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By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
American Robin, Libertytown, Frederick, Maryland, United States. “Very quiet vocalization at shut vary. Daybreak music.”
My email address is down by the plant; please send examples of “Helpers” there. In our increasingly desperate and fragile neoliberal society, everyday normal incidents and stories of “the communism of everyday life” are what I am looking for (and not, say, the Red Cross in Hawaii, or even the UNWRA in Gaza).
“So many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles
Less than a year to go!
Trump (R): “Stormy Weather Ahead for Trump” [Jonathan Alter, Washington Monthly]. Bragg (NY). “After jury selection begins in April, we’re looking at the first criminal trial of a U.S. president in American history…. Last week, the trial was delayed—probably for a few weeks—pending a hearing about the mysterious release of thousands of pages of documents from federal prosecutors who had pursued the hush money case but declined to prosecute Trump.” And:
Judge Merchan ruled that Trump’s lawyers will not be allowed to:
That’s a lot! Meanwhile: “District Attorney Bragg’s whole case is admissible.” Concluding: “It ain’t overthrowing the government. It ain’t stealing classified documents. But it’ll do.” • I doubt it. I mean, come on. “Squillionaire pays off mistress. Film at 11.”
* * * Trump (R): “GOP primaries flash warning signs for Trump” [The Hill]. “In primary elections in Ohio and other states, a sizable number of GOP voters still cast ballots for former rivals to the ex-president. That’s potentially a big problem for Trump, because it suggests not all GOP primary voters are warming to him… A handful of states cast ballots Tuesday in the presidential primaries, including Ohio, Florida and Arizona. Trump won Ohio and Florida by roughly fourth-fifths of the vote, but former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley notched around 14 percent in each.”
Trump (R): “Trump has an early lead on Biden. But problems are piling up around him” [Politico]. “‘The only person who can beat Donald Trump is Donald Trump,’ said David Urban, a former senior Trump campaign adviser. ‘I don’t think we’re there yet.’ Despite it all, Trump remains in an enviable position, leading Biden in early polls as the incumbent president clocks in with historically bad approval ratings. But Trump’s advantage is also less than 2 percentage points — hardly a commanding lead — and he is still sitting below 50 percent. In the earliest days of the general election campaign, Trump’s often improvised remarks contrast with his opponent’s more carefully scripted campaign outings — and that approach brings some downsides, as evidenced in recent days.”
Trump (R): “Thus Far, Trump Has Huge Coattails. The Best Coattails.” [The American Conservative]. “President Donald Trump’s victories in last night’s primaries in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, and Ohio were foregone conclusions. All of Trump’s challengers have already exited the race and, for the third straight presidential cycle, Trump has secured the Republican nomination. This alone suggests Trump’s takeover of the GOP is near total, but there’s even more evidence down ballot. On Tuesday, Trump’s chosen candidates beat expectations. Nowhere was that clearer than in Ohio’s senate primary. The businessman Bernie Moreno bested state Sen. Matt Dolan by nearly twenty points. Moreno received more than 50 percent of the vote and carried every county in the Buckeye state….For now, however, Trump is still king and, for smaller realms all around the country, kingmaker. Trump has made 88 endorsements in the primaries thus far. Not a single candidate for federal office has lost their primary with Trump’s backing. Only three Trump-endorsed state legislative candidates have lost. Across state and federal primaries, Trump is 58 for 61 thus far. When November rolls around, the 58 winners will have the added benefit of Trump on the top of the ticket once again.”
* * * Biden (D): “US Vote Pitches Bidenomics Against Celebrity” [Bloomberg]. “President Joe Biden has centered his campaign on his flagship industrial policy, dubbed Bidenomics, which involves pumping billions of dollars into creating US manufacturing jobs in industries of the future like chipmaking and clean technology…. But, as Akayla Gardner reports, it’s a theme that has largely failed to resonate with voters so far — even in places like Bethlehem [Northampton County] whose geographical and political landscape has been shaped by heavy industry…. The uncomfortable truth for Biden is that many voters are preoccupied with the rising cost of living and have yet to feel the upswing from his policies. Even where they do, they don’t necessarily credit the president for the jobs that are on offer. With the US economy booming, there may yet be time for Bidenomics to cut through.”
* * * “All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The…— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) March 20, 2024
* * * CA: “California Main Outcomes Encouraging for Republicans” [Sean Trende, RealClearPolitics]. “The GOP posted its greatest positive factors in closely Hispanic districts, seeing its vote share enhance within the forty second (Rep. Robert Garcia), the twenty ninth (Rep. Napolitano), and the twenty fourth (Rep. Carbajal). That is in line with ballot knowledge suggesting a swing towards Republicans amongst Hispanics.”
OH: “Bernie Moreno simply wins Ohio Senate Republican main, will tackle Sen. Sherrod Brown” [Cincinnati Enquirer]. “Moreno, a businessman from the Cleveland space, gained with almost 51% of the vote, in keeping with unofficial outcomes. He defeated state Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls, and Secretary of State Frank LaRose in a contest that pitted the GOP’s previous guard towards allies of former President Donald Trump…. Moreno previewed his normal election pitch, saying Brown is beholden to President Joe Biden and needs to faux in any other case. However the three-term senator stays assured about his prospects. Throughout a marketing campaign occasion Monday, Brown stated the Republicans opposing him are on the flawed facet of abortion, minimal wage and different points…. Ultimately, a flurry of visits to Ohio from Trump and his allies pushed Moreno over the end line. And it wasn’t the shut end result that polls predicted…. Brown, who’s searching for a fourth time period in workplace, is one among two Democrats defending his seat in a state gained by Trump. Republicans consider he’s weak and see a possibility to flip Ohio as they attempt to regain management of the U.S. Senate.” • Distinction that protection to this–
OH: “In Key Ohio Senate Main, Republicans Go along with Trump Once more” [Center for Politics]. ” Each Donald Trump and Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-NY) obtained their man within the Ohio GOP Senate main on Tuesday evening, as businessman Bernie Moreno (R) blew open what polls, in mixture, instructed was a detailed race. . persevering with a standard Democratic technique of spending within the different social gathering’s main.” The Pied Piper technique has taken on a lifetime of its personal…. Extra: “Moreno, backed by Donald Trump, follows the trail taken two years in the past by now-Sen. J.D. Vance (R), who, like Moreno, was a Trump-endorsed candidate with out earlier officeholding expertise who beat out a area that included some extra skilled pols to get the Ohio GOP Senate nomination.” And: “, not too surprisingly, had been the pair of Mahoning and Trumbull. Each —when Brown was final up, in 2018, he carried the pair 59%-41%, so he’ll in all probability wish to restrict his slippage right here within the normal election.” And: “Democrats are absolutely hoping that Moreno represents a continuation of the horrible Senate candidates Republicans produced in so many key races in 2022. And it’s true that Moreno has by no means confronted a take a look at like this—he ran within the 2022 contest however dropped out nicely earlier than the election—and will fall on his face, identical to Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, Herschel Walker in Georgia, Donald Bolduc in New Hampshire, and Blake Masters in Arizona. That stated, it’s not apparent that he’ll, and it might not be all that a lot of a elevate to simply get Trump voters to additionally again the Trump-endorsed Senate Republican candidate in a state that’s prone to vote for Trump by high-single or perhaps even double digits.” • Value studying in full.
Republican Funhouse
“As Medicare Benefit’s shortcomings echo within the press, key legislators nonetheless push to denationalise conventional Medicare” [Trudy Lieberman, HEALTH CARE un-covered]. “[Rolling Stone’s Andrew] Perez factors out that one merchandise buried within the 887-page Heritage Basis blueprint written to tell a possible new Trump administration has attracted little consideration thus far. It’s a scheme to ‘make Medicare Benefit the default enrollment possibility’ for people who find themselves newly eligible for Medicare, he wrote. David Lipschutz, affiliate director of the Heart for Medicare Advocacy, says the Heritage plan would hasten privatization. ‘Upon turning into eligible for Medicare now everybody begins with conventional Medicare because the default however can decide out of that program and later select an Benefit plan,’ Lipschutz says. The Heritage proposal, nevertheless, would have folks begin with Medicare Benefit plans, apparently with the chance to opt-out. With this association, you’ll be able to see how simple it will be for Medicare, as we all know it, to ‘wither on the vine’ since many individuals new to Medicare should not nicely versed within the distinction between the 2 choices and as an alternative are swayed by the TV promoting beckoning them to Medicare Benefit plans.” • Challenge 2025 taking a cue from nudge idea. Swell.
Democrats en Déshabillé
“Working class Dems who marketing campaign on economics beat Trumpists in elections” [Pluralistic]. “The Democratic Occasion Pizzaburger Idea of Electioneering is: half the voters needs a pizza, the opposite half needs a burger, so we’ll give all of them a pizzaburger and make all of them equally dissatisfied, thus profitable the election… However nobody needs a pizzaburger. The Biden administration’s strategy of letting the Warren/Sanders wing decide the antitrust enforcers whereas retaining judicial appointments within the Manchin-Synematic universe is a disaster during which progressive Dem regulators (who serve one time period) are thwarted by corporatist Dem judges (who serve for all times)… Jacobin teamed up with the Heart for Working-Class Politics, Yougov and the Heart for Work and Democracy at ASU and analyzed [the 2022 midterms]: Their conclusion: candidates from working-class backgrounds who campaigned on financial insurance policies like high-quality jobs, greater minimal wages, a jobs assure, ending offshoring and outsourcing, constructing infrastructure and bringing manufacturing again to the US gained with a 50% share of the vote in rural and working-class districts. Dems who didn’t misplaced with a 35% share of the vote.” • Properly, now the liberals have one other goal for decapitation, identical to the 50-state technique, or the Sanders marketing campaign(s)…
Realignment and Legitimacy
Inhabitants shifts:
Usually, it looks like individuals are transferring towards warmth, not away from it (with some exceptions, like Maine and the Mountain States). Odd. Readers?
#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
Sources, 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 knowledge). “An infection Management, Emergency Administration, Security, and Basic Ideas” (particularly on hospitalization by metropolis).
Lambert right here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To replace any entry, do be happy to contact me on the tackle given with the crops. Please put “COVID” within the topic line. Thanks!
Sources, United States (Native): AK (dashboard); AL (dashboard); AR (dashboard); AZ (dashboard); CA (dashboard; Marin, dashboard; Stanford, wastewater; Oakland, wastewater); CO (dashboard; wastewater); CT (dashboard); DE (dashboard); FL (wastewater); GA (wastewater); HI (dashboard); IA (wastewater stories); ID (dashboard, Boise; dashboard, wastewater, Central Idaho; wastewater, Coeur d’Alene; dashboard, Spokane County); IL (wastewater); IN (dashboard); KS (dashboard; wastewater, Lawrence); KY (dashboard, Louisville); LA (dashboard); MA (wastewater); MD (dashboard); ME (dashboard); MI (wastewater; wastewater); MN (dashboard); MO (wastewater); MS (dashboard); MT (dashboard); NC (dashboard); ND (dashboard; wastewater); NE (dashboard); NH (wastewater); NJ (dashboard); NM (dashboard); NV (dashboard; wastewater, Southern NV); NY (dashboard); OH (dashboard); OK (dashboard); OR (dashboard); PA (dashboard); RI (dashboard); SC (dashboard); SD (dashboard); TN (dashboard); TX (dashboard); UT (wastewater); VA (dashboard); VT (dashboard); WA (dashboard; dashboard); WI (wastewater); WV (wastewater); WY (wastewater).
Sources, Canada (Nationwide): Wastewater (Authorities of Canada).
Sources, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater); QC (les eaux usées); BC (wastewater); BC, Vancouver (wastewater).
Hat tricks to useful readers: Alexis, anon (2), Art_DogCT, B24S, CanCyn, ChiGal, Chuck L, Festoonic, FM, FreeMarketApologist (4), Gumbo, hop2it, JB, JEHR, JF, JL Joe, John, JM (10), JustAnotherVolunteer, JW, KatieBird, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, sq. coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).
Keep protected on the market!
Covid is Airborne
“Danger components for SARS-CoV-2 transmission throughout a movie show outbreak in Incheon within the Republic of Korea, November 2021: a retrospective research” [Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives]. The conclusion: “SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurred inside the theater, and prolonged into the group, by way of a moviegoer who attended the third screening throughout the viral incubation interval after contracting the virus from a member of the family. This research emphasizes the significance of satisfactory air flow in theaters.” And from the Descriptive Evaluation: “The curve indicated a single publicity outbreak with a propagated sample, suggesting that infections occurred constantly by means of person-to-person transmission following shared publicity to a standard automobile throughout the film screening on November 3, 2021.” And: “A spot map was created to evaluate the spatial distribution of the outbreak. Viewers members had been seated in shut proximity to one another with out social distancing, predominantly within the rear seats. Throughout the third screening, most people recognized as shut contacts contracted the virus. In distinction, for the 4th screening, the outbreak was not confined to a specific space; moderately, the confirmed instances had been extra uniformly dispersed all through the venue.” That’s, the virus spreads like smoke.
Perhaps engineering has unhealthy vibes?
Do you know? It is solely doable to regulate airborne respiratory viruses. ASHRAE has an ordinary that spells out for HVAC engineers the necessities for controlling infectious aerosols.
Anybody who’s telling you mass illness is not preventable is mendacity #LongCovidAwarenessDay pic.twitter.com/o8XhL6Q7sD
— Nick #AirborneCovidExhaustsTCells😷 Anderegg (@NickAnderegg) March 15, 2024
An infection
About these personalk threat assessments:
Sequelae
About mind harm:
Here’s a hyperlink to “this thread.”
Morbidity and Mortality
“World age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and inhabitants estimates in 204 nations and territories and 811 subnational places, 1950–2021, and the impression of the COVID-19 pandemic: a complete demographic evaluation for the World Burden of Illness Research 2021” [The Lancet]. From the Summary: “World grownup mortality charges markedly elevated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, reversing previous lowering tendencies, whereas little one mortality charges continued to say no, albeit extra slowly than in earlier years. Though COVID-19 had a considerable impression on many demographic indicators throughout the first 2 years of the pandemic, general international well being progress over the 72 years evaluated has been profound, with appreciable enhancements in mortality and life expectancy. Moreover, we noticed a deceleration of worldwide inhabitants progress since 2017, regardless of regular or growing progress in lower-income nations, mixed with a continued international shift of inhabitants age buildings in the direction of older ages. These demographic adjustments will probably current future challenges to well being methods, economies, and societies.”
TABLE 1: Each day Covid Charts
LEGEND
1) ★ for charts new as we speak; all others should not up to date.
2) For a full-size/full-resolution picture, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Home windows) on the chart thumbnail and “open picture in new tab.”
NOTES
[1] (Biobot) Our curve has now flattened out on the stage of earlier Trump peaks. Not an excellent victory. Word additionally the world “underneath the curve,” apart from taking a look at peaks. That space is bigger underneath Biden than underneath Trump, and it appears to be rising steadily if erratically.
[2] (Biobot) Midwest ticks up.
[3] (CDC Variants) As of Might 11, genomic surveillance knowledge might be reported biweekly, based mostly on the supply of constructive take a look at 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) “Charts and knowledge offered by CDC, updates Wednesday by 8am. For the previous yr, utilizing a rolling 52-week interval.”
[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Seems like a really gradual leveling off to a non-zero baseline, to me.
[6] (Hospitalization: CDC) Nonetheless down. “Maps, charts, and knowledge offered by CDC, updates weekly for the earlier MMWR week (Sunday-Saturday) on Thursdays (Deaths, Emergency Division Visits, Take a look at Positivity) and weekly the next Mondays (Hospitalizations) by 8 pm ET†”.
[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.
[8] (Cleveland) Flattening.
[9] (Vacationers: Posivitity) Now up, albeit within the rear view mirror.
[10] (Vacationers: Variants) JN.1 dominates totally.
Stats Watch
Employment State of affairs: “United States Preliminary Jobless Claims” [Trading Economics]. “The variety of folks claiming unemployment advantages within the US fell by 2,000 to 210,000 on the week ending March sixteenth, 2024, beneath market expectations of 215,000. On the similar time, persevering with unemployment claims had been comparatively unchanged at 1,807,000 for the sooner week. The info continued to indicate that the US labor market stays tight, aligned with the Federal Reserve’s newest evaluation and including leeway for the central financial institution to delay the beginning of fee cuts.”
Manufacturing: “United States Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index” [Trading Economics]. “The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index within the US decreased to three.2 in March 2024 from 5.2 in February however got here above market estimates of -2.3. It was the second consecutive expansionary studying because the index for shipments ticked up 1 level to 11.4, and the index for brand new orders turned constructive for the primary time since October.”
Antitrust: “U.S. Sues Apple, Accusing It of Sustaining an iPhone Monopoly” [New York Times]. “The Justice Division joined 16 states and the District of Columbia to file an antitrust lawsuit towards Apple on Thursday, the federal authorities’s most vital problem to the attain and affect of the corporate that has put iPhones within the palms of greater than a billion folks. In an 88-page lawsuit, the federal government argued that Apple had violated antitrust legal guidelines with practices that had been meant to maintain prospects reliant on their iPhones and fewer prone to swap to a competing machine. The tech large prevented different firms from providing purposes that compete with Apple merchandise like its digital pockets, which may diminish the worth of the iPhone, the federal government stated. Apple’s insurance policies harm customers and smaller firms that compete with a few of Apple’s companies, within the type of “greater costs and fewer innovation,” the lawsuit stated. ‘Every step in Apple’s course of conduct constructed and strengthened the moat round its smartphone monopoly,’ the federal government stated within the lawsuit, which was filed within the U.S. District Court docket for the District of New Jersey.”
Manufacturing: “Boeing whistleblower’s lawsuit against aerospace giant continues despite death” [WCSC]. “The Charleston County Coroner reports Barnett died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, but has not formally ruled on a cause of death.” Meanwhile, the suit continues, and Barnett’s lawyers have released “a redacted copy of the Amended Complaint (filed May 4, 2021) and the Court’s May 31, 2022 decision denying Boeing’s Partial Motion to Dismiss.” And:
These complaints in the suit include:
- Boeing maintained an “illegal” program not approved by the FAA “that allowed mechanics to inspect and approve their own work” known as “Multi-function Process Performer” to meet deadlines; Barnett’s performance rating later went from a 40 to 16.
- Managers “pushing Barnett to work outside of the proper procedures”
- Parts were “stolen” from one airplane and installed in another without any documentation; all corrective action was “canceled” without an investigation
- In August 2014, the company failed to clean up titanium slivers from fasteners used to hold down floorboards that littered wire bundles and electrical components despite potential electrical shorting. Barnett was later removed from the project after complaining.
- In September 2014, Barnett learned he was issued a corrective action plan for documenting process violations in writing one month later against company rules to immediately notify employees claiming it was a “surprise attack.”
- In July 2016, Barnett was ordered to “let it go” after objecting to close out more than 400 nonconforming Shop Order Instance parts without investigation while discovering 200 that had been “pencil whipped” or fabricated.
- In August 2016, Barnett was criticized and removed from an investigation into emergency passenger oxygen tanks where it’s estimated approximately 25% in 787s are not functional, after he pushed for leadership to investigate.
- In September 2016, Barnett was removed as a team leader after discovering that all previously delivered airplanes and missing/incomplete/incorrect serial number data after urging corrections and notifications to customers were needed
- That same month, Barnett’s manager reportedly “took a defective part” from the scrap bin and had it installed on another airplane without any documentation or rework against FAA requirements and the company’s procedures. Barnett claimed he was blocked from a 737 Propulsion Quality Manager position after filing an HR complaint, which Boeing found was “unsubstantiated”
WCSC is a local South Carolina TV station. Meanwhile, the only story on Boeing from the prize-winning Post and Courier is a reprinted transcript from The Street: “Boeing expects major financial impact from recent incidents.” Priorities! Meanwhile, from a second TV station–
Manufacturing: “Lawyers for Boeing whistleblower release full complaint against the company” [WCBD]. A more detailed and prosy version of the complaint. On the “Multi-function Process Performer”: “During this time, Barnett claims that Boeing upper management pushed for quality to deviate from the rules so that production would meet deadlines. One way, in particular, is through the Multi-function Process Performer (MFPP) program. The MFPP program allowed Boeing mechanics to inspect and approve their own work, Barnett claimed. This program was allegedly implemented without FAA approval and was in direct violation of Boeing’s Production Certificate from the FAA pursuant. The Senior Quality Control Manager objected to the MFPP program and pushed for Boeing to follow the rules. Barnett claims that in response to the Senior Quality Control Manager’s objections, he was threatened with termination by superiors. The complaint says that this Senior Quality Control Manager then reached out to contacts in Seattle and was transferred with a downgrade in 2012 back to the state of Washington. In 2012, Barnett also protested against the MFPP program, saying it was illegal; however, no investigation was conducted.” • Once agaim, nothing from the Post and Courier. Really, somebody should contact management… And from another local TV station–
Manufacturing: “Boeing whistleblower’s retaliation complaint revealed after mysterious death in Charleston” [ABC4]. “The next month, Barnett filed an ethics complaint against leadership for retaliation, a hostile work environment, and being blacklisted from acquiring other positions, according to the lawsuit documents. It also says he requested his complaint be investigated by someone outside of BSC. He was told it would be handled outside of BSC, but was . The complaint says that same month, he sent an email to Boeing Corporate Ethics in Washington, D.C. and voiced his concerns about the handling of his complaint. After being assured Barnett’s concerns would be properly investigated, it was once again in South Carolina, according to the complaint.” • Obvious pressure from the head office. And Is the head of HR in Charleston the Post and Courier’s editor’s brother-in-law, or what?
Manufacturing: “Whistleblower John Barnett claimed Boeing managers spied on him before his alleged suicide” [New York Post]. “Boeing whistleblower John Barnett claimed the company’s management had been spying on him in the bombshell court case he was working on when he was mysteriously found dead…. Another section of the lawsuit stated: ‘In June 2014, Barnett submitted a complaint to Corporate Ethics against [redacted] for violating procedures, ignoring process violations, pushing Barnett to ‘work in the grey areas,’ and …. ‘That’s the way it’s done there. There were always moles who would throw you under the bus to look good to the big bosses. They weren’t about team unity; you never know who you could trust,’ a Boeing mid-level manager, who asked to remain anonymous over fear of losing their job, told The Post Wednesday.” And: “‘It is a criminal felony offense to not properly document the build record of an aircraft. By pressuring Barnett to not follow processes … Boeing was ordering Barnett to commit a felony offense.’” • Sounds like a hellhole. No wonder Qatar Airways refused to buy 787s made in Charleston (preferring Everett, WA).
Manufacturing: “Allegations of staggering criminality by Boeing spelled out in complaint by whistleblower John Barnett, released by lawyers after his death” [WSWS]. “Police, so far, have also from the Holiday Inn where Barnett was staying. In the original police report, the cops acknowledged that the hotel had security cameras installed and facing the parking lot where Barnett’s vehicle and body were located.” • Haven’t seen this on the cameras elsewhere, however.
Tech: AI enshittification (1):
New: multiple published scientific papers include language that appears to have been generated by AI-tools like ChatGPT. Search for “as of my last knowledge update” on Google Scholar, you get 115 results. It’s a phrase used by OpenAI’s ChatGPT https://t.co/5OimGqTziW pic.twitter.com/VdX1Vl3tUN
— Joseph Cox (@josephfcox) March 18, 2024
Tech: AI enshittification (2):
Giant language fashions are architecturally incapable of forming new abstractions.
Which is one cause why their worth as programming assistants is vanishingly small.
— Grady Booch (@Grady_Booch) March 19, 2024
Tech: AI enshittification (3):
I feel this is likely one of the finest examples illustrating how LLM Al is a purely statistical mannequin and isn’t doing any sort of precise “pondering” or “logic” and can’t be trusted for duties that require even a modicum of reasoning, a brief 🧵: https://t.co/Fy4PNtecWj
— Chris Alvino (@ChrisAlvino) March 15, 2024
Tech: AI enshittification (4):
Giant language fashions are architecturally incapable of forming new abstractions.
Which is one cause why their worth as programming assistants is vanishingly small.
— Grady Booch (@Grady_Booch) March 19, 2024
Tech: “Pluralistic: The Coprophagic AI disaster” [Pluralistic]. “The query is, why the fuck would anybody write the online if the one “individual” who can discover what they write is an AI’s crawler, which ingests the writing for its personal coaching, however has little interest in steering readers to see what you’ve written? If AI search ever turns into a factor, the open net will grow to be an AI CAFO and search crawlers will more and more find yourself imbibing the contents of its manure lagoon…. There’s a sure intuitive case for this being a nasty concept, akin to feeding cows a slurry product of the diseased brains of different cows…. However “The Curse of Recursion: Coaching on Generated Information Makes Fashions Neglect,” a latest paper, goes past the ick issue of AI that’s ate up botshit and delves into the mathematical penalties of AI coprophagia: Co-author Ross Anderson summarizes the discovering neatly: ‘utilizing model-generated content material in coaching causes irreversible defects.’” • I’ve been muttering about AI autocoprophagia for a while, and if it’s lastly propagated, I’m a contented camper.
Right this moment’s Concern & Greed Index: 76 Excessive Greed (earlier shut: 72 Greed) [CNN]. One week in the past: 72 (Greed). (0 is Excessive Concern; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Mar 21 at 12:23:14 PM ET.
Holier than Thou
Cf. Matthew 23:1-7:
March 19, 2024
A. Liberty U. – Tremendous King Air
B. Samaritan’s Purse – Boeing 757
C. Spirit of America Basis (Dean Sikes) – Cessna 550
D. Phrase of Life Christian Heart (Leroy Thompson) – Falcon 900
E. Jerry Savelle Ministries – Falcon 50 pic.twitter.com/NRHgU6w6ek— pastorplanes (@pastorplanes) March 20, 2024
“Hundreds of Church buildings Will Seemingly Shut Down. What Occurs to All That Actual Property?” [The Roys Report]. “That prediction of church closings is predicated on the unrelenting math of faith in America — there are ever extra church pews with not sufficient folks to fill them. Those that go to church desire to be a part of massive congregations, flocking to packed-out megachurches whereas driving by a number of struggling congregations with 60 folks or fewer. [Rev. Mark Elsdon], who’s govt director of Pres Home, a campus ministry in Madison, Wisconsin, stated the 100,000 determine is an estimate based mostly on tendencies in worship attendance. There’s little knowledge about what number of church buildings shut or what occurs to homes of worship when they’re now not wanted by a congregation…. However even a half or 1 / 4 of that quantity, Elsdon stated, could be vital. ‘The underside line is that there are fewer and fewer folks figuring out as Christians and attending conventional church actions in church buildings,’ Elsdon stated… ‘Due to this fact, there are way more church buildings as we speak than might be viable or wanted sooner or later. That’s simply the best way it’s.’ The e-book’s chapters, every by a distinct knowledgeable, define a few of the adjustments going through church buildings and a few of the doable outcomes for former church buildings, from inexpensive housing to hubs for social entrepreneurship…. Many church buildings might be gone for good — offered off to grow to be flats, breweries, wedding ceremony venues or different secular makes use of. Or they might be gone however nonetheless used for good causes, relying on what the congregations who used to personal them determine to do.”
Zeitgeist Watch
“The thrill of divorce” (poem) [Michael Smith, Crying in the Wilderness]. “Nothing like cash, makes you hate somebody–”
Class Warfare
“The Keys to a Lengthy Life Are Sleep and a Higher Food regimen—and Cash” [Wired]. “The highest 10 % in each the UK and the US dwell over a decade greater than the underside 10 %. It’s not even that they dwell extra, they dwell extra wholesome lives. Why is that? Properly the poor usually don’t have the prospect to train, their diets are sometimes poor, and so they work a number of jobs and have issues with sleep. All this stuff we expect we are able to do, they’re more durable in case you’re poor and must juggle jobs, little one care, et cetera. One fear I’ve is that if we uncover refined interventions—like turning on stem cells and so forth, or having to provide transcription components to folks intravenously—relying on the sophistication of the intervention solely the wealthy may have the ability to afford them. That will make the disparity even worse. Not solely are the wealthy residing longer, they’re going to dwell even longer and more healthy.” • Yep.
“Document numbers of rich People are in search of methods to dwell abroad” [Business Insider]. “‘With political divisions and societal tensions at an all-time excessive, American traders, entrepreneurs, and rich households are more and more hedging their bets and pursuing backup citizenship or residence overseas, signaling declining religion within the home outlook,’ [Mehdi Kadiri, the head of North America at Henley & Partners] stated within the report. ‘We anticipate related sturdy demand in 2024,’ Kadiri added, ‘as extra high-net-worth people throughout the political spectrum search to hedge uncertainty.’”
Information of the Wired
“Flying Is Bizarre Proper Now” [The Atlantic]. The URL is extra pointed: “boeing-737-safety-air-travel.” “Flying has, in a historic sense no less than, by no means been safer…. So what’s actually happening? I think it’s a confluence of two distinct components. The primary is that though air security is getting markedly higher over time, the expertise of flying is arguably worse than ever…. All of that’s now coupled with a rise in passenger quantity: In 2023, flight demand crept again as much as close to pre-pandemic ranges, and staffing has not caught up. Additionally it is an particularly costly time to fly. Pile on unruly passengers, system outages, baggage charges, carry-on restrictions, meager drink and snack choices, and the trials and tribulations of merely coexisting with different vacationers who insist on lining up on the gate 72 hours earlier than their zone boards and you’ve got a superbly flamable scenario.” • After which there’s all that rattling coughing. Actually kills the vibe.
“Pissed off guests sue Nationwide Park Service over cashless insurance policies” [SFGate]. “Three folks sued the Nationwide Park Service earlier this month for its coverage to not settle for money funds at a rising variety of places…. The park service instituted cashless insurance policies at roughly 29 places, in keeping with the lawsuit. The plaintiffs stated money funds had been refused at websites in Arizona, New York and Georgia.” • Good. Extra like this please. Is money authorized tender, or not?
Contact info for crops: 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 verify if you’re allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn the way to ship me pictures of crops. Greens are wonderful! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary crops! If you need 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)
EM writes: “Bushes on The River Shannon (Eire).”
Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not lined by the annual NC fundraiser. So in case you see a hyperlink you particularly like, or an merchandise you wouldn’t see anyplace else, please don’t hesitate to specific your appreciation in tangible kind. Bear in mind, a tip jar is for tipping! Common constructive 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 nervous. Extra tangibly, a continuing trickle of donations helps me with bills, and I consider that trickle when setting fundraising targets:
Right here is the display that may seem, which I’ve helpfully annotated:
If you happen to hate PayPal, you’ll be able to e-mail me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I offers you instructions on the best way to ship a verify. Thanks!
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