\n<\/p>\n
By Lambert Strether.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nBird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Cherry, Nebraska, United States. \u201cValentine National Wildlife Refuge \u2013 Little Hay Road Wildlife Drive. About 4.5 km east and south from the intersection with State Spur 16b. Marsh on one side, sand hills on the other. About 200 m from open water. ID\u2019d by Sight & Sound; ID confidence 100%.\u201d There is a nice counterpoint from the march: maybe insects, maybe frogs.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Court filing: <a href=\"#doge\">DOGE website<\/a> claims another victim.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#myopia\">Myopia epidemic:<\/a> literally!<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#ml\">Pseudo-science in machine learning<\/a>.<\/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=\"46.845289541919\">\n<p>Trump caves to The Blob:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.7375886524823\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.5602836879433\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">JUST IN:<\/p>\n<p>Trump to Zelensky:<\/p>\n<p>“You should have never started the WAR” <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uysZhg9Fdo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/uysZhg9Fdo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Megatron (@Megatron_ron) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Megatron_ron\/status\/1892112578471510063\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Trump erases the Maidan Coup, hence Nuland, her cookies, and all the spook scheming that laid the groundwork for the war. (If I\u2019m right, USAID will be the last axe swung at The Blob, and that was driven by (a) conservative irritable mental gestures on foreign aid and (b) programs that looked like they were designed by bleeding heart liberals or, worse, DEI. Note that in the now-forgotten USAID imbroglio, nobody who was anybody mentioned the role of USAID as a CIA cutout. And Trump just closed the door on that. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSweeping safety-net cuts have GOP centrists questioning Johnson\u2019s budget\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/02\/14\/house-gop-budget-centrists-medicaid-00204223\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cJohnson\u2019s most immediate problem comes from swing-district Republicans who believe that the steep spending cuts Johnson wants across Medicaid, food assistance and other safety-net programs for low-income Americans could cost them their seats \u2014 and Johnson his razor-thin GOP majority. \u2018I don\u2019t know where they\u2019re going to get the cuts,\u2019 said Rep. David Valadao, who represents a heavily Democratic district in central California, as he left the Capitol on Thursday. The House Budget Committee cleared the fiscal blueprint for the massive policy bill on a party-line vote late Thursday night, and Johnson intends to bring it to the floor when the House returns from recess later this month. But with a two-vote majority, Johnson has virtually no room for error. And opposition from members like Valadao could force him and committee chairs to go back to the drawing board.\u201d \u2022 Who wants to bet some Democrat centrists will help out Johnson? Commentary:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.8986013986014\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"10.136363636364\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Trump said in an interview last night: \u201cMedicare, Medicaid \u2014 none of that stuff is going to be touched.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today he endorsed the House plan to slash billions from Medicaid. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1pDBdEHnIE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/1pDBdEHnIE<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cE9JcY03wF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/cE9JcY03wF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alice Miranda Ollstein (@AliceOllstein) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AliceOllstein\/status\/1892227213174386867\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnsuring Accountability for All Agencies\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/02\/ensuring-accountability-for-all-agencies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Whitehouse.gov<\/a>]. The long-awaited unitary executive, which includes the following interesting section:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eo_section7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"272\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eo_section7.png 700w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eo_section7-300x117.png 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eo_section7-624x242.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019d all been anticipating the demise of Humphrey\u2019s Executor; but Marbury vs. Madison?<\/p>\n<p>One of the occasional pieces of good news:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.7542857142857\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"10.011428571429\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">JUST NOW: By keeping in place the 2023 Merger Guidelines formulated under <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/linamkhan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@linamkhan<\/a> and AAG Kanter, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CNBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@CNBC<\/a> says the Trump Admin “put themselves on the side of the American worker.”<\/p>\n<p>“That\u2019s not something a lot of people on Wall Street expected.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/j47euunhPj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/j47euunhPj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 American Economic Liberties Project (@econliberties) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/econliberties\/status\/1892220536937238690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I thought Bessent was supposed to be this low-key, stable, smart \u201csafe pair of hands\u201d at Treasury. Then he hands the keys to the DOGEbags. Then this:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.7408536585366\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"12.326219512195\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Since the start of COVID, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue\u2019s Gallatin Entrance \u2013 front door of historic Main Treasury \u2013 has been closed. Today, for the first time in almost 5 years, we opened those doors. America is back! Another sign of the Golden Age!<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecScottBessent\/status\/1892001522277392824\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>OK, OK, who doesn\u2019t love a little pandering? But from the Secretary of the Treasury? Here\u2019s another one\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBessent: Trump \u201cCould Win The Nobel Peace Prize\u201d For His Plan To Rebuild Ukraine, If It Were Fairly Awarded\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/video\/2025\/02\/18\/bessent_trump_could_win_the_nobel_peace_prize_for_his_plan_to_rebuild_ukraine_if_it_were_fairly_awarded.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RealClearPolitcs<\/a>]. \u2022 This is bizarre. Did somebody leave a horse\u2019s head in his bed?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"102.27159931702\">\n<p><a name=\"doge\"\/>\u201cDOGE Claimed It Saved $8 Billion in One Contract. It Was Actually $8 Million\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/18\/upshot\/doge-contracts-musk-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.yE4.Qyxv.7AizyFV7824L\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. And the deck: \u201cThe biggest single line item on the website of Elon Musk\u2019s cost-cutting team included a big error.\u201d That darn website! Who could have known ***cough*** it would have included a massive error? \u201c. A loss of $8 billion in savings would represent nearly 15 percent of the total savings claimed by DOGE.\u201d \u2022 There\u2019s already been a massive cloud of dust raised around this:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"6.2022792022792\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"15.062678062678\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">No, no, no.<br \/>The original contract was erroneously entered into the FPDS database at $8billion. In January, somebody updated the records with the correct value of $8million. The contract was $8million either way, it just was entered wrong into the FPDS database.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, Musk did\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KEWl8BeOXk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/KEWl8BeOXk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Robert Graham (@ErrataRob) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ErrataRob\/status\/1892118119872709041\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>But the obvious point to me seems to be this: Why isn\u2019t the DOGE website put on git, so we can track changes and who\u2019s responsible for them? The DOGEbags are suppposed to be \u201csupergeniuses,\u201d per Co-President Trump, so they must have thought of this. So why didn\u2019t they do it?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTens of millions of dead people aren\u2019t getting Social Security checks, despite Trump and Musk claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/social-security-payments-deceased-false-claims-doge-ed2885f5769f368853ac3615b4852cf7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cThe Trump administration is falsely claiming that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security payments. Over the past few days, President Donald Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk have said on social media and in press briefings that people who are 100, 200 and even 300 years old are improperly getting benefits \u2014 a \u2018HUGE problem,\u2019 Musk wrote, as his Department of Government Efficiency digs into federal agencies to root out waste, fraud and abuse\u2026. Part of the confusion [deliberate obfuscation] comes from Social Security\u2019s software system based on the COBOL programming language, which has a lack of date type. This means that some entries with missing or incomplete birthdates will default to a reference point of more than 150 years ago.\u201d NOTE See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/200pm-water-cooler-2-18-2025.html#cobol\">Water Cooler yesterday<\/a> and the extremely useful comments; this is plausible, but not proven to be correct. More: \u201cThe news organization WIRED first reported on the use of COBOL programming language at the Social Security Administration. Additionally, a series of reports from the Social Security Administration\u2019s inspector general in March 2023 and July 2024 state that the agency has not established a new system to properly annotate death information in its database, which included roughly 18.9 million Social Security numbers of people born in 1920 or earlier but were not marked as deceased. This does not mean, however, that these individuals were receiving benefits. The agency decided not to update the database because of the cost to do so, which would run upward of $9 million. A July 2023 Social Security OIG report states that \u2018almost none of the numberholders discussed in the report currently receive SSA payments.\u2019 And, as of September 2015, the agency automatically stops payments to people who are older than 115 years old. Chuck Blahous, a senior research strategist at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, said, \u2018Two cheers for Elon Musk if he can root out and put a stop to improper payments.\u2019 Blahous said.\u201d \u2022 The Mercatus Center isn\u2019t exactly a liberal hotbed, so if <em>they<\/em> say Elon\u2019s full of it, he is. One can only wonder why the focus on Social Security; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/ygm3SMLvqtQ?si=4HcKIR5AMefh_-24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">I\u2019m with Cheese<\/a> on this one. Elon is just waving some screen dumps some random DOGEbag gave him and screaming fraud. But whoever made the screen dumps <em>didn\u2019t understand the data<\/em>, and so the screen dumps are useless (unless their sole purpose be that Elon can wave them around, not unlikely). It takes a level of effort to understand these systems \u2014 both business logic and programming \u2014 and DOGE hasn\u2019t had the time, the skills, the headcount, or, dare I say, the inclination to do it. A useful comment from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/SQL\/comments\/1irggyr\/comment\/md873lr\/?context=3&share_id=7t0pzRgsLcqjBE0u9FJql&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reddit<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/data_knowledge.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"277\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/data_knowledge.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/data_knowledge-300x139.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>I know this story is hard to follow, and the non-technical may be inclined to file it under \u201cHe said, she said.\u201d I implore you to file it under \u201cGhost of Kiev\u201d because Elon lies shamelessly and constantly. It doesn\u2019t help matters that the sort of data analysts who understand these systems tend to be careful and slow in their assessments, so Elon and his fan base run rings around them on the Twitter. Say, would any recently terminated employee at Social Security or Treasury like to throw some COBOL over the transom? We\u2019d love to read it, and are experienced at preserving anonymity (from the foreclosure crisis).<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cElon Musk mulls giving Americans a $5,000 check based on DOGE savings\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/02\/19\/elon-musk-5000-check-doge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Fortune<\/a>]. \u201cElon Musk says he \u2018will check with the President\u2019 about an idea to issue refund checks from DOGE savings. Those checks could be as much as $5,000 per household if the department hits its $2 trillion savings goal. But there are some major hurdles that could scuttle the idea. Elon Musk\u2019s Department of Government Efficiency task force claims to be slashing the federal budget, which would ease the federal deficit. But now Musk is exploring the idea of using some of that money to send rebate checks to citizens. In a post on Twitter\/X Tuesday afternoon, Musk said he would escalate the idea of a \u2018DOGE Dividend,\u2019 saying \u2018will check with the President.\u2019 The post came in a reply to a suggestion by James Fishback, the CEO and cofounder of right-leaning investment firm Azoria. (The company last year launched an anti-woke ETF that excluded companies that prioritize DEI hiring.) By Fishback\u2019s calculations, if DOGE reaches its target of $2 trillion in savings (a number that includes most of the government\u2019s discretionary spending and which Musk himself has backtracked from in the past month), a 20% cut of that distributed to Americans would work out to $5,000 per household. The checks, he proposes, would be sent after DOGE expires next July. DOGE, on its website, has claimed to create $55 billion in savings so far. Numerous media reports, however, have shown discrepancies in that figure, such as a New York Times story pointing out one claim of an $8 billion savings was only an $8 million one. Additionally, many of the claims made by DOGE include no documentation to back up their savings boasts.\u201d \u2022 Of course, President Musk has a ways to go: $55 billion is 2.75% of $2 trillion (it\u2019s like DOGEbags don\u2019t understand that government is <em>big<\/em>. Nor can they count. Of course, <a href=\"https:\/\/languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu\/nll\/?p=67453\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AI can\u2019t count<\/a>, so that DOGEbags can\u2019t should come as no surprise). NOTE I\u2019m sure there\u2019s a name for this kind of con, where the proposition put to the mark is \u201cI\u2019ll give you $100 now if you\u2019ll give up the rights to your pension later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cUSDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is now trying to rehire them\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/doge\/usda-accidentally-fired-officials-bird-flu-rehire-rcna192716\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NBC News<\/a>]. \u201cAlthough several positions supporting [bird flu efforts] were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters,\u201d a USDA spokesperson said in a statement. \u2018USDA\u2019s Food Safety and Inspection Service frontline positions are considered public safety positions, and we are continuing to hire the workforce necessary to ensure the safety and adequate supply of food to fulfill our statutory mission\u2026 The error is the latest in the Trump administration\u2019s attempts to rapidly shrink the size of the government by conducting mass firings of federal workers \u2014 an effort that is being carried out by tech billionaire Elon Musk and the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, which is heavily staffed by people who have no experience in government.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Plot twist: What if \u2014 hear me out \u2014 the DOGEbags weren\u2019t really supergeniuses at all, but were brain-damaged by repeated Covid infections? And nobody around them in Silicon Valley noticed. For some reason.<\/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>Airborne Transmission<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"18\">\n<p>As readers know, I\u2019ve never been a fan of UV, partly because of the ick factor, but also because I think a lot of people will stick a blue light in a socket and call it good. However, Far-UVC advocates have been plugging away, and I\u2019m not insensible to the case they\u2019re making:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/far_uv.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"541\" height=\"1785\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/far_uv.png 541w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/far_uv-91x300.png 91w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/far_uv-310x1024.png 310w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 541px) 100vw, 541px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>In addition, what with wildfire smoke and H5N1 being carried along by dust in the breeze, I think my Swiss Cheese Model might need another layer of protection. Have any readers had success with Far-UVC?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: I continue to remain puzzled by the New York City chart: We have a sort of stable state; a plateau, but no exponential rise. I looked at the State, too:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny-1-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Here we have a modest decrease but (see the blue line) it\u2019s still high-ish compared to the pandemic as a whole. Perhaps some kind epidemiologist in the readership can tell me what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.863095238095\">\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Wastewater<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.625\">\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 10<\/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-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-3.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-3-300x190.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-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><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6470588235294\">\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 15<\/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 8 <\/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-variants-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1-300x230.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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-2-300x163.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=\"3.9240506329114\">\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 18:<\/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 13:<\/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-nyc-7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-7.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-7-300x169.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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2-300x292.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 17:<\/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-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287391\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1.png 2396w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-624x351.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2396px) 100vw, 2396px\"\/><\/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-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1-300x198.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/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 27:<\/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 27 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\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-positivity-travelers-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2-300x182.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287474\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2-300x231.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>Housing: \u201cUnited States Housing Starts\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/housing-starts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cHousing starts in the United States slumped 9.8% month-over-month to an annualized 1.366 million in January 2025, down from December\u2019s 10-month high of 1.515 million and missing market forecasts of 1.4 million. Severe snowstorms and frigid temperatures disrupted construction activity, while any potential rebound may be constrained by rising costs from import tariffs and persistently high mortgage rates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cThis New Airbus Jet Is Bad News for Boeing\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/AijPT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wall Street Journal<\/a>]. \u201cAirbus has a new jet that\u2019s winning over some of Boeing\u2019s best customers. It also raises the specter of more trouble ahead for the U.S. plane maker. The European company started delivering the new aircraft\u2014the A321XLR\u2014late last year against a backdrop of manufacturing upheaval and financial strain at its American rival. So far the XLR has racked up more than 500 orders, many from airlines looking to replace older Boeing planes. The jet\u2019s success is one of the starkest signs yet of the diverging fortunes of the two companies, with Boeing\u2019s troubles leading to gaps in its product lineup that are now being exploited by Airbus. It is also a warning of a bigger threat looming: While Boeing is strapped for cash, Airbus is increasingly investing in an entirely new generation of aircraft that could shape the duopoly for decades to come. American Airlines and United Airlines have chosen Airbus\u2019s XLR to replace their aging Boeing 757 fleets. Other airlines including Australia\u2019s Qantas have also purchased the XLR\u2014the first time that carrier has ordered one of Airbus\u2019s smaller, narrow-body jets. Central to the XLR\u2019s appeal is a giant fuel tank behind the wings that means the aircraft can carry up to 220 passengers on trips as long as 11 hours. That is far longer than typical narrow-body jets, allowing airlines to open up new direct routes\u2014including across the Atlantic\u2014without needing to sell as many tickets as they would with a bigger, wide-body plane.\u201d \u2022 How odd that Boeing\u2019s financial engineers couldn\u2019t come up with the idea of a giant fuel tank\u2026 <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 49 Fear (previous close: 48 Neutral) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 42 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Feb 19 at 3:03:28 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe More Senior Your Job Title, the More You Need to Keep a Journal\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2017\/07\/the-more-senior-your-job-title-the-more-you-need-to-keep-a-journal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Harvard Business Review<\/a>]. Remember yesterday I ran the recommendation that professionals take notes or keeo a diary? Here is the executive version: \u201cBeing a CEO can be a lonely job\u2013there is no obvious person in whom to confide. Keeping a journal can fill that void, by giving a new leader a chance for structured reflection of recent past events and decisions, and mental rehearsal for future ones.\u201d \u2022 Totally nothing to do with papering up one\u2019s decision-making process (\u201cDear Diary, Today I signed off on the MCAS system. It seems crazy, but our engineering staff assures me it\u2019s totally liable, I mean reliable. Also, Mom called.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"myopia\"\/>\u201cWe\u2019re in a short-sightedness epidemic \u2013 and we never saw it coming\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2025\/02\/19\/myopia-short-sightedness-epidemic-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Telegraph<\/a>]. Literal. not metaphorical. \u201cThe global myopia rate tripled between 1990 and 2023, according to a recent study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. The World Health Organization predicts that by 2050, half of the world will need glasses and 10 per cent will be high myopic, which carries severe risks of complications and even blindness\u2026. Ocular diseases include cataracts, glaucoma, and the two that cause the experts most concern. One is retinal detachment, which is when vitreous fluid \u2013 the jelly inside your eyeballs \u2013 begins to leak and pushes the retina away at the back, \u2018a bit like a bubble in wallpaper\u2019 as a leaflet from Moorfields Eye Hospital in London helpfully puts it\u2026. Amid a \u2018substantial\u2019 increase in retinal detachment surgery, the hospital recently reported a sharp increase in the proportion of myopes undergoing the treatment \u2013 from less than 10 per cent in 2012 to more than 40 per cent in 2023 \u2013 with the steepest rise among younger patients. \u2018If your retina detaches, you lose vision,\u2019 explains Dr Annegret Dahlmann-Noor, the paediatric ophthalmologist who led the Moorfields study. \u2018It starts in the periphery and moves towards the centre and if it gets to the point where it affects your central vision, then usually recovery is not complete. We\u2019ve seen some teenagers and people in their early 20s present with retinal detachments. It\u2019s a trend we can see.\u2019 The other condition that \u2018really destroys\u2019 your vision, as she puts it, is macular degeneration. This is now the leading cause of blindness in working age people in China\u2026.\u201d And: \u2018And here there are two factors of particular concern. One is that children are not spending nearly as much time in daylight as they need to. Daylight is thought to stimulate the release of dopamine in the retina which inhibits eyeball growth. Given that we evolved as an outdoor species but now spend around 90 per cent of our lives indoors (that\u2019s more time than the average whale spends underwater by the way) the idea that our eyes are struggling to cope with our low-light interiors isn\u2019t so surprising. The other factor is that children are spending too long engaged in \u2018near-work\u2019 ie concentrating on things too close to their face and thus squeezing their eyeballs into the wrong shape from an early age. Since myopia develops while the eyeball is still growing, the crucial window is in childhood. Hence the standard advice for children is known as the 20\/20\/2 rule: for every 20 minutes of near-work, spend 20 seconds focusing on something in the distance; and most importantly, spend two hours outside each day. Also, go and get your eyes tested.\u201d \u2022 Screens are the myopia of the people. The rich keep their children away from screens, so they, at least, will not be going blind.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Photo Book<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sadly, the ravishing black and white tones aren\u2019t really captured on screen:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.6870229007634\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"7.3893129770992\">\n<p lang=\"ro\" dir=\"ltr\">In a restaurant of Quartier Latin, Paris. 1934<\/p>\n<p>Andr\u00e9 Kert\u00e9sz <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yKQo3DaprF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/yKQo3DaprF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mateo (@eyeonaxis_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eyeonaxis_\/status\/1892213550317273392\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I \u201cdiscovered\u201d Kert\u00e9sz, IIRC, in one of those square books with white hardcovers Aperture published; I worked through most of them in a Harvard Square bookstore (now a bank, for pity\u2019s sake. \u201cFirst\u201d something or other. Never bank at a bank called \u201cFirst\u201d).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alert reader Lunker Walleye writes: I don\u2019t see the comment box today but wanted to respond to the Bonnard Nanny La Promenade painting.<\/p>\n<p>It is one of four similar paintings on top of a four-panel screen. Here\u2019s a link:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bonnard_frieze.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"461\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287535\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bonnard_frieze.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bonnard_frieze-300x231.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"ml\"\/>\u201cThe reanimation of pseudoscience in machine learning and its ethical repercussions\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cell.com\/patterns\/fulltext\/S2666-3899(24)00160-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cell<\/a>]. From 2024. A must read for the AI space. This caught my eye: \u201cA recent surge of deep learning-based studies have claimed the ability to predict unobservable latent character traits, including homosexuality, political ideology, and criminality, from photographs of human faces or other records of outward appearance, including Alam et al., Chandraprabha et al., Hashemi and Hall, Kabir et al., Kachur et al., Kosinski et al., Mindoro et al., Parde et al., Peterson et al., Mujeeb Rahman and Subashini, Reece and Danforth, Su et al., Tsuchiya et al., Verma et al., Vrskova et al., and Wang and Kosinski. In response, government and industry actors have adapted such methods into technologies deployed on the public in the form of products such as Faception, Hirevue, and Turnitin. [Ouch!], the prospects of ML have renewed scientific interest in the subject. Much like historical forays into this domain, this new wave of physiognomy, resurrected and yet not, apparently, sufficiently rebranded, has faced harsh criticism on both ethical and epistemic grounds.\u201d \u2022 Readable, and worth reading in full.<\/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-2-18-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From anahuna:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gowanus.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287529\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gowanus.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gowanus-225x300.jpeg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Anahuna writes: \u201cI thought to take this last opportunity to send a plant or two or three. While I delight in the country scenes you\u2019ve been gracing us with, I\u2019m confined to the urban cityscape, and I\u2019ve included one aggressively urban sample from a fence that has since been knocked down to make way for one of the tall new steel-and-glass high-rises. All these emerge, one way or aother, from the streets near the Gowanus Canal.\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-2-19-2025.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether. Bird Song of the Day Brown Thrasher, Cherry, Nebraska, United States. \u201cValentine National Wildlife Refuge \u2013 Little Hay Road Wildlife Drive. About<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91220,"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-91219","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\/91219","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=91219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Cherry, Nebraska, United States. \u201cValentine National Wildlife Refuge \u2013 Little Hay Road Wildlife Drive. About 4.5 km east and south from the intersection with State Spur 16b. Marsh on one side, sand hills on the other. About 200 m from open water. ID\u2019d by Sight & Sound; ID confidence 100%.\u201d There is a nice counterpoint from the march: maybe insects, maybe frogs.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Court filing: <a href=\"#doge\">DOGE website<\/a> claims another victim.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#myopia\">Myopia epidemic:<\/a> literally!<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#ml\">Pseudo-science in machine learning<\/a>.<\/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=\"46.845289541919\">\n<p>Trump caves to The Blob:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.7375886524823\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.5602836879433\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">JUST IN:<\/p>\n<p>Trump to Zelensky:<\/p>\n<p>“You should have never started the WAR” <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uysZhg9Fdo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/uysZhg9Fdo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Megatron (@Megatron_ron) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Megatron_ron\/status\/1892112578471510063\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Trump erases the Maidan Coup, hence Nuland, her cookies, and all the spook scheming that laid the groundwork for the war. (If I\u2019m right, USAID will be the last axe swung at The Blob, and that was driven by (a) conservative irritable mental gestures on foreign aid and (b) programs that looked like they were designed by bleeding heart liberals or, worse, DEI. Note that in the now-forgotten USAID imbroglio, nobody who was anybody mentioned the role of USAID as a CIA cutout. And Trump just closed the door on that. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSweeping safety-net cuts have GOP centrists questioning Johnson\u2019s budget\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/02\/14\/house-gop-budget-centrists-medicaid-00204223\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cJohnson\u2019s most immediate problem comes from swing-district Republicans who believe that the steep spending cuts Johnson wants across Medicaid, food assistance and other safety-net programs for low-income Americans could cost them their seats \u2014 and Johnson his razor-thin GOP majority. \u2018I don\u2019t know where they\u2019re going to get the cuts,\u2019 said Rep. David Valadao, who represents a heavily Democratic district in central California, as he left the Capitol on Thursday. The House Budget Committee cleared the fiscal blueprint for the massive policy bill on a party-line vote late Thursday night, and Johnson intends to bring it to the floor when the House returns from recess later this month. But with a two-vote majority, Johnson has virtually no room for error. And opposition from members like Valadao could force him and committee chairs to go back to the drawing board.\u201d \u2022 Who wants to bet some Democrat centrists will help out Johnson? Commentary:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.8986013986014\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"10.136363636364\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Trump said in an interview last night: \u201cMedicare, Medicaid \u2014 none of that stuff is going to be touched.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today he endorsed the House plan to slash billions from Medicaid. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1pDBdEHnIE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/1pDBdEHnIE<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cE9JcY03wF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/cE9JcY03wF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alice Miranda Ollstein (@AliceOllstein) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AliceOllstein\/status\/1892227213174386867\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnsuring Accountability for All Agencies\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/02\/ensuring-accountability-for-all-agencies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Whitehouse.gov<\/a>]. The long-awaited unitary executive, which includes the following interesting section:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eo_section7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"272\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eo_section7.png 700w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eo_section7-300x117.png 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eo_section7-624x242.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019d all been anticipating the demise of Humphrey\u2019s Executor; but Marbury vs. Madison?<\/p>\n<p>One of the occasional pieces of good news:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.7542857142857\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"10.011428571429\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">JUST NOW: By keeping in place the 2023 Merger Guidelines formulated under <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/linamkhan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@linamkhan<\/a> and AAG Kanter, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CNBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@CNBC<\/a> says the Trump Admin “put themselves on the side of the American worker.”<\/p>\n<p>“That\u2019s not something a lot of people on Wall Street expected.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/j47euunhPj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/j47euunhPj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 American Economic Liberties Project (@econliberties) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/econliberties\/status\/1892220536937238690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I thought Bessent was supposed to be this low-key, stable, smart \u201csafe pair of hands\u201d at Treasury. Then he hands the keys to the DOGEbags. Then this:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.7408536585366\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"12.326219512195\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Since the start of COVID, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue\u2019s Gallatin Entrance \u2013 front door of historic Main Treasury \u2013 has been closed. Today, for the first time in almost 5 years, we opened those doors. America is back! Another sign of the Golden Age!<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecScottBessent\/status\/1892001522277392824\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>OK, OK, who doesn\u2019t love a little pandering? But from the Secretary of the Treasury? Here\u2019s another one\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBessent: Trump \u201cCould Win The Nobel Peace Prize\u201d For His Plan To Rebuild Ukraine, If It Were Fairly Awarded\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/video\/2025\/02\/18\/bessent_trump_could_win_the_nobel_peace_prize_for_his_plan_to_rebuild_ukraine_if_it_were_fairly_awarded.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RealClearPolitcs<\/a>]. \u2022 This is bizarre. Did somebody leave a horse\u2019s head in his bed?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"102.27159931702\">\n<p><a name=\"doge\"\/>\u201cDOGE Claimed It Saved $8 Billion in One Contract. It Was Actually $8 Million\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/18\/upshot\/doge-contracts-musk-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.yE4.Qyxv.7AizyFV7824L\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. And the deck: \u201cThe biggest single line item on the website of Elon Musk\u2019s cost-cutting team included a big error.\u201d That darn website! Who could have known ***cough*** it would have included a massive error? \u201c. A loss of $8 billion in savings would represent nearly 15 percent of the total savings claimed by DOGE.\u201d \u2022 There\u2019s already been a massive cloud of dust raised around this:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"6.2022792022792\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"15.062678062678\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">No, no, no.<br \/>The original contract was erroneously entered into the FPDS database at $8billion. In January, somebody updated the records with the correct value of $8million. The contract was $8million either way, it just was entered wrong into the FPDS database.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, Musk did\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KEWl8BeOXk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/KEWl8BeOXk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Robert Graham (@ErrataRob) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ErrataRob\/status\/1892118119872709041\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>But the obvious point to me seems to be this: Why isn\u2019t the DOGE website put on git, so we can track changes and who\u2019s responsible for them? The DOGEbags are suppposed to be \u201csupergeniuses,\u201d per Co-President Trump, so they must have thought of this. So why didn\u2019t they do it?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTens of millions of dead people aren\u2019t getting Social Security checks, despite Trump and Musk claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/social-security-payments-deceased-false-claims-doge-ed2885f5769f368853ac3615b4852cf7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cThe Trump administration is falsely claiming that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security payments. Over the past few days, President Donald Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk have said on social media and in press briefings that people who are 100, 200 and even 300 years old are improperly getting benefits \u2014 a \u2018HUGE problem,\u2019 Musk wrote, as his Department of Government Efficiency digs into federal agencies to root out waste, fraud and abuse\u2026. Part of the confusion [deliberate obfuscation] comes from Social Security\u2019s software system based on the COBOL programming language, which has a lack of date type. This means that some entries with missing or incomplete birthdates will default to a reference point of more than 150 years ago.\u201d NOTE See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/200pm-water-cooler-2-18-2025.html#cobol\">Water Cooler yesterday<\/a> and the extremely useful comments; this is plausible, but not proven to be correct. More: \u201cThe news organization WIRED first reported on the use of COBOL programming language at the Social Security Administration. Additionally, a series of reports from the Social Security Administration\u2019s inspector general in March 2023 and July 2024 state that the agency has not established a new system to properly annotate death information in its database, which included roughly 18.9 million Social Security numbers of people born in 1920 or earlier but were not marked as deceased. This does not mean, however, that these individuals were receiving benefits. The agency decided not to update the database because of the cost to do so, which would run upward of $9 million. A July 2023 Social Security OIG report states that \u2018almost none of the numberholders discussed in the report currently receive SSA payments.\u2019 And, as of September 2015, the agency automatically stops payments to people who are older than 115 years old. Chuck Blahous, a senior research strategist at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, said, \u2018Two cheers for Elon Musk if he can root out and put a stop to improper payments.\u2019 Blahous said.\u201d \u2022 The Mercatus Center isn\u2019t exactly a liberal hotbed, so if <em>they<\/em> say Elon\u2019s full of it, he is. One can only wonder why the focus on Social Security; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/ygm3SMLvqtQ?si=4HcKIR5AMefh_-24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">I\u2019m with Cheese<\/a> on this one. Elon is just waving some screen dumps some random DOGEbag gave him and screaming fraud. But whoever made the screen dumps <em>didn\u2019t understand the data<\/em>, and so the screen dumps are useless (unless their sole purpose be that Elon can wave them around, not unlikely). It takes a level of effort to understand these systems \u2014 both business logic and programming \u2014 and DOGE hasn\u2019t had the time, the skills, the headcount, or, dare I say, the inclination to do it. A useful comment from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/SQL\/comments\/1irggyr\/comment\/md873lr\/?context=3&share_id=7t0pzRgsLcqjBE0u9FJql&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reddit<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/data_knowledge.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"277\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/data_knowledge.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/data_knowledge-300x139.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>I know this story is hard to follow, and the non-technical may be inclined to file it under \u201cHe said, she said.\u201d I implore you to file it under \u201cGhost of Kiev\u201d because Elon lies shamelessly and constantly. It doesn\u2019t help matters that the sort of data analysts who understand these systems tend to be careful and slow in their assessments, so Elon and his fan base run rings around them on the Twitter. Say, would any recently terminated employee at Social Security or Treasury like to throw some COBOL over the transom? We\u2019d love to read it, and are experienced at preserving anonymity (from the foreclosure crisis).<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cElon Musk mulls giving Americans a $5,000 check based on DOGE savings\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/02\/19\/elon-musk-5000-check-doge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Fortune<\/a>]. \u201cElon Musk says he \u2018will check with the President\u2019 about an idea to issue refund checks from DOGE savings. Those checks could be as much as $5,000 per household if the department hits its $2 trillion savings goal. But there are some major hurdles that could scuttle the idea. Elon Musk\u2019s Department of Government Efficiency task force claims to be slashing the federal budget, which would ease the federal deficit. But now Musk is exploring the idea of using some of that money to send rebate checks to citizens. In a post on Twitter\/X Tuesday afternoon, Musk said he would escalate the idea of a \u2018DOGE Dividend,\u2019 saying \u2018will check with the President.\u2019 The post came in a reply to a suggestion by James Fishback, the CEO and cofounder of right-leaning investment firm Azoria. (The company last year launched an anti-woke ETF that excluded companies that prioritize DEI hiring.) By Fishback\u2019s calculations, if DOGE reaches its target of $2 trillion in savings (a number that includes most of the government\u2019s discretionary spending and which Musk himself has backtracked from in the past month), a 20% cut of that distributed to Americans would work out to $5,000 per household. The checks, he proposes, would be sent after DOGE expires next July. DOGE, on its website, has claimed to create $55 billion in savings so far. Numerous media reports, however, have shown discrepancies in that figure, such as a New York Times story pointing out one claim of an $8 billion savings was only an $8 million one. Additionally, many of the claims made by DOGE include no documentation to back up their savings boasts.\u201d \u2022 Of course, President Musk has a ways to go: $55 billion is 2.75% of $2 trillion (it\u2019s like DOGEbags don\u2019t understand that government is <em>big<\/em>. Nor can they count. Of course, <a href=\"https:\/\/languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu\/nll\/?p=67453\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AI can\u2019t count<\/a>, so that DOGEbags can\u2019t should come as no surprise). NOTE I\u2019m sure there\u2019s a name for this kind of con, where the proposition put to the mark is \u201cI\u2019ll give you $100 now if you\u2019ll give up the rights to your pension later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cUSDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is now trying to rehire them\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/doge\/usda-accidentally-fired-officials-bird-flu-rehire-rcna192716\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NBC News<\/a>]. \u201cAlthough several positions supporting [bird flu efforts] were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters,\u201d a USDA spokesperson said in a statement. \u2018USDA\u2019s Food Safety and Inspection Service frontline positions are considered public safety positions, and we are continuing to hire the workforce necessary to ensure the safety and adequate supply of food to fulfill our statutory mission\u2026 The error is the latest in the Trump administration\u2019s attempts to rapidly shrink the size of the government by conducting mass firings of federal workers \u2014 an effort that is being carried out by tech billionaire Elon Musk and the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, which is heavily staffed by people who have no experience in government.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Plot twist: What if \u2014 hear me out \u2014 the DOGEbags weren\u2019t really supergeniuses at all, but were brain-damaged by repeated Covid infections? And nobody around them in Silicon Valley noticed. For some reason.<\/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>; 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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>Airborne Transmission<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"18\">\n<p>As readers know, I\u2019ve never been a fan of UV, partly because of the ick factor, but also because I think a lot of people will stick a blue light in a socket and call it good. However, Far-UVC advocates have been plugging away, and I\u2019m not insensible to the case they\u2019re making:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/far_uv.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"541\" height=\"1785\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/far_uv.png 541w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/far_uv-91x300.png 91w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/far_uv-310x1024.png 310w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 541px) 100vw, 541px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>In addition, what with wildfire smoke and H5N1 being carried along by dust in the breeze, I think my Swiss Cheese Model might need another layer of protection. Have any readers had success with Far-UVC?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: I continue to remain puzzled by the New York City chart: We have a sort of stable state; a plateau, but no exponential rise. I looked at the State, too:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny-1-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Here we have a modest decrease but (see the blue line) it\u2019s still high-ish compared to the pandemic as a whole. Perhaps some kind epidemiologist in the readership can tell me what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.863095238095\">\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Wastewater<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.625\">\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 10<\/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-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-3.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-3-300x190.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-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><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6470588235294\">\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 15<\/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 8 <\/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-variants-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1-300x230.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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-2-300x163.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=\"3.9240506329114\">\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 18:<\/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 13:<\/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-nyc-7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-7.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-7-300x169.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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2-300x292.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 17:<\/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-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287391\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1.png 2396w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-624x351.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2396px) 100vw, 2396px\"\/><\/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-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1-300x198.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/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 27:<\/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 27 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\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-positivity-travelers-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2-300x182.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287474\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2-300x231.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>Housing: \u201cUnited States Housing Starts\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/housing-starts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cHousing starts in the United States slumped 9.8% month-over-month to an annualized 1.366 million in January 2025, down from December\u2019s 10-month high of 1.515 million and missing market forecasts of 1.4 million. Severe snowstorms and frigid temperatures disrupted construction activity, while any potential rebound may be constrained by rising costs from import tariffs and persistently high mortgage rates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cThis New Airbus Jet Is Bad News for Boeing\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/AijPT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wall Street Journal<\/a>]. \u201cAirbus has a new jet that\u2019s winning over some of Boeing\u2019s best customers. It also raises the specter of more trouble ahead for the U.S. plane maker. The European company started delivering the new aircraft\u2014the A321XLR\u2014late last year against a backdrop of manufacturing upheaval and financial strain at its American rival. So far the XLR has racked up more than 500 orders, many from airlines looking to replace older Boeing planes. The jet\u2019s success is one of the starkest signs yet of the diverging fortunes of the two companies, with Boeing\u2019s troubles leading to gaps in its product lineup that are now being exploited by Airbus. It is also a warning of a bigger threat looming: While Boeing is strapped for cash, Airbus is increasingly investing in an entirely new generation of aircraft that could shape the duopoly for decades to come. American Airlines and United Airlines have chosen Airbus\u2019s XLR to replace their aging Boeing 757 fleets. Other airlines including Australia\u2019s Qantas have also purchased the XLR\u2014the first time that carrier has ordered one of Airbus\u2019s smaller, narrow-body jets. Central to the XLR\u2019s appeal is a giant fuel tank behind the wings that means the aircraft can carry up to 220 passengers on trips as long as 11 hours. That is far longer than typical narrow-body jets, allowing airlines to open up new direct routes\u2014including across the Atlantic\u2014without needing to sell as many tickets as they would with a bigger, wide-body plane.\u201d \u2022 How odd that Boeing\u2019s financial engineers couldn\u2019t come up with the idea of a giant fuel tank\u2026 <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 49 Fear (previous close: 48 Neutral) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 42 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Feb 19 at 3:03:28 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe More Senior Your Job Title, the More You Need to Keep a Journal\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2017\/07\/the-more-senior-your-job-title-the-more-you-need-to-keep-a-journal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Harvard Business Review<\/a>]. Remember yesterday I ran the recommendation that professionals take notes or keeo a diary? Here is the executive version: \u201cBeing a CEO can be a lonely job\u2013there is no obvious person in whom to confide. Keeping a journal can fill that void, by giving a new leader a chance for structured reflection of recent past events and decisions, and mental rehearsal for future ones.\u201d \u2022 Totally nothing to do with papering up one\u2019s decision-making process (\u201cDear Diary, Today I signed off on the MCAS system. It seems crazy, but our engineering staff assures me it\u2019s totally liable, I mean reliable. Also, Mom called.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"myopia\"\/>\u201cWe\u2019re in a short-sightedness epidemic \u2013 and we never saw it coming\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2025\/02\/19\/myopia-short-sightedness-epidemic-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Telegraph<\/a>]. Literal. not metaphorical. \u201cThe global myopia rate tripled between 1990 and 2023, according to a recent study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. The World Health Organization predicts that by 2050, half of the world will need glasses and 10 per cent will be high myopic, which carries severe risks of complications and even blindness\u2026. Ocular diseases include cataracts, glaucoma, and the two that cause the experts most concern. One is retinal detachment, which is when vitreous fluid \u2013 the jelly inside your eyeballs \u2013 begins to leak and pushes the retina away at the back, \u2018a bit like a bubble in wallpaper\u2019 as a leaflet from Moorfields Eye Hospital in London helpfully puts it\u2026. Amid a \u2018substantial\u2019 increase in retinal detachment surgery, the hospital recently reported a sharp increase in the proportion of myopes undergoing the treatment \u2013 from less than 10 per cent in 2012 to more than 40 per cent in 2023 \u2013 with the steepest rise among younger patients. \u2018If your retina detaches, you lose vision,\u2019 explains Dr Annegret Dahlmann-Noor, the paediatric ophthalmologist who led the Moorfields study. \u2018It starts in the periphery and moves towards the centre and if it gets to the point where it affects your central vision, then usually recovery is not complete. We\u2019ve seen some teenagers and people in their early 20s present with retinal detachments. It\u2019s a trend we can see.\u2019 The other condition that \u2018really destroys\u2019 your vision, as she puts it, is macular degeneration. This is now the leading cause of blindness in working age people in China\u2026.\u201d And: \u2018And here there are two factors of particular concern. One is that children are not spending nearly as much time in daylight as they need to. Daylight is thought to stimulate the release of dopamine in the retina which inhibits eyeball growth. Given that we evolved as an outdoor species but now spend around 90 per cent of our lives indoors (that\u2019s more time than the average whale spends underwater by the way) the idea that our eyes are struggling to cope with our low-light interiors isn\u2019t so surprising. The other factor is that children are spending too long engaged in \u2018near-work\u2019 ie concentrating on things too close to their face and thus squeezing their eyeballs into the wrong shape from an early age. Since myopia develops while the eyeball is still growing, the crucial window is in childhood. Hence the standard advice for children is known as the 20\/20\/2 rule: for every 20 minutes of near-work, spend 20 seconds focusing on something in the distance; and most importantly, spend two hours outside each day. Also, go and get your eyes tested.\u201d \u2022 Screens are the myopia of the people. The rich keep their children away from screens, so they, at least, will not be going blind.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Photo Book<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sadly, the ravishing black and white tones aren\u2019t really captured on screen:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.6870229007634\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"7.3893129770992\">\n<p lang=\"ro\" dir=\"ltr\">In a restaurant of Quartier Latin, Paris. 1934<\/p>\n<p>Andr\u00e9 Kert\u00e9sz <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yKQo3DaprF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/yKQo3DaprF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mateo (@eyeonaxis_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eyeonaxis_\/status\/1892213550317273392\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I \u201cdiscovered\u201d Kert\u00e9sz, IIRC, in one of those square books with white hardcovers Aperture published; I worked through most of them in a Harvard Square bookstore (now a bank, for pity\u2019s sake. \u201cFirst\u201d something or other. Never bank at a bank called \u201cFirst\u201d).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alert reader Lunker Walleye writes: I don\u2019t see the comment box today but wanted to respond to the Bonnard Nanny La Promenade painting.<\/p>\n<p>It is one of four similar paintings on top of a four-panel screen. Here\u2019s a link:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bonnard_frieze.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"461\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287535\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bonnard_frieze.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bonnard_frieze-300x231.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"ml\"\/>\u201cThe reanimation of pseudoscience in machine learning and its ethical repercussions\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cell.com\/patterns\/fulltext\/S2666-3899(24)00160-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cell<\/a>]. From 2024. A must read for the AI space. This caught my eye: \u201cA recent surge of deep learning-based studies have claimed the ability to predict unobservable latent character traits, including homosexuality, political ideology, and criminality, from photographs of human faces or other records of outward appearance, including Alam et al., Chandraprabha et al., Hashemi and Hall, Kabir et al., Kachur et al., Kosinski et al., Mindoro et al., Parde et al., Peterson et al., Mujeeb Rahman and Subashini, Reece and Danforth, Su et al., Tsuchiya et al., Verma et al., Vrskova et al., and Wang and Kosinski. In response, government and industry actors have adapted such methods into technologies deployed on the public in the form of products such as Faception, Hirevue, and Turnitin. [Ouch!], the prospects of ML have renewed scientific interest in the subject. Much like historical forays into this domain, this new wave of physiognomy, resurrected and yet not, apparently, sufficiently rebranded, has faced harsh criticism on both ethical and epistemic grounds.\u201d \u2022 Readable, and worth reading in full.<\/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-2-18-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From anahuna:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gowanus.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287529\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gowanus.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gowanus-225x300.jpeg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Anahuna writes: \u201cI thought to take this last opportunity to send a plant or two or three. While I delight in the country scenes you\u2019ve been gracing us with, I\u2019m confined to the urban cityscape, and I\u2019ve included one aggressively urban sample from a fence that has since been knocked down to make way for one of the tall new steel-and-glass high-rises. All these emerge, one way or aother, from the streets near the Gowanus Canal.\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-2-19-2025.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether. Bird Song of the Day Brown Thrasher, Cherry, Nebraska, United States. \u201cValentine National Wildlife Refuge \u2013 Little Hay Road Wildlife Drive. About<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91220,"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-91219","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\/91219","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=91219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Cherry, Nebraska, United States. \u201cValentine National Wildlife Refuge \u2013 Little Hay Road Wildlife Drive. About 4.5 km east and south from the intersection with State Spur 16b. Marsh on one side, sand hills on the other. About 200 m from open water. ID\u2019d by Sight & Sound; ID confidence 100%.\u201d There is a nice counterpoint from the march: maybe insects, maybe frogs.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Court filing: <a href=\"#doge\">DOGE website<\/a> claims another victim.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#myopia\">Myopia epidemic:<\/a> literally!<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#ml\">Pseudo-science in machine learning<\/a>.<\/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=\"46.845289541919\">\n<p>Trump caves to The Blob:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.7375886524823\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.5602836879433\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">JUST IN:<\/p>\n<p>Trump to Zelensky:<\/p>\n<p>“You should have never started the WAR” <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uysZhg9Fdo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/uysZhg9Fdo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Megatron (@Megatron_ron) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Megatron_ron\/status\/1892112578471510063\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Trump erases the Maidan Coup, hence Nuland, her cookies, and all the spook scheming that laid the groundwork for the war. (If I\u2019m right, USAID will be the last axe swung at The Blob, and that was driven by (a) conservative irritable mental gestures on foreign aid and (b) programs that looked like they were designed by bleeding heart liberals or, worse, DEI. Note that in the now-forgotten USAID imbroglio, nobody who was anybody mentioned the role of USAID as a CIA cutout. And Trump just closed the door on that. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSweeping safety-net cuts have GOP centrists questioning Johnson\u2019s budget\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/02\/14\/house-gop-budget-centrists-medicaid-00204223\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Politico<\/a>]. \u201cJohnson\u2019s most immediate problem comes from swing-district Republicans who believe that the steep spending cuts Johnson wants across Medicaid, food assistance and other safety-net programs for low-income Americans could cost them their seats \u2014 and Johnson his razor-thin GOP majority. \u2018I don\u2019t know where they\u2019re going to get the cuts,\u2019 said Rep. David Valadao, who represents a heavily Democratic district in central California, as he left the Capitol on Thursday. The House Budget Committee cleared the fiscal blueprint for the massive policy bill on a party-line vote late Thursday night, and Johnson intends to bring it to the floor when the House returns from recess later this month. But with a two-vote majority, Johnson has virtually no room for error. And opposition from members like Valadao could force him and committee chairs to go back to the drawing board.\u201d \u2022 Who wants to bet some Democrat centrists will help out Johnson? Commentary:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.8986013986014\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"10.136363636364\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Trump said in an interview last night: \u201cMedicare, Medicaid \u2014 none of that stuff is going to be touched.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today he endorsed the House plan to slash billions from Medicaid. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1pDBdEHnIE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/1pDBdEHnIE<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cE9JcY03wF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/cE9JcY03wF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alice Miranda Ollstein (@AliceOllstein) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AliceOllstein\/status\/1892227213174386867\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnsuring Accountability for All Agencies\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/02\/ensuring-accountability-for-all-agencies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Whitehouse.gov<\/a>]. The long-awaited unitary executive, which includes the following interesting section:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eo_section7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"272\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eo_section7.png 700w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eo_section7-300x117.png 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/eo_section7-624x242.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019d all been anticipating the demise of Humphrey\u2019s Executor; but Marbury vs. Madison?<\/p>\n<p>One of the occasional pieces of good news:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.7542857142857\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"10.011428571429\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">JUST NOW: By keeping in place the 2023 Merger Guidelines formulated under <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/linamkhan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@linamkhan<\/a> and AAG Kanter, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CNBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@CNBC<\/a> says the Trump Admin “put themselves on the side of the American worker.”<\/p>\n<p>“That\u2019s not something a lot of people on Wall Street expected.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/j47euunhPj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/j47euunhPj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 American Economic Liberties Project (@econliberties) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/econliberties\/status\/1892220536937238690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I thought Bessent was supposed to be this low-key, stable, smart \u201csafe pair of hands\u201d at Treasury. Then he hands the keys to the DOGEbags. Then this:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.7408536585366\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"12.326219512195\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Since the start of COVID, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue\u2019s Gallatin Entrance \u2013 front door of historic Main Treasury \u2013 has been closed. Today, for the first time in almost 5 years, we opened those doors. America is back! Another sign of the Golden Age!<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecScottBessent\/status\/1892001522277392824\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>OK, OK, who doesn\u2019t love a little pandering? But from the Secretary of the Treasury? Here\u2019s another one\u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBessent: Trump \u201cCould Win The Nobel Peace Prize\u201d For His Plan To Rebuild Ukraine, If It Were Fairly Awarded\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/video\/2025\/02\/18\/bessent_trump_could_win_the_nobel_peace_prize_for_his_plan_to_rebuild_ukraine_if_it_were_fairly_awarded.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RealClearPolitcs<\/a>]. \u2022 This is bizarre. Did somebody leave a horse\u2019s head in his bed?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"102.27159931702\">\n<p><a name=\"doge\"\/>\u201cDOGE Claimed It Saved $8 Billion in One Contract. It Was Actually $8 Million\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/18\/upshot\/doge-contracts-musk-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.yE4.Qyxv.7AizyFV7824L\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times<\/a>]. And the deck: \u201cThe biggest single line item on the website of Elon Musk\u2019s cost-cutting team included a big error.\u201d That darn website! Who could have known ***cough*** it would have included a massive error? \u201c. A loss of $8 billion in savings would represent nearly 15 percent of the total savings claimed by DOGE.\u201d \u2022 There\u2019s already been a massive cloud of dust raised around this:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"6.2022792022792\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"15.062678062678\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">No, no, no.<br \/>The original contract was erroneously entered into the FPDS database at $8billion. In January, somebody updated the records with the correct value of $8million. The contract was $8million either way, it just was entered wrong into the FPDS database.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, Musk did\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KEWl8BeOXk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/KEWl8BeOXk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Robert Graham (@ErrataRob) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ErrataRob\/status\/1892118119872709041\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>But the obvious point to me seems to be this: Why isn\u2019t the DOGE website put on git, so we can track changes and who\u2019s responsible for them? The DOGEbags are suppposed to be \u201csupergeniuses,\u201d per Co-President Trump, so they must have thought of this. So why didn\u2019t they do it?<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTens of millions of dead people aren\u2019t getting Social Security checks, despite Trump and Musk claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/social-security-payments-deceased-false-claims-doge-ed2885f5769f368853ac3615b4852cf7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cThe Trump administration is falsely claiming that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security payments. Over the past few days, President Donald Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk have said on social media and in press briefings that people who are 100, 200 and even 300 years old are improperly getting benefits \u2014 a \u2018HUGE problem,\u2019 Musk wrote, as his Department of Government Efficiency digs into federal agencies to root out waste, fraud and abuse\u2026. Part of the confusion [deliberate obfuscation] comes from Social Security\u2019s software system based on the COBOL programming language, which has a lack of date type. This means that some entries with missing or incomplete birthdates will default to a reference point of more than 150 years ago.\u201d NOTE See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2025\/02\/200pm-water-cooler-2-18-2025.html#cobol\">Water Cooler yesterday<\/a> and the extremely useful comments; this is plausible, but not proven to be correct. More: \u201cThe news organization WIRED first reported on the use of COBOL programming language at the Social Security Administration. Additionally, a series of reports from the Social Security Administration\u2019s inspector general in March 2023 and July 2024 state that the agency has not established a new system to properly annotate death information in its database, which included roughly 18.9 million Social Security numbers of people born in 1920 or earlier but were not marked as deceased. This does not mean, however, that these individuals were receiving benefits. The agency decided not to update the database because of the cost to do so, which would run upward of $9 million. A July 2023 Social Security OIG report states that \u2018almost none of the numberholders discussed in the report currently receive SSA payments.\u2019 And, as of September 2015, the agency automatically stops payments to people who are older than 115 years old. Chuck Blahous, a senior research strategist at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, said, \u2018Two cheers for Elon Musk if he can root out and put a stop to improper payments.\u2019 Blahous said.\u201d \u2022 The Mercatus Center isn\u2019t exactly a liberal hotbed, so if <em>they<\/em> say Elon\u2019s full of it, he is. One can only wonder why the focus on Social Security; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/ygm3SMLvqtQ?si=4HcKIR5AMefh_-24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">I\u2019m with Cheese<\/a> on this one. Elon is just waving some screen dumps some random DOGEbag gave him and screaming fraud. But whoever made the screen dumps <em>didn\u2019t understand the data<\/em>, and so the screen dumps are useless (unless their sole purpose be that Elon can wave them around, not unlikely). It takes a level of effort to understand these systems \u2014 both business logic and programming \u2014 and DOGE hasn\u2019t had the time, the skills, the headcount, or, dare I say, the inclination to do it. A useful comment from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/SQL\/comments\/1irggyr\/comment\/md873lr\/?context=3&share_id=7t0pzRgsLcqjBE0u9FJql&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reddit<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/data_knowledge.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"277\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/data_knowledge.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/data_knowledge-300x139.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>I know this story is hard to follow, and the non-technical may be inclined to file it under \u201cHe said, she said.\u201d I implore you to file it under \u201cGhost of Kiev\u201d because Elon lies shamelessly and constantly. It doesn\u2019t help matters that the sort of data analysts who understand these systems tend to be careful and slow in their assessments, so Elon and his fan base run rings around them on the Twitter. Say, would any recently terminated employee at Social Security or Treasury like to throw some COBOL over the transom? We\u2019d love to read it, and are experienced at preserving anonymity (from the foreclosure crisis).<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cElon Musk mulls giving Americans a $5,000 check based on DOGE savings\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/02\/19\/elon-musk-5000-check-doge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Fortune<\/a>]. \u201cElon Musk says he \u2018will check with the President\u2019 about an idea to issue refund checks from DOGE savings. Those checks could be as much as $5,000 per household if the department hits its $2 trillion savings goal. But there are some major hurdles that could scuttle the idea. Elon Musk\u2019s Department of Government Efficiency task force claims to be slashing the federal budget, which would ease the federal deficit. But now Musk is exploring the idea of using some of that money to send rebate checks to citizens. In a post on Twitter\/X Tuesday afternoon, Musk said he would escalate the idea of a \u2018DOGE Dividend,\u2019 saying \u2018will check with the President.\u2019 The post came in a reply to a suggestion by James Fishback, the CEO and cofounder of right-leaning investment firm Azoria. (The company last year launched an anti-woke ETF that excluded companies that prioritize DEI hiring.) By Fishback\u2019s calculations, if DOGE reaches its target of $2 trillion in savings (a number that includes most of the government\u2019s discretionary spending and which Musk himself has backtracked from in the past month), a 20% cut of that distributed to Americans would work out to $5,000 per household. The checks, he proposes, would be sent after DOGE expires next July. DOGE, on its website, has claimed to create $55 billion in savings so far. Numerous media reports, however, have shown discrepancies in that figure, such as a New York Times story pointing out one claim of an $8 billion savings was only an $8 million one. Additionally, many of the claims made by DOGE include no documentation to back up their savings boasts.\u201d \u2022 Of course, President Musk has a ways to go: $55 billion is 2.75% of $2 trillion (it\u2019s like DOGEbags don\u2019t understand that government is <em>big<\/em>. Nor can they count. Of course, <a href=\"https:\/\/languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu\/nll\/?p=67453\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AI can\u2019t count<\/a>, so that DOGEbags can\u2019t should come as no surprise). NOTE I\u2019m sure there\u2019s a name for this kind of con, where the proposition put to the mark is \u201cI\u2019ll give you $100 now if you\u2019ll give up the rights to your pension later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cUSDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is now trying to rehire them\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/doge\/usda-accidentally-fired-officials-bird-flu-rehire-rcna192716\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NBC News<\/a>]. \u201cAlthough several positions supporting [bird flu efforts] were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters,\u201d a USDA spokesperson said in a statement. \u2018USDA\u2019s Food Safety and Inspection Service frontline positions are considered public safety positions, and we are continuing to hire the workforce necessary to ensure the safety and adequate supply of food to fulfill our statutory mission\u2026 The error is the latest in the Trump administration\u2019s attempts to rapidly shrink the size of the government by conducting mass firings of federal workers \u2014 an effort that is being carried out by tech billionaire Elon Musk and the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, which is heavily staffed by people who have no experience in government.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Plot twist: What if \u2014 hear me out \u2014 the DOGEbags weren\u2019t really supergeniuses at all, but were brain-damaged by repeated Covid infections? And nobody around them in Silicon Valley noticed. For some reason.<\/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>Airborne Transmission<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"18\">\n<p>As readers know, I\u2019ve never been a fan of UV, partly because of the ick factor, but also because I think a lot of people will stick a blue light in a socket and call it good. However, Far-UVC advocates have been plugging away, and I\u2019m not insensible to the case they\u2019re making:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/far_uv.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"541\" height=\"1785\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/far_uv.png 541w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/far_uv-91x300.png 91w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/far_uv-310x1024.png 310w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 541px) 100vw, 541px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>In addition, what with wildfire smoke and H5N1 being carried along by dust in the breeze, I think my Swiss Cheese Model might need another layer of protection. Have any readers had success with Far-UVC?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lambert here: I continue to remain puzzled by the New York City chart: We have a sort of stable state; a plateau, but no exponential rise. I looked at the State, too:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-ny-1-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Here we have a modest decrease but (see the blue line) it\u2019s still high-ish compared to the pandemic as a whole. Perhaps some kind epidemiologist in the readership can tell me what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.863095238095\">\n<tr colspan=\"2\">\n<td valign=\"top\"><strong>Wastewater<\/strong><\/td>\n<td\/>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.625\">\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 10<\/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-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-3.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ww-natl-3-300x190.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-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><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr colspan=\"2\" wp_automatic_readability=\"3.6470588235294\">\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 15<\/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 8 <\/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-variants-natl-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-natl-1-300x230.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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-ed-natl-2-300x163.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=\"3.9240506329114\">\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 18:<\/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 13:<\/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-nyc-7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-7.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-ny-hospitalization-nyc-7-300x169.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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-hospitalization-natl-2-300x292.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 17:<\/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-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287391\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1.png 2396w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-walgreens-positivity-states-1-624x351.png 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2396px) 100vw, 2396px\"\/><\/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-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cleveland-positivity-oh-1-300x198.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/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 27:<\/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 27 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\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-positivity-travelers-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-positivity-travelers-2-300x182.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><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-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-287474\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2.png 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/covid-cdc-variants-travelers-2-300x231.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>Housing: \u201cUnited States Housing Starts\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/housing-starts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cHousing starts in the United States slumped 9.8% month-over-month to an annualized 1.366 million in January 2025, down from December\u2019s 10-month high of 1.515 million and missing market forecasts of 1.4 million. Severe snowstorms and frigid temperatures disrupted construction activity, while any potential rebound may be constrained by rising costs from import tariffs and persistently high mortgage rates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cThis New Airbus Jet Is Bad News for Boeing\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/AijPT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wall Street Journal<\/a>]. \u201cAirbus has a new jet that\u2019s winning over some of Boeing\u2019s best customers. It also raises the specter of more trouble ahead for the U.S. plane maker. The European company started delivering the new aircraft\u2014the A321XLR\u2014late last year against a backdrop of manufacturing upheaval and financial strain at its American rival. So far the XLR has racked up more than 500 orders, many from airlines looking to replace older Boeing planes. The jet\u2019s success is one of the starkest signs yet of the diverging fortunes of the two companies, with Boeing\u2019s troubles leading to gaps in its product lineup that are now being exploited by Airbus. It is also a warning of a bigger threat looming: While Boeing is strapped for cash, Airbus is increasingly investing in an entirely new generation of aircraft that could shape the duopoly for decades to come. American Airlines and United Airlines have chosen Airbus\u2019s XLR to replace their aging Boeing 757 fleets. Other airlines including Australia\u2019s Qantas have also purchased the XLR\u2014the first time that carrier has ordered one of Airbus\u2019s smaller, narrow-body jets. Central to the XLR\u2019s appeal is a giant fuel tank behind the wings that means the aircraft can carry up to 220 passengers on trips as long as 11 hours. That is far longer than typical narrow-body jets, allowing airlines to open up new direct routes\u2014including across the Atlantic\u2014without needing to sell as many tickets as they would with a bigger, wide-body plane.\u201d \u2022 How odd that Boeing\u2019s financial engineers couldn\u2019t come up with the idea of a giant fuel tank\u2026 <\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s Fear & Greed Index: 49 Fear (previous close: 48 Neutral) [<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/data\/fear-and-greed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNN<\/a>]. One week ago: 42 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Feb 19 at 3:03:28 PM ET.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zeitgeist Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe More Senior Your Job Title, the More You Need to Keep a Journal\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2017\/07\/the-more-senior-your-job-title-the-more-you-need-to-keep-a-journal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Harvard Business Review<\/a>]. Remember yesterday I ran the recommendation that professionals take notes or keeo a diary? Here is the executive version: \u201cBeing a CEO can be a lonely job\u2013there is no obvious person in whom to confide. Keeping a journal can fill that void, by giving a new leader a chance for structured reflection of recent past events and decisions, and mental rehearsal for future ones.\u201d \u2022 Totally nothing to do with papering up one\u2019s decision-making process (\u201cDear Diary, Today I signed off on the MCAS system. It seems crazy, but our engineering staff assures me it\u2019s totally liable, I mean reliable. Also, Mom called.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"myopia\"\/>\u201cWe\u2019re in a short-sightedness epidemic \u2013 and we never saw it coming\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2025\/02\/19\/myopia-short-sightedness-epidemic-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Telegraph<\/a>]. Literal. not metaphorical. \u201cThe global myopia rate tripled between 1990 and 2023, according to a recent study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. The World Health Organization predicts that by 2050, half of the world will need glasses and 10 per cent will be high myopic, which carries severe risks of complications and even blindness\u2026. Ocular diseases include cataracts, glaucoma, and the two that cause the experts most concern. One is retinal detachment, which is when vitreous fluid \u2013 the jelly inside your eyeballs \u2013 begins to leak and pushes the retina away at the back, \u2018a bit like a bubble in wallpaper\u2019 as a leaflet from Moorfields Eye Hospital in London helpfully puts it\u2026. Amid a \u2018substantial\u2019 increase in retinal detachment surgery, the hospital recently reported a sharp increase in the proportion of myopes undergoing the treatment \u2013 from less than 10 per cent in 2012 to more than 40 per cent in 2023 \u2013 with the steepest rise among younger patients. \u2018If your retina detaches, you lose vision,\u2019 explains Dr Annegret Dahlmann-Noor, the paediatric ophthalmologist who led the Moorfields study. \u2018It starts in the periphery and moves towards the centre and if it gets to the point where it affects your central vision, then usually recovery is not complete. We\u2019ve seen some teenagers and people in their early 20s present with retinal detachments. It\u2019s a trend we can see.\u2019 The other condition that \u2018really destroys\u2019 your vision, as she puts it, is macular degeneration. This is now the leading cause of blindness in working age people in China\u2026.\u201d And: \u2018And here there are two factors of particular concern. One is that children are not spending nearly as much time in daylight as they need to. Daylight is thought to stimulate the release of dopamine in the retina which inhibits eyeball growth. Given that we evolved as an outdoor species but now spend around 90 per cent of our lives indoors (that\u2019s more time than the average whale spends underwater by the way) the idea that our eyes are struggling to cope with our low-light interiors isn\u2019t so surprising. The other factor is that children are spending too long engaged in \u2018near-work\u2019 ie concentrating on things too close to their face and thus squeezing their eyeballs into the wrong shape from an early age. Since myopia develops while the eyeball is still growing, the crucial window is in childhood. Hence the standard advice for children is known as the 20\/20\/2 rule: for every 20 minutes of near-work, spend 20 seconds focusing on something in the distance; and most importantly, spend two hours outside each day. Also, go and get your eyes tested.\u201d \u2022 Screens are the myopia of the people. The rich keep their children away from screens, so they, at least, will not be going blind.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Photo Book<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sadly, the ravishing black and white tones aren\u2019t really captured on screen:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.6870229007634\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"7.3893129770992\">\n<p lang=\"ro\" dir=\"ltr\">In a restaurant of Quartier Latin, Paris. 1934<\/p>\n<p>Andr\u00e9 Kert\u00e9sz <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yKQo3DaprF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/yKQo3DaprF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mateo (@eyeonaxis_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eyeonaxis_\/status\/1892213550317273392\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I \u201cdiscovered\u201d Kert\u00e9sz, IIRC, in one of those square books with white hardcovers Aperture published; I worked through most of them in a Harvard Square bookstore (now a bank, for pity\u2019s sake. \u201cFirst\u201d something or other. Never bank at a bank called \u201cFirst\u201d).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alert reader Lunker Walleye writes: I don\u2019t see the comment box today but wanted to respond to the Bonnard Nanny La Promenade painting.<\/p>\n<p>It is one of four similar paintings on top of a four-panel screen. Here\u2019s a link:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bonnard_frieze.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"461\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287535\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bonnard_frieze.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bonnard_frieze-300x231.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"ml\"\/>\u201cThe reanimation of pseudoscience in machine learning and its ethical repercussions\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cell.com\/patterns\/fulltext\/S2666-3899(24)00160-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cell<\/a>]. From 2024. A must read for the AI space. This caught my eye: \u201cA recent surge of deep learning-based studies have claimed the ability to predict unobservable latent character traits, including homosexuality, political ideology, and criminality, from photographs of human faces or other records of outward appearance, including Alam et al., Chandraprabha et al., Hashemi and Hall, Kabir et al., Kachur et al., Kosinski et al., Mindoro et al., Parde et al., Peterson et al., Mujeeb Rahman and Subashini, Reece and Danforth, Su et al., Tsuchiya et al., Verma et al., Vrskova et al., and Wang and Kosinski. In response, government and industry actors have adapted such methods into technologies deployed on the public in the form of products such as Faception, Hirevue, and Turnitin. [Ouch!], the prospects of ML have renewed scientific interest in the subject. Much like historical forays into this domain, this new wave of physiognomy, resurrected and yet not, apparently, sufficiently rebranded, has faced harsh criticism on both ethical and epistemic grounds.\u201d \u2022 Readable, and worth reading in full.<\/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-2-18-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From anahuna:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gowanus.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287529\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gowanus.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gowanus-225x300.jpeg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Anahuna writes: \u201cI thought to take this last opportunity to send a plant or two or three. While I delight in the country scenes you\u2019ve been gracing us with, I\u2019m confined to the urban cityscape, and I\u2019ve included one aggressively urban sample from a fence that has since been knocked down to make way for one of the tall new steel-and-glass high-rises. All these emerge, one way or aother, from the streets near the Gowanus Canal.\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-2-19-2025.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether. Bird Song of the Day Brown Thrasher, Cherry, Nebraska, United States. \u201cValentine National Wildlife Refuge \u2013 Little Hay Road Wildlife Drive. About<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91220,"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-91219","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\/91219","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=91219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}