Can Paternal Metformin Use Cause Birth Defects?

Peter Attia on a recent study that shows paternal metformin usage may cause birth defects:

Collectively, these results indicate an alarming association between paternal metformin exposure and birth defects, particularly in male offspring...

Adult males diagnosed with type 2 diabetes keep getting younger and younger which leads to more and more males reproducing while on metformin. To me this stresses two things - we really don't know the long-term effects of many of the prescription drugs being handed out like candy. Second and more importantly it stresses the need for our healthcare industry and culture at large to highlight proper diet and exercise. 

You want to be a dad? Start by joining a gym and stop drinking soda.

Want This Made into a Painting for Christmas

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Monday Flotsam and Jetsam

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

Suck it Kyrie! As always please subscribe, hit the Like button, and share with others. Thanks in advance. 

How Kyiv was Saved by Ukrainian Ingenuity (and Russian Blunders)

Gym matts and mobile phone apps helped Ukraine forces win the battle for the capital.

Love the idea of yoga mats being useful defensive weapons. 

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." - Lao Tzu

"If you can't measure it, it can't improve it." - Peter Drucker

"This is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules." - Walter Sobchak

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter." - George Washington

Life Advice from Naval

Good (Celtics) vs Evil (Nets)

Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai is the face of the NBA's "uneasy" China relationship. 

"Tsai has publicly defended some of China's most controversial policies. He described the government's brutal crackdown on dissent as necessary to promote economic growth; defended a law used to imprison scores of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong as necessary to squelch separatism; and, when questioned about human rights, asserted that most of China's 1.4 billion citizens are 'happy about where they are.'"

Not saying rooting for the Brooklyn Nets and Joe Tsai is like rooting for genocide but...

Go Celtics!

Happy Easter / Passover

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George Carlin Tried to Warn Us Decades Ago

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Optimists are dismissed as fools, pessimists as sages, by a media that likes to be spoon-fed on scary press releases." - Matt Ridley

"[O]f course God exists. Even if God turns out to be just science in fancy pyjamas." - Ian Martin

"Early in life, I had noticed that no event is ever correctly reported in a newspaper." - George Orwell

"If something is important enough, even if the odds are stacked against you, you should still do it." - Elon Musk

Reasons to Believe in the Historically Risen Jesus

Eight reasons to believe in the historically risen Jesus.

Paul on the road to Damascus has always been the thing that gave my logical mind pause.

Heh Heh

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Niall Ferguson and David Petraeus on Ukraine

Interesting Q&A between historian Niall Ferguson and General David Petraeus on the war in Ukraine. 

Many interesting points were raised but this was one I think was overlooked by most:

By contrast, it's a mystery to me [Petraeus] as to what the Russians accomplished in all the training, manoeuvres and exercises that they conducted for months on the border just east of Ukraine and in Belarus. It's very clear to me that they were camping not training.

The Moskva

Interesting look at what effect the loss of the missile cruiser Moskva may have on both sides. Just on morale alone - this is a big win for Ukraine.

The article also raises an interesting question - when was Putin informed of the loss and what was he told? And is the messenger still alive?

Here's another worthwhile article on what the loss of the Moskva means.

(Photo via)

Loose Nuke Talk

VDH on the recent bluster of Russian nuclear threats.

Two thoughts; first Ukrainian President Zelenskyy recently talked about his country becoming more like Israel once this is over. Israel is a nuclear power though they don't advertise the fact. Ukraine once had nuclear weapons and probably will be once more.

Second - if Putin's actions in Ukraine don't end Russia being an intermediary for a new Iran Deal then the corruption involved here is greater than potentially anything in US history.

Happy 70th Birthday Coach Belichick

15 Life Lessons from Coach Belichick in honor of this 70th birthday. Many happy returns! This was one of my favorite bits:

Be multi-dimensional in your knowledge and skills, BUT NEVER multi-task. Focus with intense concentration on the task at hand.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Behind it all is surely an idea so simple, so beautiful, that when we grasp it - in a decade, a century, or a millennium - we will all say to each other, how could it have been otherwise?" - John Archibald Wheeler

"But speak up you must. There is strength in numbers and I assure you, the numbers are there." - Bari Weiss

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." - Abraham Lincoln

 "I think the meaning of life is to do things for their own sake. Ironically, when you do things for their own sake, you create your best work." - Naval Ravikant

Truth

Twitter's Chickens Come Home to Roost

Matt Taibbi with a look at the rampant hypocrisy from the Left in the wake of Elon Musk's bid to buy Twitter. Liked this description, "Bullet-headed neoconservative fussbudget Max Boot." Taibbi can really lay down the verbal smack on people he doesn't like.

The desire of the rich and powerful to continue to control the narrative is obvious and so is the knee-jerk reaction of the ditto-heads and lackeys on the Left. What may not be obvious is the Twitter employees truly scared that their fat paychecks may be coming to an end - especially anyone in marketing. Tesla doesn't have a marketing department and if Elon is successful - neither will Twitter.

It should also be noted that a more successful Twitter under Musk would suck even more advertising revenue from existing outlets. 

Of course they're scared of Musk's bid to buy Twitter. Just as parasitic fleas would be afraid of flea powder if they were sentient and had social media.

This is Our F*cking City!

Nine-years ago today. Never forget!

Friday Flotsam and Jetsam

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

Tomorrow Bill Belichick turns 70-years old and all he wants for his birthday is for you to click the link, subscribe (it's FREE!), hit the Like button, and share with others. Even if you're not a Patriots fan - do it for the coach. 

Censorship is Free Speech

Glenn Reynolds on the reaction from the Left to Elon Musk's offer to buy Twitter. 

As an aside - every time I read Robert Reich's name or see him on TV - the Randy Newman song Short People starts playing in my head.

Top Reactions to Elon Musk Offering to Buy Twitter

"Elon Musk has also offered to buy CNN+ for twenty-eight bucks." - Frank J. Fleming

"If you buy Twitter can you delete the combine photo?" - Tom Brady 

"It is amazing how much panic one honest man can spread among a multitude of hypocrites." - Thomas Sowell

"Show me on the little blue bird logo where @elonmusk hurt you." - Robert J. O'Neill

"Hearing some WH junior staffers brought up Elon and Twitter with Biden and he had no idea what they were talking about." - Jack Posobiec (sad that I'm not sure if this was even said in jest)

"Elon is owning the libs with the money they gave him buying their Tesla's." - Jordan

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

 "Liberty without learning is always in peril and learning without liberty is always in vain." - John F. Kennedy

"Your real education begins when you realize it wasn't school." - Shane Parrish

"History teaches us that it is not the lies that are censored." - Nick Hudson

"No matter where or what, there are makers, takers, and fakers." - Robert Heinlein

Find Something Beautiful Today

Photo of Scripps Pier in San Diego - the Moon, Venus and bio-luminescence from plankton (photo via). Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.

How the Ancient Romans Built Roads

 

Fascinated by this type of history stuff (HT Digg).

Elon's Ultimatum

Elon Musk has offered to buy 100% of Twitter for $54.20 a share.

The subtext is clear - accept this offer or I will sell all my Twitter stock (causing the price to plummet) and I will build my own platform (causing the stock to plummet further).

Rooting for Elon big time on this!

Farnam Street Knowledge

 F. Scott Fitzgerald: A List of Thing to Worry About and Things to Not Worry About

Good life advice from an unexpected source (wouldn't have guessed at Fitzgerald being a decent parent).

Finland and Sweden : Reinforcing NATO's Northern Flank

Finland and Sweden are seemingly fast-tracking potential membership into NATO. I don't like that idea at all!

To me it isn't reinforcing NATO's northern flank - instead it would be an unforced error of escalating tensions unnecessarily.  Putin claimed Ukraine's potential of joining NATO putting NATO troops on Russia's doorstep as one of his justifications for invasion. Having Finland and Sweden join NATO would allow Putin, with some truth, to tell the Russian people, "See I was right! NATO is trying to surround us!"

Don't like this idea at all.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that's waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come." - Joseph Campbell

"None of my inventions came by accident. I see a worthwhile need to be met and I make trial after trial until it comes. What it boils down to is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration."  - Thomas Edison

"Never trust a big butt and a smile." - Bell Biv Devoe

"We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves, otherwise, we harden." - Goethe 

Lynda Carter

I had such a crush on Wonder Woman when I was young and to be honest - still do. (Photo via)

Very Cool!

 

Drone tour of the clubhouse at Augusta National. Very Cool!

First Fake News but Now Fake Music?

"Fake" artists and music are more widespread and insidious on streaming platforms than I ever imagined.

Seems just like in diet where real food where you select the ingredients is much more healthy for you - curated playlists on streaming platforms are like processed foods filled with empty calories. Just in this case the empty calories are fake artists and music.

It's all about who the algorithm awards the royalty dollars to. 

Bidenflation

I get nauseous just looking at that graph. It doesn't help my sickness in that I also hear the voices of the Biden Administration blaming everyone else for it. (Chart via)

Resistance Thrives in Darkness

Steven Pressfield on that negative, self-sabotaging voice you hear in your head that he calls resistance.

I really have to put his book The War of Art on my stack of books to read.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn." - Gore Vidal

"Engage with yourself. Then engage with the world." - Matthew McConaughey

 "A healthy person has a thousand wishes, but a sick person has only one." - Indian Proverb

"Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again." - Nelson Mandela

Farnam Street Knowledge

 

"In the short term, you are as good as your intensity. In the long term, you are only as good as your consistency." - Shane Parrish

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Spare the Rod, Spoil the Country

Nice piece on the state of the Fourth Estate in this country. "There seems to be no journalistic curiosity anymore and the news outlets only care about fluff pieces or the surface layer of a story." 

Growing up the mantra for journalists was "follow the money" but not anymore because the truth of where the money comes from may damage a sacred cow politician or narrative. This couldn't be any more evident than in the Hunter Biden laptop story.

Agree 100% with the conclusions of the post. As an Independent voter who tends to vote D in local elections and R in national ones - I feel this bias from the corporate media and coddling of Democratic politicians leads to much weaker candidates who cannot hold up against any sort of pushback or scrutiny.

This is how you wind up with Kamala Harris as Vice President.

Truth

Reacher

Watched the Amazon series Reacher over the weekend and I enjoyed it very much.  I've read a few of Lee Child's Jack Reacher books and I enjoy them for what they are - brain candy. This series was true to the books and true to the aim of the books - simple entertainment. If you are looking for more than that then this may not be the series for you.

The first season (the show has been renewed for a second season) was based on the book The Killing Floor which was also the first Jack Reacher book and one of those that I'd read. The plot of the series stayed true to that of the book so there wasn't any surprise twists for me which, again, I didn't mind. The characters were also true to the book which means Reacher was a 6'5" monster of a man (played by Alan Ritchson) although I don't recall Reacher being blonde.

I didn't mind Tom Cruise as Reacher and enjoyed his first movie in the role very much (did not see the second movie). However, Alan Ritchson pretty much embodies the way Reacher was written on the page and how most people probably imagined the character. 

I'll probably read another Reacher book or two this summer at the beach - where brain candy books are best enjoyed. Looking forward to Season Two.

68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

Kevin Kelly with 68 bits on unsolicited advice from a couple years ago.  

This one was among may favorites; "Being enthusiastic is worth 25 IQ points." And it costs nothing to be enthusiastic!

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"If you eat, invest, and think according to what the 'news' advocates, you'll end up nutritionally, financially and morally bankrupt." - Naval Ravikant

"Why, Johnny Ringo. You look like somebody just walked over your grave." - Doc Holliday

"Virtually no idea is too ridiculous to be accepted, even by very intelligent and highly educated people, if it provides a way for them to feel special and important. Some confuse that feeling with idealism." - Thomas Sowell

"It's not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste most of it." - Seneca

Sad But True

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Monday Flotsam and Jetsam

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack. 

Looks like someone's got a case of the Monday's (Flotsam and Jetsam). Please subscribe, hit the like button, and share with others.  

Find Something Beautiful Today

Solar eclipse as seen from space (photo via). Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.

Can Ukraine Ever Win?

VDH with a look at the bleak potential outcomes for Ukraine.

Disagree with Professor Hanson one one point - I think Ukraine when this is all done can become a nuclear power to deter future Russian incursions. Ukraine once was a nuclear power but gave up their missiles because of guarantees from the US and England that we would protect them. This promise has shown to be a sham. It would make sense for them to re-arm themselves.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"If you focus on what you have, you gain what you lack. If you focus on what you lack, you lose what you have." - Gregory McKeown

"We live together, we act on, and react to, one another; but always and in all circumstances we are by ourselves." - Aldous Huxley

"When specific knowledge is taught, it's through apprenticeships, not schools." - Naval Ravikant

"That thing that made you weird as a kid could make you great as an adult - if you don't lose it." - Kevin Kelly

Go Woke Go Broke

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Habits

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I Know Great Art When I See It

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Intentions don't matter. Actions do. That's why being ethical is hard." - Naval Ravikant

"I, however, place economy among the first and most important republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared." - Thomas Jefferson

"Be stubborn on destinations, flexible on tactics, and relentless on progress." - Shane Parrish

"Associate with people who are likely to improve you. Welcome those who you are capable of improving. The process is a mutual one: men learn as they teach." - Seneca

The Kittyman Sea Chanty

How the Ukraine War Will Likely End

Some good analysis  on the situation in Ukraine.

None of the options look good right now. My prediction is sadly a long slog with greater and greater brutality. 

HT Instapundit

What Happened to the Rest of the Money?

Saturday Flotsam and Jetsam

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

"Forget it Jake. It's Hollywood town."  Please subscribe (it's FREE), hit the Like button, and share with others. Have a great Saturday.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"A denied expectation hurts more than a denied hope, while a fulfilled hope makes us happier than a fulfilled expectation. Hope's got a higher return on happiness and less debit on denial, it's just not as measurable." - Matthew McConaughey

"As long as hope is without expectations or attachment, there's no problem." - Bernie Glassman

"Common sense and a sense of humour are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humour is just common sense, dancing. Those who lack humour are without judgement and should be trusted with nothing." - Clive James

"Reading is free. Exercise is free. Hard work is free. In both opportunity and real cost, it's more expensive to be dumb, fat, and broke." - Ed Latimore

Today in History

Today is the anniversary of Robert E. Lee surrendering to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox in 1865.  One of the most important dates in US history goes by with little or no mention and we wonder why kids today seem so uninformed.

New Fermi Lab Discovery Could Change Particle Physics

The discovery in Chicago could lead to the development of a new theory to replace the Standard Model on how the Universe works. 

Story reminds me of the Isaac Asimov quote, "The most exciting phrase in science, the one that heralds new discoveries is not 'Eureka!' but "That's funny.'" Hopefully this puts an end to all the String Theory silliness.

HT Instapundit.

Truth

HT Stephen Landry

How is bitcoin Different from Bitcoin Cash?

Interesting primer on the difference between  Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash.

Learned a few interesting nuggets reading the article.

Smoking and Covid-19

Talk about an inconvenient truth:

...more than 70 epidemiological studies looking at how smokers fare when faced with the virus. In short, the evidence overwhelmingly shows that they are much less likely to get infected.

...[one study] involved 2.4 million people in California and it found that smokers were not only less likely to get infected but were also less likely to be hospitalised [sic], admitted to intensive care and die as well.

So is "I am science" Fauci going to tell people to start smoking Camels as a prophylactic for future variants? Sad or ironic that there's more science now supporting having elementary schools kids smoking during recess than there is "science" saying kids need to wear masks during schools. 

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." - Neil Gaiman

"True success is exiting some rat race to modulate one's activities for peace of mind." - Nassim Taleb

"Why should you feel anger at the world? As if the world would notice." - Marcus Aurelius 

"Live long enough and you'll become a philosopher." - Naval Ravikant

Truth

Truth

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8 Rules to Do Everything Better

"The most important rules to grow your body and mind." 

The article is a couple years old but the advice is timeless.

Amazon's Project Kuiper

Have a new post up on Substack looking at Amazon's planned Project Kuiper satellite broadband service.

Will be putting my longer essays up on Substack, no matter the subject, and I'd appreciate your support in Subscribing (it's free). 

The Real Tech Backlash?

Premise that a potential tech rebellion may be coming and it will be about - sex. Stats like, "44.2 million Americans use dating apps, while a full third of men on those apps report that they have never gone on a single date" are shown to bolster the argument. 

Don't necessarily disagree with the premise but wonder if it was due to lack of space that the big sex/tech elephant in the room wasn't even mentioned - porn. Wonder what percentage of that third of men on dating apps who can't get a date watch porn on a daily basis? Guessing the number would be easily north of 50%. Tech in all its forms and apps has perverted (in both senses of the word) sex and relationships in real life. And soon with the Metaverse you won't even have to meet other people IRL 

The counter argument is that dating has always been rough. In every generation there was always large segments that had trouble finding or getting dates. It brought to mind this Louis CK bit.

I fall into the category of believing that the author is right - that a tech backlash is brewing over sex and that the backlash will be non-partisan. I just can foresee the repercussions from such a backlash.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes." - Paulo Coelho

"Respect was invented to cover the empty places where love should be." - Leo Tolstoy

"A suffering person does not need a lecture - he needs a listener." - Billy Graham

"Travel and tell no one, live  a true love and tell no one, live happily and tell no one, people ruin beautiful things." -Khalil Gibran

Happiness

The Nihilism of the Left

VDH with another article worth your time.

So Americans ended up with a neo-socialist government. It is proving as disastrous as it is bitterly instructive—reminding this generation of Americans what the Left does when it grasps power. As all restraints came off, the hard and now unbridled Left went to work to turn America into something like a looney, one-party California. 

I hope future generations will learn from our recent mistakes but I'm afraid history may be doomed to repeat itself.

Charles Bukowski

Wednesday Flotsam and Jetsam

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack. 

If you click the link, Subscribe, hit the Like button and share the post with others on your death bed you will receive total consciousness. So you'll have that going for you. Which is nice.

Farnam Street Knowledge

The Shortness of Time.

Agree that most people waste much of their lives but also believe in making time to do nothing but stare off into the distance as well (preferably with a cigar or cold adult beverage in hand).

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"It's hard to play chess against someone playing Russian roulette." - Balaji Srinivasan

"Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words." - Saint Francis

"10% for the Big Guy." - Hunter Biden

"Mongo only pawn in game of life." - Mongo

Actually a Good Question

Find Something Beautiful Today

A theater converted into a bookstore (photo via). Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.

Peter Attia on Statins

Peter Attia (who I'm a fan of) responds to a recent JAMA Internal Medicine study that calls into question the effectiveness of statins.  

The subject of statins is a hotly debated one in medicine and in my opinion often where there's smoke there's fire. The issue is personal to me because, like many people my age, I'm on a statin. 

Peter's response raised a number of questions in my mind. First and foremost is his criticism that "a 4.4-year average treatment duration is very short." Short? That's longer than the average college undergraduate experience. How long does Peter want these studies to be? 10-years? For life? Because that's what a statin prescription is basically for - life! What about the ethics of those receiving placeboes in that "short" 4-4-year study? If stains were shown to be effective - what lasting damage could have been done to those who thought they were receiving real medicine?

The questions I would have like to had answered are; is Peter Attia on a statin? Besides exercise (Peter Attia is in excellent shape) what does Peter do in his own life to combat cardiovascular disease? Is Peter on any medications that are life-long prescriptions? If not - how would he feel being forced to take one? What about using natural supplements such as vitamin K2? 

Disappointed by the article. 

How to Start a War

Interesting look at a VDH column from a year ago that basically predicted how Biden's weakness was a recipe for disaster. Disasters predicted that have come true. 

Another example of why VDH is always worth listening to.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Risk is what's left over when you think you've thought of everything." - Carl Richards

"The Constitution of the United States is designed to govern a civil and moral people. It is wholly inadequate for any other." - John Adams

"Hindsight, the ability to explain the past, gives us the illusion that the world is understandable. It gives us the illusion that the world makes sense, even when it doesn't make sense." - Daniel Kahneman

 "Working hard to make useful products and services for your fellow humans is deeply morally good." - Elon Musk

The Eisenhower Matrix

Excellent piece of advice on how to prioritize.

Sad that Some People Need to See This

NFL Trades

Growing up there were two monster historic NFL trades against which all others were judged; the 1990 trade of Hershel Walker from Dallas to Minnesota and the 1999 trade that allowed New Orleans to draft Ricky Williams. The number of draft picks in both trades seemed crazy at the time but now it seems NFL trades often include similar numbers of draft picks but aren't considered as historic at all.

Hershel Walker was traded to Minnesota for three 1st round picks, three 2nd round picks, plus a 3rd round pick and a 6th rounder. They gave up Herschel, two 3rd rounders and a 5th and a 10th. Dallas used that 1990 1st rounder to draft Emmitt Smith and to lay the groundwork for their championships of the 1990's (they already had Troy Aikman). New Orleans traded their entire draft from 1999 plus 2000 1st and 3rd rounders to Washington - all for the rights to draft Ricky Williams. In both cases the teams getting the draft picks were judged over time to have gotten the better ends of the deals.

Consider that in just 2021 Detroit traded Matthew Stafford to the Rams for Jared Goff  and two 1st round picks and a 3rd rounder. And San Fran traded three 1st rounders and a 3rd rounder for just the rights to draft QB Trey Lance.. In 2022 we've seen Russel Wilson (and a 4th rounder) traded from Seattle to Denver for three decent players plus two 1st rounders, two 2nd rounders, and a 5th. Then you had the Deshaun Watson trade from Houston to Cleveland for three 1st round picks, a 3rd and a 5th all for a player facing 22 sexual misconduct civil suits. Crazy.

For people brought up on the Hershel Walker and Ricky Williams trades (and the aftermaths of those trade) the recent complete disregard of 1st round picks seems crazy!

As an aside - Emmitt Smith ended up having more 1,000+ yard seasons (11) than Ricky Williams (5) and Hershel Walker (2) combined! Really surprised that Hershel only had 2 1,000-yards seasons in his NFL career.

Find Something Beautiful Today

Milky Way over the Superstitious Mountains in Arizona (photo via). Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Optimism sounds like a sales pitch. Pessimism sounds like someone trying to help you." - Morgan Housel

"Poor is the nation that has no heroes. But poorer still is the nation that having heroes, fails to remember and honor them." - Marcus Tullius Cicero

"For reasons I have never understood, people like to hear that the world is going to hell." - Deidre McCloskey

"People are strange. They are constantly angered by trivial things, but on major things like totally wasting their lives, they hardly seem to notice." - Charles Bukowski 

Never Thought of it Like That

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Confucius and the Five Principles

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

 "The most serious problem facing any organization is the one that cannot be discussed." - Marc Andreessen 

"The assumption that spending more of the taxpayers' money will make things better has survived all kinds of evidence that it has made things worse." - Thomas Sowell

"Each man with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds." - Mark Twain

"Never was a government that was not composed of liars, malefactors, and thieves." - Marcus Tullius Cicero

Heh Heh

Sadly True

The Simulation

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How People Get Rich Now

Interesting Paul Graham essay on how people historically get rich in America. 

From April 2021 but worth revisiting.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Behold the puppets prancing on the stage, and see the man behind who pulls the strings." - Linji Yixuan

 "We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same." - Carlos Castaneda

"Knowledge if not digested does not give nutrition, only adds weight." - Osho

"When you are dead, you don't know that you are dead. It's pain only for others. It's the same thing when you are stupid." - Richard Feynman

Heh Heh

Not Just Russia - America Too

Glenn Reynolds points out that it's not just Russia - American has a problem speaking truth to power too. Media and high tech censor apparatchiks are major problems in our country 

Reminded of the George Washington quote, "If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."

History Should be Our Guide in Ukraine

VDH gives the history lesson for the day on what history tells us about what to do in Ukraine.

Agree with his points 100% - especially about the No Fly Zones.  

Friday Flotsam and Jetsam

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

The people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made. And the sign flashed out its warning and the sign said "Be sure to click the link, subscribe (if you haven't already), hit the Like button and share with other." Whispered the sound of silence.

Democracy's Superpower?

Interesting essay suggesting that Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine "has restored democracy's image and its mojo." 

Russia's debacle in Ukraine underscored the fact that democracy's guarantee that leaders are regularly replaced is actually the system's most important advantage. It turns out that our power to throw the bums out could end up saving not just the West, but the world.

That could be hyperbole but the point that an autocrat like Putin in power for so long - doesn't have anyone around him that could tell him "No" - is not beneficial. The plans to invade Ukraine were handled by only a handful of trusted military planners to help keep it secret. How do you become a "trusted" military planner? You support the boss at all turns. Likewise the military and intelligence services are led by people who got their positions not through competence but through loyalty. And we are seeing the fruits of that in the quagmire Ukraine has become for Russia. 

The essay also points out that China's President Xi Jinping is following a similar trajectory as Putin. Though Xi has been in office only half as long as Putin he has consistently concentrated his own power (just like Putin) but at the cost of all the things that were making China's economy a powerhouse. Business leaders in the West would be wise to decouple from China now because the longer Xi remains in power the more disengaged from reality he'll become. Just like Putin.

Please note that I disagree 100% with the author's assessment of Biden and Trump but that does not invalidate his many good points made in the essay.

Greenlights

"The sooner we become less impressed with our life, our accomplishments, our career, our relationships, the prospects in front of us - the sooner we become less impressed and more involved with these things - the sooner we get better at them. We must be more than just happy to be here." - Matthew McConaughey Greenlights 

So far a fun read with good stories and surprisingly sage life advice.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"The older you get the more you realize that kindness is synonymous with happiness." - Lionel Barrymore

"Not through speeches and majority decisions will the great questions of the day be decided - but by iron and blood." - Otto von Bismarck

"The correct lesson to learn from surprises is that the world is surprising." - Daniel Kahneman

"Thing that have never happened before happen all the time." - Scott Sagan

OK - One Last Will Smith Joke

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