TWIT: Melania in a Bikini at the Pool

Really?

Before US Person gets to that top line, Jenna Ellis, former Trumpillini mouthpiece and "disloyal wench", entered a plea to a single felony in the Georgia election interference case on Tuesday. [photo] The prosecution is recommending five years probation and a $5,000 fine for aiding and abetting the submission  of false documents.  That makes four of the original 19 defendants who have pleaded guilty to charges brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Ellis read a tearful written statement to the court in which she claimed that "as a Christian" she takes her responsibilities as a lawyer seriously. She apparently did not think through those responsibilities when representing the previous guy and department store rapist. Ellis told the court,"I relied on others, including lawyers with many more years of experience than I, to provide me with true and reliable information,” big mistake.

Trumpilini's motivation for illegally retaining national security documents became clearer after the NYT looked more closely at the relationship between Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt and Don 'Legit'. As US Person concluded in a previous post {05.10.2023, Secrets for Sale}, the relationship was purely transactional, or as Pratt assessed it, "useful". Pratt paid for access to Trump by buying a $200,000 membership to the Mar-a-Lago club.  He purchased two $50,000 dinner tickets for one million dollars to avoid the cap on individual campaign contributions. Pratt also purchased a full page Wall Street Journal ad supporting Trumpilini's presidential bid. Trump told him about secrets about US submarines.

60 Minutes Australia added more background to this influence peddling, exposing the slimy world of pay for play politics as practiced by the ersatz mafia don.  Tapes of Pratt talking about his 'friend' and his access to Trump's inner circle were obtained by the program. In one of the recordings, Pratt claims Trump suggested his wife Melania parade around the Mar-a-lago pool in her bikini to, "show them what they are missing". The guy is a slime ball, full stop. You can listen to the Australian reporting here:

Bad News From Antarctica

Climate scientists have concluded that rapid ice melt in Antarctica will increase sea levels by as much as five meters--enough to endanger coastal cities--regardless of how much humans reduce their carbon dioxide emmissions in this century.  In other words, the infamous "tipping point" in West Antarctica has been reached.  Analysis of data shows that melting of floating ice shelfs in the Amundsen Sea will be three times faster than the previous century.  If the entire ice sheet in West Antarctica is lost die to melting then sea levels will rise as much as five meters, which may cause abandonment of coastal settlements. More than a third of global population lives with 100 kms of the sea.

An example of the rapid rate of melting is the 1,255-sq-mile (3,250-sq-km) Larsen B ice shelf. It was known to be melting fast but no one had predicted that it would take just one month for the 200-meter-thick behemoth to completely disintegrate.

Horseshoe Island, credit: Getty Images

The new research into the rise of Antarctic sea temperatures is led by the British Antarctic Survey. Warming of Antarctic waters is causing the rapid acceleration of ice melt. Dr. Kaitlin Naughten told interviewers that work on reducing fossil fuel burning should continue despite the dire assessments based on her work because global warming has other equally adverse impacts that can be avoided or reduced by greenhouse gas reductions. The study is published in Nature Cimate Change and agrees in some aspects with previous climate studies.

GM Bacteria Light Up Tumors for Attack

Back at the turn of the last century, a surgeon noticed a remarkable correlation between cancer patients with Streptococci infections (erysipelas) and sudden remissions of their cancer tumors. Dr William Coley [photo] wrote about the strange correlation ans speculated that it might have something to do with the bacteria eliminating tumor cells. He began injecting patients with the bacteria, hoping to achieve the same remission he saw in other cases. He had some success, but also some patients died of sepsis (blood poisoning). Despite the initial success his idea faded with the advent of radiation therapy considered to be more controllable.

Now, in the age of nanobots and genetic modification of organisms, using bacteria as cancer fighting agents is getting a second look. Oncologists are always on the lookout for agents that can distinquish between normal cells and cancer cells in the body. Some bacteria will colonize tumors and leave the rest of the body alone. Motile bacteria are especially adapted to this function, as are those which can survive anerobic enviroments such as inside a tumor. Finding such bacteria is half the battle. Modifying them to destroys a tumor is the more difficult part of the problem. 

Research is starting to bear fruit. Scientist have reported a modified probiotic bacteria used in conjunction with human T-cells seems to work. Rather than introduce a toxin into the body, the modified bacteria give off a signal using the green florescent protein (GFP) modified to cause the protein to stick to the tumor's surface. The body's own immune system in the form of modified T-cells responds to this signal as an invader and begins attacking the tumor, which is a good thing since solid tumors are insidious, not giving the immune system an obvious indication of their presence. The bacterium literally explodes giving off a green flash. Its like a flare on a battlefield identifying the enemy's location.

Bacteria that are not harmful to the body and that have been genetically atenuated gives added protection to the patient. In one interesting experimental trial with mice, E. Coli Nissle 1917, a non-toxic bacterium, was modified and injected in mice with tumors modeling human brest cancer. Some mice were then treated with E. Coli having the GFP gene and a protein that attracts T-cells generally; some received bacteria with only the GFP gene and T-cells modified to recognize the GFP signal; the control group were injected with saline. The results are remarkable. Mice with the GPF gene had tumor growth of only 40%; mice treated with bacteria having both modifications had no tumor growth, while the control group had tumors that tripled in size because the strain of mouse used in the experiment has no active immune response.  Researchers looked for the engineered bacteria in other organs and found none; the bacteria are highly specific. Clinical trials are next. Dr. Coley's hunch a hundred fifty years was correct; only the proper tools had to be developed first.

TWIT: The Kraken is Down

Latest:  Trump fined $5,000 for violating Judge Engoron's gag order in the New York civil fraud case--a nominal amount even for Trumpillini, More kid glove treatment--Federal District Court Judge Chutkin who put her gag order on hold while Trump lawyers appeal her ruling.

Update: As expected, Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro accepted a plea deal on the eve of trial for election interference in Georgia.  He is expected to testify against the remaining defendants including the coup leader.  He plead to a single felony, conspiracy to submit false documents, and was sentenced to five years probation and paying $5,000 restitution.  The Harvard educated Chesebro was an architect of the false electors scheme in which false elector certifications were submitted to Congress.  What effect his felony conviction will have on his Texas law license in not clear at this juncture; sixty prominent lawyers and scholars, including his former mentor, Lawrence Tribe, have signed an ethics complaint against him in New York.  His plea does clear the way for the main event, the televised trial of Trump, Meadows, Eastman and Giuliani for racketeering and attempting to interfere in Georgia's 2020 presidential election.  The evidence against Trumpillini keeps piling up while he bloviates in courthouse hallways.  Someone should tell him to man-up!

{19/10/2023} Sidney Powell, a prominent member of the conspiracy of zealots working to overturn the election for Trumpillini, pleaded guilty to six misdemeanors for election tampering today and was sentenced to six years probation and a $6000 fine. By pleading she avoided potential serious incarceration if convicted of participating in a RICO. Powell agreed to testify against remaining defendants in return for pleading to reduced charges.  This puts Don 'Legit' in a very difficult position. As an inside participant of the conspiracy, she was privy to conversations with the former guy about disrupting the transfer of power on January 6th. At one point Trumpillini attempted to make Powell an emergency Special Counsel. Presumably she will also testify to what she knows in the DC federal trial of her former coup leader. What affect her conviction will have on her license to practice law in Texas is unclear.

Powell made false accusations against Dominion Voting Systems claiming their voting machines were rigged in a conspiracy with the former communist leader of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez to steal elections. She is also facing a defamation suit brought by Dominion. This smear was repeated by Don 'Legit' and spread over the Internet. Former trade advisor Peter Navarro said that Powell was, "the worst thing that ever happened" to their efforts to keep the former president in power.

Powell joins former bondsman Scott Hall in accepting a plea deal from DA Fani Willis. Attorney Kevin Cheesebro, an author of the fake elector scheme, remains the only defendant scheduled to go to trial next week in the Georgia election interference case. Both he and Powell requested speedy trials. If Chesebro pleads, attorneys for Trumpillini will not get a free preview of the state's case against their client. Given the leniency granted to Powell he may also decide to capitulate and testify against the man who wanted to be king. US Person suggests Powell use AI to write her required apology letter to the citizens of Georgia for interfering in their presidential election.

As expected, Individual One is appealing the gag order imposed by federal District Court Judge Chutkin prohibiting him from ranting against court personnel and intimidating witnesses.  That is, as soon as his lawyer John Lauro becomes qualified to practice before the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Trump's appeal is expected to be denied given the limited nature of Chutkin's order and the strong government interest in protecting fair judicial process. Freedom of speech is not absolute.

credit: D. Whamond, Cagle.com
Wackydoodle sez:  He don't know Sydney Cheeseburger!

Gone Forever

US Fish and Wildlife has proposed the removal of 21 species from the Endangered Species Act list because they have gone extinct.  The species removed are a mix of flora and fauna.  The agency director said the removal was a "wake up call" notifying us that conservation of imperiled species must occur before it is too late.  The ESA is now fifty years old.  It did not remove the ivory-billed woodpecker despite repeated conclusions that the large, distinct woodpecker is now extinct.  Some unverified observations of the bird in the Okeefenokee Swamp have been made in the past. [image: Bachman's warbler]

More than 100 species have been delisted under the Act based on official recovery or reclassified from endangered to threatened. It is credited with saving 99% of listed species from extinction.  The final rule of delisting based on extinction was published in the Federal Register yesterday and will go into effect  thirty days after publication.

Good News for Yellowstone Grizzlies

What has been called the last viable mining prospect on the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park was purchased for $6.25 million by a conservation group, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.  The 1,598 acre tract was slated by a Montana gold mining company for extraction.  The land is habitat for grizzlies and a migration route for elk and buffalo that overlooks the north entrance to America's first national park.  Gold miners have been attracted to Crevice Mountain since the 1850s.  The former owner had planned to dig 300 tons of ore a day, producing about half an ounce of gold per ton, which he considered high for most operations.  Mining would have undoubtably disturbed bears and others crossing into the Park. [photo credit: W. Campbell]

mother bear leads cubs on Crevice Mt.

Greater Yellowstone Coalition approached Michael Werner, dba Crevice Mining Group, LLC, to purchase the land since that was the only way to effectively end mining on the site.  Werner told interviewers he would not have sold ten years ago, but he was getting older, and appreciated the "professional approach" of the Coalition's negotiator.  An agreement to purchase was eventually reached in 2021 with the option expiring October 1, 2023.  Fund raising went into overdrive.  The group received 1,345 donations from 47 states and 7 foreign countries. The purchase was signed in September.  Head of the Coalition Scott Christensen said, "everyone who loves Yellowstone owns this victory".  It will be years before the land becomes public property, but until then animals have a permanent easement. 

Fat Bear Week Winner

128 Grazer is the winner of Fat Bear Week in Katmai National Park, Alaska.  Grazer bested the big boys and previous winners, 32 Chunk and Bear 747.   National Park Service said she won with a combination of skill and toughness as she stuffer her face with salmon from the Brooks River. She was introduced to the river area in 2005 and has since raised two litters of cubs.  In the process she has become one of the best bear anglers on the river.  128 Grazer has been known to take on bigger males to defend her cubs.  

In other bear news: two people, an adult female and a male juvenile, were killed in a remote Alaska village by a polar bear that chased several people in the village of Wales on the Seward Peninsula, one hundred miles northwest of Nome. Wales is a predominantly Inupiaq village of 150 inhabitants,  The bear was shot and killed by a local resident.  Fatal bear attacks have been rare in Alaska's recent history.  In 1990 a man was killed by a polar bear in Fort Lay, north of Wales. Biologists said that a necropsy showed the bear was starving.