u/tuck5903

Of course there are no true bad days on the river, but here’s a couple I think don’t hold up to the hype, and I thought I’d have a little fun.

The (pre hurricane) Pigeon is ok. The water quality is iffy, the rapids aren’t particularly playful, and you have to do that shitty I-40 drive to get there. Go to the Ocoee if you have the option.

Much hotter take- Gore Canyon is extremely overrated, there’s like 7 named rapids and 4 or 5 smaller ones. The paddle in is interminable, and running it at low water just kind of sucks. As far as late season Colorado runs go, if Bailey is running I’m going there 7 days of the week instead and twice on Sundays. Also tied for the number 1 river that gets people in over their heads because they snuck Gore and beatered Tunnel and now consider themselves a class V boater (tied with every single Southeast IV+ dam release river).

Anyone else have rivers they think don’t deserve their reputation?

Happy 4th! The Chris Rufo episode kicked off another round of the endless debate about whether or not interviewing people like him is acceptable. I’m curious to hear some of the other things people think he’s got the wrong idea on.

Number one with a bullet for me would be amount of time he spends trying to fit Trump into some kind of coherent ideological framework that can predict/explain his actions. Ezra seems to never be able to resist overintellectualizing a guy who has taken multiple positions on almost every issue I can think of, will say anything that pops into his brain, and is constantly persuaded by the last person that he talked to.

One topic that has been frequently discussed on the podcast, this subreddit, and elsewhere recently is the alleged bankruptcy of liberalism as an ideology. Specifically, a common allegation is that liberalism’s core tenet of individual freedom and choice lacks vision or direction, both for the country at large and for people as individuals. On episodes like the recent show with Helen Lewis, there was plenty of discussion on how Western liberalism has created a world where young men (but also many other kinds of people) feel lost in a society where, as I’ve heard it put, you can do anything you want, but you don’t know what you want to do.

The right’s solution to this is simple- hearken back to a society where straight couples marry, Dad works at the factory, Mom has kids and stays home, and there’s no room for gay couples or single moms or any other sorts of lifestyle. That’s the script they sell as a fulfilling life.

You hear plenty of the same critiques of liberalism from the left, but to me, it seems that the solutions are often more material and systemic. Taxing the rich, building a stronger welfare state, etc. All laudable goals that seek to improve people’s material conditions, but I’m not sure I see how they address the critique that liberalism fails because it offers no guidance on how to live your life and no purpose to aspire to. Does the left have a vision for how a fulfilling life should be lived, or does it boil down to “You can do whatever you want, but with a 4 day workweek and Medicare for All.”?

Prior to the 1930s, old age in America often meant poverty. But thanks to Social Security, Medicare, medical advances, and rising asset prices, over the past 90 years, older Americans have become one of the wealthiest and most politically powerful groups in the country.
In his new book, 'Gerontocracy in America,' Samuel Moyn argues that this success has created a dangerous imbalance. He says America isn't just facing oligarchy, or rule by the rich, but "Old-igarchy": a system in which wealth and power are increasingly concentrated among older generations, often at the expense of younger Americans.
Today, Derek talks with Moyn about the rise of gerontocracy in America, whether elderly power has become a problem, what reforms could rebalance the scales between generations, and whether this argument is a serious critique of American politics or simply ageist nonsense.

I’m supposed to believe that only the fans in the BIG APPLE have unlocked the secret sauce of being passionate and yelling loudly the entire game. And yeah, I’m sure the Spurs players get shaken to their core when they look over and see fucking Ben Stiller on the sideline. Gimme a break.

I finally watched Warfare the other day, and while I thought it was alright, the main reaction that I had when the credits rolled was that I really wanted to watch Black Hawk Down, a far superior movie about soldiers trapped behind enemy lines in the Middle East. What’re some movies that gave you a similar feeling when you saw them? Also, they gotta cover Ridley Scott sometime.

Hey everyone- visiting the family elsewhere in NWA and I’m planning to rent a mountain bike in Bentonville later this week. Is there anywhere I can take a shower afterwards? Would like to do some more stuff in town but not if I’m covered in sweat. Thanks.

Every regular season teams like the Celtics rack up a bunch of wins with backups like Hugo Gonzales that the homers like Bill fall in love with. Then when they get to the playoffs where everyone is talented and playing hard, they inevitably get exposed and wind up glued to the bench while their team plays 6 or 7 guys. The Thunder are one of the few exceptions to this I’ve ever seen, they go at least 10 deep with dudes like Caruso and Wallace that can play real minutes against the second best team in the league. Is Sam Presti a genius??

Imagine someone in their thirties who is saving well above 25%, already has 3x their salary saved, Step 8 of the FOO, etc. I’ve noticed that if they ask this sub or places like r/personalfinance or the Boglehead forums if they should start splurging on those international vacations they’ve dreamed about for years, they’re probably gonna get a pretty positive response about how they should go for it, don’t want to be the richest guy in the graveyard, and so on.

But if they ask if they can afford to spend more than necessary on almost anything else at this point in their life, the response will be mostly negative. Lots of talk about how a Huffy is just as good as that high end mountain bike or how much money the cost of that BMW they’ve always wanted will compound to at 65, even if the amount they want to spend on those luxuries is comparable to how much others want to spend on travel. What do we think about this? Is travel really the one area where extravagance is OK?

Thinking about renting a raft for a 1/2 night Lower Salmon trip with a friend later this summer. I have whitewater kayaked for almost 15 years but I've only guided a raft maybe 10 times.Are there options for a 1/2 night trip? And are there any stretches of the Lower Salmon that are mostly flatwater with a couple class III's at most? Would like to keep the stress level about the rapids in an unfamiliar craft on a single boat trip as low as possible and just enjoy the camping and being out on the river.

Hey all, I am currently working in an apprenticeship position for a large corporation, only contributing enough to retirement for the 401k match. Once I finish the apprenticeship I will receive a solid pay bump and be able to contribute more to retirement. Should I:

A- just contribute to my Roth IRA directly?

B- invest in my companies ESPP, sell the stock every 6 months, and then contribute that money to the IRA? Employees get a 15% discount on the lower of the 2 stock prices at the beginning and end of a six month window, and I can automatically sell the stock the next business day after purchase. It seems like a no-brainer to get a minimum 15% ROI (before taxes) every 6 months that's virtually guaranteed. The only 2 downsides I can see to this plan are the small chance that the stock will crater before I can sell it, and that it removes an element of automation from my investment strategy, as I will have to manually contribute the funds to my IRA. Any other pitfalls I may be overlooking?