I get a bit into bitcoin today to reflect how volatile it can be. Yesterday,  President Donald Trump threatened new 100% tariffs on China. The  U.S. stock market tumbled , with the Dow Jones Industrial dropping 879 points, or 1.9%.  The broader S&P dropped 2.71%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid 3.56%. Gold rose 1.5%.   Read my posting of yesterday on how just this commodity could trigger a collapse of the USA and World . In particular,  cryptocurrencies Bitcoin ( almost a 10% decline ), Ether ( 14.2% ) and Solana ( 20% ) led the sinking , bringing total liquidations to $14.28 billion, the largest in crypto history.  One of Trump's executive order to allow digital assets to be included in 401(k) plans led to  Bitcoin  soaring to a record high of $124,000 last week.   When to capitalize (b)itcoin?  When referring to the protocol, technology or network.  But lowercase bitcoin is used as a unit of currency....

Conde Nast  recently said  These are the Safest Countries in the World in 2025 .  They consulted the 2025 Global Peace Index.   1 is most peaceful, 5 is the least. Where was the USA?  #128!!! My impression was that  Conde Nast  and the Institute of Economics and Peace ( they report on that GPI)  likes cold weather countries.  Or maybe there is something about chilly conditions that keep people home to avoid danger. So anyway, the top ten. #10  Finland ( 1.42 )  Famous for also being the happiest country in the world. #9   Slovenia ( 1.409 )  Has extremely low crime rates and terrorism risk, with the best castles and lakes. #8  Denmark ( 1.393 )  Dropped six spots from 2024, having something to do with militarization. #7    Portugal ( 1.371 )  Is a beacon of economic resurgence and low crime rates.  Many from Europe retire there. #6    Singapore ( 1.357 )  The only Asia...

Many of the newer electronic watches today have a built-in pedometer.  The Apple SE second generation includes this device, and is  on sale at Amazon.com for $169 .  The Ultra 2 costs $599.  Two years ago I bought a  pedometer from Amazon for $16 .  Use it regularly and haven't changed the battery yet.  I don't really need an Apple watch, for I have several cheap ones I've owned for decades, plus an Apple 16 Pro, which, of course, provides the time. Among the applications of my pedometer. Golf. The average golfer playing 18 holes walks a little over  six miles .  I was able to do this before the pandemic. Surprisingly enough, carrying your golf bag does not take a lot more energy than pushing/pulling a golf cart .  Much better to push than pull. Eighteen holes of golf on a riding cart still involve 3-4 miles of walking.  Now that I'm 84, I ride, but still regularly count from 6000 to 7000 steps/round, which convert to  3 to 3.5...

First of all, this is Friday, and if you are in the USA, it is a day off for our country's 249th birthday.  How much longer we'll have  a Democracy will be a challenge with Donald Trump as president. Greece is where Democracy was born. However,  Democracy in Athens 2500 years ago  was not quite what it is supposed to be.  First, only males who served in the militia could vote.  With all the ineligible men, women, children and foreigners, only around 15% could participate in the democracy of those days As best as I can determine,  modern Greece did not return to Democracy until 1974!   Joined the European Union in 1981, but elected a socialist government later that year.  The government continues through crises, sometimes with coalitions involving communists, other times just messed up and in scandal.  So is Greece a Democracy today.  I guess yes. San Marino claims to have been a Republic since the year 300, but its current constitut...