Links 12/18/2020 – Church Security

Prague zoo’s month-old Sumatran orangutan finally has a name AP (Vlade). Must read, at least as far as paragraph five.

He Was a Stick, She Was a Leaf; Together They Made History NYT. “The augmentation of the complexity and intensity of the field of intelligent life.” –Ursula LeGuin, The Left Hand of Darkness.

Stablecoins: risks, potential and regulation (PDF) Bank of International Settlements

Repealing Section 230 as antitrust Interfluidity

#COVID19

Will the U.S. Snatch Defeat From the Jaws of Vaccine Victory? Zeynep Tukecki, Insight

Second COVID vaccine recommended for emergency use in US, FDA says. What to know McClatchy

Pfizer says ‘millions’ of vaccine doses are waiting to be shipped — but the government hasn’t told them where to go The Week

Sweden’s king says country’s coronavirus strategy has failed FT

2 strip clubs can stay open and set own COVID rules, California judge rules CBS. It’s madness to be closing businesses by social function, instead of by epidemiologically-relevant criteria that affect transmnission like ventiilation, square-footage, average length of stay (and masking enforcement) — especially because we’re not incentivizing improving the built environment along those criteria!

Comparing bad apples to orange soda: Flaws and Errors in an Estimation of Years of Life Lost Associated With School Closures and COVID-19 deaths by Christakis, Van Cleve, and Zimmerman (preprint) OSF Preprints. Big if true, but above my paygrade. Readers? Yves interjects: More confirmation here, for instance: Can We Really Compare Covid-19 School Closures To Life Expectancy?

Autoantibody Problems Derek Lowe, “In The Pipeline,” Science

Japan OKs building of 2 Aegis ships as alternative to on-land system Kyodo News

US should permanently place a new First Fleet in Darwin: Babones Sky News. Maybe check with the Northern Territories on this.

China?

Exclusive-U.S. to blacklist dozens of Chinese firms including SMIC, sources say Reuters

US-China tension: Pentagon’s 2021 maritime strategy has Beijing’s South China Sea activities in its sights South China Morning Post

China Is Not The Big Bad Guy In This Story The American Conservative

China to Provide Financial Support to Key Foreign Companies Bloomberg

Washington’s ploy to drive wedge between China and Mekong neighbors: China Daily editorial China Daily

She wants out. He’s not sure. Hong Kong splits apart as China tightens its grip. NBC

Drip irrigation emerges to solve rice paddy problem Reuters

The Koreas

1000 cases a day, hoo boy:

S.Korea reports more than 1,000 coronavirus cases for third straight day https://t.co/ih9uTyNokZ pic.twitter.com/3d0hvMH8rz

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 18, 2020

Whenever I see a photo of a Covid test in Asia, the swabbing is done by mouth, as in the picture above, and not through nasal brain-stabbing, as done here. Do they have alien technology we do not?

How Multiculturalism Has Fared in South Korea Amid the Pandemic Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Daily COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila may reach 4,000 if no safety compliance– experts The Rappler

Syraqistan

After years fighting them, Milley talks peace with Taliban AP

Unlike the UK, many African nations have an effective test and trace system – this is why Independent (Colonel Smithers).

A Merc for ‘the movement’ – Zuma’s PA at Luthuli House, ANC fundraisers and the R800K SUV bought with Prasa locos money Daliy Maverick

Brexit

Brexit trade talks buffeted by EU Covid relief state aid row FT

UK/EU

Socialists Will Not Be Driven Out of the Labour Party Jacobin

How the Black Blocs seized French streets Unherd (DC).

“Strategic Partners”: Britain’s secret lobbying of Bolsonaro for Big Pharma, Oil and Mining BrasilWire

The Semblance of a Bolivarian Bureaucrat Venezuelanalysis

New Cold War

How Russia Wins The Climate Crisis NYT. I don’t see what the problem is, as soon as we invade Canada, send their water southward to Las Vegas, and fortify the Artic circle. Ha ha, only serious.

* * *

US says cyber hack poses ‘grave risk’ to critical infrastructure FT

Russian Hackers Have Been Inside Austin City Network For Months The Intercept

Candidates for censorship (1):

It’s entirely possible this cyber attack was Russia, but is it just me or did it go very quickly from “these are the hallmarks of Russian hackers to” media just saying this was Russia’s hack? pic.twitter.com/rWJxjOGEAE

— Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani) December 18, 2020

Candidates for censorship (2):

I cannot underscore enough that you’re claiming we need an aggressive response to info that you’re also acknowledging we haven’t found out yet: https://t.co/vlBpTmichk

— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) December 18, 2020

Secret, Invisible Evidence Of Russian Hacking Is Not Actually Evidence Caitlin Johnstone. Cf. Heb 11.1.

Trump Transition

Snags on US COVID-19 Relief May Force Weekend Sessions VOA. Remember when $600 was $2000? Good times.

U.S. Republicans seek firm end to Fed’s coronavirus loans, complicating aid talks Reuters. Austerity, here we come. Well done, all.

Biden Transition

House Democratic majority will be 3-vote margin after Biden picks Haaland for interior post CNN. Options for the sc-called Squad, should they decide to exercise them.

Biden’s foreign policy team is full of idealists who keep getting people killed WaPo

Democrats in Disarray

I should probably say en dishabille instead of “in disarray.”

Congressional Democrats Are Raking in Huge Donations from War Profiteers Jacobin. Film at 11.

Our Famously Free Press

Why Speech Platforms Can Never Escape Politics National Affairs

Platform Civics: Facebook in the Local Information Infrastructure Digital Journalism

Dawn Scalici: Government Global Business Director Reuters

Guillotine Watch