{"id":87431,"date":"2024-11-21T00:35:20","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T00:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/21\/200pm-water-cooler-11-20-2024-naked-capitalism\/"},"modified":"2024-11-21T00:35:20","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T00:35:20","slug":"200pm-water-cooler-11-20-2024-naked-capitalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/21\/200pm-water-cooler-11-20-2024-naked-capitalism\/","title":{"rendered":"2:00PM Water Cooler 11\/20\/2024 | naked capitalism"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div wp_automatic_readability=\"500.21489656151\">\n<p><em><strong>By Lambert Strether of Corrente.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Patient readers, yesterday was the complex maneuvering preparatory to travel. Today is the lurching and jolting of actual travel, hopefully arriving at a full complement of Water Cooler items. \u2013lambert<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/macaulaylibrary.org\/asset\/534816381\/embed\" height=\"300\" width=\"640\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Northern Mockingbird, Country Homes Apartments, Jefferson, Texas, United States.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#cabinet\">Theories of Trump\u2019s nomination nethodology.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#treasury\">Treasury rumors<\/a> continue.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#rfk\">RFK Big Mac flap<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"helper\"\/><strong>Look for the Helpers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnderrated ways to change the world\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.experimental-history.com\/p\/underrated-ways-to-change-the-world\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Experimental History<\/a>]. <\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"117.8797914127\">\n<p>Here is an exemplary scientific paper:<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"38\">\n<p>During the author\u2019s childhood, various renowned authorities (his mother, several aunts, and, later, his mother-in-law [personal communication]) informed him that cracking his knuckles would lead to arthritis of the fingers. To test the accuracy of this hypothesis, the following study was undertaken.<\/p>\n<p>For 50 years, the author cracked the knuckles of his left hand at least twice a day, leaving those on the right as a control. Thus, the knuckles on the left were cracked at least 36,500 times, while those on the right cracked rarely and spontaneously. At the end of the 50 years, the hands were compared for the presence of arthritis.<\/p>\n<p>There was no arthritis in either hand, and no apparent differences between the two hands.<\/p>\n<p>People often think they can\u2019t do research because they don\u2019t have a giant magnet or a laser or a closet full of reagents. But they have something the professional scientists don\u2019t have: freedom. The pros can\u2019t do anything that\u2019s too weird, takes too long, or would raise the suspicion of an Institutional Review Board. That kind of stuff has to happen in a basement or a backyard, which is why the \u201cpaper\u2019 above is, in fact, a letter to the editor written by a medical doctor on a lark.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>My email address is down by the plant; please send examples of there (\u201cHelpers\u201d in the subject line). In our increasingly desperate and fragile neoliberal society, everyday <em>normal<\/em> incidents and stories of \u201cthe communism of everyday life\u201d are what I am looking for (and not, say, the Red Cross in Hawaii, or even the UNWRA in Gaza)<\/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>Trump Transition<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"122.75530062481\">\n<p>\u201c<a name=\"cabinet\"\/>\u201cTrump\u2019s cabinet picks are agents of his contempt, rage and vengeance\u201d [Sidney Blumenthal, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2024\/nov\/20\/trump-cabinet-picks-contempt-rage-vengeance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a>]. \u201cTrump\u2019s cabinet appointments are agents of his contempt, rage and vengeance. The motive for naming his quack nominees is located in his resentments from his sordid first term for which he pledged retribution\u2026. He will achieve vindication by tearing down anything he feels was used to restrain his destructive impulses or tried to hold him accountable for his past crimes, whether it is the military, the justice system or science itself.\u201d \u2022 This is what passes for analysis in the Clintonian wing. I am so, so tired of Democrats psychologizing and infantilizing every human motive (except for their own, of course, which are irreduciably nuanced, complex, and above all Moral). But suppose they\u2019re right. Suppose the dominant political figure of the last three Presidential cycles is in, in his innermost being, a tantrum-driven, sociopathic, barely-toilet-trained two-year-old. What does it say about the Democrats that they had eight years to figure out how to stop him \u2014 preventing \u201cfascism\u201d<sub>MR SUBLIMINAL Until it\u2019s time to kiss and make up<\/sub> and saving \u201cour democracy\u201d <sub>MR SUBLIMINAL BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!<\/sub> \u2014 and yet failed to do so?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump\u2019s casting call as he builds out his administration: TV experience preferred\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-cabinet-media-personalities-1b9bc74e807f6a6b4b3b86028d967dbd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201d There\u2019s a common trait that President-elect Donald Trump is clearly prizing as he selects those to serve in his new administration: experience on television. Trump loves that \u2018central casting\u2019 look, as he likes to call it\u2026. [He\u2019s] working to set up a more forceful administration in this term, and in his eyes, many of those people happen to intersect with celebrity\u2026. The White House-to-cable news pundit pipeline tends to cut across administrations of both parties, to some extent. President Joe Biden had three MSNBC contributors on his transition team and his former press secretary went to the network after she left the White House. Biden, though, looked to career diplomats, longtime government workers and military leaders for key posts like the Defense Department.\u201d \u2022\u00a0You could argue, I suppose, that the social capital intrinsic to celebrity gives these appointments a certain autonomy; they can always go back on cable or secure an \u201cOrange Man Bad\u201d-type book deal. Of course, this cuts against the \u201cloyalist\u201d narrative. Readers, what do you think?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"treasury\"\/>\u201cThe knives are out over Treasury\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/west-wing-playbook\/2024\/11\/18\/the-knives-are-out-over-treasury-00190187\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cSCOTT BESSENT. KEVIN WARSH. HOWARD LUTNICK. MARC ROWAN. All the supposed frontrunners for Treasury secretary have something in common \u2014 they\u2019re Wall Street finance guys. That\u2019s got the populist right freaking out. Protectionists in and out of President-elect DONALD TRUMP\u2019s inner circle are terrified that none of the Treasury frontrunners will deliver on Trump\u2019s most consistent \u2014 and potentially disruptive \u2014 economic campaign promise: across-the-board tariffs not seen in nearly a century, according to a person with direct knowledge of internal conversations, as well as dozens of public statements from populists in the past week. They\u2019re pushing their own candidate: Trump\u2019s former trade chief ROBERT LIGHTHIZER. And though he\u2019s widely viewed as a long shot \u2014 if not out of contention for Treasury entirely \u2014 protectionists are going public with their campaign to get him named to the most powerful economic role in the Cabinet The campaign \u2014 and continuing uncertainty about such an essential Cabinet job \u2014 points to simmering discontent in Trump\u2019s world about the ultimate direction of economic policy: whether to deliver on high, universal tariffs, or shy away for fear that the duties will spook the stock market.\u201d \u2022 This is from the 18th, and so may have been overtaken by events by the time you read this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump reconsiders Treasury Secretary nomination, may no longer choose pro-crypto\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/en\/square\/post\/11-18-2024-16412128316602\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Binance<\/a>]. \u2022 Imagine breathing a sigh of relief that we\u2019re getting some private equity weasel, and not some crypto bro.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElon Musk\u2019s endorsement of a Treasury secretary candidate has reportedly rubbed Trump\u2019s people the wrong way\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2024\/11\/18\/elon-musk-treasury-endorsement-lutnick-bessent-trump-irritation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Fortune<\/a>]. \u201cDespite the apparent unease of some Trump staffers with Musk\u2019s actions, there is no evidence that any rift has formed between Musk and Trump. Musk is still spending much of his time at Mar-a-Lago, and traveled with Trump to New York Saturday to attend a UFC fight. Whoever becomes Treasury secretary, Musk is likely to work somewhat closely with them as part of his duties with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE will work with the White House Office of Management and Budget to implement the recommendations of Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Musk has said previously he believes it is possible to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, though many have been skeptical of this figure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"rfk\"\/>\u201cSweating RFK Jr. Performs Self-Surgery To Extract Big Mac From Stomach\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/theonion.com\/sweating-rfk-jr-performs-self-surgery-to-extract-big-mac-from-stomach\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Onion<\/a>]. \u2022 The Dems ginned up a little moral panic about this the other day, but happily I can dispose of it with a link to The Onion: As with so much else.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>The Case for Matt Gaetz\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.compactmag.com\/article\/the-case-for-matt-gaetz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Compact Magazine<\/a>]. \u201cThere are two ways to look at the corruption that is rife in 21st-century American life. One view is that reform demands a saint to reproach the wicked\u2026. The second view is that if we must await an immaculate reformer, reform will never come. So we ought to support even obviously flawed individuals when they take on the necessary work of confronting systemic evils.\u201d This speaks well of him: \u201cThis year, Gaetz took James Poulos and a film crew from The Blaze on a tour of congressional offices whose occupants\u2014including Republicans\u2014were violators of Congress\u2019s seldom-enforced rules against insider trading.\u201d And: \u201cGaetz has been complimentary toward Lina Khan, chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, and the Biden Justice Department\u2019s chief antitrust official, Jonathan Kanter. The New York Post notes that Google, in particular, is likely to be a focus of antitrust attention in a Gaetz Department of Justice, which might move to break up the tech megalith. The same story quotes Gaetz referring to Big Tech companies in 2021 as \u2018the internet\u2019s hall monitors\u2019 with a bias against conservatives. Gaetz has described himself as a \u2018libertarian populist,\u2019 and that characterization is reflected by his stances on civil liberties and social issues.\u201d \u2022 <\/p>\n<p>How the Gaetz Ethics report could still come out if the panel blocks it\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2024\/11\/18\/congress\/gaetz-report-blocked-ethics-leak-00190263\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cHere\u2019s a breakdown of what could happen if [Ethics Committee] members vote not to release the [Gaetz] report, and other ways the investigative findings could see the light of day\u2026. Someone leaks it to the press: Ethics Committee members and staff don\u2019t take the prospect of a leak lightly, if the panel votes to keep the report under wraps. Part of that is wanting to protect the credibility of the panel, but members also take an oath, pledging: \u201cI will not disclose, to any person or entity outside the Committee on Ethics, any information received in the course of my service with the Committee, except as authorized by the Committee or in accordance with its rules.\u201d\u2026 Using the House floor: Some lawmakers are privately theorizing that, should the committee block the release of the report, a lawmaker could go to the House or Senate floor and read it into the congressional record rather than leak it to the media\u2026. Sharing it with senators: Even if the Ethics panel doesn\u2019t want to make the report public, they can vote to share it with the Senate Judiciary Committee ahead of potential confirmation hearings\u2026. Sober warning: Staff-driven leaks have happened before, but typically not in a situation with so much at stake. In addition to losing a job, there are also real concerns of political violence if a staff leaker\u2019s name became public.\u201d \u2022 Hmmm. <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat to know about Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump\u2019s pick to lead Medicare and Medicaid\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/dr-oz-mehmet-things-to-know-trump-be62594d66e07b9544e48ddf9febf7bf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cOz had a net worth between $100 million and $315 million, according to a federal financial disclosure he filed in 2022, which gives dollar values in ranges but does not provide specific figures.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Oh.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cProsecutors request stay in Trump NY case until 2029 as defense plans motion for dismissal \u2018once and for all&#8217;\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/ny-prosecutors-request-stay-trump-case-until-2029-defense-plans-motion-dismissal-once-all\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201cNew York prosecutors are requesting a stay until at least 2029 in New York v. Trump, as the president\u2019s defense attorneys prepare to move to dismiss the case entirely. Prosecutors wrote a letter to Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday, who agreed last week to grant a stay on all deadlines associated with the conviction proceedings against Trump in the final months before he takes office. \u00e5Merchan granted the request, which issues a stay on all deadlines, including the Nov. 26 sentencing date, to consider the effect of his election as president. Prosecutors had asked for the pause in proceedings, which they said would allow them to better evaluate the impact of Trump\u2019s new status as president-elect. \u2018As a result of the election held on November 5, 2024, Defendant\u2019s inauguration as President will occur on January 20, 2025,\u2019 Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg wrote to Merchan on Tuesday.\u201d And: \u201cTrump\u2019s attorneys have requested that Merchan overturn the guilty verdict, citing the United States Supreme Court\u2019s decision that former presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts in office. Trump\u2019s legal team argued that certain evidence presented by Bragg and New York prosecutors during the trial should not have been admitted, as they were \u2018official acts.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>2024 Post Mortem<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"33.635506003431\">\n<p><a name=\"blame\"\/><strong>Deploy the Blame Cannons!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy Kamala Harris couldn\u2019t convince an anti-establishment America\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2024\/nov\/19\/kamala-harris-democrats-anti-establishment-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a>]. \u201cAs the party of educated knowledge workers, policy elites and public sector unions, the Democratic party simply is the party of institutional incumbents. And how do you run against the establishment when you are the establishment. Democrats are thus guaranteed to learn all the wrong lessons from this election. They will focus-group economic policies that appeal to the working class and excise wokeness from their political messaging. They will try to engineer their own Joe Rogan and uplift candidates that shoot from the hip. But this will all be a version of treating the symptom rather than the disease. Until the elites in the Democratic party loosen their grip and allow authentic, anti-establishment party factions to arise organically, they will remain the party of control and stasis in a world hungry for change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cNBC\u2019s Kornacki: Republicans Achieve Historic Realignment, 25-Point Shift Among Lower-Income Voters Since 2012\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/video\/2024\/11\/10\/nbcs_kornacki_.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RealClearPolitics<\/a>]. KORNACKI: \u201cRemember, three straight elections Trump\u2019s been the Republican candidate. So pre-Trump voters under 30 were going for the Democrats by 23 points. Folks with incomes under $50,000, 22 points for the Democrats. Folks without college degrees, four points for the Democrats. That\u2019s pre-Trump. What comes out of this election? Look at some of these shifts. The youth vote, that Democratic margin cut more than in half. Voters under $50,000, now a Republican constituency. Voters without a college degree, look at that shift. Now a core Republican constituency. And then we can talk about race, ethnicity. This gets into that diversity I mentioned a minute ago. Check this out. Again, pre-Trump versus now. The Black vote still overwhelmingly Democratic, but that\u2019s a 15-point shift. It used to be 87 points for the Democrats, down to 72. How about this? You\u2019ve heard a lot about it this week. This is what the numbers look like. Hispanic voters were 44 points Democratic before Donald Trump. Now, basically a toss-up constituency. And Asian Americans, a 32-point shift there as well. That\u2019s what\u2019s happened to the Republican Party since Donald Trump became its standard bearer eight years ago. This has been the movement.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Spook Country<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"13.718946047679\">\n<p>\u201cSomeone accessed files said to contain damaging info about Trump AG-nominee Gaetz, lawyer says\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-attorney-general-matt-gaetz-justice-department-dca401813d9b84638d250f273a2d3942\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cAn unauthorized person gained access to a file containing confidential testimony from women who have made allegations about former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump\u2019s pick to become the next attorney general, a lawyer said Tuesday. Attorneys involved in a civil case brought by a Gaetz associate were notified this week that an unauthorized person accessed a file shared between lawyers that included unredacted depositions from a woman who has said Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17, and a second woman who says she saw the encounter, according to attorney Joel Leppard.\u201d \u2022 Seems odd. Filing this here for reasons I assume are obvious, despite the lack of evidence.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Democrats <em>en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Syndemics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am in earnest \u2014 I will not equivocate \u2014 I will not excuse \u2014 I will not retreat a single inch \u2014 AND I WILL BE HEARD.\u201d \u2013William Lloyd Garrison<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&amp;list_select_county=all_counties&amp;data-type=Risk&amp;null=Risk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>); Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>, <del><a href=\"https:\/\/biobot.io\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Biobot<\/a><\/del>; includes many counties; <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wastewater Scan<\/a>, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/businesssolutions\/covid-19-index.jsp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a>); \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/iowacovid19tracker.org\/hospitals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Iowa COVID-19 Tracker<\/a>\u201d (in IA, but national data). \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/icemsg.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Infection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts<\/a>\u201d (especially on hospitalization by city).<\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To update any entry, do feel free to contact me at the address given with the plants. Please put \u201cCOVID\u201d in the subject line. Thank you!<\/p>\n<p>Resources, United States (Local): AK (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/af2efc8bffbf4cdc83c2d1a134354074\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/6d2771faa9da4a2786a509d82c8cf0f7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AR (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/633006d0782b4544bd5113a314f6268a\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AZ (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.azdhs.gov\/covid19\/data\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); CA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdph.ca.gov\/Programs\/CID\/DCDC\/Pages\/COVID-19\/CalSuWers-Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.marinhhs.org\/surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Marin, dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/healthalerts.stanford.edu\/covid-19\/wastewater-dashboard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stanford, wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/?v=SC2_N&amp;l=Oakland%2C+CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Oakland, wastewater<\/a>); CO (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.colorado.gov\/data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/cdphe.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/d79cf93c3938470ca4bcc4823328946b#utility=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); CT (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.ct.gov\/stories\/s\/COVID-19-data\/wa3g-tfvc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); DE (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.delaware.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); FL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/5b9d75ba683849928dc1a49c39ab0b1c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); GA (<a href=\"https:\/\/dph.georgia.gov\/ga-nwss-wastewater-surveillance-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); HI (<a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); IA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dmmwra.org\/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=57\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater reports<\/a>); ID (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Boise; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/?plantId=1056f05c-0e46-4e3d-b007-c0453ba7dc0d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Central Idaho; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/#:SARS-CoV-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Coeur d\u2019Alene; dashboard, <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.srhd.org\/topics\/spokane-county-case-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spokane County<\/a>); IL (<a href=\"https:\/\/iwss.uillinois.edu\/wastewater-treatment-plants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); IN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.in.gov\/indiana-covid-19-dashboard-and-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); KS (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov\/160\/COVID-19-in-Kansas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/4456bae8a38f4b6180e008477382fff9\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Lawrence); KY (<a href=\"https:\/\/louisville.edu\/envirome\/thecoimmunityproject\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Louisville); LA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ldh.la.gov\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/covid-19-wastewater-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MD (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.maryland.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); ME (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/dhhs\/mecdc\/infectious-disease\/epi\/airborne\/coronavirus\/data.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/coronavirus\/stats\/wastewater-surveillance\/dashboard\/sentinel-wastewater-epidemiology-evaluation-project-sweep\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/gisportal.state.mi.us\/portal\/apps\/insights\/index.html#\/view\/52bbb104ed574887918f990af9f3debe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.state.mn.us\/diseases\/coronavirus\/stats\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MO (<a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/f7f5492486114da6b5d6fdc07f81aacf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MS (<a href=\"https:\/\/msdh.ms.gov\/page\/14,0,420.html#Mississippi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>MT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/MapSeries\/index.html?appid=7c34f3412536439491adcc2103421d4b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; NC (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.ncdhhs.gov\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard)<\/a>; ND (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NE (<a href=\"https:\/\/atlas-dhhs.ne.gov\/Atlas\/Respiratory_Illness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NH (<a href=\"https:\/\/wisdom.dhhs.nh.gov\/wisdom\/dashboard.html?topic=covid-19&amp;subtopic=recurring-updates&amp;indicator=covid-19-wastewater#tabnavbarid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NJ (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.nj.gov\/forms\/datadashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NM (<a href=\"https:\/\/cvprovider.nmhealth.org\/public-dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NV (<a href=\"https:\/\/nvhealthresponse.nv.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/empower.unlv.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Southern NV); NY (<a href=\"https:\/\/mbcolli.shinyapps.io\/SARS2EWSP\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OH (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.ohio.gov\/dashboards\/other-resources\/wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OK (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/51657c21386d4f1a962b1853c76ec589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>OR (<a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/app\/profile\/oregon.health.authority.covid.19\/viz\/OregonsCOVID-19DataDashboards-TableofContents\/TableofContentsStatewide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; PA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.pa.gov\/topics\/disease\/coronavirus\/pages\/Cases.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); RI (<a href=\"https:\/\/ri-department-of-health-covid-19-data-rihealth.hub.arcgis.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SC (<a href=\"https:\/\/scdhec.gov\/index.php\/covid19\/covid-19-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SD (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.sd.gov\/COVID\/Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/health\/cedep\/ncov\/data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TX (<a href=\"https:\/\/txdshsea.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/4ae43eefd0f641d59d35c3df82ee59cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); UT (<a href=\"https:\/\/avrpublic.dhhs.utah.gov\/uwss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); VA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/coronavirus\/sars-cov-2-in-wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/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, KidDoc, 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> Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"14.484978540773\">\n<p>\u201cBird flu in Canada may have mutated to become more transmissible to humans\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2024\/nov\/19\/bird-flu-cases-mutation-canada?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a>]. \u201cThe teenager hospitalized with bird flu in British Columbia, Canada, may have a variation of the virus that has a mutation making it more transmissible among people, early data shows \u2013 a warning of what the virus can do that is especially worrisome in countries such as the US where some H5N1 cases are not being detected\u2026. Preliminary sequencing of the H5N1 variant sickening the teenager showed a potential mutation on the genomic spot known to make people more susceptible to the virus. That could indicate that H5N1 has the capability to become more like a human virus, rather than an avian virus, but it is also not clear yet whether this change is meaningful and more dangerous to people, experts said. Canadian officials have been conducting blood tests among the teen\u2019s contacts, and they expect results later this week. They are also awaiting the results of other tests done over the weekend.\u201d \u2022 Meanwhile in California:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.0027624309392\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"10.674033149171\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u26a0\ufe0fWorried\u2014This is at least the 3rd COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION incidence of H5N1 without any animal contact. Same with the ICU hospitalized case. This is either human-to-human, or maybe long distance airborne transmission from animal to human somehow without direct contact. Worrisome. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/a0PDCQQrjj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/a0PDCQQrjj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrEricDing\/status\/1858951908590760172\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">November 19, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"mask\"\/>Maskstravaganza<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"5.2682926829268\">\n<p>Well, it\u2019s not like vulnerable people congregate in hospitals:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.2753623188406\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"11.115942028986\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NIH has resumed requiring masking in all patient care areas and testing for SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A, Influenza B, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) on inpatients. Sonoma County also requiring masking. But <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HICPAC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#HICPAC<\/a> thinks masks are unnecessary. Make HICPAC make sense! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2xbQUBdAdC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/2xbQUBdAdC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrJudyStone\/status\/1858669195124244732\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">November 19, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"55.705693430657\">\n<p>\u201cThe World Is Watching the U.S. Deal With Bird Flu, and It\u2019s Scary\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20241120022151\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/19\/opinion\/bird-flu-disease-outbreak.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. \u201cFailure to control H5N1 among American livestock could have global consequences, and this demands urgent attention. The United States has done little to reassure the world that it has the outbreak contained\u2026. [T]he United States should remember that the country where a pandemic emerges can be accused of not doing enough to control it. We still hear how China did not do enough to stop the Covid-19 pandemic. None of us would want a new pandemic labeled the \u2018American virus,\u2019 as this could be very damaging for the United States\u2019 reputation and economy\u2026.I understand that it\u2019s not easy to persuade businesses, such as the meat and dairy industries, to allow the testing of all of their animals and staffs, and to make that data public quickly. But I also know that in the end, doing so protects lives, lessens economic damage and creates a safer world. The world cannot afford to gamble with this virus, letting it spread in animals and hoping it never sparks a serious outbreak \u2014 or crossing our fingers that its effects won\u2019t be serious in people. Time will tell. I hope we are not watching the start of a new pandemic unfold, with both the American and the international communities burying our heads in the sand rather than confronting potential danger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAustralian COVID inquiry promotes \u201clet it rip,\u201d denounces public health measures\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsws.org\/en\/articles\/2024\/11\/02\/wiuv-n02.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WSWS<\/a>]. \u201cThe report of a government commissioned inquiry into Australia\u2019s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was released on Tuesday\u2026. The inquiry spanned a year. The report runs to 892 pages. It is, however, completely worthless from an analytical or scientific standpoint, adding nothing to an understanding of pandemics and public health in general, or the experience of COVID-19 in particular. Instead, the report is a crude promotion of the profit-driven \u201clet it rip\u201d policies that persist to this day. It is noteworthy only as yet another marker of the assault on public health and the rights of the population that this homicidal program has entailed\u2026. In regards to lockdowns and other measures such as mask mandates, they complain: \u2018Effectiveness was inferred from overall reported case numbers, but this is a very limited approach to evaluation and did not reveal which [restrictions] were effective and whether the stringency settings were right.\u2019 Those unqualified assertions, denouncing measures that saved lives, are all the more striking, given that the report notes, \u2018Australia would have had between 15 and 46 times the number of deaths if it had experienced the same COVID-related death rates as comparable countries like Canada and Sweden.\u2019 That is, but for the measures that the report denounces, hundreds of thousands, or even more than a million people would have perished out of a population of 25 million.\u201d \u2022 If those GBD psychos secure a lodgment in the Trump Administration, this is exactly what they will do, or try to do, here. And eugencist enables like Zients, Jha, Walensky, and Cohen will do everything they can to helkp them. Commentary:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/australian_speculation.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"896\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-282554\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/australian_speculation.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/australian_speculation-167x300.png 167w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Do we have any Australians in the readership who would like to share their views?<\/p>\n<p>Some kinda death cult, or what?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/teaching.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"994\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-282548\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/teaching.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/teaching-151x300.png 151w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>More optimistic than I am. From the UK:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/tern_optimism.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"745\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-282547\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/tern_optimism.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/tern_optimism-201x300.png 201w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Could be something to this:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/not_the_boss.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-282549\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/not_the_boss.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/not_the_boss-281x300.png 281w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Yes, there are people who eat brunch. And there are <del>people<\/del> entities who serve brunch.<\/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 wp_automatic_readability=\"10.866336633663\">\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Wastewater<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.625\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> This week[1] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> November 11<\/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\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-3.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-3-300x193.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/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\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282039\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2-300x196.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6417910447761\">\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> November 9<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> <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> November 9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282038\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1-300x238.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282310\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-1-300x171.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\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.9240506329114\">\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 November 18:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">  National [6] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/covidnetdashboard\/de\/powerbi\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> November 14:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-7.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-7-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-hospitaliztion-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282311\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-hospitaliztion-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-hospitaliztion-natl-292x300.png 292w\" 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\" wp_automatic_readability=\"2.6111111111111\">\n<td valign=\"top\">  National[7] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/healthcare-solutions\/covid-19-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a> November 18:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Ohio[8] <a href=\"https:\/\/clevelandcliniclabs.com\/respiratory-virus-surveillance-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cleveland Clinic<\/a> November 16:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282435\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-2-300x189.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1-300x196.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\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.5862068965517\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Positivity[9] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> October 28:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Variants[10] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> October 28:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1-300x171.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282313\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2-300x213.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\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.76\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> 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> November 2:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> 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> November 2:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-death-positivity-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-death-positivity-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-death-positivity-natl-300x175.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-death-ed-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-death-ed-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-death-ed-natl-300x178.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<td wp_automatic_readability=\"115.57448886176\">\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) Good news!<\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) KP.* still popular. XEC has entered the chat. That WHO label, \u201cOmmicron,\u201d has done a great job normalizing successive waves of infection.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ED) Down.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Steadily down.<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Actually improved; it\u2019s now one of the few charts to show the entire course of the pandemic to the present day.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Down.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Down.<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Down.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants). Now XEC.<\/p>\n<p>[11] Deaths low, positivity down.<\/p>\n<p>[12] Deaths low, ED down.<\/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>Retail: \u201cWalmart is feeling jolly as the holiday shopping season approaches\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/logistics.cmail20.com\/t\/d-e-spydtt-dyukidmly-r\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wall Street Journal Logistics Report<\/a>]. \u201cThe nation\u2019s largest retailer says U.S. comparable sales, those from stores and digital channels in operation for at least 12 months, rose a higher-than-expected 5.3% in the latest quarter. The WSJ\u2019s Sarah Nassauer reports that the growth was propelled by shoppers buying groceries, home goods and toys, a sign that spending is off to a solid start heading into the busiest shopping season of the year. Walmart\u2019s profit increased on lower e-commerce delivery costs, fewer discounts and higher revenue from advertising. The retailer said it cut its net delivery cost per order in the U.S. by about 40% in the quarter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: <a name=\"boeing\"\/>\u201cBoeing to lay off roughly 2,200 Washington workers 5 days before Christmas\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/economy\/boeing-lay-offroughly-2200-washington-workers-5-days-before-christmas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201cThe layoffs are part of the debt-heavy U.S. planemaker\u2019s plan to cut 17,000 jobs, or 10% of its global workforce, according to a union official and federally required filings posted on Monday.\u201d \u2022 That\u2019ll teach \u2019em.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear &amp; Greed Index: 49 Neutral (previous close: 50 Neutral) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 65 (Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Nov 20 at 11:09:45 AM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thanksgiving Pre-Game Festivities<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecord 80 million Americans expected to travel for Thanksgiving holiday, industry group says\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/record-80-million-americans-expected-050321728.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reuters<\/a>]. \u2022 We\u2019ll see what the charts look like afterwards.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Healthcare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdd 11 years to your life? Science says it\u2019s as simple as a daily walk\u201d {<a href=\"https:\/\/studyfinds.org\/add-11-years-to-your-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">StudyFinds<\/a>]. \u201cIn what might be the best return on investment since Bitcoin\u2019s early days, scientists have discovered that every hour of walking could yield up to six hours of additional life. Unlike cryptocurrency, however, this investment is guaranteed by the laws of human biology. An exciting modeling study reveals that if every American over the age of 40 was as physically active as the most active quarter of the population, they could expect to live an extra five years on average\u2026. Study authors analyzed data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES), focusing on Americans aged 40 and older who wore activity monitors for at least four days. Unlike previous studies that relied on participants\u2019 memory and honesty about their activity levels, these monitors provided objective measurements of every movement throughout the day. The results showed a striking \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/studyfinds.org\/life-expectancy-gains-slowing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">diminishing returns<\/a>\u2018 effect in the relationship between physical activity and longevity. The greatest benefits were seen among the least active individuals: moving from the lowest activity quarter to the second-lowest required just 28.5 minutes of additional walking per day but could add 6.3 years to life expectancy. That means every hour of walking for this group translated to an extra 6.3 hours of life \u2014 an impressive return on investment. As people became more active, the additional benefits per hour of activity decreased but remained significant.\u201d \u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/bjsm.bmj.com\/content\/early\/2024\/10\/07\/bjsports-2024-108125\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Here is the study<\/a>, which pleasingly confirms my priors. Perhaps some kind reader can take a look at the methodology.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat a carve up! Playful, intricate Japanese leaf art \u2013 in pictures\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/artanddesign\/gallery\/2024\/nov\/16\/what-a-carve-up-playful-intricate-japanese-leaf-art-in-pictures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a>]. \u201cAlmost every day for the past five years, the Kanagawa-born artist Lito has drawn an image on to a leaf \u2013 usually a jaunty scene from the animal world involving, say, a biker-dude rabbit or a frog in a phone box \u2013 and carved it out with a scalpel before posting a photograph to social media. A painstaking process, it nonetheless suits Lito\u2019s \u201cpropensity to devote long hours to detailed work\u201d \u2013 a diagnosis of ADHD aged 30 was what prompted him to quit his corporate job and start carving leaves for a living. And a living it is: he\u2019s sold 300,000 copies of his leaf-art books to date and exhibits his work throughout Japan. The combination of playful Studio Ghibli-esque imagination and exhaustive attention to detail is central to the appeal.\u201d \u2022 For example:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/lito.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-282543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/lito.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/lito-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/lito-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"class\"\/><strong>Class Warfare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrash,\u201d eh?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/trash.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"834\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-282546\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/trash.png 500w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/trash-180x300.png 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs beauty natural?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/aeon.co\/essays\/how-austen-and-darwin-converged-on-the-question-of-beauty\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Aeon<\/a>]. \u201cThough she would never encounter Darwin\u2019s research \u2013 Austen died in 1817 \u2013 her own work was steeped in the same scientific and philosophical tradition that paved the way for his theory of evolution. She wrote in an era obsessed with explaining the natural world; the word \u2018biology\u2019 burst into usage in England around 1800. Austen\u2019s acute, almost clinical, attention to detail resembles the style of early British naturalists. In Jane Austen and Charles Darwin (2008), the literature scholar Peter Graham explores parallels between Austen\u2019s sensibility and Darwin\u2019s, arguing that both \u2018were keen observers of the world before them, observers who excelled both in noticing microcosmic particulars and \u2026 discerning the cosmic significance of those small details.\u201d \u2022 Hmm.<\/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\/11\/200pm-water-cooler-11-18-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From expat2uruguay:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/propagation.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"802\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-282539\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/propagation.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/propagation-224x300.jpeg 224w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>expat2uruguay writes: \u201cI have this begonia leaf that I was going to try to propagate using a technique I\u2019ve only read about. The technique calls for pinning down the injured parts of the leaf or perhaps covering them with rocks, so the use of metal jacks is my own innovation here.\u201d Can readers comment on this technique?<\/p>\n<p>Kind readers, the stock of plant pictures is still too scant for comfort\u2026 .<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. Material here is Lambert\u2019s, and does not express the views of the Naked Capitalism site. If you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldn\u2019t see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! <em>Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I\u2019m on the right track with coverage<\/em>. When I get no donations for three or four days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:<\/p>\n<p>Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"606\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png 606w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!<\/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<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- .entry-content --><\/p>\n<footer class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\tThis entry was posted in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/category\/water-cooler\" rel=\"category tag\">Water Cooler<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/11\/200pm-water-cooler-11-20-2024.html\" title=\"2:00 pm\" rel=\"bookmark\"><time class=\"entry-date updated\" datetime=\"2024-11-20T14:00:53-05:00\">November 20, 2024<\/time><\/a><span class=\"by-author\"> by <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/author\/lambert-strether\" title=\"View all posts by Lambert Strether\" rel=\"author\">Lambert Strether<\/a><\/span><\/span>.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"author-info\" wp_automatic_readability=\"20.197005056398\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<!-- .author-avatar --><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-description\" wp_automatic_readability=\"35.467911318553\">\n<h2>About Lambert Strether<\/h2>\n<p>Readers, I have had a correspondent characterize my views as realistic cynical. Let me briefly explain them. I believe in universal programs that provide concrete material benefits, especially to the working class. Medicare for All is the prime example, but tuition-free college and a Post Office Bank also fall under this heading. So do a Jobs Guarantee and a Debt Jubilee. Clearly, neither liberal Democrats nor conservative Republicans can deliver on such programs, because the two are different flavors of neoliberalism (\u201cBecause markets\u201d). I don\u2019t much care about the \u201cism\u201d that delivers the benefits, although whichever one does have to put common humanity first, as opposed to markets. Could be a second FDR saving capitalism, democratic socialism leashing and collaring it, or communism razing it. I don\u2019t much care, as long as the benefits are delivered.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nTo me, the key issue \u2014 and this is why Medicare for All is always first with me \u2014 is the tens of thousands of excess \u201cdeaths from despair,\u201d as described by the Case-Deaton study, and other recent studies. That enormous body count makes Medicare for All, at the very least, a moral and strategic imperative. And that level of suffering and organic damage makes the concerns of identity politics \u2014 even the worthy fight to help the refugees Bush, Obama, and Clinton\u2019s wars created \u2014 bright shiny objects by comparison. Hence my frustration with the news flow \u2014 currently in my view the swirling intersection of two, separate Shock Doctrine campaigns, one by the Administration, and the other by out-of-power liberals and their allies in the State and in the press \u2014 a news flow that constantly forces me to focus on matters that I regard as of secondary importance to the excess deaths. What kind of political economy is it that halts or even reverses the increases in life expectancy that civilized societies have achieved? I am also very hopeful that the continuing destruction of both party establishments will open the space for voices supporting programs similar to those I have listed; let\u2019s call such voices \u201cthe left.\u201d Volatility creates opportunity, especially if the Democrat establishment, which puts markets first and opposes all such programs, isn\u2019t allowed to get back into the saddle. Eyes on the prize! I love the tactical level, and secretly love even the horse race, since I\u2019ve been blogging about it daily for fourteen years, but everything I write has this perspective at the back of it.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- .author-link\t-->\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!-- .author-description -->\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!-- .author-info --><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/footer>\n<p><!-- .entry-meta --><br \/>\n\t<!-- #post --><\/p>\n<nav class=\"nav-single\">\n<h3 class=\"assistive-text\">Post navigation<\/h3>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"nav-previous list-posts-older\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/11\/thomas-neuburger-tulsi-gabbards-dni-nomination.html\" rel=\"prev\"><span class=\"meta-nav\">\u2190<\/span> Thomas Neuburger: Tulsi Gabbard\u2019s DNI Nomination<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"nav-next list-posts-newer\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/nav>\n<p><!-- .nav-single --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #comments .comments-area --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #content --><br \/>\n<!-- #primary --><\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- #secondary --><\/p>\n<footer id=\"colophon\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- .site-info --><br \/>\n\t\t<\/footer>\n<p><!-- #colophon --><br \/>\n\t\t<!-- #main.wrapper --><br \/>\n<!-- #page --><br \/>\n<!-- .mobile-menu-wrap --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Blog Reader Pooling - removed 09\/16\/2015 by M. 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