Marvin’s Best Weekly Reads Mar 13th, 2022
“Courage Starts with Showing up and Letting Ourselves be Seen”--Brene Brown
Some very interesting nuggets of insight here. Taiwan better get its head out of its ass and their S--t together soon. Tsai's energy policy is absolutely STUPID.
"There’s an idea out there somehow that the Ukrainians were fooled into standing up to Russia by western allies. I don’t think this bears up considering the remarkable amount of bravery displayed by Ukrainians after invasion. I don’t think anybody is capable of telling a Russian warship to “go fuck yourself” without thinking things all the way through."
"However, what the Ukrainian situation does highlight, and rightly so, is the importance of preparedness on the ground. What is Taiwan’s ability to resist in the first 24, 48 and 72 hours? What is the morale of the population by the end of the first week? Will we be relying on the military to get the civilians water, or will it be the other way around?
In my estimation the Ukrainians do not enjoy anywhere near the amount of true international support as the Taiwanese and the reason is kind of brutal: they do not hold a vital part of the global supply chain, they do not sit in a position of key geopolitical importance and they don’t enjoy a fabulously defensible terrain. But the Ukrainians have something we need to work on: extreme willingness to take defense into their own hands. Taiwan needs to at least hold out until help gets here."
https://taipology.substack.com/p/after-ukraine-what-changed-for-taiwan
2. This is a really big deal and hope we do it! Never seen it done but sanctioning the Central Bank of Russia could be devastating.
https://twitter.com/RTPerson3/status/1497731514779553794
3. It’s sad that this is needed but there will be hundreds of thousands of refugees from Ukraine, estimated at 200,000 right now.
https://cytlaw.medium.com/cee-ukrainian-refugee-camp-setup-man-101-997fc0c22b30
4. This is pretty awesome in my opinion. F--k that war supporting Russian Oligarch.
5. This is the ultimate go nuclear approach to crippling a countries finances. I am VERY for crushing Putin and his regime & ULTRA PRO Ukraine sovereignty and independence.
But there are huge ramifications and a precedent for the future if we do this.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/02/how-russian-sanctions-work/622940/
6. This is a good interview to understand what is happening in the Russian aggression in Ukraine with a view from a military vet.
https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/video-interview-rob-lee-russian-defense
7. Ukraine is the frontline of freedom & democracy. Similar to how Spanish Civil War was for many in 1930s which attracted many volunteers from all over the world.
Retired British ex-SAS vets going to Ukraine to volunteer and fight. These guys are scary good. #StandwithUkraine
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/crack-team-sas-veterans-joining-26350789
8. "So, when you blame the West for paltry sanctions remember that they are dealing with a suicide bomber who might be rigged to blow us all up. There is a reason for the “gently gently, nicely nicely” tone our leaders are taking while at the same time not giving an inch on terms.
It is only human to want justice. To want reparations. To want revenge. Ukrainians will be first on a long line. But, when dealing with someone like this, getting out alive is a win. Half of Russians do not want Putin to be re-elected in 2024, and more than 40 per cent of young Russians want to leave the country. So, he’ll soon be out of office, and out of power anyway.
But, at least he has some possibility of defining his legacy other than the man who dropped a nuke on Western Europe. We know what we all want Mr. Putin to do. We could make it easier for him to take the good road and harder to take the bad one."
https://drpippa.substack.com/p/dead-mans-switch
9. This is important. How we can help the people of Ukraine. Good list of charities. This is the least we can do to try to minimize the suffering there. #standwithukraine
https://www.thecut.com/2022/02/russia-invades-ukraine-how-to-help-the-people-of-ukraine.html
10. "The overall trend of Russia has been to overstep, overplay, or otherwise over-intimidate Ukraine into siding with the West to protect its sovereignty and independence. This war Putin has launched has sealed that fate. There’s no further Putin can go to intimidate, and it is clear with the harsh resistance his army is encountering, his efforts to keep Ukraine in check after any war will be exceptionally expensive. This is the end of any chance to get Ukraine ever again. And it was entirely avoidable by Putin on numerous occasions."
https://stefekrajic.substack.com/p/russia-has-lost-ukraine-forever
11. This Russian invasion & aggression in Ukraine was NEVER going to be popular or supported among the populace in Russia. And far less so in the tech community which counts as the most educated and liberal in the population.
https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/01/russian-it-workers-anti-war-petition
12. This thread explains alot of the blindness and stupidity of the progressives in America.
https://twitter.com/IbrahimAlAssil/status/1498357325060579328
13. This is a very valuable interview to understand the illegal Russian aggression in Ukraine from noted historian and analyst on Russia.
#StandwithUkraine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys2zTL-b3eE
14. I believe in the bravery of Ukrainian defenders. But don't underestimate the ability of the Russian army either. This fight is far from over....sadly. Glory to Ukraine & Glory to the Heroes!
"The stiffness of Ukrainian resistance has perhaps surprised observers who expected a rapid defeat. Whether due to Russian incompetence, the value of Western-made weapons supplied to Ukraine, or simply the determination of Ukrainians fighting to defend their country, this has helped international support solidify around Ukraine.
This impressive feat of consensus-building, however, risks the same mistakes that led internationally supported Armenia to a defeat at the hands of militarily superior Azerbaijan in 2020. Wars are fought at the speed of tanks, not tweets. Symbolic victories have their own value, but they cannot ultimately surmount a hard military defeat."
https://www.city-journal.org/putins-bet
15. Very very clever way of fighting Russian gov’t disinformation towards their own people in Russia. Keep it up!
https://mashable.com/article/google-reviews-share-misinformation-russia-ukraine
16. This is a very educational interview with 2 military experts on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Alperovitch, Kofman and Lee have been giving the clearest assessments online over the last few weeks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Wu2py8pP0
17. This is a very good assessment from military experts at West Point on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Better than garbage & talking heads on media and social media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXEvbVoDiU0&t=2s
18. This is a worthwhile discussion. Bestselling author and Israeli historian talks about the implications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The world has completely changed because of this. The first time that a sovereign country is being annexed by a larger country since 1945. Borders are sacred.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQqthbvYE8M
19. Angellist is enabling so much innovation in the VC Space so to me this actually makes sense.
https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/08/angellist-series-c
20. Definitely very useful for all of us these days. How to calm down.
https://justinjackson.ca/calm-down
21. "So the rank ordering is clear: Independence, life, liberty, then the *pursuit* of happiness. And good luck with that.
Although maybe pursuing happiness directly isn’t as effective. Perhaps happiness is more a by-product of the commitments you make: to a calling, a person, a community, to things outside of yourself. Maybe happiness is less something a wearable can tell you, and more your own internal perception of how your life is going. Perhaps to find out if someone’s happy you shouldn’t just ask them if they’re happy, you should instead ask them if they’re proud of themselves."
https://eriktorenberg.substack.com/p/on-hustle-culture
22. "But it is not just black gold, all natural resource prices from gas to grains to tin to gold, you name it, are rising. At the same time tech is taking a dive, a trend already palpable during the first two months of this year, but now we are seeing some real pullback which, truth be told, may have been time anyway.
Once thing appears to remain strong: housing. Interest rates are still low, liquidity is still high and with people on the move from one area to the other demand for real estate will not exactly subside. The one sector that is in dire need of a correction refuses to do so. But think about this: compared to Ukrainians who have been bombed out of their homes most people in Europe and North America are still very well off.
Think that through and see where you can allocate some of your wealth to help those in real need. If we have to pay more for some gas to finally stick it to Putin, then let’s do that."
https://pieterdorsman.substack.com/p/markets-and-ceasefires
23. This so painful to read but rings true. #StandwithUkraine
"Americans have limited attention spans… and there is little evidence of a willingness to sacrifice.
Biden did absolutely the right thing by cutting off the purchase of Russian oil. And yes polls show large, bipartisan majorities of Americans saying they are willing to pay for gas.
But, I’m sorry, have you met your fellow countrymen lately?
For the moment, Americans seem united. But that unity will inevitably come up against ingrained habits, incentives, and bad-faith hackery."
https://morningshots.thebulwark.com/p/five-hard-truths-about-ukraine
24. Seems like a smart move on the US Government front. Co-opt Crypto, don't push it into the dark.
"While many people have been anticipating an abrasive government approach towards bitcoin and cryptocurrencies for years, the current administration seems to be doing the exact opposite — they are looking to embrace this new technology and the potential positive impacts that it can have."
https://pomp.substack.com/p/the-white-house-wants-to-lead-in
25. South Korean Navy Seals are extremely tough men.
This is a brave man going to Ukraine to help fight. Guess this is his penance.
https://www.insider.com/korean-youtuber-ken-rhee-in-ukraine-fight-despite-travel-ban-2022-3
26. This is a bit grim for Russian troops in the convoy to Kyiv. I feel for these Russian kids but frankly feel even worse for Ukrainians being bombed & attacked right now.
https://news.yahoo.com/russian-troops-stranded-40-mile-081212134.html
27. Very good discussion on what’s happening in the world. Russian invasion of Ukraine and the massive economic challenges that will come out in the world in 2022. Worth a watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmRyBpgoS14&t=756s
28. This seems like just the beginning of Kremlin's woes for this insane invasion.
29. Jim Rogers is really perceptive. US dollar dominance is over. Hate it but it's happening. It will be ugly in 2022.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5AyUiyhWAk
30. Just when you think this year will not get any worse.