\n<\/p>\n
By Lambert Strether.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nPatient readers, I got a very late start today, so this Water Cooler will be quite light. Sorry! \u2013lambert<\/p>\nBird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Bindloss Campground, Hanna, Alberta, Canada.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#trumponomics\">Yanis Varoufakis<\/a> on Trumponomics.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#doge\">DOGE<\/a> not putting up the numbers on fraud.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#democrats\">Zephyr Teachout<\/a> on the real powers the Democrats have.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital.\u201d \u2013Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Trump Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"58.962536023055\">\n<p><a name=\"trumponomics\"\/>\u201cDonald Trump\u2019s economic masterplan\u201d [Yanis Varoufakis, <a href=\"https:\/\/unherd.com\/2025\/02\/why-trumps-tariffs-are-a-masterplan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Unherd<\/a>]. \u201cThe unsophisticated Trump is, in fact, far more sophisticated than [mainstream economists] in that he understands how raw economic power, not marginal productivity, decides who does what to whom \u2014 both domestically and internationally. Though we risk the abyss staring back when we attempt to gaze into Trump\u2019s mind, we do need a grasp of his thinking on three fundamental questions: why does he believe that America is exploited by the rest of the world? What is his vision for a new international order in which America can be \u2018great\u2019 again? How does he plan to bring it about? Only then can we produce a sensible critique of Trump\u2019s economic masterplan.\u201d \u2022 I have read this, and I can\u2019t excerpt it properly. But Yanis is no dummy (even if he does think BRICS has more <em>sprezzatura<\/em> than it does). Kudos to him for treating Trump as, well, a thinker, instead of ranting. I think I\u2019ll run this again when people can discuss, but for now, please read.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy Trump 2.0 Looks Unstoppable\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/articles\/2025\/02\/12\/why_trump_20_looks_unstoppable__152343.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RealClearPolitics<\/a>]. \u201cTrump\u2019s second term is off to a much better start than his first. It\u2019s worth looking at the factors that have made Trump 2.0 so dominant. The first is that he has a much better understanding of how he can use his power to accomplish his goals. His executive orders contain specific instructions to dismantle the regulatory state and withdraw the woke tentacles the left has used to influence American society. That\u2019s partly because his supporters spent their years in exile crafting detailed plans for his eventual return. Second, his staffing choices have been superb and aligned with his vision. That wasn\u2019t the case in his first term, which was hampered by leaks, internal drama and staff upheaval. In his first term, \u2018many of his Cabinet picks quietly or openly worked to stop his ideas,\u2019 the Associated Press recently wrote. That isn\u2019t happening now, and the improvement is obvious. The third change is how quickly he\u2019s moving. In his first term, Trump signed one executive order on Jan. 20, 2017. This year, Trump signed more than two dozen on his first day in office. And he\u2019s kept up a rapid pace.\u201d \u2022 Hard to disagree with any of this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump\u2019s Body Language During Baffling Elon Musk Press Conference Spoke Volumes, Experts Say\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/Trump\" s=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">HuffPo<\/a>]. Personally, I thought Musk using his kid as prop was bad. Be that as it may: \u201c[Mark Bowden, body language expert and author,] thinks the Tesla CEO used his son as a distraction, particularly at one point, when he appeared to deflect a question by jokingly saying that his son, who was then on his shoulders, was sticking his fingers in his ears. A reporter had asked Musk to divulge more information about the fraud his DOGE team has claimed to have seen within the Treasury Department. \u2018In this moment, Musk uses his son as a vehicle to justify his own discomfort,\u2019 Bowden said. \u2018He takes off his hat, brushes his hair back, and swings from side to side \u2014 all nervous adaptive behaviors.\u2019 [Patti Wood, a body language and nonverbal communication expert] called the situation bizarre, saying that Musk was trying to contain his preschooler while talking about ;making significant, impactful changes\u2019 like slashing federal budgets. She thinks Musk was likely advised that having his son there would make him look \u2018warm and fuzzy,\u2019 but that instead it made him look \u2018clownish\u2019 and \u2018Trump ineffective by association.\u2019 She said that Trump made \u2018failed\u2019 efforts to interact with the 4-year-old at points in the conference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>RFK confirmed:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.4060773480663\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"11.455801104972\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING\u2014RFK Jr has been confirmed as Trump\u2019s HHS Secretary by 52-48. The only GOP senator to vote \u201cNo\u201d with Democrats was Mitch McConnell\u2014who survived polio as a child, and is a strong advocate for vaccinations. Now, founder of the largest anti-vax disinfo group is HHS\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/D8ndwwZPtM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/D8ndwwZPtM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrEricDing\/status\/1890077607473074188\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I guess, on the bright side, we\u2019re going to give a population of 300 million or so a marvellous opportunity to display adaptability. Especially children.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"36.407828282828\">\n<p><a name=\"doge\"\/>\u201cTrump and Musk can\u2019t seem to locate much evidence of fraud\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/nEcyp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WaPo<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cThey keep justifying their bold moves as combating fraud, but they have been unable so far to point to much of anything specific that\u2019s actually fraudulent.\u201d For example:<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"28\">\n<p>By Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was pressed on the supposed evidence of fraud \u2014 and seemingly came prepared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs for the actual receipts, we are happy to provide them, and I actually brought some today,\u201d Leavitt said, as she waved around printouts.<\/p>\n<p>She proceeded to mention four things:<\/p>\n<p>A $36,000 contract for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.<\/p>\n<p>A $3.4 million contract for \u201cinclusive innovation\u201d at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.<\/p>\n<p>$57,000 for climate change programs in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n<p>A limestone mine in Pennsylvania where federal employee retirements are processed on paper.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I know pennies add up, but is this worth putting DOGEbags in the operations chair of every executive agency? Lots of tweets though!<\/p>\n<p>NOTE Looks like Elon read my post yesterday, and built out the website. I took a cursory look. The org chart of the Federal Government is kind of neat, rather like those wind-blown whirligigs you see in people\u2019s front yards, but it\u2019s hardly complete. For example, it leaves out the Executive Office of the President of the United States entirely, hence DOGE, hence the entire parallel structure DOGE is attempting to introduce. Also, there\u2019s still no US flag. Maybe they decided a South African flag would be too much?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"14.737019554956\">\n<p>\u201cJudge Temporarily Reinstalls Special Counsel Dellinger After Trump Firing\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/whistleblowersblog.org\/corporate-whistleblowers\/boeing-whistleblower-continues-to-advocate-for-airline-safety\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Whistleblower Network News<\/a>]. \u201cLate on February 10, a federal judge issued an administrative stay allowing Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger to remain in his post through Thursday as he challenges his termination by President Trump. Dellinger oversees the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), an independent agency that protects federal employees from whistleblower retaliation and investigates whistleblower disclosures about wrongdoing in federal agencies. Dellinger was notified of his termination late on February 7 and sued the White House, claiming that his firing was illegal. Under federal statute, the Special Counsel can be removed by the President \u2018only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.\u2019 The White House has not pointed to any of these issues in removing Dellinger. Under the stay granted by Judge Amy Berman Jackson, \u2018Hampton Dellinger shall continue to serve as the Special Counsel of the Office of Special Counsel\u2026 and the defendants may not deny him access to the resources or materials of that office or recognize the authority of any other person as Special Counsel.\u2019\u2026 National Whistleblower Center has launched an emergency campaign in response to the wrongful termination of Special Counsel Dellinger. They are urging supporters to join them and to contact their Representatives and Senators immediately and express their concern on the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"democrats\"\/>Democrats <em>en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"32.64586645469\">\n<p>\u201cPay Less Attention to That Man in Front of the Curtain\u201d [Zephyr Teachout, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/trump-musk-democrats-fight-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Nation<\/a>]. Much better than the usual Nation fare. \u201cYet initially the two current leaders of the Democratic Party seemed determined to broadcast their own weakness. Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries spent last week at a donor retreat with billionaire tech leaders, only to emerge whining, \u2018What leverage do we have? They control the House, the Senate, and the presidency.\u2019\u2026 Jeffries\u2019s conflation of \u201cleverage\u201d with \u201cholding a majority in a chamber\u201d is jaw-dropping. Power\u2014the ability to change the behavior of another\u2014comes from information, charisma, law, attention, procedure, expertise, and the ability to convene and organize. \u2026 What could they have done? Here are four suggestions: First, vigorous procedural delay\u2026.. Second, convene and spotlight. They should not see their power just through the lens of how it has traditionally been used. Congressional Democratic leadership should also make full use of their own convening power, holding hearings taking testimony from fired and pressured employees\u2026. Congressional Democrats can also do more on basic legal protection of the institution. The people\u2019s house is under attack, and they should be wielding law like swords to defend it. While Democratic state attorneys general have been filing lawsuit after lawsuit, congressional leadership\u2014whose own power as the lawmaking arm of the American public is being decimated\u2014should understand they also need to play a key role in making sure lawsuits are brought to block the destruction. Whatever their legal abilities, they are all astute fundraisers, and can play matchmaker between constituents, possible plaintiffs, lawyers, and donors to make sure that effective and well-resourced lawsuits are brought to stop the illegal power plays\u2026.. Finally, they can go on offense, forcing Trump and Republicans to either help Americans, or clearly demonstrate that they don\u2019t want to. That means being willing to work with Republicans\u2014if they can get laws passed that make people\u2019s lives better, and not focus on Democratic Party branding.\u201d \u2022\u00a0And from Teachout\u2019s thread on this article:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.1696113074205\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" wp_automatic_readability=\"13.159010600707\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My first day of class in Market Structure and Democracy we talk about power, what is it, where it comes from, all the varieties, I can’t believe that members of Congress can’t see beyond their little routines in terms of power.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Zephyr Teachout (@ZephyrTeachout) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZephyrTeachout\/status\/1890100062455566465\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I can believe it\u2026. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Syndemics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am in earnest \u2014 I will not equivocate \u2014 I will not excuse \u2014 I will not retreat a single inch \u2014 AND I WILL BE HEARD.\u201d \u2013William Lloyd Garrison<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&list_select_county=all_counties&data-type=Risk&null=Risk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>); Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>, <del><a href=\"https:\/\/biobot.io\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Biobot<\/a><\/del>; includes many counties; <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wastewater Scan<\/a>, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/businesssolutions\/covid-19-index.jsp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a>); \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/iowacovid19tracker.org\/hospitals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Iowa COVID-19 Tracker<\/a>\u201d (in IA, but national data). \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/icemsg.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Infection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts<\/a>\u201d (especially on hospitalization by city).<\/p>\n<p>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 \u201cCOVID\u201d in the subject line. Thank you!<\/p>\n<p>Resources, United States (Local): AK (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/af2efc8bffbf4cdc83c2d1a134354074\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/6d2771faa9da4a2786a509d82c8cf0f7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AR (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/633006d0782b4544bd5113a314f6268a\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AZ (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.azdhs.gov\/covid19\/data\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); CA (<a href=\"https:\/\/skylab.cdph.ca.gov\/calwws\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.marinhhs.org\/surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Marin, dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/healthalerts.stanford.edu\/covid-19\/wastewater-dashboard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stanford, wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/?v=SC2_N&l=Oakland%2C+CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Oakland, wastewater<\/a>); CO (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.colorado.gov\/data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/cdphe.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/d79cf93c3938470ca4bcc4823328946b#utility=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); CT (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.ct.gov\/stories\/s\/COVID-19-data\/wa3g-tfvc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); DE (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.delaware.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); FL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/5b9d75ba683849928dc1a49c39ab0b1c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); GA (<a href=\"https:\/\/dph.georgia.gov\/ga-nwss-wastewater-surveillance-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); HI (<a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); IA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dmmwra.org\/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=57\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater reports<\/a>); ID (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Boise; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/?plantId=1056f05c-0e46-4e3d-b007-c0453ba7dc0d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Central Idaho; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/#:SARS-CoV-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Coeur d\u2019Alene; dashboard, <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.srhd.org\/topics\/spokane-county-case-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spokane County<\/a>); IL (<a href=\"https:\/\/iwss.uillinois.edu\/wastewater-treatment-plants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); IN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.in.gov\/indiana-covid-19-dashboard-and-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); KS (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov\/160\/COVID-19-in-Kansas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/4456bae8a38f4b6180e008477382fff9\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Lawrence); KY (<a href=\"https:\/\/louisville.edu\/envirome\/thecoimmunityproject\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Louisville); LA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ldh.la.gov\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/covid-19-wastewater-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MD (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.maryland.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); ME (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/dhhs\/mecdc\/infectious-disease\/epi\/airborne\/coronavirus\/data.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/coronavirus\/stats\/wastewater-surveillance\/dashboard\/sentinel-wastewater-epidemiology-evaluation-project-sweep\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/gisportal.state.mi.us\/portal\/apps\/insights\/index.html#\/view\/52bbb104ed574887918f990af9f3debe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.state.mn.us\/diseases\/coronavirus\/stats\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MO (<a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/f7f5492486114da6b5d6fdc07f81aacf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MS (<a href=\"https:\/\/msdh.ms.gov\/page\/14,0,420.html#Mississippi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>MT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/MapSeries\/index.html?appid=7c34f3412536439491adcc2103421d4b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; NC (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.ncdhhs.gov\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard)<\/a>; ND (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NE (<a href=\"https:\/\/atlas-dhhs.ne.gov\/Atlas\/Respiratory_Illness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NH (<a href=\"https:\/\/wisdom.dhhs.nh.gov\/wisdom\/dashboard.html?topic=covid-19&subtopic=recurring-updates&indicator=covid-19-wastewater#tabnavbarid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NJ (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.nj.gov\/forms\/datadashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NM (<a href=\"https:\/\/cvprovider.nmhealth.org\/public-dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NV (<a href=\"https:\/\/nvhealthresponse.nv.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/empower.unlv.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Southern NV); NY (<a href=\"https:\/\/mbcolli.shinyapps.io\/SARS2EWSP\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OH (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.ohio.gov\/dashboards\/other-resources\/wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OK (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/51657c21386d4f1a962b1853c76ec589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>OR (<a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/app\/profile\/oregon.health.authority.covid.19\/viz\/OregonsCOVID-19DataDashboards-TableofContents\/TableofContentsStatewide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; PA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.pa.gov\/topics\/disease\/coronavirus\/pages\/Cases.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); RI (<a href=\"https:\/\/ri-department-of-health-covid-19-data-rihealth.hub.arcgis.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SC (<a href=\"https:\/\/scdhec.gov\/index.php\/covid19\/covid-19-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SD (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.sd.gov\/COVID\/Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/health\/cedep\/ncov\/data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TX (<a href=\"https:\/\/txdshsea.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/4ae43eefd0f641d59d35c3df82ee59cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); UT (<a href=\"https:\/\/avrpublic.dhhs.utah.gov\/uwss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); VA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/coronavirus\/sars-cov-2-in-wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); VT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthvermont.gov\/disease-control\/covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WA (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.wa.gov\/emergencies\/covid-19\/data-dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.bfhd.wa.gov\/cases-and-roadmap-to-recovery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.wisconsin.gov\/covid-19\/wastewater.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); WV (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/oehs.wvdhhr.org\/news\/oehs-coivd-19-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>); WY (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/covidwastewatermonitor.wyo.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/health-infobase.canada.ca\/covid-19\/wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Government of Canada<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealthontario.ca\/en\/Data-and-Analysis\/Infectious-Disease\/COVID-19-Data-Surveillance\/Wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); QC (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inspq.qc.ca\/covid-19\/donnees\/eaux-usees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><em>les eaux us\u00e9es<\/em><\/a>); BC (<a href=\"https:\/\/bccdc.shinyapps.io\/respiratory_wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); BC, Vancouver (<a href=\"https:\/\/metrovancouver.org\/services\/liquid-waste\/testing-for-the-covid-19-virus-in-wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>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). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p>Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"5.6677524429967\">\n<p>Oh well, India is far away:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.6344086021505\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"14.086021505376\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nine wards of the city have been declared H5N1-infected zones, with shop closures, food restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>Officials confirmed the virus in multiple feline samples, prompting an and a total ban on chicken and mutton sales.<\/p>\n<p>2\/2<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Outbreak Updates (@outbreakupdates) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/outbreakupdates\/status\/1889705755743318449\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Airborne Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"17.744916820702\">\n<p>\u201cGenetic data and meteorological conditions: unravelling the windborne transmission of H5N1 high-pathogenicity avian influenza between commercial poultry outbreaks\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/2025.02.12.637829v1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">bioRxiv<\/a>]. \u201cDuring the 2023-24 HPAI season, molecular surveillance identified identical H5N1 strains among a cluster of unrelated commercial farms about 8 km apart in the Czech Republic. The episode started with the abrupt mortality of fattening ducks on one farm and was followed by disease outbreaks at two nearby high-biosecurity chicken farms. Using genetic, epizootiological, meteorological and geographical data, we reconstructed a mosaic of events strongly suggesting wind was the mechanism of infection transmission between poultry in at least two independent cases. By aligning the genetic and meteorological data with critical outbreak events, we determined the most likely time window during which the transmission occurred and inferred the sequence of infected houses at the recipient sites. Our results suggest that the contaminated plume emitted from the infected fattening duck farm was the critical medium of HPAI transmission, rather than the dust generated during depopulation. Furthermore, they also strongly implicate the role of confined mechanically-ventilated buildings with high population densities in facilitating windborne transmission and propagating virus concentrations below the minimum infectious dose at the recipient sites.\u201d \u2022 We\u2019ve had anecdotal evidence of long-distance airborne transmission via dust from Texas, and <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0031114\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a modeling study<\/a>, but this study seems to have all the links in the chain. Look out, Big Ag.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"33.531034482759\">\n<p>\u201cJudge orders HHS, CDC and FDA to restore deleted webpages with health information\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/judge-orders-hhs-cdc-fda-restore-deleted-webpages-health-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CBS<\/a>]. \u201cU.S. District Judge John Bates agreed to grant a temporary restraining order sought by the group Doctors for America, which argued that its members used the websites when treating patients and conducting research. The nonprofit organization said that the removal of the webpages by the Department of Health and Human Services and its components violated federal law. Bates found that the challengers were likely to succeed in their claims that the Department Health and Human Services, CDC and FDA acted unlawfully when they stripped medical information from public-facing websites. \u2018It bears emphasizing who ultimately bears the harm of defendants\u2019 actions: everyday Americans, and most acutely, underprivileged Americans, seeking healthcare,\u2019 he wrote. Citing declarations from two doctors filed in the case, Bates said if they \u2018cannot provide these individuals the care they need (and deserve) within the scheduled and often limited time frame, there is a chance that some individuals will not receive treatment, including for severe, life-threatening conditions. The public thus has a strong interest in avoiding these serious injuries to the public health.’\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTHE LIST: 101 Organizations, Institutions, Individuals, and Tools that UCSF\u2019s Vinay Prasad Has Attacked\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.panaccindex.info\/p\/the-list-95-organizations-institutions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Pandemic Accountability Index<\/a>]. Caption: \u201cVinay Prasad is celebrating thousands of scientific researchers losing their jobs. Now who will perform all the RCTs he spent years demanding?\u201d Nothing wrong with a bit of invective: \u201cWhat Vinay Prasad is doing to medicine and science is what Youtube, Twitter, and other social media platforms have enabled for discussions around entertainment media like films, videogames, and even professional wrestling for many years now. It\u2019s called outrage farming. It\u2019s become an entire industry at this point. You\u2019re likely well acquainted with it by now \u2013 whether it\u2019s screeching that \u2018woke\u2019 has ruined Star Wars, that videogames don\u2019t have enough bikini babes anymore, or that All Elite Wrestling is going bankrupt in two weeks \u2013 there\u2019s no end of exploitative, chatGPT-brained slop on social media meant to drum up hate \u2013 and Vinay Prasad has brought this to medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.853293413174\">\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Wastewater<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6190476190476\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> This week[1] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> February 3<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Last week[2] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> (until next week):<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287047\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2-300x201.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" style=\"align: left; margin-left: 0px !important; padding: 9px 0 9px 0;\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286833\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1-300x180.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6417910447761\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong> Variants<\/strong> [3] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> February 1<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> <strong> Emergency Room Visits<\/strong>[4] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#trends_select_7dayeddiagnosed_00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> February 1 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/no_covid-cdc-variants-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/no_covid-cdc-variants-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/no_covid-cdc-variants-natl-300x230.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286688\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-300x180.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Hospitalization<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.9102564102564\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> New York[5] <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.health.ny.gov\/daily-hospitalization-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York State<\/a>, data February 11:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> National [6] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/covidnetdashboard\/de\/powerbi\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> February 7:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286973\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1-300x290.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Positivity<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"2.5915492957746\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> National[7] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/healthcare-solutions\/covid-19-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a> February 10:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Ohio[8] <a href=\"https:\/\/clevelandcliniclabs.com\/respiratory-virus-surveillance-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cleveland Clinic<\/a> February 8:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286693\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286976\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh.png 1434w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-300x192.png 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1024x657.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-768x493.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-624x400.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1434px) 100vw, 1434px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Travelers Data<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.5789473684211\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Positivity[9] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 20:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Variants[10] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 20 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" height=\"370\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286830\"\/><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286831\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1-300x207.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Deaths<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.76\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 25:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronadisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 25:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286757\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl-300x202.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286972\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-1-300x186.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>LEGEND<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1) <span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> for charts new today; all others are not updated.<\/p>\n<p>2) For a full-size\/full-resolution image, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Windows) on the chart thumbnail and \u201copen image in new tab.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>[1] (CDC) Down, nothing new at major hubs.<\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) XEC takes over. That WHO label, \u201cOmmicron,\u201d has done a great job normalizing successive waves of infection.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ED) A little uptick.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Definitely jumped, but no exponential growth either, Odd.<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Continued upward trend since, well, Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants). Positivity is new, but variants have not yet been released.<\/p>\n<p>[11] Deaths low, positivity leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[12] Deaths low, ED leveling out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stats Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Inflation: \u201cUnited States Producer Prices\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/producer-prices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cProducer Prices in the United States increased to 147.72 points in January from 147.13 points in December of 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Employment Situation: \u201cUnited States Initial Jobless Claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/jobless-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cInitial jobless claims in the US fell by 7,000 from the previous week to 213,000 on the first week of February, below market expectations of 215,000. In the meantime, recurring claims fell by 36,000 to 1,850,000 in the last week of January, firmly below market expectations of 1,880,000, to extend the drop from the over three-year high touched earlier in the month. The data continued to show robustness in the US labor market, in line with the Federal Reserve\u2019s rhetoric that there is no rush to continue cutting interest rates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Retail: \u201cFarm Action Calls for an Investigation into Skyrocketing Egg Prices and Restricted Supply\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/farmaction.us\/farm-action-calls-for-an-investigation-into-skyrocketing-egg-prices-and-restricted-supply\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Farm Action<\/a>]. \u201cWhile avian flu has been cited as the primary driver of skyrocketing egg prices, its actual impact on production has been minimal. Instead, dominant egg producers\u2014particularly Cal-Maine Foods\u2014have leveraged the crisis to raise prices, amass record profits, and consolidate market power. The slow recovery in flock size, despite historically high prices, further suggests coordinated efforts to restrict supply and sustain inflated prices.\u201d \u2022 Interesting\u2026 <\/p>\n<p> Manufacturing: \u201cAir India rules out more Boeing jet orders for now, CEO says\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/aerospace-defense\/air-india-rules-out-more-boeing-jet-orders-now-ceo-says-2025-02-12\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reuters<\/a>]. \u201cAir India is holding off on exercising its outstanding options to buy additional Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab jets until the planemaker has cleared its backlog, CEO Campbell Wilson told Reuters on Wednesday. \u2018We don\u2019t want to commit to anything until we have confidence of when it\u2019s going to come. And likewise, they (Boeing) don\u2019t want to offer something until they have confidence of when it\u2019s going to come,\u2019 Wilson said in an interview in London. The former state carrier is in the midst of a multi-billion-dollar revamp in the face of established competition, after Tata Group took it over more than two years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cTesla is suing drivers who complain about their cars after accidents \u2013 and winning\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/tech\/tesla-crash-brakes-musk-china-zhang-yazhou-b2697360.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Independent<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cTesla owner Elon Musk is a self-described \u2018free speech absolutist\u2019.\u201d And: \u201cOver the last four years, Tesla has sued at least six car owners in China who had sudden vehicle malfunctions, quality complaints or accidents they claimed were caused by mechanical failures. The company has also sued at least six bloggers and two Chinese media outlets that wrote critically about the company, according to a review of public court documents and Chinese media reports by The Associated Press. Tesla won all eleven cases for which AP could determine the verdicts. Two judgments\u2026 are on appeal. One case was settled out of court. It is not common practice for automakers \u2014 in China or elsewhere \u2014 to sue their customers. But Tesla has pioneered an aggressive legal strategy and leveraged the patronage of powerful leaders in China\u2019s ruling Communist Party to silence critics, reap financial rewards and limit its accountability.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Hmm.<\/p>\n<p>The Bezzle: \u201cTrump and His Family Earned Millions From Trump Coin While 810,000 Others Lost Money: Report\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/en\/square\/post\/20216567852729\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Binance<\/a>]. \u201cThe early rise in value of Donald Trump\u2019s memecoin, $TRUMP , helped some investors to earn significant profit while its crash caused more than 810,000 crypto wallets to lose $2 billion combined, according to an analysis reviewed by The New York Times. Meanwhile, Trump and his family have brought in approximately $100 million in trading fees alone.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Tech: The premise of the thread is that the poster\u2019s little brother uses AI to generate passive income by creating ChatGPT slop for a product, turning that into video slop, then putting the video on YouTube, where people who search on the product will find your video and click on your affililate link, generating a commission for you. I dunno. Maybe I should do this. Maybe we should all do it. But what kills me is the product the poster chooses:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.6613475177305\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"11.86524822695\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">1\/ Go to ChatGPT <\/p>\n<p>Once you’re on ChatGPT, paste this message:<\/p>\n<p>“List the top 10 best-selling air purifier on Amazon that cost more than $100.”<\/p>\n<p>For this example, I\u2019m going to choose the Dyson Purifier Cool : <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lSAencMcOW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/lSAencMcOW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 William | IA (@ia_william) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ia_william\/status\/1889690356091883777\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s right, an air purifier. As if the Covid conscious community didn\u2019t spend endless amounts of time rating air purifiers, pushing clean indoor air as policy\u2026 and then this little multilegged parasitoid inserts his sucking mandibles into all that social capital and siphons it away. Maybe I should file it this under Civilizational Collapse<\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cApple Intelligence\u2019s biggest problem isn\u2019t the Intelligence\u2013it\u2019s Apple\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/Apple%20Intelligence%E2%80%99s%20biggest%20problem%20isn%E2%80%99t%20the%20Intelligence%E2%80%93it%E2%80%99s%20Apple\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Macworld<\/a>]. \u201cThe worst thing about AI is that since much of it springs from the concept of a text-based language model, AI interfaces tend to be empty text boxes that you have to type something into. I can\u2019t believe we\u2019re back here. This is serious pre-1984 thinking, 40 years after Apple put a stake in the heart of the command-line interface. Giving users an empty text box and expecting them to know what to say to get the result they want is a colossal user-interface failure. An empty text box is cruel. (And no, having to carefully issue abstract commands via voice is not a good alternative, nor is forcing users to laboriously correct mistaken output with additional text entry.) The future of AI functionality needs to be built on a good user interface design that offers simple visual tools to step users through the process.\u201d \u2022 Not so easy\u2026 <\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cWhen AI says \u2018kill\u2019: Humans overtrust machines in life-or-death decisions\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/studyfinds.org\/ai-humans-trust-machines-life-or-death-decisions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Study Finds<\/a>]. \u201d New research from UC Merced and Penn State shows that people are highly susceptible to AI influence even in life-or-death situations where the AI openly acknowledges its own limitations. A series of experiments simulating drone warfare scenarios suggests we may be falling too far on the side of machine deference, with potentially dangerous consequences\u2026. The findings paint a concerning picture of human susceptibility to AI influence, particularly in situations of uncertainty.\u201d \u2022 This is nuts. The IDF wants \u2014 has bought \u2014 AI that slaughters civilians. That\u2019s not a bug, it\u2019s a feature, and it\u2019s exactly what a Silicon Valley overlord defending his bunker would want as well.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 44 Fear (previous close: 44 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 44 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Feb 13 at 1:22:35 PM ET<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1916\u2026<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.7608695652174\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.2826086956522\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Horticultural landscape with a hilltop, 1916 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/artbots?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#artbots<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/klimt?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#klimt<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Tuj2xMbYq3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/Tuj2xMbYq3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gustav Klimt (@artistgklimt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/artistgklimt\/status\/1889911898524512612\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I am not feeling wired today.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact information for plants<\/strong>: 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) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/200pm-water-cooler-2-5-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From SK:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/satsuma.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/satsuma.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/satsuma-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/>d<\/p>\n<p>SK writes: \u201cHere\u2019s our Satsuma mandarin, planted 33 years ago, loaded, and ripening a bit early. It tends to have a two year heavy\/light fruit cycle, the \u201chole\u201d is where an overloaded branch broke a few years ago. To the left is a scrawny blood orange, and a Bearss (pr. Bierce) lime. What we don\u2019t eat and share, we squeeze and freeze. My wife has been making sorbet from both, served with vanilla ice cream, so refreshing in the summer heat, like a Creamsicle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. Material here is Lambert\u2019s, and does not express the views of the Naked Capitalism site. If you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldn\u2019t see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! <em>Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I\u2019m on the right track with coverage<\/em>. When I get no donations for three or four days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:<\/p>\n<p>Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"606\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png 606w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!<\/p>\n<div class=\"printfriendly pf-alignleft\"><a href=\"#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF & Email\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow:none; padding:0; margin:0\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.printfriendly.com\/buttons\/print-button-gray.png\" alt=\"Print Friendly, PDF & Email\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/200pm-water-cooler-2-13-2025.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether. Patient readers, I got a very late start today, so this Water Cooler will be quite light. Sorry! \u2013lambert Bird Song of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":90968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,183],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-spotlight"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Patient readers, I got a very late start today, so this Water Cooler will be quite light. Sorry! \u2013lambert<\/p>\n
Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Bindloss Campground, Hanna, Alberta, Canada.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#trumponomics\">Yanis Varoufakis<\/a> on Trumponomics.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#doge\">DOGE<\/a> not putting up the numbers on fraud.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#democrats\">Zephyr Teachout<\/a> on the real powers the Democrats have.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital.\u201d \u2013Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Trump Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"58.962536023055\">\n<p><a name=\"trumponomics\"\/>\u201cDonald Trump\u2019s economic masterplan\u201d [Yanis Varoufakis, <a href=\"https:\/\/unherd.com\/2025\/02\/why-trumps-tariffs-are-a-masterplan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Unherd<\/a>]. \u201cThe unsophisticated Trump is, in fact, far more sophisticated than [mainstream economists] in that he understands how raw economic power, not marginal productivity, decides who does what to whom \u2014 both domestically and internationally. Though we risk the abyss staring back when we attempt to gaze into Trump\u2019s mind, we do need a grasp of his thinking on three fundamental questions: why does he believe that America is exploited by the rest of the world? What is his vision for a new international order in which America can be \u2018great\u2019 again? How does he plan to bring it about? Only then can we produce a sensible critique of Trump\u2019s economic masterplan.\u201d \u2022 I have read this, and I can\u2019t excerpt it properly. But Yanis is no dummy (even if he does think BRICS has more <em>sprezzatura<\/em> than it does). Kudos to him for treating Trump as, well, a thinker, instead of ranting. I think I\u2019ll run this again when people can discuss, but for now, please read.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy Trump 2.0 Looks Unstoppable\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/articles\/2025\/02\/12\/why_trump_20_looks_unstoppable__152343.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RealClearPolitics<\/a>]. \u201cTrump\u2019s second term is off to a much better start than his first. It\u2019s worth looking at the factors that have made Trump 2.0 so dominant. The first is that he has a much better understanding of how he can use his power to accomplish his goals. His executive orders contain specific instructions to dismantle the regulatory state and withdraw the woke tentacles the left has used to influence American society. That\u2019s partly because his supporters spent their years in exile crafting detailed plans for his eventual return. Second, his staffing choices have been superb and aligned with his vision. That wasn\u2019t the case in his first term, which was hampered by leaks, internal drama and staff upheaval. In his first term, \u2018many of his Cabinet picks quietly or openly worked to stop his ideas,\u2019 the Associated Press recently wrote. That isn\u2019t happening now, and the improvement is obvious. The third change is how quickly he\u2019s moving. In his first term, Trump signed one executive order on Jan. 20, 2017. This year, Trump signed more than two dozen on his first day in office. And he\u2019s kept up a rapid pace.\u201d \u2022 Hard to disagree with any of this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump\u2019s Body Language During Baffling Elon Musk Press Conference Spoke Volumes, Experts Say\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/Trump\" s=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">HuffPo<\/a>]. Personally, I thought Musk using his kid as prop was bad. Be that as it may: \u201c[Mark Bowden, body language expert and author,] thinks the Tesla CEO used his son as a distraction, particularly at one point, when he appeared to deflect a question by jokingly saying that his son, who was then on his shoulders, was sticking his fingers in his ears. A reporter had asked Musk to divulge more information about the fraud his DOGE team has claimed to have seen within the Treasury Department. \u2018In this moment, Musk uses his son as a vehicle to justify his own discomfort,\u2019 Bowden said. \u2018He takes off his hat, brushes his hair back, and swings from side to side \u2014 all nervous adaptive behaviors.\u2019 [Patti Wood, a body language and nonverbal communication expert] called the situation bizarre, saying that Musk was trying to contain his preschooler while talking about ;making significant, impactful changes\u2019 like slashing federal budgets. She thinks Musk was likely advised that having his son there would make him look \u2018warm and fuzzy,\u2019 but that instead it made him look \u2018clownish\u2019 and \u2018Trump ineffective by association.\u2019 She said that Trump made \u2018failed\u2019 efforts to interact with the 4-year-old at points in the conference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>RFK confirmed:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.4060773480663\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"11.455801104972\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING\u2014RFK Jr has been confirmed as Trump\u2019s HHS Secretary by 52-48. The only GOP senator to vote \u201cNo\u201d with Democrats was Mitch McConnell\u2014who survived polio as a child, and is a strong advocate for vaccinations. Now, founder of the largest anti-vax disinfo group is HHS\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/D8ndwwZPtM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/D8ndwwZPtM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrEricDing\/status\/1890077607473074188\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I guess, on the bright side, we\u2019re going to give a population of 300 million or so a marvellous opportunity to display adaptability. Especially children.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"36.407828282828\">\n<p><a name=\"doge\"\/>\u201cTrump and Musk can\u2019t seem to locate much evidence of fraud\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/nEcyp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WaPo<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cThey keep justifying their bold moves as combating fraud, but they have been unable so far to point to much of anything specific that\u2019s actually fraudulent.\u201d For example:<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"28\">\n<p>By Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was pressed on the supposed evidence of fraud \u2014 and seemingly came prepared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs for the actual receipts, we are happy to provide them, and I actually brought some today,\u201d Leavitt said, as she waved around printouts.<\/p>\n<p>She proceeded to mention four things:<\/p>\n<p>A $36,000 contract for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.<\/p>\n<p>A $3.4 million contract for \u201cinclusive innovation\u201d at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.<\/p>\n<p>$57,000 for climate change programs in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n<p>A limestone mine in Pennsylvania where federal employee retirements are processed on paper.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I know pennies add up, but is this worth putting DOGEbags in the operations chair of every executive agency? Lots of tweets though!<\/p>\n<p>NOTE Looks like Elon read my post yesterday, and built out the website. I took a cursory look. The org chart of the Federal Government is kind of neat, rather like those wind-blown whirligigs you see in people\u2019s front yards, but it\u2019s hardly complete. For example, it leaves out the Executive Office of the President of the United States entirely, hence DOGE, hence the entire parallel structure DOGE is attempting to introduce. Also, there\u2019s still no US flag. Maybe they decided a South African flag would be too much?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"14.737019554956\">\n<p>\u201cJudge Temporarily Reinstalls Special Counsel Dellinger After Trump Firing\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/whistleblowersblog.org\/corporate-whistleblowers\/boeing-whistleblower-continues-to-advocate-for-airline-safety\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Whistleblower Network News<\/a>]. \u201cLate on February 10, a federal judge issued an administrative stay allowing Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger to remain in his post through Thursday as he challenges his termination by President Trump. Dellinger oversees the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), an independent agency that protects federal employees from whistleblower retaliation and investigates whistleblower disclosures about wrongdoing in federal agencies. Dellinger was notified of his termination late on February 7 and sued the White House, claiming that his firing was illegal. Under federal statute, the Special Counsel can be removed by the President \u2018only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.\u2019 The White House has not pointed to any of these issues in removing Dellinger. Under the stay granted by Judge Amy Berman Jackson, \u2018Hampton Dellinger shall continue to serve as the Special Counsel of the Office of Special Counsel\u2026 and the defendants may not deny him access to the resources or materials of that office or recognize the authority of any other person as Special Counsel.\u2019\u2026 National Whistleblower Center has launched an emergency campaign in response to the wrongful termination of Special Counsel Dellinger. They are urging supporters to join them and to contact their Representatives and Senators immediately and express their concern on the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"democrats\"\/>Democrats <em>en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"32.64586645469\">\n<p>\u201cPay Less Attention to That Man in Front of the Curtain\u201d [Zephyr Teachout, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/trump-musk-democrats-fight-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Nation<\/a>]. Much better than the usual Nation fare. \u201cYet initially the two current leaders of the Democratic Party seemed determined to broadcast their own weakness. Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries spent last week at a donor retreat with billionaire tech leaders, only to emerge whining, \u2018What leverage do we have? They control the House, the Senate, and the presidency.\u2019\u2026 Jeffries\u2019s conflation of \u201cleverage\u201d with \u201cholding a majority in a chamber\u201d is jaw-dropping. Power\u2014the ability to change the behavior of another\u2014comes from information, charisma, law, attention, procedure, expertise, and the ability to convene and organize. \u2026 What could they have done? Here are four suggestions: First, vigorous procedural delay\u2026.. Second, convene and spotlight. They should not see their power just through the lens of how it has traditionally been used. Congressional Democratic leadership should also make full use of their own convening power, holding hearings taking testimony from fired and pressured employees\u2026. Congressional Democrats can also do more on basic legal protection of the institution. The people\u2019s house is under attack, and they should be wielding law like swords to defend it. While Democratic state attorneys general have been filing lawsuit after lawsuit, congressional leadership\u2014whose own power as the lawmaking arm of the American public is being decimated\u2014should understand they also need to play a key role in making sure lawsuits are brought to block the destruction. Whatever their legal abilities, they are all astute fundraisers, and can play matchmaker between constituents, possible plaintiffs, lawyers, and donors to make sure that effective and well-resourced lawsuits are brought to stop the illegal power plays\u2026.. Finally, they can go on offense, forcing Trump and Republicans to either help Americans, or clearly demonstrate that they don\u2019t want to. That means being willing to work with Republicans\u2014if they can get laws passed that make people\u2019s lives better, and not focus on Democratic Party branding.\u201d \u2022\u00a0And from Teachout\u2019s thread on this article:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.1696113074205\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" wp_automatic_readability=\"13.159010600707\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My first day of class in Market Structure and Democracy we talk about power, what is it, where it comes from, all the varieties, I can’t believe that members of Congress can’t see beyond their little routines in terms of power.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Zephyr Teachout (@ZephyrTeachout) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZephyrTeachout\/status\/1890100062455566465\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I can believe it\u2026. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Syndemics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am in earnest \u2014 I will not equivocate \u2014 I will not excuse \u2014 I will not retreat a single inch \u2014 AND I WILL BE HEARD.\u201d \u2013William Lloyd Garrison<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&list_select_county=all_counties&data-type=Risk&null=Risk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>); Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>, <del><a href=\"https:\/\/biobot.io\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Biobot<\/a><\/del>; includes many counties; <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wastewater Scan<\/a>, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/businesssolutions\/covid-19-index.jsp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a>); \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/iowacovid19tracker.org\/hospitals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Iowa COVID-19 Tracker<\/a>\u201d (in IA, but national data). \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/icemsg.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Infection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts<\/a>\u201d (especially on hospitalization by city).<\/p>\n<p>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 \u201cCOVID\u201d in the subject line. Thank you!<\/p>\n<p>Resources, United States (Local): AK (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/af2efc8bffbf4cdc83c2d1a134354074\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/6d2771faa9da4a2786a509d82c8cf0f7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AR (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/633006d0782b4544bd5113a314f6268a\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AZ (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.azdhs.gov\/covid19\/data\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); CA (<a href=\"https:\/\/skylab.cdph.ca.gov\/calwws\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.marinhhs.org\/surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Marin, dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/healthalerts.stanford.edu\/covid-19\/wastewater-dashboard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stanford, wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/?v=SC2_N&l=Oakland%2C+CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Oakland, wastewater<\/a>); CO (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.colorado.gov\/data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/cdphe.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/d79cf93c3938470ca4bcc4823328946b#utility=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); CT (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.ct.gov\/stories\/s\/COVID-19-data\/wa3g-tfvc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); DE (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.delaware.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); FL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/5b9d75ba683849928dc1a49c39ab0b1c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); GA (<a href=\"https:\/\/dph.georgia.gov\/ga-nwss-wastewater-surveillance-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); HI (<a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); IA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dmmwra.org\/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=57\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater reports<\/a>); ID (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Boise; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/?plantId=1056f05c-0e46-4e3d-b007-c0453ba7dc0d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Central Idaho; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/#:SARS-CoV-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Coeur d\u2019Alene; dashboard, <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.srhd.org\/topics\/spokane-county-case-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spokane County<\/a>); IL (<a href=\"https:\/\/iwss.uillinois.edu\/wastewater-treatment-plants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); IN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.in.gov\/indiana-covid-19-dashboard-and-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); KS (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov\/160\/COVID-19-in-Kansas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/4456bae8a38f4b6180e008477382fff9\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Lawrence); KY (<a href=\"https:\/\/louisville.edu\/envirome\/thecoimmunityproject\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Louisville); LA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ldh.la.gov\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/covid-19-wastewater-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MD (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.maryland.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); ME (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/dhhs\/mecdc\/infectious-disease\/epi\/airborne\/coronavirus\/data.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/coronavirus\/stats\/wastewater-surveillance\/dashboard\/sentinel-wastewater-epidemiology-evaluation-project-sweep\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/gisportal.state.mi.us\/portal\/apps\/insights\/index.html#\/view\/52bbb104ed574887918f990af9f3debe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.state.mn.us\/diseases\/coronavirus\/stats\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MO (<a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/f7f5492486114da6b5d6fdc07f81aacf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MS (<a href=\"https:\/\/msdh.ms.gov\/page\/14,0,420.html#Mississippi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>MT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/MapSeries\/index.html?appid=7c34f3412536439491adcc2103421d4b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; NC (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.ncdhhs.gov\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard)<\/a>; ND (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NE (<a href=\"https:\/\/atlas-dhhs.ne.gov\/Atlas\/Respiratory_Illness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NH (<a href=\"https:\/\/wisdom.dhhs.nh.gov\/wisdom\/dashboard.html?topic=covid-19&subtopic=recurring-updates&indicator=covid-19-wastewater#tabnavbarid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NJ (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.nj.gov\/forms\/datadashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NM (<a href=\"https:\/\/cvprovider.nmhealth.org\/public-dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NV (<a href=\"https:\/\/nvhealthresponse.nv.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/empower.unlv.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Southern NV); NY (<a href=\"https:\/\/mbcolli.shinyapps.io\/SARS2EWSP\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OH (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.ohio.gov\/dashboards\/other-resources\/wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OK (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/51657c21386d4f1a962b1853c76ec589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>OR (<a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/app\/profile\/oregon.health.authority.covid.19\/viz\/OregonsCOVID-19DataDashboards-TableofContents\/TableofContentsStatewide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; PA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.pa.gov\/topics\/disease\/coronavirus\/pages\/Cases.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); RI (<a href=\"https:\/\/ri-department-of-health-covid-19-data-rihealth.hub.arcgis.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SC (<a href=\"https:\/\/scdhec.gov\/index.php\/covid19\/covid-19-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SD (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.sd.gov\/COVID\/Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/health\/cedep\/ncov\/data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TX (<a href=\"https:\/\/txdshsea.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/4ae43eefd0f641d59d35c3df82ee59cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); UT (<a href=\"https:\/\/avrpublic.dhhs.utah.gov\/uwss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); VA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/coronavirus\/sars-cov-2-in-wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); VT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthvermont.gov\/disease-control\/covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WA (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.wa.gov\/emergencies\/covid-19\/data-dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.bfhd.wa.gov\/cases-and-roadmap-to-recovery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.wisconsin.gov\/covid-19\/wastewater.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); WV (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/oehs.wvdhhr.org\/news\/oehs-coivd-19-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>); WY (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/covidwastewatermonitor.wyo.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/health-infobase.canada.ca\/covid-19\/wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Government of Canada<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealthontario.ca\/en\/Data-and-Analysis\/Infectious-Disease\/COVID-19-Data-Surveillance\/Wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); QC (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inspq.qc.ca\/covid-19\/donnees\/eaux-usees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><em>les eaux us\u00e9es<\/em><\/a>); BC (<a href=\"https:\/\/bccdc.shinyapps.io\/respiratory_wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); BC, Vancouver (<a href=\"https:\/\/metrovancouver.org\/services\/liquid-waste\/testing-for-the-covid-19-virus-in-wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>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). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p>Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"5.6677524429967\">\n<p>Oh well, India is far away:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.6344086021505\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"14.086021505376\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nine wards of the city have been declared H5N1-infected zones, with shop closures, food restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>Officials confirmed the virus in multiple feline samples, prompting an and a total ban on chicken and mutton sales.<\/p>\n<p>2\/2<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Outbreak Updates (@outbreakupdates) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/outbreakupdates\/status\/1889705755743318449\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Airborne Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"17.744916820702\">\n<p>\u201cGenetic data and meteorological conditions: unravelling the windborne transmission of H5N1 high-pathogenicity avian influenza between commercial poultry outbreaks\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/2025.02.12.637829v1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">bioRxiv<\/a>]. \u201cDuring the 2023-24 HPAI season, molecular surveillance identified identical H5N1 strains among a cluster of unrelated commercial farms about 8 km apart in the Czech Republic. The episode started with the abrupt mortality of fattening ducks on one farm and was followed by disease outbreaks at two nearby high-biosecurity chicken farms. Using genetic, epizootiological, meteorological and geographical data, we reconstructed a mosaic of events strongly suggesting wind was the mechanism of infection transmission between poultry in at least two independent cases. By aligning the genetic and meteorological data with critical outbreak events, we determined the most likely time window during which the transmission occurred and inferred the sequence of infected houses at the recipient sites. Our results suggest that the contaminated plume emitted from the infected fattening duck farm was the critical medium of HPAI transmission, rather than the dust generated during depopulation. Furthermore, they also strongly implicate the role of confined mechanically-ventilated buildings with high population densities in facilitating windborne transmission and propagating virus concentrations below the minimum infectious dose at the recipient sites.\u201d \u2022 We\u2019ve had anecdotal evidence of long-distance airborne transmission via dust from Texas, and <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0031114\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a modeling study<\/a>, but this study seems to have all the links in the chain. Look out, Big Ag.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"33.531034482759\">\n<p>\u201cJudge orders HHS, CDC and FDA to restore deleted webpages with health information\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/judge-orders-hhs-cdc-fda-restore-deleted-webpages-health-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CBS<\/a>]. \u201cU.S. District Judge John Bates agreed to grant a temporary restraining order sought by the group Doctors for America, which argued that its members used the websites when treating patients and conducting research. The nonprofit organization said that the removal of the webpages by the Department of Health and Human Services and its components violated federal law. Bates found that the challengers were likely to succeed in their claims that the Department Health and Human Services, CDC and FDA acted unlawfully when they stripped medical information from public-facing websites. \u2018It bears emphasizing who ultimately bears the harm of defendants\u2019 actions: everyday Americans, and most acutely, underprivileged Americans, seeking healthcare,\u2019 he wrote. Citing declarations from two doctors filed in the case, Bates said if they \u2018cannot provide these individuals the care they need (and deserve) within the scheduled and often limited time frame, there is a chance that some individuals will not receive treatment, including for severe, life-threatening conditions. The public thus has a strong interest in avoiding these serious injuries to the public health.’\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTHE LIST: 101 Organizations, Institutions, Individuals, and Tools that UCSF\u2019s Vinay Prasad Has Attacked\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.panaccindex.info\/p\/the-list-95-organizations-institutions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Pandemic Accountability Index<\/a>]. Caption: \u201cVinay Prasad is celebrating thousands of scientific researchers losing their jobs. Now who will perform all the RCTs he spent years demanding?\u201d Nothing wrong with a bit of invective: \u201cWhat Vinay Prasad is doing to medicine and science is what Youtube, Twitter, and other social media platforms have enabled for discussions around entertainment media like films, videogames, and even professional wrestling for many years now. It\u2019s called outrage farming. It\u2019s become an entire industry at this point. You\u2019re likely well acquainted with it by now \u2013 whether it\u2019s screeching that \u2018woke\u2019 has ruined Star Wars, that videogames don\u2019t have enough bikini babes anymore, or that All Elite Wrestling is going bankrupt in two weeks \u2013 there\u2019s no end of exploitative, chatGPT-brained slop on social media meant to drum up hate \u2013 and Vinay Prasad has brought this to medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.853293413174\">\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Wastewater<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6190476190476\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> This week[1] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> February 3<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Last week[2] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> (until next week):<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287047\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2-300x201.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" style=\"align: left; margin-left: 0px !important; padding: 9px 0 9px 0;\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286833\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1-300x180.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6417910447761\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong> Variants<\/strong> [3] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> February 1<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> <strong> Emergency Room Visits<\/strong>[4] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#trends_select_7dayeddiagnosed_00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> February 1 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/no_covid-cdc-variants-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/no_covid-cdc-variants-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/no_covid-cdc-variants-natl-300x230.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286688\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-300x180.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Hospitalization<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.9102564102564\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> New York[5] <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.health.ny.gov\/daily-hospitalization-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York State<\/a>, data February 11:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> National [6] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/covidnetdashboard\/de\/powerbi\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> February 7:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286973\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1-300x290.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Positivity<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"2.5915492957746\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> National[7] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/healthcare-solutions\/covid-19-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a> February 10:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Ohio[8] <a href=\"https:\/\/clevelandcliniclabs.com\/respiratory-virus-surveillance-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cleveland Clinic<\/a> February 8:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286693\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286976\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh.png 1434w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-300x192.png 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1024x657.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-768x493.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-624x400.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1434px) 100vw, 1434px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Travelers Data<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.5789473684211\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Positivity[9] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 20:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Variants[10] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 20 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" height=\"370\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286830\"\/><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286831\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1-300x207.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Deaths<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.76\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 25:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronadisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 25:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286757\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl-300x202.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286972\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-1-300x186.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>LEGEND<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1) <span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> for charts new today; all others are not updated.<\/p>\n<p>2) For a full-size\/full-resolution image, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Windows) on the chart thumbnail and \u201copen image in new tab.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>[1] (CDC) Down, nothing new at major hubs.<\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) XEC takes over. That WHO label, \u201cOmmicron,\u201d has done a great job normalizing successive waves of infection.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ED) A little uptick.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Definitely jumped, but no exponential growth either, Odd.<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Continued upward trend since, well, Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants). Positivity is new, but variants have not yet been released.<\/p>\n<p>[11] Deaths low, positivity leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[12] Deaths low, ED leveling out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stats Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Inflation: \u201cUnited States Producer Prices\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/producer-prices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cProducer Prices in the United States increased to 147.72 points in January from 147.13 points in December of 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Employment Situation: \u201cUnited States Initial Jobless Claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/jobless-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cInitial jobless claims in the US fell by 7,000 from the previous week to 213,000 on the first week of February, below market expectations of 215,000. In the meantime, recurring claims fell by 36,000 to 1,850,000 in the last week of January, firmly below market expectations of 1,880,000, to extend the drop from the over three-year high touched earlier in the month. The data continued to show robustness in the US labor market, in line with the Federal Reserve\u2019s rhetoric that there is no rush to continue cutting interest rates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Retail: \u201cFarm Action Calls for an Investigation into Skyrocketing Egg Prices and Restricted Supply\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/farmaction.us\/farm-action-calls-for-an-investigation-into-skyrocketing-egg-prices-and-restricted-supply\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Farm Action<\/a>]. \u201cWhile avian flu has been cited as the primary driver of skyrocketing egg prices, its actual impact on production has been minimal. Instead, dominant egg producers\u2014particularly Cal-Maine Foods\u2014have leveraged the crisis to raise prices, amass record profits, and consolidate market power. The slow recovery in flock size, despite historically high prices, further suggests coordinated efforts to restrict supply and sustain inflated prices.\u201d \u2022 Interesting\u2026 <\/p>\n<p> Manufacturing: \u201cAir India rules out more Boeing jet orders for now, CEO says\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/aerospace-defense\/air-india-rules-out-more-boeing-jet-orders-now-ceo-says-2025-02-12\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reuters<\/a>]. \u201cAir India is holding off on exercising its outstanding options to buy additional Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab jets until the planemaker has cleared its backlog, CEO Campbell Wilson told Reuters on Wednesday. \u2018We don\u2019t want to commit to anything until we have confidence of when it\u2019s going to come. And likewise, they (Boeing) don\u2019t want to offer something until they have confidence of when it\u2019s going to come,\u2019 Wilson said in an interview in London. The former state carrier is in the midst of a multi-billion-dollar revamp in the face of established competition, after Tata Group took it over more than two years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cTesla is suing drivers who complain about their cars after accidents \u2013 and winning\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/tech\/tesla-crash-brakes-musk-china-zhang-yazhou-b2697360.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Independent<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cTesla owner Elon Musk is a self-described \u2018free speech absolutist\u2019.\u201d And: \u201cOver the last four years, Tesla has sued at least six car owners in China who had sudden vehicle malfunctions, quality complaints or accidents they claimed were caused by mechanical failures. The company has also sued at least six bloggers and two Chinese media outlets that wrote critically about the company, according to a review of public court documents and Chinese media reports by The Associated Press. Tesla won all eleven cases for which AP could determine the verdicts. Two judgments\u2026 are on appeal. One case was settled out of court. It is not common practice for automakers \u2014 in China or elsewhere \u2014 to sue their customers. But Tesla has pioneered an aggressive legal strategy and leveraged the patronage of powerful leaders in China\u2019s ruling Communist Party to silence critics, reap financial rewards and limit its accountability.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Hmm.<\/p>\n<p>The Bezzle: \u201cTrump and His Family Earned Millions From Trump Coin While 810,000 Others Lost Money: Report\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/en\/square\/post\/20216567852729\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Binance<\/a>]. \u201cThe early rise in value of Donald Trump\u2019s memecoin, $TRUMP , helped some investors to earn significant profit while its crash caused more than 810,000 crypto wallets to lose $2 billion combined, according to an analysis reviewed by The New York Times. Meanwhile, Trump and his family have brought in approximately $100 million in trading fees alone.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Tech: The premise of the thread is that the poster\u2019s little brother uses AI to generate passive income by creating ChatGPT slop for a product, turning that into video slop, then putting the video on YouTube, where people who search on the product will find your video and click on your affililate link, generating a commission for you. I dunno. Maybe I should do this. Maybe we should all do it. But what kills me is the product the poster chooses:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.6613475177305\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"11.86524822695\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">1\/ Go to ChatGPT <\/p>\n<p>Once you’re on ChatGPT, paste this message:<\/p>\n<p>“List the top 10 best-selling air purifier on Amazon that cost more than $100.”<\/p>\n<p>For this example, I\u2019m going to choose the Dyson Purifier Cool : <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lSAencMcOW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/lSAencMcOW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 William | IA (@ia_william) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ia_william\/status\/1889690356091883777\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s right, an air purifier. As if the Covid conscious community didn\u2019t spend endless amounts of time rating air purifiers, pushing clean indoor air as policy\u2026 and then this little multilegged parasitoid inserts his sucking mandibles into all that social capital and siphons it away. Maybe I should file it this under Civilizational Collapse<\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cApple Intelligence\u2019s biggest problem isn\u2019t the Intelligence\u2013it\u2019s Apple\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/Apple%20Intelligence%E2%80%99s%20biggest%20problem%20isn%E2%80%99t%20the%20Intelligence%E2%80%93it%E2%80%99s%20Apple\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Macworld<\/a>]. \u201cThe worst thing about AI is that since much of it springs from the concept of a text-based language model, AI interfaces tend to be empty text boxes that you have to type something into. I can\u2019t believe we\u2019re back here. This is serious pre-1984 thinking, 40 years after Apple put a stake in the heart of the command-line interface. Giving users an empty text box and expecting them to know what to say to get the result they want is a colossal user-interface failure. An empty text box is cruel. (And no, having to carefully issue abstract commands via voice is not a good alternative, nor is forcing users to laboriously correct mistaken output with additional text entry.) The future of AI functionality needs to be built on a good user interface design that offers simple visual tools to step users through the process.\u201d \u2022 Not so easy\u2026 <\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cWhen AI says \u2018kill\u2019: Humans overtrust machines in life-or-death decisions\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/studyfinds.org\/ai-humans-trust-machines-life-or-death-decisions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Study Finds<\/a>]. \u201d New research from UC Merced and Penn State shows that people are highly susceptible to AI influence even in life-or-death situations where the AI openly acknowledges its own limitations. A series of experiments simulating drone warfare scenarios suggests we may be falling too far on the side of machine deference, with potentially dangerous consequences\u2026. The findings paint a concerning picture of human susceptibility to AI influence, particularly in situations of uncertainty.\u201d \u2022 This is nuts. The IDF wants \u2014 has bought \u2014 AI that slaughters civilians. That\u2019s not a bug, it\u2019s a feature, and it\u2019s exactly what a Silicon Valley overlord defending his bunker would want as well.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 44 Fear (previous close: 44 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 44 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Feb 13 at 1:22:35 PM ET<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1916\u2026<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.7608695652174\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.2826086956522\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Horticultural landscape with a hilltop, 1916 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/artbots?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#artbots<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/klimt?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#klimt<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Tuj2xMbYq3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/Tuj2xMbYq3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gustav Klimt (@artistgklimt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/artistgklimt\/status\/1889911898524512612\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I am not feeling wired today.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact information for plants<\/strong>: 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) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/200pm-water-cooler-2-5-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From SK:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/satsuma.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/satsuma.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/satsuma-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/>d<\/p>\n<p>SK writes: \u201cHere\u2019s our Satsuma mandarin, planted 33 years ago, loaded, and ripening a bit early. It tends to have a two year heavy\/light fruit cycle, the \u201chole\u201d is where an overloaded branch broke a few years ago. To the left is a scrawny blood orange, and a Bearss (pr. Bierce) lime. What we don\u2019t eat and share, we squeeze and freeze. My wife has been making sorbet from both, served with vanilla ice cream, so refreshing in the summer heat, like a Creamsicle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. Material here is Lambert\u2019s, and does not express the views of the Naked Capitalism site. If you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldn\u2019t see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! <em>Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I\u2019m on the right track with coverage<\/em>. When I get no donations for three or four days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:<\/p>\n<p>Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"606\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png 606w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!<\/p>\n<div class=\"printfriendly pf-alignleft\"><a href=\"#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF & Email\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow:none; padding:0; margin:0\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.printfriendly.com\/buttons\/print-button-gray.png\" alt=\"Print Friendly, PDF & Email\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/200pm-water-cooler-2-13-2025.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether. Patient readers, I got a very late start today, so this Water Cooler will be quite light. Sorry! \u2013lambert Bird Song of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":90968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,183],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-spotlight"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Bindloss Campground, Hanna, Alberta, Canada.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#trumponomics\">Yanis Varoufakis<\/a> on Trumponomics.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#doge\">DOGE<\/a> not putting up the numbers on fraud.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#democrats\">Zephyr Teachout<\/a> on the real powers the Democrats have.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital.\u201d \u2013Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Trump Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"58.962536023055\">\n<p><a name=\"trumponomics\"\/>\u201cDonald Trump\u2019s economic masterplan\u201d [Yanis Varoufakis, <a href=\"https:\/\/unherd.com\/2025\/02\/why-trumps-tariffs-are-a-masterplan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Unherd<\/a>]. \u201cThe unsophisticated Trump is, in fact, far more sophisticated than [mainstream economists] in that he understands how raw economic power, not marginal productivity, decides who does what to whom \u2014 both domestically and internationally. Though we risk the abyss staring back when we attempt to gaze into Trump\u2019s mind, we do need a grasp of his thinking on three fundamental questions: why does he believe that America is exploited by the rest of the world? What is his vision for a new international order in which America can be \u2018great\u2019 again? How does he plan to bring it about? Only then can we produce a sensible critique of Trump\u2019s economic masterplan.\u201d \u2022 I have read this, and I can\u2019t excerpt it properly. But Yanis is no dummy (even if he does think BRICS has more <em>sprezzatura<\/em> than it does). Kudos to him for treating Trump as, well, a thinker, instead of ranting. I think I\u2019ll run this again when people can discuss, but for now, please read.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy Trump 2.0 Looks Unstoppable\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/articles\/2025\/02\/12\/why_trump_20_looks_unstoppable__152343.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RealClearPolitics<\/a>]. \u201cTrump\u2019s second term is off to a much better start than his first. It\u2019s worth looking at the factors that have made Trump 2.0 so dominant. The first is that he has a much better understanding of how he can use his power to accomplish his goals. His executive orders contain specific instructions to dismantle the regulatory state and withdraw the woke tentacles the left has used to influence American society. That\u2019s partly because his supporters spent their years in exile crafting detailed plans for his eventual return. Second, his staffing choices have been superb and aligned with his vision. That wasn\u2019t the case in his first term, which was hampered by leaks, internal drama and staff upheaval. In his first term, \u2018many of his Cabinet picks quietly or openly worked to stop his ideas,\u2019 the Associated Press recently wrote. That isn\u2019t happening now, and the improvement is obvious. The third change is how quickly he\u2019s moving. In his first term, Trump signed one executive order on Jan. 20, 2017. This year, Trump signed more than two dozen on his first day in office. And he\u2019s kept up a rapid pace.\u201d \u2022 Hard to disagree with any of this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump\u2019s Body Language During Baffling Elon Musk Press Conference Spoke Volumes, Experts Say\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/Trump\" s=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">HuffPo<\/a>]. Personally, I thought Musk using his kid as prop was bad. Be that as it may: \u201c[Mark Bowden, body language expert and author,] thinks the Tesla CEO used his son as a distraction, particularly at one point, when he appeared to deflect a question by jokingly saying that his son, who was then on his shoulders, was sticking his fingers in his ears. A reporter had asked Musk to divulge more information about the fraud his DOGE team has claimed to have seen within the Treasury Department. \u2018In this moment, Musk uses his son as a vehicle to justify his own discomfort,\u2019 Bowden said. \u2018He takes off his hat, brushes his hair back, and swings from side to side \u2014 all nervous adaptive behaviors.\u2019 [Patti Wood, a body language and nonverbal communication expert] called the situation bizarre, saying that Musk was trying to contain his preschooler while talking about ;making significant, impactful changes\u2019 like slashing federal budgets. She thinks Musk was likely advised that having his son there would make him look \u2018warm and fuzzy,\u2019 but that instead it made him look \u2018clownish\u2019 and \u2018Trump ineffective by association.\u2019 She said that Trump made \u2018failed\u2019 efforts to interact with the 4-year-old at points in the conference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>RFK confirmed:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.4060773480663\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"11.455801104972\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING\u2014RFK Jr has been confirmed as Trump\u2019s HHS Secretary by 52-48. The only GOP senator to vote \u201cNo\u201d with Democrats was Mitch McConnell\u2014who survived polio as a child, and is a strong advocate for vaccinations. Now, founder of the largest anti-vax disinfo group is HHS\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/D8ndwwZPtM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/D8ndwwZPtM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrEricDing\/status\/1890077607473074188\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I guess, on the bright side, we\u2019re going to give a population of 300 million or so a marvellous opportunity to display adaptability. Especially children.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"36.407828282828\">\n<p><a name=\"doge\"\/>\u201cTrump and Musk can\u2019t seem to locate much evidence of fraud\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/nEcyp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WaPo<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cThey keep justifying their bold moves as combating fraud, but they have been unable so far to point to much of anything specific that\u2019s actually fraudulent.\u201d For example:<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"28\">\n<p>By Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was pressed on the supposed evidence of fraud \u2014 and seemingly came prepared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs for the actual receipts, we are happy to provide them, and I actually brought some today,\u201d Leavitt said, as she waved around printouts.<\/p>\n<p>She proceeded to mention four things:<\/p>\n<p>A $36,000 contract for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.<\/p>\n<p>A $3.4 million contract for \u201cinclusive innovation\u201d at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.<\/p>\n<p>$57,000 for climate change programs in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n<p>A limestone mine in Pennsylvania where federal employee retirements are processed on paper.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I know pennies add up, but is this worth putting DOGEbags in the operations chair of every executive agency? Lots of tweets though!<\/p>\n<p>NOTE Looks like Elon read my post yesterday, and built out the website. I took a cursory look. The org chart of the Federal Government is kind of neat, rather like those wind-blown whirligigs you see in people\u2019s front yards, but it\u2019s hardly complete. For example, it leaves out the Executive Office of the President of the United States entirely, hence DOGE, hence the entire parallel structure DOGE is attempting to introduce. Also, there\u2019s still no US flag. Maybe they decided a South African flag would be too much?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"trump\"\/>Trump Administration<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"14.737019554956\">\n<p>\u201cJudge Temporarily Reinstalls Special Counsel Dellinger After Trump Firing\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/whistleblowersblog.org\/corporate-whistleblowers\/boeing-whistleblower-continues-to-advocate-for-airline-safety\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Whistleblower Network News<\/a>]. \u201cLate on February 10, a federal judge issued an administrative stay allowing Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger to remain in his post through Thursday as he challenges his termination by President Trump. Dellinger oversees the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), an independent agency that protects federal employees from whistleblower retaliation and investigates whistleblower disclosures about wrongdoing in federal agencies. Dellinger was notified of his termination late on February 7 and sued the White House, claiming that his firing was illegal. Under federal statute, the Special Counsel can be removed by the President \u2018only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.\u2019 The White House has not pointed to any of these issues in removing Dellinger. Under the stay granted by Judge Amy Berman Jackson, \u2018Hampton Dellinger shall continue to serve as the Special Counsel of the Office of Special Counsel\u2026 and the defendants may not deny him access to the resources or materials of that office or recognize the authority of any other person as Special Counsel.\u2019\u2026 National Whistleblower Center has launched an emergency campaign in response to the wrongful termination of Special Counsel Dellinger. They are urging supporters to join them and to contact their Representatives and Senators immediately and express their concern on the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"democrats\"\/>Democrats <em>en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"32.64586645469\">\n<p>\u201cPay Less Attention to That Man in Front of the Curtain\u201d [Zephyr Teachout, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/trump-musk-democrats-fight-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Nation<\/a>]. Much better than the usual Nation fare. \u201cYet initially the two current leaders of the Democratic Party seemed determined to broadcast their own weakness. Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries spent last week at a donor retreat with billionaire tech leaders, only to emerge whining, \u2018What leverage do we have? They control the House, the Senate, and the presidency.\u2019\u2026 Jeffries\u2019s conflation of \u201cleverage\u201d with \u201cholding a majority in a chamber\u201d is jaw-dropping. Power\u2014the ability to change the behavior of another\u2014comes from information, charisma, law, attention, procedure, expertise, and the ability to convene and organize. \u2026 What could they have done? Here are four suggestions: First, vigorous procedural delay\u2026.. Second, convene and spotlight. They should not see their power just through the lens of how it has traditionally been used. Congressional Democratic leadership should also make full use of their own convening power, holding hearings taking testimony from fired and pressured employees\u2026. Congressional Democrats can also do more on basic legal protection of the institution. The people\u2019s house is under attack, and they should be wielding law like swords to defend it. While Democratic state attorneys general have been filing lawsuit after lawsuit, congressional leadership\u2014whose own power as the lawmaking arm of the American public is being decimated\u2014should understand they also need to play a key role in making sure lawsuits are brought to block the destruction. Whatever their legal abilities, they are all astute fundraisers, and can play matchmaker between constituents, possible plaintiffs, lawyers, and donors to make sure that effective and well-resourced lawsuits are brought to stop the illegal power plays\u2026.. Finally, they can go on offense, forcing Trump and Republicans to either help Americans, or clearly demonstrate that they don\u2019t want to. That means being willing to work with Republicans\u2014if they can get laws passed that make people\u2019s lives better, and not focus on Democratic Party branding.\u201d \u2022\u00a0And from Teachout\u2019s thread on this article:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.1696113074205\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" wp_automatic_readability=\"13.159010600707\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My first day of class in Market Structure and Democracy we talk about power, what is it, where it comes from, all the varieties, I can’t believe that members of Congress can’t see beyond their little routines in terms of power.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Zephyr Teachout (@ZephyrTeachout) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZephyrTeachout\/status\/1890100062455566465\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I can believe it\u2026. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Syndemics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am in earnest \u2014 I will not equivocate \u2014 I will not excuse \u2014 I will not retreat a single inch \u2014 AND I WILL BE HEARD.\u201d \u2013William Lloyd Garrison<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view?list_select_state=all_states&list_select_county=all_counties&data-type=Risk&null=Risk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>); Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>, <del><a href=\"https:\/\/biobot.io\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Biobot<\/a><\/del>; includes many counties; <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wastewater Scan<\/a>, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/businesssolutions\/covid-19-index.jsp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a>); \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/iowacovid19tracker.org\/hospitals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Iowa COVID-19 Tracker<\/a>\u201d (in IA, but national data). \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/icemsg.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Infection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts<\/a>\u201d (especially on hospitalization by city).<\/p>\n<p>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 \u201cCOVID\u201d in the subject line. Thank you!<\/p>\n<p>Resources, United States (Local): AK (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/af2efc8bffbf4cdc83c2d1a134354074\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/6d2771faa9da4a2786a509d82c8cf0f7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AR (<a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/633006d0782b4544bd5113a314f6268a\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); AZ (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.azdhs.gov\/covid19\/data\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); CA (<a href=\"https:\/\/skylab.cdph.ca.gov\/calwws\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.marinhhs.org\/surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Marin, dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/healthalerts.stanford.edu\/covid-19\/wastewater-dashboard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stanford, wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/?v=SC2_N&l=Oakland%2C+CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Oakland, wastewater<\/a>); CO (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.colorado.gov\/data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/cdphe.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/d79cf93c3938470ca4bcc4823328946b#utility=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); CT (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.ct.gov\/stories\/s\/COVID-19-data\/wa3g-tfvc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); DE (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.delaware.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); FL (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/5b9d75ba683849928dc1a49c39ab0b1c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); GA (<a href=\"https:\/\/dph.georgia.gov\/ga-nwss-wastewater-surveillance-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); HI (<a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); IA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dmmwra.org\/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=57\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater reports<\/a>); ID (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Boise; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahopublichealth.com\/district-2\/novel-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/data.wastewaterscan.org\/?plantId=1056f05c-0e46-4e3d-b007-c0453ba7dc0d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Central Idaho; <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.verily.com\/#:SARS-CoV-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Coeur d\u2019Alene; dashboard, <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.srhd.org\/topics\/spokane-county-case-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spokane County<\/a>); IL (<a href=\"https:\/\/iwss.uillinois.edu\/wastewater-treatment-plants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); IN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.in.gov\/indiana-covid-19-dashboard-and-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); KS (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov\/160\/COVID-19-in-Kansas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/4456bae8a38f4b6180e008477382fff9\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Lawrence); KY (<a href=\"https:\/\/louisville.edu\/envirome\/thecoimmunityproject\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>, Louisville); LA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ldh.la.gov\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/covid-19-wastewater-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MD (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.maryland.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); ME (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/dhhs\/mecdc\/infectious-disease\/epi\/airborne\/coronavirus\/data.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/coronavirus\/stats\/wastewater-surveillance\/dashboard\/sentinel-wastewater-epidemiology-evaluation-project-sweep\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/gisportal.state.mi.us\/portal\/apps\/insights\/index.html#\/view\/52bbb104ed574887918f990af9f3debe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.state.mn.us\/diseases\/coronavirus\/stats\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); MO (<a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/f7f5492486114da6b5d6fdc07f81aacf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); MS (<a href=\"https:\/\/msdh.ms.gov\/page\/14,0,420.html#Mississippi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>MT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/MapSeries\/index.html?appid=7c34f3412536439491adcc2103421d4b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; NC (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.ncdhhs.gov\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard)<\/a>; ND (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.nd.gov\/health\/coronavirus\/cases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NE (<a href=\"https:\/\/atlas-dhhs.ne.gov\/Atlas\/Respiratory_Illness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NH (<a href=\"https:\/\/wisdom.dhhs.nh.gov\/wisdom\/dashboard.html?topic=covid-19&subtopic=recurring-updates&indicator=covid-19-wastewater#tabnavbarid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); NJ (<a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.nj.gov\/forms\/datadashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NM (<a href=\"https:\/\/cvprovider.nmhealth.org\/public-dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); NV (<a href=\"https:\/\/nvhealthresponse.nv.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/empower.unlv.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>, Southern NV); NY (<a href=\"https:\/\/mbcolli.shinyapps.io\/SARS2EWSP\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OH (<a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.ohio.gov\/dashboards\/other-resources\/wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); OK (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/51657c21386d4f1a962b1853c76ec589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); <del>OR (<a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/app\/profile\/oregon.health.authority.covid.19\/viz\/OregonsCOVID-19DataDashboards-TableofContents\/TableofContentsStatewide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>)<\/del>; PA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.pa.gov\/topics\/disease\/coronavirus\/pages\/Cases.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); RI (<a href=\"https:\/\/ri-department-of-health-covid-19-data-rihealth.hub.arcgis.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SC (<a href=\"https:\/\/scdhec.gov\/index.php\/covid19\/covid-19-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); SD (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.sd.gov\/COVID\/Dashboard.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TN (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/health\/cedep\/ncov\/data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); TX (<a href=\"https:\/\/txdshsea.maps.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/4ae43eefd0f641d59d35c3df82ee59cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); UT (<a href=\"https:\/\/avrpublic.dhhs.utah.gov\/uwss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); VA (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/coronavirus\/sars-cov-2-in-wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); VT (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthvermont.gov\/disease-control\/covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WA (<a href=\"https:\/\/doh.wa.gov\/emergencies\/covid-19\/data-dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/covid19.bfhd.wa.gov\/cases-and-roadmap-to-recovery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dashboard<\/a>); WI (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.wisconsin.gov\/covid-19\/wastewater.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); WV (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/oehs.wvdhhr.org\/news\/oehs-coivd-19-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>); WY (<del><a href=\"https:\/\/covidwastewatermonitor.wyo.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a><\/del>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (<a href=\"https:\/\/health-infobase.canada.ca\/covid-19\/wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Government of Canada<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealthontario.ca\/en\/Data-and-Analysis\/Infectious-Disease\/COVID-19-Data-Surveillance\/Wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); QC (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inspq.qc.ca\/covid-19\/donnees\/eaux-usees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><em>les eaux us\u00e9es<\/em><\/a>); BC (<a href=\"https:\/\/bccdc.shinyapps.io\/respiratory_wastewater\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>); BC, Vancouver (<a href=\"https:\/\/metrovancouver.org\/services\/liquid-waste\/testing-for-the-covid-19-virus-in-wastewater\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wastewater<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>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). <\/p>\n<p>Stay safe out there!<\/p>\n<p>Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"5.6677524429967\">\n<p>Oh well, India is far away:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.6344086021505\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"14.086021505376\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nine wards of the city have been declared H5N1-infected zones, with shop closures, food restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>Officials confirmed the virus in multiple feline samples, prompting an and a total ban on chicken and mutton sales.<\/p>\n<p>2\/2<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Outbreak Updates (@outbreakupdates) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/outbreakupdates\/status\/1889705755743318449\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Airborne Transmission: H5N1<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"17.744916820702\">\n<p>\u201cGenetic data and meteorological conditions: unravelling the windborne transmission of H5N1 high-pathogenicity avian influenza between commercial poultry outbreaks\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/2025.02.12.637829v1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">bioRxiv<\/a>]. \u201cDuring the 2023-24 HPAI season, molecular surveillance identified identical H5N1 strains among a cluster of unrelated commercial farms about 8 km apart in the Czech Republic. The episode started with the abrupt mortality of fattening ducks on one farm and was followed by disease outbreaks at two nearby high-biosecurity chicken farms. Using genetic, epizootiological, meteorological and geographical data, we reconstructed a mosaic of events strongly suggesting wind was the mechanism of infection transmission between poultry in at least two independent cases. By aligning the genetic and meteorological data with critical outbreak events, we determined the most likely time window during which the transmission occurred and inferred the sequence of infected houses at the recipient sites. Our results suggest that the contaminated plume emitted from the infected fattening duck farm was the critical medium of HPAI transmission, rather than the dust generated during depopulation. Furthermore, they also strongly implicate the role of confined mechanically-ventilated buildings with high population densities in facilitating windborne transmission and propagating virus concentrations below the minimum infectious dose at the recipient sites.\u201d \u2022 We\u2019ve had anecdotal evidence of long-distance airborne transmission via dust from Texas, and <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0031114\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a modeling study<\/a>, but this study seems to have all the links in the chain. Look out, Big Ag.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"33.531034482759\">\n<p>\u201cJudge orders HHS, CDC and FDA to restore deleted webpages with health information\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/judge-orders-hhs-cdc-fda-restore-deleted-webpages-health-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CBS<\/a>]. \u201cU.S. District Judge John Bates agreed to grant a temporary restraining order sought by the group Doctors for America, which argued that its members used the websites when treating patients and conducting research. The nonprofit organization said that the removal of the webpages by the Department of Health and Human Services and its components violated federal law. Bates found that the challengers were likely to succeed in their claims that the Department Health and Human Services, CDC and FDA acted unlawfully when they stripped medical information from public-facing websites. \u2018It bears emphasizing who ultimately bears the harm of defendants\u2019 actions: everyday Americans, and most acutely, underprivileged Americans, seeking healthcare,\u2019 he wrote. Citing declarations from two doctors filed in the case, Bates said if they \u2018cannot provide these individuals the care they need (and deserve) within the scheduled and often limited time frame, there is a chance that some individuals will not receive treatment, including for severe, life-threatening conditions. The public thus has a strong interest in avoiding these serious injuries to the public health.’\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTHE LIST: 101 Organizations, Institutions, Individuals, and Tools that UCSF\u2019s Vinay Prasad Has Attacked\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.panaccindex.info\/p\/the-list-95-organizations-institutions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Pandemic Accountability Index<\/a>]. Caption: \u201cVinay Prasad is celebrating thousands of scientific researchers losing their jobs. Now who will perform all the RCTs he spent years demanding?\u201d Nothing wrong with a bit of invective: \u201cWhat Vinay Prasad is doing to medicine and science is what Youtube, Twitter, and other social media platforms have enabled for discussions around entertainment media like films, videogames, and even professional wrestling for many years now. It\u2019s called outrage farming. It\u2019s become an entire industry at this point. You\u2019re likely well acquainted with it by now \u2013 whether it\u2019s screeching that \u2018woke\u2019 has ruined Star Wars, that videogames don\u2019t have enough bikini babes anymore, or that All Elite Wrestling is going bankrupt in two weeks \u2013 there\u2019s no end of exploitative, chatGPT-brained slop on social media meant to drum up hate \u2013 and Vinay Prasad has brought this to medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.853293413174\">\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Wastewater<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6190476190476\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> This week[1] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> February 3<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Last week[2] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> (until next week):<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287047\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-2-300x201.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" style=\"align: left; margin-left: 0px !important; padding: 9px 0 9px 0;\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286833\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-1-300x180.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6417910447761\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong> Variants<\/strong> [3] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> February 1<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> <strong> Emergency Room Visits<\/strong>[4] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#trends_select_7dayeddiagnosed_00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> February 1 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/no_covid-cdc-variants-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/no_covid-cdc-variants-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/no_covid-cdc-variants-natl-300x230.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286688\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-300x180.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Hospitalization<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.9102564102564\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> New York[5] <a href=\"https:\/\/coronavirus.health.ny.gov\/daily-hospitalization-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York State<\/a>, data February 11:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> National [6] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/covidnetdashboard\/de\/powerbi\/dashboard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> February 7:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286973\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-1-300x290.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Positivity<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"2.5915492957746\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> National[7] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walgreens.com\/healthcare-solutions\/covid-19-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walgreens<\/a> February 10:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Ohio[8] <a href=\"https:\/\/clevelandcliniclabs.com\/respiratory-virus-surveillance-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cleveland Clinic<\/a> February 8:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286693\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286976\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh.png 1434w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-300x192.png 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1024x657.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-768x493.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-624x400.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1434px) 100vw, 1434px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Travelers Data<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.5789473684211\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Positivity[9] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 20:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Variants[10] <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#traveler-genomic-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 20 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" height=\"370\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286830\"\/><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286831\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-1-300x207.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Deaths<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.76\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronavirusdisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 25:<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\"> Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] <a href=\"https:\/\/health.hawaii.gov\/coronadisease2019\/what-you-should-know\/current-situation-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC<\/a> January 25:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286757\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-deaths-positivity-natl-300x202.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<p><span class=\"Apple-tab-span\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-286972\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-1-300x186.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>LEGEND<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1) <span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: gold;\">\u2605<\/span> for charts new today; all others are not updated.<\/p>\n<p>2) For a full-size\/full-resolution image, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Windows) on the chart thumbnail and \u201copen image in new tab.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>[1] (CDC) Down, nothing new at major hubs.<\/p>\n<p>[2] (CDC) Last week\u2019s wastewater map.<\/p>\n<p>[3] (CDC Variants) XEC takes over. That WHO label, \u201cOmmicron,\u201d has done a great job normalizing successive waves of infection.<\/p>\n<p>[4] (ED) A little uptick.<\/p>\n<p>[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Definitely jumped, but no exponential growth either, Odd.<\/p>\n<p>[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[8] (Cleveland) Continued upward trend since, well, Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n<p>[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[10] (Travelers: Variants). Positivity is new, but variants have not yet been released.<\/p>\n<p>[11] Deaths low, positivity leveling out.<\/p>\n<p>[12] Deaths low, ED leveling out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stats Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Inflation: \u201cUnited States Producer Prices\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/producer-prices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cProducer Prices in the United States increased to 147.72 points in January from 147.13 points in December of 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Employment Situation: \u201cUnited States Initial Jobless Claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/jobless-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cInitial jobless claims in the US fell by 7,000 from the previous week to 213,000 on the first week of February, below market expectations of 215,000. In the meantime, recurring claims fell by 36,000 to 1,850,000 in the last week of January, firmly below market expectations of 1,880,000, to extend the drop from the over three-year high touched earlier in the month. The data continued to show robustness in the US labor market, in line with the Federal Reserve\u2019s rhetoric that there is no rush to continue cutting interest rates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Retail: \u201cFarm Action Calls for an Investigation into Skyrocketing Egg Prices and Restricted Supply\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/farmaction.us\/farm-action-calls-for-an-investigation-into-skyrocketing-egg-prices-and-restricted-supply\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Farm Action<\/a>]. \u201cWhile avian flu has been cited as the primary driver of skyrocketing egg prices, its actual impact on production has been minimal. Instead, dominant egg producers\u2014particularly Cal-Maine Foods\u2014have leveraged the crisis to raise prices, amass record profits, and consolidate market power. The slow recovery in flock size, despite historically high prices, further suggests coordinated efforts to restrict supply and sustain inflated prices.\u201d \u2022 Interesting\u2026 <\/p>\n<p> Manufacturing: \u201cAir India rules out more Boeing jet orders for now, CEO says\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/aerospace-defense\/air-india-rules-out-more-boeing-jet-orders-now-ceo-says-2025-02-12\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reuters<\/a>]. \u201cAir India is holding off on exercising its outstanding options to buy additional Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab jets until the planemaker has cleared its backlog, CEO Campbell Wilson told Reuters on Wednesday. \u2018We don\u2019t want to commit to anything until we have confidence of when it\u2019s going to come. And likewise, they (Boeing) don\u2019t want to offer something until they have confidence of when it\u2019s going to come,\u2019 Wilson said in an interview in London. The former state carrier is in the midst of a multi-billion-dollar revamp in the face of established competition, after Tata Group took it over more than two years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cTesla is suing drivers who complain about their cars after accidents \u2013 and winning\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/tech\/tesla-crash-brakes-musk-china-zhang-yazhou-b2697360.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Independent<\/a>]. The deck: \u201cTesla owner Elon Musk is a self-described \u2018free speech absolutist\u2019.\u201d And: \u201cOver the last four years, Tesla has sued at least six car owners in China who had sudden vehicle malfunctions, quality complaints or accidents they claimed were caused by mechanical failures. The company has also sued at least six bloggers and two Chinese media outlets that wrote critically about the company, according to a review of public court documents and Chinese media reports by The Associated Press. Tesla won all eleven cases for which AP could determine the verdicts. Two judgments\u2026 are on appeal. One case was settled out of court. It is not common practice for automakers \u2014 in China or elsewhere \u2014 to sue their customers. But Tesla has pioneered an aggressive legal strategy and leveraged the patronage of powerful leaders in China\u2019s ruling Communist Party to silence critics, reap financial rewards and limit its accountability.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Hmm.<\/p>\n<p>The Bezzle: \u201cTrump and His Family Earned Millions From Trump Coin While 810,000 Others Lost Money: Report\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/en\/square\/post\/20216567852729\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Binance<\/a>]. \u201cThe early rise in value of Donald Trump\u2019s memecoin, $TRUMP , helped some investors to earn significant profit while its crash caused more than 810,000 crypto wallets to lose $2 billion combined, according to an analysis reviewed by The New York Times. Meanwhile, Trump and his family have brought in approximately $100 million in trading fees alone.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Tech: The premise of the thread is that the poster\u2019s little brother uses AI to generate passive income by creating ChatGPT slop for a product, turning that into video slop, then putting the video on YouTube, where people who search on the product will find your video and click on your affililate link, generating a commission for you. I dunno. Maybe I should do this. Maybe we should all do it. But what kills me is the product the poster chooses:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.6613475177305\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"11.86524822695\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">1\/ Go to ChatGPT <\/p>\n<p>Once you’re on ChatGPT, paste this message:<\/p>\n<p>“List the top 10 best-selling air purifier on Amazon that cost more than $100.”<\/p>\n<p>For this example, I\u2019m going to choose the Dyson Purifier Cool : <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lSAencMcOW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/lSAencMcOW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 William | IA (@ia_william) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ia_william\/status\/1889690356091883777\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s right, an air purifier. As if the Covid conscious community didn\u2019t spend endless amounts of time rating air purifiers, pushing clean indoor air as policy\u2026 and then this little multilegged parasitoid inserts his sucking mandibles into all that social capital and siphons it away. Maybe I should file it this under Civilizational Collapse<\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cApple Intelligence\u2019s biggest problem isn\u2019t the Intelligence\u2013it\u2019s Apple\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/Apple%20Intelligence%E2%80%99s%20biggest%20problem%20isn%E2%80%99t%20the%20Intelligence%E2%80%93it%E2%80%99s%20Apple\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Macworld<\/a>]. \u201cThe worst thing about AI is that since much of it springs from the concept of a text-based language model, AI interfaces tend to be empty text boxes that you have to type something into. I can\u2019t believe we\u2019re back here. This is serious pre-1984 thinking, 40 years after Apple put a stake in the heart of the command-line interface. Giving users an empty text box and expecting them to know what to say to get the result they want is a colossal user-interface failure. An empty text box is cruel. (And no, having to carefully issue abstract commands via voice is not a good alternative, nor is forcing users to laboriously correct mistaken output with additional text entry.) The future of AI functionality needs to be built on a good user interface design that offers simple visual tools to step users through the process.\u201d \u2022 Not so easy\u2026 <\/p>\n<p>Tech: \u201cWhen AI says \u2018kill\u2019: Humans overtrust machines in life-or-death decisions\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/studyfinds.org\/ai-humans-trust-machines-life-or-death-decisions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Study Finds<\/a>]. \u201d New research from UC Merced and Penn State shows that people are highly susceptible to AI influence even in life-or-death situations where the AI openly acknowledges its own limitations. A series of experiments simulating drone warfare scenarios suggests we may be falling too far on the side of machine deference, with potentially dangerous consequences\u2026. The findings paint a concerning picture of human susceptibility to AI influence, particularly in situations of uncertainty.\u201d \u2022 This is nuts. The IDF wants \u2014 has bought \u2014 AI that slaughters civilians. That\u2019s not a bug, it\u2019s a feature, and it\u2019s exactly what a Silicon Valley overlord defending his bunker would want as well.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 44 Fear (previous close: 44 Fear) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 44 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Feb 13 at 1:22:35 PM ET<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1916\u2026<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.7608695652174\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.2826086956522\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Horticultural landscape with a hilltop, 1916 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/artbots?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#artbots<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/klimt?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">#klimt<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Tuj2xMbYq3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/Tuj2xMbYq3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gustav Klimt (@artistgklimt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/artistgklimt\/status\/1889911898524512612\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"wired\"\/><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I am not feeling wired today.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact information for plants<\/strong>: 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) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/200pm-water-cooler-2-5-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From SK:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/satsuma.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/satsuma.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/satsuma-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/>d<\/p>\n<p>SK writes: \u201cHere\u2019s our Satsuma mandarin, planted 33 years ago, loaded, and ripening a bit early. It tends to have a two year heavy\/light fruit cycle, the \u201chole\u201d is where an overloaded branch broke a few years ago. To the left is a scrawny blood orange, and a Bearss (pr. Bierce) lime. What we don\u2019t eat and share, we squeeze and freeze. My wife has been making sorbet from both, served with vanilla ice cream, so refreshing in the summer heat, like a Creamsicle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"donate\"\/><strong>Readers<\/strong>: Water Cooler is a standalone entity <em>not<\/em> covered by the annual NC fundraiser. Material here is Lambert\u2019s, and does not express the views of the Naked Capitalism site. If you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldn\u2019t see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! <em>Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I\u2019m on the right track with coverage<\/em>. When I get no donations for three or four days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:<\/p>\n<p>Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"606\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution.png 606w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/contribution-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!<\/p>\n<div class=\"printfriendly pf-alignleft\"><a href=\"#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF & Email\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow:none; padding:0; margin:0\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.printfriendly.com\/buttons\/print-button-gray.png\" alt=\"Print Friendly, PDF & Email\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/200pm-water-cooler-2-13-2025.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether. Patient readers, I got a very late start today, so this Water Cooler will be quite light. Sorry! \u2013lambert Bird Song of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":90968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,183],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-spotlight"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}