2:00PM Water Cooler 5/13/2024 | bare capitalism

By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Affected person readers, that is an abbreviated Water Cooler as a result of I would like to complete up a publish on Apple’s “Crush” Advert and finance capitalism. –lambert P.S. A reader corrected a Covid Sources entry in a remark, and for the lifetime of me I can’t discover it. Might I ask this reader to remark as soon as extra? Thanks!

Chook Track of the Day

Ventriloquial Oriole, Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia.

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Politics

“So lots of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in reality a rational administration of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles

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2024

Lower than a half a 12 months to go!

RCP Ballot Averages, Might 10:

Nationwide outcomes now transferring Trump’s means. The entire Swing States (extra right here) are actually in Trump’s column, together with Michigan and Wisconsin. Pennsylvania leans extra Trump this week than final. In fact, it goes with out saying that these are all state polls, subsequently unhealthy, and many of the outcomes are throughout the margin of error. Now, if both candidate begins breaking away in factors, as a substitute of tenths of a degree…. NOTE I modified the notation: Up and down arrows for will increase or decreases over final week, circles for no change. Pink = Trump. Blue can be Biden if he have been main wherever, however he isn’t.

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Trump (R) (Bragg/Merchan): “Trump hush cash trial: A timeline of key occasions within the case” [Associated Press]. First key occasion: “January 2005: Trump marries his present spouse, Melania.” • Hmm. Helpful, although!

Trump (R) (Bragg/Merchan): “Michael Cohen: A difficult star witness in Donald Trump’s hush cash trial” [Associated Press]. “In felony trials, many witnesses come to the stand with their very own felony information, relationships with defendants, prior contradictory statements or one thing else that would have an effect on their credibility. Cohen has a specific set of bags. In testimony, he might want to clarify his prior disavowals of key features of the hush cash preparations and to persuade jurors that this time he’s telling the reality, the entire fact and nothing however the fact.”

Trump (R) (Bragg/Merchan): “Stormy Daniels Takes the Stand” [Lawfare]. From their dwell weblog, the protection, questioning Jeff McConney, Trump Group controller: “Bove, nevertheless, doesn’t get sidetracked. Funds to attorneys are for authorized bills, proper? Sure. And also you booked these bills as authorized bills, proper? Sure. You not often had conversations with President Trump, proper? Very not often. And also you by no means gave him a tour of the accounting system, did you? Proper. Did [Trump Organization CFO Alan] Weisselberg ever recommend that Trump advised him to do this stuff? No, McConney says. He by no means advised him that.” • Hate the supply, however it’s a very good dwell weblog. Price a learn.

Trump (R) (Bragg/Merchan): “Stormy Daniels Steps Down” [Lawfare]. • Many inconsistences in Daniels story, however substantive?

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Biden (D): “Remarks by President Biden at a Marketing campaign Reception | Seattle, WA” (transcript) [White House]. ” However we’re by no means going to neglect.We’ll always remember the actual fact — him mendacity in regards to the pandemic. He knew how harmful it was, however he didn’t need to — he wouldn’t say it to anyone. He mentioned, ‘Simply go inject a bit in your arm.’ (Laughter.) Too unhealthy he didn’t. (Laughter and applause.) Look — all kidding apart, it was weird. . And all the info exhibits these million, each one among them had eight those who have been important to them — brothers, sisters, uncle, aunts, moms, fathers, wives, kids.” • Open, shameless mendacity (little doubt to a cheering “Vote Blue No Matter Who” crowd). On bleach: I don’t have time to dig out the hyperlink, however the day this story broke, I checked the transcript, since you at all times must examine the transcript with Trump. Trump didn’t say that. “Bleach” was Pelosi’s addition, and the press dogpiled with it. Extra significantly, on the million deaths, most of them occurred on Biden’s watch. See the helpful chart at proper:


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“Trump Leads in 5 Key States, as Younger and Nonwhite Voters Categorical Discontent With Biden” [New York Times]. “Donald J. Trump leads President Biden in 5 essential battleground states, a brand new set of polls exhibits, as a craving for change and discontent over the financial system and the conflict in Gaza amongst younger, Black and Hispanic voters threaten to unravel the president’s Democratic coalition. The surveys by The New York Instances, Siena School and The Philadelphia Inquirer discovered that Mr. Trump was forward amongst registered voters in a head-to-head matchup in opposition to Mr. Biden in 5 of six key states: Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Mr. Biden led amongst registered voters in just one battleground state, Wisconsin.”

“Democrats Maintain Leads in 4 Essential Races That Might Determine Senate Management” [New York Times]. “Democratic candidates for the Senate in Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin lead their Republican rivals and are operating properly forward of President Biden in key states the place he continues to wrestle, in line with polls by The New York Instances, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena School.”

Pandemics

“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

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Covid Sources, United States (Nationwide): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; consists of many counties; Wastewater Scan, consists of drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, however nationwide information). “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 deal with given with the crops. 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 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).

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, 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!

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Airborne Transmission

“Lowering Transmission of Airborne Respiratory Pathogens: A New Starting because the COVID-19 Emergency Ends” [Linsey C. Marr and Jonathan M. Samet, Environmental Health Perspectives]. Vital. Concluding: “Within the authors’ opinion, it’s clear that the most important hurdle to lowering the danger of airborne transmission of ailments shouldn’t be the dearth of scientific information however quite limitations to implementation of interventions. These limitations embrace funding to assist modifications to infrastructure and operations, training of facility managers and decision-makers about technical options, and elevating public consciousness in regards to the significance of indoor air high quality for well being. Well timed and evidence-driven requirements for indoor air high quality and air flow are wanted, together with efficient air-cleaning applied sciences to impact change and promote fairness in safety in opposition to airborne pathogens. Within the opinion of the authors, we should bridge the hole between science and implementation to appreciate the potential of improved indoor air administration extra absolutely.

Maybe the best barrier is that no single entity is accountable for designing, implementing, and evaluating initiatives to scale back transmission of respiratory pathogens in indoor environments. A strategic analysis agenda is required that addresses key uncertainties and helps growth and implementation of evidence-based methods to scale back an infection danger in indoor environments. There are parallel gaps round respiratory safety.97 No single entity is charged with addressing crucial proof gaps, and analysis funding on this space was restricted previous to the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re involved that progress will stall with growing evidence-based interventions to scale back airborne an infection with the top of the COVID-19 emergency. .”

Testing and Monitoring

“CDC launching wastewater dashboard to trace fowl flu virus unfold” [STAT]. “Reluctance amongst dairy farmers to report H5N1 fowl flu outbreaks inside their herds or permit testing of their employees has made it troublesome to maintain up with the virus’s fast unfold, prompting federal public well being officers to look to wastewater to assist fill within the gaps. On Tuesday, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention is anticipated to unveil a public dashboard monitoring influenza A viruses in sewage that the company has been accumulating from 600 wastewater therapy websites across the nation since final fall. The testing shouldn’t be H5N1-specific; H5N1 belongs to the big influenza A household of viruses, as do two of the viruses that recurrently sicken individuals throughout flu season. However flu viruses that trigger human illness flow into at very low ranges in the course of the summer time months. So the presence of excessive ranges of influenza A in wastewater from now via the top of the summer time might be a dependable indicator that one thing uncommon is happening in a specific space. Wastewater monitoring, at the very least at this stage, can not discern the sources — be they from dairy cattle, run-off from dairy processors, or human infections — of any viral genetic fragments present in sewage, though the company is engaged on having extra functionality to take action sooner or later.” • Why on earth this excessive deference towards dairy farmers with a pandemic at stake?

Transmission: H5N1

“Regardless of H5N1 fowl flu outbreaks in dairy cattle, uncooked milk fans are uncowed” [Los Angeles Times]. • Go lengthy Darwin Awards.

Elite Maleficence

The UN cleaned its air by 2021. They know:

They only don’t need you to know.

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Lambert right here: Affected person readers, I’m going to must rethink this fantastically formatted desk. Seems like Biobot information nonetheless features, CDC variant information features, ER visits are useless, New York hospitalization appears to be useless since 5/1 [No, it’s alive!], when CDC stopped obligatory hospital information assortment, Walgreens features, Cleveland Clinic features, CDC traveler’s information features, New York Instances demise information has stopped. (Observe that the 2 metrics the hospital-centric CDC cared about, hospitalization and deaths, have each gone down). Ideally I might substitute hospitalization and demise information, however I’m undecided how. I may also increase the wastewater part to incorporate (yech) Verily information, H5N1 if I can get it. Recommendations and sources welcome.

TABLE 1: Each day Covid Charts

LEGEND

1) for charts new at this time; 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] (Biobot) Our curve has now flattened out at a stage far above valleys below Trump. Not an awesome victory. Observe additionally the realm “below the curve,” in addition to taking a look at peaks. That space is bigger below Biden than below Trump, and it appears to be rising steadily if inconsistently.

[2] (Biobot) No backward revisons….

[3] (CDC Variants) FWIW, on condition that the mannequin utterly missed KP.2.

[4] (ER) CDC appears to have killed this off, because the hyperlink is damaged, I feel in favor of this factor. I’ll attempt to affirm. UPDATE Sure, go away it to CDC to kill a web page, after which announce it was archived a day later. And heaven forfend CDC ought to clarify the place to go to get equal information, if any. I favored the ER information, as a result of it appeared actually exhausting to recreation.

[5] (Hospitalization: NY) The info is now updating once more. I suppose to a tame epidemiologist it appears like “endemicity,” however to me it appears like one other tranche of lethality.

[6] (Hospitalization: CDC) Nonetheless down. “Maps, charts, and information 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†”.

[7] (Walgreens) Slight uptick.

[8] (Cleveland) Leveling out.

[9] (Vacationers: Posivitity) Flattens.

[10] (Vacationers: Variants) JN.1 dominates completely. Nonetheless no point out of KP.2

[11] Seems just like the Instances isn’t reporting demise information any extra? Possibly I would like to return to The Economist….

Stats Watch

There are not any statistics of curiosity at this time.

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Actual Property: “The recent enterprise of chilly storage” [Sherwood News]. “If you happen to needed to establish a selected kind of actual property that has seen its worth improve due to altering client consuming habits, international demographic shifts, worldwide pandemic preparedness, and US export coverage — whereas its significance to lowering international carbon emissions and adapting to local weather change rise in tandem — refrigerated warehouses is probably not your first decide. However there’s a powerful case to be made that the enlargement and evolution of the cold-storage trade — typically known as the “chilly chain” — will play a big function in power, environmental, and financial information within the twenty first century. Chilly storage amenities aren’t enjoyable locations to go to; some are saved so frigid, at minus 50 levels Fahrenheit, that the employees who toil in these windowless areas rotate in 15-minute shifts, regardless of their heavy protecting gear. However refrigerated warehouses are nice to construct and personal. Buyers and builders anticipate 8 to 10% annual development on this specialised actual property, in line with Adam Thocher, SVP of International Packages and Insights on the International Chilly Chain Alliance (GCCA). That’s made it a worthwhile real-estate area of interest. ‘Once I consider our enterprise at its most germane, it’s meals infrastructure,’ mentioned Jonathan Epstein, managing accomplice of BGO (previously BentallGreenOak), a worldwide real-estate funding agency that develops and operates these areas. ‘And due to the character of fixing provide chains, there’s not sufficient of it, particularly within the growing world, and what’s there may be previous.’”

Antitrust:

I ought to most likely have filed this below Guillotine Watch….

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At present’s Worry & Greed Index: 50 Impartial (earlier shut: 47 Impartial) [CNN]. One week in the past: 47 (Impartial). (0 is Excessive Worry; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Might 13 at 12:21:57 PM ET.

Rapture Index: Closes up one on Earthquakes. “The strongest quake in 25 years hit Taiwan” [Rapture Ready]. Document Excessive, October 10, 2016: 189. Present: 188. (Keep in mind that bringing on the Rapture is sweet.) • Chook flu not a priority, apparently. And I hate even to go right here, however the “Tribulation Temple” class is a mere 3. If Tribulation Temple = Third Temple = no matter temple it’s that the Pink Heifer loons need to construct, then the Rapture Index made the proper name, amazingly sufficient. It mentioned: “Don’t fear in regards to the Pink Heifers.”

Information of the Wired

“The trend epidemic: is our trendy world fuelling aggression?” [Guardian]. “In accordance with the Gallup International Feelings Report, anger around the globe has been rising since 2016, with 23% of respondents now feeling indignant on any given day – figures are understandably a lot increased in conflict zones. Within the UK lately store employees and repair employees have reported sharp rises in buyer abuse lately, and one examine confirmed felony violence in GP surgical procedures had doubled in 5 years (this was again when it was attainable to get an appointment in a GP surgical procedure). Reported road-rage incidents additionally elevated by 40 per cent from 2021 to 2022 (though lockdowns would have performed a component).” • Lockdowns Not a pandemic virus proven to have decreased govt operate. Lockdowns [lambert bangs head on desk].

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Contact info for crops: Readers, be at liberty to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn how to ship me a examine if you’re allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn how to ship me photographs of crops. Greens are fantastic! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary crops! If you would like your deal with to seem as a credit score, please place it initially 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: “It is a part of the Sherman Library gardens’ cactus backyard.”

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