Plastic pollution may have met its match: The saliva of wax worms NBC
Thiel, Bezos and Zuckerberg join parade of insiders selling tech stocks FT
Climate
Are we all doomed? How to cope with the daunting uncertainties of climate change Nature. Probably not (for some definition of “we all”). Nevertheless.
Global Choke Points May Link Sea Level and Human Settlement at the Last Glacial Maximum Geographical Review. From 2020, still germane.
Atlantic ocean heat threatens to unleash methane eruptions Arctic News
Top geology body denies appeal, rejects Anthropocene proposal Climate & Capitalism
#COVID19
Thousands of disabled people died after ‘Covid treatment withheld’, inquiry to probe iNews. Commentary:
Handy to have the jargon. I wonder if we have equivalent medical coding?
Neuroimaging findings in children with COVID-19 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis Nature. N = 111. From the Abstract: “The pooled proportion of pediatric COVID-19 patients with neurological symptoms and exhibiting abnormal neuroimaging findings was 43.74%.” I’m so old I remember when children didn’t get Covid at all!
Wearing masks is easy but taking them off is difficult – A situation in Japan during COVID-19 pandemic and after Dialogues in Health:
In May 2022 just before the 7th surge started, the government slightly relaxed the mask-wearing policy, and mask-wearing outside was not necessary as long as one is two meters apart from others. Unfortunately, this change was not well recognized by the public and as many as 58% answered they were not aware of the relaxed policy in a November 2022 survey . The television news, and newspapers at that time [i.e., official propaganda] were welcoming life without masks again, especially when the notoriously hot and humid summer season in Japan was approaching. The subsequent 7th surge, however, was the most severe surge since the pandemic was declared and Japan had the world’s worst record for 10 consecutive weeks during July and September 2022 according to the WHO report [11]. This surge frightened people [My goodness me, why?] and they voluntarily continued to practice masking, though the government mask-wearing policy was left relaxed during the 7th surge.
And letting the cat out of the bag:
Other than the 7th surge, extreme mask affinity which could be referred [indeed it could, but by whom?} to as “mask dependence” developed after 3 years of daily masking practice is also a contributing factor.
“Seatbelt dependence,” “water treatment dependence”, “manual safety dependence,” “traffic light dependence”….
Awaiting a decision on new research regulations, scientists pen dueling articles to shape ‘gain-of-function’ policies Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. At least for potential airborne pandemics, the best and least risky approach to “pandemic preparedness” would be cleaning shared air. But non-pharmaceutical interventions are ruled out.
China?
China ready to remove barriers for foreign companies, Premier Li Qiang tells international forum South China Morning Post
Constant capital for the win:
Example 2 – Wire cutter and stripping machine. We use this one for basic wire fab often. Last company I worked at (and many others!) did this by hand. Crazy. pic.twitter.com/rDXauqjQee
— Cooper (@CooperZurad) March 22, 2024
In One Key A.I. Metric, China Pulls Ahead of the U.S.: Talent NYT
Exploring China’s Water Usage Trends and Sustainability (press release) Chinese Academy of Sciences
‘Obstetric winter’: Why are China’s hospitals shutting delivery wards? Al Jazeera
Philippines accuses China of new water cannon attacks in South China Sea Al Jazeera
Syraqistan
Washington aims to complete Gaza pier to enable maritime aid by May 1, says official Times of Israel. Commentary:
Pentagon has no idea how aid would be delivered to Gaza from the pier it pledged to build.
“In terms of how the distribution of aid is going to happen once it gets into Gaza, that’s not something that we’re handling…I just don’t have that for you right now.” pic.twitter.com/1FISXdpcmP
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) March 22, 2024
US’ Blinken meets Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, holds talks with Israeli Security Cabinet and Israel seizes 8 square km of land in West Bank’s Jordan Valley region Anadolu Agency. Translation: “F___ y__, Tony.” And the horse you rode in on.
The threat to Netanyahu from Israel’s ultraorthodox army exemption FT
Undoing Oslo New Left Review
European Disunion
The lessons from Europe’s banking drama FT
Germany approves partial legalization of cannabis from April Deutsche Welle
Dear Old Blighty
Sick people leaving workforce at record highs BBC. But why? ‘Tis a mystery! And the same story–
Britain is suffering its longest sick note epidemic for 25 years as 2.7MILLION people claim they are too ill to work and holding back the country’s economic growth in the process Daily Mail. At least they mention Covid!
New Not-So-Cold War
“Crocus City Hall” attack in Moscow suburb and other important Russian news and Update on the ‘Crocus City Hall’ massacre Gilbert Doctorow
Putin says gunmen who raided Moscow concert hall tried to escape to Ukraine. Kyiv denies involvement AP
Arab countries condemn Moscow attack, declare solidarity with Russia Anadolu Agency
ISIS claims responsibility in deadly attack on Russia’s Crocus City Hall ABC
Now the truth emerges: how the US fuelled the rise of Isis in Syria and Iraq Guardian. From 2015, possibly germane; there are a lot of ISIS variants (although none, AFAIK, have ever attacked Israel, oddly).
Ukraine war: Kyiv hit by multiple explosions in Russian bombardment BBC
Ukraine rejects claims of Western pressure over attacks on Russian oil facilities Politico. “Nice little election you’ve got there, Joe.”
Russia says it is pushing Ukrainian forces back, will create two new armies Reuters
Ukraine’s European allies are either broke, small or irresolute The Economist
Russia is winning the global grain war Politico
Europe’s Biggest Salt Mine Is Now in Minecraft, and It’s Helping Ukraine Rebuild Wired
Institutionalizing BRICS: A Treacherous Path Infobrics
Global Election Year
‘Democracy Frozen’ Says Congress, Calls Action on Accounts Bid to Cripple it Financially The Wire
Supporters of Modi opponent Kejriwal protest his arrest ahead of Indian election France24
Judge rules Gaetz, Greene can sue after California cities cancel their rallies over their ‘political views’ The Hill
Biden Adminstration
Senate passes $1.2 trillion funding package in early morning vote, ending threat of partial shutdown AP. Commentary:
There were many deeply shameful episodes in American history, but this will surely be remembered as one of the most depraved: the US is confirming they’re de-funding UNRWA – the main humanitarian agency in Gaza – until 2025.https://t.co/5VqN24SHkk
This is just 4 days after…
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) March 23, 2024
American Military-Civil Fusion at Risk With the Loss of the Shift Fellowship War on the Rocks
Spook Country
A survey of expert views on misinformation: Definitions, determinants, solutions, and future of the field (PDF) Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review. Appendix A: Demographics: “The sample of participants covers a large number of countries with a bias towards Western liberal democratic countries…. Experts leaned strongly toward the left of the political spectrum: very right-wing (0), fairly right-wing (0), slightly right-of-center (7), center (15), slightly left-of-center (43), fairly left-wing (62), very left-wing (21).” Whatever this crowd conceives of as “left wing.” I would guess that control of the means of production does not figure largely in their discourse.
Contest: Make Your Own “The Deep State is Actually Kind of Awesome” Video Matt Taibbi, Racket News. There’s a prize!
2024
Truth Social SPAC could pay Trump’s astronomical legal bills – if board OKs it TechCrunch
Antitrust
Ghost of Microsoft Stalks Apple as DOJ Takes Its Shot WSJ
Digital Watch
Instagram users fume as app begins limiting political content FOX. If I understand this correctly, Instagram is turning off the recommendation algorithm for “political” content (however defined). That’s what Meta should do for all content. It’s hardly “limitation,” let alone censorship.
God Chatbots Offer Spiritual Insights on Demand. What Could Go Wrong? Scientific American
Healthcare
The durability of vaccine-induced protection: an overview Expert Review of Vaccines. From the Abstract: “To sustain public trust in vaccines, lasting vaccines must be developed.”
Blood test could identify millions of people unknowingly spreading tuberculosis Sky News. Right, and who wants that?
Florida measles outbreak is a warning on how, and how not to, handle infectious disease Kavita Patel, Eric Feigl-Ding and Yaneer Bar-Yam, Miami Herald
Medicaid offices sue for dead people’s homes to cover health care costs without warning, critics say FOX. We can’t even fix this; NC first posted on Medicaid “estate recovery” in 2014.
Book Nook
Laurent de Brunhoff, ‘Babar’ heir and author, dies at age 98 AP. On Babar, from a time when The New Yorker still had good days, and Adam Gopnik hadn’t lost his mind.
Class Warfare
Secret RCMP report warns Canadians may revolt once they realize how broke they are National Post.
The town that can’t live without migrants, but isn’t sure it wants to live with them NBC
‘Organising is the best kind of antidepressant’: Astra Taylor and Leah Hunt-Hendrix on solidarity Guardian
Ancient switch to soft food gave us an overbite—and the ability to pronounce ‘f’s and ‘v’s Nature
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
