A 20-year-old blind cat is rescued from an icy Massachusetts pond after some quick thinking Associated Press (Robin K)
Flat Earthers Went to Antarctica to Look at The Sun. Here’s What Happened ScienceAlert (Chuck L)
Violent superflares explode from sun-like stars every 100 years Space (Chuck L)
How the FDA allows secret ingredients into our food supply Los Angeles Times (Robin K)
The world’s oldest drinkable champagne BBC (Robin K)
Early cocaine use in Europe The Past (Chuck L)
Flu surges in Louisiana as health department barred from promoting flu shots ars technica (Paul R)
Climate/Environment
Some Countries Need Less Population Ian Welsh
Floods: An Impending Partisan Disaster The Lever
China?
U.S. Takes Aim at China’s Production of Essential Chips New York Times (Kevin W)
Many Americans have come to rely on Chinese-made drones. Now lawmakers want to ban them Associated Press
As China expands its cyber espionage and sabotage operations, how will the Trump administration respond? The Conversation (Kevin W)
Japan
Japan’s Bond Market Is Set to Absorb Biggest Supply in a Decade. Bloomberg
South of the Border
Mexico’s Dirty War, 50 Years Later CounterPunch (Robin K)
What’s Behind the New U.S. Military Base in Galapagos teleSUR (Robin K)
European Disunion
High Electricity Taxes Are Crippling European Industry OilPrice (Kevin W)
Germany: Magdeburg attack could shape upcoming elections DW
All eyes on PM Bayrou as France awaits fourth government in a year France24
Poland introduces mandatory firearms training for schoolchildren amid Russia threat EuroNews (Kevin W)
Old Blighty
UK economy stagnates as GDP figures revised down Guardian
Why higher bills are not enough to defuse the debt bombs in Britain’s water sector Telegraph
Israel v. The Resistance
I feel utterly sick. There are no words. https://t.co/0dBRbHG2so pic.twitter.com/1J2LN12Dcb
— Barry Malone (@malonebarry) December 23, 2024
🚩Breaking: Kamal Adwan Hospital Director reports unprecedented attacks by Israeli army, sniper fire, and destruction of medical equipment. Gaza’s Health Ministry: Intensive bombing targets neonatal care. pic.twitter.com/29GjcSH9uI
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) December 21, 2024
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya shares footage showing Israeli army’s automated mechanisms (“robots”) placing explosives at the gates of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.
The hospital has been under complete siege for 3 days, facing direct fire, with injured patients, their… pic.twitter.com/gVgWtSr17X
— Gaza Notifications (@gazanotice) December 23, 2024
A Massive Database of Evidence, Compiled by a Historian, Documents Israel’s War Crimes in Gaza Haaretz (Dr. Kevin)
The Illegal War in Yemen Hasn’t Ended Daniel Larison
“We Just Do What the Israelis Want Us to Do” CounterPunch (Robin K)
New Not-So-Cold War
‼️🇷🇺🇺🇦Moscow and Kyiv failed to reach an agreement on gas exports with the mediation of Azerbaijan – Reuters
▪️Earlier, the European Union and Ukraine asked Azerbaijan (SOCAR) to facilitate negotiations with Russia on extending the gas transit agreement, which expires at the end… pic.twitter.com/i4lkIn10bw
— Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) December 21, 2024
“What fool would give us free gas?”
Slovak Prime Minister Fico spoke about Zelensky’s unusual and stupid request. According to him, the Ukrainian leader offered him transit of Russian gas in exchange for Slovakia never paying Russia for gas until the end of the conflict.… pic.twitter.com/0YCtSO8sZm
— Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) December 21, 2024
Russia threatening Europe with waves of migrants, Meloni warns Telegraph
Washington Insider: US Congressional Hearings on Corruption in Ukraine Are Coming Kyiv Post
Syraqistan
Israel’s growing aggression aims to undermine Syrian revolution, suppress people’s hopes: Turkish President Erdogan Anadolu Agency. So Erdogan throws down a gauntlet. On the one hand, Erdogan is typically all hat, no cattle. But on the other, the Kurds are a big big issue for him….
The Big Happening Big Serge
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
Walmart Is Using Body Cams to Force Employees to Snitch on Shoplifters Vice. Help me. Yes, the excuse is to spy on shoppers and it will have the effect. But the real point is to prevent employee shoplifting.
Imperial Collapse Watch
The Case for Dismantling the Rules-Based International Order Glenn Diesen (Micael T)
Nine countries to become BRICS partners in 2025 – Kremlin RT (Kevin W)
The far-right is moving closer to the old dream of a ‘nationalist international’ El Pais
Another Democracy Fail Julian Macfarlane
Trump 2.0
Trump to revert US to only two genders RT (Kevin W)
The Joy is Gone: A Liberal Hate-Fest for the Holidays Jonathan Turley
Biden
Biden’s death row commutations draws chorus of mixed reactions The Hill
Donald Trump’s coming to power could open the door to a detailed audit of multimillion-dollar US spending on Ukraine, which would include potential evidence of illegal transactions or misuse of funds involving US Democratic officials, including President Biden. 👇 pic.twitter.com/JhnlQdQP2H
— Djole 🇷🇸 (@onlydjole) December 22, 2024
As clock ticks down, Biden abandons student loan relief proposals he lauded USA Today
Former President Bill Clinton is in the hospital after developing a fever, spokesperson says CNN (Kevin W)
Man charged with murder after woman set on fire on F train in Brooklyn Gothamist
Sports Desk
When 2025 arrives, so will the end of the amateur athlete in college sports Associated Press (Robin K). My maternal grandfather went to college on a football scholarship….which he lost when he boxed professionally during the summer.
Mr. Market is Moody
Bond Traders Turn to 2025 Amid Most Agonizing Easing in Decades Bloomberg
AI
Million GPU clusters, gigawatts of power – the scale of AI defies logic The Register
This May Be The Last Christmas You Do Your Own Gift Shopping The Conversation (Chuck L)
US Fed floats major changes to bank stress tests in light of legal rulings Reuters (Kevin W)
The Bezzle
US government sues Walmart, Branch Messenger over delivery driver ‘junk fees’ Reuters (Kevin W)
Guillotine Watch
Six Questions for Brooke Harrington on the Utopian Dream of Elon Musk and Peter Thiel to Create a Broligarchy Where Billionaires Rule Like Pharaohs Ken Silverstein (Micael T)
UnitedHealthcare’s Decades-Long Fight to Block Reform Jacobin (Robin K)
Class Warfare
How Elites Betrayed Working People Batya Ungar Sargon, YouTube (Li)
Who Was Frances Perkins? Meet the Trailblazing Workers’ Rights Advocate Whose Homestead Just Became a National Monument Smithsonian Magazine (Chuck L)
Antidote du jour. Tracie H:
A more recent picture of one of the new gray kittens—. This is Buttons; so named for his big round eyes. (Sadly, the lighting was bad due to heavy clouds on the other side of the windows, so I had to use flash which lit the bag more than Buttons face.)
Take care–Happy Holidays!!!
And a bonus:
it’s beginning to look alot like christmas..🦌❄️ pic.twitter.com/arv5KClYB3
— why you should have an animal (@shouldhaveanima) December 22, 2024
A second bonus. Chuck L adds:
One summer morning when I was about 8 years old I noticed an owl sitting atop the curtain rod above the windows overlooking the lake. My mother freaked out and had my dad chasing around the room trying to catch it in his fishing net. My sister opened the front door and the owl eventually flew out. It appeared to have entered the house shortly before dawn when my brother returned from his summer job on the night shift at the canning factory. He recalled noticing a fluttering sound and she opened the door.
A Barred Owl dropped in through the chimney of a home in Arlington, Virginia earlier this week. The owl decided to settle on top of the homeowner’s Christmas tree as a resting spot.
It was then safely released back into the wild by @AWLAArlington.🦉 pic.twitter.com/6ibY9lk3Yi
— DMV News Live (@DCNewsLive) December 20, 2024
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
