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The Art of the Catch BioGraphic
In Search of Lost Department Stores Parisian Fields
Our Future Might Be Darker—and That’s a Good Thing Inside Climate News
“There is Nothing but Immortality!”: Walt Whitman and The Book of Heavenly Death (1905) Public Domain Review
Climate/Environment
Beyond Clean-Ups: Joy, Discomfort, and Ecopedagogy in Wasted-Edgelands Brief Ecology
In Colorado, the Majestic Ponderosa Pines Are Dying Capital & Main
Crete Hit by Flooding, Landslides, and Water Shortages Tovima
Coral Reefs Are Bleaching in Extreme Heat. Could Underwater Umbrellas Save Them? Euronews
Pandemics
Researcher at Russian Plague Laboratory Dies of ‘Unknown’ Infection CNN
I obviously have no idea what’s happening with plague in Russia beyond the public broad brushstrokes, but here are a few thoughts:
1. Plague is a bacterial infection caused by Yersinia pestis. It’s endemic in some parts of the world and comes in three varieties: bubonic, which is believed to be spread from rodents to humans via infected insect vectors (e.g., fleas) or contact with sick or dead animals; septicaemic (plague in the blood); and pneumonic, which can spread person-to-person through aerosols (as usual, the WHO states droplets).
— David Fisman (@DFisman) October 4, 2026
Important addition:
The Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute’s own research summary appears to describe deliberate virulence enhancement by serial passage. In its Brucella program, the institute states that repeated passage through guinea pigs was used to increase bacterial virulence. https://t.co/KaoWbY7vbG
— Outbreak Updates (@outbreakupdates) October 4, 2026
Justice Alito: COVID Was A Stress Test Of Our Commitment To Constitutional Rights–A Lot Of People Failed RealClearPolitics
How are we supposed to juggle it all? M (is) Living with Long Covid
Can air cleaning technologies help eliminate COVID? Perhaps, if we think more about population scale than individual spaces. Matters of Perspective
Water
El Niño, Oil Shocks, and Broken Utilities Turn the Philippines into Asia’s Water Crisis Test Case Intellinews
The Koreas
Trump Urges South Korea to Sign Alaska LNG Deal or ‘I’ll Just Charge Them More’ CNBC
China?
FBI Arrests California Woman Accused of Surveilling Taiwan President’s Son for China Firstpost
China’s Starlink Response China Talk
China’s Scenario-based Innovation Sinocities
India
70,000 Indian Workers for Russia, More Exports for India: What Is Behind the Economic Push Firstpost
Syraqistan
Four Palestinians Killed, 19 Wounded by Israeli Fire in Gaza Anadolu Agency
WHO Warns of ‘Devastating Consequences’ Due to Delayed Aid Entry into Gaza Al Jazeera
Israel Assassinated Director of Turkish Aid Group in Central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah The Cradle
Source: Netanyahu Plotted False-Flag Aircraft Hijacking to Drag Trump into New Iran War Press TV
Iran Set to Work on Increasing Its Missiles’ Range: Army Spokesperson Al Mayadeen
Iran Resilience vs. US Decay Oliver Boyd-Barrett
US Backs Major Saudi-Led Offensive as Yemen Slides Back Toward All-Out War Common Dreams
Yemeni Forces Seize Dhubab, Strategic Sites Near Bab el-Mandeb, Army Says Anadolu Agency
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed an attack on the Aramco refinery, a significant oil facility in Saudi Arabia. This claim followed reports of flames rising from the refinery.
🔴 LIVE updates: https://t.co/K2o8zvY8Hh
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 4, 2026
Old Blighty
Did the Foreign Office Tip Off Counter-Terrorist Police to Arrest Me? Ian Proud
US Withdraws Bombers from UK Airbase After Suspected Terror Plot DPA International
Britain’s Palantir Contracts Have Hit £1bn. Labour Blocked a Debate About It Citizens Reunited
European Disunion
Spanish PM Sánchez Calls for Snap Election Amid Pressure Over Housing Crisis France24
Europe’s Diesel Woes Just Got Worse OilPrice
Euro Hits 17-Month Low Amid Political Uncertainty in Spain and France CNBC
France May Close Up to 500 Schools Amid Student Protests TeleSur
Latvia’s PM Poised to Lead Pro-Ukraine Coalition After Parliamentary Election Victory France24
Europe’s Demand for More Reservists Amid HR Challenges Rapporteur
New Not-So-Cold War
The Russian Ministry of Defence has issued a statement that includes political commentary—a rarity for them, typically focused on dry reports of military statistics. They have noted Zelensky’s threats to attack more Russian oil refineries and have promised to “intensify” strikes on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine in response, holding Zelensky fully responsible for the fallout.
“The people of Ukraine should hold only the head of the Kiev regime accountable for this.”
— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) October 4, 2026
US May Delay New Sanctions Against Russia, Energy Secretary Says Al Mayadeen
Ukraine War Latest: Germany Supplies Kyiv with Air Defense Missiles in $1.5 Billion Aid Package Kyiv Independent
FT: Estonia Moves Troops Closer to Russia in “Active Defense” Push ERR
South of the Border
What Caused Lula’s Electoral Setback & How He Could Still Win the Runoff Payday Report
After yesterday’s first round vote, Flávio Bolsonaro is now almost certainly Brazil’s next president. The swing to the right is being felt across all of South America’s major economies, with Brazil’s relations (especially regarding security, critical minerals, and tech) now significantly realigned toward Trump and the United States.
— Ian Bremmer (@ianbremmer) October 5, 2026
Crossing the picket line of the MAS general strike, taking DOD funds, retaining the ‘Major Non-NATO Ally Status’, aligning with the US invasion of Haiti, and criticizing Venezuelan elections wasn’t enough. As I write here, one lesson for Lula and Petro is that no attempt to find middle ground with the US—at the expense of solidarity with your neighbors—will shield you from electoral interference. The State Department demands full capitulation.
— Camila Lourdes Galarza (@sovietwithsazon) October 5, 2026
Nicaragua Moves to Exit Central American Parliament Rio Times
L’affaire Epstein
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Launches Legal Action Against Police Over Epstein Raids The Guardian
Trump 2.0
Trump Doxxes GOP Senator in Daylight Saving Feud, Claims He Wants to ‘Play More Than 14 Holes of Golf’ International Business Times
‘Elon Is My Prophet’: How Musk’s Doge Team Took a Wrecking Ball to Washington The Guardian
Pentagon Increases Combat Pay as War with Iran Continues Task and Purpose
Midterms 2026
Trump Funnels Millions from Massive War Chest into Key House and Senate Races The Hill
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Federal Judge Describes Flock as ‘Indiscriminate Mass Surveillance’ TechCrunch
The Accelerationists
I Attended the ‘Existential Hope’ Gala and Left Hungry Oakland Review of Books
Healthcare?
How the Government Forces Doctors to Defraud Our Seniors Matt Bivens, M.D.
Agriculture
Monopoly Round-Up: How Seed and Pesticide Makers Act Like the Mafia Matt Stoller
Chokepoints
The Oil Routes Around Hormuz Face Their Own Chokepoints The Cradle
“VLCC rates have reached record levels and are now at $1.3 million per day (43 times the January figure). This equals nearly $33/barrel, which is 27% of the delivered cost of crude oil.”
— Ed Finley–Richardson (@ed_fin) October 3, 2026
Economy
A Gut Punch in Ohio: Nearly 1,400 Laid Off at Truck Factory Days Before Trump Rally AP
‘A Lot of Sticker Shock’: Home Heating Costs Surge for Millions Amid Oil Crisis Yahoo! Finance
Imperial Collapse Watch
BRICS and the Chronicle of a Multipolarity Foretold Nel Bonilla, Worldlines. A Recommended Read.
Sunset on the Quality of Western Propaganda: Arrival of the Dr. Strangelove Moment Propaganda in Focus
AI
Can ‘Super Intelligence’ and a Non-Binding Safety Pact Resolve AI’s Image Problem? TechCrunch
For the AI buildout to pay off, Americans will ultimately need to invest about 9% of GDP annually on AI services. Reflect on that figure—it’s roughly equivalent to the total amount the country spends on food.
A new Columbia paper presented at Brookings argues that AI revenue must reach $3.5 trillion by 2032, about 8.8% of GDP, to justify current commitments. That amount surpasses any investment boom in US history and is seven times what Americans currently spend on phones, streaming, and internet combined.
AI will almost certainly enhance productivity, but whether it can generate the revenue that investors anticipate is still uncertain. This gap may indicate an underpricing of the forthcoming buildout.
— Kurt S. Altrichter, CRPS® (@kurtsaltrichter) October 3, 2026
AI Costs Are Rising for Organizations, Reports Warn Semafor
Amazon Urges Local Communities to Stop Opposing Its Massive AI Data Centers Futurism
Sam Altman in Decoded: ‘The World Should Accept Some Negative Outcomes for the Benefits of AI’ Politico
What AI Debates Have to Do with Alchemy Programmable Mutter
Class Warfare
The Abolition of Rent Black Lodges
What Cleveland’s Fight Reveals About Challenging Extractive Ownership Shelterforce
NRC Proposes to Eliminate Workplace Radiation Protections Confined Space
Antidote du jour (via):
For yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour, click here.
