Study Finds the Best Way to Call a Cat Gizmodo (resilc)
Mountains (Full Episode) | Hostile Planet YouTube (furzy). I only watched the first minutes but amazing photography….and snow leopards!
The Elephant Mafia biggeekdad (furzy)
Ed Sheeran case was clear: No one owns a chord progression Washington Post (furzy)
Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher, the methodological father of the modern RCT as practised in medicine today, was a eugenicist. His most fanatical GBD heirs today remain quasi-eugenicist Social Darwinist RCT ideologues. Article by @RichardEvans36 🧵 Dr Satoshi Akima (martha r). From March but still germane, and in the “Holy moley” category.
#COVID-19
I am minimising my number of lifetime infections by wearing a respirator.
Anti-maskers are minimising their number of lifetime infections by reducing their life expectancy.
— Michael A Osborne (@maosbot) May 9, 2023
Climate/Environment
Dangerous heat levels expected in five areas on Sunday Bangkok Post (furzy) Furzy is having to turn big fans on her refrigerator compressor to keep it from overheating.
DOJ Must Investigate Apparent Cover-up of Police Killing of US Climate Activist In Georgia Steve Donzinger (Chuck L)
Climate scientists first laughed at a ‘bizarre’ campaign against the BoM – then came the harassment Guardian (Kevin W)
Everyone Was Wrong About Reverse Osmosis—Until Now Wired (furzy)
14,000 Inactive Oil & Gas Wells In U.S. Unplugged OilPrice (Kevin W)
China?
China’s ‘Ugliest Buildings Survey’ Showcases Weird Architecture Bloomberg (furzy)
Washington blames Beijing for everything, even the ‘debt ceiling’ South China Morning Post (furzy)
China ‘will talk,’ but only if US changes its tune Asia Times (furzy)
China expels Canadian consul in diplomat row Politico
China upends Hong Kong’s District Councils, vestiges of democracy Washington Post (furzy)
Old Blighty
The Costs of Brexit Are Undeniable Now Atlantic (resilc)
Poland will be wealthier than Britain by 2030 – it’s time we took notice Telegraph (Kevin W)
European Disunion
The rise of Europe’s military austerity Thomas Fazi
It’s Premature To Conclude That Poland Replaced Germany’s Role In Guiding EU Foreign Policy Andrew Korybko
New Not So Cold War
Since many commentators are speculating about the over-anticipated Ukraine counter-offensive, let me join the fray. It seems bizarre that the Russian government is tolerating such a rank show of insubordination and erratic behavior by Prigozhin, who as Alexander Mercouris likes to stress, is the “titular head” of the Wagner Group, which has been conducting the intense ground fighting in Bakhmut, with air, ammo, counterbattery, and logistical support coming from the Russian military. An informed source also told Mercouris long form that Wagner was a creation of the Russian government, and moved into the form of a private military company to give it more freedom of operation outside Russia. Mercouris has earlier pointed out that the scale of Wagner was too large for it to be just a Prigozhin operation, it had to have substantial additional backing, presumably from the Russian government
You could argue that it’s too hard and risky to demand that Prigozhin come to the Kremlin to be read the riot act right now. But there are secure comms that would work pretty much as well. This behavior is coming at a cost. Mercouris contends it makes the Russian military look bad and can’t help morale.
It could be that Prigozhin is having a breakdown or a chemically induced analogue.
But here’s an alternate theory. Russian doctrine places great stock in deception, and some of its greatest victories have come via successful subterfuge.
Prigozhin has megaphoned that the Wagners are rotating out, apparently because he can’t take it any more. It is not normal to publish a press release announcing your rotation.
Mercouris reported Monday that Chechen and Russian regular forces are indeed moving in to the Bakhmut area (Roman Kadyrov, head of the Chechens, had said the Chechens could/would take over, but talk is one thing, action another).
So what if this is all melodrama to create a fake rotation as cover for massing lots more troops near Bakhmut? Remember in this day of ISR, it’s pretty much impossible to hide large concentrations; that’s why, for instance, Russia saw Ukraine moving forces to Kharkiv and pulled out just before they attacked.
Let us further contend that, since top to bottom no one now expects Russia to launch an offensive before Ukraine mounts its counter-offensive, that is exactly what they could do. They could make a big punch with their bulked-up forces through Bakhmut west either right before or upon the onset of the over-predicted counteroffensive to force Ukraine to pull men and materiel back from its anticipated areas of attack in the South (toward Melitopol to threaten the land bridge and/or Zaporzhizhia to threaten the nuclear reactor).
Russia’s newest weapon is changing the course of Ukraine war Telegraph. Admission against interest.
China threatens EU with countermeasures over possible sanctions against its companies TASS. Note these would be secondary sanctions for trading with Russia.
We are entering a world of permanent government energy subsidies for European companies. pic.twitter.com/anfV7D9Mp4
— Philip Pilkington (@philippilk) May 6, 2023
Turkey: Erdoğan faces his greatest electoral challenge yet Financial Times
Syraqistan
BREAKING: Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan arrested outside Islamabad court https://t.co/QO6vAoKO5J pic.twitter.com/tez5w3p0hN
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 9, 2023
Syria’s return to Arab League is a big deal Indian Punchline (Kevin W)
Khader Adnan’s death was ‘willful’ and deliberate Mondoweiss (guurst)
Lebanon: Soaring inflation turns olive oil into a luxury DW (resilc)
Israel demolishes Palestinian West Bank school Reuters (resilc)
Imperial Collapse Watch
The Lazarus Heist – S2.9 Big spenders BBC Sounds. Resilc: “Very good on sanctions. A general waste of time.”
2024
The Pitfalls of a Primary Challenge Against Biden Daniel Larison
How Democratic insiders are thinking about 2024 Ryan Grim. I am hearing that there’s not just antipathy but actually active hostility towards Biden among many former big Dem donors.
GOP Clown Car
REVEALED: These ten books are considered pornography in Ron DeSantis’ Florida Popular Information (furzy)
Mexican president calls Florida’s new anti-immigration bill ‘immoral’ Politico. Hate to tell you, but this will be very popular in some circles.
New Hampshire history marker for communist draws GOP anger Associated Press (resilc). Don’t they have better things to get upset about?
Woke Watch
Hoo boy, waiting to see the reaction. She is out to take fire:
“Gender affirming” procedures are child abuse and physicians engaging in such medical malpractice should be held accountable and stopped. MSM and Dem Party leaders pandering and catering to mental delusions of “I’m a woman in a man’s body” (or vice versa) for political gain are… pic.twitter.com/0hSzMaQunQ
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) May 9, 2023
Gunz
Texas, guns, and stats Your Local Epidemiologist (Dr. Kevin)
Our No Longer Free Press
Post wins 3 Pulitzers, including for abortion coverage, feature writing Washington Post (furzy)
AI
AI machines aren’t ‘hallucinating’. But their makers are Guardian (furzy)
The Bezzle
US Crypto Exchange Bittrex Files For Bankruptcy Coindesk
Feds Seize 13 More DDoS-For-Hire Platforms In Ongoing International Crackdown arstechnica
Debt Ceiling
14th Amendment talk on debt limit viewed with extreme caution by Team Biden The Hill
Cashless stores accept money, dispense cards with “reverse ATMs” Axios (resilc). How about not patronizing these stores????? Only “some” charge fees. My building installed this sort of system. Not only were the cards $5, but the washing machine also regularly ate more than it was entitled to. So they are replicating the old defects of coin-operated machines for fun and profit?
Fed Flags Concerns Over Credit Tightening, Financial Stress Bloomberg. Um, they broke it and now they are concerned?
The fast-growing kingdom of Jamie Dimon Financial Times (furzy)
Class Warfare
Hundreds of Clarios workers strike Toledo, Ohio battery plant to fight pay cuts WSWS
New wave of strikes set to disrupt UK rail services Financial Times
Food Banks See Surge in Demand Driven By Inflation, End of Covid Aid Bloomberg (furzy)
Michelle Obama launches company to improve child nutrition Associated Press (resilc). Nominally a not for profit. Selling a product rather than solving the problem. If she wanted to use her reach, she should campaign against sugars in the American diet.
Antidote du jour. Furzy: “Cornelius’ pack on the way to the Tiergarten (not all his hounds)”:
And a bonus (guurst):
Have you ever seen an owl running? pic.twitter.com/HuCwAtTvTn
— why you should have an animal (@shouldhaveanima) May 7, 2023
