Scientists Release an Astounding, Detailed Map of a Fly Brain in Groundbreaking Study Colossal
Mass extinctions on Earth can help us find alien life in the cosmos. Here’s how Space.com
Climate
How climate risk will complicate central bankers’ jobs FT
U.S. enacts law to exempt select fabs from environmental reviews Tom’s Hardware
Residents File Class Action Lawsuit Against BioLab for Toxic Plume 404 Media
Southern California study shows extensive exposure to toxic airborne plasticizers The Hill
75,000 – 80,000 birds dead from botulism near Oregon border FOX 12
Hurricane Helene
‘Civilization is pretty much gone’ after Helene tears through Spruce Pine, NC News & Observer
Mayorkas warns FEMA doesn’t have enough funding to last through hurricane season AP
North Carolina Asks Zelensky For $100 Billion In U.S. Funding Babylon Bee
Syndemics
California reports first suspected H5N1 bird flu patient amid fears virus is spreading between people for first time Daily Mail
Water
Before Brita: A Brief History of Water Filtration JSTOR Daily
China?
Foreign investors ‘seek shelter’ in undervalued Chinese assets, but scepticism remains South China Morning Post
A stimulus is good, but China still faces a hard slog Channel News Asia
Vietnam plans US$67 billion high-speed railway with no foreign capital Channel News Asia
Japan’s Rice Farmers Planting More Heat-Resistant Varieties Nippon.com
India
A Durga Puja Like No Other: R.G. Kar Protests Cast Shadow over Festivities in Kolkata The Wire
UK cedes Chagos Islands to Mauritius in deal securing Diego Garcia military base France24
Syraqistan
Iran, Saudi Arabia vow to resolve differences, boost ties Xinhua. “The Saudi minister voiced his country’s determination to develop relations with Iran. ‘We seek to close the page of differences between the two countries forever and work towards the resolution of our issues and expansion of our relations like two friendly and brotherly states,’ he said.” Big if true.
Scores of illegal Israeli settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque amid tension Anadolu Agency
Massive blasts in Beirut after renewed Israeli air strikes BBC
Radar shows scale of damage from Israeli strikes on Lebanon FT
Why Could Lebanon Be Rich, but Is so Chaotic? Tomas Pueyo, Uncharted Territories
Netanyahu’s high-stakes gamble against Iran and Biden confronts the limits of his influence over Israel Politico
Clarity After Iran Strike, as Israel Tries to Pivot to Nuclear Arc Simplicius, Simplicius the Thinker
Can Israel destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities by itself? FT. The deck: “Without US support, analysts believe the Israeli air force will struggle to mount a successful operation.”
Houthis’ email alert to Red Sea ships: Prepare for attack, with best regards Reuters. Commentary:
Extraordinary number of ships at #singapore. All bunched up here because of Red Sea disruption to shipping and shifts in way things are being shipped. Fascinating. This is where commerce and geo politics come face to face pic.twitter.com/7sCRdW9YPk
— Richard Quest (@richardquest) October 3, 2024
A debate with John Mearsheimer about the US-Israeli relationship via ‘Judging Freedom’ Gilbert Doctorow
Israel’s Oct. 7 Early Warning Failure: Who Is to Blame? War on the Rocks
European Disunion
EU sues Hungary for criminalising groups that receive foreign funding, including NGOs France24
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine’s top commander orders defences bolstered in the east after Vuhledar falls Reuters
Diplomacy Watch: Russia capitalizing on battlefield surge Responsible Statecraft
Ukraine negotiates nuclear plant protection with UN atomic watchdog observers Euractiv
Ukraine gives the US a sweet deal with one dead Russian soldier for every $20,000 spent on drones, unit commander says Business Insider
The Russian Military Will Be ‘Battle-Hardened’ After Ukraine War The National Interest
South of the Border
Reinventing Mexican Conservatism The Baffler
Biden Administration
An Exodus of Agents Left the Secret Service Unprepared for 2024 NYT
John Deere accused of being full of manure with its right-to-repair promises The Register
2024
Prosecutors request indefinite delay in trial for Trump assassination attempt suspect Ryan Routh FOX
Realignment and Legitimacy
Citizens’ Assemblies in Michigan and Beyond Crooked Timber
Antitrust
Michael Jordan, Anti-Monopolist Matt Stoller, BIG
Digital Watch
How a stale A$17.50 cookie sparked a social media storm BBC
Supply Chain
Geopolitical concerns ‘very serious’: Bank of England warns of Middle East oil shock risk Anadolu Agency
World Wide Waves: an interview with Laleh Khalili The New Inquiry
Sports Desk
How the Calgorithm has become CFB’s newest obsession EPSN
How India became a Test cricket powerhouse BBC
Class Warfare
Dockworkers’ union suspends strike until Jan. 15 to allow time to negotiate new contract AP. Commentary:
Interesting Discovery short video showing the fully automated Rotterdam port operation.
It’s the largest seaport in Europe and 10th in world for cargo tonnage (was #1 between 1962 and 2004, since overtaken by Chinese ports)
It’s operated by <20 people onsite and works by:… pic.twitter.com/Ph2Fb0ghW0
— Trung Phan (@TrungTPhan) October 3, 2024
Biden declares ‘collective bargaining works’ after deal struck The Hill
UAW Reformers Muster Forces to Hold Bosses to Their Word Labor Notes
Can Social Democracy Win Again? Boston Review
The Peanut That Broke The Law nonsite.org
In American Empire, You’re Either Invading or Being Invaded Literary Hub
Richard III, the Tudor Myth, and the Transition from Feudalism to Capitalism MR Online
Victim’s Unsealed Testimony Reveals New Details in Epstein Case NYT
Antidote du jour (Oilstreet):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
