By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
Hen Music of the Day
Northern Mockingbird, Spencer, Indiana, United States. “Nonetheless singing incessantly via the evening. All these audios recorded from lavatory window at 3:27, 3:33, 3:58, and 4:01 (final one does have passing automotive–superb how a lot noise it makes). As I used to be leaving may hear one other particular person singing off to the E.”
In Case You Would possibly Miss…
- Trump, the world’s biggest troll.
- Hegseth et al. nonetheless alive.
- “RuissiaGate Remnants”;
- The Claims Adjuster roundup.
Politics
“So most of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in truth a rational administration of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles
“The Governor of the Nice State of Canada” 😂 pic.twitter.com/CeJHB3i9w8
— Financelot (@FinanceLancelot) December 10, 2024
World’s Biggest Troll (2):
Listed below are my new Trump Perfumes & Colognes! I name them Battle, Battle, Battle, as a result of they characterize us WINNING. Nice Christmas presents for the household. Go to https://t.co/8O1nm58fxA. Merry Christmas, and Glad New Yr!
Donald Trump Reality Social 01:11 PM EST 12/08/24… pic.twitter.com/JYamMQeHYr
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Reality Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) December 8, 2024
* * * “Rising momentum for Cupboard picks who may outline Trump’s second time period” [CNN]. “he Cupboard affirmation drama round Donald Trump’s most provocative picks [is] principally about Trump himself, and the type of presidency he needs, the one he’ll find yourself getting, and the hopes of his MAGA motion that he’ll stand agency on his vow to shake the federal administrative state to its core and enact his and their revenge.” As for Ernst: “The Iowa Republican had confronted warnings on social media that she’d encounter a main problem in 2026 if she didn’t shelve her reservations about Hegseth. The president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr., final week, as an illustration, amplified a publish on X that identified that Ernst had been amongst virtually all GOP senators who voted to verify President Joe Biden’s Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin, saying that anybody who did so after which criticized Hegseth was possibly ‘within the flawed political get together!’”
“‘I Assist Pete’: Ernst Adjustments Tune Following Second Hegseth Assembly” [The Federalist]. “Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, indicated she is going to verify Pete Hegseth as the subsequent secretary of protection on Monday. The announcement marks a stark pivot for Ernst, who has been main a behind-the-scenes effort to tank Hegseth’s nomination. ‘I admire Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the method,’ Ernst mentioned in a press launch. ‘Following our encouraging conversations, Pete dedicated to finishing a full audit of the Pentagon and deciding on a senior official who will uphold the roles and worth of our servicemen and girls — primarily based on high quality and requirements, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to forestall sexual assault throughout the ranks. As I assist Pete via this course of, I look ahead to a good listening to primarily based on fact, not nameless sources.’”
“Key GOP senators start to fall in line to assist Kash Patel and preserve door open for Pete Hegseth” [CNN]. “Prime GOP senators on Monday signaled assist for Donald Trump’s plan to oust the present FBI director in favor of firebrand loyalist Kash Patel, whereas maintaining the door open for Pete Hegseth, who faces a slate of misconduct allegations, because the president-elect’s choose to run the Pentagon…. It’s nonetheless early within the vetting course of for Trump’s Cupboard nominees and affirmation votes received’t happen till subsequent 12 months. However it’s clear that GOP senators are being cautious to choose their battles and cautious of how they strategy the president-elect’s alternatives.”
* * * “Chilly Shoulder: Democrats Ignore Tulsi Gabbard’s Request To Meet” [CNN]. Worst of all, Gabbard was a DNC vice-chair, however resigned to endorse Sanders. “There may be some proof that skepticism of a muscular international coverage has gained traction amongst youthful Democrats and independents within the final 4 or 5 years. When Hillary Clinton questioned Gabbard’s logic and loyalty, Gabbard punched again. In a collection of tweets, she known as the previous secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee “the queen of warmongers” and “personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Occasion.’” • The place’s the lie?
The #Resistance
Democrats en déshabillé
Syndemics
“I’m in earnest — I can’t equivocate — I can’t excuse — I can’t retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD.” –William Lloyd Garrison
Covid Sources, United States (Nationwide): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; contains many counties; Wastewater Scan, contains drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, however nationwide information). “An infection Management, Emergency Administration, Security, and Normal Ideas” (particularly on hospitalization by metropolis).
Lambert right here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To replace any entry, do be happy to contact me on the tackle given with the vegetation. Please put “COVID” within the topic line. Thanks!
Sources, United States (Native): AK (dashboard); AL (dashboard); AR (dashboard); AZ (dashboard); CA (dashboard; Marin, dashboard; Stanford, wastewater; Oakland, wastewater); CO (dashboard; wastewater); CT (dashboard); DE (dashboard); FL (wastewater); GA (wastewater); HI (dashboard); IA (wastewater studies); ID (dashboard, Boise; dashboard, wastewater, Central Idaho; wastewater, Coeur d’Alene; dashboard, Spokane County); IL (wastewater); IN (dashboard); KS (dashboard; wastewater, Lawrence); KY (dashboard, Louisville); LA (dashboard); MA (wastewater); MD (dashboard); ME (dashboard); MI (wastewater; wastewater); MN (dashboard); MO (wastewater); MS (dashboard); MT (dashboard); NC (dashboard); ND (dashboard; wastewater); NE (dashboard); NH (wastewater); NJ (dashboard); NM (dashboard); NV (dashboard; wastewater, Southern NV); NY (dashboard); OH (dashboard); OK (dashboard); OR (dashboard); PA (dashboard); RI (dashboard); SC (dashboard); SD (dashboard); TN (dashboard); TX (dashboard); UT (wastewater); VA (wastewater); VT (dashboard); WA (dashboard; dashboard); WI (wastewater); WV (wastewater); WY (wastewater).
Sources, Canada (Nationwide): Wastewater (Authorities of Canada).
Sources, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater); QC (les eaux usées); BC (wastewater); BC, Vancouver (wastewater).
Hat tricks to useful 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, sq. coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).
Keep protected on the market!
Airborne Transmission
“AirFanta 3Pro Overview – A Excessive-Efficiency But Reasonably priced Air Air purifier” [BreatheSafeAir]. “After having the 3Pro arrange inside my workplace for over two weeks now, I’m pleased to have the ability to current my full evaluate of the machine. For anybody unaware, this air purifier is designed to filter an enormous quantity of air (we’ll talk about the CADR and extra quickly!) at a comparatively reasonably priced worth. It does this by being primarily a pre-assembled CR (Corsi-Rosenthal) Field – a type of air air purifier that was itself created as a result of want for reasonably priced and efficient air purification units. Whereas the 3Pro doesn’t embrace the everyday DIY facet of conventional CR Packing containers, it has the benefit of getting confirmed efficiency (no want to fret about whether or not your DIY field is efficient!) and being able to exit of the field. Nevertheless, maybe my favorite facet of this machine over conventional CR Packing containers is how simply obtainable it’s. Whereas this most likely isn’t a difficulty for anybody within the U.S. or Europe, I discover it laborious to supply good HEPA filters in New Zealand at an reasonably priced worth. The 3Pro ensures I don’t run into this situation.” • Price a learn in case you’re available in the market. Perhaps a Christmas present to a beloved one you wish to preserve alive and mind damage-free?
TABLE 1: Each day Covid Charts
Lambert: CDC’s wastewater web page loaded. No Thanksgiving surge that I can see.
Wastewater | |
This week[1] CDC December 2 | Final week[2] CDC (till subsequent week): |
|
|
Variants [3] CDC December 7 | Emergency Room Visits[4] CDC November 30 |
|
|
Hospitalization | |
★ New York[5] New York State, information December 9: | Nationwide [6] CDC December 5: |
|
|
Positivity | |
Nationwide[7] Walgreens December 9: | Ohio[8] Cleveland Clinic November 23: |
|
|
Vacationers Information | |
Positivity[9] CDC November 19: | Variants[10] CDC November 4: |
|
|
Deaths | |
Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] CDC November 20: | Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] CDC November 20: |
|
|
LEGEND
1) ★ for charts new at the moment; all others will not be up to date.
2) For a full-size/full-resolution picture, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Home windows) on the chart thumbnail and “open picture in new tab.”
NOTES
[1] (CDC) Excellent news!
[2] (CDC) Final week’s wastewater map.
[3] (CDC Variants) XEC takes over. That WHO label, “Ommicron,” has carried out an amazing job normalizing successive waves of an infection.
[4] (ED) Down.
[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Leveled out.
[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Really improved; it’s now one of many few charts to point out your complete course of the pandemic to the current day.
[7] (Walgreens) Down.
[8] (Cleveland) Down.
[9] (Vacationers: Positivity) Leveling out.
[10] (Vacationers: Variants). Positivity is new, however variants haven’t but been launched.
[11] Deaths low, positivity leveling out.
[12] Deaths low, ED leveling out.
Stats Watch
Small Enterprise Optimism: “United States NFIB Enterprise Optimism Index” [Trading Economics]. “The NFIB Small Enterprise Optimism Index within the US jumped to 101.7 in November 2024, the best studying since June 2021, in comparison with 93.7 in October and beating forecasts of 94.2. Additionally it is the primary time in 34 months that the studying is above the 50-year common of 98, in response to the presidential election. “The election outcomes sign a significant shift in financial coverage, resulting in a surge in optimism amongst small enterprise house owners. Fundamental Avenue additionally grew to become extra sure about future enterprise circumstances following the election, breaking an almost three-year streak of report excessive uncertainty. House owners are significantly eager for tax and regulation insurance policies that favor sturdy financial progress in addition to aid from inflationary pressures. As well as, small enterprise house owners are desirous to develop their operations”, NFIB Chief Economist Invoice Dunkelberg.”
Manufacturing: “Unique-Boeing restarts 737 MAX manufacturing a month after strike ended, sources say” [Reuters]. “Manufacturing resumed on Friday, mentioned one of many sources, who all spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to talk with media. Boeing declined to remark. The manufacturing restart had not been beforehand reported. The pinnacle of the Federal Aviation Administration, Mike Whitaker, advised Reuters on Thursday that Boeing had not but resumed 737 MAX manufacturing however deliberate to take action later this month.”
Manufacturing: “Boeing shares leap as 737 MAX manufacturing reportedly resumes” [Sharecast]. “The inventory was up almost 5% at $164.80 by 1034 in New York, buying and selling at ranges not seen since late-August.”
Tech: “AI slop is already invading Oregon’s native journalism” [Oregon Public Broadcasting (PI)]. “The Each day Tidings seems to be the primary time an Oregon information outlet has stolen the identities of actual journalists to trick native readers with AI-generated content material. The purpose is outwardly to deceive Oregonians into giving clicks — and the ensuing advert income — to whoever is behind the web site.” • Horrid element. Theft and fraud all the best way down.
The Bezzle: Controversy–
However “the aim of a system is what it does” (Stafford Beers). The entire thread is price studying.
As we speak’s Worry & Greed Index: 51 Impartial (earlier shut: 49 Impartial) [CNN]. One week in the past: 56 (Greed). (0 is Excessive Worry; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Dec 10 at 10:48:20 AM ET.
Gallery
Seems to be like a parrot’s feathers:
Celebration by Vincent van Gogh pic.twitter.com/b9R2azkOe7
— Impressions (@impression_ists) November 28, 2024
Healthcare
Smile Nazis vs. The Adjuster:
Don’t overlook to smile.https://t.co/OC9BvQfZtt
— Donald Ward (@WardoftheStates) December 9, 2024
Inconsistencies abound:
has this man ever worn the identical jacket twice? pic.twitter.com/C9jhKNYdqW
— derek man (@dieworkwear) December 9, 2024
A J6er weighs in:
There’s no manner you actually imagine they discovered the United Healthcare CEO’s killer 5 days later & he’s nonetheless sporting the identical actual garments, has the murd3r weapon on him, & has a written manifesto in his pocket.
Simply chillin at McDonald’s with the weapon & manifesto 😂
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) December 10, 2024
Why the heck not?
❌ No, Burger King did not publish “We do not snitch.” https://t.co/8livSt5wBw pic.twitter.com/0Ltj4PRSlo
— snopes.com (@snopes) December 10, 2024
Character reference:
FWIW, we spent many of the chat discussing this essay: https://t.co/ObAVw06NTr
— Gurwinder (@G_S_Bhogal) December 9, 2024
What do our docs assume?
1/
My retired orthopedic surgeon dad:
“By no means, ever, EVER let anybody minimize your again.
It not often supplies aid.
It virtually at all times makes issues worse.
It is the Vietnam of orthopedic surgical procedure.” https://t.co/Afl4JCMQX8— BrowningMachine, Rubbish Nazi! (@BrowningMachine) December 9, 2024
The Pelosi connection:
Breaking: the UHC assassination suspect’s grandpa—WWII Navy vet & actual property dev Nick Mangione—was a buddy of Nancy Pelosi’s father, the forty first Mayor of Baltimore, who defended him as “big-hearted” regardless of human rights violation investigations & regulatory nook chopping https://t.co/4Q5Bea4FCD pic.twitter.com/ESJvCGH5T5
— ParaPower Mapping (@KlonnyPin_Gosch) December 10, 2024
Zeitgeist Watch
Guillotine Watch
“Anger at plan to show Nazi tunnels into bunker for super-rich” [Yahoo News]. Higher there than within the corridors of energy on the EU and NATO. Oh, wait…. “A German property developer has sparked outrage with a plan to show a World Struggle II tunnel system right into a luxurious bunker for wealthy survivalists who concern the outbreak of World Struggle III. Kin of the jail labourers who constructed it beneath the Nazis are aghast on the enterprise enterprise that’s providing a crypto-currency known as ‘BunkerCoin’ as entry tokens to the promised apocalypse shelter.” • In fact, Crypto.
Class Warfare
“The Tech Baron In search of to Purge San Francisco of ‘Blues’” [Gil Duran, The New Republic]. April 2024. “‘What I’m actually calling for is one thing like tech Zionism,” [Balaji Srinivasan] mentioned.” • Oh.
Information of the Wired
“Don’t throw away your printed books: A meta-analysis on the results of studying media on studying comprehension” [Educational Research Review] 2018. From the Dialogue: “The outcomes of the 2 meta-analyses within the current research yield a transparent image of display inferiority, with decrease studying comprehension outcomes for digital texts in comparison with printed texts, which corroborates and extends earlier analysis (Kong et al., 2018; Singer & Alexander, 2017b; Wang et al., 2007). These outcomes had been constant throughout methodologies and theoretical frameworks.” And: ” our outcomes point out that the display inferiority impact has elevated prior to now 18 years, and that there have been no variations in media results between age teams. These shocking findings recommend that we can not idly look forward to display inferiority to vanish as youngsters are uncovered to digital units earlier and earlier of their lives, as adults acquire extra expertise with the know-how, or as know-how improves. The info recommend that display inferiority is a significant problem throughout age teams that turns into extra extreme because the presence of know-how will increase.” • Actually conforms to my priors!
Contact info for vegetation: Readers, be happy to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn the way to ship me a verify if you’re allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn the way to ship me pictures of vegetation. Greens are nice! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary vegetation! If you would like your deal with to look as a credit score, please place it in the beginning of your mail in parentheses: (thus). In any other case, I’ll anonymize by utilizing your initials. See the earlier Water Cooler (with plant) right here. From EM:
Gentle on the finish of the tunnel?
Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not lined by the annual NC fundraiser. Materials right here is Lambert’s, and doesn’t categorical the views of the Bare Capitalism website. When you see a hyperlink you particularly like, or an merchandise you wouldn’t see wherever else, please don’t hesitate to specific your appreciation in tangible kind. Bear in mind, a tip jar is for tipping! Common constructive suggestions each makes me really feel good and lets me know I’m heading in the right direction with protection. Once I get no donations for 3 or 4 days I get frightened. Extra tangibly, a relentless trickle of donations helps me with bills, and I think about that trickle when setting fundraising targets:
Right here is the display that may seem, which I’ve helpfully annotated:
When you hate PayPal, you’ll be able to e mail me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will provide you with instructions on how one can ship a verify. Thanks!