Stephen McDonell

How science works now.

There’s always a grift.

open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

Really good to hear this and sounds like a tragedy was averted - it’s a very remote part of the world

Latest news from this week's Mount Everest trekking emergency is that all hikers and rescuers have now reportedly reached the town of Qudang and are said to be out of danger. #China #Tibet

Q: Have you given any more thought to possibly suspending habeas corpus?

TRUMP: Suspending who?

Q: Habeas corpus

TRUMP: I don't know. I'd rather leave that to Kristi.

Finally #China’s state media reporting that 580 hikers + 300 local guides, yak handlers and other support staff have made it safely to Qudang Town after getting off the Eastern approaches to Mt Everest on the Tibetan side of the mountain. They had been caught in sudden heavy snowstorms.

Finally #China’s state media reporting that 580 hikers + 300 local guides, yak handlers and other support staff have made it safely to Qudang Town after getting off the Eastern approaches to Mt Everest on the Tibetan side of the mountain. They had been caught in sudden heavy snowstorms.

Desperate customers seeking to withdraw funds from a bank in Shanghai on the eve of the communist takeover of the city, 1949

Little boat “floats” for the first full moon festival (aka the Lantern Festival - Yuanxiaojie), Weihai, c1909, photograph probably by Reginald Johnston

Spain’s Renewable-Energy Boom Loosens Gas’s Grip on Power Prices Soaring renewables output in Spain is weakening gas’s grip on electricity prices, setting the country apart from much of Europe where fossil fuels still dictate the cost of power.

"Spain’s rapid renewables build-out means its power prices were set by fossil generation just 19% of the time, down from 75% in 2019. As a result, wholesale electricity was almost a third cheaper than the EU average"

Imagine having cheaper power

Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

imagine appearing before the canadian supreme court to make the case whether you've been naughty or nice

This is excellent thread. I commend it especially to anyone who doesn’t know why there is a goddess and a rabbit on the moon. Happy Mid Autumn Festival everyone! 中秋节快乐！ :-)

We went from this potentially disastrous situation yesterday to the time of me writing this with no information update from #China’s officials in #Tibet? How are the remaining trekkers? Where are they? Is everyone fine? We’re not allowed into the “Tibetan Autonomous Region” to check + no info.

Many hundreds of trekkers have had to be rescued on the slopes approaching the eastern side of Mount Everest inside the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). Snow hit the area in sudden huge volumes which are not normally expected in early October. Chinese officials seem confident all will be saved.

Chicago priest Father Michael Pfleger: "The state of emergency is in AMERICA, not Chicago. It's birthed from this president and his admin's reign of terror."

( ht: @mikenellis.bsky.social )

The rescue teams are often made up from locals who have lived their entire lives at high-altitude, so they can physically handle the weather better. Also they are very experienced with the conditions, much more than hikers (even experienced hikers) + They know the country etc etc

Many hundreds of trekkers have had to be rescued on the slopes approaching the eastern side of Mount Everest inside the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). Snow hit the area in sudden huge volumes which are not normally expected in early October. Chinese officials seem confident all will be saved.

Emails show government 'quietly' removed F-35 website at start of Gaza war Department of Defence emails show that a website dedicated to Australia's role in the global F-35 supply chain used by Israel to maintain its jet fighters was removed at the start of the war in Gaza.

#Australia #Israel #Gaza…
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

China-Built Frigate for Cambodia Clears Trials; Second Ship at 50% One of two China-built frigates for Cambodia has completed assembly and passed technical trials, with a second vessel halfway built, former Cambodia defense minister Tea Banh said in a Facebook post d...

China-built frigate for Cambodia completes trials as second nears completion, deepening defense ties centered on the expanded, Chinese-financed Ream Naval Base.

From U.S. Tariffs to Chinese Tables: How Brazil’s Beef Sector Adapted to China’s Changing Appetite An article on China Meat Food Network 中国肉类食品网 examines how U.S. tariff policies have disrupted Brazil’s beef exports and how China’s growing appetite for high-quality, affordable beef has helped Brazi...

U.S. tariffs crushed Brazil’s beef sales to America — but China’s booming appetite for affordable, high-quality beef has kept Brazil’s industry thriving.

The sort of people the administration calls 'terrorists' :

"[the 84 year olds] were rushed by federal officers “for no apparent reason.” She said her husband was leaning on his walker and wearing his Vietnam veterans cap as he was pushed to the ground."

YouTube video by WION French President Macron Speaks at German Unity Day Ceremony | WION LIVE

President Macron:
“We were very naive to leave our public space to social media networks controlled by US or Chinese companies that don’t share our interests and not interested in survival of our democracies.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MggN...

Exclusive: Anthony Albanese overruled push for public NACC hearings The Saturday Paper can reveal that the prime minister and other ministers from NSW intervened in cabinet to constrain the operations of the country’s leading integrity body.

Exclusive: Anthony Albanese personally overruled a push in cabinet by then attorney-general Mark Dreyfus to give the National Anti-Corruption Commission wider discretion to hold public hearings. Jason Koutsoukis reports. satpa.pe/A5DgOJY

"It's not entirely clear if breaking the law is illegal anymore" really does seem to be the mantra of 2025...

President orders ministries to stamp out anti-China rallies, citing harm to nat'l image - The Korea Times President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday ordered a crackdown on anti-China rallies in Seoul, saying the demonstrations are tarnishing the nation's image...

These protests are just as much about actual anti-Chinese sentiment as they are getting the Lee Jae Myung administration to crack down on them to fuel their claims that Lee is authoritarian and China’s man in South Korea. Sounds like Lee is going to oblige them

www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffai...

Kash Patel fires FBI agent trainee for displaying gay pride flag The FBI employee was fired on the first day of the government shutdown as President Trump threatened more terminations.

EXCLUSIVE: FBI Director Kash Patel fired an agent in training for displaying a gay pride flag on his desk while appointed to a field office in California last year, according to three people familiar with the matter and a dismissal notice reviewed by MSNBC.
www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/k...

After Declining to Give Trump a Sword for King Charles, a Museum Leader Is Out

Very Trump-era story.
1. The sword has no meaning for Charles, but matters for the Eisenhower Museum.
2. Illegal for the museum to give away US property!
3. Trump makes no distinction between personal/public property.
4. The person who did the right thing was fired.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/a...

For those in #Beijing early November here is a great opportunity… #China

The ANU says it's in crisis. Does this look like a financial crisis to you?

Looking down from the city walls (very little of which remain) onto a sea of parasols in a market, Anshun, Guizhou province, c.1935, by CT Lau