Alaska Wildlife Troopers save deer struggling in cold waters Associated Press (furzy)
Beyond the Storm: Hurricane Ian Boosted Threat of Flesh Eating Bacteria ZMEScience (Dr. Kevin)
The Nones: South America Associated Press (furzy)
US Is Receiving Dozens of UFO Reports a Month, Pentagon Official Says CNN
How would we know whether there is life on Earth? This bold experiment found out Nature (Kevin W). We have a narrow conception of what life is. It has to be corporeal. We won’t consider that stars could be living. Etc.
Veterinarians Confront a Human Problem: Anti-Vaxxers Wall Street Journal (Dr. Kevin)
Marked by Stars: Agrippa’s Occult Philosophy Public Domain Review. Anthony L: “How different is our world?”
#COVID-19
“A new study shows that bits of [SARS-CoV-2] virus that survive in the gut cause chronic inflammation, which reduces production of serotonin—a molecule critical for communication between nerve cells in the gut and brain.. depletion of serotonin disrupts gut-to-brain…
— Hiroshi Yasuda (保田浩志) (@Yash25571056) October 18, 2023
Pfizer to price Covid drug Paxlovid at $1,390 per course CNBC (Kevin W)
Co-infection of Covid-19 and flu occurring Thai Newsroom (furzy). Note levels of obesity and smoking way lower in Thailand than in US, which likely contributes to Thais now having a longer life expectancy than Americans. So not clear the early findings here will translate to the US> Lambert adds:
Best university in Thailand and affiliated with a very large teaching hospital (with primarily Thai patient population, i.e. not optimized for foreigners).
In fact, globally ranked:
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/chulalongkorn-university
On the other hand, not Harvard. On the one hand, not Harvard 🙂
Madonna Covid DISASTER: side by side view and audio of before and after Covid:
The singer who had to cancel her tour due to being intubated in June is now on the rampage again ‘breathing in that Covid19 air’ pic.twitter.com/Kq2sBlEsSe
— Chris Turnbull (@EnemyInAState) October 19, 2023
Climate/Environment
The world has to add or replace 50 million miles of transmission lines by 2040, IEA says CNBC (Kevin W)
How climate-resilient buildings could help protect elderly from heat STAT (Dr. Kevin)
California Mandates Coastal Cities Plan for Future Sea-Level Rise KQED (David L)
PG&E plan to bury lines is shot down WildfireToday (Kevin W)
Earth’s Core Appears to Be Leaking In the Arctic and Scientists Don’t Know Why Vice
China?
US escalates tech battle by cutting China off from AI chips CNN (Kevin W)
Dominos falling quickly
China Bester had business plan of building AI data center around Nvidia chips
Signed cooperation deal w/ HW a day after A800 ban
Will join HW tech ecosystem alliance & use Kunpeng/Ascend chips
Combine to build Ascend computation cluster in Shenzhen… https://t.co/2a5fGguBXu pic.twitter.com/OajnwNmnC5
— tphuang (@tphuang) October 18, 2023
Down Under
Almost nine in 10 Australians support plan to outlaw lies in political advertising, poll shows Guardian (Dr. Kevin)
US easing Venezuela oil sanctions after election deal Reuters (Kevin W)
Canada-India Row
Canada withdraws 41 diplomats from India BBC
Gaza
SITREP 10/18/23: Israel + Ukraine War Mega-Update Simplicius the Thinker
‘Al-Aqsa Flood Operation’ Day 13: Humanitarian aid to Gaza stalls as Israel renews airstrikes Mondoweiss (guurst). Note the road was is so damaged that it would have required repair for the relief convoys to enter Gaza. That was noted around the Innertubes a couple of days ago, now acknowledged in BBC’s lead story, Road repairs at Rafah crossing as aid trucks wait to cross into Gaza, which points out “Egyptian diggers” are doing the work.
Doctors in Gaza are struggling to manage the thousands of patients injured by the brutal Israeli airstrikes
This was a doctor’s agonizing reaction to the desperation inside a Gaza hospital pic.twitter.com/ATOFSiJfit
— Mohammed El-Kurd (@m7mdkurd) October 18, 2023
* * *
Several dead and injured in Israel strike at Gaza church: Hamas Arab News
Why Biden lied on Gaza hospital attack Indian Punchline. Userfriendly: “I can’t help but wonder if Bibi has stone cold evidence of Biden and Hunter corruption.”
* * *
Israel Offensive in Gaza Could End in DISASTER History Legends, YouTube. Tactical details.
US Navy intercepts missiles headed north from Yemen Associated Press (furzy)
* * *
Israel-Gaza crisis: US vetoes Security Council resolution UN News. Ceasefire resolution by Brazil following one that failed on a regular vote proposed by Russia. Alexander Mercouris describes long form how this was ginned up by some (most? all?) BRICS states working togehter. Note merely called for “humanitarian pauses”.
HELL FREEZES OVER as European Student Council, uhh, I mean, European Parliament, votes 500-21 on resolution that, among other things, states “the terrorist organization Hamas needs to be eliminated.” (Yes, I had to read this 3 times, could hardly believe it.) Folks, as I told you, game has changed. Jacob Dreizin
Hundreds of US Congressional Staffers Sign Open Letter Demanding Gaza Cease-Fire Common Dreams
Exclusive: ‘Mutiny Brewing’ Inside State Department Over Israel-Palestine Policy HuffPost (Erasmus)
Survivors of kibbutz attack turn their ire on Netanyahu Politico
* * *
The Cost of Blindly Supporting Clients Daniel Larison
PATRICK LAWRENCE: Decency Becomes Indecent Consortium News (Chuck L)
* * *
In case anyone is still wondering, Israel has just entered Stage 9. pic.twitter.com/cV3ARoKww2
— 𝕏ohnny 𝕏raz™ (@jvgraz) October 18, 2023
‼️Who Has a “Right to Exist?” (w/ @mikopeled)‼️
“This is genocide, this is mass murder of civilians, without question. And Israel is not behaving strategically. Israel is behaving like a gangster who was humiliated, & is taking their revenge out on innocent people. That’s it.”… pic.twitter.com/ems5Y23ETP
— Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) October 19, 2023
Lambert flagged as possible loss of executive function:
I think I need to say what many in the strategic studies community is quietly thinking, and indeed saying to me.
Israel appears qualitatively far weaker than we had presupposed, and the dysfunction has bleed into many facets of their political and security apparatus (not all).
— Michael Stephens (@MikeRStephens) October 19, 2023
Please read these statements by Israelis dehumanizing Palestinians & therefore justifying the killing of civilians – because they are animals. Ask why the US hasn’t condemned them? And compare it w/ what the reaction would be if Palestinians made similar comments about Israelis. pic.twitter.com/Nx0FGW9h9V
— James J. Zogby (@jjz1600) October 19, 2023
This is another Iraqi WMD moment. We are being gaslit Jonathan Cook
* * *
Israel’s four unpalatable options for Gaza’s long-term future Economist (David L). All assume Israel is driving the bus.
* * *
Biden recounts story of his wife and daughter dying in a car accident as he meets Hamas attack survivors and first responders Daily Mail (Li)
New Not-So-Cold War
Something To Be Said About Kinzhal Andrei Martyanov
Ukrainian parliament passes first reading of bill outlawing Ukrainian Orthodox Church TASS (guurst)
Syraqistan
UN sanctions on Iran ballistic missile program to expire Mehr News Agency (Chuck K)
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
NY Bill Would Require Background Checks to Buy 3D Printers, Attempts to Target Ghost Guns Tom’s Hardware. BC:
Seriously 3D printing is used by a huge number of businesses and hobbyists for a multitude of use cases completely unrelated to guns. Plus most 3D printers could have the potential to make some part that could contribute to a firearm. Why not also require background checks for anyone buying metal working tools?
Overkillers gotta overkill…
Imperial Collapse Watch
Biden makes the case for wartime aid to Israel and Ukraine in primetime address CNN (Kevin W)
Biden’s Address to Nation: Shameful Hypocrisy a Final Nail in America’s Coffin Simplicius the Thinker
Worldwide Caution travel.state.gov (Erasmus)
West’s Pro-Israel Position Accelerates Its Loss Of Power Moon of Alabama (Kevin W). We get a nice shout out.
This was true of later European aristocracies as well. The Prussian state required the landowning classes to provide the officer corps – the Junker class earned its position with the blood of its sons.
It’s hard to imagine today, when the elite have such an extractive station. https://t.co/Af4UGctfQz
— Big Serge ☦️🇺🇸🇷🇺 (@witte_sergei) October 18, 2023
ENOUGH! Today the Dignity Delegation along w/civil society orgs from the US turned our backs in silent protest against the US Ambassador Michelle Taylor as she spoke at the end of the #UN Human Rights Cttee Review of the US. Protect our dignity & human rights. #StartWithDignity pic.twitter.com/Xj7Yd1K77o
— startwithdignity (@startwdignity) October 18, 2023
Trump
Trump Is Winning Over Swing-State Voters Wary of Biden’s Economic Plan Bloomberg
Federal Prosecutors Reject Trump’s Immunity Claims in Election Case New York Times (furzy)
Former Trump Attorney Sidney Powell Has Pleaded Guilty in the Georgia Trump Case Charles Pierce (furzy)
GOP Clown Car
Jim Jordan to endorse empowering McHenry as temporary Speaker The Hill
Immigration
Immigration agencies struggle with ‘mismatched’ laws, policy whiplash The Hill
Police State Watch
Small business owners say they’re pressured to hire off-duty cops for security Minnesota Reformer (Paul R)
U.S. Marines Strapped a Rocket Launcher to a Robot Dog You Can Buy on Amazon Vice (furzy)
AI
Universal Music sues Anthropic over AI-generated lyrics Financial Times (BC)
Time to stop AI from stealing writers’ words Washington Post (furzy)
Microsoft-affiliated research finds flaws in GPT-4 TechCrunch (Kevin W)
Antitrust
In Antitrust Trial, Google Argues That Smart Employees Explain Its Success New York Times
Blackstone warns of looming hit to consumers from surge in bond yields Financial Times
The Bezzle
Binance.US Halts Direct Dollar Withdrawals Coindesk
Class Warfare
Look At These Heartbreaking Photos Of 9 Needy Millennials You Can Sponsor Today Babylon Bee
Ex-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election interference case NBC (furzy)
As an old-school socialist, in recent years I’ve often found myself more aligned with people on the right than on the left — on issues such as national sovereignty and the EU, opposition to the Covid regime, the defense of free speech and the whole gender ideology madness. This…
— Thomas Fazi (@battleforeurope) October 19, 2023
Antidote du jour:
And a bonus (Chuck L):
Mother opossum carrying her babies pic.twitter.com/KJBn1ON3oe
— B&S (@_B___S) October 18, 2023
And a second bonus (Chuck L):
smart dog who knows how to live pic.twitter.com/1UGcHgN1eS
— Enezator (@Enezator) October 18, 2023
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.