There’s a theory being batted around without too much evidence (hold tight, Snopes is on it) that Mark Carney talked European and Japanese leaders into accumulating US Treasury bonds, and then slow-selling them to make Trump squirm once he imposed the broad-brush tariffs to spook the T-bill market.

The theory sounds mostly plausible in that Carney was in Europe for closed door meetings with European leaders shortly after being designated PM, and that Trump backed off so quickly and used the language of “the bond market is tricky” to justify the change in direction. Dropping demand for T-bills leads the Fed to increase yields to keep the borrowing taps on, means expensive borrowing for them, means no money for tax cuts for billionaires.

On the other hand, the story originates from a twice-fired shock-jock’s Substack.

But it sounds like something a wicked smart Harvard/Oxford educated economist would dream up and pull off…

¯\(ツ)/¯

…that mediocrity can pay to greatness”

All this “mediocrity” is pretty overwhelming right now.

I’m just under 4kg, and it works well. I’m able to get very good balance, which matters, and my focal length isn’t too long at 270mm which is forgiving.

It’s really great having a go-to mount. Saves my neck, especially with the ASIAir and plate solving.

As a beginner, it’s perfect for me with a small refractor with ALL the accessories (cooled astro camera, filter wheel, auto focusser, guide scope and camera, ASIAir).

Sure you can spend more now on something fancy like a strain-wave, but those prices are much higher and unless a big heavy scope purchase is imminent, get the GTi, use it with what you have or nab a small refractor, and pick up your next mount on the used market when it’s time for much less. It really makes things easy.

One other devastating reason to vaccinate, particularly against measles: measles can give your immune system amnesia. All that precious “natural immunity” that these ghouls profess? You can just fucking LOSE it and have to relearn how to fight off previous infections. It’s a goddamned factory reset to day one, but without mommy’s antibodies you got in utero, nor from breast milk. Unless you’re Robin Arryn of the Vale from Game of Thrones.

So the thing for me isn’t the temperature nor the depth of the snow. It’s sharing space with cars and contending with the very real possibility of falling and getting my head crushed like a grape.

I quite liked using my fat bike in the park through the snow. But on a road with cars on ice? There’s a reason I sold it.

Also, I would literally sweat going downhill on that thing.

The water moving right through is probably a good sign someone is well hydrated! There can be total body water versus intravascular volume depletion scenarios, but not super likely unless someone is sick in other ways.

The xylitol itself may be contributing to GI water losses (it’s only about 50% absorbed through the gut, and osmotically draws water into/keeps water from being absorbed from the intestinal lumen). Depending on the SSRI, this could be exacerbated by bowel irritability that can present as diarrhea (sertraline is notorious for this).

Some folks also report more urination with intake of sugar alcohols like xylitol. I don’t have a mechanism of action for that, so take those reports with a grain of salt. (And also some glucose because sodium-glucose symport allows for water absorption without the need for an ATP pump.)

Shrubs are delectable! But they could be seen as an intimidating suggestion in this context. IKEA has some affordable fruit concentrates of lingonberry, blueberry, and elderflower you could substitute with a splash of vinegar for a refreshing lower effort treat.

Okay, so this isn’t actually about hydration, it’s about the fact that SSRIs commonly cause dry mouth as a side effect due to anticholinergic effects which reduce saliva release Some SSRIs are worse than others, and older TCAs are worse still. But OP is not dehydrated.

Water is great for hydration, but it is unfortunately not very effective at managing dry mouth due to these side effects. Flavoured beverages typically work better because they promote saliva release.

I would suggest OP add something with a sour note to their water, like lemon or lime juice which are unsweetened and have effectively no caloric component. Alternatively even just a splash of carbonated water will also work as the bubbles are irritants and will similarly stimulate saliva release.

Silverado has a proper bed (at 5’11”) and the mid gate folds into the cab for around 9’ of length, and loads of range. Affordable is NOT going to go together with range at this point. Though typically if one needs the bed it’s rare to also need the range in the same vehicle.