To protect wild bumblebees, people have to find them first High Country News
What Do Sharks Eat? Field and Stream
How to Outperform How to Outperform
Climate
Giant Batteries Helped the U.S. Power Grid Eke Through Summer WSJ
The Climate March: Magnificent and Misdirected Counter Currents
Theories about the natural world may need to change to reflect human impact (press release) Bangor University
Degrowth and ecosocialism – a reply Climate and Capitalism
Water
New York Becomes the Latest State to Require Flood Risk Disclosure for Home Sales Inside Climate News
China?
The shadowy Chinese firms that own chunks of Cambodia BBC
Why so many sport chiefs in China have come under corruption clouds South China Morning Post
‘This could be the holy grail to replace palm oil’ – research team BBC
The Bezzle
Robert Newland, who worked with convicted art dealer Inigo Philbrick, sentenced to prison ArtReview
Consumer Surveillance and Financial Fraud NBER
European Disunion
German far right party surges on immigrant ‘dystopia’ FT
Greek leftists elect former Goldman Sachs associate as leader FT
New Not-So-Cold War
Rus Prepares Offensive, Kiev’s Choice: Capitulate or Ukr Ends; Rus Capture Orekhovo; Canada Disaster (video) Alexander Mercouris, YouTube. As for Canada, I don’t know if anything that gives me such schadenfreude can be properly labeled a disaster; “debacle” perhaps?
Analysis of Ukraine’s Escalating Crimean Strike Campaign Simplicius the Thinker(s)
UPDATE ON UKRAINE 09/26/2023 Weapons and Strategy. A round-up.
Ukraine’s Defence Minister on Russian Black Sea Fleet commander: “If he’s dead, it’s good news” Ukrainska Pravda vs. Russian drone strikes on Odesa region hit port area and cut ferry service to Romania AP. One of these demonstrates strategic thinking. The other does not.
Russia’s War in Ukraine Is Not the Iraq War Noah Rotham, The National Review. Dude’s so huffy about Iraq you’d think he was a liberal Democrat. Correct, Iraq was not a proxy war with a nuclear power. Is that the salient distinction?
Blinken’s ‘Variable Geometry’ for a New Cold War Al Mayadeen
Visegrad Group wants Ukraine to withdraw complaint to WTO on grain embargo Ukrainska Pravda
Biden Administration
House Republicans Are Hurtling Toward the Most Pointless Shutdown Ever Ryan Grim, The Intercept
2024
Biden urges striking auto workers to ‘stick with it’ in picket line visit unparalleled in history AP. Video:
President Biden joins the UAW picket line in Detroit in solidarity with striking autoworkers:
“”You deserve the significant raise you need and other benefits.”” pic.twitter.com/LPKBTpSWtw
— The Recount (@therecount) September 26, 2023
Judge rules Donald Trump defrauded banks, insurers while building real estate empire AP
Spook Country
Forget Collusion. Was “Interference” Also Fake News? and Timeline: DARPA and the DNC Hack Matt Taibbi, Racket News
Antitrust
Amazon’s most prominent antitrust critic makes her case FT
What motivated Apple? Big Tech on Trial. “The overarching theme of Cue’s afternoon testimony was that Apple sets Google as the default search engine, because it provides the best experience for users.” Hilarity ensues. If Apple really cared about “the best experience for users,” there would be a Human Interface Guidelines for iOS, as there is for MacOS. There isn’t.
Tech
Chatbots Are Not People: Designed-In Dangers of Human-Like A.I. Systems Public Citizen
AI girlfriends are ruining an entire generation of men The Hill
Another A.I.-Generated Artwork Was Denied Copyright Protection, Adding a New Knot to the Complexities of Creative Ownership ArtNet
American Exceptionalism Resides in AI, Not Pink Houses John Auther, Bloomberg. Oh.
Artificial intelligence: ChatGPT creator Sam Altman expresses concern about ‘under-regulation’ Sky. Dig your own moat, champ.
Congressional AI Caucus leader Ted Lieu says most AI should not be regulated FedScoop
iPhone 15 Teardown Reveals Software Lockdown iFixIt. “To effectively repair these models, you have to procure parts within Apple’s sphere and validate the repairs. Without calibration, the parts either don’t work at all, or have compromised functionality and incessant warnings.”
The 420
As state targets Syracuse shops for illegal cannabis sales, city shuts 5 businesses down Syracuse.com (bob). “The state has been slow to roll out its own legal and licensed shops, called dispensaries, allowing a gray market to thrive.” I wonder what could be causing the slow roll-out….
Cannabis-friendly banks face pressure to differentiate Banking Dive
Healthcare
The World Needs New Antibiotics. The Problem Is, No One Can Make Them Profitably. WSJ
Addressing the saga of nitrosamine contamination in drugs Chemistry World
Reforms needed to alleviate persistent drug shortages AMA. From August, still germane.
How Ozempic and Wegovy Could Break the Healthcare System Barron’s. High Fructose Corn Syrup -> Obesity -> Big Pharma…. All things work together for good!
Behind Ozempic Media Buzz, Undisclosed Drugmaker Money Lee Fang
The fading of the mpox outbreak among men who have sex with men: a mathematical modelling study Journal of Infectious Diseases. From the Abstract: “The limited duration of the mpox outbreak in the Netherlands can be ascribed primarily to infection-induced immunity among MSM with high sexual activity levels. The decline was accelerated by behavioural adaptations. Immunity among those most sexually active is essential to impede mpox resurgence.”
B-a-a-a-d Banks
JPMorgan will pay $75 million on claims that it enabled Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operations AP. To the Virgin Islands.
Supply Chain
In Support of Maritime Arbitration: The English Courts’ Role in Enforcing Peremptory Orders and Awards Hellenic Shipping News
The Final Frontier
Akin Adds Top Space Industry Leader, Building Out its Space Regulatory and Policy Practice (press release) Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Zeitgeist Watch
Sex Education, Heartstopper Intimacy Coordinator Talks Hickies, Sex Scenes and How He Choreographs Your Favorite Shows Teen Vogue. “Intimacy Coordinator.” Musical interlude.
How To Get The Best Sleep Of Your Life: Six Secrets From Research Barking Up The Wrong Tree. See NC on sleep here.
Sports Desk
Brooksie JoeBlogs
Imperial Collapse Watch
How the U.S. Created Its Own Reality Heather Cox Richardson, Foreign Policy. “At a certain age, a [wo]man’s got to be what [s]he deserves.” — Toby Esterhase, Smiley’s People.
HII Partners To Advance 3D Printing On A Virginia-Class Submarine Naval News. One part….
Class Warfare
Why America Has a Long-Term Labor Crisis, in Six Charts WSJ. ‘Twas a mystery! “Work experts have warned for years that the combination of baby boomer retirements, low birthrates, shifting immigration policies and changing worker preferences is leaving U.S. employers with too few workers to fill job openings.” And then we slaughtered a bunch of ’em, gave brain damage to a bunch of others, and put a bunch of others on permanent disability. Hence, robots, AI, etc. There is no market but the labor market (i.e., all other markets are epiphenoma).
Why the Public Is Siding With the UAW Over the Automakers Morning Consult
Scolding Striking Auto Workers in Advance for Wrecking Economy FAIR
SAG-AFTRA votes for strike against video game makers The Hill
Capcom President Says ‘Game Prices Are Too Low’ Kotaku. First food and gas, then insurance, now this.
Antidote du jour (via):
Bonus Antidote (DG):
DG writes: “I do have this wonderful Pileated Woodpecker (attached) which is one of a pair that has pretty much cleared the yard of stumps. I am always disappointed when I see people dig up stumps of old trees. Those are candy to pileateds and much more eco-friendly than nearly any other way to accomplish the same thing. Yes. It takes more than one season, but it’s worth it to have these guys in the yard.”
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here
