Today's Must-Reads - 1 March 2023
A selection of the latest news, studies, reports and articles
I spend a lot of time each day gathering together new information and interesting articles. I then pick one or two of the most interesting topics and write about them. However, that leaves a lot of missed out information that I’m not sharing.
Below is a summary of all the latest articles and information that I’ve found. Today, this is a slimmed down version for all subscribers but will be for paid subscribers only a lot of the time in the future.
Please consider taking out a paid subscription because it enables me to spend longer reporting on the news that isn’t, but should be reported.
Climate Change
More bonkers ideas from the climate change lunatics. This time the UN says giant mirrors could be installed to reflect sunlight away from Earth to hit climate targets. Solar geoengineering could reverse the worst effects of climate change but more research is needed. You don’t say.
The sun is about to get more active meaning power outages, grounded flights and stunning auroras. This peak of activity will last several years.
In the latest attempt to restrict drivers, it has been suggested that a tyre tax should be implemented. Experts say that worn wheels and brakes are more harmful than diesel fumes
In the UK, motorway speeds are now being restricted to improve air quality. Cars now pollute the air but whilst travelling much much slower. Sounds a lot like climate nudging to me.
Covid
Now the FBI Director is saying the Covid pandemic was likely caused by a Chinese Lab leak. Clearly they are trying to shift the blame on to China and to cause anti-Chinese rhetoric. I’m not a Trump fan but I thought when he said it, these things weren’t allowed?
Rand Paul has called for the declassification of COVID lab leak documents. The Senator wants to see the documents that the Energy Department relied on in their recent lab leak conclusion.
Russia is still making the claims about US biolabs in Ukraine. This time they say the US built two biological warfare labs in Kiev and Odessa in which they developed pathogens.
Covid Lockdowns & Mandates
Former Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, is being thrown under the bus (and rightly so). A cache of over 100,000 WhatsApp messages show that Hancock was warned it was ‘inhumane’ to ban care home visitors but did it anyway. The messages also showed how we turned into a propaganda state with politicians in cahoots with the media to ramp up fear when they wanted to meet targets. However, this smells a lot like they are releasing bits of information to cover up worse things (e.g. Do Not Resuscitate orders and use of sedative drugs).
The NY Times writes in astonishment about how China is trying to wage an ambitious propaganda campaign to rewrite the public’s memory of its handling of the pandemic. Something that would never happen in the west.
Economy/Energy/Finance
As the Dollar battles to stay as the world’s reserve currency, Russia is turning to China’s Yuan. Moscow is jettisoning longstanding concerns about giving China too much leverage over its economy in an effort to ditch the dollar.
A great chart from the FT to show what a disaster 2022 was for bonds.
The end of cheap credit is over. Domestic banks are rapidly tightening standards for commercial and industrial loans. We are now at levels last seen before the 2000, 2008 and 2020 recessions.
Health
You can’t read the news nowadays without a new study linking something to heart attacks and strokes. This latest one finds a link between health disorders and zero-calorie sweeteners. This is one study I can believe because there is mountains of evidence to show the harmful effects of both sugar and sweeteners.
Miami Dolphins cornerback, Byron Jones, recently retired from the NFL at the age of 30. In a tweet he said “DO NOT take the pills they give you. DO NOT take the injections they give you”.
Much has changed in 8 years. Today I can’t run or jump because of my injuries sustained playing this game. DO NOT take the pills they give you. DO NOT take the injections they give you. If you absolutely must, consult an outside doctor to learn the long-term implications.Just call @UConn's Byron Jones... Mr. Broad Jump. #NFLCombine http://t.co/lTUfV9cifw
NFL @NFLExcess deaths in Japan are increasing and the population is decreasing.
Politics
TCW looks at the dark side of smart cities. Meanwhile, 15 minute cities are coming to Fort Myers, Florida.
Science
A supermassive black hole has been detected lurking at the edge of the universe. It is one of the biggest ever detected, billions of times bigger than our sun, and is 13 billion years old.
Ukraine
US officials laundering money through Ukraine say there is no evidence Ukraine is misusing the tens of billions in aid provided since Russia invaded (I’m kidding about the money laundering part?)
The UFO excuse is being used all around the world now. Russia has used it after it closed its air space over St Petersburg. Most likely scenario is that it was a drone further escalating the war.
Zelensky warns that the US will have to send their son’s and daughter’s to war…and they’ll be dying.
Vaccines
HART Group look at the recent ONS data (on deaths by vaccination status) and questions whether the source of the bias has been found.
Covid vaccine worship is still going strong with Lula and his supporters in Brazil. The vaccine is the only guarantee you have of not dying due to lack of responsibility, he says.
WRT motorway speed limits in the UK: we broke down on the M4 in south Wales recently, in the 50mph-zone. The traffic was bunching up dangerously and I am still surprised after an hour and a half of waiting on the hard shoulder that I am alive to tell the tale. The recovery guy who eventually turned up confirmed my suspicion, when I asked him, that since the introduction of the speed restrictions the amount of accidents has got far, far worse. But his opinion obviously does not count, since he's only a lowly worker doing the actual job on the ground, not an "expert" in traffic management.
"However, this smells a lot like they are releasing bits of information to cover up worse things . . . " Always.