Bjorn to RunThe Man Who Went Everywhere, The Crazy that People BelieveI'm not what you'd call a good traveler. I have anticipatory anxiety even when it comes to what most people consider pleasure travel and regularly need a second carry-on just for Imodium. And no matter where I go or how much fun I'm having, I can't wait to get back home to my routine. Even listening to the band Journey stresses me out. In other words, Torbjorn Pedersen pretty much lived my nightmare. WaPo (Gift Article): He visited all 195 countries without flying. It nearly broke him. (I'm not sure I could even open up 195 travel-related browser tabs.) "Pedersen encountered his first hurdle when he said he couldn’t find a boat to take him from Norway to the Faroe Islands in December 2013. After about three weeks, Pedersen said, a shipping company let him on board. 'That kind of stuff seemed hard at the time...But that’s child’s play compared to what I had coming.'" 2Red Zeppelin"Gautam Adani, Jack Dorsey, Carl Icahn. Nate Anderson has picked them off one by one. In mere months this year, he erased as much as $99 billion of their combined wealth while knocking $173 billion off the value of their publicly traded companies. In an era when prominent short sellers have retreated from the limelight — fretting lawsuits, short squeezes and government probes — the deft researcher has emerged as the gutsiest bear around. Allies say he’s risking civil suits, physical attacks and potentially even overseas arrest." Anderson runs a small but highly influential short seller called Hindenburg Research. And you don't want him to come out with a report on your company. Bloomberg(Gift Article): Short Seller Hindenburg Nabs Tiny Gains Off $173 Billion Carnage. As the headline implies, Hindenburg doesn't seem to making all that much profit from the pain it causes others. What drives Anderson "is exposing what he sees as misbehavior and knocking down companies he deems offensively overblown. One competitor calls it the classic mindset of a short seller: a compulsion to understand how the world is screwed up and call it out." (Let's hope his calls are right...) 3What Viktor Spoils"Viktor Orbán’s systematic dismantling of liberal institutions in Hungary has made him the titular head of a global national-conservative movement, which currently includes Giorgia Meloni of Italy, Marine Le Pen of France, Santiago Abascal of the Vox party in Spain, Jaroslaw Kaczynski of Poland’s Law and Justice party, Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud in Israel, the far-right Sweden Democrats party, and now America’s MAGA Republicans. Each of these right-wing populists takes what they like from Orbán’s menu. Among its ingredients are a fantasy theory that liberals rule the world, a values campaign that denies gay men and women a place in the family, and protectionist economic policies that transfer public assets to party insiders. Add to this one-party rule that dismantles checks and balances, a politics that defines all opponents as enemies of the nation, and a vision of cultural struggle that identifies schools and universities as a crucial battleground for the control of future generations." The Atlantic: Why the Populist Right Hates Universities. 4Missouri Loves Company"Dinner theater has all but disappeared across the United States, even at the cheesiest tourist destinations, but in Branson dinner and a show thrives, even outside of the traditional dinner theater setting. At Mel’s Hard Luck Diner, a ’50s-themed diner that’s the 'home of the Singing Servers,' waiters serenade the crowd with show tunes and pop hits, reaching for soaring high notes over the clatter of silverware on plates. At Fall Creek Steak & Catfish House, servers playfully toss soft yeast rolls to patrons as they sit at their tables ... Even at Billy Gail’s Restaurant, a local mini-chain and popular breakfast spot, everyone stops and stares as servers bring out massive 14-inch pancakes that drape over the edges of a regular dinner plate. Here, every single meal has some element of showmanship, and the people who work in these establishments are determined to make sure that you have a good time — even if you don’t want to." In Eater, Amy McCarthy takes us to Branson, Missouri, a wholesome, family-friendly tourist destination where everyone’s trying to sell you something. Dinner Theater and Loathing in Baptist Vegas. 5Extra, ExtraTechnical Howl: It took approximately 72 hours (or about the average) for Donald Trump's latest lawyer John Lauro to destroy his reputation by throwing nonsense into the court of public opinion. In one interview, he claimed that Trump's overt efforts to overthrow an election was at most, a "technical violation of the Constitution." Meanwhile, Lauro, Trump, and all the longterm enablers are arguing that Trump is only being charged as part of a Democratic plot to beat him in the election (even though most if not all of the key witnesses are Republicans and despite the fact that we all saw the crimes being committed in real time). But here's the rub. People believe this crap. "Most Republicans said that the probes were an attack on people like them and a huge majority said the investigations were aimed at blocking Trump’s 2024 candidacy. More than 6 in 10 people overall, and just under two-thirds of independents, also said that was an appropriate description of the investigations." WaPo (Gift Article): A majority of Americans think the Trump probes are about 2024. (Sane people need to reproduce more.) 6Bottom of the News"Thanks to social media and Google maps, homes that are even moderately well-known can now be inundated with people eager to take selfies or relive on-screen moments. This can come as a surprise to the homeowners, who find themselves fielding requests for tours or overhearing impromptu singalongs." WSJ (Gift Article): The Hell of Living in a Home With Any Celebrity Connection. Get a copy of my 📕, Please Scream Inside Your Heart, or grab a 👕 in the Store. |