Lifestyle
Bill and Hillary Clinton Endorse Kamala Harris For President
![Bill and Hillary Clinton Endorse Kamala Harris For President Bill and Hillary Clinton Endorse Kamala Harris For President](https://imagez.tmz.com/image/88/16by9/2024/07/21/88d114458a96482fb41dc9924dafd6a2_xl.jpg)
Bill and Hillary Clinton wasted no time throwing their support behind Kamala Harris … adding they’ve never experienced anything that concerns them more than a second Trump term.
The former First Couple made the announcement on X soon after President Joe Biden said he wouldn’t seek a second term … abandoning his reelection bid.
The Clintons kicked off their statement by lauding Biden for all his hard work in public service … specifically pointing out his economic accomplishments, and saying he’d worked hard to fulfill the Founding Fathers’ goal of forming a more perfect union.
Then, the former POTUS and former Secretary of State write they are honored to back Kamala Harris in this upcoming election just as Joe already has.
Of course, no Clinton statement would be complete without a shot at Republican candidate and former prez Donald Trump … with the couple saying they’ve “lived through many ups and downs, but nothing has made us more worried for our country than the threat posed by a second Trump term.”
They claim Trump will be a dictator on Day 1 of his second term … and, America’s future depends on Dems getting behind Kamala.
Hillary lost out to Donald Trump in the 2016 election after a fierce campaign … and, the two have regularly blasted each other in the years since — so, not surprising the statment’s so fiery.
Biden’s shocking announcement’s thrown the political world for a loop Sunday … with Republicans calling on him to resign and Democrats applauding his choices — some backing Harris and other staying mum on the question.
In any case, Kamala clearly has the backing of some prominent Democrats … and seems poised to take on Trump in November.
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Lifestyle
'Twister,' 'Twisters' and the actual practice of storm chasing : Consider This from NPR
!['Twister,' 'Twisters' and the actual practice of storm chasing : Consider This from NPR 'Twister,' 'Twisters' and the actual practice of storm chasing : Consider This from NPR](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/07/19/2571_d024_00294r-1-_wide-d6c598b40265aec07f58bd423ccdc33373be8fe1.jpg?s=1400&c=100&f=jpeg)
Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as Kate in the new movie Twisters.
Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures
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Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures
Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as Kate in the new movie Twisters.
Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures
A plucky meteorology heroine; a male rival with no shortage of hubris; and some very, very big storms: that’s the basic formula behind the new disaster action movie Twisters, which follows storm chasers around Oklahoma amid a tornado outbreak.
It’s a standalone sequel to the 1996 film Twister, a box-office hit in its day which also spurred a lot of real-life research into severe storms.
We’ve since learned a lot about how tornadoes behave, and the technology of storm chasing has improved dramatically.
But behind these summer blockbusters is a mystery that scientists are still trying to solve: why do tornadoes form at all?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Brianna Scott who also contributed reporting. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
Lifestyle
Sunday Puzzle: Can you guess these stars?
![Sunday Puzzle: Can you guess these stars? Sunday Puzzle: Can you guess these stars?](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/12/20/sunday-puzzle-2col_wide-4076feef40f1fa64f35bc3ea1a977606658737f9.png?s=1400&c=100&f=png)
Sunday Puzzle
NPR
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NPR
On-air challenge: Every answer today is the name of a famous person past or present, in which the first two letters of the first name followed by the first two letters of the last name spell a four-letter word. I’ll give you the four-letter words and the famous people’s fields. You give me their names.
Ex. LINE, Action film star –> Liam Neeson
1. NEAR, Astronaut
2. ROAM, Explorer
3. DUEL, Jazz musician
4. PARE, Colonial patriot
5. SEGO, Singer/actress
6. NITE, Inventor
7. WISH, Playwright/poet
8. WISH, Puzzlemaster
Last week’s challenge: I was at the 184th convention of the National Puzzlers’ League, in Dallas. It’s a four-day event of word puzzles and games shared with about 160 fellow enthusiasts. One of these is Sandy Weisz, of Chicago, who sent me this puzzle: Think of a famous actor and a famous actress who co-starred in a classic movie of the past. The actress’s first name, when reversed, and the actor’s last name, spelled forward, are similar romantic gifts. Who are these film stars?
Challenge answer: Meg Ryan > gem-> Billy Crystal (“When Harry Met Sally”)
Winner: Darryl Nester of Bluffton, Ohio
This week’s challenge: This challenge comes from listener Mark Scott, of Seattle. Take the name of a famous actor of the past. Say it out loud, and phonetically you’ll describe what a famous general’s horse did. Who is the actor and who is the general?
Submit Your Answer
If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it here by Thursday, July 25th at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: include a phone number where we can reach you.
Lifestyle
“Who is buying this?!” Has Erewhon’s ‘raw animal smoothie’ taken L.A. health food too far?
![“Who is buying this?!” Has Erewhon’s ‘raw animal smoothie’ taken L.A. health food too far? “Who is buying this?!” Has Erewhon’s ‘raw animal smoothie’ taken L.A. health food too far?](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b85a83c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7173x3766+0+509/resize/1200x630!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2Ff2%2F530ba46a47cea2d5ec91da02eddc%2F1467384-me-erewhon-smoothies-dpm-70.jpg)
I was at a cocktail party a few months ago in Studio City when, suddenly, one conversation rose above the din of guest’s chatter, and quickly arrived at a consensus: Erewhon had gone too far.
“Animal organs, ground up!” one guest squealed, crinkling his nose.
“Oh my god, yes,” his friend agreed. “Erewhon’s smoothies are Out. Of. Control!”
They were referring to the luxury grocery store’s “Raw Animal Smoothie,” a concoction of Kefir (fermented milk), beef organs, so-called Immunomilk (freeze-dried cow’s colostrum, which is its initial breast milk after giving birth), raw honey, blueberries, bananas, lucuma fruit sweetener, coconut cream, sea salt and maple syrup.
The beverage is one of many celebrity and influencer collaborations within Erewhon’s extended smoothie universe. This one credited to fitness influencer Dr. Paul Saladino, author of “The Carnivore Code,” who proselytizes the health benefits of eating animal organs. He says they aid with immunity, gut health, weight loss and bone strength, among other things. His Austin-based company, Heart & Soil, provides the beef organs and Immunomilk for Erewhon’s Raw Animal Smoothie. Erewhon’s website describes it as having a “creamy texture with a hint of sweetness and a touch of tartness.”
You may be thinking: Ew. And also: How? But, despite the smoothie’s official name — “Dr. Paul’s Raw Animal-Based Smoothie” — there’s one giant asterisk to this gambit. Erewhon says the mix of uncooked beef livers, hearts, pancreases, kidneys and spleens swirling through the coconut cream in the beverage should not be considered “raw.”
“They’re desiccated, or freeze-dried, to preserve the organs as a nutrient-dense powder,” a representative of the store said via email.
Erewhon’s Organic Tonic Bars, where their frothy smoothies are made fresh to order, have cultivated a posh scene unto themselves. Lithe, well-groomed customers in Gucci flip flops and leisurewear regularly crowd these areas at all times of the day in Erewhon’s 10 L.A. locations.
New smoothie partnerships, developed in conjunction with — and heavily promoted by — celebrities and social media stars are announced regularly. Others include Kendall Jenner’s $23 “Peaches and Cream Smoothie,” the most expensive on the menu, and a recently released “Sunscreen Smoothie,” a sea blue and cloudy swirl inspired by the sunscreen brand Vacation. “Hailey Bieber’s $19 Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie” is by far the store’s most popular since debuting in 2022 alongside Bieber’s skincare line, Rhode.
But the Raw Animal Smoothie, which debuted on the menu a year ago, might be the store’s biggest conversation-starter yet.
“Who is buying this?!” one shopper ranted on TikTok. “I just can’t — like, it makes me want to barf looking at the ingredients. If you are super-rich and you’re spending your money on this smoothie, if this is something you’re into, I need some explanations.”
There are scores of people online who’ve filmed their own taste-tests, plenty of them positive.
“You can feel the iron in this. It’s a little bit beefy,” a fan of the drink said in a TikTok post captioned “Worth it.”
The drink may be clickbait, but it also speaks to a growing lifestyle trend that espouses going back to basics. And by that, we mean the Neanderthal era. A step beyond trends like the Paleo (or caveman) diet, it includes eating raw meat; rising and sleeping with the rhythms of the sun; and “barefoot” walking or running in thin or no shoes (or sneakers with the bottom cut out).
A selection of smoothie’s including Dr. Pauls Raw Animal-Based Smoothie are seen at Erewhon in Culver City.
(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
Erewhon’s Raw Animal Smoothie fits right into this. But at what cost? With an outbreak of H5N1 “bird flu” sweeping through dairy cows in the U.S., is it safe to ingest unpasteurized milk right now — or ever?
For the record:
10:05 a.m. July 19, 2024An earlier version of this article stated that four cases of “bird flu” have been detected in humans since March. Nine have been detected.
Only nine cases of “bird flu” have been detected in humans since March, so the current public health risk is low, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But it recommends avoiding unpasteurized dairy in general, as drinking raw milk “can lead to serious health risks, especially for certain vulnerable populations,” it states on its website.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration adds that it’s unclear as to whether or not the H5N1 viruses can be transmitted through consuming raw colostrum from infected cows. But it advises against drinking unpasteurized milk ever, as it may harbor germs leading to serious health issues, such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria.
What about raw meat, freeze-dried or otherwise? No, says the United States Department of Agriculture.
“There are a lot of different trends now with people encouraging eating raw meat, but the reality is it’s still a really risky thing to do without knowing if there is bacteria causing food borne illnesses,” said USDA Food Safety Specialist, Meredith Carothers. “When you reduce the moisture — basically dry it out [by freeze-drying] — the bacteria might not be able to multiply and thrive, but it does not kill it.”
Erewhon stands behind the “nutrient dense” ingredients in its Raw Animal Smoothie, but makes one thing clear: “We are not a healthcare provider, and we do not make health claims about our products. If you are interested in exploring health benefits, we encourage you to explore the scientific literature on the smoothie’s ingredients,” the representative said.
Obviously, Erewhon’s gleaming produce aisles are a far cry from a doctor’s office. But the store’s comment lays plain an important distinction: Erewhon doesn’t take responsibility for your health, just for making you feel healthy.
With that in mind, I took my health into my own hands, and made a trip to the Silver Lake Erewhon.
The raw smoothie has been popular, cashier Ahly Guevara told me. She doesn’t drink it herself, but her 70-year-old grandmother, Maria, swears by it.
“She buys one every Saturday and Sunday,” Guevara said. “It makes her feel stronger.”
![A customer checks out from an Erewhon store in Culver City.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ec84329/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4032x3024+0+0/resize/2000x1500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F08%2Fdc%2F9d46d81e4ced8959fe9c9f293384%2F1467384-me-erewhon-smoothies-dpm-97.jpg)
A customer checks out from an Erewhon store in Culver City.
(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
If Maria could do it, so could I. At first sip, I gagged ever-so-slightly, visions of Looney Tunes farm animals dancing through my head. But it was a sweltering afternoon; and glistening beads of condensation dribbled down the outside of the plastic cup, which was topped with generous amounts of thick coconut cream drizzled with honey. It looked beyond refreshing.
When I was able to put the ingredients out of mind, it went down easily. The smoothie was off-the-charts yummy — rich and sweet and creamy, with notes of blueberry and banana and a lingering coconut base. Erewhon says it’s one of the store’s top-selling smoothies and is now a staple on the menu.
“This store, it’s like the Louis Vuitton of supermarkets.”
— Jordan Ben-Yehuda, Erewhon patron
As I sipped, I noticed three customers, with identical pink-hued smoothies (unmistakably Hailey Biebers) in hand, clustered together by the entrance. The 19-year-olds were visiting Los Angeles from Arkansas for the week. On the agenda: the Hollywood sign, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Santa Monica Pier and … Erewhon. They regularly ogle the luxury store’s jewel-toned smoothies on social media and wanted a sip of the aspirational lifestyle.
“You see them on TikTok — it makes you want to be part of it,” one of them, Natalie Vivar, said of Erewhon’s smoothies.
Parsons School of Design student Jordan Ben-Yehuda , 20, added that the beverages’ high prices match the luxurious vibe of the store.
“It feels exclusive being here, it makes you feel special,” she said, awaiting her drink. “This store, it’s like the Louis Vuitton of supermarkets.”
Even so, she wasn’t quite ready to try the Animal Smoothie.
“It doesn’t particularly appeal to me,” Ben-Yehuda said. “But if it’s marketed as healthy, and sold at a store like this, who am I to question it? It’s Erewhon.”
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