LOL Nothing Matters 🫠

Inflation is back. The government is nationalizing one private company and blackmailing another. But no one cares because . . .

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1. Here’s Your Inflation, Bitches

Remember back in 2024 when Americans had to vote for the insurrectionist felon because there had been 14 months of inflation in 2021–22?

Yeah, well inflation is back now.

US inflation climbed to 2.7 per cent in June, surpassing expectations and signalling that Donald Trump’s tariffs are hitting prices. Tuesday’s annual consumer price index figure was up from 2.4 per cent in May and above expectations of 2.6 per cent among analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

How upset are voters about this? They are a solid “Meh.” Trump remains at only -7 net approval, which is a huge improvement from where he was in late April.

Why am I feeling nihilistic today? It’s not just the voters; it’s the markets. We got a bad inflation report this morning and then the markets reacted by . . . betting that the Fed is going to cut rates in September.

Which is, you know, the opposite of what you’d expect in an environment where tariffs are pushing prices higher. Are the markets betting on TACO? Or preparing for Fed Chairman Kevin Hassett? Or going full-nihilist, too?

But wait, there’s more . . .

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2. Socialism + Corruption

Here is another thing that doesn’t seem to matter: Democrats are freaked out because their nominee for mayor in New York City wants to run a pilot program with five municipal-owned grocery stores, which is “socialism” or something.

Meanwhile, last week the U.S. government became the largest shareholder in the mining company MP Materials. Which is, you know, kind of like socialism?

Now maybe in the case of rare-earth materials this is a wise move. I’m open to that idea. If you wanted to make the case, you’d say something like:

The rare-earth magnets that MP Materials mines are a vital strategic resource for America and the U.S. government had to ensure some measure of control over the supply. Buying a $400 million stake in the company achieves that goal while still keeping the operational aspects of in private hands.

Maybe that’s true? I want the government to nationalize SpaceX, so I’m not opposed to the Pentagon buying MP Materials in principle. But the level of corruption here seems kind of nuts.

Have a look at the MP Materials stock price over the last six months:

On May 27, MP began a sudden climb. After months of sitting around $25 a share, it moved consistently upward for a month, to almost $40. On June 20 a selloff started and the share price lost a quarter of its value over three weeks. The government announced its purchase on the morning of July 10 and MP went to the moon.

Any of this look to you like someone knew the score?

But that’s just the first layer of corruption.

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This morning, Apple announced that it would also contribute invest $500 million in MP stock.

That’s right: Apple, which is currently negotiating with Trump on the 25 percent tariffs the president wants to put on iPhones made in China, decided to do the government a solid and throw some cash behind Uncle Sam’s MP position, thus driving the price higher and forming a shareholder bloc that will, along with the government, be enough to control MP.

And since Apple’s business now depends on what the U.S. government allows it to do, I suspect Apple’s share will be a pure proxy for whatever the Trump administration’s wishes are.

Essentially, the government spent $400 million, but now controls $900 million-worth of MP because Apple has agreed to become its junior partner in the venture.

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There’s your actual, real-deal socialism.¹

The government invests in a private company—and then uses its gangster approach to force/persuade/entice another private company to amplify its position.

Meaning that the American government now has its hooks into not only MP but Apple, too.

And not only is this naked corruption so routine as to no longer even be worth noticing, but the people who have the vapors about Zohran Mamdani’s five grocery stores are silent as the grave.

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It’s not true that nothing matters.

My thesis for some time has been that we live in an unserious country filled with unserious people. If true, then we would expect our fellow citizens not to care about the government semi-nationalizing a private company, making insiders rich, and then coercing the world’s most valuable company into being its stooge—but to be utterly transfixed by the Jeffrey Epstein story.

Good luck, America.

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3. Puzzling

I was never a puzzle kid growing up. But around age 5, my youngest kid, G-Money, started getting super into puzzles. He pulled me in with him. To give you a sense of scale: A couple of weeks ago we went on a bender and did three 1,000-piece sets in five days.

We’ve even gotten a little bit into wooden puzzles, which are an entirely different discipline.

What we have not done is buy a $9,000 puzzle.

That’s not pieces; it’s dollars.

The differences between mass-produced, laser-cut cardboard puzzles and hand-cut hardwood puzzles from companies such as Stave, Elms and Par Puzzles are apparent immediately. Most cardboard puzzles have straight edges, come with a reference image and are lightweight.

Conversely, hand-cut wooden puzzles often have irregular edges, tricks such as straight pieces in the interior, no reference image (to amplify difficulty) and a satisfyingly audible “click” when the pieces fit together. And, most are one of a kind: Even if the same cutter works on identical images, because they are cut by hand, no two puzzles are alike. . . .

Such focused activities can be good for our health. “Puzzling can create a kind of structured mindfulness,” said Erica Schwartzberg, a psychotherapist at Downtown Somatic Therapy in New York. “They offer focused attention without overwhelm and a sense of progress that feels soothing and satisfying. From a nervous system perspective, that’s grounding.”

Read the whole thing. That soothing/satisfying thing is how G-Money and I feel about them. And once you’re into a puzzle you’re constantly chasing the dragon for that groundedness. Which is why we will sit there for hours telling each other, “Just five more minutes.” Or, “I just want to finish this section.”

But for me, the appeal of the puzzle is also communal. It’s an activity we can do together that is individual, yet can be as collaborative as we wish. It can be social, or just quietly companionable. To my mind, the puzzle is one of the best things a family can do together.

Some quick JVL guidance: If you’re going to try puzzling, the quality of the puzzle matters a lot. You don’t need to spend $9k, but you absolutely want to stay away from Chinese-made brands, because they will frustrate you.²

Also, pay attention to the image you’re picking. Certain types of images are more challenging than others. For n00bs, look for images with lots of well-defined features and avoid puzzles with wide-expanses of abstract and/or similar colors.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on all of this. Let puzzle talk commence.

1. God help me if someone says this is “art of the deal.” Stalin was the mother-forking master of art-of-the-deal if you consider the coercive power of the government as just another aspect of “deal making.”

2. What makes a puzzle frustrating? If the surface is so glossy that it reflects light and makes the image hard to see. (Matte finish is preferred.) If the piece design is so common that it produces lots of near-matches. If the cardboard backing is thin and friction-less.

The price gap between a cheap, crappy puzzle and a well-made puzzle is small. You might get a Chinese-made puzzle for $12 where a quality German-made (or American-made) one will be $25. That’s a huge jump in quality for relatively little money. (Especially if you calculate it on a per-hour basis.)

If you’re just starting out, I’d recommend sticking to a few recognizable brands: Ravensburger, Cobble Hill, White Mountain. My favorite wood brand is Mosaic. Stay away from any wooden puzzle that costs less than $50. They tend to be poorly made and frustrating to build.