\n<\/p>\n
By Lambert Strether of Corrente<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nBird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Blue Mockingbird, Yecora, Km 261, Sonora, Mexico. I thought I would try another species of mockingbird.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"#vp\">Kamala\u2019s VP search<\/a> (Walz; Raimondo a dark horse).<\/p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"#kamala\">Kamala on crypto<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"#trump\">Trump on crypto<\/a> (and NFTs).<\/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>2024<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Less than one hundred days 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:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"638\" height=\"1082\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26.png 638w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26-177x300.png 177w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26-604x1024.png 604w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26-624x1058.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>First poll with Harris at the top of the Democrat ticket; Trump\u2019s position deteriorates (and any advantage he gained from the assassination attempt has been wiped away. Nevertheless, he still leads, albeit within the margin of error. NOTE RCP used to have two pages of swing states; I always used the first one. Now there is only one, which I take as an indicator that Harris v. Trump polling is not all that widespread.<\/p>\n<p>Vibe shift:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Unbelievable vibe shift in the US with Kamala Harris <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LAZoglUMHW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/LAZoglUMHW<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rrMisGHLbu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/rrMisGHLbu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Albert Pinto (@70sBachchan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/70sBachchan\/status\/1816818691431878958\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 26, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><br \/>\n<center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"defenestration\"\/>Biden Defenestration:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeaving Las Vegas\u201d (excerpt) [<a href=\"https:\/\/seymourhersh.substack.com\/p\/leaving-las-vegas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Seymour Hersh<\/a>]. \u201cIt\u2019s not surprising that the long overdue unraveling of President Joe Biden\u2019s re-election campaign happened when it became impossible to keep his increasing impairment covered up. It was the big-time money backers of the Democratic Party who called off the game of see no evil, hear no evil, after Biden\u2019s shocking performance in his June debate with Donald Trump. They balked at continuing to give millions of dollars to the party now that there was evidence that the president is not always there.\u201d \u2022 At which point the excerpt ends, having said nothing especially incisive or new, disappointingly. Or sourced, for that matter. Here an excerpt from a Tweet:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Insane story from Seymour Hersh\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Biden was threatened with the 25th Amendment by top level Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>“Obama called Biden after breakfast [on July 21] and said, \u2018Here\u2019s the deal. We have Kamala\u2019s approval to invoke the 25th Amendment.’\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pxL27A7fhB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/pxL27A7fhB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Geiger_Capital\/status\/1817614341274804570\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>We speculated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-23-2024.html#twentyfifth\">last week<\/a> that the TwentyFifth Amendment was Pelosi\u2019s \u201chard way\u201d; what Hersh, or rather his official(s?) add is that Obama held the dagger, not Pelosi, and that the (presumed) medical event described in this Daily Mail piece (\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-24-2024.html#biden\">Biden was deathly pale<\/a>\u201c) was the final straw for the Inner Party. More here\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeymour Hersh: Obama and Kamala threatened to invoke the 25th Amendment on Biden before he dropped out\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thepostmillennial.com\/seymour-hersh-obama-and-kamala-threatened-to-invoke-the-25th-amendment-on-biden-before-he-dropped-out\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Post Millennial<\/a>]. Hate to use this source, but here we are: \u201c\u2018It was clear at this point,\u2019 , per Hersch [sic,] \u2018that she would get the nod\u2019\u2014that is, the support to run for the presidency in the November election. \u2018But Obama also made it clear,\u2019 the official said, \u2018that he was not going to immediately endorse her. But the group [the Big Three: Pelosi, Schumer, Obama] had decided that her work as a prosecutor would help her deal with Trump in a debate.’\u201d We\u2019ll see how that goes. \u201cThe official, who has decades of experience in fundraising, told me that Obama emerged as the strongman throughout the negotiations. \u2018He had an agenda and he wanted to seek it [sic] through to the end, and he wanted to have control over who would be elected.’\u201d Note that so far we are single-sourced, though I haven\u2019t read the whole piece. It would be interesting to know what agenda Obama actually had, and what his purpose for delaying his and Michelle\u2019s endorsement was.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast Tango in Washington: how sad, sidelined Joe Biden may yet have the last laugh\u201d [Simon Tisdale, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/opinion\/ar-BB1qJz7z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a>]. \u201cIn November 1992, after losing to Bill Clinton, George HW Bush found himself in a similar position, although he had only two months left in office. Like Biden, Bush was a foreign policy nerd, and the president, not Congress, directs foreign policy. So, because he thought it was the right thing to do \u2013 but basically because he could \u2013 Bush, to widespread amazement, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.presidency.ucsb.edu\/documents\/address-the-nation-the-situation-somalia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">invaded Somalia<\/a>.\u201d \u2022 Well, that\u2019s reassuring.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trail\"\/><em><strong>The Campaign Trail<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"vp\">The VP search:<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cCould Josh Shapiro win Kamala Harris the Electoral College?\u201d [Nate Silver, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natesilver.net\/p\/could-josh-shapiro-win-kamala-harris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Silver Bulletin<\/a>]. About his model: \u201c[W]e\u2019ve found out three things, all of which cut against the hypothesis that a veep choice makes all <em>that<\/em> much difference: Home-state effects are only about one-quarter as large for the VP pick than for the presidential nominee. Home-state effects are roughly inversely proportional to the number of electoral votes in a state. In other words, a VP choice can make a small difference in a large state or a relatively large difference in a small state (say, Sarah Palin in Alaska or Biden in Delaware). I think this makes sense intuitively; in a smaller state, a politician is more likely to feel as though he\u2019s from your proverbial backyard. And home-state effects have probably diminished over time as partisanship dominates all other considerations.\u201d \u2022 So, probably not.<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cWhy Kamala Harris should pick Tim Walz as her running mate\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/article\/2024\/jul\/29\/why-kamala-harris-should-pick-tim-walz-running-mate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a>]. \u201cI\u2019ll be honest: last month, I would have struggled to pick Walz out of a lineup. This month? I\u2019m Walz-pilled. I have watched dozens of his interviews and clips. And I\u2019m far from alone. He has an army of new fans across the liberal-left: from former Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign co-chair Nina Turner, to one-time Democratic congressman Beto O\u2019Rourke, to gun-control activist David Hogg. \u2018In less than 6 days, I went from not knowing who Tim Walz is,\u2019 joked writer Travis Helwig on X, \u2018to deep down believing that if he doesn\u2019t get the VP nod I will storm the capitol.\u2019 According to Bloomberg, the Harris campaign has narrowed down its \u201ctop tier\u201d of potential running mates to three \u201cwhite guy\u201d candidates: Walz (hurrah!), plus the Arizona senator Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro. Both Kelly and Shapiro have their strengths \u2013 and both represent must-win states for the Dems. Allow me, however, to make the clear case for Walz.\u201d \u2022 Or just watch this video:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My daughter, Hope, tricked me into doing the most extreme ride at the Minnesota State Fair. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YeMEocwJRv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/YeMEocwJRv<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovTimWalz\/status\/1698761196730540472\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">September 4, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Report from the field:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Dads at my parents’ (affluent) suburban VA swimming pool overheard discussing Tim Walz: “i’d never heard of him either, but man, he’s a straight shooter & could destroy JD Vance!” “Yeah even though the VP is not supposed to matter I hope they pick him.”<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 moe tkacik (@moetkacik) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/moetkacik\/status\/1817279114258125152\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 27, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The coveted Derek Guy endorsment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">pretty good casual outfit on walz. the coat is an LL Bean barn coat, which you can find on eBay for about $50. good with jeans, sneakers, and work boots. some bipartisanship since a similar, but not exact, coat was once seen on romney (who also looks pretty good here) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XAKGUcQjZi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/XAKGUcQjZi<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JEJvjlsj0V\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/JEJvjlsj0V<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 derek guy (@dieworkwear) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dieworkwear\/status\/1817384155933794626\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Minnesota readers will of course clarify his track record and correct any sunny optimism:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Tim Walz is \u2013 by far \u2013 the most based Democrat governor in the country. With a 1 seat majority in Minnesota he did:<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 universal free school meals<br \/>\u2013 legal weed<br \/>\u2013 carbon free electricity by 2040<br \/>\u2013 tax rebates for the working class up to $1,300 (making under $150k per year)<br \/>\u2013 12\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/r6CCVGVwkd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/r6CCVGVwkd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Secular Talk\ud83c\udf99 (@KyleKulinski) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KyleKulinski\/status\/1815559540089172134\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 23, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Why the heck isn\u2019t this guy at the topic of the ticket? One reason the Democrats never held anything resembling an open primary, I suppose\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>Then again, there\u2019s two-and-twenty Gina:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Harris is vetting Gina Raimondo for VP. She\u2019s the dark horse. Total disaster if she\u2019s the pick.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1817910663814996010\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Still, the liberalgasm if there were two women on the ticket would be a sight to behold\u2026 <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kamala\"\/>Kamala (D): \u201cKamala Harris campaign seeks \u2018reset\u2019 with crypto companies\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/1a4c5066-9cc0-4849-993b-06a28022ad66\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Financial Times<\/a>]. \u201cKamala Harris\u2019s advisers have approached top crypto companies to \u201creset\u201d relations between her Democratic party and a sector that has come out as an important backer of Donald Trump, her rival for the US presidency.\u201d And: \u201cPeople advising the Harris campaign on business matters said the decision to reconnect with the crypto industry had little to do with attracting new electoral contributions. They said the objective was instead to build a constructive relationship that would ultimately set a smart regulatory framework that would help the growth of the entire asset class.\u201d BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA! Totes, a party needs to retain its self-respect. More: \u201cOne person said her campaign was using the change of leadership on the Democratic ticket as an opportunity to reset relations with the tech industry, which had felt targeted by the Biden administration, particularly on antitrust matters.\u201d So, measuring Lina Khan for the drop? More: \u201cThe underlying message Harris wants to strike is that the Democrats are \u2018pro-business, responsible business\u2019, said one person close to her campaign. Harris is aiming to win back those in the tech community, many of them in her home state of California, who have turned away from the party in protest at the threat of new taxes or regulation of their industry.\u201d \u2022 So backing crypto billionaires is the way to signal \u201cresponsible business.\u201d If Kamala does pick Raimondo, that will be wonderfully clarifying.<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cHarris scrambles Trump\u2019s crypto play\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/rlMNl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cRon Conway, a venture capitalist and top Democratic donor whose firm has invested in crypto companies, posted on X this week that he has \u2018known Kamala for decades, and she\u2019s been a fighter, a leader, and an advocate for the tech ecosystem since the day we met.\u2019 Harris is broadly expected to run on the Biden administration\u2019s record, and speculation about her position on crypto could be a projection. But before Biden dropped out of the race, his camp appeared to be taking a more open-minded approach to crypto concerns, with senior adviser Anita Dunn meeting with industry leaders in Washington.\u201d \u2022 \u201cBroadly\u201d is doing a lot of work,there.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump (R): \u201cTrump proposes strategic national crypto stockpile: \u2018Never sell your bitcoin’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2024\/07\/27\/trump-bitcoin-conference-harris.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNBC<\/a>]. \u201cDonald Trump headlined the biggest bitcoin conference of the year in Nashville on Saturday afternoon. It\u2019s quite the 180-turn after he very publicly dismissed bitcoin when he was in the White House. The Republican presidential nominee also held an accompanying fundraiser in Nashville, with tickets topping out at $844,600. Bitcoin 2024 conference organizers say they were briefly in talks to have Vice President Kamala Harris appear at the conference, though she ultimately declined.\u201d \u2022 No.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cTrump Became Crypto Believer After Falling in Love With NFTs of Himself\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/MBC08\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bloomberg<\/a>]. \u201c\u201dI pledge to the Bitcoin community that the day I take the oath of office, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris\u2019s anti-crypto crusade, it will end,\u201d Trump told the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville on Saturday, comparing crypto to the steel industry a century ago. \u201cIf Bitcoin is going to the moon,\u201d he added, \u2018I want America to be the nation that leads the way.\u2019\u2026. Conventional wisdom has it that this gambit is simply a classic Trumpian transactional relationship. He needs votes and money in a presidential horse race that now looks like it\u2019ll be a photo finish, and he\u2019s exploiting an opening created when President Joe Biden\u2019s administration alienated the crypto crowd by pursuing a crackdown on the industry. If so, it\u2019s working. Crypto is an ecosystem whose public face is dominated by online warriors with a lot of money to throw around, fertile ground for Trump to reap tens of millions of dollars in campaign funds \u2014 and a burgeoning army of vocal fans. His newfound role as cheerleader for the industry helped land him support from the likes of Dogecoin aficionado Elon Musk and billionaire twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss as well as venture-capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz\u2026. Yet despite all the newfound support he is enjoying, there is something else that played an important role in Trump\u2019s conversion to crypto believer: flattering images of himself. Simply put, he fell in love with Trump-themed nonfungible-tokens \u2014 and the supporters who bought them \u2014 and that passion has turned into a broader appreciation for the industry, according to insiders who have watched Trump\u2019s crypto evolution. Trump\u2019s lingering questions about valuations of digital assets haven\u2019t slowed his NFT sales pitch, which was clear in May as he riffed off-script to a Mar-a-Lago gathering of supporters who had purchased at least 47 of the digital trading cards \u2014 pop-art renderings of the former president, including images of him dressed up like a cowboy, a superhero and other figures of fantasy. \u201d \u2022\u00a0Whatever crypto is, it\u2019s not like the steel industry. I see a lot of Carnegie libraries. I don\u2019t see any Winkelvoss libraries.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cThe Strategic Bitcoin Reserve\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eschatonblog.com\/2024\/07\/the-strategic-bitcoin-reserve.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Eschatonblog<\/a>]. \u201cThere is something almost too perfect about the demand from The Bitcoin Community for the federal government to buy up hundreds of billions of their libertarian fake money. every time.\u201d \u2022 \u201cGimmetarianism\u201d is an excellent example of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/kamalas-campaign-blasts-off-with-an-explosion-of-snark.html\">snark<\/a>. I bow before the master.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cReport shows 73% of crypto owners\u2019 vote for US president to be affected by candidate\u2019s stance\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aa.com.tr\/en\/economy\/report-shows-73-of-crypto-owners-vote-for-us-president-to-be-affected-by-candidates-stance\/3286622\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Anadolu Agency<\/a>]. \u201cAlmost three in four cryptocurrency owners say their vote for US president in November will be affected by a candidate\u2019s crypto stance, according to a report that was released Friday. \u2018For the first time in United States history, crypto has become a significant campaign issue in a presidential election,\u2019 US-based crypto exchange and custodian bank firm Gemini said in its 2024 State of Crypto survey. It showed that more than one in five Americans, or 21%, currently own cryptocurrency, and among those who own, the vast majority, or 73%, plan to consider a candidate\u2019s stance on cryptocurrencies when they vote for the next president. More than one-third, or 37%, said a candidate\u2019s position on cryptocurrencies would have \u2018a significant impact\u2019 on their vote for president.\u201d \u2022 Unless Gemini is talking its book, of course.<\/p>\n<p>Fraud all the way down:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">it doesn\u2019t even rank in the top 15 issues <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/psxYw0OFup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/psxYw0OFup<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/l2wbbO9JT4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/l2wbbO9JT4<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WIGRGZiFcW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/WIGRGZiFcW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Talia Jane \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83d\udd25 (@taliaotg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/taliaotg\/status\/1817589635381366907\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Democrats <em>en D\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Centrist freaks:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Well we know who the pro-money laundering and corruption faction is. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MBayHS7fZQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/MBayHS7fZQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1817562696591507475\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/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&list_select_county=all_counties&data-type=Risk&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&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&subtopic=recurring-updates&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>Maskstravaganza<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>This one neat trick shuts down anti-maskers:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Yup. Telling people you mask because you can\u2019t afford sick days can be very effective.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m self employed so I usually go like:<br \/>“Last infection I spent weeks off work, it was so expensive\u2026”<\/p>\n<p>People become wide eyed and before I even finish they\u2019re like: “oh of course, take care” <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UPjUYRf6hF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/UPjUYRf6hF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Misha \ud83d\ude37\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf8 Not a girl (@MishaCopyninja) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MishaCopyninja\/status\/1817442173442265543\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecyclable Adult 3D Face Masks with KN95 Protection KF94 Style\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/shopvida.com\/products\/fda-listed-kf94-masks?Color=Summer%20Night%20Skies&Pack%20Size=10-Pack&utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=REHERO%202%3A%203D%20KN95%20Summer%20launch%20-%20Jul%2025%20%2801J3KV1RJ8YKZH5BJG0966DP6E%29&_kx=vIrrDhA_3gXB1lySFe01LslnRRbMcoNNt1CtJ_o7gqI.PziWs8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Vida<\/a> (Carla)]. \u2022\u00a0Colors, including black, but also <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWhy Covid Keeps Winning\u201d [Gregg Gonsalves and Walker Bragman, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/3RG06\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Nation<\/a>]. Pleased to see these two authors together. The deck: \u201cWe didn\u2019t learn a thing.\u201d Nope. More: \u201cBut Covid revisionism is not just a right-wing phenomenon. It\u2019s gone mainstream. The embrace of this bad hindsight has been fast and furious by some of the most respected legacy media outlets in the country. These publications have churned out piece after piece suggesting <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/03\/opinion\/politics\/covid-measurement-memory.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">we did well in our response<\/a> to the virus; we <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/18\/upshot\/pandemic-school-closures-data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">overreacted<\/a> to the virus at the expense of children\u2019s futures; we need <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.wbur.org\/onpoint\/2024\/06\/11\/pandemic-covid-lockdown-public-health-physician\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a reckoning with lockdowns<\/a>; we ought to embrace the \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2023\/03\/09\/lab-leak-theory-doubts-response\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">lab leak<\/a>\u2018 <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/06\/03\/opinion\/covid-lab-leak.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">origin of SARS-CoV-2<\/a> despite <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.annualreviews.org\/content\/journals\/10.1146\/annurev-virology-093022-013037\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the preponderance of evidence<\/a> supporting a zoonotic origin of the virus. They have even gotten on the Fauci-bashing bandwagon of the far right, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/08\/opinion\/covid-fauci-hearings-health.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">blaming him<\/a> for the collapse in trust in public health.\u201d Fauci certainly helped. More: \u201cAll of this is ridiculous. As President Biden\u2019s recent bout with Covid demonstrates, we are nowhere near being out of the woods with the pandemic\u2014and that is precisely because we did <em>not<\/em> overreact to it. Quite the opposite, in fact. <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/pandem-ic.com\/japan-and-us-are-worlds-apart-on-pandemic-mortality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Compared to our G7 peers<\/a>, the United States did terribly. The federal response was extremely limited, and people died and are still dying because of it. This year alone, according to the CDC, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/%23trends_weeklydeaths_select_00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">nearly 26,000 Americans have died from the virus<\/a>. Our country never made the requisite investments in clean air upgrades for buildings. Despite <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.medpagetoday.com\/infectiousdisease\/covid19\/108552\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">botching our vaccination campaigns<\/a>, we have refused to impose universal Covid <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.medpagetoday.com\/infectiousdisease\/covid19\/108552\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">safety rules for workplaces<\/a>. Although one of the earliest recommendations from the World Health Organization was to <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/youtu.be\/xKDOwELQdZA?si=4FhW2TVqZjm7uhVS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">remove financial barriers<\/a> to care, our country still doesn\u2019t have a universal healthcare system. We have even watched <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.cbpp.org\/research\/health\/unwinding-watch-tracking-medicaid-coverage-as-pandemic-protections-end\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">millions of Americans<\/a> get stripped from the Medicaid rolls, while 10 states still refuse to expand Medicaid eligibility. Meanwhile <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/bipartisanpolicy.org\/explainer\/state-paid-family-leave-laws-across-the-u-s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">less than half of states<\/a> have guaranteed paid medical leave. These are important stories to tell over and over. They represent significant failures of leadership across the aisle. We cannot humanely move on from the pandemic without making basic changes to adapt to life with Covid. That we are expected to is an abdication of responsibility by elected officials, who are seemingly willing to write off the health and safety of our society\u2019s most vulnerable as a cost of doing business.\u201d \u2022 \u201cSeemingly\u201d?<\/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. Keeps spreading.<\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) KP.* very popular.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ER) Worth noting Emergency Department use is now on a par with the first wave, in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Leveling off. Doesn\u2019t need to be a permanent thing, of course. (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). The visualization suppresses what is, in percentage terms, a significant increase.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) An optimist would see a peak.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Slowing<\/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>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Dallas Fed Manufacturing Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/dallas-fed-manufacturing-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas\u2019 general business activity index for manufacturing in Texas fell to -17.5 in July of 2024 from -15.1 in the previous month. It extended the negative momentum in Southern manufacturing with over two consecutive years of contractionary monthly readings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 47 Neutral (previous close: 45 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 56 (Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jul 29 at 1:45:57 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p>Rapture Index: Closes down one on Earthquakes. \u201cThe lack of activity has downgraded this category\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.raptureready.com\/rapture-ready-index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Rapture Ready<\/a>]. Record High, October 10, 2016: 189. Current: 183. (Remember that bringing on the Rapture is good.) \u2022 Hard to believe the Rapture Index is going <em>down<\/em>. Where are there people getting their news?!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sports Desk<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou probably know the start of this Olympic story, but do you know how it finished?\u201d [Aaron Smith, <a href=\"https:\/\/threadreaderapp.com\/thread\/1817431315916165475.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ThreadReader<\/a>]. \u201cThis photo is of Eric Moussambani, aka \u2018Eric the Eel\u2019 from Equatorial Guinea, competing in the 100m Freestyle event at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, alone. Why? Eric\u2019s heat started with 2 other competitors; one from Niger and the other from Tajikistan. Eric\u2019s competitors however both broke, and were disqualified, leaving him to swim this event alone. Eric hadn\u2019t completed a full length of a 50m pool before, but he dived in anyway. It seemed like he wasn\u2019t going to make the distance. Touching a lane rope would\u2019ve been automatic disqualification. He completed in 1:52.72, the slowest time in Olympic History, and for comparison, 47 seconds slower than I did recently, in my late 40s. Remember these times. Why was Eric there? The IOC\u2019s wild card strategy aimed to boost sports in developing nations like Equatorial Guinea. Eric heard the call for swimmers on the radio, and since he was the only one to show up, he made the team! The only issue was, Eric couldn\u2019t swim. So a few months out from the games, Eric started his training, partly with the assistance of fisherman in a lake. He was also given access to a 12M long hotel pool for up to 1hr, three times a week. Equatorial Guinea had no 50m pools. When Eric turned up to Sydney, and swam in a 50M pool for the first time, he couldn\u2019t have been less prepared. The blue speedos he raced in were given to him by the South African swimming coach just prior to his race, who noticed Eric training in shorts. What happened next?\u201d \u2022\u00a0Read the whole thing, it\u2019s great. Be like Eric the Eel!<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fashion week?<\/p>\n<p> =\u201den\u201d dir=\u201dltr\u201d>Ready-to-Wear <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QGdLfq9cg2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/QGdLfq9cg2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Stuart Davis (@StuartDavisArt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StuartDavisArt\/status\/1813115351057543620\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeyond authenticity\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/aeon.co\/essays\/what-hannah-arendt-proposed-as-an-alternative-to-authenticity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Aeon<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cIn her final unfinished work, Hannah Arendt mounted an incisive critique of the idea that we are in search of our true selves.\u201d \u201cIf the inauthentic self is the everyday self, the one among the many, the authentic self is the self that has broken away from the herd; it is the self that exists for the self alone. To step out of the flow of everyday life is an exceptional occurrence. Common wisdom stipulates that \u2018We are what we do\u2019 or \u2018We are the sum total of our actions.\u2019 Each choice shapes the future path we find ourselves on, and occasionally we step back and can see the whole picture of ourselves, how we got to where we are. But for [Nazi philosopher Martin] Heidegger we are most fully ourselves only in those moments of exception, in that clearing of Being when we\u2019ve left the well-worn path carved out by everyday routine altogether. The German word he uses for authenticity is Eigentlichkeit, which is defined as \u2018really\u2019 or \u2018truly\u2019. Eigen means \u2018peculiar\u2019, and \u2018own\u2019 or \u2018of one\u2019s own\u2019. Literally, it might be translated as possessing the quality of being truly for oneself. \u2026 By arguing that thinking was a function of Being, Heidegger had tried to divorce thinking from the will in order to argue that it was one\u2019s true inner Being that determined ultimately who they became in the world. But for Arendt, this was an abdication of personal responsibility and choice. It was a way of handing over one\u2019s decision-making power\u2026 [F]or Arendt, the will was the means to our freedom, it was the promise that we can always be other than we are, and so to the world. The will is a space of tension inside the self where one actively feels the difference between where they are and where they would like to be. The will is the only intervention we have against the conditioning of worldly existence. Willing is the mental activity that goes on between thinking and judgment. It has the power to shape us by drawing us into conflict with ourselves. Without inner conflict, there is no forward movement. These are the basic principles of willing.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Hmm. Not sure I excerpted this properly at all.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStaying human\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/alanneale.substack.com\/p\/staying-human\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">When we are Real<\/a>]. \u201c[W]hat started as an adult male sexual fetish morphed into the construction of synthetic sex identities from manipulated body parts, and is leading to a transhumanist dystopia where reproduction is artificial, life is extended, and humans become melded with machines. This, [Bilek] shows, is not an organic development, but the deliberate outcome of an industry that requires acceptance of dissociation from our bodies as normal. \u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On \u201cintelligent design\u201d:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We have a “shove food down this” tube dangerously close to our “food must never block this airway” tube and they are behind identical unmarked doors in our throat <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mdXtSVl26Z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/mdXtSVl26Z<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jennifer Lee Rossman #SaveLowerDecks (@JenLRossman) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JenLRossman\/status\/1816624997907026034\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 26, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><br \/>\n<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-7-26-2024.html"\">here<\/a>. From DG:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/weeds_stump.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/weeds_stump.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/weeds_stump-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>DG writes: \u201cWeeds and an old stump encroaching on the ruins of an old DC aqueduct.\u201d As readers know, I am a fan of stumps, particularly rotted ones.<\/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 & 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 & 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-7-29-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente Bird Song of the Day Blue Mockingbird, Yecora, Km 261, Sonora, Mexico. I thought I would try another species of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":82598,"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-82597","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\/82597","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=82597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Blue Mockingbird, Yecora, Km 261, Sonora, Mexico. I thought I would try another species of mockingbird.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"#vp\">Kamala\u2019s VP search<\/a> (Walz; Raimondo a dark horse).<\/p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"#kamala\">Kamala on crypto<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"#trump\">Trump on crypto<\/a> (and NFTs).<\/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>2024<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Less than one hundred days 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:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"638\" height=\"1082\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26.png 638w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26-177x300.png 177w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26-604x1024.png 604w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26-624x1058.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>First poll with Harris at the top of the Democrat ticket; Trump\u2019s position deteriorates (and any advantage he gained from the assassination attempt has been wiped away. Nevertheless, he still leads, albeit within the margin of error. NOTE RCP used to have two pages of swing states; I always used the first one. Now there is only one, which I take as an indicator that Harris v. Trump polling is not all that widespread.<\/p>\n<p>Vibe shift:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Unbelievable vibe shift in the US with Kamala Harris <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LAZoglUMHW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/LAZoglUMHW<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rrMisGHLbu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/rrMisGHLbu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Albert Pinto (@70sBachchan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/70sBachchan\/status\/1816818691431878958\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 26, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><br \/>\n<center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"defenestration\"\/>Biden Defenestration:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeaving Las Vegas\u201d (excerpt) [<a href=\"https:\/\/seymourhersh.substack.com\/p\/leaving-las-vegas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Seymour Hersh<\/a>]. \u201cIt\u2019s not surprising that the long overdue unraveling of President Joe Biden\u2019s re-election campaign happened when it became impossible to keep his increasing impairment covered up. It was the big-time money backers of the Democratic Party who called off the game of see no evil, hear no evil, after Biden\u2019s shocking performance in his June debate with Donald Trump. They balked at continuing to give millions of dollars to the party now that there was evidence that the president is not always there.\u201d \u2022 At which point the excerpt ends, having said nothing especially incisive or new, disappointingly. Or sourced, for that matter. Here an excerpt from a Tweet:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Insane story from Seymour Hersh\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Biden was threatened with the 25th Amendment by top level Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>“Obama called Biden after breakfast [on July 21] and said, \u2018Here\u2019s the deal. We have Kamala\u2019s approval to invoke the 25th Amendment.’\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pxL27A7fhB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/pxL27A7fhB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Geiger_Capital\/status\/1817614341274804570\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>We speculated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-23-2024.html#twentyfifth\">last week<\/a> that the TwentyFifth Amendment was Pelosi\u2019s \u201chard way\u201d; what Hersh, or rather his official(s?) add is that Obama held the dagger, not Pelosi, and that the (presumed) medical event described in this Daily Mail piece (\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-24-2024.html#biden\">Biden was deathly pale<\/a>\u201c) was the final straw for the Inner Party. More here\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeymour Hersh: Obama and Kamala threatened to invoke the 25th Amendment on Biden before he dropped out\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thepostmillennial.com\/seymour-hersh-obama-and-kamala-threatened-to-invoke-the-25th-amendment-on-biden-before-he-dropped-out\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Post Millennial<\/a>]. Hate to use this source, but here we are: \u201c\u2018It was clear at this point,\u2019 , per Hersch [sic,] \u2018that she would get the nod\u2019\u2014that is, the support to run for the presidency in the November election. \u2018But Obama also made it clear,\u2019 the official said, \u2018that he was not going to immediately endorse her. But the group [the Big Three: Pelosi, Schumer, Obama] had decided that her work as a prosecutor would help her deal with Trump in a debate.’\u201d We\u2019ll see how that goes. \u201cThe official, who has decades of experience in fundraising, told me that Obama emerged as the strongman throughout the negotiations. \u2018He had an agenda and he wanted to seek it [sic] through to the end, and he wanted to have control over who would be elected.’\u201d Note that so far we are single-sourced, though I haven\u2019t read the whole piece. It would be interesting to know what agenda Obama actually had, and what his purpose for delaying his and Michelle\u2019s endorsement was.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast Tango in Washington: how sad, sidelined Joe Biden may yet have the last laugh\u201d [Simon Tisdale, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/opinion\/ar-BB1qJz7z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a>]. \u201cIn November 1992, after losing to Bill Clinton, George HW Bush found himself in a similar position, although he had only two months left in office. Like Biden, Bush was a foreign policy nerd, and the president, not Congress, directs foreign policy. So, because he thought it was the right thing to do \u2013 but basically because he could \u2013 Bush, to widespread amazement, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.presidency.ucsb.edu\/documents\/address-the-nation-the-situation-somalia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">invaded Somalia<\/a>.\u201d \u2022 Well, that\u2019s reassuring.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trail\"\/><em><strong>The Campaign Trail<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"vp\">The VP search:<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cCould Josh Shapiro win Kamala Harris the Electoral College?\u201d [Nate Silver, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natesilver.net\/p\/could-josh-shapiro-win-kamala-harris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Silver Bulletin<\/a>]. About his model: \u201c[W]e\u2019ve found out three things, all of which cut against the hypothesis that a veep choice makes all <em>that<\/em> much difference: Home-state effects are only about one-quarter as large for the VP pick than for the presidential nominee. Home-state effects are roughly inversely proportional to the number of electoral votes in a state. In other words, a VP choice can make a small difference in a large state or a relatively large difference in a small state (say, Sarah Palin in Alaska or Biden in Delaware). I think this makes sense intuitively; in a smaller state, a politician is more likely to feel as though he\u2019s from your proverbial backyard. And home-state effects have probably diminished over time as partisanship dominates all other considerations.\u201d \u2022 So, probably not.<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cWhy Kamala Harris should pick Tim Walz as her running mate\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/article\/2024\/jul\/29\/why-kamala-harris-should-pick-tim-walz-running-mate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a>]. \u201cI\u2019ll be honest: last month, I would have struggled to pick Walz out of a lineup. This month? I\u2019m Walz-pilled. I have watched dozens of his interviews and clips. And I\u2019m far from alone. He has an army of new fans across the liberal-left: from former Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign co-chair Nina Turner, to one-time Democratic congressman Beto O\u2019Rourke, to gun-control activist David Hogg. \u2018In less than 6 days, I went from not knowing who Tim Walz is,\u2019 joked writer Travis Helwig on X, \u2018to deep down believing that if he doesn\u2019t get the VP nod I will storm the capitol.\u2019 According to Bloomberg, the Harris campaign has narrowed down its \u201ctop tier\u201d of potential running mates to three \u201cwhite guy\u201d candidates: Walz (hurrah!), plus the Arizona senator Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro. Both Kelly and Shapiro have their strengths \u2013 and both represent must-win states for the Dems. Allow me, however, to make the clear case for Walz.\u201d \u2022 Or just watch this video:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My daughter, Hope, tricked me into doing the most extreme ride at the Minnesota State Fair. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YeMEocwJRv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/YeMEocwJRv<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovTimWalz\/status\/1698761196730540472\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">September 4, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Report from the field:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Dads at my parents’ (affluent) suburban VA swimming pool overheard discussing Tim Walz: “i’d never heard of him either, but man, he’s a straight shooter & could destroy JD Vance!” “Yeah even though the VP is not supposed to matter I hope they pick him.”<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 moe tkacik (@moetkacik) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/moetkacik\/status\/1817279114258125152\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 27, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The coveted Derek Guy endorsment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">pretty good casual outfit on walz. the coat is an LL Bean barn coat, which you can find on eBay for about $50. good with jeans, sneakers, and work boots. some bipartisanship since a similar, but not exact, coat was once seen on romney (who also looks pretty good here) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XAKGUcQjZi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/XAKGUcQjZi<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JEJvjlsj0V\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/JEJvjlsj0V<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 derek guy (@dieworkwear) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dieworkwear\/status\/1817384155933794626\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Minnesota readers will of course clarify his track record and correct any sunny optimism:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Tim Walz is \u2013 by far \u2013 the most based Democrat governor in the country. With a 1 seat majority in Minnesota he did:<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 universal free school meals<br \/>\u2013 legal weed<br \/>\u2013 carbon free electricity by 2040<br \/>\u2013 tax rebates for the working class up to $1,300 (making under $150k per year)<br \/>\u2013 12\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/r6CCVGVwkd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/r6CCVGVwkd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Secular Talk\ud83c\udf99 (@KyleKulinski) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KyleKulinski\/status\/1815559540089172134\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 23, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Why the heck isn\u2019t this guy at the topic of the ticket? One reason the Democrats never held anything resembling an open primary, I suppose\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>Then again, there\u2019s two-and-twenty Gina:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Harris is vetting Gina Raimondo for VP. She\u2019s the dark horse. Total disaster if she\u2019s the pick.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1817910663814996010\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Still, the liberalgasm if there were two women on the ticket would be a sight to behold\u2026 <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kamala\"\/>Kamala (D): \u201cKamala Harris campaign seeks \u2018reset\u2019 with crypto companies\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/1a4c5066-9cc0-4849-993b-06a28022ad66\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Financial Times<\/a>]. \u201cKamala Harris\u2019s advisers have approached top crypto companies to \u201creset\u201d relations between her Democratic party and a sector that has come out as an important backer of Donald Trump, her rival for the US presidency.\u201d And: \u201cPeople advising the Harris campaign on business matters said the decision to reconnect with the crypto industry had little to do with attracting new electoral contributions. They said the objective was instead to build a constructive relationship that would ultimately set a smart regulatory framework that would help the growth of the entire asset class.\u201d BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA! Totes, a party needs to retain its self-respect. More: \u201cOne person said her campaign was using the change of leadership on the Democratic ticket as an opportunity to reset relations with the tech industry, which had felt targeted by the Biden administration, particularly on antitrust matters.\u201d So, measuring Lina Khan for the drop? More: \u201cThe underlying message Harris wants to strike is that the Democrats are \u2018pro-business, responsible business\u2019, said one person close to her campaign. Harris is aiming to win back those in the tech community, many of them in her home state of California, who have turned away from the party in protest at the threat of new taxes or regulation of their industry.\u201d \u2022 So backing crypto billionaires is the way to signal \u201cresponsible business.\u201d If Kamala does pick Raimondo, that will be wonderfully clarifying.<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cHarris scrambles Trump\u2019s crypto play\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/rlMNl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cRon Conway, a venture capitalist and top Democratic donor whose firm has invested in crypto companies, posted on X this week that he has \u2018known Kamala for decades, and she\u2019s been a fighter, a leader, and an advocate for the tech ecosystem since the day we met.\u2019 Harris is broadly expected to run on the Biden administration\u2019s record, and speculation about her position on crypto could be a projection. But before Biden dropped out of the race, his camp appeared to be taking a more open-minded approach to crypto concerns, with senior adviser Anita Dunn meeting with industry leaders in Washington.\u201d \u2022 \u201cBroadly\u201d is doing a lot of work,there.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump (R): \u201cTrump proposes strategic national crypto stockpile: \u2018Never sell your bitcoin’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2024\/07\/27\/trump-bitcoin-conference-harris.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNBC<\/a>]. \u201cDonald Trump headlined the biggest bitcoin conference of the year in Nashville on Saturday afternoon. It\u2019s quite the 180-turn after he very publicly dismissed bitcoin when he was in the White House. The Republican presidential nominee also held an accompanying fundraiser in Nashville, with tickets topping out at $844,600. Bitcoin 2024 conference organizers say they were briefly in talks to have Vice President Kamala Harris appear at the conference, though she ultimately declined.\u201d \u2022 No.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cTrump Became Crypto Believer After Falling in Love With NFTs of Himself\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/MBC08\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bloomberg<\/a>]. \u201c\u201dI pledge to the Bitcoin community that the day I take the oath of office, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris\u2019s anti-crypto crusade, it will end,\u201d Trump told the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville on Saturday, comparing crypto to the steel industry a century ago. \u201cIf Bitcoin is going to the moon,\u201d he added, \u2018I want America to be the nation that leads the way.\u2019\u2026. Conventional wisdom has it that this gambit is simply a classic Trumpian transactional relationship. He needs votes and money in a presidential horse race that now looks like it\u2019ll be a photo finish, and he\u2019s exploiting an opening created when President Joe Biden\u2019s administration alienated the crypto crowd by pursuing a crackdown on the industry. If so, it\u2019s working. Crypto is an ecosystem whose public face is dominated by online warriors with a lot of money to throw around, fertile ground for Trump to reap tens of millions of dollars in campaign funds \u2014 and a burgeoning army of vocal fans. His newfound role as cheerleader for the industry helped land him support from the likes of Dogecoin aficionado Elon Musk and billionaire twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss as well as venture-capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz\u2026. Yet despite all the newfound support he is enjoying, there is something else that played an important role in Trump\u2019s conversion to crypto believer: flattering images of himself. Simply put, he fell in love with Trump-themed nonfungible-tokens \u2014 and the supporters who bought them \u2014 and that passion has turned into a broader appreciation for the industry, according to insiders who have watched Trump\u2019s crypto evolution. Trump\u2019s lingering questions about valuations of digital assets haven\u2019t slowed his NFT sales pitch, which was clear in May as he riffed off-script to a Mar-a-Lago gathering of supporters who had purchased at least 47 of the digital trading cards \u2014 pop-art renderings of the former president, including images of him dressed up like a cowboy, a superhero and other figures of fantasy. \u201d \u2022\u00a0Whatever crypto is, it\u2019s not like the steel industry. I see a lot of Carnegie libraries. I don\u2019t see any Winkelvoss libraries.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cThe Strategic Bitcoin Reserve\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eschatonblog.com\/2024\/07\/the-strategic-bitcoin-reserve.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Eschatonblog<\/a>]. \u201cThere is something almost too perfect about the demand from The Bitcoin Community for the federal government to buy up hundreds of billions of their libertarian fake money. every time.\u201d \u2022 \u201cGimmetarianism\u201d is an excellent example of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/kamalas-campaign-blasts-off-with-an-explosion-of-snark.html\">snark<\/a>. I bow before the master.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cReport shows 73% of crypto owners\u2019 vote for US president to be affected by candidate\u2019s stance\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aa.com.tr\/en\/economy\/report-shows-73-of-crypto-owners-vote-for-us-president-to-be-affected-by-candidates-stance\/3286622\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Anadolu Agency<\/a>]. \u201cAlmost three in four cryptocurrency owners say their vote for US president in November will be affected by a candidate\u2019s crypto stance, according to a report that was released Friday. \u2018For the first time in United States history, crypto has become a significant campaign issue in a presidential election,\u2019 US-based crypto exchange and custodian bank firm Gemini said in its 2024 State of Crypto survey. It showed that more than one in five Americans, or 21%, currently own cryptocurrency, and among those who own, the vast majority, or 73%, plan to consider a candidate\u2019s stance on cryptocurrencies when they vote for the next president. More than one-third, or 37%, said a candidate\u2019s position on cryptocurrencies would have \u2018a significant impact\u2019 on their vote for president.\u201d \u2022 Unless Gemini is talking its book, of course.<\/p>\n<p>Fraud all the way down:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">it doesn\u2019t even rank in the top 15 issues <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/psxYw0OFup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/psxYw0OFup<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/l2wbbO9JT4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/l2wbbO9JT4<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WIGRGZiFcW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/WIGRGZiFcW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Talia Jane \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83d\udd25 (@taliaotg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/taliaotg\/status\/1817589635381366907\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Democrats <em>en D\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Centrist freaks:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Well we know who the pro-money laundering and corruption faction is. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MBayHS7fZQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/MBayHS7fZQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1817562696591507475\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/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&list_select_county=all_counties&data-type=Risk&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>; 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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&subtopic=recurring-updates&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>Maskstravaganza<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>This one neat trick shuts down anti-maskers:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Yup. Telling people you mask because you can\u2019t afford sick days can be very effective.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m self employed so I usually go like:<br \/>“Last infection I spent weeks off work, it was so expensive\u2026”<\/p>\n<p>People become wide eyed and before I even finish they\u2019re like: “oh of course, take care” <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UPjUYRf6hF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/UPjUYRf6hF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Misha \ud83d\ude37\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf8 Not a girl (@MishaCopyninja) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MishaCopyninja\/status\/1817442173442265543\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecyclable Adult 3D Face Masks with KN95 Protection KF94 Style\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/shopvida.com\/products\/fda-listed-kf94-masks?Color=Summer%20Night%20Skies&Pack%20Size=10-Pack&utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=REHERO%202%3A%203D%20KN95%20Summer%20launch%20-%20Jul%2025%20%2801J3KV1RJ8YKZH5BJG0966DP6E%29&_kx=vIrrDhA_3gXB1lySFe01LslnRRbMcoNNt1CtJ_o7gqI.PziWs8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Vida<\/a> (Carla)]. \u2022\u00a0Colors, including black, but also <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWhy Covid Keeps Winning\u201d [Gregg Gonsalves and Walker Bragman, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/3RG06\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Nation<\/a>]. Pleased to see these two authors together. The deck: \u201cWe didn\u2019t learn a thing.\u201d Nope. More: \u201cBut Covid revisionism is not just a right-wing phenomenon. It\u2019s gone mainstream. The embrace of this bad hindsight has been fast and furious by some of the most respected legacy media outlets in the country. These publications have churned out piece after piece suggesting <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/03\/opinion\/politics\/covid-measurement-memory.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">we did well in our response<\/a> to the virus; we <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/18\/upshot\/pandemic-school-closures-data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">overreacted<\/a> to the virus at the expense of children\u2019s futures; we need <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.wbur.org\/onpoint\/2024\/06\/11\/pandemic-covid-lockdown-public-health-physician\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a reckoning with lockdowns<\/a>; we ought to embrace the \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2023\/03\/09\/lab-leak-theory-doubts-response\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">lab leak<\/a>\u2018 <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/06\/03\/opinion\/covid-lab-leak.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">origin of SARS-CoV-2<\/a> despite <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.annualreviews.org\/content\/journals\/10.1146\/annurev-virology-093022-013037\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the preponderance of evidence<\/a> supporting a zoonotic origin of the virus. They have even gotten on the Fauci-bashing bandwagon of the far right, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/08\/opinion\/covid-fauci-hearings-health.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">blaming him<\/a> for the collapse in trust in public health.\u201d Fauci certainly helped. More: \u201cAll of this is ridiculous. As President Biden\u2019s recent bout with Covid demonstrates, we are nowhere near being out of the woods with the pandemic\u2014and that is precisely because we did <em>not<\/em> overreact to it. Quite the opposite, in fact. <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/pandem-ic.com\/japan-and-us-are-worlds-apart-on-pandemic-mortality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Compared to our G7 peers<\/a>, the United States did terribly. The federal response was extremely limited, and people died and are still dying because of it. This year alone, according to the CDC, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/%23trends_weeklydeaths_select_00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">nearly 26,000 Americans have died from the virus<\/a>. Our country never made the requisite investments in clean air upgrades for buildings. Despite <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.medpagetoday.com\/infectiousdisease\/covid19\/108552\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">botching our vaccination campaigns<\/a>, we have refused to impose universal Covid <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.medpagetoday.com\/infectiousdisease\/covid19\/108552\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">safety rules for workplaces<\/a>. Although one of the earliest recommendations from the World Health Organization was to <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/youtu.be\/xKDOwELQdZA?si=4FhW2TVqZjm7uhVS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">remove financial barriers<\/a> to care, our country still doesn\u2019t have a universal healthcare system. We have even watched <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.cbpp.org\/research\/health\/unwinding-watch-tracking-medicaid-coverage-as-pandemic-protections-end\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">millions of Americans<\/a> get stripped from the Medicaid rolls, while 10 states still refuse to expand Medicaid eligibility. Meanwhile <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/bipartisanpolicy.org\/explainer\/state-paid-family-leave-laws-across-the-u-s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">less than half of states<\/a> have guaranteed paid medical leave. These are important stories to tell over and over. They represent significant failures of leadership across the aisle. We cannot humanely move on from the pandemic without making basic changes to adapt to life with Covid. That we are expected to is an abdication of responsibility by elected officials, who are seemingly willing to write off the health and safety of our society\u2019s most vulnerable as a cost of doing business.\u201d \u2022 \u201cSeemingly\u201d?<\/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. Keeps spreading.<\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) KP.* very popular.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ER) Worth noting Emergency Department use is now on a par with the first wave, in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Leveling off. Doesn\u2019t need to be a permanent thing, of course. (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). The visualization suppresses what is, in percentage terms, a significant increase.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) An optimist would see a peak.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Slowing<\/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>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Dallas Fed Manufacturing Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/dallas-fed-manufacturing-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas\u2019 general business activity index for manufacturing in Texas fell to -17.5 in July of 2024 from -15.1 in the previous month. It extended the negative momentum in Southern manufacturing with over two consecutive years of contractionary monthly readings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 47 Neutral (previous close: 45 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 56 (Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jul 29 at 1:45:57 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p>Rapture Index: Closes down one on Earthquakes. \u201cThe lack of activity has downgraded this category\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.raptureready.com\/rapture-ready-index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Rapture Ready<\/a>]. Record High, October 10, 2016: 189. Current: 183. (Remember that bringing on the Rapture is good.) \u2022 Hard to believe the Rapture Index is going <em>down<\/em>. Where are there people getting their news?!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sports Desk<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou probably know the start of this Olympic story, but do you know how it finished?\u201d [Aaron Smith, <a href=\"https:\/\/threadreaderapp.com\/thread\/1817431315916165475.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ThreadReader<\/a>]. \u201cThis photo is of Eric Moussambani, aka \u2018Eric the Eel\u2019 from Equatorial Guinea, competing in the 100m Freestyle event at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, alone. Why? Eric\u2019s heat started with 2 other competitors; one from Niger and the other from Tajikistan. Eric\u2019s competitors however both broke, and were disqualified, leaving him to swim this event alone. Eric hadn\u2019t completed a full length of a 50m pool before, but he dived in anyway. It seemed like he wasn\u2019t going to make the distance. Touching a lane rope would\u2019ve been automatic disqualification. He completed in 1:52.72, the slowest time in Olympic History, and for comparison, 47 seconds slower than I did recently, in my late 40s. Remember these times. Why was Eric there? The IOC\u2019s wild card strategy aimed to boost sports in developing nations like Equatorial Guinea. Eric heard the call for swimmers on the radio, and since he was the only one to show up, he made the team! The only issue was, Eric couldn\u2019t swim. So a few months out from the games, Eric started his training, partly with the assistance of fisherman in a lake. He was also given access to a 12M long hotel pool for up to 1hr, three times a week. Equatorial Guinea had no 50m pools. When Eric turned up to Sydney, and swam in a 50M pool for the first time, he couldn\u2019t have been less prepared. The blue speedos he raced in were given to him by the South African swimming coach just prior to his race, who noticed Eric training in shorts. What happened next?\u201d \u2022\u00a0Read the whole thing, it\u2019s great. Be like Eric the Eel!<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fashion week?<\/p>\n<p> =\u201den\u201d dir=\u201dltr\u201d>Ready-to-Wear <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QGdLfq9cg2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/QGdLfq9cg2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Stuart Davis (@StuartDavisArt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StuartDavisArt\/status\/1813115351057543620\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeyond authenticity\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/aeon.co\/essays\/what-hannah-arendt-proposed-as-an-alternative-to-authenticity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Aeon<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cIn her final unfinished work, Hannah Arendt mounted an incisive critique of the idea that we are in search of our true selves.\u201d \u201cIf the inauthentic self is the everyday self, the one among the many, the authentic self is the self that has broken away from the herd; it is the self that exists for the self alone. To step out of the flow of everyday life is an exceptional occurrence. Common wisdom stipulates that \u2018We are what we do\u2019 or \u2018We are the sum total of our actions.\u2019 Each choice shapes the future path we find ourselves on, and occasionally we step back and can see the whole picture of ourselves, how we got to where we are. But for [Nazi philosopher Martin] Heidegger we are most fully ourselves only in those moments of exception, in that clearing of Being when we\u2019ve left the well-worn path carved out by everyday routine altogether. The German word he uses for authenticity is Eigentlichkeit, which is defined as \u2018really\u2019 or \u2018truly\u2019. Eigen means \u2018peculiar\u2019, and \u2018own\u2019 or \u2018of one\u2019s own\u2019. Literally, it might be translated as possessing the quality of being truly for oneself. \u2026 By arguing that thinking was a function of Being, Heidegger had tried to divorce thinking from the will in order to argue that it was one\u2019s true inner Being that determined ultimately who they became in the world. But for Arendt, this was an abdication of personal responsibility and choice. It was a way of handing over one\u2019s decision-making power\u2026 [F]or Arendt, the will was the means to our freedom, it was the promise that we can always be other than we are, and so to the world. The will is a space of tension inside the self where one actively feels the difference between where they are and where they would like to be. The will is the only intervention we have against the conditioning of worldly existence. Willing is the mental activity that goes on between thinking and judgment. It has the power to shape us by drawing us into conflict with ourselves. Without inner conflict, there is no forward movement. These are the basic principles of willing.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Hmm. Not sure I excerpted this properly at all.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStaying human\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/alanneale.substack.com\/p\/staying-human\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">When we are Real<\/a>]. \u201c[W]hat started as an adult male sexual fetish morphed into the construction of synthetic sex identities from manipulated body parts, and is leading to a transhumanist dystopia where reproduction is artificial, life is extended, and humans become melded with machines. This, [Bilek] shows, is not an organic development, but the deliberate outcome of an industry that requires acceptance of dissociation from our bodies as normal. \u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On \u201cintelligent design\u201d:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We have a “shove food down this” tube dangerously close to our “food must never block this airway” tube and they are behind identical unmarked doors in our throat <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mdXtSVl26Z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/mdXtSVl26Z<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jennifer Lee Rossman #SaveLowerDecks (@JenLRossman) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JenLRossman\/status\/1816624997907026034\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 26, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><br \/>\n<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-7-26-2024.html"\">here<\/a>. From DG:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/weeds_stump.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/weeds_stump.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/weeds_stump-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>DG writes: \u201cWeeds and an old stump encroaching on the ruins of an old DC aqueduct.\u201d As readers know, I am a fan of stumps, particularly rotted ones.<\/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 & 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 & 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-7-29-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente Bird Song of the Day Blue Mockingbird, Yecora, Km 261, Sonora, Mexico. I thought I would try another species of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":82598,"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-82597","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\/82597","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=82597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Blue Mockingbird, Yecora, Km 261, Sonora, Mexico. I thought I would try another species of mockingbird.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"#vp\">Kamala\u2019s VP search<\/a> (Walz; Raimondo a dark horse).<\/p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"#kamala\">Kamala on crypto<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"#trump\">Trump on crypto<\/a> (and NFTs).<\/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>2024<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Less than one hundred days 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:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"638\" height=\"1082\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26.png 638w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26-177x300.png 177w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26-604x1024.png 604w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-26-624x1058.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>First poll with Harris at the top of the Democrat ticket; Trump\u2019s position deteriorates (and any advantage he gained from the assassination attempt has been wiped away. Nevertheless, he still leads, albeit within the margin of error. NOTE RCP used to have two pages of swing states; I always used the first one. Now there is only one, which I take as an indicator that Harris v. Trump polling is not all that widespread.<\/p>\n<p>Vibe shift:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Unbelievable vibe shift in the US with Kamala Harris <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LAZoglUMHW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/LAZoglUMHW<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rrMisGHLbu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/rrMisGHLbu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Albert Pinto (@70sBachchan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/70sBachchan\/status\/1816818691431878958\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 26, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><br \/>\n<center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"defenestration\"\/>Biden Defenestration:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeaving Las Vegas\u201d (excerpt) [<a href=\"https:\/\/seymourhersh.substack.com\/p\/leaving-las-vegas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Seymour Hersh<\/a>]. \u201cIt\u2019s not surprising that the long overdue unraveling of President Joe Biden\u2019s re-election campaign happened when it became impossible to keep his increasing impairment covered up. It was the big-time money backers of the Democratic Party who called off the game of see no evil, hear no evil, after Biden\u2019s shocking performance in his June debate with Donald Trump. They balked at continuing to give millions of dollars to the party now that there was evidence that the president is not always there.\u201d \u2022 At which point the excerpt ends, having said nothing especially incisive or new, disappointingly. Or sourced, for that matter. Here an excerpt from a Tweet:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Insane story from Seymour Hersh\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Biden was threatened with the 25th Amendment by top level Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>“Obama called Biden after breakfast [on July 21] and said, \u2018Here\u2019s the deal. We have Kamala\u2019s approval to invoke the 25th Amendment.’\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pxL27A7fhB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/pxL27A7fhB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Geiger_Capital\/status\/1817614341274804570\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>We speculated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-23-2024.html#twentyfifth\">last week<\/a> that the TwentyFifth Amendment was Pelosi\u2019s \u201chard way\u201d; what Hersh, or rather his official(s?) add is that Obama held the dagger, not Pelosi, and that the (presumed) medical event described in this Daily Mail piece (\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/200pm-water-cooler-7-24-2024.html#biden\">Biden was deathly pale<\/a>\u201c) was the final straw for the Inner Party. More here\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeymour Hersh: Obama and Kamala threatened to invoke the 25th Amendment on Biden before he dropped out\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thepostmillennial.com\/seymour-hersh-obama-and-kamala-threatened-to-invoke-the-25th-amendment-on-biden-before-he-dropped-out\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Post Millennial<\/a>]. Hate to use this source, but here we are: \u201c\u2018It was clear at this point,\u2019 , per Hersch [sic,] \u2018that she would get the nod\u2019\u2014that is, the support to run for the presidency in the November election. \u2018But Obama also made it clear,\u2019 the official said, \u2018that he was not going to immediately endorse her. But the group [the Big Three: Pelosi, Schumer, Obama] had decided that her work as a prosecutor would help her deal with Trump in a debate.’\u201d We\u2019ll see how that goes. \u201cThe official, who has decades of experience in fundraising, told me that Obama emerged as the strongman throughout the negotiations. \u2018He had an agenda and he wanted to seek it [sic] through to the end, and he wanted to have control over who would be elected.’\u201d Note that so far we are single-sourced, though I haven\u2019t read the whole piece. It would be interesting to know what agenda Obama actually had, and what his purpose for delaying his and Michelle\u2019s endorsement was.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast Tango in Washington: how sad, sidelined Joe Biden may yet have the last laugh\u201d [Simon Tisdale, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/opinion\/ar-BB1qJz7z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a>]. \u201cIn November 1992, after losing to Bill Clinton, George HW Bush found himself in a similar position, although he had only two months left in office. Like Biden, Bush was a foreign policy nerd, and the president, not Congress, directs foreign policy. So, because he thought it was the right thing to do \u2013 but basically because he could \u2013 Bush, to widespread amazement, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.presidency.ucsb.edu\/documents\/address-the-nation-the-situation-somalia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">invaded Somalia<\/a>.\u201d \u2022 Well, that\u2019s reassuring.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trail\"\/><em><strong>The Campaign Trail<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"vp\">The VP search:<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cCould Josh Shapiro win Kamala Harris the Electoral College?\u201d [Nate Silver, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natesilver.net\/p\/could-josh-shapiro-win-kamala-harris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Silver Bulletin<\/a>]. About his model: \u201c[W]e\u2019ve found out three things, all of which cut against the hypothesis that a veep choice makes all <em>that<\/em> much difference: Home-state effects are only about one-quarter as large for the VP pick than for the presidential nominee. Home-state effects are roughly inversely proportional to the number of electoral votes in a state. In other words, a VP choice can make a small difference in a large state or a relatively large difference in a small state (say, Sarah Palin in Alaska or Biden in Delaware). I think this makes sense intuitively; in a smaller state, a politician is more likely to feel as though he\u2019s from your proverbial backyard. And home-state effects have probably diminished over time as partisanship dominates all other considerations.\u201d \u2022 So, probably not.<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cWhy Kamala Harris should pick Tim Walz as her running mate\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/article\/2024\/jul\/29\/why-kamala-harris-should-pick-tim-walz-running-mate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a>]. \u201cI\u2019ll be honest: last month, I would have struggled to pick Walz out of a lineup. This month? I\u2019m Walz-pilled. I have watched dozens of his interviews and clips. And I\u2019m far from alone. He has an army of new fans across the liberal-left: from former Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign co-chair Nina Turner, to one-time Democratic congressman Beto O\u2019Rourke, to gun-control activist David Hogg. \u2018In less than 6 days, I went from not knowing who Tim Walz is,\u2019 joked writer Travis Helwig on X, \u2018to deep down believing that if he doesn\u2019t get the VP nod I will storm the capitol.\u2019 According to Bloomberg, the Harris campaign has narrowed down its \u201ctop tier\u201d of potential running mates to three \u201cwhite guy\u201d candidates: Walz (hurrah!), plus the Arizona senator Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro. Both Kelly and Shapiro have their strengths \u2013 and both represent must-win states for the Dems. Allow me, however, to make the clear case for Walz.\u201d \u2022 Or just watch this video:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My daughter, Hope, tricked me into doing the most extreme ride at the Minnesota State Fair. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YeMEocwJRv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/YeMEocwJRv<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovTimWalz\/status\/1698761196730540472\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">September 4, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Report from the field:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Dads at my parents’ (affluent) suburban VA swimming pool overheard discussing Tim Walz: “i’d never heard of him either, but man, he’s a straight shooter & could destroy JD Vance!” “Yeah even though the VP is not supposed to matter I hope they pick him.”<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 moe tkacik (@moetkacik) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/moetkacik\/status\/1817279114258125152\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 27, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The coveted Derek Guy endorsment:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">pretty good casual outfit on walz. the coat is an LL Bean barn coat, which you can find on eBay for about $50. good with jeans, sneakers, and work boots. some bipartisanship since a similar, but not exact, coat was once seen on romney (who also looks pretty good here) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XAKGUcQjZi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/XAKGUcQjZi<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JEJvjlsj0V\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/JEJvjlsj0V<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 derek guy (@dieworkwear) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dieworkwear\/status\/1817384155933794626\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Minnesota readers will of course clarify his track record and correct any sunny optimism:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Tim Walz is \u2013 by far \u2013 the most based Democrat governor in the country. With a 1 seat majority in Minnesota he did:<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 universal free school meals<br \/>\u2013 legal weed<br \/>\u2013 carbon free electricity by 2040<br \/>\u2013 tax rebates for the working class up to $1,300 (making under $150k per year)<br \/>\u2013 12\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/r6CCVGVwkd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/r6CCVGVwkd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Secular Talk\ud83c\udf99 (@KyleKulinski) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KyleKulinski\/status\/1815559540089172134\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 23, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Why the heck isn\u2019t this guy at the topic of the ticket? One reason the Democrats never held anything resembling an open primary, I suppose\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>Then again, there\u2019s two-and-twenty Gina:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Harris is vetting Gina Raimondo for VP. She\u2019s the dark horse. Total disaster if she\u2019s the pick.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1817910663814996010\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Still, the liberalgasm if there were two women on the ticket would be a sight to behold\u2026 <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kamala\"\/>Kamala (D): \u201cKamala Harris campaign seeks \u2018reset\u2019 with crypto companies\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/1a4c5066-9cc0-4849-993b-06a28022ad66\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Financial Times<\/a>]. \u201cKamala Harris\u2019s advisers have approached top crypto companies to \u201creset\u201d relations between her Democratic party and a sector that has come out as an important backer of Donald Trump, her rival for the US presidency.\u201d And: \u201cPeople advising the Harris campaign on business matters said the decision to reconnect with the crypto industry had little to do with attracting new electoral contributions. They said the objective was instead to build a constructive relationship that would ultimately set a smart regulatory framework that would help the growth of the entire asset class.\u201d BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA! Totes, a party needs to retain its self-respect. More: \u201cOne person said her campaign was using the change of leadership on the Democratic ticket as an opportunity to reset relations with the tech industry, which had felt targeted by the Biden administration, particularly on antitrust matters.\u201d So, measuring Lina Khan for the drop? More: \u201cThe underlying message Harris wants to strike is that the Democrats are \u2018pro-business, responsible business\u2019, said one person close to her campaign. Harris is aiming to win back those in the tech community, many of them in her home state of California, who have turned away from the party in protest at the threat of new taxes or regulation of their industry.\u201d \u2022 So backing crypto billionaires is the way to signal \u201cresponsible business.\u201d If Kamala does pick Raimondo, that will be wonderfully clarifying.<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cHarris scrambles Trump\u2019s crypto play\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/rlMNl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cRon Conway, a venture capitalist and top Democratic donor whose firm has invested in crypto companies, posted on X this week that he has \u2018known Kamala for decades, and she\u2019s been a fighter, a leader, and an advocate for the tech ecosystem since the day we met.\u2019 Harris is broadly expected to run on the Biden administration\u2019s record, and speculation about her position on crypto could be a projection. But before Biden dropped out of the race, his camp appeared to be taking a more open-minded approach to crypto concerns, with senior adviser Anita Dunn meeting with industry leaders in Washington.\u201d \u2022 \u201cBroadly\u201d is doing a lot of work,there.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump (R): \u201cTrump proposes strategic national crypto stockpile: \u2018Never sell your bitcoin’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2024\/07\/27\/trump-bitcoin-conference-harris.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNBC<\/a>]. \u201cDonald Trump headlined the biggest bitcoin conference of the year in Nashville on Saturday afternoon. It\u2019s quite the 180-turn after he very publicly dismissed bitcoin when he was in the White House. The Republican presidential nominee also held an accompanying fundraiser in Nashville, with tickets topping out at $844,600. Bitcoin 2024 conference organizers say they were briefly in talks to have Vice President Kamala Harris appear at the conference, though she ultimately declined.\u201d \u2022 No.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cTrump Became Crypto Believer After Falling in Love With NFTs of Himself\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/MBC08\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bloomberg<\/a>]. \u201c\u201dI pledge to the Bitcoin community that the day I take the oath of office, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris\u2019s anti-crypto crusade, it will end,\u201d Trump told the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville on Saturday, comparing crypto to the steel industry a century ago. \u201cIf Bitcoin is going to the moon,\u201d he added, \u2018I want America to be the nation that leads the way.\u2019\u2026. Conventional wisdom has it that this gambit is simply a classic Trumpian transactional relationship. He needs votes and money in a presidential horse race that now looks like it\u2019ll be a photo finish, and he\u2019s exploiting an opening created when President Joe Biden\u2019s administration alienated the crypto crowd by pursuing a crackdown on the industry. If so, it\u2019s working. Crypto is an ecosystem whose public face is dominated by online warriors with a lot of money to throw around, fertile ground for Trump to reap tens of millions of dollars in campaign funds \u2014 and a burgeoning army of vocal fans. His newfound role as cheerleader for the industry helped land him support from the likes of Dogecoin aficionado Elon Musk and billionaire twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss as well as venture-capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz\u2026. Yet despite all the newfound support he is enjoying, there is something else that played an important role in Trump\u2019s conversion to crypto believer: flattering images of himself. Simply put, he fell in love with Trump-themed nonfungible-tokens \u2014 and the supporters who bought them \u2014 and that passion has turned into a broader appreciation for the industry, according to insiders who have watched Trump\u2019s crypto evolution. Trump\u2019s lingering questions about valuations of digital assets haven\u2019t slowed his NFT sales pitch, which was clear in May as he riffed off-script to a Mar-a-Lago gathering of supporters who had purchased at least 47 of the digital trading cards \u2014 pop-art renderings of the former president, including images of him dressed up like a cowboy, a superhero and other figures of fantasy. \u201d \u2022\u00a0Whatever crypto is, it\u2019s not like the steel industry. I see a lot of Carnegie libraries. I don\u2019t see any Winkelvoss libraries.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cThe Strategic Bitcoin Reserve\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eschatonblog.com\/2024\/07\/the-strategic-bitcoin-reserve.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Eschatonblog<\/a>]. \u201cThere is something almost too perfect about the demand from The Bitcoin Community for the federal government to buy up hundreds of billions of their libertarian fake money. every time.\u201d \u2022 \u201cGimmetarianism\u201d is an excellent example of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/07\/kamalas-campaign-blasts-off-with-an-explosion-of-snark.html\">snark<\/a>. I bow before the master.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cReport shows 73% of crypto owners\u2019 vote for US president to be affected by candidate\u2019s stance\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aa.com.tr\/en\/economy\/report-shows-73-of-crypto-owners-vote-for-us-president-to-be-affected-by-candidates-stance\/3286622\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Anadolu Agency<\/a>]. \u201cAlmost three in four cryptocurrency owners say their vote for US president in November will be affected by a candidate\u2019s crypto stance, according to a report that was released Friday. \u2018For the first time in United States history, crypto has become a significant campaign issue in a presidential election,\u2019 US-based crypto exchange and custodian bank firm Gemini said in its 2024 State of Crypto survey. It showed that more than one in five Americans, or 21%, currently own cryptocurrency, and among those who own, the vast majority, or 73%, plan to consider a candidate\u2019s stance on cryptocurrencies when they vote for the next president. More than one-third, or 37%, said a candidate\u2019s position on cryptocurrencies would have \u2018a significant impact\u2019 on their vote for president.\u201d \u2022 Unless Gemini is talking its book, of course.<\/p>\n<p>Fraud all the way down:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">it doesn\u2019t even rank in the top 15 issues <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/psxYw0OFup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/psxYw0OFup<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/l2wbbO9JT4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/l2wbbO9JT4<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WIGRGZiFcW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/WIGRGZiFcW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Talia Jane \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83d\udd25 (@taliaotg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/taliaotg\/status\/1817589635381366907\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Democrats <em>en D\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Centrist freaks:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Well we know who the pro-money laundering and corruption faction is. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MBayHS7fZQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/MBayHS7fZQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1817562696591507475\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/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&list_select_county=all_counties&data-type=Risk&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&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&subtopic=recurring-updates&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>Maskstravaganza<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>This one neat trick shuts down anti-maskers:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Yup. Telling people you mask because you can\u2019t afford sick days can be very effective.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m self employed so I usually go like:<br \/>“Last infection I spent weeks off work, it was so expensive\u2026”<\/p>\n<p>People become wide eyed and before I even finish they\u2019re like: “oh of course, take care” <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UPjUYRf6hF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/UPjUYRf6hF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Misha \ud83d\ude37\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf8 Not a girl (@MishaCopyninja) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MishaCopyninja\/status\/1817442173442265543\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecyclable Adult 3D Face Masks with KN95 Protection KF94 Style\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/shopvida.com\/products\/fda-listed-kf94-masks?Color=Summer%20Night%20Skies&Pack%20Size=10-Pack&utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=REHERO%202%3A%203D%20KN95%20Summer%20launch%20-%20Jul%2025%20%2801J3KV1RJ8YKZH5BJG0966DP6E%29&_kx=vIrrDhA_3gXB1lySFe01LslnRRbMcoNNt1CtJ_o7gqI.PziWs8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Vida<\/a> (Carla)]. \u2022\u00a0Colors, including black, but also <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWhy Covid Keeps Winning\u201d [Gregg Gonsalves and Walker Bragman, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/3RG06\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Nation<\/a>]. Pleased to see these two authors together. The deck: \u201cWe didn\u2019t learn a thing.\u201d Nope. More: \u201cBut Covid revisionism is not just a right-wing phenomenon. It\u2019s gone mainstream. The embrace of this bad hindsight has been fast and furious by some of the most respected legacy media outlets in the country. These publications have churned out piece after piece suggesting <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/03\/opinion\/politics\/covid-measurement-memory.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">we did well in our response<\/a> to the virus; we <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/18\/upshot\/pandemic-school-closures-data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">overreacted<\/a> to the virus at the expense of children\u2019s futures; we need <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.wbur.org\/onpoint\/2024\/06\/11\/pandemic-covid-lockdown-public-health-physician\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a reckoning with lockdowns<\/a>; we ought to embrace the \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2023\/03\/09\/lab-leak-theory-doubts-response\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">lab leak<\/a>\u2018 <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/06\/03\/opinion\/covid-lab-leak.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">origin of SARS-CoV-2<\/a> despite <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.annualreviews.org\/content\/journals\/10.1146\/annurev-virology-093022-013037\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the preponderance of evidence<\/a> supporting a zoonotic origin of the virus. They have even gotten on the Fauci-bashing bandwagon of the far right, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/08\/opinion\/covid-fauci-hearings-health.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">blaming him<\/a> for the collapse in trust in public health.\u201d Fauci certainly helped. More: \u201cAll of this is ridiculous. As President Biden\u2019s recent bout with Covid demonstrates, we are nowhere near being out of the woods with the pandemic\u2014and that is precisely because we did <em>not<\/em> overreact to it. Quite the opposite, in fact. <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/pandem-ic.com\/japan-and-us-are-worlds-apart-on-pandemic-mortality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Compared to our G7 peers<\/a>, the United States did terribly. The federal response was extremely limited, and people died and are still dying because of it. This year alone, according to the CDC, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/%23trends_weeklydeaths_select_00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">nearly 26,000 Americans have died from the virus<\/a>. Our country never made the requisite investments in clean air upgrades for buildings. Despite <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.medpagetoday.com\/infectiousdisease\/covid19\/108552\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">botching our vaccination campaigns<\/a>, we have refused to impose universal Covid <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.medpagetoday.com\/infectiousdisease\/covid19\/108552\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">safety rules for workplaces<\/a>. Although one of the earliest recommendations from the World Health Organization was to <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/youtu.be\/xKDOwELQdZA?si=4FhW2TVqZjm7uhVS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">remove financial barriers<\/a> to care, our country still doesn\u2019t have a universal healthcare system. We have even watched <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/www.cbpp.org\/research\/health\/unwinding-watch-tracking-medicaid-coverage-as-pandemic-protections-end\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">millions of Americans<\/a> get stripped from the Medicaid rolls, while 10 states still refuse to expand Medicaid eligibility. Meanwhile <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/3RG06\/https:\/\/bipartisanpolicy.org\/explainer\/state-paid-family-leave-laws-across-the-u-s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">less than half of states<\/a> have guaranteed paid medical leave. These are important stories to tell over and over. They represent significant failures of leadership across the aisle. We cannot humanely move on from the pandemic without making basic changes to adapt to life with Covid. That we are expected to is an abdication of responsibility by elected officials, who are seemingly willing to write off the health and safety of our society\u2019s most vulnerable as a cost of doing business.\u201d \u2022 \u201cSeemingly\u201d?<\/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. Keeps spreading.<\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) KP.* very popular.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ER) Worth noting Emergency Department use is now on a par with the first wave, in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Leveling off. Doesn\u2019t need to be a permanent thing, of course. (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). The visualization suppresses what is, in percentage terms, a significant increase.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) An optimist would see a peak.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Slowing<\/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>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Dallas Fed Manufacturing Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/dallas-fed-manufacturing-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas\u2019 general business activity index for manufacturing in Texas fell to -17.5 in July of 2024 from -15.1 in the previous month. It extended the negative momentum in Southern manufacturing with over two consecutive years of contractionary monthly readings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 47 Neutral (previous close: 45 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 56 (Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jul 29 at 1:45:57 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p>Rapture Index: Closes down one on Earthquakes. \u201cThe lack of activity has downgraded this category\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.raptureready.com\/rapture-ready-index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Rapture Ready<\/a>]. Record High, October 10, 2016: 189. Current: 183. (Remember that bringing on the Rapture is good.) \u2022 Hard to believe the Rapture Index is going <em>down<\/em>. Where are there people getting their news?!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sports Desk<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou probably know the start of this Olympic story, but do you know how it finished?\u201d [Aaron Smith, <a href=\"https:\/\/threadreaderapp.com\/thread\/1817431315916165475.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ThreadReader<\/a>]. \u201cThis photo is of Eric Moussambani, aka \u2018Eric the Eel\u2019 from Equatorial Guinea, competing in the 100m Freestyle event at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, alone. Why? Eric\u2019s heat started with 2 other competitors; one from Niger and the other from Tajikistan. Eric\u2019s competitors however both broke, and were disqualified, leaving him to swim this event alone. Eric hadn\u2019t completed a full length of a 50m pool before, but he dived in anyway. It seemed like he wasn\u2019t going to make the distance. Touching a lane rope would\u2019ve been automatic disqualification. He completed in 1:52.72, the slowest time in Olympic History, and for comparison, 47 seconds slower than I did recently, in my late 40s. Remember these times. Why was Eric there? The IOC\u2019s wild card strategy aimed to boost sports in developing nations like Equatorial Guinea. Eric heard the call for swimmers on the radio, and since he was the only one to show up, he made the team! The only issue was, Eric couldn\u2019t swim. So a few months out from the games, Eric started his training, partly with the assistance of fisherman in a lake. He was also given access to a 12M long hotel pool for up to 1hr, three times a week. Equatorial Guinea had no 50m pools. When Eric turned up to Sydney, and swam in a 50M pool for the first time, he couldn\u2019t have been less prepared. The blue speedos he raced in were given to him by the South African swimming coach just prior to his race, who noticed Eric training in shorts. What happened next?\u201d \u2022\u00a0Read the whole thing, it\u2019s great. Be like Eric the Eel!<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fashion week?<\/p>\n<p> =\u201den\u201d dir=\u201dltr\u201d>Ready-to-Wear <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QGdLfq9cg2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/QGdLfq9cg2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Stuart Davis (@StuartDavisArt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StuartDavisArt\/status\/1813115351057543620\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeyond authenticity\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/aeon.co\/essays\/what-hannah-arendt-proposed-as-an-alternative-to-authenticity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Aeon<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cIn her final unfinished work, Hannah Arendt mounted an incisive critique of the idea that we are in search of our true selves.\u201d \u201cIf the inauthentic self is the everyday self, the one among the many, the authentic self is the self that has broken away from the herd; it is the self that exists for the self alone. To step out of the flow of everyday life is an exceptional occurrence. Common wisdom stipulates that \u2018We are what we do\u2019 or \u2018We are the sum total of our actions.\u2019 Each choice shapes the future path we find ourselves on, and occasionally we step back and can see the whole picture of ourselves, how we got to where we are. But for [Nazi philosopher Martin] Heidegger we are most fully ourselves only in those moments of exception, in that clearing of Being when we\u2019ve left the well-worn path carved out by everyday routine altogether. The German word he uses for authenticity is Eigentlichkeit, which is defined as \u2018really\u2019 or \u2018truly\u2019. Eigen means \u2018peculiar\u2019, and \u2018own\u2019 or \u2018of one\u2019s own\u2019. Literally, it might be translated as possessing the quality of being truly for oneself. \u2026 By arguing that thinking was a function of Being, Heidegger had tried to divorce thinking from the will in order to argue that it was one\u2019s true inner Being that determined ultimately who they became in the world. But for Arendt, this was an abdication of personal responsibility and choice. It was a way of handing over one\u2019s decision-making power\u2026 [F]or Arendt, the will was the means to our freedom, it was the promise that we can always be other than we are, and so to the world. The will is a space of tension inside the self where one actively feels the difference between where they are and where they would like to be. The will is the only intervention we have against the conditioning of worldly existence. Willing is the mental activity that goes on between thinking and judgment. It has the power to shape us by drawing us into conflict with ourselves. Without inner conflict, there is no forward movement. These are the basic principles of willing.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Hmm. Not sure I excerpted this properly at all.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStaying human\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/alanneale.substack.com\/p\/staying-human\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">When we are Real<\/a>]. \u201c[W]hat started as an adult male sexual fetish morphed into the construction of synthetic sex identities from manipulated body parts, and is leading to a transhumanist dystopia where reproduction is artificial, life is extended, and humans become melded with machines. This, [Bilek] shows, is not an organic development, but the deliberate outcome of an industry that requires acceptance of dissociation from our bodies as normal. \u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On \u201cintelligent design\u201d:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We have a “shove food down this” tube dangerously close to our “food must never block this airway” tube and they are behind identical unmarked doors in our throat <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mdXtSVl26Z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/mdXtSVl26Z<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jennifer Lee Rossman #SaveLowerDecks (@JenLRossman) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JenLRossman\/status\/1816624997907026034\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">July 26, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><br \/>\n<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-7-26-2024.html"\">here<\/a>. From DG:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/weeds_stump.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-275866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/weeds_stump.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/weeds_stump-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>DG writes: \u201cWeeds and an old stump encroaching on the ruins of an old DC aqueduct.\u201d As readers know, I am a fan of stumps, particularly rotted ones.<\/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 & 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 & 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-7-29-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente Bird Song of the Day Blue Mockingbird, Yecora, Km 261, Sonora, Mexico. I thought I would try another species of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":82598,"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-82597","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\/82597","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=82597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}