HAL’S HEADLINES: Don’t celebrate the death of inflation just yet

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Inflation dipped last month to 2.5% which will likely lead to another drop in the Bank of Canada rate in September. It’s good news. But inflation isn’t done yet. University of Manitoba professor John McCallum says inflation is a lot like Jason from the Friday the 13th movies … every time you think it’s dead, it comes back to life. And he should know, he remembers inflation of almost 13% in 1974. To be clear, inflation is easing but that doesn’t mean prices are going down. They’re just not rising as fast as they were when inflation peaked at over 8% a couple summers ago. Inflation may be nearing the 2% target and it appears interest rates are on their way down again but the pain continues for people trying to make ends meet each month. And also, let’s hope government starts doing its part by controlling spending, although I’m not holding my breath on that one.

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CHURCHILL ’74 REUNION

Lawyer friend Bob Sokalsi tells me his 1974 graduating class from Churchill High School is celebrating its 50th anniversary late next month. He says tracking down classmates and friends has been challenging so if you’re just now hearing about this, please contact Wendy Morris at wjmorris2@outlook.com. The weekend begins on Thursday, Sept. 24 with a school tour. There’s also a Bulldogs football game, a meet and greet and a social. Go to Eventbrite.ca to register for many of the festivities. Soko says any surplus funds raised during the celebration will be used to donate a lasting legacy gift to the school.

KIDNEY CHARITY BBQ

Janan Zeid and her friend Nicole Black are doing it again. They’re holding another charity barbeque on Sunday in support of the Kidney Foundation. It’s happening from 10 to 6 at Food Fare at 2285 Portage Ave. Along with the food, there’s also going to be prizes, games and music. Soon after their first BBQ last summer, Janan’s mom was able to go off dialysis when she received a kidney transplant. I love that Janan and Nicole continue to do what they can for other people with kidney disease.

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BATHROOM SINK BACTERIA

You’ll probably go clean your bathroom sink after reading this. A new study from Flinders University in Australia says the sink in your bathroom may be home to more potentially harmful bacteria than its hospital counterpart. The study says a sink’s drain is especially bad, possibly harbouring Legionella which causes Legionnaires’ disease.

IT’S GONNA BE A BAD DAY

The average person knows if it’s going to be a bad day by 8:36 a.m. A poll of 2,000 people also found that the average person endures four bad days a month which totals 48 days over the course of a year. Just over one-quarter of us say the day is a complete loss when something goes sideways in the morning. Here are the top five morning incidents that mean a bad day is on the way…

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1. Waking up feeling sick (35%)
2. Sleeping poorly throughout the night (31%)
3. Waking up with a headache (29%)
4. Losing keys (26%)
5. Forgetting phone at home (25%)

HIGH-HEELED SNEAKERS

Sara Blakely, who founded Spanx, says the next essential accessory for the busy modern woman is high-heeled sneakers. The new footwear is made of Napa leather, mesh and suede and it’s engineered to eliminate pain points that are common with high heels. Prices range from $395 to $595 a pair.

— Hal has written columns for years. He’s also the host of Connecting Winnipeg weekday mornings from 10 to noon on 680 CJOB. You can email him at Hal@HalAnderson.ca.

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