The debate around fake meat heats up...
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[People walk past a giant snowbank in California] Mario Tama/Getty Images  BROWSING  [Classifieds banner image]( The wackiest headlines from the week as they would appear in a âClassifiedsâ section.. Careers LIGHT SWITCHER NEEDED: 7,000 automatic lights illuminating a Massachusetts high school havenât been [turned off]( since August 2021 because of a system malfunction. (The repair company in charge of turning them off said they will be fixed in February.) SEEKING GRIFTER GUESTS: Infamous scammer Anna âDelveyâ Sorokin is getting her own [reality show](, in which sheâll host dinner parties for celebs and journalists. The show will be filmed in her New York apartment, where she is currently under house arrest. Personal ISO REAL ANSWERS: A young Rhode Islander asked the stateâs Dept. of Health to DNA-test a cookie she left out for Santa for proof that the Christmas king actually exists. The agency gave a wishy-washy [response](: âWe all agree that something magical may be at play.â Weâre sending beard samples next time. DADS UNITED: California Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez and other lawmakers [formed]( the first official caucus of fathers on Capitol Hill. The group will help push policies like paid family leave and keeping the door closed when the AC is running. GERIATRIC CHIHUAHUA W/ GRIT: A 23-year-old Ohio good boy named Spike won the title of [worldâs oldest living dog](. His owners found him in a grocery store parking lot 13 years ago. Old Yeller could never. For sale UNFILTERED SPLASH MOUNTAIN WATER: You gotta love capitalismâsellers on eBay are [hawking]( âgenuineâ water from Splash Mountain, the classic Walt Disney World ride that closed last week. One 6-ounce sample (circa 2021) has a starting bid of $1,000. FIREBALL NIPS: No longer wanted after learning they [donât contain]( actual whisky. A class action lawsuit was filed against the maker of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky for being misleading about the product, which is really a malt beverage with ânatural whisky & other flavors.â  TOGETHER WITH CALIBER Supercharge your capital gains of $250k+ [Caliber]( Learn how to reduce your ST/LT capital gains taxes and grow them tax-free in this [special investor guide]( from Caliber. If you have â22 or â23 gains from the sale of businesses, property, stock, crypto, and more, this [rare incentive from the IRS]( can help you keep more of your capital gains while tapping into some powerful, wealth-building benefits, like: - deferring your capital gains taxes until 2027
- funding potentially lucrative real estate developments with your idle capital
- permanently escaping taxation on the future value of your capital Make sure you know the qualifications and upcoming deadlines that are unique to you, as access to this program can expire. [Get your Caliber investor guide here](. Â SNAPSHOT Â Image of the week
[Geologic formations on Mars that look like a bear]NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona If the moon is made of cheese, is Mars made ofâ¦honey? A photo captured by the [HiRISE camera]( shows that a bear has emerged on the surface of Mars. Or, more likely: Two craters, a partially collapsed hill, and a fracture pattern converged to eerily resemble a bear.  SCIENCE  Dept. of Progress
[Bill Nye the Science Guy on Dancing With the Stars]Dancing with the Stars/ABC via Giphy Here are some illuminating scientific discoveries from the week to help you live better and maybe even make peace with the insect world. Theyâre making robots that can escape from prison now. A team of engineers created [miniature robots]( that can shift between rigid-solid and flexible liquid states, allowing the bots to escape from a tiny jail cell. And while watching a shape-shifting bot reenact The Shawshank Redemption is impressive (seriously, check out the [video](), the Dr. Frankensteins behind these monsters envision less nefarious applications for their creation. They put the bot to the test removing a foreign object from and delivering drugs to a model stomach, and they also foresee industrial applications for soldering and repairing hard-to-reach mechanical parts. Small picnic pests have big potential. ChatGPT is the nonhuman making headlines for passing medical licensing exams, but itâs ants that might someday be up for jobs at your hospital. The insects have such an acute sense of smell that scientists are now trying to train them to sniff out cancerâand [a study]( published this week shows ants can be trained relatively quickly to do just that (though theyâve only scented human cancer cells grafted to mice so far). Ant diagnosticians would be cheaper and quicker than current diagnostic tools, like blood tests and biopsies, and the researcher leading the study insists that the critters would never need to crawl directly on you to help doctors determine your health status. Earthâs core plays the âReverseâ card. The solid iron core at the center of the Earth has [stopped spinning]( and is reversing the direction in which it rotates, a new study analyzing seismic waves from earthquakes claims. While that sounds like...seismic news, scientists believe itâs happened before, and the only impact we surface dwellers are likely to notice (or not) is that it could shorten the day by less than one millisecond over time. Itâs also worth noting that thereâs no scientific consensus on what exactly is going on, since we lack direct access to whatâs happening deep inside our planet.âAR Â TOGETHER WITH BUTCHERBOX [ButcherBox]( Wings of love: Nothinâ says âI love youâ more than a piping hot basket of buffalo wings. So let [ButcherBox]( put some love on your plate this Valentineâs Day. And to woo you even harder, new customers can spice things up with a tantalizing, limited-time offer: [14% off your first box with code VDAY14](. Â NEWS ANALYSIS Â [Fake meat: The future of food or a fad?](
[Impossible food product](David Becker/Getty Images What does fake meat have in common with pet rocks and the metaverse? Everything, according to skepticsâlike the author of a recent [Bloomberg article](, who argues the plant-based stuff that looks, tastes, and even bleeds like meat is just a fad. A few years ago, startups like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods made venture capitalistsâ mouths water. They promised to take on Big Ag by satiating omnivoresâ appetites with a healthier, more environmentally friendly alternative to meat that doesnât involve animal slaughter. But a recent decline in sales and a shift away from meat-posing products in consumer preferences call that proposition into question. Meanwhile, some industry watchers (and at least one major player) beg to differ: They say that the meatless meat dream isnât dead and claim that faux flesh is no more a fad than computers were in the 1950s. Why meatless BBQs could go the way of Zoom happy hours The hype around fake meat has been losing momentum over the past year, illustrating that long-term eating habits can be as sticky as that wax paper between burger patties. One of the biggest industry names and the star of a blockbuster IPO in 2019, Beyond Meat, has been struggling. A drop-off in sales and lackluster results from a McDonaldâs test run of its McPlant burger have sent Beyondâs stock tumbling more than 70% in the past year. The industryâs challenges extend beyond Beyond, as overall refrigerated plant-based meat sales declined last year. Consumers increasingly perceive meatless patties and sausages, which tend to be highly processed and high in sodium, as unhealthy. Theyâre also more expensive than the real dealâand, in times of historic inflation, thatâs been a dealbreaker for many casual ersatz-meat eaters. But it may be too early to give up on fake meat The most valuable company in the space, Impossible Foods, accuses fake meat detractors of big-picture myopia. Impossible points to sustained, year over year sales growth ever since it debuted its offering, including in 2022. Some industry observers note that the sector is still young. - Plant-based meat companies came on the scene during the Obama presidency, while some Big Ag names have been around since before the Civil War.
- Though fake meatâs $7 billion in annual sales (according to Impossible) represent just a thin deli slice of the [$296 billion]( US meat industry, this could change in the long run. And not all investors are running scared: Bill Gates, whoâs backed several fake meat ventures, still has an appetite for the stuff. He recently affirmed his belief that consumers will be more willing to go for a plant-based burger once the taste gap between fake and real meat narrows. Looking aheadâ¦as the food fight rages, lab-grown meat is springing onto the scene, threatening to supplant both your typical juicy steak and its plant-based alternative. Upside Foods recently became the first company to get a safe-to-eat nod from the FDA for meat cultivated from animal cells (but it still needs the USDAâs stamp of approval). The company hopes its âno killâ chicken breast will hit US restaurants by the end of the year as it competes with many startups in the space.âSK  BREW'S BEST  Sunday to-do list The Brewâs resident tastemaker, Jamie, compiles her favorite recs to help you live your best life. Meal prep: 55 quick [work lunch]( ideas. Workout: Three viral [TikTok workouts](, reviewed. Book club: Itâs not new, but [The Huntress by Kate Quinn]( is the talk of the group chat. Smart purchase: [Keyboard gel]( is cheap, disgusting, and awesome. Streaming binge: Go with [Drink Masters]( if youâre curious about mixology, or [Snack vs. Chef]( if youâre into pickle chips. Both are on Netflix. Playlist: [Cercleâs YouTube channel]( is full of long DJ sets in beautiful places that are perfect for your second screen. Tech tip: Weâre convinced that [iPhone widgets]( are the coolest and least-used feature, especially if you have a lot of smart home apps. Money in the bank: If things like budget analysis and accounting standards get you excited, head over to [CFO Brew](, our newsletter all about corporate finance that [helps pros stay on top]( of an ever-changing industry.  DESTINATIONS  Place to be: a brain-bending spookfest in Athens
[Screengrab from a video about Lockhill escape room]Lockhill Itâs a big world out there. In this section, weâll teleport you to an interesting locationâand hopefully give you travel ideas in the process. Next time youâre in Athens, Greece, you gotta visit Chapel & Catacombs. No, itâs not an ancient ruin: Itâs the [worldâs best escape room](, according to new rankings published by the Top Escape Rooms Project. If you havenât heard of escape rooms (or need a refresher), theyâre location-based games that challenge your group to solve a series of puzzles in order to leave the room. But Chapel & Catacombs takes that basic premise and jacks it up to 11. Set in the fictional village of Lockhill, the experience combines elements of haunted houses, immersive theater, and puzzles into a game that will leave you with goosebumps, according to one âspeechlessâ reviewer. Even if a trip to Athens isnât in your future, weâre hoping the epicness of Chapel & Catacombs might inspire you to seek out an elite escape room closer to you. But be warned, American readers: Many of the highest-ranked escape rooms are located in continental Europe. The US doesnât enter the rankings until No. 14, with Strange Bird Immersiveâs The Man From Beyond in Houston.âNF Â COMMUNITY Â Crowd work Last Sunday we asked: Whatâs your winning entrance gimmick to make it past the first rose ceremony on The Bachelor? Our favorite responses: - âIâm typically not a backseat driver. But when I saw you I told him to stop immediately.ââJosh from Fargo, ND
- âIâd come out of the limo belting out âCareless Whisperâ on my sax.ââJen from MA
- âI would show up in a clown car with a massive flower on my clothing. The bachelor would press the flower and nothing would happen. We would just awkwardly stand there. Humbling. Standout. No pizzazz.ââJake from Minneapolis, MN
- âArrive in a caravan of covered wagonsâa bloodstained dress from the 1800s graces your figure. Announce that you have survived dysentery and river crossings during your travel to the contest. Present rabbit pelts and various trail survival supplies. Receive rose.ââJosh from Pittsburgh, PA This weekâs question As tax season kicks off, the IRS is facing a severe staffing shortage, and 60% of its current employees intend to retire in the next six years. How should the IRS recruit new talent? Hereâs Mattyâs response to get the juices flowing: Every new employee gets a free pass to audit their high school bully every year. [Share your idea here](. Â AROUND THE BREW Â [How to deal with burnout at work](
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