{"id":84970,"date":"2024-09-23T22:48:20","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T22:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/23\/200pm-water-cooler-9-23-2024-naked-capitalism\/"},"modified":"2024-09-23T22:48:20","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T22:48:20","slug":"200pm-water-cooler-9-23-2024-naked-capitalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/23\/200pm-water-cooler-9-23-2024-naked-capitalism\/","title":{"rendered":"2:00PM Water Cooler 9\/23\/2024 | naked capitalism"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Back to Thrashers, which are mimics too, like mockingbirds and characters. So the first clip I tested is 35 minutes of thrasherdom\u2026. Enjpy!<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/macaulaylibrary.org\/asset\/164696\/embed\" height=\"419\" width=\"640\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Sage Thrasher, Sublette, Wyoming, United States. \u201cGradually moves further and further away from the microphone in the first segment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#assassination\">Latest on Trump assassinations<\/a>; there\u2019s now a price on Trump\u2019s head.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#states\">Latest on MI, MT, NC, PA<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Spooks move <a href=\"#spooks\">toward authenticating election outcomes<\/a>, albeit slowly.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#boeing\">Boeing $30 billion share issue<\/a> to solve its $10 billion cash crunch?<\/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><a name=\"assassination \"\/>Trump Assassination Attempts (Plural)<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cMan suspected of assassination attempt against Trump left a letter detailing his plans, prosecutors say\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2024\/09\/23\/politics\/ryan-wesley-routh-trump-assassination-attempt-letter\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. \u201cThe man who authorities say sat with a rifle in the trees where Donald Trump was golfing earlier this month in West Palm Beach, Florida, previously wrote a letter stating \u2018this was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump,\u2019 according to a new filing by federal prosecutors. A witness told investigators that Ryan Wesley Routh had dropped off a box at his home months before, which \u201ccontained ammunition, a metal pipe, miscellaneous building materials, tools, four phones, and various letters.\u201d After learning of the apparent assassination attempt, the witness opened the box, according to the filing\u2026. Prosecutors say Routh was in the area of Trump\u2019s golf course and the former president\u2019s Mar-a-Lago residence across multiple days in the month before he was arrested and had a Google search of how to travel from Florida to Mexico in one of his phones.\u201d \u2022 So Routh <em>was<\/em> a planner, not just a child-like goo goo, and had some amount of funding (making the role of at <em>least<\/em> the girlfriend more salient. Here is the letter:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/routh_letter.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"674\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-279240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/routh_letter.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/routh_letter-267x300.png 267w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>So Merrick Garland\u2019s Justice Department decides to release a letter <em>putting a price on Trump\u2019s head<\/em>? Never mind that Routh (probably) can\u2019t pay it; now the price is anchored \u2014 and affordable, too, at least for some \u2013so perhaps others will make and claim the offer. What on earth were they thinking?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWould-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh stalked ex-president for a month, prosecutors say\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2024\/09\/23\/would-be-trump-assassin-stalked-ex-president-for-month-prosecutors-say.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNBC<\/a>]. \u201c[W]hen he was arrested after fleeing his hiding spot just outside the golf course, Routh had in his possession a \u2018handwritten list of dates in August, September, and October 2024 and venues where the former President had appeared or was expected to be present\u2019 the filing said.\u201d \u2022 So Routh anticipated being able to finance further travel. How? <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Roots of the Trump Assassination Attempts\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/the-roots-of-the-trump-assassination-attempts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The American Conservative<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cIt is only by luck that the former president is still alive.\u201d Indeed. \u201cIn many Third-World countries, falling out of power means being declared an enemy of the people who needs to be done away. In some situations that means trumped-up charges and made-up evidence\u2014lawfare\u2014to mislabel the fallen leader as evil and justify the life sentence he receives. In other situations, jail is not secure enough, such as when the fallen leader still has many supporters. That means he must be killed\u2026. Donald Trump is an enemy of democracy itself, says the left in writing and from the debate stage. It is then not surprising when people, often mentally ill enough to accept the base argument that someone who served four years as president, who defeated multiple impeachment attempts without resorting to tanks on the Capitol lawn, and who has run via the electoral system for president three times, is not a believer in democracy. Would-be killers have seen lawfare fail\u2026 With lawfare essentially failing off the table, it is time to demonize Trump to create a manifesto for the mentally ill American who will carry out the grim final round\u2026. It\u2019s OK, they seem to say, because Trump asked for it. \u201cHe\u2019s worth killing\u201d is the broader message\u2026 Unlike in the Third World, there will be no hand-picked assassin here. There is also no conspiracy per se to assassinate Trump. Instead, the left bets that if they send out enough signals, someone mentally ill enough in armed America will do what they want in their hearts. It is the patriotic thing to do, like time-travelers smiting baby Hitler. A jihad. The left is too coordinated in its words and actions not to know what it is doing. Trump knows it; during his debate with Harris he remarked that he took a bullet to the head for some of her remarks that he is anti-democratic. Trump\u2019s would-be assassin knows it, claiming that \u2018democracy is on the ballot.&#8217;\u201d \u2022\u00a0Stochastic terrorism (but holy Lord, these are <em>liberals<\/em>, not \u201cthe left\u201d).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Biden Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cJoe Biden\u2019s foreign policy legacy goes through Ukraine\u201d [Trudy Rubin, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/opinion\/joe-biden-foreign-policy-legacy-victory-donald-trump-ukraine-putin-russia-20240922.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Philadelphia Inquirer<\/a>]. \u201cMoscow and Beijing (along with Tehran and Pyongyang) are watching closely to see whether the president finally gives Kyiv the key weapons systems it needs to win \u2014 and a green light to use them wherever needed. That would include permission to use U.S.-made long-range ATACMS missiles to destroy military bases inside Russia from which planes fire glide bombs that have decimated Ukraine\u2019s cities. If Biden gives Ukraine this critical help, it will hedge against a possible Trump victory, since the former president has pledged to cut off aid if Kyiv doesn\u2019t bow to Vladimir Putin\u2019s version of \u2018peace talks.\u2019 If Biden holds back, however, it will signal to Putin and Xi Jinping that Washington doesn\u2019t have the will to stop territorial aggression and is intimidated by Putin\u2019s nuclear bluster. It will also put Harris on a foreign policy backfoot if she takes over the White House.\u201d \u2022 Yes, Kamala will have to prove she\u2019s tough. Maybe the Democrats will find a whole new war for her!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>2024<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Less than fifty 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 loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rcp_2024-09-20.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"851\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-279077\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rcp_2024-09-20.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rcp_2024-09-20-212x300.png 212w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If there was a debate bounce, it was very small. If I were the Trump campaign, I\u2019d be very worried about Pennsylvania. Maybe a reader from Pennsylvania can clarify. Are we looking at something like a North Philly Democrat\/Bucks County Never Trumper Alliance? Once again, the Democrats must be very puzzled to have virtual unanimity across the political spectrum that \u201cHarris is the one\u201d \u2014 no doubt there will be another liberalgasm after Oprah \u2014 and yet the election is a virtual tie. How can this be? Perhaps a few more Republicans, generals, or celebrities will turn the tide.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump Shows Signs of Strength in Sun Belt Battlegrounds, Polls Find\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/09\/23\/us\/politics\/times-siena-polls-arizona-georgia-north-carolina.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cVoters across the Sun Belt say that Donald J. Trump improved their lives when he was president \u2014 and worry that a Kamala Harris White House would not \u2014 setting the stage for an extraordinarily competitive contest in three key states, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/09\/23\/us\/elections\/times-siena-sun-belt-crosstabs.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the latest polls from The New York Times and Siena College<\/a>. The polls found that Mr. Trump has gained a lead in Arizona and remains ahead in Georgia, two states that he lost to President Biden in 2020. But in North Carolina, which has not voted for a Democrat since 2008, Ms. Harris trails Mr. Trump by just a narrow margin. The polls of these three states, taken from Sept. 17 to 21, presented further evidence that in a sharply divided nation, the presidential contest is shaping up to be one of the tightest in history.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Kamala (D): \u201cDNC calls Trump \u2018chicken\u2019 for not accepting second debate in billboard campaign\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aol.com\/dnc-calls-trump-chicken-not-103000945.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The HIll<\/a>]. \u2022 The guy\u2019s been targeted by assassins <em>twice<\/em> and he\u2019s still out on the trail. And the Democrats thinking calling him a coward is a political winner [shaking my head].<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cRepublicans in swing states say they see scant signs of groups door-knocking for Trump\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-political-action-committees-voter-canvassing-musk-0c1c095a6516b7bcbc80bf94fe0fe45a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cRepublican activists in swing states say they have seen little sign of the teams tasked with knocking on doors and turning out infrequent voters on behalf of Donald Trump, raising concerns about the party\u2019s presidential nominee relying on outside groups for an important part of his campaign operations. Trump and the Republican National Committee he controls opted to share get-out-the-vote duties in key parts of the most competitive states this year with groups such as America PAC, the organization supported by billionaire Elon Musk. It is difficult to demonstrate that something is not happening. But with fewer than 50 days until the Nov. 5 election, dozens of Republican officials, activists and operatives in Michigan, North Carolina and other battleground states say they have rarely or never witnessed the group\u2019s canvassers. In Arizona and Nevada, the Musk-backed political action committee replaced its door-knocking company just this past week. \u2018I haven\u2019t seen anybody,\u2019 said Nate Wilkowski, field director for the Republican Party in vote-rich Oakland County, Michigan, which includes crucial Detroit suburbs. He was speaking specifically of America PAC. \u2018Nobody\u2019s given me a heads-up that they\u2019re around in Oakland County areas.&#8217;\u201d \u2022 Have any readers experienced Trump door-knocking?<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): Rally count down:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Here are the numbers for August and September:<\/p>\n<p>August 2016: 26 rallies<br \/>August 2024: 7 rallies<\/p>\n<p>September 2016: 21 rallies<br \/>September 2024: 6 rallies<\/p>\n<p>It might not matter (unclear if campaign events really help) but I think it&#8217;s a notable change in his brand\/campaign. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UkaDjpLRi5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/UkaDjpLRi5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kraz Greinetz (@krazgreinetz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/krazgreinetz\/status\/1837570039051894844\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">September 21, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>No offense to Susie Wiles, but I think Trump was a better candidate in 2016, when he was flying an airplane full of randos round the country and doing the A\/B testing with crowds that led him to deliver and refine a populist message.<\/p>\n<p>Trump (R): \u201cThe \u2018scared majority\u2019 could deliver a landslide victory for Trump\u201d [Douglas MacKinnon, <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/campaign\/4891015-the-scared-majority-could-deliver-a-landslide-victory-for-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. Rhetoric and anecdotes. Nevertheless: \u201cI grew up in abject poverty as a child, and most of my contacts to this day are those in the working class or lower\u2026. Those I speak with on a regular basis tell me they have never been so frightened about circumstances out of their control. Circumstances they believe were deliberately and politically exacerbated by the Democrats and most especially by the Biden-Harris administration. There is something going on. These times do not feel like the others for the working class. They feel much more foreboding. There are now so many \u2018canaries in the coal mine\u2019 on this issue that they need to take a number to chirp out the first warning. The first is that the Democratic Party used to be the party of the poor and disenfranchised. Now it is the party of uber-wealthy tech and big-pharma barons and power-hungry special interests\u2026 The next \u2018canary in the coal mine\u2019 is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters non-endorsement endorsement of Donald Trump. For the first time in over 20 years, the Teamsters did not endorse the Democratic candidate. Instead, their leadership chose to endorse no one. Why? Because that leadership was shocked to find that almost 60 percent of its rank-and-file membership \u2014 those would be fearful working-class Americans \u2014 have indicated they are going to vote for Trump over Harris. What is noteworthy here is that when Biden was still in the race, Trump was actually trailing him, 44 percent to 36 percent. As with the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, the more Americans see of Harris, the less they like her or trust her\u2026. Next, we come to the \u2018canary\u2019 reported by CBS News. Correspondent Adriana Diaz admitted that, while in swing-state Nevada, she could only find \u2018one person\u2019 in each restaurant she visited who planned to vote for Harris, while the rest were \u2018really excited\u2019 about Trump. This, she said, after \u2018leaving no stone unturned\u2019 to find any Harris supporters\u2026. Fear is real. Fear does motivate. Working-class Americans do fear that elite-enabling liberal policies beyond their control are robbing them of their quality of life now and well into their futures.\u201d \u2022 Hmm. <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"states\"\/>MI: \u201cMuslim mayor of Hamtramck endorses Trump, wants Gaza cease-fire\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/local\/wayne-county\/2024\/09\/23\/muslim-mayor-of-hamtramck-amer-ghalib-endorses-trump-wants-gaza-cease-fire\/75346344007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Detroit News<\/a>]. \u201cHamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib has endorsed former President Donald Trump in the presidential race, a move the Republican nominee quickly touted on social media. Ghalib, who is Muslim and a Yemeni immigrant, announced his endorsement on social media Sunday evening and it came less than a week after the two met in Flint at a Trump campaign event. Ghalib said he and Trump met at the Dort Financial Center before Trump addressed the crowd and the former president asked for Ghalib\u2019s endorsement. Among the things the two discussed was a cease-fire in the Middle East and on the domestic front, ways of \u2018breaking the wall between the Republican Party and the minorities,\u2019 Ghalib said in a video he posted on social media last week. The video is a separate post from the mayor\u2019s endorsement that he posted Sunday on Facebook. \u2018President Trump and I may not agree on everything, but I know he is a man of principles,\u2019 Ghalib said in the endorsement post. \u2018Though it is looking good, he may or may not win the election and be the 47th president of the United States, but I believe he is the right choice for this critical time.\u2019 Ghalib confirmed the endorsement on Monday to The Detroit News but didn\u2019t comment further, referring to the video he posted last week. In that video, Ghalib shares what he and Trump discussed in Flint. \u2018He assured that his goal is to end the chaos in the Middle East and elsewhere. ,\u2019 Ghalib said in the video.\u201d \u2022 There\u2019s a reason for this:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Over 700 former national security leaders, including generals, admirals, ambassadors, CIA officials et al. endorse VP Harris. They describe Donald J Trump as a clear and present danger to our democracy. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5ysGHkxShR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/5ysGHkxShR<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XhQ9qjE3zh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/XhQ9qjE3zh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jim Boyle (@JimGBoyle) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimGBoyle\/status\/1838193721679962220\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">September 23, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t love Trump, and he\u2019s no pacifist. That said, these people, all 700 of them, have their wars all lined up, and they know Kamala will back them.<\/p>\n<p>MT: \u201cBallot error shuts down Montana online absentee voting system\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/dailyinterlake.com\/news\/2024\/sep\/20\/ballot-error-shuts-down-montana-online-absentee-voting-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Daily Inter Lake<\/a>]. \u201cWhen Max Himsl opened his electronic ballot on Friday, he was dismayed to see a candidate missing from the list of options. Voting absentee electronically while living abroad, Himsl saw that under the options for president, only Republican Donald Trump and Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were listed. Missing was Democrat Kamala Harris. \u2018I\u2019m upset my democratic process was interrupted,\u2019 he said. Election officials were notified of the error shortly after the Electronic Absentee System that allows certain voters to cast their ballot electronically went live on Friday at 8 a.m., according to the Montana Secretary of State\u2019s Office which reported that the error was isolated to the online system. \u2018Our team and the vendor quickly investigated and found that only a few voters may have been impacted,\u2019 the Secretary of State\u2019s Office said through email. \u2018As a precaution, the Electronic Absentee System has been taken offline until troubleshooting is completed.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NC: \u201cNearly all of Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson\u2019s campaign staff quits after CNN report\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wunc.org\/politics\/2024-09-22\/mark-robinson-campaign-staff-quit-cnn-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WUNC<\/a>]. \u201cDays after a CNN report about racist and sexual comments posted on a pornography forum, all but a few of Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson\u2019s campaign team quit their jobs on Sunday. A campaign news release said that four top staffers have left the campaign: Conrad Pogorzelski, general consultant and senior advisor who\u2019s worked for Robinson since his initial 2020 lieutenant governor campaign; Chris Rodriguez, campaign manager; Heather Whillier, finance director; and Jason Rizk, deputy campaign manager. But WUNC has confirmed that other staffers have quit as well, leaving Robinson with just three people working on his campaign \u2014 two campaign spokesmen and a bodyguard. The list of departures also include longtime director of operations Patrick Riley and political directors John Kontoulas and Jackson Lohrer. Sunday\u2019s news release says that new staff hires will be announced \u201cin the coming days.\u201d But hiring a new campaign team less than two months from Election Day will be tough for a campaign rocked by scandal.\u201d \u2022 NC Democrats:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">North Carolina Democratic Party chair, Anderson Clayton, is crushing it. At 25 years old, Clayton is the youngest political state party chair in the U.S. North Carolina is in play, y&#8217;all. \ud83d\ude4c\ud83d\ude4f\ud83d\udc4f\ud83d\udc4a\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3JQr1Q5zWc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/3JQr1Q5zWc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bill Madden (@maddenifico) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/maddenifico\/status\/1837943759767499106\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">September 22, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Could Clayton have had the Robinson oppo all along? (And if she\u2019s \u201cfighting for\u201d rural North Carolina, what does that mean? Readers?)<\/p>\n<p>NC: \u201cDemocrats see path to N.C. victory following Robinson bombshell\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/09\/22\/robinson-bombshell-trump-north-carolina-democrats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axios<\/a>]. \u201cTeam Trump is working to distance the former president from Robinson, whom Trump once described as \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/trump-compares-north-carolina-lt-gov-mark-robinson-martin-luther-king-rcna141523\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Martin Luther King on steroids<\/a>,\u2019 after CNN reported the gubernatorial candidate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/raleigh\/2024\/09\/19\/mark-robinson-cnn-report-nc-scandal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">referred to himself<\/a> as a \u2018black NAZI!\u2019 and a \u2018perv\u2019 on a porn site\u2019s messaging board and expressed support for reinstating slavery.\u201d \u2022 Roid rage indeed\u2026. <\/p>\n<p>PA: \u201cThe Pittsburgh Paradox Could Hand Pennsylvania to Trump\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpennsylvania.com\/articles\/2024\/09\/19\/the_pittsburgh_paradox_could_hand_pa_to_trump_1059597.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RealClearPennslvania<\/a>]. \u201c[H]ubris might just hand the Keystone State to the GOP in 2024. As Allegheny County limps toward another election cycle, Republicans are eyeing an opportunity born not of their own strength, but of Democratic complacency and voter disillusionment. The numbers paint a grim picture. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.post-gazette.com\/local\/region\/2024\/03\/14\/allegheny-county-population-delcine-census\/stories\/202403130091\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Allegheny County hemorrhaged nearly 7,800 residents last year alone<\/a>, placing it in the top 10 for population loss nationwide. Even more alarming, the county <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/pittsburgh\/news\/allegheny-county-lost-50000-jobs-last-5-years\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">has shed 50,000 jobs in the past five years<\/a> \u2013 five times more than any other Pennsylvania county. The county\u2019s most impoverished suburbs, home to many recent immigrants and other non-white minorities, are facing another round of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicsource.org\/new-white-flight-and-suburban-displacement-study-looks-beyond-gentrification-in-the-pittsburgh-region\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">white flight<\/a>.\u201d And: \u201cTo understand where Allegheny County might be headed, one need only look south to Washington County. Once a union-labor stronghold for the Democrats, Washington County has rapidly become a petri dish for MAGA politics. In 2020, Trump won 61% of the vote there. But it\u2019s not just about presidential politics. MAGA true believers have capitalized on low turnouts to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/opinion\/features\/2023-05-07\/gop-election-deniers-are-gunning-big-for-pennsylvania-local-government\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">seize control of local government<\/a>, turning once-staid county commission meetings into wild shouting matches.\u201d And yikes: \u201cThe Pennsylvania Department of State reports that Democrats now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlightpa.org\/news\/2024\/09\/pennsylvania-voter-registration-2024-election-democrat-republican-independent-harris-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">hold their slimmest voter registration advantage in decades<\/a>. Republicans, meanwhile, have added nearly 40,000 voters since 2020. In Washington County, this wild shift has greatly increased the temperature and radicalized the tone of local politics. Allegheny County isn\u2019t there yet, but the currents are detectable.\u201d \u2022 Hmm. Philadelphia\u2019s suburbs + North Philly might need to do a heavier lift than anticipated.<\/p>\n<p>PA: \u201cTim Walz tests the limits of his working-class appeal in Pennsylvania\u2019s ultimate swing county\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/09\/21\/tim-walz-working-class-appeal-pennsylvania-swing-county-00180359\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cOn Saturday, the campaign dispatched Walz to a campaign rally in their Northampton County stronghold of Bethlehem, a city of 80,000 in the Lehigh Valley, where voters are known for backing centrists. President Joe Biden won this county by less than one percentage point in 2020, after it went for Donald Trump once and Barack Obama twice. Democratic Rep. Susan Wild, who flipped the longtime GOP congressional seat blue in 2018, is one of the most endangered House Democrats this November. But while hundreds of Democrats and local residents waited in line to pack into the Freedom High School gym to hear Walz speak Saturday morning, the challenges facing the Democratic ticket in the region were clear around other parts of the county \u2014 notably, with younger working-class men.\u201d But: \u201cIt\u2019s likely Walz will have more luck turning out the base in the blue-trending suburbs here than trying to sway working-class men in the county that is a mix of historically Democratic cities and small towns, suburbs and deep red rural stretches. But Walz has another purpose as well \u2014 driving Democratic turnout in the adjacent, redder rural counties in the region.\u201d \u2022 This last put Fetterman over the top: \u201cEvery country, every vote.\u201d Walz is not Fetterman, for good or ill. But the strategy is valid.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Case For 2024 Indecision Is Feeble Trump-wary conservatives have run out of rational reasons to be undecided\u201d [Jonathan Chait, <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/case-for-indecision-over-trump-vs-harris-is-feeble.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Magazine<\/a>]. \u2022 That stupid Sophie! Why won\u2019t she make up her mind?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"spooks\"\/>Spook and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2014\/12\/torture-report-michael-hayden-not-sorry-113450\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">torture advocate Michael Hayden<\/a> writes a letter to political candidates, thrown over the transom by an alert reader:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/principles_email.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"963\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-279243\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/principles_email.png 460w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/principles_email-143x300.png 143w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2016\/12\/federalist-68-the-electoral-college-and-faithless-electors.html\">muttering for some years<\/a> that the so-called intelligence community would seek to make themselves the \u201cthe guarantors of \u2018the institutional order of the Republic,&#8217;\u201d as Pinochet\u2019s post-coup Constitution phrased it. Here it is: \u201d That is why I [Hayden] have teamed with other major National Security leaders to endorse [i.e, define and, later, enforce] the Principles for Trusted Elections.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.principlesfortrustedelections.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Here\u2019s the website<\/a>, with the principles, so-called. In particular:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/trusted_elections.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-279244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/trusted_elections.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/trusted_elections-300x175.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Note the lack of operational detail. In particular, hand-marked paper ballots, hand-counted in public, meet all the principles. Electronic ballots do not and cannot (and the principles, so-called, are especially insidious in that they obscure this, by implying that the process of poll-watching is the same in all jurisdictions).<\/p>\n<p>I have also muttered for some years that the essential characteristic, the distinctive competence, of the modern political party is control over the ballot. Here we see my thesis illustrated at a new and higher level, as the intelligence community \u2014 in my view an extra-constitutional entity allied with the Democrats at least since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/archive\/2018\/03\/obamas-legacy-of-impunity-for-torture\/555578\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Obama gave them impunity for for torture in Iraq<\/a> (\u201cwe need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards\u201d) \u2014 slowly moves to authenticate (or not authenticate) election outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>In any case, anything written by Michael Hayden should be treated with a hermenetic of suspicion, and certainly not signed. (Hayden was one of the 51 spooks who signed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2020\/10\/19\/hunter-biden-story-russian-disinfo-430276\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">infamous October 2020 letter<\/a> saying that the Hunter Biden laptop \u201cha[d] all the earmarks of a classic Russian information operation\u201d (entirely \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/09\/In%20any%20case,%20anything%20written%20by%20Michael%20Hayden%20should%20be%20treated%20with%20a%20hermenetic%20of%20suspicion,%20and%20certainly%20not%20signed.%20(Hayden%20was%20one%20of%20the%2051%20spooks%20who%20signed%20the%20infamous%20letter%20October%202020%20saying%20that%20the%20Hunter%20Biden%20laptop%20%22ha%5Bd%5D%20all%20the%20earmarks%20of%20a%20classic%20Russian%20information%20operation%22%20(entirely%20%22baseless,%22%20as%20we%20say).\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">baseless<\/a>,\u201d as we say. Hayden, in other words, has form: He\u2019s committed election interference before the votes were cast; it is, therefore, worth giving consideration to the idea that he could commit election interference <em>after<\/em> the votes are cast.)<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Scratch a liberal, a fascist bleeds:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Virtually all the AOCs in the US and West \u2013 those who laughably posture as left-liberal radicals but who are just vapid establishment hacks \u2013 believe the internet and speech generally should be censored: by the US\/EU Security State or billionaire-funded &#8220;disinformation&#8221; groups. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PG3ZZJFv6n\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/PG3ZZJFv6n<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ggreenwald\/status\/1838229864366682188\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">September 23, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Syndemics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am in earnest \u2014 I will not equivocate \u2014 I will not excuse \u2014 I will not retreat a single inch \u2014 AND I WILL BE HEARD.\u201d \u2013William Lloyd Garrison<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&amp;list_select_county=all_counties&amp;data-type=Risk&amp;null=Risk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>); Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>, <del><a href=\"https:\/\/biobot.io\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Biobot<\/a><\/del>; includes many counties; <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wastewater Scan<\/a>, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/businesssolutions\/covid-19-index.jsp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a>); \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/iowacovid19tracker.org\/hospitals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Iowa COVID-19 Tracker<\/a>\u201d (in IA, but national data). \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/icemsg.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Infection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts<\/a>\u201d (especially on hospitalization by city).<\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To update any entry, do feel free to contact me at the address given with the plants. Please put \u201cCOVID\u201d in the subject line. Thank you!<\/p>\n<p>Resources, United States (Local): AK (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/af2efc8bffbf4cdc83c2d1a134354074\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/6d2771faa9da4a2786a509d82c8cf0f7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AR (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/633006d0782b4544bd5113a314f6268a\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AZ (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.azdhs.gov\/covid19\/data\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); CA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdph.ca.gov\/Programs\/CID\/DCDC\/Pages\/COVID-19\/CalSuWers-Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.marinhhs.org\/surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Marin, dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/healthalerts.stanford.edu\/covid-19\/wastewater-dashboard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stanford, wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/?v=SC2_N&amp;l=Oakland%2C+CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Oakland, wastewater<\/a>); CO (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.colorado.gov\/data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/cdphe.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/d79cf93c3938470ca4bcc4823328946b#utility=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); CT (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.ct.gov\/stories\/s\/COVID-19-data\/wa3g-tfvc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); DE (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.delaware.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); FL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/5b9d75ba683849928dc1a49c39ab0b1c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); GA (<a href=\"https:\/\/dph.georgia.gov\/ga-nwss-wastewater-surveillance-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); HI (<a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); IA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dmmwra.org\/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=57\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater reports<\/a>); ID (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Boise; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/?plantId=1056f05c-0e46-4e3d-b007-c0453ba7dc0d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Central Idaho; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/#:SARS-CoV-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Coeur d\u2019Alene; dashboard, <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.srhd.org\/topics\/spokane-county-case-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spokane County<\/a>); IL (<a href=\"https:\/\/iwss.uillinois.edu\/wastewater-treatment-plants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); IN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.in.gov\/indiana-covid-19-dashboard-and-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); KS (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov\/160\/COVID-19-in-Kansas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/4456bae8a38f4b6180e008477382fff9\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Lawrence); KY (<a href=\"https:\/\/louisville.edu\/envirome\/thecoimmunityproject\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Louisville); LA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ldh.la.gov\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/covid-19-wastewater-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MD (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.maryland.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); ME (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/dhhs\/mecdc\/infectious-disease\/epi\/airborne\/coronavirus\/data.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/coronavirus\/stats\/wastewater-surveillance\/dashboard\/sentinel-wastewater-epidemiology-evaluation-project-sweep\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/gisportal.state.mi.us\/portal\/apps\/insights\/index.html#\/view\/52bbb104ed574887918f990af9f3debe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.state.mn.us\/diseases\/coronavirus\/stats\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MO (<a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/f7f5492486114da6b5d6fdc07f81aacf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MS (<a href=\"https:\/\/msdh.ms.gov\/page\/14,0,420.html#Mississippi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>MT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/MapSeries\/index.html?appid=7c34f3412536439491adcc2103421d4b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; NC (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.ncdhhs.gov\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard)<\/a>; ND (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NE (<a href=\"https:\/\/atlas-dhhs.ne.gov\/Atlas\/Respiratory_Illness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NH (<a href=\"https:\/\/wisdom.dhhs.nh.gov\/wisdom\/dashboard.html?topic=covid-19&amp;subtopic=recurring-updates&amp;indicator=covid-19-wastewater#tabnavbarid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NJ (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.nj.gov\/forms\/datadashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NM (<a href=\"https:\/\/cvprovider.nmhealth.org\/public-dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NV (<a href=\"https:\/\/nvhealthresponse.nv.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/empower.unlv.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Southern NV); NY (<a href=\"https:\/\/mbcolli.shinyapps.io\/SARS2EWSP\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OH (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.ohio.gov\/dashboards\/other-resources\/wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OK (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/51657c21386d4f1a962b1853c76ec589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>OR (<a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/app\/profile\/oregon.health.authority.covid.19\/viz\/OregonsCOVID-19DataDashboards-TableofContents\/TableofContentsStatewide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; PA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.pa.gov\/topics\/disease\/coronavirus\/pages\/Cases.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); RI (<a href=\"https:\/\/ri-department-of-health-covid-19-data-rihealth.hub.arcgis.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SC (<a href=\"https:\/\/scdhec.gov\/index.php\/covid19\/covid-19-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SD (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.sd.gov\/COVID\/Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/health\/cedep\/ncov\/data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TX (<a href=\"https:\/\/txdshsea.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/4ae43eefd0f641d59d35c3df82ee59cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); UT (<a href=\"https:\/\/avrpublic.dhhs.utah.gov\/uwss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); VA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/coronavirus\/see-the-numbers\/covid-19-in-virginia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); VT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthvermont.gov\/disease-control\/covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WA (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.wa.gov\/emergencies\/covid-19\/data-dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.bfhd.wa.gov\/cases-and-roadmap-to-recovery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.wisconsin.gov\/covid-19\/wastewater.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); WV (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/oehs.wvdhhr.org\/news\/oehs-coivd-19-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>); WY (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/covidwastewatermonitor.wyo.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/health-infobase.canada.ca\/covid-19\/wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Government of Canada<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealthontario.ca\/en\/Data-and-Analysis\/Infectious-Disease\/COVID-19-Data-Surveillance\/Wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); QC (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inspq.qc.ca\/covid-19\/donnees\/eaux-usees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><em>les eaux us\u00e9es<\/em><\/a>); BC (<a href=\"https:\/\/bccdc.shinyapps.io\/respiratory_wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); BC, Vancouver (<a href=\"https:\/\/metrovancouver.org\/services\/liquid-waste\/testing-for-the-covid-19-virus-in-wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Hat tips to helpful readers: Alexis, anon (2), Art_DogCT, B24S, CanCyn, ChiGal, Chuck L, Festoonic, FM, FreeMarketApologist (4), Gumbo, hop2it, JB, JEHR, JF, JL Joe, John, JM (10), JustAnotherVolunteer, JW, KatieBird, KF, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, square coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Vaccines<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cFDA Approves First Self-Administered Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajmc.com\/view\/fda-approves-first-self-administered-nasal-spray-flu-vaccine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The American Journal of Managed Care<\/a>]. \u2022 For flu, but not for Covid [bangs head on desk]. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Wastewater<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<blockquote>\n<p> This week[1] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> September 16<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Last Week[2] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> (until next week):<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-279086\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2.png 602w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2-300x188.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" style=\"align: left; margin-left: 0px !important; padding: 9px 0 9px 0;\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-278578\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1-300x185.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Variants<\/strong> [3] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> September 14<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<blockquote>\n<p> <strong>Emergency Room Visits<\/strong>[4] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#trends_select_7dayeddiagnosed_00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> September 14<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-variants-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-278833\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-variants-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-300x236.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-279082\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-2-300x172.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Hospitalization<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> New York[5] <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.health.ny.gov\/daily-hospitalization-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York State<\/a>, data September 20:<\/td>\n<td>\n<blockquote>\n<p> National [6] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/covidnetdashboard\/de\/powerbi\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> August 31:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-12.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-279233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-12.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-12-300x189.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-279083\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2-300x265.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Positivity<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> National[7] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/healthcare-solutions\/covid-19-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a> September 23:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Ohio[8] <a href=\"https:\/\/clevelandcliniclabs.com\/respiratory-virus-surveillance-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cleveland Clinic<\/a> September 7:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-279234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-3.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-3-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-278400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-300x198.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Travelers Data<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<blockquote>\n<p> Positivity[9] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> September 2:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<blockquote>\n<p> Variants[10] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> September 2:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-279084\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2-300x186.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-279085\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2-300x204.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Deaths<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<blockquote>\n<p> Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11]<a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> September 14:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<blockquote>\n<p> Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12]<a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronadisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> September 14:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-death-positivity.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-279081\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-death-positivity.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-death-positivity-300x197.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <span class=\"Apple-tab-span\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-death-ed.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-279080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-death-ed.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-death-ed-300x198.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\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. NOTE The date seems to be wrong, but the number of sites has changed so this is new.<\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) KP.* very popular. XDV.1 flat.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ED) Down, but worth noting that Emergency Department use is now on a par with the first wave, in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Definitely down. NOTE Statewide, there is an uptick. Not in New York City, Long Island, or Mid-Hudson.<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). The visualization suppresses what is, in percentage terms, a significant increase.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Big drop continues!<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Dropping.<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Down. 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) What the heck is LB.1?<\/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><a name=\"boeing\"\/>Manufacturing: \u201cHow Long Do You Think The Boeing Strike Will Last?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/simpleflying.com\/thread\/how-long-do-you-think-the-boeing-strike-will-last\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Simple Flying<\/a>]. \u201cDespite furloughing thousands of employees, Boeing faces an imminent cash crunch. The company needs $10 billion in cash to maintain operations, and, as of its Q2 report on June 30, it had $12 billion in cash. That doesn\u2019t leave much room for a strike to stretch, though the company is reported to be planning a new share issue to help raise capital, possibly as much as $30 billion. Initial talks broke down last week with no resolution, and there\u2019s no set date for more talks. Neither side seems willing to budge. \u201d <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing machinists on picket lines prepare for lengthy strike: \u2018I can last as long as it takes\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aol.com\/news\/boeing-machinists-picket-lines-prepare-153459615.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NBC<\/a>]. \u201cThe financial cost of the strike on Boeing depends on how long it lasts, though ratings agencies have warned that the company could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2024\/09\/13\/boeing-cfo-labor-strike-recovery-aircraft-production.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">face a downgrade<\/a> if it drags on too long. That would add to the borrowing costs of the company, already $60 billion in debt. Boeing has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2024\/07\/31\/boeing-ba-earnings-q2-2024.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">burned through about $8 billion<\/a> so far this year in the wake of a near-catastrophic door plug blowout from one of its 737 Max planes in January.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing\u2019s shareholders: which do you prefer? Dilution or bankruptcy?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/leehamnews.com\/2024\/09\/23\/boeings-shareholders-which-do-you-prefer-dilution-or-bankruptcy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Leeham News and Analysis<\/a>]. \u201d Wells Fargo analyst calculated The Boeing Co. might have to issue 190 million shares of stock to get itself out of the financial mess it\u2019s in. At the $155 range Boeing\u2019s stock has been recently trading, which would be just shy of $30bn\u2026. Wall Street types wring their hands over the dilution of a possible stock offering. This begs the question: would they prefer dilution or bankruptcy, which typically wipes out shareholders? Or would they prefer at least a decade of stagnation while Boeing tries to operationally repair its balance sheet? LNA welcomes the idea of a $30bn equity offering. Boeing won\u2019t fully recover without drastic action. And a massive equity offering best fits this need.\u201d And on <a href=\"https:\/\/leehamnews.com\/2024\/09\/12\/boeing-iam-contract-vote-today-the-stakes-are-high\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">September 12<\/a>: \u201cInternally, Boeing prepared for a 2-12 week strike.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing\u2019s Defense Head Leaves. Starliner Wasn\u2019t the Only Reason\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/c2rOx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Barron\u2019s<\/a>]. \u201cIn addition to changes at Boeing Defense, [new CEO Kelly Ortberg] has bought a house in the Seattle region and is directly involved in union negotiations.\u201d \u2022 Hmm.<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cState President, Party leader To Lam seeks Boeing investment in Vietnam component plant\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/e.vnexpress.net\/news\/business\/economy\/state-president-party-leader-to-lam-seeks-boeing-investment-in-vietnam-component-plant-4795999.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">VN Express<\/a>]. \u201cVietnam\u2019s Party General Secretary and President To Lam has called on American aircraft company Boeing to build a component manufacturing factory and equipment and machinery maintenance center in Vietnam. At a meeting in New York, the U.S., on Sunday with Brendan Nelson, senior vice president of Boeing and chairman of Boeing Global, he said Vietnam is committed to enabling American investors, including Boeing, to invest in its market. Referring to Boeing\u2019s commitment to helping Vietnam in develop its aviation and aerospace industries, he sought human resource training, technology transfer and research and development from the company and exhorted it to get Vietnamese partners more involved in its supply chain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear &amp; Greed Index: 64 Greed (previous close: 62 Greed) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 54 (Neutral). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). LLast updated Sep 23 at 3:25:11 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Musical Interlude<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>John Coltrane\u2019s birthday:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">2\/2<br \/>Equinox <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GTP4I1EtKi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/GTP4I1EtKi<\/a><br \/>Aisha <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pYNd0uzGhJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/pYNd0uzGhJ<\/a><br \/>Body and Soul <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/73GzjTIAUG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/73GzjTIAUG<\/a><br \/>Locomotion <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jbn0X2Ht4j\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/jbn0X2Ht4j<\/a><br \/>Blues Minor <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jhGRcXD5px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/jhGRcXD5px<\/a><br \/>Good Bait <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qtrMyghJuW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/qtrMyghJuW<\/a><br \/>Liberia <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/inskzdYVju\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/inskzdYVju<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/q3C3TaZdnG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/q3C3TaZdnG<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chris (@mason4922) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mason4922\/status\/1838154141077770565\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">September 23, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Not Klee. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hilma_af_Klint\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Hilma af Klint<\/a>, <em>Buddha\u2019s Standpoint in the Earthly Life, No. 3a<\/em>, Series XI, 1920:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Persephone returns to the underworld.<\/p>\n<p>Autumn Equinox <br \/>Northern Hemisphere<br \/>9.22.24 at 5:34 AM Pacific<\/p>\n<p>the autumn equinox is when day &amp; night are nearly equal in length <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gUthuTS365\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/gUthuTS365<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ANGELA\ud83e\udeac (@_Organic_Magic_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_Organic_Magic_\/status\/1837724923403313649\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">September 22, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>For some things, Twitter remains undefeated.<\/p>\n<p>This, however, is Klee (and not Cezanne):<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Paul Klee, Dream City, 1921. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/teAJUsBWwP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/teAJUsBWwP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dan Berthod (@DanBerthod) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DanBerthod\/status\/1837406380015186249\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">September 21, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>But this is not:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Just a reminder that Hariton Pushwagner&#8217;s visual novel \u2018Soft City\u2019 (1969\u20131975) is one of the most astounding depictions of dystopian, alienating reiteration <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EnPnmtselj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/EnPnmtselj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Federico Italiano (@FedeItaliano76) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FedeItaliano76\/status\/1837486744909844956\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">September 21, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"class\"\/><strong>Class Warfare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPublic-Health Officials Should Have Been Talking About Their Sex Parties the Whole Time\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/health\/archive\/2024\/09\/jay-varma-covid-sex-parties\/679983\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Atlantic<\/a>]. And not The Onion. \u201cIn conversations caught on hidden camera, New York City\u2019s former COVID czar [Jay Varma] said that he\u2019d organized a pair of sex parties in the second half of 2020, as New Yorkers coped with peak pandemic social isolation\u2026. It\u2019s not clear whether Varma personally violated any COVID rules. The sex parties involved, by the account he gave to the podcaster Steven Crowder in a companion video, \u2018like, 10 people.\u2019 At the time, New York\u2019s guidelines\u2014which Varma was promoting far and wide\u2014limited gatherings to 10 people or fewer in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. Separate city guidance on \u2018Safer Sex and COVID-19\u2019 discouraged\u2014but did not forbid\u2014group sex. (\u2018Limit the size of your guest list. Keep it intimate,\u2019 the guidance said.) Varma explained that he\u2019d sex-partied responsibly, noting, \u2018Everybody got tests and things like that.\u2019\u2026 Perhaps it would have helped if he\u2019d shared his own struggles with that tension at the time. Social-science research tells us that public-health messaging wins trust most effectively when it leads with empathy\u2014when leaders show that they understand how people feel and what they want, rather than barraging them with rules and facts. Clearly Varma struggled in the way that many others did as he tried to navigate the crushing isolation of the pandemic.\u201d Extroverts are gonna kill us all. More: \u201d In preparation for the holidays, his family was faced with tough, familiar choices, which resulted in his being separated from his loved ones. The end result may seem hypocritical, but it\u2019s also <em>relatable<\/em>. \u201d \u2022 Putting this in the context of pantygate, Diddy, Epstein\u2026 Has anyone checked in on the elites lately? Are they OK? (Meanwhile, a sex party is surely the epitome of a \u201ccrowded, closed, close-contact\u201d event, so one might wonder whether Varma masked, or whether at least masks were available to know. Also, Varma should really have been aware that \u201ctests and things like that\u201d do not necessarily reveal Covid in its early stages, another reason to mask. <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Latest on the kitten:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ahem. An item of Cat Gentleman ettiquette: when you tell a story about your extremely funny feline it is a rule to attach a picture of the cat. It can be taken before or after the events of the story. We just need to see which cat you were discussing. Saul agrees. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uUcRY3Ysoq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/uUcRY3Ysoq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jeanthejust (@Jeanthejust) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Jeanthejust\/status\/1838042892637774127\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">September 23, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><br \/>\n<center>* * *<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact information for plants<\/strong>: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/09\/200pm-water-cooler-9-16-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From Watt4Bob:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ricinus.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-279238\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ricinus.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ricinus-225x300.jpeg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Watt4Bob: \u201cWas total mystery what this bloom would look like. Happy surprise!\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 &amp; Email\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow:none; padding:0; margin:0\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.printfriendly.com\/buttons\/print-button-gray.png\" alt=\"Print Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/09\/200pm-water-cooler-9-23-2024.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bird Song of the Day Back to Thrashers, which are mimics too, like mockingbirds and characters. So the first clip I tested is 35 minutes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":84971,"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-84970","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\/84970","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=84970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84970\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}