‘Their resilience is a lesson for us all’: Sea lions hunt seals on the coast BBC (Kevin W)
The Best Medication for Joint Pain Isn’t What You Think It Is, Experts Say The Conversation (Chuck L) This is the kind of one-size-fits-all nonsense that makes me want to destroy China. “But people who exercise regularly are physically and biologically protected from developing disease.” [osteoarthritis] And you will no longer suffer from its worst effects. ”Complete garbage. My patellar malacia is a direct result of exercise. And even though there are many exercises that can further damage your joints, this article treats all exercises as beneficial for arthritis. One of my doctors, a top specialist in non/minimally invasive surgery, says (in my nomenclature, not his nomenclature) that jogging is the future of knee surgery for women because almost all women have joints that are too loose to be damaged.
Breakthrough discovery could finally hold the key to male contraception SciTech Daily (Chuck L)
Your type of depression can shape your body’s future health ScienceDaily (Kevin W)
A Japanese screw craftsman who produces 400,000 screws a day by himself and how to make them YouTube (resilc)
The limits of data problems in science and technology (resilc). Today’s must-read.
Climate/Environment
The local solar absorption level has increased by 4.2W/m² in 20 years!!
This is more than the amount of greenhouse gases that have been forced to increase globally since 1750.
A net flux increase of 2 W/m² indicates more regional warming in the pipeline. https://t.co/yUYNtlsBaM pic.twitter.com/HD2nT2rSDI
— Leon Simmons 🌍 (@LeonSimons8) October 10, 2025
Guess who’s back and who’s back. La Niña is back, tell your friends.
La Niña has struck again for the fifth time in the last six years.
Is the La Niña trend influenced by rising global temperatures? Knowing this is very important given how important El Niño and La Niña are to weather patterns. pic.twitter.com/kPT754RjbJ
— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) October 10, 2025
China?
Bessent said China wants the Financial Times to “pull other countries down.” lead story. Exclusive interview. I always thought Bessent was an idiot, but maybe he’s just a mouthpiece for his boss here. It’s readable and the headings are representative. Unfortunately, there are no non-paywall links yet to display the content.
Here’s what many people are wondering: Why did China wait until now to use rare earths as leverage against the United States? Why did it not do so during the first Trump administration, when the United States initiated trade hostilities? Or when the Biden administration lifts restrictions on chip exports…
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) October 12, 2025
Western executives who visit China return terrified The Telegraph (resilc)
US-China trade tensions intensify as port fees take effect BBC
Sending a message: Amid U.S. tensions, Chinese government issues document in non-Word format South China Morning Post (Garst)
Hu Xijin: Silence is not golden Peking studies. Increased self-censorship.
India/Pakistan
Pakistan closes border with Afghanistan after dozens killed in overnight clashes France 24
Ganges water crisis, dry river, dry country Dainik Jagran
Pakistan faces successive climate disasters Mongabay
Southeast Asia
Photos show a war-torn town in Myanmar The Independent
Thailand’s debt spiral BBC. The interest rates on loan sharks are horrendous.
Africa
Massacre in Sudan leaves at least 53 people dead, including 14 children and 15 women Sky
Madagascar’s president loses support from main army unit Guardian and flees
south of the border
US vs. Venezuela: Who will win? Top War (Michael T.)
How the IMF and the US helped rob and trap Argentina with debt Thomas Parry
Demonstrators and police clash in Ecuador during nationwide strike over fuel prices Independent
A nation goes hungry: Haiti’s hunger crisis puts 6 million people at risk Modern Diplomacy
europe debate
The future of Europe depends on the dissolution of the EU — Part 4 Thomas Fudge
How Nord Stream 2 blew up Europe unstoppably
Suicidal Folly of Europe Gordon Hearn (Michael T.)
‘Insane’ social cuts deepen social divisions Sozialsmus (Michael T.)
old blighty
Reeves faces historic challenge with record state spending
Pro-Israel group receives £7m from UK government to ‘identify’ anti-Semitism Middle East Eye
England’s second worst harvest on record, analysis reveals
israel vs resistance
All surviving Israeli prisoners of war and several hundred Palestinians were released. Trump speaks at Congressional drop site
Bloomberg: Gaza hostage release leaves doubts over ceasefire process. Full-page banner headings and no paywall.
They set out to do so: Israel now plans to kill any Palestinian who crosses the imaginary line *across* the “Yellow Line”, which has also been withdrawn. A classic example of the phenomenon known as the “Israeli ceasefire” https://t.co/Y2QEf1kdOM pic.twitter.com/KrKKDqVemO
— BM (@ireallyhateyou) October 14, 2025
Due to the Israeli occupation, families of Palestinian prisoners of war are no longer able to celebrate or speak to the press after the release of their loved ones. They also distributed leaflets in the homes of prisoners’ families that read:
“Israeli security forces do not allow demonstrations within the country… https://t.co/ngFIZBVZxl
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) October 13, 2025
Another tenuous ceasefire in Gaza Daniel Larison
Trump’s Gaza peace plan… A wedding without a bride and groom Larry Johnson (resilc)
What’s next for Gaza? 🧵
After the hostages are released, Israel will retain 58% of the completely depopulated Gaza Strip.
After international forces invade, Israel will hold 40% of Gaza where IDF proxy gangs thrive!
Genocide or reconstruction? The devil is in the details! pic.twitter.com/vvlNQDJAyQ
— Muhammad Shehada (@muhammadshehad2) October 12, 2025
October 7 Industrial American Conservative Party (Kevin W)
* * *
US private military consultants flock to strengthen Lebanon’s military intelligence online
One person killed, seven injured in Israeli airstrike on Al Jazeera in southern Lebanon
IMF warns online that Yemen’s public debt exceeds 100% of GDP and is at risk of economic collapse
A new war that’s not so cold war
As Russian aggression moves toward the West, Poland says it’s ready The Wall Street Journal
🇱🇻🇷🇺 “Type 2”: Latvia to deport Russian pensioners by November
Begins forced expulsion of Russian citizens who fail to pass the Latvian language exam by November. This was reported by Yulia Sokina, a member of the Riga City Council. According to her… pic.twitter.com/EZT0PybDzn
— Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) October 13, 2025
Taliban claims Crocus attack was orchestrated by Pakistan’s Andrew Koribko
Hillary Clinton responded to my questions by saying she was either confused or completely unaware of the reasons for the U.S. war in Ukraine. Lucy Commissar. Zom. Postcards from neocon alternate realities
imperial collapse watch
Who will maintain freedom’s foothold? Shruti Rajagopalan
The US, Israel and their “right” to kill rebels with machine translation (Micael T)
Nobel Peace Prize Committee Goes to War US Conservatives
Nobel Prize Winner Julian MacFarlane (Michael T.)
Trump 2.0
President Trump promised a shipbuilding boom. He’s sinking it instead Washington Monthly (resilc)
JPMorgan announces $1.5 trillion US investment initiative Axios
Benioff backs away from sending troops to clean up San Francisco
Coal miners with black lungs say they will be “left to die” under Trump administration New York Times
immigration
ICE Raid is only half the story YouTube. Chris C:
A video where a vlogger talks about farm labor and the H2A visa system. She also discusses the Trump administration’s changes to the H2A visa system and the role of farm owners and labor contractors in these changes. Important information about current farm slavery in the United States
shutdown
Why it makes no sense for Democrats to negotiate closure agreements New Republic (resilc)
Pay cuts put pressure on Republicans, Trump and Democrats to stop closing The Hill
supremes
Defenses Missing in Court Actions Steve Vladeck
Our press is no longer free
News organizations are broadly rejecting the Pentagon’s new reporting rules, Axios. lead story.
A.I.
A small number of samples can contaminate LLMs of any size. Anthropic (resilc)
The Grand AGI Delusion Gary Marcus
AI will revitalize the economy. Are American workers becoming more productive? Wall Street Journal
What Happened When AI Comes to Craft Beer 404 Media
Mr. Market is in a bad mood.
Stock bubble fears grip Washington central bankers Bloomberg
Beware of black swans: triggers of financial collapse rarely predicted by watchdogs This Is Money
The shadow banking bubble is starting to crack
Junk bonds fuel AI’s rise as crash fears grow The Telegraph. important
economy
Congo’s cobalt export shock accelerates price rises and supply doubts Bloomberg
Growth strengthens, employment weakens: Economic forecasters see a split-screen economy Wall Street Journal
Americans are behind on their car payments Wall Street Journal Telegraph
gruesome science
The Ghost of the Physiocrats: Relearning Economics (Chuck L)
Process knowledge is essential for economic development Programmable Mutter (resilc)
Mr Torio wins Nobel Prize in Economics for his research on innovation, growth and ‘creative destruction’ Like the Reuters Swedish Central Bank Prize, I Name Alfred Nobel
basil
Biggest cryptocurrency crash reveals market pitfalls Bloomberg
$19 Billion Crypto Market Crash: Was It Leverage, Chinese Tariffs, or Both? cointelegraph
class war
Lower back plastic surgery New York Times (resilc)
An immediate antidote. Janet T.: “Duchess (a yellow Lab that makes me laugh more than any other dog I’ve ever had) and Moogie (a fluffy, stubby kitten who loves boys) looking at the birds and chipmunks.”
And bonus (Chuck L):
They knew he was helping the baby 🥹🤌… Instead of attacking him, he thanked them 🦢. Nature is really beautiful🥰 pic.twitter.com/i7ckZYroU7
— Nature and animals🌴 (@naturelife_ok) October 12, 2025
Second bonus:
Backflip, the birth of a gymnast
— Science Girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) October 13, 2025
And third:
Mission: Save pandas from extinction.
Obstacle: Panda. 🐼 pic.twitter.com/Agf1ci5JiR
— Nature is amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) October 13, 2025
See yesterday’s link and antidote here
