Things All Cats Do That Prove They Are Psychopaths The Onion
Baidu Starts Offering Nighttime Driverless Taxis in China Techcrunch
Psychedelic Drugs May Launch a New Era in Psychiatric Treatment, Brain Scientists Say NPR
Growing vaccine hesitancy fuels measles, chickenpox resurgence in U.S. Washington Post
Lisa in Emily in Little Paris n+1 (Anthony L)
#COVID-19
Science/Medicine
Three years on, the pandemic — and our response — have been jolting. Here’s what even the experts didn’t see coming STAT (NorD94)
The virus behind COVID-19 is mutating and immune-evasive. Here’s what that means CBC (guurst)
Covid and ‘strep A’ outbreak: UK, USA Newround up from today’s Merry Sickmas: buckle up: this is not fun and getting increasingly disturbing. pic.twitter.com/L5LvmE9Xm4
— Chris Turnbull (@EnemyInAState) December 26, 2022
Our new data demonstrate the evolution of the Omicron variants in further suppressing MHC I expression and escaping detection/killing by CD8 T cells. Thus, in addition to evasion from Ab and innate immunity, MHC I ⬇️ by Omicron may further ⬆️ replication & transmission. (End)
— Prof. Akiko Iwasaki (@VirusesImmunity) December 26, 2022
Our new data demonstrate the evolution of the Omicron variants in further suppressing MHC I expression and escaping detection/killing by CD8 T cells. Thus, in addition to evasion from Ab and innate immunity, MHC I ⬇️ by Omicron may further ⬆️ replication & transmission. (End)
— Prof. Akiko Iwasaki (@VirusesImmunity) December 26, 2022
Class switch towards non-inflammatory, spike-specific IgG4 antibodies after repeated SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination Science. Peer reviewed. Bothered by the intro depicting the mRNA vaccines as >90% effective in preventing infection, as opposed to severe outcomes. Small sample. Layperson take: VERY URGENT: Do Covid mRNA vaccines damage our ability to control the coronavirus after a booster shot? Alex Bereson. From IM Doc:
Small sample size. Again someone needs to do much more broad work.
But the scary part – it is a logarithmic scale on the infamous chart. Dear God, that is way way worse than it looks at first blush. And it appears to have a very low scatter. In other words, the dozens of patients all appear to be having the same type of reaction. That cannot be good.
Asia
Covid-19 outbreaks test China’s position at centre of global supply chain South China Morning Post
China Removes More Covid Travel Restrictions With New Passports, Permits Bloomberg
US
The Year the Pandemic “Ended” (Part III) The New Inquiry (KLG). Link to Parts I, II, and III.
China?
Micron joins the United States’ tech layoff parade Asia Times (Kevin W)
New Not-So-Cold War
One minute and fifteen seconds of truth about the 🇺🇦 war. pic.twitter.com/JV8HZJLMM3
— Aleks Djuricic 🇺🇸⚖️🗽 (@AleksDjuricic) December 25, 2022
Dehumanizing the enemy Gilbert Doctorow
Against all odds: How Russia is failing in Ukraine DW
Ukraine war: Civilians flee Kherson as Russian attacks intensify BBC
Retired USMC Colonel Andy Milburn Surprisingly Tells Some Truth About Ukraine Larry Johnson
Putin announced a war with the oligarchs in Russia: “These people are a danger to us” Moskovsky Komsomolets
Energy crunch will trigger eurozone contraction in 2023, economists warn Financial Times
Vladimir Putin bans Russian oil exports to countries that imposed price cap over Ukraine war ABC Australia (Kevin W)
Putin bans all oil sales to ‘price cap’ states RT (rjs)
Ethnic Serbs erect more roadblocks as tensions soar in Kosovo AlJazeera
Sri Lanka farmers count the cost of government fertiliser ban Financial Times
Syraqistan
UN rights chief urges Taliban to drop restrictions on women Politico
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
For Sale on eBay: A Military Database of Fingerprints and Iris Scans New York Times (BC)
Documenting Police Tech in Our Communities with Open Source Research Axis of Surveillance. BC: “Good investigative research source.”
Amazon Begins Testing Drone Deliveries in California, Texas PCmag
Cyber attacks set to become ‘uninsurable’, says Zurich chief Financial Times
Imperial Collapse Watch
The Kissinger Continuum: The Unauthorized History of the WEF’s Young Global Leaders Program Unlimited Hangout
Afghanistan & Haiti: failed as autocracies and democracies Responsible Statecraft
Mugin-5
Cruise missile on the cheap.25kg payload
7 hour flight time
Cruise speed: 120 km/hr
$23,999 (factory assembled)https://t.co/C9N2lbvogI pic.twitter.com/x1XErgsSe0— John Robb (@johnrobb) December 27, 2022
1/6
The Devastating New History of the January 6th Insurrection New Yorker
Supremes
Supreme Court orders Title 42 border restrictions to remain in place The Hill
Police State Watch
‘Oh Lord!’: 82-Year-Old Alabama Woman Locked Up for Not Paying $77 Trash Bill Breaking911 (Kevin W). Existing story but now has bodycam release.
Maryland Lawmakers Want to Stop Criminal Cops From Getting Their Pensions Vice
Our No Longer Free Press
In Response to the Twitter Files, Establishment Media Rushes to Defend the FBI Leighton Woodhouse
The Bezzle
Lawyer Fees Mount in Crypto Bankruptcies Financial Times
FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Borrowed From Alameda To Buy Robinhood Shares Coindesk
Emails Reportedly Show Ex-Regulators Helped SBF Get Ins With the CFTC Gizmodo (Kevin W)
Sam Bankman-Fried was reportedly visited by ‘Big Short’ author for ‘several hours’ while under house arrest Business Insider
Trump and Prince Andrew judge will preside over SBF cryptocurrency case Guardian (Kevin W)
Silicon Valley is coming for your gut biome NBC
How bad is grade inflation at Harvard College? If trends keep up, an average student in ten years will have a perfect 4.0. https://t.co/MZ6kQw5Sgv (h/t @SoCalTaxProf) pic.twitter.com/cgGysXfJu7
— Orin Kerr (@OrinKerr) December 27, 2022
Disneyland is charging $185 for this luxurious drink served in a cookie cup SFGate (Paul R)
Southwest Airlines Fliers Contend With Lost Luggage Along With Canceled Flights Wall Street Journal
Southwest Canceled 5,400 Flights In Less Than 48 Hours NPR
Further evidence of real [real estate] declines since summer Angry Bear
Class Warfare
UK trade union bureaucracy tries to sabotage mounting strike wave WSWS
Karens for Hire Adam Levitin, Credit Slips
What are career closets? More colleges help cash-strapped students with job-ready clothes PhysOrg
Retirees Are One Reason the Fed Has Given Up on a Big Worker Rebound New York Times (Kevin W)
A Note on Minimum Age for Mandatory Retirement Fund Distributions Dean Baker
Antidote du jour (furzy):
And a bonus:
Great video of a Beaver from the San Diego Zoo. pic.twitter.com/QmI5gZwhQT
— Fascinating (@fasc1nate) December 27, 2022
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
