Meet Tsundoku, the Surprisingly Comforting Name for Your Unread Books Classical Literature (Micael T)
Can you understand English’s closest relatives? Dead Language Society (Micael T)
Climate/Environment
The World’s Oceans Just Hit Their Hottest Temperature Ever Recorded at a Time of Year When They Should Be Cooling. ZME Science
Satellites show some of the strongest evidence the AMOC is weakening New Scientist
Antarctica records its warmest October on record: what’s happening? Ukrainian News
‘A potential glimpse into the future’: Climate change has triggered ‘permafrost landslides’ with house-size blocks of ice in Canada Live Science
Indonesia sends oxygen bus to aid residents choking on forest fire haze Reuters
Climate change is amplifying extreme weather conditions across southern Africa The Conversation
Slovenia mourns loss of glacier on its highest peak after scorching summer Guardian (resilc)
In a landmark climate trial, Canadian youth accuse the government of violating their rights Corporate Knights
China?
Is China’s economy broken? Brookings
Chinese Government to Speed Bond Sales to Stimulate Growth Bloomberg
Japan
Japan Joins UK in Urging Households to Prepare Week-Long Emergency Supplies inkl
US bans vehicles from China’s BYD at Japan military base, calling them ‘unacceptable’ risk Guardian. This looks silly.
South Asia
India deploys extra forces after protests over dam on Chinese border escalate Reuters
The new India-Pakistan ‘cold war’. The collapse of dialogue: Why New Delhi abandoned formal talks with Islamabad Japan Times
Southeast Asia
Thailand revokes chief rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor’s citizenship
Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed an order on October 28 revoking the Thai citizenship of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor, Thailand’s chief rabbi, citing his continued use of American nationality after naturalization.
Kantor has led Chabad of Thailand since 1993. Chabad is a worldwide Orthodox Jewish movement headquartered in New York. The ministry cited a Department of Special Investigation finding that he used his American nationality to enter and leave Australia on 16 occasions, most recently on January 26, 2026. He became a Thai citizen in April 2013.
The order said his conduct violated naturalization conditions and warranted revocation under Section 19(2) of the Nationality Act. It also cited potential harm to national security, the economy and society.
#Thailand #Chabad
— Thai Enquirer (@ThaiEnquirer) October 29, 2026
Israel’s Thailand Problems Just Got Worse – And The Net Is Widening YouTube
Key point from a protestor: “Thailand is not and cannot be a safe haven for Israel soldiers who have committed despicable crimes.”
Africa
Russia Is Africa’s Most Reliable Partner Because It Doesn’t Need Its Countries’ Resources Andrew Korybko
Protests Erupt in Eastern Sudan as Currency Collapses Arab Network
West warns of famine risk in Sudan as civil war grinds on BBC
Lula Victory Post-Mortem
Flávio Bolsonaro’s escape: Trump visas, a plane in Iguazu and the mark of cowardice Pagina12 via machine translation
Bolsonaro Escape Jet Tied to Alleged Cocaine Trafficker Payday Report
Lula’s Victory Disrupts Washington’s Donroe Doctrine & Israel’s Issac Accords Fiorella Isabel
European Disunion
EU Wants Countries to Draw Up Plans to Deal With Warming of 3C Bloomberg
Fuel shortages worsen across France, hundreds of stations entirely out of supply ConnexionFrance
French Consumer Confidence Drops to 13-Year Low After Riots Bloomberg
Crop losses from recurring droughts ‘shrinking Poland’s economy and impacting businesses’ TVP World
Introducing Jacques Baud Scott Ritter, YouTube. Most of you recall that Jacques Baud has been disgracefully sanctioned by the EU and cannot only not buy food, but people cannot give him food either without being prosecuted (they can perversely take him out for a meal). Robin K:
Fascinating interview. The breadth and depth of Baud’s experience is astonishing. Garland Nixon provides on his Telegram channel a link to contribute to Baud’s support/defense: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/88AZWPCKJ8H5A
Spain train crash kills at least 68 as witnesses describe devastating scenes CNN. Rifat Jawaid points out that the jump in Spanish train wrecks started right after Spain stood up to Israel.
From Politico’s morning European newsletter:
DISASTER UPENDS SPAIN’S PM RACE
GAME OVER? Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s chances of victory in next month’s parliamentary elections already looked like a long shot before today’s train accident. The dream that he’ll be able to continue as PM now looks very unlikely to come true given the Socialist leader’s checkered record on crisis management and improving public services.
Déjà vu: The crash comes less than a year after a train derailment in Adamuz killed 46 people. This raises major questions about the state of Spain’s critical infrastructure and threatens Sánchez’s central pitch to voters: that his government is competent and bettering Spaniards’ everyday lives.
Give it to us straight: “This inevitably upends the campaign and deals a blow to Sánchez,” said a Socialist Party lawmaker who was granted anonymity to speak freely. “It changes the conversation, and naturally the opposition will use it, just as they used the Adamuz accident.” Another anonymous Socialist lawmaker cautioned against writing Sánchez off, noting that a month remains until election day — a lifetime in politics.
The number of gang-related children is greater than previously assumed Tobias Hubinette (Micael T)
The Malmö anarchist who fought Putin: Now he is being punished by Säpo Araetaren vis machine translation. Micael T: “SÄPO = The Swedish Security Service. One key learning is that nobody likes a traitor.”
Old Blighty
Healey warned ‘the dam is breaking’ on shop price inflation City AM
UK Shoppers Strip Shelves of Beans and Water After Government Emergency Advice Around Prague
I bet the banks are super pleased the government is encouraging THE ENTIRE COUNTRY to take out more cash than they would ordinarily ever use. Definitely not something that will create a liquidity issue for banks 🙄.
Do we even have enough printed cash in circulation to satisfy this “directive”? I’m pretty sure the lessons from the Spanish power cut were that most countries don’t.
If banks can meet heightened demand for cash without any bother, that in itself will be curious.
— Izabella Kaminska (@izakaminska) October 29, 2026
Israel v. The Neighborhood. I hate having to think about Israel election results and the complicated jostling that begins now.
Elijah Magnier: BREAKING: Netanyahu Faces Deadlock, U.S. to Gulf: Prepare for Iran Military Campaign Dialogue Works. Magnier does a patient jobs of setting forth some of the complicated potential paths to forming a government.
Netanyahu Lost. His Coalition Lost.
Going from 36 to 26 is not a victory; and for his coalition from 68 to 53 is a defeat.Don’t be fooled by claims that Netanyahu’s Likud emerged as the largest party. The real story of the Zionist Regime’s election is in the numbers.
Netanyahu’s Likud, including his merger with Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope, fell from 36 to 26 seats, a staggering 28% loss.Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc fell from 68 to 53 seats, a loss of 15 seats, or 22%. It is now eight seats short of the 61 needed to govern.
The losers could hardly be clearer.
Netanyahu portrayed himself as the indispensable leader of the Zionist regime. Trump boasted that his support had saved Netanyahu. Yet Netanyahu lost a quarter of his parliamentary strength, while his political bloc lost more than one-fifth of its seats.
The bottom line: Netanyahu and his coalition were decisively defeated at the ballot box. Whether his opponents can translate that defeat into an alternative government is another question entirely.
Being the largest party does not mean winning the election. Losing your parliamentary majority is a defeat, regardless of how you spin it.
Netanyahu is a war criminal and can never be rehabilitated.
— Sami Al-Arian (@SamiAlArian) October 29, 2026
Israel’s voters deny Binyamin Netanyahu a majority Economist. Archives not cooperating but even the limited non-paywalled section is deadly.
There are people who still think a minority government involving Eisenkot and the Arab parties is coming. It is absolutely not happening. Recent events have confirmed that:
1) Eisenkot’s own party is split. Amit Segal reported Wednesday that at least four Yashar members told the faction meeting they would not support a government relying on Ra’am with Joint List backing, even temporarily. Segal put its chances at “almost zero.”
2) One Yashar member has drawn this line in public. Hili Tropper, sixth on the list, told N12 in July: “I support only a Zionist government.” Haredi and Arab parties, he said, “chose not to be part of the Zionist story.” Matan Kahana, fifth on the list, told Arutz 7 on election night that Yashar will not form a government relying on the Arab parties. He cited their position on Hamas.
3) Liberman closed the door in August. “Yisrael Beytenu will not be a partner in any constellation for a minority government. Period.” In October he repeated that he would not back one even as a transitional government. Leaks close to him say he has not changed his mind.
4) Bennett has refused to depend on Arab votes or abstentions. On election night he pledged only “a Zionist government.”
All told, I estimate that around 20 members of the opposition would just not join. Many of the others would have serious reservations. It is simply not happening.
— Shaiel Ben-Ephraim (@academic_la) October 28, 2026
Iran War
Has Pakistan reopened its border with Iran for trade? Aljazeera
Saudi Arabia seeks to mend ties with UAE in Houthi crisis Financial Times
Scott Ritter: Persian Gulf States Hold Security Summit Without the U.S. Dialogue Works, YouTube
🇮🇶🇮🇷 | Iraqi Tribal Sheikhs Arrive in Mashhad at the Invitation of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
A delegation of Iraqi tribal elders and prominent figures has reached Mashhad, where they were hosted at the Razavi Shrine. The invitation came from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei.
There is only one reason for this invitation: these individuals took responsibility for organizing funeral rites for the martyred leader, Ali Khamenei.
💥 This is no mere “courtesy visit.” It is an explicit affirmation…..
The significance of this gesture lies not in the “thanks” itself, but in *who* is offering thanks, *who* is receiving it, and *why*.
An Iranian leader thanking Iraqi tribal elders in an Iranian holy city for holding ceremonies in Iraq to honor an Iranian leader’s martyrdom. This is not “diplomacy”; it is a cross-border affirmation of loyalty. It is not a matter of “intergovernmental relations,” but a bond rooted in society and faith…..
⚔️ Who is absent from this picture?
The United States….
The U.S. claims: “We are isolating Iran.”
Yet, the Iranian Leader invites Iraqi tribal elders to Mashhad to the Razavi Shrine to thank them for their role in the funeral proceedings for a martyred leader.
The U.S. claims: “We are pressuring the Iraqi government.”
Yet, the Iraqi tribal elders are not in the government buildings of Baghdad; they are in Mashhad….
Long live Iran. Long live Iraq. Long live the Resistance. Long live the Axis of Resistance.
— Aprajita Nafs Nefes 🦋 Ancient Believer (@aprajitanefes) October 28, 2026
NEW: Satellite imagery from the Copernicus Sentinel 2 shows that Saudi Arabia is loading 9 VLCC’s with 18M barrels of oil in the Persian Gulf before they attempt transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Now WHY would Saudi Arabia be taking the risks of the Strait of Hormuz instead of the safe passage through the Suez Canal?
Is it perhaps that the East-West Pipeline WAS struck by Ansar Allah as they claim? Or Yanbu as Ansar Allah claims?
— Brett Erickson (@BrettErickson28) October 28, 2026
Fire reported on vessel in Strait of Hormuz: UKMTO Andolu Agency
Iran threatens South Korean shipping group Sinokor over Hormuz transits Financial Times
Iran’s IRGC Navy SHOOTS DOWN an American Reconnaissance Drone West of the Strait of Hormuz
Public Relations Statement of the IRGC Navy:
With the help of Almighty God, fighters of the IRGC Navy’s electronic warfare unit carried out an offensive electronic warfare operation. They detected and identified an MQM-170 reconnaissance and decoy drone belonging to the “terrorist U.S. army” west of the Strait of Hormuz, took control of its guidance and control systems, and brought it down intact.The drone’s mission was to locate the Islamic Republic of Iran’s air defense systems along the Persian Gulf coastline and the Strait of Hormuz. IRGC Navy specialists recovered data from the aircraft and determined that it had taken off from the coast of one of the countries on the southern shore of the Persian Gulf.
— Ryan Rozbiani (@RyanRozbiani) October 29, 2026
🚨🇺🇸🇮🇷 Six days before the Iran strike window opens, Hegseth fired the general in charge of planning it
The Pentagon’s chief planner on the Joint Staff, a three-star who commanded the 101st Airborne and carries six Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart, was pushed out this week with no explanation and no replacement named, the second man forced out of that job in a year.
Officials told The Atlantic Hegseth lost confidence in him and he didn’t get on with policy chief Elbridge Colby…
Source: The Atlantic / Writer: Daniel
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 29, 2026
New Not-So-Cold War
Upping the Ante: Russia Pounds Kiev’s South Bridge With Iskander Missile Simplicius (Chuck L)
A Discussion About the Finn/Norge Phone Call & Other Gossip Karl Sanchez
This tweet looks and is gross but the Russians have worked out that occasional pandering to Trump costs nothing and softens the blow of not giving in at all to various re-blenderizations of repeatedly rejected US/EU schemes, which all start with the unacceptable idea that Russia should stop fighting while taking. And Dmitiev is big on playing up his influence with Putin. My impression is that in his case, access does not equal much sway, unlike (to list some of many examples) Peskov, Medvedev, Ushakov, and above all, Lavrov. Lavrov is clearly annoyed by the Dmitriv channel but Putin has more than once made clear that any serious negotiations much be under the umbrella under the Foreign Ministry.
Peacemakers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been advancing President Trump’s peace and global security agenda. Respected by all sides, they have been tirelessly resolving the most difficult humanitarian and geopolitical issues.
Blessed are the Peacemakers. 🕊️
— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) October 28, 2026
Imperial Collapse Watch
Important, so forgive the length:
The Crisis of Our Age: The Social and Cultural Outlook Pitirim A. Sorokin 1941
Part 1
Perhaps the most dangerous moment in the life of a civilization is not when its enemies become powerful, but when its citizens become so confident in their material achievements that they stop examining the condition of the society those achievements were supposed to serve.
What happens when a political movement promises equality, liberation, and justice, only to construct a system of political imprisonment, executions, starvation, censorship, and absolute control? What happens when ordinary people fight to overthrow an oppressive government, only to discover that those claiming to represent them have become their new oppressors? And what happens when a revolution supposedly intended to liberate humanity acquires so much power that destroying human beings becomes acceptable in pursuit of its promised future?
In 1941, Harvard sociologist Pitirim Alexandrovich Sorokin published The Crisis of Our Age, a sweeping investigation into the moral, intellectual, political, and cultural foundations of Western civilization. Sorokin argued that societies could achieve extraordinary scientific, technological, and economic progress while simultaneously losing the ethical principles necessary to restrain power. His examination extended across religion, family, morality, philosophy, education, art, law, government, war, and revolution. At the center of his argument was a terrifying possibility: civilization could become extraordinarily powerful while becoming progressively less capable of governing that power responsibly.
But Sorokin was not simply an academic speculating about the dangers of political ideology. He had already experienced revolutionary imprisonment, the threat of execution, political persecution, and the destruction of the institutions he had once hoped to reform. He knew what could happen when political leaders became convinced that the greatness of their historical mission justified almost any act committed in its name.
The deepest danger was not simply that revolutionaries might betray their promises. It was that a political system could become so convinced of its own historical righteousness that oppression itself could be redefined as a necessary step toward liberation.
And the most important detail is that Sorokin had once believed in revolutionary socialism himself.
Born in the Russian Empire in 1889, Sorokin grew up amid poverty and profound political inequality. As a teenager, he joined the Socialist Revolutionary movement because he believed workers and peasants deserved dignity, land reform, political representation, and protection from exploitation. He opposed the Russian monarchy and participated in revolutionary organizing. At seventeen, he was arrested by imperial authorities and imprisoned for his activities.
Sorokin did not begin as a defender of every traditional institution or an opponent of social reform. He actively wanted a different society. He studied socialist political philosophy, including Marx and other revolutionary thinkers, and continued organizing after his release. By 1917, he had become an influential participant in the revolutionary movement, worked with Alexander Kerensky’s Provisional Government, and been elected to Russia’s Constituent Assembly.
When the monarchy collapsed in February 1917, Sorokin believed Russia had an opportunity to establish a more democratic and representative political system. But the revolution did not end there.
— ForgottenVolumes (@ForgottenV1918) October 27, 2026
Beyond the Polling Booth: How Serbia’s Political Earthquake Reshapes Non-Alignment, Civic Agency, and Multipolar Diplomacy in the Global South Think BRICS
Midterms
Trump may blame Canada if GOP struggle in midterms: U.S. envoy CBS (resilc). BWAHAHA
Democrat Death Watch
Silicon Valley braces for firestorm of Dem scrutiny in 2027 The Hill. Nah, they will fully occupy themselves with the Trump (and maybe Hegseth and others) impeachments and corruption investigations. No reason to break a sweat harassing big donors (save hopelessly pro Trump or Republican ones), much the less doing much of anything to benefit ordinary citizens. Have to stay true to the Team Dem brand!
Admittedly there could be selective exceptions: Senate candidate El-Sayed wants to ‘grill’ RFK Jr., calls him the ‘most incompetent HHS secretary ever’ STAT
The Fed
Kevin Warsh and the Battle for the Fed Chris Whalen
Our No Longer Free Press
France’s Senate Approves Bill Expanding Police Powers Over Online Speech Reclaim the Net
Economy
⛽️ BREAKING: Oil and petroleum-product flows from the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman have fallen sharply, with the 7-day average dropping to roughly 13 million barrels per day, according to Kpler shipping data.
➤ That is approximately 37% below the prewar average of 20.5 million barrels per day, despite a brief recovery to near prewar levels in mid-October.
➤ The figures include shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and exports from terminals in Fujairah and Oman, but exclude Iran. They also exclude escorts through bypass routes the Red Sea.
Kpler cautions that figures for the most recent 14 days remain provisional and may be revised upward as additional tanker movements are confirmed.
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) October 28, 2026
Why The Strait Of Hormuz Doesn’t Matter Anymore YouTube (resilc). Help me. look at fertilizer supply and get back to me.
High inflation to persist globally into next year, Reuters poll Reuters
A Shattered Market?: The Counterintuitive Story of the Hormuz Oil Crisis Nate Hagens
The Diesel Crisis Is Here To Stay OilPrice
American Trucking Operators Confront Mounting Diesel, Insurance, Debt Costs Bloomberg (resilc)
AI
There’s not enough money in the world to pay for the AI boom Washington Post (resilc)
If You’re In the UK or EU, Here’s How to Object to Meta’s AI Training 404 Media
The Bezzle
Meta, Snap Face a Reckoning Over Teen Safety Trading View
‘Never-ending’ cruise ends journey in Cambodia due to fuel shortages Metro UK
Collateral Damage at Sea: How the Iran War is Sinking the Cruise Industry Larry Johnson
Antidote du jour (via):
And a bonus:
i love how horses can be these massive, powerful animals and still be so gentle with a tiny little cat they decide to be friends with.
— Antidepressant Content (@depressionlesss) October 19, 2026
A second:
【Video】#WildlifeConservation A rare sight in the Altai Mountains of Fuyun county, NW China’s #Xinjiang! Several #SnowLeopards were spotted together, with an infrared camera capturing an incredible close-up of one of these elusive big cats! https://t.co/hxGFRcOaPI
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) October 29, 2026
And a third:
Happy family.. 😊 https://t.co/ZkNg78t5b7
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) October 26, 2026
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
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