Why I Can’t Have 150 Friends
October 10, 2019
“Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family.” – Mario Puzo
“To throw away an honest friend is, as it were, to throw your life away” – Sophocles
The Next Domino Falls Like A Bomb
Turkey began attacking Kurdish militia positions in northeast Syria Wednesday, slamming them with artillery barrages and bombs dropped from above, after President Trump’s miscalculated decision Sunday night to withdraw US troops from the area. Thousands of people fled the Syrian town of Ras al Ain toward Hasaka province, held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkish air strikes killed at least five civilians and three SDF fighters, and wounded dozens of civilians.
On Monday Trump warned that he would “obliterate” Turkey’s economy if President Erdogan did anything “off-limits” to Kurdish forces, which had fought alongside the US against ISIS for nearly five years. But after the bombing began, Trump merely issued a mildly critical statement, labeling the offensive a “bad idea” that he did not endorse. European countries called on Ankara to halt the operation, and Egypt denounced “a blatant and unacceptable attack on a brotherly Arab state.”
Trump’s statement also asserted: “Turkey is now responsible for ensuring all Isis fighters being held captive remain in prison and that Isis does not reconstitute in any way, shape, or form.” The Kurds had been guarding the 90,000 men, women and children with links to the terror group, and it is far from clear how Turkey would take custody of, let alone responsibility for, the prisoners. Experts believe the Turkish assault will enable ISIS sleeper cells to attack Kurdish guards and free the 74,000 women and children inside the detention camp. As one expert said: “The areas in Syria currently controlled by Turkey are full of corruption…. Isis would have no trouble buying loyalty, paying bribes to escape. So definitely Isis will have new opportunities.”
- Former Trump Envoy: Syria Withdrawal Is ‘Haphazard’ And ‘Almost Unprecedented’ (NPR)
- Israelis Watch U.S. Abandon Kurds, and Worry: Who’s Next? – President Trump’s abrupt order to withdraw American troops from Syria set off alarm bells among Israeli officials who fear the United States might stop standing up for Israel. (NYT, $)
America Has Become Russia’s Greatest Cheerleader
- The Trump administration will soon announce it is withdrawing the US from a treaty that is used by the American military to conduct unarmed aerial surveillance over member countries, like Russia, to help verify arms control agreements, according to the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency. The intention to exit the “Open Skies” treaty drew condemnation from Congress.
- Top Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs, House Armed Services, Senate Armed Services and Senate Foreign Relations committees wrote in a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that “Pulling out of the Open Skies Treaty, an important multilateral arms control agreement, would be yet another gift from the Trump Administration to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.
- Not only is there no case for withdrawal on the grounds of national security, there has been no consultation with the Congress or with our allies about this consequential decision.” (CNN)
- Magazine aimed at MEPs ‘filled with pro-Russia content’: EP Today using articles from Kremlin-funded outlet RT, says EU disinformation taskforce (Guardian)
Communist China Flexes Its Capitalist Muscles
- First, China’s state-run TV cancelled broadcasts of preseason NBA basketball games over a tweet by the Houston Rockets general manager showing support for Hong Kong’s anti-government protesters.
- Now China’s state media has accused Apple of endorsing and protecting “rioters” in Hong Kong’s increasingly violent protests by listing an app on its app store that tracks the movement of police in the city.
- The app, made available October 5, displays hotspots on a map of the city that is continuously updated as users report incidents, hence allowing protesters to avoid police. The political brouhaha shows the delicate balance between standing for principals — like democratic ideals and freedom of speech — and crashing a profitable business relationship with an authoritarian government. (Guardian)
- China plans to restrict visas for U.S. visitors with ‘anti-China’ links (Reuters)
- After a ‘South Park’ Censorship Episode, China Deleted the Entire Show From the Web: The episode criticized American entertainment leaders for catering to China’s censorship rules. (Vice)
License And Permission And Encouragement To Kill
- Brazil is already known for having the world’s highest number of murders, and President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies have vowed to crackdown on crime. Bolsonaro wants to boost legal protections for police who kill on the job, and has said criminals should “die like cockroaches.”
- Rio’s governor has ordered snipers to fire on suspects from helicopters; he recently told foreign journalists that suspects, when confronted by police, should “surrender or die.”
- Opponents of such aggressive law and order agendas fear that far right rhetoric by politicians has made the police “feel authorized to kill.” (Reuters)
Gardener On The Roof
- More and more bright spots are adorning the concrete highrises of North America’s urban jungles. They’re rooftop gardens, and they’ve increased by nearly 15 percent since 2013.
- Concerns about climate change and dwindling natural resources may be driving the popularity of green roofs, along with perks like nearby fruits and vegetables, and something beautiful to look at.
- The National Research Council of Canada estimates that a green roof can reduce air-conditioning use in a building by as much as 75 percent; equally important, green roofs help reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
- Toronto was the first city in North America to pass a green roof law in 2009, requiring new buildings and additions greater than 21,000 sq. feet to cover 20 to 60 percent with vegetation. Understanding the benefits is encouraging more cities around the world to pass green roof legislation. (NYT)
Additional World News
- Revealed: the 20 firms behind a third of all carbon emissions: New data shows how fossil fuel companies have driven climate crisis despite industry knowing dangers (Guardian)
- Shooting near synagogue in Germany leaves at least two people dead, police say (WaPo, $)
- Russia accuses prominent activist’s anti-graft group of taking foreign money (WaPo, $)
- Egypt denounces Ethiopia for moving ahead with Nile dam amid water: shortage fears (Reuters)
- Australia Just Had a Bad Flu Season. That May Be a Warning for the U.S.: In 2017, a terrible flu season in Australia presaged an American outbreak in which 79,000 died. Experts advise getting the shot soon. (NYT, $) And The germiest place in your home and the best way to combat those microbes (CNN)
Biden Is Done Binding His Time
- Former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden called for President Trump’s impeachment for the first time Wednesday. It was Biden’s most forceful response yet to Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine, and his public request to China, to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.
- “Trump will do anything to get re-elected, including violating the most basic forms of democracy. It’s stunning, and it’s dangerous,” Biden said, adding “No president in history has dared to engage in such unimaginable behavior.”
- Biden had been more cautious than his Democratic competitors. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is neck-and-neck with Biden in recent polls, called for an impeachment inquiry into Trump last April. The White House continues to stonewall any investigative proceedings by House members. (CNN)
Additional USA News
- Matt Drudge, an influential figure in conservative media, sours on Trump as he faces impeachment (CNN)
- President Trump is at war with the rule of law. This won’t end well: At the top there’s corruption, down below there’s dismantling and disarray. Americans are entering a period of immense danger (Guardian)
- Trump splits Republican voters as friends and family clash: ‘We don’t speak’: In his second report on the mood of voters in swing counties which moved from Obama to Trump, Chris McGreal meets Republicans in Forest county in rural Wisconsin where the president has divided old friends (Guardian)
- Trump Says He’s Concerned About Corruption, But Advocates Say His Record Is Weak (NPR)
- Elizabeth Warren debuts ambitious plan to tackle environmental racism: Contender’s proposal builds on her platform to fight climate crisis by investing $3tn in next decade to combat global heating (Guardian)
- Northern California hit by mega power cuts over wildfire fears: A power company is cutting electricity to around 800,000 homes, businesses and other locations in Northern California, in an attempt to prevent wildfires. (BBC)
You’ve Got A Friend In Me And At Most 149 Other People
- Someone may say they have four hundred ‘friends’ on Facebook, but British anthropologist Robin Dunbar says in reality there are well-defined limits to the number of friends and acquaintances the average person can retain. He’s studied this stuff, and he says the magic number is 150.
- According to Dunbar and many researchers he influenced, this ‘social brain’ rule of 150 remains true for early hunter-gatherer societies as well as a surprising array of modern groupings: offices, communes, factories, residential campsites, military organizations, 11th Century English villages, even Christmas card lists. Exceed 150, and a network isn’t likely to last long or cohere well. (BBC)
- Xenophobic one minute, tolerant the next: humans are strange primates (Aeon)
LAST MORSELS
“Get busy living or get busy dying.” – Shawshank Redemption