- The Bagel
- Posts
- The Entire Population in Gaza Is Facing Food Insecurity
The Entire Population in Gaza Is Facing Food Insecurity
Ryan Witter
February 06, 2024
Tuesday, February 6th, 2024
Today’s newsletter is: 880 words; 4 min.
KNEAD TO KNOW
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the war in Gaza. The Biden administration is reportedly looking to use a potential historic peace deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which includes a two-state solution for a future Palestinian state, as leverage for getting Israel on board with a plan to end the war.
Wildfires in Chile have killed at least 123 people and destroyed an estimated 14,000 homes. Hundreds of people remain missing in the country’s worst disaster since the 2010 earthquake that killed around 500 people.
A record-breaking atmospheric river continues to hammer California. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) declared a state of emergency for Southern California due to life-threatening flood risks and high winds.
Dartmouth’s men’s basketball players can vote to unionize. The determination by the National Labor Relations Board paves the way for the players to vote on unionization and become the first union of athletes in the NCAA.
QUICK BITES
Getty
The Entire Population in Gaza Is Facing Food Insecurity
A new report by the U.N.-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) found 100% of the population in the Gaza Strip (about 2.2 million people) is currently facing high levels of acute food insecurity, including around 95% (about 2.08 million people) who are at “crisis” levels.
Why it matters: The finding is the highest share of a population facing high levels of food insecurity that the IPC initiative has ever classified for any given area or country.
Getty
Americans’ Ethics Ratings of Nearly All Professions Are Declining
A new survey by Gallup found U.S. adults’ ratings of nearly all 23 professions in Gallup’s Honesty and Ethics poll are lower today than they were in 2019, including -9 percentage point changes in ethical ratings for medical doctors, pharmacists, police officers, and journalists.
Why it matters: The survey is the latest damning sign that right-wing attacks on the legitimacy of American institutions are working, and a troubling sign nine months out from the 2024 election, which experts anticipate will be rife with disinformation, including election denialism by Republican politicians, AI video and audio deepfakes, and interference from foreign adversaries.
iStock
Hurricanes Are Getting So Strong They May Need a New Category
A new study by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory calls for the addition of a new Category 6 hurricane intensity (wind speeds of 192 mph or greater), which they argue would more accurately capture the potential damage of hurricanes as rising global temperatures continue to make storms more intense.
Why it matters: The researchers say the current scale from Category 1 (74-95 mph winds) to Category 5 (158 mph or greater) doesn’t adequately capture the potential hazards of storms in a warming world, since the damage potential of a storm’s maximum winds increases as the speed of the winds increases.
PLAIN SMART
The Partisan Plan to Solve Partisan Gerrymandering
Ah, “gerrymandering,” every American’s favorite thing to hate while not really understanding how it works (everyone’s second favorite is the metric system).
Disregarding how American it is to dislike something we don’t understand, the main takeaway from gerrymandering is fairly conceivable: parties draw ridiculously shaped districts to benefit themselves in elections.
In truth, partisan gerrymandering is a tough thing to solve, since it requires two politically opposed parties to either agree on a set of maps or submit to a third-party decision maker.
Well, a new study by researchers at the Harvard Kennedy School may hold the solution: the so-called “Define-Combine Procedure.”
What is it:
The “Define-Combine Procedure” (or “DCP” as us cool abbreviators call it) works in two straightforward parts:
Party A defines a map of equally populated contiguous voting districts; and
Party B combines pairs of districts to create the final map.
Why it’s plain smart:
The authors ran thousands of simulations testing their procedure, finding that it’s not only mathematically feasible and effective, but politically possible, since it allows parties to address their political concerns while also tempering the partisan biases that often emerge during redistricting.
“By involving both parties but setting them in opposition to each other, rather than requiring bipartisan cooperation or independent third-party mediators, DCP offers a partisan solution to the extraordinarily partisan process that is redistricting,” the authors said in a statement.
OVEN-FRESH STATS
$1 billion - The amount of medical debt Connecticut will eliminate for residents using $6.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, according to a new plan that Gov. Ned Lamont (D) describes as the first of its kind.
75% - The percentage of U.S. adults who admit they’ve hidden an infectious illness during social interactions, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan.
10 - The number of people killed in unprovoked shark attacks in 2023, an increase from the annual global average of six per year, according to new data from the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File.
16.9 million - The number of people who watched the 66th Grammy Awards on Sunday, marking a 34% increase from last year and the most watched Grammys ceremony since 2020, according to data from Nielsen and Paramount Global.
EXTRA SCHMEAR
Long Video. Here’s how China became KFC’s most important market. (14 min)
Short Video. Former NFL player Michael Oher on what The Blind Side didn’t show. (5 min)
Fun Video. Watch a young Tracy Chapman perform Fast Car live at the Nelson Mandela birthday tribute in 1988 at Wembley Stadium, and read about how the performance – and fate – might be why the iconic song is so well-known today.
Good Read. Read about how Americans became so obsessed with “mid-century modern”? (2,275 words; 10 min)
Neat List. In honor of Elon Musk losing his compensation package, here are nine of the biggest corporate frauds in history.
Like what you’ve read so far? Don’t be selfish, share The Bagel! You’ll sound super smart and cool recommending The Bagel to your friends, family, coworkers, significant others, insignificant others, and everyone in-between!
You’ll also get a promo code for a FREE BAGEL at any Einstein Bros Bagels, Bruegger’s Bagels, or Noah’s Bagels location if you can get five people to subscribe using your unique referral link below!
Share your link: https://blog.readthebagel.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER
You have: 0 referrals.
You need: 5 until a FREE BAGEL!
Heads up: The promo code is actually a $5 gift card that can be used at any of the three bagel shops. So, depending on what you order, you may be able to get TWO FREE BAGELS with this one gift card!
That's right. Potentially TWO FREE BAGELS.
Double up! Save it for later! Surprise a friend at work! Leave it in the car and forget about it until the smell gets you! The choice is yours. You've earned it.
Whatever you do, just remember: If you have them slice it like a loaf of bread like those monsters in St. Louis, don't tell them we sent you.
CONNECT WITH ME
Feedback, comments, or suggestions? Reply directly to this email (I try to respond to everyone) or connect with me on Threads.
Did a super smart and cool person forward this email to you? Head to our website to get it every Sunday.
Written by Ryan Wittler