News for June 18 — Ozempic May Help Treat Addictions

Ozempic may help treat addictions: WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/articles/ozempic-might-help-you-drink-and-smoke-less-a2354ce7 . The preliminary evidence suggests this may be true. If so, the drug will be even more powerful in helping people regain a normal balance in their lives.

WSJ: We’ve pretty much given up on analysis: https://www.wsj.com/articles/boomers-got-hooked-on-stocks-now-they-cant-let-go-8589ff74 . This is just unbelievably stupid babble masquerading as information. If you have wealth, you must invest in it in assets that keep up with or beat inflation. Over the long term, that has to be stocks, which not only have greater long-term returns than other asset classes, but also have considerable tax advantages. It’s not just past performance, as the Journal idiotically implies. Our economic structure requires greater (average) long-term reward for greater long term risk, otherwise there’s no reason to take greater risk.

If the people writing for the Journal do not understand this basic and obvious principle, it really is a waste of time to read the Journal. And each edition of the Journal now seems to hammer home this point.

WSJ: China’s small businesses struggle, drag down economic recovery: https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-small-businesses-are-hit-hard-as-economic-recovery-falters-a3548a7d .

WSJ: Ukraine hits major Russian ammo dump: https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-hits-russian-ammunition-depot-deep-in-occupied-territory-fd4f9ed0 . This continues Ukraine’s efforts to disrupt Russia’s military supply lines.

Bill Barr increases criticism of Orange Julius: https://www.mediaite.com/news/bill-barr-ramps-up-his-showdown-with-troubled-man-trump-in-stunning-cbs-interview-hes-like-a-defiant-9-year-old/ . While Bill Bar is not a psychologist, what he says about OJ is absolutely true. Although I’m not a fan of Bill Barr, he is doing us all a service by pointing out OJ’s horrific flaws to his brain-washed base.

Mike Pence: “flat-out lying”: https://www.rawstory.com/mike-pence-lies-black-lives-matter/ . While many argue Mike Pence is a tool of the conservative establishment, actually he’s just a tool. It’s much easier to make a speech if you just make up facts on the fly, but it does not count as civil discourse. And of course, the fly was the most entertaining part of Mike Pence’s 2020 VP debate performance.

Bad news: Michigan lunatics cut 7-year-old’s hair: https://news.yahoo.com/michigan-crown-act-racial-hair-discrimination-bias-law-170015717.html . Who would ever cut a child’s hair at school? As far as I’m concerned, this is assault, and the personnel involved should have been fired on the spot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault .

Good news: Illinois bans book bans: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/14/1182074525/illinois-becomes-the-first-state-in-the-u-s-to-ban-book-bans . Bad news: The NPR transcript: “The simple act of reading a book is a restricted write.” Good grief, does NPR need English classes? It’s “right”, of course …