Looks and Gaming: Who and Why? NBER
The end of menopause: would women be healthier and happier if they menstruated for ever? Guardian (Dr. Kevin). *Sigh* This really underplays HRT as an alternative. HRT has been demonized for increasing cancer risk, but when started either before 60 or within two years of menopause, it reduces all factor mortality. Any increase in cancer incidence is more than offset by improvement in heart health.
Hopes dashed for drug aimed at monkeypox virus spreading in Africa Nature (Micael T)
Philippines reports new mpox case with no history of foreign travel Aljazeera
#COVID-19
Latest scientific research points to long COVID in Australia being a significant and growing problem Bill Mitchell
Climate/Environment
The Huge Profits Investors Have Made on Catastrophe Bonds Are Raising Eyebrows Bloomberg
>The great Australian water grab ABC Australia (Kevin W). I recall a big study back when I was in Oz, between 2002 and 2004, that Australia was exporting a huge amount of its scarce water in its ag exports and not being paid enough for that. So this recognition is coming awfully late.
Surprise, surprise! Article 6 carbon credits face exactly the same problems as voluntary carbon credits REDD Monitor (Micael T)
China?
China to restrict exports of strategic metal antimony Asia Times (Kevin W)
China expands export controls on drones, parts with potential for military use South China Morning Post
China’s state security ministry unveils espionage disguised as wind measurement tower construction Global Times
Data shows China’s latest worsening economic problem: Youth unemployment First Post
California Democrats fear US tech firm ‘death spiral’ with more China curbs Reuters (guurst). From last week, still germane.
European Disunion
This is how school profits are used to buy influence Aftonbladet (Micael T)
Trilaterals over Stockholm Jacob Nordangard (Micael T)
Old Blighty
Final artwork in Banksy animal series removed by London Zoo Guardian (Kevin W)
We can afford what we can do Ann Pettifor (Micael T). Also a class warfare entry.
Poles Apart: The common ground beneath our feet Rachel Donald (Micael T)
Drug supply crisis as half a million patients with ADHD and mental illness face shortages and rationing Independent
Gaza
‘Operation al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 318: Gazans given new evacuation orders as Netanyahu insists on additional ceasefire conditions Mondoweiss (guurst)
Shay Golden, Channel 14, October 17th 2023:
“We are coming. We are coming to Gaza. We are coming to Lebanon. We will come to Iran… We will annihilate the enemy… If for Gilad Shalit we freed 1,000 terrorists, consider how many of you we are going to kill… Numbers that you… pic.twitter.com/hsc4iAjI7L— B.M. (@ireallyhateyou) August 19, 2024
Hamas rejects Gaza ceasefire deal, blaming Netanyahu for setting new ‘obstacles’ ABC Australia (Kevin W)
End game: What’s Israel’s plan in the occupied West Bank? Al Jazeera (Kevin W)
Exclusive: Egypt agrees to Israeli control of Gaza border in return for Rafah reopening Middle East Eye
Fighting intensifies between Israel and Hezbollah despite diplomatic drive Guardian
Revisionist Zionists dare the U.S. to pull the plug on their Nakba agenda Alastair Crooke (Chuck L). Important. The exposition is a bit baroque, but be sure to read to the end.
As war looms over Lebanon, refugees wonder how they will survive Aljazeera
Scottish government suspends all meetings with Israel Anadolu Agency
New Not-So-Cold War
AN “OPERATION TO ENSURE” THE US WITHDRAWAL FROM UKRAINE BEGAN IN KURSK: CHINA’S CUNNING GAME First Russian (Michael T). I can’t begin to evaluate this but it’s a very different perspective than what we see from either the usual Russia hostiles or Russia friendlies. Those of you who read or listen to Russian sources in Russian, please pipe up.
America’s Shadow War in Ukraine Ken Klipperstein. Confirming what has long been suspected
Germany freezes Ukraine military aid as budget crisis hits at home Telegraph
News of the Nord Stream attack causes the country to boil Nachdenkseiten via machine translation (Micael T)
‘Keep quiet’ Tusk tells Germany over Nord Stream revelations Brussels Signal
Suggestions Poland helped Nord Stream sabotage are groundless, says presidential aide Reuters
What Sanctions? 85% Of Russia’s Oil Finds Buyers In China And India Forbes
Kyiv, in its attempt to invade the Kursk region, used armored vehicles supplied by NATO countries immediately before the attack.
RIA Novosti found out from documents captured by the 810th Marine Brigade of the Russian Army.
The armored vehicle Roshel Senator (model Ford F-559… pic.twitter.com/Naw4enFwjQ
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) August 18, 2024
Zelensky Buffer Zone: Ukr Kursk Fire Bag, Niu-York Falls, Toretsk Stormed, Pokrovsk Fall Alexander Mercouris, YouTube. We get a nice long shout out at the top over what to make of a Washington Post article claiming Russia and Ukraine had been negotiating to halt the energy war. I published this piece before seeing that Maria Zarakhova had issued a denial that there were any talks about civilian infrastructure. Mercouris read that as qualified. As far as I can tell on a quick search, the electricity system, including the nuclear plants, are in fact privately owned and thus would qualify as civilian. This statement almost amounts to Zarakhova weirdly trying to deny that the previous attacks hit “civilian” assets. Aurelien also noted in comments:
I think much of the confusion arises from the loose use of words, as often. I don’t think there was ever the possibility of a “partial ceasefire agreement” being “signed.” In particular, there would never have been a formal agreement. What might have happened is exploratory talks towards an unwritten understanding about how the war would be conducted in the future. This happens surprisingly often in conflicts and does not necessarily imply any direct contact between the parties. Messages of the nature “if you don’t do X then we won’t do Y” can be passed through intermediaries, as in this case Qatar. But I would have thought that the Russians easing up on energy attacks would be only one part of any “deal,” perhaps in return for something the Russians wanted that we haven’t heard about. In any event, such “deal” would have been conditional, and the Russians could have restarted the attacks at any time. So I don’t think we necessarily have to see this as a sign of Russian weakness.
Putin makes it clear that talks with Kiev are now impossible — Lavrov TASS (guurst)
Elon Musk denies giving Cybertruck to Chechen leader Anadolu Agency
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
The US lays out a road safety plan that will see cars ‘talk’ to each other Endgadget (Kevin W)
Ford’s Shocking New Idea Lets Cars Spy on Others and Send Data to Cops and Insurance Companies Reclaim the Net (Micael T)
The Golden Age of Hackers in Vegas Is Over 404Media (Micael T)
Imperial Collapse Watch
Political Liberalism and Rawlsian Religion Edward Feser (Micael T)
Trump
Shares in Trump’s social media company hit lowest level since going public Financial Times
Trump Targets Biden’s EV Tax Incentives OilPrice
Supreme Court Gives Fani Willis a New Deadline Newsweek (furzy)
Democrat Convention
A mass march for Gaza broke through the security barrier outside the DNC.
Activists say they’re defying attempts by the Democratic Party and Chicago police to suppress protests against the genocide.
BT’s @keipritsker reports pic.twitter.com/psCpc6iCyH
— BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) August 20, 2024
As Li points out. “SCt saved the pills, 60% of abortions are pills, it’s hard to take these people seriously.” But everyone in on the action:
Protesters in Chicago who are marching against the DNC chant “F*ck the courts, f*ck the state, you can’t make us procreate.”
People dressed as abortion pills take part in the march. pic.twitter.com/xwmRAAjW8w
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 19, 2024
The protest fun is already beginning at DNC in chicago.pic.twitter.com/j1okM4dsuu
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) August 19, 2024
Ahead of Democratic convention, anger in Chicago’s ‘Little Palestine’ Daily Mail (Kevin W)
2024
GOP-controlled election board in Georgia passes rule that could further delay certification CNN
Anti-gerrymandering amendment is Issue 1 2024, but the fight is not over Signal Cleveland (Carla R)
Our No Longer Free Press
Meta permanently bans The Cradle in latest attack on free speech The Cradle
Fired by MSNBC for Giving Voice to Iraq War Opposition, Phil Donahue (1935-2024) Was Courage Personified Common Dreams (Kevin W)
AI
AI image of ‘Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’ shows something is seriously wrong 9News (Kevin W)
Real hourly wages, median income, and aggregate payrolls: update for July Angry Bear
The Bezzle
Tesla is testing whether stockholders have the power to overrule a judge Yahoo! Finance (Kevin W). The world is more and more coming to resemble Snow Crash, seee here Mr. Lee’s Greater Hong Kong.
A debt strategy that’s seen as unsustainable is getting more popular on Wall Street Fortune
Parents outraged at Snoo after smart bassinet company charges fee to rock crib for crying babies Independent (Kevin W)
Class Warfare
BREAKING: An annual income of at least $200,000 is now needed to afford a typical home in 17 major metro areas in the US.
The most expensive area is San Jose, California where a household would need to make $587,000 per year to afford the average home.
The median home sale… pic.twitter.com/uVH1pDBwKI
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) August 16, 2024
America’s Renter Population Is Growing Three Times Faster Than Its Homeowner Population Amid Rise in Homebuying Costs Business Wire
Operation: Hearth: Making computing more local Libre Network (Micael T)
Antidote du jour. Eric S:
I wanted to submit a picture of our kitty, Skippy, for the antidote du jour. Pictured here contemplating food vs nap, he’s generally referred to in our house as the Chris Hemsworth of kitty cats due to his handsome visage (he even has his own instagram: skippy_sleeps)
A bonus:
Great Photography 😍 pic.twitter.com/zu3eR58RWM
— Rabbit Lovers Community USA (@RabbitLoversUSA) August 19, 2024
A second bonus:
The Black Swan Family 🦢 pic.twitter.com/1BimA69Hks
— why you should have an animal (@shouldhaveanima) August 17, 2024
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
