To achieve this, as many people as possible need to be infected with the virus as the vaccines are not enough, even though they provide good protection against serious illness

Science/Medicine

Hey@fitterhappierAJyour episode is out. Thanks for all your insights! I hope people see how important it is to understand how Covid effects our immune system long term. #longcovid #TCells https://t.co/GJHn1lDD7W

— The Long Covid Sessions Podcast (@SessionsTlc) February 22, 2022

Canada

Trudeau ends use of Emergencies Act, says ‘situation is no longer an emergency’ CBC (Mitchell King)

One thousand truckers begin drive from California to DC TODAY in protest of COVID National Emergency Daily Mail

US truckers plan pandemic protest, inspired by Canadian counterparts Reuters

Climate/Environment

Methane Emissions From the Energy Sector Are 70% Higher Than Official Figures IEA

Climate change is warping our fresh water cycle – and much faster than we thought The Conversation (David L)

Energy agency: Methane emissions higher than countries claim Associated Press

Climate Scientists Warn of a ‘Global Wildfire Crisis’ New York Times (David L)

Argentina’s drought-fueled wildfires continue to rage Reuters (resilc)

China?

Bringing up a child costlier in China than in US, Japan – research Reuters

DOJ scraps Trump-era China Initiative for broader national security program The Hill

Old Blighty

Parliament renovation could take 76 years and cost £22bn, report says Guardian (Kevin W)

New Not So Cold War

Brave of her:

This war and suffering could have easily been avoided if Biden Admin/NATO had simply acknowledged Russia’s legitimate security concerns regarding Ukraine’s becoming a member of NATO, which would mean US/NATO forces right on Russia’s border

— Tulsi Gabbard ? (@TulsiGabbard) February 24, 2022

Address by the President of the Russian Federation on the 24th and Vladimir Putin answered media questions on the 22nd Kremlin (guurst)

The situation is about to quickly escalate, probably in the next days The Saker. This was the right call.

Harsh conditions mean Russian troops near Ukraine will need to be moved soon Guardian

Ukraine asks Turkey to close straits for Russian warships Daily Sabah

Putin’s Moves on Ukraine Will Be a Historic Mistake New York Times. Resilc: “And Albright should know them based on her causing them.”

Boris Johnson tells City of London to prepare for tough new sanctions on Russia Financial Times (Kevin W)

Britain less keen on war with hard opponent Daily Mash

Russia May Use Cryptocurrencies To Evade US Sanctions New York Times. As pointed out yesterday, they are wet-noodle level. If we really think crypto is helping Russia too much, we might finally see that long-overdue crackdown. Oddly, ramsomeware attacks on state and municipal government services didn’t do it.

US Stokes Tensions With Russia by Building Military Base 100 Miles From Border TruthOut

From 2018: Dangers Grow: ‘New Cold War’ Acquired an Evident Ideological Component – ??Scholar Sputnik (guurst)

Russia postpones Cuba debt payments amid warming relations Reuters. Resilc: “When do the missiles go in?”

Syraqistan

Something Is Rotten in Jerusalem Project Syndicate (David L)

Cracks in Israel’s coalition government start to show Axios (resilc)

Imperial Collapse Watch

Is DoD briefing retired media talking head generals and colonels again? Turcopolier

Watch: Museum of the Future, the most beautiful building on earth, opens in Dubai – As it happened Gulf News . Resilc: “USA USA could have this too if we didn’t piss away a trillion a year on the war machine/empire.”

‘Malignant normality’: Professor of religion explains how the US weaponized Christianity to sacralize war Alternet (furzy)

Trump

Manhattan prosecutors leading criminal probe of Donald Trump resign Financial Times. Even my right wing buddies think this development in isolation to be a nothingburger in terms of helping Trump. The prosecutors may have decided that this suit is not that necessary given all the other ones going and/or have gotten wind that the judge is sympathetic to Trump. From one contact:

This particular case is over because it’d take forever to bring new lawyers up to speed and continue the grand jury. There are several other cases going, Dems are not stopping in the effort to prevent him from running. AG James has a (weak ) case. They are starting a case in GA and trying to gin up a Jan 6 case.

Biden

White House preps public for sanctions sticker shock The Hill

Biden’s Real Challenge is Not Russia or China, but Poverty in America CounterPunch (resilc)

Migrans clash with police in southern Mexico Reuters

GOP Clown Car

Rick Scott’s 11-Point Plan Is a Haunted-House Version of Newt Gingrich’s Contract With America Esquire

North Carolina officials reject Cawthorn claim that Constitution’s insurrectionist ban no longer applies Politico (resilc)

Woke Watch

Why are black Americans being punished for their hair? BBC. Maybe I’m just showing my age, but IMHO pointing out concrete examples of how blacks are discriminated against now is far more powerful than nebulous issues. There are plenty of concrete grievances like wages, hiring (studies show that resumes with presumed- black names like Tyrell Washington or Lakisha Jones are regularly not even read). Starting with demonstrable and consequential wrongs and then identifying cultural mechanisms that perpetuate and reinforce them strikes me as rhetorically far more persuasive, along with having the further advantage of depersonalizing the discussion ( ie, giving the potentially guilty space to reflect on their conduct privately, as opposed to presuming their guilt and regularly generating knee-jerk rejection).

This is my father’s appointment letter to the History Department at SUNY Buffalo in 1965. I would like to call your attention to the second paragraph (+alt). #Twitterstorians pic.twitter.com/NhwCILnK49

— David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) February 22, 2022

The US Copyright Office says an AI can’t copyright its art The Verge

US to hold its biggest offshore wind auction Reuters

See the replies, which were united and brutal:

The US economy has been hit with increased gas prices, inflation, and supply-chain issues due to the Ukraine crisis. https://t.co/d9dwXWpcvf

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 23, 2022

The Nocturnals Atlantic (resilc). IMHO, normalcy is highly overrated. Yet so much effort to enforce it!

Class Warfare

The Great Resignation is also the Great Retirement of the baby boomers. That’s a problem. Washington Post

Antidote du jour. @deadlyknitshade (hat tip martha r): “I present to you the fox that lives in my garden, for she is the most lovely thing.”

And a bonus (Jim D):

And a second bonus:

Thank you for your service!?Idaho trooper makes leaping roadside catch to grab escaping cat who was being rescued pic.twitter.com/DkPyXFiv7J

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 10, 2022

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here