Mysterious gooey blobs washed up on Canada beaches baffle experts Guardian
‘Use the force,’ Mickey: Study suggests that ‘Jedi’ rodents remotely move matter using sound to enhance their sense of smell (press release) University of Buffalo
Can We Rein In the Excesses of Financialization Without Crashing the Economy Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds.
‘I lost £165k to fraud in an hour’ – customers say they were let down by Revolut BBC
Climate
Our Atmosphere Transforms Dust From The Sahara Into Minerals That Fuel Life Science Alert
Floods in Sahara could profoundly alter weather forecasts in the future The Watchers
Monsoon havoc exposes West and Central Africa’s rising flood risks Reuters
* * * Analysis: Ocean temperatures warmed by climate change provided fuel for Hurricane Milton’s extreme rapid intensification Climate Central
The world is heading for doomsday – and humanity for a brush with extinction The Telegraph
Global warming will increase crop yields in Global North, but reduce them in Global South BNE Intellinews
Dashboard Carbon Mappers
Water
Worst drought in century devastates Southern Africa, millions at risk Al Jazeera
China?
How big is ‘big enough’ for China’s stimulus? FT
China’s economic ills are serious but not incurable FT
Xi’s stronger grip on legislature shows lack of checks on power Business Times. Commentary:
Still the best diagram of China’s Political-Legal system…. from the Centre to the county-level pic.twitter.com/R1MlmeAPg6
— Jean Christopher (Chris) Mittelstaedt (@jcmittelstaedt) October 7, 2024
And:
Who are the most important people in China you’ve never heard of?
Probably the cadres who help Xi Jinping to manage the day-to-day business of CCP politics and policy
We map the Party Center in a new part of our interactive @AsiaPolicy product Decoding Chinese Politics
1/22 pic.twitter.com/nPQ54pYv40
— Neil Thomas 牛犇 (@neilthomas123) October 10, 2024
Progress on key issues remains slow as ASEAN summit concludes: Analysts Channel News Asia
India
An MIT economist said environmentalism is elite concern. India ‘too poor to be green’ The Print
India boosts high-tech exports to Russia as Western sanctions shift trade flows BNE Intellinews
Syraqistan
Inside Israel’s secret 20-year plan to strike Iran: Advanced weapons unveiled Jerusalem Posts
Hezbollah warns of more rockets unless Israel ends air and ground attacks Al Jazeera
* * * US tells Israel to improve Gaza humanitarian situation or risk military aid Reuters. Commentary:
Klein was 100% right to say this – it’s simply absurd to describe any country where millions of its subjects are denied the right to vote on the basis of ethnicity as a liberal democracy. I can’t believe I even have to debate this with people! pic.twitter.com/L1eoiNUjbc
— Finnegans Take (@LittleMammith) October 13, 2024
Who Is the Ex-Israeli Soldier Serving as Biden’s Lebanon Envoy? Zeteo. Amos Hochstein.
US Muslim group demands action after American’s family reportedly bombed by Israel in Gaza Anadolu Agency
We see no signs of genocide by Israel in Gaza, German spokesman says Anadolu Agency
* * * Transcript of interview on ‘Dialogue Works,’ 15 October Gilbert Doctorow. The type of drone Hezbollah attacked Haifa with was “not detected by Israel because it is not detectable on radar. It has almost no metal parts. It’s made entirely of composites.”
UK: Anti-Zionist views are ‘worthy of respect’, judge says Middle East Eye
The New Great Game
European Disunion
The rooftops of Paris with the zinc craftsmen of the sky France24
Dear Old Blighty
Cheating alleged after men’s world conker champion found with steel chestnut Guardian
New Not-So-Cold War
The Impending Betrayal of Ukraine RUSI
Ramstein “victory plan” meeting postponed until after US elections BNE Intellinews
Ukraine Seeks Allied Help Against Hyped Threat Of North Koreans Moon of Alabama
Ukraine may be left without electricity imports from EU due to violations Ukrainska Pravda
* * * SITREP 10/14/24: Russia Tightens Ring on Key Region on Eve of Zelensky “Victory Plan” Unveiling Simplicius, Simplicius the Thinker
Russia Is Clawing Back Land Taken by Ukraine This Summer NYT
* * * To boost Ukraine’s army, feared patrols hunt for potential conscripts Al Jazeera. Commentary:
Listen to the screams of the draft-age male as he’s dragged to the forced-mobilization van. Ukrainian commanders complain that morale among mobiki is rock-bottom, up to 200,000 soldiers have already deserted. So many US journalists, hacks & pols cheered this wretched war. https://t.co/ONesM1SLf2
— Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) October 14, 2024
Where Are Ukraine’s F-16 Jets? Newsweek
* * * Nord Stream litigation: Insurers’ assertion is “embarrassing for want of particularity” Bud’s Offshore Energy
Putin’s Children Foreign Affairs. The deck: “Why Younger Russians Are Not Rebelling—and What It Means for the Future.”
Russia Pitches BRICS Payment System Aiming to Break US Dominance Bloomberg. Commentary:
I’ve recieved the report Improvement of the International Monetary and Financial System which the Russian Ministry of Finance prepared for BRICS+ finance ministers. Key takeaways:
– NO NEW CURRENCY, not gold-backed, not commodity basket, not currency basket, not Unit crypto scam;… pic.twitter.com/uoD9AyXxZP— Kathleen Tyson (@Kathleen_Tyson_) October 14, 2024
South of the Border
Supporters of Bolivia ex-leader Morales block key roads to protest against his possible arrest France24
Healthcare
Georgia facing numerous crises, but Board of Public Health hasn’t met since May Heartbeat Atlanta
A Cloud of Noxious Chemicals and Lawsuits Is Descending Outside Atlanta Charles Pierce, Esquire
Digital Watch
Lab-grown meat is proving to be a grotesque misadventure The Telegraph
WordPress saga escalates as WP Engine plugin forcibly forked and legal letters fly The Register
The Merchants of Venice—In Code JSTOR Daily
MMT
The Boy Who Cried Wolf About Government Debt (PDF) Levy Economics Institute
The Final Frontier
“Follow the Salt”: A New Strategy for Finding Life on Mars JSTOR Daily
Imperial Collapse Watch
The US just lost a war and nobody noticed Crooked Timber
Facing war in the Middle East and Ukraine, the US looks feeble. But is it just an act? Adam Tooze, Guardian
Class Warfare
Why has your Big Mac become so much more expensive? FT
Poorest countries in worst financial shape since 2006, World Bank says Al Jazeera
The Hidden World of Electrostatic Ecology Quanta
Antidote du jour (WaldoAgathe):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
