Saturday, December 6, 2025

Washington Business Journal editor-in-chief puzzles out why Shalom Baranes accepted White House ballroom commission

 
Headline:  Washington Business Journal, 12/5/2025

Our managing editor, Michael Neibauer, and I have been covering Baranes for years. I first interviewed him for a profile in 2006, when he told me a little about his approach, saying, “I’m really someone who will spend a long time thinking about the building and what kind of a building it should be." 
[snip] 
So you have to wonder why he would risk a stellar career and near pristine reputation for a project that could possibly end up in disaster. He could be publicly fired and castigated by the developer-in-chief or ostracized among his colleagues and clients. 
Baranes, who for obvious reasons declined our request for comment, must think he can persuade the president to create a ballroom that's both fitting of the White House and fits alongside the White House. I can't imagine he'd have accepted the job if he didn't think he could do that. 
But let's take a moment to review the Shalom Baranes Associates portfolio. The architect has built his reputation on modern architecture, not the classical architecture Trump has vowed to bring back through executive order. Baranes is not known for the gold gilding and over-the-top extravagances often found in Trumpland. Clean lines like CityCenterDC and the Nigerian chancery are his calling card. [emphasis added]

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Greetings from South Dakota (anti-vaxxer edition)

 
Headline and survey results:  South Dakota Searchlight, 12/5/2025

Close to half of South Dakotans aren’t up-to-date on their flu shots or their hepatitis B vaccinations, new vaccine survey results released by the South Dakota Department of Health indicate. 
About 63% aren’t up-to-date on their HPV vaccinations, which protect against most cases of cervical cancer, and 78% aren’t up-to-date on their pneumococcal vaccinations, which help protect against pneumococcal infections. 
That’s “concerning” to Keith Hansen, president of the South Dakota State Medical Association. Vaccinations are “one of the most important developments in health” to keep people and communities healthy, he said. 
As a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist, he is especially concerned with how vaccine-preventable diseases can affect pregnant women and newborn children. [emphasis added]
 
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Latest avian flu research from Iowa State University

 
Headline:  Phys Org, 12/4/2025

Dave Roepke reports:
An ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has affected more than 184 million domestic poultry since 2022 and, since making the leap to dairy cattle in spring 2024, more than 1,000 milking cow herds. 
A new study led by Iowa State University researchers shows that the mammary glands of several other production animals—including pigs, sheep, goats, beef cattle and alpacas—are biologically suitable to harbor avian influenza, due to high levels of sialic acids. 
"The main thing we wanted to understand in this study is whether there is potential for transmission among these other domestic mammals and humans, and it looks like there is," said Rahul Nelli, the study's lead author and a research assistant professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine.  [emphasis added]

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