ENCOURAGING: Xenotransplantation–the use of animal organs instead of human ones

Sunday, September 6, 2026

https://www.forbes.com/sites/the-prototype/2026/09/04/pig-kidneys-yield-life-changing-independence-from-dialysis/

Pig Kidneys Yield ‘Life-Changing’ Independence From Dialysis
The Prototype By Alex Knapp, Senior Editor.
Sep 04, 2026, 02:45pm EDT

*** begin quote ***

A little over two years ago, biotech startup eGenesis hit a major milestone–one of its genetically engineered pig kidneys was transplanted into a living human for the first time.

This week, it announced more milestones. Not only have those kidneys found their way into five patients now, two of those patients have subsequently received human transplants. The results for one patient were published in the medical journal The Lancet. And now the company is about to embark on a clinical trial of more than 30 people in order to get a final approval from the FDA.

“This is hugely motivating for the field,” eGenesis CEO Mike Curtis told me.

Xenotransplantation–the use of animal organs instead of human ones–has generally been seen as a “bridge” by doctors, a way to keep patients alive until they can get a human organ transplant. This is particularly urgent for kidney patients, where there is an acute shortage of organ donations, who are otherwise treated by dialysis: where patients have their blood regularly cleaned by machine. That process creates other health complications and has a high mortality rate.

*** end quote ***

Truly amazing.  A family member was on dialysis for five years until he was finally “exhausted” and decided to stop and slide away across that “rainbow bridge”.  I can’t imagine if this was available to him back then how things would have been different.  At least, he’d have had a chance. Sigh!

There’s so much “we” don’t know and things like this demonstrate what is “possible”. 

Hope these folks have more and better “discoveries”. 

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ENCOURAGING: A joke transforms into both a tax revolt trigger AND a legit profit making web service

Sunday, August 23, 2026

Source: https://nypost.com/2026/08/20/real-estate/a-joke-about-dodging-the-pied-a-terre-tax-just-might-go-legit/
Headline: A joke about dodging the pied-a-terre tax just might go legit

—

Comedy Writes the Tax Code: Aura Investments and the Pied-à-Terre Punchline That Might Come True

Big news out of the Gooferment’s favorite laboratory, New York City: a stand-up comedian has now out-designed the Department of Finance’s flagship tax policy, and she did it as a bit.

Madison Walser launched Aura Investments as pure satire — a fake matchmaking service pairing starving artists with guilt-ridden pied-à-terre owners who’d like to keep their money, thanks. The premise: stash an artist in your empty condo, watch it magically become your “primary residence,” and watch the city’s shiny new surcharge evaporate. Ha ha, very funny, purely theoretical, nobody would actually — oh wait. The response was so overwhelming that Walser is now lawyering up to make the joke real. When your parody generates a functioning business model faster than the actual policy generated actual compliance, maybe it’s time to admit the satire was just… accurate.

But really, who’s surprised? This is the same rollout where the geniuses at City Hall solved “how do we identify non-primary residences” by mailing threat letters to nearly a million property owners — the overwhelming majority of whom are not offshore oligarchs but regular people whose co-op happens to be worth seven figures, because it’s Manhattan and a seven-figure co-op is what a normal apartment costs there now. Then, in a stroke of civic transparency so bold only a socialist mayor could think it was a good idea, they published the whole list — names, addresses, everything — as a searchable database. Scott Galloway, a man who voted for this administration, got to experience the thrill of calling himself doxxed on his own podcast. Nothing like watching your own supporters get mugged by the policy they cheered for.

And the appeals process? A masterpiece. Homeowners burning three hours of their lives uploading proof they live where they live, only to have the portal quietly discard it overnight, Kafka by way of Squarespace. A jury summons, a utility bill, thirty years at the same address — apparently none of it counts as evidence in a system built on the premise that you’re guilty of owning your own home until you can prove otherwise to a website that doesn’t save files. And when the backlash rolled in, City Hall’s fix wasn’t “maybe streamline this” — it was a promise to cross-reference your E-ZPass and cell tower pings to make sure you’re not lying about sleeping in your own bed. Big Brother, but make it property tax.

This is the GOVEROTRAGEOUS playbook, executed flawlessly as always: announce a tax on 31,000 imaginary billionaires, quietly widen the net to a million actual homeowners, then act shocked — shocked! — when the peasantry finds a workaround before the ink is dry. The tax was sold as a shakedown of absentee millionaires. Instead it’s about to become a government-subsidized artist residency program, run out of empty condos, engineered by a comedian, because the professionals in charge of writing tax law got outmaneuvered by a bit.

Somewhere, Bastiat is laughing. Everyone else is just filling out the forms.

—
¹ Drafted with AI assistance via Claude (https://claude.ai).

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ENCOURAGING: Are shrink-wrapped licenses and HIPPA forms really “Informed Consent”?

Saturday, August 8, 2026

FROM 1440 https://join1440.com/

https://link.join1440.com/view/66c4b9c55d78644b3a882a4drwypm.5vq/c0a68b98

1440 Explains: Can Doctors Use Your Tissue Without Asking?

*** begin quote ***

Henrietta Lacks never consented to her cells being used in research. About 75 years after her cells were taken without her consent or knowledge, are patients still at risk of the same thing? 1440’s Health & Medicine editor, Dina Fine Maron, sits down with bioethicist and lawyer Anna Mastroianni from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics to find out.

*** and ***

“Informed consent is not just the signing of a form. Informed consent is about a thorough process of communication between patient and provider.” —Dr. Aaron Fink

*** end quote ***

Certainly, shrink-wrapped licenses, HIPPA forms, and all manner of paperwork shoved in your face at time of purchase is NOT “Informed Consent”.

I’d be interested if this ever becomes a bone of contention in a courtroom.

I’d certainly find that there little ever “Informed Consent”!

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ENCOURAGING: An Obscure Saint Teaches Us About abortion

Sunday, May 10, 2026

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/04/obscure-saint-teaches-us-about-what-we-face/

An Obscure Saint Teaches Us About What We Face Every Day
Guest Post by Pro-life Leader Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life
<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2026-04-13>>

*** begin quote ***

Protecting our children, always a priority for people with a conscience, has been thrust into our awareness more than ever by tragic events in the news.

So what would you do if you knew of a child who was being abused by cruel parents, kept hidden from the world because her infirmities were an embarrassment?

If you lived early in the 13th century in Italy, would you have stood up for St. Margaret of Castello, patron saint of the unwanted?

*** and ***

The Church canonizes saints in order to have us follow their example of heroic virtue, and Margaret of Castello is no exception. But when I think of this Patron of the Unwanted, it seems to me that the challenge flows even more from considering what was done to her, and what the appropriate reaction to it should have been.

*** end quote ***

As a gun-owning pro-life pro-choice anti-death penalty little L libertarian, the whole “right to life” issue is fraught with moral, financial, practical, emotional, and other “land mines”.  It’s hard to imagine going through the decision process.  And so, it’s not fair to issue draconian Gooferment diktats in a one size fits all solution — abortion is illegal, abortions is legal, or something in between. To me this signals that the Gooferment must have a role that allows people to make the the tough decisions without add to their fears. 

I have “no dog in the fight” other than to tell the Gooferment “to back off”.  I’d let people alone to figure out what the best solution is for their personal situation.  Maye the Gooferment has a role in making choices safe, affordable, and fair.  But that’s the limit.

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ENCOURAGING: Left behind in Kabul. Alone. He waited 47 days.

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

<<FROM TWITTER>>
<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2026-05-01>>

https://x.com/joedelhi/status/2049674299523629110?s=20

*** begin quote ***

Left behind in Kabul. Alone. He waited 47 days.

K-9 Chaos was not a dog who did his job. He was a dog who had DECIDED, completely, permanently, without reservation, that Lieutenant Marcus Webb was coming back for him. No matter how long it took.

At Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, on the morning of August 30th, 2021, a three-year-old Belgian Malinois sat in an empty aircraft hangar. The last American plane had left six hours ago. The evacuation was over.

*** end quote ***

Why are dogs more loyal than most humans?

I remember a fragment that went something like “when the human race goes extinct, only three species will mourn their passing —  dogs, mosquitos, and lice.  

I’m glad the dog out, BUT, (and there is always a BIG butt), sad that the USA abandoned all the humans that helped us there.

It’s a national disgrace.

Argh!

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ENCOURAGING: Your IQ Matters Less Than You Think

Thursday, April 30, 2026

https://nautil.us/your-iq-matters-less-than-you-think-237214

Psychology
Your IQ Matters Less Than You Think

  • In studies of children and historical figures, IQ falls short as a measure of success.

By Dean Keith Simonton 3:00 PM CDT on October 2, 2018

*** begin quote ***

Problem #1: The Intelligence-Eminence Correlation

The relation between IQ and achieved eminence is not huge or even large. Most statisticians would classify it as a “moderate” relationship. In practical terms, that means that there’s ample room for exceptions at either end. The highly eminent can have IQs lower than average and supremely high IQs can be associated with relative obscurity. I’ve already given three examples of the former, so who illustrates the latter? How about Paolo Sarpi, the Venetian historian? Although his estimated IQ was as high as 195, making him one of the very brightest among the 301, his eminence ranking put him in the lower 20 percent, that is, 242nd!

A more contemporary example is Marilyn vos Savant, who was once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the highest recorded IQ. Reportedly, she had taken a revised version of the Stanford-Binet when she was just 10 years old, and got a perfect score! Although there’s some debate about how best to translate that performance into a precise IQ estimate, it is certainly arguable that she is more intelligent than the brightest Termite and any member of Cox’s 301. Yet what is her main accomplishment? Becoming famous for her super-high IQ! Exploiting that distinctive status, she writes the Sunday column “Ask Marilyn” for Parade magazine. That column doesn’t come close to the writing in Don Quixote or On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres, which her two intellectual inferiors, Cervantes and Copernicus, managed to pull off! An extra 60 IQ points or more didn’t buy her any creative edge at all.

*** end quote ***

I wonder about the Placebo ① and Nocebo ② Effects?  

What would happen if we told children that they were, or were not, very smart?  We have some anecdotal evidence: Thomas Edison’s mom was told he was too stupid for school.  We know that Hallucinations, Delusions, and Cognitive distortions all exist.

Without doing further searches, I think we can take with a grain of salt anything we are told about IQ or how “smart we are”.

It has no bearing on reality and it may hurt you if expectations don’t match accomplishments.

“(There’s) no such thing as a stupid question” is a common phrase that states that the quest for knowledge includes failure and that just because one person may know less than others they should not be afraid to ask rather than pretend they already know. In many cases multiple people may not know, but are too afraid to ask the “stupid question”; the one who asks the question may in fact be doing a service to those around them.

# – # – # – # – #

① That’s the idea that people can be more likely to experience a benefit from a medication or other intervention if they expect it to help. Even if it’s not a valid treatment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo

② The nocebo effect is a phenomenon where people experience very real negative effects from a medical intervention if that’s what they expect going in. It’s all about the power of suggestion. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/nocebo-effect

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ENCOURAGING: The outcome shadows decision quality

Sunday, January 25, 2026

https://bookfreak.substack.com/p/book-freak-193-how-to-decide?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1194226&post_id=183593966&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1uhcoe&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

Book Freak #193: How to Decide
Simple Tools for Making Better Choices
Mark Frauenfelder
Jan 13, 2026

*** begin quote ***

Stop “Resulting”

“Resulting” is Duke’s term for judging a decision’s quality by its outcome. A good decision can lead to a bad outcome (and vice versa) because of factors outside your control. When you overfit decision quality to outcome quality, you risk repeating errors that preceded a lucky good outcome and avoiding good decisions that didn’t work out due to bad luck.

*** end quote ***

“The quality of the outcome casts a shadow over our ability to see the quality of the decision.” — Annie Duke poker player

What a great observation!  Too often, I’ve confused the result with the decision process.  I wonder now, if I’ve been betrayed by my own paradigms?

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ENCOURAGING: Cuban refugee marvels at a Costa Rican farmers market

Monday, January 12, 2026

https://pjmedia.com/sarah-anderson/2025/12/28/shed-never-seen-that-much-food-before-a-hard-truth-from-a-farmers-market-n4947618

She’d Never Seen That Much Food Before: A Hard Reality From a Farmers Market
Sarah Anderson | 3:39 PM on December 28, 2025

*** begin quote ***

While filming herself seasoning a large roast, she adds:

I don’t know if you know this, but Christmas isn’t celebrated in Cuba. Most people don’t even have enough money to buy a piece of meat or decorate their homes with lights.

Things are so incredibly different here that I invite you to appreciate it; you can’t imagine how happy people are in this country, and they haven’t even realized it.

Today, I’m only thinking about my family, about how many people didn’t even have a plate of food to eat, how they spent Christmas without electricity, without water, without motivation, and without hope.

*** end quote ***

While “We, The Sheeple” in the Pepuls Republik of Nu Jerk vote in a “democratic socialist”, here we have testimony about living in a Communist country.  We have great examples of “socialism” and what results.  Yet we are too stupid to learn the lesson.

Argh!

More examples like this are encouraging since the difference is so dramatic.

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ENCOURAGING: Meanwhile, another student called 911, ensuring help was on the way.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/brother-sister-spring-into-action-to-help-save-their-school-bus-driver-from-medical-emergency/?utm_source=newsletter.goodnewsnetwork.org&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=brother-and-sister-save-the-day&_bhlid=cf3cf024260334bd3a789a9735873968f30e5b46

Brother-Sister Spring into Action to Help Save Their School Bus Driver from Medical Emergency
By Andy Corbley – Dec 31, 2025

*** begin quote ***

Siblings Leap to the Rescue When School Bus Driver Faces Medical Crisis

When an Ohio school bus driver suffered a medical emergency, 8-year-old Catrina quickly noticed and asked if she was alright. Realizing the driver was in distress, Catrina ran to the back of the bus to alert her older brother, Charlie.

Charlie, a 7th grader, rushed to the front and used the radio to call the school for help. Meanwhile, another student called 911, ensuring help was on the way.

The bus driver had previously taught her riders how to use the radio in emergencies, and she later expressed gratitude that they remembered her instructions.

Their calm, quick actions were praised by the school superintendent, who called the siblings’ response truly outstanding.

*** end quote ***

Well maybe the children of a future generation will not be helpless mind-numbed robots?

I note the story because one child had a cell phone and used it.  

Remember the politicians and bureaucrats want to take cell phones away from children in Gooferment Skrules!

I STILL disagree.  I remember student using their phones during more than one school shooting.  Hard to do that if they are not there, or in a secure Faraday pouch, or locked in school principal’s office, or a a child’s locker.

Children should ALWAYS be able to connect to their parents,

It’s up to the school’s leadership how to make that happen and “confiscation” is NOT the answer!

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ENCOURAGING: Swiss Say ‘No’ to Soaking the Rich

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

‘Inequality in Opulence is Better than Equality in Poverty’ — Switzerland Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutte 

# – # – # – # – #

https://reason.com/2025/12/03/switzerland-just-overwhelmingly-rejected-a-new-wealth-tax-will-california-lawmakers-learn/

Switzerland Just Overwhelmingly Rejected a New Wealth Tax. Will California Lawmakers Learn?

  • The hammer of heavy wealth and inheritance taxes falls hardest on those still climbing the economic ladder.

J.D. Tuccille | 12.3.2025 7:00 AM

*** begin quote ***

California progressives are pushing a wealth tax that would skim 5 percent of the assets of billionaires to cover the state government’s fiscal gap. That is, it would hit billionaires to start—there’s no telling who would come to be regarded as wealthy enough to be fleeced as the state’s spending likely continues to outstrip its revenues. But before Californians proceed down the path of chasing high earners out of the state, they should consider the example of Swiss voters, who just rejected a billionaire tax of their own.

*** end quote ***

Unfortunately, all the “We, The Sheeple” in the Pepuls Republik of Kaliforkneeah are NOT smart enough to realize that, like the Federal Gooferment’s income tax, eventually in a few years will come “down” to include everyone. 

Argh!

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