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“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll forget what you just saw. Got it?” Photo by JJ Shev on Unsplash
Daily Conquest has launched, with two issues published since last Thursday. The third will go out tomorrow. I imagine many of the early subscribers to Daily Conquest are also Happy Subscribers to Thursday Things. So thank you to all who have tried out my new newsletter!
Daily Conquest will cover politics, government, law, and culture, among other topics. In short, all the things we avoid here at Thursday Things. If that interests you, check it out at the link and come aboard!
This is good news if you like cheese.1 Or other delicious dairy products. Anyway: Sticking to low-fat dairy may not be the only heart healthy option, study shows
New research amongst the world's biggest consumers of dairy foods has shown that those with higher intakes of dairy fat—measured by levels of fatty acids in the blood—had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those with low intakes. Higher intakes of dairy fat were not associated with an increased risk of death. …
Lead author Dr. Kathy Trieu from The George Institute for Global Health said that consumption of some dairy foods, especially fermented products, have previously been associated with benefits for the heart.
"Increasing evidence suggests that the health impact of dairy foods may be more dependent on the type—such as cheese, yoghurt, milk, and butter—rather than the fat content, which has raised doubts if avoidance of dairy fats overall is beneficial for cardiovascular health," she said.
"Our study suggests that cutting down on dairy fat or avoiding dairy altogether might not be the best choice for heart health."
Hey, that’s good enough for me. Because Science!
Not today, grizzly bear. Not today. Sometimes you get your goat, and sometimes the goat gets you, as one Canadian bear learned recently. Mountain goat kills grizzly bear in Canada
A mountain goat in Canada reportedly “turned the tables” of predator and prey on a grizzly bear, goring it to death in a national park in British Columbia, officials say.
The incident, described by wildlife officials as a rare occurrence, came to light after the remains of a female grizzly bear were found at Yoho National Park, according to local reports.
A goat’s sharp horns had pierced the 70kg bear’s armpits and a spot under its neck, leading to its death, according to a forensic necropsy conducted by officials.
Is there some kind of Wildlife CSI unit that investigates animal homicides? (Though in this case, I guess it would be ursacide.) I’d watch that show. I mean, maybe the bear had huge unpaid gambling debts to the goat mafia and this was a hit. Who knows?
All I’ll say is the subheadline on this article makes you think: “The goat in question could not by identified by Parks Canada officials as it was not tagged”
“The goat in question” will never be identified because no woodland creature is going to come forward as a witness. Moose, beaver, duck, squirrel — they didn’t see nothing. Nothing I tell you! Now leave me alone.
Also, I would not want to be the park ranger who has to go put a tag on the murder goat.
Meanwhile, in Mississippi… We’ll continue our animals in the news theme with this item about an alligator that loves history. As in, loves to eat ancient artifacts. Ancient Artifacts Discovered in Stomach of Huge Mississippi Alligator
A few months ago, after hearing stories about the crazy things that had been discovered in the bellies of alligators, Shane Smith, owner of Red Antler Processing in Yazoo City, Mississippi, started examining the contents of the big gators he processed.
Smith told the Clarion Ledger that he was sifting through the contents of a 750-pound, 13-foot, 5-inch alligator from Eagle Lake recently, when he discovered two strange objects, including what appeared to be a broken stone arrowhead.
“So there I was, sifting through the stomach of an alligator and you won’t believe what I found!” This guy must be a blast at parties. Anyway, what did he find?
James Starnes, Director of Surface Geology and Surface Mapping for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality examined a photograph of the findings. He identified what Smith believed to be an arrowhead as an "atlatl dart point," part of a spear made around 5000-6000 BC.
'That is the latter part of the Early Archaic and early part of the Middle Archaic (periods)," Starnes told the Clarion Ledger. "How the base is made is real tell-tale in estimating the time period."
He also identified the other unusual object—a heavy, tear-shaped stone with two holes in it— as a hematite plummet dating back to the Late Archaic Period, or about 1700 BC.
"The plummets, we really have no idea what they were used for," Starnes told the paper. "These things had some significance, but we have no idea. We can only guess."
My guess is the ancient Late Archaic Period people carried those hematite plummets to throw at alligators. That would explain everything.
Travel hacks you can use on your next trip. Are you ready to travel again? I am. This podcast interview with Leigh Rowan, former COO of The Points Guy website, is packed with useful travel tips no matter what your destination may be. Pro Travel Hacks for Every Aspect of Your Next Trip
Here are the show notes. If any of this looks useful, you can listen to the episode at the link.
What to do before planning any trip [03:59]
What if you just want the cheapest trip or just a warm destination? [06:35]
Should you pay with miles or with cash? [07:30]
Why you shouldn’t book flights from Expedia and book from the airline directly instead. [08:34]
How do you get access to lower corporate rates for flights? [10:11]
How to pick the best airline for your next international flight? [10:31]
Making sure your rental is still available and being treated like a VIP. [12:18]
Which Costco travel deals are good and which ones are bad. [14:16]
Take advantage of COVID flight flexibility policies for future trips [15:48]
When on google flights, make sure to add this to your search [16:26]
How do you narrow down your hotel search? [17:05]
Should you pay for Tripadvisor plus and how does it work? [18:58]
How does your experience change depending on how you book your hotel? [20:48]
Doing this may help you get perks at your hotel, you might even get upgraded. [22:43]
Why speaking to the hotel beforehand really matters [25:09]
Should you trust hotel concierge food recommendations? [25:30]
How to get the best price on a vacation home or villa. [26:52]
Why you should do a food tour as soon as you arrive at your destination. [28:49]
More tips for planning your trip [29:40]
How you can plan experiences you won’t find in a guidebook [32:00]
What is a destination management company? [33:31]
A photography session is the best souvenir you can get when you travel. [34:14]
How can you find hidden experiences and what your credit card concierge might know. [34:47]
Services your credit card concierge probably does and whether you can trust them. [36:44]
Where to find the best food and how to avoid tourist food traps? [38:58]
The safest and cheapest way to have cash on hand when traveling. [42:33]
The best way you can get rid of local currency at the end of your trip without getting ripped off [44:20]
Don’t fall for this bank travel scam. [45:40]
Getting a local cell phone service or data. [47:37]
Preparing your phone for travel. [48:55]
Trips where you shouldn’t bring your main phone/laptop [50:53]
Wherever you go, I hope your next trip is outstanding!
Thank you for reading Thursday Things. Please click the hearts, comment, and use the share button to send this issue to a friend who might enjoy it. See you next Thursday!
Also, I made the “mistake” of putting heavy cream in my coffee and now I can’t go back to half-and-half. Half-and-half now tastes like skim milk to me. Don’t go halfway!