I should point out that a portion of the stat comes from immigrants who are fully literate in their native language.

National literacy as a topic forms an interesting picture that I don’t fully understand.

21% of American adults are illiterate (54% read below a 6th grade level)

17% of Canadian adults are illiterate.

I keep coming back to these points as it’s important context when understanding the news.

I used to be a picky eater, but years ago I decided that I wanted to like more food - - that life would be better if I actually enjoyed foods that I would otherwise have to suffer/avoid.

I started by putting small amounts of different ingredients in my dishes (when it made sense) and I quickly developed a taste for all of them.

(Only found out later that this was a great way to do it as your microbiom directly impacts your cravings).

Onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, pickles, brussel sprouts, oysters, mustard are all things I now genuinely enjoy.

2% of Wealth (not income) annually. I’m no expert but if that includes unrealized gains then that is SIGNIFICANT.

Any precedent here regardless of outcome will have significant (and dangerous) impact, as the status quo is already causing significant harm.

For example Meta/Facebook used to prioritize content that generates an angry face emoji (over that of a “like”) - - as it results in more engagement and revenue.

However the problem still exists. If you combat problematic content with a reply of your own (because you want to push back against hatred, misinformation, or disinformation) then they have even more incentiive to show similar content. And they justify it by saying “if you engaged with content, then you’ve clearly indicated that you WANT to engage with content like that”.

The financial incentives as they currently exist run counter to the public good

Isn’t the bends the consequence of the oxygen tank and nitrogen in your blood; and if the air in your body starts at atmospheric pressure it should be fine (though no idea about the effects on the human body from such a sudden change)

Long trips on planes/trains/busses would be a lot more enjoyable.

Emergency supplies would be available at a moments notice including escape from the elements (camping/travel just became a breeze) .

Would you be able to free dive super deep taking each breath or a rest in the pocket dimmension?