Do you want to know yourself? Are you willing to take a deep look inside? Ever have the desire to delve beneath the surface and really examine the whole you? A lot of the reason I regularly have fifty open browser tabs is take my mind off of me, so the idea of knowing more about myself really gets under my skin. But a lot of people are taking advantage of new, full-body MRIs that give you the skinny on everything about yourself, for better or for worse, in sickness or in health. Do you feel a magnetic attraction to knowing more? Does the thought of potentially catching ailments earlier have any resonance with you? Is more knowledge always better? Or as Dhruv Khullar puts it in The New Yorker: Will a Full-Body MRI Scan Help You or Hurt You? While still expensive and not covered by insurance, the scans by companies like Prenuvo are all the rage these days. Why are many doctors less enthusiastic? "No professional medical society in America endorses whole-body MRIs as a proactive screening tool. The American College of Preventive Medicine argues that they 'waste money and healthcare resources,' while the American College of Radiology, which theoretically stands to benefit from more imaging, said in a statement that 'there is no documented evidence that total body screening is cost-efficient or effective in prolonging life.' Doctors tend to think that if it ain’t broke, don’t MRI it." (Oddly, that last line sort of makes me want to get the scan.)

2

Betting the Spread

While there are many humanitarian aspects to the Middle East crisis, America's primary strategic concern is to keep the war from spreading. That effort just became harder as the US, UK, and other partners retaliated against Red Sea attacks with a series of strikes against the Houthis. Like Hamas, the Houthis knew full well that their repeated attacks would get a military response. So who benefits and who loses if things get even more out of hand? In The Atlantic (Gift Article), Arash Azizi argues that the moves by Iran's proxy aren't necessarily great news for Iran. The Houthis Have Backed Iran into a Corner. I'm guessing Iran isn't too upset about things. The terror groups want more power and relevance. What Iran, China, Russia, and others want to see is America fail to effectively influence the crisis, further damaging its (and democracy's) global leadership role. This is all about a lot more than Hamas and Israel. A lot more.

+ "I have spent quite a bit of time with the Houthis in Yemen and they are people who are highly independently minded. They will relish conflict with the Americans. They want to be part of this war. What has been happening suits both the Houthis and the Islamic Republic of Iran." BBC: Strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen show war in Gaza has already spread.

+ Here's the latest from CNN and BBC.

3

Waterless World

"Olive groves have shriveled in Tunisia. The Brazilian Amazon faces its driest season in a century. Wheat fields have been decimated in Syria and Iraq, pushing millions more into hunger after years of conflict. The Panama Canal, a vital trade artery, doesn’t have enough water, which means fewer ships can pass through. And the fear of drought has prompted India, the world’s biggest rice exporter, to restrict the export of most rice varieties." NYT (Gift Article): Drought Touches a Quarter of Humanity, U.N. Says, Disrupting Lives Globally.

4

Weekend Whats

What to Watch: It's sort of a comedy about one brother who is a trained killer and another who aspires to do improv. It's sort of an action-thriller. It's sort of an examination of maternal parenting, including the lead mother role played by Michelle Yeoh. It's definitely a fun ride. The Brothers Sun on Netflix.

+ What to Book: In some fields, it's not easy being an aging woman. That, it turns out, is particularly true when it comes to assassins. Let's stick with the theme of violence mixed with comedy with Deanna Raybourn's Killers of a Certain Age.

5

Extra, Extra

The Big Chill: "A rapidly intensifying storm that could be one of the most intense on record for the Midwest in January is helping to prompt watches and warnings for the entire Lower 48 states on Friday." Extreme weather alerts cover every state as bomb cyclone intensifies. (It's currently 54 and partly sunny in the Bay Area doom loop.)

+ Net Results: "The net is intended to make people rethink their decision. Some opponents to the project argued that people would just go somewhere else to kill themselves. But the research does not illustrate that. A U.C. Berkeley study followed people after they had been stopped on the bridge during a suicide attempt. The vast majority did not go on to die by suicide somewhere else, even years later." After decades of advocacy, suicide deterrent finally comes to the Golden Gate Bridge.

+ Vax Americana: "Americans aren’t now suspicious of inoculations on the whole—the nation isn’t anti-vax—but we have lost faith in yearly COVID shots." A very interesting look at the state of vaccinations from The Atlantic (Gift Article): America Is Having a Senior Moment on Vaccines.

+ Steaming Stack: "One of the newsletter platform Substack's most prominent writers is abandoning the platform over its decision not to moderate praise for Nazis and pro-Holocaust material." Substack's woes deepen as tech blog leaves over Nazi content. (I'll likely do the same. Stay tuned.)

+ Practice Doesn't Make Perfect : A 71-year-old serial bank robber who spent 40 years in prison strikes again in LA.

+ Gum Dropped: "Fruit Stripe came in five flavors — Wet n’ Wild Melon, Cherry, Lemon, Orange and Peach Smash — and was striped in appropriately matching colors. Each stick included a temporary tattoo of mascot Yipes the Zebra, too." Fruit Stripe gum has been discontinued. (The gum lasted 54 years. The flavor lasted 54 seconds.)

6

Feel Good Friday

"She has sent invitations to 10,000 randomly selected people in Austria, asking them to complete a survey. Out of those who complete it, she will narrow the pile down to 50 people of different backgrounds that she feels represent the Austrian population. They will help her develop ideas for how to distribute $25 million euros – more than $27 million U.S. dollars." Austrian heiress asking 50 people to help her spend $27 million. (It will be funny if they just decide to split the money 50 ways among themselves...)

+ ‘Soul-warming’: the mystery man who chops wood to keep his neighbors from freezing.

+ How Harry Edwards enlisted Simone Biles to uplift Black girl denied medal. (Harry Edward's Sociology of Sport was the last final exam I took at Cal. Great course.)

+ 'It is historic': US poised to see record drop in yearly homicides despite public concern over crime.

+ Meet the 101 year-old quilter who's fighting book bans.