We're pretty much all thinking about the same thing. The same thing that's been bumming us out for a couple years. And we'll definitely get to that. But let's take our minds off it for a few minutes with a story that has nothing to do with new variants, a tsunami of new cases, or booster shots. It has to do with another kind of shot and an animal you probably don't want to judge by its size, because it can drink you under the table. Sarah Zhang in The Atlantic: You Have No Idea How Hard It Is to Get a Hamster Drunk. "'You just put a bottle of unsweetened Everclear on the cage and they love it,' says Gwen Lupfer, a psychologist at the University of Alaska Anchorage who has studied alcohol consumption in hamsters. They regularly down 18 grams per kilogram of body weight a day, the alcoholic equivalent of a human drinking a liter and a half of 190-proof Everclear. In the wild, hamsters hoard ryegrass seeds and fruit in their burrows, and they eat this fermenting store as it becomes more and more alcoholic over the winter. In the lab, well, they're pretty happy with Everclear. Given the choice between water and alcohol, they go for the booze." (Sounds like humans during quarantine.)
2
CHILE CON STITUTION
"Convention members will decide many things, including: How should mining be regulated, and what voice should local communities have over mining? Should Chile retain a presidential system? Should nature have rights? How about future generations?" What factors would you consider if we could have a constitution do-over? Chile is set to have just that opportunity. NYT (Gift Article): Chile Writes Its Constitution, Confronting Climate Change Head On. "Chile has lots of lithium, which is essential to the world's transition to green energy. But anger over powerful mining interests, a water crisis and inequality has driven Chile to rethink how it defines itself."
3
WHEN WILL IT ALL ENDEMIC?
"Here's one big question you'd probably like the answer to: Does omicron push endemicity farther off into the future? Or could it actually speed up our path to endemicity by infecting so much of the population so swiftly that we more quickly develop a layer of natural immunity?" Experts would like the answer to that question too. Despite omicron, Covid-19 will become endemic. Here's how.
+ Yes, the virus is spreading faster than ever. But hospitalizations are not going up that quickly, if, and this is a big if, you live in a place where the vax rate is high. To some extent, that's been true since we had vaccines. Barry Ritholtz looks at the maps. After Vaccines: Where Covid Death Rates Have Risen. If these trends don't convince folks to voluntarily get vaxed, nothing will.
4
THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW
"'I felt like I was crazy, that I was at fault for what was happening to me. I thought everyone was just tougher than me. But I've come to realize I'm one of the toughest people I know.' In the four years since her diagnosis, she has joined the small ranks of doctors in the country specializing in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and opened a clinic in Silver Spring devoted to the condition. 'Having a chronic illness has been a gift in some ways. The fact that I'm usually not in pain anymore and get to help people like me,' Zingman said. 'I consider my story a happy one.'" WaPo (Gift Article): A doctor struggled with a rare, incurable syndrome. Now she helps others overcome it. (For patients, walking into her office for the first time and being seen, understood, and believed must feel like a miracle.)
5
HOME BOUND
"Like covid-19, the assaults became part of her new normal. 'I know how the world looks at someone who is suffering in this way," said Umm Zeid, speaking in August on the condition that a nickname be used to protect her identity. 'But I can't talk to anyone,' she said. Her voice cracked. 'It's better that I carry the burden myself, rather than burden the whole family.'" WaPo (Gift Article): The pandemic caused a global surge in domestic violence. For victims with few options, abuse has become the new normal.
6
THE BUS STOPS HERE
"Yes, he had a light hand when it came to discipline; he rejected the authoritarian role of the traditional NFL coach, treating players more as equals than subjects, and seemed to encourage, or at least allow, lives of misdemeanor. But he was no pushover. If he had only three rules—be on time, pay attention and 'play like hell when I tell you to'—he was nevertheless very much in charge. Players complained rarely, except to note that his practices were far harder than the game they played." For today's generation, he's a name on a video game. For the generation before, he was the unrivaled voice of the NFL. But before all that, he was one of the greatest coaches in league history. SI: John Madden's Revolutionary Impact, Style Will Never Be Replicated.
+ Inside the legacy of John Madden. (I used to be a local TV sports reporter and I once used a press box urinal next to Madden. I suppose that was my legacy.)
7
I AM LEAVING BUT THE FIGHTER STILL REMAINS
"He was an accomplished amateur boxer who'd rather dance. But Harry Reid was fond of reminding his opponents that he knew how to fight, too. That skill took him far — from poverty in Searchlight, Nevada, to the pinnacle of the U.S. Senate." Harry Reid remembered as a fighter, skilled Senate dealmaker.
"The coldest US state of Alaska has recorded its hottest-ever December day, amid an unusual winter warm spell. Temperatures soared to a record 67F on the island of Kodiak on Sunday - almost seven degrees warmer than the state's previous high. But elsewhere in Alaska temperatures have been plunging to record lows." Alaska 'Icemageddon' warning follows heat record.
In "a staunchly conservative state with a history of drawing people in search of wealth from the land, a new kind of crop is taking over old chicken coops, trailer parks and fields where cattle used to graze. Next door to a Pentecostal church in the tiny town of Keota, the smell of marijuana drifts through the air at the G & C Dispensary. Strains with names like OG Kush and Maui Waui go for $3 a gram, about a quarter of the price in other states." How Oklahoma Became a Marijuana Boom State. (They'll be voting blue in like six weeks.)
NextDraft 600 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
You are receiving this because you signed up for Dave Pell's Next Draft newsletter. If you'd like to stop receiving these emails, simply unsubscribe. No hard feelings. If this email isn't looking quite right, you can view it in your browser.
Did some awesome person forward this issue to you? Subscribe at NextDraft and get it in your own inbox.
As 2021 draws to a close, we’re revisiting our most popular articles of the year in a series that spans the best of McKinsey Quarterly, the New at McKinsey blog, and more—we even feature an Editor’s Choice category. Today, we give you our most-read pieces from McKinsey Global Institute, which touch on everything from the future of work to what's ahead for global economic growth and productivity. Read on for our full top 10.
The pandemic accelerated existing trends in remote work, e-commerce, and automation, with up to 25 percent more workers than previously estimated potentially needing to switch occupations. Read the full report
The pandemic led to an unprecedented consumption shock across countries that upended long-standing consumer habits. But what happens once the pandemic is over? Explore what's ahead
Many changes in business models and consumer behavior during the pandemic will stick, but action will be needed to ensure the rebound is not uneven. Navigate this turning point
China's next challenge is to transform education and skills development to deliver the talent needed for an innovative, digitized, postindustrial economy. Read the report
Bold innovation by some firms under pressure of the pandemic could deliver a productivity dividend, but that depends on corporate action broadening and robust demand. Read the full report
Closing racial gaps across the economy is not only about righting historic wrongs. It is also about choosing a more dynamic future and realizing the full potential of a massively underutilized source of talent, to the benefit of all Americans. Address the disparities
We map the different ways in which the economic value that large companies create flows to households in OECD economies and examine what has changed in the past quarter-century. Understand the landscape
Asia's consumer markets are not only growing rapidly but diversifying and segmenting. Three changes in perspective are key to understanding new consumption paths in the region. Embrace growth
Follow our thinking
McKinsey Insights - Get our latest thinking on your iPhone, iPad, or Android
Share these insights
Did you enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to colleagues and friends so they can subscribe too. Was this issue forwarded to you? Sign up for it and sample our 40+ other free email subscriptions here.
This email contains information about McKinsey’s research, insights, services, or events. By opening our emails or clicking on links, you agree to our use of cookies and web tracking technology. For more information on how we use and protect your information, please review our privacy policy.
You received this email because you subscribed to our McKinsey Global Institute alert list.
