WanderLearn: Travel to Transform Your Mind & Life

In 2018, Gary Arndt told me, "Bitcoin is the currency of the future and always will be."I agree. Let's answer 7 questions related to that statement: 1. Was bitcoin designed to be a major currency?When Satoshi Nakamoto invented bitcoin, it's unclear if he ever expected it to be a country's currency.Instead, it seems that he envisioned it becoming digital gold. He saw it as a way to:Store wealthMake low-fee international transactions possibleMake money that cannot be confiscated or debased by a horrible governmentNakamoto thought that it's terrible that someone who works hard to save $50,000 and keeps it in a bank, will see the purchasing power of that $50,000 decline each year as inflation devours whatever lousy interest rate the bank pays. Bitcoin gives everyone the ability to store their savings in the ether. It provides a bank to the unbanked. It offers a place to store money that no government can confiscate. That's bitcoin's true value.If bitcoin never becomes a national currency, that doesn't mean it has failed since that was never its goal.2. When countries make their own national cryptocurrencies, won't that make bitcoin obsolete?In the 2020s, several countries will create an "official national blockchain-powered cryptocurrency." Some believe when Chinese and/or American governments make their own cryptocurrencies that bitcoin will vanish or devalue.This is improbable.Whatever governments will create will have all the genius and innovation of ... a government. Yeah. That bad.Governments will use their cryptocurrencies to make it easy for them to:Tax peopleTrack payments (in the name of reducing criminal payments)Reverse paymentsConfiscate moneyDevalue the currency by "printing" more of itIn short, government cryptocurrencies will be everything bitcoin is not. Paradoxically, when governments introduce such cryptocurrencies and mandate their use, they will inadvertently shine a spotlight on bitcoin. People will wonder how bitcoin compares to their national cryptocurrency. They will quickly realize that bitcoin is better overall.As a result, some countries will make bitcoin illegal. Indeed, many countries already have banned bitcoin.Such bans will hurt bitcoin and force bitcoin to go underground in those countries. Countries ban Facebook and WhatsApp. Users use VPNs and other tricks to bypass the ban. Some countries ban the Internet, but satellite-powered Internet gets around that too. Likewise, bitcoin users will find a way to get around bans. They're already doing that today. 3. Which countries might adopt bitcoin as their national currency? It's possible that a few small countries with worthless currencies could, in a fit of revolutionary rage, decide to abandon their hyperinflated currency and adopt bitcoin instead.Several countries abandoned their currency for the US dollar (e.g., Ecuador, Panama, El Salvador, and Palau).Others have adopted the euro without joining the eurozone (e.g., Kosovo and Montenegro).Therefore, when the US dollar collapses (and it will at some point), then a few countries with shattered economies may give bitcoin a shot. That's especially possible if the revolutionaries are young tech-savvy leaders. (Revolutionaries are often young.)Big economies (e.g., Russia, China, USA, Canada, UK) are too nationalistic, proud, and obsessed with controlling their economic sovereignty to abandon their currencies. Therefore, it's almost impossible to imagine any of them abandoning their currencies.4. How would a bitcoin-priced economy be like?Economists will study bitcoin-denominated countries with great interest. We're used to inflation and a devaluing currency. If you held $1 that was given to you in 1775, it would be worth 1 cent today. That's because the US government has issued so many new dollars that dollars, like all currencies, have trended toward worthlessness. Although that produces downsides, we're used to it.In a bitcoin-priced economy, you would get an annual pay cut instead of a pay raise. Your rent would decline. Valued in bitcoins, your house would technically lose value.Confused?Then imagine this: your house was worth 100 BTC in 2025 but in 2035 it's worth only 50 BTC. Nominally, your house has declined in value.However, in real terms, it may have doubled.Why?Because perhaps in 2035, 50 BTC is worth 4 times more on the world currency markets than 100 BTC was worth in 2025. Weird, right? However, that's exactly how a country that priced everything in bitcoin would work.Every year, a bitcoin-denominated economy would give workers an annual salary cut, not a raise. Once again, the nominal salary cut would actually be a raise in real terms.The only analogy is the tech industry where Moore's Law has made faster, better products cheaper with time.5. Will bitcoin be a reserve currency?In this century, Bitcoin will be a reserve currency for some countries.Currently, most countries hold reserves of USD and gold.Many countries also hold the EU's Euro, Japan's Yen, China's renminbi,

Ryan Patterson set out to experience the joys of stoic travel. He wants to travel around the world without taking a plane. He was halfway across the planet when the Coronapocolypse hit. As a result, he got stuck in Siberia. And in the winter.He took:Amtrak from San Francisco to New OrleansGreyhound bus to FloridaA container ship to cross the Atlantic (10 days x $200/day).Random ground transportation through Eurasia.He had a phobia of traveling in places that don't speak English. But he faced his fear. And explains how he survived.Ryan learns that Russian women dig men with beards.Rambling Ryan websiteFollow him on Polar Steps.Ryan Patterson's InstagramRambling Ryan on FacebookSponsorsThis show is sponsored by:My Patrons SawyerIcelabMore infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

At the SCI, before the Coronapocolypse, I interviewed Garry Rone, a digital artist. He's been doing art for 30 years. Over 15 minutes, I ask him:How did Rone start doing art?How does Rone deal with the lack of inspiration?What does he think of crypto kitties and blockchain art? How does he deal with the piracy of digital art?Where will he take his art in 10 years?Watch this sample art:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j96TR_6pD_c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaKGzoHTM4g Background on Garry- Since 1986, Garry has been working as a professional illustration artist in the apparel industry.- In 2013, Garry formed Still Water Design Solutions and from that point to the present, is working as a free agent illustrator.- Garry has become known for a signature style of artwork that is hand-drawn and organic, and also for being a specialist in the apparel industry.- For a nationally televised NASCAR event in October 2019, Garry's illustrations were used to completely wrap a car owned by Rick Ware Racing.- In January 2019, Garry began implementing the addition of new equipment and software to create art assets for virtual reality.- Garry's skills are multi-faceted including illustration, concept design, brand development, and painting. Additionally, new skills are being acquired through the development of VR asset creation and exploring the potential of creating art by hand in VR.Mississippi based artist, Garry Rone, has been honing his skills in Virtual Reality painting for the past year. Originally an artist for the apparel industry, Garry has joined his passion for this new art medium with his thirty-three years of illustration experience, creating a perfect union of technology and talent.Garry believes the human side of art, the organic side, is what reaches out to us as humans."It's the part of art that stirs human emotion and connects the viewer to the art in a way that technology alone can only aspire to do. Perfect edges and colors can be perceived as clean and professional, but also can come across as cold and machined. By adding the human element back into art, I'm adding a sense of warmth and uniqueness, where the mind can almost instinctively sense the presence of human influence in the creation of the piece." said Garry."I believe art that retains, promotes, and exemplifies the intimate relationship between the artist's hand and the creation itself is more important now than ever - especially in such a technology-driven world. Organic art creates a stronger connection to the viewer."Creating this new art (literally) by hand in his home studio, Garry is building art for a wide range of applications, with current exploration in the virtual reality and augmented reality fields.More information can be found at his website www.stillwater-designs.comGarry's Social Media LinksInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/swds_grone/ twitter - https://twitter.com/RoneSwds business Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/StillWaterDesignSolutions/ personal Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/garry.rone LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stillwaterdesigns/ youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBGBklQPH_fPra0AMJ3uq2w SponsorThis show is sponsored by my Patrons and Sawyer.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Gary Arndt has a new podcast called Everything Everywhere Daily.I highly recommend subscribing to it. I talk with Gary about:How does he come up with topics to discussWhy he doesn't do 3-minute podcasts (but he usually keeps it under 10 minutes)Where does Nike's "Just Do It" slogan come fromWhich are his most popular podcasts?How GPS worksWhat are his 2021 travel plansListen to my two other podcasts with Gary:Living Among the Riots in MinneapolisHow to Become an A-list Travel BloggerSponsorThis show is sponsored by my Patrons and Sawyer.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Kyle and Leanne Huebner did what few large families dare to do: embark on a one-year on a world tour.COVID-19 cut their journey short by three months, but they still walked away with plenty of experiences and lessons.They share much on their detailed blog, Global Teen Adventures. See the video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gre7p4AybNwWe discuss the key questions you may have:How did they pick the 43 countries they ended up going to?How did they manage to book flights for 7 when the max is usually 6?What lessons did they learn?What did they pack?How did their packing strategy evolve?How did COVID-19 impact them?Where do they plan to go next?Sponsor: Sawyer+ Through the help of their charity partners, Sawyer has been able to donate over 1,000,000 filters to over 80 countries around the globe.+ The use of our filters greatly reduces the trees and fuel consumption because people don’t need to boil water to make it potable. With an average family size of 6 people, a single Sawyer Filter can save up nearly 500 trees per year!+ Their filters last over 10 years and are reducing diarrhea by over 90% in developing countries+ LIBERIA: Liberia will be the first developing country to have clean water border-to-border, set to be completed by December 2020.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Jaco Oosthuizen attended the Safari Club International show 22 years in a row. In 2020, he was named The Hunter of the Year.I ask Jaco Oosthuizen:How have things have changed for hunters since the previous century?Does hunting have a place in the 21st century or is it outdated?Why do poachers poach?What does he do that other hunters don't do?Why do hunters only target old males? Why not hunt old females too?Why can't we convert all the hunting zones into photographic safari zones?Will hunting still exist in the next 50 years?Here are my other hunting-related podcasts.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:https://facebook.com/ftaponhttps://twitter.com/ftaponhttps://instagram.com/ftaponhttps://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttps://pinterest.com/ftaponhttps://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!The best reward is the $25 reward, which entitles you to $300 of gifts for the holidays! It's the best win-win reward out there!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

WanderLearn promises to explore travel and technology. So let's travel through our solar system with a NASA astrophysicist! About six months ago, Underknown's What If channel hired me to interview two prominent NASA astrophysicists. They wanted to find out what would happen if Earth became one of Jupiter's moons.I'm unsure why they wanted to know that since Underknown had already produced a video that answered that topic, but I adore astronomy, so I was happy to visit my old stomping ground: the NASA Ames Research Center.Underknown said that this was urgent, so I did everything I could to interview two top astrophysicists with almost no warning. Unfortunately, six months later, they still haven't released the video I shot. I knew they would only use a snippet of what I filmed, but still. Nada. And it's not because I shot a crappy video. Underknown hired me a couple of months later for another project, so I couldn't have screwed things up too badly the first time.I feel terrible that these two astrophysicists complied with my last second request and I haven't had anything to show them. Five months ago, I shared the audio and video podcast with my Patrons. It's an exclusive group, so I figured that Underknown wouldn't notice or care.I never planned to share it on the WanderLearn podcast. However, now that Underknown has done nothing with the content for 6 months, I think it's time that the general public enjoys this conversation.I'm doing this as a public service. I'm not taking any ads for this episode. My voice wasn't supposed to appear in the final cut, so that's why my voice rarely appears, and, when it does, it's distant. This episode features Jack Lissauer. Dr. Lissauer is a Space Scientist who has worked at NASA Ames for 30 years.Currently, he is in the Planetary Systems Branch, Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA.He was a Co-Investigator on the Kepler Mission and the TESS Mission. He's won a dozen awards.I asked him to describe what would happen if our planet orbited Jupiter.Specifically:Can you explain what extreme tidal forces in space are?How would extreme tidal forces affect Earth? Can they cause earthquakes and tsunamis?What is the weather like on Jupiter’s moon Io?How long are days on Io?If Earth were hypothetically a moon of Jupiter, how would it be affected?Questions about VenusWhat is the surface and atmosphere of Venus like?How are Earth and Venus similar?Would it be possible to terraform a planet in our solar system?Which planet (or moon) would be the most viable?What would it take to terraform Venus?More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:https://facebook.com/ftaponhttps://twitter.com/ftaponhttps://instagram.com/ftaponhttps://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttps://pinterest.com/ftaponhttps://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!The best reward is the $25 reward, which entitles you to $300 of gifts for the holidays! It's the best win-win reward out there!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

It's a perverse question, but what's an acceptable number of unarmed people that the police may accidentally shoot every year?Of course, many people's knee-jerk answer will be, "Zero!"If you answered that way, it's time to take a deep breath and relax.We're going to embark on a cold-hearted exercise that requires rationality, logic, and a heavy dose of realism. The implications are profound and important, so please bear with me.After reading this long article, you're welcome to write a constructive comment at the bottom. Include what you think is a reasonable number of annual unarmed deaths and why. I will update this article as I get thoughtful and intelligent feedback. The Black Lives Matter ThesisA central argument in the Black Lives Matter movement is that (white) cops are disproportionately killing Black men, especially unarmed Black men. It's Exhibit A in a long list of exhibits that prove systemic, structural, and institutional racism in America's police.This argument has been repeated so many times that it has become an axiom. Thus, questioning the Black Lives Matter thesis is tantamount to questioning whether our planet revolves around the sun.We won't question it. Instead, we will seek to do is to quantify it. Metrics: Quantifying success and failureMetrics allow us to objectively measure the size of a problem. Metrics help us measure our progress. Metrics also help us answer crucial questions: when can we declare victory? When will we know that we've solved this crisis?In other words, when can we put down our signs, stop protesting, hug, give each other high-fives, and scream, "Mission accomplished!"?Declaring victory ought to be based on facts and evidence, not a group's feelings or one man's opinion.Therefore, we must set reasonable benchmarks. We must quantify where we want to be. What does a fair and just world look like, numbers-wise?Assuming the current number of police killings of Blacks is disproportionately high, then what number would be disproportionately low?And what number would be tragic, but understandable?To understand what I mean, consider other tragic numbers. Every year, hundreds of babies die at daycare centers, thousands die in traffic accidents, and millions die of preventable diseases. Since society is not vigorously protesting all these deaths, one could conclude that these deaths, while sad, are understandable. Our society deems that all those preventable deaths are tragic but tolerable.Therefore, the aim of this article is to help you calculate 3 numbers regarding the number of US police killings of unarmed victims:A shockingly high number that's worth protesting about.An expected number that we can begrudgingly live with and accept.A remarkably low number that's almost worth celebrating.Great. Now let's analyze the data.USA police kill way more people per capita than any other rich nationIn a list of 62 random countries, the USA ranked slightly below the median in the per-capita police caused fatalities.This is embarrassing. High-income countries outperform the USA handily. It's humiliating that the DRC beats the USA.Why isn't the USA in the top 10? Why isn't it clumped next to its rich allies instead of several poor and dysfunctional nations? Doesn't this prove the US police are excessively violent?Before we jump to that conclusion, we must consider two critical facts.1. America's gun-filled environmentThe USA is the only country that has more firearms than people. Indeed, it has 20% more guns than people.We have twice as many guns per capita than the next country on the list: Yemen.The USA has four times more guns per capita than the next two major countries on the list: Serbia & Montenegro.We have approximately 10 times more firearms per capita than Somalia, Russia, Chile, Albania, as well as the homicide-happy Guatemala and El Salvador.We have approximately 100 times more firearms per capita than the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Palestine, Tunisia, and Chad.And we have nearly 1,000 times more firearms per capita than South Korea.Knowing that, imagine you're a police officer, patrolling a country that is literally overflowing with firearms. Ask yourself:Would you be more nervous and quicker to reach for your gun than a cop in the Netherlands? Do you think it's statistically probable that police killings in the USA would be comparable to South Korea?Would you expect and predict that if Country A has 100 times more firearms per capita than Country B that they would both have the same level of police shootings?Should we be shocked that the US police kill far more people per capita than Sweden? 2. The USA is unusually murderous for a high-income countryNot only does the USA have far more guns per capita than anyone else, but it's also a remarkably murderous country when compared to other high-income countries.When you examine the intentional per capita homicide rate of 230 countries/territories, the USA is just below the global median, which lines u

WanderLearn promises to explore travel and technology. So let's travel through our solar system with two NASA astrophysicists! About six months ago, Underknown's What If channel hired me to interview two prominent NASA astrophysicists. They wanted to find out what would happen if Earth became one of Jupiter's moons.I'm unsure why they wanted to know that since Underknown had already produced a video that answered that topic, but I adore astronomy, so I was happy to visit my old stomping ground: the NASA Ames Research Center.Underknown said that this was urgent, so I did everything I could to interview two top astrophysicists with almost no warning. Unfortunately, six months later, they still haven't released the video I shot. I knew they would only use a snippet of what I filmed, but still. Nada. And it's not because I shot a crappy video. Underknown hired me a couple of months later for another project, so I couldn't have screwed things up too badly the first time.I feel terrible that these two astrophysicists complied with my last second request and I haven't had anything to show them. Five months ago, I shared the audio and video podcast with my Patrons. It's an exclusive group, so I figured that Underknown wouldn't notice or care.I never planned to share it on the WanderLearn podcast. However, now that Underknown has done nothing with the content for 6 months, I think it's time that the general public enjoys this conversation.I'm doing this as a public service. I'm not taking any ads for this episode. My voice wasn't supposed to appear in the final cut, so that's why my voice rarely appears, and, when it does, it's distant. In the next episode, you'll hear from Jack Lissauer. In this episode, you'll hear from Ruslan Belikov. He is the head of the Ames Coronagraph Experiment (ACE) research group at NASA Ames. He has an EE degree from Princeton and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.Since Dr. Belikov is a NASA astrophysicist, I asked him to describe what would happen if our planet orbited Jupiter.Specifically:Can you explain what extreme tidal forces in space are?How would extreme tidal forces affect Earth? Can they cause earthquakes and tsunamis?What is the weather like on Jupiter’s moon Io?How long are days on Io?If Earth were hypothetically a moon of Jupiter, how would it be affected?Questions about VenusWhat is the surface and atmosphere of Venus like?How are Earth and Venus similar?Would it be possible to terraform a planet in our solar system?Which planet (or moon) would be the most viable?What would it take to terraform Venus?More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:https://facebook.com/ftaponhttps://twitter.com/ftaponhttps://instagram.com/ftaponhttps://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttps://pinterest.com/ftaponhttps://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!The best reward is the $25 reward, which entitles you to $300 of gifts for the holidays! It's the best win-win reward out there!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

To celebrate the 100th WanderLearn episode, I'm thrilled to announce that we are close to passing 100,000 cumulative downloads! This 100th episode is dedicated to my Patrons! Watch it on YouTube:https://youtu.be/DdJN3xQ-Mz8Ask Me Anything!I answer your questions, such as:Tamy, who wrote: "I had no idea Swaziland had changed its name to eSwatini. Do you have a point of reference as to why or were you aware of it?"Ryan: "Do you have book recommendations?"I start by recommending The Body by Bill Bryson.If you've read, "A History of Nearly Everything" (another good book), then you'll like his "Body" book. It'll keep you busy for a while - it's big.I've heard great things about "The Gates of Fire" - it's on my list.Lastly, I'm a huge space fan - yeah, I like to travel. I'm nearly done reading this fun book by Zubrin.amzn.to/3eKIQ4cAnother person wrote:Hey Francis, hope all is well. I was wondering how do you prepare/train for mountain climbling/hiking? I am a overweight, done mostly day hikes( highest point I have reached is 8,750'). I was strolling through youtube and saw Tour de mont blanc which I though was really nice but not sure about how to handle these kinds of journeys since they seem pretty strenous for a beginner. Ive been trying to do lifestyle modifications( Diet/exercise), wondering if you have any tips/thoughts. Camino primitivo is on my list as well. Do you do any workouts/preparation(physically) before you go for your treks/climbs?YIDA wrote:I look forward to reading more chapters of the Unseen Africa. From your experiences, how safe would major African cities be for a Western tourist to wander around in unescorted? Most guides say things like never walk around Kinshasa or Nairobi at night alone.From most of the travel literature I've read, it advises tourists to soak in the vibe and atmosphere of the people, streets and markets rather than go on a sightseeing tour of landmarks, galleries, and museums like you do in Europe. The tourism formula of stopping at multiple sites and attractions doesn't work for most African cities.Henry wrote:My name is Henry Ensley, I’m graduating from college this month and I have a couple of questions regarding Africa. I already have a trip planned and booked to 7 European nations this summer, but, I have some questions about Africa. In my life, I hope to visit all the countries in Europe and Africa, but my knowledge about the two is more heavily favored towards Europe for whatever reason. With that being said, what are your 5-10 most favorite destinations in Africa? Not to get too specific but as you like to say they destinations should be “beyond the beaten path”. Without mentioning common destinations like the Marrakesh Market in Morocco, the pyramids in Egypt, Kenya, etc. I want to know your favorite destinations in Africa, the countries that some people may not even know exist. Thank you.1. Mauritius2. Namibia3. Rwanda4. Mauritania6. Algeria7. Lesotho8. Cameroon9. Sudan More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Today, we passed a grim milestone: 650,000 COVID-19 deaths worldwide. I advise you to watch this on YouTube so you can see the graphs and other visuals.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7TSueZPF_I I predicted 1.5 million deaths. You can get the latest Coronavirus data at John Hopkins. I compare the 650,000 coronavirus deaths with annual worldwide influenza (flu) deaths. I also compare it with a virus that slapped humanity 100 years ago. Lastly, I compare it with the Black Death (the Bubonic Plague) that ravaged the planet in the 14th century. What do you think about the Coronapocolypse? More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Traveling Mitch is, a bit unexpectedly, really called Christopher Mitchell.He's lived in the center of the world: Istanbul. For centuries, Istanbul was the world's biggest city. It was the center of the Old World. Today, it's still the 3rd most populous city and straddles two continents.Traveling Mitch and I also discuss:Ataturk - The Modern Founder of TurkeyTraveling Mitch's travel style, which is traveling overseasWhy he has tattoosDealing with relationships while living abroadLiving in Oslo, NorwayScandinavian stereotypesThe biggest weakness of democracyLiving in South KoreaK-PopWill the Koreas unite in the next 40 years?How can you live abroad?His future plans. He runs Ultimate Ontario.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Last year, I interviewed Brittany Hosmer Longoria about the leopard she shot in Nambia.In 2020, I met her again to discuss:Does she still get heat for her leopard photo?What impact does banning trophy hunting have?What are the biggest myths people have about hunters that she would like to dispel?What was she doing in Pakistan?You can follow her on Instagram.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Want more money to travel or hike?Although being a frugal traveler is half the battle, the other half is making money. There are three ways to make money:Getting paid to do a jobInvesting itStealing itSince we're all boy scouts, we'll skip the third option. Most people focus on option #1 (e.g., your salary).We often ignore the second option: investing it wisely.After traveling for 3 years in Eastern Europe, I returned to the United States with more money than I left with! And no, I didn't work for those three years. How did I pull that off? Smart investments.I'm not a financial adviser, but after learning about Constant and peer-to-peer lending, I believe it's something everyone ought to be aware of. Now be careful because it's risky, but if you tread lightly and do well, you might want to up your investment. Start with $100 and then go up from there.I had a video call with the Communications Manager at Constant, Chris Roper.Chris Roper and I discuss:What is peer-to-peer lending?What kind of interest rates can you earn?What is a loan that has a 150% collateral? Why is cryptocurrency good collateral?What does "top-up" mean?What are the risks?How big of a loan can you get (or offer)?In the unlikely event that your loan defaults, Constant liquidates the collateral and repays you in USD, not in cryptocurrency. Therefore, if you're doing this with the hope of getting some bitcoin, this is not the way to do it.Have you tried Constant? Share your experience with me.Have you tried peer-to-peer lending elsewhere? How did it go?To learn more, go to: https://www.myconstant.com/sign-up?r=ftaponMore infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

I interviewed three men regarding South Africa's Greater Balepye Nature Reserve:Prince Dipati Benjamin Maenetja of the Greater Balepye Nature Reserve.Louis B. Ebersöhn, CEO of African Wildlife Services.Dr. T. Wayne Schwertner of Tarleton State University.Louis started guiding safaris in 1994. Freelancing at first but soon started his own Outfitting company called Footsoo Safaris which was changed to Ebersöhn Safaris. He briefly stepped out of the industry in 2012 but in 2014 he stepped back in as African Wildlife Services, AWS (Pty) Ltd trading as:AWS: Aerial Wildlife ServicesAWS: African Wilderness SafarisAWS: African Wildlife SecurityThe AWS business model is based upon the guiding principles as described in “The Conservation Game: Saving Africa’s Biodiversity. By Gerhard R. DammMore infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Ladan Jiracek and I talk about:Our world's future. Will the USA be screwed or on top? What about the rest of the world? Our brain's future. Will we get neural implants? Ladan is getting his Ph.D. to help develop technology that augments our brains.He's also traveled to over 100 countries.He hosts the Travel Wisdom podcast and the Neuro Implant Podcast.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Do aliens exist? Have they visited (or are they visiting) our planet? Are all crop circles manmade?In this civil debate, Derek Loudermilk and I discuss these topics.Derek argues that these metaphysical things are real.I am extremely skeptical.Listen to both sides and comment on what you think.The one thing I forgot to mention was string theory, which argues that we don't live in a 4-dimensional world, but rather one that has 10, 11, or more dimensions. The string theory hypothesis is that these extra dimensions may be curled up in such a microscopic way that we don't have the instruments that are able to see them at this point. Perhaps in a few decades or centuries, we will be able to see these extra dimensions.The point is that string theory could, perhaps, one day explain some metaphysical and "supernatural" phenomena. Watch the videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTK2P_82FGwMore infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Around 2010, Forrest Fenn hid a multimillion-dollar treasure in the Rocky Mountains.Gold, gems, and other precious items are packed in a portable 12th-century bronze chest.Nearly half a million people have searched for it in vain. A couple of weeks ago, I spoke two hours with one of the foremost experts on Forrest Fenn's treasure, Dal Nietzel. It was a fascinating and fun conversation. Right before I planned to release the podcast, a man from the Eastern United States found Forrest Fenn's treasure! That's right. Around June 6, 2020, Forrest Fenn said the chase is over.Therefore, this podcast is divided into two parts. The first part, which is 90% of the podcast, was recorded a couple of weeks ago before the treasure had been found.The second part is an addendum, where I interviewed Dal again to capture his thoughts now that the treasure hunt is over. We don't know where the treasure was found yet. Therefore, just to be able to say "I told you so," I will list the places I had planned to search. And I will ask Dal the same question. This exercise will either make us feel good (that we were wrong) or make us feel bad (that we would have found it had we not delayed our search). Questions I asked Dal (pronounced "Dale")In 60 seconds, tell us the story behind Fenn’s Treasure.In 60 seconds, what do you say to those who say that “there is no treasure” because either (a) it’s already been found or (b) it never was there in the first place? What’s one of the funniest/absurd solves you have ever heard? For instance, on the roof of the visitor center by Old Faithful.Most treasure hunters are information takers. Why are you an information giver?For a decade, nearly half a million people have searched in vain for the treasure. Do you think it will be found this century? How about this decade? How about this year or next?Fenn gave an unsatisfying answer when he was asked about the legal ramifications of finding his treasure. What’s your opinion?To find the treasure, you have to have one or more of these qualities: intelligence, persistence, or luck. Given all the people who have searched, it’s remarkable that nobody has found it. What’s the percentage chance that someone finds it and doesn’t announce it in some fashion?Fenn believes that the person who will find the treasure will walk with resolve and certainty. But many times people stumble on treasures or dead bodies by accident. What do you think?I imagine that most times, you approach your solves with some skepticism. But a few times, you probably went somewhere with 95%+ confidence that you were walking to the treasure, exactly as Fenn said the treasure finder would walk. Where were those spots and what went wrong?Do you often wonder if you were one of the people who got within 200 ft of the treasure?Describe the type of person or group that will find the treasure.Do you think those who have been searching for years have an advantage or a disadvantage over newbies? Overthinking the riddle?Do you think if Fenn’s doctor tells him that he’s terminally ill, that Fenn will reveal a juicy clue? Or does he hope it stays a mystery for decades?I know it’s probably unimportant, but has there ever been a poll that indicates where most people think the treasure lies? My guess is that there’s a 60% chance that it’s in or near Yellowstone, 30% chance of being in New Mexico, and 10% of being elsewhere. What do most people think? How about you?You’re one of the few who have had significant contact with Fenn. If you find the treasure, do you worry that many will accuse you of having inside information even though your lack of success after many years of searching proves that you don’t have an advantage?What would you do if you found the treasure?You’ve heard every possible theory about “where the warm waters halt.” Which hypotheses sound the most plausible to you?Is there something that Fenn communicated that you think is significant, but that few talk about?He said there are a couple of “hints” in his book. What are the leading candidates?Have you read Flywater or the Journal of a Trapper?Assuming someone else discovers the treasure in your lifetime, how will that news make you feel? There are nine clues in Fenn's poem. The first clue is "Begin it where warms waters halt." It's unclear what the other eight clues are.Forrest Fenn's Treasure PoemAs I have gone alone in thereAnd with my treasures bold,I can keep my secret where,And hint of riches new and old.Begin it where warm waters haltAnd take it in the canyon down,Not far, but too far to walk.Put in below the home of Brown.From there it’s no place for the meek,The end is ever drawing nigh;There’ll be no paddle up your creek,Just heavy loads and water high.If you’ve been wise and found the blaze,Look quickly down, your quest to cease,But tarry scant with marvel gaze,Just take the chest and go in peace.So why is it that I must goAnd leave my trove for all to seek?The answers I already knowI’ve done it tired, and now I’m weak.So hea

On Facebook, I wrote regarding the George Floyd riots, "I understand why people are angry, but does anyone think that widespread destruction and theft is justified?To my surprise, most people answered "Yes."Perhaps I was unclear, so Rejoice and I made this video/podcast to clarify my question.It's best to see the video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obwDt5s6WLoHowever, the audio-only version makes sense. About privilegeMany white people love to tell other white people to shut because white people can't talk because of white privilege. These white people never seem to see the hypocrisy of their statements. We all forget that all Americans are EXTREMELY PRIVILEGED. Yes, even brown Americans.If you disagree, I'll invite any American to spend a year in Rejoice's village. Oh, wait. It was destroyed by Boko Haram. Fine, in a nearby village.Most humans would do anything to switch places with ANY American, even one with a lot of melanin is in their skin or a tiny bank account. Most Americans are in the world's top 10%.Americans have no sense of perspective. We're spoiled brats.I'm all in favor of progress and I know protests can help get us there.But violence on innocent people is never justified.But some people think seem to think it is.Let's how you feel when Boko Haram burns down your village in the name of some higher cause. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Gary Arndt, a famous world-traveler, has been to chaotic places, but this week, chaos came to his hometown, Minneapolis.We talked last night while we heard rioting outside his window. On this recording, you'll hear sirens, honking horns, and helicopters.George Floyd's death sparked riots throughout the USA, but the epicenter is in Gary's backyard.In the second half of the interview, we switch topics to talk about his diet.I've had 2 vegans on my podcast (Sym and Gehn), so Gary will provide a different perspective since his diet is the antithesis of veganism. ABOUT THE AUDIO: Before recording, I was experimenting with my audio setup and I forgot to reset. As a result, my audio is poor. Sorry about that. Luckily, Gary does most of the talking and he sounds fine.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:https://facebook.com/ftaponhttps://twitter.com/ftaponhttps://instagram.com/ftaponhttps://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttps://pinterest.com/ftaponhttps://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!The best reward is the $25 reward, which entitles you to $300 of gifts for the holidays! It's the best win-win reward out there!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Flying to the South Pole and then to the North Pole in a small plane is extremely dangerous. Robert DeLaurentis, who is known as the Zen Pilot, is on the brink of pulling this off.I caught up with him when he was grounded in Spain during the Coronapocolypse. By the time this airs, he should be in Sweden. He plans to fly over 3 key places around the North Pole in July 2020.Track his journey on his website. Questions I asked the Zen Pilot1. How did you first get into flying?2. What advice would you get give to someone who wants to become an aviator? Join the military? Take classes? How expensive?3. Does being a pilot pay little or lot? Or more?4. You prepared to fly around the world in 95 days. But what surprised you?5. What's your book, "Flying Thru Life" about?6. You're flying from pole to pole during the COVID-19. What are some of the unexpected challenges that you faced?7. When do you expect to finish?8. How's flying the Drake Passage?9. When do you expect to finish?10. What's next?I mentioned 13 Minutes to the Moon by the BBC.Watch this 4 mins video about the Zen Pilothttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qox9jVJwewMore infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Every four years, there's a US election, the World Cup, and the Olympics. They don't all happen in the same year, but they each have a 4-year cycle.In a few minutes, there's another event that happens once every for years that few talk about: the bitcoin halving.To celebrate, I'll give a simplified explanation of what the halving is and why it's significant.Afterward, I will turn to a more fundamental question: why is bitcoin (BTC) worth more than a dollar and why do I keep talking about it given that I'm mostly known for my travels?What is the Bitcoin Halving?Every 10 minutes, a fast bitcoin miner somewhere on the planet gets rewarded for his efficiency. When the bitcoin network was first created in 2009, that reward was 50 bitcoins. Every 4 years, that reward gets cut in half.On May 12, 2020, bitcoin will undergo its third halving. The reward will drop from 12.5 bitcoins to 6.25 bitcoins. In 2024, the reward will be 3.125 bitcoins.This halving will continue to occur every four years until 2140 when it will stop. At that point, we'll have 21 million bitcoins.The Coindesk chart below sums it up.Why is the Bitcoin Halving significant?You're probably familiar with the US Federal Reserve injecting more liquidity into the economy. Some refer to it as "printing money boost the economy."When the Fed does that, it devalues the dollar. When it does that for a long period of time, it adds up. That's why $1 during George Washington's time would be worth 1 cent today.Bitcoin does the opposite. Instead of printing more bitcoin every year, we print less bitcoin every four years. Therefore, the dollar softens over time, whereas bitcoin hardens. Assuming bitcoin's demand grows slowly, the price will still rise because the supply is growing quite slowly nowadays. The graph below shows how bitcoin's inflation rate will drop from about 3% in 2020 to below 1% in 2024. And it keeps declining until it has 0% inflation in 2140.No other asset in history has had 0% inflation. Gold has low inflation, which has helped it retain its purchasing power. Still, we're constantly digging more gold out of the ground. Gold mining inflates the supply by 1-3% per year. As gold's price rises, miners have more incentive to dig for more. Bitcoin doesn't work that way. By 2140, there will be no more bitcoin to mine. Even by 2036, bitcoin's inflation rate will be 0.1%. In comparison, gold will be at least 10 times more inflationary than bitcoin in 2036. Shouldn't bitcoin be worthless? Skeptics who are dumbfounded as to why bitcoin is worth more than a penny. They believe that bitcoin is "fake internet money and one big Ponzi scheme." Those who declare that bitcoin is a Ponzi scheme don't understand what a Ponzi scheme is and/or don't understand bitcoin. Others incorrectly call it a pyramid scheme. You can certainly accuse bitcoin of being an economic bubble (like the Tulip mania), but it's not a classic Ponzi scheme.It's also not a pyramid scheme any more than a company stock is a pyramid scheme. When an asset bubble pops, the asset's value rarely drops to zero. Even tulips still have value. So why does bitcoin have any value?There are many long articles and videos explaining why bitcoin has real value. Here's a quick explanation.Bitcoin has 14 of the 15 key properties of money. Bitcoin is:Scarce: only 21 million bitcoins will be mined (and 90% have already been mined). Durable: it's as durable as the Internet itself.Portable: you can carry millions of bitcoins in your head by just memorizing 24 words.Divisible: one bitcoin equals 100 million satoshis. One satoshi is currently worth $0.00007084Easy to recognize: yes.Easy to store: yes, it can be stored on almost any digital device as well as written on paper or memorized.Fungible: yes, bitcoins are mutually interchangeable, just like any currency.Hard to counterfeit: unlike other currencies, nobody has ever counterfeited bitcoinWidespread use: it's used anywhere where there is the Internet.A medium of exchange: thousands of businesses accept it.Store of value: although it's highly volatile, it was the best performing asset from 2010-2020 (9 million percent return).Able to earn interest or be offered as a loan: companies like BlockFi allow you to earn interest or get bitcoin loansAvailable on debit cards: there are many bitcoin debit cards that allow you to pay in your local currency by instantly withdrawing from one of your bitcoin wallets.Available on credit cards: companies like Fold and Blockrize offer bitcoin-friendly credit cards.A unit of account: not yet. It's hard to find businesses that price their good or service in bitcoin. Many businesses accept bitcoin, but they list their prices in the national currency or USD/Euros.Although bitcoin fails in the last criterion, let's remind ourselves of the importance of the first criterion: scarcity.Gold is relatively scarce, but even if we mined all the gold on the earth, gold's supply wouldn't be exhausted. In this century, you can bet that the gol

As of today (May 11, 2020), 80,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.In 2018, 80,000 Americans died of the flu. It was a bad flu year.You can watch this on YouTube too.It's fascinating how we look at death.The Infection Fatality Rate of COVID-19 is about 10 times worse than influenza. Therefore, if we didn't shelter in place, perhaps we would have lost 10x more Americans than the 2018 flu season, which would mean about 1 million deaths.I've been called callous. But imagine if:We treated airline flights like rocket launches - and took 7 hours to go through all the safety checks.We set a 10 MPH speed limit nationwide.We mandated a nonstop shelter in place to stop the 5 million deaths from communicable diseases. Such draconian measures would save thousands of lives. But would you be in favor of them?Not all lives are equalIf a US soldier is KIA, his family gets $100,000When the US military accidentally killed an Afghan boy, they gave his father $1,000 as compensation.It easy to make deaths look meaningful and meaninglessCite 9/11 and you'll get people emotional quite quickly. Cite a big number to put things in perspective. For example, 5 million people die from communicable diseases every year:Lower respiratory infections: 3 millionDiarrhoeal infections 1.5 millionTuberculosis: 1 millionThat's 4.5 Sept 11th happening every day of every year.It's not either open the economy or close the economyThere's the Swedish way, which allows some opening:Schools are open since kids are at low risk.People are encouraged to shelter in place.The old are asked to stay home.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Read the article or watch the video about this podcast. It's helpful to see the graphs. I copied the article and graphs below, but use this link if the images don't pop up in your podcast player.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k4CTL6fowA8 Flaws in Bitcoin's Stock-to-Flow Model Will Doom ItI love Bitcoin. Nothing would make me happier than to see one of Plan B's optimistic stock-to-flow (S2F/STF) models become an accurate predictor of Bitcoin's price.Up until now, there has been a non-spurious relationship between stock-to-flow and bitcoin's price. That's one reason it's such a compelling narrative.I hope I'm wrong, but, inevitably, BTC's stock-to-flow models will diverge dramatically from their predicted trendline. This article doesn't distinguish between the original S2F model and the latest S2FX model since they share a similar concept.FYI: I am writing this while the world is counting down the hours to bitcoin's third halving, which will occur on May 12, 2020. BTC costs nearly $9,000.What is the hypothesis of bitcoin's stock-to-flow model?Bitcoin, like gold, has a relatively large existing stock compared to the annual flow of new bitcoin mined.Gold, unlike most metals, sees its total stock increase relatively slowly compared to its existing stockpile. There are about 200,000 tons of gold (the stock) and we mine about 3,000 tons of new gold annually. In other words, gold's flow adds about 1-2.5% to its annual stock. That results in a stock-to-flow ratio of roughly 65. That means that if halted gold mining today, it would take us to 65 years to consume the existing stock. I've seen lower and higher S2F estimates, so let's assume that 65 is close enough.Gold's stock to flow is much higher than any other metal, which partly explains why it's so valuable.Bitcoin is similar to gold in that it also has a high stock-to-flow ratio. The amount of newly mined bitcoins is tiny when compared to the existing stock of bitcoins.Therefore, the hypothesis is: as bitcoin's stock-to-flow rises, so will its price. So far, that's exactly what has happened up until the 2020 Halving. Will the pattern continue?The stock-to-flow tale is such a compelling and powerful narrative that it's become a viral hit among bitcoin fans.I certainly bought into it enthusiastically. Stock-to-flow models bitcoin's price predictionsThe original stock-to-flow model predicted that BTC will reach $55,000 in 2020. That means BTC needs to jump 7 times in value in the next 7 months.On April 27, 2020, Plan B presented his BTC S2F Cross Asset (S2FX) Model. The S2FX predicts that by 2024, BTC with be worth an eye-popping $288,000.This sounds too good to be true.This article explains why both stock-to-flow models will soon fail. Since most people who are reading this don't know me, here are a few facts about me in case you're wondering, "Who the hell is this a*****e?":I'm not a newbie. I first bought BTC when it was $250. (My brother bought 10 BTC when it was $1 each - and then got hacked and lost it all).I accurately predicted BTC's 80% price drop in 2018. I nailed my 2019 prediction within $33. I'm a Harvard MBA, so I like to analyze numbers. 8 problems with Plan B's stock-to-flow bitcoin modelsFor those who don't like to read, you can watch the video: The list goes from the least important problem to the most important problem. Problem #8: Not everyone agrees on what is gold's stock-to-flow ratioAlthough most quants agree that gold's stock-to-flow ratio is in the 60s, a few believe it's much higher. For example, Philip Barton, a gold analyst, argues that gold's stock to flow is between 400 and 800!Admittedly, Barton is an outlier. The consensus is that gold's stock-to-flow ranges between 50 and 70. Still, it's worth noting that some believe there is far more stock out there than we realize. How could gold's stock-to-flow ratio be 800?The main reasoning is that when humans first started collecting gold, there was a lot of low-hanging fruit. Enormous gold nuggets were easy to grab in the streams and other sources. It's reasonable to assume that for billions of years, gold nuggets just sat in the streams since no animal valued them.When humans began collecting gold, the global gold stock must have soared exponentially. Its curve must have looked like the first decade of bitcoin's supply curve.That's why Barton and others believe that gold's stock-to-flow ratio is 10 times higher than what most people think it is.If that's true, then bitcoin's stock-to-flow model is somewhat inaccurate since it predicts that bitcoin will exceed gold's stock-to-flow ratio by 2025. This problem is the least of all the problems with bitcoin's stock-to-flow narrative. It gets worse.Problem #7: Gold's stock-to-flow isn't fixedPlan B presents timelines that show bitcoin's ever-rising stock-to-flow ratio. In those charts, he depicts gold (and silver) as a single data point, as if their stock-to-flow ratios are constant. For example, in Plan B's chart below, you'll see how bitcoin

When I travel, I love to observe common ground in a sea of diversity.The planet has over 100 currencies, but there's one thing that everyone agrees is money: gold.So far, COVID-19 has killed 200,000, which has added to the 5 million deaths that we suffer from communicable diseases every year.COVID-19 has also killed the global economy.The travel industry has shut down.The stock market is in tatters.The prices of panic assets (gold and bitcoin) have soared.Few are talking about a recession.We're on the edge of a depression.Therefore, we're taking a breaking from talking about travel and focusing on universal money: gold.I talk with a renowned gold researcher, Jan Nieuwenhuijs.We discuss:Whether gold's stock-to-flow ratio helps determine gold's price.What he thinks of bitcoin using the stock-to-flow to predict bitcoin's price.Why he bought bitcoin for $25 and why he sold it in 2017.What he thinks of asteroid mining.How do buy and store gold safely and effectively.Learn more about Jan at Voima Gold and Twitter @jangold_Jan wrote several fascinating articles:Gold: Supply and Demand Dynamics.Why you should not buy the GLD Gold ETF to get exposure to gold.What's an SDR and its future?The coming gold standard. More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Last week, I got this email from Robert Hahn, whom I interviewed a couple of months ago on this podcast. He wrote:Hey Francis! I listened to your most recent podcast with Rejoice. Afterwards I looked into investment in crypto a bit. I was wondering what your thoughts are on platforms for buying and storing the virtual currency. I was also interested in Nano (for its more environmentally conscious approach) and Monero (better privacy, but that may be a fault because it makes it a favorite for dark money). I'd be curious to hear why you chose Bitcoin...the assumption that widespread adoption will win the race?For the best platform for buying cryptocurrency, I like Kraken.https://r.kraken.com/Q1RBxFor storage beyond what you're comfortable losing, Ledger is a great bet.https://shop.ledger.com/pages/ledger-nano-x?r=a673bccc2782I answer some of his questions in a general way and I didn't talk too much about the two crypto coins that I mentioned, so I will address them here in the notes briefly.First, I love to use CoinMarketCap.com to see the market share of the crypto coins.Nano is ranked #60 (as of April 12, 2020). That's a deal-breaker for me. I would research a top 20 coin and I would take a good look at a top 10 coin, but if it's not in the top 20, then forget about it. It's insignificant and will probably remain so. It won't change the world. And it will probably fade away.I'm sure some critics would question its environmentally responsible claims. Bitcoin is a power hog, but that's the price we pay for having bulletproof security. So far, more environmentally friendly solutions have their problems. Remember, the global banking system requires far more resources than Bitcoin. Monero is a fascinating privacy coin that is ranked #14.As cool as it is, ZCash has slightly better technology and you can create privacy features within Bitcoin via technologies such as: The Lightning NetworkMimblewimbleCoinJoinWasabi WalletThere are MANY efforts researchers are making to improve Bitcoin's privacy. I suspect current solutions will satisfy most privacy enthusiasts. If they don't, then Bitcoin developers will probably come up with a better solution soon. There are armies of brilliant programmers researching this issue. Other coins lack such development teams.You can watch this podcast at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SIGGxKGagU More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

How do you think we should solve the Coronapocolypse? Should we keep sheltering in place for another month or two?What metrics would you look at to decide when enough is enough?Rejoice and I debate my solution to the Corona crisis.Rejoice also shares a few stories from Africa during this bizarre time. Leave your comments and solutions at WanderLearn.com.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Is the Coronavirus is overly hyped?Rejoice and I discuss that.I explain why you shouldn't hike your own hike in 2020.But that doesn't mean you shouldn't hike in 2020. I explain how and where to go hiking in 2020.Rejoice shares how COVID-19 is impacting Africa.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Thru-hiking can take social distancing to an extreme.Unless you camp close to random people or you spend lots of time in town when you resupply, you will be safely away from any contagion. That's why 2020 is the best year ever to thru-hike, especially if you recently lost your job. Put your stuff in storage (or sell it all). Stop paying rent. And hike for the next 6 months.By the time you finish hiking, the Coronapocolypse will have killed a few million people and ravaged the economy while you were happily backpacking. You'll return to civilization in the post-apocalypse - and just in time to vote for in the US elections.I recorded the following podcast with Gehn Shibayama a month before the Coronavirus outbreak. What we discuss is extremely relevant for the 2020 pandemic. We discuss:How thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail is different now that it was 15 years ago.How two East Asians females died on Pacific Crest Trail a couple of years ago.How thru-hiking El Camino de Santiago has changed in the last decade.How to invest your money (super relevant today now that the markets have tanked - thereby making it a great time to invest).Why he was a trail angel in 2019.Why do some vegans not tolerate people using their kitchen utensils to cook animals? How can one retire before 50?What's he planning to do in the 2020s? A few fact-checking corrections:We debated the pros and cons of thru-hiking the PCT southbound. On the podcast, I estimated that you need 3 months to thru-hike the Canadian border to Kennedy Meadows. I couldn't remember the exact time that I had calculated years ago. It's all in my "Why Go Southbound on the PCT" article. I explain that takes 3.5 months to cover those two points, which is the same amount of time that northbounders have to cover that distance. Therefore, I'm sticking with my recommendation of going south on the PCT. You just need to get in shape before you leave.Gehn said that Scott Williamson has thru-hiked the PCT 7 times. I said that he's done it "more than 10 times." Fact check: he's thru-hiked the PCT 13 times. What's clear is that this is a fantastic year to thru-hike the PCT. Snow levels are normal. Go for it.I hope Gehn inspires you to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Connect with Gehn Shibayama's Facebook profile.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

On March 20, 2020, Rejoice and I spontaneously went Live on Facebook to share our thoughts about the Coronavirus pandemic.(Don't worry. The photo of us hugging was taken months before the Coronapocolypse.)In 2014, when the Ebola contagion was raging across West Africa, I was traveling in West Africa. The world was panicking. Some worried that it would kill hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions.I thought most people were overreacting. Therefore, I wrote a prescient article called, "Don't Worry Too Much About Ebola."I feel I could write the same article today about COVID-19.Yes, Ebola and COVID-19 are different viruses. COVID-19 spread far and fast; Ebola didn't. Ebola's death rate was 53%. COVID's death rate is about 3.5%.Still, the principle is the same.Humans excel at detecting patterns.However, we have a tendency of over projecting trend lines. When we see a graph skyrocketing (or plummeting), we often believe (incorrectly) that the trend will continue for a long time.It often doesn't. Listen to my podcast with Rejoice. Sorry that her voice is sometimes hard to hear. She speaks softly.Lastly, don't misunderstand me. I'm not suggesting that we should ignore COVID-19 or that it's not serious. We should continue taking the extreme measures we're taking such as sheltering-in-place. I'm simply saying that we shouldn't panic or believe that this contagion will kill tens of millions.A few months ago, I gave my third TEDx talk, which was about the 7 surprising lessons I learned from picking up 3,000 African hitchhikers.At the 14th minute, I shared a statistic that is relevant today during the #Coronapocolypse. I queued up the video link below to that moment in the talk.https://youtu.be/5WxfRLByD60?t=833Spoiler alert: Every year, 470,000 humans die worldwide from influenza.Today, 14,000 have died worldwide from COVID-19.That sucks, but even if 100 times more people die from COVID-19 than the flu (which would 1.4 million, that would mean that COVID-19 is only 3 times more deadly than our annual flu. That would suck, but let's keep those statistics in mind before we all jump off a moderately tall building.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponMy Patrons sponsored this show!Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Liz Warner is going to run 30 marathons before she turns 30 years old in June 2020. However, her real accomplishment is raising nearly $30,000 for 20 charities in the process! In this podcast, we discuss some of the highlights and lowlights of her first 27 marathons and her Run To Reach experience.She's going to finish on Mt. Everest in late May 2020.Go to her donation page and follow her on Instagram.Liz mentioned the Effective Altruism TED Talk as an inspiration. In the podcast, I couldn't remember the name of the guy who ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days. The guy's name is Dean Karnazes.Confession: I goofed. I didn't realize how many marathons Liz Warner had run in Africa. I only asked her about a couple of them. I would have liked to delve into all of them. Still, in our one-hour conversation, we cover a lot of ground!More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

On March 14, 2020, Dan Grec's Kickstarter will end. If you're listening to this before that date, buy Dan's book on Kickstarter. His book (and website) are called The Road Chose Me.If you're listening to this after March 14th, buy Dan Grec's book on Amazon.Why buy his book? Because for 999 days Dan Grec drove through 35 of the 54 African countries. His book recounts his 3-year adventure. In this 90-min podcast, we discuss:His road trip across Latin America.How he saved money for 4 years for this 3-year trip.Why he biked to work in Yukon's winter.Which were some of the toughest African border crossings.How he got (or didn't get) African visas on the fly.How much it cost to ship his truck across the AtlanticHow many times he got malaria and how it was.What he thinks of South Africa's future.What makes Sudan special and unique.His speaking tour.What he's planning to do next.We discussed the Caprivi Strip. Here are the facts from Wikipedia:Caprivi was named after German Chancellor Leo von Caprivi (in office 1890–1894), who negotiated the acquisition of the land in an 1890 exchange with the United Kingdom. Caprivi arranged for the Caprivi strip to be annexed to German South West Africa in order to give Germany access to the Zambezi River and a route to Africa's east coast, where the colony of German East Africa (now part of Tanzania) was situated. The river later proved unnavigable and inaccessible to the Indian Ocean due to the Victoria Falls. The transfer of territory was a part of the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty of 1890, in which Germany gave up its interest in Zanzibar in return for the Caprivi Strip and the island of Heligoland in the North Sea.We also wondered where the expression "rest on your laurels" comes from. Simply put: the origins of the phrase lie in ancient Greece, where laurel wreaths were symbols of victory and status.You can watch the interview on YouTube, although the audio is out of sync. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaL8jLnRf_4&More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnVHealth Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.org Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Part 5 of 5 of the "What Can Americans Teach Europeans" seriesSnobby Europeans love to say that Americans have “no cuisine, no culture, no history.”Let’s refute this belief.We’ll begin with food. First, Americans brought hamburgers and Coca-Cola to the world. The French (and many others) will immediately sniff and say, “That doesn’t count.”Really?And foie gras does? That’s a dish that is prepared by force-feeding a poor duck. Now that’s really classy and sophisticated. Big Macs start looking like haute cuisine.Moreover, America’s unique cuisine doesn’t end with a cheeseburger and a Coke. We’ve either invented or popularized:banana splitsbrowniesbuffalo wingscheesesteakscorn dogscotton candycorn on the cobdoughnutsfried chickenfudgegarden burgersgritshot dogsice cream conesJell-Omacaroni and cheesemashed potatoesonion ringspancakespeanut butter and jelly sandwichespecan piepopcornPopsiclespotato chipsRice Krispie treatsroot beer floatshoofly piesloppy joesubmarine sandwichesthe Twinkie.Not only does this list prove that Americans have plenty of dishes that are uniquely ours, but this list also explains why we are so incredibly fat.Obviously, American cuisine isn’t the most nutritious cuisine on the planet. The point is that we invented plenty of dishes. Besides, it’s impossible to find any national cuisine that is 100 percent healthy.Since the Japanese live the longest, they have arguably the best diet around. However, even the Japanese eat plenty of deep-fried foods and white rice. And they often wash it down with beer or sake.Yes, Americans have one of the least healthy diets on the planet; on the other hand, I’ve never found a country that can make salads that are as delicious as the ones you can find in California.Finally, America is better than any other country at welcoming (and eating) exotic food from all over the world. Try finding non-Italian cuisine in Italy.The other insult Europeans like to fling at Americans is that we have “no culture.”Really?That’s funny because it seems that no other country does a better job of exporting its culture than America does. It’s hard to go anywhere on the planet and meet people who do not know about American music, television, books, movies, sports, and cuisine (which includes the fast food it invented).Cultural snobs will say all that doesn’t count and that it’s not real culture. Who decided that?Why is the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark not as culturally significant as Schindler’s List? They are both masterpieces (and they happen to both be directed by the same American).Is Michael Jordan not as important as Roger Federer, the Swiss tennis player?Is Elvis less important than Mozart?If American TV is so bad, why do I see it in every country I go to? It’s hard to go anywhere and not see The Discovery Channel. Every major country copies American Idol and other popular TV shows.The world copies American culture. The copying of American culture is so pervasive that most people who complain about “globalization” are really complaining about “Americanization.”Snobs insist this is all “low culture.” First, that’s arrogant and subjective, but let’s play along.If you want “high culture,” then consider American writers (Twain, Fitzgerald, Poe, Thoreau, T.S. Eliot, Kerouac, Tennessee Williams), American fashion designers (Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Levi Strauss), American visual artists (O’Keefe, Pollock, Warhol, Rockwell, Ansel Adams, the sculptors of DC’s monuments), American composers (Irving Berlin, Scott Joplin, Philip Glass, George Gershwin, John Williams), American chefs (Emeril, Nathalie Dupree, Alice Waters, Julia Child, Anthony Bourdain), and American architects (Julia Morgan, Buckminster Fuller, Frank Lloyd Wright). If you admire skyscrapers, remember that Americans were the first to make those too. In short, Americans have culture—in both the “high” and “low” flavors.Finally, the last put down that Europeans lobs at Americans is that America has “no history.” Sadly, this insults the Native Americans more than anyone else. Tell the descendants of the Incas, Mayans, and Aztecs that they have no history. Tell the Native Americans in North America that they have no history when most historians estimate that they’ve been running around America ever since they crossed the land bridge near the Bering Strait 12,000 years ago. Several Northern European countries weren’t even populated until 8,000 years ago. American history, therefore, is at least 4,000 years older than the Scandinavian and Baltic history.If you need impressive structures to believe that a country has “history,” then visit the archaeological remains in Monks Mound, Taos, and Chaco. Or visit Teotihuacan, Tikal, and Machu Picchu in Central and South America.Besides, many of Europe’s impressive buildings are only a few hundred years old. Boston’s Faneuil Hall, built in 1743, isn't much younger than many of Europe's most treasured buildings. The dirty little secret that few Europeans will talk about is that

Part 4 of 5 of the "What Americans Can Teach Europeans" seriesAmericans are criticized for being ignorant of geography, languages, and the world in general.Let’s examine geography first. For example, someone from Slovakia often feels smart because he can name at least ten countries near him and explain what’s basically going on there. He says Americans are stupid because they can’t do this.Humans are regionally focused. Today, for the average human, that radius of interest and knowledge might be 500 km. For someone in Nebraska, that means being able to name 10 states around him. For someone in Belgium, that means 10 countries. The level of geographic knowledge is effectively the same. Europe and the United States are roughly the same size. Although it’s true that a Nebraskan won’t find Belgium on a map, it’s also true that a Belgian won’t find Kansas on a map. And neither will find Togo or Cambodia. People are generally ignorant of anything that is beyond their geographic radius of knowledge.src="/wanderlearn/episode/update/id/images/travels/europe/usa/USnews.png" alt="Imagine if they had asked people if they closely followed the news about Guinea Bissau" />The same goes for being aware of what’s going on. The Nebraskan will know what’s going on in Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, and maybe California. Meanwhile, the Belgian will have an idea of the general affairs in Luxembourg, Denmark, Germany, and maybe Greece. They’re all about the same distance from each other, the only difference is one crosses country lines while the other crosses state lines. And, of course, the American won’t know what’s going on in those European countries, just like the European won’t know what’s going on in those particular American states. Americans won’t know about the floods in Romania any more than a Romanian will know about the tornadoes in Oklahoma.However, the European persists and says that Americans don’t know anything about world events and yet everyone knows what’s going on in America. One Latvian told me she was upset that she knows so much about America and Americans don’t know anything about Latvia. It was tough to break the news to her that Latvia’s physical, economic, and political size is insignificant. And it’s really painful to tell the same thing to the French. But it’s true.Europeans know what’s going on America not because they’re more worldly and sophisticated, but because America has a lot of influence in their affairs. America knows little about individual European countries because not one European country has much impact on America (except for perhaps Britain or Russia). Most Europeans don’t know much more than Americans about what’s happening in Uruguay, New Zealand, and Namibia because those countries are both far and insignificant to them. And those countries don’t give a s**t about all the tiny European countries either.In addition, educated Europeans who do know lots of stuff about the world often compare themselves with non-educated Americans. They walk through New York and tell people, “Hi, I’m from Bulgaria, do you know where that is?” They’re horrified that New Yorkers don’t know crap about Bulgaria and conclude that Americans are geographically ignorant idiots, unlike the brilliant Bulgarians.Meanwhile, a girl from Laos goes to Bulgaria and asks the people she meets, “Do you know where Laos is?” You can guess the response. Please compare an educated, well-traveled American with an educated, well-traveled European; or the American on the street with the European on the street. You’ll discover the difference isn’t that big.Most who complain about these issues come from countries much smaller than the US. The smaller the country, the more they’re forced to look outside because they quickly exhaust the business and travel opportunities in their own country. Go live in Belgium and see how fast you get bored.People who live in big countries can spend their whole lives there and not get bored. It’s not that we’re more stupid or have a bad education system (although both of these may be true), but it’s primarily because learning about a big country is complex enough.Should Americans learn more about the world and its languages? Absolutely. We should all be flogged for our ignorance. And we should also flog ignorant people from other big countries like the Chinese, Brazilians, Russians, and the French. Why the French? Their country is smaller than Texas, so what’s wrong with that? Well, it’s always a good idea to flog the French whenever you get the chance.In short, it’s true that Americans are ignorant about world affairs and it’s a shame given how much influence the US has globally. However, Europeans are also pretty ignorant about affairs outside of Europe (their geographical focus). They know about America and China because these two large economies influence everyone's life. Yes, Europeans know more about Africa and Asia than Americans, but Americans often know more about Central and South America than

Smile for Valentine's Day!Part 3 of 5 of the "What Americans Can Teach Europeans" SeriesEuropeans often criticize the “American smile.” They say that Americans are fake, because they often smile when they are not really happy. Americans pretend to be happy to see you, when they’re not. A customer service representative might greet you with a cheery, “Hi! How can I help you?” when she’s really a mean b***h.Eastern Europeans somehow think that they are superior because they give you a scowl instead of a smile. Frankly, I’ll take a fake smile every day over a sincere scowl. I might delude myself, but I don’t care. It just feels better. Why, when we have the choice between giving a smile or a frown, should we opt for a frown? The waiter and the person at the checkout counter has a choice. Why not put on a smile?Some may say it’s not simply a choice between a frown or a smile. There’s a third way, the European way, which is a neutral face. This, Europeans claim, is the most sincere. “Why should the store representative smile at you when he doesn’t even know you? That’s insincere,” the Europeans argue. “It’s better to have a neutral face.”Look at yourself in the mirror and put on your best neutral face. Imagine someone just walked into your store and you’re wearing that neutral face. What does it look like to the customer? It looks a bit cold, distant, unfriendly, and unapproachable. Obviously a frown is even worse, but the neutral look is off-putting too.Furthermore, the neutral look would be fine if the customer service agent would immediately brighten up once they learn that you’re not trying to rape their daughter. However, they don’t. Even after you smile and are friendly, they often keep that same neutral, ambivalent face throughout the transaction. In Eastern Europe, the neutral look will sometimes turn into a tirade against your simple attempts of communication. It makes for a lousy and cold experience.The Eastern European tries a different argument: “Fine, so we’re a bit cold at the beginning, but eventually we warm-up, and when we do, you’ll have a friend for life.” So what? Do you want a freaking medal?Newsflash: Americans make lifelong friends too. Like any human, we usually take our time before reaching that point. The difference is that we don’t use that as an excuse to be an a*****e at the beginning.Moreover, the American smile isn’t as fake as it seems. Many Americans are genuinely happy. Americans are positive people who usually give strangers the benefit of the doubt. There are plenty of cynical Americans, but when it comes to one-on-one interactions, Americans often assume that the other person is a good guy. That makes them sincerely smile.Of course, I have a cultural bias because I grew up in America, the land of the smiles. However, America doesn’t have a monopoly on smiles. Most people from Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Oceania all tend to wear a smile on their faces by default. Their service personnel smile warmly often. In other words, judged on a global scale, Americans aren’t weird because they smile so much. It’s the Eastern Europeans who are weird because they smile so little.See Gallup poll P.S. Southeastern Europe (especially around Bosnia, Macedonia, Albania, and Southern Serbia) people have a tendency to smile as much of most of the non-European world.In case you missed it, read part 1 of the What Americans Can Teach Europeans article series. "What Americans Can Teach Europeans"More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnVHealth Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.org Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Part 2 of 5 of the "What Americans Can Teach Europeans" seriesSeveral Eastern Europeans thought I worked for the CIA. They asked, “Why else would you be in Albania?”It’s hilarious what Eastern Europeans seriously believe the CIA does:A Slovenian told me that the “weird” weather they were experiencing was due to the CIA testing wacky weather-controlling weapons nearby.If someone semi-famous died unexpectedly, the CIA killed him.The CIA controls all elections. But what if an anti-American candidate wins? It’s because the CIA wanted that to happen so it can use it as an excuse to invade the country, or because it somehow fits in their grand plan of world domination.A Bulgarian told me that the Illuminati and the CIA control Obama and all world leaders. The CIA, he assured me, is the puppet-master behind everything, including what you had for breakfast this morning.Although it’s fun to believe that the CIA controls the universe, let’s stop smoking marijuana for a minute. The CIA is so ignorant that it often can’t find its house keys. The CIA controls so little that it can’t even choose what color to paint its buildings. It’s just another bumbling, inefficient, and bureaucratic government organization whose right-hand doesn’t know what its left hand is doing. The CIA morons couldn’t even assassinate Fidel Castro, a leader from a puny island right next to America. How lame is that?The CIA has its clever moments but is often ignorant and powerless. Unfortunately, there’s no way to prove this to someone who really wants to believe in conspiracy theories, so I won’t even try.Part of me would like to keep the myth about the omnipotent CIA alive. As long as other nations believe that the CIA is all-knowing and all-powerful, they’ll fear to attack the US. They’ll say, “Maybe we’re attacking America because that’s exactly what the CIA wants us to do!” They’ll second-guess their actions and be scared to challenge the god-like CIA.Therefore, if I have not convinced you, good. Keep believing that the CIA is your under your bed, because, of course, it probably is.In case you missed it, read part 1 of the What Americans Can Teach Europeans article series.One person said, "Francis, very interesting article. Do you have any thoughts as to why the CIA has such a reputation?"I'm sure there are several reasons for the CIA's reputation in Eastern Europe. Among them:Cold War hangover: Just like the KGB was feared in the US, the CIA played that role in the East, and still does, apparently.There's some truth to it: the CIA has put up the Shah in Iran and put up a Guatemalan dictator.When people don't understand something or can't explain it, then they often pick mysterious entities (Zeus, God, CIA) to explain something.In case you missed it, read part 1 of the What Americans Can Teach Europeans article series.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnVHealth Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.org Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Part 1 of 5 in the Defending America Series.Throughout Eastern Europe, I asked, “What can your country teach America?” I’ve documented their excellent suggestions in The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us.As part of this process, Europeans often told me, quite bluntly, what they think of Americans. The fact that I’m half-European and that I have no American blood in me (I was born of a French father and a Chilean mother) probably made them more comfortable to share their true thoughts. After getting an earful, it became clear that there are a few things Americans can teach Europeans about America.(I had often heard similar criticisms in Western Europe, which is why I'm posting this in the Western Europe section.)There are five themes that Europeans wail against AmericansAmerica’s foreign policy shows that we’re a warmongering, imperialistic nation (see below for details).The CIA is behind everything.Americans are fake.Americans are ignorant.Americans are devoid of culture.There’s a lot of truth to these five criticisms. In fact, in my book, I often make fun of these things. However, let’s load up the aircraft carriers and stealth bombers and blast away the five most common criticisms about Americans.Let's start with the first one and then the other articles will address the other four, although you're welcome to jump to the one that interests you most.Part 1 of 5 of the "What Americans Can Teach Europeans" seriesEuropeans say, “America is imperialistic. It starts wars. The CIA is everywhere.” True, true, true. America’s foreign policy is aggressive. However, let’s examine this more closely.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnVHealth Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.org Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

In early 2020, Randy Williams has been to 142 countries. Although this is remarkable, it's especially impressive when you consider that he's been working full-time for most of his life. It's understandable how someone who has years to travel is able to visit 142 countries, but doing it when you have a real job in the workaholic USA is hard.Randy Williams describes:His first trip to Africa. He started in Cape Verde, then went to Senegal, Tunisia, and Algeria.Traveling to Tripoli, Libya soon after Khadafi's death.Traveling to Iraq and Venezuela. How Kabul, Afganistan was in January 2020.How a journalist friend was killed in Somalia.Using the Sherwes Travel Agency to get his business travel visa to Libya.How to be a trailblazer.How he got into Yemen a couple of months ago.Why he sees travel as a buffet.You can see some of his travel photos on Slow Jams on Instagram.More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnVHealth Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.org Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

The Pilgrim's perspectiveMany people ask me, “What are you thinking about when you walk from sunrise to sunset in remote wildernesses?”Sometimes I’m just thinking of the next step. Other times I’m thinking about Megan Fox.However, during my pilgrimage, I do go into deep-thoughts mode occasionally. That’s what this article is about. It will lead to my next article which is about what it means to be human and my debate with a T-Rex on global warming. Yeah, light topics. Can’t I just talk about the weather?One of the aspects that I love about thru-hiking is the sense of perspective it gives you. Most humans are stuck in day-to-day drudgery, incapable (or unwilling) to break the chains of their self-centered, short-term point of view. I confess I’m no better than the average Joe and that missing one synchronized light can really send me into a deep depression.However, when I travel for months in the mountains I can’t help but have a broader perspective. For example, when I am walking a ridge on the Continental Divide, its history is etched into the landscape.Although the Earth is 4.5 billion years old, the planet didn’t really start to settle down until it was a billion years old. And life didn’t really get going until the Pre-Cambrian era (over half a billion years ago). However, it is nearly impossible for my puny human brain to relate to that much time. Actually, a million years is too hard to imagine, even if I compare it with how long my bank puts me on hold.Therefore, to crunch world history into a timescale that I can fathom let’s squeeze it into one calendar year. And I’ll focus on the development of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). Here’s what we get.Earth's history compressed into one yearJanuary and February would be good months to stay in your cabin. The Earth’s environment was chaotic. Incessant wind and rain would erode away barren mountains faster than a plastic surgeon can erode away Michael Jackson’s nose.Still, on February 25 (or is it February 30?), life would spring forth! Sure, these single-celled organisms would be stuck in the warm coastal waters and by the thermal vents, but we’ll take what we can get.March 20: Stromatolites would pop up.July 17: Multicellular life, those cells with nuclei, were strutting their stuff.Trilobites (hard-shelled creatures) would start feeding on all the multi-cellular life. By the end of the month, small vertebrates would start feeding on the Trilobites. All you can eat restaurants were invented.Most of the year would go by and still no life on the land.Where would the Continental Divide be in October?It wouldn’t be a thrusting mass of mountains that I walked. Quite the opposite! It would be a broad channel of water. You could ride your kayak down the channel!In fact, if you flew over North America in June, you’d see that 60 percent of the land is underwater.Would you see forests of trees on the land? Nope, you wouldn’t even see moss clinging to the ubiquitous rocks. Zero plant life. However, it wouldn’t be a static boring rock-filled landscape. It would be constantly eroding, pummeled by endless torrential rains that make the south-east Asian monsoons seem like a drizzle.The Continental Divide would be impossible to recognize in early November. Instead of the Rocky Mountains stretching out as far as the eye can see, you’d see a massive sea that stretched from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico!In early November, the first plants would gain a precarious foothold on land. For every plant that latches on the land, many will get washed away by the endless rain. The struggle of the plants to get established lasts for weeks, but they finally settle down. Vegetarians aren’t far behind.On November 18, the Cambrian Explosion - a burst of complex life - would roll out. In a couple of days, the seas are crowded with fish. A few claustrophobic ones develop crude lungs, call themselves amphibians, and get timeshares on the land.Around November 20, the Appalachian mountain range starts to rise and will be far higher than any other mountain range in the USA today. You wouldn’t find cozy shelters every 15 kilometers on the Appalachian Trail.December starts with insects. Since CDT hikers hadn’t been invented yet, the mosquito started bugging the first amphibians, which show up on December 2. Sharks and seeded plants follow.December 5: First reptiles.December 12: Doh! The Permian Extinction, the most deadly event in Earth's history, happens. Siberian traps (big volcanoes) spew up so much toxic smoke that 95% of life on Earth dies. December 13: Dinosaurs appear. December 14: Dinosaurs chase the pathetic looking mammals that just start to appear. The dinosaurs thought these mammals were snacks since few were much bigger than a rat.December 22: Plants with flowers appear. It's about time!December 26: The planet's post-Christmas presents are cats and dogs. Cute puppies and kitties. The most memorable event of this day is when an asteroid the size of Manhattan Island strikes the

Olaf Ofstad (pictured) was my guest on my 59th WanderLearn episode, which was about how to avoid and survive a kidnapping. If you haven't listened to it yet, you should listen to it before listening to this episode.One listener wrote me an email asking questions and criticizing some issues about the show.Therefore, in this episode, I air those criticisms and I give Olaf Ofstad a chance to answer those questions and criticisms.You'll also find out how I got muggled in Cameroon.Whenever you have questions or comments, send them to me and I might feature them in a future episode!More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnVHealth Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.org Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Before you look at these predictions, you should see how accurate my 7 predictions for 2019 were.Also, if you want to watch me talk about this, see it on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwI739M9vKUIn 2020...1. Bitcoin will end 2020 above $10,000.Unlike my previous two bitcoin predictions which were perfect (the 80% decline followed by the 100% rise), I'm unsure about 2020. As you can see from my 2030 predictions, I'm bullish long-term for bitcoin, but 2020 is a bit fuzzy. There's a 30% chance that it will soar pass $20,000.On the other hand, after doubling in 2019, it could also be due for a pullback in 2020. There's a 40% chance that it end between $6,000 and $10,000. One thing is almost certain: 2020 will once again see some volatility from bitcoin, as usual. But I expect a healthy gain overall.2. Mayor Pete Buttigieg will win the Democratic Nomination.At the end of 2019, according to Real Clear Politics, Biden has a solid lead nationally and in Nevada and South Carolina. He also leads in the betting odds. Here's why I think the dark horse Buttigieg will win the nomination.First, he has a good chance of winning Iowa and New Hampshire. Even if he doesn't, he may come in second place. Regardless, he'll get a ton of attention from those finishes. That includes attention from Nevada and South Carolina. Once voters from those two states start taking Mayor Pete seriously, he'll move up in the polls of those two states (and others). Mayor Bloomberg and Biden are both focusing on the marathon; they're willing to give up some wins at the start and they're banking that they can catch up later.On the other hand, momentum is important. The other thing that is important is what I call the Mirror Image Theory. I discuss that idea more in the last 30 minutes of my WanderLearn podcast with Sym Blanchard.Simply put, incoming US Presidents are often mirror images (opposites) of the outgoing President. Just look at the 7 elected presidents. We swing back and forth. So what's the most opposite of Trump?It ain't old-timers like Biden, Warren, and Sanders.It's Buttigieg.3. Trump will lose the 2020 Election. Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will inspire the lazy voters who sat on their ass in 2016 thinking that Hillary was a shoo-in. The only opponents Trump has a good chance of beating are the "socialist" ones (Sanders and Warren). 4. The US GDP will slide into negative territory (a recession) in the second half of 2020.The US economy has had a nice long run. It will take a break.5. The S&P 500 will have a flat year. The S&P is around 3,250 now and it will end 2020 around the same place, plus or minus 3%.By 2030...1. One bitcoin will be worth more than $100,000.I'm not positive about this. Here's how I break down the odds:60% chance that Bitcoin will be worth over $100,000. 30% chance that Bitcoin will be worth between $30,000 to $100,000 (at least 10% annualized return)5% chance that Bitcoin will be worth between $8,000 and $30,000.5% chance that it will be worth less than today.Why? Because Bitcoin today is like the internet in the 1990s: although many people have heard of it, only early adopters and other geeks have it. Once the whole planet learns about it, you'll have a spike in demand, but the supply at this point is effectively fixed. That will result in a price spike. No other good is like bitcoin. If there's a surge in demand in housing, we can build more houses. If people love avocados, we can plant more avocados. If everyone wants gold, we can dig out more gold (or see how accurate my 7 predictions for 2019 were). Moreover, from a long-term monetary perspective, the US and Europe haven't had high inflation since the 1970s.We're due.But this time, the supremacy of the US dollar may not weather the storm as well as it survived the 1970s.This time, China and other powers will unseat the USD as the sole, global reserve currency. A basket of currencies may take over.In the 2020s, some countries will hold some of their reserves in bitcoin. They will shift away some of their US treasury bills and adopt bitcoin - not completely, but partially. Just like they will hold some euro, yen, and Swiss francs.The only reason bitcoin may become worthless is if most major governments of the world collude to ban it and push it underground, thereby criminalizing it.However, even that won't make it completely worthless. Cocaine is illegal everywhere, but it has tremendous value in the black market. And bitcoin is easier to trade than cocaine.As one bitcoin analyst said, "In this century, Bitcoin is either heading toward $1 million or to zero. It's highly unlikely that in 2050, the price of bitcoin will be where it is today."2. The CPI will show that the USA experiences double-digit inflation sometime in this decade.Maybe it will be in 2025, but at some point in the 2020s, the CPI (which measures inflation) will soar above 10% for the first time since 1982.3. One ounce of gold will be worth over $5,000.It's about $1,500 at t

Last year, my podcast with Sym Blanchard became the 2nd most downloaded WanderLearn episode. It was super popular because he really was a fun guest. You must listen to it before listening to this podcast.Because he attracted so many listeners, I invited him back to the show!I begin the podcast asking Sym the most profound question I've always wanted to ask him.After that, we move onto discussing how he has used DNA testing to inspire his travel. He's used these four DNA testing kits to find thousands of relatives and to understand his origins. We discuss the pros and cons of each one:23 and Me - best for a health testAncestry DNA - best for trace your lineage Family Search - Although it's connected to the Church of Latter-Day Saints, is useful to go back to King Cnut. My Heritage - to build a family tree - Sym has 19,000 relativesWe referenced AJ Jacobs's, It's All Relative book.I mention my defining the Sub-Sahara Africa article where, in the comments, an Ethiopian tried to insult me by pointing out that my ancestors were "slave-traders."Sym opens up and discusses why his strained relationship with his daughter. What went wrong? What lessons did he learn?How about having a girlfriend and how it is to manage that relationship when he's usually on the road.How do we balance having sympathy for victims and pushing for tough love?We talk about how Rejoice Tapon could see herself as a victim as I describe in my TEDx Talk about being a black sheep.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVfADBIsgB8Sym discusses his trip to Brazil and his quest to finish the Continental Divide Trail (60% done!) and the Great Divide Trail.Sym talks about El Camino de Santiago.We discuss how sustainable his way of life is. We talk about how spousal support and divorce work.About 70 minutes into the podcast, we talk about politics. I say that it's extremely rare that a US President wins more than 60% of the popular vote. Fact check: Only 3 US Presidents have gotten over 60% of the popular vote (Harding, FDR, and Nixon) and LBJ was the only President to get 61% of the vote. No other president got more.Lastly, I reveal my patented way to win ANY argument - guaranteed! More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnVHealth Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.org Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

For the 2019 holidays, we're taking a flashback to over a decade ago. I started the WanderLearn podcast in 2008. I'm pulling this episode from the archives because it's one of my favorite episodes of that era. It was the first time that I met Julia Trutko, a Russophone Estonian. She had just moved to San Francisco from Florida. Although she was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, she grew up in Tallinn, Estonia.Although this conversation took place over 11 years ago, it is still interesting today, which is why I'm sharing it.I also placed three Estonian songs in the podcast. Julia continues to live in San Francisco with her boy, Roman. He would be born many years after this podcast was recorded. More infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnVHealth Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.org Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Brittnay and Jayden are The Travelling Housesitters. In the WanderLearn podcast, I ask them:How did Jay get to look after a cat on a catamaran?What websites do they recommend to use to find housesits? Why don't they charge to housesit?Did they have a housesit horror story?What housesits do they avoid?What is their long-range plan?Do they have relationship challenges that other couples don't have?How can you find housesits that do NOT require you to look after pets?What is the fanciest place they ever stayed at?What's the housesitting course they offer all about?In the podcast, Britt and Jay mentioned:Trusted Housesitters (if you use my affiliate link, you'll get 30% off):https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF280959/ Brittnay and Jay also mentioned these housesitting websites:NomadorAussie HousesittersHousesit MexicoUpworkIf you're more interested in home exchanges, you should listen to my WanderLearn podcast about home exchanges.3 Sponsors1. Tour RadarDo you want to take a life-changing travel adventure, but you either hate planning or you don't know where to start?TourRadar is a trusted online marketplace that helps you find, compare, and book multi-day tours that will expand your horizons through life-enriching travel experiences.Just type in a region you have always wanted to visit or your preferred travel style and TourRadar will do the rest.And right now, WanderLearn listeners can visit TourRadar for a chance to an amazing travel contest! Every month, there's a new contest! Enter at https://www.tourradar.com/wanderlearn 2. The Steelman Family FoundationRene Steelman leads the Steelman Family Foundation which helps families with non-ambulatory children to acquire wheelchair-accessible vehicles.Their mission is to help families with children diagnosed with a permanent disability participate in the community. The Steelman Family Foundation also supports events to benefit cerebral palsy education and activities. They work exclusively with United Access and serve families nationally.Learn more and donate at https://steelmanfamilyfoundation.org3. Health Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.orgMore infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Matt Favero is the Director of Marketing at Zpacks, one of my top two favorite backpacking gear companies (Gossamer Gear is the other). I ask him:How did he get involved in Zpacks?What backpacking opportunities exist in Florida?What’s the dumbest backpacking mistake he ever made?What Zpack product is he most proud of?What is his funkiest item?What makes Zpacks special?What will the 2020s bring to the backpacking world?Or watch the unedited version on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi3jBqwodaU3 Sponsors1. Tour RadarDo you want to take a life-changing travel adventure, but you either hate planning or you don't know where to start?TourRadar is a trusted online marketplace that helps you find, compare, and book multi-day tours that will expand your horizons through life-enriching travel experiences.Just type in a region you have always wanted to visit or your preferred travel style and TourRadar will do the rest.And right now, WanderLearn listeners can visit TourRadar for a chance to an amazing travel contest! Every month, there's a new contest! Enter at https://www.tourradar.com/wanderlearn 2. The Steelman Family FoundationRene Steelman leads the Steelman Family Foundation which helps families with non-ambulatory children to acquire wheelchair-accessible vehicles.Their mission is to help families with children diagnosed with a permanent disability participate in the community. The Steelman Family Foundation also supports events to benefit cerebral palsy education and activities. They work exclusively with United Access and serve families nationally.Learn more and donate at https://steelmanfamilyfoundation.org3. Health Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.orgMore infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

After graduating from Harvard Business School and working a bit, DJ Didonna embarked on an improbable quest: helping people take months or even years off work.There's nothing wrong with working nonstop for 40 years. However, paradoxically, taking a sabbatical may be the best thing for your career.DJ wants to help you do what most Harvard Business School graduates don’t know how to do: get off the treadmill.We chat face-to-face for 80 minutes, discussing:His first sabbatical was in 2017. He walked all around Japan – going from temple to temple, hardly speaking to anyone for 6 weeks. How was that like?What percentage of companies have sabbatical programs?How does a company gain from letting their employees go on sabbaticals?What surprised him in his research?How can you take a sabbatical when you don’t have a guaranteed job?What is the future of sabbaticals?DJ Didonna gave a TEDx Talk at the same venue that I gave one:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRp7_mXYIH4Learn more about DJ's research at The Sabbatical Project.3 Sponsors1. Tour RadarDo you want to take a life-changing travel adventure, but you either hate planning or you don't know where to start?TourRadar is a trusted online marketplace that helps you find, compare, and book multi-day tours that will expand your horizons through life-enriching travel experiences.Just type in a region you have always wanted to visit or your preferred travel style and TourRadar will do the rest.And right now, WanderLearn listeners can visit TourRadar for a chance to an amazing travel contest! Every month, there's a new contest! Enter at https://www.tourradar.com/wanderlearn 2. The Steelman Family FoundationRene Steelman leads the Steelman Family Foundation which helps families with non-ambulatory children to acquire wheelchair-accessible vehicles.Their mission is to help families with children diagnosed with a permanent disability participate in the community. The Steelman Family Foundation also supports events to benefit cerebral palsy education and activities. They work exclusively with United Access and serve families nationally.Learn more and donate at https://steelmanfamilyfoundation.org3. Health Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.orgMore infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

This is one of my favorite podcasts this year. I admire Mike Spencer Bown. He's been traveling for the last 25 years. He's been to every country. He's the author of The World's Most Travelled Man.Does he deserve that title?He didn't even pick that title. His publisher did.We discuss whether that topic as well as these topics:How many Canadian provinces are there? He didn't know, even though he's Canadian! Sacrilege! Answer: 10. Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.What does he have to do to claim that he's been to a country?How's Saudi Arabia now?We discuss Travel's Century Club. How was it like to be in the first tourist in Somalia?Would he go to the moon or Mars?How's Antarctica?What about Kazakstan? How are his language skills?How does he finance his travels?Why did he spend $50,000 in chickens?How much would it cost to reverse engineer the brain?Could the USA and Canada unite?How do you get a gun in Canada?In 300 years, is it better to live in Canada or the Sahara?What does he think about Bitcoin?What does he think of the future of Africa?If he were a time traveler going into the future, what would he expect to see?How was it like to go for months without speaking?You can follow Mike Spencer Bown on Facebook. 3 Sponsors1. Tour RadarDo you want to take a life-changing travel adventure, but you either hate planning or you don't know where to start?TourRadar is a trusted online marketplace that helps you find, compare, and book multi-day tours that will expand your horizons through life-enriching travel experiences.Just type in a region you have always wanted to visit or your preferred travel style and TourRadar will do the rest.And right now, WanderLearn listeners can visit TourRadar for a chance to an amazing travel contest! Every month, there's a new contest! Enter at https://www.tourradar.com/wanderlearn 2. The Steelman Family FoundationRene Steelman leads the Steelman Family Foundation which helps families with non-ambulatory children to acquire wheelchair-accessible vehicles.Their mission is to help families with children diagnosed with a permanent disability participate in the community. The Steelman Family Foundation also supports events to benefit cerebral palsy education and activities. They work exclusively with United Access and serve families nationally.Learn more and donate at https://steelmanfamilyfoundation.org3. Health Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.orgMore infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Lauren Kahn has done 72 home exchanges!One way to immerse yourself in a foreign environment is to do a home exchange. Lauren's blog offers plenty of advice on how to do a home exchange.This podcast comes in two parts.Due to a technical snafu, Lauren thought she lost our first interview. So I interviewed her twice, thinking that we lost the original recording.We managed to recover it. I took some of the highlights of the original interview and appended it at the end of this podcast. Therefore, if you're seriously interested in home exchanges, make sure you listen to the bonus interview in the second half.Homelink and Intervac are her two favorite sites, even though HomeExchange.com is the most popular. 3 Sponsors1. Tour RadarDo you want to take a life-changing travel adventure, but you either hate planning or you don't know where to start?TourRadar is a trusted online marketplace that helps you find, compare, and book multi-day tours that will expand your horizons through life-enriching travel experiences.Just type in a region you have always wanted to visit or your preferred travel style and TourRadar will do the rest.And right now, WanderLearn listeners can visit TourRadar for a chance to an amazing travel contest! Every month, there's a new contest! Enter at https://www.tourradar.com/wanderlearn 2. The Steelman Family FoundationRene Steelman leads the Steelman Family Foundation which helps families with non-ambulatory children to acquire wheelchair-accessible vehicles.Their mission is to help families with children diagnosed with a permanent disability participate in the community. The Steelman Family Foundation also supports events to benefit cerebral palsy education and activities. They work exclusively with United Access and serve families nationally.Learn more and donate at https://steelmanfamilyfoundation.org3. Health Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.orgMore infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Over 2.5 million people have read my article, "10 Reasons Why El Camino de Santiago Sucks." One of those people is Susan Alcorn, who has hiked to Santiago, Spain 16 different times over 9 different routes.Instead of taking offense to the article, she took it as constructive criticism of the article. We've had a civil discussion about El Camino ever since. One of my central points is that the most popular Camino trail (El Camino Frances) is crowded and has few wilderness experiences. I encouraged people to explore other Camino trails. That's exactly what Susan has done.Susan Alcorn has even written a couple of books about El Camino. Her first book was Camino Chronicle: Walking to Santiago.She also wrote We're in the Mountains, Not over the Hill: Tales and Tips from Seasoned Women Backpackers.Her newest book is called Healing Miles: Gifts from the Caminos Norte and Primitivo. Most pilgrims hike El Camino Frances.About 5% backpack El Camino Primitivo and another 5% hike El Camino del Norte. In this conversation, we focus on these two lesser-known trails. I ask her:What was one of the most unusual paths she has taken?What percentage of pilgrims are hiking purely for religious reasons? (The answer is surprising!)How many pilgrims get to Santiago every year? (You won't believe it!)Has she camped on the trail? What advice would she give to first-time pilgrims of El Camino de Santiago? You should learn more about Susan Alcorn. 3 Sponsors1. Tour RadarDo you want to take a life-changing travel adventure, but you either hate planning or you don't know where to start?TourRadar is a trusted online marketplace that helps you find, compare, and book multi-day tours that will expand your horizons through life-enriching travel experiences.Just type in a region you have always wanted to visit or your preferred travel style and TourRadar will do the rest.And right now, WanderLearn listeners can visit TourRadar for a chance to an amazing travel contest! Every month, there's a new contest! Enter at https://www.tourradar.com/wanderlearn 2. The Steelman Family FoundationRene Steelman leads the Steelman Family Foundation which helps families with non-ambulatory children to acquire wheelchair-accessible vehicles.Their mission is to help families with children diagnosed with a permanent disability participate in the community. The Steelman Family Foundation also supports events to benefit cerebral palsy education and activities. They work exclusively with United Access and serve families nationally.Learn more and donate at https://steelmanfamilyfoundation.org3. Health Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.orgMore infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Boyd Varty's TED talk about "What I Learned From Nelson Mandela" made Varty famous. His talk has nearly two million views.His newest book came out this week. It's called The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life.Varty is a fourth-generation custodian of the Londolozi Game Reserve. Unlike his ancestors, he's never hunted a lion. Now he just tracks them for eco-tourism. I ask him:What would his lion-hunting ancestors say about his conservation efforts? Does he think that hunting helps or hurts animal conservation?What does having a "sit spot" mean and how can it help you?How exactly does a male lion's mane protect the lion?What's the first story that we told ourselves?What can we learn from tracking a lion? Listen to the 60th WanderLearn episode!This episode is also important because it marks the one-year anniversary of the WanderLearn podcast, which has gotten 20,000 downloads since we started!That makes me happy because few podcasts achieve that audience in one year.So THANK YOU to you, my wandering listeners and to my sponsors! TourRadar is running a special promotion for WanderLearn listeners at tourradar.com/wanderlearn. Each month, listeners can sign up for the chance to win amazing travel prizes. Prizes include everything from $1,000 in travel credits to a trip for two to Europe to a free river cruise in Asia! Visit tourradar.com/wanderlearn to sign up for your chance to win today!Share, rate, and review the WanderLearn podcast!3 Sponsors1. Tour RadarDo you want to take a life-changing travel adventure, but you either hate planning or you don't know where to start?TourRadar is a trusted online marketplace that helps you find, compare, and book multi-day tours that will expand your horizons through life-enriching travel experiences.Just type in a region you have always wanted to visit or your preferred travel style and TourRadar will do the rest.And right now, WanderLearn listeners can visit TourRadar for a chance to an amazing travel contest! Every month, there's a new contest! Enter at https://www.tourradar.com/wanderlearn 2. The Steelman Family FoundationRene Steelman leads the Steelman Family Foundation which helps families with non-ambulatory children to acquire wheelchair-accessible vehicles.Their mission is to help families with children diagnosed with a permanent disability participate in the community. The Steelman Family Foundation also supports events to benefit cerebral palsy education and activities. They work exclusively with United Access and serve families nationally.Learn more and donate at https://steelmanfamilyfoundation.org3. Health Access SumbawaOne of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.In 2014, Jack Kennedy founded the organization to bring malaria control and healthcare to remote, impoverished communities. It started on the remote island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. Since then, it's expanded thanks to generous donations. Visit their website to learn more and to donate: https://healthaccesssumbawa.orgMore infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:http://facebook.com/ftaponhttp://twitter.com/ftaponhttp://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttp://pinterest.com/ftaponhttp://tumblr.com/ftaponClaim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTaponRewards start at just $2/month!If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at [email protected] you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe