If you live in the Northeast, please share your snowstorm stories with us. I loved snowstorms, but because I had kids or worked from home, I didn’t have to deal with cars or shovel snow from driveways.
The BBC has just released a new adaptation of William Golding’s classic novel, Lord of the Flies. Beautifully made, but still telling the wrong story.
A few years ago, I went looking for the “real” Lord of the Flies. What I wanted to know is, has that ever actually happened… pic.twitter.com/xdjqHfO2e6
— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) February 21, 2026
Schrödinger’s color theory finally completed after 100 years Science Daily (Kevin W)
Ticks as biological weapons: Multipolarization through machine translation (Micael T)
Bacteria in this ice cave frozen for 5,000 years are resistant to modern antibiotics Science Daily (Kevin W)
Climate/Environment
It’s truly an amazing achievement. It has long been known that legumes work with bacteria to “fix” nitrogen from the air. However, Dr. Maria Angela from Hungary has selected an elite strain that essentially allows Brazilian soybean farms to grow without nitrogen fertilizers. This is different… https://t.co/LrvADuZhsf
— Angelica🌐⚛️🇹🇼🇨🇳🇺🇸 (@AngelicaOung) February 21, 2026
Plastic pollution extends to sharks even before they hatch – Forbes
Scientists have discovered another alarming pattern in massive wildfires
Toxic lead pigments are being exported on a large scale to poor countries Anna Nyquist (machine translation) (Micael T)
China?
China imposes export restrictions on 20 Japanese companies to prevent ‘remilitarization’ Asahi Shimbun
China eyes Hong Kong as a gold trading hub aiming to dominate the market Nikkei Shimbun
Vacant stores, falling rents: China’s retail recession hurts commercial real estate South China Morning Post
Japan
Japan didn’t fix the bond doom loop, just moved the goalposts FXStreet
South Korea
Kim re-elected as leader of the ruling French party, North Korea promotes nuclear development24
Southeast Asia
Thai Navy seizes Cambodian fishing boat in disputed waters 1 photo International News: AFPBB News
Africa
Situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is ‘catastrophic’, says visiting EU commissioner Africa News
Ethiopia’s Tigray region is caught between past conflicts and the fear of new independent forces.
‘Insult to humanity’: Sudan slams Uganda for hosting RSF militia boss BBC
south of the border
Analysis: What does the US really want from Cuba? Orinoco Tribune (Robin K)
Trump’s total blockade leaves Cuba buried in garbage The Telegraph
Protecting Cuba from President Trump’s New Colonial Blockade and Famine: An International Perspective (Robin K.)
discord in europe
It has been announced that 9% of Europe’s chemical factories will close in 2025…! Most production capacity will be shut down in Germany and the Netherlands.
why? Energy costs are too high. The wind and solar utopia is starting to make inroads in Germany and the Netherlands. So is the carbon tax… https://t.co/FoFETEtNmn pic.twitter.com/8ad3z2nH22
— Alexander Stahel🌻 (@BurggrabenH) February 21, 2026
France blocks US ambassador from meeting with cabinet ministers after he did not attend meeting with Guardian (Kevin W)
Greece to play central role in European gas market after collapse of Russia Financial Times
Are you worth it, little friend? Machine Translated by Nyhetsbyran Jarva (Micael T) On cultural shifts towards conditional belonging.
old blighty
Peter Mandelson arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office Guardian (Kevin W)
Amid global tensions, growth in loans from banks to businesses is halved by City AM
israel vs resistance
‘We’re back from hell’: CPJ details torture of Palestinian journalists in Israel Palestine Chronicle (Robin K)
Strikes threaten to collapse Lebanese ceasefire, Middle East Monitor
Yemen: Houthis launch attack on northern suburbs of Hayes, 6 soldiers killed online Yemeni
* * *
In an interview published in Sunday’s Links, former US Ranger Greg Stoker flagged the maintenance as a risk to US operations in Iran. We have described it as serious enough that some flights may be affected. He said it’s because the military outsources most of its maintenance (!!!), the contractors are doing a terrible (some might say poor) job, and the military is not ready to deal with the situation again.
There are problems with the planned US attack on Iran. Most of the crew members targeted by the missile are lining up for the bathroom on the lead ship, the USS Gerald R. Ford.
This is no joke. US public broadcasting group NPR has obtained a series of emails that reveal a toilet war is brewing… pic.twitter.com/2rbq7d5CK2
— Nury Vittachi (@NuryVittachi) February 23, 2026
Missed funerals and blocked toilets: U.S. sailors affected by deployment to Iran Wall Street Journal (Kevin W)
The Strategic Dilemma at the Heart of the Iran Struggle Simplicius (Kevin W.) Nearly all independent commentators, former military and former CIA, disagree with Simplicius’ key argument that delaying a U.S. attack would favor the United States by putting its military assets in the best position. U.S. skeptics point out that this would give Russia and China more time to provide defense assets (and give Iran more time to integrate them with existing systems) and would probably also deploy more small green talent.
Iran File I – Revolutionary state where the West continues to save Kautilya
syrakistan
Pakistan launches deadly attack on Afghanistan BBC
Five terrorists killed during operation in Pishin, Balochistan Geography News
A new war that’s not so cold war
Russia’s economy is straining itself to survive as President Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine destroys future production capacity, a former central bank adviser told Fortune. Was she an advisor during the Yeltsin era? Even after a quick search, I couldn’t find any biographical information with clear dates.
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Karl Sanchez, issues reminder for February 24, 2022
The Russian cucumber crisis and the crisis of German journalism Nachdenkseiten machine translated (Micael T)
imperial collapse watch
The Dangerous Endgame of US-Led Capitalism – and Alternatives to the Global System, Part 1 Machine Translated by Nachdenkseiten
Cataclysm Superfecta Constantine Pasalis
China’s newest air force planes are equipped with next-generation radar. The U.S. Air Force’s new F-35 has no radar at all Kevin Walmsley
Trump 2.0
Judge blocks release of special counsel Smith’s report Associated Press. resilc: “Alito’s successor.”
White House mocks Canada after losing in hockey match RT. Kevin W: “Don’t forget to watch the video.”
customs duty
President Trump announces new tariff plans, China warns of retaliation Asia Times (Kevin W)
Part II: Losers of the IEEPA Tariff Ruling Barry Ritholtz
ICE Rampage
Trump, ICE, and the imperialist boomerang: Empire is back Fiorella Isabel
Blood Moon Over Minneapolis: March 3, 2026 Dale O’Brien. This is very different from regular programming. However, many traders on Wall Street use astrology to inform when to trade. This is because so many traders use astrology that it influences prices in the same way that investors who profess not to believe in technical trading use astrology. I suspect this year’s March 3 lunar eclipse is going to be outrageous, and some investors will try to stay out of its way.
Lafaire Epstein
The Epstein files should never have been made public, according to The New York Times. Christopher F.: “Oh, this is a goddamn deep state tool to promote the protection of Israel.” Moi: There is no mention at all that this release was made possible by Congress passing a bill that passed 99-0 in the Senate, with only one vote against in the House, and was signed by the president. That’s all prosecutors believe in the law.
economy
Global trade caught between US tantrums and Chinese bravado Asia Times (Kevin W)
Breaking news: January’s Kass Freight Index fell -7.1% year-on-year to 0.89 points and is now at its lowest level since April 2009.
The index tracks freight volumes across North America and is considered an indicator of the strength of the U.S. economy.
This is the 36th consecutive month. pic.twitter.com/lMKfuMbHGS
— Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) February 21, 2026
Mr. Market is edgy
Private equity crisis is worse than the 2008 crisis, Bain tells Bloomberg
Why private credit’s new cockroach moment sparked an Australian Financial Review response in the GFC
Cracks are beginning to appear in the ambiguous world of private credit.
How AI’s debt binge shattered the ‘tacit contract’ between hyperscalers and investors CNBC
Off-balance sheet AI financing fuels tech bubble, worries about oil prices
A.I.
Generative AI turns out to be a scam Gary Marcus
For Sloppy Behavior Duncan Raeburn (Stephen V)
The human world clashes again with the Department of Defense over AI use and ethics, Observer
Sam Altman rages that humans will take longer to train than AI, and that humans will eat all the food they waste. Why doesn’t anyone declare Altman a traitor to his own kind?
Sam Altman: You know what else used up a lot of energy? Human Civilization Gizmodo (Kevin W). Arrogance burns.
Antidote (via):
See yesterday’s link and antidote here
