2:00PM Water Cooler 2/29/2024 | bare capitalism

By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Chook Track of the Day

Winter Wren, Wayne, New York, United States.

Politics

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

The Constitutional Order (Revolt)

“How Democrats May Disqualify Trump If the Supreme Court docket Doesn’t” [The Atlantic]. “[State of Colorado lawyer Jason] Murray and different authorized students say that, absent clear steerage from the Supreme Court docket, a Trump win might result in a constitutional disaster in Congress. Democrats must select between confirming a winner lots of them imagine is ineligible and defying the need of voters who elected him…. In interviews, senior Home Democrats wouldn’t decide to certifying a Trump win, saying they might achieve this provided that the Supreme Court docket affirms his eligibility. However throughout oral arguments, liberal and conservative justices alike appeared inclined to dodge the query of his eligibility altogether and throw the choice to Congress.” And: “As Republicans are keen on mentioning, Democrats have objected to the certification of every GOP presidential winner since 2000. None of these challenges went anyplace, they usually have been all premised on disputing the result or legitimacy of the election itself. Contesting a presidential election by claiming that the winner is ineligible, nevertheless, has no precedent.” And eventually: “The students additionally warned that severe political instability and violence might ensue [if a Democrat Congress disqualified Trump]. That chance was on Raskin’s thoughts, too. He conceded that the specter of violence might affect what Democrats do if Trump wins. However, [Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland] added, it wouldn’t essentially cease them from making an attempt to disqualify him. ‘ [who?] .” • Oh. Perhaps wargame it out?

“Choose orders former President Trump faraway from Illinois major poll, however places order on maintain” [CBS Chicago]. “The U.S. Supreme Court docket is anticipated to decide on the matter quickly. If the U.S. Supreme Court docket guidelines in Mr. Trump’s favor, many of the efforts to maintain him off the poll – in Illinois, Colorado, Maine, and elsewhere – would probably be tossed out. CBS 2 Authorized Analyst Irv Miller identified the best court docket has two circumstances relating to the previous president, and stated in consequence, the Cook dinner County court docket determination is ‘completely meaningless.’…. The case went earlier than the Illinois State Board of Elections in January, however the board dominated it didn’t have the authority to take away Mr. Trump from the poll. However a choose later gave the petitioners a inexperienced gentle to proceed their effort to get Mr. Trump eliminated.” • Right here is the opinion.

So once more the Colorado opinion will get grandfathered in as a discovering of reality. IANAL, let a alone a trial lawyer, however I’m unsure permitting that to occur was the Trump workforce’s smartest transfer ever.

“Cook dinner County choose boots Trump from Illinois major poll” [Axios]. “[Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie R.] Porter instantly suspended the ruling till Friday, so votes for Trump will proceed to be counted in Illinois this week as early voters forged ballots forward of the March 19 major.” • Porter is a Democrat.

Capitol Seizure

“The Pipe Bombs Earlier than Jan. 6: Capital Thriller That Doesn’t Add Up” [Julie Kelly, RealClearInvestigations]. That is essentially the most curious factoid for me: The presence of Kamala Harris on the DNC after the bomb had been positioned: “Different points of the pipe bomb story began to boost eyebrows. After practically a yr of deceptive judges and defendants, federal prosecutors revealed in late 2021 that Kamala Harris was on the DNC and never on the Capitol on Jan. 6; the federal government was pressured to reveal her whereabouts to right court docket filings that said Harris was within the Capitol on the afternoon of Jan. 6. Harris left the Capitol following a Senate Intelligence Committee briefing and arrived on the DNC round 11:25 a.m. She remained contained in the constructing till she was evacuated at 1:15 p.m. The timeline generated much more head-scratchers. How did her safety element, which included Secret Service brokers and D.C. Metropolitan law enforcement officials, miss the machine sitting in comparatively plain view?” • Actual life is messy; there are lots of oddities; not all the things provides up. Nevertheless it does appear that on this story, there are issues that ought to add up, however don’t (precisely as with the well-known gallows).

2024

Lower than a yr to go!

* * *

As a result of you’ll be able to’t inform the gamers with out a score-card, listed below are case trackers for Trump. Summarizing: All prison. Federal: Jack Smith, Florida (“Categorised Paperwork”); Jack Smith, Washington, D.C. (“Election Interference). State: Fani Willis, GA (“Election Interference”); Alvin Bragg, NY (“Hush Cash”).

Trump (R): “Trump Investigations: Monitoring The Instances” [Associated Press]. • Very helpful resourcs (multipage, tabbed, timelines, up to date).

Trump (R): “Donald Trump circumstances: Monitoring civil, prison expenses towards former president” [FOX]. • A wrap-up, together with the disqualification circumstances.

Trump (R): “Right here’s the place all of the circumstances towards Trump stand as he campaigns for a return to the White Home” [CTV]. This one’s from Canada! “From allegations of plotting to overturn a misplaced election to illegally stowing categorised paperwork at his Florida property, former U.S. president Donald Trump faces 4 prison indictments in 4 totally different cities as he vies to reclaim the White Home. The circumstances, totaling 91 felony counts, are winding by the courts at totally different speeds. Some won’t attain trial this yr, whereas one is about to start in a matter of weeks.” • There are 91 felony counts as a result of Jack Smith, within the Categorised Paperwork case, charged Trump for every doc.

* * *

Trump (R): “Supreme Court docket stalls Trump’s federal election trial whereas weighing his immunity bid” [Politico]. “Donald Trump’s federal trial for in search of to subvert the 2020 election is prone to stay on maintain for a number of extra months whereas the Supreme Court docket takes up his argument that he’s immune from prosecution for actions he took whereas president. In a one-page order Wednesday, the court docket set an expedited schedule to listen to the immunity subject, with oral arguments to be set throughout the week of April 22. Within the meantime, proceedings within the trial court docket will stay frozen….. However the court docket’s determination to maintain the pretrial proceedings frozen is a blow to particular counsel Jack Smith’s effort to carry Trump to trial this yr. Smith has charged Trump with 4 felonies stemming from his bid to subvert the 2020 presidential election…. The choice by the justices additionally locations further significance on the approaching determination by U.S. District Choose Aileen Cannon relating to the schedule of Trump’s different federal prison trial for hoarding categorised paperwork at his Mar-a-Lago property. Cannon is anticipated to reconfigure the timeline of that trial, at the moment set for Could 20, after a day-long listening to on Friday…. Along with his two federal prison circumstances, Trump is dealing with state prison expenses in New York and Georgia…. Trump is about to go on trial March 25 within the New York case, over claims Trump falsified enterprise data to cowl up funds made throughout the 2016 presidential marketing campaign to ladies claiming sexual encounters with him. No trial date has been set within the Georgia case, the place Trump is one in all 15 defendants charged in a racketeering conspiracy to intervene with the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election in that state.”

Trump (R): “The Un-American Marketing campaign towards Donald Trump” [National Review]. Hopping on board the Trump prepare. However, within the NY civil fraud case: “The prosecutor, New York legal professional common Letitia James, wielded an extremely broad statute meant to focus on shopper fraud. Government Legislation 63(12) doesn’t require any discovering of intent to commit fraud or illegality, or require precise victims. The choose within the case, Arthur Engoron, stated it didn’t even matter whether or not Trump’s exaggerated valuations of his property have been relied on by anybody. It’s, briefly, the magic bullet of anti-fraud statutes and the right weapon within the fingers of a politically motivated prosecutor in search of any cause to nail one particular individual whom she and all her supporters passionately hate.” And the NY prison case: “That is earlier than Manhattan district legal professional Alvin Bragg is available in along with his prison case, whereby the elected Democratic prosecutor has bootstrapped what ought to, at most, be a misdemeanor involving hush cash paid to a porn star into 34 felony counts. Bragg’s fraud case, in what’s changing into a theme, doesn’t allege that anybody truly was defrauded, and was introduced solely after Bragg was criticized by allies for taking a cross on expenses that, to cite Abraham Lincoln, are ‘as skinny because the homeopathic soup that was made by boiling the shadow of a pigeon that had starved to loss of life.’” And: “These prosecutors are performing as in the event that they contemplate the well-known speech by then–legal professional common and future Supreme Court docket justice Robert Jackson not as a warning, however a street map. He known as ‘essentially the most harmful energy of the prosecutor’ that ‘he’ll decide those who he thinks he ought to get, moderately than decide circumstances that must be prosecuted.’” • Not fallacious!

Trump (R): “Judges in Trump-related circumstances face unprecedented wave of threats” [Reuters]. “Because the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination – and a defendant in 4 prison circumstances alleging 91 felonies – Trump has fused the roles of candidate and defendant. He assaults judges as political foes, demonizes prosecutors and casts the judicial system as biased towards him and his supporters. These broadsides continuously set off surges in threats towards the judges, prosecutors and different court docket officers he targets, Reuters discovered. Since Trump launched his first presidential marketing campaign in June 2015, the typical variety of threats and hostile communications directed at judges, federal prosecutors, judicial employees and court docket buildings has greater than tripled, in accordance with the Reuters assessment of knowledge from the Marshals Service, which is chargeable for defending federal court docket personnel. The annual common rose from 1,180 incidents within the decade previous to Trump’s marketing campaign to three,810 within the seven years after he declared his candidacy and commenced his apply of criticizing judges.” • Little question, although we additionally don’t know if any of these calls are sh*tstirring by the Okhrana. How would we?

* * *

Trump (R): “Past shock and awe: Inside Trump’s potential second-term agenda” [Politico]. “Trump’s marketing campaign has repeatedly dismissed media experiences about his potential second-term agenda, saying in a press release in November that coverage suggestions from his conservative allies ‘are actually appreciated and may be enormously useful’ however ‘are simply that — suggestions.’ ‘Until a second time period precedence is articulated by President Trump himself, or is formally communicated by the marketing campaign, it’s not licensed in any means,” the assertion from marketing campaign advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita stated.” Good staffwork. Extra: “However each supporters and critics of the ex-president predict {that a} reelected Trump would wage a extra centered and aggressive assault on the established order. This time, they are saying, he could be way more educated in regards to the mechanics of wielding govt energy. Having positioned so many conservatives in federal judgeships, he would face much less resistance from the courts. And he could be extra decided to position loyalists, not rules-obsessed traditionalists, in senior roles.” • Yeah, OMG, this time round we would truly pull our troops out of that colonial outpost in Syria…

* * *

Biden (D): “Unique: Hunter Biden sees his sobriety as key to conserving Trump from successful” [Axios]. “Hunter’s preliminary sobriety date was the day they married — Could 17, 2019, the day earlier than Joe Biden’s official marketing campaign kickoff in Philadelphia. Hunter acknowledged in court docket final July that he had a ‘drink or two’ quickly after, and stated June 1 of that yr was his official sobriety date.” • Huge thumbs up. At some point at a time. Sobriety is one thing I might by no means mock (and this is the reason, if Hunter Biden and that slippery little vat-grown scut Pete Buttigieg have been dealing with off in a Democrat major, I’d vote for Hunter. Hunter has lived, not less than. Would I purchase a used automotive from him? No.

Biden (D): “Defiant Hunter Biden defends enterprise strikes, invokes Kushner offers” [The Hill]. “[I]f Republicans have been hoping to dig up the elusive proof of economic wrongdoing to again their allegations, they didn’t appear to search out it within the practically seven hours of closed-door questioning with the president’s son…. Wednesday’s testimony marked the most recent in an extended sequence of closed-door depositions performed by Republicans on the Oversight and Judiciary committees as they scramble for proof to again their allegations that the president’s household performed shady abroad enterprise offers that leaned closely on the highly effective Biden title…. Regardless of Comer’s rosy evaluation, Hunter Biden’s lackluster testimony gave the impression to be the most recent setback within the Home GOP’s floundering impeachment inquiry, which has struggled to current proof substantiating numerous claims of economic misconduct by the president and his household. The largest blow to the probe got here earlier this month when the Justice Division indicted an FBI informant who was central to the GOP’s key declare — that Joe and Hunter Biden every obtained a $5 million bribe from Burisma. Authorities stated the informant, Alexander Smirnov, fabricated these allegations, and he later informed investigators he obtained data from “officers related to Russian intelligence.””

* * *

Biden (D): “Biden critics look to copy Michigan’s ‘uncommitted’ vote in different states” [The Hill]. “In the meantime, a separate motion, Abandon Biden, is urging voters to reject the incumbent altogether. ‘After we say ‘abandon,’ it actually and with none trepidation implies ‘abandon.’ We utterly deserted him as a result of he deserted us,” stated Hassan Abdel Salam, a professor on the College of Minnesota and a founding organizer of the #AbandonBiden Nationwide Coalition…. Abandon Biden campaigns launched earlier this month in Minnesota, which votes on Tremendous Tuesday subsequent week; Arizona, which votes in mid-March; and Pennsylvania, which votes in late April. The motion additionally has its eyes on New Jersey and North Carolina, Salam stated…. However with ‘uncommitted’ an possibility in only a few different states — together with Washington, Maryland, Kentucky and Tennessee — the Nice Lakes State’s outcomes can be onerous to copy, stated Democratic strategist Eddie Vale.”

Biden (D): “Joe Biden Ought to Endorse Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Step Apart” [Newsweek]. “Why Whitmer? For one factor, she could be the primary feminine president, and it’s about time. She wouldn’t be hobbled by the bags of Hillary Clinton, and has govt expertise, a centrist mindset, decency, relative youth, and evident intelligence…. A practical and bipartisan strategy, observe file of outcomes, and lack of obvious absurdities, make her the final word anti-Trump.” • First trial balloon for Huge Gretch within the nationwide media! Be nonetheless, my beating coronary heart….

* * *

“How No Labels’ Spoiler Bid Immediately Entered Full Meltdown Mode” [The New Republic]. “No Labels faces an issue that runs deeper than the shortage of high-profile candidates prepared to take the third-party plunge: The group’s core argument has confirmed not possible to maintain, and everybody paying even cursory consideration to its actions is aware of it. For months, as No Labels has sought to safe a line on ballots in as many states as doable—the group claims 16 as of now—its officers have sworn vehemently that they don’t have any intention of mounting a candidacy that solely capabilities as a spoiler or helps Trump. Joe Lieberman, the group’s founding chairman, typically says as a lot. The true intention, it says, is to reply the general public’s alleged name for an alternative choice to the 2 events with a “unity ticket” that may delivery a brand new coalition of public-spirited voters who worth bipartisan compromise over petty partisanship and dysfunction. However irrespective of how onerous No Labels strains to mission such pious intentions, the all-but-certain influence of such a plan has confirmed not possible to disguise. It’s borderline not possible for such a bid to win outright in sufficient states to assemble a majority of 270 Electoral School votes—Ross Perot and Ralph Nader gained none; the final third-party candidate to win any electoral votes was George Wallace, 56 years in the past.” • And Joe Manchin was their final, finest hope?

* * *

CA: “California’s Major May Fell Distinguished Dems, Elevate Newcomer: [Banning-Beaumont Patch]. “California’s Senate race was anticipated to be a three-way Democratic prizefight, however the potential of a record-low turnout is elevating the possibilities of Republican Steve Garvey, a former baseball star, and will derail the congressional careers of two distinguished progressives…. After the loss of life of Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein in September, all [Porter, Schiff, and Lee] entered the race… Presidential elections normally drive Democratic turnout in California, however that hasn’t been the case this yr, with President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump on observe for a second matchup wherein each are considered unfavorably by many citizens. ‘This can be a low-interest, low-turnout form of election cycle. That typically creates an voters that’s older, extra conservative, whiter,’ stated Paul Mitchell of Political Information Inc., a analysis agency that intently tracks voting tendencies and works with Democrats, impartial candidates and teachers. Whereas the dynamic might shift by the point major voting ends, Mitchell stated it’s doable that Garvey finally ends up with the best whole because the Democratic candidates splinter votes on the left.”

Republican Funhouse

“The insider’s information to the McConnell succession race” [Politico]. “The Kentucky Republican isn’t stepping apart till November, however three potential heirs have lengthy loomed giant within the Hill’s calculus. Considerably confusingly, all three are white males named John: Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), former whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) and GOP Convention Chair John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).”

Realignment and Legitimacy

“The 2-party doom loop” [Boston Globe]. “The US electoral system wants a extra trendy system of illustration — proportional illustration, which elects a number of representatives in every district in proportion to the quantity of people that vote for them — to higher signify each the range and pluralism of the nation and, extra virtually, to permit for extra shifting coalitions that would discover inventive compromises on points like immigration…. In contrast, winner-take-all programs like america’ are related to increased ranges of polarization and a larger threat of political violence. Re-legalizing fusion voting — the place a number of political events can nominate the identical candidate on the poll — would even be a robust step towards a multiparty democracy and would enable for a uniquely American model of proportional illustration throughout the context of present single-winner elections.”

“Ballot: Virtually a Third of People Say the First Modification Goes ‘Too Far’” [Reason]. “The survey additionally requested respondents to learn a dozen controversial statements and decide the one they discovered most offensive. Probably the most disliked beliefs have been that ‘all whites are racist oppressors,’ adopted by statements like ‘America received what it deserved on 9/11’ and ‘January sixth was a peaceable protest.’ The survey then requested respondents whether or not they’d agree with permitting this opinion to be expressed in several circumstances. Half of the respondents stated that their group ‘positively’ or ‘most likely’ mustn’t allow a public speech expressing the opinion they discovered most offensive. A whopping 69 p.c stated an area faculty ought to ‘positively’ or ‘most likely’ not enable a professor who holds such an opinion to show there. Over 1 / 4 of respondents stated that somebody who beforehand stated the offensive opinion ought to be fired from their job. These outcomes point out that although the typical American is anxious about defending free speech rights, a good portion of the inhabitants appear poised to welcome growing censorship.” • Perhaps Biden might decide up a number of votes by making liberal Democrat pro-censorship views express? The imagine it, why not run on it?

“Fetterman condemns ‘leisure cruelty’ towards Boebert household” [Washington Examiner]. • Which I feel speaks effectively of him, even when he’s unsound on coverage.

WI: “Meeting leaders concede Michael Gableman violated data legal guidelines throughout fruitless 2020 election assessment” [Journal-Sentinel]. “MADISON – Meeting officers have admitted former Wisconsin Supreme Court docket Justice Michael Gableman violated public data legal guidelines whereas taxpayers paid him a whole lot of 1000’s of {dollars} to probe the 2020 election — an investigation that didn’t flip up any proof to query President Joe Biden’s victory…. Meeting Speaker Robin Vos employed Gableman to assessment the 2020 election and has since stated he regrets doing so. Gableman accrued greater than $2.5 million in prices to taxpayers and a gentle drumbeat of explosive court docket hearings and rulings in lawsuits over Gableman’s want to jail election officers and mayors who refused to be interviewed behind closed doorways, and his determination to ignore requests from the general public for data associated to his probe.” • Bumptious!

#COVID19

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

Assets, 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 information). “An infection Management, Emergency Administration, Security, and Normal Ideas” (particularly on hospitalization by metropolis).

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

Assets, 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).

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

Assets, 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!

Sequelae

“Neuroimaging findings in kids with COVID-19 an infection: a scientific assessment and meta-analysis” [Nature]. Systematic assessment and meta-analysis. From the Dialogue: “Our findings reveal {that a} substantial proportion of pediatric COVID-19 sufferers with neurological signs exhibit irregular neuroimaging findings, with 43.74% of kids within the included research demonstrating such abnormalities. These findings underscore the significance of contemplating neurological issues within the administration of pediatric COVID-19 circumstances.”

“Cognition and Reminiscence after Covid-19 in a Giant Group Pattern” [New England Journal of Medicine]. N = 112,964. “On this giant community-based examine, we discovered that Covid-19 was related to longer-term objectively measurable cognitive deficits. The distinction of roughly −0.2 SD within the international cognitive rating within the teams of contributors who had signs that had resolved, as in contrast with the no–Covid-19 group, is assessed as “small” in accordance with Cohen’s impact sizes24; this deficit would equate to a distinction of −3 factors on a typical IQ scale, wherein 1 SD equals 15 factors. Members with unresolved persistent signs had a larger imply distinction of roughly −0.4 SD.” And: “A number of findings indicated that the affiliation between Covid-19 and cognitive deficits attenuated because the pandemic progressed. We discovered smaller cognitive deficits amongst contributors who had been contaminated throughout current variant durations than amongst those that had been contaminated with the unique virus or the alpha variant. We additionally discovered a small cognitive benefit amongst contributors who had obtained two or extra vaccinations and a minimal impact of repeat episodes of Covid-19. Moreover, the cognitive deficits that have been noticed in contributors who had been contaminated throughout the first wave of the pandemic, when the unique virus was predominant, coincided with peak pressure on well being companies and an absence of confirmed efficient remedies at the moment, and the chance of hospitalization because of Covid-19 has progressively decreased over time.” • A 3-point IQ drop isn’t nothing, not to mention a 6-point drop, particularly if the impact is cumulative (Writer Elliott argues not). I’d additionally notice that the info comes from “a web based evaluation of cognitive operate.”

“‘Mind fog’ is one in all Covid-19’s most daunting signs. A brand new examine measures its influence” [STAT]. “Researchers from Imperial School London discovered that even individuals who recovered from their Covid signs in 4 to 12 weeks had the equal of an IQ rating three factors decrease than in uninfected folks. Amongst these with lengthy Covid — outlined as signs lasting greater than 12 weeks after testing optimistic — the drop was six IQ factors.” However: “[senior study author Paul Elliott, chair of epidemiology and public health medicine at Imperial College London], who can be director of the REACT program, sees hopeful indicators within the new examine outcomes. First, because the pandemic progressed from the unique virus to Omicron, the affiliation between signs and cognitive deficits weakened. Second, round a 3rd of individuals with persistent cognitive signs noticed them resolve. ‘The essential factor is that if that they had persistent signs after which these signs resolved, they appeared cognitively like the opposite individuals who’d had Covid, the short-duration folks,’ he stated. ‘I feel it’s encouraging that if as soon as it resolves and also you not report signs, then mainly you look far more like all people else who’d had Covid, moderately than trying just like the individuals who’ve nonetheless received ongoing signs.’” • The discovering that the mind fog shouldn’t be cumulative is attention-grabbing, however I’d prefer to see not less than hypothesis on a mechanism? Why would that be?

Elite Maleficence

Wonderful to me that WHO hasn’t deleted this atrocity. However perhaps reporting it should do the trick:

You’ll be able to report this @WHO publish as ‘EU unlawful content material’.

Select ‘Threat for public safety’, as a result of this contains ‘threat for public well being’. https://t.co/SOsmUH6sXg pic.twitter.com/43blOFSIA7

— Maarten De Cock (@mdc_martinus) February 27, 2024

Perhaps Dr. John Conly threatened to resign if the tweet didn’t keep up. Can’t have that. He’s important!

No backsies!

The King of Sweden:
– This nation’s dealing with of the coronavirus pandemic is a failure

“I feel we’ve got failed. Now we have a big quantity who’ve died and that’s horrible. It’s one thing all of us endure.”

The Public Well being Company:
“Pneumonia is the previous man’s finest good friend.” pic.twitter.com/sop4iCHv60

— Smittskydd (@Smittskydd) February 26, 2024

The Jackpot

“A pandemic that gained’t go away – as COVID enters its fifth yr, NZ wants a sensible technique” [The Conversation]. “It wasn’t meant to be like this. The principle wave of the 1918 influenza pandemic swept by New Zealand in eight weeks, killing 9,000 folks – nearly 1% of the inhabitants. Then it was largely gone, returning as a brand new seasonal flu virus. In doing so, it outlined how pandemics have been anticipated to behave. This mannequin was written into pandemic plans and collective pondering throughout the globe. However COVID is nonetheless circulating 4 years after New Zealand reported its first case, and greater than two years after the Omicron variant arrived and an infection turned widespread. Consistently current, it’s also occurring in waves. Unexpectedly, the present fifth wave was bigger than the fourth, suggesting we are able to’t depend on the comforting assumption that COVID will get much less extreme over time…. Within the face of this persevering with pandemic risk, we want a response that’s evidence-informed moderately than evidence-ignored.” • In what sense is serial passage by the complete inhabitants mixed with a coverage of mass an infection with out mitigation not a “real looking technique”? If depopulation is your objective, it’s totally so.

TABLE 1: Every day Covid Charts

LEGEND

1) ★ for charts new at this time; 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) Biobot drops, conformant to Walgreen positivity information (if that’s certainly not an information artifact). Be aware, nevertheless, the world “underneath the curve,” in addition to peaks. That space is bigger underneath Biden than underneath Trump, and it appears to be rising steadily if inconsistently.

[2] (Biobot) Regional separation re-emerges.

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

[4] (ER) Doesn’t assist Biobot information. “Charts and information offered by CDC, updates Wednesday by 8am. For the previous yr, utilizing a rolling 52-week interval.”

[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Not flattening.

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

[7] (Walgreens) That’s an enormous drop! It might be attention-grabbing to survey this inhabitants typically; these are individuals who, regardless of a tsunami of official propaganda and large peer strain, went and received examined anyhow.

[8] (Cleveland) Flattening, in line with Biobot information.

[9] (Vacationers: Posivitity) Down, albeit within the rear view mirror.

[10] (Vacationers: Variants) About time for one thing to problem JN.1. However what’s “different”? One thing to stay up for, I suppose!

Stats Watch

Inflation: “United States Core PCE Value Index MoM” [Trading Economics]. “Core PCE costs within the US, which exclude meals and power, elevated by 0.4% from the earlier month in January 2024, essentially the most since February 2023 and in keeping with market expectations. It follows a downwardly revised 0.1 p.c improve in December. Core PCE costs rose by 2.8% from the earlier yr, the least since March 2021 and slowing from 2.9% in December.”

Private Earnings: “United States Private Earnings” [Trading Economics]. “US private revenue rose by 1% month-over-month in January 2024, up from 0.3% within the prior month and largely exceeding market forecasts of a 0.4% advance. It was the strongest improve in private revenue in a yr, primarily reflecting will increase in authorities social advantages, private revenue receipts on property, and compensation. The rise in authorities social advantages was led by social safety advantages, reflecting a 3.2% cost-of-living adjustment, and different authorities social advantages, primarily reflecting a rise in Reasonably priced Care Act enrollments. The rise in private revenue receipts on property was led by a rise in private dividend revenue, reflecting data from firm monetary statements.”

Employment State of affairs: “United States Preliminary Jobless Claims” [Trading Economics]. “The variety of folks claiming unemployment advantages within the US jumped by 13,000 to 215,000 on the week ending February twenty fourth, rebounding sharply from the five-week low within the ancient times and firmly above market expectations of 210,000.”

Manufacturing: “United States Kansas Fed Manufacturing Index” [Trading Economics]. “The Kansas Metropolis Fed’s Manufacturing Manufacturing index surged to three in February 2024, marking its highest level since August 2023, a major enchancment from the -17 recorded in January.”

Manufacturing: “United States Chicago PMI” [Trading Economics]. “The Chicago Enterprise Barometer, also referred to as the Chicago PMI, fell additional to 44 in February 2024 from 46 within the prior month and under market forecasts of 48.”

Tech: “Malicious AI fashions on Hugging Face backdoor customers’ machines” [Bleeping Computer]. “At the very least 100 situations of malicious AI ML fashions have been discovered on the Hugging Face platform, a few of which may execute code on the sufferer’s machine, giving attackers a persistent backdoor. Hugging Face is a tech agency engaged in synthetic intelligence (AI), pure language processing (NLP), and machine studying (ML), offering a platform the place communities can collaborate and share fashions, datasets, and full functions. JFrog’s safety workforce discovered that roughly 100 fashions hosted on the platform function malicious performance, posing a major threat of knowledge breaches and espionage assaults. This occurs regardless of Hugging Face’s safety measures, together with malware, pickle, and secrets and techniques scanning, and scrutinizing the fashions’ performance to find behaviors like unsafe deserialization.” • Who the heck thought “Hugging Face” was an excellent title, and why? A real looking title, certain….

As we speak’s Worry & Greed Index: 79 Excessive Greed (earlier shut: 78 Excessive Greed) [CNN]. One week in the past: 78 (Excessive Greed). (0 is Excessive Worry; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Feb 29 at 1:22:26 PM ET.

Information of the Wired

“A Social Historical past of Jell-O Salad: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon” [Serious Eats]. “[F]ew meals can inform us extra about life in Twentieth-century America than the wobbling jewel of home achievement: the Jell-O salad…. Jell-O tapped into one of many largest culinary currents of the period: home science, also referred to as dwelling economics. Meals historian Laura Shapiro, in her sweeping examine Perfection Salad, explains that, across the flip of the century, many ladies within the rising American center class started linking the modifications introduced into their houses by industrialization and scientific advances—gasoline stoves, electrical irons, the phone—to the home work they carried out each day and reimagining house responsibilities. This spirit of home reform embraced effectivity, purity, cleanliness, and order. Prompt gelatin match the invoice. It was quick, in contrast to the standard methodology of constructing gelatin. It was economical: A housewife might stretch her household’s leftovers by encasing them in gelatin. And, since sugar was already included within the flavored mixes, the brand new packaged gelatins didn’t require cooks to make use of up their family shops of sugar. It was additionally neat and tidy, a top quality a lot valued by the domestic-science motion in addition to by its Victorian forebears, who have been mad for molded meals of every kind, says Belluscio. Jellied salads, in contrast to tossed ones, have been mess-free, by no means transgressing the border of the plate: ‘A salad eventually answerable for itself,’ Shapiro writes. Cooks on this period molded all the things from cooked spinach to hen salad, with care to keep away from the cardinal sin of messiness.” • So long as there aren’t any marshmallows!

Contact data for crops: Readers, be at liberty to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn the way to ship me a test if you’re allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn the way to ship me photos of crops. Greens are advantageous! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary crops! If you would like your deal with to look as a credit score, please place it in the beginning of your mail in parentheses: (thus). In any other case, I’ll anonymize through the use of your initials. See the earlier Water Cooler (with plant) right here. From JM:

JM writes: “Winter night, one of many stately bushes of Duke’s East Campus, trying west.”

Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not coated by the annual NC fundraiser. So should you see a hyperlink you particularly like, or an merchandise you wouldn’t see anyplace else, please don’t hesitate to precise your appreciation in tangible type. Keep in mind, a tip jar is for tipping! Common optimistic suggestions each makes me really feel good and lets me know I’m heading in the right direction with protection. After I get no donations for 5 or ten days I get anxious. Extra tangibly, a continuing trickle of donations helps me with bills, and I think about that trickle when setting fundraising targets: