Courage before Greatness: The Story of Albert Camus Classical Literature (Michael T.)
The world’s tallest mammal is rewriting the limits of life SciTech Daily (guurst)
#New Coronavirus Infection/Pandemic
Why the epidemic creates anger among health care workers New York Times (Dr. Kevin)
Climate/Environment
The deep ocean is changing the climate much faster than we realize Oceanography Magazine
British chicks fight to darken the sun
Earth’s water is quietly running low on oxygen, scientists warn Science Daily (Kevin W)
Experiments aimed at stabilizing thinning sea ice in Canada’s Arctic
Canada issues air quality warning over US wildfire smoke after Trump’s tariff threat Guardian (Kevin W)
As ‘once-in-a-millennium’ rain event hits Texas, the latest precipitation models appear to still underestimate the risk Inside Climate News
Puerto Rico announces emergency water rationing as drought worsens
China?
China – The Hidden Reality Michael Nicoleto Plutonium:
Here is one estimate of the “real” bank losses due to China’s real estate crash. I think it’s within the range that some people have estimated. Officially there are $520 billion in bad real estate loans, but I don’t think anyone believes that for the reasons outlined in this blog post.
Adding up unrealized losses in real estate complexes, local government debt, core loan books, local banks, wealth and trust products, insurance, Belt and Road loans, and bond books, the total estimated economic losses are approximately $3.86 trillion in the best case, $7.68 trillion in the base case, and $12.20 trillion in the worst case.
‘The payoff’: Why China’s world-class auto industry is facing a steep decline in domestic sales South China Morning Post
Calm is abnormal: Why the Taiwan Strait is more dangerous than headlines suggesting modern diplomacy
China flattens ducks with molten salt to generate nighttime solar power Kevin Walmsley
South Korea
Military leaders of the United States, South Korea, and Japan reaffirm North Korea’s denuclearization goal NKNews
India
Indian police beat and gass youth-led ‘cockroach’ protesters Asia Times) (Kevin W)
Climate change: Dengue and influenza are no longer just seasonal threats in India NDTV
India’s weak monsoon revives demand for ancient staple food Bloomberg
Africa
‘You can’t run away from drone attacks’: Fear falls from Sudan’s skies CNN
At least 16 soldiers killed in terrorist attack in western Niger News.AZ
Or Canada
President Trump imposes 50% tariffs on Canada, Secretary Carney vows to ‘step up’ trade talks BBC (Kevin W)
Canada unveils new pipeline to reduce dependence on US oil routes Oil Prices
south of the border
Report: Pentagon develops options for attacking Cuba Miami Herald (Robin K.)
Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans need aid after earthquake: ‘income gone’ newspaper Lemond
‘It’s total devastation’: Inside Amazon’s war against illegal gold mining Guardian
discord in europe
Morgan Stanley says European diesel compression will worsen, says Bloomberg
Food prices are expected to rise again, and this summer’s heatwave is a big reason for today’s murica.
Drones, AI and white paint: Europe races to protect infrastructure from heat Reuters
The European Union has announced proposals to delay cuts to corporate greenhouse gas emissions limits as part of a major review of BBC climate policy.
What’s driving Germany’s 800 billion euro rearmament plan?Andrew Korybko
Beyond LNG: Berlin’s red carpet diplomacy suggests bigger bets on Algeria Al Jazeera
Cyprus: No more bases, no more wars DiEM25 in Cyprus (Robin K)
old blighty
Starmer was a forger and a fraud. Good Ridden Middle East Eye (resilc)
Did British intelligence stage the Salisbury Novichok attack? Tim Norman
Plan to build 1 million new homes stalls due to water shortage
israel vs resistance
Israel threatens to seize ancient reservoir near Bethlehem Guardian
Israeli ministers join march on Gaza to demand return of Al Jazeera settlements
‘There’s no future here’: Lebanese family tells story of state collapse National News
* * *
Chaos is rapidly developing in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Houthis this week responded to an air and land blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia on Yemen, intensifying their naval blockade and announcing a blockade of the strait to Saudi shipping.
Until last week, Saudi Arabia… pic.twitter.com/gnpoH2n4UE
— Patricia Marins (@pati_marins64) July 21, 2026
The rulers of empires cannot be bothered to know about the people they declare to be their enemies. They are ignorant about their history. they can’t speak their language. They are indifferent to their legitimate interests. Therefore, they always underestimate them. https://t.co/WOe6Pq6IUC
— Will Shriver (@imetatronink) July 19, 2026
Clashes resume between Yemeni forces and Houthis in Al Hudaydah Yenisafak
Israel’s Dolphin-class submarine could change the Iran war Brandon Weichert
US military aircraft severely damaged in Iran’s attacks on key bases across the Middle East Military Monitor
A new war that’s not so cold war
Russia’s largest ballistic missile attack in history: Ukraine’s capital increasingly indefensible Military Monitor
Russia advances on instability in Kiev Olivier Boyd-Barrette
‘Everyone is afraid to die’: Recruitment fight in Ukraine turns violent BBC
Ukrainian drones target Russian warehouses and oil facilities DW
Kazakhstan condemns reports of drone attack on oil tanker on Black Sea export route Anadolu Agency
big brother is watching over you
This fake Apple app can unlock your Mac’s password vault Malwarebytes
imperial collapse watch
Will Trump’s lack of credibility impact the deep state?Karen Kwaitkowski. Great essay.
The governance challenges of Western politics seen through the lens of Western bureaucracy and the Chinese mind Carl Sanchez
Trump 2.0
Spain humiliated by President Trump who refused to walk away from victory Photo New Republic (Dr. Kevin)
Ralph Nader: Citizen Impeachment Project, Symposium July 22, 2026 YouTube
Trump administration officials are deleting evidence that women won freedom and the vote LAWRENCE, WA
Report: Vance receives ‘royal treatment’ Bay Area News Group. Robin K: The pro-Rubio organization is at work. ”
The chances of Congress passing a new reconciliation bill are rapidly decreasing Michael Shedlock
Our press is no longer free
“The implication is clear: Secretary of State Marco Rubio believes there should be a modern blacklist of America’s political left. In fact, the report specifically references the 1950s ‘blacklist, McCarthy-era investigations and prosecutions’ and their effectiveness. https://t.co/qSkl03MpAh
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) July 20, 2026
This famous Indian journalist warns US media under Trump Zeteo
police state surveillance
To give you an idea of how dangerous this is, under the INA’s “Alien Terrorist Removal Procedures,” noncitizens of the continental United States with constitutional rights can be charged with “advocating or endorsing” terrorism views and deported/detained based on secret evidence that can never be seen. https://t.co/iX0gOHVyx8
— Eric Lee (@EricLeeAtty) July 18, 2026
Foreign Terrorist Elimination Court Steve Vladek
New Orleans Police Department releases policy document allowing weaponized drones 404 Media
questionable statistics
Unstable political “science”: The breakdown of the peer review process Democracy SOS
It’s All About Super Pacs: How the New York Times Completely Misreported Campaign Contributions in the Maine Senate Race Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science
economy
Oh, and condo prices have already fallen between 15% and 33% in 30 major cities. Some have returned to 2006 levels Ulf Richter
A.I.
Big tech companies need to justify AI spending as investors dump stocks Bloomberg
Made-in-China concerns grip the U.S. AI industry Bloomberg
OpenAI executive laments that China distributes too good a model for commercial companies to compete with futurism
The rise of “sovereign AI” in the Global South and China’s cooperative response to the China issue. I’m suspicious looking at the brand.
basil
US day traders flock to ‘cryptocurrency’s most dangerous product’ Financial Times
President Trump normalized cryptocurrencies. Is it the path to the next financial disaster? guardian
UK pension insurer increases exposure to opaque private credit Financial Times
ASIC warns of growing risks for Australians in private credit ABC Australia
class war
And then Reagan, the point of the oligarchy, commissioned a blueprint for destroying democracy (#PowellMemos) and under Reagan and Thatcher and all the managers began to successfully implement it, at least until the US was completely under corporate control! https://t.co/7IDHFiokSE
— Teresa Sanders (@arealmermaid2) July 19, 2026
Mummification of the AFL-CIO’s Marxist-Leninist Review
Louisiana communities are being left in the dark by toxic air — and the industry helped keep it that way Floodlight (Rosie G)
An immediate antidote. Tracy H: “Marine blue butterfly. Fullerton, California.”
And bonus:
Walrus in southern Norway?
Magnus is one of several walruses that have expanded further south in recent years, inhabiting surprising areas along Norway’s coastline.
[🦭 Spectacular Norway]pic.twitter.com/CJr8NPbvNd
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) July 18, 2026
Second bonus:
Cat’s best reaction ever to a magic trick pic.twitter.com/GMPgCQpJrm
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) July 18, 2026
And third:
You can feel the love and respect they have for each other. pic.twitter.com/zpr5szXOd2
— TheFigen (@TheFigen_) July 15, 2026
Click here for yesterday’s link and Antidote du Jour.
