US college graduates cannot afford the glorious consumerism that has come to define the nation
Once upon a time, achieving the American dream required a bit of consumerism, like owning a home and an automobile. Today, however, an increasing number of youth, confronted as they are with deep economic uncertainty, have stepped back from chasing the seductive illusion.
In what has become something of an American rite of passage, millions of young people each year leave the family nest and head off for university, which is typically followed by starting a career and family of their own. Yet the decades-old tradition has suffered a setback of late as many graduates are scampering back home once they get a taste of the harsh economic realities beyond the sheltered college campus, like affording their own home or apartment.
Not since the aftermath of the Great Depression has the US witnessed anything like it: 45% of all Americans ages 18 to 29 – about 23 million young men and women – are still living with their parents, according to a survey conducted by Harris Polls on behalf of Bloomberg News.
The newfound preference for life in the familial basement is no surprise considering that mortgage rates currently stand at a 22-year high (7.23% on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage), while house prices have gone through the proverbial roof. For the second quarter of 2023, the average sales price of homes sold in the United States was $495,100, just $60,000 below the record average price set at the end of 2022. Since the beginning of 2019, the cost of buying a home has risen by more than a hundred thousand dollars. Not surprisingly, mortgage demand has recently sunk to a 28-year low, with applications down 44% from last year.....more below
https://www.rt.com/news/585391-us-college-lack-consumer-income/
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday the upcoming start of ground strikes against drug cartel targets in Latin America.
He made the remarks during Christmas greetings to the military.
Trump said the United States was "now going after the land" in its fight against drug cartel targets, noting that drug trafficking by sea was down 96 percent.
The U.S. president also extended special congratulations to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, currently deployed in the Caribbean.
BEIJING (Sputnik) - China has begun operating the world's first intelligent ultra-large oil tanker powered by methanol, the China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Monday.
The tanker, designed to transport crude oil, was successfully put into operation in the city of Dalian in China's northeastern coastal province of Liaoning, the report said. State-owned company Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co Ltd independently designed and built the vessel, it added.
The tanker is approximately 333 meters (1,092 feet) long and can carry around 2.1 million barrels of crude oil, the CCTV reported. Designed to produce low emissions and having intelligent control capabilities, the tanker will serve the route to the Middle East, among others, according to the report.
The vessel is powered by a dual-fuel methanol engine, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 92% compared to conventional fuel, the CCTV reported. It is equipped with an intelligent ship platform, an intelligent liquid cargo ...
A car bomb has killed a senior General Staff member, officials have confirmed
Source: The Investigative Committee
A Russian general has been killed in a car bomb blast in Moscow, the Investigative Committee has reported.
Officials identified the victim as Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of operational training at the General Staff. According to the statement, an explosive device had been planted beneath the vehicle he was traveling in, and detonated on Monday morning in the southern part of the Russian capital.
The blast also damaged several other vehicles and seriously injured Sarvarov’s driver, media reports stated.
Russian officials said one line of investigation is an assassination carried out by Ukrainian intelligence services, noting that Kiev has previously used explosive devices in targeted killings of officials and public figures.
Last December, a bomb hidden in an e-scooter killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense ...
