The News Not Noise Letter: News That Doesn't Suck
Ben Affleck’s positive career move. Plus: cancer deaths are down nationwide, and so are traffic deaths in Jersey City. And the backstory on that “puppy bus” that went viral.
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Here’s some news that doesn’t suck:
America Runs On… Affleck? This Tuesday, the coffee-lovers of Medford, Massachusetts were surprised to see movie star Ben Affleck manning the drive-thru instead of their usual barista. Outfitted in a Dunkin’ uniform (visor included), Affleck served astonished customers coffee and donuts. According to one customer, Affleck refused to accept their money, instead handing out breakfast orders for free. This stunt was reportedly part of a new Dunkin’ commercial, and some fans spotted Affleck also bringing donuts from the chain to local firefighters. We guess this shows that you can take the Affleck out of Boston, but you can’t take the Boston out of an Affleck.
Cancer Deaths Down: In a rare moment of good news from the American Cancer Society, new data shows that the cancer death rate in the US has dropped 33% since 1991–that’s roughly 3.8 million deaths averted by improved treatment, more cancers detected in early stages through screenings, and significant decreases in the smoking rate. Between 2012 and 2019 in particular, rates of cervical cancer among women in their early 20s decreased by 65%, which researchers say aligns with the introduction of the HPV vaccine. In a bit of not-so-good news, the study also revealed that racial disparities persist in cancer death rates, with Black people facing higher fatality rates from prostate, uterine and breast cancer. In particular, Black men with prostate cancer face a death rate 2-3 times higher than men of any other race, a disparity which American Cancer Society CEO Dr. Karen Knudsen called “profound.” However, Knudsen also announced a new initiative called Improving Mortality from Prostate Cancer Together (IMPACT) which aims to reduce prostate cancer fatalities overall and to specifically reduce the racial disparity for Black men by 2035.
Tim Cook Takes a Pay Cut: Move over, rapacious tech titans. A new kind of leader is in town: one who has at least a tiny bit of perspective. Head of Apple Tim Cook took a voluntary 40% pay cut this year—cutting his target compensation from over $84 million in 2022 to $49 million for 2023. Why? Only 64% of Apple’s shareholders approved of his compensation last year, compared to 95% who approved his annual compensation in 2020. Apple is an industry trendsetter, and given that in 2021, CEOs made 399 times more on average than the typical worker, we’re hopeful other executives may follow suit.
Kindness Works: A new study from The Ohio State University found that people living with depression, anxiety, and/or stress may find symptom relief when they perform acts of kindness towards others. 122 people experiencing “moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress” were divided into three groups. One group was told to plan social activities for two days a week, and another group was instructed to use a common technique from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) called “cognitive reappraisal” to reframe their negative thought patterns into neutral or positive thoughts, recording their reappraisals at least two days a week. The third group were told to pick two days of the week and perform three acts of kindness on each selected day. Some real examples of the participants’ acts of kindness were fairly small, including “leaving sticky notes for roommates with words of encouragement.” After five weeks, researchers reevaluated participants’ symptoms, and they evaluated symptoms a third time five weeks after that to see if any changes would last. While all three interventions led to positive results, with participants experiencing an increase in life satisfaction and a reduction of depression and anxiety symptoms, only the participants who performed acts of kindness felt more connected to other people. David Cregg, the doctoral candidate who conducted the research with colleague Dr. Jennifer Cheavens, noted that “social connection is one of the ingredients of life most strongly associated with well-being.” So do yourself a favor by doing someone else a favor.
Jersey City’s Traffic Triumph: In a city of nearly 300,000 people, there were zero traffic fatalities on city-managed streets in 2021. You read that right–zero traffic fatalities, bucking national trends of increasing traffic fatalities. How did Jersey City manage it? The city adopted the “Vision Zero” strategy, an international traffic safety framework, and began making innovative traffic safety changes on the ground, in real time. Using spare materials and rough prototypes, the city tested temporary pilot changes in various locations throughout the municipality, installing short-term “mini-roundabouts” to slow traffic in high-speed zones and testing out city-subsidized, low-cost microtransit in partnership with Via to address service gaps in public transportation. Residents were able to experience the benefits and drawbacks of the traffic changes in real time and provide feedback directly to the city without having to attend contentious town hall meetings. Instead of lengthy bureaucratic battles over high-dollar projects, Jersey City’s quick and cost-effective solutions showed residents and politicians alike that investing in traffic safety works.
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