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CDC, Almost In Full-On Stealth Mode — Now DOES Confirm That A Covid Booster — For At Risk Seniors Is A Good Idea. Yikes.

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This is very telling — along with my next post, on the three-decades high spike in measles, nation-wide. Depressing, in fact.

Serious public health scientists’ very rational and well supported (by peer reviewed evidence) views are having to be passed along almost in secret emails. The costs to public health — and confidence in good advice more broadly — cannot be overstated.

Both the Wa Po and NYT have pieces on this, this week. Here’s the Here is the NYT one:

…I never predicted that a fringe conspiracy theorist like Mr. Kennedy would one day become leader of the health care system, but it doesn’t surprise me.

Anti-vaccine groups have developed into a potent force. They have learned to stoke suspicion of authority with masterful precision, they have become adept at applying a veneer of scientific legitimacy to their ideas, and they’ve prepared a superficially compelling response to seemingly every argument that doctors make to encourage immunization.

These rhetorical tactics were first worked out at dinky conferences and obscure media outlets, but now the government itself has become a propaganda organ for the movement. This makes confronting vaccine skepticism much more challenging — and, amid growing measles outbreaks nationwide, far more urgent….

Onward, resolutely — just the same.

नमस्ते

[Updated Graphics!] Again, As In 2022: Hinderaker Lies About Global Copper Production. Ugh.

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Tonight we re-run our March 2022 piece debunking Hinderaker’s lies — on strategic minerals (on the world stage). We do so, because he is again retreading his same lies from 2022. [But we add an update at the bottom. Enjoy.]

Hinderaker gets his “C’s” confused again.

He says that price of copper — used for wind turbine battery storage and solar electric panel batteries — will skyrocket because of the Build Back Better bill of 2022… which is just a stupid, stupid lie.

Damn, son. We told you before… China is a different country — than Chile. And different than… Russia. We were and are friendly with Chile — not so much the other two.

That is all.

Silly old codger.

Updated: 12.31.2025 — now he preposterously suggests Trump is “bringing back” US copper production. False. Utterly… false.

The copper ore deposits remaining in the US may be lifted from the Earth, but they cannot be smelted / refined economically, here. That is a fact; true since when I last worked in hard rock mines. You could look it up.

Chile’s low labor rates and vast smelters give it a clear comparative advantage, coupled to its staggeringly large ore bodies.

So — we may far more advantageously buy from Chile (so long as Trump doesn’t bomb the Chileans). BTW — note the orders of magnitude Chile offers, at above right, over China.

Hinderaker isn’t a plausible liar in any sense.

That is all.

Yep — he is STILL full of sh!t.

Out.

UPDATED: More Noemite Nonsense, Filed Just Now — In Maryland. Do Roundly… Ignore It.

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Of course, Mr. Hecker will soundly debunk all the nonsense in this sworn declaration [six page pdf file, and link inactivated] in due course, next week — but for now, I will note that the affiant therein lies (under oath, to boot!) in at least one very glaring respect: the agency employee avers that Mr. Abrego Garcia is a member of a notorious criminal gang operation.

As my regular readers by now well-appreciate, there is exactly zero evidence of this claim. In fact, Donald Trump showed a photoshopped purported close up (now widely admitted to have been made — as a “joke” — by some far right Steve Bannon acoloyte) of Mr. Abrego Garcia’s hands, to claim they bore evidence of “gang tatoos”. This has been soundly refuted, with actual photos of his hands.

The agent, whose name I will not print here… might start thinking about whether she’s really ready to be charged with… perjury.

As an agency employee, with specific duties, she is clearly prevented by applicable law, from offering HER opinion as to matters NOT in evidence. Paid government informants, themselves admitted gang members, seeking early release or other favors from ICE and DHS are not in any sense credible witnesses. And she knows it — as does Noem herself. So, do stay tuned — we will wait for Mr. Hecker to eviscerate this, in his usual, elegant prose.

And he will. Onward, resolutely.

Grinning here, now… out — as in fact, we won’t even link it — until then. Let’s be fair: she cannot tar him with her libelous hyperbole. Not at least until his counsels have their say on the matter, here — next week.

नमस्ते

The German Merck / Serono: Approx. 6 Million Babies Are The Result Of IVF, Life To Date…

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First off — the caveats: this is no relation to the US Merck (known as MSD in the EU — including Italy). This is the German Merck KGaA.

Still, it is a fine win here, for bio-science — and parents struggling to conceive, all over the globe (so long as they have around $50,000). Here’s the story — out of the South Korean papers, today:

…“Approximately 6 million babies have been born worldwide through in vitro fertilization (IVF) using the infertility treatment drugs [German Merck / Serono] developed. This accounts for 50% of all individuals born through artificial insemination since the introduction of IVF.”

Alexander Steinbach, Senior Vice President and head of the global infertility business unit at German biotech company Merck (Merck), is an expert who has worked in the infertility treatment sector for over 20 years. In a recent interview with this newspaper during his visit to Korea, he said, “It would not be an exaggeration to say that Merck’s infertility treatments have had a significant impact on global population policies.”

According to Steinbach, the roots of Merck’s infertility drug development trace back to Serono, a company established in Rome, Italy, 116 years ago. Serono moved its headquarters to Geneva, Switzerland, and laid the foundation for infertility treatment by introducing hormone therapy for the first time in the 1950s. The drug used when the world’s first test-tube baby was born in 1978 was also a Serono product. Merck acquired Serono in 2007….

Now you know. Onward, grinning — because as we’ve reported, Tangerine 2.0’s 20-something year old minions in the West Wing cannot decide whether they are in favor of IVF (see RFK, Jr.’s new priority vouchers at FDA — for it), or against it — with the goofy MAGA Bible thumpers, who hold “only God decides whom may conceive and bear fruit“. Damn. [Didn’t God give us brains, and free will — to invent… science-y things?]

नमस्ते

In Maryland, We Should See Some Noemite / Govt. Nonsense, Yet Tonight — Re Mr. Abrego Garcia…

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The case most likely to resolve definitively in Abrego’s favor, first — however, is being heard in Nashville.

This one, in Maryland (now that he is safely released and at home) has become just a side-car, at this point. But we will keep covering it. Look for a dismissal in Tennessee on either the 28th or 29th of January, in the new year. [And I will be there, live-blogging from the well in Courtroom 3C.] Here’s the latest Maryland schedule:

…ORDER granting [127] Respondents’ (Unopposed) Motion for Extension of Time to File a Declaration in Response to the Court’s Order at ECF No. 123;

Respondents shall file a supplemental declaration by no later than December 30, 2025; Petitioner shall file a response to Respondents’ December 26 and December 30 submission by no later than January 5, 2026. Signed by Judge Paula Xinis on 12/26/2025….

And for what it is worth, separately in the Middle District of Tennessee, here is the feckless Noemites’ “defense” of Greg Bovino’s libel of Abrego — as an official government agent, in a felony matter. [Something he’s supposed to stay mum about — and let the courtroom filings speak for themselves, as a matter of law.] Deplorable. Bovino is a useless little tool, to be certain.

नमस्ते

Hinderaker, On U.K. Hybrids’ Purported Dangerousness? What Rubbish!

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Tonight (largely out of anything to say) Hinderaker claims U.K. hybrid vehicles are more deadly, in accidents — than their straight gas engine counterparts.

His error is called… the fallacy of small numbers.

Through late 2024, hybrids made up only about 5% of all vehicles on U.K. roads.

Extrapolating a trend against the data from the other 95% is a fools’ errand.

In sum: right up John’s small brain pan alley.

Earlier today, he claim the would be frauds in Minnesota are the most important US story in politics.

He said that solely to distract people from reading about MTG’s scorchingly opportunistic take-down of Trump and Trumpism (in the NYT)… the drip drip drip of Epstein, or the insane attacks on boats out of Venezuela — or bombings in Nigeria.

All of these — or Trump’s failure to solve Ukraine (something he said he’d get done in his first week!) or the West Bank (something he repeatedly claims credit for having solved, but somehow the fighting continues)… are each more important stories — and GOP failures.

And John well knows it.

Out.

This Is… Hilarious — Since 2015, Melania Has Claimed She Was Libeled By Facutal Reporting On Epstein’s Lolita Express.

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She now seeks, after a decade, to remove it to federal court in Manhattan.

She won’t fare any better in the federal courts, because in both venues, you cannot libel garbage by saying it… stinks. See here, for a bit:

…Statement 3: “Melania was ‘very involved’ in Epstein’s social circle, and noted that this is how she met Trump.””

Dispositive Defects in the [Libel] Claim:

(i) It fails to present this statement in the full context of The Daily Beast Article.

(ii) The statement is true. Among many other ties, Mrs. Trump was a model with ID Models run by a friend of many years of both Mr. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein; Mrs. Trump met Mr. Trump at the New York Kit Kat Club party; the party was hosted by ID Models and its owner.

(iii) The statement in proper context is one of opinion and hypothesis based on disclosed facts and also in the broader context.

(iv) Mrs. Trump cannot prove it to be untrue as she must.

(v) Mrs. Trump cannot prove actual malice as to that statement — i.e., she cannot prove with clear and convincing evidence that Mr. Wolff did not believe that statement to be true….

“Epstein told [you], that Trump and Melania got together the first time [ ] on Epstein’s airplane,” and that “Melania met Trump through the same modeling circles through which Epstein and Trump procured dates.” (July 28, 2025 Instagram, Threat Ltr., link at 2)….

“You stated that Mrs. Trump is sending letters threatening to sue anyone who makes the connection between her and Epstein because they are hiding something they don’t want us to know.” (Aug. 14, 2025 Instagram, Threat Ltr., link at 2).”

Dispositive Defects in the Claim:

(i) It is true that Mrs. Trump is sending letters threatening to sue anyone who makes the connection between her and Epstein. The Threat Letter is one of them, and the Threat Letter and this Complaint, pages 2-3, identify several more.

(ii) The statement above is taken out of its full and fair context.

(iii) The question that Mr. Wolff is raising is an entirely fair question and point of inquiry that deserves to be made.

(iv) Standing alone the second part of the statement is a matter of straight opinion on its face and opinion in fair context.

(v) The statement misquotes and mischaracterizes the statement made by Mr. Wolff as well as the manner that he made it. Again, as with most of the challenges, it is out of context, misleading and distorted.

(vi) As to this statement, the anti-SLAPP action and its heightened and punitive damages provision will provide a deeper opportunity to examine the improper speech suppression objectives of these claims by Mrs. Trump….

This will all be very droll — now that we may easily keep the readership updated on Melania’s vexatious and baseless SLAPP lawsuits.

Onward.

About 18 Days Of “No Possible Contact”, With MAVEN — Out, ~80 Million Miles In The Night, At Barsoom — Has Begun. Dim Prospects, For Any Future Recovery.

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As of about lunch-time today, we cannot trust that any radio ping, fired from Earth, and aimed out toward where we think MAVEN might be, still circling Mars… will ever be received.

As the schematic at right shows, Mars is slipping behind the Sun, relative to Earth’s vantage point. And that huge fiery ball blocks all line of sight communications — including laser and radio transmissions.

In truth, it is unlikely we will ever hear from that orbiter again.

It likely was struck by a rogue space rock, on the backside of Mars around December 3, 2025. It is likely tumbling in an erratic fashion, and may be missing most of its solar array. So it may not even have power, any longer. We shall see. And yet, we shall keep a good thought.

Realistically, in any event — come January 16, it is not likely that it will be able to reply to our contact-attempts. Here’s that, as we had mentioned a few times over the holidays:

…Mars solar conjunction – a period when Mars and Earth are on opposite sides of the Sun – begins Monday, Dec. 29, and NASA will not have contact with any Mars missions until Friday, Jan. 16. Once the solar conjunction window is over, NASA plans to resume its efforts to reestablish communications with MAVEN….

Onward, resolutely, just the same. Smile — it was a great and long mission (wildly exceeding expectations) to be certain.

नमस्ते

And Now, Some Good News On The Sustainable Energy Front — From Italy!

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Being able to store the easy, cheap electricity (generated during midday) — at the hundreds of megawatt/hours scale — for later evening use, has been a substantial hurdle to widespread suburban utility / municipal scale solar deployment.

And just perhaps, it now seems that a Milan Italy company may have solved the conundrum. It does so by simply storing that electricity in a huge bladder of compressed carbon dioxide, which then powers turbines in the evenings, to generate electricity. Here’s the latest:

…[A] Milan-based company called Energy Dome has come up with an intriguing approach that stores energy in enormous domes that are filled with compressed carbon dioxide gas.

The idea behind the “CO2 battery” is simple. By compressing the gas using excess green power, it can later be depressurized to spin large turbines. A fully charged facility can store a formidable 200 megawatt-hours of electricity — enough to power around 6,000 homes for a full day.

To charge, the battery uses a thermal-energy storage system to cool the CO2 down to ambient pressure, and a condenser turns it into a liquid over a span of ten hours. To discharge it, the CO2 is evaporated and heated to power the turbine….

Energy Dome is currently working on a pilot CO2 battery built on five hectares of flat land in Sardinia, Italy….

Now you know. And this reads directly as a means to deflate Elon Musk’s Rare Earth minerals domination dreams. What’s not to like?! Onward, grinning!

नमस्ते

Not Looking Very Promising For MAVEN… As Solar Conjunction Looms.

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The Maven team’s efforts continue, but the likelihood of a positive outcome continues to dwindle, tonight.

There will be no recovery efforts possible between December 29 to January 16, as Earth and Mars are blinded to each other, when on opposite sides of the Sun. Here’s that:

…As part of [the reconnection] effort, on Dec. 16 and 20, NASA’s Curiosity team used the rover’s Mastcam instrument in an attempt to image MAVEN’s reference orbit, but MAVEN was not detected. Additional analysis will continue, but planned monitoring will be affected by the upcoming solar conjunction.

Mars solar conjunction — a period when Mars and Earth are on opposite sides of the Sun — begins Monday, Dec. 29, and NASA will not have contact with any Mars missions until Friday, Jan. 16. Once the solar conjunction window is over, NASA plans to resume its efforts to reestablish communications with MAVEN….

Here’s to hoping, on Christmas night. Onward.

नमस्ते