Essentials of bear theft: California man arrested for fraudulently staging bear rampage Jonathan Turley
Perfectly preserved saber-toothed tiger cub discovered in Siberian permafrost Gizmodo
3 days with true believers who won’t let Bigfoot die FT
climate
Oil sector lobbyists join fourth-largest delegation at COP29 climate change summit BBE Intellinews
Dispatch from COP29 climate change talks in Baku exposed by CMD
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60 countries need to ratify the High Seas Treaty to protect vast oceans beyond their borders Inside Climate News
syndrome
California DPH reports first new MPOX strain avian influenza case in the US
Emily Oster and raw milk closed form
Nursing assistant suffering from PTSD suffers from ‘nightmarish’ coronavirus infection, gets little help NPR
China?
Reading of the meeting between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China White House
Chinese leader Xi tells Biden that he is “ready to cooperate” with President Trump’s Aljazeez during APEC 2024
Attempts to block economic cooperation are nothing but “backpedaling”: China Xi Anadolu News Agency
Globalization without America? CGTN
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New details about China’s powerful hypersonic glide vehicle carrying drones and bomb submunitions Military Watch
How Beijing turned the game on its head in the South China Sea with a single island South China Morning Post
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What is behind the push for some Southeast Asian countries to join BRICS, and will Trump’s victory be the trigger? channel news asia
Far from home: Migrant workers risk everything to enter Malaysia through choppy seas and porous borders. why? channel news asia
India
A day in the life of a roadside barber in New Delhi Al Jazeera
Why walking in Indian cities is so difficult BBC
If All the World Was Paper: A History of Writing in Hindi Asian Book Reviews
How Big Toilet Paper Fools Us All Vox
syrakistan
Israel has granted gas exploration licenses in areas believed to be within the Palestinian maritime border of Anadolu Agency. Useful maps:
Israel grants exploration licenses for natural gas in locations believed to be within Palestinian maritime borders in preparation for “occupation” of these areas
Concerns are growing about possible violations of international law and humanitarian consequences… pic.twitter.com/lAhQKoiPCZ
— Anadoluagency (@anadoluagency) February 15, 2024
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What are Trump administration candidates saying about Israel and its wars? Al Jazeera
President Trump’s ‘pro-Israel’ appointees are our worst enemies Haaretz
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US envoy Hochstein plans to stay in Israel after visiting Lebanon to work on ceasefire Anadolu Agency
Lebanon considers ceasefire plan, Israel launches new offensive The Hill
As national unity grows, Hezbollah rebuilds its resistance, and for now it will focus on the Middle East Eye
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Report says Houthis claim Red Sea ship attacks are a $2 billion business Freight Waves
A new war that’s not so cold war
Ukraine may reconsider nuclear weapons if NATO membership is rejected, says military expert Euromaidan Press
Russia launches ‘massive’ airstrike on Ukraine power grid Reuters
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Is Ukraine becoming a kleptocracy? Unchecked
Corruption looms over Ukraine’s large-scale reconstruction efforts France 24
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Zelenksy hopes Ukraine war will end in 2025 through diplomacy, not war Euronews
Elon Musk ridicules Zelenskyy’s claim that he cannot force Ukraine to ‘sit and listen’ Ukraine Pravda
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy switches rhetoric from victory to resistance BNE Intellinews
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Russia’s war economy has reached its limits Foreign Policy
Trump administration transition
President Trump nominates fracking executive Chris Wright as energy secretary BBC
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NIH critic Jay Bhattacharyya emerges as top candidate to lead WaPo institution
Elon Musk backs Howard Lutnick as ‘transformation’ agent at US Treasury FT
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US President-elect Donald Trump considers possibility of deporting illegal immigrants to Rwanda using process similar to conservative policy abandonment Daily Mail
President Trump wants mass deportations of illegal immigrants and others to be ‘only for criminals’ BBC
Biden administration
U.S. Department of Commerce Finalizes $6.6 Billion CHIPS Act Funding for TSMC Fab 21 Site Tom’s Hardware in Arizona
Post-mortem analysis in 2024
Graveyard of bad election stories Symbolic capital (ism)
Liberals speak a different language FT
Now that Trump has won the Guardian, boys at our liberal schools have changed.
digital clock
Massive migration to Bluesky gives hope for the future of the internet 404 Media
Bluesky and enshittification Corey Doctorow, pluralism
zeitgeist watch
Overwhelming noise macoism
We have a dangerous ambiguity. Philip K. Dick’s cult essay on false realities is as relevant as ever. literary hub
the final frontier
Where does the magnetic field in the universe come from? Space.com
imperial collapse watch
Britain’s multi-billion pound aircraft carrier gets sunk ‘in most war games’ – officials discuss mothballing carrier to save cash Daily Mail
How America Lost the Arctic National Interest
guillotine watch
Diane’s legendary salon at Versailles undergoes luxurious restoration Artnet
class war
‘Everyone loses out’: Report finds Minnesota workers lose billions of dollars annually to pay fraud Workday Magazine
Seeds of Social Revolution: Extreme Wealth Inequality Charles Hugh Smith
Social theory in the mid-21st century: Part II. -73000 to 2055: From Malthusian Poverty to Modern Economic Growth Brad DeLong, Grasping Reality
“Here I Gather All My Friends” Public Domain Review. Deck: “Machiavelli and the Emergence of Private Education.”
Antidote (Rhododendron):
Antidote Bonus, via Alert Reader WE:
WE writes: “This is a photo of a friend who adopted hurricane refugees and their dogs. The trio, who are usually very mischievous, turned into exemplary guests during their stay. “Given the likely future emergency situation, That’s wise.”
Click here for yesterday’s link and Antidote du Jour.
