2:00PM Water Cooler 7/26/2024 | bare capitalism

By Lambert Strether of Corrente

Chicken Track of the Day

Northern Mockingbird, Bear Island Wildlife Administration Space, Charleston, South Carolina, United States. “Track from phone wire in residential space.”

In Case You May Miss…

(1) Who engineered the bait and change?.

(2) Kamala and Lina Khan.

(3) Abolish your garden!

Politics

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

2024

Lower than 4 months to go!

Friday’s RCP Ballot Averages:

First ballot with Harris on the prime of the Democrat ticket; Trump’s place deteriorates (and any benefit he gained from the assassination try has been wiped away. Nonetheless, he nonetheless leads, albeit inside the margin of error. NOTE RCP used to have two pages of swing states; I all the time used the primary one. Now there is just one, which I take as an indicator that Harris v. Trump polling shouldn’t be all that widespread.

Vibe shift:

Unbelievable vibe shift within the US with Kamala Harris https://t.co/LAZoglUMHW pic.twitter.com/rrMisGHLbu

— Albert Pinto (@70sBachchan) July 26, 2024

* * *

Biden Defenestration:

“Who Engineered the Political Coup Towards Biden?” [Frank Miehle, RealClearPolitics]. “Remarkably, regardless of the horrific debate efficiency and the continuous media narrative that mentioned he was the political equal of a lifeless man strolling, Biden remained inside the margin of error in nationwide polls. He had barely dropped in any respect since ‘The Debate.’ He had the delegates, and he had the nomination except he willingly surrendered it. However one thing occurred. About the identical time Donald Trump survived an assassination try and raised his fist in defiance, Democrats appeared to have concluded that Biden couldn’t win in November. The 4 days of what’s broadly believed to be a profitable Republican conference solely hardened that perception. And whether or not it’s Sy Hersh or some younger gun of journalism able to make his or her identify, somebody wants to inform the reality in regards to the 10 days that shook the nation, from the second Trump took a would-be murderer’s bullet on July 13 to the afternoon Biden inexplicably dropped his reelection bid and Kamala Harris was coronated. And the primary query that must be answered, and which nobody within the mainstream media is asking, is ‘Who satisfied Joe Biden that debating Trump on June 27, almost two months earlier than the Democratic conference, was a good suggestion?’ This was unprecedented.” Good query (personally, I feel Biden was boastful sufficient to assume he might beat Trump. That was one cause he was so indignant all through the controversy; he had this surprised look in his eyes, like he couldn’t consider what was occurring to him. And the date for the start of the bait and change operation: “I might not be stunned if the scheme to unseat Biden was hatched in February when Hur declined to prosecute the president for categorised paperwork violations on the grounds {that a} jury would clear Biden as a result of they might see him as a ‘sympathetic, well-meaning, aged man with a poor reminiscence.’ With that declaration, the cat was out of the bag. Perhaps Biden’s handlers initially thought he might survive that humiliation, however when the president gave a press convention to declare himself vindicated, he mistakenly recognized Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi because the president of Mexico. The wheels might have began turning to jettison Biden so as to protect the Democratic Get together.” • Good argument.

Kamala’s Rollout:

Lambert right here: Usually, I take advantage of final (household) names. Clinton (not “Hillary”); Sanders (not “Bernie”); Carlson (not “Tucker”). In any case, I’m not good buddies with any of those folks. Nevertheless, with Kamala (not “Harris”) I’ve shifted to what Frank Herbert’s Fremen name “the insultingly acquainted type,” for causes I assume will develop into more and more apparent.

“I Do Not Have to Defend Myself for Believing That Political Candidates Ought to Be Chosen Democratically” [Freddie deBoer]. “I stay disgusted however not stunned by the Democratic social gathering and its machinations, the place not even the smallest fig leaf of democratic course of survived Harris’s blitzkrieg strategy to the nomination. (That’s, having it handed to her by her buddies in elite Democratic circles.) And I feel Democrats are basically rerunning 2016, the place their loyalty to the Clintonite center-right political machine compelled them to appoint an extremely flawed candidate in a race through which any generic Democratic governor or senator nearly definitely would have gained. The social gathering by no means learns. And so we now have the confluence of strategic idiocy and rank elitist management. Effectively: I decline to obediently get onboard the best way that (for instance) the whole New York Occasions Opinion part has.” • Enjoyable stuff, effectively value a learn.

* * *

The Marketing campaign Path:

* * *

Kamala (D): “The Kamala Harris Shock” [Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal]. Now to the hundred-day race. I had lengthy thought Kamala Harris couldn’t beat Donald Trump. That’s flawed. She will. We’re a 50/50 nation, either side will get 40 entering into, you battle for the remaining however it could possibly all the time go both approach. As individuals who converse the technical language of politics say, Mr. Trump has a excessive flooring however a low ceiling. However past that, one thing’s occurring.” I’m unsure how I really feel to be singing from the identical web page of the hymnal as Nooners, however it’s been an odd yr. Extra: “Ms. Harris has not, in 5 years on the nationwide stage, proven competence. She is displaying it now, and that’s large information. Her rollout this week demonstrated expertise and hinted she could also be an actual political athlete. Her previous and well-known verbal embarrassments, which formed her public repute, nearly all occurred in interviews and advert libbed arias. They obscured an actual proficiency. ?She was placing and powerful on this week’s speeches in Milwaukee and Houston. She is aware of act a speech. When she is scripted she is nice. That isn’t all put-down. She is aware of what speech is. She will choose it, acknowledge good materials. Not all candidates can. Most can’t. It’s its personal expertise. Milwaukee particularly had energy. Its theme: ‘We’re not going again.’” Actually to not FDR. And this very, very curious warning: ” On a mean day key figures in our authorities—the secretaries of state and protection, heads of intelligence and home businesses—are on the highway, within the convention in Prague and the assembly in Seoul. Proper now, with the aged president and the risky politics, they need to cease, keep near house, be of their workplaces in Washington. Be there, not on planes and in resort rooms. The look of solidity is sort of nearly as good as the actual factor.” • Volatility!

Kamala (D): “Can Harris Pull Off a Victory in Three Months? Three High Strategists Lay Out How” [Politico]. Patti Solis Doyle: “The final 72 hours have been unbelievable by way of rollout. She locked up the nomination. Inside 36 hours, she obtained the delegates. She obtained the endorsements from Congress. She obtained the cash. And her first occasions have been by way of the roof.

I feel she’s doing it.” Robby Mook: “One benefit she actually has that we didn’t have on the Clinton marketing campaign, and I don’t assume Joe Biden actually had, is the web is a very protected area for her proper now. It’s an ideal protected area for folks to specific help for her. In order that’s nice.” Stuart Stevens: “I feel the mannequin for this in a whole lot of methods is the Obama marketing campaign in ’08. They did a powerful job in setting it up in order that while you voted for Barack Obama, it mentioned one thing about who you had been and what you wished the nation to be, not simply who you wished to be president. And I feel that’s the problem that Harris ought to run proper into.” • And everyone knows how Obama turned out!

* * *

Kamala (D): Tech Lords share views on regulation:

Most Democrats assume that we have to save the republic after which we will advocate towards unhealthy coverage. It doesn’t work that approach. An oligarch simply advised our candidate what to do. That’s the republic ending proper there. Silence is complicity. https://t.co/D1TGn8QDxB

— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) July 25, 2024

Kamala (D): Tech Lords share views on Lina Khan:

.@andrewrsorkin asks IAC Chairman Barry Diller if he would foyer Vice President @KamalaHarris to drop @LinaKhanFTC:

“Yeah, I might. I feel she’s a dope,” mentioned Diller. pic.twitter.com/JFWrsurhhh

— Squawk Field (@SquawkCNBC) July 26, 2024

Kamala (D): “Silicon Valley Steps Up for Native Kamala Harris in Trump Showdown” [Wall Street Journal]. “Kamala Harris’s sturdy ties to her native Silicon Valley, relationship again to the beginning of her political profession, give her a stable base of monetary help that she is tapping for her battle with Donald Trump…. Tech executives are hopeful that Harris’s Silicon Valley ties, mixed along with her grasp of the impacts of authorized regulation—owing to her law-enforcement background—will place her to be open-minded about rising applied sciences like synthetic intelligence and cryptocurrencies, which the Biden administration has at instances been onerous on. The business can be hoping it would get an ally within the White Home after years of criticism and mounting antitrust enforcement. Whereas Biden has taken an aggressive stance towards antitrust enforcement, deciding on Amazon critic Lina Khan to chair the Federal Commerce Fee, Harris hasn’t been targeted on expertise for a lot of her time as vp. The Biden marketing campaign had earlier invited donors to a July fundraiser in Piedmont, Calif., hosted by a longtime supporter of Harris. The occasion is being rescheduled, a marketing campaign spokesman mentioned. ” • That occasion can be an exquisite alternative for Kamala to ask Lina Khan and provides her a bear-hug (as Zephyr Teachout steered). However perhaps not–

Kamala (D): “Harris Works to Construct Bridges to the Enterprise World” [New York Times]. “[Kamala] has expressed skepticism of Ms. Khan’s expansive view of antitrust powers, based on a donor who has spoken privately with the vp.” • Oh effectively. Extra optimistic commentary:

However… That is one donor is telling that to NYT. Warren, who’s just about chargeable for Khan’s appointment, has been making the rounds to pump up Kamala on cable information all week. Maybe that is her finish sport, we’ll see

— Emma Vigeland (@EmmaVigeland) July 25, 2024

Kamala (D): “Behind the Democrats’ Struggle Over Lina Khan’s Future” [New York Times]. “One wrinkle: Donald Trump’s personal working mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, has praised Khan as a part of his anti-Massive Tech stance…. Khan has given no indication that she plans to step down. She has proven a need to completely reshape U.S. antitrust legislation, relationship to her legislation faculty days. When DealBook requested an F.T.C. spokesman if Khan would think about serving as chair in a Harris administration, he mentioned, ‘Sure.’ The controversy underscores Democrats’ anxiousness over how Harris would govern. Khan’s appointment arose partially out of Biden’s effort to shore up progressive help in 2020 by giving Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts important sway over financial regulatory businesses. “Warren, to a unprecedented diploma, was the gatekeeper for the administration about appointments,” William Kovacic, a former F.T.C. chair, advised DealBook.” • Hmm.

* * *

“Greater than 160,000 folks be a part of white ladies for Kamala Harris Zoom name” [Reuters]. “Greater than 160,000 folks joined a Zoom name on Thursday evening to construct help for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris amongst white ladies, a voter demographic that has supported Republican nominee Donald Trump up to now two elections. Organized by Shannon Watts, the founding father of Mothers Demand Motion, a gun-safety group with about 10 million members, the video name included activists, podcasters, the singer Pink and common voters, a number of who mentioned they regretted not doing sufficient earlier than the 2016 election that put Trump within the White Home.” • One alert NC reader attended, and threw this over the transom. Flippantly edited:

The White Ladies webinar format zoom name final evening? Oiy!

Tapped out after half-hour. Not verbatim, however basically, an excessive amount of alongside the traces of ‘We KNOW we’re white ladies of privilege and luxury and satisfaction whereas our black sisters are left hurting. Suburban white ladies handed the WH to tRUMP and now it’s time for us to step up.’ Heavy group id guilt politics statements by each white lady speaker that I hear, that mentioned, Shannon Watts was fairly good as a speaker. Extra ladies stored approaching, technical glitches, knocked off the decision a number of instances due the large viewers. Unsure about complete listeners and complete raised. FFS, Glennon Doyle? Pink. So, for a youthful viewers. Okay, sigh. You want Taylor Swift for that.

Look, I don’t have life models to waste. Perhaps there was some onerous information and charts later, however they misplaced me quick…..

You recognize who did these things effectively? Deliberate Parenthood of Larger Ohio and the PAC they joined to get it carried out. I Zoomed into their effort to get abortion within the Ohio structure. Each assembly was tight, stable, numerous data, charts, exercise reporting-out on general state stats, counties to deal with. Charts galore, bullet factors about subsequent steps. and many others. Performed in precisely an hour. Screens and screens of girls watching. Tossed in bigly to an excellent targeted razor sharp effort. Why? They confirmed me very clearly they had been a smart funding in a bigger crew.

Anyway, one has a brief window to get donors engaged on a Zoom. All of the id politics centered remarks had been simply tiresome and I clicked off. Billionaires and id politics followers can fund it.

It is a honest response:

I might be flawed or simply ignorant as a result of white ladies have by no means been my focus.

However I don’t bear in mind a “white ladies: reply the decision” equal for Hillary. And there positively wasn’t one with over 100K contributors that raised over 1,000,000 {dollars}.

Issues are totally different. pic.twitter.com/0necTpgjlN

— April (@ReignOfApril) July 26, 2024

OTOH, if that is all #ImWithHer/#Resistance varieties….

One other response:

It is all enjoyable and video games now, however a whole lot of the rhetoric on that decision was about how white ladies wanted to help Kamala as an act of self-actualisation for….white ladies. If she veers from their expectations for even one second, they may name her “ungrateful.” (Similar to RBG mentioned… pic.twitter.com/tJa1cgw7xc

— Heidi N. Moore (@moorehn) July 26, 2024

* * *

Kamala (D): “Venture Coconut is a go” [FWIW]. “And as of yesterday, the Vice President now has a private account on TikTok, @KamalaHarris, which has already gained 1.4+ million followers and a pair of.1+ million likes on the time of writing. The DNC can be getting in on the net momentum and performing some brat-branding on new fundraising adverts as effectively. General, the Harris marketing campaign’s social accounts have gained an enormous inflow of followers – for instance, information from InsTrack exhibits the Instagram account @KamalaHQ gaining 48,000+ since President Biden stepped apart final Sunday. Professional-Harris content material additionally flooded TikTok. Politically attuned customers throughout Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok started utilizing the coconut emoji en masse, a reference to probably the most viral meme in regards to the VP. “PROJECT COCONUT IS A GO,” commented one excited TikTok consumer. “WE RIDE AT DAWN, COCONUTS!” remarked one other.” • In fact, social media numbers are by no means gamed. “WE RIDE AT DAWN, COCONUTS” is so Obama 2008 (“Fired up! Able to go!”). However this isn’t 2008.

Kamala (D): “What’s fueling Kamala Harris’ TikTok surge” [Politico]. “There’s a vibe shift brewing on TikTok: The platform, which had been dominated by pro-Trump content material, has been exploding with Kamala Harris memes, lots of which favorably spotlight her quirky demeanor and tie her to the trendiest cool lady anthems. Even earlier than President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race on Sunday, Harris memes created by TikTokers had dominated social media, flooding largely younger folks’s feeds with video edits of her viral phrases, quirky tangents and “lady boss” moments — like this video of Harris laughing away, with a touch of the signature Gen-Z irony within the caption, which reads “Why did I make this.” These memes paint Harris, who has hardly ever been within the highlight through the Biden administration, as a chill auntie — somebody who might dish out recommendation that’s each a little bit foolish but severe on the similar time…. Harris’ marketing campaign hasn’t wasted a second in leaping on the meme momentum, and their efforts have paid off.” • Then in fact–

Kamala (D): “TikTok’s Survival Is at Stake in All-Out Struggle Towards US Ban” [Bloomberg]. “The Chinese language-owned social media platform TikTok is battling a possible US ban with the signature instruments of American democracy — legal professionals, lobbyists and cash. TikTok has deployed Washington energy brokers and $1,500-an-hour attorneys to fend off a brand new legislation barring the app except its Beijing-based mother or father, ByteDance Ltd., divests. With a $4.8 million advert marketing campaign, a full-court press on Capitol Hill and the US Structure, TikTok is in a multifront battle for its survival.” • So TikTok has each cause to be good to the present administration, and Kamala. Not that I’m suggesting that the Tiktok suggestion algorithm is a black field that may be gamed, in fact.

* * *

Kamala (D): “Household, Associates and Longtime Aides Dominate Harris’s Interior Circle” [Wall Street Journal]. “[T]he anticipated Democratic presidential nominee has stored her internal circle tight. She has relied on her members of the family, shut buddies and longest serving aides to assist navigate her profession and coverage selections. In contrast to President Biden, Harris, who was elected to the Senate from California in 2016, stays comparatively new to Washington and continues to be constructing her political mind belief…. Harris’s members of the family have been her closest advisers. All of them, like her, have a authorized background. Harris’s solely sibling—her youthful sister, Maya Harris—was chairwoman of her marketing campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, which was seen as dysfunctional and with some blaming her. Maya Harris didn’t have a proper position on the White Home and beforehand served as coverage adviser to Hillary Clinton throughout her 2016 White Home bid. Her brother-in-law, Tony West, was beforehand an affiliate lawyer common through the Obama administration. West has traveled in current days with the vp to occasions, together with a fundraiser on Saturday. West is chief authorized officer for Uber. Harris additionally has a detailed relationship along with her niece, Meena Harris, a lawyer and an creator. Two days earlier than Biden dropped out of the race, Harris visited the mannequin Tyra Banks’s new ice cream store in D.C. with Meena’s two daughters. Since their marriage in 2014, Doug Emhoff, Harris’s husband, an leisure lawyer, has been her largest public supporter.” • Different names: Rohini Kosoglu, Josh Hsu, Kristine Lucius, Ike Irby, Lorraine Volz, and Julie Chavez Rodriguez.

Kamala (D): “Group Kamala: the folks behind Harris’s White Home run” [FInancial Times]. Wall Avenue: “Wall Avenue funds are pouring into Harris’s marketing campaign. Jon Henes, a prime company chapter adviser, previously of Kirkland & Ellis, and longtime Harris ally in finance, has been co-ordinating fundraising. Different main Wall Avenue figures speeding to assist embody Ray McGuire, the Lazard banker and former Citigroup government, and Brad Karp*, chair of company legislation agency Paul Weiss. Blair Effron, the veteran dealmaker at Centerview Companions and a fixture of Democratic fundraising, can be on board. So are Blackstone president Jonathan Grey, Evercore co-founder Roger Altman, and Marc Lasry, the hedge fund investor and former co-owner of NBA crew the Milwaukee Bucks.

‘Many in Wall Avenue have been extraordinarily supportive of Kamala for years,’ mentioned a Democratic fundraiser. ‘Blair and Brad backed her vastly within the 2020 presidential primaries . . . they aren’t final minute supporters.’” Tech: “Reed Hastings, the chair of Netflix, had been among the many Democratic donors brazenly pushing Biden to stop the race. He instantly pumped $7mn into Harris’s marketing campaign after the president dropped out. Reid Hoffman, the enterprise capitalist who co-founded LinkedIn, additionally swiftly backed her bid for the White Home.

Republicans have made inroads amongst Silicon Valley donors lately — however Harris has stored her allies. They embody Brad Smith of Microsoft, who hosted a fundraiser for the Biden marketing campaign at his Seattle house final yr. Sheryl Sandberg, the previous chief working officer at Meta, is one other outstanding supporter.” NOTE * Brad Karp gave Alvin Bragg $1000.

* * *

Trump (R): “Trump marketing campaign performs protection amid Harris honeymoon” [Axios]. “Vice President Kamala Harris is reveling in document fundraising, an early bump within the polls, and a rising grassroots military. It’s a “honeymoon” of epic proportions — however one the Trump marketing campaign is betting gained’t final.” As a result of -gasms don’t final, by definition. Right here’s an ideal instance: “‘It was the primary time we’ve had an Obama-like second, a sense the place it was pure and it was good, and folks had been doing issues greater than themselves,’ Silicon Valley fundraiser Steve Spinner advised the New York Occasions.” • I want to see extra protection of Vance, who after giving an financial populist speech on the Republican Nationwide Conference, has been drowning in a wave of snark (a minimum of on my Twitter feed). Commentary:

Trump is so misplaced and weakened proper now. He appears like Bob Dole in 1996, besides imply. Very normie GOP. Actually lacking Steve Bannon’s populist methods.

— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) July 26, 2024

Does Trump in actual fact look “misplaced and weakened”? Can readers remark?

Trump (R): “Unpacking JD Vance’s Labor File” [On Labor]. “Regardless of his claimed help for employees’ proper to arrange, Vance’s voting document on labor points has hardly ever been supportive of employee energy or voice. As a substitute of backing fashionable pro-worker payments and nominees, Vance has superior watered-down laws that would weaken labor protections. Vance advised Politico that he’s not in favor of the PRO Act, which might outlaw the right-to-work legal guidelines Vance claims to oppose. His opposition to this laws is rooted in his perception that it might serve solely to empower ‘present union management… that’s fully in mattress with the Democratic Get together.’ Vance has as an alternative supported different labor legislation reforms which can be decidedly much less fashionable inside the labor motion. Vance partnered with Republican senator Marco Rubio on the Teamwork for Staff and Managers Act of 2024 (TEAM Act), which claims to enhance employee voice by enjoyable the NLRA’s ban on firm unions and selling ’worker involvement organizations.’ In contrast to unions, these organizations could also be funded and dissolved unilaterally by employers. The TEAM Act attracts closely on suggestions by American Compass, run by former Mitt Romney advisor Oren Cass. American Compass advocates for the TEAM Act and worker-management councils, which Cass claims might strengthen ‘worker-management belief,’ whereas unions just like the Worldwide Affiliation of Machinists and Aerospace Staff have decried the invoice as selling ‘firm unions’ and permitting new avenues for employers to carry off unionization.

Trump (R): “Hypothesis Swirls About What Hit Trump. An Evaluation Suggests It was a Bullet” [New York Times]. “[A] detailed evaluation of bullet trajectories, footage, pictures and audio by The New York Occasions strongly suggests Mr. Trump was grazed by the primary of eight bullets fired by the gunman… A key piece of proof in The Occasions’s evaluation is a stay video feed that captures Mr. Trump’s response as the primary three gunshots are fired. The crack of the bullets are heard as they move the microphone that Mr. Trump speaks into. Nearly a second elapses between the primary and second photographs. Throughout this temporary interim, Mr. Trump begins reaching towards his ear, based on footage and audio of the occasion analyzed by The Occasions and Rob Maher, an audio forensics skilled at Montana State College. ‘He flinches, and his proper hand already begins reaching for his proper ear throughout that point between the primary audible shot and the second audible shot,’ Mr. Maher mentioned.

Mr. Trump’s fingers are bloodied as quickly as he touches his ear, as seen in an image taken by Doug Mills, a veteran Occasions photographer.” • Discover the dearth of company in “hypothesis swirls.”

* * *

“Neglect the Hype: It’s Nonetheless a Working-Class Election” [Ruy Teixiera, The Liberal Patriot]. “Who can blame Democrats for being a bit slap joyful? They had been staring into the abyss and now have a reprieve. They’ve a youthful candidate and a extra enthusiastic, unified social gathering. These are necessary and optimistic variations. However there are additionally similarities to their earlier state of affairs which can be extremely unfavorable and might’t be wished away…. These double digit Democratic deficits among the many working class have been an everyday characteristic of this election cycle. These deficits have been pushed by worsening efficiency among the many white working class…. Can she do it? Certain, something’s attainable. However Democrats can be well-advised to be clear-eyed in regards to the problem. What Harris has to beat is illustrated by an early July Pew ballot that had a big sufficient pattern dimension (N=over 9,400) to permit blacks and Hispanics to be damaged down by working-class vs. college-educated. Each racial teams present sturdy academic polarization that’s a lot bigger than what was noticed in 2020. Hispanic working-class voters on this ballot most well-liked Trump by 3 factors over Biden, in comparison with a 22 level margin for Biden over Trump in 2020. Amongst black working-class voters, Biden was main by 47 factors over Trump, in comparison with an 82 level lead for Biden in 2020. A working class-oriented marketing campaign would look like so as. However up to now there may be little indication that’s what the Harris marketing campaign has in thoughts. A widely-circulated memo from the marketing campaign sees Harris’ candidacy as constructing on the “Biden-Harris coalition of voters” and mentions black voters, Latino voters, AANHPI voters, ladies voters and younger voters. Working-class voters are conspicuous by their absence.” • If it is a working class election, then the Democrats can not win — except (I hope that is clear) the Republicans lose if for them. Therefore the net assault on Vance.

Syndemics

“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

Covid Assets, United States (Nationwide): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; consists of many counties; Wastewater Scan, consists of drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, however nationwide information). “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 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 studies); 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, KF, 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!

Social Norming

“Pandemic disbelief recognized as key think about vaccine hesitancy” [Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy]. N = 290. “A new examine amongst Hispanic folks in the USA means that an preliminary disbelief within the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to vaccine hesitancy amongst that inhabitants, particularly amongst mother and father making vaccine selections for his or her kids. The examine is revealed in PLOS One. … General, there was excessive vaccine uptake within the pattern, with 88% of oldsters and 80% of youth receiving a minimum of one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Most notable, nevertheless, was the position of youth pandemic disbelief (perception the pandemic was a conspiracy or not actual) in vaccine hesitancy: Along with youths’ pandemic disbelief predicting their very own vaccine hesitancy, the authors wrote, it additionally predicted their mother and father’ vaccine hesitancy. ‘Mother and father are sometimes regarded as the important thing resolution maker for youngsters below the age of 18, and though the ultimate resolution might relaxation with them, our findings recommend that their youngster’s perspective, notably round disbelief, could also be a part of this decision-making course of,’ the authors concluded.” • Maybe the kids learn English-language media?

Lambert right here: New York Hospitalization leveling out for 2 days, and Cleveland Clinic positivity slowing is the primary excellent news I’ve seen in a while.

Inflation: “United States PCE Worth Index Annual Change” [Trading Economics]. “The annual PCE inflation price within the US decreased to 2.5% in June 2024 from 2.6% in Could, in keeping with market forecasts.”

Tech: “There isn’t any repair for Intel’s crashing thirteenth and 14th Gen CPUs — any injury is everlasting” [The Verge]. “On Monday, it initially appeared just like the starting of the tip for Intel’s desktop CPU instability woes — the corporate confirmed a patch is coming in mid-August that ought to tackle the ‘root trigger’ of publicity to elevated voltage. But when your thirteenth or 14th Gen Intel Core processor is already crashing, that patch apparently gained’t repair it. Citing unnamed sources, Tom’s {Hardware} studies that any degradation of the processor is irreversible, and an Intel spokesperson didn’t deny that once we requested. Intel is ‘assured’ the patch will preserve it from occurring within the first place. (As one other preventative measure, you must replace your motherboard BIOS ASAP.) However as an alternative of tweaking BIOS settings to try to alleviate the issues…. This raises numerous questions. Will Intel recall these chips? Prolong their guarantee? Change them no questions requested? Pause gross sales like AMD simply did with its Ryzen 9000? Determine defective batches with the manufacturing defect? We requested Intel these questions, and I’m unsure you’re going to love the solutions. Why are these nonetheless on sale with out a lot as an prolonged guarantee? . The corporate shouldn’t be presently commenting on whether or not or the way it may lengthen its guarantee. It will not share estimates with The Verge of what number of chips are prone to be irreversibly impacted, and it didn’t clarify why it’s persevering with to promote these chips forward of any repair.” • First Boeing, now Intel.

Tech: “OopsGPT” [The Atlantic]. “[AI scammers companies] have a tendency to not level out that generative-AI fashions are vulnerable to offering incorrect, and at instances absolutely made-up, data—and but it retains occurring. Early this afternoon, OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, introduced a prototype AI software that may search the net and reply questions, fittingly referred to as SearchGPT… In a prerecorded demonstration video accompanying the announcement, a mock consumer varieties music festivals in boone north carolina in august into the SearchGPT interface. The software then pulls up a listing of festivals that it states are going down in Boone this August, the primary being An Appalachian Summer time Pageant, which based on the software is internet hosting a sequence of arts occasions from July 29 to August 16 of this yr. Somebody in Boone hoping to purchase tickets to a type of live shows, nevertheless, would run into hassle. In reality, the pageant began on June 29 and could have its closing live performance on July 27. As a substitute, July 29–August 16 are the dates for which the pageant’s field workplace will likely be formally closed. (I confirmed these dates with the pageant’s field workplace.)” • within the demo. Are these folks excessive?

At this time’s Concern & Greed Index: 46 Impartial (earlier shut: 39 Concern) [CNN]. One week in the past: 49 (Impartial). (0 is Excessive Concern; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Jul 26 at 1:51:49 PM ET.

Permaculture

This doesn’t remedy the world’s issues. However solves issues for these bugs, and for you:

Well being

“Age and familiarity results on musical reminiscence” [PLOS One]. “This examine explored the consequences of age, familiarity on a recognition reminiscence process for brand spanking new music in a stay live performance and lab setting. General, we discover no fundamental impact of age when tasked with recognizing a theme in a chunk of music, nor any important interplay of age with familiarity, setting or musical coaching…. This examine additional helps the usage of music specifically as a medium for cognitive upkeep and coaching in older adults by providing proof that recognition reminiscence shouldn’t be affected by age in a sensible listening state of affairs. Accordingly, music recognition might be thought-about a power, onto which different points of reminiscence might be scaffolded in a rehabilitation setting. For instance, it might be simpler to recollect one thing for those who pair a melody with it. In reality, this concept shouldn’t be new. All through historical past songs have been used to transmit data orally between generations.” • Hmmm.

The Gallery

Association in pink, gold, and black:

Zeitgeist Watch

“The Origin & Evolution of Italian Stuffed Pasta Shapes” [Kottke.org]. “Our outcomes confirmed that, aside from the Sardinian Culurgiones, all the opposite pasta ripiena from Italy possible had a single origin within the northern elements of the nation. Primarily based on the proposed evolutionary speculation, the Italian pasta are divided into two fundamental clades: a ravioli clade primarily characterised by a kind of flat form, and a tortellini clade primarily characterised by a three-dimensional form.” • Useful diagram of the pasta clades:

Information of the Wired

“Lewis H. Lapham” [Harper’s]. “In 1984, Lapham launched the long-lasting Harper’s Index, Readings, and the Annotation, journalistic kinds that acknowledged the time constraints fashionable readers confronted amid the flood of data within the digital age. This redesign stays the inspiration of the journal to this present day, and Lapham’s editorial sensibility continues to information our work.” • Despite the fact that Lapham’s identify isn’t on any of those kinds, nonetheless they may stay on. Editors ceaselessly!

“Bible Examine And The Oxford Comma” [Future Lawyer]. “One other Oxford Comma fail. Educate your kids in regards to the Bible; however do it correctly.”

Dad.

Contact data for crops: Readers, be at liberty to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn how to ship me a verify if you’re allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn how to ship me pictures of crops. Greens are advantageous! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary crops! If you’d like your deal with to look as a credit score, please place it at first 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 TH:

TH writes: “I wrestle with telling the distinction between a wild sunflower and a black-eyed susan, so I regarded it up. I’m positive you already know, so be at liberty to name this no matter you want, however I’m fairly positive, based mostly on the leaves, largely, that it is a black-eyed susan.” Readers? I feel it’s too, however are there indicators to search for?

Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not lined by the annual NC fundraiser. So for those who see a hyperlink you particularly like, or an merchandise you wouldn’t see wherever else, please don’t hesitate to specific 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 3 or 4 days I get anxious. Extra tangibly, a relentless trickle of donations helps me with bills, and I think about that trickle when setting fundraising targets: