- January 16, 2026 at 8:00 pm GMT • 100 Words
https://interconnect.substack.com/p/no-business-model-deepseeks-enduring
No Business Model: DeepSeek’s Enduring Advantage in the Quest for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
Jan. 16, 2026. “DeepSeek’s AI models are no longer the most capable among open models, nor the cheapest, nor even the most open anymore. Is there a good reason still to give this lab which once shocked the world outsized attention? Yes, I think so. But not because of its models or technological progress, but because of its internal incentives and business model. More precisely, we should pay attention to DeepSeek because it has no business model – a unique and counterintuitive feature (not bug) among all frontier labs in China, the US, and elsewhere. No other frontier AGI-pilled lab anywhere has this edge.”||economics||
- January 16, 2026 at 12:23 pm GMT • 100 Words
China’s State Grid, the world’s largest electrical utility, announces record US$574 billion investment plan
Jan. 16, 2026. “State Grid, the largest electrical utility in China and the world, announced it would increase investment in infrastructure over the next five years through 2030, marking a 40 per cent increase from the preceding five-year period and a record investment for the state-backed giant. The funds would be used to build a “new type of power system”, with targets including adding 200 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity annually and increasing the share of non-fossil fuel generated electricity consumption to 25 per cent by 2030, State Grid said. China tops all countries with a third of global electricity generation volume due to aggressive government planning.”||economics||
- January 16, 2026 at 3:48 am GMT • 100 Words
https://davefriedman.substack.com/p/the-ai-data-center-deals-that-no
The AI data center deals that no one can verify
“Over the past year, the AI industry has announced more than half a trillion dollars of infrastructure commitments. When there’s no external validation of multi-billion-dollar deals, how can the market price them? These headline figures are being priced as if they represent binding, time-certain capex commitments. In reality, the disclosed language and the missing definitions make many of them look more like optionality dressed up as commitment. . . Half a trillion dollars in headlines. Thin, non-standard disclosure. The market is being asked to trust, without the tools to verify.”||economics||
- January 15, 2026 at 4:50 pm GMT • 100 Words
https://voenhronika.ru/publ/vojna_na_ukraine/15_01_2026_svezhie_svodki_vojna_na_ukraine/60-1-0-17181
Fatal inertia: Russia’s refusal to learn from the Kiev Regime’s reforms in military logistics
This is Russian commentary, not Kiev BS: “Two years ago, the Kiev Regime created the “Office for Supporting Changes within the Ministry of Defense of the Ukraine.” The Russian KTsPN analytical center has translated a report from that office from Ukrainian into Russian. The report contains exaggerations, but it is a telling example of the enemy’s actions in attempts to change something in the military sphere and deserves study. . . . The enemy is promoting a strategy of a long and expensive war for Russia, to squeeze every last drop of economic life out of us, and bankrupt us in the long run. To have 20 or more drones per infantryman. Sadly, the enemy is succeeding.”||foreign-policy||
https://www.stevesailer.net/p/pj-orourke-on-somalis
P.J. O’Rourke on Somalis — A portrait of the future Minnesotans in their native state.||culture-society||
• Thanks: Voltardehttps://www.chinatalk.media/p/the-all-star-chinese-ai-conversation
The All-Star Chinese AI Conversation of 2026
Jan. 13, 2026. “Zhipu, Moonshot, Qwen, and Tencent founders and top researchers talk US-China, open vs closed, business models, and where AI is headed in 2026″||economics||
• Thanks: Miro23, Si1ver1ock- January 14, 2026 at 1:15 pm GMT • 100 Words
US government adds $1 trillion in debt every 71 days
SCMP: “The year 2024 will be remembered as the first time in history that a national government’s interest payments on its debt exceeded US$1 trillion, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis. . . . The United States is now adding US$1 trillion in national debt every 71 days – up from every 150 days in 2024, according to the US Congress Joint Economic Committee. This pace marks the fastest peacetime accumulation of national debt in history, with no sign of slowing soon. Last year, the Trump administration unveiled a plan to reach a US$1 trillion defence budget by the late 2020s – a target later revised upwards to a staggering US$1.5 trillion by 2027.”||economics||
• Thanks: Miro23 - January 14, 2026 at 11:15 am GMT • 100 Words
https://newsletter.semianalysis.com/p/apple-tsmc-the-partnership-that-built
Apple-TSMC: The Partnership That Built Modern Semiconductors
“In 2013, TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) made a $10 billion bet on a single customer. Morris Chang committed to building 20nm capacity with uncertain economics on the promise that Apple would fill those fabs. “I bet the company, but I didn’t think I would lose,” Chang later said. He was right. Apple’s A8 chip launched in 2014, and TSMC never looked back.”||economics||
https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/2010773780319113330
Watch the First 60 Seconds of Tucker Carlson Interviewing His Brother Buckley||ideology||
- January 13, 2026 at 1:10 pm GMT • 100 Words
https://hardcoresoftware.learningbyshipping.com/p/237-ces-2026-the-future-is-here-and
Review: Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026
“This was a great show and if you spent enough time on the floor (I did so you don’t have to), you could see it really did live up to both marketing taglines: “The Future Is Here” and “Innovators Show Up” . . . ” See also: https://www.ces.tech/||science||
- January 13, 2026 at 2:13 am GMT • 100 Words
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5685118-fine-introduces-greenland-bill/
Rep. Randy Fine (R-Tel Aviv), Zionist blob of blubber who self-identifies as a walrus, introduces bill to make Greenland the 51st state
Trained walrus Rep. Randy Fine (R-Tel Aviv) has made yet another big splash for the Zionist Empire and introduced a bill to make Greenland the 51st state in the U.S., following President Trump’s recent push to acquire the Danish territory. The “Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act” was introduced by the Florida Republican on Monday, his office said in a press release. The bill’s goals, according to its text, include enabling “the annexation and subsequent admission to statehood of Greenland” and providing “abundant walrus mating opportunities in Greenland for walrus-adjacent people like Rep. Fine.”||foreign-policy||
- January 13, 2026 at 1:38 am GMT • 100 Words
Greenwald: DeSantis Twice Signed Florida Censorship Laws *in Israel* Banning Criticism of You Know Who
Glenn Greenwald (who grew up in South Florida): “Ron DeSantis Twice Went to Israel to Sign Censorship Laws.” DeSantis repeatedly violated the US Constitution in order to obtain Zionist approval and campaign donations for his 2028 presidential campaign. As Tucker Carlson noted, these brazenly treasonous actions are part of the Zionists’ ritual humiliation of the citizens of the USA.||foreign-policy||
Suggested alternate title:
“They don’t have it. They want it. They ordered us to take it for them.”
- January 12, 2026 at 3:30 am GMT • 100 Words
https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/powell20260111a.htm
To calm markets after Friday’s subpoenas, Fed Chair releases statement on Sunday denouncing the DoJ’s attempt to force him to resign
Sunday night futures for Dow, S&P500, and NASDAQ down significantly, gold heading past $4,600 per ounce. Jerome Powell releases statement on 01/11/2026. Powell’s video of his statement was posted on YouTube on Sunday at approximately 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Let’s see what the bond market vigilantes do starting Monday.||economics||
- January 11, 2026 at 9:41 pm GMT • 100 Words
How China turned a mega-project failure into a defining moment in modern engineering
China has pulled off a daring underground feat, using a multimillion-dollar tunnel boring machine (TBM) to recover its stranded twin beneath the Yangtze, the country’s largest river. The rendezvous between the TBMs was achieved with just 2mm (0.078 inch) of vertical error and no horizontal deviation under the Yangtze’s riverbed, setting a benchmark for precision in deep underground engineering, according to state media on Wednesday. The feat saved a megaproject that might otherwise have been scrapped.||science||
• Thanks: Complex Pseudonymic Handle I Thought I Was Fighting the Swamp – Turns Out I Was Protecting It
||ideology||
• Thanks: Voltarde, Complex Pseudonymic Handle‘The Digital Siege’ How the CIA Took Maduro’s Palace and What It Means for Future Warfare
First they prepare hearts and minds with crushing sanctions. Then its spying, spying, spying.
||foreign-policy||
- January 10, 2026 at 6:39 am GMT • 100 Words
This well documented Trump history is all weird and fascinating. Trump’s ties to Resorts International, never mind Atlantic City casinos, are the giant flashing red light which warn that this rabbit hole is very deep and probably goes to the center of the Earth, so “Give up all hope ye who enter here!”
The first picture may indicate that Donald had a nose job. I also noticed his hair color varies a lot in the online photos. Is he a bottle blonde? Sheesh.
What about his brother? Wasn’t he in a Jewish college fraternity?
Trump’s ties with Judaism are so strong I wonder if his wives are crypto-Jewish? In which case Ivanka’s public conversion was more of a Lubavitcher coming out than a conversion.
Golden Dome
Golden Fleece
Golden FleetI’m starting to notice a pattern here:
Golden Shower?
• Replies: @24th Alabama@QCICIt hardly matters what religion Trump professes., @Emslander
His true religion is Opportunism,
his deity, Mammon.@QCIC, @sarz
You don't get it, do you?
The first picture may indicate that Donald had a nose job.
It's Trump NOT being a Jew that makes his Israeli allegiance so effective. It's like Clinton's being a black man in a white shell that made him so effective as a southern politician. They can distance themselves as a brand after having so thoroughly ingrained themselves as loyal acolytes (sorry for that Catholic metaphor, but I couldn't resist it). It gives Trump absolute immunity from any pure anti-Jew critics, while insuring one hundred percent pro-Israeli policy.
American politics, gotta love it!@QCICHere's some pics of Ivanka's transition out of her original JAP look.
https://i2-prod.themirror.com/article182044.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200/2_ivanka-split-excl.jpgReplies: @Trinity Greenwald: Trump cultists condemn NYC childcare plan, cheer Trump’s proposed 1.5 trillion budget for war racket MIC grift ||ideology||
- January 10, 2026 at 11:10 am GMT • 100 Words
“Checks and Balances Are Dead”
Ted, in some respects, you’re only half-right. Some very important checks aren’t dead.
The checks from campaign donors are bigger and more important than ever:
Citizens United v. FEC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC
The anarcho-tyranny that prevails in America condemns ordinary people to the worst of both worlds:
Unfettered influence-peddling “free speech” for members of the oligarchy, and increasingly draconian limits on genuine free speech for everyone else.
• Replies: @Palmm@VoltardeIt's a top-down coalition, it's simply not the "oligarchy." It's a coalition of very high net worth people and "the poor" on income transfer, or otherwise politically connected. Trump cultists who condemned state violence at Ruby Ridge and Waco celebrate ICE manslaughter in Minnesota
Glenn Greenwald on Judge Napolitano’s Judging Freedom.||culture-society||
• Thanks: Emil Nikola Richard- January 8, 2026 at 7:34 pm GMT • 100 Words
China creates world’s first clone-hybrid rice that could double global output
Chinese researchers have developed a revolutionary form of hybrid rice that can replicate itself through seeds that are clones, faithfully preserving high-yield traits generation after generation. The team says its breakthrough could transform global agriculture by dismantling the biggest barrier to hybrid rice production: the need for farmers to buy expensive new hybrid seeds every season. As hundreds of millions of people around the world face acute food insecurity, hybrid rice has promised dramatically higher yields: nearly four times more in parts of Africa compared to traditional varieties.||science||
- January 7, 2026 at 10:24 pm GMT • 100 Words
https://asiatimes.com/2026/01/stephen-bryen-russians-much-stronger-than-they-were-4-years-ago/
Former US Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Stephen Bryen tells how thing really are in our efforts to weaken Russia by proxy
He also predicts where this is all leading, if we are lucky, which he thinks we will be because the alternative is unthinkable||foreign-policy||
• Thanks: Voltarde https://thegrayzone.com/2026/01/05/indictment-maduro-cia-network-witness/
Max Blumenthal: Behind the DOJ’s politicized indictment of Maduro: a CIA-created ‘network’ and coerced star witness||foreign-policy||
• Thanks: Voltarde- January 7, 2026 at 5:31 pm GMT • 100 Words
https://fee.org/articles/declaration-of-independence/
The US Declaration of Independence reads like an indictment of Israel-firster Donald Trump
“He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws [i.e., Israel]; giving his Assent to . . . Legislation: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences: For . . . altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, . . . totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.”||history||
• Thanks: muh muh - January 7, 2026 at 10:13 am GMT • 100 Words
https://twitter.com/StateDept/status/2008221563888292207
“This is OUR Hemisphere” Trump unilaterally declares 880 million foreigners US citizens
Google AI: “The combined population of Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America is roughly 830 to 880 million people, with South America contributing over 430 million, Mexico around 130 million, Canada about 40 million, and Central America adding another 50+ million.” Merriam-Webster defines the adjective “our” as follows: “of or relating to us or ourselves or ourself especially as possessors or possessor, agents or agent, or objects or object of an action.” The word “our” appears 26 times in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.||ideology||
• Thanks: Si1ver1ock - @eahJanuary 6, 2026 at 6:34 pm GMT • 200 WordsI don't know about 'Israeli Intrigue in Venezuela', but the federal judge currently presiding over the Maduro case in NYC is an Orthodox Jew (appointed by Clinton) -- here he is interviewed about his activism on behalf of 'refuseniks', Soviet Jews who were not allowed to emigrate to Israel (another reminder that Jews are very ethnocentric).
Why was the Maduro case assigned to that particular federal jurisdiction?Replies: @Wokechoke, @Anglo Mark, @VoltardeThe curious jurisprudence of Judge Alvin K. “No Recusal” Hellerstein:
NYT: Charlie Javice Sentenced to 85 Months in Prison for Fraud
A federal jury in March had found Ms. Javice guilty for faking customer lists during JPMorgan Chase’s $175 million acquisition of her start-up.
Charlie Javice, who was convicted of fraud for providing fake customer lists to JPMorgan Chase while selling her start-up to the bank, was sentenced to 85 months in federal prison on Monday.
Federal prosecutors had requested 144 months after a jury found Ms. Javice guilty in March of three counts of fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit fraud.
Ms. Javice’s legal team, which recently added Alexandra Shapiro, one of Sean Combs’s lawyers, presented 114 letters of support from people hoping to persuade the judge to be lenient in his sentencing. Among them were four rabbis, one cantor, a formerly incarcerated judge, two doormen and a person who works at the marina near Ms. Javice’s Miami Beach residence. One letter writer noted that Judge Hellerstein had spoken at his great-uncle’s funeral.
A nice, heart-warming touch–including letters of support for sentencing leniency from the two doormen and the boat boy.
• Replies: @Felpudinho@Voltarde
What's weird it that the judge ever takes into consideration the popularity of a criminal before passing sentence. This nothing-to-do-with-the-crime plea reminds me of the Pakistani kiddie gang-rapists in England who wanted the judge to take into consideration, before sentencing them, that they're their families sole breadwinners, that they have lots of kids, and that their imported Paki wives can't speak a lick of English.
Ms. Javice’s legal team, which recently added Alexandra Shapiro, one of Sean Combs’s lawyers, presented 114 letters of support from people hoping to persuade the judge to be lenient in his sentencing.
The Trumpettes all went from isolationist America Firsters to Dollar Tree Dick Cheneys in a matter of a few days.
• Agree: HT, Dutch Abraham• Replies: @Madbadger@Christoph88That is exactly what the propaganda machine wants us to think. The polls say we all adore Trump., @2stateshmoostate@Christoph88How did that happen?, @Twodees Partain
Because average Americans were whip-sawed by the Jewish Press (mainstream media) into thinking foreign adventurism is good for America
Destroy the credibility of the Jewish Press and they lose their power
Far too many Americans still believe the fake Jew owned newsreaders on the 6 o'clock news are telling them the truth.
Always call the Jewish Press the Jewish Press and get others to do the same.@Christoph88"Dollar Tree Dick Cheneys" is a perfect descriptor, even though you still use the isolationist tag of the two-party duopoly. Keep trying until you get it right.- @Greg GarrosHere is an image of the "real size" of European countries laid over top of Greenland.
https://blogs.egu.eu/divisions/cr/files/2017/10/Selection_029.jpg
I'm well aware Greenland is a giant ice block/tundra, but it is technically European land. Therefore, the US "acquisition" of Greenland, should it be obtained through annexation or conquest, would represent the biggest confiscation of European land since since WW2 and would be a big ego bruise for Western Europe.
78% of Danes opposed the legal sale of Greenland, and 85% of Greenlanders opposed it in polls conducted earlier last year.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/31/nearly-half-of-danes-see-us-as-threat-and-78-oppose-greenland-sale-poll-shows
Nothing is more overdue than the Western Europeans growing a pair and taking their own side. This will make Denmark in particular look like a defenseless puppy. Maybe this will propel Denmark to seek nuclear weapons.Replies: @littlereddot• Replies: @Brazilian Brainrot@littlereddotJust to be clear, the site thetruesize.com that Greg used to make that map does correct the distortions caused by the Mercator projection.That image is accurate (+-)Replies: @littlereddot, @Emil Nikola Richard@littlereddotWell done.Not even the Africans know that Africa is that freaking huge.Replies: @littlereddot, @Same old same old@littlereddotThis won't be the first time Trump was disappointed by the size of something he possessed. - January 6, 2026 at 2:00 pm GMT • 200 Words
US Special Forces to seize Russian-flagged oil tanker sailing in the North Atlantic
In the North Atlantic, the saga of the tanker Bella-1 is approaching its climax. The tanker (which recently left Venezuela) had previously been renamed the Marinera and had raised the Russian flag. The Americans are planning to seize the vessel. Ten C-17 cargo aircraft have been flown from the US 160th Special Operations Wing to the UK for this purpose. Four of them were flown from Fort Campbell, where the special forces that captured Maduro are based. Helicopters are also being transported. Two AC-130J gunships have also been deployed to provide air support for the attack. US P-8s and Irish C-295W maritime surveillance aircraft are constantly stationed near the tanker.||foreign-policy||
• Thanks: Liza - January 6, 2026 at 11:42 am GMT • 100 Words
China’s sensitive technology at risk after Trump abducts Venezuela leader Maduro
“From oil infrastructure to telecommunications, Chinese investments in the country have been long-standing and extensive. China risks losing access to satellite tracking stations and other sensitive technology infrastructure in Venezuela after the United States seized control of the country’s leadership and transferred its president Nicolas Maduro to New York for trial. Beijing’s embedded assets – from satellite ground stations to oilfield systems and telecommunications networks – could be compromised after US President Donald Trump said Washington would “run” Venezuela and “fix oil infrastructure” in the country with the world’s largest crude reserves.”||foreign-policy||
- • Thanks: littlereddot• Replies: @Commentator Mike@muh muhIn a world full of thieving Jews, there is always some thieving Jews who will steal it, so the first Jew may as well do the stealing., @Same old same old@muh muhLooks like you've been censored by our free-speech tech overlords.Replies: @muh muh
- January 5, 2026 at 8:55 pm GMT • 200 Words
Noted Russian military analyst Rybar is fed up with Putin and the leadership of the Russian military
“Rybar is an official analyst from the center on the state budget. The SVO will soon pass the 1,418-day mark, inviting comparisons of the conflict in Ukraine (SVO) to the Great Patriotic War. It’s impossible to avoid the parallels and numerous uncomfortable questions. The terrorist head of the GUR, Budanov, is alive, and Bankova Street is peacefully standing and functioning. Ukraine, using FPV drones, burned several of our strategic missile carriers in the rear and is blowing up generals in Moscow (the best ones). The head of the SBU, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – without a single injury or assassination attempt. Is there no order, or does no one care?”||foreign-policy||
- @meamjojoJanuary 5, 2026 at 1:30 pm GMT • 200 Words
Yes but in the case of Venezuela, Russia was "supposed" to stand-up and back the country if attacked. But hey were AWOL. And their weapon/defense systems were quickly neutralized. Russia has been proven to be nothing but a paper tiger militarily. If they didn't have nukes, we would have probably invaded them by now.
"An actual invasion of Taiwan would be out of the question, but if Trump can declare a blockade of the independent country of Venezuela with no justification, China can certainly claim it has an equal right to do the same towards an island that the U.S. government and almost the entire world has long recognized as an integrable part of a single, unified China."
Taiwan, OTOH, is backed by the USA, with the most powerful military force in the solar system and due to their importance in chip manufacturing, the USA is not going to turn a blind-eye to China invading Taiwan.Replies: @xyzxy, @Ron Unz, @SteveK9, @IronForge, @JR Foley, @Brás CubasTaiwan, OTOH, is backed by the USA, with the most powerful military force in the solar system and due to their importance in chip manufacturing, the USA is not going to turn a blind-eye to China invading Taiwan.
The US is not in a position to defend Taiwan. Thinking so is idiotic. The US is in the same situation as Russia and China were, vis a vis Venezuela. Here on TUR we have folks complaining that Russia and China did not ‘defend’ Venezuela. Logistically, how would that have even been possible? People just say without thinking it through.
Taiwan on the other hand is 160 km from the mainland. That’s only a few minutes time before the first command and control destroying missile salvos arrive. When China decides to act, the action will be over before the US could muster any conceivable defense force.
But it might not even take a large destructive military action. You have to realize that Taiwanese are Chinese, with a long history of mainland connection. Including family and friends. To think that the mainland is not in close contact with sympathetic Taiwan military officials and politicians, compatriots who are ready and willing to assist in reunification, is naive. That is why Trump is attempting to get high-tech operations like TSMC to move their production facilities to the US. Because Trump knows that Taiwan is not Venezuela in any sense of the scenario.
• Agree: Voltarde• Thanks: Deep Thought• Replies: @meamjojo@xyzxyThe US has plenty of its own and partner assets in the area, including Australia, Japan and South Korea. There is likely a couple of well-armed subs always in the area.
Protecting Taiwan would be a joint effort.
OTOH, Russia/China don't have any partners or assets that matter in the Western Hemisphere. That is the difference between a Superpower and a wannabe.
You make a good point about the racial/family connection between Taiwan and the mainland. I'm sure that will be a factor as to anything China chooses to do.Replies: @antibeast - @AnonymousJanuary 5, 2026 at 1:04 pm GMT • 100 WordsAn awful lot of wind has been passed by some rather excitable commenters concerning Trump's escapade in Venezuela, but let's calm down and face the facts, cooly and soberly:
Maduro is/was an arse.
Venezuela is a pathetic Hell-hole of a basket case nation.
The real story here is that the nation blessed with the world's biggest oil reserves, and plenty more natural bounty besides, manages to keep its people in terrible abject poverty and the most murderous lawlessness.
The murder rate in Caracas is off the charts.
Yes, yes, I know that this is mostly due to the character of the Venezuelan people, but Bukele in El Salvador shows us that a better life is possible, even with the direst of human capital.
What we had/have in Venezuela was a play pen 'Marxist' strutting around like a peacock, while his country collapsed all round him - and his citizens ran around killing each other.
Now, I'm not praising Trump here for the sake of praising Trump, but I cannot understand why commenters here are so worked up in defending a rotten regime.Replies: @xyzxy, @Carroll Price, @JMarq, @europeasant, @RadicalCenter, @RadicalCenter, @QCICI cannot understand why commenters here are so worked up in defending a rotten regime.
No one is ‘defending’ the Venezuelan regime. At least not primarily. It’s the lawlessness of the US that get people going. Piracy on the seas, and invasions on the land. Regime change. Stealing another country’s resources. And all the rest that goes with it.
Reading comprehension is an important skill. Work on it.
Sunken 15th Century Cargo “Super Ship” Excavated From Scandanavian Seabed, Surprises Archaeologists With Size And Sophistication||history||
• Thanks: Voltarde- January 5, 2026 at 10:35 am GMT • 100 Words
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung lands in Beijing with 200-strong delegation
“President Lee arrived in Beijing on Sunday for his first China trip since taking office. The four-day state visit comes at a moment when the global order is teetering, with old structures crumbling and a new world yet to emerge. Over 200 South Korean entrepreneurs, including the chairmen of Samsung and SK Group, are accompanying Lee on his trip, which includes two days each in Beijing and Shanghai. . . . China is a critical trading partner for South Korea. Nearly half of South Korea’s rare earth minerals, essential for semiconductor production, come from China. China also accounts for one-third of South Korea’s annual chip exports, making it the largest market.”||foreign-policy||
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2026/01/no_author/the-hidden-dopamine-trap/
The Hidden Dopamine Trap
Large swathes of parents describe modern children’s content (particularly YouTube videos like CoComelon) as highly engaging to the point of addiction, with intense emotional reactions when removed.||science||
• Thanks: Voltarde- January 4, 2026 at 10:26 am GMT • 100 Words
https://www.science.org/content/article/breakthrough-2025
Science’s 2025 Breakthrough of the Year: The unstoppable rise of renewable energy
“This year, renewables surpassed coal as a source of electricity worldwide, and solar and wind energy grew fast enough to cover the entire increase in global electricity use from January to June, according to energy think tank Ember. In September, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared at the United Nations that his country will cut its carbon emissions by as much as 10% in a decade, not by using less energy, but by doubling down on wind and solar. And solar panel imports in Africa and South Asia have soared, as people in those regions realized rooftop solar can cheaply power lights, cellphones, and fans. To many, the continued growth of renewables now seems unstoppable.”||science||
- January 3, 2026 at 5:26 pm GMT • 100 Words
US State Department: Do not travel to Russia for any reason due to expected Ukrainian mass terrorist attacks
UK, EU, and US tax dollars at work massacring civilians. The US State Department called on American citizens to leave Russia immediately due to the high threat of terrorist attacks. The CIA and Washington are aware of the terrorist attacks being planned by the SBU and the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine. There are no details, but the last time such a statement came from the State Department was before the terrorist attack in Crocus.||foreign-policy||
- @Kevin Barrett@Anonymous"Maduro's replacement"?! The Venezuelan official armed forces number 350,000, and millions of ordinary pro-Bolivarian folks have been armed in preparation for an American attack like this. https://venezuelanalysis.com/opinion/millions-of-venezuelans-join-volunteer-militias-as-us-attacks-continue/Replies: @Same old same old, @QCIC, @Passing by
I would like to believe it but let’s be real, the whole operation including Maduro’s abduction couldn’t have been executed as smoothly as it was executed without involvement of traitors within the Venezuelan government and armed forces.
• Replies: @SkibbidyDiddyParty@Passing byMaduro persisted as long as he did in large part due to high loyalty and effective counterintelligence.
Venezuelas's continuinty of government continues to be in place with the Vice President serving while Maduro is captured by a hostile foreign power.
Meanwhile Trump personally supervised a teenager's post birth abortion in Lake Michigan. - January 2, 2026 at 9:32 pm GMT • 100 Words
https://danwang.co/2025-letter/
Cultures in contrast: China’s government and Silicon Valley
Dan Wang is the author of “BREAKNECK: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future.” He uses his end-of-year essay to reflect on the similarities and differences between China’s government and Silicon Valley. Here’s an excerpt: “The two most insular cities I’ve lived in are San Francisco and Beijing. They are places where people are willing to risk apocalypse every day in order to reach utopia. Though Beijing is open only to a narrow slice of newcomers, its elites must think about the rest of the country and the rest of the world. San Francisco is more open, but people there stop thinking about the world at large. Tech folks may be the worst-traveled segment of American elites.”||economics||
https://aeon.co/essays/the-discovery-of-aeonophiles-expands-our-definition-of-life
Long live the aeonophiles! – Discovery of organisms alive for many thousands of years requires revolution in how we understand life||science||
• Thanks: Voltarde- @Brás CubasJanuary 2, 2026 at 1:20 pm GMT • 100 WordsThis article is largely bollocks, and so, I suppose, is the one it is a commentary on, by some woman named Molly Crabapple, though I haven't read it. Comparing Mamdani with those Jewish leftists of old is absurd. Mamdani was born rich -- his father is an academic and his mother is a filmmaker of some renown. Unlike those Eastern European Jews, Mamdani never had any contact with grassroots labor movements. After some half-hearted attempts at becoming a rapper, he went straight into institutional politics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zohran_Mamdani
Also, the following is laugh-out-loud funny:
Trump's grandfather was penniless when he came to America. He emigrated because he was too weak physically to work the fields like his brothers and in Germany he wouldn't be able to make a living. In America he started out as an apprentice barber. He got rich through thrift, entrepreneurship and wise investment.
Working class Germans — not rich people like Trump’s grandfather (...)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_TrumpReplies: @Voltarde“He [DJT’s grandfather] got rich through thrift, entrepreneurship and wise investment.”
From your own cited reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Trump
“During the Klondike Gold Rush, he moved to the Yukon and made his fortune by operating a restaurant and a brothel for miners in Whitehorse.“
According to your own cited reference, it was Herr Friedrich Trump’s whorehouse in Canada that was the source of the Trump family fortune.
• Replies: @Brás Cubas@VoltardeSure. That's correct. The details are provided in the next section:
So, what I said is also exactly correct, as regards thrift and entrepreneurship. I'm also correct about his initial penniless condition, his beginnings as a barber, and his later wise investments, according to that page anyway.
In 1891, Trump moved to Seattle, in the newly admitted U.S. state of Washington. With his life savings of several hundred dollars, he bought the Poodle Dog, which he renamed the Dairy Restaurant, and supplied it with new tables, chairs, and a range.
- January 2, 2026 at 4:31 am GMT • 100 Words
https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003231
Low-dose mixtures of dietary nutrients ameliorate behavioral deficits in multiple mouse models of autism
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of heterogeneous, behaviorally defined neurodevelopmental conditions influenced by genetic and environmental factors. We show that a diet supplemented with low-dose nutrients—an environmental factor influencing ASD—can modulate synaptic proteomes, reconfigure neural ensembles, and improve social behaviors in mice. . . Our findings reveal aberrant connectivity in the neurons of ASD-model mice and indicate that a diet supplemented with zinc, branched-chain amino acids, and/or the amino acid serine offers a safe approach to mitigate neural connectivity and social behavior deficits in multiple ASD models.||science||
• Thanks: Vergissmeinnicht - January 2, 2026 at 1:55 am GMT • 400 Words
The Separation: Inside the Unraveling U.S.-Ukraine Partnership
As President Trump sought a peace deal and Vladimir V. Putin sought victory, factions in the White House and Pentagon bled the Ukrainian war efforts.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/30/world/europe/ukraine-war-us-russia.html
. . . Mr. Trump would remark to aides that when he owned the Miss Universe pageant, the Ukrainian contestants were often the most beautiful. Now, he blurted out, “Ukrainian women are beautiful.”
. . .
Mr. Trump explained that an old friend, the Las Vegas mogul Phil Ruffin, had married* a former Miss Ukraine, Oleksandra Nikolayenko; the president had met her through the Miss Universe pageant. Now, he called Mr. Ruffin, who put his wife on the phone. Mr. Trump did the same for Mr. Zelensky, and for the next 10 to 15 minutes, the room went on pause as the two spoke in Ukrainian.
. . .
“You could feel the room change,” said an official who was there. “The temperature dropped. Everyone laughed. What it did was create a human connection. It was kind of a mind meld. It humanized Zelensky with Trump.”A month later, in New York for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Trump called Mr. Zelensky “a great man” who was “putting up a hell of a fight.” Later, on Truth Social, he wrote that after coming to understand “the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation,” he believed that “Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.”
[*] In 2008, when Ruffin was 72 and Ms. Nikolayenko was 26.
The above excerpt from the year-end NYT propaganda piece on the Kiev Regime is eerily reminiscent of a recent post by Mr. Unz:
The War of Goebbels’ Czech Mistress
https://www.unz.com/runz/the-war-of-goebbels-czech-mistress/
In other words, a delusional Trump is willing to flirt with nuclear armageddon by encouraging a parasitical, corrupt bunch of gangster-terrorists in Kiev to continue a bloody war with Russia because one of Trump’s decrepit old cronies married a Ukrainian gold digger who was young enough to be his granddaughter.
• Replies: @Carlton Meyer@Voltarde
Putin has said that American presidents don't control American foreign policy. He understands that these Trump peace efforts are fake and used to demonize Russia. See this short video:
In other words, a delusional Trump is willing to flirt with nuclear armageddon by encouraging a parasitical, corrupt bunch of gangster-terrorists in Kiev to continue a bloody war with Russia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebh6udPbwYY From Iran-Contra to Trump: How Zionism Took Over the Deep State||foreign-policy||
- January 1, 2026 at 8:42 pm GMT • 100 Words
Investors outraged over Trump’s order to free convicted fraudster
“David Gentile, the founder of GPB Capital Holdings, was a power player in the world of private equity companies. Trump’s decision to end Gentile’s seven-year sentence in November after he served just 12 days stirred outrage among investors — including veterans, teachers, farmers, and retirees on fixed incomes. . . . Because Trump commuted Gentile’s sentence after he was convicted of fraud and conspiracy charges in a jury trial, Gentile will no longer be required to pay back investors roughly $15.5 million, according to the grant of clemency.”||culture-society||
- @anarchyst@HTIt takes approximately 100 years for generational biases to be bred out of historical texts. It is only then that the true nature of history and analysis can take place. The statement: “History being written by the winners” is correct. However, the “winners” eventually die off and then (and only then) history can be corrected and be critiqued with the TRUTH finally being revealed and stated for the REAL historical record.
The “holocaust” fable is already losing its “sting” being less relevant in today’s day and age. From scientific and logistical standpoints, NONE of the claims made by so-called “holocaust” survivors is valid.
The latest jewish “stunt” is to declare that descendants of “holocaust” survivors, are themselves “damaged” and worthy of receiving shekels as “reparations”. It’s called “holocaust transference syndrome” and is already being touted as the next “wave” of “holocaust” survivors eligible for shekels.
More and more people are realizing that the seeds of WW2 were sown in WW1 with the excesses of the Wiemar Republic which was fueled by financial demands from the “victors” (jews) which impoverished Germany and made Germany the scapegoat.
Germany’s rise from the ashes from WW1 was made possible by German ingenuity and talent, something the jews could not stand, jews not being “on top”. Germany’s economic recovery from the great depression was much faster than the rest of the western world thereby necessitating another “world war” to put Germany in its place.
Let’s not forget the criminalization of those who see through the falsehoods and lies of “holocaustianity”. From jewish “freak shows” known as “holocaust museums” to outright incarceration of “those who do not believe” and do not bow down to this new “religion” the “tribe” is grasping at straws attempting to keep the holocaust fable alive by prosecuting “non-believers”.
Rather than living within societies and doing the best to promote domestic civility, the “tribe” just cannot work within societies but has to foment hate and discontent wherever they go, calling it “tikkun olam”.
Keep overreaching, jews…Eventually societies “wake up” and realize what needs to be done.
The trouble with jews is that they always overreach and end up being marginalized, shunned, and even expelled.Replies: @HT, @Dieter Kief, @ZumbuddiMore and more people are realizing that the seeds of WW2 were sown in WW1
German historian Golo Mann (son of Nobel-novelist Thomas Mann) – – : Versailles was the source of all of the following catastropies of the 20th century.
• Agree: Voltarde• Replies: @Tarnhari@Dieter Kief"This is not a peace. It is an armistice for twenty years!"
--French Marshal Ferdinand Foch commenting the signing of the Versailles treaty
British Prime Minister David Lloyd George worried the treaty was too harsh, saying "We shall have to fight another war again in 25 years time"Replies: @Dieter Kief - January 1, 2026 at 2:54 am GMT • 100 Words
China builds a record-breaking hypergravity machine to compress space and time
“We aim to create experimental environments that span milliseconds to tens of thousands of years, and atomic to [kilometre] scales – under normal or extreme conditions of temperature and pressure,” said Chen Yunmin, CHIEF’s chief scientist and a professor at Zhejiang University. In a single experiment, CHIEF can replicate kilometre-scale ground deformation, simulate long-term pollutant transport or generate thousands of new material samples. “It gives us the chance to discover entirely new phenomena or theories,” Chen said.||science||
- January 1, 2026 at 12:49 am GMT • 200 Words
A familiar allegory used by Orson Welles in his role as the title character in the film Mr. Arkadin:
And now I’m going to tell you about a scorpion. This scorpion wanted to cross a river . . . so he asked the frog to carry him.
“No!” said the frog. “No, thank you! If I let you on my back, you may sting me, and the sting of a scorpion is death.”
“Now, where,” asked the scorpion, “is the logic of that?” For scorpions always try to be logical. “If I sting you, you will die, and I will drown.”
So the frog was convinced, and allowed the scorpion on his back, but just in the middle of the river he felt a terrible pain, and realized that, after all, the scorpion had stung him.
“Logic!” cried the dying frog as he started under, bearing the scorpion down with him, “There is no logic in this . . .”
“I know,” said the scorpion, “but I can’t help it. It’s my character.”
• Replies: @Thirdtwin@VoltardeFunny you should mention this story…
https://thetonymichaels.substack.com/p/trumps-rambling-snake-story-at-christmas It doesn’t matter who you vote for in the presidential contests….you always end up with Netanyahu.
• Replies: @meamjojo@Katrinka
If ONLY Netanyahu could be our president.
"It doesn’t matter who you vote for in the presidential contests….you always end up with Netanyahu. "
But no matter. Eventually, an AI is going to be in control of everything and I have it on strong authority that the AI will be Jewish.Replies: @John TroutChristians’ complicity in Gaza genocide called out by Carlson. Progressives’ complicity in Gaza genocide called out by . . . who?||foreign-policy||
- December 31, 2025 at 1:32 am GMT • 200 Words
This is a very difficult matter to resolve with easy slogans. I’ve had two boys, who were generally well-oriented in their schools, families and neighborhoods, who had access to marijuana in early high school and brought years of grief to themselves and their families. They had no idea of the consequences of using a dangerous drug, which is definitely what it is.
Maybe there ought to be an age after which it can be used freely, like alcohol. Anyone who gets themselves into the marijuana habit, which is extremely difficult to shed, can tell you that it is a very powerful drug, more so now, apparently.
Freedom, after all, is just another word for nothing left to lose. My sons had a lot to lose and did. Happily, they’re mature adults and have productive lives, but they would tell you that they’d be better off it weren’t so easily available and basically legal, so far as law enforcement now treats it.
• Replies: @RestiveUs@Emslander
One of the most profound lyrics ever written.
Freedom, ..., is just another word for nothing left to lose.
- December 30, 2025 at 9:15 pm GMT • 100 Words
Marijuana is a dangerous drug that causes schizophrenia, hyperemesis, low fertility and psychosis. Since legalization episodes of marijuana induced psychosis have increased 220%. Dangerous drugs, whether grown naturally, or crossbred to increase THC content are too dangerous to be foisted on the public. There was a reason the Brits wanted opium available and legal in China, a drugged out population is an easily controlled population. It only gets worse from here kids.
The Easter Lily (botanical name lilium longiflorum) is toxic and can kill a human if ingested. Just because something is “natural” doesn’t mean it’s benign.
• Agree: twerp• Replies: @Notsofast@Richso sorry to hear about your bad reaction, i never met anyone that has had such a severe mental breakdown from smoking marijuana, as the experience you describe. perhaps your suffering from reefer madness, i saw a documentary on that terrible disease in by youth, it scared the bejesus out of me and i went to church for an entire week, before my friend came by with some really mellow indica, that cured me of my anxiety, caused by the film and i never had to go to church again (thank god). my advice to you is stay away from the sativa dominant strains. if your unsure of what your dealing with, send it my way, i'll give you a full analysis. remember rich, youngsters like you, should be careful dealing with any kind of mind altering substance, these are things best left to the experts. get to know your neighborhood dealer, talk to your more experienced friends and ask them if they could introduce to their trusted dealer. stay away from dangerous "medical marijuana" and the seedy dispensaries, owned by big pharma. support local small business.Replies: @Rich, @Carroll Price@Rich
So will freely available battery acid to anyone stupid enough to drink it.Replies: @Rich
The Easter Lily (botanical name lilium longiflorum) is toxic and can kill a human if ingested.
- December 30, 2025 at 12:19 pm GMT • 100 Words
“…Section 12 made it impossible to write or speak in ways that might encourage support for groups whose central aim was using violence against people to achieve their aims.”
It´s funny because I guess that supporting the government (that “monopoly of violence”) fits into that category aswell. They take your money via taxation and you just obey them or…
• Agree: Same old same old, Voltarde https://felixabt.substack.com/p/china-just-redefined-the-future-of
China Just Redefined the Future of EVs — And the World Will Have to Catch Up||economics||
• Thanks: Voltarde- December 30, 2025 at 11:13 am GMT • 100 Words
US intelligence community set up Putin for assassination by the Kiev Regime
After Zelensky’s meeting in Miami, Trump told Putin to be available for a follow-up call. That follow-up call was tracked by the US intelligence community and during the call Putin’s exact location was transmitted to the Kiev Regime, which in turn immediately launched 91 drones to assassinate Putin.||foreign-policy||
- December 30, 2025 at 12:03 am GMT • 100 Words
Bill To Allow Letters of Marque and Reprisal Introduced By Utah Senator Mike Lee. Law Would Allow US President To Authorize Private Citizens (Corporations) To Engage
• Thanks: Voltarde - December 29, 2025 at 12:09 pm GMT • 200 Words
Interesting article. but like many other articles and books misses a very important fact…. Stalin feared in equal major in the 1930s not only a German invasion of the Soviet Union from the West but also that japan would attack from the East and occupy Siberia. Japan had successfully occupied Manchuria in the early 1930s and threatened Russia’s East. Russian intelligence had cracked Japan’s communications code and were aware of lively discussions of such an attack, as well as tremendous German pressure on Japan to declare war on the soviet Union simultaneous with operation Barbarossa. see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Sorge
Molotov in his later years interviews is adamant that from the Late 1920s that he was certain of a future military conflict with Germany, and that Russia was not prepared militarily, industrially, nor organizationally for such a conflict. He contributed in equal measure to the rapid and very painful industrialization, collectivization of agriculture and its mechanization, purging of party opposition as well as the fervent diplomatic effort to postpone such a war with Germany as long as possible. - December 29, 2025 at 10:31 am GMT • 100 Words
Saudi Arabia’s $1 trillion investment commitment to the US is a political display, not a binding obligation
“Saudi Arabia’s US$1 trillion commitment to the United States is best understood as a political display, not a binding obligation,” according to Jesse Marks, executive director of Rihla Research & Advisory, a Washington-based consultancy focused on the Middle East. “This flexibility is what makes it [able to be] nominally achieved despite the kingdom’s ongoing significant fiscal constraints,” he said. “[It means] execution at US$1 trillion scale depends entirely on how ‘investment’ is defined, how much leverage is deployed, and over what time frame, rather than pure sovereign capacity to write cheques.”||economics||
- December 28, 2025 at 5:31 pm GMT • 100 Words
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.19466
Epistemological Fault Lines Between Human and Artificial Intelligence
Large language models (LLMs) are widely described as artificial intelligence (AI), yet their epistemic profile diverges sharply from human cognition. Here we show that the apparent alignment between human and machine outputs conceals a deeper structural mismatch in how judgments are produced. Tracing the historical shift from symbolic AI and information filtering systems to large-scale generative transformers, we argue that LLMs are not epistemic agents but stochastic pattern-completion systems, formally describable as walks on high-dimensional graphs of linguistic transitions rather than as systems that form beliefs or models of the world.||science||
- December 26, 2025 at 3:38 pm GMT • 100 Words
FCC bans Chinese drones to enrich Trump cult cronies and Donald Trump Jr.
The FCC issued document DA-25-1086 on December 22, 2025, effectively banning all foreign manufactured drones and drone components, including BLDC motors and batteries. The ban comes less than a month after the appointment of Donald Trump Jr. to the advisory board of a Florida-based drone components supplier with military contracts.||economics||
Teachers Are DONE & Speak Out — Something Is Very Wrong With America’s Youth||culture-society||
• Thanks: Voltarde- December 25, 2025 at 4:48 pm GMT • 100 Words
ICB: China leapfrogs into the lead in remote sensing–yet another example of the opportunity cost of the MIC
The MIC drains trillions of dollars in US treasure, and millions of minds from the finite amount of STEM talent in the US, and for what? For endless, useless, counter-productive wars. Even if the UniParty was sincere in its complaints about “civilizational erasure” in Europe, it was the UniParty’s insane NeoCon forever wars, invasions, military coups, and economic sanctions (which are acts of war) that have driven tens of millions of migrants into Europe and the US. Meanwhile, in areas that genuinely matter to America’s future prosperity–the foundation of its security–America falls further and further behind China in every STEM field of economic significance.||economics||
The Revolution of Rising Expectations
https://thezvi.substack.com/p/the-revolution-of-rising-expectations
• Replies: @poopsie2@VoltardeNo problem, they're just delaying gratification.An amateur codebreaker may have just solved the Black Dahlia and Zodiac killings; Los Angeles Times; Christopher Goffard; 23 Dec
no paywall: https://archive.ph/m9mzE#selection-2485.0-2485.19||culture-society||
• Thanks: Voltarde- December 23, 2025 at 8:25 pm GMT • 100 Words
https://thezvi.substack.com/p/the-revolution-of-rising-expectations
The Revolution of Rising Expectations
The two sides say: (a) Life sucks, you can’t get ahead, you can’t have a family or own a house; or (b) What are you talking about, median wages are up, unemployment is low and so on. This post attempts to reconcile those perspectives. The culprit is the Revolution of Rising Expectations, together with the Revolution of Rising Requirements. The biggest rising expectations are that we will not have to tolerate unpleasant experiences or even dead time, endure meaningful material shortages or accept various forms of unfairness or coercion. The biggest rising requirement is insane levels of mandatory child supervision.||culture-society||
- December 23, 2025 at 5:54 pm GMT • 100 Words
Chinese media criticize ‘1644 perspective’ that idealizes Han Ming vs. Manchu Qing dynasty histories
“A wave of online discussion blaming China’s last imperial dynasty for national historical sufferings has prompted official criticism after touching on sensitive questions, and ignited debate over historical narrative, nationalism and social governance. What began as a fringe literary interpretation of an 18th-century classical novel has evolved in recent weeks to become a viral internet topic, known as the “1644 historical perspective”. The main claim – which exposed sharp divisions online – is that China was prosperous and powerful under the Ming dynasty, which was ethnically Han, and its decline began with the Manchu conquest that established Qing rule in 1644.”||history||
- December 23, 2025 at 10:18 am GMT • 200 Words
Trump announces new class of ‘Golden Fleet’ Navy battleships
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5660366-us-navy-golden-fleet/
President Trump announced on Monday a new class of battleships as part of the U.S. Navy’s “Golden Fleet.” The president said that he approved a plan for the Navy to start construction of the two battleships, which will be equipped with guns, missiles, hypersonic weapons and high-powered lasers. . . . The new battleships, which will anchor the “Golden Fleet,” will weigh more than 30,000 tons, and the military is expected to build between 20 and 25 “Golden Fleet” ships as part of the effort to bolster the U.S. Navy.
Golden Fleece Award
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Fleece_Award
The Golden Fleece Award (1975–1988) was a tongue-in-cheek award given to public officials in the United States for squandering public money. Its name is sardonically taken from the actual Order of the Golden Fleece, a prestigious chivalric award created in the late 15th century. It is a play on the transitive verb fleece, or charging excessively for goods or services. . . . William Proxmire, a United States Senator who represented the Democratic Party from Wisconsin, issued the award monthly from 1975 until 1988.
How Russia DESTROYED Europe’s $245 Billion Theft With ONE Legal Move||economics||
- December 22, 2025 at 8:18 pm GMT • 100 Words
Math is Sublime: Science at the Simons Foundation in 2025
“In 2025, researchers across the Simons Foundation community pushed science into new territory through bold inquiry and transformative discoveries. The year brought breakthroughs that affirmed long-held theories of black holes, uncovered new insights into the diversity of autism and revealed the power of diet in restoring a depleted microbiome. It also showcased innovators developing sophisticated tools for natural disaster prediction, probing the physics of superconductivity and opening doors for future computer scientists. . . . These stories highlight the people and ideas reshaping our understanding of the universe — and of ourselves.”||science||
Singapore’s former foreign minister on superpower ‘headaches’ and why the US dollar could crack
“Singapore’s former foreign minister George Yeo also discusses Trump, the latest China-Japan dust-up, and rivalry between Hong Kong and the city state”||foreign-policy||
• Thanks: Miro23- December 20, 2025 at 8:30 pm GMT • 100 Words
Why Venture Capital Misunderstands the Power Law
The Power Law is a system property of innovation markets. It describes the distribution of returns in a complex, chaotic system where upside is uncapped and downside is bounded (you can only lose 1x your money, but can make 1,000x). It is a descriptive statistic of what happens after the dust settles. A selection mechanism is the set of criteria an investor uses to make a decision today. The error VCs make is trying to force the system property into the selection mechanism. They look at a seed-stage startup and ask, “Is this a Power Law company?” This is a category error. ||economics||
- December 20, 2025 at 8:07 pm GMT • 100 Words
https://www.joanwestenberg.com/thin-desires-are-eating-your-life/
Thin Desires Are Eating Your Life
“We are living with a near-universal thin desire: wanting something that cannot actually be gotten, that we can’t define, from a source that has no interest in providing it. . . . The distinction between thick and thin desires isn’t original to me. Philosophers have been circling this territory for decades, from Charles Taylor’s work on frameworks of meaning to Agnes Callard’s more recent writing on aspiration. But the version I find most useful is simple: A thick desire is one that changes you in the process of pursuing it. A thin desire is one that doesn’t.”||culture-society||
- December 20, 2025 at 6:48 pm GMT • 100 Words
The glaring omission from this analysis is an evaluation of the consequences of the “run out the clock” strategy of the Kiev Regime and the EU. They know that there is a very high probability that the Democrats are going to win the House mid-term elections in a landslide in November 2026, less than 11 months from now.
The 90€ funding from the EU is bridge financing to fund the war and the Kiev Regime until the Democrats regain control of the US Congress. UniParty Democrats and the Permanent War NeoCon (PWN) faction of the Republican Party will resume US funding in 2027 for perpetual war against the Russian Federation.
The UniParty in general, and Trump’s handlers in particular, are agreement-incapable. Putin is a fool and a traitor to the Russian Federation if he believes otherwise.
• Replies: @Mark G.@VoltardeI agree the plan is to use EU funding as a bridge until a new Congress after the midterms resumes US funding for the Ukraine. By the summer of 2026, though, the Ukrainians will be unable to maintain troop numbers at current levels. While a new Congress might give the Zelensky government more money, I can't see the dwindling numbers of Ukrainian soldiers being replaced with American troops on the ground.
The affordability crisis is shaping up to be the major issue of the midterms. The public doesn't believe Trump administration officials when they say the economy is great and prices are dropping any more than they believed it when Biden administration officials said the same thing.
The Fed has announced forty billion dollars a month in money printing to buy treasuries, an amount likely to increase, and will continue rate cuts. Trump wants to keep the massive stock market bubble from popping at least until he is out of office. These inflationary policies will lead to rising prices and average Americans will increasingly focus on that and their worsening economic situation. There will be no public support for a war on the other side of the planet with Russia.Replies: @A123 - December 20, 2025 at 11:33 am GMT • 100 Words
https://www.high-capacity.com/p/us-china-recoupling-in-an-age-of
Profit pulls US and China together, politics pushes them apart
“Even as the US and China push to decouple, new ties are being formed between these two competing superpowers. From AI and biotech to robots and robotaxis, the US and China are finding new ways to reconnect. . . As Lionel Richie once crooned, “Love [of money] will find a way.” Or will it? What are the forces driving this recoupling? Where is this recoupling happening? And what are the consequences?”||foreign-policy||
- December 19, 2025 at 6:52 pm GMT • 100 Words
Dogosophy button allows dogs to control household appliances
“The Dogosophy Button is the product of our animal-centred philosophy. It is the result of years of interaction design research for and with dogs, which we used to develop a wireless control designed with dogs’ sensory, cognitive and physical characteristics in mind, allowing them to easily switch on and off a range of domestic appliances.”||science||
Making a Killing: The Canadian Residential School Indigenous Children’s Mass Grave Hoax
6 million indigenous children have been holocausted in Canada, experts say.||culture-society||
- December 17, 2025 at 2:13 am GMT • 100 Words
https://www.rt.com/news/629535-trump-venezuela-oil-terrorism/
Trump goes batshit crazy, imposes naval blockade on Venezuela. Invoke the 25th Amendment NOW.
“Trump has branded the government of President Nicolas Maduro a “Foreign Terrorist Organization,” claiming that its oil profits fuel criminal networks and undermine regional security. Washington “will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY,” the US president added.” WTF ??????||foreign-policy||
• Thanks: Liza - December 17, 2025 at 1:01 am GMT • 100 Words
China’s ultra-hot heat pump breakthrough paves way for melting ore with sunlight
“For over a century, the dream of efficiently concentrating low-grade heat into high-temperature industrial energy has been constrained by a stubborn ceiling: 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit). Now, a team from China has shattered that temperature limit. Using a revolutionary heat pump with no moving parts, they achieved an output of 270 degrees with a 145-degree heat source to drive the cycle. Capturing and upgrading even a fraction of dissipated energy could transform the country’s industrial efficiency and slash carbon emissions.”||science||
- @nicelandDecember 16, 2025 at 4:54 pm GMT • 100 WordsThanks, lets add to the list:
I can't say it's tempting to visit the U.S. if proposed changes to the U.S. Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) go forward.
I may have to provide following when submitting an ESTA application:
This list is something one could imagine North Korea is demanding from its citizens before they leave the country, not for European visitors entering the U.S.Replies: @Same old same old, @Simon D, @anonymous123asdbd, @A_Hand_Hidden, @Voltarde, @werpor, @BlackFlag
Social media history for the past ~5 years (mandatory) — including accounts and handles.
Email addresses used over the past ~10 years.
Phone numbers from the last ~5 years.
Detailed family background information (names, dates/places of birth, residences, etc.)
Biometric data may also be collected (e.g., photos, possible biometric identifiers), according to some outlines of the proposal.I may have to provide the following when submitting an ESTA application:
. . . .
. . . .Suggested correction:
I may have to provide the following when I am forced to submit private personal data to Palantir’s proprietary Eye-of-Sauron database that will
(a) make a fortune for Palantir’s shareholders (which include the UniParty insiders who drafted the laws & regs with which I am forced to comply);
(b) be used to spy on me, my family members and friends, and our descendants until the end of time, and primarily at the behest of the foreign country that controls America’s UniParty (and Palantir):
. . . .
. . . . - December 15, 2025 at 7:41 pm GMT • 100 Words
The Elusive Blue LED: How Did Researchers Finally Triumph?
“Shuji Nakamura’s contribution to blue LEDs revolutionized lighting by enabling efficient white lights and blue laser diodes in Blu-ray technology. This effort overcame decades of materials challenges involving GaN and embodied a milestone in engineering that paved the way toward solid-state lighting and display technologies.” It’s also more than a blue LED technology story; inventors rarely receive the recognition and rewards that their genius deserves.||history||
- December 15, 2025 at 4:04 am GMT • 100 Words
US green tech retreat echoes mistake of China’s Qing dynasty before collapse
“In 1865, when a British entrepreneur built a demonstration railroad near Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi saw not progress but danger – of disruptions to feng shui, imperial graves and rural order – and had the tracks torn up. Two decades later, when a Chinese-built coal line threatened to steam too close to sacred grounds, Cixi’s solution was not innovation but regression. She ordered that the locomotive be replaced with horses. By clinging to tradition in the face of technological transformation, the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) delayed modernisation until it was too late. Within decades, imperial China would collapse under the weight of its own resistance to change.”||economics||
https://www.takimag.com/article/bleak-houses/
Bleak Houses — a none too affectionate send-off for Frank Gehry||culture-society||
There is no greater evil in this world than Zionism: Tucker Visits Palestinian Child Victims Of Israeli Violence
Heartbreaking.||culture-society||
https://americancompass.org/ideology-over-interest/
Ideology Over Interest: How American trade policy was captured by free trade dogma||economics||
• Thanks: Voltarde- December 13, 2025 at 8:48 am GMT • 100 Words
https://timdettmers.com/2025/12/10/why-agi-will-not-happen/
Why Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Will Not Happen
“If you are reading this, you probably have strong opinions about AGI, superintelligence, and the future of AI. Maybe you believe we are on the cusp of a transformative breakthrough. Maybe you are skeptical. This blog post is for those who want to think more carefully about these claims and examine them from a perspective that is often missing in the current discourse: the physical reality of computation.” The author is Tim Dettmers, an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, and an accomplished expert in deep learning.||science||
Trump Gold Card — For a $15,000 DHS processing fee and, after background approval, a contribution of $1 million, receive U.S. residency in record time with the Trump Gold Card.||culture-society||
• Thanks: Voltarde- December 12, 2025 at 3:31 pm GMT • 100 Words
On an unrelated topic, an ironic “Quote of the Day” from Trump:
Somalia hits back at Trump’s ‘garbage’ slur
https://www.rt.com/africa/629356-somalia-rejects-trump-insults/
Ahmed Moallim Fiqi’s remarks came after Trump called Somalia “filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime,” while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. Trump was expected to address the state of the economy but instead veered off script to denounce immigration from “Third World” countries.
He said the US only takes people from “s**thole countries” like Somalia – “places that are a disaster.”
“The only thing they are good at is going after ships,” he added, in an apparent reference to piracy off the Somali coast.
• Thanks: John Trout• LOL: nokangaroos• Replies: @anonymous7891@VoltardeTrump is so wrong in foreign policy, but he is right about the awful racial transformation of the US via post-1965 nonwhite immigration. Why do you think these Somalians want out of Somalia? Because they want out of a garden spot? And if they must leave their ancient ancestral homeland, why must they cross Africa and then the Atlantic Ocean to come all the way to the US, passing bunches of other countries to get here? They are a curse for us white Americans, and masses of us don't want them. Every last one of them ought to be gone from us. The Somalian government wants to convince us that Somalia is a nice place? Fine - I'll buy that. Then Somalians in the US, go home. Somalia is a great place - you'll love it, and you'll wonder why you ever left it.As for Trump going after Nicholas Maduro because he says (in contradiction to all evidence) that Maduro is involved in sending illegal and harmful drugs into the USA, I concur with his hating that being done. We have the former Honduran president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was proven to have spent years orchestrating shipments of cocaine into the US, and during June 2024 was sentenced to 45 years in US federal prison. Last month, Trump pardoned him. Why? Is it that Trump objects to fentanyl but not to cocaine? He pardons a foreign former head of state for having shipped illegal drugs into the US, but is breathing fire and threatening war against another foreign head of state for allegedly shipping illegal drugs into the US. Does Trump really think we are stupid enough to buy this as the motivation for his aggression against Nicholas Maduro?Replies: @Cauchemar du Singe, @Same old same old - December 11, 2025 at 5:45 pm GMT • 100 Words
One reason why Putin is vilified by many is because he rehabilitated some prominent White Russian intellectuals and military leaders and repatriated their remains.
What really matters is what Russians think of Putin.
Here’s an example that is more important than anything posted here on TUR:
Pilot Responds to Putin With Deep Bow of Gratitude
- December 11, 2025 at 4:52 pm GMT • 100 Words
The Real Reason the Fed Just Ended Quantitative Tightening (QT)
The US Federal Reserve System (“the Fed”) is a creation of Congress: “Anything only exists as long as the monopoly on violence wants it to exist. And the only way the monopoly on violence wants it to continue to exist is if it serves their purposes.” Mr. Brown gives a lucid explanation of the roles of quantitative easing (QE) and quantitative tightening (QT) in federal government monetary policy, and how changes to the leadership of the Fed in 2026 will usher in a new regime of QE, but one that will be delegated to the banks (not the Fed). He also provides a proper understanding of the true objective behind the Fed’s “triple mandate” in the Federal Reserve Reform Act of 1977.||economics||
- December 10, 2025 at 8:54 pm GMT • 800 Words
“THE AMERICAN MILITARY (all caps in the original) has resisted change for decades. . . . John McCain spent years raising the alarm on Capitol Hill, only to see Congress continue its support for outdated strategies.”
Ah yes, the eternal John McCain, the perpetual
guiding lightforce of darkness of the NeoCon UniParty Forever Warmongers. What a surprise.Re-inventing the MIC is a new tune on an old theme: Gen. Smedley Butler’s aptly named “War is a Racket.” It’s all about the Benjamins. Trillions after trillions after trillions for weapons of destruction, while America’s civil infrastructure falls deeper and deeper into unrecoverable decay.
Consider the war marketing fever of Palmer Luckey in his April 2025 TED Talk:
https://www.ted.com/talks/palmer_luckey_the_ai_arsenal_that_could_stop_world_war_iii
Or consider the following NeoCon UniParty Forever Wars All-Star Team:
Jamie Dimon taps Jeff Bezos, Michael Dell, and Ford CEO Jim Farley to advise JPMorgan’s $1.5 trillion national security initiative
Jamie Dimon’s JPMorgan Chase just unveiled a list of business leaders and retired government officials that will make up a new advisory team to guide the investment bank’s $1.5 trillion national security initiative.
[ See the All-Star Lineup after the MORE tag ]
• Thanks: QCIC “Treason never prospers; what’s the reason? For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
• Thanks: Voltardehttps://www.richardhanania.com/p/how-federal-law-made-us-all-disabled
How Federal Law Made Us All Disabled||culture-society||
• Thanks: Voltarde- December 10, 2025 at 11:42 am GMT • 200 Words
“I don’t rule out the possibility that the CIA, who has an enormous investment in Ukraine, is working to undermine Trump’s efforts to secure a peace that will come at Ukraine’s expense. . . . I believe this is part of a unending effort by the Deep State to try to pump life into Project Ukraine, which is now on life support and fading fast, by pushing a narrative that Ukraine is far from defeat.”
The Kiev Regime and the UK/EU/US warmongers are stalling for time until the 2026 US mid-term congressional elections, which the Republicans are going to lose in a landslide.
There will always be a NeoCon war faction in the Republican Party. In February 2027 they will unite with the Democrats and resume massive funding and other support for the Kiev Regime, likely by attaching that support to a DoD appropriations bill that will be impossible for a lame-duck President Trump to veto.
• Replies: @QCIC@VoltardeMaybe this is a reason Team Trump is pushing the ridiculous "peace plans" at Russia, trying in vain to get that Nobel Prize while there is still a chance. - December 10, 2025 at 3:34 am GMT • 100 Words
Sovereign Wealth Funds: State Instruments for Generating Financial Returns and Projecting Power
“Kuwait established the world’s first sovereign wealth fund in 1953. The Kuwaiti model spread around the world, and Middle Eastern sovereigns have since driven global capital flows. According to Global SWF, in the first nine months of 2025, Middle Eastern sovereign investors accounted for as much as 40 percent of state-investor deal value globally, with deals totaling $56.3 billion. Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds have more than $5.6 trillion in assets under management, which would make these pools of capital collectively the third-largest economy in the world. By 2030, that number is projected to climb to $8.8 trillion.”||economics||
- December 10, 2025 at 3:21 am GMT • 100 Words
https://andyljones.com/posts/horses.html
Engines vs. Horses; AI vs. Human Experts: Equivalence was Sudden
“Engines were invented in 1700, then got 20% better each decade. In the first 220 years of that steady improvement, horses didn’t notice at all. Then, between 1930 and 1950, 90% of the horses in the US disappeared. Progress in engines was steady; equivalence to horses, sudden. Computer chess has been tracked since 1985, and improved by 50 Elo per year. A human grandmaster would win 90% of their games against a computer in 2000, but only 10% ten years later. Progress in computer chess was steady; equivalence to humans, sudden. I was one of the first AI researchers hired at Anthropic. In six months I was surpassed by a system that costs one thousand times less than I do.”||science||
• Thanks: Miro23, for-the-record Boo Hoo Hoo: EU-nuchs Weep and Wail About New US National Security Strategy
The EU bureaucracy’s geriatric geldings and grimalkins grouch grouch grouch about the unavoidable conclusion that their own destructiveness and incompetence led to their geopolitical irrelevance.||foreign-policy||
• Thanks: fnn- @QCICDecember 9, 2025 at 1:59 am GMT • 400 Words@Torna atrásCan you recommend any references which explain some of the key Chinese improvements in refining techniques for rare earth elements relative to the technology level they started from?Replies: @Torna atrás
Japan still has not made any breakthroughs in the refining technology of heavy rare earths (Samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, yttrium, holmium, erbium, thulium, europium, ytterbium…….) and has to rely entirely on China.
The rare earths purchased by Japan from non Chinese channels are actually produced by China and exported to other countries before being resold to Japan.
The Rare Earth Research Paper is Free, but the Moat is in the Execution: Why 5N (99.999%) Purity Rare Earth Refining Still Belongs to China
Principle of Extraction Chemistry, Rare Earth Solvent Extraction, The Structure of Matter and The Basic Principles of Quantum Chemistry and Ab-initio Calculation. By Xu Guangxia.
And yet, despite this transparency, countries like Japan continue to struggle to replicate China’s dominance in 5N (99.999% purity) rare earth refining. The reason is simple but sobering: science is not sovereignty, and theory is not execution.
Xu developed the process of countercurrent extraction (also known as series extraction or cascade extraction) and substantially reduced the time taken to process the material from years down to weeks and their resulting cost.
Process knowledge is paramount!
Xu helped design and oversee the massive infrastructure buildout required to scale his theory into practice: hundreds of solvent extraction stages, operated continuously, with tight tolerances and minimal error. He trained generations of engineers and chemists, embedding tacit knowledge—the kind that can’t be written down—into a national workforce. This is China’s true moat: not just the science, but the institutional memory and operational muscle to execute it at scale.
The impact of his contribution was immediate. The price of pure rare earth metals plunged from five times that of gold in the 1970s to just 20 yuan per kilogram by the year 2009, for one of them, samarium.
While the cascade extraction process is published, its successful execution requires hundreds of interlinked stages, each sensitive to flow rate, temperature, and solvent chemistry. A single misstep can compromise purity. China has thousands of technicians who have run these systems for decades. Japan by contrast, is scrambling to train a handful of specialists.
• Replies: @QCIC@Torna atrásThanks, this information is interesting. Is this your field?Our discussion does not address if the Japanese were not able to achieve success with production of some rare earths (since that chemistry is complex) or if it simply did not make sense for them to work on large process scale-ups where the various Chinese competitive economic advantages are well known. Japan was itself becoming a powerhouse in the production of fine chemicals and magnets by the 1980s.Here is an extended bio of the professor describing his illustrious career. I would like to see an English translation of his earlier book the Structure of Matter and also compare it with similar coverage in one of his recent books. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11426-009-0286-6.pdfReplies: @Torna atrás
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