Migrating monarch butterflies have started arriving in Mexico Mexico News Daily
US economy bounces back from recession territory even as storm continues to brew Sky News
The surprisingly chilled bear market FT
Facebook used to be a Big Tech giant — now Meta isn’t even in the top 20 most valuable U.S. companies CNBC. That’s a damn shame.
Wile E. Coyote Moment as Tech Goes Off the Cliff John Authers, Bloomberg
PayPal reinstates $2,500 misinformation penalty Agence France Presse (Rev Kev).
Climate
Building with nature: Can reviving a marsh save this California town from sea level rise? LA Times
Seed Giant Bayer Shortens Corn Stalks to Withstand Extreme Winds Bloomberg
#COVID19
Excess risk for acute myocardial infarction mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic Journal of Medical Virology (Rev Kev). From the Abstract: ” The excess death, defined as the difference between the observed and the predicted mortality rates, was most pronounced for the youngest (25–44 years) aged decedents, ranging from 23% to 34% for the youngest compared to 13%–18% for the oldest age groups.” Ulp.
China?
Xi takes the new Standing Committee to Yan’an Sinocism
Next China: Investor Whiplash Bloomberg
China Ramps Up Lockdowns, Covid Restrictions Across Country Bloomberg
Shein Is Even Worse Than You Thought New York Magazine
Japan to citizens: Get a digital ID or health insurance gets harder The Register
The Koreas
Korean theme park developer’s bond default points to wider stress Channel News Asia
Ask a North Korean: Do North Koreans have different regional accents? NK News
Myanmar
Shunned by the West, Russia and Myanmar Form a Partnership of Unequals NYT
Syraqistan
Tour Burj Al Babas, a Massive Abandoned Town of Disney-esque Castles Architectural Digest
Dear Old Blighty
Spy chiefs may be reluctant to share sensitive information with Suella Braverman, warns Lord Blunkett Evening Standard
Tory war over Suella Braverman as ‘MI5 probe’ sparks new calls for investigation The Mirror
In Britain’s inflation crisis, healthy diets are a casualty Reuters
Northern Ireland Assembly dies in ‘wake for power-sharing’ Politico
The Primrose Path Craig Murray (Chuck L).
Why the Putney Debates Still Matter Tribune
European Disunion
Dirty Russian oil tankers pile up near Singapore and Malaysia ahead of EU sanctions South China Morning Post
Don’t let Russia win, NATO chief warns US Politico
New Not So Cold War
Transcript of the Plenary Session of the 19th Annual Meeting Valdai Discussion Club. Putin’s speech.
An American in Ukraine Finds the War He’s Been Searching For NYT. First, the liberal love for fascists. Now, for mercs. It’s not a good look.
Biden Administration
U.S. Officials Had a Secret Oil Deal With the Saudis. Or So They Thought. NYT
Biden avoids radical shift in new nuclear weapons policy FT
Biden Administration Wants To Make It Easier To Seize Crypto Without Criminal Charges Forbes
White House on Ron Klain violating the Hatch Act: ‘We are not perfect’ CNN
Arnold Schwarzenegger Goads GOP in Court Over ‘Nuts’ Election Theory Bloomberg. Moore v. Harper.
Democrats en Déshabillé
The Brutal Comedy of the Withdrawn Peace Letter Matt Taibbi, TK News. From the peroration:
In this context, could anything look worse than this week’s scurrying-roach routine? If you were actively trying to convince the public you didn’t stand for anything, you couldn’t dream up something more devastating than what the CPC members just did to themselves, and their institution.
Realignment and Legitimacy
Britain and America’s electoral geographies are broken FT
How The Left Became Cheerleaders for US Imperialism Mint Press
Neo-Nazi ‘Building White Ethnostate’ in Maine Now Working With Local Extremist Group Vices
How to prevent an anti-government revolution High Country News. Eastern Oregon
Spooks
Philharmonical Warfare: The Forgotten Story of the BSO’s Cold War Collaboration with the CIA Dig Bos (TF)
Musk/Twitter
Elon Musk Twitter Deal Completed, CEO and CFO Immediately Fired WSJ
Elon Musk ‘fires Twitter executive’ who banned Trump as speculation mounts he could return to platform Independent. Good. The Bush and Clinton dynasties are all on Twitter, along with Obama. Proud truthtellers all!
Musk promises Twitter won’t ‘become’ free-for-all hellscape FT
These top advertisers can stop Musk’s Twitter from supercharging online radicalization Media Matters
Our Famously Free Press
Information wants to be free:
TikTok learned the age, location, interests of a 10 year old girl.
Served her a “Blackout Challenge” video, which encourages users to strangle themselves.
She did that with a purse strap & dies.
Court accepts all this as true & rules that § 230 shields TikTok from liability. https://t.co/jp7UHHkZxA pic.twitter.com/B6zkDKjrWh
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) October 27, 2022
Healthcare
There’s a morning-after pill to prevent sexually transmitted infections Vox
Imperial Collapse Watch
Gilbert Doctorow: “The West is run by corrupt cowards!” Algérie Résistance II
Guillotine Watch
May God Save Us From Economists The New Republic
Class Warfare
Starbucks Walks Out of Union Contract Negotiations After Months of Delays In These Times
They made doors, gum and jerry cans. Ontario’s ‘essential’ workers in manufacturing accounted for more workplace COVID deaths than any other sector — even health care Toronto Star
One factory worker takes on Mexico’s powerful unions Reuters. The headline is deceptive. The “one factory worker” is starting her own union.
Chick-fil-A’s Three-Day Work Week Has Had Stunning Results The Takeout (Furzy Mouse).
Ancient Maya cities were dangerously contaminated with mercury Frontiers Science News
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
