2:00PM Water Cooler 4/24/2024 | bare capitalism

By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Affected person readers, my technique of “mendacity flat” has, thus far, induced a speedy rebound in my signs, so hopefully I shall be roughly regular tomorrow. –lambert. No orts and scraps at present; I’ll resume my coverage of masterful inactivity. From my studying of the Trumo trial thus far, it’s sound and fury, with Bragg’s thoery of the case trying even weaker. Extra tomorrow.

Chicken Track of the Day

American Woodcock, Powatan WMA Powerline Path, Powhatan, Virginia, United States. Courtship, show, or copulation; Flying.” Having a tough time finfind an American Woodcock that doesn’t sound digital.

Politics

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

2024

Lower than a yr to go!

RCP Ballot Averages, April 19:

Right here this Friday’s RCP polling. Trump remains to be doing very effectively in nearly all of the Swing States (extra right here), main with one exception: PA. Overlook all of the arithmetic, and take a look at PA as a check of the Trump marketing campaign’s fundamental competence. What are they doing to repair this? (I’ll work out a greater option to current this, however for now: Blue dot = transfer towards Biden; crimson dot = transfer towards Trump. No dot = no change (presumably as a result of state polls usually are not that quite a few so removed from election day).

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Trump (R): (Merchan/Bragg): “Trump trial: Key gamers on the centre of the previous president’s prison case” [BBC]. “Mr Bragg has adopted a novel authorized idea that may flip a misdemeanour – falsifying enterprise information – right into a felony. He has alleged that Mr Trump modified the enterprise information to cowl up a second crime – the violation of New York campaign-finance legal guidelines. His workplace alleges that the Trump marketing campaign sought to cover the affair from voters forward of the 2016 election. Authorized consultants have blended views about whether or not the gambit will work, however Mr Bragg has pulled collectively an skilled crew of prosecutors who’re very aware of Mr Trump to make the case.”

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Trump (R): “Trump’s map edge: Biden has more durable path to victory, veteran Dem adviser says” [Axios]. “With over six months to go till Election Day, given the volatility on the earth and the weaknesses of Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump, it could be silly to make agency predictions about particular outcomes. And different electoral map eventualities are doable: Latest polling reveals Mr. Biden with a slim lead in Minnesota, a state that normally votes for Democrats for president. Whereas it’s mathematically doable for Mr. Biden to win with out carrying Minnesota, it’s unlikely he shall be elected if he can’t carry this historically Democratic state. For the third election cycle in a row, a small variety of voters in a handful of states may decide the subsequent president of the US. If the election stays shut however Mr. Biden is unable to regain assist from the core group of voters who propelled him to victory in 2020 — younger and nonwhite voters — then we could possibly be headed to a repeat of the 2016 election. The result of that election was determined by fewer than 80,000 votes in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.” • Usually deprecate swipe-friendly interactive maps, however it is a good one.

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Newsom (D): “Gov Gavin Newsom worries about ‘overindulgence,’ ‘obsession’ with Trump hush cash trial: ‘Much less is extra’” [FOX]. “MSNBC host Jen Psaki requested the Democrat governor a couple of ‘refrain’ of people that assume the hush cash trial is simply serving to Trump politically, which she stated was driving her ‘loopy.’” Little doubt. Extra: “She questioned what Newsom would possibly inform an undecided voter about why the case ought to matter to them. Newsom argued it ought to matter, but in addition stated that Trump ‘doesn’t care if he’s the hero [“face,” actually] or the heel, he simply desires to be the star.’ ‘After we are specializing in him, I do fear electorally that he has a slight benefit. And so, I’m slightly involved in regards to the overindulgence across the day-to-day. I get it, I completely get it. The consequential nature of a prison trial is profound and outsized, in some respect, however no more outsized than democracy, extra outsized than Dobbs,’ he stated, referring to the Dobbs determination, which overturned Roe v. Wade.” • I feel that Newsom makes a superb level, however I additionally assume the Democrats gained’t have the ability to assist themselves, and greater than the Republicans impeaching Clinton may.

Pritzker (D): “Pritzker says Chicago is ready for DNC amid cease-fire protests” [The Hill]. “‘Simply perceive that Joe Biden is preventing for peace within the Center East, is preventing to finish the hostilities between Israel and Gaza, and guarantee that we’re offering humanitarian assist there,’ he stated. When you concentrate on the protests, it’s Joe Biden that’s standing for peace, and an enduring peace at that, and it’s the Republicans that, frankly, would stoke the flames of warfare within the Center East.’ Pritzker famous that protest teams calling for a cease-fire shut down an interstate outdoors of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport final week as a part of a nationwide motion, and that Chicago Police rapidly escorted the teams off the roadway quicker than different protests within the nation. ‘Our Chicago Police Division was capable of get these people off the freeway quicker than some other metropolis in the US. And so they’re ready for the Democratic Conference,’ he stated. ‘Look, we imagine in free speech, and we’re going to permit individuals to protest and say no matter it’s they wish to say,’ he continued. However the actuality is, we’re additionally going to guarantee that individuals have ingress and egress and that they’re protected in our state.’”

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Republican Funhouse

“How Mike Johnson Bought to ‘Sure’ on Assist to Ukraine” [New York Times]. “He huddled with high nationwide safety officers, together with WILLIAM J. BURNS, the C.I.A. director, within the Oval Workplace to debate labeled intelligence. He met repeatedly with broad factions of Republicans in each swing and deep crimson districts, and regarded their voters’ attitudes towards funding Ukraine. He thought of his son, who is ready to attend the U.S. Naval Academy within the fall. ‘And at last, when his plan to work with Democrats to clear the best way for aiding Ukraine met with an outpouring of venom from ultraconservatives already threatening to depose him, Mr. Johnson, an evangelical Christian, knelt and prayed for steerage.’” • And got here up with probably the most ridiculous rationalization I’ve ever heard. Technically, nonetheless — and I’m undecided what to make of this — there’s apparently a deep break up between “ultraconservatives” and the “Christian proper??

Pandemics

“I’m in earnest — I cannot equivocate — I cannot excuse — I cannot retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD.” –William Lloyd Garrison

Covid Sources, United States (Nationwide): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; contains many counties; Wastewater Scan, contains drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, however nationwide knowledge). “An infection Management, Emergency Administration, Security, and Basic Ideas” (particularly on hospitalization by metropolis).

Lambert right here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To replace any entry, do be happy to contact me on the deal with given with the crops. Please put “COVID” within the topic line. Thanks!

Sources, United States (Native): AK (dashboard); AL (dashboard); AR (dashboard); AZ (dashboard); CA (dashboard; Marin, dashboard; Stanford, wastewater; Oakland, wastewater); CO (dashboard; wastewater); CT (dashboard); DE (dashboard); FL (wastewater); GA (wastewater); HI (dashboard); IA (wastewater experiences); ID (dashboard, Boise; dashboard, wastewater, Central Idaho; wastewater, Coeur d’Alene; dashboard, Spokane County); IL (wastewater); IN (dashboard); KS (dashboard; wastewater, Lawrence); KY (dashboard, Louisville); LA (dashboard); MA (wastewater); MD (dashboard); ME (dashboard); MI (wastewater; wastewater); MN (dashboard); MO (wastewater); MS (dashboard); MT (dashboard); NC (dashboard); ND (dashboard; wastewater); NE (dashboard); NH (wastewater); NJ (dashboard); NM (dashboard); NV (dashboard; wastewater, Southern NV); NY (dashboard); OH (dashboard); OK (dashboard); OR (dashboard); PA (dashboard); RI (dashboard); SC (dashboard); SD (dashboard); TN (dashboard); TX (dashboard); UT (wastewater); VA (dashboard); VT (dashboard); WA (dashboard; dashboard); WI (wastewater); WV (wastewater); WY (wastewater).

Sources, Canada (Nationwide): Wastewater (Authorities of Canada).

Sources, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater); QC (les eaux usées); BC (wastewater); BC, Vancouver (wastewater).

Hat tricks to useful readers: Alexis, anon (2), Art_DogCT, B24S, CanCyn, ChiGal, Chuck L, Festoonic, FM, FreeMarketApologist (4), Gumbo, hop2it, JB, JEHR, JF, JL Joe, John, JM (10), JustAnotherVolunteer, JW, KatieBird, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, sq. coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).

Keep protected on the market!

Airborne Transmission: Covid

“Exploring indoor and outside mud as a possible device for detection and monitoring of COVID-19 transmission” [Cell]. “This research investigated the potential of utilizing SARS-CoV-2 viral concentrations in mud as a further surveillance device for early detection and monitoring of COVID-19 transmission. Mud samples have been collected from 8 public areas in 16 districts of Bangkok, Thailand, from June to August 2021. SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in mud have been quantified, and their correlation with group case incidence was assessed. Our findings revealed a constructive correlation between viral concentrations detected in mud and the relative danger of COVID-19. The very best danger was noticed with no delay (0-day lag), and this danger progressively decreased because the lag time elevated. We noticed an total decline in viral concentrations in public locations throughout lockdown, carefully related to decreased human mobility. The efficient replica quantity for COVID-19 transmission remained above one all through the research interval, suggesting that transmission might persist in areas past public areas even after the lockdown measures have been in place.” • Lockdowns work however solely as a part of a layered strategy.

Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions

Vinay having a superb one:

“Privatization,” in fact, isn’t barbaric:

It’s the best type of civilization!

Transmission: Covid

“Age-specific nasal epithelial responses to SARS-CoV-2 an infection” [Nature]. In vitro mannequin incorporating in vivo knowledge. From the Summary: “Right here we examine variations within the mobile panorama and performance of paediatric (70 years) ex vivo cultured nasal epithelial cells in response to an infection with SARS-CoV-2. We present that cell tropism of SARS-CoV-2, and expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in nasal epithelial cell subtypes, differ between age teams. Whereas ciliated cells are viral replication centres throughout all age teams, a definite goblet inflammatory subtype emerges in contaminated paediatric cultures and reveals excessive expression of interferon-stimulated genes and incomplete viral replication. In distinction, older grownup cultures contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 present a proportional improve in basaloid-like cells, which facilitate viral unfold and are related to altered epithelial restore pathways.”

TABLE 1: Each day Covid Charts

LEGEND

1) ★ for charts new at present; all others usually are not up to date.

2) For a full-size/full-resolution picture, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Home windows) on the chart thumbnail and “open picture in new tab.”

NOTES

[1] (Biobot) Our curve has now flattened out at a degree far above valleys below Trump. Not an awesome victory. Be aware additionally the realm “below the curve,” apart from taking a look at peaks. That space is bigger below Biden than below Trump, and it appears to be rising steadily if erratically.

[2] (Biobot) No backward revisons….

[3] (CDC Variants) As of Might 11, genomic surveillance knowledge shall be reported biweekly, based mostly on the provision of constructive check specimens.” “Biweeekly: 1. occurring each two weeks. 2. occurring twice every week; semiweekly.” Appears to be like like CDC has chosen sense #1. In essence, they’re telling us variants are nothing to fret about. Time will inform.

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

[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Flattening out to a non-zero baseline. I suppose to a tame epidemiologist it seems like “endemicity,” however to me it seems like one other tranche of lethality.

[6] (Hospitalization: CDC) Nonetheless down. “Maps, charts, and knowledge supplied by CDC, updates weekly for the earlier MMWR week (Sunday-Saturday) on Thursdays (Deaths, Emergency Division Visits, Check Positivity) and weekly the next Mondays (Hospitalizations) by 8 pm ET†”.

[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.

[8] (Cleveland) Slight uptrend.

[9] (Vacationers: Posivitity) Uptick.

[10] (Vacationers: Variants) JN.1 dominates totally.

[11] Appears to be like just like the Occasions isn’t reporting dying knowledge any extra? Possibly I want to return to The Economist….

Stats Watch

Manufacturing: “United States Sturdy Items Orders” [Trading Economics]. “New orders for manufactured sturdy items in the US surged by 2.6% month-over-month in March 2024, following a downwardly revised 0.7% progress seen in February and barely exceeding market expectations of a 2.5% improve. It marked the most important month-to-month advance in sturdy items orders since final November.”

Tech: “The query that no LLM can reply and why it’s important” [MindPrison]. Good examples. Conclusions: “The implications are that LLMs don’t carry out reasoning over knowledge in the best way that most individuals conceive or want. There isn’t a self-reflection of its data; it doesn’t know what it is aware of and what it doesn’t. The road between hallucination and fact is solely a likelihood factored by the prevalence of coaching knowledge and post-training processes like fine-tuning. Reliability will at all times be nothing greater than a likelihood constructed on high of this structure. As such, it turns into unsuitable as a machine to search out uncommon hidden truths or useful uncared for data. . At finest, it will probably present new permutations of views of present well-known ideas, but it surely can’t invent new ideas or reveal ideas hardly ever spoken about.” Censorship Indistrial Advanced: “Precisely what we would like!”

Tech: “The Man Who Killed Google Search” [TechMeme (JustTheFacts)]. Seize a cup of espresso, that is nice. It’s so horrid I actually can’t select on merchandise extra horrid than the subsequent The one factor that surprises me is that there’s no Google equal for Boeing’s John Barnett. Can’t we simply nationalize Google, fireplace the highest administration, roll the code base again to, say, 2009, and begin over?

Tech: “Google delays third-party cookie demise but once more” [Digiday]. “Google is delaying the top of third-party cookies in its Chrome browser — once more. In different unsurprising developments, water stays moist… Google didn’t define a extra particular timetable past hoping for 2025. That is the third time Google has pushed again its authentic deadline set in January 2020. Again then, the tech behemoth promised to section out third-party cookies “inside two years” to beef up safety for customers whereas browsing the net. However since then, Google’s hit the brakes twice already. And each time, it’s been to offer the advert trade extra prep time for one thing that’s been surrounded by lots of ifs, buts, and maybes. Even in the beginning of the yr, as Google phased out cookies for one p.c of browser visitors, questions loomed over when extra important adjustments would happen.”

As we speak’s Worry & Greed Index: 34 Worry (earlier shut: 31 Worry) [CNN]. One week in the past: 39 (Impartial). (0 is Excessive Worry; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Apr 22 at 12:48:27 PM ET.

Groves of Academe

Portrait of a professsor not getting it:

can’t wrap my thoughts round how somebody can fuck up understanding 4’33” like this and be a college professor https://t.co/u3zS98d76S

— kate wagner (@mcmansionhell) April 24, 2024

Can anyone discover a respectable well-attested video of the Israeli protester allegedly being poked within the eye by a flag? Large flag with a pole? Small, hand-flag? Thanks@

Information of the Wired

I’m not feeling wired at present.

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Contact data for crops: Readers, be happy to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn how to ship me a test in case you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn how to ship me photographs of crops. Greens are wonderful! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary crops! In order for you your deal with to seem as a credit score, please place it in the beginning of your mail in parentheses: (thus). In any other case, I’ll anonymize by utilizing your initials. See the earlier Water Cooler (with plant) right here. From No SPam:

No Spam writes: “Fungus! A wax mushroom, fairly pretty from the cemetery.” As readers know, fungi are honorary crops, like lichens.

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