Rob

Husband/Father. Economist at heart. I believe in freedom, truth, common sense, meritocracy and public discourse.

[Konstantin Kisin @KonstantinKisin]

Want to save the West? Start by telling your children the truth.

A society that teaches its children to hate their inheritance shouldn't be surprised when they fail to preserve it.

Teach your children gratitude. Teach them why freedom matters. Teach them what made the West successful.

Because if you don't tell them the truth about their civilisation, someone else will tell them a lie.

[Satchin Panda @SatchinPanda]

As we age, our blood vessels age too—and that may drive many age-related diseases. This review discusses how #IntermittentFasting and #TRE could help keep blood vessels healthier for longer.
https://t.co/RqERn5QXud

[Afshine Emrani MD FACC @afshineemrani]

I'm a cardiologist. If you've ever been told "your calcium score is zero — you're fine," I need you to read this carefully.

A new study just changed how I think about the most popular heart scan in preventive cardiology.

The NATURE-CT study — published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography in 2026 — tracked 205 low-risk, untreated adults with two detailed coronary CT angiograms roughly five years apart. No diabetes. No statins. No prior heart attacks. Average LDL around 112 mg/dL — what most labs still call "normal." Over half had a calcium score of exactly zero at baseline.

What happened over five years with no treatment:

Total plaque volume roughly doubled. From about 30 cubic millimeters to 59.

And here's the finding that should change how every patient and every physician thinks about the calcium score:

Nearly all the growth was non-calcified soft plaque — the lipid-rich, inflamed kind most linked to heart attacks. Soft plaque grew from 27.5 to 53.5 cubic millimeters. Calcified plaque barely moved — from 0.3 to 3.2.

The most dangerous subtype — low-attenuation plaque, the very soft, rupture-prone lesions that cause sudden cardiac events — was present in 9% of patients at baseline. Five years later: 23%. More than doubled.

Even among patients with a true zero calcium score at baseline, non-calcified plaque was often already present and grew substantially. Silently. Without symptoms.

Let me explain why this matters so much — because I've been ordering calcium scores for twenty years and I need you to understand what they can and cannot tell you.

A calcium score measures calcified plaque. Calcium in your arteries is essentially scar tissue — the healed residue of old inflammation. Think of it as a smoke detector that only detects fires that already burned out.

A zero score means: no old scarring detected. It predicts very low short-term event risk — typically a "warranty period" of 5-15 years depending on your other risk factors. That's genuinely reassuring and I still order this test regularly.

But a zero score does NOT mean zero plaque.

It means the scan is blind to the plaque that's most likely to kill you — the soft, active, lipid-rich plaque that's growing right now inside your artery walls. The plaque that ruptures without warning and causes the heart attack nobody saw coming.

This is why I've had patients on my cath lab table who said: "But my calcium score was zero two years ago."

It was zero. And the soft plaque that was already there — invisible to the calcium scan — kept growing until it ruptured.

A coronary CT angiogram with AI-enhanced plaque composition analysis is the difference between seeing old scars and seeing the active fire. It visualizes your arteries in 3D with contrast, quantifies total plaque burden, and — critically — tells me how much is soft and dangerous versus calcified and stable.

The NATURE-CT study used exactly this technology — Cleerly's AI plaque analysis — and it revealed what the calcium score alone would have completely missed: a near-doubling of dangerous plaque in "healthy" people with "normal" cholesterol over just five years.

Here's what this means for you:

If your calcium score is zero — celebrate it. It's genuinely good news. You have time. Use that time wisely.

Do not interpret it as "I'm fine forever." Plaque is building. In most adults over 40, it's already there — just in a form the calcium scan can't see.

Know your ApoB. This counts every atherogenic particle penetrating your artery walls. LDL of 112 — the average in this study — looks "normal" on a standard panel. But those particles were building plaque year after year in every single patient tracked. ApoB tells you the real particle burden. Most people have never had it checked.

Know your Lp(a). Test it once in your lifetime. 1 in 5 Americans are elevated. Completely genetic. Triples risk independently. Diet and exercise cannot lower it.

If you have risk factors — family history, elevated ApoB or Lp(a), metabolic syndrome, autoimmune disease — push for a full coronary CT angiogram with plaque analysis, not just a calcium score. The difference is the difference between seeing the scars and seeing the disease.

If soft plaque is found early, we can stabilize it. Statins don't just lower LDL — they stabilize plaque, making soft lesions harder and less likely to rupture. PCSK9 inhibitors drive LDL even lower. Lifestyle — Mediterranean diet, resistance training, sleep, stress management — reduces the inflammation that makes plaque vulnerable.

The goal of prevention isn't perfection. It's slowing the slope so dramatically that you never have an event. And the NATURE-CT data proves that the slope is steeper than we thought — even in people who look "low-risk" by every standard measure.

I've written on this platform about inflammation as the fire behind heart disease. About AI detecting inflamed arteries years before symptoms. About advanced lipid testing that catches what standard panels miss. This study ties all of it together into one devastating conclusion:

The standard playbook — check calcium score, if zero you're fine, see you in five years — is not enough.

It was never enough.

We were looking for old fires and missing the ones still burning.

Zero calcium buys you time. It buys you peace of mind. But what you do with that time — the ApoB you check, the lifestyle you build, the advanced imaging you pursue when risk factors warrant it — is what determines whether you stay healthy or become one of the patients on my table who says "but my score was zero."

Prevention works best before the calcium rises. Before the symptoms appear. Before the event that didn't have to happen.

Measure what matters. Act early. Stay ahead.

Your arteries will thank you for decades.

[Roman Baber @Roman_Baber]

It's sunny in Ottawa, but one of the darkest weeks for our democracy.

The Liberals are ramming through, C-9 (hate), C-22 (lawful access) and C-34 (digital safety).

Give me a few minutes to explain. ⬇️

[Dr. Rhonda Patrick @foundmyfitness]

Higher meat intake was associated with less cognitive decline and lower dementia risk in APOE e4 carriers, a group at higher risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Those who ate ~2 servings of meat per day had a better 10-year cognitive trajectory and a 55% lower dementia risk compared to people eating less than a half a serving per day.

That pattern wasn't seen in the non-APOE e4 carriers and was NOT observed for processed meat. Unprocessed red meat alone was also linked to lower dementia risk in APOE e4 carriers.

My take is not “everyone should eat more meat.”

But a few servings per day of unprocessed meat (as observed in this study) is perfectly healthy for most people.

[Aaron Gunn @AaronGunn]

It should alarm every Canadian that the primary use the Liberals have made of their new, backroom, bribe-bought majority has been to ram through legislation that censors the internet, spies on citizens, and lays the groundwork for a virtual surveillance state.

[Tony Robbins @TonyRobbins]

Even if it's not true, if we focus on it, we'll feel it. If we imagine it, we'll feel it.

If we want control of our lives, we've got to decide what we focus on.

FOCUS = FEELING

[Caroline Elliott @NVanCaroline]

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms has sent a legal letter to the BC Government calling for the cancellation of planned public closures at Joffre Lakes.

It states that reserving access to the park exclusively for particular groups based on race or ethnic origin violates sections 6 & 15(1) of the Charter (mobility & equality rights).

As someone who has been fighting the BC govt on this issue for years, I applaud @JCCFCanada.

BC’s beautiful provincial parks belong to ALL British Columbians.

https://t.co/fFOq5x5d9v

[Shane Parrish @shaneparrish]

My conversation with @JamesClear

James understands habits, motivation, and psychology better than nearly anyone and has a knack for making things practical and useful.

Enjoy!

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
00:56 The Role of Identity in Habit Formation
03:38 Lack of Patience Changes the Outcome
13:46 Creating Conditions for Success
17:44 Finding the Confidence to Start
34:32 Positioning in Business and Life
01:07:21 Sequencing Through the Eras of Your Life
01:25:34 The Most Important Habits
01:37:31 Become Stronger Than Your Feelings
01:54:40 Consistency vs. Intensity
02:06:40 Prioritization

[Shane Parrish @shaneparrish]

"When something’s working, we underestimate how long it can go for and how powerful it can be."

[Andrew D. Huberman, Ph.D. @hubermanlab]

TOOL: HOW TO SHUT OUT THE NOISE & MAKE REAL IMPACT ON YOUR DAILY LIFE & TRAJECTORY •
@AndyStumpf77 retired Navy SEAL, author, martial artist & 2X WR holding Wingsuit BASE jumper on the Huberman Lab podcast out now.

[Satchin Panda @SatchinPanda]

Can sleep’s core benefits be delivered without actually sleeping?
Scientists induced sleep-like neuronal “off periods” during wakefulness in mice, reducing local sleep pressure, weakening synaptic strength, and even restoring memory consolidation during sleep deprivation. The findings suggest key functions of sleep may depend on specific brain activity patterns rather than sleep itself. #SleepScience #Neuroscience #Memory
https://t.co/K5ImYi7bKI

[Satchin Panda @SatchinPanda]

Obesity doesn't just affect the waistline—it reshapes the brain. Emerging evidence suggests chronic metabolic overload disrupts neurovascular coupling, blood–brain barrier integrity, cerebrospinal fluid dynamics, and myelination, creating conditions that may accelerate neurodegeneration. As obesity and neurological disorders rise in parallel, understanding these interconnected pathways could reveal new strategies to protect brain health across the lifespan. #Neuroscience #Obesity #BrainHealth
https://t.co/jb4TtNV1xu

[Rob @rob_wildeman]

This is draconian and a path to destruction of free speech in Canada. Marc Miller is destroying free speech and democracy. He is a true danger to Canada and an embarrassment. You can’t stop people from saying the Truth by threatening to put them in jail.

[Holly Doan @hollyanndoan]

Social media posts deemed to undermine “social stability” would be subject to blocking orders by a federal censor under Bill #C34 introduced yesterday. “The law applies as soon as it comes into force.”
— @MarcMillerVM @CdnHeritage
https://t.co/YEOGUe1iAX
#cdnpoli

[Holly Doan @hollyanndoan]

Social media posts deemed to undermine “social stability” would be subject to blocking orders by a federal censor under Bill #C34 introduced yesterday. “The law applies as soon as it comes into force.”
— @MarcMillerVM @CdnHeritage
https://t.co/YEOGUe1iAX
#cdnpoli

[Shane Parrish @shaneparrish]

My conversation with @bgurley on thinking, making decisions, and the future

0:00 Systems Thinking & Mental Models
05:21 The Power of Knowing Industry Bedrock
08:50 Traits in Founders
11:44 Surprising AI Use
13:13 The Future of AI
23:04 Is Tesla Self-driving THAT good?
24:15 Non-Consensus Opinions
24:53 The AI Buildout (Bubble?)
29:40 The Role of Retail Investors
34:26 Stablecoin
39:55 AI and Debt Analysis
45:05 Storytelling as a Superpower
50:12 Lessons from Uber
52:10 Inside the Benchmark Structure
59:42 Success

Listen and Learn!

(Includes paid partnerships.)

[Satchin Panda @SatchinPanda]

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) punch above their weight. Unlike long-chain fats that take a circuitous route, MCTs head straight from gut to the liver, rapidly fueling ketone production and improving glucose control, satiety, and energy metabolism—often with just 10–20 g/day. Emerging evidence also points to benefits for heart function, with effects varying by chain length. #Metabolism #Nutrition #CardiovascularHealth
https://t.co/1iDTFtxXrf

[Harrison Lowman @harrisonlowman]

Holy shit. @globeandmail editorial board:

“The fact of the crimes committed against Indigenous children at residential schools over many decades does not automatically validate claims that hundreds of students were dumped into unmarked graves in Kamloops and other residential schools. That is an extraordinary assertion, one that requires proof.

That should have been the starting point for the media in May, 2021, when the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation first issued a press release announcing the “confirmation of the remains of 215 children of the Kamloops Indian Residential School” through the use of ground-penetrating radar that identified subterranean anomalies.

The media, including The Globe and Mail, did not initially scrutinize, much less challenge, that assertion. The initial headlines and stories in the media simply stated as fact that the remains of 215 children had been found. Many of those early stories, including in this newspaper, made reference to “mass graves” (a historically fraught phrase that does not appear in the Tk’emlúps 2021 press release).

Perhaps it will be proven, some day, that there are hundreds of unmarked graves at Kamloops. But it was not proven to be true in May, 2021. It is not proven to be true today.

…That evolution in language does not erase the initial failure of journalism. The lesson of 2021 should be: assertions about residential schools should be listened to carefully, and then, just as carefully, held up to scrutiny.”

[David Senra @davidsenra]

"Books are the closest thing you’ll ever come to finding cheat codes for real life. You can access the entire learnings of someone else's career in a few hours." —@tobi

[Rob @rob_wildeman]

@Dave_Eby You are a complete embarrassment to our great province. We will not allow you to destroy it any longer. You and your NDP cronies are killing BC more every day. We can’t get rid of you fast enough. You are a radical socialist.