By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
Bird Song of the Day
Back to the mimidae!
Tropical Mockingbird (Mayan), Cerro de Hula, Francisco Morazán, Honduras. “In this recording, we can hear a perfect rendition of the call of the Clay-colored Thrush (Robin) at 3:06 and again at 5:39. There’s also an imitation of American Kestrel at 4:15, and arguably Great-tailed Grackle calls throughout the recording. Northern Flicker is given at 6:32. (These times are approximate and may be slightly off.)” 8:42 (!).
In Case You Might Miss…
- Fun with maps: Helene and Milton could make Pennsylvania the key.
- Kamala has a beer with Stephen Colbert; on hurricanes.
- Response to Helene in NC.
- Boeing talks break down as management walks away from the table.
Sometimes going viral can be good:
This tweet went viral at the weekend. It was a fascinating experience and taught me some interesting things:
1) Sharing a story that is personal yet reminds people of/prompts them to revisit their own experience has extraordinary power. https://t.co/0H9n71qlc3— Ann Morgan (@A_B_Morgan) October 7, 2024
My email address is down by the plant; please send examples of there (“Helpers” in the subject line). In our increasingly desperate and fragile neoliberal society, everyday normal incidents and stories of “the communism of everyday life” are what I am looking for (and not, say, the Red Cross in Hawaii, or even the UNWRA in Gaza).
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 thirty days to go!
Friday’s RCP Poll Averages:
If you ignore the entire concept of margin of error, Trump gained a few inches of ground in the trench warfare (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!.
* * * 1) The current “consensus” state of play, per 270toWin:
2) Leaners and likelies resolved to Red or Blue, leaving the 7 swing states:
3) NV to Kamala, AZ to Trump, the Blue Wall (WI + MI) to Harris, then — because of the Biden Administration’s response to Helene and Milton (see below) — NC and GA to Trump:
QED: PA is the key (but if any only if the Republicans resolve WNC turnout issues IMNSHO).
* * * Kamala (D): What the heck was she thinking?
COLBERT: "Would you like to have a beer with me?"
HARRIS: "Cheers. The champagne of beers." pic.twitter.com/of4U9ebr58
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 9, 2024
For one thing, Californians of Kamala’s class are into wineries, not breweries (and if this is the campaign’s idea of passing the “have a beer with” test, please, stop). So I think Kamala keeps the Miller High Life in the same closet as the Glock (and if I’m wrong, show me one picture over her whole career). More importantly, oppo that Kamala has a drinking problem has been simmering on the right, but never boiled over. Does the campaign really think this is the way to turn down the heat?
“Kamala Harris Cracks Open a Miller High Life With Stephen Colbert on ‘The Late Show'” [Variety]. “When Colbert asked the vice president if Trump lost the 2020 election, she replied, ‘o0You know, when you lost millions of jobs, you lost manufacturing, you lost automotive plants, you lost the election. What does that make you? A loser. This is what somebody at my rallies said. I thought it was funny.’ ‘It’s accurate. It’s accurate,’ Colbert remarked. Harris then said, jokingly, ‘This is what happens when I drink beer.'” • Oh.
* * * Kamala (D): “The latest union snub for Harris and Walz underscores a bigger problem for their campaign” [Politico]. [T]he International Association of Fire Fighters last week declined to endorse either candidate in the presidential race — a snub of the Walz-Harris campaign that underscores a much larger problem for the ticket. The move completely blindsided the vice president’s team. Harris and Walz, despite their longtime labor ties, are struggling to win over key rank-and-file union members — part of a major political realignment away from the Democratic Party…. In Pennsylvania, a must-win state for Harris, the state firefighters’ union has already decided not to issue its own presidential endorsement. Robert Brooks, who leads the group, said it has ‘never made an endorsement in a Presidential race’ and ‘will continue with that practice and rely on the International Association of Firefighters to handle that.’ Brooks also didn’t think any locals in his state would make their own endorsement. In Michigan, another key swing state, the firefighters’ union is still holding internal meetings to decide whether they want to issue their own endorsement.” • Hmm. I remember in
20162008 it was a very big deal when the Firefighters endorsed Obama (“Everybody loves the firefighters”).* * * Trump (R): “Trump thrusts hurricane response into center of 2024 campaign” [Politico]. “The White House’s decision to prioritize pushing back on misinformation around the hurricane was driven in part by requests from governors and local politicians for help combating the falsehoods, aides said, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasizing on Monday that “elected officials at every level and on both sides of the aisle” had called for an end to the conspiracy theories. In press conferences and television interviews, officials at both FEMA and the White House have devoted the last several days to correcting the falsehoods and criticizing those who have amplified them. With Milton looming, officials say they fear the social media conspiracies could spiral out of control, especially if they are again fanned by Trump and other prominent conservative figures, like Musk.” • But if FEMA doesn’t deliver people will, as usual, take Trump seriously but not literally.
* * * “The Cataclysmic Post-Election Scenario No One’s Bracing For” [The Bulwark]. “There are multiple scenarios for what the government looks like after the election…. “Kamala Harris being elected president with that GOP-led Senate but also a Republican-controlled House” is the most interesting, because it is entirely plausible and perhaps the most constitutionally precarious scenario. In the event this happens, current House Speaker Mike Johnson would have some extremely difficult choices ahead of him if he wanted to maintain his speakership. But the key one is this: will he have to make promises around not certifying Harris’s win in order to get the support of Trumpists in his caucus to retain his gavel? As former top Republican aide Brendan Buck put it on his podcast recently: “Just a couple days after electing a new speaker, they need to certify the results of the election. What do you think Mike Johnson is, like, doing or saying at that point to try to keep his job? . . . Is he, like, just going to crazy lengths to get the votes to stay there? Or are Republicans just so angry that they throw out Johnson? You know, even if he runs again, not electing a speaker, all that does is, like, you can’t certify an election if you don’t have a House seated yet.” Before the House can do anything—before it can even form—lawmakers have to elect a speaker and adopt a rules package (in that order). This typically occurs on January 3, the day the new Congress is sworn in, giving ample time before the counting of the Electoral College votes on January 6. But if the House is frozen like it was for several days at the start of the 118th Congress—well, no one knows for sure what would happen.” • Somebody’s war gaming this out right now…
* * * Hurricanes:
NC: “US emergency crews struggle as climate crisis fuels ‘unprecedented’ competing disasters” [Guardian]. “While federal officials have been clear that emergency response agencies have been able to lead on recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene, strongly disputing rampant misinformation about misuse or politicization of the funds in areas devastated by the storm, the competing disasters nonetheless have severely strained the agencies. The homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, told reporters last week that Fema ‘does not have the funds to make it through the season.” Joe Biden echoed those concerns in a letter to Congress, calling on legislators to increase funding to ensure Fema won’t have to “forego longer-term recovery activities in favor of meeting urgent needs.” • I saw plenty of obviously inorganic tweets in the early days (and never linked to them). But it has also been crystal clear that WNC is in real trouble (and our readers reinforce this). I’m agnostic overall on FEMA’s performance, but here is a strong indicator it’s not going well. I searched Associated Press on “FEMA.” Here are the results:
I think, at this point, I may be forgiven for giving consideration to the idea that AP hasn’t done any actual reporting from the ground because they know they won’t like what they find (and could even be accused of “disinformation” themselves, now that I think of it). Some local coverage:
NC: “Helene fact check: Here are the rumors and the reality in Western North Carolina” [Charlotte Observer]. A sampling of the less wild stuff: “FEMA has sent more than 1,200 urban search-and-rescue personnel to Western North Carolina. On Sunday, a FEMA task force was combing the Swannanoa River near the Whitson Avenue Bridge, searching for victims of the storm. They used excavators to pull cars from the water and search dogs to locate people beneath rubble…. Victims anywhere can apply for FEMA aid at DisasterAssistance.gov. But many residents remain without power or internet access…. FEMA funds are not considered income and are not taxable. Applying for disaster relief will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP or any other federal and state benefits. Assistance from FEMA is a grant and does not have to be repaid. It is not just for homeowners. Renters can receive help for lost personal property. FEMA can’t provide money for losses that are insured, however.” Yes, let’s just socialize the insurance industry. I’m guessing that the scholarship would show that rumors always follow hard upon natural disasters; it’s not all politicized, nefarious, or an excuse to crank of the Censorship Industrial Complex (as if one were needed). Sometimes, however:
This picture has been seared into my mind.
My heart hurts💔😭 pic.twitter.com/SCwEMP0aXC
— Amy Kremer (@AmyKremer) October 3, 2024
See the Community Note; it’s AI slop. (See also 404 media.) Kremer, from Georgia, is an RNC National Committeewoman.
NC: “What people in Western North Carolina had to say as supplies arrived by helicopter” [Charlotte Observer]. “[Loretta Zahn] and her neighbors watched as helicopters landed near their homes in the Poplar area to deliver food, water and a temporary satellite that would give the couple the connection they needed to confirm they were each safe. Like many other areas in Western North Carolina, Poplar is depending on these airdrops from the National Guard, or Amazon in the case of the satellite, as many roads were destroyed by Hurricane Helene and have cut them off…. The Charlotte Observer spoke with people in two communities hit by Helene’s flooding while traveling with the National Guard as soldiers delivered supplies, flying from Salisbury… Clearing the roads has ‘all been done by the locals right here,’ said Jody Murphy, 52, who watched the helicopters arrive with his son Jett, 24, and Zahn. People used their machinery, he said… They’ve been told it would take about eight months before things were back to ‘normal,’ but they didn’t seem confident about that outlook.” In Buladean: “The time it will take for the area to recover seems unclear, residents said. They’ve heard one to three months.” • Charlotte Observer’s search yields many more hits on “FEMA” than Associated Press. Here’s one:
NC: “Analysis: Digging into FEMA spending claims on the campaign trail” [Charlotte Observer]. “But a history of the program shows policymakers on both sides of the aisle, including Trump, have cut spending deals that included a small slice of Federal Emergency Management Agency appropriations specifically to help states and localities care for migrants released into their communities, totaling just over $1.7 billion. During that time, FEMA’s disaster relief fund has gotten several orders of magnitude more money, nearly $244 billion, and the two funding streams are entirely separate.” • Then again, Ukraine and Israel. Readers may do better than I did, but I still don’t see a lot of stories about FEMA action. Funding, yes. Misinformation, yes. But you’ll note the above story is about the National Guard, and doesn’t mention FEMA at all.
* * * MI: “A big Seattle name is in the election battlegrounds — helping Trump” [Seattle Times]. “Seattle’s star socialist is at it again. This time, she’s making news with some uncomfortable truth-telling about her own aims that’s bound to make many Seattleites squirm. Former Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant was out in Michigan over the weekend, stumping for the Green Party presidential campaign of Jill Stein. Democrats have long suspected that Stein is a form of political malware. She pops up every four years espousing desirable lefty positions. But her ‘Green’ campaign has no purpose other than to try to hand the election to Republicans, by siphoning off a handful of liberal votes Far-fetched? That’s what I always thought. But Sawant, speaking at a Stein rally, admitted that it’s true, ‘We need to be clear about what our goals are,’ Sawant said in a speech on Sunday in Dearborn, Michigan. ‘We are not in a position to win the White House. But we do have a real opportunity to win something historic. We could deny Kamala Harris the state of Michigan. And the polls show that most likely Harris cannot win the election without Michigan.’ So the goal is ‘fighting to defeat Harris, not just symbolically but in reality,’ Sawant said. ‘This is ground zero to punish Kamala Harris and defeat her.'” • Punish for what….
PA: “Inside the Battle for America’s Most Consequential Battleground State” [New York Times].
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!
Infection: H5N1
“As bird flu outbreak expands in California, dairy farms report it’s worse than they expected” [CNN]. [F]armers and veterinarians in California are warning that the infection seems to be striking herds more severely than it has in other states, leading to higher percentages of sick and dead cows in affected herds. There are no signs of more serious illness in people. Like the first two human cases in California, this third case involves a farmworker who was in contact with sick dairy cattle. Investigators don’t see any connections between the most recent case and either of the first two, suggesting that this is another instance of animal-to-human transmission, the California Department of Public Health said in a news release. In all three cases, symptoms were mild and involved red, bloodshot eyes, a sign of conjunctivitis.” And: “While public health officials are taking the infections in stride, outside experts say each new human infection is a sign that the outbreak is not under control and that the people who are working with cattle and other sick animals are not being adequately protected.” • So-called “public health” officials are really good at taking things in stride, hence the million and counting Covid deaths in the United States.
Yikes:
I recorded this today outside of Mendonsa Dairy in Tulare County California. These cows were just on the side of the road. I drove back a few hours later and they were still there. Not very biosecure. I called the CDFA to express my concerns. pic.twitter.com/gjDS538lni
— Crystal Heath DVM (@drcrystalheath) October 8, 2024
And:
(The account is a California-based veterinarian, so this looks legit.)
Morbidity and Mortality
“Turkish Airlines pilot dies mid-flight, prompting emergency JFK landing” [Daily News]. • I wonder why. ‘Tis a mystery!
Elite Maleficence
Not on my Bingo card: Dominic Cummings signal boosting the UK Covid Inquiry and having gotten ventilation right:
The system is working as intended…
This thread explains a lot on the covid horrorshow but will be ignored because it doesn't fit NPC narratives.
In 2020 I said the official slogan should change to include VENTILATE. This never happened.
One of the weirdest most interesting… https://t.co/n3iMKPGZqI
— Dominic Cummings (@Dominic2306) October 8, 2024
@_CatintheHat has essentially been live-blogging the Inquiry. I don’t find “The system is working as intended” particularly Delphic; I quoted Stafford Beers the other day: “[T]he Purpose Of a System Is What It Does.” I never found Cummings to be a particularly sympathetic figure, but as an eminence grise he was certainly in a different intellectual class from Steve Bannon (of blessed memory). Also:
One last thing…
This is the Covid Policy at the Inquiry:
🔹Symptomatic testing requested
🔹Ventilation delivering 8 air changes/hour
🔹4 HEPA filters
🔹CO₂ monitoring with action triggered whenever CO₂ reaches 1,000ppmDo they know it’s airborne? 🤔https://t.co/XAiOVQGfMu pic.twitter.com/njz8r8dZ7I
— Cat in the Hat 🐈⬛ 🎩 🇬🇧 (@_CatintheHat) October 6, 2024
The elites protect themselves. Just not you.
Lambert here: CDC’s wastewater map should have been updated by Friday at 8:00pm. This is Tuesday. It hasn’t been.
| Wastewater | |
| This week[1] CDC October 5 | Last Week[2] CDC (until next week): |
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| Variants [3] CDC September 28 | Emergency Room Visits[4] CDC September 28 |
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| Hospitalization | |
| New York[5] New York State, data October 7: |
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| Positivity | |
| National[7] Walgreens October 7: | 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).
[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
Wholesale: “United States Wholesale Inventories” [Stats Watch]. “US wholesale inventories rose by 0.1% month-over-month to $904.8 billion in August 2024, slightly below the advance estimate of a 0.2% rise and following a revised 0.2% increase in the prior month. Stocks of durable goods increased slightly faster (0.3% vs 0.1% in July), mostly computer equipment (+2.3%), professional equipment (+1.3%), hardware (+0.8%) and machinery (+0.5%). Conversely, nondurable goods inventories saw a mild decrease (-0.1% vs 0.5%), namely miscellaneous non-durable goods (-2.7%), petroleum (-1.7%) and drugs (-0.2%).”
Associated Press]. “Boeing has withdrawn a contract offer that would have given striking workers 30% raises over four years after talks broke down. The manufacturer said that it had boosted its offer for union workers for take-home pay and retirement benefits during two days of negotiations. ‘Unfortunately, the union did not seriously consider our proposals. Instead, the union made non-negotiable demands far in excess of what can be accepted if we are to remain competitive as a business,’ Boeing said in a prepared statement. ‘Given that position, further negotiations do not make sense at this point and our offer has been withdrawn.’ The union said that it surveyed its members after receiving Boeing’s most recent offer, and it was rejected overwhelmingly…. The strike is stretching on as Boeing deals with multiple other issues. It has shut down production of 737s, 777s and 767s. Work on 787s continues with nonunion workers in South Carolina. S&P Global Ratings put Boeing Co. on its ‘CreditWatch Negative’ list this week, citing increased financial risk because of the strike. ‘We estimate the company will incur a cash outflow of approximately $10 billion in 2024, due in part to working capital buildup to support manufacturing process overhaul and costs associated with the strike,’ S&P wrote.”
“Talks break down, Boeing withdraws latest contract offer from striking workers” [KIRO]. “Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the union representing American Airlines pilots, put pressure on Boeing to approve striking machinists’ demands, including higher pay and improved safety oversight roles for machinists in the union — the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). ‘I want this contract settled so that we know we have the proper safety margin to fly our passengers,’ Tajer, a Boeing 737 captain, said. ‘Whenever there’s a change at Boeing, the IAM is not allowed in the process to discuss that with Boeing management. They’re a team. It’s a symphony of safety, just like at the airlines. Unions work with the management teams to ensure that our passengers are safe.'” • A “team.” Isn’t it pretty to think so.
Manufacturing: “Boeing weighs options for raising cash as ratings downgrade looms, sources say” [Reuters]. “Boeing is examining options to raise billions of dollars through a sale of stock and equity-like securities, two sources familiar with the matter said, as the planemaker tries to avoid slipping in to junk territory on its credit ratings…, These options include selling common stock as well as securities such as mandatory convertible bonds and preferred equity, according to the sources. One of the sources said they suggested to Boeing that it should raise around $10 billion.
Such hybrid bonds can be treated as equity capital by rating agencies, which means issuing them would not add to debt to the same extent as selling bonds, while also being potentially more favorable for existing shareholders. Banks have also been building so-called shadow books, sounding out interest from investors for such securities in case Boeing decided to go ahead, the sources said. Some investors have reached out to banks to tell them they were interested in purchasing Boeing’s preferred securities if they were issued, two of the sources said…. It is not clear, however, whether any of the fundraising options that involve raising cash through instruments other than common stock would satisfy credit agencies.” • Who needs real engineers when we have financial engineers?
Manufacturing: “Months Before Ethiopian Crash, Boeing Turned Aside Carrier’s Questions” [New York Times]. “In late 2018, Ethiopian Airlines’ chief pilot sent an urgent message to Boeing, the manufacturer of the 737 Max airliner. Barely a month earlier, a 737 Max operated by Lion Air of Indonesia had plunged into the sea, killing everyone on board. The cause appeared to be a problem with the plane’s flight control system. The Ethiopian carrier also flew the 737 Max, and the chief pilot wanted more information from Boeing about the emergency procedures to follow if the same problem that doomed the Lion Air flight should recur. At the time, Boeing was providing detailed briefings to pilots in the United States who were asking the same types of questions about how to respond. But Boeing chose not to answer the Ethiopian pilot’s questions beyond referring him to a public document it had already issued after the Lion Air crash. Boeing said in its response that it was prohibited from giving additional information because it was providing technical support to Indonesian authorities investigating that crash. Instead, Boeing briefly summarized the document, which is dated Nov. 6, 2018, and is called an operations manual bulletin, according to email exchanges between the chief pilot and Boeing made public after The New York Times initiated legal action to unseal filings in a related criminal case. Three months after the request by Ethiopian Airlines, one of its 737 Max’s nose-dived into the ground after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, killing all 157 people on board. The main cause was found to be the same flawed flight control system responsible for the Lion Air flight crash, a failure that presented the Ethiopian Airlines pilots with the very same kinds of life-or-death decisions about how to respond that the chief pilot had asked about months earlier. While it is unclear whether the Ethiopian Airlines pilots could have avoided crashing had Boeing provided a more detailed response, aviation experts said the lack of additional information most likely contributed to the inability of the pilots to pull themselves out of a fatal nosedive once the flight control software system malfunctioned. ‘Who knows what they would have done with the information, but not having it seals the deal,’ said Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American Airlines pilots.”
Supply Chain:
Hospitals nationwide are now being encouraged to conserve IV supplies
"regardless of whether they have experienced a disruption in their supply"
In wake of @baxter_intl plant shuttered by Hurricane Helene in North Carolinahttps://t.co/nFUQUecI2u https://t.co/UeGP2rNKDU pic.twitter.com/UJVqr8TafB
— Alexander Tin (@Alexander_Tin) October 9, 2024
Today’s Fear & Greed Index: 72 Greed (previous close: 70 Greed) [CNN]. One week ago: 67 (Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Oct 8 at 1:57:20 PM ET.
Gallery
“The Surprising Backstory Behind Gustav Klimt’s Obsession With Gold” [ArtNet]. ” His father, Ernst Klimt, was a goldsmith and an engraver. Certainly, Klimt’s dexterity with gold and his appreciation for the so-called decorative arts were fueled by his familial household. Much like Botticelli, who started his career in goldsmithing and continued to adorn his canvases with gold, Klimt embraced the material for its beauty and symbolism…. When it came to his passion for gold, religious iconography of the Byzantine era came to the fore. In 1903, Klimt took pivotal trips to Venice and (twice) to Ravenna, Italy. The artist wrote to his romantic partner Emilie Flöge that he considered Ravenna’s glittering mosaics “incredibly stunning,” including the famed depictions of Emperor and Empress Justinian and Theodora. Art historians have found compositional parallels between Klimt’s regal portrait of Viennese socialite Adele Bloch-Bauer and the centuries-old rendering of the Byzantine Empress Theodora…. In Byzantine mosaics and icons, gold signaled an eternal realm, existing beyond time and saturated by divine light. The flattened, discarnate figures in these artworks symbolized the out-of-body experience of religious transcendence. Klimt uses gold to create a similar sense of timeless infinity; the backgrounds of his Golden Period are dotted with glittering flecks of gold, but also silver and platinum, creating an almost cosmic-looking backdrop for his scenes…. Looking closely at the man and woman’s garments in The Kiss, one notices Klimt has used gold to create upright, rectilinear forms on the man’s robe, which offer a masculine counterpoint to the swirling, ovoid forms on the woman’s gown (Klimt was fascinated by microscopic biology, cells, and fertilization, which was being researched intensely by early 20th-century scientists).” • Worth reading in full:
Health
“Brain’s ‘diary’ discovered: Why today’s stress matters two weeks from now” [StudyFinds]. N = 1. “Researchers from Aalto University and the University of Oulu in Finland successfully demonstrated the long-lasting impact of our daily habits on brain connectivity, offering new insights into neural plasticity. Scientists now believe our brain’s internal communication patterns are not static but rather in a constant state of flux, responding to our experiences over extended periods.” Dear Lord. Whoever would have thought anything different? More: “Physical activity also emerged as a significant factor in brain connectivity. Days with less physical activity were associated with reduced integration between the frontoparietal network – crucial for cognitive control and decision-making – and other brain regions. This implies that being more sedentary might make it harder for different parts of the brain to work together efficiently.” • The author is also the test subject. The original study is at PLOS, if readers wish to dig deeper.
“Germans decry influence of English as ‘idiot’s apostrophe’ gets official approval” [The Guardian]. “A relaxation of official rules around the correct use of apostrophes in German has not only irritated grammar sticklers but triggered existential fears around the pervasive influence of English. Establishments that feature their owners’ names, with signs like ‘Rosi’s Bar’ or ‘Kati’s Kiosk’ are a common sight around German towns and cities, but strictly speaking they are wrong: unlike English, German does not traditionally use apostrophes to indicate the genitive case or possession. The correct spelling, therefore, would be ‘Rosis Bar’, ‘Katis Kiosk’, or, as in the title of a recent viral hit, Barbaras Rhabarberbar. However, guidelines issued by the body regulating the use of Standard High German orthography have clarified that the use of the punctuation mark colloquially known as the Deppenapostroph (‘idiot’s apostrophe’) has become so widespread that it is permissible – as long as it separates the genitive ‘s’ within a proper name.” • Will no one consider the greengrocer’s?
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’m not sure these are eligible after being picked and put on sale, but I hope you’ll be amused. I had never noticed these before. They have a nice rich flavor but to my taste could be a little more acid.” I must admit these are plants within the meaning of the act. But it would be nice to have some garden pictures, too.
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Not a good look for the post office – https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2024/10/09/the-boston-city-council-held-an-emergency-hearing-on-late-mail-delivery-the-usps-didnt-show-up/
“Let me be clear about what we’re experiencing in our communities. Residents are missing critical communications including legal documents and financial statements. Vulnerable neighbors are experiencing delays in vital medications. Small businesses are struggling with unreliable mail services,” Durkan said. “Most critically, as we approach election season, unreliable postal service threatens to undermine our democratic process.”
While nobody from the Post Office showed up, some internal USPS emails were accidentally forwarded to the city council where the USPS claimed this was all due to a political agenda on the part of the Boston council.
I can personally vouch for the fact that over a period of years, checks sent to my company have been severely delayed or completely lost on a pretty regular basis. Maybe this was a politically motivated claim somehow, but if so, show up and prove it.
Why anybody would trust their ballot to the deliberately and bipartisanly crapified USPS is beyond me.
Democrats had a hissy fit about DeJoy, but surprise surprise he is still the Postmaster General even today, after… 4 years of a liberal Democrat administration:
Kamala, the empty vessel, knows nothing about foreign policy except what she is told to spout:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT2fnkFZXTU
Breaking Points with Saager Enjeti, who proves that he is a servant of empire in a snazzy tie. He keeps repeating the blather about the U.S. being all-powerful and causing its own problems by lack of internal unity (what can he mean?). Ryan Grim is being too shy again, and he truly should have smashed a pie in Enjeti’s overly curated face.
Kamala is a dolt. She is making Hillary Clinton, the very epitome of mediocrity, look like a sage.
The Cataclysmic Post-Election Scenario No One’s Bracing For,
combine with Fun With Maps:
A horrifying scenario of President Harris
continuing the Ukranian policy. Not safe for peace of mind.
Can zoom into your region and then hit launch.
https://www.nuclearwarmap.com/map01.html
That’s a lot of megatonnage!!! Where is the joy in this?
> Kamala is a dolt. She is making Hillary Clinton, the very epitome of mediocrity, look like a sage.
She’s making Sarah Palin look like a reasonable candidate. At least Palin had the guts to walk on stage in front of Tina Fey.
Here’s some speculation it would be irresponsible not to. We’ve got three data points of Biden undercutting Harris (two contradictions, and The View / Press Conference scheduling conflict). Rumors of ‘war’ between the factions in the White House, when all previous cases would have the Bucket-of-Warm-Spit summarily dismissed. An unprecedented situation where a President with four more available years is not the candidate.
And there’s a plot, indeed. Harris is a disaster, Oprah wasn’t having it, I don’t know how Harris can lose and I don’t know how she can win. Buyers regret from billionaire donors. And I have DontFwithA Biden stewing over the Betrayal, full Richard_III with Learian dementia (see IM Doc’s comment this morning), with the extra windfield of his cohort seeing a path to four more years of Power.
Probability assesses as non-zero.
Fun chaser: for a Shock Reveal that Twists the Plot:
‘They gave me drugs that confused me!’
Re the map showing trump with 262…
Imo trump will sweep the 3 southern swings, and that pa is really a tossup. But I think WI will likely go trump, which would get him to 272.
Plus we maybe haven’t seen the results in the polls of vp debate or the hurricanes. Seems trump has a pretty good chance unless the ballot counting is rigged.
Wisconsin has a penumbra effect from the Senate and local elections so Trump has been fighting an uphill battle there. I’d say it’s closer than the polls but if weather is good, there’s no issues with absentee counts and people get out, Harris likely wins. Ymmv.
Although I haven’t heard from WI specifically, MI, PA, AZ, and NC (all with D governors) have all announced that the counting will take weeks. I’m not aware of any scenario in which the R candidate wins under those circumstances, but I’m open to other views.
Because those Windows 98 computers are so dang slow? I mean, WTF.
What? They replaced the Commodore 64s?
We could get faster and more ‘accurate’ election returns on The Well, with dial up no less.
Electronic data streams are inherently “Corruption Futures.”
> So the goal is ‘fighting to defeat Harris, not just symbolically but in reality,’
I find this report that the Greens are playing “hardball” politics — (not explicitly stated in the extract, but surely what is happening IRL) “give us policies we like or we will campaign for them ourselves, and cost you at the ballot box” — very encouraging. More of this, please.
And the Democratic strategy of how to deal with this may backfire. Stripping third parties from the ballot is NOT going to convince people to vote for you.
But beyond denying Harris the win voting third party is hard on the Democratic Party’s policies and choices. In other years I admit that no option to do so might have kept a few wavering soon to be former Democratic voters in the fold. But in this environment if people are seriously looking at a third party they are not going to meekly vote for one of the candidates they rejected already because that party is not on the ballot. It may be less embarrassing and easier to ignore, but not voting for the top of the ballot would help Trump just as much as voting for Stein. But anyone who votes for Stein or the Conservative or the Libertarian is yelling that these candidates do not represent them and then there is the fact those percentages actually get reported.
Hardball politics are long overdue.
The New York State presidential ballot only offers Harris, Trump or a box for write-in. Write-in candidates must be certified by the NYS Board of Elections; if you write in a non-certified candidate’s name, your vote will be voided. The NYS B of E will not certify presidential candidates until October 16 and may legally delay certification until Oct. 29. Jill Stein is of course not yet certified, although her campaign assures me that they are “registered” as NYS write-in. With heavy Dem weight at the B of E it’s not a sure thing that she’ll be a viable write-in. I guess the B of E figures you should safeguard your vote and avoid write-in’s for pres /s.
I’d be interested to see whether there are consultations between Harris and the Greens’ campaigns…and whether the Greens will believe anything Harris says.
’ So the goal is ‘fighting to defeat Harris, not just symbolically but in reality,’ Sawant said. ‘This is ground zero to punish Kamala Harris and defeat her.’” • Punish for what….
Punish for Gaza. Simple.
Having voted Dem for 46 years of voting, (and donated and door knocked and phone banked and even gone to state conventions), in Michigan, union, white, male, Genocide has proven to be a bridge to far for me. Genocide is not a lesser evil. There is no excuse, no “reason” that can suffice.
So now I have a Stein lawn sign, and donated to her as well. Genocide loses elections, Joe.
Could be that Joe WANTS Ms. Miller High Life to lose, just to spite her and all the other D’s who shivved him.
I doubt Jill has ever forgiven her for saying Joe was a racist.
> Could be that Joe WANTS Ms. Miller High Life
He’s counter-programmed campaign events of hers twice (albeit from Republican tweeters).
Did someone say Republican tweeters … incoming lmmao …
““Now the claims are getting even more bizarre. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a congresswoman in Georgia, is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather.
“We’re controlling the weather? It’s beyond ridiculous. It’s got to stop.”
Biden’s comments came after Trump and others baselessly claimed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene that the government was purposely withholding aid to Republican hurricane victims while the Federal Emergency Management Agency was redirecting disaster relief funds to migrants.
Taylor Greene, who is one of Trump’s most loyal supporters in the US Congress, also shared a conspiracy theory with her 1.2 million followers on X suggesting that the government was somehow responsible for the hurricane.” – snip
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸
@RepMTG
Yes they can control the weather.
Here is Obama’s CIA Director John Brennan talking about it.
Anyone who says they don’t, or makes fun of this, is lying to you.
By the way, the people know it and hate all of you who try to cover it up.
https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1842755981312196688
HAHAHAAHA~~~~ HAARP is reborn ….
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has a nice tweet on all of this – mirth. In mod, have a look. Its going to get even more strange I bet. Just pondering 300M people getting Bernays’ed in so many directions as their perception of reality past and present with a thought to a future is nuts ….
Old Joe is bitter about being pushed to the side and is demanding that the Democrats publish all his accomplishments and recognize them, even if it hurts their present campaign. In other words, Joe’s priority is all about Joe.
It’s not wise to so easily concede the rhetorical point about who actually is helping Trump here. In reality the onus is on the candidate to attract voters and if she constructs her political program so that some critical section of public doesn’t want to vote for it, it’s her problem, created by her. And if the retort is that Kamala can’t for example give an inch on Palestine because then Zionist will mass defect to Trump, then that just proves the point that 1) politician will consider your opinion only when you are willing to go elsewhere if they don’t (also notice that nobody is hounding those various factions from Zionists to capitalists that they are willing to destroy the democracy for their petty causes), 2) she is the one who choose to support Israel’s bombing because she thinks it will net her more votes and so if in the end it doesn’t, it’s her who made wrong bet and helped Trump win.
Indeed. “Punish for what”
for what!!??
RE: Baxter, supply chain, IV
in today’s LINKS, I mentioned that B. Braun produces IV bags and has a plant and distribution center in Daytona Beach.
The company put out a statement on their preparations for the hurricane:
https://www.bbraunusa.com/en/about-us/contact/customer-resources/b–braun-medical-statement-on-hurricane-milton-preparedness.html
When Harris brought her Bro in Law into the campaign it reassured donors like Reid Hoffman and guaranteed a LOT more $ for her campaign.
Tony West was chief of litigation for UBER before moving to her campaign, where he became well acquainted with Walz…
Unions are understandably wary of this move because Tony West is one of the main reasons Gig workers are contractors rather than employees.
Selling Harris as the “New Eleanor Roosevelt, but straight” is going to be an uphill battle.
Illegals can be hired as independent contractors to drive for Uber.
His sister in law is providing Tony with a lot of profit and wage lowering opportunities. That’s family loyalty.
> I must admit these are plants within the meaning of the act. But it would be nice to have some garden pictures, too
Think of all the seeds in there, waiting to be saved. That might be a photo of next year’s garden, and it looks like it could be a big one!
—-
Is “Jackpot” an actual variety, or has that seller been reading William Gibson? (I suppose it could be both, with the choice of tomato variety to grow influenced by the novel.)
The Jackpot tomato is a F1 hybrid, ie a first generation offspring between unrelated parents. This means the seeds will not come true. Tomato seeds that do come true are from ‘open pollinated’ tomatoes, such as heirloom tomatoes.
Back in high school, the Ancient Civilizations class was taught by the wrestling coach. Mens sana in corpore sano, he liked to say. The idea that physical activity is linked to mental health is positively pre-historic.
https://english.news.cn/20240926/fc2c26a1f2f4475eb8cd3f8e87625582/c.html
September 26, 2024
China to ensure 2 hours of daily physical activities for primary, middle school students
BEIJING — China will make sure that primary and middle school students engage in at least two hours of physical activities each day, an education official said Thursday.
Every day, students will attend one sports class and an hour of physical exercise after class, said Wang Jiayi, vice minister of education, at a press conference…
Let’s not forget that soccer (and other sports like rugby) were originally codified and pushed in British private schools as a response to the Victorian masturbation panic. The theory being that brisk exercise would somehow stop teenage boys indulging in such an evil activity.
Examining my own sport filled teenage years I can only conclude that 1. The theory was erroneous or 2. Victorian teens had a truly prodigious capacity for onanism.
Didn’t work for those Victorian teens as when they became of age, it led to the massive amounts of brothels in Victorian Britain. They were everywhere as Victorian men were so randy-
https://revisitingdickens.wordpress.com/prostitution-victorian/
Must be something in the water.
There was indeed something — in fact, everything — in the water.
Google The Great Stink, or read Gibson and Sterling’s The Difference Engine.
It’s almost like ideology and dogma do not trump biology and reality :)
I can think of some modern examples of this also…
“Hmm. I remember in 2016 it was a very big deal when the Firefighters endorsed Obama (“Everybody loves the firefighters”).” HUH? Lambert, Obama didn’t run in ’16.
OMG, when I mix up the calendar it’s a bad sign. I meant 2008.
#BrainFawg
Interesting anecdata on Helene can be seen on Fb page Appalachian Food and Recipes.
#Harris
> ‘This is ground zero to punish Kamala Harris and defeat her.’ • Punish for what….
How much time you got?! :)
At the very least for being yet another empty suit neoliberal traitor to the working class. It’s all there in the section covering her:
#ThanksObama
I added orts and scraps but forgot to say I did. Mostly on Helene and (swing state) North Carolina.
I strongly recommend listening to the daily local briefings on Blue Ridge Public Radio. Mostly local government and utility folks at 11:00AM Eastern every day. Lots of detail that doesn’t make it into news or social media.
They stream at http://www.bpr.org and they have on going coverage over the day as new things break. Bonus:
It’s a classical station!
“For one thing, Californians of Kamala’s class are into wineries, not breweries…”
You might change your view on this point if you were to acquaint yourself with the California craft beer scene, at least as it currently manifests in the SF bay area. We are currently in high season for green hop brews going for about 5 bucks a can. There’s at least 40 craft beer breweries in Silicon Valley adjacent area where I live and they all seem to be thriving. As with some wine loving folk, any number of craft beer aficionados are willing to bore you to tears with the detailed traits of this or that can of brew. The so called “champagne of beers” most certainly isn’t.
Perhaps Miller High Life should be called the “Cold Duck Of Bottled Beers”.
A friend called it the “shampoo of beers.”
I visited in the 90s, long before the craft beer renaissance, and even then SF was a cut above. US beer had almost uniformly been a disappointment to me up until that point. Then I got to SF and great beer was suddenly everywhere. The tap beer at a lot of the places I visited was Anchor Steam! Talk about coming out of the wilderness.
Lambert,
You may have seen the linked article about the Covid coverup involving the intelligence community already.
If not, here is a link.
The Heritage Foundation? Really?
The Bio on the author is enough to set off every tripwire like a stampede of Wildebeests, minted in 06 and got perches at all the right think-tanks/PR joints. Then to top it all off mobs like the THF are directly responsible for shaping the currant socioeconomic reality in America.
I mean these are the people that brought Obama care to everyone rather than public health care because markets are always more efficient[tm] at delivering goods and services too consumers[tm].
Seems they are only good for extenuating failures by projecting them on other nations that are not on board with their ideologically pure social agendas/policies.
For the record, I am not a Heritage fan.
I go where the evidence leads me.
Too often that trail may include some three letter agency.
Re: the dictionary. Over the weekend, I was thinking about how I was having a lazy Sunday, and I wondered what I have enjoyed doing on lazy Sundays. What came to mind was going to the newsstand 4 blocks away, carrying a NY Times Sunday paper, sitting at a coffee shop or cafe with a paperback dictionary. Reading the longer-form pieces (including sports!). Doing the big crossword puzzle and the acrostic puzzle with the literary quote hidden within. I don’t recall ever actually completing one of those puzzles, but it gave me so much delight to learn new words, new archeological structures, obscure but relevant geographical names, famous people of an earlier generation. Those Sundays were the good old days.
As IM Doc mentioned earlier today Dementia patients can go scorched earth or Nuclear Holocaust if they feel slighted.
No Limits.
No concern for consequences whatever.
None.
“No one Effs with a Biden”
If you aren’t scared, you aren’t paying attention.
It will also be interesting to see what Hillary does over the next Month.
She hates Trump because he stole the Election in 2016 with the help of RUSSIA!!! ( She could convince herself it was the tooth fairy if the alternative was accepting responsibility).
Obama stole the Nomination from her in 2008 and the RUSSIANS!!! and Trump stole the election from her in 2016 and now another woman might become the FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT!
Add the fact that both Clintons are bone deep racists ( Based on their actions) and I would be surprised if HRC did not shiv Harris at an opportune moment.
Thinking of you, HMP, and hoping you are (at least) OK tonight.
I will second that wish for HMP to have a successful surgery and a quick and easy recovery.
It’s been a little more than 4 years since my Chemo and my lymphoma is still in remission, I hope Henry fares as well as I did or better.
Hundreds of film clips of people in the southeast standing up to their knees in mud decrying the fact that they’ve only seen one FEMA truck or helicopter so far are all supposed to be some kind of oppo program?
Biden/Harris could easily have won the presidency on the strength of a prompt and effective response to two major hurricanes weeks before a national election. Harris could have been remembered as the Theodore Roosevelt of her generation if she had rescued the stranded people and then turned FEMA into a world class disaster response agency. Instead, she’s hiding from the press, having beer with talk show hosts, and the people at FEMA are furiously working on PR for the agency.
Imagine if Bernie Sanders had been president right now. He would have (a) been working his ass off bringing the government to bear on this deadly real world problem, and (b) he would have been super pissed at anyone trying to politicize a national disaster.
As usual, it’s all about the messaging vs the reality.
I am not sure exactly what just happened. But I had a patient in the ER – who had been watching The Weather Channel for the Milton coverage – and apparently Kamala Harris called into the channel. She reported that it it appeared to be a true surprise interruption and not planned.
The patient – an older retired college professor – “What does she think she is doing? She is really not helping herself…..She was actually trying to lecture the weather expert about what a hurricane was and upgrading and downgrading them. It was very awkward.”
I have come to realize that Ms Harris would probably do better to just go sit in her office and shut up. She seems to not be able to have conversations in a normal manner and it appears to really put a lot of people off.
I am trying to find the clip on the Weather Channel – but so far having no luck. The patient’s husband agreed that it was totally inappropriate and a real groaner.
Could it be this one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92RxIISRxtQ
That’s gotta be it. I don’t understand Democrats listening to her and thinking, ‘This is going to be our president.’
She hasn’t changed her word salad approach at all. She needs absurd levels of preparation to appear semi-competant. There’s no flow and no substance to her speech. All she had to do was look at key speaking points on a peice of paper. There’s no reason for her to repeat ’emphasize’ three times and trip over herself.
She actually scares me at this point. She’s going to negotiate with Putin and Netanyahu?
Why did she even speak for six minutes, it’s the friggin weather channel!
>She hasn’t changed her word salad approach at all. She needs absurd levels of preparation to appear semi-competant. There’s no flow and no substance to her speech. All she had to do was look at key speaking points on a peice of paper. There’s no reason for her to repeat ’emphasize’ three times and trip over herself.
I guess my question is how the hell does someone like that get as far as she did? San Francisco DA ( I know, I know, Willie Brown), Attorney General of California?
Senator?
Failing upwards I suppose but nothing but a box checker all her life?
She must have at one time been able to speak clearly and coherently.
Or, if she is representative of most people in those positions both male and female, then we are led by some of the dumbest bastards around. And what does that say about the voting public?
But, you’re never going to find me at a Mensa meeting either.
Well no, she’s not going to negotiate with Putin and Netanyahu. That’s rather the point, isn’t it?
Our foreign policy is on autopilot, and it’s significantly worse than the Elon Musk version.
This is more on Google:
Latin Times
https://www.latintimes.com › … › Kamala harris › Florida
Kamala Phones The Weather Channel to Address …
27 minutes ago — The vice president reassured Floridians and scolded politicians like Gov. Ron DeSantis for not reassuring Americans during this ongoing …
2:36
Vice President Kamala Harris’ message on preparations for …
YouTube · Kamala Harris
4 hours ago
8:31
Harris speaks with CNN about Hurricane Milton
CNN
5 hours ago
8:46
JUST IN: Kamala Harris Gives Update On Hurricane Milton …
YouTube · Forbes Breaking News
4 hours ago
I don’t know IM Doc, you more than most would know how fear works on people, especially if its pronounced and protracted. I think this is being weaponized by both parties at the cost to all Americans, currently there is no steady hand on offer that is not gaslighting people for some ideological control over the dominate narrative.
I mean both parties have worked hand in hand for decades, ushering in the free market economic template, now only seems to wrestle over what kind of societal template is used.
https://www.latintimes.com/kamala-phones-weather-channel-address-floridians-directly-after-desantis-refuses-take-her-call-561788
October 9, 2024
Kamala Phones the Weather Channel to Address Floridians Directly After DeSantis Refuses to Take Her Call
‘This is not a time for us to point fingers at each other as Americans, it’s really not,” Harris said.
By Taylor Odisho
During her 10-minute appearance, Kamala Harris addressed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ accusation that the vice president is politicizing the storm. Harris started off by saying “this is not a time for us to point fingers at each other as Americans, it’s really not.”
“Anybody who considers themselves to be a leader should really be in the business right now of giving people a sense of confidence that we’re all working together and that we have the resources and the ability to work together on their behalf, on behalf of the people of our country,” Harris said. “That’s what I’m focused on.”
She added that she welcomes anyone to work with her on behalf of Americans.
“I don’t care who you voted for in the last election or who you’re voting for in the next election,” Harris said…
This was not a time for Kamala Harris to criticize and undermine the Governor of Florida. The Governor is dealing with an impending severe state danger and the pompous feelings of a Washington official make no difference for Floridians in danger. Harris made a serious mistake, a telling mistake, indeed in interfering with the focused efforts of the Governor.
While she might’ve Kamala-ed the interview, I don’t see anything wrong with calling into the Weather Channel. She’s the VP, why not? I don’t see any violation of “norms” here.
If Trump called in, they’d put him on air too.
And the Democrats would go ballistic and say what does he know about the weather and who does he think he is? Social media would go into meltdown mode and you know that this is all true.
Right, and people are going into meltdown mode over this too. That’s just where we are. 2024 is America’s Chernobyl as Malcolm Kyeyune said the other day. We are no longer capable of handling anything whatsoever.
The American Dream is finally coming true. Anyone can be President, including Kamala Harris.
They also played excerpts on the ABC scary news (what we call the national network news). My comment was there must be something more authoritive about a “telephone voice”… I didn’t catch the part about her calling the weather channel. I thought they were just boosting her.
I may not like Ms. Harris, but she seems to be voicing the same concerns that the meteorologists I follow online have-to paraphrase, people should not relax if the hurricane gets downgraded to Cat 4 (or presumably Cat 3) as the storm surge (up to 15 feet or more around landfall) will be the most dangerous part of the storm and won’t improve if the storm is downgraded.
She stated this poorly IMO. I have first responder family stationed in the area and have been following this closely for a few days out of concern for their safety, but I know nothing about meteorology, I only know what some popular online meteorologists have been saying.
> voicing the same concerns
I would think this topic is for the actual President, not a Presidential candidate. And if Biden wanted Kamala to take point on Federal messaging as VP, then he would have said so. He has not. Rather pointedly, I might add.
Kamala should avoid the slightest appearance of picking out the drapes for the Oval Office. Her call did the opposite.
NOTE I don’t like how DeSantis has facilitated Florida land use in the face of a rising ocean, but on the narrow question of hurricane relief he seems to have done a good job, sending assistance to NC, for example.
Klimt, Gold, and Byzantine enamels
My early years were involved with making cloisonné enamels, and teaching the craft. Starting with simple design elements of Egyptian and AngloSaxon enamels, we also made replicas of Byzantine pieces, primarily from the Pala D’oro, the Wall of Gold, at the Tesoro Di San Marco in Venice. At the same time, the craft was used by other artists and students to make contemporary art.
Earlier Byzantine pieces had enamel backgrounds, but later ones were “inset” in a gold ground. Russian icons frequently emulate the effect.
When I was young, this was my world. Then I was exposed to the other Holy Trinity; Drugs, Sex, and Rock n’ Roll. That changed everything…
http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/basilica/il-tesoro-e-la-pala-doro/?lang=en
page 205, illustration. 6.7, Votive Crown of Emperor Leo VI (A replica I made of Leo, center, is in the Hirschhorn Collection)-
https://arthistory.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/faculty/pdfs/klein/SanMarco-offprint.pdf
Leo, with the crown, #3, #6-
https://is.muni.cz/th/usvm7/Obrazova_priloha.pdf
Same here, bro.
Holy Trinity.
Working link for “Turkish Airlines pilot’s death mid-flight prompts emergency landing in New York” article at-
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/09/turkish-airlines-pilot-death-jfk
The co-pilot took command and landed that bird so kudos to him for a good job done. Wasn’t there an article recently linked on NC about how some airlines think that it would be a great idea to have only one pilot in the cockpit because look at the money that would save on pilot’s wages? To be used for executive bonuses of course.
Thursday October 10, 2024 should be interesting… add a severe Geomagnetic Storm to the volatile mix?
G4 (Severe) Storm Watch for 10-11 October
published: Wednesday, October 09, 2024 14:44 UTC
The main page (these NOAA pages are clunky to navigate): https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
“A fast coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the Sun the evening of 8 October, 2024, and is likely to arrive at Earth on 10 October.
This CME has been analyzed and speed estimates are 1200 to 1300 km/s. This makes for a potential arrival time as early as the morning to midday of 10 October EDT.
There is potential to reach G4 (Severe) upon arrival of this CME and throughout its passage. We won’t know the characteristics of the CME until it arrives 1 million miles from Earth* and its speed and magnetic intensity are measured by the DSCOVR and ACE satellites. Please visit our webpage for the latest information and updates.”
*I watched some of the media briefing (on YouTube), and learned that once it arrives at the 1 million mile mark, we have another 15-30 minutes to react. Wow!
So if it’s bigger than a G4, which is epic… all the emergency systems only have a 15 minute window before the effects happen.
Given that many in the U.S. are struggling with communications (Western NC, and presume Florida), wondering how a G4 storm might affect satellite comms/cell phones? Hoping knowledgeable readers can comment.
The good news: likely widespread Northern Lights!
These CMEs have the potential to obliterate life as we know it – not biologically, but electrically, and in 2024 nothing works without electricity. I’m shocked we don’t have any measurement systems or satellites in place to detect severity in a time scale of hours instead of minutes.
No, sorry, I tell a lie. I’m not shocked. We can add “completely unprepared for the normal emissions of their home star” to the reasons any spacefarers pass us by.
My sincere hopes for the upcoming election is that we in the US are able to vote and that there is a peaceful transfer of power, regardless of who wins. I also hope after the election neither side resorts to violence because of what may or may not have happened on the election day. I want us to have peace. I want us to move forward together… and I know that sounds unbearably naive.
Given the current situation, and the polls giving the Democrats trepidation, what are the odds we see someone make attempt #3 this weekend? Seems like it would distract the media from the hurricane drama, the problems in the middle east, give us more room to continue ignoring Zelinskyy, and it would make it seem like Trump is just a source of chaos. 4 more years of him will be 4 more years of constant threats to our government. So, let’s just suspend the normal order of business and make the right decision now…
I really hope it doesn’t happen. But it feels like something else is going to break soon. My bet is we see another person take a chance with Trump. Anyone else feel that way?
Tampa is getting pasted right about now…
https://www.ventusky.com/?p=26.1;-79.4;5&l=rain-3h
…and looks like Daytona Beach is getting it right now, squarely in max rainfall and wind blowing directly in from the ocean, according to ventusky. I hope they were able to fortify that IV supply factory and that all their fancy automation isn’t marinating in six feet of Atlantic Ocean…
I also hope all the residents made a timely evacuation.
I had never heard that before. It explains so much.
We have cited articles that strongly hint at that, for instance: Kamala Harris, the only major candidate who drinks booze, has great taste in wine from SF Chronicle. https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/kamala-harris-has-good-taste-in-wine-15478759.php
I cannot recall a piece positioning itself as friendly with a headline like that.
As I was scrolling slowly through today’s Water Cooler, I saw that image and immediately thought it was AI-generated. I almost scrolled right down to the comments to post something about this before I saw your debunking/contextualizing material.
There was a Thomas Kinkade quality to the image–the lighting most particularly, but also the cloying, Disneyfied subjects–that just seemed wrong.
With all considerable respect due to Kshama Sawant, I think her perspective may be too limited. To my eyes, there’s nothing wrong with voting for Jill Stein to go for the slim chance of defeating both Harris and Trump — since both of them are utterly unacceptable. Or to paraphrase the candidate I hope won’t lose to Trump the distinction of the most votes received for President from a prison cell (my biggest reason for wanting that one still out for the time being): “I had rather vote against genocide, and not get it, than to than to vote for genocide and get it.”