Links 3/26/2023 | naked capitalism

The Myth of the Alpha Wolf The New Yorker (Furzy Mouse).

Robotic beehive provides vital life support to chilly honeybees New Atlas (Furzy Mouse).

Been caught stealin’: Hindenburg Research is on a roll with Adani and Block (Square) short reports Francine McKenna, The Dig

What Is Bill Ackman Up To? Institutional Investor

Climate

‘My City Is Gone’: Mississippi Delta Tornadoes Kill At Least 23 Mississippi Free Press

How rising temperatures are intensifying California’s atmospheric rivers Grist

Pangenomes reveal genomic signatures of microbial adaptation to chronic soil warming bioRxiv. From the Abstract: “Evolutionary responses to anthropogenic climate change are irreversible and largely uncaptured by climate models*. Below-ground carbon transformations represent an important natural mitigation solution, but novel adaptive traits may alter microbial climate feedback mechanisms…. these data illustrate the emergence of diverse lineage-specific adaptive traits as well as common ecological-evolutionary microbial responses to climate change.” NOTE * Once again, we know a lot less than we think we know.

#COVID19

End of a Declared Public Health Emergency — Implications for U.S. Emergency Use Authorizations NEJM. “[F]or the foreseeable future, medical products authorized by EUA for Covid-19 and mpox will remain available. The EUAs for specific products, such as antivirals and vaccines, may also be modified as appropriate.”

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Detection of viable SARS-CoV-2 in retrospective analysis of aerosol samples collected from hospital rooms of patients with COVID-19 (letter) Clinical Microbiology and Infection. “We provide much needed additional evidence for the presence of replicating SARS-CoV-2 virions in bioaerosols.”

Osterholm: BA.5 is so infectious an elevator ride is enough time to get you sick WCCO (2022) and Episode 127: A Tough Two Weeks (podcast) Osterholm Update. At 6:00, Osterholm descibes how, after three years, he caught Covid — apparently when unmasked, for twenty-seven secods, in an elevator (with a group conforming to the Osterholm Protocol, which I note does not include sprays). Osterholm’s caution and discipline meant that he avoided catching Covid for three years. For those yammering “It’s inevitable!”, I would urge that consideration be given to the idea that avoiding brain and heart damage for three years is a net positive.

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Notes from the Field: The First Case of Co-Infection with Omicron Subvariants BA.5.2.48 and BF.7.14 — Chongqing Municipality, China, February 2023 China CDC Weekly. Co-Infection: “The simultaneous infection of a host by multiple pathogen species.” From the Abtract: “According to the “National Report on the Epidemic of SARS-CoV-2 Infection” released by China CDC, the predominant SARS-CoV-2 strain circulating in Chongqing is BA.5.2.48 (>90%), followed by BF.7.14 (about 3.8%) (1). To date, there have been no reports of co-infection with BA.5.2.48 and BF.7.14 in China, particularly in Chongqing, where the proportion of BF.7.14 is relatively low, making its report more meaningful. .” Of course, just because something is “essential” doesn’t mean we’ll do it, in China or anywhere. Consider airborne mitigations. More on China variants:

Estimates are that a billion people were infected for the first time with Omicron-era variants in China. We don’t know what that will mean for future variant evolution, and it’s almost impossible to tell with so little sequencing. https://t.co/BSFo5GEpnp
— T. Ryan Gregory (@TRyanGregory) March 25, 2023

Musical interlude.

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Host Manipulation Mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 Acta Biotheoretica. From 2021, still germane. From the Conclusion: “Analgesia due to neuropilin binding is argued to be beneficial to viral transmission by ameliorating sickness behavior.” IOW, people can spread the virus while not feeling sick. And: “Additional mechanisms of host behavioral manipulation via neuromanipulation include interferon repression, cough induction, and potentially diarrhea and impaired consciousness.” From the body: “Infection by SARS-CoV-2 is also associated with impaired consciousness, linked with inflammation, vascular damage and neuroinvasion (Losy 2020). It is unclear if this symptom is adaptive to the virus, for example by increasing the probability of transmission via an increase in risky behaviors. This might include a failure to adhere to hand washing and other social distancing measures, in the modern milieu.” I don’t like overly mechanistic explanations (“my opponents are stupid”), and “it is unclear” is a nice way of saying while not saying. Nevertheless.

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Long COVID Comes Into the Light Slate. A good round-up.

How Long COVID affects the careers of top athletes Deutsche Welle.

Nurse wins Long Covid compensation case, picks up infection at work Dutch News. More like this, please.

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Intranasal trimeric sherpabody inhibits SARS-CoV-2 including recent immunoevasive Omicron subvariants Nature. Mouse study. “The potency and robust biochemical properties of TriSb92 together with its resistance against viral sequence evolution suggest that TriSb92 could be useful as a nasal spray for protecting susceptible individuals from SARS-CoV-2 infection.”

China?

US and China wage war beneath the waves – over internet cables Channel News Asia

Why Would China Be An Enemy? Craig Murray

China’s Political Discourse February 2023: A Balloon Comes to Symbolize High-Altitude Tensions; Chinese Modernization; TikTok Sinocism

Myanmar

Yangon Guerrillas Kill Myanmar Junta Money Laundering Chief The Irrawaddy

Dear Old Blighty

The end of Boris Johnson Politico

New Not-So-Cold War

Moscow to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, says Putin Andalu Agency

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No Ukraine offensive without more weapons – Zelensky BBC

Zelensky Admitted That Ukraine Already Ran Out Of Ammo Andrew Korybko’s Newsletter

Why is the US sending ‘downgraded’ weaponry to Ukraine? Deutsche Welle

Ukraine war throws wrench in massive Russian arms deal after they miss delivery, India says FOX

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Stolen Valor: The U.S. Volunteers in Ukraine Who Lie, Waste and Bicker NYT Gonzalo Lira was the first to expose James Vasquez; you’d think the World’s Greatest Newspaper would throw him a link.

The Georgian Protests: Another Chapter in the Color Revolution Playbook? Al Mayadeen

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Reaper madness: What really happened between Russian fighter jets and a US drone over the Black Sea Task and Purpose (Re Silc).

Mask-Off: US Reveals Real Intentions in Ukraine. Plus: Reporter Anya Parampil Confirms NSA Spied on Tucker (transcript) Glenn Greenwald

Biden Administration

The White House’s Case for Industrial Policy (interview) Katherine Tsai, Foreign Policy

Supply Chain

Agent Untraceable, Owner Not Responding London Review of Books. Well worth a read, if only for the B. Traven reference.

B-a-a-a-d Banks

The Death of Credit Suisse Apricitas Economics. Banking mavens please comment.

I’m an SVB employee who lost more than $1 million. Here’s the inside story of our struggle to survive. Business Insider

The Simplest Fix for Banking Project Syndicate

Intelligence Community

The RESTRICT Act: A Potential New Enforcement Tool to Address Economic and National Security Concerns Posed by Foreign Information and Communications Technologies JD Supra. Here is the text of the bill; perhaps reader with more expertise than I have can look at it. My impression was that there are rather a lot of terms defined, terms like “controlling holding,” and “covered entity,” and that all of it is almost guaranteed to be obfuscatory in some way I’m not smart enough to figure out. Also, one lesson of RussiaGate is that putatively “foreign” can be turned into “domestic” whenever the intelligence community, the Democrats, and their mutuals in the press want that done. So watch out.

The RESTRICT Act: Reversing Globalization in ICT Internet Governance Project. Since so much of the TikTok moral panic falls under the rubric of “What about the children?” we should assume an enormous quantity of bullshit, even if its exact composition is as yet undetermined.

Healthcare

What’s Behind Losses At Large Nonprofit Health Systems? Health Affairs. “Large nonprofit health systems are reporting financial strain, even as the worst of the pandemic has passed. This financial strain is driven primarily by investment losses.” And the investment losses were driven by the pandemic. So we have built a for-profit health care system that is least robust when most needed, good job.

The Monopolies Behind the Adderall Shortage Matt Stoller, BIG

Tech

AI-detection tools can discern academic work by ChatGPT, suggests study Deccan Herald. Meanwhile, because AI = BS:

I asked ChatGPT “Who is Liam Kofi Bright?” and it is an eerie mix of correct and stuff it just made up. pic.twitter.com/zUcuYBztIn
— Liam Bright (@lastpositivist) March 25, 2023

Levi’s to Use AI-Generated Models to ‘Increase Diversity’ PetaPixel. So meta.

Artificial intelligence ‘godfather’ on AI possibly wiping out humanity: ‘It’s not inconceivable’ FOX. Nuke it from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.

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Society’s Technical Debt and Software’s Gutenberg Moment Irregular Ideas with Paul Kedrosky & Eric Norlin of SKV

Police State Watch

Is the Caller the Killer? 911 Call Analysis Can’t Give You the Right Answer Office for Science and Society, McGill University

Guillotine Watch

How Cigna Saves Millions by Having Its Doctors Reject Claims Without Reading Them ProPublica. Well worth a read, although by no means unexpected. NC on Cigna in 2014 (!).

What’s Behind Train Derailments and Are They Happening More Often? WSJ

West Reading chocolate factory explosion: 3rd body pulled from rubble as chances of finding more survivors ‘decreasing rapidly’ Reading Eagle

Class Warfare

‘Live free and die’? The sad state of U.S. life expectancy NPR. Everything’s going according to plan!

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IT’S OFFICIAL: Reformer Shawn Fain Wins the UAW Presidency, Talks Plans with Steven Greenhouse in Exclusive Interview In These Times

UAW official appointed to $174,000/year leadership position after donating $25,000 to Shawn Fain’s campaign WSWS

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Los Angeles schools, union leaders reach deal after strike AP

What’s Fueling the Graduate Worker Union Upsurge? Labor Notes

Non-Disparagement Clauses Are Retroactively Voided, NLRB’s Top Cop Clarifies Vice

Human skills will be vital for future jobs FT. The deck: “Young people must seek out ways to develop qualities such as empathy and critical thinking.” Let me know how that works out.

On the Interrelationship of Race and Class CEPR

In Search of Lost Time Harper’s

Why Is Everything So Ugly? N + 1 (MT). Not everything–

Antidote du jour (via):

That’s Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl loose in New York’s Central Park (rats are good eatin’). Flaco already has an enormous fan base:

And:

And:

Encouraging. In the darker times of the year, I always recommend walking, and looking up at the sky, not down at your shoes. There will come a day when you spot the tree branches budding. But in Central Park, if you look up, you might spot Flaco!

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.