The Los Angeles Times has published a must-read story about how the promotion of OxyContin helped set off the prescription opioid epidemic in the U.S. The investigation by Harriet Ryan, Lisa Girion and Scott Glover found that even before OxyContin went on the market in 1996, clinical trials showed that the effects of OxyContin showed…
In the News
RIP, Prince
Devastating! Another icon gone too soon. Prince June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016 Embed from Getty Images Just yesterday, I’d been reassured about Prince’s health after reading that he’d appeared before fans on Saturday to show them that he was okay after being hospitalized for the flu. I was checking up on him because…
Congrats to ProPublica on Its Third Pulitzer Prize!
A big congratulations to MrB’s nonprofit investigative reporting organization, ProPublica, on its third Pulitzer Prize! The article was a collaboration with another nonprofit, The Marshall Project, which specializes in covering criminal justice. T. Christian Miller, a senior reporter for ProPublica, and Ken Armstrong, a writer for The Marshall Project, won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for…
Recommended Reading: “Last Men Standing”
George Michael’s quote in yesterday’s post about “the years when HIV was a killer” reminded me that I’ve been meaning to share the San Francisco Chronicle’s “Last Men Standing” project. The Chronicle described its package of print and digital stories and film this way: “They outlived an epidemic, but San Francisco’s AIDS survivors are still…
RIP, George Martin
George Martin, the music producer who most famously worked with the Beatles, died at age 90 yesterday. Embed from Getty Images Ringo Starr first announced the news on Twitter. Paul McCartney made his statement here. To learn more about George’s interactions with the Beatles, you can read his memoir, All You Need Is Ears. But…
Throwback Thursday: Daisies and Dave Stewart
Erica M. Blumenthal, writing for the New York Times Thursday Styles section, has declared that this is the year of the daisy: “Expect a floral explosion as spring fashion starts to arrive in stores, and no flower is getting more love this season than the daisy. The relentlessly cheerful print, iconic in a grungy way…
Valentine’s Day/Anti-Valentine’s Day Countdown: #14 of 14
Happy Valentine’s Day! If you don’t have a Valentine, maybe you can be mine. I’m not shy about saying it: I’m your No. 1 fan! The final entry for my Valentine’s Day/anti-Valentine’s Day countdown is my brand-new emoji-inspired earring. I decided to improve upon the standard pointing finger emoji … … and turn it…
Valentine’s Day/Anti-Valentine’s Day Countdown: #7 of 14
How’s THIS for a Super Bowl 50 ring? Today’s Valentine’s Day selection is the redesigned engagement/50th anniversary ring I made for my mother last year, using her original center diamond and baguettes. Obviously you can’t buy this particular ring but I can use this style of platinum setting for any custom engagement ring. If you’re…
RIP, Cindy Edelstein
When I write an obituary for this blog, it’s often for someone with a household name, such as David Bowie. This time, it’s more personal. If you’re not in the fine-jewelry community, you may not have heard of Cindy Edelstein, but I encourage you to read about her anyway, because she is a role model…
All the Young Dudes
I’m quite proud of my habit of keeping pop-culture ephemera, such as this program from Madonna’s 1987 AIDS benefit concert and a Duran Duran ticket stub from the same year. However, my high-school friend Jim Begala wins the prize for keeping everything. Jim previously confirmed the exact date of a 1984 INXS concert for me,…