Links 12/7/2024 | naked capitalism
Could Evidence of Primordial Black Holes Be Hiding in Plain Sight? Universe Today
Does Space Need Environmentalists? Noema
The order of anarchy aeon
Pee-back time: Anti-Pee Paint Splashes Back at Public Urination ZMEScience (Dr. Kevin)
The obesity crisis in the USA: why are there no signs of plateauing yet? Lancet
#COVID-19/Pandemics
Health Beat: Unraveling the mystery of long COVID WFMZ
US Government Orders Nationwide Testing of Milk for Bird Flu to Stop the Virus’s Spread Associated Press
Climate/Environment
How the world’s biggest offshore wind company was blown off course Financial Times (Kevin W)
Day after nuclear power vow, Meta announces largest-ever datacenter powered by fossil fuels The Register
New Nuclear Fuel Rods Endure 3,452F For 120-Day Test, Raising Hopes for Safer Reactors Interesting Engineering
China?
China’s ban on key high-tech materials could have broad impact on industries, economy Associated Press (Kevin W)
China is industrializing at a frantic pace, projected to command 45% of global production by 2030
As the West seeks to recolonize the world, China must build itself into an unyielding fortress and a pillar for humanity’s future pic.twitter.com/fvxdD03qbl
— COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) December 7, 2024
Koreas
Reprieve for South Korea’s Yoon as ruling party boycotts martial law impeachment vote South China Morning Post. Not good.
European Disunion
***BREAKING NEWS***
This is a COUP
RIP democracy in Romania🇷🇴The judges of the Constitutional Court decided to cancel the first round of the presidential elections, following declassified information from last week’s CSAT meeting .
Democracy, if it ever existed, is now… pic.twitter.com/2YZUuV5laf— Angelo Giuliano 🇨🇭🇮🇹🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻 安德龙 (@angeloinchina) December 6, 2024
The corrupt system in Romania has shown its true face, namely it has made a pact with the devil.
Calin Georgescu: The Constitutional Court’s decision to annul the Romanian presidential election is a coup d’état
Calin Georgescu, the winner of the first round of the Romanian… pic.twitter.com/1kHovbvAa3
— Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil (@ivan_8848) December 7, 2024
Ok, I had a detailed look at the declassified Romanian intelligence documents (https://t.co/rgjfmbQ4xx) on the basis of which the election results were cancelled and the craziest part of all this is that they actually don’t prove foreign interference or manipulation.
What do… pic.twitter.com/1rQ9JlBVa7
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) December 7, 2024
If you’re wondering why the US/NATO have canceled the Presidential election result in Romania: pic.twitter.com/CnFV5csglG
— S.L. Kanthan (@Kanthan2030) December 6, 2024
The tragedy of Michel Barnier Politico
Prosecutor Blocks Lawsuit Against EU’s Ursula von der Leyen Over Pfizergate Sputnik (Kevin W)
Israel v. The Resistance
More than 50 killed as Israel hits Gaza refugee camp, vicinity of hospital Aljazeera
Cash Crisis in Gaza: “I barter my belongings to eat” Drop Site
Bearing Witness to the Israel-Gaza War Lee Mordechai (Stacy B)
Israeli warplanes attack southern Lebanon in latest violation of ceasefire PressTV
Israeli ‘military rule’ in Gaza carries $7bn yearly price tag: Report The Cradle (Kevin W)
ICYMI: Mehdi Challenges Piers Morgan on ‘Beheaded’ Babies and October 7th Zeteo. I have no idea how any one has the stomach to subject themselves to having the smarmy Piers Morgan barely let them get a word in. But here Piers Morgan is on Medhi’s show.
New Not-So-Cold War
Dmytro Kuleba joins the Belfer Center as Senior Fellow Harvard Gazette (Kevin W). This sort of thing is more common than you may realize, see here for a recent example
U.S. Has Stopped Ukrainian ATACMS Strikes On Russia Moon of Alabama (Kevin W)
EU fails to agree on new Russia sanctions – Reuters RT (Kevin W)
CNN interview with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov: compelling for those who want to think for themselves Gilbert Doctorow (guurst)
Syraqistan
Anti-regime armed groups reach Syria’s Homs city center Anadolu Agency
Mark Sleboda: The Wars in the West Asia and Ukraine – Georgia & Syria on Red Alert Dialogue Works. Sleboda argues the jihadi forces are 5-7x the 15,000-20,000 claimed by the likes of Alastair Crooke, and that Erdogan will be able to dictate terms.
Putting Syria’s Conflict in Context: Reality on the Ground Driving Difficult Decisions Brian Berletic, YouTube
Erdogan’s Idlib shock shadows “Kursk” Alastair Crooke. A new piece trying to depict Erdogan as in a weak position. But Sleboda, who has been the most accurate in his calls of how long it would take Russia to subdue Ukraine, in his talk above describes other signs of serious crisis in Syria, such as the invisibility of Assad and Lavrov pointed acting as if Turkiye has nothing to do with the jihadi incursion.
The forces on the offensive in Syria are today’s Khmer Rouge John Wight
The End of Pluralism in the Middle East Craig Murray (Chuck L). Important.
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
Data brokers may be banned from selling your social security number The Verge (Kevin W). Way overdue.
Imperial Collapse Watch
There aren’t to small wars, there is just 1 big one Alon Mizrahi
‘Poor Material Condition’ of Navy Amphib Fleet Prevents Marine Deployments, Training, Says GAO USNI News (Kevin W)
Doing Development in the Polycrisis Project Syndicate (Anthony L)
Trump 2.0
Republican Senators Play Game of Chicken With Trump on Cabinet Picks Wall Street Journal. Remember, as we pointed out, the Senate nixing a Presidential nomination is exceedingly rare (IIRC the last instance was in 1971). The usual process is to make clear well before, as with Matt Gaetz, that the process will be so damaging that they are better served to withdraw.
The Hidden Logic of Trump’s National Security Picks American Conservative. Well, it’s a theory.
Rubio Is Bad News for the U.S. and Latin America Daniel Larison
White House discusses preemptive pardons for Trump critics The Hill. May embolden some bloody-minded state AGs.
Biden
PATRICK LAWRENCE: The Biden Family of Liars Consortium News. Note the FB and Twitter bans (see below) were before this piece ran.
Can Biden “Pardon” Student Debt? (w/ Braxton Brewington) Briahna Joy Gray, YouTube. Steve D:
Briahna Joy Gray’s interview with a spokesperson for the Debt Collective, which lobbies for student loan debt cancellation. The way the Biden administration handled this issue seems egregiously stupid, even for them.
Start at 16:45.
In the paywalled version, the guest says, regarding the commitment within the DOE to restarting student loan payments, “This is their life’s work.” Won’t be news to NC readers, but the bureaucratic commitment to wildly unfair and destructive policy is an enormous hurdle to a more equitable state of play.
GOP Clown Car
GOP senator to DeJoy: I will ‘kill’ your plan to reform USPS Government Executive (Kevin W)
Our No Longer Free Press
X Suspends CN Live! Producer; Facebook Blocks CN Pieces Consortium News. From a few days ago. Apologies for missing this. CN has announced a fundraising.
What a Podcast Killed by Houston Public Media Reveals About the State Takeover of the City’s Schools Jeff Bryant
Police State Watch
NYC jury stalled on Daniel Penny’s manslaughter charge in subway chokehold trial Gothamist
Three Steps to Fixing the FBI: Interview with Whistleblower Coleen Rowley Racket News (Chuck L)
Guillotine Watch
An Assassin Showed Just How Angry America Really Is Matt Stoller
The Rage and Glee That Followed a C.E.O.’s Killing Should Ring All Alarms New York Times (Kevin W)
A must watch:
🚨 🚨 🚨
ATTN: Everyone!
Listen to this incredibly invaluable breakdown of the situation with United Healthcare.
Gives some chilling context!! pic.twitter.com/B5P09y2o1b
— Krista Monroe (@MsKristaMonroe) December 6, 2024
Physicians Offer Little Sympathy for Slain Insurance CEO Medscape
#UnitedHealthcare pic.twitter.com/V8wx29cPO4
— Daniel Orange 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 (@DanielOrange77) December 6, 2024
Chuck L points out: “Phillips chose not to seek reelection to Congress here in MN 03 after his presidential bid flamed out.
United Health is based in my district and employs 1000’s of my constituents.
Like other insurers, they play by rules allowing the industry to net >$100 billion/year while patients go bankrupt from medical debt.
The real culprit is Congress and money in politics, and it’s time…
— Dean Phillips (@deanbphillips) December 6, 2024
Inside the shady world of health insurers — and the 1.2 seconds it takes them to deny claims The Telegraph (Kevin W)
NYPD brass say suspect in CEO assassination ‘may’ have fled the city 2 days ago Gothamist. This means, aside from doing forensics on the gun and bullets and trying to find DNA, the NYPD is done. “
Class Warfare
The Key to Affordable Living Is Moving In With Your Sibling Wall Street Journal
There’s (Still) No Such Thing As Cultural Marxism Persuasion (Micael T)
Antidote du jour (via). Channeling Erdogan:
And a bonus (Chuck L):
The Elephant that collects road tax pic.twitter.com/QD5LdhqGRN
— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) December 7, 2024
A second bonus (Robin K):
Does anyone know the rules of the game? pic.twitter.com/Pa1umO3nva
— Figen (@TheFigen_) December 5, 2024
And a third (Chuck L):
She dropped a can of soda in the Seaworld pool and this happened.pic.twitter.com/AGfED8v3vo
— Interesting things (@awkwardgoogle) December 5, 2024
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.