EOMMD

A slightly belated End of the Month Meme Dump. 

Peter White

Floating in Air. A nice tune by Peter White with some silly pictures. Ah, the internet.

don't feed the gators

Did you know it was illegal to feed an alligator in Texas?

Game warden warns of fines amid reports of live animals being fed to alligators on SPI

April is the start of alligator breeding season and as each day passes, more calls are flooding in about gators being spotted on South Padre Island.

Texas Game Warden Captain James Dunks says the main issue isn’t that they’re wandering around, but more so that people are feeding them whole chickens.

He says the department has received an increase in calls from concerned residents who have witnessed people feeding the alligators live animals.

Dunks says feeding the gators can result in fines up to $500.

He also adds that they've never had an alligator attack a person in Cameron County before and they plan to keep it that way — as long as no one feeds the gators.

"We typically get a lot of calls because it’s alligator breeding season," said Dunks. "The bigger males tend to kick out the smaller males out of the area, so we get them wandering around all over the place. Once you feed an alligator, that alligator loses its fear of humans and hunts humans and food in the same category. If you don’t have any food, that’s when you become the food.”

Although some of the alligators are in secluded areas, others are within meters of where people kayak and paddle board.

Dunks says only when an alligator is in serious danger or is a threat to the public is it then transported to a wildlife refuge or donated to private property with the homeowner's permission.

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liquid meth

Living here in extreme South Texas so close to the Mexico border, we hear some weird stories about smugglers and the ways they try to get their contraband across the border. Is this woman witting or unwitting?

Liquid meth hidden in gas tank

VALLEY MORNING STAR

BROWNSVILLE — A woman accused of attempting to smuggle liquid methamphetamine concealed in a gas tank into the U.S. sobbingly told officers she was crying because her husband died, court testimony revealed.

“Pretrial services has spoken to the family, and the husband is not dead,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Castro told a federal judge during a Friday morning hearing for 45-year-old Waco resident Eliza Mendoza.

Federal agents arrested Mendoza Tuesday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the B&M International Bridge discovered a hidden compartment in the gas tank of the 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer she drove that tested positive for liquid methamphetamine weighing at least 50 grams, according to a criminal complaint.

Authorities revealed Mendoza is accused of smuggling a little more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine in a liquid solution, which still needs more analysis to determine exact amount. A HAZMAT team responded to the Gateway International Bridge, where the vehicle was moved, to extract the alleged drugs from the gas tank, court documents and testimony show.

Mendoza told CBP officers she was returning from Matamoros to pick up her husband’s vehicle, which was being repaired there after it had broken down in December in Brownsville, and just learned her husband died so she was in a hurry to get back to Waco, according to HSI Special Agent Rudy Garcia.

According to the story Mendoza apparently told authorities, she and her husband visited Brownsville in December because he was terminally ill and had never seen the border, which is something he wanted to do before he died, when the vehicle broke down, according to court testimony.

A man named Juan Lopez let Mendoza borrow a car and offered to fix the vehicle in Mexico, Garcia said of Mendoza’s story. However, the HSI investigation into Mendoza’s story quickly revealed inconsistencies, according to Garcia’s testimony.

For instance, bridge records do show that she crossed alone into Mexico twice in December, but contrary to her alleged statement that that was the last time she crossed, those bridge records show she crossed into Mexico on March 17 at the Hidalgo Port of Entry, according to Garcia’s testimony.

Furthermore, vehicle records indicate she bought the vehicle, which is registered in Mendoza’s name, in October 2017 in Houston and there was no evidence of the engine work, push valve repair and starter replacement work she told authorities about, according to court testimony.

Mendoza’s court-appointed attorney told Morgan that authorities have provided no evidence that her client had any knowledge there was methamphetamine in the vehicle, and argued that the woman was not a flight risk because her entire family is in Waco and she won’t return to Mexico.

Morgan ordered a $100,000 bond with a $10,000 deposit on the condition that if Mendoza does post bond, she undergo a mental health evaluation and take any medications ordered by a licensed practitioner.

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murder suicide

Here is the case of an extremely jealous woman. Or maybe not. I know my wife wouldn't act this way. 

'She Was Lying In Wait': Police Say Woman Killed Her Husband's Lover, Then Herself

NPR

Gerardot

After she found out her husband was having an affair, Jennair Gerardot got on a train from Delaware to Pennsylvania with a wig and extra clothing, broke into the home of the other woman and fatally shot her, authorities said. Then she turned the revolver on herself.

Police in Radnor Township, Pa., found the bodies of Meredith Chapman, 33, and Gerardot, 47, on the first floor of Chapman's home on Tuesday, near the kitchen. Two rounds had been fired from a seven-shot revolver, authorities said in a press briefing.

Chapman

Police believe Gerardot broke a glass pane in the door to get into the house, carefully cleaning up shards that had fallen to the floor so that Chapman wouldn't suspect a break-in. Radnor Superintendent of Police William Colarulo called it a "calculated, planned attack" in which Gerardot "was lying in wait." He also said emails and text messages revealed her plans.

One of the last people to see Chapman alive was reportedly a neighbor, who told The Philadelphia Inquirer that she saw Chapman pull into her driveway and then heard an unnerving sound that didn't make sense in their quiet community. "In my head, I was like, 'Is that a gunshot? No it can't be a gunshot,' " the neighbor said.

more at the Original.

beach trip!

Treat the beach like your own yard!

Be Mindful as a Beach Goer

If you are planning on traveling down to South Padre Island or any beach, it’s best if you’re being mindful as a beach goer. South Padre Island is a well-known destination in Texas for people to live up their vacations soaking in the sun and spending quality time with their friends and family. However, many people don’t realize that there are people and families who actually live in South Padre Island, so your actions have an affect on the community. Every year, the community puts up regulations at the beach accesses since they have a littering problem. Abiding by the rules, such as not bringing glass bottles on the beach, can not only be beneficial to the city but to the wildlife in the ocean.

It’s essential to be mindful when you are in a different city, especially if you don’t know the area. If you choose to consume alcohol or take illegal substances, it’s best to know your surroundings, know your limit, be cautious of who you encounter, and always be sure you have a designated driver. Every year during spring and summer vacations, the police are on high alert due to there being multiple accidents and deaths that happen on the island. Being aware of all these things, you can prevent kidnapping, accidental drowning, overdose, jumping off hotel balconies, drunk driving accidents, and DUIs.

Lastly, when planning a trip to South Padre Island make sure you are prepared financially. Finding out that you’re broke is no joke and having people lending you money can also be a hassle. Always save some money for the drive to the island and back. If you are planning to stay multiple nights, book hotel rooms online since it’s much cheaper. Being aware of your financial status and budgeting your money each day throughout your time at the beach will save you from worrying later. Also, be aware that there will be hours long traffic once you get there so sit back and relax or get there early.

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Macron wows Congress

Well, at least he wowed the Democrats. It's nice to hear a real statesman talk for a change. We're getting too used to Trump's bloviating bullshit.  

Blue Origin launch

I've been wondering when Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin was going to crank it up. SpaceX has been kicking their ass, so far.

from Space.com

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to Launch its 1st Rocket Test of 2018

Blue Origin's New Shepard 2.0 launch test is now expected to launch at 12:43 p.m. EDT (1643 GMT) on April 29 after a slight delay due to thunderstorms at the West Texas launch site. You can watch live here or at BlueOrigin.com. 

Blue Origin plans to launch its first space mission of the year this weekend.

Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company will perform another uncrewed flight of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle on Sunday (April 29) from Blue Origin's West Texas test site, the billionaire entrepreneur announced.

"Launch preparations are underway for New Shepard’s 8th test flight, as we continue our progress toward human spaceflight. Currently targeting Sunday 4/29 with launch window opening up at 830am CDT. Livestream info to come. @BlueOrigin #GradatimFerociter," Bezos said via Twitter. [Blue Origin's New Shepard Spacecraft in Pictures]

New Shepard is a rocket-capsule combo that Blue Origin is developing to fly passengers and scientific experiments to suborbital space and back. Both elements are reusable. The capsule lands with the aid of parachutes, and the booster comes down to Earth for a vertical touchdown, using engine firings to slow its descent, as SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets do during orbital flights.

As Bezos noted, New Shepard already has seven test flights under its belt. The most recent one came in December with the debut flight of "Version 2.0" of the crew capsule, which features extra-large windows. All of these missions have been uncrewed to date (though the December 2017 flight did feature an instrument-laden dummy dubbed Mannequin Skywalker).

If testing continues to go well, New Shepard could start flying people as soon as this year, company representatives have said.

Blue Origin's ambitions extend far beyond suborbital space. The company is also developing a heavy-lift orbital rocket called New Glenn whose first flight is targeted for 2020, and its longer-term plans include a mysterious vehicle called New Armstrong, which Bezos has mentioned but not elaborated upon.

Like SpaceX, Blue Origin's horizon goal involves helping to make humanity a truly spacefaring civilization. Bezos has said repeatedly that, over the long haul, the company aims to help get millions of people living and working in space.

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MAGA hat? Out!

Free speech? Freedom of association? Intolerance of intolerance?

Judge Rules You CAN Kick People Out Of A Bar For Supporting Trump: Please Proceed Accordingly

A**holes are not a protected class.

By ELIE MYSTAL

Manhattan Judge David Cohen tossed a complaint from an accountant who was kicked out of a West Village bar for wearing a MAGA hat. According to Greg Piatek, staff at The Happiest Hour told him:

“Anyone who supports Trump — or believes in what you believe — is not welcome here! And you need to leave right now because we won’t serve you!”

UPDATE: That’s just his side of the story of course. The people from the Happiest Hour reached out to us to say that the situation went down differently:

“At the Happiest Hour we firmly support womens’ rights, marriage equality, gun control, the environment, and regard for the truth- we don’t discriminate. What’s gotten lost in this story is that the guest wasn’t kicked out because he was wearing a Trump hat- he was asked to leave after being verbally abusive to our staff, which is something we don’t tolerate regardless of who you are. And this is after he spent almost $200- the 20% tip he left would seem to indicate he was satisfied with the service he received.”

Paitek sued because the bar “offended his sense of being American.”

By the time he showed up in Court, Paitek had been schooled in the barest of legal arguments. Wearing a MAGA hat does not make you a protected class. Supporting Trump does not make you a protected class. Suborning “unpopular” opinions — like white supremacy and sexual assault — does not make you a protected class.

So Paitek didn’t argue any of that, he argued the bar discriminated against him because of his religion. What religion? “A creed of one?” the judge asked. “Yes,” said Paitek’s lawyers. Paitek said that he was in New York to visit the 9/11 Memorial and his MAGA hat represented… respect or something.

Judge Cohen let this go on for an hour before throwing the case out for failure to state a faith-based claim.

It’s funny, of course. Stupid #MAGA people being stupid is funny. But I’m annoyed by Trump people, once again, trying to act like victims just because people stand up to their bigoted world views. These are the very people who do think that you can discriminate against minorities when it comes to housing, or voting, or immigration. They think they’re being clever by “turning it around” on people by claiming the same protections accorded to disadvantaged groups, when what they are really doing is MOCKING the struggles of others like it’s all some kind of game.

And they wonder why people don’t want to sit in a bar and listen to their poison? They wonder why decent people act like they’re moral pariahs? The MAGA hat is a uniform that means bigotry and disrespect. People wear it in order to piss others off, they can’t be surprised when people get pissed off.

It’s not “just politics.” Not to me. They’ve made the MAGA hat like the Confederate flag, a symbol of white supremacy. I’m not going to drink with these people. I’m going to fight these people. I’m going to fight these people in every venue, across every medium, with every fiber of my being.

If you wear a MAGA hat into a bar where I am drinking, one of us is getting kicked out. You best believe that.

Judge: Bars are allowed to throw out Trump supporters [New York Post]

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Booker T.

Booker T. Jones is going to be there.

Telluride Blues

Yeah, probably. Link.

sorghum at sea

Way to go Spanky! Go ahead and fuck up our grain exports! Your voting rubes won't know the difference, plus you can always blame it on the Dems, somehow.

U.S. sorghum armada U-turns at sea after China tariffs

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Several ships carrying cargoes of sorghum from the United States to China have changed course since Beijing slapped hefty anti-dumping deposits on U.S. imports of the grain, trade sources and a Reuters analysis of export and shipping data showed.

Sorghum is a niche animal feed and a tiny slice of the billions of dollars in exports at stake in the trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies, which threatens to disrupt the flow of everything from steel to electronics.

The supply-chain pain felt by sorghum suppliers on the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans underscores how quickly the mounting trade tensions between the U.S. and China can impact the global agricultural sector, which has been reeling from low commodity prices amid a global grains glut.

Twenty ships carrying over 1.2 million tonnes of U.S. sorghum are on the water, according to export inspections data from the USDA's Federal Grain Inspection Service. Of the armada, valued at more than $216 million, at least five changed course within hours of China's announcing tariffs on U.S. sorghum imports on Tuesday, Reuters shipping data showed.

The five shipments, all headed for China when they were loaded at Texas Gulf Coast export terminals owned by grain merchants Cargill Inc [CARG.UL] or Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM.N) would be liable for a hefty deposit to be paid on their value, which could make the loads unprofitable to deliver.

Beijing, which is probing U.S. imports for damage to its domestic industry, announced Tuesday that grains handlers would have to put up a deposit of 178.6 percent of the value of the shipments. Traders said Cargill and ADM likely sold most of the grain in the cargoes that are on the water, traders said.

In a statement to Reuters on Thursday, Cargill confirmed it is the exporter. The company declined to confirm what is in the ships, the final destinations or the tonnage, nor name the customers. The company also declined to confirm why the ships stopped, or if they are being re-directed – but said that it does not have any responsibility for costs that may result.

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FFRF Newsbite

It's already time for another FFRF Newsbite? A big win in New Jersey for the citizens of New Jersey!

detail:

FFRF win: N.J. Supreme Court upholds bar on funds to repair churches

A major court victory by the Freedom From Religion Foundation will save New Jersey taxpayers many millions of dollars by terminating an unconstitutional boondoggle.

The New Jersey Supreme Court, in a 7-0 decision today, upheld the state Constitution’s ban against taxpayer funds being used for “building or repairing any church or churches.” In Freedom From Religion Foundation v. Morris County, FFRF and member David Steketee filed suit in late 2015 against the county, challenging public grants of millions of tax dollars to repair or maintain churches. The state high court’s ruling corrected a lower court’s shocking refusal to apply the state Constitution’s plain command.

David Steketee

FFRF and Steketee originally protested more than $5.5 million in funding to churches since 2012 by the Historic Preservation Trust Fund. The lawsuit specifically challenged $1.04 million in allotments to Presbyterian Church in Morristown, which, in the words of the church, would allow “continued use by our congregation for worship services,” as well as disbursements to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church to ensure “continued safe public access to the church for worship.” All of the churches that received the grants have active congregations.

FFRF contended the grants violate the unambiguous command of Article I, Paragraph 3 of the New Jersey Constitution that guarantees: “nor shall any person be obliged to pay tithes, taxes, or other rates for building or repairing any church or churches, place or places of worship, or for the maintenance of any minister or ministry, contrary to what he believes to be right.” This taxpayer protection predates the creation of the United States and was seen by Thomas Jefferson and other Founders as an essential guarantee to prevent the government from establishing religion and forcing citizens to support churches or religions in which they disbelieve.

The lower court ruling claimed an unprecedented exception to this admirably clear command, holding that Morris County was justified in ignoring this constitutional mandate because the funds were part of a historic preservation program. Fortunately, the state’s top court has corrected this mistake, overruling the trial court and holding that the New Jersey Constitution means exactly what it says.

“We find that the plain language of the Religious Aid Clause bars the use of taxpayer funds to repair and restore churches, and that Morris County’s program ran afoul of that longstanding provision,” the Supreme Court states. It agrees with FFRF's central contention that not being taxed to support a church is a central issue of religious freedom of conscience.

FFRF is elated at the constitutionally correct decision.

“It’s shocking that it took a trip to the New Jersey Supreme Court to enforce such a plain constitutional command,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “New Jersey taxpayers can breathe a sigh of relief that their constitutional religious liberty rights have been protected."

FFRF cannot emphasize enough the significance of the N.J. Supreme Court decision.

“This is not just a win for secular citizens, but for every New Jersey taxpayer,” explains FFRF constitutional attorney Andrew L. Seidel. “Governments in New Jersey cannot force Muslims to bankroll temples and yeshivas, compel Jews to subsidize Christian churches and Catholic schools, force Christians to fund mosques and madrassas or nonbelievers to support any religion. It’s a win for all.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated to the constitutional separation of state and church, with more than 33,000 members across the country, including 500-plus in New Jersey.

FFRF extends its gratitude to plaintiff David Steketee, who has vigorously fought to uphold the rights of Morris County taxpayers since before this case was filed. The lawsuit was handled by attorney Paul S. Grosswald. FFRF Director of Strategic Response Andrew L. Seidel and Staff Attorney Ryan Jayne were co-counsel.

turtle eggs poached

Perhaps it's no wonder that turtle populations are dwindling around the world, when we have this kind of greed and stupidity loose in the public.

from The Dodo

Police Search Truck Full Of Plastic Bags — And Find These Inside

Earlier this week, the Federal Police of Mexico pulled over a pickup truck on a highway in Oaxaca because the driver was swerving outside the lanes.

The officers soon learned that wasn’t the only thing gone wrong. The truck’s bed was stuffed with black trash bags — and when the officers opened them, they found hundreds upon hundreds of sea turtle eggs inside. The man didn’t have documentation allowing him to have the eggs, so the officers arrested him on the spot.

There were over 22,000 eggs total, marking it the largest turtle egg contraband in Mexican history. Lexie Beach, communications coordinator for Sea Turtle Conservancy, said it’s very likely the eggs belonged to olive ridley turtles, a vulnerable species often found in warm-water coasts of the Atlantic.

Looking at the sheer number of eggs from the bust, it’s likely the suspect caused a significant upset in the ecosystem he took them from, Beach said. “It is a very large number of eggs,” Beach told The Dodo. “Olive ridley can lay over 110 eggs per nest, so this could represent the loss of over 200 nests.”

Unfortunately, turtle egg poaching is very common across Central and Latin America, where eggs are used as food and in pseudo-medicine. In other parts of the world, their shells are used in ceremonies or turned into jewelry.

Despite legal protections in many countries, poaching and trafficking continue to be a threat to most species of sea turtles.

“[In Mexico], they are usually sold to bars or restaurants and eaten raw, or the raw egg is actually put into a beer,” Beach said. “In some countries, sea turtle eggs are prized as an aphrodisiac.” Since the eggs have been taken from their nests and transported in the heat, it’s likely they won’t ever hatch, Beach said.

“The chances of them successfully hatching are nearly zero,” Beach said. “If they are able to identify the beach they came from, they may still try to get them back to that beach and bury them in the off chance of a few still being viable.”

While the turtles may not make it, the officers are hopeful they can find justice — and prevent other animals from falling victim to the same poacher. “The possession and transportation [of wildlife] for commercial purposes is a serious crime,” officers said on Facebook. “The detainee and others responsible could reach up to nine years in prison.”

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near hit

And just like that, out of the blue, or black, life on earth could be radically changed by something we don't even see coming. Kind of shakes the faith in science. 

A 150-Foot Asteroid Flew Alarmingly Close to Earth Just Hours After Being Spotted

An asteroid estimated to be at least 150 feet in diameter made an alarmingly close pass to Earth on Sunday morning just hours after it was first observed by astronomers.

The asteroid, named Asteroid 2018 GE3, was closest to Earth at around 2.41 a.m. ET on April 15 when it was spotted about 119,500 miles away, EarthSky.org reports. That’s closer than the moon, which orbits Earth at an average distance of 238,900 miles. GE3 also passed close to the moon later that morning on its journey around the sun.

According to EarthSky.org, Asteroid 2018 GE3 could be as much as six times bigger than the Chelyabinsk meteorite, which exploded over central Russia in 2013. When the rock hit the atmosphere it caused a bright flash, and thousands of fragments fell throughout the region of Chelyabinsk, breaking windows and injuring about 1,500 people. If GE3 had entered Earth’s atmosphere it could have caused similar, if not more severe, damage.

The asteroid was first observed by the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey project, based at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Lab in Tucson, Arizona.

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Hawaiian music

I think we're having a "luau" of sorts next week on the island. Looking for some good Hawaiian music.

sex is good for you

What? Sex is good for you? Who knew?

5 reasons sex is good for you

Sex is probably the one thing that few people struggle to find motivation for. It's certainly not exercise, which we all know is good for us but can be extremely hard to pull off every day. It's more like chocolate or sunshine. More is usually better. But the fact that getting busy is fun may obscure the fact that it actually has tremendous health benefits.

Sexual healing. It's not just a song. Here are five reasons getting it on is good for your health

Joy of sex. You didn't need scientists to tell you that sex makes you happy, I'm guessing. Still it's worth noting that researchers long ago established a link between having sex and feeling tickled pink with yourself and the world. As the New York Times points out, in a study of 1,000 women, the participants ranked sex as No.1 of all the activities that made them the happiest. Scouring data from 16,000 American adults on money, sex and their happy place also led economists to conclude in a 2004 study that having sex once a week instead of once a month was roughly the same as having an extra $50,000 in the bank. Ka-ching.

Sex banishes stress. As CNN notes, the act of having sex floods your brain with gobs of feel-good chemicals that naturally cut the stress hormone cortisol, which can wreak havoc on body and soul.

Immunity boost. Researchers at Pennsylvania's Wilkes University asked college students how often they had sex each week and then examined the levels of immunoglobulin A, an antibody that functions as the body's first line of defense, reported CNN. Those who had sex once or twice a week had the highest levels of immunoglobulin A; 30 percent higher than those who had no sex. Also, those in longer-term, satisfying relationships had the highest levels of the antibody.

Brain defense. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, British researchers found that sexually active men between the ages 50 and 89 had better cognitive function, even after adjusting for quality of life, loneliness, depression and physical activity, noted CNN. Women had the same benefit from sex in terms of memory. The more sexually active, the better the test results. In a follow-up study, cited by CNN, researchers found that having sex at least once a week was highly predictive of improved cognitive functioning.

Good for your heart. We don't just mean that you may feel a greater emotional connection to your partner. We mean that if you work up a sweat between the sheets, sex counts as cardio, which is great for your ticker. As Prevention puts it: researchers determined that sex is a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise that burns around 3 calories per minute in women. So, sex can help strengthen your heart, lower your blood pressure and cut your risk of type 2 diabetes. Sure beats the treadmill.

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Neil deGrasse Tyson

on MSNBC. I missed this the first time around. 

FFRF Newsbite

As usual, the holier-than-thou conservatives think it is their right to ignore the laws of the nation and promote their religion, as if Christianity is superior to the rule of law. I believe there IS a link between devout Christianity and lawlessness.

stealing us blind

Will the rubes ever wake up? Will the GOP ever decide to hold Trump accountable? Don't hold your breath!

from New York magazine

501 Days in Swampland

On the day he took the oath of office, Donald Trump delivered two messages about what to expect from his administration. First came the lofty promise of his inaugural address. “The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer,” he vowed. “For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished — but the people did not share in its wealth.”

The second message, which Trump delivered without speaking a word, was aimed at a much smaller, but very rich, audience. As the new president’s motorcade left the Capitol, rolling past knots of supporters and protesters, it suddenly stopped three blocks short of the White House. Trump, the First Lady, and the rest of his family got out of their limos and took a three-minute turn in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue.

This was no random spot. The very first place Trump headed after being sworn in — his true destination all along, in a sense — was the Old Post Office and Clock Tower, which only 12 days before the election had been repurposed as the Trump International Hotel Washington. The elegant granite structure, whose architectural character Trump had promised to preserve, was now besmirched by a gaudy, faux-gold sign bearing his name. The carefully choreographed stop sent a clear signal to the foreign governments, lobbyists, and corporate interests keen on currying favor in Washington: The rewards of government would now be reaped by a single man — and the people would bear the cost.

More than at any time in history, the president of the United States is actively using the power and prestige of his office to line his own pockets: landing loans for his businesses, steering wealthy buyers to his condos, securing cheap foreign labor for his resorts, preserving federal subsidies for his housing projects, easing regulations on his golf courses, licensing his name to overseas projects, even peddling coffee mugs and shot glasses bearing the presidential seal. For Trump, whose business revolves around the marketability of his name, there has proved to be no public policy too big, and no private opportunity too crass, to exploit for personal profit.

Nowhere has the self-enrichment been more evident than at his Washington hotel, which quickly filled up with the very lobbyists and swamp creatures Trump had railed against during his campaign. Oil companies, mining interests, insurance executives, foreign diplomats, and defense contractors all rushed to book their annual conferences at Trump’s hotels and resorts, where Cabinet members graciously addressed them. After hiking the nightly rate to $653 — 32 percent higher than other local luxury hotels — Trump collected $2 million in profits from the property during his first three months in office. By last August, the hotel’s bar and restaurant had hauled in another $8 million in revenue. And although Trump has pledged to give away any money his hotels earn from foreign governments, the plan contains a lucrative loophole: Employees at his hotels admit that they make no effort to identify guests who represent other countries, meaning that much of the foreign money spent at Trump’s properties flows directly into his own pockets. On March 28, a federal judge allowed a lawsuit to go forward that charges Trump with violating the Constitution by accepting money from foreign governments at his D.C. hotel.

In fact, although Trump refuses to disclose the details of his myriad business operations, he continues to enjoy access to every dime he makes as president. Instead of setting up a blind trust to avoid conflicts of interest, as other presidents have done, Trump put his two grown sons in charge of his more than 500 business entities. His sons regularly brief Trump about how the enterprises are doing, enabling him to personally monitor how his decisions in office affect his bottom line. What’s more, only 15 days after this “eyes wide open” trust was set up, Trump amended the fine print to allow him to take money out of the operation any time he pleases. The loophole, buried on page 161 of the 166-page form, stipulates that any “net income or principal” can be distributed to Trump “at his request.” Far from putting his wealth in a blind trust, Trump asked the public for its blind trust, effectively sticking his money in a piggy bank in Don Jr.’s room that he is free to raid at any hour of the day or night.

Trump’s children are working hard to cash in on his time in office — especially with foreign investors. At taxpayer expense, they have flown to Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, Dubai, and India in search of licensing and real-estate deals, trading on the president’s influence in exchange for investments. But the biggest complication of Trump’s presidency — and the one he works hardest to keep secret — is the way his entire business operation is mired in massive debt. Rather than being independently wealthy, public records show, Trump and the business partnerships in which he is a leading investor owe big banks and foreign governments at least $2.3 billion — far more than his disclosure reports indicate. His largest single loan — for nearly $1 billion — is from a syndicate assembled by Goldman Sachs that includes the state-owned Bank of China. If either Trump or Jared Kushner, who tried to shake down Qatar’s finance minister for a loan, winds up needing to negotiate new terms on his ballooning debt, America could find itself being dictated to by a foreign government — all because the White House, thanks to Trump’s business model, has become a true House of Cards.

What follows is 501 days of official corruption, from small-time graft and brazen influence peddling to full-blown raids on the federal Treasury. Given how little Trump has disclosed about his finances, this timeline of self-dealing is undoubtedly only a fraction of the corruption that will eventually come to light. But as even this initial glimpse makes clear, Trump isn’t draining the swamp — he’s monetizing it. —David Cay Johnston

much more at the original

nightmare bacteria

Geez! WTF?! So many ways....

New 'Nightmare' Bacteria Are Popping Up All Over the US

from LiveScience

This image depicts two mustard-colored, rod-shaped carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) bacteria interacting with a green-colored, human white blood cells.

Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

What's worse than "nightmare" bacteria that are resistant to nearly all antibiotics? New nightmare bacteria that have the potential to spread their resistance genes to germs in hospitals around the country.

Researchers say that last year, they identified more than 200 cases of these "nightmare" bacteria with new or rare antibiotic-resistance genes, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These rare types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria popped up all over the country, in 27 states.

The good news is that researchers have come up with an aggressive strategy to identify, track and contain these germs, which appears to help stop their spread, according to the report.

"We are working to get in front of them before they do become common," Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, said at a news conference today (April 3). "We have data showing an aggressive approach works" to halt the spread of these new threats, Schuchat said. [6 Superbugs to Watch Out For]

Nightmare bacteria

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are, unfortunately, a common problem in medicine today — more than 2 million Americans get an antibiotic-resistant infection each year, and 23,000 die from these infections, according to the CDC. Antibiotic-resistant infections are a major concern for health care workers because they are difficult to treat.

One particularly concerning type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, which has been dubbed "nightmare" bacteria. These bacteria are not only resistant to many antibiotics but are also highly lethal, killing up to 50 percent of infected patients, according to the CDC.

Doctors liken the spread of CRE and other antibiotic-resistant germs to a wildfire, which is difficult to contain once it spreads widely. Therefore, doctors are trying to stamp out new or unusual types of antibiotic resistance when they first appear — to extinguish the "spark" before it has a chance to grow and spread, Schuchat said.

To aid in these efforts, the CDC recently established the Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network (ARLN), a network of labs across the country that test patients' samples for highly resistant bacteria and track emerging antibiotic resistance.

In the first nine months of 2017, ARLN tested more than 5,700 samples of highly resistant bacteria, including CRE, from hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities around the country. Of the 1,400 CRE-positive samples tested, 221 samples (15 percent) had new or unusual types of antibiotic resistance, the report said.

"I was surprised by the numbers" of bacteria with unusual antibiotic resistance, Schuchat said. "This was more than I was expecting."

When researchers detected a case of unusual antibiotic resistance, they screened other patients in the facility to see if some had "silent" infections, meaning they were infected but weren't showing symptoms. They found that about 1 in 10 people screened had a silent infection, meaning that "unusual resistance may have spread and could have continued spreading if left undetected," Schuchat said.

Preventing spread

Fortunately, researchers were often able to stop the spread of these unusual antibiotic-resistant bacteria with an aggressive "containment" strategy. This strategy involves rapidly identifying antibiotic-resistant germs at a given facility, assessing the facility for gaps in infection control, screening other patients to see if any are "silent" carriers of the infection, coordinating a response with other facilities in the area that may transfer patients to and from the affected facility, and continuing these steps until transmission of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria is controlled.

This containment strategy can "help stop the spread of unusual types of antibiotic resistance that haven't yet spread widely," Schuchat said.

Using a mathematical model, the researchers estimated that implementing this strategy could prevent as many as 1,600 new CRE infections in three years, or a 76-percent reduction in cases.

Original.