Guilty as Charged!

Welcome to This Week’s Leyendecker View

Your blessing in life is when you find the torture you’re comfortable with.
–Jerry Seinfeld on Howard Stern

THINKING OUT LOUD

Guilty as Charged!

I left the water running while brushing my teeth. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

I didn’t bring reusable bags to the grocery store. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

I bought milk in a plastic container. Do I need to repent for these injustices to the environment?

I put that plastic container in the normal trash instead of the recycling bin. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

I bought some non-organic produce at the grocery store. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

I use shampoo and soap made from institutional manufacturers and packaged in plastic. Do I need to repent for this potential injustice to the environment?

I put fertilizer made from natural gas on my lawn. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

I have grass and flower beds that require water and fertilizer to keep alive. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

My lawnmower and weed whacker run on gasoline. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

I had leftovers in the fridge for too long, so I had to throw them out. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

I had to throw out expired milk in my fridge. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

I wash dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher, which uses less water. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

I left some lights on in the house when I went out to run some errands. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

I re-paved a couple of concrete sidewalks at my house. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

I took some business clothes to the cleaners, where they use chemicals to clean them. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

My F150 gets 19.2 miles per gallon. Should I feel good that this is an above-average use of fuel for trucks, or do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

I ate a burger at my local restaurant. Not sure if that meat was organic, grass fed, or free range. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

I ate a couple of chicken wings at a Super Bowl party. I don’t know if the chicken was organic, free range, grass fed, or if it was susceptible to bird flu. Do I need to repent for this injustice to the environment?

As a young Catholic boy, I was taught to feel guilty for not going to church and for talking back to my parents. For these misdeeds, I was given some sort of penance to perform.

Today, it seems I do many things for which I’m supposed to feel guilty and repent for my evil ways, as decreed by the new church of environmentalism. Our own government seems to pray at this church. What happened to separation of church and state? How can any of us be happy with so much guilt?

THE ECONOMIC VIEW

2024 economy will be warm and fuzzy.
Says Goldman’s chief economist

Restoring American innovation
Some simple policy suggestions.

Building America right.
Supply-side reforms could help economy

THE INFLATION BOGEYMAN

Airlines are increasing bag fees
Greedflation, right?

The lifespan of appliances is shortening
Most of us probably noticed this years ago.

Eating has become more expensive
At a 30-year high relative to income.

PANDA DEFLATION

China’s video display market share and prices
Force Samsung and LG to join forces

China’s EV penetration in the West
Could create a bloodbath for automakers

Chinese goods are becoming a problem
They’re cheap even for Asian consumers.

THE LABOR VIEW

IBM brings back pension plans
Should other companies follow?

Are meeting-free Fridays a new trend?
Add them to the 4-day workweek
What’s next in the coddling of labor?

Think you have a tough job?
Think again

MEANWHILE IN EUROPE

Europe’s military must stand on its own two feet
Have decades of easy US support made them weak?

German central bank sees more weakness
Recession may continue.

Oxford increases fossil fuel investments
After promising to cut back.

THE GLOBAL GAME

Peru’s economy is a mess.
Second-worst contraction in 33 years

South Korean doctors protest
Harsh working conditions and low pay.

Mexicans protest president’s initiatives
Does this make them a threat to their democracy?
Are drug cartels close to Mexico’s president?
Tsk tsk tsk.

THE UKRAINE FIRE

US unveils biggest Russian sanctions
Since the war started.
EU adds more sanctions, too

A pro-war Russian nationalist happens to die
After divulging Russian casualties in Avdiivka.

The Ukrainian Avdiivka retreat
May have been a disaster.
But are Russians tiring of the war?

THE GAZA FIRE

Israel unveils post-war Gaza plan
The US won’t like it.

US and UN warn Israel
And what’s their leverage?
Hostage/cease-fire talks happening today

Israel draws line in the sand with hostages
Released by March, or expect an onslaught

THE NEW COLD WAR

McKinsey helped China with policies
That fed US tensions.

China ups cyber attacks on US infrastructure
There’s no war going on, right?

The space war is coming.
Does Russia have a head start?

FINANCE

Citi raises CEO’s pay
After reporting 40% drop in profits.

Wall Street banks desperate for business
Private credit threatens fixed-income biz.

Private credit rules coming to the EU
Will legacy banks lose out?

Capital One to buy Discover
And fewer credit card companies means what?

REAL ESTATE

Home sales were rebounding, but…
Mortgage rates cross 7% again
Anything close to 5% is the new bargain.

Big banks may be under-reserved
For the coming bad loan problems.

Investment funds mob US farmland
What will the consequences be in rural America?

TECHNOLOGY

Did you not have cell service yesterday AM?
Was it a cyberattack?

New satellites can see your face from space
This is a good thing?

Billions flowing to US chip factories
Will we oversupply the market?
Maybe not

THE CHAT ON AI

ChatGPT just had a day-long meltdown
Does anyone know why?

Nvidia sales explode
But is this boom built on sand?
AI company raises $7B+ in the last year
AI is the new gold rush.
Or is it just a whole new industry
For billionaires to make more billions?
Or is it an amazing cyber attack tool?

ChatGPT unveils video AI, Sora
Can a story prompt create a movie?

THE NEXT NORMAL

Are race politics poisoning young minds?
Coleman Hughes argues for a colorblind America
Check out his new book here

Alabama rules that embryos are children
When is a fetus a human being?

Is an extinction-level event
Looming for traditional media?

THE WAR ON CARBON

Democrats pushed climate action.
Now utility costs are skyrocketing

Google to spot O&G methane leaks from space
Why not track all manner of leaks?

The Rockefeller fortune comes from oil & gas.
The heirs seek to destroy the industry

THE NEW ENERGY TRANSITION

China’s clean tech is made of dirty minerals
Shhh…don’t tell anyone.

Europe has a bunch of old wind farms.
Will they be replaced?

The hot new climate investment
Is capturing heat for industrial uses

THE EV DREAM

Rivian projects no 2024 growth
And CEO blames the Fed
Another sign an EV bust is nigh?

Is wireless EV charging on the horizon?
Some folks are trying to make it happen.

The EV battery minerals boom
Is turning into a bust

THE CHINA SYNDROME

China games trade with the US.
By first shipping goods to Mexico

Taiwan and China frictions flare
Is China about to make a move?

Why is China stalling out?
An over-managed economy leads to contraction.
Home prices keep dropping
Chinese New Year spending was tepid
CCP to take control of tech development
Foreign direct investment at 30-year low

THE WASHING-TONE

War is good for the US economy
Washington says it’s an economic stimulator.

Biden cancels more student debt
Hey, dude, how about mortgages?

Immigration legislation is impossible to pass.
Here’s why

MAKING A BETTER YOU

Writing by hand
Is good for your memory and learning

The case against an annual physical
WTF? I thought this was mandatory.

Married people report higher well-being
Get yourself a spouse!

HOW ABOUT A BREAK

Did you celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Are you aware of its “unique” origin?

The 20 best beaches in the world
Start planning now!

Ants make their own antibiotic
Are they more advanced than humans?
And do they mirror our political lives?

SONG OF THE WEEK

“Tell it Like it Is”
Aaron Neville
Some lyrics really are poetry.

CASTING AROUND THE PODS

Mark Zuckerberg on the headset wars, AI and smoking meat
Morning Brew Daily interviews the tech titan.

Bonus…

California’s climate policy is destroying its economy
The Veriten folks interview a CA journalist.

VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

The amazing CRISPR story
How two women won the Nobel Prize.

3 Body Problem trailer.
The Game of Thrones creators are back!

The goth comedy Lisa Frankenstein.
Robin Williams’ daughter directs

FROM THE HEADHUNTER’S KITCHEN

Greek lemon potatoes
Oh me, oh my!

Creamy cauliflower pasta
With pecorino breadcrumbs.

Making an amazing, giant crepe
Pretty cool video.

THE RANDOMS

California regulators discovered hazardous waste at over 100 Tesla locations.WTF?!?! I thought renewable stuff was clean, like made from air…air that’s been conditioned to be pure, free from everything that’s not pure and clean.

“This is going to become a wild race to the bottom where no one in labor wins. It’s going to demolish our industry.” Karla Ortiz, a concept artist who’s worked on Marvel movies, as quoted in a Hollywood Reporter article about the rise of AI.

Does it cost too much to own a home? Are mortgage rates too high? Or are wages not high enough? Maybe construction costs are too high. Or maybe land prices are too high. Whatever the case, when you see an article suggesting that the era of 400-sq-ft houses is upon us, something or many things might be amiss.

It only took 34 years for the Japanese Nikkei 225 stock index to hit a new record. With regards to our current stock market boom, is there a lesson to be learned here?

About half of college graduates are in jobs that don’t make full use of their education. Were these kids bamboozled into going to college? But even a large percentage of non-grads were under-employed after a decade in the labor force. Is technology destroying well-paying jobs and replacing them with poor-paying service jobs?

It’s not a climate change carbon tax, but rapidly rising insurance rates are functioning like one. Skyrocketing rates are going to change values and behavior in certain assets. Coastal real estate owners may find the value of their property and the cost to own it more challenging.

If you could meet anyone from history, who would it be?

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Is Deflation Around the Corner?
February 16, 2024

The Singularity Is Here
February 9, 2024