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Links 9/13/2023

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Rare photo shows a macaque riding a deer for fun in a Japanese forest Business Insider

What American Bullies tell us about men Unherd

The Roman custom New Criterion. Anthony L: “Roman violence.”

New Blood Test for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Has 91% Accuracy Online Library. Paul R: “May have implications for long Covid.”

#COVID-19

COVID booster warning from Florida surgeon general, who advises people not to get new vaccine Fox (furzy)

CIA Bribed Its Own COVID-19 Origin Team To Reject Lab-Leak Theory, Anonymous Whistleblower Claims Science

Climate/Environment

Amazon Deforestation Down 66% From Last July in Lula’s Brazil EcoWatch (furzy). Um, deforestation slowing still = deforestation.

US Behind More Than a Third of Global Oil and Gas Expansion Plans, Report Finds Guardian

What would happen if the world cut meat and milk consumption in half? Grist. I hate to quibble but they don’t include chicken, which are very efficient at converting plant protein to animal protein.

California Lawmakers Approve Nation’s Most Sweeping Emissions Disclosure Rules for Big Business Associated Press

China?

China’s new spy post in Cuba poses nuclear risks Asia Times (Kevin W)

EU to launch anti-subsidy probe into Chinese electric vehicles Financial Times

Mainland China aircraft carrier nears Taiwan coast on way to PLA drills South China Morning Post

Reader Robin K sent a link to the article, which Google Translate would not translate from the URL and I thought readers would see it as too much of a PITA to copy and paste the text to translate. But this does most of the informational lifting”:

European Disunion

Live news: Eurozone industrial production falls more than expected Financial Times

Old Blighty

The Tories are destroying the state by making working for it profoundly unattractive or unaffordable. Richard Murphy

Oh Canada

E. coli outbreak fells 264, including children, at Canadian daycare centers Anadolu Agency

New Not-So-Cold War

Ukraine war: Overnight air attacks reported on Sevastopol and Izmail BBC

Russians so far claiming this was a repair area, but that does not mean some useful equipment was not there being repaired:

Ukraine Dealt A Massive Attack On Crimea. There Are Losses. Military Summary. Dima can be a drama queen but here he is pretty measured. Ukraine allegedly used modified S-200s, not Western weapons, and 3 out of 10 missiles got through. See below that Rybar begs to differ and Rybar is one of the most credible Russian Telegram channels.

If Rybar is right, Putin will be under even more pressure to up the ante. Various sources claim Russia has largely refrained from hitting the places where NATO little green men hang out. Perhaps such courtesies will end.

Russian hawks push Putin to escalate as US crosses more ‘red lines’ Responsible Statecraft

Obvious. Andrei Martyanov. As in Putin explicitly rejects a ceasefire (by implication, by itself or a precondition to negotiation). We reminded readers that Russia did not stop the SMO while it negotiated in Istanbul in 2022.

War Games in the Black Sea – Now What? w/ Col Doug Macgregor YouTube. One of Judge Napolitano’s guests last week, the normally sound Ray McGovern, was out over his skis about North Korean missiles, based on a reading by missile expert Ted Postol, which was quickly and fiercely criticized by other missile experts. Here, Macgregor is relying on a Romanian announcement and says he has spoken to other contacts about these war games.

Kim Jong Un and Putin meet at cosmodrome in Russian Far East DW

“Don’t step on a rake twice!”: admonition of Vladimir Putin to Russian businessmen Gilbert Doctorow (guurst)

PUTIN TALKS ABOUT HIS GRANDPARENTS AND WHAT HE SAID ON 9-11 Larry Johnson

VLADIMIR PUTIN: THE EARLY YEARS (REPOSTED) Hal Freeman (Anthony L)

Syaqistan

Libya floods live news: Thousands dead, missing in Derna after Storm Daniel Aljazeera

Live ‘It’s like doomsday’: More than 5,000 dead after Libyan floods BBC

US will have ability to freeze Iranian funds transferred to Qatar if needed Middle East Online

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

Three Simple Rules for Protecting Your Data Atlantic

Car Hackers Are Out for Blood Atlantic (David L)

China-Linked Hackers Breached a Power Grid—Again Wired (Dr. Kevin)

Elsevier’s Acquisition of Interfolio: Risks and Responses Sparc. From over the summer, still germane. AL writes:

The acquisition horrifies me because of the data privacy implications and opportunities for exploitation and data mining within the context of research and faculty/graduate student profiles, documents, confidential letters, applications, publications, etc. Apparently the emerging category is “Faculty Information Systems” (FIS).

Imperial Collapse Watch

Modi has boosted his image, but the G20 summit looks set to achieve little else Guardian. Comes off at “The lady doth protest too much.”

Investors can’t get enough US debt as Treasury bills are bought at a record pace Business Insider

Biden

So it begins. I know Lambert had a lot in Water Cooler, but this was the first account to hit my inbox: McCarthy directs House committees to open Biden impeachment inquiry The Hill

White House not sweating McCarthy’s inquiry launch: ‘Not even wall-to-wall on cable’ Politico

House Freedom Caucus talks tough as government shutdown could hit in 2½ weeks MarketWatch

Democrats en déshabillé

I am sparing you tweets with not-fit-for-a-family blog comments to the effect that Kamala put a lot of the people who were good at hip hop away for smoking weed:

The ten most dangerous cities in the US ranked – and the worst will surprise you Daily Mail (furzy)

Antitrust

Big Tech on Trial: How BIG will be covering the Google Trial Matt Stoller. Stoller is expanding his Substack to cover the big Google antitrust trial and will be posting daily updates. Follow @BigTechOnTrial or subscribe here

Google Says It’s No. 1 Search Tool Because Users Prefer It to Rivals v Google Pays $10 Billion a Year To Maintain Monopoly, US Says Bloomberg

AI

What to know about Congress’s inaugural AI meeting MIT Technology Review (furzy)

The Bezzle

‘Cryptoqueen’ Sidekick Gets 20 Years For $4 Billion Ponzi< Binance.US CEO Has Left, Crypto Exchange Cuts 1/3 of Workforce CoinDesk/blockquote>

Paul Krugman’s “Goldilocks” economy is likely to prove “transitory” Angry Bear. *Sigh*. Does Krugman not remember that the last time the Goldilocks meme was invoked was spring 2007? How did that turn out?

Investment-Grade Corporate Giants Suddenly Sell Huge Amounts of Debt to Front-Run even Higher Long-Term Yields Wolf Richter

French watchdog halts iPhone 12 sales over too-high radiation – minister Reuters (Kevin W)

Class Warfare

United Auto Workers union is poised to strike. Why now? Christian Science Monitor

‘Corporate Media Will Always Side With CEOs’: Sanders Rips Coverage of Looming UAW Strike Common Dreams

IBM Software tells workers: Get back to the office three days a week The Register

Generic Drugs Should Be Cheap, but Insurers Are Charging Thousands of Dollars for Them Wall Street Journal

Antidote du jour:

And a bonus (Chuck L):

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.

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140 comments

    1. Mark Gisleson

      The “free” article comes with a level of aggressive advertising I usually only see at the NYPost. Banners and footers in constant encroachment on my reading space plus sidebar ads and other advertising.

      Really did feel like I was reading clickbait at a shopping site. I guess it really is the Bezos Post now. On the plus side, I see that plaid is about to be replaced by some kind of AI-patterned not-plaid Fall shirts. Good to know.

  2. griffen

    The American opposition party opens an impeachment inquiry on sitting other party President. Headline ripped from the pages of 2019….2023….2027…2033. Rinse repeat recycle. According to media experts to stifle discourse and not produce actual reporting, they just simply repeat the sitting other party spokesvessels “We all decry the lack of facts or evidence of any wrongdoing ever. This man / woman is a saint and adopts puppies !!” The Clintons, eh, the Bushes, eh, the Trumps, eh, the Bidens, eh should not be dragged through the mud. Think of the children.

    American, it is the exceptional country. It’s a damn shame there aren’t like, any serious problems to solve or serious people to solve them. I did notice a few sitting Republicans were in the “meh” territory when it comes to pushing for this inquiry; it won’t, or would unlikely, pass the Senate even if it should reach to that level.

  3. digi_owl

    “The Tories are destroying the state by making working for it profoundly unattractive or unaffordable. Richard Murphy”

    Hardly unique to UK, sadly.

  4. Will

    A few more details on the E. coli outbreak in Calgary. It’s an opinion piece, but the writer is one of the best health reporters in Canada. Paywalled but hope the extra work won’t deter regular NC readers.

    https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-horrific-food-poisoning-of-calgary-children-underscores-the/

    Please note that the outbreak is almost entirely among small children who attended day care centres served by the same central kitchen. It’s the worst case of paediatric E. coli poisoning in 40 years. Lambert’s rules of the market applied to children.

    1. CanCyn

      Thanks for the added link Will. It has always been crazy to me that the PMC thinks that efficiency needs to be built in to absolutely everything. How does it make sense to have one gigantic kitchen making meals for several daycare facilities? Except, of course, to those who think only in terms of the bottom line. In Ontario is it not unheard of for long term care facilities to have one shared kitchen. Where’s the benefit to those being cared for? I have to wonder about the workers in that kitchen – it is doubtful that they are unionized or well paid with benefits. Perhaps many of them are off sick (for some mysterious reason)and temporary workers are being hired. Last, I feel for working parents who have few options for child care and are forced to use these institutional places. Kind of a negation of the ‘what about the children?’ trope that we hear so often. Clearly in this situation ‘the children’s’ safety and well-being were not anywhere near the first things considered in the operation of this kitchen.

      1. Cristobal

        It all depende on how you define efficiency. In terms of profit, of jobs created, of quality food, or what the objective is. There are more métrics than just cost.

        1. CanCyn

          So what kind of metrics would use to define efficiency when it comes to caring for people? I’m pretty sure the PMC see efficiency as the shortest time spent, cheapest means to an end. Bottom line and profit are indeed what is being looked at when kitchens are outsourced and amalgamated. I can’t think of any other reason for doing it. My point was that efficiency should not be the only measure, and I would argue that it isn’t a very good measure of quality of care. Yes, I’m saying that food preparation is a way of caring for people.

  5. Ignacio

    RE: COVID booster warning from Florida surgeon general, who advises people not to get new vaccine Fox (furzy)

    They give two more opinions, apart from Florida’s SG from MDs. One favourable to vaccines at any chance and cost and another quite cautious about it. Bottomline: do as you wish. Everyone has to do her/his own risk benefit analysis that no one seems able to provide mainly because there is not good enough data available. So, you have to do this analysis by yourself without reliable data. Good example of neolib let them rip. Isn’t it?

    I will add this: data strongly suggest that the bivalent vaccine is highly biased towards variants no longer circulating. The article is about new vaccines against current circulating variants for which little data is available. Some of the vaccine, vaccine, vaccine! types are not recommending bivalent for the reason stated above but pushing for boosting with these untested vaccines.

    IMO: this is crazed stuff. I don’t have any recommendation except for family members but I am certain what will I do, or not do.

    1. vao

      When was that covid-related slogan “you do you” put in circulation? And by whom?

      I am sure that, with respect to the new boosters, the populace will adopt attitudes exhibiting quite a lot of divergence — and there will be nothing the CDC/NIH/government will be able to do about it, given the above precedent. Nothing except very strong direct and indirect coercion, that is.

      1. The Rev Kev

        Maybe I am seeing stuff that is not there but that slogan “you do you” always felt like a hidden insult. I mean, when younger the phrase that you were ‘doing’ someone meant that you were having sexual relations with them. So I did wonder about whether there was a hidden meaning behind that “you do you” slogan and what they were actually saying.

        2. CanCyn

          I’ve always equated it with “Whatever” …. And we all know there is a little bit of f*** you in every ‘whatever’

          1. Jabura Basaidai

            “whatever” – favorite dismissive phrase of many ladies i’ve known to go F yourself or as RK implies…you do you – why be crude to get your point across –

    2. maipenrai

      you telling me that the results of 20 mice serology with no control group is not enough to convince you if this glorious new vaccines power?

  6. The Rev Kev

    Every time I see Rachel Maddow in action, the more that I am convinced that she will end up in a place for the mentally disturbed. Here she has her knickers in a twist because Elon Musk did not support the Ukrainians enough because they are America’s best buds at the moment. It use to be Afghanistan but, well, stuff happened. Musk came out with the hard truth in a tweet where he said-

    ‘I am a citizen of the United States and have only that passport. No matter what happens, I will fight for and die in America.

    The United States Congress has not declared war on Russia. If anyone is treasonous, it is those who call me such.

    Please tell them that very clearly.’

    https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1701166410137837612

    So he did not also swear an oath to the Ukraine, Israel, Saudi Arabia or any other country. Just America. How about that. While watching Maddow’s little rant, my mind as usual went off into a tangent. So can you imagine if she was in a certain movie franchise and then she went off on a rant against billionaire Tony Stark because he refused to share his Iron Man technology with the government thus stopping America being able to defend itself against Iran, China & Russia?

    1. diptherio

      Reliable sources have it that she still regularly socializes with Tucker, who was her mentor in the TV demagoguery business. They are mirror images of each other, and neither one of them believes anything at all of what they are saying. They are playing to an audience, pure and simple…and so is Elon, fwiw.

        1. Michael Fiorillo

          She’s the #McResistance personified, with her bs kayfabe theater, arrogance, insufferable moral vanity (and steady enrichment as a class as they wag their fingers for a living).

          Trump is Hitler, but she and her ilk say nothing when the Patriot Act is renewed for Hitler to govern under. Trump will blow up the world, but they say nothing when he drops out of the INF Treaty with Russia, because that would undermine their imbecilic Russiagate narrative, a narrative that paved the way for the current proxy war, which she is cringingly proud to support.

          Fifteen million people lose Medicaid eligibility on the day Orange Man is indicted in the Stormy Daniel’s (!) case, going virtually unreported, the lead-off pitch in a Lawfare campaign she covers with the ardor she expended on Saint Robert Mueller (who then fell from grace when he didn’t come through on Russiagate). Those people lost eligibility not because of Trump and mean Repugs, but because Uncle Joe didn’t want them to have it, and hundreds of thousands of them have duly lost coverage since then. Same as with the minimum wage and the House Parliamentarian: it didn’t happen because they didn’t want to do it.

          The Evil Repugs threaten to shut down the government over the debt ceiling, the Democrats promise to fight the Evildoers (even though it’s been in their power to eliminate the whole mishegoss) and the end result is reduced SNAP benefits… et cetera…

      2. Ignacio

        Musk had to make a decision that was not “playing” and now he is defending such decision and himself from attacks. That’s not playing either.

    2. Comptrollers in S P A C E !

      Hey, now both Ukraine and Russia have reasons to Skripal the mercurial Musk, who seems to have forgotten that he uses USAF stations, gratis, to launch his rockets. Oh yeah, his Falcon rockets were adopted from DARPA FALCON and the Prompt Global Strike program. And 85% of SpaceX funds are Federal, but the profits are Musk’s and Google’s to keep. Which is why Musk can offer the lowest payload kg per $ in the space business; Uncle Sam is his silent partner.

      Musk goes to work where the B-2 stealth bomber was developed: SpaceX HQ is just the old Northrop Corporation complex with the other California aerospace military contractors. SpaceX is basically a DoD procurement legal fiction to foster dwindling business competition. Expect Rocket Lab to start getting SpaceX’s business.

      2. tegnost

        but the profits are Musk’s and Google’s to keep

        What pertaining to public/private partnerships do you not understand?

    3. lyman alpha blob

      Maddow, who has for years been promoting the capitalist empire, Democrat party version, doesn’t seem to understand how capitalism works. If Musk allows the nazis to use his satellite network, he risks having that network blown right out of the sky by Russia.

      While I might wish for such a thing, I’m quite sure Musk doesn’t.

      I’ve never seen a war like this one before. Normally you don’t go around starting wars and then have to go around publicly begging on the TV for supplies to fight said war with. Shame is in short supply with the neocon crowd.

    5. kriptid

      Musk was asked about this by the hosts of the All-in podcast at their recent summit.

      He said that no directive came from the US government to extend Starlink coverage into Crimea, and that although it is legally (from the view of the West) part of Ukraine, that it is de facto part of Russia and is thus subject to US sanctions. The sanctions prohibit Starlink from providing coverage to territory that is ostensibly Russian, i.e. Crimea.

      He also said that were the order to come from the White House, that he would indeed enable Starlink over Crimea, but that until such a directive comes, it will remain inactive in that region. So while we can say that Ukraine made the request, the White House demurred on spurning Starlink into action.

      He further commented that allowing Ukraine to escalate in this way will provoke Russia into a stronger response, and drew analogy to the bombing of Sevastopol with the surprise bombing of Pearl Harbor, which he rightly pointed out did not end up helping Japan strategically due to the impetus it provided for US escalation, even if it was a tactical victory. An imperfect analogy to be sure, but adjacent if not congruent.

      Such an explanation makes the diatribe by Maddow look rather stupid, but that’s par for the course these days.

  7. Lexx

    IBM Software tells workers: Get back to the office three days a week

    ‘IBM Software has mandated a swift return to the office for staff globally, telling those living within a 50 mile (80km) radius of a Big Blue office to be at their desks at least three days a week – to “spend more meaningful time together.”‘

    Of course that assumes that those with which workers might spend ‘meaningful time’ are also on site. Husband used to drive down to Broomfield 4 days a week, but his ‘team’ and their managers were scattered across the country and sometimes, the globe. They still conferenced online wherever their individual butts may be seated.

    The problem is how many of these corporations are also heavily invested in commercial real estate, including Husband’s employer.

    1. The Rev Kev

      In all fairness, IBM needs all those office workers back in office again for all those important meetings. You know, like having a four-hour meeting in a crammed office in order to redesign the cover of all those tsp reports and work out what shade of beige they should use-

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy3rjQGc6lA (52 secs)

    2. timbers

      IMO traffic has gotten worse and denser in the past year or so. Yah, school just started and that’s part of it. But either I’m getting older or drivers are getting more aggressive. Tailgating, swerving to pass you in mid to heavier traffic, behaving as it is their RIGHT to pass you if you leave any degree of space btwn you and the vehicle in front of you…driving erratically and angrily if they can not manage to pass you…pushing right up to your rear tailgate demanding you drive faster…

      1. NotTimothyGeithner

        To me, it seems drivers are only watching the car in front of them and can’t see what is happening in traffic as it unfolds.

        1. .human

          I see this as a consequence of the lawlessness and bullying that pervades eugenecist society. After all, what is a nihilist to do? I’ve tried viewing this objectively: is it because of an increased number of vehicles and drivers over the years, am I driving more slowly/cautiously?

          It does seem to be right out of the neoliberal playbook. It is all going according to plan.

          1. Carolinian

            There’s something going on. Where I live there’s also the phenom of mostly poor people becoming not just obese but hugely overweight. Nihilism is in the air.

            But cars have always been a means of expressing aggression while encased in your safe metal box. SUV drivers and large pickups seem to be the worst tailgaters so a sense of impunity must play a role. When I’m being tailgated I slow down and most of the time the person behind me will get the message and back off and then I speed up. They probably don’t even think they are being dangerous or rude or perhaps the idea of being forced to go even slower is insupportable to them so they cooperate.

            However in our soon to arrive Mad Max future ramming bumpers will be common.

                  1. digi_owl

                    Yeah the comic is based off the game, and even include stats and rules for some of the vehicles and weapons from the comic.

      2. Lexx

        Lots of folks from other states are moving to our fair state, and this more affordable city… and wherever they came from, they brought their aggressive driving habits with them.

        The one that continues to get me is making a left hand turn from the far right lane by passing across all of the lanes at once, sliding into position like they were running in hard for a homerun and then slowly making that left. Like it was a game. Seeing that was once very rare and shocking and now I’ll see it coming up to a traffic light every time I leave the house, probably several times it I’m out long enough. Who does that? The timing has to be perfect because the risks are high; it’s not like they bother to signal first. They just suddenly make a hard left, touch base, and round the corner. All kinds of illegal and I have yet to see even a single driver suffer the consequences… not holding out any hope. I would rather this didn’t become the norm but suspect it will just due to overwhelming numbers of newcomers. It’ll be like parking their cars out in the middle of the intersection to make a left regardless of what color the light is and which lane has the right of way. Tailgating is the norm now too.

        1. The Rev Kev

          When we moved to this State a long time ago, we found the locals had a driving habit that was just nuts. They would wait until you are going over a bridge before they zoomed ahead to overtake you. FFS, if anything goes wrong, where can either car go? Fortunately we have not seen that for a long time now.

        2. Wukchumni

          Its 25 miles to the first set of traffic lights from Tiny Town and there is only 2 sets of them all the way to Visalia 35 miles away, and I frankly can’t remember an instance where traffic was ever backed up, and admit to having lost my well earned freeway driving abilities when down in LA, in particular with motorcycles splitting lanes when traffic is slow or at a standstill… which freaks me out, no need to do that here.

          The route of all evil in the SoCalist Movement is of course the BEFNAR* as yes, all we do is react to the car in front of us and follow their lead.

          *Brakes Engaged For No Apparent Reason

      3. Mike

        It’s both, timbers… I feel I must slow down as I age because perception isn’t as sharp, but the issue for me is that most drivers have set their clock to lightening-fast and their phasers to stun. Not leaving enough time to get to a destination is bad enough (crowded schedules???), but, as you say, driving as if ownership of the road was a real thing, and treating everyone else in the way as traffic cones leads to accidents with resulting unbelievable delays given road conditions and congestion.Not very logical, but I don’t expect logic in late-stage capitalism. Think of their driving as blood sport and be cautious with that in mind, and agitate for better public transportation.

      4. Carolinian

        You left off driving through stop signs because, hey, everybody else is doing it.

        I did see some cops giving tickets over Labor Day weekend but that was the first time in months.

      5. ambrit

        Someone I worked with once had to drive to work along a stretch of I-12 which was patrolled by a group of particularly aggressive State Troopers. One trick the Troopers used was to drive up to right on your back bumper and then give you a speeding ticket when you sped up to increase the separating distance.
        One morning he showed up to work in a really banged up van.
        “My plan worked!” he exulted.
        He had waited until the Trooper had pulled up to within a single cars length behind the workers van and then hit the brakes. The Trooper plowed into the back of the van with the patrol car.
        At the ticket hearing, for of course the Trooper had blamed the worker for the accident, the worker had calmly told the Judge that he had braked to avoid hitting an animal in the roadway.
        The Trooper was held responsible for the accident and the worker got a new car out of the deal.
        Remember, in a rear end collision, the following automobile generally is found at fault for any accident.

        1. Carolinian

          Cool. I’ve heard about that cop trick from someone else.

          But in truth there seems to be a lot less traffic enforcement where I live and maybe all the bad publicity and of course incidents and BLM are part of it. Whereas there used to be an entire subculture of how to game the system with radar detectors and people knowing all the rules about what patrolmen are and are not allowed to do.

          Doubtless our new electric cars will be monitored via internet and you’ll receive your ticket in the mail.

          1. GC54

            One issue is that range obsessed EV drivers are apt to slow/brake at lights abruptly to maximize regenerative load into the traction battery and otherwise drive in one-pedal mode. The problem under regen is that the car stop lights dont illuminate to warn inattentive followers adequately. Bang! Hopefully not followed by conflagration.

          2. ambrit

            The true “social control” probability arising from electronically managed and connected automobiles is remote control of a vehicle’s speed. A remotely managed auto speed is well within the capabilities of today’s vehicles.

        2. GC54

          One issue is that range obsessed EV drivers are apt to slow/brake at lights abruptly to maximize regenerative load into the traction battery and otherwise drive in one-pedal mode. The problem under regen is that the car stop lights dont illuminate to warn inattentive followers adequately. Bang! Hopefully not followed by conflagration.

          1. JBird4049

            I truly do try to keep several car lengths between me and the car ahead of me, but almost always someone behind me flips out. They jam on the gas and surge into the space and this even when the 2-4-6 lanes of the freeway are wide open. They could always go to another lane and speed as fast as they want.

            Then there are the ones riding so close that I cannot read the front license plate in the same freeway.

      6. mrsyk

        Driving is crazy these days. It feels like I’m getting solicited for some stranger’s road rage fantasy half the times I drive anywhere.

      7. playon

        It’s not because you are getting older, it’s real – I believe there was a post here on NC not long ago with stats about the rise in auto crashes since the pandemic. Reckless driving has increased.

    3. lyman alpha blob

      I think you’re right about the commercial real estate angle. A friend’s company sold their expensive downtown building at the start of the pandemic which I found strange at the time, but now looks like a stroke of genius.

      That being said, while I do think making people come to the office just to go to a bunch of dumb meetings is wrongheaded – those can be done over video quite easily – I do feel like there is something lost by having so many people working remotely. On any given day the vast majority of people at my company work remotely, but I come in every day since I have a very short commute. I do miss being able to just go around the corner to ask a colleague a quick question, or collaborate in person. But then again, as far as work goes, my job consists of doing the actual work, and not just going to meetings to figure out what work other people ought to be doing.

  8. JohnnyGL

    I suppose it’s a sign middle-age to have politicians ruin songs that you used to enjoy.

    It’s going to be harder to enjoy Q-Tip and Tribe Called Quest after Kamala Harris has chosen to use them to court black voters.

    Of course, Harris is unconcerned about the chronic health issues that eventually killed Pfife Dawg from the same music group. Guy died at 45 years old!

      1. Wukchumni

        You combine those granny moves with a standard word salad dressing down disguised as a speech, and now we’re talking leader material.

        I came in 5th in the jumping to conclusions event in Montreal in ’76, so may I be the first to announce her run for reelection in ’24?

        1. Carolinian

          Joe that crafty calculator said that should he not be running then Kamala is the only alternative the Dems could consider. Take that impeachers. Plus Trump will be in jail so it’s TINA right down to the ground. He’ll be the Hotel California of presidents.

            1. The Rev Kev

              Maybe Gavin could quip, like John Kerry did in his 2004 campaign run, that he’s got better hair than his opponents.

  9. The Rev Kev

    “US will have ability to freeze Iranian funds transferred to Qatar if needed”

    This is just a face-saving stance by those offended that they have to hand back $6 billion of Iran’s own money and there have been some outbursts of outrage by some members in Congress about it already. This was the money that South Korea stole from Iran on Washington’s orders a coupla years ago. So as prisoners are released, the US has to transfer that money to Qatar. Qatar will pay the banking fees and payments that Iran wants to make on stuff like food and medicine. I do wonder how well it will work as Biden will be sensitive to criticism that this is an Iranian victory or something. But If I was Iran, for any goods ordered from the west, it would be cash on delivery or no deal.

    1. Chas

      I sure hope Iran is wary enough of the USA by now that it won’t release any prisoners until it has received all the $6 billion into Iran.

  10. britzklieg

    “Sanders Rips Coverage of…” blah, blah, blah

    No one supported him more than I, but the betrayals and spinelessness are impossible to ignore.

    I’m done with that and started writing this, but lack further motivation to finish the song. Perhaps one of our better parodists can take the ball and run with it, as there’s a lot to work with:

    Feeling betrayed again in Bernie Sandersville
    Knowing full well the old poser will balk
    Some people say that Lizzie Warren’s to blame
    But I know… it’s his own damn fault

    1. Randall Flagg

      Well, here in the Green Mountain State, no matter what he does or doesn’t do, he just keeps on bleating about all the right things Vermonters want to hear and they’ll keep him in office as long as he wants.

      1. britzklieg

        I love Vermont, never a resident but with many friends still living in that beautiful state, spent quite a few summers there running vocal workshops with Nan Nall (R.I.P.) and Lise Messier. I donated to Bernie in his first run for office as Mayor of Burlington and in every race he ran since. He often disappointed me over the years but I kept the faith until this last campaign and whereas I don’t blame him for losing to the DNC I can not get past the “Joe’s my friend” routine and subsequent caving to the perdition resulting from the Biden WH. His support for the notsees in Ukraine was the final straw.

        That said, I still have no energy to write down any further lyrics… a small measure of lingering respect… who knows?

        I might feel differently tomorrow, and know it could go either way, to more parody or to acknowledgement of the efforts he always seemed to be making. It’s complicated.

        1. ambrit

          We Sothrons feel your pain Big B. We have known from forever that politics is the original Theatre of the Absurd. Now, we are fearfully watching the new fangled Grand Guignol the Neocon Critics Guild has opened just off of “K” Street. Some of their shows are to die for.
          As for Bernie, well, he probably is too nice a guy for the political big leagues.
          What we need today on the Left are a few politicos who are not averse to putting their opponents “up against the wall.”
          Stay safe.

  12. Wukchumni

    It’s a mystery to me
    The game commences
    For the usual fee
    Plus expenses
    Confidential information
    It’s in a laptop
    This is my investigation
    It’s not a public inquiry

    I go checking out the Hunter reports
    Digging up the dirt
    You get to meet all sorts
    In this line of work
    Treachery and treason
    There’s always an excuse for it
    And when I find the reason
    I still can’t get used to it

    And what have you got
    At the end of the day?
    What have you got
    To take away?
    A gavel not gone
    And a new set of lies
    Blind sided whinge though
    From the Red Scare disguise

    A nation scarred by strife
    No compensation
    Private impeachment inquiry investigations

    Private Investigations, by Dire Straits

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcXUiNHFngI

  13. Jason Boxman

    Our “public health” response, from an employer I know:

    It’s been a while since anyone has posted about COVID test reimbursement so I wanted to share an update regarding my experience.

    I submitted a claim online with [Big Insurer] for two covid test reimbursements that were purchased over the counter. After a few days, I was initially denied. When I called to tell them that my employer covers the tests until Dec 31st 2023, they checked my profile for an “announcement”, saw that it was indeed covered and re-submitted the claim. After that it was approved and I got my check in the mail.

    Because access to RATs should obviously depend on how enlightened your employer is, and whether you have time to pursue your health insurer until your claim is paid.

  14. Carolinian

    Re that 10 most violent cities article–so is Alabama a hotbed of crime or is the story more about manipulating statistics? If your have a town of ten people and one of them gets murdered then you top the list. The survey covers towns of 25,000 up but many of them are incorporated areas in counties where many more people live. This is why it’s skewed toward all those small southern cities along with poverty–of course–being a factor.

    1. Wukchumni

      My buddy who was in law enforcement in Sequoia NP went to FLETC* a decade ago in Brunswick Ga., and thought the local crime rate was at least double that or even triple of what was happening in the Central Valley.

      *Federal Law Enforcement Training Center

      1. Carolinian

        Well we are rebels with Confederate flags on top of our cars. You never know when the revenuers are going to make you speed down Thunder Road with a trunk full of white lightning in Mason jars (watch out for the speed strips).

        1. playon

          +1 for the Thunder Road reference – we didn’t have a TV when I was a kid, and one of my earliest memories of watching the box was seeing that movie at a neighbors house. A pretty good B movie with Robert Mitchum.

          2. Jabura Basaidai

            another Mitchum movie directed by Sydney Pollack, Schrader screenplay – beautiful cinematography – “The Yakuza”

          3. ambrit

            I have read that Mitchum actually did that sort of internal smuggling when he was a youth.
            I can testify from personal experience that properly made White Lightening will knock your d— in the dirt.

            1. Jabura Basaidai

              believe Mitchum was also one of the early ones to get popped for weed – and home-brew will kick you silly – had friends long time ago, local boys from the Bristol-Kingsport-Johnson City area of Tennessee – stuff made you stupid real fast –

    2. Objective Ace

      Cleveland is similar. Plenty of affluent suburbs bordering the city itself. If they had been included in the numbers the average would have been dramatically lower.

      I wouldnt necessarily say the statistics are manipulated.. but they do seem to be pretty meaningless

  15. The Rev Kev

    “Hackers Are Salivating Over Electric Cars”

    In an ideal world – for car manufacturers that is – you will not own your car but just lease it. Kinda like with those tractors from John Deere. You will have to pay for a minimal plan but any extras you will have to pay additional for. And not just for things like heated seats but stuff like being able to play a radio in the car, satnav for which the only choice will be from that manufacturer, security such as the ability to lock doors. You get the idea. And in this “ideal” world, Tesla would be able to have those hackers in court for breaking the terms of the software agreement.

  16. antidlc

    And…here’s Mandy:

    Transcript from PBS interview:
    https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/cdc-director-discusses-updated-covid-booster-as-infections-rise-from-latest-variant#transcript

    Amna Nawaz:

    Speaking of the little kids, we know many of them are now back in school. And we have seen reports of a few schools beginning to require masking once again when they do see an uptick in the number of COVID cases in particular.

    Do you recommend that schools and workplaces take those steps right now?

    Dr. Mandy Cohen:

    So, again, there are many ways that folks can protect themselves against all of the viruses that we know they’re going to be circulating.

    Today, we’re wanting to make sure folks know to get vaccinated, vaccinated against COVID and flu and RSV if it’s available for you. But there are other tools we can use to protect ourselves. Testing and treatment is an important tool, and, of course, as you mentioned, washing your hands, wearing a mask when there’s more circulating virus, staying home when you’re sick, improving ventilation.

    These are all layers of tools that we can use to protect ourselves. We’re in a better place than we have ever been to be able to do that. We just need to use these tools.

  17. ambrit

    “I think Biden risks undoing his greatest achievement — which was stopping Trump.”
    There it is in black and white. The Democrat Party cares naught for the citizens, and all for their own interests.
    Time to kick the Democrat party “to the curb.” (The Republicans are ripe for ‘demonitization’ too, but they do play the villain so well…..)
    I like to en-meme the Democrat Party as “MEE 2.” (MEE = More Effective Evil.)

  18. Val

    That dance appears to be some non-infectious variant of the “modified humpty hump”. Be careful because that thing can usually spread through a room full of white people like you would not believe.

    She’ll play the sitar next.

    Thankfully, Public Enemy still frightens them, even at middling volume. Who Stole the Soul? Hats off to the great Chuck D.

        1. Jabura Basaidai

          nice one, thanks – guess it’s which revolution we’re talking about – goes hand in hand with Television, The Drug Of The Nation – i haven’t lived with a TV in over 50 years – steals imagination

  19. The Rev Kev

    “Investors can’t get enough US debt as Treasury bills are bought at a record pace”

    I would be curious to know the identities of all those investors. Are they foreign or domestic? How much debt is the US government itself buying? That article is a bit short on vital details.

      1. Chas

        I’ve been buying the four week bills. The last one paid 5.4 per cent. I don’t dare buy any of the longer duration bills because I’m afraid the government will collapse before I can get my money out.

        1. lyman alpha blob

          I know – talk about your inverted yield curve. For a while, the 4-week was paying the highest interest rate (and may still be – haven’t checked the auction results in a few weeks). I’ve been buying them myself for several months now since my credit union hasn’t seen fit to raise interest rates on deposit accounts – thank you to Michael Hudson for that tip!

          I’ve been buying mostly 13 or 17 week bills and then reinvesting, and I sprung most recently for a 26 week one. Somewhere at NC today though there was an article about large corporations issuing new bonds now, thinking that rates would go even higher shortly. If the Fed isn’t going to taper any time soon, I may have to go back to the 4 week bills again.

          Side note – Treasury put a hold on my kid’s minor account which is linked to mine without giving a reason. It contains the kid’s college fund and they didn’t give a reason for the hold. I expected a nightmare trying to get that fixed, but they actually cleared it up pretty quickly and I was extremely and pleasantly surprised.

  20. Googoogajoob

    Re: Biden Impeachment

    Republicans are likely to have the same issue the Dems had with their impeachments with Trump: outside of the faithfuls, the public writ large simply will not care.

  21. Wukchumni

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/grand-canyon-death-hiker-dies-after-trying-to-walk-from-rim-to-rim-in-a-single-day/NWUYFO2VI5G65CCQTUYDZNESIA/
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Its backwards hiking in Grand Canyon compared to the Sierra Nevada, you go down all the way to the Colorado River, only to have nothing but up on the way back, with scant shade all the way.

    About 20 years ago a couple friends and yours truly walked from the north rim to the south rim in a day in October when the best conditions are afoot, and it was like walking through time with a different lay of the land announced by color of the soil changing hue as we traipsed on, met at the end of our sojourn by friends and we all went to dinner at the El Tovar and ordered drinks and food, with our friends relating to the waiter of our accomplishment, and he told us that about 1 out 5 who walk rim to rim in a day and have dinner, fall asleep at the table after ordering and in between the food coming out, ha ha.

    I get it though, we were 19 miles in @ Indian Garden, with 4 miles and about 2,500 feet of elevation gain to go, and I was a plodder, just put one leg in front of the other and alternate, it doesn’t matter how slow you go.

  22. The Rev Kev

    ‘Wow! Absolute bombshell of an article on Xinjiang: https://nzz.ch/meinung/xinjiang-china-kampf-gegen-terrorismus-und-separatismus-ld.1753509

    Very courageous of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung @NZZ
    to publish this!

    First of all the article is written by probably the 2 most highly respected German sinologists: Thomas Heberer, a senior professor of Chinese politics and society at the University of Duisburg-Essen and Helwig Schmidt-Glintzer, a senior professor of Chinese studies and the director of the China Centrum Tübingen (CCT).’

    So I guess that the plan to start an insurgent war in China’s west was a total flop. No wonder there is so much but hurt over Uighurs rights. If that wasn’t a declaration of war on China, then I do not know what is. The only thing is that considering the state of affairs in Germany, that pretty soon there will be two vacancies for senior professors there.

  23. GWJones

    The NZZ article on Xinjiang is a laughable propaganda piece designed to cover-up the reality of a full-court-repression against an entire ethnic population, with terms like “vocational training centers” used instead of the much more accurate “mass indoctrination prisons”. University of Colorado reasercher Darren Byler has been studying Xinjiang for 20 years and has a wealth of direct personal experience atop excellent research- funny how pro CPC “journalists” never seem to cite real experts but are happy to transcribe Ministry of Propaganda press releases for gullible Western audiences.

    1. Carolinian

      Wow that name really lights up the search engine with all the links suspiciously sounding the same. Who again is doing the full court press? And what does it say that NC had to link an article in German to find disagreement?

        1. pjay

          What does it mean to say that he is an “expert”? That he or others claim this is so? That he has published with major university presses? That he has an elite academic position? That he has written a lot about a subject?

          I don’t have enough, uh, “expertise” on this individual, his methods, sources, or funders to pass judgment. But I have known many “experts” who have sterling credentials in fields with which I am knowledgeable who are blatant propagandists for some position or another. It’s easy to find “experts” to defend pretty much any argument we want. The Germans in the cited article are said to be top “experts” as well. I am curious why GWJones considers their work “laughable propaganda.”

    2. .human

      You know, I skimmed through some of Mr Byler’s research and I see many similarities with the direction of official US policy.

    3. bonks

      Mm yes let’s forget that Uighur-led terrorism happened, or that Uighurs used to be so poor they resorted to petty crime all the way in Eastern metropolises. The Chinese government was so evil they threw Uighurs into prison for no reason other than sheer racism.

      Some of us have eyes and ears, and – ye gads – live in China.

  24. Jeremy Grimm

    RE: “Grandparents and What He Said on 9-11” and “VLADIMIR PUTIN: THE EARLY YEARS (REPOSTED)”
    Putin’s talk to students about his grandparents is remarkable to me. The description of Putin’s early years paints a very different picture of Putin than u.s. media portrays. I feel that the young Putin described lends credence to what appears to be the genuine feeling in Putin’s talk with the students. If Putin is acting for the video, I believe it is method acting.

    However, the way this interaction is presented in the video is cheesy at times. The way the camera keeps landing on the blond kid in the classroom — an idealized young Russian — appears suggestive to me of what I imagine of the German propaganda from the 1930s and war years, mainly based on a past viewing of Riefenstahl’s “Triumph of the Will”. The set up was similar to efforts to humanize u.s. politicians — Dan Quayle’s spelling bee comes to mind.

    One of the comments that followed “PUTIN TALKS ABOUT HIS GRANDPARENTS …” strikes a nerve.
    Altandmain says:
    https://sonar21.com/putin-talks-about-his-grandparents-and-what-he-said-on-9-11/#comment-156143
    The thread that follows this comment portrays a very unflattering but all too realistic view of the u.s.

  25. Mildred Montana

    >White House not sweating McCarthy’s inquiry launch: ‘Not even wall-to-wall on cable’ Politico

    So said one White House official, disingenuously ignoring the fact that “wall-to-wall” negative coverage is reserved for Trump or, in a pinch, some escaped convict on the loose somewhere.

    Stupid Politico. Interview Democrats and get the expected—stupid comments. Here’s another from the same article: “Most people can’t name the nine Supreme Court justices,” said one Democratic operative. “They’re not going to be following these insane conspiracy theories.” Oh. Because I am unable to name The Nine I am by implication “uninformed” and unfit to follow American political events. All those darned theories will be, again by implication, too complicated for my Supreme Court-ignorant brain.

    Politico, often so wrong, might be wrong too about the repercussions of any Biden impeachment inquiry. Using it as a reliable contrary indicator, I predict that revelations will prove to be more serious than it thinks and unfold in unexpected ways over time. Remember, it was two years from the Watergate break-in to Nixon’s resignation.

    1. Wukchumni

      The goods are odd, but odds are good on My Kevin (since ’07) lasting long as Speaker, with the over/under @ 10 days

      1. Pat

        Methinks that will backfire. Both for the Biden White House and for the compliant press. If the House Committee gets any traction (and I believe they will) those outlets that are covering it will find an audience. Those that don’t will suffer even further trust and audience erosion. And any thing that makes it appear that the White House is gaming the press coverage will also backfire on them.

        Despite the PMC fear of Trump, Biden’s obvious shortcomings are drip drip dripping through the unthinking support and making some look. And Biden will not handle the pressure as well as Trump has. He is going to provide numerous viral videos mixed between inappropriate responses to mild press questions and evidence of growing health and competency issues.

        (And he is already seen as burnt toast by some in the DNC hierarchy, note that questioning to downright not happy with Biden articles appearing regularly.)

        On a side note I am amused that the House Dems that were working to head this off didn’t succeed.

  26. Irrational

    Thanks for posting the Macgregor link. A freedom of navigation exercise in the Black Sea would be truly insane, and he says most of the ships are there already.
    How can this be giving Montreux Convention which only allows ships of belligerents to pass into the Black Sea if they are returning to home base? Are there enough foreign war ships like that already or do our leaders think you can just declare that a ship has a new home base? While watchin I found a link to a Jacques Baud interview in French. I haven’t listened in yet, but he is always worth listening to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Re-tVhTnPM

    The FT article about EV sanctions is interesting. This morning briefly it was right next to a column by Helen Thomas about how the Chinese have fully functioning EVs to show at the IAA in Munich whereas the European manufacturers have concept cars that will hit the streets in 2026-27. So the conclusion is almost inescapable that the EU is using antitrust to protect their car industry. Cute.

    Finally, thanks for the gorgeous antidotes.

  28. Culp Creek Curmudgeon

    When I first moved to my place in rural Oregon, we were routinely visited by feral peacocks. There weren’t very many and I only saw a peahen maybe twice. But a male would come up to our house and preen in front of our sliding glass door, no doubt responding to his reflection. They rarely flew, maybe to the top of a fence or gate; mostly they just walked about.

    One day we were visited by a peacock, whom we called Peaky. Our dog was inside but eventually realized the peacock was in front of the house. I waited as long as I could but finally let our dog out. He came running and barking at Peaky who took a couple of hops and then took off. He slowly beat his wings three or four times and then mostly glided the 600 feet or so to the tall firs that he roosted in. It was pretty amazing and the only time I saw a peacock really fly.

    Apparently the local peacock population derived from some peacocks given by Ken Kesey to a neighbor who was a former Merry Prankster. They spread several miles up and down the Row River but have all seemed to disappear several years ago.

  29. hk

    The tail has to be a huge (literal) drag on peacocks in flight (a bit like pheasants, but much more so). Curious if they do something (flight mechanics wise–obviously, not being able to fly for long is one thing that’s different.) not like other birds to compensate, for both drag and unusual weight distribution.

  30. Tom

    Does anyone know what study Chris Turnbull refers to in his Twitter post? I’d like to read the full thing and there’s no indication where it’s sourced from. Thanks.

  31. Laura in So Cal

    Re: California Emissions Reporting requirements

    I see so many issues with this:
    1. It says public and private companies over a billion, but this would affect companies with a small presence in California. This would further incentivize moving businesses out of state. I know the company I worked for until last year was already doing that moving different product lines to Colorado and Illinois. The number of employees in California went from 1200 to about 600 over the previous 8 years.
    2. It says you must report both direct and indirect emissions…so I totally see the emissions reporting propagating down the subcontractor/vendor chain affecting smaller businesses not to mention the questions about what to include and how to calculate them.
    3. It says each reporting company must hire independent auditors to check and certify their reporting so additional outside costs not to mention the additional costs of consultants, accountants. and internal auditors none of which actually improves a business in any way.

    This is more virtue signaling and bureaucracy creating bs that does nothing positive in the real world.

  32. Pat

    Isn’t Zelensky gallivanting around the world again?
    If I were Russia, I might think about taking out every air field and border train station in Ukraine. And then fly some menacing flights over all routes to Ukrainian ports.
    But I am not the patient long term thinker that the the Russians are. There will be some response. Probably not as destructive as mine, but I still wouldn’t want to be the Ukrainians. (Or the “mercenaries” from NATO states.)

    1. flora

      Considering how many countries are asking to join BRICS after watching this fiasco unfold I think Zelensky is the best possible advertisement for a reason to join the BRICS.

  33. Maxwell Johnston

    A brief update to yesterday’s commentary re EU sanctions on RU tourists (seizure of cars, toothpaste, suitcases, clothes, etc.): the Eurocrats have provided a written update dated yesterday 12 September (I refuse to call it a clarification, as it is more akin to an obfuscation), skim to the bottom of the last page:

    https://finance.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-09/faqs-sanctions-russia-listed-goods_en_0.pdf

    In short (to use American football lingo), they have punted this back to the national governments of each EU country (I believe ‘subsidiarity’ is the correct EU terminology). Quoting from the aforementioned: “…..sanctions need to be interpreted broadly…..” and “For goods which raise insignificant circumvention concerns, like personal hygiene items or clothing worn by travelers or contained in their luggage and clearly destined for a strict personal use during their trip, national competent authorities should continue to apply the prohibition in a proportionate and reasonable manner.” So the Germans can enforce the rules to the letter as can the Poles and the Baltic Trio. The rest of the EU…..I have my doubts.

    I don’t think RU will retaliate in the usual tit-for-tat manner. It’s just too silly at this point. Dignity matters.

    1. flora

      To be entirely flippant about the EU sanctions on RU tourists, the general US and EU sanctions on RU doesn’t seem to have affected the RU people very much. However, the sanctions and especially destroying a major energy pipeline to the EU seems to be crushing the EU and UK economy. So… why am I thinking seizures of cars, toothpaste, clothes, etc is the European equivalent of the US’s civil asset forfeiture laws? (That’s the flippant question.)

      I guess they could hire former US energy dept official Sam Brinton to do the clothes confiscating job. / ;)

  34. Feral Finster

    FWIW, American Bullies aren’t used for dogfighting, and pit bulls are useless as guard dogs. A properly bred pittie should allow total strangers to handle him or her, even if wounded.

    The point of an American Bully is as a display of performative masculinity on the part of the owner, and to get around laws banning American Pit Bull Terriers and the like. It’s the canine equivalent of a truck with a huge lift on street tire and bling rims.

  36. Willow

    > War Games in the Black Sea – Now What? w/ Col Doug Macgregor

    Macgregor asks why Putin doesn’t respond to West crossing red lines as this feeds West’s confidence that they can. Putin is likely 1) waiting for Russia’s technical innovations to be in place up given that when the shit starts its going to escalate very quickly (e.g. Sarmat only now operational), 2) West’s continuing economic decline driving social unrest and collapse of West’s industrial capacity (West has negative carry so time is costly & will slowly bleed even if things stand still). Russia’s economic positive carry & positive convexity with regards to sanctions and their impact on physical resource prices means there is no economic or geopolitical urgency for Putin. Putin can wait for the West to do something stupid and spring the trap while in a weaker state.

    1. Polar Socialist

      I doubt it’s crossing any Russian red lines that specialists from Bulgaria, France, United Kingdom and Türkiye help Romanian navy to dispose of some runaway Ukrainian mines.

      A dredger and a few speedboats in Danube delta should not worry the Black Sea Fleet. I don’t think one should really call a few teams of divers in rafts trying to find a common way of not getting blown up by an Ukrainian sea mine a “war game”. Even Ukrainska Pravda calls it an exercise, you know, for ensuring the freedom of navigation that is hindered by those mines from an unknown source.

      1. Willow

        As Macgregor points out, its not about stopping the grain ships being blown up on the way out. Its about stopping Ukraine’s ammunition supply being blown up on the way in on supposedly empty ships.

  37. JBird4049

    Study shows Covid infecteds ‘who apparently clear the virus…nevertheless progress into their disease and eventually die’ nearly A YEAR after acute infection as virus continues to persist inside the HIV-like viral reservoir:

    No wonder so many ‘suddenly die’ out of ‘nowhere’ Show more

    And no wonder I keep flashing back to the early 1980s and President Reagan’s administration ignoring AIDS for so damn long. Some memories should stay asleep.

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