\n<\/p>\n
By Lambert Strether of Corrente<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nBird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>California Thrasher, Mori Pt., San Mateo, California, United States. Short and sweet!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#trail\">Democrat National Convention vignettes <\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#nc\">Sabato moves NC to \u201cToss-Up\u201d<\/a> from Republican.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#boeing\">Boeing 777X and 787<\/a>debacles.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#anosmia\">Covid, anosmia<\/a>, and loss of executive function.<\/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>Democrats <em>en D\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote><\/blockquote>\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><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/rcp_2024-08-16.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"608\" height=\"938\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-276839\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/rcp_2024-08-16.png 608w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/rcp_2024-08-16-194x300.png 194w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>There is no good news here for Trump. The deterioration in both Pennsylvania and Georgia is especially marked. Remember, however, that all the fluctuations \u2014 in fact, all the leads \u2014 are within the margin of error. So the \u201cjoy\u201d is based on, well, vibes.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"nc\"\/>\u201cNorth Carolina Moves to Toss-up, Setting Up November Battle for Magnificent Seven Swing States\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/centerforpolitics.org\/crystalball\/north-carolina-moves-to-toss-up-setting-up-november-battle-for-magnificent-seven-swing-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Larry Sabato<\/a>]. \u201cEver since the 2020 presidential election, it seemed clear that so long as the 2024 presidential election was reasonably competitive and reasonably comparable to 2020, the campaign\u2019s focus would be on 7 key swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the Industrial North, Georgia and North Carolina in the southeast, and Arizona and Nevada out west. These were the only 7 states that were each decided by 3 points or less in 2020, and President Biden won 6 of the 7 (all but North Carolina) on the way to the presidency. Former President Trump, meanwhile, won 6 of the 7 (all but Nevada) in winning the presidency in 2016. sAs Democrats meet in Chicago, the 2024 campaign\u2019s overall focus remains trained on these states\u2014so much so that it\u2019s hard to give an immediate edge to either candidate in any of them. That includes the Tar Heel State, the only truly close state that eluded Biden\u2019s grasp in 2020. We are moving it from Leans Republican to Toss-up. This is the first time this cycle that we have moved any electoral votes away from the Republican column into the Toss-up column. With this, the number of electoral votes at least leaning to Trump is now 219, down from 235.\u201d \u2022 This opens up more paths to victory for Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/200pm-water-cooler-8-19-2024.html#electoral_college\">than I suggested here<\/a> (based on Sabato\u2019s previous projections).<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"defenestration\"\/>Biden Defenestration: <\/p>\n<p>\u201cJoe Biden, Trump Casualty\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/the-great-betrayal-of-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The American Conservative<\/a>]. \u201cThe Joe Biden who addressed the convention last night was already a ghost, one fated to haunt the White House until January 20. He\u2019s an angry, impotent spirit. Heedless of his naked hypocrisy, he linked Trump to neo-Nazis in one breath and insisted in the next that he had been a president for all Americans, \u201cdemonizing no one.\u201d On the contrary, he demonized Republicans relentlessly, not just last night but throughout his administration. \u201cDemocracy has prevailed, democracy has delivered, and now democracy must be preserved!\u201d he shouted\u2014after he, the democratically chosen nominee of the Democratic Party\u2019s voters, handed the nomination over to a replacement who had never won so much as a single presidential primary. \u2022 Haunt and \u2014 presumably \u2014 run the executive branch?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trail\"\/><em><strong> Democrat National Convention Vignettes<\/strong><\/em>: <\/p>\n<p>\u201cJoe Biden\u2019s Late Goodbye\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/archive\/2024\/08\/joe-biden-convention-speech\/679519\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Atlantic<\/a>]. \u201cSome things have come later for Biden than he anticipated. Having dreamed of the presidency for decades, he finally achieved it in the twilight of his life. His star turn at this convention came late, too. By the time Biden took the stage, at about 10:30 p.m. Chicago time, it was barely a half hour before midnight in Washington\u2026. Some things have come later for Biden than he anticipated. Having dreamed of the presidency for decades, he finally achieved it in the twilight of his life. His star turn at this convention came late, too. By the time Biden took the stage, at about 10:30 p.m. Chicago time, it was barely a half hour before midnight in Washington.\u201d \u2022 I suppose Jackson wanted to come (Sanders, too, for that matter) but the ick factor is strong for me here, due to the exploitation. If the Democrats had managed to nominate Jackson instead of [groan] Mondale and [sigh] Dukakis, this would be a much better timeline. Jackson\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/lithub.com\/on-the-greatest-speech-of-jesse-jacksons-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">they work every day<\/a>\u201d speech (<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/87wCfG0-cIc?si=Q6MEOMIF8bM8MoKl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">video<\/a>) puts Michelle\u2019s (below) speech to shame. \u201cThey work hard everyday. I know, I live amongst them. They catch the early bus.\u201d Of course, these are precisely the voters the Democrats pivoted away from. Anyhow, here\u2019s the Democrat alibi for why Biden came on so late:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">New DNC statement from convention officials explaining why the program ran so late tonight: <\/p>\n<p>“Because of the raucous applause interrupting speaker after speaker, we ultimately skipped elements of our program to ensure we could get to President Biden as quickly as possible so\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Yashar Ali \ud83d\udc18 (@yashar) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/yashar\/status\/1825754245452411388\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Raucus applause. Come on. They didn\u2019t want Biden in prime time in case he slipped another cog. This isn\u2019t hard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 7 Best Lines From Michelle Obama\u2019s Barnstorming DNC Speech\u201d [Mehdi Hassan, <a href=\"https:\/\/zeteo.com\/p\/the-7-best-lines-from-michelle-obamas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">zeteo<\/a>]. \u201cBut Tuesday night\u2019s primetime address in her home city of Chicago was electrifying and energizing like nothing I\u2019ve seen for decades. The crowd in the United Center went wild, roaring with approval as she arrived onstage to deliver a tour de force of political rhetoric. It wasn\u2019t just me. CNN\u2019s Anderson Cooper called her address \u201cprobably the most effective, powerful speech I\u2019ve ever heard.’\u201d \u2022 The entire convention reminds me of K-Pop fan service. The speech:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Here\u2019s Michelle Obama\u2019s full remarks tonight. If you weren\u2019t able to listen live, I encourage you to listen when you have the time.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s of the best DNC speeches I\u2019ve heard over the course of the last half a century.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6xVBagqGiN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/6xVBagqGiN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Leah McElrath (@leahmcelrath) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/leahmcelrath\/status\/1826108297415635017\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 21, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Better than Jackson\u2019s? For shame. Hasan puts this number on his list:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c[Kamala Harris] understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Lack of \u201cgenerational wealth\u201d is not top-of-mind for those who \u201ctake the early bus\u201d (it is, however, top of mind in the movement for reparations, to which this is an enormous dog whistle).<\/p>\n<p>Walz:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Tim Walz\u2019s kids doing bunny ears behind him while he\u2019s on national TV at the DNC is the most relatable, Minnesota content. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/w0VDEehdeM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/w0VDEehdeM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Nate Morris \ud83e\udd65\ud83c\udf34 (@_natemorris) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_natemorris\/status\/1825700538601857339\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trail\"\/><em><strong> Democrat National Convention<\/strong><\/em>: <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow Harris wants to handle Gaza at the Democratic convention\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/4837433-harris-convention-gaza-israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cWhile Gaza is a big issue outside the United Center, seen through the protests that have launched in Chicago, it\u2019s not the issue Harris wants as the focal point inside the building\u2026. Gaza and Israel is an issue that has divided the Democratic Party, making it something speakers don\u2019t necessarily want to embrace during a convention about unity\u2026 Harris is seen as to the Palestinian population, and this already appears to be helping her.\u201d \u2022 Vibes. If you throw out the vibes and the multiple liberalgasms, what\u2019s really there? (And if she were all that sympathetic, she could have gotten the platform changed.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt Democratic Convention, UAW head threatens strike against Stellantis over delayed plant reopening\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/wireStory\/democratic-convention-uaw-head-threatens-strike-stellantis-delayed-112982405\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ABC News<\/a>]. \u201d A high-profile spat between the United Auto Workers and Stellantis over reopening an Illinois factory complex has made its way into the race for U.S. president and could elicit a strike against the automaker. In a speech at the Democratic National Convention Monday night, union President Shawn Fain accused the company of reneging on promises to restart a now-closed assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, just over an hour northwest of Chicago\u2026. After the contracts were approved, Biden visited Belvidere with Fain to celebrate the plant reopening\u2026. Fain, wearing a red T-shirt that said \u2018Trump is a scab. Vote Harris,\u2019 told the convention that the union won strong contracts and the plant reopening with the support of Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden.\u201d \u2022 Well, he <em>did<\/em> get a T-shirt\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Democrats\u2019 Old Guard Passes The Torch At The DNC\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/democrat-old-guard-passes-torch-dnc_n_66c41f3ee4b0972f8ace4135\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">HuffPo<\/a>]. \u201cOf the 25 elected officials who were scheduled to speak, 13 were under 50 years old. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 34, brought the house down and seemingly leveled her career up with her speech. Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, 37, slammed \u2015 literally \u2015 the conservative blueprint called Project 2025 after bringing it out as a large printed book. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, 48, and a trio of young women delivered the party\u2019s most important message, promising to protect abortion rights. Other young leaders, including Whitmer, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, were seemingly held in reserve, with the speaking schedule for the next three nights not yet fully revealed. The youth push also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/biden-harris-democrats-age_n_66bcc752e4b03d1ac02dec87\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">helps the party sell the idea of Harris as a fresh start<\/a>, a way to move past the chaotic politics of eras defined by former President Donald Trump and the coronavirus pandemic.\u201d \u2022\u00a0As if the coronavirus pandemic didn\u2019t happen mostly under Biden, with results that we know. (Man-oh-man, do I loathe the phrase \u201cyoung leader.\u201d It\u2019s as if every leader in very field is following\u2026 Now what\u2019s the English word I\u2019m looking for\u2026. <em>Principle<\/em>, that\u2019s it. It also presuppposes an institutional binary between young and old, and implies a sort of nurtuing process where the young are brought along, presumably by mentors. Wrong and unrealistic respectively.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccessibility and Access: Reporters Have Complaints About the DNC\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.notus.org\/harris-2024\/accessibility-and-access-reporter-complaints-dnc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NOTUS<\/a>]. \u201cThere are only about 15% of the assigned press seats for print news publications this year than there were at the last Democratic National Convention\u2026.. Complaints about the media logistics of the Democratic National Convention \u2014 who gets what seats, how many, what\u2019s the access like, how long does it take to get in, is there power and Wi-Fi \u2014 are not exactly swaying many votes. But as Kamala Harris faces new scrutiny about her reluctance to sit for traditional interviews or answer questions at a press conference, the media access choices organizers made with the DNC are carrying new weight, especially with the journalists on the ground. One of the biggest objections has been about the dedicated seats the DNC provided for print reporters. While there are 12,000 credentialed reporters at this historic convention, hardly any of them have an assigned seat with a power outlet inside the bowl of the United Center, where the speeches are given and the delegates sit during prime-time hours.\u201d \u2022 No power outlets? Wowsers. How odd that Kamala wants the adulation, but no coverage, not even from our normally sycophantic press. NOTE \u201cEveryone trapped in buses by the protest movement or trapped in long lines to get through security had proof that things were not going smoothly.\u201d Sounds like a recipe for a superspeading event.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kamala\"\/>Kamala:<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cFox\u2019s Karl Rove Warns GOP He\u2019s Never Seen Anything Like Dem Reaction to Kamala Harris: Falling \u2018In Love\u2019 And \u2018In Line’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediaite.com\/tv\/foxs-karl-rove-warns-gop-hes-never-seen-anything-like-dem-reaction-to-kamala-harris-falling-in-love-and-in-line\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018Karl, last night you said that Democrats are falling in love and in line. Have you ever seen anything like it?\u2019 she asked. \u2018No,\u2019 replied Rove. This is normally what Republicans do is fall in line. But Democrats normally fall in love. And they\u2019re doing both this time around.’\u201d \u2022 Hmm. I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s true. Republicans \u2014 both voters and Never Trumpers \u2014 didn\u2019t \u201cfall in line\u201d in 2016, or we would have gotten \u201cJeb!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cExclusive: Harris\u2019 election effort raises around $500 million in a month, sources say\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/55gUA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reuters<\/a>]. \u201cU.S. Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 election effort has raised around $500 million since she became the Democratic presidential candidate, sources told Reuters, an unprecedented money haul that reflects donor going into the Nov. 5 election. Four sources familiar with the fundraising effort told Reuters that figure had been banked for Harris in the four weeks since she jumped into the race on July 21.\u201d \u2022 Vibes. Four sources, but one hive mind. In any case, after the Democrats \u2014 very much including Kamala \u2014 universally and vociferously claimed that Biden had no cognitive difficulties (\u201csharp as a tack\u201d), until Biden slipped a cog on TV in front of millions, I take the strong from position that Democrats are lying until proven otherwise. Given this hermeneutic of suspicion, I\u2019m working on the assumption that they\u2019re lying about the $500 million. Of course, they lie about small things, too\u2013<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cFact-checking night 2 of the Democratic National Convention\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2024\/08\/20\/politics\/fact-check-democratic-national-convention-night-2\/index.html?iid=cnn_buildContentRecirc_end_recirc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. \u201cOn the second night of the Democratic National Convention, on Tuesday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker repeated a claim a Democratic congressman had made the previous night about something former President Donald Trump said about the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. After touting Illinois\u2019 handling of the pandemic, Pritzker then said of Trump: \u201cAnd Donald? Well, Donald told us to inject bleach.\u201d\u201d \u2022\u00a0Readers know this is a lie, and that NC has very early, possibly the first, to call it.<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cThe message behind Kamala Harris\u2019s power tailoring\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/J9XKM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Telegraph<\/a>]. \u201cIn fact, Harris\u2019s look has remained mostly unchanged since she began her political rise. Her official portraits, captured for the positions she held before her role at the White House \u2013 first, as California\u2019s Attorney General (2011-2017) and then representing the \u2018Golden State\u2019 in the U.S. Senate (2017- 2021) \u2013 portray her wearing nearly identical garb. Namely, mannish suit jackets, blouses and pearls. Her preference for pearls, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/J9XKM\/https:\/\/wwd.com\/feature\/kamala-harris-pearls-chucks-1236503184\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WWD<\/a> has noted, began during her time as an economics and political science major at Howard University. She then became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Black sorority in the United States and pearls were a traditional signature of the sisterhood\u2026. The relatively petite political force (she\u2019s 5\u2032 4\u2033) also increases her stature by wearing Manolo Blahnik\u2019s footwear almost religiously. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also favours the shoe brand. According to the masterly designer\u2019s New York office, Harris favours three variations of Manolo court shoes \u2013 the BB, the Newco and the Tucciosam\u2026. Not just one but two stylists are said to finesse the fine details of the vice president\u2019s wardrobe. While stylists have been integral to crafting the look of White House women such as Michelle Obama and Ivanka Trump, Vice President Harris reportedly works with the profession\u2019s highest rank \u2013 namely \u201cpower stylists\u201d Karla Welch and Leslie Fremar. Both are renowned for styling Hollywood celebrities for red-carpet events like the Oscars.\u201d \u2022 Not one but <em>two<\/em> stylists\u2026.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump:<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cManhattan DA signals openness to delaying Trump criminal sentencing\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/regulation\/court-battles\/4834668-trump-sentencing-manhattan-da-delay\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cThe Manhattan district attorney\u2019s office said it would not oppose delaying former President Trump\u2019s sentencing in his hush money criminal case slated for Sept. 18, suggesting prosecutors would instead defer to the judge. Trump has demanded a delay in sentencing until after the November presidential election. Among other arguments, he asserts that he will immediately appeal if the judge doesn\u2019t wipe the guilty verdict following the Supreme Court\u2019s presidential immunity decision. A ruling is expected by Sept. 16, two days prior to Trump\u2019s sentencing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cFormer President Trump On The Assassination Attempt, Israel, The Border And \u2018Comrade Kamala’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/hughhewitt.com\/former-president-trump-on-the-assassination-attempt-israel-the-border-and-comrade-kamala\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Hugh Hewitt<\/a>]. Oppo: \u201c[TRUMP:] And where, you know, one thing I\u2019d like to know, as you know, in my opinion, she\u2019s a Marxist, because if you go back and look at her, what she\u2019s done over the years, she\u2019s a Marxist. Now she\u2019s changed and flip-flopped on just about everything she believe in, in life, but she\u2019s a Marxist. And where is her father? Her father\u2019s a Marxist professor. I don\u2019t know if you know that or not. [HEWITT:] I do.[TRUMP:] But he seems to have, he\u2019s not around. I\u2019d like to find out where is he. He\u2019s a professor. They don\u2019t interview the father. I think, I\u2019d like to find out more about her from the father.\u201d \u2022 It\u2019s been \u201cout there\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2019\/02\/20\/kamala-harris-father-pot-1176805\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">since 2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kennedy\"\/>Kennedy:<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): I have often urged that the distinctive competence of the Democrat Party is control over the ballot. Here Nicole Shanahan explains how that worked out in practice:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">MUST WATCH:<\/p>\n<p>RFK\u2019s VP Nicole Shanahan on how the DNC sabotaged their campaign and forced them to be a spoiler. She was a Democrat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey kept us off stages, manipulated polls, sued us in every possible state, and even planted insiders in our campaign.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aNbiktWDfK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/aNbiktWDfK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Geiger_Capital\/status\/1825966620482683084\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cA Rancher Who Leads a Paramilitary-Style Group Sues Biden Over Border Policies\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasobserver.org\/rural-border-lawsuit-immigration-sue-vigilantes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Texas Observer<\/a>]. Just some detail: \u201cThe lead plaintiff is Michael Vickers, a veterinarian who also owns a 1,000-acre ranch in Brooks County. Brooks County, which does not border Mexico, has a population of 7,000 and a long history of recorded deaths of migrants, who die in remote areas while trying to bypass its Border Patrol checkpoint. For nearly two decades, Vickers has led a paramilitary-style, civilian patrol group called the Texas Border Volunteers. Vickers and his wife, Linda, were once affiliated with the Minutemen, an organization that former President George W. Bush called a \u2018vigilante\u2019 group. In the suit, Vickers alleges that undocumented immigrants have damaged his property as a result of Biden\u2019s policies. He has incurred more than $50,000 in fence and gate damages since 2021 and the value of his property has decreased, according to the lawsuit. At times, Vickers and other Texas Border Volunteers have offered emergency help or assisted with body recoveries. But the group sees its main mission as finding and detaining migrants, and has a history of allegations against it, including members tying migrants\u2019 hands together with shoelaces or zip ties and taking their belongings, and members pulling weapons on migrants, as the Observer reported in 2014. The group was incorporated in Texas in 2006, state business filings show, and has been tax exempt since 2008, according to Internal Revenue Service records.\u201d<\/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>Maskstravaganza<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cMask bans disenfranchise millions of Americans with disabilities\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/08\/20\/mask-bans-nassau-county-north-carolina-new-york-disabled-rights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">STAT<\/a>]. \u201cIf masks are banned where I live, I will have to make the choice between endangering my transplant and my health every time I leave the house, or to remain on permanent lockdown in my home. As disability oracle and activist Alice Wong reminds us, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teenvogue.com\/story\/mask-bans-disabled-people-protest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">mask bans are an extension of \u2018ugly laws,\u2019<\/a> historical laws and ordinances that prevented disabled people from being in public. We deserve to be seen and to be included in public life. Mask bans are a threat not just to disabled people, but to all of us. It\u2019s never too late to start masking again\u2014to protect not just your health and the health of people around you, but also to protect our fundamental human rights.\u201d \u2022 As well as millions of dull normals who just don\u2019t want to be infected because they were breathing.<\/p>\n<p>Mask bans (1):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NEW: Zero tolerance at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UofCalifornia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@UofCalifornia<\/a> for encampments, blocking pathways, masking to shield identities. President Drake directs chancellors to strictly enforce campus rules after huge protests over the Israel-Hamas war this past spring. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hFFRVL4ek5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/hFFRVL4ek5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Teresa Watanabe (@TeresaWatanabe) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TeresaWatanabe\/status\/1825550350621008372\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 19, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Mask bans (2):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nassau County, NY just passed a mask ban and now residents say they are going to take pictures of anyone wearing a mask and send them to police.<\/p>\n<p>This is why we need to stop any kind of mask ban legislation. They empower vigilantes to harass and surveil people wearing masks. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/80NJgWndpJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/80NJgWndpJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/luckytran\/status\/1825936940732133842\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>From a Letter to the Editor in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsday.com\/opinion\/letters\/lithium-ion-battery-storage-state-abortion-laws-nassau-mask-ban-ji10m9i5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Newsday<\/a>.) On <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/eight-reasons-mask-bans-are-beyond-stupid.html\">mask bans<\/a>, I wrote: \u201cThe thought occurs, then, that many normal citizens want mask bans not to assist law enforcement, but for acts of vigilantism and private retribution.\u201d This is not vigilantism, but if Perlmutter had thought to introduce the concept of citizens arrests, it would be.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Vaccines: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cCOVID vaccine efficacy against severe illness just under 50%, per early estimates from 2023\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cidrap.umn.edu\/covid-19\/covid-vaccine-efficacy-against-severe-illness-just-under-50-early-estimates-2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy<\/a>]. \u201cTwo European observational studies estimate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the COVID-19 XBB.1.5 vaccine approved in fall 2023 against hospitalization, the first one finding 49% overall VE in adults, and one showing good protection\u2014but uneven uptake\u2014among pregnant women.\u201d \u2022 For XBB.1.5, not the currently dominant KP* variants.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Transmission: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c\u2018A much more infectious\u2019 COVID variant fueling California\u2019s relentless surge\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2024-08-19\/californias-relentless-covid-surge-worsens-fueled-by-a-much-more-infectious-variant\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Los Angeles Times<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018It\u2019s so surprising to me that it hasn\u2019t gone down yet,\u2019 said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases specialist at UC San Francisco. \u2018It\u2019s a little bit more of a prolonged season for California.’\u201d Ah, UCSF. Maybe we should ask Bob Wachter. More: \u201c\u2018It\u2019s this confluence of a much more infectious variant on top of folks\u2019 overall immunity having waned \u2014 either from natural or vaccine-induced immunity,\u2019 [Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California] said. \u2018It\u2019s just kind of come [as] a perfect storm.’\u201d With non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) only being considered far too late, as usual. More: \u201cAn open question is whether COVID will continue to rise as kids go back to school. Doctors are urging people to stay home if they\u2019re sick and asking parents to keep their ill kids from attending school, to limit spread of disease.\u201d NPIs erased again! Funny thing, Kamala\u2019s from California. So is Pelosi. And yet they never mention Covid at all.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sequelae: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"anosmia\"\/>\u201cPatients recovering from COVID-19 who presented with anosmia during their acute episode have behavioral, functional, and structural brain alterations\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/383200274_Patients_recovering_from_COVID-19_who_presented_with_anosmia_during_their_acute_episode_have_behavioral_functional_and_structural_brain_alterations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Scientific Reports<\/a>]. N = 73. From the Abstract: \u201cHere, we report findings from a sample of patients consisting of 73 adults with a mild to moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection without signs of respiratory failure and 27 with infections attributed to other agents and no history of COVID-19. The participants underwent cognitive screening, a decision-making task, and MRI evaluations. We assessed for the presence of anosmia and the requirement for hospitalization. Groups did not differ in age or cognitive performance. Patients who presented with anosmia exhibited more impulsive alternative changes after a shift in probabilities (r = \u2212 0.26, p = 0.001), while patients who required hospitalization showed more perseverative choices (r = 0.25, p = 0.003). Anosmia correlated with brain measures, including , thinning of cortical thickness in parietal regions, and loss of white matter integrity. Hence, anosmia could be a factor to be considered when identifying at-risk populations for follow-up.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Morbidity and Mortality<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"morticians\"\/>\u201cDeaths Are Up Post-Covid, and So Are Funeral Stocks: Prognosis\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/newsletters\/2024-08-19\/deaths-are-up-post-covid-and-so-are-funeral-stocks-prognosis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bloomberg<\/a>]. \u201cThe number of officially reported Covid fatalities (7.1 million worldwide) doesn\u2019t fully explain the trend in excess deaths. (Neither do Covid vaccines, since body bags were piling up months before the shots were released, and multiple studies show the immunizations protect against severe illness and death). There\u2019s no silver lining to the tragic loss of life. But if one group sees an upside, it\u2019s those providing funerals, cremations, and burials. Publicly traded companies handling funerals and related services have handed investors an average 79% return since Jan. 1, 2020 \u2014 outpacing the 60% gain in the MSCI All Country World Index, one of the broadest measures of the global equity market. The US highlights the morbid picture. In the two decades before the pandemic, the number of deaths had been climbing at an average clip of almost 1% a year \u2014 reflecting population growth and aging, and the devastating opioid epidemic \u2014 for a crude rate in 2019 of 869.7 deaths for every 100,000 Americans. Covid catapulted the rate well beyond 1,000 in 2020 and 2021 before the rate dropped back to just over 984 in 2022. Last year, there were 927.4 deaths per 100,000 people in the US \u2014 almost 12% above the 20-year average \u2014 for nearly 3.1 million deaths all up. The coronavirus directly and indirectly contributed to many of them. For instance, a jump in drug overdoses and alcohol use\u2013related diseases during the pandemic likely added to fatalities from unintentional injuries and chronic liver disease in 2023, according to a study this month. Covid also led to more cardiometabolic disease, and age-adjusted mortality rates for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke were above pre-pandemic levels.\u201d \u2022 Go long morticians. Surprised, actually, that Silicon Valley hasn\u2019t tried to \u201cdisrupt\u201d this business.<\/p>\n<\/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. First showing of the new variant from China, XDV.1 (though it didn\u2019t appear in traveler\u2019s data).<\/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) The new variant in China, XDV.1, is 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>There are no official statistics of interest today.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cAI initiatives would get $40M annually in draft California journalism bill agreements\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/08\/19\/ai-california-journalism-bill-agreement-00174678\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cArtificial intelligence initiatives would receive tens of millions of dollars in a draft settlement on a closely watched state legislative effort to make large platforms like Google and Meta fund California newsrooms. The draft proposal, dated Saturday afternoon, would see California form a public-private partnership with Google and news publishers to fund in-state newsrooms and AI over five years. The partnership would provide over $300 million across five years, including at least $40 million annually for an unspecified \u2018AI Innovation Accelerator\u2019 program managed by a \u2018yet-to-be finalized\u2019 nonprofit\u2026. A summary of the draft proposal says it aims to \u2018strengthen democracy and the future of work in an Artificial Intelligence future\u2019 \u2014 a remarkable shift from the original purpose of Assemblymember Buffy Wicks\u2019 bill, which aimed to make platforms share advertising profits from news-link sharing back to California newsrooms.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Ah, <a href=\"https:\/\/downwithtyranny.blogspot.com\/2018\/05\/new-anti-berner-model-test-in.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Buffy Wicks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"boeing\"\/>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing Finds Cracks in Structure of 777X Test Jets\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/aSy6J\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wall Street Journal<\/a>]. \u201cShares of Boeing fell about 5% Tuesday after the plane maker found cracks in the structure of its 777X jetliner in initial test flights, the latest setback for the long-delayed airplane. The company said it would ground its four-plane test fleet while it replaces the faulty component and sorts out what went wrong. Boeing has orders for about 500 of the new aircraft that it plans to start delivering in 2025. It is unclear what impact the issue could have on the plane\u2019s launch date. The 777X, designed for airlines wanting to connect the globe\u2019s major cities and to carry some 400 passengers more, is already years behind. Boeing unveiled the plane in 2013 and said it would start delivering the model in 2020. \u2026. The company is also facing scrutiny of another of its jets, the 787 Dreamliner. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would require inspections of Dreamliners after an incident with a cockpit seat led to <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/aSy6J\/https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/business\/airlines\/cockpit-mishap-might-have-caused-plunge-on-latam-boeing-787-ee3dd7b4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a LatAm flight plunging midflight<\/a> in March.\u201d \u2022 That new CEO sure must have his hands full.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 50 Neutral (previous close: 44 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 27 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Aug 21 at 1:10:16 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Topical:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">As Far back as his Grandfather, 1799<br \/>Get more Goya \ud83c\udf52 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tjHb5y4Eji\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/tjHb5y4Eji<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NkXC8PXo0t\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/NkXC8PXo0t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Francisco Goya (@artistgoya) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/artistgoya\/status\/1825441323588993136\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 19, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Groves of Academe<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHistory\u2019s Footnotes\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/daily.jstor.org\/historys-footnotes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">JSTOR<\/a>]. \u201c\u201dOnce the historian writes with footnotes, historical narrative becomes a distinctly modern\u201d practice, [historian Anthony Grafton] explains. History is no longer a matter of rumor, unsubstantiated opinion, or whim. \u2018The text persuades, the note proves,\u2019 he avers. Footnotes do double duty, for they also \u2018persuade as well as prove\u2019 and open up the work to a multitude of voices\u2026 Leopold von Ranke (1795\u20131886), the founder of source-based history, is usually credited with the \u201cinvention\u201d of the scholarly footnote in the European tradition. Grafton describes von Ranke\u2019s theory as sharper than his practice: his footnoting was much too sloppy to be a model for scholars today. But various forms of footnotes were used long before von Ranke. Sources were of vital importance to both Roman lawyers and Christian theologians in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, as they strove to back up their own arguments with the weight and gravitas of others\u2026 As Grafton writes in a second article about this history of naming one\u2019s sources, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/40259598?mag=historys-footnotes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u2018the modern footnote\u2014with its full bibliographical details, discussion of variant texts and sources, and separate place on the page [\u2026] seems to have arrived at its definitive form in the later 17th century<\/a>.\u2019 Pierre Bayle\u2019s enormously influential <em>Historical and Critical Dictionary<\/em> (1697) is the thing to cite here. The Dictionary \u2018consisted in large part of footnotes (and even footnotes to footnotes).\u2019 Within a few decades scholars emulating Bayle \u2018were producing footnotes by the bushel\u2014and satirists were making fun of them for doing so.\u2019 Grafton has a candidate for the longest known footnote: it\u2019s 165 pages long and found in John Hodgson\u2019s 1840 <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/ahistorynorthum01tynegoog\/page\/n6\/mode\/2up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">History of Northumberland<\/a>. The award for the Most Ironic Footnotes goes to Edward Gibbon, who plays it straight in the text of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/files\/25717\/25717-h\/25717-h.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire<\/a> (published between 1776 and 1789) and then adds the snark to the footnotes, playfully undermining the seriousness of the endeavor above.\u201d \u2022 Who doesn\u2019t love footnotes?<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"zeitgeist\"\/><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo Robots Love Their Customers? Automated Restaurants Face Human Issues\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/dnyuz.com\/2024\/08\/13\/do-robots-love-their-customers-automated-restaurants-face-human-issues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cBut people come to restaurants to feel connected to other humans. They want to encounter people, not a chatbot, kiosk or mechanical arm. So successfully integrating robots is more than just an engineering challenge. Professor Giebelhausen has found, for example, that consumers prefer human chefs to robot ones, in part because they believe that humans cook with love. In a paper currently under review, he and his co-authors found that if consumers had a friendly text chat with the robot, that preference faded. \u2018The crux is, if you feel the robot loves you,\u2019 he said, \u2018you allow the robot to cook with love.’\u201d \u2022 That\u2019s all very well, but the feeling has no basis in reality whatever.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease don\u2019t stack rocks on your next hike. Here\u2019s why\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lonelyplanet.com\/articles\/cairns-rock-stacking-national-parks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Lonely Planet<\/a>]. \u201cHike far enough on just about any trail in the world, and you\u2019ll likely spot a collection of stones placed atop each other that form impromptu sculptures. Some call them cairns. Others favor more colorful terms like \u2018stone balancing\u2019 or \u2018prayer stone stacks.\u2019 Whatever the name, the act of stacking rocks atop each other is ubiquitous. Over the past decade or so, for better or worse, rock-stacking has become even more popular. What many don\u2019t know, though, is that the practice is controversial, particularly in national parks and other protected areas. Depending on who you ask, it can be a crucial navigational device, a rewarding mindfulness practice or an environmental menace\u2026. Today, the popularity of rock cairns has less to do with utility and tradition and more to do with social media. At least that\u2019s the opinion of the Colorado-based rock-stacking artist, Michael Grab, who goes by the moniker Gravity Glue\u2026.\u2019It really started to blow up between 2014 and 2015,\u2019 he said, speaking about the trend of stacking rocks in gravity-defying formations and then posting the photos onto social media. \u2018Then it exploded into this international art form, and what was maybe a handful of practitioners became hundreds.\u2019 Others followed, stacking rocks on beaches, on hiking trails, and, much to the chagrin of conservationists, in places where visitors are specifically asked to \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lonelyplanet.com\/articles\/leave-no-trace\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">leave no trace<\/a>.\u2019\u2026. Besides potentially confusing lost hikers, critics say rock-stacking can be culturally insensitive to past and present residents of the area. They also point to the cumulative effects disruptions can have on ecosystems underfoot\u2026. While the National Park Service at times employs rock-stacking as part of its route-marking system, in most parks, the agency prohibits people from adding their own cairns. Like carving initials into a tree, leaving trash at a campground or spray-painting your name on a boulder, rock-stacking in most (but not all) national parks is punishable under the same laws that protect these places against vandalism and littering.\u201d \u2022 Hmm. <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy People Procrastinate, and How to Overcome It\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/DZEZJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Scientific American<\/a>]. \u201cPutting it all together, our research sheds light on the processes that lead to procrastination. When faced with a deadline, people seem to ask themselves, \u201cDo I want to do this now?\u201d That leads them to weigh the pros and cons involved\u2014and their biases then come into play. Although additional rigorous testing is required, the training procedure used in our last study shows promise as an avenue to assist people who struggle with procrastination. Cognitive training based on this approach\u2014for example, through an app\u2014could help people who struggle with delaying tasks. But there are more immediate implications of our work as well. Our research indicates that valence weighting has the biggest impact among people who lack the motivation and cognitive resources to pause and deliberate beyond their initial quick appraisals on whether or not to tackle a task. In other words, just pushing yourself to think a little bit more before acting may help you generate more positive reasons to get started and to ensure you don\u2019t put off to tomorrow what you might best tackle today.\u201d \u2022 I don\u2019t think rumination helps\u2026 <\/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-8-20-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From ET:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/eastern_pondhawk.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"1060\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-277127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/eastern_pondhawk.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/eastern_pondhawk-170x300.jpeg 170w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/eastern_pondhawk-580x1024.jpeg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>ET writes: \u201cCaught this guy on my snapdragons one morning. Eastern Pondhawk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. 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-8-21-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente Bird Song of the Day California Thrasher, Mori Pt., San Mateo, California, United States. Short and sweet! * * *<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":83579,"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-83578","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\/83578","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=83578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83578\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>California Thrasher, Mori Pt., San Mateo, California, United States. Short and sweet!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#trail\">Democrat National Convention vignettes <\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#nc\">Sabato moves NC to \u201cToss-Up\u201d<\/a> from Republican.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#boeing\">Boeing 777X and 787<\/a>debacles.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#anosmia\">Covid, anosmia<\/a>, and loss of executive function.<\/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>Democrats <em>en D\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote><\/blockquote>\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><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/rcp_2024-08-16.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"608\" height=\"938\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-276839\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/rcp_2024-08-16.png 608w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/rcp_2024-08-16-194x300.png 194w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>There is no good news here for Trump. The deterioration in both Pennsylvania and Georgia is especially marked. Remember, however, that all the fluctuations \u2014 in fact, all the leads \u2014 are within the margin of error. So the \u201cjoy\u201d is based on, well, vibes.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"nc\"\/>\u201cNorth Carolina Moves to Toss-up, Setting Up November Battle for Magnificent Seven Swing States\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/centerforpolitics.org\/crystalball\/north-carolina-moves-to-toss-up-setting-up-november-battle-for-magnificent-seven-swing-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Larry Sabato<\/a>]. \u201cEver since the 2020 presidential election, it seemed clear that so long as the 2024 presidential election was reasonably competitive and reasonably comparable to 2020, the campaign\u2019s focus would be on 7 key swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the Industrial North, Georgia and North Carolina in the southeast, and Arizona and Nevada out west. These were the only 7 states that were each decided by 3 points or less in 2020, and President Biden won 6 of the 7 (all but North Carolina) on the way to the presidency. Former President Trump, meanwhile, won 6 of the 7 (all but Nevada) in winning the presidency in 2016. sAs Democrats meet in Chicago, the 2024 campaign\u2019s overall focus remains trained on these states\u2014so much so that it\u2019s hard to give an immediate edge to either candidate in any of them. That includes the Tar Heel State, the only truly close state that eluded Biden\u2019s grasp in 2020. We are moving it from Leans Republican to Toss-up. This is the first time this cycle that we have moved any electoral votes away from the Republican column into the Toss-up column. With this, the number of electoral votes at least leaning to Trump is now 219, down from 235.\u201d \u2022 This opens up more paths to victory for Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/200pm-water-cooler-8-19-2024.html#electoral_college\">than I suggested here<\/a> (based on Sabato\u2019s previous projections).<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"defenestration\"\/>Biden Defenestration: <\/p>\n<p>\u201cJoe Biden, Trump Casualty\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/the-great-betrayal-of-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The American Conservative<\/a>]. \u201cThe Joe Biden who addressed the convention last night was already a ghost, one fated to haunt the White House until January 20. He\u2019s an angry, impotent spirit. Heedless of his naked hypocrisy, he linked Trump to neo-Nazis in one breath and insisted in the next that he had been a president for all Americans, \u201cdemonizing no one.\u201d On the contrary, he demonized Republicans relentlessly, not just last night but throughout his administration. \u201cDemocracy has prevailed, democracy has delivered, and now democracy must be preserved!\u201d he shouted\u2014after he, the democratically chosen nominee of the Democratic Party\u2019s voters, handed the nomination over to a replacement who had never won so much as a single presidential primary. \u2022 Haunt and \u2014 presumably \u2014 run the executive branch?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trail\"\/><em><strong> Democrat National Convention Vignettes<\/strong><\/em>: <\/p>\n<p>\u201cJoe Biden\u2019s Late Goodbye\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/archive\/2024\/08\/joe-biden-convention-speech\/679519\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Atlantic<\/a>]. \u201cSome things have come later for Biden than he anticipated. Having dreamed of the presidency for decades, he finally achieved it in the twilight of his life. His star turn at this convention came late, too. By the time Biden took the stage, at about 10:30 p.m. Chicago time, it was barely a half hour before midnight in Washington\u2026. Some things have come later for Biden than he anticipated. Having dreamed of the presidency for decades, he finally achieved it in the twilight of his life. His star turn at this convention came late, too. By the time Biden took the stage, at about 10:30 p.m. Chicago time, it was barely a half hour before midnight in Washington.\u201d \u2022 I suppose Jackson wanted to come (Sanders, too, for that matter) but the ick factor is strong for me here, due to the exploitation. If the Democrats had managed to nominate Jackson instead of [groan] Mondale and [sigh] Dukakis, this would be a much better timeline. Jackson\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/lithub.com\/on-the-greatest-speech-of-jesse-jacksons-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">they work every day<\/a>\u201d speech (<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/87wCfG0-cIc?si=Q6MEOMIF8bM8MoKl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">video<\/a>) puts Michelle\u2019s (below) speech to shame. \u201cThey work hard everyday. I know, I live amongst them. They catch the early bus.\u201d Of course, these are precisely the voters the Democrats pivoted away from. Anyhow, here\u2019s the Democrat alibi for why Biden came on so late:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">New DNC statement from convention officials explaining why the program ran so late tonight: <\/p>\n<p>“Because of the raucous applause interrupting speaker after speaker, we ultimately skipped elements of our program to ensure we could get to President Biden as quickly as possible so\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Yashar Ali \ud83d\udc18 (@yashar) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/yashar\/status\/1825754245452411388\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Raucus applause. Come on. They didn\u2019t want Biden in prime time in case he slipped another cog. This isn\u2019t hard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 7 Best Lines From Michelle Obama\u2019s Barnstorming DNC Speech\u201d [Mehdi Hassan, <a href=\"https:\/\/zeteo.com\/p\/the-7-best-lines-from-michelle-obamas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">zeteo<\/a>]. \u201cBut Tuesday night\u2019s primetime address in her home city of Chicago was electrifying and energizing like nothing I\u2019ve seen for decades. The crowd in the United Center went wild, roaring with approval as she arrived onstage to deliver a tour de force of political rhetoric. It wasn\u2019t just me. CNN\u2019s Anderson Cooper called her address \u201cprobably the most effective, powerful speech I\u2019ve ever heard.’\u201d \u2022 The entire convention reminds me of K-Pop fan service. The speech:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Here\u2019s Michelle Obama\u2019s full remarks tonight. If you weren\u2019t able to listen live, I encourage you to listen when you have the time.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s of the best DNC speeches I\u2019ve heard over the course of the last half a century.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6xVBagqGiN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/6xVBagqGiN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Leah McElrath (@leahmcelrath) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/leahmcelrath\/status\/1826108297415635017\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 21, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Better than Jackson\u2019s? For shame. Hasan puts this number on his list:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c[Kamala Harris] understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Lack of \u201cgenerational wealth\u201d is not top-of-mind for those who \u201ctake the early bus\u201d (it is, however, top of mind in the movement for reparations, to which this is an enormous dog whistle).<\/p>\n<p>Walz:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Tim Walz\u2019s kids doing bunny ears behind him while he\u2019s on national TV at the DNC is the most relatable, Minnesota content. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/w0VDEehdeM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/w0VDEehdeM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Nate Morris \ud83e\udd65\ud83c\udf34 (@_natemorris) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_natemorris\/status\/1825700538601857339\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trail\"\/><em><strong> Democrat National Convention<\/strong><\/em>: <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow Harris wants to handle Gaza at the Democratic convention\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/4837433-harris-convention-gaza-israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cWhile Gaza is a big issue outside the United Center, seen through the protests that have launched in Chicago, it\u2019s not the issue Harris wants as the focal point inside the building\u2026. Gaza and Israel is an issue that has divided the Democratic Party, making it something speakers don\u2019t necessarily want to embrace during a convention about unity\u2026 Harris is seen as to the Palestinian population, and this already appears to be helping her.\u201d \u2022 Vibes. If you throw out the vibes and the multiple liberalgasms, what\u2019s really there? (And if she were all that sympathetic, she could have gotten the platform changed.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt Democratic Convention, UAW head threatens strike against Stellantis over delayed plant reopening\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/wireStory\/democratic-convention-uaw-head-threatens-strike-stellantis-delayed-112982405\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ABC News<\/a>]. \u201d A high-profile spat between the United Auto Workers and Stellantis over reopening an Illinois factory complex has made its way into the race for U.S. president and could elicit a strike against the automaker. In a speech at the Democratic National Convention Monday night, union President Shawn Fain accused the company of reneging on promises to restart a now-closed assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, just over an hour northwest of Chicago\u2026. After the contracts were approved, Biden visited Belvidere with Fain to celebrate the plant reopening\u2026. Fain, wearing a red T-shirt that said \u2018Trump is a scab. Vote Harris,\u2019 told the convention that the union won strong contracts and the plant reopening with the support of Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden.\u201d \u2022 Well, he <em>did<\/em> get a T-shirt\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Democrats\u2019 Old Guard Passes The Torch At The DNC\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/democrat-old-guard-passes-torch-dnc_n_66c41f3ee4b0972f8ace4135\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">HuffPo<\/a>]. \u201cOf the 25 elected officials who were scheduled to speak, 13 were under 50 years old. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 34, brought the house down and seemingly leveled her career up with her speech. Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, 37, slammed \u2015 literally \u2015 the conservative blueprint called Project 2025 after bringing it out as a large printed book. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, 48, and a trio of young women delivered the party\u2019s most important message, promising to protect abortion rights. Other young leaders, including Whitmer, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, were seemingly held in reserve, with the speaking schedule for the next three nights not yet fully revealed. The youth push also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/biden-harris-democrats-age_n_66bcc752e4b03d1ac02dec87\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">helps the party sell the idea of Harris as a fresh start<\/a>, a way to move past the chaotic politics of eras defined by former President Donald Trump and the coronavirus pandemic.\u201d \u2022\u00a0As if the coronavirus pandemic didn\u2019t happen mostly under Biden, with results that we know. (Man-oh-man, do I loathe the phrase \u201cyoung leader.\u201d It\u2019s as if every leader in very field is following\u2026 Now what\u2019s the English word I\u2019m looking for\u2026. <em>Principle<\/em>, that\u2019s it. It also presuppposes an institutional binary between young and old, and implies a sort of nurtuing process where the young are brought along, presumably by mentors. Wrong and unrealistic respectively.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccessibility and Access: Reporters Have Complaints About the DNC\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.notus.org\/harris-2024\/accessibility-and-access-reporter-complaints-dnc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NOTUS<\/a>]. \u201cThere are only about 15% of the assigned press seats for print news publications this year than there were at the last Democratic National Convention\u2026.. Complaints about the media logistics of the Democratic National Convention \u2014 who gets what seats, how many, what\u2019s the access like, how long does it take to get in, is there power and Wi-Fi \u2014 are not exactly swaying many votes. But as Kamala Harris faces new scrutiny about her reluctance to sit for traditional interviews or answer questions at a press conference, the media access choices organizers made with the DNC are carrying new weight, especially with the journalists on the ground. One of the biggest objections has been about the dedicated seats the DNC provided for print reporters. While there are 12,000 credentialed reporters at this historic convention, hardly any of them have an assigned seat with a power outlet inside the bowl of the United Center, where the speeches are given and the delegates sit during prime-time hours.\u201d \u2022 No power outlets? Wowsers. How odd that Kamala wants the adulation, but no coverage, not even from our normally sycophantic press. NOTE \u201cEveryone trapped in buses by the protest movement or trapped in long lines to get through security had proof that things were not going smoothly.\u201d Sounds like a recipe for a superspeading event.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kamala\"\/>Kamala:<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cFox\u2019s Karl Rove Warns GOP He\u2019s Never Seen Anything Like Dem Reaction to Kamala Harris: Falling \u2018In Love\u2019 And \u2018In Line’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediaite.com\/tv\/foxs-karl-rove-warns-gop-hes-never-seen-anything-like-dem-reaction-to-kamala-harris-falling-in-love-and-in-line\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018Karl, last night you said that Democrats are falling in love and in line. Have you ever seen anything like it?\u2019 she asked. \u2018No,\u2019 replied Rove. This is normally what Republicans do is fall in line. But Democrats normally fall in love. And they\u2019re doing both this time around.’\u201d \u2022 Hmm. I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s true. Republicans \u2014 both voters and Never Trumpers \u2014 didn\u2019t \u201cfall in line\u201d in 2016, or we would have gotten \u201cJeb!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cExclusive: Harris\u2019 election effort raises around $500 million in a month, sources say\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/55gUA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reuters<\/a>]. \u201cU.S. Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 election effort has raised around $500 million since she became the Democratic presidential candidate, sources told Reuters, an unprecedented money haul that reflects donor going into the Nov. 5 election. Four sources familiar with the fundraising effort told Reuters that figure had been banked for Harris in the four weeks since she jumped into the race on July 21.\u201d \u2022 Vibes. Four sources, but one hive mind. In any case, after the Democrats \u2014 very much including Kamala \u2014 universally and vociferously claimed that Biden had no cognitive difficulties (\u201csharp as a tack\u201d), until Biden slipped a cog on TV in front of millions, I take the strong from position that Democrats are lying until proven otherwise. Given this hermeneutic of suspicion, I\u2019m working on the assumption that they\u2019re lying about the $500 million. Of course, they lie about small things, too\u2013<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cFact-checking night 2 of the Democratic National Convention\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2024\/08\/20\/politics\/fact-check-democratic-national-convention-night-2\/index.html?iid=cnn_buildContentRecirc_end_recirc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. \u201cOn the second night of the Democratic National Convention, on Tuesday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker repeated a claim a Democratic congressman had made the previous night about something former President Donald Trump said about the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. After touting Illinois\u2019 handling of the pandemic, Pritzker then said of Trump: \u201cAnd Donald? Well, Donald told us to inject bleach.\u201d\u201d \u2022\u00a0Readers know this is a lie, and that NC has very early, possibly the first, to call it.<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cThe message behind Kamala Harris\u2019s power tailoring\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/J9XKM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Telegraph<\/a>]. \u201cIn fact, Harris\u2019s look has remained mostly unchanged since she began her political rise. Her official portraits, captured for the positions she held before her role at the White House \u2013 first, as California\u2019s Attorney General (2011-2017) and then representing the \u2018Golden State\u2019 in the U.S. Senate (2017- 2021) \u2013 portray her wearing nearly identical garb. Namely, mannish suit jackets, blouses and pearls. Her preference for pearls, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/J9XKM\/https:\/\/wwd.com\/feature\/kamala-harris-pearls-chucks-1236503184\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WWD<\/a> has noted, began during her time as an economics and political science major at Howard University. She then became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Black sorority in the United States and pearls were a traditional signature of the sisterhood\u2026. The relatively petite political force (she\u2019s 5\u2032 4\u2033) also increases her stature by wearing Manolo Blahnik\u2019s footwear almost religiously. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also favours the shoe brand. According to the masterly designer\u2019s New York office, Harris favours three variations of Manolo court shoes \u2013 the BB, the Newco and the Tucciosam\u2026. Not just one but two stylists are said to finesse the fine details of the vice president\u2019s wardrobe. While stylists have been integral to crafting the look of White House women such as Michelle Obama and Ivanka Trump, Vice President Harris reportedly works with the profession\u2019s highest rank \u2013 namely \u201cpower stylists\u201d Karla Welch and Leslie Fremar. Both are renowned for styling Hollywood celebrities for red-carpet events like the Oscars.\u201d \u2022 Not one but <em>two<\/em> stylists\u2026.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump:<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cManhattan DA signals openness to delaying Trump criminal sentencing\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/regulation\/court-battles\/4834668-trump-sentencing-manhattan-da-delay\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cThe Manhattan district attorney\u2019s office said it would not oppose delaying former President Trump\u2019s sentencing in his hush money criminal case slated for Sept. 18, suggesting prosecutors would instead defer to the judge. Trump has demanded a delay in sentencing until after the November presidential election. Among other arguments, he asserts that he will immediately appeal if the judge doesn\u2019t wipe the guilty verdict following the Supreme Court\u2019s presidential immunity decision. A ruling is expected by Sept. 16, two days prior to Trump\u2019s sentencing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cFormer President Trump On The Assassination Attempt, Israel, The Border And \u2018Comrade Kamala’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/hughhewitt.com\/former-president-trump-on-the-assassination-attempt-israel-the-border-and-comrade-kamala\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Hugh Hewitt<\/a>]. Oppo: \u201c[TRUMP:] And where, you know, one thing I\u2019d like to know, as you know, in my opinion, she\u2019s a Marxist, because if you go back and look at her, what she\u2019s done over the years, she\u2019s a Marxist. Now she\u2019s changed and flip-flopped on just about everything she believe in, in life, but she\u2019s a Marxist. And where is her father? Her father\u2019s a Marxist professor. I don\u2019t know if you know that or not. [HEWITT:] I do.[TRUMP:] But he seems to have, he\u2019s not around. I\u2019d like to find out where is he. He\u2019s a professor. They don\u2019t interview the father. I think, I\u2019d like to find out more about her from the father.\u201d \u2022 It\u2019s been \u201cout there\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2019\/02\/20\/kamala-harris-father-pot-1176805\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">since 2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kennedy\"\/>Kennedy:<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): I have often urged that the distinctive competence of the Democrat Party is control over the ballot. Here Nicole Shanahan explains how that worked out in practice:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">MUST WATCH:<\/p>\n<p>RFK\u2019s VP Nicole Shanahan on how the DNC sabotaged their campaign and forced them to be a spoiler. She was a Democrat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey kept us off stages, manipulated polls, sued us in every possible state, and even planted insiders in our campaign.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aNbiktWDfK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/aNbiktWDfK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Geiger_Capital\/status\/1825966620482683084\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cA Rancher Who Leads a Paramilitary-Style Group Sues Biden Over Border Policies\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasobserver.org\/rural-border-lawsuit-immigration-sue-vigilantes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Texas Observer<\/a>]. Just some detail: \u201cThe lead plaintiff is Michael Vickers, a veterinarian who also owns a 1,000-acre ranch in Brooks County. Brooks County, which does not border Mexico, has a population of 7,000 and a long history of recorded deaths of migrants, who die in remote areas while trying to bypass its Border Patrol checkpoint. For nearly two decades, Vickers has led a paramilitary-style, civilian patrol group called the Texas Border Volunteers. Vickers and his wife, Linda, were once affiliated with the Minutemen, an organization that former President George W. Bush called a \u2018vigilante\u2019 group. In the suit, Vickers alleges that undocumented immigrants have damaged his property as a result of Biden\u2019s policies. He has incurred more than $50,000 in fence and gate damages since 2021 and the value of his property has decreased, according to the lawsuit. At times, Vickers and other Texas Border Volunteers have offered emergency help or assisted with body recoveries. But the group sees its main mission as finding and detaining migrants, and has a history of allegations against it, including members tying migrants\u2019 hands together with shoelaces or zip ties and taking their belongings, and members pulling weapons on migrants, as the Observer reported in 2014. The group was incorporated in Texas in 2006, state business filings show, and has been tax exempt since 2008, according to Internal Revenue Service records.\u201d<\/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>Maskstravaganza<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cMask bans disenfranchise millions of Americans with disabilities\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/08\/20\/mask-bans-nassau-county-north-carolina-new-york-disabled-rights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">STAT<\/a>]. \u201cIf masks are banned where I live, I will have to make the choice between endangering my transplant and my health every time I leave the house, or to remain on permanent lockdown in my home. As disability oracle and activist Alice Wong reminds us, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teenvogue.com\/story\/mask-bans-disabled-people-protest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">mask bans are an extension of \u2018ugly laws,\u2019<\/a> historical laws and ordinances that prevented disabled people from being in public. We deserve to be seen and to be included in public life. Mask bans are a threat not just to disabled people, but to all of us. It\u2019s never too late to start masking again\u2014to protect not just your health and the health of people around you, but also to protect our fundamental human rights.\u201d \u2022 As well as millions of dull normals who just don\u2019t want to be infected because they were breathing.<\/p>\n<p>Mask bans (1):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NEW: Zero tolerance at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UofCalifornia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@UofCalifornia<\/a> for encampments, blocking pathways, masking to shield identities. President Drake directs chancellors to strictly enforce campus rules after huge protests over the Israel-Hamas war this past spring. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hFFRVL4ek5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/hFFRVL4ek5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Teresa Watanabe (@TeresaWatanabe) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TeresaWatanabe\/status\/1825550350621008372\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 19, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Mask bans (2):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nassau County, NY just passed a mask ban and now residents say they are going to take pictures of anyone wearing a mask and send them to police.<\/p>\n<p>This is why we need to stop any kind of mask ban legislation. They empower vigilantes to harass and surveil people wearing masks. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/80NJgWndpJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/80NJgWndpJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/luckytran\/status\/1825936940732133842\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>From a Letter to the Editor in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsday.com\/opinion\/letters\/lithium-ion-battery-storage-state-abortion-laws-nassau-mask-ban-ji10m9i5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Newsday<\/a>.) On <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/eight-reasons-mask-bans-are-beyond-stupid.html\">mask bans<\/a>, I wrote: \u201cThe thought occurs, then, that many normal citizens want mask bans not to assist law enforcement, but for acts of vigilantism and private retribution.\u201d This is not vigilantism, but if Perlmutter had thought to introduce the concept of citizens arrests, it would be.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Vaccines: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cCOVID vaccine efficacy against severe illness just under 50%, per early estimates from 2023\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cidrap.umn.edu\/covid-19\/covid-vaccine-efficacy-against-severe-illness-just-under-50-early-estimates-2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy<\/a>]. \u201cTwo European observational studies estimate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the COVID-19 XBB.1.5 vaccine approved in fall 2023 against hospitalization, the first one finding 49% overall VE in adults, and one showing good protection\u2014but uneven uptake\u2014among pregnant women.\u201d \u2022 For XBB.1.5, not the currently dominant KP* variants.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Transmission: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c\u2018A much more infectious\u2019 COVID variant fueling California\u2019s relentless surge\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2024-08-19\/californias-relentless-covid-surge-worsens-fueled-by-a-much-more-infectious-variant\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Los Angeles Times<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018It\u2019s so surprising to me that it hasn\u2019t gone down yet,\u2019 said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases specialist at UC San Francisco. \u2018It\u2019s a little bit more of a prolonged season for California.’\u201d Ah, UCSF. Maybe we should ask Bob Wachter. More: \u201c\u2018It\u2019s this confluence of a much more infectious variant on top of folks\u2019 overall immunity having waned \u2014 either from natural or vaccine-induced immunity,\u2019 [Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California] said. \u2018It\u2019s just kind of come [as] a perfect storm.’\u201d With non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) only being considered far too late, as usual. More: \u201cAn open question is whether COVID will continue to rise as kids go back to school. Doctors are urging people to stay home if they\u2019re sick and asking parents to keep their ill kids from attending school, to limit spread of disease.\u201d NPIs erased again! Funny thing, Kamala\u2019s from California. So is Pelosi. And yet they never mention Covid at all.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sequelae: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"anosmia\"\/>\u201cPatients recovering from COVID-19 who presented with anosmia during their acute episode have behavioral, functional, and structural brain alterations\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/383200274_Patients_recovering_from_COVID-19_who_presented_with_anosmia_during_their_acute_episode_have_behavioral_functional_and_structural_brain_alterations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Scientific Reports<\/a>]. N = 73. From the Abstract: \u201cHere, we report findings from a sample of patients consisting of 73 adults with a mild to moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection without signs of respiratory failure and 27 with infections attributed to other agents and no history of COVID-19. The participants underwent cognitive screening, a decision-making task, and MRI evaluations. We assessed for the presence of anosmia and the requirement for hospitalization. Groups did not differ in age or cognitive performance. Patients who presented with anosmia exhibited more impulsive alternative changes after a shift in probabilities (r = \u2212 0.26, p = 0.001), while patients who required hospitalization showed more perseverative choices (r = 0.25, p = 0.003). Anosmia correlated with brain measures, including , thinning of cortical thickness in parietal regions, and loss of white matter integrity. Hence, anosmia could be a factor to be considered when identifying at-risk populations for follow-up.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Morbidity and Mortality<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"morticians\"\/>\u201cDeaths Are Up Post-Covid, and So Are Funeral Stocks: Prognosis\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/newsletters\/2024-08-19\/deaths-are-up-post-covid-and-so-are-funeral-stocks-prognosis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bloomberg<\/a>]. \u201cThe number of officially reported Covid fatalities (7.1 million worldwide) doesn\u2019t fully explain the trend in excess deaths. (Neither do Covid vaccines, since body bags were piling up months before the shots were released, and multiple studies show the immunizations protect against severe illness and death). There\u2019s no silver lining to the tragic loss of life. But if one group sees an upside, it\u2019s those providing funerals, cremations, and burials. Publicly traded companies handling funerals and related services have handed investors an average 79% return since Jan. 1, 2020 \u2014 outpacing the 60% gain in the MSCI All Country World Index, one of the broadest measures of the global equity market. The US highlights the morbid picture. In the two decades before the pandemic, the number of deaths had been climbing at an average clip of almost 1% a year \u2014 reflecting population growth and aging, and the devastating opioid epidemic \u2014 for a crude rate in 2019 of 869.7 deaths for every 100,000 Americans. Covid catapulted the rate well beyond 1,000 in 2020 and 2021 before the rate dropped back to just over 984 in 2022. Last year, there were 927.4 deaths per 100,000 people in the US \u2014 almost 12% above the 20-year average \u2014 for nearly 3.1 million deaths all up. The coronavirus directly and indirectly contributed to many of them. For instance, a jump in drug overdoses and alcohol use\u2013related diseases during the pandemic likely added to fatalities from unintentional injuries and chronic liver disease in 2023, according to a study this month. Covid also led to more cardiometabolic disease, and age-adjusted mortality rates for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke were above pre-pandemic levels.\u201d \u2022 Go long morticians. Surprised, actually, that Silicon Valley hasn\u2019t tried to \u201cdisrupt\u201d this business.<\/p>\n<\/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. First showing of the new variant from China, XDV.1 (though it didn\u2019t appear in traveler\u2019s data).<\/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) The new variant in China, XDV.1, is 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>There are no official statistics of interest today.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cAI initiatives would get $40M annually in draft California journalism bill agreements\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/08\/19\/ai-california-journalism-bill-agreement-00174678\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cArtificial intelligence initiatives would receive tens of millions of dollars in a draft settlement on a closely watched state legislative effort to make large platforms like Google and Meta fund California newsrooms. The draft proposal, dated Saturday afternoon, would see California form a public-private partnership with Google and news publishers to fund in-state newsrooms and AI over five years. The partnership would provide over $300 million across five years, including at least $40 million annually for an unspecified \u2018AI Innovation Accelerator\u2019 program managed by a \u2018yet-to-be finalized\u2019 nonprofit\u2026. A summary of the draft proposal says it aims to \u2018strengthen democracy and the future of work in an Artificial Intelligence future\u2019 \u2014 a remarkable shift from the original purpose of Assemblymember Buffy Wicks\u2019 bill, which aimed to make platforms share advertising profits from news-link sharing back to California newsrooms.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Ah, <a href=\"https:\/\/downwithtyranny.blogspot.com\/2018\/05\/new-anti-berner-model-test-in.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Buffy Wicks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"boeing\"\/>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing Finds Cracks in Structure of 777X Test Jets\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/aSy6J\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wall Street Journal<\/a>]. \u201cShares of Boeing fell about 5% Tuesday after the plane maker found cracks in the structure of its 777X jetliner in initial test flights, the latest setback for the long-delayed airplane. The company said it would ground its four-plane test fleet while it replaces the faulty component and sorts out what went wrong. Boeing has orders for about 500 of the new aircraft that it plans to start delivering in 2025. It is unclear what impact the issue could have on the plane\u2019s launch date. The 777X, designed for airlines wanting to connect the globe\u2019s major cities and to carry some 400 passengers more, is already years behind. Boeing unveiled the plane in 2013 and said it would start delivering the model in 2020. \u2026. The company is also facing scrutiny of another of its jets, the 787 Dreamliner. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would require inspections of Dreamliners after an incident with a cockpit seat led to <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/aSy6J\/https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/business\/airlines\/cockpit-mishap-might-have-caused-plunge-on-latam-boeing-787-ee3dd7b4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a LatAm flight plunging midflight<\/a> in March.\u201d \u2022 That new CEO sure must have his hands full.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 50 Neutral (previous close: 44 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 27 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Aug 21 at 1:10:16 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Topical:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">As Far back as his Grandfather, 1799<br \/>Get more Goya \ud83c\udf52 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tjHb5y4Eji\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/tjHb5y4Eji<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NkXC8PXo0t\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/NkXC8PXo0t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Francisco Goya (@artistgoya) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/artistgoya\/status\/1825441323588993136\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 19, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Groves of Academe<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHistory\u2019s Footnotes\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/daily.jstor.org\/historys-footnotes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">JSTOR<\/a>]. \u201c\u201dOnce the historian writes with footnotes, historical narrative becomes a distinctly modern\u201d practice, [historian Anthony Grafton] explains. History is no longer a matter of rumor, unsubstantiated opinion, or whim. \u2018The text persuades, the note proves,\u2019 he avers. Footnotes do double duty, for they also \u2018persuade as well as prove\u2019 and open up the work to a multitude of voices\u2026 Leopold von Ranke (1795\u20131886), the founder of source-based history, is usually credited with the \u201cinvention\u201d of the scholarly footnote in the European tradition. Grafton describes von Ranke\u2019s theory as sharper than his practice: his footnoting was much too sloppy to be a model for scholars today. But various forms of footnotes were used long before von Ranke. Sources were of vital importance to both Roman lawyers and Christian theologians in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, as they strove to back up their own arguments with the weight and gravitas of others\u2026 As Grafton writes in a second article about this history of naming one\u2019s sources, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/40259598?mag=historys-footnotes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u2018the modern footnote\u2014with its full bibliographical details, discussion of variant texts and sources, and separate place on the page [\u2026] seems to have arrived at its definitive form in the later 17th century<\/a>.\u2019 Pierre Bayle\u2019s enormously influential <em>Historical and Critical Dictionary<\/em> (1697) is the thing to cite here. The Dictionary \u2018consisted in large part of footnotes (and even footnotes to footnotes).\u2019 Within a few decades scholars emulating Bayle \u2018were producing footnotes by the bushel\u2014and satirists were making fun of them for doing so.\u2019 Grafton has a candidate for the longest known footnote: it\u2019s 165 pages long and found in John Hodgson\u2019s 1840 <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/ahistorynorthum01tynegoog\/page\/n6\/mode\/2up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">History of Northumberland<\/a>. The award for the Most Ironic Footnotes goes to Edward Gibbon, who plays it straight in the text of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/files\/25717\/25717-h\/25717-h.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire<\/a> (published between 1776 and 1789) and then adds the snark to the footnotes, playfully undermining the seriousness of the endeavor above.\u201d \u2022 Who doesn\u2019t love footnotes?<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"zeitgeist\"\/><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo Robots Love Their Customers? Automated Restaurants Face Human Issues\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/dnyuz.com\/2024\/08\/13\/do-robots-love-their-customers-automated-restaurants-face-human-issues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cBut people come to restaurants to feel connected to other humans. They want to encounter people, not a chatbot, kiosk or mechanical arm. So successfully integrating robots is more than just an engineering challenge. Professor Giebelhausen has found, for example, that consumers prefer human chefs to robot ones, in part because they believe that humans cook with love. In a paper currently under review, he and his co-authors found that if consumers had a friendly text chat with the robot, that preference faded. \u2018The crux is, if you feel the robot loves you,\u2019 he said, \u2018you allow the robot to cook with love.’\u201d \u2022 That\u2019s all very well, but the feeling has no basis in reality whatever.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease don\u2019t stack rocks on your next hike. Here\u2019s why\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lonelyplanet.com\/articles\/cairns-rock-stacking-national-parks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Lonely Planet<\/a>]. \u201cHike far enough on just about any trail in the world, and you\u2019ll likely spot a collection of stones placed atop each other that form impromptu sculptures. Some call them cairns. Others favor more colorful terms like \u2018stone balancing\u2019 or \u2018prayer stone stacks.\u2019 Whatever the name, the act of stacking rocks atop each other is ubiquitous. Over the past decade or so, for better or worse, rock-stacking has become even more popular. What many don\u2019t know, though, is that the practice is controversial, particularly in national parks and other protected areas. Depending on who you ask, it can be a crucial navigational device, a rewarding mindfulness practice or an environmental menace\u2026. Today, the popularity of rock cairns has less to do with utility and tradition and more to do with social media. At least that\u2019s the opinion of the Colorado-based rock-stacking artist, Michael Grab, who goes by the moniker Gravity Glue\u2026.\u2019It really started to blow up between 2014 and 2015,\u2019 he said, speaking about the trend of stacking rocks in gravity-defying formations and then posting the photos onto social media. \u2018Then it exploded into this international art form, and what was maybe a handful of practitioners became hundreds.\u2019 Others followed, stacking rocks on beaches, on hiking trails, and, much to the chagrin of conservationists, in places where visitors are specifically asked to \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lonelyplanet.com\/articles\/leave-no-trace\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">leave no trace<\/a>.\u2019\u2026. Besides potentially confusing lost hikers, critics say rock-stacking can be culturally insensitive to past and present residents of the area. They also point to the cumulative effects disruptions can have on ecosystems underfoot\u2026. While the National Park Service at times employs rock-stacking as part of its route-marking system, in most parks, the agency prohibits people from adding their own cairns. Like carving initials into a tree, leaving trash at a campground or spray-painting your name on a boulder, rock-stacking in most (but not all) national parks is punishable under the same laws that protect these places against vandalism and littering.\u201d \u2022 Hmm. <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy People Procrastinate, and How to Overcome It\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/DZEZJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Scientific American<\/a>]. \u201cPutting it all together, our research sheds light on the processes that lead to procrastination. When faced with a deadline, people seem to ask themselves, \u201cDo I want to do this now?\u201d That leads them to weigh the pros and cons involved\u2014and their biases then come into play. Although additional rigorous testing is required, the training procedure used in our last study shows promise as an avenue to assist people who struggle with procrastination. Cognitive training based on this approach\u2014for example, through an app\u2014could help people who struggle with delaying tasks. But there are more immediate implications of our work as well. Our research indicates that valence weighting has the biggest impact among people who lack the motivation and cognitive resources to pause and deliberate beyond their initial quick appraisals on whether or not to tackle a task. In other words, just pushing yourself to think a little bit more before acting may help you generate more positive reasons to get started and to ensure you don\u2019t put off to tomorrow what you might best tackle today.\u201d \u2022 I don\u2019t think rumination helps\u2026 <\/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-8-20-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From ET:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/eastern_pondhawk.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"1060\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-277127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/eastern_pondhawk.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/eastern_pondhawk-170x300.jpeg 170w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/eastern_pondhawk-580x1024.jpeg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>ET writes: \u201cCaught this guy on my snapdragons one morning. Eastern Pondhawk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. 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-8-21-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente Bird Song of the Day California Thrasher, Mori Pt., San Mateo, California, United States. Short and sweet! * * *<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":83579,"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-83578","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\/83578","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=83578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83578\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>California Thrasher, Mori Pt., San Mateo, California, United States. Short and sweet!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#trail\">Democrat National Convention vignettes <\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#nc\">Sabato moves NC to \u201cToss-Up\u201d<\/a> from Republican.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#boeing\">Boeing 777X and 787<\/a>debacles.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#anosmia\">Covid, anosmia<\/a>, and loss of executive function.<\/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>Democrats <em>en D\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote><\/blockquote>\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><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/rcp_2024-08-16.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"608\" height=\"938\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-276839\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/rcp_2024-08-16.png 608w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/rcp_2024-08-16-194x300.png 194w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>There is no good news here for Trump. The deterioration in both Pennsylvania and Georgia is especially marked. Remember, however, that all the fluctuations \u2014 in fact, all the leads \u2014 are within the margin of error. So the \u201cjoy\u201d is based on, well, vibes.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"nc\"\/>\u201cNorth Carolina Moves to Toss-up, Setting Up November Battle for Magnificent Seven Swing States\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/centerforpolitics.org\/crystalball\/north-carolina-moves-to-toss-up-setting-up-november-battle-for-magnificent-seven-swing-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Larry Sabato<\/a>]. \u201cEver since the 2020 presidential election, it seemed clear that so long as the 2024 presidential election was reasonably competitive and reasonably comparable to 2020, the campaign\u2019s focus would be on 7 key swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the Industrial North, Georgia and North Carolina in the southeast, and Arizona and Nevada out west. These were the only 7 states that were each decided by 3 points or less in 2020, and President Biden won 6 of the 7 (all but North Carolina) on the way to the presidency. Former President Trump, meanwhile, won 6 of the 7 (all but Nevada) in winning the presidency in 2016. sAs Democrats meet in Chicago, the 2024 campaign\u2019s overall focus remains trained on these states\u2014so much so that it\u2019s hard to give an immediate edge to either candidate in any of them. That includes the Tar Heel State, the only truly close state that eluded Biden\u2019s grasp in 2020. We are moving it from Leans Republican to Toss-up. This is the first time this cycle that we have moved any electoral votes away from the Republican column into the Toss-up column. With this, the number of electoral votes at least leaning to Trump is now 219, down from 235.\u201d \u2022 This opens up more paths to victory for Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/200pm-water-cooler-8-19-2024.html#electoral_college\">than I suggested here<\/a> (based on Sabato\u2019s previous projections).<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"defenestration\"\/>Biden Defenestration: <\/p>\n<p>\u201cJoe Biden, Trump Casualty\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/the-great-betrayal-of-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The American Conservative<\/a>]. \u201cThe Joe Biden who addressed the convention last night was already a ghost, one fated to haunt the White House until January 20. He\u2019s an angry, impotent spirit. Heedless of his naked hypocrisy, he linked Trump to neo-Nazis in one breath and insisted in the next that he had been a president for all Americans, \u201cdemonizing no one.\u201d On the contrary, he demonized Republicans relentlessly, not just last night but throughout his administration. \u201cDemocracy has prevailed, democracy has delivered, and now democracy must be preserved!\u201d he shouted\u2014after he, the democratically chosen nominee of the Democratic Party\u2019s voters, handed the nomination over to a replacement who had never won so much as a single presidential primary. \u2022 Haunt and \u2014 presumably \u2014 run the executive branch?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trail\"\/><em><strong> Democrat National Convention Vignettes<\/strong><\/em>: <\/p>\n<p>\u201cJoe Biden\u2019s Late Goodbye\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/archive\/2024\/08\/joe-biden-convention-speech\/679519\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Atlantic<\/a>]. \u201cSome things have come later for Biden than he anticipated. Having dreamed of the presidency for decades, he finally achieved it in the twilight of his life. His star turn at this convention came late, too. By the time Biden took the stage, at about 10:30 p.m. Chicago time, it was barely a half hour before midnight in Washington\u2026. Some things have come later for Biden than he anticipated. Having dreamed of the presidency for decades, he finally achieved it in the twilight of his life. His star turn at this convention came late, too. By the time Biden took the stage, at about 10:30 p.m. Chicago time, it was barely a half hour before midnight in Washington.\u201d \u2022 I suppose Jackson wanted to come (Sanders, too, for that matter) but the ick factor is strong for me here, due to the exploitation. If the Democrats had managed to nominate Jackson instead of [groan] Mondale and [sigh] Dukakis, this would be a much better timeline. Jackson\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/lithub.com\/on-the-greatest-speech-of-jesse-jacksons-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">they work every day<\/a>\u201d speech (<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/87wCfG0-cIc?si=Q6MEOMIF8bM8MoKl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">video<\/a>) puts Michelle\u2019s (below) speech to shame. \u201cThey work hard everyday. I know, I live amongst them. They catch the early bus.\u201d Of course, these are precisely the voters the Democrats pivoted away from. Anyhow, here\u2019s the Democrat alibi for why Biden came on so late:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">New DNC statement from convention officials explaining why the program ran so late tonight: <\/p>\n<p>“Because of the raucous applause interrupting speaker after speaker, we ultimately skipped elements of our program to ensure we could get to President Biden as quickly as possible so\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Yashar Ali \ud83d\udc18 (@yashar) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/yashar\/status\/1825754245452411388\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Raucus applause. Come on. They didn\u2019t want Biden in prime time in case he slipped another cog. This isn\u2019t hard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 7 Best Lines From Michelle Obama\u2019s Barnstorming DNC Speech\u201d [Mehdi Hassan, <a href=\"https:\/\/zeteo.com\/p\/the-7-best-lines-from-michelle-obamas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">zeteo<\/a>]. \u201cBut Tuesday night\u2019s primetime address in her home city of Chicago was electrifying and energizing like nothing I\u2019ve seen for decades. The crowd in the United Center went wild, roaring with approval as she arrived onstage to deliver a tour de force of political rhetoric. It wasn\u2019t just me. CNN\u2019s Anderson Cooper called her address \u201cprobably the most effective, powerful speech I\u2019ve ever heard.’\u201d \u2022 The entire convention reminds me of K-Pop fan service. The speech:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Here\u2019s Michelle Obama\u2019s full remarks tonight. If you weren\u2019t able to listen live, I encourage you to listen when you have the time.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s of the best DNC speeches I\u2019ve heard over the course of the last half a century.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6xVBagqGiN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/6xVBagqGiN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Leah McElrath (@leahmcelrath) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/leahmcelrath\/status\/1826108297415635017\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 21, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Better than Jackson\u2019s? For shame. Hasan puts this number on his list:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c[Kamala Harris] understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Lack of \u201cgenerational wealth\u201d is not top-of-mind for those who \u201ctake the early bus\u201d (it is, however, top of mind in the movement for reparations, to which this is an enormous dog whistle).<\/p>\n<p>Walz:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Tim Walz\u2019s kids doing bunny ears behind him while he\u2019s on national TV at the DNC is the most relatable, Minnesota content. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/w0VDEehdeM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/w0VDEehdeM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Nate Morris \ud83e\udd65\ud83c\udf34 (@_natemorris) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_natemorris\/status\/1825700538601857339\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trail\"\/><em><strong> Democrat National Convention<\/strong><\/em>: <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow Harris wants to handle Gaza at the Democratic convention\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/4837433-harris-convention-gaza-israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cWhile Gaza is a big issue outside the United Center, seen through the protests that have launched in Chicago, it\u2019s not the issue Harris wants as the focal point inside the building\u2026. Gaza and Israel is an issue that has divided the Democratic Party, making it something speakers don\u2019t necessarily want to embrace during a convention about unity\u2026 Harris is seen as to the Palestinian population, and this already appears to be helping her.\u201d \u2022 Vibes. If you throw out the vibes and the multiple liberalgasms, what\u2019s really there? (And if she were all that sympathetic, she could have gotten the platform changed.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt Democratic Convention, UAW head threatens strike against Stellantis over delayed plant reopening\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/wireStory\/democratic-convention-uaw-head-threatens-strike-stellantis-delayed-112982405\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ABC News<\/a>]. \u201d A high-profile spat between the United Auto Workers and Stellantis over reopening an Illinois factory complex has made its way into the race for U.S. president and could elicit a strike against the automaker. In a speech at the Democratic National Convention Monday night, union President Shawn Fain accused the company of reneging on promises to restart a now-closed assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, just over an hour northwest of Chicago\u2026. After the contracts were approved, Biden visited Belvidere with Fain to celebrate the plant reopening\u2026. Fain, wearing a red T-shirt that said \u2018Trump is a scab. Vote Harris,\u2019 told the convention that the union won strong contracts and the plant reopening with the support of Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden.\u201d \u2022 Well, he <em>did<\/em> get a T-shirt\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Democrats\u2019 Old Guard Passes The Torch At The DNC\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/democrat-old-guard-passes-torch-dnc_n_66c41f3ee4b0972f8ace4135\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">HuffPo<\/a>]. \u201cOf the 25 elected officials who were scheduled to speak, 13 were under 50 years old. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 34, brought the house down and seemingly leveled her career up with her speech. Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, 37, slammed \u2015 literally \u2015 the conservative blueprint called Project 2025 after bringing it out as a large printed book. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, 48, and a trio of young women delivered the party\u2019s most important message, promising to protect abortion rights. Other young leaders, including Whitmer, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, were seemingly held in reserve, with the speaking schedule for the next three nights not yet fully revealed. The youth push also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/biden-harris-democrats-age_n_66bcc752e4b03d1ac02dec87\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">helps the party sell the idea of Harris as a fresh start<\/a>, a way to move past the chaotic politics of eras defined by former President Donald Trump and the coronavirus pandemic.\u201d \u2022\u00a0As if the coronavirus pandemic didn\u2019t happen mostly under Biden, with results that we know. (Man-oh-man, do I loathe the phrase \u201cyoung leader.\u201d It\u2019s as if every leader in very field is following\u2026 Now what\u2019s the English word I\u2019m looking for\u2026. <em>Principle<\/em>, that\u2019s it. It also presuppposes an institutional binary between young and old, and implies a sort of nurtuing process where the young are brought along, presumably by mentors. Wrong and unrealistic respectively.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccessibility and Access: Reporters Have Complaints About the DNC\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.notus.org\/harris-2024\/accessibility-and-access-reporter-complaints-dnc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NOTUS<\/a>]. \u201cThere are only about 15% of the assigned press seats for print news publications this year than there were at the last Democratic National Convention\u2026.. Complaints about the media logistics of the Democratic National Convention \u2014 who gets what seats, how many, what\u2019s the access like, how long does it take to get in, is there power and Wi-Fi \u2014 are not exactly swaying many votes. But as Kamala Harris faces new scrutiny about her reluctance to sit for traditional interviews or answer questions at a press conference, the media access choices organizers made with the DNC are carrying new weight, especially with the journalists on the ground. One of the biggest objections has been about the dedicated seats the DNC provided for print reporters. While there are 12,000 credentialed reporters at this historic convention, hardly any of them have an assigned seat with a power outlet inside the bowl of the United Center, where the speeches are given and the delegates sit during prime-time hours.\u201d \u2022 No power outlets? Wowsers. How odd that Kamala wants the adulation, but no coverage, not even from our normally sycophantic press. NOTE \u201cEveryone trapped in buses by the protest movement or trapped in long lines to get through security had proof that things were not going smoothly.\u201d Sounds like a recipe for a superspeading event.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kamala\"\/>Kamala:<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cFox\u2019s Karl Rove Warns GOP He\u2019s Never Seen Anything Like Dem Reaction to Kamala Harris: Falling \u2018In Love\u2019 And \u2018In Line’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediaite.com\/tv\/foxs-karl-rove-warns-gop-hes-never-seen-anything-like-dem-reaction-to-kamala-harris-falling-in-love-and-in-line\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018Karl, last night you said that Democrats are falling in love and in line. Have you ever seen anything like it?\u2019 she asked. \u2018No,\u2019 replied Rove. This is normally what Republicans do is fall in line. But Democrats normally fall in love. And they\u2019re doing both this time around.’\u201d \u2022 Hmm. I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s true. Republicans \u2014 both voters and Never Trumpers \u2014 didn\u2019t \u201cfall in line\u201d in 2016, or we would have gotten \u201cJeb!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cExclusive: Harris\u2019 election effort raises around $500 million in a month, sources say\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/55gUA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reuters<\/a>]. \u201cU.S. Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 election effort has raised around $500 million since she became the Democratic presidential candidate, sources told Reuters, an unprecedented money haul that reflects donor going into the Nov. 5 election. Four sources familiar with the fundraising effort told Reuters that figure had been banked for Harris in the four weeks since she jumped into the race on July 21.\u201d \u2022 Vibes. Four sources, but one hive mind. In any case, after the Democrats \u2014 very much including Kamala \u2014 universally and vociferously claimed that Biden had no cognitive difficulties (\u201csharp as a tack\u201d), until Biden slipped a cog on TV in front of millions, I take the strong from position that Democrats are lying until proven otherwise. Given this hermeneutic of suspicion, I\u2019m working on the assumption that they\u2019re lying about the $500 million. Of course, they lie about small things, too\u2013<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cFact-checking night 2 of the Democratic National Convention\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2024\/08\/20\/politics\/fact-check-democratic-national-convention-night-2\/index.html?iid=cnn_buildContentRecirc_end_recirc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. \u201cOn the second night of the Democratic National Convention, on Tuesday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker repeated a claim a Democratic congressman had made the previous night about something former President Donald Trump said about the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. After touting Illinois\u2019 handling of the pandemic, Pritzker then said of Trump: \u201cAnd Donald? Well, Donald told us to inject bleach.\u201d\u201d \u2022\u00a0Readers know this is a lie, and that NC has very early, possibly the first, to call it.<\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cThe message behind Kamala Harris\u2019s power tailoring\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/J9XKM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Telegraph<\/a>]. \u201cIn fact, Harris\u2019s look has remained mostly unchanged since she began her political rise. Her official portraits, captured for the positions she held before her role at the White House \u2013 first, as California\u2019s Attorney General (2011-2017) and then representing the \u2018Golden State\u2019 in the U.S. Senate (2017- 2021) \u2013 portray her wearing nearly identical garb. Namely, mannish suit jackets, blouses and pearls. Her preference for pearls, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/J9XKM\/https:\/\/wwd.com\/feature\/kamala-harris-pearls-chucks-1236503184\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WWD<\/a> has noted, began during her time as an economics and political science major at Howard University. She then became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Black sorority in the United States and pearls were a traditional signature of the sisterhood\u2026. The relatively petite political force (she\u2019s 5\u2032 4\u2033) also increases her stature by wearing Manolo Blahnik\u2019s footwear almost religiously. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also favours the shoe brand. According to the masterly designer\u2019s New York office, Harris favours three variations of Manolo court shoes \u2013 the BB, the Newco and the Tucciosam\u2026. Not just one but two stylists are said to finesse the fine details of the vice president\u2019s wardrobe. While stylists have been integral to crafting the look of White House women such as Michelle Obama and Ivanka Trump, Vice President Harris reportedly works with the profession\u2019s highest rank \u2013 namely \u201cpower stylists\u201d Karla Welch and Leslie Fremar. Both are renowned for styling Hollywood celebrities for red-carpet events like the Oscars.\u201d \u2022 Not one but <em>two<\/em> stylists\u2026.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump:<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cManhattan DA signals openness to delaying Trump criminal sentencing\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/regulation\/court-battles\/4834668-trump-sentencing-manhattan-da-delay\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cThe Manhattan district attorney\u2019s office said it would not oppose delaying former President Trump\u2019s sentencing in his hush money criminal case slated for Sept. 18, suggesting prosecutors would instead defer to the judge. Trump has demanded a delay in sentencing until after the November presidential election. Among other arguments, he asserts that he will immediately appeal if the judge doesn\u2019t wipe the guilty verdict following the Supreme Court\u2019s presidential immunity decision. A ruling is expected by Sept. 16, two days prior to Trump\u2019s sentencing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cFormer President Trump On The Assassination Attempt, Israel, The Border And \u2018Comrade Kamala’\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/hughhewitt.com\/former-president-trump-on-the-assassination-attempt-israel-the-border-and-comrade-kamala\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Hugh Hewitt<\/a>]. Oppo: \u201c[TRUMP:] And where, you know, one thing I\u2019d like to know, as you know, in my opinion, she\u2019s a Marxist, because if you go back and look at her, what she\u2019s done over the years, she\u2019s a Marxist. Now she\u2019s changed and flip-flopped on just about everything she believe in, in life, but she\u2019s a Marxist. And where is her father? Her father\u2019s a Marxist professor. I don\u2019t know if you know that or not. [HEWITT:] I do.[TRUMP:] But he seems to have, he\u2019s not around. I\u2019d like to find out where is he. He\u2019s a professor. They don\u2019t interview the father. I think, I\u2019d like to find out more about her from the father.\u201d \u2022 It\u2019s been \u201cout there\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2019\/02\/20\/kamala-harris-father-pot-1176805\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">since 2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"kennedy\"\/>Kennedy:<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy (I): I have often urged that the distinctive competence of the Democrat Party is control over the ballot. Here Nicole Shanahan explains how that worked out in practice:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">MUST WATCH:<\/p>\n<p>RFK\u2019s VP Nicole Shanahan on how the DNC sabotaged their campaign and forced them to be a spoiler. She was a Democrat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey kept us off stages, manipulated polls, sued us in every possible state, and even planted insiders in our campaign.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aNbiktWDfK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/aNbiktWDfK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Geiger_Capital\/status\/1825966620482683084\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cA Rancher Who Leads a Paramilitary-Style Group Sues Biden Over Border Policies\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasobserver.org\/rural-border-lawsuit-immigration-sue-vigilantes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Texas Observer<\/a>]. Just some detail: \u201cThe lead plaintiff is Michael Vickers, a veterinarian who also owns a 1,000-acre ranch in Brooks County. Brooks County, which does not border Mexico, has a population of 7,000 and a long history of recorded deaths of migrants, who die in remote areas while trying to bypass its Border Patrol checkpoint. For nearly two decades, Vickers has led a paramilitary-style, civilian patrol group called the Texas Border Volunteers. Vickers and his wife, Linda, were once affiliated with the Minutemen, an organization that former President George W. Bush called a \u2018vigilante\u2019 group. In the suit, Vickers alleges that undocumented immigrants have damaged his property as a result of Biden\u2019s policies. He has incurred more than $50,000 in fence and gate damages since 2021 and the value of his property has decreased, according to the lawsuit. At times, Vickers and other Texas Border Volunteers have offered emergency help or assisted with body recoveries. But the group sees its main mission as finding and detaining migrants, and has a history of allegations against it, including members tying migrants\u2019 hands together with shoelaces or zip ties and taking their belongings, and members pulling weapons on migrants, as the Observer reported in 2014. The group was incorporated in Texas in 2006, state business filings show, and has been tax exempt since 2008, according to Internal Revenue Service records.\u201d<\/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>; 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MI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/coronavirus\/stats\/wastewater-surveillance\/dashboard\/sentinel-wastewater-epidemiology-evaluation-project-sweep\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/gisportal.state.mi.us\/portal\/apps\/insights\/index.html#\/view\/52bbb104ed574887918f990af9f3debe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.state.mn.us\/diseases\/coronavirus\/stats\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MO (<a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/f7f5492486114da6b5d6fdc07f81aacf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MS (<a href=\"https:\/\/msdh.ms.gov\/page\/14,0,420.html#Mississippi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>MT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/MapSeries\/index.html?appid=7c34f3412536439491adcc2103421d4b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; NC (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.ncdhhs.gov\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard)<\/a>; ND (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NE (<a href=\"https:\/\/atlas-dhhs.ne.gov\/Atlas\/Respiratory_Illness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NH (<a href=\"https:\/\/wisdom.dhhs.nh.gov\/wisdom\/dashboard.html?topic=covid-19&subtopic=recurring-updates&indicator=covid-19-wastewater#tabnavbarid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NJ (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.nj.gov\/forms\/datadashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NM (<a href=\"https:\/\/cvprovider.nmhealth.org\/public-dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NV (<a href=\"https:\/\/nvhealthresponse.nv.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/empower.unlv.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Southern NV); NY (<a href=\"https:\/\/mbcolli.shinyapps.io\/SARS2EWSP\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OH (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.ohio.gov\/dashboards\/other-resources\/wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OK (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/51657c21386d4f1a962b1853c76ec589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>OR (<a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/app\/profile\/oregon.health.authority.covid.19\/viz\/OregonsCOVID-19DataDashboards-TableofContents\/TableofContentsStatewide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; PA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.pa.gov\/topics\/disease\/coronavirus\/pages\/Cases.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); RI (<a href=\"https:\/\/ri-department-of-health-covid-19-data-rihealth.hub.arcgis.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SC (<a href=\"https:\/\/scdhec.gov\/index.php\/covid19\/covid-19-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SD (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.sd.gov\/COVID\/Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/health\/cedep\/ncov\/data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TX (<a href=\"https:\/\/txdshsea.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/4ae43eefd0f641d59d35c3df82ee59cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); UT (<a href=\"https:\/\/avrpublic.dhhs.utah.gov\/uwss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); VA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/coronavirus\/see-the-numbers\/covid-19-in-virginia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); VT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthvermont.gov\/disease-control\/covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WA (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.wa.gov\/emergencies\/covid-19\/data-dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.bfhd.wa.gov\/cases-and-roadmap-to-recovery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.wisconsin.gov\/covid-19\/wastewater.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); WV (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/oehs.wvdhhr.org\/news\/oehs-coivd-19-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>); WY (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/covidwastewatermonitor.wyo.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/health-infobase.canada.ca\/covid-19\/wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Government of Canada<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealthontario.ca\/en\/Data-and-Analysis\/Infectious-Disease\/COVID-19-Data-Surveillance\/Wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); QC (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inspq.qc.ca\/covid-19\/donnees\/eaux-usees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><em>les eaux us\u00e9es<\/em><\/a>); BC (<a href=\"https:\/\/bccdc.shinyapps.io\/respiratory_wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); BC, Vancouver (<a href=\"https:\/\/metrovancouver.org\/services\/liquid-waste\/testing-for-the-covid-19-virus-in-wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Hat tips to helpful readers: Alexis, anon (2), Art_DogCT, B24S, CanCyn, ChiGal, Chuck L, Festoonic, FM, FreeMarketApologist (4), Gumbo, hop2it, JB, JEHR, JF, JL Joe, John, JM (10), JustAnotherVolunteer, JW, KatieBird, KF, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, square coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Maskstravaganza<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cMask bans disenfranchise millions of Americans with disabilities\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/08\/20\/mask-bans-nassau-county-north-carolina-new-york-disabled-rights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">STAT<\/a>]. \u201cIf masks are banned where I live, I will have to make the choice between endangering my transplant and my health every time I leave the house, or to remain on permanent lockdown in my home. As disability oracle and activist Alice Wong reminds us, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teenvogue.com\/story\/mask-bans-disabled-people-protest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">mask bans are an extension of \u2018ugly laws,\u2019<\/a> historical laws and ordinances that prevented disabled people from being in public. We deserve to be seen and to be included in public life. Mask bans are a threat not just to disabled people, but to all of us. It\u2019s never too late to start masking again\u2014to protect not just your health and the health of people around you, but also to protect our fundamental human rights.\u201d \u2022 As well as millions of dull normals who just don\u2019t want to be infected because they were breathing.<\/p>\n<p>Mask bans (1):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NEW: Zero tolerance at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UofCalifornia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@UofCalifornia<\/a> for encampments, blocking pathways, masking to shield identities. President Drake directs chancellors to strictly enforce campus rules after huge protests over the Israel-Hamas war this past spring. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hFFRVL4ek5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/hFFRVL4ek5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Teresa Watanabe (@TeresaWatanabe) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TeresaWatanabe\/status\/1825550350621008372\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 19, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Mask bans (2):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nassau County, NY just passed a mask ban and now residents say they are going to take pictures of anyone wearing a mask and send them to police.<\/p>\n<p>This is why we need to stop any kind of mask ban legislation. They empower vigilantes to harass and surveil people wearing masks. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/80NJgWndpJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/80NJgWndpJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/luckytran\/status\/1825936940732133842\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>From a Letter to the Editor in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsday.com\/opinion\/letters\/lithium-ion-battery-storage-state-abortion-laws-nassau-mask-ban-ji10m9i5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Newsday<\/a>.) On <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/eight-reasons-mask-bans-are-beyond-stupid.html\">mask bans<\/a>, I wrote: \u201cThe thought occurs, then, that many normal citizens want mask bans not to assist law enforcement, but for acts of vigilantism and private retribution.\u201d This is not vigilantism, but if Perlmutter had thought to introduce the concept of citizens arrests, it would be.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Vaccines: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cCOVID vaccine efficacy against severe illness just under 50%, per early estimates from 2023\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cidrap.umn.edu\/covid-19\/covid-vaccine-efficacy-against-severe-illness-just-under-50-early-estimates-2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy<\/a>]. \u201cTwo European observational studies estimate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the COVID-19 XBB.1.5 vaccine approved in fall 2023 against hospitalization, the first one finding 49% overall VE in adults, and one showing good protection\u2014but uneven uptake\u2014among pregnant women.\u201d \u2022 For XBB.1.5, not the currently dominant KP* variants.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Transmission: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c\u2018A much more infectious\u2019 COVID variant fueling California\u2019s relentless surge\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2024-08-19\/californias-relentless-covid-surge-worsens-fueled-by-a-much-more-infectious-variant\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Los Angeles Times<\/a>]. \u201c\u2018It\u2019s so surprising to me that it hasn\u2019t gone down yet,\u2019 said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases specialist at UC San Francisco. \u2018It\u2019s a little bit more of a prolonged season for California.’\u201d Ah, UCSF. Maybe we should ask Bob Wachter. More: \u201c\u2018It\u2019s this confluence of a much more infectious variant on top of folks\u2019 overall immunity having waned \u2014 either from natural or vaccine-induced immunity,\u2019 [Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California] said. \u2018It\u2019s just kind of come [as] a perfect storm.’\u201d With non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) only being considered far too late, as usual. More: \u201cAn open question is whether COVID will continue to rise as kids go back to school. Doctors are urging people to stay home if they\u2019re sick and asking parents to keep their ill kids from attending school, to limit spread of disease.\u201d NPIs erased again! Funny thing, Kamala\u2019s from California. So is Pelosi. And yet they never mention Covid at all.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sequelae: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"anosmia\"\/>\u201cPatients recovering from COVID-19 who presented with anosmia during their acute episode have behavioral, functional, and structural brain alterations\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/383200274_Patients_recovering_from_COVID-19_who_presented_with_anosmia_during_their_acute_episode_have_behavioral_functional_and_structural_brain_alterations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Scientific Reports<\/a>]. N = 73. From the Abstract: \u201cHere, we report findings from a sample of patients consisting of 73 adults with a mild to moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection without signs of respiratory failure and 27 with infections attributed to other agents and no history of COVID-19. The participants underwent cognitive screening, a decision-making task, and MRI evaluations. We assessed for the presence of anosmia and the requirement for hospitalization. Groups did not differ in age or cognitive performance. Patients who presented with anosmia exhibited more impulsive alternative changes after a shift in probabilities (r = \u2212 0.26, p = 0.001), while patients who required hospitalization showed more perseverative choices (r = 0.25, p = 0.003). Anosmia correlated with brain measures, including , thinning of cortical thickness in parietal regions, and loss of white matter integrity. Hence, anosmia could be a factor to be considered when identifying at-risk populations for follow-up.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Morbidity and Mortality<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"morticians\"\/>\u201cDeaths Are Up Post-Covid, and So Are Funeral Stocks: Prognosis\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/newsletters\/2024-08-19\/deaths-are-up-post-covid-and-so-are-funeral-stocks-prognosis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bloomberg<\/a>]. \u201cThe number of officially reported Covid fatalities (7.1 million worldwide) doesn\u2019t fully explain the trend in excess deaths. (Neither do Covid vaccines, since body bags were piling up months before the shots were released, and multiple studies show the immunizations protect against severe illness and death). There\u2019s no silver lining to the tragic loss of life. But if one group sees an upside, it\u2019s those providing funerals, cremations, and burials. Publicly traded companies handling funerals and related services have handed investors an average 79% return since Jan. 1, 2020 \u2014 outpacing the 60% gain in the MSCI All Country World Index, one of the broadest measures of the global equity market. The US highlights the morbid picture. In the two decades before the pandemic, the number of deaths had been climbing at an average clip of almost 1% a year \u2014 reflecting population growth and aging, and the devastating opioid epidemic \u2014 for a crude rate in 2019 of 869.7 deaths for every 100,000 Americans. Covid catapulted the rate well beyond 1,000 in 2020 and 2021 before the rate dropped back to just over 984 in 2022. Last year, there were 927.4 deaths per 100,000 people in the US \u2014 almost 12% above the 20-year average \u2014 for nearly 3.1 million deaths all up. The coronavirus directly and indirectly contributed to many of them. For instance, a jump in drug overdoses and alcohol use\u2013related diseases during the pandemic likely added to fatalities from unintentional injuries and chronic liver disease in 2023, according to a study this month. Covid also led to more cardiometabolic disease, and age-adjusted mortality rates for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke were above pre-pandemic levels.\u201d \u2022 Go long morticians. Surprised, actually, that Silicon Valley hasn\u2019t tried to \u201cdisrupt\u201d this business.<\/p>\n<\/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. First showing of the new variant from China, XDV.1 (though it didn\u2019t appear in traveler\u2019s data).<\/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) The new variant in China, XDV.1, is 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>There are no official statistics of interest today.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cAI initiatives would get $40M annually in draft California journalism bill agreements\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/08\/19\/ai-california-journalism-bill-agreement-00174678\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cArtificial intelligence initiatives would receive tens of millions of dollars in a draft settlement on a closely watched state legislative effort to make large platforms like Google and Meta fund California newsrooms. The draft proposal, dated Saturday afternoon, would see California form a public-private partnership with Google and news publishers to fund in-state newsrooms and AI over five years. The partnership would provide over $300 million across five years, including at least $40 million annually for an unspecified \u2018AI Innovation Accelerator\u2019 program managed by a \u2018yet-to-be finalized\u2019 nonprofit\u2026. A summary of the draft proposal says it aims to \u2018strengthen democracy and the future of work in an Artificial Intelligence future\u2019 \u2014 a remarkable shift from the original purpose of Assemblymember Buffy Wicks\u2019 bill, which aimed to make platforms share advertising profits from news-link sharing back to California newsrooms.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Ah, <a href=\"https:\/\/downwithtyranny.blogspot.com\/2018\/05\/new-anti-berner-model-test-in.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Buffy Wicks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"boeing\"\/>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing Finds Cracks in Structure of 777X Test Jets\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/aSy6J\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wall Street Journal<\/a>]. \u201cShares of Boeing fell about 5% Tuesday after the plane maker found cracks in the structure of its 777X jetliner in initial test flights, the latest setback for the long-delayed airplane. The company said it would ground its four-plane test fleet while it replaces the faulty component and sorts out what went wrong. Boeing has orders for about 500 of the new aircraft that it plans to start delivering in 2025. It is unclear what impact the issue could have on the plane\u2019s launch date. The 777X, designed for airlines wanting to connect the globe\u2019s major cities and to carry some 400 passengers more, is already years behind. Boeing unveiled the plane in 2013 and said it would start delivering the model in 2020. \u2026. The company is also facing scrutiny of another of its jets, the 787 Dreamliner. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would require inspections of Dreamliners after an incident with a cockpit seat led to <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/o\/aSy6J\/https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/business\/airlines\/cockpit-mishap-might-have-caused-plunge-on-latam-boeing-787-ee3dd7b4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a LatAm flight plunging midflight<\/a> in March.\u201d \u2022 That new CEO sure must have his hands full.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 50 Neutral (previous close: 44 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 27 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Aug 21 at 1:10:16 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Topical:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">As Far back as his Grandfather, 1799<br \/>Get more Goya \ud83c\udf52 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tjHb5y4Eji\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/tjHb5y4Eji<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NkXC8PXo0t\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/NkXC8PXo0t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Francisco Goya (@artistgoya) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/artistgoya\/status\/1825441323588993136\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 19, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Groves of Academe<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHistory\u2019s Footnotes\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/daily.jstor.org\/historys-footnotes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">JSTOR<\/a>]. \u201c\u201dOnce the historian writes with footnotes, historical narrative becomes a distinctly modern\u201d practice, [historian Anthony Grafton] explains. History is no longer a matter of rumor, unsubstantiated opinion, or whim. \u2018The text persuades, the note proves,\u2019 he avers. Footnotes do double duty, for they also \u2018persuade as well as prove\u2019 and open up the work to a multitude of voices\u2026 Leopold von Ranke (1795\u20131886), the founder of source-based history, is usually credited with the \u201cinvention\u201d of the scholarly footnote in the European tradition. Grafton describes von Ranke\u2019s theory as sharper than his practice: his footnoting was much too sloppy to be a model for scholars today. But various forms of footnotes were used long before von Ranke. Sources were of vital importance to both Roman lawyers and Christian theologians in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, as they strove to back up their own arguments with the weight and gravitas of others\u2026 As Grafton writes in a second article about this history of naming one\u2019s sources, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/40259598?mag=historys-footnotes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u2018the modern footnote\u2014with its full bibliographical details, discussion of variant texts and sources, and separate place on the page [\u2026] seems to have arrived at its definitive form in the later 17th century<\/a>.\u2019 Pierre Bayle\u2019s enormously influential <em>Historical and Critical Dictionary<\/em> (1697) is the thing to cite here. The Dictionary \u2018consisted in large part of footnotes (and even footnotes to footnotes).\u2019 Within a few decades scholars emulating Bayle \u2018were producing footnotes by the bushel\u2014and satirists were making fun of them for doing so.\u2019 Grafton has a candidate for the longest known footnote: it\u2019s 165 pages long and found in John Hodgson\u2019s 1840 <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/ahistorynorthum01tynegoog\/page\/n6\/mode\/2up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">History of Northumberland<\/a>. The award for the Most Ironic Footnotes goes to Edward Gibbon, who plays it straight in the text of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/files\/25717\/25717-h\/25717-h.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire<\/a> (published between 1776 and 1789) and then adds the snark to the footnotes, playfully undermining the seriousness of the endeavor above.\u201d \u2022 Who doesn\u2019t love footnotes?<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"zeitgeist\"\/><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo Robots Love Their Customers? Automated Restaurants Face Human Issues\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/dnyuz.com\/2024\/08\/13\/do-robots-love-their-customers-automated-restaurants-face-human-issues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cBut people come to restaurants to feel connected to other humans. They want to encounter people, not a chatbot, kiosk or mechanical arm. So successfully integrating robots is more than just an engineering challenge. Professor Giebelhausen has found, for example, that consumers prefer human chefs to robot ones, in part because they believe that humans cook with love. In a paper currently under review, he and his co-authors found that if consumers had a friendly text chat with the robot, that preference faded. \u2018The crux is, if you feel the robot loves you,\u2019 he said, \u2018you allow the robot to cook with love.’\u201d \u2022 That\u2019s all very well, but the feeling has no basis in reality whatever.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease don\u2019t stack rocks on your next hike. Here\u2019s why\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lonelyplanet.com\/articles\/cairns-rock-stacking-national-parks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Lonely Planet<\/a>]. \u201cHike far enough on just about any trail in the world, and you\u2019ll likely spot a collection of stones placed atop each other that form impromptu sculptures. Some call them cairns. Others favor more colorful terms like \u2018stone balancing\u2019 or \u2018prayer stone stacks.\u2019 Whatever the name, the act of stacking rocks atop each other is ubiquitous. Over the past decade or so, for better or worse, rock-stacking has become even more popular. What many don\u2019t know, though, is that the practice is controversial, particularly in national parks and other protected areas. Depending on who you ask, it can be a crucial navigational device, a rewarding mindfulness practice or an environmental menace\u2026. Today, the popularity of rock cairns has less to do with utility and tradition and more to do with social media. At least that\u2019s the opinion of the Colorado-based rock-stacking artist, Michael Grab, who goes by the moniker Gravity Glue\u2026.\u2019It really started to blow up between 2014 and 2015,\u2019 he said, speaking about the trend of stacking rocks in gravity-defying formations and then posting the photos onto social media. \u2018Then it exploded into this international art form, and what was maybe a handful of practitioners became hundreds.\u2019 Others followed, stacking rocks on beaches, on hiking trails, and, much to the chagrin of conservationists, in places where visitors are specifically asked to \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lonelyplanet.com\/articles\/leave-no-trace\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">leave no trace<\/a>.\u2019\u2026. Besides potentially confusing lost hikers, critics say rock-stacking can be culturally insensitive to past and present residents of the area. They also point to the cumulative effects disruptions can have on ecosystems underfoot\u2026. While the National Park Service at times employs rock-stacking as part of its route-marking system, in most parks, the agency prohibits people from adding their own cairns. Like carving initials into a tree, leaving trash at a campground or spray-painting your name on a boulder, rock-stacking in most (but not all) national parks is punishable under the same laws that protect these places against vandalism and littering.\u201d \u2022 Hmm. <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy People Procrastinate, and How to Overcome It\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/DZEZJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Scientific American<\/a>]. \u201cPutting it all together, our research sheds light on the processes that lead to procrastination. When faced with a deadline, people seem to ask themselves, \u201cDo I want to do this now?\u201d That leads them to weigh the pros and cons involved\u2014and their biases then come into play. Although additional rigorous testing is required, the training procedure used in our last study shows promise as an avenue to assist people who struggle with procrastination. Cognitive training based on this approach\u2014for example, through an app\u2014could help people who struggle with delaying tasks. But there are more immediate implications of our work as well. Our research indicates that valence weighting has the biggest impact among people who lack the motivation and cognitive resources to pause and deliberate beyond their initial quick appraisals on whether or not to tackle a task. In other words, just pushing yourself to think a little bit more before acting may help you generate more positive reasons to get started and to ensure you don\u2019t put off to tomorrow what you might best tackle today.\u201d \u2022 I don\u2019t think rumination helps\u2026 <\/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-8-20-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From ET:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/eastern_pondhawk.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"1060\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-277127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/eastern_pondhawk.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/eastern_pondhawk-170x300.jpeg 170w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/eastern_pondhawk-580x1024.jpeg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>ET writes: \u201cCaught this guy on my snapdragons one morning. Eastern Pondhawk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. 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-8-21-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether of Corrente Bird Song of the Day California Thrasher, Mori Pt., San Mateo, California, United States. Short and sweet! * * *<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":83579,"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-83578","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\/83578","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=83578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83578\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}