cry me a conundrum

Obviously, the goal of this experiment is to grow the lobsters until they’re big enough to settle to the seabed and then release them, because they have a much higher likelihood of surviving to adulthood when they’re able to hide. Ideally, captive lobster hatcheries can boost the wild population and keep things stable, so we don’t have a major crash in a decade or two.

The first year we tried this was pretty bad. We had a lot of eggs, but very few babies. It turned out that the CO2 levels in the building spiked as more guests visited throughout the summer, and that settled into the water and threw off the pH and caused a chemical reaction that prevented a lot of the eggs from hatching. I think we ended up releasing three baby lobsters (which is still better than their wild survival rate but not great).

The second year was a little better. We added a de-gasser to the aquarium and got a ton of larval lobsters, but right as they were settling to the bottom we had a disease outbreak that killed most of them. We ended up releasing four babies at the end of the season.

But this year? Oh boy. We have so many lobsters that we had to release the first round early (usually we wait till September or October so guests can see them). We just released a total of FIVE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE baby lobsters, and we still have over a hundred who haven’t settled to the bottom yet. I genuinely don’t even have words to explain how cool this is. OVER FIVE HUNDRED. We just added hundreds of lobsters to the wild population that wouldn’t have been there otherwise.

“So... We got the exploding diarrhea. Here's my advice for anyone who doesn't have it yet:

It's going to take a minute for the government to pin down where this is coming from, and then issue a recall, because the FDA has been gutted. But, I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt : this is coming from Taylor Farms produce, and you will see them recalled.

You'll want to avoid all Taylor Farms produce in the grocery store. They supply McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, about any fast food place you can think of.

Raspberries, watermelons, cilantro, and the veggies you're hearing about are not causing this many people to get sick. It's the shredded lettuce, specifically, that's the problem. But, you'll want to stay away from every type of produce this company puts out, because one strand of shredded lettuce is all it takes to contaminate bushels.

Taylor Farms is the source. Taco Bell proactively pulled their produce from their restaurants. You're going to see other fast food places doing this, and probably will see that before the government names a source. The FDA knows this, but they can't come out and tell us all until there's proof, which takes resources and research, which takes manpower, but the FDA has been cut by about 20-30%

During the Biden term, onions at McDonald's had ecoli. We knew this because DNA testing was done quickly and they were able to narrow it down to one place that caused the outbreak. And, it was traced back to Taylor Farms. This isn't going to be solved as quickly though.

When you get this, make a virtual appointment to your PCP - a "same day sick" appointment. Tell them someone in your family just tested for this and was positive and was prescribed Bactrim. If you go in person, they're probably going to make you poop in a cup and wait until results come back to prescribe.

You'll know when you get this. Trust me on all of this.

You'll want to stay hydrated because this parasite damages the lining of the small intestine. Your small intestine, in turn, secretes more water into the gut, and less nutrients and liquid are able to remain in the body. So no matter how much you shit, you're going to want to drink. A day of this leads to dehydration if you don't increase your fluid intake, and a few days will land you in the hospital.

If you have headaches, weakness, muscle cramps, dizziness, or an increase heart rate - hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Go to the ER for fluids if you can't drink enough.

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk. Brought to you by America's 250 birthday celebrations, workforce reduction in the FDA and CDC, and viewers like you.

Please feel free to share this.

And, MAGA - don't blow up the comment section. I argued with y'all on COVID bc I was afraid y'all would die, but I really don't care if you get explosive diarrhea.

I might translate this article later today. This one was the most complete one, even in Italian news it's not talked about that much.

Concerns about prop disposal as filming on new Nolan film comes to a close

INSIDER NEWSDESK | 3 September 2025

Lipari was chosen for the scene where Odysseus encounters the Sirens

SICILY - First it made headlines for its grandeur, and now the film The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan, shot on the island of Lipari, is sparking controversy due to the production’s inappropriate decisions regarding the disposal of certain props.

The issue concerns plastic skeletons and other props that were found by some divers on the seabed of the stunning waters surrounding the island, part of the Aeolian archipelago. At depths of at least 18 meters, installations and props were discovered that risk damaging a natural marine habitat that is under protection, writes Il Fatto Quotidiano.

The incident was reported by Giusi Savarino, the regional environmental councillor, who received the report from the Lipari Harbor Master’s Office and has requested the intervention of ARPA (the Regional Environmental Protection Agency) to investigate possible harm to marine species in the Pietra del Bagno area.

“Along with the permit (environmental impact assessment),” said Councillor Savarino, “we also issued precise rules and guidelines to protect the area from an environmental standpoint. The discoveries made in recent days are a cause for serious concern, and for this reason, we will be intervening with ARPA to determine the possible impact of these materials on the habitat and marine species in this area of significant natural value.

“We are happy to host international film projects and are always willing to support these productions,” he continued, “but no one should think they can take advantage of our hospitality by disrespecting our natural treasures.”

In the letter sent to ARPA, the Environmental Councillor requested an urgent inspection and monitoring of the seabed at Pietra del Bagno, along with a technical assessment to determine any damage to the marine ecosystem.

Filming took place in April and concluded at the end of the month, involving major Hollywood stars: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron in a film that tells the story of Odysseus, set to be released in July 2026. Lipari was chosen for its beauty, to depict the scene where Odysseus (played by Matt Damon) encounters the Sirens.

But the same beauty that led to its selection was not preserved by the production, which may now face criminal consequences for what happened. The damage comes three years after the devastating fire that destroyed much of Stromboli’s Mediterranean scrubland, caused by another film crew shooting a movie about firefighters starring Ambra Angiolini. That crew had lit a “controlled” fire which then got out of hand.

Nonetheless, the show went on, and the series aired despite protests from the residents of Stromboli. Now this new incident reignites the debate around film and TV productions that choose Mediterranean gems as filming locations but fail to respect the rules that protect these beautiful places.

More Italian sources here (you can use your browser translator to translate them for you):

Facebook video posted by the Regional Councillor of Sicily mentioned in all the articles (I can translate it for people if they want although what she says is summed up in the caption)

Rai News (Rai is the national broadcasting service in Italy, like BBC for the UK so pretty trustworthy)

La Repubblica (possibly the most important Italian newspaper, the article is behind a paywall)

Quotidiano Nazionale (National Newspaper)

Lascimmiapensa (this is an independent news website for entertainment)