By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
Patient readers, the Supreme Court decision on Anderson, the Colorado Section Three case that sought to throw Trump off the ballot under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment, dropped just as I was starting, so I had to focus on that (and spend some time doing a happy dance). The rest of Water Cooler is more than a little gappy, so let me go to work remedying that now… –lambert
Bird Song of the Day
Speckled Warbler, Coominglah State Forest (-24.9097, 150.9734), North Burnett, Queensland, Australia.
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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
The Constitutional Order (Insurrection)
“Colorado can’t disqualify Donald Trump for running for president under insurrection clause, U.S. Supreme Court rules” [Colorado Sun]. “The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled Monday that Donald Trump should appear on Colorado’s presidential primary ballot and that any votes cast for him be counted, rejecting a Colorado Supreme Court finding that the Republican is disqualified from running for president again because he violated the so-called insurrection clause in the Constitution. The high court’s justices ruled that when it comes to presidential and other federal candidates, Congress, not states, are responsible for enforcing the clause, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment… Further, a majority of the justices found that Congress would have to pass specific legislation to enforce Section 3 of the 14th amendment.” • So, Section 5 is not a hood ornament. 9-0. I wouldn’t go so far as to call Federalist Society luminaries Baude and Paulsen frivolous, but….
“Supreme Court keeps Trump on ballot, rejects Colorado voter challenge” [WaPo]. “The decision leaves Trump as the leading candidate for the Republican nomination and for now removes the Supreme Court from directly determining the path of the 2024 presidential election. The justices fast-tracked the challenge from voters in Colorado…. In a sign of the high court’s awareness of the election calendar, the justices took the unusual step of announcing the opinion on the Supreme Court’s website on a day when the court is not in session, instead of issuing it from the bench later this month…. Trump reacted to the decision with a brief, all-caps message on his social media site. ‘BIG WIN FOR AMERICA!!!’ he wrote.”
“States can’t kick Trump off ballot, Supreme Court says” [Politico]. “States have no authority to remove Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday, short-circuiting efforts by his detractors to declare him disqualified over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The justices did not weigh in on the fraught question of whether Trump engaged in an insurrection by attempting to subvert the 2020 election results or stoking the violence on Jan. 6. But the high court ruled in an unsigned opinion that only Congress, not the states, can disqualify a presidential candidate under the Constitution’s ‘insurrection clause.”… The result — which came one day before the Super Tuesday primaries — was expected.’” • Here is the opinion:
“Donald J. Trump, Petitioner v. Norma Anderson, et al.” (PDF) [Supreme Court of the United States]. Since this is a unanimous opinion — i.e., I don’t have to worry about getting into bed with members of the Federalist Society — let me do a short happy dance for pointing out some of the salient features of the case in “Strategy to Kick Trump Off the Ballot Under the Fourteenth Amendment Already Causing Chaos (So In Re Griffin Was Correctly Decided)“:
Baude and Paulsen aren’t doing a serious reading. In [Justice Samuel] Chase’s phrase [from In Re Griffin], “it must be ascertained what particular individuals are embraced by the definition,” we recognize what in the programming and math worlds is called a set membership function: “A function that specifies the degree to which a given input [say, Alexander Stephens] belongs to a set [say, insurrectionists].” That is, we need to determine the set of all insurrectionists; how do we “ascertain” that potential “inputs” to that set belong to it? That method of ascertainment is unknown, which is why “effective results, proceedings, evidence, decisions, and enforcement of decisions, more or less formal, are indispensable.” We do not need to do similar “ascertainment” for birthright citizenship, privileges or immunities, due process, and equal protection; all those are well understood, as the method to ascertain an insurrectionist was not (given that it had never been done before!). Chase conclude that these methods can “these can only be provided by Congress.”
The Supreme Court didn’t get all mathy. Nevertheless:
“Ascertainment”, then, is a central issue.
And I wrote:
What Chase in Griffin sought to avoid, and Baude and Paulsen incited by “Sweep and Force” has now come to pass, driven by an unholy alliance of Federalist Society members and liberal Democrat NGOs MR SUBLIMINAL Does the court give me leave to slay them outright?[1]. We have “various” “State” “actors” “exercising their usual authority with respect to such matters” as both Colorado and Maine have disqualifed Trump from the ballot.
And what do we have? Two different (“various”) branches of government, judicial and executive, in two states using two completely different evidentiary standards. Add one or two more states, another branch, and a few more evidentiary standards, and you’ve got a combinatorial explosion of “usual authority”! … Chief Justice Chase writes in In Re Griffin:
[A] construction, which must necessarily occasion great public and private mischief, must never be preferred to a construction which will occasion neither, or neither in so great degree, unless the terms of the instrument absolutely require such preference.
“Great public and private mischief” is exactly what is happening here. This is the Pandora’s box that “Sweep and Force” has gleefully opened. These already whacky results provide the clearest possible indication that Griffin was correctly decided, and that there should be national legislation to handle the ascertainment issues Chase described.
And the Supreme Court focused on different evidentiary standards as well:
As well as the chaotic outcome:
Now, to be fair, I only used the word “chaos” in the headline; for whatever reason, the Court, while citing to Griffen for “ascertainment,” did not cite to Griffin for the seeminly synonymous “great public and private mischief,” or for Chase’s principle of construction based on avoiding it. Nevertheless [lambert preens modestly] not too bad for a humble blogger, especially in the face of an avalanche of propaganda differing views across the political spectrum from liberal Democrats to Never Trumpers. Take that, Larry Tribe! Take that, J. Michael Luttig! And what a shame to see particular lawfare project come to naught (except for the fundraising, of course).
NOTE: Reading the decision, 9-0 is as close to an open-and-shut case as there is, regardless of the frothing and stamping of motivated reasoners. I don’t think we should infer the Court’s views on upcoming Trump cases from this outcome.
Capitol Seizure
“Some Jan. 6 sentences were improperly lengthened, appeals court rules” [Politico]. “A federal appeals court panel ruled Friday that Jan. 6 defendants who obstructed Congress’ work had their sentences improperly lengthened by judges who determined that they had interfered with the ‘administration of justice.’… Federal sentencing guidelines encourage judges to apply the ‘administration of justice’ enhancement to defendants who disrupt judicial proceedings like grand jury investigations or court hearings. The enhancement can increase recommended sentences by more than a year. The Justice Department has routinely asked judges to apply the enhancement to defendants who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, arguing that the session of Congress that day — meant to count electoral votes and certify the results of the 2020 election — should be considered the equivalent of a judicial proceeding.” That’s a goofy argument! Congress and the Judiciary are separate branches of government! And so: “A three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that argument in an appeal brought by Larry Brock, a Jan. 6 defendant who was sentenced last year to a two-year prison term for obstructing Congress’ proceedings. U.S. District Judge John Bates — a George W. Bush appointee — calculated Brock’s sentence by including the enhancement for interfering with ‘administration of justice.’ …. Brock was among the earliest rioters to breach the Capitol, wearing military gear and surging with the mob onto the Senate floor. The appeals court panel affirmed Brock’s felony conviction for his action but ordered Bates to resentence him without the enhancement attached. ‘Brock’s interference with one stage of the electoral college vote-counting process — while no doubt endangering our democratic processes and temporarily derailing Congress’s constitutional work — did not interfere with the ‘administration of justice,” wrote Judge Patricia Millett in a unanimous ruling joined by Judges Cornelia Pillard and Judith Rogers.” • I love this use of the word “enhancement.”
2024
Less than a year to go!
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Biden (D): “How Biden aides are trying to protect the president from protests” [The HIU]. ” President Joe Biden’s team is increasingly taking extraordinary steps to minimize disruption from pro-Palestinian protests at its events by making them smaller, withholding their exact locations from the media and public until his arrival, avoiding college campuses and, In at least one, for example, consider hiring a private company to screen participants. The efforts resulted in no disruptions to events organized by the White House or the campaign for Biden in the five weeks since he was interrupted a dozen times during a speech on abortion rights in Virginia. But they have also resulted in Biden appearing before fewer voters and failing to personally engage with some of the key constituencies whose support he has struggled to win, such as young voters.” You say “Keep Biden wrapped in tissue paper” like that’s a bad thing. More: “Many of Biden’s recent public appearances have been what the White House calls “OTR stops.” These are presidential visits to companies or residences that were not previously publicly announced and marked as ‘off the record.’ Biden aides describe such stops as efficient and innovative ways for him to meet voters. They said the events also typically generate positive local coverage while also providing the campaign with material to share on its digital platforms. ‘I think at some point [after Labor Day?] you’re going to see him do these big rallies and big crowds because that’s ultimately how you reach a large swath of voters,’ said a Democratic ally in the campaign. A Democratic strategist impressed by the staging at Biden’s student loan forgiveness event noted that while the precautions were understandable for would-be protesters, such measures pose a long-term political challenge for the party if its presidential candidate is unable to do so to hold large rallies on the university campus. But for now, a Biden adviser said, the small events tactic is expected to ‘continue in perpetuity.” • Hmm (and an odd source, via).
Biden (D): “Biden’s problem is with swing voters, not with his base” [Nate Silver, Silver Bulletin]. “Democrats should probably root for lower rather than higher turnout in November, a big change from the Obama years. (In a bit of good news for Biden, this also implies that he’ll probably gain ground when pollsters shift over polls of registered voters to polls of likely voters.)… [Swing voters] are people who are explicitly stating to pollsters that they are switching their vote from 2020. There are a substantial number of them. But these vote-switchers largely do not come from the core of the Democratic base. Among the roughly half of Biden 2020 voters in the Times poll who described themselves as Democratic primary voters, a relatively healthy 91 percent said they plan to vote for Biden again. People who vote in primaries tend to be more politically active and more loyal to their party. But if Biden is retaining only 83 percent of his 2020 vote overall, that implies he’s doing quite poorly with people who voted for him in 2020 but who are not loyal Democratic primary voters. Only about 75 percent of this group say they’ll vote for Biden again…. [T]he widespread assumption among Democrats that they can just run back their 2020 strategy or take a page from the Obama 2012 playbook appears to be flawed. There are still plenty of swing voters, and they’re swinging toward Trump.” • So Democrats should suppress the vote? Harris could help with that?
Biden (D): “Biden vs. Trump Polls: Joe’s Battleground Problem” [Ed Kilgore, New York Magazine]. “In the most recent batch of battleground state polls, from Bloomberg–Morning Consult, Biden trailed Trump in a head-to-head matchup by nine points in North Carolina, six points in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada, four points in Wisconsin, and two points in Pennsylvania. In a five-way trial heat including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West, and Jill Stein, Trump’s lead ballooned to ten points in North Carolina, nine points in Arizona and (shockingly) Pennsylvania, seven points in Georgia and Nevada, and six points in Wisconsin. The five-way race actually shaved a point off Trump’s lead in Michigan…. the danger signs are there that Biden may need to have a distinct battleground-state strategy even if he pulls into a national lead over Trump and any other rivals.” • Not seeing any sign of that.
Biden (D): “For Democrats Pining for an Alternative, Biden Team Has a Message: Get Over It” [New York Times]. “‘There is no council of elders and I’m not sure if there was that an incumbent president, no matter who it was, would listen to them,’ said David Plouffe, the architect of President Barack Obama’s campaigns and one of the strategists who helped him pick Mr. Biden as his vice-presidential running mate in 2008. ‘He thinks, ‘Hey, I won and I beat the guy who’s going to run against me and I can do it again.’” And: “Where most Democrats are,’ said Mr. Plouffe, ‘is, ‘OK, this is going to be really hard, a high degree of difficulty, but ultimately there’s probably enough of the country who doesn’t want to sign up for a second Trump term that we can make this work.’” More: “An important moment for the president to assert himself will come on Thursday night when he delivers his State of the Union address to what historically should be his largest television audience of the year. He will talk about his record and what he wants to do for the next four years. But as important as any policy pronouncement will be how he presents himself.”
Biden (D): “Jill Biden puts Donald Trump on notice as her campaign role comes into focus” [CNN]. “As the first lady embarks on a three-day, four-stop battleground state campaign swing, launching the “Women for Biden-Harris” coalition, her role in the reelection effort is becoming clearer. The campaign is looking to use a top surrogate to organize – and mobilize – female voters heading into the general election, all while delivering a clear message about Trump.” I would have thought Harris had that job? More: “The first lady is also traveling through Arizona, Nevada and Wisconsin, and she’s expected to court Black and Latino communities as the campaign looks to make inroads with those key demographic groups. Much of the first lady’s work in the early stages of the campaign has focused on crisscrossing the country for fundraisers, but in the months ahead she’s expected to become a more frequent presence on the trail advocating on behalf of her husband and his agenda.” • “Just call me ‘Edith Wilson‘!”
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“The pipe dream presidential candidacy of Gavin Newsom or Michelle Obama” [Orange County Register]. “With her name on the ballot, Harris has never lost an election, winning her races for San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general, U.S. Senate and vice president. She does not believe she’s disqualified because of her so-called cackle. Nor does she consider herself having failed to determine the ‘root cause’ of the three-year massive influx of illegal immigration when all but the hosts on MSNBC know the root cause is Biden’s reversal of Trump’s border policies. In her identity party, she checks two boxes as a female who identifies as black. Blacks are the most loyal part of the Democratic base, with black women more loyal than the men. In a September 2023 article about its CBS News/YouGov poll, CBS News wrote, ‘Black Democrats are the most enthusiastic about Harris today, as they were three years ago.’ For the reasons outlined above, black voters — particularly black female voters — would resent a ploy to cast Harris aside, but there is one caveat: The substitute would have to be a popular black female. Only two fit the bill: Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama. Winfrey does not want the gig and, despite the hopeful speculation, neither does Obama. She hates politics. So, Harris it is.” • Obama, Clinton, Biden, Harris. Quite a record. Anyhow, Harris did do well in debate with Biden (“that little girl was me“), but that’s a low bar. It remains to be seen how she would do in a debate with Trump (“that little boy was me” would be too delicious…).
“Gov. Pritzker in Nevada, Virginia, pushing for reproductive rights, fundraising for state parties” [Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times]. “And to jump ahead, if you want to know if I think Pritzker, in his second term as Illinois governor, will one day run for president, I do. It’s nothing he said. I’m just reading the tea leaves. The practical impact of being a billionaire is that the things Pritzker is doing now that could be construed as useful to a presidential bid — using his fortune to make massive contributions to candidates and causes he believes in, especially in the area of reproductive rights — are things he was doing before he was governor and would be doing anyway, no matter if he ever runs for the White House. That’s how he explained it to me.” And: “The are four main Pritzker lanes: 1) Pritzker’s official role as governor, where under his watch Illinois has become a haven for abortion rights; 2) Pritzker’s political operation and the JB for Governor campaign fund; 3) Pritzker’s personal political contributions and his ability to raise money from others; 4) Think Big America, which shares office space and staff with his political shop. Pritzker is also a top surrogate for the Biden campaign. In a below-the-radar trip to Washington last month, Pritzker and other governors met with Vice President Kamala Harris at her residence to talk about the campaign. ‘I think she wanted to hear our views about how it is going, the election that is, and what more the campaign can do and what was happening in our individual states.’ I asked Pritzker for his takeaways from that meeting, and he said, ‘I think there was no doubt that at least in the room, there was a common understanding that immigration and reproductive rights are the two most important issues that will help demotivate or motivate people to vote and that the president needs to address both of those himself directly, with help from all of us.’”
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Democrats en Déshabillé
“The Return of the Clintons” [New York Magazine]. “By late November, Bill found himself closer to the center of presidential politics than he’d been since Hillary ran in 2016. He and Joe Biden hadn’t talked in person in a few months, but he had been making no secret to friends that he thought Biden wasn’t getting the credit he deserved for his accomplishments. Tucked into a quiet corner of Air Force One on the way to Georgia for Rosalynn Carter’s memorial service, the 42nd president repeated the sentiment to the 46th, chewing over the unique challenges of the presidency as almost no one else could. Flying south from Washington, they discussed Biden’s obstacles in a political environment warped by Trump — how hard it had gotten to focus public attention on what Biden was doing and how complicated it had become to turn around the national feeling about the economy. Hillary wasn’t part of that conversation, but she was on the plane, too — along with Michelle Obama and Jill Biden — and she had plenty of her own thoughts as Biden entered 2024 running behind her old foe in the polls. In recent months, the former secretary of state has begun convening groups of friends and political allies for private dinners to talk through the coming election season and to drum up badly needed support for Democratic candidates, starting with the president. The sessions are occasionally at the Clintons’ primary home in Chappaqua, but more often at their house in Washington, not far from the residence of Vice-President Kamala Harris, with whom she has quietly been keeping in touch.” • Via TV Tropes, “Raised Hand of Survival“:
#COVID19
“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
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 (dashboard); 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, 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!
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Covid is Airborne
The United States is not a serious country:
HEPA filtering on Italian trains.
It CAN be done. The air CAN be made safe to breathe. It is only the will which is lacking.
WE MUST DEMAND CLEAN, SAFE PUBLIC AIR. @CO2RadicalAus https://t.co/Vu4fZnSKiT pic.twitter.com/tRcWwKkQuR
— Dr David Berger, aBsuRdiSTe cROnickLeR (@YouAreLobbyLud) March 3, 2024
Elite Maleficence
Point, counterpoint:
I would be interested to know where anarchist models of healthcare are being pursued. “Mask blocs”? Readers?
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TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts
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] (Biobot) Biobot drops, conformant to Walgreen positivity data (if that is indeed not a data artifact). Note, however, the area “under the curve,” besides looking at peaks. That area is larger under Biden than under Trump, and it seems to be rising steadily if unevenly.
[2] (Biobot) Regional separation re-emerges.
[3] (CDC Variants) As of May 11, genomic surveillance data will be reported biweekly, based on the availability of positive test specimens.” “Biweeekly: 1. occurring every two weeks. 2. occurring twice a week; semiweekly.” Looks like CDC has chosen sense #1. In essence, they’re telling us variants are nothing to worry about. Time will tell.
[4] (ER) Does not support Biobot data. “Charts and data provided by CDC, updates Wednesday by 8am. For the past year, using a rolling 52-week period.”
[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Not flattening.
[6] (Hospitalization: CDC) Still down. “Maps, charts, and data provided by CDC, updates weekly for the previous MMWR week (Sunday-Saturday) on Thursdays (Deaths, Emergency Department Visits, Test Positivity) and weekly the following Mondays (Hospitalizations) by 8 pm ET†”.
[7] (Walgreens) That’s a big drop! It would be interesting to survey this population generally; these are people who, despite a tsunami of official propaganda and enormous peer pressure, went and got tested anyhow.
[8] (Cleveland) Flattening, consistent with Biobot data.
[9] (Travelers: Posivitity) Down, albeit in the rear view mirror.
[10] (Travelers: Variants) Backward revisions remove NV.1 data. JN.1 dominates utterly.
Stats Watch
There are no official statistics of interest today.
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Transportation: “Three Norfolk Southern trains derail in Pennsylvania” [The Hill]. “Three Norfolk Southern trains derailed after a collision in eastern Pennsylvania that, so far, has not caused any injuries or released hazardous materials. The incident occurred near Easton, Pa., Saturday morning along the Lehigh River. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said an unknown number of cars from those trains have derailed. ‘Preliminary information indicates that an eastbound NS train struck a stopped NS train on the same track,’ NTSB said in a statement to The Hill. ‘The wreckage from the striking train spilled onto an adjacent track and was struck by a westbound NS train. The collision led to the derailment of an unknown number of cars.’” • Collision Scheduled Railroading. This keeps happening, doesn’t it?
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Today’s Fear & Greed Index: 79 Extreme Greed (previous close: 77 Extreme Greed) [CNN]. One week ago: 75 (Extreme Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Mar 4 at 12:37:23 PM ET.
Rapture Index: Closes down one on climate. ” The lack of activity has downgraded this category” [Rapture Ready]. Record High, October 10, 2016: 189. Current: 187. (Remember that bringing on the Rapture is good.) NOTE on #42 Plagues: “The coronavirus pandemic has maxed out this category.” More honest than most! • Goat sacrificers irrelevant? Atlantic meridional overturning circulation irrelevant?
Class Warfare
“SPEEA: Pilot Contract Talks Illustrate Boeing Safety Culture Problems” [Yahoo Finance]. “The union for Flight Technical and Safety Pilots with Boeing’s Flight Operations Group says it has first-hand experience of the kinds of safety-culture problems [the FAA] reported on earlier this week…. ‘To put this in context,’ [Ray Goforth, SPEEA Executive Director] said, ‘Boeing has systematically hollowed out the SPEEA Pilot Instructors Unit, replacing valued Boeing expertise with contractors. The resulting degradation in expert advice given to Boeing’s airline customers is another example of the safety-culture problem highlighted by the FAA.’…. In another strange turn, Boeing asked SPEEA’s negotiators to sign a retroactive Non-Disclosure Agreement so that the union couldn’t tell its members how much they were being underpaid compared to their peers. SPEEA declined; Goforth called the request ‘weird.’” • Looks like that new lawyer Boeing promoted to head up HR is already hard at work!
News of the Wired
“Effect of gut microbiome modulation on muscle function and cognition: the PROMOTe randomised controlled trial” [Nature]. “Studies suggest that inducing gut microbiota changes may alter both muscle physiology and cognitive behaviour. Gut microbiota may play a role in both anabolic resistance of older muscle, and cognition. In this placebo controlled double blinded randomised controlled trial of 36 twin pairs (72 individuals), aged ≥60, each twin pair are block randomised to receive either placebo or prebiotic daily for 12 weeks. Resistance exercise and branched chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation is prescribed to all participants. Outcomes are physical function and cognition…. Our results demonstrate that cheap and readily available gut microbiome interventions may improve cognition in our ageing population.” • Now do Long Covid.
“Motion Blur All the Way Down” [Pierre Cusa]. “Motion blur started out purely as a film artifact, the result of a subject moving while the camera’s shutter is open. This artifact turned out to be desirable, especially for videos, because it improves the perceptual similarity between a video and a natural scene, something I’ll dive into in this section…. [T]here already exists a natural blur at the photoreceptor level, a phenomenon often called motion smear. So why do we add artificial motion blur in videos, and what is the link between motion smear and motion blur?” • Do a lot of math, so MEGO. However, as a photographer, I love motion blur. Rather like Millet trying to paint a peasant actually dropping a potato into a furrow; not as easy as it looks!
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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: “This lovely flower is a Scabiosa columbaria, ‘Pink Mist’. It lives at the Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona Del Mar, California. I just love everything about it, but mostly the color!” Nice bokeh!
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