u/LouInvestor

My buddy Colleen served Jason Molina at the bagel shop in Bloomington. I served Aretha Franklin. Both of us handed coffee and food to greatness — neither of us knew what to do with it.

That's what today's Morning Bergeron is about. A songwriter who drank himself to death at 39. One year older than me. Four years after his first drink. A fully human contradiction who made something undeniably beautiful out of Rust Belt quiet and personal wreckage.

And a song that gave me an alter ego I still use today — Captain Badass Rob.

We get no second chance in this life. So a hot pulse is alright.

Or try to keep a great culture?

282,247 minutes = 4,704 hours = 196 straight days of reading, from five emails in one week. That's the real, exact number — no more estimating the open counts. This is from unique opens only. Half the audience rereads my newsletter as well. I said this to Claude Cowork exactly: Could you figure out how many minutes were read in my five newsletters that went out this past week?

This was amazing. Be sure to ask it for trends as well. This helps you better understand your audience.

Do this for your newsletters too! It'll make you feel better! I also do this to provide backlinks, help with SEO, and editing.

Still haven't figured out what to do monetization wise yet, but Claude did tell me this after I asked what the value of my audience is worth :

Local newsletters command $50–$100 CPM because the readership is hyper-targeted — exactly your situation. At ~15,500 opens per send:

• One primary sponsor slot ≈ $775–$1,550 per issue.
• You publish ~250 issues/year. Even at a modest sell-through (say 100–150 sponsored sends, not daily), that's ~$75K–$230K/year in realistic recurring ad revenue — money you're currently leaving on the table. A single local sponsor (a mortgage broker, title company, home-services brand) could anchor this.

Hope this helps with your journey as well! Anyone have any neat insights they want to share with the group?

Sooooo.....I doubt it would win, but say the Bengals through out a 4th-5th-6th rounder and won Sorsby, I think it could be a great idea. Talent has never been the issue. I think he is someone who could shine in preseason games after Flacco retires and could trade off for a higher pick (3rd-2nd) down the road similar to Cousins pick back in the day. Not much risk for us. I can't see the Browns or Steelers making a play for him. I could have seen the Rams making a play had they not made the pick in the 1st. Provides some fun upside/insurance if Burrow were to ever go down (love Flacco for this year!). Doesn't seem like a terrible idea.

How should I monetize?

https://preview.redd.it/wnh0g477gqzg1.png?width=1408&format=png&auto=webp&s=855c1d54aff732d572276322b0c97db34b372abf

Kentucky & Louisville: Colon Cancer at a Glance

Kentucky’s National Standing — It’s the Worst

Kentucky has the highest rate of colorectal cancer in the nation, according to the CDC, and it is the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women. 

Colorectal cancer incidence rates in Kentucky hit approximately 45 per 100,000 people — tied with Mississippi for the highest in the U.S. — compared to as low as 28 per 100,000 in Utah. Mortality rates follow the same pattern, with Kentucky among the worst in the nation. 

CRC occurrence is highest in Appalachia, the South, and parts of the Midwest — with differences largely driven by smoking, excess body weight, and gaps in access to quality screening and treatment. 

The Younger Patient Problem

Kentucky is following a national trend: a notable rise in colon cancer cases among younger people. Norton Cancer Institute oncologist Dr. Douglas Nelson points to the microbiome — specifically, chronic gut inflammation driven by diet and lifestyle — as a likely contributing factor. 

Overall Kentucky Cancer Burden

Kentucky’s new cancer rate runs 13% higher than the national average, and in 2019 alone, nearly 29,000 new cancer cases were reported — a number that has grown steadily since the early 2000s. 

Screening Rates

The American Cancer Society recommends screenings starting at age 45 for average-risk individuals. Colonoscopy remains the gold standard, since most colon cancers begin as polyps that develop into cancer over several years — making early detection the most effective intervention. 

Survival Rates

The five-year survival rate for stage 1 and stage 2 colon cancer is 90%.  However, 5-year survival drops to just 15% for distant-stage disease — making screening timing everything. 

Why Louisville/Kentucky Is So High

The drivers are well-documented: high smoking rates, elevated obesity and sedentary lifestyle prevalence, processed food diet, lower average access to preventive care, and genetic factors concentrated in certain populations. Louisville gastroenterologist Dr. Whitney Jones — founder of the Colon Cancer Prevention Project — has been a national advocate for genetic testing to identify high-risk individuals earlier and lower population-level cancer outcomes.  Kentucky recently passed legislation requiring insurance to cover genetic cancer tests when recommended by a physician.