Category: Uncategorized

I Know Hinderaker Loves The “Post Factual” US Political Era… But Geez!

~ condor ~ Leave a comment

John Hinderaker has long praised the most base of political ads.

And almost without exception, nothing in these GOP/MAGA ads offers any indicia of truthfulness.

Time and again, we’ve seen John praise racism as a political strategy.

Time and again, we’ve seen him praise open lying — often with a racial tinge.

So it is not terribly surprising to see him now praising AI slop ads with fabricated footage and false quotes, purporting to offer a Black Democrat speaking on her record — in local LA elections.

The caricatures are offensive, and the assertions preposterous.

One could be forgiven for rightly assuming that John now hopes for return to Jim Crow era caricatures of people of color.

He certainly is praising those sorts of AI ads on the regular, now.

[Do recall that he felt the extremely racist old “Aunt Jemima” caricature did not need any updating — even as late as 2020. He felt Quaker was treating… a cartoon unfairly, by retiring its brand. Damn.]

The thing literally speaks for itself.

Out.

The Oracle Gambit, To Eclipse EPIC… In US Health Care Data Control… Is Not Coming As Easily As Mr. Ellison Hoped, Back In 2022.

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As a rule, I think control of US health care data will not lead to any Armageddon — unless AI ends up making actual point of care decisions, without doctor input at the local provider level. That said, I do worry a fair bit about “data leakage”… to insurers, who then jack up premiums [in a back door form of “pre-existing condition” exclusions, person by person] — even though doing so is theoretically unlawful after the ACA of 2010 passed (or Obamacare, if one prefers).

And — as will likely be seen in future posts, I am deeply, abidingly skeptical of the ethics of the Ellison controlled company. I worry that he would sell out, in a heartbeat — to Trump or others — for enough money… even where he’s signed binding firewall contracts.

And thus, I do view with some suspicion the addition of two CEO level health care provider company executives to his Oracle board. Will this make the providers more… pliable, vis a vis Oracle’s world building ideas in big data / AI in health care delivery? We will keep a weather eye on all of it — but here is the latest, from HealthCareDive:

…Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic’s appointment comes months after Oracle named another healthcare leader, former Quest Diagnostics CEO Stephen Rusckowski, to the board….

Mihaljevic has worked at Cleveland Clinic for more than 20 years, joining the health system’s department of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery in 2004. He previously served as CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and held a director position on health technology firm GE Healthcare’s board, according to the press release.

“Tom’s perspective will be invaluable as Oracle continues to help healthcare organizations use technology to improve outcomes for patients and providers,” Oracle CEO Clay Magouyrk said in a statement.

Mihaljevic’s election, which brings the size of Oracle’s board to 13, comes as Oracle has expanded its focus on healthcare.

The technology giant acquired electronic health record vendor Cerner for more than $28 billion in 2022. And last year, Oracle released a new artificial intelligence-backed EHR. The records system allows providers to use voice commands to navigate the EHR, which Oracle argues should lessen the amount of time clinicians spend digging through patients’ health data….

Do stay tuned. Ellison and Musk have long struck me as similarly flawed human beings — on ethical / moral development dimensions. We shall see. Onward.

नमस्ते

Given How Wildly Contagious This Cruise Liner Version Of Hanta- Appears To Be… Maybe It Should Carry A More Specific Name…

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While we should strive not to “demonize” any one country or area, with any naming convention for a potential viral epidemic — facts are facts.

This current strain of hantavirus is propagated human to human, more than occasionally without prolonged close contact, it seems — based on the case histories of the Hondius cruise vessel passengers. And it is pretty darn lethal, if not treated promptly. And… there is no proven mRNA or other vaccine — for this particular strain at the moment.

All of which, taken together… leads me to propose that it be called the Andes-virus H. It is as different as different can be, from the North and Central American Hantavirus (and from the Chinese version). [This naming idea is roughly akin to the Mpox more dangerous version being called Clade 1b, as opposed to Clade 2.] The mis-information, out of one Houston doctor — carried by a Houston TV station on Monday… has me thinking this way. I won’t link him, but he made a lot of statements about New Mexico/Texas style hanta- — essentially poo-pooing the danger of human to human transmission. He is badly mis-informed. And the TV news just ran with it.

While there are only a handful of US cases of the Andes-virus H., at the moment… his comments are singularly unhelpful. Here is a better assessment, from a different US doctor:

…Public health officials emphasize hantavirus rarely spreads between people. It is typically contracted when people accidentally inhale the virus found in rodent waste during routine activities like sweeping, cleaning infested spaces or sleeping around contaminated areas. [That is still true.]

However, the type involved in the Hondius outbreak, according to the World Health Organization, is the Andes virus, the only known hantavirus to spread between people.

It’s endemic to South America. A 2018 hantavirus outbreak in Argentina killed 11 people after the disease spread at crowded events, leading to 34 infections….

This strain is far more transmissible than the New Mexico, Texas, or so-called “Four Corners area” hantavirus. Trust that.

And know that a name… carries power. Trust that, as well — we need to distinguish between the New Mexico version and the Andean / Argentine one. Onward.

नमस्ते

One Of The Best Suggestions I’ve Seen — Related To “Pushing Back”, On The “Five, Plus One Concurring” Justices’ Decision — In Louisiana v. Callais…

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Carolyn Shapiro — an esteemed and learned colleague, writing at SCOTUSBlog.com — has not only nailed what is broken in the six Justices’ decision. She has now offered a roadmap for essentially undoing it. [One earlier backgrounder of mine, on it all.]

Her novel suggestion is to use the “guarantee clause” of the Constitution, that “[t]he United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government” — which is effectively denied by disenfranchising people of color and LGBTQ+ voters… as Ruby Red lower courts applying Callais, and MAGA Governors, in extending it — are attempting, day by day.

Here’s a link to it all — and a bit, of her… genius argument:

…In Louisiana v. Callais, the Supreme Court, in an opinion by Justice Samuel Alito, eviscerated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. There is so much incisive commentary about this devastating opinion that I hesitate to attempt to add to it. You likely already know that the opinion effectively overrules the provision of the VRA designed to ensure that minority voters are able to have meaningful representation in multimember elected bodies, it turns the Reconstruction Amendments on their heads by making them vehicles for race discrimination, and it drastically restricts Congress’ authority under the 15th Amendment. You may know that it effectively reverses a 2023 case and turns two of Alito’s dissents into law. You probably know that the [six of them deny] doing any of these things. And you undoubtedly know that this opinion, which is an electoral gift to the Republican Party, has already triggered yet another round of congressional redistricting to eliminate districts that were drawn to comply with Section 2, thereby eliminating a slew of safe Democratic seats, and that the impact at the state and local level will be extreme. . . .

So I’ll take a slightly different tack, which is to consider one tactic that might ameliorate at least some of the harm Callais is already causing. I believe that Democrats absolutely must make restoring and protecting democracy, and in particular multiracial democracy, their top priority. To do so, I think they should (among many other things) turn to the guarantee clause, which provides that “[t]he United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.” The clause provides an opportunity. (That said, as I’ll revisit at the end of the column, no single law or constitutional provision will fix what ails our country and our democracy. Think of this column as describing just one tool in the toolbox and encouraging others to be even more creative)….

This is a very good start. Onward, resolutely. Ever, onward.

नमस्ते

There May Be An Uncrewed Launch To The ISS Friday Night, From The Cape… We Shall See.

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Weather has delayed this launch tonight, now for a third time.

And yes, it is a SpaceX Dragon hauling the load of resupply stuff. Here’s the latest, from NASA:

. . .NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 6:05 p.m. EDT Friday, May 15, for the launch of the company’s 34th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Watch NASA’s live launch coverage beginning at 5:45 p.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.

Teams stood down from Wednesday’s launch opportunity due to inclement weather producing anvil cloud launch violations around Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The next launch opportunity allows for cargo packed inside Dragon to be refreshed and supports phasing for arrival to the space station.

The Dragon spacecraft will dock to the orbiting laboratory at approximately 7:00 a.m. Sunday, May 17. NASA’s live rendezvous and docking coverage will begin at 5:30 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel….

We shall see. And (best news of all!) the extended trip to France — and the Greek Isles — for the month of September 2026… is coming together nicely, via our excellent travel agents. Grin….

नमस्ते

Conn. Now Sees Its First Clade 1b Mpox Case — As The Three Year Outbreak Rumbles… Onward.

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This is not surprising, but it would suggest that eventually, almost every state will see at least a handful of the more serious Clade 1b mpox cases.

Here is the latest, on the now nearly three year outbreak in the US:

…The Connecticut Department of Public Health announced Wednesday that it has identified the state’s first case of clade I mpox.

The person with the case of mpox recently traveled to Western Europe, where the virus is currently spreading, according to DPH.

The virus has primarily affected gay and bisexual men. DPH is urging people at risk to get vaccinated ahead of the summer travel season.

“Mpox hasn’t gone away, and we want people to be protected, especially as many in our community prepare for travel, festivals, and gatherings this summer,” said DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani. “The vaccine is safe, effective, and widely available. Completing the two-dose series is the best way to protect yourself and your partners….”

Do follow the CDC and WHO advisories. Get vaccinated if you are in a higher risk group, and/or traveling to the EU this Summer. Onward.

नमस्ते

In Which Scott Johnson — As A Non-Catholic — Thinks He Alone May Dictate To Whom The Pope Grants “Ambassador To The Vatican” Status…?! WTH?

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At the top, Scott seems utterly unaware that most people (with common sense) will readily agree that one “catches more flies — with honey — than with vinegar.”

That is, Pope Leo XIV is plainly reaching out, with Christian Humility and Charity — to Iran — to try to avoid additional senseless killing, on either side of this war of choice.

And Scott — ever a proponent of the Code of Hammurabi… can see nothing — as he is already blinded by his hatred — in at least one of his eyes — if not both.

Oddly — he did not offer any rebuke of Trump’s “we will oblierate them from the face of the Earth” — plainly a Geneva Convention war crime.

Similarly — he didn’t pipe up, when the US bombed civilian school kids.

Maybe he ought to just sit down and shut up.

If there is to be peace, in the region — it is a certainty that Trump/Hegseth are incapable of brokering it.

And they cannot bomb their way to peace against a nation — almost to a man — ready to die, to make the point that Trump is (indeed) the Great Satan.

I D I O T.

Pope Leo engages in diplomacy. This is a game effort.

Y A W N.

So do f#ck right off, Scott and now, John — too!

Maryland Federal Trial Court Schedule Set — For Ending Todd Blanche’s Nonsense — Re Mr. Abrego Garcia…

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As we said yesterday, the sides now have an ordered schedule for briefing the few remaining contested issues, before the able USDC Judge Xinis.

This may well obviate the silly “appeal” Blanche ordered the AUSAs under him to take, as well:

…Upon consideration of the Joint Status Report filed by the Parties on May 13, 2026, (ECF 174) the Court hereby ORDERS the following briefing schedule for Petitioner’s Motion to Resolve Outstanding Claims in Petitioner’s Habeas Petition (“Motion”):

1. By Wednesday, May 27, 2026: Petitioner shall file his Motion.

2. By Wednesday, June 10, 2026: Respondents shall file their opposition to Petitioner’s Motion, if any.

3. By Wednesday, June 24, 2026: Petitioner shall file a reply to his Motion.

Dated: May 13, 2026 | /s/ USDC Judge Paula Xinis….

That is all — for now.

नमस्ते

Merck Seeks To Lower Its Real Estate Tax Bill — On Upper Gwynedd, PA… [Again?]

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If memory serves, the company last appealed its Upper Gwynedd facility real estate tax bill in 2009, and then sought and obtained some TARP/ARRA/ bail-out money (for solar retrofitting), from Mr. Obama’s programs to help the nation recover from the Cheney/Bush43 engineered 2008 meltdown in banking, real estate and general financings. This was after Merck had said it might close the facility as it acquired Schering-Plough’s by then foundering operations.

The good news for the local communities, then is that Mr. Davis waited almost 16 years, during which time both real estate values, and thus taxes rose steadily — before appealing, anew.

We will have to wait about a year to see if the company gets a reduction… and here’s the latest — from local outlets:

…County property records indicate the last appraised value of Merck’s property at 351 Sumneytown Pike as just under $108 million and estimated annual taxes of $3.4 million to the district, just under $590,000 to the county and just over $288,000 to the municipality each year, and their campus at 770 Sumneytown Pike as just over 315 acres last appraised at $398 million, with estimated tax bills of $12.8 million to the district, $2.1 million to the county and $1 million to the township….

“As with any assessment appeal, we have engaged Merck in discussions in an attempt to resolve the matter in a way that honors our decades long community partnership. Thus far, they have indicated to both the school district and the township that they intend to maintain this mutually beneficial relationship,” [a spokesperson] said….

Now you know. Onward.

नमस्ते

The French Hantavirus Patient Is Now Critically Ill; But The US Doctor Is “Symptom Free” — In Bio-Containment Unit In Omaha…

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The latest news is generally good — most who’ve tested positive are experiencing only mild or no symptoms, but the one woman in France is in real danger — with severe heart and lung problems. Yikes.

There will certainly be more than a few more weeks of a dribble of news like this. Here’s the latest:

…Dr. Stephen Kornfeld speaks to CNN from a biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where he confirms he is the American patient reported to have tested positive for the hantavirus but says he “feels wonderful” and is not experiencing symptoms.

Spanish officials confirm that after testing positive once for hantavirus, the American now known to be Kornfield has since tested negative twice for the disease, meaning no Americans are among the nine confirmed cases of the illness.

A French patient confirmed to have the hantavirus is now critically ill with life-threatening heart and lung problems, a doctor at her Paris hospital confirms….

Now you know — don’t let anyone tell you that this particular strain is not pretty severely contagious though. Yep — off now, into the steel and glass canyons. . . and the chilly sunshine. Smile.

नमस्ते