Getting to Know the Know-It-Alls: On a new history of pedantry Hedgehog Review (Micael T)
Folk Influences on 20th-Century Classical Music Jim Samson (Micael T)
The Art of Looking The Culture Dump (Micael T)
What kind of language is Eridian, question? Linguistic Discovery (Micael T)
Immortality Jospeh Diaz (Micael T). Not quite right. I know three people who have had near-death experiences, and none of them is afraid of dying.
A Christian Case for Gossip JSTOR (Micael T)
#COVID-19/Pandemics
Scientists find immune cell linked to long COVID fatigue and symptoms Science Daily
Climate/Environment
Beavers can convert stream corridors to persistent carbon sinks Nature (Micael T)
Limiting global warming to 2C would not ‘rule out’ extreme impacts Carbon Brief
Another day, another preliminary record for the global sea-surface temperature, and so it goes.
What makes today interesting is that SSTs are once again above a 10,000,000-to-1 event, assuming no climate change.
The peak anomaly was 4,435,000,000-to-1, on January 9, 2024. pic.twitter.com/zfrlxu1a1m
— Prof. Eliot Jacobson (@EliotJacobson) March 25, 2026
Pakistan world’s most polluted country in 2025: Report Aljazeera
China?
The Man Ordinary Chinese Chose to Trust Pekinology
Write up of my visits to eleven Chinese humanoid robotics firms Chang Che (guurst)
South of the Border
Two humanitarian aid boats heading to Cuba have gone missing, Mexico says Guardian (resilc)
European Disunion
EU lawmakers support EU–US trade deal, with conditions attached Euronews (Micael T)
George Beebe: Iran War Weakens Ukraine & Europe Remains Irrational Glenn Diesen, YouTube
Germany Drafts Plan to Hit US Companies in Next Trump Clash Bloomberg. Micael T: “This is cute but you also need a spine and competence to implement such a plan. Of which contemporary German leadership have none.”
Germany’s Uniper warns EU methane rules will hit Europe’s energy supplies Financial Times
Prison prepares for 13-year-olds – warden buys weighted blankets to combat anxiety Arbetet via machine translation
Old Blighty
UK faces triple shock of inflation, weak growth and energy crunch News.co
UK food supply at risk of ‘catastrophic failure’ by 2030, report warns Farming UK
More than 6m vapes and pods discarded weekly in UK despite single-use ban, study finds Guardian (resilc)
Israel v The Resistance
📍Wadi Shek
26.3.26 – 09:00
A., Palestinian shepherd who has been tightly persecuted by the occupation forces, was arrested again while grazing on private Palestinian lands he rents, within a so called «firing zone». A herd of settlers owned by Tzuri Lilenthal from the illegal… pic.twitter.com/db7TyVxEuq— Jordan Valley Activists نشطاء غور الأردن (@JVActivists) March 26, 2026
🧵»We’ll bring down the authority of evil and terror known as the PA. We will erase the lines and definitions and the letters [A, B, C areas]. We’ll settle our land in all its territory.»
Last Sunday, at the funeral of Hilltop Youth Yehuda Shmuel Sherman, Bezalel Smotrich gave a… https://t.co/rJfzDG4s9X pic.twitter.com/Fp04yAS5le
— B.M. (@ireallyhateyou) March 27, 2026
From yesterday, still germane:
🇮🇱Tel Aviv was plunged into darkness without electricity and water. They experienced a terrifying night due to the complete failure of the Iron Dome defense system and the Iranian bombing of a power plant, which caused widespread power outages.☀🌚 pic.twitter.com/E5L2B7qKKM
— Mr. Hass 💛 (@Lassegaf_1) March 27, 2026
To End the Iran War, Trump Must Divorce Israel American Conservative (resilc). As Joe Kent has been saying….
Israel tries to inflict the Gaza treatment on Iran:
The attempt to destroy Iranian knowledge
Yesterday, March 26th, the Isfahan University of Technology was targeted. Today, the 27th, the Tehran University of Technology also came under heavy bombardment.
These events reinforce my previous point that one of the primary… pic.twitter.com/pNbdsD5883
— Patricia Marins (@pati_marins64) March 28, 2026
Why Trump only has a month left to end the war Telegraph. Word of the low stockpiles is getting out.
Hormuz Chokehold and Iran’s Strategy of Economic Coercion Valdai Club (Robin K)
The Empire versus Iran: Which Side Are You On? Counterpunch (resilc)
New Not-So-Cold War
Trump extends certain US sanctions against Russia for one year TASS (guurst)
Starmer orders British commandos to seize Putin’s shadow fleet vessels Independent
Second Tanker Hit in Weeks as Black Sea Drone Strikes Russian Oil Cargo OilPrice
Trump shares article on Ukrainian plot to fund Biden reelection RT
Zakharova Tore Apart Ukraine’s Response To India’s Arrest Of Its Mercenaries Andrew Korybko
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
NYPD says it’s tracking online radicalization after failed Gracie Mansion attack Gothamist
Imperial Collapse Watch
Anduril Wants to Own the Future of War Tech. Mishaps, Delays, and Challenges Abound Wired (resilc)
Nonfiction Publishing, Under Threat, Is More Important Than Ever New Republic (Micael T)
At Pentagon Service, Hegseth Prays for Violence Against Those Who ‘Deserve No Mercy’ Antiwar.com (Kevin W)
Trump 2.0
Trump Drops $1B to Kill 2 Wind Farms, Then Watches a Bigger One Go Online Gizmodo (Kevin W)
Defense Secretary Hegseth intervened to stop promotions of Black and female officers NPR (Kevin W)
US passengers enraged by hours-long lines and missed flights: ‘Absolutely insane’. Guardian. DHS blowback.
Immigration
Louisiana crawfish industry hampered by limits on foreign workers Associated Press (resilc)
Shortages
Panic buying prompts PM to reassure Australians over fuel supply BBC
Economy
Energy-Price Shock Hits a World Already Buried in Debt Wall Street Journal
US Winemakers and Beer Brewers Face an Existential Crisis: Plunging Alcohol Consumption Wolf Richter
Even wealthy Americans are souring on the economy as gas prices spike and stocks fall CNN (Kevin W)
Flights, fertilizer, mortgage rates: how the Iran war is raising more than just US gas prices Guardian
Mr. Market is Hypnotized
Finance Isn’t Prepared for an Iran Crisis. It Should Be Bloomberg. Official editorial.
US bond market shows signs of strain as Iran war sparks Treasury tumult Financial Times
The Next Financial Shock to Come From Trump’s War With Iran New Republic (resilc)
Antitrust
The Industry That Laughs at You | Live Nation Leaked Chats, Charlie Puth AI Deal, and Sony’s Royalty Robbery Vinyl Culture (Micael T)
AI
What Is Anthropic Thinking? Derek Thompson (Micael T)
Welcome to a Multidimensional Economic Disaster. The AI boom wasn’t built for the polycrisis Atlantic
The Pentagon’s AI Gatekeeper Holds Stock In Anthropic’s Rival Lever News (resilc)
Wittgenstein’s Apocalypse Commonweal (Anthony L)
Class Warfare
Class-warfare and Social Disorder in Wealth of Nations nesio13
Children’s screen time is a class issue Arbetaren via machine translation
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
