{"id":87978,"date":"2024-12-04T01:12:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T01:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/04\/200pm-water-cooler-12-3-2024-naked-capitalism\/"},"modified":"2024-12-04T01:12:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T01:12:00","slug":"200pm-water-cooler-12-3-2024-naked-capitalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/04\/200pm-water-cooler-12-3-2024-naked-capitalism\/","title":{"rendered":"2:00PM Water Cooler 12\/3\/2024 | naked capitalism"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div wp_automatic_readability=\"508.07167107157\">\n<p><em><strong>By Lambert Strether of Corrente.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Patient readers, I\u2019m traveling again, I feel a WiFi dead zone coming up, and I want to take a nap. I should be back in form tomorrow. \u2013lamnert<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/macaulaylibrary.org\/asset\/548053091\/embed\" height=\"300\" width=\"640\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Northern Mockingbird, Anza-Borrego Desert SP\u2013Mesquite Oasis San Diego, California, United States. \u201cPart of a longer recording.\u201d Longer than three minutes!<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital.\u201d \u2013Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Biden Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"16.798684210526\">\n<p>\u201cWhy Biden\u2019s Pardon of His Son Is So Controversial\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/2EMQn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bloomberg<\/a>]. \u201cA Republican-controlled committee in the House of Representatives seized on the business dealings of Hunter Biden, and Republican Kevin McCarthy, then the House speaker, launched an impeachment probe into Joe Biden for what he called a \u2018culture of corruption.\u2019 House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer gathered evidence that from 2014 to 2019, Hunter Biden and associates received some $24 million from individuals or companies based in China, Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Kazakhstan. But the impeachment inquiry ultimately failed.\u201d \u2022 If somebody had a theory of that failure, I missed it. Unlike the farcical Benghazi hearings, Comer had a clear timeline. And the checks. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Trump Transition<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"34.923301680058\">\n<p>\u201cCongress faces shutdown dilemma that could mess with Trump\u2019s first 100 days\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/congress-returns-confront-key-deadline-averting-shutdown-christmas-rcna182084\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NBC<\/a>]. \u201cAs Congress returns this week for one last burst of activity before it wraps up the session, it faces a key deadline of Dec. 20 to avert a government shutdown. Democrats and Republicans appear resigned to passing a continuing resolution, or CR, that would temporarily fund the government into early 2025 \u2014 most likely March \u2014 as they run out of time to strike a full funding deal this year. The two parties haven\u2019t even agreed on an overall spending level for the new fiscal year, let alone how to allocate the money across parts of the government. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., alluded to the inevitability of a short-term bill Monday, saying, \u201cWe need to keep divisive and unnecessary provisions out of any government funding extension, or else it will get harder to pass a CR in time.\u201d For Republicans, that is a double-edged sword. The upside for Republicans in punting the deadline is that they would have more leverage to shape government funding in the new year, with President-elect Donald Trump returning to the White House and the GOP taking control of the Senate and maintaining a narrow House majority. The big downside is it would create a critical deadline early in the Trump presidency, potentially taking valuable time away from confirming his nominees through the Senate and from the big party-line bill that Republicans are looking at to extend his tax cuts and advance his immigration and border security agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSingle House race stands between Republicans and 1-seat majority\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/single-house-race-stands-between-republicans-1-seat-majority\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX<\/a>]. \u201cHouse Republicans could begin the new year grappling with a one-seat majority, a perilously slim margin for the 119th Congress as President-elect Donald Trump guns for an active first 100 days. Last-minute GOP losses and exits in favor of the new administration mean Republicans could begin that period with precious little room for dissent, and one congressional race could decide the difference between a likely one- or two-seat majority\u2026. In California\u2019s 13th Congressional District, Rep. John Duarte, R-Calif., is fighting for his political life against Democrat Adam Gray. As of Monday afternoon, Gray leads Duarte by a few hundred votes \u2013 a margin of roughly 0.1%. California state law mandates that counties certify their election results by Dec. 5. If Democrats flip the seat, the House would have 220 Republicans and 215 Democrats heading into the New Year. However, three Republican lawmakers\u2019 departures are expected to whittle that down further. Now-former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., resigned from the 118th and 119th Congresses amid consideration to be Trump\u2019s attorney general.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Campaign Finance<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"5.3985680190931\">\n<p>If fraud can be committed, it will already have been committed:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.2901408450704\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"13.225352112676\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING: Wisconsin Judge Brad Schimel has approved a subpoena against ActBlue, saying, &#8220;Something is NOT right&#8221; after hearing evidence that ActBlue is using the names of unsuspecting people to launder dark money to Democrat campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere may be an element of fraud, or maybe\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/X9xxf6UurA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/X9xxf6UurA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 George (@BehizyTweets) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BehizyTweets\/status\/1863624881327247448\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">December 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"resistance\"\/>The #Resistance<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"15.891617273497\">\n<p>\u201c\u2018We\u2019re still in this fight\u2019: the resistance to Trump considers its options after bruising election defeat\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/dec\/01\/trump-resistance-considers-its-options\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Guardian<\/a>]. \u201cThe sense of malaise around \u201cResistance 2.0\u2033 may in part be because, whereas Trump\u2019s first victory felt like shocking accident of history, his second was delivered by an electorate that knows exactly what it is getting. Whereas he lost the national popular vote to Hillary Clinton in 2016, he gained more votes nationwide than Harris and claims a mandate. For many liberals, that result was a gut punch that seemed to undermine the work of three election cycles.\u201d And: \u201cSpeaking from the Hudson valley of New York, [organizer LA] Kauffman added: \u2018What I\u2019m seeing is that people are looking to find a way to meet those needs for community connection in quieter, more intimate ways. There\u2019s a lot of gatherings that are happening in people\u2019s homes and community centres and neighbourhoods. It\u2019s not a mass coming together that gave us a feeling of enormous collective togetherness. It\u2019s happening in smaller, tighter, face-to-face communities.&#8217;\u201d \u2022 \u201cEnormous collective togethernes.\u201d Let\u2019s to the WInter Palace quickly!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Democrats <em>en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"17.883704235463\">\n<p>\u201cDemocrats won\u2019t win elections by labeling all white men as oppressors, either\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.desmoinesregister.com\/story\/opinion\/columnists\/iowa-view\/2024\/12\/01\/democrats-labeling-all-white-men-oppressors\/76617809007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">USA Today<\/a>]. \u201cOld white working-class males have become pariahs in many Democratic party circles. Increasingly, much of the rhetoric coming from Democratic candidates, who do not fall into the category with which I identify, openly vilify people such as myself simply because they are lumping us into a group that they have labeled oppressors. Much hard work and sacrifices have gone into fighting prejudice based in group identities, yet my own Democratic Party has condoned or permitted such prejudice when it comes to old working-class white guys. Am I claiming to be oppressed? Absolutely not! I recognize that I have benefitted from privilege afforded me by my gender and ethnicity. I support equity in all areas of life for all individuals. I work to support equity for marginalized groups daily and I recognize the battle isn\u2019t over. But I\u2019m losing support for a party that permits me to be vilified by its many of its members, based upon the combination of my age, race, gender, and working-class roots. Recent electoral results tend to show that I\u2019m not the only one feeling slighted.\u201d \u2022\u00a0However, I don\u2019t think the mishegoss of \u201cslights\u201d produced by identity politics can ever be netted out. Best to heave the entire enterprise over the side and center the working class as such. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Syndemics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am in earnest \u2014 I will not equivocate \u2014 I will not excuse \u2014 I will not retreat a single inch \u2014 AND I WILL BE HEARD.\u201d \u2013William Lloyd Garrison<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&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 wp_automatic_readability=\"1.9013079667063\"><transmission: h5n1=\"\" wp_automatic_readability=\"17.111771700357\">\n<p>\u201cInfluenza A(H5N1) shedding in air corresponds to transmissibility in mammals\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/39623068\/#:~:text=Influenza%20A(H5N1)%20shedding%20in%20air%20corresponds%20to%20transmissibility%20in%20mammals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Nature<\/a>]. \u201cAn increase in spillover events of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses to mammals suggests selection of viruses that transmit well in mammals.\u201d \u2022 Oh.<\/p>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"29.287661406026\">\n<p>\u201cAfter Action Review of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Lessons Learned and a Path Forward\u201d (PDF) [Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, <a href=\"https:\/\/oversight.house.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/12.04.2024-SSCP-FINAL-REPORT.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Committee On Oversight and Accountability<\/a>]. Comer, the Committee chair, is not a nutter, which is good. I have skimmed it. However, I though I would search on \u201cairborne\u201d; it appears exactly once. Here it is in context: <\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/hourse_airobrne.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"138\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-283268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/hourse_airobrne.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/hourse_airobrne-300x69.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>And \u201caerosol\u201d:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/house_aerosol.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"192\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-283269\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/house_aerosol.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/house_aerosol-300x96.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m concerned by the fact that an enormous struggle <em>waged by outsiders<\/em> against CDC and WHO, to force them to acknowledge a science-based paradign for Covid transmission goes unmentioned in the report. especially since this effort would seem to be exactly the citizen-driven approach that MAGA appears to want in other fields. Even more disappointing is that Democrats, by their own silence, played along. One might almost think that bipartisan agenda-setting was at play.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJay Bhattacharya and the Vindication of the \u2018Fringe\u2019 Scientists\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/oAPvH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WSJ<\/a>]. \u201cFrancis Collins, the NIH chief between 2009-21, derided Dr. Bhattacharya as a \u201cfringe\u201d scientist for urging the government to focus on protecting the vulnerable while letting others go about their lives.\u201d \u2022 \u201cFringe\u201d is truly stupid framing (although not every victim of the Semmelweis Effect is, in fact, a Semmelweis). It would have been better to have framed \u201cDr.\u201d Bhattacharya as a eugenicist, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/12\/jay-bhattacharya-trumps-pick-to-head-the-nih-is-a-eugenicist-charlatan.html\">which has the merit of being true<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center><\/transmission:><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: Even though the Covid numbers seem low, please remember that the data is not nearly as good as it once was, that it lags, and that the downside risks of catching Covid are considerable. For those who have developed their own personal protocols, I wouldn\u2019t relax them. Maybe next year.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.856573705179\">\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 25<\/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\/12\/covid-cdc-ww-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-283191\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-ww-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-300x185.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-4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282925\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-4.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-4-300x202.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6521739130435\">\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 23<\/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 23<\/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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-2-300x214.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=\"3.8666666666667\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> New York[5] <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.health.ny.gov\/daily-hospitalization-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York State<\/a>, data November 29:<\/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 28:<\/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\/12\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-283192\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-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\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-283080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-3.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-3-300x258.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\" wp_automatic_readability=\"2.5915492957746\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> National[7] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/healthcare-solutions\/covid-19-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a> December 2:<\/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 23:<\/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\/12\/covid-walgreens-positivity-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-283193\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-walgreens-positivity-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-walgreens-positivity-natl-300x167.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282982\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-2-300x192.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/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> November 4:<\/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> November 4:<\/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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282923\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2-300x167.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-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-282924\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-3.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-3-300x187.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\/12\/covid-cdc-ed-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-283190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-ed-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-300x192.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<td wp_automatic_readability=\"84.386281798118\">\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>The Bezzle: \u201cHow a California pot company went from $575 million in cash to a \u2018debt death spiral&#8217;\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/cannabis\/article\/jay-z-linked-california-pot-company-19941342.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">SFGATE<\/a>]. \u201cJay-Z\u2019s cannabis brand looked timeless as soon as it launched in 2020. The billionaire rapper, legal name Shawn Carter, rolled out his Monogram line of luxury joints and cannabis flower with a photo shoot at the famous Frank Sinatra house in Palm Springs. Models elegantly smoked joints in front of mid-century pool furniture, as if the brand had been around for decades. Glowing profiles in GQ, Vogue and Vanity Fair soon followed\u2026. The parent company behind Monogram, confusingly called The Parent Company, hasn\u2019t fared any better. The conglomerate originally hit California\u2019s market with $575 million in cash and plans to take over the entire industry, but after burning through half a billion dollars, it has merged into another company, which itself appears to be in financial trouble\u2026 it appears the brand is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/cannabis\/article\/jerry-garcia-cannabis-leaving-california-17741843.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the latest hyped-up celebrity pot brand<\/a> to wither away in California\u2019s punishing legal weed market.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear &amp; Greed Index: 67 Greed (previous close: 66 Greed) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 64 (Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Dec 2 at 1:53:27 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p>Rapture Index: Closes unchanged [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.raptureready.com\/rapture-ready-index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Rapture Ready<\/a>]. Record High, October 10, 2016: 189. Current: 183. (Remember that bringing on the Rapture is good.) \u2022 Hard to believe the Rapture Index is going <em>down<\/em>. Do these people know something we don\u2019t?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Book Nook<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Good idea:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.7857142857143\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.7142857142857\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My sister&#8217;s holiday tradition: a tree of books made out of trees. \ud83d\ude02 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PW6y91f17w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/PW6y91f17w<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Phuket Sammy (@Phuket_Sammy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Phuket_Sammy\/status\/1863911854093091296\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">December 3, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Though I\u2019d be turn. Would I want my favorite books in the tree, or just any books?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lowry?!?!?<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.25\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"4\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Portrait of the Artist&#8217;s Father <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cl6lYcwCjn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/cl6lYcwCjn<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HL4FsegkK4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/HL4FsegkK4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 L. S. Lowry (@lowryartist) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/lowryartist\/status\/1863935225736167643\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">December 3, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"class\"\/><strong>Class Warfare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>How\u2019s that 2028 general strike coming?<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.7645914396887\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"10.038910505837\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING: UAW Staff United (USU), the union representing many United Auto Workers (UAW) International and local staff organizers in the Northeast United States, is on strike! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1rfzQSjmM6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/1rfzQSjmM6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 UAW Staff United (@UAWStaffUnited) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UAWStaffUnited\/status\/1863586734195216599\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">December 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I am not feeling wired today.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact information for plants<\/strong>: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/12\/200pm-water-cooler-12-1-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From lcm:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/camellia.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"591\" height=\"844\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-283264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/camellia.png 591w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/camellia-210x300.png 210w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 591px) 100vw, 591px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>lcm writes: \u201cThis fall-blooming camellia usually loses most of its flowers and buds to a hard freeze in mid-October here in central Virginia, but no freezes this year!\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!<\/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\/12\/200pm-water-cooler-12-3-2024.html\" title=\"2:00 pm\" rel=\"bookmark\"><time class=\"entry-date updated\" datetime=\"2024-12-03T14:00:51-05:00\">December 3, 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\/12\/wall-street-journal-tries-recovery-finally-underway-office-space-patter-as-securitized-office-mortgage-delinquencies-hit-a-new-post-crisis-high-of-10-4.html\" rel=\"prev\"><span class=\"meta-nav\">\u2190<\/span> Wall Street Journal Tries \u201cRecovery Finally Underway\u201d Office Space Patter as Securitized Office Mortgage Delinquencies Hit a New Post-Crisis High of 10.4%<\/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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Patient readers, I\u2019m traveling again, I feel a WiFi dead zone coming up, and I want to take a nap.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":87979,"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-87978","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\/87978","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=87978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}