2:00PM Water Cooler 10/17/2022 | bare capitalism

By Lambert Strether of Corrente

Chook Tune of the Day

Darkish-eyed Junco (Oregon), Marin, California, United States. “Singing Male, Calling Feminine, Juvenile begging calls.”

Politics

“However what’s authorities itself, however the biggest of all reflections on human nature?” –James Madison, Federalist 51

“Right here’s meals for thought, had Ahab time to suppose; however Ahab by no means thinks; he solely feels, feels, feels” –Herman Melville, Moby Dick

“The logic of the insult and the logic of scientific classification signify the 2 excessive poles of what a classification could also be within the social world.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles

Biden Administration

“President addresses chance of Hunter Biden prosecution” [Politico]. “‘I’ve nice confidence in my son,’ Biden stated in a pre-taped interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper. ‘I really like him and he’s on the straight and slender, and he has been for a pair years now. And I’m simply so pleased with him.’” • And earlier than?

2022

* * *

GA: Walker lands a punch:

Warnock on abortion: “A affected person’s room is simply too slender and small and cramped an area for a lady, her physician and the US authorities.”

Walker: “Did he not point out that there is a child in that room as properly?”#GASenDebate #GAsen pic.twitter.com/kwdxl2patj

— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) October 14, 2022

I don’t imagine he’s proper, however that’s hardly the purpose.

PA: “Do Voters Care About John Fetterman’s Stroke?” [The Atlantic]. “Even when his marketing campaign might have been extra forthcoming earlier about his situation, it’s true that Fetterman has discovered a method of speaking about it since he returned to the path in late summer time. Close to the start of his stump speech, he asks: ‘What number of of you could have had your personal private well being challenges?’ And each time, practically each hand within the viewers goes up. Final week, I traveled to Bristol to see Fetterman in motion. ‘I’ve had a hemorrhagic stroke, which is worse,” Jeanette Miller from Bristol Township advised me with a shrug once I requested her whether or not Fetterman’s stroke gave her pause. Rob Blatt, a retiree from Feasterville, checked out me blankly once I requested him the identical. “I’ve crushed most cancers and an entire bunch of different stuff,’ he stated. ‘He’s one among us—a working man making an attempt to do the precise factor by his household, his group, and his nation.’” • We’ll see.

PA: “John Fetterman is your best option to signify Pennsylvania’s priorities within the U.S. Senate | Endorsement” [The Inquirer]. “Fetterman is aware of what his values are and is able to speaking them. The identical can’t be stated for his opponent, Mehmet Oz, a puppy-killing charlatan man wholly unprepared to be Pennsylvania’s U.S. senator…. Oz’s resumé can be notably devoid of any vital document of public service. A star physician who as soon as had his personal tv program, Oz spent a lot of his profession touting miracle cures.”

PA: I’m completely not inquisitive about urine:

(Dr Mehmet Oz, Pennsylvania Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, just lately revealed that he tasted urine in medical college. Which brings to thoughts this traditional UL, https://t.co/W1p97rT8r9) https://t.co/RibViF5EGM

— It is an City Legend (@ULTweets) October 17, 2022

I have already got too many individuals telling me it’s rain.

PA: “Why Pennsylvania might not have election night time outcomes and why that’s OK” [ABC]. “Pennsylvania is unlikely to have outcomes on election night time this November, the state’s prime election official stated Tuesday, due to a legislation limiting when mail votes will be processed. Which means voters might once more have to attend to study who wins key races within the battleground state, the place the vote depend in 2020’s presidential election lasted for days. ‘We should once more ask for persistence,’ Leigh Chapman, Pennsylvania’s appearing secretary of state, advised reporters over Zoom. ‘Official outcomes will probably be obtainable inside just a few days,’ she stated, predicting that unofficial outcomes additionally wouldn’t be obtainable on Nov. 8. ‘This delay doesn’t imply something nefarious is occurring. It merely implies that the method is working as it’s designed to work in Pennsylvania and that election officers are doing their job to depend each vote.’ Chapman attributed the anticipated delay to the state’s Basic Meeting deciding to not cross laws permitting counties to start processing mail-in ballots earlier than Election Day. Because it stands, processing can not start till 7 a.m. that day.”

2024

“Why Kamala Harris is already among the many most consequential vice presidents in historical past” [The Hill]. A low bar. However: “On Might 11, Vice President Kamala Harris solid the deciding vote in favor of Alvaro Bedoya’s nomination to serve on the Federal Commerce Fee. This introduced Harris to quantity three on the checklist of most tiebreaking votes by a vice chairman in American historical past. Since then, Harris has solid a six tiebreaking votes and is simply 5 away from tying John C. Calhoun for the document. But Harris’s accomplishment additionally stands out for the truth that she has solid her tiebreaking votes at a quicker price than any of her predecessors. The magnitude of Harris’s document over lower than two years in workplace is finest appreciated when in comparison with now-President Biden’s zero tiebreaking votes throughout his eight years as vice chairman. Biden was the one two-term vice chairman in American historical past by no means to solid a tiebreaking vote.” • I’m undecided Calhoun can be on the prime of my checklist of “consequential vice presidents,” a minimum of if the implications have been to be good.

“As Democrats attempt to maintain on in November, it’s Pete Buttigieg who’s in demand on the marketing campaign path” [CNN]. “And but, it’s Buttigieg – whose solely political expertise earlier than his failed presidential bid was serving as mayor of South Bend, Indiana – who has turn out to be probably the most requested surrogate on the marketing campaign path for Democratic candidates within the midterms, individuals conversant in the requests inform CNN. He’s so in demand that he’s getting extra requests than Vice President Kamala Harris, these sources inform CNN – however nonetheless fewer than President Joe Biden – as Democrats look to defend their slender congressional majorities and win governor’s races in November. With invites flowing into the White Home and the Democratic Nationwide Committee, a comparatively low-ranking Cupboard secretary’s workers has to decide on between Democratic candidates making an attempt to chase him down. There’s no precedent for this. However there’s additionally no precedent for the winner of the Iowa caucuses turning into Transportation secretary and proving extra agile on digital camera than the vice chairman and Biden.” • ”Folks conversant in the requests….”

“Trump Spent 91 Cents to Increase Every Greenback as Troubles Mounted” [Bloomberg]. “Former President Donald Trump raised $24 million within the third quarter, a 41% improve over the earlier quarter, however he spent $22 million to do it…. It’s not the primary time that Trump’s small-dollar fundraising operation has had low returns for its spending. Within the third quarter of 2020, Trump Make America Nice Once more, the small-dollar donor arm of his re-election effort, spent 77 cents to lift every greenback. Nonetheless, the cash he’s introduced in is unprecedented for a former president. Since dropping the 2020 election, Trump has raised $387 million and, regardless of the low price of return within the third quarter, is flush with money at a time when a lot of his celebration’s candidates are being outraised within the midterms.” • That’s lots, particularly since Trump is a frugal candidate.

2016 Publish Mortem

A wonderful, or a minimum of lavish, yarn diagram for 2016:

The conspiracy was actual…all of them had agendas pic.twitter.com/NO3E3qk8FA

— Thankful4USA (@Thankful4Usa) October 15, 2022

From the Epoch Instances, no much less….

Democrats en Déshabillé

Affected person readers, it appears that evidently individuals are really studying the back-dated submit! However I’ve not up to date it, and there are numerous updates. So I should do this. –lambert

I’ve moved my standing remarks on the Democrat Social gathering (“the Democrat Social gathering is a rotting corpse that may’t bury itself”) to a separate, back-dated submit, to which I’ll periodically add materials, summarizing the addition right here in a “reside” Water Cooler. (Hopefully, some Bourdieu.) It seems that defining the Democrat Social gathering is, the truth is, a tough downside. I do suppose the paragraph that follows is on level all the way in which again to 2016, if not earlier than:

The Democrat Social gathering is the political expression of the category energy of PMC, their base (lucidly defined by Thomas Frank in Hear, Liberal!). ; if the Democrat Social gathering didn’t exist, the PMC must invent it. . (“PMC” modulo “class expatriates,” in fact.) Second, all of the working elements of the Social gathering reinforce one another. Depart apart characterizing the relationships between components of the Social gathering (ka-ching, however not solely) these components comprise a community — a Flex Internet? An iron octagon? — of funders, distributors, apparatchiks, electeds, NGOs, and miscellaneous mercenaries, with belongings within the press and the intelligence group.

Word, in fact, that the category energy of the PMC each expresses and is restricted by different lessons; oligarchs and American gentry (see ‘industrial mannequin’ of Ferguson, Jorgensen, and Jie) and the working class spring to thoughts. Suck up, kick down.

* * *

Obama Legacy

Obama makes my shoulders sag:

I feel you may get far in politics with somewhat mild hippie-punching. https://t.co/uSoLNbvdDe

— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) October 15, 2022

Realignment and Legitimacy

“The Decline of the Metropolis Upon a Hill” [Foreign Affairs]. “To regain that misplaced stature, American democracy should overcome the challenges of partisan politics, institutional gridlock, and instability. The U.S. authorities might want to show that it is ready to produce sustainable worldwide insurance policies that the US’ buddies and foes alike can depend on. This job is simply too necessary to be left solely to these preoccupied with home points. The international coverage institution must see the revival of American democracy because the cornerstone of future U.S. international management. This may require direct engagement with the American public, not in contrast to the concerted effort to advertise the Marshall Plan to reluctant Individuals in 1947 and 1948. It’s not merely a gross sales job; policymakers should first take heed to Individuals to attempt to perceive and alleviate their frustrations with their democracy within the curiosity of sustaining and strengthening U.S. affect on this planet.” • The press and the intelligence group have seamlessly merged the place all discussions of international coverage and “our democracy” are involved. How is that not “direct engagement with the general public”? I feel it’s unlucky that we’ve made the “intelligence companies the guarantors of ‘the institutional order of the Republic,” however right here we’re. And since when do policymakers “first take heed to Individuals”? Truthfully, the final individuals who did that — of their very other ways — have been Sanders and Trump, and look what occurred to them. (Thought: Early in 2024, vat-grown McKinsey creepozoid Pete Buttigieg might take a web page from Hillary’s playbook and do a “listening tour.”)

“Please Simply Throw Me a Bone with the Wesleyan Argus Controversy” [Freddie DeBoer]. “You must perceive this to grasp our media class: the primary precedence of their total lives, above and past actually every other, is to earn insider standing with different individuals in media. That’s it. That’s their lodestar, their true north. They need different individuals in media to see them as cool and good and fuckable, and most of all they need to have the precise opinions, the opinions that the group doesn’t giggle at. The mirror picture of the desperation to be thought of cool is the extreme, all-consuming worry of being made enjoyable of by cool individuals in media. Have a look at the way in which they write, report, talk with one another; these individuals are completely terrified that somebody’s going to take one thing they are saying and maintain it up for mockery on Twitter. This appears to me to be just about precisely the alternative perspective it’s best to need amongst writers and journalists, who actually can solely carry out their operate when they’re pissing most individuals off. However that’s the skilled tradition of media, a tradition outlined by the worry of being made enjoyable of.” • Certainly. Price studying in full. (DeBoer’s correct skewering of the press is a bit tangential to the thrust of the piece.)

Greenwald is appropriate:

Ten straight minutes of main Dems undermining religion within the integrity of our elections by insisting the 2000, 2004 and 2016 elections (all which, coincidentally, they occurred to lose) have been illegitimate as a result of the false consequence was resulting from dishonest:https://t.co/HPdhPtO5xX

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 16, 2022

The Democrats have a robust case for the fact of election theft: Actually 2020 2000, the place Jebbie diddled the voter rolls in order that brother W would win. Possible 2004, for anyone who adopted the Ohio returns. However the Democrats aren’t making that case, and it reveals distinction in operational functionality between the 2 events: The Democrats are exuding aghastitude and counting on their buddies in Large Tech to regulate the narrative (and probably the intelligence group to dispute the outcomes). The Republicans are going out and operating candidates for workplace.

Time period limits:

This. Time period limits have been created by the precise, particularly to verify one other FDR presidency was unimaginable. https://t.co/x9tnemeYtB

— Lee 🖖 Carter (@carterforva) October 16, 2022

Fairly proper (although word that liberals can and do precisely the identical as “the precise does,” though they have an inclination to make use of NGOs somewhat than expertise companies. Or the intelligence group). Additionally, in Maine we found that with time period limits, the legislature had no institutional reminiscence in any respect. The one individuals who knew what the legal guidelines meant have been the legal professionals who wrote them (and so they had pursuits apart from the voters’ in thoughts).

#COVID19

• Simply in time for the Winter Surge (antidlc):

To be honest, this was at all times a awful web page, as a result of as CDC says, they didn’t monitor stock. However, the “scientific communication” is great; the messaging is crystal clear, good job CDC.

• ”The World’s Greatest Airport Lounges Will Price You. Are the Perks Price It?” [Wall Street Journal]. • I learn all this with a view to submitting it underneath Guillotine Watch, however on the very finish: “Some lounges provide probably the most fundamental remedy for claustrophobia of all—recent air. Take Delta Sky Golf equipment, a lot of which have outside Sky Decks, a mix patio and statement zone for aircraft recognizing. At LAX, house to one among Delta’s latest and largest areas, the deck has a retractable roof and heaters so it may be loved in any climate. At Swiss’s Zurich lounge, passengers can wait out layovers on a terrace with views of the Alps.” • So in different phrases, outside air — air that, presumably, you don’t want to make use of your CO2 meter to examine — is accessible solely to these with first-class tickets or elite standing, or (generally) premium bank cards. Welcome to the longer term!

• WHO helps fomite transmission of Covid:

Greenhalgh: “Hand hygiene as “one of the necessary measures to cease covid-19” NO. By no means a shred of proof.”

• WHO continues to disclaim airborne transmission of Covid:

Sure, this disgraceful tweet continues to be up. (If the world have been the way in which the Hospital An infection Management group believes it to be, this could not be such deadly recommendation; handwashing is nice, in spite of everything. However out on this planet, the place HIC lacks hegemony, handwashing doesn’t assist towards Covid in any respect, and #CovidIsAirborne. The scientific communication is once more, glorious; the message is crystal clear. Many lies are.

• That is cute (actually):

• That is necessary, as a result of Swift has an unlimited following within the Home windows administrator group:

• I proceed to be inspired by the propagation of CR containers. The karma at all times appears to be good; the perspective, unselfish. Extra good karma:

• The identical good karma CO2 metering:

• Masks as style gadgets (finally):

• On Ebola, a thread:

The tweets on asymptomatic and airborne transmission are particularly attention-grabbing, though granted they chime with my priors.

Transmission

Right here is CDC’s interactive map by county set to group transmission. (That is the map CDC wants only hospitals to look at, not you.)

Lambert right here: I’ve to say, I’m seeing an increasing number of yellow and extra blue, which continues to please. However is the pandemic “over”? Properly….

Positivity

From the Walgreen’s take a look at positivity tracker, October 16:

0.5%.

Readers, please click on via on this, if in case you have a minute. Since Walgreens did the precise factor, let’s give this undertaking some stats.

Wastewater

Wastewater knowledge (CDC), October 11:

Lambert right here: CDC appears to have gotten its wastewater act collectively, for the second, which is nice information. That stated, what a weird map: Word that Ohio appears to be virtually solely shut down (gray dots = no knowledge). Excellent news: New York (JFK; EWR) is within the system, and blue. Different entrepots like LAX and SFO additionally blue.

September 24:

Lambert right here: Nonetheless unexplained is CDC’s detour to October 11 from October 4 through September 24.

Variants

Lambert right here: It’s past irritating how sluggish the variant knowledge is. Does no one within the public well being institution get a promotion for monitoring variants? Are there no grants? Is there a single lab that does this work, and all people will get the outcomes from them? Extra sources from readers welcome [grinds teeth, bangs head on desk].

Variant knowledge, nationwide (Walgreens), October 1:

Variant knowledge, nationwide (CDC), September 24 (Nowcast off):

• Discipline information to the variants of the week:

• BQ.1.* in New York Metropolis:

Time to go to the Hamptons or the Hudson Valley?

• Right here is a wonderful thread on CDC’s BQ.1.* butchery, the place they allowed BQ.1.* to achieve 12% (their forecast) with out telling anyone about it:

CDC solely broke the information out from the BA.5 lineage when it affected hospitals:

And CDC has been sitting on the information:

Folks might, maybe, be making their “private threat assessments” on vaccination or boostering whereas assuming that the present variants are usually not immune-evasive. However BQ,1.* is immune-evasive. Eric Topol: “‘It’s not going to wipe out vaccine efficacy, but it surely might however a dent in safety towards hospitalizations and demise,’ he stated.” So the case for getting vaccinated — to forestall hospitalizations and demise — is now weaker than it was. How do the information butchers at CDC count on us to make “private threat assessments” whereas on the identical time hiding the very knowledge that may enable us to do this?

Deaths

Demise price (Our World in Knowledge):

Whole: 1,090,536 – 1,089,916 = 620 (620 * 365 = 226,300, which is at this time’s LivingWith™ quantity (fairly a bit increased than the minimizers would love, although they’ll speak themselves into something. If the LivingWith™ metric retains chugging alongside like this, I may need to determine that is what the powers-that-be think about “mission completed” for this specific tranche of demise and illness.

It’s good that for deaths I’ve a easy, day by day chart that simply retains chugging alongside, in contrast to every thing else CDC and the White Home are screwing up or letting go darkish, good job.

Stats Watch

Affected person readers, I’d prefer to beef up this part once more, having beefed down the Covid part (as a result of the Facilities for Illness doesn’t imagine in knowledge). This may take a little bit of time, as I get again in type. –lambert

Manufacturing: “United States NY Empire State Manufacturing Index” [Trading Economics]. “The NY Empire State Manufacturing Index dropped 7.6 factors to -9.1 in October 2022, in contrast with market expectations of -4.0 and suggesting enterprise exercise within the New York State declined for a 3rd straight month. The brand new orders index was unchanged at 3.7, indicating a slight improve in orders, whereas the shipments index plunged 19.9 factors to -0.3, pointing to a levelling off of shipments after they elevated considerably final month. As well as, the unfilled orders index rose 3.8 factors to -3.7, nonetheless pointing to a decline within the degree of unfilled orders. Supply occasions held regular, and inventories inched increased. Labor market indicators pointed to a small improve in employment and the typical workweek.”

Provide Chain: “New provide chain chokepoints are forming alongside waterways very important to U.S. distribution of grain, oil and different commodities. Sections of the Mississippi River are approaching low water ranges not seen in additional than three many years… disrupting industrial site visitors and threatening companies that rely upon the products and the businesses that transport them” [Wall Street Journal]. “The low water, attributable to a scarcity of rain within the Ohio River Valley and the Higher Mississippi, has left barges grounded in unprecedented numbers. Many ports now not have water deep sufficient for industrial boats to securely attain them. Authorities have began emergency dredging at varied websites whereas farmers and factories rush to safe the shrinking variety of satisfactory spots or discover alternate provide routes. Rail is one potential choice, however it’s often costlier than river transport and railroads are dealing with their very own service constraints this yr.” • “Service constraints” like a rail strike. I do hope the railroad unions perceive the extra leverage they’ve right here.

The Bezzle: “Stablecoin Mechanics 2: Tether-Celsius” [DataFinnovation]. “tl;dr: We discovered the Tether-Celsius loans, Tether’s fairness funding into Celsius, and might subsequently show lots about each defects within the Celsius enterprise mannequin and questionable conduct by Tether.”

Tech: “The massive industrial buying that helped gas electronics delivery over the previous two years is on maintain. Corporations, governments and college districts that bulked up on computer systems through the pandemic are drastically scaling again. …. [T]he lull in buying has worsened all year long as excessive inflation, rising labor prices and recession fears have triggered a reassessment of procurement budgets” [Wall Street Journal]. “The selections are behind a worldwide droop in demand for PCs that’s hitting suppliers like Dell Applied sciences and HP and has began rolling throughout the airfreight sector. International shipments of desktop and laptop computer computer systems fell within the third quarter by a document 18%, says market-research agency Canalys, with pocket book shipments notably onerous hit. Total U.S. shopper spending throughout the videogame enterprise additionally fell 13% within the second quarter, suggesting the droop in demand for electronics goes past PCs.” • Properly, little doubt the winter Covid surge will assist out with this. It’s an sick virus…

Tech: “American Airways is Making an attempt to Cease a Widespread iPhone App That’s Turn out to be a ‘Should Have’ For its Flight Attendants” [Paddle Your Own Canoe]. “American Airways is utilizing subtle ‘bot detection’ software program to cease the developer of an iPhone app that has turn out to be in style amongst the airline’s flight attendants from accessing very important knowledge that’s wanted to maintain the app working. The ‘Sequence Decoder’ app has turn out to be a must have instrument for American Airways flight attendants as a result of it shows info required by crew members to handle their rosters and work lives in a single app. The app is especially in style among the many massive variety of ‘reserve’ flight attendants at American Airways as a result of it provides them extra management over their schedules, and the app has different options akin to a calculator to verify crew are working to authorized limits. American Airways doesn’t provide its personal model of the app and has allegedly turned down requests from the app’s developer Jeff Reisberg to collaborate on the app. As an alternative, the Jeff’s self-developed app depends on bots to ‘scrape’ the information required to energy it from AA’s pc methods. Actually, somewhat than working with Jeff, American Airways has began to guard its web sites with bot detection software program that makes it ‘practically unimaginable’ to gather knowledge required to run Sequence Decoder.” • What did we bail these clowns our for (once more)?

At this time’s Concern & Greed Index: 29 Concern (earlier shut: 21 Excessive Concern) [CNN]. One week in the past: 20 (Excessive Concern). (0 is Excessive Concern; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Oct 17 at 1:25 PM EDT. October, and no crash but.

Photograph Ebook

Usually, I don’t take portraits, or certainly create photos of recognizable people, as a result of I don’t purchase the entire “Household of Man” idea to the slightest diploma: “Steichen stated the individuals ‘regarded on the footage, and the individuals within the footage regarded again at them. They acknowledged one another.’” I don’t suppose that’s true, and I feel it’s an offensive declare; I, as a wealthy Westener with an especially fancy digital camera, have very totally different considerations from the working class I’d exploit for the jouissance of a putative “recognition.” Everyone hates a vacationer. The center-tugging leads straight to the propaganda footage from Syria and Ukraine. That stated, these pictures from India by Steve MacCurry are extraordinary:

And this:

I don’t “acknowledge” these individuals. I suppose I could possibly be stated to “encounter” them.

Zeitgeist Watch

Sure, an exquisite story:

And likewise an instance of the penetration of “intelligence” into in style tradition. In spite of everything, the sharing is fantastic, however what’s shared is paranoia, is it not?

Class Warfare

“Extra staff say Starbucks retaliated for union efforts: ‘I misplaced every thing after they fired me’” [Guardian]. “Dozens of staff have now filed unfair labor apply fees with the NLRB alleging they’ve skilled retaliation for union organising, together with terminations. On 12 October, a NLRB decide dominated in favor of 4 different fired Starbucks staff in Kansas and Missouri, ordering their reinstatement as properly. The board has issued 35 complaints towards Starbucks, encompassing greater than 800 allegations of federal labor legislation violations as about 250 Starbucks shops have voted to type unions over the previous yr.” • My view: The celebs ought to get the bucks.

“Cellular port staff set to strike subsequent week as contract talks stall” [AL.com]. “Subsequent week, if an settlement isn’t reached by midnight on October 20, the Worldwide Longshoremen’s Affiliation (ILA) Native 1410 will strike CSA Tools Firm, a stevedoring (unloading) supplier on the port, after union membership voted to not settle for CSA’s newest contract provide. Dock staff represented by Native 1410—about 800 individuals–will refuse to work with CSA, with only a few exceptions. Although CSA is one among a number of stevedoring corporations which can be licensed to function on the port, the strike is bound to have an effect on port operations, which proceed to develop as the amount of containers that transfer via the port improve. ”

“You may solely speak for thus lengthy” [London Review of Books]. An artwork heist on behalf of the IRA by one Rose Dugdale, an English heiress., This caught my eye: “The ingredient of farce isn’t essentially a dealbreaker. Dugdale ought nonetheless to be a compelling character. She actually did steal all these work, along with making a bombing run over a police station, and in keeping with interviews she gave to O’Driscoll, creating bomb-making strategies that have been utilized in a number of IRA assaults within the Eighties. The actual downside, for anybody who desires to take her significantly, is her personal overpowering sense of herself as a heroic and rosy-cheeked footsoldier of the wrestle, courageous and true, scourge of the operating canine and the capitalist pig, pal to the working man, thorn within the facet of the institution. Lengthy earlier than any journalist checked out her life and thought it’d make a incredible e-book, Dugdale herself was busily writing up the opening paragraphs: a thrillerish, minute-by-minute account of the theft, so completely reimagined for max drama that it calls into query the authenticity of the whole scene.” • Jogs my memory of the Weathermen.

“The Proletariat in Search of a Class, by Gaither Stewart” [Dandelion Salad]. • Bracketed by despairing remarks on the state of the American working class, within the center we’ve the story of Olive Tilford Dargan, who wrote on the Gastonia, NC cotton mill strikes. Hers appears to be a voice value recovering/recuperating. Though maybe on TikTok….

Information of the Wired

“When Sarcastic Fringeheads Open Their Mouths, Watch Out” [New York Times]. • Somebody on the Instances can nonetheless write a headline, I see.

“Famend Arecibo telescope received’t be rebuilt — and astronomers are heartbroken” [Nature]. “One main query is how the Arecibo web site will draw college students and academics if there’s little lively analysis to take part in. ‘But the NSF requires proposals for a world-class academic establishment,’ says Anne Virkki, a planetary scientist on the College of Helsinki in Finland. ‘How does anybody do this with out the world-class scientists, engineers, and devices?’…. Arecibo Observatory has lengthy been a powerhouse of STEM schooling in Puerto Rico due to its famend telescope and place in astronomical historical past. College students skilled there have gone on to turn out to be skilled astronomers and planetary scientists in lots of nations.” • A disgrace.

Contact info for vegetation: Readers, be happy to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn the way to ship me a examine if you’re allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn the way to ship me photos of vegetation. Greens are advantageous! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary vegetation! If you would like 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 through the use of your initials. See the earlier Water Cooler (with plant) right here. From wol:

wol writes: “There’s one thing concerning the outdoors of a tree that’s good for the within of a human. Stay Oaks, Maritime Forest, Bald Head Island, NC.” And because of alert readers, I do know why “Stay Oaks” are referred to as reside!

Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not coated by the annual NC fundraiser. So in case you see a hyperlink you particularly like, or an merchandise you wouldn’t see wherever 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 relentless trickle of donations helps me with bills, and I consider that trickle when setting fundraising objectives:

Right here is the display screen that may seem, which I’ve helpfully annotated:

When you hate PayPal, you’ll be able to electronic mail me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I provides you with instructions on the right way to ship a examine. Thanks!