A really good interview with a Democratic data analysis guy.  Explains some of the mathematical and demographic issues in US politics that I haven’t seen other places.  From New York magazine.

David Shor’s Unified Theory of American Politics

From the New York Times

From CNBC.  A good graph of what is going on state by state.

It looks like the White House is making a grab to control COVID-19 data via a Peter Thiel project.  It is pretty clear that deaths are already under reported (my own ballpark guess is the numbers should be about a  third higher).  The only reason I can see for this change is to cook the books and further under report COVID-19 cases and deaths.  From The Verge.

White House reportedly orders hospitals to bypass CDC during COVID-19 data collection

The Department of Heath and Human Services may collect the data in a central database

Because the internet needs cat pictures now more than ever.

Seems someone or some group is making lots of money seemingly knowing what Trump is going to tweet.  These are very large sums and seem to be the definition of insider trading.  From Vanity Fair.

“THERE IS DEFINITE HANKY-PANKY GOING ON”: THE FANTASTICALLY PROFITABLE MYSTERY OF THE TRUMP CHAOS TRADES

The president’s talk can move markets—and it’s made some futures traders billions. Did they know what he was going to say before he said it?

From the article:

But these wins were peanuts compared to the money made by a trader, or group of traders, who bought 420,000 September e-minis in the last 30 minutes of trading on June 28. That was some 40% of the day’s trading volume in September e-minis—making it a trade that could not easily be ignored. By then, President Trump was already in Osaka, Japan—14 hours ahead of Chicago—and on his way to a roughly hour-long meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping as part of the G20 summit. On Saturday in Osaka, after the market had closed in Chicago, Trump emerged from his meeting with Xi and announced that the intermittent trade talks were “back on track.” The following week was a good one in the stock market, thanks to the Trump announcement. On Thursday, June 27, the S&P 500 index stood at about 2915; a week or so later, it was just below 3000, a gain of 84 points, or $4,200 per e-mini contract. Whoever bought the 420,000 e-minis on June 28 had made a handsome profit of nearly $1.8 billion.

A few years ago we had some pool furniture that had some mesh covering that gave out.  I liked the aluminum frames and saved them hoping to do something with them.  I came up with a plan and used some PVC pipe, zip ties and pool noodles to make some really comfortable chairs.

Unfortunately, the UV from the Texas sun destroyed the pool noodles in just a few months.  We bought some cushions and threw them over the PVC pipe which worked out ok, and still works for two of the three chairs.

One of the three had a cushion that also gave out.  Thought I might give the noodle chair another go.  All I would have to do is cut the noodles and put them back on the pipes.  Took about an hour, but it was 106F today.  Went with black and white.  Probably going to get some sort of UV cover the make this one last.

Short of our President I’m not sure I have seen worse leadership, with worse repercussions, than our current Texas Governor.  This is what happens when you have a weak, “business friendly” government.  Business gets it way, at the expense of, well, just about everyone and everything.  Usually the costs in both money and lives are harder to see (I’m thinking of you, Texas oil industry) but this time the price of our Business Friendly government is on display for all to see.  BTW, this article is very sympathetic, at times, to the difficult plight of Gov Abbott.  I’m have no such sympathy.  From the Texas Tribune.

A singular figure in Texas’ coronavirus response, Gov. Greg Abbott leads a state headed in an alarming direction

The coronavirus pandemic has proved a leadership test like no other for the second-term governor. He holds nearly all power over the state’s response as it careens toward crisis.

Happened across these two quotes from William S. Burroughs The Place of Dead Roads.

“The Industrial Revolution is primarily a virus revolution, dedicated to proliferation of identical objects and persons.”
― William S. Burroughs, The Place of Dead Roads

“A chaotic situation is always deliberately produced. Ask yourself who or what sort of creature could benefit from such a situation.”
― William S. Burroughs, The Place of Dead Roads

Was listening to the last Bowie album, Blackstar.  I didn’t give it enough attention when it came out.  Very good stuff.  I was listening to it on Apple TV and my daughter came downstairs and asked: is this “Hamilton”?  Easy mistake to make.