Pooch portraits: Dog Photography awards – in pictures Guardian
Knife-wielding North Carolina man leads police on chase on John Deere tractor, reaching 20 mph AL.com
The Age of Free Money Is Over. But There Are Still Opportunities, Investing Pros Say. Barron’s
Slicing Cash Flows for Better Ratings Bloomberg
Inside the High-Yield Spread Verdad. The deck: “High yield is not pricing a recession.”
The uneasy US housing stalemate FT
Can 3-D Printing Help Solve the Housing Crisis? The New Yorker
Davos
Davos: There’s life in global capitalism yet Martin Wolf, FT
‘Succession’ has nothing on Davos: Elite conclave mulls next leader Politico. Commentary:
Henry Kissinger says Russia War Validates Ukraine’s NATO Bid Agence France Presse
Of Course Davos Wants To Hear from Henry Kissinger Spencer Ackerman, Forever Wars
Climate
Texas Project Will Use Wind to Make Fuel Out of Water Inside Climate News
#COVID19
Substantial Neutralization Escape by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variants BQ.1.1 and XBB.1 (letter) NEJM. “Our data show that the BQ.1.1 and XBB.1 variants escaped neutralizing antibodies substantially more effectively than the BA.5 variant by factors of 7 and 17, respectively, after monovalent mRNA boosting and by factors of 7 and 21, respectively, after bivalent mRNA boosting. The neutralizing antibody titers to BQ.1.1 and XBB.1 were dramatically lower than titers to the WA1/2020 strain by factors of 53 and 127, respectively, in the monovalent booster cohort and by factors of 80 and 232, respectively, in the bivalent booster cohort. These findings suggest that the BQ.1.1 and XBB.1 variants may reduce the efficacy of current mRNA vaccines and that vaccine protection against severe disease with these variants may depend on CD8 T-cell responses.” Oh.
China?
China welcomes Blinken to visit, ministry says China Daily
China tells the world that the Maoist madness is over – we can all make money again Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, The Telegraph
The East is red:
Great visual by the @IEA on manufacturing capacity across sectors and throughout the clean energy value chain. Besides showing the major role of China, this graph also underscores areas where Europe and/or the United States have a strong foundation to build on going forward. pic.twitter.com/2TtMPSqyZf
— Nikos Tsafos (@ntsafos) January 16, 2023
‘Everyone is crazy’: money-mad mob in grasping frenzy after family in China throws US$3,000 from balcony at birthday party South China Morning Post
Slumping China-bound Japanese exports raises fears of global downturn Reuters
The Koreas
Fatality rate of people infected with Covid-19 twice higher than those infected once Korea Biomedical Review
Jacinda Ardern quits as Prime Minister: Labour to elect new leader, Grant Robertson won’t seek role, general election date October 14 New Zealand Herald. Commentary:
What I’ll always remember is how PM Jacinda Ardern’s leadership lead to New Zealand banning assault rifles and military-style semi-automatic weapons in just SIX days after the Christchurch mosque attacks. No greater example of what going beyond thoughts and prayers looks like.
— Ahmed Ali (@MrAhmednurAli) January 19, 2023
European Disunion
France set for ‘Black Thursday’ nationwide strike over pension reforms Al Mayadeen and French union threatens to cut electricity to MPs, billionaires amid nationwide strike Reuters
Bulgaria to the rescue: How the EU’s poorest country secretly saved Ukraine Politico
Dear Old Blighty
‘Run into the ground’: How did the UK’s National Health Service end up on life support? Euronews
Settling rail disputes would have been cheaper than crippling strikes, admits minister Evening Standard
South of the Border
With 50 Dead in Peru, a Referendum on Democracy NYT. The Times seems reluctant to use the word “coup.”
Lula to recalibrate pace of reforms after pro-Bolsonaro riots, finance minister says FT
Mexico, US sign memorandum to fortify immigrant labor rights Mexico News Daily
O Canada
Inside the Tow Truck Mafia: How Organized Crime Took Over Canada’s Towing Industry The Drive. From March, still germane.
The Montreal Mafia Murders: Blood, Gore, Cannolis, and Hockey Bags Vanity Fair
New Not-So-Cold War
U.S. Warms to Helping Ukraine Target Crimea NYT
Update: The West Signals Support for Ethnic Cleansing in Crimea John Varoli. The deck: “NATO and Ukraine seek control of Crimea; however, the locals want to remain with Russia. There won’t be negotiations. So, the issue will be decided on the battlefield.”
The Greatest Nuclear Threat We Face Is a Russian Victory The Atlantic
300 nuclear missiles are headed your way. You must respond. What now? FT
Scientists Determine Best Place to Stand In Your House When a Nuke Hits Vice (NL). News you can use!
Russian Wagner boss sees traitors in the Kremlin and demands YouTube ban South China Morning Post
Winds of New Cold War Howling in the Arctic Circle Consortium News
Russia/Ukraine is not a sports competition. Trying to Understand the World
End Europe’s Security Welfare Check The American Conservative
The Ukrainian Solidarity Network: The Highest Stage of White Western Social Imperialism Black Agenda Report. Howie Hawkins. Sigh.
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Little-Known Surveillance Program Captures Money Transfers Between U.S. and More Than 20 Countries WSJ
Websites Selling Abortion Pills Are Sharing Sensitive Data With Google ProPublica
Healthcare
U.S. cancer deaths fall, study finds Axios
Groves of Academe
A Response to the Harvard Professors Alec’s Copaganda Newsletter
The Bezzle
‘They’re boiling the frog’: SEC’s new crypto crackdown roils industry Politico
Crypto lender Genesis preparing to file for bankruptcy: Bloomberg News Channel News Asia
Peter Thiel’s fund wound down 8-year bitcoin bet before market crash FT
Class Warfare
The FTC’s New Rule Against Noncompetes Could Raise Wages by $300 Billion The Nation
A simple fix to the Labor Department’s disastrous new worker classification rule The Hill
Exclusive: OpenAI Used Kenyan Workers on Less Than $2 Per Hour to Make ChatGPT Less Toxic Time
Writing as Strategy Divinations
Culture Study Challenge: One Small Community Thing Culture Study
Antidote du jour (via):
Normally I would crop this, but the setting is important.
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
