Tea at Trianon: CDC Investigates Multistate Parasite Outbreak

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, July 12, 2026

CDC Investigates Multistate Parasite Outbreak

From Big League Politics:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating a multistate outbreak of Cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that has sickened people across the United States.
Federal health officials have not yet identified the source of the outbreak, though previous investigations have frequently linked Cyclospora infections to contaminated fresh herbs, leafy greens, berries, and other produce.
While investigators continue searching for the source, the illness caused by the parasite can produce severe gastrointestinal symptoms.
According to the CDC, Cyclospora spreads through food or water contaminated with human feces and causes the intestinal illness cyclosporiasis. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, low-grade fever, and vomiting. The agency notes that many patients experience frequent—and sometimes explosive—bowel movements.
According to the CDC’s latest published figures, 145 cases have been identified across 17 states.
New York, Texas, Illinois, and Michigan have reported the highest number of infections. Additional cases have been reported in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
State health departments are now reporting additional cases beyond the CDC’s latest national update, suggesting the outbreak continues to expand.
Michigan health officials say they are investigating a large and growing outbreak, with more than 300 cases reported since June 22—far above the state’s typical annual total of roughly 50 cases.
New York has also reported elevated activity, with more than 100 cases identified since May 1. Officials in New York City say reported infections during the first half of the year have roughly doubled compared to the same period in 2025.
(Read more.)