Happy Australia Day!
But: Australia Day: Why young Aussies are shunning their national holiday BBC. I trust Down Under readers will opine.
New bill in Oregon aims to ban ‘unconscionable’ import and sale of kangaroo products being used by Nike and other companies ABC Australia (Anthony L)
Hiss story: The last snake-handling church in West Virginia – in pictures Guardian
Even Reality TV Hosts Are Being Replaced By Robots Vice
Avian flu outbreak at Spanish mink farm sets off global alarm bells EL PAÍS English Edition (Dr. Kevin)
The Vast Humanity of Anton Chekhov New Republic (Anthony L)
#COVID-19
Science/Medicine
As a clinician, I’ve seen young patients die of sepsis from atypical organisms with lymphopoenia weeks after acute COVID. I’ve seen deaths from TB and endocarditis. I’ve treated multidermatomal shingles. I routinely look out for post-COVID lymphopoenia 🧵https://t.co/6olE3uPIea
— Dr Satoshi Akima FRACP 『秋間聰』 (@ToshiAkima) January 24, 2023
Asia
China’s Tourist Sites Swarmed During Holiday Despite Covid Risks Bloomberg
US
For fuck sake Covid was the 3rd leading cause of death in kids age 5-14! https://t.co/UswYECYkfB
— Chris Turnbull (@EnemyInAState) January 25, 2023
Taxpayers contributed to every aspect of COVID vaccine development. Now, Big Pharma wants to quadruple the price—after already making tens of billions in profit. A lack of competition in the industry enables these companies to cheat taxpayers and patients. pic.twitter.com/VGpxjjs2xX
— Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) January 26, 2023
No one tries to stop the hepa filter in your car air system or the hepa filter in your vacuum cleaner or the hepa filter in the international space station.
They just try to stop the hepa filter in your kids classroom.— tern (@1goodtern) January 25, 2023
Climate/Environment
Britain’s protected natural areas are failing to stop biodiversity loss Grist
Has a Chinese-Swiss team cracked the code for making solar energy cheaper? South China Morning Post
Extending Capital to Nature, Reducing Nature to Capital Peter Dorman, Econospeak. From last week, still germane.
The very bottom of the Electric Vehicle supply chain. pic.twitter.com/SGC8q6DwNT
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 25, 2023
China?
A McCarthy Taiwan Visit Would Be Another Provocative Blunder Daniel Larison. Sadly stating the obvious is na gonna stop this freight train.
Chinese mainland is the ultimate playwright of Taiwan Straits’ drama series Global Times
Russia, China bring North Korea in from the cold Asia Times (Kevin W)
Bank of Japan continues to show who has the power Bill Mitchell
Old Blighty
Government reviewing its sanctions rules after letting Putin ally sue critic openDemocracy. Hoo boy.
From Roman pots to glass eyes, the shore of the river Thames teems with surprises aeon
Post-Brexit farm subsidies in England revealed Guardian (Kevin W)
France to withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso within a month Anadolu Agency
New Not-So-Cold War
Later tweets showing more strikes:
⚡emergency shutdowns in:
▫️Odessa
▫️Odessa region
▫️Vinnitsa region
▫️Nikolaev region
▫️Kyiv region💧Problems with water supply in:
▫️ Odessa.
— AZ 🛰🌏🌍🌎 (@AZgeopolitics) January 26, 2023
Live news: Explosions rock Kyiv as Russian missiles strike Ukraine Financial Times
* * *
German foreign minister declares war on Russia pic.twitter.com/C4cAqnZXhD
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) January 25, 2023
The Global Zeitenwende : How to Avoid a New Cold War in a Multipolar Era Olaf Scholz, Foreign Affairs
* * *
Ukraine Russia War Latest w. Col. Doug Macgregor YouTube. guurst warns it starts to ramble after 30:00.
NATO crossing more red lines: From proxy war to a direct NATO-Russia war? Macgregor and Glenn Diesen
SCOTT RITTER: The Nightmare of NATO Equipment Being Sent to Ukraine Consortium News
West discussing handover of fighter jets to Kiev — Politico TASS (guurst). “Besides, sending aircraft would be a serious logistical undertaking for Ukraine’s allies, the newspaper notes.”
Germany and NATO allies to send ‘scores of battle tanks’ to Ukraine Christian Science Monitor. Recall “Up to 50 M! Abrams” per the New York Times.
Moscow will consider deliveries of Western-made munitions which contain uranium to Kiev as equivalent to the use of dirty nuclear bombs, says Konstantin Gavrilov, head of the Russian Delegation to the Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control in Vienna.
— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) January 25, 2023
* * *
Türkiye to be out of NATO in months – politician RT
Ankara irked by Athens’ arms programs ekathimerini
‘Kremlin would love it’: Finland wants to join NATO with Sweden but could go solo Euronews. From earlier in the week, still germane. Kevin W: “Finland cutting Sweden loose after that idiotic Koran burning demonstration.”
The War in Ukraine Proves Polish NATO-Skeptics Were Right by Mike Krupa Larry Johnson (Chuck L)
Estonia plans to close the Gulf of Finland for russia, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu says.
Estonia is planning to introduce a coastal “contiguous zone” in the Gulf of Finland, which will cut off russian shipping and allow the country to inspect /1 pic.twitter.com/nXbhsjNJNB
— Volk (@Steadyhand44) January 24, 2023
* * *
Imperial Collapse Watch
They Say They Want Rearmament …. Aurelian
Assassinated Are the Peacemakers? Project Syndicate
Biden
Biden DOJ’s Excellent Pick to Head USTP Credit Slips
US Muslim rights group calls on Biden to suspend use of ‘terror’ watchlist Middle East Eye
Sources: US Weighs Cancellation of Next SPR Sale EnergyIntel (Kevin W)
How Bill Clinton created post-truth America Unherd
Pepper spray for the school run? The weaponised SUV set to terrify America’s streets Guardian (Dr. Kevin)
Hochul public safety policies begin to line up with view of prosecutors Syracuse. bob:
Where is the need for it talked about at all other than the political election circus stuff? After they beat her, and there is no possible way for her to gain anything from it, she does it because they were mean to her before the election? If you’re going to be a wimp, do it before the election when it might have gotten you *something*. Loser stink
The Bezzle
Arizona Senator Introduces Bill To Make Bitcoin Legal Tender In the State Bitcoin Magazine
FBI Probes Snapchat’s Role In Fentanyl Poisoning Deaths Los Angeles Times
Senators eye Social Security reforms as some in House GOP consider cuts The Hill
Index of leading indicators says recession almost certain; so what of the coincident indicators? Angry Bear
Class Warfare
‘Robots Are Treated Better’: Amazon Warehouse Workers Stage First-Ever Strike In the UK CNBC
McDonald’s, In-N-Out, and Chipotle are spending millions to block raises for their workers CNN (Kevin W)
Google let go of 31 massage therapists at its California offices amid mass layoffs Business Insider
Google institutional investor calls for wider cuts: 30k jobs The Register
SAP to cut nearly 3,000 Jobs, weighs Qualtrics stake sale MarketWatch
IBM Cuts 3,900 Jobs Reuters
Pay Algorithms Make Working in the Gig Economy Feel Like ‘Gambling,’ Study Says Vice
Massachusetts Bills Would Set a Minimum Wage For Rideshare Drivers Engadget
Eliminating Healthcare Debt: A Liberatory Approach Not for Profit News
Antidote du jour. Ann M:
From my mother in law’s house in Rehoboth MA. The opening of the feeder is facing the window, so no idea how he got in. Can only assume that he left once all the bird food was gone.
And a bonus (guurst):
— Ink Blot (@inkblotistan) January 23, 2023
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
