Alzheimer’s Mortality Lowest for Taxi, Ambulance Drivers MedPage Today
First baby conceived via breakthrough fertility tech born New Atlas
Human Minibrains Launched Into Space Thrived in an Unexpected Way Science Alert
Climate/Environment
Biden’s LNG-Export Study Presents ‘Speed Bump’ for Trump BNN Bloomberg
Developers eye Louisiana, Texas coasts for offshore carbon storage Floodlight
Pandemics
Flu surveillance flags probable H5 avian flu case in Delaware CIDRAP
India
India-Russia energy deal underscores Modi’s multiforeign policy Semafor
Japan
Honda, Nissan eye merger talks to form world’s 3rd biggest auto group Kyodo News
China?
Chinese astronauts complete world record-breaking spacewalk at 9 hours South China Morning Post
China’s factories seek to Trump-proof business by going global The Business Times
China Dominates Global Containership Construction as Korean Shipyards Face Decline gCaptain
Why Anti-China Economics is Failing Un-Diplomatic
Cratering Effects: Chinese Missile Threats to US Air Bases in the Indo-Pacific The Stimson Center
Old Blighty
Prince Andrew spy scandal rocks British establishment Politico
Hundreds of websites to shut down under UK’s ‘chilling’ internet laws The Telegraph
Private Equity Is Making Big Money From UK’s Most Vulnerable Bloomberg
European Disunion
Slovak, Hungarian, Austrian and Italian groups sign declaration backing continued gas transit through Ukraine Bne Intellinews
Syraqistan
Western powers expand engagements with new leadership in Syria The New Arab
US veterans: Didn’t we fight Al Qaeda terrorists for a reason? Responsible Statecraft
Reporter: Is $10,000,000 for Jolani still valid?
Miller: It is
Reporter: So if someone arrested him and gave him to US, he/she is gonna take 10 million dollars
Miller: I’m not gonna deal with hypotheticals
Matt Lee: The reward can’t be claimed by a government official… pic.twitter.com/Z1H5ka10pv
— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) December 17, 2024
Netanyahu: Israeli troops will occupy Syria buffer zone for ‘foreseeable future’ AP
Hezbollah without Damascus: Adapting in the wake of a severed supply line The Cradle
***
Turkiye masses troops on Syria border, invasion ‘imminent’: Report The Cradle
Trump Comments on Turkey’s ‘Unfriendly Takeover’ of Syria Using Proxy Forces: Regular Forces Deploy to Aleppo Military Watch
Turkish government bans metalworkers’ strike as war in Middle East deepens WSWS
Turkey, one of the world’s most dangerous places to work, and one of the most hostile to trade unions Equal Times
***
Israel launches first domestically-built quantum computer Globes
Israeli Spyware Firm Paragon Sold to U.S., as Trump’s Digital Arsenal Grows Haaretz
To succeed in defense-tech, Israeli startups must stake their claim in the US CTech
***
Irish support for Palestinians stands firm, despite Israeli anger Al Jazeera
Illegal munitions flights to Israel continue through Irish territory The Ditch
New Not-So-Cold War
Trump Says It Was ‘Stupid’ for Biden to Let Ukraine Use US Weapons to Strike Deeper into Russia AP
Talk is cheap News Forensics
***
FSB Arrests Ukraine-Recruited Terrorist For Deadly Blast That Killed General Kirillov Sputnik
Throwing Gasoline on the Fire, Ukraine Murders Russian General and Aide with a Bomb Larry Johnson, Sonar21
Russia – Agree To Be Provoked Or Fall For Lucy’s Football? Moon of Alabama
***
Zelensky insists on direct US ties amidst Orban’s remarks KBN
NATO takes over coordination of military aid to Kyiv from US, source says Reuters
No concrete plan yet to deploy Western troops to Ukraine — Berlin The New Voice of Ukraine
As US pushes Kyiv to lower draft age, why won’t Ukraine conscript younger men? The Kyiv Independent
South of the Border
US, Trinidad and Tobago Renew Military Agreements as PM Denies ‘Venezuela Conflict’ Troop Deployment Venezuelanalysis
O Canada
No more middle road Canadian Dimension
Trump Transition
Is Trump Playing for Keeps? The American Conservative
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
CCTV Cameras Are Everywhere — And They’re Changing How Your Brain Works ZME Science
Boeing
NASA astronauts who flew on Boeing’s spaceship to remain in space even longer NBC News
Imperial Collapse Watch
Ukraine and Syria, A Western Plan Goes Awry Larry Johnson, Sonar21
AI
Character.ai Lets Users Role Play With Chatbots Based on School Shooters Gizmodo
Uber for Nursing: How an AI-Powered Gig Model Is Threatening Health Care Roosevelt Institute
Healthcare?
Medical debt to be eliminated for 23,000 residents: governor NBC Connecticut
Los Angeles County announces $2 billion Medical Debt Relief Program CBS News
Guillotine Watch
Luigi Mangione Charged With Murder as ‘An Act of Terrorism’ for Killing of Insurance CEO Common Dreams
UnitedHealth Gets Luigi Mangione T-Shirt Pulled With Copyright Complaint Gizmodo
Four Luigi Mangione Documentaries Are in the Works (So Far) Vulture
***
Giant Companies Took Secret Payments to Allow Free Flow of Opioids New York Times
“Unprecedented” decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts Ars Technica
Our Famously Free Press
NYT Panics Over Outrage at Insurance Companies FAIR
The New York Times Ignored Source’s Doubts About Hamas Docs Provided by Israel Drop Site
So CNN is now no longer claiming it freed him. https://t.co/iV5ZawpGuK pic.twitter.com/0LqWwCAkn4
— gathara (@gathara) December 17, 2024
The Bezzle
Tesla is having major issue with its self-driving computer inside new cars Electrek
Trump team to scrap car-crash disclosure rule opposed by Tesla – report GlobalData
Driverless bus service in Scotland to be withdrawn due to lack of interest The Guardian
Class Warfare
An Interview With a Boxer Who Is Paying the Price How Things Work
Meet My Pal, the Ancient Philosopher Nautilus
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
GOD KNOWS WHERE THE MONEY ALL GOES
(melody borrowed from Love Grows by Edison Lighthouse)
We’ve been printin’ money, money by the tonny
To salvage our economy
Only God knows where the money all goes
We’re safe because MMT
How it works is hazy, a dollar’s like a daisy,
Print it and then set it free
Only God knows where the money all goes
We’re safe because MMT
Accounting of the classical kind says a dime is a dime,
And a dime it will stay (hey!)
You use it when you buy or you sell, hold it for clientele,
For their odd rainy day
I learned this from a feller, he’s my favorite teller,
Workin’ on his PhD
He says God knows where the money all goes
But we’re safe because MMT
When dollars land in your hand or mine, we’re the consumer kind,
And we spend it today (hey!)
If it comes from a bottomless well, how could we even tell?
Everybody got paid!
Wall Street fortunetellers all head for the cellars
When Congress turns to budgetry
Only God knows where the money all goes
We’re safe because MMT
> Only God knows where the money all goes
I believe that nearly all of what is not taxed out of existence winds up in bank accounts of those who already have a lot.
Audit requirements, sunset provisions and transparency in legislation would be desirable to most people. Therefore, little chance of that trifecta hitting.
Sunsetting, in moderate use already, and not just for Biden’s early lids.
Well done, but I have to stand up for My Money Tree, which is also all of yours (not valid for citizenry from other countries-you have your own safe arbors) and this modern society we’ve come to know and loathe couldn’t keep going without steady growth in all things, with bumper harvests when it comes to lucre as of late.
“Chinese astronauts complete world record-breaking spacewalk at 9 hours’
The Chinese have been building the Tiangong space station for only a few years now and it is supposed to have a service life of 15 years. They just do steady progress in their aims instead of spectacular achievements like with this extended spacewalk. It will be interesting to see when, in not too many years, when the International Space Station heads down to the spacecraft cemetery in the south Pacific and the only space station in orbit will be a Chinese one-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiangong_space_station
The Hamilton Nolan interview with boxer Heather Hardy is a must read for a lot of reasons, including that it’s extremely compelling writing. A metaphor for the class war. It’s like being dropped into the ring with a tiger and only one of you is coming out.
I hope she manages to get proper care for her brain injuries.
(sponsored by the Decembris Movement)
O Canada!
Your home and native land!
Trudeau love not in much demand
With glowering hearts you seethe the guy
Trudeau words not worth a penny!
From far and wide
O Canada, you stand on guard for thee
God keep your land glorious and free of Justin!
O Canada, you stand on guard for he
>Throwing Gasoline on the Fire, Ukraine Murders Russian General and Aide with a Bomb Larry Johnson,
Ukraine has crossed another redline and I believe that Putin will allow the Russian General Staff to carry out a retaliatory strike that will target senior Ukrainian military and intelligence officials. This is now personal for the Russian generals and they will exact a Russian version of a pound of flesh. I suspect it will be far more than just a pound.
I’m not so sure Putin will do much. In fact, I’m more inclined to regard Paul Craig Robert’s view that Putin’s is inherently disinclined to take on the West no matter how many redlines are crossed. Why Russia is supplying energy to Poland and Romania when they are hosting NATO missiles pointed at them is puzzling, and If I recall, they are still supplying the U.S. with some material. This assassination may just be swept under the rug. The Crocus City Hall shooting also took place in Crocus in Moscow, yet I’ve seen little reporting on what consequences were met out to planners.
The narrative that Russia like a “hot knife through butter” that was airing from those alt media podcasters that I’ve been listing since beginning of conflict has broken bitterly off the mark. Over 1M dead young Ukrainian men confirmed by dead by ABC last week, and still conflict lingers like a deadly sore that should have been lanced long ago. But who knows, Russia as many have also claimed did not have the capacity back when conflict started.
I think the death of General Kirillov will create the “Streisand effect” and more people will be exposed to the nexus of U.S. chemical/biological activities and Hunter Biden. The implications are disturbing.
I was wondering if we should be attaching any significance that of all generals, the Ukrainians wanted to off this guy in particular, one who specializes in the Ukrainian bio-labs. Was there additional damage this hit was intended to mitigate? Or are we to anticipate that the Ukrainians are planning a biological/chemical attack?
What we have done in the West is adopt terrorism as part of our method of war. Not only is terrorism (versus military) are means of war, we are doing it through proxies and unseen entities. I don’t know what Mr. Putin will or will not do. When Larry speaks of “Generals”, he is only considering the military which is odd as Larry is formerly of the CIA. Mr. Putin can turn in other directions and if he does, it will not be publicized. In the UK, Germany and the US, explosions have occurred at various manufacturing plants. In the case of the US, I recall Larry pointing out that the explosion has not been explained by US authorities. I don’t know the reason for the explosions but maybe we are experiencing Russia’s terrorism in return for ours. Mr. Putin and other Russian representatives are not likely to stand up and make the claim. If we force Mr. Putin and Russians into a war of terrorism, we will probably not like the result.
“Cratering Effects: Chinese Missile Threats to US Air Bases in the Indo-Pacific”
There is a reason that Chinese missiles are a threat to US Air bases. Check out the map in the following tweet-
https://twitter.com/caitoz/status/1784123161392668938
So what happened is that the US put hundreds of bases into surrounding China which sounds like a good idea for dealing with a backward nation. But now China has the ability to shoot back and as we all know – ‘Incoming has right of way!’ You might find that Chinese subs will launch missiles at the bases in Hawaii too as why wouldn’t they? Shades of Tora! Tora! Tora!
So the article goes on to suggest building hundreds of more bases and getting the allies to do their part in attacking China. They go on about trying to protect the runways but it might be that the Chinese hit the fuel bunkers and machine shops instead. So maybe not getting into a shooting war with China might be a better idea but negotiating an understanding instead. It would be cheaper.
Honda, Nissan eye merger talks to form world’s 3rd biggest auto group Kyodo News
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This kinda has the feel of Studebaker & Packard merging in the mid 50’s, only to be a goner by the early 60’s.
Why Honda would want to sully their reputation taking on Nissan is a quandary, is it all about quantity?
So what would it be called then if the deal goes through? Honsan? Or Nisda? I hope that it is not going to be a Japanese version of the Boeing – McDonnell Douglas merger though.
I’m going with Nisszilla
Datcar?
Disscar?
Dothercar.
Anything to get a Z car
Insert aphorism about a drowning man pulling down a well-intentioned strong swimmer.
Assuming there are a lot of Japanese domestic political pressures (and investment bankers with spreadsheets using *very gemerous* assumptions), but Honda would be insane for taking on Nissan.
Let Nissan collapse and then see what is left over, unless the JPN govt wants to own British Leyland 2.0
According to media sources, it doth seem like a ceasefire between Hamas and Iz, is imminent:
https://youtu.be/JeEWUBxoPuU?si=Yk4u-ZBKRhb2nb2X
Opium must flow!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_British_East_India_Company_(1801).svg
Here is a link that might work better-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_East_India_Company#/media/File:Flag_of_the_British_East_India_Company_(1801).svg
Oddly enough, that is what some British and Americans thought could be the flag of a combined UK – US back in the 19th century, people like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
re: Alzheimer’s Mortality Lowest for Taxi, Ambulance Drivers
It occurs to me that another group known for spatial and navigational processing might be gamers.
– ‘Western powers expand engagements with new leadership in Syria’ – The New Arab
From the article:
“Western countries were unified on the conditions the new government will have to meet before being allowed in from the cold: it will need to show concrete signs that it is committed to secular governance, protecting minorities and fighting terrorism before Western nations agree to normalise ties.”
Syria used to be a country committed to secular governance that protected minorities (it was governed by one) and fought terrorism (which it had experienced for decades). It was destroyed by “Western countries” and their regional allies by supporting radically sectarian groups who zealously persecuted minorities and terrorized anyone loyal to the legitimate government or holding different beliefs.
I would say the hypocrisy is unbelievable, but of course it is completely believable.
I notice that Jolani now wears a shirt and coat now like when he met the British in Damascus. The French were quick in establishing their embassy as well. The western media go on about how he is a surprisingly pleasant moderate. A guy with a bounty of $10 million on his head still for being a major terrorist. The guy seems to be like a chameleon. Has he claimed that he is LGBTQ as well?
Vanuatu takes the World to court over climate change! https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-international-court-of-justice-takes-on-climate-change
“NASA astronauts who flew on Boeing’s spaceship to remain in space even longer”
Those aren’t NASA astronauts – they are Boeing astronauts. And I am beginning to think that they sabotaged their own space vehicle. They were only suppose to be up there for a week but it has been several months already and it will be several months more before they get back to the ground. So consider how much flight pay they will be owed when they get back. I’d call that good motivation.
…didn’t the Donner Party start serving all-you-can-eat canapés on account of bad planning?… when marooned in their long journey
When Did Throw-Away Culture Become Big Business?
This article is about disposable fashion, but I would proffer the answer (in Jeopardy style because this timeline is like a gameshow) to the title query as “What is 1973”, the year the Bic disposable lighter hit the market.
It was in 1970 when Wilkinson introduced the first disposable blade in a plastic cartridge followed by Bic in 1974 when they came out with a razor where the whole thing – blade and handle – were disposable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_razor#Single-edge_razors
Must have created a boom for the plastic industry.
The 2017 sci-fi movie Life is set on a spaceship, where the crew includes two scientists who don’t want to return to earth: one has been released from the captivity of his wheelchair by zero-gravity, whereas the other is a flat-out misanthrope.
Another member is Russian, and yet the movie contains a clunky bit of propaganda about Syria. Pentagon approved?
In the end, everyone dies at the tentacles of a Martian invader. I’m thinking it may have come to earth in the Potomac area.
Leading American economists were sure that China was failing in ship-building, and then ceased writing about the failure that wasn’t:
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202410/1320959.shtml
October 10, 2024
China secures 70% of global green ship orders in first three quarters of 2024: report
Major indexes of China’s shipbuilding industry have risen steadily in the first three quarters this year, data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) showed on Thursday. China captured more than 70 percent of global green ship orders in the first three quarters, according to China Central Television Station (CCTV).
Data shows from January to September, China completed 36.34 million deadweight tons (DWT) in shipbuilding, an 18.2 percent increase year-on-year, while securing 87.11 million DWT in new orders, up 51.9 percent. By the end of September, the total orders on hand reached 193.3 million DWT, a 44.3 percent rise.
During this period, China accounted for 55.1 percent of global ship completions, 74.7 percent of new orders, and 61.4 percent of the global holding orders, according to the MIIT…
Medical debt relief. The strategy of both the programs in the articles above is to buy the arrears at a steep discount (“pennies on the dollar”). The non-profit involved, named in the California article, is Undue Medical Debt.
Of course, the fundamental causes of medical debt aren’t addressed, but meaningful relief in real time is a good thing.