For Those About to Guac

Ozempic-free Zone, The Fixer Speaks

There have been few classes of drugs that have thoroughly swept through America like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. According to a recent survey, 1 in 8 US Adults Has Taken Ozempic or Other GLP-1 Drug. But there are some countries where these drugs are not in high demand. Why? Because there are not enough obese people. Japan is one of these places. It's not just genetics. "It turns out that after 100 or so years, Japanese Hawaiians are now almost as overweight as the people they live among ... So something other than genes explains Japan’s slimness. But what?" Johann Hari examines the many factors in Time: The Land That Doesn’t Need Ozempic. One stop was at a school where Hari saw a lunch scene very different from the typical American campus. "Once the meal was ready, [school nutritionist] Harumi carried a tray over to the office of the school’s head, Minoru Tanaka. It is a legal requirement that the principal of each school ensures lunches meet nutritional guidelines. It’s also customary for principals to have the same lunch as the kids and to eat it first, to make sure it’s safe, nutritious, and delicious. He rolled up his sleeves and dug in. After a moment, he nodded approvingly. Before they began to eat, a child stood at the front of the class and read out what today’s meal was, which part of Japan it came from, and how the different elements are good for your health." At my school, they regularly served a Tater Tot clone that was somehow less healthy than a real Tater Tot.

+ "To understand America’s current ecstasy over avocado, we first need to dig into our former fear of fat. The 1990s was an era of fatphobia, goaded by soda-giant-funded studies intended to distract from the health risks of sugar. That decade ushered in a number of fat-free products, from cookies and American cheese in grocery aisles, to nonfat frozen yogurt in strip mall shops and low-fat milk in school cafeterias. Fat, the conventional wisdom went, made people fat." Man, I miss those days. Taste: The US is breeding a new generation of avocado eaters.

+ Intermittent fasting is one of the hottest (and longest-lasting) diet trends. Does it really work? Or is it more about self-discipline than losing weight. The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Fad Diet to End All Fad Diets.

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Breaking the Cohen of Silence

Will Trump's fixer be America's elixir? Probably not. But the testimony from Trump's former inside man is proving quite damaging so far. Michael Cohen on the concern over the Stormy Daniels story: "He said to me: 'This is a disaster. Total disaster. Women are going to hate me. This is really a disaster. Women will hate me. Guys may think it’s cool, but this is going to be a disaster for the campaign,' Cohen said. 'At the time, Mr. Trump was polling very, very low with women,' Cohen explained. 'He was polling very poorly with women — and this, coupled with the previous Access Hollywood' tape. While Cohen sought to negotiate a deal with Daniels, Trump instructed him to 'just get past the election, because if I win, it will have no relevance because I'll be president, and if I lose, no one will care.' When Cohen asked how Daniels’ claims might affect Trump’s relationship with Melania, Trump told him, 'Don’t worry.' He goes, ‘How long do you think I’ll be on the market for? Not long,' Cohen recounted. 'He wasn’t thinking about Melania ... This was all about the campaign.'" Here's the latest from CNN and NBC. One of the ironies of this testimony is how worried Trump was that this story would derail support among his base and his enablers. It's laughable considering what they've put up with since.

+ The Onion: Trump Reflexively Asks Michael Cohen To Silence Michael Cohen.

3

Dead Man Talking

"Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday delivered some of the Biden administration’s strongest public criticism yet of Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza, saying Israeli tactics have meant 'a horrible loss of life of innocent civilians' but failed to neutralize Hamas leaders and fighters and could drive a lasting insurgency."

+ Blinken has (rightfully) been a staunch supporter of Israel's right to defend itself after Oct 7. But one of the problems is that all the damage done to Gaza (and Israel's relationship with the world) hasn't been a strategic success. "After Hamas attacked Israel in October, igniting the war in the Gaza Strip, Israeli leaders described the group’s most senior official in the territory, Yehia Sinwar, as a 'dead man walking.' Considering him an architect of the raid, Israel has portrayed Sinwar’s assassination as a major goal of its devastating counterattack. Seven months later, Sinwar’s survival is emblematic of the failures of Israel’s war, which has ravaged much of Gaza but left Hamas’ top leadership largely intact and failed to free most of the captives taken during the October attack." NYT (Gift Article): Sinwar Helped Start the War in the Gaza Strip. Now He’s Key to Its Endgame.

+ The changing casualty numbers (even from the UN) are a reminder that accuracy is hard to come by in war (particularly this one). But no matter whose statistics you believe, a lot of innocent people paying the price for Sinwar's terrorism have been living under his harsh rule for years. "Hamas leader Yehia Sinwar has for years overseen a secret police force in the Gaza Strip that conducted surveillance on everyday Palestinians and built files on young people, journalists and those who questioned the government ... The documents show that Hamas leaders, despite claiming to represent the people of Gaza, would not tolerate even a whiff of dissent. Security officials trailed journalists and people they suspected of immoral behavior. Agents got criticism removed from social media and discussed ways to defame political adversaries. Political protests were viewed as threats to be undermined." (This is one more reason why I keep saying, you can be for peace, but not for Hamas.)

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Sedans Running on Fumes

"With the Malibu’s demise, GM will no longer sell any sedans in the U.S. In that regard, it will have plenty of company." FastCo: Detroit killed the sedan. We may all live to regret it. For drivers, sitting up higher, having more cargo space, and safer vehicles are part of what sells larger cars. But that's only part of the story.

+ "There’s a reason why cities and states are lowering the speed limit to 20 mph: It’s the speed at which most pedestrians who get hit by a car still have a good chance of survival." Vox: Speed limits are too darn high.

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Extra, Extra

Campaign and Suffering: "This time, Willy Ochoa brought reinforcements. This time, unlike the last time, he’d be ready for cartel attacks. He was accompanied by three truckloads of national guard troops. Two state police cars with flashing red lights. He rode in his own bulletproof SUV, and had a complement of muscular bodyguards. One sat in the bed of a pickup truck, his eyes fixed on the sky. 'He’s making sure they don’t fire a bomb from a drone,' Ochoa explained." This is what it’s like to run for the Senate today in Mexico. WaPo (Gift Article): The elections next door: Mexico’s cartels pick candidates, kill rivals.

+ Work (For Someone Else) From Home: Instead of following orders to return to the office, a lot of top tech employees just switched companies instead.

+ Fee No Evil: "A federal judge in Texas has blocked a new government rule that would slash credit card late-payment charges, a centerpiece of the Biden administration's efforts to clamp down on 'junk' fees." (This could go to the Supreme Court, and you can guess the outcome there.)

+ Kitty Twitter Chitter Glitter: Roaring Kitty posted a drawing of a video gamer leaning forward. And with that, meme stocks are back. GameStop stock gains more than 70%, gets halted for volatility after 'Roaring Kitty' post.

+ Golden Gates: "Melinda French Gates has played a significant role in the size and reach of the foundation. She added that she'll depart with $12.5 billion to commit to programs for women and children." Melinda French Gates resigns from Gates Foundation.

+ What About Bob? "When Sen. Bob Menendez walked into a Newark federal courthouse for the first day of his 2017 corruption trial, so many reporters were watching him that the courthouse assigned them a spillover room." This time it's different. His latest case begins just down the street from another case that's getting just a little more attention. Bob Menendez corruption trial, round 2.

+ A Flare for the Dramatic: A solar storm with solar flares and coronal mass ejections sounds pretty dangerous. But it sure looked sweet.

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Bottom of the News

"In each round, two competitors sit on opposite sides of a solid table and each hooks one finger — usually the middle finger — through opposite sides of a small leather loop. As soon as a referee signals the start, a contestant tries to pull the other across the table swiftly. The whole thing usually lasts a few seconds, and digits put out of their joints are common." German men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria’s ‘Fingerhakeln’ wrestling championship. (I'd complete, but that's my trackpad hand.)

+ The people who won't give up floppy disks.