtub
Flashlilght games in a darkened room/closet
Outdoor Adventures
Puddle jumping
Hike and take photos of flowers
Collect nature items and make a collage with them
Gardening
Sidewalk chalk art
Relay race (not competitive) up/down driveway or yard
Fun in the Kitchen
Bake cookies
Make a fruit pie
Fruit Skewers
Build structures with food (crackers, peanut butter, marshmallows, etc)
Weigh a dozen eggs with a kitchen scale and organize (with columns) from heaviest to lightest
OTHER IDEAS
Make your own shakers
Video Chats with friends and family
Video Circle Time or Reading Time
Obstacle course
Mark your own board game
hide and seek with stuffed animals
The next 30 or so items were taken from “Online Resources for Step One Families” on 3-31-20 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZFO1R-28Hcs1qlBud3f9Tne7G6xnbf9Ig4LNTTOPiKo/edit#gid=0
123 Andres Music in Spanish and English https://www.123andres.com/
Audible Free Stories for Kids https://stories.audible.com/discovery
Cosmic Kids Yoga https://www.cosmickids.com/
Covid-19 Book for Young Children (CoviBook) https://www.mindheart.co/descargables
Drag Queen Story Hour Livestreams https://www.dragqueenstoryhour.org/
Draw Together with Wendy Mac https://www.instagram.com/WendyMac/
Gender Inclusive Classrooms Read Aloud https://www.instagram.com/genderinclusiveclassrooms/?igshid=9ynek6osj36w
Go Noodle Movement and Mindfulness https://www.gonoodle.com/
Hello Wonderful-Indoor Ideas for Kids https://www.hellowonderful.co/post/easy-indoor-activities-for-kids/?fbclid=IwAR09SkY358XfAhJumuNZJfFEkA-XotP_t-Zq5NqgjqgvVCzViTk7QLe0V98
Little Upbeat Classes https://www.upbeat.net.au/upbeat-songs
Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems/
Madeline Rogin’s Dance Party https://prospectsierra.zoom.us/j/3385868943
Monterey Bay Aquarium Livecams https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams
Museum Virtual Tours https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours
Music w/ Your Song My Song (Eric & Jaime @ 12:30) Instagram YourSongMySong_ or Facebook @yoursongmysongband
Noodle Loaf Music http://noodleloafshow.com/
Oliver Jeffers Story Time https://www.oliverjeffers.com/books#/abookaday/
Online resource for indoor play from Wild Child Bit.ly/littlesplayonline
PBS Learning Pre-K https://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/grades/prek/
Ranger Rick Magazine https://rangerrick.org/
Scholastic Magazine https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
https://www.youtube.com/stinkytales/live/c
Storyline Online https://www.storylineonline.net/?fbclid=IwAR3fRhH4iEekZulL3m3vX1Mp7CT5aitgB_nCkUN11DH09hXAaAZV-6jESr4
TT’s Preschool Time (live at 10 am M-F) https://zoom.us/j/998220870?pwd=V0tiMFp0UTJVUUpaY3ZhaTlVUnJVUT09
Wow in the World Podcast https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510321/wow-in-the-world

Grand Teton Tidbit

On our summer trip in Grand Teton National Park, we were in a boat going across Jenny Lake and I asked our boat guide, Nathaniel, “Is there a place you can stand for a million years and get sucked under by the fault?” He laughed and said he hasn’t heard that one before. Megan said she was proud to be married to me for that.

My Dad and His 1951 Packard

My dad sold his 1951 Packard in 2013. It’s crazy that it feels like yesterday but that was 11 years ago. He loved the car, loved restoring it, driving it, and having it. It was a part of our lives from 1988. The article below tells parts of the story very well. He sold it because, he told me that he wasn’t taking the car out as much as he used to, it was getting harder to store it, and it was time to let it go. I am deeply nostalgic about the parking garage we set up for it. We’d walk in and turn the lights on, a radio tuned to oldies would come on, filling the space with the right ambiance. He’d walk over and unhook the battery maintainer and screw the battery protectors back in. I’d look under the hood and see the magic of the glass belled carburetor. He’d start it up by pushing the gas pedal a few times to prime it, then pushing the pedal all the way to the floor. It ran on a 6 volt system so it always sounded like it wasn’t going to turn over. It would lazily turn and turn and turn. But it always eventually did! The smell was a beautiful mix of oil and partially burned gas until it warmed up. And then we’d take it out. It floated on the road like the world was moving around it, not the other way around. It was just so heavy and stable and comfortable.

Two share life-long love affair with cars-link to Plymouth

Plymouth Voice · November 11, 2014
Chantal Charbonneau with Margaret Dunning
Chantal Charbonneau with her 1951 Packard convertible and 104-year-old Margaret Dunning with the 1930 Packard convertible she has owned for 55 years.

Nov. 11, 2014 PLYMOUTH VOICE.

Plymouth Michigan News

“A trip in a ’50s car such as this provides a voyage in time with every ride, not to mention a special link with my own family history” – Margaret Dunning

Montreal woman has had a life-long love affair with Packards

By: Alyn Edwards

For the past 23 years, Chantal Charbonneau has been editor of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, an institution that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year in the heart of Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles. She has produced hundreds of publications and videos, some of which have earned the Musée distinguished awards.

With a master’s degree in art history from the University of Montreal, Chantal has always had a keen interest in items from the past including a fondness for “rolling sculptures of yesteryear.” She refers to these as beautés mobiles as she has a long-standing personal connection with antique vehicles.

She was barely three months old in 1962 when her father went out shopping for food and came home with an unexpected item: a massive black 1940 Packard Super Eight, to her mom’s astonishment. The man loved classic cars and would own more than a dozen Packard cars in subsequent years, several of which he restored himself.

First family trophy at Connecticut Concours, 1966
First family trophy at Connecticut Concours, 1966
Chantal grew up taking Sunday drives in her dad’s old Packard classics. With her parents and siblings, she attended many car shows in Canada and the U.S. At age 17, she learned to drive on their 1951 Packard Patrician 400, an elegant sedan painted Argentine Gray. She vowed to have her own Packard someday.

Last year, she and companion Michel were attending the famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance when an e-alert from Trovit popped up on her computer. The sight of a hot 1951 Packard 250 Convertible advertised for sale in New Jersey got her excited. It was painted period-correct Corona Cream, her favorite color for that model.

“Where I live on the South Shore of Montreal is seven hours from where the vehicle was in New Jersey. But to make things more complicated, we were much farther away, in California at the time,” she recalls.

After learning from the seller on the phone that his Packard showing just 37,000 original miles on the odometer had been thoroughly restored in 1988 as a barn find near Buffalo, New York, Chantal and Michel rushed to the local post office in Carmel to mail a deposit, hoping to lock in the deal.

Although the Packard Motor Car Company grew to produce one of the most luxurious marques in the U.S., the company’s fortunes declined following World War II. By 1950, Packard sales had become moribund because of a stale 1940s design. But a complete redrawing for the sleek new 1951 models, known as Series 24, made them more stylish and contemporary, resulting in a phenomenal, albeit temporary, sales rebound.

Production of only 42,000 cars in 1950 was trumped by more than 100,000 units flooding out of Packard dealerships in 1951. Once a vehicle for celebrities and the wealthy during the ’20s and ’30s, the marque was made famous by its advertising slogan: Ask the man who owns one.

Charbonneau and 1951 Packard
Charbonneau and 1951 Packard
Chantal’s Packard 250 convertible is one of fewer than 2,400 such rag tops built in 1951, representing just 4% of the company’s production that year. It is equipped with a 155-horsepower flathead straight-eight engine, Ultramatic transmission and power everything: steering, brakes, aerial, seat, windows and top. The ivory and deep red interior is sporty and inviting.

Packard experts and friends John and BarbaraAnna Kefalonitis, who live in New Jersey, generously offered to trailer Chantal’s “new” car to Plattsburgh, N.Y., just south of the Quebec border, following its purchase in August 2013. Ironically, this was soon after Chantal’s 51st birthday and exactly 51 years after her father had bought his first Packard.

As the third owner of this rare model, Chantal got behind the wheel, drove it through Canada Customs at night and then home to the Montreal suburb of Saint-Lambert. “I felt as comfortable doing this as I would sitting on a plush sofa in my living room,” she says.

Typically, when she arrives home from work on a Friday night when weather permits, she takes the Packard out for a spin to the local shopping center. She loves driving her car as opposed to letting it sit idle like a big fancy trinket.

Her passion has led to a lot of reading, research and publishing on the subject, as well as becoming one of only a handful of female judges at several Concours d’Elegance shows of prized classics in Canada and the U.S.

Some time ago, she stumbled upon her family’s 1951 Packard Patrician 400 that she had learned to drive on 35 years ago. It is stored in a barn north of Montreal. Although it is in poor condition, she hopes to bring it back to life someday.

On her bucket list of must-do events for next year is the Euro Packard Meeting in Studen, Switzerland, where she has been invited by the Chairman of the organizing committee.

Her role model is car collector friend, business woman and philanthropist Margaret Dunning of Plymouth, Michigan. At 104 years of age, the “Belle of the Concours”, as she is known, still drives her 1930 Packard Straight Eight 740 convertible. The two recently spent time together at the 2014 Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance near Owen Sound, Ont., trading notes about their Packard cars.

There is no doubt that Miss Charbonneau plans to dedicate the rest of her driving days singing the praises of her iconic Packard: “A trip in a ’50s car such as this provides a voyage in time with every ride, not to mention a special link with my own family history,” she says. “You get a lot of interesting comments, but people always seem stunned to see a woman at the wheel of a vintage automobile, which amuses me no end.”

If this sounds like a lot of fun, ask the woman who owns one!

Photos: Chantal Chardbonneau

Plymouth Voice.

Dad sold the Packard to Michel Lamoureux as a present to Chantal Charbonneau of Quebec on about Sept 1, 2013

About them: http://cobblebeachconcours.com/entry-judges.html
CHANTAL CHARBONNEAU / Judge As an art and design historian with a Master’s degree from the University of Montréal, Chantal Charbonneau has been Editor of the Montréal Museum of Contemporary Art for the last 22 years. Her exposure to antique automobiles started as a child whose dad was an avid collector and restorer, particularly of the Packard marque. In 1974, he co-founded what has become Québec’s largest vintage auto association, the Club des Voitures Anciennes du Québec (VAQ). From childhood on, Chantal participated in countless antique car events and Concours in both Canada and the U.S. She has published various articles, including on the Packard, notably in Le Magazine de l’Auto Ancienne, a 39-year old French monthly; and for the Packards International Magazine based in Santa Ana, California. She has served both as Judge and Assistant Chief Judge at the VAQ’s annual Concours d’Elegance, a major event held each July for the last 30 years in Chambly, Québec, South of Montréal. She will be a Class Judge at the Louisville Concours d’Elegance this Fall.

MICHEL LAMOUREUX / Judge Mr. Michel Lamoureux currently serves as Senior Advisor to the President & CEO of the United Nations Association in Canada on strategic development. He also advises multiple automobile organizations, foundations and museums, both in Canada and the U.S., on growth strategies. Mr. Lamoureux has been car crazy as far back as he can remember, particularly muscle cars.
For the last four years, he has represented Québec on the Board of the National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada (NAACC) and hosted, in 2011, the first annual general meeting of the NAACC to be held in that province. Mr. Lamourex has been Class Judge at the Louisville Concours d’Elegance in Kentucky and has participated in numerous such events across North America. In 2010, he was Director of Partnerships for the Le Mirage Concours d’Elegance held in Blainville, Québec, north of Montréal.
Mr. Lamourex is well published and is a regular contributor to Hagerty Classic Cars, the company’s weekly on-line magazine and to Le Magazine de l’Auto Ancienne, Québec’s oldest antique car monthly magazine, established in 1974. In 2012, he was named “Personality of the Year” by the Club des Voitures Anciennes du Québec (or VAQ), the province’s–-and this country’s’-–largest vintage car club, in recognition of his outstanding involvement across North America and quality of his writing in both of Canada’s official languages.

Why Is U.S. Inflation Higher than in Other Countries?

Inflation in the US in the last 4 years has been a hardship. So I ask, how does US inflation compare to the rest of the world, and why are we seeing it? There’s no full answer here but some insights….

Takeaway:

The next time you blame Trump’s first presidency for inflation, pause first, because Trump signing the CARES Act may have saved us from something worse.

The next time you blame Biden for inflation, pause first, because it was Trump and a pandemic that caused it.

Ugh.

My Reasoning:

TradingEconomics tells us that the US saw a much higher inflation rate than Japan and China. The EU saw inflation similar to the US, though the start was delayed by about a year.

(I picked these countries/groups in my analysis because they are the 4 largest economies in the world)

 

This article from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco “blames” the 2020 CARES Act of 2020 (signed by Trump) but is quick to say, “However, without these spending measures, the economy might have tipped into outright deflation and slower economic growth, the consequences of which would have been harder to manage.”

(More specifically, they believe that about 1/2 of the recent inflation was caused by Americans’ increased disposable income from the CARES Act. They didn’t comment on it but I believe they would pin the other 1/2 on the pandemic itself)

It’s a Real Game Changer

“It’s a real game changer.”
Stop saying that. Your product isn’t that good.

(I’ve been hearing that phrase a lot recently in advertising and I don’t like it!)