Dog found tied up in Malibu rescued Youtube 🙁
Yellowstone’s supervolcano destroyed the ecosystem, but saved it for us Ars Technica (Kevin W)
How to protect yourself from the aggressive Lone Star tick species The Washington Post (Dr. Kevin)
UK boarding school bans smartphones, gives Nokia handsets instead engadget. Haha, I gave up my Nokia dumb phone when I moved abroad and had to use my smartphone for ride-hailing services.
Long-term sepsis crisis is growing, leaving patients feeling exhausted and with brain confusion. When will the NHS start treating it properly?Daily Mail. Long Sepsis???
#COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus Disease)
Violet Affleck: “To confront the long COVID crisis, I will demand mask availability, air filtration, and the installation of far-UV lights in government facilities, including prisons and jails, and mask mandates in county health care facilities. We must expand the availability of testing and treatment.” pic.twitter.com/zg4b7Z9vxy
— Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) July 10, 2024
Climate and Environment
Your semen is not immune to climate change El Pais
Global temperatures hit record highs for 13th consecutive month, ‘stern warning’ Al Jazeera
Beryl causes power outages for millions of Texans as dangerous heat wave hits region CNN
U.S. infrastructure and transportation systems overwhelmed by heatwaves NBC
Oregon County Seeks to Hold Fossil Fuel Companies Responsible for Heat Waves ars technica. filing here.
Pakistan withers in scorching heat, fears rain The New York Times
China?
More people around the world have a favorable view of the United States than of China, according to the center’s survey of 35 countries: A median of 54% of adults in those countries have a favorable view of the United States, while a median of 35% have a favorable view of China. https://t.co/npP08xfBSt
— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) July 9, 2024
Panic, paranoia and hypocrisy rampant in China-focused congressional hearings Antiwar.com (Kevin W)
China tightens controls on leaking rare earth supplies Asia Times (Kevin W)
This is a story that shows how successful livestreaming e-commerce can be in China if done well. It also shows how important education is in China.
So this guy, Zhang Xuefeng, is selling consulting services to help students who have just passed their Chinese exams…
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) July 9, 2024
European Separation
From Politico’s Morning Europe newsletter. This is very childish:
An easy response to Orbán? Just cut corners: Two schools of thought are emerging in European capitals on how to deal with Hungary’s lawless Council presidency: Quietly step down or exceed expectations.
People who quit quietly Essentially, they are delegators. Rather than sending political heavyweights to Budapest for Council discussions, they send faceless bureaucrats. That was the approach on display on Tuesday, when just seven countries (including Hungary) sent their industry ministers to Hungary’s first Council meeting on Chinese EV tariffs…
Talented People They want a bolder and more creative use of the power of the treaty to silence Prime Minister Orbán and lead to a more dramatic showdown.
Laying the foundationsMost member states supported Poland’s request to debate the legality of Orbán’s “peace mission.” Member states want the legal body to comment on the role of the Security Council presidency in foreign relations and to provide more details on the treaty’s call for “sincere cooperation,” one diplomat explained to Barbara Mogens.
Pessimism: Ultimately, a scenario in which Poland would assume the presidency sooner seems unlikely.
The ECB estimates that it is not possible to address the current challenges within the bounds of fiscal rules. Bill Mitchell
After the French elections, the New Popular Front shifts to the right WSWS
Gaza
As part of the war #Gaza Israel employs a variety of tools that result in serious human rights violations, and one of these is dogs.
Based on Euro-Med Monitor materials, here are six ways the Israeli military uses dogs for physical, sexual, and… pic.twitter.com/RsoP5dqD7Y
— EuroMed Monitor (@EuroMedHR) July 9, 2024
Gaza War: How Hamas lured Israel into a deadly trap Middle East Eye (guurst). From last week but still relevant.
Hamas’ Philosophy as Seen in the Writings of Yahya Sinwar Orinoco Tribune (Robin K)
‘We shoot because we’re bored’: Israeli army condones violence in Gaza +972
Shin Bet and Mossad officials to meet with mediators tomorrow in Qatar to negotiate hostage ceasefire The Israel Times
Israeli forces advance deeper into Gaza City as Hamas warns of increased tensions in ceasefire talks Arab News
US to permanently remove pier built off Gaza coast Antiwar.com (Kevin W)
A new cold war
🇺🇸🇷🇺🇸🇦🇪🇺🇬🇧 Saudi Arabia threatens G7 countries with divestment of all EU securities if they confiscate $300 billion in Russian assets – Bloomberg
Estimates suggest Saudi Arabia does not hold many European bonds, but EU officials fear other countries could follow suit. pic.twitter.com/Cx5B0l2pQx
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) July 9, 2024
America’s high-tech weapons are effective against Russia until they are no longer effective The Wall Street Journal
The US and its NATO allies plan to take delivery of “dozens” of air defense systems, including four Patriot aircraft, in the coming months. Kyiv Independent. Even if they were all functional, keep in mind that Israel has four Patriot batteries to defend a much smaller piece of territory (the eight asked to be handed over appear to be a combination of reserve and decommissioned ones).
NATO should not be a party to the Ukraine conflict – Erdogan TASS. This will surely be well received. It’s not Erdogan’s position that is surprising, but his plan to say it to a hostile audience.
Big Brother is Watching You
US nuclear agency buys internet backbone data 404 Media
Speed limiters now mandatory for all new cars in the EU Auto Week
Empire Collapse Watch
Leaders head to NATO summit amid doubts about Biden, concerns over Ukraine The Guardian (Kevin W.)
NATO must change. Here’s how. The New York Times
NATO expands defense industrial cooperation to Indo-Pacific region Nikkei
NATO’s expansion into the Asia-Pacific region will only end in failure. Global Times
China deploys Y-20 long-range transport planes for joint military exercises with Belarus on NATO border Military Watches
Biden’s Agonist
‘Nobody’s answering my phone’: Joe Biden’s fundraising faces new obstacles after debate CNBC
INSIDE THE ROOM — Attendance at a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus to discuss President Joe Biden’s policy positions is beginning to thin.
“It was like a funeral,” one Democratic congressman who supports Biden told me.
There is certainly no consensus on Biden. There is a lot of talk about how difficult it is…
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) July 9, 2024
Polls show Biden will be hurt in the debate; Harris and Clinton are most likely to win POLITICO
Behind the curtain: Democrats who could decide Biden’s fate Axios
Another piece of evidence showing the knife. Lambert brings this up at the water cooler, but it’s important news to not miss. Dr. Pitts is a Democrat and this is NBC news.
Parkinson’s disease expert Dr. Tom Pitts says President Biden has the neurodegenerative disease.
“Rigidity and bradykinesia, or slowness of movement, are hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease and he has them… you could have diagnosed them from across the mall.” pic.twitter.com/VPQEitvZHk
— American Conservative (@amconmag) July 9, 2024
Some Democrats defend Biden, biding time The Wall Street Journal. Headline framing is not subtle!
Days after his landmark interview with Biden, George Stephanopoulos said Biden likely won’t hold the presidency for another four years. Business Insider
2024
Trump’s approval rating tops 50%, he leads Biden on two top voter issues: poll Fox
Guns
Hiltzik: Federal government gets serious about gun deaths Los Angeles Times (Dr. Kevin)
artificial intelligence
64% of people are not happy with the idea of AI-based customer service Registry
OpenAI and Arianna Huffington team up to develop “AI health coach” The Verge, which may well fall under The Bezzle umbrella: Corporate-paid health coaching has not been effective (studies have shown that such benefits are often more substantive, like subsidized gym memberships), but could AI somehow make a failed experiment a success?
64 New York City office buildings could become new housing Gothamist
Basil
breaking news: @FTC Release of “interim” report #PBM.
“Thousands of cancer patients depend on these drugs to survive, and it is of paramount importance that PBMs are marking up the prices of these drugs by up to 4,000 percent above the average purchase cost.”https://t.co/CJ2GyvKWne
— Ted Okon (@TedOkonCOA) July 9, 2024
The remarkable thing here is not that there are errors – all systems have errors – it’s the scale of the errors that makes this a massive scam.
As much as 50% of United’s medical revenues — about $8 billion — may come from diagnosis codes that don’t apply to patients. https://t.co/BxJWpYBCMv pic.twitter.com/RqFDerX5Sb
— Anish Koka, MD (@anish_koka) July 9, 2024
Class struggle
Critically acclaimed books unavailable at New York Public Library as budget crunch hampers June purchases THE CITY. Reporting that focuses on the needs of its citizens!
End austerity: Global report on budget cuts and harmful social reforms 2022-25 CADTM (Michael T)
Today’s antidote (via):
And bonus (Chuck L):
When the ice breaks, the penguins jump to safety. pic.twitter.com/iGv4M1XScM
— Nature is amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) July 7, 2024
See yesterday’s link and the Antidote du Jour here.
