I yesterday began this series with a posting on my family. For completeness, I'll be going back in time through some of my roots searches in Japan. The featured individual is Kenjiro Takahashi, my father's father. For those new to this blog site, start with Part 1 , with a key posting being on 31March2009, providing the background. So anyway, as I said, Kenjiro is from Utashinai, Hokkaido, a place I have now visited twice. So coal was found in Utashinai when the town had 500 people. Kenjiro was sent to the U.S., but there is no info on where or when. He first came to Kauai in 1900 and had an important role in the building of that first hydro plant at Wainiha on Kauai. In the 1920s, Utashinai's population had grown to 30,000. Coal became depleted, and population today around 5000. Famous to now be the smallest city in Japan. The town has become a boutique village with a winery and ski resorts. To quote : The most exciting part about the potential search is ...
Before I go into my family, just one news matter: this decision yesterday. The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time in three years and signaled one more interest rate hike in the coming months as it aims to slow rising inflation. The central bank raised rates yesterday 0.25%, making its flagship rate 4.00%. And as of this week, all but two members of the Federal Open Market Committee forecast another rate increase this year. Inflation was up to 3.4% as of August, fueled by the Iran war’s impact on energy prices. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh told reporters that his agency can’t affect the prices of food and other items, “but what we can do, and will do, is ensure that any change in relative prices don’t broaden out.” President Donald Trump reacted to the decision by demanding interest rates be lowered, “AND FAST!” He later said the Fed’s decision was due to a “hostile board” that Warsh couldn't overpower. “I told, I talked to Kevin, and I think if ...