MONITOR TRENDS

“looks maxing is a community of mostly men on the internet who are dedicated to making themselves more attractive by any means necessary.”

“they tap their facial bones with a hammer on the theory that by causing lots of microscopic damage to the bone, it will grow back bigger and more attractive.”

“Looks maxers are an offshoot of that ideology that is slightly less fatalistic.”

“Mogging is when you prove yourself superior to someone else. So, if you're more attractive than another man, you're mogging him.”

“The explosion of looks maxing into the kind of highest reaches of pop culture was really due to one guy. And he's a guy who calls himself Clavicular.”

“Gonzalez's resignation announcement came hours after California Democratic representative Eric Swalwell also announced his own plan to resign. Swalwell is facing allegations of sexual assault and misconduct from at least four women. Gonzales had already dropped his bid for reelection after being forced into a primary runoff and the launch of a congressional ethics investigation into his behavior.”

“Israel says that it will have full control of the Lebanese town of Bin Shabeel, quote, within days. The town has become the center of intense fighting. It's part of land that Israel says it's seizing from Lebanon to create what it calls a buffer zone so Hezbollah can't fire rockets into Israel. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli defense minister Israel Katz both joined invading troops inside Lebanon over the weekend.”

“The US housing market remains in a slump. According to the National Association of Realtors, sales of existing homes fell 3.6% last month. For homes that did sell in March, the average sales price was just under $409,000. Freddie Mac says mortgage rates, which briefly dipped below 6% this spring, are now averaging 6.37%.”

“Luther Vandross and Phil Collins have been eligible for the Rock Hall for twenty years and Sade for almost as long. They're all in the class of 2026 along with British post punk legends Joy Division and their spin off group New Order. Two more British acts, Iron Maiden and Billy Idol, made the cut this year after being active since the nineteen seventies.”

“Baseball's new automatic ball strike system could be making games a little longer so far this season with the time of a nine inning game creeping upward to two hours and forty two minutes through this weekend. That's up four minutes from last season, and that's all after the league successfully brought down the length of length of games in 2023 by introducing a pitch timer and other rules.”

“Bitcoin cycle lows are projected for late 2026.”

“was the recent bounce off $65,650 the bottom?”

“are we seeing a 'bearish flag' formation leading to new yearly lows”

“We never keep our entire portfolio on an exchange.”

“Protect your BTC From Taxes”

“I'm kind of in shock. I wanted to feed Mundy and Tara close together. And so I fed Tara over here. She picked up her food and brought it right over to the fence line here so she could be eating with Mundy. So you tell me what that means. I think that is really good.”

“The dominant political story of the year has been the 270-day-long speakership of Representative Kevin McCarthy, whose slim majority in the House of Representatives has enabled a far-right rebellion to exert more weight over the lower chamber. The battle between the rebellious Freedom Caucus and McCarthy has been at the heart of an averted debt ceiling crisis and the annual budget debate nearly devolving into a government shutdown, all culminating in the removal of McCarthy on October 3rd.”

“2021's inflation surge moderated in 2023, while the Federal Reserve continued to raise its interest rates in the first half of the year. The Federal Reserve raises interest rates by 0.25% from 4.5% to 4.75% during its February meeting. This followed a period of intense focus on fiscal policy and banking stability after the failure of several regional banks.”

“The rise of artificial intelligence and large language models dominated not only the economy but has also been at the root of a Hollywood double strike conducted by Writers Guild of America and a SAG APTRA strike. These were part of a larger phenomenon of labor strikes across the country, in which such large diverse groups, such as Teamsters and Auto Workers won new contracts.”

“Mass shootings in 2023 have also continued in high numbers, with 528 occurring as of October 2 according to Gun Violence Archive. Events included a mass shooting inside a house in Enoch, Utah, where eight members of a single family were killed, and another at a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, where eleven people were killed following a Lunar New Year celebration.”

“I'm kind of in shock. I wanted to feed Mundy and Tara close together. And so I fed Tara over here. She picked up her food and brought it right over to the fence line here so she could be eating with Mundy. So you tell me what that means. I think that is really good.”

“The dominant political story of the year has been the 270-day-long speakership of Representative Kevin McCarthy, whose slim majority in the House of Representatives has enabled a far-right rebellion to exert more weight over the lower chamber. The battle between the rebellious Freedom Caucus and McCarthy has been at the heart of an averted debt ceiling crisis and the annual budget debate nearly devolving into a government shutdown, all culminating in the removal of McCarthy on October 3rd.”

“2021's inflation surge moderated in 2023, while the Federal Reserve continued to raise its interest rates in the first half of the year. The Federal Reserve raises interest rates by 0.25% from 4.5% to 4.75% during its February meeting. This followed a period of intense focus on fiscal policy and banking stability after the failure of several regional banks.”

“The rise of artificial intelligence and large language models dominated not only the economy but has also been at the root of a Hollywood double strike conducted by Writers Guild of America and a SAG APTRA strike. These were part of a larger phenomenon of labor strikes across the country, in which such large diverse groups, such as Teamsters and Auto Workers won new contracts.”

“Mass shootings in 2023 have also continued in high numbers, with 528 occurring as of October 2 according to Gun Violence Archive. Events included a mass shooting inside a house in Enoch, Utah, where eight members of a single family were killed, and another at a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, where eleven people were killed following a Lunar New Year celebration.”

“They're recovering from the trauma that they experienced living in captivity. And for them to open up and trust you while you are there with them, helping them work through it, it's indescribable.”

“The rise of artificial intelligence and large language models dominated not only the economy but has also been at the root of a Hollywood double strike conducted by Writers Guild of America and a SAG APTRA strike, these were part of a larger phenomenon of labor strikes across the country, in which such large diverse groups, such as Teamsters and Auto Workers won new contracts.”

“Additionally, the latter half of the year saw many large mergers and acquisitions, some of the largest announcements being in oil and gas with ExxonMobil's purchase of Pioneer Natural Resources for nearly $60 billion and Chevron's acquisition of Hess Corporation for $50 billion, both in October and pending regulatory approval prior to closure.”

“2021's inflation surge moderated in 2023, while the Federal Reserve continued to raise its interest rates in the first half of the year. The Federal Reserve raises interest rates by 0.25% from 4.5% to 4.75%.”

“The 118th United States Congress convenes following the 2022 midterm elections for the next four days, 15 sessions transpire to determine the Speaker of the House of Representatives. This is the first time that a House Speaker was not determined by an initial vote in over 99 years.”

“The Americans are led by vice president, JD Vance, and the Iranians by the parliament speaker, Mohammad Baher Ghalibaf. The negotiations are based on a 10 Iranian plan that includes an end to attacks and sanctions on the country. Analysts warn negotiations will take time, and it's unlikely one meeting will resolve this conflict.”

“A sharp spike in gasoline prices during the war triggered a surge of inflation last month. Consumer prices in March were up 3.3% from a year ago. That's the biggest annual increase in twenty two months. Stripping out volatile energy and food prices, core inflation was 2.6%, high enough to make the Federal Reserve cautious about additional cuts to interest rates.”

“57 of 77 forest service labs nationwide are on a list to shutter. Scientists at these labs study everything from pollinators to wildfires. The agency said this week the closures don't mean an end to research. It's just relocating small teams to other spaces.”

“The four Artemis two astronauts are now heading in get to medical evaluations, this after a ten day journey to the far side of the moon. The spacecraft had a near perfect return to Earth Friday evening, landing in the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of San Diego, and then the astronauts were imported into a ship.”

“The Southern California Music Festival, which has been running for more than twenty five years, is one of the hottest tickets of the festival season. And the Colombian star, Carol G, will make history on Sunday night as the first Latina to ever headline the festival.”

“I'm kind of in shock. I wanted to feed Mundy and Tara close together. And so I fed Tara over here. She picked up her food and brought it right over to the fence line here so she could be eating with Mundy. So you tell me what that means. I think that is really good.”

“The dominant political story of the year has been the 270-day-long speakership of Representative Kevin McCarthy, whose slim majority in the House of Representatives has enabled a far-right rebellion to exert more weight over the lower chamber. The battle between the rebellious Freedom Caucus and McCarthy has been at the heart of an averted debt ceiling crisis and the annual budget debate nearly devolving into a government shutdown.”

“2023 also saw the roots of a global banking crisis arise out of four American regional banks, the two largest being Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank. These developments occurred alongside a moderation of the 2021 inflation surge, while the Federal Reserve continued to raise its interest rates in the first half of the year.”

“The rise of artificial intelligence and large language models dominated not only the economy but has also been at the root of a Hollywood double strike conducted by Writers Guild of America and a SAG APTRA strike. These were part of a larger phenomenon of labor strikes across the country, in which such large diverse groups, such as Teamsters and Auto Workers won new contracts.”

“2021's inflation surge moderated in 2023, while the Federal Reserve continued to raise its interest rates in the first half of the year. On February 1, the Federal Reserve raises interest rates by 0.25% from 4.5% to 4.75% as part of the ongoing effort to manage the economy.”

“I'm kind of in shock. I wanted to feed Mundy and Tara close together. And so I fed Tara over here. She picked up her food and brought it right over to the fence line here so she could be eating with Mundy. So you tell me what that means. I think that is really good.”

“The dominant political story of the year has been the 270-day-long speakership of Representative Kevin McCarthy, whose slim majority in the House of Representatives has enabled a far-right rebellion to exert more weight over the lower chamber. The battle between the rebellious Freedom Caucus and McCarthy has been at the heart of an averted debt ceiling crisis and the annual budget debate nearly devolving into a government shutdown.”

“2023 also saw the roots of a global banking crisis arise out of four American regional banks, the two largest being Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank. These developments occurred alongside a moderation of the 2021 inflation surge, while the Federal Reserve continued to raise its interest rates in the first half of the year.”

“The rise of artificial intelligence and large language models dominated not only the economy but has also been at the root of a Hollywood double strike conducted by Writers Guild of America and a SAG APTRA strike. These were part of a larger phenomenon of labor strikes across the country, in which such large diverse groups, such as Teamsters and Auto Workers won new contracts.”

“2021's inflation surge moderated in 2023, while the Federal Reserve continued to raise its interest rates in the first half of the year. On February 1, the Federal Reserve raises interest rates by 0.25% from 4.5% to 4.75% as part of the ongoing effort to manage the economy.”

“If you look at, if you produce this result, if you took the CNN poll, NBC Wall Street Journal poll, and they're both telephone polls... Trump said, he said 40. Now that's a ridiculously low number. If we think the third party vote is 2, then that produces a result of, you ready? 58, 40. Way bigger than Reagan, I think.”

“The first one was John Cronin, the Republican incumbent in Texas, went to the Houston Chronicle and criticized Trump's response to the virus. That immediately tells you he's getting slaughtered on the west side of Houston and woodlands and these kinds of places. In Arizona, Martha McSally refused to kind of say nice things about Trump.”

“So tonight, as a friend of mine pointed out, the infection rate on just the White House campus at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is currently 23 times the entire country of New Zealand. Think about that. Just that block. I could not imagine a more miserable place to work now.”

“I feel very optimistic that we'll be well over, you know, I think we'll be closer to 55, to 50 I really do. Because I just can't see how, given the current environment and the current national mood, and, you know, you just keep hearing Republican posters telling people we're doomed.”

“But it also strikes me, you know, in all that I've covered, that when it's really close at the end, the vast majority of times it breaks against the incumbent. That's a pretty general but accurate rule to make about American politics.”

“I'm kind of in shock. I wanted to feed Mundy and Tara close together. And so I fed Tara over here. She picked up her food and brought it right over to the fence line here so she could be eating with Mundy. So you tell me what that means. I think that is really good.”

“The dominant political story of the year has been the 270-day-long speakership of Representative Kevin McCarthy, whose slim majority in the House of Representatives has enabled a far-right rebellion to exert more weight over the lower chamber. The battle between the rebellious Freedom Caucus and McCarthy has been at the heart of an averted debt ceiling crisis and the annual budget debate nearly devolving into a government shutdown.”

“The rise of artificial intelligence and large language models dominated not only the economy but has also been at the root of a Hollywood double strike conducted by Writers Guild of America and a SAG APTRA strike. These were part of a larger phenomenon of labor strikes across the country, in which such large diverse groups, such as Teamsters and Auto Workers won new contracts.”

“Additionally, the latter half of the year saw many large mergers and acquisitions, some of the largest announcements being in oil and gas with ExxonMobil's purchase of Pioneer Natural Resources for nearly $60 billion and Chevron's acquisition of Hess Corporation for $50 billion, both in October and pending regulatory approval prior to closure.”

“2023 also saw the roots of a global banking crisis arise out of four American regional banks, the two largest being Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank. 2021's inflation surge moderated in 2023, while the Federal Reserve continued to raise its interest rates in the first half of the year.”

“Oil is a globally priced commodity, so even though we won't have a physical shortage here because we've got Canada for heavy oil and we produce our own, the reality is that the price is global, and there's a real physical shortage. And so we don't escape that price impact, and that translates to what it costs a refiner to buy the crude and therefore what you pay for gasoline at the pump.”

“Eligible voters in Indiana and Ohio who want to cast ballots in the May primaries have until the end of Monday to register. And there's still at least a week left to register in time for the primaries in Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and West Virginia.”

“If you're planning to register to vote by mail, you may want to avoid waiting until the last minute to send your application by a postmark deadline. Changes at the US Postal Service mean that your mail may not get a postmark on the same day you drop it off. USPS says if you want to make sure it gets a postmark, stop by a post office and ask for one.”

“The states say the data collection effort threatens student privacy and could lead to baseless investigations. The judge says the government likely has the authority to collect the data, but that it was done in a rushed, chaotic manner.”

“Together, they pushed 2026 to the best start of any year since the pandemic, and if blockbusters inspire people to come back to the movies, that bodes well for the next few weeks' openings, which include Mortal Kombat 2, a Michael Jackson biopic, and the first Star Wars movie in seven years.”

“A third of the world by countries that represent about a third of the world's population, they are all in declining mode. That's a fact. And if you look at the top ten first wave economies, they account for about 30% of the global population and about 70% of the world economy GDP; they are all declining. This is a slow moving train wreck that we have to be cognizant for.”

“Wealth concentration now exceeds even the Gilded Age, and when you bring in the lens of AI, the fog of war is so thick that it prevents us from being able to see into the future. I was inspired to seek truth by trying to anchor what you at least know for sure, because it gives me great peace when I can underwrite the things I know with certainty and reorient my entire investing mindset.”

“The value of labor is reaching zero because I think technology as a whole is deflationary. I think that's the punchline. If technology works the way that is allowing for productivity growth that resets the jump to universality in ways that is unimaginable, it's really deflationary. And so you should expect a lot of things to maybe go down in price.”

“What's happening though is that's not what we're seeing in actual price because we live also in a credit world, where credit inflation and credit creation is a big driver of our growth model. Technology as a whole is deflationary, but these compounding things like unprecedented levels of debt make the equation harder to reason about unless you anchor to the certain truths of demographics and labor.”

“In 1960, health care was only about 5% of US GDP, but we now know today it's over 20% of US GDP. That number alone kind of tells you people are living longer and health care is getting more expensive, which means that consumption actually has to be fulfilled. This will probably come from some kind of asset disposition that the older generation has acquired throughout their working years.”