I use molasses to make water kefir, and saw that they sell bulk molasses for animals that is way cheaper. Didn’t have the nerve to pull the trigger though.

He looks blazed. Tell Koda to lay off the catnip!

Sunday Assembly is what you’re looking for.

Thank you for making me see that it is a strategy!

Yes, they (MAGA) do think they can do that. Their sense of entitlement and lack of empathy are boundless. The U.S. is going rogue, we are in the run up to WWIII, and I am not being hyperbolic. The rest (non-MAGA) aren’t paying attention, can’t see what they don’t want to believe, or, like me, are horrified, terrified, and making plans to get out of dodge before the shit hits the fan.

On the positive side, the U.S. is strongly teeing up financial collapse, which will likely hit towards the end of this year (maybe mid to late October?) Look at what gold is doing. It’s the biggest gold bull market of all time, already eclipsing the 1981 peak that came from the stagflation era following Nixon’s removal of the gold standard, and that’s even adjusted for inflation. The U.S. is running a ~6% budget deficit, consumer confidence is crashing, a leading indicator of a recession, ~1/3 of the U.S.’ $38 trillion in debt comes due and will have to be rolled over in a higher interest rate environment and at a time where the world is divesting of U.S. debt, and Trump gets to appoint a lackey as Chair of the Fed in May. You can 100% bet on the fact that the Fed is going to have to buy treasuries (i.e., print money) to cover the debt, which will devalue the currency boost inflation, and destroy the dollar. The Fed will also juice rates. We’ll have a boom in stocks with a blow-off top that will make the 1929 crash look quaint. There will be massive business failures, bank runs, and complete chaos, with a good chance of civil war (we’re already in a “cold” civil war, somewhat analogous to The Troubles.) Accordingly, I don’t see the conquest of Canada as likely before the situation collapses in on itself. However, if MAGA emerges from the chaos with its grip on power intact, god help us all (and I’m an atheist.)

Learning from your own mistakes is vital for improvement, but learning from other people’s mistakes, so you don’t have to suffer consequences, is a superpower.

If a man didn’t make mistakes he’d own the world in a month.But if he didn’t profit by his mistakes he wouldn’t own a blessed thing.

-Jesse Livermore

That little seal point Siamese face poking out is adorable! Looks like the face at the bottom on the right is a sibling.

The headline is very misleading. It should have read “Three Republicans mildly condemn the attack, while the President lies about it and stokes further stochastic terrorism.”

“Small government”

They have rich soil, a moderate climate, and an abundance of fresh water, so it is easy to grow food and raise livestock. They import virtually all their oil and gas. While the interconnected globalized world supplies a lot of what they use, if push came to shove and NZ were isolated the people would survive independent of the outside world, though there would be some challenges as thy learned to live without what they purchase from abroad.

Everything is relative. I currently live in Southern California in an area where the median home price is $930K USD ($1.565M NZD). A $1M NZD home is only $590K USD, which would be a “steal” here. Accordingly, housing, the biggest expense in the cost of living here, seems like a relative bargain in NZ.

Yes, other things may be a bit more expensive, but overall I’d be looking at a reduction in the cost of living. As far as “standard of living” goes, it depends on what you value. Personally, I love nature, the outdoors, and am an avid surfer and mountain biker. From my perspective NZ’s less crowded waves and spectacular natural beauty makes for a very attractive standard of living.

The challenge for me is that given my age (~60), I am not a preferred immigrant, so residency offers some challenges, as I am not yet to the point financially where I can spring for the golden visa (though I should be at that point in not too long of time). Accordingly, if I were to move there I’d have to implement other strategies. I’d probably start with a tourist visa to check it out and see if I wanted to live there, then perhaps enroll in some classes and apply for a student visa to buy more time.

Meh. “Friendly” is a relative term. While NZ may be swinging a bit towards the right these days (as opposed to when Ardern was PM), NZ has ranked choice voting, which mitigates some of the political polarity seen in places like the U.S. where things stratify into two camps. This tends to make political power more responsive to the people, so even if the current administration is favorable to Trump, as the U.S. slides off the rails I would expect the NZ government to step back.

The level of dangerous ignorance is exactly why the entire world is worried.

I found out about them from a swing dance website (I dance swing/lindy hop), and saw them again last night. During the opening act, the singer was selling merch from the booth across from me. No one was buying anything and she was rocking to the show, so I asked her to dance. She was new to swing, but had excellent rhythm and a great vibe and was fun to dance with.

“Hallooo!”

Whoever told you that is your enemy.

A $37K Chinese electric car.

She looks like she’s clearly in need of a neck massager.

Shhhhh!