The 2024 autumn equinox brings fall to the Northern Hemisphere today Space.com
climate
Are temperatures still high despite the La Niña phenomenon? Arctic News
Planted mangroves store less carbon than natural forests: study The Straits Times
Seabed in protected area still damaged, activists warn BBC
What the Tunisian exodus says about the future of global migration The Christian Science Monitor
Swiss voters reject biodiversity proposal, a blow to conservationists Guardian
A small number of Paleolithic humans on the island of Cyprus hunted the native large animals to extinction. Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Syndemics
Memory and cognition changes during a SARS-CoV-2 human challenge study The Lancet. Challenge Study. From the abstract: “Memory and executive function tasks showed the largest between-group differences. … These results support findings from larger cross-sectional studies showing that small changes in cognition and memory may persist for at least a year following mild wild-type SARS-CoV-2 infection. The mechanistic basis and clinical implications of these small changes remain unclear.”
New COVID variant XEC now identified in half of states. What you need to know CBS. Commentary:
I have been downplaying the rise of XEC for two main reasons.
#1. The spikes are almost identical to the dominant KP.3.1.1
#2. I don’t think its advantage over KP.3.1.1 is big enough to have a significant real-world impact.But there is one notable feature of XEC: the disappearance of N*.
1/20— Ryan Hissner (@LongDesertTrain) September 21, 2024
China?
Getting rich in China is no longer glorious, it’s dangerous FT
China tightens military and civilian export controls ‘at the right time’, experts say South China Morning Post
China’s giant hydroelectric dams are changing the Earth’s rotation. Here’s how it works Wyoin
Cathay Pacific denies boarding to couple after arguing over reclining seats BBC
Past famine warnings Nippon.com
India
Who is Sri Lanka’s new president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake? Channel News Asia
Shiraksta
Israel steps up bombardment of Lebanon FT. Explanation:
The Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs announced his plans for Lebanon. He said that since Lebanon is not a sovereign state, Israel has the right to redraw maps and occupy areas to prevent shooting into the country. This will be a permanent occupation. What will happen to Lebanon… https://t.co/Fqwhkv2zTL
— Shaiel Ben Ephraim (@academic_la) September 22, 2024
Israel plunges into crisis as Zelensky arrives for final curtain call Simplicius, the thinker
Ukrainian special forces attack Russian base in Syria as war continues on Idlib-Aleppo front Military Watches
A new great game
“US warns Georgian authorities not to go down this path” – former White House official on sanctions JAM News
European Separation
S-400 talks appear to be nearing compromise Ekathimelini
Dear Old England
London’s super-rich flee threat of tax hikes Bloomberg
Contrary to the headline, “Pantygate” is at the top of the list.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s wife attended two Taylor Swift concerts for free Wion
Clacton man slams care at Colchester Hospital as ‘terrible’ The Gazette. Summary: “NHS trust apologises after patient says he would ‘better die at home’ than return to Colchester Hospital.”
A new cold war
Military briefing: Russia ‘overwhelms’ Ukrainian forces on eastern front FT
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians flee country ahead of winter blackout BNE Intellectual News
Russian power grid attack pushes Ukrainian businesses to the limit The Wall Street Journal
* * * Zelensky on possibility of Biden rejecting victory plan: ‘That’s a scary idea’ Ukrainska Pravda
Poland pledges to help Ukraine, but “has its own demands” Ukrainska Pravda
Danish PM urges allies to give Ukraine more wiggle room Bloomberg
* * * Nuclear weapons unlikely, Putin struggles to defend his red lines The Washington Post
Why Putin’s nuclear threat to Ukraine sounds different this time The Christian Science Monitor
Russia should worry: Ukraine’s Kursk Offensive may not be Kiev’s last bold move National Interest
Antony Blinken’s Madness Joe Lauria, Consortium News
The strategy of underestimating Russia will fail The Washington Post
* * * How to make a “war-ready” nuclear bomb progressive
South of the Border
Green Brazil? New Left Review
Spook Country
Domestic military deployment and appropriations law restrictions Legal warfare
The Supremes
Supreme Court lawyers will say anything to satisfy the justices. Balls and strikes
Antitrust
FTC sues insulin middlemen, alleging they pocket billions while patients foot the bill NPR
health care
“I don’t want to die.” He needed mental health care. He found the ghost network. NPR
The Final Frontier
SpaceX plans to send unmanned spacecraft to Mars within two years Anadolu Agency
Terrifying link between UFOs and nuclear weapons revealed Daily Mail
Academy Forest
USC: University in Lockdown Al Jazeera
Digital Watch
Videos that disappeared from YouTube Battle Penguin
Empire Collapse Watch
US Navy’s makeover: See the new apartment-like living quarters on US aircraft carriers Business Insider explains:
Here’s the size difference between the USS John C. Stennis and the HMS Illustrious pic.twitter.com/DgOlYbSJbS
— 🇬🇧 The_Sub_Hunter 🇨🇦 (@TheSubHunter1) September 15, 2024
2024, a year that means nothing Two Hearts by Charles Hugh Smith
Class struggle
Negotiators have one week to save US East Coast from chaos Splash 247
Ancient settlements show that commoning is natural for humans, not selfishness or competition. Low Impact
Cloves: The spice that enriched an empire JSTOR Daily
Editorial: Did the SC intend to ban the Bible in schools? Of course not, but it seems like they did. Postal and courier services
I went to Spain to understand the Mississippi. Atlantic Ocean
Today’s antidote (Dick Daniels):
Bonus Antidotes:
— Trail Cameras (@Trail_Cams) September 14, 2024
Double Bonus Antidote:
For the next hour, this account will be exclusively for Moo Deng fans.
Since we can’t think of anything else, let’s take a deeper look into the wonders of the pygmy hippopotamus. pic.twitter.com/4X7zjWXNuY
— Encyclopedia Britannica (@Britannica) September 13, 2024
See yesterday’s link and the Antidote du Jour here.
