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Alexandre Pantoja releases statement after gruesome injury ends title reign at UFC 323 MMA FightingPantoja injured in opening seconds; Van wins title ESPNUFC 323 video: Joshua Van ends Alexandre Pantoja era with gruesome freak injury in 26 seconds Yahoo SportsAlexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van Prediction, Pick, Odds for UFC 323 (Saturday, December 6) Action Network
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The Federal Reserve served up a widely expected third consecutive jumbo rate hike when it concluded its regularly scheduled two-day meeting on Wednesday. Chair Jerome Powell and the rest of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) raised the federal funds rate by 75 basis points. (A basis point equals 0.01%.)
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Although the move matched consensus expectations, a significant portion of the bond market - and plenty of traders and tacticians, for that matter - were bracing for a whopping 100 bp rate hike. Uncertainty over just how hawkish the Fed would reveal itself to be has cast a pall on equities over the preceding weeks, and so a rate hike of "only" three-quarters of a percentage point was actually met with some relief. Stocks sold off sharply when the Fed released its statement at 2 p.m. Eastern, but then drifted back into positive territory during Powell's press conference, which began a half-hour later.
Ultimately, however, the major indexes finished in the red. That's because the Fed's bottom line is that inflation is by no means under control. And while there might be ample anecdotal and emotional evidence pointing to the contrary, the economy is simply running too hot. An imbalance in supply and demand in the labor market and related strong real wage growth, snarled supply chains and a rising dollar are just some of the factors confounding monetary policymakers - not to mention corporate revenues and profit margins.
As we've
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Many farmers are facing a critical retirement decision. The traditions of yesterday are often changing, and their children may no longer want to follow in their parents' footsteps. The challenges are many. However, there are options available.
In 1971, I began my farming career at the tender age of 9 in the Skagit Valley, 60 miles north of Seattle. Crop farming was my gig; rouging spinach, sorting tulips, picking strawberries, raspberries and cucumbers alongside the migrant workers from Mexico. When I was old enough, I was driving picking machines with a dozen kids lying on boards over a conveyor belt, or driving an open tractor pulling a green pea combine while traveling about 1 mile in four hours.
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Today, at the age of 59, I realize that I've been preparing this article for 50 years. During 12-hour shifts on the open tractor, it rained, often. My family could not afford proper rain gear, so a plastic lawn bag with holes punched out for my head and arms provided quite well. Working six of these shifts every seven days gives a teenager time to reflect. That's when I decided farming was very hard and I wanted an easy office job someday!
Challenges for Farmers Today
A huge debt of gratitude is owed to the men and women who feed the world. You face unprecedented challenges:
Mother NatureInconsistent commodity prices
Lack of access to labor
Global competition with lower costs of operations
Lack of resources to compete with larger corporate farming technology
Next-generation (family) choosing a different career path
You are at an age where you need to slow down or retire completely
Potential income tax law changes
Inheritance and estat
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