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Lambert and I, and many readers, agree that Ukraine has prompted the worst informational environment ever. We hope readers will collaborate in mitigating the fog of war — both real fog and stage fog — in comments. None of us need more cheerleading and link-free repetition of memes; there are platforms for that. Low-value, link-free pom pom-wavers will be summarily whacked.
And for those who are new here, this is not a mere polite request. We have written site Policies and those who comment have accepted those terms. To prevent having to resort to the nuclear option of shutting comments down entirely until more sanity prevails, as we did during the 2015 Greek bailout negotiations and shortly after the 2020 election, we are going to be ruthless about moderating and blacklisting offenders.
–Yves
P.S. Also, before further stressing our already stressed moderators, read our site policies:
Please do not write us to ask why a comment has not appeared. We do not have the bandwidth to investigate and reply. Using the comments section to complain about moderation decisions/tripwires earns that commenter troll points. Please don’t do it. Those comments will also be removed if we encounter them.
Stuck in Vermont: Donna Bister Has Been Raising Monarch Butterflies Since 2016 Seven Days (Re Silc).
From a single domestication, donkeys helped build empires around the world Science
San Francisco Braces for Epic Commercial Real Estate Crash The San Francisco Standard
What’s the deal with all those weird wrong-number texts? Read Max
Climate
The 7 climate tipping points that could change the world forever Grist
Poop and pee fueled the huge algae bloom in San Francisco Bay. Fixing the problem could cost $14 billion San Francisco Chronicle. Go long bunker filtration units, I suppose.
Climate change may make pandemics like COVID-19 much more common ABC. All systems “go” for the next tranche of Lebensunwertes Leben, thanks to the Biden Administration’s stellar work in turning the United States into a reservoir of viral infection, literal and metaphorical.
#COVID19
COVID-19: China’s death toll puts US to shame but the western centric media tell a different story Pearls and Irritations
* * * Effects of Vaccination and Previous Infection on Omicron Infections in Children NEJM. “Both the BNT162b2 [Pfizer] vaccine and previous infection were found to confer considerable immunity against omicron infection and protection against hospitalization and death. The rapid decline in protection against omicron infection that was conferred by vaccination and previous infection provides support for booster vaccination.”
Lots of long COVID treatment leads, but few are proven PNAS. The deck: “Lingering virus particles, microclots, and faulty immune signaling are likely culprits for many long-hauler symptoms. Anticoagulants, immune regulators, and antivirals show early promise.”
* * * Long COVID outpaces diabetes in 2022 employer health spending Lab Pulse
Data Shows COVID-19 Impact on Funeral Service is Significant (press release) Kates-Boylston Publications. Publisher of a number of trade journals for the funeral industry.
* * * What to do if a family member tests positive? How to ‘Covid-proof’ your home NBC. Well worth a read, especially the ventilation part. Plenty of anecdotal reports to the effect that these techniques work. I can’t imagine why the Biden Adminisration hasn’t jumped on the bandwagon, here.
China?
China’s Xi Jinping Will Travel to Central Asia, First Overseas Trip Since Pandemic Bloomberg
The Emperor has no clothes: The China workpaper “workaround” gets the WSJ treatment Francine McKenna, The DIg
China’s Surveillance State Will Be the West’s Future, Too Bloomberg
Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo under pressure to import Russian oil FT
India
India’s energy diplomacy blossoms, finally India Punchline
Syraqistan
The Bankruptcy of Biden Middle East Policy Tikkun Olan
Chain of corruption: how the White Helmets compromised OPCW investigations in Syria Aaron Maté, The Gray Zone
UK/EU
Why EU finance ministers face a tough balancing act FT. Because the entire circus is collapsing?
New Not-So-Cold War
Russia Retaliates For Ukrainian Strikes On Russian Controlled Electricity Networks Moon of Alabama
How the Ukraine Offensive Will Shift the Market Narrative Bloomberg
Top Putin Ally Criticises Russia’s Losses In Ukraine; Calls Out Moscow’s ‘mistakes’ Republic World. Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov.
* * * Our latest interview with Jacques Baud MR Online. We ran this when it first appeared, on 9/3. I am re-upping it, for those who didn’t get to it, because of Baud’s discussion on the pitfalls of maps (or, if you prefer, the relation between a thing and its representation).
* * * Zelensky to headline US defense industry conference The Hill. A little too on the nose?
Ukraine’s anti-worker law comes into effect Open Democracy
Biden Adminstration
Exclusive: Biden to hit China with broader curbs on U.S. chip and tool exports Reuters
Supply Chain
Handy chart (1):
The backlog of cargo ships at the port of LA-Long Beach has fallen strongly from its pandemic-induced highs. Some hopeful signs that supply chain bottlenecks in the US are easing.
Chart via @JosephPolitano pic.twitter.com/RKTb3rknwh
— Philipp Heimberger (@heimbergecon) September 12, 2022
Handy chart (2):
Global container shipping costs are now down almost 50% year-on-year. Some major East -> West routes are down even more, and still falling week-on-week. pic.twitter.com/1fBmWXJDll
— Mike Bird (@Birdyword) September 12, 2022
Queen Elizabeth
It’s wall to wall Queen Queen Queen everywhere! First Dog on the Moon, Guardian. Commentary from the John Heartfield of our day:
— Cold War Steve (@coldwarsteve) September 11, 2022
What Happens to Prince Andrew Now? The Cut. Maybe he signs a book deal, then goes on Oprah and tells all? While booking his suites on the ground floor of every hotel?
A kindred spirit:
I know we’re mourning right now, but if you have fine photos of the Queen like this one, please mail them to me in an envelope. I’m collecting them for personal projects. I love collecting her photos🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/cZbzQhMnJy
— AA (@Adxpillar) September 10, 2022
We’re collecting portraits of American Presidents!
9/11
20 Years After 9/11, Surveillance Has Become a Way of Life Wired
9/11 Made It Easier For The Government To Target Black Activists Essence
The tech legacy of 9/11 Protocol
Hillary Clinton says ‘lessons still to be learned’ from 9/11 The Hill. No kidding.
2024
Mar-a-Lago a magnet for spies, officials warn after nuclear file reportedly found Guardian. Sourcing: “former intelligence officials.”
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Republican Housewife Insists On Cleaning Baseboards In Case FBI Raids House Tomorrow Babylon Bee
Healthcare
Human genomics vs Clinical genomics Eric Topol, Ground Truths
Our Famously Free Press
The Narrative Is Coming Apart Patrick Lawrence, ScheerPost
“‘The submissive void.’” The Scrum. On propaganda.
Groves of Academe
In Hasidic Enclaves, Failing Private Schools Flush With Public Money NYT
Realignment and Legitimacy
So Long to Anthony Fauci, Unlikely Avatar of Polarization Bloomberg
A Note on “Industrial Policy” Brad DeLong, Grasping Reality
Liberalism is resilient Noah Smith, Bloomberg. Weird flex, but OK.
Guillotine Watch
Palm Beach Is Facing a Devastating Private-School Shortage Curbed (Re Silc).
Class Warfare
Unions blast rail move to delay shipments before deadline AP
4,000 Google cafeteria workers quietly unionized during the pandemic WaPo
Amazon workers at fulfillment center in Moreno Valley announce union drive LA Times
A Photographer’s Intimate Look at Burning Man Inside Hook
The Art of Excess and the Excess of Art From the Forests of Arduinna. “What’s needed is not less-wasteful art and ritual, but rather more of it.”
Antidote du jour (via):
Bonus antidote:
idiot mode pic.twitter.com/JM7fViId5S
— libby watson (@libbycwatson) September 11, 2022
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
