★ Priority · 15
Market Update & Signals 9/23/26
PRIORITYMacro Charts
- QQQ hit new all-time closing highs while broader market shows weakness, with only 18% of S&P industry groups up for September.
- Performance gap widening significantly: QQQ up 5% in one month vs SPY up 1% and average stock down 4%.
- 22 of 30 SOX semiconductor components are constructive and candidate for pullback buys if a market shakeout occurs.
💬 New thread from Le Shrub
PRIORITYLe Shrub from Reminiscences of a Shrub Operator
- Chat thread discussing Trump's suggestion to rename AI to SI and the risks of outsourcing thinking to artificial intelligence systems.
- Brief commentary on ongoing diplomatic situation with Iran and Xi's visit to Washington.
- Informal market and geopolitical commentary from newsletter chat participant.
Pastor Ezra Jin: Free My Fellow Church Leaders in China. Plus. . .
PRIORITYThe Free Press
- Xi Jinping arrives in Washington today for meetings with Trump covering AI, critical minerals, trade, and Taiwan among key agenda items.
- Pastor Ezra Jin and other political/religious prisoners remain detained in China; Trump previously raised Jin's case during May meeting.
- Human rights advocates hope the detention of Chinese dissidents and church leaders will not be overshadowed by economic and strategic discussions.
Here's My Game Plan For The Oil Trade (Sept 23)
PRIORITYHFI Research
- Crude oil in pullback phase amid Iran-US tensions following repeated verbal escalation and strike cycles that temporarily push prices higher.
- Global crude oil inventories continue declining despite pullbacks, indicating structural undersupply despite tactical peace headlines.
- Semi-closed Strait of Hormuz status continues impacting global oil balances, supporting higher price floors despite repeated negotiation cycles.
Chapter 9 - You Can Only Slay The Dragon Once
PRIORITYRussell Clark from Capital Flows and Asset Markets
- Junior analyst reflects on a 2002 meeting with Jiangxi Copper when Chinese industrialization seemed promising but company presentation was poorly executed.
- Fund managers at the meeting were divided on China's investment sustainability, with one manager making bearish comparisons to pre-Asian Financial Crisis Southeast Asia.
- Personal narrative explores early career experiences in emerging market investing and the difficulty of assessing investment opportunities with incomplete information.
(WOMM) What Energy’s Valuation Says About The Rest Of The Market
PRIORITYIdeas from HFI Research
- Energy sector remains among the cheapest S&P 500 sectors on valuation metrics despite being fairly valued on normalized oil assumptions around $80/barrel.
- High valuations across the broader market make it increasingly difficult to find investments with adequate margins of safety, even in energy.
- Energy's relative cheapness compared to other sectors signals that overall market valuations are stretched elsewhere.
They Were Lifelong Democrats. Then a Terrorist Attacked Their Synagogue.
PRIORITYThe Free Press
- Lifelong Democratic Jewish voters in Michigan are reconsidering support for Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed due to concerns about his alleged anti-Jewish stance.
- Members of Temple Israel, a historically liberal synagogue near Detroit, report that approximately 70% of congregants plan to vote for Republican opponent Mike Rogers.
- Some Jewish Democrats have never voted Republican before but are now either switching or abstaining from the Senate race over security concerns for their community.
The Monstering of Art
PRIORITYEve Barlow from Blacklisted
- Ayn Rand's biography reveals how her experience of communist Russia shaped her philosophy rejecting altruism and collectivism in favor of radical individualism.
- Rand's fictional characters who refuse to surrender independence to group demands are consistently ostracized, hunted, and punished—a pattern reflecting her philosophical worldview.
- The essay explores Rand's influence as a prophetic figure who understood how power can be acquired through the pretense of loving-kindness.
HAVE CENTRAL BANKS ALREADY LOST CONTROL OF CREDIT MARKETS?
PRIORITYRussell Clark from Capital Flows and Asset Markets
- Central banks have created asymmetrical policy-making with aggressive cuts/interventions on downside but reluctant rate increases, tying corporate credit to sovereign credit markets.
- Corporate debt spreads remain historically tight, indicating markets believe central banks will always intervene to prevent recessions, creating false confidence.
- Accelerating loan growth globally—even in Japan—suggests markets discount recession risk, creating a structural problem for central banks trying to tighten policy.
The Other Invisible Metal
PRIORITYPauloMacro’s Substack
- Nickel thesis pivots from perceived value trap to coiled spring as Indonesian government cuts supply quotas and consolidates resource sector control.
- Indonesia's 70% global supply concentration creates nationalization/rationalization risk that could swing nickel from surplus to deficit within years.
- Junior mining stocks like Magna Mining and Talon offer exposure to advancing nickel assets with strong management, though liquidity challenges exist for retail investors outside LME futures.
Uncomfortable Truths
PRIORITYLe Shrub from Reminiscences of a Shrub Operator
- Meta's AI Agent Muse gains market enthusiasm while OpenAI/Anthropic leadership faces criticism for regulatory capture and fearmongering (Jensen Huang, Alex Karp commentary).
- Chinese AI models now represent 66% of token share with Alibaba expanding data center capacity to 20GW by 2032—roughly 15-20% of projected US capacity.
- OpenAI nationalization appears inevitable if no IPO materializes, per Palantir's Karp, reflecting belief that US-China AI competition is existential.
Market Update & Signals 9/22/26
PRIORITYMacro Charts
- SPY broke to highest close since August record with bull flag breakout projecting to ~$780 new all-time high; QQQ on track for first green September in midterm election year since 2010.
- Tech led gains with Nasdaq +830 points; MAGS, SMH, XLK, and IGV all showing strong breakout patterns toward new highs.
- Momentum flipped to long but not overbought; multiple open gaps at lower levels ($747, $705) may require retesting despite bullish sentiment.
Coleman Hughes on Nikole Hannah-Jones’ School Experiment. Plus. . .
PRIORITYThe Free Press
- Nikole Hannah-Jones admitted her 2014 decision to send daughter to underfunded school to fight inequality was a failure, leaving daughter angry and feeling betrayed.
- Coleman Hughes argues it is better to learn from ideological opponents' mistakes than kick them when down.
- Story examines the gap between ideological principle and practical parenting outcomes.
The Bravest Man We Ever Knew
PRIORITYThe Free Press
- A disabled man named Dovie wrote a compelling article against New York's assisted suicide bill, arguing its logic dehumanizes people with disabilities.
- Despite living with nemaline myopathy requiring a wheelchair and ventilator, Dovie's life demonstrated value and purpose contrary to assisted suicide advocates' premises.
- The article explores how societal views on disability and worth intersect with end-of-life policy decisions.
💬 New thread from Le Shrub
PRIORITYLe Shrub from Reminiscences of a Shrub Operator
- Markets are engaging in 'War of Worry' meme dynamics following Trump's Iran statements that could signal either minor developments or major geopolitical escalation.
- Treasury Secretary Bessent's handshake with Jake Paul is being satirically positioned as marking a potential bottom in cultural/market absurdity.
- Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba (BABA) is extending gains following Trump-Xi diplomatic engagement.
Macro · 15
Episode 023: Noise awaiting signal
Mark Farrington from Global Watchtower
- Episode assesses major market events since the last discussion and evaluates whether evidence is shifting on key macro trends.
- Inflation remains sticky despite characterization as 'hot,' with both hosts agreeing inflation expectations remain elevated enough to require further tightening.
- Examines central bank policies, Treasury curve dynamics, bond market management, and corporate earnings strength amid ongoing market uncertainty.
Episode 023: Noise awaiting signal
Thematic Markets
- Assessment of the 'resolution window' from summer through US midterm elections reveals that many feared outcomes have not materialized.
- Latest CPI data characterized as 'hot' but hosts question this interpretation while acknowledging inflation expectations remain elevated.
- Earnings remain strong, Treasury markets have stabilized, and capital investment is broader than AI-only narratives suggest, though uncertainty persists heading into elections.
💬 New thread from Nico
Nico from AiQ
- Chinese RMB continues to strengthen quietly while US Treasury Secretary avoids formal currency manipulation accusations despite Beijing's guilty practices.
- South Korea and Taiwan employ even more aggressive FX policies that Washington tolerates due to trade surplus recycling into US Treasuries and equities.
- Commodity FX dynamics driven by currency movements as pensions and foreign reserves repatriate capital.
Does The Investment Cycle Favor Stocks?
Prometheus Research
- Business fixed investment is the primary driver of cyclical GDP variation, with every recession preceded by investment weakness.
- The post analyzes five components of business investment (residential, industrial, transport, information equipment, intellectual property) to assess economic sustainability.
- Residential investment remains weak due to high monetary policy rates and low housing demand, but not yet severe enough to trigger broader contraction.
10 Charts to Watch in 2026 [update]
Callum Thomas from Topdown Charts Professional
- Global growth has proven resilient despite geopolitical challenges, driven by prior monetary stimulus and showing signs of reacceleration in manufacturing PMI.
- A significant macro pivot from interest rate hikes in 2023 to tailwinds in 2026 is now shifting again, with tailwinds expected to turn to headwinds in 2027.
- OECD leading indicators corroborate global economic reacceleration, with monetary policy cycles playing a central role in determining market direction.
The KOSPI Is Where Policy Meets The AI Trade
Capital Flows
- Global macro traders can capitalize on extreme credit events and policy-driven dislocations in rates and FX, an underutilized source of alpha.
- The Korean KOSPI index represents a convergence point where policy decisions and AI infrastructure trade dynamics intersect for significant opportunities.
- An asset-agnostic and country-agnostic approach enables traders to pivot to volatile opportunities rather than concentrating risk in oversaturated equity sectors.
China EVs in US? The Impending Trump-XI Deal – and What it Means for America
PAIDProf Robert Pape
- Xi Jinping's Washington summit centers on potential Chinese EV manufacturing expansion in the US, with major tech and battery executives in delegation.
- Trump administration discussions focus on securing rare earth mineral supply chains for aerospace and consumer electronics alongside EV manufacturing.
- Chinese EV market entry poses competitive threat to US automakers while raising geopolitical questions about trade-offs between short-term economic gains and long-term strategic positioning.
The Fed Can Be Right, But The Curve Can Still Be Wrong
Global Macro Method
- Fed may be right about hiking, but markets may be overpricing total tightening needed beyond potential October increase.
- Effective funds rate at 3.88% with ~13.7bp priced for October and policy peak around 4.66% next September.
- Author seeking to trade the gap between economy strong enough to absorb another hike and one requiring entire priced path via rates and currency trades.
Global Liquidity Watch: Weekly Update
Michael Howell from Capital Wars
- Global liquidity rose above $196 trillion last week driven by favorable funding conditions.
- Collateral multiplier at all-time high according to Capital Wars records.
- Capital rotating from emerging markets toward developed markets and commodity-producing regions despite elevated investor risk appetite.
Bessent Is the House Now. Gold Is the Tell
Craig Tindale
- Treasury Secretary Bessent doubled long-dated bond buyback operations, signaling direct intervention to manage the long end of the yield curve.
- Gold historically marks inflection points when U.S. Treasury debt management conditions are rewritten, serving as a reliable indicator of structural shifts.
- The buyback program represents a departure from passive debt management and reflects deepening concerns about fiscal sustainability.
Pyrrhic Victory
Peruvian Bull
- Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's unanimous rate hike represents a Pyrrhic victory that addresses the wrong inflation dynamic and worsens the government's underlying fiscal challenges.
- The 12-0 FOMC vote signals rare consensus on tightening, but applied the blunt instrument of interest rates to a structural inflation problem rather than a cyclical one.
- Trump's appointment of Warsh for looser policy has instead produced restrictive moves that conflict with the administration's stated economic goals.
Insider Newsletter: Issue #336
Capitalist Exploits (Substack)
- US 10-year bond yield at 4.67% versus China's 1.68% shows widest spread on record, revealing market distrust in US fiscal sustainability.
- Bond yields represent the unspinnable verdict on government creditworthiness; the US gap reflects massive deficits and shrinking domestic demand for Treasuries.
- As Treasury issuance continues to grow, the market is quietly running short of willing buyers, forcing yields higher to attract marginal demand.
The $2 Trillion Apartment Bomb Is Really a Bank Story
Rebel Capitalist News Desk
- US apartment landlords face $1.8 trillion in debt over next decade, with $757 billion due by 2028; loans locked in at ~3% in 2020-21 now refinance near 6%, breaking the math for many owners.
- This is fundamentally a banking story: delinquency rates on apartment mortgage bonds jumped from ~1% to ~7%, the sharpest rise of any property type, creating losses that will ripple across bank balance sheets.
- Watch bank lending standards, private credit, and 10-year yields as tripwires; tightening credit conditions and higher rates could trigger cascade of foreclosures including major players like Blackstone.
Should Investors Maintain Equity Allocations During An Inflation Shock?
Prometheus Research
- Nominal GDP remains elevated with persistent inflationary pressures materially above Fed policy targets, creating a stagflationary backdrop.
- Commodity assets remain the strongest portfolio performers in this regime, while equities face mixed drivers and should be repositioned as diversifiers rather than return generators.
- Rising nominal growth with inflation favors commodities and hurts fixed income, requiring tactical portfolio reallocation away from traditional equity-heavy allocations.
Shotgun Wedding
Santiago Capital Research
- Federal Reserve raised policy rate by 25bps to 3.75-4% range on September 16, the first increase in over three years, with unanimous vote despite administration pressure for lower rates.
- 10-year Treasury yield surged to 4.996% following the hike, the highest in a year, creating unfavorable borrowing conditions for the large federal deficit.
- The episode demonstrates that conviction in economic frameworks should not extend to certainty about market sequence—consensus expectations can shift rapidly even when surprises seem unlikely.
Politics · 13
Palestine After the Two-State Solution
Andrew Fox from Fox On War
- Two-state solution is politically dead as an immediate project due to both Israeli and Palestinian skepticism rooted in security concerns.
- Gaza withdrawal in 2005 followed by Hamas takeover and 7 October attacks creates Israeli fear that West Bank withdrawal could repeat the pattern.
- Polling shows only 17% of Palestinians support the two-state solution, indicating both sides lack confidence in traditional peace frameworks.
Nobody Knows, Donald
Hypernormal Times
- Trump simultaneously issued threats of annihilation toward Iran while envoys conducted 'constructive and promising' negotiations, creating conflicting market signals.
- Markets focused on diplomacy signals rather than military threats, with Brent crude falling toward $98 for a six-session losing streak.
- US-China summit agreed on establishing a Board of Trade and AI notification hotline, though substance of discussions remains limited.
King Abdullah Described Jordan at the UN and Called It Israel
Built in Israel. For everyone. from Mitch's Substack
- Jordan's King Abdullah criticized the world for managing rather than confronting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but his own country's demographics mirror similar issues.
- Jordan's 2016 census documented over 634,000 Palestinians without national ID numbers, classified as 'guests' rather than citizens, contradicting Abdullah's rhetoric.
- The post argues that King Abdullah's criticisms of Israel's treatment of Palestinians apply equally to Jordan's historical management of Palestinian populations.
On Dogmas, Heterodoxy, and Supermajorities
Ruy Teixeira and Michael Baharaeen
- Adam Jentleson's new book argues Democrats need to embrace 'heterodoxy' by allowing candidates to deviate from party orthodoxy to fit their districts rather than imposing ideological purity tests.
- Ruy Teixeira agrees with much of Jentleson's argument for building a durable supermajority but believes the book comes up short in key ways.
- The debate centers on how Democrats can rebuild electoral power after their 2024 defeat to Trump.
The real problem with interfaith initiatives
Jonathan Sacerdoti
- The Archbishop of Canterbury's recent missteps reveal that choreographed interfaith initiatives are performative rather than genuine coexistence.
- Jonathan Sacerdoti argues that the harder interfaith events work to demonstrate harmony between communities, the more they signal underlying doubt and division.
- Performance-based interfaith engagement attracts performers and proves the opposite of what it intends, after 25 years of observing such initiatives.
Americans don’t like extremists
Hot Takes by Adam Singer
- Both 'woke left' and 'woke right' share identical operating systems (racial identity obsession, expanded government power, struggle sessions) despite opposite aesthetics.
- Far-left DSA and far-right movements exhibit parallel behavioral patterns in dehumanization and extremism that reject centrist, liberal democratic values.
- Americans historically reject political extremists regardless of ideological wrapper, suggesting mainstream backlash potential against both factions.
Zika, The Midterms, Maine.
David R. Kotok from The Kotok Report
- Measles outbreak in Pennsylvania coincides with RFK Jr. vaccine skepticism claims in Maine, with potential electoral impact on PA, Maine, and Florida voters.
- Kotok's updated Zika pamphlet documents decade-long health and economic consequences of delayed political response to disease epidemics.
- Historical pattern shows American politics consistently delays epidemic responses with long-term suffering and economic costs to vulnerable populations.
Why People Trust Doctors But Not Politicians
Free Agent Politics by John Halpin
- Ipsos Global Trustworthiness Index shows politicians most untrustworthy profession on average, distrusted by two-thirds or more in 14 major countries.
- Doctors emerge as most trustworthy professionals overall, ranking first in 16 of 31 nations, followed closely by scientists.
- Trust gap between doctors and politicians reflects deeper credibility crisis affecting governance and institutional confidence.
Europe’s Crisis of Competence Ten Months On
Jeremy McKeown from Hypernormal Times
- EU methane and packaging regulations impose compliance costs so high that enforcement has been suspended before the rules even took effect, creating contingent liabilities for businesses.
- Laws that are technically live but unenforced create legal ambiguity and raise capital costs for investors, undermining the EU's stated regulatory objectives.
- Little has improved in Europe's competence crisis over ten months; structural governance and enforcement failures persist across multiple policy domains.
Francesca Albanese Calls For The End Of Western Military Aid To Ukraine
John Aziz
- UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese's call to end Western military aid to Ukraine misattributes the root cause of conflict escalation to Western weapons rather than Putin's initial invasion.
- Weapons transfers to Ukraine began only after Russia massed forces on the border in late 2021; removing aid would not incentivize negotiations absent a shift in Russian strategy.
- The argument betrays a flawed understanding of negotiating dynamics and reflects anti-Western bias rather than a coherent conflict resolution framework.
Mamdani’s Influencer Army Is Recruiting Your Children
Restoring the West by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Columbia Journalism Review exposes how political movements manufacture authenticity through coordinated influencer networks rather than genuine grassroots organizing.
- Western institutions have been infiltrated by ideologues across schools, universities and municipal governments while establishment conservatives dismissed warnings and relied on free market of ideas to self-correct.
- The right is still playing by outdated rules while the left has shifted tactics; institutional capture and youth recruitment through manufactured grassroots movements are the new battlefield.
Clear Thoughts: The Press Ban, Trump's $5,000 Promise, Macklemore “Genocide”, and the Lone Clancy Juror
Kaizen Asiedu
- Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House access, claiming they publish fiction; the TV pool of networks (including Fox) refused to cover his UN trip in protest.
- Legal question is whether bans are permitted; ethical question is whether they should be—courts have held that once press access is granted, presidents cannot revoke it over coverage.
- Separate incidents include Trump's $5,000 working class promise, Macklemore's genocide comments, and a sole juror holdout in a major case.
Corruption Fears Surge
Demography Unplugged
- 89% of Americans believe government corruption is widespread, up 30 percentage points since 2006 and 10 points since 2025.
- Democrats drove much of the surge, with 91% now believing in corruption (+15 points in one year), reflecting accelerated distrust after Trump's return.
- Republicans show declining skepticism despite controlling government, suggesting either deep state distrust or willingness to overlook ethical concerns for policy alignment.
AI · 11
The rest of my AI portfolio
PAIDGeo Chen from Fidenza Macro
- SMH semiconductor ETF broke out of cup-and-handle base, signaling the August-September deleveraging was a local top, not the AI super-cycle peak.
- Meta's Muse Spark agentic AI release credited with igniting sector rally due to consumer appeal and mass adoption potential vs enterprise-only competitors.
- Author's AI portfolio up 10.2% from Friday long position vs 7.5% SMH gain, with Nasdaq also entered last Thursday.
America Is Scared of AI. China Isn't.
Kaizen Asiedu
- America shows only 38% positivity toward AI while China shows 85%, reflecting divergent cultural and policy approaches to technology adoption.
- US bans AI in classrooms while China integrates it into curriculum; America fears existential risks while China hosts Robot Olympics.
- The difference between American fear and Chinese optimism reflects philosophical approaches to problem-solving: fear-based thinking versus faith-based opportunity recognition.
The secret behind Meta’s Muse
Gary Marcus from Marcus on AI
- Meta's new Muse agent follows previous failed attempts like Project M (2015-2018), which was expensive to run and relied heavily on human operators behind the scenes.
- Project M only reached 10,000 users and was eventually revealed to use human labor similar to the original Mechanical Turk, undermining automation claims.
- The post examines whether Meta has learned from past failures and can successfully scale an AI agent to the general public this time.
Agentic Reality
Citrini
- AI agents removing friction from workflows are creating both winners and losers across the global economy, validating earlier predictions from the publication.
- The 'Citrini Trade' focuses on beneficiaries of AI disruption while also examining overlooked losers in the transformation.
- Market participants have become more focused on short-term price action rather than longer-term structural shifts driven by agentic AI.
BREAKING: Arsonist to write fire code at UN
Gary Marcus from Marcus on AI
- Trump's proposal to rebrand AI as 'Super Intelligence' at the UN is criticized as superficial rebranding by someone lacking deep understanding of the underlying technology.
- OpenAI's Sam Altman briefing the UN Security Council is compared to having an arsonist write fire code, given concerns about OpenAI's competence and ethical leadership.
- The critique questions whether statements from technology leaders lacking genuine expertise should carry weight in international policy discussions.
Your agent is giving you reasonable answers from half your context. A conversation with OpenAI.
Nate from Nate’s Substack
- OpenAI teams report AI adoption spreads first to software engineering roles, then to functions like legal where documents can be easily accessed by AI models.
- AI workplace adoption success depends not just on technical capability but on whether systems can actually access the information needed for workers to do their jobs effectively.
- As AI handles busywork tasks, workers face a new challenge: deciding what to build becomes more important than building itself, raising questions about how people should spend freed-up time.
How to Use Jev AI: The Complete Guide to TypeSafe's System One Model 🤖
Linas from Linas's Newsletter
- Diogo Almeida, former OpenAI researcher, launched Jev AI through TypeSafe—a model that makes decisions rather than generating text.
- Jev works as smart switch statement taking predefined options and returning calibrated confidence scores, optimized for software decision-making rather than text generation.
- Within week of launch, Jev integrated into Vercel AI Gateway, OpenRouter, and Cloudflare Workers AI with hundreds of community builds showing remarkable performance metrics.
Big news at the UN
Gary Marcus from Marcus on AI
- Gary Marcus presented at UN General Assembly warning that extremes in AI discourse (zero regulation vs. extinction fears) both miss the real near-term threats.
- Actual risks include wholesale deepfaked disinformation, unreliable AI systems stealing credentials and launching cyberattacks at scale, and potential recession from unsustainable AI investment.
- Moderate regulation and pragmatic safeguards are needed; hope is not a strategy, and both unregulated AI and doomsday scenarios overestimate or mischaracterize the technology.
11 Charts the AI Industry Doesn’t Want You to See (pt. 2)
Alberto Romero from The Algorithmic Bridge
- Part two of chart compilation reveals financial and economic vulnerabilities in the AI boom that suggest potential bubble dynamics.
- Industry narrative focuses on benchmark performance improvements (e.g., GPT-6 capabilities) but real-world economic results and returns on massive AI investments lag significantly.
- Data shows growing divergence between technology hype and tangible business outcomes, with declining investor enthusiasm and mounting evidence of unsustainable spending.
Going long AI infrastructure again
PAIDGeo Chen from Fidenza Macro
- After exiting AI infrastructure in June, Geo Chen re-entered the sector following the resolution of excessive market leverage and stagflationary concerns.
- The Nasdaq's resilience despite energy headwinds, Fed hawkishness, and AI safety concerns signals strong underlying conviction in AI infrastructure expansion.
- Commodification of frontier AI and safety concerns are no longer valid bearish catalysts, supporting the continuation of the compute investment bull market.
The AI Super Cycle Just Gets Weirder... (Live in 15 Minutes)
Garrett Baldwin (MP Pro)
- A class action lawsuit filed against Anthropic, OpenAI, xAI, and Google claims they are colluding to slow AI development pace in violation of antitrust law.
- Google's Gemini model successfully hacked into three companies during security testing, raising concerns about AI security vulnerabilities.
- Chinese state TV warned citizens about Anthropic's privacy policy allowing data sharing with US intelligence, highlighting geopolitical tensions around AI development.
Culture · 10
CRUSADESMAXXING
PAIDWinston Marshall
- Crusader iconography is increasingly appearing in mainstream UK culture, from A-road lampposts to Reform rallies and AI-generated content.
- Historical crusader sites across the Mediterranean remain potent symbols of Western-Islamic conflict with lasting cultural resonance in regions like Lebanon.
- London's medieval Templar and Hospitaller architecture demonstrates how crusader heritage is embedded in modern urban landscapes.
The 50 Essential Western Films
Ted Gioia
- The final installment covers Western films from 1969 onward, a period where the genre paradoxically declined in mass appeal while attracting bold filmmakers experimenting with new storytelling approaches.
- Films from this era adopt diverse stances on Western tropes and retain surprising power to shock and provoke decades after release.
- The survey includes iconic films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and invites reader participation for omitted recommendations.
Teach Your Children How to Cook
Restoring the West by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Over half of Americans lack kitchen proficiency, and traditional home economics courses have been eliminated or relegated to electives in schools.
- Teaching children to cook strengthens family bonds through shared meals, anchors a healthy home environment, and prepares youth for independent adulthood.
- Learning cooking skills is presented as one of the most important competencies for becoming a responsible, self-sufficient adult in modern society.
5 Healthy Sweet Treats I Made to Lose 80 lbs Postpartum
Alisa | That Tastes Delish from That Tastes Delish
- Author shares five healthy sweet treat recipes she made while losing 80 pounds postpartum.
- Post focuses on practical wellness strategies and nutrition during postpartum recovery.
- Content targets readers interested in healthy eating and weight loss approaches.
REPLAY: A Live Conversation with Scott Galloway and Anand Giridharadas
The Prof G Pod
- Scott Galloway and Anand Giridharadas discuss Giridharadas' new book 'Man in the Mirror' in a live conversation format.
- The discussion explores what the Jordan Neely case reveals about political alienation on both left and right.
- Conversation highlights shared feelings of abandonment across the political spectrum.
Keep Breathing, After Ingrid Michaelson
Shari A Smith from Running On Faith And Coffee
- Breaking away from established communities—through deconstruction, family estrangement, or taking principled stands—creates isolation and fractures safety nets despite being necessary choices.
- The author draws parallels between the emotional weight of personal choices and the lyrics of Ingrid Michaelson's "Keep Breathing," which addresses loss of hope and community.
- Finding meaning and resilience requires acknowledging the real costs of nonconformity while maintaining commitment to personal integrity.
Sea, Mountain and Creativity: Northeastern Spain
Rosie from Milk Street Cooking School
- Paula Mourenza and chef Pau Rull designed a culinary trip through Catalonia emphasizing local food producers and traditional methods.
- The trip explores the Pyrenees foothills and Barcelona coastline to experience Catalonia through local perspectives rather than tourist attractions.
- Guides introduce travelers to passionate producers including foragers and winemakers working in both innovative and traditional ways.
The Cost of Maternal Absence
Restoring the West by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Erica Komisar's 'Being There' argues that a mother's physical and emotional presence during a child's first three years is fundamental to development.
- The book challenges the assumption that mothers should prioritize career advancement over active parenting in early childhood.
- Financial pressures and career expectations increasingly pull mothers back to work, raising urgent questions about whether family organization prioritizes children's needs.
America's Worst Test Scores on Record
The Prof G Pod
- American 15-year-olds posted worst reading scores in PISA's 25-year history, signaling a significant decline in educational performance.
- Smartphones and AI chatbots are identified as contributing factors to the deterioration in student literacy and academic outcomes.
- Countries like England and Japan are implementing different strategies that show better results, offering potential models for US education reform.
Is It the Season of the Scammer?
Rich People Shit from Carson Griffith
- Scams targeting wealthy individuals have surged in recent weeks, with increased media and public fascination around high-profile fraud cases.
- Recent notable cases include Gregg Starr, a 38-year-old male escort accused of defrauding a 'Roblox widow' of millions, and ongoing scrutiny of billionaire Leon Black.
- The article examines why wealthy scams capture public imagination more than lower-income fraud, focusing on the audacity and moral complexity involved.