I’m still smoking at 95 years old! 😝
I learned two things:
Never waste a good cigar.
Never trust anyone who tells you to “act according to your age.” 😉👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/POpUEYh3gp
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) March 22, 2026
Age and fame in philosophy Eric Schwitzgebel
Climate/Environment
Climate change is exacerbating Africa’s health problems Health Policy Watch
Losing Himalayan glaciers, ‘climate change’s biggest problem’ threatens 2 billion people South China Morning Post
Danish scientists reported on insects using the same windshield, the same road, and the same conditions every year for 20 years. By the 20th year, 80% of the insects were gone.
In Germany, a group of volunteer insect scientists did something even bigger. They are setting traps in 63 nature reserves instead of farms… https://t.co/b1j2Pi9Qw3
— Anish Moonka (@AnishA_Moonka) March 23, 2026
China?
Chinese refiners focus on Iranian crude with temporary US exemption BNE Intellinews
China takes temporary measures to ease fuel price hike due to geopolitical influence, demonstrating institutional superiority Global Times
Japan
Inflation accelerates due to war, pushing Japanese government bond yields near the highest level in decades Bloomberg
South Korea
Kim Jong-un strengthens his control with reappointment as State Affairs Commission chairman Korea Herald
India
India faces massive gas shortage as supplies disrupted by Middle East conflict Le Monde
Pakistan
Africa
Poets, Presidents, and the African Archives After Nationalism
antipode
Australia last rationed fuel in the 1970s. Can I try again? guardian
discord in europe
US warns EU risks losing ‘lucrative’ access to LNG if it does not pass trade deal Financial Times (Michael T)
More fighting: Iran war deals another blow to Europe’s industrial heart Reuters
From Politico’s Europe Morning Newsletter:
Under the agreement: Ursula von der Leyen finalizes a major partnership with Australia, the second such agreement her committee has concluded this year…
Critical raw materials: Von der Leyen signed an overnight trade deal (along with a defense partnership) with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese aimed at giving European exporters broader access to critical raw materials that the bloc desperately needs to modernize and its fast-growing economy.
European perspective: According to the European Commission, the EU-Australia deal will increase EU exports to Australia by 33% over the next few years (with which the EU already runs a large trade surplus), while saving European companies around €1 billion a year in customs duties.
Farm protection: Farmers have traditionally opposed free trade agreements, but the European Commission hopes broader protections for so-called geographical indications (the EU’s origin indicators for products such as Parma ham and feta cheese) will end such complaints. Australia won several concessions, according to an Albanese press release. Food producers will continue to use names like “Parmesan” for cheese and “Kransky” for sausage. Winemakers will also be able to sell Prosecco in local markets. In return, the City of Canberra agreed to protect the names of 165 European food products and 237 spirits.
Australian farmers in crisis: Australian producer groups warned negotiators against locking in token beef quotas and were quick to express disappointment. …
This agreement is about more than trade, and is also underpinned by harsh geopolitical realities. A further agreement between the two countries on critical minerals concerns the EU addressing threats to supply chains. As Ms von der Leyen told Australian MPs in her speech, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East show that “dependencies can be weaponised”.
England
UK monitors food and fuel shortage risks ‘hourly’ Independent
Inflation worries hit gold leaf market, pushing UK government borrowing costs to highest level since 2008 CNBC
israel vs resistance
Why Israel is a Failed State George Tsakraklides (Chuck L)
* * *
Lebanon’s Aoun warns that Israeli bridge attack is ‘prelude to ground invasion’ Al Jazeera
Israeli minister calls for annexation of southern Lebanon Reuters (Anne)
Lebanon’s economic collapse as war worsens Awsat
Violence erupts in northwest Syria; Kurds targeted for displaying Kurdistan flag Kurdistan 24
* * *
Somalia warns against Israeli base plans in Somaliland Hiran
* * *
Why the world should worry about Israel’s nuclear policy Al Jazeera
President Donald Trump has hinted at joint control of the Strait of Hormuz in search of Alpha. resilc: “It’s more like smoking a joint…”
Turkey says Gulf states could retaliate if Iranian attacks continue. resilc: “This is the funniest threat in the history of war…”
Iranian parliament speaker warns of possible targeting of US debt holders Iran International
As war deepens economic crisis, Iran issues 10 million rials banknote, highest denomination in history Times of India
A new war that’s not so cold war
British troops join French navy to seize Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ oil tanker in Mediterranean Sea
Palantir in Ukraine Events in Ukraine
NATO high-level delegation visits Ukraine for first time since full-scale invasion Euronews
Middle East oil shock is a godsend for Russia Le Monde
big brother is watching over you
YouTuber Ben Jordan discovered that a surveillance company called Flock Safety, which currently has over 90,000 cameras deployed across the United States, had been seriously compromised. We found that many cameras were live streaming directly to the open internet. pic.twitter.com/TDGEKQaS4N
— Champagne Girls (@JoshWalkos) March 23, 2026
CMS aims to modernize patient data access in the U.S. with QR codes, biometrics, and biometric updates
imperial collapse watch
The Resurrection of the Terrifying Reliability Debate Daniel Larison
Explosion reported at Valero Refinery in Port Arthur, Texas
Trump 2.0
big jump pic.twitter.com/n4aBMVFZFw
— Adam Ozimek (@ModeledBehavior) March 22, 2026
newsweek
President Trump tells Republicans to pass ‘Vote for Jesus’ Act US News (resilc)
Christian Zionists: Fifth Column? Juan Cole
Why Donald Trump Can’t Stop War CounterPunch (resilc)
supremes
The Supreme Court appears wary of states counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day on the Hill. It’s not hard to see how this could be exploited.
economy
World faces gas supply cliff as final Gulf LNG shipment approaches ports Financial Times
War attacks on energy could turn economic shock into long-term damage New York Times (ACF)
The IEA chief says the energy crisis caused by the Iran war is comparable to the two oil shocks of the 1970s and the aftermath of the Ukraine war. guardian
Energy shock stories grab the headlines, but the Iran war is also pushing the world towards a food crisis The Guardian
Mr. Market is confused.
Oil prices are no longer the biggest threat to the market.
It is becoming increasingly clear that bond markets will determine how long President Trump can continue to ratchet up pressure for war with Iran.
The 10-year bond yield has now risen by as much as 45 basis points since the war began in February… pic.twitter.com/UwVtZPx06B
— Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) March 22, 2026
Gulf monarchies sell ‘commercial’ gold due to budget issues TopWar (Micael T)
President Trump’s $56 trillion problem is spiraling out of control The Sydney Morning Herald
Why is everyone on Wall Street talking about 2008 again?Times
How the Iran war could lead to a catastrophe worse than the common dream of 2008
A.I.
Mark Zuckerberg supports Mwta’s independent management as AI CEO. This just proves that being a CEO doesn’t mean much.
Man pleads guilty to stealing $8 million in royalties from streaming platform using AI-generated metal injections of listeners and artists (Micael T)
Walmart: ChatGPT checkout has 3x worse results than website search engines
basil
A day in the life of Ensh*ttificator on YouTube. Michael T.: “Published by the Norwegian Consumer Council.”
Polymarket’s coming-out party in Washington was a disaster Wired (resilc)
Stock and oil futures volume emerges minutes before CNBC (resilc) after Trump’s market turnaround
Workers who fail due to “corporate bullshit” may fare even worse at work, a study by the Guardian (resilc) has found. This is beside the point. Bosses are looking for compliance and ego massage, not performance.
class war
How a family of three can live on $500,000 on the Upper West Side New York Times (resilc)
Девузки в Гималаях. pic.twitter.com/Je1g2PKw31
— Decadence (@lattebriK) March 21, 2026
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