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Top 5 misconceptions about the economy in 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:58:12 GMT

(The Hill) – 2023 was a year in which many experts got a lot of things wrong about the economy. From mistaken forecasts about an impending recession to errors about falling prices and why they had risen in the first place, 2023 was a year marked by economic confusion.Even the Federal Reserve got disoriented, predicting an economic downturn at the beginning of the year and then yanking that prediction over the summer.This waffling peeved some major players in the financial industry, including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, who called the Fed out for providing unreliable guidance and being “100 percent dead wrong.”“Central banks 18 months ago were 100 percent dead wrong. Maybe there should be humility about financial forecasting,” he said during a panel event in Saudi Arabia in October.Here's a look back at some of the biggest misconceptions about the economy of 2023.Rising interest rates are sure to cause a recessionThere was virtual certainty among economists at the end of last yea...

Ending the year with fantastic weather

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:58:12 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Happy New Year!The forecast calls for a bright and unseasonably warm afternoon as most highs reach the low 70s. A dry southwest wind will warm quickly. Today's normal high is 62°. Tonight will be mostly clear before the intrusion of scattered clouds overnight. Also tonight there will be areas of smoke from fireworks. Sun and scattered clouds are expected tomorrow with highs that won't get out of the 50s.When the clock hits 12:00 a.m. tonightWhen the clock strikes midnight tonight the sky should be mostly clear. Most temperatures will be in the upper 40s to low 50s. More mid to upper 50s will be the midnight reading in parts of our eastern counties.The first of two upper-level lows will head to the area leading to an excellent chance for rain and a few thunderstorms Tuesday with the probability of measurable precipitation up to 80%. Rain and thunderstorms will continue Tuesday night and should begin to end by sunrise Wednesday.Thursday will be mostly sunny.The secon...

Chicago Bears vs. Atlanta Falcons: Everything you need to know about the Week 17 game before kickoff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:58:12 GMT

The 6-9 Chicago Bears will play the 7-8 Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field in a Week 17 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (noon, CBS).‘People put a timeline on whether they can judge guys, but I’m really just at the start’By most accounts, Justin Fields has made steps toward becoming the type of quarterback the Bears can win with.Interceptions and sacks are down since he came back from the thumb injury Nov. 19. He has closed out some wins. He has had flashes of improvement in his movement within the pocket and his willingness to pass downfield rather than always tuck and run when the pocket breaks down. And he has continued to show his unique ability — unlike few others in the NFL — to extend plays with his legs.But is that enough to convince the Bears to bet on him again? Read more here.5 things to watch in the Bears-Falcons game at Soldier Field — plus our Week 17 predictionsBears Q&A: Will coach Matt Eberflus be back ...

Zeynep Tufekci: Avert your eyes, avoid responsibility and just blame TikTok

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:58:12 GMT

We’re in a season of hand-wringing and scapegoating over social media, especially TikTok, with many Americans and politicians missing that two things can be true at once: Social media can have an outsize and sometimes pernicious influence on society, and lawmakers can unfairly use it as an excuse to deflect legitimate criticisms.Young people are overwhelmingly unhappy about U.S. policy on the war in the Gaza Strip? Must be because they get their “perspective on the world on TikTok” — at least according to Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat who holds a strong pro-Israel stance.This attitude is shared across the aisle. “It would not be surprising that the Chinese-owned TikTok is pushing pro-Hamas content,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn said. Another Republican senator, Josh Hawley, called TikTok a “purveyor of virulent antisemitic lies.”Consumers are unhappy with the economy? Surely, that’s TikTok again, with some experts arguing that dismal consumer sentiment is a mere “vibecession” — feelings ...

The first 10 years of legal marijuana in Colorado were a wild ride. What will happen in the next decade?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:58:12 GMT

The world’s first legal sale of recreational marijuana happened in Denver on Jan. 1, 2014. In fact, it happened twice.Mason Tvert was managing the onslaught of media that descended on the Mile High City to witness the historic moment, set in motion by the successful legalization campaign he’d led. So many camera crews and reporters showed up that morning that Tvert decided to rotate two groups through the dispensary’s sales floor — with each transaction billed as the first time anyone 21 or older could legally buy weed simply by walking into a store, showing ID and paying for it, no doctor’s note necessary.Cannabis enthusiasts also flocked to downtown Denver that day. Lines outside the new rec stores stretched down city blocks. Buyers exited with purchases in hand, holding them overhead like victory trophies. Rumors even swirled that some stores had sold out, only adding to the fervor.“It was wild,” Tvert recalls.Monday’s anniversary of the first sales ...

The Action Center delivers promise of immediate help and stability for people in need

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:58:12 GMT

When Rocio Rosales’ hours at work were cut last year, she didn’t know how she’d make rent.She had three boys to raise, and bills were piling up. She didn’t know where to turn but had heard about The Action Center. A year later, Rosales credits the help she received from the Lakewood nonprofit with helping her to build a foundation for her and her children’s future.The Denver Post Season To Share is the annual holiday fundraising campaign for The Denver Post and The Denver Post Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Grants are awarded to local nonprofit agencies that provide life-changing programs to help low-income children, families and individuals move out of poverty toward stabilization and self-sufficiency. Visit seasontoshare.com for more information.“I feel more stable, for sure,” she said. “Everything is better for me, for my family, after their help. I know if I ever need anything, I could reach back out to them and they’d help me with an...

A timeline of what’s happened since Colorado’s first legal recreational marijuana sales began

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:58:12 GMT

It’s been 10 years since Colorado launched the first legal recreational marijuana market in the world and became a pioneer in drug reform.But when it came to the nascent industry, the first sales on Jan. 1, 2014, were more a starting block than a finish line.In the decade since legalization, Colorado has refined laws, catalyzed new ones and served as a litmus test for the rest of the country as states followed its lead. Today, cannabis is recreationally available for sale in 24 states — where more than half of Americans live.Here are some of the notable local moments along the way.2014Jan. 1: Retail sales of marijuana begin across the state in cities, towns and counties that allow it, from Telluride to Denver. The newly legal industry opens after more than 55% of Colorado voters approved Amendment 64 on Nov. 6, 2012. The state already allowed medical marijuana.January: The Colorado Department of Transportation replaces mile marker 420 along Interstate 70 in eastern Colorado wi...

Will Delta-8 Ramp Up Your Heart Rate?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:58:12 GMT

View the original article about Delta-8’s Effects on Heart Rate at Real Tested CBD.There are many unanswered questions about medical marijuana and hemp, especially new compounds like delta-8 THC. However, scientists at many of the world’s top universities claim cannabis negatively affects many cardiovascular issues. If patients aren’t careful about their delta-8 dosing, they could experience severe side effects.Although we don’t have many studies examining delta-8’s effect on the heart, new customers should consider the latest findings on THC and cardiovascular health. Also, if people have pre-existing heart conditions, they should hold off trying products like delta-8 THC unless they have a doctor’s approval.Does Delta-8 Damage The Heart? — Emerging Details On Cannabis and the Cardiovascular SystemThe data doesn’t lie: There’s a strong correlation between cannabis use and a person’s risk for heart disease. Researchers at Stanford and ...

At Farm Discovery at Live Earth, kids get up close with farm animals and see how their food is grown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:58:12 GMT

Juana Lona cradled a black hen in the chicken run at Live Earth Farm in Watsonville, as kindergarteners from a Pajaro Valley charter school milled around trying to approach the skittish, scattering fowl.“You have to hold the wings together, and put them close to your body,” said Lona, an education intern with Farm Discovery at Live Earth, as she demonstrated for the tots. “So like this, they feel safe like this. If we put them up in the air, they’re going to try to fly away. You see how she’s calm? You have to give her like a big hug.”She gently handed the hen to 5-year-old Jaelene Serrano, as a couple of Jaelene’s classmates gathered around to pet the hen in her arms. “So fluffy!” the kids said as they gently stroked the hen’s feathers and a rooster crowed nearby before Jaelene handed her to classmate Michelle Rodriguez Meza.“It’s so soft,” Michelle, 5, said.The hands-on experience is one of the programs ...

Fatal shooting of Oakland police officer renews fears of crimes around Bay Area cannabis shops

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:58:12 GMT

The fatal shooting of an Oakland police officer responding to a burglary at a cannabis shop brought renewed calls Saturday for the city to confront a plague of violent robberies and other crimes that law enforcement officials and business owners say has spiraled out of control.In recent years, groups of armed burglars have targeted numerous cannabis dispensaries, grow operations and manufacturing plants in the city and across the Bay Area, leading to shootouts in Oakland, Martinez, San Leandro and Union City. Multiple people have been killed or wounded.Now, the slaying of undercover Officer Tuan Le — the first officer killed in the line of duty in Oakland in 14 years — is putting even more pressure on city officials to stem the break-ins.Yen Nguyen and Phuc Nguyen pay their respects for fallen Oakland police officer Tuan Le, leaving flowers on the Embarcadero in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 29, 2023. Le was shot and killed while responding as an undercover officer to ...