By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
Chicken Music of the Day
Northern Mockingbird, Miller Drive Roost (Brewer Park), Miami-Dade, Florida, United States. Very fairly!
In Case You May Miss…
- H1B controversy rolls alongside.
- Norovirus surge
- Amazon assaults third-party sellers once more.
Politics
“So most of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in reality a rational administration of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles
Trump Assassination Makes an attempt (Plural)
“Trial of man accused in Trump assassination try in Florida pushed again to September” [Associated Press]. “Ryan Routh’s trial will start Sept. 8 as a substitute of the beforehand scheduled Feb. 10, 2025 begin date, U.S. District Choose Aileen Cannon stated in an order launched on Monday…. Routh’s attorneys had requested the decide to delay the trial till no sooner than subsequent December, saying they wanted extra time to evaluation the proof towards him and resolve whether or not to mount an madness protection. Routh owned 17 cellphones and quite a few different digital gadgets, and there are lots of of hours of police physique digital camera and surveillance movies which were offered to the protection, Routh’s attorneys argued throughout a listening to two weeks in the past in Fort Pierce, Florida. In her order, Cannon stated she wished to err on the aspect of offering extra time given the seriousness of the allegations, however that beginning the trial no sooner than December could be an extreme quantity. A September trial date didn’t quantity to an ‘unreasonable delay,’ she stated…. The decide stated that any madness protection or any request associated to Routh’s psychological competency should be made by early February. Any go to to the scene of the assassination try should be made by the tip of February.”
Trump Transition
“The Nice Faux H1-B Controversy” [Roger Simon, American Refugees]. “This matches the inner MAGA dispute over H1-B visas to the proverbial T. The one ones who revenue from this kerfuffle, or no matter it’s, are the left and their fading media allies, determined for one thing to latch onto about MAGA and .” It’s so humorous to see occasion regulars, of whichever occasion, arising with the identical speaking factors.
“Steve Bannon Slams ‘Toddler’ Elon Musk After Tesla Proprietor Tells Critics To ‘F**okay Your self Within the Face’ As MAGA Civil Struggle Rages On” [Mediaite]. “Somebody please notify ‘Baby Protecting Providers’— must do a ‘wellness verify’ on this toddler,’ Bannon wrote on Gettr on Friday night time in response to Musk telling his critics to ‘fuck your self within the face.’… In followup posts on Gettr, Bannon argued that H-1B visas are used as a ‘device’ of the tech business to drive wages down [correct] and he advised Musk to ‘deliver it.’… On his Struggle Room podcast on Friday, Bannon referred to tech leaders like Musk as ‘on the spectrum’ and incapable of taking criticism. ‘The nerds don’t take criticism,’ he stated. ‘They’re sort of, you realize, they’re somewhat bit all on the spectrum, proper? They don’t know– they’re not deep in social abilities.’” • Undecided Bannon is all that sturdy on social abilities both. Or the political class typically, missing empathy as they appear to do.
Democrats en déshabillé
That’s the stuff to present the troops:
The Inexperienced Celebration spoiled one other main race for us (PA SEN), simply the newest on a really lengthy record.
As @DNC Chair, I’ll go on everlasting offense, not simply taking on the authorized struggle throughout poll entry. We’ll dismantle these Republican-enablers’ infrastructure. The gloves come off.
— James Skoufis (@JamesSkoufis) December 27, 2024
“As DNC chair, I’ll preserve Greens off the poll!”
Realignment and Legitimacy
“Luigi Mangione’s indictment is one other instance of the risks of terror costs” [TruthOut]. “Tacking terrorism onto the indictment permits the district legal professional to improve the homicide costs from the second to the primary diploma; beneath New York legislation, first-degree homicide costs are usually reserved for crimes like serial or mass killings or the homicide of cops…. It’s laborious to not see the bloated costs within the context of Mangione’s latest ascent to quasi-folk hero standing…. This outpouring of public resentment has unnerved well being care executives. Companies scrambled to wash details about their C-suites from the web and known as up non-public safety particulars. Bragg made a broad reference to this concern in a press convention. ‘This was a killing that was meant to evoke terror and we’ve seen that response,’ he advised reporters on December 17. ‘This was not an atypical killing.’” • With an excellent evaluation of different “terrorism” costs, together with tenting at Cop Metropolis.
“UnitedHealthcare taught us methods to disclaim claims: Former worker” [NewsNation]. ” A former UnitedHealthcare claims consultant says workers have been systematically skilled to disclaim medical claims and rush distressed prospects off telephone traces, revealing inside practices on the nation’s largest well being insurer amid rising scrutiny of the business. Natalie Collins, who labored for UnitedHealthcare for 9 months, stated Saturday on ‘NewsNation Prime’ that employees obtained ‘so many alternative methods to disclaim’ claims throughout their two to 3 months of coaching, with supervisors typically standing behind representatives instructing them on denial strategies. ‘We weren’t given correct instruction to really pay the declare, and there wasn’t sufficient monies in sure recordsdata in sure corporations to pay medical claims,’ Collins stated. ‘We must simply get the shopper off the telephone as quick as we may.’”
* * * “Kansas as soon as required voters to show citizenship. That didn’t work out so effectively” [Associated Press]. “Kansas imposed a proof-of-citizenship requirement over a decade in the past that grew into one of many greatest political fiascos within the state in latest reminiscence. The legislation, handed by the state Legislature in 2011 and applied two years later, ended up blocking the voter registrations of greater than 31,000 U.S. residents who have been in any other case eligible to vote. That was 12% of everybody searching for to register in Kansas for the primary time. Federal courts in the end declared the legislation an unconstitutional burden on voting rights, and it hasn’t been enforced since 2018. Kansas supplies a cautionary story about how pursuing an election concern that in reality is extraordinarily uncommon dangers disenfranchising a far better variety of people who find themselves legally entitled to vote. The state’s prime elections official, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, championed the concept as a legislator and now says states and the federal authorities shouldn’t contact it. ‘Kansas did that 10 years in the past,’ stated Schwab, a Republican. ‘It didn’t work out so effectively.’”
Syndemics
“I’m in earnest — I can’t equivocate — I can’t excuse — I can’t retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD.” –William Lloyd Garrison
Covid Sources, United States (Nationwide): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; contains many counties; Wastewater Scan, contains drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, however nationwide knowledge). “An infection Management, Emergency Administration, Security, and Basic Ideas” (particularly on hospitalization by metropolis).
Lambert right here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To replace any entry, do be happy to contact me on the handle given with the vegetation. Please put “COVID” within the topic line. Thanks!
Sources, United States (Native): AK (dashboard); AL (dashboard); AR (dashboard); AZ (dashboard); CA (dashboard; Marin, dashboard; Stanford, wastewater; Oakland, wastewater); CO (dashboard; wastewater); CT (dashboard); DE (dashboard); FL (wastewater); GA (wastewater); HI (dashboard); IA (wastewater studies); ID (dashboard, Boise; dashboard, wastewater, Central Idaho; wastewater, Coeur d’Alene; dashboard, Spokane County); IL (wastewater); IN (dashboard); KS (dashboard; wastewater, Lawrence); KY (dashboard, Louisville); LA (dashboard); MA (wastewater); MD (dashboard); ME (dashboard); MI (wastewater; wastewater); MN (dashboard); MO (wastewater); MS (dashboard); MT (dashboard); NC (dashboard); ND (dashboard; wastewater); NE (dashboard); NH (wastewater); NJ (dashboard); NM (dashboard); NV (dashboard; wastewater, Southern NV); NY (dashboard); OH (dashboard); OK (dashboard); OR (dashboard); PA (dashboard); RI (dashboard); SC (dashboard); SD (dashboard); TN (dashboard); TX (dashboard); UT (wastewater); VA (wastewater); VT (dashboard); WA (dashboard; dashboard); WI (wastewater); WV (wastewater); WY (wastewater).
Sources, Canada (Nationwide): Wastewater (Authorities of Canada).
Sources, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater); QC (les eaux usées); BC (wastewater); BC, Vancouver (wastewater).
Hat tricks to useful readers: Alexis, anon (2), Art_DogCT, B24S, CanCyn, ChiGal, Chuck L, Festoonic, FM, FreeMarketApologist (4), Gumbo, hop2it, JB, JEHR, JF, JL Joe, John, JM (10), JustAnotherVolunteer, JW, KatieBird, KF, KidDoc, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, sq. coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, thump, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).
Keep protected on the market!
“Norovirus instances are rising within the U.S., CDC knowledge reveals” [Axios]. Instances of a extremely contagious abdomen bug are rising throughout the U.S., in line with new knowledge from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC). Norovirus may cause ghastly bouts of vomiting and diarrhea because of irritation of the of the abdomen and intestines, per the CDC. It’s additionally the primary explanation for foodborne sickness within the U.S., in line with the well being company…. The virus typically spreads in ‘confined areas’ like cruise ships, day care facilities, and faculty dorms, the journal added.” • Tranmission is alleged to be droplet-based: Vomit, feces… So I needed to verify, “confined areas” being a pink flag–
“Aerosol Transmission of Norovirus” [Viruses]. “Norovirus (NoV) is a serious explanation for acute gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide. A complete understanding of the transmission mode is of nice significance for the prevention and management of the NoV an infection. Presently, the transmission modes of NoV embody contact, food-borne, water-borne and aerosol transmission. The primary three modes are extra frequent, whereas aerosol transmission is seldom reported…. NoV aerosol transmission typically happens concurrently with person-to-person transmission, together with the contact with contaminated people and contaminated environments. Subsequently, a rigorous investigation and evaluation are required when figuring out the transmission mode. There’s additionally an absence of ordinary sampling tools and procedures for viral aerosols, which hinders a greater understanding of the supply, focus, particle measurement, residence time, motion and distribution of viral aerosols. As well as, we have to set up an efficient in vitro tradition system to judge the infectivity of NoV aerosols, which is one other problem that that’s at the moment exists. At current, most instances of NoV aerosols are associated to vomiting, and diarrhea-related ones are much less frequent. Additional analysis is required to analyze the function of diarrhea and bathroom flushing within the transmission of NoV aerosols, together with the focus of aerosols in bathrooms and their infectivity. Current studies have indicated salivary transmission as a brand new mode of transmission [74]. Subsequently, it’s important to discover whether or not actions resembling coughing, speaking, sneezing and different behaviors of contaminated people contribute to the aerosol transmission of NoV. It’s essential to additional discover the aerosol transmission mechanism of NoV to supply a theoretical foundation for formulating prevention and management insurance policies.” • We don’t know as a result of we’re not checking. Can’t we no less than rule aerosol transmission out?
TABLE 1: Each day Covid Charts
Lambert right here: Slightly extra orange and pink round Ohio; no rise at JFK, EWR, ORD, LAX.
| Wastewater | |
| This week[1] CDC December 16 | Final week[2] CDC (till subsequent week): |
|
|
|
| Variants [3] CDC December 21 | Emergency Room Visits[4] CDC December 21 |
|
|
|
| Hospitalization | |
| ★New York[5] New York State, knowledge December 27: | Nationwide [6] CDC December 26: |
|
|
|
| Positivity | |
| Nationwide[7] Walgreens December 23: | Ohio[8] Cleveland Clinic December 14: |
|
|
|
| Vacationers Knowledge | |
| Positivity[9] CDC December 9: | Variants[10] CDC December 9 |
|
|
|
| Deaths | |
| Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] CDC November 20: | Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] CDC November 20: |
|
|
|
LEGEND
1) ★ for charts new at the moment; all others will not be up to date.
2) For a full-size/full-resolution picture, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Home windows) on the chart thumbnail and “open picture in new tab.”
NOTES
[1] (CDC) Seeing extra pink and extra orange, however nothing new at main hubs.
[2] (CDC) Final week’s wastewater map.
[3] (CDC Variants) XEC takes over. That WHO label, “Ommicron,” has finished a fantastic job normalizing successive waves of an infection.
[4] (ED) Slightly uptick.
[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Gradual and small however regular improve.
[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Leveling out.
[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.
[8] (Cleveland) Continued upward development since, effectively, Thanksgiving.
[9] (Vacationers: Positivity) Leveling out.
[10] (Vacationers: Variants). Positivity is new, however variants haven’t but been launched.
[11] Deaths low, positivity leveling out.
[12] Deaths low, ED leveling out.
Stats Watch
There aren’t any offical statistics of curiosity at the moment.
Retail: “Amazon sellers are in revolt over a brand new coverage they are saying hurts income and provides up guarded enterprise knowledge” [Modern Retail]. ” Beginning March 10, 2025, Amazon will solely pay again sellers for the product manufacturing price, not the total retail price, which is how the e-tailer at the moment reimburses sellers for misplaced or broken gadgets. … What’s extra, with a purpose to calculate the payouts, sellers have one among two choices. They will let Amazon decide the manufacturing price. Within the announcement, Amazon stated such estimates could be ‘primarily based on a complete analysis of comparable merchandise offered by Amazon, by different sellers and thru wholesale channel.’ Nonetheless, sellers who spoke to Fashionable Retail stated they’re apprehensive that this might result in inaccurate or low-ball estimates. Alternatively, sellers can present their manufacturing prices, resembling proof of price of sourcing, on to Amazon. For sellers, this raises severe privateness considerations over how precisely their non-public manufacturing price knowledge will probably be used.” Certainly! Extra: “A Wall Avenue Journal investigation from 2020 discovered that Amazon has allegedly used knowledge from third-party sellers to assist develop its private-label items. Manufacturers have claimed that Amazon copies their merchandise and undercuts them with costs that make it tough to compete. Amazon has since pulled again on its private-label enterprise to alleviate regulatory scrutiny. … To AmpliSell’s [Joshua] Rawe, Amazon sellers have two ‘intently guarded secrets and techniques’: one, their manufacturing price knowledge. And two, who their producer is. ‘With Amazon saying, ‘Hey, give us your price,’ that’s like giving up your aggressive benefit to those sellers,’ Rawe stated. ‘They’re like, ‘Properly if I provide you with my price, you’re going to exit and work out supply it cheaper and create an Amazon model of my product.’ That’s each vendor’s worst concern.’” • Within the midst of being sued by FTC as a monopoly, too.
Manufacturing: “South Korea to examine Boeing plane because it struggles to seek out explanation for airplane crash that killed 179” [Associated Press]. “The Boeing 737-800 airplane operated by South Korean funds airline Jeju Air aborted its first touchdown try for causes that aren’t instantly clear. Then, throughout its second touchdown try, it obtained a chicken strike warning from the bottom management heart earlier than its pilot issued a misery sign. The airplane landed with out its entrance touchdown gear deployed, overshot the runway, slammed right into a concrete fence and burst right into a fireball. Alan Value, a former chief pilot at Delta Air Strains and now a advisor, stated the Boeing 737-800 is a ‘confirmed airplane’ that belongs to a distinct class of plane than the Boeing 737 Max jetliner that was linked to deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.” Oh. Extra: “Video of the crash indicated that the pilots didn’t deploy flaps or slats to gradual the plane, suggesting a potential hydraulic failure, and didn’t manually decrease the touchdown gear, suggesting they didn’t have time, stated John Cox, a retired airline pilot and CEO of Security Working Programs in St. Petersburg, Florida.” And: “Different observers stated the movies confirmed the airplane was affected by suspected engine hassle however the touchdown gear malfunction was probably a direct cause for the crash. They stated there wouldn’t probably be a hyperlink between the touchdown gear drawback and the suspected engine situation. Earlier Monday, one other Boeing 737-800 airplane operated by Jeju Air returned to Seoul’s Gimpo Worldwide Airport shortly after takeoff when the pilot detected a touchdown gear situation.” And: “Joo stated officers have been reviewing whether or not there might need been communication issues between air visitors controllers and the pilot.” • Hmm.
Manufacturing: “South Korea tragedy is ninth incident with Boeing this YEAR together with 6,000ft drop, in-flight fireplace, Vilnius airport crash…in addition to mysterious loss of life of security whistleblower” [Daily Mail]. • A superb, and sadly prolonged, roundup.
Right now’s Worry & Greed Index: 33 Worry (earlier shut: 35 Worry) [CNN]. One week in the past: 28 (Worry). (0 is Excessive Worry; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Dec 27 at 1:02:05 PM ET.
Rapture Index: Closes unchanged [Rapture Ready]. Document Excessive, October 10, 2016: 189. Present: 181. (Keep in mind that bringing on the Rapture is nice.) • Exhausting to consider the Rapture Index isn’t at an all-time excessive. Doesn’t the collapse of Syria deliver the Third Temple nearer? Do these folks know one thing we don’t?
Gallery
Luigi?
Caravaggio pic.twitter.com/vA3No66R05
— Artwork Gallery (@X_ArtGallery) December 15, 2024
Healthcare
“Lengthy COVID Lawsuits Coming, however Not More likely to Succeed” [MedScape]. ” simply when COVID lawsuits look like dwindling out, authorized specialists see a brand new lawsuit threat on the horizon — lengthy COVID claims. Whereas some say it’s uncertain the claims will succeed, the lawsuits may nonetheless create authorized complications for docs within the type of money and time. Lengthy COVID claims are outlined as complaints that allege {that a} prognosis of lengthy COVID was missed or delayed and that brought about hurt or harm. Lawsuits may embody claims during which sufferers allege that they have been misdiagnosed as having lengthy COVID after they have been actually affected by one other situation. The chance of lengthy COVID lawsuits underscores the significance of physicians taking proactive steps to guard themselves from legal responsibility when treating sufferers who might need the situation, say authorized specialists. ‘There are authorized requirements that say new, unestablished scientific rules shouldn’t be first examined by a jury, they need to be acknowledged and established inside their [professional] space,” Kolbert stated. ‘Whereas we’re seeing lawsuits associated to lengthy COVID, I believe it’s actually placing the cart earlier than the horse, as a result of there must be societal recognition that we’re nonetheless studying outline and deal with lengthy COVID.’” • Possibly, however after we go away the horse in entrance of the cart, nothing occurs both….
“By default, capital will matter greater than ever after AGI” [Effective Altruism Forum]. “First: labour means human psychological and bodily effort that produces one thing of worth. Capital items are issues like factories, knowledge centres, and software program—issues people have constructed which can be used within the manufacturing of products and companies. I’ll use ‘capital’ to consult with each the inventory of capital items and to the cash that may pay for them. I’ll say “cash” after I wish to exclude capital items. The important thing financial impact of AI is that it makes capital a increasingly normal substitute for labour. There’s much less must pay people for his or her time to carry out work, as a result of you possibly can exchange that with capital (e.g. knowledge centres operating software program replaces a human doing psychological labour).” • “All the time was.” Commentary:
Curiously parallel to Wilhoit: “Conservatism consists of precisely one proposition …There should be in-groups whom the legislation protects however doesn’t bind, alongside out-groups whom the legislation binds however doesn’t shield.”
“Right here Come The Anti-Woke Enterprise Capitalists” [Forbes]. “Earlier this yr, a little-known firm known as New Founding made headlines when it introduced plans to construct a Christian enclave in Kentucky — an ‘aligned group” the place house owners may ‘disappear from the cultural madness of the broader nation.’ However constructing a village was just the start. Now, New Founding has launched a enterprise capital fund to spend money on what it calls ‘aligned corporations,’ startups that oppose progressive ideologies and are intent on each ‘cultural and financial disruption.’ It’s one among a small however rising variety of VCs vocally rejecting ‘wokeism’ and constructing their funding thesis on core conservative values… New Founding CEO Nate Fischer advised Forbes these investments are the beginnings of a ‘parallel economic system’ providing conservative variations of mainstream companies it views as too liberal, like Google’s ad-tech merchandise. ‘There’s a big share of people that really feel that their views are nearly solely absent from the establishments which can be shaping the longer term,’ Fischer defined. ‘And there’s an actual acute want and starvation for options.”… At the very least one Silicon Valley chief is on board. Marc Andreessen — a cofounder of the enterprise large Andreessen Horowitz, or A16z, who has additionally railed towards ‘wokeism’ — is amongst these backing New Founding’s enterprise fund.” • Why have we put the individuals who enshittified Google, social media, and each platform they’ve touched in charged of society-wide capital allocation?
Neoliberalism’s inflection level in the true economic system?
Why is 1971 such an inflection level in so many knowledge units? pic.twitter.com/S5c6SQxlU3
— 0x146.gfy (@The0xReport) December 28, 2024
Did we not focus on this matter in some unspecified time in the future? I used to gather charts like this. Like when actual wages flattened.
Contact data for vegetation: Readers, be happy to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn how to ship me a verify if you’re allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn how to ship me pictures of vegetation. Greens are advantageous! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary vegetation! If you’d like your deal with to look as a credit score, please place it initially of your mail in parentheses: (thus). In any other case, I’ll anonymize through the use of your initials. See the earlier Water Cooler (with plant) right here. From SR:
SR writes: “Lilac blooms in November, northern Virginia. Surprising or predicted?” I might say predicted; I seen the identical phenomenon in Maine with forsythia. Readers, so you may have extra examples?
Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not lined by the annual NC fundraiser. Materials right here is Lambert’s, and doesn’t categorical the views of the Bare Capitalism website. In the event you see a hyperlink you particularly like, or an merchandise you wouldn’t see anyplace else, please don’t hesitate to specific your appreciation in tangible kind. Bear in mind, a tip jar is for tipping! Common constructive suggestions each makes me really feel good and lets me know I’m heading in the right direction with protection. Once I get no donations for 3 or 4 days I get apprehensive. Extra tangibly, a relentless trickle of donations helps me with bills, and I think about that trickle when setting fundraising objectives:
Right here is the display that may seem, which I’ve helpfully annotated:
In the event you hate PayPal, you possibly can e mail me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I offers you instructions on ship a verify. Thanks!
