Bird Song of the Day
Patient readers, I’m afraid brunch got a little out of hand. More soon! –lambert
Blue-and-white Mockingbird, Laguna del Bosque, Guatemala. “Full singing bout, 12 minutes long! First phrase not too clear, good quality after that. Bird was perched at midlevel in brush under tall cypress trees, close to footpath.”
Also: Please allow me to draw your attention to my post on the Macualey Library and birders, who together make this feature possible.
- Democrat angst.
- Musk PA events for Trump could break the law.
- Boeing strike: Wall Street, WSJ, maybe DOD, rush to Boeing’s assistance.
- Reader query: AI poisoner sought for photographs.
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
2024
Less than three weeks to go!
Friday’s RCP Poll Averages:
If you ignore the entire concept of margin of error and go with the narrative, another good week for Trump, especially in MI and PA, tbough not, oddly, in the two hurricane swing states, GA and NC. Of course, we on the outside might as well be examining the entrails of birds when we try to predict what will happen to a subset of voters (undecided; irregular) in a subset of states (swing), and the irregulars especially might as well be quantum foam, but presumably the campaign professionals have better data, and have the situation as under control as it can be MR SUBLIMINAL Fooled ya. Kidding!.
* * * Kamala (D): “This Race Is Kamala Harris’s to Lose. Here’s Why.” [Vanity Fair]. “In these waning stages of the late Trump era, everything and nothing is a surprise. We’ve become immune. I mean, when you have the nominee of a major political party mentally unplugging during a town hall, stopping answering questions, and swaying along to his own Spotify playlist for 39 interminable minutes—and no one seems to blink—we’re out of surprises.” The lead — you’d better sit down — starts with a lie. See the ABC coverage of the event I linked to a couple days ago (“Trump’s Pennsylvania town hall, interrupted by medical emergencies in crowd, turned into an impromptu concert.” People danced and sang, they didn’t leave. More: “But the reality is that if nothing or everything happens between now and November 5, it’s unlikely to change the outcome. This sucker is baked…. I’m going to make a bold prediction here because I just don’t give a shit if I’m wrong, even if this lives on the internet forever. Kamala Harris is going to win. Maybe easily.” More: “Harris looks strong and confident. She’s demanding another debate. She’s marching into the lion’s den of Fox News and perhaps Joe Rogan’s podcast. She’s running clips of Dictatorial Donald at her rallies—to cheers and jeers. On the campaign trail, she’s enlisting the help of a raft of ready-for-prime-time players, including Barack Obama, other top Democrats, and a number of anti-Trump Republicans.” If you say so. More: “Finally, there is the gender gap. Yes, Trump has an advantage with men. But I believe that in the end, the Harris gender gap with women will shatter all previous records and be determinative. I just feel, in my bones—from talks with voters of all stripes, Gen Z to the senior set—that enough women have sufficient outrage from the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, and PTSD from 2016, that they are going to crawl over broken glass to break the glass ceiling.” • Thank heavens the Democrats never codified Roe when they had the chance!Kamala (D): “Recipe for a Harris Win: More Obama, Less Cheney” [John Nichols, The Nation]. “It’s Obama who has the potential to persuade Wisconsin voters, via targeted media ads and, ideally, a high-profile appearance in the state with this year’s nominee. Obama gets Wisconsin. He has always maintained a strategic sense about how to campaign in the state, where he won the 2008 Democratic presidential primary over Hillary Clinton by a commanding 58 to 40 margin. Obama, who as a young man worked with a Chicago-based law firm that maintained an office in Madison, knows where to campaign in the Badger state.” • The firm where Obama did his lawyering had an office in Madison? That’s our argument? Seriously, 2024 – 2008 = 16. 2024 – 2012 = 12. Twelve years is a long time in politics. And isn’t Kamala’s slogan “We’re not going back?”
Kamala (D): “Kamala Harris and the problem with ceding the argument” [Vox]. “In an appearance on Special Report With Bret Baier [Kamala] got tough questions about immigration policy and the southern border. It was in answering those questions that Harris demonstrated how much the Democratic Party is moving right — toward the ideological center on immigration — under the banner of her candidacy. She chose not to defend the virtue of immigration, or of immigrants themselves, and continued to cede the playing field to the right…. This all continues a trend for Harris. Just last week, at a town hall hosted by the Spanish-language media network Univision, Harris was twice presented with opportunities to invoke and condemn Trump’s mass deportation plans when speaking to attendees who had family who were deported or unable to get health care because they lacked legal status. She passed on that chance….”
Kamala (D): First buffalo plaid color revolution:
Can someone explain why Tim Walz is dressed as Elmer Fudd? What’s this cosplay all about? pic.twitter.com/BMlQWkxvek
— Polly Tickal (@BubblesToBurst) October 16, 2024
Symbol manipulators gotta symbol manipulate! (I’m semi-serious about that “color revolution” quip. For the spooks who increasingly infest the Democrat Party, “our democracy” = “color revolution.” Same cause, same people, same methods.)
* * * Angst:
The thing that so many people have forgotten is how they spent the entire Trump presidency on their last raw nerve, waiting for the horror of the day to descend. The anxiety of having someone so morally, intellectually, and socially defective leading the country.
— Will Stancil (@whstancil) October 16, 2024
“Welcome to the uncanny valley of the 2024 election” [MSNBC]. “In an election this close, though, there are so many different variables to try to solve for that it can feel impossible to find a formula that denies Trump an electoral victory.The resulting calculus sees Harris’ campaign desperately trying to put together a coalition that can remain stable for the next 21 days. How do you both win back Black men who are open to Trump’s ham-fisted appeals while also being relatable to the Never Trump Republicans you’re wooing? How do you persuade progressives to turn out despite their hesitance over American support for Israel’s war in Gaza while also focusing on slowing inflation and driving down consumer prices?” I know! “Orange man bad!” More: “I’ll let you in on a professional secret here: I don’t have an answer to those questions. Even the people doing the work of trying to win this election don’t know for sure. These next three weeks are set to be a period of distinct discomfort as we stare into the unknown. There is no quick fix that will calm the vibes and reassure nervous Democrats.”
“Trying to dance under the cloud of election anxiety” [Amanda Marcotte, Salon]. “My partner and I were still buzzing with adrenaline from seeing pop star Dua Lipa close out Saturday night at the Austin City Limits music festival when we were subject to a drunk woman’s 10-minute rant about how she hates her Democratic friend. Lipa’s tour and album were both titled “Radical Optimism,” and we were emersed in her curated world for over an hour, dancing and singing with an eclectic crowd of all races and sexual identities. We enjoyed our freedom as if nearly half the country isn’t poised to snatch it all away.” “Immersed,” I think. More: “He were soon hit with a reality check. As we walked away from the show, we kept pace with a fellow concertgoer as she loudly denounced a friend for voting for Vice President Kamala Harris. ‘All she talks about is abortion,’ the woman, who looked in her late 20s or early 30s, slurred at her two friends. ‘But she won’t listen about the economy. She said she doesn’t care about the economy!’ I hadn’t attended the Austin City Limits Festival in over 15 years, which made it a useful benchmark for how much cultural progress has occurred since the early years of Barack Obama’s presidency. I was skeptical that this woman felt much financial distress in President Joe Biden’s economy, considering she got so loaded at a show where beer was $15 a pop.” • Maybe $15 beers are part of “the economy.” Just a thought.
* * * “Massive influx of shadowy get-out-the-vote spending floods swing states” [WaPo]. “None of these get-out-the-vote efforts are the work of the presidential campaigns or political parties. They belong instead to a vast, shadow machinery built by partisans often under nonpartisan banners to provide the final nudge that delivers the White House by mobilizing unlikely voters in about seven states. Funded largely without public disclosure, through local outfits and national networks, most of the operations have been lying in wait for years in preparation for this moment…. There is no centralized way to know how much money they will spend or just how many people they will reach. Many of the national groups refuse to disclose their budgets, while hundreds of local groups fly entirely under the national radar, funded through tax classifications that will not report their income until next year and will never disclose their donors…. But people involved expect independent field and mobilization machines to easily be measured in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Given the razor thin margins dividing Trump and Harris in the target states, they could easily prove decisive in one or more states.” • One reason that nobody knows anything… is that nobody knows anything.GA: “‘Now I like him’: Some Black voters in Georgia see Trump as a real option” [Politico]. “‘This race is between college educated and non-college educated. And in the Black community, this race is between working-class and what I call the bourgeois college-educated class,’ said Shelley Wynter, a Black conservative radio host in Atlanta. ‘If you went to college, an HBCU, were part of the Divine Nine, you’re all in for Kamala Harris.’ But for those in the Black community who aren’t steeped in those kinds of legacy institutions, Wynter continued, there’s some degree of openness toward Trump this time around.” • At this point, we recall people cheering Trump’s motorcade as he drove to turn himself in at Fulton County Jail. I saw the videos, and I don’t think there were a lot of AKAs out there.
PA: “‘Pennsylvania is such a mess’: Inside Team Harris’ unusual levels of finger-pointing” [Politico]. “Top Democrats in Pennsylvania are worried Vice President Kamala Harris’ operation is being poorly run in the nation’s biggest battleground state. They say some Harris aides lack relationships with key party figures, particularly in Philadelphia and its suburbs. They complain they have been left out of events and surrogates haven’t been deployed effectively. And they’ve urged Harris staff in private meetings to do more to turn out voters of color. Some are even pointing fingers at Harris’ Pennsylvania campaign manager, Nikki Lu, who they say lacks deep knowledge of Philadelphia, where the vice president must drive up voter turnout in order to win. ‘I have concerns about Nikki Lu,’ said Ryan Boyer, who, as the first Black head of the city’s influential building trades council, is one of the most powerful labor leaders in the state. ‘I don’t think she understands Philadelphia.'” Whoa. Firing the blame cannons before the election? More: “Harris’ path to victory depends on her ability to turn out the heavily Democratic voters in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and their surrounding suburbs, a coalition that relies on a strong performance with voters of color. If the campaign can’t get them to the polls, the state — and the presidential race — could be lost.”
PA: “Why Elon Musk’s events in Pennsylvania likely violate federal law” [Popular Information]. “This week, we learned that Elon Musk has donated tens of millions of dollars to help former President Donald Trump return to the White House. But he’s not stopping there. Yesterday, Musk announced that he is holding ‘a series of talks throughout Pennsylvania’ over the next few days. There is just one problem: Musk’s events are likely illegal. Musk, of course, has the right to hold an event explaining why he supports Trump. But these events, hosted by America PAC, a Super PAC founded by Musk, are not open to everyone. To attend, people must sign Musk’s petition supporting free speech and the right to bear arms and have already voted in Pennsylvania…. The problem is not the petition, but the requirement to vote to attend Musk’s event. Federal law prohibits making or offering to make ‘an expenditure to any person, either to vote or withhold his vote, or to vote for or against any candidate.’ Violators can be fined or face up to one year in prison…. In this case, Musk is offering something valuable — an invite to hear him speak — in exchange for voting. ‘Just like one cannot give out free ice cream or car washes or concert tickets,’ Hansen writes, ‘one cannot give out free admission to hear a speech by a tech entrepreneur.'” • Early voting ends in Pennsylvania on October 29.
Our Famously Free Press
Pack animals:
All these outlets are controlled by the same people, and have the same script. “Testy” pic.twitter.com/NIoC4HsWCk
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) October 17, 2024
Democrats en Déshabillé
“The Democrats’ pro-union strategy has been a bust” [Vox]. “But the political return on Democrats’ investment in organized labor has been disappointing…. According to a report from the Center for American Progress, between 2012 and 2016, the Democratic presidential nominee’s share of union voters fell from 66 to 53 percent. Four years ago, Biden erased roughly half of that gap, claiming 60 percent of the union vote. But contemporary polling indicates that Democrats have lost ground with unionized voters since then. In fact, according to an aggregation from CNN’s Harry Enten, Kamala Harris is on track to perform even worse with union households than Hillary Clinton did in 2016.” Let me guess why: The working class is stupid. More: “But there is reason to think that unions’ capacity to liberalize the views of non-college-educated voters has declined in the Trump era. According to the Democratic data scientist David Shor, his party’s “union premium” — the degree to which Democrats perform better with union voters, when controlling for all other demographic variables — dropped nearly to zero in 2020. Democrats still did better with unionized workers than nonunionized ones that year. Extrapolating from Shor’s math, this was almost entirely attributable to the demographic traits of America’s unionized population, which is more highly educated and less Southern than the American electorate.” • Yep.
Realignment and Legitimacy
“Heat Map of January 6th Defendants Across the United States” [Just Security]. “The graphic below is a “Heat Map” of the United States displaying the hometown origins of all the defendants charged for federal crimes allegedly committed in connection with the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol (identified by general location and not by name). The map reflects the work of the largest criminal investigation in U.S. history.” • Impressive work by the organs of state security;
For grins, PA:
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
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!
Elite Maleficence
“Seasonal” as in “every season”:
CDC Announce That Summer Wave Of Winter Viruses Is Over And We’re Now Moving Into Fall Wave Of Winter Viruses pic.twitter.com/5fgaLlAHjI
— The Vertlartnic (@TheVertlartnic) October 16, 2024
| Wastewater | |
| This week[1] CDC October 5 | Last Week[2] CDC (until next week): |
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| Variants [3] CDC October 12 | Emergency Room Visits[4] CDC October 5 |
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| Hospitalization | |
| New York[5] New York State, data October 15: | National [6] CDC September 21: |
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| Positivity | |
| National[7] Walgreens October 14: | Ohio[8] Cleveland Clinic October 5: |
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| Travelers Data | |
| Positivity[9] CDC September 16: | Variants[10] CDC September 16: |
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| Deaths | |
| Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11]CDC September 28: | Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12]CDC September 28: |
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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) Still some hot spots, but I can’t draw circles around entire regions this week. Good news!
[2] (CDC) Last week’s wastewater map.
[3] (CDC Variants) KP.* very popular. XEC has entered the chat.
[4] (ED) Down, but worth noting that Emergency Department use is now on a par with the first wave, in 2020.
[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Definitely down.
[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). I see the “everything in greenish pastels” crowd has gotten to this chart.
[7] (Walgreens) Big drop continues!
[8] (Cleveland) Dropping.
[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Up, though lagged.
[10] (Travelers: Variants).
[11] Deaths low, positivity down.
[12] Deaths low, ED down.
Stats Watch
Employment Situation: “United States Initial Jobless Claims” [Trading Economics]. “US unemployment claims dropped by 19,000 in the week ending October 12, marking the largest decrease in three months after hitting a 14-month high the previous week. The total number of claims fell to 241,000, coming in well below market expectations of 260,000. This drop comes after a surge in claims the previous week, largely due to disruptions from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Despite this decline, claims remain well above the averages seen earlier this year, reflecting a softening in the US labor market since its post-pandemic peak.”
Manufacturing: “United States Industrial Production MoM” [Trading Economics]. “Industrial production in the US fell 0.3 percent from a month earlier in September 2024, more than market expectations of a 0.2 percent decrease and after a downwardly revised 0.3 percent rise in August.”
Manufacturing: “United States Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index” [Trading Economics]. “The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index in the US soared to 10.3 in October 2024, a significant jump from September’s 1.7 and surpassing the expected 3. Current general activity, new orders, and shipments all experienced growth, with new orders and shipments returning to positive levels. However, the employment index decreased, indicating stable employment conditions.”
Retail: “U.S. Retail Sales” [Trading Economics]. “Retail sales in the US increased 0.4% month-over-month in September 2024, well above a 0.1% gain in August and beating market expectations of a 0.3% rise. Sales at miscellaneous store retailers recorded the biggest increase (4%), followed by clothing (1.5%), health and personal care stores (1.1%) and food and beverages stores (1%).”
Manufacturing: “The Machinists Take Boeing Hostage” [Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal]. “While the strike doesn’t have the same potential to shut down the U.S. economy as the longshoremen stoppage, it could have larger consequences for national security. The strike is delaying production of military jets, and the layoffs could reduce research and development on defense and space.
The union may feel it has the whip hand because politicians aren’t likely to let Boeing fail. But the company could still emerge from a strike much weaker. Management errors and unrealistic union demands are damaging a once great American company, and it is hurting workers as much as shareholders.”
Manufacturing: “Boeing Needs Some Help to Stem Its Cash Burn and Losses” [Bloomberg]. “[T]he more immediate need is to end the strike and return to producing high-quality aircraft, and Boeing needs a little financial breathing room for that. Certainly, the Defense Department could ease some of Boeing’s pain by renegotiating fixed-price contracts that are strangling the company.” • Interesting to see who’s riding to Boeing management’s rescue…
Manufacturing: “Resolution of a Boeing legal crisis hangs in balance as financial crisis deepens” [Yahoo Finance]. “Boeing’s plan to lay off thousands of workers could potentially pose a problem for approval of the guilty plea deal, according to [Rizwan Qureshi, a former federal prosecutor and white-collar partner in Reed Smith LLP’s Washington office]. The company breached its original DOJ agreement by failing to carry out its promised compliance and ethics measures. Because those requirements were meant to prevent and detect future violations of US fraud laws, Boeing may need to satisfy Judge O’Connor that laid-off workers are not needed to carry out its future safety commitments.” And: “The families want the agreement thrown out in favor of a trial and bigger fines. Boeing has agreed to pay $487 million, including a credit for roughly $243 million in fines already paid…. Relatives of the victims asked the judge to fine Boeing $24.8 billion.”
Manufacturing: “Boeing’s Strike Stalemate Leaves Mediators Hunting For Consensus” [Bloomberg]. “Federal mediators check in frequently with the deadlocked officials, teasing out details of what they’re thinking and paying close attention to even the slightest wording changes. They’re looking for shifts that would merit summoning teams from Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers back for more negotiations, hoping the next round might finally bring a breakthrough… the IAM district has a history of long strikes at Boeing — the average is 58 days, according to Robert Spingarn of Melius Research LLC. And union officials have been preparing workers for years for a long hold-out. ‘This isn’t necessarily unusual and in particular for these parties, if you look back historically,’ said [Beth Schindler, a regional director for the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service], who’s been with FMCS since 1996 in Seattle, helping on previous Boeing strikes. ‘I have no doubt that they are working behind the scenes, even if independently, to figure out what their next steps are.’… ‘We’re looking for rocks to turn over to see if there’s something underneath,’ Schindler said.” • Turn over a rock at Boeing and you’ll find management.
Manufacturing: “Ryanair Chief Says Boeing To Blame For Lower Traffic Growth” [Forbes]. “Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary said that in his 30 years in the airline industry he had never seen capacity constraints like those he’s facing now. ‘We were supposed to get 20 deliveries before the end of December. They’ll probably come now in January and February, and that’s fine. We’ll have them in time for next summer,’ O’Leary said. ‘The big issue for Ryanair is we’re due 30 aircraft in March, April, May and June of next year, and how many of those will we get?’ ‘I think we’re clearly going to walk back our traffic growth for next year, because I don’t think we’re going to get all those 30 aircraft,” O’Leary added.”
Tech: “Musk Sneaks in X AI Training Clause…and No, You Can’t Opt Out” [Tech.co]. “X has updated its T&Cs and eagle-eyed users have spotted a now sweeping rights grab that means all content can be used for training AI models. The new license includes the statement that users who post, submit, or display content on the social media platform now automatically grant the platform a ‘worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license.’… It also includes the right for X to sublicense content, which means it can offer it up to other parties… The sublicensing element means that AI developers could buy your content from X; and you’ll be completely unaware of who is using it and how.” • Reader query: I don’t want to allow Elon’s new Terms to steal my photographs and turn them into AI slop. Does anybody know of a really fast (in seconds) AI poisoner for images? I’ve tried Nightshade and it’s too slow, like half and hour per image (and the UI/UX is awful).
Since this is a Booth cartoon, I thought about putting it in Gallery, but Zeitgeist Watch seems more appropriate:
— Glitz Ladle Crowe (@MyrlCrowe) October 17, 2024
I am not feeling wired today.
TH writes: “I don’t know what it is about roses with a wall background that always compels me to photograph them, but that’s my excuse for taking this one.”
Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:
If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!
88 comments
Comments are closed.
I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it turns out that brunch memes are a thing.
I try to keep my confent relatable at all times.
when even your spelling starts to resemble mine, i know that brunch went a lil overboard.
good for you.
you need it.
we will certainly tolerate it.
(oh, and Tom and Jerry(the turkeys) say hi)
Is there any rational explanation for why the Boeing management is so recalcitrant? Did I miss it? I mean 40% over 4 years isn’t that crazy after all the inflation, right?
No, and while I think Boeing management is brain dead enough to refuse even that, the pension claw-back is the bigger issue.
> the pension claw-back is the bigger issue.
A return to defined-benefit is a big thing. OTOH, having a workforce that can build planes that don’t corkscrew into the ground is also a big thing.
IIRC, direct labor is 4% of the cost of a plane (please correct me on that)). So it’s sheer cussedness not to give the workers what they want, especially after all the looting in the form of stock buybacks, salaries, bonuses, etc., plus whoever gets all the fun of whacking whistleblowers.
“A return to defined-benefit is a big thing”
and with a company of that size and heft, wont that set something of a precedent that other unions can use to claw back some decent pensions from the last 40 years of neolib rot?
so maybe that, right there, is why boeing is being so assholeish on this.
defending the realm.
people who still enjoy defined benefit/decent pensions are a dying breed.
i know i do not count among their number…Tam’s measly teachers pension barely keeps me above water…and will end in about 3 years.
(and again, if i hadnt been laying the groundwork of autarky for decades, i’d be up schitz’ creek)
It may be that Boeing doesn’t want to set a precedent. With interlocking directorates common across the corporate landscape the worry may be that workers elsewhere will also demand what Boeing workers are demanding. The Boeing strike is seen as bigger than Boeing. When there is a settlement it must be seen as a win for Boeing, not a win for the machinists union. Labor can never be allowed to win.
Do not Make Shit Up.
Directors have no say in day to day ops and would not be consulted on the negotiations. They would presumably be updated but boards defer to management even when management is driving the company off the cliff as now. They most assuredly are not players.
They’re squillionaires. They probably believe they can hold out until Biden steps in to crush another strike.
The only time the elite can countenance losing money is if they need to do it to crush a union.
https://x.com/_CatintheHat/status/1842895616868786395
Thanks. @_CatintheHat is doing great work. Imagine getting signal-boosted, approvingly, by Dominic Cummings, of all people!
Sports desk
Never has an amazing ballplayer struggled so when I’ve had the chance to watch him on the telly, heck I’m lucky to see Ohtani eke out a single and he seems to strike out quite a bit if I’m on hand.
He obviously is not that bad of a hitter…
Play ball!
IMO, the baseball story of the year was the Detroit Tigers. What they accomplished from mid-August after the trade deadline (sold) was quite a story. 10 games out on August 11 and made the playoffs. Beat Houston in two games and went 5 against Cleveland.
Mets?
(Kick it!)
Pigmen must fight … for the right … to party!
You wake up to more wars, man, them Houthis gotta go
You ask for 50 basis points, please? But the Fed says no!
You missed NVDA, and didn’t do your homework
But this market gonna party like Cardi B. twerks
This market must fight … for the right .. to party!
Jay Powell caught you mongering, and he says “no way!”
But that hypocrite prints $3B a day!
Man, dealing with FOMO is such a drag
Now your broker traded away your best cocktail party brag (bust it)
This market must fight … for the right .. to party!
(you gotta fight)
Don’t bid up a bankrupt meme stock, chapter seven beware!
I’ll kick you out of my exchange if customer funds ain’t there !
The SEC busted in and said: “Your 10-Q lies!”
Ah, Feds are just jealous, it’s dot-com reprise!
Wall Street must fight … for their right … to party!
Wall Street must fight … for their right … to party!
Parrrrr-tay!
S&P 6K!!
Printer go brrrrr-yay!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBShN8qT4lk
Fun!
Adam Yauch used to crash in my tenants’ flat below mine whenever he was in SF. Interesting guy…gone too soon….
Nicely done. My fave of their music in particular is Sabotage. Alas I only know their hit tracks the best. “I’ll stir fry you in my wok” is a hilarious line from Intergalactic.
“No sleep ’til Brooklyn” always on my playlist.
High Plains Drifter!
Kris Kristofferson has died. This is a nice reminiscence.
https://original.antiwar.com/larry_long/2024/10/16/remembering-kris-kristofferson-1936-2024/
Remembering two at once:
Janis covers “Me and Bobby McGee“
Hi Henry. Glad you’re here.
1968. My first year at Harpur College. Visiting friends for the weekend in NYC. First rock concert. Janis Joplin Big Brother at Hunter College.
Always been one of my favorites; Good Christian Soldier
RIP Kris
If you don’t like Hank Williams thank you and RIP Kris
Exactly!
https://www.newsnationnow.com/video/covid-infection-linked-to-higher-risk-of-heart-complications-study-morning-in-america/10122078/
COVID infection linked to higher risk of heart complications: Study | Morning in America
Around the 1:02 mark:
“Well, I’ve had COVID twice. What does this do to me?”
And in reply to the question, “I’ve had COVID twice; what should I do?”, the medical expert replied that heart disease is preventable — do those kinds of things. The elevated risk of a preventable condition seems to be acceptable.
Not a whisper about measures, such as (horrors) high quality respiratory protection, to reduce the likelihood of further repeated infection and further elevated risk of this or other Long COVID complications.
Evidently we should just “live with” continuing unmitigated risk of contracting COVID.
—
On the brighter-ish side, it may be a very long time before our population is well enough for US to get involved, in a “boots on ground” way, in land wars in Asia.
/s
I think this is the underlying research mentioned in the article (based on recent publication, title/subject matter and the size of the study population, which correlates with details in the news item). The link takes you the PubMed abstract; the full article is open access and available at the open access icon at upper right.
From the paper:
Non-O blood type would be me. Good to know that my rather strict self protective protocols are not wasted effort.
“Well, I’ve had COVID twice. What does this do to me?”
The acute and long term effects of Covid infections appear to be so wildly variable, who TF knows? A bedridden, mildly demented 96 year old neighbor got it and it barely affected her. Her grandson and carer said he thought she may have briefly experienced some delirium but given her dementia he wasn’t sure. He, OTOH, got hit much harder by it and reported that he was for a time definitely delirious.
i got it twice(tested negative both times), in feb 2021, and 2022.
both times were like a really bad sinus infection.
but after the second one…well, it’s like ive just had terrible allergies ever since.
all year long.
constant post nasal drip(which used to be confined to Cedar Season(oct-march out here))
spend an hour each morning clearing lungs and nose and sinuses.
(from laying down when i sleep, snot runs down into lungs, but at not enough volume to trigger coughing)
i consider this a minor inconvenience, compared to the rest of my travails(pain, mostly) as well as compared to what so many others are dealing with due to this unmitigated spread
One’s allergic responses can change with age. You might get checked out for stuff to which you’ve become recently allergic. Had a friend only mildly allergic to cats until her forties when exposure to felines could hospitalize her. At 75 I suddenly became allergic to gluten, lactose and foods containing FODMAPs. Reactions to these things, which I’d been eating all my life without problems, roiled my guts, and excited the vagus nerve causing my heart to go all aflutter. Scared the hell out of me and the cardiologist for a time. But then a gastroenterologist said it was not all that unusual for the guts of elder folks to “to go crazy” producing all the above symptoms.
this was a 1:1 correlation in time.
and yeah, post hoc, ergo propter hoc, and all,lol.
but i dont have healthcare.
cant investigate with tests and whatnot.
i hafta rely on reason and observation.
and frelling herbs i grow(sage leaves, slightly crushed, and inserted into nostrils, helps)
I just finished watching the Apple TV adaptation of Mick Herron’s Slow Horses novels. I really liked it —great cast and fine acting. However, as is so often the case, the books are better. One thing about Heron’s writing that the screen version cannot convey well is his wonderfully animistic descriptions of putatively inanimate phenomena. And since I am currently steeping myself in Zen related literature, I cannot help but see parallels with Heron’s work. The boss, Jackson Lamb played by Gary Oldman, is a drunken master combined with Rinzai’s brutal straightforwardness. And the slow horses themselves are the fourth horse in the following Zen parable:
I am inspired to reread Herron’s books.
Thank you. The film adaptation has been my big guilty pleasure and I was wondering if I should read the books.
Thank you also for the parable!
Still in my one week free trial of Apple TV, so I’m now watching the adaptation of Asimov’s Foundation, which I read very many moons ago. I see another reread in my near future.
The AppleTV adaptation shares nearly nothing but names with the novels.
There are some throwaway lines about avoiding the dark ages, but nothing in the show is even close to what’s in the books.
Not precisely true. While plot details differ, the dark humor, the depiction of the principal character, Lamb, as well as the bureaucratic backbiting and real world damage caused by hubris and career ambition of those in power are carried over from the original IMHO. But, as I said, the literary quality of the author’s descriptive narration could not be well conveyed in dialogue and so was largely lost in translation from page to screen.
I think that our public servants (in the higher levels of authority; less sure about local) are, for the most part, of the fourth kind.
And that is before the Long COVID brain fog.
Perhaps not. In Zen terms the first horse could be understood as representing what we here call with some disdain the front row kids, while the fourth horse feels the world’s pain down to the marrow of its bones and is therefore better positioned to becoming wise and compassionate, or sometimes not, as the case may be.
In response to the four horses story — don’t we have to ask: Who is holding the whip? It presupposes that responding to the whip is good. Setting aside the Sufi story of the body as a donkey that needs to be mastered, I am reminded of Lao Tse’s parable of the twisted tree. It begins with the image of a huge, gnarled tree with spreading branches., There is a conversation about the utter uselessness of such a tree, and a response:
“That tree is useless. A boat made from it would sink, a coffin would soon rot, a tool would split, a door would ooze sap, and a beam would have termites. It’s worthless timber and is of no use. That is why it has reached such a ripe old age
“Every man knows how useful it is to be useful. No one seems to know how useful it is to be useless.
“This tree has been trying for a long time to be useless. It was almost destroyed several times. Finally it useless, and this is very useful.
So for this big tree, no use? It is planted in the wasteland, in emptiness. People walk idly around it, rest under its shadow. No axe or bill prepares its end. No one will ever cut it down.
Useless? You should worry!”
In response to the four horses story — don’t we have to ask: Who is holding the whip?
A rider we silly horses imagine.
As to the second point, “No one seems to know how useful it is to be useless.” I have nothing useful to add.
Yes, it’s great. Also liked the diplomat.
Buttigieg comes to NC. Cool i-40 pic.
https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/pete-buttigieg-joins-nc-gov-on-tour-of-helene-recovery-efforts/
And it doubled his motivation, so there is that…
Posted this in the wrong day, but:
Democrats are seriously bedwetting about a Harris loss, with the blame cannons firmly targeting Future Forward:
Inside the Secretive $700 Million Ad-Testing Factory for Kamala Harris (NY Times via archive.ph)
More Obamanauts!
Oh noes!
The Democrat infighting if Harris loses is gonna be epic! As epic as all those big salaries consultants be collecting.
There’s another story up on mobile, not on desktop yet, that Democrats are using an app! to target voters because door knocking is hard. I feel like Obama’s tech wizards infected the Democrat Party and now everything is metrics based, app based, and web based. That certainly worked out for the Iowa Caucus, though!
This huge cash advantage, and they’re squandering it perhaps on digital buys and apps! We shall know soon enough.
The blame for a loss (which I expect, based on the usual electoral college problem) is firmly on whoever allowed senile Joe Biden to run for re-election. They could’ve had competitive primaries and candidates other than Genocide Joe and lamebrained Harris, but noooooo! Such smug self-confidence. The only way that they win that I can foresee is if too many “seldom voters” stay home instead of voting, since turnout is probably going to be critical for Trump in the nine or ten competitive states.
I’m not sure. The others barely registered for a reason. They had years to position themselves and didn’t. The neoliberal rotten establishment is entirely dependent on nostalgia.
The party leadership has decided that getting the genocide done is more important than winning the election. They like to do both, but they won’t stop doing the genocide just to win the election so clearly doing the genocide has priority. And that is the policy reason they are losing.
Had they had an actual primary, they issue would have been a large one, and it would have isolated Biden or forced a policy change to stay in office. But they didn’t, and that is the procedural reason they are losing.
Already in april a large majority of Democrats considered it a genocide and wanting an immediate ceasefire. Independents were split on whether it was a genocide but a large majority wanted a ceasfire. A large minority of republicans considered it a genocide and a majority of republicans wanted an immediate ceasefire. https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2024/5/8/support-for-a-permanent-ceasefire-in-gaza-increases-across-party-lines
I see a decent amount of young people’s conversations. The standard arguments to get lefties into the fold – the lesser of two evils, we can push the democrat left after the election – just doesn’t work when the evil is a genocide and the current administration has shown how they treat people that try to push them on the issue.
The party leadership has choosen genocide and losing the election rather then stopping a genocide and winning the election.
If the series of increasingly shrill emails spamming my inbox are any indication, team Harris-Walz is in a panic.
“We are being outspent by Donald Trump…”
“A few hours of your time could…”
“Urgently requesting your support”
There were 10 of these emails just yesterday — until I unsubscribed and deleted everything. Actually, I never subscribed. It seems they helped themselves to my address from voter reg., and then started spamming it.
Some internal polls have them freaking out?
I don’t wish more depression patients on IM Doc and his colleagues, but it’s beyond time for these cultists to finally come to terms with reality and do something about their TDS (though I’ll bet they won’t).
Out of curiosity, I have been saving all of my mail flyers from the two major parties. (I’ll probably continue to get these into December…) I also get the same emails and Republican phone text spam.
I may lose a few mail flyers as my wife and I find them useful for scooping up cat hork after they eat food too fast or puking hairballs on hardwood floors.
How appropriate.
That is the only reason I buy newspapers.
The DNC attack ad on Stein also smells of desperation.
Over to you again, Van Jones (via NC comment)
One wonders if the various striking workers at Boeing are beginning to suspect that the only way to bring back the proud high-quality Boeing they remember might be to keep on striking until Boeing debt-loads itself right into bankruptcy. This would be based on a faint Hail-Mary hope of the next Administration doing a crash-cramdown for Boeing the way the Obama Administration did a crash-cramdown for GM and Chrysler.
Perhaps they are hoping that all the “new Boeing” cancer cells dating from the McDonnell-Douglas trojan horse takeover and ever since can be rolled up into Bad Boeing and liquidated. And the Seattle-based factories and people could be compressed into a new little stub called Good Boeing which would then be permitted or even helped to grow back some without any of the Bad Boeing perpetrators being allowed to remain in any way involved with Good Boeing.
given the current state of things, all that…while it sounds great…also sounds like “assume a spherical cow”.
this empire cannot be turned, at this point.
too many competing colonies of mold and other fungi to have anything close enough to consensus.
see: Fleur de mal.
current stock, etc performance is just the gasses of decay building within the carcass…can sometimes appear as reanimation.
but it aint.
ever seen a dead creature explode?
i have.
aint pretty.
only happens here on hot days in winter, when the buzzards are elsewhere.
limb falls on a bloated corpse, and Bloop!
I love that metaphor, my friend. I wish CNBC would interview you nice and early in the morning. It might get them thinking.
I have added orts and scraps, and now Water Cooler is closer to normal size. Big doings in PA!
May I write something here? I don’t comment, but I do read comments,daily since I found you,all those years ago, so far away, and I have built a metaphoric, pataphysical hometown of naked capitalism. Being retired, disabled with tinnitus and a deaf ear, I used to listen as my occupation ona psychiatric unit, but I became my only client, navigating as many of you are presently, a healthcare system that has barely improved into Medicare land, like some of you? I hope for a third piece of titanium to be inserted, like Palmer Eldritch. I live in the middle of a deep red county with a growing population that caused a MAGA county clerk to get ten years in prison for breaking the law for old Don,I haven’t seen any word from him about her. This area was plastered with Trump signs from 2016 and 2020 but hardly any this year. I wonder how much traction he has here? My opinion of the man is biased because he reminds me of my work life, spending days with damaged people that may not be capable of being treated. He seems to use people, say what he needs to say to get approval, and suffer no consequence. Maybe we want a damaged person to be our leader, since it seems countries are some form of anarchy, and having a sociopathic personality might rise to the top, but we live in the unclear age of the jackpot hits individual communities these days and it comes in many forms or forums. I can’t trust anyone that denies a changing warming climate,which seems to me to be building steam, but we need more money for war guns. I am going to go play music with other old folks, but I don’t dare tell them I am a lapsed daoist, they can barely stand me as a young radish.
“young radish” indeed? Riders of the Purple Wage was always one of my favorite dystopias. I think the welfare exchange program still holds the best promise for us.
always nice to hear from our Lurkers,lol.
and Radish<=radica= Root.
"there are thousands who hack at the branches of evil, for one who strikes the root"-thoreau.
our fellow americans have lived in a soup of mindf^ck for so long…distracted by every damned thing, beit sports or commies or fascists…that they cannot tell what is real anymore(Ontological Crises).
the only way to have a chance to get through to such people…and potentially drag them from the proverbial Cave…is one on one, and away from the herd.
the herd will smite anybody who advocates turning away from the compelling shadows on the wall of the Cave.
this, right here, is our greatest disadvantage.
we're up against the most sophisticated multisystem of mindf&ck ever invented…wall to wall, 24/7….that, even in its contradictions, is of unified purpose: to confuse, enrage, and distract.
like in that thoroughly depressing Cormac mcCarthy book, we must "Carry the Fire", regardless.
kudos for finally coming forth.
and welcome.
I am not at all anxious about the election, but I struggle to avoid despair.Neither on is fit to hold the office. each is a genocidaire. DJT means renew noise and chaos. KDH is a blank slate. I expect four more years of gridlock, finger pointing, performative “politics”, and grifting. The best outcome would be a widespread boycott. “But we must vote. It’s a civic duty.” In this year of grace, why? Congress listens to its donors and ignores all us cattle or deplorables. The mindless Ukraine War will go on and why not. There are still living Ukrainians to feed into the wood chipper.No matter what, the government supports Israel. Why? Because we want to gain control of West Asia, screw with Iran and Russia, mess up the North-South Corridor and Israel is our hammer to beat the region in to line. Will it work? Maybe in the short run it might, maybe, look like a success, but when you ally with mass murder, you will lose in the long run. Biden and the boys … Blinken, McGurk, Hochstein, and Sullivan … Neocons, Zionists, running their own show? maybe, but Joe has been the Zionist’s Zionist since he was a pup. And it will not change no matter who wins. These loons or morons or whatever they are , have the US on the road to collapse … nose deep in the BIg Muddy but just a bit farther and we shall be victorious. Fools and poltroons. Do not vote for them.
Word. I see Cornel West didn’t make the California ballot after all, so I’ve decided to respect Jill Stein’s claim that the Greens are the Official Democratic Party Spoiler Party. If she makes 5 percent nationally the Greens will qualify for gummint subsidies to continue spoiling Democrats–so my vote won’t be wasted after all! Of course we need an official spoiler party for the Republicans too–the Libertarians, maybe? It would be their best argument.
Republican ‘spoilers’ are already a strategy. A few years ago, a “real” Libertarian, running on the Tea Party racket was poised to become a Senator from Mississippi. So, the Republicans made a deal with the Democrat party state Elders, (very much “Elders” of various Baptist churches down here,) and had said elders inveigle their usually Democrat Party aligned parishoners to cross party lines in the primary elections, which is legal here, and vote for the Establishment’ Republican candidate in the Republican primary. The Tea Party candidate lost by a margin suspiciously similar to the crossover vote and the Democrat Party candidate romped to victory in the general election.
The moral of the story is that, when challenged, the status quo elites of either Party would rather lose in the general election than have a ‘heretic’ represent them in Congress.
> “In an appearance on Special Report With Bret Baier [Kamala] got tough questions about immigration policy and the southern border. It was in answering those questions that Harris demonstrated how much the Democratic Party is moving right — toward the ideological center on immigration — under the banner of her candidacy. She chose not to defend the virtue of immigration, or of immigrants themselves, and continued to cede the playing field to the right
Reflecting on the “ambush” Baier sprang on KDH (detained illegals were released pending hearings; some of these committed murders; do you regret the policy change that led to this?), the thought occurs that “several murders committed by individuals in a population of 6 million [Baier’s number] crossing illegally into US during JRB administration” is a far lower murder rate than the prevailing rate among the population, ~20,000 per year in a population of 330 million. Perhaps I’m missing something, but it superficially appears that the JRB policy actually made US a less violent place, on a per-capita basis.
The Vox article seems predicated on an idea that “the left” position has to be favorable to virtually unlimited immigration of economic refugees. By not owning or acknowledging the nature of its own policy, Biden-Harris has set up a situation in which Democrats and progressives are invited to shape their rhetoric around reacting to stereotypical right-wing criticism, without knowing what the policy has been, let alone estimating the costs or benefits of immigration at increased rates.
Hmm, the symbology isn’t good, but this has been in the cards for a long time:
SS United States – Fastest Cruise Liner and Flagship of US Merchant Marine – To Be Sunk!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFIPAJEl1TE
Ah, that article on the disappointing returns on the Democrats’ alleged “investment” in organized labor.
I’ll leave aside the fact that framing constituent relations in terms of investment is part of the problem
If the author thinks that the Democrats have made some major commitment to organized labor, they’re already barking up the wrong tree.
Besides the RR strike busting, the administration also intervened before scotus on behalf of management’s position on the question of whether they could pursue state tort claims in disputes that fall under the nlra.
The ensuing ruling undid 80 years of settled law in a way unfavorable to labor.
The author also acts as if the world began in 2020. But there’s a long and dismal track record. Since the 90s union leadership has been routing to the membership various democratic promises of major labor law reforms, only to have the promises vanish each time Democrats come to power. How many times do they think one can renege before the rank and file see the promises as just wind?
It’s a nice warm and breezy day here in Sonoma County, I took a short walk in the park and it is crispy dry, walking under a Maple tree was like walking across a field of Doritos.
There’s still plenty of time for a 1MM acre wildfire or two before the rains come.
My apologies if this has been posted already. I haven’t been around much due to computer problems.
The Blog Blames its Victims : Why aren’t the wretched of the earth grateful for the attentions of the war machine?
That’s a powerful piece, petal, and from a Reaganite!
This cut me to the quick:
I’ll “Amen” that while lamenting I haven’t done more to change it.
I already posted a link to Randy Newman’s “Political Science” in the last few days, but it’s so applicable to this piece:
Sorry fat fingers. It’s “The Blob Blames its Victims”.
Here’s a little video from the justgalsbeingchicks subreddit. ( Reddit has an awful lot of subreddits). It is titled ” A woman from Springfield, Ohio addresses the town’s Haitian immigrant “crisis” with an expert level of sardonic wit”. It is subtitled ” A Master Class In Satire”.
Here is the link.
https://www.reddit.com/r/justgalsbeingchicks/comments/1g5t3si/a_woman_from_springfield_ohio_addresses_the_towns/
This close to the election it seems that everybody is playing “werewolf”-
https://x.com/j00ny369T/status/1844358344473239863
#BuffaloPlaidSoldier #ElmerWalz
Wow … Cory Doctorow might call this the enshittification of Tim Walz.
They took a guy who endeared himself to voters by being down-to-earth, earnest – sans airs or pretensions; and have turned him into a cosplaying, virtue-signaling mess.
They took a guy who actually delivered some pretty noteworthy tangible, material benefits to people in the state he governs (via mn.gov) and now have him talking in vibes. In a non-shittified Walz timeline, some of his key accomplishments would become part of a platform by which to bring disenchanted voters back into the fold. How does a man who’s got his state providing “free college for students with a family income under $80,000” end up talking about the “politics of joy”?!!
LOL … sorry, I just watched the clip. He’s accusing Vance of being a VC cosplaying a cowboy!
#TwoSpiderManMeme (via knowyourmeme.com)
Wil Stancil’s remark, “The anxiety of having someone so morally, intellectually, and socially defective leading the country”, seems to me equally appropriate to a previous low-bar-setter, W Bush. If we survived eight continuous years of that mess, we can probably survive another four years of the Orangeman. I only hope that he remembers each day that war is bad for (his) business and keeps us out of WWIII; I don’t have such hopes for K(Anointed)H.
I have received a total of one measly flyer from the Democratic Party this election telling me to “Vote”. That’s it. Nothing else from any party or candidate. No email, no snail mail, no phone calls or texts. Zilch. Maybe they think I’m already dead.
I’m not experiencing the high anxiety my Democratic friends are having. I’m not losing sleep over the election. I’m not taking prescription meds or self medicating. Instead, I’m feeling strangely disengaged from politics. I won’t be voting.
Perhaps it’s because I am in fact dying and I’m just letting go. I have no children or grandchildren to worry about. I don’t even have a cat anymore. I’m a childless, catless, cat lady.
I remain concerned about the world, Gaza in particular, but I realize there is nothing I can do about it. Just letting go doesn’t feel so bad.
“I remain concerned about the world, Gaza in particular…”
Yes, that is the superb person you are, doing what is necessary. Those who know you are just as concerned about you.
I feel he same as you. In my mind, with completely unacceptable candidates and a thoroughly corrupt political system, the rational thing to do is not waste time by voting. Yet many intelligent and well informed people twist themselves into knots trying to decide who they should vote for. It seems like self-delusion to me.
“I’m a childless, catless, cat lady.”
You’ve also been one of my favorite commenters on this site since you “joined” us. It’s hard to have both an open heart and open eyes, but you have both.
But you will never walk alone, ever-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV5_LQArLa0
I’m wondering if anyone else watched the Al Smith dinner and also thinks the election just may have ended tonight.
I just looked at a bunch of articles about it on the MSM and they all said that Harris did fabulously calling it in. What am I missing?
I watched on YouTube Trump’s speech there after your comment. He insulted a bunch of people who were there almost like a roast. Lots of zingers that his base would love. I’d guess it wouldn’t have changed any minds either way about him.