A Female Stingray That Hasn’t Had a Mate in Eight Years Is Mysteriously Pregnant. Is a Shark the Father? Smithsonian (Anthony L)
Dogs in the middle ages: What medieval writing tells us about our ancestors’ pets The Conversation (Anthony L)
First time in 221 years: double brood of cicadas will emerge – and what to expect Reuters (Dr. Kevin). Too bad I will miss them. I enjoyed how loud they would be on summer nights.
A thread of lesser-known architectural wonders that we lost over the ages (and what happened to them)… 🧵
1. Old London Bridge – the longest inhabited bridge in Europe pic.twitter.com/iNc4ynbDux
— Culture Critic (@Culture_Crit) February 17, 2024
Vesuvius Challenge 2023 Grand Prize awarded: we can read the first scroll! ScrollPrize (Paul R)
Inside the Biggest Art Fraud in History Smithsonian (Anthony L)
DNA From Beethoven’s Hair Reveals Surprise Some 200 Years Later ScienceAlert (Kevin W)
Measles infections and symptoms pose far more longterm risks than most realize NBC (Paul R)
‘It is shameful’: why the return of Victorian-era diseases to the UK alarms health experts Guardian (Kevin W)
Health warning over vitamin added to breakfast cereals, pasta and bread as scientists find it may be a ‘significant’ driver of heart attacks and strokes Daily Mail
#COVID-19
A harsh truth: The world economy never recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic Globe and Mail (guurst)
How Protected Am I Against the Covid Variant JN.1? New York Times (Paul R). From last week but quite the illustration of how irresponsible Covid reporting is. Acts as if the only problem with getting Covid is a bad infection. No mention of long Covid, much the less health impairment. And only prior infection (!!!) and vaccines are depicted as “offering protection” against Covid.
Largest-ever COVID vaccine study links shot to small increase in heart and brain conditions Fox (furzy)
Study gives insight into post-exertional malaise in Long COVID patients WSWS (fk)
Viral success: McMaster researchers discover new way to protect against infections like COVID-19 BrighterWorld (ma)
Climate/Environment
Natural History Joe Costello
More Wall Street Firms Are Flip-Flopping on Climate. Here’s Why. New York Times (Kevin W)
Bill Gates basically wants hundreds of billions of public money to build these machines to remove CO2 from the air. Something plants and trees do for free.
Ask Gates, “Why we don’t just plant more trees”? pic.twitter.com/Q79sxT8F7M
— Smartacus (@fivestarmichael) February 19, 2024
The death of snow in America; winters are getting permanently warmer Business Insider (Kevin W). Go to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan!
China?
EU sanctions on Chinese firms ‘will have little impact on Russia’s war in Ukraine’ South China Morning Post
Taiwan says China triggered ‘panic’ by boarding tourist boat Channel News Asia
Old Blighty
From beating burglary to weight gain: 12 ways that working from home has changed Britain Guardian (Kevin W)
Gaza
BREAKING: ISRAEL IS BOMBING DEEP INTO LEBANON
Airstrikes on Saida and Ghaziyeh.
Major escalation. pic.twitter.com/K1XWZjjF6q
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) February 19, 2024
* * *
US proposes UN Security Council oppose Rafah assault, back temporary Gaza ceasefire ABC Australia (Kevin W). Wonder if this is OK now because Israel plans to be busy in Lebanon.
For Biden, ending Israel’s mass murder in Gaza is a ‘non-starter’ Aaron Mate
Israel/oPt: UN experts appalled by reported human rights violations against Palestinian women and girls OHCHR (ma)
* * *
Israel May Put New Restrictions on Visiting Aqsa Mosque as Ramadan Nears New York Times. Lead story.
* * *
Israel’s economy shrank at 20% rate after outbreak of war BBC. Lead story. Please see our post today for more discussion.
Houthi rebels’ attack severely damages a Belize-flagged ship in key strait leading to the Red Sea Associated Press
🇾🇪🇬🇧🚨‼️ WOW CONFIRMED: “Houthis sink British ship in Red Sea”
Ufff … no screwing around Yemen anymore. https://t.co/hobTB2lXNx pic.twitter.com/qFVqlKvwU6
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) February 19, 2024
Perhaps in the arms trade business?
Houthis sink the bulker RUBYMAR in Gulf of Aden – vessel is owned by Greek FIRODI SHIPPING operated by gunmen calling themselves LSS-SAPU https://t.co/6ZxVRNYw9n guarding unidentified, maybe military, cargo loaded in UAE and headed for Bulgaria, maybe Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/GdrjrZOoX1
— Dances_with_Bears (@bears_with) February 20, 2024
Financial Times confirms the drone downing:
Yemeni Houthi forces shoot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone, and this is the second time they shoot it down. Its cost more then 30 million dollars. pic.twitter.com/2dTjcOVZU5
— THE KING (@THEKING73746959) February 19, 2024
The EU launched a new maritime operation in the Red Sea, called ASPIDES after the ancient Greek word for “shield”.
It will:
☑️ ensure freedom of navigation☑️ protect commercial vessels from Houthi attacks☑️ have a defensive nature☑️ provide maritime situational awareness
👇
— EU Council (@EUCouncil) February 19, 2024
War on Gaza: Indian union refuses to load ships with arms headed for Israel Middle East Eye (Kevin W)
* * *
In the wake of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva’s controversial remarks equating Israel’s conflict with Hamas to the Holocaust pic.twitter.com/ZR6IrXcfDX
— Al-Estiklal English (@alestiklalen) February 19, 2024
New Not-So-Cold War
Raise your privileged hand if you’re willing to ‘fight to the last Ukrainian’ The Hill (Robin K)
🇺🇦☣️ UKRAINE USING U.S-MADE CHEMICALS THAT CAN CAUSE CARDIAC ARREST AGAINST RUSSIAN SOLDIERS – Russia again warns of US-Ukraine diabolical chemical warfare war crimes.
Lieutenant General Kirillov in above video highlights cases of Ukrainian-orchestrated poisoning of Russian… pic.twitter.com/1rHMWfa7tc
— SIMPLICIUS Ѱ (@simpatico771) February 19, 2024
Why Sanctions Haven’t Hobbled Russia New York Times. UserFriendy:
To be contrasted with THE CASE AGAINST SANCTIONS – 1982 New York Times. 40 years and we’ve done nothing but get stupider. Also, hilarious how much Europe has completely given up looking out for its own interests.
Biden’s anti-Moscow tactics have failed – Bolton RT. UserFriendly: “When you’ve lost John Bolton….”
Syraqistan
Taliban will not take part in UN-sponsored conference on Afghanistan NHK (ma)
Pakistan’s Generals At Bay Wayward Drabbler (Userfriendly)
Western Values
Freedom to be “wrong”: the only real advantage of democracy Branko Milanovic (Micael T)
MACRON’S GOVERNMENT BANS SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT “STAND IN HIS WAY” Foundation to Battle Injustice (Micael T)
Assange
The CPS told me it destroyed all records of Keir Starmer’s 4 trips to Washington while he was in charge of Julian Assange’s proposed extradition to Sweden.
The public body then told me that it had no record of what records it destroyed.
Cover-up👇https://t.co/cFH2lY7zDa
— Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) February 19, 2024
Julian Assange should be freed. Here’s why: #FreeAssange pic.twitter.com/BSLv9OEhvY
— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) February 18, 2024
Imperial Collapse Watch
Imperialism, Globalisation and Its Discontents Jomo
Shockwaves in the Global Order Boston Review (Anthony L)
How the US is preparing to fight — and win — a war in space Vox (Kevin W)
How War in Europe Boosts the U.S. Economy Wall Street Journal (Robin K). “Butter would not melt in the WSJ’s mouth.”
GOP Clown Car
Utah’s new ‘Sovereignty Act’ sets up a process to overrule the federal government. But is it constitutional? CNN
Graham’s U-turns have Senate colleagues fed up: ‘Annoying,’ ‘tiresome’ The Hill
Immigration
A Family Ranch, Swallowed Up in the Madness of the Border New York Times. The Gray Lady deigns to do some reporting and finds out that at least some of the people upset about “the border” are not nuts.
Eagle-eyed residents reveal sophisticated migrant smuggling operation at northern US border New York Post (furzy)
Our No Longer Free Press
West Virginia GOP Passes Deranged Bill That Could Put Librarians in Jail New Republic (furzy)
After TRT World failed to post my interview on the death of Navalny…. Gilbert Doctorow
AI
The text file that runs the internet The Verge. Micael T: “‘But as unscrupulous AI companies seek out more and more data, the basic social contract of the web is falling apart.’”
Artificial intelligence is making critical health care decisions. The sheriff is MIA Politico (Kevin W)
Black box auditing is fine Cathy O’Neil
The Bezzle
The Economics of Media Bundling alts.co (Micael T)
Class Warfare
The Great Compression New York Times. UserFriendly: “Sad that this is all most people can afford but a good step towards solving the housing crisis.”
Antidote du jour (via):
This Raven can sing better than most people pic.twitter.com/uewTOLmuxK
— why you should have an animal (@shouldhaveanima) February 18, 2024
pic.twitter.com/AOEd4M95Xf
— Why you should have a cat (@ShouldHaveCat) February 14, 2024
He even hides so they won’t get scared 🥺 pic.twitter.com/ijVBDzFZSf
— Why you should have a cat (@ShouldHaveCat) February 17, 2024
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here
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