By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
Patient readers, I am in post-Christmas post-prandial mode (brunch). I will post a full complement, since there is rather a lot going on, but later than usual. –lambert P.S. I now have my #1 machine back, keyboard replaced and screen cleaned — it’s amazing how bright it is! — so back to my normal, template-driven, Water Cooler structure.
Bird Song of the Day
Northern Mockingbird, Marin, California, United States. “This bird was languidly singing from an unseen location within an oak tree uphill from the first steep part of the fire road immediately above the end of San Andreas Drive. Mimicked birds include Steller’s Jay (0:12), Northern Flicker (0:16), European Starling (0:31) and American Robin (0:44).”
Politics
“So many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles
Trump Assassination Attempts (Plural)
“Trial of man accused in Trump assassination attempt in Florida pushed back to September” [Associated Press]. “Ryan Routh’s trial will begin Sept. 8 instead of the previously scheduled Feb. 10, 2025 start date, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon said in an order released on Monday…. Routh’s attorneys had asked the judge to delay the trial until no earlier than next December, saying they needed more time to review the evidence against him and decide whether to mount an insanity defense. Routh owned 17 cellphones and numerous other electronic devices, and there are hundreds of hours of police body camera and surveillance videos that have been provided to the defense, Routh’s attorneys argued during a hearing two weeks ago in Fort Pierce, Florida. In her order, Cannon said she wanted to err on the side of providing more time given the seriousness of the allegations, but that starting the trial no earlier than December would be an excessive amount. A September trial date didn’t amount to an ‘unreasonable delay,’ she said…. The judge said that any insanity defense or any request related to Routh’s mental competency must be made by early February. Any visit to the scene of the assassination attempt must be made by the end of February.”
Biden Administration
“A Reflective Biden Harbors Some Regrets as His Term Winds Down” [New York Times]. “Despite being described by his allies as in a pensive, , mood as the end of his term approaches, the president has not made himself available to answer many questions about his recent actions.” How often is “sometimes”? More: “Aside from joking about his wealth, Mr. Biden has openly stewed over one of Mr. Trump’s flashier — and apparently effective — stunts as president. During the same speech at Brookings, Mr. Biden said he had been “stupid” not to sign his name to Covid stimulus checks that were distributed to Americans early in his term. Mr. Trump emblazoned his signature on checks distributed after a relief bill was passed in the spring of 2020. Mr. Biden and his advisers learned a little something from Mr. Trump’s tendency to scrawl his name on things. By 2023, signs touting infrastructure projects “funded by President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” began popping up around the country. But those had little political impact compared with a signed check.” • Bush the Younger signed his checks in the 2000s. Obama, in his miserably inadequate stimulus package, put up no signs, which gave rise to comment. Trump signed his checks. And only in 2023 does Biden’s name go up on signs. Slow learners, or what?
Trump Transition
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Failing to Elect a House Speaker Quickly” [Chad Pergram, Thread Reader]. Original. Sounds like a pretty big deal: “This is the breakdown when the Congress starts: 219 Republicans to 214 Democrats…. The Speaker of the House must win an outright majority of all Members casting ballots for someone by name. In other words, the person with the most votes does not win… So let’s crunch the math for Mike Johnson. If there are 219 Republicans and four vote for someone besides him – and all Democrats cast ballots for Jeffries, the tally is 215-214. But there’s no Speaker. No one attained an outright majority of all Members casting ballots for someone by name. 218 is the magic number if all 434 Members vote. By rule, this paralyzes the House. The House absolutely, unequivocally, cannot do anything until it elects a Speaker. Period. The House can’t swear-in Members. Technically, they’re still Representatives-elect. Only after the House chooses its Speaker does he or she in turn swear-in the membership. The House certainly can’t pass legislation. It can’t form committees. It’s frozen in a parliamentary paralysis until it elects a Speaker…. This also means that the House cannot certify the results of the Electoral College, making President-elect Trump the 47th President of the United States on January 6. The failure to elect a Speaker compels the House to vote over and over….” Much more on possible scenarios in the complete thread. Chuck Grassley, Senate President Tempore, is fourth in line for the Presidency: “If the House is still frittering away time, trying to elect a Speaker on January 20, Grassley likely becomes ‘Acting President.’” • Could be entertaining! And today’s House has not had a good record picking Speakers in a timely and non-acrimonious mannner. Maybe the people floating Elon Musk for Speaker had these scenarios gamed out?
“Congress has the power to block Trump from taking office, but lawmakers must act now” [The Hill].
2024 Post Mortem
“Will the U.S. Ever Be Ready for a Female President?” [New York Times]. “For Democrats still scarred by Hillary Clinton’s loss to Donald J. Trump in 2016, Vice President Kamala Harris’s defeat at the hands of the same man in November has only deepened anxieties over gender bias and prompted a fresh round of debate over the electability of women to the nation’s highest office.” • Perhaps these “scarred” Democrats could give consideration to the idea that — hear me out — the quality of the candidates has something to do with electoral outcomes?
Democrats en déshabillé
“Marianne Williamson launches bid for DNC chair” [The Hill]. “Former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson on Thursday launched a bid for chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), jumping into a crowded field of candidates vying to rebuild the party after its general election losses last month…. Among the other declared contenders are New York state Sen. James Skoufis (D), Minnesota Democratic Party Chair Ken Martin, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and former Homeland Security official Nate Snyder.” • Could Williamson be worse?
Realignment and Legitimacy
That’s the stuff to give the troops:
Re-reading Huey Long’s “Share Our Wealth” speech from 1934 sure is something. pic.twitter.com/MmwWyMx1sF
— Elliot Haspel (@ehaspel) December 24, 2024
No wonder “they” shot him.
* * * “Luigi Mangione’s sweater sells out at Nordstrom one day after court appearance” [The Independent]. “Mangione was wearing a white-collared shirt underneath the sweater in addition to light grey slacks and orange shoes at the courthouse. While fans first thought his sweater was a $1,000 Maison Margiela sweater, it was later determined that Mangione was wearing the “washable Merino crewneck sweater” from Nordstrom. The sweater was previously available for $89.50 according to the Nordstrom website, but it is currently on sale for $62.65 with 30 percent off. The sweater comes in six other colors aside from the burgundy one, which is no longer available.” • The aghastitude of the press seems to be having little effect, out there in the biomass. Give it time, I suppose. I wonder how many of the burgundy sweaters were Christmas gifts?
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, thump, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).
Stay safe out there!
Lambert here: The State of New York and Walgreens still chugging along faithfully.
| Wastewater | |
| This week[1] CDC December 16 | Last week[2] CDC (until next week): |
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| Variants [3] CDC December 21 | Emergency Room Visits[4] CDC December 14 |
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| Hospitalization | |
| ★New York[5] New York State, data December 24: | National [6] CDC December 19: |
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| Positivity | |
| ★ National[7] Walgreens December 23: | Ohio[8] Cleveland Clinic December 14: |
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| Travelers Data | |
| Positivity[9] CDC December 2: | Variants[10] CDC December 2:: |
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| Deaths | |
| Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] CDC November 20: | Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] CDC November 20: |
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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) Seeing more red and more orange, but nothing new at major hubs.
[2] (CDC) Last week’s wastewater map.
[3] (CDC Variants) XEC takes over. That WHO label, “Ommicron,” has done a great job normalizing successive waves of infection.
[4] (ED) A little uptick.
[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Leveled out.
[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Leveling out.
[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.
[8] (Cleveland) Continued upward trend since, well, Thanksgiving.
[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Leveling out.
[10] (Travelers: Variants). Positivity is new, but variants have not yet been released.
[11] Deaths low, positivity leveling out.
[12] Deaths low, ED leveling out.
Stats Watch
Employment Situation: “United States Initial Jobless Claims” [Trading Economics]. “Initial jobless claims in the US eased by 1,000 from the previous week to 219,000 in the second week of December, contrasting with market expectations that they would have risen to 224,000.”
Manufacturing: “Court ruling on Boeing sends Florida an important message about diversity efforts” [Tampa Bay Times]. “Recently, a federal judge rejected a plea deal for Boeing aimed at resolving the company’s safety issues that have led to deadly disasters and other incidents involving its aircraft…. Judge Reed O’Connor expressed concerns that the court would not have adequate supervision of necessary changes at the company under the agreement. However, he spent most of his 12-page ruling focusing on a provision in the company’s plea deal with the Department of Justice that said an independent monitor would be hired ‘in keeping with the Department’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.’ … ‘In a case of this magnitude, it is in the utmost interest of justice that the public is confident this monitor selection is made based solely on competency. The parties’ DEI efforts only undermine this confidence in the Government and Boeing’s ethics and anti-fraud efforts. Accordingly, the diversity-and-inclusion provision renders the plea agreement against the public interest.’” • With some interesting comments on Boeing’s culture of “secrecy and intimidation.”
Today’s Fear & Greed Index: 37 Fear (previous close: 34 Fear) [CNN]. One week ago: 21 (Extreme Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Dec 26 at 1:22:08 PM ET.
Rapture Index: Closes unchanged [Rapture Ready]. Record High, October 10, 2016: 189. Current: 181. (Remember that bringing on the Rapture is good.) • Hard to believe the Rapture Index isn’t at an all-time high. Doesn’t the collapse of Syria bring the Third Temple closer? Do these people know something we don’t?
“The Power Of A Single Note: The Poetic Imagination Of Yunchan Lim” [3 Quarks Daily]. Lim: “‘[W]hen I press the G-sharp key, if it strikes my heart, then I move on to the next one. . .If my heart doesn’t feel it when moving to the A-sharp key, I keep doing it. . . . if the A-sharp key strikes my heart, then I practice connecting the first and second notes, and if that connection strikes my heart, then I move on to the third note.” • Readers?
Gallery
Nice quote:
Fairfield Porter’s painting was sketched early on the morning of 25 December 1961: ‘ I remembered what Bonnard said Renoir told him ‘make everything more beautiful. This partly means that a painting should contain a mystery but not for mystery’s sake: a mystery that is essential… pic.twitter.com/ZfBj5FmtvB
— Richard Morris (@ahistoryinart) December 25, 2024
Good call by Yglesias:
https://t.co/3DldBz3PDK pic.twitter.com/3rOPt4bG3m
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) December 25, 2024
There was an amazing dogpile over this woman’s thesis (pictured) — granted, written in current academic jargon — and it turns out (“sensory branding”) she got it right, as did Yglesias (“even a blind pig finds a truffle every so often”).
“Make your garden a safe haven for robins this winter with these expert tips” [Euronews]. “During a cold winter, up to half of garden birds can be lost to cold and hunger. In the UK, the Red List of endangered bird species has more than doubled in the last 25 years. Robins – the country’s national bird – are particularly vulnerable as they stay loyal to their gardens whatever the weather. A robin can use up to 10 per cent of its body weight to keep warm on a single winter night. Unless it can replenish its reserves every day, a cold spell can prove fatal. With hedgerows declining, there is a lack of natural food, and without supplementary bird feeding in gardens, many robins die of cold and starvation.” For Robins: “According to [Sean McMenemy], the best foods for robins are mealworms and calci worms, fatty foods like suet pellets, meaty kitchen scraps, mild cheese, cake and biscuit crumbs, dried fruit and crushed peanuts. Robins prefer to forage and feed off the ground. Place a small tray close to a shrub, tree or perch, and you may soon find them gaining enough confidence to feed from your hand.” And in general: “Ensuring your garden isn’t too pristine or tidy can also help. Wild undergrowth encourages the proliferation of insects and helps robins to find food. Dead leaves, log piles and twigs also help insects to thrive.” • I was taught long ago that “Birds love a mess.” It’s true!
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 SC:
SC writes up his current autumn garden project:
In the interest of smoothing out the seasonality of my plants starting hobby, I’ve been trying to start certain perennials earlier than usual (typical time for indoor starts for me has previously been mid-Winter, in early February) and harden them off outdoors in late Winter or early Spring when it is still way too cold to move annuals outdoors. This year, I’m pushing the schedule even earlier, to see if it can work to start cold-hardy perennials in late Summer/early Autumn, grow them to a respectable size and then plant them before the ground freezes. The test case is Purple Coneflower, which, in my past experience of growing it from seed on the conventional “sow in February” schedule, does not bloom vigorously until the 2nd year. The attached photo is of a shelf of coneflowers started in mid-September, a week before the Solstice. The seeds are about 2 years old (purchased early 2023 from Prairie Moon Nursery) but still highly viable; 136 of 144 seeds produced strong seedlings. This photo was taken October 20, about 5 weeks after sowing. About half have since been moved outside, and 36 of those are already distributed and planted by the recipient. It remains to be seen whether these will bloom nicely in Spring 2025. If they do, this schedule will cut nearly in half the time from “seed to handsome bloom display” (and, more importantly from my perspective, will free up time and rack space during the busy period in mid-late Winter).
In followup to an inquiry to the commentariat I made some months ago, re: deterring squirrel depredations, peppermint essential oil seems to be highly effective. I use 1 mL of oil per half-Liter of water, with some liquid dish soap to help emulsify the oil. At $10 per 120 mL oil, it costs a few pennies per tray per application. It probably needs to be reapplied after rain. Squirrels have been tearing up my trays and pots, evidently looking for food (it has been dry all Summer and there may be a food shortage for them) but the trays treated with peppermint oil have been left alone.
Of possible interest to fellow amateur propagators, the pictured grow arrangement is a Home Depot HDX 18x48x72″ steel rack with “Monios-L” 48″ LED grow lights, 3 strips per shelf. This combination is much cheaper than the custom-built illuminated grow racks sold by online gardening supply retailers.
I myself am an amateur propagator, though perhaps not to vigorously now as in the past.
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