Stray cat too chunky to fit in cage is adopted in Virginia, will diet WaPo
JPMorgan’s annual profit surges to record even as quarterly net income dips Reuters. A metaphor?
JPMorgan Chase Building at 270 Park Avenue rises 423 meters in Midtown Manhattan and it’s scheduled for completion in 2025.
This is a detail of the construction site, where you can appreciate the static forces magnifically at work. pic.twitter.com/MtlJkPCpWT
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) January 14, 2024
Real estate owners saddled with half-empty office buildings as hybrid work trend continues CBS
Why America hates its children Business Insider
Climate
Arctic blast leaves over 110 million under wind chill warnings Axios
How did Alberta wind up facing blackouts in the extreme cold? A Q and A with AESO Edmonton Journal. Commentary:
It’s not lost on me that Alberta and Texas are the only 2 locations that, in recent memory, have had their power grids privatized and in the wake of extreme cold weather, are the only power grids to have rolling blackout warnings.
I’m *sure* it’s just a coincidence.
— Jeff D. Michel (MICKel) (@JeffDMichel) January 14, 2024
Linus Torvalds postpones Linux 6.8 merge window after being taken offline by storms The Register
Iron Fertilization Isn’t Going to Save Us Hakai
U.S.’s Biggest Renewable Project Is Under Way, Finally WSJ
The social costs of greenhouse gas emissions in health care are astounding — and we’ve been ignoring them completely The Hill
An ecosocialist strategy to make 1.5° possible Climate and Capitalism. Read all the way to the end.
US climate envoy John Kerry to step down: Reports Al Jazeera
Art in Winter Nippon
#COVID19
U.S. Senate Hearing on Long COVID next week — will be livestreamed r/covidlonghaulers, Reddit. Where I have to go for a headline, ffs. Commentary:
Yes! Here’s a form for #LongCOVID advocate interest in discounted, accessible Washington DC hotel block Weds Jan 17 and/or Thurs Jan 18 for Senate HELP Hearing. Individuals, groups or orgs welcome, $109 + tax/night & thanks for sharing any interest ASAP: https://t.co/3mdS8IVYwj
— Meighan Stone | @meighanstone.bsky.social (@meighanstone) January 12, 2024
Why Your Negative COVID Test Might Be Less Reliable in 2024 KQED
China?
Ex-boss of China’s state-run bank Everbright arrested on corruption charges Al Jazeera
Taiwan Election Keeps Status Quo, Changes Everything: Next China Bloomberg
Chinese-developed nuclear battery has a 50-year lifespan — Betavolt BV100 built with Nickel-63 isotope and diamond semiconductor material Tom’s Hardware
‘Technical glitch’ in payroll software sparks riots in Papua New Guinea The Register
Myanmar
Myanmar ethnic minority fighters claim to have captured town near Bangladesh border Straits Times. Commentary:
Another significant defeat for the Myanmar junta. The Arakan Army says it now controls all of Paletwa township, which means all of the southern border with India and India’s ambitious plans to link the northeast with the Rakhine port at Sittwe. https://t.co/InKkU7iHwE
— Jonathan Head (@pakhead) January 15, 2024
India shipped over $1 million of navy-grade fuel to Myanmar since coup Frontier Myanmar
India
Three Charts: What the Modi Government Wants us to Forget Before the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls The Wire
Syraqistan
China’s Wang Yi calls for Gaza ceasefire and Palestinian statehood Channel News Asia
What is the ICJ genocide case against Israel? Israel Today. Commentary:
Absolutely extraordinary official statement by Namibia (where Germany committed a genocide in 1904-1908) made because of “Germany’s inability to draw lessons from its horrific history” (ouch!) and in light of its “support of the genocidal intent of the racist Israeli state”… https://t.co/iIq5AMlFzs
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) January 14, 2024
Houthis defiant despite repeated strikes on Yemeni bases Splash 247
Report: Iran is Converting Two Panamax Boxships Into “Drone Carriers” Maritime Executive. Commentary:
This drone carrier, which Iran has been repurposed from a container ship, now has a completed deck. Only a matter of time before she does a lot of damage to commercial vessels the Gulf of Oman or the Arabian Sea; where we believe she will be parked a lot closer to her targets. https://t.co/a4nzJjG4vc
— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) January 15, 2024
Tankers: Is Another Source of Disruption Under Way? Hellenic Shipping News
White House staff ‘relocated’ after pro-Palestinian rioters damage anti-scale fencing, hurl objects at cops FOX. I certainly hope they weren’t parading without a permit!
Watching the watchdogs: The 5 Ds of US Middle East policy Al Jazeera
C.I.A. Homes In on Hamas Leadership, U.S. Officials Say NYT
They were Israel’s ‘eyes on the border’ – but their Hamas warnings went unheard BBC
Arab League to convene emergency meeting to discuss tensions between Somalia, Ethiopia Anadolu Agency
The Taliban’s curious love of SIM cards Rest of World
European Disunion
France’s controversial immigration law sparks massive protest in Paris Anadolu Agency
Dear Old Blighty
Fujitsu Japan remains tight-lipped on the Post Office scandal BBC
New Not-So-Cold War
Russia Regains Upper Hand in Ukraine’s East as Kyiv’s Troops Struggle NYT
Victory Is Ukraine’s Only True Path to Peace Foreign Affairs
Russia prepares to take the West to court if it tries to seize the CBR’s frozen money BNE Intellinews
How real are the latest claims about the Bidens’ links to Ukrainian corruption? RT
Davos
Davos 2024 Day 1: What to expect World Economic Forum. On location:
A big Chinese delegation unnerves U.S. diplomats in Davos Politico
Talks for an Elusive Peace in Ukraine Held in Davos VOA
Zelenskyy on Peace Formula meeting in Davos: We reduce confidence of murderers Ukrainska Pravda. While Gonzalo Lira is the ghost at the feast…
2024
Fears grow that Trump will use the military in ‘dictatorial ways’ if he returns to the White House NBC. “[A] loose-knit network of public interest groups and lawmakers is quietly devising plans to try to foil any efforts to expand presidential power, which could include pressuring the military to cater to his political needs. Those taking part in the effort told NBC News they are studying Trump’s past actions and 2024 policy positions so that they will be ready if he wins in November. That involves preparing to take legal action and send letters to Trump appointees spelling out consequences they’d face if they undermine constitutional norms.” Ah, norms. Seems legit. Commentary:
Reminder: The woman behind the coup planning reported on by NBC is Mary B. McCord, who served as the Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security from October 2016 to May 2017.
You may recall that she reviewed and approved FISA warrants to surveil Carter Page, a…
— @amuse (@amuse) January 14, 2024
(McCord and Carter Page.)
Republican Funhouse
Florida school district removes dictionaries from libraries, citing law championed by DeSantis Popular Information
Boeing
Boeing and U.S. aerospace set back by Alaska Airlines fuselage blowout Dominic Gates, Seattle Times. Well worth a read.
Boeing’s Pile of Problems Gets Bigger as a Crucial Buyer Hesitates WSJ
‘It ain’t working’: Boeing’s quality pledges in question after Max 9 incident FT
The Bezzle
Tether crypto token increasingly favoured by money launderers, UN warns FT
Multi-Level Lies (PDF) SSRN. Multi-level marketing. Exceptionally nasty. And pervasive.
As more than $1 trillion flows into climate tech, incentive-tracking apps find firm footing TechCrunch
Digital Watch
OpenAI Quietly Deletes Ban on Using ChatGPT for “Military and Warfare” The Intercept
I’m sorry, but I cannot fulfill this request as it goes against OpenAI use policy The Verge. “Hm, I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that a bunch of these accounts “❤️ Memecoin.” Or maybe OpenAI itself ❤️s Memecoin, who am I to say?” Let the re-crapification of the already crapified begin!
The Perfect Webpage The Verge
Business model:
Healthcare
The great Medicare Advantage marketing scam: How for-profit health insurers convince seniors to enroll in private Medicare plans Healthcare Uncovered
Imperial Collapse Watch
US Navy Doubles Down On Carrier Capability Naval News. No doubt.
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here
