ps

@aakashgupta This is heartbreaking

What you're watching is a 24-year-old whose brain was hemorrhaging while his body kept boxing. Simiso Buthelezi was winning this fight. Dominated all 10 rounds. His trainer said he barely took a clean shot. In the final round, he knocked his opponent through the ropes. When the ref separated them, Buthelezi turned around and started throwing full combinations at an empty corner. Back to his opponent. Punching air. The neuroscience of what's happening here is the part that stays with you. Boxing drills combinations into procedural memory, stored in the basal ganglia and cerebellum. Those motor circuits can fire without conscious input. When a brain bleed compresses the prefrontal cortex, spatial awareness goes first. Decision-making goes next. But the motor strip, located in the posterior frontal cortex, is often the last region to lose blood supply. So the body keeps executing the only pattern it knows. He wasn't confused. He was already gone. The body just hadn't received the message yet. Buthelezi was placed in a medically induced coma and died two days later. Record was 4-0. Never lost a professional fight. He was 24. The part that makes this the darkest moment in the sport: the brain bleed wasn't caused by a visible punch from his opponent. His trainer confirmed nothing unusual happened in the fight. No heavy blows. Perfect health going in. The brain can hemorrhage from cumulative subclinical impacts across hundreds of rounds of sparring, or a vascular malformation that ruptures under the adrenaline and exertion of competition. The punch that killed Simiso Buthelezi might not have been one he took. It might have been one he threw.

@CompleteTuring @AngelicaOung Just saw this, thank you

@aasszzaa79 @AngelicaOung The first video series is a good overview of the cultural impact, though not a historical analysis. The 2nd is from Chinese History Podcast. The 3rd (still ongoing) has detailed geographic analysis. youtu.be/jhPog62tBbI?si… youtube.com/playlist?list=… @gatesofkilikien/videos" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@gatesofkiliki…

Man reading about the Tang dynasty ahead of my trip to Xi’an and bummed out by how the most objectively glorious dynasty in Chinese history ended in 50 years of hideous chaos. Banditry, cannibalism, onerous taxation. Made the Three Kingdoms period and subsequent fallout look like a gentleman’s disagreement. I’ve always thought of the Song as the weak dynasty but the weakness of the Song dynasty was directly related to the Tang dynasty military rebellions that led to the warlordism. Song kept its military nerfed to prevent internal coups but it was eventually got by the Mongolians from without. But yeah…despite the bad tang downfall it is still indisputably PEAK CHINA. And its capital was Xi’an…then known as Chang’an. Below is from a Tang dynasty immersive experience called 12 hours in Chang’an.

@sciencegirl Murica, land of the free

A man in Oregon was sentenced to jail after authorities said he collected large amounts of rainwater on his property. Gary Harrington, a 64-year-old from Eagle Point, Oregon, became widely known after constructing reservoirs that stored close to 13 million gallons of rainwater and snow runoff. Harrington believed the water collected on his land was his to keep, but Oregon water laws classify water as a public resource that must remain available to rivers, groundwater systems, wildlife, and downstream communities. Officials said Harrington ignored repeated warnings and continued maintaining the reservoirs without proper permits. The legal battle eventually resulted in fines and a short jail sentence, turning the case into a major example in the debate over private land rights and state-controlled water management. Rainwater harvesting laws differ greatly across the United States. Some states encourage residents to collect limited amounts of rainwater as a conservation measure, while others tightly regulate the practice because of ongoing drought concerns and existing water rights systems. In states such as Colorado and Utah, restrictions have historically included low collection limits and registration requirements for larger storage systems. Supporters say rainwater harvesting can reduce pressure on public water infrastructure and improve sustainability. Regulators argue that removing too much water from the natural cycle can affect ecosystems, streams, and communities that depend on shared water supplies

@aeberman12 Wow talk about missing the point.

Xi's Thucydides Trap is an absurd metaphor The world including China is in a COMPLEXITY TRAP That's how civilizations fall Xi still thinks his civilization is separate & independent from that of the West Newsflash: We're all in this together We're all going down together, Xi #ComplexityTrap #Geopolitics #China #USA #SystemsCollapse #CivilizationalDecline #EnergyCrisis #GZero #Overshoot #Metacrisis @ianbremmer

@MrPitbull07 Ants together strong

One morning while camping, I noticed several dozen ants had fallen into a five-liter bottle of water left open overnight. They writhed in the clear water, and I thought they were drowning each other to survive. The thought repulsed me, and I turned away. Two hours later, curiosity made me look again — and I was stunned. The ants had formed a living island, a pyramid. Some supported others from below, taking turns submerging and then coming up to rest. No one tried to save themselves first. They moved with calm coordination, each one taking the hardest place when it was their turn. I fetched a spoon and gently lowered it in. The ants climbed out one by one without panic. Then one, weakened, slipped back into the water. And then I saw it. The last ant, almost free, turned back. It climbed down toward the drowning one as if to say, “Hold on, I won’t leave you.” It grabbed him, but couldn’t lift him alone. I lowered the spoon again, and they both came out together — alive. I was speechless. First for having judged them as selfish. Then for their discipline, their resilience, their sacrifice. If ants, so small, can live with such unity and selflessness… why do we humans so often ignore those in need? Why do we build walls instead of living bridges? That morning I learned something: true strength is in unity. And if we’ve forgotten how to live like that, maybe it’s time we learned from the ants.

@sciencegirl Yeah nah

Sanxia Long Ridge is a 12 km hiking trail in Wushan County, Chongqing, China.

Here's potentially what they are hoping to achieve with the #IranWar and the fires, sabotage and destruction of over 45+ oil refineries around the world in the past few months. Quick takeaway: Refining capacity destruction → Supply destruction → Money printing → Excess liquidity → Massive inflation → Debt debasement (that USA/EU + others desperately need) Longer explanation: 1. Destroy refineries/petrochemical plants Crude oil is useless without refining into petrol/gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, LPG, petrochemical feedstock, etc. These plants take years to rebuild. 2. Fuel shortages hit transport first Within days/weeks, trucking slows, shipping delays increase, airlines cut routes, public transport reduces service, fuel rationing and initial WFH (e.g. civil service) is imposed 3. Supply chains start failing Fuel shortages spread to food distribution disruptions, medical supply delays, factory shutdowns, supermarket shortages, farming disruptions (tractors, fertilizers, transport). Government may start to impose emergency controls to safeguard food supply, medical and emergency services. 4. Government imposes rationing Lockdown lite - fuel rationing for households, limits on private/non-essential driving, reduced public transport services, curfews to reduce movement. 5. Full mobility restrictions become likely Full lockdown - If shortages persist, governments may impose WFH mandates, closure or non-essential businesses, restrictions on travel between regions, limits on operating hours, shutdown of energy intensive industries. 6. Industrial output contracts sharply Factories, construction sites, mining, chemicals and manufacturing slow or stop due to lack of fuel and raw materials. Global production of goods drops significantly. 7. Global supply of goods shrinks With transport restricted and factories offline, fewer goods are produced and delivered — from food and fuel to electronics, building materials and consumer products. 8. Governments roll out massive stimulus To prevent unemployment and social instability, governments inject stimulus — wage subsidies, cash transfers, business bailouts, subsidies for food and energy. 9. Central banks print aggressively To fund deficits and stabilize financial markets, central banks expand money supply, buy government bonds, and inject liquidity into the banking system. 10. More money enters the system while supply of goods shrink Supply has fallen due to shutdowns and fuel shortages, but money supply increases due to stimulus and printing. 11. Too much money chasing too few goods Demand is artificially supported by stimulus, while production remains constrained — pushing prices upward across essentials. 12. Broad-based inflation accelerates Fuel, food, transport, housing, and manufactured goods rise in price due to persistent shortages and excess liquidity. 13. Nominal GDP rises due to inflation Even if real production is weak, prices rise — increasing nominal wages, revenues and tax collections. 14. Government debt becomes easier to carry Most government debt is fixed in nominal terms. Inflation reduces its real value over time. 15. Government Debt-to-GDP ratios improve through currency debasement Rising nominal GDP and eroded real debt values reduce debt burdens — not through productivity, but through inflation. 16. Wealth destruction Anyone holding large amounts of cash, savings accounts, fixed deposits, pension funds, or low-yield government bonds risks silent wealth destruction, as inflation steadily erodes the real value of their savings. 17. Wealth protection in inflationary cycles has traditionally started with #gold as the primary store of value, followed by #silver, resource assets, energy, and property that rise with scarcity - real assets that cannot be printed. $TLT $SPX $SILJ $GDX $GDXJ $URA #USOIL $XLE $XME $GLD

@FirstSquawk Oh yeah pump it! Time to get long AAPL

TRUMP ON TRUTH SOCIAL: I have always been a big fan of Tim Cook, and likewise, Steve Jobs, but if Steve was not taken from the Planet Earth so young, and ran the company instead of Tim, the company would have done well, but nowhere near as well as it has under Tim. For me it began with a phone call from Tim at the beginning of my First Term. He had a fairly large problem that only I, as President, could fix. Most people would have paid millions of dollars to a consultant, who I probably would not have known, but who would say that he knew me well. The fees would be paid but the job would not have gotten done. When I got the call I said, wow, it’s Tim Apple (Cook!) calling, how big is that? I was very impressed with myself to have the head of Apple calling to “kiss my ass.” Anyway, he explained his problem, a tough one it was, I felt he was right and got it taken care of, quickly and effectively. That was the beginning of a long and very nice relationship. During my five years as President, Tim would call me, but never too much, and I would help him where I could. Years latter, after 3 or 4 BIG HELPS, I started to say to people, anyone who would listen, that this guy is an amazing manager and leader. He makes these calls to me, I help him out (but not always, because he will, on occasion, be too aggressive in his ask!), and he gets the job done, QUICKLY, without a dime being given to those very expensive (millions of dollars!) consultants around town who sometimes get it done, and sometimes don’t. Anyway, Tim Cook had an AMAZING career, almost incomparable, and will go on and continue to do great work for Apple, and whatever else he chooses to work on. Quite simply, Tim Cook is an incredible guy!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP

@W_T_Han @AngelicaOung Awesome, thanks so much to both of you!

@AngelicaOung @aasszzaa79 I’ve suggested to ppl the Michael Wood or John Keay 1-volume general histories of China as accessible to the lay reader. Some ppl say the Cambridge History of China or the Harvard History of Imperial China series, but both of those are multiple volumes…

Australia’s wheat acreage for the 2026/27 crop is expected to fall to a seven-year low as weak prices and shortages of fertilizer and fuel weigh on harvest prospects bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Drought Engulfs 60% Of U.S. As Farmers Begin Spring Planting zerohedge.com/weather/drough…

Here's a list of oil refineries that have mysteriously caught fire or been blown up the last 45 days.

@ElCidRudy @jynpang @nntaleb Interesting, thanks for the response. Something I have felt, although I can't say I have embraced religion fully. Makes perfect sense though

It is the “Francis effect” and Ukraine, but as Franco Berardi suggests, in an age of exhaustion and nihilism, conversions reflect a search for tenderness and meaning. Pope Francis’ critique of the “throwaway culture” meets a youth rebellion against empty, consumerist identities. It’s a hypothesis, not a certainty.

" Le XXIe siècle sera religieux ou ne sera pas." André Malraux (formule attribuée)

@jynpang @nntaleb @ElCidRudy Noticed the same. What's the explanation for this?

@nntaleb @ElCidRudy Also surging numbers in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.

I've been tracking breadth indicators for years, and they remain some of the most reliable tools for identifying major market bottoms and turns. This was my post from April 8th, 2025, breaking down exactly why I thought a low was forming. The market bottomed on April 7th. When many readings all align at the same time, it's an extremely powerful signal.

@AdeptusSmith @MaxGroucho1 @calvinfroedge Cope

@MaxGroucho1 @calvinfroedge They copy shit ton of stuff from the west. Arguably if they had no one to copy from, they would not advance.

"The International Man" by Doug Casey Profoundly good

Kobe Bryant: "Failure doesn't exist, it's a figment of your imagination" An interviewer asks: "Are you someone who loves to win or hates to lose?" Kobe responds: "I'm neither. I play to figure things out. I play to learn something. Because if you play with a fear of failure or you play with the will to win that supersedes fear, I think it's a weakness either way. If you play with fear of failing, you'll capitulate to that fear. If you play with the sense of 'I want to win, I want to win,' then you have the fear of what happens if you don't. But if you find common ground in the center, you're unfazed by either. That enables you to stay in the moment and not feel anything other than what's in front of you." The interviewer asks: "How did you become someone who doesn't seem afraid of failing?" Kobe responds: "What does failure mean? It doesn't exist. It's a figment of your imagination." He explains with an analogy: "Let's use happy endings. Everybody wants a happy ending, right? Snow White finds her prince and lives happily ever after. Well, I call BS on that because two months later, they had an argument and he's sleeping on the couch. The point is: the story continues. So if you fail on Monday, the only way it's a failure is if you decide to not progress from that. If I fail today, I'm going to learn something from that failure and try again on Tuesday. That's why failure doesn't exist." The interviewer asks: "If you finished your career without a championship, would you have looked at that as a failure?" Kobe: "No. I would look at it as being extremely disappointed, because I had a dream and goals I wanted to accomplish. If I didn't accomplish those goals, I'd have to ask myself why. Poor leadership? Failure to communicate with my teammates? Lack of preparation? Those would be reasons why I didn't win. So I'd have to analyze that. And as I evolved post-basketball into business, those same weaknesses would reveal themselves there too. If I don't learn from that, I'm going to struggle again." He concludes: "I can take those situations and learn from them and have them make me a better person later in life. But if I don't take that stuff and apply it someplace else, that's failing. The worst possible thing you can ever do is to stop. It's to not learn."

This is a great point, and I agree that for China, gold is too small to replace dollar reserve assets at current prices. So the legacy stock of reserves is largely stuck in Western financial assets. Gold is more an outlet for incremental flow than a substitute for the existing stock. But that’s also a big part of the bull case. Gold is a relatively small asset class, so even a modest marginal reallocation from USG bonds to gold has a very large effect on price. And there is a gold price that can absorb more of China’s and the RoW’s surpluses. It’s just much, much higher. But what I think this episode highlights more than anything else is the weakness of using commodities as reserve assets. Their prices will fall at exactly the point reserves are most needed. That’s certainly true for energy and industrial commodities. And while gold used to be more counter-cyclical, in the new reserve paradigm, it becomes pro-cyclical too. The reason gov bonds work so well as reserves is that their price is anchored by the expected path of future policy rates, and less by flows. And in a growth slowdown, when you might need to liquidate reserves, rate expectations typically fall and bond prices rise. Gold doesn’t have that anchor. Importantly, when gold played the reserve asset role under the Gold Standard and Bretton Woods, the gold price was fixed. The adjustment happened through the money supply and domestic economic conditions. Today gold floats, so the adjustment happens in the gold price itself. And that’s what makes it much more volatile and much more pro-cyclical now. But until a new reserve architecture exists, gold will increasingly be pushed into that role anyway bc there aren’t any better alternatives, aside from countries actually reversing the domestic policies that create their surpluses in the first place. They won’t do that willingly. Eventually the world will come together and create a new trading system with something like Keynes’ Bancor idea at the center. But that’s a long way off. There were 20 years and two world wars between the initial collapse of the gold standard and Bretton Woods. Until a new system is built, gold is going to play a major role as a reserve asset.

@Funny_Firm @sciencegirl Same feeling when a US carrier pulls up next to your house

@sciencegirl His neighbors must be thrilled…

This creator built a remote-controlled aircraft carrier from stainless steel, featuring detailed model jets and functional moving systems