2:00PM Water Cooler 6/22/2023 | bare capitalism

By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Chook Tune of the Day

Widespread Home-Martin (Western), Blåvand Fuglestation, Area Syddanmark, Denmark: “Flight calls, nest chatter. Seen. In and across the nests two days after arrival from wintering grounds.”

Politics

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

2024

I suppose it’s time for the Countdown Clock!

* * *

“Ron DeSantis decries public defecation, crack smoking throughout San Francisco stroll” [New York Post]. • Let it by no means be stated of Ron DeSantis that he lacks political braveness!

“Glenn Youngkin’s Opening in Virginia” [Wall Street Journal]. “Virginia’s off-year elections are commonly value watching as a political harbinger, however this yr’s may very well be a triple whammy. Past displaying how the citizens is trending, November’s outcomes might give the GOP full management of Richmond, and so they may even—though it’s an enormous possibly—slingshot Gov. Glenn Youngkin into the 2024 presidential race…. Maybe just a few GOP candidates in iffy races can experience Mr. Youngkin’s coattails over the end line. A ballot this month by Roanoke Faculty put his approval at 51%, down from 57% in February. These are good figures for a Republican Governor in a purple state filled with the suburbanites who fled the GOP amid the Trump years. If Mr. Youngkin can take again Richmond and move just a few good payments, who is aware of what he may do in 2024.”

* * *

502 days is a very long time in politics:

NATIONAL POLL

2024 Democratic Presidential Main @JoeBiden 73%@RobertKennedyJr 15%@marwilliamson 3%
Another person 10percenthttps://t.co/R8yz0UlxWJ pic.twitter.com/ZsQTW8KbAm
— Emerson Faculty Polling (@EmersonPolling) June 22, 2023

One shouldn’t underestimate Biden’s viciousness and lust for energy, or that of his supporters. However for a sitting President with — supposedly — a stellar report, and the unanimous backing of his get together (modulo Joe Manchin, that creep) Biden’s help feels tender, to me. RFK + Williamson, 18%? Actually? And leaving apart the financial system (cardboard field gross sales are down, a superb proxy for hassle to come back), a Ukraine debacle even when he can gin up battle with China in time, liberal’s odd fancies about intercourse and gender, and a tough core of Covid acutely aware who may simply keep house, what occurs if he slips a cog?

“DOJ, FBI, IRS interfered with Hunter Biden probe, in keeping with whistleblower testimony launched by GOP” [FOX]. “The Home Methods and Means Committee on Thursday launched testimony from two IRS whistleblowers who stated the Justice Division, FBI and IRS interfered with the investigation of the tax evasion case towards Hunter Biden…. In keeping with testimony launched by the committee, one whistleblower, IRS Legal Supervisory Particular Agent Gary Shapley Jr., stated choices within the case gave the impression to be ‘influenced by politics.’ ‘Regardless of the motivations, at each stage choices had been made that had the impact of benefiting the topic of the investigation,’ Shapley stated. ‘These choices included slow-walking investigative steps, now permitting enforcement actions to be executed, limiting investigators’ line of questioning for witnesses, deceptive investigators on charging authority, delaying any and all actions months earlier than elections to make sure the investigation didn’t go overt effectively earlier than coverage memorandum mandated the pause. These are simply just a few examples,’ he added…. Shapley, who oversaw the IRS probe into the president’s son, stated the IRS obtained a WhatsApp message dated July thirtieth, 2017, from Hunter Biden to Henry Zhao, who the New York Publish beforehand reported is a Chinese language Communist Social gathering official and CEO of Harvest Fund Administration. ‘I’m sitting right here with my father and we wish to perceive why the dedication made has not been fulfilled. Inform the director that I wish to resolve this now earlier than it will get out of hand, and now means tonight’ Biden wrote. ‘And, Z, if I get a name or textual content from anybody concerned on this aside from you, Zhang, or the chairman, I’ll make sure that between the person sitting subsequent to me and each individual he is aware of and my capacity to eternally maintain a grudge that you’ll remorse not following my path. I’m sitting right here ready for the decision with my father.’ Shapley testified that communications like that message ‘made it clear we wanted to look the visitor home on the Bidens’ Delaware residence the place Hunter Biden stayed for a time.’ Nonetheless, Shapley testified that Assistant United States Lawyer in Delaware, Lesley Wolf, informed him “optics had been a driving issue within the determination on whether or not to execute a search warrant.’” • Ah effectively, nonetheless…

“‘Again Off Joe Biden!’ MSNBC Analyst Loses It At Home Republicans Outraged Over Hunter Biden Plea Deal” [Mediaite]. “‘And by the best way, everyone must again off Joe Biden about this. He loves his son. Again off! It’s okay for him to like his son and there’s nothing unsuitable with it,’ [MSNBC political analyst Claire McCaskill] concluded. ;They don’t have any proof of any type of wrongdoing by Joe Biden. And it infuriates me that they’re utilizing this heartbreak towards Joe Biden on this approach. It’s simply not proper.” • Gad.

“Typography 2024: For America! For America’s Greatest” [Practical Photography]. “Biden’s reelection web site is basically a step down from his superb 2020 effort. The fonts have been upgraded to the wonderful Decimal and the Caslon-inspired Body. In any other case, nonetheless, it’s simply bizarre: the cream-colored background, the Mortal Kombat-inspired tagline end the job, the scribbles on the web page purporting to be Joe’s handwriting, and new wavy stripes within the Biden wordmark harking back to Andrew Yang’s baconesque 2020 emblem. A quintessential instance of what occurs in design initiatives when a big price range is handed over to a big committee: by making an attempt to be the whole lot to everybody, it avoids being something to anybody.” • Enjoyable learn. Right here is the Biden web site:

Sure, when you see the bacon you’ll be able to’t unsee it.

* * *

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential run will get help from Wall Road veteran Omeed Malik” [CNBC]. “Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vaccine activist who’s now working for president, has one other rich backer in his nook: veteran Wall Road govt Omeed Malik. Final month, Malik took Kennedy to a swanky non-public dinner on the Bellagio in Las Vegas to rub elbows with an array of political energy gamers, in keeping with individuals aware of the matter. Attendees on the dinner, which coincided with the SCALE World Enterprise Summit, included former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Trump financial advisor Gary Cohn, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, ex-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and Democratic megadonor Marc Lasry, the individuals stated. Whereas these individuals stated Kennedy didn’t pitch himself as a candidate, his attendance on the dinner represents one other strategy to beef up his presence within the political dialog regardless of having publicly pushed quite a few conspiracy theories, together with debunked takes on vaccines. The individuals declined to be named to with a view to talk about non-public deliberations and conversations. The election was nonetheless on attendees’ minds on the dinner. An individual aware of the matter stated there have been some, together with Clinton, who prompt that President Joe Biden’s age may very well be a hurdle that he’ll must shrug off to voters. Clinton additionally cheered on Biden’s tenure as president, one other individual stated.” • Wait. “Shrug off” a “hurdle”? Did an AI write this?

“RFK Jr., Talking in New Hampshire, Payments Himself because the Peace Candidate” [New York Sun]. “In a speech in New Hampshire Tuesday night time, Mr. Kennedy referred to as for a diplomatic resolution to the struggle in Ukraine and an finish to navy adventures overseas. He peppered his speech with anecdotes and quotations from his late uncle, President John F. Kennedy, to border his requires peace as a continuation of President Kennedy’s insurance policies…. ‘Each empire ends itself via over growth of its navy overseas,’ Mr. Kennedy stated. ‘I subsequently name on our current management to undertake President Kennedy’s maxims and begin de-escalating now.’ ‘We’ve develop into hooked on comedian ebook good-versus-evil narratives that erase complexity and blind us to the reputable motives and bonafide cultural and financial issues, and the reputable safety issues of different peoples and different nations,’ Mr. Kennedy stated.” • The article consists of this picture from RFK’s marketing campaign launch, April 19, 2023 at Boston, Massachusetts:

Kennedy’s advance crew managed to get a bunch of photogenic and correctly numerous individuals into the background of this shot. So apparently his marketing campaign is professionally run (a superb signal, for those who’re into victory in electoral politics).

“Jill Stein enlisted to assist construct Cornel West’s third-party presidential marketing campaign” [CNN]. “‘She helps him transition to the Inexperienced Social gathering as he’s constructing his crew,’ a supply near each West and Stein stated Thursday. On Wednesday night time, Stein described herself because the nascent marketing campaign’s ‘interim coordinator’ in an interview with Bloomberg Information…. West, a distinguished surrogate for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders throughout his two presidential campaigns, introduced his personal plans to run as a candidate with the little-known Individuals’s Social gathering in a video earlier this month. However he shortly broke off from that group, which has restricted infrastructure and issues about poll entry, to hitch the Greens and search their nomination. ‘On the subject of infrastructure and establishment, it’s a lot broader and deeper. Entry to the poll, a lot broader,’ West stated on the ‘The Katie Halper Present‘ earlier this month. ‘However ultimately, as you already know, any candidacy to run the empire, with a view to dismantle the empire, must be a part of a motion.’” • This speaks effectively of Stein.

“Pritzker shortly wields expanded authority to freeze noncitizen well being care enrollment” [The Dispatch]. “Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration wasted no time final week in exercising new authority granted by lawmakers to restrict the variety of enrollees in a pair of state-funded well being care applications for low-income noncitizens. In a transfer that drew intense backlash from immigrant rights advocates, Pritzker on Friday signed Home Invoice 1298 then instantly filed emergency guidelines licensed by the regulation to “quickly” pause enrollment within the Well being Advantages for Immigrant Adults program as of July 1. That state-funded program serves people aged 42 to 64 years who could be eligible for Medicaid advantages based mostly on revenue ranges however not their citizenship standing. An identical program serving noncitizens age 65 and older, referred to as Well being Advantages for Immigrant Seniors, will stay open except enrollment reaches 16,500, at which era it is going to even be paused. ”

* * *

“State lawmakers be a part of forces with the Ahead Social gathering” [City & State Pennsylvania]. “Andrew Yang’s newly established Ahead Social gathering is taking root in Pennsylvania. And based mostly on the reception the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate obtained from state lawmakers within the Pennsylvania Basic Meeting on Wednesday, there appears to be a minimum of some urge for food for brand new political options in Harrisburg. Longtime Democratic state Sens. Lisa Boscola and Anthony H. Williams each introduced their affiliation with the Ahead Social gathering – and whereas the 2 will stay registered Democrats, each expressed frustration with the tribalism within the nation’s politics basically and the chamber’s particularly, and made the case for a collaborative, reform-minded method to governing. ‘We’re right here as we speak as a result of, one, we see the sides creeping into the principle of our politics,’ Williams stated, noting that his voting report can, at instances, stray from that of his personal get together. ‘I refuse to be bullied or intimidated by an ideology that, frankly, doesn’t signify the pursuits of my individuals.’”

“A No Labels candidate would probably throw the election to Trump” [Al From and Craig Fuller, WaPo]. “We agree on three factors: (1) In a head-to-head general-election contest, Trump faces the identical challenges to profitable the favored vote as he has prior to now, maybe worse; (2) a average impartial third-party candidate on the poll offers Trump the very best probability of profitable reelection; and (3) with Trump saying he’ll search reelection even when he’s convicted of crimes, we will’t simply hope that this risk will go away.” • The bios say all of it: “Al From, founding father of the Democratic Management Council and writer of “The New Democrats and the Return to Energy,” is an adjunct professor of graduate research in authorities at Johns Hopkins College. Craig Fuller is a longtime Republican strategist and served as assistant to President Ronald Reagan for Cupboard affairs and chief of workers to Vice President George H.W. Bush.” These two labored as laborious as anybody to create the circumstances that made Trump who he’s as we speak.

Spook Nation

Life is unfair:

Will probably be very troublesome for anybody to assert the 2024 election marketing campaign is honest, since a minimum of two of the candidates (RFK and Trump) have been topic to intensive censorship and “visibility filtering,” and a 3rd, Cornel West, represents a celebration that’s been denylisted. https://t.co/KmuHEDI9c6
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) June 20, 2023

Democrats en Déshabillé

Affected person readers, evidently persons are truly studying the back-dated submit! However I’ve not up to date it, and there are lots of updates. So I must 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, actually, a tough drawback. I do suppose the paragraph that follows is on level all the best way 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. Go away apart characterizing the relationships between parts of the Social gathering (ka-ching, however not completely) these parts comprise a community — a Flex Internet? An iron octagon? — of funders, distributors, apparatchiks, electeds, NGOs, and miscellaneous mercenaries, with property within the press and the intelligence group.

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

* * *

Realignment and Legitimacy

#COVID19

“I’m in earnest — I cannot equivocate — I cannot excuse — I cannot 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); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, however nationwide information).

Lambert right here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort.

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

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

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

Hat tricks to useful readers: Art_DogCT, B24S, CanCyn, ChiGal, Chuck L, Festoonic, FM, FreeMarketApologist (4), Gumbo, hop2it, JB, JEHR, JF, JL Joe, John, JM (9), JustAnotherVolunteer, JW, KatieBird, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (5), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, sq. coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Utah, Bob White (3).

Keep protected on the market!

Search for the Helpers

14,000 members definitely leaves room for growth:

https://t.co/ouWAbXcrlM has 14,000 members.

Many will not be conscious of the chance to succeed in out to others who’re nonetheless taking precautions, and that it has teams and a listing of safer companies. pic.twitter.com/ELuMQM7tPa
— Yaneer Bar-Yam (@yaneerbaryam) June 14, 2023

You possibly can all the time begin a Meetup in your space, in case you are so inclined. IIRC, Meetup web site is just not horrid to run or use. Meetups definitely labored effectively for the Howard Dean marketing campaign, again within the day!

Maskstravaganza

Slowly, the tide turns (1):

Me: “Covid. Covid continues to be rampant”
Him: “What? However on television, everybody says that it’s over!”
Me: “They’re mendacity”
Him: “Perhaps I ought to begin sporting mine once more…”
— Kara McNair. #BringBackMasks 🦀 🌊🐠💉😷 (@karamcnair) June 15, 2023

Slowly, the tide turns (2):

Speaking to masker quantity 3 (of three) at work. She stated when she will get requested when she’ll cease she looks like saying “do not ask me. It is lower than me. You are the one spreading it round. How lengthy do you suppose I will must?” I’ve by no means actually identified her. I feel we’ll hit it off. 😊
— Gita Salinger ⚜️ 🇨🇦 ✡️ (@SalingerGita) June 13, 2023

Laborious core!

“Masks mirroring” isn’t patient-centered care:

Censorship and Propaganda

“Why are a few of us affected by lockdown amnesia?” [Financial Times]. “In a survey carried out this week by market analysis agency Prolific, shared with the Monetary Instances, 1 / 4 of a consultant pattern of just about 1,000 respondents stated they solely have “a imprecise reminiscence” of how they spent their time throughout lockdown. A research revealed final month, in the meantime, within the science journal PLOS One, discovered that individuals, who had been surveyed in Could 2022, had been simply as unhealthy at recalling the timeline of main information occasions from 2021 as they had been for occasions that had occurred three or 4 years earlier. Lockdowns, the researchers concluded, had the same impact on our reminiscence to that which has been noticed in individuals who have served time in jail — our capacity to remember distinct factors throughout that interval has been impaired… Arash Sahraie, lead writer of the research and professor of psychology on the College of Aberdeen, tells me that monotony is partly accountable… Stress and unhappiness most likely contributed too…. The commonality of the lockdown expertise, in different phrases, is exacerbating our collective amnesia.” • Blah blah blah, blather blather blather. The writer doesn’t even think about the concept that reminiscence issues are a physiological impact of Covid an infection! All we get is potted psychologizing. (That is additionally yet one more instance of Covid optimizing circumstances for its personal replica.)

“Center schoolers’ studying and math scores plummet” [Axios]. “American college students’ check scores in math and studying bought considerably worse final yr — persevering with a decade-long freefall. The decline in math scores final yr was the largest prior to now 50 years, in keeping with newly launched federal information…. Studying and math scores of elementary college college students additionally plummeted, demonstrating the far-reaching results of training adjustments throughout the pandemic.” • Blah blah blah, blather blather blather. As soon as once more, no consideration given to the potential results of Covid itself. It’s teh lockdowns!

Testing and Monitoring

Denial is the universally most popular technique:

There was one other compact CO2 sensor introduced just a few years in the past. I wrote to them to let me know when it was produced or of they needed assist getting scaled manufacturing funded. However, nothing…
— Jeff Smith on Air Air pollution (BreatheLife2030.org) (@jksmith34) November 13, 2020

Scientific Communication

“Scientists shouldn’t debate gaslighters” [Science]. “Hucksters like RFK Jr are expert at flooding the zone with rubbish. Kennedy lately informed Rogan that Wi-Fi could open the blood-brain barrier and cause cancer. Absurd statements like this are a entice for scientists. A scientist desires to clarify how conservation of power works and why Kennedy’s assertion violates nearly each precept there’s in chemistry and physics. This method units up two large issues. First, it offers RFK’s rubbish equal footing with ideas which were established by centuries of science. The second is that to a lay listener, the scientist simply comes off as becoming the stereotype of a nitpicking nerd and RFK appears to be like like a strong communicator. Hotez debating RFK about vaccines would produce the identical consequence. I’ve fallen into this entice just a few instances myself. I went to the Heterodox Academy to be on a panel that additionally included the conservative pundits Richard Lowry and Batya Ungar-Sargon, who rattled off all types of misinformation about COVID-19. Every factor they stated would have taken quarter-hour to refute based mostly on the proof. So, I picked one and did the perfect I might. (BTW, they had been each gracious individuals and really cordial within the inexperienced room.) However my information of the proof and burning need to quote all of it was no match for his or her rhetorical expertise. When scientists refuse these ‘debates,’ the opposite facet will get the chance to say that they’re turning them down for worry of being challenged. The opposition can declare to be ‘simply asking questions,’ despite the fact that they don’t care in regards to the solutions. However these reactions are preferable to giving them a platform.” • tl;dr: By no means sh*t a sh*tter. Truthful sufficient. However who then?

Transmission

“Survey finds 8% Omicron-positivity price after medical assembly” [CIDRAP]. “Of attendees on the in-person 2022 German Society of Ophthalmology assembly who accomplished a survey 3 weeks later, 8% reported testing constructive for COVID-19, in keeping with a analysis letter revealed yesterday in JAMA Community Open. A crew led by Saarland College Medical Middle researchers despatched on-line surveys to attendees of the assembly, which came about throughout the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant wave. Held in Berlin, the convention was the primary face-to-face assembly in 3 years because of the pandemic. An infection-prevention measures comparable to COVID-19 testing, confirmed vaccination, and masks sporting weren’t required.” • PMC wholly dedicated to the bit. Globally. However I wager they noticed a whole lot of smiles!

An infection

For many who need their youngsters to get sick to toughen up their immune techniques:

Sequelae

“VUMC researchers research long run neurological impacts of COVID” [Newschannel5]. Nashville. ” It’s one thing Dr. James Jackson sees on daily basis. ‘It’s way over a fog,’ he stated. ‘It’s actually disruptive functionally, it’s impairing and it’s disabling.’ Dr. Jackson is the Director of Behavioral Well being at Vanderbilt College Medical Middle’s ICU Restoration Middle. He’s finding out why some lengthy COVID sufferers wrestle with their reminiscence. He works with a whole bunch of lengthy COVID sufferers. Lots of them exhibit related signs. ‘It’s placing metallic within the microwave, it’s backing into vehicles within the parking zone, it’s stopping at inexperienced lights, driving via purple lights,’ Jackson stated.” Plenty of anecdotal information right here. Extra: “Jackson stated lengthy COVID might have accelerated dementia signs in older sufferers. In youthful ones, he’s seen indicators of ABI, or ‘acquired mind harm’. ‘When you’ve gotten an ABI there’s no exterior mover, there’s not traumatic occasion that occurs,’ Jackson stated. ‘There are medical, inner, organic processes at work — not getting sufficient oxygen, growing delirium, having one thing we name neuroinflammation.’” • “Acquired mind harm” (ABI) is actually an actual time period of artwork (and never invented by some minimizing charlatan).

Prevention

Private Far-UVC gadgets one other layer however not an alternative choice to masks:

Extra proof that private transportable low-power (3w) Far-UVC cannot inactivate aerosolized virus shortly sufficient to allow any change in masking conduct. It is “private” solely in that it’ll scale back total ranges in an area- given time, very like a conveyable HEPA filter. https://t.co/RW0EikI5a6
— Naomi Wu 机械妖姬 (@RealSexyCyborg) December 3, 2022

“One thing Terrible”

Lambert right here: I’m getting the sensation that the “One thing Terrible” may be a sawtooth sample — variant after variant — that averages out to a completely excessive plateau. Plenty of exceptionally nasty sequelae, almost certainly deriving from immune dysregulation (says this layperson). To which we would add mind harm, together with persona adjustments therefrom.

* * *

Elite Maleficence

“Taylor Swift Has Rocked My Psychiatric Apply” [New York Times]. “Just a few months in the past I began joking that half of the therapies in my psychiatric observe had develop into ‘Taylor-based.’ Lots of my sufferers are adolescent women and younger girls, and so they have leaned on Taylor Swift as a type of large sister…. However because the Eras tour steadily lurched towards our favourite metropolis, the Taylor-based remedy points reached a boiling level. ‘How am I going to remain calm earlier than she goes onstage?’ ‘.’” • Right here in maybe its most debased kind, is the intensely propagandized “private danger evaluation” paradigm: Improve your protections so you’ll be able to go to a live performance? As a substitute of sustaining your protocol at a gradual excessive stage?

One other information supply gone darkish, with curious timing:

NYS has been monitoring “nosocomial”(contaminated at hospital) infections since 2005. These kind of infections have been referred to as a public well being hazard for a century+. The NYS well being web site reporting these infections hasn’t been up to date since.. 2019. https://t.co/NARROGBAGX https://t.co/6RLjTcVqBm
— thomas 🛠 IATSE STRIKE! (@t_NYC) June 22, 2023

One can solely surprise why. On condition that that is Hospital An infection Management, the chance that they stopped gathering information as a result of there was now not an issue is nil.

Yep:

https://t.co/uaGrLBQbqW
— Jonathan Mesiano-Crookston 🌬️🔅#COV1DisAirborne (@jmcrookston) June 15, 2023

Case Information

NOT UPDATED From BioBot wastewater information from June 20:

For now, I’m going to make use of this nationwide wastewater information as the perfect proxy for case information (ignoring the medical case information portion of this chart, which in my opinion “goes unhealthy” after March 2022, for causes as but unexplained). No less than we will spot traits, and examine present ranges to equal previous ranges.

Variants

NOT UPDATED From CDC, June 10:

Lambert right here: Seems to be to love XBB.1.16 and now XBB.1.16 are outcompeting XBB.1.9, however XBB.1.5 has actually endurance. I certain hope the volunteers doing Pangolin, on which this chart relies upon, don’t all transfer on the inexperienced fields and pastures new (or have their entry to amenities minimize by directors of in poor health intent).

CDC: “As of Could 11, genomic surveillance information will likely be reported biweekly, based mostly on the supply of constructive check specimens.” “Biweeekly: 1. occurring each two weeks. 2. occurring twice every week; semiweekly.” Seems to be like CDC has chosen sense #1. In essence, they’re telling us variants are nothing to fret about. Time will inform. Seems to be just like the Walgreens variants web page isn’t updating.

Covid Emergency Room Visits

NOT UPDATED From CDC NCIRD Surveillance, from June 17:

NOTE “Charts and information supplied by CDC, updates Wednesday by 8am. For the previous yr, utilizing a rolling 52-week interval.” So not the complete pandemic, FFS (the implicit message right here being that Covid is “similar to the flu,” which is why the seasonal “rolling 52-week interval” is acceptable for each_{MR SUBLIMINAL I hate these individuals a lot}. Discover additionally that this chart exhibits, a minimum of for its time interval, that Covid is not seasonal, despite the fact that CDC is making an attempt to get us to consider that it’s, presumably to allow them to piggyback on the present institutional equipment for injections.

Positivity

NOT UPDATED From Walgreens, June 19:

2.0%. Nonetheless chugging alongside, although absolutely the numbers are nonetheless very small relative to June 2022, say.

Deaths

Demise price (Our World in Information), from June 21:

Lambert right here: Theatre of the absurd. I can consider that deaths are low; I can’t consider they’re zero, and I can’t even consider that every one docs signing dying certificates have agreed to make it so. Seems to be to me like some administrative minimizer at WHO put the worst intern in control of the venture. And thanks, Johns Hopkins of the $9.32 billion endowment, for abandoning this information feed and passing duty on to the clown automotive at WHO.

Complete: 1,167,387 – 1,167,381 = 6 (6 * 365 = 2,190 deaths per yr, as we speak’s YouGenicist™ quantity for “dwelling with” Covid (fairly a bit larger than the minimizers would love, although they’ll speak themselves into something. If the YouGenicist™ metric retains chugging alongside like this, I could must determine that is what the powers-that-be think about “mission achieved” for this specific tranche of dying and illness).

Extra Deaths

NOT UPDATED Extra deaths (The Economist), revealed June 20:

Lambert right here: Nonetheless some encouragement! Unsure why this was up to date so quickly. The little blip upward?

Lambert right here: Based mostly on a machine-learning mannequin. (The CDC has an extra estimate too, however because it ran eternally with an enormous typo within the Legend, I figured no person was actually it, so I bought rid it. )

Stats Watch

Employment State of affairs: “United States Preliminary Jobless Claims” [Trading Economics]. “The variety of Individuals submitting for unemployment advantages had been at 264,000 on the week ending June seventeenth, above market expectations to match the prior week’s upwardly revised worth, the best since October 2021. The consequence aligned with different latest information that displays some softening within the US labor market after a chronic interval of cussed tightness, as US companies begin to really feel the impression of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive tightening marketing campaign.”

Immediately’s Concern & Greed Index: 80 Excessive Greed (earlier shut: 78 Excessive Greed) [CNN]. One week in the past: 82 (Excessive Greed). (0 is Excessive Concern; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Jun 22 at 2:09 PM ET.

Zeitgeist Watch

Readers, particularly these of you who “meet the general public,” are you able to affirm with any anecdotes?

Guillotine Watch

“The Biotech Edge: How Executives and Properly-Linked Traders Make Exquisitely Timed Trades in Well being Care Shares” [ProPublica]. “Among the many notable examples: The chairman of a biotech firm purchased shares in a company companion simply because the companion was reaching the ultimate levels of secret negotiations to be bought. The chairman of a bone well being firm made aggressive bets on a medical expertise agency run by an adviser to his board simply earlier than its gross sales took off, netting him $29 million in a collection of choices trades. A rich investor with ties to a distinct segment space of most cancers analysis personally traded, for the primary time ever, in an organization in that sector simply earlier than it was taken over. He purchased high-risk choices that earned him a fast $1 million in revenue. An info edge might be profitable in any business, however particularly so within the well being care sector. Lots of its firms are constructed round just one or a handful of merchandise, making their shares notably risky and ripe for revenue by traders with inside information. Biotechs and different up-and-comers face clear make-or-break moments: Medical trials, alerts from regulators or takeover rumors could cause wild swings in share costs.”

Class Warfare

Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Employees and Grain Millers Worldwide Union:

“The labor drive is smaller than you suppose and that’s making the Fed very nervous” [Fortune]. “The main reason behind the employee shortfall, in keeping with analysis by the Fed, is a surge in retirements. In his latest speech, Powell famous that there are actually about 3.5 million fewer individuals who both have a job or are searching for one in contrast with pre-pandemic traits. Of the three.5 million, about 2 million encompass ‘extra’ retirements — a rise in retirements way over would have been anticipated based mostly on pre-existing traits. Roughly 400,000 different working-age individuals have died of COVID-19. And authorized immigration has fallen by about 1 million.” • Discover there’s no point out of Lengthy Covid in any respect; deaths is the one metric. It’s completely probably that Lengthy Covid is the first trigger for a lot of of these “extra retirements.” And it’s completely potential that many staff determined {that a} commute to the office was a dying march to a dying entice, and determined they needed no a part of it.

Information of the Wired

“Crews Trying to find Lacking Submersible Discover Particles Subject in North Atlantic” [Wall Street Journal]. “One of many autos wanting within the North Atlantic for a lacking submersible with 5 individuals aboard found a particles subject throughout its search, as crews mounted a determined hunt for the misplaced craft. The supply of the particles wasn’t instantly clear. Specialists are evaluating the details about the particles subject, which was discovered Thursday by a remotely-operated automobile close to the Titanic, the U.S. Coast Guard stated in a tweet…. ‘We proceed to seek out in notably complicated instances that folks’s will to reside actually must be accounted for as effectively,’ Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger, who’s main the search, informed NBC’s ‘Immediately’ on Thursday morning.” • It’s by no means been clear to me why we should always assume incentives operated to, effectively, protect the lives of all 5….

Contact info for crops: Readers, be happy to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn how to ship me a verify in case you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn how to ship me photographs of crops. Greens are tremendous! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary crops! If you’d like your deal with to look as a credit score, please place it initially 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 EMM:

EMM writes: “An ideal man as soon as stated ‘I’m bourgeois sufficient to treat an unkempt garden as a critical ethical failing.’ I let the garden go crackers and I can’t say I remorse it. Purple Clover.” For what it’s value, I’ve efficiently used white clover as a deer decoy. I plant it spherical the sides of the backyard, they begin munching on it, and don’t to additional.

Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not coated 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 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 fearful. 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 screen that may seem, which I’ve helpfully annotated:

When you hate PayPal, you’ll be able to e mail me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I provides you with instructions on learn how to ship a verify. Thanks!