KKR Founders Sued for Allegedly Getting Giant Payday for No Work WSJ
Private equity’s interest in audit raises red flags FT
Climate
No Buzz, Just an Anxious Hum: Insect Decline and 2024’s Wet and Silent Spring The Quietus. Commentary:
Wandering around the old family farm in rural Satakunta, Finland and I feel in awe of the sheer numbers of insects. The air is full of them, there are tonnes of butterflies and lizards, this one small spot is simply packed with life. pic.twitter.com/pH4hoqi2Dq
— Thomas Gibson (@GibsonTomgibo) August 5, 2024
* * * Circular battery self-sufficiency Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
Huge Fire Sparked by a Mercedes-Benz EV Adds to Safety Concerns Dogging Industry WSJ
Lack of Worker Input Creates Bumps in the Road for EV Buses Labor Notes
* * * Florida’s Biggest Insurer Says It Needs to Increase Rates by 93 Percent Newsweek
Offsets on fire Politico
Syndemics
The dreaded COVID summer surge has arrived. Here’s the latest on symptoms and treatment Fortune
COVID data quietly disappears while cases rise Prism
* * * Kyoto Univ. professor-led team develops immune cells that attack COVID-infected cells The Mainichi (SocalJimObjects).
* * * Colorado: First Bulk-Milk Testing Results adds 9 More Infected Dairy Herds to Their List Avian Flu Diary
Overdose Deaths Are Finally Starting to Decline. Here’s Why. Scientific American
Water
How French Drains Work Practical Engineering
China?
Guangzhou Shows Why China Is So Attractive to the Global South The Diplomat
China’s youth seek work in sectors traditionally considered as blue-collar as mindsets shift Channel News Asia
China’s Housing Market May Gain Support as Rental Yields Pull Ahead of Deposit Rates, Economist Says Yicai Global. Commentary:
5/5
government bonds rather than property, and use the interest earned to pay rent, but at least it is no longer the case that the only justification for buying rather than renting is an expected infinite surge in property prices.— Michael Pettis (@michaelxpettis) August 7, 2024
China confirms the discovery of a major natural gas field in the South China Sea South China Morning Post
Is a high-profile critic of the Chinese Communist Party a con man? NPR
India
To Which Asia Does India Belong – and to Which Is it Headed? The Wire
Can India truly be a global manufacturing powerhouse? Channel News Asia
Big challenges ahead for Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s new interim leader Al Jazeera. Yunus.
Protesters force four Bangladeshi central bank’s deputies to resign Business Standard
Bangladesh garment factories reopen with hopes after PM Hasina’s flight Business Standard
The Great Game
“Talk of stopping projects” — Lugar lab in Georgia might lose U.S. support JAM News
Syraqistan
Muslim bloc meeting holds Israel responsible for assassination of Hamas’ Haniyeh Anadolu Agency
Iran will respond at ‘right time’ to killing of Hamas leader BBC
Fearing ‘Catastrophic War,’ Biden Warns Iran Against Attack and Pushes Netanyahu to Make Deal Haaretz
Israel would trigger regional war with preemptive strike, require help from US: Israeli general Anadolu Agency
* * * Israel vows to kill new Hamas chief Sinwar as US warns against escalation France24
* * * UK’s biggest private pension fund dumps £80mn of Israeli assets FT
Western ambassadors to skip Nagasaki memorial after Israel snub Channel News Asia
‘We’ve lost everything, for what?’: Gazan anger at Hamas grows as war drags on 972 Magazine
European Disunion
US Decision to Tear Up INF Treaty Has Left Nuclear ‘Sword of Damocles’ Hanging Over Europeans’ Heads Defend Democracy Press
New Not-So-Cold War
Why has Ukraine launched a cross-border attack on Russia? BBC. Commentary:
Afternoon Ukraine update!
The Ukrainian Hail-Mary offensive into Kursk is still dominating the headlines – I've attached a Sofa General Staff* map showing the current situation. Last night the Ukrainians reportedly advanced somewhat to the west of their initial stab through… pic.twitter.com/GVUJvxHYQJ— Armchair Warlord (@ArmchairW) August 8, 2024
What is Ukraine’s goal in the Battle for Kursk? BNE Intellinews
Trump’s vice-presidential nominee refused to take calls from Ukraine’s intelligence chief and Air Force chief – WP Ukrainska Pravda
Something Is Rotten in the State of Russian Arms Industry RAND
Transit of Russian gas through Ukraine continues Ukrainska Pravda
South of the Border
An Attempted Coup By Any Other Name… Orinoco Tribune
Venezuela army rejects opposition appeals, vows ‘absolute loyalty’ to Maduro France24
2024
DOJ contends Hunter Biden was hired by Romanian oligarch to ‘influence US policy:’ docs FOX
Spook Country
FBI raids New York home of former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter: ‘Ongoing federal investigation’ FOX. Commentary:
Scott Ritter, a vocal critic of the US proxy war in Ukraine and of the Israeli government, says that the FBI raided his home over a suspected Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) violation.
On top of the free speech implications here, it’s noteworthy that this happens just as… https://t.co/XDavnjyoO0
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) August 7, 2024
American Stasi: Tulsi Gabbard Confirms “Quiet Skies” Nightmare (no paywall) Matt Taibbi, Racket News
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
A booming industry of AI age scanners, aimed at children’s faces WaPo
Digital Watch
Burst Damage Ed Zitron, Where’s Your Ed At?
This is the beginning of the end of the generative AI boom Blood in the Machine
* * * New Research: So Far, AI is Not Disrupting Search or Making a Dent in Google SparkToro
The Olympics
Tom Cruise to perform death-defying stunt at ‘dystopian’ Olympics closing ceremony France24
Healthcare
After private equity takes over hospitals, they are less able to care for patients, top medical researchers say Gretchen Morgenson, NBC
The Clamp Incident: On Therapy In Modern Medicine 3 Quarks Daily
Class Warfare
What’s Happening in Louisville Could Solve a Housing Crisis Tressie McMillan Cottom, NYT
The Absurdity of Human Sentience George Tsakraklides
The Wisdom of Fish Schools Nautilus
The medieval world’s Baltic connection Engelsberg Ideas
Antidote du jour (Alan Manson):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
AL-AQSA MOSQUE
(melody borrowed from The Old Rugged Cross by George Bennard, 1912, as sung by the Redeemed Quartet)
On a sacred high hill stands the Al-Aqsa mosque
But our God left that hill in our name
There our temple was lost so this mosque we detest
We must redeem Judea again
It’s the cause of our fight with Hamas
And the reason we’ve knocked Gaza down
Once we bulldoze the Al-Aqsa mosque
We will all have a Jewish playground
Once there is no more mosque and our flag is unfurled
There’s not one inch of Zion we’ll share
We’ll build our temple with love when that mosque’s disposed of
They can rebuild wherever they please
The Dome of the Rock had it’s time
It’s splendor for all eyes to see
We’ve got plans for a push and a shove
Then the land underneath it is free
When the Al-Aqsa mosque falls to our wrecking crew
We’ll level the whole hilltop square
We are here for to stay so this mosque goes away
They can always rebuild it somewhere
“Western ambassadors to skip Nagasaki memorial after Israel snub”
I note that it was only Collective West countries having a hissy fit about the Israelis not being invited but this is exactly what should happen with Israel around the world – that it be boycotted from any public event the same way that Apartheid South Africa was. What happened here was that western countries showed their full public support for a country engaged in an active genocide and there is no getting around that. The Japanese PM never made mention of which country nuked Hiroshima in his speech a few days ago so perhaps the Mayor of Nagasaki should twist Rahm Emanuel’s tail and say exactly who nuked Nagasaki and call on him as US Ambassador to apologize.
so perhaps the Mayor of Nagasaki should twist Rahm Emanuel’s tail and say exactly who nuked Nagasaki and call on him as US Ambassador to apologize. I imagine you are not the only one who feels this way.
Valero, a Texas oil company, is supplying the jet fuel for genocide Time to boycott?
https://scheerpost.com/2024/08/08/international-campaign-targets-tanker-supplying-israeli-war-planes-with-texas-oil/
Honestly what’s happening could have been written by the Babylon Bee with the following headline: Genocide 7 countries are having a disagreement on whose genocide is more Tik Tok worthy.
Japanese PM Kishida knows better than to make his American bosses uncomfortable at a ceremony commemorating an American war crime. So of course Kishida focuses on a theoretical Russian threat instead.
I couldn’t agree more, but what moved the mayor is most probably alone the desire to prevent disruption of the ceremony. A “snub” would be entirely against Japanese etiquette.
I don’t think this was intended as a “snub.” More likely that the mayor has agonized over the decision. I believe the genuine intention was to protect the ceremony. Everything else would be drastically in violation of Japanese etiquette.
It’s almost as if the Collective West is saying Zionist lives are more far worthy than Japanese lives.
I mean, how else should we read their refusal to attend the memorial?
And then there’s the whole issue of the U.S. decision to use nuclear weapons against civilians, women and children, and then to try and lie about it.
Perhaps some day the Japanese will uninvite the United States
Closing ceremony hype…Cruise doing a mission impossible like act of heroism by swimming up from the depths of the Seine? Now on the other hand, if he’s doing “Top Gun” Maverick level stunts, that’s decidedly different. Could not help it…\sarc
Behold the river is clean, says Tom. Ah I see the connection to the 2028 games. What a gigantic waste of tangible funds. Los Angeles doesn’t have other concerns to address by 2028, I’m sure of it.
What if during the Closing Ceremony, the French put the Olympic five circle symbol into a dumpster bin, set it on fire, and then boot it in the direction of the Los Angeles delegation. That could work. Not sure why Los Angeles is getting the Games again as this will be the third time that they have had it.
Not sure if this really answers the question, but in the process of awarding the 2024 games, only Paris and Los Angeles were interested (there may have initially been others, but they dropped out). So, the Olympic committee decided to award the 2024/2028 games at the same time (in 2017!).
Basically, it seems that most of the world’s cities have learned that hosting the Olympics is not a blessing, but a curse.
Maybe then they should permanently home the Olympics in Greece and have it there every four years. All competing nations could kick in some money too based on the size of their contingent and you could still have the carrying of the Olympic flame as it can make its way around the world.
1976 Montreal Olympics saddled the citizens with debt that was not paid off until 2006. 300 million early estimate ended up being 1.5 billion.
Politicians like stadiums and sports and even an area like Oakland,ca will try to justify sports as a good investment.
Holding the summer Olympics in a fixed location , perhaps even Greece , appeals to me.
$$$$$$$$.. pretty simple. https://www.campaignasia.com/article/behind-the-tokyo-olympics-bribery-scandal-involving-dentsu-hakuhodo-and-adk/482577
He’s going to sky dive into the stadium so it’s a Mission Impossible stunt.
It’s been done already-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AS-dCdYZbo (6:15 mins)
Because of Barbieheimer, Mission Impossible : Dead Reckoning Part 1 actually underperformed at the box office last year. Tom Cruise probably feels like he has to perform this stunt in order to prevent a recurrence when Part 2 is released next year.
Then again, I have never bought into the whole thing about Tom Cruise doing his own stunts. Am I also supposed to believe that the President of a country of 260 million people actually pulled an incredible Mission Impossible like stunt for the opening of the Asian Games 2018? https://www.reuters.com/article/world/asia-pacific/vroom-indonesia-president-a-hit-on-social-media-after-motorbike-stunt-idUSKCN1L40BE/
Re Trump’s vice-presidential nominee refused to take calls from Ukraine’s intelligence chief and Air Force chief – WP Ukrainska Pravda
Considering the number of high level western politicians that have been conned into talking indiscreetly about western intentions by Russian prankster duo Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, whose modus operandi involves masquerading as Ukrainian leaders or senior officials, Vance is probably extremely wise, rather than weird, in refusing to take calls from Ukraine.
Since Trump and Vance are no friends of Zelensky, it may have been wise not to take those calls. I would suspect a set up by the Ukrainians to make them look bad and try to cost them votes by how those phone calls went. It would be all downside and no upside taking those calls. Wouldn’t be the first US Presidential election too that the Ukrainians tried to help rig either.
> Something Is Rotten in the State of Russian Arms Industry RAND
Lambert dropping breadcrumbs, from RAND to kyivindependent. Just a click away.
Here’s another: Muhammad Yunus.
Re: ‘The Problem Is, There’s No Place To Go’
This FAIR interview is an important one. It details how not only are the homeless being criminalized across the country, so are the people who are trying to help them. It also explains where most of the money to help the homeless actually goes. Clue: it doesn’t go to providing housing.
“I ain’t got no place in this world anymore.” The crying out in Woody’s songs remains with us. That is the power of a prophet.
Woody’s song says “I ain’t got no *home* in this world anymore.” I felt the need to correct that since I know it was a mistake. “Place” and “home” are very different things. My patchy internet connection didn’t allow me to fix it immediately.
Stay safe out there, especially those of you who are experiencing homelessness.
Most of us are only one or two steps from living in the park. I reckon Woody Guthrie would be fine with it. The words of Woody Guthrie ringing in my head… (Jay Farrar)
Red Heifer mania
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-practise-red-heifer-ritual-al-aqsa
And perhaps if Harris ever gives a news conference she should be asked whether, if elected, she intends to dial back the Biden administration’s sneaky as always fascism. Of course given that Tulsi once humiliated the Dem instacandidate one might suspect that Harris had something to do with Tulsi’s SSSS designation. Once again a news conference could clear all this up.
Red Heifer madness indeed. I’m convinced there’s a mistranslation or misunderstanding in this somewhere.
Well at the moment the stenographer class is busily keeping us all apprised of this new ticket fresh off the presses from whomever is behind the curtain. Behold our wonderful Oz! The economy will soar, the poor shall become whole, the blind shall see…throw in all manner of platitudes.
We’re off to see the wizards, those wonderful wizards of Oz…also a news conference might actually require answers to any tough questions, or say a potential list of future policy thoughts and positions.
Seems she’s done one better. Twitter is lit up:
Of course we here recognize the “fighting for” feint in this, but normie voters and hoodwinkable Gen Z may not…
The Absurdity of Human Sentience As viewed from any angle.
Link of the day. What we learn from NC….
NECROECONOMY. Word of the decade.
Let me see if I’ve got this story straight. The leader of a very poor foreign country who was at one time praised for her policies toward the poor but is now “corrupt” and “authoritarian” tries to stay neutral in our current Cold War 2.0. She reportedly resists the attempts by the US to interest her in a US air force base. Violent protests against her “corrupt regime” ensue, and eventually she is deposed by the military and forced to flee the country. Her successor is a “Nobel Prize” winning economist trained in the West who loves “markets.”
I certainly don’t want to suggest anything “conspiratorial” or question the “agency” of the protestors. But doesn’t this sound just a *little* familiar?
I raise you Imran Khan in Pakistan.
“Talk of stopping projects” — Lugar lab in Georgia might lose U.S. support”
Having a bit of a problem with this article. It seems that the US is threatening Georgia by pulling back support of – a biolab? Really? Is that like one of the US biolabs in the Ukraine that were testing viruses and diseases on their own soldiers, prisoners and unwitting civilians and sometimes there would be outbreaks of abnormal diseases in the local area? Georgia should take the win and shut down any other biolabs that there is in Georgia. God knows what is being cooked up in them.
One wonders why House Republicans have not already voted to shut the labs down. Perhaps they think they are under HHS control. (Conspiracy theorists often overlook simple things like bureaucracy, be it a NIAID official overseeing a massive DoD program, in addition to his officiall duties or the Bishop of Durham simultaneously translating the Bible, writing occult literature, and being Lord Coroner of London. (A reference to a conspiracy theorists whose focus is on attacking any versions that are not King James.))
I personally think that, as the Cold War ended over 30 years ago, the program should be phased out. But I think the same of NATO…
From the article, The laboratory is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense.
RE: Aaron Mate/Scott Ritter
It can’t be much longer before “they” start going after Aaron Mate, Max Blumenthal and even Judge Napolitano for showcasing them.
Just watching John Mearsheimer being interviewed by Glenn Greenwald on his show last night. “They’re” going to have to shut him up soon too I would think.
Lady Kamala, syntax your defeat
Wonder how you manage to make words meet
Who spends the money that came & went?
Did you think that money was heaven sent?
Friday night arrives without a press conference
Sunday morning tv shows creeping along without you
Monday’s main stream media has learned to forget things
See how she runs
Lady Kamala, please keep us abreast
Wonder how you manage to ignore the rest?
See how she runs
Lady Kamala, lying on the bed
Listen to the word salad playing in your head (head)
Tuesday afternoon is never ending, can’t do a presser
Wednesday morning pant suit wardrobe didn’t come
Thursday night, your message needed mending
See how she runs
Lady Kamala, syntax your defeat
Wonder how you manage to make words meet
Lady Madonna,by the Beatles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czhd27cN2dg
To Which Asia Does India Belong – and to Which Is it Headed? – The Wire
Can India truly be a global manufacturing powerhouse? – Channel News Asia
Couldn’t help but notice that neither article mentioned BRICS – not even in passing.
“Analysis | Fearing ‘Catastrophic War,’ Biden Warns Iran Against Attack and Pushes Netanyahu to Make Deal”
Noticing a minor trend where the media is saying that perhaps Iran won’t attack after all because Biden is so persuasive and Netanyahu is willing to do some compromises. Politico is reporting the same. Washington warned Tehran through intermediaries that ‘a massive strike would only inflame tensions and risk a direct confrontation between the two countries.’ Of course without a strike, Israel would see that as weakness and would feel free to do so again on a weekly basis like they have been doing in Syria for years. In any case, this sounds like a lot of wishful thinking. There will be a strike and at the moment the IDF must be wearing themselves out being on constant full alert to Iran’s advantage.