Author: condor

Tangent / Epilogue: “Beyond” Removes “Meat” From Its Name. Hilarious!

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[This is just some lighter fare, from one of our other properties, this morning — about the likely end of the “pea-protein” based retail grocery offering called “Beyond Meat“. Enjoy.]

I must admit… I had not looked in on this name / train-wreck in quite a while (we bought long dated puts, and made a killing in 2023-24, as it fell from $97-ish, to the low-teens).

With a 2025-26 trading range between $0.70 and $0.90 a share (down from $279, at the top)… What’s the point?

However, I did notice this morning that the company has “re-branded” itself to take the descriptor “meat” out of its trademarks and word-marks. [Oddly, it has left the steer in its graphical logo, though?!]

In any event, it apparently plans to emphasize the selling of functional beverages — ones that are “plant based“.

Ahem. In a prior life at a Fortune 125 healthcare and life sciences company, I co-led a team that brought to market a functional beverage — to be sold in hospitals and alternate care settings.

Confessional/B-School Case Study: we failed, and failed miserably — because the giant water companies introduced various “faux” functional waters, at about 1/5th of the price of the offering we put on the shelves in groceries and ultimately, hospitals.

I am willing to bet my last dollar (for a donut-hole) that the same outcome is going to appear for our friends at “Beyond _____“.

Onward, grinning.

[U] See Ya’ — Hey, Hey ICE Barbie! Bub-Bye! [Hinderaker Says He’s “On Vacation” — So, No Defense Of His Grrl.]

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Updated @ 6 pm | John now comments on her cashiering, and all he really has to say is that she “lost her way” and “went Hollywood”.

Weird. I really can’t imagine what he means by that. She certainly is the last thing from a Hollywood starlet that I could ever envision, Mr. DeMille… Unless he means a horror flick protagonist like “Species”… But whatever — that was his comment. End update.

I am sure this new guy won’t be any more law-abiding, but I do love seeing people’s karma come back around — to greet them, just the same.More soon. Somebody somewhere commented that replacing her with Mullin is like sh!tting your pants… but then running home and only changing your shirt. That seems about right.

We are pretty sure her combative stance with members of her own party this week, on the Hill. . . did her in.

I love that Hinderaker was chief among the hard-right loons that had been pushing her as the next GOP nominee for 1600 Penn. No more, I’d say. Hilarious! From the NYT, then:

…President Trump announced Thursday that he was firing his homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, and wanted Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her. He announced it on his social media platform, Truth Social….

Mr. Trump announced the change on social media, along with a new, and previously nonexistent, role for Ms. Noem: special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, which he said would be a new security initiative for the Western Hemisphere.

Mr. Trump is close with Mr. Mullin, a Republican, and speaks with him regularly.

Ms. Noem — the first cabinet member to be ousted in Mr. Trump’s second term — had been among the key figures in the administration fulfilling his mass deportation effort, which he campaigned on aggressively and which was heavily influenced by Stephen Miller, a top White House adviser.

But her tenure had been marked by a string of controversies, and her fate had been the focus of speculation among Mr. Trump’s allies for several weeks. On Thursday, the president contradicted remarks that Ms. Noem made under penalty of perjury in her hearing before a Senate panel on Wednesday: that Mr. Trump had signed off ​on a border security advertising campaign featuring Ms. Noem.

“I never knew anything about it,” Mr. Trump told Reuters. A White House spokeswoman declined to comment, and referred a reporter to Mr. Trump’s comments to Reuters….

Onward, grinning — ear to ear. What an endlessly stupid chaos machine all of MAGA, forever… is. Yikes.

नमस्ते

New Video Installment: Sophie — On “ε” Training For The Crew-12 ISS Mission…

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When things look bleak, globally — as now… we are likely to turn to off-world items, like the below. I’m not sure she’d love the “influencer” label — but so it goes.

The European Space Agency clearly gets that an “orbiting influencer” paradigm is something NASA cannot yet grasp. So here it is, again — as earlier in the week — from Sophie Adenot’s feed, and a new YouTube video — at that ESA εpsilon dashboard we’ve mentioned:

…ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot began her training at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, where she studied spacecraft systems and crew operations — learning to think and act as an astronaut. Alongside this, she conditioned her body for spaceflight and prepared for the physical and operational demands of her mission.

Her preparation includes continuous medical training and support, neutral buoyancy training for spacewalks and immersive virtual reality sessions at ESA’s XR Lab.

This video features interviews with Bimba Hoyer, Flight Surgeon at ESA; Hervé Stevenin, Head of EVA & Parabolic Flight Training Unit and Head of the Neutral Buoyancy Facility; and Lionel Ferra, Software and Artificial Intelligence Team Leader at ESA.

Credits: European Space Agency (ESA)….

Onward, grinning.

नमस्ते

Do Go Read All Of EW This Morning. She’s Got Him — Dead To Rights. AGAIN.

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As ever, she is the best.

The absolute best — at re-framing — for an objective reality… what Tangerine 2.0’s insane late night social rants REALLY portend:

…In reality, though, this very [Truth Social] tweet, Trump’s promise he could and would ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD real soon is a confession — a confession that Trump and his sycophantic advisors didn’t begin to think about the most obvious problem their illegal war of choice would cause until ships were already backed up on both sides of the Strait.

Donald Trump is batshit. He, along with several of his advisors, are under the delirious belief he is all powerful and can effect his will simply by issuing a tweet.

Until that becomes the story, Trump will dodge accountability for the most reckless decision in recent history….

Exactly. Damn. Onward.

नमस्ते

An Excellent, Data-Driven Analysis Of Tangerine 2.0 “De-Funding” Lawlessness…

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In the “Quick Hits Dept.”…

Thanks go out to the ScotusBlog.com, for this:

…Emily Badger and Alicia Parlapiano at the NYT provide an in-depth look at lawsuits over the Trump administration’s changes to a variety of government funding programs, including its efforts to keep funds from communities that don’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement and from organizations that promote DEI programs. The analysis includes 198 lawsuits and notes that the “[w]hen plaintiffs have sought immediate relief, district court judges have temporarily blocked the administration’s actions 79 percent of the time, signaling plaintiffs’ likely success on the merits. In the 26 instances where district judges have issued partial or final rulings, the administration lost 23.” By comparison, “appellate courts have reversed or paused orders against the administration in about 40 percent of their rulings.”

The article noted that the Supreme Court’s June ruling “ending nationwide injunctions” has lessened the impact of lower court losses, which helps explain why the Trump administration has persisted with its plan to withhold funding from groups it disagrees with even in the face of so many lawsuits….

Onward, grinning on a foggy Thursday, now — awaiting a Kevin Mulleady felony verdict — or three.

See Paul — “Debate” — And Dissent… Is An Important Part Of A HEALTHY America…

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This morning, Paul gleefully writes about “a revolution” in what he sees as a near-communist far left neighborhood organization in DC.

He chortles about whether there will be certain kinds of “political” support for immigrant families in the neighborhood (once almost entirely filled with people of color of limited means) — from the now-gentrifying people moving in.

That debate — contrary to what Paul writes everyday — is what makes America a free and vibrant place to live.

And… I must confess: this puts in bold relief his (and the Powerline boys’) refusal to give a moment’s reflection to the daily MAGA “dissenter” pod-cast/vlog of Tucker Carlson — now calling the US and Tangerine 2.0 “Bibi’s lil’ b!tch“.

Carlson [and that loon, Candace Owens] have long-turned the corner into ugly and open anti-semitism (on many fronts). I disagree with about 99% of what they say regarding Israel.

But on a far more weighty (truly global) scale — they have taken a fairly wide swath of the whyte supremacy wing of MAGA with them. There is open MAGA agit-prop war going on — for the [broken-]soul of the hard-right.

And Paul wants us to… look away.

There is nothing to see there — Mirengoff says — so instead, he focuses on a DC local neighbors’ spat.

Do remove the lumber from your eye, Paul — before reaching for the splinter… in DC’s.

D A M N.

Out.

PSA: If Your Summer Travel Plans Are Taking You To Finland, Germany, Israel, Gaza, Poland, Spain, Or The UK: Get A Polio Booster…

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This is… truly surreal — but these are the times in which we find ourselves. [That I first saw it in People magazine… is also rather disconcerting.]

The CDC’s warning is clear though — and perhaps to be expected in parts of the African continent [where means limitations, not the vanity of personal preference(s)… drive low vaccination rates]. But the UK? Spain? Germany? Yikes — here’s the latest:

…A travel alert has been issued warning Americans to take precautions against polio, which is spreading in Europe and elsewhere across the globe.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a level 2 alert, cautioning travelers to “practice enhanced precautions” before visiting 32 countries….

The full list of countries where polio is spreading includes Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Finland, Gaza, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Israel, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Spain, Sudan, Tanzania, United Kingdom, Yemen, and Zimbabwe….

If you are heading to these countries — do like Elvis did: go get your booster, before you travel. Polio. That’s… insane. Onward.

नमस्ते

It Is Nice To See That There Are Still Some Real “Priorities” — In Next Gen Immuno-Oncology: Good FDA News, At Merck [Power Alley]…

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We used to write quite a bit about “priority review vouchers” at FDA (and, more precisely, the secondary market — in selling and buying them — we weren’t… fans of that wrinkle). [But all that has fallen off the radar screen, in large measure, since Tangerine 2.0 has very few actual “pro-life-science” priorities — and his minion, Kennedy, Jr. seems hell-bent on keeping most new drugs from being approved.] Now, to keep the bidding straight, the company’s Belzutifan is already approved in the EU, for a more limited set of indications — while US patients do already get it under FDA investigational exemptions, at present.

And yet, into the teeth of all of that, a very promising drug candidate has received a new FDA priority review designation (and we know Merck will never sell that!) for treatment of earlier-stage clear cell renal cell carcinoma. That’s great news — as it could mean that Rahway’s oral HIF-2α inhibitor might be on market by June 20, 2026, or so.

Here’s the latest, from FirstWordPharma.com:

…A preliminary interim analysis from a late-stage study of Merck & Co.’s Welireg (belzutifan) in earlier-stage clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) showed that the oral HIF-2α inhibitor significantly boosting disease-free survival (DFS) when combined with the PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as adjuvant therapy following nephrectomy. The latest readout — building on findings highlighted last October — prompted a priority review by the FDA, with a target action date of June 19.

The LITESPARK-022 trial randomised 1841 patients to receive either Welireg plus Keytruda for approximately one year, or Keytruda plus placebo, with the primary endpoint being DFS.

Results presented Saturday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO GU) showed that Welireg plus Keytruda lowered the risk of disease recurrence or death by 28% compared with Keytruda plus placebo at a median follow-up of 28.4 months. While the estimated 24-month DFS rate was 80.7% for the combination arm versus 73.7% for the control arm, median DFS was not reached in either group. The trial’s key secondary endpoint of overall survival (OS) continues to be evaluated….

Now you know, as Iran is now firing missiles into… Turkey. Damn. Damn. Damn. Hegseth had zero sense of what he and Tangerine would unleash, here. And US troops have been (and will be) paying for it — with their very lives. Damn.

नमस्ते

What Is… Sophie Adenot Up To — At The International Space Station, Via εpsilon This Evening?

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We had mentioned that she’s going to be pretty accessible, in near real time, from the ISS — via her εpsilon dashboard on the European Space Agency’s website. That is absolutely proving to be true.

Here is some of the latest, both in text and YouTube videos at bottom below here [and en française, at the second half of this text box, on YouTube, too] — of her journey, so far:

…During her mission aboard the International Space Station, Sophie Adenot will carry out a series of European-led experiments focused on health and crew autonomy.

Among them is the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D), a compact and versatile in-flight exercise system designed to support the future of human exploration. The mission also includes experiments conducted in collaboration with CADMOS, CNES’ centre dedicated to human spaceflight and microgravity research.

Alongside her scientific work, Sophie will contribute to several educational initiatives. Through ChlorISS (with CNES), she will grow seeds aboard the ISS while more than 260,000 students in over 4,000 schools replicate the experiment in their classrooms.

Students can also participate in the European Astro Pi Challenge, programming computers on the ISS to collect real orbital data, and in Mission X, where they train like astronauts through science and fitness challenges that promote healthy lifestyles on Earth and in space.

This video features interviews with Tobias Weber, Space Medicine Scientist at ESA, and Rémi Canton, Project Manager for Human Spaceflight at CADMOS….

And, unfortunately, here in the City of Big Shoulders, we’re all socked in, so we will see none of the lunar eclipse at around 4 am local through 5:30 am. So it goes. Same, same in Music City, too. But the High Rockies will be clear as a bell. Ah, well.

नमस्ते

UniQure Common Stock Has Tripled — In A Week, On Huntington’s Disease Candidate AMT-130’s Phase I/II Stellar Results. Wow.

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There is clearly more wood to chop here — in the Phase II/III clinicals ongoing.

But this all is pretty encouraging — especially given the high overall burden — of these brain-devouring diseases. Here’s the latest:

…The dazzling 36-month clinical data announced by uniQure (NASDAQ: QURE) showing a significant slowing of Huntington’s disease (HD) progression in patients treated with its gene therapy candidate AMT-130 was just one of several reasons why the company’s stock more than tripled this past week on the better-than-expected news, reaching a five-year high.

Part of the… buying from investors reflected the strikingly positive tone taken by investigators—and analysts—in discussing the results. Key among those results was the statistically significant 75% slowing of disease progression as measured by the composite Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale (cUHDRS) in patients treated with the high dose of 6×1013 gc/subject, meeting the primary endpoint of the study.

“[A] 75% slowing of disease progression is greater than what we even anticipated, expected, and hoped for. That means for one year of disease progression, they will have four years longer in terms of disease-free life,” Sarah Tabrizi, MD, PhD, director of the University College London (UCL) Huntington’s Disease Centre, told analysts Wednesday on a conference call convened by uniQure to discuss the data. “The effect of 75% slowing is a huge effect size and will have massive effects for patients’ lives….”

Clearly I am scouring high- and low-, to find good news [and look away from the chaos Tangerine has created — but does not even remotely understand — in Iran, and beyond — in the Strait of Hormuz]. Onward, just the same.

नमस्ते