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I am back with the weekly “Dump” and the world continues and the news as well.

Local–Finally we have had some cool nights and cooler days so the A/C has not been on for over a week….I can only hope this lasts….still not rain and it is drier than one would think….and it does not look good for any moisture any time soon.

Personal–Finally it has been decided by my doctors that the second shadow on my left lung is scar tissue from the radiation….not cancer!

An obscure fungus that targets the brain is no longer staying so obscure. A CDC report says cases of Cladophialophora bantiana, a black, melanin-containing mold, have climbed sharply in recent years, and it’s not just hitting people with compromised immune systems, per Fox News. About half of known infections have been in otherwise healthy patients, and the fatality rate hovers between 60% and 70%, even with aggressive treatment. “Where people get it from and why it primarily goes to the brain ‘remain a little bit of a mystery,'” according to Dr. Joshua Lieberman, who helped put together the CDC’s latest report, per MedPage Today.

Data from a University of Washington lab shows detections almost quadrupled between 2023 and 2025, with cases identified in 21 states and Washington, DC, and the highest numbers in California, Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania. The fungus is thought to enter via inhalation or skin wounds, then travels to the brain, where it typically appears as a hard-to-diagnose abscess. The CDC is pushing for national case reporting and urging doctors to consider fungal causes when evaluating patients’ brains.

Oh great first it was a brain eating bug and now a fungus….please do not ask what next….

If current trends hold, the world is heading toward roughly 25 million new dementia cases every year by the year 2050. That’s more than double the 11.4 million people estimated to have developed the condition in 2023, according to a new analysis in JAMA Neurology that tracked more than 38,000 adults across 18 nations, reports USA Today. The spike is largely tied to aging populations, but it won’t hit evenly: Women are developing dementia at higher rates than men, and people in low- and middle-income countries see far more new cases than those in wealthier nations—13.6 vs. 8.3 per 1,000 people, respectively.

Researchers say nearly half of cases may be linked to modifiable factors such as inactivity, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and social isolation, making prevention a central focus. Meanwhile, a geriatrician reveals the No. 1 “modifiable” risk factor for dementia, reports Today: hearing loss.

A recent study also ties napping to dementia risk, per US News & World Report.