Dolphin intelligence and humanity’s cosmic future Aeon Essays (Anthony L)
Mice biting hospital patients, ravaging farms as plague escalates across NSW Sky News (Anthony L)
The US wood shortage can be traced to a decades-old beetle infestation in Canada Quartz (resilc)
Experience: Gwyneth Paltrow’s vagina candle erupted in my front room Guardian (Dr. Kevin). Um, people admit to having bought them? Even as a joke? Don’t they realize that rewards her?
Mission to clean up space debris around Earth is poised for launch NBC (furzy)
NASA and SpaceX sign agreement on spaceflight safety SpaceNews (Kevin W)
Ontario to (finally) pull the plug on fax machines in public service CBC (Dr. Kevin)
The High Speed Rail development by country (1976-present) pic.twitter.com/m7Ut8Q3cpu
— Carl Zha (@CarlZha) March 19, 2021
Jason Hickel introduces Degrowth – book review Monthly Review (Anthony L)
New study shows microplastics turn into ‘hubs’ for pathogens, antibiotic-resistant bacteria PhysOrg (Paul R)
Scared of school? Bolivian girl takes her virtual classes in a cemetery Reuters (resilc)
The Haunted Imagination of Alfred Hitchcock New Republic (Anthony L)
#COVID-19
Finland was the world’s happiest country again last year despite Covid-19’s impact NBC (furzy)
Covid-19: West Bank hospitals inundated while Israel tosses surplus vaccines Middle East Eye (resilc)
Science/Medicine
AstraZeneca: German team discovers thrombosis trigger DW (David L)
Scandinavian countries keep AstraZeneca vaccine on hold Financial Times (Kevin W)
Low-dose aspirin can reduce the risk of ICU admission and death of Covid-19, researchers say CNN (mark a)
US
Push to make Covid vaccines causes US drug shortages Financial Times
Fauci has consistently proved himself to be a political operator.
He largely toed the line under Trump, helped legitimize Cuomo’s failed response, and now he’s leant his credibility to the Biden administration’s reopening push even as epidemiologists sound the alarm.
— Walker Bragman (@WalkerBragman) March 19, 2021
UK/Europe
Finance/Economy
How the wave of telehealth SPACs during the pandemic could create a ‘perfect storm’ for investors STAT
China?
Fireworks and fury set New Cold War tone in Alaska Asia Times (Kevin W)
Too young, too naive! https://t.co/9LThpXdLzt
— Victor Shih (@vshih2) March 20, 2021
The Sports Pages of Death Tom Engelhardt
China’s millennials, Generation Z leading nation away from Hollywood films, American culture, US brands South China Morning Post (resilc)
Chinese military bans Tesla cars in its complexes on camera concerns: Bloomberg Reuters
The Bayswater Grocer London Review of Books. On “Singapore: A Modern History.”
Brexit
The great Brexit bodge job Chris Grey (guurst)
Incase your wondering why you’ve not heard from me lately – it’s because absolutely anything I try and move is made impossible by paperwork , VAT and insurance costs . In December we only needed a CMR – now you need a magic wand
— ciaran the euro courier 🇪🇺🇮🇪 (@donnyc1975) March 18, 2021
PT4 – As you can see a ream of paper by the side to give scale…
Madness !!”
My final statement – This is a problem which lays 100% on the UK side, not Europe.#Brexit #UK #Wine #Shipping pic.twitter.com/85okf5vDCN
— Matt Wilkin MS (@MattWilkinMS) March 17, 2021
EU Sues U.K. Over Tax Breaks as Post-Brexit Skirmishes Mount Bloomberg
‘Pandora’s box’ of Northern Ireland could be opened unless EU changes Brexit deal, loyalists warn Reuters. Buyer’s regret is not a good look.
Old Blighty
The Tories are coming for the BBC Middle East Eye
New Cold War
Ahem, Trump was pilloried for coming to a similar view:
Biden made a mistake, there is no reason for hostility with Russia. The U.S. created the problem in the 1990s, Putin has amply paid us back. But there’s nothing inherently incompatible with our two systems.
The Chinese government by contrast is actively fostering war.
— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) March 19, 2021
Syraqistan
10-year civilian bloodbath follows NATO airstrikes in Libya Responsible Statecraft (resilc)
Report: Biden Considering Keeping Troops in Afghanistan Until November 2099 Antiwar (resilc). That’s further out that the USPS advance pension funding requirement! Is he gonna pay for that now too?
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
Camera Google Arts & Culture. Resilc: “Great scam.” Moi: Can’t prove it , but highly confident this is at least in part to enable Google to have a good face shot for snooping purposes.
Imperial Collapse Watch
This Is the F-36 Kingsnake. It Could Be the Air Force’s Next Fighter Jet Popular Mechanics. Resilc: “Kingsnakes = nonvenomous.”
The US Navy’s shaky plan to save its shipyards is getting overhauled DefenseNews (Kevin W)
Trump Transition
Trump wax figure pulled from Texas display after visitors attacked it – reports Guardian (resilc)
Biden
President Joe Biden trips climbing the stairs to Air Force 1 pic.twitter.com/x8UD7q0a48
— The Hill (@thehill) March 19, 2021
A Brazen Act of Russian Interference: Air Force One Stair Was a Putin Asset Ghion Journal
The Purge of the Stoners Sardonicky (UserFriendly)
Deconstructed: Medicare for All Just Got a Massive Boost Intercept (resilc). Biden will still whip against it.
Vacuous Valor The Baffler (Anthony L). “Cawthorn’s unrepentant brand of stolen valor is the logical endpoint of a political culture that grossly overvalues military service.”
Cuomogagte
Report: FBI Now Probing Cuomo’s Corporate Immunity Law David Sirota (Kevin C)
Andrew Cuomo is not a victim of cancel culture Albany Times-Union (Tom D)
Our Famously Free Press
Unpresidented by Jon Sopel review: How not to be a foreign correspondent Times Literary Supplement (Anthony L)
Beware of Books! Persuasion (Anthony L)
Millionaires and Corporate Giants Escape IRS Audits Again in FY 2020 TracIRS
NFTs are a dangerous trap Seth’s Blog (UserFriendly)
CalPERS whittles CIO pool to 3 before calling off search Pensions & Investments (Kevin W). Smacks of what we reported before, that the search committee is hostile to white men.
Statement From CEO Marcie Frost CalPERS To Launch New Search For CIO Mondovisione
Covid-19 Supercharged the Advertising ‘Triopoly’ of Google, Facebook and Amazon Wall Street Journal (Paul R)
The government’s lawyers saw a Google monopoly coming. Their bosses refused to sue. Politico (Chuck L). From earlier in the week, still germane.
Former BlackRock sustainability executive says Wall Street green funds are ‘PR spin’ Independent
Oil Extends Losses After Massive Sell-Off OilPrice
E-bike suspected cause of huge Australia house fire BBC (resilc). In Darlinghurst, a Sydney suburb (“suburb” in Oz-speak is a residential neighborhood and so can be pretty urban).
Class Warfare
Amazon Union Solidarity Events in Every Major City Tom – 1,000 Union Contacts at Amazon Nationwide Mike Elk
Philadelphia’s Skid Row: Video shows city’s homeless crisis with dozens camped around trash bin fire Daily Mail (furzy)
The Original Karen The Drift (Anthony L)
Antidote du jour. Tracie H: “Members of a wild burro family pack.”
Posting a Richard Smith bonus, where a similar vid was on a site that got yanked entirely from YouTube!
And another bonus:
i know a snack when i hear one pic.twitter.com/cfeRqPIBge
— Humor And Animals (@humorandanimals) March 2, 2021
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
