Police officer catches baby dropped from window of burning home<\/a> BBC<\/p>\n Modern Hindu Temples<\/a> Works in Progress (Micael T)<\/p>\n Who Controls Truth in a Post-Truth Era? <\/a>Dr Andreas Matthias<\/p>\n Hell exaggerated: When \u201cexorcism\u201d is degraded to sensationalism and prurience<\/a> Addison Hodges Hart<\/p>\n Joy is not an emotion; it is a way of being<\/a> Megha Lillywhite (Micael T). Only the opening section is outside the paywall, but is it annoying by 1. positing a false dichotomy and 2. Making Shit Up with this claim:<\/p>\n Many claim to reject hedonism but don\u2019t have anything sufficient to replace it with when they\u2019re truly interrogated about virtue and morality<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n Huh? Who is this \u201cmany\u201d? I reject hedonism and derive pleasure from my work. This is not about morality. Pursuit of pleasure or happiness are fools\u2019 games (coming across them and enjoying them while they last is another matter). The devotee often spends a lot of time and energy on the hunt and I have observed they are often anxious or otherwise dissatisfied when not in their sought-after state, like the three nymphomaniacs I observed at close range. The nights they did not bring a man home, they drank to excess. One was diagnosed as a Stage 4 alcoholic and wound up on the street and died in her 50s. <\/p>\n Contentment and engagement are more attainable and sustainable. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book Flow<\/a>, argues that an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow, which results when deeply engaged in a task, be it physical or cognitive. During flow, people typically experience deep enjoyment and creativity. A key is the activity needs to be demanding enough to require full attention, but not so hard as to be unattainable or frustrating. <\/p>\n Another view from the New Age: \u201cA monk said, \u2018Before I was enlightened, I hauled water and cut wood. After I was enlightened, I hauled water and cut wood.’\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Common pesticide linked to hidden brain damage, scientists warn<\/a> Science Daily (Kevin W)<\/p>\n Hantavirus<\/p>\n American passenger feels \u2018betrayed\u2019 by federal order to stay in hantavirus quarantine<\/a> NPR (Kevin W)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Climate\/Environment<\/p>\n The Arctic\u2019s vanishing caribou<\/a> Financial Times<\/p>\n Warming oceans are wiping out kelp forests at alarming speed <\/a>Earth<\/p>\n Extreme weather events are accelerating tidal wetland loss, satellite data show<\/a> PhysOrg<\/p>\n Scientists say four-day moorland blaze was UK\u2019s first megafire<\/a> BBC<\/p>\n Northern India swelters as temperatures hit record highs<\/a> Bastille Post<\/p>\n SOUTH AMERICA UPSIDE DOWN The warmth was specially extraordinary in CHILE 24.1C Puerto Varas \u2014 Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) May 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u3010Breaking News\u3011The 24-hour rainfall recorded at the Xiashuang AWS in Yangchun, Guangdong, reached 1057.5 mm, marking the first time in May that China has experienced an extreme rainstorm with more than 1000 mm of rainfall in 24 hours! pic.twitter.com\/UjXzNt09py<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Jim (@yangyubin1998) May 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Record Heat Forces New England to Tap Oil to Power the Grid<\/a> Bloomberg<\/p>\n Kansas farmers pulled by weather extremes and growing costs, wheat crop could be worst since 1972<\/a> Independent<\/p>\n Can the West survive \u2018drastic\u2019 Colorado River cuts? <\/a>The Week\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n China?<\/p>\n Beijing bans Nvidia\u2019s top graphics card to back domestic rivals <\/a> Asia Times (Kevin W)<\/p>\n China builds underwater AI data centers at less than half price<\/a> Kevin Walmsley<\/p>\n Some YouTubers treated this as a done deal:<\/p>\n So the biggest take-away from the Putin-Xi summit is that *despite* the crazy situation in the Strait of Hormuz, China is still refusing to back Power of Siberia 2. Despite Putin trying very hard before the visit to hint that a breakthrough was in the offing. Wow.<\/p>\n \u2014 Sergey Radchenko (@DrRadchenko) May 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n Japan<\/p>\n Why Japan and China will struggle to end their feud<\/a> Economist<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Africa<\/p>\n Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea: Is the Horn of Africa sliding towards war? <\/a>New Arab<\/p>\n Ebola tensions rise as treatment centre torched in DR Congo\u2019s Ituri<\/a> Aljazeera\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n O Canada<\/p>\n US political operatives built a surveillance app for Alberta separatists, a coordinated attack to destabilise<\/a> Canada YAC News (Ann)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n European Disunion<\/p>\n Appendix to \u201cThe U.S. Nuclear Umbrella \u2013 Does it exist?\u201d<\/a> Ola\u2019s Substack (Micael T)<\/p>\n China threatens retaliation over new EU tool to curb Chinese \u2018overcapacity\u2019<\/a> EUObserver<\/p>\n German borrowing costs surge as Iran energy shock starts to bite <\/a>Euractive<\/p>\n The EU wants to rip Chinese companies out of their telecom networks. But they can\u2019t.<\/a> Kevin Walmsley<\/p>\n \u2018No means no\u2019: Greenlanders protest against Trump outside new US consulate<\/a> BBC<\/p>\n Trump Envoy Heckled During Greenland Visit: \u2018Don\u2019t Come Here\u2019<\/a> Newsweek (Kevin W)<\/p>\n Greenland\u2019s premier to skip opening of new US consulate in Nuuk amid tensions with Washington <\/a> Anadolu Agency (Kevin W)\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Old Blighty<\/p>\n UK Posts Highest April Budget Deficit Since the Pandemic<\/a> Bloomberg<\/p>\n Reeves to promise free summer bus rides for children and food tariff cuts in living costs package<\/a> Guardian<\/p>\n British farms face \u2018unviable\u2019 future as climate extremes intensify<\/a> Farming UK<\/p>\n UK \u2018built for climate that no longer exists\u2019 and needs urgent changes to survive global heating, report warns<\/a> Guardian<\/p>\n UK did not vet former Prince Andrew before making him trade envoy <\/a> Politico (Kevin W)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Israel v. The Resistance<\/p>\n White House Insists High Gas Prices Are Small Price To Pay For Accomplishing Nothing In Iran<\/a> Babylon Bee<\/p>\n Yet more proof that Zionists are worse than Nazis:<\/p>\n A French aid worker: \u201cWe found a mass grave in Gaza containing 300 bodies. Small children were killed with their hands tied behind their backs” pic.twitter.com\/nfd94GldZC<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ramy Abdu| \u0631\u0627\u0645\u064a \u0639\u0628\u062f\u0647 (@RamAbdu) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The woman in this video is Caitriona Graham an Irish citizen. <\/p>\n This is how our citizens are being treated by Israel , having been abducted in international waters, trafficked to a third state and now experiencing humiliation, stress positions, aggression and violence. pic.twitter.com\/WYir3Ht7E7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Paul Murphy \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf8 (@paulmurphy_TD) May 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Sumud flotilla activists \u2014 who come from Europe, the US and elsewhere \u2014 have released a statement that Israeli authorities subjected them to abuse, sexual violence and in multiple cases, rape. This hasn’t been confirmed. https:\/\/t.co\/RyvDxDmvNV<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/BDmQS85xM8<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ws9AazrPer<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n EXCLUSIVE: Iranian Official Outlines Latest Proposal to End the U.S. War as Trump Weighs New Strikes<\/a> DropSite<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s Endgame Is Surrender<\/a> Robert Kagan, Atlantic. Today\u2019s must read. Confirms what we said, Trump will exit, the only question is how soon and with what attempted face-saver. Kagan posits a final hard kick at Iran on the way out, but see the discussion between Crooke and Davis below. Iran will hit back hard if that happens. <\/p>\n All-Out War in Iran, That\u2019s What Netanyahu Needs \/Alastair Crooke & Lt Col Daniel Davis<\/a> Deep Dive. I have gotten to be very taken with Davis as an interviewer. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n New Not-So-Cold War<\/p>\n Ukraine says its drones hit another refinery deep inside Russia as long-range strikes escalate<\/a> Los Angeles Times<\/p>\n Palantir\u2019s laboratory<\/a> Events in Ukraine<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Big Brother is Watching You Watch<\/p>\n Pro Surveillance Politicians Are Very Mad You Don\u2019t Like Flock<\/a> 404 Media<\/p>\n Quantum computers may break today\u2019s encryption much sooner than scientists expected<\/a> ZME Science (Dr. Kevin)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Imperial Collapse Watch<\/p>\n https:\/\/t.co\/hZRP8gr611<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Will Schryver (@imetatronink) February 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The biggest bullshit move by DHS in its history. So everyone on a O1 or H1B visa would have to stop working legally in the US, go back to their country and wait for years of backlog? This includes top scientists in our universities, founders of billion dollar companies (at least\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/Q427R67ZYq<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Nick Davidov (@Nick_Davidov) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Hope Against Hope<\/a> Harper\u2019s (Mike M). Important. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Trump 2.0<\/p>\n Despite public statements from President Trump and Tulsi Gabbard citing her husband\u2019s diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer as the reason for her departure, Reuters is reporting that this was not a choice by Gabbard, and that the White House \u200cforced her to \u2060resign from her\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/bW0xZYl6c0<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n A couple days before Tulsi Gabbard resigned, Amaryllis Fox also left her position at ODNI<\/p>\n Though Fox denied it, one of her associates told WaPo she did so because she opposed the Iran war https:\/\/t.co\/f4hP5Mnfqt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Trump\u2019s building himself a bunker \u2013 it\u2019s clear he knows he\u2019s failing<\/a> iPaper (Ann)<\/p>\n Read the DOJ\u2019s memo to Republican senators on how Trump\u2019s $1.8 billion \u2018anti-weaponization\u2019 fund will work <\/a> PBS (Kevin W)<\/p>\n Donald Trump\u2019s Approval Rating Sinks to Lowest Ever Recorded<\/a> Newsweek (Ann)<\/p>\n Jim Cramer froze on live TV after seeing Trump\u2019s 3,700 stock trades \u2014 here\u2019s what\u2019s in the president\u2019s portfolio<\/a> Yahoo! (Kevin W)<\/p>\n In the middle of the lunch, Trump called RFK Jr and Dr. Oz and told them he wanted the regulation lifted. Trump\u2019s FDA Commissioner then resigned in protest. Things like this are happening every day. RFK Jr is a total fraud. https:\/\/t.co\/B0uMIT0eQn<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/jqNu5v9CXB<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) May 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Bezos says Trump is \u201cdisciplined\u201d and \u201chas lots of good ideas\u201d<\/a> Oligarch Watch<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Our No Longer Free Press<\/p>\n When critics pointed out black-and-white factual errors from the beginning to the end of the NYT\u2019s \u201cScreams Without Words,\u201d one of the most consequential fabrications in the paper\u2019s history, used to justify a genocide, the paper steadfastly refused to address them. Only when\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/EsNhvgCKzX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Naftali Bennett Is Running A Campaign To \u2018Fix Israel\u2019s Hasbara\u2019<\/a> Kevin Gosztola (Dr. Kevin)<\/p>\n How Palantir is becoming embedded in major newsroom operations<\/a> Middle East Eye (Kevin W)<\/p>\n not sure if anyone is at Bluesky. when I visit the site all is calm, unchanging; I have not had a single new follower in many months; exchanges are always interesting & intelligent but relatively few. Bluesky exudes the air of an upscale mall, beautifully maintained, hushed.\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) May 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n Economy<\/p>\n IEA warns oil market may hit \u2018red zone\u2019 by mid-summer<\/a> MSN<\/p>\n Hormuz Closure Threatens Recession Rivaling 2008, Rapidan Says <\/a>Bloomberg<\/p>\n Inflation fears are rippling through industrial metals<\/a> CNBC<\/p>\n Walmart warns of petrol rationing as Iran war hits customers\u2019 wallets<\/a> Financial Times. Self rationing!<\/p>\n The oil shock is coming for America<\/a> Financial Times. By Amos Hochstein\u2026.lordie<\/p>\n StanChart Says Record SPR Withdrawals Are Tightening U.S. Oil Buffers<\/a> OilPrice<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Mr. Market Needs a Therapist<\/p>\n Oil resumes rally as Iran reportedly wants to keep enriched uranium within the country<\/a> CNBC<\/p>\n Global bond yields hit their highest levels since the financial crisis<\/a> Equiti<\/p>\n Global debt stress could shake financial markets<\/a> CMC<\/p>\n The next crisis catalyst? A credit crunch triggered by data center debt: Eon CEO<\/a> CNBC\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Antitrust<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s all the f&$*#ing money going?\u201d The Waste and Costs of American Utilities<\/a> Matt Stoller<\/p>\n AI<\/p>\n A Wharton economist ran a randomized controlled trial on almost a thousand high school students in Turkey.<\/p>\n The result was so brutal for the AI-in-education narrative that it had to be peer-reviewed by PNAS before people would believe it.<\/p>\n Her name is Hamsa Bastani. She teaches\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/OZ7kXhRK2c<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Rimsha Bhardwaj (@heyrimsha) May 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Will AI Break the University?<\/a> Rory Truex<\/p>\n \ud83e\udd94Microsoft canceled its internal Claude Code licenses this week after token-based billing made the cost untenable, even for a company with effectively infinite cloud resources. Uber’s CTO sent an internal memo warning the company burned through its entire 2026 AI budget in just\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/zBGccaP3e6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Hedgie (@HedgieMarkets) May 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n What\u2019s with all the videos of college graduates booing AI? <\/a> ABC Australia (Kevin W)<\/p>\n Could generative AI turn out to be the tech industry\u2019s Vietnam? And could public backlash lead AI to a better place?<\/a> Gary Marcus<\/p>\n AI is killing the cheap smartphone<\/a> David Oks (Micael T)<\/p>\n AI Discourse is Haunted by Presentism Bias<\/a> Bentham\u2019s Bulldog (Micael T)<\/p>\n AI and the Degradation of the Human Capacity for Friendship<\/a> Grace Helton (Micael T). The mere fact of this article is mind-boggling. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The Bezzle<\/p>\n Not even a quick end to Iran war can save AI stock bubble now<\/a> South China Morning Post. Xie is a very serious commentator, going back to the 2008 criiss. <\/p>\n The CalPERS gamble: Why the push to invest in private equity alarms public employees<\/a> CalaMatters<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Class Warfare<\/p>\n Imperial End Times: The Geopolitics of Class War in a Post-American World<\/a> Un-Diplomatic (Micael T)<\/p>\n An Assessment Of The Accelerating Timeline for \u201cYou Will Own Nothing\u201d<\/a> Patrick Wood (Micael T)<\/p>\n The diaper crisis is real. Ask millions of American families.<\/a> Washington Post (Dr. Kevin)<\/p>\n The unlikely organizers: Even NYC luxury renters are starting tenant associations<\/a> Gothamist<\/p>\n Kenyan public transport operators call off strike after government cuts diesel price <\/a> Reuters<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Antidote du jour (Tracie H):<\/p>\n And a bonus (Chuck L):<\/p>\n London Underground station flooding has reportedly been reduced by around 90% thanks to a group of engineers: beavers. <\/p>\n After conservationists reintroduced a family of beavers into a nearby city park, the animals built dams and restored wetlands that now absorb and slow\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/9hDCQ8xxD3<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Yashar Ali \ud83d\udc18 (@yashar) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n A second bonus (Chuck L):<\/p>\n One of the most unusual friendships on earth is between a scuba diver and a massive fish.<\/p>\n For over twenty five years, a Japanese diver named Hiroyuki Arakawa has been visiting an underwater shrine. Whenever he dives down, he strikes a metal bell with a hammer to announce his\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/KN7SRTBf9P<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dr. Lemma (@DoctorLemma) May 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n See yesterday\u2019s Links and Antidote du Jour here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Cold in the tropics,record warmth in Patagonia.<\/p>\n
Records of May highest Temperatures smashed in pieces:<\/p>\n
25.2C Temuco AP
23.9C Osorno
22.3C Puerto Montt
24.5C Nueva Chaiten
and many more pic.twitter.com\/UvxmFMoQFS<\/a><\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/00-tracie-horsess.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n
\n