A Fool And His Money Are Soon Parted -- January

Locator: 44767BLOOMBERG.

UN climate change scam: Trump pulls US out of this scam. Bloomberg will step in and fund it all. Interestingly enough, no dollar amounts provided and the press release suggests that Bloomberg won't go it alone; will call in other donors to help pay.

US foreign aid: all foreign aid stopped effective immediately including aid to Ukraine pending review. Two exceptions: military aid to Israel and Egypt and emergency food aid. I wonder if Bloomberg will step in to fund US foreign aid that is affected.  

McDonald’s fries: I’m old enough to remember when and why McDonald’s switched from beef tallow to vegetable oil for their fries. 1990. And the “new” fries were awful though we got used to them over time. Now, beef tallow is coming back in vogue. Steak ‘n Shake apparently will be among the first to switch back to beef tallow. Prime influencer? None other than RFK, Jr.

Woke no longer: Target.

Coke:

Sacking 17 inspector generals: it's nothing new. Reagan did it. Biden did it. I think the formal
30-day notice to the US Congress will be dated today. At worse, thirty days from now, those fired will all receive 30 days of back pay, and resumes updated to show they held office through February 24. And then everyone moves on. Here's the list.

Moats: these twelve companies. Link here. The twelve: META, TSLA, NVDA, PLTN, TSM, ASML, AMZN, AXON, NET, AVGO, ISRG, AAPL.

Focus on dividends: it's hard to believe I missed this, but I don't recall posting it. OKE announced a 4% increase in its quarterly dividend, and for those whose cost basis for OKE has come down significantly, that 4% is a much more significant increase. Whoo-hoo!

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Presidential Spouses

Melania: is it just me or does the First Lady look more radiant than ever and seeming to enjoy her second time around? By the way, whom does she seem to be channeling? Think Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The hat tipped me off.

Michelle: lots of stories on X about the Obama couple. I have no idea, but it's often said, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. In this case, I guess the smoke would be social media, and the fire would be a certain  Hollywood actress. As long as she gets to keep her four houses, including the one in Hawaii, I doubt Michelle cares a whole lot, one way or the other.

Jill: just think. Michelle and Melania both had eight years in the White House. Jill: four years with a lot of that on the Delaware beach.

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Welcome To My Life

From The New Yorker:

Healthy Fast Food: Wendy's, McDonald's, And Burger King All Beat In-N-Out; Whataburger #5 -- January 25, 2025

Locator: 44768FASTFOOD.

Here's the list: https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/top-5-fast-food-burgers-health-says-new-study. Apparently the survey is found at the Delish website.

• #5: Whataburger Jr.: went last week for the first time in ten years? No longer impressed.
• #4: In-N-Out hamburger -- many say they get the In-N-Out hamburger and then go to McDonald's to pick up the fries; the last time for me, maybe last year? I forget; no desire to go again. The fries are a deal breaker.
• #3: McDonald's classic hamburger (my favorite) -- it's not just the burger, it's also the fries and the all-around experience.
• #2: Burger King Whopper Jr: "never" go; I guess I've been there once or twice years ago when it was only choice after dropping off Olivia for soccer practice.
• #1: Wendy's Jr hamburger: I last had it decades ago; no interest in going again.

At Delish, they add #7 and #6, also:

• #7: Shake Shack Hamburger; it has the most protein of all seven picks, with a whopping 25 grams; there's one on the same block as our Schwab broker, but I've never even thought about going to Shake Shack.
• #6: Culver's ButterBurger: I've never even seen a Culver's much less been there. The nearest Culver's to us is in Flower Mound, TX, 9.6 miles; and, Lewisville, TX, 18.7 miles. Technically the latter is in The Colony and the drive would take 40 minutes if I didn't want to pay tolls (fastest: 27 minutes). 

Comments:

• Whataburger, In-N-Out, McDonald's, and Wendy's is in our immediate neighborhood.I know I've seen a Burger King in the area but don't know where.
• Shake Shake, as noted, is on same block as the Schwab we go to, but we only go once a month to Schwab.
• Culver's: way, way too far away.
• price for a Cutter's: between $4.29 and $6.49.
• McDonald's Classic hamburger: $2.19. 

I guess this is why I never go to Shake Shack, but wow, I bet they are really, really good:

This is just for the hamburger. Fries, drink, extra. 

Didn't see Five Guys on the list. There's a Five Guys within walking distance. I've been there one, when my brother-in-law from California visited some years ago. He's a fast food connoisseur. His favorite: the Costco hot dog combo: $1.50.