Homing pigeon missiles, swimming dead trout and butt breathing win Ig Nobel Prizes register
Research paper finds that online dating has led to rising income inequality in the US Bloomberg
A deserted downtown continues to drain local coffers Governance
World Bank: ‘A puppet in peril’ Succulents
Feeling Gravity Nautilus
Climate and Environment
Massive landslide in Greenland causes strange seismic signals for nine days Ars Technical
Burned-out firefighters flee U.S. Forest Service amid labor dispute: “We’re devastated.” Guardian
US militarism is the main cause of climate disaster Truth Out
Pandemic
Unprecedented levels of bird flu found in Texas wastewater: ‘Concerning’ Newsweek
15 people die from mysterious fever in Kutch, Centre steps up surveillance Business Standard
42-year-old father becomes 17th person to die from ‘mysterious fever’ in Kutch, after 15-year-old son Indian Express https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/kutch-mystery-fever-17th-death-9563332/
China?
‘Earlier is better’: China is cautious about raising retirement age to avoid public discontent, analysts say Channel News Asia
China’s new home prices fall sharpest in more than nine years in August Business Times
***
Torture allegations, suicide and even demotion: why the fate of China’s disgraced foreign minister Qin Gang is the subject of speculation Channel News Asia
The logic behind China’s deliberate defense industry purge Diplomat
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China’s People’s Liberation Army monitors German ships passing through Taiwan Strait Global Times
More than 30 squadrons of U.S. Reaper drones training for major maritime special operations against China Military Watches
The U.S. and Chinese militaries have begun talks again, even as they prepare for war. Semaphores
European Separation
A politically dead man speaks Tarik Cyril Amar’s The Ninth Wave by Olaf Scholz.
Shiraksta
Missile fired from Yemen hits Israel, triggering sirens, army says Al Jazeera
US military upgrading Israeli base to accommodate new Boeing jets Nick Turse, The Intercept
“Israel” will not wage war on the northern front until international support is secured Al Mayadeen
UN worker shot dead by Israeli sniper in occupied West Bank Cradle
Polio vaccination drive in Gaza ‘a huge success’: WHO New Arab
Old Brittany
RAF spy flights over Gaza risk complicity in Israeli torture Declassified UK
Oh Canada
The Ottawa-based company is key to Israeli warplanes’ continued bombing of Gaza Violations
A new cold war
UK and US wary of possible Iran-Russia nuclear deal Guardian
NATO/Ukraine’s Defeat at Kursk (and Beyond) Gordon Hahn, Russian and Eurasian Politics
Five former British defence secretaries urge Britain to allow Ukraine to use weapons to attack Russia Ukrainska Pravda
German Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz denies deploying long-range weapons to Ukraine Deutsche Welle
Long-range missiles not enough to make a difference for Ukraine Responsible national governance
Poland supports ending EU benefits for fighting-age Ukrainian men Eura Active
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Nord Stream explosion investigation: ‘Nothing is being covered up’ – Scholz RT
Did “Our Little Baby” Create Nazi International? Bandera Lobby Blog
South of the Border
Venezuela seizes weapons used in CIA-led anti-state plot Al Mayadeen
Mercenary boss Erik Prince’s political and commercial motivations in Venezuela Orinoco Tribune
Bolivia signs $976 million deal with Russia to tap world’s largest lithium reserves BNE Intellectual News
Spook Country
Biden Administration
Biden unlikely to make U.S. Steel purchase decision before election, reports say Kyodo News
Antitrust
The secret behind rising highway costs Useless things
Trump
Sen. Josh Hawley: Whistleblower says lead Secret Service agent the day Trump was shot was promoted after failing key test Real Clear Politics
Kamala
Action News Exclusive Interview: Kamala Harris Talks Economy, Guns and More Action News 6 ABC. His first exclusive interview as a candidate.
Even though the Harris campaign says it doesn’t accept donations from lobbyists. Sludge
2024
Meet the Kremlin’s ideal parliamentary candidate Popular info. Seems to make sense.
Harris launches all-out cold war in hopes of winning Polish votes. Loot
JD Vance sells himself to Silicon Valley The Verge
Race horses, slot machines, election campaigns Searchlight New Mexico
The Democratic Party is broken
That’s not a big deal, folks. Many lawyers leave work late on a Saturday night after the FBI seizes their colleagues’ cell phones. https://t.co/Y7GMZ5v23P
— Sandy Nurse (@SandyforCouncil) September 15, 2024
Empire Collapse Watch
Lawmakers Investing in War Sludge
China’s New Lobbyist: Wall Street Compact Substack. “New”?
Prominent official says NASA facility is “worst” he’s ever seen Ars Technical
Stranded astronaut makes first public statement since being left behind on the ISS AP
Boeing
Boeing Collapses: Is It Capitalism or Kafka? Dollars and Sense
Immigration
AI images of cats and ducks spread word of pet eating in Springfield, Ohio NBC News
The Evolution of Nebraska Flatwater Free Press. “There’s a perception that Nebraska’s small communities are declining. But the reality is that many of Nebraska’s rural counties are currently growing for one reason and one thing only: immigration.”
Police State Surveillance
Renowned free press
New York Times’ past reporting undermines coverage of escalating war Lee Fan
Digital Watch
Exclusive: Lawmakers investigating federal government use of CrowdStrike Axios
23andMe to pay $30 million to settle genetic data leak Bleeping Computer
supply chain
Chinese seafarers’ wages soar as U.S. crews suffer wage stagflation Captain
artificial intelligence
New research suggests AI could convince conspiracy theorists that they’re wrong Gizmodo
Microsoft brags about environmental progress while secretly selling AI to fossil fuel companies Futurism
Class struggle
No sleeping bags needed, keep moving: California cities step up crackdown on homeless camps Calm Matters
Today’s antidote (via):
See yesterday’s link and the Antidote du Jour here.
