{"id":8333,"date":"2025-07-06T21:04:22","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T21:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uang69.id\/?p=8333"},"modified":"2025-07-06T21:04:23","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T21:04:23","slug":"200pm-water-cooler-9-11-2024-naked-capitalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uang69.id\/?p=8333","title":{"rendered":"2:00PM Water Cooler 9\/11\/2024 | naked capitalism"},"content":{"rendered":"


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This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 796 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our\u00a0donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, PayPal, Clover, or Wise. Read about\u00a0why we\u2019re doing this fundraiser,\u00a0what we\u2019ve accomplished in the last year, and our current goal,\u00a0kar\u014dshi prevention<\/p>\n

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Patient readers, plenty more on the debate shortly. \u2013lambert<\/p>\n

Bird Song of the Day <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Gray Catbird, Sapsucker Woods, Tompkins, New York, United States.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/p>\n

Kamala\u2019s earrings.
\n Do Covid tests work for the latest variants? Not immediately.
\nBoeing should be kicked out of the Dow.<\/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

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2024<\/p>\n

Less than one hundred days to go!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s RCP Poll Averages:<\/p>\n

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I would say the bloom is off the rose for Harris, except for an upward blip in Georgia. Looks like the enormous liberalgasm afte the Convention was confined to party loyalists. The Kamala campaign must be sore as boils Trump is within striking distance, let alone tied with them. What could account for it? Perhaps that\u2019s why the pivot to RussiaGate. Remember, however, that all the fluctuations \u2014 in fact, all the leads, top to bottom \u2014 are within the margin of error. <\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

The Debate<\/p>\n

Kamala (D): \u201cDid Kamala Harris wear earpiece during debate with Donald Trump? What we know\u201d [India Today]. \u201cMany social media users claimed that the pearl earrings Kamal Harris wore were actually an audio earpiece, and she was being fed answers during the debate [,] a set of Nova H1 Audio Earrings, created by German startup NOVA Products\u2026. However, some users highlighted that Kamala Harris was wearing a pair of Double Pearl Hinged Earrings from Tiffany & Co, which she has worn frequently\u2026. After the 2020 presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, a similar claim circulated on social media, alleging that Biden wore a hidden earpiece.\u201d \u2022 I\u2019m so old I remember the same claim being made online about George W. Bush, who was said to be wearing a receiving device + antenna under his jacket (based on photos of lumps under his jacket). Big if true, but also a hardy perennial. <\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Trump (R): World class trolling:<\/p>\n

We\u2019d like to announce that while we are not a hotel, we are a concept of a hotel.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Four Seasons Total Landscaping (@TotalSeasons) September 11, 2024<\/p>\n

For those who came in late, the Four Seasons Total Landscaping debacle in 2020.<\/p>\n

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The Trail<\/p>\n

Kamala (D): Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris: \u2018I\u2019ve Done My Research, and I\u2019ve Made My Choice’\u201d [Hollywood Reporter]. The deck: \u201cThe superspreading songwriting billionaire superstar took to Instagram following Tuesday night\u2019s debate to give Vice President Kamala Harris her highly influential endorsement, signing off her lengthy post, \u2018With love and hope, Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Realignment and Legitimacy<\/p>\n

Double-think, but exponential:<\/p>\n

It sure is something watching the same people who mourn and commemorate 9\/11, also ended covid protocols that killed over 1 million Americans and are currently committing a genocide. The moral consistency is nonexistent.<\/p>\n

\u2014 AshleyStevens (@The_Acumen) September 11, 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

Airborne Transmission<\/p>\n

Vaccines: Covid<\/p>\n

Having fought its way through the FDA, non-mRNA Novavax now has to fight the PBMs?<\/p>\n

Got our appointments scheduled for Novavax this week!<\/p>\n

Beyond the enormous barriers we\u2019ve already faced\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2611\ufe0f CVS wasn\u2019t accepting walk-ins (because \u201cit\u2019s Flu season\u201d \ud83d\udc40 really?)<\/p>\n

\u2611\ufe0f Novavax arrived at the pharmacy but it wasn\u2019t listed on the form<\/p>\n

\u2611\ufe0f Had to get tech to agree to\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Dr. Sean Mullen (@drseanmullen) September 10, 2024<\/p>\n

Testing and Tracking: Covid<\/p>\n

\u201cDo Covid Tests Work for Latest Variants? Yes, With Some Big Caveats\u201d [Bloomberg]. \u201d I started to wonder: Are home Covid tests bad at detecting the latest variants? The short answer is no, the doctors I spoke with told me. But that answer comes with a big caveat. It turns out the way the immune system interacts with the virus these days means home tests may not turn positive until several days after you get sick. \u2018That first negative test doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t have Covid,\u2019 says Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious diseases at Southern California Permanente Medical Group. \u2018We really noticed it earlier this year.\u2019 Now, it can take several days for people with symptoms like mine to get a positive result from a home test, she says.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why: While gold-standard PCR assays detect minute quantities of virus, home antigen tests require a larger amount to turn positive. Early in the pandemic, viral levels peaked when symptoms appeared, says Nira Pollock, co-director of the Infectious Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory at Boston Children\u2019s Hospital. But now that most people have at least some immunity, viral load peaks later\u2026. In a study of 348 people with Covid that Pollock and her colleagues published last year, median viral load didn\u2019t crest until around the fourth day of symptoms. The study estimated that home antigen tests would only detect around 30% to 60% of cases on the first day of symptoms, rising to 80% to 93% of cases on day four. In other words, there are lots of false negative tests early in the illness.\u201d \u2022 So by all means keep going to work or school at the first sign of symptoms!<\/p>\n

Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n

\u201cZero-covid advocacy during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case study of views on Twitter\/X\u201d [Monash Bioethics Review]. From the Abstract: \u201cThe advocacy, although timely and informative, often appealed to emotions and values using anecdotes and strong criticism of authorities and other scientists.\u201d The idea! Here is a brutal takedown of this paper, which will probably get a lot of traction because this is the stupidest timeline. Here is an entertainingly brutal takedown:<\/p>\n

Kasper P. Kepp “has been engaged in the pandemic debate in Danish media and social media, where he has been critical of the studied zero-covid groups”<\/p>\n

It’s wildly unethical to conduct a study *specifically* targeting entities you’ve personally had conflict with.<\/p>\n

2\/ pic.twitter.com\/jKw88sRQf8<\/p>\n

\u2014 Nick #RespiratorsFilterPathogens\ud83d\ude37 Anderegg (@NickAnderegg) September 10, 2024<\/p>\n

And more. Much more.<\/p>\n

Social Norming<\/p>\n

Propaganda works:<\/p>\n

Covid-19 Gaslighting Bingo: Just a way to pass the time & realize we’re not alone. Inspired by all the back to school gaslighting. <\/p>\n

First one to get a line wins! pic.twitter.com\/g2kQVq9RoP<\/p>\n

\u2014 chantzy (@chantz_y) September 11, 2024<\/p>\n

\u201cStupid\u201d:<\/p>\n

A woman holding her toddler in a coffee shop filled with older people: “So the stupid nurse did a Covid test yesterday and it was positive and now [the toddler] has to miss three days in nursery”. Our CV member tightened her mask and left\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Buckinghamshire Disability Service BuDS (@BuDs_UK) September 9, 2024<\/p>\n

Sobriety vs. normalization and denial:<\/p>\n

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Perceptive. I am sympathetic to this view. However, in my view sobriety also demands restraining judgment over one\u2019s fellows (\u201cThere but for the grace of God go I\u201d) and this view comes perilously close to creating a two-tier society of the elect and the damned; something I tend to do myself! One of the great things about A.A. is that it created a method for sobriety that at least many have been able to travel; it\u2019s a big ask, but the Covid Conscious community has not done that.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/p>\n

Wastewater<\/p>\n

This week[1] CDC August 27<\/p>\n

Last Week[2] CDC (until next week):<\/p>\n

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Variants [3] CDC August 31<\/p>\n

Emergency Room Visits[4] CDC August 31 <\/p>\n

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Hospitalization<\/p>\n

\u2605 New York[5] New York State, data September 10:<\/p>\n

National [6] CDC August 17:<\/p>\n

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Positivity<\/p>\n

National[7] Walgreens September 9:<\/p>\n

Ohio[8] Cleveland Clinic August 24:<\/p>\n

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Travelers Data<\/p>\n

Positivity[9] CDC August 19:
\n Variants[10] CDC August 19:<\/p>\n

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Deaths<\/p>\n

Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11]CDC August 31:<\/p>\n

Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12]CDC August 31:<\/p>\n

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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. Keeps spreading. NOTE The date seems to be wrong, but the number of sites has changed so this is new.<\/p>\n

[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n

[3] (CDC Variants) KP.* very popular. XDV.1 flat.<\/p>\n

[4] (ED) Down, but worth noting that Emergency Department use is now on a par with the first wave, in 2020.<\/p>\n

[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Definitely down.<\/p>\n

[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). The visualization suppresses what is, in percentage terms, a significant increase.<\/p>\n

[7] (Walgreens) Big drop continues!<\/p>\n

[8] (Cleveland) Dropping.<\/p>\n

[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Down. 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 range. 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) What the heck is LB.1?<\/p>\n

[11] Deaths low, but positivity up.<\/p>\n

[12] Deaths low, ED up.<\/p>\n

Stats Watch<\/p>\n

Inflation: \u201cUnited States Consumer Price Index (CPI)\u201d [Trading Economics]. \u201cConsumer Price Index CPI in the United States increased to 314.80 points in August from 314.54 points in July of 2024. Consumer Price Index CPI in the United States averaged 124.59 points from 1950 until 2024, reaching an all time high of 314.80 points in August of 2024 and a record low of 23.50 points in February of 1950.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Tech: \u201cGoogle will now link to The Internet Archive to add more context to Search results\u201d [9to5 Google]. \u201cGoogle has partnered with The Internet Archive, a non-profit research library that, in part, stores and preserves massive portions of the web to be easily referenced later. This is done through the \u2018Wayback Machine\u2019 which can show a website or specific page as it existed on a previous date. Through this new partnership, Google will link directly to The Internet Archive\u2019s Wayback Machine for pages that you find in Search.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tech: Innovation:<\/p>\n

Who did this \ud83d\ude02 pic.twitter.com\/d1ITbdMNjV<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jen Zhu (@jenzhuscott) September 10, 2024<\/p>\n

Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing should be kicked out of the Dow\u201d [CNN]. \u201cIt\u2019s a legitimate question if the aircraft maker still belongs in the blue-chip index. And it\u2019s a question with only one correct answer: No. \u2018If you want bellwether, strong balance sheet companies, they don\u2019t check those boxes any longer,\u2019 said Ron Epstein, aerospace analyst for Bank of America. \u2018I don\u2019t think Boeing has to be there.\u2019\u2026 There are many problems at Boeing that make its continued presence in the index perplexing\u2026. It hasn\u2019t reported an annual profit since 2018\u2026 the company has become the subject of numerous federal investigations, as more than a dozen whistleblowers have come forward to warn of a company culture that put a failed attempt at profitability ahead of the quality and safety of its planes\u2026. Its credit rating has fallen to the lowest rung of what is considered \u201cinvestment grade\u201d debt, and indications are that sometime relatively soon it will fall into junk bond status\u2026 \u2018If not an albatross, it\u2019s at least an anchor,\u2019 said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist for CFRA Research.\u201d \u2022 Ouch!<\/p>\n

Manufacturing: \u201cStarliner Suffers New Problems While Coming Back To Earth\u201d [Futurism]. The deck: \u201cWe would not be surprised if Boeing were to divest the manned spaceflight business.\u201d More: \u201cOn the one hand, according to NASA\u2019s commercial crew program manager Steve Stich, it pulled off a \u2018bullseye landing.\u2019 On the other, the agency admitted that a new thruster had failed during its descent. The capsule also experienced a temporary blackout of Starliner\u2019s guidance system during reentry. It\u2019s an awkward situation for the space agency: would Starliner have been able to ferry NASA\u2019s missing crew members in the end?\u201d <\/p>\n

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Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 40 Fear (previous close: 39 Fear) [CNN]. One week ago: 49 (Neutral). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Sep 11 at 1:51:10 PM ET.<\/p>\n

Gallery<\/p>\n

Key word being \u201ceffect\u201d:<\/p>\n

Snow Effect at Eragny pic.twitter.com\/qM5Cx1ECH0<\/p>\n

\u2014 Camille Pissarro (@artpissarro) September 11, 2024<\/p>\n

I believe I saw this painting years ago at the Boston MFA. Putting my eye up close to the paint, I saw no white; the effect of white was created by the juxtapostion of other colors.<\/p>\n

News of the Wired<\/p>\n

Who among us\u2026. <\/p>\n

Kasper P. Kepp “has been engaged in the pandemic debate in Danish media and social media, where he has been critical of the studied zero-covid groups”<\/p>\n

It’s wildly unethical to conduct a study *specifically* targeting entities you’ve personally had conflict with.<\/p>\n

2\/ pic.twitter.com\/jKw88sRQf8<\/p>\n

\u2014 Nick #RespiratorsFilterPathogens\ud83d\ude37 Anderegg (@NickAnderegg) September 10, 2024<\/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 SR:<\/p>\n

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SR writes: \u201cBlooming atop the gigantic cinder cone at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho: rabbit brush (a member of the aster family).\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Print<\/div>\n<\/div>\n