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Links 9/6/2024

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Scientists stunned to find large sharks hunting each other in world-first study Independent

How an economist optimises their morning routine FT

Climate

Summer of 2024 was world’s hottest on record, EU climate change monitor says Reuters

Five charts: How climate change is driving up food prices around the world Carbon Brief

‘My jaw dropped’: Bat loss linked to death of human infants Science. The deck: “In places where bat populations crashed, farmers sprayed more insecticides, and baby mortality spiked.”

Water

AI’s thirst for water is alarming, but may solve itself The Register

Syndemics

Tess Finch-Lees: If parents don’t fight to protect children from Covid in schools, nobody else will Irish Independent:

When masks were dropped in the “Omicron’s mild” phase of the pandemic, Cara continued as the lone masker at school to protect her immunocompromised mother, who was undergoing chemotherapy. It was tolerable until a child psychotherapist said on the national airwaves that some girls would continue to mask anyway “to hide their acne”.

His words were used to bully her. Cara left, but without support from teachers she strugg­led. Her parents pleaded with the school to use the Hepa filter they bought. The school refused.

Cara eventually returned to school unmasked, caught Covid and infected her mam. It killed her. Cara self-harms because she blames herself. She hasn’t been to school since.

Research shows that more than 70pc of Sars-CoV-2 transmission in households started with a child.

Who’s afraid of public health? Closed Form

Russian disinformation campaign working to undermine confidence in Covid-19 vaccines used in US CNN

China?

Can globalisation survive the US-China rift? FT

Replacing Russia’s T-90 on World Markets: China’s High Tech VT-4 Tank Excels in Trials in Algeria Military Watch

Made by the Revolution Perry Anderson, London Reivew of Books. Zhou Enlai.

America Is Losing Southeast Asia Foreign Affairs

Analysis: Malaysia cosies up to Russia and invites Putin to ASEAN summit, but ‘bold’ move could ruffle feathers Channel News Asia

India

Brutal rape and murder of doctor in India renews concerns of sexual violence against women Channel News Asia

What killing of Hindu teen by India cow vigilantes tells us about Modi 3.0 Al Jazeera

Africa

Game meat for hungry communities in Southern Africa Al Mayadeen

Syraqistan

Netanyahu’s Map Shows Israel ‘From the River to the Sea.’ It’s No Accident Haaretz. Here it is:

Israel to classify West Bank as ‘combat zone’ amid dramatic escalation Israel Hayom

ICC prosecutor says world leaders ‘threatened’ him over Israel arrest warrants The Cradle

US Silence Despite Americans Attacked in Occupied West Bank Prem Thakker, Zeteo

European Disunion

New PM Barnier vows to address ‘anger and grievances’ of French France24

Of what value is democracy when those in power ignore it? Funding the Future

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Deutsche Bank CEO urges Germans to work harder to pull the country out of its economic lull Fortune

Dear Old Blighty

Labour’s cabinet has taken over half a million in donations from private healthcare lobbyists Canary

The shadowy Labour outfit planting key Starmer allies in positions of power across Westminster, including the once-neutral Civil Service Daily Mail

Key aspects of Palantir’s Federated Data Platform lack legal basis, lawyers tell NHS England The Register

On Leadership by Tony Blair — things should only get better FT

Something Monstrous New Left Review

New Not-So-Cold War

Ukraine Needs a New Storyline Foreign Policy

When will the war in Ukraine end? Responsible Statecraft

Glenn Diesen – The Increase in Ukrainian Casualties Brave New Europe

As The War Drags On, Gaps In Ukrainian Society Widen Radio Free Europe

* * *

Russians intensify offensive on Vuhledar and will not slow down quickly Institute for the Study of War

Go inside Ukrainian drone training facility known as the ‘kill house’ CNN. Commentary:

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Michael von der Schulenburg, Ruth Firmenich – The EU must change course on Ukraine, or risk breaking itself apart Brave New Europe

Why the West ignored Mongolia’s refusal to arrest Putin and what consequences it will bear Brave New Europe

South of the Border

Chinese migrants flock to Mexico in search of jobs, a future and, for some, a taste of freedom AP

Biden Adminsitration

Feds to probe frequent flyer programs for American Airlines, Delta, Southwest and United CBS

2024

The final stretch of the election in a content-moderation void Columbia Journalism Review

Republicans set stage for state challenges if Trump loses election PBS

Putin says Russia ‘backs’ Harris post-Biden exit TASS

Democrats en déshabillé

Mayor Eric Adams Faces Crisis as U.S. Investigations Reach Inner Circle NYT

Our Famously Free Presss

The Internet Archive Loses Its Appeal of a Major Copyright Case Wired

FT CEO John Ridding on ‘three moments’ that changed everything – and what’s next Press Gazette

Digital Watch

Ilya Sutskever’s AI startup raises more than $1 billion Axios

Threads is trading trust for growth Werd I/O

* * *

Regularly using mobile phones linked to heart disease risk Study Finds

Do Phone Bans Help Students Perform Better in School? Scientific American

Gunz

Students help drag shot teacher back into classroom after gunman opens fire inside Apalachee High WSB

The father of the Georgia school shooting suspect has been arrested and charged, authorities say CNN

Vance calls for tightened school security after shooting: ‘I don’t like that this is a fact of life’ The HIll

Zeitgeist Watch

Party of one: Restaurants are catering to a growing number of solo diners AP

Everyone In Restaurant Jealous Of Toddler Who Gets To Wear Pajamas And Watch iPad The Onion

* * *

How Dating Apps Contribute to the Demographic Crisis Kyla Scanlon, Kyla’s Newsletter

Imperial Collapse Watch

Conditioning Americans for War With Russia Ray McGovern, Consortium News

Overweight Ford F-750 Plunges Through Historic Wooden Bridge in Maine The Drive

Antidote du jour (via):

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.

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About Lambert Strether

Readers, I have had a correspondent characterize my views as realistic cynical. Let me briefly explain them. I believe in universal programs that provide concrete material benefits, especially to the working class. Medicare for All is the prime example, but tuition-free college and a Post Office Bank also fall under this heading. So do a Jobs Guarantee and a Debt Jubilee. Clearly, neither liberal Democrats nor conservative Republicans can deliver on such programs, because the two are different flavors of neoliberalism (“Because markets”). I don’t much care about the “ism” that delivers the benefits, although whichever one does have to put common humanity first, as opposed to markets. Could be a second FDR saving capitalism, democratic socialism leashing and collaring it, or communism razing it. I don’t much care, as long as the benefits are delivered. To me, the key issue — and this is why Medicare for All is always first with me — is the tens of thousands of excess “deaths from despair,” as described by the Case-Deaton study, and other recent studies. That enormous body count makes Medicare for All, at the very least, a moral and strategic imperative. And that level of suffering and organic damage makes the concerns of identity politics — even the worthy fight to help the refugees Bush, Obama, and Clinton’s wars created — bright shiny objects by comparison. Hence my frustration with the news flow — currently in my view the swirling intersection of two, separate Shock Doctrine campaigns, one by the Administration, and the other by out-of-power liberals and their allies in the State and in the press — a news flow that constantly forces me to focus on matters that I regard as of secondary importance to the excess deaths. What kind of political economy is it that halts or even reverses the increases in life expectancy that civilized societies have achieved? I am also very hopeful that the continuing destruction of both party establishments will open the space for voices supporting programs similar to those I have listed; let’s call such voices “the left.” Volatility creates opportunity, especially if the Democrat establishment, which puts markets first and opposes all such programs, isn’t allowed to get back into the saddle. Eyes on the prize! I love the tactical level, and secretly love even the horse race, since I’ve been blogging about it daily for fourteen years, but everything I write has this perspective at the back of it.

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20 comments

  1. Antifa

    TAL VEZ MAÑANA
    (melody borrowed from Lady Madonna  by The Beatles)

    (‘Tal vez mañana’ means ‘maybe tomorrow’ in Spanish. Who hasn’t had a day like this?)

    Tal vez mañana
    Siesta is sweet
    Barely after noon and my day’s complete
    Brunch in my tummy
    Now I feel content
    Who knows where the working hours of daylight went?

    Something useful really ought to take place—
    Finish off that other sticky bun!
    The cat cabal is on a wild goose chase . . .
    Nap time has come!

    Maybe tomorrow
    When I’ve had some rest
    I’ll invite some friends and have to clean this mess

    (musical interlude)

    Faineance is fun!

    Tal vez mañana
    I’ll just stay in bed
    Start in on that stack of books I haven’t read

    To Do List says everything is pending
    Chores on there from 2021!
    Everything’s in dire need of mending
    Nothing gets done!

    Tal vez mañana
    I embrace defeat
    I’m the Lord of Lazy with a front row seat

    Reply ↓
    2. Ignacio

      Interestingly, CNN’s article is just a minute part of the most gigantic disinformation campaign I’ve ever witnessed. Let’s blame the Russians for what we are trying to inflict in the populace

      Reply ↓
  3. The Rev Kev

    “Overweight Ford F-750 Plunges Through Historic Wooden Bridge in Maine”

    Driver regrets missing out on the chance to win a Darwin Award. Promises to try harder next time.

    Reply ↓
  4. k

    Trump admits he lost in 2020, leading white nationalist Nick Fuentes to disavow him

    “So, why did we do Stop the Steal? Why did did anyone go to Jan. 6? Why did any one go to jail? … It would have been good to know that before 1,600 people got charged,” Fuentes said on his podcast, referring to the criminal charges for those who invaded and ransacked the Capitol. “It would’ve been good to know that before (I) had all my money frozen, put on a no-fly list, banned from everything, lost all my bank and payment processing.”

    Reply ↓
  5. PlutoniumKun

    Replacing Russia’s T-90 on World Markets: China’s High Tech VT-4 Tank Excels in Trials in Algeria Military Watch

    I think this is quite significant. There is a general assumption that the Ukraine war has been good for Russias arms industry – in fact, quite the opposite. Russian international arms sales were stagnant before the war and have declined sharply. Partly of course a supply issue, but it does seem that many former customers (most obviously Algeria) have decided to diversify their sourcing. Add to this that the most successful weapons (such as Kinzhal) are not likely to be available for international sales, and many ‘basic’ Russian weapons haven’t necessarily been seen as successes – not least the T-72 and T-90’s, which have featured more often in ‘look at that big explosion’ videos than the manufacturers would no doubt have liked.

    China has been looking to break into the worlds arms markets for some time, but with quite limited success (only Pakistan has been a major customer). Many of those arms are unauthorised re-engineered Russian designs, including the J-11 and J-16 (based on the Su-27) and the HQ-9 (based on the S-300). This is a particular sore point in Russian/Chinese relations and likely to get worse if Russia loses more customers.

    Add to this that newcomers to the international arms industry, including Iran, Turkey and South Korea are all trying to take customers off the West and Russia, its likely that things are going to get very competitive, in more ways than one.

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      ‘Russian international arms sales were stagnant before the war’

      As I mentioned in a comment below, the US has used their muscle to try and make it illegal to buy Russian weaponry around the world and which the Chinese are also about to experience. For certain Algeria are under time constraints which is why they are buying now as they can see that there might be a fight between themselves and Morocco down the track.

      Reply ↓
    2. Captain Obvious

      Russian international arms sales were stagnant before the war, maybe because they were stocking up for the war they had coming. Russian existence does not depend on selling weapons, but it does on winning wars. US is more into the opposite thing, losing wars and selling weapons.

      Reply ↓
  6. GramSci

    BAR and Ajamu Baraka on the Uhuru 3 trial that began jury selection this week:

    «It is only in the imagination of white supremacists that African people would need smart white people from Russia to guide our people and movement to oppose the U.S./EU/NATO proxy war against Russia and analyze and comment on all aspects of U.S. foreign policy.»

    https://www.blackagendareport.com/black-alliance-peace-condemns-federal-indictments-uhuru-3-and-denial-their-fundamental-human-rights

    Reply ↓
  9. The Rev Kev

    “Replacing Russia’s T-90 on World Markets: China’s High Tech VT-4 Tank Excels in Trials in Algeria”

    The US already threatens countries that try to buy Russian weaponry so that they are forced to buy US weaponry or at worse, something like British and French weaponry. So are they threatening countries yet that want to buy Chinese weaponry? That might get harder. One country was testing US missiles like the Javelins on their coastline recently and I think that they experienced something like a 60% failure rate as multiple missiles dove into the sea instead of their targets. Thing is too, why do those tanks in those images not have anti-drone cages built over them. Do they imagine that no enemy will think of using drones against their tanks?

    Reply ↓
      1. Randall Flagg

        And a subscription fee if they can work that one out. Plus it can only be repaired by the manufacturer. At least on the US tanks…sarc off

        Reply ↓
        1. ChrisFromGA

          Subscription model:

          [Tank operator attempts to start engine to repel enemy attack, warning light comes on]

          “You are late on your monthly payment. Vehicle will be disabled until payment made. Raytheon accepts MC, Visa, and Discover.”

          Reply ↓
      2. The Rev Kev

        “Cope cages” will be an add-on feature for US tanks but if you want the ones made out of steel rather than aluminium, you will have to pay the premium price. :)

        Reply ↓
  10. Wukchumni

    I beg your pardon
    I never promised you a Presidential pardon
    Along with the sunshine
    There’s gotta be a little refrain sometime
    When you take you gotta give so live and let live or let go
    Oh-whoa-whoa-whoa
    I beg your pardon
    I never promised you a Presidential pardon

    I could promise you things like Kamala coming through
    But don’t expect on her respect, if I was you
    So you better think it over
    Well, if by sweet-talkin’ word salad you could make it come true
    I would run the world right now on a silver platter
    But what would it matter

    So smile for a while and let’s be jolly
    Jail shouldn’t be so melancholy
    Come along and share the good times while we can

    I beg your pardon
    I never promised you a Presidential pardon
    Along with the sunshine
    There’s gotta be you doing some time

    I beg your pardon
    I never promised you a Presidential pardon

    I could sing you a tune and promise you the moon
    But if that’s what it takes to hold you
    I’d just as soon let you go
    But there’s one thing I want you to know
    You better look before you leap, still waters run deep
    And there won’t always be someone there to pull you out
    And you know what I’m talking about

    So smile for a while and let’s be jolly
    Jail shouldn’t be so melancholy
    Come along and share the good times while we can

    I beg your pardon
    I never promised you a Presidential pardon
    Along with the sunshine
    There’s gotta be you doing some time
    I beg your pardon
    I never promised you an ironclad Presidential pardon

    Rose Garden, by Lynn Anderson

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

    Reply ↓
  11. Ghost in the Machine

    I wonder if it will really be possible for Zelensky to survive when this war really falls apart and he plans to flee. Will he be allowed to live in peace at one of his Villas? With so many knowing he bought it with stolen funds siphoned off while his fellow countrymen died in huge numbers and even more had their lives destroyed?

    Reply ↓

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