levy

if you remember the old grimm fairy tale, rumpelstiltskin could spin straw into gold. he made a deal with a young woman: guess his name and she keeps her baby. at first it seemed impossible. but once his name was spoken, the power shifted. knowing the name changed everything.

researchers alan levinovitz and awais aftab say the same thing happens in real life. giving something a name can give us power over it. especially when it comes to illness. they call this the rumpelstiltskin effect.

why a name feels like relief

think of a headache that lingers for days. or exhaustion that never seems to end. the uncertainty can be scary. what if it’s serious?

but once a doctor gives you a diagnosis, even before treatment starts, you often feel lighter. because now it has a name. a name cuts through the unknown. it makes the struggle real, and it makes sense of the worry.

more than just medicine

a diagnosis doesn’t only launch treatment. it validates the patient. hearing a doctor say it out loud tells you this is not just in your head. that recognition builds strength. studies show people often report higher satisfaction after receiving a clear diagnosis. it’s not only about healing the body. it’s also about calming the mind.

finding your people

a name can also connect you to others. once something has a label, you can search for support groups, talk with people who share the same journey, and feel less alone. a single word can open the door to a community. and sometimes that community is what keeps people going.

the internet twist

today it’s easy to type symptoms into a search bar and come up with a name yourself. that can feel reassuring even without a doctor’s input. levinovitz and aftab note that naming alone can bring comfort.

but it’s not without risks. misdiagnosis online can fuel unnecessary fear. still, the human mind prefers a label over uncertainty.

the power of words

psychology has long known about the placebo effect. believing something will help can make it work. in the same way, simply having a diagnosis can reduce symptoms. sometimes words carry as much weight as medicine.

the shadow side

labels can also hurt. in mental health, some diagnoses carry stigma. instead of empowering, they can isolate. as psychiatrist ronald w. pies reminds us, no one should be reduced to their diagnosis. labels should help people, not trap them.

a new idea still growing

the rumpelstiltskin effect is a new concept. there’s no massive data yet. but early research suggests words might be more powerful than prescriptions.

one day doctors might discover that the most healing thing they offer is not only medicine. it might be the name they give to what you’re going through.

because sometimes, just like in the story, saying the name changes the ending.

inside cristiano ronaldo’s massive al-nassr contract (via the sun)
• guaranteed annual salary: £178 million
• signing bonus: £24.5 million
• 15% ownership stake in the club
• goal bonus: £80,000 per goal (increases by 20% next season)
• assist bonus: £40,000 per assist (increases by 20% next season)
• league title bonus: £8 million if al-nassr wins the league
• golden boot bonus: £4 million if he finishes as top scorer
• asian champions league bonus: £6.5 million if al-nassr qualifies and wins
• private jet expenses covered by the club: (£4 million value)
• £60 million in guaranteed sponsorship deals

personal full-time staff:
• 3 drivers
• 4 housekeepers
• 2 private chefs
• 3 gardeners
• 4 bodyguards

nudge theory is about guiding people without forcing them. place fruit at eye level and people choose it more often. set savings programs to enroll automatically and people save more. small changes in how choices are presented can lead to better decisions. tiny shifts. big results.

for che guevara, revolution wasn't just about winning battles with weapons. it was about planting the seeds of change in the human spirit. he dreamed of a world where no one would exploit another, where the poor, the workers, and the oppressed would finally be free. che didn't fight for short-term victories — he fought to build a future.

in the mountains of cuba, the valleys of bolivia, and the heat of africa, che wasn't just a soldier. he was a teacher. he taught people to read and write, to defend themselves, and most importantly, to resist. because for che, revolution started not on the battlefield, but within the human soul.

but he also knew that ideals alone weren't enough to sustain a revolution. without sacrifice, discipline, and constant struggle, even the most beautiful dreams would fade. he could have lived comfortably after the cuban revolution's success but that's not who he was. he believed the fight wasn't over, so he kept going.

even when he was surrounded in the bolivian mountains with only a handful of comrades, che still believed in the future. in his final moments, he stood tall because for him, revolution was a path you could never turn back from once you began walking it. that path continues today, in the hearts of those who still speak his name and carry his legacy forward.

check out elon musk's whole h-1b drama. remember when he forced twitter employees into a new "take it or leave" agreement? if you look at photos after that ultimatum, you'll see very few white americans left. most of the remaining folks look like they're on h-1b visas. (yeah, i'm guessing from appearances, but let's be real.)

once musk took over twitter, he discovered the "benefits" of using h-1b labor—big-time. he fired a ton of engineers, but someone still had to keep the place running, and that burden fell on these h-1b holders.

why them? because if the boss says "who do you think you are?" and they can't find another job within 60 days, they'll be forced to leave the country. meta did something similar. and if home is india, you can imagine the predicament—when your boss says "jump," you don't have many other options. anyone who's endured six years on h-1b (unless their company files for a green card right away) knows it's not just "go back home." it's more like "good luck making it back here again anytime soon."

even though my own h-1b experience was in the public sector, i've still felt that sense of being stuck. in private companies—especially under ceos like elon musk—some h-1b folks end up in a situation worse than modern indentured servitude. actually, it's just straight-up servitude. if you're from a country like belgium, you might just say "to heck with this" and head home to a decent life. but if you're a young engineer from india, where are you going to go? you can't just bail out and fly home without losing your future here.

anyone who's spent years on an h-1b in the private sector understands this. if these big companies truly cared about improving stem in america, they'd start by fixing our k-12 education instead of constantly importing cheap labor. if they were sincere, they'd solve the ridiculous green card backlog for indian professionals.

but honestly, their main goal is to grab a pliable, underpaid workforce and push down wages for everyone else. musk jump-started that by gutting twitter, and other companies are following his lead.

this book explains, to a large extent, why some societies thrive while others don’t—when combined with average intelligence levels. but why isn’t intelligence alone enough? let me break it down:

we’re all familiar with south and north korea. south korea is incredibly advanced, constantly innovating, producing high-tech goods, and getting wealthier by the day. the country’s per capita income is more than 20 times that of north korea. in fact, due to the poverty and hunger in the north, south koreans are taller and live longer than their northern neighbors. north korea, on the other hand, can’t even feed its people without foreign aid, let alone produce technology.

the reason behind all this is what acemoglu describes as “extractive” and “inclusive” institutions. south korea has inclusive institutions, while north korea is stuck with extractive ones. as a result, while the south is advancing into space, the north is struggling with famine.

but there’s an important point we need to consider: the average iq levels in these two countries. despite north korea’s backwardness and hardships, their average iq is pretty close to that of south koreans. in fact, south koreans have some of the highest average iq levels in the world.

so what does this mean? it means that even after 50+ years of oppressive extractive institutions, north koreans still have an average iq of around 105, just like their neighbors in the south. if north korea’s extractive institutions were to collapse tomorrow (say, north korea reunites with the south), north koreans would likely become just as wealthy, innovative, and successful as south koreans in a short period of time.

this is where the importance of north koreans’ iq comes in. the moment they break free from their extractive system, they have the potential to become one of the most advanced nations in the world. meanwhile, many countries in latin america or eastern europe that are governed by inclusive institutions haven’t reached south korea’s level of development. this is where the average intelligence of a society plays a role.

take brazil, for instance. despite having inclusive institutions like south korea, brazil’s average iq is around 90, not 105 like south korea. that’s why brazil isn’t able to reach the same level of development. so, while inclusive and extractive institutions are key factors in a nation’s growth, average intelligence levels are equally important.

this means that even if countries like brazil have inclusive institutions, they won’t reach south korea’s level of development unless their average iq rises to similar levels. on the other hand, since north korea has high average intelligence, the moment they switch from extractive to inclusive institutions, they’ll skyrocket to south korea’s level.

of course, establishing inclusive institutions requires a certain level of intelligence. the elites who run extractive systems never want to share power, so it’s up to the people to pressure the elites and force them to create inclusive institutions. but for that to happen, the population needs to be aware and capable of demanding change. while some countries in latin america have managed to do this, north koreans haven’t—likely because of east asia’s ultra-conservative, community-over-individual culture.

this conservative, non-individualistic culture stifles creativity in east asia. a simple example is the apple vs. samsung rivalry. apple, a product of western culture, innovates and changes the world, while samsung takes what apple creates and optimizes it. sure, samsung might beat apple with optimized products, but they’ll never make world-changing innovations like apple does. and that’s because of east asia’s conservative culture. could this be linked to genetics? maybe, but research in this area is still too new to draw any firm conclusions.
(see: daron acemoglu)

geoguessr is an online game where you get dropped somewhere random in google street view. you look around for clues like signs, landscapes, and buildings, and try to figure out where you are. then you place your guess on the map. the closer you are to the real location, the more points you get.

here are some useful tricks:

-yellow license plates can very rarely mean luxembourg, so don’t overlook it
-if both sides of the plate have a blue strip, it’s either italy or france
-if you see a blue marker on utility poles, you’re definitely in france
-if it’s a balkan country and there are an absurd number of mercedes cars, you’re probably in albania
-if it’s central asia but the plates are red, you’re in kyrgyzstan
-on utility poles, black and yellow stripes that go all the way to the ground mean taiwan, if they don’t reach the ground it’s japan
-if you see poles with an h sign, that’s germany, the h indicates a bus stop
-if you’re stuck between germany and austria, check for the german sharp s. if you see sharp s, it’s germany. if not, austria
-green license plates are either poland or norway (usually norway, used for electric vehicles)
-if there are a ton of green tuk-tuks, you’re in bangladesh
-if road signs use both cyrillic and latin alphabets at the same time, that’s kazakhstan

triffin dilemma is one of those economic paradoxes that still mess with global finance.

here’s the deal: when one country’s currency becomes the world’s reserve (like the us dollar), that country has to run trade deficits to supply enough dollars to the world. but running deficits long-term weakens trust in that currency.

it’s a no-win situation. triffin spotted this back in the 1960s with bretton woods. it’s part of why that system collapsed.

averroes argued that faith and reason are not enemies but allies. he brought aristotle back to europe and influenced both islamic and western thought. to him, truth has two paths: philosophy and religion. both lead to understanding, if you dare to think.

liquid glass is a new design language and visual effect that enhances the system's interface with fluid, glass-like transparency, depth, and responsiveness. it builds on apple's legacy of skeuomorphic and flat design by merging real-time light refraction, layered translucency, and dynamic blur effects to create a visually immersive experience.

liquid glass is used across system elements like control center, notifications, widgets, and app backgrounds. it responds to environmental lighting and device motion, making the ui feel more tactile and alive. unlike previous versions of transparency effects, liquid glass adds a subtle parallax and shimmering layer, giving the impression of looking through curved, polished glass.

key characteristics:
• realistic translucency that adapts to context and background content
• depth-aware rendering, giving layers a natural hierarchy
• dynamic light interaction that reacts to ambient light and gestures
• battery-efficient implementation using apple's metal and core animation frameworks

this may have permanently ended the possibility of fair and democratic elections in turkey.

i once considered buying a tesla until the u.s. elections made it painfully clear what kind of person elon musk really is. after seeing his behavior and the values he promotes, i couldn't justify supporting him. and i'm not alone. people around the world have been backing away from tesla, with some even going as far as setting their teslas on fire.

in germany alone, tesla sales have dropped by 75%. the company's stock has lost billions of dollars in value. and have you noticed that when you post something critical about tesla on twitter, the engagement seems to disappear? that's not a coincidence.

if you're thinking about buying a tesla, think twice. there are better alternatives out there from companies that don't come with this baggage.

the english poor laws were like the original social safety net – but with some serious strings attached. dating back to the 16th century, they were designed to help the poor and unemployed, but not necessarily out of compassion. local parishes were put in charge of providing relief, which meant that help could vary wildly depending on where you lived. if you were able-bodied but out of work, you were often forced into workhouses, where conditions were harsh and meant to discourage laziness. the laws created a divide between the "deserving" poor (the elderly, disabled, and sick) and the "undeserving" poor (those seen as capable of working). over time, the poor laws shaped attitudes toward poverty and welfare, laying the groundwork for modern social policies — but also for some of the stereotypes and stigmas that still exist today.

the raft of the medusa is more than just a painting—it's a haunting depiction of human desperation and survival. created by theodore gericault in 1819, it portrays the aftermath of a tragic shipwreck off the coast of senegal, where over 150 people were left stranded on a makeshift raft. only 15 survived. the painting captures the moment of both hope and despair as the survivors signal to a distant ship on the horizon. gericault's use of dramatic lighting and contorted bodies reflects the chaos and horror of the event, while the pyramidal composition leads the eye upward toward the flicker of salvation. it's not just a historical narrative—it's a raw exploration of human resilience and the thin line between life and death. image

a direct vote in which the entire electorate is invited to accept or reject a particular proposal, law, or policy. referendums are often used to decide on constitutional changes, independence, or major national issues.

the term originates from latin referendum, meaning "something to be brought back," and was first used in political contexts in the 18th century. the earliest modern use of referendums can be traced back to switzerland, where they became a key tool for direct democracy.

historical example:
– the 2016 brexit referendum, where uk citizens voted to leave the european union, impacting global politics.
– switzerland, known for its frequent referendums, has conducted hundreds to decide on various national policies. switzerland holds the record for the most referendums conducted globally, making it a pioneer of direct democracy.