shademar

❄️ FINAL FORECAST: BLIZZARD OF 2026 ❄️

Now that the snowstorm is underway, I went into a high level of detail trying to narrow down the snow band placement and evolution.

Forecast reasoning follows in the thread below:

“I don’t think Jay Bhattacharya can be trusted to lead either. But I think the size of both of these organizations and the missions are different, and…it takes a specific type of person…to do each of these jobs”.

Yasss, @jimalwine.bsky.social! Bhattacharya leading NIH and CDC is a terrible idea.

It. Is. Racism.
Science isn't just political, it is often horribly wrong. Eugenics. Skirting IRB approval by starting studies by proxy and then another proxy (this would be the HPV vaccine study RFKj is pushing for) in an African nation.

It defies both logic and humanity that it's come to this.

Those dodging ethics laws (yes *fed laws*) are doing so b/c they think that no one cares what happens in whatever that location is and they can shake out whatever conclusion they want for everyone who agrees & pays.
They are worse than charlatans; they promise hope and deliver harm for $$ & fame.

IRBs were put in place to help curb scientific monstrosities like the Tuskegee Syphilis study. The things that shock consciences of those who haven't grown numb to them. People seeking to dodge them are not operating in good faith and are usually harming the populaces they claim to be helping.

IRBs include non-sci ethics related folk for a reason: they're meant to be the hard stop, 'wtf are you thinking' oversight committee that reflects both scientific integrity and a balk at monstrosity. If you see a study that is evading IRB oversight, they're probably somewhere between 'grift' & 'NO!'

With RFKj & MAHA around, you may have seen the acronym IRB a lot lately. It stands for 'Institutional Review Board' - important because research with human subjects requires IRB approval. An IRB is usually specific to a research institution, and includes everything from scis to faithpersons.

ohmg, thank you for tracking this info down and sharing it. I couldn't wrap my head around how this could be a US approved study, thus requiring IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval, while failing utterly to meet US science ethics guidelines. (Which exist for a damn good reason & are fed laws)

The fraudulent IRB signature occurred in Guinea-Bissau. Regardless, before RFK Jr., this study would have required review by a U.S.-based or U.S.-approved IRB.

But this didn’t happen—the registration for the IRB in G-B had lapsed, did not meet US requirements, and shouldn’t have been accepted.

A lot of people, including me, were wondering how an IRB could ever approve this study.

The answer is that no IRB did. The person who “signed off” on approval from the only ethics board that reviewed it had resigned three years earlier. His signature was used without his knowledge.

Digital illustration of 4 cats and their eyes up close. The artwork is scribbly and there are sparkles

Scribbling some kitty eyes 💞

Dear Sam, humans can't buy your products unless they are both alive and have money, neither of which your business model accounts for you sheffing dibnitz, you pathetic fool, you wannabe humanoid mycelium.

6 raku vases in a grid with a white background in two rows of three. There is a vase name in black text under each image, from left to, to right bottom, the names are Lagoon Nebula, Draconis, Skyfire, Pinwheel, Persueus'Cloud, Tethy's Tide.

A closeup of 3 vases glowing in the reduction firing of the raku process.

The world feels very unsettled, and art isn’t always the priority in these trying times. Even so, I'm here and keep on making.

These are my latest one-of-a-kind raku vessels available now. A share or like to help them find their people would mean a great deal. 🙏

Protection of human subjects in research is paramount.

Before I retired I used to spend a great deal of time doing everything in my power to protect study volunteers.

These are people who selflessly made the decision to try to improve the health of others.

RFK Jr. has made a mockery of it.

Let's try this again 👋

Hi Bluesky - I'm Massachusetts' Attorney General. You might know me from suing President Trump nearly 50 times, beating Uber and Lyft in court, or being the first woman of color elected to statewide office in MA.

I officially left X today - help me find my MA people?

‘No one deserves this’: Beaverton father dies after deportation to Mexico A Beaverton family is grieving after the father, who was detained and deported by ICE, has now died.

This 53 year old man who lived in my neighborhood w/no criminal record & who had been in the US for 30 years, was detained and thrown into a cold cell for days, caught pneumonia and COVID there and deported.

He finally died.

I am so angry.
www.kptv.com/2026/02/21/n...

Progress!

A high magnification image showing tiers and rows of photoreceptors that are labeled with acetylated tubulin (magenta) arranged in vertical orientation within each cell and a wee green dot--actually a tiny donut-- of labeled Usherin protein encircling the base of each cilia. Mutations in the USH2A gene affect the localization and function of this protein and represent the most common cause of both usher syndrome and the most common cause of the type of progressive blindness known as retinitis pigmentosa. Seeing this, the normal localization of Usherin, combined with additional behavioral and histological tests, demonstrate that the removal of a small region of this very large protein doesn't adversely affect localization or function of the modified protein. This provides proof of principal that if someone has Usher syndrome or RP due to mutations found within this small region, creating a similar modification in their photoreceptor cells could provide improved protein function, better vision, and delay or minimize the degeneration.

On #FluorescenceFriday, a deceptively simple looking image that took literal YEARS to obtain. These 10dpf zebrafish photoreceptors are showing that a particular modification to the protein Usherin does not affect protein localization & thus can be pursued as a therapy for Usher syndrome type 2A 🧪

Maximum Overdrive

It was drivers' ed and the teacher basically just gave us handouts of every possible DMV question plus answers and bailed. Last period of the day, so almost everyone else did too.

she's just found a more lucrative culture to appropriate at this moment

"understanding" in quotes reads to me as "puts out on demand, 24/7."
Because why else do you put it in quotes, in this particular list, when it could mean what the word really is understood to mean?
Dude fucking wishes he could add an age range, guaranteed.

-ddie's Home!

✨The GOP platform✨

Cultural burning returns to Jasper Ridge Muwekma Ohlone Tribal members conducted a cultural burn at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, providing a learning opportunity for a Stanford course on environmental stewardship.

New article! Cultural burning returns to Jasper Ridge.
Muwekma Ohlone Tribal members conducted a cultural burn at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma), providing a learning opportunity for a Stanford course on environmental stewardship. news.stanford.edu/stories/2026...

1. A #flu & #measles update.
#CDC has been informed of 5 more kids who've died from flu this year, bringing the pediatric death total so far to 71. About 90% of them weren't vaccinated.
Flu season isn't over & flu B — which is tough on kids — is surging. The death toll, sadly, will continue to rise.

Now *THAT'S* a bacronym. *claps slowly*

More than 10,000 acres of ancestral land restored to rightful owners: the Washoe Tribe In what is the largest land return in the Sierra Nevada region and third largest in Californian history, the Washoe Tribe now owns 10,274 acres (4,158 hectares) northeast of Lake Tahoe, announcing the...

nit.com.au/19-02-2026/2...

Red flag warnings are in effect today across portions of New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma.

These warnings are issued when critical fire weather conditions are happening or about to happen.

Avoid activities that could spark a wildfire! And check weather.gov for any updates.

A comical pile of boxes raking up Sarah’s whole first floor

The price points of the pint glasses were structured in such a way that getting too many made more sense than getting just barely enough so if you know of any bars in Philly that would be interested in hosting some educational pint glasses, get at me. This is my living room rn 😅