f*zen
@imaginaryzen.bsky.social
Financial markets and economics if I really have to. Science was fun, especially astronomy.
Dad, husband, head of trading desk and all that.
Mostly pictures of the sky: https://www.instagram.com/firaszen
Dad, husband, head of trading desk and all that.
Mostly pictures of the sky: https://www.instagram.com/firaszen
Reposted by f*zen
Agree with all of this, other than "the right will go 'pro-natalist" - I think what will happen is that much of the right will shift from 'blaming our ills on immigration' to 'blaming our ills on ethnic diversity', which is already happening to an extent.
The UK will celebrate net emigration and depopulation come 2027.
And by 2028 it will start to realise, with an ageing society and low growth, what a really silly thing it has done.
The right will go "pro-natalist", the centre-left will be completely stuck.
And by 2028 it will start to realise, with an ageing society and low growth, what a really silly thing it has done.
The right will go "pro-natalist", the centre-left will be completely stuck.
December 22, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Agree with all of this, other than "the right will go 'pro-natalist" - I think what will happen is that much of the right will shift from 'blaming our ills on immigration' to 'blaming our ills on ethnic diversity', which is already happening to an extent.
Reposted by f*zen
Presumably Trump's next act of American global master strategy will be to appoint a horse as his chief envoy to Panama
December 22, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Presumably Trump's next act of American global master strategy will be to appoint a horse as his chief envoy to Panama
Reposted by f*zen
Absolutely no sympathy for Home Secretary from me. Home office has decided to renege on rules it previously made. It deserves every terrible headline and more.
November 28, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Absolutely no sympathy for Home Secretary from me. Home office has decided to renege on rules it previously made. It deserves every terrible headline and more.
Not an entirely bad month
November 28, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Not an entirely bad month
I really like this framing
BBC News 🤝 Starmerism
November 28, 2025 at 9:18 AM
I really like this framing
Niche but 👌
November 27, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Niche but 👌
Reposted by f*zen
Gary Lineker for DG of BBC.
Let the piss boil
Let the piss boil
November 9, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Gary Lineker for DG of BBC.
Let the piss boil
Let the piss boil
Reposted by f*zen
i feel the same hopelessness and anger.
also i’d point out that a growing political tendency elevates UAE as aspirational, perhaps a template for a new world order. those enthusiasts should not be spared accounting for UAE’s intercessions in Sudan.
also i’d point out that a growing political tendency elevates UAE as aspirational, perhaps a template for a new world order. those enthusiasts should not be spared accounting for UAE’s intercessions in Sudan.
I haven’t said anything about Sudan because I don’t really have anything to say about Sudan, just sadness.
maybe the old world order would have prevented this; maybe not.
the new one certainly won’t.
maybe the old world order would have prevented this; maybe not.
the new one certainly won’t.
November 1, 2025 at 3:53 PM
i feel the same hopelessness and anger.
also i’d point out that a growing political tendency elevates UAE as aspirational, perhaps a template for a new world order. those enthusiasts should not be spared accounting for UAE’s intercessions in Sudan.
also i’d point out that a growing political tendency elevates UAE as aspirational, perhaps a template for a new world order. those enthusiasts should not be spared accounting for UAE’s intercessions in Sudan.
Reposted by f*zen
If Labour cannot denounce mass deportation of permanent residents, Idi Amin style, what is the point of them?
October 20, 2025 at 8:21 PM
If Labour cannot denounce mass deportation of permanent residents, Idi Amin style, what is the point of them?
Reposted by f*zen
Honestly our government (since at least 2016) is the worst thing about us as a country.
October 20, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Honestly our government (since at least 2016) is the worst thing about us as a country.
Reposted by f*zen
A final note. This country has amazing people in the private sector, in universities, in charities, in schools and hospitals and the police, in the civil service. And frankly, the lack of clarity, the lack of vision, the lack of basic decency from many of our politicians is letting us all down.
October 20, 2025 at 9:09 PM
A final note. This country has amazing people in the private sector, in universities, in charities, in schools and hospitals and the police, in the civil service. And frankly, the lack of clarity, the lack of vision, the lack of basic decency from many of our politicians is letting us all down.
Reposted by f*zen
and most seriously, the political economy of ubiquitous passive ownership, which turns the stock market from a sharp-incentive information processor to an instrument to be stimulated and stabilized for macro (if you want to be nice about it) or patronage (less nice) purposes. /fin
October 20, 2025 at 8:31 PM
and most seriously, the political economy of ubiquitous passive ownership, which turns the stock market from a sharp-incentive information processor to an instrument to be stimulated and stabilized for macro (if you want to be nice about it) or patronage (less nice) purposes. /fin
Reposted by f*zen
Oh I think they'll eventually lose, but how violently they do is the big unanswered risk.
In that context behaviour of cops in Chicago, New York and San Diego might be a good sign for the no kings movement
In that context behaviour of cops in Chicago, New York and San Diego might be a good sign for the no kings movement
October 19, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Oh I think they'll eventually lose, but how violently they do is the big unanswered risk.
In that context behaviour of cops in Chicago, New York and San Diego might be a good sign for the no kings movement
In that context behaviour of cops in Chicago, New York and San Diego might be a good sign for the no kings movement
Reposted by f*zen
And that then opens the question of how much damage needs to be fixed after Trump is gone. My own "America as non-functional actor in geopolitics take" hinges on the assumption that the huge effort to contain MAGA and repair its damage will paralyse US power projection for several years
October 19, 2025 at 8:46 AM
And that then opens the question of how much damage needs to be fixed after Trump is gone. My own "America as non-functional actor in geopolitics take" hinges on the assumption that the huge effort to contain MAGA and repair its damage will paralyse US power projection for several years
Reposted by f*zen
The key to that image isn't the manure or the crown it is the fighter jet bombing American cities
bsky.app/profile/jame...
bsky.app/profile/jame...
Can’t wait to hear a Fox News analyst explain that the president posting an AI slop video showing himself dropping shit on protestors from a fighter jet while wearing a crown is an example of him reaching across the aisle to Middle America.
October 19, 2025 at 7:53 AM
The key to that image isn't the manure or the crown it is the fighter jet bombing American cities
bsky.app/profile/jame...
bsky.app/profile/jame...
Reposted by f*zen
Reading Thiel, Yarvin, Peterson et al. makes you realise what passes for intellectual iconoclasm these days is all absolute bollocks. Why anyone gives any of these people the time of day let alone credibility is baffling.
October 12, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Reading Thiel, Yarvin, Peterson et al. makes you realise what passes for intellectual iconoclasm these days is all absolute bollocks. Why anyone gives any of these people the time of day let alone credibility is baffling.
Dividend futures, April 2020
In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.
rm -rf ~/
rm -rf ~/
"The chancellor approved it"
October 12, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Dividend futures, April 2020
Reposted by f*zen
Leaving aside that this is just humanly unconscionable… What’s a few more percentage points off GDP? I mean who wants a functioning NHS? This is a hell of a policy platform: no money, no rights, no friends, and sewage in the rivers. Finally, a party with a vision.
Yet again, a distant but heartfelt cheer can be heard from Lib Dem activists in Blue Wall seats.
October 4, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Leaving aside that this is just humanly unconscionable… What’s a few more percentage points off GDP? I mean who wants a functioning NHS? This is a hell of a policy platform: no money, no rights, no friends, and sewage in the rivers. Finally, a party with a vision.
Reposted by f*zen
I realise that there are lots of erudite and entirely correct reasons against leaving the ECHR, but surely the main one to be repeated ad nauseam is "from the people who told you Brexit would solve all of your problems - how did that work out for you?"
October 4, 2025 at 8:11 AM
I realise that there are lots of erudite and entirely correct reasons against leaving the ECHR, but surely the main one to be repeated ad nauseam is "from the people who told you Brexit would solve all of your problems - how did that work out for you?"
The light is as good as ever though
September 28, 2025 at 7:31 AM
The light is as good as ever though
Reposted by f*zen
Pretty good description as to why the Starmer government will be blindsided if the US descends into civil conflict
September 27, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Pretty good description as to why the Starmer government will be blindsided if the US descends into civil conflict
Reposted by f*zen
Behind all this is the broader point that society has allowed some people to control such a large amount of resource that even governments seem reticent to push back - even when they’re calling for violence in the midst of a far right rally. It’s performative weakness. & carries domestic signal too.
September 14, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Behind all this is the broader point that society has allowed some people to control such a large amount of resource that even governments seem reticent to push back - even when they’re calling for violence in the midst of a far right rally. It’s performative weakness. & carries domestic signal too.
So small and yet politicians listen -
Sunday protests seem to be < 500 nationwide, maybe < 300, across 4-6 locations
Yet ITV news using language of "erupt nationwide" (!)
Epping: 100-150
London: 20
Birmingham: 30
Stevenage: 30-50
Norwich: ? anything of any scale
Manchester: ? anything of any scale
Dudley: ? anything of any scale?
Yet ITV news using language of "erupt nationwide" (!)
Epping: 100-150
London: 20
Birmingham: 30
Stevenage: 30-50
Norwich: ? anything of any scale
Manchester: ? anything of any scale
Dudley: ? anything of any scale?
August 24, 2025 at 9:59 PM
So small and yet politicians listen -
Reposted by f*zen
romantic ethnonationalism is the problem, not the identity or virtue or lack of virtue of the groups that ethnonational movements construct in both positive and negative space. /fin
August 11, 2025 at 6:05 AM
romantic ethnonationalism is the problem, not the identity or virtue or lack of virtue of the groups that ethnonational movements construct in both positive and negative space. /fin
Perfect design - didn’t need much improvement at all for all this time
Wow, this 3,400 year-old ancient Egyptian paint box still contains original pigments!
Looks similar to a modern-day set!
An inscription tells us it belonged to Amenemope, Vizier during the reign of Amenhotep II.
📷 Cleveland Museum of Art www.clevelandart.org/art/1914.680
#Archaeology
Looks similar to a modern-day set!
An inscription tells us it belonged to Amenemope, Vizier during the reign of Amenhotep II.
📷 Cleveland Museum of Art www.clevelandart.org/art/1914.680
#Archaeology
![Cleveland Museum photo showing an ancient Egyptian paint box carved from boxwood with five oval wells containing original paint pigments. From top to bottom the preserved cake pigments are red (red ochre), blue (Egyptian blue), green (a mixture of Egyptian blue, yellow ochre, and orpiment) and two of black (carbon black, from charcoal). Dimensions 2.2 cm x 21 cm x 3.6 cm.
On the front of the box there’s an inscription inlaid in Egyptian blue with the name Amenemope who was Vizier during the reign of Amenhotep II, Dynasty 18. It translates as ‘The overseer of the city and vizier Amenemope. Master of secrets of the west bank [of Thebes]’. A red inscription on the back reads ‘Amen-Ra, Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands’. Dated c. 1427-1401 BC.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:j56ydp325adovobhwpkzc6sp/bafkreidtz22s6cb7oltnetxyjuy7noamae7b6uvybuihgjltazydpivwfe@jpeg)
August 4, 2025 at 5:37 AM
Perfect design - didn’t need much improvement at all for all this time