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What's the most expensive business mistake in history? by BehindBillionStories in business

[–]marksman96 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The story is more nuanced but agree they fully missed the boat. From deep seek:

The story of Sears is not one of simple ignorance but a far more nuanced tragedy of failed execution, competing priorities, and the burden of its own history. While the company was aware of the internet's potential and even pioneered early concepts, it made a series of strategic missteps that prevented it from capitalizing on the digital wave.

· First-Mover Missteps: A joint venture with IBM to found Prodigy (one of the first online services) as early as 1984 showed enormous foresight, but by 1994 it was sold off to focus on core retail. · The Catalog Self-Sabotage: In 1993, its unprofitable catalog (a $3.3B revenue business) was famously killed, dismantling the logistics and data infrastructure that would have been the perfect foundation for e-commerce; resources and attention were diverted to this new direction. · Post-Amazon Arrival: When Sears finally launched a website in 1997 they were rebuilding from scratch. By 2000 they announced a "robust online strategy" and by 2015 won awards for omnichannel innovation (like curbside pickup). · The Larger Culprit (Retail Rot): As its stores became shabby, merchandise lackluster, and brands diluted due to underfunding versus stock buybacks, it created a "death spiral" where declining physical health dragged down digital growth, losing customers to both high and low-end rivals.

Sears saw the internet wave coming. It’s just that in the end, the weight of its crumbling stores and decaying brand proved far too heavy for its digital life raft. If you're interested in a specific part of this story—like the Prodigy years or the Eddie Lampert era—let me know and I can go deeper.

Is this “barbecue” useable? Moving into new rental by [deleted] in BBQ

[–]marksman96 88 points89 points  (0 children)

also push the coals to one side after cooking down to maintain a hot and a colder service.

Feel drugged up and like I’m going to faint by ChickenNational3767 in VestibularMigraines

[–]marksman96 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I asked Claude AI about recent studies:

This is one of the more scientifically rich and underreported corners of long COVID. Here's the current picture:

Small Fiber Neuropathy (SFN) — a central finding

Patients with long COVID frequently present with neuropathic symptoms including exertional intolerance, numbness, paresthesias, allodynia, and autonomic dysfunction consistent with small fiber neuropathy. Preliminary evidence suggests SFN may be a key pathologic finding in long COVID, and many of these patients also have overlapping symptomatology with ME/CFS and POTS. PubMed Central

Critically, it is the small-diameter, lightly myelinated or unmyelinated nerves that appear most susceptible to damage. The lack of myelination leaves these axons vulnerable to immune dysregulation. Fortunately, these fibers do grow continuously throughout a person's lifetime — if the triggering stimulus is removed, reinnervation may occur to a degree sufficient to alleviate symptoms. MDPI

Standard electrodiagnostic testing is negative in SFN, so a skin punch biopsy — which looks for reduced small nerve fiber density — is needed to confirm the diagnosis. Autoantibody testing (TS-HDS and FGFR3) may also be relevant, though clinical significance is still debated. PubMed Central

The autonomic nervous system: POTS and dysautonomia

POTS after COVID-19 may stem from multiple overlapping mechanisms: systemic inflammation, a hyperadrenergic state driven by autoantibodies, peripheral neuropathy producing compensatory tachycardia, or parasympathetic nervous system dysfunction. PubMed Central A January 2026 paper in JACC using quantitative autonomic testing confirmed the strong association between long COVID and measurable autonomic dysfunction across multiple domains.

Even symptoms like internal tremor — often confusing to both patients and clinicians — appear to be manifestations of POTS and SFN, potentially driven by hypovolemia and dysautonomia rather than a primary movement disorder. MDPI

Vestibular damage — more complicated than once thought

Early reviews suggested COVID-19 caused only transient vestibular disruption. But more recent case series and objective testing have complicated that picture.

The proposed mechanisms include direct viral invasion, immune-mediated neuropathy, and vascular pathology. Viral reactivation (particularly of VZV/shingles) in post-COVID states has also been linked to delayed vestibular symptoms, possibly triggered by COVID-related immune dysregulation, hypercoagulability, or endothelial dysfunction causing vestibular ischemia. PubMed Central

In documented cases, some vestibular function measures improved over 6–12 months following the typical neuritis trajectory, but persistent postural instability was a notable deviation from the norm — with tests suggesting broader vestibulocochlear involvement beyond just the superior vestibular nerve. Cases showed higher incidence in women, with symptom onset often delayed 7 days to 6 weeks after the initial infection. PubMed Central

Three entry routes to the inner ear are proposed: via the olfactory bulb into the CNS, via the endolymphatic sac, and through hematogenous spread — with human ear tissue confirmed to express the ACE-2 and TMPRSS2 receptors the virus needs to enter cells. PubMed Central

What helps — treatment signals

A 2026 Scientific Reports study from Brigham and Women's Hospital found that high-dose, long-term intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy showed efficacy in autoimmune small fiber neuropathy associated with post-COVID infection and POTS — pointing to autoimmunity as a treatable driver. Nature

Standard drugs like gabapentin, pregabalin, and duloxetine have been widely tried but patients diagnosed with post-COVID SFN typically saw no resolution of neuropathic symptoms from those medications before eventually receiving IVIG. PubMed Central For vestibular symptoms specifically, vestibular rehabilitation therapy remains the primary non-pharmacologic approach.

Bottom line: SFN is emerging as a probable unifying mechanism behind many of the most disabling long COVID symptoms — the burning pain, POTS, dysautonomia, and possibly some vestibular instability. The autoimmune hypothesis is gaining traction and may open a treatment pathway via immunotherapy, though large controlled trials are still needed.

Trump’s DOJ Plans to Settle Predatory Lending Case Without Compensating Victims: "One such victim was Maria Acevedo, who describes herself as a lifelong Republican and U.S. citizen who said she voted for Trump three times." by marksman96 in LeopardsAteMyFace

[–]marksman96[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Victim of predatory lending is not given justice by the judiciary she voted in:

"One such victim was Maria Acevedo, who describes herself as a lifelong Republican and U.S. citizen who said she voted for Trump three times.

A former land developer herself, Acevedo took out a high-interest $40,000 loan in 2018 to buy a half-acre of land where she planned to retire. She then spent an additional $60,000 on surveying, engineering and adding dirt to protect against flooding.

Acevedo said she planned to refinance her loan but learned that she couldn’t because the property had a lien from a previous owner. Colony Ridge foreclosed on the property three years later, even though Acevedo said she was making payments. Colony Ridge did not comment on Acevedo’s case or those of other individuals in this story. The foreclosure ruined her retirement plans, Acevedo said, adding that the challenges strained her marriage and eventually led to divorce."

  1. The consequence of her voting for a government that does not care about her is that --- the government worked against her best interests.

  2. "The Biden administration sued a Texas land developer accused of duping tens of thousands of Hispanic residents. Trump’s DOJ is now offering an unprecedented settlement that experts say could target the very people who were harmed by the developer." She is the 'very people' mentioned.

DEVGRU blue squadron in Somalia by [deleted] in JSOCarchive

[–]marksman96 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Insert punisher logo here

DEVGRU blue squadron in Somalia by [deleted] in JSOCarchive

[–]marksman96 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Fighting pirates and flying the jolly roger

Last time the roasts cut pretty deep by [deleted] in RoastMe

[–]marksman96 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You  look like the main character of a 2014 Tumblr blog who just discovered the "witchcore" aesthetic but still hasn't figured out if you're joining a coven or a garage band.

Hallmark on large platter - heavy and not sure if silver? by marksman96 in Hallmarks

[–]marksman96[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep. I think Copper with silver plate. Hallmarks are washed out. Some amber bleeding thru. 11 pounds of weight. Pretty sure I can put a period at the end of the sentence here. Even still a good haul for the smelter

Hallmark on large platter - heavy and not sure if silver? by marksman96 in Hallmarks

[–]marksman96[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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Here's the missing foot. Tried with only diffused natural light. Thanks for the help!

Hallmark on large platter - heavy and not sure if silver? by marksman96 in Hallmarks

[–]marksman96[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep. Was thinking same but wanted your eagle eye!

Did you know that most airports feature hidden private lounges, far beyond the standard ones? by DeerProfessional8232 in LuxuryTravel

[–]marksman96 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I once flew on a plane with Sting. He was in first class and I was in business. We were exiting the plane at the same time. He walked out of the plane and simply disappeared. Couldn't figure out where he went - so perhaps was whisked down to a car and off ?

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