Author: condor

The Year Ahead — In Space — For Our Friends Across The Pond, At ESA…

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As NASA sets its course, to bring the Crew 11 home early from the ISS — for a medical reason, and likely moves up the launch date for Crew 12 to the ISS to very early February. . . we look in on the esa.int year ahead. It will feature the arrival of BepiColombo at Mercury, and likely stunning new images of that planet’s molten surfaces, as well as an inspection by HERA, of the pock mark NASA’s DART created when it slammed into Dimorphos last year.

I am certain there will be more — but this is what real space science should look like — including Earth climate monitoring from space (i.e., tamper-proof):

…As a new year begins, let’s take a look at what’s ahead for the European Space Agency in 2026. From Earth to the farthest reaches of the Solar System, 2026 marks a year of firsts that continue to shape the future of space [with a ~six minute video, on YouTube, below]….

And perhaps fittingly, we will go see Avatar 3: Fire and Ash tonight.

Grin.

नमस्ते

Power Alley | It Is Likely That Mpox Immunity Only Lasts About Two Years — After Either Infection, Or Vaccination: New Post Hoc Study, Of 90 Men…

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This bit of news had long been suspected to be the case. And so, if you are a man who has sex with multiple other men (especially men who travel to or from Africa) — you should consider getting booster vaccinations about every two years.

True enough, being infected (assuming you recover) will also give you about two years acquired immunity, but that seems. . . an unwise course, for personal health management (to say nothing of the risk you then present to your sexual partners).

In any event, here is the latest, from CIDRAP, at the U. of Minn.:

…The study, published today in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, followed up with 90 men—48 with prior mpox infection and 42 who received Jynneos vaccination—and measured mpox virus (MPXV)–specific neutralizing antibodies more than two years after infection or vaccination.

At the two-year mark, antibodies were frequently low or undetectable in both previously infected participants and vaccine recipients, though participants with prior infection were more likely than vaccine recipients to retain some detectable antibodies (33 of 48 [68.8%] vs 20/42 [47.6%])….

“This trend finds confirmation in real life practice in our open access sexual health clinic, where the majority of new infections are diagnosed in persons with no history of Mpox,” write the researchers. They also note that, “as already reported in literature and as observed in our daily experience,” most mpox cases in vaccinated individuals are self-limiting and low severity….

Onward, grinning — out, into the sunshine. Trump’s tariffs are toast, next week. And hundreds of thousands of US businesses will file amended US federal tax returns, to claim dollar for dollar refunds for them. They were… taxes, afterall. Out.

नमस्ते

[U] Some Rather Depraved Friday Trivia: PlayStation Has Removed A “Resident Evil” Illicit Copy-Cat Game Called “Ebola Village”. Who Would Play Such a Game?!

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I suppose the only good news here is that the malignant people who coded this complete ripoff of a game… did not make the majority of the characters / afflicted avatars… people of color. It will vanish into the mist, in any event — very shortly.

Aside from the blatant stealing of intellectual property, the idea of creating a “game” that “Zombifies” people with an actual, real world, very dangerously-lethal virus… seems beyond the pale. Here’s the gamer mag’s take on it all (as of about midnight, overnight):

…Update [Fri 9th Jan 2026, 12:15am]: Well, this is curious, isn’t it? Sony has removed the trailer for Ebola Village from its official YouTube channel.

The game’s PS Store page remains live with a release date of 23rd January touted, so it looks like the title is still going to come out. [UPDATE: inactivated.]

But clearly the platform holder no longer wanted to host this release’s footage on its account….

Sony has since removed the title altogether, likely due to complaints from the Resident Evil creators. Good riddance! [Updated: I see that some gamers have taken to calling this “Temu Resident Evil” — but that only insults… Temu. Heh.]

Maybe it’s just me… but the character they created looks a lot like… Roger(?). Heh.

नमस्ते

Only A Very Technical Habeas Case, From The Supremes Today: Justice Sotomayor Writes A 5-4 Opinion…

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So… no tariffs invalidation decision — at least not for today.

The penguins stay on ice — at least until next week….

See ‘ya mid next week! Here’s Bowe v.US:

…This case concerns Bowe’s efforts to obtain postconviction relief from the mandatory consecutive 10-year sentence imposed under §924(c). A comprehensive statutory scheme governs when and how state and federal prisoners can seek postconviction relief in federal court. See 28 USC §2254 (state prisoners); §2255 (federal prisoners).

Particularly relevant here, under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA), second or subsequent efforts at obtaining postconviction relief require the prisoner first to seek certification from a court of appeals that the filing meets threshold conditions before a prisoner can proceed in a district court….

Now you know.

नमस्ते

Power Alley: Since At Least 2014 Under Mr. Obama, ISS Had Used Micro-Gravity, To Inform R&D That Merck Wanted Done — On Protein Crystals — For Potential Oncology Apps…

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This is what the best of it all ought to be about — in the land of space science / cooperation. And I am sure it is to keep a positive thought for the return of the crew-member who is under the weather, now, too (per my last post, about matters ISS).

And so, this story can be told, now — and in some detail (after vetting for trade secrets): Merck Research Labs, an arm of US Merck (and others) essentially “hire time and talent” aboard the Space Station, to have pre-packed experiments run — to inform tech or medical approaches. Ones not possible, without the near zero-gravity conditions in low Earth orbit. Here’s the latest on the dimensions of the Rahway collab, as written up by NASA tonight:

…In collaboration with scientists at Merck, protein crystal growth research on the space station yielded early insights regarding the structure and size of particles best suited for the development of a new formulation of the company’s cancer medicine pembrolizumab for subcutaneous injection. This new route of delivery was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September and offers a time-saving alternative to intravenous infusion for certain patients. These research efforts aboard the space station were supported by the ISS National Laboratory.

Originally, the treatment was delivered during an in-office visit via infusion therapy into the patient’s veins, a process that could take up to two hours. Initial delivery improvements reduced infusion times to less than 30 minutes every three weeks. The newly approved subcutaneous injectable form takes about one minute every three weeks, promising to improve quality of life for patients by reducing cost and significantly reducing treatment time for patients and healthcare providers….

Now you know. And let’s get that Crew Eleven team home… safely, now. I have zero doubt that we… will. Onward.

नमस्ते

Charming! In Which Tangerine Claims His Powers Are Constrained “Solely” By “My Own Morality.”

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Well… that’s comforting.

And no, I am NOT being ironic, here — even hard right forces now concede that Trump is — from a moral point of view — a deeply flawed human. And at almost 80, many on the hard right see that he is rapidly outliving his usefulness.

So I say: let him bloviate to the NYT, and long and loudly so — we all know that he is losing far more often than he is winning in the courts around the nation, and increasingly, even in the reliably red states.

[In passing, I fully expect his tariffs will die, in a 6-3 decision — an opinion likely due out of the Supremes at 10 AM EST tomorrow, Friday.]

So sure Manchurian Cantaloupe, say it loud — say it proud.

You, sir, are yesterday’s fish-wrapper now.

Out.

USDC Judge Ellis Correctly Rules That “We The People” Have A Right To See The Evidence Of The Various Lies Greg Bovino Told, Under Oath, In Her Courtroom In Chicago — In October 2025.

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This is just as we expected, and as we said several weeks ago.

And it is newly urgent, given that Bovino was reportedly the Commander in Charge in Minneapolis when Renee Good was murdered yesterday.

…MINUTE entry before the Honorable Sara L. Ellis:

In Court Hearing Held.

Media Intervenors’ motion to unseal October 20, 2025 transcript [306] is granted. Defendants motion to stay answer deadline pending resolution of Plaintiffs’ motion voluntarily dismiss [315] is granted. Chicago Public Media, Inc.’s, Chicago Sun-Times Media, Inc’s, and Chicago Tribune Company, LLC’s motion on the remaining sealed materials [321] is granted.

Defendants to complete unsealing of sealed materials in Bucket 3 on a rolling basis in 120 days….

Excellent. Onward.

नमस्ते

[U] Breaking: There Is Apparently A Medical Issue, On The Space Station: 5 PM EDT Press Conference

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We will await official word, but there is talk of using the Dragon capsule (still docked at the ISS) to bring the affected crew member(s) home early.

Do stay tuned; we will listen in — in about 20 minutes’ time – and then report here:

…NASA says that a crew member had a medical situation yesterday, and so will be brought home in the coming days, and another update in about 48 hours on the exact depart time.

The matter involved a single crew member, who is stable. This was not an operational accident — it is a pure medical related event. Due to medical privacy, it is not appropriate for NASA to share more details about the crew member….

All of Crew 11 will be coming home — and Crew 12 may launch early….

To protect patient privacy, the name of the individual affected will not be disclosed at this time. Onward.

नमस्ते

Mirengoff’s Fatuous Straw Man: On Minneapolis & Greg Bovino. No, Paul — He’s A Rouge Agent.

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Paul Mirengoff this afternoon conflates the Democrats’ (and all decent humans’) argument… with anarchy. Intentionally, too.

He’s right — insofar as the choice is not between one kind of lawlessness, or another. And it should not be. But being in the US without papers is… that’s right: a misdemeanor. A traffic ticket. That’s what Congress decided. [Trump cannot change that, alone. And Mirengoff knows that he wouldn’t — and shouldn’t — be shot dead, for protesting a traffic stop — peacefully. That’s what happened here.]

So, what we (all decent people) might all agree on is that after the deaths in Chicago, and the beatings in LA and now a murder in Minneapolis (in each case, when Greg Bovino was the agent in charge, on the scene)… some men are not at all fit, for law enforcement of any kind. Bovino’s been found to be a serial liar under oath to USDC Judge Ellis in Chicago, and he personally brutalized people for simply protesting his lawlessness. Over and over. After being ordered NOT to use tear gas, he personally did so, without provocation (on video!) in Little Village.

So, the position of US decent people is… he needs to be stripped of authority and jailed.

Just like (get this, Paul!) Derek Chauvin. Ring a bell? No one said law enforcement should end after Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd. We all said… Chauvin and bad cops like him should be charged with murder. Then… let a local jury decide.

Same here, buddy. And… dammit — stop being so openly dishonest, in your rhetoric, Paul.

Here’s that, in context, from Paul:

…[R]egardless of how one views this particular case — even if the shooting was not an act of self-defense — it does not follow from the tragic outcome that ICE should stop its aggressive efforts to round up and deport illegal immigrants….

But it does follow that we should not let murderers serve in any role in law enforcement — as cops — or ICE Commanders, regardless of how we view people without papers. 99.999% of these folks without papers… are not remotely dangerous. And they love their kids no less than Paul does. They are not the enemy — people like Noem, Miller, Rubio and Tangerine 2.0 are. And Paul knows it.

Idiot. Malignant idiocy.

Out.

On The Rights — Of The People, And Free Press — To Know What Their Courts Do, In Their Names: The Chicago v. Bovino/Noemite Actions…

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There will be a hearing tomorrow, in the able USDC Judge Ellis’ courtroom, on releasing to the public and press, most of the hearing materials from October 20, 2025 — when Greg Bovino likely lied under oath, in a sealed hearing about whether (and why) he personally threw tear gas canisters at peaceful but loud protesters in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicagoland.

We have now all seen the video, and the still photos. And the body cam feeds, from his minions.

To be clear, USDC Judge Ellis did not have access that evidence (of his lies) when she closed the courtroom, but subsequently — upon seeing it — she imposed sanctions on Bovino (now up on appeal). Given that yesterday, he was apparently the commander in charge when Renee Good (a 30-something year old poet and mother of three) was murdered. . . this becomes vitally relevant — to his fitness to serve at all, in any capacity of law enforcement (and correlatively, to avoid a Derek Chauvin-style prosecution, and jailing — in due course, in Minneapolis). Here’s the latest:

…Plaintiffs [Block Club Chicago] disagree with the [Noemite / Bovino] constrained view of the materials necessary for the public “to understand judicial decisions, and to monitor the judiciary’s performance of its duties.” Goesel v. Boley Int’l (H.K.) Ltd., 738 F.3d 831, 833 (7th Cir. 2013).

The Seventh Circuit has made clear that the public has a presumptive right to access any materials “that affect the disposition of federal litigation.” In re Specht, 622 F.3d 697, 701 (7th Cir. 2010). This is not limited to documents that are “cited by the Court in a judicial opinion” or “presented to the Court by any party for the purpose of seeking or opposing judicial relief.” Dkt. 322 at 2 (Defendants’ Response to Media Intervenors’ Position)….

Particularly given the public importance of those materials and considering that the government has not identified any secrecy or privacy interest in any of the materials made public so far, Plaintiffs believe that the Defendants should make public all materials that could “conceivably aid the understanding of” the Court’s decision-making in this case. City of Greenville v. Syngenta Crop Prot., LLC, 764 F.3d 695, 698 (7th Cir. 2014)….

Onward, resolutely, to [hopefully, a better] tomorrow.

नमस्ते