There's battle lines being drawn.
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong.
Young people speaking their minds
getting so much resistance from behind

Thursday, February 24, 2022

Linkee-poo, absolutely nothing

Well, what shall we talk about.

"The emergency U.N. Security Council meeting was meant as an eleventh hour effort to dissuade Russia from sending troops into Ukraine. But the message became moot even as it was being delivered."

"Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine on Thursday, hitting cities and bases with airstrikes or shelling, as civilians piled into trains and cars to flee. Ukraine’s government said Russian tanks and troops rolled across the border in a 'full-scale war' that could rewrite the geopolitical order and whose fallout already reverberated around the world."

"NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Thursday that the military alliance would defend every inch of its territory should Russia attack a member country, as he slammed Moscow for launching a brutal act of war on Ukraine."

"Russian stocks crashed by as much as 45% and the ruble hit a record low against the dollar on Thursday… The Moscow market rout was triggered by news that Russian troops had launched an attack on Ukraine, a move that is likely to trigger a new wave of 'full scale' sanctions aimed at President Vladimir Putin's inner circle and Russia's oil-dependent economy."

"What does Putin want in Ukraine? The conflict explained…" Well, somewhat. What's missing here is the collapse of the ruble and the growing opposition to Putin's reign from within Russia.

"President Joe Biden, vowing the world will "hold Russia accountable" for the attack underway in Ukraine, will spell out a set of sanctions on Thursday once meant to deter such an assault… Set to address the nation Thursday afternoon, Biden is expected to unveil new measures that could cut off Russia from advanced technology, announce new restrictions on large financial institutions and slap sanctions on additional members of the inner circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin." Other than freezing all access to the international monetary system or the seizing of accounts oligarchs have external to Russia, it probably won't do much (although the sanctions against the Russian Military Bank actually has some bite to it).

"After experiencing spring-like conditions with rain and mild temperatures earlier this week, we’re back to winter as another round of ice and accumulating snow makes its way into Northeast Ohio." Weeee.

"Scientists can't pinpoint the exact year that an asteroid came out of the sky to wipe out the dinosaurs but they're sure now that the huge space rock struck Earth in the Northern Hemisphere springtime… And they think the seasonal timing may have been a critical factor that influenced which animal groups managed to live through the calamity." Ah, springtime in Paris…

"Repeating fast radio bursts are among the more rare and recent mysteries in the cosmos, and the latest discovery of a repeater confounds astronomers' evolving understanding of the bright flashes of energy from deep space that last for just milliseconds."

"According to a release from the University of Louisville, it happened in Vancouver, Canada, when an 87-year-old patient with epilepsy had a fall. Dr. Raul Vicente of the University of Tartu and his colleagues continuously monitored the patient with electroencephalography. The goal was to detect the seizures, but during the recording of the brain waves, the patient had a heart attack and passed away… Now, the graphs and images of the last 15 minutes of that patient's life are revealing amazing details about what happens as we die. Evidence shows the brain has bursts of activity similar to memory flashbacks. So the idea of someone's life 'flashing before their eyes' may have some truth to it."

"On the heels of concerning new lab and animal experiments suggesting that BA.2 may be capable of causing more severe disease than the original Omicron strain, two new studies are helping to show how well human immunity is defending against this strain in the real world."

"Spot gold jumped more than 3% higher on Thursday as Russian forces attacked Ukraine on the orders of President Vladimir Putin… Gold was trading at $1,922.40 per troy ounce at 11:25 a.m. EST, up 0.7% on the previous day. Earlier in the morning the precious metal was trading at $1,968.01 per ounce, up 3.17% and the highest since late 2020, as investors piled into safe-haven assets and equity markets globally tumbled into the red. Oil and soft commodity prices were sharply higher. Brent crude surpassed $100 for the first time since 2014."

"Stocks fell sharply Thursday as Russia attacked Ukraine, causing global energy prices to jump and sending investors fleeing for the safety of fixed income assets… The invasion comes as global equity markets were already reeling because of decades-high inflation stemming from the pandemic." And yes, this is a part of the war.

"The former head of the Texas power grid on Wednesday testified that he was ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott to keep power prices at the maximum price cap during last winter's winter storm, the Houston Chronicle reports."

"On recent earnings calls, massive corporations have posted huge profits and promised continued price increases, even as inflation continues to rise to rates not seen in decades… For example, Starbucks celebrated a 31 percent increase in profits at the end of 2021 — but it still plans to hike prices this year, the New York Times reported earlier this month. Tyson Foods, the meat processing behemoth, raised its prices 19.6 percent overall, driving record stock prices for the company." What's driving inflation?

"Now, Farber and her attorneys have filed a civil suit against the LAPD for wrongful arrest and detainment – a violation of her Fourth and Eighth Amendment rights – after authorities failed to properly confirm her identity and denied her the ability to be released on bail."

"A group of US truckers embarked in a convoy of vehicles on Wednesday on a 2,500 mile cross-country trip from Barstow, California to Washington DC to protest against coronavirus restrictions… The group, which is calling itself the 'people’s convoy', is one of several starting from different parts of the country and due to start arriving in the US capital at various points through to late next week – all inspired by the demonstrations that recently paralyzed Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, for weeks."

"Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday he is removing emergency powers police can use after authorities ended the border blockades by those opposed to COVID-19 restrictions as well as the occupation of downtown Ottawa."

"Authorities are investigating the distribution of antisemitic and racist flyers in Colleyville, Texas, where a gunman took worshippers hostage at a synagogue last month. Colleyville is one of dozens of cities across the U.S. that have reported similar distribution of flyers in recent weeks." We've also had a problem locally in Middlefield, OH.

"Details of accounts linked to 30,000 Credit Suisse clients all over the world are contained in the leak, which unmasks the beneficiaries of more than 100bn Swiss francs (£80bn)* held in one of Switzerland’s best-known financial institutions."

"A desperate note sent from a mother with her child to her elementary school has led police in the Las Vegas area to a toddler's remains… The note sent Tuesday morning with the child was a cry for help, with her mother writing that she was being held captive by her boyfriend and that she believed her other child might be dead, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a news release on Wednesday."

"After former President Donald Trump was cut off during a call-in interview on Fox News Thursday night, he returned to the airwaves shortly afterwards with a gaffe about the US military… 'You know what's also very dangerous is you told me about the amphibious attack by Americans,' Trump mistakenly said on 'The Ingraham Angle.'" Clueless is as clueless does. He then tried to make this about himself.

"Two prosecutors working on a sweeping criminal fraud probe of the Trump Organization have resigned, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office confirmed Wednesday."

"The resignations come as the new Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, has 'indicated to them that he had doubts about moving forward with a case against' former President Donald Trump, the Times said, citing conversations with people with knowledge of the matter."

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