The Post-Partisan Emporium

  ‘Expresso Vaccines’ and Lessons from the American Chestnut Tree Why a vaccine designed in two days faced less regulatory scrutiny than a venerable nut tree that sustained life for centuries Dr. Mathew Maavak A tree that once fed multitudes now faces a decade of federal red tape before a single seed can touch wild soil, while a brand-new genetic vaccine, cooked up in 48 hours and injected into billions, sailed through approval in under a year. One restores a vanished forest, the other rewrote human cells on a planetary scale. Both are genetic modifications, yet one is treated as a potential ecological threat while the other is hailed as a modern miracle. Welcome to the “expresso lane” of modern biotechnology, where speed, risk, and scrutiny depend entirely on whose veins are on the line. Reign of the Chestnut King In the ancient forests of Appalachia, the American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) once towered as the unmatched monarch. Stretching from the southern ridges to southern Can...

  Death of a Salesman A Complex Tragedy Librarian of Celaeno On the morning of December 4th, at 6:45 AM, Brian Thompson, CEO of United Healthcare, was murdered in Times Square as he was on his way to a shareholder meeting. At the time this is being written, the identity of the killer is unknown, and the motive yet to be definitively determined. However, much speculation has emerged around words written on shell casings left at the scene- “deny,” “defend,” and “depose.” These terms echo what trial lawyers  have labeled basic insurance company tactics to avoid paying claims - “delay, deny, defend.” In other words, it seems the killer may have been motivated by revenge for some wrong done to him, perhaps a denied claim on his or a loved one’s behalf, which caused him to seek out and kill Thompson as an act of retribution. This information has in turn led to some social media unpleasantness. Thompson’s death was roundly mocked on X, with people claiming to need  prior authori...