Leading the whey: the synthetic milk startups shaking up the dairy industry
How a railroad strike could send food prices soaring The Hill
Why addressing inequality must be central to pandemic preparedness (editorial) BMJ.
From steelworkers to baristas: the new face of Pittsburgh’s evolving labor movementPennsylvania Capital-Star
Cockatoos Work to Outsmart Humans in Escalating Garbage Bin Wars Scientific American
Remembering the Diggers Tribune
The Everlasting Wonder of Being: How a Cold Cosmos Kindles the Glow of Consciousness The Marginalian
Unions blast rail move to delay shipments before deadline AP
4,000 Google cafeteria workers quietly unionized during the pandemic WaPo
Amazon workers at fulfillment center in Moreno Valley announce union drive LA Times
A Photographer’s Intimate Look at Burning ManInside Hook
The Art of Excess and the Excess of Art From the Forests of Arduinna. “What’s needed is not less-wasteful art and ritual, but rather more of it.”
Russia spent millions in secret global political campaign, U.S. official says
Washington Post: “Russia has secretly funneled at least $300 million to foreign political parties and candidates in more than two dozen countries since 2014 in an attempt to shape political events beyond its borders, according to a new U.S. intelligence review. Moscow planned to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more as part of its covert campaign to weaken democratic systems and promote global political forces seen as aligned with Kremlin interests, according to the review, which the Biden administration commissioned this summer. A senior U.S. official, who like other officials spoke to reporters Tuesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence findings, said the administration decided to declassify some of the review’s findings in an attempt to counter Russia’s ability to sway political systems in countries in Europe, Africa and elsewhere…”
The Lancet: “As of May 31, 2022, there were 6·9 million reported deaths and 17·2 million estimated deaths from COVID-19, as reported by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME; throughout the report, we rely on IHME estimates of infections and deaths; note that the IHME gives an estimated range, and we refer to the mean estimate).
This staggering death toll is both a profound tragedy and a massive global failure at multiple levels. Too many governments have failed to adhere to basic norms of institutional rationality and transparency, too many people—often influenced by misinformation—have disrespected and protested against basic public health precautions, and the world’s major powers have failed to collaborate to control the pandemic. The multiple failures of international cooperation include (1) the lack of timely notification of the initial outbreak of COVID-19; (2) costly delays in acknowledging the crucial airborne exposure pathway of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and in implementing appropriate measures at national and global levels to slow the spread of the virus; (3) the lack of coordination among countries regarding suppression strategies; (4) the failure of governments to examine evidence and adopt best practices for controlling the pandemic and managing economic and social spillovers from other countries;
(5) the shortfall of global funding for low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), as classified by the World Bank; (6) the failure to ensure adequate global supplies and equitable distribution of key commodities—including protective gear, diagnostics, medicines, medical devices, and vaccines—especially for LMICs; (7) the lack of timely, accurate, and systematic data on infections, deaths, viral variants, health system responses, and indirect health consequences; (8) the poor enforcement of appropriate levels of biosafety regulations in the lead-up to the pandemic, raising the possibility of a laboratory-related outbreak; (9) the failure to combat systematic disinformation; and (10) the lack of global and national safety nets to protect populations experiencing vulnerability. This Commission report aims to contribute to a new era of multilateral cooperation based on strong UN institutions to reduce the dangers of COVID-19, forestall the next pandemic, and enable the world to achieve the agreed goals of sustainable development, human rights, and peace that governments are committed to pursue as members of the UN…”
Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the Covid 19 pandemic The Lancet
