Links 10/31/2024

Alcohol consumption abundant in the natural world, study finds Guardian

Starbucks’ sales decline for 3rd consecutive quarter Anadolu Agency

Climate

Models downplay wrath of what they sow Arctic News

Climate Clarity: The Biggest Problems, The Best Solution Exposed by CMD

Water

Climate graphic of the week: Blackouts and water rationing as South American drought worsens FT

Syndemics

Bird flu found in a pig in U.S. for the first time, raising concerns about potential risks to humans STAT

Referral: SCI AM – A Bird Flu Vaccine Might Come Too Late to Save Us from H5N1 Avian Flu Diary

China?

China’s factory activity returns to expansion, ‘positive sign’ after stimulus South China Morning Post

Explainer: How will China’s new monetary policy tool support capital market development? Xinhua

Muted Public Response to State Council’s New Slate of Policies to Promote Parenthood China Digital Times

Why China Won’t Give Up on a Failing Economic Model Foreign Affairs

India

A History of Diwali JSTOR Daily

Mattel releases first Diwali Barbie doll The Hill

Walking Phnom Penh Chris Arnade

The Koreas

Seoul to Squeeze The New Inquiry

Africa

‘Ready to die’: Protesters face bullets for political change in Mozambique Al Jazeera

French court sentences ex-doctor to 27 years in Rwanda genocide trial France24

Syraqistan

U.S. gaining confidence ceasefire in Lebanon can be reached soon Axios

US draws up draft Israel-Lebanon ceasefire plan FT

New Hezbollah chief threatens Netanyahu, but opens door for ceasefire in first speech Times of Israel

* * *

Hezbollah drone hits aviation factory in northern Israel Anadolu Agency

* * *

Illegal Israeli settlers uproot hundreds of centuries-old olive trees in northern West Bank Anadolu Agency

UK urged to share Gaza spy planes footage with ICC war crimes probe Middle East Eye. Commentary:

* * *

Members of Congress have taken hundreds of AIPAC-funded trips to Israel in the past decade Politico

European Disunion

Can the United Kingdom and France Team Up in the Third Nuclear Age? War on the Rocks

Volkswagen is in crisis again. Can it be reformed? FT

Corporate Europe Observatory – Uncovering Big Tech’s hidden network Brave New Europe

Dear Old Blighty

Car finance market in chaos after shock court ruling: Lenders pause vehicle loans following Court of Appeal judgement on dealers’ commissions Daily Mail

New Not-So-Cold War

Ukraine’s frontline is ‘crumbling’ against Russian advances, says general The Telegraph

Ukraine: Compromise or Collapse The Nation

Don’t Let Russia Win the Ukraine War The National Interest

* * *

US Warns North Korean Troops May Widen Russia’s War on Ukraine Bloomberg

Russian units in Kaliningrad may be preparing sabotage in Baltic states and Poland Ukrainska Pravda

* * *

Chinese sanctions hit US drone maker supplying Ukraine FT

How North Korean Artillery Supplies Saved Russia’s War Effort: 6 Million Rounds Left Ukraine Tremendously Outgunned Military Watch

* * *

European Commission ready to open first negotiation clusters with Ukraine, but conditions possible Ukrainska Pravda

Global financial watchdog FATF once again refuses to include Russia on its black list – Reuters Ukrainska Pravda

* * *

As Georgians Protest Election Results, What Next? Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

An unfortunate rush to judgment in Georgia elections Responsible Statecraft

* * *

50/50: How referendum results will shape Moldova’s path to the EU JAM News

South of the Border

Bolivia president calls for end of blockades, says costs exceed $1.7 billion Reuters. Video (2020):

Mexico Supreme Court justice announces resignation, more expected Reuters

Biden Administration

Lawsuit claims ICE withheld $300M in bond payments from immigrants AP

2024

Biden bites three babies at White House Halloween party Daily Mail

Elon Musk ordered to attend Philadelphia hearing; DA asks for more security 6ABC

The Final Frontier

Largest Commercial Satellites Unfurl, Outshining Most of the Night Sky Gizmodo

China wants to make its Tiangong space station bigger and better Space.com

Halloween

Cop ‘attacked’ by giant inflatable runaway Halloween pumpkin in middle of the street ABC

Forget witches and zombies, Chinese youths are dressing up as celebs and memes this Halloween Channel News Asia

The Past as Prologue: Caliban & the Witch – a Review MR Online

Why Horror Needs Humor Literary Hub

Sports Desk

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman (4 HRs, 12 RBIs) named World Series MVP ESPN

Snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan gets Hong Kong residency as part of quality migrant scheme South China Morning Post. Video:

How Public Stadiums Keep Some Profits Private Defector

Imperial Collapse Watch

The U.S. Air Force Could Buy Over 200 B-21s: Major Expansion of Long Range Stealth Bomber Fleet Considered Military Watch

Math Might Be the B-21 Raider’s Biggest Enemy The National Interest

Does foreign interventionism make America safer? Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun

Class Warfare

Consolidation Threatens to Rip ‘Service’ Out of Postal Service Labor Notes

The Billionaire Is the Threat, Not the Solution 404 Media

Fandom has toxified the world Anarchist Library

Antidote du jour (Ken Thomas):

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.

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About Lambert Strether

Readers, I have had a correspondent characterize my views as realistic cynical. Let me briefly explain them. I believe in universal programs that provide concrete material benefits, especially to the working class. Medicare for All is the prime example, but tuition-free college and a Post Office Bank also fall under this heading. So do a Jobs Guarantee and a Debt Jubilee. Clearly, neither liberal Democrats nor conservative Republicans can deliver on such programs, because the two are different flavors of neoliberalism (“Because markets”). I don’t much care about the “ism” that delivers the benefits, although whichever one does have to put common humanity first, as opposed to markets. Could be a second FDR saving capitalism, democratic socialism leashing and collaring it, or communism razing it. I don’t much care, as long as the benefits are delivered. To me, the key issue — and this is why Medicare for All is always first with me — is the tens of thousands of excess “deaths from despair,” as described by the Case-Deaton study, and other recent studies. That enormous body count makes Medicare for All, at the very least, a moral and strategic imperative. And that level of suffering and organic damage makes the concerns of identity politics — even the worthy fight to help the refugees Bush, Obama, and Clinton’s wars created — bright shiny objects by comparison. Hence my frustration with the news flow — currently in my view the swirling intersection of two, separate Shock Doctrine campaigns, one by the Administration, and the other by out-of-power liberals and their allies in the State and in the press — a news flow that constantly forces me to focus on matters that I regard as of secondary importance to the excess deaths. What kind of political economy is it that halts or even reverses the increases in life expectancy that civilized societies have achieved? I am also very hopeful that the continuing destruction of both party establishments will open the space for voices supporting programs similar to those I have listed; let’s call such voices “the left.” Volatility creates opportunity, especially if the Democrat establishment, which puts markets first and opposes all such programs, isn’t allowed to get back into the saddle. Eyes on the prize! I love the tactical level, and secretly love even the horse race, since I’ve been blogging about it daily for fourteen years, but everything I write has this perspective at the back of it.

120 comments

  1. Antifa

    BRIGHTER MAKES THE SALE
    (melody borrowed from Tiger By The Tail  by Buck Owens)

    We want a brighter future than the one we see
    What trickles down smells very much like pee
    All fifty states are a lookin’ down the trail
    And it looks like we’re gonna have a fire sale

    Well, you say if we elect you to run our Uncle Sam
    You’re not gonna sit on your two hands
    And there’ll be no more pissing down our backs and coattails
    Are we five by five or didja devil the details?

    We want a brighter future than the one we see
    Every billionaire has his own monopoly
    This choo choo train will be runnin’ out of rail
    It’s hammer time and you ain’t got a nail

    (musical interlude)

    Well, stories that are shaggy they confuse and confound
    Promise is the politician sound
    All the lies you told us about checks in the mail
    Did you even try or was it just your plan to fail?

    We want a brighter future than the one we see
    You’re out of touch, and the money’s all you see
    We warn you straight—this job is pass or fail
    Human lives hafta be your Holy Grail

    Reply
  2. The Rev Kev

    “Mattel releases first Diwali Barbie doll”

    Since Indian ultra-nationalists are trying to be apologists for a past Indian custom, will Mattel eventually release the first Suttee Barbie Doll? (matches included)

    Reply
    1. Es s Ce Tera

      I guess over at the Hill a news item about Mattel releasing its first Diwali Barbie doll doesn’t warrant a photo of said doll. Interesting, that.

      Reply
  3. Psyched

    “Alcohol consumption abundant in the natural world, study finds”

    Ethanol is the most vilified, but most useful medication you can have in your anarchist medical bag. It is literally the best calcium, potassium and sodium channel blocker and the only one that reaches the brain. [1] [2]

    I have labile hypertension, one of the most difficult forms to treat. Ethanol (in the form of 1.5 ounces of vodka) is short lasting and lowers my blood pressure in minutes. It also eases my mood in a way no pharmacological product could. It is only because people abuse alcohol that it has such a bad rap. Two of my brothers who quit drinking had heart attacks, one fatal.

    I have always wondered if my family has a genetic need for some level of alcohol after the legacy of drinking in my family. Both my grandparents were very poor and they all certainly drank. My one grandfather drank vodka everyday and lived till he was 98 (he also ran moonshine out of his barbershop in Manhattan. So my family may be closer to the oriental hornets they mentioned in the article!

    Reply
    1. dave

      Have you seen the movie “Another Round”? A group of friends theorize that the human body is naturally .05% low on alcohol, so endeavor to always have that on board.

      I’m torn between thinking alcohol is the biggest destroyer (it can be), and its value as an anti anxiety/pro social drug that is positive.

      Reply
      1. amfortas the hippie

        its also a remarkable analgesic.
        but it has rather severe side effects.
        i habitually do not mix the vicodin and beer…ie: if i imbibe more than 4 beers, i’ll skip the evening vicodin automatically.
        and i usually end up drinking beer on days when i either overdo it with the farm work, or when the weather is playin hell with my skeletal barometer….when i really need(rather than want) to just lay in bed in my nest of pillows, but it hurts more to lay down than to sit on my barstump.
        because the hydrocodone just doesnt do the trick.
        so long as i stay out of the likker—and go easy on the homegrown— this regimen usually works out pretty well.

        the 1/2 irish/scots irish, and 1/4 bohemian czechy are sometimes overwhelmed by the 1/4 choctaw,lol.
        hence being abstemious with the likker.

        interestingly, perhaps, i actually fall down more when i’m stone cold sober.
        i dont have a good explanation for that feature.

        Reply
        1. JP

          I drive way more carefully when drunk. Also pick my feet up so I don’t stumble. I have learned to do this to stay married.

          Reply
          1. amfortas the hippie

            me, too,lol…altho literally all my drunk drivin is on the place, these days…and mostly in the Falcon(ranch golfcart).

            and due to my global arthritis, or whatever, i drag my feet, as a rule.
            i dont take a walk, i stagger and lurch.
            dont even notice it until i stumble on some stick or something.
            when in my cups, i am more prone to stomp,lol.
            that might explain the phenomenon.

            Reply
    2. ACPAL

      My neurologist once told me that 80% of the people on opioids use them properly. Yet they and their pills are vilified. Of the approximately 130 million gun owners in the US an extremely small percentage misuse them. Yet they’re all vilified. The vast majority of alcohol drinkers do so responsibly. Yet they and their drinks are vilified. The list goes on.

      The innocent masses must pay for the sins of the few. It’s the American way.

      Reply
  4. Wukchumni

    Can there be any doubt that Genocide Joe mistook a child dressed as a chicken for an extra crispy bucket of KFC?

    Reply
    1. Screwball

      I had no idea what you were talking about – then I went on Twitter… Oh boy! I read a Tweet that said;

      Trump right now: Giving a speech while wearing a garbage vest.

      Biden right now: Biting babies at the White House.

      These two are not the same.

      The entire garbage thing was hilarious, and reading the reactions might be even better. One guy wanted Trump arrested because he doesn’t have a CDL. Too funny. And Joe sniffing, biting, rubbing little kids? Isn’t that the Joe we’ve always known? This might be another incident that will convince his handlers to keep him away from any camera or microphone for the next week.

      Reply
      1. Louis Fyne

        Crazy bizarro-world….genocide committed in broad daylight, shrug + mild finger-wagging;
        man sniffs girls’/women’s hair, shrug + mild finger-wagging;
        man bites/suckles baby, shrug + mild finger-wagging.

        Reply
    2. Carolinian

      Not to change the subject but no hosannas for your boys in Dodger blue?

      I confess no love for the Yankees after they gave my Braves such a hard time.

      Reply
      1. Wukchumni

        I’m now 3 and 2 lifetime in Dodgers/Yankees world series and tickled pink by the outcome…

        My dad was in the stock biz in LA in the 60’s and worked with a young Peter O’Malley there, and my mom told me that he would get dugout seats and as a toddler watched Koufax pitch, Wills steal and more, but a baseball game is wasted on a 3 year old, as I don’t remember a thing.

        Reply
      2. Pat

        My bus driver from yesterday is probably crying as she works today. She was going to it and was fully prepared to call in if the Yankees won as she would be celebrating their continued survival.

        Me, I am just beyond happy that they didn’t win because I root for only one thing for any major sport. That no NYC team makes the playoffs or if they do, win. I have no interest in those sports currently so I just like that there will be no massive celebration or ticker tape parade messing up the city more than it already is. I am that shallow. (Although I do feel badly for true fans like my driver, could be why I like when underdogs win. They have the most diehards.)

        And the last time I was interested in baseball was when Koufax was playing. So I envy three year old Wuk. His pitching was a thing of beauty.

        Reply
        1. juno mas

          Sandy Koufax retired after the 1966 season, age of 30, due to elbow tendon inflammation (T-John surgery had yet to be perfected by Dr. Kerlan). I watched Koufax pitch a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium in 1963, and met him personally in the summer of 1980. He’s now 88.

          Reply
      3. Kontrary Kansan

        So, heavy-hitting Aaron Judge contributes ziltch to Yankee’s offense. Then, with Yankees ahead in game 5 he muffs an easy fly ball (after making a circus catch earlier). Yankees lose. Odds?

        Reply
  5. Steve H.

    > Climate Clarity: The Biggest Problems, The Best Solution Exposed by CMD

    Intriguing, but linked sources were chewing their own tails. Following is from 2012:

    The Haida Salmon Restoration Project: The Story So Far
    aoml.noaa.gov/ftp/pub/phod/pub/lumpkin/haida_foia_request/HSRC_SeptStory%20Final.pdf

    Main source kinda fergits to mention this, from wiki:

    > The experiment, which was carried out without the knowledge of national authorities, was later described by a leading scientist at the Natural History Museum in London as “hav(ing) had a chilling effect on public trust and on research”.[3] In May, 2013, HSRC fired George, removing him as a director of the company, and appointed John Disney as interim CEO.

    Reply
    1. Ben Panga

      An artist who has given me many many hours of happiness.

      It’s also pleasing to seeing him now: a fairly boring man of about my age. His sexy rebel vibe ended as he healed from his past. Now he just seems happy. Still goes his own way, but without the torment.

      Here’s him and somewhat less at peace middle-aged man Stephen Hendry chatting and playing.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJTnRNZtwcw

      Reply
  6. The Rev Kev

    “US draws up draft Israel-Lebanon ceasefire plan”

    This is so stupid to read this. Israel is breaking their teeth trying to get a foothold in Lebanon but Hezbollah have fought them to a standstill. So with this “plan” they want Lebanon to hand Israel a victory that they are incapable of getting for themselves. It does not help that the US Ambassador in Lebanon was trying to encourage a second civil war in Israel by having everybody in Lebanon launch an internal uprising against Hezbollah on Israel’s behalf-

    https://thecradle.co/articles-id/27478

    The woman is a lunatic if this is her plan and I am pretty sure that this is not what Ambassadors are supposed to be saying. If I was there I would be suggesting a new strategy to Israel – ‘Let the Wookie Win!’

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN0T5tyJlo8 (49 secs)

    Reply
    1. NotTimothyGeithner

      This is the kind of thing I would expect out of the mind of John Bolton. In the case of State, it’s been subordinate to White House staff (ex. Kissinger before he was Secretary of State), the Pentagon, and institutions such as Treasury which wields power via the IMF. As a structure, it’s simply rotten. Then with Shrub, the final nail was put into place. Democrats embraced the “SMRT war” necessitating people in suits and pantsuits instead of uniforms and let that doofus Hillary run the department leading to a complete nightmare.

      Now, it’s just bloodthirsty PMCs of the lowest talent level imaginable who can barely control their glee. If you thought Samantha Power was bad, wait until you see the people underneath.

      After October 7th, there was that Obama appointee who accosted a street vendor. It’s a completely rotten culture.

      Reply
      1. Another Bad Comment

        Am I the only one who has problems posting comments this morning? In any case:

        In the case of State, it’s been subordinate to White House staff (ex. Kissinger before he was Secretary of State), the Pentagon, and institutions such as Treasury which wields power via the IMF. As a structure,

        You are absolutely, 100%, completely wrong with respect to State being subordinate to the Pentagon.

        The Pentagon has virtually always been far less bellicose than State, and it has almost always urged caution. I have yet to find a good analysis about this, but my best guess is that since DoD has to actually fight and lose its own staff, they are more cautious.

        However, State loves the idea of being able to use DoD as a stick and as a nice, easy way to cover up for their own complete inability to negotiate anything properly (or taking maximal positions that simply nobody will adhere to without being bombed to oblivion first).

        Yes, DoD eventually bombs the hell out of places, but that is under orders; they are very rarely the ones itching to go to war

        This is not even new–you can go way back to Weinberger and Schultz arguing over Beirut, where State was basically demanding that the marines be there to “do something” or “establish a presence” or whatever, and DoD screaming against it. Reagan initially listened to State until the marines got blown up, at which point he finally acquiesced to DoD.

        You can find many, many, many examples since. DoD is almost always the most dovish of the factions involved.

        Reply
        1. Anthony Noel

          I’d argue the DOD is only “dovish” because they know that the US military is a paper tiger and any expenditure of military force is likely to expose that fact. While China and Russia are more then aware that they are likely able to defeat the US in a conventual war right now, with significant losses, they are also aware that any pretense that the US is a peer nation is only going to slip farther as time goes on. But the illusion of military dominance is pretty much the only card the empire can play for the plebs at home and the DOD know that the more the idiots at State shoot their mouths off the more likely one of the countries we are putting the boot to will finally say enough is enough, and once that happens the illusion of dominance gets shattered verrrrry quickly.

          Reply
    2. Socal Rhino

      I’ve seen speculation that Israel will retreat from Lebanon and Hezbollah will follow them into northern Israel.

      Waiting to see if Iran retaliates and if they do, how badly Israel’s military infrastructure may be degtaded.

      Reply
      1. Polar Socialist

        Hezbollah’s best chance is to keep luring IDF raids to Lebanon and then ambush them. When IDF retreats, target them relentlessly with missiles and rockets until they do another raid. Rinse and repeat. Scott Ritter even claims that Iran/Hezbollah has actually broken into IDF communications network, even if it’s encrypted and frequency jumping, and has enough Hebrew speaking people to create confusion or even chaos among advancing IDF units.

        In Lebanon Hezbollah can literally run circles around IDF, in Israel (or occupied Palestine) they would lose that huge advantage, and IDF’s superior tactical firepower would start to have weight. Also the IDF communications inside Israel are more along the fiber optics than on the radio waves.

        Reply
        1. vao

          There are other views about how things are going in Southern Lebanon.

          His view on what the Israelis intend to achieve departs from what is usually assumed: they are not so much trying to expell Hezbollah and occupy the terrain for their settlers, as to turn it into a Gaza bis (“make a desert and call it peace”) by destroying everything. This is probably correct: why would the troops that already bulldozed Gaza know and want to operate in a different, subtler, less destructive way elsewhere?

          On the other hand, from what I have read, it also seems clear that the price the Israelis are paying for their incursion is at least an order of magnitude higher than in Gaza.

          Reply
    3. ChrisFromGA

      I’m not sure what it means, but just observing that our friend Blinken is not involved with this little operation. It’s some Hochstein dude who I’ve never heard of before. Blinken is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps this is not a State Dept. initiative. (Skunkworks? CIA?)

      Perhaps it’s too odious of a ploy even for Antony. He has some scruples, after all! (We can always be hopeful.)

      Reply
        1. ChrisFromGA

          His current title is White House special envoy for the ME. Looks like a WH operation to shape the narrative, “see, we’re still working for a ceasefire – pay no attention to Bibi!” or something more nefarious.

          Clearly he is not a neutral party who could be trusted to negotiate in good faith. Something rotten here. He’s up to no good, and Hezbollah would have to be insane to even talk with him.

          Reply
        2. ChrisFromGA

          This caught my eye:

          In March 2017, he joined Tellurian, a private Houston-based LNG company, where he served as senior vice president marketing until his departure in September 2020.[6] He serves on the boards of the Atlantic Council and U.S.-India Business Council. Hochstein is a former member of the supervisory board of Ukrainian Naftogaz, from which he resigned in October 2020[

          *emphasis mine

          Reply
    1. Es s Ce Tera

      I’m amazed that 1) people called 911 to report the pumpkin, 2) drivers were just sitting there in their cars, stopped, not willing to get out and move the thing out of the way, 3) multiple police cars were dispatched, 4) it took so long for the cops to get it off the street. The first responder was grasping at the tiedowns but not actually doing anything, not pulling or tugging, just…fondling the thing?

      Reply
  7. TomDority

    Why China Won’t Give Up on a Failing Economic Model Foreign Affairs
    “By 2024, average disposable income had increased by only 50 percent since 2017”
    Failing – how about the growth in the USA since 2017.

    DeJoy still at the Post Office — gee, why is he still their? Oh yea, both political parties are want to get the big bucks from the privatizers/privateers while they grift the American Public.
    Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution – “To establish Post Offices and post Roads.”

    Reply
    1. Mikel

      The first paragraph actually made me consider that there is a problem with China’s economic modelling.

      “The total amount and specifics of the fiscal stimulus will be revealed after the U.S. election, following the National People’s Congress Standing Committee meeting in early November, but Vice Finance Minister Liao Min has described it as “quite large scale.”

      Assuming it’s true that the US election plays a big part in their calculus and narratives. Yeah, I would say that it is a big part of China’s economic problems.

      Reply
      1. CA

        “The first paragraph actually made me consider that there is a problem with China’s economic modelling…”

        Good grief. US elections are of absolutely no significance to Chinese economic modellers. The article in question is beyond absurd. Somehow, Chinese modellers have managed splendidly these last 45 years in spite of continually contrary US advice on adopted Chinese plans.

        As Berkeley’s Brad DeLong has complained in print several times, he has been predicting Chinese economic collapse since 1980 only the Chinese avoid reading him:

        https://www.bradford-delong.com/2015/12/ever-since-i-became-an-adult-in-1980-i-have-been-a-stopped-clock-with-respect-to-the-chinese-economy-i-have-said-alw.html

        Reply
  8. Ben Panga

    “Third state” of existence between life and death confirmed by scientists (earth.com)

    “…In this third state, certain cells — when given nutrients, oxygen, bioelectricity, or biochemical signals — have the capacity to transform into new multicellular organisms, exhibiting new functions even after death.

    The researchers reviewed recent studies showing the incredible capability of cells to reorganize and take on new forms after the death of the organism”. …

    Intriguing stuff

    Reply
  9. The Rev Kev

    “How North Korean Artillery Supplies Saved Russia’s War Effort: 6 Million Rounds Left Ukraine Tremendously Outgunned”

    Maybe I missed it but I think that this article failed to mention the huge amount of artillery that the South Koreans sent to the Ukraine via NATO. But I do not think that future history books will say that Russia was just about to lose the war against the Ukrainians and it was only the support of the mighty North Korean military that turned the situation around for them.

    Reply
    1. Skip Intro

      This is another page in the big book of excuses that western politicians need to cook up to explain how they could lose so thoroughly. This chapter is wryly titled “Nobody expects the North Koreans!”

      Reply
    2. Louis Fyne

      burying the lede…..(assuming all the numbers are true) NK, by itself, makes more shells per year than all of Europe

      Reply
    3. Polar Socialist

      I wonder where they get the number? In June it was “containers, that could hold as many as 4.8 million artillery shells”, now South Korean intelligence is claiming 9 million shells…

      But yeah, they could have mentioned the 4-5 million shells Ukraine has received from it’s “allies”. Or that it has turned out that artillery pieces like M777 and CESAR have turned out to be overpriced (5 to 6 times more expensive than MSTA-S) crap in real war conditions.

      Anyway, what happened to the narrative that Ukraine has a huge lead in drone warfare and needs no steenking artillery?

      Reply
  10. Carolinian

    Re obnoxiously bright giant satellites in low orbit–on the plus side maybe if there are enough of them it will solve global warming?

    Do we really need to wreck everything so people can watch TikTok videos? Here in SC wrecking nature is a sore point at the moment. Many of my favorite nature spots are gravely injured.

    Reply
    1. Another Bad Commentator

      LOL!

      If you think this is bad, go read up on what happens to those satellites once they reach end of life.

      Hint: There are no real regulations as to who pays for their decommissioning, and they are just parked in orbit until gravity eventually does its thing.

      Or, phrased differently, you have no doubt heard of the traged of the commons? Well, the most “commonsest” place is low-earth orbit.

      Reply
  11. Alice X

    ~‘A Cartography of Genocide’

    I try to put myself in the conditions in Gaza and I melt. I consider myself seasoned to a dearth of material conditions and pretty tough, but what is humanly possible? The great crime against the Palestinians is that it is being tested in such an inhumane fashion. That it is being tested at all.

    Alistair Crooke makes a few points here in this brief clip with Judge Nap:

    Alastair Crooke : de-radicalizing Palestinians

    de-radicalizing Palestinians should be in quotes because they are defending their country, their land, their people and finally their own humanity. The clip is brief and the point could be greatly expanded.

    A pall comes over me every day as I find I cannot escape being Palestinian in spirit.

    This short documentary from Middle East Eye gives some further insight:

    The untold history of the Israel Defense Forces | The Big Picture

    The title should be The Zionist Occupation Forces.

    Reply
    1. Alice X

      Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, has released a new report. She appeared in studio on DN today. Previously scheduled, she was dis-invited to testify before congress.


      “Genocide as Colonial Erasure”: U.N. Expert Francesca Albanese on Israel’s “Intent to Destroy” Gaza

      She was also recently interviewed by Chris Hedges:

      Genocide as Colonial Erasure (w/ Francesca Albanese) | The Chris Hedges Report

      She is a courageous person. The genocidaires and their enablers roll out their requisite trick of claiming anti-semitism.

      Reply
  12. Ignacio

    Yesterday the effects of the Storm in Valencia with a human toll of more than 90 and rising were linked.
    Here you can see satellite pictures of the South Valencia region before and after the storm.

    Reply
      1. Cristobal

        It is horrific. The response though puts similar US efforts to shame. As of the night of the first day, over 100 helicopter rescues, hundreds of ground rescues, the army, the Guardia Civil, all the other police forces, and the UME (quite capable military unit deployed to deal with civil emergencies) all out in force. There appears to be intergovernmental coordination in spite of the yapping dog politicians of a certain party not to be named. In spite of all this it will take months to recover; it is a Cat 5 hurricane level disaster.

        From what I have seen in Spain, cities on the Mediterranean are woefully lacking in flood contol. The sight of the concrete lined waterways in the affected regions demonstates this. Those only serve to speed flood waters downstream to where they eventually run into a bottleneck, usually an urban area, and destroy it. Climate change is real. Pie in the sky high tech ¨carbon neutral¨ boondogles that promise to deal with it are wasting time and money. The climate has changed, and we are now required to deal with the new reality. It will be a big job, but similar disasters will continue to occur until adequate flood control measures upstream are put in place, and building restrictions (planning?!!) is enforced.

        Reply
  13. CA

    “Why China Won’t Give Up on a Failing Economic Model”

    China in 2023 was 26.8% larger in GDP than the US, and 29.8% larger than the European Union.

    https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1pNpr

    August 4, 2014

    Real per capita Gross Domestic Product for China, European Union, India, Japan and United States, 1977-2023

    (Percent change)

    https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1pNpu

    August 4, 2014

    Real per capita Gross Domestic Product for China, European Union, India, Japan and United States, 1977-2023

    (Indexed to 1977)

    Reply
        1. Lou Anton

          Meant no offense (did mean to be a little crass though). I was really just highlighting the point Michael Pettis always hammers home when it comes to China. He and his co-author wrote an essay recently that I think summarizes his point and explains your GDP charts well. Find it here if you’d like!

          Reply
          1. CA

            I am so sorry, and completely grateful for your kind response. I clicked on the link, which immediately confused and frightened me. I immediately shut down the link, thinking the point was to be offensive.

            Again, I am quite sorry and grateful for your explanation and post which I read carefully.

            Reply
              1. Revenant

                Cocaine is God’s way of telling you you’re making too much money. (Robin Williams)

                US Treasuries are God’s way of telling you you’re making too many manufacturing exports (Michael Pettis)

                Reply
          2. AndrewJ

            I’ve heard the “china only has a successful industrial sector only because they subsidize their manufacturers” claim recently from friends, is this where that claim comes from? I’m already disinclined to give it much weight due to the consistent use of “households” in the place of “government expense,” that sets off my MMT alarm bells. And it looks like these pernicious subsidies can take many forms, only one of which is direct payments or easy credit to manufacturers, others include lax environmental regulations and a cheap workforce, neither of which are uncommon here in the west either.
            I couldn’t make my way through the entire article – it reads like it was written by economists for economists, i.e. there’s a model they need to shoehorn historical data into in order to get the conclusion out they want.
            Seems to me that what China has is an industrial policy, and in lieu of actually having one ourselves, it’s easier to point fingers and shout “cheating!!”

            Reply
            1. Lou Anton

              They do have an industrial policy for sure. It’s to favor production and associated profits at the expense of paying workers more. IDK how long workers tolerate this arrangement.

              Reply
  14. The Rev Kev

    “Starbucks’ sales decline for 3rd consecutive quarter”

    ‘It is clear we need to fundamentally change our strategy to win back customers’

    I read about Starbucks in the US and how friends meet there and set up their laptops so that they can spend hours there together. So Starbucks is a social thing. They tried to enter the Australian market but failed to compete against local coffee places because local brews were far superior to the Starbucks brand of coffee because of the local Italian traditions. So I began to wonder. Starbucks is declining, right? What if…what if it was simply a matter of a younger generation going to Starbucks, taking one taste, and then realizing that it tastes like burnt crap. So why go there again? Because their elders do it? Get real.

    Reply
    1. Jackiebass63

      Some of it is the high price. Also there is a lot of competition. Where I live Wendies and McDonalds have long lines at the drive through every morning.

      Reply
    2. Zagonostra

      It’s their support for genocide, like McDonald’s, and the consequent boycott by many, myself included, that I think/hope, is causing the declining sales.

      Reply
    3. Es s Ce Tera

      It’s a quality issue.

      I used to have the Starbucks app, had a coffee and scone every morning as it was right across from my office. Or every now and then I would get one of their lunch kits, my fav was the 2 egg, apple, cheese and nuts kit. They would have some nice banana bread loafs, or croissants, or lemon breads. I really appreciated the convenience of the kits, especially if I was in a rush, and the taste wasn’t too bad – you can’t mess up boiled eggs, slices of apples, slices of cheese and a packet of nuts. The scones and croissants were always fresh.

      Then the pandemic happened. Fast forward to recently, I decide to renew my acquaintance and hang in several Starbucks shops to get some reading done. My scones, gone. My lunch kits, gone. None of it exists anymore, at any of several Starbucks I checked in Toronto. Whatever meager display of pastries they have are so tiny, so dry, inedible, and automatically led to toilet visits. It tastes like very bad, very stale, airline food. There are no scones to be found anywhere, in any store. WHAT KIND OF COFFEE SHOP HAS NO SCONES?!

      They no longer have fresh anything, are only offering what was prepackaged many months ago at some central warehouse somewhere, only what can sit on shelves for weeks and months. “Would you like that heated?” They remove the plastic wraps so you can’t see the dates.

      Also, Starbucks staff used to be reknown for being able to perfectly memorize orders. The last 5 coffees I ordered were very wrong. And in one particularly instance I asked for *A* single three cheese and egg sandwich – and the woman gave me 3X three cheese and egg sandwiches! At a cost of $20+.

      I don’t know what the inside story is but quality has nosedived in a very major way.

      Reply
      1. Pearl Rangefinder

        In Canada I’ve noticed the same, their quality has taken a real nosedive since the pandemic began. It was at least half decent before.

        Added to that, if you live anywhere where there are locally owned and operated coffee shops, the service and quality is miles better and you get the added benefit of getting to know the owners on a personal level. I like being able to crack dumb jokes and say ‘the usual’ for my order to the person that actually owns the place and feel like a human being every day than the ersatz Starbucks Corpo experience.

        Reply
    4. CanCyn

      Back in the day Starbucks felt like a local coffee shop. They’ve gone the Tim Horton’s route (not that I ever liked Tim Hortons coffee but they actually used to make the donuts in house and they were good!) Now both SB and TH have factories that make their stuff which is then shipped out to stores. I agree with the airline food analogy. Ironically this is done in the name of quality control but quality is worse, much worse than in days gone by when local shops had more control. That has kept me away from SB for quite some time. Their union busting tactics added to my disdain and now their support of genocide will keep me from darkening their door step any time in the future.

      Reply
      1. .Tom

        Back in the day the alternative was Folgers and Maxwell House, often with food flavorings added, from a convenience store or gas station. Relative to that it was a step up.

        Kinda like the situation Sam Adams beer entered.

        Reply
        1. CanCyn

          True dat. I remember my Mom would even drink instant coffee! Dad used the percolator but it was definitely stuff from a can. Now some people even roast their own beans! Life was simpler. My Mom and Dad never got take out coffee and they never took us out to eat when we were kids. A combination of few options and not affordable I suppose. Donuts from Tim Hortons were an occasional treat and they were brought home, no eating there with the additional cost of drinks. My Dad worked construction and took his lunch every day. Right up until I retired I brought lunch from home to work most days. I was definitely in the minority.

          Reply
    5. Pat

      Put me in the price and quality as an explanation category.
      I used to go to Starbucks often. Not the healthiest breakfast but a pumpkin spice or chai latte with a ham and cheese croissant could get me through most of the day when I knew was going to be on the run. That isn’t remotely reasonable anymore. Before my preferred breakfast sandwich order plus a large ice coffee or tea extra extra light was more expensive, that is no longer the case. And dare I say it, while the chai latte is about the same, the pumpkin spice one is not very good. Considering they were known for that and it is something their fans wait for, it is odd. I have also noticed that pastries and lunch offerings are either not available most of the time for the ones that are still decent while stuff I would never consider ordering seems to be left there gathering dust.

      Reply
  15. t

    Biting baby toes is odd? Even resolutely childless women such as Janeanne Garafalo endorse this “biting.” (Clips on all the platforms.) IIRC, gofugyourself and Reductress also support this social interaction.

    Stay out of their faces. Don’t kiss them. Bite the toes! Chomp them chonky calves!

    Reply
    1. Wukchumni

      Perhaps Joe did it in commemoration of the Donner Party’s ordeal which really starts in earnest about now, 178 years ago?

      Reply
    2. Louis Fyne

      if I saw that behavior in a social setting, no way I’d have my kid approach the perp.

      If that happened to me at the mall, I’d call the cops. not really cuz of the “damage” caused to me….cuz I’d view the perp as a future/present danger to other kids.

      Reply
    3. Screwball

      I’m a parent of 4. I’ve watched Biden do this kind of stuff for years. There were pictures and video all over the net showing this behavior. I sure as **** wouldn’t let my kid within 10 feet of this creep. Why would anyone else?

      And yes, I do think he’s a creep, and so is his kid.

      Reply
  16. AG

    Does Israel Have the Right to Defend Itself?
    States do not possess the right of self-defense to uphold illegal occupations.

    by Stephen Shalom
    (who already on the Ukraine War had a heated debate with Noam Chomsky 2 years ago)

    October 30, 2024

    https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/does-israel-have-the-right-to-defend-itself/

    p.s. trying to wrap my head around the fact that in Germany the 750 pages submitted by SA to the ICJ + the 4000 pages of footnotes are so totally being ignored. Like: nothing has happened since Oct. 7th. 2023.

    Reply
  17. Mikel

    US draws up draft Israel-Lebanon ceasefire plan – FT

    Good to know that there will not be toilet paper shortages during another pandemic.

    Reply
  18. Schopsi

    If it is true, and it seems plausible enough, that the israeli forces turned back from a planned much larger attack on Iran in part because it tuirned out the iranian/russian radars locked on to and tracked the F-35 just fine, then this could be a sign that the whole idea of stealth as game changing wunderwaffe is pretty much dead in the water.

    Not that it can’t have it’s uses, especially in cheaper weaponsystems where one generation is soon replaced by another, newer one, or that are modular enough for quick updates and improvements that can be made with having to start from scratch.

    But for expansive, complicated jets that are supposed to stay in service for many years, even decades going by experience, I doubt it.

    We maybe already more than halfway into a world where stealth piercing radar technology overalll comfortably outpaces advances in stealth technology itself and where any new adaptation and improvement in stealth can at best grant a very short lived, fleeting advantage.

    Which again may be enough for drones and during a hot war maybe even for some missiles to a degree, but without conferring any fundamental, longterm strategic advantage.

    And that fleeting advantage probably will keep shifting back and forth between peer or near peer competitors very fast, too fast to build a plan for a non suicidal first strike on it.

    In Ukraine and now perhaps even more clearly it seems like the west does not have the current upper hand at all, with all the accumulating cues that the Russians see the current US stealth stuff just fine while going by Simplicius the Yanks for the moment have big trouble detecting the newest russian stealth fighters.

    But I don’t expect that to last for long either.

    And I guess sunk costs and inertia will keep the chimera of stealth superiority/dominace alive and well (at least in the media and official department of war declarations) well past it’s expiration date.

    Reply
    1. no one

      The whole idea of stealth as game changing wunderwaffe was never much alive. That’s why Russians never wasted much money on it. US did because wasting mucho dinero was the whole point. F-35 was never meant to fight strong opponent.

      Reply
  19. magpie

    Re “Math Might Be the B-21 Raider’s Biggest Enemy”

    While the US has fallen behind Russia and China in crucial technologies (lasers and hypersonics), even while outspending both of these nations combined, now is the time to disregard all budgetary concerns and build some 300 “of these beauties.” Does this writer own stock or is he just a weirdo?

    His own logic suggests hugely-expensive defence programs have put the US at a strategic disadvantage that makes war more likely.

    This feels like the exact mindset that led to the F-35 situation: a wonder-weapon to make up for all the problems.

    You have to love how blank-cheque military programs are never mirrored in the civil sphere.

    I think this article must be filler, but even so, you have to wonder how it’s meant to be taken seriously.

    Reply
    1. cfraenkel

      That article was hard to read, the way it’d be hard to eat a sandwich covered in green mold. A more telling quote: “America allowed for the impressive B-2 bomber to languish in its arsenal for decades by only building a handful of these marvels. ” Languishing?!?! This mentality regrets not having a war to show off their toys; their world was formed by Tom Clancy novels and Marvel movies.

      To answer your question, this is pure marketing, aimed at a low brow audience who eats this stuff up. Unfortunately, some of whom sit in Congress and appropriate funds for that MIC.

      Reply
    2. Glen

      The biggest non-headline take away I get from that article is that America’s MIC can no longer build ICBMs, nuke subs or long range bombers without problems, all which the MIC has built before. And if you follow the link to the article on submarine construction you learn a bit more:

      U.S. Shipbuilders Falling Far Behind Navy’s Demand For New Nuclear Attack Submarines
      https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/far-behind-navy-nuclear-submarineshttps://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/far-behind-navy-nuclear-submarines

      The issue was recently highlighted by retired U.S. Navy Captain Jerry Hendrix, who in a recent assessment observed: “In fact, production of new submarines dropped from two to just over one per year at the very point when the Navy’s thirty-year shipbuilding plan called for industry to ramp up production to three fast-attack submarines and one ballistic missile submarine per year.”

      Looks like America’s MIC is now Boeing all the way down. And these guys don’t even have money as a real excuse, judging by the audits where trillions go missing, the DOD has more money than it can actually manage:

      Pentagon fails sixth audit, with number of passing grades stagnant
      https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2023/11/16/pentagon-fails-sixth-audit-with-number-of-passing-grades-stagnant/

      Reply
    3. ilsm

      F-35, like B-2 has not passed operational testing. The difference is B-2 was killed in congress.

      This congress prefers jobs, not war fighting.

      B-21 will have same test regimen, and same goals not associated with doing battle.

      Reply
    4. Old Jake

      Likely pushing the product his employers or clients make. He espouses a very narrow view of the how the US should act, essentially that the only defense is overwhelming offense and these magic beans will carry the day if we buy a lot of them. Absolutely no hint of examination of why and how we got to this point.

      Reply
    1. Screwball

      Best I can tell the only thing that is saving us now is the price of gas. Under 3 bucks here which we haven’t had for a long time.

      One of my pleasures is college basketball season. I buy ESPN+ from November to March to watch the games not streamed or on TV elsewhere. Just renewed. 12 bucks. Last year was 9 or 10. A few years ago 7, and maybe 5 years it was 5. Just another example where things cost more.

      Discretionary purchase I don’t need, yes, of course. But our non discretionary spending is up too. Utility bills, insurance (house, car), food, you name it. So when all these shills tell me my eyes and bank account are lying to me, I can’t believe them, no matter how much blue BS they choose to chug.

      Reply
    2. Glen

      We did a quick trip to Safeway last night rather than the much less expensive WinCo which is in the next town. Two bags of groceries and a ready bake pizza was over two hundred bucks. The new normal sucks.

      Reply
  20. Tom Stone

    I wonder how much of the Hysteria regarding the US Election is affected by Covid?
    Most American adults have had repeated infections and Cognitive issues have been shown to be one of the common effects of Covid infection.

    Reply
    1. XXYY

      This seems like one of the biggest untold stories of the current period. Hundreds of millions or billions of covid infectees now running around the world, in many cases resuming their former jobs (which were designed for people with normal mentation) has to have a pretty big effect on almost everything.

      The overriding message in most societies has been (a) the pandemic is over and (b) it has no serious after effects. The upshot is that people will be loath to admit they are any different now than they used to be.

      Reply
    2. nyleta

      Mike Honey at aus.social has an excellent presentation now about Canadian Excess Deaths showing that each new variant is making a spike still plus ongoing underlying deaths. The biggest surprise is the toll on young people in terms of percentage increase.

      Reply
    1. Alice X

      Thank you AG! The memory hole is broad, but it is not so deep, at least not so deep that some of us do not remember. When there will be a reckoning I do not know.

      Reply

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