‘MAIN STORIES BRIEFING Y TALKIN PownTs UKRAINE'S _ . A stepping © Why Sinema COLD, DARK Yaa. i stone to spurned the WINTER é Mars Democrats 136 mK PS Volodymyr pat Ba OUT DO aa epee eee) ‘ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS WWW.THEWEEK.COM,Holiday are a time for family, stories. ee ea AA ard Never underestimate the value of sharing your stories. We will help capture these in your own private memoirs. A priceless investment and legacy for your family. $1,000 discount off any LifeTime Memoir package when you order by 24th December*. Invest in your legacy today. +1 (844)-515-0533 www.lifetimememoirs.com/week Bet ny Easy, affordable and a priceless gift for your family in just 6 monthsContents Editor’s letter ‘My mom died a year ago, and her passing brought me a disori- enting, mixture of grief and relief. She was 98, and had suffered from dementia for more than a decade. n her last two months, sy mother’s joy in eating (*Yum, yum!) finaly faded, and see- ing her laboring to breathe tortured me. When her body finally gave out, it was no surprise, but the sudden absence death creates is always a shock. In ensuing weeks, [found myself with what is referred to in our Last Word this week (see p.36) as, “dreadful freedom.” I'd spent afternoons with my mom virtually every Saturday and Sunday for the 13 years since my father died, took her on my family’s vacations, drove her to doctors, hired and managed caregivers, winced as her care gradually consumed her life's savings and then some, witnessed time and disease ray- age her mind and body. Now that her life was over, part of mine ‘was, t00. My weekends were strangely, terribly, wonderfully fre. ‘When death brings relief from prolonged suffering, those left behind often feel some guilt-tinged relief. I've experienced that emotion more than once. When COPD, cirrhosis, and botched hospital care left my father in a coma and on a ventilator, [had to invoke his living will to compel doctors to turn off the ma- chines. As his breathing ceased, I knew he'd be graceful and felt joy that he'd been freed of a broken body. The same occurred when my brother died at age 31 of AIDS, after a fast-forward decline into serial infections and emaciation that was nearly un- bearable to witness. A central teaching in Buddhism, whose wis- dom I greatly admire, is that the art of life is embracing every ‘moment, and letting go as those moments end. We deepen our suffering by clinging to a status quo that is not in our power to preserve. Isa supremely difficult skill to master, cis leting g0, ‘hut i cam bring a measure of peace. Ends, it seems, are often fol lowed by beginnings. Farewell to 2022, and to” William Falk all the loved ones we survivors had to let go. Editorin-chiet fademaepensleans Patriot missiles headed t0 Ukraine; erypro tyeoon Bankman-Fried arrested 6 Controversy ofthe week sco de: oie ‘Trading an ternational oa ears en arms dealer to secure Soa cae nf sy aleehtaaes Dau Onset Strtnn leSar” 7 TheUS. ata glance Secor rors ‘A fusion energy triumph; Dopey at ctr Reva Blan ‘Nicaraguan migrants amare et | crowd the border; charges ‘tench Clan, in 1988 Pan Am bombing Nectar foe 8 The world at a glance ee EU ber scandal: Seths Shs and mises fom Rusts meres bombardment of Khaki rise up in Kosovo; Kiwis ow paar a Vin phase ouesmokiM erg Leisure a 10 People ' Scratgicoattens How Shania Twain came 22 Books 27 Food & Drink “Media planning manager: Andres Crino to terms with her bodys A 100-year oral history The fading appeal ofthe ret tapes sane Shctors dream, tevked of Hollywood French Laundry; the tun | Atom Smrntrsseryesce at age 50 23 Author of the week of jmabo det srt ms Hen stow 11 Briefing Maria Resstswaron 28 Consumer Scere son NASA's plan to return to. authoritarianism $110,000) ey ct an rec hard Carpal the surface of the moon 5 other gifts for those who Serna ac as soon as 2025 28 At RMS | orkd’s have everything Semone ertahrce 12 Best U.S. columns first author Eormene matatoe Greer Aiton Aseegne 25 Flm 8 Stege BUSINESS Ceo wing Twiter turn ee 82 News ata é Oreste mange, rurune i " Inflation eases in new datas nie Merete f Ti Eoctenaretoe pore Exxon's $30 billion stock Peru's leftist ident buyback er ei presen a impeached; Argentina, faking mon: us at ThaWeok om. wb tnian lee US.scvings decline carpi, Wate Meco, 16 Talking points fhevvalos of nibaccounte ‘TheWeek com/service. The war on drag 24 Best columns Renew a mubeciption st performance; Sinema Shania Regulators push to block RenewTheWeek.com or give a Suits the Democra Thin Microsoft Activision deals lft iveTheWee com the GOP sick of Trump? 10) title inflation "THE WEEK December 23,20224 NEWS The main stories.. Hospitals deluged as Covid fuels ‘tripledemic’ What happened Health officials this week warned of a likely Covid surge during the holidays amid a “cripledemic™ of three viruses: Covid, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSY. Daily Covid case counts have more than doubled over the past wo weeks, according to the CDC, while deaths are up 65 percent and hospitalizations 22 percent. At the same ime, the US. is Suffering the worst flu outbreak in over a decade, with more than 13 milion cases and 7,300 deaths, and case counts are co tinuing to climb. The result for some hos- pitalss a crush of patients not seen since fast winter's Omicron surge. Mississippi is down to 65 ICU beds and sending overflow to neighboring states; in Southern California, hospitals have pat beds in parking lots and auditoriums; in Oregon, a bed shortage has become “extremely Serious,” said state health officer Dean Sidelinger. “Hospitals ace overwhelmed.” Health officials urged Americans to get flu shots and bivalent Covid boosters, which studies show significantly reduce the risk of serious illness. Only about 13.5 percent of those eligible have gotten the new booster. “Don't wait. If you wait, you put yourself a risk,” said White House infectious-disease adviser Anthony Fauci. Health officers in New York City, Los Angeles, and Seattle recommended. ‘masking in indoor public spaces. Officials in Los Angeles County, where cases have neaely tripled in a month, warned a mask man date may be forthcoming if cases continue to rise. What the editorials said “First, the good news,” said The Baltimore Sun: We're not return- ing to the bad old days of 2020 or last winters brutal Omicron surge. The bad news is we all must “reinstate some pandemic best practices” on our own to keep ourselves and loved ones safe this winter. That means wearing a quality mask in public spaces and getting a flu vaccine and a Covid booster—or the original jabs if, You'ee among the holdouts. AAs cases climb, said The Washington Post, the federal government and community leaders must “redouble efforts to improve booster uprake,” especially among the elderly. Covid hospitalizations Arriving ata crouded hospital in Worcester, Mass. among those 70 and older have jumped 28 percent since Thanksgiving, and 9 out ‘of 10 Covid deaths are currently among, those 65 and older. But only 32.6 percent cof Americans over 65 have gotten the highly effective bivalent booster. “This represents a public health failure.’ What the columnists said “Here we go again,” said Yasmin Tayag, in The Atlantic. “Another Covid wave" is gathering force. Experts agree it will al- ‘most certainly not cause as much serious illness and death as last winter's Omicron surge—but beyond that they aren't sure “what will happen next.” On the plus side, the now-dlominant strains, BQ.1 and BQI.1., are Omicron offshoots that seem not to produce life-threatening illness in most healthy people, and widespread vaccination and prior infection ‘mean we have a stronger wall of immunity.” But immunity fades with time, and low booster uptake and “the near-oral abandon: ‘ment of Covid precautions create ideal conditions” fora significant surge as people travel and gather for the holidays. ‘We need to “talk about face masks again,” said Fenit Nirappil and Tara Parker-Pope in The Washington Post. Health experts are redoubling their all fo wear high-grade medical masks in stores, on buses and trains, and on planes and in airports. They're remarkably effective in reducing your risk of getting Covid, the fa, and RSV, all of which are airbome viruses. A California study found those who consistently wore cloth masks were 56 percent less likely to test positive than the maskless; the protection grew to 66 percent for surgical masks and 83 percent for N9S and KN9S masks. ‘The problem is that “mitigation measures have largely been aban- doned,” said physician Eric Topol in the Los Angeles Times. More than 400 Americans are dying of Covid daily, but few of us are ‘masking, and lots of people are gathering indoors without resting ‘or adequate ventilation. Booster uptake is low, despite CDC data showing an 80 percent reduction in hospitalizations for people with ‘wo booster shots compared with the unvaccinated, “The pervasive attitude is that the pandemic is over,” but wishful thinking won't make it true, “The new Covid wave is talking to us. Lee's listen and take action.” It wasn’t all bad ‘m Celeste Byrne first sent a letter ‘to England's Geoff Banks in 1938, 2s part ofa pen-pal program at her New Jersey school. The pair stayed in touch, trading stories about their daily life and families, and Banks even sent Byrne mail while serving s inthe Pacific during World War I ‘The two met in person in 2002 for thoir 8th birthdays, and this year, after eight decades of correspon- dence, they connected on Zoom to celebrate turning 100. "She's a very interesting person’ Banks said of Byrne. “She's always been there to write to” Banning: Comforted ‘= When only two people showed up for her book launch eve in Ohio, debut author Chelsea Banning vented about ‘the poor tumout on Twitter Within hours, several best-selling ‘writers—ineluding Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, and Min Jin ‘Lee—comforted Banning, describing her experience as arte of passage {for first-time authors. Novelist Jodi Picoult shared her own story of signing ‘signing table many times only to have someone approach..and ask ‘me where the bathroom ia"The wit. es agreed that publishing a book isa significant accomplishment in itself—a sentiment that Banning says moved her to tears. Her book, Of Crowns and Legends, is now ‘trending on Amazon. | One morning two years ago, a kKindergartner on his bus told New Jersey school bus driver Herman ‘Cruse how sad he was that his parents had no time to help with his reading assignments. The next ‘week Cruse showed up atthe year olds classroom for a on ‘on-one reading lesson. “He read tome, | read to him, and we read together” Cruse said. Other class- ‘mates joined in, and before long, Cruse wes helping over @ dozen ‘students. He's kept it up, and has naw begun tutoring Frst- and second-graders,t00, “Bus drivers are the eyes and ears of students ‘when they/re away from home” have sat lonely at "THE WEEK December 23, Ilstaton by Fred Harper Cover photos Gay, NASA, Rone.and how they were covered NEWS 5 U.S. rushes aid to freezing, battered Ukraine What happened As snow blanketed Ukrainian cites shivering with only sporadic heat and power, the U.S. this week redoubled is support for Ukraine's mili- tary. Biden administration officals said the US. ‘was preparing to send Patriot missile systems to Ukraine, while Congress reached a budget deal that reportedly includes up to $38 billion in ad- ditional aid. Long-range Patriot missile batteries are the Pentagon’s most advanced ground-based defense system against aerial attack, and the Biden administration had previously resisted Ukrainian requests for them, as they are in short supply and require extensive training, Ukraine is desperate for Patriots because Russia has been hammer ing away a its clctial grid, hiting nearly every substation atleast ‘once. Airtrikes last weekend knocked out power to 1.5 million people in the major port city of Odesa, while the Donia city of Bakhmut has been pounded to rubble. Russian soldiers, meanwhile, have been digging mile of trenches along the front lines Ukraine, though, has been striking back hard. Ukrainian drones recently hie two military airfields hundreds of miles inside Rus- sian territory killing three Russian service members and damaging two military planes. Last week, Ukrainian HIMARS missile stkes against oocupied Melitopol and Kadiivka struck buildings said to hhouse some ofthe feared mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group, and Ukrainian sources said thae hundreds were killed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said blackouts would not break his, people’ will. “Even without light,” he said, “we know well where to shoot and what to liber Few lights are om in snowy Kyi What the columnists said The Biden administration has been too stingy about which weapons it sends to Ukraine, said Max Boot in The Washington Past. It wants to ensure that U.S. equipment isn't used against military targets inside Russia, as that could risk bringing the U.S. into the war. But Zelensky’s government “has proven 10 bea reliable partner that has abided by U.S. restrictions.” The Ukrainians don’t want a push into Russia, merely “the ability to strike every inch of Russian-occupied territory.” They should get it. ‘Yet Republicans are going wobbly, said Wiliam Galston in The Wall Stret Journal in a recent pol, nearly half of Republican voters said the US. was doing roo much for Ukeaine—up from ‘nly 6 percent in March—and aspiring House speaker Rep. Kevin ‘McCarthy has opposed giving Kyiv a “blank check.” Let's not for- get that defeating Russias war of aggression and ensuring stability in Europe isin “America’s national interes.” House Republicans ‘mustn't cut ad “to a beleaguered people whose courage and deter ‘mination to defend their freedom has inspired the world.” For now, Ukrainians must focus on surviving the “grim winter” ahead, said Suriya Jayanti in Time. Viadimir Putin is “trying to ‘make Ukraine uninhabitable” by destroying its electrical grid, and it working. Temperatures are below freezing, yet at any given mo- ‘ment “as many as 10 million Ukrainians have no power.” Unless the ‘West dramatically scales up humanitarian aid, “many Ukrainians could die in the next few months.” Fraud charges for crypto mogul Bankman-Fried What happened The biggest scandal to shake the erypto-currency world became 2 criminal matter this week when Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the crypto exchange FTX, was arrested in the Bahamas and charged by the Department of Justice. In the Southern District of New York, prosecutors charged the 30-year-old with eight crimi- nal counts, including lying to investors, wire fraud on lenders and customers, and conspiring to violate campaign finance laws. ‘The Securities and Exchange Commission also fled civil charges alleging that he misled investors while defrauding customers from the company’s inception, transferring customer deposits 0 his trading firm, Alameda, and taking huge risks with the funds, ‘When a rush on withdrawals revealed an $8 billion shortfall last ‘month, FIX declared bankruptcy. Itwas a “house of cards built ‘on a foundation of deception,” said SEC Chair Gary Gensler. A hhearing to extradite Bankman-Fried from the Bahamas is sched- uled for February. SBF, as Bankman Fred is frequently known, was a major political, donor, largely to Democrats, though in a recent interview he said he'd aiso quietly given large sums to “dark money” conservative sg70ups. His political donations came to more than $40 million in what prosecutors now call a campaign to “buy bipartisan influence"; he allegedly evaded contribution limits by using straw donors. The arrest kept Bankman-Fried from a planned appear ance at US. House hearing, where new FTX CEO John Wray, bought in to salvage anything that remains ofthe company, said FTX’ collapse boiled down to “old-fashioned embezzlement.” What the columnists said “Sam Bankman-Feied is what happens when nobody looks un: der the hood,” said Emily Stewart in Vox. Irs hard to look back now and not wonder how SBF was able to get away with this, but “ifthe rules have never applied to you, why would they start now?” He reached “wunderkind status” and realizing nobody was questioning how he'd gor there, decided he could go ahead and just “roll with it—even if that maybe involves doing some alleged big crimes.” 1 Bankman-Fried’s ascent was “a modern tale about crypto- ‘currency tokens and ‘effective altruism,’ his fall scems to be as old a original sn,” said The Wall Street Journal in an editorial. Bankman-Fried presented himself asa “well-intentioned doofus savant who got in way over his head,” but tis the same story that reoccurs whenever there's a new “financial mania,” and the remedy remains unchanged: “Enforce the fraud laws already on the books.” “Like all great schemes this one worked right up until it didn’ said Matt Ford in The New Republic. Bankman-Fried “appar- ently believed that he could mount a comeback” with a “whie- wind post-collapse media tou.” But ifthe SEC succeeds, he'll be banned from the erypto market—and if the DOJ succeeds ints prosecution, nor being able to trade “will be the least of his concerns.” His odds aren't looking great: The DOJ needs to “persuade jurors that he was not just foolish but also fraudulent. So fr, i has a pretty good case for both.” "THE WEEK December 23,20226 NEWS Controversy of the week Brittney Griner: The steep price of freedom ‘What matters is that she’s home, said Eugene Robinson in The Washington Post. Brittney Griner, 32, the WNBA star arrested in Moscow in February for possession of canna bis oil, was freed from a Russian penal colony last week, after President Biden brought her back in exchange for Viktor Bout, 55, a noto- rious Russian arms dealer. The trade “might Took unequal,” bur Biden “was absolutely right to make it.” Nicknamed the “Merchant cf Death,” Bout sold weapons to brutal African warlords, the Taliban, and Islamic ter- rorists. Bout had served 11 years of a 25-year- sentence in an Ilinois federal prison. Some on the Right are pro- fessing outrage that Biden traded for Griner without also freeing Paul Whelan, an ex-Marine and security expert jailed in Russia since 2018 on trumped-up espionage charges. The truth i that US. negotiators did everything they could to bring Whelan home, but Russia demanded the retumn of Vadim Krasikoy, a Russian spy and assassin serving life in Germany. Sinee the German govern- ment would never agree to release Krasikox, the only available deal was Griner for Bout. Turning it down would have meant letting an American “suffer indefinitely in unspeakable conditions.” Is that what Republicans would have preferred? ‘This deal is not only a “moral abomination,” said Jim Geraghty in National Review, its a geopolitical blunder. The sheer lopsided ness of the trade—a US. sports celebrity for an international war criminal—has handed Vladimir Putin a badly needed public relations triumph in Russia, “Is hard ro overstate” the human impact of Bout illegal arms sales, which enabled barbarous men to slaughter civilians, kidnap and enslave children, and accumulate power You have to wonder about the politics behind this trade, Homeward bound: Griner on the plane said the Washington Examiner in an edito- rial, Did Griner—a self-described “social justice activist” who said during the George Floyd protests in 2020 that che WNBA should not play the national anthem—get “ preferential treatment” from a Democratic administration because Whelan is a straight, ‘white man and she is a Black lesbian?” “Ics good that Griner is home,” said Max Boot in The Washington Post, but her release should prompt a “serious reconsid- eration” of our hostage-trading policies. Since Ronald Reagan sent arms to Iran for the release of kid- rapped diplomats, terrorists and rogue nations around the world, have been seizing Americans to sce what they can extract from Washington, Every new trade only creates “inducements to seize more Americans in the future.” Its indeed a core responsibility of the US. government to protect our citizens worldwide, said John Boiton in the Washington Examiner. To that end, we need to “shut down hostage-taking as a profitable enterprise.” If we had to surrender a murderous arms dealer for a basketball player ‘caught with cannabis, what will be the price for other American hostages? “Obviously, much higher than a week ago.” Vladimir Putin no doubt thinks he won this trade, said Julia Toffe in Puck News. The Russian dictator and his minions refused to release Whelan along with Griner because they knew it would ‘cause racial and partisan division in the U.S. But Biden “had to take what he could get,” and achieved “a major political vie- tory” by bringing Griner home just before Christmas. Her joyous reunion with her wife and friends is uplifting proof tha Amevica seeks to protect its citizens, whoever and wherever they are. Only in America ieee stan — : a In other news tive seniors, with a new study suggesting thar che active 1 The town of Dedham, th a new study sug wre Congress ramps up Mae not Deda ago ingredient in Viagra could lower users’ sk of Alzheimer’s disease Ree Rnertstar probe by up to 70 percent. Researchers speculated that Viagra might, have “neuroprotective effects” in addition to the better-known one, Shaming, after Kanye West, aka Ye, was named the 2022 Antisemite of the Year by StopAntisemitism.com for his descent into Hitler praise and rancid Jew-hatred. Ye lost an estimated $1 billion in endorsement and licensing deals this year. Women, after Treasury Seeretary Janct Yellen and Treasurer Lynn Malerba’ saw their signatures reproduced on new U.S. curreney— the first nor to have a man’s signature. Money, said Yellen, “ean tell us who we are, what we value, and what is possible.” Bad week for: Elon Musk, the Twitter CEO, who according to Forbes is no lon- ger the planer’ richest person. Musk has reportedly failed to pay rent on Twitter San Francisco offices and is auctioning off office furniture and souvenirs including a 4-foot-all Twitter bird. Camouflage, alter a Polish man dressed as a Christmas tree slashed the tires of 21 cars at a warehouse parking lot. “This was more of a guerrilla action than a well-prepared operation,” said warehouse ‘owner Mateusz. Watral. “Branches were scattered everywhere.” Roger Stone, after the Trump adviser said on a conservative radio show that a “demonic portal,” visible to the naked eye and “swirl ing like a cauldron,” has opened in the sky above the White House. “The media doesn’t cover alot of things that are true,” Stone added. ‘turmoil by its library's deci- sion not to put up 4 Christ- ‘mas tree. When a librarian complained on social media ‘hat thereld be no tree be- cause it made some “people” ‘uncomfortable, it triggered a social media war that esca- [ated to death threats, “This behavior," town officials sa, “tears atthe fabric of our community.” = Some public high schools have been automaticaly enrolling low-income stu- dents in military training, Enrollment in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps is usually voluntary, ‘but hundreds of schools have put JROTC on the compulsory-clase schedule. "The only word | can think of [s indoctrination,” said par {ent Julio Mejia, who said his ‘daughter hated the program, ‘The Senate Finance Com- mittee and House Oversight Committee are intensifying probes of former Prosident ‘Trump's son-in-law and ‘adviser Jared Kushner, based ‘on suspicions that Kushner received a $1.2 billion invest ment from a Qatarinked firm after shaping US. policy to benefit Qatar, The Weshing- ton Post reported last week. The committees requested documents from the State and Defense departments related to Kushner’ role in ogotiating an end to Middle Eastern countries’ erippling blockade of Qatar. Soon after, {Canadian company with tes 40 Oatar's sovereign wealth fund signed a 88-year lease for@ Kushnerowned Manhat- tan skyscraper that was in financial trouble, enabling the ‘company to avoid default. "THE WEEK December 23, 022The US. at a glance. Livermore, Calif. Nuclear breakthrough: American sc entists announced this week that they'd recreated the energy source ofthe stars by generating an unprec- edented fusion reaction—a potential source Of emissions free power that researchers have chased sine the 1950s. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory used the world’s largest laser—made up of 192 beams—to blast tiny hydrogen pellets encased in diamond, resulting in fusion that lasted less than a billionth of a second. The reaction generated about 1.5 times more energy than had been used to heat the pellets, marking the firs time that a con: trolled fusion reaction ina lab produced more energy than it used. The energy produced, however, was enough to boil just a few gallons of water, and scientists believe a commercial fusion power plant would need to generate 30 to 100 times more energy than it takes in. The Lawrence Livermore director believes ‘commercial fusion energy is “a few decades” away. “Lawrence Livermore EI Paso, Texas —_______ Overwhelmed: A group of more than 1,000 migrants, many of them from Nicaragua, tured themselves in to US. border authorities—one of the increas- ingly large groups from Central ‘America who have arrived Seoking asylum regularly at the border. Overwhelmed shelters were forced to release nearly 500 asylum seekers, ‘many of them now staying on mattresses and cardboard boxes inthe strets. AS with Venezuelan migrants who arrived in E1 Paso in huge numbers earlier this year, those from Nicaragua cannot be quickly expelled tnder the pandemic-era health policy Title 42 because the US. doesn’t have repatriation agreements with those ‘countries. Fl Paso officials anticipate the number of migrants crossing the border will surge by 40 percent after Dec. 21, +: when Title 42 expires. About 53,000 & people arrive in El Paso in October Texas this week briefly pu in place time- £ consuming truck inspections atthe border 2 to pressure Mexico to police smugglers Washington County, Kan. Keystone spill: Some 14,000 barrels of crude oil from the Keystone pipeline spilled into a Kansas creck last week, and operator TC Energy said the largest ‘onshore oil spill in the U.S. since 2013 will take weeks to clean up. Canada- based TC Energy ruled out sabotage but did not immediately identify a eause of the rupture, which forced a shutdown of the 622,000 barrel~a-day pipeline that runs from Canada into the US. Midwest, ‘TC Energy said no drinking water was affected. Using large vacuums, the com- pany recovered about 2,600 barrels of oil mixed with water after two earthen dams were built ro prevent the spill from ‘moving into larger waterways. In 2013, a Tesoro Corp. pipeline rupture in North Dakota leaked 20,600 barrels. Concerns about pollution from spills fueled opposi- tion to TC Energy's proposed 1,200-mile Keystone XL pipeline. President Biden canceled the project's permit last year. a Anti-vax probe: Gov. Ron DeSantis asked the Florida Supreme Court this week to cempanel a grand jury that would invest gate “wrongdoing” involving Covid-19 vaccines, suggesting Pfizer and Moderna ‘made false claims about the efficacy and safety of their mRNA formulation. DeSantis, who's grown increasingly hostile toward the vaccine—creating a contrast with Donald Trump, a likely rival for the 2024 GOP presidential primary—said the pharmaceutical industry “has a notorious history of misleading the public for finan- cial gain.” He announced the call for the grand jury, which would likely be empan- cle in the Tampa area, alongside Florida Surgeon General Dr Joseph Ladapo, who raised the issue of vaccinated people developing a hear inflammation called ‘yocarditis—a rare side effect that’ ike- lier 0 result from Covid than from vac- cination. A recent Yale analysis estimated that Covid vaccines prevented more than 3.2 millon deaths in the U.S. and saved more than $1.15 trillion in medical costs. New York City Violent hopes: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga,) told a Republican group last week that he had led the ptol attack, would have won.” Greene, a far-right firebrand and fierce ally of former President Trump, said Democrats have accused her and Trump's former adviser Steve Bannon of aiding the insur rectionists. “If Steve Bannon and I had ‘organized that,” Greene said, not only would the Capitol riot have accomplished its goals but “it would have been armed.” Some of the attackers were armed, and in fact on Jan. 6, Greene texted White House chief of staff Mark Meadows that she'd heard a report—which turned out to be false—of an active shooter in the Capitol, writing, “Please tell the ) President to calm people.” Th day before Jan, 6, Greene told supporters “This is our 1776 moment.” After the White House called Greene's comments “abhorrent,” Greene insisted that she was being sarcastic. Washington, D.C. an Am 103 arrest: A Libyan intel ligence operative was extradited to the U.S. this week ro face charges for Greene building the suitcase explosive used in the 1988 bombing of Pan American Flight 103, which killed 270 people— including 190 Americans, dozens 1 of them students returning home from study-abroad i snl programs. The Justice Department announced charges Masud in 2020 against Abu Agila Mohammad Masud, who reportedly was detained by a Libyan militia and turned over to the U.S. Prosecutors said they would not seek capital punishment because the charges would not have carried the death penalty at the rime of the bombing. Masud, who did not enter a plea, alleg- ealy brought the bomb to Malta, where two men instructed him to seta timer that would detonate while the flight was en route from London to New York. The two accomplices stood trial in the Netherlands; one was acquitted and one was sentenced in 2001 to life in prison. He died in 2012. ‘THE WEEK December 23,2022London Christmas travel imperiled: Britons “should think earefully about their plans” for holiday travel, Interior Minister Suella Braverman said this week, because strikes by railway and airport workers will bring “undeni- able, serious disruption.” Up to 3,000 passport control officers at airports nationwide, including Heathrow and Gatwick, plan to walk off the job for cight days around Christmas and New Year's over a pay dispute. British soldiers will be sent in to check passports, but with more than 10,000 fights coming in to the affected airports between Dec. 23 and 31, international travelers will likely face extremely long lines. The rail workers’ union is also on strike, and fewer trains are running. a Pristina, Kosovo Serbian minority revolts: Kesovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti asked NATO peacekeeping troops to intervene this week after minority Serbs blocked roads and shot at police. Majority~— Albanian Kosovo seceded from Serbia in 2008 after a bloody war a decade priog, but Serbia does not recognize its independence, and many of Kosovo's ethnic Serbs still use Serbian identity docu- ‘ments. Last month, hundreds of ethnic Serbian police officers and justice offcials in Kosovo resigned en masse to protest a law requiring them to use Kosovar license plates, and last week after Cone of those officers was arrested for shooting at a Kosovar offi cer, they began setting up barricades. Serbia now says it wants to send troops to northern Kosovo to protect the Serbian minority, but the ULS. said it was “categorically" opposed to that idea Guatemala City Ex-president and vice president jailed: Guatemala’s former President Otto Pérez Molina and his vice president, Roxana Baldetti, were convicted on fraud and conspiracy charges last week and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Both resigned seven years ago over the same scandal, known as La Linea, a byribery-and-kickbacks scheme that defrauded the state of millions of dollars. The ruling was a striking victory for prosecutors on a holdover case from Guatemala’s U.N--backed anti-corruption probe, which for years aggressively investigated and punished malfeasance until it was disbanded in 2019. Guatemala’s anti-corruption efforts have since collapsed, and ‘more than two dozen judges and prosecutors involved in that work have fled the country. One of those who fled, Juan Francisco Sandoval, called last week's verdict “a vindication” of the judicial system and “an emblem for the people of Guatemala.” buktu, Mali Nonuplets come home: The world’s only nonuplets have finally gone home to Mali, 19 months after they were born. Their ‘mother, Halima Cissé, had been flown to Morocco to give birth tunder the supervision of specialists in Casablanca, and the nine babies were kept there for medical care until this week. “Irs alot cof work, but Allah, who gave us this blessing, will help us in their “upbringing,” said the father, Abdelkader Arby. Just two other sets of nonuplers have ever been recorded in any country, and those babies did not survive more than a few days. The Malian babies, five girls and four boys, were born pre maturely but are all doing fine now and have finally met their older sister, who'd ‘remained in Timbuktu, “Alot of work ‘THE WEEK December 23,2022 Pérez Molina: Going austy The world at a glance... Brussels Bribery scandal rocks EU: A massive and expanding corruption scandal involving Qatari bribes to members ofthe European Parliament is shaking Europe’ political institutions. Police in Belgium and Italy raided 20 homes and offices this week and found at least $1. milion in tashes of cash. So fas four people have been charged with corruption and money laundering, including Greek lawmaker Eva Kaili, who is one of the European Parliament's 14 vice presidents; hee husband, who's an aide to an Italian MEP; and her father. The EUs legislative body was just about to vote on whether to extend visa-free travel to Qatar, and Kaili had been lobbying colleagues. Kail Brasilia Failed Jan. 6-style uprising: Supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaco rioted this week when the electoral court certified Bolsonaro’s loss to leftist Luiz. Indcio Lula da Silva in October's presidental election. After a right-wing activist was arrested for allegedly eneouraging Bolsonaristas to bring guns to stop the certification, some protesters stormed the federal police headquar- ters while others demonstrated outside the presidential palace, demanding the military overturn the vote. Bolsonaro, who has been giving implicit but not overt encouragement to protesters for months, joined the erowd in prayer but did not speak. Flavio Dino, Lula’ incoming justice minister, said police had successfully quashed the attempt at a rebellion, “Are there, unfortunately, peo- ple who want anti-democratic and illegal chaos?” he said. “Yes, there are, But these people did not prevail.”The world at a glance... Brussels EU puts emissions in trade bills: In a world frst, European coun- tries have agreed to tax imports based on the greenhouse-gas emissions used to make them. The “carbon border adjustment mechanism,” which is expected to take effect next year, will help European manufacturers subject to strict EU environmental regulations compete with those based in countries with laxer emissions standards. European Parliament member Mohammed ‘Chahim called the new law “a erucal pillar of European climate policies” and “one of the only mechanisms we have to incentiv~ fae our trading partners to decarbonize.” It will mean red tape and higher costs for manufacturers in the United States, which does not meet Europe's carbon-pricing standards, although the Biden administration is considering a similar tax on stel imports. Chinese leader Xi Jinping accused Europe of protectionism, sa ing climate change is no “excuse for trade barriers.” ALTanf, Syria US. goes alter ISIS: US. Special Operations Forces Kalled wo Islamic State mem. US fore opera bers in a three-hour helicopter raid this week in eastern Syria. The Pentagon said commandos hrad intended to capture an operative known by the nom de guerre Anas, accused of masterminding deadly terrorist attacks, but the raid turned into a firefight, and Anas and another ISIS official were killed. The U.S. has about 900 troops in Syria, _, some sharing bases with Kurdish allies, and earlier this month, § the Pentagon said it was preparing to resume full ground opera- § tions to stave off a budding resurgence of ISIS. While the jihadist group has lost some 95 percent of the teritory it once held in # Iraq and Syria, it tll carries out terrorist attacks, mostly in Syria, 2 “ISIS continues to represent a threat to the security and stabil- £ ity ofthe region,” said Col. Joseph Buceino, a spokesman for § Central Command. a NEWS 9 ‘or the firs time in a decade, Russian President Vladimir Putin has canceled his end-of-year news confer- ence. The Kremlin did not explain why Putin was skipping the marathon event, which can last up to four hours, but most analysts believe that he wants 0 avoid uestions about the Ukraine war. Criticism of the war is now a crime, and just last week opposition politician llya Yashin was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for a YouTube video that discussed Western reporting on alleged Russian war crimes. Some speculated that Putin may also be to0 ill to appear for so Jong. Rumors that he has cancer or Parkinson's disease have per sisted for years, and in recent months Putin's hands and legs have appeared to shake during some public appearances. Putin: Taking no questions ‘Mashhad, Iran Public execution: Iran has announced the first two hangings of protesters convicted cof crimes in the ongoing uprising against the theocratic regime. Mohsen Shekari was convicted of wounding a security officer, and Majidreza Rahnavard, 23, of killing two secu- rity officers. Rahnavard’s execution was public, and in an appar- cent warning to dissidents Iranian state media circulated gruesome photos of him hanging from a construction crane, his hands and, feet bound and a black bag over his head. A dozen Iranians are believed to have received death sentences for crimes related to the protests, Security forces have killed some 450 protesters since «demonstrations began in September Rahnavard Beijing Covid surge: A tsunami of Covid patients is overwhelming Beijing hospitals now that China has lifted its zero-Covid policy. The ius is ripping through a popula- tion that has weak or no immu- nity because of China's years of prioritizing lockdowns and home- grown, lesseffective vaccines. Social media posts claim that patients have to wait for hours at clinics just to be seen and there aren't enough beds for them all. ‘One Beijing doctor told Reuters that up to 80 percent of staff in some hospitals are themselves infected with Covid, but those well enough are working anyway. Because of lack of staff, he said, all elective surgeries have been canceled “More patients keeps coming. ‘Auckland, New Zealand Smoking phased out: Young people in New Zealand will never be able to purchase cigarettes legally, after Parliament this week passed a law that will raise the smoking age of 18 by one year each year. Those currently old enough to smoke may con- tinue doing so, but anyone bom after 2008 will be barred from tobacco purchases for life. “There is no good reason to allow a product to be sold that kills half the peo- ple thar use i” said Associate Minister Cf Health Ayesha Verrall. Just 8 percent of Kiwis smoke daily, down from 16 percent a decade ago, but the government ‘wants to get that figure to 5 percent by . 2025. Thanks to high sin taxes, a pack of cigarettes in New Zealand costs more = than $20, Stamped out ‘THE WEEK December 23, 202210 NEWS Quan’s joumey back to acting Ke Huy Quan was sure his acting career was ‘over, said Delia Cai in Vanity Fair. He briefly became a star at age 12, four years after he'd moved from Saigon to Los Angeles with his parents and eight siblings. Quan was cast to play Harrison Ford's wisecracking sidekick in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom after he'd caught ‘the casting director's eye at an open-cll audition At that point “I don’t think I'd seen a single American movie,” he says, But when he landed another major role, in 1985's Goonies, he figured he was set for an acting career. Instead he struggled for years in an industry with few substantial parts for Asian actors. Deciding “this was not the way to live,” he attended film school and launched a career behind the camera. Bat the acting bug never left him, and as he approached 50 he decided to serew up his ‘courage and try again. On his frst audition he landed the role of an immigrant laundromat owner with a secret life in Everything Everywhere All at Once. When the absurdist action movie became a surprise smash, i reignited his acting career. “When I stepped in front ofthe camera, [felt alive,” said Quan, tearing up. “It was a feeling that I haven't had for decades. I feel alive now.” Rampling’s freewheeling youth ng caused quite a scandal in her youth, said Chris Harvey in The Sydney Morning Fra. Inte 1970s the British actress shared a home with her agent Bryan Southcombe, whom she later married, and a male model, Randall Laurence. ‘The arrangement went public when she was asked about her dual housemates by a reporter. “I was very frank,” she said. “We weren't thinking, ‘I shouldn't say that... Because it’ not correc, its not this, i's not that, I just said, ‘Tiove them both.” And then they decided to make it into something.” Not that she was sur= prised when the British tabloids went wild. “Ican understand why—two men with one woman. My father was not too pleased “What will people think at the golf club, Charlotte?” Now 76, Rampling maintains a steely demeanor that many find intimidat- ng. She dismisses questions about how it fels to be an aging beauty, “It doesn't speak to me, this question. It will be what ic will be.” Another topic that doesn’t interest her is the sexual harassment she and other actresses dealt with in the film busi- ness, The casting couch “is sort of the name of the game, that’s why,” she says. “Not that Fm saying P'm in any way favoring it— obviously, fits] despicable.” But “it’s lke that in a lo of jobs,” she said, “You have to do rather nasty things to get on, don’t you?” Why Twain feared her femininity ‘Shania Twain was afraid to be a woman, said Sophie Heawood in The Sunday Times (U.K). Growing up poor in Ontario, she started singing in bars at 8. Her stepfather sexually abused her, so sh ‘was horrified when her pubescent body started changing. “I hid ‘myself and I would flatten my boobs” she says. “I would wear bras that were too small, and fd wear two, until there was noth- ing girl about me” When she got older, “You go into society and ‘you're getting the normal other unpleasant stuff too, and that rein- forces it. You think, ‘Oh, | quess it's just shity to be a girt”” Once she started singing professionally and “had to play the glamorous. singer’ her beauty brought unwanted ettention, She made her ‘way to Nashville, signed a record deal in 1992, and embraced her body, and fashion, for the first time, “I could tell a story about myself by the way | moved my body, the drape of the fabrics, the colors” Twain says. “It was a metamorphosis of sorts” Its no acci- dont that many of her hit songs are about empowered woman- hood. “| am celebrating escaping this horrible state of not wanting to be who | am’ she said. “The unapologetic woman is a very powerful person indeed” ‘Celine Dion has announced that the ‘severe muscle spasms that have kept her ‘from performing for the past year are the result of stiff person syndrome, a rare ‘neurological disorder. It hurts me to tell you" Dion, 54, said in an emotion- ‘al ideo released last week. "These spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing diffi- culties whan I walk and not allowing ime to use my vocal cords to sing the way Iam used to” The Canadian singer, famous for her powerhouse voice, has postponed her Las Vegas residency and tours in North America that she may never perform again, "THE WEEK December 23,2022 Overtime, stiff person syndrome—believed tobe an autoimmune disease—causes spasms throughout the body and can lead, to overall rigidity. 'mPrince Harry has accused the British royal family of “institutional geslighting/” and his wife, Meghan Markle, says she was “being fed to the wolves” before the pair ditched their royal duties and fled to Southern California. In a trailer for this week’ install ‘ment of their Netflix docuseries Harry & ‘Meghan, tho Duke of Sussex, 38, says the royals “were happy to lie to protect my brother, but they were never willing to tell, the truth about us” They describe leaving the UK. for California as “a freedom flight” The series and Harry's upcoming memoir reportedly have deepened his it with his brother, Prince William, and their father, King Charles, who has nt sad whether and Meghan willbe invited to his lett tS 1m The man who shot Lady Gaga's dog walk- cr last year while stealing two of the singer's French bulldogs was sentenced last week to 21 years in prison. James Howard Jackson, 20, pleaded no contest to attempted murder for shooting Ryan Fischer, 41, who was seriously wounded. Prosecutors said the attackers targeted Fischer alter spotting him ‘walking the popular breed, and were un- aware the dogs were the singer's. Jacksons ‘accomplices wore sentenced in August to four and six years in prison. Fischer forgave Jackson at his sentencing, noting that the {dogs were eventually returned to Lady Gaga. "I don't think I could have lived with myself if they died” he said.Briefing NEWS 11 Back to the moon...and beyond The Artemis Orion spacecraft completed a trip around the moon this week. What does NASA have planned next? Why return to the moon? NASA wants to establish a manned base there, as a stepping stone to Mars. The Apollo program that pt the first humans on the moon in 1969 was mostly about win- ning the space race with the Soviet Union. The new moon program, called Artemis, wll replicate Apollo in landing astronauts on the lunar surface and bringing them safely back home, but then the program continues, with the goal of establishing a continual human presence on the moon, NASA plans to build a space station that orbits the moon and a base camp on its surface, all fueled by small nuclear reactors. Part of the goal is "The moon, as seen in Orion's flyby ‘orbital space station and then, by the early 2030s, a surface habitat in which astronauts can live for a week at a time, How much does this cost? At least $93 billion through 2025, which is far more than planed. The SLS rocket is NASA's most powerful eves, taller than the Statue of Liberty and capable of carrying 27 tons of cargo. But it took more than a decade to make and cost more than $20 billion to develop, more than twice its budget. Aerospace expert Wendy Whitman Cobb told Vox that Congeess tolerated the budget overruns because Artemis “has to mine the moon’s minerals, but the bigger aim is co set it up as ‘a way station to test whether humans can safely live in space for the months it would take to send them to Mars, “The real goal is Mars,” said astronaut Steven Swanson. “We will use the moon as a test bed.” The first step in that goal, Artemis 1, was a resound- ing success. What did Artemis 1 do? The new Space Launch System (SL) rocket blasted the Orion «capsule into space on Nov. 16. During its 42-day journey, Orion carried three “mani igh-tech models of humans loaded with sensors—into a lunar orbit, fired is thrusters to escape lunar gravity, and returned safely to Earth with a splashdown in the Pacific: One manikin, Moonkin Campos, measured how bumpy the ride would be, while wo others, Zohar and Helga, were set tup to test how women’s bodies would react to the radiation in space. Many other tests were also conducted. kept the money and jobs flowing to key congressional districts.” Each SLS can only be used once, making them inefficient and costly. By contrast, the supercheavy launch vehicle Starship, which Elon Musk’s SpaceX is building for NASA to use as the lunar landing vehicle, is reusable. What is the role of SpaceX? SpaceX beat out Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company to provide the lunar lander for Artemis 3 under a contract worth nearly $3 bil- lion, The Starship Human Landing System will ferry the astro- nnauts from their Orion capsule in orbit around the moon down to the surface, SpaceX envisions a craft like the old space shuttle that will eventually travel back and forth from either Orion capsules or the Gateway lunar space station to the surface. But Starship hasn't been tested yet—and SpaceX hasn't said why it's been delayed. If SpaceX can't deliver on time, Artemis 3 will be postponed. What comes next? Artemis 2, planned for 2024, will repeat the first mission but with human beings on board. One of the crew will be a Canadian, as Artemis is a multinational effore (see box). The crewed capsule will loop a wide orbie around the moon, reaching 4,600 miles beyond the far side, the farthest out in space that humans have ever been, Artem ambitiously scheduled for 2025, send four astronauts to the moon and land two of them—including the first woman and the first person of color—on the surface for the first time since 1972, While the Apollo astronauts landed near the moon's equator, Artemis astronauts will explore its South Pole, which fea- tures steep mountains as well as deep crevices that hold water ice. After that, the plan is for an SLS rocket to £ go £0 the moon about once a year, £ allowing astronauts to assemble an Who else is going to the moon? Americ Competition over the moon NASA\is partnering withthe space agencies of Canada, the EU, and Japan to build the lunar space station, and the US. has taken the lead on establishing a legal ‘framework for international lunar cooperation. NASA and the US. State Department together wrote the Artemis Accords, whose signatories agree to respect safety zones around other nations’ lunar activities and recognize the right to “extraction and utilization” of ores. In the past two years, 21 countries have signed that pact—but crucially, China and Russia have not and refuse to be bound by its rules. They condemned the pact as colonialist, saying it paves the way for the USS. to loot the moon before other countries can get there. “The biggest risk is you have two opposite sets of rules,” Australian defense expert Malcolm Davis told Bloomberg. “You could have a Chinese company fn the moon in the 2030s claiming teritory with a resource oni, in the same way the Chinese have claimed the entire South China Sea.” ‘geopolitical rivals. Last year, China struck a deal with Russia to cooperate in building their own joint lunar base. China first landed a rover on the moon in 2013. It plans three more unmanned missions over the next decade, with a goal of landing taikonauts on the surface in the 2030s, There's already bad blood between the Us and China, as NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has accused China of stcaling U.S. technology, and both countries are planning bases at the South Pole. Meanwhile, Blue Origin and SpaceX will send their own missions, separate from NASAS. “It would be tragic for Neil Armstrong's boot prints 10 be erased, either inad vertently or maliciously, because of all these activities on the moon, space-law expert Michelle Hanlon told Vor. “It's going to get very crowded very soon.” THE WEEK December 23, 202212 NEWS Best columns: The U.S. Voter ID, early voting, and mail-in ballots have litle ot no impact on Voter ID which pry win elastin, sd Bil Scher Tha he henry om he 2022 midterms. “Everything both parties have told themselves about laws have tection laws” was proved wrong. In Georgia, Republicans passed a law in, 2024 that limited access to bloc drop boxes, increased ID requir no impact ‘ments for mail-in voting, and banned mobile voting buses. Democrats Bill Scher Called the law “Jim Crow 2.0,” and said the clear intent was to deter Washington Monthly Black voters. But such laws invariably “boomerang and galvanize” voters. In the Georgia Senate runoff, large Black turnout propelled Dem- ‘ocrat Raphael Warnock to victory. Democrats also claimed victories in the Arizona Senate race and gubernatorial races in Arizona, Wisconsin, and Kansas—all states that have adopted vorer ID laws. In New York state, where Democrats passed laws to make voting more accessible, Republicans gained four House seats—helping them take control of the House. Republicans have begun to realize that “easier access to voring doesn't only help young people of color” bur also white seniors more likely to vore Republican. Irs now clear that “increased voting, access does not naturally advantage either party.” ‘i Elon Musk has become “the world’s richest right-wing trol.” said ‘Turning Grog Sargent. Musk left no doub about his agenda in purchasing and i transforming Twitter this weele when he tweeted: “My pronouns are ee FrosseuwPan" Tis cams tra oe gollag_coni an attack on infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci with mockery of into Fox trans people—showed that he now shares the primary goal ofthe Right, Grog Sargent which is "The Triggering of the Libs.” further delight his fanboys, The Washington Post Musk tweeted an additional, “profoundly irresponsible” attack on Fauci, accusing him of funding and covering up research that supposedly cre- ated the coronavirus in a lab. Fauci, Musk said, is responsible for killing millions. Studies have found “zero grounds” for this conspiracy theory, and strong evidence that che vius jumped from animals to humans at the Wuhan wet market. But Musk’s amplification ofthis disinformation had the desired effect—outrage and controversy. He announced thi week he was dissolving Twitter's Trust and Safety Council for content ‘moderation, and it’ clear he intends to turn Twitter into the social media equivalent of Fox News. Everyone who uses the site should be aware its ‘owner's goal is “to flood the media zone with right-wing propaganda.” Tes an tom of faith among consevaties hat crime ha un in ene Theewkh See een a ito ron’ hana of skin ut ple baer ae he Hock about cops fie yinct ores 2030 fx st cee nae fan oe i ‘cops. Cities such as Mobile, Indianapolis, Albuquerque, and Columbus and crime ee ee ee caren ees Radley Balko police officers. Recent research has repeatedly found that “more spend- edieybalto pee seer sk ey ae ar Substack.com In many cities, people feel less safe because of the widely publicized but false narrative that police resources have been cut, allowing criminals to run wild, But statistics from all over the country show that more or fewer cops makes litte difference to historical trends of rising and fall- ing crime. Hiring more cops “comes with costs,” including more bad interactions with civilians, and more distrust of cops in minority com- ‘munities. Can we stop pretending that cities inevitably sink into chaos ‘with fewer cops—and would always “be better and safer with more?" “It is true that many people who become homeless are mentally ill, But the claim that drug abuse and mental illness ara the fundamental causes of homelessness falls apart upon investigation. The homelessness crisis is most acute in places with very low vacancy rates, and where even ‘low income’ housing is sil vary expensive. If mental health issues or drug abuse were major drivers of homelessness, then places with higher rates of these problems [such as Utah, Colorado, West Virginia, and Vermont] would see higher rates of homelessness. They don't. What prevents ats people in these states from falling into homeless- ess at high rates is simple: They have more affordable-housing options” Jorusalem Demsas inThe Atlantic “THE WEEK December 25,2022 ase ceat rebar macy mA Florida man was charged ‘with attempting to shopiift from a Walmart filled with ‘more 40 law enforcement officers. “Seriously, we just ‘can't make this up" wrote the Osceola County Sher- iffs Office. They said the ‘man, whom they identified as “Brad” started stealing items during a “Shop with ‘a Cop” event, which pairs officers with focal kids. There ‘were nearly 40 deputies, the sheriff, the forensics team, and the community services team in the store. "Bad idea, Brad’ the police wrote. Animal control officials in Los Ange- les County ‘granted a ‘young girl permission tokeep a unicorn at home, ifshe follows certain rules. The Gir, identified as Madeleine, ‘wrote the county Animal Care and Control department asking for approval to "have ‘unicorn in my backyard if can find one" Director Marcia Mayeda sent back an approved unicom license and license tag, but spelled ‘out some conditions. Mad- {leine must give the unicorn “regular access to sunlight, moonbeams, and rainbows” polish its horn with a soft cloth monthly, and feed it ‘watermelon once a week. Police officers inTexas ‘were surprised to find that ‘a"reckless driver” causing havoc ina store's parking lot was in fact a bored dog, ‘The pet was waiting in 2 ‘ruck for its owners to return ‘when it became “antsy” and "bounced around the ‘cab’ said the Kilgore Police Department, Somehow it ‘set the car in motion and crashed it into two vehicles. ‘The occupant of one saw the truck bearing down and “was shocked to see the driver was a dog” police wrote. “Fortunately, no one ‘was injured”Meet the Watch That Shook Up Switzerland pe A watch that revolutionized timekeeping at a price equally as radical. Teh biseg of cnepiecs, few momens ane more ipa than the creation ofthe world's first Piczo timepiece. 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Afford the Extraordinary.» “8% eae tent eee ero a14 NEWS Nothing dirty about new coal mine Robert Hardman Daily Mail ery The glum truth about ‘happy’ Finns Peter Zashev Helsinki Times Best columns: Europe Enviconmentalists are appalled at the news that England is about to dig its frst new coal mine in 30 years, bur the mine's neighbors are “cuphoric,” Said Robert Hardman. For three centuries, coal dominated the town of Whitehaven, in northern England, and the collapse of che industry in the 1980s killed ehe local economy. The new mine, which was greenlit last week, will bring some 500 jobs paying $60,000 or more to a postindusrial town desperate for “investment and regeneration.” [And the Greens needn't worry. The facility won't nine the kind of dirty coal that is burned for hea, but “quality coking coal for making stee!”—a ma- terial we need to build all those wind turbines and electric cars that will help us meet our emissions goals. Isn't it better to produce our own coking coal rather than buying it “off countries that have 1 ship it halfway around the world?” Opponents ‘worry that opening a new coal mine, even a clean ‘one, “sits awkwardly” with Britain’s image as an avid parmer in the global climate fight. But look at climate-conscious France: It recently tore up “plans to cut coal production,” because of Europe's energy crisis. “Its about time we stopped preaching and copied our allies." For Whitehaven, “there is nothing dirty about coal.” Finland has a happiness conundrum, said Peter Zashev. Even though we routinely rank as the “world’s happiest country,” many people are