Can you think without words? Neuroscientist explains why language isn’t required for deep thinking ZME Science
‘De-Extinction’ Company Says It’s Very, Very Close to a Complete Tasmanian Tiger Genome Gizmodo
US startup charging couples to ‘screen embryos for IQ’ The Guardian
Climate/Environment
Scientists create plastic that degrades 15 times faster than paper in the sea Interesting Engineering
Biotech Breakthrough: Trees Engineered to Replace Fossil Fuels SciTech Daily
Could injecting diamond dust into the atmosphere help cool the planet? Phys.org
It’s Time To Give Up Hope For A Better Climate & Get Heroic Noema
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No place to stay. Helene deepens housing crisis in Western NC. Carolina Public Press
Water
Running dry – US Army base under fire for high water use in drought-stricken Arizona The New Lede
Pandemics
Bone density loss, osteoporosis lesser-known long-term impacts of Covid-19: AIIMS prof Deccan Herald
FOLLOW-UP: Alasdair Munro’s “Immunity Debt” Fantasy is Back Pandemic Accountability Index
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Avian flu is spreading through Central Valley dairies. Is human-to-human transmission likely? The Fresno Bee. Commentary:
We’ll likely see close to one thousand herds infected with H5N1 in California before this is over. https://t.co/S7ZwEdmTmF
— Roland Baker (@RolandBakerIII) October 15, 2024
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U.S. boosts passenger screening as Africa grapples with deadly Marburg and mpox outbreaks CBS News
Africa
Over half of African nations spend more on interest rates to creditors than public health: Report Down to Earth
Five Eyes on India
Canada’s Five Eyes partners back probe into Nijjar’s killing Hindustan Times
Air India serial bomb threats: Why is it significant amid Canada tensions? Al Jazeera
Japan
Ishiba to test Washington and Asia Warwick Powell’s Substack
China?
China is trying to revive its economy. Is it too little, too late? Channel News Asia
US investigates whether TSMC has really cut ties with Huawei Asia Times
JD.com chickens out to masculinist “boy”cotts The East is Read
Old Blighty
Why aren’t young people working? Funding the Future
Who governs Britain (in 2029)? Wrong Side of History
Who Are the Terrorists? Craig Murray
European Disunion
Norway, Germany put critical underwater infrastructure on NATO agenda The Barents Observer
Germany Honors Biden for His Contribution to Trans-Atlantic Ties as the U.S. Election Looms Time
Italy’s Albania migrant plan hits legal stumbling block Deutsche Welle
Syraqistan
Drone hits Netanyahu’s home as Hezbollah rockets target northern Israel Al Jazeera
Hezbollah Moves from Confusion to Control Lebanon’s Invasion. Elijah J. Magnier
Lebanese PM criticises Iran for ‘shameful interference’ over UN resolution BNE Intellinews
The Death of Shock and Awe is Greatly Exaggerated The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies
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Israel says attack on Iran’s nuclear sites still on the table Iran International
America’s Most Dangerous Bomb May Have Just Seen its First Combat Use in Yemen: GBU-57 Built to Strike Deep Underground Military Watch
Iran Readies New Oil Outlet To Bypass the Strait of Hormuz OilPrice
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Resistance attack hits US occupation base at Syria’s Conoco oil field The Cradle
Why Sisi is shaking up Egypt’s security services Middle East Eye
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‘There is no day after’: What US, Israel want for Gaza after Sinwar’s death Al Jazeera
Sinwar’s killing looks set to boost Netanyahu, the Houdini of Israeli politics NBC News
335,500 Gaza Dead Ignored By Western Mainstream Media: Input To Special Rapporteur Report To Human Rights Council Countercurrents
Trump: Biden is Too Tough on Netanyahu The New Republic
The Madness They Suffer From Hauntologies by Elia Ayoub
New Not-So-Cold War
US expected to pay up to $20bn into G7 loan for Ukraine FT
Zelensky Once More Puts Allies Under Nuclear Shadow Simplicius the Thinker
N. Korea decides to send around 10,000 soldiers to support Russia in Ukraine war: Seoul Yonhap News Agency
Reports of N. Korea sending troops to Russia may prompt Yoon to reconsider its support for Ukraine: US expert The Korea Times. Commentary (1):
🇺🇦🇷🇺🇰🇵 BREAKING STUPIDITY: Ukraine shows a North Korean POW! The problem is he speaks Ukrainian, LMAO.
They explain it, that Koreans live close to the border with russia so they learn Russian, ok … sure but he speaks UKRAINIAN … LMAO
They took some student from Kiev or… pic.twitter.com/fL3V5GTLcn
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) October 18, 2024
(2):
Russia is using Iranian and Chinese weapons and North Korean troops to invade and destroy a European country. Meanwhile, Ukraine is expected to stand alone and even has artificial limitations put on its ability to defend itself by its allies. https://t.co/Ch47gjHeC9
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) October 18, 2024
(3):
An entire NYT article https://t.co/KMnUM4iySk based on the premise that North Korean troops are fighting in Ukraine. Not until the 15th paragraph does the reader learn there’s no evidence for this whatsoever. pic.twitter.com/hkDxXB2nkO
— Left I on the News 🇨🇺🏳️⚧️ (@leftiblog) October 16, 2024
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Azov Lobby Goes to Brussels Bandera Lobby Blog
The Caribbean
US-backed, Kenya-manned police mission in Haiti is struggling Responsible Statecraft
Complete power outage hits Cuba RT
Terrorist Attack on National Electrical Grid Disrupts 25% of Venezuela’s Power Supply Orinoco Tribune
Biden Administration
Lina Khan vs Planet Fitness BIG by Matt Stoller
2024
🚨 NEW: Nearly 100 current and former Labour Party staff are going to battleground states in the US election to campaign for Kamala Harris, with the party offering to ‘sort your housing’ pic.twitter.com/12EBTkuNL5
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) October 17, 2024
Democrats en Déshabillé
Endangered Democrats brag about Trump ties in final stretch Axios
The Political Transformation of Corporate America, 2001-2022 Columbia Law and Economics. Confuses Left with Democrats and assumes it’s corporate America shifting allegiances rather than the Democrats who have shifted, but interesting for the data if not the analysis. Same with this commentary:
The recent political polarisation of Silicon Valley is really striking.
25 years ago most big tech and VC execs were moderates. Then the whole sector shifted gradually leftwards up until 2020, and now suddenly we have a sharp divide into Democrat-backers and Trump backers. pic.twitter.com/WdG3VJYaGt
— John Burn-Murdoch (@jburnmurdoch) October 18, 2024
The Supremes
Supreme Court hints at sweeping ruling that could gut the Clean Water Act 48 Hills
Abortion
UNDELIVERED: Drug-Sniffing Police Dogs Are Intercepting Abortion Pills in the Mail The Intercept
Our Famously Free Press
UK police raid home, seize devices of EI’s Asa Winstanley Electronic Intifada
Imperial Collapse Watch
Can We Fix American Diplomacy? Inkstick
AI
AI can help humans find common ground in democratic deliberation Science. Authors are from Google DeepMind.
The Pentagon Wants to Use AI to Create Deepfake Internet Users The Intercept
Bye bye, reality. Archedelia
The Bezzle
Tesla Makes ‘Autonomous’ Robot Look Cooler With Sped-Up Video Gizmodo
Class Warfare
The Lucas Plan: When workers showed what could be done with technology Counterfire
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
