Links 5/7/2024 | naked capitalism

How rental ‘libraries of things’ have become the new way to save money Guardian

New form of bond emerges from Sri Lanka’s $13bn restructuring talks FT

A body–brain circuit that regulates body inflammatory responses Nature. “We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings.” From the Abstract: “The brain-evoked transformation of the course of an immune response offers new possibilities in the modulation of a wide range of immune disorders, from autoimmune diseases to cytokine storm and shock.”

Climate

Study reveals how much carbon damage would cost corporations if they paid for their emissions AP. Commentary:

“Climate Change Has Evolved To Become Just Like A Common Warm”, Says Spokesperson For Climate Change.credit: @LauraNo89287514 pic.twitter.com/FFPMT4OhbB

— The Vertlartnic (@TheVertlartnic) May 6, 2024

Pandemics

WHO Overturns Dogma on Airborne Disease Spread. The CDC Might Not Act on It. MedPage Today. WHO’s report, which has its problems.

COVID-19 an ‘occupational disease’ triggering workers’ comp benefits, appeals court rules Colorado Politics. Now let’s see some lawsuits.

A lot of people may already have antibodies to H5N1- which is really good news. Maybe. Deplatform Disease

Substantial rise in mpox cases prompts NYC health alert Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy

On Seeking Vacation Absolution. Chloe Humbert, Teams Human

China?

Can China’s Real Estate Market Avoid a Japan-Style Drop? Nippon

Cover Story: U.S. Widens China Trade Fight to Shipbuilding Which It Lost Decades Ago Caixin Global

China’s middle class is stressed. Can its growing mental health industry lend a helping hand? Channel News Asia

Chinese health chief Ma Xiaowei steps down after steering nation through pandemic and defending strict zero-Covid South China Morning Post

Myanmar

Myanmar ethnic armed group says it captured hundreds of junta personnel Channel News Asia

Syraqistan

Live updates: Israel begins military operation in Rafah, hours after Hamas agrees to a cease-fire AP. Commentary:

“I think we should’ve gone into Rafah yesterday already… There are no uninvolved (civilians) there. You have to go in and kill and kill and kill… We have to kill them before they kill us”That’s Shimon Boker, vice chairman of the World Likud, the international arm of… pic.twitter.com/1CAJkFjRHR

— B.M. (@ireallyhateyou) May 6, 2024

Meta-commentary:

And I went up there, I said, “Shrink, I want to kill. I mean, I wanna, I wanna kill. Kill. I wanna, I wanna see, I wanna see blood and gore and guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead burnt bodies. I mean kill, Kill, KILL, KILL.” And I started jumpin up and down yelling, “KILL, KILL, ” and he started jumpin’ up and down with me and we was both jumping up and down yelling, “KILL, KILL.” And the seargent came over, pinned a medal on me, sent me down the hall, said, “You’re our boy.”

Alice’s Restaurant”

Israeli troops gain operational control of Gazan side of Rafah Crossing, IDF says FOX

US to continue efforts to stop Israel’s military operation in Rafah: Official Anadolu Agency. “Fighting for.”

Text of the Gaza ceasefire proposal approved by Hamas Al Jazeera

* * *

Arab nations warm to peacekeeping force for Gaza FT

Maersk Warns Red Sea Impact Widens Creating Capacity Constraints and Costs Maritime Executive

Israel bombs UNRWA building in Gaza Strip, claiming it was ‘Hamas base’ Anadolu Agency

Israel Accuses Al Jazeera Of Being Mouthpiece For Journalism The Onion. Commentary:

Regarding Israel shutting down Al Jazeera, some history on US attacks on Al Jazeera: The US bombed its offices in Afghanistan in 2001 and Sami al-Hajj, an Al Jazeera cameraman, was kidnapped and sent to Guantanamo Prison for 6 years. In 2003, the NY Stock Exchange banned Al…

— jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) May 6, 2024

New Not-So-Cold War

Russia warns Britain it could strike back after Cameron remark on Ukraine Reuters

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 6, 2024 Institute for the Study of War. “The Kremlin appears to be re-intensifying a reflexive control campaign targeting Western decision-making using nuclear threats and diplomatic manipulation.”

Russia to hold nuclear drills following ‘threats’ from West BBC

United States on Russia’s upcoming nuclear drills: Irresponsible rhetoric and Russia should simply withdraw – US Strategic Communications Coordinator Kirby on nuclear rhetoric Ukrainska Pravda

Ukraine’s pitch to new soldiers: ‘Choose your own adventure’ FT

Satellite images show Russia no longer using Crimean bridge to supply troops in Ukraine Independent

Travel Notes, St Petersburg, April-May 2024: second installment Gilbert Doctorow, Armageddon Newsletter

Gig work in Georgia: “Another hell” JAM News

South of the Border

Walking Buenos Aires (excerpt) Chris Arnade Walks the World

Global Elections

European elections: One month ahead, the French badly need to start doing their homework France24

Facebook Black Market for Ad Accounts Looms Over India Election Tech Transparency Project

Indian politicians are bringing the dead on the campaign trail, with help from AI Rest of World

Biden Administration

The SEC’s power grab on digital assets threatens US innovation FT. You say “threatens innovation” like that’s a bad thing.

FTC Bans Noncompete Agreements in Most Cases James Moore

The Supremes

Blockbuster cases abound as Supreme Court enters opinion season Courthouse News

2024

‘Politico’ Misses Mark in Story on Who’s Funding Pro-Palestine Protests Against Biden Rolling Stone

MMT

There are six reasons why we need taxes Funding the Future

Meanwhile, bogus posturing:

Medicare is stronger and Social Security remains strong.

My economic plan has helped extend Medicare solvency by a decade.

And I am committed to extending Social Security solvency by making the rich pay their fair share.

— President Biden (@POTUS) May 7, 2024

Since Federal taxes don’t “pay for” Federal funding.

Digital Watch

For AI, a Few Seconds of Power Becomes a Booming Business WSJ

Dear Stack Overflow denizens, thanks for helping train OpenAI’s billion-dollar LLMs The Register. Open theft, the basis (“primitive accumulation”) of the AI “industry.”

Our Famously Free Press

Clarifying:

The New York Times has won a Pulitzer for its “wide ranging and revelatory coverage” of Oct. 7th and Israel’s ensuing mass murder campaign. A top journalism prize for laundering Israeli gov’t lies and whitewashing its atrocities. What a joke. https://t.co/2vnbFm0hRW

— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) May 6, 2024

Also clarifying:

Stop giving out Pulitzer Prizes until someone tells the real story of Jeff Epstein.

— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) May 7, 2024

* * *

Patrick Lawrence: Of Journalists, Students and Power ScheerPost

New Claim Puts ‘WaPo’ Boss Will Lewis in Crosshairs of Murdoch Scandal Daily Beast

Groves of Academe

Encampment in Harvard Yard Harvard Office of the President. It’s not clear to me why an anti-genocide encampment is not part of Harvard’s “academic mission,” whereas a commencement ceremony, heart-warming though the presentation of credentials may be, is.

When the hammer came down at U.V.A. The Racket

Boeing

The FAA investigates after Boeing says workers in South Carolina falsified 787 inspection records AP

Boeing Starliner’s first crewed mission scrubbed TechCrunch

Boeing Locks Out Firefighters While Negotiating With Machinists Forbes

Realignment and Legitimacy

On the political psychology of killer chimpanzees Carl Beijer

The Illiberalism at America’s Core The New Republic

Liberalism without Accountability London Review of Books

Tech bro fascism looks like a lot like old-fashioned fascism Boing Boing

Gunz

Thanks, guys:

OMFG.I don’t think I understood Gen Z until this very moment. pic.twitter.com/NMpWVzCvgj

— Ex-Evangelical Janeway🖖🥂🔍🏴‍☠️ (@XianJaneway) May 6, 2024

Guillotine Watch

Run, Bezos, Run Crooked Timber. Hilarious deadpan.

Class Warfare

The End of Lean Production… and What’s Ahead Kim Moody, Labor Notes

Antidote du jour (via):

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.