A Nice Sunday Dividend, From COVID Testing — We Now Can Isolate What A Contagious TB Patient’s Results Look Like: UK Bio-Science!

TB remains the most lethal killer — as bacteria go — world-wide (close to two million cases; over one million deaths, per year). This is largely due to people (almost always unaware that they harbor the bacteria, and are contagious) coughing on or otherwise leaving behind “deposits” on other humans — or surfaces touched by them. So, it is a vast burden disease — one that might greatly be reduced, with a cheap, fast, in-field diagnostic test.

Since we learned so much from COVID-19 swab-testing, it makes sense to isolate the “signature” proteins thought unique to TB, and swab for them. TB spreads through inhaling tiny droplets from coughs or sneezes of infected people — and, while it mostly affects the lungs, it can devastate any part of the body… so, at the UK’s Univ. of Southampton, Dr. Diana Garay-Baquero (in a collab with the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and Cayetano Heredia University in Lima, Peru) have done… just that. Here’s the latest:

…Academics leading the investigation studied proteins found in the blood of people with active TB in Africa and South America.

They compared the biomarkers to those found in healthy people and patients with lung infections, identifying 118 proteins that differed significantly between the groups.

The experts then narrowed these down to the six proteins that, they said, can be used to distinguish contagious patients with TB from people in good health or with lung conditions.

The findings are a roadmap to developing a TB test that is as simple as the lateral flows used during Covid, said study co-director Dr. Diana Garay-Baquero, also from Southampton….

The WHO, and Doctors Without Borders — as well as US, UK and EU government funders should get behind making these test kits en mass, at very very low end-user prices/costs. They could save over 1.5 million people a year, on a global basis.

Onward, smiling — my brackets improved (top one-eighth of one percent, out of 2.5 million entries), due to Marquette’s win — even as I am a lil’ sad that the Buffs went out. They played very well — just not enough. Marquette looks like a Final Four team now.

नमस्ते

TANGENT: Some Insipid Advice On CRISPR Investing — Saturday Morning Fodder

At the head, do note that the mentioned Tangerine era executive order (rescinded in 2021) required the cutting of two regulations for each new proposed regulation, at the federal level. [I’ve run across some dumb investment letter come-ons in the last few years, but this is very nearly the dumbest.]

Moreover, the mentioned EO wasn’t directed at medical policies, at all — let alone CRISPR, specifically. So to claim that Tangerine “paved the way for CRISPR” as this loon does — via an irrelevant EO… is willfully stupid.

But the guy who wrote the below claims Mr. Biden’s ending of that order. . . “has endangered CRISPR”. Riiiight. Who are these nutjobs?!

…While the CRISPR technology holds promise for curing numerous genetic diseases, a political twist has arisen. President Biden’s repeal of this executive order raises questions about the future of this groundbreaking field….

That nonsense was written by Simmy Adelman at Next Door Billionaires, D/B/A Polaris Advertising, 124 Broadkill Rd 4, Milton, DE 19968. [According to Google Maps, this address is inside, or alongside, an auto body repair shop. Yeeesh.]

And so, my advice? Do not trust your money with this charlatan. Now onward, grinning….

नमस्ते

Perhaps Immodestly — I Might Crow That I Am For The Moment In The Top 1/3 of One Percent…

About 1.5 million entries were placed at CBS Sports, for the March Madness Bracket competition. I have 27 18 correct picks at the moment.

At least until later tomorrow, I am now sitting at about the 5,200th place (with thousands of ties in front of me).

Even so, the best I’ve ever been in 15 prior years… has been around 52,000th place.

But at 5,200 — I am in 0.003 territory, the top one third of one percent.

At least for now. This is largely due to calling the Colorado v. Marquette meeting, for Sunday. People rarely pick “first four” play in teams to make it past Friday night.

And to be fair, I expect the Buffs will not get past Marquette.

Onward, but after I correctly predicted Yale would beat Auburn… there is no chance Mr. Obama will catch me. Not this year. Though he holds a 11-4 advantage overall on me.

WTAH, John Hinderaker?!? “Slavery Was… Regrettable, But… A Positive Good”?!?

I just post this — to remind that Hinderaker’s “moral equivalence” meter… is utterly… broken.

Here’s the quote (admittedly, in the context of abortion rights):

“…Abortion (much like slavery over the course of the 19th century) went from being a regrettable but sometimes unavoidable evil to being a positive good — indeed, these days, the noblest good to which political life can aspire….

What in the Sam Hill sh!t does he mean?!

If it’s his old trope about 19th Century Democrats having been pro-slavery — that has zero to do with 21st Century thinking. [And supporting a woman’s right to decide about her own body… is sort of the opposite of being pro-slavery, John — in any event.]

But honestly… I don’t think he means that.

I think he means to approve of the notion that slavery built large parts of this nation — and he’s absolutely fine with taking all those benefits… ones he and his ancestors steadfastly feel.. should never be subject to even a discussion about… subsequent compensation, now that thinking has… evolved.

What a befuddled, bitter old coot.

Damn.

Out.

Remember The Saying “Everything Trump Touches, Dies”?! Aileen Cannon Edition.

I won’t overstate this, but this well-sourced story — of how Aileen Cannon has devolved, from an empowering mentor, to a micromanaging “screamer” — one who requires her clerks to work weekends and holidays, but doesn’t come in three-fourths of those days… expecting 80- to 100-hour weeks, and driving at least two clerks to depart early… is the stuff of… legends.

I trust that the substack author is actually talking to various clerks, of Cannon. And it cannot be denied that she’s seemed well out of her depth, on almost all Trump top secret documents / theft related matters.

We will hear more, almost certainly — but the substack author is right about this (do go read all of his):

Remember the saying, “Everything Trump touches dies”? Add Judge Aileen M. Cannon to the long list of people who have come into contact with Donald J. Trump and whose reputations — and lives — will never be the same….

Onward.

Welp — This Is Why We Love… March Madness! Unless Marquette ALSO Flames Out In Round One, I’ll Best Mr. Obama This Year…

It may be just a little early to call it, but he had Kentucky in the National Championship Final Game, losing only to UConn — and I have Marquette doing the same (losing only to UConn).

But in stunning fashion, Kentucky had no answer for the lights out shooting of an undersized, unrecruited guard (who just buried 10 three pointers!) — a kid who was playing Division II last season.

And so, intrepid Oakland advances, and Kentucky’s storied coach may be… dumped over the summer. A legend. . . at an end?

Where was I? Oh. Right.

Unless Marquette suffers a very early exit, the math says Mr. Obama cannot catch me.

But we shall see.

Onward — Go Buffs — Go Marquette!

नमस्ते

Mirengoff Seems To Agree: Murthy Plaintiffs Don’t Have Standing. End Of Doughty’s Lunacy.

In speaking about the Supremes’ arguments this past week, and the silly “must carry” suit — Paul is right about this: “…it might be better for free speech (at least temporarily) if the Court decides plaintiffs lack standing, and leaves the matter there….”

But all the rest he writes… is singularly uninformed.

He claims that the reason the social media sites ought to be forced into a “must carry” role… is that no one knew much about the pandemic in the early days, and that the government could not be trusted.

D A M N.

So his answer is that Jim Bakker MUST be allowed to sell what might be lethal doses of silver-infused beverages, at $179.00 a 12-pack — while making drug like therapy claims — having never conducted a study, nor even filed with (let alone won approval from) the FDA?

And that’s before we point out that CDC actually did know a quite lot about COVID-19, as a result of the Avian flu priors in Asia. Science is about… facts. And pandemic bio-science is about… saving lives, in a perhaps conservative fashion. But Paul (and Scott) think “muh rights” mean they can lie — with lethal consequences for perhaps a million mostly elderly low income people in the US who got COVID, and died from it (as at least a contributing cause of death).

And even after ALL that, there should never be a REQUIREMENT that private organs (like the NYT!) must hand megaphones to malign idiots like Bakker, free of charge, to sell lethal fake “remedies”. That’s been the law, since Ron Reagan’s first term — 1984.

Paul, like Scott, seems to think O.W. Holmes was wrong (as is 100 years of precedent, since) in Schenck (1919) — not only should there be a right to yell “Fire!” falsely — in a crowded theater (at page at page 249), but Twitter and Facebook must hand the shouting loons… a free megaphone. In sum, they are required to lose advertisers — due to carrying lies and hate speech, as well?! C’mon, Paul. Wake up.

Who are these guys? How did they ever get out of law school?

Out.

Kyle Rittenhouse: Racist Snowflake.

At the University of Memphis, when asked a few pointed questions by primarily students of color… he got flustered and stormed off the stage.

He chose to schedule a “Turning Points USA” sponsored talk — at what amounts to a HBCU.

When faced with the facts around Charlie Kirk’s public statements about purported racial inferiority, in questions he said he wanted to talk about…

He took his support dog and abruptly exited stage left.

H I L A R I O U S.

Seems when he’s not punching a 95 pound teenage girl in the face, repeatedly, with closed fists, in his flag motif crocs, at sunset, in a school parking lot (or, without an AR-15, and firing at unarmed people who are running away from him)… he’s not so… courageous, after all.

Unsurprisingly, Charlie Kirk is too much of a coward to show up — on a tour he organized for Kyle.

Y A W N.

So it ends… with a whimper.

Out.

[U] The Government Of Mexico Makes It Plain, Tonight: Gov. Abbott Is Violating International Treaties, And Provoking A Diplomatic Incident — With SB 4…

Update — Scott offers a stupidly misleading post, in a supposed counter-point to the events surrounding SB 4 confusion. His whining about… nothing, speaks for itself — if Texas would obey federal law, and let CPB handle this, there would be no Texas state guard present to have their precious fee-fees hurt. End updated portion.

This is beyond ridiculous — that the government of Mexico itself, has been forced to enter a federal appellate courthouse in Cincy, to tell the US Judges that they are failing to apply their own laws (long settled), in a clear attempt to demonize people for their mere “Latino appearances“.

In addition, as the legacy graphic makes plain — this all may lead to Texas’s goods being “embargoed” by Mexico — by far its largest trading partner, outside the States. Damn. Do read it all — here it is — and a bit:

…The Government of the United Mexican States (“Mexico”) herein expresses its significant concerns over Texas Senate Bill 4 from the 2023 legislative session (“SB 4”) and underscores the importance of affirming the preliminary injunction entered by the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. Mexico’s interest arises from ensuring that its citizens are accorded human and civil rights when present in the United States of America (“U.S.” or “United States”) and that their ethnicity is not used as a basis for state-sanctioned acts of bias. Mexico is deeply concerned that SB 4 will be applied in a discriminatory manner and fears that its enforcement will lead to improper harassment, detention, removal, and criminalization of Mexican citizens and individuals of Latino appearance.

Moreover, if SB 4 is permitted to take effect, Texas would become a “show me your papers” state, unconstitutionally restricting freedom and diminishing the civil and constitutional rights and dignity of Latinos who live in and visit Texas….

The U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized that state encroachment into immigration enforcement could be injurious to U.S. foreign policy. Beginning with Chy Lung v. Freeman, 92 U.S. 275 (1875), the U.S. Supreme Court expressed concern that a California immigration law could “embroil us in disastrous quarrels with other nations.” Id. at 280. In response to this possibility, the Court held the law unconstitutional and reasoned that the founders would never have “done so foolish a thing as to leave [immigration] in the power of the States to pass laws whose enforcement renders the general government liable to just reclamations which it must answer, while it does not prohibit to the States the acts for which it is held responsible?” Id. The Court recognized that any diplomatic tensions created by one state’s immigration laws could accrue to the detriment of the entire United States, and thus emphasized the importance of speaking with one voice on immigration law. More recently, the U.S. Supreme Court reiterated the importance of the United States speaking with one voice on immigration in Arizona v. U.S., 567 U.S. 387 (2012), which invalidated many provisions of an Arizona immigration law like SB 4. Id. at 416.

The U.S. Supreme Court provided the most definitive statement yet on this principle, declaring that “[i]t is fundamental that foreign countries concerned about the status, safety, and security of their nationals in the United States must be able to confer and communicate on this subject with one national sovereign, not the 50 separate States.” Id. at 395. The Supreme Court added that “[i]mmigration policy can affect trade, investment, tourism, and diplomatic relations for the entire Nation, as well as the perceptions and expectations of aliens in this country who seek the full protection of its laws,” id. (citing Brief for United Mexican States as Amici Curiae), and held that “[t]he dynamic nature of relations with other countries requires the Executive Branch to ensure that enforcement policies are consistent with this Nation’s foreign policy with respect to these and other realities.” Id. at 397.

The law is beyond clear that foreign nations must be able to confer with “one national sovereign, not the 50 separate States,” regarding the safety and security of their nationals. Ariz., 567 U.S. at 395. SB 4 wholly eviscerates this one-voice principle by requiring Mexico to engage with not only the U.S. government, but also several levels of state and local law enforcement in Texas to address individual apprehensions, detentions, and removals pursuant to SB 4… [Ed. note: the Arizona graphic is from 2010-12 and the case the Supremes decided back then, invalidating a similar measure — we covered it, in 2010.]

If an officer in Texas detains or removes a Mexican national with an uncommon immigration status and creates an international incident the federal government will be powerless to take action to allay Mexico’s legitimate concerns….

This is simply… lunacy. Unreal… what these jokers in Texas (chiefly, Gov. Abbott, and AG Ken Paxton) are doing, day by sad day. Onward, just the same.

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