Going Nuclear

Yes Nukes, RFK Not OK, Feel Good Friday

No, this isn't a lead story about the election or the new administration appointees. It's about nuclear energy. As our efforts to combat climate change have fallen short, an energy source that had fallen out of favor is making something of a comeback. NYT (Gift Article) takes you to the COP29 talks where much of the talk is about nuclear power. Nuclear Power Was Once Shunned at Climate Talks. Now, It’s a Rising Star. Not everyone is on board. "On Thursday, a group of several dozen protesters held signs with slogans like 'Don’t Nuke the Climate' and 'Stop Nuclear' ... Elsewhere in the venue, a group of young nuclear professionals called Nuclear for Climate held a rally of their own. Two of them dressed up as polar bears and danced while holding up an atom symbol as others handed out bananas to a curious crowd. A banana contains the same amount of radiation as a person would get from living next to a properly maintained nuclear power plant for one year, one said." (You're expecting a banana republic pun here, or maybe an Orange you glad you're not a banana joke. But really, this is just an article about nuclear energy.)

2

A Freudian Chip

"Broken Bear has purple and tan fur, a placid smile, and patched up circles on his belly: one, he tells me, covers a scar from a broken heart. The avatar of an AI chatbot designed to 'love your broken self,' Broken Bear stands slightly slumped, with his paws by his sides. Even though he looks lonely, he’s not the only AI therapist currently on offer. There’s also Elomia, 'the artificial intelligence that works like a therapist,' and Meomind, 'the world’s first on-demand alternative to therapy.' There’s Wysa, PsyScribe, Lotus, and Youper. There’s Pi AI, 'the first emotionally intelligent AI'; Suno, 'an attentive, supportive friend always ready to listen'; and Xaia, which stands for 'eXtended-reality Artificially Intelligent Ally.'" In Baffler, Jess McAllen travels the weird (and increasingly popular) world of AI created therapists. The Therapist in the Machine. (I needed to lie down on a couch after the first couple paragraphs.) I suppose I've been doing group therapy for years, as most of the time it's me surrounded by several devices.

3

Surely You Jesters

After RFK Jr. got picked by Trump as Secretary of Health and Human Services, vaccine and health stocks plummeted. If he gets confirmed, life expectancy numbers could do the same. From WaPo (Gift Article): 10 RFK Jr. conspiracy theories and false claims, in his own words.

+ Times of Israel had quite the headline: RFK Jr., who mused COVID was designed to spare Ashkenazi Jews, tapped to head HHS.

+ For no particular reason, here are some charts covering the impact of vaccines over the past century.

+ RFK Jr is just the latest shocking but not surprising appointee. Timothy Snyder tries to put things into perspective. "Imagine that you are a foreign leader who wishes to destroy the United States. How could you do so? The easiest way would be to get Americans to do the work themselves, to somehow induce Americans to undo their own health, law, administration, defense, and intelligence. From this perspective, Trump's proposed appointments -- Kennedy, Jr.; Gaetz; Musk; Ramaswamy; Hegseth; Gabbard -- are perfect instruments. They combine narcissism, incompetence, corruption, sexual incontinence, personal vulnerability, dangerous convictions, and foreign influence as no group before them has done. These proposed appointments look like a decapitation strike: destroying the American government from the top, leaving the body politic to rot, and the rest of us to suffer."

+ Related: Trump’s team skips FBI background checks for some Cabinet picks.

4

Weekend Whats

What to Watch: The limited series Say Nothing on Hulu is a gripping story of murder and memory in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. The 9-episode series is based on the most excellent book by Patrick Radden Keefe.

+ What to Pod: "This is the story of a wildly ambitious science experiment to return a captive orca to the ocean — while the world watched. A new limited podcast series from Serial Productions and the New York Times." The Good Whale.

+ What to Snack: I often go to the movies just for the popcorn. So far, the best at home imitation of the movie popcorn I've found is the one from Trader Joes. I don't shop at Trader Joes much and I can't figure out how to link to something on their site and I'm certainly not comparing this stuff to real movie theater popcorn, but you need comfort and this is one of my comfort foods.

5

Extra, Extra

Sizing Up: "The study ... reveals the striking rise of obesity rates nationwide since 1990 — when just over half of adults were overweight or obese — and shows how more people are becoming overweight or obese at younger ages than in the past." NYT (Gift Article): Three-Quarters of U.S. Adults Are Now Overweight or Obese. It will be interesting to see how the proliferation of Ozempic (a drug that seems to make people three-quarters of themselves) will impact these numbers over time.

+ Having it Both Ways: "Muslims in Michigan began seeing pro-Israel ads this fall praising Vice President Kamala Harris for marrying a Jewish man and backing the Jewish state. Jews in Pennsylvania, meanwhile, saw ads from the same group with the opposite message: Harris wanted to stop U.S. arms shipments to Israel." Inside the Republican false-flag effort to turn off Kamala Harris voters. (Dark money efforts like this work, especially when there's a hell of lot of the dark money.)

+ Dimon in the Rough: I don't want to give the impression that everyone is upset about Trump's win. Jamie Dimon says bankers are 'dancing in the street' after Donald Trump's election win. (It's been interesting to watch the market reaction, from surge to meh, over the past week.) And Sylvester Stallone called him a second George Washington at a Mar-a-Lago event. Oy, Adrian.

+ A Dish Best Served Cold: Joel Stein says he's done with news (and, believe it or not, I don't think that's a bad decision -- even if I wish he had included a carveout for NextDraft): It’s Going to Be a Small World After All.

6

Feel Good Friday

"In 1977, Morgan Perigo's gold college graduation ring was lost to the ocean while on a trip to Barbados with his wife and two young sons. Perigo, who graduated from McMaster University in Canada in 1965, searched for the ring in vain ... Forty-seven years later, Perigo got his ring back. The surprise reunion unfolded thanks to Alex Davis, a professional freediver who recently discovered the jewelry while using an underwater metal detector." (I've been looking for a new hobby. Maybe underwater metal detection could work.)

+ Women’s baseball players could soon have a league of their own again.

+ Conan O’Brien to Host 2025 Oscars Ceremony.

+ Texas woman sets record for donating more than 2,000 liters of breastmilk.

+ Winners of the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024.

+ Mike Tyson slaps Jake Paul in face during final stare-down. (I know this doesn't really qualify as feel good news, but for some reason, it felt good to me.)