Robotic cats help dementia patients

 https://www.uchealth.org/today/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients

Lifelike cats, dogs and birds help older patients stay calm and feel at home when they have to be hospitalized. If the success of a UCHealth pilot project is any measure, robotic cats, dogs, and birds could become pivotal in supporting older patients.

Robotic companion pets first emerged as care enhancers for dementia patients in 2004 with the commercialization, in Japan, of a baby harp seal robot called PARO. The idea was to help reduce loneliness, agitation and anxiety among people with dementia. PARO cost several thousand dollars, and its target market was nursing care facilities rather than hospitals.

But at a conference early this year, Jennifer Rodgers, University of Colorado Hospital’s chief nursing officer, attended a presentation about PARO’s benefits for hospitalized dementia patients. She discussed the possibility of robotic companion pets with Fehlig, who did some research and suggested using robotic cats, dogs and birds rather than the baby seal. There were several advantages to switching from aquatic to dryland creatures.

Deficit of $294 Billion in May 2026

 The federal government incurred a deficit of $294 billion in May 2026, CBO estimates— $21 billion less than the deficit recorded for the previous May.  The federal budget deficit totaled $1.2 trillion [actually $1.248 trillion] in the first eight months of fiscal year 2026, the Congressional Budget Office estimates. That amount is $116 billion less than the deficit recorded during the same period last fiscal year [which was $1.364 trillion]. Revenues rose by $174 billion (or 5 percent), and outlays increased by $57 billion (or 1 percent).  Outlays for net interest on the public debt rose by $28 billion (or 32 percent) [to $742 billion FYTD].

The Debt Held By the Public as of 5/29/26 was $31.5 trillion, compared to $30.0 trillion as of 5/30/25, so it increased almost exactly 5% over the last year.

Catfight

 Candace Owens' most revolting attack EVER: In a new rant almost too atrocious to publish, she takes her nastiest MAGA feud nuclear... sending shockwaves into the heart of the White House

Source: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15864557/candace-owens-laura-loomer-attack-white-house-trump.html

This is something involving Laura Loomer.

I don't really care, but I will follow up at some point with more details.  I used to support Candace Owens 100%, but that ended after her attempted take-down of Victor Marx.  Laura Loomer is a nasty women, and Candace is stupid for even responding; she should have been smart enough to take the high road.  Now this is like bikini mud wrestling between two ugly broads - I don't care who wins, but it is mildly entertaining.

How the US is Quietly Erasing The $39 Trillion National Debt

 See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRumSzwsaRw

THREE WAYS OUT When a government has this much debt, there are only three realistic paths: austerity, default, or inflation. Austerity means tax hikes and spending cuts, but that is politically almost impossible because it would require painful cuts to programs like Social Security, Medicare, and defense. Default would be catastrophic because U.S. Treasuries are the foundation of the global financial system. That leaves the third option: slowly shrinking the debt through inflation. INFLATION SOLUTION If the government pays 2.5% interest while inflation runs at 6%, the real value of the debt shrinks by 3.5% per year. The debt technically remains, but its burden becomes smaller. This is how governments can quietly reduce debt without officially defaulting or admitting that savers are absorbing the cost. FINANCIAL REPRESSION The U.S. used this playbook after World II. Debt reached roughly 106% of GDP, and instead of paying it down through responsible budgeting, the government kept interest rates artificially low while inflation ran higher. Treasury bills were pegged at 0.375%, long-term bonds at 2.5%, and inflation at times reached double digits. Savers and bondholders earned negative real returns, while the national debt was inflated away over time.

I have blogged about this before, see: https://aftermath2022.blogspot.com/2026/04/financial-repression.html

So, we should expect more inflation.

Now, look at Graham Stephan's links, copied from a link off his video.

CLAIM: SOURCE:

USA Debt-To-GDP https://www.visualcapitalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/US_Debt_to_GDP_Shareable.jpg

America's Path To $38T National Debt https://finance.yahoo.com/news/america-path-38-trillion-national-140000583.html

National Debt Surpasses WW2 Peak https://fortune.com/2026/05/08/america-national-debt-surpass-ww2-peak-washington-budget-cuts-tax-rich-deficit/

National Debt Will Hit $50T By 2030 https://www.forbes.com/sites/eriksherman/2026/01/26/at-current-rates-the-national-debt-will-hit-486-trillion-by-2030/

Government Interest Cost Over Time https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/2023-03/interest%20costs.png?itok=-pkpZSIS

The Debt Spiral - Explained https://www.crfb.org/blogs/cbo-projects-possible-debt-spiral-r-exceeds-g

The Federal Reserve Rate Cut Plan https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/07/03/trump-fed-rate-cuts-us-debt/84440487007/

 Government Interest Exceeds National Defense https://fortune.com/2026/04/29/39-trillion-national-debt-defense-spending-donald-trump/

 Policy Budgets Over Time https://www.cato.org/research-briefs-economic-policy/look-back-ahead-federal-budget

Plan To Cut $1T Spending In Big Beautiful Bill https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-unveils-plan-cut-deficit-1-trillion-second-big-beautiful-bill

Financial Repression https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_repression

USA Debt-To-GDP Adjusted For Spending https://thedailyeconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/image-2.png

Inflation Rates Throughout The 1940s https://www.lynalden.com/wp-content/uploads/policy-1940s-inflation-rates.png

How The USA Saved The National Debt https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/wp/2024/english/wpiea2024005-print-pdf.pdf

Kevin Warsh Joins Federal Reserve https://www.barrons.com/articles/kevin-warsh-federal-reserve-plan-f3da1a02

Kevin Warsh Appointed Chair of Federal Reserve https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/may/11/senate-kevin-warsh-federal-reserve-chair

Federal Policy Changes Over Time https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_recenttrends.htm

Inflation - Substitution Bias https://www.nber.org/papers/w33665

Hedonic Adjustments To Inflation https://www.bls.gov/cpi/quality-adjustment/questions-and-answers.htm