[guest post by JVW]
If you were wondering whether progressive government would ever run out of things to regulate:
Jillian Gilchrest is a first term state representative, Democrat (as you might have guessed), whose district is in West Hartford, which appears to be a pretty tony suburb in a city stricken with poverty and crime. Thank Heaven that Rep. Gilchrest is bravely taking on the scourge of Nutmeg State criminals who prey upon the eyelashes and fingernails of unsuspecting victims. Her district, like the city and state in general, is overwhelmingly Democrat (Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump in West Hartford by a 3:1 ratio), so the voters there get whom they deserve.
But it sure is interesting watching progressive white women put poor minorities out of work.
– JVW
[Headline from DRJ]
LA Times – Why are Beyonce fans sending death threats to the Warriors majority owner’s wife?:
Death threats? Really, Beyhive?
That’s reportedly one of the ways Beyonce’s devoted fans are reacting to a viral video of Nicole Curran, wife of Golden State Warriors majority owner Joseph Lacob, leaning over Queen Bey to interact with the music superstar’s husband, rapper Jay-Z, during Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.
Curran told ESPN she had asked their courtside guests if they wanted anything to drink. When Jay-Z requested a vodka soda (Beyonce wanted only water), Curran wondered if he wanted a lime with it. Because of the noise at Oracle Arena, Curran said, she leaned over so she could hear his response.
This story has it all — fame, money, sports, celebrities, and the threat of danger.
— DRJ
[Headline from DRJ]
The Hill – Trump property in Ireland promotes president’s visit:
A property owned by the Trump family on the western coast of Ireland promoted President Trump’s stay there on Friday, prompting criticism from ethics watchdogs over the blurred line between business and government interests.
Trump Doonbeg tweeted two videos directly referencing the president, who spent Wednesday night and Thursday night at the resort and golf club.
Politico: Trump resort revenue has gone up after presidential visits.
World of influence: A guide to Trump’s foreign business interests:
Two years into his presidency, Donald Trump continues to make money from properties and licensing deals in nearly two dozen countries around the world, fanning the flames of concerns that the Trump administration is subject to unprecedented levels of foreign influence.
Trump continued to hold more than $130 million in foreign assets in a revocable trust as his second year in office came to a close, according to OpenSecrets’ analysis of the president’s most recent annual personal financial disclosure released by the Office of Government Ethics last month.
Trump’s business entanglements continue to leave him with positions, assets, trademarks and other business interests in more than 30 countries.
— DRJ
[Headlines from DRJ]
Washington Post – Pfizer had clues its blockbuster drug could prevent Alzheimer’s. Why didn’t it tell the world?:
A team of researchers inside Pfizer made a startling find in 2015: The company’s blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis therapy Enbrel, a powerful anti-inflammatory drug, appeared to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 64 percent.
The results were from an analysis of hundreds of thousands of insurance claims. Verifying that the drug would actually have that effect in people would require a costly clinical trial — and after several years of internal discussion, Pfizer opted against further investigation and chose not to make the data public, the company confirmed.
Science Magazine – A Missed Alzheimer’s Opportunity? Not So Much:
The Washington Post made quite a splash with this story about Pfizer, Enbrel (etanercept), and Alzheimer’s disease. There’s already been a lot of comment about it yesterday on Twitter and insome other venues, but I thought it might be useful to try to sum things up in an easily accessible place.
***
Why wouldn’t they?
Several reasons. The biggest, though, is that no one undertakes an Alzheimer’s trial lightly. The clinical success rate for Alzheimer’s trials is arguably zero per cent. There are a couple of therapies approved, but they don’t affect the disease progression at all – they help a few people, a bit, for a little while, and that’s it. That argues for a huge unmet need in the area (which no one disputes, God knows), but it also argues for caution. Many, many approaches have been tried already, from many angles, and every single one of them has gone down in flames.
Much more at the link.
— DRJ
[Headline from DRJ]
Spotted for the first time: a fish holding its breath underwater
Like us, fish need oxygen to survive. But to breathe, most pull oxygen-containing water into their mouths and pump it through their gill chambers before expelling it out of their gill slits. Now, for the first time, scientists have seen fish “holding” that breath, some for up to 4 minutes at a time.
I don’t know if this is scientifically important but there is a fun video.
— DRJ
