Billionaire investor Ray Dalio warns US ‘on the brink’ and estimates more than 1 in 3 chance of civil war Fortune
The Civil War taught us how to influence the media. It almost cost FOX Lincoln’s re-election. It is worth reading.
How Government Helped the Birth of the Advertising Industry JSTOR Daily
The weather
Houston’s Deadly Hurricane-Like Weather Partly Fueled by Climate Change Bloomberg. Heard of Houston?
JUST IN: Apocalyptic scenes emerge from Houston, Texas as a massive thunderstorm passes through the city, destroying buildings in the downtown area.
Winds of 80 mph blew out windows in downtown Houston and knocked out power to a million residents.
It is reported that four people have died… pic.twitter.com/pwkemOcnKf
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 17, 2024
Wow:
It was windy in Houston last night. pic.twitter.com/OAyj5yJLsq
— @amuse (@amuse) May 18, 2024
World’s Largest Forestry Project Is Licensed Bloomberg. Wowsers. Could this whole carbon offsets thing be a scam?!
Menace on the Menu: The Financialisation of Farmland and the War on Food and Farming Countercurrents
Meet the Sámi earth protectors of Scandinavia Atmos
Water
Water company ‘failed’ in parasite outbreak BBC
An epidemic
Prevalence and co-occurrence of cognitive impairment in children and adolescents up to 12 months after infection with SARS-CoV-2 (Omicron variant) Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. Abstract: “12 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, about 7 percent of children and young people report ‘brain fog’ that is, cognitive impairment.” On the bright side, they will probably grow up to be libertarians….
Ambient carbon dioxide concentration correlates with SARS-CoV-2 aerostability and risk of infection. From the Abstract: “We show here that a large increase in SARS-CoV-2 aerostability results from a moderate increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (eg 800 ppm), an effect that is more pronounced than that observed with changes in relative humidity. . We model the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission at ambient CO2 concentrations, concluding that even this moderate increase in CO2 concentration results in a significant increase in overall risk. This observation confirms the critical importance of ventilation and maintaining low CO2 concentrations in indoor environments to reduce disease transmission. ” Therefore, CO2 is not just a proxy for the presence of a virus in the shared air, but a real dangerous substance.
****** H5N1 doesn’t have to be a repeat of STAT’s Covid-19 ‘public health vs. economy’
Highly Pathogenic Bird Flu Found in Birds in New York City Science Alert. For citizen science!
China?
China’s home prices fall at fastest pace in 9 years Channel News Asia
China’s ‘AI-in-a-box’ products threaten Big Tech FT’s cloud growth strategies
The Great Green Wall Polycrisis
Vietnam appoints public security minister as new president of Channel News Asia
The Koreans
‘My heart still hurts’: A personal dedication to exposing the BBC’s K-pop scandal
The breakup of Europe
How Interference With China Is Undermining Germany’s Strategic Autonomy RUSI. Sheesh, China blew up the Nord Stream pipeline. What is Germany thinking?
****** Slovakia’s Fico ‘continues to stabilize’ after attempted murder, judge rules suspect in custody France24
Drive for War Craig Murray. “Can you imagine the anger and emotions that would be expressed by the Western powers if it was not Fico but the leader who represents Ukraine, who is against Russia in the EU, was attacked?”
Crosshairs New Left Review. About Robert Fico.
Russian Disinfo Campaign Blames Ukraine For Slovakian Prime Minister’s Shooting Wired but Zelenskyy comments on Slovakian Prime Minister’s mockery of Slovaks collecting shell money in Ukraine Ukrainska Pravda. Personally, since Ukraine says Russia did it, I think Ukraine did it.
Syracistan
Pro-Israel billionaires are fueling an attack on NYC Mayor Al Mayadeen’s Columbia students. “[S]some members have expressed willingness to sponsor privately [Israeli?] investigators to assist the New York police in managing the protests, as stated in the discussion forum.” Important.
Israel’s Gantz demands post-war Gaza plan, threatens to quit Al Jazeera
Israel lost Gaza war: Former Mossad deputy head Anadolu Agency
****** Aid trucks enter the area built by the US military to Gaza for the first time France24. Image:
Trucks are half empty (or, depending on your perspective, half full). Why?
****** Yemen’s Houthis will target all ships bound for Israel, the Reuters group said
How Tiny Djibouti Says ‘No’ to US on Houthi Red Sea Attack Bloomberg
****** 15 Witnesses, Three Confessions, Pattern of Naked Bodies. All Evidence of Hamas Rape in October 7 Haaretz:
However, at Shura Base, where most of the bodies were taken for identification purposes, there were five pathologists on duty. In that position, they also examined the bodies that arrived completely or partially naked to check the possibility of rape. According to a source with knowledge of these details, there are no signs in those bodies that prove that sex or genital mutilation took place.
At the same time, because there were only five pathologists on duty, they were able to oversee a quarter of the autopsy. In other words, about 75 percent of the bodies are buried without professional examination.
The Israeli army continues to post offensive images despite the BBC’s commitment to take action
The New Cold War
Ukraine’s annexation law goes into effect as Russian push forces in ABC
The old men are here. How the Ukrainian army has become a 40+ year old army and how lowering the enlistment age will affect the fighting force Ukrainska Pravda
Ukraine War Is Over As Russia Destroys Ukrainian Army (dialogue) Jacques Baud, Dialogue Works
****** Zelenskyy sees the prospects of a new Ukraine attacking Ukrainska Pravda
Key points from Zelensky’s interview with AFP Agence France Presse. Zelensky: “Regarding the aircraft, I say this clearly, in order for Russia not to be powerless in the air, our fleet should have 120 to 130 modern aircraft.” And a pony!
Ukraine Asks for US Help in Targeted Strike Inside Russia WSJ
****** A Russian court seizes assets of a German bank worth millions of euros24. Only millions?
Running the World – Moscow’s quest for power and balance with the US FT
Global Election
Controversy erupts over India’s electoral bonds, opponents call ‘world’s biggest scam’
2024
This is how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. he can make the first stage of the debate under the strict rules of the Biden-Trump Boston Globe
Trump wants ‘drug test’ for Biden, rips ‘radical’ RFK Jr. for the purpose of the ‘rebellious group’ at NRA FOX
Not being trusted
Lina Khan’s education, her greatest strength torments the WaPo
The Supremes
Consumers, Financial Services Win With CFPB Making Traffic Rules Adam Levitin, Bloomberg
At Justice Alito’s House, ‘Stop the Steal’ Sign on Display NYT
Spook Land
‘I’m the new Oppenheimer!’: my soul-crushing day at Palantir’s first-ever AI war conference Guardian
Here’s How the CIA Plans to Use Your Ad Tracking Data Reasonably
Assange
WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange faces judgment day for US Reuters release. Let’s hope for a good result.
A digital clock
EU warns Microsoft it could be fined billions for leaking harmful GenAI data TechCrunch
Reddit is going AI agnostic, signing a data training agreement with OpenAI The Register. How long before Autocoprophagy takes over completely, and AI training sets -> bot Reddit posts -> AI training sets?
Academe qualifications
Important:
It’s finals week at UCSF medical school and the library is closed to students bc the admin turned it into police headquarters pic.twitter.com/66Np5fvNyG
— Jersey Noah 🔻 (@JerseyNoahx) May 18, 2024
Police Tactics at Some Pro-Palestine Protests Ignore Lessons from Past Marshall Project
MMT
Magic Monetary Theory Goes Prime Time (quote) Matt Taibbi, Racket News. Taibbi does a good job, but this is not it: “I spent almost ten years listening to former homeless people in shelters insist that the solution to all the world’s problems can be drawn on a diaper” (ie, the Laffer Curve). Fair as it may be, but media criticism is not the right tool for the job when evaluating scholarly work, Kelton’s and Laffer’s was not. Taibbi must learn or stay in his lane.
Sports Desk
Pickleball Courts in a Legal Pickle (press release) Acoustical Society of America
Zeitgeist Watch
Vatican renews rules for testing apparitions of Mary; aims to combat the fraudulent Business Standard
Feral Hog Watch
New Study: Invasion of Canadian Pig “Big Pig” Likely to Spread to Northern US Farms and Spread
Imperial Collapse Watch
As American global hegemony ends, many alignments rise up The Hill. It is interesting to see it in this place.
It’s sad, but it’s the holy London Review of Books. Interpreting British imperialism.
Class War
The End of the Political Agreement Against the Southern Union. But not so soon –
Mercedes workers in Alabama vote against joining UAW The Hill. Comment:
How to Find Your Local History Wobbly The Anarchist Library. There is something to be said for saving paper. Anyone want to rewrite Ozymandiasbut for post-collapse data centers?
Antidote du jour (by fveronesi1):
See yesterday’s links and the Antidote du Jour here.
