Flotsam and Jetsam - More From the Platner Poo-Poo Plater

Somehow the lead goes again to Graham Platner, the Nazi-tattooed, Kik posting, allegedly girlfriend beating Democrat candidate for Maine's senate seat, currently occupied by that "fascist" Susan Collins. New York Post @nypost, "Fetterman vows to ditch hoodie for suit if Graham Platner proves he didn't send 'd-k pics' to minors https://trib.al/vM0kJRk" Nick Arama at RedState, Platner's Response to Fetterman's Challenge for Him to Release Texts Raises More Eyebrows. "John Fetterman seems to genuinely think that the reason no one likes him is because he refuses to wear a suit. It's not the hoodie, dude. It's because you've become a stooge for AIPAC and the Republican party." "Notice what you don't see in that response? He doesn't agree to release the texts." Matt Vespa at TownHall thinks you should Look at This CNN Host's Face When John Fetterman Said This About Graham Platner “Did you say or...did Senate Democrats discuss Graham Platner posting pictures of his...uh...you called it his dick...at...did you discuss this in a lunch?” From the Free Bacon, New York Times Accused of Omitting 'Accusations of Sexual Assault' From Piece on 'Toxic' Graham Platner. "'After the story went up I began to ask … wait, where are the stories from the other women?' Platner's ex says." Jim Treacher says I Believe Lyndsey Fifield. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, New Nazi-Tat Abuser Strategy: Threaten Defamation For, Er ... "As we like to say: discovery will be lit!" Graham Platner for Senate @grahamformaine, "This is false and defamatory. I would have thought Fox News learned their lesson after paying Dominion $787.5 million." Quote RNC Research @RNCResearch, "Maine Wire reporter, Steve Robinson on Graham Platner: “He’s proven himself to be a pathological liar...The oyster business, totally fake...Look at the date that his website for his fake oyster business was created, it was created after Graham for Maine, his Senate website.”" Kurt Schlichter at TownHall wonders Why Are Male-Identifying Democrat Candidates All Creepy Weirdos? From Twitchy, A Big Stretch: The Atlantic Reaches Across the Pond to Find a Writer Who Believes James Talarico Is Manly. Capt. Ed has Monday's Final Word Drop Site: @DropSiteNews, "A Maine voter says Graham Platner’s mistakenly obtained tattoo is not a major issue for her. An Israeli flag tattoo, however, would be a deal-breaker, because she could not support a candidate that supports genocide."

Teri Christoph at RedState wonders Is This How Democrats Will Solve Their Graham Platner Problem? "The kindling is being set by Anthony's supporters, and the trial's outcome will be the flame. And that's because, despite the outcome, the race baiters have a ready-made excuse at hand to light cities on fire – and Democrats will be holding the flamethrower. A guilty verdict or a plea deal? Another young black man has been unfairly punished by the judicial system! Let's riot. An acquittal? This faultless young black man was unfairly targeted by the judicial system! Let's riot. And the Democrat Party is rubbing its hands with glee. They love nothing more than summers of riots, and this setup is just too perfect."

From NYPo, Die-hard Spencer Pratt supporters devastated by late vote surge as faith in election falters. Sundance at CTH, President Trump Notes California Ballot Curation Likely to Eliminate Steve Hilton. Auron MacIntyre @AuronMacintyre, "Helicopters full of ballots Helicopters." Quote Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department used helicopters to fly in ballots from vote centers across the region “They're picking up ballots from 8 cities including Lancaster, Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lakewood, Santa Monica, Van Nuys, Pomona, and Torrance. Once." Bill Mitchell @mitchellvii, "One thing is for sure. When Democrats are counting votes, crazy, statistically impossible things are possible. Joe Biden can lose 18 out of 19 bellwether counties. He can lose Iowa, Ohio, and Florida. He can lose massive House seats and still get the most votes in presidential history. It's MAGIC." Hat Hair's Dave Strom explains How We Know That Los Angeles Vote Was Rigged. Jarvis @jarvis_best, "LA is wild because the election will be between a Cuban trained Marxist guerrilla fighter and a woman running to her left." Houman David Hemmati, MD, PhD @houmanhemmati, "As @BoredElonMusk & the data show, Raman’s late mail in ballot surge was fueled in large part by ballots from Skid Row. Tens of thousands of homeless whose ballots are sent to central addresses (not the sidewalk) & can be filled out/returned by someone else. Suspicious…" End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "Mail-ins arriving before Election Day: Bass: 38.1% Pratt: 27.9% Raman: 20% Mail-ins arriving after Election Day: Raman: 37% (+17% surge) Bass: 34.9% (-3% drop) Pratt: 19% (-9% drop) Who are we kidding here? This is fraud." At the Volokh Conspiracy, Volokh asks "Why Can't California Count?" Dmitri Bolt at TownHall notes CNN's Harry Enten Says Election Fraud in LA Is 'the Dumbest Conspiracy Theory' He's Ever Heard. No need for fraud when the law allows them to cheat. Nick shirley @nickshirleyy, "Meet Doris, she lives in California and is registered as a 126 year old who has voted in 51 elections and has NO IDEA. California’s voting system is so corrupt that by simply knocking on the door of the “126 year old” proves election fraud. EXPOSE IT ALL." Bill Mitchell @mitchellvii, "You know, after watching CA count votes, I feel much more comfortable with Republicans flexing a bit in redistricting, don't you?" wretchardthecat @wretchardthecat, "The significance to outside observers of Spencer Pratt vs Karen Bass was not as a political race per se, but a diagnostic. A kind of recon by force they could watch from afar. If you were looking to invest in LA, or in California the fate of Pratt was likely to predict your own. How honest was city hall? How reliable was the state? None of the answers to these things are available from Google but you can infer it from observation. Thus "poor devil, he never had a chance" can also mean "don't go to that swamp. It's full of reptiles."" Amy Curtis at TownHall, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Calls for Federal Funding Cuts Until California Cleans Up Its Disastrous Elections. PJM's Vicky Taft thinks What Happened to Spencer Pratt Is Why the Supreme Court Decision on Election DAY Is Key.

PJM's Kevin Downey identifies the Filthy Pinko of the Week: Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy! Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "Democrat Chris Murphy is REFUSING to apologize after saying it was "awesome" that Iranian ships slipped past the U.S. blockade. He says it was just "sarcasm." This traitor needs to resign in disgrace." Matt Vespa thinks What This Dem Rep Said About Trump Over the Weekend Is What Cost ABC News $15 Million.

Don Surber likes how Trump ignores RNC, gets half the Hispanic vote. "Democrats are peeing their pants over losing 40-point majorities among Hispanics." DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican, "Turns out that @LeaderJohnThune was totally projecting when he said the SAVE Act was an influencer campaign. Senator John Thune is compromised by a company that literally exists to sell access to himself. Pass it on." Quote DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican, Replying to @AndrewDesiderio, "Hello, Mr. Desiderio, Punchbowl News sells access to Capitol Hill for corporate clients. Their senior Senate reporter is you, Andrew Desiderio."

Sarah Anderson at PJM hears Are the Vances Adding More Than Just a New Baby to Their Family?. A chicken coop? "According to the Daily Wire, the Vance family is joining millions of people across the United States who are raising their own backyard flocks of chickens. More specifically, as of 2025, 11 million households in the US have their own chickens, and now, it sounds like we can add the VP's residence at the Naval Observatory to the list. The coop, which is stunning, was built by North Carolina-based, family-owned Carolina Coops, and it was "designed to match the architectural themes of the historic vice presidential residence." It's also worth noting that this was not paid for with your tax dollars, according to the Daily Wire."

From Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog, How Ukraine Is Hammering Russian Logistics, Sundance at CTH hears the EU Coalition of the Willing Establishes Five Terms for Direct Ukraine-Russia Negotiations "The #3, #4 and #5 points are not going to go anywhere." At the Nat Sec J, Russia Might Actually Win the War in Ukraine. That Could Be the Worst Thing That Ever Happened to It. RCD's Rebecca Grant envisions A Permanent Armored Brigade in Poland?

Sundance is pleasantly surprised to hear Congress is Getting Nervous About Reauthorizing FISA-702. Eric Boehm at Reason believes Stephen Miller and Pete Hegseth Are Wildly Misleading About Section 702 Warrantless Surveillance. "Miller says it is "madness" to expect law enforcement to get a warrant before spying on Americans' electronic communications."

Shipwreckedcrew sees SCOTUS Smacks Obama/Biden Appointees With A Newspaper Across The Nose For Wrongfully Acting Like A "Roving Commission Looking For Wrongs To Right." "A very pointed Per Curiam Opinion issued this morning identifies the Fourth Circuit as a repeat offender in deciding cases on issues never raised by the parties -- THAT is judicial activism." Upstate Federalist @upstatefederlst, "I have been reliably informed that a fee is not a tax." Quote, "Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney, "JUST IN: A federal judge has ruled Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa fee is an unauthorized tax on businesses and must be vacated." Cam at BA reports SCOTUS Keeps Hardware Bans on Hold, but Makes Interesting Move on Prohibited Person Case. Firearms Policy Coalition @gunpolicy, "The cert petition filed by the federal government in a case where the Fifth Circuit ruled that the felon gun ban is unconstitutional as applied to the defendant whose "sole predicate offense... is his failure to pay child support" has been denied."

The Chronic chronicles Tina Peters’ Escape from Devil’s Island.

NYPo opines on Sneaky leftist lawsuits taking aim at US energy dominance.

Hat Hair's John Sexton is heartened that 'Protesters' Face Felony Convictions for Blocking the Golden Gate, but fears jury nullifications. Being San Francisco, it's not an unreasonable fear. "My take is that these protesters were basically taking a cue from Hamas. They essentially took a bridge full of people hostage for four hours (and would have done so for longer if the police had let them) and then complain in court that no one was harmed by the brief hostage taking. Except people were harmed."

Three different takes on Scott Pelley's interview with the NYT. From Sundance, The Alarming and Deeply Disturbing Scott Pelley Interview. PJM's Stephen Kruiser, Scott Pelley's Podcast Tears Made My Schadenfreude Cup Runneth Over. Dave Strom at Hat Hair, It's Kinda Hilarious to See Scott Pelley Expose Himself as Such a Doofus. I'm kind of in the schadenfreude camp. Also from Kruiser, OK, I Think President Trump Really Enjoys Trolling Kristen Welker.

Leslie Eastman at LI sees more Fallout from Video Release Expands: Police Sought to Cast Henry Nowak as Aggressor. "Europe Reacts with Demonstrations and “Taking a Knee” Movement while Media Deflects in Wake of Henry Nowak Killing." Bernie @Artemisfornow, "The Sunday Times reports that 3 days after Henry Nowak’s death, police wanted to issue a statement implying Henry was the aggressor. By then, they already had evidence that wasn’t the case. Only after objections from Henry’s family was the wording changed. They weren’t trying to protect Henry. They were trying to protect themselves. That was the disinformation."

At Althouse, The proposed rule would impose "a narrow, culturally specific understanding of family" that "privileges a dominant cultural framework over the lived realities of communities of color and global Christians." "I'm reading "Presbyterian Church faces revolt after proposing clergy must be in monogamous relationships — and critics blame white privilege" (NY Post).

A Tuesday Tune - Devil Wore a Lab Coat

Mary Kutter

Kentucky raised and Nashville based, Mary Kutter writes songs that live in the gray area blurring genre lines and creative narratives. Drawing from country storytelling and rock-leaning intensity, her music favors sharp images over easy answers. As both a songwriter and recording artist, Kutter gravitates toward characters on the edge, flawed, resilient, and unapologetically human.

Before stepping fully into her own voice as an artist, she built a reputation as a songwriter willing to go where others would not, with her work appearing on major-label releases and charting records by Bailey Zimmerman, Nate Smith, and Zach John King.

Those experiences sharpened her instincts and reinforced her belief that the most powerful songs are the ones that tell the truth plainly, without sanding down the rough edges. Onstage, Kutter brings that same intensity into the room. Her performances are direct and unfiltered, rooted in connection rather than theatrics.

Whether playing intimate venues or larger stages, she commands attention through presence, letting the songs do the heavy lifting. With “Bed of Roses,” Kutter begins a new chapter defined by confidence, clarity, and a refusal to soften the point.

 

Science is Dead, Long Live Science

 Leslie Eastman at LI, Proposed OMB Rules Could Reshape How US Science Is Funded and Published, "Laughably, unhappy scientists complain proposed grant system overhaul could politicize research funding — as if that weren’t already happening."

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is proposing major changes to the rules that govern how federal grants, cooperative agreements, and other financial assistance are managed across the government. The goals are to increase oversight of how taxpayer money is used, align awards with current law and administration policy, and reduce what OMB views as unnecessary burdens on recipients.

These changes apply to all federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The 412-page behemoth certainly has the potential to shake up the science-industrial complex that has gutted American trust in science to a meager 36%.

Among the action items embedded in this OMB plan, the new rules would allow agencies to terminate awards if they conclude that a grant “does not effectuate program goals, federal agency priorities, or the national interest as they exist at the time of the termination,” and also under any additional termination provisions written into award terms. This substantially widens discretion beyond classic noncompliance or performance failures.

Given the grants that continued to fund Wuhan bat virus research, the ability to slash funds for dangerous research should be viewed as a positive.

The proposed rules would also forbid spending federal funds on publication costs (e.g., journal publication fees), which is a significant departure from longstanding practice and directly affects the dissemination of research funded by federal grants.

I was utterly unaware of any policy mandating that agencies would be force to continue  funding work that they no longer believed was important to their mission. In fact, once, a grant on which I was a PI was delayed for over a year because the agency (guess who) decided they would rather have a satellite than our project. To be fair, we eventually did get the money, or at least most of it.

I'm sure the fear here is that the Trump administration will cancel a bunch of grants issued during the Biden administration that do not conform to their vision. There are lots of examples, but prominent among them would be climate science. For many years, one the magic phrases that helped get funding was "global warming" (or "climate change"). A lot of investigators who promiscuously promised to link their work to "climate change" may be regretting that choice.

Doctor My Eyes

A quick update on the 5th week anniversary of the second retina detachment/reattachment surgery in my left eye. Not coincidentally, this was also the day for the 5-6 week follow up exam at Wilmer's Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore.

According to the Drs, first the resident, and the then the surgeon who did the surgery, things are progressing on track, with no issues noticed, although the surgeon did order photographs at the imaging center to see if the there was any scar tissue forming. They blamed scar tissue pulling on the retina for the second detachment. We await the results.

From my view, there have been modest changes from last week. The bubble is still prominent in my vision, occupying about a third of the view looking forward. The left, affected eye is quite near-sighted, as I was told it would be, it's view is still tilted to the right about 2-3 degrees, and a little uneven looking when looking at a straight line. Looking up or down, the bubble dominates. 

The two eyes are starting to work together a bit, a process either helped or hindered by the fact that their focal distances are quite difference. In relatively dim light, looking a relatively short (indoor) distances, the eye cooperate pretty well, the unaffected (and dominant) right eye providing clarity, and the left eye going along, and providing some depth perception. At text distances, the left eye is pretty well focused, but difficult to use with the right eye because of the tilt and distortion. At outdoor ranges, the cooperation is less. I see two crossing horizons, one clear and one blurry, although looking at less geometric things, like trees, it seems better.

They told me the bubble was about 35-40% of the original; I still have 2-3 weeks left (I hope; I'm bored of the bubble). They also said that once the bubble is gone I could go ahead and get a new prescription for glasses.

So, looking forward? Next week, I hope the bubble has shrunk out of my sight (looking forward), but I'm not too convinced that will be the case. And maybe, the eyes will start cooperating a little better in normal use.

Flotsam and Jetsam - "Thank You Darling, Have a Good Time"

Ryan King at NYPo reports Trump storms off ‘Meet The Press’ interview after fiery exchange with NBC’s Kristen Welker over 2020 election. Jeff Charles at TownHall, 'Thank You Darling, Have a Good Time': Trump Storms Out of Interview With Kirsten Welker. PJM's Matt Margolis, Trump Storms Out of ‘Meet the Press’ Interview. Nick Arama at RedState thinks you should Watch: Trump Drops Kristen Welker in Fiery Interview, Ends With Him Walking Out. At Althouse, "Because it was raining, I got a little bit angry at them. I was not happy with them. But we had a good time." "Said Trump, quoted at the end of "Trump walks out of 'Meet the Press' interview when challenged over false claims/When pressed by host Kristen Welker, the president cited no evidence for claims about Jan. 6 and elections he said were 'rigged'" (WaPo)(gift link)." Sundance at CTH hosts the whole interview President Trump Meet the Press Interview – Full Video and Transcript. Buzz Patterson @BuzzPatterson, "AMERICAN MEDIA EXPOSED! The funniest thing about this video is Welker bitching about the fact that she had to fly to Wisconsin for the interview. You know who else had to fly to Wisconsin for the interview? The President of the United States. Get over yourself, @MeetThePress! New rules!" miguelifornia @miguelifornia, ""There's no evidence of Capitol Police escorting protesters into the Capitol on J6" - @kwelkernbc to President @realDonaldTrump on @MeetThePress." Video of Kap Kops." Carmine Sabia @CarmineSabia, "This is what psychopath Kristin Welker looked like talking to the President of the United States. Maybe if she showed some respect people would respect her."

And as long as we're documenting the follies of the press, Charles Gasparino at NYPo explains How CBS News boss Bari Weiss finally reached her decision to fire Scott Pelley from ‘60 Minutes’. Ward Clark at RedState thinks Scott Pelley Embarrasses Himself in Wild New NYT Interview. A Driscolly post at Insty, SCOTT PELLEY BREAKS DOWN, COMPARES 60 MINUTES FIRINGS TO ‘FAMILY’ BEING MURDERED IN LUDICROUS NEW INTERVIEW: Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "Scott Pelley says Bari Weiss asked 60 Minutes staffers: “Why do you think the country thinks you’re biased?" Pelley: "Why do you think so? Do you have a poll? Is there market research? What are you talking about?" "Because we certainly didn't believe that." Incredible." Sarah Hoyt at Insty says DON’T THINK OF IT AS A MURDER, SCOTT. THINK OF IT AS MAID. YOU SOCIALISTS ARE ALL FOR IT: "Scott Pelley Snivels To NY Times: My Firing “Murdered” The 60 Minutes Family." TownHall's Scott McLallen asserts Scott Pelley's Post-Firing Pity Tour Is Everything Wrong With Legacy Media. Oh no, there's plenty more wrong. Dave Manney at PJM, Scott Pelley Mistook '60 Minutes' for His Personal Throne Room. Hat Hair's Josh Hammer looks at the CBS News' Shakeup and the Future of the Mainstream Press.

Dave Catron at Am Spec speculates on Eric Swalwell and the Decline of Media Objectivity "A free press must inform the people, yet today’s media often withholds what matters most." Preston Byrne @prestonjbyrne, "The Guardian says that further censorship of U.S. social media companies is needed to control dissent in Europe. The U.S. govt needs to make it clear: targeting Americans with censorship laws is not an available solution to Europe's domestic problems. https://theguardian.com/comment"

Iran and Israel are swapping strikes after Iran took special offence at Israel's targeted strike against an IRGC leader in Lebanon. Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles against Israel, and Israel responded by striking targets in Iran. Reuters, Israel and Iran strike each other for first time since ceasefire. CNN, Trump demands Israel and Iran ‘immediately stop ‘shooting’’ as fresh strikes imperil ceasefire, "Israel and Iran are trading the worst strikes in months. Trump previously urged Netanyahu not to retaliate, according to a US official." Tousi TV, Iran’s Inflation Rate Soars Past 77 Percent. I don't think we'll see much progress with Iran until we peel back a few more layers of the IRGC. Sundance catches House Intel Ranking Member Jim Himes Anticipating Political Benefit of Terrorist Attack Following FISA (702) Expiration.

At Althouse, "In the White House, there is a system for dealing with a president who rarely sleeps. The staff take it in shifts so they get a nap..." Writes Katie Balls, in "Donald Trump at 80: is refusing to act his age his secret weapon?/The president is still known to work 12-hour days and post all night as he enters his ninth decade" (London Times). Larry Elder at Hat Hair is on the TDS Watch: Dispelling The 'Convicted Felon' Argument.

Joe Cunningham at RedState notes, not too surprisingly Progressive Councilwoman Overtakes Spencer Pratt for Second Place, Heads to Run-off in LA Mayor Primary, which is too bad. I never expected Pratt to win, or become Mayor, but I hoped getting into second spot and being in the actual elections might turn some heads in my hometown. But apparently, the vote mines are in full production mode. Driscoll warning, GOOD AND HARD, L.A., GOOD AND HARD: Trevor Ewen @trevor_ewen, "In the words of Ed Koch: "The people have spoken, now they must be punished." Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "BREAKING: Nithya Raman just defeated Spencer Pratt after giving a concession speech on election night and then getting the largest number in almost every mail-in ballot dump. They just cheated in an election right in front of our eyes." Sundance sees the California U.S. Attorney Office Pretends Not to Know Specifics or Origin of California Voter Fraud. Betsy Stauffer at LI sees signs of hope that Newsom’s Effort to Flip Five Red Seats May Fall Short of his Expectations. “District by district, the picture emerging is one of Republican resilience — and in some cases, a surprising Democratic collapse in races Newsom’s allies had hoped to turn.”

Shipwreckedcrew @shipwreckedcrew, "The communist with a Nazi SS tattoo? His OPPONENT is a fascist?" Quote Dean Baker @DeanBaker13, "The merits are that Platner is infinitely better than Susan Collins, who supports fascism. Is that too simple for you to understand? x.com/ NateSilver538/…" Sunny @sunnyright, "The people who found outrageous Nazi symbolism in “Ok” hand signs can’t find it in a Nazi death squad chest tattoo." CBD at Ace's The Democrat Party Is The Party Of Violence And Hatred, And They Are Proving It Every Day. At Hat Hair Betsy McCaughey worries about Young Voters Falling for Socialist Myths. The Victory Girls look at James Talarico and the Presbyterian Church’s Embrace of Polyamory. I mean, who wouldn't want a harem?

Twitchy says POPCORN! DataRepublican Says 'Hello' to Mr. Hunter Biden and His Newfound Popularity on X and HERE WE GO. DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican, "Hello Mr. Hunter Biden, You're getting six-digit likes on every post lately. I don't have any hope to ratio you or whatever through traditional "Hello" means. But for those uninitiated, those who are captivated by your fake-humble persona obviously PR-engineered to capture unsuspecting disaffected Republicans: You are not some humility, witty guy turning over a new leaf. You are the ultimate proof of nepotism, everything that the so-called "Epstein Class" is supposed to represent. Let me explain - off the top of my head...."

At the Chronic, AstroTurf Outrage at Delaney Hall. Siraj Hashmi @SirajAHashmi, “The replies are just them posting ‘this is what I voted for’ over and over again” Quote Pubity @pubity, "For the first time since the 1930s, more people are moving out of America than are moving in. People are leaving for other countries in droves."

The Independent (UK) reports David Lammy told JD Vance 'you're wrong' after Henry Nowak case intervention "David Lammy has told JD Vance he was wrong to link Henry Nowak’s murder to immigration and warned him the intervention on social media was “not helpful”. Was it helpful when Keir Starmer knelt for BLM? The Deputy Prime Minister said he challenged the US vice-president in a “robust” phone call on Saturday after Mr Vance appeared to blame the killing on a “mass invasion” of people into Europe." At Euro Con, Henry Nowak: The Footage We Were Never Meant to See. Sundance examines the Ongoing Fallout from Nowak Murder Case.

Joel Kotkin at CJ looks at The Rise of the UnJews. "Anti-Zionism is rising among diaspora Jews; the future of Jewish identity may be increasingly Israeli." Call them JINOs.

The Monday Morning Stimulus

Kona coffee root-knot nematode

University of Hawaiʻi News, Protecting Hawaiʻi’s coffee industry

In CTAHR’s Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, (Landon) Wong was awarded the Helen Jones Farrar ARCS award in Tropical Plant Pathology and the Dr. Jacqueline Maly ARCS Scholar of the Year award for his research on the taxonomy of coffee root-knot nematodes. This tiny, destructive pest is devastating coffee production across Hawaiʻi Island, Central and South America.

Wong’s project clarified the true identity of the Kona coffee root-knot nematode (tiny pest) (Meloidogyne konaensis) by incorporating genetic, physical and protein-based testing. Wong’s work determined Meloidogyne konaensis is widely distributed across the coffee-growing regions of Central and South America.

“Traditional diagnostic procedures could take over two months,” Wong said. “This research has facilitated a faster identification method to protect local coffee growers from this pest and allow regulators to accurately screen and identify the nematode pest at ports of entry and in field samples in under a day using a simple genetic test.”

He also discovered a new species of root-knot nematode in Brazil, Meloidogyne pseudokonaensis, named for its similarity and previously mistaken identity as Meloidogyne konaensis.