Weekly Links #4

Welcome and all to the one and only weekly links. On this fourth edition I’m back with another round of links and articles that caught my eye this week. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the latest happenings and trends within the past week!

noteworthy news 📰

  1. Ding Liren, a chess player from China, has become the world champion after defeating his opponent in a tournament held in Norway. Liren is the first Chinese player to achieve this feat, defying the odds and overcoming fierce competition to claim the coveted title. China now holds both the title for male and female chess world champion. Talk about progress bro.
  2. Media company Vice is reportedly preparing to file for bankruptcy, according to sources cited by The New York Times. The company, which has faced financial difficulties in recent years, has been in talks with creditors about a potential restructuring plan. Vice used to be the GOAT news channel. It sucks seeing them struggle, although their content are subpar in quality than what they were making years ago. I used to watch a lot of Vice’s content.
  3. Shares in First Republic Bank crashed on Wall Street on Friday due to concerns over the bank’s financial health. The bank’s stock price fell 75% early last week after customers withdrew $100 billion in deposits amid the onset of the banking crisis. The US government and other banks are working to prevent an outright failure of First Republic Bank, which could cause a global financial crisis. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp has asked banks, including JPMorgan Chase, PNC Financial Services Group, and Citizens Financial Group, to submit offers for First Republic Bank.
  4. The World Bank Group has launched a new initiative called the Business Ready Project, aimed at helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries to access finance and grow their businesses. The project will provide technical assistance, training, and other support to SMEs, with a focus on gender equality and climate resilience. This is a continuation of the Doing Business project after it was discontinued in 2021.
  5. The Indonesian economy has grown by 5.03% in the first quarter of 2023, according to official data. The growth was driven by strong domestic demand and an increase in exports, despite the ongoing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

videos 📺

I watched this video from the YouTube channel Oversimplified about the First Punic War, he never disappoints. Literally quality over quantity.

I don’t know why but this came up on my feed and I watched it. It’s an interview it seems like, in French, with the actress Lea Seydoux. I have never listened to that much French before and I gotta say I’m intrigued. It really does sound very sensual (or is it just me? who knows)

One of my guilty pleasures (although I dont think I should be guilty?) is to watch vlogs from around the world. I have been doing this back when the pandemic started and I think it is so cool to be able to see what people are doing in different parts of the world. What I found this week is this youtuber from Vietnam, this particular video was shot in Saigon (now named Ho Chi Minh city) the largest city in Vietnam.

I watched four movies this week, they are:

  • Battle Royale (2000)
  • Gladiator (2000)
  • 65 (2023)
  • Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

I think I would recommend Gladiator to be watched by anyone. It is surprisingly good but it’s almost three hours long. I watched it because it has themes of stoicism and since I’m currently reading a LOT about stoicism it’s only fair to watch a movie that has its themes. The movie itself isn’t historically accurate (we have no evidence that Commodus murdered his father) but it was honestly good. I think if you don’t value your time (just like me) you should give it a watch.

From Wikipedia:

Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル, Batoru Rowaiaru) is a 2000 Japanese action-thriller film directed by Kinji Fukasaku, with a screenplay written by Kenta Fukasaku, based on the controversial 1999 novel by Koushun Takami. Starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarō Yamamoto, and Takeshi Kitano, the film follows a group of junior-high-school students forced to fight to the death by the Japanese totalitarian government. The film drew controversy and was banned or excluded from distribution in several countries.

I gotta say the film was absolutely brutal. I watched it because Noah, the author of the economy themed substack Noahpinion said it was one of his favorite movies. I gotta say it’s very eccentric and not for the faint of heart. This movie is also commonly credited as creating the battle royale genre. The plot was mediocre.

I would not recommend 65 since it’s a bad movie. Don’t watch it. I would recommend Blade Runner though, I have not yet watched the first one yet I still enjoy this one.

literature corner 📚

The Economist’s Asia section published an article on May 1, 2023, titled “Life under the rule of the Taliban 2.0.” The article details how the Taliban, after taking over Afghanistan, have implemented strict and oppressive policies, particularly against women and girls. The article also examines the challenges faced by Afghan citizens, including shortages of food and medicine, a lack of basic services, and a climate of fear and uncertainty.

Tech publication The Verge reported on May 3, 2023, that Google is rolling out a new feature called Passkey, which aims to replace traditional passwords with a more secure and convenient method of authentication. Passkey uses FIDO2 technology and can be used in conjunction with two-factor authentication to provide an additional layer of security against phishing attacks.

CNBC reported on May 2, 2023, that almost 25% of jobs worldwide are set to be disrupted in the next five years, according to a report by the World Economic Forum. The report suggests that advances in automation, artificial intelligence, and other technologies will have a significant impact on the labor market, leading to the displacement of millions of workers. The report also highlights the need for governments and businesses to take action to ensure that workers are able to adapt to the changing job market.

I have been somewhat successful in building up my lost habit of reading a Korean book everyday.

I’m reading just one chapter (which on my monitor is about 20 pages) a day. I’m currently reading 마르타의 일 (Martha’s Day/Work(?)), the story is about a woman trying to find out what happened to her younger sister who committed suicide although she did not believe that to be the case. In one of the chapter the main character, Sua, went to her manager’s apartment where she work part time to lend a used phone; and then there’s this joke (translation by ChatGPT):

매니저가 블라인드를 조금 올리더니 창문을 열었다. 앞으로 당겨서 여는 안전창문이었다.

“나 이거 열 때마다 실비아 플라스 생각한다.”

“왜요.”

“오븐 여는 것 같잖아.”

“나쁜 농담이네요.”

“미안. 차 마실래?”

Translation:

After lifting the blinds a little, the manager opened the window. It was a safety window that opens by pulling it forward.

“Every time I open this, I think of Silvia Plath.”

“Why?”

“It feels like opening an oven.”

“That’s a bad joke.”

“Sorry. Do you want some tea?”

Silvia Plath was a famous American writer and poet who wrote about mental illness and her own struggles with depression. She tragically died by suicide at the age of 30 by sticking her head in an oven in her London home on Feb. 11, 1963. It still perplexed me sometimes when Korean authors made weird reference to (for me atleast) an unknown figure like this.

‘Tis with warm regards I send you my farewell. I hope this edition have been of some use to you, however small it may be. I’ll see you on the next edition, have a great weekend!