The Globe’s Diti Kohl has a good story on Stop & Shop, the still dominant supermarket chain in Massachusetts (barely) that’s struggling to stay competitive with rivals who seem to grasp the importance of appearance and service at stores. … One expert refers to S&S as a “sterile, middle-of-the-road grocery store” while others have noted the service decline in its butcher and seafood departments. S&S is definitely at the bottom of my go-to store options when I’m thinking of buying steaks or seafood. 

Regarding the buzz out there about how Tim Walz’s high-school football team went from bottom-of-the-barrel losers to state champs in one year, I got the following email a short while back: “Can we get him to coach the Patriots??  Hopefully he has a new job and is too busy….”

Fyi: Walz was the team’s defensive and linebacker coach. Jerod Mayo, you’ve been warned.

WBUR’s Anthony Brooks has a good piece on how the economy poses challenges to Kamala Harris, particularly inflation. Presidents have little power to combat inflation. So what can she do? I have an idea: the federal government giving a $1,000 check to every adult American making $150K or less a year, similar to what the feds did several times during the pandemic. It won’t offset inflation’s total ravages over the past few years, but people will be pumped to get a check. It’s a simple, direct way to help with the groceries.

Re arguments it’s fiscally irresponsible: It’s no more irresponsible than Donald Trump’s tax cuts for the rich or vows to eliminate taxes for restaurant workers. … Re arguments it might exacerbate, not offset, inflation: Tie it to spending cuts elsewhere in the fed budget. … Harris needs to act soon on this. Trump might steal the idea.

Update – And the checks might also spur consumer spending for an economy that desperately needs it.

I’ve heard this a couple of times, that Kamala Harris picked Tim Walz as her running mate to maintain Dem unity, to keep the ‘honeymoon’ going. But winning in politics is about adding, not maintaining, and it’s about seeking votes in the center, not within your own party, in a general election. …  I could go on about how Harris caved to teacher unions, pro-Palestinian Dems, progressives in general, etc., etc. But enough with my griping about the Walz pick. Hopefully, it will turn out OK. He sounds like a good guy.

Amid all of yesterday’s news about global stock market mayhem, the UMass Donahue Institute did release a report showing that the state’s real gross product grew by 3.3 percent in the second quarter, exceeding expectations and exceeding the U.S. growth rate of 2.8 percent in 2Q. … But that data was before last week’s disappointing U.S. jobs data and yesterday’s resulting mini-panic over recession fears.

So much for tacking to the center. One can’t help but think Kamala Harris caved to the progressive wing of the party by picking Minnesota’s Tim Walz, who, as the NYT points out, “emerged from a field of candidates who had better name recognition and more politically advantageous states.” … One measly word that only Dems find funny propelled him to the top of her VP-search list? Apparently so. … It’s a disappointing choice. Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro would have helped the ticket more as moderate-liberal governor of a battleground state. He would have also solidified the Jewish-American vote. Walz’s Minnesota? It’s reliably blue. …

But I do like his history teacher, football coach and National Guard background.

Update – The Globe’s pundits react to the Walz pick – and I’m with David Shribman (who calls the selection, well, “weird”) and Shelly Cohen (“Vanilla: The taste of disappointment”).

Blaming Kamala Harris for yesterday’s market mayhem? A young-one ideologue connects the dots — and they miraculously confirm her worldview! … Via RealClearMarkets.com, which ought to be embarrassed for highlighting the piece.

Update – Another political pundit discovers what no economist in the whole wide world has found — that Joe Biden is responsible for Monday’s global markets meltdown.

One of the more forgettable teams in all of sports has found an unforgettable way to be remembered. … I include the White Sox in a Boston blog because I used to follow the White Sox when I lived in Chicago many moons ago. They were a frustrating team then. They’re beyond frustrating now.

Global markets are going a little berserk this morning, from Europe to Japan, due to fears of recession in the U.S. … Turns out Larry Edelman nailed it last week with his warning that the Fed was jeopardizing a “soft landing” by not lowering interest rates soon enough. The markets obviously agree.

Update – Larry ‘s on target again: “The risk of a recession is real, but the stock market meltdown is overdone.”

Update II — Paul Krugman thinks that the economy is looking “pre-recessionary” — and that the Fed needs to do something fast, i.e. lower interest rates.

The Globe’s James Sullivan has a good appreciation piece on Aerosmith, which has announced its retirement from the stage due to Steven Tyler’s damaged vocal cords. … A reader sent in his own mini-appreciation:

“Are Aerosmith done… or not? Through the great days and screwups, they persevered, overcame the dissing and worked their way up to greatness. Nobody will ever convince me that they made a better album than Rocks 48 years ago (I’m playing it now). Although 20 year ago blues tribute Honkin’ On Bobo is nothing to sneeze at. And through it all, they never forgot the hometown… “