Ben

Is the "AI threat" the new Y2K?

Audi, a car brand for those who have a bit of money, and nothing interesting to say.

The Paris Auto Show this year is said to be “Beijing Auto Show West”.

The countdown to coup d'état of American characteristics.

Civilians applying for jobs in the Pentagon are also being vetted this way, but worse: asked if Trump won the 2020 election.

The best outcome Putin the humanitarian can hope for is probably jail in a Scandinavian country.

About time. www.ft.com/content/57e1...

Imagine Ukraine attacks Chinese ships/airplanes/trains, including inside China, that supply Russia's war machine. www.wsj.com/world/europe...

Friendly reminder that even under SCOTUS ruling in Trump v. United States (July 2024), a president has no immunity for unofficial (i.e., personal or private) acts, even if it is conducted while in office.

How did Xi Jinping become fiercely loyal to the Communist Party that destroyed his family? Political historian Joseph Torigian explains the bloody history behind China’s strongman.

Predicable, as Yi Wang escalated request in Sept to “[Japan] soon affirmatively correct”/尽快纠正 its wording about Taiwan. Self censor + apology, or else. Time for Japan to threaten to air its archives about CCP collusion w Imperial Japan Army during WWII. www.ft.com/content/ebd3...

"there needs to be a bipartisan reckoning for Mr. Trump’s budding alliance with the Kremlin against Ukraine, Europe and American interests." @wsj.com editorial board

Amazed that France gets 3x foreign tourists what Japan does.

Military leaders becoming amplifiers of obviously false politically-motivated messages is a norm breaking danger sign.

Waiting for the “never again” moment of the GOP.

It seems Susie Wiles will be next. Trump is bad at firing guys.

Rather than blaming Ukraine for the spillover of Iran War, the White House should examine how its own legislative genius used crypto to help fund the Iran regime. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Everyone with basic knowledge on the unauthorized practice law or legal ethics in the U.S. would know that Katie Zacharia lied, however the White House tries to spin it. She should be held liable. What a start of one's first week of the spin doctor job.

Worth repeating -- Zelensky is a stand-up guy. www.ft.com/content/4d79...

Elon and POTUS seem to be in a match to sling Ukrainian blood onto each other.

In view of America’s planned first public execution since the 1930s, Xi might feel validated about what he told Putin on camera - "Our time of changes unseen for 100 years".

Tokyo is the new Paris.

EU’s deal with China, limited to hybrid cars, amounts to nothing more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Rather than addressing China’s demand imbalance, industrial subsidies, or monetary policy, the EU bureaucracy struck deal over hybrid cars and buried its head in the sand again. www.reuters.com/world/china/...

For those who celebrate the freedom of press (and to read), this week is the banned books week in America.

The people who don’t want you to watch miss rachel want you to watch a public execution

The junior partner of Putin, who’s a junior partner of Xi. Is this not “peak China”?

Public executions are conducted by terrible regimes in Afghanistan, Iran,& North Korea.I support the death penalty in general & in this case in particular, but our soldiers should not be live streamed conducting an execution.It's not who we are as a military or a nation. tinyurl.com/jhb8t2mf

Today, a Russian strike on Pryluky 🇺🇦 killed at least 19 people, incl. 5 children. Same day, in Moscow, ex-🇩🇪 Chancellor Gerhard Schröder told staff of the Russian hypermarket chain whose board he just joined: "I'm very happy to be here... and to meet you, my wonderful colleagues." Moral bankruptcy

How ironic that according to Chinese school textbooks, a key evil of capitalism, is that biz owners collude with the state, i.e. the capitalists, pay the workers such stingy share of the spoils, that the latter lack the means to substantially consume the products, leading to industrial glut/excess!

Median age of voters in America according to NPR is 65. Let it sink in.

Beautiful Former Ministry of Justice Building of Manchukuo in Changchun, Jilin Province. Now a medical school.

The daily chipping away of the Trump-Xi detente. www.cbsnews.com/news/chinese...

The techno republic folks voted for and now might vote against. www.engadget.com/2276609/ice-...

What sets the US apart, is the 1st Amendment. In Texas v Johnson, re burning US flag, SCOTUS reasoned that govt cannot take sides, eg permit worshipping the flag but ban the humiliation of it. Even most western countries are yet to reach that level of jurisprudence. www.economist.com/united-state...

"Tired of winning"

Hereby coin the term “coffee wash.” www.ft.com/content/352e...

Tariff war with Canada going well. "Canadian auto imports from Japan, China jump, as tariffs erode U.S.-made vehicle sales" www.autonews.com/manufacturin...

Well that friendship soured quickly.

Please, there is no such thing as the “Taiwan issue”. The CCP is the issue. It collaborated with the Japanese military to strengthen itself during WWII, and then with USSR to create a “People’s Republic” ignoring the ROC which the CCP itself recognized and pretended to fight for during the war.

If U.S. law prohibits arms sales to China, why was Trump even suggesting it?? We need answers immediately.

In shows and history about mafia bosses -- The Sopranos came to mind -- face-based respect has a shelf-life of lettuce. www.ft.com/content/8ac7...

Being (rightly) nervous about AI is like when man-made fire was first invented, disasters were more foreseeable, but probably not the need for the chef, not to mention celebrity chefs.

In Trump’s White House, China’s Dictator Is Welcome. American Media, Less So. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...

Interesting substack by venture investor David Cheng on his recent China trip. earnedintuition.substack.com/p/involution...

How long will it take before Russian media outlets get welcomed into the WH?

To ask China to rein in its AI for safety -- There's an apt Chinese saying for that, 与虎谋皮 (Asking a Tiger to give you its fur). apnews.com/article/bess...