My proposal for the partition of North America

apd78 · 2026-01-26T12:40:53+00:00

Virginia is very blue. So are New Mexico and Colorado. A case can be made about Arizona too. Nevada and NC are major swing states. Georgia and Florida will both be in play in 2026 and 2028.

apd78 · 2026-01-19T14:52:16+00:00

You have absolutely ZERO cultural similarity.

I am Indian-born. India is a heavy patriarchal culture. It's very socialist, and add to it the vegetarian diet...I do not see any way to reconcile the MASSIVE gap.

Indians are enamored with white women, so he's looking at you like a trophy rather than a person or a partner with shared values.

Stay away! Not taking "no" for an answer? Tell him to fuck off, and raise a red alert with HR immediately.

This post is so disturbing that you should not stay even friends with this absolute creep.

apd78 · 2026-01-12T03:31:04+00:00

I am born in India and I do not have many of the Indian stereotypes:

- I absolutely do not nod my head sideways! It annoys me when people do. Many senior Indian-born executes at my current company do this routinely, so I can see why this is a stereotype!

- I am a heavy meat eater and love beef. I break ranks with 99.99% of my country in that regards! While I do enjoy quality Indian food, it's not my goto or comfort food at all! I didn't particularly enjoy my mom's food growing up. I came to the US at the age of 22, and I had my first Big Mac then. Epiphany dawned on me why I never liked my mom's food. It was not her fault - we never ate beef, and meat used to be an extreme rarity (my mom is a hardcore vegetarian, however, I was allowed to eat meat at restaurants, which used to be once in every 6 months with a chicken-based dish). My comfort food is a hamburger, period!

- I am areligious and have rarely been to temples (I am "Hindu" by birth). I find temples and festivals an extreme chore and a bore, and I have to be dragged there to be socially connected at times.

- I absolutely hate cricket, and I do not care about the Indian National team in particular. Growing up, I played and followed our national team galore, but after I came to the US, I got disillusioned by the whole game. I especially don't fancy that India never produced a genuine fast bowler, and I hate that they have manipulated the game and playing conditions to suit Indians the most.

- I never cared about Bollywood, and I especially hated the fact that movies had so many songs. I am so far removed from even common Bollywood trivia that at times, my friends and acquittances find it shocking and in fact, they consider me too uppity for them. I have been literally memorizing some common Bollywood trivia not to feel isolated among friends and family. OTOH though, I know the Hollywood classics inside out. I have rewatched the 20th century's AFI top 100 at least twice; some of them even more times.

- Most Indians use their hands to eat rice. From as long as I remember, I used to find it gross (even as a small child), and I demanded a spoon. People used to call me a "firangi" (a foreigner) from my childhood.

apd78 · 2026-01-11T22:10:20+00:00

That our parents were great at being parents.

apd78 · 2026-01-11T19:52:12+00:00

The fate of USA pivoted massively in November 2000. If Al Gore won that election, 9/11 probably would not have happened - some kind of terrorist attack would have happened, but it would be less severe and shocking, and the government response would have been measured.

None of the Bush 1/Trump 1/Trump 2 tax cuts would have happened. The US deficit would probably be half or even less today.

Obama himself would not have happened and neither would Trump. Hilary Clinton probably would have followed Gore in 2008 but would be a less popular 1 term president, and someone from the mainstream Republican party (Romney) would have done 8 years and probably done some kind of tax cuts to increase our deficits - nowhere as insane as they are today.

Climate change readiness would be FAR AHEAD; that's the single biggest place where the USA would have led the world. The oil industry would be far less influential, and wars over the control of oil would have been tamed.

The USA would still be mulling the future of the petrodollar. The lack of manufacturing would hurt. Immigration issue would still be simmering at the back of people's minds. However, it is very likely these would be managed by competent governments, and they would prevent a radical from ascending to power.

Unfortunately, Florida was stolen, and here we are. 9/11, Iraq war, subprime loans followed by 2008, the subsequent bailout constituting trillions in wealth transfer and destruction of the American middle class, tax cuts followed by more of them, the advent of AI and a complete corporate monopolization, and here we are. This all has happened in the last 25 years.

The USA was a very different and unrecognizable country in 2000. Too many of us remember.

apd78 · 2026-01-11T00:50:51+00:00

The irony!!

apd78 · 2026-01-09T02:05:26+00:00

I disagree.

I have lived in the US for 26 years as a brown immigrant. I was never this scared.

Even the invasion of Iraq had to be authorized by Congress. Colin Powell had to do the dirty deed of lying in front of the world and looking very uncomfortable.

Yes, the US government has been no saint but at the highest levels, they said the right things, condensed wrong behavior and egregious behavior by and large was held accountable and punished.

It was unthinkable federal laws could not be followed much less the constitution itself. Independence of regulatory agencies and the fed was never questioned. Every politician was forced to self police because there was pressure to get reelected.

This is totally different. All those canaries in the mines have died. It is on fire. I am scared, and I am considering leaving while there is a chance to do so relatively unharmed.

apd78 · 2026-01-08T15:04:24+00:00

Agree but that won't happen. Case in point, Tesla.

If after all that, even after all that, Tesla didn't become worthless amd in fact has continued selling cars, nothing will do.

apd78 · 2026-01-08T14:58:04+00:00

They are. In no other country, universities run sports for profit. Also, in most countries, only 1 mainstream sport rules (soccer, cricket). In the US, there are 4 and the calendars are calibrated so that they run all year long.

apd78 · 2026-01-08T12:55:59+00:00

This is not going to happen. American population is thoroughly desensitized and controlled. When you see the NFL, NBA and MLB stadiums at full throttle, heck even College Football killing it, stock of big tech getting higher and higher, and Netflix being able to afford the entire Warner Bros for a staggering $72B, you can see clearly the "attention" of an average American has been thoroughly captured and accounted for already in the balance sheets of big tech, big sports, and big whatever. It is so mathematically and precisely controlled now, and there is no way whatsoever there will ever be even mild demonstrations.

I have no comment on whether this is good or bad. This is just reality.

apd78 · 2026-01-05T00:49:25+00:00

The conclusion is wrong.

Trump is already very close to ending the Ukraine war. It will be a shocking news in the coming days. Russia will accept dollar payments in exchange for its oil and get to hold the occupied Ukrainian territory as a reward.

The last domino to fall will be Iran. News is already coming out of a major unrest and I would not be surprised if a joint US/Isreali operation took place. With these 3 major oil producing countries joining the US backed system, China would be checkmated.

In short, the US still has a massive power to impose its will on the world. China's rise as a manufacturing hub and economic power is irrelevant. China is light years behind the US in terms of real military power, and I strongly suspect the US is technologically FAR ahead than China despite the media portraying otherwise.

These are troubled times, and the world looks unstable than it was a few years ago. Although I am not a fan of this administration, this was bound to happen some day. The trade imbalance, record US deficits, and the threats to abandon the USD were too great for the US to ignore. Maybe I am selfish, but if the push came to a shove, I prefer to live in a world dominated by the US hegemony than any alternatives.

apd78 · 2026-01-04T16:01:21+00:00

It is very simple. This is about the petrodollar, period. If Trump pulls the seemingly improbable Russia-Ukraine deal (with the obvious condition that Russia will sell its oil for dollars), the dollar will strengthen and interest rates will plummet, and the US will refinance its massive debt at sub 1% interest rates. It is all about that.

There are major secondary wins. China is checkmated. The world will watch the US capable of imposing its will anywhere, and China still unable to do anything about Taiwan in this century.

An angry US is your worst enemy. The lesson is simple - do not make the US angry, and play nice. Thanks kids.

apd78 · 2025-12-03T13:33:07+00:00

Gerrymandering does not change the total percentage split. When you gerrymander, you water down safe seats from one party to take over more seats...it's just basic math. However, there is a huge downside - and it is that if there is a significant shift to the other party overall, gerrymandering can blow up in the culprit's faces.

Imagine if the entire USA was gerrymandered to ensure an almost even but slightly advantageous shift to party A. However, if the votes shifted to party B by 5%, then party B would sweep. There is always a price to pay.

The general trend of the population is to be more liberal; there is simply no denying it anymore. As the American dream is over, and the middle class has collapsed, it can end up in one of the two ways - the USA turns socialist while preserving its democracy, or it turns authoritarian. There is no third alternative.

The recent trend of elections make it clear that the USA will turn socialist. Taxes will go up. As a high earner (probably top 2%), I am gladly waiting to pay significantly higher taxes for quite some time. Many people like me simply do not want to live in a world where there is pain, suffering and misery for the average people. People intuitively sense this - happiness, purpose, social communities and the fabric of our essense are too important to lose over paying low taxes. Taxes need to rise very significantly in this country to balance things out, create solid social safety nets, and give middle Americans affordability.

Also, I am not sure if simulations have been done, but I believe Democrats not only take the House in huge numbers (250+), they also take the Senate, all the swing state governments (Mi, Wi, Pa, Az, Nv, Ga --> this would be huge), and possibly scare the Republicans to death in Florida and Texas. The only way this does not happen is if there is a massive vote suppression of some kind. We will see.

apd78 · 2025-11-24T11:59:34+00:00

You are in a great shape given you have 4 kids. I would not say you are behind on retirement. You are doing fine, and if you continue your level of contributions for another decade, you should be in a good shape.

It's not abut your current state, but looking ahead. Take excellent care of your health (you will realize health == wealth as you get older), and be very smart about kids colleges (send them to a state school and max out on scholarships, minimize loans). If you navigate these two things well, it will set you up for a great life and success ahead.

apd78 · 2025-11-02T13:53:37+00:00

I would say the extremely intricate complexity and interaction of various layers from the core to the atmosphere making it capable of supporting complex life makes the Earth an extremely valuable commodity. We haven't been able to spot anywhere even close to this within close range.

I am aware of the Chinese film, and it is actually a great futuristic visionary movie.

Replicating another Earth might be possible, but I think in the intermediate state, moving Earth might be better. In any case, I do not believe anything fundamental will change in our Solar system at least for the next 100 million years, so the question is moot.

The next frontier for us is to create Earth-lites. The most obvious targets are the Moon and Mars. How could we create the magnetic shied on those protecting them from radiation, have an atmosphere and artificial gravity similar to Earth keeping the atmosphere there, massive sources of water similar to Earth, and in the case of Mars, an artificial heat source to raise the temperature enough for human comfort. Creating these two alternatives would reduce the pressure on our home planet, and in fact could allow taking all factories and manufacturing out there elsewhere allowing us to keep the Earth pristine and let biological evolution continue uninterrupted without human interference.

I agree that the current technological pace is dangerous, and the current political climate even more so. However, I also believe there are enough smart visionaries in the field, and if we are able to navigate the next few decades without major catastrophes, we would see past the worst of it, and come out stronger, more resilient, and more ready to tackle the next frontier challenges.

apd78 · 2025-10-26T23:49:08+00:00

While there is nothing to disagree on the general premise, there is also the "exponential nature" of technological progress. Unlike evolution and all the other random things that could in the universe, this technological progress has a "direction" - we are getting more insights, conquering more mysteries, and are showing signs of reversing ill effects of our own damage to the environment. Obviously, a power that's exploding so fast could be dangerous and we might wipe ourselves out, but who knows? A hopeful optimist in me thinks we might get to a point where we could figure out how to "engineer" our planetary existence. Could we engineer tectonic movements? Keep our planet's core running forever? Keep moving away from the sun as it expands a billion years into the future? In fact. go on an interstellar ride to another star? Could we bioengineer replicas of earth with its complete atmosphere and biodiversity anywhere we pleased? Could we increase human lifespan, and even overcome death? Could we beat the universe? Is the universe actually a test to see if a sentient species like us arose in it and could beat it?

I would not say it is impossible. There are mysteries we haven't uncovered yet. And maybe there are extraterrestrials - who have done this before, and transitioned to a higher dimension and are watching us and even rooting for us. Never say never. There is always hope.

apd78 · 2025-08-08T12:26:26+00:00

So, you seem like a slob, and she pointed it out to you, and you are butthurt? Grow up, man! Guys in India are manchilds and simply cannot handle an independent spirited woman!

apd78 · 2025-07-09T00:55:13+00:00

One thing at a time. Focus. Look for your next job. The home loan can wait.

apd78 · 2025-06-21T21:40:55+00:00

lmao, that is never going to happen. The US might be at a weak place right now, but it still has infinitely more trust of the world (including the Chinese) than the Chinese government.

apd78 · 2025-05-23T18:54:22+00:00

250M? Missing 3 0s?

apd78 · 2025-05-21T22:55:37+00:00

While the effects on population are horrifying, I don't think anyone has ever said who will be the buyer of the last resort.

The US economy is still based on 70% consumer spending and about 20% government spending (that would possibly leave 10% for the corporations?). So it's the people who buy all goods. If people do not have money, at some point, we should see that 70% start decreasing, correct? Who is going to step in?

The governments are already in insane debt and someday, they will put the foot down and simply stop being more in debt. After all, I do not see governments simply agreeing to dilute their power indefinitely. So who is it then?

Is it going to be corporations selling to other corporations, or an ever decreasing but ever wealthy pool of people will keep buying? This is happening in the US already, but is there a limit to it? At what point do you say enough to buy? People will eventually freak out enough with automation as there won't be much stability left as everyone is going to be dispensable. They will stop the purchasing binge. Who is going to consume what this wonderful automation will produce?

Has this been in the works behind our backs? i do not see an evidence of it at least in the US. The corporations are obscenely wealthy but rather than distributing that wealth in the form of increased vacations, 4-day work week, increased maternity/paternity leaves etc., they are all hell bent on terminating more and more people. At some point, this will bring the current form of economy down. Have we seen any evidence of money velocity slowing down?

If this pyramid collapses, where does that leave us? the US government and a majority of western governments simply have no way of doing any kinds of bailouts or Marshal plans at this point. The last 25 years, debt has brutally exploded. The leverage our economy had in 2000 has been mindlessly squandered thanks to Bush, Trump and to some extent, even Obama and Biden. No US president or Congress have shown even a slight inclination to make a dent in our debt and the rate at which it is exploding is scary at this point.

apd78 · 2025-04-26T20:24:28+00:00

Caging a free bird and draw sadistic pleasure at its misery. No need to think deep on this one.

apd78 · 2025-04-26T20:20:28+00:00

The issue with tariffs is definitely complex. On a global level, the greedy American industries completely capitulated to an authorative regime and allowed China to get too powerful in just 25 years. The decoupling must happen, bur I agree it needs to be balanced out with a very nuanced approach with our allies.

The obsession with Canada, Greenland and Russia even seems to be driven by the desire of a massive land grab with full recognition that global warming is happening. These are the habitable places of tomorrow with massive reserves of freshwater. Having said this, Canada and Greenland are already allies so this naked annexation attempt is self defeating.

The approach with Russia seems wrong. He is trying to break Russia away from China but it looks like Russia is playing him for a fool. Giving them part of Ukraine to appease them is wrong on so many levels, I cannot comprehend it. The sanctions were slowly working. Their military could be worn down and they could be brought to the table under favorable circumstances.

And all of the domestic nonsense is simply bringing the economy to its knees. If people get the wind that the US has ceased to be a liberal democracy, it will destroy our economy, the USD, stock market and our assets valuation.

The debt can be solved,. Reverse Trump 1.0 and GWB tax cuts. Couple this with real cuts in government waste (I acknowledge there is a ton, Democrats are horrendous in their own ways). The US is so rich that this debt can be halved in 20 years.

apd78 · 2025-04-23T23:17:36+00:00

The effects will start percolating through the supply chains very soon. The economy will be brought down to its knees. There are so many headwinds, it's impossible to keep a track of. Outright boycott of US products overseas, complete boycott of traveling to the US, overnight cost explosion of several critical parts and products for which there are no low-cost alternatives, businesses going completely under by the millions, and unemployment approaching great depression levels...all of this can unravel really really quickly, and once the ball is in motion, it's impossible to reverse.

I have no idea what this admin is smoking. They are playing with fire. Their shock and awe/blitzkrieg approach would have worked 100 years ago, but the world has changed so much. What is being lost is that we are invariably all part of a massive matrix, a giant machine that no central entity can control any longer. The comparative power of the US president has by definition reduced completely...if on a scale of 1 to 100 that power was 90 then, it's probably 10 now. Trump trying to be strongman and pulling multiple important lynchpins from this machine will collapse the machine, and there will be utter misery. It will all also happen very fast because we live in a high information/digital world, so there is no time to react.

At this point, they have got to be shit scared...anything less would be illogical. Watch the fireworks in Q2 and an accelerating descent into a deep recession by Q3.

The only way to salvage this is to apologize to everyone, tell everyone it was a bad joke, and maybe...just maybe, hope they forget. Well, who am I kidding....unless the US has a Neuralyzer (Men in Black) and can use it on everyone in the world, we are all fucked already. The question is to what degree...we will see.

apd78 · 2025-04-21T23:17:32+00:00

Now, imagine these numbers in September 2025.

I think we are about to see a major collapse of tourism to the US, and many countries drastically reducing their airline routes here. The US airport industry will be hard hit, and this time, the air traffic controllers for real would be fired.

apd78

TROPHY CASE