Links for you. Science:
What are farm animals thinking?
Urgent Need to Increase Immunization Coverage for Influenza, COVID-19, and RSV and Use of Authorized/Approved Therapeutics in the Setting of Increased Respiratory Disease Activity During the 2023 – 2024 Winter Season
Protective mucosal immunity against SARS-CoV-2 after heterologous systemic prime-mucosal boost immunization
‘Large’ TB outbreak may affect 800 people who were incarcerated in Washington state
Putting everything in its place: using the INSDC compliant Pathogen Data Object Model to better structure genomic data submitted for public health applications
Penguins Take Thousands of Naps Every Day (gift link)
Other:
The Year Kenny Loggins Ruined Christmas (an internet classic)
A Moral Theory for Why People Don’t Like Bidenomics: Evidence suggests that people simply hate inflation as such. Luckily, it is coming down fast. (interesting hypothesis)
A “Delicate Matter”: Clarence Thomas’ Private Complaints About Money Sparked Fears He Would Resign (this was predicted)
Defeating Trump Is Just a Start
Constitution in the Crosshairs: The Far Right’s Plan for a New Confederacy: The rightwing subversion of U.S. democracy is closer than you think.
The Gerontocracy Waged War on Gen Z. Now They’re Fighting Back: A generation that came of age during the pandemic and under Trump is demanding more from our aging politicians — but will the D.C. establishment listen? (actually, GenZ got the elderly pretty good during the pandemic)
Google Promises Unlimited Cloud Storage; Then Cancels Plan; Then Tells Journalist His Life’s Work Will Be Deleted Without Enough Time To Transfer The Data
GOP baffled that ‘We Don’t Care if You Die’ is not a winning slogan
Department of Transportation Issues $140 Million Fine for 2022 Southwest Holiday Meltdown
Facing budget woes, Metro board weighs tradeoffs, potential customer pain
The return of liberal Zionism? For many Jews, the October 7 attacks discredited both the Zionist right and the anti-Zionist left — paving the way for the resurrection of a seemingly dead political tradition. (this is a weird article, because, while this is the case for Israeli Jews, in the largest Diaspora community, the U.S., I would argue liberal Zionism is predominant, based on recent polling data)
COVID and flu surge could strain hospitals as JN.1 variant grows, CDC warns (talking about rationing in hospitals again…)
Software Is Beating The World
Right-wing tantrum over Jill Biden Christmas video accidentally reveals how much MAGA hates America
Elon Musk’s Big Lie About Tesla Is Finally Exposed
Those Left-To-Right Sliders
In Israel, 20,000 Gazans Are Responsible for Their Own Deaths. I’ve Never Been So Ashamed
The Case for Why Biden Will Win
Trump’s Nazi rhetoric dominates latest rally
Israel finds large tunnel adjacent to Gaza, raising new questions about prewar intelligence
Downtown Red Line Metro Stations Closed Until New Year’s Eve
Vienna drags its feet on housing reform. Isn’t there a responsibility to act?
What’s Driving Former Progressives to the Right?
Netanyahu’s tactics are weakening Israel
What Happened to Kate Cox Is Tragic, and Completely Expected
Conservatives Have Lost the Culture War
mikethemadbiologist
I do so love “The Year Kenny Loggins Ruined Christmas.” Thanks for helping spread the joy.
a moral theory for why people don’t like bidenomics
lol. i am a long-time liberal and a fan of the american prospect, but this is just one example of why people fucking HATE liberals and love trump.
sure, bidenomics means i got a very nice pay raise, amounting to about $600 more in take home pay per month. yay! but that pay raise happened six months after rent up by $300/month and one year after the deductible in my hdhp went up by $2000/year and next year the health insurance premium is going up by $200/month.
and inflation may be slowing (yes the price of eggs and gas both went down to what they used to be), but cat food is still 60-70% more than it was right before covid, and the frozen breakfast convenience foods i used to keep handy (i am not a morning person) are double what they were right before covid, and in general i am still spending about 30-40% more on basic groceries and stuff.
so, morally, bidenomics means i can keep treading water instead of outright drowning, i guess.
*you* know, and *i* know, that the gop has become turned into the gqp and that the republican party has morphed into the american christianist fascist party, but if you ever want to know why so many voters (and non-voters) think (BuT tHeRe’s No DiFfErEnCe BeTwEeN dEmOcRaTs AnD rEpUbLiCaNs), it’s because for my whole entire adult life democrats have been telling everyone that we should celebrate the slightly fewer drownings as big wins.