Maryland, My Maryland

 From the Cap Gaze, Cunningham Falls reopens after rabid beaver attacks

Maryland officials have restored water access at Hunting Creek Lake and nearby portions of Cunningham Falls State Park in Thurmont after finding no evidence of continued beaver activity, the Department of Natural Resources said Monday. The areas in Frederick County had been closed after two teenagers were attacked by rabid beavers on July 26 and Aug. 5. Both animals were euthanized and tested positive for rabies.

Since the attacks, Department of Natural Resources employees and police worked with Maryland Park Service staff to determine whether the area was safe to reopen. The state said it used trail cameras, trapping and thermal surveys conducted by biologists to monitor for beaver activity. Staff did not observe any beaver activity near Hunting Creek Lake during that time, the department said.

The reopening comes after a separate beaver attack Aug. 13 near Darnestown in Montgomery County, about 35 miles away. A 10-year-old girl was attacked while her summer camp was visiting the area, according to the state. A beaver later found dead nearby tested positive for rabies, but officials said it was unclear whether it was the same animal that attacked the girl. That incident remains under investigation, and the area near the attack, including a parking lot and nearby river access point, remains closed.

State officials said beavers generally are not aggressive and tend to avoid human contact. Attacks linked to rabies infections are rare, according to the state. The last similar attacks recorded in Maryland were in 2021 and 2015.

I wonder how the beavers contracted rabies. In this part of the world, rabies is endemic in the racoons, foxes and skunks. Adult beavers are pretty big, and I have trouble imagining any of these animals attempting to take one on, except, I guess, if they were rabid. Maybe a coyote? 

Palm Sunday

 With Devon Windsor:

SFGate, San Jose races to remove 32 dangerous palms downtown

City officials said 15 palm trees in the Circle of Palms at 124 S. Market St., are dead or dying, while the rest are in declining health, raising the risk of falling trees, according to a media advisory from the city of San Jose. Crews began the removal Thursday and will keep the area barricaded for the next nine days as they finish the work, the city said.
...
Colin Heyne, a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Transportation, told SFGATE that the city was aware that some of the trees were browning and dropping fronds, but they began deteriorating more quickly than expected — a July arborist report confirmed nearly half of the trees were dead or dying, he said. Officials are examining tissue samples of the trees at a lab and haven’t determined the official cause of death, Heyne said.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: More Coffee, Please up on time and under budget at The Other McCain (if you count Megan).

Flotsam and Jetsam - Abdulrahman Mohammed El-Sayed Wins Michigan Democrat Senate Primary

The Hamas supporter who thinks America deserved 9/11 squeaked out a victory over some AWFL to become the Democrat senate candidate for senator of Michigan. The "M" states of the upper Mid-west have officially gone crazy. Amy Curtis at TownHall thinks Abdul El-Sayed Is Now the Most Radical Candidate in America. From Ace, Pro-Hamas, Pro-Terrorist Communist Abdul El-Sayed Wins Nomination for Michigan Senate as Expected -- But By a Very Thin Margin. Polls showed a much wider margin, but polls suck. At Althouse, It's too close to call over at the NYT, but "Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan’s slugfest of a Democratic Senate primary, NBC News projects." "I'm reading "Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, notching a Midwest victory for the left/The former public health official has defeated Rep. Haley Stevens, NBC News projects, despite facing a huge advertising disadvantage."" Bobby LaValley @Bobby_LaVallley, "CNN: Haley Stevens did well with working-class and African American voters. Abdul El-Sayed "did very poorly" with those groups and "really just" ran up the score in college towns." John Bulkeley @bulkeley_john, "College towns voting heavily for Abdul. This is where we are going to miss Charlie Kirk big time. He was our best and greatest ambassador to colleges across the nation. We will miss him very, very, much." NYPo, Young Dems’ radicalism threatens to doom their party in midterms — and beyond. Joel Kotkin at Spiked asserts The Democrats are a menace to America’s Jews, "Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic primary is an ominous sign." At Hat Hair VIP John Sexton notices Jews Are Moving From Blue States to Red Ones, and not just because they're spendthrift. varifrank @varifrank, "He loves them the same way OJ loved Nicole." Quote Open Source Intel @Osint613, "Michigan Democratic primary winner Abdul El Sayed: AIPAC and Israel are not the same as Judaism and the Jewish people... I love the Jewish people." At Insty, Driscoll cites JIM TREACHER: Jon Stewart Is a Good Kapo. Ben Clerkin at The Spec wonders/hopes Has Abdul El-Sayed just saved Trump? At Hat Hair, Beege Welborn thinks This Fetterman, El-Sayed Tiff Is Fun. RBe @RBPundit, "This actually takes it too easy on the fucking commie. We need to make these people radioactive." Quote Politics & Poll Tracker @PollTracker2024, "The NRSC debuts first attack ad in the US Senate Michigan race against Abdul El-Sayed."

At WaEx, Hasan Piker torches Democratic voters: ‘You are all unbelievably Islamophobic pieces of s***’ for not all voting for Abdul. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair hears Hasan Piker's Healing MI Outreach: 'You Are All Unbelievably Islamophobic Pieces of S***'. Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "Francesca Hong, 2020: Cancel Thanksgiving. Hong, Two Days Ago: Thanksgiving is a time that's incredibly painful for many people in our communities. Hong, Today: My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I love it." At the Crimson Hub, HONG AGAIN: Thanksgiving-Hating Dem Socialist Has Another Hot 'White Supremacy' Take In WI Gov Race.

Swann Marcus@SwannMarcus89, "HOLY SHIT WHAT Mamdani's "socialist" grocery stores are going to be run by private operators? And they receive the right to run the store from the government but then control the supply of discount cards themselves? And they have full discretion over purchasing and hiring decisions in a situation where they are guaranteed to make a profit irrespective of how inefficient the operation is because they're undercutting their competitors' prices by 30% via government subsidies? Buckle in, you suck fucks! Real corruption has never been tried!" At State of the Day, YOU NEED ID FOR THIS SOCIALIST UTOPIA, "Do these people hear themselves?" From Twitchy, OUCH! Zohran Mamdani's Anti-Police Rhetoric Came Back to Bite Him at an NYPD Event. Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "LMFAO! Ugandan Mayor Mamdani tried to deliver a speech at a New York Police event in Manhattan but was VICIOUSLY booed and jeered off stage He walked off in SHAME. Patriots want Mamdani to go BACK to his country!" Fox cites MARK PENN: Socialist Mamdani sold a tax on billionaires. Regular homeowners could pay the price, "Gotta love whoever pulled this French name into implying New York City's pied-à-terre tax would fall on just a few very rich people." That's the point. 

James Lindsay, anti-Communist @ConceptualJames, We can now be quite certain that, yes, in fact, the DSA move within the Democratic Party is a power consolidation move modeled after the Bolshevik takeover of the Social Democrat Party and expulsion of the Mensheviks. Not the revolution itself but its immediate political precursor." Quote New York Magazine @NYMag, "The GOP’s big red scare is really stupid. Democrats aren’t communist, and the relatively small progressive surge in this year’s primaries isn’t a Bolshevik Revolution, writes Ed Kilgore." The Drunk Republican @DrunkRepub, "Now that the Democrat Party has been officially commandeered by Communists, the “America First” folks who claim they’ll stay home in November are in a real pickle. Because no one claiming to be America First would willingly turn over their county to the cretins in the DSA. As Donald Trump himself famously opined, "You can be a communist or you can be a patriot. You cannot be both.”" Matt Vespa at TownHall sees Mike Rowe Triggered a Ton of People With His Lengthy Post About Socialism. John Sexton, California Democratic Party Backs the Wealth Tax. Geiger Capital @Geiger_Capital, "If the California billionaire wealth tax passes, it will be a nationwide policy for 2028. Every Democrat on the primary stage will raise their hand to support it federally. Tech guys think they can just run to Texas now after funding the far-left for years." Quote Geiger Capital @Geiger_Capital, "There it is… California's Democratic Party has voted to endorse the billionaire wealth tax on the ballot." PJM's Stephen Kruiser writes Of Commies, Purple States, and the Elusive Undecided Voter. "Yes, my friends, the fate of the Republic hinges on people who haven't caught on to the fact that the Democrats keep talking about shredding the Constitution. It's realizations like that which make it harder for me to stay detached, but my years of "all dead inside" practice serve me well." InfantryDort @infantrydort, "Our ancestors fought some of the most fearsome enemies in the war against entropy. Worthy of mighty song and story. We get communist jihadi welfare tourists with weaponized EBT cards and TikTok. Unlucky." PoIiMath @politicalmath, "Academic: I think the gullible young people I can manipulate should have more power and the skeptical parents who can see through my bullshit should have less power." Quote Caleb Wait @calebwait, "I try to keep an open mind about new ideas and opinions, but this take on parents and children is the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a long time. Douthat’s response is perfect."

At Twitchy, Amy Klobuchar Gets Absolutely Booed Off Stage for Border & Cop Lies — Then Calls to Defund ICE.

At NYPo, NY police bigwig, husband helped goon son plan gangland shooting — and mom was getaway driver: sources. Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "WILD Mount Vernon, NY Deputy Police Commissioner Jennifer Lackard ARRESTED for allegedly being the GETAWAY DRIVER for her gang member son after a shooting."

Chris Rufo on the The Typhus Rats of Los Angeles, "A medieval disease is rocking the vermin-ridden county." The palm trees in my parent's Ranch Park house had rats. Before we were married, Georgia stayed with us a while, and the cat brought one home for her.

I&I wonders/fears Is Trump’s Flat Voter Favorability In August Bad News For GOP’s Midterm Hopes? Mark Tapscott at Insty says POLITICAL APPOINTEES SHOULD KILL BAD GRANTS: "Democrats in Congress are up in arms over President Donald Trump’s proposal to give executive branch senior political appointees authority to pre-screen proposed federal grants and to terminate previously approved and continuing funding streams. In fact under the Constitution, as I write today in The Washington Stand, the President can delegate authority to carry out the his policies that voters endorsed when they elected him to trusted senior political appointees. Democrats are angry because Trump is implementing a counter to the power of the unelected career bureaucrats who routinely dispatch hundreds of billions of tax dollars to far-Left groups." At Politico, Congress ended surprise medical bills — doctors and insurers hate it “This must end,” President Donald Trump said when he signed the bill into law. “We’re going to hold insurance companies and hospitals totally accountable.”

PJM's Scott Pinsker asserts Max Miller Destroys His Career in Disastrous, Shambolic CNN Interview.

John Sexton worries Did Russia Just Try to Extend the War With Ukraine Into Germany? Sundance at CTH calls it an Odd Story – Explosive Drones Discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany. 

Capt Ed cites Int'l Media: New MOU an IRGC 'Deal on the Sly' with Oman?. If it's Iranian, and it floats, flies or drives, blow it up.

Dave Strom at Hat Hair hears FBI Opened Criminal Investigation of Trump for Firing Comey. PJM's Matt Margolis, Bombshell Declassified FBI Document Blows Up Everything We Ever Heard About Russiagate. Sundance, Govt Releases Originating Info Behind FBI Investigation “Oxferd Comma” That Followed Comey Firing "John Solomon, working for the administration on behalf of President Trump, has released internal FBI information that surrounded an investigation of President Trump and other officials following the firing of James Comey. {DOCUMENTS HERE}" Ace, Revealed Documents: Corrupt FBI Operatives Opened Investigation of Trump as a RUSSIAN AGENT Because He Fired Their Ringleader James Comey. John Solomon at JTN, FBI Follies: Bureau secretly probed Trump as a Russian asset for firing Comey: declassified memos. "Documents declassified by the White House Government Transparency Task Force show the investigation – codenamed "Oxferd Comma" – was launched in the immediate aftermath of Comey’s May 9, 2017 firing and was predicated on allegations that the bureau’s own agents had mostly dismissed by that time."

Ace, Did the Democrat-Media Party Program Another Assassin to Kill Trump? "Not sure yet. But it seems like they did." Sundance, 4th Assassination Attempt Likely – Armed Gunman, Jeanine John Taele (38) Arrested in California.

T. Anderson says And another thing ... on The Failure of Fauci and His Fans. "Turns out you can get him to shut up after all." Teri Christoph at RedState, Uh-Oh: Fauci's Worst Nightmare May Have Just Landed in the Hands of Senate Republicans. The Wall Street Journal @WSJ, "Exclusive: A Senate panel has obtained a copy of Dr. Anthony Fauci's Covid-era iPhone, potentially securing more records related to his actions during the pandemic." Cathy Salgado at PJM reports Bill Gates Was Embedded in U.S. Agencies During COVID Era "Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) released more information this week revealing that Gates had a “Q” security clearance for seven years at DOE and had then-NIAID Director Anthony Fauci as his private editor during the COVID lockdown era. The Gates Foundation was even funding NIH. Then again, Gates also reportedly donated a staggering $50 million to Kamala Harris. I guess he paid a pretty high price for the privilege of being involved in so much government decision-making."

From YouTube, Supreme Court Term Review (feat. Sarah Isgur and Melissa Murray).

Beege Welborn notices The Recent Moroccan Invasion in Ceuta Has Spurred a Panicky Response Elsewhere in Europe. New York Post @nypost, "African Migrants in Ceuta Complain About Treatment: 'No Food, No Blankets'" Matt Van Swol @mattvanswol, "#BREAKING: The Red Cross is now handing out FREE FOOD to to THOUSANDS of Moroccan Muslim invaders who illegally entered the Spanish city of Ceuta. WHAT?!!!!!!!"

At Da Caller, GOP Sen. John Curtis Unveils State-Run Visa Scheme Offering Amnesty To Illegals. Camron Arcand at TownHall notes Weekend ICE Arrests Include Convicted Murderer, Robber.

Show of hands how many of you knew Stephen Colbert's daughter worked for 60 minutes and CBS News? https://t.co/u61x0BRDXo

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) August 5, 2026

Da Telegraph reports Jason Arday falsely claimed to have published book, "Cambridge academic suggested that work on black masculinity had been published by Palgrave but it never went to print." The Telegraph @Telegraph, "BREAKING: Prof Jason Arday has resigned from the University of Cambridge after The Telegraph revealed he falsely claimed to have published a book. Follow the latest developments." John Sexton reports Jason Arday Resigns From Cambridge. Smirkley @Smirkley, "Updated >be Jason Arday >get diagnosed autistic at 3 >claim non-verbal until 11 >claim partial deafness in one ear & being taught to sign >claim you couldn't read until 18, but still leave school w/ two GCSEs >claim joining pro snooker tour at 10, one year before you could speak >claim you came out of a football academy & played professionally...." Ace, Perfesser, Now Ex-Perfesser, Jason Arday Resigns After Being Caught In Yet Another Lie "The newest lie was about publishing a book. The book was called Trust Me, Bro. Okay that's a lie. The truth is, there was no book. No such book exists. And Update: Fake DEI Perfesser Now Claiming Some Racists Left a Pig's Head on His Door; Local Butchers and Police Deny. "He's not just a plagiarist, he's a serial liar." Kevin Yam 任建峰 @kevinkfyam, "When this whole affair dies down: 1. Arday will be gone in one way or another. And he (who never knew better because of his enablers) will be abandoned, left to fend for himself, and he and his family will suffer badly as a result. I know in the circumstances it’s hard to feel sorry for Arday, but please cut him a small (and I do mean small) bit of slack - it’s a bit like if you keep wilfully throwing food all over the floor thinking that it’s good and normal, because everyone around you don’t call you up on it and even say “well done” every time you throw more food on the floor..." Jon Levine @LevineJonathan, "A decades-long campaign to elevate people based on arbitrary characteristics (race, gender, sexual orientation) instead of merit has crashed into publicly available tools for objective evaluation." Quote Colin Wright @SwipeWright, "BREAKING: Jason Arday, the Cambridge professor exposed for plagiarism and fabricating major aspects of his life story, has resigned. According to leading AI writing detection software Pangram, Arday's resignation letter is "Fully AI Generated" with "High Confidence."

Bobby Burack @burackbobby_, "This is wild. Howard Bryant, the writer trying to smear Sophie Cunningham as "anti-trans and anti-black," was arrested for choking his white wife, then assaulting a police officer, and then blamed his arrest on -- wait for it -- racism." From Ace, Pro-Men-In-Women's-Sports WNBA Coach: Boy It Makes Me Mad When Men Take Coaching Jobs from Women, "Gee I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that she's not a player, but is a coach, and wants her own position defended against outside-her-gender competition."

And more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 08.03.26. The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: The Usual Horrible Start to the Season up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

The Monday Morning Stimulus

From People, via Insty, Coffee Company Recalls More Than 3,000 Gallons of Cold Brew Concentrate Over Botulism Risk, "Brooklyn Roasting Company has recalled more than 1,200 units of cold brew concentrate due to botulism risk from improper storage."

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: On The Beach up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Happy Birthday President Trump!

It looks like you had a hell of a party for your 80th birthday. Insty, IF THIS DOESN’T LOOK AT LEAST A LITTLE FUN, YOU MIGHT NOT BE AMERICAN: Marc Thiessen @marcthiessen, "I’ve never been to a UFC fight, but I once went to a monster truck/motocross rally in rural Maine and saw a part of America I’d never experienced before. Trump is opening the White House to those Americans and it’s awesome. If you’re offended by that you may be an elitist snob." And PRETTY MUCH -> At Althouse, Deploying the TR precedent to promote fighting at the White House and Those who like to call out Trump for his narcissism got a big disappointment last night as the supposed birthday party was not a birthday party at all. "The event was called UFC Freedom 250, and, true to that name, it turned out to be about the UFC and the United States of America. 3 days before his birthday, Trump had said — quoted at USA Today — "You don't have to wish me happy birthday because I'm not happy about that birthday that I'm having. That's a number that I never thought really too much about. It's not a number I like, but I'm here, nevertheless."" Derek Hunter @derekahunter, "Kennedy fucked every willing chick in the White House and some who weren't. This is no big thing to @DavidBrooks224, who left his first wife for his married assistant. Please, Dave, lecture us on cultural decline." Quote Alex Christy @alexchristy17, "David Brooks reacts to the upcoming UFC fight at the White House, "I first thought of, like, who are the artists John F. Kennedy brought to the White House? It was like W.H. Auden, Robert Frost, Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein. And now we have got cage fighting. Don't anybody say America's in cultural decline." Jonathan Capehart adds "talk about degrading the culture. This is degrading the White House, degrading the people's house. And it's just unconscionable that this has happened." From News Wax, Putin Calls Trump on 80th Birthday, Talks Ukraine, Iran and U.S.-Russia Ties. Sarah at Insty, HILARY CLINTON OPENS HER WHORE MOUTH: Remember, during today’s literal cage match on the White House grounds: No matter what, it’s not his house. It’s our house. "Reminder this is the woman who bragged of “funky, down to earth decorations” which were made by blue-ribbon art schools across the country… which included a lot of dicks and similar ‘humor’ (which we are now to take as debunked, because it was just reported by eye-witnesses since the time in the early days of the internet): FLASHBACK: FLOTUS Hillary’s X-Rated Deviant White House Christmas Tree Ornaments."

Of course the big birthday gift was the signing of the MOU with Iran, potentially ending the conflict with Iran. Scott McLallen at TownHall, BREAKING: Trump Announces US-Iran Peace Deal Complete. Matt Margolis at PJM, Trump Announces Peace Deal with Iran Is Complete. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Iran, Trump Announce Deal … For Now. Sundance at CTH, President Trump Announces Iran Deal is Complete – Strait of Hormuz Open for Transit and REPORTS: President Trump Frustrated with Additional Israeli Attacks into Lebanon. At Althouse, "The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!" ""I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow! President DONALD J. TRUMP" Writes Trump, at Truth Social." wretchardthecat @wretchardthecat, "The SOH blockade ends with the USN taking or diverting 152 Iranian ships -- for now. By comparison Europe has physically stopped, boarded, detained, or redirected around 10–15 well-documented Russian Dark Fleet ships as of mid-2026—despite sanctioning hundreds..." Sarah Hoyt at Insty, I’M NOT HAPPY WITH THE IRAN PEACE BEFORE MAKING THE IRG PASTE, AND THIS IS A REASON WHY: Iran’s Remaining Forces: On French Radio, Hamas and Hezbollah Are Characterized as “Delocalized Iranian Armies”.

More from sundance, Sunday Talks – Secretary Pete Hegseth -vs- Dramatic Acting Margaret Brennan and Facing Domestic Military Embarrassment, British PM Starmer Orders Capture of Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker. Scott McLallen again, 'You Will Not Escape': DOJ Warns Ghost Fleet Operators After Tanker Captain's Guilty Plea . From the Brussels Signal, Dreams of an EU army just crashed. "For years, European Union federalists have hoped that one particular project would take flight: A Franco-German jet fighter. The ambitious project, planned between two major companies – Airbus, on Germany’s (and Spain’s) side, and Dassault Aviation on France’s – would have been a proof-in-concept approach to a European Union army. Those dreams crashed to the ground this week when it was revealed that Airbus and Dassault Aviation could not come to an agreement on who would lead the project and who would follow. In 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron declared the plan “a revolution”; last week, he met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and confirmed that the project was not moving forward."

Hat Hair's Stephen Moore insists Trump's Critics are Dead Wrong (Again) on the Economy. They generally are, having about the same success rate a fortune tellers. The Victory Girls are pissed that John Cornyn Decides To Pick Fights And Play Sore Loser.

Amy Curtis at TownHall hears Scott Jennings Hammers CNN Panel Over Elon Musk Trillionaire Status. "Call me when you're made about Soros." Andrew Wilkow @WilkowMajority, "The people who created 40 Trillion in debt are angry that Elon Musk created 1 Trillion in wealth." YouTube, Former SpaceX welder becomes millionaire with IPO launch: “I was always taught just to work hard.”

Insty, I’M EXPECTING AN L.A.-SHATTERING KABOOM: And maybe not just L.A. Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "Saving LA - Phase III." Ian Miles Cheong @ianmiles, "Holy hell, man. Turn this into a national movement." From NYPo, Spencer Pratt says fire at his Pacific Palisades crystals office ‘not an accident’ as investigation launched. “I will wait for the investigators to make public the details, but this was no accident, and the timing of this…on the heels of all of the contentious election tomfoolery of the last two weeks, it is very suspect, indeed.”

At RCP, The Platner Problem: When Principles Meet Power. From Twitchy, 'Cute Speech. CONGRATS': Mark Cuban Shuts Ro Khanna DOWN in SURPRISING Back and Forth About Capitalism. Dave Manney at PJM hears Jeffries Just Told America What Democrats Will Do if They Win the House, impeach Trump, of course. Larry Elder at TownHall notes Trump Goes to the NBA Finals -- Look Who Attacked Him. "U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said: "It's not clear to me that Donald Trump is a big Knicks fan. I mean, does this guy even know the difference between Karl Rove and Karl Anthony Towns? I don't think so. He's just injecting himself." But NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Trump a lifelong fan, saying Trump "was a fixture at Madison Square Garden. He was here all the time. He's a genuine Knicks fan." Matt Margolis at PJM sees A New Study Just Confirmed the Left's Worst-Kept Secret, they're nuts. Paul Vallas at John Kass finds Mayor Johnson Is Making Chicago’s Affordable Housing Crisis Worse, of course. Socialist remedies generally do. RCP notices The Real Victims of Gerrymandering are Independent Voters.

GregGutfeld @greggutfeld, "i came to the conclusion that this story is so awful that we have no way to punish it. to commit to an appropriate measure of justice is beyond our willingness to do it." Quote Jeffrey A Tucker @jeffreytucker, "The revelations six years later are pouring out so quickly that it is impossible to keep up much less mentally process all this: * The Director of National Intelligence has documented 120 US-funded/owned biolabs in 30 countries many of which are manufacturing and manipulating infectious diseases..." Sundance finds it Interesting – SSCI Vice Chairman Says He Conducts Secret Back Channel Discussions with Intelligence Operatives and Foreign Government Intel Officials About Keeping Intelligence From DNI. So, basically a traitor. 

From I&I, ICYMI: The Dems’ Anti-ICE Campaign Was An Epic Fail. From a legislative perspective. But they sure managed to generate a lot of civil disorder, and caused a few deaths.

Stacy McCain identifies The Worst Journalist, Ever, Juan Thompson. Insty adds a Correction: The worst journalist ever so far. Mediaite, Trump DOJ Approves Paramount’s Acquisition of Warner Bros, raising the possibility of Bari Weiss taking control over CNN too.

Josh Hammer at Hat Hair notices Belfast Is Burning, and the Media Won't Say Why. Trent Telenko @TrentTelenko, "Fearless prediction: N. Ireland will be 90%(+) migrant free in 3 months. It is now clear to me that what we are seeing in N. Ireland is a sectarian pogrom. One which will in 3 months be utterly successful in driving out 90%(+)... N.I. "Troubles Pogrom" 1/" David Shaw @David90shaw, "THE MASK HAS COMPLETELY SLIPPED. Keir Starmer is banning social media for teenagers, but guess which app is magically exempt? Bluesky. They are blocking every platform that allows independent free speech, while leaving the ultimate left wing echo chamber wide open. This was never about child safety. It is a highly coordinated plot to trap your kids in a digital bubble and brainwash them with pure establishment propaganda. They want total control over what the next generation is allowed to think. RT if you refuse to let the Labour elite indoctrinate our children!" Bournebrook Mag discourses on The Tragedy of John Cleese ""He was a Progressive, Liberal degenerate in 1960s uber-white uber-polite Britain. He could take the p*** out of the people he saw as uptight and repressed while enjoying the clean, safe streets and quiet little hamlets full of those same uptight, repressed, polite-to-a-fault, helpful, white Christian Englishmen." Sarah at Insty, THEY’VE BEEN LIED TO. I TOLD YOU SO: Europeans in the US for the World Cup Are Celebrating American Culture—Specifically, Red America’s Culture. I couldn’t help but notice that all these Europeans driving around being charmed by the U.S. are celebrating the very things that Leftists have the most contempt for. But if liberals have their way, they'll enshitiffiy America like they did Europe.

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Checking Out The Free Agents up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump Still in China

As far as I know. Don Surber say Trump conquers Red China, "He has the oil, the military and the corporate wizards on his side." Don maybe be exaggerating for effect, but it's true, Trump is holding lots of cards. Sasha Gong at Am Great, aks Who Really Needs Whom? Trump, Xi Jinping, and the Illusion of Chinese Strength. "China projects strength abroad, but internal purge politics, economic strain, and structural dependence suggest a far more fragile system than it appears." At PJM, VodkaPundit says Wait, China Is Gonna Buy Oil From WHERE? Alaska. News Wax hears Trump, Bessent Say China May Help Reopen Strait of Hormuz. My breath remains unbated. Jerry Dunleavy IV @JerryDunleavy, "Differences between U.S. & Chinese readouts on Trump-Xi meeting. U.S. mentions fentanyl, no to toll on Strait of Hormuz, buying U.S. oil, & opposition to Iranian nuke. China does not. China warns U.S. about Taiwan & says it is most important issue. U.S. doesn’t mention it at all." At Althouse, "Speaking just ahead of Trump, Xi... said a major question for the two countries was whether they could avoid the 'Thucydides Trap'....", "I'm reading "Xi asks Trump if U.S. and China can avoid 'Thucydides Trap' at high-stakes summit" (CNBC). (That's the original headline. The headline was rewritten, perhaps to avoid mystification, as "Xi warns Trump: Mishandling Taiwan will put U.S.-China relationship in 'great jeopardy.'")"... "Based on an observation by Thucydides in his "History of the Peloponnesian War" that "it was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable," [political scientist Graham] Allison used the term to describe a tendency towards war when a rising power (such as Athens) challenges the status of a ruling power (such as Sparta). Allison... argued that "China and the US are currently on a collision course for war."..."

Matt Vespa at TownHall reports the Senate Parliamentarian Just Delivered Some Brutal News About the Reconciliation Package. Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "JUST IN: The unelected SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN has STRUCK DOWN major provisions of the GOP's ICE-CBP reconciliation funding bill This is RIDICULOUS! The parliamentarian has been a HUGE roadblock, even playing games with the Big Beautiful Bill last year Thune should've removed her a LONG time ago. Now, Republicans have to go back and fix: - CBP sections - Border security, tech and screening funds - Some $2.5B relating to Homeland Security Appropriations And then wait for her "green light" so it can pass with 50+1 votes." "The parliamentarian of the United States Senate is the official advisor to the United States Senate on the interpretation of Standing Rules of the United States Senate and parliamentary procedure. Incumbent parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has held the office since 2012, appointed by then-Senate majority leader Harry Reid." Term length - "Serves at the pleasure of the majority leader" Time for her to go. Also at TownHall, Kurt Schlichter says Good Riddance to the Awful Thomas Massie in his own inimitable way.

Da Wire is pleased to see Republicans Move To Wipe Out Democrat Seats In Louisiana, South Carolina. "Republican-led Southern states have raced to redraw their congressional maps after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision two weeks ago." But, maybe not as many as they could, still pretending to be the better party. Brianna Lyman at Da Fed hears Democrats Tell Pollsters They’d Happily Ditch Black Districts To Get More Power. At PJM, Rick Moran thinks This One Thing Is the Democrats' Achilles Heel and the Republicans' Super Power.

Andrew Kolvet @AndrewKolvet, "UNBELIEVABLE. Vice President Vance just did a double take after hearing this wild stat dropped by Dr. Oz: "You're saying that we kicked off 800 fraudulent healthcare providers off of the Medicare system and not a single one of them called the government and said, 'hey, you made a mistake?'" "It's just completely insane."" Financial Express, Empty offices, Indian HR calling the shots: ICE uncovers rampant OPT abuse by foreign students. At the Victory Girls, Minnesota: Different Day, More Fraud, A Minnesota “grocery store owner” was charged yesterday with $1 million dollars in EBT food stamp fraud. "Abdid Wahid Mohamed, the owner of Minnesota Food Grocery LLC, allegedly used EBT cards registered to others to purchase items at Sam’s Club and Costco in 2021 before turning around and reselling them in his store, Fox 9 Minneapolis reported.""

PJM's Stephen Kruiser sings I'm California Dreaming About Karen Bass Losing Her Job. Jen O'Connell at RedState, LA Mayoral Candidate Proposes Backyard BBQ Ban to Fight Wildfires, Gets Raked Over the Coals. Bonchie @bonchieredstate, "Spencer Pratt: “We need to clean up homeless camps, get rid of the drug addicted everywhere, prepare for fires better, and lower taxes.” Nithya Raman: “We need to ban the normals from cooking hamburgers.” The right vs. left paradigm perfectly illustrated." Quote California Post @californiapost, "LA mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman proposes backyard BBQ ban https://trib.al/qaHiUo7." VodkaPundit at Insty finds THE CHICAGO WAY: Spencer Pratt Can Win Because Angry People Vote. Just Ask Former Chicago Mayor Michael Bilandic. But so do the homeless, either by ballot harvesting or direct payments. Also, THIS IS MY STATE ON DEMOCRATS: Colorado Unfiltered @COUnfiltered, "So let me get this straight… Citizens get pissed that Colorado roads are held together with crack sealant, expired hopes, and orange cones from 2007, so they launch a ballot initiative to constitutionally force transportation money toward… you know… transportation. And the State Senate’s response is HB26-1430. A bill specifically designed to basically go: “Ok sure, you can vote for road funding… but we’re gonna offset it, redirect it, cut fees somewhere else, reshuffle transfers, and accountant-ninja kick the actual impact into another dimension.” That is objectively insane behavior..."At Twitchy, Schadenfreude-a-PALOOZA! Abigail Spanberger VETOS Collective Bargaining and HOOBOY, Their RAGE Fuels Them.

Melinda Hennenberger at RCP calls it How ‘Trumpian’ of the Left To Go After Susan Collins’ Tremor. I just thought she drank a lot of coffee... 

John Solomon at JTN reports the House Judiciary Chairman urges DOJ to permanently dismiss all Trump cases after bombshell report ""It's probably time that this all just ended," Jim Jordan told Jsu the News." Some in FBI still hanging onto the remains of Jack Smith's case for whenever a Democrat can get into office. 

Brian Cates - Political Columnist & Pundit @drawandstrike, "Trump's already irretrievably crippled their 'human wave' migration machine by defunding it. All those "Catholic charities" aren't getting the US Treasury/USAID money any longer. Trump's been shutting off their REVENUE STREAMS to the human wave machinery for over 15 months at this point. And all this criminal networking is intertwined. Human trafficking, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, arms trafficking, gambling, contraband, moving stuff around public sanctions, when you cut off one network, you affect all the others also. The **last and easiest step** is the domestic stuff. Trump is actually a massive humanitarian. He knows who set up most of those 'rogue narcoterror regimes' to our South. WE DID. WE DID THAT. Well, to be fair, the people FORMERLY IN CONTROL OF OUR US FEDERAL GOVERNMENT and most especially, our CIA did that..."

Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Lost in the reaction to @NickKristof doing journeyman's work pushing Hamas propaganda is the tremendous service he's done by promoting the most apt possible metaphor for modern American journalism: Dog Rape. Credit where credit is due." Quote John Podhoretz @jpodhoretz "New Wirecutter feature: We tested the rape skills of these 15 breeds of dog. Here are our rankings. x.com/dansenor/statu…"

Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "Here's Joe Biden calling a reporter he didn’t like “a stupid son of a bitch." Normalized like that?" Quote Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan, "When did we normalize this? When did it become okay for a president to tell a female reporter she’s a ‘dumb person’ for asking a totally legitimate question about his contradictory answers? Was there a specific date and time it become okay? Normal? Normalized? x.com/atrupar/status…"

From Campus Reform, UCLA med school illegally discriminated based on race, DOJ concludes. I prefer my doctors chosen for ability, but maybe that's just me. Aaron Sibarium @aaronsibarium, "NEW: In a mandatory anti-racism class, Penn State told 1L law students they must "acknowledge the reality of systemic racism" and "dismantle systems that racialize, subordinate, and oppress." One student withdrew from the law school over the class. We obtained shocking audio." Teach them how to lie early; it's an important lawyerly skill.

At NYPo, Former BLM activist goes scorched earth on ‘scam’ group, insists systemic racism in US isn’t real.

Leslie Eastman at LI notices CDC Official Dusts Off Familiar ‘Six Feet’ Playbook Regarding Hantavirus. "So far, 11 passengers have tested positive for Andes strain, with 3 in critical condition. An expert asserts that assurances of low risk to general public is “calm-mongering”." Eventually, like a broken clock, they'll get one right.

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Marking Time up and at'em at The Other McCain.

Can Oysters Save the Crabs?

Probably not, but they might help a little on the margin. A study via the Bay Journal, Oysters reduce spread of disease among blue crabs, study shows.

With no wind to speak of, the water was calm along a pier on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. And with no clouds to speak of, the sun beat down on Xuqing Chen as she filled a mesh cage with oysters on a hot summer day in 2021. It was one of many days in the field for Chen, then a graduate student at the Virginia Institute for Marine Sciences (VIMS), as she took part in a study that concluded oysters likely do more than improve water quality. They can also save the lives of blue crabs — by feeding on a waterborne parasite that is often deadly to crabs in the saltier parts of the Chesapeake Bay and coastal Eastern Shore. “Our study shows that [oysters] actually have a hidden ecosystem service that hasn’t really been well studied,” said Jeff Shields, a VIMS professor and principal investigator for the study.

The researchers examined how oysters could filter out the parasite, Hematodinium perezi, which kills countless blue crabs every spring through fall. According to other VIMS research, the loss to the Virginia fishery may exceed $500,000 per year.

The H. perezi is most lethal to blue crabs during the summer and is found mostly in salty coastal bays, but the parasite is also present at the mouth of the Chesapeake. Crabs infect each other as they congregate in their underwater grass habitats.

 

The study, published in January in Ecology, a journal of the Ecological Society of America, was designed to test the hypothesis that oysters are reducing the parasites by feeding on them.

Researchers put parasite-free juvenile crabs in the middle compartment of a rectangular mesh cage, sandwiched between live oysters in the outer compartments. The bag was then lowered into the water in a modified crab pot for a prescribed period. Another bag, with no oysters in it, was simultaneously deployed. A third bag was deployed with the crabs sandwiched between oyster shells only — to rule out the possibility that shells alone might benefit the crabs.

The team placed the bags in Cobb Bay, South Bay and in Oyster, VA, for one to two weeks at a time. After nine trials between 2017 and 2023, the researchers tested almost 2,500 crabs.

The research team also replicated the experiment in a lab where they could control more variables and determine if the oysters were eating the parasites as they left the infected crabs.

The 10 trials in the lab showed that the oysters removed 60% of the parasites from the water per hour on average. In the field, where there are more variables, the crabs sandwiched between oysters were almost one-third less likely to become infected.

So, oysters can filter out and eat the Hematodinium parasite that causes disease in Blue Crabs. That is entirely reasonable since Hematodinium is actually an algae, and that's most of what oysters eat in the normal course of business. It is then, not surprising that in lab conditions, and field conditions manipulated to maximize the amount of oyster filtering around captive crabs, that oysters may decrease the infection rate. Unlike, many experiments where artificial conditions may not be fairly replicated in the field, this one may be in part because crabs tend to prefer oyster beds, because there are lots of things there for crabs to eat, including oysters, which they will crack open and eat. And unlike people, crabs don't respect the 3 inch size limit, preferring the smaller spat as easier to open.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Out Like A Lamb ready on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Tattoo Tuesday

Australian Broadcasting Co, Dozens of Australians diagnosed with rare tattoo-related vision loss

While tattoo-associated uveitis was thought to be extremely rare, research published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology has documented 40 new cases of the condition in Australia — doubling the number of published cases detected around the world since 2010. The research, undertaken by a team of Australians, suggests this complication, while still rare given the number of people who get tattoos, may be more common than we thought. Experts are calling for more research to understand and try to limit the vision-threatening disease.
. . .
But in recent years, Dr Richards has seen a rise in cases of uveitis caused by injected tattoo ink — sometimes long after the tattoo was done.  Doctors can tell the uveitis is caused by a tattoo because it can look slightly raised and inflamed. "I only became aware of it about four or five years ago, and then once I was aware of it, I had all these patients all of a sudden," she said.

Now, that is scary. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Mustang Gal up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

With Marona Tanner:

Houston Chronic, Galveston issues palm tree quarantine due to risk of an incurable bacterial disease

Galveston has quarantined palm trees on parts of the island due to an incurable bacterial threat to the area's plant life.

Lethal bronzing, or Texas Phoenix Palm Disease, is a serious disease that affects more than 20 palm species, causing them to die within months, according to the Department of Agriculture. Caused by the bacterium phytoplasma, it is transmitted between palms by a small insect called a planthopper.

The quarantine prevents the movement of palms from designated areas.

Well, we know they won't walk away on their own. 

Linked at the Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Hello, Nurse! up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

Fox 13 Tampa Bay, UF plant pathologists study nearly 30 species of palm trees to analyze their risk for trunk rot

Plant pathologists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) studied nearly 30 palm species to analyze their risk for Thielaviopsis trunk rot. Thielaviopsis trunk rot is caused by a lethal fungus that can infect almost every part of a palm. As a result, this disease can cause palms to suddenly buckle and fall over.

"Usually, it is a really hidden disease," Dr. Braham Dhillon, plant pathologist at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, told FOX 13. "There are no outward symptoms, and you only see — or only know — once the palm trunk has collapsed. So, it is hard to detect in the landscape."

They found Buccaneer, Foxtail, and some varieties of Coconut palms were susceptible to Thielaviopsis trunk rot. Meanwhile, these palms were resistant: Everglades, Cabbage/Sabal, Florida Thatch, Saw Palmetto, Bismarck, Roebelenii/Pygmy Date

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links.  The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Roll Tide up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Tattoo Tuesday

KTLA 5, The ‘tattoo flu’: What it is, and why some people get it

The “tattoo flu,” according to people who say they’ve experienced the phenomenon, is a malaise that sometimes afflicts tattoo recipients who get larger tattoos, or who sit for an especially lengthy tattoo sessions. It’s not an actual virus, nor any type of infection caused by the tattoo process, but rather the body’s immunological reaction to undergoing a traumatic event, according to experts.

“This absolutely happens,” Mary Lupo, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and an adjunct faculty member at Tulane University, told Nexstar. “It’s an immune response, and I think it’s very dependent on the individual and their sensitivity. … Obviously, the bigger the tattoo, the greater the assault, and you’re probably more likely to get it on subsequent tattoos, because you’ve been sensitized by the first one.”

But Timothy Lebron, of Bodiesneedrest and the HERE tattoo parlour in Brooklyn, says he’s seen lots of first-timers come down with tattoo flu as well. “Plenty of people get hit with that foggy, feverish feeling after a tattoo,” he said. “Your immune system kicks in, inflammation rises, your stress hormones spike and then crash. … It’s like the day after a bad hangover.”

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: It’s Always Warm & Sunny Somewhere up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

 With Morgan Hollie:

Ganoderma "butt rot" on palm

Reuters, Palm oil yields at risk as Ganoderma appears in earlier planting cycles

A fungal disease once confined to older palm trees in coastal areas is spreading across Malaysian palm plantations and appearing much earlier in growth cycles, threatening yields in newly replanted areas, agricultural industry experts say.

The rise of the fungus in second-largest palm oil exporter Malaysia, as well as in top producer Indonesia, is another headache for an industry struggling with stagnating output of the world's most popular vegetable oil as plantations age.

Ganoderma, the fungus, is emerging in second-generation plantings, whereas previously it was only evident after three planting cycles, said Julian McGill, managing director of oil crop advisory firm Glenauk Economics.

The disease occurs more frequently when successive palm generations are replanted on the same land. “The enforcement of zero-burning policies in the field has also increased its spread, and examples of Ganoderma in newer plantings, inland soils and younger trees appear to be becoming more frequent,” McGill said.

Ganoderma spreads slowly but detection is difficult. “By the time you see the symptoms in the field the disease is already well established, and the infection may have spread,” McGill said.

I found it interesting that this is shelf fungus, like many we see in our woods here.

It's a wonder anything ever gets grown, with all the diseases out there.

Linked at The Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has posted Rule 5 Sunday: Karin Hart at the usual time and place.

Palm Sunday

Fox 4, Palm bronzing disease threatens Florida's iconic trees

Florida's iconic palm trees are under attack from a deadly disease that has already spread to more than half the state's counties, threatening millions of dollars worth of trees along major highways and in residential areas. Palm bronzing disease has been recorded in 36 of Florida's 67 counties, according to Brian Galligan, vice president of horticulture at the Naples Botanical Garden.
. . .
The disease affects at least 20 species of palms, but experts warn the threat could grow significantly as it spreads south into areas with greater palm biodiversity. "It affects at least 20 something species of palms, but as it comes further south, its host range is going to go up tremendously. Because we have much more biodiversity of palms in this area," Galligan said.

Unlike other palm diseases, bronzing is transmitted by a small insect called a leafhopper that feeds on the tree's sap. "It can then transport, transmit that disease to another palm," Galligan said. The disease progresses rapidly once a tree becomes infected. Symptoms include lower leaves turning brown and drooping fronds that give the palm an unhealthy appearance. "It only takes a couple of months until you see total decline and the entire bud, or canopy head of the palm will fall off. So, it could be quite dangerous," Galligan said.

Currently, only one treatment exists for palm bronzing disease, and it requires significant ongoing investment. The treatment involves drilling into the palm and injecting an antibiotic-like substance into the trunk. "That will stop it from getting infected, but you are talking every four months, for years on end. That's a lot of work," Galligan said.

Linked at The Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule Five Sunday: The End of Summer up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.