Engaging in birdwatching offers not only a pastime for nature enthusiasts but also significant benefits for mental well-being, while simply listening to the sounds of birds can enhance our overall health as well. In addition to this delightful pursuit, there are a range of fascinating discoveries and urgent issues documented in recent studies and news articles. Here’s a deeper look at some of these compelling topics.
Birdwatching Is Good For Your Mental Health. Listening Is Too All About Birds
Farmed Salmon May Not Be as Nutritious as It Once Was, New Research Suggests Sentient
Climate and Environment
America’s air monitors are disappearing. So is your power to expose polluters. Grist
‘Tidal wave’ of Pfas being launched to satisfy AI industry, campaigners warn The Guardian
As the coast begins to crumble, the clock ticks on moving San Onofre’s radioactive waste Los Angeles Times
Where might it snow a lot this winter? Here’s an estimate of the general patterns!
Snowfall is challenging to forecast on a seasonal scale, but, because of El Niño this year, there will probably be a little more predictability than normal. https://t.co/6Poiqan6yg pic.twitter.com/xS0ZxgSoLa
— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) September 13, 2026
Pandemics
New study reveals how COVID-19 likely spread between countries Washington University
COVID-19 may trigger the same immune pathway as lupus CIDRAP
Why Is No One Talking About Long COVID? MedPage Today
Water Safety
The push to remove lead pipes is on. Thousands of water systems still don’t know where theirs are AP
Geopolitical Developments
China
Why Trump’s Ireland Remark Raised Eyebrows in Beijing and Taipei George Chen
The Soft Power Holiday Reality-based Analysis Group
Airbus Cuts China Top-Selling Jet Forecast on High-Speed Rail Bloomberg
Can Taiwan Build Drones? ChinaTalk
My latest #ThoughtoftheDayonChina: Why I’m Spending a Year at Harvard: exploring the Limits of US-China Tension Wang Xiangwei’s Thought of the Day on China
India
Xi in New Delhi Inside China
Succession Troubles Strain India’s Wealthy Business Dynasties Bloomberg
Syraqistan
Why Saudi Arabia has few options in its conflict with the Houthis CNN
How Iran’s Hard-Liners Prevailed and Sabotaged U.S. Peace Deal New York Times. And the hard-liners in the US and Israel?
Trump downplays report China entities helped Iran before attack that killed US troops Channel News Asia
Oman postpones regional meeting on new Strait of Hormuz maritime route Anadolu Agency
Iran’s Economic Ties To Dubai Hard To Break Despite War AFP
‘Israel’ trained Kurdish fighters for plan to topple Iran’s government Al Mayadeen
Protests over increasing oil prices and failure of Jolani regime have now spread to Maarat Al Numat in Idlib
Protestors have blocked the Damascus-Aleppo highway
It’s not even winter yet https://t.co/BgDIwozynS pic.twitter.com/X6A8rEyFrx
— The’Nimr’Tiger (@Souria4Syrians) September 13, 2026
Africa
An AI-Powered, Coordinated Paid Campaign on Sudan’s War, Disguised as Four Independent News Sites Dysinfluence
In Mali, generative AI joins the information war Timbuktu Institute
Unequal exchange between France and Africa’s CFA zone: monetary dependency and imperialist appropriation New Political Economy
Ukraine is fighting Russia anywhere it can – even in the deserts of Africa CNN
Europe
Ukrainians must leave Germany – AfD co-leader RT
Who Will Pay New Left Review
Sweden’s centre-left holds razor-thin edge as exit polls show tight race France24
Trump removes tariffs on Irish whiskey as his Ireland visit ends DPA International
Croatia’s Toxic Waste Scandal Ana Vracar, Savage Minds
Canada
Canada seeks Ukraine loan role to deepen EU ties FT
Canada looking into ‘unique alliance’ with EU, not membership: Carney CBC
United Kingdom
US embassy child abuse images suspect flown from UK before police interview BBC
Leaders of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to sign memorandum on independence on Monday Irish Times
Shifts in Global Politics
Train carrying Boris Johnson and ex-CIA chief may have been targeted in Russian strike, officials say The Guardian
Trump tells Zelenskyy: halt strikes on Russian diesel TRT World
Experts Declare Ukraine Losing Its Technical Edge to Breakthrough Russian Innovation Simplicius
Trump Era Developments
Trump proposes another Venezuela-like deal, suggesting US stay in Iran & ‘keep oil’ Firstpost
White House agrees to new ethics language in crypto bill The Hill
Trump Is Spending in Every Senate Battleground but One NOTUS
Democratic Discontent
Democrats Are Urging Trump to Re-Escalate on North Korea Capital & Empire
Surveillance Concerns
Secret Banking Database Used For Pre-crime Deeper States
Surveillance Culture
God’s Eye View Redux: Young Men Incentivized To Play “War” in the Real World Philosophy Publics
This is Rebecca Weiner, an NYPD Deputy Commissioner, member of CfR, and a Columbia Univ professor who organized the violent repression on Hind’s Hall. She is also the chief of NYPD’s Counterterrorism Bureau, which has an office in “Tel Aviv” and is modeled on Unit 8200 https://t.co/kOVooGGUov
— night jar (@nocturnalbottle) September 13, 2026
Artificial Intelligence
Could rogue agent swarms take over the entire internet in the next six months? Gary Marcus
The politics and possibilities of ‘AI could kill us all’ Blood in the Machine
Anthropic CEO’s China-targeted AI curbs driven by commercial interests, slammed as ‘hostile’ and ‘groundless’ Global Times
There you go… This entire “AI is going to kill us” was an orchestrated psyop.
Dario Amodei was on @FaceNationCBS this morning saying “The government and the public needs to have a stake” in AI and that he wants the entire AI industry regulated.
Translation: We need a taxpayer… https://t.co/9pqtTgo4i7 pic.twitter.com/sUPncJF7ZL
— Financelot (@FinanceLancelot) September 13, 2026
The Quick Case Against Using AI Commonplace Philosophy
The Bezzle
A New Startup Lets You Freeze Your Eggs For Free. But Is Anything Ever Free? Wired
Class Warfare
What If The System Isn’t Broken? The Soulful Systems
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
