reddit Pic

The Borgund Slav church built by the Vikings in Norway around 1100 AD

Greenland

So, President Trump is interested in the United States buying Greenland from Denmark ... see: CNBC Article. Already this pie-in-sky idea is being called Trump’s Folly mimicking Seward s Folly which was what Alaska was tagged when it was purchased from Russia in 1867 ... which has turned out to be a veritable goldmine in natural resources ... far far more valuable than the original purchase price of $8.2 million ... even in current dollars.

Greenland is the world’s largest island (over 372,000 square miles) situated between the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans and considered part of North America. It’s population is less than 60,000 comprised primarily of Inuits who migrated from Canada many tens of centuries ago. About a third of its people’s lives in Nuuk, it’s capital city on the Southwestern coast. Greenland was discovered by the Viking Eric the Red in 982 and was named “Greenland” to attract settlers ... since the Vikings’ earlier discovery named “Iceland” didn’t  fare so well.

Although much of Greenland is covered with glaciers, the United States does operate a strategic Air Force Bass, Thule, in the northern part of the island under a long-term treaty with Denmark. Although Denmark has put out the Not for Sale sign, it is well known that Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, is still somewhat a financial drain on this small Nordic country.

Although it is doubtful if Trump could build a golf course or Trump Tower there, he still obviously sees longer-term benefit for the United States to acquire this big hunk of real estate ... particularly if someday global warming actually does come about.

Reparations

The Vikings ravaged the U.K. and much of Europe for hundreds of years well over a millennium ago ... causing untold suffering and property loss. Therefore it is only right the brown-eyed people should receive reparations from blue-eyed people to remedy these past injustices. Suggested one-time assessment is 45,000 Kronas per blue-eyer.

(Although I am blue-eyed, I have had my DNA tested and I have no Scandinavian ancestors, so I feel I should be excluded from this reparation assessment.)

Cost-Benefit

Economists often believe that they have the answers when it comes to trade offs between what things cost and the benefits derived therefrom. Well, Mr. Adam Smith, please explain the following head-scratchiers when it comes to such cost-benefit analyses that some people make:

- A Jackson Pollack "dribble" painting

- A Malibu monster beach house

- Tickets in the nose-bleed section of a December Minnesota Vikings home game

- Shares of Tesla stock

- A pre-paid future ride on a Richard Branson or Elon Musk "spaceship"

- A $100 per shot drink of 40-year-old single-malt Scotch whisky

- An Apple-Watch

- A Honus Wagner baseball card

- A cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin

- An Aston-Martin One ($1.4M)

- A luxury condo in Hong Kong