Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. And, apparently, magnet fishing. It's no secret that nearly everyone wants to be an influencer and every influencer wants to go viral. But the ways people attempt to achieve their dream can still manage to surprise. Consider James Kane, a guy who spends his day tossing a giant magnet into a lake in the Bronx. What does he attract? Tune in and find out. NYT(Gift Article): He Has Fished Out Grenades, Bikes and Guns. Can Fame Be Far Behind? "A YouTube video of a grenade being pulled from the water along the Brooklyn shoreline could be viral gold. 'Some magnet fishers go their whole lives without this happening,' Mr. Kane said, pacing the boardwalk excitedly. 'I’ve never won a lottery in my entire life — even a scratch-off. This is historic. It’s pure frickin’ insanity. One hundred percent.'" (I once convinced my parents of the efficacy of a career in newsletter writing by telling them my alternate plan was magnet fishing.)

2

Moving Target

There's no question in the region or across the globe that Israel's retaliation for the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack has resulted in the killing of a lot of people in Gaza. But there is a big question about whether Israel killing the right people and moving towards the stated goal of eliminating Hamas? NYT (Gift Article): Key Hamas Plotters of Oct. 7 Elude Israel’s Grip on Gaza. "The elusiveness of these top Hamas figures is depriving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of tangible proof to show both his domestic audience and a growing chorus of foreign leaders calling for a cease-fire that Israel is progressing toward its goal of wiping out Hamas."

+ The IDF says it has killed 2,000 Hamas fighters since the truce ended. Hamas says it won't negotiate over hostages until the fighting stops. Here's the latest from CNN, BBC, and Times of Israel.

3

Bird Dropping

"Bird grew fast. The company was founded in September 2017 with just 10 scooters in Santa Monica, California. Nine months later it had raised more than $300 million in funding at a valuation of about $2 billion." But did it ever make sense to value a scooter rental company at internet multiples? For a variety of reasons, Bird has now filed for bankruptcy. Wired: Blood, Guns, and Broken Scooters: Inside the Chaotic Rise and Fall of Bird.

4

The (Sk)in Crowd

"America's teens and tweens are all about skin care. Beauty giant Ulta told NPR that Generation Z — roughly tweens to youth in their early 20s — began getting into it earlier than any generation before them. They're celebrating birthdays at Sephora, rattling off beauty products' chemical properties, trading samples and sending each other videos of morning skin care routines, chasing the coveted glowy look. And holiday wish lists of bronzing drops and lip oils are leaving parents both amused and uneasy." (I'm rarely as uneasy as I am waiting for my tween daughter and her friends to finish shopping at Sephora; something I experience a lot.) Tweens used to hate showers. Now, they're taking over Sephora.

5

Extra, Extra

Prague Shooting: "At least 15 people were killed in a shooting at Charles University in central Prague on Thursday ... About 25 more people were wounded." The shooter is dead. Here's the latest from CNN.

+ Colonoscopy: "In the past three decades, incidence of the disease has risen significantly among people younger than 50, many of whom have no obvious risk factors, such as having a genetic predisposition. No one knows why." WaPo (Gift Article) on a disturbing mystery: Colon cancer is rising in young Americans. It’s not clear why.

+ Four Seasons Total Bankruptcy: "A week after losing a $148 million defamation case, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a New York court."

+ Channel Islands: "Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav met with Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish on Tuesday in New York City to discuss a possible merger." (In the end, all the apps will merge into one and you'll be back to paying a bundle for a bundle and flipping through channels.)

+ Pray for Rain: "When a toilet is flushed in California, the water can end up in a lot of places: An ice skating rink near Disneyland, ski slopes around Lake Tahoe, farmland in the Central Valley. And — coming soon — kitchen faucets." Drought-prone California OKs new rules for turning wastewater directly into drinking water.

6

Bottom of the News

"What’s the difference between haha and jaja? What about kkkk or hhhh? It’s a trick question: They mean the same thing." How different languages laugh online.

+ "The bottle’s value among resellers and fans — specifically American superfans — speaks to the brand’s particular juggernaut cultural power in the U.S. Specialty bottles don’t just feature Japanese cultural signifiers, but American ones too, from Mickey and Minnie Mouse to the American bicentennial." The Kikkoman Soy Sauce Bottle Is Priceless.