Flotsam and Jetsam - China Offers to Take "Nuclear Dust"

Not a lot of new survived the Memorial Day weekend, thankfully. Hat Hair's Capt. Ed reports from China: We'd Be Happy to Facilitate Transfer of Iran's Uranium, Thanks For Asking. It could work, they have enough of their own, but can we trust them? Sundance reports  on President Trump Updates on Current Status of Negotiations With Iran and Desire to Bring all Nations into the Abraham Accords. Good luck with that. At Althouse, "It will be a Document respected like no other that has ever been signed, anywhere in the World. Its level of Importance and Prestige will be unparalleled!" "Writes Trump, just now on Truth Social. He's "mandatorily requesting."" AG @AGHamilton29, "I hope people understand what’s happening because it’s been the same story over and over again. The Islamic Republic and their allies leak their preferred details as if they are agreed to western sources. Then when U.S. refuses to agree to those absurd terms and insists we stick to the deal that had already been under discussion, they claim the U.S. is backing out of the deal. Then they blame America or Israeli influence for the lack of a deal instead of The Islamic Republic making unreasonable demands for a settlement after they lost the military fight and are facing an economic crisis. We saw the same thing with Gaza repeatedly." Quote Iran International English @IranIntl_En, "US President Donald Trump is backing away from the deal with Iran, likely under extreme internal pressure, an Al Jazeera reporter said on X citing two sources." Breitbart reports U.S. Launches Fresh Strikes on Iran Hitting Missile Sites, Minelaying Vessels, just a reminder.

Sundance has a reminder President Trump Reminds Texas to Vote for Ken Paxton in Tomorrow Senate Republican Primary. He's not shy about expressing his druthers.  At Victory Girls, John Cornyn V. Ken Paxton – Today Is The Runoff. The Drunk Republican @DrunkRepub, "For the record I liked Massie for years. Tucker and others too. But my common sense forces me to be wary of those attempting to sabotage the mandate Trump was given in ‘24. Jumping ship at the very moment real change was possible stinks. Sorry, it just does."

At Althouse, "On Saturday night, May 23rd, a shooter once again sought to murder the President, his family, and his staff at the historic White House complex." ""We submit this urgent filing to update the Court on a second attempted assassination on the President within a single month. Last night, shortly after 6:00 p.m., an armed assassin approached a White House security checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, professionally pulled a high caliber gun from a bag, and opened fire in the exact direction of the White House. Brave Secret Service officers returned fire. The gunman was killed...."  From the Notice of Supplemental Authority in Support of the Government’s Motion for an Indicative Ruling Dissolving the Court’s Injunction, filed yesterday in National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Park Service, the case about the White House ballroom, posted by Trump at Truth Social this morning."

Beege Welborn at Hat Hair is outraged DNC's Memorial Day Honored Only American Military Members Trump Got Killed, deleted after being called on it. Also honored, George Floyd. Twitchy, F**k Right OFF': Joey Jones Tears Jacob Frey a NEW ONE for Using Memorial Day to Celebrate George Floyd, well, he was a Democrat casualty. 

Nick Ballasy at JTN reports Alberta will vote in the fall on whether to start legal process for separating from Canada. "The proposed question would ask: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”" Ward Clark at RedState, Oil-Rich Alberta Now Preparing Vote on Leaving Canada.

Stacy McCain says of the Congo: ‘The Horror! The Horror!’ "Joseph Conrad famously used the Belgian Congo as the scene for Heart of Darkness, with the madman Kurtz dying of fever, his final words being: “The horror! The horror!” The situation has not much improved lately, as the State Department warns: “Do not travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) due to crime, civil unrest, and health. Some areas have increased risk due to armed conflict.” And then there’s the deadly ebola outbreak:"

Ian Miller @ianmSC, "They are absolutely furious that Spencer Pratt is demonstrating to millions of people the complete failure of progressive politics" Quote Stephen Rodrick @stephenrodrick, "I wrote this one...@RollingStone "Spencer Pratt is a quintessential American. His entire life has been fueled by an unfathomable level of self-confidence, despite a data set that suggests he may not be good at anything." But it's hard to argue he could be worse that Bass. Bob Hoge at RedState is Sleepless in Seattle: Residents Forced to Take Crimefighting Into Their Own Hands As Police Do Nothing. Cam at BA, New Orleans Carjackings Involved Teens on Electronic Monitoring. Blue cities. 

M.A. Rothman @MichaelARothman, "𝐎’𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐎𝐍 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐀 𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐒 — 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐃𝐒 𝟗𝟎 𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐒 Kevin O'Leary isn't taking the organized blitz against American energy and data-center projects lying down. After what he calls coordinated false attacks on his Utah data-center project, O'Leary says he brought in a data-science team to trace where the opposition content was coming from. His claim: it leads back to organized networks, activist groups, and funding trails — documented, he says, in IRS 990 filings and global IP data. He says he handed 𝟗𝟎 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 to federal law enforcement and raised it with the White House. “𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥”, he wrote. His specific allegations are his own and still have to be proven out. But the backdrop isn't in dispute: there's a real, well-organized national campaign against data centers and energy buildout — by one tally, more than $𝟔𝟎 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 in projects stalled by coordinated opposition across dozens of states. The question he's forcing into the open is the right one: who's funding the outrage, and why? 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧 — 𝐎’𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐝𝐬’ 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧." George Soros and China.

TownHall's Matt Vespa thinks he knows What Tulsi Gabbard Will Disclose Before She Leaves Her Post. I hope so. Sarah Anderson at PJM, sees Tulsi Gabbard and Others Go Above and Beyond for a Gold Star Widow SharrellAnne@SharrellAnne2, "This is probably a long shot, but if anybody happens to be in DC this weekend and plans on visiting Arlington, I would love to see a fresh photo of my husband’s grave in Section 60. SSG Alan W. Shaw Section 60, Grave 8451 B Co 1/12 Cav, 1st Cavalry Division November 10, 1975 ..." Tulsi Gabbard @TulsiGabbard, "It was an honor to visit your husband’s grave today on your behalf, and to pay my respects. It was wonderful to see the beautiful flowers representing many others who did the same. Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and to the loved ones they left behind. Thank you for your service and sacrifice."

At Althouse, "The Trump administration’s $1.776 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund could be a boon for GOP senators targeted by a Biden-era investigation..." "... but some say they still do not want the taxpayer payout. Settlements for those the Justice Department deems were victims of 'lawfare and weaponization' under past administrations is the latest attempt to provide financial compensation to Republican senators whose phone records were tapped in the 'Arctic Frost' investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election...." The Washington Examiner reports."

Ryan King at NYPo reports Hasan Piker looks shaken on stream as feds probe Cuba trip — and Jasmine Crockett won’t stop gloating. "The subpoenas for communications and other relevant documents came in response to an online rumor that Piker and his comrades stayed at a US-sanctioned hotel in Havana. Participants in the trip have denied that rumor."

Sister Toldja at RedState notes a Reporter's Attempt to Get Medal of Honor Recipients to Bash America Doesn't Go According to Plan. Matt Vespa hears CBS News Host Tried Goading Two Medal of Honor Recipients Into Bashing America. Here's What Happened. Hat Hair cites NBC,  MOH: A Conversation With Lt. Colonel William Swenson.

Da College Fix, Cornell academics, activists remain irked by car incident involving university president. I'm irked they weren't expelled. 

M.A. Rothman @MichaelARothman, "𝐈𝐍 𝐀 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍, 𝐀 𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐁𝐈’𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐈𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐁𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐉𝐄𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇 Rabbi Nechemia Schusterman of Peabody, Massachusetts, wrote something this week that every American should sit with. Over the past few weeks, his family has been targeted again and again by strangers in passing cars. His brother-in-law, walking to synagogue, had “Heil Hitler” screamed at him...." Robby Starbuck @robbystarbuck, "That boy who didn’t kneel is more valuable than 10,000 who do kneel. Boys like him became men who made the modern world. Never kneel." Quote David J Harris Jr @DavidJHarrisJr, "BREAKING: A teacher brought her students on a school field trip to a mosque, where an imam taught the children about Islam, demonstrated how to wear burqas on the girls, and instructed the group to kneel for prayer. Only one young boy refused to kneel."

WomenAreReal @WomenAreReals, "Summary: For over two years, a man lingered naked in the women’s locker room at the Stonestown YMCA for hours at a time, up to six days a week, in front of women and young children. When women asked him to cover up, he became belligerent. Women tried everything: multiple meetings with management, a petition signed by more than 100 gym members, protests, and police reports. ... The YMCA responded by policing women." Quote Daily Mail @DailyMail, "YMCA in liberal city finally cracks down with new rules after trans woman exposed pre-op privates in female locker room https://trib.al/XIVNFti."

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Technical Difficulties up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Effective Ebola Vaccine Developed

Tests show new Ebola vaccine is 'highly effective'

Results of early tests of a new vaccine for Ebola shows it to be "highly effective," quickly protecting 100% of people against the virus, the World Health Organization said Friday. . . The vaccine took effect within 10 days of vaccination, according to the study, published in The Lancet. that could make the vaccine very useful in an outbreak, Osterholm said.

"This is an extremely promising development," said Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO. "The credit goes to the Guinean government, the people living in the communities and our partners in this project. An effective vaccine will be another very important tool for both current and future Ebola outbreaks."

Since late 2013, when the latest epidemic began in West Africa, there have been 27,600 Ebola cases, including more than 11,000 deaths. Liberia has suffered the worst, with more than 4,800 deaths, although the epidemic there has been better contained than in Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Which is not an exceptionally big toll by the standards of infectious diseases, but given its deadliness, and the nature of its transmission, it's still a pretty scary disease.

While doctors cheered the decline of the epidemic, they also worried that the falling number of cases would make it impossible to tell if vaccines were actually working, Osterholm said. He praised everyone involved in the current study for persevering under difficult circumstances.

Which is not the worst problem to have. What concerns me is that Canada beat us to it. . .

The vaccine, known as VSV-EBOV, was developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

What does Canada have that we don't?

Now That's Mystery Meat!

Nigerian restaurant shut down for ‘serving human flesh’

A Nigerian restaurant has reportedly been shut down after being accused of serving human flesh following the discovery of bags containing human heads in the kitchen.

A report on the BBC’s Swahili service said police were alerted by local people who suspected something horrific was going on at the restaurant in the south-eastern province of Anambra.

The police raided the establishment and allegedly found the heads, dripping blood into plastic bags, and weapons including grenades. Ten people were arrested.

One resident said: “I’m not surprised at the shocking revelation... Every time I went to the market, I observed strange activities going on in the hotel.

“People who were never cleanly dressed and who looked a bit strange made their way in and out of the hotel, making me very suspicious.”

Speaking of unusual dining, one of the few bright spots on TV, at least for us, has been iZombie. The silly CW series, starring the delightful Rose McIver as zombie Liv Moore, is based on the notion that zombies, victims of an infection from the bite or scratch of another zombie, can retain their normal personalities and intelligence provided they have a continual diet of human brains.

A side effect of consuming the brains is that the zombies have flashes of visions of the their dinners lives, particularly their deaths. Liv, who solves the diet problem by working as a medical examiner, becomes a crime fighting zombie with a substantially impaired social life. The first season only has a couple of episodes left, but I'm sure you can catch it "on demand."

Perhaps the Nigerian restaurants are the result of a "brain collection" business, and the bodies being pedaled to unsuspecting "normal" people are just the byproduct. You can see why Ebola might be a problem in West Africa. . .

Wombat-socho  managed to get "Rule 5 Sunday: The Road To Sin City" done after all.

Anyway, more Rose McIver:

Ebola: US a Day Late, a Dollar Wasted

Empty Ebola Clinics in Liberia Are Seen as Misstep in U.S. Relief Effort

. . .after spending hundreds of millions of dollars and deploying nearly 3,000 troops to build Ebola treatment centers, the United States ended up creating facilities that have largely sat empty: Only 28 Ebola patients have been treated at the 11 treatment units built by the United States military, American officials now say.

Nine centers have never had a single Ebola patient.

“My task was to convince the international organizations, ‘You don’t need any more E.T.U.s,’ ” said Dr. Hans Rosling, a Swedish public health expert who advised Liberia’s health ministry, referring to Ebola treatment units.

“I warned them, ‘The only thing you’ll show is an empty E.T.U.,’ ” he added. “ ‘Don’t do it.’

Had the Americans and other donors been more flexible, critics and some officials contend, the money could have been put toward rebuilding Liberia’s shattered health care system — or backing the efforts of local communities — instead of focusing on treatment centers that would scarcely be used.

“I knew that most of the E.T.U.s that were being built may not receive a single patient,” said Dr. Francis Kateh, who helped lead the response of the Liberian government, which decided with the Americans where to build the 11 centers.

“But at the same time, you couldn’t put a stop to that process,” he added. “The train was coming full force.”

I guess something is better than nothing, but maybe not much. A little more foresight into the process of controlling a disease like Ebola could have helped. In this case I don't mind the money as much as for other boondoggles, but I do feel for the 3000 US soldiers unnecessarily sent overseas and threatened with exposure to the disease.

Hopefully we'll learn something and do better next time. But probably not.

Ebola's Deadly Second Wave: Measles

Roll over Ebola: measles is the deadly new threat

Experts say Liberia and its neighbours Guinea and Sierra Leone are ripe for an outbreak that could infect hundreds of thousands, dwarfing the carnage wrought by Ebola.

Death once again stalks impoverished communities like Peace Island, a cramped spit of land surrounded by swamp where 30,000 people sought refuge behind the abandoned Ministry of Defence after Liberia's 1989-2003 civil wars.
. . .
The west African Ebola outbreak has infected around 25,000 people. Crucially, some 852 of those cases have been healthcare workers, 492 of whom have died.

Researchers estimate that measles immunisations in the region -- typically ranging between 60 and 80 percent of children -- had fallen by 75 percent because of the Ebola crisis.

As a result, 100,000 more children could get measles, in addition to the 127,000 cases already anticipated among children who have not been vaccinated in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Researchers forecast that on top of the 7,000 measles deaths that the countries would normally anticipate, up to 16,000 additional children could die from measles thanks to Ebola-related disruptions to healthcare.

The shocking thing is that relatively intelligent (not wise, but intelligent) parents in the US are threatening to bring back third world health problems with their over blown worries about vaccination side effects.

WAPO Admits Misleading Public on Ebola

Remember how the Washington Post and a host of media outlets rushed to assure us that Ebola could not be transmitted by air, so we shouldn't be worried about Ebola patients riding public transit, etc? Well, not so fast: Limited airborne transmission of Ebola is ‘very likely,’ new analysis says

A team of prominent researchers suggested Thursday that limited airborne transmission of the Ebola virus is "very likely," a hypothesis that could reignite the debate that started last fall after one of the scientists offered the same opinion.

"It is very likely that at least some degree of Ebola virus transmission currently occurs via infectious aerosols generated from the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, or medical procedures, although this has been difficult to definitively demonstrate or rule out, since those exposed to infectious aerosols also are most likely to be in close proximity to, and in direct contact with, an infected case," the scientists wrote. Their peer-reviewed analysis was published in mBio, a journal of the American Society of Microbiology.

The paper's lead author, Michael T. Osterholm, an epidemiologist at the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, touched off a small furor and was condemned by some experts last Sept. 11 when he raised the same possibility in an op-ed piece in the New York Times as concern over the spread of the deadly disease was increasing rapidly.

We know that Ebola is not a terribly contagious disease, with an r-nought of 2, meaning each patient infects 2 new patients in an unprotected population, compared with an r-nought of over 14 for measles (get your kids vaccinated, you idiots). So under the worst of conditions, an Ebola outbreak is barely rumbling along.

Given that the majority of Ebola cases are caused by contact by bodily fluids, there simply isn't that much numerical room for airborne transmission. However, when steps are taken to control contact with bodily fluids, airborne transmission will be a more important, if not dominant mode of infection.

You might also remember that Politifact named George Will's assertion that airborne transmission just might be possible as the "Lie of the Year" for 2014. As HotAir noted: PolitiFact’s Lie of the Year of 2014 falls apart only two months later

In October, the columnist George Will directly contradicted the president and a variety of federal health officials when he insisted that the African hemorrhagic fever Ebola could spread via fluids expectorated as a result of a cough or a sneeze. The president’s honor had been called into question, an offense that Rudy Giuliani recently discovered the press simply cannot countenance. Even despite the fact that a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention poster backed up Will’s warning, PolitiFact dubbed his and other alleged exaggerations of the threat posed by Ebola as their LOTY.

The medical literature says sneezing and coughing are not part of the disease’s typical symptoms, and experts we reached drew a bright line between what might happen in a hospital isolation ward and a person with early symptoms of Ebola before he or she is admitted.
There is no evidence that Ebola has been transmitted in the general public through coughing or sneezing.
Will took a medical commentary out of context. We rate the claim False.

“PolitiFact has determined that is a sweeter objective to score political points against Republicans than to hold Obama responsible for the collapse of his principle mandate as president – to extricate America from Middle Eastern wars,”

Fact checkers have become a joke.  As I heard yesterday in another context, every movement becomes a business, and eventually a scam. The speed of progression with "fact checking" has been startlingly quick.

Ebola: US a Day Late, a Dollar Extra

U.S.-built Ebola treatment centers in Liberia are nearly empty as outbreak fades

Near the hillside shelter where dozens of men and women died of Ebola, a row of green U.S. military tents sit atop a vast expanse of imported gravel. The generators hum; chlorinated water churns in brand-new containers; surveillance cameras send a live feed to a large-screen television.

There’s only one thing missing from this state-of-the-art Ebola treatment center: Ebola patients.

The U.S. military sent about 3,000 troops to West Africa to build centers like this one in recent months. They were intended as a crucial safeguard against an epidemic that flared in unpredictable, deadly waves. But as the outbreak fades in Liberia, it has become clear that the disease had already drastically subsided before the first American centers were completed. Several of the U.S.-built units haven’t seen a single patient infected with Ebola.

It now appears that the alarming epidemiological predictions that in large part prompted the U.S. aid effort here were far too bleak. Although future flare-ups of the disease are possible, the near-empty Ebola centers tell the story of an aggressive American military and civilian response that occurred too late to help the bulk of the more than 8,300 Liberians who became infected. Last week, even as international aid organizations built yet more Ebola centers, there was an average of less than one new case reported in Liberia per day.

“If they had been built when we needed them, it wouldn’t have been too much,” said Moses Massaquoi, the Liberian government’s chairman for Ebola case management. “But they were too late.”

As much as I would like to reduce government waste, I'm OK with this response. While it would have been better for Liberia if we had been able to mobilize earlier, it is still better to be there late and maybe prevent it from going global.

As Winston Churchill is reported to have commented "You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else."

Ebola in the Islamic State?

IRAQI AND KURDISH MEDIA REPORTS: ISIS FIGHTERS HAVE CONTRACTED EBOLA

Multiple Iraqi and Kurdish media sources have claimed that some Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Mosul, Iraq, have contracted the deadly Ebola virus, Mashable reports.
The Iraqi outlets reportedly claimed that Ebola had started to spread in a Mosul hospital. The city, known as ISIS’s most important strategic stronghold in Iraq, has been under the control of the Islamic State since June.

Christy Feig, the World Health Organization (WHO) director of communications, told Mashable, “We have no official notification from the Iraqi government that it is Ebola.” She said that WHO had reached out to authorities and asked if they needed help investigating the matter.

Kurdish media network Xendan reported that ISIS jihadists’ symptoms were similar to those shown by someone who has contracted Ebola. However, it is highly uncertain whether Mosul health authorities have the means, tools, or skill-set necessary to test for Ebola, given the current hostile environment in the area.

In late December, the Islamic State reportedly executed doctors who refused to treat their militant jihadis. The Washington Post said of the ongoing situation in Mosul, “Services are collapsing, prices are soaring, and medicines are scarce in towns and cities across the ‘caliphate’ proclaimed in Iraq and Syria by ISIS.”

Instapundit asks "I doubt this is true, but I wouldn't mind if it were. Does this make me a bad person?

Yeah, I've had this in the back of my mind too. We might find out if five times a day on the prayer rug is a good substitute for competent health care,

Wombat's Monday Newsfeed

Some items from Wombat-socho's news digest "Live at Five: 12.29.14"  Beats grasses and sedges.

NATO Ends Afghanistan Mission With Quiet Flag-Lowering Ceremony - I'd be happier if I thought we were leaving because we finished the job, and not because the Preznit need another notch on pistol's handle.

Indonesian Official Says Missing Plane Likely At Bottom Of The Sea: Countries from all over Asia sending ships and aircraft to aid in search for Air Asia jet - Another likely tragedy featuring an Asian airliner. They were dodging thunderstorms. On the bright side, it will keep CNN busy for weeks.

Police Turn Their Backs On Mayor Di Blasio During Eulogy For Officer Ramos - Now they're starting to whine about civility.

Jennifer Lawrence Is The Top-Grossing Actor Of 2014 - We watched Winter's Bone, and the first two Hunger Games. It seemed to me that they were all the same character. Hoping to see American Hustle soon. Enjoy the ride, and don't get cocky, kid.

Ebola Czar: Expect More Domestic Cases - He must be a hell of a PR guy; the epidemic in West Africa is still going strong, but the CDC stopped reporting on the number of people being watched to the public. Yes, I'm sure a few cases will be imported.

Blind Judge To Join Michigan Supreme Court - In other news, you can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant.

Mel B Spends Christmas With Husband Amid Abuse Rumors - Do we we really care about old Spice Ladies, if they're not going to sing? Do we even care then?

Obama Claims America “Less Racially Divided” Since He Took Office - If he really believes this, he's delusional.

Farmers Fear Even Greater Labor Shortages Under New Obama Policy - How can you keep them working down on the farm after they get welfare and Obamacare for nothing?

Freak Storm Strands Thousands In French Alps - But no matter what the weather does, the usual suspects will blame global warming climate change stability.

Alicia Keys, It’s A Boy! - Another potential Social Security payer! Just in the nick of time!

Iranian General Killed By ISIS Sniper In Samarra - Maybe Kissinger was wrong, and both sides can lose.

Doug Powers: Anti-Police Protesters Call Police After Road Blockade Goes Bad - The irony of the day.

Don Surber: Why Not Regulate Cars Like Guns? - Read it. The arguments are compelling and more favorable than you might think.

Wombat-socho has "Rule 5 Sunday: Happy New Year!" ready.

Ebola Vaccine Passes First Human Trials

Something to be thankful for:

Ebola vaccine 'promising' say scientists after human trial

The first human trial of an experimental vaccine against Ebola suggests that it is safe and may help the immune system to combat the virus.
Twenty volunteers were immunised in the United States. Scientists at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) described the results as "promising".

The research is published in the New England Journal of Medicine(NEJM).

None of those immunised suffered major side-effects and all produced antibodies.

Dr Anthony Fauci of the NIH told the BBC: "On safety and on the ability to produce an appropriate immune response we can call this trial an unqualified success, even though it was an early Phase One trial."

This is really good news; with almost nothing to lose, they should be taking this vaccine to Africa and using it on people really in harms way as soon as possible to find out if it really confers a practical immunity.

The vaccine uses a chimpanzee cold virus which has been genetically engineered to carry a non-infectious Ebola protein on its surface.

Oh noes; a GMO vaccine, not safe for liberals!

Ebola Nurse Resents Appellation

Good.  She needs to be addressed formally as Kaci Hickox, Ebola Nurse for the rest of here career.

I never had Ebola. I never had symptoms of Ebola. I tested negative for Ebola the first night I stayed in New Jersey governor Chris Christie’s private prison in Newark. I am now past the incubation period – meaning that I will not develop symptoms of Ebola.

I never had Ebola, so please stop calling me “the Ebola Nurse” – now!

But she did land in New Jersey with a fever; practically the first sign of Ebola, having come from a country with an active breakout of Ebola, and where she had been treating Ebola patients, and could be reasonably presumed to have possibly been in contact with the virus.

The fact that she tested negative upon arriving in New Jersey means effectively nothing. At this point, Ebola tests aren't very good, and people often show early symptoms (fever...)  before they test positive.

The case of Dr. Martin Salia is illustrative.  Salia, a Sierra Leonian doctor treating Ebola, who contracted the disease there, and was flown to the us for treatement, fell ill, and initially tested negative for Ebola, and was congratulated by his friends and staff (including hugs and hand shaking, and kisses?) stayed ill, and later tested positive for Ebola.  He died in a special Ebola ward in Nebraska:

Salia tested negative for the disease on Nov. 7, days after becoming ill. He tested positive Nov. 10. Smith said "false negative" test results are possible in the first days of symptoms when the viral load is relatively low.

Daniel Johnson, director of critical care at Nebraska Medical Center, said Salia was critically ill when he arrived at the hospital, where the medical team quickly had to combat kidney and respiratory failure. Salia was placed on dialysis, required a ventilator and received plasma from a surviving Ebola patient, the physicians said.

Multiple medications included experimental ZMapp therapy, a new drug that has shown promise in fighting the disease.

No doubt his friends and relatives who had contact with him between the 7th and the 10th are also insisting on their right to run free unless they test positive, too.

At this time, scientists can give us some guidance as to who should be put under quarantine, but ultimately, the step of taking someones civil liberties away to protect the rest of us from a horrible disease must reside in our politicians. Healthcare workers must not be allowed to choose their own level of containment, because history suggests that they chronically underestimate their own chances of getting ill, and the probabilities of passing the disease into the populace.

Life In the Times of Ebola - II

Well there's no Obamacare Schadenfreude I care to report, so instead, on this blustery first day of Daylight Standard Time, let us review to status of war on Ebola instead:

We all know Kaci Hickox, the CDC nurse who is refusing to live by the state of New Jersey's and then the state of Maine's proposed 21 day quarantine, and expressed her disdain for our concerns by having a friendly judge overturn the Maine quarantine, and going biking in public?  News by way of the Daily Caller that her roommate in Africa is showing symptoms of Ebola:

Sheila Pinette of the Maine CDC has released information that the roommate of Kaci Hickox, while in West Africa has displayed signs of ebola. Pinette says “The respondents roommate in Africa became infected without knowing how she became infected with Ebola. (Any potential risk to respondent from that incident has passed).” This is one of 35 points Pinette made while filing a verified petition for public health order yesterday with the state. Kaci Hickox was issued temporary court order. The document says Hickox must submit to active monitoring, coordinate her travel with public health authorities, not use commercial or public transportation, not go to any public places or workplaces unless to receive necessary health care, and she must maintain a 3-foot distance from other people and not leave Fort Kent without consulting public health authorities.

I'm comforted, how about you? Meanwhile, the ability of Ebola to be transmitted by a sneeze or a cough (wet transmission) seems to be an issue with the CDC, who first posted a warning that it could be transmitted that way, and then quietly deleted it:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed a warning from its website that Ebola can, in rare cases, spread from person through coughing and sneezing.

It has replaced the old language with new guidance that says there's 'no evidence' Ebola is spread through either.

According to the New York Post, the CDC also took down on Thursday a poster that said that Ebola can be transferred through 'droplets' from coughing or sneezing that land on hard surfaces, like doorknobs.

As they say, "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence."

Could it be that we don't really fully understand all the ways in which Ebola is passed from person to person? Since a majority of health professionals infected by it have no idea how they became infected despite their best efforts, that's a very safe bet.  Did someone from the upper echelon of the Obama administration lean on the CDC to remove this? Probably.

More cheery news: Experts: Worst-case U.S. Ebola scenario 130 cases by end of 2014

Infectious disease experts predict anywhere from a mere one or two additional cases of Ebola to a worst-case scenario of 130, according to simulations conducted for the Associated Press.

Almost all of the predicted cases will be healthcare workers returning from West Africa.
"I don't think there's going to be a huge outbreak here, no," Dr. David Relman, a professor of infectious disease, microbiology and immunology at Stanford University's medical school, told the AP. "However, as best we can tell right now, it is quite possible that every major city will see at least a handful of cases."

A total of eight patients have currently been treated for Ebola in the U.S.

Of course, this is the result of computer simulations of disease whose mechanism of transmission is not yet clear. As they say, all models are wrong; some models are useful. I would also remind you of my three laws for interpreting science:

1. Half of all the science in the mass media is wrong, and the other half is exaggerated:
2. All models are wrong; the only question is by how much and in which direction.
3. It is highly probable that a model is biased in the direction its author believes is correct.

Another expert, Northeastern University professor Alessandro Vespignani, is more worried about the disease making its way to Asia.

"My worry is that the epidemic might spill into other countries in Africa or the Middle East, and then India or China. That could be a totally different story for everybody," he said.

Certainly, Ebola loos in the Far East would be a tragedy of almost unimaginable dimensions; imagine the Black Death on steroids; however, as far as a threat to the US, I'm more afraid of the disease becoming established in Latin America, given our long, empty and unprotected border.

News that the CDC may not be as optimistic: CDC to purchase body bags in anticipation of more ebola deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control is looking to purchase body bags and a host of other personal protective equipment in response to the Ebola outbreak as concerns continue to linger about the spread of the virus.

A “sources sought” notice posted on FedBizOpps reveals that, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Procurement and Grants Office (PGO) is seeking multiple sources of supply for personal protective equipment (PPE) for potential use in the current Ebola Virus Disease outbreak response.”

According to an attachment entitled “List of Personal Protective Equipment for Sources Sought Notice,” the federal agency is looking to source suppliers of body bags that can hold 200-250 lbs of weight. The bags must also include, “At least 6 handholds included in the body bag to allow burial team to hand carry it safely.”

The advisory states that the body bags and other equipment are intended to be used both in West Africa and in response to other Ebola outbreaks worldwide.

The CDC is also looking to source surgical face masks, sterile gowns, infectious waste containers, and tarps amongst other PPE supplies. The notice does not specify the quantity of body bags that the CDC is looking to obtain.

And: FEMA conducts pandemic training in NY, NJ

Talk about timing. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is currently in the middle of a two-year pandemic training exercise with New York City and northern New Jersey. Titled “2013-14 Pandemic Influenza Continuity Exercise Strategy,” the FEMA training simulates a global pandemic of influenza that spreads from person to person, including in the U.S.

The Obama administration, meanwhile, is under fire for its mishandling of the Ebola crisis, allowing infected people to enter the country and cause widespread panic and political turmoil as officials make claims and promises that turn out to be false.

The FEMA training began last year, before the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which has killed nearly 5,000 people.

An overview of the training includes a list of assumptions such as that the “clinical disease attack rate will likely be 30 percent or higher in the overall population,” utilizing a prediction from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

We know the military plans for everything imaginable including the conquest of Canada (why bother), so this is fully consistent with a war on disease.

And finally, a little off the topic of Ebola, but right on in reference to plagues, the Daily Caller is still pursuing the possibility that the enterovirus EV-D68 that has been causing paralysis and at least 9 deaths around the country was introduced by the flood of juvenile immigrants across the border earlier this year: Obama’s Border Policy Fueled Epidemic, Evidence Shows

The deadly EV-D68 enterovirus epidemic, which struck thousands of kids this fall, was likely propelled through America by President Barack Obama’s decision to allow tens of thousands of Central Americans across the Texas border, according to a growing body of genetic and statistical evidence.

The evidence includes admissions from top health officials that the epidemic included multiple strains of the virus, and that it appeared simultaneously in multiple independent locations.

The question can be settled if federal researchers study the genetic fingerprint of the EV-D68 viruses that first hit kids in Colorado, Missouri and Illinois to see if they are close relatives to the EV-D68 viruses found in Central America.

Officials ”have to do the genetic analysis” to disprove or prove the link, Nora Chapman, an enterovirus scientist at the University of Nebraska, told The Daily Caller.

I suspect this hypothesis has grains of truth. Expect the Administration/CDC to slow roll the genetic analysis of the virus that would prove it true, resist releasing the results if they go the wrong way, and make endless excuses and prevarications about why it was necessary to put the kids where they were.

Wombat's Friday Fodder

A few interesting and amusing things from Wombat's "Live at Five 10.31.14"

Mary Landrieu Plays The Race Card And the sex card. Claims she's losing in Louisiana because they're all racists and sexist and stuff. Never mind the scrawny Indian guy they elected governor.

Ebola nurse goes biking and Talks With Hickox Break Down, Gov. LePage Vows To Use “Full Extent” Of His Authority. I wonder if she's coordinating with the White House.

Ex-Marine banned from daughter's school after he complained about her Islam homework

A former Marine has been banned from his daughter’s school in Maryland after he took issue with her homework assignment on Islam. Kevin Woods was angered after he found his daughter, an 11th grade student at La Plata High School, had been given a three page exercise last Wednesday that examined Islam’s five pillars.

Woods and his wife Melissa asked the school to give their daughter an alternative assignment, but were told that she either do the assignment or receive a zero grade. We’re not teaching religion, we’re teaching world history,’ school spokesperson Katie O’Malley-Simpson told Fox News.

She alleges that Wood was threatening to cause a disruption, which is why he was issued a no-trespass order last Thursday after a telephone call with the school’s vice principal Shannon Morris.

‘I told her straight up “you could take that Muslim-loving piece of paper and shove it up your white a**,’” Kevin Wood told SoMd.

Well, that wasn't very politically correct. But you don't really expect ex-marines to be. Sorry, I gotta go with the school on this one. If she's in 11th grade, it's time for her to learn that bosses often expect you to do stupid things.

Amazon Giving Away Apps Instead Of Candy This Halloween - Check for razor blades malware.

Rihanna, Miley Compete For Best Cleavage At amFAR Event. If the contest is who can show the least taste, Miley wins hands down, IMHO.

Angelina Jolie Goes Bombshell Blonde - I don't care what color her hair is or whether her boobs are real (they're not), she's still one of my favorite actresses:

Wombat-socho's Rule 5 Sunday is Absolutely 100% Lena Dunham Free, thank goodness.

Foreigners Doing Jobs Americans Can't

By way of Wombat-socho's "Live at Five: 10.30.14": Russian deliver space station cargo after US flop

The company behind the dramatic launch explosion of a space station supply mission promises to find the cause of the failure and is warning residents to avoid any potentially hazardous wreckage.

Orbital Sciences Corp.'s unmanned Antares rocket blew up just moments after liftoff Tuesday evening from the Virginia coast.

Meanwhile, early Wednesday, the Russian Space Agency launched its own cargo vessel from Kazakhstan and the spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station six hours later with 3 tons of food. The smooth flight was in stark contrast to the Orbital Sciences' failed launch, and had been planned well in advance of the accident.

The Orbital Sciences rocket was carrying a Cygnus capsule loaded with 2½ tons of space station experiments and equipment for NASA. No one was injured when the rocket exploded moments after liftoff, shooting flaming debris down onto the launch area and into the ocean.

The growth of entitlements in the budget have basically killed the US space program, and the Obama administrations antipathy to it put the stake in its heart.

Other items from today's "Live at Five":

Harvard Poll Shows Declining Support For Obama Among Millennials - Even the slackers are starting to notice that things are going badly.

Speaking of the poor leadership: White House Tries To Ease Flareup Over Netanyahu Insults

Someone "unkown" in the administration called Bebi Netanyahu "chickenshit".  Netanyahu was rescuing hostages in Uganda while the Choomster was smoking dope in Hawaii. Someday Jewish voters will wake up, and see that the democratic party left them.

More on Ebola and the "Ebola nurse" who won's submit to quarantine: 

Maine Seeking Legal Authority To Keep Hickox Quarantined

Jacobson v. Massachusetts. Your “civil rights” argument is invalid.
WHO head slams US, Australian Ebola travel curbs
Obama on Ebola fight: US can’t seal itself off

I don't buy the administration argument that the thought of a 21 day quarantine upon return is going to deter people willing to go to Africa and risk their lives to fight Ebola. However, in the spirit of all the liberals who expected Bush and Cheney to send their kids to war, perhaps Sasha and Malia could be persuaded to go to Africa to help nurse Ebola victims?

Ebola slowing in Liberia? Good news?

Sandra Bullock Saves The Day – In Real Life: Helps extra stricken by heatstroke on set

Not a big deal, but I'm sure she could have walked away and left the job to someone else less important.

Like an episode of "The Bridge." Bodies Found In Mexico Where Three Texas Teens Went Missing

Wombat-socho's Rule 5 Sunday is Absolutely 100% Lena Dunham Free, thank goodness.

A Little More Obamacare Schadenfreude

A few accumulated Obamacare Schadenfreude articles.

Over 214,000 Doctors Opt Out of Obamacare Exchanges

Over 214,000 doctors won't participate in the new plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA,) analysis of a new survey by Medical Group Management Association shows. That number of 214,524, estimated by American Action Forum, is through May 2014, but appears to be growing due to plans that force doctors to take on burdensome costs. It's also about a quarter of thetotal number of 893,851 active professional physicians reported by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

In January, an estimated 70% of California's physicians were not participating in Covered California plans.

Here are some of the reasons why:

1. Reimbursements under Obamacare are at bottom-dollar - they are even lower than Medicare reimbursements, which are already significantly below market rates. "It is estimated that where private plans pay $1.00 for a service, Medicare pays $0.80, and ACA exchange plans are now paying about $0.60," a study by the think-tank American Action Forum finds. "For example, Covered California plans are setting their plan fee schedules in line with that of Medi-Cal-California's Medicaid Program-which means exchange plans are cutting provider reimbursement by up to 40 percent."
2. Doctors are expected to take on more patients to make up for the lost revenue, but that's not happening, because primary care doctors already have more patients than they can handle. "Furthermore, physicians are worried that exchange plan patients will be sicker than the average patient because they may have been without insurance for extended periods of time, and therefore will require more of the PCPs time at lower pay," says the study.
3. The study also points to two reasons that doctors might not get paid at all:  An MGMA study indicates that 75% of ACA patients that had seen doctors had chosen plans with high deductibles. Given that most of the patients are low-income, doctors are concerned that the patients cannot meet the deductibles and they will get stuck with the bill.
4. HHS requires that insurers cover customers for an additional 90 days after they have stopped paying their premiums: the insurer covers the first 30 - but, it's up to the doctor to recoup payment for the last 60 days. This is thenumber one reason providers are opting to not participate in the exchange plans. Currently, about a million people have failed to pay their premiums and had their plans canceled.

How long before the democrats try to force doctors to participate?

Death spiral? Short-term health plans grow as cheap alternative to ObamaCare

A fast-growing, short-term alternative to ObamaCare that allows customers to get cheap, one-year policies could put the government-subsidized plan into a death spiral.

The plans, the only ones allowed for sale outside of ObamaCare exchanges, generally cost less than half of what similar ObamaCare policies cost, and are increasing in popularity as uninsured Americans learn they are required to get health coverage. The catch -- that the policies only last for a year -- is not much of a deterrent, given that customers can always sign up for ObamaCare if their short-term coverage is not renewed.

Moreover, even the Obamacare policies, and indeed, the "long-term" policies available through employees change terms yearly.

“Applications rose 30 percent compared to last year,” eHealthInsurance.com Enrollment Specialist Carrie McLean told FoxNews.com.

Other providers said they also see rapid growth in the plans, which have a typical monthly premium of just over $100, compared to traditional plans that cost an average of $271.

“It’s because the product is typically half the cost of ACA plans, and you can chose any doctor or hospital,” Health Insurance Innovations CEO Mike Kosloske told FoxNews.com.

Obamacare, the perfect, expensive, governmental mandated solution for a problem that didn't exist.

And in a sign of their continued support of transparency, the Obama administration is encouraging Obamacare insurers to hide their enrollment statistics: Insurers’ Consumer Data Isn’t Ready for Enrollees

With health insurance marketplaces about to open for 2015 enrollment, the Obama administration has told insurance companies that it will delay requirements for them to disclose data on the number of people enrolled, the number of claims denied and the costs to consumers for specific services.

For months, insurers have been asking the administration if they had to comply with two sections of the Affordable Care Act that require “transparency in coverage.”

In a bulletin sent to insurers last week, the administration said, “We do not intend to enforce the transparency requirements until we provide further guidance.” Administration officials said the government and insurers needed more time to collect and analyze the data.

“We expect this will begin after a full year of claims data is available,” said Aaron Albright, a spokesman at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, when asked about the government’s eventual plan to enforce the transparency requirements.

Consumer advocates said they were disappointed because the information would be helpful to millions of consumers shopping for insurance in the open enrollment period that starts on Nov. 15. The data will not be available before the enrollment period closes on Feb. 15.

When the government goes out of its way to hide the data, it's a pretty good bet that it's not favorable.

Obamacare’s drip-fed success: The longer the health system stays in existence, the harder it will be to repeal

Mr Obama must be sorely tempted to declare “mission accomplished”. Only a year ago Republicans shut down the federal government – and flirted with a default on US sovereign debt – in a bid to stop Obamacare’s launch. Default was averted. But the shutdown coincided with the federal website’s collapse under a plague of glitches. Given his administration’s incompetence, Mr Obama has kept silent. The exchange was eventually fixed. Almost 8m Americans enrolled on it in 2014. That is expected to rise to 13m next year. If you include the impact of Medicaid expansion, there are roughly 10m fewer uninsured Americans than there were a year ago. That number will only grow.

Plenty of Americans still hate the law. US healthcare is complex and expensive. It is also unfair. Mr Obama has made it less unfair but added to its complexity and it will not be clear for years whether he has made it less expensive. The White House trumpets the fact that US healthcare inflation has dropped from its average of between 5 and 8 per cent a year, to between 2 and 3 per cent annually since 2010 when the ACA was passed. If this lower rate were sustained, most of America’s long-term deficit problems would vanish. Medicare and Social Security would stay solvent for decades longer.

Yet much of the disinflation is a result of the Great Recession, which has forced Americans to tighten belts. Some of it is also demographic. Only a portion comes from the impact of Obamacare. It is far too early to claim America has overcome its healthcare exceptionalism. It still spends more than twice as much on healthcare per head as the UK with worse outcomes. US life expectancy is lower than Britain’s while its under-five mortality rate is higher. It will take more than the ACA to turn that around.

Mr Obama’s signature law is also riddled with loopholes. For example, it requires businesses to offer insurance only to full-time employees. Last week Walmart dropped 30,000 from its coverage because they work for less than 30 hours a week. It also exempts small businesses – those with fewer than 50 employees – from the mandate. Many Americans have been forced to drop plans that they liked. And so on.

But there is the rub. Obamacare offers great room for improvement and it remains unloved by most of the US electorate. Yet a majority also increasingly values big chunks of it. “Repeal Obamacare” still has great punch with the Republican base. But “reform” is more in tune with the drift of public sentiment. In time, that is where reality is likely to go.

You don't "reform" Ebola. You starve it to death by denying it fresh victims, either by isolating the sick, or with a vaccine.

You Can Turn Almost Anything Into a Rule 5 Post

Somehow, I don't think this will help. Found at Jawa's.

I just commented the other day to someone that it was brilliant for the Evil Blogger Lady to do a Rule 5 post on Ebola victim/survivor Nina Pham. Wombat-socho's Rule 5 Sunday is Absolutely 100% Lena Dunham Free, thank goodness.

Wombat's Wednesday Tips

A quick peruse through Wombat-socho's "Live at Five: 10.29.14."

Kaci Hickox Won’t Obey Maine Ebola Quarantine: “Does not believe she’s a risk to others”

As I said yesterday, I think she's a heroine for going to Africa to treat Ebola patients. But that doesn't give her the moral authority to put the rest of us at risk. The recent history of medical workers coming back to the states with Ebola, breaking quarantine "guidelines" and going out into the community, and then coming down sick is disturbing at best. As liberals like to say in other contexts, "government is the things we agree to do together."

Internal Memo Pushes Bringing Non-Citizens To US For Ebola Treatment; State Denies Plan

Sounds to me like one of those things they'll keep denying until Nov. 15, and then present it as fait accompli.

Forest Service Warns Of “Grizzly End” For People Taking Selfies With Bears

Great pun; bad idea.

Investigator In Secret Service Whore Scandal Probe Resigns After Being Implicated In Own Incident

It sort of seems like everything the Obama administration touches just naturally turns to shit, but this may just be the Peter Principle in action.

Amanda Bynes still bugshit crazy: Amanda Bynes To Stay In Psych Ward Another 30 Days; Too Sick To Release

It's a shame, but it happens. Movie stars are real people too, and subject to the same random cruelty of nature that the rest of us are.

Heather Graham: “It’s Fun To Be A Little Daring” Goes Without Underwear in a Sheer Skirt.

Because we know how well that worked out for Brittany and Paris. But I guess, once you've done your nude movie (NSFW), there's not a lot of mystery left.

Wombat-socho's Rule 5 Sunday is Absolutely 100% Lena Dunham Free, thank goodness.

Did You See That Rocket Explode?

Uff da!

Now about those government Ebola policies; what could go wrong? It's not rocket science. It's a lot more complicated.

TMI from Amy Poehler

and other assorted information from Wombat-socho's "Live at Five: 10.28.14"

Amy Poehler Admits To Watching Porn Regularly

"I like my porn like my comedy: Done by professionals, women who are at the top of their game. So, I like professional ladies who are enjoying themselves. I'm not an amateur person. I want everybody to look good and be good at their jobs," she said, before realizing: "Oh my god! I just remembered my dad's listening to this! Sorry, dad! I just called him this morning and was like, 'I'm gonna be on Stern this morning!' S--t! Sorry, dad! Love you, pop!"

Well, that does explain the silly grin.


Other pertinent info from today's Live at Five:

Halle Berry’s Secret To Perky Breasts - She claims binding them in firm bra, in contrast to published science. What a denier! Unfortunately, I think genetics has more to do with it.

Australia Denies Visas From Ebola Zone Nations - Australia has never had much of an open borders policy; they're too close to China.

Megan McArdle: Better Food Labels Won’t Make You Less Fat.

. . . Take, well, food labeling. A while back, people got the idea that putting calorie counts on menus would help fight obesity. So we did, in some areas, and compared what happened there with what happened in places where food labeling wasn’t required. The results ranged between nothing and negative, which is to say, people ate slightly more calories after the new menus went up.

Damn the data: Full speed ahead

88 Things Younger Than Hillary Clinton - Sadly, virtually all this apply to me as well.

“Calibration Issue” Pops Up On Maryland Voting Machines - Something to look for when I step into the polling booth.

And Maine’s Ebola Protocols Mean Quarantine For Nurse - IMHO, she's a heroine for going to Africa to fight Ebola, but a bit of a bitch in her insistence in trying to minimize the risk of her bringing the disease into America again.

Oh heck, just go to the Live at Five and find your own interests. Wombat-socho's Rule 5 Sunday is Absolutely 100% Lena Dunham Free, thank goodness.

Ebola Nurse Free to Flee, GIs Quarantined in Italy

Kaci Hickox, the nurse who flew into New Jersey, and was forcibly detained in quarantine by the state government, has been released to go to her home in Maine. 

The nurse forcibly quarantined in New Jersey after she came home from treating Ebola patients in West Africa was released from the hospital Monday. Kaci Hickox has been held against her will in a tent inside a wing of a New Jersey medical center since she was taken off a flight, flushed and distraught, Friday.

Hickox has hired a lawyer and spoken out publicly against her quarantine.

“Since testing negative for Ebola on early Saturday morning, the patient being monitored in isolation at University Hospital in Newark has thankfully been symptom free for the last 24 hours,” New Jersey health department officials said in a statement. “As a result, and after being evaluated in coordination with the CDC and the treating clinicians at University Hospital, the patient is being discharged.”

She had bitterly complained about her treatment at the hands of the TSA and CDC, after she flew in and showed a fever upon testing with the "touchless" infrared thermometers used for screening. The White House and the CDC opposed her forcible quarantine, and one strongly suspects that Gov. Christie yielded to White House pressure, and assurances that she would leave for Maine, and not be his problem any longer.

Meanwhile, 11 US soldiers returning from Liberia where they were helping establish new treatment centers were quarantined in Italy:

U.S. soldiers returning from Liberia are being placed in isolation in Vicenza, Italy out of concern for the Ebola virus, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.

The soldiers being monitored include Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams who was the commander of the U.S. Army in Africa but turned over duties to the 101st Airborne Division over the weekend, Martin reports. There are currently 11 soldiers in isolation.

They apparently were met by Carabinieri in full hazmat suits. If the policy remains in effect, everyone returning from Liberia - several hundred - will be placed in isolation for 21 days. Thirty are expected in today, Martin reports.

Apparently Federal government policy is that quarantines are unacceptable for civilians potentially exposed to Ebola, but in the job description for soldiers. Do they at least get hazardous duty pay?

Mickey Kaus is calling for "Club Fed" style quarantine centers which will be so nice people will want to be exposed to Ebola to get into them: Do We Need an Ebola Luxury Resort?

The Prisoner and the Dilemma: We'd like to quarantine care workers who return from caring for Ebola patients in West Africa -- we're not 100% sure that symptomless people aren't contagious ("unlikely"), and symptoms seem to come on relatively quickly in any case. Voluntary quarantining has proven incompletely effective. At the same time, we don't want to discourage volunteer health care workers from traveling to West Africa, where the main fight against the disease is being waged. They're not exactly encouraged to make the trip if they know they'll have to spend 21 days in a tent with a portable toilet on their return.

An excellent idea, and cheap at twice the price. Maybe it could be a cruise ship, staffed by doctors and nurses. We could call it the "Ebolaboat."

And just to round out the Ebola news, a 5 year old is in Bellview Hospital in New York after coming from West Africa, with fever and vomiting:

A 5-year-old boy who just returned from West Africa was transported to Bellevue Hospital Sunday with possible Ebola symptoms, according to law-enforcement sources.

The child was vomiting and had a 103-degree fever when he was carried from his Bronx home by EMS workers wearing hazmat suits, neighbors said. “He looked weak,” said a neighbor. “He was really, really out of it.”

The boy returned with his family from Guinea Saturday night and five members of the family were being quarantined inside their apartment, sources said.

It's probably nothing; IIRC, five year olds have fever and vomiting with some frequency even in the absence of Ebola.