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Today, I am happy to share a brilliant talk given last week at The Breakthrough Dialogue by Jesse Ausubel, of The Rockefeller University. I was first introduced to Jesse almost 30 years ago by my post-doc mentor and our mutual friend Mickey Glantz. Jesse’s work has been pathbreaking for decades — when it comes to energy and climate, Jesse has long been out in front. For those wanting to hear more, check out Jesse being interviewed by Robert Bryce.

Today’s essay is a long one, folks — because it’s really important. I also answer a reader question about disinfectant wipes at the bottom of the post — don’t miss it! A few weeks ago, while driving to camp, my kids started talking about their friendships. My 9-year-old daughter said she had lots of friends, but only a few that she would feel comfortable confiding in and telling secrets to.

Days before the the eruption of Mount St. Helens, freelance photographer Robert Landsburg wrote in his journal, “Feel right on the verge of something.” On May 18, 1980, Landsburg was less than four miles away from the volcano when it exploded. He knew he wasn’t going to survive the blast so he rewound the film into his camera, pulled it off the tripod an… ncG1vNJzZmiokam%2Fqq%2FKsKCtrKljwLau0q2YnKNemLyue89oq6GdXZq%2FtrzToqanZZ%2Bbeq671KerZqukYrWmuMSnqg%3D%3D

Good Sunday afternoon, and welcome back to IMPORTANTVILLE. I’m back from Des Moines where I covered Mike Pence’s two-day barnstorming of the fair. While there, I ate two pork burgers that were good but not as good as those available at the Indiana State Fair, biscuits and gravy, pork belly burnt ends, deep-fried sweet corn, and a corndog. I need a nap. Evan Bayh still lives in Washington, D.C., but he’s spending more time back home again in Indiana these days.

Possibly the Only Real Solution for Israel/Hamas Is Radically Idealistic The situation in Israel with Hamas is a wakeup call. Everything needs to be changed and rectified. It is based on a lie.:That Israel is the homeland for Jews, Zionism. Israel is not the homeland for Jews. Planet Earth is the homeland for Jews and all humans. Is N. America the homeland for all native americans? The young Zionists came to Israel to escape Nazi persecution.

When we look forward, we see darkness around the corner. Call it whatever you like—climate crisis, rising authoritarianism, Mark Zuckerberg’s secret nuclear war bunker in Hawai’i—but it’s the biggest influence on internet culture. The world is ending, and here you are spending the closing act of human civilization… scrolling on TikTok? That sense of mental dissonance and despair is in the water we drink. I’ve written before about how this vibe annoys me, but it’s still worth looking into.

There are only a few more episodes of Impossible Tradeoffs for 2023! Today’s fun tradeoff question is a real challenge: Loading... From past tradeoff questions, most of you who took the polls prefer to live in the city (81%) rather than the country (19%). An equal number of you like to travel by plane and automobile (38%), and 25% of you like to take the train. Also, don’t forget to take this quick survey to let me know your thoughts about the podcast and what you want to see in 2024!

The following conversation is for all of my subscribers, paid and free. Most of my newsletters are extremely personal and because of that, they are for paid subscribers only. I hope you enjoy this open newsletter. As a Christmas special, we are offering 20% off the annual paid membership through the end of the year. If you’d like to become a paid subscriber, or upgrade from a monthly membership to annual {saving you $32!

PC, Steam Deck $3.99 1-2 hours The Exit 8 is a spot the difference horror game set in a Japanese subway corridor. Sometimes the corridor looks like a normal subway corridor, and sometimes it contains “anomalies” like a missing door or different floor tiles or a monster that leaps out at you. To exit the subway, you need to spot if there are any anomalies, eight times in a row.