Factual Dispatch

The Avoidable War: Reflections on US-China Relations & the End of Strategic Engagement - A collection of speeches given by the Asia Society Policy Institute President, the Honorable Kevin Rudd, former Australian Prime Minister. These speeches and collected writings are the most in-depth, sober, unblinking analysis of the shift in relationship that China has both with the USA, but also with the rest of the world. They are long, involved, and the one on Maoism, Stalinism, and Communist Theory can get kind of esoteric, but they are a must read for anyone seriously interested in doing business in China, engaging with their military or talking to their diplomatic corps.The Green New Deal's Huge Flaw - No discussion of climate change, green solutions, or infrastructure is complete without a discussion of sprawl, which Alex Baca is exceptionally good at unpacking.The Multipolar Spin: How Fascists Operationalize Left-Wing Resentment - This one might get a little tinfoil hat, but it's on the money enough that it scared Max Blumenthal into suing the SPLC to get it taken down. This article is a good explanation of how well-funded networks of nationalists and fascists are able to make earnest leftists and intersectional activists into useful idiots for the right. Extensively linked, but it also makes some assumptions that aren't entirely bulletproof, so tread with care.The Secret Weapons of the Far Right - Topic did something more and more journalistic outfits need to do: Examine the effects of soft-ostracism messaging, social control and potent organizing of many women on the far right. You see very similar behaviors in extremely Muslim communities, and discovering parallels between how the pressure is applied would go a long way in the fight against radicalization.He Played by the Rules of Putin's Russia, Until He Didn't: The Story of a Murder - A story of intrigue, corruption, outliving one's usefulness, and national identity, Sarah A. Topol remains one of the best writers in international journalism today, and her latest is exceptional. A complex, engrossing story, illustrating how powerful people in two countries, hungry for power and opportunity, run aground of each other.You Can't Get There From Here - David Roth wrote another thing. Go put it in your face, because who else is going to use juche in a sentence correctly? Here's a very brief tidbit: 

Time For Happiness - The Harvard Business Review is doing a 6 part series on how everyone has no time and no money. While their suggestions on how to fix this can be a little tycoon-focused, they do collate and summarize the research quite well. So read it, but yes, when you read the "Spend more time experiencing awe" bit, you're 100% allowed to make the "jerk off" motion with your free hand.The Bicycle Thief - Amazing tale of a kid with Olympic biking potential who used it to rob the crap out of banks in a suburb of Chicago. 

Eye-Watering Data Visualization of the Week:

The circles represent the number of cases annually, with the beige/dot representing when the vaccine was introduced. Anyone who tells you vaccines don't work does not understand history. Vaguely Dystopian News of the Week: The Blackface stuff (Editor's Note: UGH) only came out now not because of some secret hidden agenda involving lizard people, Q-Anon & Hillary Clinton, but probably because the GOP didn't think the election was important enough to pay for 10 weeks of oppo research.Annoying-But-Correct Take of the Week: No matter how much you hate time zones, the alternative is much worse.Dunk of the Week:

Lousy Smarch weather,T