By Lambert Strether of Corrente<\/p>\n
Bird Song of the Day<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Great Horned Owl, East Loma Alta Drive, Altadena. \u201d
The first bird in the recording was perched atop a utility pole about 10 meters from me. While recording it, a female flew in and vocalized loudly, and then the the first bird flew east about 50 meters and continued to vocalize. This may have been a family group because they were moving around the neighborhood together and were very vocal the whole time. Three birds persistently followed one male. There were three males and one female, which I determined based on the vocalizations. One of the males made some juvenile sounds an adult calls. Audio recordings. It\u2019s also possible that the female was chasing off the first bird in the recording below because it sounds like there was bill snapping by the female. Although there was an interaction between the two birds at the top of the utility pole, I didn\u2019t see it well because I wasn\u2019t looking through binoculars nor was I using a light.\u201d<\/p>\n
The owl of Minerva calling \u201cWho? Who?\u201d<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/p>\n
(1) New Covid charts (except for CDC\u2019s national wastewater map, which naturally has not been updated for data later than June 22.<\/p>\n
(2) Biden on Morning Joe\/<\/p>\n
(3) Replacing Biden: open processes.<\/p>\n
(4) The Enneagram .<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
Politics<\/p>\n
\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>\n
2024<\/p>\n
Less than a half a year to go!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Friday\u2019s RCP Poll Averages:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rcp_2024-07-05.png\")
<\/p>\n
First post-debate polling: Trump jumps a full point in the 5-way national race, which a Biden supporter might find concerning. OTOH, the Swing States seem relatively unaffected. Swing States (more here) still Brownian-motioning around. Of course, it goes without saying that these are all state polls, therefore bad, and most of the results are within the margin of error. It would be hilarious if the Biden Debate debacle had exactly the same effect as Trump\u2019s 34 bazillion felony convictions, i.e., none, both parties are so dug in.<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
Lambert here: My picture: A pursuing pack of jackals (the funders) and weasels (the press) is taking down an aging, wounded hyena (Biden). Looking on, a troop of apes (the press and their sources) chatters, gesticulates, and occasionally throws feces. High in the air, vultures circle (the spooks). It\u2019s not an edifying spectacle. I don\u2019t have a rooting interest. In the theatre, we have narratives and expectations that work for individuals, families, and small groups. I don\u2019t think we have anything that scales beyond that. Imagine King Lear that looked more like the Beltway; hundreds of Gonerils and Regans, all scheming for advantage; hundreds of Edmunds (\u201cFine word, legitimate!\u201d) , plotting and betraying; and any Cordelias or Edgars lost in the muck. Not the play we know.<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
Biden (D): \u201cBiden firmly denounces calls to step aside from fellow Democrats: \u2018The voters have spoken\u201d [NBC]. \u201cPhoning into MSNBC\u2019s \u2018Morning Joe\u2019 on Monday, the president said the voters have chosen him and dared his Democratic critics who want him out to challenge him at the party\u2019s August convention. \u2018I\u2019m getting so frustrated by the elites in the party. \u2026 They know so much more,\u2019 Biden said, mockingly. \u2018If any of these guys don\u2019t think I should run, run against me. Go ahead. Announce for president \u2014 challenge me at the convention!’\u201d \u2022 Which is what Clyburn says will happen during the virtual convention. I looked for a transcript, and couln\u2019t find a complete one. This is the best I can do, a big slab of material not quoted elsewhere:<\/p>\n
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: So you have repeatedly said that all of these people and entities are wrong, and let me go through them. The New York Times editorial board, The Economist, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Boston Globe. Jerry Nadler. Seth Moulton. Let me go to Julian Castro, Tim Ryan, David Axelrod\u2013<\/p>\n
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: WHOA. You\u2019re kidding.<\/p>\n
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: David Remnick, haha\u2013 Richard Haass. Yeah, I know which one you\u2019re responding to there \u2014 Zeke Emanuel, but they are saying that you should step aside. So what is your plan of attack moving forward? These are pretty big names.<\/p>\n
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I understand there\u2019s lot of [inaudible]. But I\u2019m not, I don\u2019t care what those big names think. They were WRONG in 2020[1]. They were wrong in 2022 about the red wave[2]. They\u2019re wrong in 2024[3]. And go with\u2013 to come out with the watch and watch people react. You make a judgment. You make a judgment. And by the way I\u2019m going to be have all these foreign leaders here. I\u2019ve been in contact with a new British prime minister, which is\u2013 anyway. Look the country the rest of the world. Look at our allies looking for U.S. leadership. Who else do you think can step in here and do this? I expanded NATO, I solidified NATO, ask your brother about it in Poland. I made sure that we\u2019re in a position where we have a coalition of people, of the nations around the world to deal with China, with Russia, when everything is going on in the world. We\u2019re making real progress. The Biden plan, which Gaz\u2013 in Israel to, for the Gaza Strip. It is something that was adopted by the U.N. Security Council. Whether it comes to fruition, it\u2019s awful close. We\u2019ll see. G7\u2013. But look, I\u2019m not going to explain anymore about what I should or shouldn\u2019t do. I am running. I am running.<\/p>\n
NOTES [1] Correct. [2] Correct. [3] 2024 is not 2020 or 2022.<\/p>\n
Biden (D): \u201cBiden turns to MSNBC\u2019s Joe Scarborough as calls to step down continue\u201d [NPR]. \u201cWell, you know, Joe Biden has made \u2018Morning Joe\u2019 his morning ritual. This morning, he called in. And, you know, he\u2019s feisty. He was animated. He was impassioned, and he was kind of defiant. And it was sort of an intense defense saying, you know, I\u2019m the guy, and people should stick with me.\u201d \u2022 That word \u201cdefiant\u201d is always one to watch for; generally what is being defied is a consensus of the general will, as represented by the press (\u201cBiden pushes defiant message\u201c).<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
Biden (D): \u201cScoop: Biden rebels in Congress see their revolt crumbling\u201d [Axios]. \u201cJust before House Democrats\u2019 Tuesday morning \u2018come-to-Jesus\u2019 meeting on President Biden\u2019s path forward, a smaller group of swing-district Democrats held what sources described as a despondent gathering with \u2018actual tears.’\u201d Lol. More: \u201cThe bloc of battleground House Democrats is one of the last firm pockets of a rapidly disintegrating movement on Capitol Hill to get Biden off the ticket. One shell-shocked lawmaker who was present at the meeting would offer only one word to characterize it: \u2018Intense.\u2019 Another described the mood as \u2018pretty much unanimous\u2019 that Biden has \u2018got to step down,\u2019 adding, \u2018There were actual tears from people, and not for Biden.\u2019 Democrats\u2019 full caucus meeting was far less unanimous, with lawmakers both defending Biden and airing concerns about his ability to take on former President Trump, attendees told Axios. One House Democrat who was in both meetings said: \u2018Most of our caucus is still with him \u2026 meaning he\u2019ll stay in. Which sucks for our country.\u2019 Going in and out of the meeting, several House Democrats who have previously raised concerns about Biden said they are now with him: \u2018Whether or not I have concerns is besides the point. He is going to be our nominee, and we all have to support him,\u2019 said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.). Biden enjoyed his first sustained show of support on Capitol Hill on Monday, with dozens of House and Senate Democrats saying publicly they support him staying on the ticket.\u201d \u2022\u00a0The party decides\u2026. Commentary:<\/p>\n
“Dem insiders” are buckling at record speed. All it took was a sternly-worded letter and a Morning Joe tirade. Jerry Nadler “explicitly” said on a private call Sunday that Biden should withdraw \u2014 now he’s hemming and hawing. This is why you can’t just blithely refer to some\u2026 <\/p>\n
\u2014 Michael Tracey (@mtracey) July 9, 2024<\/p>\n
Maybe yes, maybe no. It\u2019s volatile! The Biden team moved to crush \u201cNever Biden\u201d types early in the week. I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s time for timorous electeds either to process what they heard back in the district or to digest any polling (and I trust Data for Progress about as far as I can throw a grand piano). But by this Thursday it will have been two weeks since Biden slipped a cog in debate. That should be sufficient time for a dogplle like this one to die down. The signal to watch for is when the date of the Democrat \u201cvirtual roll call\u201d \u2014 expected to be in mid-July, but as yet unknown \u2014 is announced, because Biden would never allow the date to be announced unless the outcome was sewed up. Who knows, they could even fake some open-ness! I can see three counter-forces: (1) a demand for Biden to reveal the results of a neurological exam builds up a head of steam; (2) Biden slips another cog at NATO (but I bet they prefer Biden to either Trump or Kamala); or (3) the spooks drop or instigate something extremely nasty, like a tape of some sort \u2014 at one remove, of course. On the exam:<\/p>\n
Utterly brutal interview with a neurologist on Biden: “He has parkinsonisms, that is a fact. He has degeneration of the brain. Show me the MRI, show me he doesn’t. Put your money where your mouth is. He definitely has it.”<\/p>\n
And this aired on NBC!<\/p>\n
\u2014 Michael Tracey (@mtracey) July 9, 2024<\/p>\n
Biden (D): \u201cHouse Dems desperately seek consensus on Biden\u2019s future in \u2018sad\u2019 venting session\u201d [Politico]. \u201cIn a closed-door caucus meeting hosted at Democrats\u2019 campaign headquarters, increasingly distressed Democrats spoke candidly to each other for the first time since Biden\u2019s unnerving debate performance. Several lawmakers who have already called for Biden to step aside made their case, provoking a larger block of the caucus that believes Democrats need to stay united behind the president, according to about a half-dozen members in the room\u2026. Democrats who tried to argue that Biden should step down from the ticket included Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), who later told reporters he is concerned about Biden \u2018dragging the ticket down.\u2019 All three have already publicly called on Biden to drop out of the race. Still, most of the voices at the meeting were in support of the president. But the internal divide was on full display \u2014 and many more are still harboring private doubts. Senate Democrats will have their own family meeting Tuesday afternoon, though it\u2019s doubtful they\u2019ll have any more luck on charting a path forward. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will steer that discussion of his caucus, several of whom have voiced their own concerns about Biden\u2019s electability. No Democratic senators have called on Biden to step aside.\u201d<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
\u2014 brittaney (@BeeeCee) July 9, 2024<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
Biden (D): Clyburn\u2019s base:<\/p>\n
The problem in a sense is very simple. Black older primary voting women want Biden to be the candidate, and no one opposing Biden will even acknowledge the preferences of that voting bloc.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) July 9, 2024<\/p>\n
(And they don\u2019t want Kamala, apparently.) Since this is the voting bloc that gave us BIden, Clinton, and Obama \u2014 in other words, made the Democrat Party, at least the electeds, what it is today \u2014 I\u2019d be perfectly happy to throw them under the bus. But then, I\u2019m not a Democrat. Commentary:<\/p>\n
Whoopi: “I don’t care if [Biden] pooped his pants. I don’t care if he can’t put a sentence together. Show me he can’t do the job, and then I’ll say, okay, maybe it’s time to go\u2026I have poopy day all the time. All the time.” pic.twitter.com\/QlMHzH8LF9<\/p>\n
\u2014 Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) July 8, 2024<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
Lambert here: How a great nation, the world\u2019s oldest democracy, and the oldest political party in the world select a Presidential candidate:<\/p>\n
Biden (D): \u201cClyburn says he would support \u2018mini-primary\u2019 ahead of DNC if Biden steps aside\u201d [Politico]. \u201cDemocratic Rep. Jim Clyburn [(84)], a top ally of Joe Biden, said Wednesday that if the president steps aside from the election, he would expect to see a \u2018mini-primary\u2019 ahead of the Democratic National Convention with Kamala Harris and Democratic governors vying for the top two spots on the party\u2019s ticket. Responding to a question on CNN about whether Harris should be the party\u2019s automatic nominee if the president were to step aside or if there should be a \u2018mini-primary\u2019 between several candidates, Clyburn (D-S.C.) said: \u2018Well, I think we\u2019re going to have a mini-primary leading into the convention,\u2019 describing the virtual roll call needed to appear on the Ohio ballot. He added, \u2018You can actually fashion the process that\u2019s already in place to make it a mini-primary, and I would support that absolutely. We can\u2019t close that down, and we should open up everything for the general election.\u2019\u2026 When pressed by CNN\u2019s Erica Hill as to if there will be an expanded field during the virtual roll call vote ahead of the DNC, Clyburn said \u2018there will definitely be other candidates.\u2019 \u2018My understanding is there are 700 uncommitted delegates and of course there are delegates who are pledged,\u2019 Clyburn said. \u2018It would seem to me that any one of these people who aspire to be president, who would like to see a contest taking place \u2014 look at those 700 delegates who are now uncommitted and get into the action.’\u201d \u2022 Hmm.<\/p>\n
Biden (D): \u201cJim Clyburn Is Right About What Democrats Should Do Next\u201d [Ezra Klein, New York Times]. \u201cIf Democrats need to choose another candidate, they need to make the process as competitive and open as possible. Harris would be the front-runner, and there\u2019s a good case to be made that she\u2019s underrated. But she needs to prove her mettle. To anoint her because it would minimize conflict would be madness. Imagine the intraparty battling if Democrats, after unwisely closing ranks around Biden, close ranks around Harris and lose to Trump\u2026. In an interview with Politico, a Democratic National Convention delegate from South Carolina said aloud what many Democrats have told me privately. \u2018I think it would be fantastic for the party. I mean, think about it: People would watch it. It would get the ratings: It has the drama that people would pay attention to. And if multiple candidates were seeking our nomination, you would have wall-to-wall, weeklong, prime-time coverage of all of our best rising stars, delivering the party message that, frankly, Joe Biden couldn\u2019t against Donald Trump.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Biden (D): \u201cJames Carville: Biden Won\u2019t Win. Democrats Need a Plan. Here\u2019s One\u201d [James Carville, New York Times]. \u201cI want to see the Democratic Party hold four historic town halls between now and the Democratic National Convention in August \u2014 one each in the South, the Northeast, the Midwest and the West. We can recruit the two most obvious and qualified people in the world to facilitate substantive discussions: Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. They may not represent every faction under our party\u2019s big tent. But they care as much about our democracy as our nation\u2019s first president, they understand what it takes to be president, and they know how to win. Town halls \u2014 high-stakes job interviews for the toughest job in the world \u2014 would surely attract television and cable partners and generate record numbers of viewers. Think the Super Bowl with Taylor Swift in the stands. The young, the old and everyone in between will tune in to see history being made in real time. How will potential nominees be chosen to participate in the town halls? There is no answer here that will satisfy everyone, but hard choices must be made, given the tight timetable, and I think leaning on the input of former presidents makes good sense. So I would advise Presidents 42 and 44 to select eight leading contenders out of the pool of those who choose to run, with Ms. Harris most definitely getting a well-earned invite. I believe the vice president would be a formidable opponent for Mr. Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
Biden (D): \u201cThe Foreign Policy Biden Is Putting on the Ballot\u201d [Seymour Hersh]. \u201cDespite some early losses, Russia, with its advantage in air and ground forces, is now dominating the war and, despite scant interest in Washington, there are serious peace talks going on. A senior American official told me that Putin \u2018has what he wants\u2019 in Ukraine and delayed an all-out assault on Kharkiv, Ukraine\u2019s second-largest city, while a possible settlement is being negotiated, with no known direct involvement of the crisis-ridden White House.\u201d \u2022 Hmm. Somehow I don\u2019t think the parties to the negotiations, whoever they may be, will have election 2024 as their uppermost concern, so the timing of the talks \u2014 if successful \u2014 should prove interesting.<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
Trump (R): \u201cRNC poised in draft text to drop national limits on abortion from party platform\u201d [Politico]. \u201cThe Republican Party is poised to abandon its current position explicitly advocating for federal abortion limits, according to a draft text of its new proposed platform obtained by POLITICO. The platform represents a major change for the GOP \u2014 and one that anti-abortion advocates had spent months rallying against. The new language describing abortion as an issue to be decided by the states is in line with the position held by former President Donald Trump. Still, some anti-abortion leaders are lauding the inclusion of language pointing to 14th Amendment protections that conservatives have long argued protects life beginning at conception.\u201d \u2022\u00a0And in line with the gift handed to Trump by the Supreme Court overturning Roe (hat tip, Democrats, for never codifying it).<\/p>\n
Our Famously Free Press<\/p>\n
Cope:<\/p>\n
Change in Headline pic.twitter.com\/CrR3GvoDit<\/p>\n
\u2014 Editing TheGrayLady (@nyt_diff) July 9, 2024<\/p>\n
Syndemics<\/p>\n
\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>\n
Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; includes many counties; Wastewater Scan, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); \u201cIowa COVID-19 Tracker\u201d (in IA, but national data). \u201cInfection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts\u201d (especially on hospitalization by city).<\/p>\n
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
Resources, United States (Local): 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 reports); ID (dashboard, Boise; dashboard, wastewater, Central Idaho; wastewater, Coeur d\u2019Alene; 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).<\/p>\n
Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (Government of Canada).<\/p>\n
Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater); QC (les eaux us\u00e9es); BC (wastewater); BC, Vancouver (wastewater).<\/p>\n
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, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, square coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3). <\/p>\n
Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
Maskstravaganza<\/p>\n
Handy chart of masks for more purposes than Covid prevention (e.g., wildfire smoke):<\/p>\n
Since most people don\u2019t know to consider anything besides an N95 for wildfire smoke events, I\u2019ve designed a chart that helps people learn about more advanced options & simplifies how to choose the right protection for the different hazards found in the smoke.<\/p>\n
Please help share\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/J00BqruIhQ<\/p>\n
\u2014 Nicolas Smit (@PPEtoheros) July 6, 2024<\/p>\n
Censorship and Propaganda<\/p>\n
Infection<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy You Should Always Choose a Window Seat on a Plane During Flu Season\u201d [Travel and Leisure]. \u201cCommercial planes are cramped, with hundreds of travelers all sharing the same recycled air for several hours. They are, unsurprisingly, breeding grounds for infectious illnesses. But some seats are deemed safer than others because they\u2019re further away from the zone with the highest risk\u2026.. It all has to do with your contact with other people. The researchers found that the closer passengers are to the aisle, the more likely they are to get up to visit the lavatory or move around. And the more they move, the higher their chances of coming into contact with germs. While about 80 percent of passengers in aisle seats ended up leaving their seats at least once during the flights in this study, only about half that number moved from their seat while sitting next to a window. Passengers in aisle seats had an average of 64 \u201ccontacts\u201d with other passengers during a flight, making it the greatest contact space. Passengers in middle seats had 58 contacts, and those in window seats had just 12.\u201d And: \u201c[S]tting in the last couple rows of the cabin prevents you from being breathed on from behind, because airflow generally moves forward and not backward \u2014 therefore, your chances of catching a contagious illness will be lower.’\u201d \u2022\u00a0So, choose a window seat in the back of the plane. Wish I\u2019d seen this before the July 4 holiday; sorry!<\/p>\n
Origins Debate<\/p>\n
\u201cSerologic Testing of US Blood Donations to Identify Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 and other Coronaviruses, December 2019-July 2020\u201d [Open Forum Infectious Diseases]. N = 46,120. From the Abstract: \u201cThe first COVID-19 case in the United States was recognized on January 19, 2020, but the time of introduction of the virus into the US is unknown. An existing sample cohort was examined for serologic evidence of early SARS-CoV-2 infections\u2026. Nine (0.07%) confirmed-positives were identified among the 13,364 donations collected between December 13, 2019 and January 22, 2020.\u201d From the Discussion: \u201cIn Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, the first cluster of clinical cases later attributed to SARS-CoV-2 was identified on January 7, 2020.\u201d<\/p>\n
Policy<\/p>\n
\u201cCommission finds COVID pandemic caused $18 trillion in economic damage to US\u201d [FOX]. \u201cA new report by the Heritage Foundation\u2019s Nonpartisan Commission on China and COVID-19 found that the COVID pandemic caused $18 trillion in economic losses to the U.S. and placed blame for the outbreak on the Chinese government.<\/p>\n
FOX Business exclusively viewed an advance copy of the report, which estimated that as of December 2023, the pandemic\u2019s total economic cost in the U.S. topped $18 trillion after taking into account several ways in which the pandemic affected the economy. That figure includes more than $8.6 trillion caused by excess deaths; more than $1.825 trillion in lost income; $6 trillion due to chronic conditions such as \u2018long COVID\u2019; and mental health losses of $1 trillion and educational losses of $435 billion pushed the total above $18 trillion.\u201d \u2022 \u201cNonpartisan\u201d is in caps because it\u2019s part of the name of the Commission (!).<\/p>\n
Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n
\u201cPandemic Revisionism: Doctors Who Defend Dr. Scott Atlas Are Afraid to Accurately Quote Dr. Scott Atlas. I\u2019m Not\u201d [Science-Based Medicine]. \u201cDr. Atlas was one of several Stanford doctors (Dr. John Ioannidis, Drs. Eran Bendavid and Jay Bhattacharya) who predicted that COVID\u2019s 2020 death toll would be 10,000-40,000 people and that the mass infection of unvaccinated youth would lead to herd immunity. Like Dr. Atlas, these doctors- none of whom treated COVID patients- now insist they were basically right about everything. Imagine predicting that the flu was going to be worse than COVID, and 1.1 million COVID deaths later, having the audacity to claim that the passage of time has validated your initial pandemic pronouncements. In fact, advocates of mass infection are aggrieved. Although they became pandemic celebrities, they claim to have been silenced, and they feel they are owed an apology. Since they can\u2019t admit error, they claim there\u2019s a conspiracy to hide the truth- COVID wasn\u2019t that bad after all.\u201d<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
Readers, there is no good news here at all, and this data does not include the Fourth of July weekend. It would sure be handy to have Biobot still in operation, so we could have a single indicator for infection, but of course that was not to be.<\/p>\n
TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/p>\n
LEGEND<\/p>\n
1) \u2605 for charts new today; all others are not updated.<\/p>\n
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
NOTES<\/p>\n
[1] (CDC) This week\u2019s wastewater map, with hot spots annotated. Worse than two weeks ago. New York is a hot again, and Covid is spreading up the Maine Coast just in time for the Fourth of July weekend, in another triumph for Administration policy. On that Bay area hotspot:<\/p>\n
Examples \u2014<\/p>\n
Marin: <\/p>\n
Santa Clara County: <\/p>\n
\u2014 Violet Blue\u00ae (@violetblue) June 27, 2024<\/p>\n
[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n
[3] (CDC Variants) LB.1 coming up on the outside.<\/p>\n
[4] (ER) This is the best I can do for now. At least data for the entire pandemic is presented.<\/p>\n
[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Now acceleration, which is compatible with a wastewater decrease, but still not a good feeling .(The New York city area has form; in 2020, as the home of two international airports (JFK and EWR) it was an important entry point for the virus into the country (and from thence up the Hudson River valley, as the rich sought to escape, and then around the country through air travel.)<\/p>\n
[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). This is the best I can do for now. Note the assumption that Covid is seasonal is built into the presentation, which in fact shows that Covid is not seasonal. At least data for the entire pandemic is presented.<\/p>\n
[7] (Walgreens) Still going up! (Because there is data in \u201ccurrent view\u201d tab, I think white states here have experienced \u201cno change,\u201d as opposed to have no data.)<\/p>\n
[8] (Cleveland) Still going up!<\/p>\n
[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Up. Those sh*theads at CDC have changed the chart so that it doesn\u2019t even run back to 1\/21\/23, as it used to, but now starts 1\/1\/24. There\u2019s also no way to adjust the time rasnge. CDC really doesn\u2019t want you to be able to take a historical view of the pandemic, or compare one surge to another. In an any case, that\u2019s why the shape of the curve has changed.<\/p>\n
[10] (Travelers: Variants) Same deal. Those sh*theads. I\u2019m leaving this here for another week because I loathe them so much:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/last_week.png\")
<\/p>\n
[11] Deaths low, but positivity up.<\/p>\n
[12] Deaths low, ED up.<\/p>\n
Stats Watch<\/p>\n
Small Business Optimism: \u201cUnited States Nfib Business Optimism Index\u201d [Trading Economics]. \u201cThe NFIB Small Business Optimism Index in the US rose to 91.5 in June of 2024 from 90.5 in the previous month, the highest since the start of the year, and contrasting with expectations that the index would slow to 89.5. Still, the reading remained below the long-term average of 98. \u2018Main Street remains pessimistic about the economy for the balance of the year,\u2019 said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. \u2018Increasing compensation costs has led to higher prices all around.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Retail: \u201cUnited States Used Car Prices YoY\u201d [Trading Economics]. \u201cThe Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index for the US decreased 8.9% year-on-year in June 2024, following a 12.1% drop in May.\u201d \u2022 Seems like a leading indicator of some kind, but I don\u2019t know what. Readers?<\/p>\n
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Tech: \u201cGen AI: Too Much Spend, Too Little Benefit?\u201d (PDF) [Goldman Sachs]. The conclusion: \u201cSo, what does this all mean for markets? Although Covello believes AI\u2019s fundamental story is unlikely to hold up, he cautions that the AI bubble could take a long time to burst, with the \u201cpicks and shovels\u201d AI infrastructure providers continuing to benefit in the meantime. GS senior US equity strategist Ryan Hammond also sees more room for the AI theme to run and expects AI beneficiaries to broaden out beyond just Nvidia, and particularly to what looks set to be the next big winner: Utilities. That said, looking at the bigger picture, GS senior multi-asset strategist Christian Mueller-Glissmann finds that only the most favorable AI scenario, in which AI significantly boosts trend growth and corporate profitability without raising inflation, would result in above-average long-term S&P 500 returns, making AI\u2019s ability to deliver on its oft-touted potential even more crucial.\u201d \u2022 Pop? Commentary:<\/p>\n
Sachs’ Covello estimates that a trillion dollars is being invested in propping up generative AI, yet it doesn’t solve a one-trillion-dollar problem. It isn’t making money, it costs too much, it doesn’t create new jobs and doesn’t make workers smarter. pic.twitter.com\/PrUXlKqqHQ<\/p>\n
\u2014 Ed Zitron (@edzitron) July 8, 2024<\/p>\n
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Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 52 Neutral (previous close: 52 Neutral) [CNN]. One week ago: 48 (Neutral). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jul 9 at 2:01:04 PM ET<\/p>\n
Rapture Index: Closes unchanged [Rapture Ready]. Record High, October 10, 2016: 189. Current: 186. (Remember that bringing on the Rapture is good.) \u2022 Not what the climate coverage implies. <\/p>\n
The Gallery<\/p>\n
Inventor of the eponymous cheese, so no wonder:<\/p>\n
\u00c9douard Manet, Rochefort’s Escape pic.twitter.com\/SjssoWpqP1<\/p>\n
\u2014 Impressions (@impression_ists) July 4, 2024<\/p>\n
Zeitgeist Watch<\/p>\n
\u201cVending machines selling bullets at grocery stores\u201d [Cleveland.com]. \u201cGrocery stores in Alabama and Oklahoma have vending machines that allow users to purchase ammo for guns. The vending machine supplier, American Rounds, markets \u2018ammo sales like you\u2019ve never seen before\u2019 on its website. The company is looking to revolutionize how ammunition for handguns, rifles and shotguns is sold. The automated ammunition dispenser uses artificial intelligence technology to verify a buyer\u2019s identification and age through card scanning and facial recognition software. The buyer inserts their photo ID, and the machine conducts a scan to match it to the ID card. In a promotional video, American Rounds CEO Grant Magers said the stores were looking for an innovative way to bring ammo sales to their stores.\u201d \u2022 Wowsers<\/p>\n
News of the Wired<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Nine Ways: On the Enneagram\u201d [The Paris Review]. \u201cIchazo\u2019s core theory is that people, on the deepest level, wish to avoid a very bad feeling, an experience so awful it is what we imagine death is like. There are nine ways this terror can be imagined reaching us, and nine correspondent ways it can be avoided. The nine techniques of avoiding this universal fear are figured as points on the enneagram and exist in a complex and dynamic interplay with one another. In any individual personality, one of the nine is predominant. The nine ways are often referred to using a kind of shorthand: 1 is the Reformer; 2, the Helper; 3, the Achiever; 4, the Individualist; 5, the Investigator; 6, the Loyalist; 7, the Enthusiast; 8, the Challenger; and 9, the Peacemaker. It can be hard to pinpoint the right metaphor for the role these numbers are thought to play in a person\u2019s psyche. The nine can be conceived of as parts, dimensions, or styles. I sometimes picture each number as being a corner in a very large room. Imagine the plane of this room\u2019s floor is uneven, and the walls, as a result, are of irregular shapes and sizes. We may find something close to a natural comfort in one corner or in some nook nearby. The light from a window might amiably rhyme with that of a spot across the room. Some parts of the room might have high ceilings with bare white walls. Others, though narrow, might overlook a courtyard. If this place is big enough, its far corners might seem beyond reach or even nonexistent. We might hesitate to emerge from our favorite hideaways. I offer this extended image to illustrate that while, as a numerical typology, the enneagram may seem like a tacky attempt to reduce human complexity, it is intended do the opposite.\u201d \u2022 10, Analyst.<\/p>\n
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Contact information for plants: 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) here. From Upstater:<\/p>\n
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Upstater writes: \u201cIt\u2019s that time of year! These are early bearded irises.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not covered by the annual NC fundraiser. So 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! Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I\u2019m on the right track with coverage. 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
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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
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