Links 10/31/2024

Alcohol consumption abundant in the natural world, study finds Guardian

Starbucks’ sales decline for 3rd consecutive quarter Anadolu Agency

Climate

Models downplay wrath of what they sow Arctic News

Climate Clarity: The Biggest Problems, The Best Solution Exposed by CMD

Water

Climate graphic of the week: Blackouts and water rationing as South American drought worsens FT

Syndemics

Bird flu found in a pig in U.S. for the first time, raising concerns about potential risks to humans STAT

Referral: SCI AM – A Bird Flu Vaccine Might Come Too Late to Save Us from H5N1 Avian Flu Diary

China?

China’s factory activity returns to expansion, ‘positive sign’ after stimulus South China Morning Post

Explainer: How will China’s new monetary policy tool support capital market development? Xinhua

Muted Public Response to State Council’s New Slate of Policies to Promote Parenthood China Digital Times

Why China Won’t Give Up on a Failing Economic Model Foreign Affairs

India

A History of Diwali JSTOR Daily

Mattel releases first Diwali Barbie doll The Hill

Walking Phnom Penh Chris Arnade

The Koreas

Seoul to Squeeze The New Inquiry

Africa

‘Ready to die’: Protesters face bullets for political change in Mozambique Al Jazeera

French court sentences ex-doctor to 27 years in Rwanda genocide trial France24

Syraqistan

U.S. gaining confidence ceasefire in Lebanon can be reached soon Axios

US draws up draft Israel-Lebanon ceasefire plan FT

New Hezbollah chief threatens Netanyahu, but opens door for ceasefire in first speech Times of Israel

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Hezbollah drone hits aviation factory in northern Israel Anadolu Agency

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Illegal Israeli settlers uproot hundreds of centuries-old olive trees in northern West Bank Anadolu Agency

UK urged to share Gaza spy planes footage with ICC war crimes probe Middle East Eye. Commentary:

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Members of Congress have taken hundreds of AIPAC-funded trips to Israel in the past decade Politico

European Disunion

Can the United Kingdom and France Team Up in the Third Nuclear Age? War on the Rocks

Volkswagen is in crisis again. Can it be reformed? FT

Corporate Europe Observatory – Uncovering Big Tech’s hidden network Brave New Europe

Dear Old Blighty

Car finance market in chaos after shock court ruling: Lenders pause vehicle loans following Court of Appeal judgement on dealers’ commissions Daily Mail

New Not-So-Cold War

Ukraine’s frontline is ‘crumbling’ against Russian advances, says general The Telegraph

Ukraine: Compromise or Collapse The Nation

Don’t Let Russia Win the Ukraine War The National Interest

* * *

US Warns North Korean Troops May Widen Russia’s War on Ukraine Bloomberg

Russian units in Kaliningrad may be preparing sabotage in Baltic states and Poland Ukrainska Pravda

* * *

Chinese sanctions hit US drone maker supplying Ukraine FT

How North Korean Artillery Supplies Saved Russia’s War Effort: 6 Million Rounds Left Ukraine Tremendously Outgunned Military Watch

* * *

European Commission ready to open first negotiation clusters with Ukraine, but conditions possible Ukrainska Pravda

Global financial watchdog FATF once again refuses to include Russia on its black list – Reuters Ukrainska Pravda

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As Georgians Protest Election Results, What Next? Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

An unfortunate rush to judgment in Georgia elections Responsible Statecraft

* * *

50/50: How referendum results will shape Moldova’s path to the EU JAM News

South of the Border

Bolivia president calls for end of blockades, says costs exceed $1.7 billion Reuters. Video (2020):

Mexico Supreme Court justice announces resignation, more expected Reuters

Biden Administration

Lawsuit claims ICE withheld $300M in bond payments from immigrants AP

2024

Biden bites three babies at White House Halloween party Daily Mail

Elon Musk ordered to attend Philadelphia hearing; DA asks for more security 6ABC

The Final Frontier

Largest Commercial Satellites Unfurl, Outshining Most of the Night Sky Gizmodo

China wants to make its Tiangong space station bigger and better Space.com

Halloween

Cop ‘attacked’ by giant inflatable runaway Halloween pumpkin in middle of the street ABC

Forget witches and zombies, Chinese youths are dressing up as celebs and memes this Halloween Channel News Asia

The Past as Prologue: Caliban & the Witch – a Review MR Online

Why Horror Needs Humor Literary Hub

Sports Desk

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman (4 HRs, 12 RBIs) named World Series MVP ESPN

Snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan gets Hong Kong residency as part of quality migrant scheme South China Morning Post. Video:

How Public Stadiums Keep Some Profits Private Defector

Imperial Collapse Watch

The U.S. Air Force Could Buy Over 200 B-21s: Major Expansion of Long Range Stealth Bomber Fleet Considered Military Watch

Math Might Be the B-21 Raider’s Biggest Enemy The National Interest

Does foreign interventionism make America safer? Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun

Class Warfare

Consolidation Threatens to Rip ‘Service’ Out of Postal Service Labor Notes

The Billionaire Is the Threat, Not the Solution 404 Media

Fandom has toxified the world Anarchist Library

Antidote du jour (Ken Thomas):

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.

35 comments

  1. Antifa

    BRIGHTER MAKES THE SALE
    (melody borrowed from Tiger By The Tail  by Buck Owens)

    We want a brighter future than the one we see
    What trickles down smells very much like pee
    All fifty states are a lookin’ down the trail
    And it looks like we’re gonna have a fire sale

    Well, you say if we elect you to run our Uncle Sam
    You’re not gonna sit on your two hands
    And there’ll be no more pissing down our backs and coattails
    Are we five by five or didja devil the details?

    We want a brighter future than the one we see
    Every billionaire has his own monopoly
    This choo choo train will be runnin’ out of rail
    It’s hammer time and you ain’t got a nail

    (musical interlude)

    Well, stories that are shaggy they confuse and confound
    Promise is the politician sound
    All the lies you told us about checks in the mail
    Did you even try or was it just your plan to fail?

    We want a brighter future than the one we see
    You’re out of touch, and the money’s all you see
    We warn you straight—this job is pass or fail
    Human lives hafta be your Holy Grail

    Reply
  2. The Rev Kev

    “Mattel releases first Diwali Barbie doll”

    Since Indian ultra-nationalists are trying to be apologists for a past Indian custom, will Mattel eventually release the first Suttee Barbie Doll? (matches included)

    Reply
  3. Psyched

    “Alcohol consumption abundant in the natural world, study finds”

    Ethanol is the most vilified, but most useful medication you can have in your anarchist medical bag. It is literally the best calcium, potassium and sodium channel blocker and the only one that reaches the brain. [1] [2]

    I have labile hypertension, one of the most difficult forms to treat. Ethanol (in the form of 1.5 ounces of vodka) is short lasting and lowers my blood pressure in minutes. It also eases my mood in a way no pharmacological product could. It is only because people abuse alcohol that it has such a bad rap. Two of my brothers who quit drinking had heart attacks, one fatal.

    I have always wondered if my family has a genetic need for some level of alcohol after the legacy of drinking in my family. Both my grandparents were very poor and they all certainly drank. My one grandfather drank vodka everyday and lived till he was 98 (he also ran moonshine out of his barbershop in Manhattan. So my family may be closer to the oriental hornets they mentioned in the article!

    Reply
  4. Wukchumni

    Can there be any doubt that Genocide Joe mistook a child dressed as a chicken for an extra crispy bucket of KFC?

    Reply
    1. Screwball

      I had no idea what you were talking about – then I went on Twitter… Oh boy! I read a Tweet that said;

      Trump right now: Giving a speech while wearing a garbage vest.

      Biden right now: Biting babies at the White House.

      These two are not the same.

      The entire garbage thing was hilarious, and reading the reactions might be even better. One guy wanted Trump arrested because he doesn’t have a CDL. Too funny. And Joe sniffing, biting, rubbing little kids? Isn’t that the Joe we’ve always known? This might be another incident that will convince his handlers to keep him away from any camera or microphone for the next week.

      Reply
    2. Carolinian

      Not to change the subject but no hosannas for your boys in Dodger blue?

      I confess no love for the Yankees after they gave my Braves such a hard time.

      Reply
      1. Wukchumni

        I’m now 3 and 2 lifetime in Dodgers/Yankees world series and tickled pink by the outcome…

        My dad was in the stock biz in LA in the 60’s and worked with a young Peter O’Malley there, and my mom told me that he would get dugout seats and as a toddler watched Koufax pitch, Wills steal and more, but a baseball game is wasted on a 3 year old, as I don’t remember a thing.

        Reply
  5. Steve H.

    > Climate Clarity: The Biggest Problems, The Best Solution Exposed by CMD

    Intriguing, but linked sources were chewing their own tails. Following is from 2012:

    The Haida Salmon Restoration Project: The Story So Far
    aoml.noaa.gov/ftp/pub/phod/pub/lumpkin/haida_foia_request/HSRC_SeptStory%20Final.pdf

    Main source kinda fergits to mention this, from wiki:

    > The experiment, which was carried out without the knowledge of national authorities, was later described by a leading scientist at the Natural History Museum in London as “hav(ing) had a chilling effect on public trust and on research”.[3] In May, 2013, HSRC fired George, removing him as a director of the company, and appointed John Disney as interim CEO.

    Reply
    1. Ben Panga

      An artist who has given me many many hours of happiness.

      It’s also pleasing to seeing him now: a fairly boring man of about my age. His sexy rebel vibe ended as he healed from his past. Now he just seems happy. Still goes his own way, but without the torment.

      Here’s him and somewhat less at peace middle-aged man Stephen Hendry chatting and playing.

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

      Reply
  6. The Rev Kev

    “US draws up draft Israel-Lebanon ceasefire plan”

    This is so stupid to read this. Israel is breaking their teeth trying to get a foothold in Lebanon but Hezbollah have fought them to a standstill. So with this “plan” they want Lebanon to hand Israel a victory that they are incapable of getting for themselves. It does not help that the US Ambassador in Lebanon was trying to encourage a second civil war in Israel by having everybody in Lebanon launch an internal uprising against Hezbollah on Israel’s behalf-

    https://thecradle.co/articles-id/27478

    The woman is a lunatic if this is her plan and I am pretty sure that this is not what Ambassadors are supposed to be saying. If I was there I would be suggesting a new strategy to Israel – ‘Let the Wookie Win!’

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN0T5tyJlo8 (49 secs)

    Reply
    1. NotTimothyGeithner

      This is the kind of thing I would expect out of the mind of John Bolton. In the case of State, it’s been subordinate to White House staff (ex. Kissinger before he was Secretary of State), the Pentagon, and institutions such as Treasury which wields power via the IMF. As a structure, it’s simply rotten. Then with Shrub, the final nail was put into place. Democrats embraced the “SMRT war” necessitating people in suits and pantsuits instead of uniforms and let that doofus Hillary run the department leading to a complete nightmare.

      Now, it’s just bloodthirsty PMCs of the lowest talent level imaginable who can barely control their glee. If you thought Samantha Power was bad, wait until you see the people underneath.

      After October 7th, there was that Obama appointee who accosted a street vendor. It’s a completely rotten culture.

      Reply
    2. Socal Rhino

      I’ve seen speculation that Israel will retreat from Lebanon and Hezbollah will follow them into northern Israel.

      Waiting to see if Iran retaliates and if they do, how badly Israel’s military infrastructure may be degtaded.

      Reply
      1. Polar Socialist

        Hezbollah’s best chance is to keep luring IDF raids to Lebanon and then ambush them. When IDF retreats, target them relentlessly with missiles and rockets until they do another raid. Rinse and repeat. Scott Ritter even claims that Iran/Hezbollah has actually broken into IDF communications network, even if it’s encrypted and frequency jumping, and has enough Hebrew speaking people to create confusion or even chaos among advancing IDF units.

        In Lebanon Hezbollah can literally run circles around IDF, in Israel (or occupied Palestine) they would lose that huge advantage, and IDF’s superior tactical firepower would start to have weight. Also the IDF communications inside Israel are more along the fiber optics than on the radio waves.

        Reply
    3. ChrisFromGA

      I’m not sure what it means, but just observing that our friend Blinken is not involved with this little operation. It’s some Hochstein dude who I’ve never heard of before. Blinken is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps this is not a State Dept. initiative. (Skunkworks? CIA?)

      Perhaps it’s too odious of a ploy even for Antony. He has some scruples, after all! (We can always be hopeful.)

      Reply
        1. ChrisFromGA

          His current title is White House special envoy for the ME. Looks like a WH operation to shape the narrative, “see, we’re still working for a ceasefire – pay no attention to Bibi!” or something more nefarious.

          Clearly he is not a neutral party who could be trusted to negotiate in good faith. Something rotten here. He’s up to no good, and Hezbollah would have to be insane to even talk with him.

          Reply
  7. TomDority

    Why China Won’t Give Up on a Failing Economic Model Foreign Affairs
    “By 2024, average disposable income had increased by only 50 percent since 2017”
    Failing – how about the growth in the USA since 2017.

    DeJoy still at the Post Office — gee, why is he still their? Oh yea, both political parties are want to get the big bucks from the privatizers/privateers while they grift the American Public.
    Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution – “To establish Post Offices and post Roads.”

    Reply
  8. Ben Panga

    “Third state” of existence between life and death confirmed by scientists (earth.com)

    “…In this third state, certain cells — when given nutrients, oxygen, bioelectricity, or biochemical signals — have the capacity to transform into new multicellular organisms, exhibiting new functions even after death.

    The researchers reviewed recent studies showing the incredible capability of cells to reorganize and take on new forms after the death of the organism”. …

    Intriguing stuff

    Reply
  9. The Rev Kev

    “How North Korean Artillery Supplies Saved Russia’s War Effort: 6 Million Rounds Left Ukraine Tremendously Outgunned”

    Maybe I missed it but I think that this article failed to mention the huge amount of artillery that the South Koreans sent to the Ukraine via NATO. But I do not think that future history books will say that Russia was just about to lose the war against the Ukrainians and it was only the support of the mighty North Korean military that turned the situation around for them.

    Reply
    1. Skip Intro

      This is another page in the big book of excuses that western politicians need to cook up to explain how they could lose so thoroughly. This chapter is wryly titled “Nobody expects the North Koreans!”

      Reply
  10. Carolinian

    Re obnoxiously bright giant satellites in low orbit–on the plus side maybe if there are enough of them it will solve global warming?

    Do we really need to wreck everything so people can watch TikTok videos? Here in SC wrecking nature is a sore point at the moment. Many of my favorite nature spots are gravely injured.

    Reply
  11. Alice X

    ~‘A Cartography of Genocide’

    I try to put myself in the conditions in Gaza and I melt. I consider myself seasoned to a dearth of material conditions and pretty tough, but what is humanly possible? The great crime against the Palestinians is that it is being tested in such an inhumane fashion. That it is being tested at all.

    Alistair Crooke makes a few points here in this brief clip with Judge Nap:

    Alastair Crooke : de-radicalizing Palestinians

    de-radicalizing Palestinians should be in quotes because they are defending their country, their land, their people and finally their own humanity. The clip is brief and the point could be greatly expanded.

    A pall comes over me every day as I find I cannot escape being Palestinian in spirit.

    This short documentary from Middle East Eye gives some further insight:

    The untold history of the Israel Defense Forces | The Big Picture

    The title should be The Zionist Occupation Forces.

    Reply
  12. Ignacio

    Yesterday the effects of the Storm in Valencia with a human toll of more than 90 and rising were linked.
    Here you can see satellite pictures of the South Valencia region before and after the storm.

    Reply
  13. CA

    “Why China Won’t Give Up on a Failing Economic Model”

    China in 2023 was 26.8% larger in GDP than the US, and 29.8% larger than the European Union.

    https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1pNpr

    August 4, 2014

    Real per capita Gross Domestic Product for China, European Union, India, Japan and United States, 1977-2023

    (Percent change)

    https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1pNpu

    August 4, 2014

    Real per capita Gross Domestic Product for China, European Union, India, Japan and United States, 1977-2023

    (Indexed to 1977)

    Reply

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