Lambert and I, and many readers, agree that Ukraine has created the worst information environment ever. We hope that readers will cooperate in softening the fog of war – both real fog and stage fog – in the comments. None of us need more support and repetition of unlinked memes; there are platforms for that. Pom-poms of little value without references will be destroyed without delay.
And for those who are here for the first time, this is not just a polite request. We have Site Policies written and those who comment accept these terms. In order not to resort to a nuclear option of completely shutting down comments until sanity prevails, as we did during the Greek bailout negotiations in 2015 and shortly after the 2020 elections, we will moderate and blacklist violators ruthlessly.
–Yves
PS Also, before further straining our already stressed moderators, please read the rules of our site:
Please don’t email us to ask why the comment didn’t show up. We do not have the bandwidth to investigate and respond. Using the comment section to complain about moderation decisions/tethers earns that commenter troll points. Please, do not do that. These comments will also be removed if we encounter them.
NASA scientists say Webb images nearly brought them to tears Ars Technica (Fluffy Mouse).
Donkeys guarding livestock in a northern battle with gray wolves MLive Michigan
Markets Signal Pyrrhic Victory for Inflation John Outers, Bloomberg. Which.
Back to Peak Inflation big picture
Half too smart Epsilon Theory
Climate
Mortality and cost of climate-related natural disasters can be grossly underestimated bloomberg
Gabon plans world’s largest carbon credit issuance bloomberg
Overview of the EPR situation controlled by corporations in 2022 Diving with waste. EPR = Extended Producer Responsibility.
# COVID-19
BioNTech and Pfizer to Start Trial of Universal Coronavirus Vaccine Reuters
How better information about pandemics and epidemics will prepare the world for future threats Nature. “Working together to become stronger is critical: ensuring transparency and data sharing is more important than ever in a global context with growing challenges regarding data openness, reliability and validity.” Don’t know. Sounds like a Davos man would be thrilled. Readers?
How Japan Achieved One of the Lowest Covid Death Rates in the World Bloomberg. “If the US Japan’s death rate, only 82,000 people would have died. Not 1 million+.”
China vs. US on Covid risk analysis:
I checked exactly the same numbers with Chinese scientists, and they came to the exact opposite conclusion than their Western counterparts: thermal shielding works well enough to be used as part of a multi-layered “Swiss cheese” protection model. pic.twitter.com/ih2BfmE65u
— Naomi Wu 妖姬妖姬 (@RealSexyCyborg) June 27, 2022
COVID-19. One big breath Rodin
monkeypox
Monkeypox: what we know and don’t know about recent outbreaks American Society for Microbiology
We don’t know anything:
Friend in the Bay Area@longestrecovery) has difficulty testing his family for monkeypox despite having all the symptoms. Her infectious disease doctors and primary care physicians want her to be tested. The Department of Public Health denied her a test because 1/
— Hannah Davis (@ahandvanish) June 27, 2022
Overly stringent testing criteria, as with Covid, means our numbers are all bad:
Any time someone says that “in the US, ‘monkey pox’ (MPXV) only occurs in gay men,” I need you to remember that the current testing criteria basically disqualifies anyone from accessing the test.
If you’re only testing gays, you can say you’ve only found this in gays.
— Stephanie Tait ♿️ (@StephTaitWrites) June 29, 2022
China?
Xi Jinping says China will push for ‘zero Covid’ despite economic risks South China Morning Post
Xi Jinping says Hong Kong is “reborn” after overcoming risks bloomberg
Hong Kong resistance will live SoupChina
Chas Freeman, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense:
This is a 🔽 bookhttps://t.co/FVrRucnbmW)
Written as “a roadmap of what the US can do in space after the Apollo program.” It provides for large human habitats in the Earth-Moon system, especially near stable Lagrange points.
China realizes America’s dreams 🤭 pic.twitter.com/kSyqSXQZbP
– Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) June 29, 2022
Myanmar
A car that got out of control Himal Magazine
This is a very bad idea:
The Cambodian ASEAN envoy explains that Aung San Suu Kyi should be a party to ending the conflict in Myanmar after she is transferred to prison. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Hun Sen also urged the junta not to carry out death sentences against high-profile activists. Little in common between ASEAN and the junta pic.twitter.com/JGOrmCfo27
— Jonathan Head (@pakhead) June 27, 2022
First, the situation on the ground, militarily and politically, has moved in a direction that Aung San Suu Kyi is unable to manage. Secondly, the return of ASK to power is a slap in the face of the Rohingya, and therefore federalism, since their massacre took place before her eyes. All that ASK has for her is fame in the West and the credibility of NGOs. Come to think of it, this is my third point.
Syria
Why does Israel keep killing Iranian officials? Because it works. Foreign policy
US President Biden backs African Development Bank’s plan to feed Africa Marawi Post
UK / EU
UK extends steel tariffs, violating WTO commitments Agence France Presse
Union Boss becomes British media surprise star WSJ
Poll: Just 5% of voters in Northern Ireland trust Britain to resolve trade disputes Politico
Scottish Independence: Most Scots Oppose Nicola Sturgeon October 2023 Referendum Date Scot
New not-so-cold war
Ukraine pushes Russian troops out of Snake Island, which is a setback for Moscow. NEW. Of course, I need confirmation and interpretation from a reliable source.
* * * Syria recognizes Lugansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine AP
Biden administration backs F-16 sale to Turkey Antiwar.com (Resilc).
Ships are getting dark: Russian grain smuggling in the Black Sea FT
* * * This entire threadstarts here) is required reading. A few significant points:
Consequently, the Pentagon’s self-perception of undeniable superiority served to misinform and distort its doctrinal and procurement decisions for several generations of its officer corps. For most US generals and admirals, all prospective adversaries are underestimated.
7 /
— Will Shriver (@imetatronink) June 28, 2022
As well as:
Even more revealing is that the once vaunted and feared US and British armaments—almost all of them quite outdated—have turned out to be far less game-changing than the frivolous strategists in Washington and Whitehall mistakenly thought.
22 /
— Will Shriver (@imetatronink) June 28, 2022
Conclusion:
More importantly, the Chinese are following all these developments with great interest. They will almost certainly find the courage to act decisively to secure their sphere of influence in the emerging multipolar world.
Great dangers now await in East Asia…
29 / end
— Will Shriver (@imetatronink) June 28, 2022
“Being America’s enemy can be dangerous, but being America’s friend is fatal.” –Henry Kissinger
Ukraine is the last catastrophe of the neoconservatives Geoffrey Sachs, Tikkun. Good resume.
Delusion Nicolo Soldo, Foucault’s Fist. Kolodka: “The US government’s Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) is holding a briefing on the ‘moral and strategic’ need to partition Russia.” Convenient map:
Serve oriental pieces to China on a silver platter, well done.
Military Briefing: NATO Brings Back Cold War Doctrine to Counter Russian Threat FT
Historical Pact of Colombia baffler
Biden administration
Sources say Biden unlikely to follow up on bold Democratic demands after abortion decision Reuters. “Biden and officials are concerned that more radical action will spark political polarization ahead of the November midterm elections, undermine public confidence in institutions like the Supreme Court, or be deprived of a solid legal basis, sources inside and outside the White House say.”
abortion
United for Life Americans Propose Model Abortion Restriction Bills to States Teenage fashion
a lack of
Major aluminum producer closes Manufacturing business technologies
Russian gas cuts threaten world’s largest chemical hub WSJ
Lack of medical contrast dye leads to delays in diagnostic and surgical procedures WSWS
Infant formula plant remains closed for flood relief; no word on how long it will take Food safety news
Geography in transition phenomenal world
Supply chain
Rice saves Asia as war in Ukraine raises food prices WSJ
Traders are shifting to China-Europe freight trains as European port congestion intensifies Hellenic Shipping News
Tipping point of black injustice
1955 warrant found in Emmett Till case; family demands arrest Politico
Guillotine clock
Climate damage caused by rising space tourism needs urgent mitigation (press release) University College London (dk). Original.
Samaritan’s Wallet Accumulates Over $1 Billion in Assets, Alarming Roy’s report
class war
Policy Strategies to Address Current Threats to U.S. Nursing Workers NEZHM. “We argue that there is not a shortage of nurses, but a shortage of hospitals that provide nurses with safe working conditions and adequate pay and benefits. ”
Urgent: Pfizer hires an army of anti-union fighters labor laboratory
The debate continues about whether hot water freezes faster than cold water. Quanta. Charming!
Antidote of the Day (by using):
Bonus Antidote:
GOAT pic.twitter.com/pdQ2V0mvh3
– Open areas (@buitengebieden) June 25, 2022
See yesterday’s links and Antidote du Jour here.
