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Vegas64

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  1. No matter how good I try to eat (mixed with the inevitable bad), I've been stuck in the 214-220 range for about 2 years now (I'm 6'1, but old so not very athletic or active). It's like a stock in that when I hit that low mark, I hit a resistence that to break through I can't do it. I must have to do something fundamentally different and harder than what I'm doing in just generally trying to be mindful of how and what I eat. And on the high end, as soon as I creep up and then hit that high hat, I get real serious and intentional and bring it back down. But no matter it stays in that box, which makes me think it's all mental.
  2. No. The Sandinistas and Castros are next. And they know it, and they are scared to death. It's not about the real drug production, you and I both know it, and I'm not here to pretend it is. This is 100% political. The pundits even have a name for it. The DONroe Doctrine. Seriously I didn't make that up. https://toda.org/global-outlook/2025/the-donroe-doctrine.html
  3. I, too, have airline status and opt to fly first class often, and unless you mean to denigrate the fine people in lululemon or vuori, I don't see flannel pajama pants and Yoda blankets. But maybe you are right and I've just been lucky. But I also see a distinction between being comfortable in appropriate clothing for long haul flights (or hangover flights from party destinations, as it were) and the juicy pants and slippers that you say you see often.
  4. 1. If you attack and he stays in power, 100%. But if you can topple him, it can be done quickly. 2. The thoughts are that however unlikely you can pressure him to self-exiling, but the more optimal likely case is that one of Maduro's own officers will topple him a la General Rodriguez who toppled Paraguay dictator and ushered back in democracy (so there is a precedent there). https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/22/world/andres-rodriguez-dies-at-72-overthrew-paraguay-dictator.html 3. US won't engage in a hot war. It will either be a surgical operation a la Bush Sr. ousting Noriega in Panama or nothing. 4. Right. Hence the neighbors being upset at Ven/Maduro because of poor/refugees/immigration a la Palestine and her neighbors.
  5. A funny meme going around the Latin American community:
  6. To be clear I didn't generate the chart and I don't necessarily agree with it, I was responding to the poster who mentioned AI with certain industries as conversation point and to add to that particular discussion. This post was a disconnect from MY personal opinion which was the bear point of view. This site software combined the two into one post as I posted back to back too quickly.
  7. I think Trump would love to go to war with Venezuela because they would be easy (capitulate in 5 seconds) and the oil reserves are massive. Maduro is unliked by everyone and considered a fool at best and a criminal at worst (I know, I know-- like we can talk), but he's had more time in the chair than Trump to completely strip mine Venezuela from a once proud, economically strong and prideful place to one that is hollowed out, broke, and empty from a brain drain that has been going on for a decade. It's no longer professionals leaving in droves and pissing off Chile and Peru but it's the common clay people who can't escape fast enough. And the things in Trump's favor? @'stachementioned a big one in that it's not kitchen table news because of a mix of reasons; aforementioned unlikeability of Maduro, foreign stuff is always a bit detached for the average Joe Sixpack when it's not a hot war like this one won't be or won't be for long, and it gives the whitewashing of "good versus bad" with all the brown drug people poisoning our white American streets. Then you've got Trump who is the most Russo & OPEC cartel friendly President ever. Typically Venezuela could count on the bad guys to sabre rattle and create some distance, but KSA/MBS & Trump are thick as thieves and Putin hates Trump behind his back but sees the value in their being frenemies.
  8. I don't think it's a MAGA, left or right thing, I think it's a poor people versus not-poor people thing to understand how to behave (and dress) in society when you share a common space with other people. That extends to airports. I remember the backlash when public schools made news for shaming poor people for showing up to school in shower caps and robes. It doesn't go over well in poor communities because it can be seen as discriminatory and/or racist. No different here. So the solution is simple: stop flying poor people airlines.
  9. Charles II as "short, lame, epileptic, senile, and completely bald before 35, he was always on the verge of death, but repeatedly baffled Christendom by continuing to live."
  10. I'm a noted bear on *this* particular flavor of AI and this AI bubble (while noting that AI is a transformational technology which will change everything we have known about labor, work, social, etc. in the future). That said I was listening to one of the world's prominent quants talking about pod shops and hedge funds and we all know they are super advanced on all things technology to make a buck, and he made the point in a way that I've been thinking about it: today AI is not ready to take over. It's only synthesizing words and videos and text and images that man has already created for it to process (upon processing). But one day, in a few years even, maybe? WIth the advent of the sensory stuff (Meta glasses) and other stuff that will come (touch, taste, tactiles, etc.). The complexity of human sensing and consuming will get closer to what a machine can also consume and sense. It will be an AI version of the meme "The Yellowstone Park Ranger has noted there is a large overlap between the smartest bear and the dumbest human, upon trying to create a bear-proof trash can". The overlap between the dumbest person and the smartest machine COULD be a critical mass. And then maybe there is a tipping point. And then what to do about the useless eaters? Saw this and it makes one think:
  11. I happened across this point of view which made me have a little more empathy for women who massacre their faces in pursuit of slowing down time and aging. I've read that women do indeed become invisible to a patriarchal society after a certain age and look (and it's even more pronounced in arenas like Hollywood where a lot of middle aged women have recently spoken up and gave visibility to the issue). Anyways, read and see if you agree: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/desperate-for-botox
  12. Amen brother. There is a lot of toxicity in kid's sports, especially as it's become a professional job at the earliest ages and these kids can make millions of bucks before they ever get drafted, but it's a crucible of character building opportunities as you said so well.
  13. Tough seeing your kid gut it out and leave it all out on the field in the playoffs and come up short. Builds character though. And Southlake Carroll is a machine. If it's anything like it was when I was at UT he will have fraternity brothers who he has played against in Texas HS football for the last four years and they will be some of his best friends and he was competing against some of his future best friends and didn't even know it.
  14. I bought airpods from amazon at a very low (shocking) price and they sent two different chinese knock off brands. I had to drive to whole foods to take them back and was worried they would think I was scamming them, but they scammed me!
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