Texas sea turtles released back into sea after cold front eases BBC
Did teenage ‘tyrants’ outcompete other dinosaurs? ScienceDaily (Kevin W)
Atlantic Ocean circulation at weakest in a millennium, say scientists Guardian
Tom Stevenson · Where are the space arks? Space Forces London Review of Books (Anthony L)
Mr Potato Head and the cult of gender neutrality The Spectator (furzy)
AI Teaches Itself Diplomacy IEEE (David L)
Falling sperm counts ‘threaten human survival’, expert warns Guardian (resilc)
#COVID-19
Pfizer Bullying Governments Gravitas (furzy). Today’s must watch
Brazil’s capital goes into lockdown to quell COVID-19 surge Reuters
Science/Medicine
The Coronavirus Is Plotting a Comeback. Here’s Our Chance to Stop It for Good. New York Times
Almost 2/3 of Covid hospitalizations in the U.S. have been tied to these 4 underlying health conditions, according to a new study:
-Obesity
-Diabetes
-Hypertension
-Heart failure@megtirrell has the details. pic.twitter.com/M1oUoBYOPC— The News with Shepard Smith (@thenewsoncnbc) February 26, 2021
I have construction goggles for the airplane:
Protecting the eyes from covid-19 described as “missing key” since, according to the authors, it’s an under-appreciated route of #SARSCoV2 transmission; an interesting 1919 study w/ masks & atomized bacteria in solution, + other evidence https://t.co/35iFXF5XWN @LancetMicrobe pic.twitter.com/39PMUEVkIj
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) February 24, 2021
US
F.D.A.’s expert panel voted in favor of the Johnson & Johnson shot New York Times (Kevin C)
COVID-19 at the Gym: Every Single Participant in This Maskless Cycling Class Got Coronavirus Self.com (Kevin W). Taking an in-person group aerobics class, particularly with everyone unmasked, is in Darwin Award terrain.
‘Stop this child abuse now!’: Washington high school band practice in anti-Covid TENTS gets ridiculed RT (Kevin W). Covid fault lines. Some upscale gyms require exercising in a pod, but that’s coo.
Finance/Economy
House Democrats pass sweeping $1.9T COVID-19 relief bill The Hill
The wave of covid bankruptcies has begun Washington Post (resilc)
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley Proposes Legislation Requiring $15 Minimum Wage For Billion-Dollar Companies Forbes (resilc). I like the idea but what about companies like Taco Bell and McDonalds where many of the “stores” are operated by franchisees? Legally, these franchisors are not billion dollar companies.
China?
Inside Xinjiang’s Prison State New Yorker (furzy)
How Democratic is China? Here Comes China!(Anthony L)
Why the US will want war but not China South China Morning Post (resilc)
Japan adopts strike-first policy to counter Chinese aggression WION (furzy)
Big Tech in hot seat at political gala amid Beijing crackdown and tech war South China Morning Post
Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s Big Idea: Review US-China sister city partnerships to protect against malign influence Fox News (resilc)
Gruesome find made at same spot as Caddick’s school excursions Sydney Morning Herald (Anthony L). A likely final chapter in a major fraud.
SNP in Disarray
Salmond v Sturgeon is not just a battle of personalities Guardian
New Cold War
BLOOMBERG ADMITS LYING ABOUT ROSNEFT IN MOSCOW COURT, PAYS FINE – REUTERS TO CONTINUE LYING FROM NEW YORK John Helmer
Visions of “A New Political Nationalism” David Lavnski (Mark A)
Syraqistan
Accountability for the Murder of Jamal Khashoggi Department of State (Kevin C)
Biden Won’t Penalize Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi’s Killing, Fearing Relations Breach New York Times. Resilc: “The American way, you are responsible without an adverse action in response. Everybody gets a trophy. Time to give him a Medal of Freedom during joint session.”
US Bombs Syria And Ridiculously Claims Self Defense Caitlin Johnstone (David L)
This is an entirely fair question. The Trump admin protected the guy who murdered a Washington Post journalist. Now the Biden admin is doing it. Only the tone has changed–and even that hasn’t actually changed that much. https://t.co/X9J5zvLt4B
— Jameel Jaffer (@JameelJaffer) February 26, 2021
Erdoğans Bad Bank on Trial: Shedding Light on an Alleged Plot to Evade Iran Sanctions Der Spiegel (resilc)
Why the US won’t be leaving Afghanistan Asia Times (Kevin W)
Imperial Collapse Watch
Exclusive: US counterterrorism operations touched 85 countries in the last 3 years alone USA Today (Kevin C)
Capitol Seizure
QAnon Shaman Jacob Chansley says Trump ‘groomed’ him and other rioters Independent. Kevin W: “‘groomed’? Chansley knows which words to use to make himself valuable and free from prosecution. Either that or it was ‘suggested’ to him.”
Trump Transition
In Final Days, Trump Gave Up on Forcing Release of Russiagate Files, Nunes Prober Says Aaron Mate (Chuck L)
Golden Trump idol paraded through CPAC as maskless devotees gawk and chant BoingBoing. Why do I think the End of Days types would cite Revelations 9:20:
But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.
Biden
Arrests of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children at Southern Border Surge Wall Street Journal
Joe Biden’s US Foreign Policy: Return to the Old Normal? CounterPunch
Biden has been in power for a month and his government has:
-bombed Syria
-expanded NATO occupation of Iraq
-backed brutal dictator in Haiti
-tried to steal Ecuador’s election from a socialist
-dubbed Russia an “existential threat”
-opposed $15 minimum wage
-rejected $2000 checks— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) February 26, 2021
House Democrats ask Biden to give up sole power to launch nuclear bomb New York Post. Kevin W: “Trump they were OK having the nuke codes with but here they are asking for old Joe’s car keys.” Moi The rumor is Biden is so out of it he has to be briefed before landing as to where he is going.
Texas
Who should pay to fix the electric grid? Quartz (resilc)
US removes stumbling block to global deal on digital tax Financial Times
American Cynicism Has Reached a Breaking Point The Atlantic (resilc). Americans need to be more earnest? Kill me know. What the officialdom really wants is the old gullibility back.
Apple forced to add iPhone and MacBook repairability scores to comply with French law The Verge
Influencer Cancellation Insurance Filaxis. Paul R: “Is that a joke? Please tell me it’s a joke.”: Moi: I think it’s a scam.
The Erroneous Foundations of Law and Economics Institute for New Economic Thinking
Coinbase Says Entire Crypto Market Could Destabilize if Bitcoin’s Creator is Ever Revealed or Sells Their $30 Billion Stake Business Insider
Just Don’t Expect “Pent-up Demand” from Consumers. Here’s Why Wolf Richter
SEC Suspends Trading in 15 Stocks That Got Hyped on Social Media Bloomberg (furzy)
Class Warfare
Student Loan Horror: When You Think You Qualify For Debt Relief, Check Again. And Again Matt Taibbi
More than 25m drink from the worst US water systems, with Latinos most exposed Guardian. Resilc: “But we have a space force.”
The Great Reset: Is Bill Gates TOO Powerful? Russell Brand
Antidote du jour (furzy):
And a bonus:
It’s the Weekend!! 😅 pic.twitter.com/S0PPVXpFX3
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden_) February 27, 2021
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
