The problem in alot of your examples is unchecked capitalism chasing manufacturing offshore in the chase of profit, or online distribution killing brick and mortar. But I also don’t think every example of yours is quite as bad as you make it out to be. You might just need to dig a little harder.

The great wave of cannabis got zero people raised up from low wages even though it was selling like crazy.

This just isn’t true. Due to its still largely illicit nature these people just can’t claim they’re rich from cannabis. Cash rich, asset poor. It’s definitely got some large players, but because it’s not an industry that’s entirely legal, it hasn’t stratified wealth into a few players like a lot of the other industries you’ve mentioned. There are definitely those who very easily are able to provide for their basic needs and more because of that industry. They’re just not going to let you know. But there’s no country doing it as well as us I’d argue. Maybe the Dutch on a smaller scale?

Tobacco industry you’ve got a few major players like BAT and Swedish Match who are able to dictate how the industry unfolds. They were a step behind on the vape craze until just recently where they were able to muscle out all the small players via legislation. Tobacco isn’t in the same number of household that it used to be, but the ones who own the industry are nigh unassailable at this point. But US tobacco is still huge. Cigars aren’t as popular as they used to be, but anyone into them know US broadleaf tobacco is a coveted product by many outside the country. I know I’ve seen Europeans lament the choice we have stateside for anything other than Cubans.

On the growing food side, goto a farmer’s market. You’re not wrong that there’s a problem with monocultures. But step away from the box stores and you’ll find there’s some weirdo (I use that term affectionately) growing heirlooms that would have been impossible to find in the past 50 years. Thanks to the internet knowledge of these varieties has disseminated knowledge, seeds, clones, and cultures to an extent that didn’t exist for my grandparents.

Music industry has its problems on the financial side no doubt (looking at the monopoly that is livenation/ticketmaster), but I’d argue it’s more diverse and in a better place artistically than it’s ever been. Lines between genres are more opaque, and the general shit state of politics has put genres like punk in a good state. Your local mall might not have a record store, but that’s because malls are dying because of online distribution. Pay attention to Bandcamp though, and you can easily get vinyl presses of a wealth of new artists. I’d argue there’s so many the problem is parsing through all of them. No longer do you need a record label to produce your album. Maybe there’s fewer people getting rich off music, but that was never the point.

The bit about kids not playing I don’t get. I don’t have kids, but I frequently see the little ones in my family playing with toys. The thing is the legos are now three generations old. They’re unbreakable to small kids. But they definitely play. They for sure have a wealth of toys not made here, but I envy the breadth of choice/complexity they have compared to when I was a kid. But balls, blocks, and boxes still reign supreme.

Clothing has definitely been largely outsourced in the chase of profits. Won’t find many textile mills in the states anymore but we still are a leader in cotton production. There are still small producers who are making small batch stuff, but again you’re not going to find brick and mortar stores because of online distribution. Truce designs, FarPointe, Jolly Gear, Hilltop Packs, Hill People Gear, there’s plenty of small players in the outdoor scene making top of the line gear.

It’d be funny if this is just a Charlie in the mailroom incident and someone at Outlook found out they were getting fired.

I’ve said it before, but there’s a reason SanDisk was happy to sign multi year contracts to provide storage at fixed prices. That is not a bet on hardware staying expensive. That’s a tech company that’s been around thinking the prices in 2026 are as good as they were going to get moving forward.

I’d like to see what stock moves JD has been making

Or the Safari Club whose owner is tied to both Epstein and Iran Contra.

There’s a reason Kennedy warned about secret societies before he was assassinated.

Thiel definitely has dinners that are coveted invites for mouth breathers like Rogan and company.

Local Chinese Model

Any suggestions for a good bang for the buck field recording setup that’s small? Will be away from power other than power banks for 4 day stretches.

For context I’m planning on hiking the AT from Georgia to Maine.

Definitely. The amount of crime in the small old mill towns in my area make Europe seem like Disneyland even in the midst of protests going on. When I went out of town for school I realized I had a much higher threshold for sketchiness than a lot of my peers because of the situations that become normalized.

I’ve been looking Europe for hiking down the road, and boy does not having bears in a lot of places make logistics a lot more manageable. Carrying a bear vault + spray is a decent amount of added weight/space/hassle.

Unexpected Dutch is a good way to give me a stroke scare. I’m kinda understanding the words before I realize another language is being spoken.

Anyone hear the into to Needles playing?

Imagine what getting replacement parts for that “truck” will be now.

Shhhh, you’ll wake up Clammy Sammy.

Pretty sure FKA Twigs was wearing these

Pick up a used Ricoh gr

I’ve never played Horizon, so I admittedly have no idea what OP means by the cozy part.

How about Andrey Tarkovsky’s Stalker? Fittingly called a masterpiece.

Don’t worry, this administration will still drop their shorts. Hell, they’ll remove their lower rib cage as well just to further please the billionaires.

Only if you can reach the ears.

Nickleback Effect.