Why The Empire Strikes Back is overrated BBC

A Madagascar forest long protected by its remoteness is now threatened by it Mongabay (UserFriendly)

The art of fire: reviving the Indigenous craft of cultural burning The Narwhal

Reginald Foster, Vatican Latinist Who Tweeted in the Language, Dies at 81 NYT

Souvenir of the Lost World of the New York Jazz Club New York Review of Books

Willie Nelson Understands New Yorker

How Boz got his fizz Times Literary Supplement

10 geological discoveries that absolutely rocked 2020 Live Science (The Rev Kev)

Covid-19 wasn’t the only medical story this year. Here’s what you missed in 2020. NBC News (furzy mouse)

Boy Scouts of America accuse Girl Scouts of starting ‘war’ BBC (re/silC)

Is Society Collapsing? Counterpunch (chuck l)

The enduring lessons of a New Deal writers project Columbia Journalism Review

Private capital’s rush into the business of sport FT

#COVID-19

California now has the worst COVID-19 spread in US SFGate

Why Should We Ever Return to Living and Working So Close Together? NYT

Coronavirus: Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble unlikely for now, but commerce minister urges patience, says vaccines offer sliver of hope SCMP

New variant of Covid-19 hits Japan, South Korea Asia Times

Covid-19 pandemic has stranded 400,000 seafarers and triggered a humanitarian crisis Scroll

States Say They’re Decarcerating, Yet 1 in 5 Prisoners Has Had COVID TruthOut

Ted Cruz helped Texas fracking billionaires reap millions in COVID aid relief: report AlterNet

Europe starts Covid-19 vaccination as new virus strain spreads FT

Beware the danger of ‘vaccine euphoria’ Stat

New York investigates healthcare provider that ‘fraudulently obtained 2,800 doses of Moderna vaccine and gave them to the public before healthcare workers’ Daily Mail (The Rev Kev)

If the U.S. Already Had a Covid Variant, We Wouldn’t Know The New Republic (UserFriendly)

HUNDREDS of Brits ‘vanish’ from Swiss ski resort after being ordered into quarantine amid new Covid-19 strain scare RT (The Rev Kev)

HOSPITAL CEOS HAVE GOTTEN RICH CUTTING STAFF AND SUPPLIES. NOW THEY’RE NOT READY FOR THE NEXT WAVE. Intercept (UserFriendly)

A year of the pandemic, in 26 photos Business Insider

Firms Want to Adjust Supply Chains Post-Pandemic, but Changes Take Time WSJ

Trump Transition

Shutdown averted after Trump signs stimulus package Politico

Trump to hold rally in Georgia ahead of Senate runoffs The Hill (The Rev Kev)

A Blatant Violation’: Sahrawis Dismiss Pompeo’s Announcement of US Consulate in Moroccan-Occupied Western Sahara Common Dreams

Dozens of anti-gay groups are making money off Amazon’s charity platform NBC News (furzy mouse)

Biden Transition

Nominee Buttigieg Vows To Dismantle ‘Racist’ Freeways StreetsBlogUSA UserFriendly:”this is true but likely to go over like a lead balloon.

Why congressman James Clyburn was the most important politician of 2020 Guardian

Class Warfare

The US Government Can Provide Universal Childcare — It’s Done So in the Past Jacobin

COVID-19 pandemic making healthcare leaders billionaires NY Post

How Amy Coney Barrett and Barack Obama Transcended Petty Partisanship To Crush Community Activists in Chicago Jacobin

How state marijuana legalization became a boon for corruption Politico

Brexit

Boris Johnson admits Brexit deal falls short for financial services Guardian (The Rev Kev)

Australia

Scott Morrison Isn’t the Australian Trump — He’s a Margaret Thatcher Tribute Band Jacobin

India

PM Narendra Modi launches India’s first driverless train on Delhi Metro Magenta Line Scroll

‘Farmers’ Concerns, Due Process Ignored’: Indian Academics on Central Farm Laws The Wire

How US bill on Tibet can check Chinese excesses, but why India’s hands are still tied The Print

China?

China to strengthen military coordination with Russia Asia Times

Alibaba shares fall after Beijing turns up heat on Ant FT

It’s also great that China is cracking down on its big tech giants, and a testimony to the CCP’s focus on quality governance. I am no fan of the Chinese system for many reasons, but they are governing. https://t.co/lyPwJ8JSym

— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) December 27, 2020

Climate change: Extreme weather causes huge losses in 2020 BBC

The Big Thaw: How Russia Could Dominate a Warming World ProPublica

Public-Private Climate Urgency Project Syndicate. Ut oh. Ur-Dem Party insider and former USTR Michael Froman on how to address climate change.

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.

Antidote du Jour (via):