2:00PM Water Cooler 9/6/2022 | naked capitalism

By Lambert Strether of Corrente

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Readers, I hope your Labor Day weekend was fulfilling! I accrued a ton of fabric over the three-day weekend, and I want to include it now, or I’ll by no means get out from below. So please examine again. –lambert

Fowl Track of the Day

Cozumel Thrasher, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Species recommended by alert reader SV. Energetic little creature! (The chicken, not SV.)

Politics

“However what’s authorities itself, however the best 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

“You possibly can’t actually mud for vomit.” Nigel Tufnel, That is Spinal Faucet

Biden Administration

“White Home requests $47 billion in support for Ukraine, virus fights and pure disasters” [Politico]. “Within the funding request, the White Home will search $11.7 billion in Ukraine safety and financial help, $2 billion to handle the results of Russia’s conflict on home power provide, $22.4 billion for the home combat towards Covid-19 and $3.9 billion for home efforts to combat monkeypox — in addition to $600 million to fight the monkeypox unfold globally. The administration can be requesting $6.5 billion to help restoration for current pure catastrophe occasions, akin to main flooding in Kentucky and wildfires in California.” • Including:

Per @PunchbowlNews this am- “We’re listening to that Democratic congressional leaders are contemplating attaching a provision codifying similar intercourse marriage protections onto a must-pass spending invoice to maintain the federal authorities open previous Sept. 30.”

— Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) September 6, 2022

Oh. So that they’re going to codify Obergefell however not Roe v. Wade? Actually?

“Biden picks White Home veteran to run revived local weather drive” [Associated Press]. “President Joe Biden on Friday introduced again John Podesta, a behind-the-scenes veteran at getting issues carried out on local weather in previous Democratic administrations, to place into place an bold U.S. local weather program newly revived by $375 billion from Congress. Biden named Podesta as a senior adviser, charged with implementing the landmark clean-energy and local weather spending below the large well being care and local weather invoice handed by Congress in August. Podesta can even lead the administration’s local weather process drive. Additional reshaping the White Home’s local weather workforce for a considerably extra hopeful part, Biden additionally introduced the departure of his present local weather adviser, Gina McCarthy. A former Environmental Safety Company chief, McCarthy had led Biden’s home local weather program throughout Democrats’ two years of wrestle — typically seeming all however doomed — to get the local weather financing via Congress. McCarthy was trusted on Capitol Hill and delayed her departure till Biden may signal the brand new local weather measures into regulation final month.” • Podesta is 73. I’m verging on gerontocrat standing myself, so I can’t get too upset about this — granted, I’m not being requested to run a $375 billion program — however holy [family blog], couldn’t the Democrats discover anyone apart from a CAP goon and the chair of Clinton’s 2016 marketing campaign?

2022

* * *

“Dems erase GOP’s Senate benefit” [Politico]. “The combat for management of the 50-50 Senate is a toss-up…. Quite a lot of components contributed to Democrats’ resurgence, however the declining nationwide headwinds going through the celebration are most accountable. Democratic voters are energized after the Supreme Court docket’s abortion determination, and Donald Trump’s fixed presence within the highlight is driving Democratic anger. Weaker Republican opponents in some states have additionally performed a job: In Arizona, GOP nominee Blake Masters’ struggles since successful the first final month have moved the state from “Toss Up” to “Lean Democratic” — a mirrored image of Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly’s rising lead over Masters. The Arizona shift leaves 4 “Toss-Up” Senate races — two presently managed by every celebration. If neither celebration wins one of many races the place the opposition has a bonus now, Republicans would want to win three of the 4 “Toss Up” races to wrest management of the bulk.” • After all, the Democrats should be significantly punished (however I’m glad I by no means jumped on the bandwagon that they’d be. I imply, Labor Day is simply simply previous, so the true horse-race has simply begun.

“The Coin Is within the Air for the Senate” [Charlie Cook, Cook Political Report]. “One of many main causes the president’s celebration has suffered a internet lack of Home seats in 36 of the 39 midterm elections because the begin of the Civil Warfare is that these within the opposition celebration are virtually at all times extra motivated to vote than these within the president’s celebration. This had been the case for a lot of this cycle, however the Dobbs Supreme Court docket determination, in addition to among the different developments beforehand talked about, appeared to place a bit extra starch in Democrats’ shorts, all however utterly closing the hole, As NBC Information Senior Political Editor Mark Murray wrote, “68% of Republicans specific a excessive stage of curiosity within the upcoming election—registering both a “9” or “10” on a 10-point scale—versus 66% for Democrats. That 2-point GOP benefit is down from 17 factors in March and eight factors in Might.” It is a key yardstick, although not the one one, that pollsters use to take a look at the probably stage of voter turnout inside every base.” • Cook dinner is a sober commentator; the entire piece is value a learn.

“Biden seeks to separate ‘mainstream’ Republicans from ‘Trumpies’ in Wisconsin speech” [Politico]. • As earlier in Pennsylvania, as I wrote.

2024

“Choose orders halt to DOJ assessment of paperwork seized from Trump” [Politico]. “‘Plaintiff faces an unquantifiable potential hurt by the use of improper disclosure of delicate info to the general public,’ U.S. District Court docket Choose Aileen Cannon wrote in a 24-page ruling issued on Labor Day. Cannon’s order included allowing a so-called particular grasp to assessment the seized supplies for potential attorney-client and govt privilege. Prosecutors expressed exasperation at Trump’s demand to assessment for govt privilege, noting that there isn’t a precedent for a former govt to say privilege to bar assessment of supplies by a sitting govt department — significantly when the federal government has decided the necessity is pressing.” • Looks as if an inexpensive final result, on condition that the FBI investigation is being run by Trump’s political enemies, and so they’ve already seized attorney-client privileged paperwork. Commentary:

If the FBI seized something truly damning from Trump it will have been leaked to CNN, WaPo, and the NY Instances 5 minutes after the raid.

— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) September 6, 2022

I hate to be cynical, however I’ve to agree.

“Barr suggests Trump ‘deceived’ the federal government over labeled information” [NBC]. If deceiving the federal government is a criminal offense, there’s gonna be lots of people in jail, particularly from the Beltway. “It’s unclear what was within the labeled information taken by Trump or why he took them, and Barr stated he couldn’t work out what Trump’s motives have been.’ I can’t consider a official purpose why’ the paperwork have been taken, Barr stated, swiping at Trump’s defenders who stated that he may declassify information en masse by mere verbal or psychological fiat. ‘I, frankly, am skeptical of this declare that ‘I declassified every part,’” Barr stated. ‘I feel it’s extremely unbelievable … if in reality he kind of stood over scores of bins, not likely understanding what was in them, and stated, ‘I hereby declassify every part in right here.’ That will be such an abuse, and — that reveals such recklessness that it’s virtually worse than taking the paperwork.’” First, I feel standing over bins and saying “I declassify every part” is just not ipso facto reckless and we must always do way more of it (begin with JFK, transfer on to UFOs, after which, as a palate cleanser, regardless of the spooks have on Jeffrey Epstien). I understand my angle would trigger a explanation for collective verklempt in these rich Northern Virginia suburbs we hear a lot about, the place everyone “works in authorities,” however come on. All people is aware of overclassification is a major problem. Additionally, is Barr a little bit little one? Trump’s apparent motive is RussiaGate (August 29). And I’m not the one one who thinks so (September 1).

Realignment and Legitimacy

“Voting “Not Responsible”: A Toolkit on Jury Nullification” [Beyond Criminal Courts] (PDF). “Jury nullification is a time period used to explain a state of affairs when jurors determine to acquit an individual of felony expenses though the individual on trial may technically be convicted primarily based on the proof. Jury nullification is a concrete, sensible method that jurors can assert their values and cease individuals from going to jail or jail, and it’s one method that we are able to use, alongside many others, to disrupt the carceral state.”

#COVID19

Lambert right here: As readers know, I stan for nasal vaccines. The information move, a minimum of, is growing:

• ”Starpharma wins recognition for improvement of COVID-19 antiviral nasal spray” (press launch) [Biotech Dispatch]. “

Starpharma (ASX:SPL) has been introduced because the winner of the ‘Most Important Business Final result’ award following the completion of a Biomedical Translation Bridge (BTB) program backed by the federal authorities’s Medical Analysis Future Fund (MRFF) and MTPConnect. The award recognises the substantial and fast influence of the corporate’s novel, broad-spectrum antiviral nasal spray within the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Starpharma developed and commercialised , inside 12 months. It was .” • Large if true; I feel we’re taking a look at mouse research. Right here is the location, with the mechanism. It’s apparently out there over-the-counter within the UK. That stated, I’m all for low-cost, high-reward approaches. What have we obtained to lose? Can any Austrialian readers chime in?

• ”Mount Sinai spins out vaccine Fortress, getting ready to put siege to infectious ailments” [Fierce Biotech]. Buried within the story: “Mount Sinai reviews that interim outcomes from a placebo-controlled, part 1/2 examine of the expertise in Thailand discovered that the nasal vaccine induced greater neutralizing antibodies towards the Wuhan pressure than the out there COVID-19 photographs within the U.S. Interim outcomes of a booster examine of the nasal spray carried out at Mount Sinai are anticipated within the fourth quarter, based on CastleVax CEO Matt Stober. The vaccine expertise has been transferred to producers in Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam and Thailand, which collectively may produce greater than a billion doses a 12 months.” • A billion doses can be good. It has occurred to me that nasal vaccines take lifeless goal at two ginormous monopolies: Large Pharma, particularly if the nasal vaccines are sterlizing, as early reporting recommended they’d be; and in addition Large Hospitals, as a result of medical professionals are not wanted to inject the vaccines with needles. There’s additionally the decreased requirement for a chilly chain. Nasal vaccines upset a variety of rice bowls. Therefore….? —

• “Bharat Biotech’s nasal vaccine enters 2nd part of human trials in Kanpur at present” [KnockSense Hindi]. From 30 Aug, 2021. “The second part of human trials for the intra-nasal COVID vaccine, BBV 154, has began in Kanpur from at present onwards. As per reviews, this modern vaccine has been developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with Washington College College of Medication. Reportedly, the trial centre arrange at Prakhar Hospital obtained ICMR’s approval on Monday and now, the volunteers have been known as for this maiden drive…. As per reviews, Chief Information Dr. J.S. Kushwaha, knowledgeable that two drops of the nasal vaccine will likely be launched in every nostril of the volunteers and so they should lay down for five minutes. After this era, two extra drops will likely be given to them and they won’t be permitted to rise up for the following half-hour. A second dose will likely be administered, on the identical strains, after 28 days. Additional, the physician apprised that the antibody assessments will likely be carried out in two alternative ways. Apart from the saliva samples, 5 mm blood samples can even be collected on the first, twenty eighth, 56th, ninetieth and one hundred and eightieth days. With the assistance of this, complete antibody reviews will likely be ready. As per reviews, this group consists of non-vaccinated people, with or with out a historical past of COVID an infection… As per reviews, it’s anticipated that the third part trials will likely be carried out in Kanpur itself.” • Superior, besides I assumed, from Bharat’s press launch, that BBV154 had already handed its Stage III human trials. NOTE: All that element about volunteers mendacity down makes me suppose there are certainly issues about administration, a recognized situation with nasal vaccines. Right here is the brand new examine in Medical Trials:

(Bharat hasn’t launched its information, both.)

• ”Barts Well being researchers present nasal spray can forestall Covid-19″ (press launch) [NHS Barts Health]. “Newly printed outcomes from a scientific trial led by Barts Well being and Queen Mary College of London researchers present {that a} nasal spray (pHOXWELL) can cut back an infection with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19) by 62%. The trial was carried out in India between April to July 2021, the height surge of the extremely infectious Delta variant. It concerned 556 individuals – 275 used pHOXWELL and 281 used a placebo (i.e. a faux nasal spray) – thrice a day. After 45 days, our researchers measured what number of antibodies towards Covid-19 every individual in each teams had. They discovered that pHOXWELL was protected and that after 45 days, 13.1% of these within the group that used it had antibodies towards the Covid-19 virus, in comparison with 34.5% within the group who obtained the placebo. This reveals that utilizing pHOXWELL dramatically reduces the probabilities of growing Covid-19. Researchers additionally discovered that individuals who used the nasal spray have been much less more likely to expertise signs than these given the placebo. No severe uncomfortable side effects have been reported in both group and individuals famous that the nasal spray was straightforward to make use of.”

• “Immunogenicity and protectivity of intranasally delivered vector-based heterologous prime-boost COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in mice and non-human primates” [Emerging Microbes and Infections]. “Right here, we reveal that the intranasally delivered Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) vaccine induced in mice. Excessive immunogenic properties of the vaccine have been verified in non-human primates (widespread marmosets) by marked IgG and neutralizing antibody (NtAb) manufacturing in blood serum, antigen-specific T-cell proliferation and cytokine launch of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) accompanied by formation of IgA antibodies within the nasal mucosa. We additionally reveal that Sputnik V vaccine can present in K18-hACE2 transgenic mice uncovered to experimental deadly SARS-CoV-2 an infection defending them towards extreme lung immunopathology and mortality.” • Bear in mind, nonetheless, that “monkeys exaggerate, however mice lie.”

• ”New inhaled COVID-19 therapeutic blocks viral replication within the lungs” (press launch) [Berkeley News]. “Scientists on the College of California, Berkeley, have created a brand new COVID-19 therapeutic that would sooner or later make treating SARS-CoV-2 infections as straightforward as utilizing a nasal spray for allergic reactions. In a brand new examine printed on-line within the journal Nature Communications, the workforce reveals that these quick snippets, known as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), are extremely efficient at stopping the virus from replicating in human cells. When administered within the nostril, these ASOs are additionally efficient at stopping and treating COVID-19 an infection in mice and hamsters.” • Therapeutics past busts like Paxlovid are good. Getting away from needles is nice. The bottom line is the phrases “sooner or later.”

• ”Severe opposed occasions of particular curiosity following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in randomized trials in adults” [Vaccine]. Meta-study. From the Summary: “The surplus threat of great opposed occasions present in our examine factors to the necessity for formal harm-benefit analyses, significantly these which are stratified based on threat of great COVID-19 outcomes. These analyses would require public launch of participant stage datasets.” Certainly they’ll. And from the physique: “Rational coverage formation ought to contemplate potential harms alongside potential advantages. [29] For instance this want within the current context, we carried out a easy harm-benefit comparability utilizing the trial information evaluating extra threat of great [adverse events of special interest (AESIs)] primarily based towards reductions in COVID-19 hospitalization. We discovered extra threat of great AESIs to exceed the discount in COVID-19 hospitalizations in each Pfizer and Moderna trials.” • Oopsie. One thing to contemplate….

• ”How covid-19 spreads: narratives, counter narratives, and social dramas” [BMJ]. Value studying in full. “The official droplet-but-not-airborne narrative materialised as artefacts (akin to posters, disinfectant dispensers, and a couple of metre distancing markers) and social practices (actions accepted and anticipated particularly contexts). Droplet directed practices turned ubiquitous, as individuals washed arms and forearms assiduously for 20 seconds, quarantined and disinfected their put up, and stayed a measured distance aside, and establishments put in and policed the varied artefacts and practices. These rituals of purification powerfully strengthened the official narrative. ‘Clear’ and ‘contaminated’ got here to be demarcated when it comes to how not too long ago and totally arms had been sanitised and the way far a droplet was assumed to journey. The identical rituals served to downplay or obscure the narrative of aerosol transmission—which demarcated clear and contaminated when it comes to air purity, with practices oriented to controlling indoor crowding and time spent indoors, ventilating or filtering air, and optimising high quality and match of masks. These materials and enacted options of coverage discourse served to silence additional the narrative that SARS-CoV-2 is airborne.” • The tragic and pointless penalties:

You continue to see individuals cleansing surfaces in good religion, due to CDC and WHO’s droplet goons managed the “scientific” messaging.

• Maskstraganza:

Makes me want there’s a Hell.

In case you missed it, right here’s a put up on my queasiness with CDC numbers, particularly case rely, which I (nonetheless) contemplate most necessary, regardless of what Walensky’s psychos at CDC who invented “group ranges” suppose. However these are the numbers we have now.

Case Depend

Case rely for the US:

Instances are undercounted, one supply saying by an element of six, Gottlieb pondering we solely decide up one in seven or eight.) Therefore, I take the nominal case rely and multiply it by six to approximate the true stage of circumstances, and draw the DNC-blue “Biden Line” at that time. The earlier rely was ~83,350. At the moment, it’s ~65,850 and 65,850 * 6 = a Biden line at 395,100 per day. (Bear in mind these information factors are weekly averages, so every day fluctuations are smoothed out.) The black “Fauci Line” is a counter to triumphalism, because it compares present ranges to previous crises. In case you have a look at the Fauci line, you will note that regardless of the bleating and yammering about Covid being “over,” we have now solely only in the near past reached the (nominal) case stage of November 1, 2021, and we’re very removed from that of July 1, 2021. And the true stage is far worse.

Lambert right here: The autumn in case rely seems spectacular sufficient. What the Fauci Line reveals, nonetheless, is that we have now ultimately achieved the extent of the preliminary peak, when New York was storing the our bodies in fridge vehicles. So the endzone celebrations are, to my thoughts, untimely. Not that anybody will throw a flag. After all, the true story is within the charts for California and the South. See beneath.

Regional case rely for 4 weeks:

The South:

I assume Labor Day information points, however once more, the remainder of the South doesn’t have the wild gyrations that Texas and Florida do.

The South (minus Texas and Florida):

Doing fairly properly!

The West:

Extra backward revisions. Labor Day weekend information points?

Wastewater

Wastewater information (CDC), August 30:

California isn’t reporting something, so we have now no cross-check on its current fall in case rely. That is past absurd, even for the eugenicist buffoons who run CDC.

For grins, August 29:

• ”Wastewater surveillance turns into extra focused in seek for poliovirus, monkeypox and coronavirus” [CNN]. “Some illness detectives in the US are narrowing their wastewater surveillance efforts to zero in on particular buildings and to determine scorching spots for a rising checklist of ailments. ‘Some wastewater surveillance is finished on the group stage, and a few is finished on the constructing stage, which is a little bit bit higher nuanced when it comes to making an attempt to focus on messaging,’ stated Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief govt officer of the Nationwide Affiliation of County and Metropolis Well being Officers. ‘For instance, in a few of our jurisdictions, they’ll monitor a big lodge or a jail setting,’ she stated. ‘If it pops up there, you’ll be able to goal messaging on to that constructing.’ A building-level method to wastewater surveillance is underway in any respect 11 hospitals inside the NYC Well being + Hospitals built-in well being care system in New York Metropolis.” • An apparent answer for faculty and college dorms, too.

Positivity

From the Walgreen’s check positivity tracker, September 6:

-2.7%. The downward pattern contained in the crimson circle is definitely encouraging.

Transmission

NOTE: I shall most actually not be utilizing the CDC’s new “Community Level” metric. Because CDC has combined a leading indicator (cases) with a lagging one (hospitalization) their new metric is a poor warning sign of a surge, and a poor way to assess personal risk. In addition, Covid is a disease you don’t want to get. Even if you are not hospitalized, you can suffer from Long Covid, vascular issues, and neurological issues. For these reasons, case counts — known to be underestimated, due to home test kits — deserve to stand alone as a number to be tracked, no matter how much the political operatives in CDC leadership would like to obfuscate it. That the “green map” (which Topol calls a “capitulation” and a “deception”) is still up and being taken seriously verges on the criminal. Use the community transmission immediately below.

Here is CDC’s interactive map by county set to community transmission. (This is the map CDC wants only hospitals to look at, not you.)

That is truly nonetheless bettering. Extra yellow within the Plains states and the Mountain states.

NOT UPDATED Speedy Riser information, by county (CDC), August 30:

I suppose that if case counts are certainly stage, it’s probably there can be few fast risers.

Earlier Speedy Riser information:

NOT UPDATED Hospitalization information, by state (CDC), August 30:

Plenty of inexperienced, which ought to make the hospital-centric goons on the Facilities for Illness glad. Then once more, Mild Inexperienced is trending down, and Darkish Inexperienced is straight down. What I want to see is a variety of Darkish Inexperienced. However I’m not.

NOTE: Speedy Riser and Hospitalization information are up to date Wednesdays and Fridays.

Variants

Lambert right here: It’s past irritating how sluggish the variant information is. I seemed for extra charts: California doesn’t to a BA.4/BA.5 breakdown. New York does but it surely, too, is on a molasses-like two-week cycle. 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 everyone will get the outcomes from them? Extra sources from readers welcome [grinds teeth, bangs head on desk].

Lambert right here: The final actual — i.e., not modeled — information from CDC is August 6. That’s such a ginormous derelection I don’t even know what to say. Fundamental disrespect for sincere, hardworking People making an attempt to make their “private threat assessments.” How on earth are individuals supposed to do this with out variant information? Do the morons at CDC suppose BA.5 goes to be the final?

NOT UPDATED Variant information, nationwide (Walgreens), August 20:

Nonetheless no signal of BA2.75 at Walgreens, regardless of its success in India and presence in Bay Space wastewater.

NOT UPDATED Variant information, nationwide (CDC), August 13 (Nowcast off):

Nonetheless no signal of BA2.75.

Stats Watch

Logistics: “United States LMI Logistics Managers Index Present” [Trading Economics]. “The Logistics Supervisor’s Index within the US fell for a fifth month to 59.7 in August of 2022, the bottom since Might of 2020, from 60.7 in July totally on falling demand. Though the index reveals the general logistics trade continues to broaden, the speed of development is now 16.5 factors down from March once we noticed an all-time excessive studying of 76.2. That is the biggest slide we have now seen over a five-month interval within the historical past of the index.”

Companies: “United States ISM Non Manufacturing PMI” [Trading Economics]. “he ISM Companies PMI unexpectedly edged greater to 56.9 in August of 2022 from 56.7 in July, beating market forecasts of 55.1, and pointing to the strongest development in companies exercise in 4 months.”

The Bezzle: “Conspiracy Brokers: Understanding the Monetization of YouTube Conspiracy Theories” [Association for Computing Machinery]. From the Summary: “We gather 184,218 advert impressions from 6,347 distinctive advertisers discovered on conspiracy-focused channels and mainstream YouTube content material. We classify the advertisements into enterprise classes and evaluate their prevalence between conspiracy and mainstream content material. We additionally determine widespread offsite monetization strategies. As compared with mainstream content material, conspiracy movies had comparable ranges of advertisements from well-known manufacturers, however an virtually eleven instances greater prevalence of probably predatory or misleading advertisements. Moreover, we discovered that conspiracy channels have been greater than twice as probably as mainstream channels to make use of offsite monetization strategies, and 53% of the demonetized channels we noticed have been linking to third-party websites for different monetization alternatives. Our outcomes point out that conspiracy theorists on YouTube had many potential avenues to generate income, and that predatory advertisements have been extra incessantly served for conspiracy movies.” • YouTube, good job. Possibly concentrate on the predatory promoting moderately than content material. Only a thought.

Mr. Market: Dedicated to the bit:

NOTE: Zelensky will just about ring the bell. He’s not in New York trying out actual property.

At the moment’s Worry & Greed Index: 41 Worry (earlier shut: 42 Impartial) [CNN]. One week in the past: 49 (Impartial). (0 is Excessive Worry; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Sep 6 at 1:42 PM EDT.

Rapture Index: Closes up one on Local weather. “It’s very uncommon for this class to be on the maxium ranking” [Rapture Ready]. Report Excessive, October 10, 2016: 189. Present: 188. (Keep in mind that bringing on the Rapture is good.). Lastly, local weather. I like “maxium,” as a result of it menas a human is reallly doing this.

The Gallery

I ponder if anyone is photographing European LNG terminals and pipelines proper now:

The supply for kawaii?

Uncanny valley?

I haven’t seen any AI-generated artwork that isn’t creepy and dangerous (that goes for NFTs, too). McLuhan was proper — I paraphrase, maybe incorrectly — that media is amputating. Artwork AI will amputate our human capacity to make artwork for itself. AI needs to be killed with hearth (particularly as a result of we don’t know the way it works and may’t preserve it).

Successor ideology assaults the museum label:

These labels discuss right down to the reader greater than any musty scholarship ever did.

Imperial Collapse Watch

Musical interlude:

Guillotine Watch

“The super-rich ‘preppers’ planning to avoid wasting themselves from the apocalypse” [Guardian]. Holy [family blog]:

They began out innocuously and predictably sufficient. Bitcoin or ethereum? Digital actuality or augmented actuality? Who will get quantum computing first, China or Google? Ultimately, they edged into their actual matter of concern: New Zealand or Alaska? Which area can be much less affected by the approaching local weather disaster? It solely obtained worse from there. Which was the higher menace: international warming or organic warfare? How lengthy ought to one plan to have the ability to survive with no exterior assist? Ought to a shelter have its personal air provide? What was the chance of groundwater contamination? Lastly, the CEO of a brokerage home defined that he had almost accomplished constructing his personal underground bunker system, and requested: “How do I preserve authority over my safety drive after the occasion?” The occasion. That was their euphemism for the environmental collapse, social unrest, nuclear explosion, photo voltaic storm, unstoppable virus, or malicious laptop hack that takes every part down.

This single query occupied us for the remainder of the hour. They knew armed guards can be required to guard their compounds from raiders in addition to indignant mobs. One had already secured a dozen Navy Seals to make their strategy to his compound if he gave them the proper cue. However how would he pay the guards as soon as even his crypto was nugatory? What would cease the guards from finally selecting their very own chief?

The billionaires thought of utilizing particular mixture locks on the meals provide that solely they knew. Or making guards put on disciplinary collars of some variety in return for his or her survival. Or perhaps constructing robots to function guards and staff – if that expertise may very well be developed “in time”.

I attempted to purpose with them. I made pro-social arguments for partnership and solidarity as the very best approaches to our collective, long-term challenges. The best way to get your guards to exhibit loyalty sooner or later was to deal with them like buddies proper now, I defined. Don’t simply spend money on ammo and electrical fences, spend money on individuals and relationships. They rolled their eyes at what should have sounded to them like hippy philosophy.

This was in all probability the wealthiest, strongest group I had ever encountered. But right here they have been, asking a Marxist media theorist for recommendation on the place and configure their doomsday bunkers. That’s when it hit me: a minimum of so far as these gents have been involved, this was a speak about the way forward for expertise.

And little doubt these billionaires are arranging their portfolios — monetary and human — for optimum outcomes earlier than, throughout, and after “the occasion.” Little question the continuity of presidency persons are pondering alongside comparable strains:

Class Warfare

“Lengthy Covid Is Retaining Tens of millions Of Folks Out Of Work” [William Haseltine, Forbes]. “The expertise of every one who is bothered with Lengthy Covid is usually distinctive. Some could have extra extreme and disabling signs that forestall them from working fully, some could have milder signs or employer lodging that enable them to keep up their common employment, some may go lowered hours or some could also be pressured by dire monetary circumstances to maintain working regardless of extreme sickness. A July 2021 examine from the Affected person-Led Analysis Collaborative discovered solely about 27% of lengthy Covid sufferers labored as many hours as they did earlier than falling sick, and roughly 23% weren’t working in any respect, as a direct results of lengthy Covid. With a view to accommodate these numerous experiences of their estimates, Brookings drew information from the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Financial institution, United Kingdom’s Trades Union Congress, and a Lancet examine concerning the extent of labor reductions. This information resulted in estimates of two million, 3 million, and 4 million full-time equal staff out of the labor drive as a result of Lengthy Covid. The midpoint of this vary (3 million full-time equal staff) is 1.8% of the whole U.S. civilian labor drive.” • Nothing particular about Forbes, however this can be a good aggregation.

Information of the Wired

Justine Haupt’s rotary cellular phone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV1C-41tq64

Actually superior. I like the thought of being out from below location monitoring, and I particularly like getting 4 bars within the boonies (which Haupt can accomplish as a result of she doesn’t need to cram a tiny antenna right into a tiny case). This undertaking can not have been straightforward!

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 in case you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn the way to ship me pictures of vegetation. Greens are fantastic! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary vegetation! In order for you your deal with to seem as a credit score, please place it at 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 Carla:

Carla writes: “The marshmallows are blooming at Shaker Nature Heart in NE Ohio. Marshmallow root was historically used to present marshmallow candies their attribute sponginess. It’s used to deal with many sicknesses & situations all over the world. August 2022.”