#plague rats

[deadgreenjupiter]

inserts from the album “opheliac (the deluxe edition)” by emilie autumn, pt.i

[odinsblog]

The country is in the midst of a nationwide outbreak of explosive diarrhea caused by a parasite the CDC stopped surveilling at the federal level in July 2025.

That's around the same time the Trump administration began haphazardly attacking and defunding federal health and science agencies under the guise of “government efficiency,” with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. separately also pushing out critical federal scientists and researchers.

Prior to that date, a collaborative CDC program called FoodNet helped federal and state regulators track eight foodborne pathogens.

Among them was cyclospora, a heat-loving spherical parasite that's sickened 1,000 people in an ongoing outbreak in Michigan (the state's worst), with similar illnesses cropping up in 28 other states.

In addition to cyclospora, surveillance of campylobacter, listeria, shigella, vibrio and Yersinia was cut. FoodNet now only regularly monitors two diseases: Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.

A CDC spokesperson at the time downplayed the cuts to NBC and suggested state health departments could pick up the slack.

Colorado, one of the participating states, said that absent funding it would correspondingly cut back its surveillance. The state is now experiencing a cyclospora outbreak of its own.

“I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy,” Reba Pousma, a Denver resident who likely has cyclospora, told CBS. “I'm on day five now of going to the bathroom over 40 times a day, and nothing has been solid.”

Craig Hedberg, PhD, a professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences at the

University of Minnesota, disagreed with the CDC's claim that FoodNet was duplicative.

“The disturbing thing about cutting FoodNet funds is that it normalizes the idea that foodborne disease surveillance is expensive and unimportant,” Hedberg told the school's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. “In fact, it is the foundation of our food safety system, and needs further investments, not restrictions.”

In addition to the ongoing cyclospora outbreak, Trump administration cutbacks made under the guise of “government efficiency” also brought back a flesh-eating parasite that favors cattle, accidentally fired scientists managing the bird flu outbreak, accidentally fired the FDA's medical device reviewers, and pulled research funding to protect pregnant women from domestic violence, among other things.

(continue reading)

[mtg-art-daily]

Plague Rats

During the dark times, the rats seemed to grow ever stronger.

Artist: Anson Maddocks

[arwenkenobi48]

I had an absolutely hilarious dream in which Von Franz’ solution to getting rid of all the plague rats was to hire the Pied Piper and as soon as he showed up and started playing his pipe, every single rat began dancing in a sort of conga line, but what made it even better was the fact that Orlok was also compulsively dancing

Ellen and Thomas peered out of the window in the middle of the night to find a long line of rats boogieing down the street and in the midst of it all was Orlok, who shouted “Ellen, save me! I can’t stop!” as he waltzed past

And just to truly top it all off, the song the Pied Piper was playing just happened to be Rasputin by Boney M

[plague-memoria]

[art-of-mtg]

Plague Rats (Limited Edition Alpha) - Anson Maddocks

More cards with art by Anson Maddocks on Scryfall

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Plague Rats

"Should you a Rat to madness tease Why ev'n a Rat may plague you. . ." —Samuel Coleridge, "Recantation"

Artist: Anson Maddocks TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[toadalled]

Do you think there was ever a Homo erectus going: “Grug says use woke fire to make meat safe but me prefer worms and itchy butthole?”