\n<\/p>\n
By Lambert Strether.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nBird Song of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Wannagan Creek Cabin area, Billings, North Dakota, United States. Wannagan Creek Cabins, East River Road, Little Missouri Grasslands. Grasslands and drainage on top of the bluff behind the cabins. Trees and bushes along the draw of an ephemeral stream in the grassland on the plateau above the main river valley. Also grassy and rocky area uphill from the draw.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#democrats\">The goddamned Democrats<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mask\">Mask ban in MD<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#grey\">Why is grayscale taking over?<\/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=\"4.1041666666667\">\n<p>I suppose some people find this amusing:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.1356783919598\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.6231155778894\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” <br \/>\u2013President Donald J. Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IMr4tq0sMB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/IMr4tq0sMB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WhiteHouse\/status\/1892295984928993698\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"17.923322683706\">\n<p>\u201cJudge homes in on DOGE staffer duties in privacy lawsuit\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/regulation\/court-battles\/5154210-judge-doge-staffers-scrutiny\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cA federal judge on Wednesday looked to pinpoint the exact duties of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffers during a hearing over whether to cut off their unfettered access to troves of sensitive personal data. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman questioned the Justice Department over the specific \u201cpurposes or tasks\u201d assigned to DOGE workers, attempting to determine whether their far-reaching access is warranted. \u2026 The inquiry into DOGE\u2019s staffers came as Boardman weighed whether to temporarily bar DOGE from accessing sensitive personal data across numerous federal agencies. Six Americans and a handful of union organizations sued the Department of Treasury, Department of Education and United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) over personally identifiable information in the systems to which DOGE has gained access. The challengers claim DOGE\u2019s actions violate the Privacy Act of 1974, which was passed in response to the Watergate scandal and provides safeguards against privacy violations. In court filings, they accused the agencies of \u2018abandoning their duties as guardians and gatekeepers\u2019 of millions of Americans\u2019 sensitive information.\u201d And: \u201cDOGE\u2019s work and the staffers carrying it out have remained largely obscure, though court proceedings have peeled back the curtains on certain efforts. Several DOGE deputies were previously affiliated with Musk\u2019s companies, and some staffers are fresh out of high school or college, raising alarm about their infiltration of the government. The judge zeroed in on three DOGE staffers in leadership positions \u2014 Tom Krause, Adam Ramada and Greg Hogan \u2014 who described their work in court filings.\u201d \u2022 That is, this lawsuit is directed at the \u201cold heads\u201d DOGEbags, not at the feral\/incels.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"democrats\"\/>Democrats <em>en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"135.8152173913\">\n<p>I feel my allotment of posts is winding down, and I\u2019d like to reserve them for current events, so this here is probably the best I\u2019ll be able to do on the goddamn Democrats. Let\u2019s start with this tweet, triggered by the news coverage of government workers axed by DOGE:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.8856655290102\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"10.361774744027\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">They earned it and they never cared about 50 years of Rustbelt unemployment when all the factories closed down, the drugs flowed in, young men died deaths of despair and young women prostituted themselves on OnlyFans. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VFIUpvmDut\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/VFIUpvmDut<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Fugitive Caesar (@ThomBrady5) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ThomBrady5\/status\/1890620681840214181\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>(We saw the exact same dynamic during the East Palestine trainwreck, where Trump showed up immediately, and molasses-brained Joe Biden only showed up like a year later.) I don\u2019t much like that account\u2019s politics, but I would never delegitimate the rage, which seemed to overflow in election 2024 (or, more precisely, drove the base, MAGA reaction, to which Trump added slices of the previously invincible Democrat \u201ccoalition of the ascendant\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>From the 30,000 foot-level \u2014 i.e., beyond \u201cWho lost Pennsylvania?\u201d \u2014 I believe the 2024 majority comprehensively rejected governance as practiced by our professional managerial class (PMC). That was the \u201ctide in the affairs of men\u201d in the election just past. By \u201cgovernance\u201d I don\u2019t mean actions only performed by the State, but situations outside the workplace where a supplicant citizen sits on one side of a desk, and a credentialed functionary sits on the other, and is the gatekeeper to some sort of reward or punishment. You can see this is broad: It covers everything from health care to children\u2019s schooling (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kamala_is_for_they\/them\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u201cthey\/them\u201d \u201cnot you\u201d<\/a>) to insurance to human resources to law enforcement to student loans. (Note that all these \u201cacross the desk\u201d issues are kitchen table issues, <em>bills<\/em>; the price of eggs, I would speculate, is a concern at the margin, people having been pushed to the edge by a person behind a desk, then over the edge at the grocery store.) The price of eggs is also visible and understandable; an absurd medical bill is accepted as one of life\u2019s inevitable burdens.) <\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s hard to disagree with that rejection; from my class traitor armchair, there\u2019s not one PMC-managed system I\u2019d trust, though I give special attention to the PMC\u2019s catastropic management of our ongoing Covid pandemic (unless you consider installing another tranche of lethality on top of deaths of despair a success). Since the PMC is the base of the Democrat Party, to reject PMC governance is to reject the Democrat Party. The 2024 majority also comprehensively rejected PMC policy, going all the way back to NAFTA, for which the Democrats finally paid the price, as they fully deserved, but also including today\u2019s war in Ukraine, and foreign policy establishment that produced it. (I view the DOGE and MAGA as completely distinct; rather, DOGE is leveraging\/exploiting MAGA rage for its own purposes, which have more to do with a power surge by Silicon Valley <del>fraudsters and schemers<\/del> capitalists than they do with the fate of the rust belt. That MAGA got beaten into the ground by DOGE <em>on one of their main issues<\/em>, H1B, is something to think about.)<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s unfortunate that all the revolutionary energy is on the right, but not unexpected, given that the PMC didn\u2019t \u201c<em>abandon<\/em>\u201d the working class, as the usual framing goes, but actively assaulted them, the last time in 2023 when Biden rolled back all the provisioning put in place for the pandemic, replacing it with nothing. So instead of \u201csolidarity forever,\u201d we get a cornucopia of right wing tropes, starting with \u201cbig gummint\u201d and moving through a mental landscape seemingly populated exclusively by the Marlboro Man and blondes with weaponry, rugged individualists par excellence). Tropes accepted by the liberals, I might add, if we\u2019re lucky with some of the virulence attenuated. But we\u2019re not always so lucky. The shift from solidarity to neoliberal \u201crisk tolerance\u201d across the political spectrum in early 2022 is a fine example of this (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegauntlet.news\/p\/how-the-press-manufactured-consent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">from an excellent timeline of normalization propaganda by Julia Doubleday<\/a>). <\/p>\n<p>Of course, the main function of the modern Democrat Party has been to prevent the possibility of a politics or a party driven by the working class; at this they have succeeded admirably, NGO-funded identity politics in its various permutations (race, national origin, gender, etc.) having been the ideological driver, and mercenary though ill-paid \u201corganizers\u201d replacing precinct captains, keeping solidarity far away from the party apparatus. (Hence the Republican assault on NGOs, on both ideological and institutional fronts. Personally, I feel that if the Republicans scrape the DEI excresences away, they\u2019ll be doing the Democrats a big favor; ditto identity politics generally. This is a fine example of Republicans confusing liberals with the left.)<\/p>\n<p>The Democrat reaction to the comprehensive rejection of PMC governance in 2024 has been, well, diverse. Some Democrats are doubling down, becoming more like themselves than they already are. <\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start with the DNC:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.0833333333333\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"6.6666666666667\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is very bad and you should feel bad about it<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 barbarism critic (@SxarletRed) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SxarletRed\/status\/1892021761375384021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I read it so you don\u2019t have to; Martin\u2019s \u201cframework\u201d is all \u201cOrange man bad.\u201d There is literally nothing there but talking points to repeat.<\/p>\n<p>Here is the apparent best the leadership can do. Hakeem Jeffries (1):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.5933734939759\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"7.4096385542169\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hakeem Jeffries unveils his nickname for Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>[drumroll]<\/p>\n<p>“Captain Chaos” <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sLIKb9bgLH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/sLIKb9bgLH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kenklippenstein\/status\/1892076775712116895\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>(Trump and \u201cchaos\u201d has been a Democrat talking point since 2016. How\u2019s that been working out?)<\/p>\n<p>Hakeem Jeffries (2):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.7321428571429\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"9.952380952381\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">At protest against DOGE, Congressman Glenn Ivey tells NIH workers facing mass layoffs, “We’re gonna make Hakeem Jeffries the Speaker of the House in two years, right?” <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WL5IzXYc6a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/WL5IzXYc6a<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kenklippenstein\/status\/1892446320729756047\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>(Honestly, who cares?) Some Democrats are trying to make pink pussy hats look weak:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.7481203007519\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.593984962406\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ok I give up please just put us all in reeducation camps <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GR3EzIcW2P\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/GR3EzIcW2P<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1892413906108273056\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Other Democrats are openly cashing in:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.8844221105528\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.6532663316583\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Fetterman Staff Quit Amid Frustration Over \u201cJust Working on Israel All the Time\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/j57XvEnCf7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/j57XvEnCf7<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/akela_lacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@akela_lacy<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/j57XvEnCf7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/j57XvEnCf7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Intercept (@theintercept) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/theintercept\/status\/1892353985849213030\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>(A shame that brilliant <em>and reproducible<\/em> campaign tactics elected such a man, even if Oz would have been even worse.)<\/p>\n<p>Or even more openly:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.3142857142857\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"6.9428571428571\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Former Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Joe Biden are signing to a Hollywood talent agency. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/akNivi1NUN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/akNivi1NUN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Newsweek (@Newsweek) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Newsweek\/status\/1892241760585240949\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Maybe Biden can play the body a magician saws in half. Kamala too!<\/p>\n<p>And some Democrats are trying the jettison the policies that triggered hatred:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.7082152974504\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"14.050991501416\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NEW: Pete Buttigieg rips Democrats for their current approach to “diversity,” says it is “how Trump republicans are made.”<\/p>\n<p>Sounds like someone is getting ready for a 2028 run.<\/p>\n<p>Buttigieg said liberal training practices look like “something out of Portlandia.”<\/p>\n<p>“What do we mean\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tZx8H6QkvH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/tZx8H6QkvH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CollinRugg\/status\/1892341641962570113\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>That, however, will be hard to do, since it will take a few election cycles for voters to feel that Democrats have been adequately punished, and the Republicans will wave the bloody flag at every opportunity. More centrally, \u201cSure, DEI is terrible, but what do you replace it with?\u201d <em>Not<\/em> solidarity, since that\u2019s not a PMC value.<\/p>\n<p>And other Democrats are butchering an anti-oligarch message:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.1103448275862\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"12.775862068966\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">At the end of the day, it’s very simple:<\/p>\n<p>Trump and his oligarch friends want to cut programs that working class people rely on, and give huge tax breaks to the very rich.<\/p>\n<p>The American people have to stop them. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1tOXgoZqdy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/1tOXgoZqdy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BernieSanders\/status\/1892280113267343623\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>But wait:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.6985815602837\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"12.216312056738\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Trump and his American oligarchs are now openly aligning themselves with Putin and his Russian oligarchs. <\/p>\n<p>This Putin-Trump alliance means abandoning our allies, supporting authoritarianism and undermining our democratic traditions.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenSanders\/status\/1892244851053256743\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t figure out if Sanders has Putin Derangment Syndrome himself, or whether he has to cynically appeal to the Democrat base, which surely does. I don\u2019t know which is worse.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I wish I had the time to write this up as a post, and to make the analysis stronger. But I thought I\u2019d better put it all out there, imperfect though it is. If anybody has spotted a Democrat capable of taking a national leadership position, no matter the level of government, please leave the name in comments. I certainly haven\u2019t seen one [bangs head on desk]. Goddamned Democrats.<\/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><a name=\"mask\"\/>Maskstravaganza<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"3.4153846153846\">\n<p><a name=\"mask\"\/>Mask ban attempt in MD:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.2268907563025\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.7899159663866\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sponsors and their phone numbers:<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qPcUjRyDQG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/qPcUjRyDQG<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KjwCqwccSJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/KjwCqwccSJ<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zNfTPduNtY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/zNfTPduNtY<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/imoittLy2E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/imoittLy2E<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nVEbLjuYUM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/nVEbLjuYUM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Covid Caution \u2013 XEC, KP.3.1.1, LP.8.1, MC.1, LF.7 (@CovidCaution) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CovidCaution\/status\/1891644295104381107\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>By Democrats. Of course. (On mask bans, see NC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/eight-reasons-mask-bans-are-beyond-stupid.html\">here<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/mask-bans-slowly-spread-cough-cough-in-states-and-localities.html\">here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Immune Dysregulation<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"14.810659186536\">\n<p>\u201cEveryone\u2019s sick this winter. What\u2019s up with flu, norovirus, RSV and COVID?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2025\/02\/19\/flu-surging-rsv-covid-norovirus\/79098095007\/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=pocket_hits&utm_campaign=POCKET_HITS-EN-DAILY-SPONSORED&NAUTILUS-2025_02_20=&sponsored=0&position=1&category=fascinating_stories&scheduled_corpus_item_id=3697ece0-f44a-4b3a-90c9-03ddda4060b5&url=https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2025\/02\/19\/flu-surging-rsv-covid-norovirus\/79098095007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">USA Today<\/a>]. \u201cThe severity of this year\u2019s flu season is driven by a combination of factors, experts suggested. Daniel Griffin, an infectious disease specialist at Columbia University, said the uptick could be a result of people socializing more this year than they did in the immediate years after the pandemic. Vaccination rates might also be playing a role, Brull said. \u2018Any family physician would tell you it is not too late to get your flu shot or your COVID booster this year,\u201d Brull said. \u201cFlu and COVID exist all year-round.’\u201d \u2022\u00a0Not a word about Covid weakening \u201ceveryone\u2019s\u201d immune system. Naturally.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sequelae: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"21.550314465409\">\n<p>\u201cDifferences in Long COVID severity by duration of illness, symptom evolution, and vaccination: a longitudinal cohort study from the INSPIRE group\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lanam\/article\/PIIS2667-193X(25)00036-5\/fulltext#:~:text=The%20majority%20of%20those%20with,was%20associated%20with%20better%20outcomes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Lancet<\/a>]. From the Abstract: \u201cOf 3663 participants, 2604 (71.1%) never had Long COVID, 994 (27.1%) reported current Long COVID, and 65 (1.8%) reported resolved Long COVID\u2026. Among participants followed up to 3 years after initial infection, those with current Long COVID had worse physical and mental health outcomes. , with less than 2% having resolved Long COVID. The resolved Long COVID cohort had moderately worse physical and mental health compared with those never-having-Long COVID. COVID-19 vaccination was associated with better outcomes.\u201d Of course, to a eugenicist, like those at Stanford, that\u2019s not a bug. It\u2019s a feature. And from the Limitations: \u201cLong COVID status was based on , rather than objective testing or specific symptom criteria, and may include conditions not caused by Long COVID. However, this is consistent with the recent approach to defining Long COVID, which emphasizes the myriad symptoms and importance of patient involvement in defining Long COVID.\u201d \u2022\u00a0\u201cThe recent approach\u201d means <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2023\/08\/09\/long-covid-nih-trials\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the <em>CDC<\/em> approach<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"49.803985625613\">\n<p>\u201cHow Influencer Leftists Failed On Covid\u201d [Nate Bear, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.donotpanic.news\/p\/how-influencer-leftists-failed-on\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Do Not Panic<\/a>]. \u201cI read popular leftist media, listen to popular leftist podcasts, and in nearly five years none of them have ever articulated a covid story for their followers that positions the backlash to covid policies as a coordinated attack by the capitalist ruling class against broadly redistributive policies. Worse than that, some of them push reactionary lines about covid, that it was exclusively an attack on civil liberties, that it was a period of tyrannical rule we must never fall for again. Fake fool leftists like Jimmy Dore are the worst, full covid reactionaries who sprinkle on antivax shite to boot. It\u2019s not just him. Most leftists with a big platform show a total inability, unwillingness, I don\u2019t know what, to apply critical theory about class and capital to the biggest global crisis of our lifetimes\u2026. Much of what we\u2019re seeing now in the US and more broadly in the west is because the liberal centre and the left, together, ceded the ground to right wing reactionaries in the critical period during early covid when the story was not yet written, when the future was still up for grabs. And in that critical period, whether they were openly spouting reactionary sentiment like Dore, dribbling covid out of their mouths only in reference to how bad stay-at-home was for the kids, or staying silent as the brief expansion of the social safety net was unwound, influencer leftists and liberals largely conspired with the billionaire class to agree on a cultural story about covid which led us to where we are.\u201d For example:<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"39\">\n<p>Here\u2019s some of the objectively very good things that happened during early covid, things in many cases without precedent.<\/p>\n<p>Direct cash transfers to citizens.<\/p>\n<p>Evictions banned in the US, UK, EU.<\/p>\n<p>Debt collection banned.<\/p>\n<p>Homeless people provided shelter. (The UK ended homelessness).<\/p>\n<p>Child poverty halved to record lows.<\/p>\n<p>Food poverty eradicated. The US government was giving out free food boxes for fucks sake.<\/p>\n<p>Plummeting suicide rates, adult and child.<\/p>\n<p>Wildlife without the boot of industrial capitalism on its neck flourished.<\/p>\n<p>Remote work was normalised.<\/p>\n<p>These policies happened broadly across the west, regardless of the government type. From the right in the UK to the centre in Canada to the left in Spain. The US did redistribution and social protection under Trump and then Biden and at the state level, red and blue.<\/p>\n<p>The crisis provoked a pro-social response independent of government ideology.<\/p>\n<p>There was also a true sense of the collective, a true understanding that we lived in a society for the first time in my life. From mutual aid efforts to clapping for workers to wearing masks in healthcare as a basic courtesy to disabled and vulnerable people.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Of course, Biden rolled all of this back as fast as he could, one reason the Democrats lost. Anyhow, you can be sure our elites will want none of this will happen if Bird Flu ever jumps to humans. They have the same reaction to all this that they had to the New Deal: Never again.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.85\">\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=\"3.8666666666667\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> 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-ny-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft 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\"\/><\/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>Employment Situation: \u201cUnited States Initial Jobless Claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/jobless-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cInitial jobless claims in the US rose by 5,000 from the previous week to 219,000 on the period ending February 15th, ahead of market expectations of 215,000. In the meantime, recurring claims were at 1,869,000 after the first week of February, loosely in line with market expectations of 1,870,000.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/philadelphia-fed-manufacturing-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index in the US decreased to 18.1 in February 2025 from 44.3 in January which was the highest since April 2021, and below forecasts of 20.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cTrump says he\u2019s considering buying used planes to serve as Air Force One amid Boeing delays\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-air-force-one-boeing-plane-355ed87b00d7d82a061297f68c4ed89b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cSpeaking to reporters aboard one of the two nearly 35-year-old Boeing 747-200 aircraft in current use, Trump said, \u2018We\u2019re looking at alternatives, because it\u2019s taking Boeing too long.\u2019 \u2018We may go and buy a plane,\u2019 Trump said, adding that he could then \u2018convert it.\u2019 He later clarified that he was ruling out purchasing aircraft of Airbus, the European company that is the only other global supplier on large wide-body aircraft, but would consider a second-hand Boeing plane. \u2018I would not consider Airbus. I could buy one from another country perhaps or get one from another country.’\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing CEO says Musk \u2018helping in a big way\u2019 on timing of Air Force One planes\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/aerospace-defense\/boeing-ceo-doesnt-see-immediate-supply-chain-snags-737-max-target-2025-02-20\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reuters<\/a>]. \u201cOrtberg told the Barclays Industrial Select Conference that Boeing is making progress with the help of Trump\u2019s cost-cutting ally Musk in improving the delivery time, which will eliminate the risk of continued cost overruns. \u2018Elon Musk is actually helping us a lot in working through the requirements \u2026so that we can move faster and get the president those airplanes delivered,\u2019 Ortberg said. \u2018And you know he\u2019s a brilliant guy so he\u2019s able to pretty quickly ascertain the difference between technical requirements and things that we can move out of the way and he\u2019s helping us in a big way.’\u201d \u2022 Well, that\u2019s what Ortberg would have to say, no? If he knew what was good for him.<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cAirbus CEO says China\u2019s Comac could become a serious rival and disrupt the duopoly with Boeing\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/airbus-ceo-comac-c919-china-rival-boeing-duopoly-aircraft-faury-2025-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Business Insider<\/a>]. \u201c[Guillaume Faury] was asked about Comac\u2019s plans to increase production of its C919 jet \u2014 a single-aisle aircraft similar to the best-selling Airbus A320 family and Boeing\u2019s 737 Max. \u2018Other aircraft manufacturers have tried to enter into this very competitive space in the past from other countries, not necessarily successfully, but I believe Comac is more likely to succeed,\u2019 Faury said. He pointed to its \u2018privileged access\u2019 to the Chinese market, which he said accounted for a fifth of global aircraft demand. Faury added that this will also \u2018probably give them the room\u2019 to export to other countries \u2018when the product is mature.\u2019 \u2018They have to do a certain ramp-up first \u2014 in the current supply environment, ramp-up is not an easy task \u2014 but we take them seriously,\u2019 the Airbus CEO said.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Then too if Comac management looted the company like Boeing\u2019s did, they\u2019d probably be shot. Concentrates the mind.<\/p>\n<p>Tech: Search was bad. AI is making it worse:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.4475138121547\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"11.563535911602\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">idgaf, if you use ai to create “historical” images you’re dead to me. you’re lazy and complicit in the destruction of truth itself as a meaningful concept. ppl use the term “orwellian” a lot, but you’re creating the true orwellianism \u2013 a world where ppl can no longer define truth <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0MWqPSkMcF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/0MWqPSkMcF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Catherine Warr (@HiddenYorkshire) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HiddenYorkshire\/status\/1890010327758352617\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>it\u2019s like \u201cLet\u2019s get stupid!\u201d is our culture\u2019s motto!<\/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>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"grey\"\/>I don\u2019t much like this account, but this time they really get it right:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.1115702479339\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"10.690082644628\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Look at car colors since 1990.<\/p>\n<p>Paint suppliers are seeing huge shifts toward black, gray, silver and white color preferences. 80% of new cars are now grayscale\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KV4Wxm11a5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/KV4Wxm11a5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Culture Critic (@Culture_Crit) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Culture_Crit\/status\/1892322758614249903\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe hardest working font in Manhattan\u201d [Marcin Wichary, <a href=\"https:\/\/aresluna.org\/the-hardest-working-font-in-manhattan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Aresluna<\/a>]. \u201cHours of looking at close-ups of keys made me sensitive to the peculiar shapes of some of its letters. No other font had a Q, a 9, or a C that looked like this. One day, I saw what felt like Gorton on a ferry traversing the waters Bay Area. A few weeks later, I spotted it on a sign in a national park. Then on an intercom. On a street lighting access cover. In an elevator. At my dentist\u2019s office. In an alley\u2026. These had one thing in common. All of the letters were carved into the respective base material \u2013 metal, plastic, wood. The removed shapes were often filled in with a different color, but sometimes left alone. At one point someone explained to me Gorton must have been a routing font, meant to be carved out by a milling machine rather than painted on top or impressed with an inked press.Some searches quickly led me to George Gorton Machine Co., a Wisconsin-based company which produced various engraving machines. The original model 1 led to model 1A and then 3U and then, half a decade later, P1-2. They were all pantograph engravers: They allowed you to install one or more letter templates and then trace their shape by hand. A matching rotating cutter would mimic your movements, and the specially configured arms would enlarge or reduce the output to the size you wanted\u2026. A lot of typography has roots in calligraphy \u2013 someone holding a brush in their hand and making natural but delicate movements that result in nuanced curves filled with thoughtful interchanges between thin and thick. Most of the fonts you ever saw follow those rules; even the most \u2018mechanical\u2019 fonts have surprising humanistic touches if you inspect them close enough. But not Gorton. Every stroke of Gorton is exactly the same thickness (typographers would call such fonts \u2018monoline\u2019). Every one of its endings is exactly the same rounded point. The italic is merely an oblique, slanted without any extra consideration, and while the condensed version has some changes compared to the regular width, those changes feel almost perfunctory. Monoline fonts are not respected highly, because every type designer will tell you: This is not how you design a font.\u201d \u2022 Neat! Not on the Nostromo, sadly, though this font does sound like it would have been a Weyland-Yutani favorite.<\/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-2-19-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From IM:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gully.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"481\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287604\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gully.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gully-300x241.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>IM writes: \u201cA gully by Lake Huron, after a storm.\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-2-20-2025.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether. Bird Song of the Day Brown Thrasher, Wannagan Creek Cabin area, Billings, North Dakota, United States. Wannagan Creek Cabins, East River Road,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91262,"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-91261","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\/91261","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=91261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91261"}],"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, Wannagan Creek Cabin area, Billings, North Dakota, United States. Wannagan Creek Cabins, East River Road, Little Missouri Grasslands. Grasslands and drainage on top of the bluff behind the cabins. Trees and bushes along the draw of an ephemeral stream in the grassland on the plateau above the main river valley. Also grassy and rocky area uphill from the draw.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#democrats\">The goddamned Democrats<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mask\">Mask ban in MD<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#grey\">Why is grayscale taking over?<\/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=\"4.1041666666667\">\n<p>I suppose some people find this amusing:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.1356783919598\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.6231155778894\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” <br \/>\u2013President Donald J. Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IMr4tq0sMB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/IMr4tq0sMB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WhiteHouse\/status\/1892295984928993698\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"17.923322683706\">\n<p>\u201cJudge homes in on DOGE staffer duties in privacy lawsuit\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/regulation\/court-battles\/5154210-judge-doge-staffers-scrutiny\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cA federal judge on Wednesday looked to pinpoint the exact duties of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffers during a hearing over whether to cut off their unfettered access to troves of sensitive personal data. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman questioned the Justice Department over the specific \u201cpurposes or tasks\u201d assigned to DOGE workers, attempting to determine whether their far-reaching access is warranted. \u2026 The inquiry into DOGE\u2019s staffers came as Boardman weighed whether to temporarily bar DOGE from accessing sensitive personal data across numerous federal agencies. Six Americans and a handful of union organizations sued the Department of Treasury, Department of Education and United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) over personally identifiable information in the systems to which DOGE has gained access. The challengers claim DOGE\u2019s actions violate the Privacy Act of 1974, which was passed in response to the Watergate scandal and provides safeguards against privacy violations. In court filings, they accused the agencies of \u2018abandoning their duties as guardians and gatekeepers\u2019 of millions of Americans\u2019 sensitive information.\u201d And: \u201cDOGE\u2019s work and the staffers carrying it out have remained largely obscure, though court proceedings have peeled back the curtains on certain efforts. Several DOGE deputies were previously affiliated with Musk\u2019s companies, and some staffers are fresh out of high school or college, raising alarm about their infiltration of the government. The judge zeroed in on three DOGE staffers in leadership positions \u2014 Tom Krause, Adam Ramada and Greg Hogan \u2014 who described their work in court filings.\u201d \u2022 That is, this lawsuit is directed at the \u201cold heads\u201d DOGEbags, not at the feral\/incels.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"democrats\"\/>Democrats <em>en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"135.8152173913\">\n<p>I feel my allotment of posts is winding down, and I\u2019d like to reserve them for current events, so this here is probably the best I\u2019ll be able to do on the goddamn Democrats. Let\u2019s start with this tweet, triggered by the news coverage of government workers axed by DOGE:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.8856655290102\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"10.361774744027\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">They earned it and they never cared about 50 years of Rustbelt unemployment when all the factories closed down, the drugs flowed in, young men died deaths of despair and young women prostituted themselves on OnlyFans. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VFIUpvmDut\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/VFIUpvmDut<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Fugitive Caesar (@ThomBrady5) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ThomBrady5\/status\/1890620681840214181\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>(We saw the exact same dynamic during the East Palestine trainwreck, where Trump showed up immediately, and molasses-brained Joe Biden only showed up like a year later.) I don\u2019t much like that account\u2019s politics, but I would never delegitimate the rage, which seemed to overflow in election 2024 (or, more precisely, drove the base, MAGA reaction, to which Trump added slices of the previously invincible Democrat \u201ccoalition of the ascendant\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>From the 30,000 foot-level \u2014 i.e., beyond \u201cWho lost Pennsylvania?\u201d \u2014 I believe the 2024 majority comprehensively rejected governance as practiced by our professional managerial class (PMC). That was the \u201ctide in the affairs of men\u201d in the election just past. By \u201cgovernance\u201d I don\u2019t mean actions only performed by the State, but situations outside the workplace where a supplicant citizen sits on one side of a desk, and a credentialed functionary sits on the other, and is the gatekeeper to some sort of reward or punishment. You can see this is broad: It covers everything from health care to children\u2019s schooling (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kamala_is_for_they\/them\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u201cthey\/them\u201d \u201cnot you\u201d<\/a>) to insurance to human resources to law enforcement to student loans. (Note that all these \u201cacross the desk\u201d issues are kitchen table issues, <em>bills<\/em>; the price of eggs, I would speculate, is a concern at the margin, people having been pushed to the edge by a person behind a desk, then over the edge at the grocery store.) The price of eggs is also visible and understandable; an absurd medical bill is accepted as one of life\u2019s inevitable burdens.) <\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s hard to disagree with that rejection; from my class traitor armchair, there\u2019s not one PMC-managed system I\u2019d trust, though I give special attention to the PMC\u2019s catastropic management of our ongoing Covid pandemic (unless you consider installing another tranche of lethality on top of deaths of despair a success). Since the PMC is the base of the Democrat Party, to reject PMC governance is to reject the Democrat Party. The 2024 majority also comprehensively rejected PMC policy, going all the way back to NAFTA, for which the Democrats finally paid the price, as they fully deserved, but also including today\u2019s war in Ukraine, and foreign policy establishment that produced it. (I view the DOGE and MAGA as completely distinct; rather, DOGE is leveraging\/exploiting MAGA rage for its own purposes, which have more to do with a power surge by Silicon Valley <del>fraudsters and schemers<\/del> capitalists than they do with the fate of the rust belt. That MAGA got beaten into the ground by DOGE <em>on one of their main issues<\/em>, H1B, is something to think about.)<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s unfortunate that all the revolutionary energy is on the right, but not unexpected, given that the PMC didn\u2019t \u201c<em>abandon<\/em>\u201d the working class, as the usual framing goes, but actively assaulted them, the last time in 2023 when Biden rolled back all the provisioning put in place for the pandemic, replacing it with nothing. So instead of \u201csolidarity forever,\u201d we get a cornucopia of right wing tropes, starting with \u201cbig gummint\u201d and moving through a mental landscape seemingly populated exclusively by the Marlboro Man and blondes with weaponry, rugged individualists par excellence). Tropes accepted by the liberals, I might add, if we\u2019re lucky with some of the virulence attenuated. But we\u2019re not always so lucky. The shift from solidarity to neoliberal \u201crisk tolerance\u201d across the political spectrum in early 2022 is a fine example of this (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegauntlet.news\/p\/how-the-press-manufactured-consent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">from an excellent timeline of normalization propaganda by Julia Doubleday<\/a>). <\/p>\n<p>Of course, the main function of the modern Democrat Party has been to prevent the possibility of a politics or a party driven by the working class; at this they have succeeded admirably, NGO-funded identity politics in its various permutations (race, national origin, gender, etc.) having been the ideological driver, and mercenary though ill-paid \u201corganizers\u201d replacing precinct captains, keeping solidarity far away from the party apparatus. (Hence the Republican assault on NGOs, on both ideological and institutional fronts. Personally, I feel that if the Republicans scrape the DEI excresences away, they\u2019ll be doing the Democrats a big favor; ditto identity politics generally. This is a fine example of Republicans confusing liberals with the left.)<\/p>\n<p>The Democrat reaction to the comprehensive rejection of PMC governance in 2024 has been, well, diverse. Some Democrats are doubling down, becoming more like themselves than they already are. <\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start with the DNC:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.0833333333333\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"6.6666666666667\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is very bad and you should feel bad about it<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 barbarism critic (@SxarletRed) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SxarletRed\/status\/1892021761375384021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I read it so you don\u2019t have to; Martin\u2019s \u201cframework\u201d is all \u201cOrange man bad.\u201d There is literally nothing there but talking points to repeat.<\/p>\n<p>Here is the apparent best the leadership can do. Hakeem Jeffries (1):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.5933734939759\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"7.4096385542169\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hakeem Jeffries unveils his nickname for Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>[drumroll]<\/p>\n<p>“Captain Chaos” <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sLIKb9bgLH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/sLIKb9bgLH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kenklippenstein\/status\/1892076775712116895\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>(Trump and \u201cchaos\u201d has been a Democrat talking point since 2016. How\u2019s that been working out?)<\/p>\n<p>Hakeem Jeffries (2):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.7321428571429\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"9.952380952381\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">At protest against DOGE, Congressman Glenn Ivey tells NIH workers facing mass layoffs, “We’re gonna make Hakeem Jeffries the Speaker of the House in two years, right?” <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WL5IzXYc6a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/WL5IzXYc6a<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kenklippenstein\/status\/1892446320729756047\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>(Honestly, who cares?) Some Democrats are trying to make pink pussy hats look weak:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.7481203007519\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.593984962406\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ok I give up please just put us all in reeducation camps <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GR3EzIcW2P\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/GR3EzIcW2P<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1892413906108273056\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Other Democrats are openly cashing in:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.8844221105528\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.6532663316583\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Fetterman Staff Quit Amid Frustration Over \u201cJust Working on Israel All the Time\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/j57XvEnCf7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/j57XvEnCf7<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/akela_lacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@akela_lacy<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/j57XvEnCf7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/j57XvEnCf7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Intercept (@theintercept) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/theintercept\/status\/1892353985849213030\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>(A shame that brilliant <em>and reproducible<\/em> campaign tactics elected such a man, even if Oz would have been even worse.)<\/p>\n<p>Or even more openly:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.3142857142857\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"6.9428571428571\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Former Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Joe Biden are signing to a Hollywood talent agency. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/akNivi1NUN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/akNivi1NUN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Newsweek (@Newsweek) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Newsweek\/status\/1892241760585240949\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Maybe Biden can play the body a magician saws in half. Kamala too!<\/p>\n<p>And some Democrats are trying the jettison the policies that triggered hatred:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.7082152974504\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"14.050991501416\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NEW: Pete Buttigieg rips Democrats for their current approach to “diversity,” says it is “how Trump republicans are made.”<\/p>\n<p>Sounds like someone is getting ready for a 2028 run.<\/p>\n<p>Buttigieg said liberal training practices look like “something out of Portlandia.”<\/p>\n<p>“What do we mean\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tZx8H6QkvH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/tZx8H6QkvH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CollinRugg\/status\/1892341641962570113\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>That, however, will be hard to do, since it will take a few election cycles for voters to feel that Democrats have been adequately punished, and the Republicans will wave the bloody flag at every opportunity. More centrally, \u201cSure, DEI is terrible, but what do you replace it with?\u201d <em>Not<\/em> solidarity, since that\u2019s not a PMC value.<\/p>\n<p>And other Democrats are butchering an anti-oligarch message:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.1103448275862\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"12.775862068966\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">At the end of the day, it’s very simple:<\/p>\n<p>Trump and his oligarch friends want to cut programs that working class people rely on, and give huge tax breaks to the very rich.<\/p>\n<p>The American people have to stop them. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1tOXgoZqdy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/1tOXgoZqdy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BernieSanders\/status\/1892280113267343623\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>But wait:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.6985815602837\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"12.216312056738\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Trump and his American oligarchs are now openly aligning themselves with Putin and his Russian oligarchs. <\/p>\n<p>This Putin-Trump alliance means abandoning our allies, supporting authoritarianism and undermining our democratic traditions.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenSanders\/status\/1892244851053256743\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t figure out if Sanders has Putin Derangment Syndrome himself, or whether he has to cynically appeal to the Democrat base, which surely does. I don\u2019t know which is worse.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I wish I had the time to write this up as a post, and to make the analysis stronger. But I thought I\u2019d better put it all out there, imperfect though it is. If anybody has spotted a Democrat capable of taking a national leadership position, no matter the level of government, please leave the name in comments. I certainly haven\u2019t seen one [bangs head on desk]. Goddamned Democrats.<\/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><a name=\"mask\"\/>Maskstravaganza<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"3.4153846153846\">\n<p><a name=\"mask\"\/>Mask ban attempt in MD:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.2268907563025\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.7899159663866\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sponsors and their phone numbers:<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qPcUjRyDQG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/qPcUjRyDQG<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KjwCqwccSJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/KjwCqwccSJ<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zNfTPduNtY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/zNfTPduNtY<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/imoittLy2E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/imoittLy2E<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nVEbLjuYUM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/nVEbLjuYUM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Covid Caution \u2013 XEC, KP.3.1.1, LP.8.1, MC.1, LF.7 (@CovidCaution) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CovidCaution\/status\/1891644295104381107\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>By Democrats. Of course. (On mask bans, see NC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/eight-reasons-mask-bans-are-beyond-stupid.html\">here<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/mask-bans-slowly-spread-cough-cough-in-states-and-localities.html\">here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Immune Dysregulation<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"14.810659186536\">\n<p>\u201cEveryone\u2019s sick this winter. What\u2019s up with flu, norovirus, RSV and COVID?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2025\/02\/19\/flu-surging-rsv-covid-norovirus\/79098095007\/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=pocket_hits&utm_campaign=POCKET_HITS-EN-DAILY-SPONSORED&NAUTILUS-2025_02_20=&sponsored=0&position=1&category=fascinating_stories&scheduled_corpus_item_id=3697ece0-f44a-4b3a-90c9-03ddda4060b5&url=https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2025\/02\/19\/flu-surging-rsv-covid-norovirus\/79098095007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">USA Today<\/a>]. \u201cThe severity of this year\u2019s flu season is driven by a combination of factors, experts suggested. Daniel Griffin, an infectious disease specialist at Columbia University, said the uptick could be a result of people socializing more this year than they did in the immediate years after the pandemic. Vaccination rates might also be playing a role, Brull said. \u2018Any family physician would tell you it is not too late to get your flu shot or your COVID booster this year,\u201d Brull said. \u201cFlu and COVID exist all year-round.’\u201d \u2022\u00a0Not a word about Covid weakening \u201ceveryone\u2019s\u201d immune system. Naturally.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sequelae: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"21.550314465409\">\n<p>\u201cDifferences in Long COVID severity by duration of illness, symptom evolution, and vaccination: a longitudinal cohort study from the INSPIRE group\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lanam\/article\/PIIS2667-193X(25)00036-5\/fulltext#:~:text=The%20majority%20of%20those%20with,was%20associated%20with%20better%20outcomes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Lancet<\/a>]. From the Abstract: \u201cOf 3663 participants, 2604 (71.1%) never had Long COVID, 994 (27.1%) reported current Long COVID, and 65 (1.8%) reported resolved Long COVID\u2026. Among participants followed up to 3 years after initial infection, those with current Long COVID had worse physical and mental health outcomes. , with less than 2% having resolved Long COVID. The resolved Long COVID cohort had moderately worse physical and mental health compared with those never-having-Long COVID. COVID-19 vaccination was associated with better outcomes.\u201d Of course, to a eugenicist, like those at Stanford, that\u2019s not a bug. It\u2019s a feature. And from the Limitations: \u201cLong COVID status was based on , rather than objective testing or specific symptom criteria, and may include conditions not caused by Long COVID. However, this is consistent with the recent approach to defining Long COVID, which emphasizes the myriad symptoms and importance of patient involvement in defining Long COVID.\u201d \u2022\u00a0\u201cThe recent approach\u201d means <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2023\/08\/09\/long-covid-nih-trials\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the <em>CDC<\/em> approach<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"49.803985625613\">\n<p>\u201cHow Influencer Leftists Failed On Covid\u201d [Nate Bear, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.donotpanic.news\/p\/how-influencer-leftists-failed-on\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Do Not Panic<\/a>]. \u201cI read popular leftist media, listen to popular leftist podcasts, and in nearly five years none of them have ever articulated a covid story for their followers that positions the backlash to covid policies as a coordinated attack by the capitalist ruling class against broadly redistributive policies. Worse than that, some of them push reactionary lines about covid, that it was exclusively an attack on civil liberties, that it was a period of tyrannical rule we must never fall for again. Fake fool leftists like Jimmy Dore are the worst, full covid reactionaries who sprinkle on antivax shite to boot. It\u2019s not just him. Most leftists with a big platform show a total inability, unwillingness, I don\u2019t know what, to apply critical theory about class and capital to the biggest global crisis of our lifetimes\u2026. Much of what we\u2019re seeing now in the US and more broadly in the west is because the liberal centre and the left, together, ceded the ground to right wing reactionaries in the critical period during early covid when the story was not yet written, when the future was still up for grabs. And in that critical period, whether they were openly spouting reactionary sentiment like Dore, dribbling covid out of their mouths only in reference to how bad stay-at-home was for the kids, or staying silent as the brief expansion of the social safety net was unwound, influencer leftists and liberals largely conspired with the billionaire class to agree on a cultural story about covid which led us to where we are.\u201d For example:<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"39\">\n<p>Here\u2019s some of the objectively very good things that happened during early covid, things in many cases without precedent.<\/p>\n<p>Direct cash transfers to citizens.<\/p>\n<p>Evictions banned in the US, UK, EU.<\/p>\n<p>Debt collection banned.<\/p>\n<p>Homeless people provided shelter. (The UK ended homelessness).<\/p>\n<p>Child poverty halved to record lows.<\/p>\n<p>Food poverty eradicated. The US government was giving out free food boxes for fucks sake.<\/p>\n<p>Plummeting suicide rates, adult and child.<\/p>\n<p>Wildlife without the boot of industrial capitalism on its neck flourished.<\/p>\n<p>Remote work was normalised.<\/p>\n<p>These policies happened broadly across the west, regardless of the government type. From the right in the UK to the centre in Canada to the left in Spain. The US did redistribution and social protection under Trump and then Biden and at the state level, red and blue.<\/p>\n<p>The crisis provoked a pro-social response independent of government ideology.<\/p>\n<p>There was also a true sense of the collective, a true understanding that we lived in a society for the first time in my life. From mutual aid efforts to clapping for workers to wearing masks in healthcare as a basic courtesy to disabled and vulnerable people.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Of course, Biden rolled all of this back as fast as he could, one reason the Democrats lost. Anyhow, you can be sure our elites will want none of this will happen if Bird Flu ever jumps to humans. They have the same reaction to all this that they had to the New Deal: Never again.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.85\">\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=\"3.8666666666667\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> 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-ny-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft 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\"\/><\/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>Employment Situation: \u201cUnited States Initial Jobless Claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/jobless-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cInitial jobless claims in the US rose by 5,000 from the previous week to 219,000 on the period ending February 15th, ahead of market expectations of 215,000. In the meantime, recurring claims were at 1,869,000 after the first week of February, loosely in line with market expectations of 1,870,000.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/philadelphia-fed-manufacturing-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index in the US decreased to 18.1 in February 2025 from 44.3 in January which was the highest since April 2021, and below forecasts of 20.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cTrump says he\u2019s considering buying used planes to serve as Air Force One amid Boeing delays\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-air-force-one-boeing-plane-355ed87b00d7d82a061297f68c4ed89b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cSpeaking to reporters aboard one of the two nearly 35-year-old Boeing 747-200 aircraft in current use, Trump said, \u2018We\u2019re looking at alternatives, because it\u2019s taking Boeing too long.\u2019 \u2018We may go and buy a plane,\u2019 Trump said, adding that he could then \u2018convert it.\u2019 He later clarified that he was ruling out purchasing aircraft of Airbus, the European company that is the only other global supplier on large wide-body aircraft, but would consider a second-hand Boeing plane. \u2018I would not consider Airbus. I could buy one from another country perhaps or get one from another country.’\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing CEO says Musk \u2018helping in a big way\u2019 on timing of Air Force One planes\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/aerospace-defense\/boeing-ceo-doesnt-see-immediate-supply-chain-snags-737-max-target-2025-02-20\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reuters<\/a>]. \u201cOrtberg told the Barclays Industrial Select Conference that Boeing is making progress with the help of Trump\u2019s cost-cutting ally Musk in improving the delivery time, which will eliminate the risk of continued cost overruns. \u2018Elon Musk is actually helping us a lot in working through the requirements \u2026so that we can move faster and get the president those airplanes delivered,\u2019 Ortberg said. \u2018And you know he\u2019s a brilliant guy so he\u2019s able to pretty quickly ascertain the difference between technical requirements and things that we can move out of the way and he\u2019s helping us in a big way.’\u201d \u2022 Well, that\u2019s what Ortberg would have to say, no? If he knew what was good for him.<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cAirbus CEO says China\u2019s Comac could become a serious rival and disrupt the duopoly with Boeing\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/airbus-ceo-comac-c919-china-rival-boeing-duopoly-aircraft-faury-2025-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Business Insider<\/a>]. \u201c[Guillaume Faury] was asked about Comac\u2019s plans to increase production of its C919 jet \u2014 a single-aisle aircraft similar to the best-selling Airbus A320 family and Boeing\u2019s 737 Max. \u2018Other aircraft manufacturers have tried to enter into this very competitive space in the past from other countries, not necessarily successfully, but I believe Comac is more likely to succeed,\u2019 Faury said. He pointed to its \u2018privileged access\u2019 to the Chinese market, which he said accounted for a fifth of global aircraft demand. Faury added that this will also \u2018probably give them the room\u2019 to export to other countries \u2018when the product is mature.\u2019 \u2018They have to do a certain ramp-up first \u2014 in the current supply environment, ramp-up is not an easy task \u2014 but we take them seriously,\u2019 the Airbus CEO said.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Then too if Comac management looted the company like Boeing\u2019s did, they\u2019d probably be shot. Concentrates the mind.<\/p>\n<p>Tech: Search was bad. AI is making it worse:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.4475138121547\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"11.563535911602\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">idgaf, if you use ai to create “historical” images you’re dead to me. you’re lazy and complicit in the destruction of truth itself as a meaningful concept. ppl use the term “orwellian” a lot, but you’re creating the true orwellianism \u2013 a world where ppl can no longer define truth <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0MWqPSkMcF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/0MWqPSkMcF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Catherine Warr (@HiddenYorkshire) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HiddenYorkshire\/status\/1890010327758352617\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>it\u2019s like \u201cLet\u2019s get stupid!\u201d is our culture\u2019s motto!<\/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>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"grey\"\/>I don\u2019t much like this account, but this time they really get it right:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.1115702479339\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"10.690082644628\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Look at car colors since 1990.<\/p>\n<p>Paint suppliers are seeing huge shifts toward black, gray, silver and white color preferences. 80% of new cars are now grayscale\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KV4Wxm11a5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/KV4Wxm11a5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Culture Critic (@Culture_Crit) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Culture_Crit\/status\/1892322758614249903\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe hardest working font in Manhattan\u201d [Marcin Wichary, <a href=\"https:\/\/aresluna.org\/the-hardest-working-font-in-manhattan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Aresluna<\/a>]. \u201cHours of looking at close-ups of keys made me sensitive to the peculiar shapes of some of its letters. No other font had a Q, a 9, or a C that looked like this. One day, I saw what felt like Gorton on a ferry traversing the waters Bay Area. A few weeks later, I spotted it on a sign in a national park. Then on an intercom. On a street lighting access cover. In an elevator. At my dentist\u2019s office. In an alley\u2026. These had one thing in common. All of the letters were carved into the respective base material \u2013 metal, plastic, wood. The removed shapes were often filled in with a different color, but sometimes left alone. At one point someone explained to me Gorton must have been a routing font, meant to be carved out by a milling machine rather than painted on top or impressed with an inked press.Some searches quickly led me to George Gorton Machine Co., a Wisconsin-based company which produced various engraving machines. The original model 1 led to model 1A and then 3U and then, half a decade later, P1-2. They were all pantograph engravers: They allowed you to install one or more letter templates and then trace their shape by hand. A matching rotating cutter would mimic your movements, and the specially configured arms would enlarge or reduce the output to the size you wanted\u2026. A lot of typography has roots in calligraphy \u2013 someone holding a brush in their hand and making natural but delicate movements that result in nuanced curves filled with thoughtful interchanges between thin and thick. Most of the fonts you ever saw follow those rules; even the most \u2018mechanical\u2019 fonts have surprising humanistic touches if you inspect them close enough. But not Gorton. Every stroke of Gorton is exactly the same thickness (typographers would call such fonts \u2018monoline\u2019). Every one of its endings is exactly the same rounded point. The italic is merely an oblique, slanted without any extra consideration, and while the condensed version has some changes compared to the regular width, those changes feel almost perfunctory. Monoline fonts are not respected highly, because every type designer will tell you: This is not how you design a font.\u201d \u2022 Neat! Not on the Nostromo, sadly, though this font does sound like it would have been a Weyland-Yutani favorite.<\/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-2-19-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From IM:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gully.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"481\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287604\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gully.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gully-300x241.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>IM writes: \u201cA gully by Lake Huron, after a storm.\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-2-20-2025.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether. Bird Song of the Day Brown Thrasher, Wannagan Creek Cabin area, Billings, North Dakota, United States. Wannagan Creek Cabins, East River Road,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91262,"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-91261","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\/91261","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=91261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brown Thrasher, Wannagan Creek Cabin area, Billings, North Dakota, United States. Wannagan Creek Cabins, East River Road, Little Missouri Grasslands. Grasslands and drainage on top of the bluff behind the cabins. Trees and bushes along the draw of an ephemeral stream in the grassland on the plateau above the main river valley. Also grassy and rocky area uphill from the draw.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><strong>In Case You Might Miss\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#democrats\">The goddamned Democrats<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mask\">Mask ban in MD<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#grey\">Why is grayscale taking over?<\/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=\"4.1041666666667\">\n<p>I suppose some people find this amusing:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.1356783919598\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"8.6231155778894\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” <br \/>\u2013President Donald J. Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IMr4tq0sMB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/IMr4tq0sMB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WhiteHouse\/status\/1892295984928993698\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>DOGE<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"17.923322683706\">\n<p>\u201cJudge homes in on DOGE staffer duties in privacy lawsuit\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/regulation\/court-battles\/5154210-judge-doge-staffers-scrutiny\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hill<\/a>]. \u201cA federal judge on Wednesday looked to pinpoint the exact duties of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffers during a hearing over whether to cut off their unfettered access to troves of sensitive personal data. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman questioned the Justice Department over the specific \u201cpurposes or tasks\u201d assigned to DOGE workers, attempting to determine whether their far-reaching access is warranted. \u2026 The inquiry into DOGE\u2019s staffers came as Boardman weighed whether to temporarily bar DOGE from accessing sensitive personal data across numerous federal agencies. Six Americans and a handful of union organizations sued the Department of Treasury, Department of Education and United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) over personally identifiable information in the systems to which DOGE has gained access. The challengers claim DOGE\u2019s actions violate the Privacy Act of 1974, which was passed in response to the Watergate scandal and provides safeguards against privacy violations. In court filings, they accused the agencies of \u2018abandoning their duties as guardians and gatekeepers\u2019 of millions of Americans\u2019 sensitive information.\u201d And: \u201cDOGE\u2019s work and the staffers carrying it out have remained largely obscure, though court proceedings have peeled back the curtains on certain efforts. Several DOGE deputies were previously affiliated with Musk\u2019s companies, and some staffers are fresh out of high school or college, raising alarm about their infiltration of the government. The judge zeroed in on three DOGE staffers in leadership positions \u2014 Tom Krause, Adam Ramada and Greg Hogan \u2014 who described their work in court filings.\u201d \u2022 That is, this lawsuit is directed at the \u201cold heads\u201d DOGEbags, not at the feral\/incels.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"democrats\"\/>Democrats <em>en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"135.8152173913\">\n<p>I feel my allotment of posts is winding down, and I\u2019d like to reserve them for current events, so this here is probably the best I\u2019ll be able to do on the goddamn Democrats. Let\u2019s start with this tweet, triggered by the news coverage of government workers axed by DOGE:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.8856655290102\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"10.361774744027\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">They earned it and they never cared about 50 years of Rustbelt unemployment when all the factories closed down, the drugs flowed in, young men died deaths of despair and young women prostituted themselves on OnlyFans. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VFIUpvmDut\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/VFIUpvmDut<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Fugitive Caesar (@ThomBrady5) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ThomBrady5\/status\/1890620681840214181\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>(We saw the exact same dynamic during the East Palestine trainwreck, where Trump showed up immediately, and molasses-brained Joe Biden only showed up like a year later.) I don\u2019t much like that account\u2019s politics, but I would never delegitimate the rage, which seemed to overflow in election 2024 (or, more precisely, drove the base, MAGA reaction, to which Trump added slices of the previously invincible Democrat \u201ccoalition of the ascendant\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>From the 30,000 foot-level \u2014 i.e., beyond \u201cWho lost Pennsylvania?\u201d \u2014 I believe the 2024 majority comprehensively rejected governance as practiced by our professional managerial class (PMC). That was the \u201ctide in the affairs of men\u201d in the election just past. By \u201cgovernance\u201d I don\u2019t mean actions only performed by the State, but situations outside the workplace where a supplicant citizen sits on one side of a desk, and a credentialed functionary sits on the other, and is the gatekeeper to some sort of reward or punishment. You can see this is broad: It covers everything from health care to children\u2019s schooling (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kamala_is_for_they\/them\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u201cthey\/them\u201d \u201cnot you\u201d<\/a>) to insurance to human resources to law enforcement to student loans. (Note that all these \u201cacross the desk\u201d issues are kitchen table issues, <em>bills<\/em>; the price of eggs, I would speculate, is a concern at the margin, people having been pushed to the edge by a person behind a desk, then over the edge at the grocery store.) The price of eggs is also visible and understandable; an absurd medical bill is accepted as one of life\u2019s inevitable burdens.) <\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s hard to disagree with that rejection; from my class traitor armchair, there\u2019s not one PMC-managed system I\u2019d trust, though I give special attention to the PMC\u2019s catastropic management of our ongoing Covid pandemic (unless you consider installing another tranche of lethality on top of deaths of despair a success). Since the PMC is the base of the Democrat Party, to reject PMC governance is to reject the Democrat Party. The 2024 majority also comprehensively rejected PMC policy, going all the way back to NAFTA, for which the Democrats finally paid the price, as they fully deserved, but also including today\u2019s war in Ukraine, and foreign policy establishment that produced it. (I view the DOGE and MAGA as completely distinct; rather, DOGE is leveraging\/exploiting MAGA rage for its own purposes, which have more to do with a power surge by Silicon Valley <del>fraudsters and schemers<\/del> capitalists than they do with the fate of the rust belt. That MAGA got beaten into the ground by DOGE <em>on one of their main issues<\/em>, H1B, is something to think about.)<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s unfortunate that all the revolutionary energy is on the right, but not unexpected, given that the PMC didn\u2019t \u201c<em>abandon<\/em>\u201d the working class, as the usual framing goes, but actively assaulted them, the last time in 2023 when Biden rolled back all the provisioning put in place for the pandemic, replacing it with nothing. So instead of \u201csolidarity forever,\u201d we get a cornucopia of right wing tropes, starting with \u201cbig gummint\u201d and moving through a mental landscape seemingly populated exclusively by the Marlboro Man and blondes with weaponry, rugged individualists par excellence). Tropes accepted by the liberals, I might add, if we\u2019re lucky with some of the virulence attenuated. But we\u2019re not always so lucky. The shift from solidarity to neoliberal \u201crisk tolerance\u201d across the political spectrum in early 2022 is a fine example of this (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegauntlet.news\/p\/how-the-press-manufactured-consent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">from an excellent timeline of normalization propaganda by Julia Doubleday<\/a>). <\/p>\n<p>Of course, the main function of the modern Democrat Party has been to prevent the possibility of a politics or a party driven by the working class; at this they have succeeded admirably, NGO-funded identity politics in its various permutations (race, national origin, gender, etc.) having been the ideological driver, and mercenary though ill-paid \u201corganizers\u201d replacing precinct captains, keeping solidarity far away from the party apparatus. (Hence the Republican assault on NGOs, on both ideological and institutional fronts. Personally, I feel that if the Republicans scrape the DEI excresences away, they\u2019ll be doing the Democrats a big favor; ditto identity politics generally. This is a fine example of Republicans confusing liberals with the left.)<\/p>\n<p>The Democrat reaction to the comprehensive rejection of PMC governance in 2024 has been, well, diverse. Some Democrats are doubling down, becoming more like themselves than they already are. <\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start with the DNC:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.0833333333333\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"6.6666666666667\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is very bad and you should feel bad about it<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 barbarism critic (@SxarletRed) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SxarletRed\/status\/1892021761375384021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I read it so you don\u2019t have to; Martin\u2019s \u201cframework\u201d is all \u201cOrange man bad.\u201d There is literally nothing there but talking points to repeat.<\/p>\n<p>Here is the apparent best the leadership can do. Hakeem Jeffries (1):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.5933734939759\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"7.4096385542169\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hakeem Jeffries unveils his nickname for Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>[drumroll]<\/p>\n<p>“Captain Chaos” <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sLIKb9bgLH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/sLIKb9bgLH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kenklippenstein\/status\/1892076775712116895\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>(Trump and \u201cchaos\u201d has been a Democrat talking point since 2016. How\u2019s that been working out?)<\/p>\n<p>Hakeem Jeffries (2):<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"3.7321428571429\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"9.952380952381\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">At protest against DOGE, Congressman Glenn Ivey tells NIH workers facing mass layoffs, “We’re gonna make Hakeem Jeffries the Speaker of the House in two years, right?” <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WL5IzXYc6a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/WL5IzXYc6a<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kenklippenstein\/status\/1892446320729756047\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>(Honestly, who cares?) Some Democrats are trying to make pink pussy hats look weak:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.7481203007519\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.593984962406\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ok I give up please just put us all in reeducation camps <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GR3EzIcW2P\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/GR3EzIcW2P<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewstoller\/status\/1892413906108273056\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Other Democrats are openly cashing in:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"1.8844221105528\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.6532663316583\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Fetterman Staff Quit Amid Frustration Over \u201cJust Working on Israel All the Time\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/j57XvEnCf7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/j57XvEnCf7<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/akela_lacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">@akela_lacy<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/j57XvEnCf7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/j57XvEnCf7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Intercept (@theintercept) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/theintercept\/status\/1892353985849213030\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>(A shame that brilliant <em>and reproducible<\/em> campaign tactics elected such a man, even if Oz would have been even worse.)<\/p>\n<p>Or even more openly:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.3142857142857\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"6.9428571428571\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Former Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Joe Biden are signing to a Hollywood talent agency. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/akNivi1NUN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/akNivi1NUN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Newsweek (@Newsweek) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Newsweek\/status\/1892241760585240949\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Maybe Biden can play the body a magician saws in half. Kamala too!<\/p>\n<p>And some Democrats are trying the jettison the policies that triggered hatred:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.7082152974504\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"14.050991501416\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NEW: Pete Buttigieg rips Democrats for their current approach to “diversity,” says it is “how Trump republicans are made.”<\/p>\n<p>Sounds like someone is getting ready for a 2028 run.<\/p>\n<p>Buttigieg said liberal training practices look like “something out of Portlandia.”<\/p>\n<p>“What do we mean\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tZx8H6QkvH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/tZx8H6QkvH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CollinRugg\/status\/1892341641962570113\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>That, however, will be hard to do, since it will take a few election cycles for voters to feel that Democrats have been adequately punished, and the Republicans will wave the bloody flag at every opportunity. More centrally, \u201cSure, DEI is terrible, but what do you replace it with?\u201d <em>Not<\/em> solidarity, since that\u2019s not a PMC value.<\/p>\n<p>And other Democrats are butchering an anti-oligarch message:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"5.1103448275862\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"12.775862068966\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">At the end of the day, it’s very simple:<\/p>\n<p>Trump and his oligarch friends want to cut programs that working class people rely on, and give huge tax breaks to the very rich.<\/p>\n<p>The American people have to stop them. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1tOXgoZqdy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/1tOXgoZqdy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BernieSanders\/status\/1892280113267343623\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>But wait:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.6985815602837\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"12.216312056738\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Trump and his American oligarchs are now openly aligning themselves with Putin and his Russian oligarchs. <\/p>\n<p>This Putin-Trump alliance means abandoning our allies, supporting authoritarianism and undermining our democratic traditions.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenSanders\/status\/1892244851053256743\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t figure out if Sanders has Putin Derangment Syndrome himself, or whether he has to cynically appeal to the Democrat base, which surely does. I don\u2019t know which is worse.<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>I wish I had the time to write this up as a post, and to make the analysis stronger. But I thought I\u2019d better put it all out there, imperfect though it is. If anybody has spotted a Democrat capable of taking a national leadership position, no matter the level of government, please leave the name in comments. I certainly haven\u2019t seen one [bangs head on desk]. Goddamned Democrats.<\/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><a name=\"mask\"\/>Maskstravaganza<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"3.4153846153846\">\n<p><a name=\"mask\"\/>Mask ban attempt in MD:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"2.2268907563025\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"5.7899159663866\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sponsors and their phone numbers:<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qPcUjRyDQG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/qPcUjRyDQG<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KjwCqwccSJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/KjwCqwccSJ<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zNfTPduNtY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/zNfTPduNtY<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/imoittLy2E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/imoittLy2E<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nVEbLjuYUM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/nVEbLjuYUM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Covid Caution \u2013 XEC, KP.3.1.1, LP.8.1, MC.1, LF.7 (@CovidCaution) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CovidCaution\/status\/1891644295104381107\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>By Democrats. Of course. (On mask bans, see NC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/eight-reasons-mask-bans-are-beyond-stupid.html\">here<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/2024\/08\/mask-bans-slowly-spread-cough-cough-in-states-and-localities.html\">here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Immune Dysregulation<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"14.810659186536\">\n<p>\u201cEveryone\u2019s sick this winter. What\u2019s up with flu, norovirus, RSV and COVID?\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2025\/02\/19\/flu-surging-rsv-covid-norovirus\/79098095007\/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=pocket_hits&utm_campaign=POCKET_HITS-EN-DAILY-SPONSORED&NAUTILUS-2025_02_20=&sponsored=0&position=1&category=fascinating_stories&scheduled_corpus_item_id=3697ece0-f44a-4b3a-90c9-03ddda4060b5&url=https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2025\/02\/19\/flu-surging-rsv-covid-norovirus\/79098095007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">USA Today<\/a>]. \u201cThe severity of this year\u2019s flu season is driven by a combination of factors, experts suggested. Daniel Griffin, an infectious disease specialist at Columbia University, said the uptick could be a result of people socializing more this year than they did in the immediate years after the pandemic. Vaccination rates might also be playing a role, Brull said. \u2018Any family physician would tell you it is not too late to get your flu shot or your COVID booster this year,\u201d Brull said. \u201cFlu and COVID exist all year-round.’\u201d \u2022\u00a0Not a word about Covid weakening \u201ceveryone\u2019s\u201d immune system. Naturally.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sequelae: Covid<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"21.550314465409\">\n<p>\u201cDifferences in Long COVID severity by duration of illness, symptom evolution, and vaccination: a longitudinal cohort study from the INSPIRE group\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lanam\/article\/PIIS2667-193X(25)00036-5\/fulltext#:~:text=The%20majority%20of%20those%20with,was%20associated%20with%20better%20outcomes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Lancet<\/a>]. From the Abstract: \u201cOf 3663 participants, 2604 (71.1%) never had Long COVID, 994 (27.1%) reported current Long COVID, and 65 (1.8%) reported resolved Long COVID\u2026. Among participants followed up to 3 years after initial infection, those with current Long COVID had worse physical and mental health outcomes. , with less than 2% having resolved Long COVID. The resolved Long COVID cohort had moderately worse physical and mental health compared with those never-having-Long COVID. COVID-19 vaccination was associated with better outcomes.\u201d Of course, to a eugenicist, like those at Stanford, that\u2019s not a bug. It\u2019s a feature. And from the Limitations: \u201cLong COVID status was based on , rather than objective testing or specific symptom criteria, and may include conditions not caused by Long COVID. However, this is consistent with the recent approach to defining Long COVID, which emphasizes the myriad symptoms and importance of patient involvement in defining Long COVID.\u201d \u2022\u00a0\u201cThe recent approach\u201d means <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2023\/08\/09\/long-covid-nih-trials\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the <em>CDC<\/em> approach<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Elite Maleficence<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"49.803985625613\">\n<p>\u201cHow Influencer Leftists Failed On Covid\u201d [Nate Bear, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.donotpanic.news\/p\/how-influencer-leftists-failed-on\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Do Not Panic<\/a>]. \u201cI read popular leftist media, listen to popular leftist podcasts, and in nearly five years none of them have ever articulated a covid story for their followers that positions the backlash to covid policies as a coordinated attack by the capitalist ruling class against broadly redistributive policies. Worse than that, some of them push reactionary lines about covid, that it was exclusively an attack on civil liberties, that it was a period of tyrannical rule we must never fall for again. Fake fool leftists like Jimmy Dore are the worst, full covid reactionaries who sprinkle on antivax shite to boot. It\u2019s not just him. Most leftists with a big platform show a total inability, unwillingness, I don\u2019t know what, to apply critical theory about class and capital to the biggest global crisis of our lifetimes\u2026. Much of what we\u2019re seeing now in the US and more broadly in the west is because the liberal centre and the left, together, ceded the ground to right wing reactionaries in the critical period during early covid when the story was not yet written, when the future was still up for grabs. And in that critical period, whether they were openly spouting reactionary sentiment like Dore, dribbling covid out of their mouths only in reference to how bad stay-at-home was for the kids, or staying silent as the brief expansion of the social safety net was unwound, influencer leftists and liberals largely conspired with the billionaire class to agree on a cultural story about covid which led us to where we are.\u201d For example:<\/p>\n<blockquote wp_automatic_readability=\"39\">\n<p>Here\u2019s some of the objectively very good things that happened during early covid, things in many cases without precedent.<\/p>\n<p>Direct cash transfers to citizens.<\/p>\n<p>Evictions banned in the US, UK, EU.<\/p>\n<p>Debt collection banned.<\/p>\n<p>Homeless people provided shelter. (The UK ended homelessness).<\/p>\n<p>Child poverty halved to record lows.<\/p>\n<p>Food poverty eradicated. The US government was giving out free food boxes for fucks sake.<\/p>\n<p>Plummeting suicide rates, adult and child.<\/p>\n<p>Wildlife without the boot of industrial capitalism on its neck flourished.<\/p>\n<p>Remote work was normalised.<\/p>\n<p>These policies happened broadly across the west, regardless of the government type. From the right in the UK to the centre in Canada to the left in Spain. The US did redistribution and social protection under Trump and then Biden and at the state level, red and blue.<\/p>\n<p>The crisis provoked a pro-social response independent of government ideology.<\/p>\n<p>There was also a true sense of the collective, a true understanding that we lived in a society for the first time in my life. From mutual aid efforts to clapping for workers to wearing masks in healthcare as a basic courtesy to disabled and vulnerable people.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Of course, Biden rolled all of this back as fast as he could, one reason the Democrats lost. Anyhow, you can be sure our elites will want none of this will happen if Bird Flu ever jumps to humans. They have the same reaction to all this that they had to the New Deal: Never again.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p><a name=\"table\"\/><strong>TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody wp_automatic_readability=\"10.85\">\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=\"3.8666666666667\">\n<td valign=\"top\"> 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-ny-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"310\" class=\"alignleft 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\"\/><\/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>Employment Situation: \u201cUnited States Initial Jobless Claims\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/jobless-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cInitial jobless claims in the US rose by 5,000 from the previous week to 219,000 on the period ending February 15th, ahead of market expectations of 215,000. In the meantime, recurring claims were at 1,869,000 after the first week of February, loosely in line with market expectations of 1,870,000.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cUnited States Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/philadelphia-fed-manufacturing-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Trading Economics<\/a>]. \u201cThe Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index in the US decreased to 18.1 in February 2025 from 44.3 in January which was the highest since April 2021, and below forecasts of 20.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center>* * *<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cTrump says he\u2019s considering buying used planes to serve as Air Force One amid Boeing delays\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-air-force-one-boeing-plane-355ed87b00d7d82a061297f68c4ed89b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>]. \u201cSpeaking to reporters aboard one of the two nearly 35-year-old Boeing 747-200 aircraft in current use, Trump said, \u2018We\u2019re looking at alternatives, because it\u2019s taking Boeing too long.\u2019 \u2018We may go and buy a plane,\u2019 Trump said, adding that he could then \u2018convert it.\u2019 He later clarified that he was ruling out purchasing aircraft of Airbus, the European company that is the only other global supplier on large wide-body aircraft, but would consider a second-hand Boeing plane. \u2018I would not consider Airbus. I could buy one from another country perhaps or get one from another country.’\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cBoeing CEO says Musk \u2018helping in a big way\u2019 on timing of Air Force One planes\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/aerospace-defense\/boeing-ceo-doesnt-see-immediate-supply-chain-snags-737-max-target-2025-02-20\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reuters<\/a>]. \u201cOrtberg told the Barclays Industrial Select Conference that Boeing is making progress with the help of Trump\u2019s cost-cutting ally Musk in improving the delivery time, which will eliminate the risk of continued cost overruns. \u2018Elon Musk is actually helping us a lot in working through the requirements \u2026so that we can move faster and get the president those airplanes delivered,\u2019 Ortberg said. \u2018And you know he\u2019s a brilliant guy so he\u2019s able to pretty quickly ascertain the difference between technical requirements and things that we can move out of the way and he\u2019s helping us in a big way.’\u201d \u2022 Well, that\u2019s what Ortberg would have to say, no? If he knew what was good for him.<\/p>\n<p>Manufacturing: \u201cAirbus CEO says China\u2019s Comac could become a serious rival and disrupt the duopoly with Boeing\u201d [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/airbus-ceo-comac-c919-china-rival-boeing-duopoly-aircraft-faury-2025-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Business Insider<\/a>]. \u201c[Guillaume Faury] was asked about Comac\u2019s plans to increase production of its C919 jet \u2014 a single-aisle aircraft similar to the best-selling Airbus A320 family and Boeing\u2019s 737 Max. \u2018Other aircraft manufacturers have tried to enter into this very competitive space in the past from other countries, not necessarily successfully, but I believe Comac is more likely to succeed,\u2019 Faury said. He pointed to its \u2018privileged access\u2019 to the Chinese market, which he said accounted for a fifth of global aircraft demand. Faury added that this will also \u2018probably give them the room\u2019 to export to other countries \u2018when the product is mature.\u2019 \u2018They have to do a certain ramp-up first \u2014 in the current supply environment, ramp-up is not an easy task \u2014 but we take them seriously,\u2019 the Airbus CEO said.\u201d \u2022\u00a0Then too if Comac management looted the company like Boeing\u2019s did, they\u2019d probably be shot. Concentrates the mind.<\/p>\n<p>Tech: Search was bad. AI is making it worse:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.4475138121547\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"11.563535911602\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">idgaf, if you use ai to create “historical” images you’re dead to me. you’re lazy and complicit in the destruction of truth itself as a meaningful concept. ppl use the term “orwellian” a lot, but you’re creating the true orwellianism \u2013 a world where ppl can no longer define truth <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0MWqPSkMcF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/t.co\/0MWqPSkMcF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Catherine Warr (@HiddenYorkshire) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HiddenYorkshire\/status\/1890010327758352617\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>it\u2019s like \u201cLet\u2019s get stupid!\u201d is our culture\u2019s motto!<\/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>Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"grey\"\/>I don\u2019t much like this account, but this time they really get it right:<\/p>\n<p><center wp_automatic_readability=\"4.1115702479339\"> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" wp_automatic_readability=\"10.690082644628\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Look at car colors since 1990.<\/p>\n<p>Paint suppliers are seeing huge shifts toward black, gray, silver and white color preferences. 80% of new cars are now grayscale\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KV4Wxm11a5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/KV4Wxm11a5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Culture Critic (@Culture_Crit) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Culture_Crit\/status\/1892322758614249903\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center> <\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p><strong>News of the Wired<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe hardest working font in Manhattan\u201d [Marcin Wichary, <a href=\"https:\/\/aresluna.org\/the-hardest-working-font-in-manhattan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Aresluna<\/a>]. \u201cHours of looking at close-ups of keys made me sensitive to the peculiar shapes of some of its letters. No other font had a Q, a 9, or a C that looked like this. One day, I saw what felt like Gorton on a ferry traversing the waters Bay Area. A few weeks later, I spotted it on a sign in a national park. Then on an intercom. On a street lighting access cover. In an elevator. At my dentist\u2019s office. In an alley\u2026. These had one thing in common. All of the letters were carved into the respective base material \u2013 metal, plastic, wood. The removed shapes were often filled in with a different color, but sometimes left alone. At one point someone explained to me Gorton must have been a routing font, meant to be carved out by a milling machine rather than painted on top or impressed with an inked press.Some searches quickly led me to George Gorton Machine Co., a Wisconsin-based company which produced various engraving machines. The original model 1 led to model 1A and then 3U and then, half a decade later, P1-2. They were all pantograph engravers: They allowed you to install one or more letter templates and then trace their shape by hand. A matching rotating cutter would mimic your movements, and the specially configured arms would enlarge or reduce the output to the size you wanted\u2026. A lot of typography has roots in calligraphy \u2013 someone holding a brush in their hand and making natural but delicate movements that result in nuanced curves filled with thoughtful interchanges between thin and thick. Most of the fonts you ever saw follow those rules; even the most \u2018mechanical\u2019 fonts have surprising humanistic touches if you inspect them close enough. But not Gorton. Every stroke of Gorton is exactly the same thickness (typographers would call such fonts \u2018monoline\u2019). Every one of its endings is exactly the same rounded point. The italic is merely an oblique, slanted without any extra consideration, and while the condensed version has some changes compared to the regular width, those changes feel almost perfunctory. Monoline fonts are not respected highly, because every type designer will tell you: This is not how you design a font.\u201d \u2022 Neat! Not on the Nostromo, sadly, though this font does sound like it would have been a Weyland-Yutani favorite.<\/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-2-19-2025.html\">here<\/a>. From IM:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gully.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"481\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-287604\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gully.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.nakedcapitalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gully-300x241.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>IM writes: \u201cA gully by Lake Huron, after a storm.\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-2-20-2025.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lambert Strether. Bird Song of the Day Brown Thrasher, Wannagan Creek Cabin area, Billings, North Dakota, United States. Wannagan Creek Cabins, East River Road,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91262,"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-91261","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\/91261","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=91261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}