Lambert and I, and plenty of readers, agree that Ukraine has prompted the worst informational setting ever. We hope readers will collaborate in mitigating the fog of warfare — each actual fog and stage fog — in feedback. None of us want extra cheerleading and link-free repetition of memes; there are platforms for that. Low-value, link-free pom pom-wavers will probably be summarily whacked.
And for many who are new right here, this isn’t a mere well mannered request. We’ve written website Insurance policies and those that remark have accepted these phrases. To forestall having to resort to the nuclear choice of shutting feedback down completely till extra sanity prevails, as we did through the 2015 Greek bailout negotiations and shortly after the 2020 election, we’re going to be ruthless about moderating and blacklisting offenders.
–Yves
P.S. Additionally, earlier than additional stressing our already harassed moderators, learn our website insurance policies:
Please don’t write us to ask why a remark has not appeared. We shouldn’t have the bandwidth to analyze and reply. Utilizing the feedback part to complain about moderation selections/tripwires earns that commenter troll factors. Please don’t do it. These feedback will even be eliminated if we encounter them.
P.P.S. Our mod Jules is again from a repeatedly-Covid-postponed vacation in Norway. Had a good time and is sending aurora borealis vids.
Flamingo Noticed off Texas Coast, 17 Years After its Escape from a Zoo Sputnik (Kevin W)
The Crooked Forest: A Thriller Price Exploring TheTravel (David L)
Brawn Earlier than Brains: Mammals Bulked Up To Survive Put up-Dinosaur World SciTechDaily (Kevin W)
Betty Reid Soskin, America’s oldest energetic ranger, retires on the age of 100 Guardian (resilc)
Canada’s Supreme Courtroom upholds C$9m effective on maple syrup thief BBC (resilc)
AI-Directed Algae Blooms Increase Biofuel Prospects IEEE Spectrum (David L)
Timnit Gebru Is Constructing a Sluggish AI Motion IEEE Spectrum (David L)
#COVID-19
Science/Drugs
Groundbreaking collaborative work defines the danger of SARS-CoV-2 variants on immune safety Information-medical.internet (Kevin W)
There’s now little doubt that SARS-CoV-2 is neurotrophic. It infects the mind: “neuroinflammation, microhemorrhages, mind hypoxia…together with neuron degeneration and apoptosis [is] seen amongst animals that don’t develop extreme respiratory illness” https://t.co/GATm7WIwUn
— Dr Satoshi Akima FRACP 『秋間聰』 (@ToshiAkima) April 2, 2022
Highlighting COVID-19 racial disparities can scale back help for security precautions amongst White U.S. residents Social Science & Drugs
I do know a number of kids within the UK which have had “Omicron” 3x since December. All wholesome earlier than December.
BA.1
BA.1
BA.2.x— Alex Meshkin, GED (@alexmeshkin) April 1, 2022
Russian Well being Ministry registers world’s first nasal spray coronavirus vaccine TASS. Thoughts you, that is first to deploy, not first to develop. Scientist GM provides: “I’d not be shocked if the troops had been all given it earlier than the invasion was launched, although it might have needed to be an up to date pressure to be actually efficient towards an infection.”
Asia
China reviews 2,129 new COVID circumstances for April 1 vs 1,827 a day earlier Reuters
Robotic canine with loudspeaker barks COVID directions in China New York Put up. Kill me now.
UK/Europe
And here is the place for the 4 nations, with
will increase in E,W and NI, however a lower in S which was the best ever recorded within the 4 nations final week.4.9m are estimated to be optimistic within the UK, one other all time excessive.
— John Roberts (@john_actuary) April 1, 2022
Local weather/Surroundings
California Snowpack Melts, Leaving State Determined for Water Bloomberg
Chemical air pollution: Browsing in poisonous waters France24 (furzy)
Shortages
Practically 1 in 3 meals firms pressured to scale back or shutdown manufacturing Brussels Instances. From IM Doc, impartial of above story, by e-mail:
2 fascinating affected person conversations this week…The opposite was the retired CEO of one among our huge Ag corps. He advised me in no unsure phrases to start to do every thing I may to arrange. All types of issues are brewing with the nation’s meals provides and provide chains and the actual ache won’t begin till later this summer time or fall – however it’s going to be actually ugly. He charges the probability to be someplace between “epic and biblical”
IM Doc is in deep flyover, and so his space by being on the finish of provide chains might be early to be hit (recall Jared Diamond on Montana). Nonetheless….
Powerless: Sri Lanka plunges into darkness amid gas disaster FirstPost
China?
President Xi Jinping Holds a Digital Summit with Leaders of France and Germany Ministry of International Affairs of the Folks’s Republic of China. Distinction that with the article under:
China-EU Summit Highlights Diverging Paths The Diplomat (RobertC). Hoo boy, presumptuous. The West, right here the EU, retains making an attempt to stress China to muscle Russia, which China has repeatedly made abundantly clear they won’t do this. And to be crass, what leverage does the EU have over China? A patrons’ strike isn’t a reputable risk. Sure, it might damage China however China’s countersanctions would damage extra. This half is par for the obstinacy: “The general impression was that China was desperately making an attempt to show again the clock, to an easier time in China-EU relations.” No, China isn’t determined. That is probably the Chinese language being well mannered as a result of they regard the EU as hostage to the US (the readoout reveals Xi made remarks to that impact, which after all EU officers denied).
Xi calls on EU to kind impartial China coverage, encourages bloc to take main position for Ukraine decision International Instances. International Instances, a home organ, is an effective register of the official response. A key bit comes late within the piece:
Hours earlier than the China-EU leaders’ conferences on Friday, Chinese language analysts warned that China-EU relations can’t be kidnapped by the Ukraine disaster, and Europe ought to now not be kidnapped by the US in international coverage, as it should tremendously undermine the EU’s personal pursuits, making it troublesome to make sure financial restoration and folks’s livelihood, and runs counter to Europe’s purpose of pursuing strategic independence.
Extra proof that pushing China is counterproductive: China Calls U.S. ‘Main Instigator’ of Russia, Ukraine Battle Newsweek (furzy). I assume this was after the summit….
China sanctions US officers who ‘concocted lies’ on human rights Hong Kong Free Press. The US desires China’s assist with Russia after which imposed new sanctions after the warfare acknowledged. Does anybody within the State Division have an working mind cell?
G20 Summit a diplomatic minefield for host Indonesia Asia Instances (Kevin W)
New Not-So-Chilly Warfare
Russian Oil Is Too Low cost To Resist For China And India OilPrice (reslic)
Russia’s Gazprom exits German enterprise amid disaster in vitality ties Reuters (Kevin W). Follows a raid on Gazprom places of work in Germany.
UK sanctions Alfa, Gazprombank and Lavrov’s step daughter Reuters. Be aware this was as of March 24, the identical day Putin made his announcement of his fuel for roubles plan. The UK will get solely 3% of its fuel from Russia. Russian officers should have observed this sanction and nonetheless selected to stipulate solely Gazprombank and never one thing on the order of “a financial institution headquartered and licensed in Russia ” because the recipient of the common in by implication unsanctioned within the purchaser’s nation. The previous Royal Dutch Shell, now Shell, which as soon as within the Hague however a registered workplace in London, is now a London-based firm and eradicated its twin shares in January 2022. Nevertheless, Shell appeared to be far more of a Russian oil than fuel purchaser (fuel patrons are usually utilities). It was referred to as out in a March 4 Wall Avenue Journal story for purchasing discounted Russian crude and introduced March 8 that it was going to discontinue shopping for Russian oil and fuel. So it’s not clear the UK Gazprom sanction has a lot sensible affect.
Russian companies will be capable to pay for planes to international collectors in rubles RIA. Authentic: Российские фирмы смогут платить за самолеты иностранным кредиторам в рублях
Putin ally warns agriculture provides might be restricted to ‘mates’ Cyprus Mail (Kevin W)
Meet the New, Useful resource-Based mostly International Reserve Foreign money Pepe Escobar, The Saker. Means too triumphalist. Keep in mind Gramsci:
The disaster consists exactly in the truth that the previous is dying and the brand new can’t be born; on this interregnum an important number of morbid signs seem.
Hundreds of Russia-linked transport containers are inflicting a ‘nightmare’ scenario within the Port of Rotterdam Enterprise Insider (Kevin W)
* * * Don’t again down, Britain urges Ukraine The Instances (Li)
Russia, Ukraine and the Regulation of Warfare: Warfare Crimes Scott Ritter, Consortium Information
Kyiv advised London that it doesn’t intend to adjust to the Geneva Conference on prisoners of warfare TASS. Solely obtainable on Russian websites. Surprise if/when this may make it to the English model of TASS. From a translation:
The Kiev management knowledgeable the British International Workplace that it didn’t intend to adjust to the Geneva Conference within the remedy of Russian prisoners of warfare. That is acknowledged in a message launched on Friday by the press bureau of the International Intelligence Service (SVR) of the Russian Federation.
* * * Sweden ‘wants the safety of NATO membership’: Main Swedish MEP France24 (furzy)
NASA says Russia remains to be ‘transferring towards’ extending the house station by means of 2030
The Verge (resilc)College of Florida renames Karl Marx lecture room following Russian invasion of Ukraine Orlando Weekly (resilc)
UN: Violence in Colombia Registers a 621% Enhance This Yr Telesur (guurst)
Huge Brother is Watching You Watch
Pretend Emergency Search Warrants Draw Scrutiny from Capitol Hill – Krebs on Safety Brian Krebs (BC)
Apple rushes out patches for 2 zero-days threatening iOS and macOS customers ars technica (David L)
Imperial Collapse Watch
Why 40 African armies met at a Fort Benning summit — and why some didn’t Army Instances
The navy isn’t monitoring US-trained officers in Africa Accountable Statecraft. Kevin W flags the subhead: t with sub-title ‘AFRICOM says it promotes human rights and rule of legislation however doesn’t know why trainees are overthrowing their very own governments.’
Biden
If Biden Continues Huge Oil Launch, How Lengthy Would Reserves Final? Newsweek. Not the suitable query. The US makes use of about 20 million barrels a day, v. the a million n a day the Administration will launch for six months. This is a little more than the quantity imported from Russia. So on paper, all good. Nevertheless, the sanctions and self-sanctioning are maintaining international oil markets tight, and subsequently costs excessive. Plus Russian gas was medium-heavy, very nicely suited to creating diesel and residential heating gas. We’ve not been prepared/capable of get heavy bitter grades from Iran or Venezuela to combine with the sunshine candy crude we make and we purchase from the Saudis and is presumably what we’ve saved. Oil professionals communicate up. I perceive diesel will be constructed from lighter grades, however diesel is extra vitality dense, so it takes extra lighter-grade oil to make a gallon of diesel than a gallon of fuel.
Biden Mulls Lifting Ethanol Caps In A Bid To Decrease Gasoline Costs OilPrice
“Jettison the Animals!” James Howard Kunstler. On that laptop computer
Missouri Democrats’ New Senate Candidate Was Queen of Whites-Solely Ball Intercept
Judicial Watch Victory: Courtroom Declares Unconstitutional California’s Racial, Ethnic, LGBT Quota for Company Boards Judicial Watch. Be aware that Judicial Watch is conservative however not cray cray. They received in a movement for abstract judgment. Ouch. I did a little bit of poking round, however thus far, the media appears to be ignoring this ruling.
Choose Tosses N.Y. District Traces, Citing Democrats’ ‘Bias’ New York Instances (resilc)
Our Famously Free Press
“Disappeared”: Chris Hedges Responds to YouTube Deleting His 6-Yr Archive of RT America Exhibits DemocracyNow!
L’affaire Jeffrey Epstein
US decide denies Ghislaine Maxwell request for brand spanking new trial Agence France-Presse
Provide Chain
Overflowing Inventories and the Provide Chain Disaster Dean Baker, Counterpunch
Younger ladies earn greater than younger males in a number of U.S. cities Pew (resilc)
Class Warfare
The second Amazon staff on the JFK8 warehouse declared victory of their vote to kind the primary Amazon union in the USA pic.twitter.com/Fr92Wz1LIN
— Kei Pritsker (@KeiPritsker) April 1, 2022
We’ve all been by means of sufficient. Do. Not. Fuck. With. Folks. pic.twitter.com/ycZCLrNIGk
— Fuck You I Give up (@fuckyouiquit) April 1, 2022
Yale administrator stole $40-million in $10k increments, to keep away from detection. Meaning she stole $10k twice a day for 8 years, and nobody caught on: https://t.co/EFAEtuxFIU
— Graeme Wooden (@gcaw) March 31, 2022
Optimistic Drug Exams Amongst U.S. Staff Hit Two-Decade Excessive Wall Avenue Journal
Antidote du jour (CV). I miss having a cat.
See yesterday’s Hyperlinks and Antidote du Jour right here.
