americas | The Property Chronicle

Small talk as the instrument of civility

by Garrison Keillor | Mar 10, 2022 | The Storyteller, zOtherDiversions

Or how we make connections with strangers. A male nurse did a blood draw on me the other day and as he tied the rubber strip around my upper arm, I said, “I’ve had this done about 70 times. You’re competing against some of the best and you know that women are better...

Making US foreign policy about Americans

by Doug Bandow | Mar 2, 2022 | The Analyst, zLead Article, zNewsletter

US officials are keeping very busy in the world. Yet very few of Washington’s actions have much to do with protecting America. Instead, the foreign policy establishment believes that its primary role is to run the world. The Department of Defense was originally known...

Valentine’s day: a reminder to men

by Garrison Keillor | Feb 28, 2022 | The Storyteller, zOtherDiversions

We’ve been sort of mesmerized by the Winter Olympics and dangerously thin athletes speedskating, one hand behind the back, taking the turns semi-horizontally, and others flying off a ski jump spinning in the air so as to give their mothers cardiac arrest, and downhill...

Housing permits remained hot in January

by Robert Hughes | Feb 22, 2022 | Residential Investor

But mortgage rates also continued to rise. Total housing starts fell to a 1.638m annual rate in January from a 1.708m pace in December, a 4.1% decrease. From a year ago, total starts are up 0.8%. However, total housing permits were very strong again in January,...

Weekly initial claims for unemployment benefits rise slightly

by Robert Hughes | Feb 21, 2022 | The Analyst

Initial claims for regular state unemployment insurance increased by 23,000 for the week ending 12 February, coming in at 248,000 (see first chart). That is the first increase following three weekly declines. Over the past 13 weeks, claims are up in seven weeks and...