Cap'n Crunch

The Great Crunchiness Shift, President Elon

The NYT's Lisa Miller writes: "Not to brag, but I have stellar 'crunchy' bona fides. I was raised on wheat bread, limited television and camping vacations, and at 17 went off to Oberlin College, that notorious incubator of crunchy achievers. I am deeply familiar with old-school crunchy in all of its hues: the lumpy hand-knit sweaters, the unkempt hair." ... Well, I grew up in Northern California, arguably Crunchy HQ, where my mom made me sprinkle wheat germ on my already horribly healthy breakfast cereal, and I regularly buy my organic produce at a store called Berkeley Bowl. So I too know the type. But these days, being crunchy isn't limited to particular regions. And in a twist few saw coming, it's not even limited to a particular political party. In fact, these days, it's more associated with the right leaning MAHA crowd and their leader RFK Jr, than it is with Berkeley liberals. Lisa Miller in NYT (Gift Article): How the Right Claimed Crunchy. "Stephanie Kowalski published an online quiz on her parenting blog 'Crunchy Moms.' 'You might be a crunchy mom if….' it said, and the list that followed included crunchy classics such as co-sleeping, self-weaning, cloth diapers, seitan, a preference for menstrual sponges — and a refusal of childhood vaccines. Kowalski loved the diversity of the 'crunchy' spaces back then. 'I felt we were very different in our backgrounds, but had that common goal of wanting to do things natural.' Kowalski made her own laundry soap and promoted breast milk, applied topically, as a treatment for pink eye." (You know what, you can have the topical breast milk applications and the homemade soap. I'll take the Pop Tarts and the Doritos. And the vaccines.)

2

Kingdom Come

The much anticipated royal presidency of Elon Musk has arrived ahead of schedule. Using the social media network he purchased on behalf of the presidency he purchased, Musk lobbed in a cool 150 posts demanding "that Republicans back away from a bipartisan spending deal that was meant to avoid a government shutdown over Christmas. He vowed political retribution against anyone voting for the sprawling bill backed by House Speaker Mike Johnson." Proving that he is still aligned with Trump, Musk "also shared misinformation about the bill, including false claims that it contained new aid for Ukraine or $3 billion in funds for a new stadium in Washington." False information. Chaos. Oligarchical rule. Welcome to the new reality. NYT (Gift Article): Elon Musk Flexes His Political Strength as Government Shutdown Looms. Flex and Balances... We've traded our democratic superpower for a Cybertruck.

+ Trump calls for abolishing the debt ceiling.

3

Point of No Return

"As the men in blue share more about their painful childhoods and seemingly unbearable losses, occasionally with a half-suppressed sob, it is clearly new territory for them, not what they are accustomed to. They are struggling to do what so many men find so difficult: talking honestly about our feelings. It’s as if I’m watching people learn to speak a new language." MoJo: There Are Many Programs Trying to Reduce Recidivism. This One Works. "In the United States, the likelihood that a released convict will return to prison within five years is 45.8 percent. For the 750 GRIP graduates since 2012 who have subsequently been released, the figure is 1.71 percent."

4

Snap Judgment

"Snapchat’s popularity is based on its automatically disappearing messages. It thrives on evanescence, unlike Instagram and Facebook, which retain every message or photo sent and only recently began offering the option of vanishing messages. Snapchat users can be silly, or naughty, because everything disappears within 24 hours by default. The app attracts minors who want to hide things from their parents, and drug dealers who want to hide evidence from police." The DEA says that criminal drug networks are "now in every home and school in America because of the internet apps on our smartphones." Can a platform be liable for the ways some people use it? One case could lead us toward an answer. Bloomberg (Gift Article): Fentanyl Almost Killed Michael Brewer. Now He Wants Snap to Pay. "A lawsuit arguing that Snapchat helped dealers sell children deadly counterfeit drugs could change the internet as we know it."

5

Extra, Extra

Ah Ah Ah Ah Stayin' Alive: Thanks in part of a post-pandemic bounce, U.S. life expectancy rose significantly last year. Fewer deaths via Covid are just one piece of what has been a series of positive life-expectancy related trends this year. And in many cases, researchers aren't quite sure why things got better. Oh well, let's just take the win. The Atlantic (Gift Article): A Mysterious Health Wave Is Breaking Out Across the U.S. (Maybe it's being delivered by the drones?)

+ Crime Wave: "Gisèle Pelicot has paid tribute to sexual violence victims still fighting for recognition in society after her ex-husband and 50 other men were found guilty in the biggest rape trial in French history."

+ But Her Emails: "Federal officials say they’re worried about sharing documents via email with Donald Trump’s transition team because the incoming officials are eschewing government devices, email addresses and cybersecurity support, raising fears that they could potentially expose sensitive government data." Trump’s transition is happening over private emails.

+ Cardboard Jungle: Amazon is facing its biggest strike ever just before the holidays. (It's still a relatively small percentage of the workforce.)

+ Bird Watching: "California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S." Also, two California house cats die from bird flu as three more appear to be infected. (Oh, so now you're gonna worry about some random animal flu somehow becoming a human-to-human crisis? What'll they think of next...)

+ Fani Pact: Fani Willis disqualified from Trump's Georgia election interference case.

+ Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: "Researchers also found evidence that suggests the capacity of AIs to deceive their human creators increases as they become more powerful." New Research Shows AI Strategically Lying. (I think this means we've achieved the singularity.) Meanwhile, AI learns to distinguish between aromas of US and Scottish whiskies.

+ Pollyanna Montana: "The Montana Supreme Court voted 6 to 1, affirming a lower court ruling that said the state's fossil fuel friendly policies, along with a lack of action to address climate change, has violated the young people's constitutional right to a clean environment. "The decision means that state agencies must now consider the greenhouse gas emissions and climate impacts of any proposed development project."

+ And There's the Rub: "Starting in March, the city government will go through bags of rubbish that fall afoul of regulations - such as those which have not been sorted correctly, or which exceed size limits - and in some cases publicly identify their owners." Japanese city to name and shame people who break rubbish rules.

6

Bottom of the News

"Images of Wall Street’s rank-and-file blowing cash on illegal drugs and nightlife are well known, with cocaine a favored drug through the 1980s, as portrayed in 'The Wolf of Wall Street.' These days, drugs are more a tool to optimize performance on the job." Out with the coke and sex and in with the adderall and extended quality time with spreadsheets. The Drugs Young Bankers Use to Get Through the Day—and Night.