Burnin' rubber

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today: The U.S. experiences the largest drop in tourism in 25 years; green tea gets the green light from researchers; and Iron Maiden rolls a classic out of the archives! 🤘

Let’s get into it!

According to the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office, around four million fewer people visited the United States in 2025 than the year before, marking the biggest annual decline since 2001 (not including the pandemic).

According to Juliette Kayyem, faculty chair of the Homeland Security Project at the Harvard Kennedy School, the reputation that’s being established is threatening to deplete America’s “soft power,” which refers to its diplomatic and cultural influence around the world.

“If you’re a foreigner now, what you’re absorbing about the United States is a dysfunctional government, ICE raids, Americans being killed, [and] crime everywhere.”

About $8.4 billion less was spent by tourists last year, though some estimates suggest the real drop could be expressed as closer to $25 billion, given how much was spent compared to how much would have been spent if initial estimates had come to fruition.

80 million more people travelled internationally in general last year, but increasingly chose different destinations, including four million fewer Canadians who travelled stateside in 2025 compared to 2024.

The next biggest drop was from travellers from Germany, of which there were 224,000 fewer.

Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood stream that can contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular illnesses like heart attacks and strokes. Scientists consider green tea one of the most effective products for limiting their presence.

“Green tea is the most evidence-backed option for lowering triglycerides because it contains natural compounds called catechins,” said registered dietician, Whitney Stuart.

Of the many catechins contained in green tea, the most plentiful is an antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which has several potential health benefits, including for the heart, liver, and lipid metabolism.

The liver is the body’s fat-processing machine, and that includes fats like triglycerides. One study found those with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease made significant improvements when prescribed 500 mg green tea tablets twice daily for three months.

EGCG also helps reduce the presence of potentially-harmful molecules like reactive oxygen species and other molecular stress markers. In turn, the presence of triglycerides is reduced to healthy levels, and arterial stress and inflammation are reduced, thereby lowering the risk for several types of cardiovascular illnesses.

Babe Ruth may have called his shot that one time, but it’s fair to say any even bigger show of confidence was the 108-year-old woman who just renewed her driver’s license to keep it valid until 2033.

“I grow old gracefully,” said Susan Young Browne of Dover, Delaware, who just officially obtained permission from the state to drive a car legally until she’s 115 years old.

Born in 1918, she came into the world when segregation still ruled Delaware. She lived on a farm without water or electricity, but graduated from Delaware State College for Colored Students in 1945, just before the Second World War wrapped up.

She taught in a one-room school house for decades, has been married twice, and is surrounded by several children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren—at least when she’s not working out at Dover’s Modern Maturity Center, which she can be found pumping iron at three times a week.

“When I get up in the morning, I have an exercise routine that I’ve been doing for the last 20 years,” she said. “When I retired and I walked around that classroom for 30 years, I am not going to sit down.”

Her 108th birthday party was attended by over 100 people, one of whom was Governor Matt Meyer. She was gifted a parking space in front the facility reserved only for motorists over 100 years of age—one she plans on using for at least the next seven years.

Iron Maiden kicked off the next leg of the Run For Your Lives World Tour in Athens, Greece the other day.

The tour began last year and is making its way across Europe and North America this summer, in celebration of the band’s 50th anniversary.

In that sense, you’d expect to hear the biggest hits from across the five decades of Britain’s fastest and most melodic heavy metal band to date. You’d be right, but you’d also maybe be surprised by the inclusion of some deep cuts and old gems that haven’t stretched their legs in decades.

“We know a few of you have seen some of this show before,” said Bruce Dickinson. “We thought we’d just do a little bit of something different, just for this next song. Because it’s a song that we have not played for many, many years. No, it’s not Alexander the Great…But it will be when you go to bed tonight, your Infinite Dreams.”

If you’re a hardcore Maiden fan, it’s probably hard to believe the band hadn’t played Infinite Dreams since 1988, while touring the album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. For a song that’s been in the vault that long, it’s wildly popular, and was given a riotous reception from the Athenian audience.

You can watch the performance here.

Who loves ya, Staker?

We’re throwing it back to classic ’70s and ’80s cop and detective shows! That’s right Staker, you’re on the case with today’s trivia 😏