{"id":89203,"date":"2025-01-03T02:17:36","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T02:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/03\/200pm-water-cooler-1-2-2025-naked-capitalism\/"},"modified":"2025-01-03T02:17:36","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T02:17:36","slug":"200pm-water-cooler-1-2-2025-naked-capitalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/03\/200pm-water-cooler-1-2-2025-naked-capitalism\/","title":{"rendered":"2:00PM Water Cooler 1\/2\/2025 | naked capitalism"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div wp_automatic_readability=\"615.36339170507\">\n<p><em><strong>By Lambert Strether of Corrente.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Patient readers, more on the day\u2019s fireworks shortly. The New Year starts with a bang! \u2013lambert<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In honor of the New Year, I\u2019m going to shift <em>mimidae<\/em> from Mockingbirds to Thrashers.<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/macaulaylibrary.org\/asset\/94280\/embed\" height=\"419\" width=\"640\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher,Libertytown; Audrey Carroll Wildlife Sanctuary, Frederick, Maryland, United States. \u201cBrown thrashers have been back in this area only 4-6 days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/strong> <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#mangione\">Mangione<\/a> judge, defense fund.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#covid\">WSWS<\/a> on managing disease through allowing infection.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#class\">Populism<\/a> and the Wizard of Oz.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital.\u201d \u2013Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Trump Transition<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"47.96169630643\">\n<p>\u201cIslamic State-inspired driver expressed desire to kill before deadly New Orleans rampage, Biden says\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/new-orleans-car-bourbon-street-63a1b43d615af365cb8ba6f5f0583eca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cThe FBI identified the driver as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas, and said it was working to determine any potential associations with terrorist organizations\u2026. \u201cWe do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible,\u201d FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said at a news conference. Investigators found multiple improvised explosives, including two pipe bombs that were concealed within coolers and wired for remote detonation, according to a Louisiana State Police intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJulian Assange and Wikileaks New Cables Bombshell: ISIS Created By CIA\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/julian-assange-wikileaks-cables-bombshell-221520198.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Yahoo News<\/a>]. \u2022 From 2016, still germane. I grant you can\u2019t tell the players without a scorecard, but sheesh.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel used in Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside Las Vegas Trump Hotel\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2025\/01\/01\/us\/cybertruck-fire-trump-hotel-las-vegas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. \u201cAuthorities believe fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel were connected to a detonation system controlled by the driver in the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside a Trump Hotel in Las Vegas Wednesday morning, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. The FBI is working to determine whether the incident was a terrorist act, Jeremy Schwartz, acting special agent in charge for the FBI\u2019s Las Vegas office, said Wednesday. The agency believes it was an isolated incident and there is no further danger to the public, Schwartz noted. There is one person dead inside the Cybertruck, where the body remains as authorities continue their investigation\u2026 \u201d \u2022 \u201cThe body\u201d (allegedly) being Matthew Livelsberger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMatthew Livelsberger Comparison With Luigi Mangione Takes Off Online\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/matthew-livelsberger-luigi-mangione-comparison-las-vegas-cybertruck-explosion-2008812\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Newsweek<\/a>]. \u201cA social media video posted online by the creator Nimay Ndolo comparing the Cybertruck explosion suspect with the alleged UnitedHealthcare shooter Luigi Mangione has gone viral. She then says: \u2018America spent all last month developing class consciousness. They also spent last month developing an assassin kink.\u2019 \u2018So this Vegas pyromaniac better have a fat a*** and a thick manifesto because oh my God.&#8217;\u201d \u2022 Well, that\u2019s helpful.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Big if true (1):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.765625\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.296875\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING: Cybertruck which exploded at Trump Hotel in Las Vegas and truck used in New Orleans attack were both rented through carsharing app Turo \u2013 AP<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 BNO News (@BNONews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BNONews\/status\/1874581471765348451\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Big if true (2):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.7670807453416\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"12.394409937888\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Has anyone noticed that the CEO of Turo, the car renting app responsible for the two vehicles involved in terror actions yesterday, is Andre Haddad who is an Arab from Lebanon originally. Note, the NOLA attack has ISIS connection and Vegas attack is obvious suicide bombing.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 William Barrell (@bomber6b) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bomber6b\/status\/1874867530835337407\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Big if true (3):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.2955326460481\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"11.168384879725\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Surrounded by the billionaire class is Haddad, from Lebanon, tapped along his whole special life. Tesla&#8217;s and Turo go hand in hand. Haddad and Elon go way back. So many connections here, it&#8217;s getting ridiculous. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0hGYU8BlP4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/0hGYU8BlP4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Wyatt Washburn (@WyattWashburn2) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WyattWashburn2\/status\/1874883474265645261\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t find the tweet, but the idea was that back in the day, our false flags used to be really <em>slick<\/em>. Now they\u2019re clumsy and stupid. Was it so wrong that the very first thought that popped into my mind was \u201cReichstag fire\u201d?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>There is a cui bono buried in this statement:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.6929133858268\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.4173228346457\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udea8 BREAKING: Donald Trump releases new statement <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/r7rpOV9FrB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/r7rpOV9FrB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bennyjohnson\/status\/1874691437805318599\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p><em>Cui bono<\/em> being the statement one should always ask, even if the answer is not always clear.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"24.773242630385\">\n<p><a name=\"mangione'&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;\u201cA look at Duke alumna Katharine Parker, pretrial judge in federal case against CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione\u201d [&lt;a href=\" https:=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Chronicle<\/a>].\u200b \u201cU.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker, who is presiding over Mangione\u2019s federal pretrial hearings, graduated cum laude from Duke with a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1989. As the pretrial judge, she oversees preliminary hearings regarding the use of evidence but is not expected to preside over Mangione\u2019s trial\u2026. Parker was elected a fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and named on the Best Lawyers in America list for seven consecutive years. She has also served as chair of the Disability Law Committee for the New York City Bar and received numerous awards for pro bono work and charitable service. sIn 2016, Parker was appointed to her current role as federal magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York. Parker\u2019s husband, Bret Parker, served as vice president and assistant general counsel of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals from 2004 until 2009. When Wyeth was acquired by Pfizer, a multinational pharmaceutical company, he retained a transitional role at the company until 2010, according to a LinkedIn page under his name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDefense fund established by supporters of suspected CEO killer Luigi Mangione tops $200K\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/supporters-suspected-ceo-killer-luigi-mangione-establish-defense\/story?id=116718574\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ABC<\/a>]. \u201cSeveral online defense funds have been created for Mangione by anonymous people, including one on the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo that as of Tuesday morning had raised over $200,000. The GiveSendGo defense fund for the 26-year-old Mangione was established by an anonymous group calling itself \u201cThe December 4th Legal Committee,\u201d apparently in reference to the day Mangione allegedly ambushed and gunned down Thompson in Midtown Manhattan as the executive walked to his company\u2019s shareholders conference at the New York Hilton hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Syndemics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am in earnest \u2014 I will not equivocate \u2014 I will not excuse \u2014 I will not retreat a single inch \u2014 AND I WILL BE HEARD.\u201d \u2013William Lloyd Garrison<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&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:\/\/skylab.cdph.ca.gov\/calwws\/\" 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, thump, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"18.955294117647\">\n<p><a name=\"covid\"\/>\u201cFive years of the COVID-19 pandemic: An interview with Dr. Arijit Chakravarty\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsws.org\/en\/articles\/2024\/12\/31\/zgyj-d31.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WSWS<\/a>]. Every word a gem. Here\u2019s how it starts out: \u201c<em>Fast-forward to today, and COVID-19 is both ubiquitous in our day-to-day conversations and still very prevalent as a respiratory pathogen in the global community. Close to 30 million people have died due to the pandemic, over 410 million people are now living with Long COVID globally, and one can assume that the majority of the world\u2019s population has been infected with COVID on average at least three times. Are there any initial reflections you would like to share on the five-year anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic?<\/em> <strong>Arijit Chakravarty (AC)<\/strong>: Yes. This is what failure looks like. We are looking at it. No one ever said when the concept of public health emerged in the 19th century, \u2018We really need an organization that is committed to serving as the doula for every newly emergent pathogen that pops out of the wild.\u2019 The idea that emergent pathogens need to be shepherded into endemicity, this has never been in any public health mission statement.\u201d And again: \u201c[W]e are managing disease through allowing infections, which had never been done before.\u201d \u2022 (Bidens\u2019s policy of \u201cmass infection without mitigration,\u201d as I repeated often.) This is a must-read, and kudos to WSWS. Nevertheless, I have not seen an account based on <em>political economy<\/em> for <em>how and why<\/em> public health adopted the policies it did, and I do try to keep track. That seems to me to be a very big issue in the game. That issue is also what the word \u201cfailure\u201d erases. Why isn\u2019t \u201ceverything\u2019s going according to plan\u201d an option, analytically?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: A little more orange and red around Ohio; no rise at JFK, EWR, ORD, LAX.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.863095238095\">\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> December 16<\/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-4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284797\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-4.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-4-300x211.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\/12\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-3.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-3-300x182.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> December 21<\/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> December 21<\/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-cdc-variants-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1-300x177.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-er-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-er-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-er-natl-1-300x172.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Hospitalization<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" 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 December 27:<\/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> December 26:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-14.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-14.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-14-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/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-hospitalization-natl-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2-300x291.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=\"2.6111111111111\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> National[7] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/healthcare-solutions\/covid-19-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a> December 23:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Ohio[8] <a href=\"https:\/\/clevelandcliniclabs.com\/respiratory-virus-surveillance-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cleveland Clinic<\/a> December 14:<\/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-states-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284637\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-300x187.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\/12\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1-300x194.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=\"3.5789473684211\">\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> December 9:<\/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> December 9<\/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\/12\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-4.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-4-300x164.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-variants-travelers-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284676\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-3.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-3-300x216.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=\"3.7647058823529\">\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 20:<\/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 20:<\/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-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl-1-300x161.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-deaths-ed-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-284303\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-deaths-ed-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/covid-cdc-deaths-ed-natl-1-300x183.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<td wp_automatic_readability=\"186.06187426299\">\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) Seeing more red and more orange, but nothing new at major hubs. <\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) XEC takes over. That WHO label, \u201cOmmicron,\u201d has done a great job normalizing successive waves of infection.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ED) A little uptick.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Slow and small but steady increase.<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Continued upward trend since, well, Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants). Positivity is new, but variants have not yet been released.<\/p>\n<p>[11] Deaths low, positivity leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[12] Deaths low, ED leveling out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stats Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Employment Situation: \u201cUnited States Initial Jobless Claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/jobless-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cInitial jobless claims in the US slumped by 9,000 from the previous week to 211,000 in the last week of 2024, contrasting sharply with the expected increase to 222,000, to mark the lowest amount of initial claims in eight months.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"boeing\"\/>Manufacturing: \u201cJet crash disaster in South Korea marks another setback for Boeing\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/korea-plane-crash-boeing-51abcf86c1a4d01b94ad17b30f5fc774\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cAlan Price, a former chief pilot at Delta Air Lines who is now a consultant, said it would be inappropriate to link the incident Sunday to two fatal crashes involving Boeing\u2019s troubled 737 Max jetliner in 2018 and 2019. In January this year, a door plug blew off a 737 Max while it was in flight, raising more questions about the plane. The Boeing 737-800 that crash-landed in Korea, Price noted, is a very proven airplane. \u2018It\u2019s different from the Max \u2026It\u2019s a very safe airplane.&#8217;\u201d And the Max isn\u2019t. What horrible messaging. <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing\u2019s terrible year is ending with the worst aviation tragedy of 2024\u201d [CNN]. Every setback an excuse for a roundup like this one. Nevertheless: \u201cThe Jeju Air plane\u2019s landing gear appeared not to be extended as it attempted to land. There had been reports of a bird strike causing the plane\u2019s pilots to issue a distress call as it upon approached the airport in Muan, South Korea\u2026. A 15-year-old plane, like the one that crashed Sunday, is unlikely to have problems caused by a design flaw or production problems attributed to Boeing. But it is too soon to say why the Jeju Air plane\u2019s landing gear was not extended.\u201d \u2022 <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing on track to be 2024\u2019s biggest loser in Dow Jones Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/aerospace-defense\/boeing-track-be-2024s-biggest-loser-dow-jones-index-2024-12-31\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reuters<\/a>]. \u201cU.S. planemaker Boeing, opens new tab is on track to be the biggest loser of 2024 in the Dow Jones Index, tumbling 32% as it bounced from one crisis to another.\u201d \u2022 Well, I suppose bouncing is better than crashing\u2026. <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cIntel\u2019s Grim Lesson for Boeing: Sometimes Mr. Fix-It Is Too Late\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/bC1eh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wall Street Journal<\/a>]. \u201cSince the 2000s, both [Boeing and Intel] became too narrowly focused on present profitability, despite operating in sectors in which big spending is essential to maintain a competitive edge decades down the line. Dividend payouts and share repurchases jumped and company cultures moved away from technical talent to rewarding managers based on financial metrics instead. Investors eventually saw the folly of this approach.\u201d Yes, after planes crashed into the ground. More: \u201cHis true test will come in a few years, when a replacement for the 737 MAX starts being developed. Almost two decades will have elapsed since the first flight of Boeing\u2019s last clean-sheet model, the 787. Without a bold, expensive attempt to push aircraft manufacturing forward, however, the risk will be larger than ever that airlines could shop at Airbus for their next-generation jets. Yet, with much of Boeing\u2019s old engineering talent now gone and investors hungry to recoup some of their losses, the temptation to play it safe will be strong.\u201d \u2022 I haven\u2019t seen a firm statement from anybody (e.g. Leeham, last I checked). Of course, Boeing can stay it the repair business for a long time; see the B-52. And maybe less air travel is good for the planet, unless your policy goal is depopulation through the spread of airborne pandemics, of course.<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cChina steps up drive to break Boeing and Airbus grip on plane market\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/7510f691-d9f6-4f07-86ad-8ba3b91517d3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Financial Times<\/a>]. \u201cChina is stepping up its push to break the grip of Boeing and Airbus on the aircraft market, as the state-run maker of the country\u2019s first homegrown passenger jet seeks certifications for it to fly beyond the country\u2019s shores. Comac\u2019s heavily subsidised C919, which made its maiden commercial flight in 2023, is already flown on domestic routes by China\u2019s three big state-owned carriers: Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines. From this month, China Eastern will fly the C919 between Hong Kong and Shanghai, its first regular commercial route outside China\u2019s mainland.\u201d And: \u201cRichard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory, said building \u2018elaborate product support facilities in export markets is very hard and expensive work, and a necessary precondition for competing with Airbus and Boeing.\u2019 While several carriers in Asia have expressed interest in the C919, some executives say privately that they remain hesitant. \u2018Maintenance support is the main issue,\u2019 said a person close to Indonesia\u2019s TransNusa, which has already received three of Comac\u2019s smaller ARJ21 aircraft and is considering flying the C919.\u201d \u2022 Can\u2019t they outsource it? Maybe Comac could built a plant in Renton, hire all those fired Boeing workers.<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cChina\u2019s Export Crackdown Hits Boeing, Lockheed Martin And More\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/25\/01\/42768507\/china-slaps-export-restrictions-on-dozens-of-us-companies-boeing-lockheed-martin-general-dynamics-raytheon-affected\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Benzinga<\/a>]. \u201cChina also added 10 companies to its Unreliable Entity List for participating in arms sales to Taiwan. Those companies are prohibited from doing any business in China and their executives may not enter or live in the country. Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing Co., General Dynamics Corp. and RTX Corp. are among the companies affected. Andrew Gilholm, a China expert at the consulting firm Control Risks, told the New York Times that China has taken similar actions on these companies before. \u2018Most of this is probably at the symbolic level because so many of these entities were already subject to sanctions,\u2019 Gilholm said.\u201d The move is seen as retaliation to recent U.S. measures including the Biden administration\u2019s restrictions on exports of advanced memory chips and chipmaking machinery to 140 Chinese companies and the addition of Chinese firms to the U.S. Department of Commerce\u2019s Entity List.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cMeta\u2019s Big Bet on Bots Why AI friends are coming to Facebook and Instagram\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/meta-wants-more-ai-bots-on-facebook-and-instagram.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Magazine<\/a>]. \u201cThe idea of introducing AI characters into Meta\u2019s platforms is in some ways distinct and new \u2014 we\u2019re talking about not just automating content curation and promotion here but, in some cases, actual creation \u2014 but can also be understood as a way to rebrand an effective but alienating overhaul that\u2019s been a decade in the making. With many AI products \u2014 from ChatGPT to a customer-support bot \u2014 the performance of personhood, which is a bit of a misleading magic trick even when done carefully, is at least as important as raw capabilities. Meta can claim it\u2019s building technology to create social-media agents that can exist on its platforms \u201cin the same way that accounts do,\u201d and maybe it\u2019ll turn out to be right. But Meta\u2019s AI characters are also a way to slap a more friendly, humanlike face on a long, bloodless campaign of social automation.\u201d \u2022\u00a0A platform of all bots chittering to themselves\u2026. Every tech bros wet dream, no? Goes with my theory that there will be a quiet return to the blogosphere; there really is something to be said for online spaces were something like authenticity is actually possible. Of course, this latest idea from The Zuckerberg\u2122 could also go belly up. Remember the metaverse, with the avatars that \u2014 highly symbolically! \u2014 had literally nothing below the waist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tech: Make up your mind:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.5144230769231\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"4.8461538461538\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">AP stands for Associated Propaganda <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kh8rTuwlPK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/kh8rTuwlPK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1874635969665831153\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cCongress shall make no law\u2026 abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear &amp; Greed Index: 26 Fear (previous close: 27 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 33 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jan 2 at 1:24:36 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Book Nook<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cA Very Private Life \u2013 Nikolai Tolstoy Remembers Patrick O\u2019Brian We look back at the life of the \u2018greatest historical novelist of all time&#8217;\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unseenhistories.com\/tolstoy-patrick-o-brian\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Unseen Histories<\/a>]. This is very long, probably best for O\u2019Brian stans (of which I am one). \u201c<em>What would a working day be like for Patrick? Was he a morning person? Was he very rigid in his time-keeping?<\/em> NIKOLAI TOLSTOY: Yes, rigid. He would go straight down after breakfast. In Collioure, he had a strange, tiny place which was much, much smaller than this. It was like a cave. They had a vineyard going down and sloping quite steeply from the house. They had a terrace or balcony and under it, there was a gap and that\u2019s where Patrick did his writing like The Naval Chronicle and things like that. He didn\u2019t have many books around him.\u201d \u2022 Ah, workflow. And that\u2019s the ticket: A cave.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Snow scene:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.4722222222222\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"4.4166666666667\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">White Frost, 1875 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/artbots?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#artbots<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/monet?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#monet<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3Jh7TCCAGl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/3Jh7TCCAGl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Claude Monet (@artistmonet) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/artistmonet\/status\/1874733129287487580\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"class\"\/><strong>Class Warfare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPopulism and the World of Oz\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/americanhistory.si.edu\/explore\/stories\/populism-and-world-oz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">National Museum of American History<\/a>]. \u201cOn her journey to visit the Wizard, Dorothy meets the scarecrow and the tin woodman. According to Littlefield, the scarecrow, displaying \u2018a terrible sense of inferiority and self doubt,\u2019 represents the American farmer (who made up the bulk of the Populist Party). Littlefield cites an 1896 article which accuses Kansas farmers of \u2018ignorance, irrationality and general muddle-headedness.\u2019 By extension, the tin woodman represents the hoped-for other faction in the People\u2019s Party\u2014the factory worker. Dehumanized, the simple laborer has been turned into a machine.\u201d The article concludes: \u201cRemembering the days of low-skilled but highly paid factory work, many disenfranchised Americans struggle and look for someone to blame in a world that has changed and left them significantly out of the picture.\u201d \u2022 From 2016, still germane.<\/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-12-26-2024.html\">here<\/a>. From DG:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/workshop.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-284895\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/workshop.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/workshop-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>DG writes: \u201cFrom my recovery workshop to yours.\u201d This is such a lovely photo I\u2019m going to declare it an honorary plant, because of all the wood.<\/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\/2025\/01\/200pm-water-cooler-1-2-2025.html\" title=\"2:00 pm\" rel=\"bookmark\"><time class=\"entry-date updated\" datetime=\"2025-01-02T14:00:20-05:00\">January 2, 2025<\/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\/2025\/01\/elon-musk-taylor-swift-antony-blinken-china-and-the-idiocy-of-tom-friedman.html\" rel=\"prev\"><span class=\"meta-nav\">\u2190<\/span> Elon Musk, Taylor Swift, Antony Blinken, China, and the Idiocy of Tom Friedman<\/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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The New Year starts with a bang! \u2013lambert Bird Song of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":89204,"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-89203","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\/89203","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=89203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89203\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}