Healthy 18-year-old welder nearly died of anthrax—the 9th such puzzling case
“Welder’s Anthrax” was first coined in 2022, when seven cases had been identified.
W
wtg
@wtg
Posts
-
Welder's anthrax -
Non-AI web searchesI've been using DuckDuckGo for several years and prefer it over Google Search.
WaPo had this article about avoiding AI in Google and DDG. It includes your udm14 option plus some others.
-
Marinara sauce taste testI've seen the winner in the grocery store but haven't tried it. Looked up the ingredients that are in it and....real food! Italian Tomatoes, Onions, Olive Oil,, Sea Salt, Basil, Garlic, Oregano
https://www.southernliving.com/marinara-taste-test-11870347#toc-the-winner
We're mostly a Rao's household but I'll check out Carbone.
-
WWII mapswe’re going to look at the Second World War, with a particular focus on the maps that newspapers would print so their readership could follow along as the world burned.
https://nathangoldwag.wordpress.com/2024/10/26/visualizing-the-past-world-war-ii/
-
The Putinization of US foreign policyHardly anyone expected 2026 to be a year of peace, and it was barely two days old when the worst fears were confirmed.
The overnight strikes on Venezuela, the abduction of its leader, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, and Donald Trump’s declaration that the US would “run” the country and sell its oil, have driven another truck through international law and global norms. But that is not even the most concerning thing about it..
Trump’s belief in his own global omnipotence, and his desire to grab the territory and natural resources of other countries has been held in check until now by his fear of entanglement in foreign wars. He claimed (falsely) to have ended eight wars, and his greatest ambition in 2025 seemed to be winning the Nobel peace prize. Less than a month ago he was brandishing a hastily confected substitute, the Fifa peace prize. That act of self-abasement by world football’s governing body looks even more absurd now than it did when Trump grabbed the gold medal and put it around his own neck.
Trump’s apprehension over foreign wars seems to be waning. He was clearly thrilled by the drama of the Maduro operation, and the efficiency of the American soldiers who carried it out, declaring on Saturday he was “not afraid” of deploying ground forces in Venezuela to pursue his interests. For an ageing president, growing more petulant, irascible and incoherent with every day in office – facing diminishing popularity and desperate to distract attention from the Epstein child-trafficking scandal – a tightening embrace of military power is an ominous development..
He looks at the world through the eyes of a 19th-century imperialist, but with 21st-century weapons.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/03/putin-russia-us-foreign-policy-venezuela
What’s next? Greenland? Iran?
-
Potential anti-aging treatmentsResearchers at Stanford Medicine report that blocking a protein linked to aging can restore cartilage that naturally wears away in the knees of older mice. In the study, the injectable treatment not only rebuilt cartilage but also stopped arthritis from developing after knee injuries similar to ACL tears, which are common among athletes and active adults. A pill-based version of the same therapy is already being tested in clinical trials aimed at treating muscle weakness associated with aging.
https://scitechdaily.com/anti-aging-injection-regrows-knee-cartilage-and-prevents-arthritis/
-
Mechanic in a BottleWe had no trouble finding it up in Door County. Surrounded by water and tons of boats.
I just checked a website that helps locate gas stations that have it and the closest one is 39 miles, up near the Chain of Lakes area.
-
Mechanic in a BottleWe tried to find a station with ethanol free gas a few years ago. Nearest one was like 20 miles away
. A neighbor buys it in quart botttles at Menards. $7 a pop. It’s actually worked pretty well for him. We haven’t had much snow the last few years and I don’t think he’s used more than two bottles in a season.
-
Mechanic in a BottleGood to know. We did have the ethanol problem in our Toro snowblower the second year we had it. Since then we’ve been careful to run it dry or drain it. And we’ve been adding Seafoam to the gas in the storage container. Still, sounds like keeping a bottle of MIB would be a good idea.
-
Meanwhile, in VenezuelaPeople made a lot of money in prediction markets.
Traders on Polymarket appeared to anticipate Maduro's capture late Friday night, before President Trump announced it early Saturday morning.
The market for whether or not Maduro would be out of power climbed shortly before 10pm ET on Friday, after hovering in the low single digits for weeks, per the Wall Street Journal.
What appears to be a newly created account appeared to invest $30,000 Friday in Maduro's exit. After Maduro went into custody Saturday morning, that same investor netted $436,759.61.
Polymarket did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment Saturday morning.
State of play: Polymarket was packed with questions related to the Venezuela news Saturday morning.
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/03/maduro-capture-bets-trade-prediction-markets
-
Meanwhile, in VenezuelaSome background on Venezuelan oil:
-
Mechanic in a BottleInteresting. We had inherited a neighbor's old lawn mower that had five year old gas sitting in it. I managed to get it started but it wouldn't keep running unless I had it fully choked. We put in some Seafoam and things improved but I decided I didn't really need a gas mower, so I gave it away to some landscapers.
Here's a comparison of Mechanic in a Bottle and Seafoam:
-
Meanwhile, in Venezuela -
Meanwhile, in VenezuelaShe's sunk. She didn't thank you-know-who by name.
María Corina Machado's letter to Venezuelans
Venezuelans, The time for freedom has come!
Nicolás Maduro from today will face international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations. Given his refusal to accept a negotiated solution, the United States government has fulfilled its promise to enforce the law.
The time has come for popular sovereignty and national sovereignty to prevail in our country. We are going to restore order, release the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home.
We have fought for years, we have given it our all, and it has been worth it. What was meant to happen is happening.
This is the hour of the citizens. Those of us who risked everything for democracy on June 28th. Those of us who elected Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the legitimate President of Venezuela, who must immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Forces by all the officers and soldiers who comprise it.
Today we are ready to assert our mandate and take power. Let us remain vigilant, active, and organized until the democratic transition is complete. A transition that needs ALL of us.
To the Venezuelans who are currently in our country, be ready to put into action what we will be communicating to you very soon through our official channels.
To Venezuelans abroad, we need you to be mobilized, engaging the governments and citizens of the world and committing them from now on to the great operation of building the new Venezuela.
In these crucial hours, receive all my strength, my confidence, and my affection. We remain vigilant and in contact.
VENEZUELA WILL BE FREE! We go hand in hand with God, until the end.
-
Meanwhile, in Venezuela -
Meanwhile, in VenezuelaTrump is speaking right now...Mr wtg was watching; I couldn't. He said DJT was rambling and repeating himself.
The US will run Venezuela till the transition (whatever that might be), send in US companies to spend billions of dollars to pump oil, it will benefit the US, and the Venezuelans will be thrilled and all those who came here illegally will want to go back. And everyone will live happily ever after.
I only got what Mr wtg told me. He doesn't recall any talk of what to do about the Maduro-supporting military apparatus that's still in place....
https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/venezuela-us-explosions-caracas-25a01a23e7b936b430901428ab0d0907
-
Meanwhile, in Venezuela -
Meanwhile, in VenezuelaFrom Truth Social:
"The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country.
"This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP."https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c5yqygxe41pt
But Honduran president Hernandez was pardoned after having been convicted on drug trafficking charges.
I’m confused.
-
BYD > TeslaTesla lost its crown as the world’s bestselling electric vehicle maker on Friday as a customer revolt over Elon Musk’s right-wing politics, expiring U.S. tax breaks for buyers and stiff overseas competition pushed sales down for a second year in a row.
Tesla said that it delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, down 9% from a year earlier.
Chinese rival BYD, which sold 2.26 million vehicles last year, is now the biggest EV maker.
It’s a stunning reversal for a car company whose rise once seemed unstoppable as it overtook traditional automakers with far more resources and helped make Musk the world’s richest man. The sales drop came despite President Donald Trump’s marketing effort early last year when he called a press conference to praise Musk as a “patriot” in front of Teslas lined up on the White House driveway, then announced he would be buying one, bucking presidential precedent to not endorse private company products.
-
Busting food mythsIf you want to live longer and feel better, stop chasing food fads.
Every few months, a new “miracle” plan — keto, intermittent fasting, carnivore, raw — promises to fix everything. Most don’t. Even those that show modest benefits rarely deliver results worth the time, effort, and mental energy they demand.
As an Harvard-trained oncologist and world leader in health policy, I’ve spent decades researching what actually improves health outcomes. The answer to a longer life is so simple: Good nutrition is about building about habits you can sustain for years, not weeks.
While you should consult your physician before changing your diet, as individual needs vary, here are six nutrition myths I wish more people would let go of.
Yes, the author is Rahm's brother....