TGIF Blogcast: the funniest veterinarian; Good vs bad branding; lab meat

Just One Thing: A better vaccine analogy

Please read (and subscribe to) my Substack!

Vaccine idiocy - by Ross Kaminsky - The Ross Report

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Today's Guests

Aimee Love is a principal at Essex, a commercial real estate finance firm based in Denver. They say, and I trust that they’re right, that they’re the largest privately-held mortgage banking company in Colorado.

We'll talk about this: Not surprising that we went from underbuilding to overbuilding. That sort of overcorrection is typical is lots of markets. But combining it with what appears to be declining demand to live in Denver, and that's a serious problem: Apartment market faces a hangover from years of excess construction

Aimee Love - Essex

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Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald is a veterinarian and a very funny dude. I've seen him as an opener a few times at Comedy Works (the downtown location), including opening for Craig Ferguson. This Sunday he'll be the headliner at 7 PM, and I'll have two pairs of tickets to give away.

Kevin was on "Emergency Vets" on Animal Planet for a decade. He pulled security duty for The Rolling Stones. You get the idea...interesting dude. He's also written a really fun and interesting book: It Started with a Turtle: One Man's Life on a Blue & Green Planet: Dr Kevin Fitzgerald: Amazon.com: Books

Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald

Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald | Comedy Works

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Other Stuff

I have to admit: at the grocery store (and almost nowhere else when it comes to shopping), I'm an "overthinker" and take a long time, but I also sort of enjoy it. My goal is usually to not buy anything that isn't on sale except for milk, because when you need milk you need it whether or not it's on sale. BUT, who are the people who say they spend 4 minutes PER ITEM?!? Apparently a lot of people spend a lot of time looking for labels for things like organic and fair trade. I don't, though if I notice organic I will usually avoid buying it.

Why 1 in 8 Americans are overthinkers - Talker Research

How often are Americans stressed out by simple decisions?

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This looks really cool. I signed up for the ticket waitlist: Classical Music & Drone Art Collide At Upcoming Denver Show

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This is kinda interesting but also slightly misleading. The 80113 ZIP Code, where I used to live, has some of the most expensive houses in the Denver area, including, for example, Russell Wilson's place that he bought for something like $24 million. But because Cherry Hills Village shares a ZIP Code with part of Englewood, it makes that ZIP Code look average. Like the guy with his head in the oven and feet in the freezer so on average he's fine. If Lauren Boebert's ZIP Code rationalization bill passes, Cherry Hills will get its own ZIP Code and I suspect that will be #1 on the list.

Denver-area’s wealthiest ZIP codes revealed, 2025 - Denver Business Journal

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Don't scroll while you poop: Prolonged toilet sitting could increase hemorrhoid risk, study says - The Washington Post

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This is niche and nerdy but if it doesn't change, it's going to make your life worse, thanks to the Trump administration again putting in policies that hurt farmers and then trying to help farmers with policies that hurt everybody else. It's insane.

The Wrong Way to Help Farmers - WSJ

EPA’s Proposal to Focus Biofuel Policy on Domestic Fuels Doesn’t Add Up - Union of Concerned Scientists

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All because somebody wanted to steal a 17-year old's cash: Student's lost wallet found behind school wall 51 years later - UPI.com

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Insane: 18 women sue former Colorado jail commander over allegedly watching strip-search videos

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This is an outrageous law and absolutely must be struck down: Texas Cultivated Meat - Institute for Justice

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And you wonder why Denver's politics are so terrible? This is a screen shot from a presentation given by the Denver Mayor's office yesterday with results of polling done by a credible (and bipartisan) polling group:

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Food fight! Smashburger closed Lowry location due to ‘sewer odors,’ landlord says

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Think of the difference between these two branding stories: 

American Eagle stock soars nearly 40% thanks to Sydney Sweeney ad campaign

(Note that American Eagle has also signed a partnership with Travis Kelce.)

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO) Stock Price, News, Quote & History - Yahoo Finance

Versus this: Cracker Barrel co-founder, 93, blasts $7M/year CEO’s ‘pitiful’ rebrand fail, work with Taco Bell. Is that unfair?

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Speaking of Travis Kelce: Exclusive | Travis and Jason Kelce’s Garage Beer Company Is Now Worth $200 Million - WSJ

And speaking of Sydney Sweeney, gotta say this is badass (read past the stuff about the "look" to what she actually did for the movie): Sydney Sweeney declines American Eagle questions as she debuts new look for movie | Fox News

And I'm sure this will piss off people who must find a way to bash beautiful women:

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Remarkable:

A Hidden Camera Protest Turned the Tables on China’s Surveillance State - The New York Times

https://x.com/whyyoutouzhele/status/1961459295813312811

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Has he reached a tipping point?

Malcolm Gladwell Reaches His Tipping Point on Trans Athletes | National Review

A short clip below, and then the whole thing

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The claim that the Ten Commandments are to be displayed as a matter of history rather than religion is nonsense. I don't mean there's no history there, but rather that that's obviously NOT why the Christian right wants them mandatorily in every school in Texas. This has been struck down once but only for those districts that sued. The state AG Ken Paxton, who is running for US Senate, is appealing that lower court ruling. I hope and suspect that the 5th Circuit will slap him down.

AG Ken Paxton appeals court's ruling blocking display of Ten Commandments in Texas schools | FOX 7 Austin

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Sometimes, Trump should keep his mouth shut. Both sides are wrong here. As usual, these days. Harvard’s Pyrrhic Legal Victory - WSJ

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This is so disappointing: Police Arrest Mascot Inside Chuck E. Cheese

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Today's Videos

This isn't the best thing ever but I sure do miss Dennis Farina

Remarkable technology...especially as drones have been so effective in warfare lately

Epirus' electromagnetic weapon zaps drone swarm in seconds