About 900,000 Mpox Vaccine Jabs Now Allocated By WHO Health Authorities -- To Nine Primary African Nations...

The Pan-African need will approach about three times this first allocation, over the next year or so, but this is a very good start -- on arresting the spread.

With this medical aid, and increased funding, the tide may finally be turning on the continent in this 2024 outbreak, now -- per WHO:

. . .The 9 countries are the Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda. The largest number of doses – 85% of the allocation – will go to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the most affected country, reporting four out of every five laboratory-confirmed cases in Africa this year.

These doses come from Canada, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the European Union (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain, as well as the European Union Health Emergency Response Authority), and the Unites States of America.

This year, 19 countries in Africa have reported mpox, many of them newly affected by the viral disease. The epicentre of the outbreak remains the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with over 38 000 suspected cases and over 1000 deaths reported this year. . . .

And so -- while we accept the result, and re-commit to peaceful resistance (as we last did in 2017-2021). . . we agree with Madame Vice President: it is once again, not a time for hand-wringing. . . it is a time to roll up our sleeves, and get to work -- using the courts primarily, to resist those who would trample our system of ordered liberties. Onward.

नमस्ते

Back To The Power Alley: Guggenheim Securities Slightly Trims Merck's One Year NYSE Price Target -- But Still Forecasts... ~30% Upsides, From This Morning.

Let us try to find some smallish sense of normalcy, in this most chaotic of moments. I do trust that Kamala will offer a gracious unifying speech this evening, despite the way her opponent has belittled and demeaned her -- as a woman.

To that end, we would note that the "Gugg" is pretty astute -- and while the slight dip in growth rates for the China sales of Gardasil are not insubstantial, pembrolizumab sales increases are very likely to fill any dip that the HPV vaccines might post, by year end 2025. So yes, with Merck at just over $100 a share this afternoon -- and thus a "Buy" rating, with a 30% upside is still pretty outstanding, for a 12 month return. Here's that story, from this "morning after's" [hangover]:

. . .Guggenheim lowered the firm’s price target on Merck to $130 from $137 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. While noting shares are down about 2.6% since the company reported Q3 earnings last week, with much of the focus remaining on Gardasil sales in the quarter that were well below expectations, the firm adds that it was “encouraged” by Keytruda’s continued strength and Winrevair’s uptake in its first full quarter on the market. . . .

Now you know. Take your time. Breathe deeply, and focus on all the good things. . . that still are. . . true.

नमस्ते

We Need... Some Levity. And The Former Mayor Of The Big Apple Will... Oblige.

I think a grin is in order. Let us all laugh at the disgrace Rudy Giuliani has become: disbarred; indicted; broke and fleeing the foreclosure orders of various receivers, on the $148 million judgment (for libeling and defaming a pair of mother/daughter Georgia election workers, from last time around -- 2020-21!).

We offer this letter/exhibit below in full, in which it turns out Rudy took all the furnishings out of his NY Co-op -- despite an explicit federal court order that all that property belonged now to the plaintiffs. . . and then was reached by phone, by the judge -- in the Mercedes, headed to vote in Florida, yesterday. . . and yep -- that same Mercedes must be turned over in Manhattan federal court tomorrow (along with the Mercedes keys).

Rudy had tried to tell the judge he would miss court, because he had "a radio show" to do with Tangerine, tomorrow. The judge simply (and forcefully) told Rudy he could come to Manhattan tomorrow morning, or the US Marshals would come arrest him in Florida at his radio gig, for failure to appear on a standing order of civil disgorgement (now in default). Hilarious. Now it looks fairly likely that the two fine women in Georgia will get title to both the NY Co-op, and the Florida (Miami) condo (as well as the Mercedes!):

. . .Notably, despite Mr. Giuliani’s apparent assumptions to the contrary, Mr. Giuliani’s “alternative” New York homestead claim and his Florida homestead claim are not two sides of the same coin: one is not automatically triggered if the other fails. Instead, to establish the factual predicates for a homestead claim as to each apartment, Mr. Giuliani must address different facts and a different relevant time period, and it is possible that both efforts will fail. In the parallel declaratory judgment action, either the undisputed facts or the trial record will demonstrate that Mr. Giuliani did not establish a homestead at the Palm Beach Condo prior to the undisputed date of Plaintiffs’ lien on August 8, 2024. Meanwhile, in this proceeding, to the extent Mr. Giuliani’s waiver will be forgiven and he will be given another chance to carry his burden to demonstrate an entitlement to the New York exemption, the revelation that Mr. Giuliani recently vacated the New York Apartment sometime in late September or early suggests that he may be disqualified from claiming the New York homestead exemption under CPLR § 5206(c).

Stated differently, while an individual cannot simultaneously maintain two homesteads, in this situation, it is possible and even likely that Mr. Giuliani both did not have a homestead claim at the Palm Beach Condo before August 8, 2024, and did not have a homestead claim at the New York Apartment when he sought to claim it here -- and that consequently, both of Mr. Giuliani’s homestead claims will fail. . . .

Now you know. These are "only the best people" -- according to Tangerine. And, to be clear, the $148 million is ALSO a civil state law determination -- so Tangerine cannot let/get Rudy off the hook, even if he wanted to. Onward, grinning -- a sardonic grin.

नमस्ते

Something Odd... Must Have Happened In Philly -- And Milwaukee, Yesterday...

I can accept that men who never finished high school voted about 85-15 for Tangerine. That I can believe.

But after having knocked on doors in South Milwaukee and Kenosha. . . I am baffled.

[And after speaking to several relatives who did the same, in South Philly] I cannot believe how anemic the turnout for the truth ended up being.

I may need a minute or two. May not post much today or tomorrow. Lies -- many of them, preposterous on their face, told by a convicted-for-frauds felon. . . were apparently accepted as facts, by some good sized chunk of the electorate yesterday. And the truth, as spoken (and documented!) by a woman of color. . . was dismissed, out of hand.

It seems Swift, Pepys -- and later, Twain -- had it down about right. That's disappointing.

But his sentencing will go forward on November 26, 2024 -- in NYC, in Judge Merchan's courtroom. And if jail is part of the sentence, Tangerine will appeal. As these are state level felonies, he cannot self-pardon, though. Out.

नमस्ते

It Turns Out That Texas State Lawyers / Gov. Abbott Filed A Fifth Circuit Request IN THE WRONG FEDERAL CASE JACKET. Denied. Hilarious!!

We mentioned this morning that it wasn't clear quite precisely. . . why the trial had been postponed (from this Thursday) in the floating razor wire case -- and discovery reopened.

Now we know. Texas filed a motion to have the full Fifth Circuit re-hear an agrument Texas lost, on navagibility. But Texas filed it under the wrong case number. So quite correctly, the Fifth Circuit said it will take no action.

Then, this morning, at a hearing, the trial court in West Texas reopened discovery itself, to hear evidence on whether future navigability can be established, among many other issues. The State of Texas filing contains numerous obvious grammatical errors and typos. It was clearly filed in extreme haste. And it has failed. Even so, it does obliquely explain why the trial date has been pushed off, thus:

. . .At the conference, the district court refused to rule on which opinion from the en banc Fifth Circuit controls proceedings on remand, even though trial was scheduled to begin in days, and the district court had previously indicated that it would “‘need to make a ruling on’” which opinion controls “‘prior to trial.’” See State’s Motion to Clarify, United States v. Abbott, No. 1:23-cv-00853, ECF 250 (W.D. Tex. Nov. 1, 2024) (quoting the district court). Instead, the district court sua sponte continued the trial, which the United States had never requested. It sua sponte re-opened discovery on all issues, which again the United States had never requested, and the court had previously assured “will not happen.” And it directed the United States to offer evidence about the future navigability issues that the United States -- the plaintiff in this case -- had expressly abandoned. . . .

On September 20, 2024, the panel issued a published decision in this case refusing to the [sic] correct the denial of Texas’s jury demand. See In re Abbott, 117 F.4th 729 (5th Cir. 2024). . . . [That request for an en banc rehearing was also denied this morning.]

MAGA Gov. Greg Abbott and his AG Ken Paxton (and appointed minions) clearly are the gang that couldn't shoot straight. Hilarious!

नमस्ते

Tonix Pharma Partnering In Kenya, For A Third Vaccine Candidate To Arrest Mpox -- Phase I Trial Beginning, Now...

This is moving the ball forward (we'd mentioned the research program, at the end of August) -- and it is hoped that there will be a large enough 'n' to establish effectiveness.

We expect that the vaccine will be well-tolerated in humans since it closely tracks tech used in many prior successful vaccine programs. In any event, here's the latest, from Tonix Pharmaceuticals:

. . .Tonix today announced that it has entered into a sponsored research agreement with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) to design, plan and seek regulatory approval for a Phase I clinical study in Kenya to test the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of TNX-801 (horsepox, live virus) as a vaccine to prevent mpox and smallpox. Tonix will be the sponsor and KEMRI will lead the execution of the proposed clinical trial.

“We are excited to advance development of TNX-801 under this research agreement with KEMRI,” said Seth Lederman, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Tonix Pharmaceuticals. “There is an urgent need for the worldwide availability of a single dose mpox vaccine with durable protection. . . .

TNX-801 has demonstrated encouraging preclinical data and was recently shown to align with the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) newly issued preferred target product profile (TPP) for mpox vaccines. Further, TNX-801 can be scaled up for manufacturing, distribution and storage without a costly supply chain. We believe TNX-801 has the potential to address and help interrupt the spread of mpox worldwide. . . .”

TNX-801 is a live minimally-replicating attenuated horsepox vaccine that is believed to provide immune protection against mpox in animals with better tolerability than 20th century vaccinia viruses. Vaccinia vaccines from the 20th century are descendants of Edward Jenner’s circa 1800 that have become more virulent in connection with losing regulatory elements in their genomes. Given the modern understanding that Jenner’s circa 1800 vaccine would be called “horsepox” today, TNX-801 was designed to be similar to Jenner’s vaccine. After a single dose vaccination, TNX-801 protected animals against lethal challenge with intratracheal Clade Ia monkeypox virus. . . .

Onward now -- to a win for ordered liberty, dignity and equality. . . and for. . . moving forward, not back. Grin.

नमस्ते

UPDATE: The Able US Magistrate Judge In Floating Razor Wire Case Re-Opened Discovery, And Postponed Next Week's Trial Date...

Just a short note here, as it seems both sides need more discovery in order to be ready to try the barbarous floating razor wire case, on the Rio Grande, at Eagle Pass.

Here's the full two pager, with scant detail -- on what is now open, as a factual matter, that requires more evidence / document collections:

. . .At the hearing, the parties agreed that the Motion to Preclude had been mooted by a continuance of the trial date and reopening of discovery. . . .

Now you know. And. . . more importantly, she's gonna' WIN!

नमस्ते

The One Mpox Clade 1b Case In Britain... Has Become... Three Cases: Same Household.

Not terribly surprising, but the health authorities will work feverishly now to contain it to the one household, and contacts of the same.

This is tough news, from the Beeb, indeed -- but there are vaccines to deploy, now (and they certainly are being so deployed -- in "rings of contacts" fashion):

. . .Two more cases of a new strain of the mpox virus have been detected in London, in household contacts of the first patient, health officials say.

The two individuals are now under specialist care at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.

All three patients were infected with the Clade 1b variant of the virus, which was first detected in central Africa and appears to transmit more easily between people.

Prof Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said mpox - formally known as monkeypox - could spread quickly within households and further cases were "not unexpected". . . .

Now you know. Onward -- to a very important day in the life of our fragile experiment in democracy, tomorrow -- and the days and nights following. Onward!

नमस्ते

While Still Quite Rare Here In The US, Clade 1b Mpox Is A Looming Threat. Public Health Subsidized Vaccinations -- For Those At Risk -- Should Begin (Again).

The NY Times has a well-sourced story, on what the longer term outbreak of Clade 1b Mpox might mean for the gay and bi-sexual communities (and sex workers of all genders), here in the US.

At about $300 per shot for the retail, branded Mpox vaccines (two varieties are available, and two doses are needed for maximum protection) -- a reasonably high proportion of people at high risk of Mpox (including those who are already HIV+), are less likely to have any form of insurance at all. . . and the ACA/HHS gatekeepers have yet to establish a designated level of coverage -- for Mpox co-infections.

So we wait, in a rather precarious position here now:

. . .A particularly deadly form of mpox, formerly called monkeypox, has led to more than 48,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths in Africa this year. The Biden administration has donated one million doses of the vaccine to affected countries.

But in the United States, mpox vaccines are out of reach for many people who need them.

In the 2022 outbreak that reached this country, doses of the mpox vaccine, Jynneos, were made available for free from the federal stockpile. That arrangement ended in April, when the vaccine became available commercially.

But insurance companies do not yet cover the vaccine or, if they do, reimburse only a tiny fraction of the cost. Some young gay or bisexual men hesitate to use insurance, because they are not out to their families. . . .

Do be excellent to one another. In truth -- we are all our brothers', and sisters' -- keepers.

नमस्ते

Of Queen -- and King "Birthday" Celebrations, Then And Now...

Just to stay. . . in a light and bouncy mood, going into what may be some chaos tomorrow evening. . . we offer a "birthday" greeting of sorts. . . either 102 years on, or perhaps 3,320 years on. . . to a very special youngster (likely afflicted with congenital malformations) -- who passed at age 18 or 19.

That he slept in peace for nearly 3,220 of those years. . . is astonishing, in and of itself. Happy "B-Day", then, to the mighty and forever young. . . Tut!

. . .Before the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings over a century ago, the New Kingdom pharaoh was virtually unknown, even to Egyptologists.

The name had been systematically erased from the annals of history -- in ancient times in retaliation for his father, Akhenaten, the “heretic pharaoh,” having banished the gods of ancient Egypt in favor of his one god, Aten. Tutankhamun’s association with that heresy would doom him to oblivion -- that was until November 1922, when Howard Carter revealed the momentous discovery of his tomb to the world. When asked what was inside, the British archaeologist proclaimed, “wonderful things.” Until Carter removed Tut’s mummy from its solid-gold coffin in 1925, however, no one could have known that he was a teenager when he died. . . .

It is not surprising, then, that the public was fascinated by every detail surrounding the discovery of the “Boy King,” a veritable made-for-the-movies story. The plot goes as follows: Howard Carter, the impoverished archaeologist, teams up with Lord Carnarvon, his wealthy English patron, and the two search for years for Tutankhamun and, finally, come upon his tomb and all its treasures -- so many treasures that it would take Carter ten years to carefully remove them. And then, of course, there is the tragic subplot. Early in the excavation, Lord Carnarvon died of an infected mosquito bite, and the “Curse of Tutankhamun” was born. . . .

So now, let's all do go celebrate -- as we have no idea what tomorrow might bring -- but we trust it will be at least. . . peaceful. And do so, grinning widely -- it is a day to. . . smile! I wish you only joy, and light -- always!

नमस्ते

Re-Floating This One -- No Matter How Tomorrow Turns Out -- From Early September 2024... Tangerine's FIRST Sentencing (Of Many!) On Nov. 26, 2024.

I won't waste a lot of electrons on this. But the NY AG is absolutely right.

Tangerine's position here is transparently unhinged from any legal principle of federalism. It is -- in a word -- BONKERS. [That's a term of art, BTW.] Updated on 09.06.2024 -- Judge Merchan will act with discretion, but will resolutely sentence Trump come November 26, 2024, now. Nothing can stop that. So, it is all a nothing burger, to wait past election day -- as the Supremes have no say on his sentence, under state law, for predicate acts long prior to his holding ANY elected office. End updated portion.

Tangerine thinks he can achieve a CIVIL "removal" of a case he's already chosen to take to trial, a felony case, in New York, and on which he's seen convictions by a jury of his peers on all 34 felonies. . . all, well-over a year past the deadline for making such a "permissive" civil motion.

Federal courts, as the able NY AG explains to the Second Circuit this morning, are loath to disturb concluded criminal outcomes in ANY state court -- where the only ongoing matter is the felon's sentence (he has a federal right of habeas corpus, to the extent he's ever ultimately unjustly jailed, under state law -- but he must exhaust all other state level remedies first -- hasn't happened!):

. . .This Court and the Supreme Court have repeatedly recognized the "strong judicial policy against federal interference with state criminal proceedings." Arizona v. Manypenny, 451 U.S. 232, 243 (1981); see also O'Shea v. Littleton, 414 U.S. 488, 500 (1974) (federal courts may not engage in "an ongoing federal audit of state criminal proceedings"), Younger v. Harris, 401 U.S. 37, 41 (1971) (describing "the national policy forbidding federal courts to stay or enjoin pending state court proceedings"); Disability Rights NY v. New York, 916 F.3d 129, 133 (2d Cir. 2019) ("Federal courts must abstain where a party seeks to enjoin an ongoing, parallel state criminal proceeding.").

It would be extraordinarily disruptive and disrespectful to a "co-equal sovereign," Diamond "D" Construction Corp. v. McGowan, 282 F.3d 191, 198 (2d Cir. 2002), for this Court to enjoin the final stages of a state criminal proceeding that has already proceeded to a jury verdict and is awaiting only post-verdict rulings and sentencing. . . .

These papers from Team Tangerine are so laughably bad, as to the claim of any legal leg to stand on... or any other matter, in fact -- I won't link them. I'll never show them.

These chuckleheads pretend that a common felon at state law may "jump the line" and force the Supreme Court to hear his pleas (regardless of their speciousness). Pleas of a man who (as of the time of the predicate acts on which he was convicted) had never held elective office at any level in his life.

There is no such right, and our federalism doctrines -- embedded in the US Constitution -- have made this clear for two centuries. Nope. He can appeal in state court, AFTER sentencing -- but not before. And he doesn't get into federal court until the highest final court in New York State upholds his sentence.

But in the mean time, like all other crooks. . . he must start serving his time -- whatever that turns out to be (from Judge Merchan) in about two weeks now. Perhaps the most silly of Trump's claims is that he enjoyed immunity for actions he took while simply RUNNING for President, in 2016. Things he absolutely did ONLY as a private citizen and candidate. Nothing in Roberts' opinion even hinted that private citizens get immunity simply by filing to RUN for office.

Can you imagine?! Capone, Manson, Dalhmer, Gacy, Sirhan-Sirhan, James Earl Ray, Madoff, Milken and SBF would all have ABSOLUTELY filed to run for President -- as would have (undoubtedly hundreds of thousands of others!) including one Martin Shkreli. Hilarious. No, he was a private citizen back then when he falsified his business records, to pay off an adult film star, in secret -- away from the watchful eyes of the FEC.

D A M N.

नमस्ते

Keep Calm-ala, And Carry-On-ala! With Your Super Cool Step-Momala!

Slide the bar to ~6:00 in, and. . . enjoy!

नमस्ते

An Important "Credible Fear" Circuit Split -- To See Supreme Court Review -- After The Election Is Decided? We Think So...

Let's just drop this in here, for a time when -- after the next five to ten days -- the election decision is largely behind us. I predict the Supremes will review this Circuit split, below.

It will decide what -- and when -- people without papers (alleging credible fear of torture or abuse, if "refouled") must file, to remain in the country, and engage in a due process series of hearings, over months or years. Here's the very fine SCOTUS Blog, on it all:

. . .[B]ecause of [immigration] agency backlogs, those administrative proceedings often last long periods of time -- sometimes months or even years. The asylum officer’s decision to reinstate the deportation order can be reviewed by an immigration judge, whose ruling in turn is reviewed by the Board of Immigration Appeals, which in turn is subject to review by the regional federal court of appeals. The review provision states that the noncitizen’s “petition for review must be filed not later than 30 days after the date of the final order of removal.”

There are two circuit splits here. First: Most courts of appeals have held that they can review the BIA’s decision to deny withholding deportation if the petition for review is filed within 30 days of the immigration judge’s decision upholding the reinstated deportation. But two appeals courts have held that the 30-day period runs from when the asylum officer determines that the prior deportation order should be reinstated, well before the immigration judge’s review.

Second: The courts of appeals are divided about whether the 30-day limit is a constraint that they are powerless to disregard, or if it is instead simply a “claims processing rule” to which exceptions can sometimes be made.

The government concedes that the there are splits on both issues, and it argues that the noncitizens here are correct both that the 30-day period runs from BIA’s final affirmance and that it is a claims processing rule subject to exceptions. It nonetheless argues that the court does not need to grant review now because the justices recently held in Harrow v. Department of Defense that a similar filing deadline is not jurisdictional, noting that “ ‘most time bars are nonjurisdictional,’ even when ‘framed in mandatory terms.’”

In addition, the government argues that review would be premature because the courts that have held that the 30-day period runs from the asylum officer’s decision to reinstate deportation appear to be reconsidering that rule, and the government promises to “waive the application of the 30-day deadline” in those cases anyway. Thus, the government maintains it would be enough to grant the petitions, vacate the adverse court of appeals judgments below, and remand for further consideration in light of Harrow.

The three noncitizens seeking Supreme Court review argue that the court should take up these issues notwithstanding the government’s concessions, and two explicitly argue that their cases would be the best vehicle if the Supreme Court decides to do so. But all agree that the court at minimum should follow the government’s advice and GVR. . . .

Now you know -- and onward to big things, both tomorrow and Tuesday! Grin. . . .

नमस्ते

North Carolina Absentee Ballot Dispute Remains In Federal Court -- Won't Be Decided Before Tuesday, So ~225,000 Absentee Ballots Will Count...

This case has turned on the undisputed fact that the GOP sought to strike about 225,000 voters from the roles of eligible people, within the 90 day "quiet period" before any election.

The federal courts have ruled that the federal constitutional question confers the right to decide the matter in non-partial federal courts. That means there will be no win for the NC GOP before Tuesday, and all these 225,000 votes must be counted (assuming they are otherwise validly cast on or before November 5). Excellent. Even FAUX News gets the import of it:

. . .A federal appeals court blocked a GOP effort to challenge 225,000 voter registrations in North Carolina that they claimed were made without a [laminated state issued picture] ID requirement.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) and North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP) filed a lawsuit against the North Carolina State Board of Elections claiming voters were registered using a registration form that did not require identification such as an ID or Social Security number. The suit claimed that allowing people on voter rolls without [laminated state issued picture] identification violated the Help America Vote Act. . . .

Onward, resolutely. Onward.

नमस्ते

"Near Earth" Space TV Events: Sunday Morning, And Later On Monday... "Valet Parking" Edition

The International Space Station will be acting like a valet-parking garage early on Sunday morning -- into Monday.

That is, the team on the ISS will move one space capsule around to the "back" of the station, in an older parking spot -- to make room for "the new hotness's arrival" on Monday night, at the front deck spot. Here is NASA on the live streaming options to watch these events:

. . .Coverage of the NASA/SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon Relocation from the forward port of the Harmony module at the International Space Station to the zenith port (Hague, Gorbunov, Williams, Wilmore; undocking scheduled at 6:35 a.m. EST, redocking scheduled at 7:18 a.m. EST). . . .

Yup -- astronaut missions are so routine now in this 21^st Century -- that some act as mere "car hops". Coolio!

Onward -- now, do get out and. . . VOTE (if you haven't already)! Clear warm weather is forecast through Tuesday, for much of the nation -- and while perhaps half of all votes nationwide have already been cast (early) -- good weather on the actual Election Day generally favors Democratic candidates (with higher urban turnouts, especially -- since most urban voters must wait in line outside, on election day, in most precincts, nationwide). . . and so, I'd say. . . buckle up for. . . Madame President! Smile.

नमस्ते

Supremes: Provisional Ballots In Pennsylvania Must Be Counted... As The Penn. Supreme Court Has Ruled, Under State Law.

The specific dispute concerns only two ballots, from the long over primaries in Pennsylvania. And the Court correctly concluded that the way Pennsylvania handles this should not be upset, just four nights before the general election.

The Justices offered this statement, denying the GOP's attempt to prevent the counting of these provisional ballots:

. . .The application of the State Supreme Court’s interpretation in the upcoming election is a matter of considerable importance, but even if we agreed with the applicants’ federal constitutional argument (a question on which I express no view at this time), we could not prevent the consequences they fear. The lower court’s judgment concerns just two votes in the long-completed Pennsylvania primary. Staying that judgment would not impose any binding obligation on any of the Pennsylvania officials who are responsible for the conduct of this year’s election.

And because the only state election officials who are parties in this case are the members of the board of elections in one small county, we cannot order other election boards to sequester affected ballots. For these reasons, I agree with the order denying the application. . . .

Perhaps a small matter, but it does give me the impression that the Supremes are not going to unduly push their thumbs onto the scales in the 2024 general, to aid Tangerine. Excellent.

नमस्ते

African Union Health Chief Says Mpox Is "Not Under Control" And New Case Rates On The Continent Are "Still Rising"...

This is particularly discouraging news.

It is discouraging, primarily because this is simply a resource allocation problem.

That is, there is a working vaccine -- there are experimental therapies; and there are test kits, all specifically for Mpox. But all three categories of these are in very short supply inside DRC and the other 18 African nations now afflicted. Globally, we need to be spending much more to arrest this outbreak. Fatality rates approach 20% among the afflicted (if untreated), and over 65% of those afflicted are. . . children. Here's Al Jezeera's latest -- on it all:

. . .The African Union’s health watchdog has warned that the mpox outbreak was still not under control and appealed for resources to avoid a “more severe” pandemic than COVID-19.

“The situation is not yet under control, we are still on the upward trend generally,” Ngashi Ngongo from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) told a briefing on Thursday.

“What we need is the continuous political and financial mobilisation,” Ngongo said, adding that this was a necessary measure to stop mpox from being another pandemic “which would be much more severe than COVID-19”.

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact. . . .

When you know better -- you must do better.

नमस्ते

More Encouraging News, Out Of Rwanda -- On Marburg Outbreak 2024...

This is encouraging -- the trend is more and more toward. . . arrest, of the viral loads.

We will keep our fingers crossed -- as CIDRAP has the latest, here:

. . .Yesterday Rwanda reported one new Marburg virus case — a known contact of an earlier case, but officials said they were cautiously optimistic the outbreak of the deadly filovirus was dwindling.

"It's not time to declare victory, but we are headed in that direction,” said Yvan Butera, MD, PhD, Rwanda's minister of state, standing in for the country’s health minister during an Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) briefing today. . . .

In related news, the Sabin Vaccine Institute announced on X it was sending 1,000 more doses of the experimental Marburg vaccine was being send to Rwanda after the initial 1,700 vaccines were sent in September. The Institute said 1,600 doses have already been used in at-risk populations, including healthcare workers. . . .

These (at above -- far right) are electron scanning microscope images of the individual particles of Marburg virus. Other graphics here show them speckling the top of a u-shaped cell structure, but these are the actual, individual lil' critters, above.

Now you know.

नमस्ते

"Karl, The Drapery Guy"... Gets This Much RIGHT: Tangerine Is A Menace -- To Ordered Liberty.

I honestly think Arnold was largely a worthless governor in California. . . .

So my own policy disagreements with him would run several pages. But he is a man who knows what it means to be. . . an American. He is disgusted by Trumpism. And Trump.

Let's listen in -- from his letter and video, on X-itter this week:

. . .[R]ejecting the results of an election is as un-American as it gets. To someone like me who talks to people all over the world and still knows America is the shining city on a hill, calling America is [sic] a trash can for the world is so unpatriotic, it makes me furious.

And I will always be an American before I am a Republican.

That’s why, this week, I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

I’m sharing it with all of you because I think there are a lot of you who feel like I do.

You don’t recognize our country. And you are right to be furious. . . .

But a candidate who won’t respect your vote unless it is for him, a candidate who will send his followers to storm the Capitol while he watches with a Diet Coke, a candidate who has shown no ability to work to pass any policy besides a tax cut that helped his donors and other rich people like me but helped no one else else, a candidate who thinks Americans who disagree with him are the bigger enemies than China, Russia, or North Korea -- that won’t solve our problems.

It will just be four more years of bullshit with no results that makes us angrier and angrier, more divided, and more hateful. . . .

I want to move forward as a country, and even though I have plenty of disagreements with their platform, I think the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz.

Vote this week. Turn the page and put this junk behind us. . . .

Well. He's not wrong.

Stick a fork in Tangerine. He's. . . utterly done. Overcooked. Charred, in fact.

Out. To go. . . skulking about, and enjoy the munchkins!

नमस्ते

Halloween Barsoomian Space Fun! Phobos Makes "Spooky Eye" Transit Of Sun -- Videoed By Perseverance, On Mars!

Do watch the video -- at actual speed, the transit takes under a minute. That gives a sense of the immense distances between these three bodies.

The waifish potato-shaped moon Phobos -- one of two Martian moons -- cast a silhouette as it passed in front of our own Sol, creating an "spooky eye" -- in Mars’ dusk-skies, a few weeks ago.

Now do be safe -- and have fun later this afternoon, one and all! Here's the NASA bit, on the video below:

. . .From its perch on the western wall of Mars’ Jezero Crater, NASA’s Perseverance rover recently spied a “googly eye” peering down from space. The pupil in this celestial gaze is the Martian moon Phobos, and the iris is our Sun.

Captured by the rover’s Mastcam-Z on Sept. 30, the 1,285th Martian day of Perseverance’s mission, the event took place when the potato-shaped moon passed directly between the Sun and a point on the surface of Mars, obscuring a large part of the Sun’s disc. At the same time that Phobos appeared as a large black disc rapidly moving across the face of the Sun, its shadow, or antumbra, moved across the planet’s surface. . . .

Now you know. Grin.

नमस्ते