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Eight New Cases In The Current Guinea Marburg Outbreak — Concerns For A Wider Outbreak, Across Geopolitical Borders, Now: WHO

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We mentioned that the current outbreak in Tanzania — and the one in Equatorial Guinea (which is likely the origin point for the Tanzanian cases), while smallish in overall numbers of confirmed cases, health workers are continuing to turn up new pockets of illness — which would suggest there may be many more who’ve not yet been reported, or have even died, undetected — across a considerably wider geographical area.

So much so, that one of the WHO’s current goals in aggressive testing is to see if the confirmed cases may be contained in two countries: Tanzania, and Guinea — but not Cameroon. The best case, then, would be that they are all from the same Marburg’s strain. That at least would help to set a lower limit, on the likely effectiveness of the coming vaccine candidates. Here is the latest, from the Seattle Times:

…Equatorial Guinea has confirmed another eight cases of the “highly virulent” Marburg virus, a deadly hemorrhagic fever with no authorized vaccine or treatment.

There are two known current outbreaks of Marburg on the African continent. Tanzania this week announced eight cases of Marburg, including five deaths. One of the people killed was a health worker….

“Our pathogen genomics team will sequence samples from both places. . . and see if there is a relationship between the current two outbreaks,” the acting director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ahmed Ogwell, told journalists on Thursday. He said results should be known within the week.

The new cases in Equatorial Guinea were found in the provinces of Kie Ntem, Litoral and Centro Sur, all with borders with Cameroon and Gabon….

“The areas reporting cases are about 150 kilometers (93 miles) apart, suggesting wider transmission of the virus,” the United Nations agency said….

Now you know — but this is disconcerting news, to be certain. Onward, on a gray Sweet Sixteen-NCAA tourney (and possible indictment!?!) day… grinning, just the same.

नमस्ते

Sometimes… It Is All Plain As The Hair On One’s Head — If One REALLY… Looks.

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Well — I think I had mentioned this before — as conjecture — but now as nearly fact.

I cannot find that earlier post or aside though — so I will use the graphic about the last time we mentioned him, in the concert for a Free Ukraine. So, do bear with me, here (and see the YouTube at bottom).

For at least 100 years, give or take, in various portions of the US African American community, there has been persistent talk of the probability that Ludwig Van Beethoven’s mother may have had a lover of African descent. An extramarital liaison may have created the man we know as Beethoven the composer.

Moreover, the story repeatedly told (and disputed by supposed “scholars“) held that marble busts subsequently made of him, as well as paintings — all from artists’ “memories” — not actual live sessions — were subsequently more or less “white-washed” to hide this fact. There were also persistent stories that suggested his existing hair samples showed some distinctly… African characteristics, on visual inspection. [And it turns out the ones that clearly… do not… are inauthentic, based on real DNA analysis — likely coming from an Ashkenazi woman of about the same vintage — but not Beethoven himself.]

Many “serious” (whyte) scholars scoffed at this entire notion.

But now, with five separate authentic samples of the hair of Beethoven, and a less patrician (more open minded) and yet rigorous research on the actual DNA in the hair samples… we can confirm that an “admixture event” occurred, with his maternal side.

That is, it is likely that Beethoven’s two brothers were, in fact… only half brothers.

To be clear, due to the degradation of the five clearly authentic samples, and the lack of consistent German naming conventions of family-lines, prior to Beethoven’s day… it is not definitively possible to discern too, too much about the precise identity, genetic or surname or locality-based, of this likely affair partner.

But it is doubtless true that either a generation or two before Beethoven, or one or two after. . . there was a non-related male in the line. Non-related to any other “Beethoven”.

So — at least one-half of the long told story now seems far more probable: he was of a markedly different DNA makeup, than his other “brothers”, all birthed by his mother.

Is it really that hard to believe then, that this “true father” (or less likely but still possible, grandfather) of Beethoven might have been an African man, a man essentially without an assigned German surname, at least in “polite” German society at the time?

I, for one, am ready to accept the high probability that the Black community, world-wide, has been right after all, and that he may properly… be claimed by them. Not definitive, yet — but probable.

And as more and more millions around the globe are fully sequenced by 23andMe and others, we may only be a few more years from identifying — at least by village / region, in Africa… from whence his true biological father hailed.

And that is gratifying — to me, at least.

An excellent treat… and printed on my Sol-day, to boot! नमस्ते.

Parker’s 15th High Velocity, Close Solar Dip Went… Flawlessly, On St. Patrick’s 2023!

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The small instrument pointing glitch we mentioned back in mid-February was all solved (as expected)… and the plunge into the outer heliosphere went off, five by five — perfectly.

As the Sun was optimally aligned with Earth on this pass, much “matching data” was collected here on EArth, which creates a richer context for the close up observations Parker in now beaming back, over several days. Primarily data on deeper solar winds, and flare data — stuff that when moving over a third of a million miles an hour, and so close. . . Parker cannot accurately plumb. Here’s the latest — from the NASA | “Johns Hopkins Applied” Parker blog:

…NASA’s Parker Solar Probe completed its 15th close approach to the Sun on March 17, coming within 5.3 million miles of the scorching solar surface. The geometry of Parker’s latest orbit also placed it in direct view of Earth and several other Sun-observing spacecraft during its close encounter, providing unique scientific opportunities for collaborative observations from the ground and space….

Because Earth was in a prime position to view Parker’s latest encounter, the science community initiated a ground-based observation campaign. More than 40 observatories in the United States, Europe, and Asia trained their visible, infrared, and radio telescopes on the Sun for several weeks around Parker’s encounter.

This was a rare opportunity, as Earth can only view an entire Parker encounter once every three to four orbits. These powerful observatories were not able to see Parker itself — the van-sized spacecraft is far too small for visible detection — but they offered from a distance additional information about the solar sources of phenomena that the probe is observing up close….

During the perihelion, the spacecraft traveled at 364,619 miles per hour, fast enough to fly from New York to Tokyo in just over a minute….

And… this marks another lap around old Sol for me too… grinning and getting delicious tacos in the rain, later. Heh — be excellent to one another.

नमस्ते

Tanzania’s Five Latest Deaths Are Confirmed As… Marburg’s — Not Ebola.

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As we mentioned might be the case, over the weekend — and as we earlier guessed in the border crossing cases from Uganda to Guinea and Cameroon — this is a Marburg’s, not Ebola outbreak. So (as a tiny silver lining) there may be an opportunity to advance the vaccine candidates, specifically for Marburg here. We shall see. Still very disconcerting news.

Here are the details from the Seattle Times, this afternoon:

…Tanzania’s health ministry on Tuesday confirmed that five people have died and three others are being treated for the Ebola-like Marburg disease.

Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said the cases were identified in the western region of Kagera and the government had managed to control its spread to other regions.

Like Ebola, the Marburg virus originates in bats and spreads between people via close contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, or surfaces, like contaminated bed sheets. Without treatment, Marburg can be fatal in up to 88% of people.

Marburg outbreaks and individual cases have in the past been recorded in Angola, Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Ghana, according to the World Health Organization….

This will now be another drain on the funding at WHO — and likely mean that more logistical and financial support will be needed, from the wealthier nations. Onward, resolutely.

नमस्ते

A Whyte Notre Dame Prof. Wants To Tell Us (Counter-Factually!) “How Little” America Had To Do With Slavery, At Its Founding. Damn.

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I get it.

He lives in an ivory tower.

He breathes only air infused with the scent of centuries old vellum and parchment.

But in an essay, he seeks to minimize the way slavery was absolutely a core embedded principle in the nation’s founding documents. He does this by nowhere stating the obvious — the obvious truth, that those of us long departed from college campuses know in our bones: the United States, at its founding, expressly denied the humanity of people of color.

It — by force of law — as well as the crack of a whip, made them non-human. Devoid of human rights. There was no need to say anything else. They were non-entities. [Forget the 3/5ths clause — that was to help the south with additional WHITE, LANDED voting power — the majority’s voting power, not to enshine humanity on what the nation regarded as chattels.]

All of this leads the prof. (whose name I won’t mention in text, as it is linked — he also teaches at Arizona State University, part time) to glibly write, as his conclusion:

…At the same time, all it took to free the Constitution from its entanglement with slavery was the application of the legitimacy principles expressed in the Declaration of Independence to the states….

“All it took?!”

All… it took?

That is not just academic nonsense — that is outright denying what turns out to be more than another century of lynchings, oppression of voting and employment and inheritance and marriage rights. And insults great — and some… slight.

Like this one he offers, from a purportedly Catholic university’s perch.

In today’s dollars, that omission of all people of color’s humanity… allowed the United States to sell what were hundreds of trillions of dollars of cotton, sugar and even rum — to the rest of the world (and trade the same for every modern thing we now enjoy) — to build a vast roads and railways and waterways system — to endow “high-minded” universities (like Notre Dame and ASU!), to raise up great gleaming cities and bring the nation’s vast natural resource wealth into an undeniably whyte-dominated world market.

In sum, we are the richest nation on Earth due to four centuries of forced free labor (protected by our then founding papers) from the millions and millions of dead humans of color. The fields of the south literally are rich black Earth — from their blood and decayed bones. We willfully killed them — as certain as if we had hung every one of these humans — solely for the “offense” of breathing.

So, “professor” — sometimes, not directly mentioning something at all (i.e., the humanity of all humans) — is the loudest howl in the room… and it echoes… for more than four centuries.

And so… just shut it, man. Damn. Retire fully already, man.

So… Stauffer — Having Heard NONE Of The Grand Jury Evidence… Says What “Justice” REQUIRES?!

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Okay.

This is just so very… precious.

Ole’ Costello is making the rounds, telling his tales about Cohen — on TV. Fair enough. That’s a “free country” kinda’ thing. [I assume he is disclosing no privilege material (he chose to represent Cohen at one point), so he too has duties.]

But this leads the dolt (and irrepressible Trump shill) Betsy Stauffer to proclaim Trump “innocent”, and pontificate that Lady Justice demands the grand jury dismiss the charges. [Because grand jury evidence is secret — she cannot have seen any of what they were shown.]

Just one passel of problems, there Bitsy (based on what has surfaced in MSM reporting, and verified by multiple sources): there’s a cashed $150,000 check, from Trump’s campaign — signed by him — payable, and paid — to Stormy Daniels. There’s Stormy’s testimony about how she earned that money. There’s an NDA, signed and delivered (also in violation of law). There’s testimony of witnesses who repeatedly heard Trump lie about it. There is the video, on Air Force One, by MSM stringers — of Trump lying about it, after/during a press gaggle.

Yeh.

Whether you think lying about paying hush money for bought and paid for sex is a problem — the using of campaign funds to do so, without alerting the FEC… is a felony (after Edwards).

So geez, Ms. Stauffer — do sit down, and least wait until the indictment is unsealed, and we see whether campaign finance felonies are included… before telling us what is “justice“. [This is NOT Bill Clinton and the Lewinsky cigar. Not at all.]

This is not even Edwards, who ultimately admitted it, and lost his law license.

This is the then-sitting preznit — lying about it — to this day.

And having used public election campaign money to pay bribes. Even if the bagman — Cohen — is a churlish cad… the other (available) evidence is… overwhelming here (since she feels compelled to comment — I feel free to do so, based on what I’ve seen with my own eyes).

In any event (and perhaps of the greatest moment)… this is only the first of likely six or so more felony charges — to come.

Cheers, Bitsy.

Paul Mirengoff Intentionally Mistakes “Being Populist”… For The Truth: Trampling The Constitution — DeSantis Edition.

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As it is increasingly clear that Trump will — after indictment — end up running a third party campaign outside the GOP… and thus, by default, make DeSantis the front runner, not surprisingly, Paul Mirengoff turns to defending DeSantis. Charming.

[I think the regular GOP would be smarter to run Nikki Haley, as their “reform” candidate… but either way, if Trump makes a third party run… no GOP candidate will win. It will be a Democratic White House in 2024, no matter who the Democratic Party ends up nominating.]

So — to the “merits” — such as they are, in Paul’s. Paul tries to say that left leaning voices are smearing DeSantis by calling him “divisive”. That is ironic, because “the divisive” label is probably underselling the argument.

Mirengoff studiously avoids mentioning the “Don’t Say Gay” campaign run by DeSantis’ FL GOP, and steers clear of the FACT that DeSantis is actively limiting what teachers may teach, and which books students may read in Florida public schools… down from 1.2 million, in the early 2000s, to only about 6,300 — now approved for school library shelves, under DeSantis’ book burning commissions.

So — the well-educated, Constitution understanding analytical-thinking people of America, in any general election nation-wide, will see DeSantis as a… dictator. Not just divisive, but opposed to the pluralism embedded in the Bill of Rights.

The US Supreme Court has legalized gay marriage and outlawed discrimination in businesses’ hiring based on homosexuality as an affront to the Bill of Rights, and the Fourteenth Amendment. It has long held that the state may not lawfully ban reading materials that do not advocate sedition.

[Oh. And, as imaged at right — he (with TX Gov. Abbott’s active help) kidnapped people with federal court dates, and drove or flew them thousands of miles from their hearings — interfering with federal law enforcement, and left them penniless at Christmas-time, in the New England’s winter snow. Most thus were prevented from attending their federal court dates. That is a straight up, separate FELONY violation of 8 USC § 1103, et seq. — by DeSantis personally, acting under color of law. The chief law enforcement agent of Florida. Damn. That too will be… disqualifying… on a national stage.]

But these are the Florida governor’s openly articulated goals. Unlawful goals. And, in some cases — completed lawless actions.

All of which offend our shared notions of a system of ordered liberty. That is… he’s a latter-day brownshirt.

Not just being… “divisive“.

[In any event, that Unconstitutional playbook — which works marginally well, in backwater, panhandle fifth grade educated Florida… erh, won’t — in a nationwide general election.]

So… cheers, moron.

[U: Scott, Too, Now. YAWN.] Hinderaker Is Apoplectic — Trying To AVOID Talking Trump’s Looming Indictment…

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Look, whether he gets perp-walked tomorrow or not for several days… doesn’t much matter.

It will be the former leader of the “thousand points of light” GOP getting fingerprinted.

And no matter whether Hinderaker posts a mere dozen, or a thousand… lame distraction rants, Trump will remain the first former Commander in Chief to be indicted on felony charges.

Updated, on 03.21.23 AM — John posted another distractor. And now, Scott Johnson joins the distraction barrage, this morning — here. YAWN… and later, here.

Hilarious. End update.

Johnson, Hayward, Stauffer and Hinderaker must simply admit it: that now immensely hypocritical GOP “family values” brand… is dead.

Saint Ronnie, and Poppy Bush wouldn’t recognize any of these crooks (DeSantis included), as any form of US politician — let alone any Republican worthy to be a… dog catcher.

Hilarious!

Trump Tries To Force Grand Jurors… To Testify In His Civil Trial By Subpoena. NOT A CHANCE!

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This is on the bank fraud cases in civil NY state court, but the same will apply to his indictment by a grand jury, as early as tomorrow. See immediately prior post.

The level of… malevolent ignorance of US and NY criminal law and procedure on display in Tangerine’s legal team, daily now… is nothing short of breath-taking.

His lawyers are trying to subpoena grand jury members.

That will never happen — if for no other reason, than their own personal safety.

And about two centuries of black letter criminal law. So the NY AG says so, here:

…It is a foundation of the grand jury system that “[g]rand jury proceedings are secret.” CPL § 190.25(4)(a). This rule exists, in large part, to provide “assurance to prospective witnesses that their testimony will be kept secret so that they will be willing to testify freely.” People v. DiNapoli, 27 N.Y.2d 229, 235 (1970); Melendez v. City of New York, 109 A.D.2d 13, 17 (1st Dept. 1985). Likewise, “statements made by a witness to the District Attorney’s
Office are protected by the public interest privilege,” and “should be treated in the same manner as Grand Jury testimony for the purposes of disclosure.” Sanchez v. City of New York, 201 A.D.2d 325, 326 (1st Dept. 1994)….

Damn.

He’s coming… entirely unglued.

Out.

Stauffer & Hinderaker: Now At Odds — About Stormy Daniels. Love IT!!!

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The whole thing (long hushed up!) has broken wide-open, into the daylight, over at Powerline.

Stauffer is mad at DeSantis for calling it (at least in incomplete part) what it is: hush money to a porn star over what she stupidly calls “an affair”.

Hinderaker is mad at Trump — for attacking DeSantis, over HIS comments. And, in turn, Stauffer is mad at DeSantis for implying that he won’t get involved in these “trivialities” — i.e., he won’t lift a finger to “protect” Trump if it comes to an extradition fight (one out of Mar-A-Lago, Florida).

Finally, all of them are wrong on the law: they all do not understand that using campaign funds to pay bribes — hush money — and then not disclosing that payment to the FEC or NY AG’s election fraud offices… is itself an entirely separate felony (since it was over $100,000).

Not surprisingly, Hinderaker is egregiously unaware of the applicable laws. But he weighs in to say the facts, as known and documented by cashed campaign checks… are NOT unlawful.

He is either an idiot — or willfully lying.

But the reliable word on the street (and as reported by MSM, talking to people inside Trump’s circle) is that Trump will self-surrender, as early as tomorrow, in Manhattan (all just a precursor to the show at left, later this year). The NYPD has set up barricades for crowd control, already… should that come as early as tomorrow afternoon.

That means Betsy can “just simmer down, now“, as DeSantis would thus be foreclosed from “helping” — since there will be no extradition proceeding (if he self surrenders in Manhattan) to jam up (in the way Judge Aileen Cannon tried, with the stolen top secrets documents case), down in Florida (all… to no avail).

You. Have. To. Love. Seeing. Every. Bit. Of. This. GOP. Implosion…. in real time now.

Out.