Empirical Skeptic

Listening to The Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World, perhaps most interesting is how oft heard was the lament “this is the end of western civilization.” #history #depression #perspective

“Natural” has no meaning for supplements and nutrition. Lots of natural things will kill us, depending on the dosage. Ignoring evidence based medical care in favor of supplements is just dangerous.

A Plea From Doctors: Cool It on the Supplements - The New York Times As Americans take more gummies, pills and powders than ever, some physicians are trying to convince patients to be a bit more careful.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/w... is

Granted, but in this hypothetical scenario, would fewer than 20 newspaper op-ed boards have stepped up to defend the decision? Would a majority of Democratic rank and file have done anything other than quietly acquiesce to Biden’s decision?

Answers are “no” in both. Therein lies the hypocrisy.

Also recommended for pregnant women (27th to 36th weeks) to pass on antibodies to newborns which are not eligible until 2mo. old. Your efforts protect not only yourself but your entire community. #vaccines #health

@bsmuseum.org on Bluesky "A baby in Mississippi has died of whooping cough, the Mississippi State Department of Health announced on Monday, marking the state’s first whooping cough death in 13 years. The infant was less than two months old and was not old enough to receive the pertussis vaccine, the agency said." [contains quote post or other embedded content]

Reminder to boost your immunity with the Tdap vaccine every ten years.

@mollymckew.bsky.social on Bluesky The Ukrainian military—the toughest, most experienced, most adaptable, most successful on the modern battlefield—is beardy old men, women, artists, gamers who can’t deadlift sh*t but can fly a drone into a Russian helicopter rotor Focusing on capabilities, not “looks,” is how you achieve victory

What works in the battle space versus what expensive systems van get contract administrators promoted with cushy consulting gigs after retirement. #pentagon

At least they’re not ads for tiger bones or rhino testicles.

Interesting listen on the new renaissance of nuclear power in the US.

#energy #nuclear

His Nuclear Reactor Will Make … - Rational Optimist Podcast - Apple Podcasts Podcast Episode · Rational Optimist Podcast · 09/24/2025 · 58m

podcasts.apple.com/jp/podcast/r...

First chapter starts with a brief history of apocalypticism in Christianity.

Jesus Audiobook by Bart D. Ehrman Check out this great listen on Audible.com. In this highly accessible discussion, Bart Ehrman examines the most recent textual and archaeological sources for the life of Jesus, along with the history of first-century Palestine, drawing a fascinating portrait of the man and his teachings. Ehrman sh...

www.audible.com/pd/151594806...

Now reading.

Makes me wonder whether fewer women will avoid pregnancy as a result of unnecessary restrictions on safe pain relievers.

Now “enjoying” a 36 hour fast.

This morning I did a 32m cardio on the cross-trainer and followed with 10,000 steps to burn through the remaining carb stores.

21 and a half hours to go. Tonight’s sleep may be rough.

#fasting #health #exercise

Quarterly reporting? Semiannual reporting? Which is best? For whom? The question needs more data.

Real purpose is to squeeze customers and employees for the benefit of shareholders.

This merger is a backwards step for Americans. The country needs more competition, not less.

https://media0.giphy.com/media/NGSbD5vI6lUvC/200.gif

Sounds like the Anti-dog-eat-dog Rule of Atlas Shrugged, with the usual BS about customer service and efficiency.

Union Pacific to Buy Norfolk Southern in $85 Billion Railroad Deal www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/b...

The similarities are more than incidental.

With Calls for Retribution Over Kirk, Some See Rise of a ‘Woke Right’ - The New York Times Conservatives have pressed for consequences for those who make negative comments about Charlie Kirk. But a few on the right say they worry about limits on speech.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/u...

The ideological spectrum is U-shaped or like a horseshoe. It’s frequently difficult to distinguish the extreme left from the extreme right. (Gift share)

Cancelling my subscription to Disney+ is one decision that I will never regret.

#disney #authoritarianism

It’s been a while since I tried Jonathan’s breakfast. I found the 目玉焼きモーニング set bland and the coffee flavorless. At least I had an hour of quiet to finish A Farewell to Arms.

Depends on his strain, but the current Pfizer vaccine approved in the US provides meaningful protection against hospitalization from current JN.1-family variants, but won’t much reduce your chances of being infected.

The same Google, the same old dirty tricks. # privacy

www.foxbusiness.com/technology/g...

The Threads app goes to a lot of work to hide the “Following” feed and put you back into the default “For You” feed.

It’s a good reminder to use alternatives like Mastodon, Nostr or Bsky that drive person to person engagement.

It's a good example of how anything can reframed to achieve a desired political objective.

Can’t get enough?

Inside the Trump Administration’s Vaccine Politics - WSJ President Trump embraced the MAHA movement’s antivaccine supporters. Now a crisis is unfolding at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under RFK Jr.

I fear the US has only weeks or months left before RatF*cK Jr. starts banning vaccines altogether. #vaccines #science #skepticism

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

A little bit of #skepticism goes a long way in life.

Get Ready for the End of Fed Independence - WSJ Markets haven’t yet grappled with the implications of the president having control over the central bank.

When you execute the playbook of third-world dictators, expect third-world outcomes. #trumped #decline

www.wsj.com/economy/cent...

Has it occurred to you that this is not an accidental byproduct of Project 2025 but the actual intended outcome? While the authorship of Project 2025 remains murky I have little doubt it was heavily influenced by Russian propagandists.