Saturday, February 14, 2026
New York firewood supplier sold face cord equivalents, 8'x4'x16", for $493 during recent winter cold snap
Shivering Americans Snap Up Firewood as Winter Grinds On...
... On Jan. 24, the day before a winter storm buried much of the Northeast in snow, Woodbourne Firewood had its highest-grossing sales day in the history of the company, which was started in New York in 2022, said Mr. Heby, 35, the owner. He said the company sold seven full cords of wood, units that are eight feet long, four feet tall and four feet deep, enough to fill a tractor-trailer and generating $10,356 in revenue in one day. ... Grahm Leitner, 48, a logging contractor and forester from Waterbury, Vt., said the number of days spent logging in a given year is about half of what it was in the 1980s, especially because of climate change. ...
It could be worse: If the average price of coffee in this chart had kept up with inflation since Jan 1980, the average price in Jan 2026 would be $13.42 instead of $9.37
Soaring coffee prices rewrite daily routines...
... Coffee prices in the U.S. were up 18.3% in January from a year ago, according to the latest Consumer Price Index released on Friday. Over five years, the government reported, coffee prices rose 47%. ...
Friday, February 13, 2026
On the eve of the election Trump promised cheaper grocery prices, but breakfast costs nearly 8% more in Jan 2026 than it did then
A basket of bacon and eggs, whole wheat bread and butter, coffee and whole milk, and orange juice cost on average $32.47 in the United States in 3Q2024. Stretched out over a week, your breakfast cost you $4.64 a day.
That same basket in Jan 2026 is now $35.00 on average, up $2.53 or 7.8%.
Stretched out over a week breakfast now costs $5.00 a day.
Meanwhile OJ hit a new high, and despite removing some coffee-related tariffs, coffee hit a new record high price in Jan 2026, too.
On the campaign trail in August 2024, Trump promised to cut energy prices by 50% but in Jan 2026 they are down just 4.3%, and entirely on the back of modestly falling gasoline prices
Average prices per unit of energy in 3Q2024 vs. Jan 2026:
Gasoline $3.496 vs. 2.961 (down 15.3%)
Natural Gas 1.403 vs. 1.704 (up 21.5%)
Electricity 0.178 vs. 0.192 (a new record high, up 7.9%)
Total 5.077 vs. 4.857 (down 4.3%)
The U.S. state capitalist EV boondoggle comes to an end, shape-shifting automakers take well-deserved $50 billion hit
Detroit Automakers Take $50 Billion Hit as EV Bubble Bursts
... Following years of investments into EV technology, the Detroit Big Three ... have announced more than $50 billion in combined write-downs.
EV sales fell more than 30% in the fourth quarter, after a $7,500 federal tax credit that had juiced U.S. sales expired in September. ...
Automakers’ retreats and massive write-downs have come as Republican lawmakers abolished a lucrative federal tax credit for EVs last fall, while also doing away with federal fuel-efficiency mandates. Even with federal support, EV demand was below expectations. ...
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Winning . . .
All today:
Feds declare victory in Minnesota immigration enforcement operation and begin withdrawal, cutting their losses
They leave two murdered civilians in their wake, a permanent stain on the Trump administration.
U.S. House votes 219-211 to overturn Trump tariffs on Canada
House votes to override Trump’s Canada tariffs
... the effort is likely symbolic. Even if the Senate approves Meeks’ resolution, Trump would likely veto the legislation. ...
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Federal government employment in Jan 2026 is down 324k since Trump took over, with local government employment up 140k and state government employment down 72k
That's a net hit to government jobs at all levels of 256k in Trump's first year.
The federal government last averaged 2.69 million employees in 1966. The Jan 2026 level is 2.686 million.


























