Turn headlines into talking points.

Two weeks into 2026 — how’s it going so far?
Gym habit still alive… or shall we observe a respectful silence together?

Already, one topic is eating every conversation alive: Trump (he never stops giving.)

The Orange Emperor clearly didn’t love all that Epstein-file chatter closing out 2025, so he kicked off the year with maximum noise: Venezuela, Cuba, Nigeria, Syria, and yes… Greenland again. (Mate. Let it go.)

Is 2026 shaping up to be The Year of Chaos?

Probably. And that makes conversations harder.

Geopolitics is dense. Treaties, oil, sanctions, history — fascinating, but most of us don’t have time to do a PhD before drinks.

So, here’s the move: skip the headline — grab the side story.

Everyone’s seen the news. Few have an angle.

Instead of “Did you see what Trump did?!?” try:

Same event. Very different conversations.

You’re not dodging reality, more…adding flavour.
Aim for curious, not combative.

2026 may be chaotic, but your conversations don’t have to be.

💡 PRO TIP: Odd details open people up. Repeating headlines, not so much.

💬 FOLLOW-UP: “What do you think about this?” (Asking is always better than lecturing.)

⛔ DON’T SAY: “I don't really follow the news.” (Translation: “I have nothing to contribute.”

Want to bet on a foreign invasion?
Don’t live in Japan.

Here, gambling is tightly leashed. Horses, boats, lotteries — that’s your lot.
Pachinko exists, but it’s less ‘game’ and more ‘rapid wallet bleed’, and you cash out at a dodgy, unmarked side-street window.
(Very legal. Very normal.)

But elsewhere? Oh, the future is thriving.

Enter prediction markets — sites like Polymarket and Kalshi.

They’re “financial exchanges for event-based derivatives”
(Definitely NOT gambling, officer.)

You can now ‘trade’ on almost anything:

With Donald Trump Jr. now sitting on both boards, the markets have exploded — and so have accusations of insider trading.

A few eyebrow raisers:

Dodgy AF? Feels…dodgy adjacent.

But with both platforms valued north of $10bn and well-connected friends in Washington, they’re not going anywhere.

You can bet on it.

“The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket.”
(Kin Hubbard, American cartoonist, 1868-1930)

👇 Answer at the end.

Your friend just lost money.
A lot of money.

Crypto crash, failed investment, bad bet (the earth isn’t flat…) — doesn't matter.

Your instinct?
“I know how you feel.”

STOP.

Here's why: You don't.
Even if you've lost money before, your loss isn’t their loss.
Different amounts, different circumstances. When you say this, you're centring yourself in their moment.

What actually helps:

“That sounds really tough. Do you want to talk about it?”
or
“I can’t imagine how stressful that is. How are you coping?”

These do two things: they acknowledge the pain without hijacking it, and give your friend control over what happens next.

The rule: In someone else's crisis, your job is simple — listen.

Save your story for later (if they ask).
Right now?
Shut up and be present.

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Looks like chaos — but here’s the thing: autonomous vehicles like Waymo are statistically way safer than us humans.

This mess is training data (although tell that to the moped owner.)

Still… don’t love the idea of them delivering my eggs.

💬 FOLLOW-UP: Would you order something with driverless delivery?

Wide-angle beats tunnel vision. In photos and in life.
Otherwise, you're just reacting — like a market, a bot… or Twitter (probably a bot.)

So, pics from the 2025 Pano Awards.
Celebrating the best in panoramic photography (yes, the winner’s name is Wides.)

Proof the planet can still take your breath away — when it wants to.

Scorsese’s brutal, based-on-true-life film about the mafia in Las Vegas, with Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone.

🌎 Cultural Impact: Language! The F-word is used 435 times (about every 3 seconds).

🧠 Deep Dive: Over $1 million costume department for…De Niro, with around 70 costume changes.

💬 YOUR TURN: What’s your favourite film about gambling? Hit reply and let me know.

A) 🤖 AI cracks a major scientific breakthrough — 54%
B) 🌍 A new major war breaks out — 23%
C) 💰 The world’s first trillionaire — 0%
D) 📢 Nothing dramatic — just 2025 on repeat, but louder — 15%
E) ✍️ Something else (leave a comment after clicking!) — 8%

💬 Your Two Cents

B.A: “What I'd really like? Bernie Sanders ousting Donald Trump in a bloodless coup. Dream on. Maybe it'll happen on AI...”
P.C: “Bioterror attack which eliminates human life but allows other species to thrive in our absence. Only the best communicators will be allowed into the survival pod.”
S.Y: “Some would argue that mapping all known proteins and making it freely available to the scientific community was a major breakthrough.”

That's it for #53.

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