Economy
Economic recovery from Covid ‘running out of steam’ – OECD – Guardian
The world’s major economies have seen their rapid recovery after easing Covid restrictions begin to run out of steam in the past month as a resurgence in the virus depressed consumer spending, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
There are signs that the recovery in the US and Japan is losing momentum, the OECD said, while parts of Europe and China have slowed as consumers remain reluctant to eat out, visit attractions and shop as they did before the pandemic.
The Paris-based organisation said data supplied by its 38 member countries showed that most major economies had passed their 2021 peak levels of growth and while they were still expanding, it was at a slower pace.
Hackers steal $600m in major cryptocurrency heist – BBC
Hackers have stolen some $600m (£433m) in what appears to be one the largest cryptocurrency heists ever.
Blockchain site Poly Network said hackers had exploited a vulnerability in its system and taken thousands of digital tokens such as Ether.
In a letter posted on Twitter, it urged the thieves to “establish communication and return the hacked assets”.
In scale, the hack is on par with huge recent breaches at exchanges such as Coincheck and Mt Gox.
‘Preppers’ Quietly Stock Up For The ‘Perfect Storm’ – ZeroHedge
A crippling ice storm that left Travis Maddox and thousands of other Missouri residents without power in 2007 had an “almost apocalyptic feel to it.” “No one could move. It just shut the whole region down for two weeks. I wasn’t as prepared as I thought,” said Maddox, a burly man of 43 sporting a long black beard, T-shirt, cargo pants and baseball cap, while tending his garden.
Environment
Drought and Grasshoppers Ravage Fields in Northwest, Some Producers Bale 10% of Normal Hay Crop – AgWeb
Grasshoppers are invading pastures and fields. The corn is so short farmers are forced to chop with a draper head. Ranchers continue to cull cows. The drought in the West is producing many firsts, as farmers and ranchers grapple with dire decisions as the latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows 98% of the West is covered in drought.
“It’s so widespread that I’m afraid it’s going to be pretty devastating to the industry,” says Bob Skinner, a rancher in southeast Oregon. “Hay in our country is going to be really hard to find. Prices are going up every day.”
A Soil-Science Revolution Upends Plans to Fight Climate Change – Quanta Magazine
A centuries-old concept in soil science has recently been thrown out. Yet it remains a key ingredient in everything from climate models to advanced carbon-capture projects.
Health
Vaccines Are Pushing Pathogens to Evolve – Quanta Magazine
Just as antibiotics breed resistance in bacteria, vaccines can incite changes that enable diseases to escape their control. Researchers are working to head off the evolution of new threats.
Statin Drugs, Profits, Politics, and Compassion – Huffington Post
The latest guidelines for statin drugs, issued by the makers of those drugs, would have us believe that pretty much everyone should be taking them. The argument in favor of such widespread use is that both cholesterol and inflammation contribute to cardiovascular disease, and the statin drugs lower both. Cardiologists and other health gurus have responded loudly to these new recommendations, calling them based on incorrectly assessed data, and biased interpretations. The makers of the drugs, of course, are sticking to their guns.
Mob Morality and the Unvaxxed – Charles Eisenstein
We would like to think that modern societies like ours have outgrown barbaric customs like human sacrifice. Sure, we still engage in scapegoating and figuratively sacrifice people on the altar of public opinion, but we don’t actually kill people in hopes of placating the gods and restoring order. Or do we?
The post Daily Digest 8/11 — Economic Recovery from Covid ‘Running Out of Steam’; Drought and Grasshoppers Ravage Fields in Northwest… appeared first on Peak Prosperity.
from Peak Prosperity https://ift.tt/3iytuEF
