Barges stalled on the drought-stricken Mississippi River
The Mississippi River, which is America’s superhighway for freight, grain and raw materials, is so low on water due to drought that 2,000 barges are stalled and going nowhere. Tows have had to lighten their loads or find new routes. And nothing is expected to change for a month, maybe more, when winter rain usually makes the river rise.
But wait, there’s more: maybe a railroad strike before Thanksgiving
About a month ago America was right on the edge of a crippling national railroad strike when the dozen rail unions accepted a last-minute tentative agreement. Things are not going so smoothly, and a strike is once again possible on top of the barge backup on the Mississippi. I will give you the new deadline for a union agreement.
Those annoying political ads are keeping local TV stations afloat
There is one thing floating on a high tide right now and that is local TV stations, which are raking in more than $4.5 billion in midterm political ads. Your pain is their gain and the next couple of weeks should be very good for business. Let me show you how much some of the local ownership groups are cashing in.
Why are we holding on to our clothes longer?
As soon as I finish writing today’s newsletter, I am putting some old clothes in the truck and taking them down to donate to the church thrift store. There is evidence that we are holding on to our clothes longer since the pandemic. One researcher found that among Americans, “82 percent of their (clothing) items never saw the light of day last year.” Maybe you are like me, holding on to pre-pandemic pants that don’t fit but we remain optimistic that someday they might, again. Hey, it COULD happen.
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