New study shows that cats play fetch, too NPR. (David L). One of my mother’s cats loved fetch. With bottle tops.
WATCH: Florida bear attacks, takes off with reindeer Christmas decoration Fox (furzy)
Dyson spheres and the quest to detect alien technosignatures Big Think (Micael T)
History’s Five Best Body Part Stories Nautilus (Micael T). No Lorana Bobbitt.
#COVID-19
No one could have foreseen this.
‘The highest levels they’ve been ever’: Wastewater testing shows growing spread of COVID-19https://t.co/PRpKwTeA29
— T. Ryan Gregory (@TRyanGregory) December 15, 2023
CDC Policy fails to protect US citizens and hospitals:
Hospitals and emergency rooms could be forced to ration care by end of this month, CDC warned Thursday.
COVID-19 and influenza are now on track to again strain America’s health care system. https://t.co/LzK9oRk1hr
— Yaneer Bar-Yam (@yaneerbaryam) December 15, 2023
I’m not sure if it’s the latest strain that is circulating or the lack of uptake on recent boosters/vaccinations but our COVID patients currently are presenting & deteriorating like in 2020-2022.
Very critically ill & unstable, coding, very high oxygen needs…it’s scary.
— NurseKelsey (she/her) 🌈✨🎉❤️🏳️🌈 (@nursekelsey) December 16, 2023
GM via e-mail:
Singapore data:
https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/statistics
This is quite vertical. IT might burn out quickly, but if it has the same shape as previous waves, it should reach much higher than the more recent Omicron ones
China?
Space Force chief: Timing of Chinese spaceplane launch “no coincidence” ars technica (Kevin W)
China’s economy is now a staggering 22% bigger than America’s, but for differing reasons, neither nation wants to acknowledge this fact Eastern Angle (Micael T)
Old Blighty
We need emergency legislation to prevent a total water supply and financial meltdown if Thames Water fails Richard Murphy
European Disunion
Deindustrialization continues to gain momentum Anti Spiegel via machine traslation (Micael T)
Venezuela Rejects France’s Erroneous Assessments on the Essequibo Dispute teleSUR. Micael T: “Both parties agreed to continue direct dialogue and not to threaten or use force under any circumstances.’ This cannot stand in the collective West!”
Gaza
‘Operation Al Aqsa Flood’ Day 70: A deteriorating public health crisis in Gaza, raids across the occupied West Bank Mondoweiss (guurst)
🧵 A story that you won’t hear about even on Palestinian twitter because it pales in comparison to all the other horrors that Palestinians are facing on a daily basis. But this story happening in “the West” would lead to calls for investigations, resignations, fascism, etc.
— Muhannad Ayyash (@AyyashMohannad) December 14, 2023
Israeli troops filmed setting fire to food supplies in Gaza Telegraph (Li)
* * *
US Pushing Hezbollah To Withdraw from Lebanon-Israel Border Antiwar.com (Kevin W). Good luck with that.
‘No one will stop us from destroying Israel and the US’: How Lebanon is preparing for a war over Gaza that it doesn’t want RT (Chuck L)
How Yemen is inflating Israel’s war cost The Cradle (Chuck L)
* * *
This part is absolutely extraordinary: he compares Israel’s current strategy to that of “ISIS and Al Qaeda”.
He says many people in the current Israeli leadership set as a “political goal” to “create a human disaster in Gaza because from the chaos we shall start again.” He says… pic.twitter.com/0GP2rlcaXy
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) December 15, 2023
Video showing ISF elements beating a Palestinian journalist at Wadi Al Joz neighborhood E of Jerusalem City; The Palestinian journalist was hospitalized pic.twitter.com/lSP6954aSB
— Local Focus – Security Alerts (@LocalFocus1) December 15, 2023
HOW THE WEST BANK FITS INTO THE EQUATION Seymour Hersh
How American citizens are leading rise of ‘settler violence’ on Palestinian lands Guardian (furzy)
* * *
Israeli military says it mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza ABC Australia (Kevin W)
Protests in Tel Aviv after Israel mistakenly kills hostages in Gaza BBC. Lead story.
Kevin W note re the following tweet ” Even if Hamas did this, Israel would still continue the bombing”:
John Kirby outlines the 3 conditions for Hamas to fulfill to end the war today:1. Lay down your arms2. Turn over those who were responsible for the October 7 attacks3. Give up all your hostages pic.twitter.com/y7we6Jt1xA
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) December 14, 2023
The hope of ending ‘Israel’s fever dream’: An interview with Craig Mokhiber Mondoweiss (guurst)
John Mearsheimer: There is no two-state solution Unherd or if you prefer YouTube John Mearsheimer: There is no two-state solution
India, Israel and the neo-Fascist International Defend Democracy (Micael T)
Don’t Look Away London Review of Books (guurst)
New Not-So-Cold War
Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin President of Russia. Important. Update on what the SMO objectives mean in terms of current aims. See also discussion by Alexander Mercouris: Putin Tough on Ukraine, Control Odessa, Black Sea; Orban Blocks EU Funding; Israel Hezbollah Strike. and Gilbert Doctorow Vladimir Putin’s “Direct Line” Q&A session today
SCOTT RITTER ON ZELENSKY IN SHAMBLES AS NATO DEFEAT LOOMS PLUS MORE! Danny Haiphong
EU vows Ukraine will get its money — with or without Orbán’s support Politico (Kevin W)
Zelensky’s fund-raising visit to Washington as seen by Russia Gilbert Doctorow (guurst). From earlier in the week, still interesting.
US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PASSES DEPLETED BRAINS & BLACKOUT BILL FOR BANNING IMPORTS OF RUSSIAN URANIUM John Helmer (Chuck L)
Allegedly flash-bangs, but I infer still can be very dangerous in this proximity:
JUST IN – Many injured after lawmaker detonates multiple grenades during a council meeting in Transcarpathia, western Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/Vmi1sUPxKG
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) December 15, 2023
Imperial Collapse Watch
The Atrophy of American Statecraft Foreign Affairs
Our Rotten Foreign Policy Status Quo Daniel Larison (Micael T)
Invest in the Future of Living Together: Free Private Cities Investment Migration Insider. Snow Crash was a prospectus. Furzy cites:
International Cities are privately run communities, based on clear contracts, which provide, enable and facilitate opportunity and choice. International Cities will be established at multiple locations around the world, sharing common values and distinct characteristics, yet thriving in harmony and synergy with their local environment and culture.
Meet all 3,800 graduates of Klaus Schwab’s globalist WEF education programs by name Riot Times. Micael T: “3,800 people can wreak a lot of havoc.”
Trump
The mystery of the missing binder: How a collection of raw Russian intelligence disappeared under Trump CNN (furzy)
Biden
Look out, Joe – Kamala’s coming for your job! SCOTT JENNINGS reveals the VP’s incredible betrayal of Biden as she stokes a full-blown, far-left bureaucratic revolt over his wobbling support for Israel Daily Mail (Li). A wee problem is Kamala cannot manage her way out of a paper bag.
GOP Clown Car
Rudy Giuliani must pay $148 million to 2 Georgia election workers he defamed, jury decides CBS (Kevin W)
L’affaire Jeffrey Epstein
The One Woman men in power can’t seem to escape Eastern Angle (Micael T)
Our No Longer Free Press
Tucker Carlson lashes out at big news companies and plants billboards at HQs of NYTimes, CNN, MSNBC and the Washington Post with ‘corporate media is dead’ emblazoned, as he launches his OWN streaming service Daily Mail (Li)
Well, TikTok Permanently Banned Our Show Glenn Greenwald, YouTube
Abortion
Abortions denied for hundreds in Texas despite health risks, data show STAT (furzy)
AI
AI Can Help Democracy Nautilus. Micael T: “ROFLMAO.”
Boffins force chatbot models to reveal their harmful content The Register (furzy)
The Bezzle
>Pfizer Has a Criminal Record. Did the Media or Your Government Inform You? Had You Known, Would You Have Accepted to Receive the COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine? Michel Chossudovsky (Micael T). Problem is everyone signed liability waivers. And the case was public, anyone who cared could have searched. Probably more interesting as a sign of rising lack of trust (which should have been lower to begin with) for Big Pharma.
Should we be teaching Neoclassical Economics to undergraduates? Monetary Policy Institute Blog (Chuck L)
Class Warfare
U.S. homeless count reaches highest level ever; California numbers staggering Associated Press Furzy: “Photos.”
Antidote du jour (Tracie H):
And a bonus (Chuck L):
This cheetah proudly shows her cubs to a photographer. The sounds this family makes are purring & chirping, which is worth listening to. A kind man doesn’t pull the trigger but triggers the shutter to capture such stunning moments. 🙏🪄 pic.twitter.com/2BZ9CZ1ldu
— Hakan Kapucu (@1hakankapucu) December 14, 2023
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.