The physics of 16 uncoupled pendulums
[📹 Marcel Clemens] pic.twitter.com/yYFwvXrZW3
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 21, 2026
JWST Finds a “Star” 100 Billion Times Brighter Than Any Star Should Be SciTech Daily
The World’s Largest Trapped Ion Quantum Computer Just Showed What Comes After Supercomputers ZME Science
‘Huge Breakthrough’ in the Math of Imbalance Quanta Magazine
Most Physical Activity Is Tied to Lower Dementia Risk, but This Type May Raise It Medpage Today
Classical music lovers can be as fanatical as Swifties – just read their letters The Conversation
COVID-19/Pandemics
COVID’s annual summer wave is back. Here’s what’s behind it USA Today
DR Congo receives 1st batch of vaccines to contain Ebola outbreak Andolu Agency
Climate/Environment
A Manhattan-Sized Ice Island Just Broke Off Greenland SciTech Daily
‘Off the Charts’ El Nino Is Already the Strongest Since Records Began New Scientist
South of the Border
Venezuela signed its first U.S. oil deals since Maduro’s capture — and wants more Quartz
US ramps up Cuba sanctions and detentions of Americans returning from the island AP
USA And Israel Put Drug Cartel-Linked US Citizen In Power In Colombia Scheerpost
China?
China launched the reusable rocket Zhuque-3 on Wednesday morning, achieving its first recovery of a rocket’s first stage on land. #XinhuaNews pic.twitter.com/ctxqBY7VmG
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) August 19, 2026
China’s ‘robot games’ offer look at latest innovations Semafor
China opens new Arctic trade route – but obstacles will prevent its wider use The Conversation
Waymo’s Ojai robotaxis from China now able to pick up all riders Planetizen
India
When Protest Becomes a Public-Order Problem: India’s Shrinking Space for Dissent Iconnect Blog
79 Years On, India’s Enduring Answer To Those Who Had Predicted Its Collapse NDTV
India Honour Killings Expose Gaps in Law Human Rights Research Center
Africa
Africa’s savannas are changing as carbon dioxide levels climb Earth.com
How Africa’s Airport Boom Is Gaining Altitude Forbes Africa
PM: Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere Dam project showcases Egypt’s growing soft power in Africa Egypt Independent
European Disunion
Exclusive: EU to boost funding for Morocco’s migration management after Ceuta crisis Euronews
G7, EU to Discuss Soaring Energy Prices, Strategic Reserves Energynow.com
Brussels, Heal Thyself: Europe Should Fix Itself Before Lecturing the US The National Interest
Old Blighty
U.K. Flash PMI Signals Stronger Economic Growth And Improved Confidence In August Seeking Alpha
Reform UK Feuds Sidetrack Nigel Farage’s Push to Prepare Party to Lead Bloomberg
Israel v. Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria
Israeli minister Ben Smotrich has OFFICIALLY announced the start of the “Greater Israel” project.
He includes Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. pic.twitter.com/Y00DUQV7QL
— Ethan Levins ✝️ (@EthanLevins2) April 9, 2026
— Daniel Mayakovski (@DaniMayakovski) August 19, 2026
How Israel is expanding settlements in drive to reshape West Bank BBC
Syria warns continued Israeli attacks fuel regional tensions, demands UN action Andolu Agency
Iran War
Persuasion, denial and bluster: Trump ‘stuck’ on Iran war ahead of elections The Guardian
💢 NEW: Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, laid out Iran’s response to Trump’s “economic warfare announcement, in remarks on Iranian state television:
🔺 On countries that join the US
➤ Rezaei warned: “Do not join the economic war waged by… https://t.co/fEYjlRxNI2— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) August 22, 2026
The UAE has completed construction of massive metal cages around fuel storage tanks in Abu Dhabi to protect against Iranian drone attacks, after roughly four months of work. pic.twitter.com/gOE5c6JtrV
— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 22, 2026
Iran Guards say Saudi Arabia will not be able to contain Yemen’s Houthis The Business Standard
Feeding the Enemy: How Washington’s Obsession With Iran Subverted Its Own War on Sunni Terror Larry Johnson
New Not-So-Cold War
Putin says Ukraine opened ‘Pandora’s box’ with strikes on economic targets Reuters
As Russian missiles rain down on Kyiv, casualties mount and the mood darkens The Guardian
Ukraine says it has ‘creative ideas’ to revive stalled peace talks Turkiye Today
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
TikTok settles $400 million children’s privacy lawsuit The Washington Times
Andy Biggs Joins Bipartisan Push For Investigation Into Federal Surveillance Of Americans’ Bank Accounts AZ Free News
Imperial Collapse Watch
The End of the American Middle East Foreign Affairs
Portland area leaders are dismantling a third of the homeless shelter system they just built Oregonlive.com
Trump 2.0
Trump says Canada wants ‘benefits’ of being US state after trade talks collapse BBC
Trump’s space transportation policy calls for new spaceport on federal land Ars Technica
US Supreme Court allows Trump’s ballroom project to continue for now Al Jazeera
Trump’s proposed arch gets preliminary approval from key agency ABC News
Musk Matters
Tesla Is Giving Up on Solar Roof Tiles as Elon Musk Leans Into Fossil Fuels Futurism
Elon Musk’s TeraFab Enters the EUV Lithography Race with FEL Technology Kucoin
Democrat Death Watch
Nothing Left (Except Corporate-Friendly Identity Politics) The American Conservative
Democrats Are on the Verge of Picking Another 80-Year-Old Politico
Immigration
‘Contrary to law’: US judge strikes down Trump’s 75-country visa ban France 24
Our No Longer Free Press
Hegseth fires “Stars and Stripes” journalists, deepens Pentagon press crackdown Salon
Trump’s attack on a journalist overshadowed a more effective threat to freedom of the press MS Now
Mr. Market Is Moody
Warren Buffett sends investors 10-word stock market warning The Street
How bitcoin and gold went from a slump to an MVP week in just a few days AP
Treasury Buyout Triggers New Inflation Anxiety Briefs.co
Oh my goodness.
“Like many who stayed in the business after Soros wound up in 2000-early 2001, Bessent’s team at Soros broke off to do their own fund w/ a capital allocation from Soros’ family office. They bled to death being short oil & long US equity volatility in 2003-04,… https://t.co/JoxrcPwaxX
— HFI Research (@HFI_Research) August 23, 2026
AI
What To Expect When You’re Expecting (A World of Multi-Agent Systems) Asterisk Magazine
The Results of Middle and High School Students Using AI Are Extremely Ominous Futurism
Is AI Really to Blame for High Unemployment Among Recent Graduates? What Economists Say Slashdot
Frontier AI labs still won’t say how they’d contain a rogue model TechCrunch
‘I can’t stop’: 80% of developers find AI coding more addictive than helpful ZD Net
The Bezzle
Boca Raton couple sentenced in $50M fraud scheme orchestrated from behind bars Fox 11 News
Asia faces scam ‘epidemic’ threat as gangs exploit agentic AI, cybercrime expert warns SCMP
Guillotine Watch
Bugatti has launched its foldable television for sale at $400,000. pic.twitter.com/SKxlJSCnhp
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 22, 2026
Antidote du jour (via)
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here
