By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
Bird Song of the Day
Northern Mockingbird, Damon-Garcia Sports Field, San Luis Obispo, California, United States.
In Case You Might Miss…
- Trump border czar beats chest..
- Resistance 2.0 funders and NGOs
- Mathematical thinking .
Politics
“So many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles
Trump Transition
“Trump Border Czar: If Sanctuary Cities Do Not Assist, We Will Go Into The Community To Find Criminal Illegal Immigrants” (transcript) [Laura Ingraham, RealClearPolitics]. “Incoming Trump “Border Czar” and former acting director of ICE Tom Homan laid out his plan to deport illegal immigrants in an interview with FOX News host Laura Ingraham.” • Homan may indeed be an effective administrator, but there’s nothing in this chest-beating interview to prove it. Since “sanctuary cities” are an updated version of Calhoun’s nullification doctrine, I oppose the concept. But I’m gonna have to get my knee seen to, the way Ingraham and Homan are pounding on it.
* * * The “chaos” talking point, a hardy perennial:
“Trump’s daily chaos circus is already back in full force” [Aaron Rupar, Public Notice]. “Voters may have been willing to risk it all for slightly lower egg prices, but regardless of what they thought they were doing, they’re getting a chaos machine — and that sort of thing gets exhausting pretty quickly.”
“Chaos reigns supreme in Trump’s Washington” [Axios]. “Trump has achieved historic political success by following his instincts — and his instincts tend to favor maximum chaos…. If past is prologue, the pace of chaos is unlikely to relent even after Trump gets his Cabinet in place.”
Lambert here: Maybe I didn’t get the memo, but is there anything more chaotic than risking World War III by trying to achieve escalation dominance over a nuclear power, in their own back yard? And how about genocide? Is genocide chaotic or no?
The #Resistance
Syndemics
“I am in earnest — I will not equivocate — I will not excuse — I will not retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD.” –William Lloyd Garrison
Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; includes many counties; Wastewater Scan, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, but national data). “Infection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts” (especially on hospitalization by city).
Lambert here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To update any entry, do feel free to contact me at the address given with the plants. Please put “COVID” in the subject line. Thank you!
Resources, United States (Local): 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 reports); 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 (wastewater); VT (dashboard); WA (dashboard; dashboard); WI (wastewater); WV (wastewater); WY (wastewater).
Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (Government of Canada).
Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater); QC (les eaux usées); BC (wastewater); BC, Vancouver (wastewater).
Hat tips to helpful readers: Alexis, anon (2), Art_DogCT, B24S, CanCyn, ChiGal, Chuck L, Festoonic, FM, FreeMarketApologist (4), Gumbo, hop2it, JB, JEHR, JF, JL Joe, John, JM (10), JustAnotherVolunteer, JW, KatieBird, KF, KidDoc, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, square coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).
Stay safe out there!
Morbidity and Mortality
“Oil and gas well proximity linked to higher rates of COVID-19 mortality” [Phys.org]. “But a new study by Timothy Archer and colleagues is the first, to the authors’ knowledge, to study whether proximity specifically to oil and gas development could also be linked to higher rates of COVID-19. The researchers studied COVID-19 case and death rates during the first year of the pandemic (February 2020 to January 2021), focusing on California communities located within 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) of active oil and gas wells. In addition to COVID-19 case records, the researchers…. In communities within 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) of an actively producing well, COVID-19 cases were 34% higher and mortality rates were 55% higher in the first four months of the pandemic. Though the results did not show a significant association between well production and COVID-19 cases over the entire year, mortality rates were higher in the areas with the highest production.” • Hmm.
| Wastewater | |
| This week[1] CDC November 11 | Last Week[2] CDC (until next week): |
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| ★ Variants [3] CDC November 23 | Emergency Room Visits[4] CDC November 9 |
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| Hospitalization | |
| ★ New York[5] New York State, data November 21: | ★ National [6] CDC November 21: |
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| Positivity | |
| National[7] Walgreens November 18: | Ohio[8] Cleveland Clinic November 16: |
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| Travelers Data | |
| Positivity[9] CDC October 28: | Variants[10] CDC October 28: |
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| Deaths | |
| Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] CDC November 2: | Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] CDC November 2: |
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LEGEND
1) ★ for charts new today; all others are not updated.
2) For a full-size/full-resolution image, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Windows) on the chart thumbnail and “open image in new tab.”
NOTES
[1] (CDC) Good news!
[2] (CDC) Last week’s wastewater map.
[3] (CDC Variants) KP.* still popular. XEC has entered the chat. That WHO label, “Ommicron,” has done a great job normalizing successive waves of infection.
[4] (ED) Down.
[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Steadily down.
[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Actually improved; it’s now one of the few charts to show the entire course of the pandemic to the present day.
[7] (Walgreens) Down.
[8] (Cleveland) Down.
[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Down.
[10] (Travelers: Variants). Now XEC.
[11] Deaths low, positivity down.
[12] Deaths low, ED down.
Stats Watch
There are no official statistics of interest today.
Manufacturing: “FAA eyes new Boeing 737 MAX pilot instructions after smoke emergencies” [Seattle Times]. “The Federal Aviation Administration is weighing whether to require all pilots of 737 MAX aircraft to take off with the air flow from the main engines into the aircraft’s interior turned off — to avoid a risk of smoke flooding the plane if one of the engines hits a bird. Such a change in takeoff procedure for pilots would be temporary until Boeing comes up with a permanent fix. Devising that could further delay certification of the Renton-built MAX 7 and MAX 10 models. The FAA said in a statement Thursday that it ‘will convene a Corrective Action Review Board in the coming weeks to examine the data and develop a path forward’ and assess the options to prevent the risk of smoke entering the cockpit or passenger cabin. In the meantime, the FAA said that because pilots have been alerted to the procedure they should follow if smoke enters the plane, ‘this is not an immediate flight-safety issue.’ The proposed FAA action is a response to the safety risk exposed by two serious incidents on Southwest Airlines MAXs last year. In those two incidents, a bird collided with an engine during takeoff and the damage caused an oil leak. The oil ignited in the hot engine, sending heavy smoke and fumes into the interior of the airplane. Airflow off an aircraft’s engines — known as “bleed air” — is normally directed to the airplane interior and passed through air conditioning packs to control the air pressure and temperature inside.” • Still nothing from Gates or the Seattle Times on Ortberg’s “stop bitching” pep talk. Odd!
Manufacturing: “Boeing inks contracts worth more than $4B for KC-46s, P-8s” [Breaking Defense]. “The Pentagon this week awarded Boeing a pair of separate contracts for 15 KC-46A Pegasus tankers and seven P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, deals that are collectively worth more than $4 billion. Although both contracts had been expected under existing plans, getting the deals signed is good news for Boeing, whose defense arm logged $2 billion in losses for its last fiscal quarter and which is facing company-wide layoffs…. ‘This $1.67 billion contract for seven additional P-8A Poseidons not only reinforces the U.S. Navy’s commitment to maintaining a robust maritime presence but also highlights Boeing’s dedication to delivering safe, reliable platforms that enhance the Navy’s operational capabilities, readiness and effectiveness,’ [said] Tory Peterson, vice president and P-8 program manager at Boeing.” • “Undefinitized”? Is that a word?
The Bezzle: “A perfect storm is brewing for Bitcoin” [CoinTelegraph]. “Bitcoin is the world’s most reflexive asset today. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission recently approved options for several Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Once issued, these options lead to gamma squeezes, acting like reflexivity. Together, that’s reflexivity squared, leading to unprecedented price movements…. Financial markets are deeply influenced by human behavior. George Soros famously coined the concept of “reflexivity” to describe the circular relationship between perception and reality in financial markets. Bitcoin exemplifies this concept more than any other asset: As its price rises, the asset garners increasing attention, which leads to further investment, driving prices even higher. Prominent investors such as Jamie Dimon and Warren Buffett have criticized Bitcoin because of its reflexive nature. They have argued that it lacks intrinsic value because its price seems to move based on perception. But that is precisely the point: Bitcoin is the most reflexive asset because its supply is genuinely finite, more finite than precious metals or top-performing equities. The scarcity of Bitcoin is what makes it fundamentally valuable.”
Tech: “‘A place of joy’: why scientists are joining the rush to Bluesky” [Nature]. “In the two weeks since the US presidential election, the platform has grown from close to 14 million users to nearly 21 million. Bluesky has broad appeal in large part because it looks and feels a lot like X (formerly known as Twitter), which became hugely popular with scientists, who used it to share research findings, collaborate and network. One estimate suggests that at least half a million researchers had Twitter profiles in 2022…. Daryll Carlson, a bioacoustics researcher at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, says she noticed the largest influx of users on Bluesky after the US election. Musk has become closely aligned to president-elect Donald Trump. For Carlson, Bluesky offers a space to engage with other scientists, as well as artists, photographers and the general public. ‘I’d really like it to continue to be a place of joy for me,’ she says.” • Just like the Kamala campaign…
Today’s Fear & Greed Index: 61 Greed (previous close: 57 Greed) [CNN]. One week ago: 51 (Neutral). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Nov 22 at 1:12:19 PM ET.
Permaculture
“The World’s Oldest Forest Is Here in the Hudson Valley” [Hudson Valley]. “On the floor of an abandoned quarry in Cairo, in Greene County, researchers have found the earliest tree fossils yet discovered anywhere in the world. Dating back roughly 387 million years, the find has thoroughly rewritten the story of the origins of trees. One researcher called the discovery nothing less than ‘mindblowing.’… After beginning studies in the region in 1993, the collective made significant inroads in 2007 and 2008 when they learned to recognize the bases of two types of fossil trees. According to [Christopher] Berry, one is the large rooting system of the Archaeopteris tree, while the other is the dish-like imprint of the Cladoxylopsid tree, which contains hundreds of radiating roots… It is no exaggeration to say that this is one of the most important things that has happened in the history of the world. Those early trees absorbed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which led to a rapid cooling favorable to more complicated forms of animal life. The shade provided by the broad, flat leaves of taller trees protected critters on the ground from the sun, and the roots limited soil erosion. ‘The arrival of these forests was the creation of the modern world,’ Berry told Smithsonian Magazine.” And: “Eventually, the remains of those early plants and trees, compacted over hundreds of millions of years, became the coal deposits that fueled the Industrial Revolution, returning the carbon they had absorbed into the atmosphere, thereby triggering the present age of global warming.” • Oh. Anyhow, here’s a picture of a fossilized root system:
“Salmon return to lay eggs in historic habitat after largest dam removal project in US history” [Oregon Public Broadcasting]. “A giant female Chinook salmon flips on her side in the shallow water and wriggles wildly, using her tail to carve out a nest in the riverbed as her body glistens in the sunlight. In another moment, males butt into each other as they jockey for a good position to fertilize eggs. These are scenes local tribes have dreamed of seeing for decades as they fought to bring down four hydroelectric dams blocking passage for struggling salmon along more than 400 miles (644 kilometers) of the Klamath River and its tributaries along the Oregon-California border. Now, less than a month after those dams came down in the largest dam removal project in U.S. history, salmon are once more returning to spawn in cool creeks that have been cut off to them for generations.” • Less than a month!!
Gallery
“Man who spent $6.2 million on banana duct-taped to wall says he’s going to eat it” [NBC]. Grocery inflation just hit its peak after a single banana was sold for $6.2 million Wednesday. Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun dropped over $6 million on the piece of produce — because it was duct-taped to a wall. The banana is part of a piece of artwork called Comedian, created by the Italian artist and satirist Maurizio Cattelan. ‘In the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture,’ he said. Sun’s snacking won’t change the value of his investment, however. His $6.2 million purchase awarded him a roll of duct tape, instructions on how to ‘install’ the banana properly and, most importantly, a certificate of authenticity guaranteeing the artwork, when reproduced by Sun, as an original work of Cattelan’s, CNBC reported. The soon-to-be devoured banana wasn’t included in his winnings, as the fruit tends to rot quickly. But the value of the artwork isn’t in the banana itself — it’s derived from the certificate accompanying the purchase.” • I’m not sure this business scales.
News of the Wired
Contact information for plants: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. From TH:
TH writes: “I decided to try opening this email account on my dying computer since I was able to use it’s Picasa on some photos, and what do you know? Today it is working. This is Thunbergia growing in a lovely garden on Naples Island in Long Beach (CA).”
Kind readers, we are almost there with plant photos. Thank you! But one thing: I’m mostly seeing handles or email addresses that I already know. If you haven’t sent in a plant photo to Water Cooler, why not try it? It’s easy, it’s fun, and you get some nice compliments! (If you need directions, see below.)
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