Links 2/7/2025

Doctor investigated after smuggling his pet cat into hospital for CAT scan Independent

New Indo-European genetic evidence Language Log

Climate

The world has probably passed “peak air pollution” Our World in Data

How huge parts of the U.S. could become uninhabitable within decades — even so-called ‘climate havens’ Independent

Microplastics Build Up in Human Organs, Especially the Brain The Scienstist

Wind propulsion now a force to be reckoned with Seatrade Maritime. The deck: “Wind power should now be considered as an option for regulatory compliance and cost savings says classification society DNV.”

Water

Why the water Trump ordered released in California won’t help Los Angeles firefighting CBS

Syndemics

Could the Bird Flu Become Airborne? NYT

Differential protection against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection pre- and post-Omicron Nature. From the Abstract: “Before Omicron, natural infection provided strong and durable protection against reinfection, with minimal waning over time. However, during the Omicron era, protection was robust only for those recently infected, declining rapidly over time and diminishing within a year.”

China?

How China’s government is supercharging the rise of humanoid robots South China Morning Post

Chinese-Style Modernization: Revolution and the Worker-Peasant Alliance Monthly Review

China can detect US Seawolf-class submarine with magnetic wake tracking: study South China Morning Post

Myanmar

Casinos, high-rises and fraud: The BBC visits a bizarre city built on scams BBC

Syraqistan

No guarantees for Netanyahu during Trump meeting: Israeli media Al Mayadeen

Trump’s Real Estate Envoy to the Middle East Foreign Policy. Steve Witkoff.

Egypt lobbies against Trump plan to empty Gaza of Palestinians as Israel prepares for it AP. Commentary:

Netanyahu dismisses Palestinian state, suggests Saudis should take Palestinians instead Anadolu Agency

Trump’s Gaza plans fall flat with GOP lawmakers The Hill

Dear Old Blighty

Britain’s Machiavellian Answer for Trump Foreign Policy

New Not-So-Cold War

Poll in Russia shows high public support for war against Ukraine, ISW reports Ukrainska Pravda

Poll shows Ukrainians mostly feel hope and pride when thinking about Ukraine Ukrainska Pravda

Smuggled Grand Pianos Show Trump’s Challenge in Pressuring Putin Bloomberg

Will Fico and Orbán’s blackmail succeed in restoring Russian gas transit? European Pravda

Baltic nations end electricity ties to Russia through Soviet-era grid and tighten EU bond EuroNews

Wagner’s Business Model in Syria and Africa: Profit and Patronage RUSI

Trump Administration

Judge halts Trump buyouts ahead of deadline The Hill

‘Fork in the Road’ buyout offer reaches space and national security agencies despite exemptions Space News

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Senate confirms Project 2025 architect Russell Vought to lead powerful White House budget office AP

Trump’s gut-it-all plan for D.C.’s “Deep State” Axios

* *

Donald Trump seeks to close tax loophole enjoyed by private equity groups FT

Trump sanctions ‘illegitimate’ International Criminal Court Al Jazeera

A Late-Night Call Between Trump and Bannon The Bulwark

Immigration

Entitled residents of East Coast hamlet hold panicked meeting to keep nannies from being deported Daily Mail

DOGE

Bessent’s Goals Won’t Work Unless DOGE Does, Too John Authers, Bloomberg. The deck: “It’s becoming clear how much the Trump economic plan needs significant federal spending cuts.” Important!

Elon Musk’s Demolition Crew ProPublica

* *

Lawsuits Related to Trump Admin Executive Orders Court Watch. Current as of 2/6/2025 at 3:40PM EST.

13 states to sue Trump administration over Musk’s access to federal payment data Anadolu Agency

* *

The US Treasury Claimed DOGE Technologist Didn’t Have ‘Write Access’ When He Actually Did Wired. Treasury will want to be checking its systems for whatever back doors these guys built in.

* *

Donald Trump’s administration plans to retain fewer than 300 USAID staff FT

Trump admin halts NOAA-sponsored studies as DOGE work speeds up E&E News

Read: Trump sued by unions over “illegal” move to dismantle USAID Axios

Representative Val Hoyle Statement on Leaving the DOGE Caucus Congressman (press release) Val Hoyle, OR-04

The Bezzle

Donald Trump Jr Says Crypto Is the ‘Future of American Hegemony’ CoinDesk

Digital Watch

Man jailed over police AI program, then freed 17 months after victim raised doubts ABC27

Supply Chain

US farmers ‘prepare for the worst’ in new Trump trade war FT

Zeitgeist Watch

You’re Being Alienated From Your Own Attention The Atlantic

Class Warfare

MLMs are the mirror-world version of community organizing Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic

Devoted nap-takers explain the benefits of sleeping on the job AP

Antidote du jour (John Mackenzie Burke):

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.

67 comments

  1. Zagonostra

    >Trump’s gut-it-all plan for D.C.’s “Deep State” Axios

    Trump promised during his campaign to root out the “Deep State” — generally framed as institutional resistance in D.C. that impedes his agenda. But the speed and tactics of Trump’s vengeance-fueled cost-cutting efforts have been surprising.

    So Axios thinks the Deep State (no need to put in quotes) is “institutional resistance” (quotes definitely necessary) that Trump doesn’t like or whose policies he disagrees with, wanting to get his pound of flesh. No, I don’t think this is the Deep State. Trump is part and parcel of the Deep State. I think a better, operational definition can be found in the works of Peter Dale Scott.

    A second order government, behind the constitutional state that is growing stronger. Party institutionalisation in non-accountable agencies like the CIA and NSA, in Booz Hamilton – where 70% of intelligence budgets go. And behind these firms are Wall Street and big oil” (Dale-Scott, 2015).

    https://warontherocks.com/2019/02/how-the-deep-state-came-to-america-a-history/

    Reply
    1. GramSci

      I find it ironic that the linked War on the Rocks piece traces the concept of a Deep State to ~1990s Turkey, completely overlooking MI6’s efforts to subvert the Ottoman Empire in quest of oil in the runup to the Great War. As if, perhaps, the concept must be restricted to domestic affairs?

      Reply
      1. pjay

        In fairness, I think the author is tracing the contemporary usage of the term itself in the context of US politics, rather than the political or institutional phenomena described by this concept. He sees this usage as influenced by Peter Dale Scott’s work who, in turn, took the term from historical work on Turkey. Also, I’m sure the author’s own institutional affiliation and academic expertise influenced his efforts:

        “Ryan Gingeras is an associate professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School and is an expert on Turkish, Balkan and Middle East history.”

        Given this background, I think it is not a bad overview.

        Reply
    2. pjay

      I don’t think this is the Deep State either, but I do think that this might be how Trump himself perceives it – as a massive internal partisan “resistance” to Trump himself. To the extent that his administration and its Republican allies keep portraying it as a nest of “bleeding heart liberals” or “wokeness” radicals or friends of “dictatorships in Cuba and Iran,” they will only contribute to this public obfuscation. As long as the “Deep State” machinery supports *their* material or ideological interests and allies, they’ll probably be fine with it.

      Reply
  2. The Rev Kev

    ” ‘Fork in the Road’ buyout offer reaches space and national security agencies despite exemptions ”

    I guess Musk is taking the opportunity to gut any space-connected government body so that they will not be able to compete with him when he slips back into the private sector. But I wonder about all those government workers leaving government service as they are taking away all their expertise and experience. A twenty-something year old still studying in college may not be able to cut it to replace them, probable to the surprise of those tech bros. Looks like those government workers are not the only ones to be getting “forked” then.

    Reply
    1. GramSci

      Elon no doubt plans to offer those redundants who genuflect with form and grace jobs as consultants to train those twenty-somethings who genuflect with form and grace.

      Reply
    2. TomDority

      I place the odds of those government workers who take the offer will be one in one hundred of ever getting back to a gainful employment. They should look at how their retirement benefits will be affected upon taking the offer and, the many other myriad implications to their earnings going forward.
      The idea “A twenty-something year old still studying in college may not be able to cut it to replace them” is certainly not a problem because they don’t care if expertise and experience dwindles as they are trying to drop wages and payroll while assuming control or power to impose debt peonage on the population to save cash for themselves — the 1% the FIRE sector

      Reply
  3. JohnA

    Re Poll in Russia shows high public support for war against Ukraine, ISW reports

    Intro: “Despite mounting economic hardship and military setbacks, a Russian state poll claims that most of the population supports the war against Ukraine. However, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) question the reliability of these findings.”

    Maybe instead, the ISW ought to question the reliability of the claims that Russia is suffering mounting economic hardship and military setbacks. Neither is apparent according to most reporting not based on Ukraine propaganda.

    Reply
    1. Daniil Adamov

      There is a pretty serious ongoing increase in inflation. It is so far from creating a revolutionary situation that it almost isn’t funny, but it is a hardship, especially for the lower income brackets. As for setbacks, I suppose they must mean the fact that Ukraine hasn’t crumbled completely yet. As setbacks go, that’s pretty weak, but it is something to point at.

      Reply
      1. timbers

        Regarding increases in inflation and surprise that its not fueling revolution…you’re referring to the US, right?

        Reply
        1. Wukchumni

          In theory a Soviet Ruble was worth worth a buck fifty before the curtain came down on Communism, and then it took 1,000 to equal a lone greenback, followed by the currency shock in the latter 90’s.

          We don’t really know inflation in the USA, the crippling kind, and yeah i’m just as guilty grousing about it. Went grocery shopping at WinCo the other day, and it came to $142, and without prompting the cashier said to me…

          ‘Geeze, it doesn’t seem like much for $142’

          I was in Mexico during their long hyperinflation in the 80’s, and it was especially difficult on retail merchants, as the price of things had to be changed often with it only going up. I remember seeing a can of food with at least 20 price stickers on top of one another.

          In the end when the New Peso replaced the old Peso @ a rate of 1,000 old for 1 new, the old Peso was worth 1/264th of its value against the Yanqui Dollar when I was a teenager.

          We ain’t seen anything like that, and one of the tells would be real estate going gangbusters again, as people were desperate to get rid of Dollars, and what could you really spend it on in a physical vein?

          Reply
  4. The Rev Kev

    “Netanyahu dismisses Palestinian state, suggests Saudis should take Palestinians instead”

    Maybe the Saudis should call Bibi’s bluff and ask him how much he is willing to pay for Saudi Arabia to take each Palestinian. Point out that as Trump has promised them a beautiful home, that Israel would also have to pay for the costs of building a house for each Palestinian family along with the cost of hooking up utilities. Medical treatment for each injured Palestinian as well. Oh, and an annual payment for each Palestinian until they are integrated into Saudi society. Bibi won’t go for it of course because I have noticed that with every grand Israeli plan has to deal with the Palestinians, that Israel always expects some other country or countries to pay for it. It’s always baked into the cake.

    Reply
    1. ChrisFromGA

      It’s hard to see this going anywhere (Trump’s plan to create a modern Trail of Tears.)

      Trump already walked back part of it – no US money to rebuild Gaza, and no boots on the ground.

      Of course, he can always change his mind but Congress would need to authorize both. The trial balloon caught a bunch of lead after someone yelled “Pull!”

      Reply
      1. The Rev Kev

        Trump doing a back-flip about US boots on the ground was the deal breaker. That means that it will be up to the IDF to clear the Palestinians out of Gaza but as Hamas is still fighting them after a year and a half, how is all that supposed to work? Trump lost big time pumping what appears to be Jared Kushner’s ideas. It gives ammo to his opponents that reckon that he is not acting like a President but just a real estate huckster. Or maybe this came from Bibi. A small story.

        Back in the 90s the FBI were trying to work out the table of organization of the mob families in New York but nobody was talking for some mysterious reason. So the FBI was reduced to watching who was opening up car doors for who. If a car full of mobsters pulls up and Joey opens the door for Antonio, then likely Antonio is senior to Joe. So I ask you, who is senior here-

        https://x.com/jakeshieldsajj/status/1886931086946574418?mx=2

        Reply
        1. ChrisFromGA

          Those are some “bad optics” as they like to say in D.C.

          There is also the issue of the Muslim vote. Trump made a big mistake in signing up with Team Genocide. He may not care about those voters, such as those in Dearborn, who helped him send Kamala out to pasture. But, the GOP may care … he hurt Vance or whomever is the GOP nominee in 2028. Plus, the 2026 House elections are coming and he probably knows he’s going to lose the House because of this.

          Reply
        2. Carolinian

          I dropped this Alastair Crooke link (from yesterday) in last night’s cooler but perhaps worth a repeat.

          https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/02/06/the-greatest-geo-political-showmans-inside-out-political-solution/

          Crooke the insider has said some interesting things including that Netanyahu is in poor health and just had a pacemaker implanted. He thinks that Netanyahu and his future are now totally dependent on Trump and the Gaza plan–serious or unserious–was meant to tie Netanyahu’s hands and prevent the planned breaking of the ceasefire and resumption of bombing. He also says that Trump’s new gestures toward Iran and statement that we will not bomb them is totally opposite to Netanyahu’s longstanding desire to start a war between the US and Iran.

          So while nobody knows for sure there is a theory going around that Trump truly wants to disengage from Europe and the Middle East and get himself a Peace Prize to match his rival Obama’s very underserved one. In other words Trump the egotist is not so much out for revenge as for respect which would be the ultimate revenge given Dem and deep state hysteria.

          It’s worth a look.

          Reply
          1. mrsyk

            My personal opinion is Trump has an eye on “legacy”. How that translates is tricky. He appears weak in the “nuance” and “unintended consequences” departments. IDK, stay tuned I guess.

            Reply
            1. Carolinian

              Trump’s in his late seventies and when you get to be that age legacy is what you think about (unless you are Biden apparently). Crooke, Larry Johnson and others are just making hopeful guesses but they are plausible guesses and a lot more plausible than those who cling to the Trump/Hitler nonsense. Hitler was in his fifties with decades ahead if he hadn’t shot himself in the mouth.

              I think these speculations are interesting if nothing else.

              Reply
          2. JohnA

            The Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize committee ruefully admitted apropos Obama, that there is no mechanism for withdrawing an award. When it comes to potential US recipients, I suspect it is once bitten twice shy for the Norwegian committee. Plus Trump has already signed off more bombing in Africa since his inauguration.

            Reply
        1. ChrisFromGA

          I’m thinking that we may have passed peak schlock & jawbone, as Trump’s assault on government appears to have been slowed down by the judiciary. He may become a lame duck faster than many think.

          Reply
          1. Wukchumni

            A fortnight in and the sniveling Donkey Show has been throwing up Chuck to counter Trump’s thrusts-with his gambit being to throw uncooked spaghetti against the wall and hoping something sticks, while his minions are running roughshod as quick as possible through the works like so many spanners, before the court can have its say.

            This obviously is not going to end well, but at least Donald has a lot of experience with bankrupting companies and stiffing those associated in many ways with said companies, so he’s accomplished, with a steady hand on the tiller.

            Reply
            1. Pat

              It is really bad when Jon Stewart points out how useless and ineffective the Democratic response consisting of putting Chuck on the News and social media with his reading glasses halfway down his nose reading some half baked statement is.

              Reply
    2. Mikel

      “that Israel always expects some other country or countries to pay for it. It’s always baked into the cake”

      The gangsta way.

      Reply
    3. flora

      I give every president a honeymoon period when they start. Even W. Even T at the start of his second non-consecutive term. Welp, that honeymoon period is over, didn’t even last a month. Between the idea of expelling the Gazans from Gaza and banking on crypto to revive the US finances instead of something like increased manufacturing . . . I’m done. I hope he does close the border, stops the Ukr war, dismantles USaid. Those things aren’t nothing. If the plan is to reduce the size of the administrative state by replacing civil servants with private contractors the possible corruption in such patronage contracts is enormous. If only there was an opposition party.

      Reply
  5. Wukchumni

    Donald Trump Jr Says Crypto Is the ‘Future of American Hegemony’ CoinDesk
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    When Latin American countries were going through their financial death throes in the 80’s & 90’s, they all pretty much decided the way out was to get rid of their national currency which had been around for 150 years, and rename their currencies, kind of similar to what the First Son is proposing, albeit in a different guise.

    We already have the glaring differences between the have everything types and have nothing homeless living not too far away from one another in our ad hoc camping out favelas that resemble those in Latin America, why not do something similar with our National currency!

    Here’s how it went down:

    Argentina Peso Ley from 1970 to 1983, replaced by Peso Argentina 1983 to 1985 (you needed 10,000 Peso Ley to equal 1 Peso Argentina, replaced by Astral 1985 to 1991 (you needed 1,000 Peso Argentina to equal 1 Astral) replaced by Peso Convertible (you needed 10,000 Austral to equal 1 Peso Convertible)

    Bolivia Peso Boliviano from 1963 to 1986 was replaced by the Second Boliviano from 1987 onwards (1,000,000 Boliviano equal 1 Second Boliviano)

    Brazil Cruzeiro from 1970 to 1986, replaced by Cruzado 1986 to 1989 (you needed 1,000 Cruzeiros to equal 1 Cruzado) replaced by Cruzado Novo (you needed 1,000 Cruzados to equal 1 Cruzado Novo) replaced by Cruzeiro Real from 1993 to 1994 (you needed 1,000 Cruzado Novo to equal 1 Cruzeiro Real) and replaced from 1994 onwards by the Real (you needed 2,750 Cruzeiro Real to equal 1 Real)

    Ecuador Sucre from 1884 to 2000, replaced by the US Dollar (you needed 25,000 Sucres to equal 1 US Dollar)

    Peru Sol from 1863 to 1985 replaced by the Inti from 1985 to 1991 (1,000 Soles equaled 1 Inti) replaced by the Sol Nuevo 1991 to present (1,000,000 Intis equaled 1 Sol Nuevo)

    Venezuela Bolivar from 1879 to 2008 replaced by the Bolivar Fuerte from 2008 onwards (1,000 Bolivars equal 1 Bolivar Fuerte) replaced by the Bolivar Soberano from 2018 onwards (100,000 Bolivar Fuerte equals 1 Bolivar Soberano)

    When I did retail physical foreign exchange in the 1980’s and 90’s in LA, there was essentially no market for these currencies-you didn’t want any position in any of them, and the wholesalers felt the same way, they were like cash orphans where something useful-blank pieces of paper had been rendered useless by printing on both sides.

    Reply
    1. griffen

      Gibson is sounding quite right…the future is here and all….btw, Don Jr is basically telling the world this is the new and improved digital version of Billy Beer ?!?

      They meaning the crypto bros want regulation* and on the other hand….more regulations means it is much less or perhaps unlikely to be so secretive ( more the case in say 2014, compared to today ) and speculative….I still tend towards Dutch tulip bulbs as opposed to an Edison and the incandescent light bulb…however I suggest Bitcoin may prove more a long term investment, prospectively so, since I can’t know the future and all

      And on CNBC this week I caught parts of a live interview with one of these crypto brethren, didn’t recognize him at all but he said in basic terms the following, I’ll paraphrase. ” Regulators aren’t permitted to hold or own Bitcoin or cryptocurrency, so they can’t understand that market…”. Oh that’s very enlightened, tell us more (!)

      Reply
      1. Wukchumni

        Those rather lopsided rates of exchange for the emperors new money in Latin America back in the day would jive nicely with the current spot price for Bitcoin @ $98,823.04.

        Turn in your million bucks in long green, cold cash, greenback dollars, semollians and or sawbucks and get a little over 10 Bitcoins. (this offer void after a week, whereupon the Dollar will be rendered null and void)

        Coincidentally, any debts domestic and/or foreign in old money are now considered also null and void.

        Reply
        1. The Rev Kev

          Waiting until you can pay your taxes with Bitcoin. That is one way of confirming that a currency is real or not – whether you can use it to pay your taxes with.

          Reply
              1. Wukchumni

                To be fair, nationalistic currencies are a quaint relic of the past, and back in the day were a way to familiarize the populace with the king or queen’s portrait on them, a practice started by the ancient Romans, and still going on to this day in the UK, NZ, Australia, Denmark, Norway and Sweden on coins of the realm.

                1 currency for the whole world isn’t that big of a leap from the Euro replacing national currencies, but Bitcoin being the usurper to the crown?

                Reply
              1. mrsyk

                I don’t know. I’m wondering if it means Colorado is queued up to join an emerging “Mr Lee’s Greater Hong Kong”.

                Reply
                1. mrsyk

                  Which leads me to wonder if there’s a play here to crush state level resistance. Say the dollar is tanked. What of the difference between states that have a bitcoin stockpile and those that don’t?

                  Reply
                  1. Wukchumni

                    My sole retail experience was a store called U-Wash-Doggie in Mammoth.Ca. about 6 years ago that had in the store window a small sign that read:

                    ‘We accept Bitcoin for payment’

                    That’s it, the only retail establishment i’ve seen in that regard.

                    Reply
        2. Mikel

          Again, you always talk about countries and never talk about that those were countries with debts denominated in foreign currencies.

          It’s the kind of omissions the crypto bros have relied on..

          Reply
    2. NotThePilot

      Yup, no matter what else happens in the short-term, simple things like this crypto obsession are what make me 99% certain Trump 2: The Trumpening will include the US economy crashing into the ground.

      Reply
      1. mrsyk

        Which brings to mind the question “What of the dollar?” Does it adopt some foreign currency features if the debt issuer starts working with a parallel currency?
        I would expect Trump to explore ways to eliminate US Debt on the cheap. Does he see a plausible scenario here? I’m on record opining he’s weak in recognizing unintended consequences.

        Reply
  6. Mikerw0

    Early in my career I had deep involvement working in a Fortune 100 Industrial, yes we had industrial companies in days past. One of my responsibilities was managing the capital planning process for the Board, which included IT, both business and process. The process of building and maintaining systems was carefully thought through. A big reason, if one now steps back and thinks about it is where the liability (albeit implicit) lay. It lay with our IT department.

    Today, we have insulted tech companies, and almost any other player, from liability. My banking systems stinks and was hacked. So sorry. Oh, your credit card, X account, etc., was hacked go read the fine print. It’s your problem. We can’t be bothered to invest and design products that work properly, if we even know how they work, maintain them, etc.

    Take that mentality into complex, critical government systems (payment systems, FAA, NOAA, DoE, etc, and things will collapse. I know that is what our tech oligarchs want, but really?

    Reply
  7. The Rev Kev

    “Donald Trump Jr Says Crypto Is the ‘Future of American Hegemony”

    Donald Trump Jr: ‘China’s industrial powerhouse and Russia continent size of natural resources is no match for America’s ones and zeroes!’

    Reply
  8. Louis Fyne

    re. plastics in brain…

    this tidbit from the study, begging for a study for confirmation—-autopsy samples suggest that the amount of microplastics in the brain equals a plastic spoon!!??!!

    https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03453-1

    I’d also add…..polyester air pollution. I put a cotton cheesecloth bag over the dryer vent. It’s unbelievable how much lint that it catches over a couple of weeks. The dryer’s actual lint filter (likely geared for cotton lint) catches nothing compared to the amount of lint caught via the cheesecloth.

    So if you ever walk past a laundromat or past your home dryer vent in action—-hold your breath!

    Reply
    1. mrsyk

      I put a cotton cheesecloth bag over the dryer vent., ha, I do this as well. We’ve weeded out most of the synthetic fiber from our launderable (that’s a word in mrsyk’s world, spellcheck) goods as well.

      Reply
  9. timo maas

    Wind propulsion now a force to be reckoned with Seatrade Maritime.

    In the whole article, the word “sails” appears zero times.

    Reply
  10. The Rev Kev

    “China can detect US Seawolf-class submarine with magnetic wake tracking: study”

    If this is true, then maybe the age of torpedo-firing submarines is coming to a close and what will replace it will be ballistic missiles fired from a distance. This article did not mention the range of such detectors but I would guess that they would not be great.

    Reply
  11. Wukchumni

    Why the water Trump ordered released in California won’t help Los Angeles firefighting CBS
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    It was kind of a signature Trump move, blurt out something stupid bordering on nonsensical at a press conference in Pacific Palisades, and back it up with water from Potemkin pillage.

    Reply
  12. Mikel

    No guarantees for Netanyahu during Trump meeting: Israeli media – Al Mayadeen

    By that account, he probably should get rid of the golden pager.

    Reply
    1. Mikerw0

      It probably has a bug in it so the Mossad can listen it. Though I’m sure they’ve installed deep listening spyware on his phones.

      Reply
    2. The Rev Kev

      That article finished with the following-

      ‘An Israeli source told the Israeli news website that the second phase of the deal would proceed only if Hamas agreed to give up control of Gaza.’

      So how does that work out? Who fills the vacuum of leadership? Israel wants locals to step up and become leaders but what makes the Israelis think that they would be any better? And which Gazan wants to be that sort of leader when the Israelis will likely bomb them if they don’t sell out their fellow Gazans. Trying to bring in people from the Palestinian Authority to rule over them is only a quick way for them to get killed. Will the Israelis go for direct rule? Kinda risky at the moment.

      Reply
      1. Chas

        To be fair, if Israel wants Hamas to give up control of Gaza then Israel’s ruling coalition should give up control of Israel.

        Reply
  13. mrsyk

    “Doctor investigated after smuggling his pet cat into hospital for CAT scan”, His cat took a six story fall. After the scan and assessment, Taking her to a free operating table, he drained the liquid from her lungs – allowing her to breathe and saving her life.
    Mission accomplished, so sue me.

    Reply
  14. griffen

    Power napping and I will include power walking, as valid options. During early to middle February there are some days like this week* for example, as the sun dares to shine longer than just one week ago and temps start to tempt every inner teen to skip out on class or in this case…another group call or meeting on MS Teams.

    Temps for the coming weekend may touch low 70s hereabouts in South Carolina…too good to last however. Come the national holiday this Monday, the Sick Day After Super Bowl night, those temps slide backwards again. Mark it down, millions are gonna be “suddenly sick” by 9am eastern this coming Monday.

    Reply
  15. The Rev Kev

    “How huge parts of the U.S. could become uninhabitable within decades — even so-called ‘climate havens’’

    Keep on saying it but in places like Arizona, they will start to have to move their towns and homes underground. Other places have done it. Yes, it can be expensive but when the only other option is to abandon those heat zones, what choice is there? And by the sounds of that article, there will be fewer places that you can move to and certainly the wealthy would buy it all up first.

    Reply

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