forget the grind. small iterative steps. do things

countless lives could have been saved. Ignoring women in STEM/STEAM has consequences. Her contribution went well beyond topics like fresh air and ventilation. They included data collection—another area where WHO, CDC, and medical industry have been weak.

Her manuscript had been burned by soldiers. Her daughter would never speak. Her husband controlled every dollar she earned. And every publisher had already said no. At 35, she wasn’t chasing a dream anymore—she was out of options. So she sat down and wrote anyway. Not because she felt inspired. Not because she believed in success. But because her daughter needed her—and there was no other way forward. Her name wasn’t even the one the world would come to know. She was born Pearl Sydenstricker (Pearl Buck) in West Virginia in 1892, but her life would never belong to one place. At just three months old, she was carried across the ocean to China by missionary parents, growing up between languages, cultures, and expectations. She spoke Chinese before English. Played barefoot in village streets. Belonged everywhere—and nowhere at once. By the time she married John Lossing Buck in 1917 and settled into rural China, she had already learned how to live between worlds. But nothing prepared her for what came next. In 1920, she gave birth to her daughter, Carol. Something was terribly wrong. Carol wasn’t developing like other children. Doctors had no answers—only vague, devastating conclusions. What we now understand as severe intellectual disability was, at the time, a life sentence of uncertainty and isolation. There were no support systems. No clear treatments. Just fear… and silence. Pearl was told, in so many words, that her daughter would never live an independent life. And just like that, everything narrowed. Her marriage strained. Money tightened. Opportunities disappeared. And still—no one wanted her writing. Until she stopped writing for approval. And started writing for survival. She poured everything into a story rooted in the land she knew so intimately—the people, the struggles, the quiet dignity of lives often ignored. A story shaped by hardship, by loss, by watching the world from the margins. That book became *The Good Earth*. It didn’t just get published—it changed everything. It won the Pulitzer Prize. It reached millions. And it helped her become the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. But none of it started with ambition. It started with a woman who had nothing left to lose—and one reason to keep going. © Women In World History #archaeohistories

🎉 5000 subs on YouTube 🎉 If you enjoy Angelica-content on Twitter, I can almost guarantee that you’ll love the Taipology pod! This is a great time to subscribe as I’m starting my first mainland trip of 2026 and for the first time is vlogging it all!

🚨 New Mexico has become the first state to make public universities tuition free for all. Nearly every state Republican tried to block this change.

Do Americans have enough honesty and humility to learn from Hungarians?

In 2014, my son was battling cancer. At one point, we were desperately looking for O-negative blood, a rare type, and time was not on our side. It was the first time I turned to social media. Until then, it was just a page. Nothing more. But that day, it became something else. People responded. People shared. People prayed. And it meant more to me than I can ever express. Among all the moments I witnessed, and one day I may write about that chapter of my life, there is one I will never forget. A woman came from the South of Lebanon. From Bint Jbeil, from the heart of the South. Her son drove her for hours, 5 hours, just to reach us. I remember them walking into that small salon where we were sitting. I was with my brother. She looked at me and said: “I know you are looking for this blood type. I have it. I asked my son to bring me. We searched for you in Beirut’s hospitals … and now we found you. I am here to give my blood to your son”. She came to give life … to my son. And this is the first time, I talk about it, even to my wife. These are the people of the South. Today, the South is being destroyed, villages are being erased. And I cannot help but think of her and of so many others like her. This is my country. These are my people. From every region, every village, every belief. And in my own way, as a human being, and through my voice, I will always stand by every suffering, every pain, every cry for help. To the Lebanese South and to every family living through this agony today, I send my love. May God save your beautiful hearts ❤️🇱🇧 #lebanon #humanity #unity #لبنان

I’ve published four pieces tracking this story since March. The thread above is the what. The data, the frameworks, and the implications are in the reporting. If you follow China’s AI industry, this is where I do the work every week. Subscribe: hellochinatech.substack.com

Some will already know this, but William Gibson collaborated with the Japanese workwear brand Buzz Rickson about 20 years ago to create a line of military-inspired garments. As far as I know, the line has stayed totally the same — same material, same details, same cuts — even as fashion trends have moved from full to slim and back to full again. How great is it that you could have saved up and splurged on a really nice garment 20 years ago, and if you went to the same store today, it would be totally the same? There's no pressure to "update" your wardrobe. No feeling like you might miss out on the latest drop. If you lose the jacket, you can go to the store and get the same one, even two decades later. There's something special about having that kind of confidence in your aesthetic. Also, not pressuring people to constantly buy buy buy. They purchase one nice thing and wear it for years. Should they decide the garment is not for them, guess what? They can sell it on the second-hand market for about 50% of what they paid because retailers are still selling the same thing. That fashion model is very inspiring to me. Plus, the stuff looks great. The videos below are from the wonderful London-based shop Son of Stag. You can also find at Self Edge, my favorite retailer for denim. They have locations in the United States and Mexico. Both stores specialize in this kind of clothing. You can find both shops on Instagram at the handles sonofastag and selfedge.

if you buy high-end tailoring and store your jackets like this, you will eventually ruin them. these hangers are meant for dress shirts, not high-end tailored jackets.

The country with a blockade around Cuba is saying no one should be able to police open waters. Okay.

Which apartments would you prefer in your neighborhood? Why?

Israel's civilian attacks are so out of control, they make Russian attacks in Ukraine look good. US needs to cut off Israel. To do that we need deep democratic reform. (Note the lower case 'd'.)

@AngelicaOung Dujiangyan. More relevant to climate change and nuclear engineering. Have fun.

My time in Chengdu is limited and I’ve already made the painful decision to skip the pandas. Now, I will do one day trip. Should I go to Dujiangyan (都江堰) the 2000+ yo irrigation and flood control system that is STILL IN USE? Or Sanxingdui (三星堆) to see 4000+ year old Neolithic bronze artifacts so advanced there’s a conspiracy theory that they’re made by ancient aliens? Both are incredibly elite destinations. I feel like the irrigation system fits my Chinamaxxing arc better. But I feel like that’s the kind of thing you understand better by reading about it than seeing it while there will be more interesting objects to see at Sanxingdui. Also being a frazzled Angelica I totally didn’t book anything in advance but my Atour hotel! Oh beloved Atour. 65 dollars a night!

Every immigration judge fired by Trump needs to be restored by the next Democratic administration and every immigration judge appointed by Trump needs to be fired by the next Democratic administration. This should be a ‘litmus test’ for 2028 Dem presidential candidates.

I know we just accept this as normal now, but the US side of the peace talks is led by the VP, the president’s son-in-law, and some real estate guy.

🇮🇷 These are Jews in Isfahan praying for peace. Spread this. Make it go Viral. They practice Judaism, maintain synagogues, and live as a recognized minority with representation in parliament. Jewish life existed beyond Israel for centuries. Source: @cyrusnezakat

For decades, a racist equation was quietly built into the US medical system. The eGFR—a formula used to measure kidney function—automatically inflated scores for Black patients based on the false assumption that Black people have more muscle mass. This made their kidneys appear healthier than they actually were, delaying diagnosis, treatment, and access to life-saving transplants, costing many their lives while waiting. Dr. Joel Bervell, a Ghanaian-American doctor, used his social media platform to expose this dangerous racial bias in medicine, sparking a nationwide conversation that led to the equation being changed in 2022. Black patients’ wait times were recalculated, and 21,000 lives were saved as a result.

Corruption is bad. I remember when a payoff was used to influence the selection of municipal services. Having merchants of war directly involved in discussions to end a war is mind-blowing.

India's y-on-y installed solar up 87%. Congratulations. The US is falling behind even further. The ability of a nation to respond to the climate emergency is a test of democracy.

MASSIVE PROTEST IN ROME TODAY Protestors in Rome carried a massive symbolic shroud, inscribed with the names of more than 21,000 Palestinian children killed by Israel.

Great report on @oceans and US-China cooperation. Can somebody with deep pockets do the same for AI and infectious disease?