The Second Term of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States of America
- Thread starter sear
- Start date
?!
This story raises questions.
What is it about "flag blue" that diverges from the previous configuration?
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has become overrun with algae just days after the landmark underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation that painted the pool's basin "American Flag Blue," a dark navy, ahead of Independence Day.
https://www.usatoday.com/picture-ga.../90552113007/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
This USAtoday article shows workmen seeming to use conventional swimming pool skimming equipment. Nope, not sure why.
IIRC the correct treatment to discourage algae blooms in such artificial water features is chlorination, and filtration.
- OR -
The previous configuration could be restored.
Apparently chlorine is destroyed by sunlight, so does not work well.
This is what one site recommended:
{...
We recommend using calcium hypochlorite shock, or cal-hypo shock, as an effective algae treatment. Follow the package instructions to determine the dose for your pool size, then multiply that by two, three, or four, depending on which type of algae you've got.
- Green Algae: Double dose of shock (x2)
- Yellow or Dark Green Algae: Triple dose of shock (x3)
- Black Algae: Quadruple dose of shock (x4)
OR
Use the reflecting pool as perpetual bio-fuel source by harvesting the algae.
That had not occurred to me, but I have heard it works.
{...
Algae fuel, also known as algal biofuel, is a promising alternative to fossil fuels, derived from algae that can produce energy-rich oils suitable for biodiesel and other biofuels.
What is Algae Fuel?
Algae fuel is produced from various types of algae, including microalgae and macroalgae. These organisms are capable of photosynthesis, converting sunlight and carbon dioxide into energy-rich compounds. Algae can produce significantly more oil per acre than traditional crops like soybeans or corn, making them an attractive option for biofuel productionAdvantages of Algae Fuel
- Sustainable Production: Algae can be cultivated on non-arable land and can utilize saline or wastewater, reducing competition with food crops and freshwater resources
- High Yield Potential: Certain algal species can accumulate substantial amounts of lipids, which can be processed into biodiesel and other biofuels
azocleantech.com+1.
- Carbon Mitigation: Algae consume CO₂ during growth, potentially offsetting greenhouse gas emissions when used as biofueseasidesustainability.org.
- Versatility: Beyond biodiesel, algae can be processed into various fuels, including jet fuel, and can produce valuable co-products like animal feed and bioplastics
Production Process
The production of biofuel from algae involves several steps:- Cultivation: Algae are grown in controlled environments, such as open ponds or photobioreactors, where they can thrive on sunlight and nutrients.
- Harvesting: Once the algae reach a certain biomass, they are harvested using various methods, including centrifugation and filtration.
- Extraction: Oil is extracted from the algal biomass through methods such as supercritical CO₂ extraction, oil pressing, or hexane extraction
- Conversion: The extracted oil can then be converted into biodiesel through processes like transesterification
MDPI+1.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
**The United States has now surpassed 2,000 confirmed measles cases in 2026.**
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000.
It is back
---
THE NUMBERS. SOURCED TO THE CDC.
This is not speculation. This is the CDC's own data.
---
HOW WE GOT HERE.
On November 14, 2024, President Donald Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — one of America's most prominent anti-vaccine advocates — as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
On that day, CNN anchor Jake Tapper said on air:
"Well, America — I hope you like measles."
He was not wrong.
Kennedy was confirmed by ....
CONTINUED with comments
View attachment 5358
**The United States has now surpassed 2,000 confirmed measles cases in 2026.**
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000.
It is back
---
THE NUMBERS. SOURCED TO THE CDC.
2000: Measles declared eliminated in the United States — thanks to a national MMR vaccination rate above 95%
2020-2024: Approximately 500 total measles cases across five years
2025: 2,288 confirmed cases — a 34-year high. 3 deaths. The first measles deaths in 10 years. 49 separate outbreaks.
2026 to date: 2,030+ confirmed cases in 30 states. Already nearly as many cases as all of 2025. On track to be the worst measles year in modern American history.
92-96% of confirmed cases are in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccine status is unknown
74% of cases involve children and young adults under 19
21% of cases are children under five years old
The United States is now at risk of losing its measles elimination status — which it would lose if sustained transmission continues for 12 consecutive months
This is not speculation. This is the CDC's own data.
---
HOW WE GOT HERE.
On November 14, 2024, President Donald Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — one of America's most prominent anti-vaccine advocates — as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
On that day, CNN anchor Jake Tapper said on air:
"Well, America — I hope you like measles."
He was not wrong.
Kennedy was confirmed by ....
CONTINUED with comments
Sorry, but the graphs that I see say that it was the failure of the mRNA covid vaccine that had the greatest impact on making people give up on vaccination.
And you can tell it can't be Kennedy since he was only put in as the head of Health and Human Services in Feb of 2025, so could not yet have made much difference.
And I would also comment that from my reading, it is a bad idea to combine vaccines, like MMR.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
You really have gone all the way down that rabbit hole over the COVID vaccine haven't you?
As for RFK, he's not the only anti-vaxxer out there - fact is Donnie was staunchly opposed to vaccinations until he decided it was politically expedient to claim credit for the development of the COVID vaccine.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
RFK Jr. wants one of the world's largest vaccine safety studies withdrawn.
The U.S. health secretary has called for the retraction of a major study that examined whether aluminum-containing vaccines increase the risk of autoimmune diseases, allergies, or developmental disorders in children.
The study looked at more than 1.2 million Danish children over a period of more than 20 years.
Its conclusion was clear: researchers found no evidence that exposure to aluminum in vaccines increased the risk of autoimmune, allergic, or neurodevelopmental disorders.
But Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long questioned vaccine safety, says the study is deeply flawed.
In an article published earlier this month, Kennedy described the research as a "deceitful propaganda stunt" and argued that the scientists designed it in a way that would avoid finding evidence of harm. He called on the journal that published the paper to retract it.
The journal refused.
"I see no reason for retraction," Dr. Christine Laine, editor-in-chief of the Annals of Internal Medicine, told Reuters.
The study's lead author, epidemiologist Anders Peter Hviid of Denmark's Statens Serum Institut, also rejected Kennedy's criticisms. He said the claims do not invalidate the findings and noted that some concerns relate to normal scientific debates about study design rather than evidence of misconduct.
Outside experts have largely defended the research.
Adam Finn, a childhood vaccination specialist at the University of Bristol who was not involved in the study, described it as the strongest evidence currently available on the question of aluminum safety in vaccines.
The controversy highlights a growing clash between Kennedy and parts of the scientific and medical community since he became health secretary.
Aluminum salts have been used in some vaccines for decades as adjuvants, ingredients that help strengthen the body's immune response. They have also been a frequent target of vaccine safety concerns despite numerous studies finding no evidence that the amounts used in vaccines cause the conditions often claimed by critics.
Now, one of the largest studies ever conducted on the subject has become the latest battleground in that debate.
Learn more:
"US medical journal rejects call from RFK Jr to retract vaccine study." The Guardian
SOURCE with comments
Shiftless2
Well-known member
BREAKING
Trump’s VA just quietly killed health care programs for LGBTQ+ veterans — including trans vets who literally risked their lives for this country.
After months of quiet policy changes, the Trump administration has now effectively dismantled the VA’s LGBTQ+ health programs that were built to serve queer and trans veterans.
A key directive that set respectful standards of care for transgender and intersex vets has been rescinded, taken down from the VA’s own website as if those patients no longer exist. Inside the system, staff describe a slow purge of trainings, coordinators being sidelined, and diversity initiatives quietly shut down.
The most painful cuts are targeted directly at trans veterans. Under a policy issued after Trump’s “Defending Women” executive order, the VA is phasing out treatment for gender dysphoria — banning new access to hormone therapy, blocking referrals, and stripping away one of the only lifelines many vets had to affirming care.
Trans vets already in treatment are being carved out as a tiny exception, but anyone who hadn’t started care yet is simply told they’re no longer eligible, no matter their service or need.
And it doesn’t stop at clinical care. A Defense Department grant to study health and dementia risks in LGBTQ+ veterans was abruptly canceled as “not in line” with Trump’s orders. Families are now in court because military clinics were ordered to stop caring for their transgender children, cutting off care that had been available for nearly a decade.
All of this is being sold with a talking point that the money will be “redirected” to other wounded veterans — even though the total savings amount to a tiny fraction of the VA budget.
So you have queer and trans veterans who wore the uniform, deployed, followed orders — now being told by the same government they served that their identities make them unworthy of full health care. The message is cruel and crystal clear: your sacrifice is welcome, your body is not.
After months of quiet policy changes, the Trump administration has now effectively dismantled the VA’s LGBTQ+ health programs that were built to serve queer and trans veterans.
A key directive that set respectful standards of care for transgender and intersex vets has been rescinded, taken down from the VA’s own website as if those patients no longer exist. Inside the system, staff describe a slow purge of trainings, coordinators being sidelined, and diversity initiatives quietly shut down.
The most painful cuts are targeted directly at trans veterans. Under a policy issued after Trump’s “Defending Women” executive order, the VA is phasing out treatment for gender dysphoria — banning new access to hormone therapy, blocking referrals, and stripping away one of the only lifelines many vets had to affirming care.
Trans vets already in treatment are being carved out as a tiny exception, but anyone who hadn’t started care yet is simply told they’re no longer eligible, no matter their service or need.
And it doesn’t stop at clinical care. A Defense Department grant to study health and dementia risks in LGBTQ+ veterans was abruptly canceled as “not in line” with Trump’s orders. Families are now in court because military clinics were ordered to stop caring for their transgender children, cutting off care that had been available for nearly a decade.
All of this is being sold with a talking point that the money will be “redirected” to other wounded veterans — even though the total savings amount to a tiny fraction of the VA budget.
So you have queer and trans veterans who wore the uniform, deployed, followed orders — now being told by the same government they served that their identities make them unworthy of full health care. The message is cruel and crystal clear: your sacrifice is welcome, your body is not.