san diego: dialed in: BA.2 91% Of New Global Cases; Uptick In San Diego | Stone Beats Molsen Coors In Lawsuit | Biden Concludes Europe Trip Dissing Putin |

A New Golden Takin Kid at San Diego Zoo (Taken 3.26.22)

It's a beautifully perfect day in San Diego so I'm gonna keep it short since I didn't get a chance to post yesterday. On Friday, Darren and I spent the afternoon at the San Diego Zoo and I was stunned to see a new Golden Takin kid!! Mei Ling was born last year and was the first Golden Takin born in the western hemisphere, so this new baby is another amazing addition to the herd. I don't know the sex of the kid, but it is so cute and must be under two weeks old since I always stop by to see them whenever I visit the zoo.

It was a really good week though I guess you can tell how I spend my time is getting assessed. While it's not "pandemic over" for our household, it seems the rest of the world has moved on, which puts different demands on my time and attention. Posts may come more infrequently. I may spend Saturdays reading all 500 of Friday's emails. Or, like right now, I may catch up while watching this week's episode of The Dropout on HULU. I hope everyone has a great weekend and you'll hear from me again later in a fully devoted music post.

Stay safe out there.

COVID-19:

Wastewater Data Shows a Slight Uptick in San Diego County COVID Viral Load. Wastewater screening acts as an early warning system because people with COVID-19 shed the virus in their stool even before they experience symptoms- NBC San Diego (3.25.22)
Officials limit an antibody therapy, saying it’s ineffective against BA.2 variant of Omicron - STAT News (3.25.22)
How I’ll decide when it’s time to ditch my mask. Recent mask guidelines are designed for communities not individuals - ScienceNews (3.25.22)
COVID-19 vaccinations fall 27% as BA.2's prevalence grows: 10 CDC findings - Becker's Hospital Review (3.25.22)

CDC MMWR:

Use of At-Home COVID-19 Tests — United States, August 23, 2021–March 12, 2022

Politics:

Biden on Russia’s Putin: `This man cannot remain in power’ - AP News (3.26.22)

Biden Says Putin “Cannot Remain in Power.” The White House Says He Didn’t Mean It. “He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change.”- Mother Jones (3.26.22)

The “Watermarked Ballots” Theory Ginni Thomas Texted Mark Meadows Is Even Crazier Than It Sounds - SLATE (3.26.22)
US Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska announces resignation - AP News (3.26.22)

News:

Stone Brewing Defeats Molson Coors in Trademark Infringement Case:

ESCONDIDO, CA (March 25, 2022) – Today the San Diego federal court ruled in favor of Stone Brewing in a trademark dispute filed four years ago. Stone filed the lawsuit against MillerCoors (now Molson Coors) for illegal use of Stone’s registered, incontestable STONE® trademark after the company rebranded its Keystone beer as STONE. During the time of infringement, Molson Coors sold more than $1.7 billion of Keystone beer branded as STONE. The three-week trial took place before U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez and an eight-person jury.

Stone Brewing is the nation’s 9th largest craft brewery, yet in 2020 it produced 347,000 barrels of beer, only 0.5% the volume of beer produced by Molson Coors. This underdog win is a victory for every craft brewery that prides itself in independence, valuing quality over all else.

“From the moment our team saw Keystone’s intentional theft of the STONE® trademark, we believed this day would come, explained Maria Stipp, Stone Brewing CEO. “We are committed to doing everything in our power to protect the incredible reputation of the Stone brand and the passionate team who built it. We’d like to thank the team at BraunHagey & Borden LLC for their representation of our case. They put their heart, souls and talent into it, and we couldn’t have asked for anything more than that.”

Stone Brewing Co-Founder Greg Koch added, “This is a historic day for Stone Brewing, and for the craft beer industry. MolsonCoors threatened our heritage, but we stood up to that threat. They will put the ‘Key’ back in ‘Keystone’ ending their hostile 4-year co-op of the Stone name. Cheers to our legions of fans, friends and supporters who believe in the good that craft beer brings. This is your win too.”

Stone was represented by the law firm BraunHagey & Borden LLP, a litigation boutique based in San Francisco and New York.