A little penguin in a Santa suit waddles cutely with a bell in the Matsue Vogel Zoo in Japan Laughing Squid (David L)

The missing 3-year-old boy said that when he lost his way in the woods, a bear protected him MyModernMet (David L)

The horse sits on a bean bag and plays cards with the owner Animal Rescue (David L)

Photos of dead giraffes highlight Kenya’s climate crisisNWorld. 🙁

Behind the heinous viral obituaries that people call “masterpieces” Guardian (Chuck L)

Crocodile-sized millipede fossil found on British beach Gizmodo (Kevin W)

Five ice age mammoths unearthed in the Cotswolds 220,000 years later The Guardian (Kevin W)

How Kodak detected the first nuclear bomb, but kept it secret Little Green Footballs (Randy H)

In the campaign to save the endangered Cambodian rainforest New York Times (David L)

The driver drove out of the snow-covered tunnel ABC (furry)

Artificial intelligence debated its own ethics at Oxford University and concluded that “completely no artificial intelligence” is the only way to ensure safety ZMEScience (Dr. Kevin)

DIY Home Test Marks Dementia 6 Months Before the Gold Standard Medical landscape

We are ingesting microplastics at potentially harmful levels Medical News Today (David L)

#Coronavirus disease

The rapid test was positive and PCR could not be performed. Happened everywhere.

The Rt in Ontario is expected to decline.

It can only indicate a bad test.

— Ryan Imgrand (@imgrund) December 20, 2021

Science/medicine

The data debunks the “softer” Omicron; the toddler Vax disappoints; the NFL Punts COVID test MedPage (resilc)

Due to Omicron’s concerns, WHO urges the cancellation of some holiday activities British Broadcasting Corporation

The sports league shows us how bad Omicron can become Atlantic (David L)

The only mild thing about Omicron is the decline in memory. https://t.co/TfWKXQ4hJ4

— Anthony J Leonardi, PhD, MildS (@fitterhappierAJ) December 20, 2021

Moderna Covid booster generates strong antibody response to Omicron Financial Times. GM comments:

A good scientific example of a business press release…

What does “pre-enhancement level” mean in “can increase the level of neutralizing antibody by 37 times the pre-enhancement level”?

Peak titer or titer 6 months after the second dose?

This is a very important difference.

But academic laboratories have released many preprints, which show that boosters can get you back to something close to the peak titers of WT. This compensates for the 30-40 times reduction in Omicron neutralization. But that was the peak level after the booster. Within 3 months, those have weakened to the point where you have problems.

This is why Imperial College’s assessment of severe disease VE was 73% at 3 months after the enhancement.

And 73% of severe VEs are completely incompatible with any return to “normal life”…

We should not judge the pathogenic potential of Omicron based solely on South Africa. Their patients are really young, with very few dangerous Neandertal gene clusters (it evolved and survived in Eurasia and Eurasian descendants). Waiting for Britain, Denmark, Israel.

-Virologist Brian Hjelle (@hjelle_brian) December 20, 2021

As GM insists:

I went to two Christmas parties recently. No one wore a mask.

It doesn’t matter, because there is no epidemic where I live. Western Australia has successfully maintained zero COVID for nearly 2 years.

Eliminating COVID-19 is always possible. The world chooses not to do this.

-Dr. Zoë Hyde (@DrZoeHyde) December 20, 2021

UK/Europe

An example of health system damage (guurst):

Thinking with everyone at the London Ambulance Service Center, nearly 100 ambulances were out of service tonight because nearly 400 staff fell ill due to Covid.

The most important thing is the thoughts of the patient.

I’m shocked @Boris Johnson No decisive action was taken. https://t.co/aPOAPI8Z77

-Rachel Clark (@doctor_oxford) December 17, 2021

AM Europe Newsletter from Politico:

German decision loom: Faced with the rapidly spreading variant of the Omicron coronavirus, the German government will meet today with 16 regional leaders in the country to consider new COVID containment measures. The proposed restrictions may limit private gatherings to a maximum of 10 people who have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID. Our colleague Hans von der Burchard wrote in the report that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned on Monday that Omicron is highly contagious. Must be “prepared accordingly”.

we

CDC: Omicron is now the majority of COVID-19 cases in the United States-73% Hill

The Biden government will distribute 500 million home Covid-19 test kits The Wall Street Journal. Distribution will start in January…

The Omicron wave has just begun, and American pharmacists are exhausted Wall Street Journal (Kevin W)

Leftists will sacrifice unvaccinated people UnHerd (John Seaman). Liberals, not leftists. Look at the Corbyn attack vax command.

For most of the pandemic, the Social Security Office has been closed. Efforts to protect public health have hurt some of the Americans who need help most. Washington Post (Kevin W)

Trump reveals he got a COVID-19 booster in his boo PBS (David L)

A patient in a nursing facility suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff refused to enter on the grounds of new coronavirus restrictions. Washington Post (resilc)

Journalist Alex Berenson sued Twitter, saying it “violated the First Amendment” because he is permanently prohibited from questioning the COVID vaccine Daily Mail (JS). Strange or not, the American media has not mentioned it so far… The argument of the public operator is fatal, and it may happen in California, where Twitter is headquartered.

“We need a new model”: Chile’s elected president said in his own words Bloomberg (resilc)

China?

G7 condemns Hong Kong polls for “eroding” democracy IBTimes (hairy)

The labor cost of China’s green energy boom before the Winter Olympics Bangkok Post (Furry)

Brexit

The report emphasizes the sharp decline in Anglo-Irish trade RTE (Plutonium Kun)

Due to the concentration of Omicron, with only so much bandwidth, we ignored Lord Frost’s heavy resignation. Some catch up:

Please read the entire Tweetstorm (guurst):

Brexit is impossible. You cannot unlock the closing price at the end of 50 years of a trading group and expect to be as good as when you became a member. There is considerable economic pain for all so-called sovereign gains. There will be more when British border controls begin.

-Tom Hayes (@BEERG) December 19, 2021

So, who would want this job? Who wants to be the next Brexit loser? Who wants to stand up and say: “I can do the impossible”? Brexit is the end of a career. Brexit involves a difficult choice. The Brexitists have never admitted this. This is the real problem.

-Tom Hayes (@BEERG) December 19, 2021

If you can’t let the 80 seats of non-believers be eliminated and leave Brexit satisfied, Boris “completed Brexit” Johnson as prime minister, “I will fight the EU” Lord Frost as the EU negotiating czar, maybe this is you Is the expectation rather than cruel fate or destruction the problem?

— Dmitry Grozubinski (@DmitryOpines) December 19, 2021

New cold war

Breaking news: Putin is over and Russia is drafting terms of surrender to Germany. Andrei Martianov (guest)

Surprising Russian Ultimatum: New Draft Treaty Overthrowing NATO Anti-war (guurst)

Russia feels threatened by NATO.There is history behind this Los Angeles Times

Syria

The carnival in the Saudi desert pushes the kingdom’s changing borders The Straits Times (resilc)

Empire Folding Watch

Death driven kingdom Brooklyn Institute of Social Studies (Tom H). important.

The harassment of naval destroyers by mysterious drone swarms in California lasts for weeks Drive (Kevin W)

The U.S. drone war is my repeat Charles Pierce, Esquire (resilc)

Biden

Manchin may have killed Biden’s agenda – or opened the way for a better reconstruction Washington post. Kevin W: “WaPo provides cover for Manchin.”

Did Joe Manchin kill Joe Biden’s domestic agenda? New York Magazine (resilc)

Joe Biden failed to align with his party politics

Let me get it right, there is no end to the qualifying exemptions, the evictions have begun again, the monthly child tax credits have ended, and most importantly, the student loan bills are about to begin? One last question: why would anyone vote in the midterm?

-RealTimBlack (@RealTimBlack) December 20, 2021

Coal miners urge Manchin to reconsider opposing spending BiBloomberg

The Bidens joined their family with their new first puppy CNN

Why is the American right so angry?Because they know that social change is coming guardian. Resilc: “Who is not angry in America? Left, right, middle, delusion, drug use…”

Our famous free media

Robert Lemke jailed for threats by reporters Law and Crime (Furry)

Wal-Mart illegally dumps 1 million toxic substances in landfills every year. The lawsuit claims The Guardian (Kevin W)

Disclosure: Florida Electric Power Company pushes for legislation to slow down rooftop solar Guardian (resilient)

Cyber ??pirates can hold a renewable revolution for ransom Oil price

Baffle

Alzheimer’s disease experts call Aduhelm’s approval “scientific and clinically untenable” New York Times (Adam T)

In our new paper @JAMANetworkOpen We delve into the cost-effectiveness (CEA) research of anti-cancer drugs

Bottom line: If the CEA study is funded by a pharmaceutical company, the drug is 40 times more likely to be found to be cost-effective (gosh!)

One ? explains our findingshttps://t.co/cR53H6Hc8F pic.twitter.com/PXCoO7ceFJ

-Vinay Prasad, MD MPH ??? (@VPrasadMDMPH) December 21, 2021

Guillotine watch

Davos is dead Politics (Kevin W)

Class struggle

“No one’s life is worth a pack”: Amazon employees are organizing mobile phone visits Vice (flexible)

Two U.S. senators seek an investigation into Amazon.com’s labor practicesReuters

After 75 days of strike, Yili Steel Workers have won tremendous changes Mike Elk. Lotta physical strength!

U.S. Customs bans fifth Malaysian glove manufacturer from alleged forced labor Reuters (resilc)

Antidote of the day. Wayne W: “Midge brings the joy of festive kittens to everyone!”

And bonus (guurst):

Good night ?#Male deer aquariumGAO#Polar bear #?? pic.twitter.com/N1en0fj0BK

-Cat (@ cat_0515) December 15, 2021

The second reward (Tom H):

The fun of the entire otter: This naughty otter was spotted playing in the fresh snow in the Grand Marais, Minnesota. https://t.co/5LUoOapDV6 pic.twitter.com/IDjL93PcXq

— ABC News (@ABC) December 5, 2021

See yesterday’s link and antidote du Jour here.