What caught my eye this week.<\/em><\/p>\n I<\/span> was delighted to hear from Monevator<\/em> reader Elizabeth Wong a few months ago, when she sent me a copy of her new short story and said it might be of interest to people around here.<\/p>\n It was! The Landless<\/em> is a thought provoking tale that takes many of the themes we discuss in these Weekend Readings<\/em> and the comments to their dark conclusion.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t have a way to share the full story then, but I do now.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a slice of the extract published by Wasafiri<\/a><\/em>:<\/p>\n She told Poppy, \u2018If you say \u201crefugee\u201d, I think of someone who fled their country because of war, and it\u2019s not their fault. And if you say \u201cmigrant\u201d, I think of someone who has moved for better opportunities. But these people are neither refugees nor migrants. They are just \u2026 landless.\u2019<\/p>\n Poppy tried to argue. \u2018Surely these words are two sides of the same coin. Surely these people are refugees as well, escaping places that are now too hot to live in. People like her aunt and cousins who used to live in Malaysia, but left when the country got too hot, and the Chinese and Indian minorities persecuted for not being Muslim \u2014 are they not refugees? Surely the price of land is too expensive, hoarded by a few landowners \u2014.\u2019<\/p>\n Louise cut her off. \u2018My family took out a multi-generational sixty-year mortgage to buy our chalet. The debt was finally paid off last year. That is why I got to come to Monte Carlo this season. I am here not because of privilege. This is several lifetimes of hard work \u2014 my father, my mother, my grandfather, working into their eighties with two jobs. Why should the price of land be lower? Our family has sacrificed so much.\u2019 Louise took a breath. Poppy made a small sound, a signal to add to the conversation but Louise ignored it. \u2018And it\u2019s not like the landless are homeless. The government has built the new villages for them to live in.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018But the new villages \u2026 \u2019 Poppy read a report, she had seen the documentaries, it was like living in hell. The heat, the dust \u2014<\/p>\n \u2018The new villages have water, food, jobs, shelter. And it was their choice to come. If they don\u2019t like it, then they can go back to their own country.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n For the rest of May you can read Wong\u2019s The Landless<\/em><\/a> in its entirety.<\/p>\n Enjoy, and have a great weekend.<\/p>\n Safe withdrawal rates: how to spot if your portfolio is headed for trouble \u2013 Monevator<\/a> [Members<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n How do home ownership and mortgages affect your portfolio? \u2013 Monevator<\/a><\/p>\n From the archive-ator: Why you shouldn\u2019t track your investment returns \u2013 Monevator<\/a><\/p>\n The FT no longer allows access to articles reached via search. Paywalled articles noted.<\/em><\/p>\n BoE cuts rates, surprise split vote sends pound, yields higher \u2013 Reuters<\/a><\/p>\n FCA consults on steps to simplify mortgage rules \u2013 FCA<\/a><\/p>\n Average water bills likely to hit \u00a32,000 by 2050, says Ofwat \u2013 Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n Trade war creating \u2018unprecedented uncertainty\u2019, warns shipping boss \u2013 T.I.M.<\/a><\/p>\n Women wins \u00a330,000 compensation for being compared to Darth Vader \u2013 Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX gets its own company town in Texas \u2013 The Verge<\/a><\/p>\n Another UK firm taken out: DoorDash buys Deliveroo for $3.9bn \u2013 Semafor<\/a><\/p>\n WeightWatchers files for bankruptcy as people turn to weight loss drugs \u2013 T.I.M.<\/a><\/p>\n Real interest rates by country in 2025 [Infographic]<\/em> \u2013 Visual Capitalist<\/a><\/p>\n Old art is strangling new art\u2026 \u2013 Infinite Scroll<\/a><\/p>\n \u2026in the age of Surefire Mediocrity \u2013 The Garden of Forking Paths<\/a><\/p>\n Have annuity rates reached their peak? \u2013 Which<\/a><\/p>\n Virgin Money Regular Saver 6.5% review \u2013 Be Clever With Your Cash<\/a><\/p>\n One-of-a-kind \u2018Delayed Start\u2019 mortgage launched in the UK \u2013 Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n Get up to \u00a31,500 cashback when you transfer your cash and\/or investments through this link<\/a>. Terms apply \u2013\u00a0Charles Stanley<\/a><\/p>\n Nationwide lowers mortgage rates again, others follow suit \u2013 This Is Money<\/a><\/p>\n Six of the biggest Lifetime ISA myths debunked \u2013 Which<\/a><\/p>\n Get up to \u00a34,000 when you transfer your ISA to InvestEngine our link<\/a>. (Minimum deposit of \u00a3100, other T&Cs apply. Capital at risk) \u2013 InvestEngine<\/a><\/p>\n Secure a cash ISA bonus before it\u2019s too late \u2013 This Is Money<\/a><\/p>\n How your age affects the cost of car insurance \u2013 Which<\/a><\/p>\n Homes for sale with stunning views, in pictures \u2013 Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n The value of a second opinion \u2013 Oblivious Investor<\/a><\/p>\n How much exposure to US stocks is too much? [Paywall]<\/em> \u2013 FT<\/a><\/p>\n Borrowing from your future can cost you everything \u2013 Of Dollars and Data<\/a><\/p>\n Wealth, wellness, and well-being \u2013 The Conversation<\/a><\/p>\n How to save when buying a home \u2013 Which<\/a><\/p>\n Wear a seatbelt \u2013 Safal Niveshak<\/a><\/p>\n UK inflation: they are not cooking the books \u2013 Simple Living in Somerset<\/a><\/p>\n Following the crowd into popular funds is a bad idea \u2013 Morningstar<\/a><\/p>\n The gold dilemma isn\u2019t going anywhere \u2013 Abnormal Returns<\/a><\/p>\n Warren Buffett, 94, stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway \u2013 BBC<\/a><\/p>\n Buffett caps a career built on humility \u2013 Bloomberg via Advisor Perspectives<\/a><\/p>\n Warren Buffett\u2019s bet of the century \u2013 FT<\/a><\/p>\n Lessons from Buffett \u2013 Market Sentiment<\/a><\/p>\n There will never be another Warren Buffett \u2013 The Washington Post<\/a><\/p>\n Jamie Dimon says Warren Buffett represents the good in American capitalism \u2013 Fortune<\/a><\/p>\n Warren Buffett\u2019s final brushstrokes \u2013 The Rational Walk<\/a><\/p>\n Just a day\u2019s worth of Buffett\u2019s quips and insights \u2013 Ted Merz<\/a> [h\/t Abnormal Returns<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n The top 40 UK dividend stocks \u2013 UK Dividend Investor<\/a><\/p>\n Google is toast in the AI search era \u2013 Polymath Investor<\/a><\/p>\n The US is not an emerging market\u2026 yet \u2013 Semafor<\/a><\/p>\n Bitcoin crosses $100,000 for the first time since February \u2013 The Block<\/a><\/p>\n Liar\u2019s Poker<\/em> by Michael Lewis \u2013 \u00a30.99 on Kindle<\/a><\/p>\n The Price of Money<\/em> by Rob Dix \u2013 \u00a30.99 on Kindle<\/a><\/p>\n The Great Crashes: Lessons from Global Meltdowns<\/em> by Linda Yueh \u2013 \u00a30.99 on Kindle<\/a><\/p>\n Failed State: Why Britain Doesn\u2019t Work<\/em> by Sam Freedman \u2013 \u00a30.99 on Kindle<\/a><\/p>\n Or pick up one of the all-time great investing classics \u2013 Monevator<\/em> shop<\/a><\/p>\n Huge North Sea wind farm scrapped due to rising costs \u2013 Independent<\/a><\/p>\n Sadiq Khan to announce plans to build on greenfield land \u2013 Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n Wind theft: the mysterious effect plaguing wind farms \u2013 BBC<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s okay to notice when wind and solar fail \u2013 Breakthrough Journal<\/a><\/p>\n The life-or-death case for self-driving cars \u2013 Vox<\/a><\/p>\n McKinsey report on the $7 trillion bill to scale data centres \u2013 McKinsey<\/a><\/p>\n The AI arms race in hiring is a huge mess for everyone [Paywall]<\/em> \u2013 FT<\/a><\/p>\n Why large language models are so hard to understand \u2013 Quanta<\/a><\/p>\n The AI jobs crisis is here now \u2013 Blood in the Machine<\/a><\/p>\n Trump set to raise millions from crypto and meme coins this month \u2013 CNBC<\/a><\/p>\n Trump family\u2019s net worth has increased by $2.9bn through crypto in six months \u2013 CBS<\/a><\/p>\n 58 wallets made over $10m each from Trump\u2019s meme coin. 764,000 have lost money \u2013 CNBC<\/a><\/p>\n Ken Rogoff: Our Dollar, Your Problem<\/em><\/a> \u2013 Semafor<\/a><\/p>\n Globalisation did not hollow out the American middle-class \u2013 Noahpinion<\/a><\/p>\n The \u2018100% tarriff\u2019 on foreign films proposal doesn\u2019t make much sense \u2013 Time<\/a><\/p>\n MAGA\u2019s war on science \u2013 Paul Krugman<\/a><\/p>\n Trump\u2019s mob-like shakedown of Paramount via the FCC \u2013 Mother Jones<\/a><\/p>\n The great deliverable of Trump\u2019s first 100 days? Revenge \u2013 Semafor<\/a><\/p>\n Harrison Ford and the origin of Western civilisation \u2013 The Honest Broker<\/a><\/p>\n On the death of daydreaming \u2013 After Babel<\/a><\/p>\n Everything not forbidden is compulsory \u2013 Dror Poleg<\/a><\/p>\n Why men shouldn\u2019t fear middle-age\u00a0[Podcast]<\/em> \u2013 Khe Hy via YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n When you take care of today, tomorrow takes care of itself \u2013 Ian Cassel<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSo smile when you read a headline that says \u2018Investors lose as market falls.\u2019 Edit it in your mind to \u2018Disinvestors lose as market falls \u2014 but investors gain.\u2019 Though writers often forget this truism, there is a buyer for every seller and what hurts one necessarily helps the other.\u201d Like these links? Subscribe<\/a> to get them every Saturday. Note this article includes affiliate links, such as from Amazon<\/a> and Interactive Investor<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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Robot overlord roundup<\/h3>\n
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\u2013 Warren Buffett, The Essays of Warren Buffett<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n