Notices by Augie Ray (augieray@mastodon.social), page 2

That means this costly war will leave Iran with more radical leadership and in a stronger economic position, and the US will be in greater danger of terrorist attacks and with permanently higher prices. And that's the BEST-case scenario—but at least things will seem fairly normal.

Things only get worse if that doesn't happen. The Trump administration is sending more troops to the Middle East and is reportedly drawing up plans for a ground invasion.

5/x

Helium needed to run MRI machines will be in short supply. Some countries in the developing world could see a 50% reduction in their harvests compared with prior years due to fertilizer shortages, causing food crises and more mass migration.

At this point, the best-case scenario we can hope for is that Trump walks away from the war. He'll claim victory, but he'll leave Iran controlling the Straits of Hormuz, and Iran will almost assuredly charge tolls to raise money to recover.

4/x

I get that some of you absolutely won't visit X/Twitter for any reason, and I respect that. However, there is something worth reading on that platform. A profile I don't know (Gandalv / @Microinteracti1) wrote a profoundly moving and thoughtful essay about Donald Trump, Robert Mueller, and what the U.S. has become. It is worth five minutes of your time, I promise you.

https://x.com/Microinteracti1/status/2035444431290093818

My weekly update on #COVID19 in the US:

- The spring lull has arrived!
- COVID fell to low or very low viral activity in all 4 regions.
- 2 states still have high viral activity; 7 more have moderate. More than half are at very low activity.
- The positive rate of testing is lower than its been in a year.
- Summer surges typically start in late May to early July. The West could expect a more powerful summer surge this year.

https://medium.com/@augieray_66704/covids-spring-lull-arrives-update-for-march-20-2026-73a41cad446d

These trends could reverse due to plunging vaccinations or COVID mutations.

We know reinfections add to the risks of chronic health. My spreadsheet of studies on COVID's adverse impact on long-term health is nearing 3,300 studies.

I believe taking precautions is important, particularly when risks are high. I also think it's critical that people enjoy life, which means balancing risks and benefits. I don't isolate; I take care. I try to minimize, not eliminate, risks.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12VbMkvqUF9eSggJsdsFEjKs5x0ABxQJi5tvfzJIDd3U/edit?usp=sharing

Two things can be true simultaneously:

COVID surges are growing less severe, but #COVID19 remains a risk for acute and chronic illness.

Based on wastewater, half as many people were infected in winter 2023/24 as in winter 2021/22.

40% fewer people were infected in winter 2024/25 than in winter 2023/24.

And 1/3 fewer people were infected in winter 2025/26 than in winter 2024/25.

1/2

Yes, MAGA, you voted for this. Trump on gas prices: “If they rise, they rise.”

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/trump-rising-gas-prices-during-iran-operation-if-they-rise-they-rise-2026-03-05/

My latest update on #COVID19 in the US:

- Nationally, COVID dropped to low viral activity for the first time since December

- Viral activity remains moderate in the Midwest and Northeast. Seven state have high viral activity: AL, DE, IL, ME, MN, MI, NE.

- Signs point to a continued slow slide in COVID risks in the coming months.

https://medium.com/@augieray_66704/covid-falls-to-low-viral-activity-in-the-u-s-update-for-march-6-2025-f77ec5966bac

Cover of the medical journal, The Lancet:

“The destruction that Kennedy has wrought in 1 year might take generations to repair, and there is little hope for US health and science while he remains at the helm.”

If you want to focus on politics and public health, stop whining about leftists not masking and start dedicating your efforts to getting people to vote for leftist candidates who will reverse what Trump and the GOP have done.

Trump's SOTU speech is said to be at least two hours long, possibly three. Don't watch. He won't say anything you can't read about in five minutes tomorrow, and you know he cares A LOT about ratings.

Do yourself a favor and watch something else. TCM is running the 1944 movie "Gaslight" tonight—it's where the term "gaslighting" comes from. I'm sure that's just a coincidence.

A new study out of China found that first-trimester #COVID19 infection is associated with a 2.25x higher risk of birth defects. All the women were vaccinated, and the pregnancies were from December 2022 to February 2023.

Of the many things I see posted to my social networks that cause me to bite my tongue, "babymoons" may be the thing that causes me to bite the hardest. Prospective parents must be as committed to protecting their child's health before birth as after.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-39855-z

I laughed out loud at this response.

Smart people don't ignore the risks of #COVID19 and other viruses before important events. These are the members of the U.S. women’s Olympic cross-country ski team posing for a photo Thursday, Feb. 5 in Italy. Not only are they wearing masks to make sure they can compete healthy, they are living outside the Olympic village in an off-site hotel during the entirety of the Games — a substantial financial investment intended to protect “health and wellness.”

https://fasterskier.com/2026/02/in-italy-four-years-after-the-covid-games-olympic-teams-are-still-isolating/

Waiting for Trump to start hitting countries with new tariffs because of low ticket sales for "Melania." https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movies/articles/melania-trumps-film-struggles-sell-234538656.html?guccounter=1

I'm not saying the Trump administration is turning the US into a dystopian hellscape, but when the local newspaper needs to help you identify what toxic gas Federal agents are unleashing on citizens, I think it speaks for itself.

Peter de Wit won the Dutch 2025 Inkspot Prize for this cartoon. I was reminded of this after seeing Jared Kushner's presentation of the future of Gaza at Davos with high-rise condos and coastal tourism.

Since the start of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023, over 73,600 people have been reported killed, including 2,109 Israelis and over 72,400 Palestinians (most of whom were civilians).

A relative is in a stage production this weekend and sent a message inviting us to attend. What I wanted to respond is that gathering people together when flu and COVID are this high in the Midwest is like handing out cigarettes to unbuckled people while driving drunk. Instead, I simply ignored the message.

Too many people are going to learn the hard way. We need to learn to plan events around viral threats, not simply ignore them.

"It's only the flu."

STUDY: "Compared with influenza and dengue, #COVID19 stands out for both the breadth and severity of its neurological manifestations, as well as the persistence of symptoms in many survivors. The available evidence unequivocally supports a higher incidence and a broader spectrum of neurological complications in COVID-19, ranging from nonspecific symptoms... to more severe syndromes including ischemic stroke, encephalopathy, and GBS."

https://www.cureus.com/articles/449661-neurological-complications-associated-with-covid-19-compared-to-other-viral-infections-a-systematic-review-of-current-evidence#!/

Donald Trump, August 2025: "The United States will not let men steal trophies from women."

Donald Trump, January 2026:

Wow, the northern lights over Greenland are incredible. 😆