The World’s Oldest Living Land Animal, a Tortoise Named Jonathan, Turns 191 Smithsonian Mag
Genes That Boost Fertility Also Shorten Our Life, Study Suggests New York Times
Polyethylene waste could be a thing of the past Phys.org
Soil Builds Prosperity From the Ground Up Yes Magazine
Climate/Environment
Green Colonialism NOEMA
#COVID-19
StatCan just dropped a bombshell report on LC. This is the most important figure. It highlights that the risk of long term symptoms is cumulative, it increases with increasing number of infections. By 3+ infections, 38% report long term symptoms — that’s 1 in every 2.6 people. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/acqgNGiW12
— Dr. Lisa Iannattone (@lisa_iannattone) December 8, 2023
Life expectancy finally increased. Why that’s not really a cause for celebration. Inside Medicine
Chronic fatigue syndrome is not rare, says new CDC survey. It affects 3.3 million U.S. adults AP. The study.
Blood Test May Be Able to Tell Which Organs Have Accelerated Aging MedPage Today
Old Blighty
Home Office ordered to give full cost of Rwanda deportation plan Guardian
Rwanda: The UK Can’t Legislate Away Rwanda’s Rights Record All Africa
Africa
US makes US$2 billion commitment to Angola as oil-rich nation eyes move beyond Chinese funding model South China Morning Post
Zambia As Experimental Lab Rat Grieve Chelwa, Africa Watch
Japan
Japanese elders are being left behind to face bear attacks Business Insider
China?
EXCLUSIVE: Leaked conversation from the EU China Summit in Beijing.
EU: You have to buy more from us to balance the trade.China: Ok sure, what you got? Oh look at those litography machines. We’ll take 10,000 of those.EU: You can’t have that.China: Ok. What else you got?EU:… https://t.co/ur5UXCTHyD
— Nik Stankovic (@nikstankovic_) December 8, 2023
China’s consumer prices mark steepest fall in 3 years as post-Covid rebound falters SCMP
What does “worsening” deflation even mean? If the economy is growing it doesn’t matter if prices are falling slightly. Chinese PMIs and exports surprised to the upside recently. IMF said they’ll hit growth targets. Why is the media so stuck on this narrative? Its weird. 🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/XQ3phtSP4U
— Philip Pilkington (@philippilk) December 9, 2023
Syraqistan
Half of Gazans Are Starving, Warns UN Food Agency Chief yahoo news
Civilians make up 61% of Gaza deaths from airstrikes, Israeli study finds Guardian
***
Zombie Zionism Tarik Cyril Amar’s Substack
With the death of “liberal” Zionism, it is important to examine what it’s been and the state of the Israeli “left”.
A thread 🧵
Liberal Zionism promotes the notion of a left-to-right spectrum within Israel. Yet the differences between the extremes are merely tactical and 1/
— Yoav Litvin (@nookyelur) December 8, 2023
***
#BreakingNews:#Yemen Ansar Allah:”Effective immediately. No ship carrying merchandise or goods, regardless of their flag, to the Zionists (Israel) will not be allowed to cross the Red Sea or the Arab Sea unless food and supply are delivered to #Gaza“.
— Elijah J. Magnier 🇪🇺 (@ejmalrai) December 9, 2023
US discussing military action against Ansarallah The Cradle
Expand existing task force to protect Red Sea from Houthi attacks Defense News
BREAKING: Israel’s Channel 12 reports that Netanyahu told Biden and Scholz, ‘if you do not act against the Houthis, we will act militarily’.
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) December 9, 2023
***
Hezbollah carries out 8 military attacks against Israeli military sites Anadolu Agency
National security adviser indicates war against Hezbollah likely after defeat of Hamas The Times of Israel
***
Israel, UN signal progress in talks to open Gaza crossing The Business Standard
Egypt Needs Cash and Gaza War Gives World New Reasons to Help Out Bloomberg
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US to Send Tank Shells to Israel After Biden Admin Bypasses Congress, Approves Sale The Messenger
Will Gaza hasten the exit of US troops from Iraq, Syria? The Cradle
The US Senate just voted 13-84, rejecting a call to withdraw troops from Syria: https://t.co/1s0MWvaexv
The US has c. 900 troops in northern Syria, which are illegally occupying its sovereign territory, where the majority of Syria’s oil and wheat is produced.
The US government… pic.twitter.com/NMoMkw7b7M
— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) December 9, 2023
New Not-So-Cold War
The Clueless American Elite’s View of the NATO-Russian Ukrainian War Gordon Hahn, Russian & Eurasian Politics
Ukraine’s Zelensky appears increasingly embattled as U.S. backing wavers Washington Post (not paywalled)
***
Fears of a NATO Withdrawal Rise as Trump Seeks a Return to Power New York Times
‘The U.S. May Not Be Coming To Save Us.’ Why, And How, Europe Might Have To Battle Russia By Itself. Forbes
Europe Must Urgently Prepare to Deter Russia Without Large-Scale US Support The Royal United Services Institute. The nut graf: “NATO’s European members must ramp up investment in ammunition production and focus military training and force structures against key mission sets to credibly deter Russia from exploiting a clash between the US and China in the late 2020s as an opportunity to break Article 5 in Europe.”
Russia replaced oil exports to the EU with exports to India and China. pic.twitter.com/ijLEmoKqlv
— Philipp Heimberger (@heimbergecon) December 10, 2023
Sustainable surveillance Edward Slavsquat. On Russia’s “Data Economy” initiative.
Imperial Collapse Watch
America’s undoing Prospect Magazine
Experts: New Disruptive, Asymmetric Approaches Needed to Rebuild US Advantages Air and Space Forces Magazine
Pentagon Stupidity Is a Design Choice BIG by Matt Stoller
South of the Border
Press briefing: PM Ralph Gonsalves announces face-to-face dialogue between the presidents of Guyana and Venezuela on Thursday in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. pic.twitter.com/MFCSF8Yb8f
— Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) December 10, 2023
Biden Administration
Don’t Make Your Voters Step Over Dead Bodies Hamilton Nolan, How Things Work
Yet Another State Shuts the Door on Partisan Gerrymandering Complaints Bolts Mag
Our Famously Free Press
‘Israel-Hamas War’ Label Obscures Israel’s War on Palestinians FAIR
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
The House Intelligence Committee’s Surveillance ‘Reform’ Bill is a Farce Electronic Frontier Foundation
AI
Artificial Intelligence may lead to discriminatory pricing, facilitate subtle anti-competitiveness: CCI chief CNBC TV18
Cities Hope AI Camera Enforcement Can Improve Bus Service Governing
Google is reportedly working on a project that lets AI models tell someone’s “life story.” The Verge
Healthcare?
Hospitals across the country are dumping Medicare Advantage plans and canceling their contracts with insurers HEALTH CARE un-covered
The FDA just approved the first gene editing therapy for sickle cell anemia, but it’ll cost $2.2 million per person Business Insider
Systemic Insanity Mad in America
Police State Watch
US police agencies took intelligence directly from IDF, leaked files show Guardian
This is Joseph Ruiz. In 2021, the FBI seized his life savings—$57,000—from his safe deposit box in LA. He could no longer afford his medical treatments & he struggled to buy food.
The kicker: He wasn’t suspected of a crime.
There are many other victims in this saga. A thread. pic.twitter.com/NeUHIxsmcT
— Billy Binion (@billybinion) December 7, 2023
Abortion
Texas Supreme Court temporarily halts ruling allowing Dallas woman to get an abortion Texas Tribune
Groves of Academe
ACLU defends free speech in furor over university presidents’ handling of antisemitic rhetoric on campus ABC News. Commentary:
Israel is mass assassinating medical professionals across Gaza and destroying every possible medical institution and all US legacy media can talk about is college presidents failing to denounce the students protesting this https://t.co/yqJH4Zt2aF
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) December 9, 2023
Supply Chain
Pharma shipping is trendy, ‘but service and quality level just isn’t there’ The Loadstar
Guillotine Watch
World’s Richest Families Got $1.5 Trillion Richer in 2023 The Morning News
Tech
EXPERTS DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT CYBERTRUCK SAFETY Futurism
California Gov. Newsom vetoes bill limiting autonomous trucks Statescoop. From September, still germane.
Book Nook
The attack against the freedom to read and what to do about it MR Online
Class Warfare
ON ALGORITHMIC WAGE DISCRIMINATION Veena Dubal, Columbia Law Review
EMANCIPATORY HORIZONS IN TENANT ORGANIZING Law and Political Economy Project
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.