7 ways to fix American's deadly diet

Also, the shady economics of car buying.

View this email online Sept. 4, 2022 Scott’s Weekly Weigh-in LM Otero/AP A 1952 Mickey Mantle rookie baseball card in mint condition sold this week for $12.6 million, and I had to gasp, Did I ever have one? What makes a baseball card worth $12.6 million? Someone is willing to pay it. Michael Osacky of Professional Sports Authenticator told the New York Times that baseball cards are now seen as investments, not mementos. The prices on sports trading cards sites look like they’re for Lamborghinis. Kids with mere coins from their allowance can’t afford them. But what makes an old card or ticket a multi-million-dollar investment? It is not an original work of art by Picasso or Kahlo. It is not a signed first edition of a Hemingway or Baldwin. It is not an original copy of the Emancipation Proclamation (which sold for “just” $2.1 million). When I interviewed Mickey Mantle years ago, he was funny and self-effacing about the drinking problem that sapped his life. “If I’d known I was going to live this long,” he said, “I would have taken better care of myself.” He was 63 when he died, in 1995, shortly after a liver transplant. He earned a total of $1,128,000 in baseball (about $9 million dollars, adjusted for inflation). If the Mick were around to hear that one of his rookie cards sold for more than he earned his entire career, I like to think he’d ask, “All that’s going on in this world, and you couldn’t you think of better things to do with that money?” Two especially wrenching interviews on our show this week. Tova Friedman on her memoir, The Daughter of Auschwitz, and Birmingham pastor Eric Atcheson on why he felt he had to leave the clergy to hold on to his faith. I am grateful they opened their hearts to us. Scott Simon Scott Simon is one of NPR's most renowned news anchors. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and one of the hosts of the morning news podcast Up First. Be sure to listen to him every Saturday on your local NPR station, and follow him on Twitter. Newsletter continues after sponsor message Stories you might have missed Creative Commons Car dealerships deploy tricks and traps to make as much money as they can from you. Studies reveal the sad truth of who bears the brunt of these practices: people of color more than white folks, older people more than younger buyers, and older women more than everyone else. NPR's Greg Rosalsky went inside the rise of "stealerships" and the shady economics of car buying. Your local park helps you recharge, cool off and connect with friends and nature. But you might not know that your city park has another, hidden talent: fighting climate change. The typical American diet is shortening the lives of many Americans. The White House, which is hosting the first national conference on hunger and nutrition since 1969, has these seven big ideas for getting Americans to eat healthier. Is it fair — or efficient — to forgive hundreds of billions of dollars in student debt? We look closely at three arguments for and against the wisdom of President Biden's debt forgiveness plan. Before you go Worcester Red Sox In 1981, two minor league baseball teams met for an early-season game of no real consequence. It would go down in history as one of the most extraordinary games ever. A Black pastor in Alabama was watering flowers for an out-of-town neighbor at their request when a police officer arrived and arrested him. Here's how he felt when it happened. The next time someone tells you to turn your frown upside down, put on some sad music, get out some old photos and get in touch with your inner melancholy — and maybe you'll be happier in the long run. Oh, and take this quiz to find out if you tend toward the sanguine or bittersweet. A Harvard astronomer thinks debris from a meteor that fell into the ocean could be alien technology, and he's planning an expedition to retrieve fragments of it from the ocean floor. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WBEZ (edit station). Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Best of NPR emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy