Author: DOuG pRATt

5280 Feet on Foot in 3:42.66

I may have next to no interest in professional team sports, but as a former marathon runner of very average ability*, I appreciate this accomplishment.

* There’s a formula that says to take your half-marathon (13.1 miles) time, double it, and add ten minutes for a marathon. It never worked for me.

Thanks to training with a running club, at 5’10” and weighing 162 lbs. (BMI 23.2), I was averaging 7 minutes/mile. That led to my personal best half-marathon time of 93 minutes. Which implied that I should have been able to complete a full 26.2 miles in 3h:16m. Uh, no. I was never able to manage that.

Taco Friday

A follow-up to yesterday’s post about the breakout of Cyclospora illnesses. It seems that Taco Bell was, in fact, a primary source of infection, albeit not at all their fault.

The blame apparently is with an outfit called Taylor Farms. With such a strong, verifiable link, it shouldn’t have taken so long to figure this out.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/16/health/cyclospora-outbreak-shredded-lettuce

Remember Covid?

More than 400 cases in four states (Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky) seem to be linked to a common source, which has not yet been identified, according to the C.D.C.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/15/well/eat/cyclospora-stomach-bug-what-to-know.html?unlocked_article_code=1.yFA.ynUQ._Hns1iZ-991v&smid=url-share

Can we stop trying to evaluate and explain events based upon pre-Trump criteria? The CDC of the not too distant past would have certainly, by now, identified the specific source(s) of the Cyclospora contamination. Instead, they’re leaving it to Taco Bell to take action without guidance.

The CDC no longer has enough competent epidemiologists, or sufficient funding, to do its work. Because of Donald J. Trump, and no on else. RFK, Jr. wouldn’t be where he is without Trump. It’s his fault, so please stop claiming the difficulty is primarily a matter of the bacteria being “tricky.”

Deadpool at Hoover

Jumble, 7/15/26

The timing of today’s Jumble is perfect. Except the water in Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam is in danger of falling low enough to reach the dead power pool level. Leaving it without the ability to generate electricity, so Hoover will be sucking air like the other namesake. California announced today it will do what it can to keep that from happening.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/lake-mead-dry-bone-california-205118456.html