Mahabharat - the great war - 18 days of heroism, deceit, blood and intrigue - now as a mega Twitter thread.

I'll add the events from a few days of the war each day.

Caveats: lots of editorialization, creative liberties and interpretations.

There will also be a lot of asides - especially around war strategy and tactics, the characters and their motivations and non-canon storylines.

Over the years, I've read multiple versions, phenomenal translations and modern retellings. So be prepared for a potpourri.

There are different ways of looking at this war. Was it a family feud? Sure - but whose family? Shantanu's or Satyavati's? Was Vyas essentially telling us his family history? And then Kunti added a twist to this tale. Here's a helpful chart:

Satyavati's two sons from Shantanu both died without children. Vyas - her first son - fathered Dhritarashtra and Pandu (and Vidur).

Pandu never fathered any children. Kunti and Madari gave birth to six demi-gods (Karna and the five Pandavs).

So Satyavati Vs Kunti and Madari.

Or was this a fight between two massive neighbouring kingdoms - the Kurus and the Panchals? While many smaller kingdoms joined the battle, most of the Pandav army (more than half of their 7 divisions) came from the Panchals. King Drupad and his son Shikhandi led two divisions.

I worked in bank liquidity and treasury for the better part of the last decade, and there is one very interesting risk factor from the SVB collapse that I do not think we have ever witnessed before in modern finance, a 🧵:

First, some context. Following the 2008 financial crisis where a massive driver of stress was caused by low quality assets littering the balance sheets of massive institutions, the regulators sought to create a framework to ensure all banks were verifiably sound.

This meant forcing Federally registered banks to conform to capital and liquidity ratios. If they did not comply, they would not be allowed to issue dividends or buy back stocks, hurting the value of their enterprise.

There was the introduction of the concept of RWA, or risk weighted assets. A simple way to think of these ratios is, the riskier your asset base on a weighted basis, the more high quality capital (think cash) you would need to hold to stay in compliance.

Not only were banks required to regularly be in compliance with these ratios as a going concern, but needed to prove they could maintain certain limits when met with a time of stress across a number of incrementally adverse scenarios.

If you are the CEO or CFO at a business who banks with SVB; here are some things you CAN do over the weekend

1. Build a 4 week rolling daily receipts and payments style cashflow forecast.

2. Gear up finance team to actualize & reforecast every AM by 10am

3. Schedule a Daily Cash Management Crisis call for 10am every day. CEO to chair

4. Redirect any future cash receipts / revenue into non SVB accounts. Don’t throw fresh money on the fire.

5. If SVB is your only current bank. Open accounts with 2 other AA or A rated banks.

6. Go supplier by supplier and grade them a, b or c
a - showstoppers
b - pay if you can
c - don’t pay

You want as few a’s as possible, ideally none.

7. Find out how to get your $250k FDIC cash.

8. If you are able to pull any deposits or bonds back into a non SVB account. Do it. Put hands on any liquid you can.

9. Communicate a salary deferral plan with your top team. CEO takes the most pain $ and %. Important signal.

10. Elevate sign off of all new POs to CEO and CFO jointly. Don’t sign any off.

11. Make a list of ‘survival headcount’. The bare minimum on which the business can operate.

You may need this to prioritize payroll later.

10 Hard Truths of Psychology and Life:

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5.

10 must-read books to transform your workday and boost productivity:

1. Atomic Habits

2. The Power of Habit

3. Deep Work

4. Essentialism

How to write emails like a boss (according to an award-winning author):

Kabir Sehgal is a bestselling author, US Navy Veteran, Fortune 500 leader, and Grammy Award winning producer.

It’s fair to say he knows a thing or two about effective communication.

Here’s his advice for writing emails with military precision that people respect you for:

1. Subject Line

Everyone knows that the subject line makes or breaks the success of an email.

It applies to cold emails sent in bulk or military generals giving orders to troops on the ground.

By using keywords in their subject lines, the military excels:

SIGN – Requires a signature

DECISION – Requires a decision

COORD – Coordination by or with the recipient

REQUEST – Asks for permission or approval

ACTION – A requirement for the recipient to take some action

INFO – For information only, and no response or action required

Consider using these keywords in all caps in your next email.

Consider writing the following as the subject of your weekly report to your boss:

INFO - Weekly Report

Your email will stand out in their inbox, and the message will be clearly understood.

What is a fantastic, useful, or insightful essay or PDF that is at least 10 years old?

I asked, “What's the biggest valuation mistake you've ever made?”

I recieved 135 replies

Here are the 6 biggest valuation blunders to avoid:

1: Overemphasizing growth

No surprise to see this one at the top of the list

Many investors (including me) focus too heavily on top-line growth

Growth is important, but ONLY when combined with other factors like business model, financials, management, & moat

2: Not understanding the “hype cycle”

AI. Metaverse. 3D Printing. Cannabis. Fintech. IoT. Plant-based meat.

There are dozens of promising markets on the horizon

If you choose to invest in them, you should study this picture intensely

3: Buying bad companies because they are “cheap”

Just because a company has:
▪️A low P/E ratio
▪️A high dividend yield
▪️Fallen sharply from its 52-week high

Doesn’t mean it's "cheap"!

A "cheap" valuation won't save you if the business is crumbling

4: Not buying because of a “high” P/E ratio

I’ve made this mistake many times

Companies in phases 3 & 4 are not optimized for earnings, so the P/E can look “expensive”

You must consider where a company is in the business growth cycle before you judge the valuation

THE TRUTH ABOUT CHOLESTEROL

& how we’ve been lied to about to causes of heart disease

(Thread)

“High cholesterol causes heart disease”

How many times have you heard this? Probably a lot.

But what if I told you that cholesterol is actually necessary for good health?

And that everything you’ve been told about cholesterol is a lie?

Let’s get into it👇🏼

Without cholesterol, we die. It’s that simple.

It is needed to synthesize hormones like cortisol, testosterone, progesterone, estrogen and even vitamin D.

It strengthens your cell membranes, helps break down your food, and so much more.

So if that is the case, why has cholesterol been demonized for so long?

Well, like most things, you can follow the money.

The American Heart Association has demonized foods containing cholesterol & saturated fats, while encouraging people to eat “heart healthy” vegetable oils

This is horrible advice, considering those oils increase risk of heart disease, and foods with saturated fat are some of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet.

Imagine thinking that a grilled mushroom with canola oil on a bun is healthier than a grass fed steak?

We discussed India's 1.4B people earlier this week, but China also has 1.4B ppl

Why?
Is it a coincidence these 2 population giants are neighbors?
Why do most of its 1.4B ppl live east of the red line?

It's also due to an accident:

Let's zoom in
94% of Chinese live east of the Hu Line!
• In the North China Plain, the red area in the northeast
• The Sichuan Basin, that red circle in the middle
• Small dots along the coast
• The regions between these 3

Why?

Let's look at China's topography. Does something pop out?

Ppl are where it's flat
Flat➡️+ppl
Mountains➡️-ppl
Why?

Because of food.

Fertile soil = 🌱=🧑‍🤝‍🧑
The more fertile, the more food, the more ppl.

So why are these areas so fertile?

Plants grow with 3 ingredients:
1. Water
2. Heat
3. Fertile soil

To have so many ppl, you need all 3 to be perfect. So how does China have these perfect conditions?
1st, water:

India just passed China as the most populous country in the world. Why?

Because of the biggest accident in history

Look at where people live in India. What's that band up north?

It's the Ganges river basin. It hosts ~half the country's population. It's one of the densest places on Earth. Why?

Because it's one of the most fertile places on Earth.
It's one of the main producers of wheat, peas, potatoes, rice, lentils, eggplant...

And why is it so fertile?

• It's hot (tropical)
• It rains a lot
• It has a many rivers bringing water and irrigation
• The rivers also bring fertilizing silts

Why so much water?

The mountains.

Wind comes from the ocean full of water
It hits the Himalayas
Climbs up
Gets colder
The water condensates and rains down

What's the most inspiring documentary you've ever watched?

Recently I rewatched "Jiro Dreams of Sushi."

I want to fill my mind with more stories like this...

Jiro Ono, one of the greatest sushi chefs ever, showcases the Japanese concept of "Shokunin" (master artisan).

True nobility is honing your craft daily.

This is a thread of my favourite Aussie slang. It’s a mixed bag of widely known vs regional, brand-new vs outdated etc. I had a neighbour in Melbourne for 5 years who spoke almost entirely in slang from the ’60s (so shout out to Frances from Mentone for teaching me lots of them!)

A list of Australian slang:

5. As popular as a rattle snake in a lucky dip (not popular)
4. To stir the possum (to create a disturbance)
3. A Will Smith biff (a slap)
2. To put on the wobbly boot (to get drunk)
1. I’ll be there in two shakes of a crying baby (I’ll be there soon)

If someone is behaving foolishly, an old Australian phrase to describe them is “they’re carrying on like a pork chop.” Also popular is “playing silly buggers,” which I once misread as “playing silly badgers” (and I’ve used that version ever since)

Another list of Aussie slang:

5. A bachelor’s handbag (a supermarket roast chicken in a small bag)
4. Concreter’s caviar (tuna in a tin)
3. A face like a dropped pie (unattractive)
2. Going off like a frog in a sock (to flip out)
1. I’m not here to lick stamps (I mean business)

The most famous version of “I’m not here to lick stamps” is of course “I’m not here to fuck spiders.” But I’m a hipster at heart and prefer the stamps version as you hardly ever hear it these days (probably because younger generations don’t even know what stamps are, the drongos)

Today is my 32nd birthday.

Over the last month, I asked several 90-year-olds what advice they would give to their 32-year-old selves.

Here's the life advice everyone needs to hear:

1. Now and then, break out the fancy china and drink the good wine for no reason at all.

2. Dance at weddings until your feet are sore.

3. Tell your partner you love them every night before falling asleep. Someday you’ll find the other side of the bed empty and wish you could.

4. Don’t fear sadness, as it tends to sit right next to love.

5. Treat your body like a house you have to live in for another 70 years.

6. Never raise your voice, except for at a ballgame.

7. Do one good deed every single day, but never tell anyone about it.

8. Time doesn't heal anything when it comes to relationships. Don't delay difficult conversations.

9. Find the things that make your eyes light up. Do more of those.

10. Always remind yourself that your track record for making it through your bad days is perfect.

11. If something has a minor issue, repair it. Minor issues become major issues over time. Applies equally to love, friendships, health, and home.

12. The most damning lie you can tell is the lie you tell to yourself.

13. No one has ever argued their way to happiness.

Before age 35, you need to read these 15 books.

1. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big.

2. 4 Hour Work Week

3. How to be interesting

4. Atomic Habits

5. Flow

Sam Altman is the CEO of OpenAI and was President of Y Combinator

He's written 111 essays about startups

Here are the 14 that will help you think clearly about the future:

Fundraising mistakes founders make:

Sam shares the 10 most common mistakes he sees founders make when raising

Startup advice:

95 sentences to help you run your

Productivity:

Productivity in the wrong direction isn’t worth anything at all

Think more about what to work on

How to be successful:

13 thoughts about how to achieve outlier

Power struggles are common in relationships. Many people aren't aware they're happening.

Here's some signs your relationship has power struggles:

Power struggles are dynamics in relationships where: there's "one upping" and a feeling of being in competition.

In relationships with chronic power struggles, conflicts aren't worked through.

Instead, each partner wants to "win" the argument.

SIGNS YOUR RELATIONSHIP HAS POWER STRUGGLES:

- partners speak over each other, or attempt to dominate the conversation

- blaming and deflecting is common ex: "I did that because you did x."

- vulnerable information is weaponized

ex: you share with your partner how you were unfaithful to a past partner, and it's used to create a narrative "you cheated before, and I'm sure you're doing it again!"

- push pull dynamics (periods of close connection, and periods of withdraw)

- silent treatment or stonewalling used to avoid issues or conversations

- high defensiveness

- refusing to come to a team based decision "my way or the highway" behavior

31 facts about gut health that most doctors won’t tell you:

1.70-80% of the immune system lies in the gut
2. 40-60% of patients with GI issues have psychiatric issues, while 50% of psychiatric patients have IBS
3. Poor sleep disrupts your gut health
4. Over 70 million people (in the US alone) have digestive issues

5. Poor posture can compress your GI tract, resulting in poor digestion
6. Prebiotics are just as important as probiotics
7. Your bowel movements should be regular
8. 50% of dopamine is produced/stored in the gut

9. Your skin issues are a result of poor gut health
10.Circadium rhythm disruption can destroy the gut
11. Sodium butyrate and glutamine are the most overlooked gut health supplements
12.Leaky gut can be the reason for your brain fog

13.If you have gut issues, you’re not absorbing all the nutrients from your food
14.Processed foods destroy the gut
15.Gluten (at least in the US) can wreak havoc on the gut
16.Sunlight on the belly can help heal the gut
17.Stress kills the gut

17 life skills every parent must teach their kids before they leave home:

My oldest child went to college last year.

My second will leave home in 10 months.

As a parent, you fear that you failed to prepare your kids for life on their own.

Preparing well for anything starts with covering some of the basics.

17 simple life kills your kids must have:

How to do laundry:

When my daughter got to college, she texted me the first weekend.

"Thanks for making us do our own wash."

She had just spent an hour teaching four people how to sort and wash their laundry.

It's hard to succeed in life wearing dirty, smelly clothes.

How to save and spend:

Schools don't teach financial literacy.

You've got to teach your kids how to handle money.

Growing up, I got a small allowance.

10% was put aside for giving.

10% for savings.

The rest was tracked on a simple ledger.

Small habit. Big, lifelong payoff.

How to introduce yourself:

Your kids will spend their lives making first impressions.

Make sure they know (and practice) the basics:

- Firm handshake

- Look the other person in the eye

- Speak their name clearly

- Repeat the other person's name

- Finish with a pleasantry