Happy Friday, world! We are officially summer-adjacent; my big kid leaves for sleepaway camp in, holy crap, two weeks, the little guy is finishing up hockey season, and I cannot wait for summer to get here, though first today I’m going to enjoy a fantastic tennis match between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s semis today at Roland Garros.
We have good news everywhere this week, but let’s start with something that could directly affect my life, and the lives of millions of others, in a positive way.
I think I’ve mentioned in this space that I have Crohn’s Disease; my case is quite mild compared to some other people I know, but it’s still an annoyance, something that causes me pain, and something which I take medication for every day.
Crohn’s and IBS (or IBD) affects millions, but researchers this week announced a particularly exciting breakthrough, that they kind of discovered by accident.
From BBC News: “A major cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been discovered by UK scientists. They found a weak spot in our DNA that is present in 95% of people with the disease. It makes it much easier for some immune cells to go haywire and drive excessive inflammation in the bowels.
The team have found drugs that already exist seem to reverse the disease in laboratory experiments and are now aiming for human trials.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease. They are estimated to affect half a million people in the UK.
It often starts as a teenager or young adult.”
This is incredibly exciting for those of us who suffer; let’s hope this leads to better treatments and maybe even a cure.
**Next up, Cameron Brink is a WNBA rookie this year for the Los Angeles Sparks, and part of an amazing first-year class in the WNBA, also featuring Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. Brink, a former star at Stanford, was informed this week that she’d been chosen for the U.S. women’s basketball 3 vs. 3 Olympic team at the Paris Games this July.
And her reaction was so genuine and beautiful. Everything I’ve read about Brink points to her goodness as a human. And this is just lovely to watch.
**Finally, if you’ve ever lived in, or visited New York City, you may have noticed how freaking difficult it is to find a working public toilet. For reasons big and small, we all need a place to go, whether it’s a spot to change a baby’s diaper (I’ve changed many on the curb because I couldn’t find a bathroom), or just to relieve oneself, access to public bathrooms is enormously important, and one that New York has ignored for far too long. It’s especially a problem for homeless people, of course.
Well, in one of the rare moves of Mayor Eric Adams that has my approval, the city announced this week that it is building 46 new public bathrooms, and renovating 36 others.
From the AP: “Busting to go in the Big Apple? Some relief is on the way.
New York City is not only getting more public toilets, but making them easier to locate using your smartphone.
Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday a plan to build 46 new restrooms and renovate 36 existing ones located in city parks, adding to the city’s roughly 1,000 such facilities over the next five years.
The Democrat said the city has also developed a new Google Maps layer so people can easily find the locations of every public restroom operated by government agencies and civic institutions, including libraries and at transit hubs.
“Part of making New York City a more livable city is tackling the little things — the things we don’t think about until we need them,” Adams said in a statement launching the effort, which his administration has dubbed “Ur in Luck.”
Good on ya, Eric Adams. As my friend Mike S. said, this should be priority No.1 and No. 2 (ba dum bump).
Have a great weekend.
Wide World of Stuff 