My Brother is Gone

It is with deep sadness that I share the passing of my beloved brother Charles Varipapa, DDS, cosmetic dentist, bon vivant, Italophile, and master story teller. Charley was loved by his mother, brothers, nephews, nieces and friends. He had an outsized influence on everyone he met: brilliant, funny, exacting, and generous to a fault. CharleyContinue reading "My Brother is Gone"

Comparison of enfortumab vedotin (EV, aka Padcev) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in metastatic urothelial/bladder cancer

What we know of their benefits, limitations, and toxicities. Mechanisms & therapeutic role (in metastatic bladder cancer) Enfortumab vedotin (EV) EV is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting nectin-4 (a cell-surface adhesion molecule expressed in urothelial carcinoma). The antibody binds nectin-4, is internalized, and releases a cytotoxic payload (monomethyl auristatin E, MMAE) inside the cancer cell,Continue reading "Comparison of enfortumab vedotin (EV, aka Padcev) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in metastatic urothelial/bladder cancer"

Goliath’s Curse

Luke Kemp’s Goliath’s Curse is a brilliant, unnerving, and strangely hopeful journey through the rise and fall of civilizations. Like Sapiens meets Mad Max, it exposes a central truth: the bigger and more unequal societies become, the more fragile they are. Drawing on thousands of years of history and cutting-edge data, Kemp argues that the real cause of collapse isn’tContinue reading "Goliath’s Curse"

The US ‘Healthcare’ System is a Mess

A recent and important PBGH white paper reveals the fundamentally chaotic and arbitrary nature of U.S. commercial healthcare pricing, demonstrating that provider rates have no correlation to quality and vary dramatically without logical justification 😳 Key Findings The study analyzed data from five major employers (including Boeing, Qualcomm, and Denver's city/county government) across multiple geographicContinue reading "The US ‘Healthcare’ System is a Mess"

One Battle After Another

I’m calling it the best movie of the year (or the decade!) Can’t stop talking about ‘One Battle After Another’? Neither can we “One Battle After Another” brought in $48.5 million globally last weekend, making this wild, R-rated comedy-action-thriller…the No. 1 movie in the world…Critics have been no less effusive, calling it “an epic marvelContinue reading "One Battle After Another"

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK IN PARIS

This Paris map from Kate Donnelly has her favorite restaurants, cafés, bars, the best bakeries, quick restaurant reviews, and best places to photograph all around the major tourist attractions as well as smaller more village-y parts of Paris that you might not have been to. Here are Kate's favorite places in Paris My Favorite FrenchContinue reading "WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK IN PARIS"

Longevity Update – Supplements

On my trip to Paris, I found myself in an extended conversation about longevity and health strategies with a lovely person I met on my first day! It reminded me how much interest (and confusion) exists around supplements to extend health span. I’ve been digging into the data for several years and offer this conciseContinue reading "Longevity Update – Supplements"

“F**k You, Make Me”

John Oliver, Disney, and the Fight for Free Speech   John Oliver just handed America its new national motto, and put Disney’s board, Trump and the maggots in their place.   Last week on *Last Week Tonight*, Oliver torched ABC’s brief decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel after Trump threw another tantrum over being mocked. CorporateContinue reading "“F**k You, Make Me”"

Peter Thiel’s Apocalypse

Audio Version (please click for RSS) Overcast Link Faith, Fear, and the Future of Technology Yet another billionaire’s attempt to warp, manipulate and re-interpret the Bible for his own world view? Peter Thiel, the billionaire investor behind some of Silicon Valley’s most powerful technology firms (and JD Vance!), is urging audiences to see the futureContinue reading "Peter Thiel’s Apocalypse"