People think that they are rational, but rational thought has virtually nothing to do with right-wing beliefs. Instead, it’s all about feelings. They believe whatever they feel is true, and bury themselves in echo chambers where everyone believes the same things, so that they aren’t confronted with cognitive dissonance.

I’m not sure I’m cut out to live in Svalbard.

Something like this would be ideal, though I don’t have the $7M+ one of these probably cost. Really fast too. Can hit 30kts and sail at or above wind speed with winds above 5mph. You could cover 200-400 nautical miles per day.

I’ve given some thought to a sailboat, as I love sailing.

I think the billionaires probably have given it a bit of forethought. On the positive side they’re an English speaking nation, and my Spanish is mid at best.

If I were to stay in the U.S., I’d probably go to Hawaii, probably Maui or Lanai.

If the world goes to shit and the UK is fighting with Russia, would Milei try to grab the Falklands?

Yeah, it may not be the best choice, but not the worst either. They’re not much of a threat to the big powers, and if they just stay out of it they’ll probably come through fine.

A proto-Waterworld scenario!

I had Uruguay and New Zealand on my list.

While the bill attempts to mitigate the criminal risk for providers handling pregnancy complications, it leaves intact the most powerful deterrent: steep penalties of up to $100,000 in fines, 99 years in prison and loss of medical license for those who violate the law.

If I’m a doctor, there is no way I’m sticking my neck out, even if this law opens the door a crack. No one wants to be the test case for what is or isn’t going to send you to prison for the rest of your life.

Yes, but what about for those of us outside of the Oval Office?

“My wife’s face was eaten by a leopard, but it is a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”

The banning of cigarettes in bars and restaurants made a huge difference. It used to be when you’d get into the shower the morning after going out, you’d reek of cigarettes. It was mind-blowing when that went away.

We know very little about the gut microbiome, so with very few exceptions, probiotic supplements are more or less useless and potentially unhelpful. Your best bet is to consume lots of fiber from varying sources, and eat fermented foods daily with live cultures (e.g, yogurt, sauerkraut, natto, etc.) There is a great blog, Eat Shit and Prosper, written by a microbiome scientist that is interesting and entertaining.

Gut microbiome dysbiosis is a hallmark of aging, so the meme checks out.

It’s almost as if relentless chaos makes it difficult for people to have confidence in the future.

My eyes told me the same thing.

Because things don’t turn on a dime. It’s going to take some time (and reductions in corporate profits) before it sinks in that the game has changed.

There is a reason central banks are buying gold, and that it is making new all-time highs, and recently breached $3K/oz. They’re anticipating the demise of the dollar, and minimizing their exposure to the chaos from the U.S. and buying gold instead of U.S. bonds. Look for this trend to accelerate, especially once the U.S. reaches the point where it can’t sell enough bonds to finance it’s budget deficit, leading to a massive debt crisis and the collapse of the dollar. Gold is already on track to be up >50% this year (up 13.7% so far ytd), and the consistent rise in gold while stocks and other investments fare poorly will only fuel the stampede. I’m confident that gold will end 2025 over $4k/oz, and that 2026 will be even crazier.