{"id":82119,"date":"2024-07-18T20:03:12","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T20:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/18\/200pm-water-cooler-7-18-2024-naked-capitalism\/"},"modified":"2024-07-18T20:03:12","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T20:03:12","slug":"200pm-water-cooler-7-18-2024-naked-capitalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/18\/200pm-water-cooler-7-18-2024-naked-capitalism\/","title":{"rendered":"2:00PM Water Cooler 7\/18\/2024 | naked capitalism"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em><strong>By Lambert Strether of Corrente<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Patient readers, I had to do <em>something<\/em> first, so I did the Republican National Convention. The Democrats and their Biden problem will come shortly. Please stay tuned. \u2013lambert<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/macaulaylibrary.org\/asset\/620898966\/embed\" height=\"300\" width=\"640\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Common Nightingale, \u0411\u0438\u0448\u043a\u0435\u043a \u2014 \u0416\u0430\u0448\u0442\u0430\u0440 \u043f\u0430\u0440\u043a\u044b\/\u0413\u0430\u043d\u0434\u0438 \u043f\u0430\u0440\u043a\u044b [Bishkek \u2014 Youth Park\/Gandhi Park]. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. With a rooster!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"#assassination\">A former Navy SEAL <\/a> takes a view on Trump\u2019s assempted assassination<\/p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"#rnc\">The Republican National Convention<\/a> and <a href=\"#vance\">J.D. Vance<\/a><\/p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"#unelecting\">Unelecting Biden<\/a>: irresistible (albeit private) force, immovable (albeit ill) object.<\/p>\n<p>(4) <a href=\"#marimekko\">Marimekko patterns<\/a> online.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital.\u201d \u2013Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"assassination \"\/>Trump Assassination Attempt<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Interesting perspective, worth listening to in its entirety:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ex Navy Seal Chad Wright explains how Thomas Crooks may have been able to get by secret service and almost assassinate the President. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TrumpAssassinationAttempt?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#TrumpAssassinationAttempt<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/z9wITOXrsY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/z9wITOXrsY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Conservative News Feed (@C_N_F__on__X) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/C_N_F__on__X\/status\/1813738759860691375\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>As far as \u201csacking\u201d cities, states, the country: At least for the last, you\u2019d need<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2019\/07\/robert-o-paxtons-the-five-stages-of-fascism.html\"> \u201ca mass-based party of committed nationalist militants.\u201d That would be unfortunate<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>2024<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p12\">Less than four months to go!<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/free.timeanddate.com\/countdown\/i8ubjj5e\/n179\/cf100\/cm0\/cu1\/ct0\/cs1\/ca0\/cr0\/ss0\/cac000\/cpc000\/pcfff\/tcfff\/fs100\/szw320\/szh135\/tatTime%20left%20to%20Election%20Day%2C%202024\/tac000\/tptTime%20since%20Event%20started%20in\/tpc000\/mac000\/mpc000\/iso2024-11-05T00:00:00\/bo2\/pd2\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"322\" height=\"137\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p> <a name=\"swing\"\/>Friday\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RCP<\/a> Poll Averages: CTUTP<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-12.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"916\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-274896\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-12.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-12-164x300.png 164w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Second post-debate polling: No massive swing to Trump that I can see. It would be hilarious if the Biden Debate debacle had exactly the same effect as Trump\u2019s 34 bazillion felony convictions, i.e., none, both parties are so dug in. Of course, the Biden \u201cbuzz\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-11-2024.html#buzz\">yesterday<\/a>) is bad, and may yet have an effect. And who, may I ask, is making the buzz? Swing States (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/03\/introduction-to-swing-states-in-the-presidential-election-of-2024-general-survey.html\">more here<\/a>) still Brownian-motioning around. Of course, it goes without saying that these are all state polls, therefore bad, and most of the results are within the margin of error.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"unelecting\"\/>Unelecting Biden:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe walls close in around Biden\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/YFAQG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u2022 Because I am not a trusting soul, when I see a headline like this, I\u2019m reminded of many, many other times when \u201cthe walls\u201d were \u201cclosing in,\u201d and then they didn\u2019t. Just a reminder\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmerica is About to Go Through Some Things\u201d [Rachel Bitecofer, <a href=\"https:\/\/thecycle.substack.com\/p\/america-is-about-to-go-through-some\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Cycle<\/a>]. \u201cAs a person who built their reputation on predicting the political future I hope you can appreciate the importance of my next statement: I have no idea what in the hell is about to happen!!! I can see the next 4 months with stark clarity. Like the elections preceding it, 2024 will come down to about 100,000 votes in 6 or 7 swing states. Though horserace coverage will continue to breathlessly obsess over every new poll, quality or not, the truth is this race was a toss up 4 months ago, it\u2019s a toss up now, and it\u2019ll be a toss up in November.\u201d \u2022 Yep.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Electeds<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPelosi told Biden: You\u2019re dragging down Democrats\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/KnuwE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. But in terms of action: \u201cThe speaker does not want to call on him to resign, but she will do  to make sure it happens,\u2019 this person said, referring to Biden quitting the race.\u201d \u2022 Not even Pelosi being quoted directly. And \u201cEverything in her power\u201d is \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oracle#:~:text=He%20then%20consulted%20Delphi%20before,was%20destroyed%20by%20the%20Persians.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">A great empire will be destroyed<\/a>\u201c-level.<\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: Maybe all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-17-2024.html#timeline\">that laborious timeline work I did yesterday<\/a> has some value after all. If I have the sequences of events right, here, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2024\/07\/12\/congress\/jeffries-meets-with-biden-00167801\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Jeffries<\/a> talked (privately) to Biden on Thursday of last week. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/schumer-had-blunt-private-conversation-032423976.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Schumer<\/a> talked to Biden (privately) on Saturday. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/07\/18\/nancy-pelosi-california-allies-stand-biden-00169332\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Pelosi\u2019s all over the map<\/a> about when she talked to Biden, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/Pelosi%20behind%20Schiff%20call%20for%20Biden%20to%20step%20aside,%20doesn\" t=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">her boy Schiff<\/a> came out against Biden Wednesday. However, the letter demanding that the DNC postpone the virtual ballot until August, never actually published, was <em>also<\/em> \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/07\/17\/house-democrats-dnc-letter-biden-vote?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=editorial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">scrapped<\/a>\u201d on Wednesday; the story is that the DNC caved, but the real issue is that the letter only got 40 signatories (that is, 40\/111 = 36% of the caucus*). So my question is: With the leadership \u2014 Schumer, Pelosi, Schiff and (one presumes) Jeffries \u2014 all pushing, and for weeks, plural, albeit privately \u2014 not to mention the press baying for blood, and squillionaires bellowing \u2014 why is the the caucus not <em>already<\/em> entirely behind them? In a party notorious for authoritarian followership \u2014 and a class notorious for schooling behavior \u2014 what\u2019s the hold-up? If Biden is going to be defenestrated over the weekend, who\u2019s going to drag him to the window and heave him out? OK, Pelosi\u2019s said to be strategic genius. I guess we\u2019ll see! NOTE * With more signatories, the demand could have been strengthened.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>CBC, Black Women<\/strong><\/em> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSchumer had a \u2018blunt\u2019 private conversation with Biden about the state of the 2024 race\u201d [NBC]. But further down in the story: \u201cFormer Rep. Cedric Richmond, a former White House official and co-chair of Biden\u2019s 2020 campaign, spent time with Biden on Tuesday and said: \u2018He looks good. He sounds good. He\u2019s out there sparring.\u2019 Richmond said that Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., another key Biden ally who was with them on Tuesday, is fully on board with the president\u2019s re-election effort. \u2018Clyburn\u2019s where I am,\u2019 Richmond said. \u2018We\u2019re rolling with him until the wheels fall off. Full disclosure: I think we\u2019re going to win.&#8217;\u201d \u2022 We have yet to hear from Clyburn on Biden\u2019s case of Covid, of course. Nevertheless, as with so many others in this odd story, presumably Clyburn has a price. So why hasn\u2019t it already been paid? <\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Party Loyalists<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s possible we\u2019re in \u201cthe dogs won\u2019t eat the dog food\u201d mode, here. Of course, this is an anecdote:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Electoral suicide. <\/p>\n<p>Have the replace Biden folks ever once considered the costs that will come from screwing over Biden? Plus half of them want to screw over Harris supporters too. Crazy <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2Rin0bGfZI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/2Rin0bGfZI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Rachel Bitecofer \ud83d\uddfd\ud83d\udca1\ud83d\udd2d\ud83e\udd86 (@RachelBitecofer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RachelBitecofer\/status\/1813758996656058774\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Donors<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Hilarity ensues at nearly identical headlines:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMegadonors Are Plotting to Change Biden\u2019s Mind With Money. Will It Work?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/Jm2qm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. I ran this yesterday, but for obvious reasons I must run it again, with a different quote: \u201cThese are chaotic times. So many ideas are bouncing around the donor class that some card-carrying members say privately that they are having trouble keeping track of all the plots. Some of the wealthiest people in the world have been locked in a perpetual, almost academic examination of how much leverage they truly have to change Mr. Biden\u2019s mind.\u201d \u2022 Where were these brain geniuses when Biden had to be led off the stage at George Clooney\u2019s fundraiser, like a month before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/bidens-slips-cog-second-time-as-tragedy-second-time-as-farce-or-both.html\">the debate debacle<\/a>? More time for them to figure out what leverage they really have would certainly have been helpful\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMegadonors Are Plotting How Best to Change Biden\u2019s Mind\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/183957\/megadonors-plotting-change-biden-mind\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The New Republic<\/a>]. Starting with the Times link above, we get this: \u201cAccording to the Times, many of these donors, while committed to replacing Biden, aren\u2019t sure about the best way to do so. While Strickler is holding back on donations, others are leery about bringing on a backlash against wealthy elites. They also aren\u2019t sure who to reach out to in Biden\u2019s inner circle [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/bidens-slips-cog-second-time-as-tragedy-second-time-as-farce-or-both.html\">nota bene<\/a>], and whether money is even the best means of persuasion. \u2018I can\u2019t figure out who\u2014if anyone\u2014has influence over this, but donors certainly don\u2019t, regardless of what we do,\u2019 said Ravitch. \u2018And to speak out publicly against the president only helps undermine him. It\u2019s a catch-22.&#8217;\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cDonors\u2019 cash is drying up, Katzenberg warns Biden in private meeting\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.semafor.com\/article\/07\/17\/2024\/donors-cash-is-drying-up-jeffrey-katzenberg-warns-biden-in-private-meeting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Semafor<\/a>]. \u201cJoe Biden met privately in Las Vegas Wednesday with Jeffrey Katzenberg, the film producer and a top campaign adviser, who conveyed a warning: The president\u2019s donors\u2019 patience  thin, and their cash , too. Katzenberg, one of Biden\u2019s closest counselors and a conduit to moneyed circles in media and finance, told the president that major donors, doubtful of his ability to win in November,  writing the kind of big checks that sustain campaigns in the home stretch, people familiar with the meeting said. One of the people said the donor warning came in a broader discussion of other campaign topics.\u201d \u2022 \u201cIs drying\u201d as opposed to \u201chas dried,\u201d along with all the other qualifications. Naturally Katzenburg denies everything, like they all do. After this story was published, Katzenberg said in a statement that it was a \u2018misread of a private meeting\u201d and that he and Biden \u2018talked about everything from the convention to new ads. And by the way, we will raise the money we need to run a winning campaign.&#8217;\u201d \u2022\u00a0Presumably with a winning candidate. Which Biden believes himself to be.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Harris<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201c79 percent of Democrats approve of Harris replacing Biden if he steps aside: Poll\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/4779366-kamala-harris-joe-biden-withdraw-2024-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cThe Economist\/YouGov survey found 79 percent of Democrats would support Harris at the party\u2019s nominee in November if Biden chose to withdraw from the race\u2026. Roughly 28 percent of Democrats said Harris was more likely than Biden to win against Trump. About 32 percent said the vice president was just as likely and 24 percent said she was less likely to defeat the former president in the fall.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Revised headline: \u201c56 percent of Democrats believe replacing Biden with Harris would make their odds of beating Trump the same or worse.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe VP is clearly the stronger candidate\u201d [Matt Yglesias, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.slowboring.com\/p\/the-vp-is-clearly-the-stronger-candidate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Slow Boring<\/a>]. \u201cThe real issue (which is reflected in the job approval numbers) is that Biden\u2019s campaign is almost monolithically focused on shoring up his core support, which is bleeding away due to his limited capabilities. He\u2019s doing interviews that are at best unimpressive, on average defensive and peevish, and at worst highlight his diminished verbal dexterity. More to the point, his team \u2014 which continues to be a sharp group of people \u2014 is focused on base-consolidating policy rollouts rather than addressing swing voters\u2019 concerns. What Harris can do is take more people for granted (her better net favorable ratings) and run a proper campaign. Of course she might fail \u2014 but she might not!\u201d \u2022 I see the point on swing voters but (a) 110 days is a long time in politics, and (b) the Biden campaign doesn\u2019t need to focus on generic \u201cswing voters.\u201d Rather, it needs to focus, with laser-like precision, on a few hundred thousand voters in a few swing counties in a few swing states. Maybe Kamala makes that easier. Maybe she doesn\u2019t. But to make the argument he\u2019s making, that\u2019s what Yglesias really needs to show. (Of course, I\u2019m assuming away a massive Trump landslide, but there are no signs of that yet, and in that case, the Democrats should simply throw caution to the wind and throw some rookies out there for garbage time. Or, alternatively, they could deal with the Kamala problem by throwing her to the wolves\u2026.)<\/p>\n<p>And of course people are already gaming out Kamala\u2019s VP:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Who would you want as Kamala Harris&#8217;s running mate?<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mehdirhasan\/status\/1813971649139794019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Shapiro is perfect!<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">As a Pennsylvanian you should be aware that he&#8217;s on the right wing of the democratic party. <\/p>\n<p>Had to be blocked by the dem base after trying to implement a charter school bill, caused a huge rift in PA that thankfully was squashed. Huge Zionist.<\/p>\n<p>Personality wise he&#8217;s decent, but\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AmWW9W4YPa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/AmWW9W4YPa<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mike from PA (@Mike_from_PA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Mike_from_PA\/status\/1813761222078263553\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Yes, Shapiro is Governor of PA, and therefore some Democrats might hope to strengthen their chances by running him, but I am dubious he can outweigh an <em>extremely<\/em> fired-up Republican electorate in central PA.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"rnc\"\/><em><strong>Republican National Convention<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"vance\"\/>Vance: Stoller live-blogged his speech:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Vance is a very good speaker and an excellent writer, but this speech feels heavily negotiated. It&#8217;s like the price for putting populist ideas in there was to take out any details that would make such a speech poetic and interesting.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1813772571558473821\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Vance:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is probably the first Republican vice presidential speech in decades that didn\u2019t talk about cutting taxes, lowering spending, or reducing the size of government.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZaidJilani\/status\/1813777998480556457\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><br \/>\n<center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"rnc\"\/>\u201cEditorial: A Teamsters pitch at the Republican National Convention suggests big trouble for Democrats\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2024\/07\/16\/editorial-a-teamsters-pitch-at-the-republican-national-convention-suggests-big-trouble-for-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Chicago Tribune<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018The biggest recipients of welfare in this country are corporations,\u2019 said Sean O\u2019Brien on Monday night. \u2018And this is real corruption.\u2019 You\u2019d expect the president of the Teamsters, one of America\u2019s most powerful labor unions, to hold such a view. But that he delivered that comment as a fiery prime-time speaker on the opening night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee was remarkable, to say the least. Especially since he was there at the invitation of the Republican nominee for president of the United States and this marked the first time in history that a Teamsters leader spoke at the GOP convention. And that hardly was the only moment when it seemed like O\u2019Brien\u2019s head-turning lines on Monday night in Milwaukee would have been a much better fit for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. To wit: \u2018Americans vote for a union but can\u2019t get a union contract.\u2019 \u2018Companies fire workers who try to join unions and hide behind toothless laws that are meant to protect working people but are manipulated to benefit corporations. This is economic terrorism at its best; an individual cannot withstand such an assault.&#8217;\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cA Grand Old Party for Workers?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/prospect.org\/labor\/2024-07-18-grand-old-party-for-workers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The American Prospect<\/a>]. \u201cAs they assemble in Milwaukee, are the MAGA Republicans taking seriously their newly minted pro-worker rhetoric? The GOP platform announces itself with an almost Rooseveltian flourish, dedicating the party \u2018To the Forgotten Men and Women of America.\u2019 That\u2019s a nice touch, but when it comes to actual worker welfare issues, the new GOP platform emphasizes, overwhelmingly, immigration restriction, often in the most racist fashion, as well as raising obstacles to trade with China. There is very little else that bears directly on worker status. The platform does call for \u2018merit-based immigration\u2019 in contrast to what the GOP labels \u2018chain migration,\u2019 allowing spouses or children of those new workers into the country. That probably opens the door to the kind of temporary employees demanded by both Silicon Valley and American agribusiness, but, please, no family members! The platform favors ending the transition to electric vehicles, an industrial policy championed by both President Biden and a newly powerful UAW, whose 2023 strike ensured that higher wages and union jobs would spread to many new battery plants and EV factories. Trump and the GOP are wagering that EVs will still fail, and in their place their platform offers a bet on crypto and artificial intelligence. One of the very few places where the platform-writers put forward a specific work-related proposal comes with a call to eliminate the tax on the tips that restaurant and hospitality workers earn, a substitute perhaps for raising the minimum wage, otherwise unmentioned in the 2024 GOP platform.\u201d \u2022 So is Vance a\u2026 beard?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRappers, strippers and a felon: Is this Donald Trump\u2019s new Republican Party?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/columnist\/2024\/07\/18\/trump-rnc-jd-vance-amber-rose\/74425571007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">USA Today<\/a>]. \u201cThe GOP seems to be morphing before our eyes because of a combination of events, including President Joe Biden\u2019s incompetence, Trump\u2019s influence on the party and the failed assassination attempt. The convention has been a cacophony of professionals, misfits and patriots \u2212 not unlike the GOP itself. We\u2019ve heard from established leaders such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who\u2019s also a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations\u2026. But the real eye-catchers causing a stir are the \u2018outsiders.\u2019 People who either used to be Democrats or who embrace a message the GOP wants to send\u2026. On Monday, rapper Amber Rose spoke to delegates inside the convention hall in Milwaukee. Her presence stirred controversy. She\u2019s neither a politician nor a lifelong Republican. She\u2019s a 40-year-old former model and stripper who dated Kanye West before she married and divorced rapper Wiz Khalifa. In her convention speech, Rose said she had an \u2018aha\u2019 moment when it came to racial issues and Trump. \u2018Donald Trump and his supporters don\u2019t care if you\u2019re Black, white, gay or straight, it\u2019s all love,\u2019 she said. And that\u2019s when it hit me. These are my people; this is where I belong\u2026. I don\u2019t see Rose\u2019s appearance as a beacon of hope or as an object of derision. She\u2019s clearly not a politician or thought leader, but her presence does signal something noteworthy: .\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWWE legend Hulk Hogan to speak at RNC before Trump accepts GOP nomination\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/07\/18\/us-news\/wwe-legend-hulk-hogan-to-speak-at-rnc-before-trump-accepts-gop-nomination\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Post<\/a>]. \u201cIt was not immediately clear what Hogan would be speaking about. Hogan, 70, told \u2018Fox &amp; Friends\u2019 last month he would consider entering politics now that he has retired from wrestling. \u2018We need somebody in there that\u2019s got some common sense,\u2019 Hogan said. \u2018So, if you need a president or vice president, I\u2019ll volunteer and take this country over, and I\u2019ll rule with an iron fist, a flat tax \u2013 nothing but common sense. I know right from wrong, brother,\u2019 he added.\u201d \u2022 There\u2019s a history here:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The thing to note is that Hulk Hogan is who Peter Thiel teamed up with to destroy Gawker and eliminate their exposes of crimes linked to the 2016 candidates and their backers, including the Epstein black book. Thiel is a major backer of JD Vance. This isn\u2019t just kayfabe bravado. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/V62AOgSjl4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/V62AOgSjl4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sarahkendzior\/status\/1813934856839274680\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><br \/>\n<center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cTucker Carlson seems to be having the time of his life at the RNC\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/1rSgO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WaPo<\/a>]. \u201cCarlson is having a moment at the RNC. He\u2019s being followed by a documentary crew. He\u2019s expected to give a prime time speech before the festivities come to an end on Thursday. And to top that off, he gets to celebrate the fact that his friend and fellow nationalistic conservative, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), got the nod to be Trump\u2019s running mate \u2014 an outcome Carlson had been lobbying for privately. (According to a report from the New York Times, Carlson had warned Trump that if a \u201cneocon\u201d \u2014 a Republican with an interventionist foreign policy \u2014 were vice president, deep state forces would be more likely to try to assassinate Trump.)\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInside the Strange New World of Tucker Carlson\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/pIEkh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wall Street Journal<\/a>]. \u201cCarlson\u2019s new show made its debut on Twitter (before its rebranding as X) in early June 2023, and that December he launched TCN, which became profitable, he says, within weeks. Most of its revenue comes from over 200,000 paid subscribers, according to CFO Faizaan Baig. Carlson\u2019s Putin episode last February gained 200 million impressions on X and 20 million views on YouTube. His podcast has had over 26 million downloads since its December launch and is currently no. 1 on Spotify\u2019s news podcast chart.\u201d And: \u201cCarlson is trying to expand his reach outside the U.S. He says he\u2019s negotiating an interview with Xi Jinping of China and will soon visit Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince and de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. He has repeatedly requested an interview with Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine but wants to conduct it in a third country because he believes (without offering any evidence) that Ukrainian intelligence is trying to kill him. The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, hugely popular at home for eradicating rampant gang crime but widely criticized for alleged human-rights abuses, visited Carlson in Maine for bird hunting in November 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trail\"\/><em><strong>The Campaign Trail<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R) (Smith\/Cannon): \u201cSpecial counsel Jack Smith appeals dismissal of Trump classified documents case\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2024\/07\/17\/special-counsel-jack-smith-appeals-dismissal-of-trump-classified-documents-case.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNBC<\/a>]. \u201cSpecial counsel Jack Smith filed a notice appealing the decision earlier this week by Florida federal Judge Aileen Cannon that dismissed the criminal classified documents case against former President Donald Trump. Smith\u2019s appeal, which was expected, will be heard in the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta, which reviews cases arising from Florida federal courts\u2026. The appeal is likely to end up at the U.S. Supreme Court, regardless of how the 11th Circuit appeals court rules.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): Something to look forward to:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I fully believe that in a few centuries, when Trump will have become a semi-mythical figure about which it&#8217;s not clear where reality ends and legend begins, people will treat his tweets as a sacred corpus they turn to for guidance, like the Hadiths for the Muslims.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Philippe Lemoine (@phl43) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/phl43\/status\/1813922753021698424\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><br \/>\n<center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Biden (D): \u201cBiden\u2019s Covid diagnosis comes at the worst possible time for his campaign\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/jlbCp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cPresident Joe Biden\u2019s Covid diagnosis on Wednesday afternoon could hardly have come at a more devastating time. Not only did it cut short a two-day campaign swing in Nevada, but it threatens to deepen Democratic anxieties over \u2014 and resistance to \u2014 his reelection campaign, which has been teetering for nearly three weeks since his abysmal performance in his first debate with former President Donald Trump. The news \u2014 first announced to a crowd of Hispanic activists awaiting his speech in Las Vegas and shortly thereafter confirmed by the White House \u2014 will surely deepen concerns about Biden\u2019s age, health and stamina that have many Democrats calling for him to step aside as the party\u2019s presidential nominee. Perhaps even more importantly, it could create a vacuum that privately skeptical Democrats, now feeling a heightened sense of urgency, may feel inclined to fill by amping up their pressure campaign.\u201d \u2022 Well, I\u2019m glad that \u201cprivately skeptical\u201d Dems may feel \u201cheightened sense of urgency\u201d with democracy on the ballot etc. etc. Commentary:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I really hope we get to the bottom of who exposed President Biden to a biosafety level 3 virus, you know\u2026 like, contact tracing.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Joaqu\u00edn Beltr\u00e1n for a Free Palestine (@joaquinlife) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joaquinlife\/status\/1813716102830256287\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 17, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>And:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">CNN anchors make note of Biden boarding Air Force One without a mask after testing positive for Covid a 3rd time <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/C8PDlIam4s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/C8PDlIam4s<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 COLONIALISM IS FALLING, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE (@BreeNewsome) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreeNewsome\/status\/1813769077678309860\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Biden\u2019s spread plenty of contagion already, so why stop now?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Our Famously Free Press<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>August 5, 2024:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Why did Time change the cover? \ud83e\udd14 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5eeZkkOGPp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/5eeZkkOGPp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EndWokeness\/status\/1813916346369048671\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>On the photo at left, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/trump-assassination-attempt-a-round-up.html#iconic\">see (again) here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSteve Bannon filmed Jeffrey Epstein for 15 hours. His \u2018documentary\u2019 has never surfaced.\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/steve-bannon-filmed-jeffrey-epstein-trump-friendship-documentary-tapes-2024-7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Business Insider<\/a>]. \u201cBefore his 2019 death in jail, Jeffrey Epstein spent hours being interviewed on camera by Steve Bannon. A clip published by the New York Post in 2021 shows Bannon verbally sparring with Epstein\u2026 The clip supposedly promoted a documentary, \u201cThe Monsters: Epstein\u2019s Life Among the Global Elite,\u201d from Bannon\u2019s production company Victory Films. Before Epstein went to jail on sex-trafficking charges in July 2019, Bannon spent months in the financier\u2019s homes in Manhattan and Paris. He boasted that he shot 15 hours\u2019 worth of video. Three years later, no documentary has been released. And Bannon\u2019s close relationship with Epstein has been curiously memory-holed.\u201d \u2022 Or not curiously. Anyhow, <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2024\/07\/01\/politics\/steve-bannon-report-to-prison\/index.html#:~:text=Steve%20Bannon%20begins%20serving%204,prison%20for%20defying%20congressional%20subpoena\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bannon\u2019s in jail<\/a>, so why worry?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>2016 Post Mortem<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cJD Vance &amp; Thomas Frank discuss the 2016 Presidential Race with Smerconish on CNN\u201d [Michael Smerconish, <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/DhapLiBQ-yc?si=Anv2ny_WZdB7Gmc6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">YouTube<\/a>]. \u2022 Vance and Frank on the same screen?!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Syndemics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am in earnest \u2014 I will not equivocate \u2014 I will not excuse \u2014 I will not retreat a single inch \u2014 AND I WILL BE HEARD.\u201d \u2013William Lloyd Garrison<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&amp;list_select_county=all_counties&amp;data-type=Risk&amp;null=Risk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>); Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>, <del><a href=\"https:\/\/biobot.io\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Biobot<\/a><\/del>; includes many counties; <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wastewater Scan<\/a>, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/businesssolutions\/covid-19-index.jsp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a>); \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/iowacovid19tracker.org\/hospitals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Iowa COVID-19 Tracker<\/a>\u201d (in IA, but national data). \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/icemsg.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Infection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts<\/a>\u201d (especially on hospitalization by city).<\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To update any entry, do feel free to contact me at the address given with the plants. Please put \u201cCOVID\u201d in the subject line. Thank you!<\/p>\n<p>Resources, United States (Local): AK (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/af2efc8bffbf4cdc83c2d1a134354074\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/6d2771faa9da4a2786a509d82c8cf0f7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AR (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/633006d0782b4544bd5113a314f6268a\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AZ (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.azdhs.gov\/covid19\/data\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); CA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdph.ca.gov\/Programs\/CID\/DCDC\/Pages\/COVID-19\/CalSuWers-Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.marinhhs.org\/surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Marin, dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/healthalerts.stanford.edu\/covid-19\/wastewater-dashboard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stanford, wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/?v=SC2_N&amp;l=Oakland%2C+CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Oakland, wastewater<\/a>); CO (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.colorado.gov\/data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/cdphe.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/d79cf93c3938470ca4bcc4823328946b#utility=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); CT (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.ct.gov\/stories\/s\/COVID-19-data\/wa3g-tfvc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); DE (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.delaware.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); FL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/5b9d75ba683849928dc1a49c39ab0b1c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); GA (<a href=\"https:\/\/dph.georgia.gov\/ga-nwss-wastewater-surveillance-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); HI (<a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); IA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dmmwra.org\/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=57\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater reports<\/a>); ID (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Boise; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/?plantId=1056f05c-0e46-4e3d-b007-c0453ba7dc0d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Central Idaho; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/#:SARS-CoV-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Coeur d\u2019Alene; dashboard, <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.srhd.org\/topics\/spokane-county-case-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spokane County<\/a>); IL (<a href=\"https:\/\/iwss.uillinois.edu\/wastewater-treatment-plants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); IN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.in.gov\/indiana-covid-19-dashboard-and-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); KS (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov\/160\/COVID-19-in-Kansas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/4456bae8a38f4b6180e008477382fff9\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Lawrence); KY (<a href=\"https:\/\/louisville.edu\/envirome\/thecoimmunityproject\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Louisville); LA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ldh.la.gov\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/covid-19-wastewater-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MD (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.maryland.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); ME (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/dhhs\/mecdc\/infectious-disease\/epi\/airborne\/coronavirus\/data.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/coronavirus\/stats\/wastewater-surveillance\/dashboard\/sentinel-wastewater-epidemiology-evaluation-project-sweep\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/gisportal.state.mi.us\/portal\/apps\/insights\/index.html#\/view\/52bbb104ed574887918f990af9f3debe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.state.mn.us\/diseases\/coronavirus\/stats\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MO (<a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/f7f5492486114da6b5d6fdc07f81aacf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MS (<a href=\"https:\/\/msdh.ms.gov\/page\/14,0,420.html#Mississippi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>MT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/MapSeries\/index.html?appid=7c34f3412536439491adcc2103421d4b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; NC (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.ncdhhs.gov\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard)<\/a>; ND (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NE (<a href=\"https:\/\/atlas-dhhs.ne.gov\/Atlas\/Respiratory_Illness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NH (<a href=\"https:\/\/wisdom.dhhs.nh.gov\/wisdom\/dashboard.html?topic=covid-19&amp;subtopic=recurring-updates&amp;indicator=covid-19-wastewater#tabnavbarid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NJ (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.nj.gov\/forms\/datadashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NM (<a href=\"https:\/\/cvprovider.nmhealth.org\/public-dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NV (<a href=\"https:\/\/nvhealthresponse.nv.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/empower.unlv.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Southern NV); NY (<a href=\"https:\/\/mbcolli.shinyapps.io\/SARS2EWSP\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OH (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.ohio.gov\/dashboards\/other-resources\/wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OK (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/51657c21386d4f1a962b1853c76ec589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>OR (<a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/app\/profile\/oregon.health.authority.covid.19\/viz\/OregonsCOVID-19DataDashboards-TableofContents\/TableofContentsStatewide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; PA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.pa.gov\/topics\/disease\/coronavirus\/pages\/Cases.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); RI (<a href=\"https:\/\/ri-department-of-health-covid-19-data-rihealth.hub.arcgis.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SC (<a href=\"https:\/\/scdhec.gov\/index.php\/covid19\/covid-19-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SD (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.sd.gov\/COVID\/Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/health\/cedep\/ncov\/data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TX (<a href=\"https:\/\/txdshsea.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/4ae43eefd0f641d59d35c3df82ee59cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); UT (<a href=\"https:\/\/avrpublic.dhhs.utah.gov\/uwss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); VA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/coronavirus\/see-the-numbers\/covid-19-in-virginia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); VT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthvermont.gov\/disease-control\/covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WA (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.wa.gov\/emergencies\/covid-19\/data-dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.bfhd.wa.gov\/cases-and-roadmap-to-recovery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.wisconsin.gov\/covid-19\/wastewater.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); WV (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/oehs.wvdhhr.org\/news\/oehs-coivd-19-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>); WY (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/covidwastewatermonitor.wyo.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/health-infobase.canada.ca\/covid-19\/wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Government of Canada<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealthontario.ca\/en\/Data-and-Analysis\/Infectious-Disease\/COVID-19-Data-Surveillance\/Wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); QC (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inspq.qc.ca\/covid-19\/donnees\/eaux-usees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><em>les eaux us\u00e9es<\/em><\/a>); BC (<a href=\"https:\/\/bccdc.shinyapps.io\/respiratory_wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); BC, Vancouver (<a href=\"https:\/\/metrovancouver.org\/services\/liquid-waste\/testing-for-the-covid-19-virus-in-wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Hat tips to helpful 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, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, square coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Look for the Helpers<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Going into a moms\u2019 Facebook group takes a lot of courage (<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiacodes\/status\/1813679139851034631?s=12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">complete thread<\/a>):<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/moms_facebook.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"546\" height=\"1062\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275239\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/moms_facebook.png 546w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/moms_facebook-154x300.png 154w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/moms_facebook-526x1024.png 526w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 546px) 100vw, 546px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s almost as if the real problem is wage labor, isn\u2019t it? (Also, we should not forget that taking care of children is a moral commitment.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Testing and Tracking: Wastewater<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cJointly estimating epidemiological dynamics of Covid-19 from case and wastewater data in Aotearoa New Zealand\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s43856-024-00570-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Nature<\/a>]. \u201cTo make informed public health decisions about infectious diseases, it is important to understand the number of infections in the community. Reported cases, however, underestimate the number of infections and the degree of underestimation likely changes with time. Wastewater data provides an alternative data source that does not depend on testing practices. Here, we combined wastewater observations of SARS-CoV-2 with reported cases to estimate the reproduction number (how quickly infections are increasing or decreasing) and the case ascertainment rate (the fraction of infections reported as cases). We apply the model to Aotearoa New Zealand and demonstrate that the second wave of infections in July 2022 had approximately the same number of infections as the first wave in March 2022 despite reported cases being 50% lower.\u201d \u2022<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Personal RIsk Assessment<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The \u201cboiling water\u201d stage:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">However, pretty much all of the \u2018personal protection\u2019 approach described above is a stop-gap solution, until clean indoor air standards are developed and implemented. We are going through the equivalent of a \u2018boiling our own water\u2019 period for indoor air. In high income countries,\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Prof Brendan Crabb (@CrabbBrendan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CrabbBrendan\/status\/1783990101128937914\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">April 26, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Social Norming<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cData, signs, symbols\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/buttondown.email\/abbycartus\/archive\/data-signs-symbols\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Closed Form<\/a>]. \u201cIn thinking so much about the social construction (<em>production<\/em>) of data, I have been trying to link the social processes of data construction with the various functions that data perform out in the world, but sort of missing the bridge to be able to do it. Is it because statistics is eugenicist? Not exactly. Is it because of \u201cmethodological individualism?\u201d Also not exactly. All to say, in thinking so much about the production of data, I have neglected to think about its <em>consumption<\/em>\u2026. The symbolic economy and social logic of consumption (which Baudrillard develops extensively, and which I will not recapitulate here) is not some kind of epiphenomenon of the productive economy; rather, production\/consumption are two chambers of the same heart, two aspects of an organic whole. To borrow from Ursula Le Guin, consumption is the \u201cleft hand\u201d of production. Here, social and psychic logic operate according to the code of signs. (In semiotics language, the sign is the atomic unit of meaning composed of signified \u2013 a thing itself \u2013 and the signifier \u2013 the concept referring to the thing.) The meaning or value of signs depend on their relationships to other signs. Signs perform particular \u201csignifying\u201d functions within the symbolic and psychic logic of consumption \u2013 this is one of Baudrillard\u2019s major (early) hypotheses. We tend to think the important thing about data is the content. But data, inference from data, and the whole mode of statistical reasoning as form are powerful communication media themselves.\u201d \u2022 Welll\u2026 Perhaps we have a Baudrillard maven in the readership who can comment on\/untangle this.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>LEGEND<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1) <span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> for charts new today; all others are not updated.<\/p>\n<p>2) For a full-size\/full-resolution image, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Windows) on the chart thumbnail and \u201copen image in new tab.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>[1] (CDC) This week\u2019s wastewater map, with hot spots annotated. Worse than <em>two<\/em> weeks ago.<\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) LB.1 coming up on the outside.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ER) This is the best I can do for now. At least data for the entire pandemic is presented.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Now acceleration, which <em>is<\/em> compatible with a wastewater decrease, but still not a good feeling .(The New York city area has form; in 2020, as the home of two international airports (JFK and EWR) it was an important entry point for the virus into the country (and from thence up the Hudson River valley, as the rich sought to escape, and then around the country through air travel.)<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). This is the best I can do for now. Note the assumption that Covid is seasonal is built into the presentation, which in fact shows that Covid is <em>not<\/em> seasonal. At least data for the entire pandemic is presented.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Still going up! (Because there is data in \u201ccurrent view\u201d tab, I think white states here have experienced \u201cno change,\u201d as opposed to have no data.)<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Still going up!<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Up. Those sh*theads at CDC have changed the chart so that it doesn\u2019t even run back to 1\/21\/23, as it used to, but now starts 1\/1\/24. There\u2019s also no way to adjust the time rasnge. CDC really doesn\u2019t want you to be able to take a historical view of the pandemic, or compare one surge to another. In an any case, that\u2019s why the shape of the curve has changed.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants) Same deal. Those sh*theads. <\/p>\n<p>[11] Deaths low, but positivity up.<\/p>\n<p>[12] Deaths low, ED up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stats Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Employment Situation: \u201cUnited States Initial Jobless Claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/jobless-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US rose by 10,000 to 243,000 on the period ending July 13th, reaching a new weekly high, surpassing market expectations of 230,000. This increase, along with other key indicators, suggests that the US labor market continued to soften during this period, bolstering expectations that the Federal Reserve may lower benchmark borrowing costs by September.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/philadelphia-fed-manufacturing-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index in the US soared to 13.9 in July 2024, the highest level in three months, compared to 1.3 in June and way better than forecasts of 2.9. The reading showed manufacturing activity in Philadelphia expanded overall, as general activity rose\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Tech: AI as oracle:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ai_joke.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"596\" height=\"872\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275231\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ai_joke.png 596w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ai_joke-205x300.png 205w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 596px) 100vw, 596px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear &amp; Greed Index: 51 Neutral (previous close: 53 Neutral) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 54 (Neutral). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jul 18 at 12:49:10 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Photo Book<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeet Vivian Maier, the Reclusive Nanny Who Secretly Became One of the Best Street Photographers of the 20th Century\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/history\/meet-vivian-maier-reclusive-nanny-street-photographer-20th-century-180984665\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Smithsonian<\/a>]. A second link to Maier because she\u2019s so great. \u201cMaier\u2019s photos provide audiences with a tantalizing peek behind the curtain into a remarkable mind. But she never intended to have an audience. A nanny by trade, she rarely showed anyone her prints. In her final years, she stashed five decades of work in storage lockers, which she eventually stopped paying for. Their contents went to auction in 2007. Many of Maier\u2019s photos ended up with amateur historian John Maloof, who purchased 30,000 negatives for about $400. In the years that followed, he sought out other collectors who had purchased boxes from the same lockers. He didn\u2019t learn the photographer\u2019s identity until 2009, when he found her name scrawled on an envelope among the negatives. A quick Google search revealed that Maier had died just a few days earlier. Uncertain of how to proceed, Maloof started posting her images online.\u201d And: \u201c\u2018I once saw her taking a picture inside a refuse can,\u2019 talk show host Phil Donahue, who employed Maier as a nanny for less than a year, told Chicago magazine. \u2018I never remotely thought that what she was doing would have some special artistic value.\u201d\u201d \u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/12\/07\/books\/review\/vivian-maier-a-photographer-found-and-more.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Another image<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/maier.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/maier.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/maier-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/maier-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Class Warfare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe peak shipping season is getting underway with another threat of labor disruption at American ports\u201d [Paul Page, <a href=\"https:\/\/logistics.cmail20.com\/t\/d-e-eddtdld-yktldkjjll-r\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wall Street Journal<\/a>]. \u201cThe union representing about 45,000 workers at ports from Maine to Texas and the seaport employers are in a standoff with no negotiations on the calendar and the current longshore contract due to expire in a little over two months. The WSJ Logistics Report\u2019s Paul Berger writes that Harold Daggett, head of the International Longshoremen\u2019s Association, is stepping up his rhetoric, warning that a strike \u201cis becoming more likely.\u201d Daggett says the union won\u2019t extend the current labor agreement when it expires this fall and that dockworkers won\u2019t work without a contract. Automation is at the heart of the current impasse. But the union is also looking for a hefty wage increase, one that would exceed the 32% raise over six years won by West Coast dockworkers last year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI Gave Myself a Month to Make One New Friend. How Hard Could That Be?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/lifestyle\/a61536364\/one-friend-in-one-month\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Esquire<\/a>]. \u201d Americans have become terrible at making and keeping friends. Here\u2019s an incomplete list of phenomena that experts in the subject have blamed for this: apartments without dining rooms, Covid-19, \u201ctechnology,\u201d babies, not enough hiking. Whatever the cause, we\u2019re a nation afflicted. This is particularly true for men. (If you cannot name even a single close friend, you\u2019re not the only one: 20 percent of single men are stuck in the same position, trapped in what is being dubbed a \u201cfriendship recession.\u201d) In 2023, a surgeon general\u2019s advisory declared loneliness and isolation an \u201cepidemic,\u201d and I was showing worrying symptoms. I had a spouse, a child, a dog, a career\u2014and almost nobody else to hang out with.\u201d \u2022 Very long but not uninteresting\u2026. <\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cA brief interview with AWK creator Dr. Brian Kernighan\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/pldb.io\/blog\/brianKernighan.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">PLDB<\/a>]. \u201c<strong>What would be your advice to young people today who want to get into the field of designing programming languages?<\/strong> Dr. Kernighan: Try designing and implementing small and special purpose languages. They are lots of fun, often very useful, and a great deal easier than trying to create a replacement for Rust or C++. Look for things that could be automated if you had the right kind of language to spell out the steps, then create a simple compiler and runtime. Jon Bentley wrote a couple of articles on this long ago that are still relevant.\u201d \u2022 If you\u2019re still reading, Bentley is terrific; search on <em>Programming Pearls<\/em>. He writes with beautiful clarity, as did so many of his generation of proigrammers, but I remember the \u201cbumper sticker computer science\u201d the best: \u201cWhen in doubt, use brute force\u201d is perhaps my favorite, but \u201cTesting can show the presence of bugs, but not their<\/p>\n<p>absence\u201d is good too.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"marimekko\"\/>\u201cAn Online Database of Marimekko Patterns\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/kottke.org\/24\/07\/an-online-database-of-marimekko-patterns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kotte.org<\/a>]. \u201cMaripedia is an online database of hundreds of print patterns that Marimekko has used in their products since the 1940s. You can browse by decade, designer, or style\u2026or you can search by image. That\u2019s right, just upload an image of the pattern on your pillowcase or dress and it\u2019ll tell you who designed it and when.\u2019 \u2022 Pretty neat! Her\u2019es a Morris Louis:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/marimekko-05.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"750\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275230\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/marimekko-05.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/marimekko-05-240x300.png 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact information for plants<\/strong>: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-17-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From Into_The_Abyss:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cereus.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"454\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275222\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cereus.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cereus-300x227.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Into_The_Abyss writes: \u201cI believe this is a night-blooming cereus, at the Selby Gardens, Sarasota, FL. Most I\u2019ve seen bloom at one time!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. So if you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldn\u2019t see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! <em>Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I\u2019m on the right track with coverage<\/em>. When I get no donations for three or four days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:<\/p>\n<p>Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"606\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png 606w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"printfriendly pf-alignleft\"><a href=\"#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow:none; padding:0; margin:0\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.printfriendly.com\/buttons\/print-button-gray.png\" alt=\"Print Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-18-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente Patient readers, I had to do something first, so I did the Republican National Convention. The Democrats and their Biden<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":82120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,183],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-spotlight"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82119\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}