Make for thyself a definition or description of the thing which is presented to thee so as to see distinctly what kind of a thing it is, in its substance, in its nudity, in its complete entirety, and tell thyself its proper name, and the names of which it has been compounded, and into which it will be resolved. For nothing is so productive of elevation of mind as to be able to examine methodically and truly every object which is presented to thee in life, and always to look at things so as to see at the same time what kind of universe this is, and what kind of use everything performs in it, and what value everything has with reference to the whole, and what with reference to man, who is a citizen of the highest city, of which all other cities are like families; what each thing is and what it is composed, and how long it is the nature of this thing to endure

These Yuengling, Surfside, etc show how good PA is at building iconic consumer brands. Cannabis is another category where PA operators could absolutely build regional brands with global potential. Legislators have largely shut resident entrepreneurs out of the market thus far, but we’ll see if adult-use legalization finally unlocks some of that potential.

Every year, I share this video of French caretakers who take sand from Omaha Beach in Normandy, and scrub them into the letters to give them the gold coloring. They do this for all 9,386 US soldiers who died. France also gave us this land as American soil. #MemorialDayWeekend

Erin McClelland, the treasury candidate who criticized Shapiro, posted this in response to the Axios story:

Scoop: Josh Shapiro secretly helped a Republican state treasurer's 2024 reelection bid after the official's Democratic opponent had criticized Shapiro as a potential VP pick, a close Shapiro ally said last week. w/ @AlexThomp axios.com/2026/05/03/josh-sh…

As communities gather this weekend, @AstroVicGlover reflects on the shared spaceship we all call home: Earth.

"More Americans Are Breaking Into the Upper Middle Class: Research shows that ranks of higher earners have grown markedly over last 50 years, while lower rungs of middle class have shrunk" 😲 wsj.com/economy/more-america…

ISM beats. Highest ISM reading in 3 years. ISM is the benchmark survey for manufacturing. No one watching the trucking data should be surprised, as it’s been extremely clear that the industrials were ripping. Flatbeds have been on fire. Consumer products don’t move via flatbed. Only industrials and construction. Housing is a dog, so it has to be industrials.

Why aren’t any of these at risk hospitals publishing their full accounting so everyone can see where they spend their money ? All but one group of hospitals that I have looked at potentially investing in, spend so much on consultants and fees that it’s no wonder they are at risk Plus, I have NEVER seen an industry that is worse than hospitals when it comes to buying medications and items like implants, screws, other devices. They overpay for everything. And then when you show them how to save money, their “supply chain” employees resist any change. They are so set in their ways, it’s a shock more don’t go out of business. Prove me wrong.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania proves you can have farmland, fresh bread at dawn, a walkable downtown, and housing that doesn’t require Manhattan money.....all in the same place.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has lunch with President Bush, Dick Cheney, and Condoleezza Rice. After the failure of the Taba Peace Talks last month, Bush is asking Sharon to restart Israel-Palestine agreements.

Trucking volumes at 4-year high, up 10% YoY. Ignore the noise and focus on the signal. The freight market is telling us that the domestic economy is strengthening, not cooling.

I visited Cunningham Elementary in Austin to see firsthand how they serve real, scratch-cooked meals on a tight budget. Schools like this prove we can deliver high-quality food that fuels learning and builds lifelong health. We’re expanding programs like this to Make America Healthy Again.

Excellent reporting from @AndrewSeidman and @JoeYerardi linking Gov. Josh Shapiro's numerous big money campaign donors to their interests before the state government. inquirer.com/politics/pennsy…

ISM US Manufacturing Activity: 52.4 vs 51.5 exp. Back-to-back monthly expansions in manufacturing for the first time since 2022.

**PA WEEKLY VOTER REG UPDATE** 2/23-3/2 Net🔵 281 Overall Lead🔵 45,259 Gains Since Dec 24🔴 85,816 Dems narrowly win both organic registrations & switchers this week. GOP still doing well sine the election but the steady gains have fallen by the wayside. x.com/Five_Starrr/status/202…

This is big news heading into the 2026 Housing Season. Imagine your local housing market on 5% mortgages and consider you might see that sooner than you think The 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell 8 basis points to 6.01% for the week ending Wednesday, according to Freddie Mac. That's the lowest level since September 2022. The 15-year fixed dropped 9 basis points to 5.35%. finance.yahoo.com/personal-f…

Our new report highlights how U.S.-led innovation, tech and manufacturing advances are cutting costs for American farmers and consumers. Read The Right to Reap here ⬇️ americancommitment.org/right…

Josh Shapiro’s clergy abuse investigation boosted his reputation. Years later, some survivors feel he abandoned them. ebx.sh/i25dXT

James Van Der Beek passed away today. I’m a healthcare guy and I post about healthcare. Now I want to talk about James. He was special, he was 48 years old, a Father of six, a Husband. He was man who spent his final chapter teaching the ultimate guide to real life. James was part of my growing up. Dawson’s Creek. Varsity Blues. The 90s. He was just there, woven into the background. What he did over the last few years was bigger than any of that. He recorded a video on his last birthday. Cancer had taken everything he used to define himself. He couldn’t be the husband who helped around the house. He couldn’t pick up his kids and carry them to bed. He couldn’t work. He was too weak to prune the trees on his own property. And he sat with that. He asked himself the question most of us spend a lifetime avoiding: If I am none of the things I do, who am I? His answer was simple. Devastating. Beautiful. “I am worthy of God’s love simply because I exist. And if I’m worthy of God’s love, shouldn’t I also be worthy of my own?” That’s it. That’s the whole thing. We spend our careers building identities around what we produce, what we control, and what we can point to. And then life has a way of stripping it all down to the studs. James Van Der Beek faced that moment with the courage. He said cancer was the best thing that ever happened to him because it taught him how to live. He left behind his wife, Kimberly, six children, and a message that every father, husband, and man chasing the next thing needs to sit with. Watch this video. Then call someone you love. Thank you for your contribution. Rest easy…

**PA WEEKLY VOTER REG UPDATE** 2/2-2/9 Net🔵 826 Overall Lead🔵 43,703 Gains Since Dec 24🔴 87,372 Another tough week for the GOP. Lost on organic regs & party switchers. Still a massive amount of gains since December of 2024 but would like to see more! x.com/Five_Starrr/status/201…