The news that the former president is battling an aggressive, stage-4 prostate cancer that has spread to the bone ignited a public debate about why a person with peerless access to medical care was diagnosed at such an advanced stage with a disease that is quite common in men his age.
Many prostate cancers in the U.S. are detected with a blood test that measures prostate-specific antigen, or PSA. The test is cheap and can help find potential cancer before symptoms appear. There are some particularly aggressive prostate cancers that don’t secrete enough PSA to be flagged on the test. But those are rare, doctors said.
Whether Biden, 82, had been getting regular PSA screening before his diagnosis isn’t publicly known, and prostate cancer screening for men in their 80s isn’t considered standard care. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government-backed volunteer panel of experts that makes preventive health recommendations, advises against PSA screening for men ages 70 and above, based on concerns about false positives and overtreating low-risk forms of the disease. Other groups advise older men to make the decision about whether to continue screening in consultation with their doctors.
“It’s in many ways unsettling that someone who has what is undoubtedly fantastic medical care could suddenly be diagnosed with aggressive, metastatic prostate cancer,” said Dr. Todd Morgan, co-director of the Weiser Center for Prostate Cancer at Michigan Medicine. “On the other hand, this is often how prostate cancer presents. We typically don’t do PSA screening beyond 75 or late 70s.”
Biden, however, wasn’t a typical patient.
As the oldest president in U.S. history to seek re-election, his health was under considerable scrutiny by voters. His eldest son died of brain cancer at age 46, prompting Biden, then vice president, to launch his “cancer moonshot” initiative to accelerate the fight against the disease. His poor performance in last year’s presidential debate forced him out of the 2024 race, and new attention on his acuity while in office is amplifying concerns that his aides concealed his decline.
Donald Trump—the second oldest president at age 78—does get screened. He released the results of his prostate cancer screening last month, showing a normal score. Barack Obama released his PSA score when he was president, as did George W. Bush.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday evening, Trump said he is “very sad” to hear about Biden’s diagnosis and raised questions about why it wasn’t discovered earlier. “Someone is going to have to speak to his doctor,” Trump said. “I feel badly about it, and I think people should try and find out what happened.”
Biden’s prostate cancer may have gone undiagnosed for years based on severity, doctors say The Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is currently probing whether top White House officials concealed negative information about Biden’s decline. The probe began last Congress and included a request for an interview with Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s physician as president, and testimony from former Biden aides—but those asks would need to be renewed.
Chris Meagher, a spokesman for Biden, didn’t respond to questions about whether Biden was screened for prostate cancer as president. O’Connor didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Biden’s cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive and could therefore be receptive to hormone-reducing drugs, and cancer doctors have said that even patients with metastatic disease can live for years, thanks to newer therapies. But the disease probably isn’t curable at this stage, and Biden will likely be grappling with it for the rest of his life.
Around 10% of prostate cancers are already metastatic by the time they are diagnosed, prostate cancer specialists said. Symptoms including difficulty urinating or blood in the urine often don’t appear until the disease is advanced. Biden’s prostate cancer is one of the most aggressive kinds, implying that it is relatively fast-spreading, though it could have gone undetected for years, specialists said.
“It’s possible that he could have had it growing in him for years, or it could be possible that this had a shorter time course,” said Dr. Phillip Koo, chief medical officer at the Prostate Cancer Foundation. “If someone were to get PSA screening annually after age 70, I’d imagine something like this would have been picked up earlier.”
Doctors have debated for decades how often to screen men for prostate cancer, and when to stop. The test can pick up cancers early while they are more treatable, but it can also flag false positives and pick up slow-growing cancers that would never have become life-threatening, particularly in older men, leading to overtreatment and corresponding harms.
“In the majority of cases, our guidelines really maximize their quality of life and reduce the harms associated with overdetection and aggressive screening,” said Dr. Behfar Ehdaie, a urologic surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which says on its website that PSA testing after age 75 is “rarely helpful.”
Many men stop screening at age 75 because doctors think men with a low or normal PSA value at that age have a low risk of developing life-threatening prostate cancer, said Dr. Jonathan Shoag, a urologist who specializes in oncology at University Hospitals and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.
But the number of later-stage, life-threatening diagnoses in the U.S. has increased in recent years, after medical groups started to advise less screening overall, Shoag and others said.
There is no public battery of medical tests required for all presidents and no standard release forms showing results. O’Connor said in February 2024 that Biden was “fit for duty” after a comprehensive assessment by a team of doctors.
“I would say it’s surprising he did not get this test, given the fact that the proclivity of presidential physicians is to test more rather than less,” said Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a physician and vice provost for global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, speaking Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“Either they didn’t test for it, or they did test for it, they didn’t report it, and we didn’t get the information as a public,” said Emanuel, a former White House health adviser.
Trump has at times failed to be transparent about his health.
But he made a point of bragging about his prostate screening results when he was running for president. “My PSA has been very good,” Trump said in a September 2016 interview with Mehmet Oz, who is now his Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator. “It’s always the first number I ask for. I say, ‘Give me that number.’” Trump was 70 years old at the time and a candidate for president.
As president, he should have had every test possible, especially cancer screenings, regardless of his age.
Why did this not happen, or did it and they LIED about that too? Too many excuses for the old man. If the rest of the world could see it in what few times he was allowed in front of cameras, his family HAD to know. I find that his family showed no concerns for his decline to be the most despicable of all.
There are two possibilities, both of which are pretty bad.
One is they knew he had it but lied about this condition to the public the entire time. The other is that it was missed. Both are pretty bad if you think about it. I disagreed with Biden but prayed he could recover. It’s a horrible cancer. I fear cancer a lot personally.
There is only ONE possibility.
Doctors usually do not recommend PSA testing for senior men. But We are talking about the President of the United States. They do extremely detailed screenings. He gets care beyond a normal citizen. It still looks pretty bad.
As POTUS he had access to stellar medical care.
BS that him hiding his ENTIRE medical condition for his ENTIRE presidency being unwarranted is crap. Their cover up is known as gaslighting the American people. The Biden family, his handlers and senior members of the Democratic Party are culpable 100%. To believe anything else is an arrogant, self indulgent fantasy of failing to be held accountable … it’ called political Münchausen syndrome.
Factitious disorder imposed on self (FDIS), sometimes referred to as Munchausen syndrome, is a complex mental disorder where individuals play the role of a sick patient to receive some form of psychological validation, such as attention, sympathy, or physical care.[2] Patients with FDIS intentionally falsify or induce signs and symptoms of illness, trauma, or abuse to assume this role.[3]
These actions are performed consciously, though the patient may be unaware of the motivations driving their behaviors. There are several risk factors and signs associated with this illness and treatment is usually in the form of psychotherapy but may depend on the specific situation,[4] which is further discussed in the sections below. Diagnosis is usually determined by meeting specific DSM-5 criteria after ruling out true illness as described below. 5
Factitious disorder imposed on self is related to factitious disorder imposed on another, which refers to the abuse of another person in order to seek attention or sympathy for the abuser. This is considered “Munchausen by proxy”, and the drive to create symptoms for the victim can result in unnecessary and costly diagnostic or corrective procedures.[3] Other similar and often confused syndromes/diagnoses are discussed in the “Related Diagnoses” section.
It likely didn’t go undiagnosed — more like UNDISCLOSED. Biden has A-fib, advanced stage dementia, Parkinson’s and now they have DISCLOSED he has prostate CA with metastases to bone. At his age and advanced stage of dementia (as well as Parkinson’s, A-fib) they are nuts to give him anything but palliative care and/or hospice. Cruel to treat the CA at this time. My brother was more than 10 years younger than Biden’s current age and in very good health when he was diagnosed with prostate CA.
Look at meds commonly used for prostate cancer… look at the side effects, some are permanent. Now look at Biden’s behavior over the 4 years. Quite certain he was diagnosed and treated but was withheld. In the 2022 video Biden admitted he had cancer clearly shows that Biden audibly said he HAS cancer. Bing Videos Still not right under any circumstance how this was handled.
He was treated with radiation which caused a LOT of problems with ureters, bladder. His problems from the treatment were worse than the CA. He became incontinent, has hot flashes and constant UTIs and blockages of ureters, damage to bladder. And my brother does not have dementia. Give him his pity party and let him live out his days as comfortable as possible.
No test will pick it up until the cancer grows. I know, I am a cancer survivor. Mine grew very quickly from the time it was discovered, until the surgeon removed the tumor four weeks later. Cancer is not an exact disease. Some people can live for years without surgery, chemo or radiation. Others die within weeks of being diagnosed.
The PSA test is usually done every one to two years for men who want to be screened for prostate cancer, beginning at age 50. Most men should get a PSA blood test every 1 to 2 years, depending on their age, PSA levels, and risk factors. General guidelines recommend starting PSA screenings at age 55, but you may need one earlier based on different factors. Until you’ve reached age 70, then it is no longer recommended.
A PSA is a yearly blood test that screens for prostate carcinoma. No symptoms are needed to order the test. They LIED, plain and simple. Remember when his physician gave him a “clean bill of health” before the last election? I GUARANTEE the cancer was there and was either missed, or more likely, deliberately ignored. I’m board certified in Internal Medicine and have been in practice for over 30 years. IF his physician missed this, they should be fired for incompetence. I KNOW physicians employed at that level are NOT incompetent. The only logical conclusion is that they lied. They lied about his dementia, the border, everything else,
It didn’t go undetected. I agree with HIPAA protections, but am not a fan of how the Biden family gas lit the American people. If they knew that his condition could jeopardize- even remotely- his ability to carry on as POTUS, they are copiously responsible. Just another box to check when it comes to the Democrats proving they have put the party over America.
If a person reads the article some blood tests do not secrete enough PSA to register as troublesome. Biden started to have urinary problems, so the Doctors probably opted for the more invasive test. This means taking biopsy samples of the prostate usually through the anus. That invasive test is usually not done routinely unless there are more reasons to do it. People have a right to privacy in their medical decisions, however, not as POTUS who serves the American People.
People living in greener, more walkable neighborhoods may face a lower risk of developing dementia, while those exposed to more air pollution might face a higher risk, according to a large review of existing studies. The findings, published in Ageing Research Reviews, highlight connections between environmental factors and brain health as people age.
Dementia is a growing global concern, affecting nearly 50 million people worldwide. It encompasses a range of disorders that impair memory, thinking, and daily functioning, including Alzheimer’s disease. With an aging population and no available cure, finding ways to prevent or delay dementia has become a pressing goal in public health.
While many studies have examined genetic and lifestyle factors, researchers are now turning their attention to environmental influences. Previous studies have hinted that elements such as air quality, traffic noise, and neighborhood design may affect brain health, but results have been inconsistent and often based on subjective reports.
To address this gap, a team of researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. This means the researchers carefully examined and combined data from many previously published studies. A systematic review aims to gather all relevant evidence on a topic, while a meta-analysis uses statistical techniques to combine the results of those studies and provide a clearer picture of how strong the observed effects are. Only studies that used objective measures—such as satellite data, geographic information systems, and pollution monitoring—were included to ensure the most reliable results.
Antianxiety medications can help reduce anxiety in people living with dementia. Dementia refers … The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.
Treating Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia typically involves treating the symptoms…
Caregivers should consider taking an active role in helping administer medications.
This can help keep a person with dementia on track regarding taking the correct medications.
“My interest in this research topic is because of the urgent global challenge posed by dementia. As dementia affects millions of people and effective treatments remain limited, I was driven to explore modifiable risk factors that could help delay or even prevent cognitive decline,” said study author Linlin Da, a PhD student at the University of Georgia.
“I became particularly interested in investigating the role of the built environment, and how factors such as air pollution, urban design, and the availability of green spaces might influence cognitive health. By utilizing objective measures to assess these environmental exposures, I aimed to address inconsistencies in previous studies and contribute to a clearer understanding of how urban planning and environmental policies could support dementia prevention.”
The researchers searched five major scientific databases and initially identified over 1,800 studies. After a thorough screening process, they selected 54 high-quality studies for their systematic review, 21 of which were also suitable for meta-analysis. The included studies came from around the world, with sample sizes ranging from under 200 to over 63 million individuals, most of whom were aged 60 and older.
These studies measured environmental exposures like fine particulate matter in the air (known as PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, proximity to green spaces, and access to local services. Outcomes included diagnosed dementia or measures of cognitive decline over time.
The researchers found that people exposed to higher levels of air pollution were more likely to develop dementia. Specifically, exposure to fine particulate matter—tiny particles that can be inhaled into the lungs and bloodstream—was associated with a 9% higher risk. Nitrogen dioxide exposure was linked to a 10% higher risk. Living near major roads, often a source of both air pollution and noise, was also tied to a 10% increase in dementia risk.
In contrast, people living in neighborhoods with more green and blue spaces—such as parks, forests, rivers, or lakes—had a 6% lower risk of developing dementia. These areas were also associated with slower cognitive decline. Neighborhoods with more connected street layouts and better walkability also supported cognitive health, possibly by encouraging physical activity and social engagement. Access to food stores, community centers, and healthcare services was similarly beneficial.
While these associations don’t prove direct cause and effect, they are consistent with what scientists already know about how the environment can affect the brain. Air pollution is known to cause inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, which can harm brain tissue and potentially contribute to dementia. On the other hand, green spaces may help protect the brain by reducing stress, encouraging exercise, and improving sleep—all of which are known to support cognitive health.
The study did have some limitations.
The researchers found considerable variation across the studies they analyzed. This so-called heterogeneity reflects differences in study designs, populations, and how environmental factors were measured. Some factors, like indoor air quality or socioeconomic status, were not always taken into account, and the methods used to estimate environmental exposure may not perfectly reflect individuals’ real-life experiences.
Still, the authors emphasize that their findings provide strong evidence that environmental features play a meaningful role in brain health. By focusing on studies that used objective measurements and following participants over time, the researchers were able to offer a more reliable picture than many past efforts.
Song hopes the findings will help shape future research and public health efforts. “These numbers show that living in a dementia-friendly environment is important to delay or prevent cognitive decline and the onset of dementia,” said Suhang Song, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia.
Urban planning decisions—like adding parks, improving air quality, and making neighborhoods more walkable—may offer a promising path toward protecting cognitive health at the population level. Future research may focus on how to better measure these environmental exposures over time, and how they interact with genetics, lifestyle, and other personal risk factors.
Estrogen depletion during perimenopause can cause memory decline. Memory often improves after menopause. Estrogen-plus-progestin therapy doubles the risk of dementia. Estrogen alone increases the risk of dementia by 50% .Women on estrogen-only therapy have a 26% lower risk of dying from Alzheimer’s disease.
Still, studies on the effect of estrogen on memory support the idea that estrogen depletion during perimenopause causes memory loss, and that memory improves after menopause.
For example, a large 2004 study supports the finding that hormone changes during perimenopause often cause a decline in verbal memory. It found these effects are separate from the natural effects of aging. This study provides the basis for many current studies.
Another four-year studyTrusted Source found that women couldn’t learn as well during perimenopause. After menopause, women returned to the learning levels they demonstrated before perimenopause.
A reviewTrusted Source published in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology also identified reduced memory and thinking skills in women during perimenopause and menopause. The women in the study reported problems especially with forgetfulness and concentration.
The exact effect of estrogen and progesterone loss on the brain is not well understood. It’s believed that estrogen may help the neurotransmitter systems that send signals in brain areas involved in memory and information processing. Many researchers also think that estrogen promotes the growth and survival of neurons, the cells that send electrical impulses. These impulses serve as messages that are crucial for making your brain and nervous system work properly.
There are a few things you can do to help keep your memory functioning at its best through this time.
Get good rest
Sleep loss contributes to mood disturbances and depression.
Try these tips to maintain a healthy sleep cycle:
Maintain a regular sleep schedule, including on the weekends.
Reduce your caffeine intake.
Keep your bedroom cool, and consider placing a fan nearby.
Purchase a cooling pad or pillows with cooling elements.
Make sure your room is as dark as possible.
Learn relaxation techniques, such as mindful meditation or yoga.
Exercise, but not right before bedtime.
Wear bedclothes made of natural fibers, such as cotton, hemp, linen, or silk.
Avoid alcohol, smoking, and spicy foods.
Consider asking your doctor to arrange a sleep assessment.
Eat right
Food that’s bad for your heart may also be bad for your brain. This means that you should limit saturated fats and trans fats found in foods such as fried foods, battered foods, and baked goods.
Try these other tips for eating a healthful diet, as well:
Eat a diet that’s rich in fruit and vegetables, particularly leafy green vegetables.
Look for whole-grain products in breads and side dishes.
Eat eggs to get the protein and vitamin D you need for bone health.
Use non hydrogenated oils, such as olive oil, safflower oil, or canola oil.
Choose products made with unhydrogenated oil if you’re purchasing processed food.
Limit sweets, especially baked goods and carbonated beverages.
Limit red meat.
Exercise your body
Exercise stimulates your brain in areas that are critical to memory and information processing. It also improves the functioning of the hippocampus, a part of your brain responsible for different types of memory.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that premenopausal and postmenopausal women get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day, five days per week. A combination of aerobic and resistance exercise has the greatest impact.
Aerobic exercise can include:
walking
riding your bike
aerobics classes
tennis
the stair machine
dancing
Resistance exercises include:
lifting weights
exercising with a resistance band
exercises that use your body for resistance, such situps, pushups, and squats
Exercise your brain
Keeping your brain active helps stave off the effects of aging. Try these tips to give your brain a workout.
It’s normal to be forgetful as you age and go through menopause. Normal occurrences may include losing your keys, forgetting why you entered a room, or having a name slip your mind.
If your menopause symptoms are severe, though, you may want to talk to your doctor about low-dose menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). MHT increases your risk of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and gallbladder disease. If you have a history of any of those diseases, you are not a good candidate for MHT. But your doctor may recommend limited use to help control your symptoms.
More serious cases
Be aware of symptoms that may be signs of more serious memory problems, such as:
repeating questions or comments
neglecting hygiene
forgetting how to use common objects
being unable to understand or follow directions
forgetting common words
getting lost in places you know well
having trouble carrying out basic daily activities
Symptoms such as these warrant a visit to the doctor. The doctor may check for dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. There are many other reasons for memory loss, as well, including:
medications
infection
head injury
alcoholism
depression
overactive thyroid
Your doctor can help you figure out the cause of your memory loss and the best treatment.
Researchers agree that memory loss is common in perimenopause, and that it often improves after menopause. Talk to your doctor to create a plan to get you through perimenopause. Keep track of your symptoms and discuss them with your doctor as you progress through perimenopause. As you near menopause, you will hopefully begin to feel better, and your memory will begin functioning more fully.
The United States on Friday approved the first blood test for Alzheimer’s, a move that could help patients begin treatment earlier with newly approved drugs that slow the progression of the devastating neurological disease.
The test, developed by Fujirebio Diagnostics, measures the ratio of two proteins in the blood. The ratio is correlated with amyloid plaques in the brain—a hallmark of Alzheimer’s that, until now, has been detected only through brain scans or spinal fluid analysis.
“Alzheimer’s disease impacts too many people—more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined,” said Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary.
“Knowing that 10% of people aged 65 and older have Alzheimer’s, and that by 2050 that number is expected to double, I am hopeful that new medical products such as this one will help patients.”
There are currently two FDA approved treatments for Alzheimer’s: lecanemab and donanemab, which target amyloid plaque and have been shown to moderately slow cognitive decline, though they do not cure the disease.
Advocates for the intravenous antibody therapies, including many neurologists, say they can offer patients a few additional months of independence—and are likely to be more effective if started earlier in the disease’s course.
“Today’s clearance is an important step for Alzheimer’s diagnosis, making it easier and potentially more accessible for US patients earlier in the disease,” said Michelle Tarver of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
The test is authorized for use in clinical settings for patients showing signs of cognitive decline, and results must be interpreted alongside other clinical information. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. It worsens over time, gradually robbing people of their memories and independence.
First blood test for Alzheimer’s diagnosis cleared by FDA
The first-ever blood test to detect Alzheimer’s disease has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In a press release, the agency announced its approval of the first in-vitro diagnostic device, Lumipulse.
The method is intended for early Alzheimer’s detection in adult patients over the age of 55 who are exhibiting signs and symptoms of the disease. The first-ever blood test to detect Alzheimer’s disease has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In a Friday press release, the agency announced its approval of the first in-vitro diagnostic device, Lumipulse.
The method is intended for early Alzheimer’s detection in adult patients over the age of 55 who are exhibiting signs and symptoms of the disease.
While PET scans can pick up these plaques, they can be “costly and time-consuming” while exposing patients to radiation, according to the FDA.
The new Lumipulse device reduces the need for a PET scan or other invasive testing, the agency said.
In a clinical study of 499 plasma samples from cognitively impaired adults, the Lumipulse test detected the presence of amyloid plaques in 91.7% of individuals.
The results indicate that the new blood test can “reliably predict the presence or absence of amyloid pathology associated with Alzheimer’s disease at the time of the test in patients who are cognitively impaired,” the FDA concluded.
The FDA noted the risk of false positive test results from Lumipulse, which could lead to inappropriate diagnosis and unnecessary treatment.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., MPH, wrote in a statement, “Alzheimer’s disease impacts too many people, more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.”
“Knowing that 10% of people aged 65 and older have Alzheimer’s, and that by 2050 that number is expected to double, I am hopeful that new medical products such as this one will help patients,” he said.
Center for Devices and Radiological Health Director Michelle Tarver, M.D., PhD, also commented in the press release that nearly seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s.
“And this number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million,” she said.
“Today’s clearance is an important step for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis, making it easier and potentially more accessible for U.S. patients earlier in the disease.”Dementia brain scan The new technology works by detecting amyloid plaques in the brain, a telltale sign of Alzheimer’s, according to the FDA. (iStock)
The first blood test used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for marketing Friday, meaning the laboratory test can be marketed and sold in the U.S., a significant benchmark for detection of the brain disorder that affects 10% of people aged 65 and older.
Key Facts
The diagnostic device that tests blood to help diagnose Alzheimer’s was developed by Fujirebio, a Japanese biotechnology company.
Unlike the newly cleared blood test device, other FDA-authorized or cleared Alzheimer’s tests instead used cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients collected through spinal taps—invasive procedures involving the puncture of the lumbar.
Top FDA official Michelle Tarver said the clearance makes Alzheimer’s diagnosis “easier and potentially more accessible for U.S. patients earlier in the disease.”
An FDA study found the blood test “can reliably predict” the presence of protein conditions associated with Alzheimer’s at the time of the test in cognitively impaired patients.
Big Number
6.7 million. That is the estimated number of Americans who have Alzheimer’s in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which notes that number is expected to double by 2060.
Surprising Fact
As of now, the lifetime risk for Alzheimer’s for people aged 45 is one in five for women and one in 10 for men.
Key Background
Alzheimer’s diagnosis can be a lengthy process consisting of memory testing, laboratory tests, brain-imaging examinations and more. The Alzheimer’s Association has said the increase in blood tests for the disease could make for earlier and more accurate detection and diagnosis, potentially taking precedent over standard methods that are “expensive, invasive and not always accessible.”
Costs for people with dementia, which Alzheimer’s is a form of, are projected to reach $384 billion this year and nearly $1 trillion by 2050. Up and coming blood tests could also help recruitment for Alzheimer’s clinical trials and cut down wait times for disease assessment. Healthcare experts have contributed the forecasted dramatic increase in Alzheimer’s to an increase in the aging population and improved diagnosis.
We’re now closer to being able to diagnose the most common form of dementia with a simple test. The Food and Drug Administration on May 16 said it cleared the first blood test for Alzheimer’s disease.
The blood test is for patients 55 and older who have signs and symptoms of the mind-robbing disease.
The Lumipulse blood plasma test detects a disease hallmark, amyloid plaques, which form in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
This approval marks a milestone for patients, their families and doctors, said Howard Fillit, co-founder and chief science officer at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation.
“The ability to diagnose Alzheimer’s earlier with a simple blood test, like we do for cholesterol, is a game changer, allowing more patients to receive treatment options that have the potential to significantly slow or even prevent the disease,” Fillit said.
In a statement, FDA Commissioner Martin Makary said 10% of people aged 65 and older have Alzheimer’s. “I am hopeful that new medical products such as this one will help patients,” Makary said.
The Lumipulse blood test is made by Japanese company, Fujirebio Diagnostics, which markets a similar Alzheimer’s test that measures cerebrospinal fluid collected by spinal tap. The company did not return messages from USA TODAY asking when the blood test would be available and how much it would cost.
The test calculates a ratio of two proteins, tau and amyloid, found in blood plasma. The ratio approximates a measure of whether a patient has amyloid plaques in their brains − a disease hallmark that is now detected by images from expensive PET scans.
In clearing the new blood test, the FDA evaluated a clinical study that measured 499 samples from adults who were cognitively impaired. The study measured how often the blood test detected amyloid plaque compared to existing PET scans or spinal fluid tests.
The blood test picked up nearly 92% of cases detected by scans or spinal fluid. Less than 20% of cases received an inconclusive result, the FDA said. In a news release, the FDA said the test can “reliably predict the presence or absence of amyloid pathology associated with Alzheimer’s disease” in people who are cognitively impaired.
The test is meant to be used at memory clinics or other specialized care settings. Risks include possible false positive or false negative results. Alzheimer’s researchers believe the disease takes root with brain changes before memory and thinking problems surface.
Eli Lilly’s Kisunla and Eisai and Biogen’s drug Leqembi include warnings for MRI-visible injuries, which can include brain swelling and tiny bleeds at the surface of the brain.
Abigail Joselyn, a self-described “extrovert,” says she used to rarely do anything, including buying groceries, solo. That is until the (now) 26-year-old decided to throw caution to the wind, quit her promising accounting job, buy a van, and live in it while traveling around the country. Joselyn says the journey has been pretty lonely during the last two years, but she never regrets her decision: The solitude has made her a stronger, more resilient person. Here’s her story, as told to associate health conditions director, Julia Sullivan.
After earning my master’s degree in 2021, I immediately got my CPA and started working at a major accounting firm in Lakeland, Florida—one of “The Big Four.” Though I took pride in my performance and was good at what I did, I was miserable, logging super long hours. I remember my mom saying to me at one point, “When you’re not working, you’re a completely different person.” My career was sucking all of the joy from my life.
During this time, I started going on excursions anytime I had a long holiday weekend—I was desperate for a break. On one trip in particular with a friend, we started talking about “van life”—nomadic solo travelers who live, and explore the country, in their vehicles. We followed some people on social media who posted about it, but it never clicked in my brain that it was something I could do until that conversation. (I had never even been camping in general, let alone traveled anywhere by myself!)
When I got back home, “van life” was just something I just couldn’t get out of my mind. I’m a pretty impulsive person—I thought, ‘Why not me? Why couldn’t I do something like this?’ So, I told my parents I wanted to a) buy and build out an empty van, and b) see if my job would let me work remotely on the road. Of course, they (especially my dad) figured it was a “whim” kind of thing. I had what everyone wanted, right? Why would I try to blow up my life like that? I just knew I couldn’t stay on my current path for much longer. Something needed to change.
About two months after returning from that trip, I began test-driving vehicles and got really excited. This felt like something I could actually do. I think my parents were still a little skeptical, but after I made a down payment on one, things suddenly became real. In the next few months, they helped me put in 20 or more hours per week to build out my new four-wheeled home. My job was surprisingly onboard—(they agreed to let me work fully remote). However, I knew I wouldn’t have the experience I wanted—or the energy to do this—if I was still working a ton of hours each week. So, with some money saved up (and the hope that I could make a little more by boosting my social media presence), I quit my job and prepared to set out on the road for at least a year, I told myself, to see if this was something I could achieve.
My mom joined me for the first 16 days, traveling from Asheville, North Carolina (where my parents were located) to the California coast. It was a really special, beautiful trip. I think because she was with me, it didn’t feel real at first. When my mom finally left, I remember crying the entire day. I was so afraid. I recall finding a little spot on the California beach to park the first night by myself, unsure where I’d go next. I realized I wasn’t going home anytime soon. This tiny van was my home now.
The next morning, I decided to pack up and head to Joshua Tree National Park in California. Again, I wasn’t *really* sure what I was doing (and everything still felt so overwhelming), but one evening in that area, when I was making dinner, a girl and her dog walked past me. She mentioned that she and her friends—other people living in vans—were having a bonfire later that evening, and invited me. We all clicked straight away, and those people are some of my closest friends today. Sure, I did this as a self-discovery journey, hoping to find out who I truly was. But I had no idea the kind of community around it.
Of course, that hasn’t always been the case. In those early days, before I built up a friend group of other Van-Lifers, I was lonely a lot—particularly during holidays. We’re not big on them in my family, but I recall my mom calling me on Christmas Day when I was alone in White Sands National Park in New Mexico. After we hung up, I watched a bunch of families sliding down the sand dunes, laughing and having fun. I started sobbing.
While moments like that have been (and still sometimes are) hard for me, I have to remind myself that this was my choice. I don’t have to be alone—I can drive anywhere, and see anyone, I want, at any time. That’s a big deal, because a lot of people might think living solo in a van would be scary. I actually felt more afraid of being by myself in an apartment, or even walking home from the bars! Sure, I’ve had a couple of unnerving experiences on the road—particularly in cities. But I could simply…drive away. If someone knocks on my door when my window covers are up, I just jump into the driver’s seat and leave. I’m always moving, so it feels less scary.
In that sense, I’ve discovered one beautiful part of this solitary lifestyle:
When I go somewhere, it’s because I *actually* want to do it. I don’t drop in on friends or catch scenery across the country because it’s convenient—I carve time out and make an effort. Still, that freedom can come with major decision fatigue. I always tell people: You can have a lazy night in a van, but you can never have a lazy day. There are so many things you have to plan, from figuring out where I can park at night to mapping out my route each day.
Speaking of: Being sick is really brutal because you still have so many chores and so much to do. Even when I feel awful, I still have to go to the grocery store, fill my water tank, and dump my portable compost toilet. Those are days where I’m like, ‘Wow, life would be so easy to just live in a house, to get something delivered, and to relax.’ It can be a lot.
Then there’s dating, which has been…challenging. You have to make compromises to make relationships work, and to live this kind of lifestyle you have to be a little selfish. I’ve dated a few people who also live in vans, but it’s such a small community. I recently got out of a relationship with a stationary girl, who I’d drive or fly to see. But schedule-wise, it doesn’t add up: I have so much freedom, and she didn’t. It’s just hard.
I’ve been on the road for two years and I plan to do it for another two. Beyond that point, I’d love to own a small piece of land and build a tiny little home on it—I don’t think I could go back to the way things were. But I don’t think I could ever sell my van. I have such special memories of building it with my parents.
For someone who might want to try something like this: You don’t have to go from nothing to living in a van. You can plan solo hikes, or even just go to a restaurant to eat by yourself. Every little thing you do alone, no matter how big or small, will build your confidence. Before this journey, I was afraid to be by myself. Now, when I see a hike I really want to do, I go out and actually do it—no companion necessary. That was never me before. Our society makes us feel stuck, but that’s never the case.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Amelise, known as a van girl, traveled full-time around Europe in jungles, parks, tourist attractions, shopping areas, and mountains. She enjoys her life but it did not start as easy. She did a lot of research before executing her mission, as it started when she lost a loved one and felt emptiness and boredom by which she got the idea to make her own van and start a journey. She has the company of her dog Gigi, records videos and shares them with her fans on YouTube Solo Van Life: Italy Trip for Pistachio and Tiramisu! 😉 to be a part of her solo journey.
These days, she is traveling across Italy and sharing her journey on her YouTube channel. Ame has shared a vlog about her 1000th day in a van life as a solo female as well as repairing her fan and showering.
“I lived a fairly normal existence up until 2019, However this all changed when someone very close to me died. When this happened everything else in my life came crashing down and made me question if life was really worth the pain of living and loss. I asked myself ‘what makes life worth living?’, and I simply couldn’t find an answer. At this point, I hit rock bottom. I couldn’t see the purpose of living a normal existence anymore, it just was not worth the pain of existing to me. Then, I realised the problem, I had never been living, I had been surviving, merely existing, just ‘getting through’ each day… Something I think a lot of people can relate to.”
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live life on the open road, with nothing but the vast horizon ahead? Adventures, new people, freedom, all of this become a casual occurrence with a lifestyle like that. One person that gets to experience this daily is Amelise Burr, also known as Ame in a Van. She’s a true adventurer who’s embraced the unique lifestyle of portable living and is here to share all the incredible experiences and insights she’s gathered.
Imagine waking up to the gentle rustle of leaves, surrounded by nature’s symphony. That’s just a taste of life in a van for Amelise Burr. Through her inspiring tales, you’ll get a glimpse into the ups, the downs, and the unforgettable moments that come with this unconventional way of life. From awe-inspiring sunsets to the thrill of discovering hidden gems off the beaten path, Ame’s van life is a rollercoaster of unforgettable adventures waiting for you to hop on board!
Buckle up because we’re about to embark on a journey filled with stories of freedom, self-discovery, and the true essence of wanderlust. Get inspired to step out of your comfort zone and embrace the beauty of life on the road. Share with your friends and family and give them this excitement, too!
At 19, I left behind the chaos of instability and tragedy, building my van—Gloria—with my own two hands. What started as survival quickly turned into adventure, and what began as a van became my freedom and path to self-discovery.
My life on the road has taken me to incredible places, but more importantly, it’s helped me discover the truest version of myself. Today, my van life and nomadic existence are still my roots, but creativity is where I find my greatest freedom.
Whether it’s designing my own life, creating films, or curating stories with humor and inspiration, I’m dedicated to using my art to help others escape, dream, and find their own fearless selves. Life isn’t just about survival—it’s about creating something extraordinary.
Through my films, my videos, and my journey, I hope to entertain, inspire, and remind you to live boldly and unapologetically. So, here’s to the dreamers, the creators, and the ones brave enough to be ridiculous—this is just the beginning
I spent over 3 years in total researching van life and designing hundreds of vans before I reached the point where I had enough money and knowledge to take on the build. Once I felt ready, I bought a van and put all my knowledge, research (and passion) to test. I started the build in May 2020 and I eventually finished it in the south of France and I have been travelling since September 2021!
I’d love to take you with me on my travels or at least help to inspire you with your own version of van life. So here on my site I have shared everything I wanted to know about van life and wished I had available to me before I started my van build & living in a van (especially as a DIY newbie)!
What motivated her to start this conversion project?
Amélise Burr was motivated to start her van conversion project by a combination of personal loss, a desire for freedom, and a fascination with tiny living. After the passing of her grandmother in 2019, she found herself questioning the meaning of life and realized she had been merely existing rather than truly living.
She became inspired by the concept of van life after discovering it on YouTube, feeling an instant connection to the idea of a simple, nomadic lifestyle. Over the next three years, she meticulously planned, saved money, and built her van, Gloria, from scratch. The COVID-19 lockdown also provided her with the opportunity to focus on the conversion, turning her dream into reality2.
Her journey is a testament to resilience and the pursuit of a life filled with adventure and purpose.
Amélise Burr is a social media personality known for her van life adventures.
She converted a Ford Transit van into a camper and has been traveling full-time, sharing her experiences online. She grew up in the UK but is originally from France2. Her journey into van life was inspired by personal experiences, including the loss of her grandmother. She documents her travels and lifestyle through various platforms, gaining a significant following3. You can check out more about her on her official website.
Amélise Burr is a van life enthusiast and content creator who shares her experiences traveling full-time in her van, Gloria, with her dog, Gigi. She documents her journey through social media and YouTube, where she talks about van conversions, solo female travel, and the ups and downs of life on the road2. Her story is one of adventure and self-discovery, having built her van at 19 and embraced a nomadic lifestyle. You can check out more about her on
Amélise Burr’s van life journey is a story of resilience, adventure, and self-discovery. She spent over two years researching van life, designing various van layouts, and saving money before finally purchasing her Ford Transit van, Gloria, in May 2020. She poured her heart into converting it herself, learning everything from wiring to plumbing through online research1.
Her decision to embrace van life was deeply personal—after experiencing a significant loss, she questioned the meaning of life and found inspiration in the simplicity of tiny living. She officially hit the road in September 2021 and has been traveling full-time across Europe with her dog, Gigi1.
Amélise funds her travels through multiple income streams, including YouTube ads, Patreon, brand sponsorships, and PayPal donations. She has explored various European countries and much of the UK, with plans to continue her journey for the next decade2. Her story is a testament to the freedom and fulfillment that van life can offer, especially for solo female travelers.
What challenges did Amélise face during her van life journey?
Amélise Burr has faced several challenges during her van life journey, but she has tackled them with resilience and adaptability. Some of the key difficulties she encountered include:
Van Conversion Struggles: Building her van, Gloria, from scratch was a steep learning curve. She had to teach herself everything from wiring to plumbing, often working in difficult conditions like rain and cold weather.
Financial Constraints: She saved diligently to afford her van and conversion, ensuring she could live debt-free on the road.
Solo Travel Concerns: As a solo female traveler, safety was a priority. While she hasn’t faced major incidents, she remains cautious and prepared for unexpected situations.
Emotional Challenges: The loss of her grandmother was a driving force behind her decision to embrace van life. While the journey has been fulfilling, it has also been an emotional rollercoaster.
Adapting to Van Life: Living in a small space requires constant problem-solving, from managing water supply to dealing with breakdowns and maintenance.
Despite these challenges, Amélise has embraced the freedom and adventure of van life, inspiring many with her journey.
What motivated her to start this conversion project?
Amélise Burr was motivated to start her van conversion project by a combination of personal loss, a desire for freedom, and a fascination with tiny living. After the passing of her grandmother in 2019, she found herself questioning the meaning of life and realized she had been merely existing rather than truly living.
She became inspired by the concept of van life after discovering it on YouTube, feeling an instant connection to the idea of a simple, nomadic lifestyle. Over the next three years, she meticulously planned, saved money, and built her van, Gloria, from scratch.
The COVID-19 lockdown also provided her with the opportunity to focus on the conversion, turning her dream into reality. Her journey is a testament to resilience and the pursuit of a life filled with adventure and purpose2.
How has Amélise Burr influenced the van life community?
Amélise Burr has made a significant impact on the van life community by inspiring others to embrace a nomadic lifestyle. Through her social media presence, she shares the realities of van life, including the challenges and rewards of living on the road. Her journey, which began after converting a Ford Transit van into a camper, has resonated with many aspiring van lifers2.
She has demonstrated that van life is accessible to those willing to plan and adapt, showing how she financed her travels through savings and online content creation. Her transparency about the ups and downs of solo travel, particularly as a female traveler, has encouraged others to pursue their own adventures with confidence2. Additionally, her content provides practical insights into van conversions, budgeting, and remote work, making her a valuable resource for the community.
Would you like to explore more about her van conversion process or her travel experiences?
Amélise Burr, also known as “Ame in a Van,” is a solo female van lifer who has been traveling full-time across Europe with her dog, Gigi, in her self-converted van, Gloria2. She grew up in the UK but has French roots. Her journey into van life began after a personal loss, which led her to reevaluate her life and seek adventure and freedom on the road2.
She meticulously researched van life for over two years before purchasing and converting her Ford Transit van. Since then, she has documented her experiences through social media, sharing insights into van conversion, solo travel, and the challenges and joys of living on the road2. Her content has resonated with many, inspiring others to pursue a nomadic lifestyle.
Amélise funds her travels through various income streams, including YouTube ads, Patreon, brand sponsorships, and donations from her followers. She has traveled extensively across the UK and several European countries and plans to continue exploring Europe for the next decade1.
Would you like to know more about her van conversion process or her favorite travel destinations?
What are some of her favorite travel destinations?
Amélise Burr has explored various destinations across Europe in her van, Gloria. While she hasn’t publicly listed a definitive set of favorites, her content suggests she enjoys places with stunning natural landscapes and peaceful surroundings. Some locations she has traveled to include:
Scenic coastal areas: She has spent time in Portugal, particularly in the Algarve region, known for its breathtaking beaches and sunny weather.
Remote countryside spots: She enjoys finding hidden gems off the beaten path, where she can park her van in nature and wake up to serene views.
European cities: While she prefers nature, she has also visited cities for cultural experiences and necessities.
Her travels are constantly evolving, and she continues to explore new places. If you’re interested in following her journey, you can check out her social media for updates on her latest destinations.
Would you like to know more about how she plans her travels or her van setup?
Amélise Burr plans her travels with a mix of spontaneity and careful research. She often chooses destinations based on scenic beauty, accessibility for her van, and safety considerations. She relies on apps and online resources to find suitable parking spots, campsites, and hidden gems off the beaten path.
She also factors in seasonal weather conditions, ensuring she avoids extreme temperatures that could make van life uncomfortable. Additionally, she stays flexible, adjusting her plans based on recommendations from fellow travelers and her own experiences on the road.
Amélise Burr’s van, Gloria, is a self-converted Ford Transit that she transformed into a cozy home on wheels. She purchased the van for £5,000 and spent around £2,000 on the conversion. Some key features of her setup include:
Insulation & Flooring: She installed insulation to keep the van comfortable in different climates and added flooring for a homey feel.
Kitchen Area: Her van includes a compact kitchen with a stove, sink, and storage for cooking essentials.
Sleeping Space: She designed a bed setup that maximizes space while providing comfort.
Shower & Utilities: Despite the limited space, she managed to include a shower for convenience.
Roof Rack & Ladder: Her van features a large roof rack and ladder, adding extra storage and accessibility.
She documented the entire conversion process online, sharing insights into the challenges and triumphs of building her mobile home. If you’re curious about her van life experiences, you can check out her website.
Would you like to know more about her daily routine or how she manages van life expenses?
Amélise Burr has had a range of incredible travel experiences while living on the road in her van, Gloria. She often shares breathtaking moments, from waking up to the sounds of nature to discovering hidden gems off the beaten path. Her journey is filled with awe-inspiring sunsets, encounters with new people, and the thrill of exploring diverse landscapes.
One of her most notable experiences was her decision to embrace van life after a personal tragedy—the loss of her grandmother. This moment of reflection led her to pursue a life of adventure and self-sufficiency. She has traveled across various countries, documenting her experiences and showing how van life can be both freeing and challenging.
You can explore more about her adventures on her official website. Would you like to know more about her van conversion process or how she manages life on the road?
Amélise Burr has had several unforgettable adventures during her van life journey.
Some of her most memorable trips include:
Exploring the UK and Europe: She has traveled extensively across the UK and various European countries, embracing the freedom of van life.
Sunset views and hidden gems: She often shares breathtaking moments, from awe-inspiring sunsets to discovering off-the-beaten-path locations.
Personal transformation through travel: Her journey into van life was deeply personal, inspired by the loss of her grandmother. This experience shaped her perspective on adventure and self-sufficiency.
What were the biggest obstacles in her van conversion?
Amélise Burr faced several obstacles during her van conversion, but she tackled them with determination and creativity. Some of the biggest challenges included:
Learning DIY Skills: She had to teach herself everything from wiring to plumbing, often relying on online tutorials and trial-and-error.
Budget Constraints: She spent around £7,000 ($10,000) on the entire conversion, using reclaimed materials to keep costs down.
Weather Conditions: Working on the van in unpredictable weather, including rain and cold, made the process more difficult.
Space Optimization: Designing a functional and comfortable living space within a small van required careful planning and problem-solving.
Building a Shower: She managed to install a shower herself, even adding pink tiles to personalize it.
Despite these challenges, Amélise successfully transformed her Ford Transit into a cozy mobile home, inspiring others with her journey.
Amélise Burr shares a wealth of advice for those looking to embrace van life. She emphasizes the importance of thorough research before diving in—she spent over two years studying van life and designing vans before committing to her own build. She encourages aspiring van lifers to believe in themselves, highlighting that she was able to build, wire, and plumb her own van just through online research.
She also stresses the significance of financial planning, as she saved wisely to afford her van without debt. Additionally, she advises people to embrace the adventure and live in the moment, rather than getting caught up in societal expectations.
How does van life change one’s perspective on travel?
Van life transforms travel from a temporary escape into a way of life. Instead of planning trips around vacation days, van lifers embrace spontaneity, waking up to new landscapes whenever they choose. It fosters a deeper connection to nature, as people trade hotels for campsites and city streets for mountain views.
It also shifts priorities—travel becomes less about luxury and more about simplicity and self-sufficiency. Many van lifers find joy in minimalism, realizing they need far fewer possessions to be happy. The experience encourages resourcefulness, as living in a small space requires creative problem-solving.
Most importantly, van life redefines freedom. Without the constraints of a fixed home, travelers can follow their curiosity, explore hidden gems, and immerse themselves in diverse cultures at their own pace.
What are common experiences that change perspectives in van life?
Van life offers a unique lens through which people often redefine their values and priorities. Some of the most common experiences that shift perspectives include:
Embracing Minimalism – Living in a van forces people to downsize, teaching them that happiness isn’t tied to material possessions but rather to experiences and connections.
Adapting to Uncertainty – Van lifers quickly learn to embrace unpredictability, whether it’s dealing with mechanical issues, finding a safe place to park, or adjusting to changing weather.
Deepening Connection to Nature – Waking up in breathtaking landscapes fosters a greater appreciation for the environment, encouraging sustainable living and mindfulness.
Challenging Social Norms – Many van lifers step away from traditional career paths and societal expectations, realizing that fulfillment doesn’t always come from a 9-to-5 job.
Strengthening Problem-Solving Skills – With limited resources, van dwellers become more resourceful, learning to fix things on the go and navigate unexpected challenges.
How has van life changed her perspective on living?
Van life has profoundly changed Amélise Burr’s perspective on living. She has embraced a minimalist lifestyle, realizing that happiness doesn’t come from material possessions but from experiences and connections. Living on the road has taught her to appreciate the simple things—like a beautiful sunrise, a quiet forest, or the freedom to wake up in a new place every day.
She has also learned to be more adaptable and resilient. Challenges like van breakdowns, unpredictable weather, and navigating unfamiliar places have strengthened her problem-solving skills and independence. Additionally, van life has deepened her appreciation for nature and sustainability, as she has become more conscious of her resource consumption.
Overall, her journey has reinforced the idea that life is meant to be lived fully, without waiting for the “perfect” moment. She has found joy in the unexpected and has inspired others to pursue their own unconventional paths.
Would you ever consider trying van life, even for a short adventure?
They were revolutionaries who risked everything for freedom.
The Founding Fathers didn’t want career politicians
Our Founding Fathers recognized the importance of having citizen politicians.
And The Founding Fathers were not career politicians.
Citizen politicians defined more than 248 years ago as people who participate in the political process, and these people come from all walks of life, such as farmers, businesses, law practices, inn keepers, chimney sweepers and schoolteachers.
These citizen politicians’ participation in the people’s government resulted in fresh new realistic practical ideas from the communities they live in. These ideas come from the community bringing reality and cultural inspiration based on real-world experiences. These citizen politicians represent the people’s government and after their politicking is done, they simply travel home to their private citizen lives once again.
What is deeply saddening is the evolutionary process of the professional politician, who’s only goal in life is to stay in that elected seat full-time and forever. Resulting in stagnant ideas, with no possible sense of connection to the real people that elected them. In addition, a lack of connection to any sense of reality at all, these professional politicians are more closely aligned to an elitist mindset nowhere grounded to the community they are supposed to represent.
Our Founding Fathers never intended to make citizens full-time politicians, or they would have written term limits into the Constitution for all elected officials from dogcatcher to the president, do you agree?
I was watching a clip of Sen. Ben Sasse on Colbert, and he repeated an idea that I’ve heard countless times since forever: that Congress isn’t functioning the way the founders imagined, and that the body is at its second weakest in U.S. history.
“The Founders didn’t have a vision of the world where people wanted to be in politics, move to DC, and stay there forever. You’re supposed to think the place you’re from is the most interesting place in the world. We use the term historically “public service,” because you go to Washington to serve for a time then go back home. Right now most people in Washington, their biggest long-term thought is about their own incumbency.”
As the audience did the obligatory applause for this feel-good truism, I realized that every Founder I could name off the top of my head was a lifelong politician with about 30 years working in federal politics and government.
However, it would be more accurate to say that this vision of a political leader was more of an aspiration or a theoretical influence on the Founders than to say that it was what they’d experienced for themselves, or what they actually expected of the nation they were founding.
Certainly career politicians existed both in England and to a lesser degree in the colonies, and every one of the Founders would have had a good idea of what they were like. But Enlightenment ideas about early Greek and Roman democracies/republics were a strong influence on the political philosophy of the day, and the idea of the citizen-politician who preferred a quiet life at home to the accumulation of permanent power was an ideal that many of them appreciated.
The Society of the Cincinnati, a post-Revolutionary association of veterans of that war, was named for Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, a Roman who was supposedly granted supreme dictatorial powers to deal with an emergency, refrained from using it to enrich himself or build a political power base, and retired peacefully to his farm to live out the rest of his days. Parallels were drawn between his example and that of George Washington when he refrained from using his postwar prominence and Presidency to enrich his family or entrench his power base.
There is a long standing debate about the nature of elected office.
On the one hand is the delegate model of representation. Our elected legislators are there to express the interests of the people who elect them. They should not express their own conscience nor invoke their own expertise where it conflicts with the interests or opinions of the constituency. In this model, the representative should be of short-duration for fear that their will be captured by the interests and fashions of the capital. Sasse is arguing this view.
This model was contested most famously by Edmund Burke in his formulation of the trustee model of representation in 1774. The people select a trustee who is somewhat autonomous and may act in the common good or the national interest, as opposed to the parochial interests of the constituency. Burke encapsulated this as:
“Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.”
Burke is considered the father of modern British conservatism. He was a leading MP during the Revolution, lending his support to the grievances of the American colonies and promoting a peaceful reconciliation between Britain and America in advance of Lexington and Concord. The founding fathers were not only aware of Burke, but intimately and actively involved in that exact debate.
Sources: Burke’s Speech to the Electors at Bristol at the Conclusion of the Poll (1774) from The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke. Volume I (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854)
Is there any truth to this notion at all?
Certainly, it’s wrong to say that Jefferson or Madison couldn’t imagine it.
Was that ever the “norm” for national politics?
If it was merely an aspirational desire, was it ever achieved to any degree?
And why did so many of them discard that ideal to further their own careers?
President Trump’s America-first agenda and Elon Musk (through DOGE) has made it really easy to find the corrupt thieves in Washington D.C, in the Republican and Democrat parties, and in the judicial system – including SCOTUS.
Corruption in D.C. isn’t partisan—it’s systemic. The DOGE investigation into lawmakers’ wealth exposed how career politicians magically turn $174K salaries into $20M fortunes. Pelosi’s venture capitalist ties, Schumer’s portfolio spikes before key votes, and the STOCK Act’s laughable enforcement prove both parties game the system. SCOTUS? Let’s just say lifetime appointments with zero accountability aren’t helping. The real issue? A swamp so deep it takes an outsider like Musk to drain it. But don’t hold your breath—career bureaucrats and their legal shields make accountability a pipe dream. As an American citizen, it’s infuriating to know about all the corruption – now with data to back it up—and
just sit around waiting for the FBI or The DOJ to act! I get that investigations
take time, but people don’t want to wait years for justice.
Something’s got to give—we need results now!
Yes and if you aren’t yet following her @DataRepublican has taken the DOGE findings to the next level and truly connected the dots with AI tools. She’s named the names and uncovered all the NGO connections. Between DOGE and Data they have nowhere left to hide. DEFRAUDING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, Racketeering Enterprise by the Washington establishment. So true! President Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE are shining a light on the corruption in D.C. and SCOTUS.
It took a total team effort from Democratic politicians to the White House staff to the media to hide the fact that the President of the United States was mentally diminished.
If there were a RICO crime, half of Washington would be frog-marched to the nearest federal courthouse. They’re squirming bro, exposed as the thieves they are, hoarding power while the hardworking American gets crushed.
If you’re not with MAGA, you’re with the swamp, 100%. So, pick a side, stand with Trump and Musk to drain this cesspool, or slink back to the shadows with the RINOs and leftists. There’s no middle ground anymore.
Knowing who they are, Pres Trump has still been running into roadblocks, either the AG, DOJ along with the FBI becomes as aggressive as the Dems are in stopping the Pres policies the next four years will be just or nearly as frustrating as the Biden years concerning America.
True. President Trump’s America-First agenda and Musk’s push for transparency have exposed the corruption on both sides of the aisle.
It’s time to hold Washington accountable – no matter who’s involved.
In that Administration Joe Biden was never in control. A cabal of insiders orchestrated a scheme to deceive the nation for their own gain. Greed and unstoppable power. A free-for-all went on under an enfeebled President and insiders covered it up. America paid the price. Questions about Joe Biden’s fragility were swatted away like flies and a hawkish Jill Ed.D controlled the swatter. It took an army to pull it off.
An army of Washington fat cats, invisible shadow actors, staffers, Obama, Pelosi, Schumer, the media.
Biden was plopped in the Oval. A fake “Mattel dream White House” set was established to accommodate the senior needs of the mentally declining Biden. The big lie. Because Democrats refused to let Trump win. Denials and sharp as tack campaigns ebbed and flowed. A disastrous four years of obscene spending policies and topless trans on the lawn at the White House.
The list of disgraces goes on and on. And just like that, it all ended. Trump won!!!
But something new in the House of Secrets has shifted.
A parade of insider confessions about the autopen era are suddenly gushing forth.
What’s changed? Jake Tapper’s bombshell book ‘Original Sin’—it indicates a coverup of a steeply declining Joe Biden. A curious endeavor, considering Tapper was Biden’s go-to guy, he HAD to have known Joe was failing.
In fact, he DID know. Quite a lot. Tapper just didn’t report on it to save America from the biggest political heist in the history of this great country. Instead, he decided to monetize his findings in a bestseller, which presumably, had Biden won, be released in Joe 2.0.
After the public outrage, Kamala Harris — who can’t win without a coronation, would be installed. They almost pulled it off. But they didn’t count on America rejecting Democrat policies and electing Donald Trump. Tapper’s soon to be released tell-all has DC insiders in a coverup panic.
So one by one, we get true confessions from Jenny Psaki on air, denying she knew and Karine Jean-Pierre—in a “who’s Joe?” moment claimed she “rarely saw Biden.
These Cartoon Characters Created with Grok. Click here to edit.
The first black lesbian press secretary was Biden’s trophy on the Mattel White House wall. Jake Sullivan, Biden’s National Security advisor denies the deep state ran the country in the fake Biden presidency. But wait. In a plot twist, comes an unexpected bombshell release —AHEAD of Tapper’s book.
It was heart wrenching watching Biden and should be a history lesson.
While the real president, Barack Obama basked in the glow of 12 years of Obamacare. The Afghanistan withdrawal, Deception, lies, pardons, rogue judge appointments, to the federal agency thievery, while laundering taxpayer money t0 the war in Ukraine.
It was a bogus stolen election of a 4-year farce to behold.
When was Michelle Obama was Vice President?
Joe was never Vice President either.
Americans watched a carefully orchestrated plan unfold. It was the best kept secret. Dare to question the mental faculties of the 46th commander-in-chief, and the shame army came out. Upsets on the domestic and global stage—blunders, the hand shakes with thin air happened with frequency.
A loyal press scrubbed each embarrassing incident away. Joe Biden was trotted out like a circus pony to follow the tape arrows on the floor, to read scripts crafted by others, and to smile and nod. It was the dirtiest bait and switch pulled on Americans in the modern era. When Biden decided to run for a second term (God help us) aggressive efforts to hide his cognitive diminishment.
Barack Obama’s Hope and change of a transformational America came to pass in 1.0.
The greatest nation on earth was to become barely recognizable…that was the plan. And here we are. Biden’s coverup crew needs to be held accountable. The department of justice must act so this level of abuse, overreach, and deception never happens again.
Horses have a unique ability to facilitate profound healing in humans, extending far beyond mere companionship. Their therapeutic power stems from their exceptional sensitivity, non-judgmental nature, and capacity to mirror human emotions 1 3. Two powerful lessons learned from horses are that they are healers and can provide companionship and emotional support 245.
There are moments in life when healing does not come from words, medicines, or carefully orchestrated interventions. Sometimes, it comes quietly — through the deep, honest gaze of another living being. And sometimes, that being stands on four legs.
I’ve always believed that healing requires not only knowledge but a profound shift in awareness — a movement away from the mind’s noise into something simpler, more primal. It was only when I encountered equine therapy that this idea moved from theory to experience.
A Different Kind of Therapy
Traditional therapy, for all its profound tools and breakthroughs, often remains a highly cognitive exercise. You talk. You analyze. You rationalize. You try to “figure things out.” But for some — including myself — there are times when words fail, when explanations feel hollow, when the mind’s intricate webs only deepen the confusion instead of resolving it.
This is where horses come in. Standing next to a horse, you quickly realize there is no room for pretense. You can’t outsmart or outtalk a horse. They are not impressed by résumés, wealth, charm, or excuses. They don’t understand your language — they understand your presence.
Horses mirror your inner state without judgment. Tense, they tense. Relaxed, they relax. Fearful, they respond with distance. Present, they meet you halfway.
It is the most honest therapy I have ever encountered — and it demands that you, too, become honest.
The Science Behind the Mystery
Skeptics often ask, “Isn’t this just another wellness trend?” But the emerging body of research suggests otherwise.
Studies show that horse-assisted therapy improves emotional regulation, reduces symptoms of PTSD and anxiety, lowers cortisol levels, and boosts self-confidence and social engagement. Children on the autism spectrum often experience breakthroughs with horses when other therapies fall short.
In fact, a 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology revealed that equine-assisted interventions significantly reduced stress and increased emotional resilience among participants with anxiety disorders.
But while science is catching up, the deeper truth is something that cannot be fully captured in graphs or studies. It must be felt.
Energy Doesn’t Lie
One of the most profound lessons I learned from horses is that energy precedes behavior.
We are so conditioned in human society to judge people by what they say or do. Yet in the animal world, particularly with horses, energy is the first and primary communication tool.
A horse doesn’t wait for you to articulate your intentions. It feels them.
If you show up scattered, tense, or distracted, a horse will immediately pick it up. If you pretend to be calm while harboring fear, they know. They demand your authentic presence — and nothing less.
In a way, horses force you into a kind of meditative awareness. You must be here now, not thinking about yesterday’s mistakes or tomorrow’s fears. You must breathe. You must feel.
And when you do — something miraculous happens. The horse responds in kind.
No Agenda, No Judgment
Unlike human therapists, horses have no hidden agendas. They are not trying to fix you, diagnose you, or reshape you. They simply reflect who you are in the moment — with an honesty that is both brutal and beautiful.
The more time you spend with them, the more you begin to peel away the layers of performance you didn’t even know you were wearing. Layers like:
The need to impress.
The fear of vulnerability.
The compulsion to control outcomes.
With horses, none of it matters. Only your true energy matters. Only your presence.
Healing begins when masks fall away.
A Return to the Body
In today’s world, many of us are disembodied — living almost entirely in our heads. We overthink. We overanalyze. We spin stories and scenarios until we are tangled in anxiety and paralysis.
Equine therapy demands that you come back to your body.
You begin to notice your breathing. Your heartbeat. Your posture. You feel the way your muscles tighten when you are afraid and loosen when you trust. You experience, viscerally, what it means to inhabit yourself again.
It is a return not just to the body, but to life.
The Heart’s Synchronization
There’s a fascinating phenomenon that researchers have observed: when humans spend time with horses, their heart rates synchronize.
It’s as if, on a primal level, two nervous systems — human and horse — find a common rhythm, a shared language without words.
This deep resonance goes beyond therapy techniques. It taps into something ancient: the bond between humans and animals, a bond built not on dominance, but on mutual respect and energetic alignment.
In a world obsessed with technology and virtual connections, rediscovering this primal connection feels nothing short of revolutionary.
Not Just for Trauma Survivors
While equine therapy has shown remarkable results with individuals suffering from PTSD, autism, anxiety, and trauma, its potential reaches far wider.
It’s for anyone who feels disconnected — from themselves, from others, from life.
It’s for professionals burnt out by endless deadlines. It’s for parents overwhelmed by the ceaseless demands of caregiving. It’s for seekers who have lost their inner compass and crave a reconnection with something real.
In the presence of a horse, you don’t have to perform, achieve, or explain. You simply have to be.
And sometimes, that’s all it takes to remember who you are.
Barriers and Hopes
Of course, equine therapy is not universally accessible. It requires trained facilitators, resources, safe environments, and — most importantly — horses themselves, which are not always available to underserved communities.
Organizations like the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) and the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) are working to expand access.
I dream of a future where healing spaces — not just clinics or hospitals — include sanctuaries where humans can reconnect with animals, the earth, and themselves.
Because sometimes the deepest healing does not come from understanding or intervention. It comes from being seen — truly seen — by another living being.
A Personal Reflection
The first time I stood in the field with a horse during a therapy session, I remember feeling exposed. All the strategies I had used to navigate the world — charm, intellect, humor — fell away. They simply didn’t matter.
All that mattered was whether I could show up fully, honestly, vulnerably. And when I finally did — when I dropped the defenses — the horse approached me. Quietly. Calmly. As if to say: I see you.
That moment was more healing than a hundred therapy sessions.
It was a reminder that I am enough, without adornment, without achievements. It was a reminder that life itself — raw, unfiltered, present — is enough.
Final Thoughts: Lessons from the Silent Healers
If there is one thing horses have taught me, it is this:
Healing is less about fixing and more about feeling.
Growth is less about striving and more about surrendering.
Connection is less about words and more about presence.
The most honest therapist you will ever meet may very well have four legs and no agenda.
Sometimes, to heal, we don’t need to talk more or think harder. We need to feel more deeply, breathe more fully, and show up more truthfully — just as the horses teach us.
And when we do, we may find that what we have been searching for was never really lost. It was simply waiting — quietly, patiently — for us to remember the way home.
The farmer buys an old horse out of pity, never imagining the incredible secret it was hiding in a shadowy auction, an abandoned horse, and a farmer with an unexplainable instinct. When Ambrose Calloway bought a forgotten animal for just fifty dollars, he had no idea he was rescuing a former champion—and uncovering a dangerous secret. What happened to Waymaker? Why did someone try to erase his past? And more importantly, how far will they go to make sure he’s never found? A gripping mystery where every clue reveals an even greater danger. Watch until the end and uncover the truth!
Grace, Grit & Gratitude: A Cancer Thriver’s Journey from Hospice to Full Recovery
with the Healing Power of Horses Paperback – July 30, 2021
To the outside eye, it looked like Tara Coyote was living the perfect life in the suburbs with her musician husband, successful Pilates studio and Brady Bunch type family. What the outside world didn’t see was the pivotal event that turned her life upside down.
Grace, Grit & Gratitude is one woman’s story of a profound bond with horses that carried her through nine years of pain, trauma, cancer and the challenges of loss. It is about finding the courage to face one’s shadow in the darkest hour. Learn how the ancient principles of death and rebirth from the Mesopotamian Goddess, Inanna, has saved more than just one life.
Follow one woman’s spiritual journey of pain, perseverance and discovery with the unexpected power of her horses and ancient teachings as her guide.
A portion of the sale of each book will be donated to The Wild Beauty Foundation, an organization that works to raise awareness for the wild horses of North America. As Tara’s mustang, Comanche has had a profound impact upon her life, she is passionate about supporting this important cause!
Tara Coyote is the founder of Wind Horse Sanctuary, a certified Eponaquest ‘Equine Facilitated Learning’ instructor, life coach, workshop leader, writer and dancer.
You will find her happily scooping horse manure on Kauai, Hawaii!
Cena’s first skin spot was discovered on his chest – in the area of his left pectoral muscle – during a routine visit to the dermatologist. It was promptly removed and sent for testing. His second spot was noticed a year later on his back, in the area of his left upper trapezius muscle.
“I received the phone call twice, ‘Hey, you’ve got to come back, because the biopsy came back cancerous,’” Cena recalls. “That information is sobering, and it right there prompted me to change my life.”
The 17-time WWE world champion, who is now the face of the new Neutrogena campaign for Ultra Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen SPF 70, says he had always “neglected” sunscreen. But he quickly integrated applying sunscreen into his daily routine, calling it his way of showing “gratitude” after his cancer scare.
“Skin care is a more palatable and accepted term and subject matter amongst women,” he says. Discussions between men can be more difficult to initiate. But it doesn’t have to be that way, he argues. “Men especially are becoming more conscious of self-care. … I just think we need to make it more commonplace.”This scan detected Dwyane Wade’s cancer. Should you get one?
Only 12.3% of men – compared with 29.0% of women – age 18 years or older always used sunscreen when outside on a sunny day for more than 1 hour in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The lowest percentage of men who always used sunscreen was among those age 18-29 years (8.2%); that rate rose to 13.7% among men age 30-44.
Data from a 2025 survey conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Neutrogena, with a sample of 500 Hispanic Americans and 500 general population Americans split evenly by generation, found that nearly a third of respondents never visit a dermatologist or health professional for skin-related checkups, and women were more likely to be advised to wear sunscreen every day as opposed to men (27% vs. 18%).
“SPF is more common in the vernacular of women, and that’s because it is directly correlated with beauty,” Cena says.
There’s no exact cause known for the rise in cancers among young people, according to experts, but researchers are trying to figure it out. But as a silver lining, people have been less likely to die from cancer over the past few decades despite the increasing incidence rate.
For those worried about their own risk – wearing sunscreen is a good place to start. Regular use of SPF 15 sunscreen can reduce your risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) by about 40%, and lower your melanoma risk by 50%, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
John Cena’s final advice for men
He doesn’t care why someone is prompted to use sunscreen – whether it be for beauty or health – just so long as they use it.
“If someone uses SPF, because they don’t want to get wrinkles, it’s like someone going to the gym saying, ‘I want to be ripped.’ But being ‘ripped’ is essentially making healthier choices,” he explains. “So you can go to the gym for aesthetic purposes, but the reward of training goes far more than just aesthetic beauty. I think SPF is in the same lane.”
Cena knows that people need to be “proactive enough” to make substantial changes to their routine, but says it’s “super easy” to be more conscious of your skin.
“I’ve done some pretty aspirational things in the strength and health department, as far as nutritional choices and training regimens, and that’s really complicated, difficult stuff,” he says. But wearing sunscreen is just like “brushing your teeth.”
His vision for the future is for men to start keeping a tube of sunscreen right next to their toothpaste – and remember to use it daily.
“My perspective on life has changed, but it took some real sobering news,” he says. “I don’t want anybody to get there, so I’m just trying to use my platform to get ahead of that one.”
After his skin cancer scare, the 17-time WWE Champion said he immediately made applying sunscreen part of his daily routine.
“Skincare is a more palatable and accepted term and subject matter amongst women,” he told USA Today.
“Discussions between men can be more difficult to initiate. But it doesn’t have to be that way,” he stressed.
“Men especially, are becoming more conscious of self-care… I just think we need to make it more commonplace.”
Women are twice as likely than men to wear sunscreen and by age 50 men have a greater risk for developing melanoma than women.
However, at any age, men are more likely to d!e from melanoma than women, according to the American Academy of Dermotology.
“SPF is more common in the vernacular of women, and that’s because it is directly correlated with beauty,” Cena said.
Women’s morning skincare routine provides an ideal time for sunscreen application, something Cena said men must pay more attention to.
“If someone uses SPF, because they don’t want to get wrinkles, it’s like someone going to the gym saying, ‘I want to be ripped.’ But being ‘ripped’ is essentially making healthier choices,” he explained.
“So you can go to the gym for aesthetic purposes, but the reward of training goes far more than just aesthetic beauty. I think SPF is in the same lane.”
Cena noted that it’s “super easy” to be more conscious of your skin.
“I’ve done some pretty aspirational things in the strength and health department, as far as nutritional choices and training regimens, and that’s really complicated, difficult stuff,” he said.
But wearing SPF is just like “brushing your teeth,” he added.
Cena said he would love to see a tube of sunscreen right next to men’s toothpaste and see them remember to use it daily.
“My perspective on life has changed, but it took some real sobering news,” he said.
In a two-week experiment, BBC Future tracked emissions from a vegan, vegetarian and omnivorous diet – and found some thought-provoking ways to lower emissions from our food.
But the information on which foods are really “sustainable”, “green” or “eco-friendly” is often confusing – and sometimes such terms are outright misleading. With products from beef to beer now being sold bearing a “carbon neutral” label, how can you make sure what you’re eating is genuinely sustainable?
To find out the answers, BBC Future worked with Sarah Bridle, professor of food, climate and society at the University of York in the UK, and freelance sustainability researcher Rebecca Lait to analyse our food emissions in a two-week experiment. We tracked the diets of a vegan, Zaria Gorvett, and a vegetarian, Martha Henriques – counting everything from lovingly home-made meals to furtive cupboard snacks. We also tracked dietary data from a volunteer omnivore, who provided us with a baseline to compare our vegan and vegetarian data.
Read our quick summary of five handy tips to lower your diet’s carbon footprint at the end of this article
Such an experiment might seem like a done deal – but our investigation yielded a few surprises. The role of air miles, cooking methods, food waste, and even the impact of eating out versus eating in all played a part. Some of our most revealing findings came from how these factors measured up against one another. In the end, the experiment also underscored some of the best-evidenced ways to reduce the climate impact from food.
I’m in my kitchen, basking in the glow of complacent superiority. I’ve been asked to take part in a sustainability experiment – and I have a sneaking suspicion that the results are going to make me look really good.
All I have to do is keep track of my normal meals for a week and see how my carbon emissions compare to those of a colleague. Though it’s technically not a competition, my opponent – whoops, I mean co-worker – is a vegetarian, while I am a vegan. And though it’s strictly just for educational purposes, it seems like the pole position is probably already mine.
Today – the day it begins – I have already clawed out a head start by skipping breakfast, though of course this is essentially cheating. Now it’s lunchtime. Swiftly side-stepping the carbon peril of avocado toast, I opt for another toast-based delicacy – pan con tomate. This version is just rye bread slathered with a mixture of chopped tomatoes, fresh garlic, olive oil and salt. Since this is a public-facing meal, I add a handful of parsley for added panache. Not a bad start, at 196g (6.9oz) CO2e (or “CO2 equivalent” – meaning CO2 emissions as well as other greenhouse gases such as methane have been factored into the figure).
Roasting vegetables in the oven can cause up to 80% of their climate impact.
(Credit: Alamy)
Skipping ahead a few days – and a few meals – things are looking promising. So far I’ve had herby pasta (356g/12.6oz CO2e per serving), mashed potato (589g/20.8oz CO2e), vegan yoghurt (69g/2.4oz CO2e), and several salads. Like I said, this is theoretically not a carbon contest, but if it was, I think I’m probably doing quite well already.
Now I’m having another meal that’s so worthy, it seems almost contrived: quinoa and kale burgers (394g/13.9oz CO2e), which turn out to be delicious. But too late, I stumble across a surprising fact: in some cases, the majority of a food’s carbon footprint comes from the way it’s cooked – rather than what’s in it.
Usually, emissions are calculated by looking at the way something is made, stored and transported before it reaches the consumer. However, this doesn’t factor in what happens when people get around to eating it.
One 2020 study, led by food sustainability researcher Angelina Frankowska of the University of Manchester, found up to 61% of the total emissions linked to some foods are generated as they’re prepared in the home, particularly with vegetables. Even toasted bread is significantly more carbon-intensive than the regular kind – this final act adds 13% to its footprint. For foods that have already been partially pre-cooked in the factory, such as tofu, certain meat substitutes – and presumably, quinoa burgers – finishing the job contributes around 42% of their total emissions.
And this is not all. Certain kinds of cooking are significantly more energy-intensive than others. Turning on an entire oven is an almost-ludicrously inefficient way to heat anything up, since you’re not just warming your dinner, but the surrounding air.
One step down is cooking on a hob – frying, for example – which involves a more efficient heat transfer. However, first place goes to microwaving, which specifically targets the water molecules inside the food, so you’re not wasting it making the microwave itself hot. The latter also has the advantage that it only uses electricity, and if this is from a renewable source that’s even better.
Note to self: Make your famous microwave-only paella more often. Just hope the Spanish don’t ever find out.
WHAT IS CO2 EQUIVALENT?
CO2 equivalent is the metric measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases on the basis of their capacity to warm the atmosphere – their global warming potential.
However, it looks like I’m in luck. As sustainability researcher Rebecca Lait adds, the proportion of emissions down to cooking vary wildly depending what you’re making – naturally, for lower-carbon ingredients, the same footprint from cooking is going to make up a larger fraction of the total. In other words, what you’re eating is still the most important factor, Somehow, I’m still on the right track.
“If you’re cooking spaghetti bolognese, we could compare the use of lentils or beef,” says Lait. “Looking at the emissions from using 100g (3.5oz) of lentils and cooking them on the hob for 10 minutes, that would cause around 80g (2.8oz) CO2e from the food, and 60g (2.1oz) CO2e from the hob. It might look like the cooking emissions are very significant there. But if you used 100g (3.5oz) beef instead, that would cause around 4,500g (159oz) CO2e, and the hob just 60g (2.1oz) CO2e again,” she says.
As a vegan, everything I’m cooking is already so sustainable, I decide to view low-carbon heating methods as something of an added bonus.
Anyway, back to my experiment. By Saturday, my resolution had cracked. For lunch I turn on the oven and have a vegan quiche with some chips (845g/29.8oz CO2e) – but here there’s another snag. It turns out the emissions generated once food arrives in your house aren’t just down to cooking, but storage: frozen chips have higher emissions than any other processed potato products, and this stage contributes significantly to their total.
The total climate impact (in kg CO2e per kg of food cooked) ranges widely between foods (Source: Angelina Frankowska et al., Nature Food, 2020)
From there, it seems like it’s all downhill. That evening, I compound my previous transgression with a salad that turns out to have origins so decadent, it could have been ordered by a medieval lord. In addition to some locally grown tomatoes, I realise I have inadvertently used my consumer power to summon half an avocado from Peru, 9,777km (6,075 miles) away, a handful of olives from Greece, 2,969km (1,844 miles) away, and some diced smoked tofu made in an assortment of European countries including Germany, 857km (533 miles) away, Austria, 1,388km (863 miles) and France 840km (522 miles).
However, a quick internet search reassures me that this international concoction might not actually have been as carbon-intensive to transport as you would think.
In fact, the vast majority of foods are actually transported via land and sea, with just 0.16% of food miles coming from air travel on average. It’s so expensive, it’s usually reserved for ultra-perishable products like blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, and delicate vegetables such as green beans, asparagus and sugar-snap peas.
“Most foods are transported by boat, but sending that same food by air would cause 100 times as much climate change,” says Bridle. “It’s hard for us to know which foods came by boat and which by air – but a rough rule of thumb is that if it would last a week in the fridge, then it could also last a few weeks in carefully controlled conditions on a boat.”
Sustainability on a Shoestring
We currently live in an unsustainable world. While the biggest gains in the fight to curb climate change will come from the decisions made by governments and industries, we can all play our part. In Sustainability on a Shoestring, BBC Future explores how each of us can contribute as individuals to reducing carbon emissions by living more sustainably, without breaking the bank.
For everything else, a more leisurely journey is more cost-effective – some 60% of foods arrive via sea freight. “Dried pulses, apples, oranges and bananas will have come by boat, if they are from the other side of the world,” says Bridle. “In that case, the climate impact of transporting them is likely less than the climate impact of growing the food in the first place.”
Even luxury fruits such as avocados rarely arrive by jet. According to the Danish investigative media and research centre Danwatch, most of those that end up in the country will have arrived from Chile via a three-week voyage across the Atlantic in cooling containers, followed by a seven-to-14-day layover in a ripening chamber in the Netherlands, before they’re transported to where they’ll be sold.
The biggest surprise – and in a way, the most satisfying discovery so far – is that the trendy practice of “eating local” has very little impact. One study found that, in the US, the proportion of a food’s emissions linked to transport works out at just 11%. In comparison to the carbon required to make it, even travelling long distances – the average product has covered 6,760km (4200 miles) by the end of its life – makes a relatively small contribution.
Note to self: Cut back on fantasising about the expensive locally grown food in the village grocers.
Emissions (in kg CO2e) from the food supply chain – the climate impact of food miles is often a small proportion (Source: Our World in Data/Poore and Nemecek, Science, 2018)
As soon as you make animal products a part of your diet, there’s no escaping the fact that your carbon emissions are going to rise. As the experiment’s resident vegetarian, I assumed I would be somewhere in the middle of the dietary emissions spectrum. But what I really wanted to know was, just how much higher would my emissions be than our vegan baseline? By eating dairy but avoiding meat, was I making a small dent in my dietary emissions or slashing them to near-vegan levels?
With some trepidation, I began taking notes of my daily meals.
The first meal I recorded was one I would struggle to live without: a staple breakfast of toasted pitta bread with a scrape of butter and marmite with boiled eggs. More than 500g (17.6oz) CO2e came from the two eggs. The pitta, butter and marmite combined, however, made up just 30g (1oz) CO2e. Although butter is an animal product too – and has 3.5 times more emissions than plant-based spreads – I was intrigued to see that using just a little meant it contributed fewer emissions than the eggs.
Note to self: Quantity matters.
If you’re going to use butter, just have a scrape.
But even the softest of cheeses have relatively high emissions. A light lunch of rice cakes with cottage cheese and sauerkraut came in at 766g (27oz) CO2e – one of my most carbon-intensive meals of the week.
Hard cheeses like parmesan have higher emissions than soft cheeses as they require greater quantities of milk to make (Credit: Alamy)
Soon came a bigger surprise. It happened one afternoon when the fridge had started to take on a certain odour, and I couldn’t put off a clear-out any longer. Rootling around in the vegetable drawer, I found three ancient parsnips and two broccoli that were going brown and giving off a pungent cruciferous vegetable smell. Despite my best efforts not to over-buy fresh produce, there was also an incriminating mouldy orange in the fruit bowl. Regretfully, they all went in the bin.
Clearing out my fridge of waste, it turned out, led to more emissions than any single meal I ate that week (bar one – only a large and delicious meal out at a Greek restaurant had greater emissions, at 2,001g/70.6oz CO2e). I was very aware that waste is a major contributor to emissions from food, but it hadn’t occurred to me that that afternoon’s food waste would amount to double the emissions of the bean and vegetable stir-fry I had that evening (713g/25.2oz CO2e).
The waste from throwing away a few pieces of fruit and veg greatly outweighs the emissions from a hearty cooked vegetarian meal (Source: BBC/Sarah Bridle/Rebecca Lait)
Ordinarily, vegetables like broccoli and parsnips aren’t high-carbon foods – they take a lot less energy to produce than an animal-based product. Gram-for-gram when eaten, a broccoli releases 3.7g (0.13oz) of CO2e less than an egg.
The problem was, I didn’t eat those vegetables. It wasn’t so much the carbon expense of growing or transporting the fruit and veg that was the main problem, but the fate it met in my dustbin.
One way to think about it, is that if you eat food rather than throwing it away, its emissions essentially stop there, says Lait. “But if it’s chucked away, the total for emissions released doesn’t stop until that food has decomposed,” she says.
Animal products typically have higher greenhouse gas emissions (in kg CO2e of food product) than plant-based foods (Source: Our World in Data/Poore and Nemecek, Science, 2018)
Where I live there is no municipal food waste collection service, so household food waste goes in the ordinary bin destined for landfill. As my discarded parsnips, broccoli and orange were buried beneath other household waste, they entered an environment starved of oxygen and produced large quantities of methane.
Bridle and Lait did the maths to calculate the magnitude of my food waste mistake: one head of broccoli releases approximately 153g (5.4oz) CO2e if it’s eaten, versus the equivalent of 2.7 times that much if it goes to landfill (423g/14.9oz of CO2e). If I had acted a few days earlier I could have turned that waste into a meal (roast parsnip and broccoli with an orange dressing, perhaps?).
“There are great alternatives to throwing away food,” says Lait.
“Being able to compost food is one. I would encourage that.”
As luck would have it, soon after my food waste incident an opportunity came up to become a compost volunteer at a local community scheme, giving me access to shared food waste bins at the end of my road. Food waste which is composted releases just 14% the greenhouse gases of food that goes to landfill. For people living in other areas where there is no food waste collection service, it is possible to make your own compost if you have space, or join one of many community schemes, such as MakeSoil, ShareWaste or CompostNow.
As I fork compost to aerate it on a warm spring day, I think of all the greenhouse gases saved, and try not to breathe in any flies.
Food waste is responsible for 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions
(Credit: Getty Images)
Another unexpected insight came from a satay paneer dish (1,049g/37oz CO2e). It was going to be a dinner for my partner and I. As I don’t particularly enjoy cooking and do it as infrequently as possible, I made double portions that we could eat over the next few days.
Energy from cooking on the stove made up more carbon emissions (45g/1.6oz CO2e) than any of the vegetables in the dish. By making enough for around four people, the emissions from cooking per portion were one-quarter what they would have been if I was making a meal for one. However, the biggest change I could have made to this particular meal would have been to cut out the paneer (795g/28oz CO2e) and replace it with a plant-based alternative.
Note to self: Make sure to eat food before it goes off – get inventive to make sure as little as possible goes to waste.
Taking batch cooking one step further, I was interested to see that a meal out in a Greek restaurant was particularly efficient in terms of the energy used in cooking (an estimated 18g/0.6oz CO2e for the whole meal).
It might seem surprising, given the image of a hot, steaming professional kitchen, that this can be quite an efficient way to cook. But, as Bridle points out, if 20 people eat out at a restaurant, that’s dozens of ovens, hobs and microwaves that aren’t being fired up at the diners’ homes instead.
Note to self: Plan ahead and batch cook.
A lot will depend, though, on the restaurant kitchen’s sustainability practices, where they source their energy, and the types of food they’re cooking. Certain types of restaurant are more likely to engage in sustainable practices than others – one study of 93 US restaurant chains found that sit-down eateries were more likely than fast-food operators to have sustainability initiatives in place (including how they source, produce, market and serve food).
Glancing down my traffic-light colour-coded spreadsheet of emissions meticulously prepared by Bridle and Lait, I puzzled over an entry in prominent red from my last Friday evening of the experiment. It was my highest-emission meal that week and, to my great surprise, it was vegan mushroom pizza.
As our resident vegan found, the method of cooking can greatly affect the emissions of a given meal. As my pizza was baked in an oven, the emissions from cooking skewed this vegan pizza to be one of my most carbon-intensive meals of the week.
Food waste which is composted releases just 14% the greenhouse gases
of food that goes to landfill (Credit: Alamy)
The results
So, how did we do?
A few weeks after our experiment, BBC Future attends a grand unveiling over Zoom, during which our total emissions during the experiment are revealed.
Vegan CO2e emissions per week: 9.9kg Vegetarian CO2e emissions per week: 16.9kg Omnivore CO2e emissions per week: 48.9kg
What do these figures translate to in everyday terms?
US Environmental Protection Agency’s equivalencies calculator, provides some useful comparisons:
Vegan, 9.9kg (21.8lbs): 24.6 miles (39.6km) driven in a petrol-powered car, or 1,204 smartphones charged Vegetarian, 16.9kg (37.3lbs): 41.9 miles (67.4km) driven in a petrol-powered car, or 2,056 smartphones charged. Omnivore, 48.9kg (107.8lbs): 121 miles (194.7km) driven in a petrol-powered car, or 5,948 smartphones charged.
As expected, our vegan scored the lowest emissions, coming in at less than two-thirds the emissions of our vegetarian and just one-fifth that of the omnivore’s emissions.
If it were a competition, our vegan would certainly be the winner.
But the result is not quite as clear cut as we had imagined. It turns out that on some days, vegetarianism came out as the diet with fewer emissions:
Vegan day: Toasted crumpets with beans, followed with a lunch of mashed potato and salad, rounded off with yoghurt and most of a bag of fennel taralli snacks: 1.9kg (4.2lbs) CO2e – or 231 smartphones charged
Vegetarian day: A bowl of porridge with a splash of milk, an apple, a banana, a bowl of carrot and coriander soup with bread and butter, a bar of milk chocolate and a dinner of spinach and ricotta tortellini: 1.7kg (3.7lbs) CO2e – or 207 smartphones charged
A beef meal has very large emissions (in kg CO2e) compared with a vegan or vegetarian meal (Source: BBC/Sarah Bridle/Rebecca Lait)
It seems that having the lowest carbon footprint as a vegan isn’t guaranteed – it depends on what you eat. What is clear from our experiment (and more importantly, from rigorous scientific research) is that on average a plant-based diet has significantly fewer emissions. Eating large amounts of meat, especially beef, is a sure way to increase your emissions many times over.
The tweaks to our diets that would result in the greatest fall in emissions were:
It seems that having the lowest carbon footprint as a vegan isn’t guaranteed – it depends on what you eat. What is clear from our experiment (and more importantly, from rigorous scientific research) is that on average a plant-based diet has significantly fewer emissions. Eating large amounts of meat, especially beef, is a sure way to increase your emissions many times over.
The tweaks to our diets that would result in the greatest fall in emissions were:
These are the five handy tips to lower your diet’s carbon footprint:
1 Reducing animal products – eating fewer of them, or replacing with a plant-based alternative 2 Focusing on what you eat rather than food miles 3 Cooking efficiently, and saving ovens for special occasions rather than everyday use 4 Batch cooking to prepare food using a fraction of the energy 5 Avoiding food waste, through careful planning and creative cooking
And what did our researchers think of our experiment? “The biggest surprise for me is how many different foods we all eat in a day,” says Bridle. “It’s complicated for anyone to figure out for themselves what their food climate impact is. But despite this, the usual trends emerged – that the most important factors are usually the quantities of each animal product, and any long cooking times. I was impressed with your honesty about the food waste, and surprised how much the waste added to the total climate impact.”
For Lait, it was how quickly decisions about food start to add up. “I’ve done lots of calculations on individual meals or school menus,” says Lait. “But seeing over a couple of weeks what a difference your diet makes – it really reminded me how powerful our food choices can be in affecting climate change. We have the opportunity to make these powerful decisions several times a day.”
The world’s food system is immensely complex, and emissions come from many different sources. Many of these happen before we even pick food off a shelf: land use, farming, packaging and transport, and pre-retail waste among them. But a few simple rules of thumb can be helpful for finding our way through this maze, to make sure our food choices really do help curb emissions.
And, while our experiment has been illuminating, the scale of the challenge of food emissions is deeply sobering. One 2020 review found that even if we had stopped burning fossil fuels immediately, humanity still wouldn’t be able to meet the 1.5C limit for global warming set out by the Paris Agreement.
Our emissions from food are so high, they alone could tip us over this threshold. At 2C warming, coral reefs are almost extinct – more than 99% are expected to vanish – small islands and coastal communities will disappear, and the Arctic will have an ice-free summer once every 10 years.
So, for now, our vegan will continue avoiding animal products, feeling rather pleased with herself, and our vegetarian will fork her compost with renewed determination.
This article was produced with additional research by Zubaidah Abdul Jalil, Content Producer at BBC News
Yes, the climate is changing, and the evidence is overwhelming. Scientists have been tracking global temperatures for decades, and data from organizations like NASA and NOAA show that Earth’s average surface temperature has risen by about 1.8°F (1.0°C) since 1880.
Beyond temperature records, we see other clear signs: glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, and weather patterns are becoming more extreme. Human activities—especially the burning of fossil fuels—have significantly increased greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, which trap heat in the atmosphere and accelerate warming 1.
While Earth’s climate has naturally fluctuated over millennia, the current rate of change is unprecedented and largely driven by human actions. If you’re curious about specific impacts or solutions, I can dive deeper!
Climate change data varies significantly by region due to differences in geography, climate systems, and human activities. Here are some key regional trends:
Polar Regions: The Arctic is warming four times faster than the global average, leading to rapid ice melt and rising sea levels.
Coastal Areas: Rising sea levels and stronger storms threaten cities near oceans, increasing flooding risks.
Midwestern U.S.: More frequent heavy rainfall events and flooding, impacting agriculture and infrastructure.
Western U.S.: Increased droughts and wildfires due to rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns.
Tropical Regions: More intense hurricanes and typhoons, driven by warmer ocean temperatures.
Europe: Heatwaves are becoming more frequent, with record-breaking temperatures in recent years.
If you’re interested in specific data for your area, organizations like NOAA’s Regional Climate Centers and NASA’s Regional Climate Model Evaluation System provide detailed insights!
What are the projected future impacts of climate change by region?
Climate change will impact different regions in distinct ways, with varying degrees of severity. Here are some projected future effects:
Polar Regions: The Arctic is expected to continue warming four times faster than the global average, leading to further ice melt and rising sea levels.
Coastal Areas: Rising sea levels will increase flooding risks, threatening cities and infrastructure.
Midwestern U.S.: More frequent heavy rainfall events and flooding, impacting agriculture and infrastructure.
Western U.S.: Increased droughts and wildfires due to rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns.
Tropical Regions: More intense hurricanes and typhoons, driven by warmer ocean temperatures.
Europe: Heatwaves are becoming more frequent, with record-breaking temperatures in recent years.
If you’re interested in exploring specific projections for your area, tools like NOAA’s Climate Explorer and Grist’s Regional Climate Guide provide detailed insights!
What are the long-term effects of these regional changes?
The long-term effects of climate change vary by region, but they all point to significant environmental, economic, and societal shifts. Here are some key impacts:
Polar Regions: Continued ice melt will contribute to rising sea levels, threatening coastal communities worldwide.
Coastal Areas: More frequent and severe flooding will lead to displacement, infrastructure damage, and economic losses.
Midwestern U.S.: Increased rainfall and flooding could disrupt agriculture, affecting food production and supply chains.
Western U.S.: Persistent droughts and wildfires will strain water resources and increase the risk of property loss.
Tropical Regions: Stronger hurricanes and typhoons will cause widespread destruction, leading to higher recovery costs and loss of life.
Europe: Rising temperatures will intensify heat waves, impacting public health and agriculture.
Africa: Water scarcity could affect millions, leading to food shortages and economic instability.
Asia: Freshwater availability is expected to decline, increasing health risks and economic challenges.
These changes will have cascading effects on ecosystems, economies, and human populations.
A month into his rookie year with the 1963 Reds, Pete Rose was struggling to hold on to his job. Then he played the Cardinals for the first time and got his career back on track.
Making a leap from the Class A level of the minors to the big leagues, Rose won the starting second base spot with the Reds at 1963 spring training. Once the season began, the player who would become baseball’s all-time hits king looked feeble at the plate.
Rose was batting .158 for the season when the Reds opened a four-game series against the Cardinals on May 3, 1963, at Cincinnati. Cardinals pitching turned out to be the remedy for Rose’s slump. He produced seven hits in 14 at-bats and drew five walks in the four games. He also totaled four RBI and scored three times, helping the Reds win three of the four.
After that, Rose thrived and went on to win the 1963 National League Rookie of the Year Award. The switch-hitter eventually totaled 4,256 career hits.
The Cincinnati Kid
A Cincinnati native, Rose was 19 when scout Buzz Boyle signed him for the Reds.
Boyle said most clubs overlooked Rose because he only weighed 150 pounds in high school. “Knowing his family and seeing the kid and knowing his ambition, I felt he was well worth the chance,” Boyle told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I don’t think he can be a mediocre player.”
Though he wasn’t on the Reds’ 40-man roster, Rose was invited to their Tampa spring training camp for a look in 1963 after hitting .330 for manager Dave Bristol’s Class A Macon (Ga.) Peaches the year before.
Don Blasingame, a former Cardinal who hit .281 for Cincinnati in 1962, was the Reds’ incumbent second baseman. Blasingame had a strong connection with Reds manager Fred Hutchinson. He was the second baseman when Hutchinson managed the Cardinals (1956-58) and again when Hutchinson led the Reds to a National League pennant in 1961.
Conventional wisdom had Rose ticketed to start the 1963 season at Class AAA San Diego but he took advantage of the spring training invitation with the Reds.
“The most exciting young ballplayer in the Cincinnati camp this spring is Pete Rose,” Si Burick of the Dayton Daily News proclaimed. “He gives the club added speed, enthusiasm, drive. He wants to play. Hutchinson has become so fond of the youngster, he doesn’t want to let him out of his sight.”
Hutchinson said to the Cincinnati Enquirer, “You’ve got to like a kid like Rose. He’s the winning type of player that a manager looks for.”
Reds third baseman Gene Freese told the newspaper, “Pete is another Nellie Fox, with power.” (Fox, a future Hall of Famer, was the all-star second baseman for the White Sox.) Before a spring training game, Hutchinson and Phillies manager Gene Mauch watched Rose take his cuts in the batting cage.
According to Si Burick, Hutchinson said to Mauch, “This boy came to play. He runs to first when he draws a walk and we’ve timed him going down to first on a pass in 4.2 seconds.” The newspaper noted Rose was “nicknamed Charlie Hustle by his teammates.”
Asked by Si Burick why he ran hard to first base when issued a walk, Rose replied, “When I was a little kid, my dad took me to (Cincinnati’s) Crosley Field to see the Reds play the Cardinals. I saw (Enos) Country Slaughter run to first on a walk and I figured if it was good enough for him it was good enough for me.”
Bumpy beginning
As spring training neared an end, Hutchinson sought the advice of his coaches on whether Rose should be the Reds’ second baseman. According to Ritter Collett of the Dayton Journal Herald, Hutchinson asked them, “Do any of you think we’d hurt our chances by giving him a trial? Is there any of you who feels he hasn’t earned it?”
The answers to both were no.
Si Burick reported that on the day before the Reds’ season opener, Blasingame shook hands with Rose and said, “Kid, good luck. You’ve got a chance to make a lot of money in this game. Don’t do anything foolish to waste your chance.”
Rose told Burick, “You have to respect him for that.”
In the Reds’ season opener at home against the Pirates, Rose, batting second, was the first Cincinnati player to reach base (on a four-pitch walk from Earl Francis) and the first to score (on Frank Robinson’s home run). He helped turn three double plays. Rose also struck out looking and booted a routine grounder. In explaining the error, Rose told the Dayton Daily News, “I was still cursing myself for looking at that (third) strike. I wasn’t thinking about my job in the field.”
Hutchinson said to the newspaper, “He’ll learn that all this is part of the game … If you brood about a mistake and it leads to another mistake, you can’t make it in this game.” Asked whether he was nervous in his debut, Rose replied to the Dayton Journal Herald, “Sure, I was nervous, but not scared. There’s a difference.” Boxscore
Hutchinson started Rose in the first six games (he batted .130), then benched him for Blasingame. As the Reds headed on a trip to Los Angeles and San Francisco, there was speculation Rose “probably will be dropped off at San Diego” to join the farm club there, the Journal Herald reported.
Instead, after Blasingame made eight consecutive starts at second and batted .160, Hutchinson restored Rose to the starting lineup on April 27.
Power hitter
When the first-place Cardinals (15-7) arrived in Cincinnati on May 3 for a weekend series with the ninth-place Reds (7-11), Rose was in a funk. He had one hit in 15 at-bats since regaining his starting status and was “perilously close to a return to the minors,” according to the Dayton Daily News.
The task didn’t figure to get any easier against the Cardinals’ Game 1 pitcher, Ernie Broglio. He was 3-0, and two of the wins were shutouts.
In his first at-bat against Broglio, Rose grounded out, but the next two turns at the plate were spectacular. Rose drove a Broglio pitch over the head of George Altman in right for a triple. Then he slammed a Broglio fastball for a two-run home run, “a prodigious blast that soared high over the center field wall,” the Daily News reported.
The homer, RBI and multi-hit game all were firsts for Rose as a big leaguer.
(According to the Daily News, after the home run, Rose crowed, “Sixty more and I tie [Roger] Maris.”
Overhearing the remark, Hutchinson barked, “Don’t let that homer give you the idea you’re a slugger.”)
Facing Diomedes Olivo, 44, in the ninth, Rose, 22, grounded to short and nearly beat the throw to first. According to the Daily News, the brash rookie turned to umpire Jocko Conlan, 63, and said, “I need those close ones, Jocko. I’m only hitting .170.” Conlan replied, “I don’t care if you’re hitting .470. You’re still out.” Boxscore
Going against Gibson
In Game 2 of the series, Rose was perfect, with two singles and three walks in five plate appearances. He had a single and two walks against starter Bob Gibson, and a single and a walk versus Ed Bauta. Rose’s one-out walk against Gibson in the third ignited a four-run outburst from the Reds, who won, 6-0, for the second day in a row. Boxscore
In his 1994 book “Stranger to the Game,” Gibson said, “For a singles and doubles hitter, Pete Rose carried himself with a big man’s swagger and could give a pitcher a hard time just through his sheer will to make something happen.” (Gibson versus Rose was the ultimate in competitiveness and intensity. For his career against Gibson, Rose had a .307 batting average and .385 on-base percentage, with 35 hits, 12 walks and three hit by pitches.
In 1967, Gibson and Rose were involved in a brawl. Another time, Gibson said in his autobiography, “I thought for sure I was getting to Pete Rose when I knocked him down and he got up and spit at me. When he got back to the dugout, though, I saw [manager] Sparky Anderson say something to him. I heard later Sparky advised Rose never to show me up.”)
On the way
The series ended with a Sunday doubleheader. Rose had two walks (one each against Ray Sadecki and Ron Taylor) in the opener, a 5-4 Reds triumph, and three hits (two versus Curt Simmons and one against Bobby Shantz) with two RBI in the finale, a 7-4 victory for the Cardinals. Boxscore and Boxscore
Steadied by his performances against the Cardinals, Rose produced consistently the remainder of his rookie season. On May 24, Hutchinson moved him into the leadoff spot and kept him there. In July, Blasingame was dealt to the Senators.
Rose played in 157 games for the 1963 Reds, batted . 273 and led the team in runs scored (101). He also ranked second on the club in hits (170), doubles (25), triples (nine) and walks (55). Rose remained a thorn against Cardinals pitching. In 18 games against St. Louis in 1963, Rose had a .373 batting mark and a .435 on-base percentage.
He had more hits (28) and more RBI (eight) versus the Cardinals than he did against any other club that year. In nine games at St. Louis in 1963, Rose hit .419. Before the last of those games, the season finale, Rose shook hands with Stan Musial near the batting cage. Playing the final game of his career, Musial smacked two singles, both past Rose at second and into right field.
Musial’s 3,630 hits were the National League record until Rose broke the mark 18 years later in 1981. Boxscore
Pete Rose is the boy with humble upbringing from Braddock Street
Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati Enquirer Sun, Jun 26, 2022 · Editor’s note: With columnist Paul Daugherty retiring this month, we are revisiting some of his classic columns from his time at The Enquirer.
This interview with Pete Rose at his boyhood home in Riverside appeared in print on June 14, 2015.
Pete Rose walks up a familiar hill in Riverside and back 60 years. The walk into his past isn’t easy. Pete Rose hobbles back in time to his boyhood home, because his knees ache and he’s put on a few pounds and because he is 74 years old. Baseball is youth and Pete Rose was baseball, but all that’s in the past now.
“This was all clear, through here,” he is saying. Pete points to a wall of green, a mess of weeds and overgrowth that now defines the view from the front of the house on Braddock Street in Riverside, where he grew up. Pete’s not a man seeking his past – I asked him to bring me here – but he’s still a bit beholden to it. And in peculiar awe.
“It doesn’t look the same,” he says.
I ask him to knock on the door. He demurs. “Don’t want to inconvenience ’em,” Pete says, so we walk around to the backyard instead, where a basketball hoop once loomed not five feet from the kitchen window. Just up the hill, Pete and his friends had carved out a makeshift ball field. The hoop is gone. Nature has done its work on the ball field. “When I lived here, it was kept up,” he says.
Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader, Pete Rose, reminisces with Enquirer columnist Paul Daugherty as he walks
around the front of his childhood home in the Riverside neighborhood of Cincinnati, on Tuesday, June 2, 2015. Weeds own the view. Trees have grown tall, overgrowth covers the path where 8-year-old Pete would sled ride, all the way down to Schulte’s Fish House.
From the front porch, you could see the Ohio River nearly half a mile away. Now?
“I don’t remember everything being so cluttered,” Pete says.
The All-Star Game is coming in a few weeks and with it, memories of a less fettered Pete Rose. His life was a whole lot simpler with a bat in his hand. He won three world championships, he passed the great Cobb, he managed the young Reds to the brink before Lou Piniella took them over the top. We all know what happened next.
With age come complications.
Things get cluttered, for better or worse. Pete Rose, once as simple a personality as existed, kept the extraneous noise at bay for a very long time, until it gathered in one mighty wave and swept him away. What’s left is a lingering, low-grade tragedy, in the person of a man whose view was perfectly clear for such a long, glorious time.
“You gotta remember,” Pete says, “all we did was play ball. That was all we had.”
A lot to live up to Harry Rose wouldn’t let Pete go to the movies. There was a theatre across River Road from BoldFace Park, as Pete recalls. This was the late 1940s, when attending Saturday matinees was a rite of school-age passage. Harry worried about his first-born son’s eyesight. “He wanted me to be a hitter,” Pete says.
Pete Rose photographed with his parents, Harry “Big Pete” and LaVerne Rose,
before his Major League debut with the Cincinnati Reds on April 8, 1963.
Harry worked at a bank downtown, crunching numbers. It was just a job. His passion was sports, specifically semi-pro football. At home and work, Harry was polite and unassuming. On the gridiron, he was an abject load.
His Riverside Athletic Club team might draw a weekend afternoon crowd of 5,000. Harry’s grit was legendary. He was a smallish man (about 5-foot-8, maybe 175 pounds) playing a large man’s game, and owned a competitiveness not often seen.
Harry once appeared on a TV show where he was asked to demonstrate proper tackling technique. He launched himself at a director’s chair, sending splinters all over the set. “I saw him break his hip, then crawl trying to make the tackle,” Pete recalls. Little Pete was a ball boy and waterboy at his dad’s games. He’d pass around the hat at halftime, for money to pay the referees. “I saw him get a (knot) on his elbow as big as a softball. He put a bandage on it with some ice, then intercepted a pass and ran 70 yards for a touchdown the next play.
“Every once in a while, someone in (Las) Vegas will come up to me and say, ‘My dad played against your dad, and he was a son of a b—-. Which he was.”
Harry Rose was not the prototype helicopter dad, but he wanted things done a certain way. He had Pete switch-hitting at age 9, a skill Pete perfected over the years, using the wall of Schulte’s as a backstop. Pete had a broom handle, his younger brother Dave a rubber ball.
“I’d let him get as close as he wanted,” Pete says. “The closer he got, the harder it was to hit. Hour after hour, he’d try to strike me out. I wore that wall out.”
The family never went on summer vacations, because summer was when Pete played ball, and Harry made deals with all of Pete’s coaches:
If they agreed to allow Pete to bat left-handed versus right-handed pitchers, and vice versa, Harry would guarantee his son’s attendance at every game and practice. “He didn’t think it was fair to the team, for one of the star players to go on vacation,” Pete says.
Harry Rose tested himself. Maybe it offered a break from the sedentary monotony of the bank. Or maybe it was Harry being Harry. Every day at close to 5 p.m., he’d get off the public bus at River Road and Cathcart Street. Cathcart slopes steeply uphill, not 45 degrees, but close.
Harry would sprint up Cathcart in his patent-leather work shoes, make the right onto Braddock and sprint to his house at the end of the lane. Every day. “Who does that sound like?” Pete asks.
Pete recalls that on Sundays, Harry would visit his mother, who lived up River Road maybe a mile and a half. Harry would leave his house, take the Anderson Ferry across to Kentucky, walk several miles upriver, cross a bridge back to the Ohio side, then visit his mother. “Just for the exercise,” Pete says.
When Pete was in the minor leagues, all of Harry’s letters ended, “Love, Dad. Keep hustling.”
In 1953, a reporter for one of the local papers wrote of Harry, “He is 41 years old, father of four, still can run 100 yards in 10.5 seconds.” When Harry was 58, he challenged 29-year-old Pete to a 40-yard dash, while both were at Colerain High School for an offseason Reds charity basketball game. Harry won. Two weeks later, Harry died of a heart attack. Pete got the news from his sister while he was across the river getting a haircut.
“If he wasn’t like he was, he might have lived longer. My dad was never sick. He never missed a day of work,” Pete says. Harry felt sick that day, though. Pain in his chest. He didn’t ask for help. He caught the bus home, made it to the top of the steps, saw his wife and died.
Boldface Park in Sedamsville.
A lot lived on Lots of Pete lived on through Harry. We are at BoldFace Park on a recent afternoon, sitting atop a massive stone structure that once contained changing rooms for the park’s two swimming pools, long since filled in. We climb a flight of steps to the top. Pete looks across the park, its two softball fields neat and recently groomed.
“I lived over there in the summer,” he says, pointing to a three-story, red-brick row house on the opposite edge of the park. That would be his grandmother’s place. Eva Sams lived on the third floor, alone but for a pet monkey named, yes, Pete. “The meanest SOB,” Pete Rose says. “It would bite everybody, then hide in the rafters.”
Pete lived with Eva, because the baseball wasn’t very good four miles down the river, where Braddock Street was. Pete (and Harry) wanted Pete to play against the best. So his Knothole summers were spent with grandma.
“I was pretty lucky we had all this,” he says. “I developed right here, just by playing. If that field was open, we were on it. I just walked across the street. I had my bat, my glove and my ball.”
Life didn’t move a lot in those summers. It lolled, like the river. It might have been boring for anyone not named Pete Rose. His singleness of purpose afforded no time for boredom. Even when he left for Geneva, N.Y., and his first minor-league season, Rose returned to Braddock Street at season’s end, swinging a lead bat 150 times every night, each side, left and right, before he went to bed.
The whir of the bat would wake up Harry.
“My uncle (his mother’s brother and part-time Reds scout Buddy Bloebaum) told me it would make my arms bigger.”
After a while, Rose surveys BoldFace Park and declares, “I don’t miss this place. I can’t play any more. The pools are gone. At 3:30 this afternoon, there won’t be any kids playing” on the tidy fields below. When we walk down from atop the stone building at the edge of BoldFace Park, Pete takes each step sideways. He limps some.
Back up on Braddock, Pete kicks at the gravel-and-grass front yard, and wonders where the big tree went. “I used to climb that tree,” he says. He’s not nostalgic, he’s not romantic, so there is no point in asking Peter Edward Rose if he ever wishes he could go back and do it all over again, armed with what he knows now.
I want to ask him this, though, because the answer would be essential to who he was and who he has become: “Pete, with everything good you took from this place, and from the father that raised you – your jaunty attitude, your endless passion and striving, your regular-guy appeal – how could you possibly have ended up in the place you’re in now?”
Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader, Pete Rose, reminisces with Enquirer columnist Paul Daugherty
at BoldFace Park in the Sedamsville neighborhood of Cincinnati on Tuesday, June 2.
An uncluttered man, whose virtue was his focus, is now burdened by regret, and by a frayed legacy that will never be what it should have been, what he intended so long ago, while slamming switch-hits past his brother in the parking lot at Schulte’s.
But I don’t. I don’t ask Pete this, because he will never give me the answer I’m looking for. Rose is candid. He isn’t introspective. There’s a life’s worth of difference.
Instead, I ask: “What would your dad say to you right now, if he were standing with us in front of this house where he raised you?”
“He’d say, ‘How come you’re not up there working with your grandson, teaching him how to hit’?”
Pete looks down, kicks some gravel, changes the subject.
“I can’t believe all these trees grew in 40 years,” he says.
Armed with an air fryer and a mission, Caldesi’s latest book turns low-carb eating into a no-fuss daily habit (Jeff Moore)
She reversed her husband’s diabetes – now Katie Caldesi wants you to swap biscuits for sardines
Story by Ella Walker
Bump into food writer and restaurateur Katie Caldesi – Search Videos while hungry and she’ll have something for you, just maybe not the kinds of snacks you’re used to.
“I carry sardines in my handbag,” she explains, in all seriousness. “A teaspoon and a can of sardines. I know, it’s so weird, isn’t it? But it shouldn’t be weird, because actually it’s a really good idea. They’re 40p, easy to eat straight from the can, fill you up, high protein, healthy fats, so good for you.
“To eat a biscuit that’s ultra-processed and contains emulsifiers, additives, sugar and refined wheat, that’s not going to do you any good, that’s totally un-nourishing, I think that’s weird,” she continues. “Eating a can of sardines should be the norm.”
It makes sense when snacking on cakes, crisps and biscuits contributes to weight gain and obesity, increasing your risk of some cancers, heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. According to Diabetes UK, one in five Brits has pre-diabetes or diabetes, 90 per cent of those have type 2 diabetes, which can be managed and even brought into remission with diet changes that lower blood glucose levels.
Caldesi’s husband, Italian chef Giancarlo Caldesi, has been in remission with type 2 diabetes for 12 years, since he adopted a low-carb diet. A change that Caldesi, 61, has written about in multiple cookbooks, including her latest, The Diabetes Air Fryer Cookbook, with Dr David Unwin, Dr Jon Unwin and nutritionist Jenny Phillips.
From veg-packed dishes to chicken wings you can make affordably at home, and celeriac and swede “fries” that won’t make your sugar levels spike, she’s got diabetics and the low-carb curious covered. “I’ve proved it’s damn easy to cook food that’s going to nourish you and do you good in an air fryer,” she says.
Around 68 per cent of us have an air fryer, and Caldesi was originally sceptical of the kitchen gizmo, but now she’s fully converted. Her two sons have left home, and Giancarlo works long hours at their restaurant, so she’s often cooking for one, making an air fryer ideal. “They’re fantastic things,” she says. “When the kids come home at weekends and everyone’s there, I still use it. I do things like padron peppers, that’s just so easy. I roast a pepper in 20 minutes, rather than having one pepper in an oven for 45 minutes.”
In 2011 Giancarlo was told he had Type 2 diabetes which explained various health issues he was suffering from. However instead of taking medication he was determined to lose weight and fight the disease. He was also told he was gluten-intolerant by nutritionist Jenny Phillips which was a huge blow for the pasta-loving Italian chef.
At this time Katie was commissioned to write a book about salads which meant they were constantly testing recipes made primarily from plant sources such as salad leaves, herbs and vegetables.
Inadvertently they were following a low-carb diet. Katie was constantly online looking for information and recipes and came across a world of low-carb eaters and most importantly low-carb eaters who were diabetic and who had turned their condition around.
They met Dr David Unwin who runs a GP practice in Southport and with his wife Dr Jen Unwin, holds a clinic to support diabetics and people with other conditions who can be helped by a low-carb diet. The Unwins, Jenny Phillips and the Caldesis decided to write a book to help others entitled ‘The Diabetes Weight-loss Cookbook’ which was featured by the Daily Mail and became a bestseller across Amazon. This led to a further 4 books about low-carb eating to promote weight-loss and conquer Type 2 diabetes.
Now 7 years on from Giancarlo’s first diagnosis of diabetes, his HbA1c levels have dropped to just 38, he is back in the normal range and the diabetes is in remission. It’s been a difficult journey but Giancarlo feels if he can do it then anyone can, and it’s never too late to make a start.
For low-carb cookery classes and further information about a low-carb lifestyle see www.thegoodkitchentable.com.
Before Giancarlo’s diagnosis, the Caldesis ate “an awful lot of pasta”. Giancarlo and one of their sons was also found to be gluten intolerant but slashing staples like bread, pasta, potatoes and rice from their diets has been thoroughly worth it. “My husband’s arthritis went, his gout went when he gave up the gluten. With him feeling so much better, it wasn’t that difficult to give up,” says Caldesi. “I lost a stone and a half. I’ve kept that off, and I’m so happy about that. I always struggled with my weight.”
While it was a challenge at first, “I would find it worse if someone said, ‘You can’t have any butter, cream or cheese’. I’d hate to give up fat, or meat. But giving up the white refined carbs was, ‘Well, I’ll have something else’. I didn’t really miss it,” she says.
Caldesi began baking gluten-free and low-carb bread (“My first attempts probably weren’t very nice, but at least I could have a sandwich,”) and recommends eating out of a bowl. “A lot of starches we’re used to putting on our plates are there to absorb a sauce – mashed potato, rice – but actually, if you eat out of a bowl and put vegetables there instead, and things are chopped up, you can eat with a spoon and you don’t miss the starches.”
Her other key piece of advice is: “If you take something away, you must put something in its place, because otherwise people just get stroppy, particularly a diabetic, because they have mood swings when they’re really hungry,” says Caldesi. “If you take crisps away, put a bowl of nuts out. If you take chocolate away, put a bowl of raspberries or carrot and red pepper sticks out and a nice dip.”
And “substitute carbs with lovely green vegetables”. Caldesi will make traditional Tuscan Ragu and serve it on a very small portion of pasta with green beans or cabbage ribbons. “It looks like pasta, it acts like pasta, but doesn’t give you a glucose spike. I serve a ragu with that, with cheese on top, and it’s lovely.”
To be clear, she’s not anti-carbs, “It’s not about eliminating carbs, it’s about reducing them,” she adds. After all, vegetables contain carbohydrates.
In the food world there’s much haranguing over the demonisation of food, but Caldesi saw how certain foods devastated her husband’s health. “He was in pain. His energy levels were awful. He fell asleep in the room where we were having a scan to find out the sex of our second child,” she says. “Diabetes is so unfunny and so awful and he probably would have had a limb amputated by now. It’s so bad in lots of ways that people don’t talk enough about it. And so, do I want to demonise the food that got him there? In a way.”
People can get funny about other people’s diet choices and take it personally, which Caldesi is conscious of. “But at the end of the day, I still had a very sick husband, and I don’t anymore,” she says firmly. “I’ve had arguments in my family, with friends. People brought a box of Magnums to my house, and I was like, ‘No, I’m sorry. I don’t want them in the house. I’ll put them in the freezer, but you can take them home later,’ and I have to say, ‘I really don’t mean to offend you, but actually, that’s like giving poison to my husband. So no, don’t tempt him into it, because he’ll want one.”
“I don’t think I’m a killjoy,” she continues. “I just like to eat in an alternative way.”
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in Van Life!!! 🙂
I get that investigations 
Making a leap from the Class A level of the minors to the big leagues, Rose won the starting second base spot with the Reds at 1963 spring training. Once the season began, the player who would become baseball’s all-time hits king looked feeble at the plate.
