LLM: F35s and Rare Earth Elements

Version 1: Sat, Nov 14, 2026

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By U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen - http://www.dvidshub.net/image/935698/aerial-refueling-f-35-lightning-ii-joint-strike-fighters-eglin-afb-fla#.UZyEMrVU8QY, Public Domain, Link

A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II - Source: Wikimedia

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This post exploring the needs of F35s for rare earths was inspired from a source in our previous post on Brazil, which we recommend:

Weaponizing the periodic table: China won this war without firing a shot https://no01.substack.com/p/china-usa by NO1 - Substack - Jan 25, 2026 - Archive: https://archive.is/fkuGv

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Brazil Update - Elections and Rare Earths

Version 5: Sat, Oct 24, 2026

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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva waves to supporters during a presidential election campaign rally in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

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Brazilian Elections

In the first round of the elections in Brazil on October 4 Flavio Bolsonaro took 47% while incumbent President da Silva was second with 45%. ^[1]

Latest polls polls show the incumbent President facing an uphill battle on the second round on October 25, with Bolsonaro having a number of endorsements by smaller parties and well known politicians.

Some of the polls suggest a tight runoff election. Because of that and many past experiences we can not ignore the possibility of American interference in this election. ^[2]

But as Yogi Berra once said “It ain’t over till it’s over”! Lula has been here before and he is a fighter so let us not write him off just yet!

Irrespective of the results in the second round, President Lula and the Workers’ Party can be proud of Law No. 15,506/2026 on critical and strategic minerals.

LLM: Milei, Thiel and Eschatology

Version 1: Fri, Oct 2, 2026

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Grok generated image: Milei on the left, Thiel on the right.

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Peter Thiel moved his family to Argentina. Many reasons have been proposed so far, but can there be an esoteric one too? Are Milei and Thiel ‘esoteric brothers’ so too speak? Not quite but definitely in the same ‘neighborhod’. Behind all the “techno-utopia” there are some very strange ideas.

Film: Odyssey

Version 1: Fri, Sep 4, 2026

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By Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Head of Odysseus wearing a pileus depicted on a 3rd-century BC coin from Ithaca / Thunderbolt within wreath, 300-191 BC. Æ 18mm (3.48 g).

LLM: The First Agent Problem

Version 1: Fri, Aug 28, 2026

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By Zirguezi - Own work, CC0, Link

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Prompt:

Consider a small European country, with a highly educated prime minister. Nothing lasts forever as they say, so the PM plans for his future when he at some point loses power. So he adopts policies that do not necessarily help his country but increase his profile with international organizations such the European Union, WEF, various think tanks, or UN-related agencies. Would that be a case of the so called “First Agent Problem”?

LLM: Land and expand by Palantir and Oracle in UK

Version 1: Thu, Aug 13, 2026

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By Łukasz Nurczyński - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

A model of Roman fort Deva Victrix (c. 3rd century CE) at the Grosvenor Museum, Chester.

The Roman army was if not the originator, clearly an early adopter of the “land and expand” military strategy.

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Continuing our exploration of American big tech’s influence in European economy and politics. This time taking a closer look at the “land and expand” business strategy applied in UK with the help of two LLMs, one from US, the other from China.

Techno Update: i2 v. Palantir

Version 1: Fri, Aug 7, 2026

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By Palantir - https://www.palantir.com/, Public Domain, Link

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In a recent post I speculated that Palantir may be involved in industrial espionage and that is one of the reasons that may explain the Spanish government’s decision.