The Canterbury Commute Dead Language Society (Micael T)
We’ve Been Getting the Ancient Greeks All Wrong Hedgehog Review (Micael T)
Why Does Music in Science Fiction Sound Like That? JSTOR (Micael T)
“Experts Say,” Um, No They Don’t Bentham’s Bulldog (Micael T)
The smelly baby problem Virginia Postrel (Micael T)
How American Dads Became the Parents Their Fathers Never Were Derek Thompson
Partying in the age of constant optimisation: Can hedonism and wellness truly coexist? Alexi Gunner
COVID-19/Pamdemics
Brain involvement:
➡️ PET studies show diffuse neuroinflammation in Long COVID
→ correlates with fatigue, brain fog👉 Likely driven by immune signaling, not direct infection 7/ pic.twitter.com/DpLlhw1PpY
— Vipin M. Vashishtha (@vipintukur) May 1, 2026
Fascinating new research from @PlzSolveCFS: What is going on with T cells in Long COVID and ME/CFS? 🤔👇
In this talk, researchers
Dr. Liisa Selin, Dr. Ayano Kohlgruber, and Dr. Roshan Kumar discuss their newest work, arguing that dysfunctional T-cells are driving MECFS and… pic.twitter.com/Ndi13XiW68— Long COVID Labs (@longcovidlabs) May 1, 2026
Climate/Environment
Setback in breeding low-methane cows Farmers Weekly
The quiet contradiction at the heart of the energy transition Lowy Institute
For The Past 20 Years Antarctica’s Deep Ocean Has Been Heating Up, Scientists Reveal Time
Europe hit by record heat, glacier loss and marine extremes per climate report France24
Tropical rainforest loss eases after record year, but still ‘11 football fields a minute’ South China Morning Post
Rare earth mining is poisoning Mekong River tributaries, threatening ‘the world’s kitchen’ Arab News
More than 60 percent of U.S. is covered by drought as impacts worsen Washington Post
China?
Hormuz effect? How US, China are ramping up tensions over the Panama Canal Aljazeera
A Top Russian Expert Criticized China’s “Rational” Response To Recent US Moves Andrew Korybko
Japan
Alternative framing for Japan’s intervention
Japan sold $35 billion of dollars bought at around 80 yen the dollar for close to 160 yen, booking a massive profit that reduced Japan’s net public debt — and in the process brough Japan high gross public debt down
— Brad Setser (@Brad_Setser) May 1, 2026
Japan Weighs $3 Billion Power Subsidies as LNG Crunch Bites OilPrice
Japanese travellers to China drastically decrease amid diplomatic row Bangkok Post
Africa
Sudan’s civil war: ‘Genocide’ in plain sight DW
Ethiopia Accuses Tigray Rebels of Joining Hands With Eritrea, Armed Group FirstPost
Jihadists urge united front against Mali junta as Bamako blockade begins France24
Southeast Asia
Myanmar ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi moved to house arrest, military says BBC. Lead story.
South of the Border
Mexican Democracy (#MorningPressConferenceFromThePeople from the National Palace. Wednesday, April 29, 2026 YouTube). Rafeal Z:
In Mexico democracy is performed daily by having the president communicating with the citizenry presenting her activity and being open to any questions by the people. This time her presentation is translated to English, that’s why I’m sending it to you.
Cuba is running out of time. We need fuel now to save lives Guardian
European Disunion
US to cut troop levels in Germany by 5,000 amid Trump spat with Merz BBC (Kevin W)
Europe is LOST: War Preparations on Every Level | Dr. Ulrike Guérot Neutrality Studies. Robin K: “Pascal Lottaz hosts a very illuminating discussion of the tensions within the EU/NATO.”
French economy records zero growth in first quarter France24
Old Blighty
Thousands of UK firms face collapse as financial crisis deepens amid Iran war and tax increases Independent
Israel v. The Resistance
Gaza aid flotilla activists taken to Iraklio airport for repatriation ekathimerini
‘Another famine would be a nightmare’: Gaza’s descent into new food crisis National News
From Iran to Lebanon: the “Gaza model” is now a standard Israeli-American tactic of war Thomas Fazi
An Israeli importer has postponed the unloading of a ship carrying Russian grain in Haifa Vzglayd via machine translation. Micael T: “So the EU does have power over the zionazis? They just choose to not use it for good purposes.”
A Perspective From Lebanon: Who Will We Be When Things Get Hard? Nate Hagen
Trump renews call for Netanyahu pardon – Axios RT (Kevin W)
Why the 60‑day War Powers Resolution deadline doesn’t actually constrain presidents The Conversation (Kevin W)
An Unending War Based on Lies Daniel Larison
New Not-So-Cold War
Fraudsters have begun targeting Russians with SMS bombing glagol via machine translation (Micael T)
May 2, 2014: Ukrainian pro-Maidan Right Sector extremists killed at least 48 anti-Maidan protesters in Odessa Eva Karene Bartlett
Russia is stepping up its air strikes against Ukraine: The number of attacks has reached a new high Table Briefings
Lithuania charges 13 over alleged Russian-linked assassination and sabotage network Defence Matters
Why Russia is popular in the Global South Kamil Galeev (Randy K)
The mobilization mafia Events in Ukraine
Trump 2.0
Why Trump Might Come to Regret the Iran War Foreign Policy. Framings like this drive me nuts. If Trump were capable of regret, he’d regret the war now. And the authors seem unable to grasp that the war has mad Iran stronger. This is a point Alexander Mercouris has made, that winners in a conflict, even if it comes at high cost, emerge stronger. And on top of that, whether Iran is now a fourth great power is a topic of debate. That view was inconceivable before this war.
Trump on US Navy Seizing Ships:
It’s a very profitable business. We’re like pirates. pic.twitter.com/erWDQmJWnw
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 2, 2026
Trump says he will raise tariffs on EU autos to 25% Reuters. Unless Trump has a Commerce Department study backing this move, this tariff is not legal.
Tribal Terrorism John Robb (Micael T). Important
Don’t Believe Everything That You Read The Memory Hole (fk)
Fed
Behind Powell’s High-Stakes Decision to Stay at the Fed New York Times (Kevin W)
Trump fumes as Jerome Powell plots future at Federal Reserve The Hill. “Plots” as opposed to “plans”? Seriously?
Democrats Suck
Pundits are wrong about the Democrats’ “missing” voters G. Elliott Morris
L’affaire Epstein
Our No Longer Free Press
Press freedom worldwide falls to its lowest level in 25 years Aljazeera
Hearing that the Daily Wire laid off over 50% of their staff today.
As much as I positively despise what their execs put me and my family through there are a lot of good people that work there with families to feed who could use a prayer.
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) May 1, 2026
Economy
Billions of meals at risk due to Iran war, says fertiliser boss BBC. This metric is meaningless. Craig Tindale estimated the fall in output level globally in key crop categories from the war + El Nino. Forgive my sloppy screenshot:
Global energy shock tests limits of oil reserves Monde Diplomatique
Why U.S. Oil Companies Are Not Plugging the World’s Energy Gap New York Times (Kevin W)
Asian currencies wilting in the Iran war’s heat Asia Times (Kevin W). Erm, the baht is where it was a year ago.
Tankers Move from Fuel to Crude Trade as War Upends Flows OilPrice
Antitrust
Who Actually Controls the Music Industry in 2026? | Live Nation, Spotify, and the Labels are Buying Everything Vinyl Culture (Micael T)
AI
Pentagon strikes deals with 7 Big Tech companies after shunning Anthropic CNN (Kevin W)
The Bezzle
Securitization of Oil Wells: The New Energy Subprime in Three Dimensions 3D News. Total way too small to be a systemic hazard. More an indicator of froth.
Guillotine Watch
The humiliating cross-examination of Elon Musk Judd Legum
Dubai chefs’ shrink menus as Iran war makes tomatillos, scallops harder to source Internazionale
Class Warfare
Who Rules America? Inside the Hidden Architecture of the Ruling Class William Murphy
CEO pay soared in 2025, 20 times faster than workers’ pay Guardian
Antidote du jour. John U: “A couple of wild Toms walking down the street”:
A bonus
A farmer in rural Ireland noticed that one of his cows would cry for hours every time he left for the train station to pick up supplies.
Moved by her distress, he started taking her with him. To everyone’s surprise, the cow quickly learned the routine. She would calmly wait on… pic.twitter.com/CJ44OIFSLf
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) April 30, 2026
A second bonus:
Two cows saw their owner coming home and jumped up to greet him like giant puppies. pic.twitter.com/AvM2vA5qsT
— The Figen (@TheFigen_) April 30, 2026
And a third:
Slovakian woman visits the lions she raised as cubs. Their parents were used in circuses across Eastern Europe and rejected them when they were born pic.twitter.com/bzbmdJ042h
— Nature Unedited (@NatureUnedited) April 30, 2026
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
