Today's Must-Reads - 29 May 2024
Exposing the Truth with the latest news, studies, reports and articles!
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Climate Change
Jo Nova raises concerns about the potential interference of offshore wind turbines with marine radar systems, which could pose significant safety risks for ships navigating near wind farms.
A 2022 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in the US found that the steel towers of wind turbines can reflect electromagnetic waves, interfering with ships' navigational radar systems and obscuring nearby boats. Additionally, the rotating blades can create a Doppler-like effect, distorting radar signals and producing false images on radar screens.
These disruptions to radar systems can result in deadly open-seas collisions and hamper search and rescue efforts. The US Coast Guard has also noted that offshore wind turbines can affect the capabilities of their Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System (SAROPS).
Jo suggests that the long-term benefits of wind power may not justify the immediate risks and costs associated with radar interference and its potential consequences. She also says that offshore wind turbines can scramble Air Force radars, and RAF pilots already use them in training exercises to hide from radar detection, further highlighting the potential security risks posed by these structures.
Covid Mandates & Lockdowns
The World Health Organization (WHO) failed to reach a consensus on the draft of its controversial 'Pandemic Treaty' after two years of negotiations. The treaty aimed to centralise pandemic management, giving the WHO unprecedented power over lockdowns, vaccinations, border closures, and other measures.
However, several countries, politicians and experts opposed the power grab, arguing that it would undermine democratic rights and sovereignty.
A watered-down version of the treaty was presented to address concerns, but experts still warned of a potential gradual power shift. Dutch MEP Rob Roos campaigned against the treaty, citing concerns about transferring power to China and 'big pharma' lobbyists, and the folly of implementing a one-size-fits-all policy across different countries and cultures.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remained confident that a consensus would be reached in the future. The specific reasons for the failed negotiations were not officially disclosed but diplomats cited differences in willingness to share information and technologies.
But don’t get your hopes up just yet - in place of the treaty, the WHO will look at amending its existing International Health Regulations (IHR) during the ongoing World Health Assembly.
Economy/Energy/Finance
Tim Morgan suggests that the upcoming UK general election is unlikely to resolve any economic challenges, as the current government has been trapped by a failed neoliberal economic approach and opposition parties are hesitant to challenge this established paradigm.
An analysis of the British economy is presented, highlighting its underlying weaknesses and challenges. The main points are:
The UK economy has been relying heavily on debt to fuel growth, with each pound of reported GDP growth over the past 20 years accompanied by £4.65 of net borrowing. This unsustainable pattern has led to a widening gap between reported GDP and the underlying economic output.
Rising Energy Costs of Energy (ECoEs) have driven a divergence between the UK's underlying output and its material prosperity, with the latter now heading downwards. At the same time, the real costs of essentials have been increasing, further squeezing the average person's prosperity.
The British public faces a choice between reducing non-essential consumption or falling deeper into debt. The economy's ability to fund discretionary spending is being undercut by the rising costs of essentials and the need to service existing debts.
The UK is particularly vulnerable due to its high level of financial exposure, with aggregate financial liabilities standing at 11.1 times GDP. The economy also heavily depends on collateralizing credit expansion against over-inflated property values.
Middle East
A joint investigation by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and the Guardian looks at Israel's covert, multi-agency operation to undermine the International Criminal Court's probe into alleged war crimes.
For nearly a decade, Israel's intelligence apparatus has been surveilling ICC prosecutors, Palestinian human rights workers and even victims of settler and military violence, in a desperate attempt to derail the investigation and evade accountability. The underhanded efforts, which could amount to prosecutable offenses against the administration of justice, have been micromanaged from the very top by a Prime Minister "obsessed" with thwarting the probe.
According to accounts, the head of Mossad told an ICC prosecutor “You should help us and let us take care of you. You don’t want to be getting into things that could compromise your security or that of your family.”
Despite Israel's best efforts to exploit legal loopholes and retroactively investigate its own crimes to claim "complementarity," the ICC's chief prosecutor has now dropped a bombshell, seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant over their alleged responsibility for crimes including extermination, starvation, and deliberate attacks on civilians.
And remember, Israeli leaders can be criticised like any other leader…it is not antisemitic!
Politics
Secret Service agents have met with local jail officials to prepare for the possibility of former President Donald Trump being incarcerated if he is found guilty in his ongoing criminal trial in Manhattan. If Trump is put in jail, I can see his popularity rising along with an increasingly fractured America.
Trump's trial, centred on falsification of business records, could result in a prison sentence of up to four years per charge. Despite the Secret Service's preparations, the presiding judge has expressed reluctance to jail Trump, considering alternatives like probation or house arrest due to the complexities of imprisoning a former president.
Science
A 26-year study of wolf behaviour and blood analysis of 229 wolves has revealed that infection with the mind-altering parasite Toxoplasma gondii significantly impacts wolf behaviour and pack dynamics in Yellowstone National Park.
Wolves infected with T. gondii were found to be 46 times more likely to become pack leaders, 11 times more likely to leave their pack and venture into new territory, and more prone to risk-taking behaviour. This increased boldness and aggression in infected wolves could be attributed to higher testosterone levels caused by the parasite.
The study highlights the underestimated role of viruses in ecosystems and animal behaviour, as infected pack leaders can influence the entire pack's decision-making and potentially expose them to greater risk of infection through increased overlap with cougar territories. This creates a feedback loop that can affect population biology and community ecology.
Could a similar thing happen with humans?
Ships. What about the poor damn whales and dolphins?
The wolf study seems a huge stretch of correlation to causation with no mechanism of action.. unfortunately biological obsession with viral attribution for every unknown cause.