Hook, line, and sinker

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today. Core inflation was 3.3% in July; meal times for breakfast and dinner may impact life expectancy; and distracted walking criminalized in Italy.

Let’s get into it!

Specialty coffee-based beverages and the fun ingredients that go with them have become staples in cafes across North America.

If you’re looking for an iced coffee or cold brew, it’s impossible to imagine one without the addition of cold foam. Unlike when you’re sitting on a barstool waiting for a lager, a healthy head of foam is what you’re looking for with most of these currently popular caffeinated beverages.

It’s fairly simple to whip it up, too (no pun intended). The whipped-cream-looking topping is the result of frothing heavy cream, milk, and the flavoring syrup that’s often added to make a pretty picture at the very top of the foam.

“Cold foam has become especially popular because it adds a light, indulgent layer, almost like whipped cream,” says Zahara Riley, barista at Union League Pâtisserie in downtown New Haven, Connecticut.

“What makes it particularly appealing to Gen Z is the ability to personalize it with different flavors and combinations because simply adding milk and syrup can feel boring and average and something you could get at a gas station.”

If you want to make it at home, you’ll just need a milk frother, heavy cream, milk, and the flavored simple syrup of your choice, ideally mixed with a 3:2:1 ratio.

A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition analyzed data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and found the timing of the first and last meals of the day could have an impact on life expectancy.

The researchers looked at data from 31,044 adults over 40 years old, collected between 1999 and 2018, and zeroed in on the 7,129 participants who died during the eight-year follow-up.

After accounting for dozens of variables like age, sex, smoking status, diet, exercise, etc., they found that compared to those who ate breakfast between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., those who ate between 8 and 10 had a 10% higher chance of all-cause mortality. Between 10 and noon, it rose to 19% and 29% for those who had their first meal after noon.

On the contrary, those who ate their last meal before 7 p.m. had a higher chance of mortality, with those chances increasing the earlier the final meal was consumed.

The study wasn’t conclusive, but its authors expressed the importance of routine meal scheduling, especially for cardiovascular health.

"Meal timing is an important cue for peripheral circadian rhythms," said senior author Zhilei Shan. "A later first meal or late-night eating may contribute to circadian misalignment and metabolic disturbances, including impaired lipid and glucose metabolism."

Meta agreed to a settlement of $16.7 billion in the landmark federal case brought by 29 states in a California court regarding accusations that it knowingly harmed children that used its apps.

The settlement helped avoid a trial over claims that have been increasingly adopted by the general public—that Meta knowingly collected data from users it knew to be children and exposed them to content and tools in the process that irretrievably damaged their mental health and development.

Meta maintained its innocence in agreeing to the settlement, claiming to have protected teenage users of its platforms from the supposed harms caused by social media. It denied exposing them to and fostering “social media addiction,” because it isn’t even a “recognized psychiatric condition.”

The company did agree to introduce certain restrictions on the use of its apps by children, including daily usage limits and usage blocks during nighttime hours.

Along with Meta, other companies like Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok continue to face thousands of lawsuits claiming they intentionally built their platforms in ways that they knew would drive addictive behaviors in children, thereby consciously fuelling an international mental health crisis.

Pedestrians have the right of way on green lights and at crosswalks, but that does exempt them from having to be aware of their surroundings.

Italy is proposing updates to its highway code to mandate that responsibility, making it illegal for pedestrians to be looking down at their phones while crossing the street.

The law isn’t intended to punish pedestrians so much as it’s designed to make sure at least one party is paying attention when a driver doesn’t have enough time to react to the presence of a pedestrian on occasions when they would otherwise have the right of way.

The proposal is expected to pass in mid-October, resulting in a €75 fine for anyone convicted of the offence.

On top of not being allowed to stare downward at a device, pedestrians will also be required to make sure the driver of an oncoming vehicle has actually seen them before crossing.

It’s unclear if such a responsibility can actually be imposed on a pedestrian, but the proposal likely includes it due to several incidents in Italy that courts determined to be the fault of pedestrians.

Pedestrians will still be allowed to have headphones on, and permitted to have hands-free conversations. They may listen to music, podcasts, etc., so long as they can also hear their surroundings.

A progressive rush

From Jethro Tull to Rush, the music was far out and pushin’ boundaries. That’s right folks, we’re quizzin’ you on early prog rock, with today’s trivia 🎸 😏