Hippo’s ‘snooze bubbles’ at Texas zoo captivate internet. ‘You’re adorable Timothy’ Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Octopuses throw objects at one another, researchers observe Guardian
After steep September slide, US imports stabilize in October Hellenic Shipping News
Climate
Grim outlook on global warming emerges from UN conference Responsible Statecraft
COP27: Sharp rise in fossil fuel industry delegates at climate summit BBC
World’s CO2 Hotspots Pinpointed by Al Gore-Backed Climate Project Bloomberg
Debt-for-Nature Swaps Gain Traction Among Developing Countries Bloomberg
Burst sewage pipe adds to infrastructure woes at COP27 AP
Water
Rural ranchers face $4,000 proposed fine for violating state drought order CalMatters. That’s all?
#COVID19
Lifting Universal Masking in Schools — Covid-19 Incidence among Students and Staff NEJM. From the Discussion:
We estimated that the lifting of masking requirements in school districts in the greater Boston area during March 2022 contributed an additional 45 Covid-19 cases per 1000 students and staff during the following 15-week period. Overall, this estimate corresponded to nearly 12,000 additional Covid-19 cases among students and staff, which accounted for one third of the cases in school districts that lifted masking requirements during that time and most likely translated to substantial loss of in-person school days.
We observed that the effect of school masking policies was greatest during the weeks when the background incidences of Covid-19 in surrounding cities and towns were highest, a finding that suggests that universal masking policies may be most effective when they are implemented before and throughout periods of high SARS-CoV-2 transmission…. [R]elying on lagging metrics such as CDC Covid-19 Community Levels and Covid-19 hospitalizations to inform school masking policies is most likely insufficient to prevent Covid-19 cases and loss of in-person school days, and policymakers might instead consider measures of community transmission (e.g., SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentration or Covid-19 incidence) to inform such policies..
So, (a) masks save lives and prevent suffering, and (b) CDC butchered mask policy with its “Green Map.” Neither will come as as surprise to NC readers, though it’s good to have the imprimatur of the NEJM.
Geographic Accessibility of COVID-19 Test to Treat Sites by Race, Ethnicity, Age, and Rurality JAMA. Gawd forbid by income but wev. On Biden’s “Test to Treat” program. From the Abstract: “This cross-sectional study found that approximately 15% of the overall US population, 30% of American Indian or Alaskan Native people, and 59% of the rural population lived more than 60 minutes from the nearest site. Rural populations had a median 58-minute longer drive to the nearest site compared with urban populations.”
Wildlife exposure to SARS-CoV-2 across a human use gradient (preprint) bioRxiv. From the Abstract: “[O]ur results highlight widespread exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife and suggest that areas with high human activity may serve as important points of contact for cross-species transmission. Furthermore, this work highlights the potential role of wildlife in fueling de novo mutations that may eventually appear in humans.”
Covid Patients Coming Off Ventilators Can Take Weeks to Regain Consciousness NYT
China?
Has a Chinese-born professor discovered a big piece to a 150-year-old maths puzzle? South China Morning Post.
God save Australia because America will not Pearls and Irritations.
3D-printed guns are on the rise in Australia. How can we prevent them being made? The Conversation
Syraqistan
Imran Khan sets up a rare showdown with Pakistan’s potent military FT
U.S. Tech Is Being Used In Iran’s Controversial Drones OilPrice.com (Re Silc) lol.
A Pandemic Silver Lining in Senegal The Atlantic
Dear Old Blighty
Cool, calm answers are needed on how Labour will fund the NHS Tax Research UK. Which bits Labour will sell to the Americans, and whether the Tories would sell different bits? Meanwhile:
#BREAKING Newly-crowned, corrupt, unpopular, aging king of flavour-starved, tribally-divided UK, Charles III, who is battling unproven allegations of plotting to oust revered late mother decades ago, narrowly survives attack by egg-throwing militant as nation descends into chaos.
— gathara (@gathara) November 9, 2022
UK Announces Initial Steps For National Digital Identities Forbes
Government loses 18-month fight to keep ‘Covid lessons learnt’ review secret OpenDemocracy
New Not-So-Cold War
Russia says troops leaving strategic Kherson, Ukraine doubts full pullout Reuters
Putin’s nuclear threats may hint at an electromagnetic pulse strike FT. Deceptive headline, but interesting on the EMP.
Belgian nationwide strike of 9 November Gilbert Doctorow. Switches to discussion of Ukraine halfway through.
Global South in acute pain, return to table: Jaishankar to Russia Indian Express (J-LS).
With a Small Shift in Evangelical Votes, Brazil Elects Lula Christianity Today
Mexico not buying U.S. yellow corn as GM ban looms, Lopez Obrador says Reuters
2022
The Status Quo Wins Michael Lind, Tablet
A Good Election for Anti-Monopolists Matt Stoller, BIG
‘It’s all about abortion’: how women clawed back ground for the Democrats FT
Youth Voter Turnout in the 2022 Midterms Delivered Key Wins for Democrats Teen Vogue
On Donald Trump and the Democrats’ Not-So-Awful Election The New Yorker
Two January 6th Participants Elected to Congress The Bulwark
Who Still Needs the Carnivalesque? The Baffler
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Delegating trust is really, really, really hard (infosec edition) Cory Doctorow. Important.
Mysterious company with government ties plays key internet role WaPo. No, not AWS, silly!
The Bezzle
SEC, DOJ Investigating Crypto Platform FTX WSJ
Sam Bankman-Fried Has a Savior Complex—And Maybe You Should Too Sequoia. Comedy gold:
Handy chart:
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Took a Hit on Investment in FTX Investing.com.
Wells Fargo, Zelle slammed by Liz Warren over rampant online banking fraud The Register
Our Famously Free Press
FOCUS: A Lesson on How I Should Read the Political News Brad DeLong’s Grasping Reality
Update on David Miranda’s Health and Reflections About Our Family’s Health Crisis Glenn Greenwald
Sports Desk
March Madness Is Perfect, So of Course They’re Trying to Ruin It New York Magazine
Imperial Collapse Watch
Mini-Theory Blog: Play it Again, Sam Nina Illingworth (JD).
Class Warfare
They Waged the Largest Private-Sector Nurses’ Strike in U.S. History. They’re Still Waiting for Justice Workday
Oldest known sentence written in first alphabet discovered – on a head-lice comb Guardian
Antidote du jour (via):
Bonus antidote:
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
