[U: Graphics] Maybe Mpox Should Be Called… Squirrel-Pox…?

In the early stages of any viral vector outbreak, misinformation tends to spread. So too, here.

Read the latest, on what should probably be called squirrel-pox:

Sequencing the genome of mpox viruses taken from the infected [monkeys] revealed the circulating strain was nearly identical to one isolated from a small rodent found dead three months earlier, a fire-footed rope squirrel.

The team then moved on to examining monkey droppings they had collected in the months leading up to the outbreak (the surveillance in Taï National Park is truly thorough). In one sample collected eight weeks before the outbreak, they found the DNA of the virus, alongside DNA from a fire-footed rope squirrel….

That’s… all but definitive. Fire-footed squirrels, indeed. And perhaps we should stop maligning monkeys.

Onward.

Paul Mirengoff Is More Upset About A Skier Pissing A Protest In The Snow, Than Three Innocents Shot In The Street — Two Of Them… Dead, By ICE. Damn.

Of course, this semi-religious / fanatical burping from Paul is because the Sports pages are changing at the WaPo.

What is particularly disgusting to me, here, is not so much his lack of any real worlders’ perspective — but his need to control how he receives his sports updates — after two are murdered in cold blood in Minneapolis by ICE agents — run amok.

The man is… shameless — and, it would seem — entirely unaware of how vapidly evil he sounds, here.

And actually — he doesn’t just sound evil… he is evil — in the most banal of ways.

Me? I say… yes — use your piss breaks, to write “F#ck ICE!” in the snow at Milano Cortina all you like, guys. That is… poetic, in the white Alpine snow.

Suck it Paul.

Bill Otis Clearly Isn’t Following The FDA And CDC Changes. Damn.

Otis this evening tries vainly to poke fun at the notion that Tangerine 2.0’s chaos is causing excess deaths (he means mostly by dropping environmental protection standards, of course).

But one cannot remotely hope to “ridicule” that notion, if one cannot account for the excess measles and -pox and AIDS death rates we are now witnessing.

Bill cannot so account.

And Trump’s RFK, Jr. — and Dr. Oz — are the primary causes of all of this.

And yes, Bill — they are Trump’s boys.

So do take a seat — until you’ve done some reading — of the peer reviewed, and real bio-science journals.

Especially ones on public health and epidemic abatement efforts (as contrasted from today’s Luddite non-approaches). Oh. And the FDA refusal to review the newest Moderna vaccine candidate, altogether. Damn.

Out.

This Is A Cause For Renewed Concern: “Recombinant” Mpox Strains — In The Wild, Now — UK, And India In 2026

As ever… the clearest learning from the theory of evolution is… that it seeks, inexorably, a “survivable” advantage — for both a virus, and a host.

So too with viral agents. Here’s the latest — from the UN health authorities:

…WHO confirmed that two cases of the recombinant strain – combining genomic elements of clades Ib and IIb of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) — have been identified to date: one in the United Kingdom and one in India. Both patients had recent travel histories, and neither experienced severe illness.

No secondary cases were detected following contact tracing….

[This is a biological] process that can occur when two related viruses infect the same person and exchange genetic material, producing a new variant….

According to WHO, detailed genomic analysis shows the two individuals “fell ill several weeks apart with the same recombinant strain,” suggesting that additional undetected cases may exist….

This is a time for exceedingly careful vigilance inside these two countries — and most of Africa. Onward, to a highly regarded Roald Dahl children’s musical play in the Loop… smile.

नमस्ते

In Which Bill Glahn Thinks Constitutional Rights Are Limited By How Many Judges Are… Employed?!?

It is now crystal clear that Bill’s high school education was lacking. Somehow he’s convinced himself that whatever Trump‘s budget might be… is the limit of what all our / someone’s constitutional rights might require.

See — how this works Bill, is the Constitution is not just a “suggestion”.

In other words, your “math” is not “relentless” — but our founding documents… are.

The requirement that no arrest occur except for upon a warrant before a judicial officer, supported by probable cause… all appears directly in the Fourth Amendment. And it says persons not just citizens.

It does not matter — at all — that Trump has failed to hire enough judges to execute his supposed “policy” of removing any and all people he alone deems to not to have the proper paperwork.

If that truly was his policy, clear long standing black letter federal law requires that he hire hundreds and hundreds of federal judges.

But let’s be honest Bill, that was never his policy. His only policy is shamelessly racist… cruelty.

And your utterly childish belief that somehow not having enough money to fund these judges, means that the right goes away… speaks much more to your lack of education — than anything else.

Hey Bill — the next time the government seizes your property… I will just tell you that “we really can’t afford to hire a judge” to hear your case — so just suck it up — and move to Russia.

What an idiot.

NASA Crew-12 Live ISS Docking Complete… εpsilon Gets Underway In Earnest.

Well, Sophie’s εpsilon feed is now fully live at the ISS. Here is the live feed — inline, from YouTube:

…NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission launched at 5:15 a.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 13, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev to the orbiting laboratory is targeted to dock at 3:12 p.m. on Saturday. Live mission coverage begins at 1:15 p.m….

The εpsilon mission name embodies the essence of small, yet impactful, contributions.

In mathematics, ε denotes a small quantity, much like an astronaut’s role in the vastness of spaceflight.

In astronomy, it represents the fifth-brightest star in a constellation….

This will disappear once the live stream has ended — around 7 pm Eastern this evening.

नमस्ते

Scott Johnson Fails To Mention That These ICE Agents Will Be Charged With… Perjury, Minimum. Damn.

This morning, Scott wants to make this all a “horse race” — of who is handing up the most felony indictments (out of ICE’s rampant lawlessness in Minneapolis).

What he wholly-fails to mention… is that these ICE agents were lying under oath, when they offered false accounts of shooting a Venezuelan man in the street, last month. The man lived.

These officers may yet see jail — see they were not exercising their First Amendment rights — they had sworn an oath to uphold the law, including telling the truth under oath, in judicial proceedings.

Until feckless assholes — like Scott Johnson — accurately report this deplorable set of ICE agent lawlessness… I will keep posting about what a malignant pack of losers he, and Hinderaker and Mirengoff are. Bank on it.

O U T.

The Right To Peaceably Dissent Is Under Attack, By Noem, Et Al…

These are strange times, indeed.

And yet and still — the Fourth Amendment continues to apply to all goofy administrative subpoenas — like these. There is simply nothing unlawful about opposing — by peacefully speaking out — against lawless ICE activity. Thus, there can be no probable cause — for any such subpoena.

So… I have proactively made it very clear in a written notice to each of these companies listed below, that should they receive a subpoena of any kind, for any part of my details, I am insisting on my right to be notified at least 14 days in advance (in writing) before any such company complies with these lawless searches.

Here is the latest on the broader narrative, from the Gray Lady:

…In recent months, Google, Reddit, Discord and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, have received hundreds of administrative subpoenas from the Department of Homeland Security, according to four government officials and tech employees privy to the requests. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Google, Meta and Reddit complied with some of the requests, the government officials said. In the subpoenas, the department asked the companies for identifying details of accounts that do not have a real person’s name attached and that have criticized ICE or pointed to the locations of ICE agents. The New York Times saw two subpoenas that were sent to Meta over the last six months.

The tech companies, which can choose whether or not to provide the information, have said they review government requests before complying. Some of the companies notified the people whom the government had requested data on and gave them 10 to 14 days to fight the subpoena in court….

To be clear, nothing about this frightens me. I stand ready to fully vindicate my rights (and seek large damages awards, from Noem) in federal court wherever and whenever needed. Bank on that.

[And here’s to wishing St. Valentine’s passion (and luck) — to all the US bobsled and luge team members!]

नमस्ते

Really?!

Hinderaker overnight touted a moronic whyte guy who apparently… cannot read for comprehension, as a “top flight” legal mind.

Uh-huh.

No John, if the Supremes (improbably) invalidate birthright citizenship… all it will mean is that our democracy has been captured by fascists.

Nothing else. But like tariffs, this nonsense will be invalidated as well…

Bank on it — and please do take a seat, John — let the adult handle this.

Out.

Either Next Friday — Or The Following Tuesday or Wednesday — We Will Get The Tariffs Invalidation Opinion, From the Supremes [Likely 6-3]…

The Supremes today added three opinion days to the calendar.

The first of those is next Friday, February 20, 2026.

I’m betting that will be the tariffs invalidation opinion — but we shall see.

The Court may announce opinions on Friday, February 20, Tuesday, February 24, and Wednesday, February 25.

Opinions will be posted on the homepage after announcement from the Bench….

Onward, grinning… to watch some bobsledding… and eat some bon-bons.

नमस्ते