The Rise of Mesoeconomics Project Syndicate
The REAL ID Act: 20 Years of Delay – Why 2025 Won’t Have a Different View From the Legislature
The weather
Investment in key minerals needed to meet energy transition demand: IEA S&P Global
The US is taking action to make the country’s largest coal region inaccessible to S&P Global’s new mine
****** Population at risk: Rising heat on public health infrastructure Business Standard
A Drop in the Ocean: The Hidden Power of Climate Change-Based Rights (PDF) Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law
This Plastic Is Embedded With Bacterial Spores That Break It Down After It’s Thrown Out The Hub Of Unity
Syndemics
The first type of COVID-19 affects the immunity of the bivalent BA.1 and BA.5 booster Nature. From the conclusion: “Together, our data underscore important lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and related vaccine strategies: (1) early vaccination has a suppressive effect on the immune system that is still detectable after at least two mRNA-based booster vaccines, and ( 2) not all mRNA-based booster vaccines are equally immunogenic; in the SWITCH-ON trial only the bivalent Omicron BA.5 vaccine increased the immune response, while the bivalent BA.1 vaccine did not.” I’m so old I remember when we would quickly develop point versions of mRNA vaccines, like software. Oh well.
The time of the epidemic is now, and the mask ban is immoral and Anti-mask Woke-washing (2023) Chloe Humbert, Teams Human
Excess mortality in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic 2020-2022 European Journal of Public Health
****** A world gone mad: capitalism and the rise of mental illness Red Pepper
China?
Battlegrounds that could decide US-China war over Taiwan FT
Dozens of Chinese state regulators, bankers, financial managers in corruption cases as the new year’s campaign rises South China Morning Post.
Syracistan
Ireland ‘absolutely’ aims to see Palestinian state this month: Premier Anadolu Agency
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi confirms death in helicopter crash BNE Intellinews
US security adviser urges Netanyahu to link war to ‘political strategy’ BBC [slaps forehead]. Jake Sullivan.
Houthis strike tanker carrying Russian oil to China Splash247. I thought they meant ships that only serve Israel? I didn’t get the memo?
Another reason why our special people are related to Israel:
John Mearsheimer on an important fact confirmed and recently by the killing of Western aid workers and American doctors and nurses trapped in hospitals by Israel: “If I visited Israel and was killed, would there be accountability? There would not be. The Israelis… pic.twitter.com/4vdXz2IzRb
— ☀️👀 (@zei_squirrel) May 19, 2024
The breakup of Europe
Slovakia PM attacker ‘may not have been a lone wolf’ BBC
Hello Old Blighty
Starmer, the cuckoo funds the future
The New Cold War
Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidential term expires on May 20 The Economist. That’s it for today!
War and popularity keep Zelensky in power despite the BBC’s demise
****** SITREP 5/19/24: Ukraine’s Roads Abandoned as New Incentives Strike Simplicius’ Thought(s)
Bulgaria’s president calls Ukraine’s victory over Russia impossible Ukrainska Pravda
****** Russia is opening a new front in the war in Ukraine. Is Ukraine losing the war with Russia? USA Today
Russian glide bombs destroy Ukrainian cities on cheap BBC
****** Russia and China – Two Against One Ray McGovern, Consortium News. Hats tip to the genius brains at Blob for working so hard to make this happen.
Singing the Blues: Baltics and Ukraine CEPA
Billion dollar war: How Europe is fighting to fund the Ukraine War The Indian Express
****** US Congress may punish authors of Georgia’s ‘foreign agents’ law – WSJ, The Hill JAM News
Bullshit Blowback Tarik Cyril Amar. Stake: “The recent crisis in Georgia is an example of the ‘rich people’ of the West creating echo chambers that feed off their mistakes.” But there are many like that.
Global Election
India begins voting in phase 5 of the national elections Anadolu Agency
India votes in 2024: ‘The rich get richer, the poor get poorer’ France24
‘Why should we vote?’ Indian jute workers blame politicians for tragedy Al Jazeera
Modi’s Anti-Muslim Rhetoric Dives into Conspiracy Thoughts to Replace Hindus Madras Courier
The famous subversion of Indian democracy is the Bangkok Post
Not being trusted
Monopoly Round-Up: Google Tries to Settle Antitrust Division (excerpt) Matt Stoller, BIG
A digital clock
The Growth of the Large-Scale Language Model Bruce Schneier, Schneier in Security. “The advent of AI threatens to destroy the complex internet ecosystem that allows writers, artists, and other creators to reach human audiences.”
When Online Content Disappears Pew Research Center. Deck: “38% of web pages that existed in 2013 are no longer available ten years later. Why don’t we create a national cloud?
Traffic lights can change in the era of smart cars Fast Company
VCs and soldiers are fueling self-driving startups that don’t need roads TechCrunch
History of emoji: missing years Get Info
Librarians Fight a Silent War Against International “Data Cartels”.
Assange
Julian Assange is facing judgment day in his years-long battle to avoid going to court in the US, The Hill. Consortium News will broadcast it live.
The Final Frontier
Solar Storm Releases Farmers’ Tractor GPS Systems During Peak Planting Season 404 Media
Giant solar power plants absorb energy from seven stars in space, says WION study. Dyson spheres?
Health care
The Builder Who Got Me Out of Oakland Magazine
Gunz
Churches turn to armed volunteers as gunmen threaten pastors, FOX worshippers. Gal 6:7.
Infrastructure Collapse
Human error, Dali switchboard centered on the US Congress Baltimore bridge in the hearing of Seatrade Maritime
Class War
The End of Lean Manufacturing… and What’s Next Kim Moody, Labor Notes. Important. Moody is always worth reading.
Maybe We’re Closer to “You’ll Own Nothing” Than We Know Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds
The workers’ co-op grew out of the remnants of Colorado’s mushroom farm Colorado Sun
10 Reasons Even a Bald Guy Should Own a Hair Dryer The Art of Doing Things. First world problems, but could #8 be true?
Feeling good about feeling bad, or how guilt can make you better WaPo
Antidote du jour (via ejatgc):
See yesterday’s links and the Antidote du Jour here.
