By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
Affected person readers, I’ve as soon as extra been swept up within the social whirl. Extra quickly! –lambert
Fowl Tune of the Day
Brown Thrasher, Yard, Bledsoe, Tennessee, United States. Lot occurring in “Yard” (or “my yard”?).
In Case You Would possibly Miss…
- New Covid charts that Lambert doesn’t like.
- Faiz Shakir throws his hat within the DNC ring.
- Historical Britain a matriarchal society?
Politics
“So lots of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in truth a rational administration of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles
Biden Administration
“Biden says the Equal Rights Modification must be thought of ratified” [Associated Press]. On the Friday earlier than the inaugural? Thanks a bunch! Why not again in 2020, when it might have been a part of the abortion battle? Extra: “‘The Equal Rights Modification is the regulation of the land,’ Biden mentioned regardless that presidents haven’t any position within the constitutional course of. He didn’t direct the chief of the Nationwide Archives to certify the modification, as some activists have known as for, sidestepping a authorized battle. It was the newest in a set of pronouncements that Biden has made within the waning days of his presidency as he tries to tie up free ends and embroider [good word choice!] his legacy regardless of leaving after just one time period.” And: “The Equal Rights Modification, which might ban discrimination primarily based on gender, was despatched to the states for ratification in 1972. Virginia turned the thirty eighth state to ratify it in 2000, though years previous the deadline set by Congress, resulting in a authorized standoff over whether or not it might be thought of legitimate…. It’s unlikely that Biden’s help could have any affect. On Friday, the Nationwide Archives reiterated its place by saying ‘the underlying authorized and procedural points haven’t modified.’” • Oh. So I assume it’s only a fundraising hook.
“An Professional in Grand Technique Thinks Trump Is on to One thing” [Politico]. The deck: “Would you like a future wherein Canada defects to the EU, Russia guidelines the Arctic and China runs Latin America? That’s the default final result of non-action.” And: “Trump’s method to worldwide affairs displays People’ judgment that we’re accomplished constructing a world order — which we’ve overseen from 1954 to 2008 —and now should vigorously embrace an aggressively aggressive method to this multipolar world; in different phrases, be much less the beneficiant market-maker and extra the egocentric market-player. The world’s superpowers (U.S., Europe, Russia, India, China) concern each other increasingly. We sense an crucial on this re-regionalization/decoupling period — one which screams get yours now earlier than any individual else does!” And right here is the kicker: “However let’s additionally get extra actual in our considering and the phrases we provide. Would that be sufficient political energy and standing for Canadians to decide on over admission into the EU? Say, 18 Senate seats and extra congressional districts than California’s 52 seats? That’s a respectful provide. Greenland holds two seats in Denmark’s 179-member parliament. Does that strike you as extra empowering than two seats within the U.S. Senate? How a couple of $57 billion buy-out package deal that makes each Greenlander an instantaneous millionaire? Does Trump have your undivided consideration now?” • Readers, what do you suppose? Ought to such a suggestion be made? Having been made, ought to it’s accepted?
“Trump Picks a Jet-Setting Pal of Elon Musk to Go Get Greenland” [New York Times]. “Ken Howery is a quiet, unassuming tech investor who prioritizes discretion. And but, he has ended up in the midst of two of the noisiest story strains of the incoming Trump administration. One is the increasing ambition of Elon Musk, Mr. Howery’s shut good friend and fellow party-scene fixture because the two helped run PayPal 25 years in the past. The opposite is the expansionist ambition of Mr. Musk’s boss, President-elect Donald J. Trump, who has set his sights on shopping for Greenland, the world’s largest island. As Mr. Trump’s decide for ambassador to Denmark, Mr. Howery is predicted to be central to what Mr. Trump hopes will likely be a real-estate deal of epic proportions. The one hitch is that Denmark, which counts Greenland as its autonomous territory, says the island just isn’t on the market. Whether or not he likes it or not, Mr. Howery, a globe-trotter identified for his style for journey and elaborate get together planning, is prone to discover himself in the midst of a geopolitical tempest. Mr. Trump has been specific about his expectations for his new ambassador filling a once-sleepy put up. When he introduced Mr. Howery for the position, which requires Senate affirmation, he reiterated his designs on Greenland for the primary time since successful the presidency.”
* * * “Trump choices for high jobs advance, regardless of preliminary controversy” [WaPo]. “When President-elect Donald Trump first unveiled his picks to workers his new administration, a few of the extra unconventional names sparked gasps and hypothesis that they might not amass sufficient help to be confirmed even in a GOP-controlled Senate…. However three days forward of Trump’s return to the White Home, lots of his most outstanding Cupboard selections have sailed comparatively unscathed by their hearings and are poised to win affirmation as Republican senators rallied round them and appeared largely unwilling to defy Trump’s needs…. Senate GOP opposition to lots of the present Trump picks has not materialized, no less than not publicly, after Matt Gaetz, Trump’s authentic decide for legal professional basic, withdrew below strain. No Republican lawmakers have mentioned they may oppose Hegseth, although a handful haven’t made their intentions clear. Trump’s nominees can lose three Republicans at most and nonetheless be confirmed if no Democrat backs them. It’s uncommon for the Senate to reject presidential picks. However Hegseth’s obvious glide path bodes effectively for a few of Trump’s different controversial selections, like former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, his decide for director of nationwide intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was tapped to guide the Division of Well being and Human Companies. Their hearings haven’t been scheduled however are anticipated quickly. Kash Patel’s nomination as FBI director can also be thought of a more durable promote.”
“Scoop: Trump group sweats McConnell’s vote on Tulsi Gabbard” [Axios]. “President-elect Trump Trump’s transition thinks Gabbard, the nominee for director of nationwide intelligence, can get confirmed even with a “no” vote from McConnell. However his public opposition — if it materializes — might open the door to different GOP defectors…. If Democrats have any likelihood — and it’s slim — at serving to drag down a Trump nominee, they see Gabbard because the more than likely prospect. Minority Chief Chuck Schumer views the get together’s grilling of Hegseth as a hit. He’ll demand the identical for his or her remedy of Gabbard, HHS nominee RFK Jr. and FBI director nominee Kash Patel.”
* * * “White Home’s Pandemic Workplace, Busy With Fowl Flu, Could Shrink Below Trump” [Time]. “By Inauguration Day on Monday, many of the pandemic workplace’s workers could have cleared out their desks. The workplace, formally generally known as the Workplace of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Coverage, or OPPR, is shedding greater than half of its 18-person workers because the Biden Administration fingers off the duties to a Trump Administration that has but to fill a number of key pandemic-response positions, in response to two Biden Administration officers. The political appointees answerable for the workplace—director Paul Friedrichs and deputy director Nikki Romanik—are leaving to make means for potential Trump appointments, and several other of the workplace’s 14 profession staffers, whose assignments to the White Home workplace had been momentary, are returning to their residence businesses…. Supporters of OPPR level to its work in current months addressing the unfold of a virulent pressure of hen flu, which was first detected infecting U.S. dairy cattle in March.” • Supporters do this? Oh….
* * * “Trump group ‘having an excellent chortle’ over Michelle Obama’s ‘deliberate’ choice to skip inauguration: ‘Didn’t anticipate her to return anyway’” [Page Six, New York Post]. “Barack and Michelle Obama’s workplace introduced this week that Michelle will skip the sixtieth inaugural ceremonies on Jan. 20, however that the previous president will attend. Michelle additionally skipped former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral on Jan. 9 as a result of she was on an “prolonged trip” in Hawaii.” And: “‘She’s by no means been pretend and he or she’s by no means been phony. She’s at all times been very deliberate about the place and the way she exhibits up,’ the supply mentioned.” However: “She confirmed up reluctantly for the election.” Oh?!?!? So: “They had been united, however she doesn’t need to unify round [Trump]. She doesn’t need to say something. Her absence speaks volumes.” • Ho hum.
DOGE
“Two Watchdogs Had been Rebuffed From Becoming a member of Trump’s Value-Slicing Effort” [New York Times]. “President-elect Donald J. Trump’s so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity has been on a hiring spree, searching for tech executives and conservative activists to dig into the federal authorities and search for guidelines and spending to chop. On Thursday, two activists from a left-leaning watchdog group requested: The place will we enroll? ‘We write to request our appointment as members of the ‘Division of Authorities Effectivity,” wrote Norman Eisen and Virginia Canter, in a letter to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the leaders of Mr. Trump’s unofficial effort that plans to slash rules and spending. The Trump transition group’s response: no. ‘President Trump’s Fact made clear now we have no room in our administration for Democrats,’ mentioned Katie Miller, a spokeswoman for the Trump transition, in an electronic mail to The New York Instances.” • Hmm.
2024 Submit Mortem
Get Shirley Chisholm’s title out of your mouth:
Historical past made. pic.twitter.com/eBVKIEU2ps
— The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) January 16, 2025
My Twitter feed is totally infested with saccharine posts from BIden Democrats that assume we’re going to be sorry to see them go due to the nice job they did, and the nice individuals they’re. It’s driving me nuts. Extra of the identical–
“‘One of many nice tragedies of American politics’: Biden ends 5 a long time in public life” [NBC]. “He doesn’t plan to carry the normal ultimate formal information convention.” • Juice no good any extra?
“‘I’m Urging You To not Run’: How Schumer Pushed Biden to Drop Out” [New York Times]. “When Mr. Schumer arrived at Mr. Biden’s seashore home that summer time day, he might hear the president shouting.” • I ponder if Biden’s e-book will embody that element…
“The DNC race for chair was a boring technocratic debate — till now” [MSNBC]. “Former Bernie Sanders marketing campaign supervisor Faiz Shakir has thrown his hat within the ring. Since he’s becoming a member of the race only a couple weeks earlier than the DNC’s members vote, it is going to be a problem for him to catch the front-runners…. He’s labored carefully with the higher echelons of the get together institution, serving as an aide to former Senate Democratic Chief Harry Reid and former Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He additionally had high-profile posts on the Heart for American Progress, the premier suppose tank affiliated with the center-left get together institution. However he’s additionally labored within the left wing of the get together, most notably managing Sanders’ 2020 presidential marketing campaign. That marketing campaign was removed from good, however Sanders got here near successful the Democratic presidential primaries, shedding solely after the reasonable wing of the get together consolidated behind Joe Biden [during the Night of the Long Knives orchestrated by Obama]. He additionally served as political director of the American Civil Liberties Union and is presently the chief director of Extra Excellent Union, an advocacy journalism nonprofit that describes its mission as ‘constructing energy for the working class.’” • May do worse, I suppose….
“Former Bernie Sanders marketing campaign supervisor Faiz Shakir enters DNC Chair race” [Politico]. “‘All of us seemingly agree — rhetorically no less than — that specializing in successful again America’s various working class is of utmost precedence,’ Shakir wrote in his letter to DNC members. ‘However as I’ve listened to our candidates, I sense a constrained, status-quo fashion of considering. .’”… In his letter to members, Shakir laid out a few of his platform for his bid, together with a pledge to show the DNC into ‘an organizing military’ with its personal ‘highly effective media outlet’ that can launch its personal ‘compelling authentic content material.’” • OK, but when the brand new DNC is an”organizing military,” what’s the AFL-CIO for? I do know, I do know, “don’t reply that,” however you see the problem….
“Faiz Shakir, Ex-Bernie Sanders Marketing campaign Chief, Joins Race for D.N.C. Chair” [New York Times]. The deck: “Mr. Shakir mentioned his mission, ought to he win the put up, can be to redefine the Democratic Social gathering because the get together of the working class.” ‘Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished (besides by the Democrat PMC base, in fact). Extra: “[Shakir] described the Democratic model as essentially ‘tarnished,’ ‘damaged’ and in want of restore. ‘It’s late within the recreation,’ he mentioned of his entrance. ‘If we will’t have a daring [dread word; remember “bold progressives”?] debate about these points — it’s now or by no means.’” And: “The intraparty debate over who will lead it has up to now largely revolved round inner issues corresponding to how a lot cash the nationwide committee will allocate to state events and who will or won’t be awarded contracts to do the get together’s work.” • That’s, which consultants moist their beaks. It will be good if Shakir might blow that away, however that appears doubtful to me.
“Faiz Shakir’s Late Entry Shakes Up the Race for DNC Chair” [John Nichols, The Nation]. “However even when he could also be coming from behind, Shakir’s candidacy ought to make sure that the chair’s race will likely be extra sharply targeted on ending the DNC’s deference to financial elites—a bedrock concern for Shakir, who has labored as a senior adviser for the anti-monopoly agitators on the American Financial Liberty Undertaking.” • That’s the “American Financial Libert Undertaking.” Spell the title proper, ffs. Nonetheless, excellent information!
“Faiz Shakir, Bernie Sanders’ former marketing campaign chief, enters DNC race” [Associated Press]. “Shakir acknowledged that it could be too late for him to win, however he mentioned one thing was wanted to shake up the race. ‘It feels very fluid to me, that persons are feeling,’ he mentioned. ‘Democrats are within the wilderness, proper? There’s no actual chief.’” • Ouch!
* * * “Fetterman was elected to problem conference. Now, he’s difficult his fellow Democrats” [Associated Press]. I don’t agree with the headline in any respect. Fetterman’s technique was “each county, each vote.” It was not policy-oriented in any respect. Fetterman gained as a result of he went out and requested for individuals’s votes, and the voters concluded, rightly, that Mehmet Oz was a loon and worse, an out-of-stater, a proven fact that Fetterman’s sensible social media group drove residence. Extra: “Fetterman’s method is reminding some Democrats of former Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, each of whom clashed with their get together throughout President Joe Biden’s time period, turned political independents and didn’t run for reelection.” • Nicely, the get together wants it’s rotating villains, and now that Sinema and Manchin are gone, look who pops up.
* * * “If Trump Desires to Unrig the Economic system, I’m In” [Elizabeth Warren, Wall Street Journal]. • Excuse my French, however Christ on a crutch, Liz! Has your get together been calling Trump a fascist for 4 years or not? And now it’s “By no means thoughts“? Shakir is so, so proper [pounds head on desk].
* * * “How Democrats Drove Silicon Valley Into Trump’s Arms” (interview) [Marc Andreesen, New York Times]. “[ANDREESEN:] Normie Democrat is what I name the Deal, with a capital D. No person ever wrote this down; it was simply one thing everyone understood: You’re me, you present up, you’re an entrepreneur, you’re a capitalist, you begin an organization, you develop an organization, and if it really works, you make some huge cash. After which the corporate itself is nice as a result of it’s bringing new expertise to the world that makes the world a greater place, however you then make some huge cash, and also you give the cash away. By way of that, you absolve your self of your whole sins. Then in your obituary, it talks about what an unimaginable individual you had been, each in your enterprise profession and in your philanthropic profession. And by the way in which, you’re a Democrat, you’re professional–homosexual rights, you’re pro-abortion, you’re professional all of the modern and applicable social causes of the time. There aren’t any trade-offs. That is the Deal.” However: “[A]fter Obama’s re-election in 2012 by finally to 2016, issues actually began to alter…. the unifying thread right here is, I consider it’s the kids of the elites. Probably the most privileged individuals in society, probably the most profitable, ship their children to probably the most politically radical establishments, which train them the right way to be America-hating communists. They fan out into the professions, and our firms rent a whole lot of children out of the highest universities, in fact. After which, by the way in which, a whole lot of them go into authorities, and so we’re not solely speaking a couple of wave of recent arrivals into the tech firms. We’re additionally speaking a couple of wave of recent arrivals into the congressional workplaces. And naturally, all of them know one another, and so rapidly you’ve this inflow, this new cohort. And my solely conclusion is what modified was principally the children. In different phrases, the younger kids of the privileged going to the highest universities between 2008 to 2012, they principally radicalized onerous on the universities, I believe, primarily as a consequence of the worldwide monetary disaster and possibly Iraq. Throw that in there additionally. However for no matter purpose, they radicalized onerous…. It turned out to be a coalition of financial radicals, and this was the rise of Bernie Sanders, however the children turned on capitalism in a really basic means. They got here out as some model of radical Marxist, and the elemental valence went from ‘Capitalism is nice and an enabler of the great society’ to ‘Capitalism is evil and must be torn down.’ After which the opposite half was social revolution and the social revolution, in fact, was the Nice Awokening, after which these conjoined.” • Nicely, fortuitously the Democrats nobbled Sanders and prevented the social revolution half. However does Andreesen give them credit score for that? N-o-o-o-o. Why, the ingratitude.
Realignment and Legitimacy
“Supreme Courtroom upholds TikTok ban, clears means for app to close down in U.S. as quickly as Sunday” [CBS]. “‘We conclude that the challenged provisions don’t violate the petitioners’ First Modification rights,’ the courtroom mentioned in a unanimous unsigned opinion, which upholds the decrease courtroom choice towards TikTok. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch wrote individually, with Gorsuch agreeing with the end result of the case however splitting with the courtroom’s reasoning. The courtroom’s ruling comes days earlier than the regulation, which was handed with bipartisan majorities of Congress final April, is about to take impact. TikTok and a bunch of content material creators who use the app argued the regulation infringes on their free speech rights, and the Supreme Courtroom heard arguments of their bid to dam it one week in the past. ‘There isn’t any doubt that, for greater than 170 million People, TikTok presents a particular and expansive outlet for expression, technique of engagement, and supply of neighborhood. However Congress has decided that divestiture is critical to handle its well-supported nationwide safety issues relating to TikTok’s knowledge assortment practices and relationship with a international adversary,’ the courtroom’s opinion mentioned.’” • I personally would favor at hand my knowledge over to the Chinese language authorities, as a result of what are they going to do with it? Slightly than a US company, which has every kind of how of doing me hurt.
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 Assets, 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 at liberty to contact me on the deal with given with the vegetation. Please put “COVID” within the topic line. Thanks!
Assets, 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 stories); 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).
Assets, Canada (Nationwide): Wastewater (Authorities of Canada).
Assets, 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 secure on the market!
Celeb Watch
Oddly, this web page has disappeared from the intertubes:
Commentary:
Celebrities getting COVID on the resort they’re all staying at and let me remind you the industry-standard US movie&TV {industry} COVID security protocols (vaccines, quarantines, paid sick depart, masking, PCR testing of all crew) utterly resulted in Could 2023 and never a single one spoke
— thomas 🛠 gazafunds.com/all (@t_NYC) January 14, 2025
Not that we’re bitter.
TABLE 1: Day by day Covid Charts
Lambert right here: I don’t like a whole lot of this week’s charts. In wastewater, too many pink dots concentrated within the Midwest and the Atlantic coast, so I began circling areas in pink, once more. New York’s weirdly persistent increased hospitalization charge continues. Traveler positivity is up, and worse, the dominant traveler variants are JN* and KP*, which, whereas current within the nationwide variants, are very low. And within the two dying charts, the projected deaths appear to have leveled out, when up to now they decreased. Nothing earth-shattering, but it surely does make me queasy, and it’s effectively after the vacation bump.
| Wastewater | |
| ★ This week[1] CDC January 10 | Final week[2] CDC (till subsequent week): |
|
|
|
| ★ Variants [3] CDC January 18 |  ★ Emergency Room Visits[4] CDC January 11 |
|
|
|
| Hospitalization | |
| ★ New York[5] New York State, knowledge January 16: | ★ Nationwide [6] CDC Janurary 16: |
|
|
|
| Positivity | |
| Nationwide[7] Walgreens January 13: | Ohio[8] Cleveland Clinic January 4: |
|
|
|
| Vacationers Knowledge | |
| ★ Positivity[9] CDC December 30: | ★ Variants[10] CDC December 30 |
|
|
|
| Deaths | |
| ★ Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] CDC January 11: | ★ Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] CDC January 11: |
|
|
|
LEGEND
1) ★ for charts new immediately; all others should not 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 accomplished an important job normalizing successive waves of an infection.
[4] (ED) A bit of uptick.
[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Undoubtedly jumped.
[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Leveling out.
[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.
[8] (Cleveland) Continued upward pattern 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
Manufacturing: “United States Industrial Manufacturing” [Trading Economics]. “Industrial manufacturing in america surged by 0.9% in December 2024, marking the strongest improve since February and considerably surpassing market expectations of a 0.3% rise. A key driver of this progress was a 0.2 proportion level contribution from the manufacturing of plane and elements, following the decision of a piece stoppage at a significant plane producer.”
Capability: “United States Capability Utilization” [Trading Economics]. “Capability utilization within the US rose sharply to 77.6% in December of 2024, the very best since August, to rebound from the downwardly revised 77% recorded within the two prior months, which had been the bottom since Could 2020.”
Housing: “United States Housing Begins” [Trading Economics]. “Housing stars in america surged by 15.8% from the earlier month to a seasonally adjusted annualized charge of 1.499 Million items in December of 2024, probably the most since March 2021. It’s the highest variety of begins since February 2024, above market expectations of a softer improve to 1.320 Million.”
Tech: “KABOOM! SpaceX rocket EXPLODES as vid exhibits glowing particles raining down…however upbeat Elon Musk says ‘leisure is assured!’” [The U.S. Sun]. “Unimaginable footage exhibits glowing particles raining down throughout the sky after the 400ft behemoth failed after launching from Boca Chica, southern Texas, on Thursday…. Confirming the explosion, SpaceX wrote on X: “Starship skilled a fast unscheduled disassembly throughout its ascent burn.” • “Speedy unscheduled disassembly” is, in fact, GENIUS. Hat tip, McKinsey?
Tech: “Apple pauses AI-generated information alerts after headline notification errors” [Axios]. “The BBC lodged an official criticism after the Apple Intelligence summaries generated an inaccurate headline of a report by the British outlet that incorrectly represented a report on Luigi Mangione, the suspect in final month’s killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, by suggesting he had dedicated suicide…. Following the BBC false headline controversy, the nonprofit Reporters With out Borders known as generative AI providers “a hazard to the general public’s proper to dependable data on present affairs.’” • As if anyone cared about that!
As we speak’s Concern & Greed Index: 38 Concern (earlier shut: 28 Concern) [CNN]. One week in the past: 26 (Concern). (0 is Excessive Concern; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Jan 17 at 1:37:47 PM ET.
“Historical burials reveal ‘exceptional’ women-dominated society in UK. ‘Comparatively uncommon’” [News and Observer]. “When the Romans reached Britain within the first century, they had been shocked to search out ‘exceptional’ ladies standing of their means. Feminine tribal leaders Cartimandua and Boudica turned legends, main uprisings that destroyed Roman cities and challenged the authority of the empire, and girls of their neighborhood had been in a position to personal property, divorce and lead the Celtic armies. Julius Caesar himself famous the seemingly unique follow of British ladies taking a couple of husband in his e-book ‘Commentarii de Bello Gallico.’ However, as a result of our bodies had been generally cremated, excarnated or positioned in wetlands throughout the Iron Age, proof of those highly effective matriarchal lineages was absent from the archaeological document in Britain — till now…. ‘This was the cemetery of a big kin group,’ examine writer Lara Cassidy, a professor genetics at Trinity Faculty, mentioned within the launch. ‘We reconstructed a household tree with many various branches and located most members traced their maternal lineage again to a single girl, who would have lived centuries earlier than. In distinction, relationships by the daddy’s line had been virtually absent.’ This implies when a person was able to marry, he would have left his neighborhood to go and be a part of his spouse’s, and that household land would have been handed from mom to daughter, Cassidy mentioned. ‘That is the primary time any such system has been documented in European prehistory and it predicts feminine social and political empowerment,’ Cassidy mentioned. ‘It’s comparatively uncommon in trendy societies, however this won’t at all times have been the case.’” • Headline from the unique (summary solely): “Ladies had been on the centre of social networks in Iron Age Britain.”
Contact data for vegetation: Readers, be at liberty 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 nice! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary vegetation! In order for you 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 by utilizing your initials. See the earlier Water Cooler (with plant) right here. From Wukchumni:
Wukchumni writes: “Dawn over the Garfield Grove, Sequoia NP.”
Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not lined by the annual NC fundraiser. Materials right here is Lambert’s, and doesn’t specific the views of the Bare Capitalism web site. When 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 frightened. 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 screen that can seem, which I’ve helpfully annotated:
When you hate PayPal, you possibly can electronic mail me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will provide you with instructions on the right way to ship a verify. Thanks!
