The ingredients for a tastier, stronger tea could be in the soil Popular Science. Terroir!
Climate
Central Asian Ecosystems Are Rapidly Collapsing Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting
The Paradox Holding Back the Clean Energy Revolution NYT
Climate Change Has Hit Home Insurance. Is Health Insurance Next? WSJ
Court to hear argument in appeals to halt “Good Neighbor” ozone regulation SCOTUSblog. On the shadow docket.
Water
Shared Air
The Hot New Luxury Good for the Rich: Air The New Republic. “You know the air is good, he told me, because the hydrangeas last. Typically, when cut at the stem and arranged in a vase, the delicate flowers wither and droop in a few days. In his apartment, the blooms will stay perky for nearly two weeks.” Perky. The observant have known that rich understand #CovidIsAirborne since Davos in 2023, when #DavosSafe was coined. NC readers have known since 2022: How Ashish Jha and Rochelle Walensky of Newton, MA Protect Their Children from Covid (But not Yours). Now the story reaches the liberal end of the mainstream.
Is it Possible? Is it Expensive? Is it Worth it? Cost & Feasibility of ASHRAE 241 — Part 9 Joey Fox, Medium
* * * Norovirus cases continue to climb in the US, especially in the Northeast, CDC data shows CNN. “In order to prevent illness, the CDC recommends washing your hands, rinsing fruits and vegetables and cooking shellfish thoroughly.” No doubt. But — hold onto your hats, here, folks —
Sources of Airborne Norovirus in Hospital Outbreaks Clinical Infectious Diseases. From the Abstract: “Norovirus RNA was found in 21 (24%) of 86 air samples from 10 different patients. Only air samples during outbreaks, or before a succeeding outbreak, tested positive for norovirus RNA…. The results suggest that recent vomiting is the major source of airborne norovirus and imply a connection between airborne norovirus and outbreaks. .” Good thing that CDC’s HICPAC is fighting the good fight by trying to minimize respiratory protections for patients!
#COVID19
Protection of natural infection against reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 variant (preprint) medRxiv. Data is from Qatar’s national healthcare database. As I read Figure S2, N = 79,630. From the Abstract: “This study investigated the effectiveness of natural infection in preventing reinfection with the JN.1 variant during a large JN.1 wave in Qatar, using a test-negative case-control study design. The overall effectiveness of previous infection in preventing reinfection with JN.1 was estimated at only 1.8% (95% CI: -9.3-12.6%). This effectiveness demonstrated a rapid decline over time since the previous infection, [reaching] a negligible level after one year. The findings show that the protection of natural infection against reinfection with JN.1 is strong only among those who were infected within the last 6 months, with variants such as XBB*. However, this protection wanes rapidly and is entirely lost one year after the previous infection. The findings support considerable immune evasion by JN.1.” Dudes, how’s that herd immunity project coming? All good?
Did we overcount COVID deaths News from Those Nerdy Girls
China?
China’s 1 trillion yuan EV, solar and battery exports face overcapacity concerns as US, EU anxieties grow South China Morning Post
Vietnam and the art of not choosing FT. Good. Couldn’t be better. For them, for us, even for China.
India
Farmers draw up fresh protest plans; plea filed in Supreme Court Business Standard
The G20 in the South Phenomenal World
The metropolitan elite has ignored farmers for too long FT
European Disunion
Tractor protests threaten to drive the EU’s green farming policies into a ditch AP
Syraqistan
U.S. officials warn: Gaza “is turning into Mogadishu” Axios. Idea: Let’s write Bibi a sternly-worded letter. But perhaps not:
Netanyahu’s Messianic Coalition Partners Want an All-out Regional War. Gaza Is Just a First Step Ehud Olmert, Haaretz. Yikes:
Gaza is just the introductory chapter, the platform this gang wants to build as the foundation upon which the real fight they are eyeing will be conducted: the battle for the West Bank and the Temple Mount.
The ultimate aim of this gang is “purging” the West Bank of its Palestinian inhabitants, cleansing the Temple Mount of its Muslim worshippers and annexing the territories to the state of Israel. The way to achieve this goal is blood-soaked. Israeli blood, in the state and in the territories it has been controlling for 57 years now, as well as Jewish blood in places elsewhere in the world. As well as a lot of Palestinian blood, of course, in the territories, in Jerusalem and if there is no alternative – also among Arab citizens of Israel.
This aim will not be achieved without extensive violent conflict. Armageddon. All-out war. In the south, in Jerusalem, in the territories of the West Bank and to the extent necessary also on the northern border. Such a war will bolster the impression that we are fighting for our lives, for our very existence. In a war for survival, it is permissible to do insufferable things, and the hilltop youth are proving daily that among them are many who are capable of precisely that.
This gang of pogromists has been successful in the first stage prior to the uproar and all-out war that they apparently hope will erupt here. They have taken control of the government of Israel and have made the man who heads it into their servant. The possibility that they will dismantle the government and kick the prime minister out of running the matters of state is not outlandish. It is a process that is taking place at this very moment, step by step.
Two-state solution, here we come!
Israeli War Cabinet to approve ‘operational plans’ on Rafah next week: Netanyahu Anadolu Agency
Israel appears to be in breach of ICJ orders on Gaza, senior UN official says Guardian
* * * Egypt announces $35bn deal with UAE to buy premium Mediterranean area Middle East Eye
Sheep wars in the West Bank: Israeli settlers target Bedouins’ flocks France24
Dear Old Blighty
People, ideas, machines VII: ‘The Wizard War’ – lessons on technology, intelligence & organisation from World War II Dominic Cummings substack.
New Not-So-Cold War
Two years into Russia’s invasion, exhausted Ukrainians refuse to give up BBC
So many sanctions on Russia. How much impact do they really have? AP
Big Fat Missiles To Take Down Big Fat Russian Planes. How Ukraine Brought Back Its Massive S-200s. Forbes
Freedom™ is cookies:
Victoria Nuland on more Ukraine spending: “We will do what we have always done, which is defend democracy & freedom around the world … And by the way, we have to remember that the bulk of this money is going right back into the U.S., to make those weapons” pic.twitter.com/6P98dCLKqN
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 24, 2024
Global Elections
Indonesian President Jokowi makes power play to bolster Prabowo’s coalition – and wield political influence after stepping down Channel News Asia
How AI Bots Could Sabotage 2024 Elections around the World Scientific American
Biden Administration
FTC cracks down on H&R Block for deleting tax data when users want to downgrade The Verge
2024
Ahead of South Carolina primary, Trump says he strongly supports IVF after Alabama court ruling AP. Suburban women….
Trump beats Nikki Haley in South Carolina GOP primary NBC 59.8%/39.5%. Commentary:
Tonight’s results in South Carolina proved this is officially a three-way race.
A recent NBC poll showed that in a three-way dead heat, 34% of Americans could see themselves voting for me right now. I have the highest net favorability of any candidate and continue to gain…
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) February 25, 2024
WATCH: Top Republicans showered with boos from Trump victory crowd, prompting jokes from former president FOX. Historically, American democracy is a lot more like this, as opposed to the preening civility and schooling behavior of liberal Democrats.
* * * Will Trump Become a Dictator? Harpers
The Bezzle
US energy data agency to temporarily suspend bitcoin miner survey after lawsuit Reuters
Jeff Bezos, Nvidia join OpenAI in funding humanoid robot startup Figure AI: Report Business Today
Digital Watch
X now rolling out audio and video calls to non-Premium subscribers 9to5 Mac
Bluesky opens up federation, letting anyone run their own server TechCrunch
* * * Vending machine error reveals secret face image database of college students Ars Technica
Boeing
Boeing Names New Human Resources Chief as Labor Talks Loom Bloomberg. “A fast-rising lawyer.” Just the kind of engineering talent Boeing needs! Commentary:
Who did Boeing just promote as chief strikebreaker?
“Uma Amuluru has DC experience, having served as a federal prosecutor, counselor to former Attorney General Loretta Lynch and associate WH counsel to President Obama.”https://t.co/fgyA162UFR
— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) February 23, 2024
Boeing touts 737 Max as ‘the safest airplane,’ says China’s C919 is similar to what’s on the market CNBC. They can’t help themselves, can they?
The Final Frontier
Astronomers observe the Radcliffe Wave oscillating Phys.org
Koons Landing! The Artist’s Mini-Sculptures Have Made It to the Moon Art News. Good call, Wukchumni.
Public Health
Want to Fix Public Health? Stop Thinking Like a Doctor. Eric Reinheart, The New Republic. “The rot in public health is structural: It cannot be cured by simply rotating the figureheads who preside over it.” Commentary:
You see, they’ve hamstrung themselves.
They’ve painted themselves into a corner.
They can’t mount a strong, appropriate, and adequate response to Measles, because they’ve ruled it out for Covid.— tern (@1goodtern) February 24, 2024
We’re Letting a Public Health Disaster Unfold In Slow Motion Gregg Gonsalves, The Nation
Harassment in public health is real. Here’s how to respond Harvard Public Health
Guillotine Watch
San Jose bakery loses thousands of dollars after Tesla reportedly cancels large order NBC. Surely Musk could have thrown the peasants a few coins from his coach, as he passed?
Class Warfare
So-Called ‘Right-to-Work’ and Minimum Wage Bills Go Down in the House In Depth NH
Wealthier, urban Americans have access to more local news Nieman Labs
Technology is capital: Fifth Estate’s critique of the megamachine The Anarchist Library. Fifth Estate was a 1960s Detroit publication, circulation 15,000 (!) at its height. Forgotten history!
Just Your Handyman Plough
The Internet Archive Provides a Model of Free Knowledge for All Jacobin
What physicists get wrong about consciousness Institute of Art and Ideas. Oddly, there’s a recent “In Our Time” podcast on pan-psychism; I guess it’s a thing now?
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here
