Metal Fans Unlikely To Cheat, Jazz Fans Are Boning Everyone According To A Study Metal in Action (Micael T)
Welcome to the wild world of skijoring Economist (Dr. Kevin)
A brain glitch may explain why some people hear voices Daily Science (Kevin W)
A (Really) Brief History of Knowledge Colin McGinn (Anthony L)
How type 2 diabetes quietly damages blood vessels Science Daily (Kevin W)
Climate/Environment
Climate change is pushing insurance to breaking point Fintech Global
For 50 years, global warming had a very consistent trend (+0.19 °C/decade) with a boring, predictable range of natural variations around it.
During the last three years, we've broken out above that range, suggesting the pace of change has quickened. pic.twitter.com/1piLBJQw0a
— Dr. Robert Rohde (@RARohde) January 20, 2026
Air pollution a major financial risk for companies and investors Air Quality News
Scientists reveal the impact of air pollution on the human body Independent
AUSTRALIA HEAT WAVE
Brutal heat today with temperatures up to 48C in South Australia with the heat expected to just get worse.
Next week will compete with Jan 1939 for the hottest week ever recorded in New South Wales:
‼️We can approach 50C https://t.co/MgJK4FwUfr— Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) January 24, 2026
Next week the US will have the "relative" coldest air on Earth. But notice the mid-latitudes in general from the US to Europe to Russia feature of band of cold anomalies, whereas the Arctic is warm all around. That's precisely why the cold is being displaced south. pic.twitter.com/nRgx6Ny26c
— Jeff Berardelli (@WeatherProf) January 22, 2026
Biodiversity collapse threatens UK security, intelligence chiefs warn Guardian
Tidö removed the plastic bag tax: now use is increasing Klimatgrantskaren. Micael T: “Tidö = the Swedish government.”
China?
China likely to lower 2026 growth target as global slowdown weighs Investing Live
China’s rural banks struggle to sell seized properties despite hefty discounts Reuters
Climbing the Ziggurat London Review of Books (Anthony L). On Xi.
Japan
Sanae Takaichi and Lee Jae Myung: Two Warmongers met in Japan New Eastern Outlook (Micael T)
Japan’s Takaichi fast headed for a Liz Truss moment Asia Times (Kevin W)
Japan suspends world’s largest nuclear plant hours after restart BBC (Kevin W)
Africa
Sharp rise in malnutrition cases, preventable diseases in Somalia: MSF Aljazeera
South of the Border
Trump Muses About Asking NATO to Help Protect US Southern Border Bloomberg
Only a Fraction of Venezuela’s Oil Is Economically Recoverable OilPrice
European Disunion
Trump warns of ‘big retaliation’ if Europe divests from US stocks and bonds TRT World
Fearing Potential Future Monsters, Playing Nice for the Monster in the Backyard Olivier Boyd-Barrett
Why so quiet from the NATO huggers? Tidnengen Global via machine translation (Micael T)
US must have rights to Greenland’s resources as it defends its territory — vice president TASS (guurst)
Trump sparks anger over claim Nato troops avoided Afghanistan front line BBC (Kevin W)
Greenland Yes, Western Sahara No? The EU’s self-determination test WSWR (Micael T)
Germany’s dramatic China car trade slump tests Merz’s tough talk at Davos South China Morning Post
Old Blighty
Food price inflation rises unexpectedly ECIU
Frustrated farmers target ports in fresh protests FWI
We have formally challenged my draconian bail conditions imposed by the London Met Police.
Following my fourth arrest in under three months, they combined these restrictions:
1. Banned from Palestine events in London.
2. Curfewed to live and sleep at one address.
3. Must notify… pic.twitter.com/hJc5MnpPhD— Dr Rahmeh Aladwan (@doctor_rahmeh) January 23, 2026
Israel v. the Resistance
Israel's foremost political commentator, and a close Netanyahu ally, affirms what I have been saying in recent weeks: a new, Sunni Axis of Resistance is emerging in West Asia, and Israel is freaking out.
Soon, they will start using their influence in the US to tarnish the Saudi… https://t.co/3dG9LJfu38
— Alon Mizrahi (@alon_mizrahi) January 22, 2026
Israel Boosts Funding to Propagandize Americans American Conservative (resilc)
West Bank Monthly Snapshot – Casualties, Property Damage and Displacement | December 2025 OCHA (guurst)
💢NEW: Israeli forces have begun digging a deep trench along the so-called “Yellow Line” in Gaza to block Palestinian movement, according to i24NEWS. The outlet said at least 1.5 km has been excavated in southern Gaza, with additional digging in the north and artificial berms… https://t.co/nX9g865cZO
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) January 22, 2026
Art-of-the Deal Theatre or War? Ronen Bergman: ‘The Ayatollahs won the first round; Iranian regime not in danger’ Conflicts Forum
Syraqistan
US threatens Iraq with dollar crunch over Iran-backed militias Financial Times (Kevin W). No archived version yet.
New Not-So-Cold War
Meaningless Talks in Moscow Larry Johnson
Moscow has made an elegant diplomatic move in a subtle game with the United States Vzglyad via machine translation
A Method to his Madness Scott Ritter
The impotence of the people Events in Ukraine
* * * We will let nothing pass’: France intercepts Russia-linked oil tanker in Mediterranean France 24
How to Stop Western Maritime Lawlessness Vzglyad via machine translation (Micael T)
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
TikTok US venture to collect precise user location data BBC (Kevin W)
Imperial Collapse Watch
Is parliament now post-literate?, beware declining superpowers, thankfulness, awe and wonder, and how AI destroys institutions James Marriott (Micael T)
The “rupture in the world order”—World Economic Forum dominated by inter-imperialist conflict WSWS (Micael T)
The End of New START Daniel Larison
China, Pakistan are winning big contacts to modernize air forces in Asia, Middle East, and Africa Kevin Walmsley
Trump 2.0
The consent of the governed has been withdrawn G. Elliott Morris. Today’s must read.
Judge warns Trump administration against changing immigration status of plaintiffs in case The Hill
Not Out of the Woods. Will the National Parks survive this administration? In the Public Interest
There Will Be a Nuremberg-Style Trial W.A. Lawrence
ICE Rampage
ICE SHOOTING: NEW Explosive Evidence – DOJ Blocks Investigation (New Video Breakdown) Kristy Greenberg, YouTube. See the section starting at 15:40, which has a new video from the New York Times giving a clear view of the cop shooter Ross’s actions
‘Enough Is Enough’: Hundreds of Minnesota Businesses Take Stand Against ICE New York Times (resilc)
What the Minneapolis General Strike Will Mean in DC Mike Elk
The White House has confirmed its official X account posted a fake image of a woman arrested in Minnesota after interrupting a service at a church where an ICE official appears to be a pastor. The White House image altered the actual photo to wrongly make it seem like the… pic.twitter.com/8sloiPu2Q9
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 22, 2026
Surveillance and ICE Are Driving Patients Away From Medical Care, Report Warns Wired
Democrats en déshabillé
Trump Is Proving Democratic Presidents Weren’t Powerless Jacobin
Mamdani
Economy
Keynes and Money, or Where Has All the Money Gone? Robert Skidelsky. On military Keynesianism
Fix Credit Card Competition with Market Improvements, Not Rate Caps Adam Levitin. The lady doth protest too much on the virtues of markets, but the substance is informative.
Mr. Market is Giddy
Gold, silver and platinum extend record‑setting rally Reuters
Guillotine Watch
UPDATE BELOW ON THIS STORY- 🚨🚨🚨
UNITED HEALTHCARE CAUGHT
PAYING OFF NURSING HOMES TO LET SENIORS DIE INSTEAD OF SENDING THEM TO THE HOSPITALUnitedHealth falls on report it secretly paid nursing homes to reduce hospital transfers | Reutershttps://t.co/CJjFQ4cmpn…
— Boone Cutler 🦬🇺🇸 🦅 (@boonecutler) January 22, 2026
Musk becomes a Davos man Oligarch Watch
Class Warfare
You’re Not a Progressive. You’re a Constitutionalist Christopher Armitage
Banal but brutal: Career anxiety is a driving force behind authoritarianism University of Copenhagen (Paul R)
The Erasure Economy: How Survival Becomes a Crime in America William Murphy (Micael T)
Socioeconomic inequality in longevity is larger than we thought VoxEU
Antidote du jour (via):
And a bonus:
— The Best (@Thebestfigen) January 20, 2026
A second bonus:
A fun compilation of golden retrievers being cute and silly
— Science girl (@sciencegirl) January 21, 2026
And a third:
Beluga stops a guy from smoking at the aquarium… with a splash
— Science girl (@sciencegirl) January 24, 2026
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
“Trump Muses About Asking NATO to Help Protect US Southern Border”
Yeah, that’s not going to happen now. Trump denigrated all those countries that sent troops to fight alongside the US in Afghanistan and said that they held back from the front lines. This from a man who is a Vietnam war draft dodger. A third of all Coalition deaths were from all those countries and they paid a heavy price-
https://stats.areppim.com/stats/stats_afghanwarxnation.htm
The point of Trump thinking of asking NATO troops on the border is so that large numbers of Border Patrol Agents can be taken from the southern border and sent to US cities to terrorize them. Why should NATO countries bail him out here?
Link not working: You’re Not a Progressive. You’re a Constitutionalist Christopher Armitage
Fixed, thanks!
Biodiversity collapse threatens UK security, intelligence chiefs warn Guardian
Sorry to say I am fed up with this bloody s#it legacy media focus on intelligence reports framing everything as a geostrategical threat. Everything, and now including biodiversity, is a menace for security and possible cause of war or what? Aren’t there enough academic sources in the UK with less insane approaches? This relatively recent fashion of framing everything in geostrategic terms can only end badly.
In other news, “Adorable Golden Retriever Puppies Threaten National Security”, BBC, kidding.
It’s minus 6 degrees here and the hot water in the kitchen sink is frozen despite my cold weather preparations.
It’s gunna be about 39° Celsius tomorrow – about 102° Fahrenheit. But at least they are promising us a massive storm afterwards. Can’t even imagine a sink full of frozen water and how you get rid of it.
Welcome to the wild world of skijoring Economist (Dr. Kevin)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was doing snow surveys for the state in Mineral King about 15 years ago when my snowmobile up and quit on me, and necessity turned me into a frozen water skier of sorts, using an old yellow plastic rope we found in the ranger station, to pull me using the other snowmobile.
It really only works on uphills, and your lower arm gets plenty weary from the strain, but what a lot of fun-and unlike a horse pulling you, pretty consistent in power.
I think i’d be more than a little freaked out skijoring, I mean a horse galloping on snow pulling you behind, what could go wrong?
> Metal Fans Unlikely To Cheat, Jazz Fans Are Boning Everyone According To A Study
On the one hand, sure, that’s what metal is for: cathartic palliative for those not getting any. But jazz? Whoda thought the Stan Kenton fans were the naughty ones?
“US must have rights to Greenland’s resources as it defends its territory — vice president”
There was a comedy sketch which explained Australia’s defense policy. It came down to Australia spending billions of dollars to protect our trade routes to China – from China.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgspkxfkS4k (1:40 mins)
This is more of the same. Vance wants to have Greenland’s mineral reserves to protect it from foreign invaders. In this case the US. If Trump learns that Russia can send missiles over Antarctica to hit the US, will the US then demand possession of Antarctica?