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Magic in a small city: Eastport

Magic in a small city: Eastport

Eastport, established as a town in 1798 and incorporated as a city in 1893, is one of Maine’s more fascinating locales.

In this episode of Chasing Maine, Roger McCord travels back to Eastport to present a cross-section of Eastport by interviewing three very different people in the community.

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Much Higher Interest Rates for Much, Much Longer. Or Maybe Not!

Much Higher Interest Rates for Much, Much Longer. Or Maybe Not!

Who doesn’t love spending their morning trying to understand what the Federal Reserve is doing? Oh, no takers? Well, let’s at least look at inflation trends and where I expect interest rates to go.

Thanks to COVID-related supply chain disruptions, inflation has stabilized around 3% (instead of the Fed’s magic 2%). Those baby boomers are also part of the problem. As they age into retirement, capital availability is going to decline and the Fed’s going to have rethink their strategy.

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The World Needs More Babies

The World Needs More Babies

Well, it looks like there’s something in the water in the US and it ain’t little blue pills. The recent US Census data shows a 40-year low in the birth rate – about 1.6 per woman.

With the birth rate well below the replacement level, there could be huge economic implications that follow. There are plenty of other countries facing similar demographic issues, so the US has plenty of case studies to read up on.

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Tik Tik Tik Tik TOK

Tik Tik Tik Tik TOK

A little over a year ago, we discussed a potential ban on TikTok in the US. Well, President Biden finally signed the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act”, which would ban TikTok or force its parent company, ByteDance, to sell it.

You can bet that TikTok won’t go down without a fight, so we’ll probably still be talking about this a year from now…but that still leaves Mets/Facebook to worry about!

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Jane’s Walk in Camden a Success

Jane’s Walk in Camden a Success

Camden’s “Jane’s Walk” visited four of the dam sites on Megunticook River, Saturday, May 4, 2024 — 2:00 p.m. The walk showed a dramatic waterfall at each site except at Montgomery Dam. There has been an ongoing debate about the future of these dams and their waterfalls. This walk was led by volunteer members of “Save the Dam Falls,” which is offering a counter-argument to the Town of Camden’s campaign to remove the dams, millponds, and waterfalls, particularly the spectacular Montgomery Falls at the head of the harbor.

What a great response and wonderful event with 70 people and one osprey chirping up above us in a tree. He was rooting us on!

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Japan Beefing up their Naval Aviation

Japan Beefing up their Naval Aviation

The Japanese Navy is getting a face lift with the conversion of the Izumo-class destroyers into small supercarriers capable of holding F-35s (compliments of the US).

This marks Japan’s return to full-scale naval aviation and is a reflection of the overall strategic shift in Japan’s military posture. With regional affairs growing more dicey by the day (ahem, China), Japan is straightening out its military posture and looking to play a more assertive role.

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Can RFK Jr. Alter The the 2024 Presidential Election?

Can RFK Jr. Alter The the 2024 Presidential Election?

RFK II has a presidential name, but I don’t think he’ll be finding himself in that position this go around. However, he does have the opportunity to cause some problems for Trump in the process.

Donald Trump has created enough challenges for himself by dividing the Republican party and alienating independents, but RFK Jr. might be able to add one more challenge to Trump’s campaign. We all know the conspiracy theorist wackadoos love Trump, but RFK Jr. is catching the eyes of some of the crazies.

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