Beware the gold bugs but depending on who you ask 5, 10 or up to 15% of your portfolio can be in gold to diversify your portfolio. Key is to pick a percentage and rebalance on a set schedule. I will likely be selling on my next rebalance since equities are low and gold is high. Freaking out is not advised.
Switching from Windows to Linux on an older computer is like when you finally get around to clearing the bathtub drain after years of hair and crud building up. Who knew a bath could drain that fast!? And now there's no pool of water building up when I shower. Anyway, I highly recommend both Linux and clearing the drains.
I agree, I worked a Canadian election years ago and a voter left the booth to ask me how to vote for a particular American political party because they couldn't find it on the ballot. I imagine things have only gotten worse since then.