Boom or Bust? It is hard to believe that I, a god-forsaken Baby Boomer living in the third decade of the twenty-first century, have lived through 9 recessions and 5 inflationary surges. Our economic ups and downs match our left and right political swings. A perpetual roller coaster.
• I just learned that by weight, we humans account for 32% of terrestrial vertebrates and wild animals only 1%. The other 66% is livestock—things we eat.
• Were you as stunned as I was when tropical storm Fiona targeted Canada recently? Wait, what? That is not supposed to happen. Ever. Tropical Canada is an oxymoron.
• Researchers are creating self-homing CRISPR-engineered cancer cells that can kill other cancer cells by giving them cancer. (WTF?) They have a so-called “suicide switch” embedded that makes them kill themselves before they can begin to spread or develop tumors of their own. Good yikes, I think?
• Postmodern thought in love, art, and in finding creative solutions, revolves around synergies, meaning 1 + 1 = 3. That explains my D in algebra, I was thinking ahead.
• On the 15th of November, the United Nations predicted that there will be eight billion humans alive at the same time. So, Happy Birthday baby #8,000,000,000. Good luck too, you’ll need it!
• But don’t feel so smug because a team of ecologists released the results of a new global census for ants: There are 20 quadrillion of them! That’s a 20 with 15 zeros. Ants outnumber humans by at least 2.5 million to 1.
• I was thinking about friends career choices. Aside from bartenders, I know more lawyers than any other type of professional. Hundreds of them. Next would be tough, either politicians or comedians. Pick ‘em? Sounds funny, but it’s true.
• Stunning stat: Every day, we Earthlings collectively take over 4.7 billion photographs. Mostly bad selfies.
• A Surprisingly Fun Drink Experience:
Muddle a slice of lemon in a glass.
Rim with sugar.
Add equal parts citrus vodka and Frangelico. Say ¾ ounce each.
= A Chocolate Cake cocktail (Try it, you’ll like it!)
• Is it just me, or is Britain starting to resemble Italy? Five Prime Ministers in six years!
• I love the Irish term, yarragh. It kinda explains the depth of soul art of when a singer goes beyond themselves. Becomes exalted, otherworldly in voice and resonance, like Dolores O'Riordan of the Cranberries, Sinead O’Connor, Enya, Van Morrison, Hozier, and Bono of U2, to name a few.
• The “making something” part (aka manufacturing, construction, agriculture) of the US Economic Pie is less than 19%. Paper-pushing & fee-grabbing financial services are 21% alone. Hmm…Maybe that explains why the so-called Gini index, a measure of income inequality, is today, the widest disparity on record!
• Microscope or telescope, choose your weapon. I am trying to figure out what concept bothers me more: the infinitesimal or the infinite. The smallness of matter or the vastness of the universe?
• Tis the season. So, what’s worse: Buyer’s remorse or gift-giving anxiety?
• I can sum up all six livable continents in one word: You have European decadence, North American arrogance, Asian hustle, African despair, South American bravado, and Australian cheer.
• Talk about evolution. A new book on Charles Darwin appears every 2.3 days…160 books on average a year.
• 1991 was peak car thefts in the USA. Over 1.7 million cars were stolen—including my wife’s black Prelude. In 2021, fewer than 1 million vehicles were stolen despite many more cars.
• Finally, what are the only leaves that die in the spring instead of the fall? The Toronto Maple Leafs. Bump bump bump a…is this mike on?
BTW…Think you know the world? Take our Travel IQuiz™ and tell me how you did. I love watching people squirm.
Thanks for the privilege of your time, it is the most precious thing we have, and I appreciate it. Be well.
William D. Chalmers © 2022 GreatEscape Adventures, Inc. All Rights Reserved.