DoNotFoolYourself

[Black Journals @blackJournals01]

In 1526, the king of Kongo wrote to the king of Portugal and begged him to stop the slave trade.
The letters still exist. You can read them.

King Afonso I — Nzinga Mbemba.

He was not a victim of ignorance about Europe. He was literate in Portuguese, Catholic, and had welcomed Portuguese traders as partners. Then he watched what the trade actually did.

He writes that merchants are seizing people every day — nobles, family members, free subjects — and that his country is being emptied. He asks for teachers and doctors instead of ships. He asks, plainly, for it to stop.

Portugal's king replied with a letter pointing out how profitable Kongo's trade was and how little else it had to offer.

The trade continued for another three hundred years and helped destroy the kingdom.

An African head of state put his objection in writing in 1526, in the language of the people doing it, and was told the arithmetic did not work in his favour.

"They didn't know" has never been available as an excuse. The correspondence is in the archives.

[Fitness & Health @Fitnesslife012]

Before and after

[The married man @marriedmn]

Marriage will humble you because eventually your spouse will see you fail.

They will see you when you're broke, sick, stressed, insecure, unemployed, overweight, depressed about life or completely unsure about what to do next.

The question is not whether your spouse will ever see you at your lowest.

They will.

The real question is what kind of person they become when you are no longer impressive.

Anybody can love you when life is easy character is revealed when life becomes ugly.

[GBC @GBC_Press]

🚨 BREAKING:

UN Special Rapporteur Prof. Ben Saul:

"Germany and the United States supply 99% of the weapons exported to Israel."

"They could stop this conflict overnight if they stopped the weapons killing Palestinians."

[Joakim 🌹🇳🇴🇪🇺 @joakial_]

New ad by the Norwegian Consumer Council about the declining lifespan of products.

[Jordan Chain @_pblanknews]

"The BANNED Interview That Warned Us All"

This interview from the 80s is still one of the most accurate descriptions of what’s happening right now.
A KGB defector laid out the entire playbook — demoralization, education, media, religion, law — and said the process in the US was already finished.

[Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand]

I strongly encourage everyone to read the speech that Chan Chun Sing, Singapore's Defence Minister, just gave in Beijing: it's basically the polar opposite of a Hegseth speech - immensely wise and a refreshing proof that thoughtful statecraft still exists.

You can find the speech here: https://t.co/alGUQGK7J4 Below a summary of the best parts of the speech, in my opinion.

Much of the speech addresses the crucial question of the so-called "security dilemma", a key concept in international relations theory whereby one country's efforts to make itself safer almost inevitably make others feel less safe, triggering a spiral where everyone ends up more insecure.

As Chan Chun Sing puts it in his speech: "The true test of statecraft is this: how do we strengthen our own security without weakening the security of others, or without aggravating the insecurity of others?"

He says there are "three fundamental principles worth bearing in mind" in this regard, but that, first and foremost, it raises the question of "what 'winning' means": to him, defining "winning" as "outgunning or outlasting a rival" isn't sensible, it ought to be defined as winning others through the "power of our example", rather than "the example of our power."

It's extremely wise, when you think about it: do you actually "win" if you submit others by force, or do you merely prove that, for now, they simply lack the strength to resist? You've imposed your will, yes, but the principle you've imposed is that the strongest gets his way, and strength is expensive and it wanes.

Chan Chun Sing quotes Mencius, the classic Chinese philosopher, to illustrate this: "Power may compel others to comply. But in the end, it is trust that truly wins others over" (which is a trimmed version of the true original citation: "Those who subdue others by force do not win their hearts; they submit only because their own strength falls short. Those who subdue others by virtue win hearts that are glad and sincerely submissive, as the seventy disciples submitted to Confucius," 以力服人者，非心服也，力不赡也；以德服人者，中心悦而诚服也，如七十子之服孔子也。)

This is very core to Chinese strategic thinking (yes, Chan Chun Sing, as are most Singaporean leaders, is ethnically Chinese): the notion that legitimacy, not force, is the real currency of power.

A state that has to coerce is following the "hegemonic way" (badao, 霸道) - which is brittle and unsustainable. The only sustainable long-term way to lead is the so-called "kingly way" (wangdao, 王道), where others follow you and emulate you voluntarily. Two concepts which incidentally come from Mencius too: "he who uses force while borrowing the name of benevolence is a hegemon (ba); he who practises benevolence through virtue is a true king (wang)."

Concretely, Chan Chun Sing say that states should pursue the following 3 principles to apply this in practice.

First of all, he points out that too many states "externalise domestic issues" as opposed to putting their own house in order. The idea being that a leadership confident at home doesn't need foreign enemies to hold itself together, and can therefore act in its "enlightened long-term interest" abroad. Whereby an insecure one uses foreign policy "for political gain."

No prizes for guessing what country he is referring to here...

The second principle is that "interdependence breeds stability" as opposed to being "a source of vulnerability."

Which makes sense: mutual exposure turns competitors into stakeholders in each other's stability. Cut exposure in the name of "resilience" or "de-risking" and, really, the only thing you've achieved is to make confrontation and conflict cheaper.

Lastly, and this is perhaps the most important principle: "first, do no harm."

Chan Chun Sing again quotes famous Chinese sayings: "turn big problems into small ones, and small ones into nothing" (大事化小，小事化了), which is what happens when there's trust between states, versus "turn small problems into big ones, and make trouble out of nothing" (小事化大，无事生非), which is what happens when there isn't.

The idea is that every unnecessary provocation, every "freedom of navigation" stunt, every gratuitous sanction is a withdrawal from a trust account that is very expensive to fill and, as he says, can be emptied "in a single instant."

Chan Chun Sing ends his speech on what being a “responsible major country” - a key concept in contemporary Chinese international relations - means, and how, "the more responsible major powers are, the less concerned small countries will be."

Besides the above three fundamental principles, he says that "strategic patience" is also crucial, defined as: "Not every capability needs to be advertised; not every advantage needs to be immediately pressed; and not every provocation demands an immediate response."

In other words, true confidence doesn't need to prove itself and restraint is a form of strength: a great power that feels compelled to respond to everything is, in effect, letting its rivals set its agenda. And whoever needs to constantly show force is in fact projecting its own fear that without the show, nobody would believe it.

As Margaret Thatcher once brilliantly put it (I hate to quote her but this is too good): "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."

That's it, if you want the rest, I truly encourage you to read the full speech: pure undistilled wisdom, from a man who runs the defence of a country smaller than Los Angeles and obviously understands power far better than the man in charge of the largest military on earth. Which is its own form of tragedy.

[Wayne Waldrop @WayneWaldropW]

Fun Facts About Our "Greatest Ally", Israel:

- in 1947 militant Zionist group once mailed a letter bomb to President Truman

- in 1948 Israeli forces poisoned wells in Gaza and Palestinian villages

- in 1954 Israel recruited agents to bomb cinemas, libraries, and Western sites in Egypt, aiming to blame Egyptians and the Muslim Brotherhood

- the CIA requested removal of all mentions of Israel from JFK assassination files. The full unredacted documents released in 2025 confirmed it

- over 93% of US Congress members receive major donations from Pro-Israel PACs. Many sitting members even list them as their top contributor

- pro-Israel donors donated over $230 million (largest single contribution in history) to Donald Trump, including $100M+ from Miriam Adelson

- in 1967 Israeli jets and torpedo boats deliberately struck the USS Liberty, an unarmed US Navy ship, in international waters, killing 34 Americans and wounding 171

- in the 1960's, hundreds of pounds of highly enriched uranium vanished from a Pennsylvania plant and was diverted to Israel’s Dimona reactor via Zionist-linked insiders

- Israel used Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan (with Netanyahu at the front company) to smuggle 800 nuclear bomb triggers out of the US. The operation was called "Project Pinto"

- former Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, met with Jeffrey Epstein between 20 - 60+ times

- Jeffrey Epstein admitted ties to the Rothschild family, including close business dealings and a $25M consulting agreement with Ariane de Rothschild and Edmond de Rothschild bank

- current Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, pushed false claims about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction to justify war with Iraq

- Israel is the only nuclear-armed nation that never signed the NPT and has never allowed a single IAEA inspection of Dimona

- Pro-Israel groups spend millions on ads to defeat US politicians who criticize Israel (example: the attacks against Rep. Thomas Massie)

- Israel has received over $300 billion in American foreign aid. This is more than any country in history and with virtually no conditions on Israel's end

- According to the US State Department website, the recent Iran war was launched at Israel’s request

- in 1963 President Kennedy demanded US inspections of Israel’s secret Dimona nuclear reactor and was assassinated shortly afterward

- Israel’s official policy threatens to launch nuclear strikes across the Middle East (and potentially beyond) if the state faces an existential threat. This protocol is called the "Samson Option"

- a former colleague once publicly stated he witnessed Ben Shapiro receiving direct “tasking” from Israeli intelligence linked to Netanyahu and called for him to register under FARA as a foreign agent

- in 2024, the Maldives banned Israeli citizens in solidarity with Palestine; the country immediately began receiving threats of terrorist attacks afterwards

- in 1940 and 1941, a militant Zionist group twice tried to form a pact with Nazi Germany against the British, proposing a Jewish state based on nationalist and totalitarian principles linked to the German Reich

- in 1946, Zionist terrorists bombed the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, killing 91 people

- in 1985, American Jewish naval analyst Jonathan Pollard was caught spying for Israel, passing over 800 classified documents before being sentenced to life in prison.

- on 9/11, five Israeli agents were arrested after being filmed dancing and celebrating while watching the Twin Towers burn. When questioned, they explained that they were there to "document the event". They were later deported amid suspicions of foreknowledge

- after 9/11, our “greatest ally” sent exactly zero troops to fight alongside Americans in Afghanistan or Iraq

- on October 7th, the IDF reportedly activated the Hannibal Directive, which calls for using overwhelming force to prevent captures even if it means killing their own soldiers and civilians

[theleahfiles @leahfiles]

People keep saying Trump term II is the most corrupt administration ever, so I built a model to find out if it was true.

I took the UN's definition of corruption, turned it into eight criteria and 100 points, and scored the leaders history remembers for looting their countries: Marcos, Suharto, Mobutu, Abacha, Obiang, Putin.

Then I put every president since Eisenhower on the same scale, both parties, with every exoneration counted right alongside the convictions.

Nixon scored 41 and no other American President scored over a 25.

Trump's second term scored a 91, which ties him with Suharto and Mobutu and puts him above Marcos and Abacha.

So he is not only the most corrupt president in American history. At this pace he finishes his term level with the most corrupt rulers of the last hundred years.

PSA: don't come in my comments arguing about the results if you haven't read the full article, because ignorance is a choice.

Full article is up now on my Substack (link in bio) and it's free.

[Steve Hanke @steve_hanke]

Distinguished Columbia Univ. Prof. Jeff Sachs on Trump's 35-person cabinet:

“Not one of them is trained in technical skills. Not one research PhD, as opposed to China, where half the cabinet is science and technology PhDs. We're led by grifters and fools.”

[Mobility Exercises | Pain Relief Workouts @FeelGoodMovez]

The most overlooked routine for women's health

[Spor Rehberi @sagIikIiyasam]

Gıdıdan yaşlanmaktan korkmuyor musun?

Otuz yaşında kırkbeş yaşında gibi gözükmekten boyun herşeydir güzel bir boyun güzel bir yüzün başlangıcıdır bunu denemelisin bana teşekkür ediceksiniz...

[Libertario 🟨⬛ @QuotesforGoal]

"Las masas nunca han sentido sed por la verdad. Se alejan de los hechos que no les gusta y adoran los errores que las enamoran. Quien sepa engañarlas será fácilmente su dueño, quien intente desengañarlas será siempre su victima"

Gustave Le Bon

[JAMES WEBB @jameswebb_nasa]

O aluno: “professor, mas pra que preciso estudar Física mesmo? Vai servir de alguma coisa na minha vida?

A vaca: 👇

[Karly Kingsley @karlykingsley]

Good question…

[DAN KOE @thedankoe]

If you want to dramatically improve your quality of life, learn to recover your attention quickly after something steals it. Social media arguments, stressful thoughts, minor inconveniences. Most of it is noise that steals hours to days of enjoyment. Breathe and let it go.

[Acyn @Acyn]

Garcia: So, to be clear, we have a president that is $2 billion richer just from this last year. We have a son whose wedding is being paid for by rich Russians and oligarchs that have connections to Putin. We have Jared Kushner, who got $2 billion for his investment firm from the Saudis while also doing diplomacy in the Middle East.

We have the Kushners who are trying to buy private islands and selling all sorts of merchandise that’s being promoted, oftentimes through government resources. We also have, of course, this insane amount of stock trading that the president himself is doing to enrich himself and his family.

And, of course, the sons sitting on boards of private companies that are then getting contracts from the federal government. The amount of corruption is unprecedented. And not only are they lining their pockets, they’re stealing the wealth of hardworking Americans, they’re stealing the hard-earned labor and wealth of working-class people, and then funneling that money to themselves and to the rich donors and large corporations and CEOs across this country.

As they get richer, costs go up for the American people. And we know that Republicans in the House and in the Senate are complicit by not calling out this corruption.

[The Figen @TheFigen_]

Staff spinning turns stiff shoulders and a tight neck into smooth, flowing movement.

If I can already do these, I could be a Ninja. 😂

[LongTime🤓FirstTime👨‍💻 @LongTimeHistory]

ICE brutally detain 2 U.S. citizen teens—driving to hand in papers to join Marines.

Now changing their minds about enlisting.

"How can I serve a country that doesn't even uphold my basic rights?"

Agents shot them with pepper spray—then punched them in the face.

Just because they stopped to film an ICE operation arresting parents outside of a school.

They were locked up for 8 hours—despite having proof they were U.S. citizens.

Agent told them:
"I don't give a damn... your parents can't help you now."

Incident occurred near Santos Livas Elementary School in Alamo, Texas.

Posting first full length English language credited video here to help raise awareness.

[Headquarters @HQNewsNow]

Trump has pardoned the following people charged with fraud:

—George Santos, wire fraud
—Ross William Ulbricht, fraud with identification documents
—Rod R. Blagojevich, 8 counts of wire fraud under color of official right
—Brian Kelsey, conspiracy to defraud the United States
—Devon Archer, conspiracy to commit securities fraud; securities fraud
—Trevor Milton, securities fraud; 2 counts of wire fraud
—Jason Galanis, 2 counts of conspiracy to commit securities fraud; securities fraud; investment adviser fraud
—Ozy Media, Inc., conspiracy to commit securities fraud; conspiracy to commit wire fraud
—Carlos Roy Watson, conspiracy to commit securities fraud; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; aggravated identity theft
—Michele Fiore, 6 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud; wire fraud
—Scott Howard Jenkins, conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving Federal funds, honest services mail fraud, and honest service wire fraud; honest services mail fraud; 3 counts of honest services wire fraud
—Julie Chrisley, 5 counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud; bank fraud; wire fraud; conspiracy to defraud the U.S. to obstruct and impede the Internal Revenue Laws
—Todd Chrisley, conspiracy to commit bank fraud; 5 counts of bank fraud; wire fraud; conspiracy to defraud the U.S. to obstruct and impede the Internal Revenue Laws
—Lawrence S. Duran, conspiracy to commit health care fraud; 11 counts of health care fraud; conspiracy to defraud the United States and to receive and pay health care kickbacks
— Michael Gerard Grimm, aiding and assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent tax returns
—Marian I. Morgan, conspiracy to defraud the United States; 7 counts of wire fraud; 5 counts of transfer of funds taken by fraud
—John G. Rowland, conspiracy to defraud the United States
—Charles Overton Scott, conspiracy to commit securities fraud; securities fraud
—Glen Casada, conspiracy to defraud the United States; 4 counts of honest services wire fraud; use of a fictitious name to carry out a fraud
—Cade Cothren, conspiracy to defraud the United States; 6 counts of honest services wire fraud
—Robert Henry Harshbarger, Jr., health care fraud
—Joseph Lewis, conspiracy to commit securities fraud; 2 counts of securities fraud
—David Gentile, conspiracy to commit securities fraud; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; securities fraud; 2 counts of wire fraud
—Jacob Deutsch, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud
—Adriana Isabel Camberos, conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud; 7 counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting
—Andres Enrique Camberos, conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud; 7 counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting
—Julio M. Herrera Velutini, 2 counts of honest services wire fraud
—David Levy, conspiracy to commit securities fraud; securities fraud
—Hollie Ann Nadel, conspiracy to commit money laundering and bank fraud
—Mark T. Rossini, honest services wire fraud
—Wanda Vazquez Garced, honest services wire fraud
—Terren Scott Peizer, securities fraud
—Timothy S. Smith, conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service
—Stephen E. Buyer, 4 counts of securities fraud
—John Dougherty, 24 counts of wire fraud; conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and federal program bribery; 7 counts of honest services wire fraud
—Joshua L. Davis, conspiracy to defraud the United States and violate the Clean Air Act
—Matthew Sidney Geouge, conspiracy to defraud the United States and violate the Clean Air Act
—Adam R. Kidan, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud; wire fraud
—Spade K. Bailly, conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate the Clean Air Act