progree
progree's JournalHard boiled eggs
The most common Internet suggestions look something like this:
Put eggs in saucepan, add cold water (eggs b4 water) to cover, and heat it up rapidly to boiling
Turn off heat and set a timer for 10 minutes
After 10 minutes, dunk the eggs in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Best to begin peeling while still warm.
Anyway almost all the methods I've seen, and I've seen many, have this in common.
I found peeling to be a real bit by bit by bit chore. I decided never again.
I found but lost a great article that discussed positively and skeptically all the different suggestions that can be found, so unfortunately I can't post it. But here are a couple of articles:
We Tried the 5 Best Ways to Perfectly Peel a Hard-Boiled Egg
These are the most effective techniques from Reddit and YouTube.
https://www.prevention.com/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/a20486471/best-way-to-peel-a-hard-boiled-egg/
We're Using a Spoon To Peel Our Hard-Boiled Eggs From Now On ...
Take an egg out of the cooling water and crack it along the fat end by tapping it on the counter or cutting board. Peel just enough shell to be able to slip the tip of a spoon under the shell. Carefully slide the spoon in so that the curve of the spoon follows the curve of the egg. Then, rotate the egg as you move the spoon between the shell and the egg white.
https://www.southernliving.com/food/dairy/eggs/how-to-peel-boiled-egg-with-spoon
Does anyone have some suggestions to make this all easy? Thanks
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BTW, my gas stove gave out some time ago, and I've been making do with slow cookers, which fortunately also have grill bases. But these are kind of slow heating - I think they max out at 500 watts.
I have on order from Amazon:
CUSIMAX Electric Hot Plate for Cooking Portable Single Burner 1500W Cast Iron hot plates Heat-up in Seconds Adjustable Temperature Control Stainless Steel Non-Slip Rubber Feet Upgraded Version B101
https://www.amazon.com/CUSIMAX-Electric-Adjustable-Temperature-Stainless/dp/B07D71TD67/ref=sxin_17_sbv_search_btf
-- Not induction, 8.78"D x 11.6"W x 3.39"H (so roughly 9" X 12", < 4"tall) Wattage 1500 watts
-- "uses 7 thermostatically controlled heat settings conveniently to cook a variety of foods such as warm sauces, decoct steak, grilled cheese, boil water, make soup, cook pasta and vegetables and do so much more. Meet your daily cooking needs."
Anyway, for a hot plate, I've never seen so many bells and whistles.
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As for what to have for breakfast, I haven't thought about it yet, beyond sipping a cup of coffee now. I don't have any eggs around, so it won't be hard-boiled eggs.
EDITED TO ADD: 3 prunes, and an apple, (and the coffee) and that's probably going to be about it. I'm just not hungry for anything that's in the fridge/cupboards/pantry right now.
GRAPHS (Final Edition. Previously was Dump-and-Run Preliminary Edition)
PPI (top, red graph): June: +0.1%, 12 months: +0.2%,
Average of last 3 months: -0.7% (annualized)
Rolling 3 month average (annualized) thru June'23, last 8 readings
4.0% 1.5% 2.0% 0.3% 0.1% -1.4% -2.8% -0.7%
^--The first number is the 3 month average Sep'22 - Nov'22
The second number is the 3 month average Oct'22 - Dec'22
The third number is the 3 month average Nov'22 - Jan'23
and so on with the last number being the 3 month average Apr'23-Jun'23
===================================================
CORE (final demand less foods, energy, and trade services, bottom blue graph): June: +0.1% , 12 months: +2.6%
Average of last 3 months: +0.8% (annualized)
Rolling 3 month average (annualized) thru June'23, last 8 readings
3.4% 2.9% 4.3% 4.0% 3.9% 2.2% 1.0% 0.8%
^--The first number is the 3 month average Sep'22 - Nov'22
The second number is the 3 month average Oct'22 - Dec'22
The third number is the 3 month average Nov'22 - Jan'23
and so on with the last number being the 3 month average Apr'23-Jun'23
===================================================
Latest PPI summary http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ppi.nr0.htm
Producer prices front page: http://www.bls.gov/ppi/
Producer Price Index (PPI), seasonally adjusted http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/WPSFD4?output_view=pct_1mth
OLD CORE PPI - Producer Price Index, seasonally adjusted - Final demand goods less foods and energy -
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/WPSFD413?output_view=pct_1mth
CORE PPI - Producer Price Index, seasonally adjusted - Final demand less foods. energy. and trade services -
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/WPSFD49116?output_view=pct_1mth
I use the latter Core PPI (final demand less foods, energy, and trade services) because that's what the BLS features in its news release).
===================================================
Graphs from yesterday's CPI report:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143099462#post12
This is the last inflation report before the Fed's rate-setting decision on July 26.
The PCE inflation report -- the Fed's favorite -- comes out after the meeting on July 28 (why don't they coordinate? I read the Federal Reserve has 800 PhD's in Economics, not enough apparently).
Thanks BRDS for the help on annotating graphs / images. I've come up with something that's a little more awkward than it should be (In Paint having to save the annotated image and then open it up again, can't just Control C copy instead), but anyway it works. More later. Thanks again.
Since January 2021, stock market total return: +17.19%, But consumer prices up 15.91%
So the purchasing power of the total U.S. stock market fund is up 1.10% since inflation began in about January 2021... that is, since inflation consistently above the 2% target began.
The market: VTSAX Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (total U.S. stock market)
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/VTSAX/history
Using the Adjusted Close figures which are adjusted for reinvested dividends. Thus these are total return figures:
1/1/21: 91.66
7/12/23: 107.42
+17.19%
Inflation: CPI:
https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SA0
1'21: 262.650 (1'21 means January 2021)
6'23: 303.841
7'23: 304.449 (I just made it 0.2% higher than 6'23)
+15.91%
Real (inflation-adjusted) market up 107.42/91.66 * 262.650/304.449 = 1.01104 => 1.10%.
As for when sustained inflation above the Fed's 2.0% target began: It went above the pre-pandemic approximately 2.0% trendline in around January-February 2021
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CPIAUCSL
IMGUR beginning May 2017 
One has to get their straight edge out -- I couldn't figure out how to draw a straight line on the graph at IMGUR or the Windows Snip Tool.
I've also looked at every CPI graph from month-by-month to rolling 3 month averages, 6 month averages, 12 month averages, even rolling 36 month averages, so I'm comfortable that January 2021 is close.
Another interesting thing about the above graph is that the inflection point where inflation began a marked slowdown is clear on the graph: around June or July 2022. That X-axis label that is obscured by the "i" in Picsart is July 2022, and that's about where the "kink" is. No surprise: the month over month figures in May 2022 is 0.9% and June is 1.2%, followed by 0.0% and 0.2% in July and August 2022 respectively, making for a rather sharp change in slope.
As for the current CPI and core CPI trends (in the past 13 months or so):
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143099462#post12
Graphs (the Core CPI finally edges down on a rolling 3 month basis)
though nowadays they look at things like "supercore service inflation" and core ex shelter and who knows what other series.
First the regular headline CPI number, and the regular month-by-month increases (rolling 3 months stuff comes later) :
Now the CORE CPI number that the Fed is more interested in (though actually its the CORE PCE inflation gauge that historically has been their #1 gauge of underlying inflation trend to project FUTURE inflation)
Obviously a nice move downward in June. It is actually a 0.16% increase when calculated using the actual index numbers (1.91% annualized). But is it a "one off" outlier?
CORE CPI Rolling 3 month average thru June 2023:
A rolling 3 month helps smooth out month-to-month volatility, and since 3 months is an average of 3 data points, is less likely to be dismissed as a "one off" like a single month's increase could be.
It's been stuck in the 4 to 5% range since November, but has hit the bottom of that range (4.08% annualized calculated using the actual index numbers). Still 2X the Fed's target. So yes, more rate hikes are coming (next Fed rate-setting meeting is July 26-27)
Various series:
BLS CPI press release: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm
CPI: https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SA0&output_view=pct_1mth
CORE CPI: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SA0L1E&output_view=pct_1mth
For all BLS timeseries data, one can see the index values and other periods like rolling 3 month, rolling 6 month, rolling 12 months by clicking "More Formatting Options" on the upper right and then on the page that shows up, check the various checkboxes
REAL AVERAGE HOURLY EARNINGS of production and non-supervisory workers https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES0500000032 ,
. . . private workers: https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES0500000013
CPI excluding shelter - https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUUR0000SA0L2
. . . FRED: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUUR0000SA0L2
. . . Table 3 has CPI ex shelter, as well as Core ex shelter https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.t03.htm
Rent (SA) https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SEHA
Fred: (SA) Rent of Primary Residence in U.S. City Average https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUSR0000SEHA
(NSA) https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUSR0000SEHA
SA = Seasonally Adjusted, NSA = Not Seasonally Adjusted
Today's PCE Inflation Report - the Fed's favorite gauge (core PCE)
The PCE Inflation report came out today, Friday 6/30/23. On the overall inflation, May (+0.1%) was a welcome low-side surprise after the sizable 0.4% increase in April (see the red bars in the below graph), while the core PCE inflation still remains high, but the downtick in May (0.3%) compared to April (0.4%) was appreciated -- see the blue bars.
The Federal reserve's favorite inflation gauge for projecting FUTURE inflation has been the core PCE (which is the PCE less food and energy). It's not that food and energy are unimportant, but are quite volatile from month to month. The core measure is thought to be better for projecting trends into the future.
Below is the CORE PCE inflation trend -- the rolling 3 month average and the rolling 6 month average
The 3 month rolling average had a nice little downturn because the big January increase (+0.6%) dropped out of the 3 month range in April.
It's still stuck at a little bit more than double the Fed's 2% target.
*********LINKS
PCE News release: http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/pi/pinewsrelease.htm
. . . Current release: https://www.bea.gov/news/2023/personal-income-and-outlays-may-2023
The above shows the last 5 months. I found the latest 12 months (and way beyond) at FRED:
PCE: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PCEPI
CORE PCE: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PCEPILFE
The rolling 3 month and 6 month figures are calculated from the index values from the above FRED series for the CORE PCE (not from doing one digit math averages).
Consumer Price Index (CPI) released June 13
For comparison purposes, here is the most recent consumer price index graph (through May, released June 13)
CPI - https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SA0&output_view=pct_1mth
CORE CPI - http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SA0L1E&output_view=pct_1mth
(Choose "More Formatting Options" at the upper right of the page for other views such as rolling averages of past 12 months, past 6 months, past 3 months)
Unfortunately the CORE CPI shows the same stubborn stickiness at around 0.4%/month for the last 8 months.
Graphs (the Core CPI, which traditionally is the favorite measure of the Fed, is stubbornly stuck)
though nowadays they look at things like "supercore service inflation" and core ex shelter and who knows what other series.
Edited to add Same graph as above but CPI and CORE CPI shown separately for less clutter and more clarity
Various series:
BLS CPI press release: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm
CPI: https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SA0&output_view=pct_1mth
CORE CPI: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SA0L1E&output_view=pct_1mth
For all BLS timeseries data, one can see the index values and other periods like rolling 3 month, rolling 6 month, rolling 12 months by clicking "More Formatting Options" on the upper right and then on the page that shows up, check the various checkboxes
REAL AVERAGE HOURLY EARNINGS of production and non-supervisory workers https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES0500000032 ,
. . . private workers: https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES0500000013
CPI excluding shelter - https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUUR0000SA0L2
. . . FRED: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUUR0000SA0L2
. . . Table 3 has CPI ex shelter, as well as Core ex shelter https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.t03.htm
Rent (SA) https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SEHA
Fred: (SA) Rent of Primary Residence in U.S. City Average https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUSR0000SEHA
(NSA) https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUSR0000SEHA
SA = Seasonally Adjusted, NSA = Not Seasonally Adjusted
Today's PCE Inflation Report - the Fed's favorite gauge (core PCE)
The PCE Inflation report came out today, Friday 5/26/23. On the overall inflation, April (+0.4%) was a surprise increase from March (+0.1%) (see the red bars in the below graph), while the core PCE inflation still remains high, and has not come down much in recent months -- see the blue bars.
The Federal reserve's favorite inflation gauge for projecting FUTURE inflation has been the core PCE (which is the PCE less food and energy). It's not that food and energy are unimportant, but are quite volatile from month to month. The core measure is thought to be better for projecting trends into the future.
Below is the CORE PCE inflation trend -- the rolling 3 month average and the rolling 6 month average
The 3 month rolling average had a nice little downturn because the big January increase (+0.6%) dropped out of the 3 month range
It's still stuck at a little bit more than double the Fed's 2% target.
*********LINKS
PCE News release: http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/pi/pinewsrelease.htm
The above shows the last 5 months. I found the latest 12 months (and way beyond) at FRED:
PCE: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PCEPI
CORE PCE: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PCEPILFE
The rolling 3 month and 6 month figures are calculated from the index values from the above FRED series for the CORE PCE (not from doing one digit math averages).
Consumer Price Index (CPI) released May 10
For comparison purposes, here is the most recent consumer price index graph (through April, released May 10)
CPI - https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SA0&output_view=pct_1mth
CORE CPI - http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SA0L1E&output_view=pct_1mth
(Choose "More Formatting Options" at the upper right of the page for other views such as rolling averages of past 12 months, past 6 months, past 3 months)
Inflation measures - last 3 months annualized, thru April 2023. Up to date as of 5/26/23
. . REGULAR CORE
PCE 3.13% 4.25%
CPI 3.21% 5.10%
PPI -0.44% 2.16% (Producer Price Index, aka Wholesale Prices)
Cooling wholesale prices should ideally be reflected in the PCE and CPI in the next month or two, but seems not to be that good of a predictor.
Suspected arson damages St. Paul Islamic center, 6th attack on MN mosques this year
... Few details were initially available, but the fire is said to have happened at Tawhid Islamic Center of Minnesota, which is on the 400 block of Dale Street. Crews responded at about 8:45 a.m. (Wednesday morning, 5/17 -progree) on a report of flames coming from the building.
This is the sixth suspected attack on a mosque this year in Minnesota, and the second in two weeks in St. Paul, after security cameras captured vandals throwing rocks at the Masjid al-Sunnah Mosque on Pederson Street. (Vandals? I thought there was just one -progree)
Police officials saying they will increase patrols at mosques across the city, and Carter promised he'll lobby to raise funds for more security cameras.
Emphasis added by progree.
More: including video of the damage: https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/st-paul-fd-investigating-suspected-arson-at-islamic-center-on-dale-street/
Prime-age workers are flooding back into the workforce. Older workers are staying home
Adriana Belmonte·Senior Distribution Editor, Yahoo Finance, 5/12/23
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/prime-age-workers-are-flooding-back-into-the-workforce-older-workers-are-staying-home-131339316.html
LFPR = Labor Force Participation rates
The graphs are fascinating so I'm listing them. What is below the "GRAPH" line in each case is Progree's impression of what's most interesting about the graph.
Always remember that for plain ol' LFPR, that is age 16 to infinity, yes including centenarians, and are affected by the general aging of the workforce, the rapidly increasing average age of the senior component of the population, and of course boomer retirements. The age 55+ is also increasingly average older age too.
GRAPH: LFPR of 25-54 years old aka Prime Age, and age 55+ (1/2018 onward) .
Age 25-54 is at 83.3%, equal to the pre-pandemic high of January 2020 and the highest rate since September 2008
GRAPH: Job Openings and Hires. (9/2016 onward)
Job openings have fallen to lowest since April '21. But this is still way up from what preceded April 2021
GRAPH: LFPR of: Hispanics/Latinos, Blacks, Whites (1/2019 onward).
Hispanics/Latinos are about 5 percentage points higher than whites, Blacks about 2 percentage points higher than whites in a recent upsurge. Remember the labor force participation rate is the percentage of the age 16+ population (in this graph) that is employed or is actively seeking work (more than just looking at job listings is required to be included in this). Something to keep in mind when some redneck says "them uhh multicultural types are lazy and don't want to work nowadays".
GRAPH: LFPR (1/1971 onward)
Also included is a lot of blah blah about the factors that may be depressing older people's LFPR and holding some back of all ages (compared to say the peak decades ago - the prime age peak was around 2000). I won't attempt to summarize all that or excerpt-icize all that.
Here's a dump of many LFPR data series
The LFPR is the Employed + jobless people who have looked for work in the last 4 weeks (and say they want a job and are able to take one if offered. Looking for work involves more than just looking at job listings). All divided by the civilian non-institutional population age 16+ (in the case of the regular LFPR, or divided by the civilian non-institutional population of whatever age, gender, race etc. for the various sub-demographic measures. For example. the LFPR of age 25-54 females is the number of those employed or actively seeking work divided by the civilian non-institutional population of age 25-54 females.)
SA means Seasonally adjusted. NSA means Not Seasonally Adjusted
LFPR - Labor Force Participation Rate for some age groups
16+: SA: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300000 NSA: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU01300000
16-24: SA: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11324887 NSA: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU01324887
25-34: SA: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300089 NSA: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU01300089
25-54: SA: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300060 NSA: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU01300060
55-64: -------------------- NSA: https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU01300095
55+: SA: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11324230 NSA: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU01324230
65+: SA: ---------------- NSA: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU01300097
[] Labor Force Participation Rate (prime age 25-54) by gender
All: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300060
Men: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300061
Women: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300062
[] Labor Force Participation Rate (age 16+) by gender
ALL: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300000
Men: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300001
Women: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300002
[] Labor Force Participation Rates, Blacks, Whites,
Black LFPR: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300006
White LFPR: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300003
LFPR age 25-54: LNS11300060 & LNU01300060 There are no SA timeseries available for black and white
Blacks: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU01300066 (no SA),
Whites: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU01300063 (no SA),
PPI Graphs and links (with yesterday's CPI graph at the bottom)
-------^^-DARN, that should read APR 2022, not APR 2023
Rolling 3 month average of CORE PPI (annualized), last 6 readings: 3.4%, 2.9%, 4.5%, 4.0%, 3.8%, 2.2%
The big January +0.6% reading dropped out of the 3 month average, helping to drop the 3 month average thru April by more than 1.5 percentage points
Latest PPI summary http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ppi.nr0.htm
Producer prices front page: http://www.bls.gov/ppi/
Producer Price Index (PPI), seasonally adjusted http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/WPSFD4?output_view=pct_1mth
OLD CORE PPI - Producer Price Index, seasonally adjusted - Final demand goods less foods and energy -
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/WPSFD413?output_view=pct_1mth
CORE PPI - Producer Price Index, seasonally adjusted - Final demand less foods. energy. and trade services -
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/WPSFD49116?output_view=pct_1mth
I use the latter Core PPI (final demand less foods, energy, and trade services) because that's what the BLS features in its news release).
Compare to yesterday's CPI report which is pretty much been flatlined for several months at more than double the Fed's 2% target
All about yesterday's CPI: https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143072605#post5
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Member since: Sat Jan 1, 2005, 04:45 AM
Number of posts: 10,907
