"The average retiree will spend $172,500 on healthcare costs during their golden years, according to a 2025 study from healthcare research"
😵‍💫

Americans’ retirement fears rising ahead of Social Security cuts in under a decade Social Security’s delicate situation puts those nearing retirement in the next decade in a tough spot

Americans grow more fearful about retirement ahead of Social Security cuts taking hold in under a decade

Canada’s prime minister says economic ties with US are a weakness that must be corrected “We have to take care of ourselves because we can’t rely on one foreign partner,” Mark Carney said in a video address. “We can’t control the disruption coming from our neighbors."

“The world is more dangerous and divided, The U.S. has fundamentally changed its approach to trade, raising its tariffs to levels last seen during the Great Depression
Carney added "businesses are holding back investments “restrained by the pall of uncertainty that’s hanging over all of us”

Bitcoin price news: BTC slides toward $75,000 amid Warsh hearing, Iran talks uncertainty The S&P 500 and Nasdaq gave back their early morning gains alongside BTC as markets digested the Fed Chair nominee's Senate confirmation hearing.

"Crypto markets pulled back Tuesday amid Federal Reserve chair nominee Kevin Warsh's confirmation hearing and concerns around stalling Iran peace talks, weighing on markets."

A view of the Roman forum.

#OnThisDay - 21 April - in 753 BC the city of Rome is founded. #NatalediRoma 🏺

As Ovid says:

"ipse locus causas vati facit. urbis origo venit."

'The moment gives motivation to the bard. The founding of the City is come!' (Fasti 4.807-808)

Scientists identify main cause of extreme nausea and vomiting in pregnancy A key gene tied to hyperemesis gravidarum, an extreme form of vomiting in pregnancy, is also linked to a heightened risk of type 2 diabetes, scientists report.

"A new study, published Tuesday (April 14) in the journal Nature Genetics, provides evidence that the gene for the hormone growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is the leading cause of HG, which has been suggested in other studies.
The gene is also known genetic risk factor for type 2 diabetes."

Detail of one The Prisoners by Michelangelo, 1519 -1534.

⛏️ Detail of one The Prisoners by Michelangelo, 1519 -1534.

This is a so-called non finito artwork There is a simple reason for this while the sculpture certainly evokes certainly a lot of emotion today!

Read: ideasroadshow.substack.com/p/carving-ou...

🗃️ #arthistory #skystorians 🏺 #academia #art

"Is it possible to indulge in non-evidence-based research? Of course not. That is simply uninformed opinion, the sort of thing we are all flooded with on a constant basis these days.
😵‍💫 you will inevitably be plagued with a litany of self-doubts as you haphazardly meander down your own unique road"
😔

I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?
John Lennon

🙏
Thanks for reminding me that kind people are still around

The Emergence of Conscious Life in an Indifferent Universe: A Critical Examination of Existential… Rethinking the Philosophical and Scientific Implications of Life as an Anomalous Event in a Mechanistic Cosmos

Medium blog by Boris Kriger on the same subject;
"article critically analyzes the ontological and epistemic tension between the emergence of conscious life and the apparent indifference of the cosmos."

Not Fundamental: The arrival of conscious, self-aware beings was not necessary, as the universe functioned for billions of years without it.
Internal vs. External: While the cosmos is vastly indifferent, humans create their own meaning within that void.

Absurdist View: Philosophers, such as Camus, argued the universe is silent to human desires, lacking preference for human existence or moral values.

A-Centric Reality: The universe operates through impersonal physical laws, not through intent or purposeful design, suggesting that consciousness is not a fundamental, required feature.

Cosmic Explosions | How the Universe Works | Science Channel YouTube video by Science Channel

🤯

While some philosophical theories, such as panpsychism, suggest consciousness might be an inherent part of reality, scientific evidence indicates that life and awareness are not necessary components for the fundamental operation of the universe.

Physical laws—governing gravity, energy, and entropy—function independently of human experience, meaning the cosmos does not require observation to exist.

A gamma ray burst sterilizes a planet within 6000 light years pointed at earth would sterilize the planet.
🤔
Is the universe indifferent to life and consciousness ?
🤨
Yes, from a scientific and physical perspective, the universe is generally considered indifferent to life and consciousness.

‘Global LAUGHING STOCK’: Nicolle STINGS Hegseth for reciting FAKE BIBLE VERSE at prayer service YouTube video by MS NOW

Hegseth quoting "Pulp Fiction" verses from Quintin Tarantino's gospel.
🫣

Trump isn't the issue, I mean he is as transparent as they come, we all knew him & what he is about, still, 74million Americans somehow thought that lowering taxes, recalibrating their diversity was worth everything else in the world, from addressing climate change to foregoing coherent discourse

This time he's bankrupting the World not just USA - IMF; Global inflation for 2026 would top 6% in the severe scenario, compared to 4.4% in the most-optimistic reference scenario. "longer conflict would push global economy to brink of recession."
EU were at 2.1% inflation, forecast to rise 3.3%.

What Donald Trump Doesn’t Get About Diplomacy The leaked transcripts of U.S. President Donald Trump’s two conversations with Mexican and Australian leaders reveals a man so focused on his own needs and requirements that he can't seem to make much...

trump cant & wont do diplomacy;
Donald Trump's approach to foreign policy fundamentally rejects traditional diplomacy in favor of coercion and confrontation. Donald Trump's approach to foreign policy fundamentally rejects traditional diplomacy in favor of coercion and confrontation.

An Analysis of Robert O. Keohane's After Hegemony Audiobook by Ramon Pacheco Pardo YouTube video by best audiobooks

A leading text in the liberal institutionalist international relations scholarship. The book challenges neorealist claims that meaningful international cooperation is not possible, as well as hegemonic stability theory claims that international cooperation is only possible under #Hegemony.
🧐

Conversations with History: Robert O. Keohane YouTube video by University of California Television (UCTV)

"UC Berkeley's Harry Kreisler welcomes international relations theorist Robert O.Keohane for a discussion of theory, international institutions, and the future of international order."
Professor of International Affairs, Princeton University. He is the author of After Hegemony.

Fareed's insights are deep, he not only has earned his PhD in Politics from Harvard, he was also president of the Yale Political Union, editor-in-chief of the Yale Political Monthly, and studied international relations under theorist Robert Keohane.
🫡

War Shock Requires Disciplined Fiscal Reaction Middle East conflict intensifies global uncertainty at a time of strained public finances, underscoring the need for policies that preserve future stability

"The war in the Middle East is putting pressure on people, firms, and countries at a moment when public finances are already strained by long-term issues. Higher energy and food prices, tighter financial conditions, and greater uncertainty are once again prompting calls for fiscal support."

Man schiet zeker 5 mensen op straat dood in Kyiv, motief onbekend De dader is door de politie doodgeschoten.

Man schiet zeker 5 mensen op straat dood in Kyiv, motief onbekend

мк ультра

The Supreme Court long relied on careful, time-tested procedures to issue decisions. But secret memos by the justices, obtained by The New York Times, show how the court decided to bypass those procedures and create its modern “shadow docket.” See key takeaways: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/u...

Lidl Europe