Lambert and I, and lots of readers, agree that Ukraine has prompted the worst informational setting ever. We hope readers will collaborate in mitigating the fog of struggle — 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 can 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 possibility of shutting feedback down totally 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 burdened 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 research and reply. Utilizing the feedback part to complain about moderation selections/tripwires earns that commenter troll factors. Please don’t do it. These feedback can even be eliminated if we encounter them.
Hallelujah and Leonard Cohen’s ‘secret chord’ Monetary Occasions
New Zealand: Seal breaks into marine biologist’s dwelling BBC
Artist Reimagines Cats as Royalty in Conventional Portraits of Folks My Trendy Met (David L)
Freya the walrus: Did she must be euthanised? BBC (David L)
Wave created by Tonga volcano eruption reached 90 meters—9 occasions taller than 2011 Japan tsunami PhysOrg (David L)
Algorithms Can Now Mimic Any Artist. Some Artists Hate It Wired (David L)
Backbone-like floating platform harnesses water wave vitality YankoDesign (Kevin W)
‘Life hates surprises’: Can an formidable idea unify biology, neuroscience and psychology? Scroll (David L)
#COVID-19
Covid lockdown has affected every of us in our personal distinctive little methods. pic.twitter.com/6JW4PSxYzV
— TG (@TG22110) August 20, 2022
Science/Medication
SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern: spike protein mutational evaluation and epitope for broad neutralization Nature. GM says that is off-base:
It is a pre-Omicron paper (word the preliminary submission date — December 7 2021) that was then by some means tailored to incorporate some Omicron information, and in the long run grew to become a little bit of a jumbled mess.
The ab6 monoclonal they’re specializing in needs to be destroyed by the newer Omicron variants (discover how Epsilon escapes it essentially the most, then Delta).
One shouldn’t place an excessive amount of hope on exploiting “vulnerabilities”, conserved epitopes, and many others. To date mainly not one of the variant-proof monoclonals has survived. And that’s simply inside 2.5 years of evolution. Sotrovimab was purported to be bulletproof as a result of it got here from a SARS1 affected person, however then first BA.1 took a dent and BA.2 totally escaped it.
So monoclonals appears like they are going to be an infinite thredmill.
Not that it issues a lot for most individuals — the times of Florida handing out free monoclonals like sweet are over, and for a lot of the world there was by no means any entry to start with.
“A research from Houston Methodist discovered some #LongCovid sufferers do not get sufficient blood to their coronary heart.. The flexibility of endothelial cells, which play a key function in dilating arteries.. was diminished by 20% amongst 101 lengthy covid sufferers who participated”https://t.co/GGHqRly4mM
— charlos (@loscharlos) August 19, 2022
US
‘Most have thrown their arms up’: has the US forgotten about Covid? Guardian (resilc)
Monkeypox
Superb. We’re 4% of the world’s inhabitants, 25% of world Covid deaths, 20-25% of Covid circumstances, 35% of MPX circumstances. American exceptionalism! https://t.co/wziBShXE9N
— Dr. Thrasher (@thrasherxy) August 20, 2022
King County declares public well being emergency over monkeypox outbreak Seattle Occasions (furzy)
Local weather/Atmosphere
Scientists Assume They’ve Discovered a Shockingly Easy Technique to Degrade ‘Perpetually Chemical substances’ ScienceAlert. Chuck L: “Might be massive.”
Methane supercharges local weather change. The U.S. has a brand new plan to slash it. Nationwide Geographic (David L)
Why Photo voltaic Energy Is Failing Amid File-Breaking Warmth OilPrice
UK Charging Infrastructure Is Struggling To Preserve Up With Hovering EV Gross sales OilPrice. Resilc: “Auto induced brownouts forward.”
France’s river Loire units new lows as drought dries up its tributaries Reuters
That is the Loire, the longest river in France. It is gone now. It evaporated. That hasn’t occurred in a minimum of 2000 years, and certain not at any time in recorded human historical past. pic.twitter.com/oqbKwBuzC5
— DCPetterson (@dcpetterson) August 19, 2022
China?
China’s drills to vary US navy assumptions Asia Occasions (guurst)
China jails tycoon Xiao Jianhua for 13 years, slapping an unprecedented US$8 billion effective on his Tomorrow Group South China Morning Submit (resilc). We featured the Bloomberg model yesterday.
German dependence on China rising ‘at large tempo’, analysis reveals Reuters (resilc)
Share of births exterior marriage, by nation Marginal Revolution (resilc). A lot of international locations lacking…
Outdated Blighty
Revealed: Liz Truss personally supported cuts to NHS and medical doctors’ pay Guardian (Kevin W)
New Not-So-Chilly Battle
John Mearsheimer’s newest article on Ukraine in “Overseas Affairs” – a critique Gilbert Doctorow (guurst). Necessary.
Self-explanatory. Andrei Martyanov (guurst). Kinzhals in Kaliningrad and different issues.
Ukraine struggle of attrition at inflection level Indian Punchline. Kevin W:
I’d disagree together with his thought {that a} struggle of attrition will go away Russia weakened. The final years of the US Civil Battle, the Union fought it as a struggle of attrition and emerged as an influence home.
On Russian invasion, US intel acquired it proper — however policymakers stumbled Accountable Statecraft. On the technique failure however word additionally: Zelensky ignored the early 2022 warnings. Was it as a result of he was dedicated to a March Donbass offensive and satisfied himself that Russia was merely bristling to attempt to stop it? Or was it as a result of US intel had additionally warned of a spring offensive in 2021 that by no means got here to move?
Ukraine struggle: Russia to permit inspectors at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – Putin BBC
* * * How Russia is dodging Western sanctions with gray-market imports DW. Resilc: “Gee, who wooda guessed??????”
The Squeeze on Russia Is Loosening Matthew C. Klein (resilc)
* * * Russia to Halt Nord Stream Gasoline Flows to Europe, Citing Pipeline Upkeep Wall Avenue Journal. Humorous how these articles by no means point out that Putin has repeatedly provided to produce Europe through Nord Stream 2.
Was ist #Ampel-Wahnsinn? Einen #Wirtschaftskrieg anfangen,der uns mehr schadet als Russland. Danach Verbraucher ua. mit #Gasumlage zur Kasse bitten, um damit teures&klimaschädliches #LNG-Gasoline von US-Konzernen zu kaufen, die dabei exorbitante Profite machen🙈https://t.co/XpqAzgVuW9
— Sahra Wagenknecht (@SWagenknecht) August 19, 2022
Germany Dangers a Manufacturing unit Exodus as Power Costs Chunk Exhausting Bloomberg (Kevin W)
France opposes Spain’s fuel pipeline mission – media RT (Kevin W)
The New World Power Order: A Battle Of Attrition Forbes (resilc)
Syraqistan
DEVELOPING: Particulars on new nuclear deal authorised by Iran The Cradle (resilc)
🚨🚨Breaking: This morning, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) raided Al-Haq’s workplace in Ramallah, confiscated gadgets and shut down the primary entrance with an iron plate abandoning a navy order declaring the group illegal 1/2 pic.twitter.com/Y8yqRdU4Db
— Al-Haq الحق (@alhaq_org) August 18, 2022
Huge Brother Is Watching You Watch
Montana flagged bugs in cow app exploited in alleged China hack Al Jazeera (resilc). Cows want apps??? Wouldn’t cameras in and out of doors barns suffice?
Imperial Collapse Watch
US Air Pressure grounds Osprey fleet after harmful clutch drawback DefenseNews (resilc)
US bombs Somalia for the third time this summer season Accountable Statecraft. Resilc: “A trillion a 12 months wasted…….but the most important information is Liz Cheney.”
Different Trump
Courtroom orders launch of DOJ memo on Trump obstruction in Mueller probe Washington Submit (Kevin W)
The Donald J. Trump Information to Getting Away With Something Atlantic. Resilc: “Why is that this simply Trump? It’s all wealthy/highly effective individuals in USA USA.”
Liz Cheney and Trump are the Two Faces of American Totalitarianism Richard (RJ) Eskow (furzy)
Biden
A BFD Dan Somewhat and Elliot Kirschner (furzy). Um, not whenever you take a look at spending per 12 months.
Armed… auditors? The IRS turns into the most recent goal of GOP misinformation Guardian (resilc)
Pathetically, Hillary Clinton is smearing Bernie Sanders as sexist once more. Jacobin (resilc)
Abortion
Decide: Prosecutors can not implement Michigan’s abortion ban Politico (Kevin W)
With out Roe v. Wade, what it means when miscarriage is against the law Washington Submit (furzy)
HBO Max removes practically 200 episodes of ‘Sesame Avenue’ Washington Submit. Kevin W: “As a result of they had been educating children concerning the letter ‘Z’?”
Twitter Tells Workers Bonuses May Halve on Efficiency: NYT Bloomberg
Physicians see spike in misbehavior, report says and Unhealthy doctor office habits: What their colleagues are noticing Becker Evaluation (Dr. Kevin)
Annoyed pharmacists are opting out of the insurance coverage system, saving some prospects lots of of {dollars} a month NBC (dk)
Class Warfare
A center class vacation itinerary vs a working class vacation itinerary Each day Mash
Starbucks ordered to reinstate US staff fired amid union marketing campaign Guardian (Kevin W)
If Everybody Is King Then No One Is Caitlin Johnstone (Kevin W)
The 2028 L.A. Olympics Are Already Making a Housing Catastrophe New Republic (resilc)
Antidote du jour. Stephen T: “What the trendy sheep can be carrying this fall…”:
And a bonus (Chuck L):
Enormous pod of dolphins noticed off Laguna Seashore in California pic.twitter.com/myjXuDkNzp
— Gabriele Corno (@Gabriele_Corno) August 19, 2022
A second bonus:
Accountable bear picks up fallen visitors cone pic.twitter.com/mA83uFHJpH
— Gabriele Corno (@Gabriele_Corno) August 19, 2022
See yesterday’s Hyperlinks and Antidote du Jour right here.
