Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Almost everyone who grew up in the United States after the end of World War II understood that an indicator of economic success if not the indicator was owning “your own home.” Homeownership attained mythic status representing not just climbing a rung up an economic ladder but a social and psychological one; owning a home meant being a full member of society. But is it really a good idea? While there are real, measurable economic gains that can be attributed to owning a home – or rather borrowing for one – has it had deleterious effects? Is it time to ask this question more seriously along with the essential one: “Is there an alternative and do we even need one?” A film by The Economist a couple years ago sets the stage for this conversation. The film’s title, “How an obsession with home ownership can ruin the economy,” might overstate the case just a bit, but it lays out in 12 minutes some of the most compelling challenges … [Read more...] about Is Home Ownership Still A Good Idea?
How long is long term disability good for
Even Mild Covid-19 May Cause Lasting Brain Fog (Part 1)
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin This is part two of a series focusing on cognitive dysfunction and inflammation. The first article can be read here . For additional writings on inflammation and Covid-19, please see my website: www. williamhaseltine.com Although inflammation is a common feature of many infections, viral and otherwise, SARS-CoV-2 elicits a particularly intense inflammatory response. Exactly why remains unclear. What is becoming increasingly clear, on the other hand, is that much of the damage associated with Covid-19 can be traced back to this hyperinflammation. This holds true both in the short term, during acute infection, as well as the long term, during Long Covid, or Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC). Cognitive impairments such as “brain fog”, difficulty concentrating, and poor short-term memory make up some of the more worrying Long Covid symptoms. Often, these are severe enough to interfere with daily … [Read more...] about Even Mild Covid-19 May Cause Lasting Brain Fog (Part 1)
Even Mild Covid-19 May Cause Lasting Brain Fog (Part 2)
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin This is part three in a series focusing on cognitive dysfunction and inflammation. The first article can be read here , and the second can be read here . For additional writings on inflammation and Covid-19, please see my website: www. williamhaseltine.com For many people, an encounter with Covid-19 brings with it lingering cognitive symptoms, generally described as “brain fog”. And on occasion, these symptoms may last for months on end. A novel study describes why and how this might be happening. In a previous article , I gave an overview of one part of the researchers’ findings. To recapitulate in brief: SARS-CoV-2 infection can provoke serious inflammation which, through a series of “signaling cascades”, can make its way into the central nervous system, including the brain. Once there, inflammation triggers the activation of immune cells called microglia, which go haywire, causing additional … [Read more...] about Even Mild Covid-19 May Cause Lasting Brain Fog (Part 2)
The $100 Baseball Bat That Could Save The Major Leagues Millions
It’s April 9, 2013. Gordon Beckham of the White Sox stands at the plate facing down the Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez. The promising young hitter has weathered a tough few years of disappointing averages, but his 2013 season is off to a solid start. He’s batting over .300, meaning it could be the season of the turnaround, the year that redirects his career to come. advertisement advertisement A 2-2 fastball fires from the mound. Beckham swings big , spinning almost 360 degrees before hunching over in pain. No one knows why. Moments later, Beckham would be in the dugout with trainers staring at his hand with a strange, clinical detachment, curious how his body had betrayed him. In reality, the pain had little to do with his mega swing. Beckham actually sustained an injury on the pitch before–a typical high outside fastball that he appeared to innocuously foul. “When I swung through the ball, I definitely felt it,” he tells me later. “It did not … [Read more...] about The $100 Baseball Bat That Could Save The Major Leagues Millions
How to Improve Your Credit Score Fast
Your credit score is one of the most important measures of your financial health. It tells lenders at a glance how responsibly you use credit. The better your score, the easier you will find it to be approved for new loans or new lines of credit. A higher credit score can also open the door to the lowest available interest rates when you borrow. If you would like to boost your credit score, there are a number of quick, simple things that you can do. While it might take a few months to see an improvement in your credit score, you can start working toward a better score in just a few hours. Key Takeaways It takes less than a couple of days to pull all your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus, and assessing your credit score is the first step to raising it. In just a few hours, you can set due-date alerts for bills, so you know when a bill is coming up. Paying your bills on time Is one of the most important steps in improving your credit score. Pay down … [Read more...] about How to Improve Your Credit Score Fast
How to decide if a business issue is worth solving
Managing time is one of a CEO’s greatest challenges, but it’s not just their own time they are responsible for. One of a leader’s main responsibilities is setting a clear strategy for their organization, and good strategy is about making choices among competing priorities. advertisement advertisement With finite resources and numerous problems to fix, organizations can become inefficient without clear direction. It’s the CEO’s job to provide that direction for the use of limited resources. But with issues, opportunities, and initiatives popping up all the time, it’s not always easy to prioritize. Companies face issues in supply chain, marketing, product, quality, and entering new markets, to name a few. So how can a leader know which issues are most worth addressing? As a business unit leader for Fortune 500 companies, I saw many scenarios where the leadership team needed to decide between competing priorities. Over time, I developed a series of … [Read more...] about How to decide if a business issue is worth solving
Study: Housing Providers’ Rent Increases Often Don’t Match Market
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Perhaps one of the most iconic portrayals of a greedy landlord is Benoit from Puccini’s La Boehme . The character arrives on the scene at the opening of the play looking to collect rent and then proudly confesses infidelity to the poor artists he’s trying to shake down. They pretend to be outraged by his immorality, eject him, and use the rent money for a night on the town. The image of the poor but righteous tenants is so compelling a modern musical adaptation of the opera is called Rent . But are housing providers really trying to squeeze every last cent from their residents? A study from Berkeley indicates that often, housing providers leave money on the table, giving discounts and often failing to keep up with the market. The study, Affordable Housing Without Public Subsidies: Rent-Setting Practices in Small Rental Properties , takes a look at how housing providers set their rents and how those rents relate to … [Read more...] about Study: Housing Providers’ Rent Increases Often Don’t Match Market
Sunday Conversation: Mickey Hart On Dead & Company, Tito Puente And Why He’ll Never Retire
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin As part of the legendary Grateful Dead, drummer Mickey Hart has built his more than 50-year career on uplifting others through music. And now, at a time when there has never been a greater need for healing, Hart is as busy as ever, knowing his music is necessary. Having just wrapped up a tour with Dead & Company, where he got to witness tens of thousands of fans joined together on a nightly basis, he has immediately turned his attention to rhythmic unity through a new Planet Drum album. Into The Groove finds Hart uniting with Zakir Hussain, Giovanni Hidalgo and Sikiru Adepoju to showcase the power of the rhythm. The album leads off with the single "King Clave," which Planet Drum shared in a special video with charity organization Playing For Change. I spoke with Hart about how Tito Puente changed his life, the recent Dead & Company tour, the power of music and much more. Steve Baltin: When you listen … [Read more...] about Sunday Conversation: Mickey Hart On Dead & Company, Tito Puente And Why He’ll Never Retire
This Is the Healthiest Possible Diet, According to Research
If you're an entrepreneur who wants to maximize your energy and avoid an early death by eating healthy, there is a lot of confusing advice out there to contend with. Besides a host of trendy but conflicting diets, guidelines from actual scientists change regularly. One year fat will kill you, the next sugar is public enemy number one. Is fish great for you or mercury-laced poison ? And while everyone agrees heavy drinking is unhealthy, does a glass or two of wine a day do good or bad things for your health ? Given the ever-changing answers to questions like these, it's tempting to throw up your hands and ignore everything but the most basic nutritional advice. If no one knows anything beyond fast food is bad, then you may as well let your instincts (and taste buds) guide you. But according to a research review published recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology , science does actually know something definitive about what you should eat. … [Read more...] about This Is the Healthiest Possible Diet, According to Research
Why Regulation Will Help The Buy Now, Pay Later Giants
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin After a meteoric rise during the pandemic, the buy now, pay later (BNPL) business is facing a future clouded by deteriorating economic conditions, competition from the likes of Apple and bank credit card issuers and a looming regulatory crackdown. At least, that’s the conventional wisdom. Since the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) opened an inquiry into the industry last year, regulation has generally been framed as a “ backlash ” and threat to the industry’s growth. A research note issued Sunday by Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Ng, which initiates coverage of Affirm Holdings with a neutral rating, observes that “the evolving US BNPL regulatory landscape results in the risk of potential regulation that could reduce the pace of consumer and merchant adoption.” Yet a deeper look suggests regulation could actually benefit the leaders in the American BNPL sector. While BNPL has been around in the US … [Read more...] about Why Regulation Will Help The Buy Now, Pay Later Giants