This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1142 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 donation 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, more original reporting.<\/p>\n
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Bird Song of the Day <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Gray Catbird, DD Rd, Rapid River US-MI, Delta, Michigan, United States.<\/p>\n
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In Case You Might Miss\u2026 <\/p>\n
Boeing strike news (thickheaded management digs deeper).
\nTrump assassination roundup, now with stochastic terrorism.
\nThe new kitten.<\/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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Trump Assassination Attempts (Plural)<\/p>\n
Not wrong:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/venn_diagram.png\")
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\u201cThe Assassination Wish Fulfillment\u201d [John Poderhoretz, Commentary]. I never thought I\u2019d find myself quoting J-Pod with approval, but here we are. \u201cOn Tuesday, Morning Joe\u2019s Mika Brzezinski introduced a report on the attempt by Garrett Haake, and then when the camera returned to her face, launched into a two-minute history (read off a teleprompter, so therefore pre-planned by the show\u2019s producer and theoretically approved in some fashion by MSNBC\u2019s senior management) of all the times Trump has encouraged violence. She stitched together the genuinely disturbing (January 6 is \u201cgonna be wild,\u201d went the Trump tweet) with the jokey (Trump\u2019s line about how he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it) and the transparently dishonest (that he supported the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville in 2017). The net result was a five-minute segment that, once again, was designed to make you think Trump was asking for it\u2026. Let\u2019s talk tachlis, as we say in Hebrew. Let\u2019s talk straight. The reason so many people in this country seem determined not to consider the profound seriousness of a potential new age of assassination\u2014a return to the destabilizing period that tormented this country and the West between JFK in 1963 and the Reagan\/John Paul II attempts in 1981\u2014is that it represents a dark wish fulfillment for so many people\u2026. A great many people, and most of the nation\u2019s elites, secretly or not so secretly wish they could see the result sought by would-be killers Routh and Cheeks. And while they know they must pay lip service to the fact that assassinations are bad and wrong and shocking and all that, they simply cannot muster up the emotion of horror. That\u2019s what\u2019s missing here from the coverage and discussions of these two attempts: Horror. Because they\u2019re not horrified. And they should be. This is the darkest kind of fantasy, because it can be fulfilled\u2014and the consequences would be unthinkably dangerous for the future of this country.\u201d \u2022 Speaking of wish-fulfillment:<\/p>\n
Maybe Trump should stop messing with the Haitians<\/p>\n
Just saying \ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffc\u200d\u2642\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/hs6xqbFix5<\/p>\n
\u2014 Santa Claus \ud83c\udf85\ud83c\udffb\u2603\ufe0f\ud83c\udf84\ud83e\udd8c\ud83d\udef7 (@Old_Santa_Claus) September 16, 2024<\/p>\n
The stitched blue X\u2019s for the (dead) eyes are an especially cute touch, aren\u2019t they? Who\u2019s selling this kitsch? Penzeys?<\/p>\n
\u201cDemocrats\u2019 Rhetoric Inspired Another Attempt On President Trump\u2019s Life\u201d [Donald J. Trump]. Issued by the campaign, but this is the version I found. \u201cYesterday, President Donald J. Trump was the target of a second assassination attempt in as many months. Thankfully, the would-be assassin was stopped by the heroic action of law enforcement \u2014 but make no mistake, this psycho was egged on by the rhetoric and lies [stochatic terrorism] that have flowed from Kamala Harris, Democrats, and their Fake News allies for years. Democrats used increasingly incendiary rhetoric against President Trump in the days, weeks, and months leading up to the two assassination attempts.\u201d \u2022 A long list of receipts, with links. The Democrats, having developed and propagated the theory of stochastic terrorism (see yesterday\u2019s post) now don\u2019t get to claim that \u201cthe use of mass communications to stir up random lone wolves\u201d doesn\u2019t apply to their rhetoric. Oddly, there are no Trump-as-Hitler refererences in the receipts; presumably because the campaign didn\u2019t want to reinforce it. This matters, at least to the moralist, because while preserving \u201cour democracy\u201d might be a casus belli, it is typically not used as an excuse for assassination (Sic semper tyrannis being the counter-example). However, there\u2019s a whole discourse built up around the question of whether killing Hitler would have been justified or not, and many say that it would have been.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter possible assassination attempt, Trump decries \u2018rhetoric\u2019? Spare me the sanctimony.\u201d [Rex Hupke, USA Today]. The deck: \u201cThe idea that Harris or her campaign should stop talking about the threat Trump poses to our democracy is absurd. Democrats are not encouraging any form of violence against him or anyone else.\u201d \u201c\u2022 The difficulty here is that (as I show here) not only hated Trump, wrote that \u201cyou are free to assassinate Trump,\u201d and quoted the \u201cour democracy\u201d talking point. So when Hupke writes: \u201cThere is zero evidence connecting either gunman to Democrats calling Trump \u2018a threat to democracy’\u201d he\u2019s not telling the truth.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhy Did Journalists Like Me Take Ryan Routh Seriously?\u201d [The Free Press]. Worth reading in full; kudos for the mea culpa, rare in the press: \u201cIn March 2023 I interviewed a strange man named Ryan Routh. We had been introduced by a source inside Ukraine\u2019s foreign legion, a military unit composed of foreign volunteers from more than fifty countries all over the world\u2026. He seemed genuinely passionate, if perhaps a little too eager to aid a foreign war halfway around the world. After my story published, I never thought about him again. Until yesterday, that is, when the name Ryan Routh exploded across my phone\u2014and yours\u2026. The guy moves to the capital of a nation at war, despite having no personal connection to it. He doesn\u2019t speak Russian or Ukrainian. In retrospect, shouldn\u2019t it have struck the reporters, including myself, as a little bit. . . odd? The question is: Why didn\u2019t it? Well, for one, I thought he was doing good work: It was clear he cared deeply about Ukraine\u2019s struggle. I am Russian\u2014born and raised in Moscow\u2014but I consider the Russian war against Ukraine an unjustified act of aggression. So did Ryan Routh\u2026.. The story of Ryan Routh is a cautionary tale. Our increasing willingness to tolerate madness in the service of the causes with which we might agree risks obscuring the simple fact that the \u2018right\u2019 kind of crazy is still exactly that: crazy.\u201d \u2022 Larry Summers, for example, is \u201cthe right kind of crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
\u201cDeSantis says federal authorities investigating thwarted Trump attack \u2018may not be the best thing’\u201d [Washington Examiner]. In links today, but adding this comment: \u201c\u2018We also believe that there is a need to make sure that the truth about all this comes out in a way that\u2019s credible,\u2019 DeSantis said at a Monday press conference. \u2018I look at the federal government, with all due respect to them, those same agencies that are prosecuting Trump in that jurisdiction are now going to be investigating this? I just think that that may not be the best thing for this country.’\u201d \u2022 Much as I loathe DeSantis, he\u2019s right (though also capable of messing up the Florida investigation, especially because Florida law enforcement is also involved; we\u2019ll have to see). It makes no sense to hand the case over to the lawfare goons.<\/p>\n
\u201cUS Secret Service can\u2019t guarantee Trump and Harris safety from more gunmen, sources warn\u201d [iNews]. \u2022 There are no guarantees in this life. But holy moley, Biden and Harriss are supposedly running the administration. And the organs of state security get whatever they ask for. And operationally, what they have said is that when a sitting President plays golf, the golf course gets surrounded. We can\u2019t do that for a former President who\u2019s already been shot at once? It\u2019s ridiculous. (Recall also that Biden refused RFK protection, despite his family history.)<\/p>\n
2024<\/p>\n
Less than sixty days to go!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Friday\u2019s RCP Poll Averages:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rcp_2024-09-13.png\")
<\/p>\n
A few polls post-debate, but as of this reading little change. To be fair, it might take some time for sentiment to settle; and the winning margins may at this point be so minute as to be undetectable. Still, the Democrats must be very puzzled to have virtual unanimity across the political spectrum that \u201cHarris is the one\u201d \u2014 it was a tidal wave, after the debate \u2014 and yet the election is a virtual tie. How can this be? Perhaps a few more Republicans, generals, or celebrities will turn the tide.<\/p>\n
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Trump (R): \u201cWill two assassination attempts alter the election?\u201d [The Hill]. \u201cThe New York Times: \u2018The shock from the shooting in Butler [Pa.] wore off relatively quickly as attention turned to other developments. The shock from this one may not last any longer.’\u201d \u2022 \u201cShock\u201d is a media thing. What matters is turnout, especially in Pennsylvania (the site of the first shooting).<\/p>\n
Trump (R): \u201cThe Memo: Attempt on Trump\u2019s life reverberates in White House race\u201d [The Hill]. \u201cThe second attempt on Trump\u2019s life within roughly nine weeks will surely rev up his base, further heightening the passions of supporters who are already prone to believe that the 45th president is a target of larger, nefarious forces. It\u2019s possible the apparent attempt on Trump\u2019s life could also win over whatever thin sliver of the electorate still populates the center ground \u2014 a factor that could be important in a presidential race against Vice President Harris that is essentially deadlocked. The startling chain of events could perhaps solidify some of Trump\u2019s softer supporters \u2014 those Republican-minded or socially conservative voters who are hesitant to back the former president because of his belligerent rhetoric and penchant for personal invective.\u201d \u2022 Yes, let\u2019s be serious. Is Trump offering anybody ice cream? I rest my case.<\/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
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Transmission: Covid<\/p>\n
\u201cUnexpected six-month pattern of COVID-19 cases discovered in the U.S.\u201d [News-Medical Life Sciences]. \u201cCOVID-19 cases in the U.S. have shown unexpected oscillating waves every six months between the southern states and the northern states and, to a lesser degree, from east to west, according to new research published today in Scientific Reports. <\/p>\n
Public health scientists from the University of Pittsburgh, University of Ottawa and University of Washington conducted the first detailed analysis to demonstrate and characterize the six-month oscillation of cases across space and time.<\/p>\n
Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n
\u201cMissouri Bird Flu Case Raises Possibility of Human Transmission\u201d [US News]. \u201cU.S. health officials have reported that a person who lived with a Missouri resident infected with H5N1 became sick the same day\u2026 Still, CDC officials told the New York Times on Friday night that there was \u2018no epidemiological evidence at this time to support person-to-person transmission of H5N1,\u2019 although more research is needed\u2026 Before the Friday report was posted, neither the CDC nor Missouri health officials had mentioned the close contact\u2019s illness. In fact, CDC officials said in a Thursday media briefing that it was unclear how the first patient had become infected and called the case \u2018a one-off.\u2019 And on Thursday evening, Missouri health officials said that \u2018all contacts are known and remained asymptomatic during the observation period,\u2019 the Times reported. But by Friday, CDC officials acknowledged that the household contact\u2019s illness \u2018should have been mentioned in the press briefing, along with the additional context,\u2019 the Times reported, though the risk to the public remains low, officials said. Still, outside experts criticized the omission. \u2018There are absolutely no circumstances in which it is acceptable to not have disclosed that information yesterday,\u2019 Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health, told the Times on Friday.\u201d \u2022 Lie, lie, lie\u2026.<\/p>\n
Variants: Covid<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have lived through a Covid summer \u2013 and now there is new variant causing concern\u201d [Independent]. \u201cAnd according to experts a new \u2018stronger\u2019 variant is now spreading across Europe. First identified as the XEC strain in Germany in June, global health experts believe that it could be the dominant variant within months and cause a new spike when the weather turns colder.\u201d \u2022 No, it\u2019s not the effing weather [pounds head on desk].<\/p>\n
\u201cCOVID variant XEC sees rapid global growth: What to know about the new strain\u201d [USA Today]. \u201cXEC and a variant known as MV.1 seem poised to become the next dominant strains, scientists say\u2026. ;At this juncture, the XEC variant appears to be the most likely one to get legs next,\u2019 Scripps Research Translational Institute Director Eric Topol wrote on X.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sequelae: Covid<\/p>\n
\u201cDid the Pandemic Break Our Brains?\u201d [Time]. \u201cIn the U.S. alone, about a million more working-age adults reported having serious difficulty remembering, concentrating, or making decisions in 2023 compared to before the pandemic, according to a New York Times analysis of Census Bureau data. It\u2019s not outlandish to think the pandemic has had an effect on our minds, says Jonas Vibell, a cognitive and behavioral neuroscientist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Vibell is currently trying to measure post-COVID inflammation and neuronal damage in the brains of people who report symptoms like brain fog, sluggishness, or reduced energy. When he began publicizing the study, he says, \u2018I got so many emails from lots of people saying the same thing\u201d: that they\u2019d never fully bounced back after the pandemic. But why?\u201d Let the minimization begin! \u201cIt\u2019s probably a mix of things, Vibell says. The SARS-CoV-2 virus can affect the brain directly, as many studies have now shown. But the pandemic may have also affected cognition in less-obvious ways. Months or years spent at home, living most of life through screens, may have left a lingering mark. Even though society is now mostly back to normal, the trauma of living through a terrifying, unprecedented health crisis can be hard to shake.\u201d Back to mechanisms instead of vibes: \u201cCOVID-19 has been linked to serious cognitive problems, including dementia and suicidal thinking. And brain fog, a common symptom of Long COVID, can be so profound that people are unable to live the lives and work the jobs they once did. But COVID-19 also seems able to affect the brain in subtler ways. A 2024 study in the New England Journal of Medicine compared the cognitive performance of people who\u2019d fully recovered from COVID-19 with that of a similar group of people who\u2019d never had the virus. The COVID-19 group did worse, equivalent to a deficit of about three IQ points.\u201d \u2022\u00a0A-a-a-n-d back to vibes. (Normally, I\u2019m all for rich, nuanced explanations involving sociology and psychology. But I don\u2019t think the should be put on the same analytical plane as biological mechanisms, especially when those mechanisms have very strong backing in the literature, and that\u2019s what this article does.)<\/p>\n
Morbidity and Mortality<\/p>\n
\u201cCovid-19 may lead to longest period of peacetime excess mortality, says new Swiss Re report\u201d (press release) [Swiss Re]. \u201cReport suggests potential excess mortality in the general population of up to 3% for the US by 2033 and 2.5% in the UK, the longest period of elevated peacetime excess mortality in the US. Key driver of excess mortality is the lingering impact of COVID-19; both as a direct cause of death, and as a contributor to cardiovascular mortality. Reducing the impact of COVID-19 on elderly and vulnerable populations will be key to excess mortality returning to zero.\u201d \u2022 Who said it was \u201cpeacetime\u201d? Commentary:<\/p>\n
That feeling when one of the largest and most iconic insurance organisations publish a report saying that the 3% excess death burden caused by Covid will keep running for ANOTHER TEN YEARS, but they still think it’s *post-covid* excess mortality and haven’t realised that WE’RE\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2014 tern (@1goodtern) September 17, 2024<\/p>\n
Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n
\u201cA Brief History of American Eugenics\u201d [Jessica Wildfire, Sentinel Intelligence]. \u201cThe idea itself originated with Charles Darwin\u2019s cousin, Francis Galton, who invented the term in 1883. He argued that governments should play a more direct role in \u201cimproving\u201d the human race through a range of policies. By the early 20th century, eugenics had become a widely accepted idea in western culture, endorsed by everyone from Winston Churchill to Woodrow Wilson and taught in hundreds of universities from Northwestern to Harvard. British eugenicists ultimately rejected the American spin on the idea, finding it completely horrifying\u2026. Darwin\u2019s cousin created the word, but it only gave Americans a term to articulate ideas that were circulating for decades, all rooted in a national obsession with racial and spiritual purity. The history matters because eugenics has returned stronger than ever in American culture, resting on the tip of every complacent tongue as Americans ignore genocide abroad while committing social murder at home, casually mocking anyone who still wears a mask and framing anyone in favor of public health as fringe, anxious, or just plain weird. What you see in America\u2019s history is a desire to rid society of the \u2018undesirable\u2019 going back to the late 19th century and leading to the peak of the eugenics movement in the 1930s.\u201d \u2022 Well worth a read, though I would like the proponents brought up to the present day.<\/p>\n
Social Norming<\/p>\n
A Quiet Place (\u201cA family struggles for survival in a world invaded by alien creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing\u201d):<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/a_quiet_place.png\")
<\/p>\n
\u201cHalf of Americans never think they\u2019ll get COVID again\u201d [Ipsos]. Handy chart:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Slide2_14.png\")
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* * *<\/p>\n
TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/p>\n
Lambert here: First time in a long time I\u2019ve seen national trends downward for both positivity and hospitalization. Even if wastewater still looks pretty ugly, that\u2019s very good news. I assume that what\u2019s going on is the end of the Summer Vacation cycle of infection, and there will be a short lull until the beginning of the Back to School cycle. If not, that will be a very good sign.<\/p>\n
Wastewater<\/p>\n
This week[1] CDC September 9<\/p>\n
Last Week[2] CDC (until next week):<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-ww-natl.png\")
<\/p>\n
Variants \u2605 [3] CDC September 14<\/p>\n
Emergency Room Visits[4] CDC September 7<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-variants-natl.png\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-1.png\")
<\/p>\n
Hospitalization<\/p>\n
\u2605 New York[5] New York State, data September 16:<\/p>\n
National [6] CDC August 24:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-8.png\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1.png\")
<\/p>\n
Positivity<\/p>\n
National[7] Walgreens September 16:<\/p>\n
Ohio[8] Cleveland Clinic September 7:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-2.png\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh.png\")
<\/p>\n
Travelers Data<\/p>\n
Positivity[9] CDC August 26:
\n Variants[10] CDC August 26:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1.png\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1.png\")
<\/p>\n
Deaths<\/p>\n
Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11]CDC September 7:<\/p>\n
Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12]CDC September 9:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-death-positivity-natl.png\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/covid-cdc-death-ed-natl.png\")
<\/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. 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
Industrial Production: \u201cUnited States Industrial Production\u201d [Trading Economics]. \u201cIndustrial production in the United States stalled in August of 2024 compared to the same month last year, following a downwardly revised 0.7% decline in July.\u201d<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing, union negotiators to meet as striking workers dig in\u201d [Reuters]. \u201cThe top negotiators at Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) will meet with federal mediators in Seattle on Tuesday for preliminary talks, a person familiar with the process said. Boeing and union negotiators are not expected to discuss details of a new offer at the meeting, which is more about setting out the rules of future talks\u2026 Union members manning picket lines outside Boeing factories in Seattle expressed little sympathy for the company\u2019s financial plight, with many saying they were anticipating a protracted negotiating period and a weeks-long strike. \u2018It makes me a little happy to see that they\u2019re showing the first signs of struggling because I don\u2019t think they care about their workers at all,\u2019 said Martin Klyavkov, 20, who works building wings for the 737 MAX. \u2018Boeing is going to get desperate one of these days and cave.\u2019\u2026 Equity research firm Melius Research found median employee compensation for the aerospace and defense firms it monitors grew 12% between 2018 and 2023, while at Boeing it fell 6%. \u2018I think it\u2019ll be a while before they get an agreement,\u2019 said Bill George, former Medtronic CEO and executive fellow at Harvard Business School. \u2018The compensation may rise to the point where it\u2019s not competitive for Boeing but that might be the lesser of a couple of evils in terms of a long strike.’\u201d \u2022\u00a0Maybe Biden can step in and do what he did to the railroad workers.<\/p>\n
Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing Lays Off \u2018Vital\u2019 Contractors in Sweeping Cost Cuts\u201d [Airline Geeks]. \u201cThe manufacturer reportedly removed \u2018dozens\u2019 of engineering contractor positions with only a day\u2019s notice. These contractors are largely retired employees who were brought back to help fix ongoing manufacturing issues with the Boeing 777X, 787 Dreamliner, and 737 MAX. Speaking to The Seattle Times, one engineer described the contractors as \u2018vital,\u2019 calling the move \u2018just another very bad decision in a continuing long line of bad decisions.’\u201d \u2022 You come out of retirement to help Boeing, so they lay you off?<\/p>\n
Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing\u2019s CFO wants to cut costs but it could be a risky maneuver\u201d [Fortune]. The URL is more pointed: \u201cboeing-cfo-cut-costs-amid-strike-observer-warns-death-spiral\/\u201d More: \u201cAs CFO, West wrote in a letter to employees on Monday that these actions \u201cwill create some uncertainty and concern\u2026. Actions such as hiring freezes and furloughs are immediate cash-saving measures that will impact the bottom line, Jason Walker, founder of Thrive HR Consulting, told me. This is a pretty standard approach when you are worried about the amount of cash you are going to have on hand, he said\u2026. [However, when] when you make this kind of decision, especially if you are Boeing, it only adds to the cultural woes of the company, Walker said. \u2018Employees already have a dim view of management, and this is just going to make it worse; I think they are really in a death spiral of their own making,\u2019 he said\u2026. He added: \u2018From whistleblower lawsuits, the new CEO buying a $4.1 million house, quality issues, and now this\u2014the bad optics just keep going.\u2019 Being laser-focused on the financial aspects of the company is a finance chief\u2019s job, Walker said. However, at times, some CFOs may have \u201ccomplete disregard for the people side of the business,\u201d and employees usually figure that out quickly, he said.\u201d \u2022 Sort of amazing the news comes from the CFO (West) and not the CEO (Ortberg). Seems to communicate who\u2019s really in charge\u2026.<\/p>\n
Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing Has Too Much Debt. Here\u2019s How Much Stock It Might Have to Issue\u201d [Barron\u2019s]. \u201cDebt to Ebitda is a common measure of balance sheet strength. The average debt to Ebitda earned over the past 12 months for industrial companies in the S&P 500, excluding Boeing, is about 1.5 times\u2026. There are about 270 investment-grade-rated non-financial companies in the S&P 500. Their average net debt to Ebitda is about 1.2 times. Almost all have generated positive Ebitda over the past 12 months and about 240 have generated positive free cash flow\u2026. Boeing\u2019s Ebitda generated over the past 12 months is close to zero\u2026. [W]ith Boeing today. Free cash flow is negative because of low production. Boeing is expected to deliver some 475 planes in 2024, down from a pre-pandemic peak of more than 800 in 2018. Wall Street doesn\u2019t project deliveries to hit 2018 levels until 2027.\u201d <\/p>\n
Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing strike emotions flare as security guard flashes gun in picket line altercation\u201d [CBS]. \u201cAn ongoing strike by 33,000 Boeing machinists took a potentially dangerous turn as a security guard displayed a gun following an altercation with workers walking a picket line on Monday outside the airplane manufacturer\u2019s main hub in Seattle\u2026. Boeing called the incident \u2018unacceptable\u2019 and said that the contract security guard involved would not be returning to the company.\u201d \u2022 But the unnamed security firm will still keep the contract?<\/p>\n
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Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 54 Neutral (previous close: 50 Neutral) [CNN]. One week ago: 38 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Sep 13 at 1:58:23 PM ET.<\/p>\n
Social Media Watch<\/p>\n
Certainly robust with respect to the Jackpot:<\/p>\n
Tempted to buy an old letterpress machine to start making a monthly snail-mail newsletter. Entirely offline. Payment by mailed check\/ gift card, or local cash\/ barter only.<\/p>\n
Making a living as a writer online has been a blessing, but the whole “cashless economy” thing scares me.\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/NbzhRo63To<\/p>\n
\u2014 \ud835\ude77\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude8c\ud835\ude94\ud835\ude96\ud835\ude8a\ud835\ude97 (@shagbark_hick) September 17, 2024<\/p>\n
Gallery<\/p>\n
Hockney (1):<\/p>\n
Genuinely impressed by how bad the new window in Westminster Abbey is pic.twitter.com\/7PH1DveueB<\/p>\n
\u2014 alex zawacki (@AChillGhost) September 16, 2024<\/p>\n
Hockney (2): <\/p>\n
Afternoon sunlight streams into the Abbey through The Queen’s Window, designed by David Hockney and installed in 2018 to celebrate the reign of HM Queen Elizabeth II. It depicts a vividly coloured country scene reflecting The Queen’s deep affection and connection to the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/3nL236Cwcl<\/p>\n
\u2014 Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) August 7, 2024<\/p>\n
Hockney (3):<\/p>\n
Lawn sprinkled pic.twitter.com\/NCQcQqFkrZ<\/p>\n
\u2014 David Hockney (@ArtistHockney) September 17, 2024<\/p>\n
I think the Medium matters\u2026.<\/p>\n
Zeitgeist Watch<\/p>\n
I guess Lawson won\u2019t be getting any repeat business from Routh:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
NOTE: YouTube now makes you log in to watch the more popular version of this clip (on which the comments are great).<\/p>\n
Class Warfare<\/p>\n
\u201cAmazon mandates five days a week in office starting next year\u201d [Reuters]. \u201cAmazon will require employees to return to working at company offices five days per week beginning next year, toughening a prior three-day mandate. The change is necessary to \u2018invent, collaborate and be connected\u2019 wrote CEO Andy Jassy in a letter to employees on Monday posted to its website. He said the experience of a three-day mandate \u2018strengthened our conviction about the benefits\u2019 of in-office work. Companies have been allowing many employees to work from home since the pandemic, leaving downtown offices nearly empty in a number of cities such as San Francisco and Seattle. However, some tech firms are beginning to mandate employees to return to their offices two or three days per week. Amazon has taken a tougher stance than many of its rivals as COVID-19 has become less of a daily threat. Employees have described to Reuters how Amazon has required them to report to, in some cases, distant offices or move to Seattle to keep their jobs. And some employees who were consistently out of compliance with the existing three-day mandate were told they were \u2018voluntarily resigning,\u2019 and were locked out of Amazon\u2019s systems. A spokesperson for Amazon did not immediately respond to say whether the new mandate will be as stringent, nor did an employee Q&A shared with Reuters on Monday make it clear. The mandate has been deeply unpopular among a vocal group of employees who have said working from home is both effective and spares time and money for commuting.\u201d<\/p>\n
News of the Wired<\/p>\n
How it started:<\/p>\n
A life long pet resistant human who had allergies now has a kitten in his home. Wish me well. pic.twitter.com\/KLKsEYCZwi<\/p>\n
\u2014 Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) September 8, 2024<\/p>\n
How it\u2019s going:<\/p>\n
The kitten likes drinking water from my water mug. I’m assuming there is nothing I can do to stop this, yes? I’ve resorted to now bringing 2 water cups and placing a napkin over the one I want to use.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) September 16, 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 EH:<\/p>\n
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EH writes: \u201cHere is a picture from May 17, 2024 of Blue-eyed Grass, flourishing all along a new wetland wild flower path in Chestertown, Maryland, where we visit friends from time to time . There is also a wild North American Strawberry growing among it. These are relatively newly planted and are thriving. I tried several times to grow this miniscule wetland\/ woodland member of the iris family in my yard in Brooklyn, NY, because I remembered it growing in abundance in the woods when I lived in North Carolina, but sadly, it didn\u2019t like my conditions.\u201d Have any readers had better luck?<\/p>\n
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