Japan’s new H3 rocket aborts 1st-ever launch attempt Space.com
39th President Jimmy Carter enters hospice care, Carter Center announces WRBL
Climate/Environment
How Climate Change Is Making Tampons (and Lots of Other Stuff) More Expensive New York Times
Securitizing the Transition Phenomenal World
The stumbling block in ‘the race of our lives’: transition-critical materials, financial risks and the NGFS climate scenarios The London School of Economics and Political Science
Norfolk Southern’s Toxic Bomb Train
Norfolk Southern eliminated key maintenance role in derailment region, union says FreightWaves. Important.
Cincinnati closing Ohio River water intakes to prevent contamination from East Palestine derailment WCPO
‘How long is this going to last?’: East Palestine residents fear for their health — and answers are hard to find Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
NEW — Just Hours After Trump Announces His Plans to Visit East Palestine, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw Makes a Surprise Visit
“I’m here to support the community” pic.twitter.com/jPEMCBfElW
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) February 18, 2023
#EastPalestine train derailed Friday Feb 3, 2023 at 8:55PM after which “the fire spanned the length of the rail cars and continued for several days.” Link includes HYSPLIT run from Feb 6, several days after the accident, when the controlled burn began.https://t.co/mwH2ouwDns pic.twitter.com/KVKnqZpj7B
— #WearAMask (@StLawCovid) February 15, 2023
Out of curiosity, I scanned the NYT archives. Town-clearing vinyl chloride train derailments were freq in the 60s, 70s, & 80s ⬇️
This was the same time that scientists were becoming aware of the cancer risks of VCM and the industrial lobby was gearing up to fight new regs. pic.twitter.com/ET7FAYC6Re
— Kelly Mitchell (@kellyemitchell) February 15, 2023
THE MYTH OF SAFE PLASTICS PERSISTS, DESPITE RISK OF DISASTERS LIKE EAST PALESTINE The Intercept
#COVID-19<
Federal workers not entitled to COVID hazard pay -U.S. appeals court Reuters
Syraqistan
Israeli strike hits central Damascus: State TV Middle East Eye
Old Blighty
183 US Troops in Secret Locations Across Britain Consortium News
EDF Says Price Tag of UK Nuclear Power Plant Soars on Inflation Bloomberg
India
Soros Says Adani Crisis to Spark Democracy Revival in India Bloomberg
India to raise seven new battalions for China border Dawn
As cash runs out, Pakistan introduces bill to unlock IMF funds Al Jazeera
Is China and Pakistan’s ‘iron brotherhood’ crumbling?</The Times of India
China?
China’s Inventory Of J-20 Stealth Fighters Likely To Surpass US Air Force’s F-22 Raptors This Year — New Report The EurAsian Times
NATO eyes joint summit statement with Japan and South Korea Nikkei Asia
Asia is none of NATO’s business Nikkei Asia
China to Scrutinize Ford-CATL EV Battery Deal to Ensure Core Technology Isn’t Shared Bloomberg
Mao’s Great Leap: More Successful than We Thought Here Comes China
European Disunion
Germany: Strikes stop almost all flights at 7 airports Deutsch Welle
New Not-So-Cold War
‘Ukraine is not going to militarily retake Crimea,’ top Democrat says Politico. Nuland says Crimea should be demilitarized.
The view from Russia:
US congressman believes Ukraine will not try to retake Crimea militarily — newspaper TASS. Nuland says Ukrainian army has a legal right to strike in Crimea.
Hold Out, Bleed Dry, Hope for the Best Empire, Communication and NATO Wars
NATO doubles down: Highlights from the Munich Security Conference RT
U.S. officials believe China may be providing Russia nonlethal military assistance in Ukraine war. No evidence provided by these anonymous officials. NBC News
Chinese envoy urges NATO to stop ‘being a troublemaker’ China Daily
More evidence the West’s negotiations were never in good faith (guurst):
🇪🇺🇺🇸🇺🇦🇷🇺”Sanctions against Russia in the event of a conflict in Ukraine, the EU and the US began to develop two months before the special operation, in December 2021″ – nonelected von der Leyen pic.twitter.com/sejdsxZ69Z
— AZ 🛰🌏🌍🌎 (@AZgeopolitics) February 18, 2023
And around and around we go:
“If Putin doesn’t change by 360 degrees, no”
German foreign minister Baerbock on the question if Ukraine will be save if Putin stays President
360 degrees…🤣 pic.twitter.com/JSJUhic0Se
— Levi (@Levi_godman) February 18, 2023
Washington embraces the Azov Brigade Unherd
***
Pistorius: Cheetah Ammunition for Ukraine Is Now Being Produced in Germany Defense-Aerospace.com
Latvian drunk drivers’ seized cars could be given to Ukraine Latvian Public Broadcasting
During 🇫🇷🇩🇪🇵🇱 Weimar Triangle meeting yesterday, Emmanuel Macron suggested that Poland joins the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) program with Germany, Italy and France.https://t.co/TpBzjPYEYz pic.twitter.com/yApAEvpDH2
— Elisabeth Malafa (@Elise_ML) February 18, 2023
***
Understanding Germany’s Gas Price Brake: Balancing Fast Relief and Complex Politics Center on Global Energy at Columbia
Exports rise 19.9%, imports soar 36.5% in 2022 – ISTAT Ansa. “The imports boom is explained above all by higher purchases of energy products.”
Unimportant Flying Objects
Top China diplomat mocks US response to China balloon as ‘hysterical’ The Hill
US military ends search for balloons shot down over Alaska and Lake Huron Guardian
2024
Haley 2024: ‘New’ Leadership, Bankrupt Ideas Eunomia
Imperial Collapse Watch
VP Harris returns from Germany in C-17 support plane after Air Force Two experiences mechanical issues Fox
Healthcare
Steak Dinners, Sales Reps and Risky Procedures: Inside the Big Business of Clogged Arteries ProPublica
Judge hands providers another win by striking down surprise billing arbitration process Fierce Healthcare
After Staying Away During Pandemic, Doctors Return to Lobby Congress Kaiser Health News
Pentagon to allow up to 3 weeks of leave to service members for abortion travel The Hill
Police State Watch
‘Until we can’t no more.’ Immigrants on hunger strike at two Central Valley facilities Fresno Bee
Groves of Academe
Internal review found ‘falsified data’ in Stanford President’s Alzheimer’s research, colleagues allege Stanford Daily (drglenn)
The Death of Critical Thinking in America Consortium News
Class Warfare
How About a Victory for the Left Occasionally? Trying to Understand the World. With a shoutout to Naked Capitalism.
Department of Justice files in support of farmers in lawsuit against Deere’s repair restrictions PIRG
Stricter ‘Right to Farm’ proposal called a ‘solution searching for a problem’ Nebraska Examiner
Heavily rural states where a 40-acre small farm costs more than a 4-year degree at Princeton:
-Iowa-Illinois-Indiana-Ohio-Pennsylvania-Florida-Minnesota-Nebraska pic.twitter.com/OiAgGi4Vii
— Dr Sarah Taber (@SarahTaber_bww) February 17, 2023
Tech
Silicon Valley goes to war TechCrunch
Israeli high tech’s ‘political awakening’ evades a violent truth +972 Magazine
Eric Schmidt Is Building the Perfect AI War-Fighting Machine Wired
Google and Amazon want more defense contracts, despite worker protests Ars Technica
Tech Layoffs Threaten Unions’ Plan to Draw White-Collar Workers Bloomberg Law
New Social History ‘Palo Alto’ Tells a Story of Laborers and Exploiters KQED
The Bezzle
Retail investors are pouring a record $1.5 billion per day into the stock market Yahoo Finance
Bertolt Brecht (and me) The Left Berlin
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour
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