\n<\/p>\n
By Lambert Strether of Corrente<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nBird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\nI looked for another species of songbird that mimics, and came up with the Thrasher. <\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Concord Park\u2013The Cove, Knox, Tennessee, United States<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#kamala\">Walter Kim <\/a> on Kamala<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mechan\">Trump to jail September 18?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sanders\">Sanders on 2020<\/a> (a coup)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#monkeypox\">First monkeypox case outside Africa<\/a> spotted in Sweden.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\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=\"rcp\"\/>Friday\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RCP<\/a> Poll Averages:<\/p>\n<p>More Blue on the map. Trump still leads nationally, but some swing states moving toward Kamala. In particular, I\u2019m no insider, but if I were on Team Trump, Georgia\u2019s drop from +3.6 to this week\u2019s +0.6 might cause me to chew my hands. Georgia? Really? Atlanta burbs no longer sitting it out? Can any readers from Georgia clarify?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trail\"\/><em><strong>The Campaign Trail<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kamala\"\/>Kamala: <\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Strength Through Joy \u2013 Wikipedia<\/p>\n<p>(I knew there was something bugging me about this “joy” thing) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1Bie8qmnNZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/1Bie8qmnNZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Walter Kirn (@walterkirn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/walterkirn\/status\/1823732357485965817\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Seems that Walter Kirn and I have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/200pm-water-cooler-8-12-2024.html#tomorrow\">arrived at more or less the same place<\/a>, albeit by different routes.<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cNYC kickoff rally for Harris confronts pro-Palestinian demonstration\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/08\/14\/nyc-harris-rally-pro-palestinian-demonstration-00174120\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cThe energy and size of an ebullient rally of elected New York Democrats hyped for Kamala Harris\u2019 candidacy met a massive crowd of pro-Palestinian demonstrators chanting, banging drums and waving banners Wednesday night. The Democrats\u2019 rally was interrupted repeatedly by the protesters \u2014 a reminder of one of the party\u2019s biggest internal divisions\u2026. Though Harris has yet to detail her platform and where she stands on key issues, when it comes to how she addresses members of her party and others protesting Palestinian casualties and devastation.\u201d Oh. <em>Tone<\/em>. And style! More: \u201cAnd in New York on Wednesday, the delegates who plan to show their support for her at next week\u2019s nominating convention in Chicago appeared to have picked up on her cues. \u2018We\u2019ve got to come together,\u2019 Espaillat was saying, as a protester shouted out from the crowd. \u2018She\u2019s got to come with us too. She will be with us. We\u2019ll come together.’\u201d \u2022 Pleasant to think of Kamala stepping onto the Iron Throne over a 700,000-strong pile of corpses from Biden\u2019s Covid policies, but who wants to talk about <em>that<\/em>?<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cGoldman Sachs says voters are shifting to Kamala Harris\u2014and the odds of a blue wave are swelling\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2024\/08\/13\/goldman-sachs-kamala-harris-beating-donald-trump-polls-democrats-republicans-blue-wave\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Fortune<\/a>]. \u201cKamala Harris has pulled ahead of Donald Trump in national polls as voters turn away from third parties and the odds of a blue wave increases, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/byuP1\/https:\/\/fortune.com\/company\/goldman-sachs-group\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Goldman Sachs<\/a>.\u201d How nice for her. And them! More: \u201c\u2018While third-party candidates had been drawing slightly more from Biden earlier in the year, what is left of third-party support seems to be coming at least as much from former President Trump,\u2019 the analysts wrote. \u2018The percentage of undecided voters also began declining soon after Harris\u2019s entry into the race, and is now half of what it was a month ago. Those undecided voter numbers are likely locked in, according to the investment bank.\u201d And: \u201cWhile the Goldman analysts said in the Monday note that a Harris economic plan would likely mirror Biden\u2019s proposals with a few additions, a majority of voters surveyed by the FT and University of Michigan poll said Harris should break completely from Biden or \u2018make major changes\u2019 to his economic proposals.\u201d \u2022 Oh, good.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump:<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cTrump campaign brings Corey Lewandowski back on board\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/08\/15\/trump-campaign-brings-corey-lewandowski-back-on-board-00174155\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cDonald Trump\u2019s campaign is expanding its ranks as he seeks to regain his footing in the presidential campaign, bringing on a handful of top allies \u2014 including former Trump 2016 campaign manager Corey Lewandowski\u2026. Trump has a long history of campaign shakeups \u2014 he had two in 2016 and one in 2020. But despite his current struggles in the race, Trump has remained solidly behind his current leadership. The former president told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/08\/10\/us\/politics\/trump-campaign-election.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The New York Times<\/a> last week that he was \u201cthrilled\u201d with Wiles and LaCivita.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cLuntz: Trump \u2018committing political suicide\u2019 as Harris seizes \u2018intensity advantage’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/4828533-luntz-trump-committing-political-suicide-harris-intensity-advantage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018She\u2019s bringing out people who are not interested in voting for either Trump or Biden. So the entire electoral pool has changed,\u2019 Luntz said. \u2018And if it continues in this direction, you have to start to consider Democrats winning the Senate and Democrats winning the House. \u2018The actual people who are participating \u2014 she\u2019s got intensity now. She\u2019s got an intensity advantage. She\u2019s got a demographic advantage. And I haven\u2019t seen anything like this happen in 30 days in my lifetime,\u2019 Luntz continued. Asked how significant that margin of extra Harris voters might be to the overall electoral pool, Luntz said, \u2018.’\u201d And: \u201cLuntz suggested there are three components \u2014 attributes, issues and conditions of the country \u2014 that build a candidate\u2019s support, adding, \u2018You shift the demographics, and you shift the entire outcome.\u2019 \u2018The issues and conditions favor Donald Trump. He should be winning this election. But the attributes are so much in Harris\u2019s favor that he\u2019s not. I\u2019m trying to do a focus group tonight with undecided voters under the age of 27 for a major news outlet. And I can\u2019t recruit young women to this, because they don\u2019t exist as undecided voters,\u2019 he said.\u201d \u2022 I think the pollsters are, to varying degrees, all players at this point, just like the press. But I put Luntz in the bucket of Old Brandy OGs, people who have been around a long, long time, are who they are, and don\u2019t need to shift with the wind. Luntz, Nooners, Cook Political Report, Larry Sabato\u2026 Sanders, I suppose. That\u2019s about. So I would take Luntz\u2019s remarks as being very worrisome for Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cSecret Service prepares use of bulletproof glass for outdoor Trump rallies: Sources\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aol.com\/news\/secret-prepares-bulletproof-glass-outdoor-160442206.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw&tsrc=twtr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ABC<\/a>]. \u201cThe measure is typically used exclusively for sitting presidents, but the Secret Service is making an exception following the first attempted assassination of a presidential candidate since Robert Kennedy in 1968\u2026. The Secret Service recommended that Trump stop holding outdoor rallies last month after a gunman in Butler, Pennsylvania, fired at him from a rooftop 400 feet from the stage, nicking his ear. A man in the crowd was killed in the attack. Since July 13, Trump has held nearly a dozen campaign events, all of them indoors. Trump has privately expressed a desire to campaign outdoors and has sought assurances it would be safe, the sources said.\u201d \u2022 Should have been done long ago. The Secret Service doesn\u2019t have a lot of credibility here.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"merchan\"\/>Trump (R) (Bragg\/Merchan): \u201cSurprise . . . Not: Judge Merchan Denies Trump\u2019s Recusal Motion, Setting Up September 18 Sentencing\u201d [Andrew McCarthy, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/oXqaK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">National Review<\/a>]. \u201cLast week, I contended that Judge Juan Merchan is determined to pronounce sentence upon Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on September 18 \u2014 i.e., two days after early voting begins in Pennsylvania \u2014 and would therefore deny the former president\u2019s post-trial motions (1) seeking Merchan\u2019s recusal from the case and (2) claiming, based on the Supreme Court\u2019s July 1 immunity ruling, that the jury\u2019s 34 guilty verdicts against Trump must be vacated. Merchan has now taken step one. In the communication with counsel that I outlined in the above-linked column, the judge said he would rule on the recusal motion this week. Yesterday, he denied it in a curt three-page decision. To recap, Merchan should have recused himself: He is a partisan Democrat, he contributed to Biden\u2019s campaign in violation of state ethics rules, and his daughter is a progressive operative who does lucrative campaign work for Democrats\u2026 In his aforementioned letter to counsel, Merchan said he expected to issue his immunity ruling by September 16. I argued in last week\u2019s column that, having already had several weeks to mull over the Supreme Court\u2019s July 1 immunity decision and the parties\u2019 submissions on the subject, Merchan knows he is going to rule against Trump. That is why he also instructed the parties to assume that sentencing would occur as scheduled on September 18, and that they should therefore make whatever presentencing submissions they intend to make. Merchan knows the Democrats\u2019 three other lawfare cases against Trump are bogged down in pretrial litigation (indeed, the federal indictment in Florida has been dismissed). .\u201d \u2022 It would be deeply ironic if Merchan brought about a massive swing in Trump\u2019s favor; presumably the Trump campaign is figuring out how to leverage this. There\u2019s no reason Trump can\u2019t run from a prison cell, after all.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kennedy\"\/>Kennedy:<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): \u201cRFK Jr. reached out to Harris campaign about administration role in exchange for endorsement\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/news\/rfk-jr-reached-harris-campaign-012142563.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. \u201cIndependent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s campaign reached out to Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 campaign to arrange a meeting about a possible role in her administration if he drops out of the race and endorses her, a Kennedy campaign official and a Democratic official told CNN\u2026. Kennedy campaign staff also attempted to reach out to intermediaries for Ron Klain, former White House chief of staff for President Joe Biden, but those efforts were fruitless, the Kennedy campaign official said.\u201d \u2022 A chat with Ron Klain. How pleasant.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"sanders\"\/>The previous coup:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udc40 Bernie Sanders on How the Democratic ‘Establishment’ Took Him Out of the Presidential Race<\/p>\n<p>“That’s what happens when you take on the establishments. What happened is we won the first three primaries, and then the establishment got very, very nervous\u2026and they said, ‘Hey, it\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/d9Z2OGAuuH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/d9Z2OGAuuH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheChiefNerd\/status\/1823818576480153628\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>And, thinking about this, the <em>first<\/em> coup \u2014 the dry run, you might say \u2014 (in exchange for, in my view, Clinton suppressing the story of his theft of the Texas primary): The deal being Clinton supports him at the Convention, he makes her Secretary of State and supports her in 2016. So Obama\u2019s got some experience in this kind of manipulation. Three times, in fact: Clinton, Sanders, Biden. Quite a record.<\/p>\n<p>Why now\u2026. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Syndemics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am in earnest \u2014 I will not equivocate \u2014 I will not excuse \u2014 I will not retreat a single inch \u2014 AND I WILL BE HEARD.\u201d \u2013William Lloyd Garrison<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&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><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"monkeypox\"\/>Monkeypox<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWHO declares mpox outbreaks in Africa a global health emergency as a new form of the virus spreads\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/who-mpox-africa-health-emergency-cc9bdf31b49d06bec5efd44fb55d5e42\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cThe World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global emergency on Wednesday, with cases confirmed among children and adults in more than a dozen countries and a new form of the virus spreading. Few vaccine doses are available on the continent. Earlier this week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the mpox outbreaks were a public health emergency, with more than 500 deaths, and called for international help to stop the virus\u2019 spread. \u2018This is something that should concern us all \u2026 The potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying,\u2019 said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The Africa CDC previously said mpox, also known as monkeypox, has been detected in 13 countries this year, and more than 96% of all cases and deaths are in Congo. Cases are up 160% and deaths are up 19% compared with the same period last year. So far, there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 people have died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore contagious mpox strain reaches Europe as Sweden reports first case\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/global-health\/science-and-disease\/sweden-reports-europes-first-case-of-new-mpox-variant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Telegraph<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018A person who sought care\u2019 in Stockholm \u2018has been diagnosed with mpox caused by the clade I variant. It is the first case caused by clade I to be diagnosed outside the African continent,\u2019 Sweden\u2019s Public Health Agency said\u2026. The patient had travelled to an country hit by an outbreak of the virus, Jakob Forssmed, Sweden\u2019s Minister of Social Affairs, told a press conference\u2026. There are two types of mpox, Clade 1 and Clade 2. While Clade 2 caused a public health emergency in 2022 it was relatively mild and has already appeared in Sweden. Clade 1b, which appeared in the DRC in September of last year, is said to be \u2018the most dangerous yet.\u2019 It has a higher mortality rate than clade 2 \u2013 said to be between 5-10 per cent compared to 0.2 per cent \u2013 and has already accounted for 511 deaths and nearly 15,000 cases in Africa this year.\u201d \u2022 Sweden\u2019s \u201cPublic Health\u201d Agency <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/business\/story\/2022-03-31\/sweden-covid-policy-was-a-disaster\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">break out the morphone for the elders<\/a> [laughs mordantly]. Commentary:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The epidemiologist who helped in the WHO program to eradicate smallpox \ud83d\udc47 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MSNl809OEd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/MSNl809OEd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Carl Van Keirsbilck (@CarlvKeirsbilck) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarlvKeirsbilck\/status\/1823890069473632358\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2022\/08\/cdc-rigs-its-own-monkeypox-case-reports-by-not-including-questions-on-airborne-transmission.html\">As I urged in 2022<\/a>. Generally, however, we\u2019re still hearing \u201cclose contact,\u201d however (which is not a mode of transmission, and nigh unto handwaving, but still, showing so far no signs of being as contagious as Covid).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Airborne Transmission: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cEvidence from whole genome sequencing of aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 almost 5 hours after hospital room turnover\u201d (abstract only) [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajicjournal.org\/article\/S0196-6553(24)00162-7\/abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">American Journal of Infection Control<\/a>]. From the Abstract: \u201cWhole genome sequencing during an outbreak suggested in-room transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to two patients admitted nearly 2 and 5 hours, respectively, after discharge of an asymptomatic infected patient. These findings suggest that airborne SARS-CoV-2 may transmit infection for over 4 hours, even in a hospital setting.\u201d \u2022 Yikes!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe highly pathogenic H5N1 virus found in U.S. dairy cattle has some characteristics that could enhance infection and transmission among mammals\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41684-024-01425-z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Nature<\/a>]. \u201cThe Nature publication\u2019s findings on the absence of efficient airborne transmission align with a report from the US CDC, which observed inefficient respiratory droplet transmission between ferrets (in only 1 out of 3 donor\u2013contact pairs) of an HPAI A\/H5N1 virus (A\/Texas\/37\/2024) isolated from a human case who had been exposed to infected dairy cattle in Texas8. This still low transmission efficiency is not surprising, as several phenotypic changes are required for avian A\/H5N1 influenza viruses to be transmissible via the air between mammals\u2026. However, Eisfeld and colleagues report dual binding specificity for \u03b1-2,3 and \u03b1-2,6-linked sialic acid receptors, which they hypothesize to be a specific feature of A\/H5N1 viruses isolated from cattle. This finding suggests that one of the traits required for mammal-to-mammal transmission via the air is already present in Cow-H5N1\u2026. Monitoring the genotype and phenotype of HPAI clade 2.3.4.4b virus in dairy cattle and derived viruses is of utmost importance. This close investigation is necessary to develop and implement effective prevention strategies. .\u201d \u2022 Worth reading in full; it\u2019s a good round-up, too.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Positivity: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cCOVID positivity rate hits 21% as students return to school\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kpbs.org\/news\/health\/2024\/08\/13\/covid-positivity-rate-hits-21-as-students-return-to-school\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">KPBS<\/a>]. \u201cAs students start the new school year, San Diego County\u2019s COVID-19 positivity rate has soared to nearly 21%, marking the second highest rate recorded since the pandemic began. Dr. Edmund Milder, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Rady Children\u2019s Hospital, highlighted several key guidelines that schools are implementing to safeguard students. \u2018The thing the school does is making sure you have good air quality, you know. Open windows and outdoors whenever possible,\u2019 Milder explained\u201d \u2022 Finally a pediatrician who knows what they\u2019re talking about. Why don\u2019t they all?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCOVID Levels Are \u2018Very High\u2019 in Majority of U.S. States\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/covid\/news\/20240813\/covid-levels-very-high-majority-us-states\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WebMed<\/a>]. \u201cThe latest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nwss\/rv\/COVID19-currentlevels.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC wastewater monitoring data<\/a> shows that 27 U.S. states are detecting \u201cvery high\u201d levels of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. The label \u201cvery high\u201d indicates the highest viral activity level used by the agency. There are four lower levels that can be reported: minimal, low, moderate, and high. Nationwide, the lowest level being reported is moderate, and there are no states reporting low or minimal levels.\u201d \u2022 With, of course, no historical data so we can judge the present by the past. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sequelae: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cCOVID-19 Pandemic School Disruptions and Acute Mental Health in Children and Adolescents\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamanetworkopen\/fullarticle\/2821950\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">JAMA<\/a>]. \u201cIn this study, school opening was associated with an increased incidence of acute psychiatric emergencies among children and adolescents, suggesting that school can be a substantial source of stress with acute mental health implications.\u201d And: \u201cThe main reasons for the psychiatric ED visits were psychomotor agitation (33.1%), anxiety (16.1%), eating disorders (10.4%), suicidal ideation (8.8%), and suicide attempts (8.6%) (Table 1). These last 3 factors significantly increased during the study period, with increments of 294.8% for eating disorders, 297.8% for SI, and 249.1% for SA.\u201d \u2022\u00a0So, re-opening was a greater problem than lockdowns? At least along some axes? \u201cMom, I missed the active shooter drills\u2026..\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Data Modeling<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe need to talk about the Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative models (part 2)\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/buttondown.com\/abbycartus\/archive\/we-need-to-talk-about-the-pandemic-mitigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Closed Form<\/a>]. <a href=\"https:\/\/buttondown.com\/abbycartus\/archive\/how-to-read-the-pandemic-mitigation-collaborative\/?utm_source=abbycartus&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=we-need-to-talk-about-the-pandemic-mitigation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Part 1<\/a>. This is a critique of Hoerger\u2019s work (which you will note I don\u2019t put in Table 1 because I haven\u2019t had time to dope out his model. So far as I know, these two posts are the only critique). Caveat: To my simple mind, that wastewater data maps directly to case data <em>is<\/em> persuasive, because Biobiot\u2019s visual representation made that conclusion inescapable, back when we had Biobot data. Nevertheless, this author knows their stuff, so it\u2019s worth a read. Picking out one nugget: \u201cNo matter which way you slice it, this is not good data; [a] converting wastewater to cases remains impossible to do reliably, and the PMC [b] do not have access to any actual \u2018ground truth\u2019 data about COVID transmission.\u201d \u2022 Note I regard claim [a] as wrong, but if claim [b] is true, the data used to build the model is still suspect at least. Perhaps a kind reader who understands \u201clinear regression\u201d and whether it\u2019s an appropriate tool to use for modeling a pandemic can comment. NOTE The author writes: \u201cI think it\u2019s time for the PMC to publicly post their modeling code and details about the modeling approach. By this I mean, whatever R scripts or Stata code (or whatever the case may be) were written to generate and evaluate the model, along with information about how accuracy is evaluated before forecasts are made, how model performance is monitored, what types of modeling approaches are being applied to deal with the autoregressive and dependent structures of infectious disease time-series data, and so forth.\u201d Or keep it simple and release the source code. It\u2019s hard to believe that hasn\u2019t been done; we have github for a reason.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Social Norming<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cDidn\u2019t want to know\u201d (1):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">So several months ago I sent a doctor friend who works at a government facility an Aranet. He didn’t get it at first but then started playing with around the house and I was able to sneak in more covid info. Didn’t want to take it to work because he “didn’t want to know”.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ocnj (@ocnj3) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ocnj3\/status\/1823831628788969799\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDidn\u2019t want to know\u201d (2):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">So funny thing .. my coworker\u2019s mom actually had covid. She was sick and working and said she didn\u2019t want to test herself because she didn\u2019t want to know (??????). Doctor said yesterday that my covid test was unclear. They didn\u2019t test me again. It was also 20 minutes before +<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 A (@wlfsghost) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wlfsghost\/status\/1822442048571466126\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 11, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDidn\u2019t want to know\u201d (3):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">There was an interview on Weekend on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bbcworldservice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@bbcworldservice<\/a> this morning with a US journalist. He said he caught Covid in Paris as did many journalists but the Olympic authorities didn’t want to know and tried to ignore it until everyone saw what happened to the US runner.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ennius (@red_loeb) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/red_loeb\/status\/1822590620533239889\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 11, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: Worth noting that national Emergency Room admissions are as high as they were in the first wave, in 2020.<\/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) Going down. 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) Fiddling and diddling.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Jumping.<\/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 range. 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) It\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/COVID19_disease\/status\/1821721841049690195\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">rumored<\/a> that there\u2019s a new variant in China, XDV.1, but it\u2019s not showing up here.<\/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>Initial Jobless Claims: \u201cUnited States Initial Jobless Claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/jobless-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell by 7,000 to 227,000 on the week ending August 10th, contrasting with market expectations of a slight increase to 235,000, marking the second consecutive weekly decline since reaching a near-one-year high of 250,000 in late July. It was the fewest amount of new claims filed in five weeks, challenging recent data that reflected a marked slowdown in the US labor market, and adding some leeway for the Federal Reserve to not loosen monetary policy at a magnitude that jeopardizes the fight against inflation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Industrial Production\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/industrial-production\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cIndustrial Production in the United States decreased 0.2% year-on-year in July 2024, the first annual drop in three months, following a downwardly revised 1.1% rise in June.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States NY Empire State Manufacturing Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/ny-empire-state-manufacturing-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe NY Empire State Manufacturing Index increased to -4.7 in August 2024, the highest in six months, compared to -6.6 in July and forecasts of -6. The reading showed business activity in the New York state edged only slightly lower, with new orders falling modestly\u2026. Finally, firms were fairly optimistic that conditions would improve in the months ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Retail: \u201cU.S. Retail Sales\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/retail-sales\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cRetail sales in the US soared 1% month-over-month in July 2024, following a downwardly revised 0.2% drop in June and way better than forecasts of a 0.3% gain. It is the biggest increase since January 2023, with sales at motor vehicle and part dealers rising the most (3.6%), followed by sales at electronics and appliance stores (1.6%).\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cKim Dotcom\u2019s Extradition to the U.S. Given Green Light By New Zealand\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/torrentfreak.com\/kim-dotcoms-extradition-to-the-u-s-given-green-light-by-new-zealand-240815\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TorrentFreak<\/a>]. \u201cMore than twelve years have passed since Megaupload became <a href=\"https:\/\/torrentfreak.com\/megaupload-shut-down-120119\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the prime target<\/a> in a high-profile law enforcement operation, which led to the collapse of Kim Dotcom\u2019s file-storage empire\u2026.. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stuff.co.nz\/politics\/350380271\/justice-minister-signs-kim-doctoms-extradition-order\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stuff<\/a>, New Zealand Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith informed Kim Dotcom that he will be deported to the United States to stand trial\u2026. \u2018[T]he obedient US colony in the South Pacific just decided to extradite me for what users uploaded to Megaupload, unsolicited, and what copyright holders were able to remove with direct delete access instantly and without question. But who cares? That\u2019s justice these days,\u2019 [Dotcom] wrote on Tuesday. Today, Dotcom followed up, stating that he has \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KimDotcom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a plan<\/a>,\u2019 \u2018loves New Zealand,\u2019 and doesn\u2019t intend to leave the country.\u201d \u2022 Not sure how this is different from Silicon Valley looting the entire Internet for training sets. Go big or go home, I guess.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 24 Exreme Fear (previous close: 23 Extreme Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 23 (Extreme Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Aug 13 at 1:21:45 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Timeline cleanser:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Landing Stage <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WGfM0O7nCh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/WGfM0O7nCh<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/D5RzQdW0BV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/D5RzQdW0BV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Pierre Bonnard (@pierre_bonnard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/pierre_bonnard\/status\/1819589420107853847\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 3, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I am not feeling wired today.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact information for plants<\/strong>: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/200pm-water-cooler-8-13-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From TH:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"810\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-276775\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty.jpeg 1080w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty-624x468.jpeg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>TH writes: \u201cThis one is an iPhone picture. Sometimes it\u2019s just easier to use that one as my wide-angle instead of lugging around lenses and switching them out on the Nikon\u2014but clarity suffers a little. So, for anyone unfamiliar with this scene, the J. Paul Getty Center (museum) in Los Angeles has this lovely huge pool that receives water from that waterfall, and this labyrinth of a raised shrub in its midst. It then is bordered by gardens.\u201d I have always wanted a water feature; not, perhaps, of this scale\u2026.<\/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. Material here is Lambert\u2019s, and does not express the views of the Naked Capitalism site. 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\/08\/200pm-water-cooler-8-15-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente Bird Song of the Day I looked for another species of songbird that mimics, and came up with the Thrasher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":83335,"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-83334","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\/83334","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=83334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\nI looked for another species of songbird that mimics, and came up with the Thrasher. <\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Concord Park\u2013The Cove, Knox, Tennessee, United States<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#kamala\">Walter Kim <\/a> on Kamala<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mechan\">Trump to jail September 18?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sanders\">Sanders on 2020<\/a> (a coup)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#monkeypox\">First monkeypox case outside Africa<\/a> spotted in Sweden.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\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=\"rcp\"\/>Friday\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RCP<\/a> Poll Averages:<\/p>\n<p>More Blue on the map. Trump still leads nationally, but some swing states moving toward Kamala. In particular, I\u2019m no insider, but if I were on Team Trump, Georgia\u2019s drop from +3.6 to this week\u2019s +0.6 might cause me to chew my hands. Georgia? Really? Atlanta burbs no longer sitting it out? Can any readers from Georgia clarify?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trail\"\/><em><strong>The Campaign Trail<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kamala\"\/>Kamala: <\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Strength Through Joy \u2013 Wikipedia<\/p>\n<p>(I knew there was something bugging me about this “joy” thing) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1Bie8qmnNZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/1Bie8qmnNZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Walter Kirn (@walterkirn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/walterkirn\/status\/1823732357485965817\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Seems that Walter Kirn and I have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/200pm-water-cooler-8-12-2024.html#tomorrow\">arrived at more or less the same place<\/a>, albeit by different routes.<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cNYC kickoff rally for Harris confronts pro-Palestinian demonstration\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/08\/14\/nyc-harris-rally-pro-palestinian-demonstration-00174120\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cThe energy and size of an ebullient rally of elected New York Democrats hyped for Kamala Harris\u2019 candidacy met a massive crowd of pro-Palestinian demonstrators chanting, banging drums and waving banners Wednesday night. The Democrats\u2019 rally was interrupted repeatedly by the protesters \u2014 a reminder of one of the party\u2019s biggest internal divisions\u2026. Though Harris has yet to detail her platform and where she stands on key issues, when it comes to how she addresses members of her party and others protesting Palestinian casualties and devastation.\u201d Oh. <em>Tone<\/em>. And style! More: \u201cAnd in New York on Wednesday, the delegates who plan to show their support for her at next week\u2019s nominating convention in Chicago appeared to have picked up on her cues. \u2018We\u2019ve got to come together,\u2019 Espaillat was saying, as a protester shouted out from the crowd. \u2018She\u2019s got to come with us too. She will be with us. We\u2019ll come together.’\u201d \u2022 Pleasant to think of Kamala stepping onto the Iron Throne over a 700,000-strong pile of corpses from Biden\u2019s Covid policies, but who wants to talk about <em>that<\/em>?<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cGoldman Sachs says voters are shifting to Kamala Harris\u2014and the odds of a blue wave are swelling\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2024\/08\/13\/goldman-sachs-kamala-harris-beating-donald-trump-polls-democrats-republicans-blue-wave\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Fortune<\/a>]. \u201cKamala Harris has pulled ahead of Donald Trump in national polls as voters turn away from third parties and the odds of a blue wave increases, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/byuP1\/https:\/\/fortune.com\/company\/goldman-sachs-group\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Goldman Sachs<\/a>.\u201d How nice for her. And them! More: \u201c\u2018While third-party candidates had been drawing slightly more from Biden earlier in the year, what is left of third-party support seems to be coming at least as much from former President Trump,\u2019 the analysts wrote. \u2018The percentage of undecided voters also began declining soon after Harris\u2019s entry into the race, and is now half of what it was a month ago. Those undecided voter numbers are likely locked in, according to the investment bank.\u201d And: \u201cWhile the Goldman analysts said in the Monday note that a Harris economic plan would likely mirror Biden\u2019s proposals with a few additions, a majority of voters surveyed by the FT and University of Michigan poll said Harris should break completely from Biden or \u2018make major changes\u2019 to his economic proposals.\u201d \u2022 Oh, good.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump:<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cTrump campaign brings Corey Lewandowski back on board\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/08\/15\/trump-campaign-brings-corey-lewandowski-back-on-board-00174155\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cDonald Trump\u2019s campaign is expanding its ranks as he seeks to regain his footing in the presidential campaign, bringing on a handful of top allies \u2014 including former Trump 2016 campaign manager Corey Lewandowski\u2026. Trump has a long history of campaign shakeups \u2014 he had two in 2016 and one in 2020. But despite his current struggles in the race, Trump has remained solidly behind his current leadership. The former president told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/08\/10\/us\/politics\/trump-campaign-election.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The New York Times<\/a> last week that he was \u201cthrilled\u201d with Wiles and LaCivita.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cLuntz: Trump \u2018committing political suicide\u2019 as Harris seizes \u2018intensity advantage’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/4828533-luntz-trump-committing-political-suicide-harris-intensity-advantage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018She\u2019s bringing out people who are not interested in voting for either Trump or Biden. So the entire electoral pool has changed,\u2019 Luntz said. \u2018And if it continues in this direction, you have to start to consider Democrats winning the Senate and Democrats winning the House. \u2018The actual people who are participating \u2014 she\u2019s got intensity now. She\u2019s got an intensity advantage. She\u2019s got a demographic advantage. And I haven\u2019t seen anything like this happen in 30 days in my lifetime,\u2019 Luntz continued. Asked how significant that margin of extra Harris voters might be to the overall electoral pool, Luntz said, \u2018.’\u201d And: \u201cLuntz suggested there are three components \u2014 attributes, issues and conditions of the country \u2014 that build a candidate\u2019s support, adding, \u2018You shift the demographics, and you shift the entire outcome.\u2019 \u2018The issues and conditions favor Donald Trump. He should be winning this election. But the attributes are so much in Harris\u2019s favor that he\u2019s not. I\u2019m trying to do a focus group tonight with undecided voters under the age of 27 for a major news outlet. And I can\u2019t recruit young women to this, because they don\u2019t exist as undecided voters,\u2019 he said.\u201d \u2022 I think the pollsters are, to varying degrees, all players at this point, just like the press. But I put Luntz in the bucket of Old Brandy OGs, people who have been around a long, long time, are who they are, and don\u2019t need to shift with the wind. Luntz, Nooners, Cook Political Report, Larry Sabato\u2026 Sanders, I suppose. That\u2019s about. So I would take Luntz\u2019s remarks as being very worrisome for Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cSecret Service prepares use of bulletproof glass for outdoor Trump rallies: Sources\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aol.com\/news\/secret-prepares-bulletproof-glass-outdoor-160442206.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw&tsrc=twtr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ABC<\/a>]. \u201cThe measure is typically used exclusively for sitting presidents, but the Secret Service is making an exception following the first attempted assassination of a presidential candidate since Robert Kennedy in 1968\u2026. The Secret Service recommended that Trump stop holding outdoor rallies last month after a gunman in Butler, Pennsylvania, fired at him from a rooftop 400 feet from the stage, nicking his ear. A man in the crowd was killed in the attack. Since July 13, Trump has held nearly a dozen campaign events, all of them indoors. Trump has privately expressed a desire to campaign outdoors and has sought assurances it would be safe, the sources said.\u201d \u2022 Should have been done long ago. The Secret Service doesn\u2019t have a lot of credibility here.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"merchan\"\/>Trump (R) (Bragg\/Merchan): \u201cSurprise . . . Not: Judge Merchan Denies Trump\u2019s Recusal Motion, Setting Up September 18 Sentencing\u201d [Andrew McCarthy, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/oXqaK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">National Review<\/a>]. \u201cLast week, I contended that Judge Juan Merchan is determined to pronounce sentence upon Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on September 18 \u2014 i.e., two days after early voting begins in Pennsylvania \u2014 and would therefore deny the former president\u2019s post-trial motions (1) seeking Merchan\u2019s recusal from the case and (2) claiming, based on the Supreme Court\u2019s July 1 immunity ruling, that the jury\u2019s 34 guilty verdicts against Trump must be vacated. Merchan has now taken step one. In the communication with counsel that I outlined in the above-linked column, the judge said he would rule on the recusal motion this week. Yesterday, he denied it in a curt three-page decision. To recap, Merchan should have recused himself: He is a partisan Democrat, he contributed to Biden\u2019s campaign in violation of state ethics rules, and his daughter is a progressive operative who does lucrative campaign work for Democrats\u2026 In his aforementioned letter to counsel, Merchan said he expected to issue his immunity ruling by September 16. I argued in last week\u2019s column that, having already had several weeks to mull over the Supreme Court\u2019s July 1 immunity decision and the parties\u2019 submissions on the subject, Merchan knows he is going to rule against Trump. That is why he also instructed the parties to assume that sentencing would occur as scheduled on September 18, and that they should therefore make whatever presentencing submissions they intend to make. Merchan knows the Democrats\u2019 three other lawfare cases against Trump are bogged down in pretrial litigation (indeed, the federal indictment in Florida has been dismissed). .\u201d \u2022 It would be deeply ironic if Merchan brought about a massive swing in Trump\u2019s favor; presumably the Trump campaign is figuring out how to leverage this. There\u2019s no reason Trump can\u2019t run from a prison cell, after all.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kennedy\"\/>Kennedy:<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): \u201cRFK Jr. reached out to Harris campaign about administration role in exchange for endorsement\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/news\/rfk-jr-reached-harris-campaign-012142563.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. \u201cIndependent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s campaign reached out to Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 campaign to arrange a meeting about a possible role in her administration if he drops out of the race and endorses her, a Kennedy campaign official and a Democratic official told CNN\u2026. Kennedy campaign staff also attempted to reach out to intermediaries for Ron Klain, former White House chief of staff for President Joe Biden, but those efforts were fruitless, the Kennedy campaign official said.\u201d \u2022 A chat with Ron Klain. How pleasant.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"sanders\"\/>The previous coup:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udc40 Bernie Sanders on How the Democratic ‘Establishment’ Took Him Out of the Presidential Race<\/p>\n<p>“That’s what happens when you take on the establishments. What happened is we won the first three primaries, and then the establishment got very, very nervous\u2026and they said, ‘Hey, it\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/d9Z2OGAuuH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/d9Z2OGAuuH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheChiefNerd\/status\/1823818576480153628\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>And, thinking about this, the <em>first<\/em> coup \u2014 the dry run, you might say \u2014 (in exchange for, in my view, Clinton suppressing the story of his theft of the Texas primary): The deal being Clinton supports him at the Convention, he makes her Secretary of State and supports her in 2016. So Obama\u2019s got some experience in this kind of manipulation. Three times, in fact: Clinton, Sanders, Biden. Quite a record.<\/p>\n<p>Why now\u2026. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Syndemics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am in earnest \u2014 I will not equivocate \u2014 I will not excuse \u2014 I will not retreat a single inch \u2014 AND I WILL BE HEARD.\u201d \u2013William Lloyd Garrison<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&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><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"monkeypox\"\/>Monkeypox<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWHO declares mpox outbreaks in Africa a global health emergency as a new form of the virus spreads\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/who-mpox-africa-health-emergency-cc9bdf31b49d06bec5efd44fb55d5e42\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cThe World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global emergency on Wednesday, with cases confirmed among children and adults in more than a dozen countries and a new form of the virus spreading. Few vaccine doses are available on the continent. Earlier this week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the mpox outbreaks were a public health emergency, with more than 500 deaths, and called for international help to stop the virus\u2019 spread. \u2018This is something that should concern us all \u2026 The potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying,\u2019 said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The Africa CDC previously said mpox, also known as monkeypox, has been detected in 13 countries this year, and more than 96% of all cases and deaths are in Congo. Cases are up 160% and deaths are up 19% compared with the same period last year. So far, there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 people have died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore contagious mpox strain reaches Europe as Sweden reports first case\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/global-health\/science-and-disease\/sweden-reports-europes-first-case-of-new-mpox-variant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Telegraph<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018A person who sought care\u2019 in Stockholm \u2018has been diagnosed with mpox caused by the clade I variant. It is the first case caused by clade I to be diagnosed outside the African continent,\u2019 Sweden\u2019s Public Health Agency said\u2026. The patient had travelled to an country hit by an outbreak of the virus, Jakob Forssmed, Sweden\u2019s Minister of Social Affairs, told a press conference\u2026. There are two types of mpox, Clade 1 and Clade 2. While Clade 2 caused a public health emergency in 2022 it was relatively mild and has already appeared in Sweden. Clade 1b, which appeared in the DRC in September of last year, is said to be \u2018the most dangerous yet.\u2019 It has a higher mortality rate than clade 2 \u2013 said to be between 5-10 per cent compared to 0.2 per cent \u2013 and has already accounted for 511 deaths and nearly 15,000 cases in Africa this year.\u201d \u2022 Sweden\u2019s \u201cPublic Health\u201d Agency <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/business\/story\/2022-03-31\/sweden-covid-policy-was-a-disaster\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">break out the morphone for the elders<\/a> [laughs mordantly]. Commentary:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The epidemiologist who helped in the WHO program to eradicate smallpox \ud83d\udc47 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MSNl809OEd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/MSNl809OEd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Carl Van Keirsbilck (@CarlvKeirsbilck) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarlvKeirsbilck\/status\/1823890069473632358\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2022\/08\/cdc-rigs-its-own-monkeypox-case-reports-by-not-including-questions-on-airborne-transmission.html\">As I urged in 2022<\/a>. Generally, however, we\u2019re still hearing \u201cclose contact,\u201d however (which is not a mode of transmission, and nigh unto handwaving, but still, showing so far no signs of being as contagious as Covid).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Airborne Transmission: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cEvidence from whole genome sequencing of aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 almost 5 hours after hospital room turnover\u201d (abstract only) [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajicjournal.org\/article\/S0196-6553(24)00162-7\/abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">American Journal of Infection Control<\/a>]. From the Abstract: \u201cWhole genome sequencing during an outbreak suggested in-room transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to two patients admitted nearly 2 and 5 hours, respectively, after discharge of an asymptomatic infected patient. These findings suggest that airborne SARS-CoV-2 may transmit infection for over 4 hours, even in a hospital setting.\u201d \u2022 Yikes!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe highly pathogenic H5N1 virus found in U.S. dairy cattle has some characteristics that could enhance infection and transmission among mammals\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41684-024-01425-z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Nature<\/a>]. \u201cThe Nature publication\u2019s findings on the absence of efficient airborne transmission align with a report from the US CDC, which observed inefficient respiratory droplet transmission between ferrets (in only 1 out of 3 donor\u2013contact pairs) of an HPAI A\/H5N1 virus (A\/Texas\/37\/2024) isolated from a human case who had been exposed to infected dairy cattle in Texas8. This still low transmission efficiency is not surprising, as several phenotypic changes are required for avian A\/H5N1 influenza viruses to be transmissible via the air between mammals\u2026. However, Eisfeld and colleagues report dual binding specificity for \u03b1-2,3 and \u03b1-2,6-linked sialic acid receptors, which they hypothesize to be a specific feature of A\/H5N1 viruses isolated from cattle. This finding suggests that one of the traits required for mammal-to-mammal transmission via the air is already present in Cow-H5N1\u2026. Monitoring the genotype and phenotype of HPAI clade 2.3.4.4b virus in dairy cattle and derived viruses is of utmost importance. This close investigation is necessary to develop and implement effective prevention strategies. .\u201d \u2022 Worth reading in full; it\u2019s a good round-up, too.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Positivity: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cCOVID positivity rate hits 21% as students return to school\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kpbs.org\/news\/health\/2024\/08\/13\/covid-positivity-rate-hits-21-as-students-return-to-school\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">KPBS<\/a>]. \u201cAs students start the new school year, San Diego County\u2019s COVID-19 positivity rate has soared to nearly 21%, marking the second highest rate recorded since the pandemic began. Dr. Edmund Milder, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Rady Children\u2019s Hospital, highlighted several key guidelines that schools are implementing to safeguard students. \u2018The thing the school does is making sure you have good air quality, you know. Open windows and outdoors whenever possible,\u2019 Milder explained\u201d \u2022 Finally a pediatrician who knows what they\u2019re talking about. Why don\u2019t they all?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCOVID Levels Are \u2018Very High\u2019 in Majority of U.S. States\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/covid\/news\/20240813\/covid-levels-very-high-majority-us-states\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WebMed<\/a>]. \u201cThe latest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nwss\/rv\/COVID19-currentlevels.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC wastewater monitoring data<\/a> shows that 27 U.S. states are detecting \u201cvery high\u201d levels of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. The label \u201cvery high\u201d indicates the highest viral activity level used by the agency. There are four lower levels that can be reported: minimal, low, moderate, and high. Nationwide, the lowest level being reported is moderate, and there are no states reporting low or minimal levels.\u201d \u2022 With, of course, no historical data so we can judge the present by the past. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sequelae: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cCOVID-19 Pandemic School Disruptions and Acute Mental Health in Children and Adolescents\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamanetworkopen\/fullarticle\/2821950\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">JAMA<\/a>]. \u201cIn this study, school opening was associated with an increased incidence of acute psychiatric emergencies among children and adolescents, suggesting that school can be a substantial source of stress with acute mental health implications.\u201d And: \u201cThe main reasons for the psychiatric ED visits were psychomotor agitation (33.1%), anxiety (16.1%), eating disorders (10.4%), suicidal ideation (8.8%), and suicide attempts (8.6%) (Table 1). These last 3 factors significantly increased during the study period, with increments of 294.8% for eating disorders, 297.8% for SI, and 249.1% for SA.\u201d \u2022\u00a0So, re-opening was a greater problem than lockdowns? At least along some axes? \u201cMom, I missed the active shooter drills\u2026..\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Data Modeling<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe need to talk about the Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative models (part 2)\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/buttondown.com\/abbycartus\/archive\/we-need-to-talk-about-the-pandemic-mitigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Closed Form<\/a>]. <a href=\"https:\/\/buttondown.com\/abbycartus\/archive\/how-to-read-the-pandemic-mitigation-collaborative\/?utm_source=abbycartus&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=we-need-to-talk-about-the-pandemic-mitigation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Part 1<\/a>. This is a critique of Hoerger\u2019s work (which you will note I don\u2019t put in Table 1 because I haven\u2019t had time to dope out his model. So far as I know, these two posts are the only critique). Caveat: To my simple mind, that wastewater data maps directly to case data <em>is<\/em> persuasive, because Biobiot\u2019s visual representation made that conclusion inescapable, back when we had Biobot data. Nevertheless, this author knows their stuff, so it\u2019s worth a read. Picking out one nugget: \u201cNo matter which way you slice it, this is not good data; [a] converting wastewater to cases remains impossible to do reliably, and the PMC [b] do not have access to any actual \u2018ground truth\u2019 data about COVID transmission.\u201d \u2022 Note I regard claim [a] as wrong, but if claim [b] is true, the data used to build the model is still suspect at least. Perhaps a kind reader who understands \u201clinear regression\u201d and whether it\u2019s an appropriate tool to use for modeling a pandemic can comment. NOTE The author writes: \u201cI think it\u2019s time for the PMC to publicly post their modeling code and details about the modeling approach. By this I mean, whatever R scripts or Stata code (or whatever the case may be) were written to generate and evaluate the model, along with information about how accuracy is evaluated before forecasts are made, how model performance is monitored, what types of modeling approaches are being applied to deal with the autoregressive and dependent structures of infectious disease time-series data, and so forth.\u201d Or keep it simple and release the source code. It\u2019s hard to believe that hasn\u2019t been done; we have github for a reason.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Social Norming<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cDidn\u2019t want to know\u201d (1):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">So several months ago I sent a doctor friend who works at a government facility an Aranet. He didn’t get it at first but then started playing with around the house and I was able to sneak in more covid info. Didn’t want to take it to work because he “didn’t want to know”.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ocnj (@ocnj3) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ocnj3\/status\/1823831628788969799\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDidn\u2019t want to know\u201d (2):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">So funny thing .. my coworker\u2019s mom actually had covid. She was sick and working and said she didn\u2019t want to test herself because she didn\u2019t want to know (??????). Doctor said yesterday that my covid test was unclear. They didn\u2019t test me again. It was also 20 minutes before +<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 A (@wlfsghost) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wlfsghost\/status\/1822442048571466126\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 11, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDidn\u2019t want to know\u201d (3):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">There was an interview on Weekend on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bbcworldservice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@bbcworldservice<\/a> this morning with a US journalist. He said he caught Covid in Paris as did many journalists but the Olympic authorities didn’t want to know and tried to ignore it until everyone saw what happened to the US runner.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ennius (@red_loeb) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/red_loeb\/status\/1822590620533239889\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 11, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: Worth noting that national Emergency Room admissions are as high as they were in the first wave, in 2020.<\/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) Going down. 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) Fiddling and diddling.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Jumping.<\/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 range. 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) It\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/COVID19_disease\/status\/1821721841049690195\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">rumored<\/a> that there\u2019s a new variant in China, XDV.1, but it\u2019s not showing up here.<\/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>Initial Jobless Claims: \u201cUnited States Initial Jobless Claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/jobless-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell by 7,000 to 227,000 on the week ending August 10th, contrasting with market expectations of a slight increase to 235,000, marking the second consecutive weekly decline since reaching a near-one-year high of 250,000 in late July. It was the fewest amount of new claims filed in five weeks, challenging recent data that reflected a marked slowdown in the US labor market, and adding some leeway for the Federal Reserve to not loosen monetary policy at a magnitude that jeopardizes the fight against inflation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Industrial Production\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/industrial-production\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cIndustrial Production in the United States decreased 0.2% year-on-year in July 2024, the first annual drop in three months, following a downwardly revised 1.1% rise in June.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States NY Empire State Manufacturing Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/ny-empire-state-manufacturing-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe NY Empire State Manufacturing Index increased to -4.7 in August 2024, the highest in six months, compared to -6.6 in July and forecasts of -6. The reading showed business activity in the New York state edged only slightly lower, with new orders falling modestly\u2026. Finally, firms were fairly optimistic that conditions would improve in the months ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Retail: \u201cU.S. Retail Sales\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/retail-sales\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cRetail sales in the US soared 1% month-over-month in July 2024, following a downwardly revised 0.2% drop in June and way better than forecasts of a 0.3% gain. It is the biggest increase since January 2023, with sales at motor vehicle and part dealers rising the most (3.6%), followed by sales at electronics and appliance stores (1.6%).\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cKim Dotcom\u2019s Extradition to the U.S. Given Green Light By New Zealand\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/torrentfreak.com\/kim-dotcoms-extradition-to-the-u-s-given-green-light-by-new-zealand-240815\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TorrentFreak<\/a>]. \u201cMore than twelve years have passed since Megaupload became <a href=\"https:\/\/torrentfreak.com\/megaupload-shut-down-120119\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the prime target<\/a> in a high-profile law enforcement operation, which led to the collapse of Kim Dotcom\u2019s file-storage empire\u2026.. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stuff.co.nz\/politics\/350380271\/justice-minister-signs-kim-doctoms-extradition-order\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stuff<\/a>, New Zealand Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith informed Kim Dotcom that he will be deported to the United States to stand trial\u2026. \u2018[T]he obedient US colony in the South Pacific just decided to extradite me for what users uploaded to Megaupload, unsolicited, and what copyright holders were able to remove with direct delete access instantly and without question. But who cares? That\u2019s justice these days,\u2019 [Dotcom] wrote on Tuesday. Today, Dotcom followed up, stating that he has \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KimDotcom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a plan<\/a>,\u2019 \u2018loves New Zealand,\u2019 and doesn\u2019t intend to leave the country.\u201d \u2022 Not sure how this is different from Silicon Valley looting the entire Internet for training sets. Go big or go home, I guess.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 24 Exreme Fear (previous close: 23 Extreme Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 23 (Extreme Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Aug 13 at 1:21:45 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Timeline cleanser:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Landing Stage <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WGfM0O7nCh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/WGfM0O7nCh<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/D5RzQdW0BV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/D5RzQdW0BV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Pierre Bonnard (@pierre_bonnard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/pierre_bonnard\/status\/1819589420107853847\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 3, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I am not feeling wired today.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact information for plants<\/strong>: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/200pm-water-cooler-8-13-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From TH:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"810\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-276775\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty.jpeg 1080w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty-624x468.jpeg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>TH writes: \u201cThis one is an iPhone picture. Sometimes it\u2019s just easier to use that one as my wide-angle instead of lugging around lenses and switching them out on the Nikon\u2014but clarity suffers a little. So, for anyone unfamiliar with this scene, the J. Paul Getty Center (museum) in Los Angeles has this lovely huge pool that receives water from that waterfall, and this labyrinth of a raised shrub in its midst. It then is bordered by gardens.\u201d I have always wanted a water feature; not, perhaps, of this scale\u2026.<\/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. Material here is Lambert\u2019s, and does not express the views of the Naked Capitalism site. 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\/08\/200pm-water-cooler-8-15-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente Bird Song of the Day I looked for another species of songbird that mimics, and came up with the Thrasher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":83335,"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-83334","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\/83334","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=83334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
I looked for another species of songbird that mimics, and came up with the Thrasher. <\/p>\n
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Concord Park\u2013The Cove, Knox, Tennessee, United States<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#kamala\">Walter Kim <\/a> on Kamala<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mechan\">Trump to jail September 18?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sanders\">Sanders on 2020<\/a> (a coup)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#monkeypox\">First monkeypox case outside Africa<\/a> spotted in Sweden.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\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=\"rcp\"\/>Friday\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RCP<\/a> Poll Averages:<\/p>\n<p>More Blue on the map. Trump still leads nationally, but some swing states moving toward Kamala. In particular, I\u2019m no insider, but if I were on Team Trump, Georgia\u2019s drop from +3.6 to this week\u2019s +0.6 might cause me to chew my hands. Georgia? Really? Atlanta burbs no longer sitting it out? Can any readers from Georgia clarify?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trail\"\/><em><strong>The Campaign Trail<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kamala\"\/>Kamala: <\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Strength Through Joy \u2013 Wikipedia<\/p>\n<p>(I knew there was something bugging me about this “joy” thing) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1Bie8qmnNZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/1Bie8qmnNZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Walter Kirn (@walterkirn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/walterkirn\/status\/1823732357485965817\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Seems that Walter Kirn and I have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/200pm-water-cooler-8-12-2024.html#tomorrow\">arrived at more or less the same place<\/a>, albeit by different routes.<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cNYC kickoff rally for Harris confronts pro-Palestinian demonstration\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/08\/14\/nyc-harris-rally-pro-palestinian-demonstration-00174120\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cThe energy and size of an ebullient rally of elected New York Democrats hyped for Kamala Harris\u2019 candidacy met a massive crowd of pro-Palestinian demonstrators chanting, banging drums and waving banners Wednesday night. The Democrats\u2019 rally was interrupted repeatedly by the protesters \u2014 a reminder of one of the party\u2019s biggest internal divisions\u2026. Though Harris has yet to detail her platform and where she stands on key issues, when it comes to how she addresses members of her party and others protesting Palestinian casualties and devastation.\u201d Oh. <em>Tone<\/em>. And style! More: \u201cAnd in New York on Wednesday, the delegates who plan to show their support for her at next week\u2019s nominating convention in Chicago appeared to have picked up on her cues. \u2018We\u2019ve got to come together,\u2019 Espaillat was saying, as a protester shouted out from the crowd. \u2018She\u2019s got to come with us too. She will be with us. We\u2019ll come together.’\u201d \u2022 Pleasant to think of Kamala stepping onto the Iron Throne over a 700,000-strong pile of corpses from Biden\u2019s Covid policies, but who wants to talk about <em>that<\/em>?<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cGoldman Sachs says voters are shifting to Kamala Harris\u2014and the odds of a blue wave are swelling\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2024\/08\/13\/goldman-sachs-kamala-harris-beating-donald-trump-polls-democrats-republicans-blue-wave\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Fortune<\/a>]. \u201cKamala Harris has pulled ahead of Donald Trump in national polls as voters turn away from third parties and the odds of a blue wave increases, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/byuP1\/https:\/\/fortune.com\/company\/goldman-sachs-group\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Goldman Sachs<\/a>.\u201d How nice for her. And them! More: \u201c\u2018While third-party candidates had been drawing slightly more from Biden earlier in the year, what is left of third-party support seems to be coming at least as much from former President Trump,\u2019 the analysts wrote. \u2018The percentage of undecided voters also began declining soon after Harris\u2019s entry into the race, and is now half of what it was a month ago. Those undecided voter numbers are likely locked in, according to the investment bank.\u201d And: \u201cWhile the Goldman analysts said in the Monday note that a Harris economic plan would likely mirror Biden\u2019s proposals with a few additions, a majority of voters surveyed by the FT and University of Michigan poll said Harris should break completely from Biden or \u2018make major changes\u2019 to his economic proposals.\u201d \u2022 Oh, good.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump:<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cTrump campaign brings Corey Lewandowski back on board\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/08\/15\/trump-campaign-brings-corey-lewandowski-back-on-board-00174155\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cDonald Trump\u2019s campaign is expanding its ranks as he seeks to regain his footing in the presidential campaign, bringing on a handful of top allies \u2014 including former Trump 2016 campaign manager Corey Lewandowski\u2026. Trump has a long history of campaign shakeups \u2014 he had two in 2016 and one in 2020. But despite his current struggles in the race, Trump has remained solidly behind his current leadership. The former president told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/08\/10\/us\/politics\/trump-campaign-election.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The New York Times<\/a> last week that he was \u201cthrilled\u201d with Wiles and LaCivita.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cLuntz: Trump \u2018committing political suicide\u2019 as Harris seizes \u2018intensity advantage’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/4828533-luntz-trump-committing-political-suicide-harris-intensity-advantage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018She\u2019s bringing out people who are not interested in voting for either Trump or Biden. So the entire electoral pool has changed,\u2019 Luntz said. \u2018And if it continues in this direction, you have to start to consider Democrats winning the Senate and Democrats winning the House. \u2018The actual people who are participating \u2014 she\u2019s got intensity now. She\u2019s got an intensity advantage. She\u2019s got a demographic advantage. And I haven\u2019t seen anything like this happen in 30 days in my lifetime,\u2019 Luntz continued. Asked how significant that margin of extra Harris voters might be to the overall electoral pool, Luntz said, \u2018.’\u201d And: \u201cLuntz suggested there are three components \u2014 attributes, issues and conditions of the country \u2014 that build a candidate\u2019s support, adding, \u2018You shift the demographics, and you shift the entire outcome.\u2019 \u2018The issues and conditions favor Donald Trump. He should be winning this election. But the attributes are so much in Harris\u2019s favor that he\u2019s not. I\u2019m trying to do a focus group tonight with undecided voters under the age of 27 for a major news outlet. And I can\u2019t recruit young women to this, because they don\u2019t exist as undecided voters,\u2019 he said.\u201d \u2022 I think the pollsters are, to varying degrees, all players at this point, just like the press. But I put Luntz in the bucket of Old Brandy OGs, people who have been around a long, long time, are who they are, and don\u2019t need to shift with the wind. Luntz, Nooners, Cook Political Report, Larry Sabato\u2026 Sanders, I suppose. That\u2019s about. So I would take Luntz\u2019s remarks as being very worrisome for Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cSecret Service prepares use of bulletproof glass for outdoor Trump rallies: Sources\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aol.com\/news\/secret-prepares-bulletproof-glass-outdoor-160442206.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw&tsrc=twtr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ABC<\/a>]. \u201cThe measure is typically used exclusively for sitting presidents, but the Secret Service is making an exception following the first attempted assassination of a presidential candidate since Robert Kennedy in 1968\u2026. The Secret Service recommended that Trump stop holding outdoor rallies last month after a gunman in Butler, Pennsylvania, fired at him from a rooftop 400 feet from the stage, nicking his ear. A man in the crowd was killed in the attack. Since July 13, Trump has held nearly a dozen campaign events, all of them indoors. Trump has privately expressed a desire to campaign outdoors and has sought assurances it would be safe, the sources said.\u201d \u2022 Should have been done long ago. The Secret Service doesn\u2019t have a lot of credibility here.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"merchan\"\/>Trump (R) (Bragg\/Merchan): \u201cSurprise . . . Not: Judge Merchan Denies Trump\u2019s Recusal Motion, Setting Up September 18 Sentencing\u201d [Andrew McCarthy, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/oXqaK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">National Review<\/a>]. \u201cLast week, I contended that Judge Juan Merchan is determined to pronounce sentence upon Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on September 18 \u2014 i.e., two days after early voting begins in Pennsylvania \u2014 and would therefore deny the former president\u2019s post-trial motions (1) seeking Merchan\u2019s recusal from the case and (2) claiming, based on the Supreme Court\u2019s July 1 immunity ruling, that the jury\u2019s 34 guilty verdicts against Trump must be vacated. Merchan has now taken step one. In the communication with counsel that I outlined in the above-linked column, the judge said he would rule on the recusal motion this week. Yesterday, he denied it in a curt three-page decision. To recap, Merchan should have recused himself: He is a partisan Democrat, he contributed to Biden\u2019s campaign in violation of state ethics rules, and his daughter is a progressive operative who does lucrative campaign work for Democrats\u2026 In his aforementioned letter to counsel, Merchan said he expected to issue his immunity ruling by September 16. I argued in last week\u2019s column that, having already had several weeks to mull over the Supreme Court\u2019s July 1 immunity decision and the parties\u2019 submissions on the subject, Merchan knows he is going to rule against Trump. That is why he also instructed the parties to assume that sentencing would occur as scheduled on September 18, and that they should therefore make whatever presentencing submissions they intend to make. Merchan knows the Democrats\u2019 three other lawfare cases against Trump are bogged down in pretrial litigation (indeed, the federal indictment in Florida has been dismissed). .\u201d \u2022 It would be deeply ironic if Merchan brought about a massive swing in Trump\u2019s favor; presumably the Trump campaign is figuring out how to leverage this. There\u2019s no reason Trump can\u2019t run from a prison cell, after all.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kennedy\"\/>Kennedy:<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): \u201cRFK Jr. reached out to Harris campaign about administration role in exchange for endorsement\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/news\/rfk-jr-reached-harris-campaign-012142563.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. \u201cIndependent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s campaign reached out to Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 campaign to arrange a meeting about a possible role in her administration if he drops out of the race and endorses her, a Kennedy campaign official and a Democratic official told CNN\u2026. Kennedy campaign staff also attempted to reach out to intermediaries for Ron Klain, former White House chief of staff for President Joe Biden, but those efforts were fruitless, the Kennedy campaign official said.\u201d \u2022 A chat with Ron Klain. How pleasant.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"sanders\"\/>The previous coup:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udc40 Bernie Sanders on How the Democratic ‘Establishment’ Took Him Out of the Presidential Race<\/p>\n<p>“That’s what happens when you take on the establishments. What happened is we won the first three primaries, and then the establishment got very, very nervous\u2026and they said, ‘Hey, it\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/d9Z2OGAuuH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/d9Z2OGAuuH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheChiefNerd\/status\/1823818576480153628\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>And, thinking about this, the <em>first<\/em> coup \u2014 the dry run, you might say \u2014 (in exchange for, in my view, Clinton suppressing the story of his theft of the Texas primary): The deal being Clinton supports him at the Convention, he makes her Secretary of State and supports her in 2016. So Obama\u2019s got some experience in this kind of manipulation. Three times, in fact: Clinton, Sanders, Biden. Quite a record.<\/p>\n<p>Why now\u2026. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Syndemics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am in earnest \u2014 I will not equivocate \u2014 I will not excuse \u2014 I will not retreat a single inch \u2014 AND I WILL BE HEARD.\u201d \u2013William Lloyd Garrison<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&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><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"monkeypox\"\/>Monkeypox<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWHO declares mpox outbreaks in Africa a global health emergency as a new form of the virus spreads\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/who-mpox-africa-health-emergency-cc9bdf31b49d06bec5efd44fb55d5e42\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cThe World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global emergency on Wednesday, with cases confirmed among children and adults in more than a dozen countries and a new form of the virus spreading. Few vaccine doses are available on the continent. Earlier this week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the mpox outbreaks were a public health emergency, with more than 500 deaths, and called for international help to stop the virus\u2019 spread. \u2018This is something that should concern us all \u2026 The potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying,\u2019 said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The Africa CDC previously said mpox, also known as monkeypox, has been detected in 13 countries this year, and more than 96% of all cases and deaths are in Congo. Cases are up 160% and deaths are up 19% compared with the same period last year. So far, there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 people have died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore contagious mpox strain reaches Europe as Sweden reports first case\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/global-health\/science-and-disease\/sweden-reports-europes-first-case-of-new-mpox-variant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Telegraph<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018A person who sought care\u2019 in Stockholm \u2018has been diagnosed with mpox caused by the clade I variant. It is the first case caused by clade I to be diagnosed outside the African continent,\u2019 Sweden\u2019s Public Health Agency said\u2026. The patient had travelled to an country hit by an outbreak of the virus, Jakob Forssmed, Sweden\u2019s Minister of Social Affairs, told a press conference\u2026. There are two types of mpox, Clade 1 and Clade 2. While Clade 2 caused a public health emergency in 2022 it was relatively mild and has already appeared in Sweden. Clade 1b, which appeared in the DRC in September of last year, is said to be \u2018the most dangerous yet.\u2019 It has a higher mortality rate than clade 2 \u2013 said to be between 5-10 per cent compared to 0.2 per cent \u2013 and has already accounted for 511 deaths and nearly 15,000 cases in Africa this year.\u201d \u2022 Sweden\u2019s \u201cPublic Health\u201d Agency <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/business\/story\/2022-03-31\/sweden-covid-policy-was-a-disaster\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">break out the morphone for the elders<\/a> [laughs mordantly]. Commentary:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The epidemiologist who helped in the WHO program to eradicate smallpox \ud83d\udc47 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MSNl809OEd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/MSNl809OEd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Carl Van Keirsbilck (@CarlvKeirsbilck) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarlvKeirsbilck\/status\/1823890069473632358\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2022\/08\/cdc-rigs-its-own-monkeypox-case-reports-by-not-including-questions-on-airborne-transmission.html\">As I urged in 2022<\/a>. Generally, however, we\u2019re still hearing \u201cclose contact,\u201d however (which is not a mode of transmission, and nigh unto handwaving, but still, showing so far no signs of being as contagious as Covid).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Airborne Transmission: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cEvidence from whole genome sequencing of aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 almost 5 hours after hospital room turnover\u201d (abstract only) [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajicjournal.org\/article\/S0196-6553(24)00162-7\/abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">American Journal of Infection Control<\/a>]. From the Abstract: \u201cWhole genome sequencing during an outbreak suggested in-room transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to two patients admitted nearly 2 and 5 hours, respectively, after discharge of an asymptomatic infected patient. These findings suggest that airborne SARS-CoV-2 may transmit infection for over 4 hours, even in a hospital setting.\u201d \u2022 Yikes!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe highly pathogenic H5N1 virus found in U.S. dairy cattle has some characteristics that could enhance infection and transmission among mammals\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41684-024-01425-z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Nature<\/a>]. \u201cThe Nature publication\u2019s findings on the absence of efficient airborne transmission align with a report from the US CDC, which observed inefficient respiratory droplet transmission between ferrets (in only 1 out of 3 donor\u2013contact pairs) of an HPAI A\/H5N1 virus (A\/Texas\/37\/2024) isolated from a human case who had been exposed to infected dairy cattle in Texas8. This still low transmission efficiency is not surprising, as several phenotypic changes are required for avian A\/H5N1 influenza viruses to be transmissible via the air between mammals\u2026. However, Eisfeld and colleagues report dual binding specificity for \u03b1-2,3 and \u03b1-2,6-linked sialic acid receptors, which they hypothesize to be a specific feature of A\/H5N1 viruses isolated from cattle. This finding suggests that one of the traits required for mammal-to-mammal transmission via the air is already present in Cow-H5N1\u2026. Monitoring the genotype and phenotype of HPAI clade 2.3.4.4b virus in dairy cattle and derived viruses is of utmost importance. This close investigation is necessary to develop and implement effective prevention strategies. .\u201d \u2022 Worth reading in full; it\u2019s a good round-up, too.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Positivity: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cCOVID positivity rate hits 21% as students return to school\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kpbs.org\/news\/health\/2024\/08\/13\/covid-positivity-rate-hits-21-as-students-return-to-school\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">KPBS<\/a>]. \u201cAs students start the new school year, San Diego County\u2019s COVID-19 positivity rate has soared to nearly 21%, marking the second highest rate recorded since the pandemic began. Dr. Edmund Milder, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Rady Children\u2019s Hospital, highlighted several key guidelines that schools are implementing to safeguard students. \u2018The thing the school does is making sure you have good air quality, you know. Open windows and outdoors whenever possible,\u2019 Milder explained\u201d \u2022 Finally a pediatrician who knows what they\u2019re talking about. Why don\u2019t they all?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCOVID Levels Are \u2018Very High\u2019 in Majority of U.S. States\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/covid\/news\/20240813\/covid-levels-very-high-majority-us-states\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WebMed<\/a>]. \u201cThe latest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nwss\/rv\/COVID19-currentlevels.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC wastewater monitoring data<\/a> shows that 27 U.S. states are detecting \u201cvery high\u201d levels of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. The label \u201cvery high\u201d indicates the highest viral activity level used by the agency. There are four lower levels that can be reported: minimal, low, moderate, and high. Nationwide, the lowest level being reported is moderate, and there are no states reporting low or minimal levels.\u201d \u2022 With, of course, no historical data so we can judge the present by the past. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sequelae: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cCOVID-19 Pandemic School Disruptions and Acute Mental Health in Children and Adolescents\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamanetworkopen\/fullarticle\/2821950\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">JAMA<\/a>]. \u201cIn this study, school opening was associated with an increased incidence of acute psychiatric emergencies among children and adolescents, suggesting that school can be a substantial source of stress with acute mental health implications.\u201d And: \u201cThe main reasons for the psychiatric ED visits were psychomotor agitation (33.1%), anxiety (16.1%), eating disorders (10.4%), suicidal ideation (8.8%), and suicide attempts (8.6%) (Table 1). These last 3 factors significantly increased during the study period, with increments of 294.8% for eating disorders, 297.8% for SI, and 249.1% for SA.\u201d \u2022\u00a0So, re-opening was a greater problem than lockdowns? At least along some axes? \u201cMom, I missed the active shooter drills\u2026..\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Data Modeling<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe need to talk about the Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative models (part 2)\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/buttondown.com\/abbycartus\/archive\/we-need-to-talk-about-the-pandemic-mitigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Closed Form<\/a>]. <a href=\"https:\/\/buttondown.com\/abbycartus\/archive\/how-to-read-the-pandemic-mitigation-collaborative\/?utm_source=abbycartus&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=we-need-to-talk-about-the-pandemic-mitigation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Part 1<\/a>. This is a critique of Hoerger\u2019s work (which you will note I don\u2019t put in Table 1 because I haven\u2019t had time to dope out his model. So far as I know, these two posts are the only critique). Caveat: To my simple mind, that wastewater data maps directly to case data <em>is<\/em> persuasive, because Biobiot\u2019s visual representation made that conclusion inescapable, back when we had Biobot data. Nevertheless, this author knows their stuff, so it\u2019s worth a read. Picking out one nugget: \u201cNo matter which way you slice it, this is not good data; [a] converting wastewater to cases remains impossible to do reliably, and the PMC [b] do not have access to any actual \u2018ground truth\u2019 data about COVID transmission.\u201d \u2022 Note I regard claim [a] as wrong, but if claim [b] is true, the data used to build the model is still suspect at least. Perhaps a kind reader who understands \u201clinear regression\u201d and whether it\u2019s an appropriate tool to use for modeling a pandemic can comment. NOTE The author writes: \u201cI think it\u2019s time for the PMC to publicly post their modeling code and details about the modeling approach. By this I mean, whatever R scripts or Stata code (or whatever the case may be) were written to generate and evaluate the model, along with information about how accuracy is evaluated before forecasts are made, how model performance is monitored, what types of modeling approaches are being applied to deal with the autoregressive and dependent structures of infectious disease time-series data, and so forth.\u201d Or keep it simple and release the source code. It\u2019s hard to believe that hasn\u2019t been done; we have github for a reason.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Social Norming<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cDidn\u2019t want to know\u201d (1):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">So several months ago I sent a doctor friend who works at a government facility an Aranet. He didn’t get it at first but then started playing with around the house and I was able to sneak in more covid info. Didn’t want to take it to work because he “didn’t want to know”.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ocnj (@ocnj3) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ocnj3\/status\/1823831628788969799\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDidn\u2019t want to know\u201d (2):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">So funny thing .. my coworker\u2019s mom actually had covid. She was sick and working and said she didn\u2019t want to test herself because she didn\u2019t want to know (??????). Doctor said yesterday that my covid test was unclear. They didn\u2019t test me again. It was also 20 minutes before +<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 A (@wlfsghost) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wlfsghost\/status\/1822442048571466126\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 11, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDidn\u2019t want to know\u201d (3):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">There was an interview on Weekend on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bbcworldservice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@bbcworldservice<\/a> this morning with a US journalist. He said he caught Covid in Paris as did many journalists but the Olympic authorities didn’t want to know and tried to ignore it until everyone saw what happened to the US runner.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ennius (@red_loeb) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/red_loeb\/status\/1822590620533239889\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 11, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: Worth noting that national Emergency Room admissions are as high as they were in the first wave, in 2020.<\/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) Going down. 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) Fiddling and diddling.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Jumping.<\/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 range. 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) It\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/COVID19_disease\/status\/1821721841049690195\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">rumored<\/a> that there\u2019s a new variant in China, XDV.1, but it\u2019s not showing up here.<\/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>Initial Jobless Claims: \u201cUnited States Initial Jobless Claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/jobless-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell by 7,000 to 227,000 on the week ending August 10th, contrasting with market expectations of a slight increase to 235,000, marking the second consecutive weekly decline since reaching a near-one-year high of 250,000 in late July. It was the fewest amount of new claims filed in five weeks, challenging recent data that reflected a marked slowdown in the US labor market, and adding some leeway for the Federal Reserve to not loosen monetary policy at a magnitude that jeopardizes the fight against inflation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Industrial Production\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/industrial-production\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cIndustrial Production in the United States decreased 0.2% year-on-year in July 2024, the first annual drop in three months, following a downwardly revised 1.1% rise in June.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States NY Empire State Manufacturing Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/ny-empire-state-manufacturing-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe NY Empire State Manufacturing Index increased to -4.7 in August 2024, the highest in six months, compared to -6.6 in July and forecasts of -6. The reading showed business activity in the New York state edged only slightly lower, with new orders falling modestly\u2026. Finally, firms were fairly optimistic that conditions would improve in the months ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Retail: \u201cU.S. Retail Sales\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/retail-sales\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cRetail sales in the US soared 1% month-over-month in July 2024, following a downwardly revised 0.2% drop in June and way better than forecasts of a 0.3% gain. It is the biggest increase since January 2023, with sales at motor vehicle and part dealers rising the most (3.6%), followed by sales at electronics and appliance stores (1.6%).\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cKim Dotcom\u2019s Extradition to the U.S. Given Green Light By New Zealand\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/torrentfreak.com\/kim-dotcoms-extradition-to-the-u-s-given-green-light-by-new-zealand-240815\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TorrentFreak<\/a>]. \u201cMore than twelve years have passed since Megaupload became <a href=\"https:\/\/torrentfreak.com\/megaupload-shut-down-120119\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the prime target<\/a> in a high-profile law enforcement operation, which led to the collapse of Kim Dotcom\u2019s file-storage empire\u2026.. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stuff.co.nz\/politics\/350380271\/justice-minister-signs-kim-doctoms-extradition-order\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stuff<\/a>, New Zealand Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith informed Kim Dotcom that he will be deported to the United States to stand trial\u2026. \u2018[T]he obedient US colony in the South Pacific just decided to extradite me for what users uploaded to Megaupload, unsolicited, and what copyright holders were able to remove with direct delete access instantly and without question. But who cares? That\u2019s justice these days,\u2019 [Dotcom] wrote on Tuesday. Today, Dotcom followed up, stating that he has \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KimDotcom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a plan<\/a>,\u2019 \u2018loves New Zealand,\u2019 and doesn\u2019t intend to leave the country.\u201d \u2022 Not sure how this is different from Silicon Valley looting the entire Internet for training sets. Go big or go home, I guess.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 24 Exreme Fear (previous close: 23 Extreme Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 23 (Extreme Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Aug 13 at 1:21:45 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Timeline cleanser:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Landing Stage <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WGfM0O7nCh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/WGfM0O7nCh<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/D5RzQdW0BV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/D5RzQdW0BV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Pierre Bonnard (@pierre_bonnard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/pierre_bonnard\/status\/1819589420107853847\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 3, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I am not feeling wired today.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact information for plants<\/strong>: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/200pm-water-cooler-8-13-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From TH:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"810\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-276775\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty.jpeg 1080w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/getty-624x468.jpeg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>TH writes: \u201cThis one is an iPhone picture. Sometimes it\u2019s just easier to use that one as my wide-angle instead of lugging around lenses and switching them out on the Nikon\u2014but clarity suffers a little. So, for anyone unfamiliar with this scene, the J. Paul Getty Center (museum) in Los Angeles has this lovely huge pool that receives water from that waterfall, and this labyrinth of a raised shrub in its midst. It then is bordered by gardens.\u201d I have always wanted a water feature; not, perhaps, of this scale\u2026.<\/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. Material here is Lambert\u2019s, and does not express the views of the Naked Capitalism site. 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\/08\/200pm-water-cooler-8-15-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente Bird Song of the Day I looked for another species of songbird that mimics, and came up with the Thrasher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":83335,"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-83334","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\/83334","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=83334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}