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By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
Hen Music of the Day
Inventory Dove, Wieswald, Freising, Bayern, Germany. Tons happening, together with a woodpecker.
Politics
“So most of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are actually a rational administration of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles
Capitol Seizure
“Biden’s Valley Forge Theater and the Unraveling of Jan 6” [Declassified with Julie Kelly]. “[Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), chairman of a subcommittee of the House Administration Committee examining all things J6] stated his workers is getting ready a full account of January 6 together with the involvement of paid agitators, legislation enforcement and intelligence failures, and the development of the so-called ‘gallows’ that produced so many chilling optics from that day. ‘You’ve bought the gallows, the well-known gallows, that have been erected on the west entrance of the Capitol that they like to painting in all of their committee hearings. Because it seems, these gallows have been erected…at like 5:30 or 6 o’clock earlier than the solar ever got here up. ?’ We, after all, know why: so Democrats and the media can fake that white supremacists, summoning the times of slavery, deliberate to hold those who afternoon. In truth, Biden used a clip of the January 6 gallows in his new marketing campaign advert as proof of an ‘extremist motion’ in America. Nearly just like the day was supposed to gas the ‘extremist’ narrative properly into the 2024 election…” • Not shopping for the “allowed to remain up” rhetorical query (although it will be good to know who put them and why). They remained up as a result of the contributors didn’t take them down. Certainly Kelly didn’t count on the Capitol police to try this?
“A whole bunch of convictions, however a significant thriller remains to be unsolved 3 years after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot” [Associated Press]. “One of many largest remaining mysteries surrounding the riot is the id of the one who positioned two pipe bombs exterior the workplaces of the Republican and Democratic nationwide committees the day earlier than the Capitol assault. Final 12 months, authorities elevated the reward to as much as $500,000 for info resulting in the individual’s arrest. It stays unclear whether or not there was a connection between the pipe bombs and the riot. Investigators have spent 1000’s of hours during the last three years doing interviews and brushing by way of proof and suggestions from the general public, stated David Sundberg, assistant director accountable for the FBI Washington Discipline Workplace…. The explosive gadgets have been positioned exterior the 2 buildings between 7:30 p.m. and eight:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021, however officers didn’t discover them till the following day. Authorities have been known as to the Republican Nationwide Committee’s workplace round 12:45 p.m. on Jan. 6. Shortly after, a name got here in for the same explosive gadget discovered on the Democratic Nationwide Committee headquarters. The bombs have been rendered secure, and nobody was harm. Video launched by the FBI exhibits an individual in a grey hooded sweatshirt, a face masks and gloves showing to put one of many explosives underneath a bench exterior the DNC and individually exhibits the individual strolling in an alley close to the RNC earlier than the bomb was positioned there. The individual wore black and lightweight grey Nike Air Max Pace Turf sneakers with a yellow brand.” • Odd. Jogs my memory of the anthrax scare on Capitol Hill after 9/11.
Biden Administration
“Scoop: Zients plans morale booster for White Home workers” [Axios]. “White Home chief of workers Jeff Zients is throwing an off-campus social gathering for a whole bunch of Biden staffers to have fun their final three years — and metal the crew for the ultimate dash forward of the election, Axios has realized….. After the primary two years of COVID-19 precautions, Zients has moved to revive a way of normalcy to the White Home…. Zients has been urgent Cupboard secretaries to interrupt their staffs’ cussed work-from-home habits.” • “you ever simply ‘there’s pizza within the break room’ your means out of genocide”
“SBF’s Victory From Behind Bars” [The Lever]. “The cryptocurrency trade landed certainly one of its most desired prizes final month when regulators at a small however probably pivotal federal company allowed a little-known cryptocurrency firm to supervise all features of brokering, facilitating, and clearing trades of its digital property. Regulators and specialists say the transfer, which got here after thousands and thousands have been spent in lobbying in 2023 alone, may endanger buyer property and stifle competitors, in addition to set a harmful precedent that would arrange this and different monetary markets for spectacular collapse. The Dec. 13 approval of the appliance from Bitnomial, a small Chicago-based crypto derivatives firm, is the primary time the Commodity Futures Buying and selling Fee (CFTC) has accredited any monetary establishment to vertically combine as an alternate, dealer, and clearinghouse, with out doing so by way of firm acquisitions. In most monetary markets, the obligations for various capabilities are dealt with by separate entities to stop conflicts of curiosity and guarantee market stability. One entity runs the alternate the place monetary devices are traded; one other is a dealer which performs transactions on behalf of shoppers; and one other clears, or validates, the transactions earlier than they undergo. The approval of Bitnomial’s utility comes after years of cryptocurrency pursuits — most prominently, convicted monetary fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried — cozying as much as CFTC regulators and pushing to make sure all federal crypto rules are dealt with by the fee. The CFTC’s restricted dimension and funding may result in laxer oversight, in comparison with rules from the way more aggressive and highly effective Securities and Change Fee (SEC).”
“One other political cover-up at Biden’s DOJ” [Washington Examiner]. “In December 2022, a federal grand jury returned indictments on a number of counts in opposition to Democratic megadonor and Massachusetts Institute of Know-how graduate Bankman-Fried. Along with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and conspiracy to commit cash laundering, Bankman-Fried was additionally charged with conspiracy to defraud the Federal Election Fee and commit marketing campaign finance violations. Throughout extradition proceedings, the Bahamas rejected the marketing campaign finance prices in opposition to Bankman-Fried, and his protection legal professional then filed a movement in federal courtroom to take away them from the indictment since worldwide legislation bars prosecution for crimes not accredited of by nations that comply with extradite a suspect. Prosecutors went ahead with the prosecution of the opposite prices, and Bankman-Fried was convicted on all counts in November. A brand new trial was scheduled to start this March on the marketing campaign finance prices, however in a letter dated Dec. 29, the Friday earlier than New 12 months’s Day, President Joe Biden’s DOJ introduced it was dropping the second trial. DOJ officers stated there’s a “robust public curiosity in immediate decision of this matter” that may be undermined by ready till March for a brand new trial. The company stated a second trial wouldn’t change Bankman-Fried’s punishment as a result of U.S. sentencing tips permit judges to think about all conduct and proof of the marketing campaign finance cost was offered on the first trial.” • I’d have thought there was a “robust public curiosity” in figuring out the names of each member of the political class, together with the press, that SBF purchased. Guess nt!
2024
Lower than a 12 months to go!
* * * “Trump’s Race for the White Home Runs By means of the Courtroom” [Bloomberg]. “Again and again, Trump has forged himself as a sufferer. And again and again, his supporters have responded with donations. Trump promptly raised $15.4 million after he was indicted in New York over funds to Stormy Daniels, the porn star; $4.5 million after he was indicted in Miami over withholding categorised paperwork; and $7.1 million after he was arraigned in Georgia on prices associated to his try to overturn the 2020 election.” • Useful chart:
Might be the identical “Pied Piper” technique as 2016, I suppose (and 2022 additionally, with a 53% success price).
“Teamsters chief, Trump meet as union weighs 2024 presidential race” [Reuters]. “Donald Trump met with the top of the Teamsters on Wednesday and made plans to satisfy with rank-and-file members later this month as he seeks the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, the previous president and the union stated in statements. Sean O’Brien, president of the Worldwide Brotherhood of Teamsters, and Trump had ‘an in-depth and productive dialogue on employee points most necessary to the Teamsters Union,’the labor group, which represents 1.3 million staff from truckers and police to nurses and movie crews, stated in a put up on the X social media platform.”
“Trump obtained thousands and thousands of {dollars} from international governments whereas president, Home Democrats allege” [USA Today]. “Former President Donald Trump unconstitutionally profited from the presidency throughout his tenure within the White Home, reaping thousands and thousands of {dollars} for his enterprise empire from international governments, Home Democrats allege in an in depth report. Democrats on the Home Oversight Committee launched a 156-page report Thursday morning accusing Trump of exploiting the presidency to financially profit himself and members of his household. Trump’s companies, based on the report, obtained at the very least $7.8 million from corrupt and authoritarian governments together with China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The report is the end result of a virtually seven-year investigation. It says records and paperwork obtained by Home Oversight Democrats reveal ‘a shocking internet of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in funds made by international governments and their brokers on to Trump-owned companies, whereas President Trump was within the White Home.’” • When will Republicans perceive {that a} layer of indirection solved every thing? Arrange a basis!
* * * “Joe Biden Makes Saving Democracy the Heart of His Marketing campaign” [The New Yorker]. “In a phone name with reporters on January 2nd, the highest officers in Biden’s reëlection marketing campaign mentioned their political technique. They talked about supporting abortion rights, mobilizing minority voters, and constructing an economic system that advantages the center class, however their overriding theme was {that a} Biden victory is important to protect American democracy…. Their argument is that the momentum will begin to shift as soon as voters are confronted with a concrete selection between one other 4 years of Biden and a second Trump Presidency by which the latter’s need for revenge could be unleashed, and his management over the Republican Occasion in Congress could be nearly full.” • I don’t suppose Trump or anyone with a voice could make this argument, however the Democrats are the voice of the PMC. Not one of the programs that the PMC are accountable for operating are doing very properly, at the very least should you’re a boring regular: Not healthcare, not increased training, not highschool and grade college, not the legislation, not scientists, not administration normally, not one. I’ve been listening to some horror tales on the healthcare system recently; I’d be very glad to take “revenge” on the individuals operating it; in a means, that’s just like the assault that the “achieve of perform” crowd are making, inchoate from a category perspective, sadly.
“Can Joe Biden Pull Off a Harry Truman?” [Ed Kilgore, New York Magazine]. “Biden is dealing with dissension in his social gathering’s ranks however not the kind of formal crack-up that led to not one however two competing ex-Democratic presidential tickets in 1948: the States’ Rights Democratic (a.ok.a. Dixiecrat) ticket led by Strom Thurmond, which attracted southern segregationists, and ex-Vice-President Henry Wallace’s left-bent Progressives. Biden additionally suffers from a dyspeptic post-pandemic public temper that’s comparable in some respects to the angst afflicting Individuals after the euphoric unity of World Struggle II. That’s unhealthy for any incumbent president. However Truman had the extra handicap of his social gathering having managed the White Home for 16 years, the longest stretch because the put up–Civil Struggle period of Republican dominance. Right now, the USA is in an prolonged interval of outstanding stability between the 2 main events, which have every held the presidency for precisely half of the twenty first century and shared management of Congress as usually as not. However an important distinction between 1948 and 2024 is the id of the probably Republican nominee. Sure, Dewey was a repeat nominee as Trump might be, having run a decent if shedding marketing campaign in opposition to FDR in 1944. However Dewey, who was the governor of New York, was as distant from Trump in his temperament and ideological inclinations as is feasible to think about.” • The analogy appears fanciful to me. The America of 1948 will not be the America of 2024.
“North Carolina goes all in with DNC in having Biden alone on major poll, flouting Democrat challengers” [FOX]. “North Carolina’s election board unanimously determined Tuesday to simply accept the state Democratic Occasion’s request to have President Biden because the lone Democrat presidential candidate. ” • “Our democracy.”
“Hunter Biden’s ‘sugar brother’ Kevin Morris plots gauzy documentary on first son” [New York Post]. “First son Hunter Biden’s so-called ‘sugar brother,’ Hollywood legal professional Kevin Morris, is backing a soft-focus documentary on the disgraced and indicted presidential offspring…. A movie crew has been trailing Hunter, 53, for years and was most not too long ago noticed recording the primary son publicly defying a subpoena from the Home Oversight Committee to sit down for a deposition Dec. 13. The Put up has additionally famous the presence of cameras across the Biden scion, together with when Hunter cozied as much as certainly one of our reporters at a December 2022 displaying off his surprisingly dear work at Soho’s Georges Berges gallery. The crew additionally popped up on the identical gallery within the fall of 2021, on the very first public displaying by the world’s most well-compensated beginner artist. Morris even took his cameras all the way in which to Serbia, the place the crew crashed the set the place filmmaker Phelim McAleer was capturing “My Son Hunter,” a flick mocking the Biden household that was distributed by Breitbart in September 2022. The Eire-born McAleer instructed the LA Instances he allowed Morris and his crew to movie on their set for just a few days and even went out to dinner together with his adversary. At one level, the director stated, Morris started asking him questions alongside the strains of ‘What was the historical past of the laptop computer? What did I do know in regards to the historical past of the laptop computer?’ ‘He was on the market on the lookout for info and proof for his consumer whereas he was pretending to be one thing he was not,’ McAleer claimed.” • Why on earth do that? I imply, Hunter’s art work is an apparent cash laundering operation, however presumably that’s not on movie. Proper?
* * * “Watch high moments in Nikki Haley’s Iowa city corridor, from torching Trump to defending latest feedback” [FOX]. “‘I defeat Biden by 17 factors,’ Haley stated, referencing one latest ballot and noting it confirmed she would carry out higher than Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one other Republican candidate, in a hypothetical November contest in opposition to Biden. ‘When you win by double digits, you go into Washington with a mandate… It’s time to transfer previous President Trump.’ Haley argued that ‘chaos follows’ Trump and that she could be the generational chief ‘that leaves negativity and baggage behind.’ Nevertheless, she later defended her intention to pardon Trump ought to he be convicted of any crime, and stated a few of the prosecutions the previous president is presently dealing with in Georgia, Washington, D.C. and New York have been ‘politically motivated.’”
“Ron DeSantis criticizes Nikki Haley as ‘phony’ in remaining days earlier than Iowa caucuses” [Washington Times]. “[DeSantis] additionally sought to as soon as once more strain Haley over whether or not she would settle for Trump’s provide to be his operating mate if he have been to win the nomination. ‘She’s the darling of the By no means Trumpers. And but when she’s requested, ‘OK, will you simply categorically put this to mattress and say you’ll not settle for the vice presidential nomination?’ She is not going to reply that query,’ DeSantis stated. Haley’s marketing campaign beforehand instructed the Washington Examiner that ‘Nikki has been very clear from day one, she doesn’t play for second.’”
* * * “World famend humanitarian”:
=
I dunno; possibly RFK Jr. is on to one thing; see this wild hypothesis on “the grief system” right here.
* * * “Biden vs. Trump Is the Race Voters Need. Actually.” [Washington Monthly]. “For months, headlines have instructed us that almost all Individuals don’t need the 2024 presidential marketing campaign to be a rematch of Joe Biden versus Donald Trump. And but each candidates are lapping their respective fields in major polling…. Lower than three weeks from now, after Iowa’s January 15 caucuses and New Hampshire’s January 23 major, don’t be stunned if all vital challengers to Trump and Biden throw within the towel…. Why is that this taking place? Perhaps it’s as a result of Biden and Trump actually are the candidates we’ve wished all alongside…. That is for good motive. Whereas the foremost events are, as at all times, coalitions of pursuits with some range of views, Trump and Biden precisely replicate the emotions of their events…. In almost each presidential election, most impartial voters acknowledge that they’re successfully confronted with a binary selection between the Republican and Democratic candidates, though neither completely aligns with their views. They could grouse about it, however most rebuff third-party selections for a very good motive: Presidential binary selections are wholesome for democracy. Voters ought to be capable to articulate which normal route they need their nation to go with out having that selection confused by spoiler candidates.” • Simply ask James Buchanan!
“The Unpredictable However Totally Potential Occasions That May Throw 2024 Into Turmoil” [Politico]. “international pandemic. A siege on the Capitol. A actuality TV star within the White Home. In simply the previous couple of years, we’ve watched the unthinkable grow to be actual. We expect we now have a agency grasp on what’s to return, in politics and past, after which one thing gigantic and surprising occurs. With that in thoughts, maybe we have to deploy a tad extra creativeness earlier than assuming we all know what’s going to occur in 2024. It actually seems to be like we’re headed towards a rematch of Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden and a bitterly contested, shut normal election. However, if latest historical past is a information, one thing surprising may very well be proper across the nook.” I believed the primary hypothesis was the most probably: “[E]fforts to subvert the election may very well be profitable and will come from quite a lot of actors — from cyberattacks, deep fakes and disinformation, bodily assaults on the election course of and oversight, and/or mass unrest, violent intervention and even terrorism to disrupt voting on Nov. 5. . I wasn’t fearful a couple of coup again on Jan. 6, and I don’t see any approach to overturn this coming 12 months’s election both. However disrupting the 2024 U.S. election strikes me as believable and deeply regarding.” • We are inclined to overlook that though Trump butchered his makes an attempt to show election theft in 2020, the system is kind of weak (and in my opinion, insider threats from both social gathering or the spooks are far, way more probably than threats from Russia, Iran or North Korea).
* * *
Republican Funhouse
“Calmes: 2023 was the 12 months of the do-nothing Home Republicans. In 2024, they’ll do worse than nothing” [Jackie Calmes, Los Angeles Times]. “Repeatedly in 2023, we noticed the dysfunction of the MAGA Republicans who narrowly took management of the Home final January, making that chamber nearly ungovernable and yielding one of many least productive years in Congress’ historical past. Only a couple dozen principally minor payments grew to become legislation, a fraction of the same old quantity. The Home and Senate broke for the vacations nonetheless bloodied from the unfinished sausage-making. To borrow one other lawmaker metaphor, they kicked the can down the street — cans, plural — into 2024. But settlement on lingering points — spending, Ukraine support, immigration — hardly comes extra simply in an election 12 months; the distractions of the presidential primaries begin this month, in Iowa and New Hampshire. Then there’s the Home Republicans’ biggest distraction of all: their top-priority push to question President Biden, on grounds nonetheless TBD. What we’re in for in 2024 is extra of the misrule that outcomes when certainly one of our two main events morphs from a small-government social gathering into an unabashedly anti-government bloc.”
Democrats en Déshabillé
“Harry Dunn, Capitol Police officer on Jan. 6, proclaims run for Congress” [ABC]. “Harry Dunn, who struggled to defend the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and has been probably the most outspoken members of legislation enforcement to sentence the assault, introduced Friday that he’s operating for Congress. Dunn, who resigned as a Capitol Police officer final month, stated he’s operating as a Democrat to characterize Maryland’s third Congressional District, which incorporates a number of Maryland counties exterior Baltimore. He’s operating to exchange Democrat Rep. John Sarbanes, who will not be looking for reelection. Friday morning on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe,’ Dunn stated he needs to ‘battle again and be capable to push again in opposition to the individuals in Congress proper now that I spent the final 15 years of my life defending. And I wish to function their equal, as their colleague I desire a voice on the desk.’” • Picture:
Furrowed forehead, bald head: The Rock, completely. So why not?
#COVID19
“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
Assets, 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 knowledge). “An infection Management, Emergency Administration, Security, and Basic Ideas” (particularly on hospitalization by metropolis).
Lambert right here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To replace any entry, do be at liberty to contact me on the tackle given with the vegetation. Please put “COVID” within the topic line. Thanks!
Assets, 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 stories); 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 (dashboard); VT (dashboard); WA (dashboard; dashboard); WI (wastewater); WV (wastewater); WY (wastewater).
Assets, Canada (Nationwide): Wastewater (Authorities of Canada).
Assets, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater); QC (les eaux usées); BC (wastewater); BC, Vancouver (wastewater).
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Keep secure on the market!
Maskstravaganza
Not simply trend, branding:
My husband’s office bought BRANDED/MONOGRAMMED PPE masks made for his or her staff. How COOL is THAT?!
Think about if extra orgs did this:
You go to Disneyland, scan your tickets, & they allow you to decide a cute N95 respirator collectable w/ your fav character on it to put on within the park?!
— waysidewhelp (@waysidewhelp) January 5, 2024
That apparent business prospects like this weren’t seized upon exhibits how highly effective the anti-mask taboo (?) has been…
Immune Dysregulation
I would like some proof from inside China on this, nevertheless it positive is fascinating:
(Mix that with cleansing the air, and also you might need one thing.) The complete thread is properly value a learn.
Transmission
“What a WoW digital outbreak taught us about how people behave in epidemics” [Ars Technica]. From 2020, nonetheless germane. “The Corrupted Blood outbreak was not intentional. In 2005, Blizzard Leisure added a brand new dungeon known as Zul’Gurub into World of Warcraft for extremely superior gamers, managed by an “finish boss” named Hakkar. Hakkar was a blood god referred to as the Soulflayer, who had, amongst his arsenal of weapons, a “debuff” spell known as “Corrupted Blood.” Contaminated gamers would undergo injury at common repeating intervals, draining away their “hit factors” till their avatars exploded in a cloud of blood. The one remedy was to kill Hakkar. Blizzard thought this may make sure the an infection wouldn’t unfold past that area. They have been improper. Relatively than standing their floor, many contaminated gamers panicked, teleporting out of the dungeon earlier than dying or killing Hakkar, and taking the illness with them. And decrease rating gamers, with fewer hit factors, would “die” in a short time upon publicity. The most important issue within the speedy unfold of the illness was a glitch within the programming, such that non-playable animal companions additionally grew to become contaminated. They didn’t present signs, however they have been carriers and ended up spreading the illness even sooner….. In the long run, at the very least three servers have been affected, and Blizzard needed to reboot all the recreation to appropriate the issue.” • If solely we may reboot Planet Earth…
Sequelae
These numbers are… not good:
Clip 1 (Rae Duncan) “Three or extra SARS-COV2 infections have a 38% threat of getting lengthy covid.” https://t.co/ZCELZ2DvSj
“Again in April 2023 Dr Tedros very clearly and publicly said that an estimated one in 10 SARS-COV2 infections is leading to post-covid situation, that is not…
— Peter Vogel (@psvbluemts) January 4, 2024
Elite Maleficence
Can any readers discover the supply for these terribly frank remarks by Pfizer’s Angela Hwang?
Pfizer’s group president, on an earnings name in 2022, stated Pfizer ‘thinks rather a lot about producing demand for paxlovid’ and ‘the removing of masks mandates means covid infections will enhance and that is the function paxlovid can play’ pic.twitter.com/byMho7thYd
— Nate Bear (@NateB_Panic) January 4, 2024
Case Information
From BioBot wastewater knowledge, January 5:
Lambert right here: Nonetheless going up. As a very “intestine really feel” tapewatcher, I’d count on this peak to satisfy or exceed the 2 earlier Biden peaks; in any case, we haven’t actually begun the following bout of vacation journey, or the following rounds of celebrations. Plus college students haven’t come from from college, after which returned. So a better peak appears just about “baked in.” And that’s earlier than we get to new variants, like JN.1. The true factor to observe is the slope of the curve. If it begins to go vertical, and if it retains on doing so, then maintain onto your hats.
Lambert right here: Known as it. Impressively, the Biden administration has now blown by way of all earlier information, with the only exception of the Omicron, the highest of the leaderboard, a report additionally set by itself. Congratulations to the Biden crew! I do know lots of people suppose the height will come within the subsequent two weeks or so; I’d like to listen to at the very least some anecdotal proof of that past the fashions (as a result of recall JN.1, whose peak that is, is extraordinarily infectious).
Regional knowledge:
Regional break up continues. What’s extra worrisome is that the slope of the curve within the Northeast bought steeper (though, as ever, Biobot knowledge is topic to backward revision).
Variants
From CDC, January 6:
Lambert right here: JN.1 now dominates. That was quick.
CDC: “As of Could 11, genomic surveillance knowledge might be reported biweekly, primarily based on the provision of optimistic check specimens.” “Biweeekly: 1. occurring each two weeks. 2. occurring twice every week; semiweekly.” Appears like CDC has chosen sense #1. In essence, they’re telling us variants are nothing to fret about. Time will inform.
Covid Emergency Room Visits
NOT UPDATED From CDC NCIRD Surveillance, December 30:
Lambert: Return to upward motion. Solely every week’s lag, so this can be our greatest present nationwide, present indicator.
NOTE “Charts and knowledge offered by CDC, updates Wednesday by 8am. For the previous 12 months, utilizing a rolling 52-week interval.” So not all the pandemic, FFS (the implicit message right here being that Covid is “identical to the flu,” which is why the seasonal “rolling 52-week interval” is suitable for eachMR SUBLIMINAL I hate these individuals a lot. Discover additionally that this chart exhibits, at the very least for its time interval, that Covid is not seasonal, though CDC is making an attempt to get us to imagine that it’s, presumably to allow them to piggyback on the prevailing institutional equipment for injections. And naturally, we’re not even entering into the standard of the wastewater websites that we now have as a proxy for Covid an infection general.
Hospitalization
Bellwether New York Metropolis, knowledge as of January 4:
Lambert right here: I nonetheless don’t just like the slope of that curve, and spot we’re approaching earlier peak ranges (granted, not 2020 or 2022, however respectable).
Right here’s a unique CDC visualization on hospitalization, nationwide, not by state, however with a date, at the very least. December 30:
Transferring forward briskly!
Lambert right here: “Maps, charts, and knowledge offered by CDC, updates weekly for the earlier MMWR week (Sunday-Saturday) on Thursdays (Deaths, Emergency Division Visits, Take a look at Positivity) and weekly the next Mondays (Hospitalizations) by 8 pm ET†”. So the place the heck is the replace, CDC?
Positivity
Lambert right here: Discover that for each Walgreens and the Cleveland Clinic, that though the proportion of positives is secure, absolutely the numbers have vastly elevated; Walgreen’s doubled. This speaks properly of individuals; they’re getting examined earlier than the vacations (and in face of a shit*tstorm barrage of propaganda and peer strain to attenuate, too).
NOT UPDATED From Walgreens, January 2:
1.1%. Up. (It might be fascinating to survey this inhabitants typically; these are individuals who, regardless of a tsunami of official propaganda and large peer strain, went and bought examined anyhow.)
NOT UPDATED From Cleveland Clinic, December 30:
Lambert right here: Proportion plateaued. Absolute numbers steadily growing.
• You, Cleveland Clinic:
After 36 hrs in ER, mother was lastly moved to a hospital room.
I introduced in a HEPA air air purifier since docs & nurses & workers & different sufferers aren’t masking and there’s no air flow/filtration information out there. @ClevelandClinic made me unplug & take dwelling the HEPA.
WTF 🤬
— TrekkerTeach (@trekkerteach12) January 4, 2024
NOT UPDATED From CDC, traveler’s knowledge, December 11:
Turning down.
Down, albeit within the rear view mirror. And listed here are the variants for vacationers, December 4:
BA.2.86 again up, completely dominant. This may be an amazing early warning system, if the warning have been actually early, as an alternative of weeks late, good job, CDC.
Deaths
NOT UPDATED Right here is the New York Instances, primarily based on CDC knowledge, December 23:
Stats Watch
Employment State of affairs: “United States Unemployment Fee” [Trading Economics]. “The unemployment price in the USA held at 3.7% in December 2023, unchanged from the earlier month and barely beneath the market consensus of three.8%, influenced by a slowdown in new entries into the labor pressure.”
Providers: “United States ISM Providers PMI” [Trading Economics]. “The ISM Providers PMI unexpectedly fell to 50.6 in December 2023, the bottom studying in seven months.”
Manufacturing: “Boeing needs FAA to exempt MAX 7 from security guidelines to get it within the air” [Dominic Gates, Seattle Times]. “Little seen, days earlier than the vacation break, Boeing petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration for an exemption from key security requirements for the 737 MAX 7 — the still-uncertified smallest member of its latest jet household. Since August, earlier fashions of the MAX presently flying passengers within the U.S. have needed to restrict use of the jet’s engine anti-ice system after Boeing found a defect within the system with probably catastrophic penalties. The flaw may trigger the inlet on the entrance finish of the pod surrounding the engine — referred to as a nacelle — to interrupt and fall off. In an August Airworthiness Directive, the FAA said that particles from such a breakup may penetrate the fuselage, placing passengers seated at home windows behind the wings in peril, and will injury the wing or tail of the airplane, ‘which may end in lack of management of the airplane.”…. In its petition to the FAA, Boeing argues the breakup of the engine nacelle is ‘extraordinarily inconceivable’ and that an exemption is not going to scale back security…. [W]ithout an exemption from present security rules, the FAA can’t approve the ultimate two MAX fashions, the MAX 7 and MAX 10, to fly passengers.” • One thing for the brand new CEO to take care of? (It’s kind of superb to see a nationwide champion like Boeing within the strategy of destroying itself — and the nation, too.)
Tech: “Microsoft is including a brand new key to PC keyboards for the primary time since 1994” [Ars Technica]. “Microsoft pushed all through 2023 to add generative AI capabilities to its software program, even extending its new Copilot AI assistant to Home windows 10 late final 12 months. Now, these efforts to remodel PCs at a software program degree is extending to the {hardware}: Microsoft is including a devoted Copilot key to PC keyboards, adjusting the usual Home windows keyboard structure for the primary time because the Home windows key first appeared on its Pure Keyboard in 1994.” • What’s a the icon? A paperclip?
Right now’s Concern & Greed Index: 73 Greed (earlier shut: 74 Greed) [CNN]. One week in the past: 75 (Excessive Greed). (0 is Excessive Concern; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Jan 5 at 1:46:57 PM ET.
The Gallery
“What Do You Do When Something Goes?” [Artforum]. “Now we have moved from an artwork world by which it’s merely not possible for a urinal to be artwork to an artwork world by which this explicit urinal is artwork, and by which something could be artwork. You may make sculpture out of fats and felt in case you are Joseph Beuys. You may make Conceptual artwork out of a sentence typewritten on a chunk of paper in case you are Robert Barry. You may make artwork actually out of something. …. When did this passage occur? How did it occur? The place are the artwork historical past books that inform that story? I haven’t discovered any. And but the distinction between an artwork world by which, to ensure that one thing to be artwork, it needs to be a portray or a sculpture or a poem or a chunk of music, and so forth., to an artwork world by which any materials object, something that has bodily, sensory existence, could be promoted to artwork—that passage is as radical because the passage from a monarchy to a republic. (It’s an analogy.) How do you move from a monarchy to a republic? Not by a monarchy morphing insensibly right into a republic. That doesn’t work. There needs to be a revolution or at the very least an abdication of the king or the queen, and at some point you get up a citizen and now not a topic. It’s as not possible to easily morph the Beaux-Arts system into the Artwork-in-Basic system as it’s to easily morph a monarchy right into a republic. Artwork historical past conceived because the historical past of types and actions doesn’t account for a radical break of this type. The break occurred, and it’s invisible, it’s not been recorded by artwork historical past books. Two chapters dedicated to the invention of non-art tackle this situation and provides a solution. Non-art will not be Duchamp’s invention, neither is it the Dadaists’. It’s a byproduct of the French Beaux-Arts system, which slowly emerged to the floor of consciousness like a photographic print in a shower of developer till, with Fountain, Duchamp registered the breakdown of the Beaux-Arts.” • Hmm.
Groves of Academe
Probably not a joke:
The president fired the provost. You must discover $485,000 within the American Research division funds for his or her wage.
— Affiliate Deans (@ass_deans) January 5, 2024
Zeitgeist Watch
“If Cash Doesn’t Make You Blissful Then You Most likely Aren’t Spending It Proper” (PDF) [Elizabeth W. Dunn, Daniel T. Gilbert, Timothy D. Wilson]. “The connection between cash and happiness is surprisingly weak, which can stem partially from the way in which individuals spend it. Drawing on empirical analysis, we suggest eight rules designed to assist customers get extra happiness for his or her cash. Particularly, we recommend that customers ought to (1) purchase extra experiences and fewer materials items; (2) use their cash to profit others quite than themselves; (3) purchase many small pleasures quite than fewer giant ones; (4) eschew prolonged warranties and different types of overpriced insurance coverage; (5) delay consumption; (6) think about how peripheral options of their purchases could have an effect on their day-to-day lives; (7) watch out for comparability buying; and (8) pay shut consideration to the happiness of others.” • Shoppers, eh? What in regards to the rich?
Class Warfare
“Marxist bros”:
you’re telling me marxist bros did this????
utilizing manufacturing to drive rural peasants to cities and do value-added labor with machines? rattling pic.twitter.com/VDrzQ7PqIU
— Albert Pinto (@70sBachchan) March 13, 2023
Information of the Wired
“A Compelling Idea to Clarify a Key Trait of Trendy People” [Resilience]. “Paleoanthropologist Curtis Marean has developed a complete rationalization primarily based on a synthesis of analysis and archaeological proof for what propelled H. sapiens to go away Africa about 70,000 years in the past and colonize each a part of the world, changing different present hominin populations. Key to the method is ‘hyperprosociality,’ by which Marean means the flexibility to cooperate with people who find themselves not family members. This in flip requires the usage of symbolism in language and cultural communication, together with artwork. Paradoxically, hyperprosociality produces cooperation amongst unrelated people on the identical time that it fosters battle to guard territory and meals…. The on-the-ground proof helps the emergence of hyperprosociality. The interplay of bands of individuals could be inferred from technologically superior courting strategies that may monitor the actions of a person, group, or artifact from its hometown to a different location. Different strategies, equivalent to chemical evaluation of supplies and instruments in distant areas, counsel proof of a community of teams that collaborated. ‘The proof in Eurasia for such constructions and networks,’ Marean writes, ‘is current solely after the dispersal of recent people.’ The adaptive shift to hyperprosociality as a trait occurred in Africa as teams started making use of ‘dense and predictable sources,’ Marean says. Together with this improved food plan got here the setting of territorial borders to safe the sources, and the ensuing battle with rivals for the meals provide. The mandatory cooperation with non-kinfolk for protection functions led, in flip, to circumstances that favored robust evolutionary ‘choice for hyperprosocial proclivities,’ he writes. Cooperation between bands of individuals advanced into the primary ‘ethnolinguistic’ teams.” • Maybe SARS-CoV-2 is leveraging our “hyperprosociality”?
Contact info for vegetation: Readers, be at liberty to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn the way to ship me a examine in case you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn the way to ship me pictures of vegetation. Greens are high quality! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary vegetation! In order for you your deal with to seem as a credit score, please place it at 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 TH:
TH writes: “That is Parry’s Phacelia, a species of Overlook-Me-Not distinctive to California and Baja California, or so I’ve learn.”
• Type readers, I nonetheless not fully snug that I’ve sufficient vegetation within the queue. Snow-covered bushes! Icy flowers! The autumn harvest! Autumn leaves! Final 12 months’s wildflowers! Additionally, after all, honorary vegetation like fungi and lichen! Algae! Pots in your kitchen windowsill
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Right here is the display screen that can seem, which I’ve helpfully annotated:
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