Links 8/21/2020

August 22, 2020

Australia’s biggest bats fly thousands of kilometers a year—farther than wildebeest and caribou Science

Wildfire Smoke Shrouds the U.S. West Earth Observatory

‘My God, we’ve got nobody’: Strained firefighters struggle to stop Bay Area wildfires Mercury-News

How this recession is different Felix Salmon, Axios. This time:

Recovery from the seismic global shock from #COVID19 crisis has reached an uncomfortable plateau

Via ⁦@GoldmanSachs⁩ ⁦@SoberLook⁩ pic.twitter.com/xhfzAT5GKi

— Gregory Daco (@GregDaco) August 20, 2020

Uber and Lyft shutdown in California averted as judge grants emergency stay The Verge

The Big Tech Extortion Racket Harpers

Mauritius

A Ship Off Course Sows Misery and Mystery in Mauritius Bloomberg. Not nuch about the mystery!

“There are many questions that need to be answered about how this incident was allowed to happen. Trust has been lost” Mauritius Times

#COVID19

Progress report on the coronavirus pandemic Nature

Humidity is a consistent climatic factor contributing to SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. From the abstract: “Overall, a decrease in relative humidity of 1% was associated with an increase in cases of 7–8%. Overall, we found no relationship with between cases and temperature, rainfall or wind speed.”

An Overview on the Role of Relative Humidity in Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Indoor Environments Aerosol and Air Quality Research. From the abstract: “Based on earlier studies, a relative humidity of 40–60% was found to be optimal for human health in indoor places. Thus, it is extremely important to set a minimum relative humidity standard for indoor environments such as hospitals, offices and public transports for minimization of airborne spread of SARS-CoV-2.”

Pediatric SARS-CoV-2: Clinical Presentation, Infectivity, and Immune Responses Journal of Pediatrics. n = 192. From the Conclusion: “This study reveals that children may be a potential source of contagion in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in spite of milder disease or lack of symptoms.”

Covid-19 Data Will Once Again Be Collected by CDC, in Policy Reversal WSJ but:

HHS is flatly denying the WSJ report that the administration is reversing course on how it collects hospital coronavirus data.

There are no plans to have the CDC “take over again,” three sources tell me. https://t.co/m6Lyt91jJx

— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) August 20, 2020

If the CDC did in fact bring in the U.S. Digital service, that’s a smart move, albeit years late.

Tomgram: Belle Chesler, Will Public Schools Survive Covid-19? Tom DIspatch

China?

The Pain of Divesting From China Will Be Shared Bloomberg. No doubt:

China now has more companies in the Fortune 500 than the US. @ISABELNET_SA via @SoberLook https://t.co/dez4Qe4yI8 pic.twitter.com/sYqRQUVSPE

— Adam Tooze (@adam_tooze) August 19, 2020

China’s Bank Regulator Warns Dollar Dominance Is Seed of Crisis Bloomberg

China’s Economy Needs Institutional Reform Rather Than Additional Capital Deepening Michael Pettis. From July, still germane.

China reluctant to hit back at US firms over Washington’s new Huawei ‘death sentence’ South China Morning Post

‘Drive the Blade In’: Xi Shakes Up China’s Law-and-Order Forces NYT

Quasi-Legal In China: Not the Place you Want to Be China Law Blog

After dining ban due to Covid-19, takeaway waste clogs Hong Kong’s pavements, parks and waterways Straits Times

Tiles to restore corals, designed and 3D printed in Hong Kong, may be key to saving the world’s threatened reefs South China Morning Post

A Rush is On to Mine the Seabed, But the Effects are Unknown The Maritime Executive

The Koreas

Fight With South Korea Outbreak Church Fuels Rebound for Moon Bloomberg

Endless first wave: how Indonesia failed to control coronavirus Lebanon

UK/EU

Ofqual exam results algorithm was unlawful, says Labour Guardian

Labour, the ‘red wall’, and the vicissitudes of Britain’s voting system OpenDemocracy

Tempers Flare Over German Mask Requirement Der Spiegel

Brexit

Pessimism Returns to Brexit Talks as Hopes for Deal Slip Away Bloomberg

Will There Ever be Elections Again in Bolivia? Counterpunch

New Cold War

The Factory Joins the Square: Putin’s Nightmare Unfolds in Belarus The Nation

There’s Enough Blame to Go Around in Belarus Consortium News

COMMENT: Why Belarus is exceptional Intellinews. In humor, at least:

Good joke from #Belarus. Riot police (OMON) officers are beating a guy on the street. “Why are you beating me? I voted for Lukashenko!” he said. “Don’t lie to us. Nobody voted for him” they said. Classic dark Communist-time humor @thespybrief https://t.co/ePYJUnomhz

— Paweł Burdzy (@pburdzy) August 19, 2020

How Ukraine’s audacious secret service successfully scammed Putin and his mercenaries Business Insider

RussiaGate

Matt Taibbi on the Origins of the Russiagate Hoax (inteview) Antiwar.com. Fascinating.

David C. Speedie and Krishen Mehta: Russiagate and the New “Conspiracism” American Commitee for East-West Accord

Trump Transition

PICTURED: Steve Bannon relaxing on fugitive Chinese billionaire’s 150-foot superyacht Lady May hours before his arrest for ‘ripping off hundreds of thousands of donors in We Build the Wall fundraiser scam’ Daily Mail

Democrat National Convention

Fact Check: Biden’s Address To The DNC, Annotated NPR. Biden et al. take the stage:

This could quite possibly be the weirdest thing you could ever watch!#DemocraticConvention pic.twitter.com/c0k8YSOdqO

— Damo Pelham🦈 (@DamoPelham) August 21, 2020

Joe Biden’s Most Unifying Message: Human Decency HuffPo. Not part of the message:

Not a word during that entire convention on banks, finance, or corporate greed. FDR wept.

— Rick Perlstein (@rickperlstein) August 21, 2020

Nina Turner on Harris as VP: ‘Salute the history’ but ‘Wall Street has the ticket they want’ The Hill

Biden Has Nothing to Fear But Fear of Deficits Itself Eric Levitz, New York Magazine (Re Silc). Why are we even having this discussion.

Hunter Biden slated to speak at final night of DNC Axios

2020

Anyone but Trump? Weighing Three Approaches for Social Justice Advocates in 2020 34 Justice. From April, still germane.

Kansas Democrat, 19, Who Admitted to Revenge Porn, Ekes Out Primary Win NYT. Meanwhile, Bill Clinton is a respected party elder.

USPS

Postmaster general eyes aggressive changes at Postal Service after election WaPo. Word doesn’t seem to have reached the troops:

Spoke to a postal worker today who explained why medication is the 1st thing people noticed was missing. They said when DeJoy ordered shifts to end even if all mail wasn’t delivered, carriers were told to prioritize Amazon packages, then Priority mail, then everything else 1/

— Dell Cameron (@dellcam) August 20, 2020

Man says he bought New Hampshire postal sorting machine in auction, but wasn’t allowed to take it WCVB (PS).

USPS Policy: JP Morgan Chase in Talks with USPS to Provide Banking Services in U,S, Post Offices Capitol Forum

Health Care

Choice, Competition, And Flexibility, Part II: Market-Driven Alternatives To Single Payer Health Affairs (part one). The view from Johns Hopkins and the Heritage Foundation.

Police State Watch