Christian
1.2K posts




NEW: Home Depot & Lowe's to install parking lot cameras with license plate readers amid a surge in shoplifting.


An absolutely astonishing account of Israel's AI-assisted targeting in the @latimes They called 62-year-old Ahmad Turmus and asked: “Ahmad, you want to die with those around you or alone?” His response, below, is chilling. Story by @nabihbulos latimes.com/world-nation/s…



27% of Americans have a positive opinion of China. That has risen 6 percentage points since last year and nearly doubled since 2023.


How can you hold this belief and then pivot to “Israel is a bad ally of the US”?


As Trump heads to China to meet Xi, it’s time for a reality check on the Chinese economy. We’ve endured years of breathless talk about the “Asian century” and China’s inexorable rise. Elites couldn’t stop praising the “China model” with its state-led efficiency, gleaming infrastructure, and unstoppable momentum. That narrative has aged disastrously. So much so all the old pro-engagement business leaders have begun changing their tune to save face (Dimon, Dalio et al.) Even with reported 5% annual growth, China is not closing the gap with the US in nominal USD terms. Its GDP as a share of America’s peaked at 78% in 2021 and has fallen to just 64% in 2024. Yes the renminbi’s sharp depreciation against the dollar is true, but it begs the question of why did the currency weaken enough to slash China’s relative GDP by 14 percentage points in three years? Currency collapse is not a sign of strength. The RMB has recovered some ground over the past 18 months, yet deflation and chronic overcapacity will cap any sustained rally. With PPP adjustments, the gap closes but the US is still richer than China. Don’t listen to the blackpillers saying the US is collapsing or the “dollar dominance is ending.” Both countries have debt problems but China knows how to creatively hide it. Markets tell the starkest truth. US equities (S&P 500) have surged from ~$45 trillion in 2021 to $55–60 trillion. Chinese indices (CSI 300 + Hang Seng) have slid from ~$13 trillion at their peak to around $10 trillion. If this were just a currency story, America’s market values wouldn’t be booming while China’s shrank in absolute terms. The bottom line: China’s slowdown is structural. America is in much better shape and barring some epic self-cucking, the US should still be dominant

North Korea and propaganda:












