COFFEE BEANS & BEINGS / BBC DELVES INTO THE AGE OLD QUESTION: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TAKE TOO MUCH CAFFEINE

BBC writer Jessica Brown deep in research for her article. 

GUEST BLOG / By Jessica Brown, BBC--It is there naturally in your morning coffee and cup of tea or added to your favourite energy drink and many popular soft drinks. 

For many of us, a slug of caffeine can give our bodies and brains a much needed boost if we are feeling a little sluggish. But recently, a brand of lemonade on sale in the US was discontinued amid accusations its caffeine content was dangerously high, despite reportedly being within the country's recommended daily intake of caffeine for adults. 

That raised questions about just how much caffeine is too much, and does it matter where we get it from? 

While there's a vast number of studies showing that some caffeinated drinks have health benefits, there's still some uncertainty around how we should be consuming it. How caffeine affects the body There are many crucial functions at play in our bodies all the time, including heart rate, blood flow and sleep-wake cycles. 

Many of these affected by adenosine – a chemical that occurs naturally in our bodies, and whose job it is to make us tired at the end of the day. "Adenosine is one of the naturally produced substances in the body to cause a quieting of activity in various organs that are under stress or in need of lowering energy demand," says Kenneth Jacobson, chief of the molecular recognition section at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in the US. 

Adenosine receptors are found on the outer surface of many cells in the body, he says, and they react to variable levels of adenosine near the cell to send a command inside the cell to lower its level of activity. This promotes sleep in the heart, kidneys, immune system and other tissues. 

When we consume caffeine, it's quickly absorbed into our bloodstream, where it out-competes adenosine by preventing it from connecting to these receptors and doing its job. 

This is why consuming caffeine can make us feel more awake and alert. Coffee is the world's most popular drink, but a typical dose of caffeine varies widely. Caffeine can also boost levels of other neurotransmitters like dopamine and adrenaline, which can make you feel more stimulated, says Damian Bailey, professor of physiology at the University of South Wales in the UK. 

"The brain is like a big muscle," Bailey says. "It needs to perform things, and dopamine, adrenaline and caffeine all stimulate it." 

Health benefits of caffeine 

There's a huge body of evidence around caffeine's effects on our health – particularly coffee, since this is one of the biggest contributors of caffeine in the diets of most populations. 

 An umbrella review analysing more than 200 meta-analyses in 2017 found that drinking three to four cups of coffee a day was more often linked to health benefits rather than harm, and that studies finding harmful associations could be explained by the higher proportion of coffee drinkers that also smoke. 

However, one area where things may get a bit nuanced is heart health. One population study of almost 19,000 people found that, while drinking more than two cups of coffee a day was linked to a higher risk of death from heart disease among people who already had high blood pressure, this wasn't the case among those with healthy blood pressure. 

Coffee – but not tea – has been consistently found to protect against depression And in a review of evidence, scientists say that, while moderate coffee consumption can lower the risk of death, high blood pressure and heart failure, there was no clear effect found on coronary heart disease risk. 

Studies show that coffee can also have an effect on how well we exercise. One study of amateur cyclists found it can improve physical performance by up to 1.7%. Caffeine has also been associated with a decreased risk of several forms of cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. 

 Coffee – but not tea – has consistently been found to protect against depression, and there's also evidence that adenosine's antagonists, including caffeine, that block adenosine receptors, are beneficial for the ageing brain, says Jacobson. "Caffeine itself, and other more potent, synthetic caffeine-like molecules, have been studied clinically and shown to be beneficial in humans with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's dementia," he says. 

In fact, research has associated caffeine consumption with up to a 60% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's. One explanation for this is that caffeine improves blood flow to the brain, says Bailey. The brain burns a huge amount of fuel, he says – despite only weighing around 2% of our body weight, it accounts for more than a quarter of our body's entire energy requirements. 

"But while caffeine's ability to increase blood flow to the brain is a good thing, this can also trigger headaches, so caffeine is a risk factor for migraine suffers," he says. 

What does coffee do to your body? 

 Coffee has also been associated with healthy compositions of gut microbes, partly thanks to the bioactive polyphenol and alkaloid compounds – of which caffeine is one – it contains. It is well established that the right composition of gut microbiota can have widespread effects on our health. And it's worth noting, some of the health benefits associated with coffee are not down to its caffeine content. Chlorogenic acid, a compound unique to coffee, for example, may be behind some of coffee's beneficial health outcomes, particularly diabetes, says Cornelis. 

"Population data strongly shows that coffee-drinking reduces diabetes, but the effects are also found with decaf, so it's probably not related to caffeine," she says. And many caffeinated drinks can have different effects due to other things they contain. 

This is true even for different types of coffee. For example, roasted coffee contains bioactive compounds that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. And while instant coffee contains more healthy polyphenols than filter coffee, it also contains more of the carcinogen acrylamide, says Ruari. 

Tea has also been found to have similar anti-inflammatory effects, due to its flavanol content. 

Is all caffeine created equally? 

While coffee is best known for its caffeinated properties, tea is a strong contender, too. "Strongly brewed black and green tea can pack quite a punch as far as caffeine is concerned," says Bailey. 

There are potential health benefits to replacing some coffee with tea was better than drinking just coffee 

 One study that followed more than half a million coffee drinkers over two decades found that people who drank filtered coffee – which involves brewing coffee more slowly through a filter – had lower rates of arterial disease and death compared to those who drank no coffee, or unfiltered coffee. 

The researchers conclude that this might be because of the caffeine. In the first known study to look at the effects of substituting coffee with tea, researchers found that there are potential health benefits to replacing some coffee with tea compared to drinking just coffee. 

The researchers conclude that men who get between a third and one half of their daily caffeine intake from coffee had the lowest risk of death, and women who drunk just coffee, or up to 40% tea, had the lowest risk of death – but those who drank more tea than this were at an increased risk of death. 

Another more recent trend is the use of caffeine in energy drinks – a vague term for caffeinated soft drinks that contain other ingredients including sugar and other stimulants, such as guarana. 

These seeds contain around four times more caffeine than coffee beans, and the combination of other natural chemicals in guarana seeds may heighten its stimulant effects over caffeine alone. 

Caffeine levels build up in the blood stream after 20 minutes, and it takes about an hour for 'peak caffeine'. 

Damian Bailey Studies show that the some of the most popular caffeinated energy drinks in the UK and US contain between 75 and 160mg of caffeine, but some contain as much as 500mg of caffeine. "Energy drinks often contain other stimulants like B vitamins, L-carnitine, L-theanine, and glucuronolactone," says Alex Ruani, doctoral researcher of nutrition science education at University College London. "When combined, all these things can upset many body systems, including the brain and the heart. Long term this can cause cardiac harm such as hypotension and arrythmia, and neurological disturbances like panic attacks and seizures." 

Timing it right 

Whether you consume caffeine to stay alert through meetings or in an attempt to improve your stamina in the gym, the time of day seems to matter. 

"Caffeine levels build up in the blood stream after 20 minutes, and it takes about an hour for 'peak caffeine'," Bailey says. "Caffeine helps muscles to contract more powerfully, and increases our tolerance to fatigue, so it can boost performance quite considerably if taken one hour before exercise." 

 When you first wake up in the morning, some researchers recommend waiting for 90 minutes to two hours before having your first cup of coffee. Their reasoning is that in the first couple of hours after waking up, adenosine bound to the receptors on the outside of your cells will gradually clear, leaving the way clear for caffeine to bind more effectively. 

However, other researchers dispute the validity of this idea and say there is little scientific evidence to support it. 

Bottom Lines

The consensus seems to be that drinking between 200 and 300mg of coffee per day is better than not drinking it at all. But while caffeine enters the gut quite quickly, its effects can take hours to wear off. Scientists recommend having your last 'dose' of caffeine eight hours and 48 minutes before you go to bed. 

When is caffeine not advised? 

National guidelines in the UK, and the US, advise limiting caffeine to 200mg per day when pregnant. However, in an analysis of 37 studies, 32 of the studies found that caffeine significantly increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, which can include the mother developing gestational diabetes or preeclampsia, or restricted growth of the foetus. This is because caffeine easily crosses the placenta. 

Researchers have found that, for miscarriage and stillbirth, there's an increased risk for each increment of 100mg, and low birth rate from 10mg per day. 

 Caffeine also passes through breastmilk to breastfeeding babies, says Jack James, professor at Reykjavík University in Iceland. "Although the caffeine concentration in infant blood is lower than that of the mother, it's important to note that infants are unable to metabolise caffeine," he says. Not only can caffeine effect how difficult it is to get to sleep, but it may also affect how much deep sleep you get.

Exposing babies to caffeine this way can cause them to feel caffeine withdrawal symptoms, James says. "It has been firmly established that caffeine interferes with sleep in adults and that regular consumers become physically dependent, evidenced by a wide range of disruptive withdrawal effects," he says. These symptoms, he adds, can occur as soon as six hours after abstaining from caffeine, especially among daily caffeine consumers, and symptoms can include headaches and irritability. 

"While there has been little study of caffeine-induced withdrawal symptoms in infants, we may assume that any such effects parallelling those experienced by adults are likely to be disruptive," he says. 

 And not only can caffeine effect how difficult it is to get to sleep, but it may also affect how much deep sleep you get, says Ruani. There is also evidence showing that adenosine has anti-inflammatory effects against immune and inflammatory disorders. 

 "Those might be conditions where reducing caffeine intake would be appropriate, after consulting a medical professional," Jacobson says. 

How much is too much caffeine? 

There are no guidelines in the UK specifically, but the European Food Safety Authority EFSA advises healthy people to drink no more than 400mg per day, and no more than 200mg in a single drink. 

Generally, the consensus seems to be that drinking between 200 and 300mg of coffee per day is better than not drinking it at all, Bailey says. But recommendations can be rather futile when we don't know how much caffeine is in any given drink, and the content is so variable, he adds. 

If we assume that there are 100mg in a cup of coffee, 400mg is four cups of coffee per day – but, Bailey says, four flat whites would be well over the 400mg limit. 

This is because different bean varieties, the amounts of coffee grounds used and the preparation of the drink itself can all have an effect. 

 A moderate intake of around two or three cups of coffee per day hasn't been linked to any serious negative side effects in healthy people, says Jacobson "Providers aren't aware of how much caffeine they're giving you," he says. "An espresso can contain anywhere between 250mg and 700mg of caffeine, and some energy drinks can be 500 or 600mg." 

So, it's easy to overload on caffeine, Bailey adds – and you'll know when this happens, because you may start to feel nauseous, anxious and irritable, and develop a headache. You might also start to feel premature ventricular contractions – which are extra heartbeats, as the heart's pacemakers become irritable, he adds. 

Withdrawls

But a moderate intake of around two or three cups of coffee per day hasn't been linked to any serious negative side effects in healthy people, says Jacobson. 

And if people need to suddenly stop consuming caffeine, he advises doing so gradually over a few days, to avoid any withdrawal symptoms. And if you consistently drink high amounts of caffeine over time, you're more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms if you suddenly stop consuming it, but research suggests they can occur with daily doses as low as 100mg. 

The mechanism behind withdrawal symptoms is the same mechanism that causes caffeine's stimulant effects, says Cornelis. "People who consume a lot of caffeine over a long time will build up a tolerance effect, because adenosine receptors multiply. 

And if there are more of these receptors, there's more opportunity for adenosine to take effect in the absence of caffeine," she says.

Individual differences 

There are at least eight genes we inherit that are associated with caffeine intake, including ones that influence neurological stimulation, the psychoactive effects of coffee on the brain, how quickly we metabolise coffee, how much we can tolerate, and how much we enjoy it, says Ruani. 

It can take as little as two hours to metabolise half the caffeine we've consumed, but for some people, it can take longer than 12 hours, Cornelis says. 

Caffeine is a unique drug because it's so readily available This difference is largely because of the genetic variants in the CYP1A2 enzyme in our bodies, which represents more 90% of caffeine metabolism, Cornelis says. 

This is often broken down into two categories of people: caffeine responders, and non-responders – and it's likely you know which category you fall into. Most people's coffee-drinking habits tend to match up to their genetic predisposition, Cornelis says, because we're good at figuring out how many coffees we can tolerate, and sticking within our individual tolerance levels. 

But this is where the health benefits associated with caffeine become more complicated. "Those who metabolise coffee quickly may need to consume more to get the health benefits, because it's gone so quickly," Cornelis says. 

Our genetic differences may also affect the extent to which habitual coffee consumption can promote health benefits. "Some people may develop high blood pressure from drinking caffeinated drinks, some don't," says Ruani. "Some benefit from the heart protective benefits of caffeine, and some may not." 

And this may contribute to some of the contradictory findings associated with coffee's health benefits, she says. 

How should you consume caffeine? 

Caffeine is a unique drug because it's so readily available. But this makes it all the more important – albeit, perhaps, more difficult – to consume in moderation. 

 If you're struggling to relax and feeling edgy, you may have hit your caffeine limit, says Bailey. But the real telltale sign, he says, is struggling to sleep at night. 

"Always refuse coffee at the end of an evening meal, and ask for decaf instead," he says. "Sleep is so important for the brain." 

FISCAL FRIDAY / WHAT THE FEDERAL RESERVE CAME AWAY WITH FROM ITS JACKSON HOLE SYMPOSIUM

By Craig Fehr, CFA, Principal and leader of investment strategy for Edward Jones--The moment we've all been waiting for is not quite here, but the countdown clock is ticking. Last week brought the Federal Reserve's annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, a monetary-policy red carpet of sorts, where the movie isn't shown but previews and interviews add detail and anticipation. In this case, "Who are you wearing?" is replaced with "What are you seeing?" and "When are you cutting?" 

 There are no policy decisions made at this meeting, but it did provide a prelude to the Fed's upcoming official meetings, where expectations for action are high. 

 Markets spent the week largely treading water, awaiting the latest perspectives from monetary policymakers, including the much-anticipated speech from Fed Chair Powell on Friday. There were no surprise endings, but we do think the commentary provided some takeaways that will be important for markets ahead. Here are three of our key takes for investors: 

1. The wait is over, but the goalposts have moved. 

• A September shift: Markets have been fixated on – and driven predominantly by – the timeline to rate cuts for the better part of the last year. The wait is almost over, as we think the commentary from Chair Powell is consistent with our (and the prevailing) view that interest-rate cuts will commence in September. 

The Fed has held its policy rate steady for more than a year now, with the extended pause stemming from the fact that the central bank's dual mandate (stable inflation plus maximum employment) was not yet in a position that could warrant a change in policy settings. Our interpretation of the Fed's commentary last week is that officials now see sufficient movement on that mandate to begin adjusting rates. 

 • Not just inflation anymore: Importantly, however, we think the Fed's focus, in terms of the data guiding policy decisions, is shifting. With unemployment running below 4% from February 2021 to April 2024 (for perspective, the average over the last 40 years has been 5.8%), the employment side of the mandate has not required much attention. Conversely, with core inflation averaging 4.7% over the last 24 months (compared with a 40-year average of 2.9%), the Fed has focused policy moves squarely on bringing down inflation1. 

 With the trends in inflation and employment now both on the move, and with the economy showing a bit of fatigue recently, we expect the Fed's attention will now be more balanced, with an effort to support the labor market and economy playing a more prominent role in upcoming rate decisions. 

 • Progress on prices: The inflation fight has not yet been won, but with core CPI (consumer price index) at 3.2%, having declined for four straight months and now sitting at its lowest reading since April 2021, we think sufficient progress has been made for the Fed to be able to ease monetary policy. Recent underlying price data suggest to us that the rate of inflation should continue to moderate and will not require the current restrictive interest rates to do so. Inflation has moderated, but there's more work to do. 

 Early signs of softness in the jobs market: July's underwhelming jobs report (in which monthly hiring slowed and the unemployment rate ticked up to its highest since October 2021) set off a rash of recession worries a few weeks ago, which sparked the early-August sell-off in stocks. We said then, and reiterate now, that the recession panic was overblown, with data in recent weeks supporting a more positive view. That said, we've been of the view since the beginning of this year that employment conditions would soften (but not collapse), downshifting the economy to a lower gear. We don't think a recession is on our doorstep, but some emerging cracks in what has been an otherwise incredibly solid labor market do warrant the Fed's attention. We expect upcoming rate decisions to reflect the Fed's effort to support a more material deterioration in employment conditions and stave off a more meaningfully economic slowdown. Recent softness in labor market supports the shift in Fed policy. 

 2. This is not your grandfather's rate-cutting cycle. 

 • A different entry point: Traditionally, the Fed starts cutting rates in response to an economic downturn, a financial shock/crisis, or both. The conditions are somewhat unique this time, as the Fed is not seeking to address a collapsing economy or arrest a seizing financial system. Put differently, the Fed often cuts rates to press on the gas pedal, stimulating a sputtering economy. We think the upcoming rate-cutting cycle is more about letting off of the brake, upon which the Fed has had its foot firmly pressed for the last two years. 

 Inflation is coming down, but it is not yet back to the Fed's long-term target or sustainable (tolerable) levels. And unemployment has ticked up, but we don't see signs that the labor market or the economy is in need of immediate life support. So while neither of those, in isolation, scream for a rate-cutting cycle, real rates (interest rates minus inflation) are creeping higher, which we think makes the case for the Fed to gradually reduce rates to get monetary policy closer to a more neutral setting. 

 • Won't be dramatic: Given our comments above, we expect this rate-cutting cycle to start, and proceed, gradually. Barring a sharp and unexpected change in the path of inflation or unemployment, we think the Fed will make incremental, 25-basis-point (0.25%) cuts to its policy rate. The last rate cuts were in March of 2020, when the Fed executed a 50-basis-point and 100-basis-point cut, in emergency fashion, to address the fallout from the COVID-19 shutdown. 

The policy-easing cycle that began in 2007 commenced with an outsized cut (0.50%) and included numerous large rate cuts as we navigated the housing market collapse and global financial crisis. Similarly, the easing cycle following the tech bubble pop and 9/11 in 2001 included numerous 50-basis-point rate cuts. We don't see a need at this stage for a dramatic move by the Fed, and in the absence of any particularly weak upcoming jobs reports, we think a string of 25-basis-point rate cuts is the likely approach, as the Fed seeks to find a neutral stance for its policy rate. 

 • Won't be preordained: A point of emphasis that we took from Chair Powell's speech last week was that the Fed is going to be highly data dependent in making upcoming policy changes. Our interpretation is that instead of approaching this rate-cutting cycle as a path from here to some future destination, the Fed is going to assess incoming inflation and economic data and calibrate accordingly. We suspect this means the path for rate cuts may not be consistent, with cuts and pauses interspersed over meetings this year and next. 

 We expect smaller and gradual rate cuts compared with prior crisis-driven downturns. 

 3. Interest-rate cuts are typically favorable for the markets, and we don't think this time will be an exception. 

• Making good on this year's market rally: We think a shift to a phase of monetary-policy easing will be a tailwind for financial markets over the coming year. That said, this has been widely and eagerly anticipated, so a portion of that benefit has already been pulled forward into the stock and bond markets. Short- and longer-term yields have declined notably this year, reflecting expectations for a lower Fed policy rate. Meanwhile the stock market has returned nearly 40% since interest rates peaked last October. 

 However, we don't think the benefits of lower rates have been fully exhausted for the stock market. The ability for the Fed to lower rates in a manner that orchestrates a soft landing for the economy (avoiding recession) should, in our view, provide scope for corporate profits to rise at a healthy clip next year, which we believe would be a fuel source for this bull market to extend this year and into 2025. 

 Stocks have rallied and Treasury yields have fallen in anticipation of upcoming Fed-policy rate cuts. 

• More helpful policy doesn't mean smooth sailing: Looking back over the last 40 years at prior initial Fed rate cuts, stock-market performance in the ensuing few months has been generally positive, with all but two instances seeing stocks rise in the following three months1. But we think the bigger takeaway for investors should be the choppiness during that period (as shown in the chart below). Short-term (daily, weekly) market performance is rarely smooth, but in this case, this reflects that fact that while interest-rate cuts and easier policy from the Fed offer a boost, the transition to rate cuts often accompanies a shift in economic and financial conditions. 

 We doubt we've seen the last of the reactions to growth scares that may stem from any incoming weakness in economic readings. In addition, U.S. presidential election and geopolitical uncertainties are likely to add to bouts of anxiety over the coming months. And while we think this shift by the Fed is broadly more of a tailwind, we don't think it will eliminate periodic swings or volatility over the remainder of 2024. 

 Stock-market performance has been mixed immediately after first cut, reflecting shifting conditions 

• History and the current starting point warrant a positive view: Rate cuts are not a cure-all, but we do think less restrictive policy is good news. While this doesn't reintroduce 3% mortgages or deliver a heavy dose of monetary stimulus, this is a step toward less burdensome borrowing costs for consumers and businesses. Lower rates can also be supportive of stock-market valuations and bond-market returns. We think this is largely demonstrated by the broader performance of equities in the one and two years following the commencement of rate cuts, shown in the table below. Recognizing that the dot-com bust and 9/11, as well as the global financial crisis, produced weakness that extended well beyond the start of the rate-cutting cycles, we think that history is on investors' side when it comes to post-rate-cut market returns. 

 Looking at periods like 1987, 1995 and 1998, when rate cuts were not accompanied by an ensuing recession, returns in the following one to two years were particularly strong. As we noted, a recession can't be completely ruled out, but we think the economic expansion will continue. We think the Fed initiating rate cuts from the current position of employment, consumer spending, and overall GDP growth supports such an outcome and a broadly positive view for financial markets ahead. 

 Broader market performance following initial rate cuts has often been positive. 

 Stock Market Return: 

About the Author Craig Fehr is a principal and the leader of investment strategy for Edward Jones. Craig is responsible for analyzing and interpreting economic trends and market conditions, along with constructing investment strategies and asset allocation guidance designed to help investors reach their financial goals. 

 He has been featured in Barron’s, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, SmartMoney magazine, MarketWatch, the Financial Post, Yahoo! Finance, Bloomberg News, Reuters, CNBC and Investment Executive TV. Craig holds a master's degree in finance from Harvard University, an MBA with an emphasis in economics from Saint Louis University and a graduate certificate in economics from Harvard. 

WHEN MY DAD MARCHED INTO PARIS NEXT TO YOUR DAD AND/ OR GRANDPA

American troops of the 28th Infantry Division march down the Champs Elysees, Paris, in the "Victory" Parade on August 29, 1944. Credit: U.S. Army/Department of Defense photo, 1944. 

By Thomas Shess, Jr., a retired newspaperman and magazine editor, who split his career at the San Francisco Examiner, San Diego Home Garden and San Diego Magazine. He resides in the historic North Park neighborhood, San Diego, CA., where he founded North Park News. 

Millions of men and women went to fight in World War Two. My dad’s story is just one of them no more, no less important than the experiences of the other men and women, who served in WW2 when America called upon them. 

 My Wisconsin dairy farmer dad joined the Army in 1939 shortly after the Nazi’s invaded Poland as did so many Polish-American sons of immigrant parents. He ended his military career in 1948 in Alaska, where he was “stationed” after the war. 

Most American veterans returned home heroes after VE Day.  My dad returned bitter three years later. 

Recently, seeing a U.S. Army vintage photograph of American troops marching into Paris in 1944 reminded me he too hated the war, the Army and especially talking about his WWII experience in combat. 

 Most of what I know of his career came from my mom in later years. She was a good listener. She recalled Dad saying to her that marching into Paris was probably the second most fun he had wearing an Army uniform.  The first being married in uniform in April, 1944.

 Years later, sitting next his hospital bed while recovering from his first heart attack I dared to ask him about Normandy and Paris. He spat out “...Paris was beautiful...being blown up not so much.” End of conversation. 

 By 1985, Tom Shess, Sr. was dead at age 63 fighting PTS from the war and heart disease because the good folks back home kept sending our troops free cigarettes. 

 But no one joins the war time military to have fun. He was one of the waves of soldiers that landed in Normandy in early June, 1944. He was in an infantry division. I wish I could remember which one because when my wife and youngest son visited the invasion museum in Normandy they did a good job of identifying outfits involved in the invasion and supporting the invasion. Why I never pressed him for more info is a big regret. But, when Dad didn’t want to talk about something he barked—we always backed off. 

Mom said, the one incident that he talked about to her in some detail happened shortly after his division left Paris to continue the fight in Germany. It was then he was blown out of his foxhole by German artillery. His buddies next to him died a horrible death. He landed in a nearby thick of hedgerows. He was lucky he only suffered superficial wounds or so he thought. He was mainly concussed and suffered hearing and taste loss. In reality, his brain, his personality was never the same, again. My mom said, my first husband died in the war and the second husband came home hurt forever—nice line except for the fact it was the same man. The last thing he remembered before the blast was simply that it was morning. When he came to it was night. He awoke alone. He heard no manmade sounds in the eerie darkness. He stayed put not knowing if his position had been overrun. 

Thomas Shess, Sr., age 22, Private, United States Army, 1943.  

He hid until dawn in the under brush, the same thick growth that hid him from Nazi patrols when his unit pulled out of the area while he lay unseen and unconscious. Soon he was picked up by another American unit heading to the front. His wounds must have been more than he let on to us because he said he was sent to a field hospital. His medical stay put more time between him and his original unit. 

 In the fog of war, when a body was not found and when survivors pointed out they saw my father before the blast—going by the book meant that missing soldier, who didn’t answer roll call, was presumed to have gone AWOL. That’s what happened. Bureaucratic details are few but at the end of the war, my father was court martialed for his disappearance when all of the time he was patched into another unit. Commanders of his new unit didn’t check where the new guy came from as long as he was performing his duties. But when it came time to muster out after the Nazi’s were defeated that’s when his trouble began. 

 The Army listened to his story and only after hearing from officers from his new unit did the brass offer him a “deal.” If he enlisted for post war duty they would clear his record and give him an honorable discharge. Of course, he argued. Why was he up on charges for being blown up and unintentionally separated from his unit. The verdict was guilty because “we say so.” 

 After my mom died, I found in her papers my dad’s honorable discharge certificate. What I don’t have are details. Why didn’t they believe him and just let him go home? His widow didn’t have any answers. When he first enlisted in 1939 he was sent from boot camp to a unit in Panama tasked with defending the canal. As the war became more brutal artillerymen on the Panama coast were retrained to go to the European front as infantrymen. 

 En route to Europe, he was given a short furlough while at Ft. Bliss, Texas (El Paso). That’s where he met Stella Martin, my mom, who was a clerk in the U.S. censorship unit, also at Ft. Bliss. A whirlwind romance ensued and they married. Then by mid-May he was on a transport ship heading to England as part of the D-Day flotilla that poured men and materiel into France for months on end. 

 One side note, when he “re-enlisted” after the war it was a forced plea deal. The Army posted him as a warehouseman working at various Alaskan military bases and ports. He spent three winters in America’s Siberia. It was from there he mustered out. 

 I don’t care how you cut it—he was sentenced to three years at hard labor because he couldn’t prove his story. He hated the Army bureaucracy until his dying day. 

 Looking at the Internet image I discovered shows so many soldiers marching proudly into a liberated city. I now wonder if my father is in the picture somewhere in that proud mass being anonymous among the ranks and files of the greatest Army ever? Seeing that image also reminded me on August 29, 2024, he would have been 103 years old. 

He would have been marching into Paris on his birthday. 

 Cheers, buddy, I think you deserve medal, at least a purple heart, one he never got. But in reality, his medal was being able to return alive to his family. Too many soldiers never made it home—never leaving France. 

Thank you to all those patriots who served then and saved the free world.

American troops of the 28th Infantry Division march down the Champs Elysees, Paris, in the "Victory" Parade August 29, 1944. Credit: U.S. Army/Department of Defense photo, 1944. Caption: 

DESIGN / CENTURY OLD DETROIT OFFICE HIGH RISE'S STUNNING REVIVAL

Among Book Tower's restored features are a grand glass dome, which sits over the lobby's Bar Rotunda.

The restored Book [Family] Tower in downtown Detroit is open for business.  The almost 100 year old neo-classical office structure is now a modern 500,000 square foot mixed-use 36-level success story.

Several restaurants and a hotel have opened within Detroit's historic Book Tower as part of a years-long restoration project undertaken by developers Bedrock, who worked with New York architecture firm ODA. 

Method Co was brought on to conceptualise and operate multiple culinary offerings within the building, including Le Suprême brasserie (pictured, above), a classic French brasserie that offers an all-day menu and both indoor and outdoor seating at street level for up to 210 guests.  

Among Book Tower's restored features are a grand glass dome, which sits over the lobby's Bar Rotunda.

Located on Washington Boulevard in downtown Detroit, the Book Tower was built for the Book Brothers: J. Burgess, Jr., Herbert and Frank.   

Designed by Louis Kamper, who was a prolific and celebrated architect in the city during its Gilded Age (1920s).

On the 14th floor is Kamper's, a rooftop cocktail bar (above) designed with ODA comprising an indoor lounge that opens onto an expansive outdoor terrace via large French doors. 

Kamper's cozy interior has exposed brick walls and dark wood accents, complemented by marble mosaic flooring, antiqued mirrors and velvet drapery. 

Bar Rotunda sits below the glass dome and acts as an all-day lobby cafe and bar, with 70 seats surrounded by ornate architectural details that recall the grand eateries of early 20th-century Paris. "The space is canopied by a beautifully restored 100-year-old Keppler Glass dome that features more than 7,000 individual jewels and 6,000 glass panels making it an architectural centerpiece," said Method Co, which also worked with ODA on this space. 

Also planned to open soon within Book Tower are sake pub Sakazuki, and izakaya and omakase-style dining spot Hiroki-San.

The building's accommodation component, Roost Detroit, (above), is Method Co's latest iteration of its apartment hotel brand, offering short and extended stays within contemporary spaces of various sizes and configurations.

 (Above) photography is by Matthew Williams.

The Book Tower, Detroit, Redux

LOCAL / SPRECKELS ORGAN ROCKS THE PARK

Local musician/vocalist William Fleming will perform, Sept. 2nd @ 7:30 with
the Spreckels Organ Festival Rock Bank.  Free admission and you'll hear the world's largest outdoor musical instrument in full tilt.

For lovers of vintage rock featuring pre-electric organs—from the likes of Jimmy McGriff and others—the Spreckels Organ Society, a nonprofit organization curating concerts and performances in the heart of Balboa Park, announced the finale its 2024 San Diego International Summer Organ Festival, which will feature a Labor Day Classic Rock concert with the 7-member Pavilion Rock Band. 

Cross off what you have on your calendar for Sept. 2nd @ 7:30 pm and come hear the pure sounds of rock on the even purer Spreckels organ in Balboa Park. 

 The venerable 1915 organ will be backed by a seven-piece rock ensemble and vocal talents, including North Parker William Fleming. 

Yippee, once a year for 90 non-stop minutes, the Spreckels organ shakes off its Mozart slippers for you to hear rock n’ roll played by a cool band including Balboa Park’s famed organ, the largest outdoor musical instrument in the world. 

 And, you thought the Spreckels organ only played Haydn or esoteric organ players/composers from Iowa. 

In addition to annual summer performances, the Spreckels Organ Pavilion also hosts year-round weekly concerts every Sunday at 2:00 p.m. 

All the music is free through the generosity of the City of San Diego, the weekly Spreckels Organ Society concerts at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion are presented at in accordance with the 1915 Deed of Gift whereby the brothers John and Adolph Spreckels gave the organ and pavilion to the City of San Diego. 

Donations are always accepted. 

Set in the beautiful backdrop of Balboa Park’s open-air venue at 2125 Pan American Road, performances bring a one-of-a-kind experience for guests. The elevated music venue brings world-class musical artists for San Diegans and visitors to enjoy, for free, on the largest outdoor musical instrument in the world! 

For the full Festival program, visit spreckelsorgan.org/summer-organ-festival. For more information about the Spreckels Organ Society, visit www.SpreckelsOrgan.org. 

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MEDIA MONDAY / DID POLITICAL PUNDIT EZRA KLEIN ARRIVE IN TIME TO SAVE THE DEMOCRATS OR IS HE OVERATED? *

 

New York Times Opinion writer Ezra Klein

Guest Blog / By Charlotte Klein, a features editor and media columnist with New York Magazine—  It was Tuesday afternoon at the United Center in Chicago, a few hours before back-to-back Obamas issued their impassioned calls-to-arms, and the famously sensible explanatory journalist Ezra Klein, who characteristically keeps his passions in check, didn’t have the right credentials to get into the arena. The Secret Service didn’t recognize the New York Times’ star Opinion writer and podcaster, who has had a bit of a glow-up lately with a salt-and-pepper beard and David Beckham–esque haircut, but eventually after we met up was able to figure out how to get in to where he belonged. This is, after all, as much his convention as any journalist this time around, since its high-energy optimism turned on the fact that President Joe Biden no longer was leading the ticket. And, starting early this year, Klein platformed that Establishment desire, leading the coup-drumbeat. 

 It worked so well that Klein, 40, who has been an influential journalist for over half his life, is ready to come out from behind his computer, step out of his podcast studio, and into the spotlight. He tells me this is actually the first convention he’s attended since the Obama years. After spending his 20s writing lengthy blog posts on economics, he’s now become a tattooed middle-aged Brooklyn dad in Bonobos and sand-colored Air Force Ones who goes to Burning Man, where he’s headed next week. 

“The thing I got right this year wasn’t that Joe Biden was too old to run for reelection. Everyone knew that,” he told me in the back of a bar near his hotel in Downtown Chicago the night before. “The thing I got right this year was that the Democratic Party was an institution that still had decision-making capacity.” In February, Klein launched a series of podcasts and columns arguing that Biden should step aside. He also advocated for alternatives, like an open convention, and made the case for why Kamala Harris was underrated. 

Following his “prediction about the campaign” in February, as he later referred to it, Klein continued to take the pulse of the party. And while he didn’t get the open convention he was looking for, he did get what he called a “disorganized” mini primary in the veepstakes — and played a role in the unofficial auditioning process, too, having Gretchen Whitmer and then Tim Walz on his show in the days leading up to Harris’s eventual pick. (He also invited Josh Shapiro on, but the Pennsylvania governor turned him down. “And look what happened,” Klein says, seemingly joking.) He says he’s “very uncomfortable” with the amount of attention he’s received, though seems to be enjoying it just fine, even if Semafor was picking on him a bit for being too cozy with top-echelon Dems with a piece posted August 18 they titled “The New York Times’ Ezra Klein Problem.” 

 There is a historical tension between the newsroom and Opinion side at the Times, one that Klein doesn’t think is all that useful. “I think of my work as primarily reported,” he says. “My line for a very long time back when I was at the Washington Post,” he said, “was that the division between the news and opinion sides made it too hard for the news side to tell the truth and too easy for the opinion side to bullshit.” He adds: “I don’t really think my show’s lineage, so to speak, is actually inside that opinion-news divide.” Still, the Times works hard to maintain its journalistic propriety. 

Following the debate, but prior to Biden dropping out, Klein wanted to have Times politics reporter and "The Run-Up" host Astead Herndon on his show to talk about Harris. But NYT executive editor Joe Kahn shut it down. This was around the time the paper’s own editorial board had joined the chorus of calls for Biden to step aside, a moment when newsroom leaders felt the need to reinforce the division between the newsroom and Opinion side. “Newsroom people get resentful as he veers more into newsmaking,” one Times staffer noted. Said another: “I think he only becomes more powerful over time, since I’d argue the influence of the Times editorial board (and all ed boards, really) has waned over the course of the rise of the internet and social.” 

But in general, Klein’s star status doesn’t seem to be a problem at all for the Gray Lady, which runs full-page advertisements for The Ezra Klein Show in the paper and is building out a video dimension to the podcast. He recently interviewed Nancy Pelosi in a room in the middle of Times HQ, footage of which prompted speculation — among media folk, Brooklyn mom group chats, etc. — about that glow-up. 

He dismisses speculation that he now has a stylist — he’s a man who respects the experts, after all — though notes that he’s been determined to spend “some time this year upgrading my wardrobe and my style, but it’s a thing that has not happened in my mind yet.” 

 Klein was not the first pundit to urge the president against running for reelection. Maureen Dowd said as much in the summer of 2022 (as did Mark Leibovich); David Ignatius, too, in September 2023. But what made Klein more influential is “he is seen by many party elites as much more of a partisan figure, instead of just a columnist,” Axios political correspondent Alex Thompson told me. “It was someone pretty deeply steeped in the Democratic Party basically being the first one to break the taboo.” That "The Ezra Klein Show" is dominating the charts or has a cult following is not new; but the sense that he is plugged into the inner workings of the Democratic Party has imbued the podcast with greater importance. “I mean, some things happened in public. It wasn’t all just behind-the-scenes reporting,” Klein says, between sips of a mezcal-soda at the hotel bar. “But I try to pay attention to who people pay attention to, and who’s earned that respect and credibility inside the caucus — or inside or among other donors, or among strategists. And you can feel those things.” 

 Every election cycle at the Times has a face, and Klein, despite being an Opinion writer, is this year’s. “I don’t think anyone notable’s behavior would change because of his podcast,” a Democratic strategist told me. But where he deserves credit, they said, is “helping to initiate that conversation a while ago” and keeping it in the media long after. 

“This was not a fun process,” Klein says. “This was a really wrenching thing the party had to go through.” As for his role in it, heavy is the head. “Look, I recognize that in the rare moments when people want to say you’re right about something, you should agree and accept it, but it also feels like it always pins a target on your back,” he said. Klein seems broken up, though unsurprised, about the bridges he’s burnt. “When I did the February piece, I recognized it was going to fuck up a lot of my relationships in the Biden White House.” 

Still, he was “aghast” when I told him I’d heard that there was conspiratorial chatter among Biden officials after Klein’s piece, wondering who — someone in Obama’s camp? — had planted the idea with Klein. 

“I’m actually shocked to hear anybody would think that. That’s so dumb,” he said. “The only thing happening here was saying what everybody was seeing.” It was through reporting, he said, that he came to that conclusion. “I talked to people and I understood that they could imagine that Joe Biden shouldn’t run, but they couldn’t imagine what would lead him to step aside and what to do if he did,” he says, noting he was frustrated by the “sense that this was going to be a stable situation — that people were not going to need alternatives.” 

He also felt he owed it to his listeners. “I don’t think people pay a lot of attention to the mechanics of nominating processes,” he says. “I was just trying to make people aware that this wasn’t done.” 

 Klein tells me he’s interested to see if this moment of collective action changes the Democratic Party going forward. “Institutions have muscles and the muscles atrophy when they’re not used and they strengthen when they are used, and the Democratic Party did something collectively. 

It’s really unusual, functionally unknown about American politics.” The party proved itself “beyond the ambitions of any one person,” he says. “It’s not that I think the Democratic Party is going to start knocking its candidates off or something, but it just learned it can act, in a way that I could tell you for a fact its members did not think they could.”

 Talking to Klein can feel, at times, like listening to his show. He’ll casually go on a tangent about child-care policy or recall a cross-national study, and then he’ll become a normal person again, talking about the challenge of juggling his professional and personal life, married to Atlantic magazine journalist Annie Lowrey, with two kids, living in Brooklyn. “I think I’m an interesting person on my podcast. I often wonder why I’m not more interesting at home,” he said. 

“Sometimes I think, Does my family get the best version of me? And the answer is often no.” I asked him what he does for fun. “A mix of very quiet and very loud,” he said. “I spend a lot of time quietly reading. I have very deep friendships. I go to a lot of shows.” This will not be his first time going to Burning Man. 

 He has been covering politics since he was 18, cutting his teeth as a policy blogger. He moved the blog from Typepad to the American Prospect in 2007, when he was 23. Then he went to the Washington Post, where he ran the popular Wonkblog. After five years he left to co-found Vox, the website that became the namesake of the multi-brand digital-media company that today owns New York Magazine, until departing for the Times in 2020. 

His popular interview podcast, "The Ezra Klein Show", followed him there. He considered going another route: selling his podcast to Spotify, starting a Substack. “I sometimes feel like a dumbass who’s left a ton of money on the table,” he admits. 

But he likes being part of institutions and seems, in a vaguely messianic way, to see it as his duty to support them. “It’s true that I could make more money doing this independently, but if all the people who do what I do decide to go and capture all of their revenue themselves, then what happens to all the parts of the industry that are frankly more important than what I do, but are not self-sustaining in that way?” he says, citing investigative and foreign reporting among the beats that haven’t quite figured out the newsletter format. 

It seems to be a mutually beneficial relationship: “The Times is a unique power,” he says. “If I had done the same pieces from Substack, would it have mattered?” 

 Going to the Times meant he didn’t have to manage anymore — “it feels almost decadent to only really have to worry about my own work,” he says — and could focus on what he wanted to do, as opposed to the biggest stories that Vox needed its biggest voices to cover. “That allows me to follow my own interests with a lot more authenticity than I would be able to bring otherwise,” he says. 

What some people love about Klein and what some people hate about him is that he makes himself a mini expert on everything, dipping in and out of topics, from AI to wellness to the Russia-Ukraine war. 

He has a Zadie Smith interview coming up, and will soon welcome back Richard Powers to the show. “Those are things that bring me a huge amount of joy, and it is really hard to imagine what else I could do that would allow me to explore my own interests broadly.” 

 “He’s an influential voice, but also generationally unique,” said Obama senior adviser Eric Schultz, citing traditional media’s fight for attention and relevance in an ecosystem filled with tweets and clips and trolling. 

Klein, has “found a sweet spot that I don’t think anyone else has been able to replicate. It’s like what the Sunday shows used to be,” said Schultz. “Now they’re consumed by the blow-by-blow, and Ezra is having the thoughtful conversations.” 

 Klein, who grew up in Orange County, California, moved from San Francisco to Park Slope, then Gowanus, a year ago to be closer to his wife’s family. The redwoods are still close to his heart, literally, as he has a tattoo of them on his shoulder. He recently added a second tattoo, a typewriter-font “Is that so?” printed on his inner bicep. 

“A reminder to not believe what you think,” he says, when I ask him what it means to him. “Sometimes people see it and they think of it as outwardly focused, but it’s inwardly focused,” says Klein. “The easiest person to convince of anything is yourself. And it connects to small Zen stories that I like.” It took him a while, he says, to get over the belief that you can’t be buried in a Jewish cemetery if you have tattoos, which he claims is “a complete myth” and tells me that I can read all about it in a Times article. 

This post-glow up Klein might seem like he’s ready to mingle at the joy-filled late-night celeb-packed party-ready DNC. But he says he’s not really planning on hitting the town (and I didn’t see him out either). His first night in town was spent at dinner with his editor and a member of Congress and then in his hotel room, where he watched the speeches. On Tuesday he watched the speeches from the floor — where, according to his boss, Katie Kingsbury, with whom he was standing, an usher recognized him but not her — but didn’t hit any afters after. “I doubt I’ll go to anything,” he texted me, when I asked him his party plans for the rest of the convention. “Going to watch from the floor each night then I record fairly early in the morning. So no real social calendar really,” he said. “Work, work, work." 

*Published in New York Magazine’s Intelligencer section in a the "Stop the Presses" column originally headlined: "Ezra Klein, Wonk in Full, Is Almost a Celebrity at the DNC".

AMERICANA / WORLD'S GREATEST COFFEE SHOP PAINTING

 

"Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper, 1942 now on display at the Chicago Institute of Art

COFFEE BEANS & BEINGS / SHANGHAI CITY OF CAFES--BBC REPORT

New generation customers at coffee shop in Shanghai 

GUEST BLOG / By Stephen McDonnell, BBC China correspondent; Photos by Ed Lawrence and Katherine Tse-- Walk through the streets of Shanghai and its café culture is unmissable. There are some areas where you won’t be able to turn without passing yet another new little café. China’s financial capital now has so many coffee shops that the government claims it has the most of any city in the world. 

The city’s café culture has been developing for years, but the post-Covid opening up has really given it a boost, as locals embrace outdoor living, looking for places to meet their friends and family. 

However, with so many new establishments, the competition for customers has become fierce. Most owners we spoke to don’t think all these businesses can survive. 

Shanghai officials say there are “more than 8,000 cafes in the city”. And a report by the Shanghai International Coffee Culture Festival, recorded 9,553 coffee shops at the end of 2023. And it’s not just the number of outlets that sets Shanghai apart. 

Where other Chinese cities are still dominated by big coffee chains like Starbucks and its local rival Luckin, Shanghai’s café explosion is largely fuelled by niche, independent outlets, like Hidden Track. 

Owner of Hidden Track Dong Xiaoli For the owner of Hidden Track, coffee is an obsession 

Its owner Dong Xiaoli says she had "no choice” but to dive head first into the industry because she was so passionate about coffee. But it hasn’t been easy. Asked what advice she would give someone considering following in her footsteps, she laughs and replies: “I’d say don’t do it.” 

“The investment versus return is awful. You need to buy expensive machines and put a lot of money into decorating. You’re earning very small amounts of money compared to other industries.” 

To succeed in this very crowded market, having a distinct vibe has become as important as anything else in attracting customers. Hidden Track has gone for a limited menu and a simple, minimalist vibe which opens onto the street in a welcoming fashion. 

Shanghai officials estimate there are more than 8,000 cafes in the city Being seen at a café here is considered hip and urbane, and that has helped drive young customers through the doors. 

Cafes have become a social occasion with many young people to get dressed up and meet for coffee and a chat. Shanghai's residents who have long seen themselves as the inheritors of an outward-looking, cosmopolitan attitude which permeated Shanghai in the early decades of the 20th century, are also proud of their café culture. “Shanghai has long been an international trading city: we started drinking coffee a long time ago. Smaller cities will also gradually get different types of cafes,” says one man sitting at a café. 

A woman nearby agrees that the local café culture is now solidly established. Asked how many cups of coffee she drinks a day, she laughs out loud and replies: “As many as I like.” 

Importer of specialist coffee Yuan Jingfeng, who runs the R1070 café, says all his beans come from Japan.

And as the cafes increase, so does the appetite for experimentation. The coffee converts of this tea-drinking giant are keen to try new flavours and new brews. Yuan Jingfeng, who runs the R1070 café, says all his beans come from Japan. “My costs are very very high. My imported beans include American and Italian styles which are all imported from Japan in their original packaging,” he says. 

“Wholesale prices have gone up dramatically over the past few years. The wars in Yemen and Ethiopia have both had an impact. The good beans are getting fewer while the number of coffee drinkers keeps increasing." But, so far, he says he has resisted passing on the increased costs to his growing base of coffee drinkers. 

AC café is owned by deaf people and employs deaf baristas. Yang Yanfang – who interprets at AC for those who can’t speak with their hands – says that, after the pandemic, "friends are really keen to meet up for a coffee or a drink and Shanghai has become a city with a really strong coffee culture." "I can skip meals, but I can't skip my coffee," she adds. 

And this is not the only café of its kind. Another popular café, which is operated by blind staff, serves coffee through a hole in the wall, from someone wearing a monkey suit arm, to customers waiting in the street. Along one stretch of road, we counted 18 cafes within only a couple of hundred metres. All of them had plenty of customers inside. 

Owners are hoping this will not be just a passing fad. According to some estimates, China’s coffee market was valued at more than 260 billion yuan (US$35bn) last year. It’s been projected that it could increase by another hundred billion (US$13bn). 

The country’s branded coffee shop market grew by 58% last year, according to the World Coffee Portal. 

 

Coffee shop on bund that turns into bar Coffee shop by day, bar by night 

With overheads so high in Shanghai, many coffee shops can’t afford to have their space under-utilised at night. So, when the sun goes down, they are turning their cafes into bars, sometimes with live music. 

The owner of the Flower Café and Bar, Wang Xi, has a prime spot with a clear view of the city. His margins are very tight but, at the moment, his venture is surviving. “I’m a quite optimistic,” he says. “I hope the Chinese economy will quickly return to pre-pandemic levels. If the economy flows again, everyone will make a profit.” 

China’s economy may be facing some significant hurdles but, as Wang Xi speaks, he looks out across the customers sitting at little tables and chairs staring down Suzhou Creek towards a gleaming Shanghai skyline and – on this night – it’s hard not to share his optimism. 

Post-Covid, coffee shops have boomed in China's financial capital like this huge Starbuck's in Shanghai

FELINE FRIDAY/ 10 THINGS THAT CATS HATE, EXCEPT A WELL MADE MARTINI

GUEST BLOG / BY THE OMLET BLOG--WHILE ALL CATS ARE DIFFERENT, THERE ARE CERTAIN TRAITS COMMON TO MOST FELINES. 

 KNOWING WHAT A CAT LIKES AND WHAT A CAT DISLIKES IS ONE OF THE KEYS TO AVOIDING PET PEEVES AND KEEPING YOUR CAT HAPPY AND HEALTHY. ONE OF THE KEY TAKEAWAY MESSAGES IS THAT CATS ARE NOT LIKE HUMANS OR DOGS. THEY ARE CATS – UNIQUE AND PURR-FECT. 

MOST CATS, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE UNITED IN THE THINGS THEY DISLIKE. UNFORTUNATELY, A LOT OF THE THINGS CATS DISLIKE ARE THINGS THAT THAT HUMANS DO TO THEM, OFTEN UNAWARE HOW MUCH THEIR CATS HATE IT. 

TO GUIDE CAT OWNERS TOWARDS MORE FELINE-FRIENDLY BEHAVIOR, HERE ARE THE TOP TEN THINGS HUMANS DO THAT CATS THEY WISH WOULDN’T HAPPEN EVER--MEOW. 

1. CATS HATE LOUD NOISES A CAT’S EAR IS DESIGNED TO CHANNEL SOUND, AND THEIR HEARING IS MUCH MORE ACUTE THAN A HUMAN’S. THIS MEANS THAT WASHING MACHINES, SHOUTING, MUSIC AND PHONES – NOT TO MENTION FIREWORKS AND FAMILY PARTIES – ARE ALL THINGS CATS HATE. BEING RESPECTFUL OF A CAT’S SENSITIVE EARS MAY HELP MINIMIZE THE PROBLEM, BUT CATS ARE ALSO VERY GOOD AT ESCAPING THE LOUD NOISE AND FINDING SOMEWHERE QUIET. IT IS ONLY WHEN THE NOISE IS UNESCAPABLE – FIREWORKS, FOR EXAMPLE – THAT THE CAT’S STRESS CAN REALLY INCREASE. 

 2. CATS DON’T LIKE AGGRESSIVE PETTING WHILE SOME DOGS MAY ENJOY A ROUGH BACK-SCRATCH OR ENTHUSIASTIC BELLY RUB, MOST CATS PREFER A GENTLER APPROACH. HEAVY-HANDED PATS, STROKING AND PAW- OR TAIL-HANDLING WILL MAKE CATS FEEL IN DANGER, AND THEY WILL EITHER RUN, LASH OUT WITH THEIR CLAWS OR SIMPLY BECOME STRESSED. MANY CATS DISLIKE BEING CUDDLED, A CONDITION THAT HAS A NAME – FELINE HYPERESTHESIA. THIS IS PARTICULARLY COMMON IN RESCUE CATS, SO ALWAYS TAKE CARE WHEN PETTING YOUR CAT – WATCH ITS REACTIONS AND DON’T FORCE THE ISSUE. DRESSING CATS UP IN SUPPOSEDLY CUTE OUTFITS FALLS INTO THIS CATEGORY, TOO. MAKE SURE EVERYONE IN THE HOUSEHOLD, INCLUDING THE CHILDREN, IS AWARE OF THESE KITTY RULES. 

 3. SOME CATS DON’T LIKE TO BE IGNORED WHILE NOT ALL CATS CRAVE ATTENTION, MANY DOMESTIC CATS LOVE IT – ON THEIR TERMS, AND WHEN IT SUITS THEM. A CAT WHO DOESN’T WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE AND WANTS YOU TO STOP DOING WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND GIVE THEM SOME ATTENTION WILL JUMP ONTO YOUR LAP OR DESK AND GENERALLY GET IN THE WAY OF YOUR HANDS. IN AN AGE OF LAPTOPS AND HOME-WORKING, MANY CAT OWNERS ARE VERY AWARE OF THIS FELINE ATTENTION SEEKING, AND THE DEMANDING PET CAT SOMETIMES SEEMS TO BE A PERMANENT FEATURE OF THE DESK, COMPUTER KEYBOARD OR SOFA! 

 4. CATS DON’T LIKE WATER THE FACT THAT CATS HATE GETTING WET IS SUCH A WELL-KNOWN FACT THAT IT HAS BECOME A CLICHÉ, BUT THAT DOESN’T STOP IT BEING TRUE! CATS AVOID WATER, HIDE FROM THE RAIN AND SIMPLY HATE BEING SHOWERED. AS FAR AS A CAT IS CONCERNED, THAT ALL-PURPOSE TONGUE IS QUITE CAPABLE OF DELIVERING THE PERFECT CAT SHOWER. YOU SHOULD ONLY RESORT TO CAT BATHS OR SHOWERS WHEN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY –TO CLEAN SOMETHING TOXIC OR OILY FROM THE FUR, OR TO PREPARE A CAT FOR A SHOW. 

 5. CATS HATE CAR RIDES FELINES OFTEN HIDE UNDER CARS WHEN THEY’RE AFRAID, BUT MOST OF THEM DO NOT LIKE CAR RIDES AT ALL, AND SOME CATS ARE TERRIFIED BY VEHICLES. THE COMBINATION OF MOTION, LOUD NOISES AND STRANGE SMELLS IS STRESSFUL FOR A CAT, AND THEY ARE ALSO PRONE TO MOTION SICKNESS. CAR RIDES WITH CATS SHOULD THEREFORE BE RESTRICTED TO NECESSITIES – FOR EXAMPLE, TRIPS TO THE CAT VET OR TO THE CAT HOTEL WHEN YOU’RE GOING ON VACATION. 

 6. CATS DISLIKE OTHER PETS ALTHOUGH A KITTEN THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP WITH OTHER CATS, OR EVEN DOGS, WILL TOLERATE THEIR COMPANY, CATS NEED THEIR OWN TERRITORY, AND THEY ARE ALSO NATURAL LONERS. UNLIKE HUMANS – AND UNLIKE MANY BREEDS OF DOG – CATS DO NOT NEED A SIGNIFICANT OTHER IN THEIR LIVES. YOU ONLY HAVE TO WATCH HOW CATS REACT TO OTHER CATS IN THEIR TERRITORY – IN THE BACKYARD, FOR EXAMPLE – TO SEE HOW TRUE THIS IS. 

 7. CATS HATE TAKING MEDICATION YOU CAN FOOL A DOG BY WRAPPING A SLICE OF HAM AROUND ITS TABLET OR MIXING ITS MEDICINE INTO THE FOOD BOWL. CATS ARE MORE RESISTANT TO OUR EFFORTS TO MAKE THEM FEEL BETTER, THOUGH. GIVING A CAT TABLETS INVOLVES A COATING OF BUTTER AND SOME GENTLE THROAT MASSAGE. 

 8. CATS WON’T USE DIRTY LITTER BOXES CATS ARE VERY CLEAN ANIMALS, AND WILL NOT USE A DIRTY LITTER BOX. REGULAR CLEANING OF THE TRAY IS THEREFORE ESSENTIAL, AND FRESH KITTY LITTER NEEDS ADDING REGULARLY TO KEEP EVERYTHING SMELLING NICE AND FRESH. PEOPLE OFTEN ASK “WHAT SMELLS DO CATS HATE?”, AND THE ANSWER “CAT PEE AND CAT POOP” IS HIGH ON THE LIST (ALONG WITH AIR FRESHENERS, INCENSE AND PEELED CITRUS FRUITS!) 

 9. CATS SHOULD NEVER BE GIVEN PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT THIS IS ONE THAT A CAT IS UNLIKELY TO FORGIVE A HUMAN FOR. A CAT SHOULD BE DISSUADED FROM UNWANTED BEHAVIOR BY MAKING A NOT-TOO-LOUD NOISE, SUCH AS HITTING YOUR HAND WITH A ROLLED UP MAGAZINE OR CLAPPING (BUT, AGAIN, REMEMBER THAT THEY DISLIKE LOUD NOISES TOO). ANY PHYSICAL CHASTISEMENT WILL BREAK THE BOND OF TRUST BETWEEN CAT AND OWNER. 

 10. CATS NEED THEIR OWN SPACE A CAT’S BED, FAVORITE HIDEAWAY OR QUIET CORNER OF THE BACKYARD SHOULD BE AREAS WHERE HUMANS NEVER INTRUDE. CHILDREN NEED REMINDING OF THIS, AS THEIR INSTINCT MAY BE TO PLUCK THE CAT FROM ITS BED AND GIVE IT A CUDDLE. ONCE AGAIN, CATS HAVE A TERRITORIAL NATURE AND NEED THEIR OWN QUIET SPOTS AND SAFE ZONES, WHERE THEY CAN UNWIND. 

OF COURSE, THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO EVERY RULE.  TAKE MAX AN ORANGE TABBY WHO LIVES IN SAN DIEGO'S NORTH PARK, HE LOVES MARTINI'S.

THE FOODIST / WHEN THE REVIEW IS AS TASTY AS THE STEAK(HOUSE).

Diners in curtain option booths at St. Anselm. Photo: Deb Lindsey. 

Bon Mots as savory as a great New York cut with mashed potatoes and creamy spinach. 

Reviewer: Tom Sietsema, Washington Post. 

The reviewed: Washington DC steak restaurants: St. Anselm; Joe’s; Bobby Van’s; Bourbon Steak; The Palm; Rare Steakhouse; Charlie Palmer Steak and Capital Grille. 

What’s not to like dining on a New York strip from Chicago in a DC restaurant. 

Why this article? Because this man knows how to write a restaurant review and he’s been doing it for 25 years. Yes, not everyone lives in the DC area or eats meat but savory is savory. Non meat dishes are also suggested. CLICK HERE. 

Crispy onion strings, snow crab claws and New York strip at Joe’s Prime Steak & Stone Crab. Photo: Deb Lindsey. 

Woodsy interior of Bobby Van’s Steakhouse. Photo: Hector Martinez 

Charlie Palmer’s illuminated wine cellar. Photo Briana Balducci. 

DESIGN / NOE VALLEY HOME TOUR / SAN FRANCISCO

SAVE THE DATE/ SEPTEMBER 8, 2024

It’s here! The next Victorian Alliance of San Francisco’s (VASF) historic home tour! See for yourselves why Noe Valley is one of San Francisco’s the most desirable neighborhoods, being dubbed as family-friendly and comfortable with many historic homes and legacy businesses. 

 The self-guided walking tour will showcase seven historic homes and a historic church. VASF’s docents and Bay Area historians will provide historical and architectural details at each location. For the first time, the tour will also include eight “points of interest”, a collection of historical sites and legacy businesses for tour goers to visit on their own during the tour. All taken together you will get a deeper understanding of Noe Valley’s “Sense of Place”. 

 The Victorian Alliance of San Francisco is organizing this tour during its 51st anniversary year of educating, preserving, and advocating for San Francisco’s historic structures and cultural assets. Your ticket purchases go toward our grants fund to help repair and restore historic cultural and public places. We look forward to your enjoying of San Francisco’s unique Noe Valley neighborhood, learning about its history, and meeting its neighbors. 

 Tickets: 

Pricing: • $50 for adults • $40 for Members (join at victorianalliance.org) Members, enter discount code at checkout • $40 per person for Groups of 10 or more • $10 per child ages 5-17, accompanied by a parent or guardian. Babes in arms free. • Tickets are limited.  

AMERICANA / WE LOVE YOU, KAMALA

WAR ZONE / AL HUDAYDAH BEFORE THE FALL

The ancient city of Al Hudayah [aka Hodeidan] is a port on the Red Sea in the northwest of Yemen. Recently, the port area was attacked by Israeli forces claiming retaliation for previous attacks on Israel by forces inside Yemen. The images posted here were before August bombs fell. 

RECENTLY...

BEFORE...

AFTER..