The fat cats may soon be slimmed down
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Speaking of weight loss drugs, they’re now coming to the rest of the animal kingdom: GLP-1 implant may help overweight pets
A California company, Okava Pharmaceuticals, has launched a clinical trial testing a GLP-1-based weight loss treatment in 50 cats. The treatment uses a small under-the-skin implant, called OKV-119, designed to release medication slowly over six months.
The study, called MEOW-1, is one of the first of its kind.
According to the company, it "is designed to mimic many of the physiological effects of fasting - improved insulin sensitivity, reduced fat mass and more efficient energy metabolism -- without requiring significant changes in feeding routines or disrupting the human-animal bond that often centers around food."
Experts say about 60% of cats in the United States are overweight, which increases the risk of diabetes and other health problems.
"In veterinary medicine for the last 100 years, the only prescription we had was feed less, exercise more, and that just doesn't work for all types of obesity," Dr. Ernie Ward, a veterinarian and pet obesity expert, told CBS News.
Ward said the biggest unknowns include cost, side effects and how well the implant actually works. Okava estimates the medication may cost pet owners around $100 per month if it's approved.
As an aside, I made a lightning visit to Greenwich this weekend and was treated to dinner at the RYC by Gideon and Susie. A fine time was had by all, but I noticed that a number of members, although still swells, of course — it’s still a yacht club, for God’s sake — looked a lot thinner than I’d remembered them, and, subtle questioning addressed to a third party confirmed my observation: “the club’s gone Ozemic”, my source said. “In fact, the whole town has”.
Hmmm. I haven’t seen any marked difference in the body types of Walmart shoppers in the Somerset, NH branch where I buy my groceries — most everyone there continues to look very well fed — but I may violate my principles and in the interest of sociological research visit the Portsmouth, NH Whole Foods store — anyone willing to spend $6.49 for a two-pack of gluten-free organic hamburger rolls can probably also be persuaded to fork over a few hundred bucks a month to fit into his yoga pants, eh? I’ll report back.
Feeling blue?
/
A couple of weeks ago I posted ChatBox’s answer to how and why drug companies direct television ads to consumers. All of it rang true (check it out if you missed it earlier — fascinating) but the discussion of the use of color made me aware of how prevalent the tactic is and I can’t help seeing it in every drug ad that interrupts football games. All blue, all the time. Watch the ad for Wagovy I’m posting below; you’ll grow tired of counting the number of blue shirts, jackets, pants, and backgrounds.
4. Color and Symbolism
You’ll often see:
Pastels and natural light – signal safety and serenity.
Soft blues and greens – associated with healing and trust.
Warm family scenes – subconsciously evoke belonging and care.
Repetition of the pill’s color in clothing or props – creates subtle brand memory (like a woman’s scarf matching the pill).
From a writer I respect, a prediction that seems on target (to me, at least — your conclusions may differ)
/
Why the Supreme Court May Reject Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order
By Joe Cunningham, RedState
For the first time, the Supreme Court will directly confront the legality of Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship. The politics around the case are loud and predictable. But the constitutional question at the center of it is much quieter, and far more consequential: Can any president, Republican or Democrat, unilaterally reinterpret the Fourteenth Amendment?
After reviewing the Court’s recent decisions and the skepticism justices have already shown toward this executive order, it’s clear that the conservative majority may not be willing to hand the White House a power this sweeping. In fact, the justices most hostile to broad federal authority—Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch—are the same ones who have consistently rejected presidents accumulating powers that properly belong to Congress.
If that principle holds, the Court may uphold birthright citizenship not because they agree with its modern application, but because they don’t believe a president can rewrite constitutional meaning through executive order.
The Long Shadow of Wong Kim Ark
The administration’s order is designed to challenge a 127-year-old precedent: United States v. Wong Kim Ark. In that case, the Court held that a man born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrants, during an era of laws explicitly hostile to Chinese immigration, was a U.S. citizen. The ruling was rooted directly in the Fourteenth Amendment’s text: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof…”
That interpretation has been reaffirmed repeatedly. Modern scholars note that birthright citizenship has been the governing rule for so long that undoing it would effectively redefine who counts as American overnight. Even conservative legal analysts who question the policy concede that presidents cannot unilaterally change a constitutional rule written by Congress and ratified by the states.
….
According to SCOTUSblog, the case now before the Court—Trump v. Barbara—raises the very constitutional question the justices avoided in their prior injunction ruling.
And notably, during arguments in the earlier case, several conservative justices expressed deep skepticism toward the order’s legal foundation. That skepticism spanned justices who rarely side with limits on presidential authority.
Why the Conservative Court May Still Rule Against Trump
This brings us to the heart of the issue: separation of powers.
This Supreme Court has spent years pushing back against executive overreach. They have curtailed agencies, limited presidents’ ability to reinterpret federal statutes, and reaffirmed Congress as the rightful source of major policy changes. This is the same Court that struck down the Biden administration’s student loan plan, restricted the administrative state through the major questions doctrine, and repeatedly warned that presidents cannot act without congressional authorization.
If any president, regardless of party, can unilaterally redefine who is or isn’t a citizen, that authority would instantly surpass Congress. It would also allow a future Democratic president to expand citizenship through executive order. Whatever power you give your guy today, you hand it to the other guy tomorrow.
The conservative legal movement has spent decades resisting the expansion of presidential power. It would be out of character for this Court to reverse course and allow the executive branch to rewrite a constitutional guarantee.
What a Narrow, Institutionalist Ruling Could Look Like
If the Court rules against the administration, a likely opinion could include:
The Fourteenth Amendment’s meaning cannot be revised by executive order.
Any change to citizenship laws must come through Congress—or through a new constitutional amendment.
The Court will not endorse every modern application of birthright citizenship, but will reject unilateral executive revision.
The Court will refuse to give itself or the executive branch the power to strip citizenship from hundreds of thousands of people.
That last point is critical. If the Court allows the executive to eliminate citizenship, it must also allow the executive to grant it. This Court does not appear eager to open either door.
ABC News notes that the ruling could reshape presidential authority far beyond immigration.
Limited Government Means Limited Presidents
For conservatives who value constitutional limits, there is real tension here. Many on the right support restricting birthright citizenship because they believe it incentivizes illegal immigration. But the mechanism used to achieve that goal, a sweeping executive reinterpretation of a constitutional text, directly conflicts with long-standing conservative principles of limited executive power.
You can support Trump’s immigration priorities and still oppose giving the executive branch the authority to rewrite the Constitution.
And that, ultimately, is why the Court may rule against the order. A conservative majority skeptical of federal power, doubtful of unilateral executive policymaking, and protective of congressional authority may be unwilling to hand the White House the ability to determine who is and who is not an American.
If you value limited government, that’s not the worst outcome.
And the story of the Riverside groper (abductor?) gets creepier
/
More details on the arrest last week of our new friend and neighbor from Mexico way
Warrant: Video showed Stamford EMT stalked Greenwich students before grabbing girl on way to school
GREENWICH — A 31-year-old volunteer Stamford EMT was arrested Monday after Greenwich police said surveillance footage, license plate data and inconsistencies in his own statement linked him to the grabbing of a middle school student on her way to school earlier this fall, according to the arrest warrant.
Hector J. Romero Vargas, 31, of Port Chester, N.Y., was arrested Monday on charges of second-degree unlawful restraint, fourth-degree sexual assault, first-degree stalking, second-degree reckless endangerment, risk of injury to a child and second-degree breach of peace.
He has been held on $250,000 bond since his arrest, according to court records.
(Is it worth pointing out that had he stayed in Port Chester under the protection of New York State laws, he’d probably have been released without bail? And given an apology for the inconvenience he’d suffered?)
Romero Vargas was arrested after a nearly two-month investigation that began on the morning of Sept. 11, when a student reported that a man approached her from behind on the paved pathway of the Eastern Middle School tennis courts and briefly restrained her in what she described as a "bear hug," according to the arrest warrant.
The student had a backpack and a sports bag, "which partially obstructed the contact and prevented the suspect from making full body contact
with her back and buttocks as he attempted to pull her closer into his body," police said in the warrant.The girl was able to break free and the suspect "hastily fled," police said. The girl was able to see the man's profile and the clothes he was wearing, which included a dark-colored hat, sunglasses, a dark-colored long-sleeve top, light-colored shorts and dark-colored sneakers.
Following the incident, Greenwich police obtained surveillance video throughout the neighborhood and the video showed a man in sunglasses, baseball hat and a dark-colored long-sleeve shirt and light-colored shorts running from the direction of the path seconds after the girl escaped, according to the warrant. The man is also seen running toward the crosswalk at the corner of Breezemont Avenue and Lockwood Road.
Minutes later, a dark-colored Nissan Altima was seen parking near the crosswalk the girl used daily, police said.
Looking at surveillance video from Sept. 10, the day before the incident, police discovered the same man and vehicle had been in the area in the morning, trailing the girl at a distance on the same route to school.
Detective Allen Arrington described those actions in the warrant as being "consistent with a 'dry run,' or stalking activity designed to monitor the victim's routine."
A review of license plate readers across Greenwich identified the car as a 2013 Altima registered to Vargas, police said.
I don’t like this part:
“The vehicle, police said, showed a pattern of early-morning travel into Greenwich, including a stop on Sept. 4 outside another elementary school where a parent had reported a man in sunglasses sitting in a parked car and staring toward the playground.”
Romero Vargas is next scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 4.
This is who and what we’re dealing with
/
I ran across a post by a woman calling herself Wonkette, and was struck by not only here duplicity but the completely unhinged comments by her readers.
Revenge Of The Wingnut Panic
…. One line in Feldman’s statement really gave us pause: that bit about eliminating rules that “promote unscientific ideological agendas.” That’s usually Trumpspeak for any mention of climate change, a weird thing for a CPSC chair to even mention. Climate regulations have largely been the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory bailiwick, at least until last month, when EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin decided no, science isn’t real.
So what the hell “unscientific ideological agenda” was Feldman talking about? It took a moment, but then we glanced down. Oh yeah. The Woke Agenda to ban gas stoves, which was never an actual plan, not ever. But in late 2022, then-CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. proposed looking into regulating new gas stoves because multiple studies showed gas stoves contribute to childhood asthma and emit nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, benzene, and other nasties even when turned off.
[Ahem. Attention, Miss Wonkette:
9 Jun, 2022
States that outlaw gas bans account for 31% of US residential/commercial gas use
That science hasn’t gone away, and while it’s true that methane is a potent greenhouse gas, Trumka only talked about regulating gas stoves to make them safe for indoor use. If that couldn’t be done, he added, almost parenthetically, “Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.” His assurances that new rules would only apply to new stoves were ignored, and wingnuts in Congress and rightwing media started screaming that if liberal commie Joe Biden wanted to take away their gas stoves, he’d have to pry ‘em from their cold dead hands. (Rebecca popping in here to note that after reading about all the gas stoves and childhood asthma, she replaced hers with electric, and Donna Rose never had asthma again. You too might want to consider it, if you love your children!)
Working from the principle that facts shouldn’t get in the way of tropes about insane government regulators breaking down your door, Feldman just plain lied about gas stoves. He praised Great Leader’s “commitment to preserve the freedom of the American people to choose from a full range of goods and appliances,” and lied about the proposal itself. He said the CPSC review had rejected “a former commissioner’s proposal to ban gas stoves” — again, that was only one very unlikely possibility — and lied that the proposal was “rooted in climate ideology not consumer safety,” when the concerns were solely about the safety of consumers with gas stoves in their homes.
So that’s enough from Wonkette; time to hear from her followers. I don’t hold conversations with these people, but it’s probably good to know they’re out there, roaming loose.
Always seemed odd to me that the conservative response to being told gas stoves could be hurting their children was "Fuck you! I choose the stove!"
Not odd when you consider ideology is more important to them than not harming or killing others and that their particular ideology highly encourages both.
Had the gas service shut off at our little house and I yanked out the pipes.
The downside: Utility bills may be a little higher going all-electric. The upside: Chance of house explosion or gas poisoning is now zero.
Property > human life
The prime conservative equation.
Save the fetuses. Damn the children.
"If'n a gas stove wus good enuff fer George Wsshington then it's a'good enuff fer us!"
Why? It’s the same response they give to guns.
(Also the same response to actual child molesters.)
FAMBLY VALUES!!1!
My aunt worked for a propane and propane appliance company, and everything in the house was gas powered if possible, with little to no venting. I can't help but think that tied into the early onset dementia my grandmother, my aunt, my mother, and her sister suffered and eventually died from.
They have culturally-cultivated oppositional defiance disorder
In light of what we know about propaganda fear tactics' effect on the brain's amygdala -- I'd be really interested to know how an externally-mauled amygdala (or related shrinkage of the parts of the brain where empathy is cultivated) affects the exacerbation of such an ODD
But in order to have those studies we have to get back the NIH money they stole
*sigh*
Dear Everyone – we’re not going to be able to regulate ourselves into “normal” in the midst of an experience that is SO ABNORMAL
The low educated right wing ethos has always been "Shut up! You're not the boss of me!"
They think it'll hurt other kids and they're not stressed by that?
If it hurts OTHER kids, fuck 'em. Am I my brother's keeper?
And now they tell us they're AGAINST unscientific ideological governing? Somebody should tell Bobby Brainworm and Robert E. Lee Zeldin about this, they seem to have not got the memo. Oh, wait, nevermind, the Dear Leader with his deceased brilliant uncle at M.I.T. is now the sole arbiter of what science is good (prolly none of it) and what science is ideological (the kind of ideology he doesn't like, his "Make Amurrka Grate Agin'" ideology is foundational and scientific. Climate study, germ theory, public health study, that kind of fucking woke-ass shit is outta here. Bring back faith healing as the medical paradigm (except for the brane genius Dear Leader who NEEDS, unlike the rest of us slobs, the best care there is.). What would ever become of us with the firm, brilliant leadership of our own Great Steersman, Dimwit J. Tromp pbuh? I shudder to think.
“Unscientific”= “anything that contradicts our ideology or might cut into corporate profits.”
Right? Their freedumb trumps their children's rights to basic needs every. single. time.
And their right to "parental control" for the schools their kids attend trumps the rights of every single OTHER parent of a kid in that school ( or even school district ).
The whole Republican ethos amounts to I! ME! MY ! MINE!
The ethics of the seagull.
That I will never understand. Why are their kids the victims and not EVERYONE ELSE WHO DOESN'T WANT THEIR PARANOID STUPID SHIT TO HURT THEIR OWN KIDS?
None of the rest of us count, in their eyes. THEY are the REAL AMERICANS and the rest of us are just prey.
https://www.wonkette.com/p/give-us-gas-stoves-or-give-us-death-maybe-even-both
Give Us Gas Stoves Or Give Us Death! Maybe Even Both!
Republicans (and Joe Manchin) react pretty much as you'd expect.
Jan 11, 2023
This is why we can't have nice things
/
It's Still Hard to Build Things in the US
The world's leading manufacturer of advanced chips is TSMC in Taiwan. Back in 2020, President Trump helped convince TSMC to make a major investment in building chips here in the US, specifically in Arizona.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has agreed to build an advanced chip factory in the United States, in a response to the Trump administration’s growing concerns about the security of the global electronics supply chain and its competitive tensions with China.
The decision by T.S.M.C., which operates enormous plants in Taiwan to produce chips used in most smartphones and many other devices, was confirmed late Thursday after earlier press reports.
T.S.M.C. said the factory would be built in Arizona, with unspecified support from the state and federal government. T.S.M.C. estimated its own investment in the plant from 2021 to 2029 at $12 billion...
In fact, that $12 billion investment was just the start. TSMC is now planning to spend more than 10 times that building multiple fabrication plants or fabs at the site north of Phoenix. The first of those is already opening and operational. The second has just completed construction. This story is from April:
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. completed construction of its second fab at its north Phoenix campus ahead of schedule to meet AI-related chip demand from customers, the company’s top executive said on an April 17 earnings call.
TSMC CEO C.C. Wei said the company is “working on speeding up the volume production schedule” for its second fab, which will utilize 3-nanometer process technologies.
Things may be ahead of schedule but this week the NY Times reported that the complexity of building these factories has turned out to be far greater than the Taiwanese company expected. It's a lengthy story but certain issues crop up repeatedly, an almost impenetrable thicket of regulations and complaints from unions.
The process that has turned a blank spot on the map into what some now call the Silicon Desert underscores a defining feature of American life: A tangle of bureaucracy often hinders ambitious visions, sowing confusion, uncertainty and delay. That tends to reinforce inertia and discourage development...
At home in Taiwan, TSMC is used to moving aggressively, gaining whatever resources, personnel and government approvals are required to propel its astonishing expansion. Yet in Phoenix, TSMC and its suppliers have wrestled with the intricacies of a different system.
They have been tripped up by a confusing process to gain permits. They have struggled to find workers with needed skills. They have contended with higher costs of doing business, succeeding through force of will and vast sums of money.
In Taiwant, where TSMC is by far the most powerful company, things are different.
In Taiwan, TSMC and its suppliers build facilities in dedicated industrial zones that generally require one permit from a central authority. In Arizona, they must negotiate municipal, county, state and federal regulations, requiring thousands of approvals.
“Every step requires a permit, and after the permit is approved, it takes at least twice as long as in Taiwan,” TSMC’s chief executive and chairman, C.C. Wei, said this year at National Taiwan University.
The company was required to gain permits from city and county authorities to comply with state and federal regulations. In many instances, regulations for its industry did not exist at the local level, so TSMC had to convene a team of experts to craft its own language and gain approvals.
“We ended up establishing 18,000 rules, which cost us $35 million,” Mr. Wei said...
That’s the sorry tale of just one factory in one industry; multiply that by the costs and delays imposed on all construction projects, from housing to infrastructure, then extend it to the regulatory burdens on all commercial activity, and you get an idea of just how much we’re dragging down our economy.
While we’re on the subject, how about unnecessary and irrational occupational licensing laws for such dangerous jobs as eyebrow threading (weaving hair into eyebrows to make them thicker) or, my favorite, annual motor vehicle “safety” inspections: 14 states require them, 36 do not, and there is absolutely no difference in the accident rates between them:
AI Overview
Multiple studies and government reviews have consistently found
no statistically significant difference in crash rates or safety outcomes between states with and without mandatory annual vehicle inspection programs.
Key findings from various sources include:
A 2015 Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of six studies published since 1990 found no causal relationship between inspection requirements and crash rates, fatalities, or injuries.
Research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) demonstrated that only about 2% of motor vehicle crashes were caused by vehicle component failure. The vast majority (around 94%) are attributed to driver error.
Some states that eliminated their programs, such as Nebraska and New Jersey, found no increase, and in some cases a slight decline, in defect-related accidents after the mandate was removed.
Despite these findings, state officials in inspection states often maintain that the programs improve vehicle condition by requiring repairs and thus enhance safety, even if data on accident rates does not conclusively support it.
The consensus among many researchers and policymakers is that mandatory annual inspections do not provide a measurable road safety benefit that outweighs the costs and burdens placed on citizens, particularly lower-income households.
It’s illegal, yet it continues
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'No US Citizens': Meet the IT Firms Discriminating Against Americans
The job post for LanceSoft, an IT staffing firm committed to "diversity, equality, and inclusivity," began innocently enough.
The $60-per-hour role would be based in Santa Clara, Calif., focus on "technical support," and entail a 3–10 p.m. shift. Posted on Nvoids, an IT jobs aggregator, the ad described LanceSoft as an equal opportunity employer and said that the firm, one of the largest staffing agencies in the country, strives "to be as diverse as the clients and employees we partner with."
"We embrace people of any race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender identity, and sexual orientation," the Nov. 25 post read.
This particular job, however, would not be open to a very large group of people: citizens of the United States.
In a section titled "Visa requirement," LanceSoft recruiter Riyaz Ansari wrote that "candidates must hold an active H1B visa"—and stated explicitly that American citizens need not apply.
"No USC/GC for this role," Ansari wrote, using the acronyms for U.S. citizens and green card holders. He added that "LanceSoft is a certified Minority Business Enterprise"—a status the firm has used to secure public contracts—and touted the company's "diversified team environment."
Federal law bars employers from discriminating based on citizenship status. But in the industries most reliant on the H-1B program, which provides visas to more than 700,000 immigrants, advertisements like LanceSoft's litter online recruiting boards.
The Washington Free Beacon identified over two dozen job postings since 2024 that appear to bar applications from U.S. citizens. The posts were made on a variety of platforms, including Glassdoor and LinkedIn, and typically indicate a preference for H-1B visas, though some allow for other visa types as well. Several of the firms are minority-owned businesses, meaning they receive preferential access to government contracts even as they exclude U.S. workers.
The posts illustrate what Trump administration officials say is a common form of hiring discrimination that has long been underpoliced. They come as conservatives are debating the merits of the H-1B visa program, which some argue has been abused by employers to hire foreign workers—especially Indian outsourcers—at the expense of American ones.
"A shocking number of covered entities, especially recruiters, continue to express explicit preferences for visa guest workers," said Andrea Lucas, the chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). "In the shadows of under-enforcement, this type of discrimination has festered."
In theory, the H-1B program lets employers hire high-skilled immigrants when they cannot find qualified U.S. workers. Congress created the program in 1990 to offset predicted labor shortages in tech and medicine—the assumption being that there would not be enough Americans to fill those roles.
But more than three decades later, businesses are hiring H-1B candidates without ever searching for U.S. workers. Critics say the program has become a spigot for cheap foreign labor that allows companies to pay below-market wages while minimizing turnover, since the employer-sponsored visa ties migrants to their jobs. That creates an incentive to hire H-1Bs even when there is no shortage of domestic labor.
Now, some companies are responding to that incentive by restricting certain roles to foreign nationals. And though the Justice Department has fined dozens of employers for discriminating against U.S. citizens—including under the Biden administration—many firms are still posting ads that explicitly exclude Americans.
One recruiter posted on LinkedIn that an IT job in Chicago was open to almost "any visa" but "no USC," meaning U.S. citizens.
Kasmo, a Texas-based IT firm, didn't even bother with the acronym, writing on Glassdoor that "NO US Citizen" was eligible for a job training program.
It’s a lengthy article, with snapshots many examples of the illegal ds posted on the internet, but you get the gist of it just from this excerpt.
And this isn’t just happening in the IT industry; trucking firms have been shutting down around the country for years now as competitors using cheap, undocumented drivers cut their prices below the profitability level of legitimate firms employing legal drivers.
If you’re looking for a local example, notice the makeup of the next tree-trimming crew you pass in Greenwich: almost without exception, they’re Hispanic. In the 70s, I had a number of friends working that job — one even had his own successful company – they all went on to better things, but they were replaced by Hispanics who, I’m guessing, were not (legal) Americans. One didn’t see Hispanic crews in Maine until just a few years ago, when utilities and towns began hiring presumably cheaper out-of-state contractors using laborers who to this eye appear to have come from south of the border, not north of Bangor. We hear claims from those supporting open immigration that there are jobs “that Americans just won’t do” — that may explain why lab rats have been replaced by lawyers as experimental subjects, but otherwise, I think the more accurate description of the situation is that there are jobs that Americans won’t do for 10-cents on the dollar.
John Caldwell Fountain II: December 22, 1982, December 6, 2015 (Updated)
/It’s the tenth anniversary of John’s death. While looking for something about my great-grandfather John Caldwell a little while ago, I came across this article that my friend Bob Horton had written for Greenwich Time back in 2015. I’d never seen it — I don’t know why — but Bob did a real mitzvah here, and so blessings on him. And on John.
Update: Speaking of blessed acts, the readers of this blog respondedl incredibly back then to John’s sister’s Sarah’s GofundMe appeal: a total of $87,000 was raised, much of it from FWIW readers, thereby allowing John to remain independent to the end, staying in his own home, joining his friends in a final trip to St. Johns, and just being free from worries about the mundane details of life. Your generosity is not, will not be, forgotten.
Nonesuch river, pine point me
Bob Horton: A young voice, wise beyond its years, gone too soon
This week I am turning my column over to a voice that should be heard, especially at this time of year when we all try to gain some perspective on what is important in life, and what is just noise.
The voice belongs to John Fountain, a young man who grew up in Riverside, the brother of Kat and Sarah, and the son of Nancy and Chris Fountain. About two years ago, at age 30, John received a diagnosis of colon cancer. The news startled all who knew him.
John wrote to his friends and supporters periodically until his death earlier this month. His family collected his work under the title, “The Grand Adventure,” with the subtitle, “or, the collected wit & wisdom of John C. Fountain the second.”
He wrote this first:
“Dear friends! For your consideration, I present to you some s----y news.
Bored with the high-octane lifestyle of the Rockies, I came home and got the cancer. And boy did I get it good! Stage IV, present and hiding in various lymph nodes and organs for years. All very doom and gloom, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Fortunately, dear reader, this author has never had use for statistics or odds, for doom nor gloom nor nefarious stowaways. I’m also about as stubborn as a tree stump (I ain’t leaving till I see some flying cars), and aside from it being a real pain in my side, I feel great. My thoughts are remarkably lucid and I’m always inspired by a good challenge.
This will indeed be a long and crappy road. However, I am surrounded by good friends and a strong family. I’m a sturdy dude and I’m not afraid. I can motor through this. And if it kills me, screw it. I love dark comedy.
DO please send me your knowledge. I’ve never embarked upon an adventure of this kind. I would like a crash course from those who know. I’m making a real go at raw/vegan (I’m starving) and learning about some interesting alternate treatments (gonna pass on the coffee enemas).
DO NOT lambaste this page with sappy emotional quotes under pictures of sunsets and birds. I will perish to spite you.
Telluride, I am real sorry to not be coming back this summer. I’ll be on my feet soon enough and have every intention of seeing you again. Until then, please kill my fridge with fire.
Thanks to everyone who has already changed their lives to accommodate mine. I am already eternally grateful.”
And he published this update a year ago:
“Ohh my friends. In the immortal words of Steve McQueen, ‘Hey you bastards, I’m still here.’
What are we on, installment 8? It’s been a while. The thickening haze of ‘chemo fog’ has begun to impede my literary habits. Also, I was a bit frisky in my physical escapades and somehow pulled a muscle. Did you know the walls of your intestines are muscles? Mmmmboy was that a long and sleepless couple of weeks.
I have thus far made it through eight bouts of treatment. Let me tell you: good times. I have shown what the doctors call ‘mixed results.’ Some tumors have grown larger, some have disappeared. They say I’m showing ‘high tolerance’ of the treatment, which means that despite perpetual heartburn, the bleeding gums, the night sweats and the barfs, chemo isn’t killing me outright. So that’s nice. I’ll finish up these last four treatments and see where I’m at come February. If the doctors had their druthers, I would take a few weeks rest and then start this bologna all over again, so on and so forth until I inevitably perish. I guess that’s one way to go about it.
I’m not really sold on that approach. The chemo doesn’t seem to have an impressive effect on the cancer. It continuously degrades my body’s immune system. It costs tens of thousands of dollars. It feels like hell. Is that really how I want to live the rest of my life, to be saturating my body with toxic chemicals, playing medical whack-a-mole with the symptoms and chasing a mountain of side effects with still more pills?
Obviously, I’m not a doctor. This is my first time having cancer, so I may well indeed be full of bad ideas. But poison doesn’t feel like medicine. And it certainly fails to address the source of my cancer. The doctors know it won’t cure me. They sadly shake their heads and say, ‘it’s the best we can do.’
Well I ain’t buying it. I don’t think flooding my veins with toxins is what my body wants. I feel this disease stems more from an imbalance between the mind, body and spirit. (Sorry if that sounds too new age for you. Go get some cancer and we’ll talk.) Strange as this may sound, it doesn’t feel like an evil entity. It doesn’t seem some invading army hell-bent on my demise. This cancer is a growth of my own body, spurred on by an internal upheaval of my own design. The common and constant vernacular of violence (‘Kick its ass! Smash it!’) is so pervasive, but doesn’t seem to serve anyone well. I get the idea of the fighting spirit, but should I wish this violence upon my own body? Is that worth the constant angst that riles in my mind? Why focus on illness instead of health?
Following that line of thought, maybe the ‘point’ of this whole ordeal isn’t to survive. That’s not a surrender, that’s not giving up. However, an important part of facing this situation is accepting that death may be the end result. It may be completely out of my control, and that’s okay. Right now my focus is on enjoying every moment I have with you fools. It brings me such sincere joy to be out on the streets of Portland, Maine and in the company of such incredible people. The live music in this town might cure me alone. To all fantastic folks out west, I’ll see you soon. I want as much good to come from this ridiculous situation as possible. To impart even a fraction of the magic that I feel for being alive right now would be enough.
This existence is a whirlwind carnival, but the obvious and important fact is that we’re all in it together. We are all on this grassy little marble hurtling through the depths of space in spite of all odds against us. We live these quick, high-wheeling lives bound up inside the balloons of our bodies, flown from an unseen string the other end of which may or may not be held by a magnanimous all-knowing eternal soul. I don’t know. I’m not a doctor. But if I was, my order would be to take care of one another. And to travel.
Speaking of which, I’ll probably be making some impulsive decisions come February. Some of you will freak out. Just be cool.
We cool? Cool.”
And I’ll give the last word to John’s sister Sarah:
“Though the docs can no longer offer help, John believes strongly in the unity of mind, body, and spirit. His treatment plan now is to live simply, composing what he can in writing, so if it is his last day, he can leave something behind … something that says, ‘John was here.’”
And then there’s this, from one of John’s close friends:
Who was Johnny Fountain?
December 10, 2015 | Savanna Pettengill
This past Monday, Portland suffered a huge loss in the peaceful passing of our bright light and good friend, Johnny Fountain. You may remember him from his stunning performance at Arootsakoostik South this past summer, or his small, equally-powerful performance during the first night The Couch returned to Empire. Maybe you were his friend and made memories with him going on outdoor adventures, playing music, and spreading kindness and love through fun and lighthearted jokes. Maybe he was your bartender at the old Empire before it reopened. Maybe he walked you safely to your car, or saved you from getting creepily hit on. Maybe he introduced you to the love of your life. Maybe you loved him. Maybe, like me, you first saw him perform with the Panda Bandits on an amazingly fun night. Maybe you used to hear him play overhead at the First Friday Artwalk in the early days. Maybe you read his brave and honest Facebook posts about his ongoing battle with cancer. Maybe you attended a fundraiser to help him on his journey. Maybe you are just a friend of a friend who is grieving. In any case, if you have any involvement with the vibrantly rich music scene in our town, you have felt Jonny’s presence. While he’s passed beyond the rainbow bridge, you will probably still feel it in all of those that knew him, who will continue on in his legacy.
For those wanting to pay their respects, there will be a Songs and Stories Memorial for loved ones at Empire on Sunday, December 13 from 4-7PM*.
Warner to Himes: "Oh, yeah? Hold MY beer"
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Dem Mark Warner Blames Trump’s FBI for Not Arresting J6 Pipe Bomber Suspect Sooner
Democrat Mark Warner delivered one of the worst takes on the arrest of the alleged January 6 pipe bomber on Thursday. Did he blame former President Joe Biden’s FBI for not making an arrest? No, of course not. He blamed the FBI under President Donald Trump. He says that the bomber would have been found earlier if Trump's FBI weren’t working on illegal alien cases and firing agents.
Mark Warner blames the current FBI for it taking so long to arrest the J6 pipe bomber:
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) December 4, 2025
“It's a little rich...how much earlier could we have caught this guy if resources hadn't been diverted?”
Unfreakingreal. pic.twitter.com/iyLD2EKSQN
Not to be outdone, our former FBI chief has weighed in:
Former Acting FBI Director ndy McCabe Says It’s Unlikely the J6 Pipe Bomber Case Was Ignored, It Was Just a Tough Case to Crack
FWIW, with help from Google’s AI , provides context:
AI Overview
More than 5,000 FBI employees in total worked on cases related to the January 6th investigation, which amounts to over 13% of the bureau's entire workforce. This number includes agents, analysts, and other support personnel from field offices nationwide, as well as FBI headquarters.
The FBI investigation into the J6 rioters has been described as one of the largest in Justice Department history. In early 2025, the FBI submitted details (excluding names, but including unique employee identifiers and roles) of these employees to the Justice Department after a demand from the Trump administration's acting Deputy Attorney General, Emil Bove.
Bonus material:
🚨 BREAKING: CNN's Jake Tapper calls Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect Brian Cole a "WHITE MAN"
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 5, 2025
WHAT?!?!
Does this look white to you, Jack? 🤯
"Brian Cole Jr., a 30-year-old white man..." pic.twitter.com/UakxeZikDy